Reborn
Active member
Awards
Chapter 5: Beginning
I chased Genshin and Sho through the woods with the goal of spilling their blood in honor of my clan. I ran up the hill leading towards the Great Caverns. The Great Caverns was the sacred tomb of the Great Dragons, one of the Hayabusa clan's most precious historical treasures. I stood and gazed at the large mountain where the caves began. Only a Hayabusa could get through the caverns without getting lost in the labyrinth. It wasn't the matter of the several passages within their confines, but the mystical powers of the caverns. The souls of such powerful and mystical beings rested within those walls. The illusions caused by the souls of the mighty creatures is enough to drive normal people into insanity and cause their deaths. Only those who can see through the powerful illusions and knows the complexities of the passages could ever make it out alive.
I saw the two shinobi emerging from the fourth level of the mountain and heading towards next passage on the side of the cave. I heard the majestic cry of a falcon overhead. The bird dropped down the Fiend's Bane Bow, the most powerful projectile weapon in the Hayabusa clan, crafted from both dragon and fiend bone. The falcon continued on toward Genshin and Sho and it soon burst into flames shooting for them like a flaming arrow. Genshin took his sword from his sheath and the markings of the Archfiend were visible on the metal of the blade. He swung the blade once, releasing a surge of orange electricity, obliterating the bird. I took out arrow after arrow and began shooting at the two shinobi. All were on point but none hit the swift shinobi. I ran towards the caverns as they casually continued to the next passage, shooting my arrows. By the time I had launched my 10th arrow they were inside the walls of the cave and out of my sight. I placed the bow on my back with the three remaining arrows I had left.
I stood in front of the entrance to the caverns looking into the darkness. Never before had I been in the walls of the Great Caverns. For a Hayabusa to travel through the maze is pure instinct, but as I said before, the maze wasn't what one must worry about. Without reluctance I entered the caves and once the darkness of the caverns engulfed me my vision began to blur and I felt as if I were in a dream state. My vision was crimson but I was completely conscious of where I was.
I felt possessed, my body was moving on its own through the caverns. Each turn was certain, each path I took was absolute. The spirit inside of me knew my destination and it knew where to guide my body. After several minutes within caverns walls I had made it through the first three levels, what perplexed me was the rate at which I was traveling. In the state I was in, my body was deeply relaxed and calm. I was strolling through the caverns as if I had forgotten that the men who burned and attacked my clan were fleeing rather quickly, that they had stolen an artifact that could aid in the end of the world...Then I remembered back at the entrance to the caverns, I saw Sho's eyes. His eyes were crimson red just like my vision and his body, his reactions, they were all tamed like mine. I wondered for what reason was our calmed state. I wondered this until I reached a split path. My body stopped and for the first time since I entered that cave I felt that I had regained control over my body. I looked with my blurred red vision and both paths felt right in a way. I thought for a brief moment and then I went down to the left path.
As I walked down that path vision became less and less vivid and my body began to feel a burning pain.
“RYU HAYABUSA!” I heard a voice exclaim. When the rough voice entered I experienced flesh tearing agony all throughout my body. I could see nothing but the crimson, bloody red that had taken over my eyes the moment I entered the caverns. For a time of what felt like several hours, my body surged with unbearable pain and nothing was inside my head except a dark menacing color and the voice of powerful figure. “RYU HAYABUSA! IF YOU ARE TO STOP THE DESCENDENTS OF THE ARCHFIEND, YOU MUST DEFEAT PAIN!” I heard the voice in my head.
After that mind rattling lecture, my mind began to focus away from the darkness and I could see Sho within my subconscious. The two of us stared at each other and I realized that we both were having the same experience.
“You won't have any hope of defeating us Ryu. The outcome of this battle will be the same as last time, only this time I will forget my mercy.” Sho said. His voice echoed in my mind like I was inside a hollow room.
“You're a traitor to the name you bare and the blood that flows through you. For the disgrace you've brought upon our clan the only honorable path left for you is your death. I will spill the blood you've tainted with the corruption of the Archfiend and bring the spirits of our ancestors to peace. Sho Ito, you will die by my hands certainly.” I said calmly, the pain I had felt left me and my regular consciousness began to return to me as Sho began to leave my thoughts.
“We shall see Dragon Ninja.” He said as he left my mind. My focus returned and I saw myself outside the Great Caverns. I realized that I had been subconsciously taking myself through the caverns while I experienced that mystical, hellish state. I gripped Ryuuken, determined to follow through on my words to Sho and I continued through the forest in pursuit.
