Scattered Moons
Prolog
Sleep, my child, in silent moonshine.
Sleep, my child, embraced in love.
The stars are raising, twinkling, there,
above the halls of silence.

Sleep, my child, in silent moonshine.
Sleep, my child, guarded from fear.
The fate is watching, waiting, here,
along your path of future.

Sleep, my child, in silent moonshine.
Sleep, my child, without the wrath.
The world is fighting, dieing, where,
your light does not yet shine.

1.
“And I tell you, I AM ready for the trial!”
“And I already told you, you are NOT.” A sigh. “The trial isn’t just about your abilities, but...”
“... about your attitude as well.” the younger voice imitated the older one. “Ye, I know, but just because you don’t think I’m ready, it doesn’t mean you have to be right. Shouldn’t I know best when I’m ready for it?”
“See, that’s the problem; you’re to full of yourself! If I would let you attempt the trial, you would fail horribly, ashame yourself and as well me, your mentor.”
“Just WHAT do I need to accomplish until you give your go? I’ve mastered my weapon, trained my abilities, bested every other initiate, even those who already passed the trial.” He knew the answers he was going to receive. He knew that both of them would feel bad about the argument in the aftermath. And yet he couldn’t but complain again. When would the old geezer finally give in?!
“If you ask me like that, Eizo, I doubt you will ever reach the maturity it takes to complete the trial.” the old, white-haired man said, his noticeably long beard wavering with every syllabel.
“Then why even bother?!” Eizo exclaimed, turning around. His fists clenched as he could feel his anger rising. And as well his regret. His disappointance. Couldn’t Master Yi see just how much he worked for his goal? How could the senile man plainly ignore his efforts?! “Why bother with me at all, if you don’t think I’ll ever be ready?”
Eizo’s voice was filled with uncontained bitterness, to a degree where even the mentor’s heart couldn’t resist softening up. “I’m sorry, Eizo... I just meant...” It took Yi a few moments to find the appropriate words. “You are skilled, Eizo, gifted. You have talent that easyly surpasses that of many other, I may even say it surpasses me. But you are unexperienced, young and too egocentric to utilize your own potential. I could send you to the trial. And you would may even pass it. But you would never discover the strength hidden beneath the surface you have just learned to scratch on.”
He knew his mentor was speaking the truth. Maybe just the truth Yi himself believed in, but it was a truth. “But why don’t you let me go and try to find my own way? You have taught me much and I don’t see a reason not to continue learning even after completing the trial.
You...” Eizo breathed in. “You’re not my father, nor a relative... but you’re the closest thing to a family I’ve ever had. And I know I’m more to you then just a student. But that musn’t influence your decision, I AM ready for the trial, even if I still have to learn.”
Silence.
After what seemed like an eternity to Eizo, maybe just a few minutes, Yi answered:
“I understand the meaning and the emotion behind your words. Yes, you’re more then just a student for me, you’re a part of my life. Most of the young ones I taught managed to obtain a place in my heart. And even so... May you’re right, and I’m not deciding as objective as I should...” The old man groaned, getting up from the crate he has been sitting on. “Please give me some time to think about this.”
He stepped up to Eizo and planted his right hand on the young man’s shoulder, a gentle, yet firm and reassuring pressure. Eizo gave in. “In the end, it is your decision, master.” He didn’t exspect Yi to change his opinion this quickly. His master had merely, once again, delayed the matter.
As the hand disappeared from his shoulder, and Yi’s steps started to fade away, a plan formed in Eizo’s mind: If Yi still needed proof of him, then he would deliver these proofs! He would find a way to earn the right to attempt the initiation trial! And he would do so with Yi’s approval!

2.
A white circle on black ground. Simplistic and yet amazing in it’s own, mystic way. Though the distant sparkling of stars interrupted the black blanket, the white moon disc was resting on. But maybe the stars belonged to the moon as the sunshine belonged to the sun? It sure seemed fitting to her.
“Staring at the moon, all alone again?” a voice, well-known to her,  asked.
“Not alone, anymore.” she answered with a slight smile.
