Prequel 1 - A Matter of Inheritance
----------------------------------------------------------------


	Standing before the window in her kitchen finishing up
the last of the dishes, the attractive young woman sighed to
herself as she watched her happy daughter playing outside.  Never
in her life had she experienced such contentment and peace, and 
found herself hoping it would last forever.
        Up until two years ago, her life had been one of constant
turmoil, some of which, she had to admit, had actually been fun.
But, even an adrenaline junkie like herself had limits, and they
had been tested time and time again.
	After her husband died of cancer while she was away on a
mission, she decided to take her daughter and move to Canada.  She
had repeatedly tried to retire during his illness, but various 
high-powered officials just would not let her alone.  It had come
down to a choice -- stay in Japan and have her precious daughter 
raised by her parents, or leave and start a new life where nobody
knew her.  One look in her daughter's gleaming hazel eyes was 
all it took.
	So far, with just a simple change of hair color, she had
blended in perfectly to this small neighborhood, and nobody seemed
to notice anything unusual about them.
        Hanging up the drying towel, she poured herself a cup of
tea, and made her way out to the deck overlooking her huge yard.
She smiled as she thought to herself how a house and yard like this
would be impossible in her home town, even for someone as
financially secure as she was.
	Settling into her lounge chair, she continued to watch her
daughter play with her friend, and sipped gently at her tea.
Her mind drifted back to the days when she played like that with
her best childhood friend, and she couldn't help but smile.
	Her pleasant trip down memory lane was short-lived however,
interrupted by a small, insistent voice from the edge of the deck.
        "Mommy!  Mommy!" the melodious voice called, a chord of
urgency threaded through it.
        "Yes, honey?" she answered, leaning up to face her
daughter's imploring eyes.
	"Sarah fell off her bike and bent it!  Can you fix it?"
        "Is Sarah okay?" she responded, rising to go to the fallen
child.
	"She's okay, but her bike is bent, and her Daddy will be
mad!  Come on, Mom!" the little one urged, running back toward her
friend.
	Arriving at the scene, she noticed that the bike's front
fork had been pushed back, and the wheel was rubbing on the frame.
Sarah was crying, afraid she'd get in trouble.
        "It's okay, Sarah..." she soothed, offering the child a
tissue from her pocket.  "I'll see if I can fix it.  Are you sure
you're okay?" she asked softly, brushing some grass from the child's
dress.  The little girl nodded an affirmative, and wiped her
teary face.
	"Look, you two!  A kitty!" she announced, pointing out a 
neighbor's cat cutting through the yard.  In the few seconds
the two girls were distracted, she grabbed the bike and yanked 
the forks straight, then acted like she was fussing over the bent
tin fender.
	"Okay, Sarah...  It looks like it was just a bent fender.
It's okay now," she smiled, righting the bike.
	"Thank you!" Sarah sang, and happily jumped on the bike
to go after the cat.
	Sighing, she stood up and straightened her skirt as her
daughter raced off, a hearty "Thanks, Mommy!" fading on the 
breeze.
	Resuming her place on the deck, she absently watched the
children, relaxing and taking in the beauty of the day.  Inwardly,
she knew that she would have to enjoy these halcyon moments for 
all they were worth, seizing each and reveling in them.  As much
as she wished for this wonderful existence to last forever, the 
time would come when reality would once again intrude.
	Her beautiful, happy, carefree daughter was rapidly
approaching age seven, and that meant possibly a few more months
before it would happen to her.  Sadly, she remembered when it had
manifested itself in her own body, and it had scared the life
out of her.
	When she was just over seven years old herself, she was
playing in her parent's yard, when her best friend grabbed
her shovel from her.  As kids do, she got angry and grabbed it
back.  When her friend started to cry, she became even more upset
and threw the shovel at the wall, which it promptly went right
through.
	Crying, she ran to her mom, who upon hearing the story
simply smiled.  Her mother then sat her down with a cup of tea, 
and gently explained what had happened.
	She was the recipient of a special gift, one which could
either enhance or ruin her life, depending on how it was handled.
It was inherited from her parents, and along with it came the
awesome responsibility of knowing how to use it.
	She remembered how it had affected her life from that 
point onward, taking her down a path that would eventually lead to
constant challenges and sometimes vicious fighting.  Even the
government of her homeland became involved, using her gift to aid
them in their times of need.  The demands had become too great 
after a few years, and she could feel her life slipping away from
her.  
	She had missed some of the most important milestones in 
her daughter's young life, and still felt the pain of coming home
to her husband's gravestone.
	Secretly, she had hoped that since she had married a
normal man, the 'gift' would miss her daughter, or at least be
tempered by the mixing of the bloodline.  She still clung to that
desperate hope, not wanting her innocent little girl's carefree
youth to be washed away like hers had been, back on that summer
day twenty-three long years past.  Regrettably, there was no
way of knowing for sure, until the little one reached the 
appropriate age.
	Sighing again, she set down her teacup and walked into
the house, headed for her bedroom.  Kneeling before the side of 
her bed, she pulled a large flat trunk out from under it, then 
sat back on her heels.  She stared at the old box for several 
minutes, still hoping that what was contained within would never
have to be used.
        Finally, she unlocked the box and lifted its broad lid
fully open, a smile crossing her lips as she gazed at its
contents.  Despite her regrets and fears for her only child,
seeing the items again invoked memories that would always make 
her feel good.
	Reaching in, she moved aside the carefully folded sailor
fuku to reveal the two black wristbands beneath it, smaller
copies of the ones she wore to this day, carefully hidden under
her long-sleeved blouse.  She knew that one day her daughter 
might need them, and if that heartbreaking day ever came to be, 
she would pass on this second part of the little one's 
inheritance, and pray that she would have the wisdom to choose
a different path.
	Sighing once again, she closed the box and slid it back
under the bed.  Wiping away the tear that had formed in her eye,
she moved to the bedroom window and again watched her daughter
play.
	"Enjoy these times, my little darling...  For you, they
may end all too soon," she whispered, with a quiet sniff.




=================================================================
END - A Matter of Inheritance    A Project: Ako FanFic by Coutuva


Comments Welcomed, Flames Extinguished!
coutuva@gmail.com