A black suit guard knocked down his partner who was reaching for a strangely shaped object on the table.
"Are you crazy!!?" He yelled, obviously angered.
"What's wrong?" The other man asked.
The first guard said in his seniority arrogance, "I know you are new around here, so just take one word of advice from me. If you still want to be alive by the end of the day, don't touch anything you don't know. You shouldn't even be at this part of the house."
The second guard asked, "Is there a problem? I was told that some important VIP guys live here."
The first guard said, "Mori-sama's son lives here. Kurei-sama would also bring over some of his people sometimes. Such as Jisho-sama who lives in the next room. We don't want to get involved with them, so just don't come to this area at all." He added, "And all the people who didn't take this advice no longer exists in this world..."
The new guard left the room quickly with one last glance at the table. "What is that thing anyway?"
"Raiha-sama's madougu."
Chapter 3 -- Kurenai, Cursed Tears
The sunlight dimmed over the evening clouds as the great fireball slowly sank in the west. Inside the courtyard, magnificent roses bloomed to show off their fragrance. Kurei and Kurenai held hands and walked away slowly in the distance. A girl with a long braid in a ragged T-shirt and jeans wearing a pair of sunglasses tailed them from a few feet away. She carefully hid herself among the bushes, trying not to be spotted.
As she approached the couple a little more from behind a tree, someone tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She almost jumped up but a soft voice stopped her in time. "Beautiful sunset, nee? Kirin-san."
Kirin turned around and saw a tall man with long brown hair in a ninja outfit and carrying a sword on his back. Raiha smiled. She almost screamed, "Why do I always run into you? Miss calculation!!!"
Raiha kept his smiling yet unreadable face, "Please do not disturb them. I'm sure Mori Koran-sama have many other businesses that would required your skills than to be wasted on spying his son." He became a little serious and said, "We have not seen Kurei-sama's smile for a very long time. Please allow it to last as long as it could."
Kirin gazed as the backs of the couple disappearing in the bronze light and sighed, "That is not my decision. Raiha, I wish things were easier for all of us, but Mori-sama..."
Raiha seemed a little sad, "I understand that Kurei-sama and Kurenai-sama has no future together. But all I want is to make his happiness last a little longer. That's all."
Kirin stared at Raiha through her sunglasses, a little puzzled. "Raiha, you're really a strange guy, you know that? I really can't understand you."
Raiha chuckled, "Me? You are telling me that Shingan no Kirin cannot understand me?"
Kirin smiled, "You are a really strange guy. Your heart is closed to my mind. As Kurei-sama once were. Love can really change a man, don't you think?"
Raiha nodded, "Kurei-sama has visibly changed, even Mori-sama has noticed. But the real happiness is to be always with the one you love. Consider yourself fortunate, Kirin-san."
Kirin looked down and whispered, "Fortunate... to be together......... Rasen..."
Kirin left as quietly as she had come. Raiha walked through the rose garden lightly. Kurei and Kurenai can enjoy their sunset in peace now. Raiha smiled at the maid watering the rose bushes.
"The rose looks good on you, Neon." he said.
Neon looked up in shyness and slightly touched the rose pinned on her head. "Kurei-sama gave it to me."
Raiha smiled as he walked past her, "You are like a rose who hides her thorns well."
Neon seemed a little shocked, "How did you know what Kurei-sama said to me?" She called after him.
Raiha didn't answer, but he waved back at her. "It really suits you very well." he said and walked away.
Neon stood alone in the garden. She reached up her hand and gently touched the soft pedals of the rose in her hair. "Kurei-sama..."
"Kirin, where have you been for the last two weeks?" Mori Koran yelled angrily.
Kirin bowed humbly and spoke her apologies, but Mori Koran cut her short once again. "I am not interested in your excuses. What I want to know is the progress on Kurei!!"
Kirin looked up, with ten thousand different prepared words in her mind to be spoken. Yet all became blank when she saw a quiet, white-haired man standing by Mori Koran's side. His cold, dead eyes pierced through her heart. Rasen.
She steadied herself and answered, "Kurei-sama has drastically changed in the short days after meeting Kurenai-sama. I can tell that he cares for her deeply through my Shingan. His love is laid bare on the surface."
Mori Koran laughed sinisterly, "That is all I need to know. Enough. Kirin, you are relieved from your assignment as of now. Rasen, find ten trustworthy men among the guard." His eyes narrowed. "I want to pay a visit to Kurei's house."
Kirin bowed and exited. I'm sorry, Kurei-sama. She thought. But I have something that I am searching for too. She turned around once again and looked at that expressionless face, emotionless eyes. Rasen...
"I don't know what you are talking about! Have you forgotten, father? I have no emotions!" Blood and beatings. Kurei pushed away the girl who tried to cover him. "This girl doesn't mean anything to me."
"Oh, only if that were true..." Mori Koran smiled. "Then would you kill her for me?"
