Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Into the Dark Night ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

Into the Dark Night

Nagia

Prologue

Intro

He knew he was dying. He would take vengeance upon the Hunter who had so mortally wounded him. His sight fixed upon the apprentice. Hunters did not take apprentices from outside the family; indeed, oft as no, their apprentices were their own sons. The son was a young boy with dark hair and fair eyes. He smiled. It was a vicious smile. He whispered the words of the curse. He watched the changes. The boy's hair lightened to auburn, his eyes became as cold and pale as ice. The boy's screams rent the night.

He smiled as the boy screamed, smiled at the agony within the Hunter's eyes. He had exacted his revenge.

1

Date Kazehana stared at the baby in the cradle. She told herself that he was her son but found that she could not believe it. She felt the anger rise within her as she stared at the baby's blonde hair and pale skin. He had eyes as pale as ice.

Why has this curse come to haunt us now? She wondered.

The baby opened his eyes. The ice violet color scared her.

"Why are you cursed? Why do you bring back the curse of my family?" She growled through clenched teeth.

There was no response, as usual. The rage took her over. She seized the baby by the throat and shook him.

"WHY!" She demanded.

She shook him because he would not answer. She heard a snap and shook the baby some more. The baby's head flopped this way and that. She felt for a pulse and found none.

What have I done? She wondered. What have I done?

She screamed.

__________

1:00 AM June 9, 1973

Kazehana woke drenched in sweat. She rubbed her pregnant stomach and looked at Ken, her husband. His face was so peaceful. Light brown bangs fell to his forehead. They feathered against his closed eyelids that hid warm brown eyes. She rolled off the pallet and to her feet. Kazehana walked carefully to the dressing table. It was in traditional style: low to the ground with a mirror embedded in the center, a rice bowl filled with water on the rim. She sank to her knees on the pillow placed at the perfect place for her to use the table. She sighed at her reflection. Long sweat-soaked black hair fell to her thigh; perfect china-doll bangs and straight twigs framed her perfectly sculpted porcelain face. Small, pouty lips that were so red they looked painted on her face smiled a tiny smile.

Kinshou Hina (little doll), Her mother called her. Her mother was right.

She felt the pain of the first contraction. It was one in the morning. She rolled to her feet and roused her husband. He quietly put her in the car and drove to the hospital. Yayoi's grandparents would watch her (thus, Ken and Kazehana had no need to worry over their daughter).

* * *

4:00 AM June 9, 1973

Kazehana pulled her child close. He had blonde hair, fair skin and eyes as pale and cold as ice. She smiled at his perfectly sculpted face and his ears whose tips were slightly pulled back.

"Hina, what shall you name him?" Ken asked.

She did not answer. His eyes were enchanting.

"Kazehana! What will you name him?" Ken asked, more insistently this time.

She looked up. Ken never called her by her full name.

"Nani ka?" What? She asked.

"What will you name him?"

"Seiji." She said. She smiled at the little one.

"Spirit child?" Ken asked.

She gave a little nod and began to nurse him. Ken smiled and telephoned the Date residence.

5:30 PM June 9, 1980

2

Kazehana smiled at the camera. Seiji turned seven today. It was time for him to learn the truth.

Should one so young really learn about the curse? She doubted herself. Kazehana 'Hina' Date squared her shoulders, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She walked over to Seiji and pulled him out of a heated conversation with his friend, Shingo.

"We need to talk," she said.

"I didn't neglect a chore, did I? If I did, I can make it up!" Seiji replied in earnest.

"No. You didn't neglect a chore. It's about the family."

"I'm a disgrace, aren't I?" Seiji said, looking at his feet.

She frowned.

Disgrace? What disgrace? "No, you're not a disgrace! Where would you get that idea?"

"I remind people of the family curse or something. No one ever came right out and said it."

Perceptive, too. I've a wonderful child. "Seiji, I'm going to tell you the truth. It sounds bad but…some things bend the rules. Under any other circumstances, you would be dead. Dead because you're different."

"Why am I different?"

God help me, but this is hard. "You're different because…because you can do things normal people can't."

Seiji didn't ask what things he could do. He accepted it, as was his way.

She swallowed. "Seiji, under technical classifications…you're a demon."

"A demon?" He whispered. "I thought I was different but I didn't think I was evil."

"You bend the rules, Seiji. You are more technically a Daemon, a person with a demon's powers but not a demon's heart. Daemons aren't evil. You are destined to be at least part of the slaying of a great evil. Long ago, before Masamune was born, a demon cursed the Date clan. He swore that our family would spawn incredibly powerful Daemons. Daemons that could become demons. You, Seiji, are the Daemon that the demon foretold."

"I'm powerful?"

"You will be by the time you reach puberty."

Seiji smiled. A black kitten with white feet rubbed against his ankles.

"What will you name her?" Kazehana asked.

"She's like a little doll. Her name is Kinshou Hina. Hina for short." Seiji replied.

That was my name, once. She ruffled his hair and sent him on his way, after warning him not to tell anyone what she'd told him.

*2:00 PM Summer, 1988

3

Seiji stared at his reflection in the mirror. He had blonde hair, fair skin and icy violet eyes. He didn't look Japanese. Kinshou Hina mewed from behind him.

"Aishiteru Hina." I love you Hina.

Hina mewed her reply.

Seiji scratched her head. "I promise you'll live forever, Hina."

Hina mewed again.

His mother called from another room.

"Coming! Sayonara, Hina-cha!" Good bye Hina!

He thundered down the stairs. Eight year old Kinshou Hina mewed after him, wondering if he would return from facing his first destiny. She hoped he would. Seiji was a wonderful Daemon. The fact that he could understand her was an added bonus.

__________

Well, a lot of this is Japanese. Hina means doll, Kinshou means little. Thus, 'Kinshou Hina' means 'little doll'. My asterisk means that I do not know when YST started. I know it lasted about 39 days and caused Seiji to miss the Spring Tournament of '88 but I don't know when exactly it started. If you do, please let me know.