My first fic, I made it while watching my brother playing Soul Nomad (lol) ; well, I got nothing else to do anyway, so I thought I'll just give it a shot and here it is.

Oh, I own none of the characters here, although I own this story.

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"Mommy,where are you?"

A little boy was in his bed, if you could call a coffin a bed. His mother was by his side, talking to him in a very gentle voice, holding his hands, occasionally singing a lullaby when he was about to sleep. To her, her son was everything, and there her son was, sick and bed ridden.

"Mommy's here, my dear, why don't you sleep now, mommy will always be by your side. Would you like mommy to sing a lullaby for you?"

"No mommy, you must be very tired too, right? Why don't you sleep too, I'll be fine."

Laharl was very young, and very weak. He was a very kind and loving boy, being loved by his parents all the time. To him, his mother was the world. Having his mother by his side, he felt very much protected, and that's the only thing he thought he needed.

But his mother didn't think so.

Laharl was fast asleep when his mother finally left his side. She went to the throne room and was greeted by her husband, Overlord Krichevskoy. The Overlord saw his wife coming and, seeing her expression, immediately knew that his son hadn't got any better. The queen took her seat beside her husband and there was a very long silence in the room. Then finally the queen opened a conversation.

"We can't let this continue forever. Something must be done."

"I know, but what can be done? We don't even know what caused his sickness, not to mention the cure."

She gave a long sigh. "There's only one way.."

Overlord Krichevskoy gave her a sharp look but didn't reply anything. Then once again they were in silence, deep in their own thought.

From a distance, a pair of magenta eyes was looking at them. Etna was still young too at that time, but old enough to understand what was happening. And she blamed the queen for it. This all wouldn't have happened had the queen not come from human world. Had she not married the Overlord, they wouldn't be burdened by that little boy. The Overlord wouldn't be feeling such sadness too. Its all their fault, the witch and her son. If only they didn't exist...

She almost wished for their death. But she knew that she mustn't. King Krichevskoy loved both of them, and their death surely would bring him great sadness. That's why Etna tried her best too to look for a cure, or at least a way to cure Laharl. Of course, there's indeed a way to cure the boy. Everyone knew it, but nobody would ever bring it up in front of the king. Who would dare to sacrifice their life for a mere little boy, no matter if he's the Overlord's son?

That's what Etna thought, but once again, the queen didn't think so.

So that night, the Overlord's wife crept silently to her son's room. She looked at her son's sleeping face, so peaceful and calm. That her son, whom she cherished more than anyone, more than herself. For her son, she would do anything, no matter how sinful she had to be. She knew that when he woke up the next day, he would be as peaceful as now, and that's enough reason for her. She knew too that her son would be sad, but that's the consequence she had to face.

And so she gave a last kiss to Laharl's cheek, and started the magic.

Just then, Etna came into the room. She realized what was happening, and stood there, too shocked to even say a word. The queen, turned around and saw Etna, smiled at her, and said, "Please take a good care of my..."

And she disappeared, even before she finished her sentence.

Prince Laharl woke up the next day and felt very fine indeed. He was so happy and he wanted to tell his mother that he was no longer sick, that she needn't worry anymore. His mother was nowhere to be found. He asked everyone in the castle, but nobody could tell him where his mother was. He knew that everyone knew something that he didn't know, but not even his father told him anything. He knew that he wouldn't want to know the truth, yet he had to.

Etna was at loss too. She never expected the queen to throw away her life like that. She had always hated the queen, but now that she's gone, Etna felt some kind of emptiness deep in her heart. She couldn't bear to see King Krichevskoy's sad face everytime Laharl came to him, asking about his mother. So, Etna decided that if the King couldn't tell his son, she would take the right to.

The prince finally found out what became of his mother. He knew this was coming, but he was not prepared to face it. He blamed everyone for not stopping her, and himself for being so weak. He ended up closing himself from the world, and decided that he must be strong, stronger than anyone so that he wouldn't be a burden anymore. He learned not to trust anyone, not even his own father.

That way, Laharl became a boy filled with hatred. He hated love more than anything; the love that his mother always taught him to, the love that took his mother away from him. Is this love? If you truly love me, why do you leave me? Where are you when I need you the most? Why do you go somewhere I can't reach? You told me that love is the happiest thing in the world, but why can't I feel happy at all? If this is what you mean by love, then I would never believe in love ever again!

Laharl defied love and lived from hatred. His heart was aching, but he closed it that nobody would ever know. More than often he wished that someone would save him from the darkness, although he himself never realized and would never admit it. He became a very ill-tempered person, so that he could close his sadness. He sought for strength, so that he could hide his own weakness.

It was a night of the Red Moon when Laharl's time stopped, until it started again a thousand years later, when a single angel knocked at his heart. Until that time, Laharl's night would be filled with voices, haunting him wherever he is.

"Mommy, where are you?"

"I'm here, my dear..."

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Well, that's about it. I've been having this kind of idea for some time, but this is the first time I actually make it. Reviews appreciated, flaming or freezing, please do. )

Thanks for reading!