Shadow Hearts: Covenant and all its characters are copyright their respective creators.
Candy Canes and Gingerbread
03: The Night Before
Winter, 1898
"That night was the beginning of everything..." - Yuri Hyuga, Nemeton Monastery
"Aaaah!"
The beautiful princess cried in terror, as the horrible dragon monster stomped towards her. Covered in glistening scales of deep forest green, it dripped thick blobs of saliva down its snow-splattered brown chest. Majestic horns shot up through its dusty brown mane, skeletal fingers reaching for the grey heavens above them.
"ROWR! GRRR!"
She lifted the flowing hem of her gown, stumbling away in desperation. The ferocious beast lumbered towards her, crimson eyes blazing with the desire for fresh princess-meat. A dainty hand lifted to cover her small mouth when she realised the futility of her escape, dropping to her knees in despair.
"Oh, won't someone save me from this monster?" she cried tearfully.
In that moment, the resounding howl of a wolf echoed throughout the land! Bravery filled her heart; hope lit her chocolate-brown eyes. That howl! That background music! Glorious heavens, her life was saved!
"Hahaha! Fear not, Princess Lihua! Your prince is here to save you!"
With a furious battle cry, the Prince of the Nine Hundred Heavens leapt bravely into the battlefield! Beside him was his trusted hound, howling as it stood by its master in the face of certain death...
Ah, but was it... indeed... certain?
"Certainly not!" the Nineteen Hundred Heavens Prince cried defiantly, lifting his legendary Sword of Truth, Honour and Good Things towards the mocking sky. "Not while I, Prince Liyun, am here to save the day!"
"Uh... Liyun. Who you talkin' to?" The dragon, with its evil crimson eyes, the colour of deep dark apples on a starless midnight, had stopped, placing a sharp claw against its reptilian hip.
"It doesn't matter!" Prince Liyun of the Nineteen Hundred Heavens and Stars bellowed, shaking the blade with heroic anger. The trusted hound barked. "Come at me! And that's Prince Liyun to you, Evil Dragon Yuri!"
Evil Dragon Yuri snorted, venomous breath cruelly melting the fresh snow crushed under its feet, before digging his legs into the ground. With a monstrous howl to the silver-winter sky, he charged at his mortal enemy, ready for the final battle that would determine the fate of all mankind.
"Prince Liyun of the Gazillion Heavens and Suns!" squealed Princess Lihua, not to be forgotten in the foray that would ensue. "Be careful!"
"I will!"
"Hehehe, you won't escape me, Princes - OOMPH!"
An explosion!
Tiny snowflakes flew through the icy air, bursting forth from the ground like a fountain of diamonds, as the Evil Dragon Yuri tripped over a strategically-placed piece of wood, falling with an ominous roar! A giant boy-sized crater formed under him; a hole so deep, explorers would one day use it to travel to Russia! Villagers from hundreds of miles away shuddered as tremors shook the very foundations of the earth!
And in the midst of all these wondrous and exciting events, the heroic Prince Liyun stood, bewildered, sword drawn but unused.
The Princess, however, was not as slow to react. "Yuri!"
Princess Lihua sprinted to the fallen dragon, lifting the edges of her dress over the thick snow, as he lay under a light blanket of snowflakes. Numerous leaves scattered around him in a wide circle, remnants of once-glorious green scales.
She skidded to a stop beside the unmoving form, before picking up a fallen branch beside him. Hesitantly, she poked at the dragon's side. "Yuri...?"
Silence. Was it dead?
"MY HORN!"
Evil Dragon Yuri bellowed, realising the danger of his situation! Leaping to his feet, his crimson gaze shifted in horror between the Princess and the Prince, before the partially-hornless dragon dramatically fell to his wet knees. "You stole my horn! Aaaaahh... I feel... weak!"
"Wha? You mean that's your weakness?" Prince Liyun exclaimed, incredulity forcing him to drop his precious wooden sword. The trusted hound echoed its master's confusion with a whine.
