Japan, 1998

‎"Jun Lei, she is your daughter!"

The small, black-haired girl clutched to her grandfather's pant leg as if her life depended on it, watching as the two continued to argue. Her deep grey eyes scanned the woman in front of her, tears threatening to run down her pale face. Her mother looked at the man she clung to with an expression of disgust, the floppy white derby hat she wore matching the long coat she had draped over her shoulders.

 "I do not care," The mother responded bitterly. "That monster destroyed my all. That curse she has… the one that allows her to reach into my mind… I will have none of it!" Her fist was thrown downwards as she stamped the ground.

"Jun Lei!" The old man scolded, but before he could continue, the little girl cried out.

"Mama!" She rushed forward in a stumble, taking hold of her mother's coat. She shook it furiously. "Please, mama! Don't go! Don't leave me here! I won't be bad anymore! I won't speak at all! I'll be a good girl! Please, mama! Please-!"

The little one went flying as she was smacked harshly across the cheek by the one she claimed as mother. She landed on her side with a light thud, scraping her small hands against the wooden floor of the dojo as she tried to stop herself. When she looked up, she found Jun Lei glaring into her. The first time she had looked at her in a long while, and the stare held many things. Pain, guilt, anger, disappointment. Above those emotions she could feel the fear resonating off her as she spat out the words that the young girl could barely comprehend.

‏‎‎"I am not your mother."

‏‎‎That hit her like a wave, striking her as if a tsunami had taken hold of the building completely. It whisked away her emotions, like time had frozen them in place once and for all, but everything else just kept moving. Her eyes watered as she silently looked up at the woman, staring into the opposing auburn gaze with horror.

‏‎‎Stop, She screamed in her head, the tears beginning to fall.

‏‎‎Stop! All the hurt, the agony that she had felt before, it was gone.

‏‎‎Stop… She was an empty shell, her once bright eyes growing dark.

‏‎‎St-

Her stare travelled to the floor, right when Jun Lei turned around. The white coat was all her peripheral vision could make out as she walked out the open doors, light silhouetting her form. The man called her name, then his grip landed on the girl's shoulder lightly. His voice was numbing as he spoke, screaming at the woman to return, but the little girl knew she wouldn't. After all, she could hear her thoughts, bright and clear and echoing as if desperate for her to understand.

‏‎‎I'm sorry.