DragonSpace03 DragonSpace03
Homura: Unintention


Do you know why the elders are always so afraid when two flamecasters are born in a single generation? There is Rui's case, but mine is far worse.

My brother Setsuna reminded me of the sky with his white hair and blue skin, just like the white clouds coalescing in one corner of the blue sky.

I was eight at that time, walking along the corridors of my father's house when I overheard my parents conversing with the village elders.

"Your elder son, Setsuna, is a threat to all of us. We have to do something about it."

"But we can't get rid of him. He is the only one of our children to display flame-casting abilities so far."

"Please, give us some more time. We may be able to mould him into a Hokage leader yet," my mother pleaded.

I continued walking, until I was in the backyard. There, I saw my elder brother Setsuna. His fingers painted in blood, he was stuffing something into his mouth...a chicken, judging from the brown feathers on the ground; probably strangled and eaten it straight.

"Want some?" He held out a chicken leg to me.

I shook my head, and watched as he went back to eating, tearing the flesh apart with his pointed teeth. My brother was five years my senior, yet he was much bigger than the other thirteen-year-olds in the village. He was impatient, never staying focused long enough during his training, and then running off to pick fights. The villagers called him the "cursed flame caster" and the "savage", for apart from his...unusual colouring, he was explosive. Just shooting a glance in his direction could earn one slashes on the limbs, as many boys had found out. The unlucky ones would suffer burns.

"I'm not hungry. I'm going back into the house." The messy sight of the dead chicken was disturbing. Not that I'm easily nauseated, but I maintain that food should always be properly cooked before consumption.

As I walked to my room to get my whip for a spot of practice, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation again.

"Your efforts to discipline him are not working."

"One more chance. The next time he hurts anyone out of malice, he will have to go."

Later that day, I tried to warn my brother. Tried to get him to tone down, to become more human, to become one of us. He laughed. And sliced off half of a tree with his claws. He walked off after that. My efforts were in vain, as they had always been. Apart from my parents, I was the only one my brother wouldn't hurt. We were sparring partners, and I found counteracting his unpredictability and speed excellent training for myself.

That night, my second uncle burst into my father's house, accompanied by his wife. "Look what your precious son has done," he spat at my father. "My son is not the only one." In his arms he carried my cousin Haruki. Limp, ashen and covered with bloodstains, it looked like the boy was dead.

The village elders followed soon after. In the dim light of the candles*, I saw my father harden his face. "We will look for Setsuna and bring him back. Tonight, we will decide what his punishment will be," he said in a heavy voice. "You will stay behind, Homura."

I watched as half the grown men in the village ran out in orderly lines, armed with torches and their personal weapons: swords, knives, arrows...to kill my brother. Is this right? Will killing him bring anyone back to life? I questioned them silently. Breaking away from my mother, I ran out into the night. I knew my brother's hideout; I only prayed that I could get there before the men did. Then, I could warn him, and persuade him to leave the Hokage village forever and never come back.

The long blades of grass slapped my calves as I ran. In the dim moonlight, I made out the outline of my brother's cave. I entered. The stream of moonlight flowing through the entrance focused on some spherical glistening objects on the rocky floor...were they...eyeballs? Steeling myself, I looked around.

My brother sat on the floor licking his fingers. I didn't want to know what he had been doing. "Hi there, Homura," he hissed, like he always did.

"Listen, they're after you. You've got to get away-"

"We've found him!" A man's voice shouted. The cave brightened as the men and their torches neared the opening.

So fast...was I followed? I stood in front of the cave, arms outstretched, trying to protect my brother. The Hokage was hunting down one of its children; that didn't feel right to me.

My father stepped into the cave, the strongest elders close behind him. "Get out of the way, Homura. You're too young to know anything."

I didn't budge.

My father nodded slightly. One of the elders shot out from behind and grabbed hold of me, locking my arms behind my back. I cursed silently. As long as Father's around, Setsuna can't fight against him...he's defenceless...

I saw my brother looking around wildly, for some route of escape. It's not his fault that he doesn't suit this world; I've got to do something! My heart started to beat faster, like it was forcing all the blood in my body into my right arm. I felt my arm get warmer and warmer, like it was on fire. It wasn't an uncomfortable heat; I could feel it and acknowledge its presence, but it did not hurt at all.

And then, something flew out of my hand, and I was suddenly free from the elder's hold. Bringing my hand in front of me, I saw a flaming glove of fire enclosing it. Dazed, I stared at my hand. Me, a flame caster? The second one in a generation?

I looked up at my father. His eyes widened, but closed for a brief period of meditation. Then, he set his jaw and narrowed his eyes. In a steady voice, he said, "I have changed my mind. Tonight, we will kill Setsuna for the good of our village."

My father called out his flame, and I found myself trapped in a force-field. Through the shimmering orange wall, I witnessed the killing of my brother by the Hokage elders. And I cried, even though I had known that that would have to happen someday.

After that, I was trained as the future leader of the Hokage. The third leader of the Hokage. I resisted it at first, because it was the flame in my body that indirectly caused the death of my brother. I had to bit my lip every time I called my flame out.

I wonder what went on in my father's mind before he announced the final sentence. By allowing the elders to kill Setsuna, he would be cursed by leading a spirit's existence. As would I, being unable to save my brother. Was my father such a true leader, that he put the good of the village above the fate of the Hokage leaders?


end



Author's Notes:
- I kinda liked the brother complex concept here, but I think it got a little too forced starting from the middle.

- Please, help me think of a better TITLE!!! - raydance keeps complaining that my fics are too short. hmpf.