There once was a boy. A boy that grew up in the shadows of his family. He mourned once too, because the boy also once had a mother. Just like any other family, no matter how brief it had been. She was a gentle soul with a heart as pure as golden sunlight, but she was ripped away from the boy as she gave life to the very creature he despised. His thoughts became sour and over the years as the boy embraced his change into man, a thought dripped into his head like poison. What about me is not good enough? His head felt heavy as the shadows got bigger and bigger, until one day they swallowed him whole. I'll just get rid of them both. Father will finally see the monster He truly is. And so, the man, never once bathed in light let darkness take him until there was nothing left to take.
The sun shone brightly over the early morning bustle of shop stalls and delivery workers hauling around bound fabric packages on their backs through the marketplace. A young man with long white hair tied into a single tail, strolled quite leisurely down the dirt trodden path. His clothes were regal, blindingly decorated to the point where he screamed, if not screeched of power. There was a richly deep purple almost black, gilded with golden thread, waterfall of fabric draped across his torso and by his side were two impeccably dressed samurai. Most steered clear of the path, knowing his was a wrath they did not wish to suffer, but alas not all were quite so observant of the three men and soon enough, all hell broke loose.
Between rushing to his next delivery point and wanting to get home to his okaasan, a young boy had foolishly darted into the busy street from a small back alley. He zipped between bystanders as quick as a rabbit, however he had not anticipated that his trajectory would take him elsewhere and instead of flying to the ground in a heap of sore muscles, found himself nose-deed in rich purple fabric. He froze completely as a hand delicately plucked him away from the body of the person it belonged to, and felt all colour drain from his face once he saw the disgusted sneer painted on their face. Mismatched eyes burned with a fury like no other, and with a yank in one direction to the side, the boy felt himself soar through the air. There was a loud crash the moment he hit the front of a cloth makers shop and barrelled hopelessly through the rice paper door and into a sheet of hanging fabric. His arm and side ached something fierce and he felt a trickle of warm liquid drip down the back and front of his head, almost blinding him as it dribbled into his eye. No one yet dared to help him because the man with the mismatched eyes still had not left and his stare was frosty as it glared into the ruins of the shop front. His bodyguards snickered silently behind him, and the rest of the street cowered away once he continued along his previous route away from the scene. Many knew this man, and many more feared him, but most of all the man with the floating robes despised them all with a burning passion. He felt no remorse at throwing children into buildings and felt the flicker of hunger twist in his gut when he remembered why he had decided to traverse outside of his accommodation in the first place. This little town, though full of vermin, had the best food. Particularly the fresh fish delivered by the local fishery. He wound his hands back into the sleeves of his ornate hitatare and let his mind wander back to the original purpose of his visit. There had been murmurs of a new force being mobilised within the area, and the light-haired male felt his hackles raise in answer to the trespass of his territory. He felt the irritation simmer underneath the mask of composure he had built before leaving for food. A slight tickle of darkness wormed its way into his heart before it was shaken away again by the soft smell of cooked fish, and for a very brief moment the corners of his lips drifted up into the ghost of a smile. "Let's see where the day takes us..."
They had arrived in a small tightly packed town after no longer than five hours travel at a snail's pace, all due to the two new additions that had yet to get used to the harsher reality of the world. Between when they arrived and now, neither were sure how much sleep the other one had had, and they could feel their feet beginning to blister and burn from the mindless passage they'd had to endure. Michael was sure the two men leading them were robots for whatever exhaustion his sister and he shared, was nothing when Ryō was walking with a bounce in his step and Mizuki looked as if he'd slept for days. He had been over the moon when they first arrived, but now felt an overwhelming desire to flee once he realised almost the whole town was staring at the two outsiders of their little cosy world. His eyes flickered to his sister, who had decided he would go to an early grave through a myriad of heart attacks, to find that she was conversing idly with the owner of a clothing shop, and both were passing smiles between them as she picked out some pre-made kimonos from their selection. Ryō had mysteriously appeared next to the duo and had discreetly passed a pouch of coins to seal the transaction. Mizuki had taken free from the group and disappeared, along with every answer to every question swimming within Michael's frantic little mind. For once the young man could feel his composure begin to crack, barely pushing back at his reservations to join the two remaining companions visible from their group of four. There were more bundles of cloth draped between the pair as they discussed with the owner a design for a cloth bag that would serve as a substitute to carry the clothes and provisions the group would have. He smiled fondly at Evelyn as she first perplexed the lady, before a dawning realisation and excitement flashed across her face. He heard the two ladies speak fervently, with Ryō translating to the correct Japanese at points until there was a huff of air from the older woman. The two of them, Ryō and Evelyn, gratefully bowed and approached Michael's surprised form. There was a look of triumph on her face, even as the ache of her leg started to twist parts of her face.
"No, we won't have to worry about turning things inside out!" Evelyn exclaimed with an amused glint in her eye. Her brother, however, was anything but.
"You're awfully calm about all this, Ev." She stared at him for a brief moment, almost as if contemplating her answer before settling for a quiet shrug of her shoulders. Her brother looked concerned.
"I wish not to disturb..." Ryō interjected awkwardly, "but Mizuki is waiting for us to attend our meal." He motioned, with his hand, down the dirty road leading deeper into town and inclined his head for them to follow. The siblings looked to one another, and Michael narrowed his steely eyes at his sister, promising 'this is not over', then herded her in the direction their partner had walked off to. It felt close to an hour later when they finally arrived in front of a quaint, but homely looking establishment and with practiced ease, Ryō sauntered through the front entrance noren with his shadows following closely behind. He could have sworn that he'd heard a kind of grumble come directly from Michael's stomach and smirked beneath the inky black cloth covering his face. His eyes immediately sought out the familiar visage of his own brother, however. Although he could see him sitting in the far corner of the establishment there was one distinct feature that now stood apart from norm and caused a confused frown to pass the faces of all visible companions. As they crossed the room of bustling people, Evelyn could feel the prickle of discomfort sting the back of her neck as they became center of attention for a brief but agonising moment. She tried to hide behind a veil of her hair, but by the time they had arrived at Mizuki's table it was far too late, and the whispers began to spread like wildfire. At least in town there had been more distractions to take attention away from the obviously misplaced foreigners.
"Let not such things bother you, Rin." Mizuki's muffled voice pierced her thoughts like a sharp-edged arrow, and she twisted around to face a white fox mask obscuring the delicate but deadly view of his natural face. His head titled gently to the side as he gestured to the empty spots at the table. Ryō hovered comfortably by the window before plonking himself down next to his friend, eyes sharp and alert.
"Food has been prepared and will be brought to us shortly, however Ryō..." Mizuki paused and breathed deeply through his mask, the dark depths of its eyes staring listlessly at another point in the room. The dark clothed man tilted his head at his name, promptly tensing up "He is here."
[Okaasan - Mother]