'Mommy looks upset again...why is she so sad?' Jin thought as he peeped into his mother's room from the small crack between the wall and the door that hid him. His mother had always seemed to be so despaired for some reason that Jin never found out. Her radiant brown eyes would turn stormy, her smile would be replaced by a saddening frown, her gentle face would be buried within her hands.

'Looking at Mother in that condition always made me wonder what had sorrowed her so much. One day she would wake up as the happy, calm mother that I always knew, and the next she would be the distressed woman that I never had seen before.'

Jin looked at his mother silently, not wanting her to be aware of his presence. He had accomplished this sucessfully while he heard her sobs.
"Kazuya..." Bewilderment struck Jin when his mother spoke out. "Kazuya, I wish you didn't leave..." That was when Jin had leaned too much against the door and he fell right onto the floor of his mother's room. Jun's face rose from her hands and Jin looked directly away from his mother so that she wouldn't see his ashamed face.
"Jin, I thought you were in bed," was the soft reply of his mother.
"Mommy...I'm really sorry."

'I hated myself for that. I knew I should've left earlier to avoid what had happened, but Mother was crying. I wanted to find out because I didn't want to leave not knowing why she was so sad.'

Jin hung his head so that he wouldn't have to face his mother, but surprisingly he felt her arms wrapping around him. He looked up and saw that she was kneeling down and embracing him. She then stood up straight and the smile that had always comforted Jin returned on her lips, but the faint sparkle of tears was still present within her eyes.
"Come, it's past your bedtime. You're a growing young boy so you'll need your sleep." She walked Jin to his room and sat him upon his bed. She pulled the cotton sheets over her son and tucked him in to retire for the night. Jin however still remained restless despite the wave of slumber that was crashing upon him. He didn't want his mother to leave him yet so his mind made up an excuse.

'Whenever it was time for bed I always got this feeling that whenever I would fall asleep and I woke up the next morning, my mother would disappear. I know that since I was a child I shouldn't have worried of such things, but I was just five back then and I hardly knew much. So I would always think of something to say that any other child would.'

"Mom, can you tell me a story?" Jin asked.

'Talk about lame, but it was the only thing I could come up with.'

"Jin, it is time for you to sleep. I don't want you to feel agitated in the morning."
"Pleeeaassseee...." Jin pleaded.

'I didn't even know what 'agitated' meant at that time, but I didn't want Mother to go. So I tried begging.'

"All right, but you have to promise me that you'll go to sleep afterwards." Jun said sternly, and she took a seat on his bed right beside him.
"I promise," Jin replied and rested his head deeper against his pillow.
"What do you want to hear this time?"

'Mother's stories were always full of wisdom. They kept me up on some nights, wondering about all the possible life forms here on Earth and beyond. I always liked the ones about nature, because Mother would tell me of the ancient trees that had stood tall throughout the world's history, and she would also tell of how flowers would bloom over and over again and when they did, they become more beautiful each time. To me, my mother was like that. Each day that I lived with her, time never degraded her features. It would rather mature them, making her lovelier everytime that I saw her. My mother was beautiful, and so was her spirit...'

"Why do people keep killing each other and the Earth, Mommy? Don't they feel bad about themselves hurting them?"
'There was still so much that I had to learn, so my questions were endless. But my mother was never annoyed, and she would always tell me the answers that I wanted.'
"Honey, let me tell you something. Some people that live in this world today are filled with hatred and greed. Those kind of people will stop at nothing to get what they want.
They rely on violence to accomplish their goals, and innocent people are harmed because of that."
"But why do they kill the Earth too?"
"Because the Earth has a lot of recourses that people use today. People whose hearts are selfish try to reap the Earth of all its riches just to keep it to themselves so that they could make money. People like that are never satisfied, so they want more. They never care about friendship or love, so they live a lonely life without anyone by their side."

'My mother was intelligent, so I always found complete logic into what she said. I always wondered why she was so wise, then I thought that it was from her own kind heart.'

