Disclaimer: I only own Akiko and her family. Rumiko Takahashi owns Ryuukotsusei and the Shichinintai. sniff, sniff, tear
Chapter One: The Shichinintai attack
Akiko was angry. She had just had a fight with her family. She ran off into the woods to think. Although she was six years old, she knew that Kageyu would be protecting her.
Kageyu was the son of Ryuukotsusei. Akiko lived in a village that the powerful dragon protected. Or at least he did protect it before the dog general had sent him into dormancy when he stuck his claw into his heart. Kageyu had vowed to protect the village now. Akiko and Kageyu were close friends. They had first met two years ago when Akiko went into the forest. Kageyu was not as big as his father. In fact, he was about Akiko's height. He was about three feet long. His reddish, scaly skin went well with his orange and yellow swirled horns. His claws and fangs weren't actually razor sharp but they scared off low-life human bandits who tried to raid the village. However one group of people would not be frightened off by a small dragon who could only rely on scratching and biting to evade an enemy.
Akiko wondered aimlessly through the familiar forest. It was starting to get dark and she figured that her parents wouldn't still be mad at her so she decided to go home. As she approached the village, she could see fire coming from it. There were also the sounds of people screaming. She ran all the way there to see what was wrong. She was greeted to the sight of some of the villagers' slain bodies lying on the ground. Some where decapitated, and others were just hacked to pieces or missing some body part. Despite the horrible images Akiko ran to her home. As she got there she saw some strange looking man with her mother. He picked her up by her hair and threw her against the wall. He then picked up his bloody sword, which had been sitting next to him. The blade twirled and hit Akiko's mother. It didn't kill her. Only slash a part of her. The man hit her over and over with his sword until her mother's body was nothing more than a heap of blood and flesh. Akiko couldn't help but watch. She watched the man slowly kill her mother. She ran to see if anyone else was alive. She found her sister, Myoka, and her brother Shukida huddled behind a table. She tried to call to them but they didn't hear her. Another odd man approached her siblings. He extended the long metal claws on his gloves and bent down in front of Myoka and Shukida. He stabbed them several times until they were dead. Their bodies still twitched from their nerves. Akiko hid in the shadows as she watched the gang of mercenaries brutally slaughter every last man, woman and child in her village. She counted six of them. 'That must be all of them,' Akiko thought. That is until she came across her father. A guy who appeared to be younger than the others held a huge halberd. He held it above his head and brought it down upon her father. The enormous blade cut Akiko's father in half down the middle. The innards of him poured out through the slice. Akiko watched as the men laughed and then one of them set her village on fire. Somehow Akiko had managed to escape the eye of the killers. She fled from the village and watched as the remains of it burned down to ashes.
She came back the next day when the village had stopped burning. The still hot ashes burned her bare feet, but she didn't notice. Her entire body seemed to be numb. She didn't cry. It was too hard to believe what had happened. She kneeled down in the ruin. Nothing was left except for the ashes and the scent of blood and death. Akiko lied down wanting to drift away in the wind just like everyone else she had knew and loved. Along with her home in which she lived all of her life. She saw a piece of broken glass. The jagged edges were sharp. A sick feeling crept through her stomach. She wanted to throw up. The smoke still lingered around in the air. It covered the sky. Akiko looked to her side. She couldn't tell where the sky met the ground. It was all just gray and ugly. She picked up the glass and brought it to her throat. Preparing to end her life and be with her family like she wanted, she put the sharp edge next to her jugular. Right before it cut through her flesh, she heard a familiar voice.
"Akiko! You're alive!" Akiko sat up and saw Kageyu coming up to her. He was cut up and blood covered him.
"Kageyu!" Akiko ran to him and hugged him. "Don't worry. You'll be okay. I won't let you die too." Kageyu asked her if she was hurt. When she said no he offered to take her to live in the next village. Akiko felt something stir in her. She felt the feeling in her stomach again only this time it went down her spine and made her cringe. "No, Kageyu. I must become stronger. I will one day kill them. I will avenge my village. No matter how long it takes, I swear that I will seek revenge." She could feel rage in her that she knew would not go away until she took the life of every last one of those murderers. Kageyu could understand her hatred and said that he would protect her while she trained.
"I know of someone who can teach you," he said. With that he scooped her up with his long tail onto his back and let her rest the whole way to the place where she would go to train.
Well…… What did you think? I would appreciate a review. This was just an origin thing to build up the story. The next chapter will have Akiko ten years later when she's sixteen and more of Bankotsu! Hehehe