She felt his strong arms laying around her waist, his head against hers and she closed her eyes to enjoy the simple gesture of a hug. “Don’t worry, I don’t feel lonely out here. I have the moon to keep me company.”
Slowly, he released her from the hug and sat down next to her, letting his legs dangle down from the building’s roof. “You really don’t enjoy company, do you? Always the first to disappear, always sitting below the dark sky, all by yourself.”
“It’s the way I am. I’m not that great with people and outright can’t stand most of them. Well, except for you, Garro.” She titlted her head towards him, giving him one of the rare smiles of hers.
Garro couldn’t but smile back. “You should smile more often, Toka, seeing you like that cheers up anyone nearby.”
She snickered, raising her head to the moon again. “Thanks, brother. But I will smile only when I have reason to do so.”
Garro pouted and asked, in an obviously dramatic tone: “Why, is my presence not enough to make my lil’ sis smile? You don’t want me to summon the ticklebug, do you?”
“Don’t... you... dare...” she tried to threaten, but it was hard not to notice the bright grin on her face.
Satisfied with a second smile on the same evening, Garro apparently decided against the ticklebug and instead looked up at the nightly sky, as well. “Great night. Full moon, a clear sky... Are you sure you don’t want to accompany me and the others tonight?”
“You know my answer.”
“Still not confident enough?” he asked, cautiously.
“It’s not a matter of confidence, I’m just not interested in doing anything with the other peps around. I told you, I can’t stand most of them. And I really don’t want a drunken retard on my heels.”
Garro blew a raspberry. “Pffff... As if I would ever let one of them lay hand on my sister! Not as long as I’m still around.” He grinned over to Toka, exspecting another smile, or at least a thankful grin of hers. But she was still staring up at the moon. His face turning more serious, he asked “There is something else, isn’t it?”
“It’s just...” Though her voice was audibly focussed on not chaning it’s tone, he easyly noticed that trace of sadness hidden below. “I don’t feel like I’m a part of this. Not at all. And not just because I’m an orphan... though you pretty much adopted me as your sister. It just... I don’t know... doesn’t feel all that right.”
Garro’s hand brushed across her head, caringly. “I’m not sure whether I can imagine myself in your situation, Toka, but I’m sure I fould feel similar. It’s not nice to be without parents, without somebody caring for you, guarding you... but keep in mind, I’ll always be there for you, regardless of what may happen. That’s a promise!”
“Thanks, Garro...” she turned her head to him, a weak smile running across her mouth. She seemed to hesitate, but he simply nodded, reassuring her in whatever question she may had ready. “Would you... maybe... show me around tonight... but without the others? Just us two.
I think I can feel comfortable in your presence.”
His face lightened up like a crate of fireworks in a burning house. “Of course, no problem! I’m sure noone will mind me missing out for once. And for your sake, I would pretty much take on every complaint either way. Let’s not waste too much time, night’s not forever!”
3.
“And of course, the most important thing is not to...”
Toka mourned audibly. “Will you shut up, I’m no child you’ve got to tell everything again and again. If I knew this would end in an endless chain of pointless advices, I shouldn’t have asked you in first place.”
With an embarassed expression, Garro started to scratch across the back of his head. “My bad... Maybe I’m just too nervous. You know, I talk a lot if I’m nervous. After all my sister is taking important steps forward to becoming a full adult!”
She gave him a blatant, piercing stare. “With 19 years I would pretty much consider myself adult in first place, thank you.”
“Aw, come on, you know what I meant! After all this isn’t something trivial, it’s your first time!”
“First time out in the open, on my own, that is.” she corrected him. Though she wasn’t able to entirely hide her insecurity. As if her body wasn’t hinting enough, her arms closely wrapped around herself, her head constantly darting here and there, scanning the nightly, empty streets. Well, empty except for the large mass of teenagers trying to get into the club on the other side of the road.
“Not on your own, sis, not on your own.” He gave her shoulder a friendly backslap. “But we should be going before it gets too full.” Garro was already half across the street when he realized Toka wasn’t moving. A worried and questioning look ran across his face.
“Just... gimme a moment... Gah, just the thought of being in the midst of that many people...” she answered, shaking slightly.
“You... are not agoraphobic or something like that? You know, afraid of large crowds and...”
