[Zenin Compound - Year 2002]
The date is July 24th, around 6 months since the birth of the twins known as Maki and Mai.
Both girls were still barely aware of their surroundings, only having known to lay in a crib surrounded by female servants that worked more like machines than human beings.
They would only leave the crib when they had to be changed. For the rest of the time they were left alone with their thoughts and screams.
Screams, there were more cribs than just the two sisters. Not enough to fill every gap inside of the room, but enough to make it feel slightly cramped.
The Zenin clan couldn't care less if the babies were uncomfortable. They just needed a place to grow until their potential for sorcery was checked.
Every caretaker moved without love or care, only completing the task given to them.
Neither the actual fathers nor mothers showed up, only taking part in the lives of their children if those children can assist them in gaining more status in the clan.
No cursed technique?
Only useful enough as another drone in the Kukuru unit.
Cursed technique but lacking talent?
Just throw them into the Akashi unit, they could serve well as a servant until we get a specific scenario where their technique can be used.
Both a cursed technique and potential to be a high-grade sorcerer?
My dear son! You know how I have always taken great care of you, right?? Don't forget who was nice to you, now…
Call it unfair, call it whatever. Anyone capable of changing a damn within this hellhole had already been brainwashed by lessons about 'keeping tradition' and 'having an ego bigger than your misogyny against women and the size of the tits you want on them'.
The twins barely even knew of each other's existence, only being able to catch a faint glimpse of the other when being held in the arms of a caretaker.
They had only locked eyes once in that brief moment, short but endlessly memorable to both of them.
A connection was felt.
Not a physical or visible one. But a connection of a sibling bond.
Whether unconsciously, or fully aware of it, they were two halves of a whole.
If they were a bit older, they could've figured it out from their appearance alone.
Even as babies they had nearly identical appearances, even having the servants call them by the wrong name several times. Later they just started recognizing which twin was who from the colour of their clothes.
Them already being twins already had them giving barely any effort, they sure as hell weren't going to spend more of it to learn their names.
Twins with both of them being female.
At most they would become servants just like them.
They were placed back into their respective cribs, bellies full and eyes already drooping. Not even making a few babbling noises towards their twin like usual.
The empty bottles of milk were in the process of being cleaned when a long expected visitor had shown up.
It wasn't him at first, only his presence.
But that was enough.
The maid staff already felt the aura flowing from behind the door of the room, already immense yet still so far away.
It flooded the small space, letting everyone inside know of their existence before their footsteps were even audible.
Overwhelming, formidable, arrogant, something that screamed at you enough to make you aware of your own inferiority in strength and status.
The same as saying 'im better than you' directly to their faces, and it wouldn't even be incorrect.
Like a group of obedient children, all personnel within the room stepped aside to make way before the person even arrived.Before its source even entered the room- or even opened the door- the female servants already distanced themselves from it and stood like obedient children ready to take orders.
A slow click came from the door as its handle was turned, the natural light from outside blending with the glow from the lanterns within.
In walked a slim middle-aged man with slicked back hair tied into a short ponytail, wearing a white shitagi and kosode underneath a black hakama. His face was stern as the room was deathly silent, with only the sound of his sandals filling it.
Ogi Zenin, Special Grade 1 sorcerer and member of the Hei, completely as advertised.
He did not even spare a glance towards any of the waiting servants, his gaze uninterested as if they were no different from the floor he stood on. Only looking at the individual cribs and the bundles inside of them.
"Which among them?"
The fact he even had to say those words already tempted him to turn around and abandon the idea of returning.
His voice carried over the room like a verdict, choosing which life will be ruined this time.
At the end of the row, an older woman stepped forward and approached the cribs where the twins slept peacefully.
She bowed as she stood next to them, not speaking any words and letting her actions be enough.
Over a year ago, he had taken in a wife in an attempt to create an heir to inherit his cursed technique and natural talent in jujutsu. A son that would inherit the title of clan head after he attains it.
The woman chosen was Shihoa Zenin, a female that was born from an already deceased member of the Hei. She had a family tree that often bore cursed techniques relating to shikigami or matter creation within its genes.
She took care of her appearance, did not have any imperfections on her body, and knew how to act like a proper wife.
He had chosen a healthy and beautiful woman to ensure his child's health and looks would not be tarnished.
Her stomach had grown much larger than any other bridge within the clan bearing children. Hence it was already certain that she herself was bearing twins.
Such a bad omen was already enough for him to consider her future death of 'accidentally being killed by a mindless cursed spirit created inside of the Zenin compound'.
Yet he still let them be born. Miracles could happen anywhere.
And a miracle is what happened, only in the opposite direction from what he expected.
He approached the one on the left, wrapped in a loose cotton kimono coloured red and fit for babies. Their name did not matter to him.
She was a girl with a pitiful amount of cursed energy, certainly more than a regular human, but still much too little to utilize any form of reinforcement, and a cursed technique would be nothing short of a pipe dream.
The infant opened her eyes and looked at his face looming over her bed, and instinctively shrunk back in submission.
'Disappointing, both in her aptitude and mind.'
His gaze shifted to the second crib beside it, where a nearly identical infant lies awake in matching clothing that is coloured blue.
She did not shrink back into her bed similarly to her twin, but there was still an obvious fear within her eyes that was challenged while she met his eyes. A natural kind of fear when being faced by a more dangerous, larger predator, and not in the way it is on a certain island.
If Mai and her cursed energy reserves were akin to a burning candle, then Maki did not have anything more than a singular spark. A depressing amount multiple times less than a majority of civilians walking outside the compound.
Mai had already crushed any small amount of expectation he had, and Maki had sent it all the way down to the negatives.
It almost felt humiliating that such children were born from his seed, something that apparently showed on his face with a negative expression as the one dressed in red looked to be on the verge of tears.
He had no interest in listening to the wails of an infant.
"They do not have worth. See that they are raised with standard education and discipline, and made to serve the Zenin house as any common servant would."
His voice rolls out heavily across the room. Carrying a weight similar to that of the presence he is emitting.
Merely from its tone, it was already obvious. His disappointment is immeasurable and his day is ruined.
Deemed worthless, the two bundles watched the retreating back of their father leave the room, not even having spared them a second glance, only a single sentence.
His footsteps were audibly heavier when walking out of the room. Shutting the door behind him with the presence slowly fading as he moved away from the area.
<=>
His footsteps echoed even louder in his ears than before. Each step fueling the growing irritation and disappointment.
The stoic face he always carried displayed none of it. The only tell on his emotions being the steadily increasing footsteps.
That is, to any regular person in the Zenin clan.
"WHAHAHA–"
He tuned out the familiar laughter as soon as it reached his ears, the small part he heard already annoying him no less than the earlier incident.
In the corner of the room he just walked into sat his biological brother, Naobito Zenin, gourd still in hand as always.
The room already smelled of alcohol such as any place Naobito walked into, the scent already clinging to the walls from his mere presence alone.
"I already heard about it, nice failures ya got there." He exclaims with another laugh while gesturing towards the hall Ogi just walked in from.
Face unchanging, he responds without even turning his head at the middle-aged man.
"Is mockery the only reason for your arrival?"
Naobito pauses, his head leaning backwards with his grin reaching his eyes.
"Yeah…? What else would I be laughing at right now? Not like I'm the one with talentless children– Naoya is already viewed as a genius for his age."
His eyes glint with satisfaction, looking directly at the slightly strained expression on Ogi's face.
"Dont tell me that stone cold face has solidified ya brain into it too."
A hand rests on his knee with the other still coiled around his drink, voice still filled with absolute mirth.
A small twitch occurs in Ogi's eyebrow.
His hand slowly raises onto the tsuka of the blade hanging on his left hip, gripping it firmly as the laughter continues.
The form of the pressure surrounding him changed. It no longer was the feeling of a powerful opponent but rather actual cursed energy being directed at the other man.
Naobito did not so much as flinch, only smirking a little wider as his own cursed energy flared drastically from its usually calm state that all sorcerers had.
A silent war was engaged, invisible to the naked eye yet still felt by anyone within and outside of the room.
Neither side budged. Naobito even took another swig of alcohol in the midst of it.
