Silver Dream
By Yukimi Yuki Takiro
Hello everyone! While I was cleaning out some old ZIP disks when I found this one fanfic that I thought I would change a little and place here. This fanfic was originally named "Silver Snow" but since I have that title for a different story of mine and it's copyrighted, I decided to change it. I have changed over the years since I first typed this so I hope you enjoy this version!
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Prologue: Ruins
He watched from the shadows, a solitary figure cloaked in black from head to toe, as his gaze took in the blazing fire. Bodies and blood stained the once grand palace of the Kinomoto Kingdom. The shadows in the man's eyes shifted with the dancing flames. He clenched the crimson orb in his palm tighter.
"Your highness." Detaching herself from the shadows, a young woman bowed respectfully, her long midnight black hair shielding her face like a curtain. When she straightened, her dark eyes took in the destruction.
"What is the status of the Li Kingdom?" the man asked, never taking his eyes from the castle.
"It's a brutal battle, sire. It appears they knew of our attack and our forces are slowly being pushed back. It makes it difficult to gain an advantage due to their magic abilities," she replied.
Before the man could reply, his eyes flickered at the sight of a horse bursting from the stables and disappearing into the night. The man's expression was impassive.
The woman glanced at her master. "Are you letting them go?"
He did not respond.
"Should we give chase? Sire? Prince Hiro?"
Hiro merely smiled and abruptly turned. "No, call the men back. We have much more planning to do, Arie."
"As you wish." Arie bowed again before vanishing into the darkness just as sudden as she appeared.
Hiro held up the orb in his hand, the phoenix orb said to be one of the three treasures used to prevent the land's destruction. "I shall have all the treasures. The Star Key and the Dragon Sword."
***
"Sakura! Sakura!" Toya Kinomoto poured a small amount of water into his sister's mouth as he held her up next to the stream. He coughed, the smell of smoke still clinging to their bodies.
The young girl's eyes fluttered open, her emerald eyes staring up at him. "Oniichan?"
"Sakura, are you alright?" He tried to get her to take in more water, but the water merely ran down the side of her mouth.
Sakura coughed and shook her head, pushing away the flask. Jolting up into a sitting position, she looked to her brother. "What happened to otousan and okaasan?"
Toya's face contorted and he silently shook his head. He could still hear the screams and shouts. He could still see the blood staining the floors and walls, the countless bodies littering the floor as the flames continued to burn. And he could remember his mother embracing them one last time before pushing them into the secret passage just as the door splintered open.
Sakura must have seen something in his eyes because she suddenly cried and embraced him. All he could do was hold her tighter in his short arms. He couldn't do anything. He wasn't an adult yet. He wasn't strong enough. He had to protect Sakura and he had to protect the key.
He had to become stronger.
To be continued…