Chapter Three
"Mother, what you're saying isn't making sense," said Diva.
"Kekkai genkai… Uchiha clan… what are all of these things you talk about? This sounds like another world far beyond our knowledge."
"I know Diva. I wouldn't lie to you girls like this. It would make so much more sense if you had someone explain it to you… your father anyway… or maybe even Nathan."
"Mom, how did you meet dad?" asked Diva.
Onigen blushed.
"Well, um… oh dear…" she laughed. "Your father and I met at a lake. I remember it as though it were yesterday."
Germany, 1243
A stone skipped across the clear blue face of the waters, skimming, and then sinking to the bottom. Another stone followed suite and sank to the bottom just as fast. The young boy throwing the stones grew frustrated.
"This time… I'll make sure it reaches the other side of the shore."
He tossed the stone in the palm of his hand, pulled his arm back and threw it. This attempt was as much unsuccessful as the first and second attempts. His eyes glowed red from frustration. Someone giggled behind him. He paused just as he was about to pick up another stone; his eyes glanced over his shoulder.
"You have to be gentle… that's the trick silly boy."
A young girl around the same age as he was. She was a pretty girl with long dark hair, fair skin, and blue eyes. She wore a simple dress with sandals. Her long hair had been gathered into pigtails on either side of her head.
He glared at her. He hadn't seen her around before and the fact that she was even here irked him. He gripped the stone he held.
"Duh… like I already know that. I can reach the other side if I actually tried to… anyway, who the hell are you?"
The girl smiled, standing on her toes. "Hmm… well, you could say that I'm like you, a chiroptera, though I am a female and you're a male. I'm a Queen…"
She trailed off, staring at him. He had to be older than her. He wore simple robing and sandals, had dark eyes and dark spiky hair that was somewhat short.
"Answer my question! Who the hell are you?!"
"You can call me Onigen. Probably best if I don't give you my surname."
He raised an eyebrow at her name. It was odd for a female, especially a little girl.
"Huh…Onigen… take a close look! 'Cuz this time it'll reach!"
He gripped the stone harder, giving it a swift toss.
His throwing motion is similar to that of throwing shuriken… no doubt he's a trained expert…
The stone made three plops before sinking to the bottom much to his dismay. Onigen giggled. He pivoted at her, pointing accusing fingers.
"Idiot! You stood behind me on purpose didn't you?! You think just because you're a pretty face you could distract me, it's so obvious! I can't even take a leak if someone is standing behind near me! That's how aware I am of my surroundings!"
Onigen's lower lip quivered. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean it…" She sat on the ground, wiping her eyes.
The boy calmed down, laughing nervously. He hoped she wasn't really going to cry.
"Uhhh, relax… no need to get emotional and junk… I mean… I kinda have this bad habit of making excuses when I—I …"
"No need to explain… you just have a fragile ego…"
His face contorted in anger.
"Why you… I can't tell if you're sensitive or just a smartass…" he growled.
She hopped back to her feet.
"One thing is for sure, my mom has better aim than you when it comes to rock skipping."
"Keep that up and we'll see how well you skip across this creek!"
"I'd like to see you try. Didn't your daddy tell you not to harm girls?"
He balled his fists at her snide tone. "Man, you're pissin' me off! Leave. Now."
Onigen whipped her pigtails. She told him, "Fine. If you say so…"
She felt him tug the back of her dress.
"Hold on!" he exclaimed.
"Stop being indecisive… should I stay or should I go?"
He turned her around so that she wasn't facing the creek anymore. A body suddenly floated down, reeking of blood so potent no doubt she would smell it soon. He made her close her eyes as he leaped, waling over the water.
"Hey… what are you? I just heard you walk on the water. Why can't I see?"
He reached down, feeling the puncture wounds on the neck of the male.
"Chiroptera… it's best if I head home…"
"Chiroptera?" she said softly, eyes still closed and still not facing the creek.
He came back onto the bank, heading towards her. "You're a chiroptera?" she whispered.
"I'm Madara… not giving my surname to a stranger. It's a basic code of conduct for non-humans, especially chiropterans."
"I figured you were one. Can I open my eyes now?"
"Not yet…"
Onigen walked side by side with Madara. They were supposed to be heading home, yet she found herself staying with him longer than she should have. Her parents had warned about being off on her own, even if with children her own age. They were frightened humans would get to her, find out what she was, and use her as a test-subject.
Children chiroptera were innocent when it came to learning about humans. Parents of the vampiric children told them humans were foolish, mindless creatures; rats who walked upright who slowly ended their lives due to the reckless wars opposed on one another.
Onigen's father hated humans. His parents were hacked to pieces by humans when he was a child. And his hatred grew for them more and more. Her mother was the complete opposite. She liked humans having been raised by a couple as a child because her sister and parents were dead. Onigen had wondered where her species originated from and why they had such a blood-soaked past.
There weren't many of them left, especially the Kings of their species. The fact she met Madara was a blessing.
"Madara…?"
"Yeah?"
"There was a dead body in the creek, right?"
He remained silent until he finally replied, "Yeah. I didn't want you to see it. His blood was gone from his body…"
"Madara… do you have siblings?"
