Chapter 1: Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom

Coming back to the city was always a struggle especially with the excess noise and stifling air. The streets were full of impatient, honking cars and the sidewalk was overrun by hordes of people trying to get somewhere different. Haruka was never fond of city life, as she was more accustomed to living in a smaller town setting.

Having grown up in a more peaceful setting, whenever she came to visit the city, Haruka always felt as if she were thrown into an ocean of sound. However, she had decided to come to the city on her own volition; this was where she had chosen to go to high school once she graduated middle school.

Haruka glanced around, scanning the crowd of people for anyone familiar. She had come to the area where she'd be going to school in hopes of finding a place to live nearby. Thankfully she had a family friend living in the area and he had agreed to help her find an apartment. Since she had the day off from school today, she thought it would be best to start looking now, rather than waiting.

"Haruka!"

Haruka turned and was relieved to see a familiar figure waving over at her down the street. His bright orange hair easy to spot. Haruka's expression brightened as she waved back and hurried over to him. When she reached where he was, she gave him a brief hug and smiled excitedly up at him.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Haruka said.

The man smiled. "A couple years, give or take."

He reached over and ruffled Haruka's hair slightly.

"You've certainly gotten a bit taller since the last time I saw you."

Natsume Asahina was a tall young man with bright orange hair. However, his most noticeable feature to Haruka was the birthmark below his lip and directly on the middle of his chin. She always thought it was funny, finding it a strange place to have a birthmark, much to Natsume's slight annoyance.

As the two of them walked towards Natsume's car, Haruka asked him how his brothers were doing. Natsume glanced to the side and let his shoulders sag a little.

"Just as lively as ever, I suppose. I actually haven't seen them that recently myself."

He was the son of her parents' friend and came from a family of twelve other brothers. Haruka couldn't even imagine having that many siblings and had to give Natsume props for growing up in such a crazy household. While Haruka got along with most of the other Asahina boys, she found Natsume to be the most easy to talk to and be around. Natsume was the only one she kept in contact with, both occasionally sending each other a text or a phone call.

Once the two made it to the car, Haruka hopped into the passenger seat as Natsume slid into the driver's.

"So how do you feel moving on to high school?" Natsume asked as he pulled out into the street from the curb.

"A little nervous honestly," Haruka said as she glanced down at her lap and wrung her fingers. "I mean, this will be the first time I'll be living on my own away from my family. Not to mention I'm still unsure of what career path to take."

"Have you talked to your parents about it?"

Haruka shook her head. "They've been really busy at work lately so I haven't been able to talk to them that much."

Natsume frowned slightly before exhaling loudly through his nostrils. "Well, you have some time. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Haruka smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

It wasn't long until they pulled up to a decent sized apartment complex. The outside was fairly nice and all the complexes had a balcony with a glass wall for the railing. When Haruka entered Natsume's complex, she found that while it wasn't too big, it still had a good amount of space.

Several meows caught Haruka's attention and she glanced down to see Natsume's two cats rubbing against his legs. Natsume huffed in feigned annoyance, causing Haruka to giggle. She bent down and offered her hand to one of the cats. Curious, one of them padded over to her and sniffed her outstretched hand before rubbing against it with its cheek.

"So these are Tsubaki and Azusa?" Haruka asked, recalling Natsume mentioning that he got a couple cats in one of their past emails.

"Yeah," Natsume said with a small sigh. "They're as much of a handful as their namesakes."

Haruka giggled once more as she gently stroked the two cats.

"In any case, feel free to take a look around. Do you want anything to drink?" Natsume asked, heading over to the kitchen counter.

"I'm fine, thank you." Haruka said as she stood up and walked further in.

Before she started looking around, an assortment of brightly colored objects caught her eye. Upon closer inspection, Haruka realized they were little animal figurines. There were twelve in total and while the craftsmanship was lacking on some of the details, they were still cute. Though she found it funny how some of them were painted in rather random colors. After staring at them for a little bit, it occurred to Haruka that they were actually the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

"I didn't know you liked this kind of thing." Haruka said as she admired the little figurines.

"I'm don't. But that was a gift," Natsume said as he started rifling through his cupboards.

"Why is the sheep colored pink?"

"...Weird genetics?"

When Haruka was younger, her grandmother would sometimes tell her the story the Great Race or how the order of the Zodiac came to be. She always found the story cute and found how each of the animals crossed the finish line interesting. It had been a while since she heard the story so she couldn't recall some of the details.

Haruka gave the figurines one final gaze before looking around Natsume's apartment.

It was a little bigger than a usual one person complex, given the space in the two rooms were pretty spacious. Considering that Natsume worked for a well established game company, the quality of the apartment didn't come as a surprise to Haruka.

After she was done looking, she came back into the living room to find Natsume feeding his two cats.

"What do you think?" Natsume asked as he scratched Azusa behind the neck.

"It's nice. It's a little bigger than I could probably afford though." Haruka said.

"Well there are definitely smaller ones in the complex. Not sure how many vacancies there are though. Do you want to go look at other ones?"

