Darkness before Dawn

Prologue

A young maiden, appearing to be in her mid twenties, laid on the cold, hard floor of her home. She was lying in a pool of thick, crimson liquid… she was laying in her warm blood. Her sapphire eyes showed that her life was slowly fading away, but the maiden… kept a small gentle smile on her face… only when she looked at her newborn son.

The woman turned her gaze to the two teenaged warriors-in-training, displaying another gentle smile- to show them that they should not worry about her. She knew she was going to die… nothing could change that. It was her fate… She didn't care about saving her own life…. She cared only about her son. She didn't want him to be killed so soon. She wanted him to live; she would do anything to protect him…

Long raven hair covered his blood red eyes, as he clenched his fists in anger. He couldn't take it anymore... he could keep watching this. He had to do something… 'It's the king's orders… I can't go against them…'the teen thought, his gaze locked on the floor he was standing on. Makato looked up from the ground, moving his feet to get close to the woman… but before he knew it- the guards caught him. They were holding him back from doing anything to help her. "Let me go!!! I need to do something!! She's gonna die if we don't do anything!!!" he exclaimed, trying to break free of the guard's hold. But his attempts were for nothing, he couldn't get free. He couldn't even get them to budge. 'They're to strong… I'm weak... I'm too weak…I can't save her…" he thought, feeling tears well up in his blood red eyes.

"Makato! Keep your mouth shut!!" the other teen shouted, glaring at his younger brother with his navy blue eyes. He clenched his blade tightly in his hand; about to fulfill the order he was given. "You are a fool to even try to go against your orders!!" he added, turning his gaze on the woman that was lying in front of him. He raised his blade slightly in the air, about to end this woman's life once and for all. She didn't show any signs of fear… not at the least.

Clunk! The sound of his sword dropping, echoed in the woman's ears. She couldn't believe it… she was being spared? The silver haired teen fell to his knees, appearing that he was about to cry at what he almost did. "I… I… can't do it… I can't…." he whispered, sinking his teeth in his lower lip. "I'm sorry…" he whispered sadly, looking up at the man who was walking towards him.

A man silently approached the fallen teen, crossing his arms across his chest. "Oh... you can't?" he asked with a small smirk. The man bent down, picking up the blade the young male had dropped earlier, grinning at the woman. "Any last words Akina…?" he sneered.

Her lips curved into a soft smile, looking up at the man. "Yup… if you're going to kill me… spare my child…" she whispered, still smiling at him.

He clenched his sword tightly in his hand, ready to kill her at any time. "Now, now… why would I do that?" he asked, seeming that he was having fun playing with her.

Akina's sapphire eyes widened in shock to what the man said, "B-but he's your son!!" She exclaimed, trying to hold back any tears.

"There's no way in hell he could possibly be my son" he stated simply.

"Please!! I beg you!! Let him live!! He's only a baby!!" she beseeched, as a tear escape her right eye.

Makato couldn't keep silent any longer; he wanted to say something… "Master!! Let him live!! Why are you even going to kill them?!!" Makato cried, trying to break free of the guard's hold yet again. 'The baby… the baby… I have to save him!!" the raven haired youth thought frantically. His master just gave him a cold glare, seeming that he ignored everything that came out of Makato's mouth.

"Die" was the last word Akina heard him say to her, before he thrusted the sword into her heart. Her piercing scream filled the area around her home, slowly dying out as her life drained from her seemingly frail body.

'Even after all this… I still… love you…." That was the maiden's last thought, as she closed her deep blue eyes in eternal sleep. It was hard to believe that this woman still loved the very man who took her life, and was about to take the life of her child.

"Now… for the brat" he mumbled, glancing at the sleeping child. He started to walk to the baby's crib, but froze when he felt another presence enter the room.

"Stop now... or I'll kill you"

The man turned around, looking at the man who was in the doorway at the moment. "Oh! Otsuke! So you came!" he said with a small chuckle.

The silver haired man walked over to the other older male, with a murderous glare in his eyes. "I got here to late… You killed Akina, and I am not going to let you kill her son" he hissed, about to draw his sword.

The man snickered, covering his mouth to muffle his laughter. "Now, how do you plan to do that? I doubt you can stop me Otsuke"

"I am more than confident that I can beat a weakling like you" Otsuke chortled, then smirked at the other male.

The man shrugged, "eh… I don't really care. Do what you want with the boy" he stated, walking over to the door to leave- followed by the two teenaged boys and his guards. "Might as well name the boy. Akina hasn't yet" he said with a smirk. "I may have spared that boy's pathetic life, but if he continues to live without a purpose… he might as well be dead"

"I'll give him a very good reason to continue living" Otsuke said with a grin, walking over to the crib. "Everyone has a purpose in life… like mine right now is to kill you" the man explained, glancing back over at the man.

"I look forward to the day we meet in combat" the man said, starting out the door.

"And I look forward to the day when a dragon bites your head off" Otsuke responded with a smirk.

The silver haired man gently picked up the sleeping child, causing him to wake up. The baby started to cry since he was woken up so suddenly, so the man started to rock him gently in his arm. "I'm sorry that a woke you little one…" he whispered in a soothing voice, finally getting the baby to stop crying. The baby smiled, giggling innocently- taking a piece of Otsuke's long silver hair, and started to play with it.

"Now… what to name you…" Otsuke said, mostly to himself. He glanced down at the baby again, "Hey! Kid stop! My hair is NOT a food!!" he yelled, pulling his hair out of the child's mouth. "You're so adorable…" he commented, placing his lips gently on the child's head. Otsuke glanced down at Akina's body, moving away from it so the child wouldn't see it. He would come back to bury it later…

He walked outside with the baby boy and gazed up into the celestial night sky "See that kid? Your mom's an angel now that will always be watching out for you. You got your own guardian angel now. Lucky you"

The baby giggled quietly, looking up at the man who was cradling him. Otsuke thought for a moment, "How does… 'Kouichi' sound?" he asked with a gentle smile. The baby boy smiled back at him, seeming to have liked the name that was chosen for him. "I take that as a yes…" he whispered, looking up at the sky yet again with Kouichi.