- TOH SHIN DEN IV: Legends Never Die - The Pleiades Chapter -

a Toshinden Subaru fanfiction by Athena Asamiya


a ordinary boy an ordinary name
but ordinary's just not good enough today

CHAPTER ONE: Innocence



Translations:
hai - yes
saa - now
jikan da - it's time
demo - but
mou... - geez...
oi - hey
itee - ouch
kisama - bastard
domo - thanks
jaa - see ya
sono baka - that idiot
mattaku - honestly...
niisan - big brother
ohayou gozaimasu - good morning
shinai - bamboo training sword
bokken - wooden training sword
tatami - bamboo floor mats
e? - what?
shikashi - but...
nani?! - what?!
kore de owari yo! - this is the end!


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"Everything's ready, then?" The man settled down on the opulent throne, regarding the woman bowed in front of him. "It had better be, if we want to pull this off correctly."
She seemed to bow a little lower. "Hai, Master-sama. Everything is prepared, just as you ordered."
"Excellent. And what of our invitees?"
"None have turned the invitation down, Master-sama."
"Hm." He crossed his arms, the emotion in his voice unreadable, as always. "So things have not changed as much as it appears..."
The hulking figure at the end of the great hall shifted slightly. "So, Master-sama, just what part are WE playing in all this?" The tone in the behemoth's obviously-male voice was close to mocking. "Don't tell me you just awakened us because you wanted to use our powers."
"Zero!" The woman whipped her head around at the man in the shadows, a shocked expression on her face. "How dare you even consider that! Master-sama would never-"
"Eos," the man on the throne interrupted. "Let him be suspicious. He'll see that this is all for the best."
Eos turned back around, and for an instant, the near-emotionless woman appeared to almost show excitement. "Then, we will get the rest of the weapons?"
"Of course we will." The Master's gaze turned to the man at the end of the hall. "Don't you agree, Zero?"
"Che." Zero pushed his large bulk off of the wall with the back of one foot, and started to leave the room. "That's fine by me, Master-sama, as long as the power is ours in the end."
"And it will be," the Master whispered, almost to himself. Getting up from his throne, he tilted his head back, closing his eyes in what looked to be rapt concentration. "Saa..."
And a slow, rare smile spread across his masked face, as his hand brushed the sheathed daikatana at his side. He opened his eyes, and they flashed a deep shade of crimson red before turning a pure, malicious white. "Jikan da."

*************

The remainders of the last few cherry blossoms of the season dipped through the air as they were tossed by a stray morning breeze. Swirling in almost a dance of sorts, the faded pink petals finally came to rest on the walk leading into a large, many-floored high school, with a few uniformed students milling about outside. The school's name - Aizu-Wakamatsu Gakuen - was engraved on a plate at the front gate. Another couple petals whirled past a window on one of the school's top floors, where a few bored students watched them while ignoring their lessons. The teacher in the classroom, Shiratori-sensei, stood at the blackboard with a pointer, jabbing at a group of sentences in English. "Alright, class, I'll expect you all to participate in the pronouncing of these words, as you were all supposed to study this last night--" Shiratori-sensei, a wiry woman with glasses who looked like she'd had enough of teaching (even though it was only the end of April, the first month for high school students in Japan), cut herself off there in annoyance as her eyes focused on one particular student. Head down on the desk with an English textbook propped in front of it, all that was visible was a shock of spiky reddish hair poking up above the book. Unmoving except for rhymic breathing, it was obvious that the black-uniformed student was asleep behind the book. The class tittered with giggles as Shiratori-sensei stalked towards him, brandishing the pointer -- this kind of thing happened a lot, especially with that one student.
"SHINJO-KUN!!!"
THWHACK!
"AAARRRrrrgh!!...uhh...h-h-hai?!?" He shot bolt upright in his seat, being violently awoken from his state of sleep by a pointer slamming across his desk, his English book clattering noisily to the floor. With spikes of light auburn hair falling across his face and into his red-gold eyes, he fumbled for his book to the tune of the class' laughter. He finally held it up triumphantly for the teacher, a huge, slightly false grin pasted on his face and one hand behind his head. "Hahaha...just doing some extra studying, Shiratori-sensei. Man, you know how much I love English..."
"Yes, Shinjo-kun, indeed I do. Enough to sleep through more than half of my classes, and it's only the first month of school." Shiratori-sensei slowly stalked around her student's desk, glaring down at him. "Did you even study last night's assignment?"
"Um...uh..." He looked up at her, still grinning, though it looked almost painful by now. "Ummmm...not...really..."
"Shinjo-kun, into the hallway."
He pouted, hoping sympathy would get him out of this one. It sometimes worked. "DE~~mo..."
"NOW!"

