Yamigawa

Volume 0: A Determined Smile

That next morning, the young boy would wake up, and follow his father to a large building. To children, things often don't shape into something they can exactly name. Jaiden did not know what to call this place. But he felt comfort from the tall man with white hair that was speaking to his father. More specifically, he knew that his playmate, the girl next to the man, was someone familiar. After some time passed, Jaiden would follow some other small children to a park, where he would sit down in a small dirt part in a field, where the other kids carried toys and small wooden carvings. Jaiden was practicing martial arts moves, although he didn't actually know any. A small girl with black hair covering one eye, the other shining a bright blue, would interrupt Jaiden and shyly correct him. 

"That's now how you do that.." 

Jaiden would snap harshly. 

"What do you know! Just because you live with fighters doesn't mean you know it all!" 

The girl was startled, having a reaction to the shouting but tried her best to hide it. 

"I'm just trying to help.." 

Two other children approached Jaiden, standing taller than him but with a more menacing glare in their eyes. One stepped forward, pushing Jaiden to the ground. 

"Shut up about all that nerd shit, Steely." 

The other boy snickered as Jaiden's face got red. 

"For someone with a rich daddy, you sure are weird." 

Jaiden got up, trying to swing a fist at the taller boy. 

"You don't understand! Celestials are real!" 

The other boy grabbed Jaiden by the shoulders, throwing him again. 

"Shut up Steely. Be normal, it's not that hard."

The other boy laughed. 

"You know that's just a bedtime story, right? You know what is real? Spellcasting. My dad's a spellcaster for Anzenasho, he's studying at the best dojo in our Sector!" 

The black haired girl spoke up. 

"He's not great at it.." 

The boy's face grew red.

"What did you say punk? You think just because you live there means you can say that to me?" 

The other boy spoke, pointing at the girl's covered eye.

"Look at her! She's a weirdo just like him." 

The two laughed, and walked away. Jaiden turned to the girl, with tears swelling in his eyes. The girl tried to speak, but he ran past her, pushing her out of the way. 

"Go away Yuki, you only made things worse!" 

Once Jaiden ran back to his home, he hid behind his door, crying. His parents would call out to him, but he wouldn't respond. later in the day when the sun had gone down, Jaiden would walk out of his room to talk to his father, only for it to turn into an argument. He soon found himself behind his door again, shouting through the thin wood. 

"Why won't you let me train there! I've hung around there my entire life, I've played there, I've stayed the night there, why won't you let me train!" 

He heard a muffled voice from behind the door. 

"'Cause, it's dangerous! Besides, you have a family business to inherit one day!" 

The voice was quickly cut off, before Jaiden ran outside to see his father fending off a tall figure in what appeared to be black armor. He watched as his father grabbed a hatched, swinging it at the figure. He bolted into the house, shutting the door behind him. 

"That's the third one this month." 

Jaiden was too young to properly understand what had just happened. His mother rested her hand onto her husband's shoulder. The two looked at Jaiden, and looked to the axe in his father's hand. His mother spoke softly, with hesitation in her voice. 

"If you absolutely need to, you can learn for the sake of self defense. But you need to understand that you are not making a living with your fists being laid on another person. You have to take an oath to do such things. Understand?" 

Jaiden smiled and nodded, unaware of the things he was getting himself into. His father placed a hand on his back, walking him back up to his bed. 

"Let's get'cha to sleep kiddo."

Jaiden laid down in his bed, and exhaled in relief. 

"Can you read me a bedtime story?" 

His father smirked and chuckled, with a hint of sorrow in his eyes. 

"Yeah, sure thing Jaiden."