Thank you for taking the time to read this story. I actually have the first 5 chapters written, with 6 in progress, but I'm constantly proofreading them (since I wrote the first 4 chapters in 3 days) and making sure they're how I want them to be. I actually was going to put off posting this chapter until next year or so, but I'm actually attending an anime convention this weekend and yesterday when I went there was an actual mint condition Bakugan poster with Dan and Masquerade (*swoon*) on it. When I went today, I asked the guy who owned it if I could have it and he gave it to me for FREE! So now I have my childhood staring at me as I write and let me tell you, that is a lot of motivation. So that's why I'm posting chapter 1 now. Depending on responses, I may have chapter 2 up soon (I'm on break so I can post all 5 that are written periodically after I've proofread them one more time,) but that isn't asking for any "I LOVE THIS!" reviews. Give me criticism guys. I can handle it. And criticism isn't flames. It's showing my faults and then giving me advice on how to make it better. I would appreciate reviews saying how much you love this story, but I would also appreciate you showing me what I did right and wrong.
Thanks.
"This is not the end, this is not the beginning." - Linkin Park, "Waiting for the End"
"Heyah!" Stick met stick as two young boys around the ages of 5 or 6 attacked each other. One of the boys had spiky chestnut colored hair with amber colored eyes. His skin was a olive color. He wore a yellow t-shirt with blue shorts and red sneakers. On top of his head were a pair of green goggles, firmly placed there. The other boy had auburn colored hair in a bowl cut, with pale colored skin and warm brown eyes. That boy wore a black shirt and jeans. He went barefoot.
"Give it up, Dan. You won't win. You'll never get her." The auburn haired boy taunted as he began to push back the brown haired boy. Dan couldn't keep up with his strategic movements which were a combination of power and clever usage of the environment around them (which was a clear meadow.) The auburn haired boy was going to win. Dan's face began to reflect that realization.
But he wouldn't give up. Dan's movement of his arm began to get erratic, focusing on using pure strength to break the other boy's guard. Unfortunately, the auburn haired boy treated his attacks as though they were hits from an infant, blocking them with ease, and then hitting away Dan's stick-blade, leaving him open for an attack.
He was going to lose. At least, it seemed that way until...
"Shun!" Dan yelled out. The auburn haired boy turned to see a young boy appear behind him. With black hair that fell to his shoulders and big amber eyes, he wore a green vest and tan shorts. In his hands were two sticks, which he began to attack with in quick, fluid motions, busying the auburn haired boy.
It left him open to attacks.
Dan quickly prepared to attack him, when he heard the words that would seal his fate.
"Vren yagasham krerani, yegan, lyrim fror yega ni, Hydranoid(1)!" A quiet voice exclaimed. Immediately Shun and Dan stopped their attacks, knowing it was the end for them. They couldn't compete with that. There was a feeling in their stomachs that let them know the beast was there, distinct from any other feeling by the wave of nausea that overcame them.
Begrudgingly, Dan admitted, "You win" to the auburn haired boy, who in turned laughed.
"Seems you couldn't compete against the Kingdom of Darkness and its great beast." He boasted. Dan rolled his eyes.
"We woulda beat you if ya didn't have it." He said.
"But you didn't."
"But we woulda!"
Shun came between them. "Settle down. Even though, Markus, you know he is right."
"That does not matter now, does it?" Markus replied. "You two lost. You now know what you must do."
"Oh shut up!" Dan retorted. "You can't even remember the summon chant for your beast! It's all because of Alice that you won!" Dan pointed to the young girl to the left of Markus about 8 feet away. She looked similar to Markus, but her hair was long, reaching her back. She wore a pearly white dress that reached her knees and white slippers. She looked taken back by that statement, as if surprised that she would have an impact on whether Markus won.
Markus folded his arms with a "better-than-thou" attitude.
"Now now, let me point this out to you," he began, "In the beginning, it was you against I, was it not?" Dan nodded. "Alice played no part in it. When you began to lose, Shun helped you. Correct?" Dan nodded again. "So we summoned our beast. Either way, you would have lost."
