Chapter 1: Wings Clipped

(At the Saruyama Household)

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS!" The voice of a collective group shouted from within a rather large apartment. From the deserted streets of Sainan City known as outside, one could see the bright yellow light from the windows. And within the apartment consists of a group of five.

"Oh man…" Saibai exclaimed as he rubbed his bloated stomach in satisfaction. "Thanks for the food, Rito's friend." The slightly drunk mangaka finished and laughed boisterously, causing everyone in the room to sweatdrop.

"Gosh, you've got rice on your face." His wife said as she picked it from the corner of his mouth with a hand.

"It-it's my pleasure." The nervous Saruyama replied as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. He turned over where the monstrous Christmas tree was located and saw two siblings sitting under it, beside all the colourfully wrapped gifts. Their eyes glued to the top of the tree.

"It sure is tall, isn't it Onii-san…" the little girl said in awe. She was wearing a cute black dress, which extended down to her knees. The girl had long brown hair which stretched down to her back, and golden-brown eyes which reflected nothing but happiness. It is Christmas, after all.

"It sure is…" her orange haired older brother agreed as they stared at the bright yellow star which resided on the top of the tree.

"Well I think it's time to swap presents now, what do you think, Mikan-chan, Rito-chan, Saruyama-chan." A woman sitting beside Rito's father said sweetly, holding a box behind her, gift wrapped with red ribbons.

"Mm!" The children agreed with vigorous nods, which Saibai laughed rowdily. "I guess children are children afterall…"

"Here, this is for you, Saruyama." Rito said, but not before taking the present off his mother's hands and handed it to his best friend. The pineapple head that was Saruyama accepted the gift happily, his black eyes ogled at the box.

"What are you waiting for, Saruyama-chan! Open it!" Saibai shouted happily as he giggled and took another sip-no, glass of wine.

Kenichi Saruyama then opened the box, removing the ribbon. The contents in the box made his eyes sparkle like stars.

"Masaka…It's the Sequel to Space Invaders!" Saruyama cried joyfully. "Arigato, Rito!"

"Let's play it together sometime," Rito then crawled over by his best friend and leaned over to his ear and whispered. "Ne, I heard that the aliens who invade Earth in this Sequel are all girls, no wonder this game is restricted adult."

"No way! How did you get your hands on it! You're the best!" the pervert known as Saruyama hushed quietly at Rito, who in returned gave him a straight smile, one finger on his lips, sealed. "Shhhh"

"Wa-wait here, Rito, Mikan!" The black haired boy stuttered as he ran into his room. Sounds of clattering and rummaging could be heard as Saruyama emerged from his room a few moments later, one present in each hand. He sat before Rito and handed him a gift. It was rectangular in shape and was wrapped in red paper.

"Oh, arigato, Saruyama." Rito said as he began unwrapping the gift, but only to feel a hand on his.

"Don't open it until you're alone, onegai!" Rito's best friend snapped nervously in a perverted tone and winked as Rito stared at him with suspicious eyes.

"It's not a porn-mag, is it?" Rito thought.

"And this is for you, Mikan-chan." Saruyama then gave the gift to the sister, who gratefully accepted the gift in a polite manner, and didn't open it.

(Some park in Sainan City, night time…)

It was a cold and snowy Christmas night in town, most of the shops closed down early, the traffic lights were off and not a single person could be seen on the streets, save for the Yuuki family, who were on their way home from a Christmas dinner at a Saruyama's place. They were peacefully walking along a footpath in a public park. Mikan was enjoying a light conversion with her brother.

"This is the best Christmas isn't it, Onii-chan?"

"I agree!" Rito replied happily as the two shared a giggle.

"Ne, remember when we wished for when we were little?" Mikan asked.

"That we would hold a Christmas party of our own?" Rito said expectantly. It was a memory that he held dearly, when their parents were out from a business trip on Christmas night.

"How about we do a small one tonight when we get home." Mikan said excitedly.

"That would be nice, wouldn't it, Saibai?" The fashion designer mom said happily as she turned to her husband, who nodded with his eyes closed, his cheeks slightly tined with red.

Rito then tapped his sister on the shoulder and said in her ears. "Guess what, I've got a surprise for you when you get home."

"Hontouni?!" Mikan exclaimed in glee, her lips curled into a smile. "Me too."

The family of four continued down the pathway in the park for a few minutes. Until suddenly Rito felt a stinging pain in his eyes as he closed them abruptly and rubbed them with his hands, but this did not go unnoticed by his father.

