Shadow Soldiers (PG-13)

Hey, been a while. Well remember that Help Writing Manga thing? Well, I wrote something instead. Please tell me what you think. LP inspired

In a war between Light and Darkness

Victims get caught in the crossfire

And become Shadows of their former selves

What happens when the victims decide

to Fight Back

Shadow Soldiers

Prologue One

My name is Danielle, but everyone just calls me Dani. I used to live with my brother, just me and him. He was some computer analyst for a government operated company, and I was just a high school student.

The day started off as any other. I ate my breakfast, wished my brother a good day, and left to school. When I got there, it was the usual bustle with my usual friends and him, Howard Saint.

"Hey Howard," I greeted.

"Dani, you know that's not very appropriate," he said with a smile. "I'm your teacher. You will refer to me as Mr. Saint."

"Yes sir." He was my teacher, and I did have a crush on him but then a lot of girls did. He was young and handsome with his blue eyes and blond hair. He was a saint.

I didn't mind class at all. I usually spent it daydreaming or staring out the window. However, the trouble wasn't school. It was what happened after. I usually walk home from school, but before I made it to the apartment; I saw a strange shadow following me. I thought it was nothing so I ignored it.

My brother was usually home when I got there, so I called out to him.

"Brother. Brother? Alex, I'm home."

I walked over to his room and saw him on his computer.

"Hey," I called out.

He didn't respond. His eyes were glued to his screen, and he seemed to be sweating nervously.

"What wrong?" I asked.

He quickly turned to me with a flushed look on his face. "Dani! When did you get here?"

"About a minute ago," I answered. I looked around his desk and saw a CD with strange encryptions on it. I couldn’t read it so I held it up, “What’s this?”

“Nothing! It’s nothing,” answered Alex, almost shouting. Alex snatched the CD from my hands and laid down some money. “Why don’t you go to the movies? Dinner will be ready when you get back.”

“Yeah, okay,” I really didn’t want to go, but I went anyway. Something was bothering Alex and he wasn’t going to tell me so I left. I don’t remember what movie I saw or what it was about. I just kept thinking about what had happened.

The door was open when I got home. I looked around to see if anything had happened. “Alex? Alex, why was the door open?” I ran to his room after hearing several crashing sounds.

What I saw truly terrified me. A man in a white suit and ski mask had grabbed my brother off the floor and proceeded to beat him. I wanted to do something, or even yell, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t move or breathe.

My brother had managed to throw off his assailant after cutting his arm with a shard of glass. “Dani, get out of here,” he yelled. “Run!

The assailant had struck Alex in the back of the head before he finished speaking. After my brother fell, he looked up to where I was and started toward me.

After seeing him take that step, my mind finally commanded my body to move. I darted towards the door and ran out into the street. I could feel his presence following me. I managed to hide in a dark alleyway not too far from the apartment. I held my breath as I saw him run past my hiding place. My heart was pounding and my lungs were begging for air after hiding for what felt like forever. I left my hiding spot and ran towards the apartment to see if my brother was alright.

When I made it to the apartment, I cried. I fell to the floor and started bawling. I shook; I quivered; I cried until my head began to hurt, and then some. The entire apartment was in total chaos. Everything was either broken or torn, and so was my brother.

Time had past since that fateful night. There was no funeral. I was the only family my brother had. The police did nothing. They said that it might have just been a robbery gone wrong. However, the only thing missing from the apartment was that encrypted CD that was previously in my brother’s possession.

That night had changed me. I stopped talking to my friends. I stopped going out. I always felt so weak and tired. I guess that’s because I wouldn’t eat much. I stayed at friend’s house.

I just kept staring out the window. Class was already over and everyone had left, but I didn’t move. There was nothing to go home back to.

“Dani, class is over.” I looked up to see Mr. Saint looking down at me. I didn’t respond. I had no reason to.

“Look Dani, I know that this is a tough time on you, but I’m sure your brother wouldn’t want you living like this.”

“Who cares? He’s dead.”

“Please don’t be like that. I miss the old Dani. How about I walk you home? Would that be alright?”

My heart skipped a beat when I saw his handsome face smiling at me. I couldn’t resist. “Uh, sure, that would be…nice.” I could feel my entire face turning red.

It was quite nice outside. The leaves on all the trees were turning into bright and dull orange colors. The cool breeze chilled me to the point where I began to shiver. Mr. Saint had seen me shiver and began to take off his jacket.

“Here,” he said. “You seem cold.”

“Thanks,” I wrapped the large jacket around me before I saw something appalling. My brother had marked the assailant by cutting him on his right forearm. Mr. Saint had a scar on his right forearm and it wasn’t old.

“Where did you get that scar?”

“What, this? Oh, I uh…cut myself with-“

“-glass?”

Saint stared at me and for once he became a tall brooding figure that had his murderous intent fixed upon me.

“Dani,” he started. “Why don’t me and you go somewhere in private? Somewhere to…talk?”

I started backwards and kept shaking my head, “No, no, no. Get away from me.” I spun around, throwing the jacket on the floor and ran as fast I could. I didn’t look back.

It was already dark by the time I had stopped to catch my breath. I found myself at the old park where my brother used to take me to play when I was little. I walked over to the creaking swings and sat down. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it. The only person I adored has proven nothing to trust. My only family has vanished from this world. Never in my life have I felt so alone. Saint had killed my brother. The reason is still unknown to me. I decided to find out for myself. I went back to my old apartment which was now a crime scene. I headed over to my brother’s desk to find his old equipment still there. I grabbed his old computer and took it back to the room I was staying. It’s a surprise that it was still in working condition, but the real surprise was what I found in it. Looking through the recent files, I found one with the same encryptions as the CD. In it was the reason my brother was killed. The government was working on a new type of nerve gas, and apparently someone wanted to sell it on the black market. They must have sent Saint to retrieve this information, and kill whoever knew about it. But why did it have to be Alex?

There is truth about this. Saint must be punished for his crime: the crime of leaving me all alone in this world; the crime of forsaking me and my peace of mind. I thought he was a saint, but it seems that anyone (and everyone) is capable of the greatest evils. Even me. However, there is a line I won’t cross to prevent myself to sinking to his level. But there is a boundary I will step into.

But that was then. Now, I was at the darkest part of the city. The serene raindrops patted lightly against my raincoat. The entire area had a blue tint to it. I looked down at down at the man in front of me. He was a lot younger than I expected, perhaps only sixteen or seventeen. He was there, sitting in a large empty sewer pipe that may not have ever been used. He had his head bent down and his jet black hair in front of him. He had on a black tank top and red cargo pants, which was unusual to wear during rain. I saw two swords lying behind him, but there design was strange to me.

“So you’re the guy? XeRo Yukishiro? I heard you’re good at what you do, and even better at keeping secrets. I need your help. My brother has been murdered. I know his killer. I need you to find him…and end him.”

He slowly picked his head up, and through his hair, he stared at me with his black merciless eyes.