A cry, a scream in the night. Light sparked in the darkness. Forged of warmth and plunged into the cold, like a sharp newborn sword. The wind flies, with it carries the cry. A soul, an essence, declares its power and its presence. Life is forged of many metals, but most of love, hate, lust, chance, fate, free will, sorrow, and curcumstance..
Another scream of a woman was heard, and then the noise of crying filled the room. The woman sighed and lied back down. She didn't even have strength left to sit up and look. She gasped for breaths and to calm herself down as the crying continued. The woman listened to the crying.
"You have a boy! Another son!" A man's voice announced as one of the women, sitting elsewhere in the room, cried in joy.
The man who delivered and held the newborn smiled. It was odd for a man to be here, but his services were needed. The labor was not normal, and only his skills had allowed both mother and child to live. The oddest thing of all was that the man was a gaijin, a missionary. He walked over and knelt by the woman lying on the floor. He lowered the newborn baby to her level. The woman smiled at the sight of her son.
"You name it with your own name." She said softly, for she had little strength for voice.
"I cannot do that. It is too much honor for me, a gaijin." The missionary paused in thought. "I'll give you a list of names and you pick out the one you like instead."
The mother weakly nodded in agreement.
"Let's see then. Adam, Andrew, Christopher, Peter, Luke, Cale,"
"Cale." The woman whispered. "I like that name. What does it mean?"
"It has several meanings. It mostly means courageous and brave."
"Then Cale it is. For my brave son who survived to see this world, and granted me the courage to see him born." The woman then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
The missionary gently gave the newborn son to one of the older women in the room. "Take good care of your grandson Cale."
That women looked at the missionary. "We all shall." The man nodded and got up. "Leaving us so soon?"
"I'm afraid so. I wish to finish my journey before the snows come and leave me stranded."
"Very well. May the gods protect you." The man bowed in thanks and left the room quietly.
Years Later...
"Give it back Yasuichi!"
The older boy just laughed. "If you catch me, you can get it!"
"That isn't fair! I saw it first!" The younger boy lunged, but the older one just moved and laughed. The younger kid tripped and fell to the ground, his blue hair quickly became a mess.
Two other older boys walked up to the scene. "Well, well if it isn't little Cale-chan."
The blue-haired boy's face grew angry as he faced the new arrivals. "It's not Cale-chan! I'm a boy, not a girl!"
"Oh really?" The other boy who just arrived said. "That's not what I heard."
"What do you mean?"
He laughed. "Just that your mother had a girl born before you, and just had another girl after you. You must have either weakened her to having sons, or.." He paused. "You're really a girl!" The two boys laughed.
"Hey! Leave him alone!"
"Sticking up for him Yasuichi?" The older boy turned his gaze away from Cale.
Yasuichi walked up to stand in front of Cale. "At least when I play with my brother, I don't insult him!"
"Oh? Want to defend him?" The boy went into a fighting stance. Yasuichi just stood still. "What's wrong? Are you afraid to fight me?"
"I'm not going to fight when I don't have to. There is no reason in it."
"Fine!" The boy walked past him. Suddenly he turned and did a sweep kick to Cale. Cale fell to the ground, clutching his leg. "Now you have a reason!" He went back into fighting stance."
"Hataro!" Yasuichi screamed back, and the other boy automatically began the fight. It continued for long moments until a man's voice broke it up.
"Yasuichi! Hataro! What are you two doing?!" He stepped between them and pulled them apart. Then he looked down at the boy still clutching his leg. "What happened to Cale?"
"Hataro leg swept him just to start a fight!"
"He's lying! Yasuichi is the one who started it!"
The man gave both boys a good angry glare for a long moment. "Now either someone tells me the truth or you can tell everyone else what happened."
"Tokiekazu." The boy paused as he swallowed hard. "I.. I started it."
The man turned to the boy. "I'm very disappointed to hear that Hataro. You should know better. By doing such acts you ruin the honor of your family that your ancestors have tried so hard to obtain." Hataro just lowered his gaze and head in disgrace. "Go home Hataro. If this ever happens again, I shall tell what happened today to your parents." Hataro bowed and quickly left with the other boy who came with him.
Tokiekazu then turned to Yasuichi, who was already on the ground, examining Cale. "Is he badly hurt?"
"I think it may have caused a bruise, or perhaps a pulled muscle. Nothing broken." He then turned the gaze of his brown eyes to the man. "I.. I'm sorry father. I was given no choice but to fight."
His father laid a hand on his shoulder. "I know. You did well. You defended yourself and your brother. Come. Let us carry Cale home so he can be tended to more easily." Yasuichi nodded solemnly as they carefully picked the boy off the ground.