A/N: Hello! Sorry for the long wait. I had so much trouble getting this chapter done due to program crashing. GRR!! I hate it!! Ah, so enjoy this long chapter. Oh, and by the way, I drew more pictures! ^_^;
There's a pic of Yime and Dora, and another with the Ancient Dragon and the Wise One. If you would like one or both, just say so and leave your email! Enjoy!
Chapter 9: Shadows of Desire
He tried his best not to yelp in pain as she pulled the knife out of his wounded arm. But trying didn't work. Instead, he screamed a horrific scream that echoed throughout the dark woods.
"Shut up, you fool! Do you want them to find us?!" she cried, bandaging the deep wound tightly to stop the bleeding. She then yanked out the two ninja stars sticking out and bandaged those wounds as well.
Agatio winced and squirmed from the pain, biting his tongue to withhold from crying out. "I'll get my revenge," he said deeply, full of hate and anger. "I'll kill them all next time!" he roared. He touched his bandaged eye, feeling the stinging pain surge through his head. He cringed and cursed under his breath.
"Next time?! We hardly stand a chance against those enormous beasts they keep unleashing on us," the woman spat. She tightened the bandages and tied them up. "And what were you thinking back there?! You disobeyed us and ran ahead, you selfish fool! You were going to get those Stars for yourself weren't you?"
"Pah! Shut up, Menardi. I was going to steal them unnoticed so we could get out of there as quickly as possible. I would have managed to if that measly ninja didn't get in my way!" he hissed. Then he grinned. "Ha! He got what he deserved for being such a weakling."
"Oh? Is that so? Did that measly ninja give you those injuries?" Menardi asked sarcastically.
He growled. "No… Not exactly…"
"Oh?" She raised a brow, "Then who?"
"…." Agatio didn't answer. He gritted his teeth and clenched his one good hand.
"It was a little brat and his mommy," a voice called out from above them.
Menardi and Agatio looked up and saw one their fellow warriors who survived the chaos. A young woman with short, crimson hair and deep red eyes. The darkness covered most of her features but both warriors knew who she was.
"Karst. I knew you'd make it out alive," Menardi said, feeling slightly relieved.
Karst jumped down from her perch and smirked. "Same goes for you, sis. But I didn't think Agatio would have managed to get out of there in time."
Agatio growled at her. "What does that mean?!"
"You fool," she hissed. "You tried to recklessly sneak into the village without us knowing. But I saw you go on ahead so I followed."
"What?!" Agatio roared. "Then you saw-"
"Yes," she interrupted, "I watched you battle with that man." She shook her head, "You are heartless, Agatio. It was strange though… When that boy attacked you."
"Did you feel it? His power?" he asked, wincing as he stood up. He leaned against a tree for support.
The red-head nodded. "I did feel an enormous amount of Psynergy, but I don't think it was coming from that child… It could have been the Wise One of the village. He must have used that much Psynergy to unleash that dragon on us…"
"No… I know it came from that little brat. I saw with my own eyes…" he grumbled. "And why didn't you help me back there?!"
She smirked. "I thought a big doof like you could handle such a situation so I stayed back and watched as you tormented that poor boy. If you weren't so blinded in rage, you could've deflected those throwing stars that woman threw. And as well, it's a little revenge for running up ahead. Saturos told you to wait for his troops to attack first, but you went and blew up the gates without him!"
"Pah! I didn't want to wait any longer for that fool! He said he would attack at dawn, but he didn't. Morning came, so I thought I would take charge of the attack!" he growled, slamming a fist into the tree.
"What? Saturos didn't attack first?" Menardi asked. Her sister shook her head.
"I only saw Agatio attacking first," she said.
They gave each other a worried look. "I wonder what happened... He never mislead us like that…" said Menardi, tightening her hold on her pointed staff.
Karst bit her lower lip. "I don't know… Where is he?" she wondered.
"Right here."
All heads turned to the speaker. A man, wearing the same armour as them emerged from the shadows. He limped towards them, while covering a bloody gash on his right arm. His pale, blue hair, stained with dark blood, covered half his face as usual. His red eyes stared hard at them. A thin trickle of blood trailed out of the corner of his mouth. He sneered. "There was trouble back at my camp before it was time," he informed them in a calm tone.
"Saturos! What happened?!" Karst demanded. She ran up to him and supported half his weight on her shoulders.
