"They hate you. Everyone hates you.
No. Not everyone.
They beat you. Everyone always beats you.
Not everyone. I hope not everyone.
You hate those who beat you.
I don't know. I used to think my mommy was good and that's why she did what she did. Then I met Jiguro and Keiko and they let me have whatever I want as long as they can give it to me. I don't ask for too much because my mommy and all of my mommy's friends said that I was a spoiled, whinny brat.
And are they wrong?
I don't know. I want to think that my mommy was a good person but now I wonder if she is bad. I don't know very many people.
You once knew a little girl named Yuiko. She was a few years younger than you are now when she died. Yuiko was murdered cruelly.
Yuiko was being a spoiled brat! She always asked for food so her mommy locked her in a closet for a week to shut her up!
And there was another girl named Satori. Satori was also murdered carelessly.
Satori was being a whinny little brat! Satori wanted to find her real dad so she kept asking all of the men at the tavern again and again until someone sliced her head off!
Then you were all alone.
I'm a spoiled little brat! I deserve to be alone! My mommy said so after I kept crying after Satori died! My mommy said all I ever do is cry!
And you want to silence your mother, correct? You want to starve her. You want to beat her in the exact same manner that she beat you and your friends."
Yuki awoke tearfully. She was crying again and living her life in tears like how her mother said she would live. Ashamed and disgusted with herself, she covered her eyes with her long sleeves, which were soon soaked. Yet, no one scolded her. Somewhat curious, Yuki glanced around. She was completely alone, abandoned. Yet, no one scolded her. However, the Ronin Warriors would comfort her. She remembered that the two tigers walked off. Yuki sighed and sat straightly. She was being selfish again. Her own problems were insignificant. She wanted Keiko to hug her to make her feel happy and loved. She wanted Shiro to tell her a joke to make her laugh and smile. She wanted Hitomaro and Ashura to teach her how to read and create poems so that she would feel special enough to need the education of nobility. Everything that she selfishly wanted was the essence of joy. Perhaps if she did not have any emotions, she would not be selfish.
Then she frowned thoughtfully. Her nap was really long and began a long time after the Ronin Warriors went into Senbo. They should have returned by now. Something was wrong. She examined what she could see of the village. The usual sounds of business and children were gone, vanished. The air was full of fear. Standing up, she surveyed the area for anything else that was out of place. The Jewel of Life tingled against her skin and radiated comfort. She cupped it in her hands curiously and pointed it in the northwestern direction of Senbo. The Jewel of Life responded and the tingling sensation increased. Yuki looked up in alarm. She suddenly sensed something dangerous in that direction and she lacked the proper words to describe the danger.
Then from behind her, she heard the air move as though running away. Frightened, Yuki spun around. A tan-skinned man with orange hair glared at her with piercing yellow eyes. Impassive, the stranger swung his massive bo staff at her head.
There was a cling of metal as an arrow hit the bo, messing the aim of the stranger's weapon. Yuki fled, trembling while Hitomaro, Shiro, Ashura, and Morhiko faced the stranger. The Ronin Warriors were bruised, bloody, and their armors were dented while the stranger merely had a single superficial scratch.
Hitomaro fired more arrows at the stranger, but those were blocked easily. Then Shiro attacked, his sword ringing repetitiously against the wooden bo. The stranger thrust his weapon hard into Shiro's stomach and tossed him a few feet onto the ground. The Ronin Warrior of Wisdom lain still except for the up and down movement of his ragged breathing. Ashura and Morhiko attacked at once from the sides. The stranger blocked and parried with indifference. Hitomaro fired another arrow that struck the back of the attacker, just below the shoulder. The attacker jumped into the air, pulled out the arrow, and landed several yards away from the warriors. Then, the orange- haired stranger ran off, not wanting to risk defeat.
If Hariel knew he would begin hearing voices after getting the Wildfire armor, he might have reconsidered. But he also might have considered himself to be more powerful than any silly voices.
"You want to fight. You want to be powerful."
"Fighting is only for defense of self and of the world."
"You want a challenge! With more power comes more challenges and I will give you the greatest challenge ever to exist!"
Hariel wanted to obey both voices yet the voices contradicted each other! Frequently, he cradled his head in his hands after waking up and he wondered what crime from a previous life caused him to suffer so much pain. He often found a bottle of sake to drown out the voices. Finally, the strange voices went away and he relaxed comfortably against the wall of the hut.
