***Chapter 3***

"Generally speaking, the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death"

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The Vita Mercenaries were interesting individuals as far as Kiota was concerned. He watched them quietly as they conducted their evening after-battle celebration so to speak. The whole lot of them were quite dirty and ill-kept, some of them even seemed to carry diseases. He didn't doubt that some of them were able fighters, but Shinmen's original claim to be the 'best' was clearly untrue. Another thing that bothered him was their greed. Kiota usually didn't mind it when people pursued what they desired, but this was a bit much, even for him. When the mercenaries weren't fighting amongst themselves for scraps of meat, they were bragging about their battle prowess and fantasizing about the riches that they would win for their actions. It was not a lifestyle that Kiota wished to pursue, but they were his quickest ticket to battle. He figured that it would probably be a bit beneficial to have some allies on his first few fights. The last thing that he wanted was to be surrounded by worthless fighters, but still lose simply due to their numbers. If he was to die, Kiota at least wanted it to be at the hands of a worthy foe.

"Hey Rogue!" one of the lions called over to him.

Kiota raised his head, but did not speak.

"So yous just figured that you'd hitch a-dere ride wit us up to the T-toyo Kingdom?"

Kiota was silent for a moment as he evaluated the lion.

"What… You think dat you're b-better dan us?"

He smiled inwardly as he realized that the poor creature had suffered a deep wound on his back leg. He was no doubt under some sort of drug to help with the pain. "Don't worry about me." He said quietly as he rose from his resting place. He walked away from the mercanaries' gathering place and sat alone under the stars. They were an amazing sight to behold… but Kiota found it unsettling. Unlike most, who found the stars to be a reassuring sign of the kings of the past, Kiota saw only the ones he had killed. After all, many of them had been kings; if the stories were true, there were a bunch of angry lions waiting for him on the other side.

Kiota shook the thoughts from his head. He had to remind himself that he didn't believe in all those stories. Nothing that he had seen indicated that there was a superior being, or a big 'plan'. No, he decided, it was just him. There was no one watching over him, just as there was no one watching over any of the lions that he had killed. The victories were his, and his alone. He had no teacher, no master, no guidance at all. Everything that he was, he had done himself, and there was no way that he was going to thank some farfetched story of dead kings for his success.

He stopped for a moment and realized that the noise from the campsite had died down. The mercenaries must have finally ended their 'celebration' and gone to sleep. Kiota released a deep sigh and headed off to find his sleeping spot, assuming that it hadn't been taken while he was sitting out under the stars. They were a detestable bunch, but he knew that he would have to tolerate them… at least for now.

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They were nearing the Toyo kingdom when dark storm clouds arrived. The formerly hot and humid savannah quickly turned into a cold and wet environment. Despite the weather, the mercenaries continued their march towards the Toyo lands; they would be able to dry off when they arrived.

"Gotta love this, eh Kiota?" Shinmen said as he fell into step alongside the rogue.

"It hides our movement pretty well." He remarked neutrally.

Shinmen shrugged. "I guess, but we aren't exactly trying to be stealthy."

"It's better than the heat."

"It's too wet."

"It's refreshing."

The cheetah blinked. "Why do you have to be so optimistic? This Sucks!"

Kiota smiled inwardly at being called an optimist. "It will always suck, but I can't change the weather. Might as well appreciate it for what it offers."

A barely perceptible growl escaped from Shinmen's throat. "We'll see how you think after a few battles."

Kiota raised an eyebrow, but didn't press an explanation for the comment.

"Why are you here?" The mercenary asked suddenly.

"The same reason you are, I want to fight."

"I don't want to fight!" Shinmen snorted. "I want to get the rewards from fighting."

The Rogue nodded as he thought about what he had said. Maybe these mercenaries were decent fighters, but they weren't the opponents he was looking for. He wanted a fight against someone who actually cared about fighting. Someone who understood the… for lack of a better word, joy of combat as he did.

"When do you expect to get those rewards?"

"When we get back to Toyo's Pride, we'll get what we've earned." He replied smugly. "Speaking of Toyo… we're here."

Kiota looked from the Mercenary and into the dense rain. Though it was dark, rainy, and even a little foggy, he could make out the outline of a massive rock formation. It spread across the landscape as if some divine being had crushed a massive stone in the sky and allowed the shattered fragments to land haphazardly onto the ground below. It was truly a marvel of defense. The boulders created tunnels, walls, and positions that would be very easily defended. Among some of the rocks, Kiota could just barely see patrolling lions that made their way up and down the formation.

They neared the structure's wall and a handful of guards came out to meet them.

"Vita Mercenaries?" one of them asked dryly, as if their presence was commonplace.

Shinmen grinned at the recognition. "Indeed we are. Here to see King Toyo."

The guard nodded and gestured them to follow him.

Kiota followed the merc's lead and walked in silence through a maze of tunnels, paths, and walkways. The rain found its way through the rocks overhead and dripped onto them in concentrated drops filled with any dirt that was on the rocks. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but it was what it was.

