Dragons and Gods
Standard disclamer I own nothing but my own perverted ideas.
Chapter One
Battousai the manslayer was a name that forever marked the pages of history, it was a named feared by all. Few had seen his face and lived, stories the survivors told in whispers around fires described him as a demon. His hair was said to have been dyed red with the blood of his enemies, his eyes glowed gold with the power that he possesed. A cross shaped scar marred his face but those where the only consistant things anyone could agree upon. By the end of the war he had dissappeared nothing but smoke in the wake of the revolution, he became a legend that parents told their children at night to keep them in their beds. Only one person had ever scoffed at the whispered legends, she was not scared and after her years of training she would surppase him in no time. Her developing years had been with a sword in hand and stories of men being slaughtered in the streets before they could even draw, she had trained in the art of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu under her father but he could not teach her more than the basics of magic for he had very little. She was training in the neighbouring dojo when the draft letter came for her father, through hours of her arguing with him to let her take his place he convinced her by letting her be assistant master of the dojo. He reasoned that she would need to teach and carry on their legacy, she was still sore about it days later when many of the students were drafted as well and she was forced to take on new and arrogent students. Through all this her house tending and womanly duties had suffered greatly, between her and her father they could keep the dojo somewhat clean the cooking was left wanting. Her father worried that she would never be able to find a suitable husband, and when he thought she couldn't hear him he would mutter to himself about what kind of man her mate would be, as they were human this confused her only dragons and other such magical beings had mates. She tried to question him many times but he would just wave her off, she had tried to talk to her magic teacher about it but he could only tell her what it was to have a magical partner. They were the equvilant of a mate for humans that had magic but the bond was no where near as powerful, she had tried to research but found no leads especially with the war looming over head.
It had been months since her father left and weeks since his last letter but she held hope that he would return to her, his last letter had said he was working with the shogun and would not see any real battle time but she still worried that he would be attacked simply for working with the head of one side. She had spent days watching the sun set from her verandah, on the night of the full moon she felt a painful cold grip in her chest she cringed as she waited for it to pass. It only got stronger as she watched the moon become red like blood, a sense of unease took root in her mind and she felt the need to curl up in her parents room for the night. Days passed before the notice arrived she had a feeling deep in her heart after the blood moon night that this moment would come to pass, with shaking hands she took the letter from the messenger. It held the standard message from the shogun that her father had died for his country, the messenger bowed and started to walk away before stopping at the gate he spoke quietly but loud enough if she strained to hear him.
"I don't mean to stir things ma'am but I served under your father and I know he was killed for his country but I am not so sure it was the rebels that did it" and with that he walked off not looking back once, all she could do was watch as he dissappeared had he spoken truth or was he just trying to ensite unrest amongst the people? She closed the gate and walked into her father's study preying for some kind of sign about what was going on, she had been in there only a handful of times before. She sat at his desk and looked over all his carefully filed notes, everything seemed normal save the bottom draw in his desk having a false bottom. It was locked but after some careful work and a little magic it opened, there weren't many things in the draw a notebook that had nothing inside save her family crest water marked into all the pages. The two other objects were a dragon pendent necklace that glowed warm in her hand and a carefully folded letter, she slipped the necklace on not sure why but knowing she may need it before she looked carefully at the letter. It was addressed to her and seemed to be embued with a small amount of her fathers magic, enough to keep others from reading it. She had to read it twice before the words sunk in.
To my dearest child,
I am sure that if you are reading this then I am dead. I am sorry I will not be able to see you grow and marry but as you know this war may change things for the worst I wish to keep that from happening, I have many things I wish to tell you and many things I cannot. I wish I could tell you but this you must learn for yourself. Please know that your mother would be proud of the woman you have become, you should know that your mother was not human and that she was killed by her own kind trying to protect us. She wished for you to learn of your heritage only when it was neccesary, I cannot tell you what she was in this letter as it may fall into the wrong hands but you will learn one day. You must know that there is no human blood flowing through you, I could not teach you magic as what magic I have is very specific and something one must learn on instinct. Know child that you will not have to walk this life alone like your mother was for me there will be someone out there for you and when you meet you will know it. I cannot tell you anymore than that I am sorry.
Know that I love you my child and I will always be with you.
He had not signed it but the family stamp was pressed into the corner of the page showing its authenticity, she had to wipe her face multipule times before the tears would stop falling. She stowed the letter away in the sleave of her kimono before turning to leave the room, she had walked in hoping to find answers but had ended up walking out with more questions.
