The Quiet Baby

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The Quiet Baby



This is the child meant to die
These are the people whose tears run dry
This is the day war will call
Tomorrow is the day the world will fall.

Ian Marshall sipped at his tea, wishing to God that it was a cup of hot coffee, most preferebly from the corner coffee shop in his home town. But Ian was far from his home. Boston, Massachusett seemed like a world away from Matsue, Japan. A part of him would have loved to be back at home. But the logical part of him knew that he was here for a reason. There was no turning back from this assignment now.

The pagoda where he sat was decorated nicely, but it was very touristic. There were small running streams falling over rocks, vines twisting up white fences, and beautiful colored flowers everywhere. The menu that sat in front of him was in Japanese, which deterred him from buying anything for lunch. There was plenty of time to grab something to eat, but Ian was too excited. Besides, he was waiting for someone and it wasn't polite to eat before hand. Perhaps she would be hungry as well? He doubted it, she never had eaten much, unless she had changed over the years they had been apart. She had always been too busy to sit down and eat.

A woman came and poured Ian more tea. He smiled and nodded his thanks to her as she walked away. As he sipped some more, he turned his head to look out the window. It was a nice day out. When he dreamt of this day, it had always been raining. It would fit the mood more. But now that this day was here, it was sunny and quite peaceful. Ian's eyes caught a woman standing beneath an overhang. She wore a tan business coat over black pants and a red turtleneck. Sunglasses covered her eyes and her hair was neatly cut just above her chin. Ian recognized her immediately.

Ian stood up and grabbed his coat. He put a few coins on the table and then walked out of the restaurant. Crossing the street, he kept his eyes on the woman, who still had yet to look away from him. He knew she wouldn't.

When he was there, they didn't say anything to each other. Instead, Ian leaned against the wall next to her and put his hands in his pockets. Ian was a middle-aged man, about forty. His brown hair was starting to gray and his face had a few wrinkles. But he was still a fairly good looking man, if not a little pudgy in some places and a little worn in others. But standing next to this woman, he looked ten times his age. She had a flawless beauty. She looked younger than she was, which was almost Ian's age. But she looked like a woman just reaching her prime. Ian felt older when he was around her.

"Hello Mrs. Prewitt." Ian said, not moving at all to look at her.

She stared across the street. "Ian, must we remain so formal? We've known each other for fifteen years." She had a thick French accent, but her words flowed smoothly.

"Known for fifteen years. But I've only seen you about seven times now, Margot."

"We'll get nowhere if we dance around formalities all day, Ian." Margot said, shrugging off from the wall and starting to walk. Ian sighed and followed after her.

"Do you think it's real this time?" Ian's tone became serious. Margot didn't answer, but Ian could see her thinking about it. "We've had a lot of fake findings. Do you think this could be it?"

Margot shrugged and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. Lighting one up, she puffed it a few times before blowing smoke up above them and watching it disperse in the air. "Felt real enough. They described it point to point."

"So did the one in Barcelona." The two fell into silence. They walked side by side, as if they had been doing so for years. They knew each other as long time lovers knew each other, but they were still merely acquantances. There was no love between them, only a complete knowledge of the other's life and being. It was what came with the job.

Margot huffed suddenly and looked up the road they were walking. "Let's try not to take this one so personal then, shall we?"

Ian nodded. "We forgot that rule last time, didn't we?"

"Yes, but we won't again. They won't allow it."
They turned to walk down a stone path and Margot threw her cigarette down. "What's the name on this one?"

Ian side glanced at Margot, watching as her face remained emotionless. "Are you sure you want to know the name? Sometimes it's easier to not become personal when you keep it annonymous."

Margot huffed again and looked over at him. "If I thought names made it personal, I wouldn't have told you mine."

There was a new respect that shone in Ian's eyes as the two of them looked at each other. Ian nodded and shoved his hands back in his pockets. His eyes fell to the ground. "Satoshi Mamoru, born to Mai Mamoru about two weeks ago."

"Full moon."

"Yeah."

It was quiet the rest of the way. There was hope in each of the travellers as they walked along the path. Hope that went both ways. Part of them hoped that this would be the one that they were looking for. But deep down, both of them hoped that this would be just another false alarm. If this was what they were looking for, life would change, and not for the better. But neither of them liked to trust hope, it was the biggest red herring of all.

