That child had been standing there, under the tree staring, for what seems like a long time now. The expression on the child face was like an open book for him to see. There was curiosity and something akin to fascination while he was staring at the tree. But fear never entered the picture.

/Interesting/ He had thought then while hiding in the tree. The child couldn’t see him from that angle.

The child looked on with interest. The sakura petals swirled around him carried by the wind.

"Touya, where are you?"

The child name Touya stood there for a moment before turning around and called back.

"I’m here, Okasan."

A woman emerged into the clearing. Relief written all over her face at the knowledge that her son was safe. She hugged him and gently admonished him.

"Why did you wander away from us? Your Otousan and I have been looking all over for you."

The child named Touya gave his mother a big hug. Then he pointed to the tree.

"Look Okasan."

The mother turned to look at the tree and froze. Even from the distance separating them he could see her expression clearly. Fear. The first and foremost expression he had read in her eyes.

"Let’s go Touya. It’s getting dark. We have to let your Otousan knows that you’re safe."

She quickly stood up and grabbed the boy’s hand preparing to turn and leave the place. The boy almost turned and goes with his mother when something else caught his eyes.

"Look Okasan, the tree… it’s bleeding."

The mother reluctantly turned to see and then tried to drag her child to leave. More urgently this time.

"Don’t look anymore Touya, let’s go."

The child followed the mother to leave but all the while he kept looking back. Being the innocent child that he was, he doesn’t understand his mother’s urgency. He followed the trail of the blood all the way up the tree and that’s when the child eyes locked on his. The child froze and his eyes grew as big as saucers.

The Sakurazukamori smiled. Now that the child had seen him, he couldn’t let them leave the place alive. No one who had seen him killed ever live.

He jumped down from the tree and stood at the base.

"Going some where?"

Nadeshiko froze.

"Run Touya." The child reacted to the fear in his mother voice and move to obey her.

Suddenly, the landscape around them changed. Nadeshiko looked around wildly. The sakura tree seems to be surrounding them. Try as she might, she can’t see a way out.

She hugged Touya to her tightly.

"Please don’t hurt my child."

The youth smirked. He was untouched by the scene before him.

Seeing the distressed looked on his mother’s face, the child squirmed out of his mother’s arms. He bravely stood in front of his mother trying to protect her. His arms fisted into a fighting stance.

"Don’t you dare harm my mother."

The youth looked at little Touya with a gleam in his eyes.

"And how do you plan to protect her?"

"I’ll fight you." And with that, little Touya punched the air in front of him with both hands.

"And where did you learn that? I bet you learnt that by spending hours in front of the TV." He laughed.

Nadeshiko grabbed Touya in a tight hug.

"Don’t Touya, don’t make him angry. Please let us go. We promise we won’t tell anyone what happened here. I won’t even go to the police. Please I begged of you, let us go."

The youth looked at her coldly.

"You know that is not possible, lady."

Nadeshiko eyes widen. She realizes that Touya and her wouldn’t leave this place alive. Tears slipped out from beneath her lashes. Touya looked at his mother’s tears and got angry.

"You made my Okasan cry, I won’t forgive you for that. No one made my Okasan cry and gets away with it."

Little Touya wriggle out of his mother’s arms and rushed at the youth. His arms punching at the youth’s lower body. The youth looked at the child and deftly picked him up by the collar of his shirt before he can do any physical damage to him. Not that he was afraid. The child in his arm didn’t cease his struggle. Punching and kicking at him.

Nadeshiko screamed and ran forward to help Touya. The youth gave her a sharp look as if daring her to come any nearer. Touya took in the youth momentary distraction and kicked him. Since he was hanging in mid air, the kick landed at a strategic place and the youth let go of him abruptly.

"Oof…………" The youth crouched down, a pained look upon his face.

Nadeshiko grabbed Touya and tried to run away.

"That was a very stupid thing to do." The youth had regained his composure and was now advancing towards them once again.

"Please, I begged of you, let us go."

The youth reached them and grabbed Touya by the neck.

