Hello new story, couldn't done without Mxn1fan~. She's my Beta 'The best' may I add~ Enjoy

~=Water_Maiden=~

Izaya covered his delicate ears from the horrid screams outside. Not too long ago, he was doing his Kusemai lessons with his mother when Daiki, one of the Shrines Samurai, had dashed in, telling them that it was not safe and that they needed to go. Immediately, he was dragged by his wrist to one of the storage rooms at the far east of the Shrine. There, Daiki had hidden him in a small closet telling him to not move or make a sound until he came back.

A few hours had passed and there was still no sign of him being back. No one was there to keep him company and assure his safety, which left Izaya alone and scared. Sniffling quietly to himself, he rubbed the salty tears away with the sleeves of his pure white suikan. He wished that the Samurai would come back and take him away from the this horrid place.

"AHHHH!"

Tears slid down his cheeks at the multiple cries of pain from outside. 'He can't leave me here! Not by myself!' His thoughts were cut off by sound of the door being slammed open. Hasty sounds of clogs clanked against the floorboards, along with a booming voice.

"It's in here boys, I can feel it!"

The voice was gruff, but it had an intimidating tone, giving Izaya the idea that he was the commander.

"Search every single shelf, crate, and pot in this room! We must find it!"

At his command, the intruders started searching the place for 'it'. He huddled in the corner, away from the doors of the closet. Their shadows moved across the floor, as he peeked through a small crack in the wood. Putting his hand over his mouth, he began to shake violently, his fear growing as each second passed. The whole storage was ruined, shelves were knocked over, crates were opened, and pieces of broken pots were scattered on the floor. He turned away from the crack and buried his head in his knees. Their search was interrupted by a small voice, catching their leader's attention.

"Avrima, sir, there seems to be another group of Samurai heading towards this direction."

"What do I care, we'll just kill them on sight!"

"But sir... It's the Buraddihōkusu."

The last few words were whispered frantically. All movement had stopped abruptly in the room, suspense filling the air. Whoever the 'Buraddihōkusu' are, they were probably dangerous, telling from their reactions. Clearing his throat, the leader spoke.

"It seems that our search has been cut short, men. Those damn Samurai are heading this way. Move out!"

Surprisingly, they didn't make a single sound as they left, leaving him to wonder if they were just faking their exit or not. He cautiously opened the closet doors, not making a sound. Popping his head out, he observed the room for any other human being that could be hiding. He crawled out slowly, slightly shivering from what had happened. Shuffling quietly, he stepped towards the doors and inhaled deeply.

He slid it open, which revealed him a sickening scene. Countless bodies of men, women, and children laid scattered on the ground, as their blood surrounded them like a pool. Izaya felt a wave of nausea come over him, holding himself up against the doors of the storage room. He used his other hand to cover his mouth, preventing himself from puking.

Did the blood curdling screams come from these innocent people?

Izaya found it harder and harder not to faint with the idea that this could've been him if Daiki had not brought him in the storage room. Now that Izaya was thinking about the man, he surely had to find him. The Samurai might be with his mother somewhere...

Pulling himself straight, he stepped around the bodies trying his best not to step on them or their blood. Managing his way through, he walked into a hall where the floors were painted a dull red. One side included sliding doors, that led to smaller rooms where some of the priest-in-training would practice. On the other side, it showed the outdoors. Quickly, Izaya ran through the halls with a sharp turn for every corner, until he reached a path that led to the main area of the shrine. Pushing through a large pair of decorated mahogany doors, he stepped out to an open bridge that crossed over a small, flowing stream.

Some parts of the bridge were burnt and turned to ashes, though not enough to completely disable him from crossing. Walking carefully across the bridge, another pair of large doors appeared. Pushing them open, they made a hollow groan. Rays of moonlight slowly lit up the darkness of the room. A rush of putrid stench assaulted Izaya's nose. In the middle of the floor laid two bodies. Taking a timid step closer, he discovered that they were the bodies of Daiki... and his mother. Wide-eyed, he dropped to his knees and shook his mother's shoulders.

"Hahaoya?" He whispered meekly. His eyes began to mist over with salty tears.

"No! No! No! Please! Not Hahaoya..."

He ceased from shaking his mother's frail body and grasped her hand in his. Bringing it to his cheek, he could feel how cold her skin was. Questions started forming in his head, unconsciously tightening his hold on his mother.

Why? Why had they come to the shrine? Izaya's face contorted with frustration. They had murdered so many people that he had known ever since he lived here. And for what? To not find anything in the end. To run away like cowards when they heard of another group coming this way. A sudden realization dawned on the boy. What was he to do, now that he was alone? The last thing he would ever want is loneliness.

Looking back at his mother, he saw that there was no chance of her being alive. He then turned his attention to Daiki, whose sword laid inches away from his hands. This man, for he was sure, had tried his best protecting his mother. Izaya knew there wasn't a single thing that he wouldn't do to protect her.

The sound of footsteps came closer to him. His body began to stiffen up at the memory of the men who were at the storage room. He tried to decide whether or not it would be wise to stay and risk his life, since he couldn't stand the idea of leaving his mother behind. As the men neared closer, Izaya came to a conclusion and took the golden necklace that his mother wore. In the center of the necklace was a round gem the size of a marble, the color of ultramarine.

He placed it in the pocket of oguchi, and stood up shakily. Walking to where Daiki was sprawled, he bent down and took his sword. "Forgive me for taking your symbol as a Samurai away from you." With a small prayer for his Mother and Daiki, he made an exit through the small round window at the back.

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