The beautiful princess, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Hooray! I defeated Evil Dragon Yuri!"
Having spent an agonising few minutes enacting an elaborate death scene, creating messy snow angels in the process, nine-year old Yuri stood up to face his eternal rival with a smirk. Grandly, he lifted one hand to point triumphantly at the puzzled Prince Liyun.
"Hohoho! You are... half-right! The REAL weakness is to kill the evil dragon with his own horn!"
"What!" Prince Liyun gasped. Then pointed back. "That's stupid."
"Hey!"
"Well, it is! Princes are s'posed to kill dragons, not princesses!" Liyun stomped, gravely unhappy with this preposterous breaking of tradition.
"Maybe Lihua should be the prince then," Yuri countered, defending his ingenious plan to his death. "'Cause she figured it out!"
"Ewww, I don't wanna be a prince," Lihua whined, crinkling her nose as her grip tightened on the victorious branch. That would mean being - oh my - a boy!
"Are you kids playing nice?"
At the gentle voice that interrupted the argument, the children turned to find an auburn-haired woman studying them in amusement. Their response was quick and unanimous, backing each other up in the natural, unspoken camaraderie that formed between all children when facing a grown up. "Yes, ma'am."
Liyun glanced sideways at the brunet beside him, before quickly adding, "But, Mrs. Hyuga, Yuri's plan is stupid."
Yuri gasped, his round, muddy face turning pale at the betrayal. "It's not!"
And the battle continued.
Anne Hyuga quirked an eyebrow at the ensuing chaos, her mouth lifting in a smile as she shifted her enormous grocery bag to one arm. Before her son could pounce Liyun in self-righteous anger, and pummel him to oblivion with his tiny fists, her free hand grasped the collar of Yuri's brown shirt, now wet and dripping with melted snow. "Come on now, it's getting late. We have to get home before the storm starts. It's going to be a big one."
All three children ceased their scuffling, looking up at Yuri's mother in surprise. "But Mom, there aren't any big storms in the winter..."
Anne's brows knitted in concern, acknowledging the strangeness of the weather. But the farmers had been positive of the signs, drawing particular attention to the animals, all of which had scurried away in an unexplainable fear. It would be a big one, they said, and she and Yuri had to return home to prepare for the rainfall. "Either way, sweetheart, Liyun and Lihua's mother is heading home right now. She's waiting for them down the road."
The siblings exchanged glances, before grudgingly saying their goodbyes to Yuri. The crimson-eyed child echoed their sentiments, not wanting to be parted so prematurely with his playmates. But as they walked away from him, he was consoled by his mother's arm around his dusty shoulders - her gentle rubbing at the muddy tracks across his cheeks and nose - plucking away at the remaining branch sticking from behind his ear.
"Did you have fun today?"
Nodding enthusiastically, Yuri couldn't stop the huge smile spreading across his face. Lihua was so lucky to have a younger brother to play with! Seven of them, even! She could play with them anytime, even when it rained outside like it would tomorrow. It made the young Hyuga almost envious...
"What's this I hear about a 'stupid plan'?" Anne teased lightly, tapping her son on his smudged nose.
"Hah! Liyun's stupid, that's what..."
Yeah, tomorrow he would talk with Mom about it. A little brother would be great. Many little brothers. That's what he wanted! Then they'd have a huge family, and Mom wouldn't be so lonely when Dad left.
Or a little sister.
He didn't mind having a little sister, even though a little brother would be easier to wrestle with. Girls couldn't wrestle very well.
A/N: I haven't actually done the Seraphic Radiance sidequest in SH, so all information regarding Yuri's past was gotten from the game script and plot analysis on GameFAQs. Apologies if I made any glaring errors! (such as Lihua actually being a boy, or something equally ghastly...) Comments and criticism are highly appreciated and will be rewarded with Yuri cookies. :D