"Little monster, I’m going to kill you right now." And with that, his fingers tighten on Touya’s neck. The child in his grips struggle violently to free himself.

"Please let him go, please. He is just a child." Tears were running down Nadeshiko’s cheeks in earnest now. She tried to push him away. The youth just uses his other hand to shove her to the ground. The child in his arm was gasping for air but he was still struggling weakly. Even then, little Touya was glaring daggers at him.

/So much spirit in one so small/ He smiled.

Looking at her child turning blue, she knew must do something fast. She grabbed her brooch and plunged it at the youth’s arm. Bloods came gushing out of the wound. The youth gave her a glare of death. She paled but stood her ground.

"Please, let him go. You can take my life but please spare him. Killing a child doesn’t make you a hero. Only a coward would do such a thing."

He looked at the child who was beginning to be unconscious. He hesitated but after a second he let him dropped to the ground. Nadeshiko quickly scooped Touya tenderly into her arms. She rocked her child back and forth all the while talking soothingly to him. Little Touya finally opened his eyes to look at his mother.

"Okasan…it hurts."

"Hush now my child, Okasan’s gonna make it all better."

The youth looked at the tender exchange between the mother and son. It reminds him of when he was a child and his own mother soothing him then. He got angry with the reminder. He was supposed to be emotionless and he still is.

"So are you ready to die now."

"Will you promise me to let my son live?"

"You still want to negotiate?" He asked in a mocking voice.

"If you don’t let him go, I swear that I’m coming back to haunt you. And believe me I will." Her face was flushed with anger directed at the youth.

He seems to consider it and with a slight shrugged, agreed.

"As you wish, I’ll spare his life today."

Nadeshiko hugged the child in her arms one last time. She gently lay a kiss on his forehead.

"Please be strong Touya, Okasan can’t take care of you anymore. Please take care of your Otousan and Sakura-chan."

"Where are you going, Okasan?"

He grabbed on tightly to his mother’s hand but she gently pried his fingers away.

"Know that I love you all very much and that I’ll always be looking out for all of you."

Having said that, she walked towards the youth. Touya tried to stand up but found that he was too weak. He slowly sat up. He called for his mother but his cries fell on deaf ears.

She stood before the youth and the youth got ready to strike.

"Remember your promise. You promise to let him go. If you break your promise, I’ll come back to haunt you."

The youth smile and plunged his hand into her chest. She screamed but before he let go of her, he whispered into her ears.

"I promised to let him go today but I didn’t say when I’m going to claim his life again."

Nadeshiko starred in disbelieved but the pained proved too much and she felled to the ground.

Little Touya had finally managed to stand up but it was too late. His mother’s blood splashed onto his face and body. His stared in shocked at the scene in front of him.

He heard the youth spoke but was too daze to comprehend what he was saying.

Slowly, he made his way to where his mother was lying on the ground. He touched her face and let out a blood-curling scream. And then he too fell to the ground in a death faint.

The youth looked on dispassionately. He should kill the boy. No one who saw him kill ever get away alive. But there was something about the child that kept him from killing him. Maybe it was the innocent he radiates, or maybe it was his silent strength. He hasn’t screamed and cried like most children do. He had even tried to protect his mother. Furthermore, this child reminds him of the other child that he had chosen as his prey. A certain green eye child.

He smiled. Perhaps fate had been kind to him after all. He decided there and then not to kill him. He has already found a second toy.

The youth walked over to the boy and turn his face up. The boy appears lifeless. He wondered how much the boy would remember when he woke up.

The youth dab his finger with his own blood and then he traces the blood onto the boy’s forehead. He drew an inverted pentagram at the centre of the boy’s forehead. The mark glowed a silvery blue hue. The boy’s face contorted as if in pain for a moment until the glow faded away.

The youth stood up and turn to go. He can hear voices in the near vicinity.

/Must be the woman’s husband searching for them/

He smiled. He can almost feel sorry for the poor fellow at the sight that he is going to discover. Almost. He smirked