I don't own Tsukihime

I walk down the street alongside dad. We had to wake up early today since we're moving to another house, a really big mansion at the top of a hill. I haven't seen many people and that's fine. I grew up around those I knew my whole life and dislike meeting new people.

Dad said that we had to live there to ensure our survival. 3 weeks ago, dad and I had to move from our home since someone attacked it. All the adults were dead. Mum, uncle, auntie, my cousins, grandads and grandmothers. They all died that night.

Dad was able to rescue me and fled so we could live. I felt sad. Everyone I knew died in an instant and I only have one person left in my life I love. It hurts, it's the first time I've felt this pain and I don't like it. If losing people you care about hurts this much then I want to never feel this pain again.

I want to be strong like dad.

My family is a family of assassins and apparently we are really good at it, better than any of the 4 families that hunt demons. The Asagami, Fujou, Ryougi and my family the Nanaya. Grandad said that dad is the best the Nanaya clan has ever produced and that I could be as good or better than him. If that's true I want him to train me to be stronger so I won't feel this pain anymore.

I'm shaken from my reverie at the sight of large gates that hole through an impossibly long stone wall that towers over me like a human to an ant. I feel small looking at the wall, as if I am nothing compared to its magnitude. The gates open at our approach and two men wait for us.

"Welcome Kiri Nanaya-San. I am Makihisa Tohno, head of the Tohno family. Please enter." The taller man welcomes us into the mansion grounds.

I stare behind him at what lay at the centre of the walled off zone. My old house was large, the Nanaya were wealthy from the jobs they got and so could afford a large Japanese mansion but this is a western-style mansion and is much larger.

It's about 3 stories tall, maybe even taller. It seems 100 metres long and a large forest surrounds it like back home but brighter. The Nanaya forest was very dark and dense, as if trying to scare someone from coming in but this forest seems brighter, as if trying to invite someone into it.

The adults talk to each other but I don't really pay attention, I'm too stunned by the scenery ahead. I stare and stare, trying to soak up every detail of what lay in front of me.

"Shiki," I look up at dad who finally addresses me, "Could you take our belongings and follow that man to where we'll be staying and wait there? I'll be back in an hour or two so don't worry." He pats my head affectionately and I grab his stuff along with what I'm carrying.

Dad and I don't have much in the way of belongings so I can carry it all alone even if it is heavy.

I follow the well dressed man across the mansion grounds. I'm led through the forest, past a large tree towards a Japanese house. It's comforting to know I'll be living in a Japanese-style house instead of a western one. I'm more used to a Japanese living space since that's all I've known my whole life. I do as I was told and obediently sit down.

I wait and I wait for dad, just sitting there and inspecting the living space. I get bored. There's nothing here really to play with and dad's talking with that old man so I can't really play with anyone.

Out of curiosity I walk out from the detached building and begin to wander the forest. As I thought, it really is huge. I feel as though I could run around it forever and never find an exit. It didn't feel like I was surrounded by walls at all honestly.

I walk and walk and walk. Every step feels like I go nowhere, as if I'm an ant crawling through this forest meant for men. I enjoy it, the wonder, the excitement.

This forest indeed is much more inviting than the Nanaya forest.

I want to walk through it until I've memorised every leaf on the ground to absolute perfection. As I walk I reach a clearing. Even for my small body, I could tell that it wasn't very large. An adult may not even notice it.

I decide to sit down in the clearing on a whim. Besides, I've been walking a lot since I woke up and am tired. The small time I spent in the detached building was not long really, maybe only a couple minutes. It did little to give me any rest. I sigh and lay on the grass.

It feels comfortable and I take in every detail of what I feel. The grass on my skin, the fresh air that reaches my lungs and livens my body, the comfy fabric of my kimono that covers my small frame. I am able to forget my troubles. The moving, that night 3 weeks ago and my future aspirations are all swept away in the peace of the moment.

That peace is then disrupted by a voice, "Hey, are you going to stay there all day?"

Unused to hearing such a high pitch voice other than my own I look to my side. A young boy, maybe about a year older than me, stood there in a blue kimono, his shoulder length hair was black and his posture carries none of the high class elegance everyone else here had so far.

"Of course not, I'm going to explore this whole forest. I'm just resting a bit." I reply earnestly.

The boy in front of me then smiles proudly and boldly exclaims, "I've already explored it all!"

I'm not really surprised since this kid's likely been here much longer than me. I've already decided that I'm going to explore it all anyway regardless of anyone else. I tell the boy that and he gives a good natured chuckle.

"What's your name?" He asks.

"Shiki Nanaya."

"My name's SHIKI Tohno. We both share a name, isn't that funny." He laughs a bit at this. It seems that SHIKI is a rather jolly kid and is also one of the old man's children. It isn't what I'd expect an upper class kid to act like but I guess I don't act like what many would think the child of a long lineage of assassin's to look like.

Reaching out a hand he says, "It's nice to meet you Shiki, let's be friends."

I reach out my hand to grab his and I'm surprised when he lifts me off the ground into a standing position,

"It's nice to meet you too, SHIKI."

He gives a large grin and leans closer with his hand around his mouth, as if to tell a secret, "You know I saw you down at the gate earlier and got curious so I snuck out to see you."

