Toshiro~ ^_^ x3
by 
Chapters:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
A six-year-old Jay runs outside taking in the fresh morning air. He looks up at the no more darkened trees which shone morning sunlight through its evergreen leaves. Finally, after 3 months he is going to see his brother and father again, making his giddy and excited on they're return. This whole time he had to endure his sister Sakuno torture alone and he somewhat missed his brother's blather.
Soon, he looks straight ahead through the light fog and sees two barely noticeable figures. They look like people but he couldn't make them out and squints his eyes. Taking several steps forward, he started to see improvements and gets a better look at the pair. He saw a dark brown haired man with a blue and black plaid shirt, brown jeans and carries a backpack on his back along narrow yet wide tan box in his hand. The boy by him has lavender hair and a long bangs. A large one going over his right eye which doesn't seem to bother him, and the other which is thinner just in front of his ear. Both the man and the boy had bold blue eyes like Jay himself.
Jay smiles largely and darts towards the pair he now recognized. His brother and father has returned home.
"Dad! Gio!" Jay called out to the approaching group in glee and excitement.
Zergio who was looking down at the various small flowers he walk over looks up at his brother running towards him and his father. His face changed into a look of slight surprise yet no enthusiasm. His father wears a proud and happy smile at his incoming son. Jay stops right in front of them just as they stop, panting a bit from the small exercise.
"Hello, hello, Jz! Good to see you again!" Father said in a manly voice and friendly smile as he ruffles Jay's hair into a bed-head hairstyle. Zergio just looks up at the trees which reveals the sun's heavenly rays.
"Good to see you too, Papa! Gio!" Jay said happily moving his gaze towards his brother.
"Zergio." He said looking at Jay with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Geez, you could at least be happy to see me!" Jay shouted out at Zergio in protest.
"It was just 3 months. And yet I could still hear your annoying voice." Zergio retorted looking away at nothing but trees.
"Oh yeah!? Well same here!" Jay said back before turning his head the opposite way away from his brother with a moody face.
"Come on, come on, boys. We all are back together and that's the important thing, right?" Papa intervened between the two. He still remembers back when they were younger than this and yet they still fought.
After a little chit-chat, group started walking again back to their welcoming home. Jay and Zergio amazingly walked by each other but to their chagrin since they have to discuss important things.
"So, how was Sis's torture sessions while I was away, hmm?" Zergio asked absentmindedly with a bored expression hiding his relief he was away from it for 3 months. Jay gulps and feels kind of scared as they approach the house more and more, knowing what they will be subjected to as they move closer and closer.
"Very....." Jay couldn't finish the sentence and goes in an uneasy silence.
"Thought so." Zergio said plainly looking up at the trees again to take all the feeling of the summer morning in.
"Eh..."
***
A man wearing a baggy cloak that covers his entire being slumps through the darkened forest with a growling stomach that eats at himself. The only thing that is exposed is his eyes. Eyes that were sapphire blue yet bloodshot and filled with insanity. A echoing voice repeats itself over and over in his mind.
"Kill..."
***
Zergio stood at the very center of the dark backyard of his house. Everywhere, there was shade and therefore shadows. He extended his right hand and narrows his eyes a bit to concentrate on the spot of shade right in front of him. Practicing using the darkness element of shadows was not easy and he knew this. Taking in a breathe and letting it out, he closes his eyes and slowly his hand started glowing a shade of violet. A very deep violet.
Weird, black figures in unknown and asymmetrical shapes started to ascend from the shade. Zergio opens eyes to see is progress so far. Good, but now he needs to shape the figures, and make them stop moving so oddly.
"Okay...now to shape them into spears..." he said pouring more of his energy and focus into the figures. Zergio lost his focus as he looks at the strange dancing of shadows that stops suddenly and sinks back into the shade. Frustrated, Zergio just sat down scratching the back of his head, pondering on what went wrong this time.
"I don't get it. Last time I didn't have enough focus. This time I had plenty of focus, and I'm sure off it." He ponders on this thought for a minute.
"Maybe I put in too much, which is why it stopped." he said thinking of a solution to fix this problem.
***
Jay lays his head on the wooden dining room table, looking out the transparent window at his training brother. Envy rides on his mind. Even though Zergio's training isn't going so well, it's better than his attempts. He remembers the last time he tried using the lightning element. All the power in the house went out for 5 days, and a brutal beating from Sakuno herself.
