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Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Trials
Chapter 6
"What are YOU doing here!?"
"I could ask you the same thing!" Natsume retorted.
Kasumi smiled. "I take it you know Kumon-san, then?"
Natsume crossed her arms over her chest as her eyes narrowed.
"Yes, though I wish I could say otherwise." Her gaze locked with Ryu's.
"This lowlife tried to beat up my sister."
"She stole my food!" Ryu returned. "I worked for that meal and
she comes out of nowhere and steals it!"
Kurumi toed the ground with her hands folded behind her back,
her voice extremely apologetic. "I said I was sorry..."
Ryu wasn't impressed. "And I said you would pay me back!"
"And I said to leave her alone!" Natsume growled, loudly.
"Would you like to come in for some tea, Kumon-san?" Kasumi
offered with a disarming smile. "Then we can all have a chance to catch
up and tell each other our stories."
The comment had the effect of catching all three teenagers off-
guard.
Contrary to popular belief, Kasumi wasn't totally oblivious to
all the conflict that tended to happen around the dojo. Instead, it was
more of a belief in creating harmony that drove her actions and
attitudes, as well as belief in using the right tools. After all, the
proper method for cleaning a dirty floor is to sweep with a broom, not
heap more dirt upon it.
"Uhhh..." Ryu answered intelligently. Then his brain caught up
and realized it would be rude to decline such an offer. "I guess... that
would be nice."
Kasumi clapped both hands together, as if she had just heard
that world peace and been achieved. "Wonderful! Girls, would you assist
me in making tea in the kitchen?"
"Yes, Kasumi-oneechan, I'd love, too!" Kurumi answered with a
smile. The only thing she liked more than eating food, was making it.
Natsume was not quite as enthusiastic, but complied,
nonetheless.
Kasumi turned back to the reluctant Ryu. "Won't you please come
in, Kumon-san, and we'll have a loevely time!" Caught off guard, he
could only nod, and the quartet started the quiet walk into the house.
Thus, the harmony of the Tendo Dojo was maintained.
Kenji continued to toss and turn in his futon. He had only been
able to get a few hours sleep, due to what had happened back at the cave
mound; or more accurately, what he had heard. No matter what he tried,
he couldn't get the image of the dirt cave out of his mind, nor the
voice that had called to him.
With that thought, he bolted upright. he thought
suddenly. He stopped to think about it
some more, and came to a startling conclusion.
Slowly he pulled the blanket off his sweat-covered body and
stood up. Since he was only wearing his boxers and tank-top, the cool
night air gave him a chill where it touched his bare skin, but he
welcomed it.
Careful not to wake Konatsu, he tip-toed to the window of their
cabin and opened the shutters slightly, gazing into the darkness of the
night. He knew they were out there somewhere, both the cave and that
voice that had called to him.
"But what do I do about it?" he whispered quietly. Despite
asking the question, he already knew the answer.
Sighing in frustration, he made the decision and dressed as
quickly and as silently as possible in his grey padded bodysuirt. He
made sure all of his weapons were in place, wanting to be ready for
anything. The head covering was left off however, since he never really
cared for it; it just seemed so stifling.
Kenji walked to the cave in a roundabout way, using an
unorthadox route to avoid the clan patrols, not wanting to them know
where he was going. But when he left the grounds and entered the forest,
his pace picked up and his path became a straight line. It didn't take
him long and soon the darkened, misty entrance to the mound was layed
out in front of him.
The voice again whispered to him.
"Why me?" he asked, exasperated. "Why are you doing this to me?"
His answer was only more incoherent whispers.
Growing angry at all the unknowns, he started for the entrance.
A spoken voice stopped him at the entrance. "Kenji-sama, what
are you doing?" Konatsu's tone was more than a little worried.
He sighed. "What does it look like, Kenzen?"
"Why?"
Kenji didn't want to give the real reason, because that would
mean telling him about the voices. "Because I want to, alright! I couldn't sleep and I wanted to
know what was down here."
Konastu seemed to realize there would be no stopping the other
boy. "Then I will come with you. Yuri-sama would not want you to face
this alone."
"No!" The command stopped the cross-dressing ninja. "I'm doing
this by myself." Kenji turned his back on Konatsu, gazing long into the
darkness of the cave. "Go back to sleep, Kenzen. I'll see you in the
morning."
And with that, Kenji entered the cave.
"Kenji-sama!" To Konatsu's eyes, the darkness appeared to
swallow up Kenji. He rushed to the entrance and tried to follow, but
just as he was about to step foot inside, he struck some kind of barrier
and was repelled backwards onto his butt.
The earth began to tremble slightly, and several geysers of
steam shot up from the ground. "Go away little freak ninja. I already
have a volunteer."
Konatsu blinked, then quickly regained his feet. "Who are you? What do you want?" But there was no reply,
and all the activity in the area ceased, returning the land to the quiet
state it was in before.
Knowing there was nothing he could do at the moment, Konatsu
sprinted rapidly back to the clan grounds.
"Oh my! Has it gotten dark already?"
True to her nature, Kasumi had kept the trio talking and
drinking tea for several hours. It hadn't reduced the tension level
much, but it did keep any fights from breaking out.
Ryu cursed when he saw the darkness outside. "Shoot! I wasted
so much time in here, I forgot about the challenge!"
"Does that mean you won't challenge the dojo?" Natsume asked.
"Not on your life, missy!" he retorted. "I originally wanted to
face Saotome again, that's what I came here for. I'll just come back
tomorrow when he's here and challenge him."
"Why not us!?" Natsume demananded to know. "We are officially
Tendo's now, so we have the right to accept the challenge."
Ryu stood up. "I don't fight little girls!"
"Little girls!?"
