Chapter 008- A Fallen Angel

December 2005. The year the Gushiken triplets lost their mother. It had been 13 years since then, but the events still left a scar on Mirai. And now, she's faced with a decision she's faced before. Her father wants her to betray Kenji. But her mistakes… she would do anything to avoid repeating them.

* * *

The cold hum of winter drew near. That's when her heart grew the coldest. Those thoughts, they were infectious. One small recollection would send her down a spiral of despair. And yet, she wore a smile on her face. Anybody could tell that the smile was one of sadness and loss, but still, she liked to put on a facade. Nobody questioned her. They left her to her own devices. She was like a Jack-in-the-box. It was obvious that there was some deep seeded demon inside her, so no one dared touch her crank. But the one person who didn't fear a surprise was coming to visit.

"Mommy, someone's at the door!"

She had been staring at the knife in her hand for hours. Her reflection... it was... wrong. But that was nothing new.

"Hold on a minute, I'll be right there."

The knife was tempting her. It was calling for her to use it. It was the only object that could give her that feeling. It was such a rush. But now wasn't the time. She placed it down on the counter. but before she left, she took one last look at herself. She put her fake smile on, but she knew that with this person, it wouldn't matter.

"I'm just gonna let her in, you're being too slow!"

An imperfect child. That's all she we was to her. Her name, Mirai, was supposed to signify the future. She wanted to pass the torch on to her daughter, but instead Mirai grabbed the torch and burned her with it.

And yet, as soon as she reached the door, she saw that she was not the one being greeted with warmth. Mirai was getting all of the attention, as always. Undeserved praise.

"My, aren't you just the cutest little thing?" The woman at the door asked.

Azazel cleared her throat.

"Oh, Azazel. It's been a long time. Nice to see you."

Azazel smiled sweetly at her.

"Aaron, my sister! I've missed you so much! Please, come in."

Azazel gestured for Aaron to enter.

Aaron wore a trendy green dress, with red heels. Her eyes were cold, and judging. She shared the same hair color as Azazel and Mirai. A smooth silver.

"Your smile isn't as cute as it used to be."

She walked past Azazel into the kitchen. Azazel could hear her slam her suitcases into the ground, as if she was asking for someone to take them.

"I trust your husband told you why I'm here, Azazel?"

Azazel just stood there by the door, too afraid to move.

"Yes. You want to enter Mirai into the local beauty pageant. He told me."

Aaron was a seeker of talent. She seeked out beautiful little girls, and she helped them to win big competitions. Back when Azazel was a child she, too, was one of these local beauty queens. She was like a shining star. She had beauty, talent, and an excellent coach.

"I'm sure you're glad, right? Following in your footsteps..."

Aaron exited the kitchen and approached Azazel. She rubbed her hand down her body, all the way to her stomach. Azazel pulled back, but Aaron forced her to feel it. Feel her hand grab the spot she hated the most. The part of herself that ruined her life.

"You used to be just as pretty as Mirai. You were just a bud, ready to bloom into a flower. And then you went along and got pregnant. You ruined yourself. I can tell by your face. You despise your daughter, right?"

Azazel looked at Aaron. Behind her was her two sons, Yuji and Kenji.

"Hey lady, you're our aunt right? Were you gonna say hello to us?"

Kenji stood with his arms crossed. He had a stern expression on his face. Yuji kept most of his body behind Kenji, as if to protect himself.

"N-nice to meet you Auntie Aaron."

Aaron let go of Azazel's stomach. She turned towards the boys. Her eyes analyzed every part of their bodies. Not one detail was missed. As she did, Azazel ran back to the kitchen.

"So, I'm going to guess that the brat is Kenji, and the coward is Yuji. You're both so... uninteresting."

Yuji hid even more of his body. That comment seemed to hurt him, so after he cowered back, he decided to puff out his chest a bit. Kenji's smile grew larger.

"That's not exactly the greeting I was hoping for, Tits Mcstuffins. I'm only 5 and I can tell those are fake. So, you know, stop acting so cocky."

Aaron let out an annoyed laugh. Her right eye began to twitch with anger.

"You definitely have some of Azazel's attitude. Maybe you'll grow out of it just like her."

