04. The Feeling Of Loss That Is Still Imprinting

"Mother, where is Yuuto?" Little Rin, who has returned from the hospital after being treated for one week there, is seen looking for her brother's where abouts in her big house. The girl has explored all corners of the house, but she never finds the presence of her brother in that place. Where is Rin's older brother?

"Mom, where are Yuuto? Rin missed him so much, he never visited Rin at all while Rin was hospitalized. Even though Yuuto promised .... But, why Brother don't want to see Rin now?" asked the little girl again to her parents.

    "Even though Rin really misses him! Is Yuuto going to his friend's house, huh?" The girl muttered softly at the end. Her face looked confused.

Hideki and Kaede, the little girl's parents, seemed to have guessed that this would happen, sooner or later. Where will their daughters ask where Yuuto, the older brother, is, but how do they convey it properly?

They must reveal the truth that Yuuto has been missing since the girl was hospitalized, and her whereabouts have not been found until now. There was no way they could hide anything especially important like this from their beloved little daughter. The girl heir to Akibara must know the truth.

Hideki's lips parted slightly, the man was about to answer his daughter's question, but his tongue suddenly went out. Meanwhile, Rin must know everything without exception. On the other hand, Kaede seemed to want to explain it to the child, but it felt so heavy.

A husband and wife are in a dilemma, between wanting to tell or hide the truth from the little girl who is now staring at them with her expression so innocent.

Little Rin felt that there was something strange with the attitude of her parents, they were not usually silent. The girl with shoulder-length black hair then looked at the Akibara husband and wife closely. Even so, there was a sudden pain that she felt. Her chest suddenly felt tight, as if an enormous rock was pressing on her, causing the girl to have difficulty breathing.

According to the grandmother, the chest feels a little sore and suddenly tightness is a sign. These were all signs of the beginning of the wounds that would remain in her heart. Her hunch got worse immediately.

Kaede tried to steady her heart, she had to tell Rin the truth. "Yuuto—"

"What's wrong with him, Mom?" Rin cut quickly, the child's feelings raging, there was a feeling that seemed to encourage Rin to cry loudly, but Rin did not know what it was. The feeling was still tight like before. "Mom, where are Brother?" insisted Rin again.

"Yuuto ... lost, Rin," said Kaede softly. Streaks of sadness painted on her beautiful face. "Your brother Yuuto has disappeared since ... you were hospitalized, a week ago."

Rin's tears suddenly fell. "W-what?" she muttered so softly. Her brother ... disappeared. Really? How could that have happened to him? Is her mother kidding right now? Rin looked confused by the various questions that suddenly appeared in her mind.

Kaede turned towards her husband, both of them stared for a long time. Indeed, she felt that she could not bear to see the sad expression on her daughter's face, but they had to reveal the truth. "Your brother is missing, Rin," she said no less sad and felt lost. "We lost your brother since one week ago."

Rin feels something is wrong with her mother. She looked at the mother in disbelief, the girl then ran towards her father, then shook Hideki's arm firmly when she realized the expression his mother was showing. A serious, but sad expression. "Tell Rin! Mom is kidding right, Dad?" she urged Hideki. "There's no way Yuuto just disappear, right!?"

Rin looked at her parents in disbelief. She hopes her parents are lying to her at this time. "Isn't that right?" she asked softly. "Y-you guys are working on Rin, right?"

"Y-you must be currently preparing a surprise for Rin and brother will come suddenly to surprise Rin. Is that right, Mom, Dad?"

Rin tears again flowing profusely. She kept asking her parents questions, urging them to tell the truth about what was going on in their house, making sure all she heard was just a lie. There was no way her brother could just leave without telling her. It is impossible.

"Brother Yuuto can't possibly leave Rin, right ... Brother Yuuto already promised," whispered the little girl, sobbing softly. There was no way Yuuto would just go and leave her. The little girl then rubbed her wet face, then said sadly, "You must be coming home, right? Father? Mother? Brother Yuuto will come home, right?"

Rin tears once again, she sobs softly every time she remembers the incident, her heart breaks, both past and present. Her brother left her, and no one intends to look for the boy in all corners of the world. Her parents didn't really care about it, they didn't mobilize many people to look for Yuuto.

Behind the story of her brother's disappearance, Rin had heard a story that was told by one of their families who had the power to see something that could not be seen by ordinary eyes. The paternal aunt said that Yuuto was missing and entered into the forbidden forest.

Rin, who was already an adult at that time, knew that her brother had been kidnapped by a demon from the forbidden forest that was connected to another world, because that was the rumor in the haunted forest.

No wonder ... her brother was nowhere to be found. Even though they had searched their best with the people who were mobilized only by the two parents of the girl, but still to no avail. It turns out that her brother disappeared into a world that Rin couldn't just reach. It's sad, forever she will never see her brother again.