He ignored her, however, and turned back to Kasumi, giving her
a short bow. "Thank you for your hospitality, Kasumi-san. I regret that
I must leave you now, but I'll return tomorrow. Hopefully, Saotome will
have returned by then and I can challenge him."
"It was good of you to drop by, Kumon-san," Kasumi said as she
guided him to the door.
"Please, call me Ryu."
"Very well, I look forward to seeing you again, Ryu-san."
"As do I."
In the living room, Natsume fumed. "The nerve of that--boy!"
"Natsume..?" Kurumi asked.
"Calling us little girls, like that disqualifies us from
fighting!"
Kurumi tried again. "Uh, Nastume?"
"But I'll show him! I'll--"
The new youngest Tendo took a deep breath. "Natsume!"
"What!?" Natsume suddenly realized her voice had risen in volume
and that she had just shouted at her younger sister. She took a deep
breath. "Sorry about that, imouto-chan. Now what was it you wanted?"
Kurumi happily lifted up a half-empty plate on the table. "Can
I have another cookie?"
Natsume face-faulted.
Kenji thought to himself.
His eyes had long ago adjusted to the dark, a little trick
Satsu had taught him as part of the clan's training. There wasn't much
to take notice of though, except for the fact that the cave continued to
head down. Well, he did notice that the air was quite humid and cold, so
he was thankful that his bodysuit provided enough protection from it.
"Hello?" he called out again. "I'm here you stupid voice!" He
sighed when he got no response, and debated heading back the way he
came.
"...dee... per..."
Kenji stopped. "Hello?"
"...go...dee...per..." The voice was faint, but it was
definitely louder and more understandable then it was on the surface.
And it was almost... alluring.
"How much deeper?" he asked. No response.
Growling in frustration, he continued to head down the pitch
black passageway.
Without realizing it, his mood slowly became darker, and his
temperment slowly changed to anger as he descended into the earth. In no
time at all, he was practically stomping down the tunnel, muttering
obscenities about everyone and everything.
He punctuated that
thought by punching the earthen wall beside him.
Kenji stopped suddenly as images of Garon's death filled his
mind. With that, came the feelings of guilt, shame, and fear at what
he'd done, overriding the feelings of hate.
He clenched his eyes shut while grabbing his head and forcing
the anger down. Slowly, his harsh breathing evened out and a relative
feeling of calm returned. He still felt more than a little upset, but
was at a loss to explain why.
"What's wrong with me!? A minute ago I wanted to kill almost
everybody!"
He glanced warily around the cave, then realized he had just
stopped short of walking off a cliff. The pathway ended right in front
of him, and looking over the edge revealed no bottom.
"You're almost there, young man," the female voice returned.
"Continue on the path."
"Hold on! The path ends right here! I ain't walking off a
cliff." Kenji suddenly became wary. "In fact, this whole thing is messed
up. I'm leaving." He turned around and prepared to walk away.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," the voice told him in a
tone that said in would broker no argument.
"And just how are you going to stop me when you're too cowardly
to show yourself?" he taunted.
"Little boys should be careful of whom they mock."
Before Kenji could ponder that statement, the ground began to
shake violently. As the tremors became worse, he started to have trouble
staying on his feet. He tried to grab something to hold onto, but there
was nothing.
Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath him. He tried to form the
air shell, but a loose rock struck the back of his head, and he tumbled
uncontrollably into the dark abyss.
"The fool!" Oka groused.
"I can't believe `niichan went in there," Yuri whispered, while
she shook off the effect of the tremors that just ended. "Why, Konatsu?
The male kunoichi shook his head. "I do not know, but I saw him
go in myself."
All around the cave mound, the majority of Garou clan stood. In
all, it numbered about twenty ninja and an equal number of dependents,
though not everyone was present.
"This is your fault, Oka," a man in black ninja garb accused.
"You sent Satsu to train these outsiders. We should never have let them
in."
Oka raised an eyebrow. "Are you forgetting that Sulyia, their
mother, was an honored member of this clan, Kazao?"
"In fact, as I recall," Kazao replied, taking a step foreward.
"She abandoned this clan to be with that... sorcerer." He spat out the
word `sorcerer', as if it was something vile.
"Yes, a skilled sorcerer of the mage clans," Oka corrected. "Who
used to be valued allies of this clan."
"Used to be, until they went berserk," Kazao amended. He smiled
evilly.
Yuri shivered involuntary. There were rumors that Kazao had
changed after his first kill. Where as most of the clan had accepted the
necessity of it at times, Kazao seemed to revel in it. All knew of his
desire to lead the clan his own way, which led to many clashes with Oka
over clan policy.
"And they will be allies again." The old matriarch of the clan
sighed. "This is getting us nowhere and the situation is already
serious. Someone has descended into the cave and now a barrier locks us
out.
"So, what do we do, sensei?" Neko asked. "Is there nothing we
can do for Kenji-san?"
Oka's face was grim. "I'm afraid he's on his own."
"Uhhhh..." Kenji groaned, as he tried to pick himself off the
floor. He dragged himself into a sitting position against the wall and
tried to assess his injuries. He winced as he touched his forehead, and
sighed as his hand came away with blood on it.
He sighed again and had a look around his surroundings. It was
still pitch black, but his eyes were fast adjusting to it. It was a
stone pit of some kind, about twelve feet across and circular in
diameter. He was just thinking he was alone, when he spied the body.
"Ahh!" He jumped straight up in fright and instantly regretted
it as his leg gave out. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"
He landed back on his butt while staring at the body, giving a
sigh of relief when he realized it was dead. It wasn't completely
decomposed; in fact, it was nearly intact, though there was no hair and
the face was so featureless as to be unrecognizable.
