Chapter One

It was a lovely day in early spring. As the sun reached the center of the sky, Yukino cupped her hand over her brow to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight that turned the grass hill she laid upon a brilliant yellow-green. Yukino rolled over onto her stomach, using her arms as a head rest, and let the sun beat down onto the back of her white dress. She closed her eyes and could the faint sound of human voices in the distance. One of them undoubtedly would belong to her mother, who at this time of day would otherwise be bustling about the kitchen getting supper ready. But today was different and instead of preparing meals for four, her mother would prepare meals for almost three hundred, along with the other women in charge of cooking.

Today was special indeed, for tonight would be the night of the annual Festival of Stars.

Yukino and her sister Sorano looked forward to the festival every year. To celebrate the founders of their clan, the Zodiac Clan, were guided by the stars to the land, which they made their home, all of the clan would come together and eat, dance, sing, and play games until sunrise. They would also honor the spirits of the Zodiac by wearing blue, purple, white, and singing songs dedicated to them. What Yukino loved most about the festival was how the stars always seemed to shine brighter than usual, as if they were obliged for being honored. Ever since she was a child, Yukino had been mesmerized by the stars sparking in the night sky. She would reach out to them, trying to touch them, not knowing they were far out of her reach. Though she couldn't touch them, they had touched her heart.

"Yukino!" A voice that sounded like bells suddenly reached the young girl's ears. Yukino rose up and smiled at the sight of her lovely big sister. Though lovely would be an understatement; Sorano was known throughout the clan for her beauty and angelic grace. There were some who thought of her as angel. The way her long, light-colored hair seemed to glow in the sunlight gave off the impression of angelic aura and it was enough to make most men weak.

"Goodness, you're a mess!" Sorano said as she placed her hands on her hips and shook her head at her younger sister. Yukino looked down at herself; her once-clean white dress was now covered with grass stains. Her bare feet were brown with dirt and she suspected her hair was messed up, too.

"Honestly, you ought to have a little more self-respect," Sorano said. "Laying around in the dirt is for pigs. You're not a pig, are you?"

Yukino brushed grass off her dress. "I was lying in the grass, not the dirt."

Sorano frowned. "Not the point. Oh, never mind, it's time to get ready anyway. Let's go back to the house and get you cleaned up."

She turned and started to walk through the thicket of trees that stretched out to surround the grassy field where Yukino's hill sat. The young girl scampered to catch up with her sister and walked alongside her.

"I do know what you mean," Yukino said. "But I can't help it if I like running barefoot and lying in the sun. Don't you remember when we used to race each other barefoot in the field and go swimming in the pond?"

"Yes, but I'm not a child anymore and neither are you," Sorano said without looking at her. "You're eighteen and you know mother wants you to start acting your age if you are ever to get married."

Marriage, that's all every girl in Yukino and Sorano's age group thought about. To them, getting engaged was more thrilling than anything they could think of. And so they spent most of their time hanging about places where they were sure to be young men in hopes that they were looking to get married. This was not the case with Yukino or Sorano, although the elder sister had a handful of suitors to choose from.

"Speaking of marriage, if you don't choose a husband soon, I think mother will choose one for you," Yukino said.

Their mother had been urging Sorano as well as Yukino to start courting young men but so far neither of them had done what she wanted, and Yukino knew that their mother was getting impatient and would want them to get married soon. Arranged marriage was a possibility that hung in the air.

Sorano waved her hand at the comment. "I'll get married when I'm good and ready. Mother will just have to wait."

"You're no better than me," Yukino said with a smirk. "In the end, you're just not ready to grow up either, are you?"

Sorano let out a humph and the two continued on their way to their house in silence. The sun began to set and the festival would soon begin. From the window, Yukino saw lanterns being hung up and tables being laid out as she sat in a tub filled with warm water. As soon as she was clean, Yukino dried herself off and Sorano helped her change into a light blue dress that was sleeveless and stopped just above her ankles.

