Author's Note: my very first fic. Now first off I'm going to clear up
where this fic came from. It did not come from any one show, if this is
already a show it occurred by accident, this story was born from taking
various elements, names, abilities, styles, and all kinds of other things
from several anime. Also this story contains several Japanese words and
phrases. They are all translated in a glossary (chapter 2) that will be
continually updated as I add to the story. (sorry if this bothers people,
I promise the glossary will stay relatively short, I don't plan on it going
over 3 pages) anyway, without further delay, chapter 1
Chapter 1: The War Begins
Souske leaned back against the rough bark of the tree. He starred up into the leaves, watching the light flicker as the branched swayed in the wind. The gentle breeze flowed over him like a soft sheet being laid on a baby. Souske closed his eyes let out a deep breath.
"Souske! Souske, doko!" came a bellowing voice from a short ways off.
"Mau mau Amelia. What's wrong?"
"Souske, you still haven't done your chores. If mom comes back from the market and the house still isn't clean there's going to be hell to pay.
"Sometimes I'd swear you were mom." Came Souske's mumbled reply as he slowly lifted himself up off the ground. Souske was 16 years old and one of the friendliest people in the village. He wore a loose cloth tunic and rather worn leather pants. His black hair was almost always a mess. His green eyes, although in most people conveyed a sense of anger, in his case did just the opposite. They were friendly and caring. Souske walked calmly back to his home. It wasn't a big home, but it suited their needs. Souske's father had died when Souske was only three. Far enough back that he could hardly remember him. Souske brushed the grass curtain aside as he stepped into the house. It was only one room, but it did have a slightly elevated platform in the back were three bed mats would go. A small fire ring sat just off to the right and along the wall was a stack of wood. Various bowls were strewn about the floor; the three had been too tired to even organize them the previous night. Souske knelt down and gathered the bowls and left on his way down to the river. "Souske-san!" came a young voice from behind him. Souske turned his head to see a young girl running. "Souske-san. Let's go play." Souske knelt down and rubbed the little girl on her head. She laughed and then grabbed hold of Souske's arm and tried to pull him along. "Not now Ayane-chan. I've got work to do. I'll play with you later." "But, I want to play now." "I wish I could. But I can't. Gomen." Souske smiled and Ayane let him go. Despite the considerable age difference between them, all of the kids in the village took a great liking to Souske. Many had been heard on occasion to say they wanted to grow up and be just like Souske. An aspiration that the parents tried hard to foster. They too had great respect for Souske. Souske walked calmly down to the river were he began to wash out the clay bowls. The remnants of last night's meal, boiled potatoes and a strip of meat, began to loosen and drift down the river. He quickly finished with the task and returned back home where he laid the bowls out to dry. Next he retrieved the broom from the corner of the house and proceeded to sweep out the leaves and excess dirt from the floor. He laid out some of the wood in the fire ring and then went out to gather more. With the woodpile restored and the house in tip-top shape Souske returned to his tree and sat down to rest. His rest however was soon disturbed by the loud voices of the children as they ran over to him. "Souske-san!" they yelled as they swarmed over him. "Souske-san, come play with us." Souske greeted them with a kind smile and let them drag him along. It would be close to night by the time Souske returned to the house. His mother and sister were already working on dinner when he walked in.
"Okairi." His mother said in a soft tone
"Tadaima" he replied.