Kurei froze. The air stiffened. "Please stop this, Mori-sama!" Raiha pleaded, while held back by three men. He could not struggle any further; he has not forgotten the bondage Mori Koran holds of them, the fragile old house in a far away land.
"Shut up, Raiha!" Mori Koran sneered. "Stay out of this! It's none of your business! I will not tolerate any more insubordination!!" Then he turned to Kurei. "I knew you couldn't do it. Maybe I should give you a hand!" He laughed and pulled out a miniature remote. "Remember this, Kurei? The implanted bomb inside Tsukino's body!! We needed a test subject, it couldn't be Tsukino of course. So guess who?"
Kurei's eyes widened, his hands were trembling, yet he could do nothing to stop the fateful hand that pressed down on the remote.
Kurenai fell on the soft grass. A deadly silence wrapped the garden. The roses wept in their sorrow and the moon was painted brightly with the dazzling color of blood that night.
A drop of tear, into the darkness. Death, my cursed flame. The mask, my face.
"Please!!! I beg you, Raiha, let me join the Uruha!" Neon pleaded with Raiha. "I want to serve Kurei-sama and be useful to him!"
Raiha said a bit doubtfully, "Are you prepared? Life will be very difficult once you join, it's not as easy as you think..."
Neon nodded her head and did not back off. "I understand. I am ready to face whatever it takes."
Raiha surveyed her for a moment and smiled, "I admire your determination, Neon-san. If that is your choice, then welcome to the Uruha."
Kurei's eyes focused on Raiha coldly through the mask. "Where have you been earlier?" he asked as they took a small path down the mountainside, returning from Tsuki no Miya.
"I had some business to take care of." Raiha said calmly. "I accepted Neon into the Uruha. She has a strong will and very deep loyalty to you, Kurei-sama. I think she will make it through. Also, the excavation projects around the country were all put under Jisho-san's supervision. We will find the remaining Hokage Madougu."
"That is not my concern right now." Kurei replied. "While you were away, father sent me some interesting pets. Ever since I began to organize the assassin group Uruha, he has been planning to plant some of his people in a faction called the UraUruha. Among them, Rasen and Kirin are our old acquaintances. Today, they brought me a few strange people. Maybe you want to meet them some time. The woman caught my attention in particular, she controls an interesting madougu. I believe her name was... Mikoto."
"Will they be staying, Kurei-sama?" Raiha asked.
"Of course." Kurei sneered. "They are father's spies to check my every move. Did he think I wouldn't know? Hahah. Mori Koran takes every man for a fool!." He paused for a long time, then suddenly added, "Did I forget to tell you? Rasen has been named the leader of UraUruha."
Raiha's eyes shone with a pleasant smile, "Omoshiroi nee... Huh?" They both stopped before a man lying in the middle of the path. His body has been badly cut by the numerous sharp rocks near the cliff which he attempted to climb in exhaustion. But the main wound which caused him to collapse is a long still bleeding gash on his chest.
"Kurei-sama, he's still alive." Raiha examined the man's wounds. He noticed a long object wrapped in cloth which the man still held tightly in his hand. Raiha uncovered the cloth carefully. Wrapped inside was a sharply curved blade that shone with a deadly gleam.
"Madougu, Hyoumaen." He said quietly.
They reexamined the man. His eyes were slightly open. When he saw Kurei and Raiha, he grabbed tightly onto his sword and attempted to sit up. However his body could not obey his command and his hand slumped down once again.
He closed his eyes and finally lost consciousness under the shelter of Kurei and the Uruha.
MIKAGAMI TOKIYA!!!
all the japanese you'll need --
-sama, suffix for elevated personage
-san, normal polite suffix
honshin, truth, real purpose
kurei, his name means red splendor
raiha, his name means the master of thunder
uruha, kurei's assassin organization
raijin, god of thunder
tsuki no miya, the moon palace, taken from the name of kurei's mother tsukino
keisan misu/miss calculation, kirin's favorite phrase ^.^
omoshiroi, interesting
comments --
I still don't like this chapter, but I'm getting there. my ultimate goal is to tell how kurei acquired his jyushinshuu... this chapter introduced rasen, jisho, mikoto and kai... and of course there's raiha...
anyone else like to make a comment or suggestion? I desperately need it.
other notes --
all the characters in this story was created by anzai nobuyuki.
parts of this fanfic was taken from the actual manga.
the title honshin is actually taken from the title of one of the chapters of the manga.
I'm sorry to involve US political technicalities into this, but just seem like convenient...
I like my story... only I find my own writing style a little crude... well, it's my first real fanfic, I wrote something non-fanfic for RK before.
this is not a funny story, this is not a romantic story... it's just... my story... T.T
the last member of the uruha jyushinshuu does not appear at all because we all have no idea who it is... ^^;;
Arigatou, Minna-san, for reading my pathetic twist of what really happened.