If he did that then,

"Won't you get in trouble."

He laughs, "Of course I'll get in trouble Shiki. That's why I'll have to leave now so bye. I'll play with you the next time I see you, that's a promise."

The heir of the Tohno family runs off as he says this leaving no time to reply. I simply wave towards him. What an extroverted person, he's so loud and outgoing, kind of like dad but in a different way. Dad has a controlled, mature way of being childish while SHIKI seems purely impulsive without any kind of thought. Then again, dad's an adult whereas SHIKI's a child. It should be expected really.

I sigh and walk away, back towards the Japanese-style building. SHIKI's comment made me realise that I'll get in trouble if I'm not there when dad returns.

Even if it's boring I'll just have to wait.

Dad returned a while after, probably about an hour or more. The first thing he did when he entered the building was give a large sigh and drop straight to the floor. He complained to me about how stuffy Makihisa's room was and how uncomfortable the chairs were. He said, 'why can't we just sit on the floor like the real Japanese.'

I'd never seen dad complain so much before. It really must've annoyed him. After complaining loudly he stayed silent for a minute before announcing that he was going to take a bath and explain the situation when he was finished.

I'm now sitting here waiting for dad to get out. I have been wondering why we came to live here, a couple possibilities have gone through my mind but I really can't decide which one is correct. I'll just have to wait for dad to finish.

The door to my right opens to reveal dad in a white kimono, his hair still a little damp. He walks in front of me and sits down.

"We've come here because I am going to be a bodyguard for this mansion. As such I've come to live here and since I'm the only one to look after you you've come as well. When you grow up, you'll likely become a bodyguard as well and so to that end I'm going to properly teach you all the Nanaya techniques I know whenever I can. I know that I've already been teaching you but those were bare bones basics, I didn't want you to be an assassin so I only taught you some techniques for self-defence."

This is it. This is exactly what I wanted and I didn't even have to ask. Dad's going to teach me the Nanaya fighting style and I'll be able to prevent those I care for from dying again!

"I'll do my best dad!" I can't contain the enthusiasm in my voice. I can't help but think that he doesn't look too excited about my outlook but the smile on his face is so genuine I must be imagining it.

"I'm sure you will, Shiki. I prepare some food and we'll begin an hour later. I don't have any work to do until night so I'll have the whole day to begin lessons."

I'm really happy about this outcome. It's exactly what I wanted although there is one thing I'm not that happy about. And it's…

"Why do I have to wait an hour?"

He chuckles a bit and it annoys me, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

I huff as he walks away but a part of me is happy. He's acting like he was before our clan was killed. He's been quieter lately but laughing at something I say and not telling me is something very much like the man Kiri Nanaya. I've never been able to figure him out. I don't know if it's just my age or if it's the case that he's just a really confusing person. I don't really care either way.

Dad just has a way of brightening up my day by doing these strange things.

Both of us eat dinner quietly and finish without conversation. We enter the main room and sit silently. I stare at the wall blankly, idle thoughts filling my head that are forgotten quickly. Eventually, this meditative state is interrupted by dad.

"You know…"

I get a terrible premonition that dad is going to begin ranting about something.

"This isn't the first time I've worked as a bodyguard but it's the first time I've ever had such a cold reception. Seriously, they could've at least opened the blinds in that office! Does Makihisa really hate me that much? What did I do to incur his wrath? It wasn't scary or intimidating at all anyway, it was just mildly uncomfortable and awkward.

Does that quack not have any concept of taste? If you want to be intimidating, have the only light in the room come from a candle like some kind of movie villain. On that topic, why are there no TVs allowed in here anyway. I know the Nanaya took a while to get more modern technology but we had TVs for a good 2 years, what an outdated fart."

….

…..

It seems as though that premonition came true.

"Oh that reminds me," Dad's tone and expression changed instantly. I wonder how he does it, "You're going to have to address all the members of the Tohno family by 'Sama' when you begin working but only when talking about them in earshot. It's fine if they don't hear it."

Thanks dad.

The older man gets up and opens one of his bags. After a little digging he takes something out. It's a rod. No, not a rod, a knife. One of the Nanaya familie's flip knives. This grey one is only ever used by the head, the rest have black handles.

He holds the weapon in front of me.

"From now on Shiki, this knife belongs to you and no one else until you have children. Then the knife can be passed down to them. I generally prefer using other, less messy weapons like a drumstick,"

What did he just say? A drumstick? I didn't know that was a weapon.

"So you'll have this one. It's a great weapon, very durable and sharp. If you take care of it, It'll never break. Pretty handy isn't it."

I grab the knife and feel the weight in my hands. For someone of my size, it's very heavy but it feels very natural to hold as if I was born to hold this weapon.

"Thanks dad. I'll take great care of it."

He ruffles my hair, "Good boy," He then stands up straight, "Now let's train shall we."

I get up quickly, not letting go of the weapon. I think that maybe, life will be much more fun from now on.

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. This story is going to cover Shiki's life all the way from first coming to the mansion to the events of Tsukihime so this story will be long. I'm quite the procrastinator so chapters may take a long time to come out or not even come out at all. The next chapter will be released when it's finished.

Have a great day.