"You changed, Hariel." Another voice! One he knew very well.
Waving a sake bottle, the rouge ninja replied, "Hello, Tazuri. Wanna give birth to another of my children?"
Arms crossed defensively, the Sanada woman rolled her eyes in exasperation and looked away. "Did the Ancient One really choose you?"
Hariel shrugged. "If he did, he probly wanted to torture me. This armor is evil. It is trying to destroy me." His eyes became unfocused, confused.
Tazuri returned her gaze to him. "It is the nature of good to destroy evil."
"Yeah." The rouge ninja sighed ruefully. He wanted to obey the true purpose of the armor! Yet. yet. he also didn't! "I'm sorry," he whispered under his breath.
"You certainly changed."
Hariel averted her gaze. "My children really enjoy seeing me in this armor."
"Of course."
He thought everyone else had changed, but maybe Tazuri was right. Maybe he was the only person who changed.
Suddenly his sixth son, one of the youngest whose mother was not Tazuri, ran into the room. "There are more Ronin Warriors coming, but they look mean!"
Hariel sprang up and called on his full armor. Then, he said softly, "Well, I hafta go now. C'ya." Quietly and avoiding the curious looks of his family, he exited the hut.
The people on the streets stared at him with the same astonishment that they displayed when he first entered wearing the Wildfire armor. Except now, the rouge ninja felt exposed and naked amid their constant watching. For him, there would be no more safe places to hide.
Then, there was a loud hush. Silence swept over the area with the same deafening force as a million horses at full gallop. The strange hush, Hariel noted, radiated from a pale man with orange hair and a wooden bo staff. The ninja knew instinctively that the man was his protector and although it was his first time to see his mysterious protector in any way or form, he knew the man was also in his dreams.
As the protector walked to his side, Hariel felt an abrupt, peculiar rush of adrenaline like what a fighter experiences during the highlight of a battle. The kanji for Perfect Virtue flared up on his forehead with the same, equal amount of force as the rush of adrenaline. It is possible that Hariel at that time had a glimpse of how his life was entangled with the workings of supernatural powers. It is also possible that Hariel realized he was merely a toy who would never understand how his actions and his path would affect the future generations. Although the Ronin Warriors were approaching from behind, Hariel was motionless. His mysterious protector at his side faced the nearing warriors. Two tigers, identical except for the colors, arrived in front of him.
"My swords." Hariel whispered as his contradicting dreams replayed in his mind and the supernatural voice that he heard since he first wore Wildfire was a murmur.
~Go. Leave. ~ Those words were what Hariel desired most. He wanted to abandon the entire confusing situation. He wanted to escape to a place of tranquility. However, those words entered his head with an urgency that was foreign to him.
Hariel turned to his mysterious protector, the Guardian of the Soul Swords of Fervor. "You want me to leave, don't you?" Although the stranger never spoke, he knew the answer was yes. "And you also want to destroy the Sanada clan, right?" How he guessed the stranger's intention is a thing that no one will ever know.
Furious, Hariel knocked the stranger into the ground and unleashed an angry array of punches. Those who truly understood the rouge ninja were unsurprised by his sudden defense of the clan. The Sanada ninja clan was his favorite refuge and perhaps the only place that he considered his home; his surname came from the Sanada ninja clan. In that moment of defense for his home, the kanji for Perfect Virtue shined brightest. However, the kanji quickly blackened as the fighter's rush of adrenaline once again filled him and battled the perfect virtue of the Wildfire armor.
Hariel backed away, clutching his head in agony. His sanity was thinning. Something was calling for him. What was calling for him? His reason for stealing Wildfire was calling for him. He must fulfill what he started.
The two tigers, forgotten by everyone watching the horrible event, ran between the rouge ninja and the Guardian of the Soul Swords of Fervor. White Blaze faced the rouge ninja while Black Blaze faced the other.
"Yellow Flame," Black Blaze spoke to the other, "You can hear me. I know you hear me. You always hear me. Are you aware of what fate plans for you? I am quite aware and I wait eagerly."
White Blaze approached Hariel tentatively. The ninja ran away, terrified of the tiger. His reason for stealing Wildfire was calling for him. He must fulfill what he started. His mind slowly torn away by the conflicting emotions of virtue and battle-lust, Hariel believed that when he finished his self-appointed mission he would live in peaceful tranquility. Yellow Flame also ran off.
And the Ronin Warriors of the four seasonal armors were witnesses to an event that they could not understand.
