Falling Wisteria (A Demon Slayer Story)

The Flames of the Past

A forest of familiar green surrounds me. A light breeze as I watch the sunset across the hill making shadows of flowers disappear slowly. For a while, I sat there in the dark of night just like most nights swinging my legs and using a little bit of moonlight to read. It's peaceful, quiet, almost silent besides the soft sounds of nature, it makes me feel like there is not a worry in the world. That silence and peace are destroyed when a bright light and a puff of smoke erupted into the sky. The hill that the sun just set over just moments ago. Where my home is; the home that my parents lay asleep in. My feet move before a second thought crosses my mind as I take off toward my home. By the time I get there all of it is in flames I attempt to get inside calling for my parents as the flames surround me. The air is hot and filled with ash, I can't breathe. I fall onto the grass laying helplessly as I watch the flames destroy everything. Just as I begin to feel myself slip into sleep I see the flames change from their bright orange to a dark purple and my eyes adjust to see a shadow. A shadow of a girl and hear someone land in front of me and then everything goes black.

 I woke up surrounded by people asking me questions apparently I was the only survivor that night of serval houses in the village that had been burned down. They don't know how it happened, there were no remains of the people no known cause of the fire. They labeled it all as an accident despite what I told them. They said I was just imagining things there's no way someone could survive the flames "It was a miracle I did," they all told me. After that night my life has never been the same after the remains of my home were found the next morning I was taken to a "new home" the adults told me. They take me to a place further in the village a bunch of kids running around outside with all my belonging gone the only thing I have is the book I was reading which I hold tightly in my arms. The man that had been questioning me and explaining things to me leads me to the front door where a woman stands talking to a group of children. "Ms.Mai" The man calls out to her making her attention shift to us a bright smile on her face as she sends the group of children off to play with another couple of women watching them a little boy with dark hair and green eyes looks over at me confused. 

"Go play Nobu," Ms. Mai says shooing him away from the other children before she moves closer to us kneeling down in front of me "You must be Sabrina, you poor thing you've been through so much," she says pouting at me making me look down.

"She's been quiet most of the time but she appears uninjured," he explains patting my head 

"Not surprising given how I'm sure you all have been questioning her." she snaps looking up at him before looking back at me. 

"You like to read?" she asks reaching out to touch my book I nod shifting away from her so she can't reach it her hand retreats. "It's alright I won't take it from you." She says softly when I don't respond she sighs softly getting back to her feet. "As promised she is welcomed here I have plenty of room but I don't want any officers breaking down my door to question the poor thing.

"I can assure you we have everything we need it appears the fires were accidents we won't need to question her any further." The man says bowing his head before turning to leave making me roll my eyes. 

 "It wasn't an accident," I say softly gaining the attention of Ms. Mai who kneels down in front of me. 

 "As you know by now my name is Ms. Mai I'm going to be the one to take care of you, for now, my home is now yours now we have some rules that we need to go over. But, for now, you must be exhausted so let's get you inside with some clean clothes and a bed does that sound alright?" She asks me as she offers me her hand to guide me inside the house, I nod placing my smaller hand into hers. Her hand is soft and warm almost like my mom's. She brings me inside where we enter a huge room with a big table with coloring pages, toys scattered around the room, pillows on the ground a few picture books in a small library. "So Sabrina how old are you?" she asks me as she guides me down a hallway full of bedrooms it looks like there are a few kids in each room. She brings me into one with what looks to be two other girls' things like dolls and a plastic tea set or tea parties. She motions to an empty bed with a nightstand next to it.

"Six," I answer softly placing my book on the nightstand before climbing on the bed my legs hanging off I swing them gently as I wait for Ms. Mai's next question I know there will be one, ever since I woke up that's all I've heard. "This book looks pretty advanced to a six-year-old." 

She says looking over at the novel on the nightstand. "Who taught you to read such advance novels?"

 "My mama taught me," I responded looking down at my feet my usually clean shoes now black from the ashes of the fire.

 "Ah yes your mother owned a bookstore in town is that right?" she asks me and I nod remembering how she used to let me sit at work with her reading with me or sometimes I read to her. "Your father was a researcher, wasn't he? That's why you all lived next to the woods he was researching the birds that are native to this region." She asks and I nod again.

 "It wasn't an accident," I repeat softly making it the same thing I've been saying since I woke up over and over. Ms. Mai looks at me clearly sad she moves next to me sitting on the mattress. 

 "Sabrina I know everything is changing and you are probably very confused and scared and maybe even a little angry but I promise you things will get better." She says placing a hand on my shoulder. "Now why don't we get you cleaned up there's a bathroom right next door and I'll grab you some clothes." She says standing and motioning for me to follow her into the next room. Once I'm clean most of the kids are back inside playing in the big room I saw earlier Ms. Mai had given me a simple grey and white Yukta like all the other kids my hair down a wavey after just being cleaned. "You know Sabrina there is the local library close by, tomorrow we can go get you some new things to read since I'm sure most of the books here are probably a bit too simple for you," she says giggling at me and for a second I feel my heart beat with excitement. "That sounds good?" she asks me and I nod shyly "Good for now let's introduce you to some of the other kids.

A/N: The first chapter is an intro to the character some names will be Japanese others will be English it depends on the character I may change them later. Word count 1,290.