WHAT THE MASK HIDES
Months had passed and he had only managed to regain control twice and even then they had been short bursts, (both seemed to have been triggered by anger) once when Bradley had spoken to openly of the foolishness of humans and once when Greed had brought back an unpleasant memory.
They had been circling the tunnels underneath Central that day, keeping guard for the intruders that never seemed to come, it was as Greed said "blah-work" as such Greed didn't really pay attention and keep constant vigilance, but instead decided to listen to what his "inner human" as he liked to call it was ranting about.
"You homunculi are just sick, you know that. Manipulating humans, countries only to use as your puppets, your slaves" said Lin from his mind knowing that the essence of avarice could hear him
"Hey wait a second kid" answered Greed "I don't think you can just toss the word 'slave' around, I mean you have that old guy and ninja-girl don't you"
Lin hesitated, he didn't like the fact that Greed could look up anything from his life as simply as opening a book. "They're not my slaves" he responded lamely
"Really" said Greed "Their supposed to follow your orders and they call you 'master' those seem like some slave-like qualities don't they."
"There more important than that" Responded Ling "besides I've never treated them like slaves, not like other clans treat theirs."
Xing was an unfair country,( something Ling planned to change once he became emperor) that masked the problems of poverty and sickness with the glamour of the upper clans. The first born children of the emperor lived in luxury along with their clans while the lower clans lived in strife and poverty slowly dying out. Ling was the twelfth son of the emperor meaning his clan was relatively well off, not high in power but not at the bottom of the trash pile.
Along side the Yao clan lived the family of Koi-Hana(Dark Flower) a family who had been serving the Yao clan for generation, from there hailed he trusted guards and companions Fuu and Ran-Fan.
"Come on kid," said Greed "I admit, you might have treated them okay but what about before you came into the picture."
Ling had only seen a glimpse of that, but it was enough for there homunculus to snatch up and make him relive it.
"Young Prince" said the village Elder "I, and the other clan officials believe it is of utmost importance that you appoint a guard."
"Why?" asked a ten-year old Ling, feeling the need to question everything.
"WHY?!" repeated the elder "why young prince there was an assassination attack only an hour ago"
"Yeah, but I blocked the dagger before it hit so what's the problem"
"What about the poisoned soup of last week"
"Ugh, it was vegetable soup I wouldn't have eaten it anyway"
"regardless, young Prince I and the other officials will breath a lot easier when we no that you have some-one with you, so please just visit the training grounds and choose one of the men there, their all very qualified.
"Oh fine" He said with a small pout.
The population of the Yao clan was slightly over 50,000 making it one of the largest clans in Xing meaning it had a lot of land, however much of this space went to the legendary Yao training grounds. It was an immense place with a wide variety of training arenas ranging from simple rooms with mats to a field which stood upon thousands of bamboo sticks on a lake.
"Young Prince come along" called the elder every time Ling stopped to look at a blade of a class in session.
It was as he watched one of these classes that he saw an all-for-one sparring match about to commence. All the men in the class seemed a little older than him judging by height (and Ling wasn't a short person). However among them was one that was shorter that he, this one was also covered from head to toe in black save for a simple mask while all the other men wore shorts and no shirts.
Nor height nor heavy clothing hindered that person's ability as the quickly took down half the class in the twenty seconds that Ling stopped to watch before the Elder called him to not lag behind.
"Now Young Prince for the convenience of your protection, we would like you to select a guard close to your age. Those in front of you are the best the Yao clan has to offer, and are among the greatest in Xing.
In front of him kneeled the same men from the sparring group he had seen earlier all shining with pride to be even considered for a position in the Royal Guard of the Yao clan. Yes, all where there pride shining ,even through their stony faces, all except one.
"Uh, which one of you was wearing that mask earlier?" he asked, crushing the hope of men without meaning to.
"Oh young prince you wouldn't want that one" said the Elder
"Why the hell not, I mean they took down the "top warrior" easily enough."
"Come with me Prince and it shall be explained"
"Uh, I still don't get it" said Ling as he sat on the railing separating the target practice area from a small by standing area. About fifty feet away was a girl dressed exactly as the warrior from the sparring class but without the mask. In her left hand she held a half dozen shuriken and in her right she held a single kunai. She jumped into a nearby tree and threw the shuriken on her way up; a small rain-like noise was heard as the shuriken joined the assortment of weapons already in the engraved in the bulls-eyes of the target boards. She landed lightly in the tree and started to retrieve her weaponry.
"What is it that you do not understand young prince" asked the Elder
"Why don't you think she can join the royal guard?"
"Young Prince! A women is not fit to guard royalty"
"Well she took down your top men so that proves she's strong and judging from here I can see she's accurate and quick. Just let me go talk to her" he said and with that he slipped under the railing and started running toward the field"
In a blur that his brain didn't really register he was knocked down and vaguely heard the sound of metal clashing.
"Girl!" he heard the elder screech "get off his young highness"
"Yes sir, my apologies, it just there was a something shooting toward him and I thought I could block it and um um I'm sorry'
"Hey look at this" said Ling crouching on the ground and picking up a badly dented needle with a drop of what smelled like poison at the end. "It's scratched out, but if you look closely you can kind of see the crest of the Doku clan.
"so girl, you betray your clan and decide to work for the Doku clan is that it."