"Well that's comforting," he said at last. "If you died because
you were stuck here, what does that say for me?"
"I can get you out."
Kenji groaned again. "Not you. What do you want from me,
lady!?"
"Who says I want anything?"
"You lure me down here, then shake me right off a cliff!" he
yelled into the darkness. "Was that just for kicks!?"
There was a short chuckle. "You're right, I do want something.
But I have it now."
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Inwardly, Kenji was becoming more and
more shaken, especially since he suspected her answer.
"You."
"So you got me," he tried to say with false bravado, but inside
he was very, very scared. "I'm trapped in a hole deep under the earth.
I'll be dead in a few days when I dehydrate. Ha ha. You won."
"You don't understand," she said.
A fine, white mist spiralled down into the deep hole. It glowed
dully, lighting up the area. Kenji instintively backed away from it, but
it didn't approach him. Instead, the cloud stopped in the center of the
hole, while it slowly formed a female face. Still no details could be
seen, but Kenji at least had a face to put to the voice.
"Understand what?" Kenji asked, while trying to think of a way
out, but nothing came to him.
"I already have... you." The face began to move backwards to the
body, stopping to hover right above it. "Now I just need... control."
While Kenji furrowed his brow in puzzlement, the dead body
suddenly became animated, springing up from it's postion on the floor to
attack. Kenji screamed in utter terror, while his body took over.
Instinctively, he sprang up on his good leg and whipped out his
wakizashu. As the body grabbed him by the shoulders, he thrust the blade
into it's stomach and pushed it away, screaming all the while.
The voice just laughed at him, while the body pulled out the
blade and tossed it away. "If you won't give me control... I'll simply
take it from you!"
As the body charged him again, the cloud of mist moved toward
him as well. When Kenji covered his face with his hands and screamed,
the mist broke up and entered his mouth. Immediately, his own body went
slack while the dead body dropped to the floor.
Outside his mind and in the real world, Kenji's actual body
floated horizontally in mid-air. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he
smiled.
Then laughed. "I did it! Ha ha ha ha ha!"
Kenji's body oriented vertically and accelerated, flying
upwards, as the laughter continued to echo throughout the cavern.
"Something's coming!"
Yuri looked up from where she was sitting. It had been several
hours since Konatsu had brought word that her brother had entered the
cave. Some sort of barrier had sprung up over the entrance since then,
preventing all attempts at entry. Now, someone had just yelled a warning
that something was emerging.
She immediately leapt to her feet, hope on her face, and
Konatsu by her side. "Is it Kenji?"
"We don't know child, but I do sense something coming," Oka told
her.
The gathered clan collectively watched the entrance to the
mound, as if their will could bring forth the source of a sound
eminating from inside. It was a rythmic *thomp* *thomp* *thomp*, and it
grew louder with each passing moment.
Before long, a leg emerged from the darkness, followed by the
rest of the body.
"KENJI!" Yuri practically flew towards the cave entrance and her
brother. She immediately embraced him, her arms tightening around his
midsection. "Where have you been? I thought I'd lost you again! We were
worried about you!"
When she didn't receive any reply from her brother, she let go
and beheld his face with the dried blood on his forehead.
She inhaled sharply. "Kenji, what happened?"
His eyes seemed to glance around the clearing before he
responded. "Sorry... had... accident." After which, his eyes rolled up
into his head and he collapsed in his sister's arms.
"Kenji?! Somebody help me!"
Instantly, Konatsu and Neko were there, helping her with her
brother. Together, they began to carry him back to camp.
Satsu awoke, cursing himself for falling asleep in the first
place. At his age, he needed very little sleep, though it had been
almost 48 hours since his last nap. Most of his time had been spent
observing the young water mage and contemplating from the branches above
her. Now, she was asleep in her sleeping bag, next to a fire that had
long ago burned itself out and was only emitting a dull red glow.
Then his brow furrowed, as he contemplated the strange feeling
that had awoken him. Something wasn't quite right, though he was at a
loss to explain what. All he knew was that there was some pressing
concern, and he should head back to the clan grounds immediately.
He traversed to the ground with a short hop and began to shake
the girl. "Wake up!"
Selah moaned and rolled onto her back. "'Nother five
minutes..."
Satsu exhaled, then bonked her on the head with his staff.
Immediately, she was awake, rubbing her head, and complaining.
"What'd you do that for!?" she yelled, scowling at him.
"No time to explain," he said quickly. "But there is something
dangerous out there and we must move quickly."
"Does it concern Kenji-chan?" she asked worridly.
"Could be, but we should get moving just to be sure. Just leave
everything here, as we'll come back for it."
Selah nodded and, after taking a few minutes to straighten
herself out, the pair departed for the clan grounds.
"I said I understand your concerns," Oka was saying, "I didn't
say I agree with them."
"We don't know what happened to him down there!" Kazao shouted,
frustrated after trying to argue his point of view for the past 30
minutes. "We would cut our risk I we just kill him now. What's one life
compared 40?"
"We haven't established that he's a threat yet," Oka countered.
"Until then, we give him the benefit of the doubt."
Kazao threw up his hands and turned to leave. "Fine. But the
manuscripts hint that what comes up from there isn't a good thing. So
when your boy kills someone, don't come crying to me." There was some
mumbling in the gathered conclave as Kazao turned and left, taking
several ninja with him.
"We've always decided things as a clan," Oka said, raising her
voice to be heard over the mumbling. "But on this issue I stand firm.
We've never taken a life without just cause before, and I don't believe
enough just cause exists now." There was some head nodding in the
audience, but the old leader of the clan was distressed to see more than
a few shaking their head.