Ten minutes later found him standing outside of the classroom with a sign hanging around his neck that promptly read, "I AM A STUPID IDIOT WHO FALLS ASLEEP IN CLASS."
"Ah, mouuuuu..." he moaned, hanging his head as the bell rang through the school, and students began flooding from the rooms. "Why does this always happen to me...? I hate school and I sure as hell need more sleep."
"Oi, Subaru-KUN!!"
WHACK!
"Ite-ee!!" He rubbed the back of his head, where he had just been smacked by a fellow classmate. He whirled around and snarled, "Kisama, what did you do that for?"
Ishikara Gyoshuku, one of his closer friends, stood beside him, smirking. "Just wanted to make sure you weren't asleep again. Shiratori-sensei was really mad about THAT one. You don't even study for class. Thanks to you, we all got extra homework." He bowed in sarcastic gratitude. "Domo, Subaru."
Subaru Shinjo shook his head and scuffed one foot against the wall behind him. "Screw studying. I'd rather just--"
"Train and practice, we know, we know." Another boy, Izumi Koushirou, joined them from the crowd, most of which were pointing and giggling at the sign a red-faced Subaru was forced to wear. Koushirou frowned at Subaru, gripping a pile of binders and stuffed textbooks, most of which were for advanced courses. "It's our final year, so you can't sleep it off. You're never going to get into university if you fail all the last-year courses."
Subaru flicked a few pieces of hair out of his face, scowling. "We don't ALL have 99.9% grade averages, Izumi. Anyway, I have to train really hard now most of all, so regretfully," he shrugged with a fake tone of sadness in his voice, "I have no time for studying. Or school, for that matter." He stripped off the sign and picked up his bag. "I'm gonna ditch the rest of the day."
"Subaru, you can't, we have a test in calculus today--!" Koushirou yelled after him, but Subaru just continued down the hallway, carelessly waving back to them and calling "Jaa!"
"Sono baka, mattaku..." Koushirou muttered. "Thinks he can do whatever he wants, just because he's the little brother of Eiji Shinjo."
Gyoshuku shrugged, watching Subaru's retreating back. "But it's his grades, not ours."

*************

Subaru yawned loudly as he walked down the sunlit streets of Aizu, holding his bookbag over one shoulder and keeping a wary eye out for any truant officers. "I need more sleep...maybe I should just go home and do that for the rest of today..."
No way! he argued back at himself fiercely. Niisan wouldn't be doing a thing like that! And I have to keep up my training anyway, so I can show him how good I am when he comes back.
"Or IF he comes back..." he murmured out loud, without even noticing. Subaru frowned at his own words. "What the hell am I saying? Of course he's coming back, I just have to-"
He let his ranting stop there as he noticed that many of the passersby on the sidewalks were giving him very odd looks. Subaru glanced around at all of them, before turning bright red and laughing like a moron. "A--o-ohayou gozaimasu...!"
The other people walking by, determining that he was an idiot, ignored him after that. Subaru hunched a little lower, resolving not to talk out loud in public anymore. Instead, he slipped back into his own thoughts. How long's it been? Maybe...probably a little more than a year...so it's been that long already without niisan around. He hopped onto a bus that would take him to his out-of-the-way home, looking out the window into the clear morning sky. Subaru stared off into space, lost in his thoughts. I wish I knew where he was...I wish I knew where to find him, anything...
Subaru's "niisan", Eiji Shinjo, was a courageous master swordsman who had struggled against dark organizations of the underworld, during the legendary tournament known as the Toshindaibukai. Eventually, Eiji and his allies of the tournaments won the three-year long battle and saved the world from ruin. This all happened around ten years ago, and there had been no Toshindaibukai tournaments held since then, so the fighters had all returned to ordinary life -- and for Eiji, it meant raising his little brother, Subaru. Ever since he was young, Subaru had admired Eiji like a role model, instead of an older brother, and aspired to be just like him. When Subaru was eight years old, Eiji took the role of his swordsplay teacher, instructing Subaru in the old Shinjo clan style of swordfighting -- in preparation for the day when Subaru was to be the inheritant of the clan's sacred katana, the Byakko no Tachi, the White Tiger Sword. Subaru had been excited about the idea of training to become just like his brother, and vowed to do whatever it took to become the strongest fighter in the world, to make Eiji proud of him.
Two years ago, after Subaru had turned sixteen, Eiji recommended that he should travel for a while, and try being an adventurer like he had been once. Subaru didn't take to the idea too well, as he felt that he was nowhere near strong enough. However, the words that Eiji said to him changed all that.

