Disclaimer: I do not own CCS.

Salut! I'm back!

The teachers of my university are on strike, so I gathered some courage and decide to post my new story.

With a different type of story... well I think so, maybe you won't. Yes, yes, I'm talking to you my dear readers who will recognise my name and click on my story's title! Topaz Tsubasa, don't worry, I didn't forget you, I'm sending a message as soon as I'm done posting this chapter, just like I promised.

So, in this story, you might think that Sakura's not really like the sweet and be-happy-don't-worry girl we're all used to. You'll understand why though and please be patient, you'll recognise her in the coming chapters. In fact, I already have more or less ten chapters written down on paper; my ideas had to be transformed and played with to please me, because when I started to write Wiccacraeft, it was a real mess in my mind.

So, yeah, I did a lot of researches, I changed a lot of things and almost everything that is in there is true... ALMOST! I did create some facts to fit with my story.

I had a lot of problem in deciding how should be named my chapters. In this chapter, there's a main subject (obviously) and it has a really precise name... in german... therefore...

I NEED YOUR OPINION!

Read this chapter and I'll explain everything at the bottom of this page. R&R!

It's good to be back!

BTW: traduction of what's in French and German are between those ( )

Wiccacraeft

Chapter 1: Ekel

When I was little, my mother used to perform a lot of weird actions: Rituals.

There was nothing demoniac or satanic about them. And magic was not the word to describe those rituals either for there was no spells casting whatsoever; it didn't work that way.

By performing those rituals, my mother was only being faithful to the oldest religion of all. Whoever thinks it is shamanism or shintoism is wrong. All religions nowadays idolise a male figure, but the very first figure to be elevated to the rank of gods was in fact, a female.

Most call her Isis, but few know it's really Hecate, mother of knowledge and life itself. The true basics of this religion have been forgotten over the centuries due to its growing reputation of performance of witchcraft and alliance with pagan malevolent spirits... or so the Wiccacraeft believers' persecutors said so.

But whoever knows Wiccacraeft will understand that it is not as devilish as Christians, Jews and Moslems want us to believe.

We pray to a Goddess. We beg for joy and prosperity, for protection and health. We have our moment of prayers and communions. Isn't it what Christianism about too? Isn't it what Muslimism about too?

Wicce or witches, as we are called, were persecuted over the millenniums because we refused to surrender to a male god. Wiccacraeft became witchcraft; wit, which means knowledge and descends from the old word "wys/wis" (ancestor of "wise" and "wissen" (german verb meaning "to know")) transformed into witch. From the tree dedicate to Hecate, wicker, came the word wicked. Those are only words, but well wield, it can become a deadly sharp blade.

Men were so eager to refuse the supremacy of a goddess that they created their own version of Wiccacraeft, adoring Hecate's lover and son; Cernunnos, the Horned god. They were in their right to do so; the Wiccacraeft's only rule was held into its motto: "An'ye Harm None Do What Ye Wilt" meaning "if you harm no one, then do what you will".

However, they began to spill blood, blood of young pure maidens, offering it to their master and believing they were becoming stronger and gaining power.

They were not according to me. I believe they only harvested results thanks to the strength of their will and madness. They became crueller, mistaking the strength of their heresy for mystical power.

Nowadays, really few still practice either versions of Wiccacraeft. However some Wicca, male witches, managed to reach the top of the society's elite, but Wicce preferred to stay hidden due to the past persecutions. The secret is passed from mothers to daughters, men being chosen to be their guardians, usually sons or husbands wisely chosen by the Circle.

However, my father wasn't chosen by my mother's Circle, a clan of witches. In fact, my mother had none since her ancestors had decided to exile themselves. They traveled to the east, but they were coming from France, establishing themselves first in England and then in Germany. Afterwards, they traveled to Asia and came to Japan. Therefore, my mother had french, english, german, chinese and japanese blood in her veins explaining her special features; she was so beautiful.

My mother had silvery hair, blue tainted grey eyes, a pale skin and a lean and tall body. Her beauty had brought her into the model industry at the age of fourteen. She was known under the name of Aiko meaning child of love.

She had not given me much of her features. I was of average length, 5 foot 5, and average weight. I did have a creamy skin and harmonious lips, but my eyes were my most precious gift offered to me by my mother; they were the colour of an emerald ocean. Few Asians had blue eyes and I knew they were from my mother, so I never lowered my gaze and held my head high to show her how much I treasured them. My hair was hazel illuminated by honey strands and was given to me by my father.

