Sengo was nine years-old when he lost his mother.
It all happened suddenly. His mother and his Aunt Jour were out of the Rain City to visit a village at the border, Harris Village. At first, Cale had been begging the Countess to let him join them and Sengo and Charlie, who was always by their Mother side, also asked their mother if he could join them. But both mother and aunt rejected the idea.
Sengo thought something was going on, especially when the Countess' face turn into something unreadable whenever Cale brought it up. And he also got a weird feeling, like something was going to happen. But he ignored that feeling and decided to trust his mother and the Countess.
(Maybe he should've trust that feeling.)
And so, Cale, Charlie and Sengo was left waiting for them.
It was a 3 days journey there and back, so Sengo estimated that they were going to be there for only a few days, that mean they would be back by next week.
But the wait was eating up on him and the younger kids.
Their father notices, and Ryugo comforted his children and his nephew because the Count was simply preoccupied with an important business plus worrying about the internal affairs of the Family that came from the relatives of the Henituse pressuring him because of Jour, even after years they were still at it.
However, one night when a storm went over the Rain City, Sengo got another bad feeling. This time, it was so intense that he couldn't hold himself back and went out into the storm without telling his father. He needs to find his mother.
He sneak past the Guards stationed by the Gate that faces the Harris Village by climbing the Wall. People were seeking shelter because of the heavy storms and the thunder that keep resounding in the sky, so he goes unnoticed.
It wasn't exactly easy, though. With a body of a nine year old, climbing over a wall 5 times the size of the body was simply an impossible task. That was if he was a normal nine year old, he wasn't though, but it was still not easy. The landing need to be right as well because if he land wrong, he could've sprained an ankle, or worse- broke his leg. Yeah, he can't have that.
He made it across the wall and after resting for a minute, he quickly ran at full speed to the road towards Harris Village.
And his bad feeling wasn't unfounded when he saw from a far a group of people toppled over a cliff to fall onto a familiar carriage. He watched, frozen, as the carriage that hold his mother and aunt almost got swept away by an avalance. It was simply a miracle the horses that pulled the carriage managed to run faster just as the wave of dirt fall over. But they did not escape unharmed either, a part of the back of the carriage was damaged and the horses were spooked.
It was as the horses were calmed down by the shocked coachman that Sengo moved and ran towards the carriage, he need to save his mother-!
Please-
"Sengo!" A guard recognizes him while two others that were also assigned by the Countess to guard them quickly checked on the two sisters. The guard, Will, looked quite pale. Understandble. There were five guards that the Countess choosen to guard herself and Sengo's mother, two of them just got swept away by the avalanches, so now it was just three of them left. Not to mention the supply cart were also buried and the coachman of that cart along with the single horse that pulled it were also swept by the natural disaster.
BOOM-!!
Lightning and Thunder strikes as he ran past Will to the carriage, ignoring the shouts of the guards and dodging them whenever they try to catch him in his pursuit to get to his mother.
Please not this time as well-!!
Sengo got to the carriage door and rip it off with reinforcement to boost his strength.
MOTHER--
".. Sen..go?" His knees buckled when he sees her covering the Countess, who looked weaker than the last time he saw her, even more than his mother, who was clearly in the verge of death. "My.. Son..." She reached out to him even with the Countess in her arms.
"Mama-" Sengo grabbed her hand and kneeled besides the two sisters. He could feel his chest tightening since earlier, but this time.. He couldn't hold back the tears anymore.
"Ha.. Ha.. You... Finally... Ca..ll.. Me.... Ma..ma.." She smiled even with the huge injuries on her back.
Sengo snorted his snot and wiped his tears, holding it back seeing his mother's painted smile. "Ma.. W-we need to hurry get you and Aunt Jour to the Rain City! Y-you three- hurry!"
The three guards quickly scrambled to help their Lady and the Lady who they were also close with. They need to get them treated!
But Sarah knew her body better than anyone else and continue talking, "Son... Seng..o.. If- cough-"
"Ma! Don't talk-" Sarah tightened her grip on his small hands, silencing him even though the grip was weak, but it was exactly because it was weak that Sengo went silent, terrified at how weak his mother, who was always so strong, had become.
"Sengo... I.. I need you.. To re..mem..ber... The... Red... Tree... Pro..tect... It... Pro... Pro..." Her voice became weaker before she passed out.
Sengo's eyes shakes seeing his mother closing her eyes, her breaths weak but he could still feel them- "HURRY GET MOTHER AND THE COUNTESS BACK TO THE CITY!!" He roared an order, tears raining down from his eyes, but one couldn't tell it apart from the drops of water from the sky.
BOOM!!
Thunder filled his ears, tears fall like waterfalls. He ride a horse with the Knights who were on their horses with Sarah and Jour, while the last horse were used by the last Knight and the Coachman.
It didn't take them long to arrive back at the Count's Estate. Servants quickly aided them in taking both the Countess and Sarah inside. Sengo followed his mother, he needs to be there-
"Step out for now, child." The healer said, closing the door where his mother was and Sengo feel hollow.
His mind feel heavy. He couldn't think straight at all. His mother was on death's door, and he was told to stay out? It felt like his soul was being yanked around.
He was about to ran inside, but a large hand hold him back by the shoulder. He looked up and saw his father, Ryugo.
He looked rugged but no tears was seen. However, just like Sengo, he was soaked. And so was Charlie, who was crying while clinging on their father's chest, being in his arms when he was getting to the Count's Estate.
"Y.. You're mother will be alright. She's strong." His voice was strained. Sengo knew then that his father was not fine at all.
Sengo clenched his teeth, and grabbed the hand of his father that was on his shoulder and squeeze it. "Yeah." He wanted to believe that. But dread still creep up his heart.
The smell of blood was getting stronger as well. It was probably because he had been in a storm, so the smell was muted, but now that they're in closed doors, the smell stink that Sengo thinks he could get used to it.
And that was frightening in itself, he doesn't want to get used to smelling his mother's blood.
He wanted to hope.
But that was impossible, especially when dread keep filling his head. Especially when the sight of his mother weakening body sunk in his head. Especially when he couldn't do anything about it-
"MAMA!!" A shout brought him out of his thoughts.
And he feels like he hadn't pay much attention to Cale considering the fact that the Countess was there as well and looked worse for wear than his own mother. But now that he remembered, he went towards where he heard Cale's voice.
When Sengo saw the younger red headed young master, he feels like he was seeing himself. But oddly enough, he was being held back by servants instead of being comforted.
Unconsciously, he stumbled over as he sees himself in Cale's place and hugged him. The body under him stiffened before Sengo whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He apologized, repeating it for what feel like a thousands of times already.
He apologized for being late. For not saving Cale's mother first. For not following his gut feeling. For letting those people who got them into this situation go without paying for their sins. For not being there for him, his little brother.
-
-
When the coffins of the sisters were put down, Sengo swore under his breath that he will protect Cale and Charlie and the family they may have in the future. He won't let them die like his mother or aunt. And he promised to himself that day, in front of his mother's and aunt's grave after everyone but him, Charlie and Cale was left, that he will make sure those people pay for what they did to his mother and aunt.
(His hold on both of his little brothers hands tightened if only a little. Promising to them and himself that he will make sure to protect them with his own life and to get stronger. Much... Much stronger than what he is now)