It didn't take long for me to catch up to the two of them. A few minutes into my pursuit outside the cavern walls and I had Genshin and Sho in sight. I took out my bow and shot two of my arrows towards them. Both arrows missed, but only by faint glances. Both shinobi stopped in their tracks and turned to me. I looked Sho in the eyes and that malevolent feeling returned. His aura was more sinister then that of a fiend and the stench of it made my blood boil.
“You will pay for your treachery Sho.”
“You failed to kill me last time and you will fail again. You, your father, your entire clan is nothing but a joke and you've outlived your punchline.” Sho said with no expression.
“That dishonorable tongue will be cut out of your mouth.” I said with a plain tone laced with annoyance. “How can you stand there and speak of a clan that has birthed and raised you for your entire life with such disrespect? The blood that runs through your veins is the blood of great creatures that fought and died to assure your existence, but you speak of your own people like trash.” I said.
His face remained as expressionless as mine, there was only one aspect about Sho that I truly respected and that was his resolve. No matter the treachery, no matter the acts against humanity, and the selling of his soul to an eternal hell, he knew what his resolve as a shinobi was. He followed his path without hesitation and without moral interference and even though his acts were the very face of evil, he stuck by them and he lived as a shinobi lived.
“I was born to betray the Hayabusa clan, I was bred to believe in the way of the Archfiend, and I have accepted the conduct of what I was born and bred to do. The Archfiend is the master I serve just as the Great Dragons are yours. I will serve my master against the the true monsters, the Hayabusa and the Great Dragons. That is my path and now,” He said taking out his katana, “our two paths will cross and I will be victorious in the name of my master.”
“If you can kill him do so, I will return once the Seal is secured.” Genshin said as he walked away. I saw him holding the seal and I took out my last arrow and shot it directly at his arm. Sho split the arrow in half with his sword as Genshin continued walking.
“You're fight is with me Ryu, only then will you be able to approach Genshin.”
I placed my bow on my back and took out Ryuuken. We stared at each other blankly and a strong breeze brought us together. We ran towards each other, blades at the ready, both seeking the death of the other. Our blades clashed and the sound of the metal clashing was the beginning of a long exhausting endeavor. I remember the intricate details of that battle, for the longest time our fight was an unyielding one. Each attack of our blades was filled with ferocity and the intention of annihilation, each block was was powerful and determined not to allow a single weak push. Counters were nullified by counters, our mastery of the ken arts was equal and our swordplay was like that of a training match. I could tell that both Sho and I were irritated at flow of the battle and each other's unwillingness to concede even to the slightest.
Our battle wasn't stationary, we traveled as if we were chasing each other. During our fight I noticed a slight opening to his right side and I lashed out using the shadowless footsteps technique, I managed to get behind him and swing upwards, forcing him back. From that point on I took the offensive. I layered on attack after attack, focusing less on finding another opening and more on wearing down his defense. I left him no room to counter or lay on an attack. I landed a strike overhead onto his blade, finally breaking his defensive posture and I went in. I landed a kick into his ribs and sent him to the ground. I leaped up and tried to stab him through the chest on the ground. He shifted to the right, avoiding Ryuuken. My anxiety of battle caught the better of me, Ryuuken was embedded in the ground next to Sho's head. He grabbed my collar and flipped me over onto the ground and he got on top of me. He threw a few punches down towards my face with his spiked gloves. I managed to trap his left leg and flip him to his side and I rolled away. I ran to Ryuuken and when I had turned back to Sho I saw him standing with the focusing his Qi, the seal of a ninpo surrounded his feet as he released it on me in a hurry.
All of a sudden my vision had gone and I was surrounded in this world of nothingness.
Note: Art of the Awoken Darkness
I couldn't see anything and I knew my guard was exposed from all corners. I heard the whistling of shuriken in the air but I couldn't see through the illusion. I relied heavily on my sense of hearing to assist me and a split second before impact I moved my head to the left. The blade scratched through my mask and drew blood but only a small amount. I could hear several more projectiles coming at me from all directions. I dodged and deflected what I could but to the avail of only sparing my life. I was hit several times across the face, caught in the right leg, arm and in my upper back. I closed my eyes, praying for an opening, a way out of the illusion. Deep inside my body I heard the same voice as when I was back in the caverns.
