Eyes of Green

Darkness coated the forest of Onigafuchi, preventing eyes of many from seeing the ground in front of them. Through the treetops, some silver moonlight leaked onto the ground in some spots, which did make it possible for some to see, but unfortunately, the trees covered most of the moon. It was a rare sight to see the full moon in all its glory in the forest, but it was a treasure to those who did see it. The easiest spot to see the moon from the forest was from a tall cliff that hung further away from the village and deep into the dark woods, where most dared not to go. The few that did, though, never made it quite far enough to reach this spot that could only be described as magical from the way the silver moon glowed onto the ground. The stars danced alongside the glowing moon in their fiery glory, not a single one hidden by neither the trees nor the clouds. In fact, on that day, there were no clouds in the sky. It was truly a rare and beautiful sight.

On that very cliff sat a figure of a young woman, gazing up at the moon before her, seeing how it glowed onto her. She let out a sigh as she studied the sight in the sky. Perhaps the moon reminded her of sad memories, or maybe she was just feeling particularly melancholic at that point. She stood as still as stone, just gazing up at the stars and the moon that shone above her, far from her reach. Yet, as she did so, one of her hands rested on a large sword that lay by her side, one that's blade shimmered with the moon's reflection.

"Mother," said a voice from behind her, "you do this every time the moon shines at its fullest. I have not seen a full moon without you gazing at it from this very cliff. And each time, I wonder to myself what you're thinking, and I never can quite figure it out."

The woman turned around, gazing at the figure behind her. Behind her was a girl that looked to be a few years younger than her, perhaps just below twenty years of age. The woman herself looked a year or two older than twenty, but it was hard to judge. The citizens of Onigafuchi and near had learned that looks could be deceiving.

The woman simply sighed. "Aoi, have you ever looked at the full moon from outside the cave?"

Aoi—the younger girl—nodded. "I have. "

"Then you must have noticed how the trees above block the full view of the moon, haven't you? The glow shines down through the trees, but it's impossible to see the whole sight," the woman said.

Aoi hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes, but—"

"—But?"

The younger girl sighed. "Yes, Mother. I can't see the moon from there. It's easier here."

The woman nodded. "Exactly. Now, how many demons in the forest do you think get to see the full moon?"

Aoi paused. After pondering the question for a few moments, she answered. "…I don't think any of them can see the full moon."

"Yes, none of them can. When I was younger and living further down there…" The woman pointed one of her fingers at a spot covered by trees. "I never saw the full moon. I saw the glow through the trees, and I wondered to myself what exactly the full sight would look like. It wasn't until when I started to come up here that I actually got to see it." She looked back towards the moon, taking in its beauty. "It's amazing. I feel lucky being one of the few that get to see it. Aoi, you should feel the same way. It's just you and me."

Aoi looked puzzled. "Mother, are you sure there isn't a way to see the full moon from down there? I'm sure there has to be some way to take a look."

The woman shook her head. "I'm sure. I explored all over the forest looking for a spot when I was younger, and I can tell you I found nothing at all. One of my good friends who took care of me when I was younger told me he had never seen the full moon until he came up here. He's no longer alive, so he doesn't count. Of the demons that live in the forest now, I can assure you that you and I are the only ones who have seen the full moon from such a clear angle."

Aoi stepped forward and took a good look at the glowing moon before her. "Just you and I, huh…" She sighed. "There's no one else around here, no one else to know…"

"No one comes around here anymore," the woman said. "They get close enough, but… This area is abandoned."

"Mother, you know why that is."

"I know why that is," repeated the woman. "I very well know why that is. But it's better if it's just the two of us that get to share this sight. I want you to look up and know that you're lucky, Aoi. There will always be stronger demons in this forest, but you, Aoi, are more knowledgeable with the image of the full moon burning brightly in your mind. It is unlikely that you'll come across another demon that knows the image you see here in your lifetime."

Aoi went quiet as she acknowledged what her mother was saying and took her time to study the sight before her. Was it true that she was one of the only demons in the whole forest of Onigafuchi to be able to see such a sight? It was truly beautiful. She wished that she could share the sight with everyone, but for her mother's sake, she knew that she couldn't do that. Or perhaps, for the other demon's sake, she knew she couldn't do that. If a demon went anywhere near this place, then…

"Is that all that's on your mind, Mother?" Aoi asked. "That can't be all you think about when you look at the moon until it fades each time it's full. I know that more thoughts have to be on your mind in order to sit there and look for that long. It's just how you are."

The woman cracked a small grin that lasted just for a few moments. "You know me well. It's not the only thing I think about, no."

"Then what else do you think about?" she asked.

Her mother sighed. "I think about every other time I've sat underneath the moon and took in its beauty. The number of times I've done that is endless…"

Aoi frowned. "So you think about other times that you've sat there and looked at the moon, thinking about other times you've sat there and looked at the moon, thinking about how many other demons got to see the moon? That's complicated."

A small giggle sounded out from the woman. "No, before I started coming up here with you. Ages before I had you, Aoi. I saw the moon when I was much younger, too. That's what I think about when I see the moon. It's like I'm sitting just like at did at those times, underneath the moon…"

Aoi frowned. "Even after a hundred times you refuse to tell me your past, Mother. I know nothing about your childhood or the meaning behind your ambition. It just makes no sense to me, but I know you're doing it for good…"

The woman stood up from the edge of the cliff, taking a moment longer to look into the moonlight and gaze at its beauty. "I give you the same answer every single time, Aoi. It's not time yet to tell you. All that you need to know is that I'm doing it for good, not out of evil. And that is what you understand, so I'm satisfied. Perhaps one day I'll tell you my story."

