𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐎𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧

Chapter 3

Through prying eyes in the bushes, Yoshin wouldn't be the only one to witness the massacre that took place.

Since he was so young, Yoshin didn't have many belongings, as he didn't receive gifts from anyone so he had no sentimental items to hold onto, all except one at least, a gift he'd had since he arrived at the village, it was from his mother, a ring passed down from one generation to the next. It wasn't much to look at but it was special to him. He'd grabbed the basics for his survival, clothes and food, he didn't know where he was going to go but he had to find temporary shelter at least. Yoshin wasn't the type to go after simple pleasures like candy, or nice toys. He'd decided to go into the mountains, temporarily yes, but just long enough for him to go off the radar.
After trekking his way up the mountain, he made his camp in a cozy cave overlooking the remains of the village. Beginning his new life, he set up a makeshift bed and a small campfire. Though he was young, he learned very young how to hunt. For the night, he caught and gutted a small rabbit to eat. He cooked the rabbit, and then went to sleep.
Timeskip
Age: 13
After years in the mountains, Yoshin decided to move closer to society. He made a camp just outside the walls of a small town, just to be able to buy food and other things. He moved closer to also learn the ways of the town goers, and to learn how to trade between merchants, He'd collected gold from passersbys on occasion. Once he had collected enough gold to be able to buy new clothes and a decent meal. Making his way into the village, he kept his hood close to his face, he didn't want to be recognized by those he robbed, he made his way to a bread shop where a girl with long, dark brown hair, and angelic hazel eyes. She was petite and had a round face, walking around with a basket of bread which she set out on corresponding shelves. He walked up to the young girl and asked for a loaf of bread in a hushed tone. She hopped up to grab a loaf of bread from a higher shelf on the wall "3 coins please!" Handing the girl the three coins, he stuffed the bread in his almost empty bag and went on shopping elsewhere. While he was walking he noticed a poor girl who looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks. Yoshin felt bad seeing someone suffer so much when they didn't deserve it. So instead of keeping the food he had bought he gave it to the poor girl, as well as taking off his cloak and giving it to her to keep her warm. The shop girl, witnessing this, gave him another loaf of bread for free. When their eyes met, there was something so familiar about the girl, but he couldn't place it. She holds out her hand to him "My name is Arcadia, what's yours?" He shook her hand "Yoshin." she tilts her head to the side "I once knew a boy named Yoshin, I think he'd look like you if he was still here." Right after that, an older man came running in and smacked his hand away from her "You must stay away from this boy Arcadia." The girl looked at the man, confused, "Why should I have to, he's a customer just the same as anyone else." She took her hand away from the man's grasp and stood in front of Yoshin. "Now if you could kindly stop disturbing us, that would be great." The man huffed, and said in an angry tone "The boy is a thief, that's why, god knows if he steals from others, he'll steal from you too, I wouldn't put it past him." "Well surely he has reasoning just the same as anyone else does, maybe he needs it more than you'd think." "Thieves like him don't deserve to be treated like everyone else! I mean just look at him, he doesn't even look like he has a family, he probably lives on the street!" Something about what the man said, whether it be the words themselves, or the tone the man was speaking in, got under his skin.
He balled up his fists and clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth, trying to keep calm. Arcadia noticed and grabbed Yoshin's wrist, bringing him into the shop. "You weren't thinking about fighting