"Is this a grief-fueled tantrum? Didn't know anyone related to me could be such a manchild."
Ogi's teeth clench, his voice wavering from its calm to something more in line with his annoyance.
"Is mindless and crude insults the only thing which you are capable of?"
His katana went back fully into its sheath, the silent war ending at that exact moment.
The cursed energy that was flooding out a moment ago went back within its shell like a faucet being closed. The pressure returned that threatened to damage the walls returning to its normal levels.
Still annoyed, still upset, Ogi left the room without looking back.
Naobito looked at his retreating back and let out a drawn-out sigh. Taking yet another sip of his gourd with the flush on his face deepening.
<=>
Life went fast for the twins.
The world was still new to them, a year passed by in the blink of an eye, with the second going by even faster.
Even if the year went by fast, a lot still happened within that time.
They were taught how to properly use utensils and eat on their own.
They were taught basic words needed to request or learn further.
Their bodies developed enough to move around on their own.
Then, they turned two years old.
There was no birthday celebration, no gifts or presents.
Just them being dropped off into a separate room once they got too big for their own cribs.
Walls were painted in soft colours that didn't blind the eyes with reflected light, but also didn't surround children in monotone colours that lost their brightness.
The only other person they saw was the staff assigned to their room.
Shihoa Zenin, their mother.
A kind woman that treated them with much more patience when teaching than any of the other servants.
Her care and affection towards the girls was a tad more genuine than what they received before.
Shihoa was equally pleased to take care of her daughters, even if the father abandoned them at birth.
She had no affection towards him in their marriage, being able to live with her family was greatly welcomed.
Though just as life has its ups, it also has its downs–
"Mai-chan, you have to eat your vegetables."
"Hmphf."
Both the distressed voice of a mother dealing with too much and that of a child turning their head away with a huff originates from inside the room.
An older woman looked down over a small child sitting at a table. Her hair was tied back into a bun and matched a shade of green with both of her daughters.
Her outfit was that of a common servant. A plain kimono in muted colours to not stand out with tied up sleeves and a simple black obi in the middle of her torso.
Her amber eyes showed disapproval at the full plate in front of the child.
She places her hands on her hips and lets out a small sigh.
"Maki-chan, don't you want to grow stronger like your sister?"
Her strategy changed, trying to hit Mai in the metaphorical balls to coax her into solving a basic issue she has faced many times in her life of raising Zenin children.
Doesn't make it any less of a headache though.
Mai's stubbornness was persistent, especially in the lines of eating anything related to vegetables, such as the food placed in front of her.
While Shihoa certainly agreed that the meal wasn't anything special– the brown rice stuck together in clumps, and the vegetables were only lightly seasoned and still held a bitter taste– it was still food that even she herself ate.
"Uhmp…"
Mai looked over to Maki who was eating her own share without complaint.
Maki only briefly looked up and locked eyes with her sister after her name was called, and went back to her food right after.
"Please, Mai-chan. Sometimes you just need to power through something."
"It's icky."
Shihoa sighed again, sitting down and taking a seat next to Mai.
She grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the tray she brought the food in with and ate a bite herself.
A show was made of chewing the food without changing facial expressions or showing dissatisfaction.
Such a method usually worked for children her age, whether from curiosity overtaking them due to not having actually tasted it yet or because they wished to copy the adults around them.
Though Mai visibly wavered, she still shook her head and pushed the plate away.
It ended up sliding directly over to Maki sitting opposite her, who had already finished her entire plate.
Maki saw her sister's reluctance and grabbed a mouthful of rice with greens.
"Sissy."
It was not the derogatory variant but rather a playful nickname with a slight edge of expectation.
Her eyes shared this emotion and almost had stars within them as she reached over and hovered her chopsticks near Mai's mouth.
Seeing such anticipation on her twin's face, Mai's confidence wavered even further.
"Please."
And the final nail was hammered into the coffin.
Mai's lips parted slightly, almost reluctant and acting on the instinct of a sibling's plea, before opening up fully.
Her sister gave a short and quick nod, her excitement having her almost vibrating in her own seat.
She closed her eyes and took a bite.