"Where the hell were you?!" Agatio raged, pounding the tree and making leaves flutter to the ground.
Saturos glared at him. "Keh!" he spat. "We were ambushed by Demons. We were about to leave to get into place but a small group of Demons attacked us from behind. Over half of my men were killed and all are wounded."
Agatio snorted. "Demons?!" he cried. "You couldn't take out such pathetic monsters?!"
Saturos gritted his teeth, staring hard at him. "They weren't weaklings… They were more powerful than the ones we have ever encountered," he said in a even tone.
"Heh heh heh. You're right about that, Saturos," came a low, feminine voice.
Saturos flinched, baring his teeth at his unwanted guest. "You…!" he hissed.
A woman, dressed in black that reflected her bare, pale skin, stood before them on a thick branch. She wore black high-heeled boots, a black feathered skirt that was long on one side and shorter on the other, a small black top that revealed her pale stomach. Her smooth, long black hair was neatly tied up in a bun by two chopsticks. Her cold, dark eyes stared hard among them. Her thin, black lips twisted to a sneer.
"Ah, Saturos. Will you reconsider my offer now?" she cooed maliciously, glowering at the four warriors before her.
Menardi readied her staff while Agatio pushed himself off the tree, glaring at the newfound enemy.
Saturos spat on the ground. "Never!" he hissed. "We'll never join the likes of you!"
The woman let out a short laugh. "You haven't learned anything, did you? How about I show you what I can do to change your mind once more?" she grinned, slowly raising her bare hand.
"NO! Don't!" Saturos cried, almost tripping over if it weren't for Karst's support. "Don't you dare!" he hissed, wincing in pain as he took a step forward.
The woman stopped. She sneered and waited. "You'll do what?" she asked.
"What is she talking about, Saturos?" Karst fearfully asked, trying her best to hold Saturos up.
Saturos cringed, narrowing his eyes at the fiend. "She's a Demon. She wanted me, no… us, to join her kind to get the help get the Stars!" he hissed. "But I refused, so her group attacked my men!"
The woman laughed, covering her thin lips with her thin fingers. "It's what you get," she smirked. "You never refuse the Dark Lord."
"Join a Demon?!" Agatio roared, clenching his fist in uncontrolled anger. "We will never stoop so low to join bastards like you!"
"Agatio's right, Demon scum. Begone! Or we'll make take things into our own hands!" Menardi added, swinging her staff in a arc, prepared for battle.
The woman laughed. She gave them all a vile stare. "Don't be fools," she said, fingering the edge of her dress. "Join us and we'll grant you power! Power you could never imagine! Don't be fools to throw such an offer away."
All four samurai glared maliciously at her. "We will never join a Demon!" Saturos hissed. He pushed himself away from Karst and threw a dagger at her.
The woman sneered, easily smacking the dagger away with her long, pointed black nails. "Refusing once again?" she said calmly. "Then I have no choice…" She raised her hand in the air. Dark purple mist surrounded her hand.
Glowing red and yellow eyes emerged from the shadows around them. Hissing, growling, roaring, and laughter echoed around them. Shadows moved in close, slowly advancing towards their prey.
"Shit!" Saturos cursed, pulling another dagger out for battle. Menardi tightened her grip on her staff. She cursed under her breath as the shadows finally stepped into her view. Demons of all sorts of animals and monsters baring sharp fangs and claws. All were covered in black markings.
Agatio growled, flexing his fist. He was prepared to use his one good hand to continue fighting, even to the death. Karst glared at her foes. She took out her chained kunai blade. Swinging the head in circles, she readied to strike the first foe to charge at her.
Both sides were all about to clash, but a deep powerful voice interrupted them, stopping all them in their tracks. "Enough, Taniko." A black cloud erupted between them, revealing a tall, pale skinned man. His long sleek, black hair neatly hung behind his pointed ears. His violet, cat-like eyes showed much evil within him as he glowered at the woman. He wore a long black robe, decorated with unique markings, that reached the floor. "If they wish to be left alone, then do so," he continued, averting his eyes on the samurais.
"B-But… My Lord! They refused your kind offer!" the woman stuttered, fear showing in her eyes.
"Is that so…" the man said, focusing his gaze on Saturos. "Well, if it's what they decide. Then so be it."
Her eyes widened with surprise. "What?! But my Lord… I thought…" she trailed of, speechless.