As the years passed and the war ended she waited for this 'fated one' to come for her but he never did and three years into the meji era she had begun to lose hope, the dojo hadn't picked up after the death of her father but it had sustained her for the time being. It wasn't until the middle of spring when a nasty series of killings began, the rumour was that it was The Battousai and that he had learned at the Kamiya dojo. She spent many a night stalking the streets hoping to catch the supposed Battousai, when murders continued and she was no closer to finding the culprit her world came to a stand still. The last of her students that had stood by her in times of need had come and told her they would no longer study in her dojo the reputation was to much, she had seen them off with a smile and a wave but could do nothing for the hollow feeling in her chest. As the afternoon sun beat down on the partially deserted streets she gripped her bokken tightly, she had sworn she would catch him this night. Walking down the back alley behind one of the neighbouring dojos she spotted a man walking along almost casually but something about his steps seemed preditory and calculated but what sold it for her that he was up to no good was the sword at his side, she gripped her bokken till her knuckles turned white stalking forward she squared herself with the stranger before calling out to him.
"Battousai your reign of terror ends here!" If she had been any normal woman and not her fathers daughter she might not have noticed the way he tensed before she spoke let alone how he flinched at the name, with careful movements he turned to face her his hat covering most of his face save for the faint golden glow where his eyes should have been. She couldn't help the shiver that ran through her or the small gulp of fear that he was dangerous and could kill her if he so pleased and she would not be able to a damn thing about it, when she tried to step back his gaze locked with hers and her breath froze in her lungs. It felt like hours but was probably no more than a few seconds before he looked down and grabbed the brim of his hat breaking whatever spell he had cast upon her, she could not help but feel like he was what she needed and that he needed her. She shook her head hoping to be rid of the feeling and focused back on the man before her, he had pulled his hat from his head and the sun was causing his crimson locks to glow his eyes once golden glowing eyes were now big amethyst orbs. He looked so helpless and innocent she wasn't sure for a moment that he was the same man, when he spoke however she felt the twinge of something in her heart his voice seemingly healing the wounds of her parents death.
''oro this one is unsure what you mean my lady, I am but a humble wanderor I have done no such thing in this place." She could find no deception in his voice but that didn't clear him he could be an excellent liar, she glared at him and tried to size him up her bravado had come back with gusto and she felt ready to take on the world.
"so what does a humble wanderor need such a sword hmmm? You could take lives and continue on" She had started her rant but had stopped at that when he seemed to glare at her for the last remark but it was gone long before she truly had a chance to see it, with a small gulp and a hesitant step back he seemed to snap out of it he smiled at her and carefully offered her the hilt of his katana. She watched his easy and carefree smile for a moment before taking the sword in hand, when she drew it competely from the sheath she nearly dropped it. It was a reverse blade! What was this fool doing with a reverse blade! She swung it back at him without thought and had a small amount of satisfaction at his obvious fear, she was ready for fool rant mode when she caught the sounds of a fight on the wind. Without thought she threw the sword in the air in his general direction before sprinting off into the nearby street to catcht the commotion, so she missed the moment the bumbling idiot stopped flailing to catch the sharp weapon and merely stood under it catching it neatly back in the sheath with little effort nor did she see the way his eyes flashed gold.
She skidded into the next street over just in time to see a behomoth of a man swing his sword around at the inoccent people walking the streets, she wasted no time in jumping across the space and deflecting his fatal blow to one of the poor by standers. She was prepared to fight the fool who attacked people in the day light hours with a sword when he sneered down at her and lunged, she didn't expect him to throw his body at her and could only dodge him but he had planned it cause now she had no where to go a wall at her back and him before her. His arms where long enough that should she dodge to the side and try to run past he would grab her and it would be over, she could only defend and wait for an opening to strike she was no weak fool out to get killed. She saw him swing his sword towards her and she even blocked it at first, however his strength and steel won out over her wooden bokken and just as his sword bit into the wall behind her catching her shoulder with debris she felt the wind whip around her and the world shift. She looked around to find she was in the arms of the red haired stranger and a good ten feet away from where the giant of a man stood trying to pry his sword from the wall, she could hear the whistles of the police coming their way and smiled slightly he would finally be caught! Her smile fell when he wrenched his sword from the wall and started to run the opposite way, she struggled to get out of the arms that held her the horrible ogre was spouting nonsense as he ran!
"I the Battousai and I use the sword style Kamiya Kasshin Ryu!" She struggled in vain and eventually lost the fight with conciousness, she looked up as the world went dark and saw the glowing golden eyes with the slitted pupil surrounded by blood red hair she felt safe.