She sighed heavily. "Either way, we won't accomplish much else
tonight. I suggest we adjourn until tomorrow." There was much head
nodding to that, as most wanted a good night's sleep, after having
their's interrupted. The conclave began to disperse.
Oka walked off to one of the smaller cabins, where Yuri and
Konatsu were tending to the unconcious Kenji, who was laying on the
futon on the floor. He had passed out right after exiting the cave and
had failed to awaken, though he was alive.
"Any change?" Oka asked, even though she knew the answer.
"None," said Yuri solemnly. The old woman could see how
distressing the ordeal was for the girl.
"Why don't you got get some rest, child," she suggested. "I'll
tend to him for awhile."
"But-?"
"No, please listen to her, Yuri-sama," Konatsu said. "We could
both use rest."
Yuri glanced back and forth between the two, but knew she was
outmatched and was too tired to argue. "Very well."
Konatsu helped her up and the two walked through the door and
back to their own cabin. Oka turned and knelt by the unconcious youth,
dabbing his head with a wet washrag.
"What happened to you down there, hmm?" she asked, expecting no
reply.
But she did get one.
"Wouldn't you like to know, old woman?" Kenji responded, but Oka
realized the tone was not his.
Her hand froze. "Who are you? What have you done with Kenji?"
`Kenji' smiled and opened his eyes. "He's... taken care of." He
slowly stood up. "As for who I am, surely you don't recognize one of
your own ancestral members?"
"No..." Oka whispered in awe "You can't be... Then the legends
are true."
"Indeed, it's been several lifetimes since I was imprisoned."
Kenji's body made several stretches, as if working out the kinks. "But
now I am free, and have this body to use to get my revenge!"
"No!" the old woman protested. "You can't! That's not your body,
and you'll never succeed alone!" Oka brought her gnarled old walking
staff up, even as her face hardened. "I won't let you."
Kenji gave a short laugh. "You think you can stop me, old
woman? What right have you!?" His voice began to rise. "They imprisoned
me for almost a thousand years! And you would deprive me of my
vengeance!?"
Kenji's body blurred, and Oka parried the strike he tried to
inflict with the wakizashu. To it's credit, the old staff held against
the sharpened blade, but barely. Still she felt a cool sensation on her
wrist, even as `Kenji' back away with a grim smile on his face.
"I'm not stupid, old woman," he said, bringing out a small patch
of brown moss and showing it to her. "This moss was the only thing
growing in the cave. It's highly posionous, so I took the liberty of
picking some. Then it was a simple matter to crush them and smear the
powder on my blade." He put the leaves back, and brought out the second
wakizashu, which was slightly longer then Kenji's and with a few more
curves "This was my blade, that was kept on my body after I was
imprisoned. And it shall be this blade that gives me my revenge!"
Oka had felt her strength immediately start to wane. She
collapsed to her knees, then onto her back as the posion rapidly worked
through her body. She tried to fight it, but it was no use. "Don't...
Kae.." she managed weakly.
"Don't struggle, it will only make it worse." Oka heard the
window open. "But take heart knowing that those of the dark will be
joining you in the afterlife soon."
Then Oka knew `she' was gone. I never thought my end would
come like this. Though, what does one expect their end to be?
Then, thinking was impossible as Oka grew sleepy and closed her
eyes.
"Sensei!" The door burst open and four individuals may their way
in. The scene that greeted them was not what they expected. Yuri, the
one that had yelled, gasped and immediately flew to Oka's side, lifting
the old woman's head into her lap. "Are you alright?"
Oka coughed, while Konatsu, Satsu, and Selah kneeled down next
to her. "...child..."
"She's alive!" Yuri breathed, relieved.
"Not for long," Satsu said with a grim mask. "She's been
poisoned, and I recognize the agent used. It couldn't have happened more
than a short time ago." His face suddenly became fiercly angry. "Dang it
all! I was too late!"
He had found Konatsu and Yuri on their way back to their cabin
and intercepted him. After telling them of his bad premonition, the
quartet made their way back to Kenji's room. But they obviously didn't
make it time.
"Do not... blame yourself... old friend," Oka said softly, her
eyes still closed. "My... fault. Didn't... realize... too late..."
"Who did this, sensei?" Yuri asked through the tears that were
begginning to flow. "Where's Kenji!?"
"...she... has him. Gone..."
"Who!?" Yuri practically screamed. "Who is she!?"
Instead of answering, Oka slowly reached a hand up and grazed
Yuri's cheeks, moistening her finger with the tears that were flowing.
She then stroked the girl's forehead, leaving a glistening trail across
it. "...child... I pass it on... to you. Blood of... my blood..."
Then her hand fell limp to the ground and her breathing, which
was already slow and shallow, stopped.
Selah glanced back and forth between the people there,
understanding very little of what was going on, but aware that something
major had happened.
Konatsu slowly extracated the old woman's body from Yuri's
stunned grasp, placing her gently on the floor. He glanced back up at
the young girl who was still kneeling, her position and gaze unchanged.
"Yuri-sama..." he breathed.
Satsu closed his eyes. "So it was spoken, so it shall be done."
He then turned his gaze toward Yuri. "I know you are sad, little one,
but you have much work to do. You will have to grieve later."
"What do you mean, sensei?" Konatsu asked.
"You heard her say it yourself," Satsu returned. "'I pass it on
to you. Blood of my blood.'" Konatsu's eyes widened when the
implications hit, but the old teacher said it aloud anyways. "The leader
of this clan was Soyokaze Oka, mother of Soyokaze Sulyia, grandmother to
Kenji and Yuri."
"Grandma..." Yuri whispered softly.
Satsu's gaze was hard. "And now the mantle of leadership for
the clan has been passed to her granddaughter."
