By Jackie

He stood there. Shocked to the core at what had just been revealed to him. Was is real or was it his imagination. The scene he had seen in his mind, it had been so real. His mind spun at that thought. The woman he had seen murdered in his memories was that of his mother.

All along he had thought that his mother had died from an illness. His dad had even reign force that idea. He had never doubted his dad. Until now.

What if it was real? What if his mother didn’t died of illness but was murdered?

He staggered to the ground. His mind in jumbled. He lifted his head to looked at the scene before him. The specter still loomed in front of the girl. He saw the specter turn his head to look at him. He felt a sudden chill went down his spine. He was still too weak to move from his position.

Just as the specter stood up to move towards him, another flashed of blurred figure moved on his right. The figure stood stork still and then suddenly ran forward towards the prostrate figure. A scream tore from his mouth.

~Hokuto

The newcomer sank to the ground carrying the now limp girl in his arms. Sobbed upon sobbed racked the figure. Suddenly the figure looked up at the specter.

"Why? Why did you kill her?"

Touya’s heart went out to him. The emotion and raw pain in the youths voiced made his heart ached.

The specter had stopped advancing towards him when the newcomer arrived. He was looking at the youth before him now. After what seems like minutes, the specters just stood there and smile. Before the youth or Touya could react, the specter vanished in a gulf of sakura petals.

Touya blinked his eyes. He almost couldn’t believe what he had just seen. He stood up on shaky legs and lean against the tree. When he was sure he could walk again without making a fool of himself, he slowly made his way towards the two figures.

He stopped a few feet away from them, not wanting to intrude upon the youth personal space to grief. He looked at the death girl, blood was all over her clothes. She looked so peaceful lying there that it almost seems like she was just sleeping.

/So young. She looked so young/

Maybe he could have prevented it had he not been so wrapped up in himself. If he had realize sooner that what was happening, this wouldn’t have happened now. She might be alive still. Regret flowed through him.

/If only, if only he had done something/

"I’m so sorry", he spoke to the young man holding the corpse.

He didn’t seem to have heard him at all. Holding on to her, crying as if his heart would break.

Touya didn’t know how long he stood there. Drifting in and out of memories. He couldn’t leave the youth there all alone.

/What if the specter decided to come back?/

He might not be able to defeat him but at least he can try.

The youth had quieted down after what seems like hours. His gazed was blank and he was staring into space.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Touya finally asked.

The youth turned in his direction.

Touya gasped. He looked exactly like the girl.

/Twins. They must be twins/

Touya sighed. It’s hard to lose someone you love. But to lose them in such a ghastly way makes it so much worse. To have been robbed of a chance to live, it’s unthinkable.

Suddenly, he felt his forehead burn. He put a hand to his forehead to wipe away the pain. His forehead felt scorched. He can see a faint bluish glow in front of his eyes.

He opened his eyes to see the youth staring at him with wide eyes. There was a shocked looked shown on his face. He saw the youth hands were also glowing. Something akin to pain was etched on his face. Suddenly, the youth released the body and jumped up.

"Where are you? Show yourself to me."

He looked around wildly trying to locate something. Touya also looked around but he couldn’t see anything there at all.

"Why, why did you kill her. It’s me you want. Why did you kill her? Seishirou-san…."

Touya looked at the youth that was now chanting and flinging some paper ofudas around. Suddenly the papers turned into birds and flew into the air. The birds circle the area trying to locate something. After a while nothing happened.

Touya felt the glow below its forehead vanished. So did the glow on the youth hands.

The youth stopped his chants and the birds vanished. He has the saddest looked on his face that Touya had ever seen. He turned towards Touya and spoke.

"You have the mark of the Sakurazukamori on you too. You are also one of his prey."

Touya looked at the youth in puzzlement. /What mark. What prey. What was he talking about?/

Seeing the blank look on Touya face, the youth sighed.

"You didn’t know, did you?"

It was a statement, not a question. The youth turn back to his dead sibling and gently picked her up.

Touya stepped forward to help him but the youth declined with a little shake of his head.

"Leave this place now. It’s not save."

"You really don’t need any help?"

"No, there’s really is nothing you can do now."

"Wait, what about making a police report?"

"The police can’t do a thing about it but I will make a report later on. Please go now."

Slowly the youth walked out of the park. Touya followed behind. They parted at the main street. Before they turned to go their separate way, Touya turned to the youth and asked for his name.

"My name is Sumeragi Subaru."

Then he turned his face away to look at his sister. Tears were still running down his cheeks like a river.

"And this… is my sister Hokuto."

"I am Kinomoto Touya."

The youth turn to go.

"I have a feeling we’ll meet again."

The wind carried those words to Touya. He stared at the disappearing figure of the youth and slowly turned around to go home. He had the same feeling too.

It started to rain after a while. Touya looked up at the sky, letting the rain falls on him. Maybe it’s heavens way of crying for an innocent soul lost. He made his way home. Not caring the way the rain touched him or the way the winds tore at him. So much things had happened tonight but most of all, he seeks the answer only one person can give him.

He was going to have a talk with his dad.