The man ignored her. He raised his hand, making the Demons around them back off from the group. Then to the four warriors, "I don't mind if you refuse my offer. Instead, I'll give you hand on your little problem." He grinned, revealing a sharp pair of fangs. "If you ever wished to succeed in getting those Stars, why not seek out the Ancient Dragon's Golden Scale?"
"Dragon Scale?" Menardi asked, unsure if she could trust the evil-looking man before her.
The man smiled and unnerving smile. "Yes. You are the Fire Clan, are you not? You're also known as the Dragon Clan as well, correct?"
Agatio growled through his clenched teeth, "How'd you know?!"
The man continued smiling. "I know a lot about you and your kind. Your people seek power to become the ruling race of the world. It's what we Demons desire as well. So I'm happily giving you a hand since we are on the same terms."
Saturos glowered at him. "After what you did to me and my men? Why would you think we would believe scum like you?!" he hissed.
The Demon narrowed his eyes at the woman, making her cringe. "Taniko acted on her own. She shall be punished for her disobedience," he said.
Taniko looked fearfully at her master, afraid of what will happen. "I-I'm sorry, my Lord! I'll never do it again! Please! Forgive me!" she cried, dropping to the ground below and falling on her knees, begging.
The man turned away from her. "I'll deal with you later." He turned his gaze back to Saturos. "Go to the Tower of Pronce to find the Golden Scale. You have heard of the continent of Hesperia, have you not?"
"It's in the West…" Saturos answered, biting back his urge to lunge forward and driving a knife into the Demon.
The man nodded. "Good. We'll be off then. Until we meet again, Fire Clan." He disappeared, along with all the other Demons in a black cloud, without a trace.
Saturos then dropped to the floor, exhausted and overwhelmed by the turn of events. Karst was first to his side, helping him up. "Curse them Demons…" he groaned. Karst started ripping her cloak into strips and bandaging them around his wounds.
"Should we trust them?" Menardi asked, wrapping strips around the other wounds.
"Trusting a Demon's word? Keh!" he spat, wincing at the pain. "But… If what he said is true…"
Agatio stomped over to them, "You're not going to believe them, are you?!" he asked bitterly.
All heads turned to Saturos. He gave them a grim smile. "We have no choice… We don't stand a chance against that village with our current power and strength. And many of us have been slaughtered once again… by those great beasts."
Agatio roared in outrage, "Those puny ninjas! How is it possible for them to have such control over those monsters?!"
Menardi and Karst finished wrapping Saturos' wounds. Menardi shook her head. "We shouldn't underestimate those ninjas. They may have a short lifespan, but they have so much knowledge. Not only that… they have the help of the Lemercas with them!" she told them.
They all froze, staring wide-eyed at her. "WHAT?!" Agatio cried. "How do you know that?!"
"I saw one. Back in that village. I injured a man and he healed his wounds with Psynergy!" she explained.
Karst let out a sigh. "I didn't see any when I was following Agatio… But, now that the Lemercas are one their side, it's impossible to get those Stars! We should give up…"
"Never!" Agatio roared. "Those humans have driven us far to the north centuries ago! I'm not going to let them live freely in this land that once belonged to us! Once those Stars are in our hands, we will rule once again over those feeble creatures!"
"But… It's impossible!" Karst replied.
"It won't be impossible," Saturos grinned. Everyone turned and stared at him. "The Ancient Dragon's Golden Scale… With it, our power will grow stronger. So strong, that no one will ever stand a chance against us."
"Ha, so you're saying we go?" Agatio asked.
Saturos nodded. "Yes, to the Valley of Wind."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The day was long for Yime as he performed another healing spell on one of the many injured men at the hospital. Since he was around, he decided to help the doctors as Isaac slept. His spell was very useful, injuries instantly healed back to normal, even major ones. Everyone was thankful to have him around.
Even the Wise One who suffered from weakness and fatigue from using too much Psynergy. He greatly thanked Yime as he finished the spell. "Thank you, Satoshi. I am in your debt, how may I repay you for doing so much here?" Heidachi asked.
Yime blushed as he brushed a hand through his wild hair. "No need to, sir! I should be deeply in your debt since you saved the entire village!" he said.
The Wise One laughed. "I may have, but you have done more than I could ever do," he said, stroking his white beard.
"Nani? I didn't do anything…" Yime said, confused.
The Wise One smiled. He motioned the boy to sit before him. Yime slumped onto the chair, exhausted.