Within several minutes, they arrived at a massive overhang that sheltered them all from the wetness. A host of lions sat in groups under the massive stone, but one in particular stood out. He sat above the others on a large and flat rock. From his perch, he watched everything that surrounded him and listened intently to several others that were speaking to him about something of apparent importance. When he caught sight of the mercenaries' arrival, he quickly dismissed the speakers and made way for Shinmen and the rest.

The mercenary Cheetah approached the king's throne and bowed lowly. Kiota stayed back with the rest of the soldiers of fortune.

"Shinmen…" began Toyo slowly. "Since you have returned, I will assume that the battle is done?"

"Yes Sire. We defeated King Kugo's army quite easily."

Toro nodded unsurely. Kugo has a very large force… are you sure that they were all defeated?"

"No. We think that we met only about half of the army… my sources tell me that the others are closer to Kugo's lands."

Toyo sighed, clearly aggravated by the news. "Very well…" he gestured to the side. "Here is your payment as promised."

A lioness stepped aside to reveal a pile of freshly killed animals. From where he stood, Kiota could see multiple zebra, antelope, waterbuffalo, and even a wildebeest. It was a diverse and plentiful feast to say the least, and the Vita Mercenaries hurried over with rushed enthusiasm to get their fill. Kiota remained where he stood, a few paces behind Shinmen.

"Oh yea…" the cheetah added as he noticed Kiota. "King Toyo, this is Kiota."

"Kiota…" Toyo looked over the rogue with interest for several moments. "I believe that I've heard of you, Kiota… they say that you go from pride to pride, searching for fights."

Kiota nodded neutrally. "I do."

"I thought you would be bigger… and older." The king snorted with a tinge of distaste. "What is it that you want from me? A challenge?"

"I was hoping to join your mercenaries in a battle."

Toyo blinked with surprise. "You want to fight for me?"

"No, I want to fight in one of your battles with the Vita Mercenaries; not for anyone."

The king nodded slowly as he contemplated the offer. "Fair enough… but I have enough mediocre fighters at hand around here. Will you accept a challenge so that we can see you ability?"

Kiota was unable to hide a grin. "Certainly."

Toyo nodded to a lion at his side, and the medium sized male approached the rogue. He lunged out quickly at Kiota, and though it was a bit sooner than he had expected, Kiota easily sidestepped the attack. From his new position, he struck out into the guard's unprotected side. For good measure, he ripped diagonally across and upwards toward his neck. The lion gasped in shock and collapsed onto the floor. Several of the other guards rushed to his side and began to treat him while Kiota stepped back.

King Toyo just looked at him with surprise. "I didn't expect you to defeat him so easily… who trained you?"

Kiota paused for a moment to contemplate the question. "Who trained me?"

"Yes, who were your teachers?"

"I have no teacher. I taught myself."

"You taught yourself…" Toyo echoed as he eyed the now convulsing guard as he bled out. "Well, as much as I dislike the fact that you killed my guard, I cannot resist allowing you to fight with my troops. If you wish to stay with the Vita Mercenaries, that's fine, just make sure that you are fighting."

Kiota bowed politely. "Thank you for the opportunity, Sire."

Toyo nodded and waved him away to dismiss the conversation and Kiota turned to leave. He almost ran into Shinmen who was standing directly behind him.

"Well that went well." he said smugly.

"I'm all set now?" he asked to make sure.

The cheetah nodded. "Yes. When we ship off again tomorrow you will come with us. I still need to check with King Toyo, but I'm anticipating a battle closer to the Kugo kingdom.

"Is it far?"

"Not too far. It's closer than the battle we just came from."

"Good."

Shinmen grinned at the Rogue's enthusiasm. "Enough talk; let's go get our payment." He said as he gestured to the pile of fresh kills. By then, the rest of the mercenaries had eaten quite deeply into the pile, but there was still more than enough for the rest of them.

"So now what do we do?" he asked Shinmen.

"We have a little fun until we leave!" the mercenary said eagerly.

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The next morning the mercs headed out a bit later than they had originally planned. Kiota and the rest of Toyo's force had been ready at sunrise, but the mercenaries had spent most of the night carrying on. For the rogue, it had been incredibly annoying; he had been approached countless times by lionesses looking for someone to spend the night with. He found it quite disgusting, but the other soldiers were more than willing to participate. Kiota didn't care much for lionesses; sure he found them attractive and appealing as any male did, but that was why he disliked them. They distracted him and left him vulnerable. In such a crowded environment, Kiota preferred to have his back to the wall and be able to see everything that was happening. He doubted that anyone would try to kill him here, but the presence of so many fighters was enough to keep him on guard.

Now that it was the morning after, he felt fine. He had gone to sleep at the usual time while everyone else had stayed up to enjoy the night and now they were paying the price with exhaustion. Kiota watched with vague amusement as the fatigued mercenaries tripped over their own feet and hung their head low while they marched towards the battle. Even Shinmen had gone a little too far and was showing signs of his tiredness.