"How did things go at shop?" "Great. Kakashi thinks I can handle things on my own now. He stops by a lot less often." Souske worked at a small store outside of town that sold a lot of basic supplies like clothes and bed mats. The days weren't long, but the work was hard. Souske was left to handle everything. The stocking, selling, and general upkeep were all his responsibility. Kakashi actually did very little beside check up on Souske a couple times a day. Although because of this the pay was pretty good. Souske loved the job. The rest of the meal took place over some casual conversation. The sunset and the fire became the only source of light. Souske gathered the bowls and took them down to the river. Relying on the light from the moon and his own knowledge of the terrain to avoid injury. Souske felt the ice cold water run over his hand as he plunged the bowls into the flowing current. He swished his hand around and cleaned them as best he could. Then he gathered them up and returned to the house. Amelia and his mother were already asleep by the time he returned. Souske unrolled his bed mat and laid down on it. It was only a few minutes before sleep claimed him. Souske awoke to a horrible scream. He quickly jumped out of bed and found that his mother and sister were gone. He hurried outside, and what he saw horrified him. Flames covered his village, and dead bodies littered the ground. His first thought was that bandits had raided the town. This thought horrified him, but not as much as the truth would. Running through the village, were not bandits. In fact they weren't even human. They appeared human from a distance, but at a closer glance it became apparent that they were not. They dressed like humans and wore a sword on the back of their waist. But their skin was a cold, pale gray, and their eyes glowed a fierce red. They ran through the village with swords in hand, slaughtering anyone they saw. Other similar creatures shot fire arrows into the village at random. Souske couldn't move. He stood frozen in place. The scream that had awoken him came again. Souske turned and saw Ayane running from one of the creatures. Souske couldn't stand still any longer. Ran into his house and grabbed his sword from the corner. He threw the sheath off the blade and onto the ground as he ran toward the creature. He charged and thrust the sword into its back. Souske ripped the blade out and left a massive gash in the creature's side. Blood spilled onto the ground as it fell. "Nigero, Ayane-chan." Souske said in a hurried tone. Ayane took off running, and Souske returned to the fight. One of them jumped off of a roof and plummeted down onto Souske. In response he held up he sword and blocked the blow, but his knees buckled under the force and he fell to the ground. Souske raised his sword to strike but the creatures swung his sword hard, and Souske's sword flew out of his hand. The red demon eyes stared into Souske's. The demon raised its sword and plunged it down into him. Blood flowed from the wound and pain surged through his body. The demon eyes stared into Souske, and the sword came down again. Souske screamed and sat up. He felt two pairs of hands hold him back. His body was covered in sweat and he was terribly out of breath. His mind calmed and he realized what had happened. His mother and sister were awake and sitting next to him with worried looks on their faces. "A dream," Souske muttered, "it was all a dream. But it was so real. I could feel the pain, and the fear was so real." "Are you all right?" Amelia asked with a tone of utmost sincerity. "Yeah." Souske replied. "Yeah, I'm fine." Souske lay back down, but dared not go back to sleep. The dream remained on his mind the whole night. Morning came quickly and Souske left for the store just as the sun appeared on the horizon. His mother and sister awoke shortly after Souske had left. "Amelia." Called her mother. "Amelia, I'm going off to town." "What for?" asked Amelia. "Just a few supplies. I should be back before lunch." Amelia bid her mother farewell and returned to the house to fetch a needle and some cloth. She wandered outside to the center of the village, where she began working on a new shirt for Souske; all of his were about to come apart. Souske had arrived at the store by this time and was just finished opening up. He took a seat behind the counter and relaxed. The vision from the dream came back to him. They had been so vivid, and the dream would not fade from his mind, those evil looking figures with their red eyes. The eyes that struck fear into the soul. Souske could feel his pulse begin to pound as his mind relived the moment. Souske felt the touch on his shoulder as a demon bent over him preparing to kill him. He struggled, but the demon then grabbed both shoulders to hold him down. It shook him violently and then Souske felt a sharp pain in his back. He was on the floor of the shop and a young looking man was standing in front of him. "You alright?" He asked "Oh, I'm sorry, I must have dozed off. Can I help you?" "You sure, you seemed awfully scared of something." "Bad dream." Souske replied "Ah. Anyway I was wondering if you have any more of those tunics." "Which ones sir?" "The big white ones that are usually over in the