Love or Vengeance - Chapter 1：Who am I?

“They went this way. Follow them.”

“Mama, papa. Why are we hiding?” Asked young Julius.

“Shhh. You need to keep quiet.” Said the mother.

“There’s someone coming.” Said the father.

CRASH!!!

“So this is where you were hiding.” Said the man as he entered the room.

“How could you? How could you do this to us? We are just like family.” Asked the crying mother.

“You’re going to pay for this.” Said the father.

“I’d love to see that happen. Don’t worry. I’ll make this fast. Just sit back and relax…. Your Majesty.”

◆◆◆

“Yamato. Can you come and help me, please?”

“Coming mother.” Said Yamato as he came to the kitchen.

“Yamato, we need some extra ingredients for today’s dinner. Can you please go to the store and buy some?” Said the mother as she handed him a list and some money.

“Okay. Be back soon.” Said Yamato as he opened the door to leave.

“Oh. Yamato. Heading out?” Asked the father who was standing in the doorway.

“Good evening, father. Yes. Mother asked me to buy some things for tonight’s dinner. Be back soon.” Said Yamato as he ran off.

“Welcome home, dear.”

“Are all the preparations ready?”

“Yes they are. All we need to do is burn the whole place down to make it look as if he died in the fire.”

“Excellent. We’ll finally get done with this stupid assignment once and for all.”

“Not to mention that we’re gonna be rich.”

Suddenly the lights went off.

“What happened?” Asked the mother.

“Don’t worry. The power must have gone off. It will come back soon.”

CRASH!!!

“What was that?” Asked the mother.

“I’ll go check. You stay here.” Said the father who went to the kitchen.

“Ahhhh!!!” Cried the mother.

“What happened?!” Asked the father as he rushed back. There he saw a masked person standing on top of the mother’s lifeless body with a bloody Kunai in his hand.

“Who are you? And how dare you do that to her?” Said the father as he went for his gun.

“Next target acquired. Proceeding in elimination.” Said the person as he threw the kunai at the father’s neck.

“Target eliminated. Mission accomplished.”

“W-What’s going on?! Mother, father!” Said Yamato as he came back to see his parents dead.

“I’ve been spotted. Proceeding in neutralizing civilian.”

“Neutralize?!” Said Yamato as he turned to run away but was knocked unconscious.

◆◆◆

“The patient is waking up.” Said a nurses voice.

“Mother! Father! No!!!” Said Yamato as he quickly stood up.

“Sir, you mustn’t stand up.” Said a nurse as she tried to calm him down.

“But…but…”

“Calm down, Tanaka-kun.” Said a man that came to stand before him. “My name is detective Asuma Sukuzawa.”

“Detective? Where am I?”

“You are currently in Sakumo Hospital. We received an emergency call from your home and we came to find you unconscious and…”

“And what?”

“And the bodies of your parents.”

“So they’re really dead?” Said Yamato in tears.

“Please, Tanaka-kun, you have to tell me all you can remember.”

“When…when I came back home, my parents were already dead. I saw the person who did it. He was dressed in black and wore a mask. I wanted to run away, but then I lost consciousness and I woke up here. That’s all I remember.”

“A person dressed in full black, huh? Okay Tanaka-kun. Please rest up. We will contact you if we have any more questions.” Said the detective as he stood up and left. But turned to a nurse. “Make sure you finish their job.” Said the detective as he handed her a bottle of poison.

“Yes, sir.” Said the nurse as she took the bottle.

Later that night,

“Tanaka-san, are you feeling any better? We have come with your medication.” Said a nurse as she entered the room only to find it empty.

On the streets,

“What am I gonna do? There’s no way I can ho back home. Where do I go now? I don’t have anywhere else to go.” Said Yamato as he walked on the streets.

Suddenly, a black car stopped next to him.

“Are you Tanaka Yamato?” Asked a man who was sitting in the car.

“Yes I am.”

“My master sent me to get you?”

“Your master? Take me where? And who is your master?”

“I am sorry but I am not authorized to answer those questions.”

“How can I trust you?”

“My master knows about your parents.”

“He does?” Asked Yamato as he gave the idea a second thought. “Fine. Take me to him.”

He entered the car and drove off out of town and stopped in front of a big gate.

“I have a arrived with the boy.” Said the man to the gate man.

“Very well. Master is waiting.”

The car drove for another seven hundred meters and then stopped in front of a huge mansion. A lady was waiting outside.