A pound vibration from something slammed on the table made Jay shoot his head up in alarm. He looks around and finally sets his eyes on a tan box that his father was carrying earlier. Looking up with a slight surprise, he sees it is his gentle mother Makiko who set it box down so harshly.
"Mom, did you have to slam it down?" Jay said sticking his pinky finger into his left ear seeing how much damage his eardrum must have take.
"Sorry, sweetie, but I had to snap you out of your trance. Here." Makiko said sweetly as she casually slid the box in front of Jay. Jay eyes the box curiously and then his mother, blinking a bit restlessly.
"What's in it?" He asked.
"Open up and see." she replied.
Jay took his chances and removes the top of the box. His eyes widen in surprise at what is revealed to him. Inside lays a black rod sickle. Very long, black chain with a black diamond at the end of it, a sharp point at the top of the rod, beautiful red rose designs along the bottom part, and a nice, sleek blade that glimmers brilliantly in the light of day. Jay simply couldn't take his eyes off its magnificence.
"This is...mine?" he asked in awe looking up at his sunny smiling mother who gave him a pat on the head for certainty.
"Of course. Your father said that Zergio found it just for you." Makiko pointed out. Jay snaps out of his trance as soon as he heard that Zergio found it for him and looks at his mother a bit suspiciously. The same Zergio that called him "idiot" ever since he was five years old? He just couldn't believe it.
"Guess he can be human, too..." Jay thought hardly. His brother in the past has never done something like this before.
"Brothers look after each other don't they?" Makiko said, making yet another point as she stands up and walks over to the kitchen counter to 2 big forest green bowls. Jay watches his mother curiously as she takes 2 scoops from each bowl and puts it in two clear plastic cups, and finishing by sticking a plastic spoon in each cup. Jay's eyes widen in cheerfulness as he recognizes his mother's famous strawberry pudding. The creamy vanilla pudding mixed in with the fresh strawberries straight from their handmade garden. Makiko turns around and walks back over to Jay to hand the fruit treats over to him.
"Now, Jay how about you go out there and share some pudding with your brother? He looks like he's training hard out there." Makiko suggested, leaving out the room to go tend to the laundry that seemed to be done a bit ago. Jay thinks it over and shrugs with a "Why not?". He springs from his seat and a bit hurriedly goes out the door to the backyard to share his pudding with his brother. He has to thank him somehow for his new gift. His mother was probably thinking the same thing.
***
Zergio finally thought through the difficult situation he was in and decides to take another try at controlling the shadows. Standing up, he lets out a bit of a tired sigh.
"If I don't succeed, there's always tomorrow." he said to himself as he got in his stance again. Slowly, he started to focus until he was interrupted by an annoying yet familiar voice. Jay. He got out of his stance and turns around to his brother with a sigh.
"What is it now?" he said obviously apathetic of this already.
"Mom said for us to share some of this strawberry pudding." he said moodily, handing over a cup to his brother and looking away immediately. Zergio gave Jay a bit of a suspicious look and stirs some of the pudding with a plastic spoon. It has been a while since he has had some of his mother's pudding, he thought readying a spoonful to put in his mouth.
***
Makiko, hurrying back into the kitchen, forgot to seal the puddings back up before any flies that she saw earlier got their greedy selves into it and ruins the pudding for everyone. Before she seals it though, she noticed two scoop from the strawberry pudding and two scoop from the cherry pudding. She puts her hand over her mouth in with a slight blush over her cheeks and a nervous giggle.
"I sure hope Jay gave Zergio the strawberry one..."
***
Zergio takes a spoonful of the seemingly strawberry pudding and puts it in his mouth, tasting and savoring the taste. Jay did as well and smiles as he feels he is being drifting into heaven. Such a sweet and creamy taste as he recognizes the strawberries and vanilla. Jay's expression changes from moody to content, like his other feelings have been pushed aside. Zergio's face, however turns into an expression of disgust as he soon tastes tartness of cherries and spits the pudding out onto the ground, the mushy cherry pudding coated a tiny portion of the grass around them. He feels like he was going to gag.
"Hey! What was that for!?" Jay shouted out at Zergio, angry that he disgraced their mother's great pudding.
"Gah!! You idiot!! This is cherry pudding!! You know I hate cherries!!" Zergio shouted back at Jay angry that his brother could be so dimwitted.
"No way!!" Jay said in protest snatching the cup away from his brother and starts examining the pudding. Searching the pudding, he sees piece of fruit but the fruits wasn't strawberries, it was indeed cherries.
