Hi! So this is the first work I've written in a while, but I recently watched a play-through of the game which has sparked the writing bug. Hope you enjoy!

The characters and overall plotline of the story belong to Sanada Makoto.

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Prologue

Two children sit together in a field, a forest looming in the near distance. It is a late summer afternoon, a caressing breeze swaying the tall grass which seems to surround them without end. The girl is speaking animatedly, arms raised and waving dramatically as she tells a story to her companion. Her friend, the boy, quietly listens to her, commenting now and then as his hands delicately weave a crown from the wildflowers which pop through the dense sea of foliage.

"...And so, with his friends the rat and the rice girl, the cat never again felt lonely... and they lived happily for the rest of their days." the girl finishes, giving a sigh as her tale is complete. Her arms drop to her sides as she stretches out on the ground, causing the boy to suddenly pause his clapping as a loud CRACK disturbs the air. "Please don't do that, -chan, you'll hurt yourself." the boy exclaims, his soft voice tinged with concern. Unaffected by his words, she finishes stretching her back and shoulders before responding to his words, resulting in the boy wincing once more as a few more CRICK's and CRACK's are heard. "You worry like an old man- it doesn't hurt at all." the girl says blithely, the boy's face reddens in mild indignation at her reply. "It sounded painful... and someone has to worry about things, since you don't worry about anything, -chan." he explains in a huff, but any disconcertedness in him (Real or not) vanishes at the blank expression that washes over his friends face.

For a long moment they stare at each other, the boy becoming increasingly flustered as she watches him patiently before she finally cracks him a brilliant smile. "Oh -kun, that's sweet of you, you know that?" she tells him, but if anything he grows even more red faced before rubbing his eyes. "You shouldn't do that, -chan..." he whimpers, and upon realizing that her friend was crying the girl feels a pang of confusion and hurt that she had yet again reduced him to tears without even trying. "You're such a crybaby, -kun... it's ok..." she teases gently before leaning over and hugging the boy, who continues to cry for a minute or so for reasons he himself doesn't understand.

Eventually, when the boy's sudden outburst of sobbing is reduced to the occasional sniffle, the girl gives him a final reassuring rub on the back before releasing him from her embrace. His normally pale face is still brighter than a tomato, but he manages to get his words out. "We should probably head back home, -chan... it will be dark soon, and father and the others will be worried." he says, the words muffled by the sleeve he's rubbing against his face. The girl makes a face, but still decides to get up from her comfy place in agreement- trying to convince her friend to stay a bit longer might make him cry again, and she was not going to have her parents scold her about being more gentle when playing with -kun.

The girl offers the boy her hand and helps pull him up. With one last look at the indents their bodies made in the tall grass, the two of them proceed to make the short walk back to the mansion that was home. Their hands interlocked, the girl nearly drags the boy along with her endless bounty of energy, but a small smile can be seen across his flushed face as he struggles to keep up with her. Neither of them are aware of the figure watching them from the edges of the woods. The being is nearly transparent in the sunbeams which penetrate the forest canopy, and if one were to gaze in its direction, they might think the light was blurring their vision. No one had noticed the subtle smile gracing those thin lips and the soft whisper which slipped from them like a lullaby.

"My cute, cute child."

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AN: So that's the prologue... hope to get the first chapter up by the end of the week/ weekend, but we'll see how it goes.

Let me know what you think!