“Welcome, Tanaka-san. My name is Suzutski Ayumi. My master is expecting you. Please follow me.” Said Ayumi as she walked inside and towards the living room. There, Yamato saw a tall man that was probably in his forties. “Sir, I have brought him just as you requested.”

“Very well, Suzutski-san. Thank you. That is all for now.” Said the man. “Welcome Tanaka-kun. My name is Mochizuki Ishin.”

“M-Mochizuki Ishin-san?! The Duke of Wisseragna? Why would the duke know who I am?”

“Oh, I know more than you know. I believe you’re wondering why I called you here.”

“Yes, sir. I was told that you know about my parents.”

“Indeed I do. I’m really sorry for what happened today.”

“Father. I have returned.” Said a blonde girl that was standing in the doorway.

“Welcome home, Cana. We have a very special guest here.” Said Ishin as he pointed towards Yamato.”Tanaka-kun, this is my daughter, Cana. Cana, this young man is Tanaka Yamato.”

“Nice to meet you.” Said Yamato as he bowed.

“Likewise.” Said Cana as she bowed as well.

“So Tanaka-kun, about what we were discussing. What are you planning to do now?”

“I want to look for my parents killer.”

“And then what?”

“I’m gonna get revenge.”

“Oh. Well that complicates things.”

“Why is that, sir?”

“Because I know the killer. And that person is very close to me.”

“Sir, please tell me who that person is.”

“She is standing in front of you.” Said Ishin as he pointed towards Cana.

“What?! How can this be?” Asked Yamato in disbelief. “Why? What did we ever do to deserve this? What have we ever done to you?”

“Please calm down, Tanaka-kun.” Said Ishin.

“How can I calm down? After what she’s done.”

“Please hear me out. I didn’t call you here for no reason.”

“Then why? What else is there?”

“Those two people were not who you think they were.”

“What do you mean?”

“They were not your real parents. They were told to live with you and pretend to be your parents this whole time. And today, their mission was complete. And they were told to dispose of you. I learned about this in the last moment and I sent Cana to save you. I have been looking for you for years.”

“This is too much to take in at once. How can they not be my parents?”

“Look at this, Tanaka-kun.” Said Ishin as he handed Yamato a picture.

“That’s me. But who are these two people?”

“They are your parents, the King and Queen of Wisseragna.”

“King and Queen?!! What are you saying? That I am a prince?”

“Yes Tanaka-kun. Your real name is Julius Wisseragna, the second prince of Wisseragna.”

“But how can this be? You mean I’m the dead prince that everyone has been talking about?”

“Yes. 14 years ago, as you know, the royal family was assassinated, except for the first prince, Victor Wisseragna, who was saved in the last minute.”

“The king, is my brother?”

“I know that everything I told you is hard to take in, but everything is true. You are Prince Julius Wisseragna.” Said Ishin as he bowed down along with Cana.

“Please, stand. So… I’m the prince? To tell the truth, there were times where I would see things like the palace and royalty, but I thought that was just my imagination. So, that was real? Mochizuki-san, what was your relationship to my parents? And what kind of people were they?”

“Your father, King Claudius, was my childhood friend. We were very close. When he was made king, the first thing he did is grant me the title of Duke of Wisseragna. I’ve always been by his side since the very beginning. I was also there when you were born. When I heard the news of the assassination, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was devastated. But after all these years, I heard rumors that you were still alive. I thought it was a lie, but then I confirmed it in the last minute and I made plans to rescue you. And I’m glad I did. Now, I shall ask you again. What are you planning on doing now? Are you still going to look for your parents killer?”

“I will. And this time I’ll look for the right one. Lady Cana, I’m truly sorry for the way I behaved earlier. Please, forgive me.”

“It’s alright. I understand what you must have felt. It was only natural that you would react that way.” Said Cana as she bowed.

“Thank you so much, Mochizuki-san. Now that I know the truth, I should being my journey on finding out who planned all this.” Said Yamato as he stood up to leave.

“Your majesty, may I ask where you are going?”

“Um… I don’t know yet. I can’t go back home because they must be looking for me by now.”

“I think it would be best for you to live here from now on, if it pleases his majesty.” Said Ishin as he stood up and bowed.

“I… I couldn’t. After all the help you’ve given me, I would cause you too much trouble.”

“My prince, it would be an honor to serve you and to help you fulfill your mission.”

“If you insist, then I don’t have a choice. I do have to learn how to behave more like a prince, don’t I?”

“I will assist you in any way possible. For the sake of his majesty, King Claudius and Queen Sylvia.”

