The Curse Of Mizu Chai

Chapter Two

By the time the man had woken up and left his room I had already cooked breakfast. The sun was shining through the dead branches of the trees outside and through the window that was next to the table that the food was sitting on.

“Eat anything you want. And as much as you want.” I gestured to the food on the table.

“Thanks.” He sat down and started to put a little bit of everything on his plate.

I walked over to the front door and opened it, walking outside. While shutting the door I said, “Gonna be out for awhile.” Then the door shut and I was yet again alone with my thoughts.

I walked along a path that I had made many years ago, one I made with a friend, another friend that didn’t leave soon enough.

***

“Mizu! Come look! I think you should make your house right here, it’s so pretty! The light shines through the trees right onto this spot right here. It’s like it’s calling out for you to use it.” Said a kitsune girl who had bright green eyes, pale skin, and red hair that I wish I had instead of my long unnatural silver hair. She had been 15 years old, turning 16 in 2 months.

“If you want me to build it there then I promise I will.” I said while reaching forward to pat the girl's head.

I took the girl from a bad situation in a village on my way to this forest and planned on keeping her for another week or so to prepare her for the real world. She has to go soon otherwise she’ll die due to my curse. I wish I didn’t have this curse so I could watch her grow more.

“”Yay! I can’t wait to see it when it’s all done!” She said smiling, her tail wagging and ears twitching slightly.

“Atsuko, you know you can’t see it. You have to leave in a week otherwise my curse will kill you.” I looked at the girl with a sad look because I wanted to keep her here and protect her from all the people who wanted to hurt her.

“But maybe the curse won’t affect me and I won’t have to go back to everyone who wants me dead. I’d rather die than go back to those people…” She said, her ears droopy and her tail dragging against the ground as she walked over and hugged me.

“What are you doing?” I asked as I tensed up. I had completely forgotten what it was like to be hugged. The last time I was hugged had to have been over a thousand years ago, the last time I let anyone get close enough to me to be able to hug. That ended badly, they died just like the rest. I stepped back from Atsuko and patted her head. The most I could do was this because I didn’t want to hurt her too.

“I was just hugging you. Haven’t you been hugged before?” She said tipping her head to the side, her left ear twitching a little.

I went to talk but then hesitated for a second, “Maybe once or twice a long, long time ago…”

“Do you not like hugs?” She said, tipping her head from side to side, her ears swaying with her.

“I’m not exactly used to them.” I said looking at the ground and kicking a rock.

“Do you not want me to hug you?” She said with a sad look in her eyes.

“How about I’ll let you give me one more hug before you leave?” I asked.

“Yes!” She said, her ears perking up and her tail wagging.

“It’s a promise then.” I said, not realizing how much I’d regret that promise. Not realizing that I should have just hugged her right then and there.

Later that night there was a big storm, it was downpouring and really windy, trees being knocked down. I fell asleep under the small shelter we had started to make, along the path we had made to get to this area. I didn’t realize it but Atsuko had gotten up to go to the river that was not far from here to get a drink. Little did I know she didn’t know how to swim and she had fallen in. She fell in and was drowning, calling my name as she struggled to stay up above the water. If only I had heard her, maybe she would still be alive. But I didn’t hear her. I failed to truly save her. I didn’t get her away from me in time. She died believing and caring for the wrong person.

I had woken up alone. I called out for Atsuko for a while and then started to frantically look around, expecting to find her dead any minute. By the time I got down to the river I was exhausted. I looked around and gasped, tears started to fall down my face as I looked at her lifeless body. She looked no different than when she was asleep, it looked like I could walk over and wake her from her eternal slumber.

I walked over to her and stroked her ears, crying more as I finally realized I had yet again killed another person I had started to care for with my stupid curse. I must have calculated the days wrong, I must have missed a few days. I leaned down and picked her up, bringing her back to the makeshift house. Laying her down on the ground hugging her to myself as I cried wishing I didn’t have this curse wishing it was me dead instead of her.

***

I stood staring down at a grave sitting just off the path, a beautiful, perfect grave. It looked like it was fake, like it wasn’t supposed to exist in this dead forest. This was the only spot in the forest where the flowers never died.

I sighed and looked down at the kitsune carved into the smooth, shiny rock and the name Atsuko just above it. I wish she would’ve left sooner. She probably would’ve been better off in the village that she was in, the village who abused her and looked at her like she was a curse when she wasn’t. She was just a nice little girl, a sister to me, or maybe a daughter. She cared for everything and wanted to be accepted by people even though she knew it was almost impossible.

In her era people started to look at people who weren’t human as monsters. A few era’s before her’s was an era of peace and everyone was accepted. Dragon people and elves had ruled that era, but then something happened and they started to die off from some disease and humans ended up being more common than they used to be. Humans then thought they deserved to be in power because they had nothing and were “Normal”.

Eventually conflict happened between humans and other species that led up to future conflict that happened for a couple of eras, including Atsuko’s era, an era of sorrow and hate. If she had been born an era earlier she would probably still be alive because I would have had no reason to take her from that abusive village.

Now we’re yet again in a moderately peaceful era. If only the world just stayed peaceful and we didn’t have to deal with things such as abuse, poverty, and high standards. If everyone just didn’t do bad things then everything would be fine and I wouldn't have to get involved with people and then people wouldn’t die because of me. If there were no problems I wouldn’t have to talk to people ever again, I could finally be alone. But every time I think I could maybe be alone, someone new shows up in my life and I get attached and then they have to leave or else they’ll die because of me.

I guess I really should tell that man he should leave before something bad happens to him just like the rest. I guess I can’t have him… I mean it makes sense, because someone so broken can’t have something so perfect. I have to make him leave so I don’t hurt him, I can’t hurt him. I want him to forever be perfect. I want him to be mine. But I can’t have him so he has to leave before I hurt him…