The walk was long, but neither of them were tired by the time they reached their destination. It was a small home, closely resembling a hut with porches made of bamboo. The tennants of the home were not the richest as was apparent from the poor upkeep and rotting structure. But, it was a natural, historical home. Ian could picture it being drawn in history books in the future. It was a nice abode, a nice place for the birthplace of a god. The thought made Ian hope that this was in fact the baby they had been looking for for over a century.

A woman came out onto the porch carrying a pot. She startled when she saw the two of them staring back at her from their place on the path. Immediately, she put down the pot and gave them both a bow. In Japanese she said, "Forgive me, I was not expecting visitors."

Margot and Ian both switched into Japanese as they spoke. "We don't mean to intrude," Margot said, giving the woman a bow. "You wouldn't happen to be Mai Mamoru, would you?"

The woman nodded but looked at Margot suspisciously. Her eyes moved over to Ian and seemed to soften a little bit. Ian didn't look as dangerous as the lithe Margot. He looked more like a scholar than anything. His appearance was often calming. "You recently had a child?" Ian asked.

"Yes." Mai answered with a nod. "Come inside. Have some tea."

"Thank you." Margot replied before following the woman inside. Ian gave one last look around the exterior of the home. The forest was thick. Paths led in different ways. This was indeed a perfect location, should the baby prove to be the one they were looking for. Ian sighed and followed the women inside.

The interior was dark. It was a very primative home, lit with candles and natural light through the windows, though at the moment small curtains were pulled over them. It wasn't big inside. There was a main entryway that opened into a medium room. Two rooms went off to either side. There was a doorway in the back that led off into more forest and a small stream. Vines and branches had been used to decorate the doorway. "This place is perfect." Ian said, slipping back into English.

Margot turned to look at him, but there was evident agreement in her eyes. Mai brought them tea and sweet rolls and offered them both seats on pillows on the ground in front of a small table. Margot bowed and sat down cross legged with Ian was slower to get down. Once they both sipped their tea, Mai sat down as well.

"Are you Americans?" Mai asked, eyeing Margot specifically.

"I am." Ian smiled as he sipped his tea. "My name is Ian Marshall."

"Margot Prewitt, from France." Margot added, setting down her cup. "We actually came in hopes to see your son, Satoshi." Ian watched the expression on Mai's face. He wasn't sure how he expected her to act. If strangers came into his home and asked to see his newborn son, he would be nervous and frightened. But Mai seemed calm. Almost like she had expected as much. Margot must have noticed the same because she, too, waited for an answer before going on.

Mai straightend out the skirt she was wearing and looked across the table at Ian and Margot. Mai was a middle aged woman as well. Her black hair was starting to show hints of gray. There were circles and wrinkles beneath her eyes. Her face was drawn and almost sunken. But she had a healthy shine to herself. She looked as though she was a woman of emmense knowledge.

"He is in the room to your right." Mai said plainly. Her voice didn't quiver or shake, but her hands were running over each other in her lap. Ian noted that she was nervous.

Margot raised an eyebrow. "We're not the first to come and see him, are we?"

"There was someone a week ago. They looked at him and left."

Ian stood up then, not letting the two of them go on. Margot looked up at him, obviously annoyed, but stood up as well. She straightened her outfit before turning to walk into the room. Ian hesitated a moment to say to Mai, "Thank you, Mrs. Mamoru." Mai merely nodded back.

The room that held the baby was even darker than the first. It was lit by an open window, but the light still only fell in a trail towards the door. When Ian entered, Margot was already standing over a small crib that held the baby. It was an old fashioned crib and Ian knew he'd never put his baby in something as ratty as that crib. Margot turned her head towards Ian. There was a small smile on her face. "He has light hair." She switched the conversation back into English so that Mai couldn't hear what they were saying.

Ian walked over and looked down at the baby. Satoshi was small, even for a newborn. What little hair that he had was indeed light. It was probably what had attracted his employers to check him out. Light hair in Japanese culture was rare. Ian leaned down and opened the baby's eyelids. "Silver eyes."

"Born on a full moon. The location is ideal." Margot's eyes didn't leave the baby. Satoshi was awake, but he wasn't making a sound. No cooing, no crying, nothing. "He's silent."

Ian leaned down and tickled Satoshi's foot. The baby moved his foot away, but still didn't make a sound. "You think this is it?"

"He's never made a sound." Ian and Margot startled and took a step back from the crib. Both of their eyes shot up towards the corner of the room, where for the first time, they saw a figure sitting in the shadows. "Not even when he was born."

"Who are you?" Margot snapped, moving her hand to her side. Ian recognized it as Margot's defensive position. She always carried a knife in a thigh holster. It was just something Margot did.

