DragonSpace02 DragonSpace02
Rui: Illusion


When I first saw the Fuujin on Fuuko, I was surprised. Trapped behind a tornado she had created and could not escape, she stuck out her tongue at Recca. Why was it so familiar? For a moment, I was really afraid that the girl would die, until I remembered that Kagerou was just testing Recca and could, at any instant, teleport into the tornado to get Fuuko out.

I remember gazing at the fields. Crisp stalks of rice baked golden by the sun danced in the morning wind, creating a rippling tide across the hectares of our territory. Everyone in the village over the age of twelve had to help out in the harvest. I was twelve at the time, but was bound to stay in the village and continue to train. My elders had been displeased with my lack of progress of late.

My little half-sisters and cousins huddled around the well playing with insects. "Don't come too close," I warned them. I was, and still am, Rui, caster of the tiger flame born to the second generation of the Hokage. I took a deep breath and focused on the dead tree in front of me. In my mind I was creating a new scene - where the tree would appear to come to life and blossom. The wind would then carry the blossom petals to the well, where my cousins and sisters would be able to see them. With my elders around training me, I rarely got to make illusions of my choice; just painful ones where I play with the guilt of my opponent; making their dead ones 'come back to life', their intestines spilling onto the ground, and the like. As such, I relished the time spent during self-practice.

I filled my mind with only that scene, and nothing else, as I called out my flame to create the illusion. A white tiger flame, that my eyes alone can see, flowed out of my right arm. It enveloped the tree. The illusion came to life, superimposed over the tree itself. Only I can see illusion and reality at the same time; others see only the illusion.

The petals floated over to my cousins and half-sisters. They reached out to catch them in their little hands. And they could, too. My illusions have taste, smell and texture to them; they can even speak, besides being seen. Thus it requires great concentration to keep it up. The way the petals should feel, the way they spiral in the wind currents, the way some navigate gracefully into the well while the others continue…it all takes hours of observation on my part to get these tiny details right, not just for flowers, but for people as well.

My favourite half-sister, Kasumi, only nine summers old, had an affinity for the wind. Already she was being trained to use the Fuujin, a weapon so powerful it harms the inept who try to harness its power. Her face caught up in rapture, she stood up to touch a petal. Very sadly, it was the well-bound petal that she had set her eye on. As she overbalanced, she fell into the well.

The screams of the other children tore me out of my concentration. The illusion vanished instantaneously, like the existence it never had. I sprinted towards the well, ignoring the blood that was running down my right arm. I looked down into the well. Admist the deep swirls of water, I saw her choking. Bravely, she stuck out her tongue at me, trying to reassure me that everything would turn out just fine.

Rekka leapt onto Domon's outstretched hands, which launched him into the air. He landed inside the tornado and slashed at the orb controlling Fuuko. The tornado died down. Nadare and Saiha cheered openly for the fun of it. I applauded silently, for Recca had succeeded where I had failed.

I do not recall the rest that happened that day. Just that I was unable to rescue Kasumi, daughter of my father's first wife. Illusions are not real; not at my level then. I had just wanted to make the children a little happier since they had not been allowed to go to the harvest. However, it was my fault that she lost her life, and my fault that I exist only as a dragon spirit today.

After that incident, I was ignored by most. A little brother born to my mother became the new flame-caster, meaning that I was unworthy to lead. I left my family home and lived on the edge of the village. I chose to change the way I looked frequently, wiping away the face I was born with. I would be a demure girl of fifteen one day, and an old hag, another. At night, I would stare at the moon. The shadows on the moon's face changed everyday, just like my face. But now, science tells us that the same side of the moon faces us all the time. Soon, the villagers only knew me as Rui the Faceless. I honed my skills of deception and worked on increasing the strength of my flame. When faced with opponents immune to my illusions, I could just burn them up, then. My training gave me satisfaction. Besides that, I spent my time perfecting on my calligraphy. The strong black characters on white paper were somehow, real. Solid. Comforting. I made up countless riddles to delight the children who so often came to visit.

The way I had chosen to live suited me; I am not leader material.

This is my story. I am Rui, caster of the white tiger flame.


End



Author's Notes:
- Kasumi - "mist". Name of the singer of Shadow Skill's theme song "Born Legend". (yes, this is desperado.)

- This is the result of reading too much Joy Luck Club i.e. Ying Ying St Clair. Waiting between the trees. See, I used tigers, wiping away of faces, reality, illusions, things only she can see, becoming a spirit, the MOON…

- I'm sure the ending is weird. And the transition of things happening to Recca to Rui's memories is strange too.
- The part about writing riddles explains her 'test' for Recca to get her power.

- The discrepancy: Rui's flame is white, she appears as orange when Recca calls her out. Do not even ask. I theorize it's because Recca's own flame, apart from the 8 dragons, is orange already, so the dragons appear orange. And what is the own flame theory? If Kurei has a phoenix own flame, then Recca should have a (chicken? Rabbit?) own flame. Kurenai = Nadare etc.