No. Not everyone.
They beat you. Everyone always beats you.
Not everyone. I hope not everyone.
You hate those who beat you.
I don't know. I used to think my mommy was good and that's why she did what she did. Then I met Jiguro and Keiko and they let me have whatever I want as long as they can give it to me. I don't ask for too much because my mommy and all of my mommy's friends said that I was a spoiled, whinny brat.
And are they wrong?
I don't know. I want to think that my mommy was a good person but now I wonder if she is bad. I don't know very many people.
You once knew a little girl named Yuiko. She was a few years younger than you are now when she died. Yuiko was murdered cruelly.
Yuiko was being a spoiled brat! She always asked for food so her mommy locked her in a closet for a week to shut her up!
And there was another girl named Satori. Satori was also murdered carelessly.
Satori was being a whinny little brat! Satori wanted to find her real dad so she kept asking all of the men at the tavern again and again until someone sliced her head off!
Then you were all alone.
I'm a spoiled little brat! I deserve to be alone! My mommy said so after I kept crying after Satori died! My mommy said all I ever do is cry!
And you want to silence your mother, correct? You want to starve her. You want to beat her in the exact same manner that she beat you and your friends."
Yuki awoke tearfully. She was crying again and living her life in tears like how her mother said she would live. Ashamed and disgusted with herself, she covered her eyes with her long sleeves, which were soon soaked. Yet, no one scolded her. Somewhat curious, Yuki glanced around. She was completely alone, abandoned. Yet, no one scolded her. However, the Ronin Warriors would comfort her. She remembered that the two tigers walked off. Yuki sighed and sat straightly. She was being selfish again. Her own problems were insignificant. She wanted Keiko to hug her to make her feel happy and loved. She wanted Shiro to tell her a joke to make her laugh and smile. She wanted Hitomaro and Ashura to teach her how to read and create poems so that she would feel special enough to need the education of nobility. Everything that she selfishly wanted was the essence of joy. Perhaps if she did not have any emotions, she would not be selfish.
Then she frowned thoughtfully. Her nap was really long and began a long time after the Ronin Warriors went into Senbo. They should have returned by now. Something was wrong. She examined what she could see of the village. The usual sounds of business and children were gone, vanished. The air was full of fear. Standing up, she surveyed the area for anything else that was out of place. The Jewel of Life tingled against her skin and radiated comfort. She cupped it in her hands curiously and pointed it in the northwestern direction of Senbo. The Jewel of Life responded and the tingling sensation increased. Yuki looked up in alarm. She suddenly sensed something dangerous in that direction and she lacked the proper words to describe the danger.
Then from behind her, she heard the air move as though running away. Frightened, Yuki spun around. A tan-skinned man with orange hair glared at her with piercing yellow eyes. Impassive, the stranger swung his massive bo staff at her head.
There was a cling of metal as an arrow hit the bo, messing the aim of the stranger's weapon. Yuki fled, trembling while Hitomaro, Shiro, Ashura, and Morhiko faced the stranger. The Ronin Warriors were bruised, bloody, and their armors were dented while the stranger merely had a single superficial scratch.
Hitomaro fired more arrows at the stranger, but those were blocked easily. Then Shiro attacked, his sword ringing repetitiously against the wooden bo. The stranger thrust his weapon hard into Shiro's stomach and tossed him a few feet onto the ground. The Ronin Warrior of Wisdom lain still except for the up and down movement of his ragged breathing. Ashura and Morhiko attacked at once from the sides. The stranger blocked and parried with indifference. Hitomaro fired another arrow that struck the back of the attacker, just below the shoulder. The attacker jumped into the air, pulled out the arrow, and landed several yards away from the warriors. Then, the orange- haired stranger ran off, not wanting to risk defeat.
If Hariel knew he would begin hearing voices after getting the Wildfire armor, he might have reconsidered. But he also might have considered himself to be more powerful than any silly voices.
"You want to fight. You want to be powerful."
"Fighting is only for defense of self and of the world."
"You want a challenge! With more power comes more challenges and I will give you the greatest challenge ever to exist!"
Hariel wanted to obey both voices yet the voices contradicted each other! Frequently, he cradled his head in his hands after waking up and he wondered what crime from a previous life caused him to suffer so much pain. He often found a bottle of sake to drown out the voices. Finally, the strange voices went away and he relaxed comfortably against the wall of the hut.
"You changed, Hariel." Another voice! One he knew very well.