"You'll find your answers if you trust the sword. You're a Shinjo, and it's in your blood to fight. But you always need to remember who you are, and what you're fighting for."
This had confused a precocious Subaru. "Why would I forget?"
"Believe me, sometimes, for us...it's easy to forget."

And so, armed with a simple katana that Eiji had given him and all the knowledge and skill that he had been taught, Subaru left on a training journey around the world. He traveled to many foreign places, other parts of Asia, Europe, and the United States, and made many friends and rivals along the way. Subaru felt that he had indeed become a lot stronger from the experience, and after a year or so, decided that he wanted to return home for a while and see his brother again. But Subaru was in for the biggest shock of his young life, as when he went back to Aizu, Eiji was gone. And he left behind only the Byakko no Tachi.
Many of those living in Aizu who knew him were surprised, and Subaru had heard whisperings around that time of things such as "it was the very same as fifteen years ago, with the other one." Whom they were referring to, Subaru had no idea. After the initial shock and worry had passed, all that he had on his mind was that he was now alone, and the clan inheritant of the sword. He didn't particularly want to be at the time, but he was the only Shinjo of the current generation and therefore had no choice but to take the position, lest the family name be dishonoured by the loss of tradition. And yet, it wasn't this that saddened him so much as the loneliness; Subaru had known Eiji for as long as he could remember, and he truly missed him. It wasn't a matter of having someone to look after him; at seventeen, Subaru was hardly a child, and capable enough to take care of himself. But he couldn't imagine his life without Eiji, and wanted him back desperately. And so, on that day only a year ago, Subaru resolved to train as hard as he could in his swordsplay, so he may journey out into the world again and find his oniisan - his elder brother.
Subaru slipped out of his reminiscence when he recognized the familiar area near his home, passing by outside the window. Picking up his bag, the uniform-clad schoolboy pulled the cord for the bus to stop, and left as soon as it slowed to a halt. Subaru stepped off onto a dirt path lined with forest leading up to two structures -- one obviously a typical thatched Japanese house, the other appearing to be a small training dojo of sorts. Subaru immediately headed for the dojo, tossing off his bag and shedding off his school jacket once he got there, leaving him in a pair of black pants, a white short-sleeved shirt, and white shoes (the regulation uniform for male students at his high school).
The training dojo used by the Shinjo family was quite spacious on the inside, although Subaru had always preferred to do his training in the deep surrounding forest. There was a small room off the front of the dojo, which was set up almost like a miniature shrine of sorts. Inside, on a ceremonial stand, lay the sheathed Byakko no Tachi, the sacred sword of the Shinjo clan. It was a beautiful work, and had been in the family for countless generations, passed on to the eldest son in the family -- or in this case, left behind to the ONLY son remaining. Subaru had placed it there when he found it after Eiji left, and hadn't dared to touch it since. Though he could swear that sometimes he felt a strange power emanating from it...
As was customary for each time he entered the dojo, Subaru went into the room and kneeled before the sword, bowing his head low to the floor in respect, then sitting back up and closing his eyes in meditation for a few brief minutes, breathing deeply and concentrating on clearing his mind. After this ritual was finished, Subaru slid the door of the shrine-room shut behind him and headed for the rack of shinai and bokken that was set up near the entrance of the dojo. Selecting the shinai he normally used to train with, Subaru turned and faced a large punching bag hanging from the ceiling. He took up a fighting stance, a slightly different one than Eiji had once used, holding the shinai out in front of him with two hands. He aimed his focus at the center of the bag, his targeted area of attack. Subaru closed his eyes half-way, concentrating hard, then snapped them open as he felt the now-familiar power rush through him. The ki that he had spent so much time learning how to harness, and control.
And with a loud cry, he began.