Natsume drove the two around the area, looking at several different apartment complexes and talking to the landlords. While there were many different complexes to choose from, Haruka was still a bit unsure of which one to pick.

The sun hung low in the sky, indicating it would be evening soon. The two decided to take a break so Natsume took her to a small cafe for a quick bite to eat.

"Thanks again for helping me look for a place." Haruka said after taking a seat at a table.

"No problem. Any places catch your eye?" Natsume asked as the waitress placed cups of water down on the table.

"There are a lot of really nice apartments. But for some reason I can't settle on one in particular." Haruka said, looking down at her cup with a disheartened expression.

Something just doesn't feel right...

"Well if you can't choose one today, we can always try to find you a place some other time." Natsume offered as he took a sip of his drink.

"Oh, no I couldn't ask you to do that. I know you're really busy with work. Don't worry, I'll definitely make a decision by the end of today!" Haruka said with a confident yet uncertain smile.

Natsume let out another sigh. "If you say so. Just don't go making hasty decisions because you're trying to be considerate."

A look of realization suddenly came over Natsume's face. "Oh, that's right."

Haruka looked up at him confused.

"I almost forgot I had to visit my family's place," Natsume said with a small look of exasperation. "Do you mind if we stop by there on the way back? I need to drop a couple things off."

"That's fine. I don't think I've ever been to your family's place before. We always met up at some sort of celebration or get togethers in rented out places."

Natsume took another sip of his water. "Yeah…"

Once they were done, Natsume paid for the two of them and headed back out onto the road. Haruka stared out the window watching the scenery fly by. She wondered which apartment she should choose. However, honestly, Haruka felt anxious about choosing one. This would be the first time she'd be completely on her own and she wasn't sure if she was mentally prepared for that.

If anything, she would probably fall back on Natsume's apartment complex. At least then she wouldn't be completely alone and he'd just be several rooms or floors away. Though if she did that, it would feel as if she would be relying too much on Natsume.

She had to be independant. This is what she had decided when she chose her school. She couldn't back out now. Oh but how much she wanted to right now. Maybe she should have chosen a school closer to home…

Pull it together, Haruka!

Haruka mentally smacked herself while shaking her head to try and rid herself of that thought.

"Are you okay?" Natsume asked, noticing she had a weird expression.

"Oh, yes! I'm fine!" Haruka said waving a hand in front of her in reassurance.

I'll be fine.

Natsume eventually turned down a long, narrow street that was lined with forest on both sides. Haruka turned her gaze to the front and was amazed to see a large area full of houses. Surrounding the perimeter was a tall gate that seemed to stretch for miles.

"What is this place?" Haruka asked.

"My family lives within a gated community." Natsume replied with a rather firm expression.

"That's amazing! I've never seen a gated community before. Aren't they supposed to be more common in America?"

Natsume shrugged. "It is rather rare for there one to be here in Japan."

He drove up to the front gates and flashed a card in front of a sensor. The gates slowly opened with a loud moan and Haruka felt as if she were being brought into a new world. While she wasn't here to stay, it was exciting just to see what was beyond these gates.

The area looked to be a rather rich environment with most of the houses being western themed. It was interesting to Haruka that the houses seemed to be clustered in certain areas while sectioned off from others, like different clans living in the same area. As they kept driving, Haruka noticed that Natsume seemed awfully quiet and on edge ever since they entered the gated community. Before she could ask if he was all right, she noticed something up ahead. They were headed towards what it seemed like another gated off area.

A gated community within a gated community?

The gate that sectioned off the area was a lot smaller than the one gating off the entire perimeter. And unlike the gates they had passed through before, a couple meters of concrete was layered behind the metal bars. There was also a security booth where Natsume had to show his ID to a camera before the gates opened. Upon closer inspection, Haruka could see security cameras stationed along the cement wall. It almost seemed as if they were entering a prison.

Natsume parked the car in a small lot and let out a deep exhale.

"Natsume-san-?" Haruka started but was interrupted when Natsume spoke.

"I just need to drop something off here real quick. Follow me."

"You want me to come with you?" Haruka asked in mild confusion.

Since it was a short visit, Haruka figured she would just sit in the car and wait for him.

"I'd feel better if you came with me." Natsume said in such a serious tone that Haruka knew something was wrong.

However, she had a feeling Natsume wouldn't talk about it. While Natsume is quick to voice his complaints, especially when it involved his brothers, when it came to personal affairs, he kept quiet.

"Stay close and don't wander off." Natsume said as he grabbed a bag from the back seat.

Haruka pouted a little in mild annoyance. Sure, she had a bad sense of direction, but he didn't need to treat her like a little kid. She found her way to the meeting place with Natsume after all without much problem.

As Haruka followed Natsume further into the closed off area, she couldn't help but feel anxiety well up within her. Unlike the rest of the gated community, this area in particular had a different atmosphere. It felt tense, nearly suffocating. Maybe it was because she had seen no one since stepping foot in this place. This place seemed like a ghost town.

