Destiny means you have a set future, it usually signifies that a meaningful and important role lies ahead of you. Fate also means you have a set future, but it only gives you the option of having one future. At the time, Shuichi Shindou didn't know which role would be his demise or his salvation. He didn't know that, many years later, one of these futures would help him bring peace to the sudden collapse of society by a darkness beyond all comprehension. After all, he was just a 19 year old boy living in a rundown old shack on the outskirts of town. What great role could he possibly play in the situation he was in?
Shuichi shared the cottage with his mother and little sister. One solitary word could describe their lifestyle… poor. The Shindou's were at the VERY bottom of their class. They were almost under the line that formed the "peasants" category. The Monarchy was the one that reigned it's unmerciful wrath and unjust laws upon the people of the land. Being the epitome of poor was NOT a good thing when it came, especially, to those troubling taxes. The wealthier people, like dukes, duchesses and land owners, didn't have a problem with whatever the King issued out… they had money. But as for the poorer people in town, money was a big deal in the city of Arbaphem. Taxes would be taken up every week of every month of every year, and they didn't get any lower, that's for sure. If you didn't have enough money to pay for the taxes, you would have to face the devastating consequence of losing a loved one. Of course, this certain law did not permit the tax collector to take a person's life if the debt couldn't be fulfilled, but it did allow him to take any member of the family and have them work as a slave in the King's service. The only way you could get your family member back was to start making enough money with the little members you have now and either start paying your taxes, or bail them out with your earns. So, as you can see, being a poor, helpless, scum-of-the-town family wasn't the best thing in the world at the time. Even so, the Shindou's still strived on, determined to make something out of their lives. In doing so, they kept the family name of the Shindou's alive with the same old stubbornness that had been passed down by generations.
Shuichi was picking weeds out from their tiny front yard until his 16 year old, younger sister, Maiko, came running out of the woods in a happy frenzy.
"Brother! Brother! Look at what I found!" She shouted excitedly while holding up a shiny object in her hand, almost tripping over some rocks in the process.
Her older brother stopped in his oh so fun weed picking to wipe his forehead before confronting his sister. "What is it, Maiko? Your clothes are tattered! Mom isn't gonna like that." He warned her.
"This is oh so much more important than my tattered clothes, dear brother! Look at what I found near the creak we always visit after lunch!" She held up to her brother's face a circular, sliver trinket with a face of one of their deceased dukes carved into the middle of it. The 19 year old boy gasped at what he was staring at.
"Why, this… this is…!"
"Yeah! A shilling! I just happened to come upon it when I went cherry picking for mom! She won't have time to worry about the dirty clothes I'm wearing once she sees this!" She grinned widely.
"Maiko! Where exactly did you find this!" Shuichi took the rusted object from her hands and examined it to be sure it wasn't fickle.
"Right next to the cherry tree while I was picking! I saw it lying underneath a bundle of them! Hah! And they say cherry trees can only bring you love… it can bring you wealth too!" She giggled.
"We've gotta show this to mom. She'll turn head over heals!" He took off his gloves and started making his way into the cottage.
"Wait for me! I wanna see her face when we show it to her!" Maiko followed close behind her older brother, proud of the valuable treasure she had discovered.
Mrs. Shindou had it rough. She was a hard working mother of two jobs; one being taking care of her children, and another job of making and selling herbs. She also made a few cherry pies for the market, which was the biggest pay they could muster (though she's been running out of dough lately). Many peasants knew her as the sweetest and most hardheaded woman alive in their city. Few women could do two jobs and raise a family at the same time. What Mrs. Shindou really wanted to do though, was become a nurse and help all of the people of Arbaphem. That way, at the same time, she could save up her money and send her only two kids off for an education. Of course, the cost for taking that job was much too expensive, so she would just have to settle for being a medicine woman. She wept every night for their poorness, wishing there was some way they could get easy money, and soon before the tax collector came. The mother couldn't bare to lose another member of the family.
Just as Mrs. Shindou was cutting up leaks for her scarce stew she was cooking, her two loving children came bounding into the cottage. Startled, she dropped the wooden ladle in her hand.
"Goodness children! Don't scare me like that! Now the ladle is dirty."
"Don't worry about your old ladle mom! Look what Maiko found in the woods today!" Her son cheered gaily.
"My, my, what is it?" She asked, picking up the ladle she dropped.
"Look, mother!" Maiko smiled, holding up the one shilling with pride.
Once the shiny trinket was in view of the mother's eyes, she (once again) dropped the wooden utensil on the rock floor. "Wh-where did you get this!" She stuttered out.
"Like onee-chan said, I found it in the forest!"
"B-but how did you come across it!"
"Near the creak we get water from. You know, under the cherry tree."
"I can't believe this… a whole shilling!" Her mouth widened into a smile.
"Isn't it great mom? Now you can buy a new ladle!" Shuichi playfully suggested.
"Hah!" Mrs. Shindou laughed. "You're joshing Shu. We're saving this so we can pay off some of that tax we owe." She took the money and stashed it away in her empty honey jar on the shelf where her spices were.
"Let's go look for more shillings near that spot! Maybe someone dropped a whole bunch of them there!" Shuichi clasped his hands together hopefully. He knew how hard their mother worked and saw the hidden tears she shed at night, and finally… they found something to make her happy for once. After what happened a few months ago, he didn't think their mom could hold out much longer.
"Can we, mom? Can we?" Maiko burst out with excitement. She wanted to find as much money near that tree as she could. It was almost like a egg hunt to her.
"Maybe tomorrow kids. It's getting late, and I don't want you to be out there when it's dark."
"Aw, but mom! Nothing'll happen! It'll only take a few minutes!"
"No. You know as well as I do that there are wolves in the woods at dusk! What would I do if one of them were to snatch you away?" She raised an eyebrow.
"It'd probably be a lot easier on you to have one of us out of your way." Shuichi said
almost truthfully.
"Nonsense! Now you both listen to me." Mrs. Shindou got down on one knee, facing both her children. "I wouldn't want to lose any of you for the world. Do you know how devastated I'd be if something happened to you two? I don't think I'd be able to carry on." She looked up at them sorrowfully, paused, and added, "I don't want to lose another one of us again. So please, stay with me kids." The honesty in her eyes seemed so sad that Shuichi and Maiko wanted to cry at that moment, but held back.
"Don't worry mom. We won't disappear. We'll always stay with you, no matter what." Shuichi smiled, wanting to cheer his mother up quickly.
"Yeah. You'll always have us around to be with." Maiko winked.
"Thanks you two. I love you both." She hugged them tightly, as though she were sending them off to finishing school.
"We love you too, mom." Maiko hugged back affectionately, while Shuichi did the same, but with a troubled look in his eyes. How did life end up like this for them? Why did taxes have to be so high? Why was their King so unfair? Why did he have to lose someone at the cost of such disgusting luxuries? He wished that all the pain and suffering was the one that disappeared a few months ago, and not their dad.
"And don't think I didn't notice your dirty clothes, Maiko Shindou. You won't have desert tonight if you don't clean yourself up, young lady."
"Aw, mom!"