"Satoshi, your ability to heal is very unique. You've saved the lives of the wounded. There's no way I could ever do that," the Wise One said.
Yime shook is head abruptly. "You saved the entire village today! You saved many lives throughout your entire life! There's no way I could ever do that much."
The Wise One laughed once more. "It doesn't matter how many times I've saved the village. There would always be the wounded and dying after battles were fought and won. There was nothing I could do to help them. I saw so much suffering in my life that I so desired the ability to heal. I envy you, Satoshi."
Yime blush, laughing nervously.
The Wise One continued. "You've grown so much. The once frail, shy little boy is now a fully responsible, mature young man. Your skills have proven your strength and courage." He stood up from his bed. "Satoshi, from this day forward, I now proudly acknowledge you as a Kuuyin."
Yime froze, wide-eyed and shocked. "H-Huh?! D-Do you really mean it, Wise One?!" he asked.
"Call me Heidachi," the Wise Man smiled, nodding. "You have proven exceedingly well with your skills and techniques in battle. You've shown that you are willing and strong. Not only that, you also have gain so much experience from the Kuuyin missions. It gives me great pleasure to promote you to Kuuyin."
Yime gasped, took a deep breath, got out of his chair and kneeled before the Wise One. "I-I'm so thankful for this great honour, Wi- err, Heidachi-sama! I promise that I will perform my duties as a Kuuyin with all my effort and strength! I am honoured to serve you, Wise- uh, Heidachi-sama!"
The Wise One laughed. "Get up, boy. There's no need to thank me. You deserve this promotion. It's the best I could do."
Yime stood up, face flushed with embarrassment. "I have always dreamed of becoming a Kuuyin ever since I began training with Hidekeru-sama to become a ninja," he explained, grinning with joy.
"Ahh, you were a talented boy. I remember the first day Dora brought you into our village. I had feared that you were a spy. But it turned out you were just an innocent child," Heidachi added. "You had made such an impression to us when you first discovered your healing abilities."
Yime's grin grew wider. But then it turned to a frown. "Heidachi-sama, could I ask you a question?"
The Wise Man nodded, sitting back down on his bed.
Yime hesitated before asking, "During your travels, have you ever heard of the Lemerca?"
Heidachi frowned in thought, stroking his long, white beard as he did so. "A Lemerca…" he repeated to himself. "It sounds vaguely familiar…I remember hearing rumours of the existence of a Lemerca clan when I traveled to the far east, searching for the Ancient Dragon. I'm not quite sure what they were about. I don't remember much, but I do remember one of the townsfolk claiming they saw one."
Yime straightened his back, getting a little excited at what he has learned. "Have you seen what they look like?" he asked.
"The townsfolk?" Heidachi raised an eyebrow.
"No, a Lemerca."
Heidachi shook his head. "No, I have never seen one," he said, making Yime frown with disappointment. "Why are you asking this?" he asked the boy.
Yime shrugged, looking solemnly at his feet. "Well… On that day, during the battle, Yamaka-san and I were stopped by a woman from the Fire Clan. She said I was a Lemerca. At first, I didn't understand what she meant. But then, just yesterday, I remembered that I'm not from here so I have been thinking…" he trailed off, shifting his feet nervously.
"Do you think she was right?" Heidachi kindly asked, stroking his beard once more.
Yime looked up into the old man's gentle, dark eyes and shrugged. "Well, after I healed Yamaka-san's wound she gave him, she immediately accused me as a Lemerca. And she said it with so much hate…" he told him.
Heidachi sighed. "They always hate everything," he grumbled. Then in a more serious tone, "The Lemercas… They could be the Fire Clan's sworn enemies. The Water Element is in your control, while the Fire Clan solely rely on the Fire Element. What I said could be true for they have an everlasting hatred towards each other because of their opposing elemental attributes."
"That was a mouthful, Heidachi-sama," Yime said, sitting back down in his chair. He rubbed his tired eyes. "So, since I can summon the Water Element, then I am a Lemerca, right?" he asked.
Heidachi shrugged. "If it's what you believe," he said, taking out a pipe and placing it in his mouth.
"What I believe? I'm not sure what I believe. I can't remember my real name for that matter," he said. He turned his chair backwards to rest his chin on the wooden back support while still facing Heidachi.