"Oops...looks like mom gave me a wrong cup." Jay stated plainly. Zergio simply just gave a bit of an embarrassed sigh and looks away somewhat ashamed.
"Sorry..." Zergio mumbled, hoping Jay did not hear his apology. He looks back forward to Makiko walking over to them with a cup of strawberry pudding in her hands.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Jay, I gave you a wrong cup." she said with a sincere smile and Zergio the strawberry pudding cup. Zergio looks down at it and back up at his mother with a forgiving smile. He felt even more sorry for treating his mom's pudding so.
"It's okay, we all make mistakes." he stated as he is embraced by his mother with Jay included in the hug.
"Ooooh, I have the best sons in the world." she said so proudly, she could've cried right then. The boys exchanged looks of happiness and hugs their mother back with the utmost care. Then three, then hears Papa's voice all the way from the kitchen window.
"Hey! Jz, Zerg! Do you boys want to go and help me fetch some wood? It would be a great help!" he asked, grabbing his large axe that was leaning on his leg. Jay and Zergio looked at each other for a moment and then his father as eager grins went to the corners of their faces. Makiko smiles as she prepares for the next few words for her to hear.
"Mom! Can we?" Jay and Zergio said in unison as they give begging puppy eyed faces to her once-gullible mother. She ruffles the hair of both their heads, causing their hair to be a bit messy.
"That only worked a long time ago. But you can." She said as her sons gives her a swift
"Thanks!" before taking off from her arms off to join up with their father on their little adventure.
***
The trio of males walks quietly through the darkened forest on the red dirt and clay road with hopes and thoughts. Zergio and Jay both glares daggers relentlessly at each other along the way because of cherry pudding incident. His father somehow senses this and sweatdrops as when he thinks of the devil horns growing out of his sons' heads. This actually made him chuckle, making their boys snap out of their staring contest.
"I think we're getting to the spot." His father pointed out starting to see a huge opening in the forest up ahead.
"But Dad, we could've been gotten wood by now." Zergio questioned not understanding his father's methods.
"Yes, but this dirt path is a bit too narrow to be chopping wood, collecting, and counting." he said back to his son. Zergio ponders on this for a moment and face slightly shines with realization. Their father keeps walking and then gets into the glowing clearing. The tall and bushy, dark green leaved trees always gives the forest a feeling of the night as they mostly block off the sun from the forest, making it seem like nighttime. Without the trees, clearings are the only part of the day that actually shows 100% sunlight at day and moonlight at night, along with clouds.
Papa walks to the center on the clearing with Jay and Zergio following close behind. He sets down his stuff and grabs his large axe he always takes with him for errands like these.
"Now you boys stay right here while I go chop some wood. You can help me count and gather them when it's time to go. Okay?" He said as he brings up his axe and slowly sets it down on his shoulder with perfect ease. Jay and Zergio nods as they once again turn to each other's faces and continued their glaring.
"My, my, those two one day are gonna be the death of each other." Papa said shaking his head and walking away to gather their firewood. Zergio and Jay immediately looks directly away from each other after just a minute. One head look at the opposite direction of the other. Jay feels a devious grin creep on his face as he imagines pushing his brother down a fast current river while he is tied to a tree trunk and down a roaring waterfall. Zergio imagines Jay being stuck in a tall tree as a angry grizzly bear tries to climb up and get him and Zergio just simply watches in delight. The fact Jay can climb trees and never get down made a evil smirk appear on his face along with a silent "Heh".
"Shadow boy won't know it coming to him..." Jay thought tracing imaginary figures in the grass with his finger.
"That idiot will get his..." Zergio thought looking up at the blue sky and the white puffs of cotton floating east.
Jay suddenly heard a bit of rustling from the bushes straight ahead of him and eyes narrow slightly in alert. Slowly, a tattered shoe steps from the bush and soon a whole man in a very worn out, dirty cloak. Jay eyes the man curiously yet suspiciously. The only thing he could see that isn't hidden by his cloak is his shadowed eyes and his shoes. Another thing is he is keeping his head down... Was he lost? Homeless? It puzzles him greatly.
Jay beings to be more alert as the man's head tilts up more. He tilts his head up to a point where Jay could see straight into his bloodshot sapphire blue eyes. Jay easily sees the insanity inside of the stone cold eyes and begins to tremble. Jay trembles even more as he see an immense royal blue aura .
"G-Gio..." he said stuttering and shaking his brother's shoulder restlessly. Zergio, easily annoyed turns around to his frightened brother and quickly senses the cloaked man's energy. Zergio's eyes widens slightly and stands up clenching his fist, tense.