corner." "Ah, those, yes we do their in the other corner." "Right thanks." The man paid for the tunic and left. Souske sat back down shocked that he had actually fallen asleep. He refused to let it happen again. Kakashi came in a few hours later to check up on things. Souske of course had everything under control. Kakashi's evening employee, Okita, had just come in, and Souske was getting ready to leave when the merchant came by. Okita, through much begging, managed to get Souske to stay and help him restock. "So, you heard the news?" asked the merchant as he lifted a small box off the cart and handed it to Okita "No, haven't. You heard anything Souske?" "Not a bit." "Are you serious?" Said the merchant a bit shocked. "Well I guess news doesn't get back here quickly. Well the facts are a couple towns around here have been decimated." "By what?" Asked Souske as he took a box of the cart. "No ones really sure. No one from the villages survived. The whole place was burned to the ground. But nothing was taken. The gems and gold, are all still there. Some of them in pieces, but not stolen. Never heard of a whole town being destroyed but nothing stolen. Some people claim they know. Rumors say it's demons. A couple people say they seen them. Moving from one village to the next. Souske dropped the box. To the ground and didn't move. "What do they fight with?" Souske asked, fear welling up in his eyes. "Well looks like our kind of weapons; swords, arrows, you know." "What do they look like?" Souske asked, the fear now evident in his tone. "Well the people who say they seen them, say they look like humans, but their skin isn't right. They all said that their eyes were the worst. Bright red ones that pierce your soul." Souske's eyes were wide with fear. His body was trembling and his hands shaking. "Okita, I have to go." Souske stammered, struggling to finish the thought. Before Okita had a chance to ask why Souske took off running toward the village. He ran as fast as he could without a second thought. "It's not real," he told himself. "These rumors are never right. It probably was bandits. They must've not found everything in the villages. Yeah, that's it; bandits, just bad ones. Not demons, demons aren't real. They're pretend. None of this is real." Despite what he said, Souske could not shake the truth. He knew they were real. The rumors were true. His dream; it wasn't a dream. It was a vision. Despite Souske's best efforts to convince himself otherwise, he knew it was true. Souske saw the village from a distance. It wasn't burning. It was safe. He looked everywhere but nothing seemed the slightest bit out of the ordinary. Maybe Souske was wrong. No, Souske wanted to tell himself he had been wrong. Wanted to tell himself so badly. The demons were nowhere to be found. It would have been easy to say that Souske had just seen another village. Maybe Ayane being there was just something his mind had made up. But Souske knew the truth. He wasn't wrong. He wasn't sure how he knew, but deep down he just knew. The demons would come. They would come to Seyrun, his town. The only thing Souske didn't know was when. Souske walked the rest of the way home. He spent the whole journey trying to remove any sign of the worry that was deep inside him. He walked into the village with a smile on his face. Ayane and a few other kids came running toward him. They immediately grabbed onto his legs and held on tight. Souske began to laugh as realistic a laugh as he could muster at the moment. The kids clung to him as he trudged his way toward the elder's house. Souske bent down stopped and the kids detached themselves. "Hold on a minute. I've got to have a quick word with the elder before we can play." The children reluctantly let him go and Souske brushed the grass door aside as he entered the house. The elder was sitting calmly on a small pillow with his eyes closed. Souske removed the sandals from his feet as he walked inside. He knelt down and sat back on his legs. Souske didn't say a word, but the elder knew he was there. "What's troubling you Souske?" he asked "How did you know something was troubling me?" "Souske I can read you like a book. Now what is it?" "It's a dream. A dream I had last night. But it wasn't a normal dream. It was a vision. I'm sure of it. Evil creatures have been attacking nearby villages. Creatures that seem human from a distance, but up close can only be described as demons. I saw them attacking Seyrun." "Souske, you've never been one to see visions. Are you sure that this is a vision of the future of Seyrun, and not just an image of the past from another town." "I am certain it is Seyrun. Ayane was in the vision. But besides that, I just know." "I believe you Souske. I believe that you had this dream, and that you honestly feel that it was a vision and not an ordinary dream. However all I can do is form a village guard. I can not evacuate the whole village because of this." "With all do respect, I urge you to reconsider. These demons have already leveled several surrounding towns. Not a one survived. A village guard will not stand a chance against them." "And if that is true, what do you think running will do? If they are truly as evil and powerful as you say, then what good will running do. I'm