Aaron looked at the wall straight ahead of her. Mirai was peering around the corner, hiding.

"What are you doing, sweet thing? There's no need to hide."

Mirai walked out. Her pigtails swayed back and forth as she walked.

"I just wanted to see what you thought about my brothers."

Aaron patted Mirai on the head.

"My best analogy for you guys is... they are what trash is to a pearl. And you're the pearl."

Mirai smiled for a moment, but it slowly faded away.

"I don't know what an analogy is."

Aaron laid a kiss on her forehead. Kenji looked at them with disgust.

"You're gonna let her talk about us like that? She just called us trash. Clearly she has something wrong with her eyes, because I'm definitely the opposite of trash. You can go win your little pageant, but I'm gonna be focusing on bigger and better things. Yuji too. He's obviously far above that, right Yuji?"

Kenji looked back, but Yuji was still cowering behind him. Kenji knocked him on his head.

"Uh, yeah, he's right. You can't c-call me trash."

Mirai shook her head.

"She didn't mean it like that guys. She would never say that about her own nephews. Right, Auntie Aaron?"

Mirai's face was losing that happy shine. Her beauty was not at it's maximum potential.

"Yeah, sure. I didn't mean it guys. Now leave us alone, we have to get ready for a pageant."

* * *

The auditorium was packed to the brim. The time of the competition was drawing near. For the audience watching, it was a time to watch their little girls show off their talents, and beauty. It was a fun event for most but, for some, this meant the difference between a future and a lack thereof. The Gushiken family sat in the middle of the auditorium. Kenji, Yuji, and Doji were mostly uninterested. They were practically dragged to the competition by Aaron and Mirai. But Azazel was invested. There was no way her daughter could perform like her. Azazel was the best. She used to be number one.

Backstage, Aaron and Mirai prepared for a night of victory. Mirai's unique silver hair was already a plus, but her beauty was also unmatched by any of the other girls.

"Listen, Mirai. You have to win. This is what we've been training for. Nobody compares to you. There's no reason to even think about failure. Now go on. It's time."

Mirai was nervous. Her dress was tailored to match her silver hair, and it was stunning. Jewels covered her from head to toe. She was like a princess. She ran onto the stage.

"Next contestant. Please introduce yourself."

Mirai stepped forward.

"My name is Mirai Gushiken. I'm 5 years old, and I love to..."

Mirai looked towards Aaron backstage. Aaron gestured for her to say her pre-made lines.

~"But those things are lies."~

Mirai looked back towards the judges.

"I love to play with my brothers. I like to read, and my favorite song is the one about the cowboy who breaks the law and then he has to break free from prison but he gets caught and the-"

"That's enough Mirai. Thank you."

The crowd began to laugh as she walked off.

Aaron met her backstage.

"What was that?! Why didn't you say the lines?"

Mirai looked Aaron straight into her eyes.

"Because those lines don't represent me. I want to win as me."

Aaron shook her head in disapproval.

"Just... hurry up and go back out."

The night was long and arduous. Mirai would've won by a landslide had she followed directions, but instead she did what she wanted to do. By the end of the competitions, she was neck and neck with one other girl.

Aaron was stuck. What could she possibly do? She looked out to the crowd, as if asking for guidance. And that's when it hit her. The answer was always there, staring her in the face.

"Listen Mirai. I have an idea. You don't have to pretend to be someone you're not. In fact, just being you will be fine."

"Well, what is it?"

Aaron smiled proudly. Her plan was foolproof.

"We tell the judges you're the daughter of Azazel Adams. Former five time champion of this beauty pageant. That will give us a little boost with the power of bias."

Mirai smiled.

"That's a great plan. But how will it work?"

"We just tell them who you are, and they'll probably show a picture of your mom and then-"

Mirai grabbed her wrist.

"We can't. Mom hates looking at her old self. She goes crazy every time she does. We had to throw away all those pictures of her."

Aaron held her head in frustration.

"Mirai... focus on yourself. Do you want to win?"

Mirai hesitated, but responded.

"Yeah..."

"Then you need to betray your mother, just this one time. Think of how hard we worked for this. Will you do it?"

