The beginning

"You…you've killed your own mother! You monster!" roared the man in the house, kneeling over the woman's body. The boy stared in horror…his mother was dead, beyond his voice. The man let everyone in the village know that the boy had murdered his mother…the villager's let their outrage and hatred be known as they ripped his fragile wings to shreds, leaving only stumps behind.

The boy simply cried and cried, wishing that his brother were there to save him from this cruel fate. The older boy stood in shock as the villagers harmed his younger brother…he couldn't believe that they actually thought the boy had killed their mother. He was far too young to even harm a puppy, let alone a full-grown adult. Their ignorance blinded them from the obvious; if they found him then they would never rest until he shared the younger's fate.

He fled to the temple, praying that his brother would live.

-----

A month later, the other clan fled, determined not to let their fate be shared. The red head and violet-haired brothers ran, confused as to why they left their home behind. They never stopped until they reached the Temple of Solara, the oracle. The redhead was distraught as he realized he had left his mother's ring behind. It was an heirloom passed down…now his elder brother was attempting to soothe the younger's nerves.

"It'll be alright Dai…I'm sure we'll get it back eventually…" said the elder.

"But Hikari-nii…I don't remember where I lost it!" cried Dai.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll let you borrow mine…until we find yours. Don't forget, this isn't the first time that thing has been lost. We've always recovered it eventually, so it'll pop up again soon," said Hikari.

"Okay…nii-san…" sniffled Dai, starting to calm down.

-----

"You are a Hikawa, are you not?" said the cloaked oracle.

"Yes, Lady Lunara. I am Yami Hikawa, the eldest child of the Hikawa clan," said the elder brother.

"What of your brother, Yami? What has caused you to flee your very home?"

"Our mother was slain, and I know not of my brother's fate. Sato was…harmed by the villager's hate and ignorance."

"Your brother is alive…but his wings are another matter. It seems that he will never be able to soar as you. You are free to remain here, but it will come at a dire price," said Lunara, with a dark tone.

"Whatever the cost, I shall obey," said Yami.

"You are forbidden to leave the temple without my consent or order. You must never seek out your brother; he must come to the temple of his own will. You are now my servant and must obey my command. Is this clear, Yami?"

"I hear and obey, Master," said the boy in a toneless voice.

"Follow me…I will show you your new quarters. Welcome to my fold, Yami…" said Lunara coolly.

-----

Hiwatari was up to the usual; Sato had returned with a pitiful report from school. Even though he was the smartest child in the village, his performance grades were the worst in the village history. This was highly confusing for his teachers…he was from one of the most powerful magic clans in the kingdom; why was his performance in spell casting so horrible?!

"You disappoint me, son," said Hiwatari, angry.

"I'm…I'm sorry father!" stammered Sato, scared. (He knew when his father was angry that he would use magic on Sato.)

"You do know the consequences of a poor performance…"

"Father, please no! I don't want to use the barrier! Please don't…!" said Sato in horror. Hiwatari paid no heed to his son's cries of terror…he summoned a flaming ball of pain and shot it at Sato. The boy had his right hand up as if to defend himself…it was already blackened from previous attacks, and there was a circular wound in his palm. In the center of the circular wound was a blackened ring; it was almost identical to the one his mother had always worn around her neck.

After about an hour of nonstop fiery assault, Sato was on the floor, whimpering from pain. He tried his best to conceal his tears; if Hiwatari caught him crying from pain again he would renew his assault. He crawled bleeding to his room where he barricaded the door…though Hiwatari rarely came in there thanks to the wards on the door and windows. It was the true reason why his hand was so blackened and the ring embedded into his right hand. It had cost him dearly to set up the wards, but in his opinion, it was well worth the price to prevent his father from coming into his room.

"SATO! Get out here this instant!" roared Hiwatari from the other side of the door. Sato knew he had two choices; either he left his room and faced his father or stayed in the only safe place inside the house and face him later, most likely with worse consequences. His hand burned like there was no tomorrow and he could barely move from the pain. A surge of white-hot fire ripped across his back, emanating from what was left of his wings. He couldn't get up even if he wanted to; he lay there wincing from the agony. A shadow passed by the window, and he reminisced about how his life used to be when he was still a child without any problems.

He closed his eyes and drifted into a troubled sleep…

"Ready to try flying again, my Chibi Kage?" asked his brother. Sato had gained his wings a week earlier on his fourth birthday. He smiled as he said, "You bet, Yami-nii!"

"Come on then! After dinner we'll work on getting your wings to disappear so you can sleep on your back!" laughed Yami.

"Yay!" said Sato, happily.

"Come on boys, time for supper!" said their mother from the door. Sato and Yami raced each other to the house; Yami allowed his brother to beat him.