sorry Souske, but a village guard is the best I can do." Souske did not reply. Souske did not move for several moments. When he finally did he rose sharply and turned his back to the elder. He took a deep breath and put a smile on his face before walking joyfully outside. Souske was very good at hiding his emotions. He played with the children as joyfully as ever. When the sun began to set Souske returned to his house. His mother and sister knew nothing of why the village guard was assembling, and Souske was not inclined to tell them. Although Souske was not usually a part of the guard, he stood firm in his decision to join their ranks for the night. His mother protested, but to no avail. Souske strapped a standard straight sword to his waist along with a quiver of arrows. He lifted a bow off the ground and tested the string. He placed it over his head and let it hang across his chest. He walked out the door and into the night. Time passed slowly, and Souske's nerves made the situation worse. He couldn't stop pacing back and forth and fidgeting with the weapons at his side. "Would you stop pacing back and forth like that, it's driving me crazy." Said an exasperated man sitting off to the side. "Nothing's gonna happen anyway." "That is where you're wrong." Came Souske's reply. "Something will happen, and if any of us survive it will be a miracle." Just as the words left Souske's lips was when it happened, as if to validate his claim. A wave of red eyes came out of the woods; creatures that looked human, but at the same time demonic. Some held swords in their hand, others a bow, and others wore claws on their hands. The men in the village jumped up and drew their swords. Souske was no different. A moment of tension ensued, neither side making a move. Then all at once the demons moved. Souske charged forward screaming. He clutched his sword tight in his hand fearing that if he loosened his grip even the slightest bit he might drop it. He came in with a hard upward swing and felt his sword thud into the cut of an unlucky demon. Souske quickly wrenched it out and continued to run. Out of the corner of his eye Souske saw the glimmer of something. He quickly jerked his head back and felt a slight sting as an arrow left a cut across his left cheek. Souske turned and found the archer. But before he could move to take it out another villager ran I through. Their eyes met and they gave each other a nod of acknowledgement before turning away and reentering the fray Souske began to notice a definite thinning of the demon ranks, and just as he began to gain hope it was crushed. From deep in the woods came a wave of flaming arrows. They bombarded the village and before long it was completely ablaze. A new wave of swordsman came from the woods being lead by a mounted commander; it was a. A human! No, it couldn't be. However Souske knew he was right. His skin was slightly off color, a bit gray like the demons, but his eyes were normal. And the demonic presence that Souske felt in all the demons, he couldn't find in this man. This man showed a power far greater than the demons. It was a dark and evil power, but nor demonic. Whoever this man was, he was human. Suddenly a distinct scream struck Souske's ears and broke his attention from the mounted warrior. There was Ayane, running from a demonic swordsman. Souske quickly sheathed his sword and pulled the bow over his head and notched an arrow. He pulled back and closed one of his eyes as he aimed. The demon was too close to Ayane; he couldn't take this shot lightly. But that closeness was exactly why he had to shoot quickly. Suddenly realizing that he had no time left, Souske fired the shot. Then he gasped in horror as he noticed it begin to fade right. The arrow was going to miss. Souske broke into a run, trying against all odds to reach the demon before he could kill Ayane. Souske unsheathed his sword and knowing that he wouldn't make it in time, he threw it at the demon. End over end it spiraled toward him. This time the aim was true. It came closer, closer. Then with a thud it stuck through the demons head. Instantly the demon fell to the ground. Souske kept running now in a mad rush to retrieve his sword. He raced by and ripped the sword free. He slid on the dirt and spun around. "Nigero Ayane." He said in a forceful tone that left no room for argument. Ayane quickly took off running away from the village. She was far clear of the battle and Souske began to feel a moment of relief. Suddenly Souske heard something go flying past his ear. He turned and then following the path saw an arrow flying toward Ayane. "Abunai, Ayane!" he screamed, but it was too late. The arrow struck Ayane in the back. She staggered and fell to the ground. Souske turned and saw the shooter. It was the mounted human. His bow was still held up from the shot. A slight smile spread across his face.
"Kisama." Souske muttered under his breath. He took off running at full speed toward the rider. "Yurusan!" he yelled as he closed in. Souske flew into the air and rammed his shoulder into the man. The horse started and shook its already off-balance rider to the ground. The man hit the ground and quickly rolled to the side and regained his footing. The horse took off running from the battle.