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Trials
Chapter 6
"What are YOU doing here!?"
"I could ask you the same thing!" Natsume retorted.
Kasumi smiled. "I take it you know Kumon-san, then?"
Natsume crossed her arms over her chest as her eyes narrowed.
"Yes, though I wish I could say otherwise." Her gaze locked with Ryu's.
"This lowlife tried to beat up my sister."
"She stole my food!" Ryu returned. "I worked for that meal and
she comes out of nowhere and steals it!"
Kurumi toed the ground with her hands folded behind her back,
her voice extremely apologetic. "I said I was sorry..."
Ryu wasn't impressed. "And I said you would pay me back!"
"And I said to leave her alone!" Natsume growled, loudly.
"Would you like to come in for some tea, Kumon-san?" Kasumi
offered with a disarming smile. "Then we can all have a chance to catch
up and tell each other our stories."
The comment had the effect of catching all three teenagers off-
guard.
Contrary to popular belief, Kasumi wasn't totally oblivious to
all the conflict that tended to happen around the dojo. Instead, it was
more of a belief in creating harmony that drove her actions and
attitudes, as well as belief in using the right tools. After all, the
proper method for cleaning a dirty floor is to sweep with a broom, not
heap more dirt upon it.
"Uhhh..." Ryu answered intelligently. Then his brain caught up
and realized it would be rude to decline such an offer. "I guess... that
would be nice."
Kasumi clapped both hands together, as if she had just heard
that world peace and been achieved. "Wonderful! Girls, would you assist
me in making tea in the kitchen?"
"Yes, Kasumi-oneechan, I'd love, too!" Kurumi answered with a
smile. The only thing she liked more than eating food, was making it.
Natsume was not quite as enthusiastic, but complied,
nonetheless.
Kasumi turned back to the reluctant Ryu. "Won't you please come
in, Kumon-san, and we'll have a loevely time!" Caught off guard, he
could only nod, and the quartet started the quiet walk into the house.
Thus, the harmony of the Tendo Dojo was maintained.
Kenji continued to toss and turn in his futon. He had only been
able to get a few hours sleep, due to what had happened back at the cave
mound; or more accurately, what he had heard. No matter what he tried,
he couldn't get the image of the dirt cave out of his mind, nor the
voice that had called to him.
With that thought, he bolted upright. he thought
suddenly. He stopped to think about it
some more, and came to a startling conclusion.
Slowly he pulled the blanket off his sweat-covered body and
stood up. Since he was only wearing his boxers and tank-top, the cool
night air gave him a chill where it touched his bare skin, but he
welcomed it.
Careful not to wake Konatsu, he tip-toed to the window of their
cabin and opened the shutters slightly, gazing into the darkness of the
night. He knew they were out there somewhere, both the cave and that
voice that had called to him.
"But what do I do about it?" he whispered quietly. Despite
asking the question, he already knew the answer.
Sighing in frustration, he made the decision and dressed as
quickly and as silently as possible in his grey padded bodysuirt. He
made sure all of his weapons were in place, wanting to be ready for
anything. The head covering was left off however, since he never really
cared for it; it just seemed so stifling.
Kenji walked to the cave in a roundabout way, using an
unorthadox route to avoid the clan patrols, not wanting to them know
where he was going. But when he left the grounds and entered the forest,
his pace picked up and his path became a straight line. It didn't take
him long and soon the darkened, misty entrance to the mound was layed
out in front of him.
The voice again whispered to him.
"Why me?" he asked, exasperated. "Why are you doing this to me?"
His answer was only more incoherent whispers.
Growing angry at all the unknowns, he started for the entrance.
A spoken voice stopped him at the entrance. "Kenji-sama, what
are you doing?" Konatsu's tone was more than a little worried.
He sighed. "What does it look like, Kenzen?"
"Why?"
Kenji didn't want to give the real reason, because that would
mean telling him about the voices. "Because I want to, alright! I couldn't sleep and I wanted to
know what was down here."
Konastu seemed to realize there would be no stopping the other
boy. "Then I will come with you. Yuri-sama would not want you to face
this alone."
"No!" The command stopped the cross-dressing ninja. "I'm doing
this by myself." Kenji turned his back on Konatsu, gazing long into the
darkness of the cave. "Go back to sleep, Kenzen. I'll see you in the
morning."
And with that, Kenji entered the cave.
"Kenji-sama!" To Konatsu's eyes, the darkness appeared to
swallow up Kenji. He rushed to the entrance and tried to follow, but
just as he was about to step foot inside, he struck some kind of barrier
and was repelled backwards onto his butt.
The earth began to tremble slightly, and several geysers of
steam shot up from the ground. "Go away little freak ninja. I already
have a volunteer."
Konatsu blinked, then quickly regained his feet. "Who are you? What do you want?" But there was no reply,
and all the activity in the area ceased, returning the land to the quiet
state it was in before.
Knowing there was nothing he could do at the moment, Konatsu
sprinted rapidly back to the clan grounds.
"Oh my! Has it gotten dark already?"
True to her nature, Kasumi had kept the trio talking and
drinking tea for several hours. It hadn't reduced the tension level
much, but it did keep any fights from breaking out.
Ryu cursed when he saw the darkness outside. "Shoot! I wasted
so much time in here, I forgot about the challenge!"
"Does that mean you won't challenge the dojo?" Natsume asked.
"Not on your life, missy!" he retorted. "I originally wanted to
face Saotome again, that's what I came here for. I'll just come back
tomorrow when he's here and challenge him."
"Why not us!?" Natsume demananded to know. "We are officially
Tendo's now, so we have the right to accept the challenge."
Ryu stood up. "I don't fight little girls!"
"Little girls!?"
