The Onibi Series (rewritten)

The Fox's Wedding: Chapter Two

May 18th; continued

Never before have I felt such a heavy feeling of fear and panic in my chest. I needed a reality check, someone to tell me this is real. I needed someone to talk to to calm my nerves.
As I opened the door, I sat in that same spot for a while. I could barely comprehend anything. I couldn't understand anything. When my thoughts began to fade, I stood up and examined the room.

"Toki?"

I called out into the kitchen. It looked messy, as if Toki had been busy in there just mere minutes before, but it was devoid of the cook.
I left in search of her, searching the mansion halls left and right.
I heard quick and light footsteps coming from the corridor's corner, and I froze in fear of the flooding memories from the past few hours.
From the end of the corridor appeared Toki, and she appeared to be in a hurry.

I took a step closer to her, "Toki!"
"Miss Mai!" Toki gasped.
"Toki, can we talk a second? I-"
Toki cut me off, "Miss Mai, please return to your room at once! Don't come over here!"

Toki ran off and I followed close behind her. With her was a tall man who I guessed was a doctor. At the entrance of the mansion was a large group of people surrounding someone who was laying in the middle. I noted that Toki's clothes were stained red. Then it came back to me- the thick scent of blood. I stumbled back, holding onto the wall for support as I covered my mouth.

"N-nguhh..."

I was about to throw up as the thought engulfed my mind.

"Miss Mai, return to your room at once!" Toki shouted at me.
"M...M-Miss Mai-?!"

Daiji...? I heard Daiji's voice- er, at least, I thought it was his voice. I looked back to the man who was laying in the center of the room.

"Da...D...Daiji..."

It was Daiji. Daiji lay in the center of the room, covered in his own crimson red blood.
Just this morning, Daiji was as strong as ever. He looked so well just hours ago. Now I look at him once more, laying on the floor helpless and suffering. I wanted to doubt my vision. This was a dream. Not even a dream- this was a living nightmare. I refused to believe this was reality.

"Wh-What's going on here...? Daiji-?"

"Miss Mai, please don't come over here..." he croaked out in my direction.
I looked at the source of the bleeding- his chest. There was a huge gash exposing his inner body. Flesh and layers of skin were clearly visible.

I couldn't stand it anymore. The more I looked the more the nausea grew. I puked on the spot.

"Miss Mai, are you okay-?!"
"Shizune, take Mai to her room!" I heard my mother call out.
"Understood!"

I was in such a dazed state that I couldn't understand what was going on around me. I only felt my adoptive sister, Shizune, guide me to my room by placing my arm around her shoulders. She was trying to speak to me but the white noise ringing in my ears drowned her out.

Through all the blank noise, I heard her ask, "Mai, are you okay?"
I only nodded.

We arrived at my room as she plopped me down on my bed, sitting beside me.
I closed my eyes for just a second to calm myself. So much was happening in just one day that it was starting to give me a headache. I know I asked for something to interfere with my daily life, but this is the last thing I wanted.

I opened my eyes, looking next to me to find Shizune was missing.
"Shizune...?"

I heard a screech, an ear-piercing scream rip through the air in the courtyard. It was Shizune's voice. I ran out to the courtyard, and I couldn't comprehend what I was looking at.