“I too, shall assist you, your Highness.” Said Lady Cana as she bowed.

“But please, just call me Yamato. It feels too weird to be called a prince just yet.”

“As you wish, Yamato-sama.” Said Ishin.

“And you don’t need to be so formal.”

“Very well, then.”

“So now that I have a place to stay, what am I gonna do about school? The assassins that are after me should know that I escaped by now and they should be coming after me.”

“I can do something about that. Cana will transfer schools and will be attending your school from now on, in order to protect you.”

“As you wish, father. I will protect Prince Julius with my life.” Said Cana.

“Hehe. Thanks, i guess. Are you sure about that, Mochizuki-san? What will I tell everyone when they find out that I know Lady Cana? They’ll start asking questions.”

“If it doesn’t displease you,  would you consider marrying my daughter?

“M-Marriage?! Are you sure about this? I mean this is so sudden.” Asked Yamato in surprise.

“Yes, father. Are you sure this is the right thing to do?” Asked Cana who turned red.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it. This way everyone will think of you as a couple and they won’t  suspect anything.”

“Very well, father. I will do as you say and marry Prince Julius.” Said Cana as she bowed before Yamato.

“Don’t worry about that. You will have plenty of time for that. Now that everything is settled,  why don’t  you go and rest?  You must be tired after such a long day.” Said Ishin as he called for a maid. “Please show Tanaka-kun to his room.”

“Yes,  master. Right this way please.” Said the maid.

“Thank you for everything, Mochizuki-san. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Not to worry. I am glad to be of service, my prince.”

As Yamato left,  Cana came to speak to her father.

“Be alert all the time and take care of him. We don’t know when the enemy is going to strike next.”

“Yes,  father. ”

◆◆◆

The next morning,

“Good morning, my prince. I hope you slept well?” Said Ishin as Yamato walked into the dining room wearing his school uniform.

“Good morning, Mochizuki-san. Yes, I slept very well. Thank you again, for all your help and support.” Said Yamato as he bowed.

“Of course, my prince.”

“Good morning father. Good morning, your highness.” Said Cana as she walked in wearing the new school uniform.

“Good morning, Lady Cana. Please, just call me Yamato.”

“That’s right, Cana my dear. He is your fiance now. And you too must stop being so formal with her. The uniform looks very good on you my dear.”

“Thank you, father.”

“Now, once you get to school, just act normal. And remember, you are now engaged. So act like a couple. It might be a bit hard at the beginning, but things will change with time. Also, always be on your guard. Your enemies should know that you are still alive by now.”

“Yes, father. I will protect Prince…. I will protect Yamato with my life.”

“Alright. Get some breakfast and head to school.”

At school,

“Look. Isn’t that the Duke’s car?” Asked a student.

“Yes it is.” Said another.

“Why would the Duke’s car come here.”

“I heard a rumor that the Duke’s daughter will be transferring here.” Said another.

“Are you serious?!”

“Look. There she is.”

“Wow. She’s gorgeous.”

“Hey. Isn’t that… Tanaka Yamato from 2-B?”

“Yeah. Why is he with Lady Cana?”

“And so it begins.” Said Yamato to himself.

In class,

“Everyone, today we have a very special person transferring to our school today.” Said Miss Yuki. “Please, come in.”

The door opened and Cana walked in.

“My name is Mochizuki Cana and I will be a member of this class starting today.”

“V-Very good. Please take that empty seat over there by the window, my lady.”

“So far, so good.” Said Yamato to himself.

After class,

“W-welcome to our school, Mochizuki-san. My name is Reina Yatogami. It’s really nice to have you here.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Yatogami-san.”

“Please, call me Reina.”

“And my name is Akari Murasame. Forgive me for asking, but how do you know Tanaka-kun?”

“Yamato and I are very close. In fact, he is my fiance.”

“F-Fiance?!!!!” Asked everyone in shock.

“Yamato-kun, is that true?” Asked Akari.

“Y-yeah. It’s true.” Said Yamato.

“This is happening too soon. We still don’t have a plan yet.”

“How in the world do you manage to pull that off, Yamato?” Asked Kiba, his best friend.

“Well…you see…”

“Yamato and I are actually childhood friends and we promised each other that we would get married when we got older.”

“Y-yeah. That’s exactly what happened.”

“Wow. Did she come up with all that?”

“How come you never told me?” Asked Kiba as he put Yamato in a headlock.

“Hey! Let go.”