"You killed Ayane. She was a little girl, completely unarmed; she was running away from this. And you killed her! Yurusan!" Souske charged the man. He quickly unsheathed his sword and blocked the attack. His sword was different, it was thinner than any sword Souske had seen before and slightly curved backward. This was a sword that took a man of incredible skill to use. In the hands of an amateur it would mean certain death for the wielder, but in the hands of a master it meant certain death for his enemies.
Souske swung is sword hard and forced the man back. He charged forward and was again blocked by his enemy
"You seem to have some skill, but some skill is not enough to stop me. I'm going to give you a treat. I'll kill you with my noryoku." The man held up his sword and then swung it down. An arc of pure black surged from the blade. It came closer toward Souske, closer, and closer. He held his sword out to block the attack. However when the black reached the blade it sliced right through it. There was nothing now between Souske and the arc of blackness that would be his death. Souske's vision went black and he waited for his death to come. He was on his back flat on the ground. He slowly opened his eyes as he tried to adjust to the bright light. "This must be the afterlife." Souske thought to himself. He tried to get up, but his whole body hurt. Souske slowly got up trying to ease the aching pain he felt in his whole body. He looked around and was shocked at what he saw. "This isn't the afterlife." He stammered. What Souske saw was the remains of his village. Burnt to the ground all that was left was piles of charred wood. All around him lay the bodies of the villagers. It was a sight Souske wished he had never seen. People he had known and loved were surrounding him, their bodies horribly disfigured. Souske examined himself. His body, besides being incredibly sore, was fine. He felt his face and all that was there was the cut he had cotton from the arrow. "How did I survive?" Souske asked himself. "That man he sent that wave a blackness at me. I could feel the power in it. It sliced right through my sword and was about to kill me. But it didn't. Somehow it didn't." Souske slowly got up and walked around the village. He soon came to the place where the Ayane-chan had died. He pulled the arrow from her back and threw it aside. Souske lifted her body from the ground and held it in his arms. A tear fell onto her hand. Souske reached up and closed her eyes, and then he let the tears flow. Souske's village had not been the first one to fall victim to the demons, nor would it be the last. However Souske had survived for a reason. He would become one of the major players in the chain of events that followed the destruction of his village. The chain of events known as The Demon War
Well, what did you think? Please review, I'm eager to hear what you all have to say. Criticize, praise, suggest, or at the least could you just let me know you read it. I like to at least know this is being read by someone. Anyway gotta go, dinner time. I can taste the ramen already. later
Chapter 1: The War Begins
Souske leaned back against the rough bark of the tree. He starred up into the leaves, watching the light flicker as the branched swayed in the wind. The gentle breeze flowed over him like a soft sheet being laid on a baby. Souske closed his eyes let out a deep breath.
"Souske! Souske, doko!" came a bellowing voice from a short ways off.
"Mau mau Amelia. What's wrong?"
"Souske, you still haven't done your chores. If mom comes back from the market and the house still isn't clean there's going to be hell to pay.
