Hmm…
This does feel strange to write in, I guess.
I think I should start with an intro…
Well, my name is Kaoru Kazeneko.
And yeah I am well aware that it isn't a traditional family name.
Because IT ISNT, smartass.
People just started calling me it because it means "Wind Cat."
And well, I'm what you call a… an urban survivalist of sorts… a professional pocket artist, my job is to help people lighten their loads.
No, im not a thief. I just help things find new… more suitable homes.
And things of that nature…
I guess.
But anyways, they started calling me Kazeneko because they say I look like a cat, which I do not. And because I "steal things" like a cat would. Which I do not do.
As for the wind side, I dunno, I suppose because I'm fast? No clue really.
But yeah I like the ring of it so I'm gonna stick with it, for I am the great… Kaoru Kazeneko!
Uhh yeah anyways, I don't have family, they all disappeared when I turned four and since then, I have been using my quick hands and feet to borrow things like food and water from people.
I'm uhh… fifteen I think, maybe fourteen. Not sure, I'm about as tall as two and a half trash cans, I have dark gray hair which isn't much different then everyone else and their black hair.
But I am a little special with my great green eyes, they do make me stand out a bit more along with my many piercings I gave myself, which I do regret a little.
Hmm I think that's everything about me really, I have a couple scars here and there but nothing too serious, nothing too crazy like that big oaf Toki.
Oh yeah, I can talk about Tokinari too I guess.
We met about seven years ago give or take, we were both around the same height back then.
I remember, it was early in my journey of being a freelance redistribution specialist and I had been caught trying to borrow some bread, rookie mistake on my behalf.
But yeah anyways the people that found me weren't actually that much older than me, they were about ten, I guess.
They started kicking me and they even made fun of my eyes, which I found pretty stupid since they were way better than their boring black eyes.
And it seems I wasn't the only one who thought so!
At the moment one was going to stomp on my head, a raspy voice came from the alley's entrance.
There was a boy only a little taller than me, he had rusty red hair and a really unique eye colour, it was a light beige colour that faded into white. But that wasn't even his most striking detail, in his eyes, the black part, whatever it's called was different!
Usually, people had the same size ones, but this guy, one of his were bigger while the other was smaller, it looked really interesting! But get this, that wasn't all! He also had these dark brown spots all over his face, he seriously did look a little weird at first, but the more I looked, the cooler he looked, especially with those badass shark teeth!
But yeah, after the guys that were beating me up saw him, they immediately shifted their attention.
They started throwing insults his way, calling him weird looking.
He didn't look sad though, he didn't look like he cared at all. If anything, he just looked determined.
I remember seeing him brush past the group of boys and knelt down next to me. He touched the places the boys had hurt me, his touch was so gentle compared to all the others I'd felt. It was nice, I guess.
But yeah, he ended up giving the boys some money to pay for the bread and he gave it to me.
After that, we started hanging out more often, every time he'd come down from the mountains to deliver wood and stone equipment with his family, he'd split off and come play with me.
As time went on, we both started to change.
His muscles got bigger and he started to grow even taller.
While I stayed the exact same, I just grew a little taller.
It sucked, but it didn't really suit him to be small, he looked like someone made to be tall anyways.
Its currently morning in the town, he's supposed to be coming down today. Can't wait to see him for his weekly visit!
…
Kaoru Kazeneko was lying down on a roof, he had found an old diary on the ground and thought to just write a nice little introduction in there.
Either way, it was nearly midday and Tokinari still hasn't shown up.
'His father was pretty much required to come down this time every week, so why isn't he here?' Kaoru rubbed his chin as he stood up on the rooftop, looking over the small rural town.
He climbed down from the roof and landed on the ground without a sound.
Walking around for a minute, looking for Tokinari, he didn't find anything.
Though, he had heard a group of people talking about going to check up the mountain to see if the family was okay.
And well, Kaoru couldn't hide his curiosity and sneakily followed them.
…
20~ minutes later, the cabin was in sight, the group of men that had gathered to go check up on Akira Saimaru were nearly there.
However, they stopped in their tracks.
One of the men gasped, "Akira?!" He exclaimed as he ran forward.
Kaoru watched from behind a tree, squinting to get a better view, then his heart dropped.
"Is that… Toki's father? No way… what happened?" Kaoru wanted to go and check, but if he suddenly appeared now, it'd be suspicious.
But from what he could see, this was definitely no normal scene.
The house's walls were nearly all broken, there was blood everywhere, Kaoru nearly threw up where he stood, the sight was too much to bare.
Kaoru had to close his eyes, kneeling behind the tree. It was disgusting, the smell alone was too much for him to handle.
But where was Tokinari?
The group of men finally regained their composure and entered the house.
In the house, Tokinari Saimaru was covered head to toe in blood holding his younger brother, Riku Saimaru.
His eyes were wide, he seemed to be in shock.
His whole body was shaking violently, his eyes were bloodshot and they looked manic, untamed, wild.
