She laughed as if she had no care or responsibility in life.
Her dark blue eyes glinted brightly as if she had no regrets in life.

Maybe she didn't. In a way.

It would hit you differently when you realize that it was your mother you were looking at, who abandoned you- or sold you off to a family of sadists to say correctly- eight years ago, now laughing with another man like no care in this world. To anyone in this whole wide world, nothing was more disturbing than the fact that the daughter was enraged because she was watching her mother living happily. Then again I was the sole bearer of such disturbing and twisted past to begin with.

If someone refuses to admit their own sins to themselves, their own wrongdoings to themselves then there was nothing- absolutely nothing you could do to make them realise or regret their actions. Because they their own conscience- or lack thereof- was already dead, what remained was just an empty shell. That's what I believed.

Then our eyes met. And both of us froze, but for complete different reason.

Where astonishment and recognition flashed in her dark blue eyes, mine pale blue ones darkened with seething silent fury.

'This woman...'

The chopsticks in my hands fell, clanking against the ceramic utensils as my hands started trembling. I could feel hot, uncontrollable anger release through every pore of my body.

Tsunada looked at me startled. "W-what's wrong, Ena-chan?"

I heard her question but neither my mind nor my brain was in the right state to process her query. I glanced away from those particular pair of dark blue orbs.

"Excuse me, Tsunada..." My voice came out bitter and cold even though it wasn't my intention. Poor Tsunada visibly flinched but nodded nevertheless at my request.

I got out of my seat a little too hurriedly and quickly, sending the chair backwards with a screeching noise in the process. But I couldn't care less. I quickly rushed towards the women's washroom avoiding a particular gaze on me.

As soon as I got inside the empty washroom, I leaned against the closest basin. The contents inside my stomach started churning and hitting me with familiar waves of nausea and disgust in the process. My vision blurred.

"Fuck!" I cursed lowly as my fist landed on the edge of the cold, white ceramic basin. "Fuck! Fuck everything..."

I knew I needed to calm down but my emotions were dominating the logics and rationality inside my mind. I knew wishing for anything at this point was useless but still my mind kept wishing that it was all just one bad, very bad dream. A horrible nightmare.

"Ena?" An awfully familiar voice called out. "Ena, it's you, right?"

Maybe it was not. It was not a nightmare.

I whipped my head to glare at the woman, standing a few feet away from me, her physical features strikingly resembled mine. And at that moment, I hated myself more than ever. I felt like clawing my face, mangle it to the point where I couldn't be recognised anymore. I wanted to burn whatever of my physical appearance that resembled this filthy woman with acid.

Anyone would turn a little soft seeing her eyes filled with hurt- or that's what it seemed like- but not me. Mercy was not something I would show her today.

"How are you, mother?" I spat venomously. "Enjoying life?"

"Ena, I--"

"What?" I cut her off coldly, my glaring eyes never leaving her. "What more do you have to say after selling off your daughter and everything? Fate is a pretty bizarre thing, huh? To think that I'd meet you here out of all places, after all this time."

"E-ena, I..." It sounded like her voice broke a little. It sounded like that. "H-how were y-you?"

"What!" I laughed darkly. "Are you sure that's the right question? Don't you wanna 'how was I alive after all this time'?"

She seemed like winced at my poisonous tone. She should. She should be scared of me. I relished in seeing her pained face.

"If I was that much of a liability for you that made you selling me off then you shouldn't have given birth to me in the first place." My voice was just above a whisper, thick with rawness.

"E-ena, oh Ena, I'm so s-sorry!" She started sobbing. "I had n-no other c-choice. I don't... I d-don't regret giving birth to you... I never did, Ena."

"Of course, you don't." I laughed out coldly and darkly, that fleeting moment of my weakness vanishing instantly. Then my voice went down a notch. "You made 30000 yen outta me, after all, didn't ya?"

She looked at me wide eyed then she started full blown crying. She outstretched her left hand, trying to touch me but I stepped away. "Don't touch me."

I should've slapped her hand away or something; that would have been even more intense but I didn't have it in myself to do it after seeing her crying. I cursed myself, my entire existence.

"Ena-chan, what's happening here?" A familiar voice called out and soon, a concerned Tsunada appeared right behind my birth-giver. "You were taking too long so decided to check out. Is anything wrong? Are you okay? W-who's this woman? Why is she c-crying?"

Tsunada approached her from behind and touched her shoulder her tentatively. "Hey, lady, are you alright?"

She wiped off her wet cheeks quickly and prepared a fake smile to throw at a confused Tsunada. "I'm alr--"

She halted mid-sentence as soon as her eyes turned towards Tsunada. Her dark blue orbs widened, lips parted a little as she stared at her bewildered. But Tsunada looked confused as ever, glancing back and forth between me and the gaping woman in front of her.

"Um, Ena?" Tsunada turned to me, still completely perplexed.

I sighed. Whatever it was I didn't give a single flying fuck right now. I just wanted to get away from this disgusting woman who was a walking, living disgrace to all the mothers in the world.

"I'm okay." I said and tried to smile at Tsunada. "And she's... no one."

I hated to admit it but I still felt a pang in my chest calling my own mother no one, denying our relationship.

I marched forward leaving the said woman behind me as I led Tsunada out of the washroom. "Let's just get out here."

Tsunada nodded and left the washroom before me. Just before I stepped out of the door, I turned to the woman who was still standing rooted on the same spot. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Though," My voice snapped her back to reality. "I still think you could've sold me for 50000. I don't think I am that bad looking." The dark humor behind my mocking jest made her flinch and I chuckled bitterly when I saw her eyes filled with tears instantly.

"E-ena, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you!" She weeped. "I f-failed you as a mother!"

"Oh, please!" I waved her away, pretending to be unmoved. "Save it, will ya!"

"But just listen to me for one last time," I glared at her as she quickly wiped off her tears and looked at me in the eyes. "Be careful. J-just be careful. It's not my place to say this to you now but... b-but you're in grave danger, dear."

I stared at her silently. My mind unwittingly replayed the detailed flashbacks of all the 'accidents' I had in the span of one week- last week. I narrowed my eyes and pursed my lips hearing her out of the blue statement.

No matter how much I despised it and wanted to deny it, I guess it was true in a way. No matter how much of an unworthy mother you had been to your child, no matter how much horrible and disgusting your actions were and no matter how much I hate you with all my life and soul, a mother's intuition still worked when it came to the child she bore.

I wasn't a superstitious person but I did think nature worked in a bizarre way.

Wishing was useless, but still, I wish I didn't leave the Akashi mansion today.

I didn't let any of my inner turmoil show on my face just like I never do. I threw one last blank stare at her.

"That's right," I turned on my heels. "it's not your place." With that I left.

_

A/N: How was your impression of Ena's mother? What do you think of her sudden warning? Woo woo...

I think I'm gonna publish a new KnB oneshot book. I just have so many of these random plots in my head that I feel like it's gonna go 'pop' anytime soon lmao. And now I'm gonna start re watching KnB...

I just finished watching 'The Promised Neverland'. I totally suggest it!!!

Don't forget to vote & comment if you liked this chapter^^

||By my leave||