"Sometimes I'd swear you were mom." Came Souske's mumbled reply as he slowly lifted himself up off the ground. Souske was 16 years old and one of the friendliest people in the village. He wore a loose cloth tunic and rather worn leather pants. His black hair was almost always a mess. His green eyes, although in most people conveyed a sense of anger, in his case did just the opposite. They were friendly and caring. Souske walked calmly back to his home. It wasn't a big home, but it suited their needs. Souske's father had died when Souske was only three. Far enough back that he could hardly remember him. Souske brushed the grass curtain aside as he stepped into the house. It was only one room, but it did have a slightly elevated platform in the back were three bed mats would go. A small fire ring sat just off to the right and along the wall was a stack of wood. Various bowls were strewn about the floor; the three had been too tired to even organize them the previous night. Souske knelt down and gathered the bowls and left on his way down to the river. "Souske-san!" came a young voice from behind him. Souske turned his head to see a young girl running. "Souske-san. Let's go play." Souske knelt down and rubbed the little girl on her head. She laughed and then grabbed hold of Souske's arm and tried to pull him along. "Not now Ayane-chan. I've got work to do. I'll play with you later." "But, I want to play now." "I wish I could. But I can't. Gomen." Souske smiled and Ayane let him go. Despite the considerable age difference between them, all of the kids in the village took a great liking to Souske. Many had been heard on occasion to say they wanted to grow up and be just like Souske. An aspiration that the parents tried hard to foster. They too had great respect for Souske. Souske walked calmly down to the river were he began to wash out the clay bowls. The remnants of last night's meal, boiled potatoes and a strip of meat, began to loosen and drift down the river. He quickly finished with the task and returned back home where he laid the bowls out to dry. Next he retrieved the broom from the corner of the house and proceeded to sweep out the leaves and excess dirt from the floor. He laid out some of the wood in the fire ring and then went out to gather more. With the woodpile restored and the house in tip-top shape Souske returned to his tree and sat down to rest. His rest however was soon disturbed by the loud voices of the children as they ran over to him. "Souske-san!" they yelled as they swarmed over him. "Souske-san, come play with us." Souske greeted them with a kind smile and let them drag him along. It would be close to night by the time Souske returned to the house. His mother and sister were already working on dinner when he walked in.
"Okairi." His mother said in a soft tone
"Tadaima" he replied.
"How did things go at shop?" "Great. Kakashi thinks I can handle things on my own now. He stops by a lot less often." Souske worked at a small store outside of town that sold a lot of basic supplies like clothes and bed mats. The days weren't long, but the work was hard. Souske was left to handle everything. The stocking, selling, and general upkeep were all his responsibility. Kakashi actually did very little beside check up on Souske a couple times a day. Although because of this the pay was pretty good. Souske loved the job. The rest of the meal took place over some casual conversation. The sunset and the fire became the only source of light. Souske gathered the bowls and took them down to the river. Relying on the light from the moon and his own knowledge of the terrain to avoid injury. Souske felt the ice cold water run over his hand as he plunged the bowls into the flowing current. He swished his hand around and cleaned them as best he could. Then he gathered them up and returned to the house. Amelia and his mother were already asleep by the time he returned. Souske unrolled his bed mat and laid down on it. It was only a few minutes before sleep claimed him. Souske awoke to a horrible scream. He quickly jumped out of bed and found that his mother and sister were gone. He hurried outside, and what he saw horrified him. Flames covered his village, and dead bodies littered the ground. His first thought was that bandits had raided the town. This thought horrified him, but not as much as the truth would. Running through the village, were not bandits. In fact they weren't even human. They appeared human from a distance, but at a closer glance it became apparent that they were not. They dressed like humans and wore a sword on the back of their waist. But their skin was a cold, pale gray, and their eyes glowed a fierce red. They ran through the village with swords in hand, slaughtering anyone they saw. Other similar creatures shot fire arrows into the village at random. Souske couldn't move. He stood frozen in place. The scream that had awoken him came again. Souske turned and saw Ayane running from one of the creatures. Souske couldn't stand still any longer. Ran into his house and grabbed his sword from the corner. He threw the sheath off the blade and onto the ground as he ran toward the creature. He charged and thrust the sword into its back. Souske ripped the blade out and left a massive gash in the creature's side. Blood spilled onto the ground as it