Malignant

Chapter One

-Impinge-

Akito sat in the field of grass as he waited for his father to return. It was a sunny day, and there was a soft, gentle breeze that caused his short ebony locks to blow around his face. His sharp green eyes took in the scene, looking around curiously at the landscape. There was a village not far in the distance, but he wasn't allowed to go there. Villages weren't safe for yōkai, let alone one as young as he was. It wasn't obvious that he was a demon, because he looked exactly like a human. The only time it was noticeable was when he became angry or was fighting and needed to use his powers.

The grass behind him rustled, catching his attention and making him whirl around quickly. He didn't see anything there, but he knew better than to just brush it off. He narrowed his eyes, concentrating really hard as they slowly turned red. Something moved towards him then, and so he rolled out of the way. When he got a look at it, it was nothing but a human child with bright red hair. His eyes quickly faded back to their normal forest green so that he wouldn't be discovered, and he frowned.

"What are you doing?" he asked the boy, brushing off his clothes.

"Playing samurai adventure!" the redhead declared, sitting up with a bright smile. He stood and looked over Akito with curious green eyes. "Hey, I've never seen you before." He stated, the smile falling from his face for a moment. Akito tensed, already feeling his fangs begin to form. But the other boy just smiled once again. "You must be visiting!" he stuck his hand out then. "My name's Toshiro. What's yours?"

The ebony haired boy glanced at the hand, before returning his gaze to the redhead. "Akito." He said, shaking the offered hand. He did need to blend in, after all.

"Nice to meet you. Whacha doin' out here all by yourself?" he asked.

"Waiting for my father." Akito said. "He has gone into the village to get me something to eat, so I am to wait here for his return."

Toshiro nodded, seeming to understand. "How come you didn't go with him?" his eyes widened slightly. "Were you being bad?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm not old enough to go with him yet. Hopefully by the time I'm seven I can."

"Oh…" the boy seemed to get it. "Cause people might nab ya. I get it." He smiled, a beautiful smile even for a boy. "Well would you like some company? I can play with you. We can scale the battlefield and take down out enemies!" he declared, thrusting his hand in the air.

"Who are our enemies?" the other boy asked.

Toshiro's glare narrowed, he looked off, appearing a determined samurai. "The foreigners." He said seriously.

Akito laughed, before becoming equally as serious. "They're invading our northern border. It's going to take some serious man power to defeat them. Do you think you're up for it?"

"I sure am Akito. You take the left flank and I will the right. Divide and conquer." He nodded, looking around for the stick he'd dropped. Spotting it, he picked it up and thrust it in the air. "My samurai sword."

He wanted to just grow his claws, but he knew that would be a bad idea. So instead, he placed his hands on his waist. "I need no sword. I am the greatest fighter that ever lived, and will crush our enemies with my bare hands." He declared.

Toshiro smiled. "Hand to hand, I like it. I like it a lot." He looked forward and charged. "Let's take 'em down Akito!"

Akito let out a war cry, running off in the other direction and taking down his imaginary enemies. They played like this for a while, so long in fact that they eventually grew tired and collapsed on the grass, trying to catch their breath, Akito exaggerating his to look more human. "I think we killed them all." Akito smiled.

"I think we did too." Toshiro grinned, wiping his sweat from his brow. "That was so fun! I'm glad I ran into you here."

"Me too." He looked around then, his smile turning into a frown. "That's weird. It never takes my father this long to get food." He said, noticing the position of the sun. The redhead did the same. He seemed to notice now how late it was.

"Well I can wait for a bit before I have to head home." He told his new friend. "I have to be back in the house before the sun sets or my mother will scold me."

"Okay." Akito said, nodding. They waited as long as they could, until the sun was beginning set and Toshiro had to go home.

He waved, looking sad. "I'm sorry Akito. I hope your dad comes back soon and hopefully we'll get to play again." He smiled before heading off back towards the village.

Akito sighed and sat down, waiting patiently for his father to return. Hours passed and it soon became dark, but he wasn't worried. He could see excellently in the dark, and so was not afraid of it. Eventually he moved closer to the woods and found a tree to lean against, since he was growing sleepy. His stomach growled loudly, and he clutched it. "Sh." He said, though he knew the organ would not respond. He didn't want his position to be given away just because he was starving.

He curled into himself, laying his head against the tree as he waited. He dosed off shortly after, perfectly hidden from the naked eye. After a while, his eyes snapped open and he looked up, only to be met with the tall form of his uncle. "Uncle Itachi?" he asked, standing. "Why are you here?" he looked around, and realized it was past midnight. "Where is my father?"

Itachi, a lean man with long ebony hair tied in a low pony tail and dark eyes, sighed. "He won't be coming back Akito. You will be travelling with me now."

"But…why?" his brow furrowed in confusion. "Why isn't father coming back?"

"Because he has been slain by a samurai of this village." The elder Uchiha explained, beginning to walk off. "Now come."

Akito frowned, his gaze turning to the ground as he followed his uncle into the forest. His father had been killed? By a mere human? He glared, wiping away the tears that had gathered in his eyes because he knew his uncle would smell them, and he didn't want to be thought of as weak. The knowledge that a human could kill his father was shocking, because he was a part of one of the strongest demon clans in the country.

His deep gaze hardened with determination. He would train his hardest under his uncle, and become the most powerful demon alive. And once he'd done that, he was going to find that samurai and kill him, therefore avenging his father, and righting a heinous wrong.