The figure lit a candle next to him and they could see that it was a young man, possibly in his early twenties, sitting cross legged on a side table. "Isamu." He gave, eyeing Margot and then glancing towards Ian before finally resting his eyes on Satoshi. "He's my brother."

"How do you know English?" Ian asked, loosening his shoulders.

"Learned it from my dad." Isamu said. He leaned back against the wall and was quiet for a moment. He seemed to be thinking about something. He bit his lip before he said, "He's important, isn't he?"

"What do you mean?" Margot asked. She did a poor job of pretending she didn't know anything. But Ian didn't expect anything more. Isamu seemed to know something that he wasn't suppose to. They'd never encountered a sibling of a probable before.

Isamu nodded towards Satoshi. "He's been getting a lot of attention. Especially by people from...out of town."

"Who?" Ian asked. "Your mother said someone came about a week ago. Who did?"

Isamu didn't say anything. He leaned forward a little and eyed Ian. Slowly, he turned his arms so his palms were facing upwards. Ian gulped. Long, clean cuts were covering Isamu's arms. Some of them were fresher than others. "You don't know what it's like living here." Isamu whispered. His voice had gotten lower and held a hatred that wasn't directing at anything in particular. "The Kamis aren't forgiving."

"Kamis?" Margot asked.

"Kamis are Japanese gods. If I'm not mistaken, we're very close to the Izumo Taisha shrine." Ian looked towards Satoshi. He let out a small laugh. "You chose a nice spot, Satoshi." The baby just stared up at him as if he understood what was being said.

"Izumo Taisha, built to honor Okuninushi no Mikoto, Kami of marriage." Isamu said, standing up. When he was standing, Isamu was tall and lithe. He was a handsome young man. His hair was dark, but his skin was light. He looked to be half Japanese and half something of a different origin.

"Okuninushi was also the nephew of the Sun Goddess." Ian added, looking towards Margot. She perked up when she heard that. "Get in good with the Sun Goddess and those who are destined to walk the nights may walk during the day."

"You did choose well." Margot whispered, looking at Satoshi.

Isamu walked over to his brother and put a hand on his forehead. "He's important, isn't he?" He asked again.

"Yes. We believe so." Ian said, watching Isamu's face. He couldn't pick up on what the man was feeling. Margot shot him a warning glare to shut up, but Ian ignored it. There wasn't a threat from Isamu.

"He's been prophesized for something." Isamu didn't ask, he was stating what he knew to be true. "Something great, but evil."

"Yes." Ian waited for Isamu to go on.

"He's going to become something that this world has never seen. People will worship the earth he treads on and fall steadily beneath his sword."

Margot gasped. Ian felt his fingers start to tingle. "Where did you hear that?" She snapped, harsher than she had meant.

Isamu looked up at her, his eyes were glossy. He took his hand off of Satoshi's head and turned around. Sitting back down on the table where he had first shown up, he hugged his arms around his waist. "I've heard it over and over again in my dreams." He whispered. "I hear a voice, some deep, evil voice, whispering these words. What do they mean?"

Ian licked his lips. He had heard of this before, from one of his employers. The prophesized baby would give off an aura of power. So much that those around him would start to feel it as well. He decided that there was no use trying to hide it from Isamu. He already knew half of the story. "Your brother is the prophesized baby that had been told to Genghis Khan the day before his army marched. For centuries followers of Khan waited for such a child to be born, but none was. The prophecy was slowly becoming lost. But an organization was formed to keep track of the prophecy and wait for the child to be born. We work for that organization."

"What has he been prophesized to do?" Isamu asked, his long fingers gently running over the scars on his arms.

"According to the prophecy," Margot began, "He will become a child warrior. A killing machine unable to be stopped. There will come a time of war and he will be killed in battle."

"But he will rise again." Ian added. "And when he does, he'll be a god."

Isamu closed his eyes. "The nameless child warrior fell in battle but rose again a god among his people." Isamu leaned forward and ran a hand through his hair. "He'll bring about the downfall of mankind."

"Yes."

"Mankind has ruled for too long." Ian and Margot whirled and stared at a new figure who now stood in the doorway to the room. Ian narrowed his eyes as recognition of this man came to him. "It's good to see you again Ian."

"I wish I could say the same Conroy." Ian snarled.

Margot placed a hand on the hilt of her knife. "Conroy Torrence?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow at the man.

"In the flesh." He gave a sly smile.