fell. "Nigero, Ayane-chan." Souske said in a hurried tone. Ayane took off running, and Souske returned to the fight. One of them jumped off of a roof and plummeted down onto Souske. In response he held up he sword and blocked the blow, but his knees buckled under the force and he fell to the ground. Souske raised his sword to strike but the creatures swung his sword hard, and Souske's sword flew out of his hand. The red demon eyes stared into Souske's. The demon raised its sword and plunged it down into him. Blood flowed from the wound and pain surged through his body. The demon eyes stared into Souske, and the sword came down again. Souske screamed and sat up. He felt two pairs of hands hold him back. His body was covered in sweat and he was terribly out of breath. His mind calmed and he realized what had happened. His mother and sister were awake and sitting next to him with worried looks on their faces. "A dream," Souske muttered, "it was all a dream. But it was so real. I could feel the pain, and the fear was so real." "Are you all right?" Amelia asked with a tone of utmost sincerity. "Yeah." Souske replied. "Yeah, I'm fine." Souske lay back down, but dared not go back to sleep. The dream remained on his mind the whole night. Morning came quickly and Souske left for the store just as the sun appeared on the horizon. His mother and sister awoke shortly after Souske had left. "Amelia." Called her mother. "Amelia, I'm going off to town." "What for?" asked Amelia. "Just a few supplies. I should be back before lunch." Amelia bid her mother farewell and returned to the house to fetch a needle and some cloth. She wandered outside to the center of the village, where she began working on a new shirt for Souske; all of his were about to come apart. Souske had arrived at the store by this time and was just finished opening up. He took a seat behind the counter and relaxed. The vision from the dream came back to him. They had been so vivid, and the dream would not fade from his mind, those evil looking figures with their red eyes. The eyes that struck fear into the soul. Souske could feel his pulse begin to pound as his mind relived the moment. Souske felt the touch on his shoulder as a demon bent over him preparing to kill him. He struggled, but the demon then grabbed both shoulders to hold him down. It shook him violently and then Souske felt a sharp pain in his back. He was on the floor of the shop and a young looking man was standing in front of him. "You alright?" He asked "Oh, I'm sorry, I must have dozed off. Can I help you?" "You sure, you seemed awfully scared of something." "Bad dream." Souske replied "Ah. Anyway I was wondering if you have any more of those tunics." "Which ones sir?" "The big white ones that are usually over in the corner." "Ah, those, yes we do their in the other corner." "Right thanks." The man paid for the tunic and left. Souske sat back down shocked that he had actually fallen asleep. He refused to let it happen again. Kakashi came in a few hours later to check up on things. Souske of course had everything under control. Kakashi's evening employee, Okita, had just come in, and Souske was getting ready to leave when the merchant came by. Okita, through much begging, managed to get Souske to stay and help him restock. "So, you heard the news?" asked the merchant as he lifted a small box off the cart and handed it to Okita "No, haven't. You heard anything Souske?" "Not a bit." "Are you serious?" Said the merchant a bit shocked. "Well I guess news doesn't get back here quickly. Well the facts are a couple towns around here have been decimated." "By what?" Asked Souske as he took a box of the cart. "No ones really sure. No one from the villages survived. The whole place was burned to the ground. But nothing was taken. The gems and gold, are all still there. Some of them in pieces, but not stolen. Never heard of a whole town being destroyed but nothing stolen. Some people claim they know. Rumors say it's demons. A couple people say they seen them. Moving from one village to the next. Souske dropped the box. To the ground and didn't move. "What do they fight with?" Souske asked, fear welling up in his eyes. "Well looks like our kind of weapons; swords, arrows, you know." "What do they look like?" Souske asked, the fear now evident in his tone. "Well the people who say they seen them, say they look like humans, but their skin isn't right. They all said that their eyes were the worst. Bright red ones that pierce your soul." Souske's eyes were wide with fear. His body was trembling and his hands shaking. "Okita, I have to go." Souske stammered, struggling to finish the thought. Before Okita had a chance to ask why Souske took off running toward the village. He ran as fast as he could without a second thought. "It's not real," he told himself. "These rumors are never right. It probably was bandits. They must've not found everything in the villages. Yeah, that's it; bandits, just bad ones. Not demons, demons aren't real. They're pretend. None of this is real." Despite what he said, Souske could not shake the truth. He knew they were real. The rumors were true. His dream; it wasn't a dream. It was a vision. Despite Souske's best efforts to convince himself otherwise, he knew it was true. Souske saw the village from a distance. It wasn't burning. It was safe. He looked