#mezu

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Lie. Cheat. Steal. Survive.

These were the core values Mezu Oni learned since she was a toddler growing up in Momo Town. Her older sister, Kozuki Oni, had raised her since their mother was killed. She might’ve had a stare that seemed eternally pissed off but Mezu couldn’t have asked for a better mother.

Whatever sense of law and order Momo Town barely had before had been diluted by what many derided as the Pink Coats. The mob ran the city as a haven for the destitute, those the legal system or the world at large had failed. A honey coated trap where many trades one cage for another.

There were always strings attached with the big guys muscling in on the little guys. And nobody was bigger than the Big Peach, boss of the Pink Coats. Most joined them to avoid being against them even accidentally and let them monopolize all of crime.

Mezu was taught everything by Kozuki from reading to writing and especially in navigating a world out to get them. The blue Oni handled the more adult stuff like showing lonely boys a good time while she handled fat wallets from fatter pockets. They even had a traveling street act if only to keep the heat off at times.

Though like most siblings, they certainly could bicker over how to do things. Mezu didn’t appreciate Kozuki insisting on vegetables and fruits when she just wanted nothing but carbs a five finger discount could get. It was hard to feel out her sister’s scruples.

Mezu’s favorite part was learning acrobatics and parkour from Kozuki. Her sister’s sullen face always lit up with a smile whenever she cleared across a building or jumped onto scaffolding without getting winded. Their little races were spiced up over the loser cleaning up their hideaway.

They often cheated with gadgets they’d steal off Pink Coats anyways. Speaking of, they made sure that they’d vet their marks lest they run afoul of a big player in the organization. Stealth was always the name of the game with those goons.

Their reputation for their tag team coordination and swift fighting style spread through the town. Many enemies of the Pink Coats would often call upon them for small job to undermine the big guys. Kozuki would only agree to snatch and grabs where only meager goons were stationed but Mezu was keen to bite off more than what she could chew.

It wasn’t the most ideal or stable lifestyle but it was all Mezu known. Though… when she often asked about their parents, Kozuki would always evade it. At least, not before tensing up considerably. “When you’re older,” she’d say but Mezu knew less and less even at sixteen.