"You know why you were chosen. You were chosen to die. Everyone was
chosen to die. Defeating that thing which has strength beyond yours is
impossible! Of course everyone was chosen to die, especially you. Your
comrade was almost dead when the holy Ancient One arrived to save him
heroically. Shiro remains near death. If he, an expert swordsman, was
wounded so grievously, by what means can you survive? You were not born to
swim in the blood and sweat of those pointless battles. You were born to
live in splendor and glory. The one who chose you knows this and he hates
you for your birthright. He has a reason to hate everyone. Regain your
youthful days! We are one in our purpose!"
Eyes bulging wide with fear, Hitomaro gasped for air, awaking abruptly. His heart beat furiously against his chest. His mind was light and clear from the terror of the dream. He touched his head gently, feeling the died blood from the wound that the Ancient One healed but was too exhausted to clean. Needing something normal to focus his sanity on to calm himself, Hitomaro examined the shadows on the ground caused by his moving arms. There was also the shadow of a man standing next to him. The Ronin Warrior of Life instantly jumped back and glanced up at the owner of the frightening shadow - Nazaka staring at him with his big, sympathetic eyes.
"You were having a nightmare again," the Ronin Warrior of Piety stated bluntly.
Hitomaro nodded silently, avoiding the eyes of the others, and shuddered. He never wanted to think about those dreams. "Shiro. Shiro just ran at that man as if he was processed by a demon. Usually he is thoughtful and careful. and his expression was full of anger."
Propping his elbows on his knees, Morhiko suggested, "Maybe the dreams are caused by demons?"
Nazaka nodded, "Maybe."
Stepping into the circle of conversation, Toshiten objected thoughtfully, "But the dreams are what we want, right?"
"NO!" Yuki shouted out unexpectedly. She paced up and down shakily, trembling convulsively. The bright redness on her face from her crying earlier, when Shiro was near death, never diminished. "I don't want Shiro to die! That's what the voice wants! The voice wants everyone to die! We musn't obey the voice!"
Trembling, the little girl ran into Jiguro's arms. The Ronin Warrior of Serenity hugged her and gently brushed her hair back while whispering comforting words of encouragement in her ear.
Attempting to form a conclusion about the strange oddity, Ashura asked her, "So this 'voice' causes the dreams, but what is the voice?"
Yuki replied, "The voice is evil." Did that explain everything?
Ashura shouted sarcastically, "Brilliant! Yuki, you are truly a wonderful scholar!"
Infuriated at Ashura's rude tone, Jiguro scowled at the bearer of Hardrock and hugged his adopted daughter tighter. The Ronin Warriors of Serenity and Justice glared at each other, waiting for the chance to vent their anger on the other.
"What happened to your search for Hariel?" Hitomaro asked quickly to distract them and to prevent them from fighting.
Idoju sighed and replied, "We found him with the Sanada clan, but he escaped." His voice trailed off as he glanced in the direction that the two tigers walked away.
Toshiten added, "He got in a fight with a man who we believe was the mysterious attacker. The two tigers intervened. Hariel appeared terrified and ran off."
Dubious, Hitomaro glanced at the bearers of the seasonal armors curiously but their stoic expressions reflected the truth. He heard footsteps approaching and looked up. Finishing his nap to regain his strength, the Ancient One walked over the Shiro and proceeded to heal the Ronin Warrior of Wisdom further.
The new threat was stronger than Talpa. Those words replayed themselves incessantly in Kaosu's mind. During his first invasion, Talpa slain all of the warrior monks, the world's best defenders who were never beaten in the thousand years of their existence! What could be stronger than Talpa? Maybe. maybe Kaosu chose the wrong people to be the Ronin Warriors. He was undecided on who should wear Halo so he asked an old friend at the Dateki shrine from which Shiro got his surname. Perhaps a person from the Date clan was more worthy, but there were also too many from the Date clan who were candidates. If one person received the armor, the others would be jealous and jealousy was increasingly fatal in the recent years.
And maybe Kaosu chose the wrong child to be the bearer of the Jewel of Life. Every child, born and raised in taverns, lacked innocence. Perhaps if Yuki got out of the tavern sooner.
Kaosu the Ancient One always chose incorrectly and his decisions put the world in danger. His first major decision was to help Talpa in a search for an armor that he believed was either a hoax or unattainable, but resulted in his spiritual mutilation and the resurrection of an evil Dynasty. Decades passed before his mind fully healed although the scars would remain with him forever. His second major decision, which happened after the warrior monks were killed, was to give the Jewel of Life to a worthy person. Unfortunately, he chose Hiruko who he liked in earlier years and who was a very poor choice. The Jewel of Life was a dull stone in Hiruko's hands. What about the creation of the armors? Kaosu created the armors out of a moral obligation that he felt for the warrior monks whose duty was to protect the world against the evil Dynasty - Talpa and his ancestors. And now.