He ignored her, however, and turned back to Kasumi, giving her
a short bow. "Thank you for your hospitality, Kasumi-san. I regret that
I must leave you now, but I'll return tomorrow. Hopefully, Saotome will
have returned by then and I can challenge him."
"It was good of you to drop by, Kumon-san," Kasumi said as she
guided him to the door.
"Please, call me Ryu."
"Very well, I look forward to seeing you again, Ryu-san."
"As do I."
In the living room, Natsume fumed. "The nerve of that--boy!"
"Natsume..?" Kurumi asked.
"Calling us little girls, like that disqualifies us from
fighting!"
Kurumi tried again. "Uh, Nastume?"
"But I'll show him! I'll--"
The new youngest Tendo took a deep breath. "Natsume!"
"What!?" Natsume suddenly realized her voice had risen in volume
and that she had just shouted at her younger sister. She took a deep
breath. "Sorry about that, imouto-chan. Now what was it you wanted?"
Kurumi happily lifted up a half-empty plate on the table. "Can
I have another cookie?"
Natsume face-faulted.
Kenji thought to himself.
His eyes had long ago adjusted to the dark, a little trick
Satsu had taught him as part of the clan's training. There wasn't much
to take notice of though, except for the fact that the cave continued to
head down. Well, he did notice that the air was quite humid and cold, so
he was thankful that his bodysuit provided enough protection from it.
"Hello?" he called out again. "I'm here you stupid voice!" He
sighed when he got no response, and debated heading back the way he
came.
"...dee... per..."
Kenji stopped. "Hello?"
"...go...dee...per..." The voice was faint, but it was
definitely louder and more understandable then it was on the surface.
And it was almost... alluring.
"How much deeper?" he asked. No response.
Growling in frustration, he continued to head down the pitch
black passageway.
Without realizing it, his mood slowly became darker, and his
temperment slowly changed to anger as he descended into the earth. In no
time at all, he was practically stomping down the tunnel, muttering
obscenities about everyone and everything.
He punctuated that
thought by punching the earthen wall beside him.
Kenji stopped suddenly as images of Garon's death filled his
mind. With that, came the feelings of guilt, shame, and fear at what
he'd done, overriding the feelings of hate.
He clenched his eyes shut while grabbing his head and forcing
the anger down. Slowly, his harsh breathing evened out and a relative
feeling of calm returned. He still felt more than a little upset, but
was at a loss to explain why.
"What's wrong with me!? A minute ago I wanted to kill almost
everybody!"
He glanced warily around the cave, then realized he had just
stopped short of walking off a cliff. The pathway ended right in front
of him, and looking over the edge revealed no bottom.
"You're almost there, young man," the female voice returned.
"Continue on the path."
"Hold on! The path ends right here! I ain't walking off a
cliff." Kenji suddenly became wary. "In fact, this whole thing is messed
up. I'm leaving." He turned around and prepared to walk away.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," the voice told him in a
tone that said in would broker no argument.
"And just how are you going to stop me when you're too cowardly
to show yourself?" he taunted.
"Little boys should be careful of whom they mock."
Before Kenji could ponder that statement, the ground began to
shake violently. As the tremors became worse, he started to have trouble
staying on his feet. He tried to grab something to hold onto, but there
was nothing.
Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath him. He tried to form the
air shell, but a loose rock struck the back of his head, and he tumbled
uncontrollably into the dark abyss.
"The fool!" Oka groused.
"I can't believe `niichan went in there," Yuri whispered, while
she shook off the effect of the tremors that just ended. "Why, Konatsu?
The male kunoichi shook his head. "I do not know, but I saw him
go in myself."
All around the cave mound, the majority of Garou clan stood. In
all, it numbered about twenty ninja and an equal number of dependents,
though not everyone was present.
"This is your fault, Oka," a man in black ninja garb accused.
"You sent Satsu to train these outsiders. We should never have let them
in."
Oka raised an eyebrow. "Are you forgetting that Sulyia, their
mother, was an honored member of this clan, Kazao?"
"In fact, as I recall," Kazao replied, taking a step foreward.
"She abandoned this clan to be with that... sorcerer." He spat out the
word `sorcerer', as if it was something vile.
"Yes, a skilled sorcerer of the mage clans," Oka corrected. "Who
used to be valued allies of this clan."
"Used to be, until they went berserk," Kazao amended. He smiled
evilly.
Yuri shivered involuntary. There were rumors that Kazao had
changed after his first kill. Where as most of the clan had accepted the
necessity of it at times, Kazao seemed to revel in it. All knew of his
desire to lead the clan his own way, which led to many clashes with Oka
over clan policy.
"And they will be allies again." The old matriarch of the clan
sighed. "This is getting us nowhere and the situation is already
serious. Someone has descended into the cave and now a barrier locks us
out.
"So, what do we do, sensei?" Neko asked. "Is there nothing we
can do for Kenji-san?"
Oka's face was grim. "I'm afraid he's on his own."
"Uhhhh..." Kenji groaned, as he tried to pick himself off the
floor. He dragged himself into a sitting position against the wall and
tried to assess his injuries. He winced as he touched his forehead, and
sighed as his hand came away with blood on it.
He sighed again and had a look around his surroundings. It was
still pitch black, but his eyes were fast adjusting to it. It was a
stone pit of some kind, about twelve feet across and circular in
diameter. He was just thinking he was alone, when he spied the body.
"Ahh!" He jumped straight up in fright and instantly regretted
it as his leg gave out. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"
He landed back on his butt while staring at the body, giving a
sigh of relief when he realized it was dead. It wasn't completely
decomposed; in fact, it was nearly intact, though there was no hair and
the face was so featureless as to be unrecognizable.