"Would not! Not if Maru-chan had joined in!" Dan pointed out. "He knows his beast!" He gestured to the young blond boy who sat to the side. He had a bowl haircut and wore blue overalls over a light blue shirt. A pair of red glasses were covering his eyes. Markus let out another laugh.
"As if! Hydranoid would devour Preyas and he knows it. That's why the Kingdom of Water didn't join in this battle. Face it, Dan. The Kingdom of Darkness rules over all." A young girl with dark colored skin walked towards Markus. She had silver hair that was tied in a pixie cut. She wore a white dress similar to Alice's, but with a floral design. She had been sitting on the sides next to Maru-chan.
"Because the Kingdom of Darkness won, the Kingdoms of Earth and Darkness will now unify." She said. Dan groaned.
"No, Julie!" He pouted in defeat. "Damn it!" He abruptly turned to the girl who sat next to Maru-chan. She had light teal colored hair in pigtails, and crystal blue eyes. She wore a white shirt and jeans with blue gym shoes. "Runo, it's all your fault! You should have helped."
Runo shrugged with a smile. "It's not my fault. The Kingdoms of Light and Darkness have the Treaty of Opposition, preventing them from opposing each other in war. It was either I fight against you or I fight for no one. I think the latter worked best." Dan stuck out his tongue.
"Whatever! Next time you need help, the Kingdom of Fire won't help out!" Dan exclaimed.
"Hey, what should we name this treaty?" Alice asked. This prompted all of them to think.
"Oh, I know! The treaty of Dan wake up! Wake up Daniel! Wake up!"
Danma/Daniel(2) "Dan" Kuso jumped as he was awaken by the sound of his mother. She was standing to the side of his bed, glaring at him. "Get up! You'll be late for practice!" Kuso Miyako exclaimed. Dan looked over at his digital alarm clock, which said the current time was five forty-seven. He sat up and rubbed his head.
"Alright mom, I'm up." By the time he said that, Miyako was already out of his room. Dan got out of bed and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Once he got out of the shower, he changed into his navy blue Gakuran uniform and went downstairs.
"Daniel, do you want breakfast-?" Miyako was cut off by the door slamming, a sure sign that Dan had left the house.
Dan calmly walked the familiar way to school, not really paying attention. His body knew the way by heart, having walked that path since he began high school. He was only a first year, but he was on the sakka(3) team due to his extraordinary skills. That meant he had to attend practice at the same time as the other team members, which was at six thirty. After checking his watch, Dan realized he had 15 minutes to make it there on time. He had enough time.
On his way, his mind drifted to his dream, which was vivid in his memories. He recognized it. It was a memory from years ago, back when...he shook his head, and hit himself. "Bad Dan." He whispered, ignoring the glances he gained. He usually tried to keep those times locked away in the back of his mind. It was weird he had a dream about it. He hadn't even thought about those days in months.
He let out a grin as he slowly allowed himself to remember. He used to be the king of the Kingdom of Fire. His beast was a dragon named Drago (not that original, now that he thinks about it, but he was 5 at the time) and the Kingdom of Fire's patron beast was Apollonir (named after the Greek God he was learning about at that time.) He had an alliance with the Kingdom of Wind and the Kingdom of Water.
The day he had dreamed about was the time he had been fighting about an important subject: who would the Kingdom of Earth align with. He wanted the power of the Kingdom of Earth at the time, but the Kingdom of Darkness had beaten him.
"Drago..." Kami that name felt good to say. He hadn't spoken it in years, not since he was around 7 or 8. He looked up at the sky in remembrance. He could vividly see the dragon, with his red scales and golden horns. He reached up, too far into his daydream to tell apart fiction from reality when-
"Hey!" He bumped into someone. They turned around and both persons eyes widened. Dan recognized her anywhere. With light teal hair in pig tails, wearing a white blouse with a tan tie and navy blazer along with a navy blue skirt. She also had on white socks and light tan loafers. This girl was nicknamed "the Real Hatsune Miku." She was Misaki Runo.
