-

"Hikaru!!" Her eyes shot wide open in horrid realisation, dimly aware that there was no way that her son would be able to come out unscathed from this incident.

The car screeched as the driver stomped on the brakes frantically, trying to swerve out of the path of the oblivious child; not succeeding as the side mirror of the car slammed onto the unsuspecting 6-year old child, the tires trampled mercilessly upon the child's legs.

All of that happened in a spilt second. Mitsuko stared upon the scene with growing horror. Bile threatened to rise from her stomach when she saw the pool of blood expanding, slowly, from beneath a tire of the car.

"Call the ambulance!!"

-

Hours ticked by, Mitsuko turned her tired eyes towards the operating theatre, stared at the unblinking red light above the door, as if in mockery of her. She wanted to sleep, she really did. But every time she closed her eyes, the image of Hikaru, her beloved son, lying still; unmoving, beneath the car brought fresh tears and a new wave of fear to her heart.

The red lighted flicked a few times before finally fading. The door to the operating room opened and the doctor in-charge walked out, face grim.

"No. It can't be. No." Mitsuko shook her head as beads of tears leaked out.

"I'm sorry, Shindou-san. Although we've managed to save your son's life, but…I'm afraid he'll never be able to walk again." The doctor bowed his head in respect, apology and great sadness, before walking off, far too used to these sights.

"Hikaru… Not my baby...Oh Kami-sama." She wept, both for herself and the forever ruined future of her son.

-

She opened the door as silently as possible, peeking in to look at the condition of her son. His pale baby face, dressed in comfortable clothes, surrounded in a sea of white looked back up at her. Everything seemed fine, except for the horrible fact that he would never be able to walk again. Never to run about with other kids, playing, having fun. He'll forever be confined to a wheelchair.

Hikaru stirred, eyes squeezing shut for a moment before opening, "'Kaa-san? Daijoubu?"

When his mother didn't reply, only shaking her head and continuing to cry, Hikaru became confused, and tried to walk towards his mother to comfort her. Only to find out that he was unable to move his legs.

In his panic, Hikaru had succeeded in unbalancing himself, almost falling off the bed, if not for his mother's timely save. "'Kaa-san?? What's goin' on?"

"Gomenasai. Gomen, musuko." She whispered out, attempting to comfort her distraught son.

-

A year later…

"Okaa-san, why doesn't the other kids want to play with me?" Hikaru looked up to his mother, eyes filled with unshed tears, illuminating those yellow orbs of his.

Gazing lovingly at the wheelchair bound son of hers, she smiled kindly, refusing to answer, rather, changing the subject. "Hikaru-kun, how would you like to go to your jii-san's house for a while?"

"Honto?" His grandfather was always kind to him, giving him sweets and showering him with all sorts of affection. Not that he hated his grandmother, but he definitely preferred his jii-san.

"Hai." Hikaru's mother smiled. She stood up and pushed Hikaru's wheelchair towards the direction of their house. "Why don't we go home and pack the things you'll need?"

"Hai!!" Hikaru replied cheerfully, his previous sadness forgotten, for the time being. Using both his hands, he pushed himself forward, easily outstripping his mother, before turning back for a moment and sticking out his tongue playfully. "Bet you can't catch me, kaa-san!"

-

"Hikaru-kun? Daijoubu?" His grandfather's gentle voice shook him out of his stupor he was trapped in when he first set his eyes upon the luscious green garden of his.

The green grass, blooming flowers, great wise branches of the Sakura tree, all swaying in tune to the pattern of the winds. The koi in the pond, colourful insects, the melodious chirping of the birds, all brimming with a liveliness that Hikaru sorely lacked, ever since that accident. Not to mention, ever since the other kids found out that he was wheelchair bound, they started shunning him, widening the gaping void in his young heart, exposing his young mind to the cruelty of humanity at a young age.

"Daijoubu." Hikaru looked upon the peaceful scene before him enviously, tears springing to his eyes.

"Hikaru? Hikaru!" His grandfather knelt down beside him worriedly, allowing his grandson to cry quietly on his elderly shoulders, letting lose the well of sadness and frustration he held.

"Why do the other kids hate me, grandpa? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" Hikaru sobbed out.

"No, you didn't. The other children don't understand what you are going through. They are unable to accept what they don't understand, Hikaru. Give them time." Heihachi, his grandfather comforted him.

Kneeling down to look eye to eye with Hikaru, he smiled when he saw his beloved grandson starting to calm down.

"Why don't I take you to explore the attic? There's a really cool Go board there, you know."

"Go…board? What's that?" Hikaru asked, wiping his tears from his eyes, looking at his grandfather with new-found curiosity.

"You don't know what Go is?? Oh, what is this world coming to?" Heihachi mock exclaimed, eliciting a burst of laughter from Hikaru.

"Come on then. Why don't I explain to you what Go is about as we make our way to the attic."

-

His grandfather had surprising strength for a man his age, able to carry both Hikaru and his wheelchair up the steps of his storehouse, before gently putting him down when they've reached their destination. Checking to see if Hikaru was hurt, the paranoid grandfather just had to reassure himself before allowing Hikaru to travel around his attic.

Spotting a Go board, similar to the one his grandpa had in his living room, Hikaru felt strangely attracted to it. Feeling as if he was in a trance, Hikaru slowly wheeled towards the board, brushing the dust off it, before gently caressing the bloodstains on the board. Never once hesitating.

"Can you hear my voice?"

"What?" Hikaru snapped out of the trance, head shooting up, trying to locate the source of the voice, attracting the attention of his grandfather.

"You can hear my voice, can't you?"

"Who…Who are you?" Hikaru whispered out, terrified.

"Hikaru? Who are you talking to?" His grandfather asked as he approached his grandson, "There's no one here, Hikaru."

"I found someone."

"I've finally found someone."

"Jii-san. What's happening?! Why am I hearing someone's voice??" Hikaru half-shouted, panicking, on the verge of tears.

"Hikaru? There's no one here." He then took Hikaru by the shoulders and gently shook him, hoping to snap him out of whatever he is trapped in.

"The gods before me, I thank you. I…I will now once again…return to the living world."

Hikaru's breath suddenly caught in his throat as a regal white robed figure appeared before his very eyes. His startling purple hair, contrasting greatly with the white robes, a tall hat, matched with his equally sharp and piercing violet eyes.

"Hikaru! Hika- "

The rest of the world just simply faded away, the figure disappearing as mysteriously as it came, and Hikaru slumped down on his wheelchair, unconscious.

-

-

Musuko: Son

Gomenasai/ Gomen: I'm sorry/ Sorry

Honto: Really?

Daijoubu: Are you okay?

Kami-sama: God

A/N: Hope you liked the prolouge.