Waving a sake bottle, the rouge ninja replied, "Hello, Tazuri. Wanna give birth to another of my children?"
Arms crossed defensively, the Sanada woman rolled her eyes in exasperation and looked away. "Did the Ancient One really choose you?"
Hariel shrugged. "If he did, he probly wanted to torture me. This armor is evil. It is trying to destroy me." His eyes became unfocused, confused.
Tazuri returned her gaze to him. "It is the nature of good to destroy evil."
"Yeah." The rouge ninja sighed ruefully. He wanted to obey the true purpose of the armor! Yet. yet. he also didn't! "I'm sorry," he whispered under his breath.
"You certainly changed."
Hariel averted her gaze. "My children really enjoy seeing me in this armor."
"Of course."
He thought everyone else had changed, but maybe Tazuri was right. Maybe he was the only person who changed.
Suddenly his sixth son, one of the youngest whose mother was not Tazuri, ran into the room. "There are more Ronin Warriors coming, but they look mean!"
Hariel sprang up and called on his full armor. Then, he said softly, "Well, I hafta go now. C'ya." Quietly and avoiding the curious looks of his family, he exited the hut.
The people on the streets stared at him with the same astonishment that they displayed when he first entered wearing the Wildfire armor. Except now, the rouge ninja felt exposed and naked amid their constant watching. For him, there would be no more safe places to hide.
Then, there was a loud hush. Silence swept over the area with the same deafening force as a million horses at full gallop. The strange hush, Hariel noted, radiated from a pale man with orange hair and a wooden bo staff. The ninja knew instinctively that the man was his protector and although it was his first time to see his mysterious protector in any way or form, he knew the man was also in his dreams.
As the protector walked to his side, Hariel felt an abrupt, peculiar rush of adrenaline like what a fighter experiences during the highlight of a battle. The kanji for Perfect Virtue flared up on his forehead with the same, equal amount of force as the rush of adrenaline. It is possible that Hariel at that time had a glimpse of how his life was entangled with the workings of supernatural powers. It is also possible that Hariel realized he was merely a toy who would never understand how his actions and his path would affect the future generations. Although the Ronin Warriors were approaching from behind, Hariel was motionless. His mysterious protector at his side faced the nearing warriors. Two tigers, identical except for the colors, arrived in front of him.
"My swords." Hariel whispered as his contradicting dreams replayed in his mind and the supernatural voice that he heard since he first wore Wildfire was a murmur.
~Go. Leave. ~ Those words were what Hariel desired most. He wanted to abandon the entire confusing situation. He wanted to escape to a place of tranquility. However, those words entered his head with an urgency that was foreign to him.
Hariel turned to his mysterious protector, the Guardian of the Soul Swords of Fervor. "You want me to leave, don't you?" Although the stranger never spoke, he knew the answer was yes. "And you also want to destroy the Sanada clan, right?" How he guessed the stranger's intention is a thing that no one will ever know.
Furious, Hariel knocked the stranger into the ground and unleashed an angry array of punches. Those who truly understood the rouge ninja were unsurprised by his sudden defense of the clan. The Sanada ninja clan was his favorite refuge and perhaps the only place that he considered his home; his surname came from the Sanada ninja clan. In that moment of defense for his home, the kanji for Perfect Virtue shined brightest. However, the kanji quickly blackened as the fighter's rush of adrenaline once again filled him and battled the perfect virtue of the Wildfire armor.
Hariel backed away, clutching his head in agony. His sanity was thinning. Something was calling for him. What was calling for him? His reason for stealing Wildfire was calling for him. He must fulfill what he started.
The two tigers, forgotten by everyone watching the horrible event, ran between the rouge ninja and the Guardian of the Soul Swords of Fervor. White Blaze faced the rouge ninja while Black Blaze faced the other.
"Yellow Flame," Black Blaze spoke to the other, "You can hear me. I know you hear me. You always hear me. Are you aware of what fate plans for you? I am quite aware and I wait eagerly."
White Blaze approached Hariel tentatively. The ninja ran away, terrified of the tiger. His reason for stealing Wildfire was calling for him. He must fulfill what he started. His mind slowly torn away by the conflicting emotions of virtue and battle-lust, Hariel believed that when he finished his self-appointed mission he would live in peaceful tranquility. Yellow Flame also ran off.
And the Ronin Warriors of the four seasonal armors were witnesses to an event that they could not understand.