Chapter Text
The first time it happened, Hifumi Izanami was four years old. The energetic blond child pulled his hand away from his mother to pet the large labrador that was walking with its owner down the street. Excitedly, the child began to pet the large dog, only for it to keel over and die. He screamed and ran back into his mother’s arms, shaking.
It only got worse from there.
By the time the child had turned six years old, any plant life he touched withered in his hands. His mother couldn’t explain it, neither could any doctor that took a look at him. The exorcism he was taken to didn’t seem to lessen the effects at all either.
When he was nine, the family cat died. The small feline had just been fed and happily rubbed up against Hifumi’s legs. He tried to withdraw as fast as he could, but it was already too late. His older sister had yelled at him for a good hour before their parents returned home to scold her for being so angry about something he wasn’t able to control. Even though they were sad too, they helped Hifumi and comforted him in his tears.
A year later, tragedy struck the Izanami household. The now ten year old Hifumi was in the backyard playing by himself. His powers, or more accurately his curse, left him scared of playing with other children. He was always comfortable around his family though, they were always there to reassure him.
As he was running around, his sister walked out onto the patio, holding a tray of snacks. “Hifumi, come inside and eat something!” She was in charge while their parents were at work.
“Coming!” the child called as he ran over to her, eagerly taking some fruits off the tray and eating them. His sister giggled and he couldn’t help but smile. She ruffled his bright blond hair and her smile froze. Her touch turned cold and she barely had time to widen her eyes in alarm before she dropped to the side, dead. The tray she was holding fell with a loud clatter, spilling the snacks all across the ground.
It all happened in an instant, but once he realized what he had done, terror filled his face. His sister was dead… He had killed her. He stumbled backwards and fell, the grass wilting around his body. Warm tears began to quietly flow down his face as he sniffled, terrified. It was all a nightmare, it had to be. His young mind couldn’t comprehend it otherwise. Hifumi Izanami had killed a person.
Instead of calling his parents or any type of authority, Hifumi ran inside the house and hid on his bed. The child was shaking and trembling, hoping and praying that he would wake up in his bed and find that it really was just a bad dream. He didn’t even realize when his tears had stopped and he had fallen into unconsciousness.
What awoke him later that evening was a scream. He ran out of his room to see what was the matter and golden eyes fell on a sight that mercilessly reminded him of the day's events. There was his mother, sobbing as she clutched the corpse of her daughter, which had been laying in the sun for hours. Even from where he stood, the smell was enough to make Hifumi gag.
His mother noticed him standing there and her eyes met his with something close to hatred, if not worse. “Hifumi,” her voice was trembling in an attempt to not begin screeching at the child, “did you do this.”
“It was an accident!” he squeaked out, before quickly averting his gaze to hide the tears that began to once again fill the corners of his eyes. He covered his face, partially to try and block the smell and partially so he wouldn’t have to look into his mother’s burning eyes.
The young blond heard shuffling and footsteps that stopped just before him. Glancing up, he could see his mother holding back the urge to hit him. It wasn’t because she felt guilty about hitting her child, but because she knew if she hit him she would die too. Shaking in rage and grief, his mother could only utter a single word. “...Monster.”
He shook his head and took a step back, fear filling his eyes. “B-but, I didn’t mean to.. It was an accident! I didn’t mean to!”
“Go to your room,” she responded in a voice that was in a hoarse whisper. Hifumi was quick to retreat, feeling her gaze burn into him all the way to his bedroom. He knew she was right though, he really was a monster. If this horrible ability had never manifested, he’d be living a normal life right now. His sister wouldn’t be dead.
After returning to his room, he was quick to lock the door and sink to the ground, holding his knees to his chest. When his father returned home as well, he could hear yelling and arguing from the front room, although it didn’t concern him enough to pay attention.
From that day on, Hifumi refused to physically meet anyone, holing himself up in his room. He didn’t even attend his sister’s funeral. His parents didn’t try to talk him out of it either. In fact, they seemed relieved that they wouldn’t have to deal with their devil child. It was hard and he felt like he might die of loneliness many times, but he knew it was for everyone’s safety. He didn’t want to hurt anyone or anything anymore.
The energetic blonde was too much of a coward to die anyways, he knew that. Even if it would benefit everyone, he could never bring himself to end his own life or put himself in harm’s way. That’s why he was content to just live out his days in solitude, it was the only way he could protect everyone from himself.
To withdraw from the world even further, the moment he turned eighteen, Hifumi moved to an apartment building. With his parents' help, he was able to secure a place in Shinjuku for relatively cheap. He felt better, knowing that his parents wouldn’t feel endangered just by being under the same roof as he was anymore. Although, the apartment having more than enough room for just a single person, made him feel even lonelier. It was okay though, throughout the years Hifumi had gotten used to being alone.