Chapter 1 - The Blossoms Begin to Fall

Beneath the sakura, there were corpses.

Never before had such a small boy seen so much blood. It was everywhere; splashed against trees, pooling around unmoving bodies as the grass became stained. Unbidden tears fell from his eyes, running down his cheeks and wriggling into the small cuts on his face, but he didn't make a noise. He was too afraid to do anything else but stare. If he screamed, something bad would happen. If he wailed and brought attention to himself, someone would come to finish him off, just like everyone else.

The wind stirred the trees as it passed through, leaves fluttering to land on the unmoving figures beneath the cherry blossoms. If it wasn't for the stench of copper in the air, the stillness of their chests and the sight of all that red, he could have pretended they were sleeping. He would have run to them, laughing a nervous laugh, shook them until they woke back up, but he knew they wouldn't. Somewhere, deep down, he knew he had lost everything dear to him. His family, his friends, everything worth protecting. All gone.

In his tiny hands, he gripped the paper that had called him out to this place. Mama and Papa are waiting for you, Takashi. Meet us at the usual spot. We'll have a picnic, won't that be fun? You like those so much. It wasn't a coincidence. Did that mean …? Before he could process the though, he heard a growl somewhere in the distance and realized too late this was a trap. He had walked happily straight toward his death.

Takashi ran, dropping the note as he went. If he was going to die, he wouldn't die here. He wouldn't die like they wanted! The wind picked up again and he followed it deep into the forest, behind the line of cherry trees that stood proud and tall at the entrance of his home. If he could make it through the forest, if he could reach that one place – he stumbled over a root, but he steadied himself and faced forward with determination. There was still something he had to do. His grandmother's last wish.

"Hey, brat."

Takashi pouted slightly because he was not a "brat". "What is it, baa-chan?" He received a whack to the top of his head, which he cradled with a whimper. "What was that for!"

"I thought I told you to call me Onee-sama!"

The twelve-year-old gave her a flat look. "You're too old to be one of those." Another whack and Takashi grudging said, "Sorry, Onee-sama. Could you tell me why you called for me now?" It was rare for Natsume Reiko, the head of the Natsume clan, to call anyone to her side. She pushed people away, further than anyone else, but Takashi knew she had a soft spot for her daughter. Perhaps not her grandson, though, or she would have held back with her fist of fury.

Reiko's beguilingly young face gave nothing away. "Do you know what a war is, Takashi?"

Immediately, he sat straighter and curled his hands into fists where they rested against his thighs. "I … yes, I do."

She studied him a moment longer before holding something out to him. "Hide this, and when you really need it, remember who gave it to you. Remember, Takashi. And use it well. You only get one chance. Don't waste it."

That had been a week ago, but it felt like years. Where was she now? Was she somewhere in the compound, alive and hiding? Or was she …? Takashi didn't want to think of it.

When the trees began to thin and houses came into view, he sped up, disliking how exposed he was out in the open. Something was chasing him and he didn't want to be caught. Not until –

"Why would I need something like this?" Takashi asked, confused, as held the paper charm with both hands. "A dagger or a knife would have been more helpful than this, baa-chan." He managed to dodge the next whack to the head, but he didn't see her other fist until it was too late.

"Don't talk back, brat. Just listen." Reiko shifted out of the harsh seiza position she always addressed her clan in and sat cross-legged instead, making herself comfortable. She didn't say anything about Takashi being allowed to do the same, so he maintained the expected posture without a word. Doing as he was taught, since he was a good child in spite of what his grandmother said. (Calling his grandmother Onee-sama certainly didn't count.)

Picking up a pipe from somewhere to her left, Reiko pressed it to her lips and inhaled. Colorful smoke billowed around her lips as she slowly let it escape. Reiko was thoroughly taking her time with explaining what she meant. Takashi tried hard not to fidget. He was a young boy, no matter how proper he was meant to be – he could only pretend for so long.

"A charm can be a lot of things, Takashi." The boy visibly brightened as she started to explain, eager to find out what was special about this mysterious gift. "Your imagination is the only restraint you need. You go as far as you want to go. But remember this as well: the further you go, the harder things become. Give yourself a push and you can accomplish anything. So, Takashi, answer me this: if you had the power to do anything, what would you do with it?"

Cocking his head to the side, Takashi brought his eyebrows together in confusion. "The power to do anything? Like Kami-sama?"

Reiko covered her mouth as she laughed, tears glistening in her eyes from pure amusement. "Yeah, right. Like I would give that kind of power to a brat like you, even if I could!"

"Then, what? What power am I supposed to use?"

"You tell me. Or better yet, show me what Natsume Takashi can do when he has nothing left to lose." Her smirk was a bit ominous, but Takashi left after the dismissal without putting up a fight. He would figure it out for himself.

It was now. Now was the time for him to show his grandmother what he could do. But first he had to make it to the small shrine in the center of the village. He had hidden the charm there, behind a lucky cat statue, and he wasn't going to give up on anything until he made it there. His vision was still clouded with the tears threatening to fall, but he ran without needing to see, already knowing where he was supposed to be.

Takashi stumbled a few more time in his haste, but he didn't stop. He wasn't about to let his pursuer catch up that easily. Not when the shrine was right there, almost within reach.

"Found you," a voice playfully whispered in his ear. He was shoved to the ground inches away from the shrine that would have been his salvation. "Good at running away, aren't you?" His hair was tugged, exposing his neck, and something sharp grazed his throat. "Just not good enough."

Takashi squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable pain. It never came. Instead, he heard a sigh from his captor and the blade fell into grass, streaking it a pale pink. "You're no fun at all," he heard the man mutter. Then his head was slammed against the ground and the world went white.

x-x-x

"I told you to bring him without using force, didn't I?"

The familiarity of that voice eased the tension in Takashi's bed-ridden form, even as he slowly regained consciousness. There was someone he knew here, someone he could trust.

"The damn brat almost made it to the shrine! What if he had awakened the great ayakashi that resides there?"

A dry, humorless laugh escaped the only one Takashi thought he could trust. And yet, that laugh made a shiver of doubt run down his spine. "That ayakashi is already under my control. There is nothing to fear from the fallen Natsume clan."

Fallen? Takashi didn't want to remember. He wanted to keep sleeping. He would rather forget that he was the only one left, which was somehow more painful than simply following them into death. How can I still be alive?

"Leave me," the familiar voice ordered. There was momentary reluctance as the other man complained, but the disobedience subsided when the first speaker asked softly, "Or would you prefer I show you the same hospitality that you showed our guest?"

"I'm going, I'm going!" The door slid open and then slammed closed, signaling the departure of the man Takashi suspected was his original captor.

"I hope you haven't forgotten about me, Takashi-kun." Something touched his cheek, pressing against his cuts, but it wasn't painful – nothing like the ache in his chest. "It's better this way, you know. Together, we can make the impossible happen."

Can we even bring back the dead? Takashi wanted to ask, but his voice was nowhere to be found. Only more useless tears fell from his closes eyes. He couldn't do anything right! Not in the past, and certainly not when it counted. So why? Why was he still alive?

"I see. Still pretending to be asleep. Well then, I'll let you get some rest if you truly wish for it." The tears drying on his cheeks were brushed aside, replaced with the warmth of a hand. "Sweet dreams, Takashi-kun."