Charging in at the bag, Subaru started off by scraping the shinai upwards, followed by a slash from the right, then back across from the left. He cut downwards from the top left and then the top right, in almost an X-shaped design, repeating this pattern numerous times and adding in the occasional high slash. He then threw out two quick kicks to the sides of the bag with each leg, flipping around in a thrusting kick from the back and spinning around forward with a roundhouse. Falling into the familiar fighting rhythm with his spirited cries echoing throughout the dojo, Subaru continued his assault on the bag with a number of expertly-executed slashes and kicks, causing the bag to shudder and shake from the violent beating. After whirling around with a full backhand slice, Subaru leapt into the finishing touch. He spun in a blender-type pattern with his shinai held above his head, whirling out around him in a blur and slicing the bag repeatedly. "HISHOUZAN!!"
It was too much for the bag to take. It exploded in a shower of sand, scattering in all directions and littering the dojo floor with grit. Subaru moaned in annoyance and shook some out of the red spikes of his hair. "Damn, I did it again! I gotta stop breaking the equipment, since I don't have the money to spare anymore..."
Exhausted, the young sword-master plopped down cross-legged on the tatami and tried to catch his breath. He held up his shinai and regarded it for a while, before lowering it and dropping it to the floor, hanging his head. "I'm never going to understand why niisan left, unless he comes back, but not like there's a big chance THAT's going to happen..." He looked out the window of the dojo, towards his house. "Life sure sucks sometimes...e?" Subaru was suddenly brought to attention by the sight of a silhouette passing by a window inside the house. What? An intruder? He watched the figure curiously for another few minutes; it appeared like they were almost looking for something. He cast a glance over at the room that held the Byakko no Tachi. Are they looking for you?
Looking back out the window and keeping a wary eye on the intruder in his house, Subaru's eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of something hanging off the person's waist. A sword-sheath??
"Great, that's JUST what I need," he groaned. "I can't take on a swordsman with a shinai!"
Then I have to use...the Byakko no Tachi? Subaru frowned at himself. It's my only choice. But it was niisan's...and I've never used it before.
But how is that different from using any sword? he argued back to himself. Just because there's this weird energy-feeling coming from it is no reason not to use it! Didn't niisan once tell you that you'd have to take it up one of these days?
"Shikashi..." Subaru murmured. "It'd be like admitting that he's really gone, and I'm taking his place..."
So, I guess I have to decide.
Making up his mind with another glance out the window, Subaru slowly crept on his hands and knees to the ceremonial room, lest the swordsman see him as well. Once he got in and slid the screen door shut behind him, Subaru just sat for a minute, staring at the White Tiger Sword, wrestling with his judgment and emotions. At last, he made his decision.
This is it. Wherever you are, niisan, wish me luck -- I'm going to do this.
Finally, he moved forwards to take the sword. He hesitated, however, when he felt a large flow of ki expand outwards from the sword, reaching towards him. Subaru pulled back with a gasp, unsure of what he had just felt. It's like no power I've ever felt, he thought. What IS this sword...? Pausing for only a brief second, he ground his teeth in determination and picked the sheathed katana up off the stand. Subaru noticed that a small bit of light was trickling through the sheath, and he pulled the sword out a bit, exposing the top of the blade. And he gazed, awestruck, at the blade -- it was glowing a dim white. He winced and shut his eyes, feeling the huge amount of power from the katana surround him. And a voice, of indistinguishable origin, spoke.
Byakko has accepted you.
"N-nani?!" Subaru's eyes flew open wide, and he frantically looked around for the source of the voice that had just spoken to him. But he saw nothing, and was even more surprised when he turned his attention back to the Byakko no Tachi and found that the glow had died down, the power mysteriously ebbing away. Subaru waited, expecting something else to happen, but exhaled in relief when nothing more did. He slid the katana back fully into its sheath, and raised it to eye level. "What the hell is going ON here?"
A loud sound coming from his house, almost like a crash, tuned Subaru back to reality. Clutching the Byakko no Tachi, he looked back at the empty stand, and the tapestry hanging above it, depicting a Chinese-style white tiger. He recalled some of the old stories that Eiji had told him. Byakko...the white tiger god, and supposed protector of our family...does the legend have anything to do with the sword, and what that voice said...? And what did niisan mean when he said that the sword was magical--?