Her face visibly scrunched. Not at the bad taste, but at the new textures and sensations she was experiencing.
Shihoa looked at the scene with exasperation. 10 Minutes of work just for Maki to do it in two sentences.
She could swear Maki was giving her a smug look on top of it. Gloating at her achievement that mom wasn't able to do.
Mai was about done chewing her food, having felt its texture enough and swallowing.
She looked at her sister again and glanced at her plate.
Like the smart cookie that Maki is, the hint was understood and she grabbed another bite and fed it to Mai.
The rest of the meal was eaten that way.
Mai was fed by her sister while Maki looked like she was having the time of her life.
Shihoa couldn't help but smile widely for the rest of the day while thinking of it.
<=>
Snap.
Mai frowned deeply as yet another cheap crayon snapped in half from pressing too hard on her paper.
She stares at the two halves in each palm like they owe her money, dissatisfaction increasing with each second that the wax and pigment segments don't magically reconnect.
Another pair were grabbed from the box on the side of the table, placed conveniently so she could reach them at any moment without accidentally bumping into it with her elbow.
Maki was standing on the other side of the room, posing with slight discomfort on her face from the prolonged standing.
Both of her hands were balled up under her chin in a classic cutsie pose, alongside a wide blush of embarrassment across her face.
Still, she did it because she loved her sister.
The puppy-dog eyes that she used when asking to draw her was way too difficult for her heart to deny.
It was even harder when she declared.
"I wanna be a awtist when I gow up!"
Luckily, their mom wasn't here at the moment or else she would certainly bring this event up every time she was introduced to a new person.
Seeing the energy her sister was exuding– something they couldn't do much of in the small area– she already started posing before she knew it.
"It's done! A true matherpiece!"
Mai was done. Standing up and tossing her crayon at the nearest wall.
She held up her piece of paper with pride, holding it in front of the ceiling light to look at for all its glory.
Maki dropped her pose immediately, stretching as far as her small body could replicate from the people she saw outside before walking up to her sister.
The drawing was messy and uncoordinated, clearly made with the shaky hands of a child, but still clearly represented Maki and her cutie patootie pose.
Mai eagerly held it out for Maki to take, carrying a sunny smile that nearly blinded her sister.
Maki took it and looked down at it for several seconds.
Her face shifted between a variety of emotions, each one coming and going faster than the last.
In the end, Maki's gaze held no acceptance or dissatisfaction. Only pure neutrality.
The drawing was sloppy and the pose she had to use was one she would gladly forget ever doing in her entire life, but it was made by her dearest sister. A true effort to explore her interests and make something for Maki.
Rejection towards her cutsie time and acceptance of her twin's present, pure equality that would make the Zenin clan shrivel up in fear.
Both sides collided heavily, fighting a battle in Maki's head.
Mai watched her sister standing still for half a minute, confusion and anxiety welling up in her chest.
'Was it bad?'
It built up the longer her twin was silent.
The dam filled more rapidly near the end, threatening to burst and send Mai into a torrent of tears.
From Maki's expression alone, her brain had settled into pure balance, a mixture of yin and yang with utmost precision to create a perfect balance.
A state of pure enLIGHTenment. name drop
"I wanna burn it and tweasure the ashes."
A final conclusion that was both good and bad came out.
Mai threw her arms into the air, filling the room with a loud cheer like her brain automatically removed the first part of the spoken sentence.
"Yippiee!!"
Maki looked at her cheering sibling and back at the drawing given to her. An imaginary lightbulb lighting up above her head.
She walked past Mai and sat down in her seat, eyes gleaming like stars.
Mai twirled around on one foot, hands clasped over her chest with a blissful air around her. Anyone around her could decipher the amount of glee she was feeling at the moment with one look at her giddy face.
Her amber eyes cracked open slightly–
"Ah–"
And her attention was immediately brought to the spot where she hit the wall with her crayon.
A bright green stroke– all the way from the point of contact to the floor. The crayon had hit the wall at just the right angle to leave a mark all the way down.
It wasn't something able to be wiped away in two seconds with a dribble of spit.
"Sigh." Yes, the word was said out loud.