As her sister brushed her short, light-colored hair, Yukino regarded her reflection in the mirror in front of her. Though many thought her very pretty, Yukino could not help but feel plain next to her sister. In her light-colored lilac dress, Sorano resembled a maiden from one of the paintings of their clan's earliest culture, who looked like she had descended from the heavens. Compared to her, Yukino presumed she looked ordinary.

"There," Sorano had finished brushing her hair and bent down to her sister's height in her chair. "Now you look lovely…what's wrong?" She caught sight of Yukino's expression in the mirror. The young girl always admired the way her sister could tell when something wasn't right, even when things seemed normal.

Yukino sighed. "I just can't help but feel…average-looking next to you."

"Nonsense," Sorano's arms went around her sister's neck. "You're as pretty as a spring flower. Don't believe for a minute that you're average-looking. But if it will makes you feel any better, I'll try not to stand next to you too much. "

Yukino giggled. "You know that I would want you by my side no matter what."

Even if Yukino felt inferior to her big sister, the two shared a bond that neither of them would dare to sever. Yukino looked up to and admired Sorano a guide of sorts, and Sorano in return adored her. Sometimes Yukino felt like she loved her sister more than she loved her parents.

Just as they hugged, their mother came bursting through the door wearing an apron covered in flour with her face just as white.

"Mama, you look-," Sorano started but their mother stopped her.

"No time, we need to leave. Now," she said frantically.

Both of her daughters looked at each other and, just as they were about to ask why, a terrified scream came from outside. The glass window pane suddenly shattered as a bright and warm ball of light came crashing through, causing the girls to gasp. As the light landed on the floor, the wood soon caught fire and Yukino barely had time to pull away from it.

"Get outside! Quickly!" Her mother cried. Sorano grabbed her sister by the hand and let her out of the house. The smell of smoke reached Yukino's nostrils as she stepped outside. Lanterns had been knocked down and the flames they carried were spreading quickly across the earth. Frightened women ran past them, pulling their children behind them as they ran to get away from the flames.

A large explosion suddenly burst in front of the three of them, throwing them back. Yukino cried out and landed on the ground next to Sorano. She lifted herself up and saw her mother lying still on the ground in front of them.

"Mama!" Both Yukino and Sorano cried out and scrambled over to their wounded mother. There were brown and red marks all over her chest, she had taken most of the hit. The tears welled up in Yukino's eye as the color of her mother's face began to turn a horrific white.

"No, she can't be…," She whispered and choked back a sob. Sorano covered her mouth as tears fell from her eyes.

Another explosion went off and the two girls were forced to flee from their dead mother, their hearts heavy with grief. More explosions went off behind them as they ran deep into the thicket. Yukino glanced behind her and caught sight of an elderly man with white hair and a long beard. Beside him were two younger men; one with long spiky blond hair and the other with a long black hair tied in a clothed ponytail and black side burns. She felt a chill down her spine as she watched the three men step over bodies that were sprawled over their path. The elder man raised his hand and a strange rune circle appeared before. Before Yukino had time to gasp, a large explosion came at her and Sorano and sent them flying. The young girl landed with a thud on the ground, but the fall had little impact on her and she rose quickly to look for her sister. Yukino froze when she spotted her lying still on the ground several feet away from her. In an instant, she was at Sorano's side and lifted her beloved sister's body into her arms. Sobbing, Yukino pleaded with the older girl to open her eyes but to no avail. Sorano's beautiful face became as pale as their mother's, causing Yukino to wail as tears fell heavily from her eyes. Her sister was gone…her mother was gone…Yukino's heart was shattered.

For what seemed for like a long time, she didn't move. She couldn't move, her legs were glued to the earth. Yukino no longer heeded the danger around her, the sounds of her people shrieking in terror, or the smell of the houses being burned down. She just sat there, holding the body of her sister, until it was silent.