Rin’s POV:
Hearing this story all over again made my eyes start to water, so I quickly wiped the upcoming tears away, frustrated that I was the one crying and not Nat. I looked down at the phone, biting my lip. Shiemi took my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “G-Gomen.” I mumble, now feeling awkward.
“What’s wrong?” She asks tenderly, placing her other hand on top of mine. I shrug bashfully, looking down at our joined hands, then at Yukio, who was stroking Haru’s fur absentmindedly. Haru was bristling, her eyes pained and angered as she glared incisively at the phone.
“Nothing. I’ve just-heard this before. She told us-well, we kinda figured it out- when we first met her.” I say quietly, so no one could hear. Fortunately, no one did but on Nat’s bad side, they were bombarding the poor girl with questions like missiles. Anyone would, the confusion received after explaining the whole concept was almost overpowering.
“Oh.” Shiemi squeaked out, then pursed her lips into a straight line, trying to find something comforting to say. I only sigh, and look to Bon, who had his brow furrowed, his fingers trembling just the slightest. We leaned forward now, done with our conversation and ready to hear the next bit of what Nat had to say.
“So there are gods in this world…” Konkemaru pondered to himself, his two first fingers holding up his chin.
“Mhm. They are what some worship, but they listen and connect to these prayers. Of course, they are not as powerful as Satan or Kami. All over the world, the first people worshipped and dreamed of things and people, thus creating the gods that we know of. Gaea was always there, along with Kami and Satan. She was the Earth itself. Of course, she never was fully awake-” She was interrupted by another voice that sounded like Nat’s, though it was older, more knowing and more old.
“If she was awake, the world would collapse and cave in on itself. Even if she could not feel emotion, or not be a human form, someone took a fascination into her. This man was the first Hatome, the first person to bear her scars and to watch her clan go into its inescapable doom.”
“A-Akiko-san, how did you know about-” Nat’s voice came into the background, causing some of us to cock our heads to the side with confusion. “G-Gomene! Someone is here, I forgot to introduce you! M-Minna, this is Akiko-san.” I looked over to Haru, blinking as she jumped up from Yukio’s grasp, flouncing to the phone and giving a mew of protest.
“This-this name is familiar! I know her, I know it! That voice- it can’t be!” The cub whimpered and whined, circling multiple times with her tail in between her legs. When I was about to ask her what she meant, Nat’s voice cut through our curiosity and Haru’s confusion like a swift knife to an onion.
“A-Akiko-san, how do you know so much of the Hatomes? This information is only known by-”
“My dear, as I have said before; I am only a friend of the Hatomes. A very trusted one, you could say. Anyways, continue child.” With a few shuffles to be heard, Nat’s voice went back into the speaker.
“A-Alright. E-Etto...how should I start now…” She considered her choices, though either one would lead to the same result; a massacre. “Ah! I have one.” Clearing her throat, she started the tale of her past again. “As more and more descendants came into the clan of the Hatomes and went through the ritual of becoming a Hatome, more and more people started to go straight to Gehenna.”
After a few pregnant moments of an awkward silence, I could feel the heat waves of the flush of embarrassment on my sister’s face. “G-Gomen! I started off wrong! Because of this omen, Gaea made a locket. It was the metal of the sword or bullet each Hatome carried. Filled in this locket was a soil that was from the world of Gehenna. If a child-about the age of 11 to 18- were to pass the test, they would have to choose whether they would go to what they were made for; to go to Gehenna and try to defeat Satan-or to continue their lives as an Exorcist or a family. As you can see, I did not-could not- choose where I would go.” She took in a quivering breath, and I knew that she was going to the most hard part to say.
“N-Nat, you don’t have to say-”
“Chigau!” Koyalee immediately stopped, then nodded slowly, slightly rocking herself as she listened to her command. “C-Chigau. I promised I would tell when I was ready.” Nat said with a lower voice, and I could hear the whispers and squeeze of Hoshimi’s hand in Nat’s. I wished I could go into the phone and hug her tightly to me, and wipe the tears that would run down her face and to reassure her that it would be okay. But would it? Would it when all of your family is gone, when all of your friends are clueless of the circumstances you live in and the burden you have to weigh upon your shoulders?
“Anyways. Satan became enraged, easily slaughtering the people that tried to defeat him. He then was afraid, because what if someone did destroy him? What if someone could hold as much positive, pure thoughts-like Kami- and could completely obliterate him? He then looked for the one day that they would be all together. He then struck that day, the day that was supposed to be a beautiful day to me and to my family.”
“Nat...what was that day?” Shiemi asked slowly, her hands squeezing mine tighter as she grew pale. After a pause, a whimper was heard and the muffle of tears.
“March 21st, 14 years ago. My third birthday.”