She hopped over to the nearby cabinet and took out a small cloth. Something she often saw from her mother when needing to clean up a spilled liquid.
The smeared green wax was cleanly wiped away with a few strokes– harder scrubbing being required to remove the faint hues afterwards.
The green crayon was swiped from the floor on the way back from putting away her small towel. She spotted her sister sitting at the table and drawing on her already finished piece of art.
"Whadya drawing?"
An eyebrow went up as she peered over her sister's shoulder. Trying to take a look at the changes being made.
Maki jolted in her seat, and upon spotting Mai– protectively curling her arms around the doodled paper. Her head was placed sideways on top to also look at Mai.
"It's not done!!"
Mai's curiosity skyrocketed, her desire to take even the smallest peek already becoming unbearable in her underdeveloped brain.
She grabbed Maki's arms and tried pulling, leaning all the way back and almost falling over yet her sister's arm still wouldn't budge.
"But I wanna see!!"
She tried many things along the lines of pulling, pushing, tickling (that one almost worked), and even begging on her hands and knees to no avail.
Her sister was powerful, that was for sure.
New strategies had to be used.
Using a pulley system made of discarded rope, it can be tied around the unmoving Maki's waist and hung over the ceiling lamp to–
"A minute, just wait."
Maki already went back to drawing, having pushed the large box of crayons in front of her to block Mai's view. Her tongue stuck out from the side of her mouth in concentration.
Mai sat down with crossed arms and a huff, a pout formed on her face but still complying with her sister.
The act of 'waiting' truly proved to be the hardest challenge Mai has ever faced. Her foot already started tapping against the floor while her eyes darted around the room for any form of stimulation.
This was more of a punishment than anything. How does one do 'nothing' for an entire minute? Mai had never heard of such a concept.
Has it been a minute already? It has felt like hours already– it must surely be done by now.
"Can I see?"
Maki didn't even look up before responding with exasperation that a three year old shouldn't have.
"Been ten seconds."
Mai had a very mature response.
That is, groaning very loudly in Maki's general direction.
She listened to the ticking of the clock on the wall that she couldn't read yet, looking like what one would expect an ipad kid during a power outage to be like.
What is the meaning of her existence? Is it to suffer in suspense? Is her sister merely her tormentor disguised as a human being?
"It's done."
Maki said identically to how Mai spoke, just with much less initial enthusiasm.
Most of it was lost when Mai started pestering her every 5 seconds on what she was making.
She pulled her arms back and placed the crayon she took back into the box.
Her gaze looked intently at the paper, visibly switching between two parts and comparing them. A look of uncertainty gradually growing.
Before her mind could catch up, the paper was already grabbed away by Mai.
Her eyes promptly started scanning the page. Looking for any added parts that were drawn in by her sister.
The most obvious thing was the second figure standing next to the one she drew of Maki.
The lines were scribbly and sloppy as it was done in a rush and without any conveniently posing references– which it was.
It was herself, posed in a similar manner that fit with Maki but was not a direct copy, with one of her eyes closed into a wink with a smile stretching ear to ear.
Even if it was worse than what she had drawn, to Mai it was still–
"IT'S PERFECT!!"
Under the bewildered stare of her sister, she turns to her and pulls her into a firm embrace, something she couldn't even break out of with her freakishly strong muscles.
"But… I'm more bad at drawing…"
Maki tried to argue against it yet fell silent at the disapproving expression of her sister.
She squirmed in the grip of her sister's hug and turned her head away but still felt the gaze on her.
"I heawd from mom that people have pictuwes of people dey love."
The hug was broken by Mai, who took the paper back to the small wooden table in the center of the room. Placing it directly at the center underneath the ceiling lamp.
"And I love you, Sissy, so lets half it and each keep one."
Maki followed her sister's gaze to the safety scissors on the table, her mind catching up to her emotions and letting a smile bloom on her face.
"That sounds fun."
<=>
Shihoa Zenin was peacefully resting within the gardens of the compound.
It was a rare day for her, a day where she had a lot less work than usual.
It gave her an afternoon to spend with her children.
So she sat underneath the shade of the engawa where the direct rays of sunlight can't touch her. Calmly watching her two daughters running around the blooming flower patches in the compound's garden.
