Fujiwara Sato(part 1)

Early fall, 1020 A.D., Japan

Three weeks earlier, in a dark alley at the far edge of Fukuhara city

Hitting the wall with force, Sato coughed out some blood. Half of his body felt like it got crushed on impact, but he still did his best to hold onto whatever little consciousness he had left. His eyes were wet with tears as he miserably tried to pull himself up and failed.

Growling in pain, even with his injuries, he still did his best to turn his head to the other side, where his younger sister lay motionless. Sato tried with all the strength he could muster to send his hands forward in a desperate attempt to pull himself towards her, only for another sharp pain to pass through his left arm, where the wolf grabbed him, making him let out a muffled scream as he bit on his own tongue.

Silence once again reigned in the alley as he fell to the ground once more, struggling to breathe. Only a few screams of terror, hundreds of meters away, reached his ears from afar. The picture of the black, red-eyed wolf demon kept flashing before his eyes like a nightmare, refusing to let go.

A few short moments passed, but for him, each second felt like an hour, as he just couldn't seem to comprehend what happened. His sister was dead—the only person who had ever truly cared for him was gone.

Time passed, and after what felt like an eternity, he still lay there on his stomach, the light of the moon shining on his dead sister's cold face right in front of his eyes. He was just about to give up and let his eyes close one last time when the loud, penetrating howl of a wolf rang through his ears, washing him with another wave of anger.

Without his knowledge, something changed inside him at that moment, and as his eyes moved to look at the bright moon shining above, his pupils shifted, turning into a glowing shade of yellow right before he fainted.

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When he opened his eyes again, he could already feel the warmth of the sun radiating on his skin. The sudden glow caused his eyes to hurt slightly as he immediately shut them tightly. As he did that, the memories of the night started flying through his head, causing it to spin. Not opening his eyes again, he sat up, only to realize that there was no pain anymore.

'So it was just a nightmare...' he thought as his hand, which burned like hell with pain just a few hours ago, was placed steadily on the cold stone floor as he got up to his feet. He tried to open his eyes again, only to come face to face with a middle-aged man wearing a dark blue kimono, frozen in place and staring at him.

The two stared at each other for only a few seconds before the man let out a startled scream and swiftly turned on his heels, fleeing as if his life depended on it. Startled by the man's reaction, Sato lowered his eyes to his own body, only to see many bloodstains all across it.

From his torn sleeve, tainted by a lot of half-dried blood, to his shirt marred in various spots along the right side of his body, and his hand touching his face with a wet feeling, his fingers getting colored blood red. Reality hit him in the face, his head spun again as he looked to the floor, where seven bodies of men clad in black now lay there, their faces now revealed.

Then, his eyes turned to the last one, lying with her face up, her eyes still open with shock. She was dressed in a light blue robe decorated with a white flower pattern. Looking at the familiar face, Sato ran towards her with tears in his eyes as he held her cold body.

The memory of the wolf ripping apart her throat played in his mind on repeat. His eyes shined ferally once again as he threw a punch at the stone floor, causing a few cracks to appear on it, only they went unnoticed by him as he hugged her body tightly.

Seconds turned to minutes when the sudden voices of several men got closer to him from the direction that the middle-aged man had just run in. He wasn't quite sure how he could hear them, as they weren't even in his line of sight, but he still scooped up her body in his hands as he started running in the opposite direction at full speed, her body in his hands surprisingly light.

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Later, in the large garden at the center of the city

It was already evening when Sato could be seen entering a large garden at the center of the city, on its door, was the symbol of the famous Fujiwara family, the family of the current empress and Japan's number one family in terms of political strength.

Sato appeared even more disheveled than before, his hair in disarray and sticky, carrying the scent of ash. The blood on his body had dried completely, leaving only his cheeks still slightly wet with tears. The guard standing by the door was about to tell him to leave when he noticed the family symbol, though stained red, sewn to the chest area of his bloody robe.

"Sato-sama?! What the heck happened?! Where is Natsumi-sama?" Taking a closer look, the guard finally recognized Sato as he ran towards him, wanting to help, only for Sato to keep walking forward, ignoring his words.

"Call the healer! Call the hea-" The guard started yelling at his friend who was standing nearby, only for Sato to put his hand on the guard's shoulder.

