19) Kawagoe IV

The triad spent the evening engaging themselves in Shogi, a Japanese variant of the game chess. Nevertheless, it was Harushi who came out on top, besting Ren followed by Hikaru.

Once the sun set, they enjoyed themselves a warm meal of unagi and rice till their bellies became filled up.

When their drowsiness started becoming apparent, they laid down a few sheets and pillows and rested themselves against the hard wooden floor with a heavy fur blanket on top.

Everything seemed peaceful, just for a few hours until some of them started having weird dreams.

Hikaru suddenly woke up, his eyes tired, but neither Harushi and Ren were in sight. It felt ominous. It was morning. The sun's rays beamed through the windows. Infact, it wasn't even the same room.

"W-Where am I?", Hikaru asked himself as he stood up looking around for life.

Suddenly everything hit Hikaru like a wrecking ball. He was shorter, he wore a white kimono and he was... younger?

Is he here? Is he finally back?

Hikaru ran expectantly towards the porch door and slid it open, the cold winter air hitting his face.

It was the Shimo Clan's base. The snowcapped mountains of the Hokkaido Prefecture laid back in the horizon.

A sudden feeling of warmth and peace instilled in Hikaru's body. He was here. His home.

"Hiya, Hikaru! You up already?", a young woman's sweet voice resonated from nearby.

Hikaru looked around and saw his elder sister standing behind him. She picked up Hikaru, holding him close to her chest with a kind tired smile on her face.

"A-ane...", Hikaru replies, burying his tiny face in her neck, crying a bit.

Hikaru's sister raised an eyebrow and patted his back while comforting him.

"Hey... It's alright... Had a bad dream or something?", she grinned trying to comfort Hikaru.

Hikaru cutely nodded and tried to wipe his nose with the helm of his kimono.

It seemed like Hikaru was somewhere in his toddler ages, two to be exact.

Hikaru sat atop the kitchen counter observing as his sister worked diligently at the stove. She adorned a white kimono with flower patterns, her hair tired in a bun with a frost metal pin between it. She was like a princess.

Hikaru observed the kitchen more from the counter as his legs kicked in the air up and down. The calender stated it was 1969. There was a large pot of miso soup slowly boiling over the stove and another pot where steamed rice was being prepared.

"Hey, Hikaru...", His Sister said as she stirred the soup, taking the wooden spatula out and licking it.

"Huh? Yes, Ane?", Hikaru responded with a tilted head.

"I wanted to tell you that... I didn't get accepted into that PPA thing," she sighed, her shoulders slouching in tiredness.

"I just wanted to... I wanted to go out and explore the world you know? Our mom won't let us leave the base and the elders of the clan are strict. I thought her being the clan head would make us more independent, but it isn't...", she continued as she turned the gas valve and decreased the pressure of the gas.

Hikaru replied with a happy face, "It alright, ane... I just want to spend more time with the coolest sister in the world".

She gave a smile, it was a hurting smile, but she had to be there for her little brother.

"I just wish our mother gets better soon. She's been sick since she gave birth to you. And my other younger brother, Hisachi, your elder brother left the clan all alone, killing the guards on the way... It just feels dead around here... But I'm glad you're here with me. I'll keep you protected," she said walking over to Hikaru on the counter top, hugging him gently.

"And for some reason you're pretty smart, I mean for a two year old, damn you talk smooth. What are you? A scholar prodigy?", she said in a caring tone, pulling Hikaru's right cheek, though there was pain in her eyes.

"I'm going to grow up and become a scholar, ane!", Hikaru jumped out of her arms to the floor.

She giggled caringly as she turned her attention to the boiling miso soup.

Outside the dream, Hikaru was beaming, a gentle smile tugged his pale face, but on the other side of the floor, Harushi snored with a tight expression on his face...

"I fucking don't want to associate myself with this clan anymore!", Harushi yelled to a room of elders and his father, the Clan Head.

"Watch your language, insolent brat!", an elder scowled from afar.

"Should we throw him in the dark well, Akimoro Hayashi?", another said nudging the clan head, Akimoro Hayashi.

It was 1981 on the room calender, the air was filled with amnosity between the traditionalist elders and the rebelious Harushi.