She had met him when her cast and herself were shooting on a archaeological site my father was working onto. He wasn't really thrilled by the idea, but he had been mesmerized by my mother the very moment he saw her, thanking the sky for letting him admire such a gracious angel.

My father was quite a handsome man too; tall, soft honey hair, sincere eyes and trustworthy smile. My mother had encountered many gorgeous men, but the honest and caring traits of my father bewitched her; she knew he was the only one for her and would be the father of her children. Her soulmate.

She took some time to admit to him what was her religion though, the fear of her people well inscribed into her mind, but he accepted it. She had explained everything and my father was really open-minded.

My mother had one dream constantly calling to her: to find the descendants of her ancestors. However, it wasn't that easy due to the lost of some records and changing of name because of marriage. Luckily, her traveling ancestors had religiously kept journals giving her hints. However, to search for her european family would mean she was under the obligation of leaving my father.

Instead of accepting her departure, he proposed to her after learning that the university he was working for was sending him to France for a dig. My mother believed it was Hecate's doing, her way to help her towards her lost heritage.

Once in France, they established themselves into a nice apartment working on their career and searching for my mother's past. Soon after their arrival, my mother became pregnant with my older brother named Touya.

And here appears the real mystery... On the birth day of my brother, the Circle my mother was searching for showed itself to her, all members coming to greet her and the child born on a blue moon night. Again, my mother believed it was Hecate's doing, but maybe she just had not been discreet enough.

According to the Circle, her son born on a blue moon night meant she was one of the few who could revealed herself as the Maiden, the Mother or the Crown. The Circle had already a Crown, but the Mother and the Maiden had both been killed in a car accident. They were the Crown's daughter and granddaughter.

My mother was the Crown's far relative which increased the bond and belief that she might be the next Mother.

However, first she had to prove herself worthy of the honour; she had to find the five secret hideouts, the roots of Wicce and bring back what grows into their core. Five hideouts, five lands: France, Spain, Italy, Germany and England.

My mother devoted herself to this quest while still taking care of my brother of course. Surprisingly, my father had no problem to follow my mother on her trip since his work was often pushing him into the right directions. First, in Spain, second in Italy, third in Germany where I was born when my brother was seven, then in England and finally, back in France.

I was four when we got back in France and once my mother had all the ingredients. What she had searched for was indeed flowers and herbs necessary for the Esbats, a ceremony of inclusion into the Circle and crowning; my mother had proven herself worthy of the title of the Mother of the Circle and her destiny was even clearer when she gave birth to me on the aurora of the first day of April, ten days after the Ostara, the spring equinox; ten being the number of beginning and the spring equinox being the nature's awakening and a day of balance between the forces.

My family and I went with her and Circle to the female version of Stonehenge. This place was hidden into a french hostile forest, hard to access explaining the absence of exploitation; it was an old forest protected by governmental laws. The tall stones were white and shiny instead of the dark and grey ones of the England's spiritual site. Still, both places were sweating mysteries.

My father was protecting the Circle with other men; praying... maybe chanting while my brother was observing and learning from them. I was sitting on the altar with the Crown standing at my left while my mother was on my right, carefully holding my tiny hand. She had always been so full of love and warmth that, even at four, I could understand why she would want to become the Mother of a Circle. However, what I had not understood was that it wasn't a Circle, but THE Circle; the most respected and wise one.

Some might be surprised by how much I can remember from this period of time when I was only four years old... but my father had put a lot of time to write everything down so that we would never forget... and thanks to that, those memories are engraved into my brain and my soul.

The ceremony began, the smoke of the lit fire raised up into the dark sky, the deep voices of the protectors entwined with the more crystalline ones of the performing women and suddenly, the silence.

The Crown's voice mastered the void of noise, praying for my mother's wisdom to bloom even more, her love to expand to the universe, her energy to be found in every living creature. Then, the old woman turned towards me and used almost the same words she had pronounced for my mother. I couldn't understand them; my father explained to me afterwards, but I could still recognise them. And one of them struck me more than the others: the Maiden.

Back then, I had no idea why my mother was looking at me with so much pride in her eyes; all I knew was that I was happy of it. The Crown, The Mother and The Maiden were not only the supreme authority of the Circle, but they were the symbols of unity, love and wisdom. They are supposed to wield more energy than any normal Wicce.

Some believe they have a special relationship with Hecate and therefore, their wishes are more likely to come true; health, fortune and success are good examples. For a while, I thought it was more like a placebo phenomena, because of course, they couldn't just sit and wait for Hecate's gracious hand; they had to show strength and will of living. That was what I believed at first...