Now, the Ronin Warriors (who were probably not the best-suited for the job) were facing a threat that was stronger than Talpa while Talpa and the various youja under his command were attempting to break into the mortal realm thus preventing The Ancient One from returning to heal the Ronin Warriors after a major battle.
Life was very stressful.
Shiro groaned miserably. His body twitched painfully, stiff from almost dying and the disuse during his coma. Shame flooded his mind as he remembered his brash actions during the battle with the stranger and the betrayal of Kokibon who bullied him when he was child. He hated those memories so he rolled over to his side to distract himself from remembering. He rested, disconnected from the world. The sounds of talking people were vague whispers, separate from himself and his life. Then, a muffled tearful sob jerked him into the world.
The sight of his comrades huddled together yet alone in their thoughts worried him. He noticed Yuki's forlorn expression and was ashamed of himself. He was responsible for Yuki's upbringing and he wanted her to have a better childhood than his yet already she witnessed more bloodshed and experienced more fear than he did at her age.
"Hey little sister," he rasped out; his throat was sore and stiff. "I'm still here."
Delighted and relieved, Yuki zoomed over and hugged him with all of her strength. The Ronin Warrior of Wisdom smiled and hugged her in return. The warmth and happiness of the scene gave the others a little more hope for their journey.
After Shiro proved fit enough to walk, they found a library in town other than Senbo and began searching for a map of Japan. Hariel was moving closer to the eastern border of Japan and if the rouge ninja traveled further east, he would be in the ocean. The Ronin Warriors had to know all of the important places in the area.
While the Ronin Warriors were searching for a map, the two tigers pondered over their somber predicament.
"The White Inferno is really in Japan. The seal was broken," White Blaze whispered incredulously to himself. Tekaku's ultimate sacrifice and the efforts of his friends were in vain for nothing.
The seal was almost nonexistent since its erection 500 years ago, but Black Blaze said nothing. He lain on the grass, watched a few passers-by who were intrigued at the sight of the two tigers, and then looked at the sky.
White Blaze paced restlessly. "The Ronin Warriors will never bow down to the Inferno!" he shouted, more to assure himself of that fact than to defy the other tiger's previous prediction. Then, he noticed the other's strange silence. "Why are you not sneering at me?"
"Because," Black Blaze sighed ruefully, "soon, I will experience my first real battle. I already know the outcome yet I still fear the bloodshed. Primal instinct is a curious experience."
The Guardian of Virtue refused to believe in prophecies. "Can Yellow Flame be killed?"
"Everything dies eventually, Rekka, including Yellow Flame and including us."
"Are we capable of killing Yellow Flame?"
Black Blaze sighed again, "He gets his power from the Soul Swords of Fervor that he carries. Once he gives away the swords, his strength will be depleted."
"But then the Inferno will be at its full power and nothing can stop that."
The other tiger tiredly stared at White Blaze and said openly, "Big sacrifices are always required to defeat the Inferno armors."
"I really don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm sorry I'm not good enough," Yuki admitted painfully to the Ancient One as they walked through the halls of the library.
Sitting down to her standing level, the Ancient One told her, "The Ronin Warriors learn a lot from their armors. Maybe the Jewel of Life can teach you something if you allow it. You have to trust yourself and you have to have faith in yourself. You also have to think unselfishly. The Ronin Warriors should have a map by now. Let's go see."
Yuki frowned and averted his kind gaze. She would always be a selfish spoiled brat yet she did not want to be a brat. Everyone had wants so what was the difference between selfishness and unselfishness?
"Finally!" Toshiten exclaimed, running to the other Ronin Warriors with a large scroll. "A complete modern map of the eastern border!"
Idoju grabbed the map out of his hands, slammed it on the library table, and hurriedly unrolled it. The Ronin Warriors quickly gathered around the map. Shiro held Yuki up so that she could see.
"There's the Gensei temple," Ashura commented.
"There's the last known naturally-occurring gate to the nether world," Jiguro pointed to a small field on the map.
"There's a temple near that coastal city," Morhiko pointed out. "Most of the people in my village visit that place."
"There's also a temple below it near my hometown," Nazaka added.
"Maybe Hariel is going in the middle of all those places," Shiro suggested, "which would be in that forest."
"No." Trembling, Hitomaro collapsed on the map with his hands clutching his head in disgrace. "I know where Hariel is going. My castle is also on the eastern coast. Hariel wants to break into my castle and steal the armor of Inferno."
The Ancient One mused, "So it actually exists."
"That armor is cursed!" Ashura exclaimed. "If Hariel gets that armor before we do, we will all die."
The Ancient One nodded somberly and gripped his staff tightly. He noted the curious expressions of the other Ronin Warriors. They were ignorant of the Inferno. "We must hurry. Ashura and Hitomaro, you need to explain everything that you know about the Inferno."