"This is our business, Conroy." Ian said, stepping in front of the crib. "Your organization gave up on it years ago."

"My organization did, but I did not." Conroy walked into the room, ignoring the icy daggers Margot was glaring at him. He walked over to Ian and stood in front of him. "I've lusted after this day for years, Ian. Nothing will get in my way, not you, not the order, nothing."

"How will you train him by yourself?" Ian's voice quaked a little. He heard Margot shift next to him, but ignored her for the moment. "You alone cannot fulfill the prophecy."

Without warning, Ian felt a blow to the side of his head. He fell quickly and it took him a few moments before the stars were gone from his eyes. In the background, he heard a fight going on between Margot and Conroy. There was a hearty grunt, followed by a short gasp. Then the heavy sound of a body hitting the floor. Ian turned himself and saw Margot laying on the ground. There was a small pool of blood spreading out from underneath her. "Margot." Ian whispered.

"Stay back, boy, if you want to keep your life." Ian turned his head, which was pounding with pain and burning with the fresh rush of blood. Isamu stood in front of the crib. He didn't look as if he could win a fight against anyone, let alone Conroy. Ian knew he had to do something. Conroy could not get his hands on Satoshi.

"When did you give your soul up?" Ian shouted.

Conroy stopped and turned around to look at him. There was a wicked smile on his face. "How nice of you to notice. I was actually hoping to show you what had become of me." Conroy turned around and moved towards Ian, who was still lying on the floor. But, Conroy's feet weren't moving. He was gliding. Ian mentally swore to himself. "Remember Barcelona?" Conroy asked when he had reached Ian. "While you two were off playing with children and falling in love with them, I was making new friends. Mainly, a vampire."

Ian's eyes widened. He remembered Barcelona like it had happened yesterday. It had been a false alarm. The child was two years old, but seemed to be everything in the prophecy. They had been sure that he was the child. But, he had spoken. The child from the prophecy would forever remain silent, until he became a god. But the child had won over the hearts of both Margot and Ian. He had been an orphan without a home. Ian had opted to adopt him. The day before they were suppose to leave, he had found the child lying face down in a pool of his own blood, his throat had been slit.

"He was my first meal." Conroy whispered, as if he was reading Ian's thoughts.

"You...you killed him?" Ian said shakily. There was an anger growing inside his heart towards Conroy. He had loved that little child.

Conroy laughed and squatted down in front of Ian. "Well, back then, it was by order of the organization. When I knew he wasn't the child, I thought I'd make life interesting for you."

"Damn you!" Ian screamed. Conroy grabbed Ian by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up.

"I'm already damned!" Conroy screamed back and threw Ian across the room. Ian hit the wall and fell to the floor, dazzed again.

When his senses came back to him, he was able to pick himself up off the ground. Isamu lay near him, shivering, a black bruise already covering his cheek. But he was alive. Ian moved towards the crib, which was on it's side and empty. "Damn." He whispered, but his anger melted away when he saw Margot. Walking towards where she lay, he turned her over. Margot's eyes were open, but they were utterly dead. He swore again and closed her eyes, sighing.

"He's been here for a week." Isamu whispered. "He was waiting for you."

"I know." Ian said, turning to look at the young man.

"What will happen to Satoshi? What will he do with him?"

"Exactly what has been prophesized. He'll turn him into a killing machine. Teach him to kill without regret. Teach him hatred."

"The war?"

"It hasn't happened yet. But it will."

The two were quiet for a moment. "Why did you come here?" Isamu asked.

Ian leaned back against the wall, gathering Margot's dead body into his arms. Why had he come there? To see his coworker die? He was unable to save a baby from a life of evil. That baby was now in the hands of a vampire. It made sense, Ian supposed. There had been rumors that the child would come back to life as a vampire. But, they had only been rumors. But now it was the truth. No matter what anyone did, that was how it would play out. Now, Margot was dead. Mai Mamoru was lying the next room with her throat slashed and her blood in the belly of a vampire. Isamu was without a family and without hope. And Ian was left with a question, why had he come there?

"I came to kill the baby that was destined to become the most evil creature this world has ever seen. I missed my chance of saving mankind." Ian's eyes glazed over. "There's no stopping him now."

Isamu crawled over to Ian and leaned against the wall next to him. "What are you going to do now?" He asked, shaking a little.

Ian thought about it for a moment. "I could go for some coffee. You ever been to Boston?"

This is the child meant to die
These are the people whose tears run dry
This is the day war will call
Tomorrow is the day the world will fall.