HELL

It was a cold night, the one that made you clutch your clothes closer, the kind that made breathing hurt. Snow, snow, and so much snow. Shinobu clutched her sister Kanae's yakuta sleves tightly as they walked, following a strange man of tall build who gave his name as Himejima. Himejima was huge, almost unbelievably so. Shinobu wondered if she could've helped her sister if she was like that, maybe then she could've helped her sister to save their parents instead of putting all the burden on her frail sister.

"Where are we going, Himejima-san?" Asked her sister in that calm voice that always managed to put Shinobu at ease, but even that voice was shaky today.

The giant man stopped, but didn't turn around, and spoke: "Somewhere better."

Somewhere better? What could be a better place than their home woth their parents? Could such a place even exist anymore?

It felt like an eternity before they stopped in front of a temple. An abandoned temple to be exact. It smelled faintly of blood, but Himejima didn't acknowledge it, so neither did Shinobu or her sister.

The giant man—Himejima, finally turned around and Shinobu could see his face again, the same face that looked scary but gentle at the same time, those kanji-embeded eyes that shed tears as he killed those villagers while muttering prayers in that gentle voice of his. He had a pair of red beaded necklaces that he rubbed against the palms of his four hands as he muttered his prayers. He had greying skin that was so thin, it made every single vein of his cracking body visible. Though if those veins pumped blood or not, Shinobu wasn't sure. Though she couldn't hear his giant heart (for he's so big, his heart ought to be giant too) when he held her against his chest as he slashed though the village elder.

He was what one would call, a demon, but his actions said the complete opposite. He had saved Shinobu and her sister from meeting the same fate as their parents.

"I think you know what I'm trying to do, I would like to have you both stay here with me." He said, his voice firm, but not unkind. If the man could ever even be unkind anyway.

Kanae smiled and bowed shakily, she was a good liar so it looked like she had it all together, but it was the first time Shinobu could tell her sister was lying as she was shaking, tears were threatening to roll down her blood-smeared cheeks. Shinobu couldn't help but clutch her sister's sleve tighter as a form of reassurance.

"We're grateful, Himejima-san." Said her sister, as polite as ever. Shinobu wondered how strong she was to be like this. Maybe being older does that to people?

"I have a friend, who has experience with humans and their diet. I'll ask him for help. I have little experience with children." He said the last part almost solemnly, as if it was a lie, and he couldn't lie.

A friend? Shinobu wondered if that friend would be as kind as Himejima.