Imaginary
Miku had always been quiet, so Miyuki was glad when she started talking of an imaginary friend.
True, imaginary friends weren't true friends, but making them up showed creativity and imagination, and it was normal for young children to create imaginary friends.
It was normal, right?
Miyuki decided that even if it wasn't entirely normal, it was good. After the imaginary friends came real friends, which was something Miku needed more of.
It was horrible, but Miyuki wasn't even sure that her daughter had any friends. She had encouraged both her children to be sociable, but the mother realized she was being a bit of a hypocrite. She wasn't to social herself.
Miyuki preferred staying in the house, away from most everything else. She knew her house, she knew her family. With them she would never find out anything she didn't want to find out, see anything that she didn't want to see.
She had never wanted to see what other people couldn't see.
When she found out Mafuyu had inherited the "gift" Miyuki had been horrified. But the boy was happier, seemed more sociable then both his mother and sister. He could handle it. (She hoped.)
Still, he was so quiet for a boy his age. Pale, delicate looking, even. Boys his age were supposed to argue, yell, wrestle, get into trouble. Miyuki blamed herself for that. Maybe if she had been a little more… normal, she would have talked with other mothers while their children played and wrestled with each other.
Mafuyu had friends. He talked about them after school. They weren't imaginary. They weren't made up.
Unless of course, it was her mind playing tricks on her, or something like that.
"Dear, what does your friend look like?" she asked Miku one day. She was making lunch. (Sandwiches.) Miku was helping. Miyuki waited, but got no answer. Maybe Miku hadn't heard her?
"Miku?" she asked. The young girls head snapped up and she looked at her mother.
"Hmm?" Ah, so she hadn't heard. Not paying attention? That was normal child behavior. Miyuki smiled at her daughter.
"Your friend, dear. What does she look like?"
Miku looked down and frowned, "He."
"What?'
"He." Oh. Her imaginary friend…? A boy? Was that strange? Miku, meanwhile, looked deep in thought.
"I don't see him very much."
"Is that so…" Miyuki commented, "Don't touch the knife, Miku…" She snatched the knife away from the girl, who was reaching for it. It wasn't that sharp, but you couldn't be to careful.
"I only see him when Mafuyu and I go for a walk. Near that one store. It always feels kind of cold there."
Miyuki slowly stopped preparing lunch and stared at her daughter.
"C-cold? You feel… cold?"
"He's scary looking. He has scars and burns. He always looks hurt."
Miyuki brought her hands to her mouth. No. No, no, no!Not a ghost.Miku didn't, she couldn't-
It was true. Miyuki had gone out of the house, right to the place where Miku said her friend was.
No one else looked. No one else saw. It felt so cold…
Miku had been right. Scars, burns, the look of pain. Only the man was distorted looking. Miyuki had asked the owner if anything had happened to the store a few years ago.
"It burned down once. A few people were injured. One man died."
Miyuki got home. She went up to her room and let out a small wail into a pillow.
Again. Again. Her other child had gotten it. It was like a disease. It would never go away.
Miku was always quiet. Miyuki knew what would happen. Her youngest child would get quieter. Get nervous. Have trouble communicating. Like what happened to her. They would never be normal. She ruined her children. She ruined-
Miyuki suddenly smiled. She giggled, occasionally making little hiccupping noises. She started to laugh.
All parents ruined there child in some way.
And that was normal.
Authors Note: I always sort of wondered how Miyuki found out about her children's... abilities.(It was never said in the game, right?)So what do I do? Write fanfiction about it.