"Well that's comforting," he said at last. "If you died because
you were stuck here, what does that say for me?"
"I can get you out."
Kenji groaned again. "Not you. What do you want from me,
lady!?"
"Who says I want anything?"
"You lure me down here, then shake me right off a cliff!" he
yelled into the darkness. "Was that just for kicks!?"
There was a short chuckle. "You're right, I do want something.
But I have it now."
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Inwardly, Kenji was becoming more and
more shaken, especially since he suspected her answer.
"You."
"So you got me," he tried to say with false bravado, but inside
he was very, very scared. "I'm trapped in a hole deep under the earth.
I'll be dead in a few days when I dehydrate. Ha ha. You won."
"You don't understand," she said.
A fine, white mist spiralled down into the deep hole. It glowed
dully, lighting up the area. Kenji instintively backed away from it, but
it didn't approach him. Instead, the cloud stopped in the center of the
hole, while it slowly formed a female face. Still no details could be
seen, but Kenji at least had a face to put to the voice.
"Understand what?" Kenji asked, while trying to think of a way
out, but nothing came to him.
"I already have... you." The face began to move backwards to the
body, stopping to hover right above it. "Now I just need... control."
While Kenji furrowed his brow in puzzlement, the dead body
suddenly became animated, springing up from it's postion on the floor to
attack. Kenji screamed in utter terror, while his body took over.
Instinctively, he sprang up on his good leg and whipped out his
wakizashu. As the body grabbed him by the shoulders, he thrust the blade
into it's stomach and pushed it away, screaming all the while.
The voice just laughed at him, while the body pulled out the
blade and tossed it away. "If you won't give me control... I'll simply
take it from you!"
As the body charged him again, the cloud of mist moved toward
him as well. When Kenji covered his face with his hands and screamed,
the mist broke up and entered his mouth. Immediately, his own body went
slack while the dead body dropped to the floor.
Outside his mind and in the real world, Kenji's actual body
floated horizontally in mid-air. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he
smiled.
Then laughed. "I did it! Ha ha ha ha ha!"
Kenji's body oriented vertically and accelerated, flying
upwards, as the laughter continued to echo throughout the cavern.
"Something's coming!"
Yuri looked up from where she was sitting. It had been several
hours since Konatsu had brought word that her brother had entered the
cave. Some sort of barrier had sprung up over the entrance since then,
preventing all attempts at entry. Now, someone had just yelled a warning
that something was emerging.
She immediately leapt to her feet, hope on her face, and
Konatsu by her side. "Is it Kenji?"
"We don't know child, but I do sense something coming," Oka told
her.
The gathered clan collectively watched the entrance to the
mound, as if their will could bring forth the source of a sound
eminating from inside. It was a rythmic *thomp* *thomp* *thomp*, and it
grew louder with each passing moment.
Before long, a leg emerged from the darkness, followed by the
rest of the body.
"KENJI!" Yuri practically flew towards the cave entrance and her
brother. She immediately embraced him, her arms tightening around his
midsection. "Where have you been? I thought I'd lost you again! We were
worried about you!"
When she didn't receive any reply from her brother, she let go
and beheld his face with the dried blood on his forehead.
She inhaled sharply. "Kenji, what happened?"
His eyes seemed to glance around the clearing before he
responded. "Sorry... had... accident." After which, his eyes rolled up
into his head and he collapsed in his sister's arms.
"Kenji?! Somebody help me!"
Instantly, Konatsu and Neko were there, helping her with her
brother. Together, they began to carry him back to camp.
Satsu awoke, cursing himself for falling asleep in the first
place. At his age, he needed very little sleep, though it had been
almost 48 hours since his last nap. Most of his time had been spent
observing the young water mage and contemplating from the branches above
her. Now, she was asleep in her sleeping bag, next to a fire that had
long ago burned itself out and was only emitting a dull red glow.
Then his brow furrowed, as he contemplated the strange feeling
that had awoken him. Something wasn't quite right, though he was at a
loss to explain what. All he knew was that there was some pressing
concern, and he should head back to the clan grounds immediately.
He traversed to the ground with a short hop and began to shake
the girl. "Wake up!"
Selah moaned and rolled onto her back. "'Nother five
minutes..."
Satsu exhaled, then bonked her on the head with his staff.
Immediately, she was awake, rubbing her head, and complaining.
"What'd you do that for!?" she yelled, scowling at him.
"No time to explain," he said quickly. "But there is something
dangerous out there and we must move quickly."
"Does it concern Kenji-chan?" she asked worridly.
"Could be, but we should get moving just to be sure. Just leave
everything here, as we'll come back for it."
Selah nodded and, after taking a few minutes to straighten
herself out, the pair departed for the clan grounds.
"I said I understand your concerns," Oka was saying, "I didn't
say I agree with them."
"We don't know what happened to him down there!" Kazao shouted,
frustrated after trying to argue his point of view for the past 30
minutes. "We would cut our risk I we just kill him now. What's one life
compared 40?"
"We haven't established that he's a threat yet," Oka countered.
"Until then, we give him the benefit of the doubt."
Kazao threw up his hands and turned to leave. "Fine. But the
manuscripts hint that what comes up from there isn't a good thing. So
when your boy kills someone, don't come crying to me." There was some
mumbling in the gathered conclave as Kazao turned and left, taking
several ninja with him.
"We've always decided things as a clan," Oka said, raising her
voice to be heard over the mumbling. "But on this issue I stand firm.
We've never taken a life without just cause before, and I don't believe
enough just cause exists now." There was some head nodding in the
audience, but the old leader of the clan was distressed to see more than
a few shaking their head.