“Duh, no! I’m just... not very comfortable with it...” she answered quickly. Maybe somewhat to quick, compared to her usual behavior. Step by step, she caught up to Garro, still eyeing the club’s entrance with a mix of worry, uncertainess and disgust. She reached for her brother’s hand. “Do we really need to go in there? Can’t we just... wait outside or something?”
“No we can’t, dummy... Keep in mind....” he, ever so slightly, lowered his voice. “You never know whether they’re around. And it would be to suspicious for us to linger around, randomly adressing strangers. If we want to find someone, we need to be inside, hidden amongst the crowd.”
It was more then obvious just how much she disliked that answer, but accepting her fate, Toka stepped forward. “Then... let’s hurry up and get this over with as soon as possible...”
Garro quickly followed her and when she was about to add herseld to the long line of people in wait, he tugged her along on a hand, heading for a smaller, reserved section of the entrance. Before he could even draw his pass, the bouncer had already recognized him, waving him through. When Toka attempted to follow him, there was a sharp harrumphing, however.
“It’s fine Bruno, she belongs to me.” Garro stated, in a pacifying tone.
“Je, but I need to check her age first, rules are rules.” The bouncer returned, holding out his hand to Toka. After a few seconds of nervous fumbling, she indeed manage to pull her passport from a pocket, handing it to the bulky man in front of her. “No issue here, please excuse the wait.” The bouncer said, hinting her to enter.
With a sigh of relief, Toka quickly dashed over to her brother, following him inside. The second he opened the second door, just a few steps past the initial entrance, she made a jump when loud, thump-heavy music suddenly filled her ears. “Oh heck... what did I get myself into...”
“It’s called ‘nightlife’ and ‘enjoying yourself in company’, dear sister.” Garro joked, taking her wrist and pulling her forward into the club’s crowds.

4.
Nibbling on the straw in her alcohol-light strawberry-flavoured something-in-a-glass, Toka tried her best not to look like the lost, insecure being she was right now. Loud music, voices, yells, singing, dancing, movement, action, the crowd was literally everywhere. She was sitting on the farmost seat of the bar, in a corner of the large room, as distant from the center of the mass as somehow possible.
She knew Garro was watching over her. Heck, he had just blinked at her, from a nearby couch, sittin in between two girls of, at best, her own age. Even though she was not technically alone and her brother was in reach in case anything were to happen, Toka couldn’t but stick to being the reserved bystander.
Even when finally someone approached her, she outright turned him down, quickly finding an excuse in dashing to the ladies’ room, glad to find the guy gone by the time she came back. The second person adressing her was someone with a heavy accent who asked her whether she would know about sights worth to see in the local area, something she quickly denied.
After she had as well gotten rid of the third male, though that one admittedly somewhat old, she could see how Garro was about to come over to her, most likely to take the matter in his own hands. And she couldn’t stand the thought of her brother being forced to help her out again. She should quickly find someone and...
“Hey there, is that seat already taken?” a male voice behind her asked. Turning around, she saw a blond man, maybe around her age, pointing at the seat next to her. After she shook her head, he quickly jumped onto it, placing down his own glass next to hers. He chuckled amusedly. “Soft Bloody Mary at Dawn?”
It took Toka a second to realize his drink had the same color as hers. “Uh... yeah. I think... not sure what I’m drinking, actually.” She mustered her own glass thoroughly. “You could be right, though, pretty much looks alike.”
“Seems like we both have a good taste, don’t we?” He smiled warmly, raising his glass and holding it to her. “To everyone else’s beauty, you for sure don’t need even more of that.”
Surprised and caught offguard by the flattery, Toka nearly managed to hit her glass across the bar, barely catching it again before it would have emptied it’s content  him. She clinked glasses with him and took another few sips on her straw, whilst he took a few major gulps from the glass itself.
Putting the drink down again, he continued: “My name is Emanuel. You can call me Ez though. Would you mind telling me your name?” Seeing her hesitant and probably shy as she was, he quickly added. “Just your name, nothing else. I will even pay the next drink for just that.”
