Rise And Fall
I cursed to myself as I ran through the streets towards the marketplace. Midori should know better than to listen to Takeo when it comes to getting supplies for the Den. It was too soon and the merchants would be on lookout for us. I was not going to let her be harmed because of Takeo being an idiot. In my haste I knocked down a woman, I quickly looked back to see her looking back at me stunned.
"Sorry Lady!" I called back to her even as I continued to run. I heard shouting and made my way to it just in time to see a merchant raise a knife while his other hand held the wrist of a tiny girl; Midori. I wasted no time in closing the gap as he brought the knife down. I knew I couldn't stop it so I threw my six year old body at him to redirect it. The noisy marketplace quickly became silent as the man screamed as the knife took his hand.
"Aka!" Midori cheered through tears as I took the hand off of her and fled with her in my arms. Thanks to our size no one could properly follow us in such a busy place but I took the long route just in case. "Midori scared. Bad merchant hit Midori." I looked at the four year old and saw the beginnings of bruising. I slowed down a little as I caught my breath.
"He's hurting a lot more than you are now Midori, as will Takeo when I get my hands on him. Why did you go when you knew we needed to wait?" Despite her age and way of speaking Midori was no idiot. She looked down when I asked her that.
"Midori did wait. Takeo said Midori wait enough. Takeo said Midori need to earn keep. Midori wants to stay with Aka." I forced a smile onto my face as I held her close.
"You don't need to earn your keep until you reach six, Midori. That's the rules of Den." The Den was a gathering of Orphans that lived on the street and with how dangerous it was for us all barely any reached their teens and those that did usually get themselves killed for various reasons. Starting earlier happened sometimes, like I did, but six was the usual age. I walked into the Den just as she fell asleep and allowed the anger I felt show on my face.
"Aka! Takeo is up to something. He's been declaring you dead and is trying to get everyone to do as he says." Jin, the current lookout, said with a worried look. My expression darkened at that since it was obvious that Takeo had tried to set me up to die. I nodded to Jin before putting Midori in her sleeping area. I then decided to deal with Takeo now.
"…long we have merely survived. For too long we have been content with walking to our deaths." Takeo's voice said as I neared the eating room. "While Aka made good arguments for not rocking the boat he is, sadly, no longer among us. I received word he was killed trying to save Midori."
"Actually, I'm right here." I said aloud interrupting the eleven year old. I wasn't really moved by the speech that he made several times over the last few years while trying to turn us into a mini Lin Kuei. There was a healthy fear of the Clan as they had kidnapped a few of us to become a part of their Clan. "I managed to get Midori, who you sent out when it clearly wasn't safe, before she had her hand cut off. Could you explain to me why you did that?" As expected he looked furious that I was there.
"You're supposed to be dead!" I was the only one unsurprised when he pulled out a knife and charged me. What did surprise me was the symbol of the Lin Kuei on the handle and the fact that a man in yellow appeared between us holding Takeo's wrist.
"I had heard of a hidden village of orphans." The man said before snapping Takeo's wrist. Everyone backed off as Takeo screamed in pain while the man talked over him. "Imagine my surprise when I heard that the Lin Kuei planned to raid it thanks to a traitor." I wasn't the only one that put two and two together. "My Clan has searched to warn you all but couldn't find you, until my fiancé was knocked down by a kid that then took a merchant's hand and followed him here."
"Please stop the dramatics Hanzo. They're only children and you're showing off." A woman's voice said making us all turn from the man to see the woman I accidently knocked down earlier standing next to a sleepy but awake Midori.
"Sorry Kana. For all but this traitor here on behalf of the Shirai Ryu I would extend the offer of asylum in our Village and acceptance into our ranks if, and only if, you wish to." He said making everyone stare at him in shock since there were around thirty kids here and feeding us all wasn't easy. If the Lin Kuei were willing to kidnap us all then this would be our best shot.
LSR
"AGAIN!" Hanzo barked as I ran through the kata he taught me. Most of the kids had joined the Shirai Ryu in order to pay the Clan back for giving us all a place to call home. It also helped that Kana was in charge of the New Den and treated us all with more kindness than we ever had before. Hanzo had taken me on as an apprentice and had been training me in Aikido, armed and unarmed, as well as Ninjutsu.
"Yes Master!" I roared as I seamlessly switched from were I was in the Kata back to the beginning. I had been doing it nearly non-stop for two years so it wasn't really a surprise that I could do it so well. Hanzo was a skilled teacher. I was midway through a palm strike when a foot was aimed at my head. I ducked under it and grabbed the follow up punch with both hands and twist it until Hanzo was bent over a little and had his back to me.
"Excellent!" He said as I let go of him and I could tell he was smiling widely at me despite his face being covered. "I expect you to keep doing the Kata in your own time from now on. I will be working on the more advanced techniques from now on as well as actual sparring. However it is time you get your Codename. This will be what you will be known as throughout your career. After a lot of thought and asking others about you I have decided to give you the Codename Badger." I had to stop myself gaping when he reached into the bag he brought with him and handed me pauldrons with decorative badger claws on them and a sword, tanto and staff all with the claw pattern too.
"Thank you Master." I said honestly as I accepted them with a bow. I almost dropped them when Midori slammed into me. "Midori, what have I told you about slamming into me like that?" The now-seven year old had become even more energetic as time went on and was the only one from the Den that I really had contact with since my apprenticeship was with the man that busted us and killed Takeo in front of us. Despite the fact that he was a traitor they didn't take his death well.
"You said not to do it but you finally got your Codename!" Midori said no longer speaking brokenly or in third person as she smiled widely at me. I shook my head at her while Kana, who had came with her, walked up to Hanzo and kissed him. Their wedding was going to happen soon and neither of them could wait. Midori's smile then fled and she looked down. "Although that does mean you'll be going on missions now."
"He will only be going on simple assignments until he's older and they will all be monitored by me or another Ninja around my level. The Shirai Ryu looks after our own." Hanzo said making her sag in relief while I rolled my eyes. I hated being reminded by my age but at least Hanzo wasn't condescending about it.
LSR
I rubbed my face as I walked towards Kana's home were she was taking care of her six month old son Jubei and wondered how the hell I was going to tell her the bad news. I had went on my first solo mission after two years of being monitored by senior Ninja and I had been smiling at my success before it was wiped from my face by the Grandmaster's face when I went to report to him. After I gave the report I was told the bad news and had volunteered to tell Kana.
"Wow, you don't look so good Aka. Was your first mission that bad?" Midori said as she walked up to me in her new uniform having accepted the offer of apprenticeship from the Grandmaster's daughter. Her teasing grin dropped as soon as she got a good look at my face.
"Would you mind going to get the New Den around to Kana's. She's going to need all the support she can get." I said honestly while holding up a shattered chain that had ice on it making her eyes go wide. She ran off without any more needing to be said. I walked on and sighed when I saw that Kana was sitting on the swing seat beside her front door while holding a sleeping Jubei. She looked up and smiled as she saw me.
"Hello Aka, are you alright? You don't look so well." Kana asked in concern just as I saw the remaining members of the New Den come around the corner.
"Kana Hasashi." I said formally making her eyes go wide and fear fill them as there were only a few things that would need to be delivered so formally. The only thing I liked about the formality was that it gave the others time to get here. "It is with great regret that I inform you that your husband, Hanzo Hasashi, has fallen in the line of duty to the Clan." I barely kept the wince in as she let out such a pained and distressed wail waking up Jubei who proceeded to cry his little lungs out at the feelings he felt from his mother.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Midori said as she gently took Jubei and started a group hug with the mourning woman at the centre. I watched numbly unable to bring myself to join in. I would miss Hanzo but there was no way he would want me to lose myself in grief when I could be helping look after his family.
"Aka?" Jin asked from the outside of the hug. "Who did it?" He was one of the few that thanked Hanzo for bringing us here.
"He fell to a Lin Kuei by the name of Bi-Han but he is widely known as Sub-Zero, a Cyromancer and of their best." I said as I fought to keep my rage down. It always came back to the Lin Kuei.
"Do us all a favour and don't go after him. I doubt she could take you dying too." I nodded giving my word since I knew I was no match for Bi-Han as I was but there was more than one way to skin a cat and I wasn't going to run if I met the bastard. That didn't stop me being annoyed when the Grandmaster sent for me to do another mission.
LSR
I ran as fast as I could as I saw smoke bellowing over the area that the Village was in. Considering how everything seemed to be going to shit since Hanzo's death it wouldn't surprise me if it was the worst possible possibility happening right now. My eyes widened as I saw men in suits hanging around the village borders. I used my new trick to become wind and get past them before they could even try and stop me. I ran through the village and my stomach dropped with every dead body I saw. I stalled completely as I saw someone very familiar lying dead outside Kana's home.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…" I muttered as I quickly checked Midori for a pulse hoping against all hope that my eyes weren't truly seeing her nearly cleaved in half but the lack of pulse and cold skin told me my eyes weren't lying. Midori, the girl I had looked after since she was brought to the Den, was dead.
"I had hoped my men would have kept you out but considering your reputation it isn't a surprise they couldn't." A tired voice said from behind me said. "Since you've got this far you may as well finish." I sent a quick glance at the voice, the owner being an old saddened man in a suit, before slowly and shakily rising to my feet and walking towards the house. I opened the door and felt even number as I saw Kana with fear written all over her face and Jubei pinned to the wall.
"Who did this?" I asked quietly as I felt rage build up. When he didn't answer immediately I turned to glare at him only to pause as tears ran down his face.
"From what we've been able to find out it was the Lin Kuei led by the one known as Sub Zero. Why would they slaughter innocents? There have been issues with them before but nothing like this. My daughter and grandson didn't deserve this." He completely breaking down as he looked at Kana, after a few minutes he sorted himself out. "Hanzo had me keep a copy of all of his scrolls in case something like this happened. They're yours once we sort out were you're going to stay. As of now you're the Last Shirai Ryu."