Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh, this is purely fan-made.

(Chapter Updated 4/20/2019)

~The Hunt~

The soft footfall of slender hooves broke the silence of the otherwise still forest as a young doe bound through the trees. It almost felt as though nothing else dared to breathe for fear of breaking the illusion of peace surrounding them, knowing that it could be shattered at any moment by hunters. Much like those two hidden in the shadowed eaves of the surrounding trees towering beside a small brook where the oblivious doe paused briefly to survey its surroundings.

Then, after deeming it safe, the unsuspecting deer lowered its delicate head to get a well-deserved drink of fresh spring water after a long day of avoiding potential predators. Until now that is when a pair of dark eyes slowly detached themselves from the rest of the shadows and trained themselves directly onto her. Watching in silence and waiting for their chance to strike...

"I-I don't think I can do this, my hands won't stop shaking..." Yuri whispered almost inaudibly as he glanced back at his father with a troubled expression that suggested he would rather be doing anything than what they were doing now, his very first hunt.

Acutely aware of his discomfort, Conrad smiled cordially and reassured him with a gentle touch on the shoulder as he knelt closer beside him, "You'll be fine, just remember to breathe and try to keep your hands steady. The rest will come with instinct. All you have to do is focus and pay close attention to the movements of your target. Search for the pattern, then, think of their next move before you act and release the tension on your bowstring. Don't panic if they move differently though, adjust yourself and notch another arrow as quickly as you can and trust in yourself, alright?"

Yuri nodded mutely and took as deep of a breath as he dared to without alerting the deer to their presence. However, watching the doe reminded Yuri of the frailty and grace of his mother, who gave her life to save his. And the way the sunlight was glistening off the doe's fur made him think about it would have shimmered just as brightly off of his mother's soft blue hair, like the morning sunlight sifting underwater, gentle and swaying when brushed with the breeze. That's why he felt so bad about killing such an innocent and helpless creature, but his father insisted that this was an important part of growing up so Yuri didn't have much of a choice.

Taking another slow deep breath, Yuri put his feelings of guilt aside and drew his bow back up to eye level. And before he could hesitate again, Yuri released the tension on his bowstring and let his arrow fly. The arrow cut through the air straight and true directly towards the doe's unprotected breast. And there it struck. Felling the poor beast and dampening the ground with its blood.

"You did it Yuri, well done," Conrad smiled, stepping out of their hiding place to approach their kill. As expected though due to Yuri's lack of experience, Conrad soon discovered the deer was just barely clinging to life because he missed its heart.

The sight of it struggling to get up and flee from them made Yuri freeze where he stood. He had never seen anything 'dying' before since his father always brought home whatever he hunted only after carefully preparing and wrapping the meat in cloth to hide the remaining gore. And maybe it was because Yuri was so kindhearted, not to mention young, but before he could stop the tears from falling he found himself sobbing because of what he had done. Poor Yuri felt like he was a terrible person for killing the deer in the first place, or rather failing to, and leaving it to suffer like this.

"Yuri," Conrad murmured with concern, walking back towards his son and clasping his small shoulders as he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Why do we have to kill other living things to stay alive?" Yuri asked him, crying and pointing down at the deer with trembling fingers. "The soldiers told me once that sometimes we have to kill other people too to keep everybody safe. But why? Why does anyone have to die just so someone else can live...?"

I should have known, Conrad thought furiously to himself. It's only been a year since his mother died, but Yuri still blames himself for her death. Maybe it was a bad idea to bring him out here after all. Even though it's a time-honored tradition to teach him how to hunt on his 7th birthday, I should not have forgotten whose son he is besides mine. Julia, you would have been so proud of your son for believing even at such a young age that all life is sacred, just like you did...

Embracing Yuri and stroking his dark hair, he whispered, "Shh, it's alright. I'm sorry, I should have waited until you felt ready for this."

Clinging to his father, Yuri whimpered, "I'm-I'm sorry. I did everything you said but still-! I didn't mean to make it suffer!"

"Remember this feeling Yuri," Conrad told him in earnest, stroking the back of his head. "This belief you have that all life is sacred is absolutely true and should never be taken lightly. You should never kill without reason. And even with a reason, you should always try to choose to preserve life rather than take it whenever possible. Your mother knew that, and that's why she chose to save you instead of herself because there's so much you have yet to do and people to protect. If she hadn't done that, both of you could have been lost to me and I would have been left behind in this world all alone. If a single sacrifice can save more than one person, it is worth taking that risk too. But no matter what happens you have to remember to fight to live as long as you possible to protect what matters without unnecessary sacrifice, especially the people you love and even those you don't know who might still have family waiting for their safe return. Do you understand Yuri?"

Yuri nodded and sniffled, "Yes father..."