"Pay attention to where you're-" She stopped when she saw who it was. "Dan...?"
"Oh, um. I'm sorry, I'll just-" Dan stepped back and quickly walked around her and her friends. He didn't look back at her. He felt stupid for not speaking to her, avoiding her even though they're in the same class at the same school. But he had to hurry to practice, and quite frankly, he really didn't want to talk to her.
Runo watched as the boy walked away quickly from her, quickly disappearing from sight. She wanted to call out to him, but all she did was stand there and watch him leave.
"Hey, Runo?" The girl next to her, her friend Asuka, waved her hand in front of her. "Come on. We have to go or we'll be late for practice." Runo blinked and nodded.
"Right."
As they finished their walk, Runo could only watch the path she knew Dan would take to school. She hated that she didn't call out to him. She hated that she hadn't spoken to him. Asuka nudged her in the arm. "Runo? You okay?"
"Of course I am." Runo smiled. "What makes you think something's wrong?" Asuka shrugged.
"You've just been out of it since that guy bumped into you." She pointed out. "Do you know him or something?" Runo nodded a bit.
"Yeah. I do."
"That's Kuso Danma." Asuka said.
"Yeah."
"The first year that became a regular on the sakka team. And the Kendo team."
"Did he?" Runo didn't know that. She didn't really pay attention to Dan.
"Yeah. He's only one of the most sought after guys in the grade." Asuka explained. "And you know him." Runo nodded.
"A childhood friend." She took in the information. Sakka? Runo expected that. Dan loved the sport as a child. Kendo? It almost made her want to laugh. Who was he trying to beat now? There were no more battles and wars. The thought that Dan actually liked the sport crossed her mind, but she shook it off because she knew Dan. He could make excuses all he wanted, but it was those days from years before that made him join Kendo. It was a fact. Though him continuing to play the sport was a bit surprising.
"Oh." Asuka said. She said nothing more on the matter as the reached the school just on time. They had to make it to Kyūdō(4) dojo within minutes, and quickly changed into more appropriate clothing of a hakama with her muneate(5) underneath. Runo grabbed her yumi(6)-one she had been using for years, made by her own hands- from its case. On her right hand was her shitagake(7), covered by her mitsugake(8). She covered her left hand in fudeko(9) and grabbed her yazutsu(10) filled with ya(11).
Before Asuka was even ready, Runo was quickly firing. Her mitsugake made for quick shots with its flexibility. She had been practicing kyūdō for many years now, so the basic formations and procedures were a second nature to her. Before she knew it, she was out of ya and the omato(12) was filled with them.
"Sugoi!" Asuka exclaimed as she began the Ashibumi(13) stage. "You're a natural at this." Runo shrugged.
"I have been practicing since I was 11." Even though practice before the age of 15 was illegal, Runo remembers begging her parents to let her train in the art of Kyūdō. It had grown from her love of archery, which she took up at the age of 6. She wanted to be better so she could play that silly game she used to play, where she would be the ruler of a section of a world called Vestroia. There would be many battles, and it all seemed so real to her that she felt she needed training. Runo would laugh at herself back then, and her overactive imagination. But it did eventually lead to a lifelong love.
"I wonder how your parents agreed to that." Asuka muttered. "I can barely get mines to let me go out." Runo giggled.
"Pay attention." She instructed. She and Asuka would be the only ones in the dojo until school started. It was one of the reasons Runo even wanted to go to Wardington Prefecture high school-its academics weren't that great, but the athletics department was top notch, alma mater to some world champions. She gained permission to train before school when Asuka begged her to help her, Runo having quickly distinguished herself from the others as a first year who made 5th dan(14) level.
"Stay calm. Something I like to do is imagine the ya as an extension of myself. You have to synchronize with it to get it to go where you need it." Runo explained. "Take your time. You need to get used to the yumi also." Asuka took the time needed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before letting go of the ya and opening her eyes.
"Good." Runo said. "Let's see you do this with your eyes open."
Asuka gave up for that day around seven forty five. They still had a little less than an hour left before school. "You're a hard teacher." Asuka complained. Runo grinned.