"I'm tired of you guys trying to get me follow your strict rules! I can't even make my own damn decisions! You are getting me married to a cousin I barely know and I can't even hangout with my friends in the city!", Harushi yelled in anguish.

"Everything and everyone I care about, you take them away! Just like your fucking wife, dad!", Harushi continued his anguish.

"Shut up, ungrateful child! Don't bring your dead good for nothing mother into this!", Akimoro scowled by slapping the wooden floor of the building, causing it to shake.

Harushi flamed up, "See! This is exactly what I mean! You guys only want things done by YOUR rules! You don't even care about your children or wives!"

Akimoro got angry again and tried to respond, but his words trailed off, "You.. You insolent...".

"Save it! I leave this clan! I don't give a fucking damn shit about if I'm the next head or whatever. And I certainly don't care about being with you guys," Harushi scoffed as he took off the leaf insignia badge of the Harushi Clan throwing it to the floor and crushing it.

Harushi turned his back to his father and the elders.

"Don't you fucking dare turn your back to us, boy!", an elder said as he launched a vine whip attack at Harushi.

Harushi then released a technique of his Senzai Art,

"Briar Block"

A large torny plant flesh grew behind Harushi, blocking and cutting the vine in half, the elder shrieked.

"And I don't need your clan money, dad," Harushi said as he walked out of the doors.

Harushi woke up from the dream gasping for air.

He looked around the room, seeing Hikaru and Ren sleep peacefully with no remorse. Harushi sighed and looked at the clock. "3:33 AM it said".

Harushi stood up. His throat was dry. He needed water. Harushi left the room and walked downstairs to the kitchen.

Upon arriving downstairs, it felt colder and Harushi sneezed. He went to grab a glass from the cupboard and began filling the water with the tap water.

Harushi closed the knob and began drinking the water. It was hydrating. It felt heavenly.

Harushi placed the glass in the sink and suddenly he felt an ominous aura in the floor.

Harushi's green eyes, dilated, his bodily hair stood up and his fingers grew small vines in preparation.

Without wanting to, Harushi slowly turned around and came face to face with the kitchen door that led to the hallway. It was dark.

A single red glow emanated, becoming brighter and footsteps grew heavier and louder.

Harushi crouched a bit to get ready, his spine chilling and his hands shaking.

Suddenly a tall woman with blond hair and a purple dress with a head viel on top walked in.

Harushi relaxed for a second and suddenly he got scared. Shit scared.

She had one red and yellow eye... An eye of an eclipse!

"Eclipses don't usually have a human appearance, right?! Then.. then... What the hell is she! Oh no...", Harushi thought in his mind, his mind racing with thoughts.

The lady gave a small smile and raised her arm some pink glow beginning to appear in her hand. Was she going to attack?

Harushi got scared and as an act of desperation, he attacked.

"F-fuck you...you! TAKE THIS FULL OUTPUT BARRAG !", Harushi yelled with half courage and half cowardice raising both his arms.

Harushi then released a technique of his Senzai Art, "Primal Bloom".

"VINE BARRAGE!", Harushi yelled as six vines ripped from the back of his hoodie and two more from his hands and they began decimating the entire room in quick speeds.

Harushi closed his eyes and began dragging his vines in a 360° motion around the entire kitchen while yelling on the top of his lungs,

"AHHHHH! TAKE THIS, FIEND!".

The kitchen, decimated. The table, broken. The silverware and crockery, shattered into a million pieces.

Harushi huffed and puffed and coughed. She was no longer there. He sat down against the wall, in a post traumatic stance.

"Harushi!", Hikaru yelled as he jumped into the kitchen with his sword and Ren behind him with a frying pan.

Hikaru looked around and saw Harushi, running over towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Everything is okay?", Hikaru asked Inna seemingly unaware tone.

"M-miss Yoru said it was... it was a D Ranked Mission... We are dealing with a B.. or an A class threat!", Harushi stuttered in shock still zoning out.

Hikaru's eyebrows perked up and his eyes widened.

They were in serious trouble.

"Um, guys... Why does Harushi San have... Those marks?", Ren said from afar pointing at Harushi's arm.

Both Harushi and Hikaru look down at Harushi's left arm and there was the same black markings that the other victims of the town had.

The duo zoned out in shock.

Chapter 19, end.