"What's wrong, Rito?" Saibai asked.

"Well believe it or not, I sometimes see….things. Things like colour….and sound…" Rito tried to explain as best as a fifteen year old could.

"Don't worry about it so much Rito, I'm sure it'll go away soon, just give it a day or two." Father reassured as he patted his son on the back relaxingly. But his facial expression told otherwise.

"Could he have inherited my vision? But how? He's too young... I didn't have it until eighteen….."Saibai wondered surprisingly inside his mind while eying wearily at his son.

(Nearby…)

Two piercing, golden eyes, glared intently at the Yuuki family from high above as they walked down the path. A lone feminine figure stood straight from a flickering street lamp.

"So these are the people I connected to the 'weapon'….." Azenda said to herself as she started at a mother, a father and a sister.

"Oh? Who's the boy?" Azenda wondered, "Sources tell me that tis Earthling family had three people… One Ringo Yuuki, one Saibai Yuuki and one Mikan Yukki. But he never said anything about a teenage boy….. Well whatever, I don't feel like cleaning up more than I have to, I might just spare him, for the fun of it. After all, I haven't had dinner yet…" The golden eyed girl smirked while she concluded.

"Well, time to go to work!" Azenda said out excitedly as she jumped from her heightened place, hidden behind the green and white trees and casually walked towards the Yuuki family to avoid raising suspicion.

Noticing the oddly dressed woman walking towards them not too far away, Saibai immediately zeroed on the woman.

"Who is this woman? What is she wearing? And is that a…..whip?" The manga drawer father thought as his body tensed from the dangerous presence.

"Otosan, who that?" Mikan asked curiously and innocently, but her question fell to deaf ears.

Golden eyes met brown as they started intently at each other. The tension between the two thickened as Azenda walked closer and closer to the Yukki family.

Without warning the mysterious woman's pitch black whip, which was hanging off her waist, seemingly came to life as it wriggled its way all the way up to her shoulders and down to her hand. She then vanished in a shade, snow from where she stood was blew into the nipping air, only to appear behind Saibai. She wasted no time and brought her whip down. Saibai snapped around, his hands already in his pant pockets, gripping small senbons needles. But what happened in the next few seconds sent his life crumbling down.

The mother of his children jumped in front of the man and took the slash as tumbled onto the ground, unmoving. The snow around her reddened. The man's eyes widened whilst Rito and Mikan were still turning around, having no idea what's going on.

Saibai immediately sprang into action, shoving Rito and Mikan behind him to the cold snowy ground and charged towards Azenda with a burst of speed, his speed that of a human. "How could you!" He cried out furiously and chaotically.

But before Saibai could even get close to her, the whip wielding figure, being the powerful alien that she was, jumped high up above and over the man. She landed on the ground with a roll and recovered swiftly. The figure flicked her wrist as the snake like whip flew out of her hands and snaked in mid-air, coiling itself around Mikan's body tightly, too tightly.

Mikan could only struggle and gasp out as she was depraved of oxygen and soon fell unconscious on the snow. The whip then slowly snaked back to it's master as she turned to the boy, who was crouching next to her beloved little sister, pushing her on the shoulder, trying to wake her up.

"Mikan! Wake up, please! What's wrong, Mikan?!" Rito cried out in a tone of panic.

"The kid's so loud and annoying… screw it, he goes too." Azenda thought to herself as she threw small knife that was strapped to the backside of her left shoulder. The blade whizzed through the air with amazing accuracy, aiming for the boy's head.

Rito closed his eyes as tightly as he could, it was all he could do. The highlights of his life began playing in his mind like an old film.

Moments later he head a 'pssht' noise as a gush of warm liquid splashed on his face. He opened his golden-brown fearful eyes as they widened at the sight before

him.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'M GUESSING SOME OF YOU ARE WONDERING WHY I RE-UPLOADED THIS CHAPTER.

WELL I THOUGHT I MIGHT AS WELL RE-UPLOAD THE FIRST FIVE OR SIX CHAPTERS AS THEY WERE NOT UP TO THE STANDARD OF MY LATER ONES.

PLEASE LEAVE A FEEDBACK IF YOU APPRECIATE THIS EFFORT.

AND AS ALWAYS, MORE CHAPTERS STILL TO COME

REVIEWS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED

CRITICISMS ARE ALSO ACCEPTED.