Prologue
He hated them. He hated them with a passion. An aura of pure anger around him, he glared at the ones who incited this fury within him and awoke the slumbering dragon. How dare they?! How dare they try to to chain him, to separate him from his beloved? His eyes, a glowing wrathful emerald, pierced into the frightened eyes of his clan.
By all standards, Ichijou Masaki was a pleasant person. He was almost always serene and cool headed. But this? Never had Masaki been like this. No, the reason was simple.
His clan wanted to tie him to an unwanted marriage and separate him from his love, the only one who held his heart. How dare they?! He wanted to rage and rampage but controlled himself. Closing his eyes, forcibly calming himself, he let out a hiss.
Slitted emerald eyes, so much like a dragon's, opened and met those of the elders of the clan.
"Can you repeat that?" He hissed out harshly, George inching away from him warily, aware that Masaki was ready to erupt at any time.
"Masaki, you are almost at the age where you're eligible. So we, the elders, would like for you to marry. Of course, to help you choose a bride, we have candidates ready." The head elder stated as he gestured to a pile of files of aristocratic ladies on the table in front of Masaki.
Hearing that was the last straw for Masaki. Inside his mind, something snapped.
The dragon awoke.
Masaki growled and stood before angrily sweeping the files off the table. His power erupted and Masaki felt his calm fall away, his rage in his eyes as he glared.
"No. You have no right to do this to me. I will not let you." Masaki hissed out. The head elder moved to protest but fell silent when a glowing silhouette formed, a spirit animal that represented Masaki perfectly, a golden dragon. Coiling around the furious Masaki, the solidified red Asian dragon focused it angry gaze upon it's master's prey.
"No means no. For years now, I have let you dictate too much of my life. This, however, is the last strike. I will marry who ever I want and that is not up to you. If you try, I WILL end you like the insignificant pests that you are." At these words, a pressure was mounted upon the elders, showing just how serious he was.
"You brat! How dare you go against us?! We are you elders! Youshould just be quiet and obey. What can a brat like you do to us?" An elder, who obviously didn't believe Masaki would go through with his threat, arrogantly claimed. This proved to his fatal mistake, for soon after, his head was a blood splatter on the wall. The headless corpse of the elder fell to floor. All eyes turned from the murder to Masaki, who had his gun-like CAD pointed at the area where the elder's head used to be. Lowering it, cold emerald gazed apathetically at the murder he had just committed.
"Anyone else?" Masaki growled as he scanned the pale faces of the elders. Seeing them all shake their heads, he sheathed his weapon before sweeping out of the room, George following behind him. The moment the Ichijou heir left the room, the pressure vanished too. The elders all relaxed though their fear still remained.
From where he was sitting near the door and a seat to the left of where Masaki had just vacated a few moments ago, Ichijou Gouki smirked. Next to him sat Ichijou Satoru, the grandfather of Masaki and the father of Gouki.
"That child reminds you more and more like you, Gouki." Satoru sighed as he shook his head. Both grandfather and father cried not for the killing that Masaki had done. In fact, they approved of it.
"How, Father? I may have fought for my marriage but I never blew the head of an elder off." Gouki replied with amusement.
"No, but you did break bones. Unlike you though, Masaki lasted a little longer before he resorted to violence whereas you only lasted 15 minutes." Satoru scoffed, pride in his eyes for his young grandson.
"Oi!" Gouki half heartedly protested. Satoru only laughed softly.
"So, is there a specific reason why Masaki was so against this?" Satoru asked his son, ignoring the elders.
"Ah." Ichijou Gouki smirked, "There is actually a reason, or shall I say person."
"Oh? And who would this boy be?" Satoru asked in amusement.
"Boy?" Gouki asked in confusion before he finally understood and laughed boisterously.
"That makes so much more sense now! No wonder Masaki was so confused when he asked me if it was okay for a guy to like another guy and his hypothetical question on whether or not I'd be okay with him liking the same gender." Gouki exclaimed, "I was so worried for him, even with Midori telling me everything was okay with that knowing smile of hers. She probably knew about Masaki's predicament before I did."
"And are you okay?" Satoru questioned cautiously.
"Am I okay with what?" Gouki questioned back in confusion.
"With Masaki liking the same gender." Satoru clarified.
"Oh, that? Nah, I'm fine with it as long as he's happy. Besides, I can always have one of the girl's children named Masaki's successor. No way am I taking his heirship away from him over such a minor issue." Gouki shrugged nonchalantly.
Satoru chuckled before putting his curiosity into words, "So, who is our Masaki's infatuation?"
Gouki shrugged as he replied, "No idea. Masaki just said that it's some kid name named Tatsuya."
The name set off alarms in Satoru head and he blandly began to describe his suspicion, "Let me guess: black hair, azure eyes, inhumanly beauty, tall, abnormally intelligent, wields two gun-like CADs, insanely intelligent?"
Gouki fixed his father with a surprised gaze as he nodded slowly. Satoru sighed in exasperation all the while smiling ironically.
"Oyaji, you know who this Tatsuya kid is?" Gouki asked his father in curiosity. All that Masaki told him was what was just described by Satoru and the kid's name.
"Ah. If it's who I think it is, then it would seems that our Masaki will be in a war, trying to prove himself to his future in-laws." Satoru chuckled.
"Oyaji, who is this Tatsuya kid?" Gouki asked impatiently.
Satoru turned his head and stared at his son in amusement as he said, "The heir of the most dangerous and powerful clan of the 10 Master Clans, Yotsuba Tatsuya."
Gouki gaped as he gasped out in shock, "Yotsuba Tatsuya as in Yotsuba Maya's only child and the treasure of the Yotsuba clan, that Yotsuba Tatsuya?"
Sotaru nodded in confirmation and took in the sight of his now groaning son. In the background, several elders whimpered in fear and some even fainted.
"Of all people, why did Masaki have to choose the one who can easily kill him?" Gouki groaned, hanging his head.
Satoru fixed his pointed gaze on his son as he said blankly, "Like you and Midori? Looks like what they say is true: Like father, like son."
"Oyaji!" Came his son's protest, which prompted Satoru into a fit of laughter.
