A long time ago, in the heart of the city where the gargantuan castle stood majestically, beneath its walls existed a man whose beauty surpasses logic. His shoulder-length obsidian hair, was meticulously tied at the back, leaving half of it cascading like a waterfall- glowing beautifully, and each strand seems to absorb the moon's glow. But it was his eyes that held the true enigma. Iridescent crimson orbs, like a color of spilled blood and forgotten desires - enticing anyone who looks deeper into it.
And silver kimono clung to his well-toned body - the regal garment bore the symbol of his lineage, an intricate design of a black dragon. A royalty - a Kitsune. He was the crown prince - the first born son of King Ryo, and Queen Kiyoko, the first royalties of the Yokai realm.
His name was Ryota, the one who bores the weight of royalty and its tragedy. But such lineage soon ceased to exist. A traitor walked the halls of the castle, killing all of the royalties, breaking their reign - usurping the throne created by the legendary dragons themselves.
One snowy afternoon, Ryota awoke with a throbbing pain in his head - consciousness going back and forth, alternating between life and death. He doesn't know how long he's been like that, but when he fully woke up, he just found himself in an unfamiliar room, and memories that weren't his flooded his mind, memories of a sickly child and his sister, a shabby home, and a woman draping a black cloak on his freezing body.
"You're awake." A voice of a stranger — a physician. "I'll call the masters to tell the good news."
Gone... He left as soon as he finished his words. Ryota looked around the room, confused, and noticed his reflection on the mirror. There he saw not the image of the crown prince but of a child. Cropped golden hair that shimmered like honey and sunken cheeks that makes his face small and bony, he looks so frail and malnourished, unlike his majestic image that he has always been so proud of.
"What is this?" He questioned. His voice is low and still childish. "Did I just reincarnate?"
His expression turned sour as he touched his bony face, it was so unhealthy, and the golden locks are what he hates the most. He preferred his silky black hair more than anything else for it exudes mystery unlike the golden strands that stand out everywhere like a sore thumb. Kazuki slowly stood up, the blanket falling off his small body, a tanuki tail appearing in plain sight. He studied his full body in the mirror, from a powerful kitsune, he became a tanuki - a hundred years old crown prince turned child — Ryota to Kazuki.
"But how long has it been since I died?" He asked his self, so he made up the bed before he left the room. Looking for the physician who immediately left.
Looking around the house, he stumbled upon a long corridor where it leads to a massive oak door. Kazuki pushed the door open, revealing a brightly lit room. There was a sense of familiarity to it, the silken curtain hung on the ceiling, and the large bed, fit enough for three, is patterned with gold and red threads. But what catches his eyes, is the dagger on the wooden table.
His hand reached for it, fingertip brushing the shimmering metal. It was cold and eerie — a feeling he has been sensing since he saw it. His finger moved to its hilt and a memory long buried suddenly resurfaced.
The same dagger had killed him back then, it pierced through his heart, its blade had bathed in his blood. He remembered it too well for the one who holds it is not the enemy itself— at the end of the hilt stood a figure he least expected, his mother, the kitsune queen — Queen Kiyoko.
Kazuki put down his small hands, balling it into a fist as he tried to control his emotions. Back then, he had pulled that dagger from his chest, blood spilling out, he had given it to her little sister hiding under the bed. It was the only weapon he could get and he has no time to look for another.
"Run and protect yourself with this. Go and never look back." Was his dying words.
His sister was eight then, scared and trembling, she was so obedient to follow his order. She ran away with the bloody dagger on her hand, not looking back... she ran, and her back was the last thing he saw before he died.
'So if that same dagger was in this room and she survived the chase that night then there is a possibility that she's really here.' He thought, thinking about the woman in the boy's memory. The one who gave him the cloak and saved him.
He did not realized it at first, but focusing on his memories, those gray eyes was a dead-away to her identity.
Princess Yasuki. The wielder of water.
His eyes deepened. That little girl sure is alive. Hearing the footsteps from behind, his heart beat in anticipation. He turned — eyes hopeful — then he met those familiar gray eyes. That girl had indeed grown up, but his excitement soon was extinguished, hands intertwined together, a glaring sight. His face immediately turned into a scowl, tail standing up in anger.
"Who is that mongrel?" He questioned.
Chiyo was stunned and her eyes darted towards her husband and the child. She wanted to laugh. Nobody had ever said that to his good-looking husband. It was a first that someone insulted him right to his face.
"Mongrel?" He asked back, his calm eyes turning into a slit. "I thought you said he was a polite boy, Chiyo?"
Chiyo forced a smile, even she was surprised to see how he drastically changed overnight. His gaze had even changed, it was more mature and serious, it replaced the meek and innocent aura. Turning to the physician, she silently asked him with her eyes.
"Did he damage his brain?"
The physician can only helplessly shooked his head in disagreement. Of course, he doesn't know either.
"Hey!" The child called again. "I am asking who is that mongrel?"
Kaito was perplexed, the muscle in his jaw twitched in anger. He stared back at the small child, threatening him with his cold gaze.
"Hey, do you want me to hang you upside down?" He said, then he turned to his wife. "I think you've been duped, wife. This child is not polite at all but an evil one."
"What did you just call my sister?!"
All heads turned to Kazuki, and he immediately shut up, realizing what he had just said. The woman doesn't know him yet. A child she saved out of pity, that's all he is to her.
Walking forward to be the peacemaker, Chiyo stood in between the two. "Kazuki, first of all, I don't think you should be calling my husband like that." She finally said, them she turned to her husband with her eyebrow slightly raised. "Kaito, you know he's sick and I don't think you should be fighting with a child. He's just five. Also, Sir physician, by any chance di— uhmm... Can we talk outside?"
"Yes, madame. I'll follow you."
The two walked out of the room, leaving the other two glaring at each other hatefully — a sign that they will never get along.