"Jay, stand back." Zergio stated seriously as he focuses on the cloaked man's shadow. Zergio's eyes narrows in suspicion as he also sees the royal blue aura that is emanating the mysterious figure. He extends his hand, focusing on the darkened spot in front of the cloaked man, trying to use the shadow as a way to restrain him.
Yet, the next time Zergio blinks, the cloaked man was right in front of him. Zergio suddenly felt his heart skip a beat as he looks up at the towering figure. The cloaked man looks down at Zergio with his cold, malicious eyes that makes you lock up in fright, which is what Zergio did. He just stood there in speechless fear as he trembles before his stare and his air-choking energy.
"Such weaklings..." he cloaked man managed out in a deep and threatening voice, almost like a whisper. Slowly, he reaches his hand to the back of his waist and grabs the handle of some sort of sword and starts pulling it from its sheathe.
"I need to kill..." he says and he swiftly holds his sword up in the air and looks down at Jay in Zergio like their meager worms.
"G-Gio...what are we...gonna do...?" Jay stuttered falling back on his butt and trembling at what is about to befall him and his brother. Zergio didn't respond back as he is frozen solid in his place. What is he going to do? It is hard for him to breathe the very air.
Jay looks at the blade very intensely. A sleek yet dark blue blade that gave off a very eerie and creepy aura and energy like the cloaked man alone. It made him shudder and shake even more and stay frozen like his afflicted brother.
"Die..." he said lastly before slashing his blade down onto the back of someone that got in the way of Jay and Zergio's demise. The cloaked man sees blood seeps from the slash wound onto the blue and black plaid shirt and removes his blade to relieve it of the blood as he stares down at the man.
Papa collapses to one knee, panting and sweating a bit immensely as Jay and Zergio stares at him in horror and fright.
"Dad!! Why's you protect us!?" Jay yelled out at him, he said without a thought. Zergio still remains speechless at the scene and falls to his knees. Papa looks up at his sons with his clammy and somewhat pale face and gives his always proud smile.
"Jz, Zergio...I might not make it. But you two MUST run away. Far away from here as possible. I don't want my death to be in vain..." he choked out almost like a plea.
"But...Dad..." Zergio managed out feeling like he already lost his father.
"You just can't!!" Jay shouted out once more, hot tears streaming from his eyes down his face.
His father gave one last beaming smile right before his head is slashed clean off his neck and flies all the way up into the black clouds that are coming and behind the cloaked man himself. Their father's body fell forwards with a thud as his blood is splattered all over Jay and Zergio. The two boys looks at their father's decapitated corpse with the upmost horror and despair.
Zergio, taking the quick action grabs Jay's hand and takes off running on the dirt path that leads back to their house. Zergio knew that they had to get out of there as quick as possible. Before they would be next to pass on headless. Jay ran right behind him with his hand gripped very tightly and his pace very sloppy yet fast as Zergio's.
Soon, black thunderheads started to boom ahead right over the forest. Lightning flashed a few times yet the thunder kept shaking the earth to no end. Still the boys keeps running and running from their father's murderer who didn't seem to run after them at all after beheading their father. The death eye man. Zergio couldn't get the cruel death of his father nor the terrible sapphire blue eyes out of his mind. It was like it was stuck to his mind like glue.
A rain droplet hits a leaf and in seconds becomes severely heavy rain coming down on the whole area with the boys running though. As the rain pounds the plants and red ground with force, it makes the trees hand their heads in dread and remorse. In response to the crying sky.
"Gio..." Jay said a bit quietly, his shoes now being trudged through watery mud. Zergio doesn't say a single word and keeps running with a sweaty yet tight grip on Jay's hand.
"Gio..." he said once again but louder. Again, no response.
"Gio, stop!!!" Jay screamed out at the top of his lungs as he stop dead in his tracks. So does Zergio immediately after. Zergio let Jay's hand slip out of his grasp and he plops his hand right down at his head. The two brother's hang their heads down in a sorrowful shame that they had let their father die like that. It was too hard for them to swallow. Again, Jay lets hot tears stream down his cold wet face and cries out loud this time. Zergio just fell down to his knees and digs his hands into the moist and squishy mud. His salty tears mixed in with the mud as he lets out a ear-piercing scream that echoes throughout the whole forest. Followed by that was Jay's scream and a harsh thunderclap that made the whole depressed forest silenced and hushed.
hooray!
