Everything was covered in white on that freezing night of December. The snow was falling heavily. The 12-year-old boy stopped, his golden eyes terrified with the sinister view in front of him.
A girl, about his age, was holding a bloody katana on her hand. The red liquid stained the snow in slow drops. Next to her, an unknown body shred to pieces. Her scarlet eyes glared at him and she showed him a wicked smile inside the darkness of the silent ally.
Ryoma sat down on a jump, breathing fast and deeply. His alarm clock started to ring. It took him a while to press the button and silence the noisy machine. He took a long breath, before putting his hand on his forehead.
"That dream again." He told himself. The teenager rose from the bed and looked at the landscape outside. It was a beautiful spring day. He was already a 2nd year high school student.
Crossing the hallways of his home, he found himself still alone. His parents were traveling somewhere to work. After so many years of being by himself for long periods, he really did not mind.
He started with his daily routine. He had breakfast, washed the dishes, took a shower and changed clothes. He left the house at 8:30 and started to walk to school. Everything was filled with pink petals scattered everywhere. He arrived at Seigaku and entered the school grounds as the bell rang, quietly crossing the hallways to his classroom. While everyone was chatting, Ryoma was looking outside trough the opened windows.
It did not take long for the homeroom teacher to arrive. It was an middle-age man with a kind face. Ryoma finally looked ahead, uninterested. The class representative announced the teacher and asked them to raise and bow.
"Good morning, class. You can sit down." The kids obeyed. "We have a new student to join us today." He looked at the door. "You can come in."
Everyone was silent as seeing the new student. She had long red hair, tight on a ponytail and deep scarlet eyes. Her features were very delicate and she had a lean and fit body. Seigaku's green uniform made a beautiful contrast with her long hair. She stood in front of the class, seriously.
"Please, introduce yourself."
"My name is Ryuzaki Sakuno. I just arrived from Kyoto." She bowled politely. "It is nice to meet you."
Her voice was gentle, Ryoma noticed. The students were gossiping as the teacher showed her a place to sit and she sat down by his side. He analyzed her with the corner of his eyes.
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Syuusuke observed Kunimitsu walking one side to another from the front porch and he smiled, amused. Tezuka's arms were inside the dark blue yukata's sleeves. Drinking a warm cup of tea, he looked at the taller young man, the blue eyes closed with a satisfied smile.
"Such a worried big brother." He said, calling his attention. Kunimitsu gave up and sat across from him on the small table.
"Of course I am." Syuusuke poured him some tea. "It is her first time in a regular school, surrounded by people of her age. We do not have any idea of what she could do."
"Have a little more faith in Sakuno-chan. She is not a savage." Kunimitsu looked at him. "Well, maybe just a little." He leaned on Tezuka's shoulder.
"She was so sad as moving here. I thought she would never let go of Chichiue." He took a deep breath. "Hahaue was also holding back her tears."
"I know it sounds bad, but sometimes I am grateful for Kunikazu-sama's death." He touched Kunimitsu's left hand. "This kind of life already took so much of us."
"Do not. My own father feels the same. He never wanted me or Sakuno to be involved in such a thing. He did it because of my grandfather."
"It seems amazing that, by the end of the year, we are all going to be free." He smiled.
"You have a mission tonight, right?"
"Yes."
"It is the first time you are going without her in all these years." His arm was around his shoulders and he touched his soft light hair. "Are you sure you do not want me to find someone else to accompany you?"
"I am, don't worry." He closed his eyes. "I am going to end things briefly and return home as soon as possible."
"Okay, then."
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Ryoma was leaving school. He was feeling hungry and remembered the rice on his place was almost finishing. He took a small street to get into a convenience store. It was poorly illuminated. Looking down and with the headphones on his ears, as he was listening to music, he did not notice when a strange man started to follow him. A little before reaching the doors at the store, Ryoma felt a sudden pull on his backpack and the strange man was in front of him.
"Hey boy. Would you help me? I need so money."
"I don't have any." He said, with a straight face.
"So what about this pretty cell phone, hm?!" he pulled the object from his pocket, by the cords of the headphones. Ryoma tried to stop him, but the man put a knife on his neck. Be a good kid and let me have it."
Everything happened so fast. He remembered seeing the man's head being hit by an iron bar and his body tossed to the other side. Echizen's legs failed him as the girl grabbed the man with a bloody face from his shirt.
"What do you think you are doing?" she asked, calmly.
"Please…" he coughed blood with that simple word. He looked terrified, his nose was definitely broke. "I am sorry! Let me go."
"If I see you around here threatening students again, I will rip your lungs out." She smiled, rotating the iron piece on her hand before shoving it in a powerful move just on the side of his body. "Do you understand me?"
"Yes, yes!" he responded, his whole body trembling in panic. As releasing the man, she watched him running away in great speed. She dropped the iron bar and noticed the bloody splatters on her uniform.
"Onii-sama is going to scold me." She turned around as a strong wind blew the sakura petals around her. Sakuno looked at Ryoma's terrified face and noticed he was frozen on his spot. Walking to his direction, she grabbed his arm and pulled him close, to the almost complete darkness of a corner, the scarlet eyes investigating the golden ones as she pushed him against the wall.
"I know you. You are from my class." her calm voice and expression made her look even more dangerous under such circumstances. "What is your name?"
"Echi…Echizen Ryoma." His heart was racing. He saw her moving her free hand and he closed his eyes, afraid she would hit him too. But, she only pushed his dark bangs to better analyze him. The teenager released his arm and smiled at him. How could she seem so normal after completely smashing a guy's face?!
"I am sorry I scared you. Please, do not talk about this with anyone, okay?"