Though it was less of a garden and more of a hobby that was shared among the lower-ranking staff, taking care of the small field of grass within their living quarters. With some even planting flowers near the edges.
Maki and Mai didn't approach those, only running around the parts that come naturally with the season of spring so as to not trample any hard work.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the scolding they got for accidentally destroying it once.
Shihoa's content smile twitched at the memory, and the sheer amount of apologies she had to make afterwards.
She reached out and grabbed her cup of tea, downing it like an alcoholic remembering their problems– not even being phased by the scalding liquid sliding down and burning her throat.
Across the field, Maki accidentally bumped into a low-hanging branch of a cherry blossom tree. A few loose petals falling down onto the top of her head.
Mai walked up and ruffled her hair, scattering the petals onto her shoulders and the grass underneath them.
"Your hair looks like a bush with flowers in it. Heh"
"Really?"
Mai giggled behind her hand after seeing her twin's expression of wonder.
Maki's gaze drops to the ground surrounding her, more specifically at the dozen petals laying around in the grass.
She squats down and picks them up by hand, counting 13 petals and moves to sit down.
The first petal is rolled up, with the second being wrapped around it at an angle, and the third following on the opposite side.
All of the petals are quickly used on her project to create a pink and white rose held together by a loose piece of string she used to tie her hair up.
Back at full standing height, she holds out the newly made accessory to the observing Mai and places it between the strands of her hair above the ear.
It sits neatly like a hairclip, with Mai even reaching up and touching the accessory shoved into her green locks.
"It's so pretty!!"
She examines herself in the reflection of a nearby puddle from a previous rainstorm. Her face being turned in all directions and angles to fully appreciate her gift.
Her eyes landed on the blooming field they were standing in, grabbing a random blue flower and walking back to her sister.
She places it in Maki's hair with her twin similarly touching it to how she did.
The previous smile turns into a mischievous smirk, a glint appearing in her eyes.
Her finger taps Maki on the shoulder alongside a loud shout.
"Tag! You're it!"
As soon as the final syllable is spoken, the twin dressed in red– Mai– books it in the opposite direction, even having to jump over the puddle she examined herself in previously.
Competitiveness shines in Maki's eyes, already lowering herself into the best sprinting posture a child could have.
Her arms are placed firmly onto the ground with her knees bending far enough to almost touch the soil too.
With an intake of breath she shot forward like an arrow. The wind screaming next to her air as she ran after Mai.
It only took a few seconds for her to cross half the field in a sprint, only a few paces away from her sister.
Mai looked over her shoulder and complained loudly, throwing her arms into her air to emphasize her words.
"Nooo fair!! You're way too fast!"
She stops talking for a second, taking a few greedy gulps of air from being out of breath.
"It's like you were born to be an aplete!"
Maki being the best sister she could be, had to correct her sister in her incorrect ways.
"Athlete."
"Yeah, that!"
Having sprinted a few dozen meters already, Mai's running came to a stop while supporting herself on her own knees.
Maki didn't even sprint the rest of the way, she just walked over to her tired counterpart and tapped her on the shoulder without even a trace of exhaustion on her face.
"Tag."
Her face was smug, even taking the opportunity to pinch the flushed cheek of her sister.
"Hey!"
Mai formed one of her classic pouts that were starting to become an entire personality trait of hers. Glaring at her sister's retreating hand.
She lunged forward towards her sister, with her right arm already stretched out and approaching rapidly.
Her twin sidestepped it with minimal effort, sending her stumbling past with her foot catching on a rock jutting out of the soft ground.
Time seemed to slow down for Mai, watching the ground rapidly come closer as her arms flailed uselessly in the air.
Everything around her spun faster than she could catch up to.
Contact with the ground was inevitable–
Yoink.
Her nose stopped only inches away from the ground.
The back of her collar was being grabbed by a hand, keeping her body in the air and safely off the floor.
Her previously flailing arms dangled loosely in the air like a puppet cut off its strings.
"It seems I was also born this way to protect my clumsy sister."