"No sir I just uh-"
"Hey! In case you didn't notice she just saved me from that needle." Ling said angrily "that was pretty quick, you know stopping that needle with your shuriken. Hey listen apparently it's of "utmost importance" or something that I get a guard and since I've seen you in action, you want to sign up.
Silence rang around the field
"Prince!" said the elder "I believe we already discussed this, a women is not-"
"Is that any reason to ignore skill and talent when it's there!" he yelled and then turned back to the girl and said in a softer tone " if you don't want to take the job you don't have to, I know I went through this kind of quickly and I understand that you don't want to leave your family"
" No sir, I live by myself in my Grandfathers home, my Grandfather is in the royal guard system so I never see him much, but he does take time to train with me every once in a while" said the girl nervously, but finally managing to finish a sentence. "I mean not to disrespect you young highness, but I believe you could choose a worthier guard."
"I don't think so, I mean you took down those other guys and their supposed to be the countries "top men" or something like that."
"Ran-Fan" a voice called over the field " have you finished your target practice yet" an old man walked over and stopped when he saw ling " young prince" he said with a deep bow " can I assist you with something"
"I think so, are you uh Ran-Fan right?" he asked turning towards the girl and receiving a quick nod " right, are you Ran-Fans trainer?"
"Yes young Prince, I am also her grandfather."
"Well I've been observing her skills and I think she's got what it takes to join the royal guard"
"Er, forgive my contradiction young highness, but my granddaughter is still in training"
"Well so where those other men in the class"
"What other men, Ran-Fan have you been sneaking into the sparring matches again."
"but Grandfather, the instructor said I would be allowed in as long as I kept my mask on"
The old man looked like he was going to yell at her again so Ling said "anyway, Ran-Fan if you join the Royal Guard you'll be set for life, you'll be set up in the special quarters and everything"
"Well it seems like um well" stuttered the girl
"Ran-Fan be honored that you have been considered for this privilege" he said harshly, hesitated and then softened " but young prince please do not be annoyed if I check up on my granddaughter every once in a while, to be sure that her skills remains sufficient to protect a noble such as yourself."
"So that's settled" said Ling clapping his hands together. "so when can you start"
Ran-Fan hesitated and then said "at any moment, young prince, but if it is possible I would like to stop by my living quarters and pick up my belongings."
"Well I'll go with you. Don't wait up" he said to the Elder who was standing shock still at the prospect of a female guard.
They walked in silence for about three minutes before Ling started asking questions.
"So how long have you been training?"
"About six years, sir"
"Wait how old is you"
"About ten, sir"
"so you've been training since you where four"
"Yes sir"
"Ran-Fan" said Ling, as he stopped walking
"Yes sir"
"Could you stop calling me "sir".
"Yes your highness"
"Ugh that too"
"What would you like to be addressed by then"
"Why not just Ling"
"But that would be improper"
"Who cares what authority thinks, just when you can just call me Ling, okay please"
"Yes si-ling"
"Okay, so where's your house"
"Just up ahead, you can almost see it"
Up ahead on a small hill was a small house that would have looked nice, where it not for the graffiti that covered almost every inch of it. Much of it wasn't understandable but those that where read things like:
The female with the dagger dies first
Women and warriors don't mix
Female fighter don't exist
And those where among the kindest.
The inside of the house was much cleaner but very small and had little furniture. Wooden planks lined the floor on disturbed by a small table and a paper-wrapped rock lying in a pool of broken glass underneath a shattered window.
"I'll clean that up in a second" said Ran-Fan "just let me gather some things."
Rather than waiting Ling swept up the broken glass with his handkerchief and carefully unwrapped to paper around the rock, drawn of the paper was a crude illustration obviously done by a child, on it was a crude version of Ran-Fans mask, but that was the only thing that was recognizable, the rest was a mess of blood and scattered limbs. In disgust he tore up the pieces and threw them away with the glass shards, considering them both to sharp and harmful.
"Oh thank you mast-Ling" said Ran-Fan having finished packing her things and noticing the glass had been swept up. "I believe that will happen less once I am gone, maybe grandfather will enjoy peace for awhile."
"Uh do you have everything you need?"
"Yes" she responded gesturing to two bags. On was small with a strap around the shoulder containing clothing and a few mementos, the other was much larger and heavier contain her armor ,weapons and supplies for bomb making which her grandfather had taught her to make in her spare time.
Ling reached for the larger bag but was stopped as Ran-Fan swung it over her shoulder first "it is not your duty to help us young prince, it is ours to server you"
"No, when I become emperor people will be treated right, equally."
"That's a high dream, I hope you succeed"
"Its what keeps me going, the need to get to the top and maybe change stuff here. So that those at the bottom won't have to suffer. Will you help me Ran-Fan?"
"It is my duty"
"Well this is your duty now: live to help me change Xing and if I ever forget that, be sure to stab me with that kunai of yours."
"So basically before they met you there life was a hell-hole" said Greed
"Yes" responded Ling " Ran-Fan was persecuted for being a female warrior and even more so because she was a better fighter that most and Fuu suffered because of that too.
"Well those guys might have had a point. I mean look at ninja-girl she lost and arm, it's like I've always said "chicks shouldn't be fighting"
A sudden anger surged through Ling and Greed faded.
"dammit" said Greed minutes later as he rubbed his head "what the hell did that Xinganese brat do" He turned and on the wall engraved into the concrete read:
THE MASK HIDES A GREAT WARRIOR
END