The point is that those three women were the most important figures of Wiccacraeft with Hecate/Isis; they were the pillars and at sixteen, I was going to be fully one of them.

The Esbats went on and the witches offered their respect to their new leaders; a young model/mother and a four years old girl...

Suddenly, a frightening uproar filled the air. Dark figures appeared on the Circle's right covered by the black coat of the night. The guardians tried to keep them away, but they were mere men and boys without any other weapons then their sacred daggers. The newcomers had long and shining swords, glittering with the flickering light of our fire. I remember starting to cry; I knew they meant no good. I couldn't say how, and maybe I'm just imagining things, but I immediately spotted the worst of them. He was not different from the others, but from his body was emanating such a wicked energy and lust for blood that it was making him look even taller and deadlier. He rapidly swept away the guardians in his way.

I looked at the Crown, feeling she was the one with the most authority, but she was already brought away by Wicces. Horror and pain were shadowing her eyes. I turned towards my mother searching for protection and care, and in my infant mind, I managed to understand why the Crown was so mortified.

She and my mother had been at the two different ends of the altar and the only one who could be saved was the Crown for the witches and guardians protecting my mother had been taken care of; some were deeply bleeding, others were just running away. My mother was at the dark shadows' mercy and my father was already trying to protect my brother, too far from us to help.

The most frightening figure slowly walked towards my mother; I felt like if each steps was causing an earthquake. In my young eyes, he didn't look human at all even if he was walking on two legs; he was a monster, a creature crept out of the underworld of Dark Shadows. Facing my mother, he stood tall, so tall.

"Crown, Mother, Maiden? What a joke! Only Cernunnos can present himself as the great leader of this World. Wiccaes are there to serve him and to receive his power." His voice was deep and hard as steel. My mother tried to discretely hide me with her body.

"Our view of Wicca is different; it is a shame, but we can't do anything about it. Let us be; our belief is stronger than your threat!" The hellish form laughed, no humour tainting his laughter.

"You forgot something; I'm not here to play Inquisitors. I'm here for the Universal Bond. Its highness Cernunnos told me how to get power. And you know what is useful to a Circle, am I right? A male-female bond, our two bodies entwined. Having such a connection with such a powerful and beautiful Wicce... The Mother no less; that's the cherry on the cake."

I couldn't see my mother's expression, but I could hear her horror piercing through my childish whimpering and cries.

"Never! You beast!"

"That's what you say now, but wait, I'll take good care of you... but first, I have to take care of this thing behind you: I can't let your daughter grow older and become my enemy, now, can I? It would be really reckless of me." Not understanding, I continued to cry, not seeing, but hearing his cold and cruel voice.

Suddenly, he threw himself forward, his sword raised, but my mother was faster. She covered my little body with her own, protecting me from the monster's deadly weapon.

Her breath caught into her throat and tears began to pour down while I stopped to cry; I couldn't anymore. There were no more tears for there was no more fright or sadness; I was a void, my mother was dying and my world was shattering into pieces.

"Mama." My mother was trying to keep a calm face, but flowing tears and the sweat pearling on her pale skin couldn't fool me even if I was so young. I looked down at the point of the sword that had pierced through my mother's body, few inches away from mine. She instantly told me to keep my eyes on hers.

"Everything is going to be alright, mon Coeur (Sweetheart). Papa will take good care of you and your brother while I'll be by Hecate's side to watch over the three Lieben (loves) of my life. Be a good girl. I love you three very much." The monster behind my mother sighed.

"Tsk. . Now look at what you've done! I'll have to wait for your daughter to be old enough to be taken. Well, maybe I'll be able to raise her to be a more intelligent woman...But how selfish of you...!" The monster, whom I named Ekel (monster) afterwards, suddenly screamed in pain and rage, his growl echoing into the sinister night; my brother had managed to get to the beast and stab the side of his stomach. His hands pressing over his wound were bloody and his face was already covered with sweat. I looked back at my mother who had turned her face towards her son; she was sadly smiling.

"My little knight in armour... Please protect your sister. Je vous aime, vous et votre père pour toujours (I love you, you and your father forever). Now go ! Prends ta sœur (Take your sister) and go !"

My brother was still not very old, but he already had a strong mind.

"On ne te laissera pas ici (We won't leave you here)!" My mother was slowly falling on her knees with Touya trying to support her.

"Yes you will. I'm done here, but I cannot believe you three are; so leave! Take your sister, warn your father and go." My focus was on my mother so I had not noticed what had happened to the soulless creature. Some of his minions had come to his aid and were dragging him back into the while the monster was screaming: "Take the girl! Take the girl!"

