The name first appeared on his chest when he was fourteen, a few months before his next birthday. Masato had frowned and tried to ignore it, but the damage was already done. He knew he couldn't escape the inevitable; he would have to be the Sacrifice of a Fighter, like it or not.
When he was eight, he remembered asking his grandfather why his father was so harsh on him ever since he turned three. As the first born child, Masato learned that aside from being groomed as the heir of the Hijirikawa Corporation, he had also been subtly trained to endure the physical hardships a Sacrifice would face during Battles. However, he was never given the reason why he had to become a Sacrifice. He wasn't even sure what a Sacrifice was supposed to do, or what Battles were; any and all questions he asked were ignored, and each time he dared to even flick his tail at his father, his training schedule increased tenfold.
A few months after his eleventh birthday, Masato held his newborn sister Mai in his arms. It was the first time in ages since he smiled from his heart, and the last time he would ever smile. His mother had fallen sick a few weeks after Mai's birth, and she was confined to her room as doctors were called in to treat her to their best ability. There was nothing he could do but wait and see if fate was kind to his mother and his family.
Fourteen years and a few months since his birth, the word 'worthless' appeared over his heart, dark red and looking ready to bleed. Scowling, Masato's cat ears flicked back and forth, the tip of his tail twitching in agitation.
"Worthless? Is this a joke? I am not worthless. I have proven myself as a capable heir. I will make Father and Mother proud of me."
