Into the Forest part 9

[krystalkatz.livejournal.com]

18 years earlier

Sho Sakurai stared dispassionately around the house that he had been brought to. It was large, made up mostly of wood with large decorative wall hangings that depicted strange wolf headed gods and nude woman with flowers in their hair. They were the kinds of pictures that his mother would have thought unseemly and would have berated him for looking at. The thought of his mother sent a pain filled stab through his heart and his eyes clouded over with tears for a moment. Knowing that he had to be a man he breathed deeply refusing to let the sob in his throat come to the surface. At only seven years old he still sought the comfort of his mother’s skirts and to know that he would never have those or his father’s warm and gentle hand upon his shoulder cut deeper than he would ever have imagined.

“So this is he then? The heir…He looks nothing like his mother…But more like his father…” A waspish shrill voice snapped coldly and Sho found his chest puffing with a small amount of pride. His father had been a fearsome lord who had commanded respect, that he was like him in looks meant a lot. A reedy voice cut in quickly though saying;

“In looks the boy is like his father but…It is said that he is more like his mother in temperament, my lady…Bookish they call him…The body is…Delicate…He would be no trouble to you or your son…”

“I see…” The woman huffed coming to stand in front of him a strong hand gripping at his chin as he tilted his face up forcing him to look at her. His breath caught for a moment, struck at how much like his own sweet mother she looked though she was fatter with harsh lines around her mouth and eyes. Her hair was grey too while his mother’s had been so black it shone almost blue when the sun light caught it. Her eyes had been warmer too full of happiness at living. “You know who I am boy?”

“My aunt…?” Sho whispered weakly trying hard to be polite and respectful when in reality the woman could have been anybody off of the street and he wouldn’t have known any different, his mother had never spoken about an aunt and if she didn’t look so much like his dear mamma he never would have believed that this cold person could have been his aunt. The clothes she was wearing were as confusing as the home she lived in with a wolf’s pelt draped over one shoulder like a cape. It was a sickening, saddening sight to him as his mother had always told him that they must treat every living thing with the same respect that you yourself would want to be treated.

“Yes…Your mother was the bastard child of my father…As you have no family left it has fallen on me to take care of you…” The aunt said finally releasing his chin so he could stare at the floor again his hands fixed firmly behind his back as he shuffled his feet on the carpet trying to remember to stay quiet and polite like he had been told. “...My son will be here in a few moments…Ah here he is now…”

Sho turned slowly almost relieved to see a boy of around his age walking towards him slowly. He was dressed in a grey tunic and trousers with a silver belt around his waist depicting a great wolf’s head baying at the moon and Sho wondered if the house of his aunt was symbolised by the wolf, it was the only explanation for the motif of the beast everywhere. It made the wolf’s pelt she wore more disturbing if that was the case. Positive that the boy was going to be as bad as the mother he was pleasantly surprised when he gave a genuine smile holding out his hand to him saying;

“Jun Matsumoto…Nice to meet you…”

TBC
A/N: I hope that this is okay ^_^