Prologue:

In a small wooden house in a forest surrounded by nature, an old man with a small white beard and hair was staring at the burning candle.

It was a quiet night, so the only sound that could be heard in the house was the breathing of two people and the occasional chirping of a baby bird.

The old man took his gaze away from the candle and looked at a small boy sitting on a chair. The boy's dark black hair cast a shadow on his young but good-looking face. His eyes could not be seen because he was looking at the baby bird nestled in a towel on his lap.

"Isn't fire a fascinating thing, Yuuji?"

The old man asked the boy. The boy looked up at the old man silently, with lifeless, deep black eyes. There were no emotions in his eyes, like he was not even alive.

The old man continued, like he knew there would be no reply from the boy.

"It's dangerous for everything, but it also gives warmth to all. It can burn a life, but it can also save it. It depends on the person sitting in front of it. Maybe it's a good thing that the fire doesn't have a will of its own. Because there would be no one who would teach it the value of life."

The boy looked down on the bird, pondering his words. The old man smiled, knowing that his words were having some effect on the boy.

"Are you taking good care of Gee Gee?"

The old man questioned the boy.

"Don't call her that," the boy said in a small voice.

The old man replied in a calm voice.

"It's a good name considering she is a laughing dove. And this name rhymes with the previous one."

A hint of annoyance passed through the boy's eyes, but they soon returned to their dull state, as he said in a somewhat loud voice.

"You named him Goo Goo."

"But he loved his name," the old man said while smiling.

"No, he did not. If that was the case, he wouldn't have pulled your beard every time you called him that."

The old man's eyes twitched a little, but he kept calm, thinking these were the most intense emotions the boy had shown in the past few months. So he decided to change the subject.

"Anyway, tell me how you feel about taking care of this bird."

The boy thought a little.

"I feel sad."

He answered uncertainly.

"Why?"

"Because I will have to let her go when she grows up, just like Goo Goo last time."

The old man smiled and said it in a warm voice.

"That's how life is, Yuuji. These birds belong to the wind. But don't think you are doing something worthless by fostering them just because you can't keep them. You have saved a life, and it's the second-best thing a person can do. So just keep thinking of it as your duty and let them go when the time comes."

"Does that mean I will always be alone?"

The boy thought out loud.

"Of course you won't be. Some of them will probably come back to you, and some may not even leave. Even if it doesn't happen, good things will happen to those who do good for others."

The boy fell silent after this exchange, pondering over the words. The old man smiled again.

'Looks like it won't be that difficult to teach the boy about life, whose only objective so far has been taking lives."

.....

Years later,

On a narrow road passing by a cliff, a car was speeding through the wind. The driver had a somewhat concerned look on his face because he thought that they had to spend most of the night traveling through this dangerous road.

"Sakaki sensei, please slow down. It's really dangerous to speed up on this  road."

A blond-haired western beauty spoke to the dark-haired, spectacled driver anxiously.

This woman Yuria Harudere was 5.6 inches (172cm) tall and had long, curly blonde hair. Her blue eyes were mesmerizing as a gem, with a mole under her left eye, while her curvy body with a big bust increased her mature charm manyfold. She appeared to be 22 or 23 years old, even though she was in her late twenties. She wore a business suit, which highlighted her curves.

"We can't do that, Harudere sensei. It's getting late, and we haven't seen even a sign of any town or city," the man replied.

"Hmph, it's not like I am scared or anything, but Yuria sensei is right,"

said a blonde twin-tailed girl with blue eyes and average height in a classic tsundere accent.

"I am sorry, Michiru; it's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on staying with Yuria sensei after the school trip and running off for shopping today, this wouldn't have happened,"

whispered a short, rough-cut, pink-haired, striking deep blue-eyed girl depressingly, feeling bad for her twin-tailed friend Michiru Matsushima, who stayed behind to keep her company. Her face, with slightly rounded features, gave off innocence and youthful charm.

"It's alright Sachi, we would have been late even without you because of my track and field award ceremony."

The girl who tried to comfort Sachi Komine had knee-length reddish hair tied in a teardrop by two white ribbons on either side and blue eyes because she was older than them. Her name was Amane Suou. She was taller than both young girls.

"There is no one to blame for this situation. This was just bad luck on our part, considering one wrong turn led us to this deserted road."

Said the driver, to lessen their remorse. After that, silence spread through the vehicle, which was broken by a loud noise coming from the front wheel of the car. The tire burst, and the car went out of control. All the young girls shrieked in horror. The driver tried to stop the car, but it was already too late. The car broke through the metal barrier and started to roll down the steep cliff, and after that, the vehicle started its free fall into a dozen-meter-deep abyss.

The girls hugged each other tightly, screaming while their lives flashed before their eyes. There was the same question in everyone's mind.

"Will this be the end? even though they haven't lived even half of their lives. Why would they have to end up like this?"

They didn't know that this disaster may leave them traumatized for the rest of their lives, but it will also be a stroke of fortune for them. Because this accident will mark the start of their journey with someone they will cherish more than their lives. A boy covered with the drakness of sins but carrying the beacon of virtue. A boy who is looking for a reason to live or perhaps a place to die.

_______________________

A.N:

Hello, author here (though it's arguable because I don't consider myself one). This is my first ever work, and it has been on my mind for some time because I really liked the "Fruit of the Grinch" anime. I am a complete novice in writing, and English is not my language, so there may be many mistakes in both grammar and writing style. This chapter lacked luster, mostly because of the character introduction and probably my own writing skills, but I will do my best to improve. If you have read this far, then thank you very much.

Please give your reviews, point out mistakes, and tell me about areas I should improve.

P.S. Please read chapter 0 for more information about the story.

Question:

Can I attach characters's photos in the comments? Is this allowed because I will be using pictures from Google? I wanted to do that so everyone could see what characters looked like without searching on Google themselves.