'Oh no, I'm getting sleepy...' Jin thought to himself while his eyelids were getting heavy. 'I don't want to go to sleep, I want to hear Mom's story...'
Jin wished that his mother hadn't noticed, but unfortunately, she had. Jun stood up from the bed and pulled the sheets closer to his face. She stroked his hair while Jin tried to protest.
"Mommy, I don't feel sleepy," Jin desperately whined, trying hard not to yawn.
"Sorry Jin, but you need your sleep now," Jun bent down to his cheek and kissed him softly. "Good night."
"But Mommy...I'm...not...tired--" Jin couldn't fight it. Before he knew it his sentence was cut off and deep slumber had possessed him.

'No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't ever stay up. But that didn't bother me much because I was fast asleep anyway.'

Jun's hand carressed Jin's cheek and then she walked quietly to the bedroom door. With a smile, she looked at the young toddler sleep peacefully before she left the room. "Good night, Jin." She then turned off the light and closed the door.

'Even though I was asleep, I kept wondering who Kazuya was. I assumed it was someone my mother knew, but she had never mentioned him before. In my sleep, the man my mother called Kazuya showed up. I didn't know what he looked like, nor did I know who he was. My thoughts and questions from earlier roamed endlessly. What did he look like? Who was he? I didn't have a clue, but these questions seemed related to the ones about my father. Being a toddler I didn't know too much, so I really didn't know the close relation to the man Kazuya and my father.'

* * * *

Dawn broke onto the forest as it awoke from its midnight sleep. The rosy-fingered sun peeked through the curtains of Jin's room and dappled onto his cheek. Jin had felt its warmth and consciousness nudged him. Then, the aroma of food had fully woken him up. Jin sat up from his bed and he knew suddenly knew that his mother was awake and was making breakfast. He felt his stomach growl a bit and he rushed to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

'I would always wake up like that in the morning. While the sun tried to interrupt me from my sleeping, the smell of breakfast immediately got my attention. That's how I would know when dawn had arrived: the sun and my mother's cooking.'

Jin nearly tripped as he was struggling to get his shirt on. He was running and dressing at the same time on his way to breakfast. When he finally got his shirt over his head, the baggy ends of his pants went undernearth his feet and he almost slipped. He regained his balance and proceeded to where his mother was cooking their meals. Jin went into the kitchen where he was greeted by his breakfast set on the table and his mother drinking her tea.
"Morning, Mom," he said as he plopped onto a small chair and began to eat his food.
"Good morning Ji--my, don't eat so fast!"
"Huh?" Jin looked up from his breakfast to the surprised expression of his mother. A few crumbs of food was on his childish face and his upper lip was almost completely stained with milk.
"You're going to choke if you eat like that," Jun said as Jin wiped his mouth off with a napkin. He then ate at a slower pace so his mother wouldn't worry as much. After he was finished he placed his empty plate and cup into the sink and began to prepare for his nursery school.
About fifteen minutes later, Jin was ready with his bookbag hanging on his left shoulder and his bagged lunch in his right hand. His mother was waiting at the door for him and he hurried to where she was.
"Mommy, I'm ready," he cheerfully stated and Jun smiled. "Let's go then, school is going to start soon." She took his hand into hers and they headed down the path from their small house to the nearby village.

'The tiny village that was about a ten minute walk from our home was nestled deep within the Yakushima Mountains. But needless to say, I liked it there because it was a friendly, calm place. The village had a few small shops and playing children everywhere. The school that I went to wasn't big at all, but I did learn how to read, write, and solve mathematics, so I guess I didn't have anything to complain about. Even though the village had children my age, I didn't really know any of them. The matter was simple: I didn't have a father. I didn't know a single thing about him, not even who he was. I guess that was what made most of my classmates avoid me. They thought that I was a nobody because I didn't live with my father.'

"Pay attention to your lessons all right?"
"Yes, Mom."
"Good then," Jun bent down to hug her son before he joined the other children into the school. "I'll be waiting out here for you after school is done."
"Bye Mommy!" Jin waved to his mother as he ran into the school house, and Jun couldn't help but smile and wave back as she watched her son disappear with all of the other running children.