The panic in Mai's eyes hadn't settled yet, even as she was lifted back onto her own feet. Her pupils continued to dart around and showing actual vulnerability within them that made Maki pause.
She turned to Maki, her voice carrying a certain feeling that she couldn't describe.
"Becuase we will always stay together as sisters…"
Those wide amber eyes reflected the identical ones staring back.
"Right?"
The smug smirk had long faded, turning into a reassuring smile with Maki's usually sharp eyes softening greatly.
"Ofcourse."
Maki's right hand was grabbed by her sister. Her pinkie hooked around her twin's.
"Then it's a promise!"
<=>
The darkness of night came fast. Clouding the entire compound in black shadows with only the illuminations of lanterns to battle it.
Only a few people were out at these hours, whether guards patrolling the main quarters or servants finishing up one last bit of work.
Under the sound of faint footsteps and crickets chirping, Maki had already tucked herself into her own bed.
Low quality but comfortable enough to sleep for even an adult.
That is, till a quiet shift of her blanket made her open her eyes again.
"Sissy?'
Mai stood at the side of her bed, holding a corner of the blanket and already having a knee onto the mattress.
"Im sleeping here tonight."
Maki blinked. They slept together pretty often, but it was always Mai asking before they even got into their own beds.
"Why?"
Mai wobbled slightly in a daze, speaking in whispers so quiet that only Maki had to strain her ears to hear them.
"I saw a weird thing."
Maki sat up and patted the spot next to her, inviting her sister to sit next to her.
Mai sat down and pulled her legs to her chest with her arms wrapped around herself.
A pair of arms wrapped around her from her left.
Maki leaned her head away from Mai, letting her sister lean on her shoulder.
"I believe you, what did you see?"
Unshed tears gathered in the corner of her eyes, blinking slowly till her eyes were completely puffy and red.
"It was through the window… small… but had a lot of eyes and made weird noises."
A quiet sob came out of Mai, her hands grabbing the clothes of her sister tightly.
Maki could only warily watch the door while comforting her sister.
"It's alright. It's not here."
She nudged her sister's head towards the empty room, having her take a brief glance.
"We'll ask mom about it."
Mai didn't calm down for a while, only stopping when her muscles were tired from being tense for so long and being unable to resist the lul of sleep.
Maki stayed watching the door for an hour, not going outside in case it was still there.
Eventually, she succumbed to sleep just like her sister.
<=Epilogue=>
As we all know.
All good things must come to an end.
Next morning, after both of the twins woke up and remembered the night before. They rushed to their mother and explained the entire situation.
Shihoa was shocked to say the least, but not that much.
It was already known that it would be inevitable. At the age of 4-5 a child can awaken a cursed technique and the ability to see cursed spirits normally.
Of course, the latter does not happen every time and only occurs without prior training in cursed energy manipulation.
She led the twins outside to play and went to report her findings afterwards.
Later coming back with a sorcerer to verify the new information, they discovered Mai could see spirits and even found her cursed technique when she claimed to feel a strange pull and created an identical flower to one she was holding.
Then came the heavier news.
Maki wasn't able to see cursed spirits.
Jujutsu sorcery, as literally everyone knows, counts twins as the same person.
Not a single change occurred within Maki that related to jujutsu, and with her absurdly high physical capabilities.
Her Heavenly Restriction was discovered.
As a literal baby it was impossible to tell without making large guesses, but as a preschooler her body was developing much more obviously in line with another case that happened in the clan.
Shihoa felt nothing but dread when she was notified by Ogi Zenin that she could no longer look after her children.
The difference between having low cursed energy and a Heavenly Restriction was massive.
It was one that caused their father to completely sever all connections he and his divorced wife had to them on paper.
Maki and Mai weren't in for a good time.
<=CHAPTER END=>
Big chapter to start off with.
This prologue will probably be around 3 chapters before the divergence happens.
Fluff at the start to make sure the readers hate me when the abuse happens in chapter 2.
Idk what else to really write in the Author Notes anymore
Hopefully I get chapter 2 done in the next few days.
This is like my second fic and im still figuring out my entire writing style and flow n stuff.
Apologies for any errors! Whether they be mistakes from jjk or repeating parts in my writing!