CH 1

"Momma! MOMMA!!!" the young girl's lavender eyes searched frantically over the fields. The rain made it very hard to see anything, but the girl could feel the youkai's presence. Her heart pounded in her ears. 'Where are they?' she thought to herself as she screamed, "MOMMA!!!!!!!" A sinister laugh came from behind her as someone grabbed her by her long golden blond hair. She screamed as she was pulled backwards into the arms of a youkai. "Well, well…what have we here…" the youkai said as he licked his lips looking over the 5 year old girl. The child looked up at him, anger flashing in her eyes. "Protective Fire! HELP ME!" The youkai screamed as his body burst into flames. The girl landed in the mud, trying to scramble away from the burning youkai. 'Oh Goddess, please let me find my momma and my brother…oh Goddess, please let me find Momma and Kin…' she chanted in her mind as she ran. As she ran a lightning bolt streaked across the sky, illuminating the fields long enough for her to see her mother running towards the river, carrying a basket. "MOMMA!!!" she screamed taking off following her mother.

"Aneko?!?!" the blond woman turned looking down to see her daughter running up behind her. "Aneko, run to the river!"

"Momma! Please wait up! I can't run as fast as you!" she screamed trying to catch up. Her mother ducked into the forest that bordered the fields. Aneko had gone into them once and when she got out, her father and mother punished her for going in. "Your not allowed to go in to the woods, Aneko. Its very dangerous, and there are many things in there that would wish to take you away from us. Do you understand?" her father scolded her. "We were worried about you. You could have fallen into the river and we would have never have known. We just want you to be safe. You will be able to go into the woods when you're older, but until then you cannot." Her mother cried as she held her. Her mother had been pregnant still with Kin. He had been born only a few days ago and now they were all running for their lives.

Aneko ducked into the woods, not stopping when the thorn bush scraped her dress and tore part of the skirt. She had to listen to her mother. Her mother knew what to do. "MOMMA!!" She screamed as she ran into the forest. As suddenly as the youkai had attacked, her mother had stopped and was putting a raft into the river.

"Momma? What's going on? What are you doing?" Aneko's lavender eyes darted between the basket, the raft and her mother.

"Aneko, listen to me very carefully. You are going to get on this raft, and you are going to hold on to this rope and the basket that has your brother in it. Understand?"

Aneko looked at the raft and realized it was big enough only for her and the basket. "But Momma, where are you going to sit on it?"

Her mother smiled, her violet eyes welling up with tears, "I'm going to stay here and help your father."

Aneko knew that was a lie. She had watched her father try to defend her from a youkai and be killed with one hit. "But Momma…"

"No buts, ok Aneko? Please just do this for me. Help save Kin, your brother." Her mothers smile was starting to fade and the pain it was trying to hide was becoming visible.

"Momma…" she said as her mother lifted her and placed her onto the raft with the basket.

"Yes, Aneko?"

"I love you." Aneko's eyes started to well up with tears as the realization of losing her mother started to settle in.

"I love you, too, my sleepy moon."

Aneko smiled as her mother pushed the raft away from the bank. She looked down at Kin, realizing how much her little brother looked like their mother already. He had her violet eyes, but they had father's droopy-ness to them. He had been born with a full head of the trade mark golden blond hair that their mothers family was known for. She looked at him for a long time and got the sudden sense of something important in his future. Something he was meant to do. Aneko looked up just in time to see the rock they were about to smash into.