burn, yaketsuku | 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿

Uno: The Start Of Something Beautiful, Mai

"Mama, it's not nice to hit your kids. I heard that they say it's abuse," Aya stuck her tongue out at their mother who hit her on the head again. "Oww, papa!" Aya calls out to their father who walked out, clutching his chest in pain.

"Mama keeps hitting me!"

Their father smiled, his dreads swaying with every step. "Stop hurting my precious bean, that's mean pumpkin." His eyes traveled to Mai who continued to sulk in the corner of the room. "Are you still mad at me Mai?"

"What the hell did you do to piss Mai off again old man?" Kaname chuckles, feeling the tension in the air thicken between Mai and her father. In the past month alone they've been arguing back and forth, Mai wanted freedom while Kofi wanted to secure her safety.

He wanted her to be safe, away from those demons.

"Mai, sweetie, stop arguing with your father and come eat before your food gets cold."

"I'm not hungry," Mai lies, looking outside of the window as the sun began to set. "Just leave me alone already. Please?" She croaked out, she wasn't going to cry, this would be extremely stupid to cry over, it wasn't a valid reason to either.

"How could you be that mad at me? It's not that serious Mai & I'm not going to baby you anymore," Kofi turned towards her, walking towards Mai. "You're 12 years old, act like it. You're mad over traveling to a fucking mountain? Get over it."

Mai's mom softly places her hands on Kofi's shoulders, leaning towards his ear and whispering. "Stop, don't yell at her, you know she just loves to travel." He was tense, he too was running out of patience, this was their fifth verbal argument in this week alone.

"And you're scared of a 'monster' that doesn't exist," Mai stood up, walking towards her father. "I'm tired of listening to you, you're so strong, you shouldn't be scared of some silly myth. It makes you..." she glances away from him, wondering if she should say it.

"It makes you look like a coward."

Mai didn't know when it happened, it was so quick. She was just standing up still and now she's on the floor, clutching her cheek in pain. Aya and Kaname stood still, the echo making them wince in fear as well. Kofi had slapped his daughter with the back of his hand.

His ring marks painting her brown cheek.

"Kofi?!" Mai's mother shoves Kofi to the side, rushing to her daughters side. "Are you okay Mai? Talk to me?" Mai backs away from them, blood leaking outside of the cuts on her face. "How dare you hurt my baby?" Her mother's voice shakes while Kofi blankly stares at his hand.

"..."

Kofi couldn't speak at all, he didn't mean to hurt his daughter, he was just... just protecting his ego after all. This could be justified? Right?

"I'm leaving," Mai pushes herself up off the floor, grabbing her sword from the corner of the room. "Don't come looking for me."

"Mai Mai?" Aya whispered, the 7 year old had watched the entire thing unfold in front of her eyes, "please don't leave me Mai, please?" She had clung onto her sister's leg, pleading for Mai to stay.

"Goodbye... Aya," Mai bent down, removing Aya's hands from around her leg. Opening the sliding door, she doesn't turn back around as her mother calls out for her.