• The moon was high and full in the sky. A beautiful waxing moon. The stars glowed faintly as if Picasso himself had gone up with his paintbrush of untold wonders and painted them by hand. It seemed like a fairy tale night, only portrayed in stories.
    Down on the grass, trod black by the feet of passersby, lounged twins Horo Hywuzaki and Hina Hwyuzaki. Their jackets, though thick and warm, were nearly ineffectual against the bitter winds sweeping the plains. But they didn't seem to mind. It had been a long and arduous day, but somehow the two had found the strength to walk the extra fourteen miles to get to the beautiful fields of Nedyia.
    That was when Horo broke the silence. "You know, Hina, it makes me wonder if there are other people like us," Horo sighed dreamily. But there seemed to be a hint of sorrow in her voice. Hina's attention was drawn away from the mesmerizing night sky.
    "You never know. There may be others out there who are demons, just like us. But I can't be sure." said Hina. Her words seemed reassuring but in some way they had a cold edge to them. At least it seemed that way to Horo.
    In the ten years of their life filled with anguish, pain and toil, Hina and Horo always found a way to smile even when the townsfolk hurled stones at them; even when they were worked to their last breaths. Even when all they wanted to do was drop to their knees and cry--but knew they couldn't.
    Their eleventh birthday was coming up fast, and they didn't seem to mind the fact that there would be no children--except party crashers, maybe--or kind townspeople attending. Again. Nor did it bother them in the least that there would be no cake, or lively pinatas or anything of the sort. Spending the day in Nedyia was all they could really ask for.
    A star glimmered in the night sky. It left a trail of stardust, a prized item of the cunning women of the village, as it plummeted gently toward the ground in front of them. The girls stood up abruptly, unsure of themselves. Were they dreaming? No. Certainly not. There in front of them, was apiping hot crater, no more than ten feet in diameter. "What is that?" The two asked in unison. They leaned over the piece of molten rock that was sliced in half. Inside, was crystal-clear water, for the most part. Horo walked up to it, curiously, innocently. Hina followed. And that was when their lives changed forever.
    That was when the face came out of the water.