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Once, there was a girl.
The girl born into a family of poverty, from poor parents, with many brothers. Older, and younger.
None of the kids have a name. They call each other with “Hey, you” or “You There” or “You With ...”.
The girl supposed she was lucky, as she's different. For a long time, "Girl" was her name. It was not proper, but at least it was something.
The reason why none of them has a name was because of their parents.
Their poor, delusional, cruel parents. The sort of people who, in the girl's opinion, should never have kids. Why have kids, if they won't take care of them? Why, if in the end, they would hurt the kids?
Every day is the same.
Pain. Hunger. Pain. Sadness. Pain. Hunger. More Pain. Sleep.
Their parents didn’t bother with them. No. They pay them no attention unless they need someone to hurt.
They hurt them for many things.
Whining about a lack of food? Punch.
Crying for being in pain? Punch.
Wishing something? Punch.
Being slow? Punch.
Talking back? Drowned in the tub.
Come home without money? Punch, kick, sleep outside.
Staring too long? Punch.
Doing nothing? Punch.
Do nothing wrong? Punch.
Violence day in and day out. Every day, like routine. Till her brothers die one by one. From her younger brother, the weakest of them. Then her older brothers, who were made to work till they can't move anymore. Till it was only her alone. The only girl. The punching bag who does all housework.
Do her parents bury her brothers? No.
Their corpse was left on the road just like that. If the crows and dogs didn't eat them, the corpse will become stinky, covered in flies, with maggots coming out from them.
One day, the girl make mistake and punched hard, her eyes swollen. She was kicked out and not allowed to come in. She was made to sleep outside.
She didn't sleep. Can't sleep. Too hurt to sleep. She won't sleep with the corpse of her brothers looking at her. Can't. So she sat in silence, looking up at the night sky, dotted with white pretty things.
The girl can’t help but ponders,
Why she was born if in the end, she will die like this? In the hand of people who give life to her?
Her entire life was nothing but misery. Should she better off dead? At least in death, she won't get hurt anymore.
But is death the only way? I have to felt so much pain before I can die. I don’t want to feel pain again!
It was happenstance, but she saw something in the sky.
A single line of white.
(A Shooting Star)
The girl can't help but gasp.
Then another. Then another. Then... dozens of times. Hundreds. Thousands. All dots in the sky become lines. Heading towards the same direction.
...heading towards the same directions?
The girl feels her heart hammering in her chest.
(In another world, the girl stood silently, watching the night sky with wonder, what is that? However, despite the desire in her heart, she sat silently.
In that world, the girl continues to stay. Until her emotions broke until she feels nothing. Until she was sold as a slave. Numb to everything, can't think for herself. Won't do anything, won't say anything unless she was ordered so.
This was not that world)
The girl feels something. A desire, a wish, a want. She stood shakily and hesitantly take one step forward. Then another. Then another.
She walks away from the house. Eyes looking at the sky, before turning to the road in front of her. She walks forward.
Then slowly, she picks up speed. From shaky steps to a steady walk, to run.
She ran and ran and ran. Ran away from the slums. Ran away from the hell she was born at. Ran away from cruel people who always hurt her and kill her brothers. Run away from her brothers' cooling corpse.
She ran, and ran, and ran. She did not stop, nor she's looking back. Not even after the lines stopped. Not even when the sun rises. She only slowed down from running to walking, but she did not stop.
She won’t stop.
She did not stop walking, even after the night come once again. Even when her stomach hurt. Even when her steps become wobbly and tired. Even when the rain pours on her head and soaking her wet she can feel the chill in her bones.
Her feet have up. They were bleeding with blisters. She walks for days without rest, without footwear. At night and day. On the hot road, on the grass, on the road full of rocks.
She fell face-first to the dirt. Too far from slums. In the place she knows nothing of.
But she didn’t stop moving.
Slowly, she raises her hand and starts dragging her body forward. One inch at a time.
If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl, she thought.
And so, the girl crawl. She crawls little by little, dragging her body forward. Pay no mind how it makes tattered rags she wears become even dirtier, even more tattered.
The girl did not stop crawling, even if some mean voices pointed at her and laughed.
She did not crawling, even if they pelted her with rocks.
She did not crawling, even if her vision, the thing she’s very proud of, start to blurred.
She only stops crawling when she can't move anymore. Not even wiggle her toe.
By then her rags barely covered her modesty. By then her visions are almost gone. By then her legs were filled with dirt and scar and caked blood. By then her hands bleed, her finger shaking with pain and fatigue, and her nails broke.
By then she was bones wrapped in skin.
But the girl smiled.
She might be going to die, but she dies in a faraway place. Away from cruel people who hurt her. Away from slums. Away from violence every day. She was in place she knows nothing of. But it was a beautiful place. The slums were dirty, brown everywhere, but here? Here all she saw is green. Forest green.
She had reached the pace those white things in the sky guided her to.
If she’s going to die, then she can die in peace.
Then,
“What are you doing here, child? What happened to you?”
The girl felt her frail, thin, sickly body lifted from the hard ground. Pressed against something... nay. Someone.
At first, her reaction is run, escape. But then she notices something.
It was warm.
It was so warm, and soft, and kind.
