#accursedboy

Mei stumbled through the darkened alley, swaying as badly as a drunkard.  “Damn it… damn everything!” she hissed through clenched teeth, hands trying to push cotton back into torn skin.  Her eye was long gone, smashed in the earlier scuffle.  “I should’ve known this would happen… should’ve known…”  She shook her head sadly before falling forward, exhaustion rendering her unable to catch herself. It could’ve been minutes or hours she lay there, but eventually she heard a noise.  Gravel crunched under heavy boots as someone approached her immobile form.  If she had the energy, she would’ve run far away.  “Well, well, well… what have we here?” a boy said, crouching down next to her head.  Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he yanked roughly, pulling her over onto her back.  She groaned quietly, trying to discern his features. The boy pulled out a box and lay it down on the ground.  “What a stupid child,” he mocked.  “Stupid, stupid little thing… but they would be so disappointed if I didn’t do this, I’m sure…”  Even though his eyes were covered by a blindfold, he skillfully threaded a needle as he said, “I can tell you’re something fake, so you should turn back into whatever silly form you have.  I’m going to fix you up… kind of.” “Why… should I trust… someone… like you…?” she mumbled tiredly.  She desperately needed his help, but Mei couldn’t tell what his intentions were.  He just seemed so… wrong.  Scathing words, unclear motive, and an aura of wrongness set off warning bells in her head, making her wish she still had the energy to escape. The boy hummed thoughtfully before replying, “Trust me?  Of course you can’t trust me, not yet anyway.  But do you really think anyone around here would be quite as generous as I?”  His grin made Mei’s hair stand up on end.  “Then again, you could always just wait and see… I certainly wouldn’t mind leaving you to die on these filthy streets.”  She knew she had no choice but to trust this stranger to fix her up.  She was completely helpless, and he knew it.  Grudgingly, she turned back into her teddy bear form and prayed it wasn’t a mistake. He was rough but professional while sealing her up, easily stitching her fabric back together.  He muttered to himself constantly, but Mei couldn’t understand a word he said.  Tossing her onto the ground, he ordered, “Don’t you dare change back before I’m finished,” and turned around.  She heard a jar open and something wet get smashed, almost like… Mei shook her head slightly.  No, it can’t be. When he turned back around, he had a small glass bead between his fingers.  Roughly shoving it into her empty eye socket, he finished stitching her up and told her to change back.  Complying, she found that the stitches had turned into scars, and she could see out of her new glass eye.  “Ah… th-thank you, mister…?” she said, trailing off in a question. His smile was predatory and it made her shiver.  He was mad, absolutely mad, but Mei knew she couldn’t leave just yet.  He had fixed her, so she had to at least be polite.  “I am cursed, cursed~,” he said in a sing-song tone.  “Therefore, little bear, you can call me Noroi.”  He stood and walked away, coat trailing behind him.  As soon as he disappeared, Mei fled, vowing to never run into him again if she could help it.

((reference page everybody vroom vroom!  also writing an open starter at the moment, but i'm not sure when it'll be posted.))