Heidachi lit a match, then his pipe. He took a puff before answering. "Don't confuse yourself, boy. You are what you believe to be. You are who you are. No one can accuse you of being anybody else."
Yime closed his eyes and sighed. "I can only remember my name as Yime Satoshi… A name given to me by Hidekeru-sama. It's not my real name though…"
"Boy," Heidachi grunted as he took another puff. "You are Yime Satoshi because it's what the things you remember make you him. Yime Satoshi isn't just a name, boy. It is you. If you manage to remember your past, will you accept your lost self? You can't let your past define who you really are. Or who you really want to be."
Yime opened his eyes to carefully look into Heidachi's serious face. He gave him a grin. "You're right, Wise On-"
"Heidachi," the old man corrected.
"Uh, Heidachi-sama. You're right. I can't just throw away the name Hidekeru-sama gave me. I am who I am; the only thing I can remember; I am Yime Satoshi of Vale. Someday, I would like to go out into the world and search for my past…"
Heidachi frowned. "You do know, that you are forbidden to leave the forest, don't you?" he asked.
Yime sighed once more and slumped in his chair, resting his head on the chair. "Yeah… I do. But that doesn't keep me from dreaming about, does it? I have always wondered where I came from, but now I have a clue! If only…" He mumbled softly, disappointed at the outcome.
Heidachi puffed twice on his pipe before standing up. He place a hand on the boy's shoulder, giving him a smile. "I'm really sorry, Satoshi. No one's allowed to leave unless it was for mission purposes. Especially you, since you are an outsider."
"I know…" Yime groaned, furrowing his brow while looking at the floor. "But can I one day go on one of those excursion missions?" he asked, pleadingly.
Heidachi shook his head, "The law's the law. You cannot leave the village, Satoshi."
Yime sagged lower in his chair. "Aww…" he groaned. He brushed a hand through his dirty, blue hair, realizing that he badly needed a bath. He had gone well over a week without one and he probably much stank up the whole room. He looked down at his dirty, torn, blood-stained clothes and sniffed. His face horribly twisted to disgust as he gagged from the pungent stench. "Bleah! I need a bath!" he cried. He quickly stood up, but then sat back down. "But I can't leave Isaac alone…"
"Isaac?" Heidachi asked, puffing away on his pipe.
"Isaac… Hidekeru-sama's son. He… He's here because someone tried to hurt him. Hidekeru-sama and Hidekeru-san were both killed by that one man… I'm the only family he's got… or closest to a family he's got…" he said softly, feeling the pain and sorrow, he tried to forget, slowly come back to him.
"Ah, I remember. The poor lad… Not only he, but many others as well have lost their families…It's tough to live through such a time like this…" Heidachi said. He sadly shook his head. "There's nothing I can do to restore time… Satoshi, I'm really sorry for what has happened. Take good care of the boy," he finished as he headed for the door.
"It's not going to be easy…" Yime said, looking glumly at the floor. "Isaac doesn't remember me… or anything else. The doctor says it's amnesia…"
Heidachi gave him a pitied look. Sorrow and sadness in his eyes. "That's terrible…"
Yime shook his head in disbelief. "How…? I don't understand. How could he get amnesia? He didn't hit his head or anything! How?!" he cried angrily. He pounded his fist on the backend of the chair. "How can he forget…?"
The Wise One shook his head, unsure. "Sometimes… things happen for a reason, Satoshi. The mind can act on it's own to protect itself. Maybe, the boy saw something that his mind could not handle… Something that could have destroyed him. Whatever it was, his mind had a good reason to make him forget… to protect the boy."
Yime remained speechless. He was on the edge of bursting into tears. "Maybe…" he muttered, lowering his head into his hands, choking back the tears stinging his tired eyes.
"Satoshi… In two days, the Ceremony of Passing will be held at the shrine tower. After the ceremony, come to the top of the tower. I want to give you something," said the old man. "Be strong, boy. Take good care of yourself. Get some rest, you'll need it." With that, he left, quietly closing the door behind him.
Yime repeated his words in his head, trying to remember them. Ceremony of Passing…
Tomorrow morning was when Isaac could leave and go home, which was something Yime had urgently wanted to do; to go home and sleep. But first, to take a bath and change into new, clean clothes…
Two days till the ceremony… Until then, he'll have to try to get Isaac's memories back; to make him remember the brave warriors his parents were.
Isaac… Mom and Dad will never be forgotten. Especially not by you… he promised.