[Don't get so worked up, little sis, I'm sure we'll make it into the Elite Curse Exorcism Team! As long as we've got each other, nothing can stop us…]
Aiko wakes up in the middle of the night, broken into a cold sweat.
She looks around the dark dorm and lets out a shuddering exhale.
"Phew… It was just a dream…" She breathlessly chuckled out.
She tries to go back to sleep; however, now she's fully awake.
"Hmm, maybe I should walk around the facility for some fresh air." She pondered.
She put on her slippers and walked out of the dorm, making sure she was quiet on the way out.
The sounds of rain can be heard through the hall, patting against the window, creating a calm, soft atmosphere.
"I wonder what time it is…" She asked herself, until suddenly-
"It's quarter past 3. (3:15 for those who are wondering)." Aoto muttered behind her.
This caused Aiko to jump and almost let out a squeal, but she caught herself before she did. She swats at Aoto with a pouting expression.
"Jeez, Aoto-Kun! You can't go scaring people to death like that!"
Aoto rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.
"What are you doing so early? Did ya have a nightmare?" He questioned.
Aiko huffs, but then nods after.
"It wasn't anything too bad, thankfully, but I just wanted to step out for some fresh air."
Aoto hums as he pushes off the wall and slowly makes his way towards his sister.
"Listen, if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm always here. You are my little sister after all." Aoto said softly while putting his hand on her shoulder.
Aiko thinks about his words, and she finally decides to tell him the real reason why she's awake.
"I had… that nightmare again. I don't know how to stop it from happening again…" She mutters with a shaky breath.
Aoto's gaze hardens, clenching his fist and letting out a sigh.
"Not this again… Didn't you get that checked on?" He asked with a small hint of irritation.
Aiko doesn't reply immediately; she looks down at the ground, still a bit shaken up.
"They only told me to be careful about how I sleep at night, but no matter what I do, I still can't stop them from coming. We've been working here for around 8 months now and-"
She cuts herself off, leaning against one of the large windows and letting out a quiet sob.
Aoto quickly makes his way to Aiko, holding her in his arms as he comforts her.
"I'm sorry, lil sis. It's not your fault, you shouldn't blame yourself for that…" Aoto says with a comforting soft tone.
"I-I know… It's just-" Her words get cut off as another sob comes out.
"It's just s-so hard to forget something like that…"
(Alright, alright, I won't keep you guys waiting too long with the suspense, so I'll just bring you back 8 months prior.)
Aiko and Aoto were applying for a job at the Elite Safety Commission since they had just moved to Kyoto. They were unaware of how powerful the curses around the area were, and they'll understand soon enough…
"Ugh… I'm so nervous! What if we don't get the job? What if they don't want us here!? Aoto-Kun, we should just leave!" Aiko freaks out.
Aoto playfully holds her head so she doesn't run away, "Nah nah nah, don't try to run on me now! If we're gonna do this, we're doing it now."
Aiko lets out a sigh of defeat as she stops resisting.
"You're right… Let's do this!"
[REJECTED.]
"What!? You can't reject us! Let us have another chance, at least let my sister have one, please!" Aoto pleads.
The security holds onto him as they take him out of the building. From the corner, we can also see a glimpse of a blindfolded Kazu, listening to the commotion.
"Damn you! You guys are nothing!" Aoto shouts out.
He straightens out his clothes and walks over to his sister, who's sitting down at the bench with a dejected look on her face.
"I knew it… We weren't good enough… I wasn't good enough. I'm sorry, Aoto-Kun." Aiko says while starting to tear up.
Aoto's frustration slowly diminishes as he sees his little sister crying.
"Don't get so worked up, little sis, I'm sure we'll make it into the elite curse exorcism team! As long as we've got each other, nothing can stop us!"
Aiko looks up at her brother and smiles, the sun casting a golden-orange glow on her teary face.
"Thank you, Aoto-Kun… You might be a bit of a lost cause sometimes, but most times, I can tolerate you." Aiko says while wiping her eyes.
Aoto smirks at his sister, holding out his hand to help her up.
As they walk down the quiet streets to find a place to sleep for the night, the daylight extinguishes, turning nightfall.
"We need to find a hotel to sleep in, I'm not going to be sleeping on the street…" Aiko says while stretching.
As they continue to walk, they are completely oblivious to the danger that is lurking over them.
"Okay… I see a hotel up the road. Let's go over-"
Suddenly, a low roar can be heard from behind the two.
"Aoto-Kun… What was that…?" Aiko said, her breathing starting to become louder.
As they slowly look back, they see a large, bulky, drooling curse breathing hard and looking down at them. Their eyes don't show a sign of aggression, but from the look of it, it does look quite… hungry.
"Tch, stay back, Aiko-Chan… Let me handle this." Aoto said while pushing his younger sister back.
Aiko gives him a look of concern and shakes her head profusely.
"What!? Don't be stupid! That thing will kill you!!!"
However, Aoto doesn't listen as he takes out his switch blade from his pocket.
"I won't let you put your nasty hands on my sister, not even one fingernail!" Aoto declared while lifting the switchblade to the curse's stomach.
The curse slowly and lazily looks down at Aoto, not showing a single sign of emotion at all.
"You think I'm joking!? I will cut you!" Aoto presses the blade up to the curse's stomach.
Aiko watches with nervousness and worry in her eyes. She tries to tug Aoto's arm, but he pulls away.
"Oh, c'mon, Aiko-Chan. Learn how to stand up for yourself-"
CHOMP…
GUUUSHH!!!
The curse unexpectedly bites off Aoto's entire left arm and shoulder, gushing out an extreme portion of blood and making Aoto cough up even more blood.
Aiko lets out an ear-piercing shriek at the state of her brother. His blood dripping from the curse's mouth and their emotionless face made it even more horrifying.
"AOTO-KUN!!! NOOOO!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BROTHER!???" Aiko howls out.
The gluttonous curse just looks at her, its small, beady eyes staring down at her with an unmerciful expression.
Aoto, on the other hand, drops to his knees as his face pales. He looks sick… almost dead.
"A… Aiko-chan…" He gasped out a shaky breath as he tried to speak, "Y-You have to go… r-run away…"
Aiko shakes her head profusely, "NO! I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU!!! I DON'T CARE HOW DANGEROUS THE CURSE IS!!!"
She moves closer before continuing,
"You said… as long as we have each other… nothing can stop us, right…?"
Aoto weakly chuckles, using all of the strength he has to look up at his mourning sister.
"You're a stubborn one, I'll tell ya that..." A voice can be heard from behind the curse, causing Aiko to jump slightly and look back.
The mysterious figure walks up to the scene, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.
"You there, take your brother and get outta here. Let me handle this bastard."
Aiko's eyes widen as she finally sees who arrived. It was none other than Kazu.
"Y-Yes sir! Where's the nearest hospital…?"
Kazu shakes his head, taking a puff from his cigarette and blowing out the smoke.
"There is no hospital anymore. It's infested with curses ever since that outbreak a while back. Head to the Elite Safety Commission to seek medical help." He pointed back in the direction where the E.S.C. is located.
Aiko nods and picks up her brother and hoists him on her shoulders, trying not to make his injury worse.
"Thank you so much, kind sir! I will never regret this day ever again!" She declares while making her way to the E.S.C.