Seiko Takeda: Origins Ch. 01

Chapter 01:
The Birth of the Cursed Hero

It was raining. Nearby an alleyway in Osaka, a lone man walked with blood dripping from his hand. He had an appearance of a buff elder, looking roughly in his late 60s. His eyes were red from a mix of fatigue, and a curse he was born with. Having knowledge that his forefathers also held this curse in their lives, he thought the cycle might have broken when he noticed his son, Reiji, didn't have such a feature on his face. "Ryuho Takeda! Wait!!" yelled a thug, chasing this individual, who happened to be Ryuho Takeda. "Kid… I really don't want to fight you anymore. It's meaningless if I have to die fighting you, before I even get to see the birth of my grandchild," he stated. Despite his trashy appearance, he was indeed a caring grandparent, and wanted nothing to stop him from seeing the new bundle of joy his son, Reiji, and the wife, Miyako, brought into the world. "I won't let you go! We settle this here and now, I'll make you pay for slaying our gang!!" Shaking his head in disappointment, he turned to his opponent. "Look… those young fools brought about their own deaths trying to not only swindle me, but it was also your boss that made the first move, trying to pierce my heart. You really expect me to let them off after trying to kill an old man? Sorry, even Heaven's judge and executioner would not sheath his weapon to punish the likes of you all. So, naturally, I refuse to be as forgiving myself."

Attacking Ryuho, the thug subordinate charged with blade in hand, trying to pierce his heart, a mistake the thug's boss made. Turning, Ryuho's right arm, which was still dripping blood, pierced his chest, stopping the thug before the knife made contact. "You poor fool," he said. "I wanted to stop my fighting so I can live peacefully to see my young grandson grow. But you had to rush my death, as well as yours." Walking away after removing his hand from the dying flesh, Ryuho made his way home to get cleaned up. His eyes turned green while his hair, which was a darker grey, turned lighter. His appearance was not that of a normal person. "The afflictions of the curse… it turns even a person with mercy and remorse, into someone so deadly and cruel. I only hope the cycle is truly broken," Ryuho mumbled. After making himself presentable, he made his way to a hospital in town, where Reiji and Miyako were waiting with their new son. After a while of walking, he finally met the three. "Reiji, are you here, my son?" asked Ryuho. "Here, father. Come on to the back of the room." What awaited him was a man with short, black hair, his age in the mid-20s. He was intelligent, and calm, in slight contrast to Ryuho. This man was Reiji Takeda, son of Ryuho, and the father of the new child. Beside him was a woman in the hospital bed, her hair also black with a violet streak. Her eye color, also violet, was a shared trait with her son. The wife, Miyako Takeda, was a successful newscaster and the mother of the child in her arms.

"So, this is your new little boy, huh? Even little, he looks like a brave one," Ryuho stated. "Yeah, he's calm now, but he'll be quite the person when he grows up. Wait… what's this, here?" As Reiji finished asking, Ryuho's eyes lit. "No… I thought it would have ended with you, but I was mistaken," he said, expressing his disappointment. "Father, does that mean…" Reiji was also concerned. "I'm afraid so, my son," Ryuho said disdainfully. "Like me, your son holds the curse mark, but in his case it's quite unique. It's a lot smaller compared to how I was born with it. You'd be able to see it around my left eye right away, but it's rather small for this young lad." Reiji, still a bit disappointed at the curse's return, changed the subject, as they still didn't have a name for him. "I'll let you name him grandfather. You went through quite the trouble to be here, so I'll let you give our son a name," Reiji said to his father. "A name for my grandchild… Well then, I name this boy Seiko Takeda." Miyako, speaking for the first time tonight, said, "Seiko Takeda… that is a lovely name, Ryuho. I'm sure Seiko will be proud to know that it was you who gave him his name." Smiling, Ryuho suddenly keeled over to the floor, breathing hard. "FATHER!" shouted Reiji, alert after seeing his father fall. "Damn… looks as if my time is coming soon. That whipper-snapper refused to leave me be, and the curse was already exerting strength from my body. My last hour will most likely be soon, at this rate." From under his shirt, he pulled out a silver and purple Rosario. "When he comes of age," Ryuho said, "Be sure to give this to young Seiko. I can't watch him grow, as I'll no longer live, but I'll be with him in spirit as he walks the earth. I entrust you, my son, to give this to Seiko when he matures into a fine boy." As he got up, he sluggishly walked away after giving the three farewells.

Ryuho Takeda, after seeing his grandson and entrusting his Rosario to him, walked to his final place to visit: his deathbed. "To think it would end like this, as with my forefathers before me…" he said disdainfully. "I know I have not the right to ask this, but please, make sure my grandson, Seiko Takeda, has a bright future ahead of him. As bearers of the curse, he is a special case to even those who had inherited it in days past. In spirit, I want to watch him grow, feel joy, and achieve happiness, something that we people of the Takeda blood never get much of. I see that he has the will, the strength, and the resolve, to make a difference in the world for the better." As he keeled over for the final time, he crawled to a cliff nearby as if to fall off of it. "Seiko Takeda… my grandson… even if you lose your family, even though you may face betrayal… you will have someone that loves you… treat them well, and they will… forever be… with you. So, grow strong, and live well… I'll be watching you… from above… my… successor…" With one last push of his will, Ryuho Takeda fell to his death, his grave being the ocean that spreads through horizons. His words were his final gifts to Seiko Takeda, his grandson and successor. He suspected that it might happen, but even he could not predict that through misfortune, the docile Seiko would become a hero after he became a man. This old man, Ryuho, ended his story, passing the pen for Seiko to make a new one.
Chapter End.