As they sat down and ate their dinner, Yami and Sato got into a mini-food-fight, much to their mother's dismay.

"Now, now boys! If you have a food fight you'll be the ones to clean it up!" laughed their mother.

"We can handle that, right Chibi Kage?" grinned Yami.

"I can handle it if you can, nii-san!" replied Sato, happily. He helped Yami clean up the mess, though thanks to that they weren't able to get Sato's wings to vanish. He slept on his side, as the wings made it impossible to sleep on his back.

Sato woke with a start. He didn't know how long he had been asleep, but he knew it was long enough as his father was finally asleep. He secretly took out a small journal, which was the only thing that kept him sane for the past five years since his mother's death. He took his pencil and started to write what had happened that day…with his left hand. His right hand had long since been rendered useless when it came to everyday tasks such as writing and picking things up. As he sat there in the moonlight, he felt eyes watching him from outside. He looked up to see…nothing.

Must have imagined someone was out there…

He turned back to his journal and wrote:

Today the usual happened. Everyone avoided me like the plague; they still believe I killed mother. It's been five years since that day, and it still haunts me. Father wasn't happy when he found out that my performance in school was abysmal as usual. Why does he always overreact to my magical abilities? I can't help it if using magic is harder for me than it is for the others. I wish he'd quit using fire magic on me when he sees my report from the teachers. My hand and back hurt enough after making those wards to keep him out!

If only…if only Yami were still around, then maybe things wouldn't hurt so much. There are times when I wished he wasn't dead or missing. He knew father before mother was killed; maybe he could stop him from hurting me for no apparent reason.

I dreamt about mother again…I'm starting to forget her face, as well as nii-san's. I…I miss them so much! And to make things even worse, I feel as though someone is watching me from the shadows! I hope they're not after me like everyone else… (Sato realizes too late that a few tears have fallen on the pages. Once again, the words are blurred slightly from the water.)

He closed his journal after he was sure that the page had dried properly and hid it inside his shirt. If his father ever found out about the book he would never rest until it was destroyed and Sato was punished. Sato couldn't understand why his father didn't like him making a diary; the first time he caught the boy writing one he flipped and nearly killed him! He sighed as he lay down again, knowing that if he fell asleep again his father would wake up before him and hurt him.

Sato had grown accustomed to waking up very early to ensure his father wouldn't have a chance to hurt him before school. Sleeping on what was left of his mangled wings was the only sure-fire way to keep from falling into any real sleep; he let his mind wander to his innocent past, hoping to lose himself in his memories.

His daze was broken as he realized that there was someone outside the window. He sat up, terrified. He had some peace of mind knowing it wasn't his father, who was still sleeping. He cautiously got up to look out the window and once again saw nothing. He could still sense the presence outside, and knew he wouldn't be able to rest until whoever or whatever was gone. (Secretly he hoped that the presence wouldn't leave, so he wouldn't have to worry about falling asleep.) Then the presence left, and he sighed. He lay down again, and knew that tomorrow would be even worse than today.

-----

"Yami, did I not say the day you joined the fold not to seek your brother out?!" growled Lunara, irritable.

"Yes, Master. But I did not seek Sato out; I merely came across my home and sensed a powerful Niri barrier across the windows and room."

"Impossible…the Niri clan has been dwelling in my sister's temple since your mother's death."

"I know what it felt like, and it was definitely Niri magic. I know not why Sato's room was enveloped in a Niri barrier. I had to investigate," said Yami.

"I will forget this little incursion this time, Yami…but should you ever do this again, I shall no longer protect you from the outside world."

"Understood, Master. It seems my brother believes the man he lives with is father," Yami commented.

"How can that be? I thought he was killed in a backlash of malevolent magic that he shot at you!"

"As did I…I think this man Sato calls father is an imposter," replied Yami.

"We must wait and see. Your brother will join us, though not for a few years now."

"What do you foresee, Master?" asked Yami, interested. (For some reason, he always finds his Master's prediction's interesting…)

"Five years and three months from today, your brother will seek the temple out."

(Actually, she speaks backwards whenever she gives out predictions. It took Yami a full year to become her official translator. So her prediction actually came out like this!)

"Tuo elpmet eht kees lliw rehtorb ruoy, yadot morf shtnom eerht dna sraey eviF."

"I do not believe Sato even knows where the temple is, Master. If he cannot find our temple, how will he join us?" asked Yami, concerned.

"When the day comes, I will allow you to lead him from the shadows. You must not approach him, or even allow him to know that I sent you to guide him. You will be permitted to use my dragons to show him the way," said Lunara.

"Thank you, Master Lunara…" bowed Yami, grateful.