"Guess I inherited it." Asuka rolled her eyes.
"Hey, want to see Kuso-kun practice?" Runo wanted to puke at "Kuso-kun", but held it back.
"Since when was Dan "Kuso-kun"?" She asked.
"Since you told me you knew him." Asuka replied. "Come on. Introduce me." Runo rolled her eyes.
"If you couldn't tell from before, we're not exactly on speaking terms."
"Well get on it!" Asuka began to pull her towards the field used for physical education and sakka along with many other sports. The sakka team was currently practicing. As they got closer, Runo could make out Dan's form running back and forth quickly, aiming for the ball.
Asuka and she watched the practice until they stopped for a mini break. Dan looked around and noticed them (well, noticed Asuka waving at him) and walked over to them with a confused look on his face.
"Look, I said I was sorry." He said upon reaching them. "You don't have to stalk me."
"Trust me Dan, I wouldn't stalk you even if Markus paid me to." Runo replied nonchalantly. "Sadly, my friend wanted to meet you. For what reason, I don't know." Dan looked at Asuka for confirmation, and she nodded.
"I'm Shirodo Asuka! I've been a huge fan of you for a few months now." Asuka bowed. Dan seemed a bit awkward, but nodded.
"Kuso Danma." He introduced. "Sorry you have the displeasure of knowing her." Runo's eyes narrowed and she coughed.
"I'm right here."
"Yes, I am aware." He replied. He stretched a bit. "Well, see ya Shirodo-chan." He jogged back on the field.
"Well know you know that jackass." Runo said. "Let's go now." Asuka pointed to him though.
"What happened to you guys? How do you know each other?" She had so many questions. Runo shrugged them off.
"Come on Asuka." She began to walk inside the school building, disappointed in her actions. She got the chance to speak to him, but instead treated him like trash. She hated herself.
She was such a fucking coward.
Chapter 1 End
Footnotes:
1-Vren yagasham krerani, yegan, lyrim fror yega ni, Hydranoid: I summon you from the pits to do my bidding, Hydranoid.
2 - Danma/Daniel: I wanted to use Danma and Daniel at the same time for Dan, along with, of course, Dan, so I came up with the excuse that Danma is his formal name, the one on his birth certificate that most people use, Daniel is his nickname that his family uses, and Dan is the one his close friends use.
3- Sakka: Sakka is basically "soccer" in Japan. It's more commonly used than Football there, and is based off of, well, "soccer." Say it out loud. You'll hear the resemblance.
4- Kyūdōis the martial arts of archery in Japan. It's known beginnings are in the Yayoi period. Many different schools have clubs for it and a dojo. It's illegal to practice before the age of 15 because it is a dangerous sport.
5- muneate: it is a breast protector that female practitioners of Kyūdō("Kyūdōka") wear to protect their breasts from being hit by the tsuru.
6- Yumi: A Japanese bow, usually 2 meters tall and usually made out of bamboo.
7- shitagake: See Mitsugake
8- Mitsugake: A three fingered glove worn on the right hand, usually on top of a shitagake, a cloth which would protect the mitsugake from sweat. It is a type of yugake, a glove made for pulling the yumi strings (tsuru) safely. Usually soft thumbed, allowing for more flexibility in shots.
9- Fudeko-A powder made of burnt rice husks to absorb sweat in the hand that holds the yumi, allowing for it to turn in the archer's hand.
10- Yazutsu- The quiver for the ya. Usually cylindrical.
11- Ya - The arrows for the yumi. They are usually gendered. Male ya are called haya and female ya are called otoya.
12- Omato - Basically a target with a distance of 60 meters.
13- Ashibumi - The Kyūdō manual has 8 stages for the sport. Ashibumi is stage one, or "placing the footing." Kyūdō is a very precise sport.
14- Dan- There are two levels in Kyūdō, Kyu and Dan. To keep it in simplest terms, Dan is for the above average and Kyu is for the average. There are 10 dan levels, 1 being the basic and levels 8-10 reserved for masters.