“I... I’m Toka. Uhm... nice to meet you...” She couldn’t but turn her head slightly, looking over to the couch. Garro was still sitting there and though he was apparently having conversation with his female neighbours, he still gave his sister a quick wink, hinting her to proceed.
“Waiting for someone?” Ez asked, a slight curiousity in his voice.
“N-No. Just... Nevermind... Nothing.” She tried her best to hide the nervousity in her voice, quickly taking another few sips on her drink.
“Well... you do seem sort of nervous... If you don’t feel well or want me to leave you alone, just say so, it’s no”
“No. I mean, yes. Uhm... I don’t mind if you stay here.” She quickly responded, trying to smile weakly.
“Wow, that’s a heck of an adorable smile you have there. Just seeing it would turn everyday into something special.” Ez said with a bright smile of his own.
“Uhm, yeah... I get that a lot.”
Ez lifted an eyebrow. “Hmm? You don’t look like someone who’s around in clubs often.”
“Well... I meant, my brother does often say things like that to me. You know, he often does...”

5.
If he were to rate it all technical and objective, the day was a failure. However, even when considering his lack of success in his original goal, the girl he had just met made it all the more worthwhile. Though he really couldn’t figure her out. At first she had seemed suspiciously reserved to him, pretty much came out as a shy outsider during her conversation, but then asked him to accompany her back home... That really didn’t fit together at all.
But who would he be to turn down a girl like that. Probably she had been there with a friend or someone and had been left alone, explaining her nervousity? In any case, there really wasn’t an issue with accompanying her home, was there? After all the streets were dangerous for a girl alone... even more so with them around.
Which again lead Eizo back to his original thought: No success for tonight. But it wasn’t like he could blame himself, he wasn’t the one who could pick what to happen when and where. Nontheless there was that voice inside asking ‘but what if you just missed something’...
“...like this and... Uhm... Ez?” A poke into his side reminded Ezio of his company.
“Oh, sorry, I zoned out there. I was just trying to figure out what is of more pure black, the nightsky or your hair.” And, all flattery aside, it clearly was a tough decision. Her hair was of a sort of black he had never seen or noticed before. And the way it contrasted with her bright, blue eyes, pretty much like his own ones...
A low snicker. Was that her? “You don’t look that bad either.”
“Oh, thank you.” Well, that had been the first compliment from her side, across the whole evening. Apparently she was slowly getting more comfortable around him. He couldn’t but feel happy about that realization.
“Actually... I’ve never met someone who is... well... not just a prude jerk...” she added. To Eizo’s surprise, the girl, Toka, reached for his hand, gently pulling him off the street and into the shadow of a side alley. “I... Uhm...” Not just her voice, but as well her over-heated hands and to some extent her glare to his shoes expressed the utmost nervousity. And most likely inexperience.
It was outright cute. “Hmm, what is the matter?” he asked, trying to sound as gentle as possible. He wasn’t entirely sure whether he liked where this was going. He really shouldn’t complain about a girl making advances like this... but it didn’t feel entirely right... maybe because his conscience was reminding him of just how innocent and probably naive Toka appeared to be. Was he really the right one for a girl like her?
“I... I’m not sure... how to say it...”
“Don’t feel yourself pressured to anything. You asked me to watch you on your way back home and I’m entirely fine with that. There’s no need to...” Suddenly he felt a shove against his chest as she more or less literally threw himself against him, causing Eizo to back up against the wall in search for support. “... rush anything.”
He could feel her breath on his face. The sweet scent of strawberry, a hint of alcohol and something that could be her parfume. Her lips moved closer to his and regardless of his previous concerns, it didn’t seem like he had the choice to decide in this matter.
Suddenly, she backed off again, turning around and hiding her face in her hands. “I... this just doesn’t feel right...”
Stunned in surprise, it took Eizo a few seconds to recover, before he muttered. “Uhm... no problem... we can just...”
“Sorry!” was her last word, before she quickly darted out onto the street and around the corner.
Dazzled and confused, Eizo remained leaning against the wall. Well... that had been unexspected.
But tonight’s surprises didn’t end there: A sudden shiver ran across his back. A shiver that made his body hairs stand out. A shiver that instantly made him realize:
They’re here.