"Don't. I'll be fine. Just tell Oroshi to come to my room. Tell him it's urgent." Sato spoke in a mundane tone, as if everything was okay, contradicting his outward appearance, which could be described as nothing less than horrible.

Passing by the guard, Sato walked through the beautiful garden, decorated like a bridge over a small river, and proceeded through the halls of the large building, entering a specific room at the side of the main building.

He stepped into the room, the air heavy with steam from the large wooden bath in the center. His slightly blood-stained footsteps left a haunting trail on the polished wooden floor as he approached the bath. Sato's eyes reflected a turbulent storm of emotions, a mixture of pain, anger, and grief.

Without uttering a word, he began to disrobe, shedding the tattered and blood-soaked garments that clung to his worn body. As he lowered himself into the warm water, a chill ran down his spine, a stark contrast to the memories etched into his mind. The water, tainted red with blood, seemed to offer feeble solace.

Sato closed his eyes, attempting to shut out the images that replayed in his thoughts. His sister's wide-open eyes seemed to stare at him, full of helplessness, through the yellow tongues of fire that he used to cremate her body.

Silence reigned in the room as he sat in the water almost ten minutes after it got cold, letting the weight of his grief and guilt wash over him. He just kept seeing all that happened on repeat, from the long chase they had to deal with since they left the south and how all the guards were killed one by one as they bought time for them to run away.

How they finally reached the city when, suddenly, out of nowhere, the group of seven showed and cornered them into the alley. How they suddenly dropped dead at the hands of the bronze-skinned stranger, and how he saw the arrow fly and hit their savior in the back.

How when he only turned for a moment, as he saw the fleeing archer, only for his sister to suddenly let out a scream, as the fierce gigantic black beast dropped her body to the side as it stood up. And how it threw him away with its bloody mouth, like he was some weightless cushion, and finally, his sister's face that peeked at him through the flames, as he cremated her body.

Dressed in a casual dark blue robe that was always kept there beforehand, Sato left the room and passed through the wooden halls, making the way to his room. The guard's concerned gaze followed him, but Sato was beyond the reach of their understanding. The door closed behind him, shutting out the prying eyes and the outside world.

In his room, Sato's weary frame settled onto a simple wooden chair. The flickering candlelight cast a soft glow, emphasizing the weariness etched onto his face. Oroshi, the leader of the Fujiwara Fukuhara branch, positioned himself respectfully nearby, awaiting Sato's lead.

Only a few moments later, as he saw that he probably wouldn't, Oroshi finally inquired in a soft tone, "Sato-sama, what happened out there?"

Taking a few deep, long breaths, Sato's gaze fixed on a distant point within the room, as he spoke with deep sadness in his tone, "They found us, Oroshi. Natsumi-ne... she's gone."

Hearing his words, a slight fear rose to Oroshi's face, imagining the implications this might have on the imperial court. The two siblings were offspring to Fujiwara no Michinaga from one of his consorts, who wasn't from a noble background, and as they shared the same mother, they also shared an extremely special bond.

Although, at first, Sato wielded limited influence in the capital, unlike his sibling who had more powerful backers. Since he was young, he adeptly gathered support from numerous surrounding cities. Diligently cultivating alliances with branch families and local lords mostly to the south and west, he worked relentlessly to fortify his network.

Despite being the half-sibling of both the heir to the family head position and the empress consort, Sato harbored a lingering unease. Aware that Natsumi could still be manipulated for strategic marriages, he tirelessly strived to ensure her well-being. And despite holding the lowest rank among his siblings at first, his efforts bore fruit, propelling his political standing to one of the most formidable in all of Japan.

By now, at the age of twenty-six, he was second only to his elder brother, the current family head and the emperor himself. Only he still chose to remain inconspicuous, with only his supporters, some of his siblings, and his enemies knowing of how far his hands reached.

"Oroshi, the world outside these walls doesn't understand. They won't comprehend the depths of what happened tonight." Sato clenched his fists, his sister's frozen face showing in his head once more. "Natsumi... she deserved better."