"You were probably the smart one last night…" he said irritably.

Kiota nodded. "Everyone needs to sleep."

"Shut up."

"You were the one who started the conversation."

"Shut up, rogue." He said as he closed his eyes in irritation. "You've only said two sentences and you're already giving me a headache."

"What did you expect from last night?"

"Shut. Up. Kiota." The cheetah groaned.

"Fine. But are we at least almost there?"

He nodded. "Almost. My guess is Kugo set up in the valley farther ahead to wait for us."

"When we ge-"

"Please…" Shinmen cut him off. "I really don't want to talk to you right now."

Kiota nodded and was silent. If these mercs were going to be fighting alongside him in a couple of hours, he wanted them to be ready to do so. Dying because of someone else's mistake was not something that he wanted to do.

They traveled for some time longer through the still cloudy landscape. The rain had stopped since the night before, but the dreary feeling still persisted. Soon enough, they arrived at the battlefield and started to organize. About a quarter mile away was the enemy ranks, securely positioned between two large hills. Kiota followed Shinmen around, not really sure where to go. Eventually, he ended up in the center of Toyo's force with Shinmen's personal team, the part that would receive the most fighting.

"Toyo wants to be sure that the center is won, that's why he put us here." the cheetah remarked somewhat arrogantly.

Kiota nodded, but didn't respond. Truthfully, he highly doubted that their superior fighting skills were the reason that they were placed in the center. Rather, that Toyo just wanted to keep his own troops out of the fighting as much as possible. Besides, the less of the mercenaries that survived, the less he would have to pay. It was war, and Kiota didn't care about who was where or who did what. All he wanted was to get some combat action, and this was the best way to do it.

While they were waiting for the battle to begin, Kiota rested under a tree with several other soldiers.

"I'm getting pumped for this." Said one merc excitedly. "We're gonna kill 'em all!"

"Or," responded another, "We're going to get killed ourselves."

Anger flashed across the first's face. "Hey! It's thinking like that that's going to get you killed!"

"It's true." He countered. "It's war… people die."

Kiota snorted. "Everyone dies."

"Well I don't want to right now."

The first merc pushed his friend. "You are not going to die! Get over it!"

The lion appeared to be a little more reassured, but Kiota wasn't. The lion's concern was rightly placed; it was war and there are deaths in war. To think that you are invulnerable to such violence was more than just naïve, it was dangerous. Kiota thought back to all of his challenges and tried to recall his feelings. In every one, he decided, he had almost planned for death. He had approached the king expecting to be killed; that was how he had fought without fear or reserve. No, he decided, in order to fight well, the presence of death had to be acknowledged and respected. If it was neglected, it would find you and defeat you.

"COME ON YOU GRUNTS!" Shinmen suddenly shouted from afar. "We're moving out!"

Kiota and the mercenaries rose from their resting spots and lined up to face their enemies across the field. Aside from a few growls of anticipation, the lines were silent while they waited for further instructions.

Kiota eyed the opposition intently, though they were really too far away to make out any details. He had to think that there were some decent fighters in the opposing ranks that would offer him a good challenge. He clenched his paws and clawed the dirt with anticipation. This was what he wanted.

"LET'S GO!" Shinmen shouted as he waved his paw through the air in unison with other leaders farther down the line.

The lines of troops began their march forward and Kiota went with them at the front of the group. They started off at a slow walk and gradually picked up momentum as they neared Kugo's troops. Soon, they were in a dead run towards the other army that was sprinting at an equally fast pace. An instant before they clashed, a though crossed Kiota's mind: I'm going to die. It wasn't a thought of fear or anger or of any emotion, for that matter. He accepted the fact with determination and resolve; he accepted the fact with neutrality and focus. It did not weaken him, instead it made him stronger.

***Author's Note***

Thanks for all the reviews everyone, I don't thank you enough for them. As far as the quotes go, a lot of you are close with them being like Sun Tzu and being overall summaries, but it does go deeper than that. I'll explain in a few chapters, so be patient.

Here's and interesting fact: 98% of people have a truly 'phobic' fear of violence, meaning that if I took a machete to a random person in a crowded room, 98% of everyone would have an excessive fear of the event and be very vulnerable to psychological damage because of it the event. It is a healthy and natural response, but it leaves out 2%. 1% of the remaining 2% are sociopaths. People, (arguably like Kiota) who do not care about others and are unaffected by the trauma because they feel no empathy for the victim. The other 1% is different; they are unaffected because of some bizarre wiring in their head that makes them almost invulnerable to such traumatic events, but still maintain their compassion for their fellow man. Many of these types of people can be found in law enforcement, military, medical units, and other high stress jobs because they can simply thrive under the stress that is so good at destroying the rest of us. When everyone else runs from the danger, they run towards it to confront it so that the rest don't have to.

I just thought that this was an interesting piece of information; if you are interested in it, I highly recommend that you read Lt. Col. Dave Grossman's books on the subject. Back to the story though, keep reading, I'll update soon, and please comment!

-Ben