"Before I die?" Aoi said.

"Yes, certainly before the forest turns to ash along with us."

The woman bent down and picked up the katana at her side, clutching it tightly to her. Her daughter's eyes ran down the shining blade and to the hilt. Vines bundled around it kept a glowing stone in place, one that seemed to have all the colors of the random waving around like pure liquid inside its surface. Near the end, another vine was tied around, but at the end of the vine laid a long, curved bone from someone's rib. She had never once asked who the rib belonged to for she knew her mother would tell her that it was a story for later, so it was just another mystery about her mother Aoi was sure she would never know, for she wasn't convinced that she would live long enough to see the forest turn to ash.

"Let's go, Aoi," the woman said. "I've done enough thinking for tonight and I have other, more important goals to accomplish that won't get done on their own."

Aoi nodded. "Yes, Mother."

Aoi waited for her mother to turn around and start to disappear into the trees before she started to follow her, thoughts swirling in her mind about what her mother had just told her. Yet, there was still something that didn't make sense, something that was still missing.

"Mother?" Aoi called out.

The woman stopped. "Yes?"

"If you can't tell me the whole reason behind your actions, can you at least give me an idea about why you're doing this? Please." Just this, Aoi hoped. Her mother never spilled her secrets, not even to her, but as long as she could get a hint… Then maybe she would get a little bit closer to figuring her mother out.

The woman did not turn around. Instead, she stood there in complete silence. Aoi was beginning to lose hope, but it was after a few moments that her mother spoke up. "It's to fix a mistake that I made."

Aoi blinked. "A mistake? What kind of mistake?"

"A fatal one," answered her mother. "One that killed others along with myself. I live now, but only to complete my mission. That mistake killed who I was."

Aoi was now even more puzzled than before. What could that possibly mean? "Mother, when did you make this mistake?"

Her mother sighed. "Aoi, I don't know." She turned around to look at her daughter in the eye, pain filling her own. "I don't know when the mistake happened, be it at the beginning of my tale or the end. I just don't know."

As Aoi took in her mother's words, she realized something. Her mother didn't understand herself any better than she did. Perhaps she knew the reasons behind her actions, but there were many mysteries about herself that even she couldn't solve, no matter how hard she tried. She looked at the ground beneath her, at her toes squirming about in the cool grass beneath her. If her mother didn't know who she was any better than she did, then perhaps she should stop asking questions. If she were to ask anymore, it seemed like she would never get a complete answer. How could her mother answer a question completely that she herself didn't even know the answer to?

Sensing that her daughter was done talking, the woman looked ahead into the darkness of the trees. "Now, come. Let's go."

Aoi simply nodded and tried to banish anymore questions she had about her mother, but even as she tried to do so, more remained. What was the mistake she made? Why was what she was doing going to fix it in any way? Who did the mistake kill? Perhaps most importantly, would her mother even be able to fix that mistake?

There were just too many questions she would never learn the answer to.

~~~~X~~~~

Crimso's Corner V4.1

Hello everyone, and welcome to the beginning of Eyes of Green. For those of you who don't know, EOG here is my rewrite of my original fanfiction: Green-Eyed Demon. Except, this one is about four times as long and way more complicated. For those of you who DO know and HAVE read the original story, please don't spoil anything for the people who are just reading this! I know that there will be several shocking twists for you guys too, as this isn't the same as the Green-Eyed Demon you know. The first part is based off of the original fanfiction with several changes that manage to change most of the storyline, and the second through fourth parts are completely new content. I hope that you'll enjoy!

There are a few things you should expect to see from me. One, things in my story don't happen suddenly, so expect buildup. Two, KeiMion. Yeah, you knew that though, I'm sure. Three, backstory. A lot of it. Just look at the prologue. It is significant, but I doubt you can really figure out what it means until later on. I suppose readers of GED will get an idea of who it is is talking, but I'm sure that you don't know the whole truth. Only I know the whole truth! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *cough*! I also love showing Mion and Shion's relationship, but nothing in there is twincest. If you say twincest, I will get my Jolteon to thunderbolt you. There is a difference between romantic love and love, so remember that. There are also a lot of other things you should know… but I forget what they are. Ahaha!

Some warnings: There will be some graphic violence and I'm often a bit cruel to the characters. Also, this is Higurashi. Enough said.

(For those that are wondering about TB, I need to type it up and work out a few plotline things for the future, so it'll be up later. I don't know when later is, but it will be up… later. When I sort those things out.)

There are four parts to this story:

Part One: Green-Eyed Demon

Part Two: The Legend of a Thousand

Part Three: The Darkest Hours

Part Four: The Final War

...And the names are subject to change, but not the first and second. That's all you need to know. As I said before, the first part is a complete rewrite of the first part with many changes, and the rest is completely new content, exploring areas GED never went to. So, whether you be a new reader or an old one, I hope you enjoy what I have in store for you! Now, I need to play Pokemon Conquest. I beat Mitsuhide's episode with only his Lapras. HA! ...Okay... Enjoy the ride!

~Crimso