Another banging noise was heard, and Subaru stood up, jolted. He turned back around and slid open the door, still holding the Byakko no Tachi, and vowed not to give another thought to it until later. It was just something he couldn't really figure out just then, and now he had to take care of the trespasser. As Subaru quietly sneaked up to the front door of his house, he stared at the sword again and sighed, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. "Why does this feel like it's just the beginning of something...?"
Might as well do it now.
Tightening his grip around the Byakko no Tachi in its saya, Subaru threw open the screen door, yelling, "Who the hell are you??"
And his intruder turned around, huge aqua eyes locking on his in surprise. Subaru was taken aback for a second when he saw that the trespasser was very much a girl, a fairly attractive one at that, and not looking to be any older or younger than he himself. She wore a tight black sleeveless top, tailored so that two thick straps ran down off it, stretching around her bellybutton and down her long legs, connecting like stockings with the tall white-and-yellow heeled boots that she wore. Over the straps she wore a pair of cropped, white-fringed red shorts, showing off most of her thighs. She wore her hair up high on her head in two long blond ponytails, and a pair of thick, orange-tinted goggles were strapped around her forehead. Around her neck hung a small silver cross on a brown cord, standing out clearly against the black. But what really caught Subaru's attention was the sword-sheath at her side, which he had spotted earlier from the dojo. Her orange-gloved hands were upon its hilt in an instant, and she quickly pulled out a long Claymore sword with a thin saber-like blade. She spoke, defiantly, in a voice heavily slurred with a Scottish accent.
"First show me what you've got, Shinjo!!"
In a flash of black, ponytails flying, the girl lunged for Subaru with her sword cutting the air. Subaru yelped and nearly avoided the sharp blade, ducking under the high roundhouse kick that followed. "H-hey, what are you doing?"
The girl didn't answer, and continued her assault. Subaru blocked all of her attacks with the Byakko no Tachi, still in its sheath, and managed to grab her foot when it came flying in for another kick. Twisting it backwards towards her, Subaru neatly swept her other foot out from under her, and she went down with a surprised cry. Leaping up with near inhuman speed, the blond girl dashed in at Subaru again, her sword flashing in a number of well-placed slashes. Subaru managed to block them all, and parried the last one, pushing her back to the floor. From there, the girl growled at him, showing her teeth in what looked almost like a feral display. "Why don't you take out your sword and fight back, you daft idiot?"
"Not until I know why you're attacking me!"
Unanswering, she crouched and flew forward in a vicious spinning kick, catching Subaru off-guard and causing him to stumble to his knees from the hit. As soon as she saw this opening, the girl lept into the air, sword swung back and yelling out in Japanese, "Kore de owari yo!"
She's not giving me a choice here -- I have to...!!
Subaru grit his teeth, and made his decision. The Byakko no Tachi's sheath hit the floor with a hollow sound.
Subaru held the sacred sword it out in front of him in his stance, ready to fight. But all of a sudden, the katana started to react on its own. It glowed a bright white, lighting up the room and nearly blinding both the fighters in the process. The girl, who was already slashing her sword down, had no choice but to clash blades with Subaru. And as soon as the two swords connected, there was a large explosion of white energy from Subaru's katana -- which he had no control over.
She shrieked, and Subaru shut his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw the last of the ki die down, and the girl lying motionless on the floor with her sword lying near her body.
"Dammit!" He ran over to her, kneeling and immediately checking for a pulse, and was much relieved when he found one. Thank God. I'd hate myself if I ever actually killed someone by accident. Subaru stood back up, and examined the seemingly normal sword that he held. I didn't mean to do that...so why did the Byakko no Tachi react by itself again? I sure didn't summon all that power, and I don't think I even wanted to. It was the same power it always gave off, and like what I felt before...
Subaru looked around him, surveying the damage done to his house. A lot of things had been broken, including numerous chairs and a table or two. He cast another glance at the ponytailed girl's unconscious form on the floor of his house, and then back at one of the only unbroken chairs left. Determined, he went and picked up the chair, plopping it down next to her, then going to find some rope. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this, whether she likes it or not."


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