***

The day after Rin's birthday, the girl who had spent the whole day just worshiping turned out to be awaited by her mother at the exit of the main shrine.

The graceful woman, the mother of two children, looks so tense, her heart is beating very fast. Her hands kept on squeezing the relic that seemed to have a will over itself.

Yes, right. The pendulum attached to the chain of the necklace that Kaede was currently holding had a magical power that couldn't be explained by an ordinary human's intellect. No one could break a chainweights of such a strange shape. Moreover, the pendulum can return by itself to the next generation of the Akibara family.

As if, this thing knew that it was so important for the future survival of the Akibara family. Therefore, every descendant of the modern generation will take good care of it. Not dismissing the mysterious object that was so exalted by the members of the ancient family.

Kaede made up her mind. Rather than her daughter suddenly disappearing from sight and causing sadness in her heart, it is the one who has to do all this alone.

If you want everything to be done smoothly and well, you have to make some sacrifices. To that end, Kaede took another deep breath before entering the main shrine of her family.

The girl dressed as a priestess with red pleated pants looked confused when she saw her mother stepping into the temple with steady steps. Then the elegant woman sat cross-legged in the middle of the temple room painted gold. As if looking for a very large place.

Rin tilted her head when she saw her mother sitting alone with a tense body position. Actually, what's going on with the mother? There seems to be something her mother wants to do at the place, but Rin doesn't know what it is.

Kaede then stared flatly at her daughter who was still standing still near the door, looking at her with a confused look. Kaede knew that sooner or later Rin would experience all of this. The woman who still looked young then said to her, "Rin, come here."

    The girl with an innocent face without any polish on her small face, walked over to Kaede, the mother who called out to her in a soft voice. Her waist black hair was plaited using a long white ribbon that symbolized the purity that people have believed for a long time.

    Rin sat politely in front of the mother. The round-eyed girl stared at Kaede's face who seemed to have closed her eyes.

    "Yesterday ... what birthday did you have, Rin?" Kaede asked in a deep voice, unlike the voice she used to show her daughters.

    A serious expression that is rarely seen on the face of a woman who has given birth to her, makes Rin flutter with fear. She answered in a low voice, "18 years old, Mom ...." Rin took a careful sip of saliva, the atmosphere around her felt strange.

    Suddenly, Kaede grabbed her shoulder so hard that she made the cheerful girl grimace softly at her actions. The sharp glare of the mother's eyes brings anxious feelings to Rin, whose daily life she spends looking after their family shrine, because that is one of her duties as a miko.

    What happened to her mother? Rin was really upset. Mother does not usually behave like this.

    "The time has come," said Kaede again, suddenly.

Rin frowned. Don't understand what the mother means. "What?" she asked in a low voice. The girl blinked her eyes several times with an innocent expression.

There was silence for a few moments between mother and child thinking about something else. Rin gripped her knees and squeezed gently. Why is her mother taking so long?

    Kaede, who had been silent all this time, suddenly took out a necklace with a pendulum in the form of a crescent moon surrounded by two black dots. The woman then quickly attached it to Rin who was confused.

    "Mother, what is this necklace for?" asked the girl with black eyes. Rin looked at the necklace with this strange shape, she didn't really like the style. "Mother, is this a present for Rin?"

    "No, Rin, but listen to this carefully," said Kaede while closing her eyes. This is clearly a very difficult decision. She then returned to say after there was a pause between them, "I'm sorry all of us. Now, you are not part of this family anymore."

    Rin widened in her seat. Is the mother ... currently jokes on her? Isn't it his birthday and it could be a surprise from her family, right?

    "You, we sacrifice to fulfill the devil's request that has cursed the Akibara family from generation to generation for generations since hundreds of years ago."

    "You can never come back. You can never get away."

    "From now on, you are part of the dark."

    Kaede who was still closing her eyes, then made a circular motion of her hands clockwise, the two fingers on her right hand looked like they were forming a seal. Her mouth continues to chant the ancient spell of the Akibara family that will send Rin to another world, to become a slave to the Demon Monkey.

    For a few moments she maintained that position, until then her eyes opened along with the appearance of a circle seal on the floor of the house.

    Right where Rin sat feeling scared.

    Suddenly, Rin's body was enveloped in a bright light that was so dazzling to the eyes. Slowly, her body seemed to be fading, his presence was slowly disappearing.

    "N-no! NO, MOM!" roared the girl in a loud voice. Rin's tears just spilled.

    "I WANT TO BE WITH YOU!"

    Rin kept screaming, begging for mercy from her mother. "Mom! Don't sacrifice Rin, Mom!" she shouted with tears in her eyes.

   Kaede ignored the child's screams. This is all for the survival of their family too.

    Even though Rin's body faded and almost disappeared, faintly heard the girl's voice asking for help. "ANYONE! HELP ME!"

* Note *

Hello, guys! Please, read my other story! Thank you! :)