Ashura answered, "I only know that it is cursed and very powerful."
Hitomaro added, "I also know the same, but nothing else." He trembled under the weight of his responsibility. The bearer of Strata's desire for extravagance and rare items would destroy the world.
Eyes bulging wide with fear, Hitomaro gasped for air, awaking abruptly. His heart beat furiously against his chest. His mind was light and clear from the terror of the dream. He touched his head gently, feeling the died blood from the wound that the Ancient One healed but was too exhausted to clean. Needing something normal to focus his sanity on to calm himself, Hitomaro examined the shadows on the ground caused by his moving arms. There was also the shadow of a man standing next to him. The Ronin Warrior of Life instantly jumped back and glanced up at the owner of the frightening shadow - Nazaka staring at him with his big, sympathetic eyes.
"You were having a nightmare again," the Ronin Warrior of Piety stated bluntly.
Hitomaro nodded silently, avoiding the eyes of the others, and shuddered. He never wanted to think about those dreams. "Shiro. Shiro just ran at that man as if he was processed by a demon. Usually he is thoughtful and careful. and his expression was full of anger."
Propping his elbows on his knees, Morhiko suggested, "Maybe the dreams are caused by demons?"
Nazaka nodded, "Maybe."
Stepping into the circle of conversation, Toshiten objected thoughtfully, "But the dreams are what we want, right?"
"NO!" Yuki shouted out unexpectedly. She paced up and down shakily, trembling convulsively. The bright redness on her face from her crying earlier, when Shiro was near death, never diminished. "I don't want Shiro to die! That's what the voice wants! The voice wants everyone to die! We musn't obey the voice!"
Trembling, the little girl ran into Jiguro's arms. The Ronin Warrior of Serenity hugged her and gently brushed her hair back while whispering comforting words of encouragement in her ear.
Attempting to form a conclusion about the strange oddity, Ashura asked her, "So this 'voice' causes the dreams, but what is the voice?"
Yuki replied, "The voice is evil." Did that explain everything?
Ashura shouted sarcastically, "Brilliant! Yuki, you are truly a wonderful scholar!"
Infuriated at Ashura's rude tone, Jiguro scowled at the bearer of Hardrock and hugged his adopted daughter tighter. The Ronin Warriors of Serenity and Justice glared at each other, waiting for the chance to vent their anger on the other.
"What happened to your search for Hariel?" Hitomaro asked quickly to distract them and to prevent them from fighting.
Idoju sighed and replied, "We found him with the Sanada clan, but he escaped." His voice trailed off as he glanced in the direction that the two tigers walked away.
Toshiten added, "He got in a fight with a man who we believe was the mysterious attacker. The two tigers intervened. Hariel appeared terrified and ran off."
Dubious, Hitomaro glanced at the bearers of the seasonal armors curiously but their stoic expressions reflected the truth. He heard footsteps approaching and looked up. Finishing his nap to regain his strength, the Ancient One walked over the Shiro and proceeded to heal the Ronin Warrior of Wisdom further.
The new threat was stronger than Talpa. Those words replayed themselves incessantly in Kaosu's mind. During his first invasion, Talpa slain all of the warrior monks, the world's best defenders who were never beaten in the thousand years of their existence! What could be stronger than Talpa? Maybe. maybe Kaosu chose the wrong people to be the Ronin Warriors. He was undecided on who should wear Halo so he asked an old friend at the Dateki shrine from which Shiro got his surname. Perhaps a person from the Date clan was more worthy, but there were also too many from the Date clan who were candidates. If one person received the armor, the others would be jealous and jealousy was increasingly fatal in the recent years.
And maybe Kaosu chose the wrong child to be the bearer of the Jewel of Life. Every child, born and raised in taverns, lacked innocence. Perhaps if Yuki got out of the tavern sooner.
Kaosu the Ancient One always chose incorrectly and his decisions put the world in danger. His first major decision was to help Talpa in a search for an armor that he believed was either a hoax or unattainable, but resulted in his spiritual mutilation and the resurrection of an evil Dynasty. Decades passed before his mind fully healed although the scars would remain with him forever. His second major decision, which happened after the warrior monks were killed, was to give the Jewel of Life to a worthy person. Unfortunately, he chose Hiruko who he liked in earlier years and who was a very poor choice. The Jewel of Life was a dull stone in Hiruko's hands. What about the creation of the armors? Kaosu created the armors out of a moral obligation that he felt for the warrior monks whose duty was to protect the world against the evil Dynasty - Talpa and his ancestors. And now.
Now, the Ronin Warriors (who were probably not the best-suited for the job) were facing a threat that was stronger than Talpa while Talpa and the various youja under his command were attempting to break into the mortal realm thus preventing The Ancient One from returning to heal the Ronin Warriors after a major battle.