“Wow. Childhood lovers. So romantic.” Said Akari.

“Mochizuki-san, if you’d like, we’d be happy to show you around school.” Said Reina.

“What are you saying Rei Rei? Tanaka-kun should do that. He’s her fiance after all. Come on Tanaka-kun.” Said Akari.

“Okay. Cana-chan, let’s go. I’ll show you around the school.” Said Yamato as he stood up.

“Okay. Thank you, Ta.. I mean Yamato.” Said Cana as she started walking towards the door.”

“I have to go to the staff room to submit my report. See you guys in a bit.” Said Kiba as he left the class.

In the bathroom.

“Yes master. He is here. Shall I kill him now?” Asked a mysterious person.

“Not yet. Just keep watch and follow them.” Said the person over the phone.

“It’s just as you predicted, master. They don’t suspect anything.

“Of course I was right. Just play along for now. Soon, I will get rid of all the opposition and will begin my quest for world domination. And nobody will stand in my way.”

“I will always follow you, master.”

“Very well. Contact me if you find out anything important. I will contact you soon, Kiba.”

“Yes, master.” Said Kiba with an evil look on his face.

◆◆◆

“Wow. That’s her?” Asked one girl as she saw Cana walk alongside Yamato.

“She’s so beautiful.” Said another.

“How in the world does Yamato know her?” Asked a boy.

“I heard that he’s her fiance.”

“No way.”

“Let the gossip games begin.” Said Yamato.

“Are you okay, Yamato? Asked Cana.

” Y-yeah. Never been better. This is the cafeteria. We have a lot of different kinds of foods. By the way, if you ever want to buy something from here during lunch break, be sure that you’re here first or call me.”

“Why is that?”

“Wait for it.”

RUMBLE, RUMBLE!!!

A large crowed just gathered in front of the cafeteria, calling out their orders.

“See what I mean?”

“I see. Thank you for the advice, but I can handle this. Also, if you ever need anything from here, don’t hesitate to call me. I will purchase your lunch.”

“T-there’s no need for that.”

“But I must protect you and serve you. What if someone hits you or knocks you over? You are a prince after all.”

“You don’t need to do that. Right now I’m just plain, old Tanaka Yamato, not Prince Julius. We have to keep that a secret, remember? And besides, you are my fiance. I should be the one to take care of you.”

“I understand. Please accept my sincere apologizes.” Said Cana as she bowed before Yamato.

“Raise your head. People are watching. Come on. Let’s continue with our tour.” Said Yamato as he took her hand and walked away.

When they reached the gym,

“Cana-chan. I know that I am a prince and that you need to protect me. But you don’t need to act so formal with me. I still don’t know much about being a prince, so I want you to look at me as a friend.”

“But, we are supposed to be engaged. Shouldn’t we act more like lovers instead so that we won’t look suspicious?”

“Y-yeah. You’re right. Let’s do that.”

“Very well.” Said Cana as she stood on her toes and kissed Yamato.

“Wha-what are you doing?” Said a blushing Yamato.

“You said that we need to act more like lovers. Isn’t this what lovers do?”

“Well, yeah. They do.”

“Wow. That was so romantic.” Said Akari as she, Reina and Kiba came towards the two.

“H-hey, guys. What are you doing here?” Asked Yamato a bit embarrassed.

“He he. Yamato. Could wait till you got home, huh?” Asked Kiba as he placed a hand around his neck.

“Shut up.”

“So, Cana-san, how do you like our school?” Asked Reina.

“It’s a wonderful school. Thank you for having me here.”

“Of course. We’re glad to have you here. I only wish Yamato-kun would have said something about you earlier.” Said Akari as she gave Yamato an annoying look.

“W-well, the thing is that it never came up. Plus I didn’t want everyone to make a big fuss over it.” Said Yamato.

“But you could’ve at least said something about you getting married or her transferring here.” Said Reina.

“It’s my fault. I asked him to keep it a secret. My father didn’t want word to get out that we were getting married just yet.” Said Cana.

“Okay. I get it now.” Said Kiba.

RING, RING!!!

“We need to get back to class. Come on. You know how Yamada-sensei can get if we get there late.” Said Yamato.

“Yeah. You’re right. Let’s go.” Said Akari as they all headed to class.

After school,

“Hey Yamato, let’s go home together. I wanna burrow some books from you.” Said Kiba.

Cana and Yamato looked at each other.

“You see, Yamato is actually living with me now. He has moved in with my father and I.” Said Cana.