* * * *

Jin worked by himself as he drew a picture of a cottontail rabbit with his crayons and some paper. It was arts and crafts time and he and the rest of the students were drawing whatever interested them. Since his mother had taught him a lot about wildlife, it has been his main interest.
"Hey, that's a nice picture."
Jin turned around to see who just spoke to him and he met a boy about his age.
"Thanks." Jin replied with a sheepish smile.
"I drew a picture of a tiger, 'cause they're big and gots sharp teeth you know? They're my favorite animals. But rabbits are okay too, 'cause they run reeeaaaallly fast!"
"Yea, that's a little bit of why I like them too," Jin replied, content with the idea that he has met a new friend.

* * * *

"Say Jin, do you wanna come over my house after school? My mom says she doesn't mind if I bring a friend home today." "All right!" Jin exclaimed, but the sudden reminder of asking his mother fell upon him. "Uh, I gotta ask my mom first whenever she picks me up from school."
The last class was dismissed and all the children poured out of the school, running to their patient parents waiting outside. Jin had spotted his mother from all of the other adults and ran right towards her. Jun welcomed him with a soft smile and open arms as he rushed to her. As she hugged him, Jin remembered what he had to ask her.
"Mom, can I go to Kenji's house for a while?"
"Who's Kenji? Is he a classmate of yours, Jin?"
"Uh huh, and he's my new friend," Jin pointed to the boy with light brown hair and faded blue jeans. "Can I Mom, please?"
Jun thought for a moment, and then replied with an answer. "Yes, but you need to be back home by dinner, and don't walk by yourself either."
Jin was happy with his mother's reply and hugged her, glad that he was able to visit his friend's house. He then ran over to Kenji and who he assumed to be his father and they all walked to Kenji's home.

* * * *

'Kenji was the only child in the village that understood me. He was really the only friend who knew what my life was like. About two years ago when he was just three, he lost his only sister. Even though I never knew my father or was ever close to him, the point was that we both had lost family. That was why it was easy for me and Kenji to become friends.'

