Swing

Genji pov:

Just like any demon born into this earth, I was conceived alongside a human companion. Her name was Ayumi, a girl living on the outskirts of town, in a village tucked behind some beautiful mountains and hills. She lived with her grandparents after her parents passed, nothing was special or outstanding about her or her life. Her daily routine consisted of nothing but school and farm work, mundane tasks that humans face every day. Life was boring for a while, everything of the same, until it wasn't.

She was swinging alone on an old swing set one afternoon, looking at her feet as they swayed back and forth with the swing's movement. I watched her as I rested my back on a tree nearby. She couldn't see me of course, it's forbidden to show your physical form to humans after all. I haven't taken a lot of time to observe human behaviors and watch them live, most of my days were spent training or trying to guide Ayumi to do evil things and ruin her life. But as I watched her, I couldn't help but feel an unexpected feeling of stillness, and calm. I finally had some time to relax and pause for a moment.

The sunset's dim light only made this moment more serene and enjoyable. The wind blew gently and the leaves danced to its rhythm. Small bugs and crickets could be heard in the distance, frogs were croaking and birds were chirping, contributing to the magnificence of this scene. My eyes closed for a minute, relishing in the relaxation of the scenery and this feeling. They quickly flew open when I heard the sudden loud creaking of the swing. I looked over and saw Ayumi running toward something in the distance, I walked behind her scanning the area ahead of us and I noticed a small dog huddled near a fence. It looked injured and tired. She rushed towards it and bent down to examine the animal. It had severe cuts all over its body. I looked at it, unbothered by its concerning state, and looked again at Ayumi who had a panicked look on her face. She cradled the dog and called for her grandfather who was inside the barn.

A few minutes later, she left the barn with tears in her eyes. She wasn't one to cry about anything, I hated to admit it but, she was stronger than she looked. I stood behind her, waiting for her tears to stop falling but they didn't for a while. I only realized the gravity of the situation when I saw her grandfather burying the dog in the back of his property. Everything was chaotic after that event. Ayumi looked sadder than usual, barely leaving her room and socializing with her friends and cousins. I guess she loved that dog. Most of those days, I was the only one by her side. Watching her mope around and cry all day. I had a strange feeling then, a feeling that I never knew a demon could feel, pity. I knew humans were very sentimental and social creatures, but demons were never like that, I guess her kindness and emotions started to rub off on me. We were only kids at the time, we were still learning about the true nature and difficulty of the world we live in.

As we got older, a lot of things changed. I no longer found it in me to bother her anymore. I would simply watch her live her life in peace. She moved on from the tragedy of her dog's passing and slowly got back to her normal vibrant self, but I never changed after that. My feelings started getting more complicated and intense. I started to enjoy her company. I knew this wasn't normal but as long as I stayed on track and didn't break any rules I don't think it matters. She was a high schooler at the time, barely trying and still getting the best grades. She had a decent group of friends and a respectable social status amongst her peers. Although life seemed fun and happy here, things back in my home world weren't so great. The angel war was still raging and every second and third-rank demon was on the front lines, we were rapidly losing many of our own, so as a result, first-rank demons were drafted to the war to help out, including me. My master knew of my strength and potential and I was pretty confident of my abilities so this never bothered me, serving the king and the demon realm is the best use of my time anyway. It would also help me forget about Ayumi.

I didn't know what my feelings for her were, I couldn't say for sure. But every time I think about it, my brain stops me. It is like it's trying to prevent me from feeling like this for my own good. The war against angels was nothing but simple. A lot of good demons were killed, and many of my friends and mentors were taken down during the bloody battles. I was barely keeping my sanity during it, every day was filled with violent cries and bloodshed and loss. I remember running across the battlefield and seeing demons falling to their deaths in the corner of my eye. The only thought keeping me alive was her, getting to go back to her after all of this. I fought and fought and fought tirelessly. Until the war was finally over. It took a few years of endless work and the happiness inside me could not be measured after it. During my time here, I had a lot to think about. My life, my purpose, my future... Ayumi. I always doubted this, I've always suppressed my feelings and brushed them off but now it was harder than ever to do so. I made my decision, a decision I never thought I would make. I decided to go back to her and reveal myself to her.