Life was very stressful.
Shiro groaned miserably. His body twitched painfully, stiff from almost dying and the disuse during his coma. Shame flooded his mind as he remembered his brash actions during the battle with the stranger and the betrayal of Kokibon who bullied him when he was child. He hated those memories so he rolled over to his side to distract himself from remembering. He rested, disconnected from the world. The sounds of talking people were vague whispers, separate from himself and his life. Then, a muffled tearful sob jerked him into the world.
The sight of his comrades huddled together yet alone in their thoughts worried him. He noticed Yuki's forlorn expression and was ashamed of himself. He was responsible for Yuki's upbringing and he wanted her to have a better childhood than his yet already she witnessed more bloodshed and experienced more fear than he did at her age.
"Hey little sister," he rasped out; his throat was sore and stiff. "I'm still here."
Delighted and relieved, Yuki zoomed over and hugged him with all of her strength. The Ronin Warrior of Wisdom smiled and hugged her in return. The warmth and happiness of the scene gave the others a little more hope for their journey.
After Shiro proved fit enough to walk, they found a library in town other than Senbo and began searching for a map of Japan. Hariel was moving closer to the eastern border of Japan and if the rouge ninja traveled further east, he would be in the ocean. The Ronin Warriors had to know all of the important places in the area.
While the Ronin Warriors were searching for a map, the two tigers pondered over their somber predicament.
"The White Inferno is really in Japan. The seal was broken," White Blaze whispered incredulously to himself. Tekaku's ultimate sacrifice and the efforts of his friends were in vain for nothing.
The seal was almost nonexistent since its erection 500 years ago, but Black Blaze said nothing. He lain on the grass, watched a few passers-by who were intrigued at the sight of the two tigers, and then looked at the sky.
White Blaze paced restlessly. "The Ronin Warriors will never bow down to the Inferno!" he shouted, more to assure himself of that fact than to defy the other tiger's previous prediction. Then, he noticed the other's strange silence. "Why are you not sneering at me?"
"Because," Black Blaze sighed ruefully, "soon, I will experience my first real battle. I already know the outcome yet I still fear the bloodshed. Primal instinct is a curious experience."
The Guardian of Virtue refused to believe in prophecies. "Can Yellow Flame be killed?"
"Everything dies eventually, Rekka, including Yellow Flame and including us."
"Are we capable of killing Yellow Flame?"
Black Blaze sighed again, "He gets his power from the Soul Swords of Fervor that he carries. Once he gives away the swords, his strength will be depleted."
"But then the Inferno will be at its full power and nothing can stop that."
The other tiger tiredly stared at White Blaze and said openly, "Big sacrifices are always required to defeat the Inferno armors."
"I really don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm sorry I'm not good enough," Yuki admitted painfully to the Ancient One as they walked through the halls of the library.
Sitting down to her standing level, the Ancient One told her, "The Ronin Warriors learn a lot from their armors. Maybe the Jewel of Life can teach you something if you allow it. You have to trust yourself and you have to have faith in yourself. You also have to think unselfishly. The Ronin Warriors should have a map by now. Let's go see."
Yuki frowned and averted his kind gaze. She would always be a selfish spoiled brat yet she did not want to be a brat. Everyone had wants so what was the difference between selfishness and unselfishness?
"Finally!" Toshiten exclaimed, running to the other Ronin Warriors with a large scroll. "A complete modern map of the eastern border!"
Idoju grabbed the map out of his hands, slammed it on the library table, and hurriedly unrolled it. The Ronin Warriors quickly gathered around the map. Shiro held Yuki up so that she could see.
"There's the Gensei temple," Ashura commented.
"There's the last known naturally-occurring gate to the nether world," Jiguro pointed to a small field on the map.
"There's a temple near that coastal city," Morhiko pointed out. "Most of the people in my village visit that place."
"There's also a temple below it near my hometown," Nazaka added.
"Maybe Hariel is going in the middle of all those places," Shiro suggested, "which would be in that forest."
"No." Trembling, Hitomaro collapsed on the map with his hands clutching his head in disgrace. "I know where Hariel is going. My castle is also on the eastern coast. Hariel wants to break into my castle and steal the armor of Inferno."
The Ancient One mused, "So it actually exists."
"That armor is cursed!" Ashura exclaimed. "If Hariel gets that armor before we do, we will all die."
The Ancient One nodded somberly and gripped his staff tightly. He noted the curious expressions of the other Ronin Warriors. They were ignorant of the Inferno. "We must hurry. Ashura and Hitomaro, you need to explain everything that you know about the Inferno."
Ashura answered, "I only know that it is cursed and very powerful."
Hitomaro added, "I also know the same, but nothing else." He trembled under the weight of his responsibility. The bearer of Strata's desire for extravagance and rare items would destroy the world.