Mirai looked down at her feet. Maybe, just this one time, she could be selfish. After all, wouldn't her mother be proud if she won this?

"F-fine."

Mirai watched as Aaron spoke to the judges. After a few moments, Mirai was called onto the stage.

"Ladies and gentleman, we have an announcement to make. This young girl is the daughter of a five time champion. The silver hair was a dead giveaway. In honor of the return of this winning bloodline, we'd like to show you a few pictures of her mother, Azazel. They share so many traits."

Azazel's eyes went blank. Those pictures. She was so young... so pretty. Why was this the only version of her that was so praised? Wasn't she pretty now? Her mind, it began to spiral out of control. She felt around her back pocket. It was there. If that version of her was so much better, then all she had to do was regain that face.

"And continuing on her mother's legacy, we would like to award Mirai Gushiken this gold trophy! She is this years champion!"

Cheers echoed throughout the auditorium. Echoes that Azazel remembered so vividly.

* * *

Mirai couldn't find Aaron after the contest. She looked everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found. While looking, she stumbled into a huge closet. There were so many random items. Shelves full of trophies, pictures, and video tapes. There was even an old TV laying around. Mirai walked in, and began to search through the tapes. Finally, she found the one she was looking for.

The tape had a name labelled with permanent marker. It read:

"Azazel Adams"

She smiled. Her mother really was a champion. She blew the dust off the surface of the tape, and she placed it in the player connected to the TV. She was about to press play when she heard a thump behind her. She turned towards the door. There, here mother stood. With a knife.

Her eyes were full of desperation. She was clearly deranged.

"M-mommy?"

Azazael crept slowly towards her.

"That face... it's mine. GIVE IT BACK!!!:

Azazel sliced the knife towards Mirai. She struck her at the top of her forehead.

"OOOOWWW!"

Mirai fell back on her back. Her body knocked down the VCR.

"That face... give it to me.... I need it. I want to be pretty.... again."

Azazel held the knife above Mirai's head, when suddenly she heard a familiar voice. Streams of tears flowed out of Mirai's eyes as she watched her mother freeze to the sound of the music.

Azazel looked at the TV, and on it she saw herself. She was onstage, singing. She was like an angel. Her beauty was uncomparable, her skill far above the rest. But right in front of her former self, was her reflection. A deranged woman, with blood splattered on her face. Her own daughter's blood.

"What? I'm not... acting like a lady. What am I? Who... are you?"

Mirai lay there in shock. The knife was still raised over her head.

"These stretch marks.... they're so... ugly."

The knife was brought down. Blood sprayed out of Azazel's stomach, all over Mirai. Mirai tried to pull away, but she was stuck under her mother's weight. She was forced to lay there, as her mother bled to death on top of her. And once she was finally dead, she pried herself loose. She stood up, still drenched in blood, and looked at her mothers corpse.

"M-mommy? Why? I... didn't mean to make you hurt."

"But she did hurt. And that's her own fault."

Aaron stood at the doorway. The dim light made it so that her face was too dark to distinguish. But her voice was too distinct. Mirai instantly recognized it.

"But didn't it feel good to win?"

Mirai grabbed her mother's corpse. As she attempted to lift it, even more blood spilt out of her cuts.

"Who am I kidding? You're just like her. Clinging to the person who hurt you most. It doesn't make sense for you to cry right now. She tried to kill you. Wouldn't you feel better if you just threw the whole grieving process away? The relief of... getting over it. It's so satisfying."

Mirai's tears stopped as she looked into her mother's dead eyes. All of her mother's grief, all of her agony, it was gone. It must've been nice. Mirai looked back at the door. Aaron was gone.

* * *

The funeral came a few days after. Aaron didn't attend, and neither did any other extended family. It was only Doji, Yuji, Mirai, and Kenji. The darkness of that moment, the moment where she looked at her mother for the last time. For some reason, when she looked at her mother with all that beautiful make up on her, she felt happy. Her mothers dead smile represented her peace. She no longer had to worry about her looks. She no longer had to worry about impressing anyone. She no longer had to look at Mirai with pain in her eyes.

As she laid her final look on her mother's corpse... she smiled.