15 Years Ago
"Follow me! This way, it's safe! Kurayashi can handle them!" a man shouts to the soldiers, his voice barely cutting through the chaos.
The war for Yuta rages on, a final stand after forty years of Uthixo's reign of terror. Kurayashi and his crew fight desperately, determined to reclaim what once belonged to his father. But in the shadows of battle, something lingers. Uthixo is waiting, and Kurayashi has no idea what he is walking into.
The main fight suddenly comes to a halt as Kurayashi freezes in awe, his hands trembling as his breath grows unsteady, each inhale sharp and uneven.
"Br- Ku... Why are you with these guys? How are you so strong yet so blind?" Kurayashi cries out.
Ku stands there with an emotionless look as he draws his weapon, charging some mysterious power.
"I'll end this in one move," Ku says as he lifts his hand.
Present Day
"Hey Dad, I'm going to go outside with Lichi for a while," Kazuto says to his father.
"Alright, come back safe, son," his dad replies.
Kazuto steps outside, waiting for Lichi as he slowly walks out of his house, closing the door behind him. Lichi lives in a nice mid-class house with a well-maintained lawn.
Lichi greets him. "Hey there, Kazuto."
Kazuto waves in response. "So, what do you want to do?"
"Hmmm, maybe we can play in the woods?" Lichi suggests, clearly hoping Kazuto will agree.
Kazuto nods, already knowing how Lichi is.
As they make their way to the forest, Kazuto glances over at Lichi. "So, Lichi, how come your dad is so strict?"
Lichi lowers his gaze. "It's mainly because I act like my mom."
Kazuto raises an eyebrow. "But you're a boy," he says cluelessly.
"Obviously, I mean personality-wise," Lichi sighs. "He says I'm too smart, though I don't even go to school. And I look like her. I don't know why that's a bad thing. It's like he hates her or something, you know?"
Lichi looks at Kazuto. "What about your dad? What happened to his eye anyway?"
Kazuto shrugs. "Well, I think he got into a fight with my uncle or something. Honestly, he's pretty... what's the word?"
"Vague," Lichi supplies.
"Oh yeah! He's pretty vague about it, so I don't really know too much."
Soon after, Kazuto and Lichi make it to the forest and start playing like normal kids.
"One, two, uh... three, five!" Kazuto counts. "Ready or not, here I come!"
Kazuto scans the area, looking for Lichi. He checks the trees and even the water but can't seem to find him.
"Okay, jeez, I give up," Kazuto sighs.
A sudden silence fills the air. There is no response from Lichi.
"Lichi!? Where are you?" Kazuto calls out in panic.
Suddenly—
"Let go of me now!" Lichi screams.
A tall, mysterious man with pink dreadlocks, square-shaped glasses, and formal clothing holds Lichi firmly.
"Not until you tell me where the Kumiwado household is," the man demands, his tone unwavering.
"Let go of my friend!" Kazuto shouts, rushing forward with his fist balled up. He slams his weak punch against the man, but it doesn't even make him flinch.
Silence.
Breaking it, Kazuto says, "Just let go! Like, why are you doing this?"
The man looks at him, dumbfounded. "I already told you I'm just looking for the Kumiwado household. I already traveled to Earth. Don't make this more difficult than it has to be."
Kazuto stares at the man, confused, but before he can respond, Lichi bites the man's hand.
The man hollers in pain, gritting his teeth. "Damn brat! You'll pay for this!"
A purple flare of energy begins to form in his hand.
Kazuto is frozen in fear. Lichi is no better as he starts to tear up. The wind grows stronger, the trees begin to move, and the ground itself starts to shiver. Just as the man is about to launch the attack, two more figures appear from different directions, stopping him and holding him down.
Kazuto and Lichi stand there, their mouths hanging open in shock. The two men reveal themselves. One has long brown hair tied back into a neat bun and is dressed in normal clothing. That man is Kazuto's father, Kurayashi. The other has black fluffy hair, yellow eyes, and also wears normal clothes. He is Lichi's father, Mo.
"What the actual hell," Kurayashi mutters. "Why does this man even know Sakura Power? This is Earth. This doesn't make sense."
"Doesn't matter," Mo replies with a peculiar expression. "We should just kill him off while we can. I don't feel like going through the hassle of figuring anything out. Plus, he attacked our sons."
Kurayashi shakes his head. "I'm pretty sure the attack we just did on him totaled him for some time anyway. Let's just leave him here. He doesn't know our faces or where we live. It's not our problem."
He stops mid-sentence as his eyes catch a pendant around the man's neck. It is shaped like a circle with two lines going down and a "Y" in the middle.
"That's the Yuta symbol," Kurayashi mumbles. His expression hardens.
"We can't leave him here. Change of plans. He's coming with me."