* * * *

After a quiet dinner, Jin was about to get ready for bed until he passed one of the windows in the living room. The clear night sky had caught his attention, and he suddenly longed to go outside and watch the stars for a while. Careful not to alarm his mother, Jin silently creaked the door open and made it outside without making a sound.
When he was out Jin was greeted by the solitude of the evening. He looked up and his eyes were captivated by the magnificient evening sky. A sea of stars rolled across the sky, glowing with such eerie yet romantic light. They shone with such brillance that it was as if the angels had cried silver tears that stained the sky. But the moon had been the highlight of the night, gracefully wading across wave after wave of gleaming stars. It was so hard to believe that the moon looked like a dead graveyard up close, but from Earth it was a perfect majestic pearl that shone throughout the night until it retired to sleep.
'I wonder if the Earth looks just as beautiful from the moon,' Jin thought with child-like wonder.
"It's such a pretty night, isn't it Jin?"
Bewilderment struck Jin after he had heard a voice beckon him from the shadows. He felt fear within him, for the sadistic voice had startled him, and he began to tremble. A cold sweat formed onto his brow and his he could feel his heart rattling inside of his chest. His mind told him to run, but he remained where he was: helplessly paralyzed. "Well, isn't it?"
"W-who's there! Show yourself!" Jin yelled to the darkness, doing his best to swallow his fear.
"Don't you know who I am? Here, I'll give you a little hint: I'm someone very close to you Jin...and your mother..."
Jin, still trembling began thinking that this...person was here for his mother. Now he was so afraid that tears almost came to his eyes.
"How do you know my mom?"
"Why, I love her Jin...didn't she tell you how much I love her?"
"...love her? Just who are you...?!"
"Jin, I am your father. I've missed you and your mother so much. Now I that I have come back, I could marry her and we could all be a family. Your mother will be happy again, and she'll never cry like you saw her do so. You don't like seeing her cry...do you Jin?"
Jin was too dumbfounded to answer, so he couldn't say anything. But he could tell that his father knew what his answer was. It was true that he didn't want his mother to be deeply sorrowed whenever she thought that he wasn't around. Maybe his 'father' could make things better for her and Jin.
"I thought so. Come, take my hand." A callused hand reached out from the shadows, and Jin was advancing towards it step by step. As he walked, he could see the bold and massive figure of his father, but he couldn't make out his face since it was entirely cloaked by the darkness. Jin's eyes then fell to examine the hand, and he saw that it seemed strong enough to wrap around Jin's neck and break it in two. That's what made Jin stopped in his tracks, feeling more afraid then ever.
"Don't be so frightened Jin. Haven't you realize that when your mother sees me, she will be happy again now that I have returned? Isn't that why your mother cries so much? Isn't because she is lonely and misses me?"
"Mommy didn't tell me about my dad at all, so why should I believe a stranger like you?"
"That's becasue she doesn't know how to tell you about me. She's afraid that you will be sad like her if she tells you."
"But Mommy would always tell me something, even if it makes me cry. My mom doesn't lie or hide things from me, so don't blame her for doing something like that!"
Jin's mind was telling him to stay away from angering this man, but he couldn't take it any longer. What if his so-called father was the one who was really lying? How could Jin be so sure that this man was who he claimed to be?
"Jin, I am hurt by those words. I'd never accuse your mother for doing such things. You are just too young to understand; you don't know how adults' emotions really are. If your mother was oh so honest, why does she cry behind your back? And why doesn't she ever say anything about your father, even if you ask? Hmmm? Can you answer that?"
"Because she doesn't want me worrying about her, that's why! And I don't ask her questions about my father, because I know that I don't have one!" Jin shouted, his tears already falling from his wet eyes. This conversation was both frustraing and angering him. He knew that he wasn't like other children, because he always went under the impression that he didn't have a father. So why did this man have to go ahead and rub it in?
"You're quite smart for a little brat," his father jeered back at him. "But you're pretty insolent as well..." Jin saw something reflecting in the shadows, and he realized that it was the eyes of the man who claimed to be his father; they were pulsing with murderous red light. Before he could even scream out for help, Jin was struck down with such force that he couldn't even cry in fear anymore.
"You shouldn't talk back boy," the voice hissed. "But then again, you're kind of brave for someone's bastard son..." Jin then felt his foot lunging right into his stomach, again and again. His body grew numb, and he felt like he was going to die in a matter of a few seconds. Suprisingly the stranger had stopped kicking him, leaving Jin in complete bewilderment.
"Now to take care of your dear mother..."
Jin's eyes widened, and he tried to get up. But he felt another kick right into his ribs and fell back down again. He was completely helpless, unable to move. All he could do now was let his mother fall prey to that damned creature, whoever he was.
'I'm so sorry Mommy. I couldn't protect you like I wanted to.'
Jin then heard a scream piercing the silence of the night. He knew that it was his mother being attacked, and that had made himself hate him even more for not doing anything.
"NO! Leave her alone please! Just leave her alone!!!" Jin cried as he heard the struggle inside of the house and his mother's screams. He tried getting up again but couldn't. He knew that he couldn't help his mother, no matter how much he wanted to.
'No, stop hurting her...please stop...'
"Jin, get up!"
'Who's calling me?'
"Honey, please wake up!!!'
'..mommy...?'
Jin found himself in the arms of his mother, her face tear-stained and the look of concern in her moist eyes. He was back in his room on his bed, being held by his mother with the house spotless of any sign of fighting.
"Jin, are you all right?" Jun asked with her voice trembling.
"Mommy, you're not hurt..."
"Why would I be Jin? Oh, you worried me so much! I heard you screaming and crying in your bedroom and I got scared. Jin, what had frightened you so badly in your sleep?"
"Is there anyone here Mommy? Where is he? Where is dad?"
Jun's face then turned pale at her son's question. Jin could tell, and he wished that he hadn't asked her about his father.
"...Jin...were you dreaming about your father?"
Jin didn't want to go deeper into the subject, but a part of him wanted to tell his mother what he had dreamt about.
"Um, yea Mom. Dad was in my dream...but how can that be? I don't have a father so why was he there?"
Jun couldn't speak, and tears returned to her eyes. Jin suddenly came to the realization that he had struck a weak spot in his mother. He didn't know that the subject of his father was a sensitive one, especially to his mother. If he knew that, he probably wouldn't have asked.
"Jin, that isn't true. You do have a father. Only he's not with us."
"Well where is he Okaasan? I wanna know who my dad is."