He nodded. "Why?"
"Nothing… it's nothing."
"C'mon, I'm all ears. Don't be shy."
"Don't worry about…"
"We'll be here all day…"
"No, really…"
"Damn you! I'm trying to be considerate and understanding here! So hurry up and spill your guts!"
"Well... you know how Kings and Queens are born with the primal theory and when they're old enough want to kill each other? I'm worried that my sister might kill me or me her. And I… it's been that way for years. Is it the same for you? Madara?"
He stopped. He headed back to the creek, she followed him.
He picked up a stone.
"I have four brothers… or rather had four brothers. They started killing each other as soon as they were my age. That's what it means to be a King. There can only be one on top or none at all. Death is always knocking on our door… especially you Queens. I don't know how… but maybe if we all just made an alliance… to avoid dwindling our species population… but that's just wishful thinking. I don't know… whether it's a part of our DNA to kill each other once we're outside of the womb…"
He swung his arm that held the rock in his hand. It made a beeline skim over the waters.
"Do you think that we'll ever be able to break the cycle? Of Chiropterans killing other Chiropterans and humans killing us as well?" she asked, smiling when the stone plopped and briskly jumped to the other side. Madara put a hand on his hip.
"You're not the only one… who wishes to make it on the other side of our bloodshed."
Onigen studied his face.
"You'll be an excellent leader someday, Madara-kun. A real legend."
She inched closer to him, kissing his cheek without the slightest hint of shyness. Madara reeled back and fell on his bottom. He cursed when a rock wedged into his back.
"Don't do that again!"
"It was only a kiss…"
"Kissing leads to other things!"
"Our personalities were like day and night… yet somehow your father and I were able to understand each other. I don't know, maybe because we met up at that creek that day. We made excuses just to see each other. It surprised me because I half-expected him to find a boy to hone his skills against rather than a female. But since I wasn't human and a female; he made do."
"You kissed dad? That's bold. And he reacted as though you'd stung him?"
"Your father didn't have much experience with the opposite sex, Saya. I was the first and only girl who did that to him…"
Onigen sighed happily. "He made my days worthwhile... every day we met up by the creek… we fought, we talked, we laughed; but seeing him was a holiday in itself."
Madara passed Onigen a cup of water.
"Never wavering… if we do that, adults won't ignore us, especially our parents."
"Yeah, they won't follow baby vampires like us. We'll start by focusing our training on our weak points… though I don't have any weak points per se…" Madara bounded off the huge boulder they were sitting on.
She heard a tinkling of water into a steady stream, and then abruptly stops. Onigen leaned over to where he was peeing, a playful tease curving her lips.
"You really can't drain your-"
"I told you I'm really sensitive to my surroundings!" he fired back at her.
"Looks like you have one weak point…"
"Say another word and you'll be swimming in my urine!"
"That's disgusting!"
They started laughing until they couldn't breathe. Madara blushed when she scooted over to him, her ponytail tickling his ear. She smelled good, too. She always seemed to be able to look nice without trying. She wasn't a girly=girl like most, but she wasn't quite tomboyish either.
"Hey, I want to show you something Onigen."
"Like what?"
He reached out his hand. She took it. They vanished together, gathering atop a flat head of rock overlooking the forest.
"It's beautiful up here. It's a view."
"I know for sure I got the superior vision."
"I have the superior vision, too." She boasted.
"Feel like having a contest?"
"Are you that confident in your eyes?"
"Bring it on."
At the same time they said, "After all, I have the Shar-"
Both stopped midsentence.
"Nothing… nothing."
"Yeah, same here."
There was a pregnant pause between them. Onigen played with her pigtails, glimpsing at Madara from time to time.
"What good is the… if I was really elite I could have protected my brothers from killing each other with their blood. What good is… what good is…"
Onigen remembered him obscuring her view from the corpse in the creek.
She cleared her voice.
"All of your brothers are gone?"
"I've got one younger brother… I'm going to protect him at all costs!"
"Madara…" she gently placed a hand over his, squeezing it.
"Someday, the cycle will be broken. I can see it, no bloodshed… a place where humans and chiropterans can exist, and go to school and learn much and see much. Someday I'm going to have a family… my husband will be noble, kind, brave, elite… my child—boy or girl—will live to never know the horrors of the battlefield…"
"Heh… I don't know if you're a visionary or insane. You're talking about kids already? I hope… ugh…"
The idea of her with another male made him slightly envious.
"Um… never mind. I'll be able to protect my brother…"
He squeezed Onigen's hand much to her delight. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Instead a melody that vibrated through the air, echoing. She closed her eyes, placing her other hand on her chest and continued to sing.
Madara became transfixed. He didn't know what it was, but he felt as though he were under a spell. It resounded in his mind.
When she stopped he whistled in approval.
"You have a nice pair of lungs there."
"Thank you…"
Meanwhile on the battlefield, Madara was struck by horror. He couldn't move because he felt a familiar chakra he knew too well. Even Hashirama didn't seem to interest him at that moment. It was the same chakra he made himself memorize and never forget.
This chakra… it couldn't be… Onigen…?!