Right on cue, my father appeared, took me into his arms and grabbed my brother's arm after quickly kissing my mother on the lips; he had heard my mother's pleas.

"Aishiteru, Nadeshiko." He whispers those words so that she would be the only one to hear them. She smiled and closed her extinguished eyes. We ran away, escaping from our foes' graps; Hecate only knows how!

I don't remember anything afterwards besides crying into brother's and father's arms.

From this night on, I was going to need protection for the rest of my life and I was going to be the cause of my family's endless flees from one country to another.

Twenty years old and I was still free... If you're not too strict on the meaning of the word "free". My family had moved so often that I can't remember every name of the cities we've lived in. Still, my father was all I could have hoped for and my brother was... hell, but still caring and protective. We were everything to each other... even if I have to admit that it wasn't enough sometimes.

We had lived in Austria, Canada, France, England, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Spain, United States; some longer than others. I must say my Spanish and Italian are really rusty and poor; I couldn't really make a lot of friends there. Plus, I had to go to English school there because of my lack of fluidity in those languages.

However, my father had done everything he could so that my brother and I could speak and write French, English, German and of course Japanese. He taught us how to write with kanjis too. The reason for all this learning was because we had to blend in to do not stand out. However even with all those cautions and subterfuges, HE would always find us in the end; the Monster who killed my mother and now wanted me, the Maiden, in his bed.

We always managed to escape though. While trying to stay as discreet as possible, my brother developed a liking for the job of bodyguard. He succeeded to have an official diploma to become one while still protecting me. He even managed to find some info on my pursuer. Ekel was from England; that much wasn't surprising since I could perfectly recall his strong english accent. He was a rich and important man in the business industry, representing companies and such, making it awfully easy for him to travel and search for us. Thank Hecate, he is not an ambassador or we couldn't have ran away to other countries so much!

Our only advantage was that he didn't know any names or our homeland, making it difficult for him to find us. Touya used his real name for his diploma, but this type of school is like a bank; information is protected and kept secret. I, on the other hand, had to use different names each time I would enter a new school and pass exams to evaluate my calibre since I could never provide a record of my previous study experience. My father helped me a lot with school's stuff. I could even say I was better than a lot of good students. The only restraining barrier was language, but still, I managed.

My father was a well known archaeologist and novelist though his face and name were on no books or conferences' posters. His publicist would always hire an actor for those kinds of things.

Yes, we managed to somehow adjust our lives correctly to the situation, but at twenty years old, it was time for me to attend to university and my father, to rise our chances of remaining unfound, decided to go to a country where people are practically leaving on each other, where this Ekel might be disadvantaged by the language and culture, where my father and my mother lived for the longest time: Japan.

My father didn't dare to live in Tokyo though. No, only my brother had taken an apartment in a neat building there due to his job. Plus, living with our father at his age could bring attention. Moreover, he kept a room for me to crash in anytime so that nobody could establish a perfect time-planning of my days. My father and I installed ourselves in a two bedroom cozy little house on a nice street where lived mainly old couples, making the neighbourhood really quiet. However, it was not situated in Tokyo, but into a nearby city named Tomoeda. A place with no drama.

Still, I would be studying at a university in the south of Tokyo, a private one (thanks to my dad), the Keio University. It was going to be perfect since I already had the abilities needed for what I would become: a translator.

Translator was a nice and interesting job, but I had wished to be a writer since I was twelve years old too. I've been writing stories since then and being published would really please me...one day. Writing helps me to hold on; all those years... had been difficult and I would have to live like that for the rest of my life...And even so, I never thought of committing suicide; I was alive, wasn't I? I was happy with my family and still had hope.

And Touya really was the best bodyguard anyone could want. He had found a job of personal bodyguard of a businessman's son, about the same age as Touya. From what I had heard from him, the son didn't really need nor want protection, but as long as he was paid...

My father, brother and I all used our real names since we were back to Japan. It didn't matter anyway since we had not used them since I was four years old.

So this was how we began our I-can't-remember-how-many-lives.

End of chapter 1

SO... how was it?

And here you come to my aid: strongest word in this chapter is Ekel which is German for monster.

MY SUGGESTION would be that every chapter should have a French or German or Spanish or Japanese... title. It could be a concept.

SO what do you think? English or other languages?

By the way, I'm no robot! I read this chapter several times, but errors can be possible (In a sentence, there was a "you" that I didn't know why it was there. I finally realised I had not wanted to write "you", but "joy".) Plus, it's 2 a.m. right now so be nice to me lol.

And don't forget to tell me what you think of this first chapter too!

Tchüss! Take care!