Uta no Love Pistols

Pairing: Jinguji Ren x Hijirikawa Masato

Synopsis: Hijirikawa Masato is the only remaining descendant in the ancient Hijirikawa bloodline who inherited the noble mix of mermaid blood and the mizuchi (rain dragon or crocodile in non-madararui terms). What happens when the royal heavy seed crosses paths with the powerful lusty wolf that was Jinguji?

Chapter 1 – The Veiled Heir

Thump. Thump.

The soft sounds of footfalls on the tatami mat echoed in the still air of the night. A lone figure walked through the empty hallway of the large manor without a determinable sense of purpose. The pale light of the moon shone through the gaps of the wooden walls—bright and unyielding.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The footfalls continued for a while before stopping near the manor's inner garden. The moonlight shone brilliantly in that space—the soft lapping of the bamboo fountain went with the melodious chirps of the crickets and cicadas. A breeze played with the leaves of the old cherry blossoms tree in the middle of the garden, making it look like it was dancing along.

A deep sigh broke the stillness.

Hijirikawa Masato sat down on the ledge nearest the garden pond. His pale skin shone underneath the moonlight as he leaned for comfort on a nearby post. Bright blue orbs stared mournfully at the moon's reflection on the water. He let his hand fall towards the water—subtly creating a series of ripples.

Oh moon of yonder—of love

Why I envy your freedom up above!

His lips finished whispering the verses that appeared in his mind. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of nature around him. Although this particular garden was just one of the many that the manor has, Masato found a different kind of solace within it. During the times of his arguments with his father, forced clan meetings and lessons, Masato would slip away after-hours and comfort himself with the scenery. This was his sanctuary—a place where he could calm his heart and ponder about his life.

Being in a renowned Madararui clan for generations, Masato knew that bearing the Hijirikawa name was a big responsibility—along with being the eldest child. He knew the culture of the Madararui and its implications in the real world. He had to work and uphold the clan's name—however that was not the one problem that had him worrying every night.

Hijirikawa Masato was born half-mermaid and half-mizuchi—a first of his kind. A royal mix. He got the mermaid blood from his mother, the only one left in the Madararui world. Mermaids were incredibly rare—comprising only 1% of the Madararui population. Due to this, it was really hard for the bloodline to continue in the next generations. His younger sister Mai, on the other hand, only inherited her father's line which was the mizuchi. Knowing his son born of an incredible mix, Mr Hijirikawa did measures (drastic ones if one would suppose) to ensure his son's safety—and success; albeit not considering his son's feelings on the matter.

A heavy seed such as Masato would incredibly attract a lot of fellow Madararui once he had come of age. Fearing this, Mr Hijirikawa forced his son to become one of the normal humans or 'apes': see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil. However, he didn't make Masato a full 'ape' per se—as that would compromise Masato's rearing to be the next clan head. He had only made Masato hide his scent and his soul's appearance (mermaid and mizuchi) from other Madararui; as well as being blind to any other possible [inappropriate] lovers. Thus, Masato appeared to be a normal human—but with the right amount of knowledge of the Madararui.

He could still remember that day when he had been first introduced as the eldest child of the Hijirikawa Group. The gala they had attended was filled with a lot of significant people—all in the higher ranks of society. Mr Hijirikawa knew the consequence of making his son 'human'—and that was staining the bloodline with such a lie. There was uproar of disappointment back in that gala. Of the renowned mizuchi clan—intermarrying into the royal mermaid family—producing such an offspring—it was blasphemy! The Hijirikawas had faced quite a scandal then—and even though Masato was still young—he understood the first pains of being ostracized by the society. He couldn't make any friends—either Madararui or human. Simply hearing the Hijirikawa name then was a bane.

It was for your late mother, his father had said. We wanted to protect you.

But somehow, as he grew older, Masato thought what if this 'protection' had been further dragging him away from the things that he wanted?

There were a lot of times wherein Masato had come to conflict with his self and identity. Occasionally he had thought of leaving behind his Madararui persona and the Hijirikawa name and become a nobody in society—attaining the freedom a normal young man like him would have; however a part of him still clung on with respect to his father, his younger sister and the greater good of the family.

As much as it pains him every time, he had to sacrifice his selfish desires—for there would come a day when such sacrifices receive the appropriate rewards.

And rewards there had been.

Albeit negative remarks from his father with regards to his interest in music, Masato had pursued this dream. Tomorrow, he would be attending Saotome Academy—his first attempt on the outside world.

A debacle I must overcome.

The wind blew. Masato clutched at his yukata overcoat. Being born of two water-based Madararui, Masato was weak to the cold. He had a constant necessity for heat. Feeling the chill, he stood up from his resting place and proceeded back into the manor.