Nobody feels warm and kind. Nobody treats her like this.
The girl lost her consciousness, but she did not stop nuzzling for warmth and kindness.
(In another world, where the girl lost her emotions and feeling, she was sold to a man.
Fate had another plan, for she encounters a pair of sisters, who took her away from the man. The sisters with dark uniform and butterfly hairpin saved her. She took her away to their home. Show her that the world can be beautiful and kind too. But the girl was too broken to enjoy it.
So she simply doing what she always does.
She watches.
This was no that world)
~X~
The girl wakes up. She feels weak and hurt, but it was oh so warm and comfy. The room she was in was a thousand times better than her old 'house'. There was no hole in the roof or the wall, the floor didn't creak under her weight, and it... the floor was different. Nice different. She lays on thick comfy fabric, with slight thinner fabric cover her body. A comfy bundle was beneath her head.
It was nice.
The door opens, and a woman comes in.
The woman had a nice face and pretty eyes and oh. Those faces are oh so different than her... mother... and her own face, but the girl find herself liking it.
The woman helped her to sit up and fed her with warm, tasty water and soft something. Patiently spoon-fed her until her stomach feels full and warm.
The girl sleeps with a full stomach for once, and a gentle hand patted her head, and a beautiful voice singing in the background.
The next time she wakes up, there's two someone next to her.
A boy with dark red hair and matching eyes, and a girl with black hair and pretty pink eyes.
The boy saw her awake, and called out, “Okaa-san! She’s awake!”
The woman comes back, and with a smile, she greeted, "Hello. How are you feeling today?"
The girl tilted her head. How... is she feeling? She feels... “...ok?” Can she have that tasty water again? The warm one with soft somethings?
The woman nodded and turned to the boy and girl. "Tanjiro, can you keep eyes on Takeo, Hanako, and Shigeru?" The boy nodded and run out of the room. The woman then turned to the girl with pink eyes. "Nezuko, think you can find something in your wardrobe for her?" The pink-eyed girl, no, Nezuko nodded.
The woman turned to her. “Now, let’s have a bath, ok?”
The Nameless Girl was given her first bath after so long time. Unlike her last bath, this time the water was warm and pleasant. The woman gently scrubs off dirt and caked blood from her skinny body, careful to not accidentally pushed her off the stool. They talking about things, like her age.
She doesn't know how old she's, but she remembers about fireworks. Her oldest brother took her to see one and saying it was her fourth firework. That was five fireworks ago.
Her birdnest of hair was full of lice, which apparently made her head itch. The woman apologizes that she had to cut her hair short to get the lice off. The Girl didn't care.
And so her mess of hair was cut short, barely reaching her chin, with even bangs.
The woman dressed her in a dress from Nezuko. A white undergarment and then pink kimono with black intricate lines and big red sash. Her hair was comb neatly.
A man comes into the house. He has the boy's hair, eyes, and face. Their clothes even similar, but instead black and green, he wore orange and black. Upon looking at her, the man smiled.
"How are you? Did you feel better?" The girl was surprised but nodded. "I'm glad then. You gave us quite a scare."
Soon, it was dinner time. The Girl was pulled to sit together.
Tanjiro served the food. Fluffy white rice, cleaner and fluffier than any rice The Girl ever saw, then yummy tasty water—oh, it called Miso Soup, then fish.
They show her how to use chopsticks, and the girl ate with fervor. Her tastebud explodes from the flavor assault. Her stomach is so full and heavy, but warm.
The Girl learns about this family.
The Man is the Tou-San, his name is Kamado Tanjuro.
The Woman is Kaa-san, her name is Kamado Kie.
Tanjiro is Tanjiro, he’s the oldest.
Nezuko is the first daughter, second oldest kid.
Then a boy with a dot under his eye. His name is Takeo.
A girl with a pink jacket. Her name is Hanako.
And finally a boy with neat hair. His name is Shigeru.
They asked her for a name. The Girl freezes before she replied in a quiet voice.
"I don't know." She said. "I don't have a name. My parents never gave me any. I don't like them, so I run away."
The entire table looks at each other before turning to her. Tanjuro-san spoke with a soft, kind voice that reminds her of a gentle breeze, "Then... would you like to be part of us? We aren't wealthy... however we can try to give you the home you deserve."
The Girl looks stunned.
They... want to take her?
Why?
“Because you deserve happiness, too.”
Eyes hot and her heart fluttered. A sob escaped her mouth as she cries softly.
Tanjiro kindly lends her his shoulder.
After Dinner, her soon-to-be parents took her aside and presented her with Kanji to make up her new name. They want to give her the freedom to choose her new name and how it written.
She can’t read or write, so they read out loud each character and what their meaning is. Patiently answer her question, even if it took hours.
After a long, long time, she finally decided on her name.
(In another world, she took a name whom she felt can bring her closer to her adoptive sister. A pretty, flower name. As pretty as her sister and her sword style.
This was not that world)
The very next morning, Tanjuro went to upgrade the Family Registry, with a new name added to the family member.
Kamado Hoshika. (星叶)
The girl whom the stars guided.
The girl who loves stars seconded only to her love for her family.
The girl who, in the future, will dance and fight with the stars as her guidance.