“Wow. So soon? Amazing.” Said Reina.

“Too bad. Now I can’t come over.” Said Kiba as he gave Yamato a slap on the back.

“You can always come over to see him if you want to.” Said Cana.

“You mean, at the Duke’s house?!” Said Akari.

“Wow. Can we, really? Asked Reina.

“Of course. You are always welcome.” Said Cana.

“Are you sure about this?” Whispered Yamato.

“I don’t see why not. They are your friends after all.”

“If you say so.”

“As a matter of fact, why don’t all of you come over for dinner?” Asked Cana.

“Really?! That’d be great.” Said Akari.

“Let me just tell my mom that I’ll be going home late.” Said Reina.

“So I can come over after all.” Said Kiba as he put his arm around Yamato’s neck.

“My father said that it’s okay.” Said Cana.

“Well, what are we waiting for. Let’s go.” Said Akari.

◆◆◆

“Welcome home, masters.” Greeted Ayumi.

“Thank you, Suzutski-san.” Said Yamato.

“Wow. This place is huge.” Said Akari.

“It sure is.” Said Kiba.

“Mochizuki-sama is waiting for you in the dining room.” Said Ayumi.

“I’m so nervous.” Said Kiba.

“You? Nervous? I never thought I’d see the day you would be nervous of anything.” Said Yamato.

“Good evening, father.” Said Cana as she walked in followed by the others.

“Good evening, Mochizuki-san.” Said Yamato.

“Good evening. Welcome home. Are these the friends you mentioned?” Said Ishin.

“Yes father. This is Kiba Sahashi, Yamato’s best friend. This is Akari Yatogami and Reina Murasame.” Said Cana as she introduced them.

“It’s very nice to meet you, sir.” Said the three of them as they bowed.

“The pleasure is all mine. I’m glad to see that Cana has found such good friends already. Please, come and have a seat. Dinner will be served in a moment.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“He he.” Laughed Yamato.

“What are you laughing for?” Asked Akari.

“You should see your faces. Loosen up a bit. There’s no need to be so nervous.”

“Yamato is right. Just relax.” Said Cana.

“If you say so.” Said Reina.

“Hey, Yamato. Can you show me where the bathroom is?” Asked Kiba.

“Sure. Second door to your left.”

“Thanks.”

In the bathroom,

“Master, things are going just as planned.

“Excellent. Just keep an open eye for anything useful to us.

“Yes, master.”

After dinner,

“Thank you so much for the dinner. And thank you for having us.” Said Reina as she thanked Ishin.

“My pleasure. You are welcome anytime. Suzutski-san. Prepare a car to take them to their homes.

“Yes, master.”

“We’ll walk you out.” Said Cana.

“Wow. Today was great. Don’t you agree Rei Rei?” Asked Akari.

“Yes. It was. Thanks again, Cana-san.”

“Thanks for today, Yamato.” Said Kiba.

“Sure thing. We’ll see you guys tomorrow. Good night.”

“Good night guys. And Yamato-kun?” Said Akari.

“Yes, Akari-chan?”

“I know that you guys are engaged, but keep it clean.” Teased Akari.

“Ehh?! What are you saying?” Asked Yamato in surprise as he started blushing.

“What do you mean Akari-san?” Asked Cana.

“It’s nothing, Cana-chan. See you guys tomorrow.” Said Yamato as he tried to distract Cana.

“Tee-hee. Bye.” Laughed Akari.

“Huh. That girl is something else. Come on, Cana-chan. Let’s go inside.”

“I’d like to take a walk around the garden first.”

“Alright. Let’s go, then.”

“These roses are so beautiful, don’t you think? They’re my favorite flowers. I also love strawberries. I love red things. Red is my favorite color.” Said Cana. “Today was really amazing. It’s the first time I’d had friends.”

“The first time?”

“Yes. In my old school, everyone was afraid to come and talk to me because they saw me as the Duke’s daughter and they wouldn’t even speak to me. I was always left out of every group activity. Even the teachers were uneasy around me. That’s why I was so happy when Akari-san and the others came to talk to me. And it’s all thanks to you.”

“Ah, well, I didn’t do anything. I’m just glad that you’re happy.”

“If I never saved your life yesterday, I would have never had this kind of experience.”

“I’m glad i could be of service.”

“Yamato, look out!!!” Cries Cana as she pushed Yamato out of the way.

BANG!!!

“Cana!!!” Cried Yamato’s as he held Cana’s unconscious body in his arms.