A shiver suddenly ran down her spine and she instinctively looked behind her. There was absolutely no one in sight and it gave Haruka goosebumps. For some reason, she had a feeling they were being watched ever since they stepped foot into the new area. The thought made Haruka shudder and she quickly picked up her pace to catch up with Natsume.

"Natsume-san," Haruka said, trying to ease the unsettling atmosphere around them. "Who did you bring those things for?"

"Well, one of my brothers actually lives here," Natsume said, lifting up the bag he was holding. "I decided to get him something while I'm here. I also got a couple things for a few of the other residents."

Haruka glanced inside the bag to see a bottle of alcohol, a video game cartridge (probably one made by his company), an exacto knife, and a bag of freeze dried sardines. She glanced up at Natsume with a questionable look about the strange assortment of items.

Natsume cleared his throat as a small blush dusted his cheeks in embarrassment. "Don't ask."

Haruka giggled a little.

"I didn't know one of your brothers lived here."

Now that she thought about it, Natsume had twelve siblings. However, she only remembered meeting eleven whenever she saw them. One was always missing. Back then she didn't think much about it. Why had she never met him?

As Haruka got lost in her thoughts, a sudden movement caught her eye. She turned towards the direction of the movement and froze. On top of a roof of a nearby house was a tall and slender young man. The sun was directly behind him, obscuring his details. However, from his outline, Haruka could have sworn she saw a pair of ears on top of the mysterious male's head along with a tail behind him.

Before her thoughts could catch up to her, the figure jumped off the roof on the other side, disappearing from sight. Haruka felt frozen. Who… or even what was that?

Noticing that she had stopped, Natsume paused and turned around.

"What's wrong?"

It took a moment for Haruka to tear her gaze away from where she saw the strange person. She brought a hand to her chest, feeling her heart beating sporadically. What was this feeling?

"I…" Haruka paused as she pointed to one of the houses. "I thought I saw someone standing over there."

Natsume glanced over to where she pointed and frowned.

"Come on, we're almost there." Natsume said, as he continued walking.

Haruka threw the roof one final look before hurrying to catch up with Natsume. They eventually stopped at a Japanese styled house, complete with paper sliding doors. Natsume rang the doorbell a couple times and grunted in annoyance when no one answered.

"I told him I was stopping by today." Natsume muttered under his breath before he started digging into his pockets for a key.

"Hold on one second, Haruka. I'm just going to drop this off inside and then we can go."

Haruka nodded as Natsume opened up the door and walked inside. While Haruka waited, she couldn't help but think back to the person she saw on the roof. Did she just imagine those strange animal characteristics or were they actually… Haruka shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. Worrying about it now won't do her any good.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a strange noise could be heard from a distance. Haruka glanced up, her eyes darting back and forth. She turned back to the house and wondered if Natsume accidentally knocked something over. Before she could call him, she heard several more strange noises. It sounded like the clash of metal on metal.

Without warning, Haruka heard a sudden shout and something came crashing into the ground in front of one of the nearby houses. The impact sent a small dust cloud around the object, obscuring its details. Haruka let out a surprised cry as she jumped a couple steps backwards in shock.

What in the world...?

As the dust started to settle, Haruka realized that the "object" lying on the ground was more person-shaped. And after a moment, it started moving and suddenly sat up, causing Haruka to realize it was a person with a start.

Wait a moment. From how they slammed into the ground, they shouldn't be moving, let alone conscious.

Before Haruka could continue her thoughts, something flew over to the person with amazing speed and slammed into them. Another loud, sharp clang sounded, causing Haruka to wince. When she looked back, the scene in front of her left her speechless.

Two people were currently locked in a standstill with different weapons. One person stood with a leg caught in mid kick, with braces covering both legs. The person wore a long, turtleneck sweatshirt and was rather short in stature. The other person who was crouching wore a jacket with a hoodie and had two long, twin swords that were being used to defend against the other's kick.

The person who had leg braces suddenly jumped an unrealistically far distance away from the other, allowing the crouching person to get back to their feet. The person with twin swords paused to crack their neck before they suddenly bolted towards the other with unnatural speed.

Haruka's breath caught in her throat as she watched as the two attacked with amazing speed. Despite being a good distance away from the two fighters, Haruka could feel their intensity. Every strike felt as if something were crying out and the air rippled with ferocity. For a brief moment, Haruka could have sworn she saw animal-like shaped auras surround the two of them as they continued exchanging blows.

The one with leg braces flipped out of the way of the other person's strike and countered with a powerful drive with their knee. The other stood their ground and swung their twin swords at the oncoming attack.

When the attacks collided, Haruka heard the crackle of electricity and the force of the impact sent both fighters flying backwards. Before she realized it, one of the combatants was headed directly towards her. Her mind went blank as everything seemed to move in slow motion. Before she was bowled over, Haruka suddenly felt as if she were being lifted into the air. She immediately closed her eyes as she felt herself being swept out of the way, followed by a loud crash.

"Whoo, that could have been messy."

Haruka slowly opened her eyes and was surprised to see a young woman goofily smiling down at her.

"Who…who are you?"