Chapter: 1 The single light in the darkness.
The three-year-old Takayama awoke to a loud banging on the front door. He looked out the window and saw that it was raining furiously outside and flashes of lightning illuminated the black night. “Rain…haven’t seen that in a while…” he thought to himself, as he peered over the window seal. The banging continued again on the front door and he heard his mother get up from her chair by the fireplace. He peeked out of his room and watched her quickly cross the floor to the door. She was a young woman, who looked about in her mid twenties. Though she never let it show, the truth was she sick with a terrible disease that caused her to cough up blood. “Y-yes?” she opened the door and there stood a soldier with a grimaced face and a parchment of some sort in his hand.
“Mrs. Hikiro?” the soldier asked. “Yes that’s me…can I help you?” she responded with her voice shaking slightly. He soldier held out the parchment, “I’m sorry but…your husband, General Hikiro…has died in battle…” The soldier bowed quickly and left her standing in the doorway staring down at the parchment.
Two weeks later Takayama held his mothers hand as they looked down at a lone gravestone. They placed the parchment and flowers around it then left quietly as they had came. At night, Takayama would see his mother sobbing in her chair, as she would go over papers his father had written her. Gradually his mother started to weaken and show fatigue. Takayama would try his best to comfort her but nothing seemed to help her. One day she was cooking in the kitchen, when she fell to the floor, clutching her chest in pain.
She coughed up pool after pool of blood as it stained the floor. “Mother!” Takayama ran to her and tried to shake her to consciousness, but to no avail. A day later she died, the doctor said that it appeared as if the stress of her loss compounded with her sickness and that caused her heart to fail.
With no one left, the young Takayama wondered the streets in hope of food and shelter. He would spend many days sitting in the alleys or visiting his parent’s graves. His life became a deep vortex of depression and pain, from which no light could penetrate. One day he was found sobbing in front of his old house, which a rich merchant had bought after he was kicked out. A man with raven black hair and deep brown eyes laid his hand on the sobbing boys head. “Are you Takayama Hikiro?” he man ask. “My name is Kotaku Kenshiro…I was a friend of your fathers and well am technically your god-father…” The boy looked up at him with blurry eyes. “You knew my father?” The man gave him a soft smile. “Hai, I did and he told me that if anything were to happen to him and your mother I was to take you in…”
“You mean your going to be my father now?” he asks, rubbing the tears from his eyes.
“Uhh yeah I guess you could say that…and you’ll have a brother and new mother too!” Kotaku said scratching his head.
“Umm…ok…” Takayama said looking up at the new man.
“Ok its time to go.” Kotaku took the boys hand and they walked away from the house and the bad memories he had there. Looking back now, Kotaku was the only light that could have brought me from that darkness.
The three-year-old Takayama awoke to a loud banging on the front door. He looked out the window and saw that it was raining furiously outside and flashes of lightning illuminated the black night. “Rain…haven’t seen that in a while…” he thought to himself, as he peered over the window seal. The banging continued again on the front door and he heard his mother get up from her chair by the fireplace. He peeked out of his room and watched her quickly cross the floor to the door. She was a young woman, who looked about in her mid twenties. Though she never let it show, the truth was she sick with a terrible disease that caused her to cough up blood. “Y-yes?” she opened the door and there stood a soldier with a grimaced face and a parchment of some sort in his hand.
“Mrs. Hikiro?” the soldier asked. “Yes that’s me…can I help you?” she responded with her voice shaking slightly. He soldier held out the parchment, “I’m sorry but…your husband, General Hikiro…has died in battle…” The soldier bowed quickly and left her standing in the doorway staring down at the parchment.
Two weeks later Takayama held his mothers hand as they looked down at a lone gravestone. They placed the parchment and flowers around it then left quietly as they had came. At night, Takayama would see his mother sobbing in her chair, as she would go over papers his father had written her. Gradually his mother started to weaken and show fatigue. Takayama would try his best to comfort her but nothing seemed to help her. One day she was cooking in the kitchen, when she fell to the floor, clutching her chest in pain.
She coughed up pool after pool of blood as it stained the floor. “Mother!” Takayama ran to her and tried to shake her to consciousness, but to no avail. A day later she died, the doctor said that it appeared as if the stress of her loss compounded with her sickness and that caused her heart to fail.
With no one left, the young Takayama wondered the streets in hope of food and shelter. He would spend many days sitting in the alleys or visiting his parent’s graves. His life became a deep vortex of depression and pain, from which no light could penetrate. One day he was found sobbing in front of his old house, which a rich merchant had bought after he was kicked out. A man with raven black hair and deep brown eyes laid his hand on the sobbing boys head. “Are you Takayama Hikiro?” he man ask. “My name is Kotaku Kenshiro…I was a friend of your fathers and well am technically your god-father…” The boy looked up at him with blurry eyes. “You knew my father?” The man gave him a soft smile. “Hai, I did and he told me that if anything were to happen to him and your mother I was to take you in…”
“You mean your going to be my father now?” he asks, rubbing the tears from his eyes.
“Uhh yeah I guess you could say that…and you’ll have a brother and new mother too!” Kotaku said scratching his head.
“Umm…ok…” Takayama said looking up at the new man.
“Ok its time to go.” Kotaku took the boys hand and they walked away from the house and the bad memories he had there. Looking back now, Kotaku was the only light that could have brought me from that darkness.
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