She sighed heavily. "Either way, we won't accomplish much else
tonight. I suggest we adjourn until tomorrow." There was much head
nodding to that, as most wanted a good night's sleep, after having
their's interrupted. The conclave began to disperse.
Oka walked off to one of the smaller cabins, where Yuri and
Konatsu were tending to the unconcious Kenji, who was laying on the
futon on the floor. He had passed out right after exiting the cave and
had failed to awaken, though he was alive.
"Any change?" Oka asked, even though she knew the answer.
"None," said Yuri solemnly. The old woman could see how
distressing the ordeal was for the girl.
"Why don't you got get some rest, child," she suggested. "I'll
tend to him for awhile."
"But-?"
"No, please listen to her, Yuri-sama," Konatsu said. "We could
both use rest."
Yuri glanced back and forth between the two, but knew she was
outmatched and was too tired to argue. "Very well."
Konatsu helped her up and the two walked through the door and
back to their own cabin. Oka turned and knelt by the unconcious youth,
dabbing his head with a wet washrag.
"What happened to you down there, hmm?" she asked, expecting no
reply.
But she did get one.
"Wouldn't you like to know, old woman?" Kenji responded, but Oka
realized the tone was not his.
Her hand froze. "Who are you? What have you done with Kenji?"
`Kenji' smiled and opened his eyes. "He's... taken care of." He
slowly stood up. "As for who I am, surely you don't recognize one of
your own ancestral members?"
"No..." Oka whispered in awe "You can't be... Then the legends
are true."
"Indeed, it's been several lifetimes since I was imprisoned."
Kenji's body made several stretches, as if working out the kinks. "But
now I am free, and have this body to use to get my revenge!"
"No!" the old woman protested. "You can't! That's not your body,
and you'll never succeed alone!" Oka brought her gnarled old walking
staff up, even as her face hardened. "I won't let you."
Kenji gave a short laugh. "You think you can stop me, old
woman? What right have you!?" His voice began to rise. "They imprisoned
me for almost a thousand years! And you would deprive me of my
vengeance!?"
Kenji's body blurred, and Oka parried the strike he tried to
inflict with the wakizashu. To it's credit, the old staff held against
the sharpened blade, but barely. Still she felt a cool sensation on her
wrist, even as `Kenji' back away with a grim smile on his face.
"I'm not stupid, old woman," he said, bringing out a small patch
of brown moss and showing it to her. "This moss was the only thing
growing in the cave. It's highly posionous, so I took the liberty of
picking some. Then it was a simple matter to crush them and smear the
powder on my blade." He put the leaves back, and brought out the second
wakizashu, which was slightly longer then Kenji's and with a few more
curves "This was my blade, that was kept on my body after I was
imprisoned. And it shall be this blade that gives me my revenge!"
Oka had felt her strength immediately start to wane. She
collapsed to her knees, then onto her back as the posion rapidly worked
through her body. She tried to fight it, but it was no use. "Don't...
Kae.." she managed weakly.
"Don't struggle, it will only make it worse." Oka heard the
window open. "But take heart knowing that those of the dark will be
joining you in the afterlife soon."
Then Oka knew `she' was gone. I never thought my end would
come like this. Though, what does one expect their end to be?
Then, thinking was impossible as Oka grew sleepy and closed her
eyes.
"Sensei!" The door burst open and four individuals may their way
in. The scene that greeted them was not what they expected. Yuri, the
one that had yelled, gasped and immediately flew to Oka's side, lifting
the old woman's head into her lap. "Are you alright?"
Oka coughed, while Konatsu, Satsu, and Selah kneeled down next
to her. "...child..."
"She's alive!" Yuri breathed, relieved.
"Not for long," Satsu said with a grim mask. "She's been
poisoned, and I recognize the agent used. It couldn't have happened more
than a short time ago." His face suddenly became fiercly angry. "Dang it
all! I was too late!"
He had found Konatsu and Yuri on their way back to their cabin
and intercepted him. After telling them of his bad premonition, the
quartet made their way back to Kenji's room. But they obviously didn't
make it time.
"Do not... blame yourself... old friend," Oka said softly, her
eyes still closed. "My... fault. Didn't... realize... too late..."
"Who did this, sensei?" Yuri asked through the tears that were
begginning to flow. "Where's Kenji!?"
"...she... has him. Gone..."
"Who!?" Yuri practically screamed. "Who is she!?"
Instead of answering, Oka slowly reached a hand up and grazed
Yuri's cheeks, moistening her finger with the tears that were flowing.
She then stroked the girl's forehead, leaving a glistening trail across
it. "...child... I pass it on... to you. Blood of... my blood..."
Then her hand fell limp to the ground and her breathing, which
was already slow and shallow, stopped.
Selah glanced back and forth between the people there,
understanding very little of what was going on, but aware that something
major had happened.
Konatsu slowly extracated the old woman's body from Yuri's
stunned grasp, placing her gently on the floor. He glanced back up at
the young girl who was still kneeling, her position and gaze unchanged.
"Yuri-sama..." he breathed.
Satsu closed his eyes. "So it was spoken, so it shall be done."
He then turned his gaze toward Yuri. "I know you are sad, little one,
but you have much work to do. You will have to grieve later."
"What do you mean, sensei?" Konatsu asked.
"You heard her say it yourself," Satsu returned. "'I pass it on
to you. Blood of my blood.'" Konatsu's eyes widened when the
implications hit, but the old teacher said it aloud anyways. "The leader
of this clan was Soyokaze Oka, mother of Soyokaze Sulyia, grandmother to
Kenji and Yuri."
"Grandma..." Yuri whispered softly.
Satsu's gaze was hard. "And now the mantle of leadership for
the clan has been passed to her granddaughter."