The man who had entered the house was shocked, he must've thought Tokinari was the one that did all of this.
…
I didn't know where to go, after the screams died down, I decided to go home, maybe they were safe.
Maybe they had survived! Right?
No.
None of them had survived.
My entire family save for myself and Riku were slaughtered, we were the only remaining members of our bloodline.
I hadn't slept, how could I? I had just spent about twelve hours living the same hell over and over.
I couldn't feel anything, my eyes were unfocused, my ears were ringing, my limbs were constantly shaking.
And I don't think I had blinked in hours, what if the demon came back? What would I do?
Was I safe?
My breaths were shallow, I was breathing manually, my body seemed to have shut down.
I couldn't think clearly.
All I knew was that I had looped about 235 times, who I was, who I was holding and who I had to kill.
Loop erosion. That is what I'd called it, well, my world was warped and different. It's probably because of how many times I'd died.
And how I felt every single one.
I was getting a weird sense of hypervigilance, hence the open eyes. I can't seem to stop thinking about that demon.
Paranoia? Absolutely. What if he came back? I can't let him kill Riku too. I can't afford to lose everyone.
Another thing I'd noticed, I had a photographic memory. I remembered EVERYTHING from every loop.
That might've also been messing with my head.
Absolutely.
My world was spinning.
It kept replaying.
It was all I could see, all I could hear.
I could see my family being torn to shreds, the image repeating over and over. The sounds of them screaming repeating, begging for mercy. Begging to be saved.
The smell of their blood still remained, making the scene even more real.
"I should've stopped it. Not run away I should've—"
It was all my fault.
I ran away and let my family die.
My kind, loving mother.
My strong, caring father.
My aloof, gentle sisters.
I had run, while they had suffered.
Like a coward. I'm a coward.
"Save us!"
"Toki! Don't run! Save us!"
"Tokinari why did you leave us to die?"
Stop.
Stop.
Stop.
Then something in my surroundings changed.
Someone—something.
The demon?
Something was approaching me, it's words muffled.
It seemed to be saying something, I'm not sure.
"DID YOU KILL THEM? BASTARD?"
I couldn't hear him, what was he saying?
He got closer, he grabbed my shoulder and—
SNAP!
…
Tokinari's arm shot forward, grabbing the man by the throat.
He gently placed Riku on the floor and stood up.
His face was stained with dark red blood, his eyes were hollow and unfocused, as if he was unconscious.
Before anyone could process what was going on, Tokinari threw the man out of the house and followed.
The group of men were stunned, but Tokinari's judgement was clouded.
In his mind, these men were demons, trying to attack his family.
He couldn't see or think clearly.
He lunged onto the man on the ground, pinning him down with one hand while he…
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!!
"Khhk—"
BANG!!
BANG!!
Tokinari's fist rained down on the man until he fell unconscious, then he kept going.
The man was gone, dead.
But Tokinari kept going. He could just regenerate, right? So he needed to keep smashing his head in so that he won't regenerate.
He was long dead, but in Tokinari's mind, he was an immortal demon.
Tokinari's posture suddenly shifted and he leapt back to avoid a swing from another man.
With a really raspy voice and the words barely above a whisper, he managed to say, "You won't kill me anymore, filthy demons."
He growled and lunged forward again, tackling the new arrival with brutal force.
As he tackled him, he didn't stop, he picked the man up and ran with him before ramming him into a tree.
Two men suddenly arrived at that moment, attempting to hold Tokinari in place.
But with monstrous strength, Tokinari threw one off while kicking the other in the mouth.
Turning his attention back to the man he had rammed into the tree, he grabbed him by his jaw and repeatedly slammed his head into the tree.
After ten or so seconds of repeated head smashing, he finally dropped the man and changed targets yet again.
He moved to the man he had threw off him and grabbed his leg.
He lifted the man by his leg and then swung him over his shoulder and into the ground.
Then he swung him over again.
And again.
And again.
He repeatedly swung the man around by his leg, smashing him into the ground and any trees nearby.
And then, the final man.
The man he had kicked in the teeth, his mouth was bloody and clearly missing teeth.
But at that moment, something seemed to have changed in Tokinari, he stopped moving.
And then he collapsed, exhaustion finally consuming him.
Tokinari fell to the ground face first.
"Ha! Aha… haha!" The toothless man started laughing like a maniac.
He stood up with heavy breaths, "God almighty, that kid was a real problem. Glad he's out, I should probably get rid of him while he's ou—"
However, before he could even finish talking about ending Tokinari's life, a slightly rusty machete pierced through his chest.
"You're not getting rid of anyone." A cold voice came from behind him.
Turning his head, the toothless man saw another young man, he had very dark gray hair, almost black in colour and bright green eyes.
"K-Kazeneko?" He stammered, recognising the boy as the infamous pickpocket.
How had he moved there? How hadn't he noticed him?
Ah… right.
There was a rumour about this kid, apparently he moved in a way that made it seem like he was unaffected by wind resistance, like he could move freely in the harshest winds.