I knew this would either lead to my downfall or my happiness, but I was willing to risk it all for this, for her. Going back to the human world after all these years was surely nerve-wracking but nothing would have ever prepared me for what I was about to see when I did. I teleported near Ayumi, and there she was, stunning as ever, her hair grew longer and her skin whiter. She looked gorgeous, but frail and tired. I only left for a decade, but she looked much older than me. I let my eyes wander, looking at every detail on her body until I saw something strange but somehow familiar, a baby bump, she was pregnant. I realized at that moment that I was probably too late. My stomach drooped and my eyes widened as I looked around, noticing even more disappointing details, a ring hung around her finger and a bouquet sat neatly on her nightstand.

She was standing near her bedroom window, looking out at the city view. This isn't her house, our house, that we made so many memories in. My hands clenched into tight fists and my shock turned into sadness than anger. A part of me wanted to be happy for her and her progress in life, but another part of me refused to accept this. The mere thought of it all made my head spin. I was pulled out of my trance when someone barged into the room, it was a tall muscular man with black hair and a well put -together suit, judging from the ring he shared with her, it was probably her husband. He looked furious and frustrated about something. He stood in front of her and grabbed her wrist aggressively, placing a cup in her hand "Drink this, you'll feel better" he muttered. His face looked cold and his eyes showed no particular emotion as he stared at her hand. She drank the contents of the cup and coughed violently. I stood there and watched her, and she lay on her bed and he covered her, a sinister smile forming on his face. My fury only grew stronger as I watched him mistreat and abuse her every day. He would yell at her and force her to clean, and whenever she complained or argued with him, he would gaslight her and manipulate her into thinking that he cared or that he loved her, but in reality, he never did. He drank every day nonstop and his harassment only continued to get worse over time. But I couldn't do anything to stop him, I hated to admit this at the time but now it became clearer to me, I was afraid. Afraid that if I try to stop this I would get into trouble. I can't blame Ryu for intervening, this man ruined 2 generations of this family and he needed to pay.

Shortly after I returned from the war, Ayumi gave birth to a beautiful baby girl that looked exactly like her. They shared the same indigo hair and violet shining eyes, Hanako. She shortly passed away after giving birth to her. Her husband was devastated and so were her grandparents. I watched her soul slowly leave her body, it was my time too. Demons die with their humans, I knew her time on this earth was coming to an end. Her body looked frail and empty and her baby looked the same, small and weak. I closed my eyes as I saw her depart this world, tears falling down my cheeks and quiet sobs leaving my mouth, but nothing happened. I waited for my soul to be taken but It remained. I immediately knew what that meant. I get to become a second-ranking demon. Only those with pure hearts and strong aspirations get to ascend to this level. Usually, after a human dies, their demon will also perish. I was surprised to notice that I was never taken. I lived after this, and I hated it. I hated having to live in this world without her, without a reason. I hated living knowing that I was somehow worthier than Ayumi to live. Her child grew older and I always came to check up on her. The resemblance between her and her mother was uncanny.

She had multiple illnesses and medical conditions that made her childhood a lot worse than any normal kid her age and her dad never seemed to care, in fact, he worked tirelessly to make it worse for her. I needed to do something, this man needs to be stopped. I only had one ticket to achieve my revenge, her demon. As much as I hated to bend the laws of this world, I needed to break a few for my plan to work properly. This needed time and effort and a lot of acting on my part but I needed to try. I met Ryu when he was just a small child. Trying his best to do his job despite his young age. I decided to train him, become like a brother figure to him and help him grow. So maybe, just maybe. He'll grow up to be braver than me and stronger than me to save her from the man who mistreated and tortured her mother until her last breath.