Prologue:
A scream shattered the silence of the night. A little girl, no older than six, lay on the floor curled into a ball. Wine red eyes looked up through light brown bangs before burying her head against her knees. A door opened and someone ran to the little girl.
" Shh Kupa, it was only a dream," a female voice soothed.
Kupa looked up into the face of her adoptive mother, the turquoise eyes watched her carefully. Kupa grabbed a handful of her mother's golden blonde hair and wriggled further into the hug.
" Mama I'm scared," Kupa whimpered.
" Is she alright Leah?" a male voice asked concernedly.
" She will be Kane," Leah replied.
Kupa turned her head to see her father standing in the doorway.
" Papa can I sleep with you tonight?" Kupa asked timidly.
Kane laughed and nodded his head. Kupa sighed contentedly against her mama's shoulder.
Laughter rang in the garden as five children ran around. Three of the children had silver hair, one had silvery-orange hair and the last child had light brown hair. The light brown-haired child ran and hid behind a rosebush while the silver-haired children hid behind a lavender and honeysuckle bush. The silvery-orange haired child started counting.
" One, two, three," the young boy said.
Giggles filtered through the air before a shushing noise was heard. The boy smiled and kept counting.
" Nine, ten, ready or not here I come," shouted the boy.
He ran to the lavender bush and yells were heard as two silver-haired boys ran past where their parents sat, closely followed by the silvery-orange haired boy.
" It seems like Kaito likes Zero and Ichiru but is fiercely protective of Kupa and Phoenix," Leah said to her husband.
" I agree but the question is who will marry whom," Kane mused.
Leah made a small noise of agreement before turning to watch the boys running from the girls in a game of Team Tag. Leah and Kane chuckled at their children's antics before calling them for lunch.
" Kaito that's my seat," the silver-haired girl said meekly.
" Don't try that on me Nix it wont work," Kaito replied as he sat down.
Nix whacked Kaito on the back of the head before sitting next to one of the silver haired boys and across from Kupa who was sitting next to the other silver haired boy.
" She got you good Kai," the boy sitting next to Kupa teased.
" Shut up Ru," Kaito grumbled.
" Kids settle down, Ichiru you know better than to be mean to your brother and Zero please try to keep Phoenix from hitting anyone," Leah told her children.
"Yes Mama," they chorused.
Kane and Leah shared a bittersweet smile before eating their lunch.
Screams rang through the night as a silver-haired woman laid waste to a home. Two teenagers sat in a closet, one girl with hair black as ink and a boy with hair orange as the sun. Three silver haired teenagers, two boys and a girl, defended the other two by killing the Level E's that converged upon them. The female silverette looked to her companions, one of the boys nodded and she slipped unseen from the battlefield and went deeper into the spaciously large home.
" Why are you doing this Shizuka?" a worried male voice choked out.
" You killed my Adrian, so now I'm going to kill you," Shizuka purred menacingly.
The girl peeked around a corner and saw Shizuka holding up a silver haired male by the throat and watching the golden haired female warily.
" Mama, Papa," the girl screamed as she ran to them.
" No Nix, run away," her mother screamed.
" Nix," four voices called.
Nix turned to se her siblings standing at the beginning of the hallway, horror written on their faces. Nix turned back only to see Shizuka had disappeared.
" You are a brave little one," a voice purred softly.
Nix stiffened and whirled around to see Shizuka watching her curiously.
" Get away Shizuka," Nix growled.
Shizuka chuckled and circled around Nix. Nix turned with her circling to keep her in sight.
" Why are you so angry little one?" Shizuka asked.
" Why would you raise a hand against your kin?" Nix shot back.
" Kin, you're no kin of mine," Shizuka spat.
" We are cousins, we are kin," Nix screamed.
Shizuka snarled and her hand grabbed Nix by the throat.
" You killed Adrian," Shizuka whispered in her ear.
" We didn't," Nix choked out.
Nix kept her eyes on Shizuka's face even though black spots started to fill her vision and her lungs burned for air but ended up loosing the fight. Nix opened her eyes to see her family standing together. Nix motioned with her hand for them to flee but they stood their ground never moving an inch.
" You will all pay for what you have done," Shizuka whispered.
Nix wriggled and freed her throat somewhat but enough to choke out words.
"Run, don't look back run," she screamed.
The four teenagers and silver-haired man took off into the night and Nix let herself be taken on the winds of unconsciousness.
"Let my daughter go," her mother screamed.
Nix could barely lift a finger but opened her eyes as she hit the ground with a sickening thud. Air rushed into her starved lungs as she gasped and choked. Nix could only watch as Shizuka plunged her hand into her mother's abdomen, the hand sticking out the other side.
" Mama," Nix cried.
Shizuka dropped her mother and Nix crawled closer to her body. But as she reached her a foot connected with her ribs making her gag blood and collapse to the ground.
" Kane has gone with the children, you will never see them again," Nix's mother said.
" Mama, please don't say that," Nix whimpered reaching out a hand to grab her mother's outstretched hand.
A foot stomped on their joined hands and they cried out. Nix rolled onto her back a watched as Shizuka knelt down next to her.
" Leah Kiryu watch as I drink your daughter dry," Shizuka smirked.
Nix let go of Leah's hand and felt herself being lifted up once again. As Shizuka's head descended towards her exposed neck Nix readied herself and then as Shizuka was about to bite she lifted her knee into the other woman's stomach. Nix broke away and grabbed Shizuka by the hair, slamming her into the wall.
" You will leave my family alone," Nix screamed as she crouched over her mother's defenceless form.
" You have guts, maybe I won't kill you just yet," Shizuka mused before vanishing into thin air leaving a pool of blood as the only evidence to her being there.
" Mama," Nix exclaimed dropping to her knees by Leah's side.
" Phoenix I need you to be brave okay, hide your nature and change your looks," Leah whispered.
" Mama please drink at least live for me," Nix pleaded tears threating to fall.
" I can't, its my time to go but know that I will always love you Phoenix," Leah whispered before closing her eyes.
Phoenix screamed, all of her anguish filling this one, mournful cry. Carefully she gathered her mother's unconscious body into her arms and walked out of the house. As she reached the gate a shadow detached itself and walked towards her.
" What are you doing here Kupa?" Phoenix asked.
" To help you save Mama," Kupa replied wine red eyes shining with unshed tears.
As one the two girls walked away from the scene of destruction and desolation, never looking back, not knowing that they are sowing the seeds of an illusion, of a lie.