"What do you plan to do, Sato-sama? Rest assured, no matter what, the Fukuhara branch will stand by you." Oroshi put his hand on Sato's shoulder, trying to comfort him, though unsuccessfully.

"There is nothing to do!" Sato let out a sudden shout full of rage as he threw a nearby vase on the wall, which broke on impact, falling to the ground in small pieces.

Oroshi only looked at Sato with pity, not really knowing what he could do to calm his anger. This was the first time he had ever seen Sato like this; anger and rage weren't emotions he had ever shown in all the ten years that they had worked together. Taking another long breath, Sato calmed himself a little as he sat back in the chair, holding his hand to his forehead as he leaned forward.

"They are all dead, those who chased us, and even if we have their faces, I doubt we could find who sent them, so please forget it..." Sato looked at Oroshi, his eyes bloodshot as he spoke softly, in total contrast to before. "Just do one thing for me... There was another man there, his skin bronze in color, unlike any person that I have ever seen... Find him, and let me know where he is. Don't get near him; I want to speak to him personally."

Oroshi only nodded as he turned to leave, only a little fear was etched in him. He wasn't sure if he was seeing things, but as they crossed eyes just now, he could swear he saw Sato's pupils glow coldly in a more yellow than their normal dark brown, looking like the eyes of an angry beast...

It didn't take long to find the information, especially so for one of the families with the deepest roots in all of Japan. By the time he left his room the following morning, the information was already in his hands.

The piece of rice paper in his hand carried the detailed information about the man, named Isaac, from the time he had washed up onto the shore at a fishing village in the south, to his current location in the east, where he worked as a blacksmith. It came along with another presumption of him being 'Okami', the legendary blacksmith, albeit it was never proven, as all those who came after Okami, ended up dead.

By the time noon came, Sato had already left the garden. Passing through the nearby market, he purchased a horse, and by the evening, he was already on his way east, only a few bags of food, and a change of clothes with him as he rode in the opposite direction of the setting sun.

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The journey was long, taking over two weeks of relentless riding, but eventually, Sato stood at the entrance of the small town that lay near the sea, surrounded by tall pine trees all around it. In the distance, a snowy mountain peak could be seen among the clouds, its white tip clearly visible about a hundred kilometers away.

Taking a long look at the incredible mountain, Sato, now dressed in his spare set of clothes, which was all black, and with a red Oni wooden mask on his face, entered the small town. As he passed by the wide streets, he arrived at a large area around the center of the town, where he stopped in place.

Looking at the unique shop, with smoke coming out of its roof, he could hear the relentless clashes of metal echoing from afar. Closing his eyes, Sato could feel it; the man was inside. He didn't know how, but he simply knew it was true. And as he walked slowly, entering the shop, he examined the shiny weapons decorating the walls with interest that couldn't be seen at all under his mask.

Passing by a group of warriors who were eyeing one of the swords on the wall with eyes full of greed, Sato didn't even make a sound as he suddenly pushed one of them out of the way, knocking his head on the nearby wall, making him fall unconscious.

Passing through the stunned group, he simply picked the Tachi they were just looking at as he ignored the struggling clerk, who tried to stop him with words and threats, and passed through the fabric separating the shop from the smithy.

Looking at the back of the man who was leaning over a sword, Sato didn't hesitate for a single second as he thrust the sword forward with all his strength, aiming at the man's head.

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I know this chapter may seem a bit unnecessary now, but It will be used as a base for some things in the future, anyway, hope you still liked it, and if you didn't...Oh well...

VOTE and give me some POWER STONES if you like the story so far...A REVIEW will be much appreciated as well.

As I wrote in the synopsis, and the last chapters, this is just the result of a writing blockage regarding other stories, but at least for now, it will become one of the main one I try to update regularly. 

I still don't have a synopsis, and to tell you the truth, it doesn't bother me that much, but if you want to, you can share an idea for one, and if I like it I might choose to use it... 

Anyway, leave a COMMENT if you don't understand something, or have any idea, I promise I read every comment related to my story, won't address toxic people though... don't like my story, than just don't read it... 

Also If you want you can give a try to my other fanfics:

HP: Lost Legacies of Magic (Adventure,...)

HIMYM :Barney Stinson... But with a vampire system?! (Harem ,Fantasy, Comedy)