'My mother was silent for a few moments, and I knew that she was trying her hardest not to weep in front of me. Every minute guilt was building inside of me and I knew how tough it was for my mother to answer such a question, but I wanted to know regardless of the outcome. Was my father really as ruthless as the demon in my dream? Did he ever had any intentions like that demon to hurt my mother? I had to know, because that nightmare that I had frightened me to death, and I needed answers.'

"Jin, you're father was gone before you were born--"
"Did he leave us?" Jin interrupted.
"No, no. He...passed away, sweetie. That's why he isn't here with us."
"Oh..." Jin didn't want to go any father than that, for he couldn't stand to see his mother holding back her tears. At least he knew that he had a father. But there were some things he still wanted to know.
"Mommy, did you love him?" Jin asked, and he saw a glimpse of calmness inside her teary eyes. She smiled, and nodded. "Yes, I loved your father with all of my heart Jin. And I know that if he were still here he would want to see you grow up, since you are our only son."
Jin smiled back and he was content with his mother's answers. However, he wanted his mother to stay a while longer so that in any case that she disappeared in the morning, she would still be here to watch him drift off to sleep.
"Mommy, can you stay with me until I fall to sleep?"
The loving expression on Jun's face calmed his nerves as she answered. "Yes, I'll stay."
Jin pulled his sheets snugly over him and closed his eyes. He fell into a deep slumber with the hope that his mother would be in their home the next morning, unharmed and smiling...

* * * *

'That was about fifteen years ago. I was just a child, not knowing how vast the world was or about the dangers that plagued it. I lived with my mother those fifteen years in the home I always knew. I know that I can't ever go back there, or see my mother ever again. She's dead now, and my home has been destroyed. I always wanted to protect her, but I was up against a great evil that overwhelmed me too easily. But now, four years later, I've grown stronger and I will avenge my mother's death. I will make her killer pay for what it's done...'

A young man of nineteen years stands over a tranquil lake, protected by a sanctuary of trees. His bold figure is reflected onto the waters, showing how much it was strenghtened because of the intense training that the young man had went through. Although he had the appearance of a powerful fighter, his eyes were that of a child's, innocent and good-natured. However, he has felt much tragedy in his life despite the fact that he was only nineteen. Memories come to him quite often; they are that of a lost home and of a loving mother.

'Grandfather has told me of my father as well. He told me of the horrible things that he had done when he was alive. He told me of the countless lives he took, how badly he harmed the Earth, how heartless he was. That just puzzled me even more. How could my mother have loved such a man? She told me that people like him ended up completely isolated from everyone else with no one by their side. But my father did malignant things and he did have someone that cared about him: my mother. If mother said such words about people who couldn't care less about killing people and nature, why did my mother love him? It just doesn't make any sense...'
Jin looked out over the lake, the dying sun's beams sprawled across the waters. The light had fanned across the trees onto the very ground he was standing on. The sky was fading from pale blue into deep red, and the sun started to disappear behind the horizon. Jin looked on and he fell at ease.
'People who have malice in their hearts do unbelievable things. All they want is to kill and dominate all their life. But what if one of them could be changed? What if it was possible that someone who cared about him made their way through his heart and showed him kindness and true love? Would he learn of things like compassion and mercy for the one who loved him? Would he put the ambition to kill innocent people aside to return that affection to the one person that cared about him...? Was my father that one individual? Did mother shed a little happiness in his life and they ended up in love?'
Jin went back deep into his memories and reflected onto that one moment that he remembered as a young child.

"Mommy, did you love him?"
"Yes, I loved your father with all of my heart Jin..."

'Mother...' Jin thought back into how deep the sincerity in his mother's words were, and he suddenly knew that she really did mean what she said. Words that had such honesty, words that had come right from the heart couldn't have been lies. His mother really did love his father, and that was all that needed to be said.
'She really did love him...'
Jin looked up at the now star-studded sky and he felt the moist caress of tears in his eyes. His heart started to ache, but something inside of him calmed him of any fears or sadness that he might have had.
"Mother, please watch over me..."
The luminous stars gazed back at him in response, and Jin began to head back to his new home.

* * * To clear up any confusion some of you might have, this story was both told from the views of the narrator and of Jin himself. While he is reliving his childhood, Jin makes a few comments in the things that he had done and emotions that he had felt. So there you have it. * * * Alright, back to the main page with you!