“FOCUS RYU, KNOW THAT YOUR STRENGTH COMES FROM US.” the voice said.
I could hear the footsteps of Sho approaching me from behind me, the voice of the Dragons focused me and allowed me to see past the illusion. As my sight returned I turned swiftly behind and swung Ryuuken. Sho placed his blade down to deflect my attack but my power came from my ancestors. Like butter, I sliced through Sho's blade and my attack didn't yield. I cut horizontally across his stomach. The blood that splashed from him covered my black garb like a large splash of water. His blood stained my face as I witnessed him stumble backwards onto the ground. He held his wound as he crawled backwards frantically to get away from me. I walked towards him, shaking the disgraceful blood of his off of Ryuuken.
“The outcome was different this time...but unlike you, I don't have mercy.” As I went to strike him down I felt a strange force heading at me with great speed. I leaped away to my left away from a powerful orb of dark energy. The impact of the attack was great enough to raise dust. I glanced and saw Genshin in between Sho and myself.
“What a pitiful excuse you are.” He said referring to Sho. “You're lucky that your life is precious to the Archfiend's resurrection or else I would have left you to die.” Genshin took out his blade and faced me. I was not in the shape to fight Genshin, his skills far surpassed mine and the exhaustion I felt from my previous battle was agonizing. “You have yet to fully mature Dragon Ninja but your potential knows no bounds. Killing you now will assure our success.”
Genshin launched himself at me with blinding speed, his mastery of the arts made me look like a novice. Everything felt like it was going in slow motion, I reacted as fast as I could to his movements and I managed to avoid his strike to my heart but instead he punctured my lung. I coughed up blood and my breathing began to get heavy and painful. He kicked me off his blade and I held my wound as the shock of the blow panicked my body.
“You managed to move before I struck, only Joe has been able to evade one of my attacks. You truly are his son, but alas you failed to complete the task.” I looked up at Genshin, my equilibrium skewed and my vision blurring into darkness as well as my hearing fading. I heard faintly the last words Genshin spoke as he went to Sho and helped him up. “I will leave you here to suffer Ryu Hayabusa allowing you time to contemplate your failure.” I fell to one arm holding me up and watched Genshin's feet as he walked away with Sho on his shoulder.
The tremendous pain quaked my body, making me feel as if my body was experiencing an earthquake. My head was spinning and I vomited and feel to the ground completely. My consciousness began to slip away and I was sure that I was going to die right there...the last thing I saw approaching me were wooden sandals walking towards me.
“You can't die yet.” I heard a voice say and after that, I passed out...When I awoke It was night, the sky luminescent with the stars and the full moon. I was amazed that I was alive but I was more curious as to who had came to my aid. Whomever saved me that day was most certainly a valuable ally. I looked up at the moon and realized my failure, I had lost the Seal of the Dragon and it seemed like I had let the deaths of my father, mother and clansmen go in vain. I remembered the words of my father telling me the duty of the Hayabusa and the last words of the person who saved me hours prior...I couldn't die, not yet, not without assuring that the Archfiend never rises. I cried the cry of the falcon, and my majestic bird came to me in the dead of night, it's feathers sparkling in the light of the moon. With my own blood I wrote a message to the survivors of my clan. I sent the bird off into the night and I began my way off the mountain in search of the Black Spider Clan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's note:
I know this chapter ran a little long, the longest sequence is the fight between Ryu and Sho, but I just had to show rivalry of these two characters evolve. Anyway this is the chapter that begins everything in Ryu's life as a shinobi. I told you that this chapter and the last chapter were two halves of the same whole, well you could probably figure out what the intentions of the two chapters were, I actually just said it. If you can't figure it out too bad 
lol. Anyway thanks for reading and I have to give props to my shishou; one for helping me improve my writting in terms of grammar, and two for giving me an idea about where to take this story. Although she doesn't know she gave me the idea...unless I told her:| regardlessxd even if she knows or not she doesn't know what it is so it's a mystery to everybody until I reveal it To all those who read, comment, and/or rep me I thank you
lol. Anyway thanks for reading and I have to give props to my shishou; one for helping me improve my writting in terms of grammar, and two for giving me an idea about where to take this story. Although she doesn't know she gave me the idea...unless I told her:| regardlessxd even if she knows or not she doesn't know what it is so it's a mystery to everybody until I reveal it To all those who read, comment, and/or rep me I thank you
You must be registered for see links
Last edited:
