Dragon legend
Chapter 1
Brothers.
My family tells of an ancient legend about two great dragon brothers. The dragon of the north wind and the dragon of the south wind. Together, they have held balance and harmony in the heavens. But the two brothers argued over who could better rule their land. Their paths turned to rage and their violence darkened the skies, until the dragon of the south wind struck down his brother, who fell to earth, shattering the land below. The dragon of the south wind had trumped but as time passed, he realized his sorrow.
The sweetness of victory turned to ash.
A man dressed in a blue, buttoned up kimono walked up to a large wooden door that had two dragons professionally carved into it. The man wore a pouch of arrows around his back that made a clutter noise as he made his way up to the entrance of what seemed to temple. A tattoo of a dragon was stretched across his left arm and his hair carefully knotted into a small chonmage that swayed with the gentle breeze. His eyes were brown, and had focused on the door. His bow was held firmly in his right hand. He lent forward and pushed the door open, it made a slight creek as it hit the wall.
He pursued inside the building, not looking at anything but a large banner and a shrine that housed an important artifact, the dragon's sacred katana. The man, simply known as Hanzo knelt down in front of it and placed a slightly damaged feather that he had pulled out of his satchel onto the floor.
For years the lone dragon's grief was known through the world, he threw it into discord. And he knew only bitterness and sorrow. One day a stranger called up to the dragon and asked
"Oh dragon lord, why are you so distraught?"
The dragon told him
"Seeking power, I killed my brother. And without him I am lost"
The stranger replied
"You have inflected wounds upon yourself, but now you must heal. Walk the earth on two feet like I do, find value in humility, then you will find peace".
A feeling of presence then coursed through Hanzo.
"You are not the first assassin sent to kill me. And you won't be the last". He said
A masked warrior leapt from the shadows and stood far behind Hanzo.
"You are born to the shadow samurai castle, the den of my enemies". The warrior implied.
"This was once my home. Did your masters not tell you who I am?"
Hanzo swiftly turns, with his bow drawn and fires an arrow at the faceless warrior, he dodges and the arrow hits a brick wall behind him.
"I know who you are. Hanzo…" a confused expression plays with Hanzos sharp features. He draws another arrow and release's it at his opponent. It misses again as his reflexes are too fast.
"I know you come here every year, on the same day" he says.
Hanzo lets out a rage fueled grown before firing three arrows at the same time. These arrows however have a target lock on system and follow the warrior, but sadly lose power and collapse to the ground.
"You risk so much to honor someone you murdered". The warrior throws three shurikens at Hanzo. He swiftly ducks but they chop small parts of arrow feathers of, rendering some of them useless.
"You know nothing of what happened" Hanzo shouted back whilst leaping into the air for a better power reserve for his arrow that he fired. The warrior deflected it with his sword but the force of the arrow was so powerful it threw him backwards, down a set of stairs. But without a thought he got up and ran through a corridor, sprinting at the speed of light itself. Hanzo aimed an arrow at a wall in the corridor, this arrow was designed to split into sharp blades that bounced of anything it touched. The warrior slashed and deflected almost all of the shrapnel blades and ran into the balcony area of the temple.
Hanzo followed on, carefully watching the shadows and corners. He was ready for an ambush.
The warrior said behind him "I know you tell yourself that your brother disobeyed the clan". Hanzo shot an arrow there, only to find his enemy not there but behind him.
"And that you had to kill him to maintain order…that it was your duty".
Hanzo draws his last arrow slowly whilst saying
"It was my duty. And my burden". He turns and fires again, only to have the arrow hit by the warrior's sword, and spin in the air and pierce the floor.
"But that does not mean I don't honor him!"
Hanzo lets out an animal like raw and charges in with bow, ready to swing. The warrior kicks Hanzo to the railing of the balcony and leaps into the air, his sword aiming at his face. Hanzo puts his bow in front of him at locks the sword in middle of the string, wrapping it up so it cannot move. But the warrior puts more and more force onto his sword, trying to stab his face.
"You think you honor your brother, Genji. With stupid offerings? Honor resigns in one's actions".
"You dare talk to me about honor! You are not worthy to say his name!" Hanzo throws the warrior of off him and slides across the floor to get an arrow, he stands aiming it at him opponent, his bow drawn even further than ever.
"Ryuu ga waga teki wo kurau!" His tattoo begins to glow a bright blue and his arrow explodes into two huge ghost like dragons that head towards his enemy.
The warrior shouts
"Ryujin no ken WO kurae!" The warriors sword flashes and glows green and a third dragon is produced, the green dragon controls the two blue ones and heads straight towards Hanzo, they push past him, as he tries his best to remain standing up, it forces him backwards until eventually the dragons disappear. He then falls to his knees, his body becomes weaker than ever, dropping his bow to the floor in the processes.
"Only a Shamata samurai can control the dragons…who…are you?"
The warrior sprints towards him, blade in hand. But he stops when the sword is violently pressing against Hanzos throat.
"Do it then…kill me"
The ninja removes his blade, and looks down to the defeated dragon.
"No. I will not grant you the death you wish for. You still have a purpose in this life…brother"
Hanzos eyes widen and he jumps to his feet.
"No…my brother is dead"
The dark warrior removes his mask, to show a burned up face, but eyes Hanzo can still remember.
"Genji…"
The dragon knelt upon the ground. For the first time he was able to clearly see the world around him, and he became human. The stranger reveled himself as his former brother. Reunited, the two set out to rebuild what they had once destroyed.
"What have you…become?"
"I have accepted what I am and I have forgiven you" Genji places his cold hand on his brothers shoulder.
"Now you must forgive yourself. The world is changing once again Hanzo. And it's time to pick a side" he leaps of onto a house roof and stands there. Waiting. Hanzos anger builds up again and he runs to a wall with an arrow embedded into it. He pulls it out and draws his bow, and aims at Genji.
"Our life is not like the stories farther told us! You are a fool for believing it so!"
"Perhaps I am a fool to think there is still hope for you. But I do. Think on that brother" Genji disappears into a cloud of smoke, a feather to where he stood drifted off towards Hanzo and lands in his hand.
Hanzo returns to the main hall, knees down and gives offerings to the dragon gods for bringing his brother back.