everywhere but nothing seemed the slightest bit out of the ordinary. Maybe Souske was wrong. No, Souske wanted to tell himself he had been wrong. Wanted to tell himself so badly. The demons were nowhere to be found. It would have been easy to say that Souske had just seen another village. Maybe Ayane being there was just something his mind had made up. But Souske knew the truth. He wasn't wrong. He wasn't sure how he knew, but deep down he just knew. The demons would come. They would come to Seyrun, his town. The only thing Souske didn't know was when. Souske walked the rest of the way home. He spent the whole journey trying to remove any sign of the worry that was deep inside him. He walked into the village with a smile on his face. Ayane and a few other kids came running toward him. They immediately grabbed onto his legs and held on tight. Souske began to laugh as realistic a laugh as he could muster at the moment. The kids clung to him as he trudged his way toward the elder's house. Souske bent down stopped and the kids detached themselves. "Hold on a minute. I've got to have a quick word with the elder before we can play." The children reluctantly let him go and Souske brushed the grass door aside as he entered the house. The elder was sitting calmly on a small pillow with his eyes closed. Souske removed the sandals from his feet as he walked inside. He knelt down and sat back on his legs. Souske didn't say a word, but the elder knew he was there. "What's troubling you Souske?" he asked "How did you know something was troubling me?" "Souske I can read you like a book. Now what is it?" "It's a dream. A dream I had last night. But it wasn't a normal dream. It was a vision. I'm sure of it. Evil creatures have been attacking nearby villages. Creatures that seem human from a distance, but up close can only be described as demons. I saw them attacking Seyrun." "Souske, you've never been one to see visions. Are you sure that this is a vision of the future of Seyrun, and not just an image of the past from another town." "I am certain it is Seyrun. Ayane was in the vision. But besides that, I just know." "I believe you Souske. I believe that you had this dream, and that you honestly feel that it was a vision and not an ordinary dream. However all I can do is form a village guard. I can not evacuate the whole village because of this." "With all do respect, I urge you to reconsider. These demons have already leveled several surrounding towns. Not a one survived. A village guard will not stand a chance against them." "And if that is true, what do you think running will do? If they are truly as evil and powerful as you say, then what good will running do. I'm sorry Souske, but a village guard is the best I can do." Souske did not reply. Souske did not move for several moments. When he finally did he rose sharply and turned his back to the elder. He took a deep breath and put a smile on his face before walking joyfully outside. Souske was very good at hiding his emotions. He played with the children as joyfully as ever. When the sun began to set Souske returned to his house. His mother and sister knew nothing of why the village guard was assembling, and Souske was not inclined to tell them. Although Souske was not usually a part of the guard, he stood firm in his decision to join their ranks for the night. His mother protested, but to no avail. Souske strapped a standard straight sword to his waist along with a quiver of arrows. He lifted a bow off the ground and tested the string. He placed it over his head and let it hang across his chest. He walked out the door and into the night. Time passed slowly, and Souske's nerves made the situation worse. He couldn't stop pacing back and forth and fidgeting with the weapons at his side. "Would you stop pacing back and forth like that, it's driving me crazy." Said an exasperated man sitting off to the side. "Nothing's gonna happen anyway." "That is where you're wrong." Came Souske's reply. "Something will happen, and if any of us survive it will be a miracle." Just as the words left Souske's lips was when it happened, as if to validate his claim. A wave of red eyes came out of the woods; creatures that looked human, but at the same time demonic. Some held swords in their hand, others a bow, and others wore claws on their hands. The men in the village jumped up and drew their swords. Souske was no different. A moment of tension ensued, neither side making a move. Then all at once the demons moved. Souske charged forward screaming. He clutched his sword tight in his hand fearing that if he loosened his grip even the slightest bit he might drop it. He came in with a hard upward swing and felt his sword thud into the cut of an unlucky demon. Souske quickly wrenched it out and continued to run. Out of the corner of his eye Souske saw the glimmer of something. He quickly jerked his head back and felt a slight sting as an arrow left a cut across his left cheek. Souske turned and found the archer. But before he could move to take it out another villager ran I through. Their eyes met and they gave each other a nod of acknowledgement before turning away and reentering the fray Souske began to notice a definite thinning of the demon ranks, and just as he began to gain hope it was crushed. From deep in the woods came a wave of flaming arrows. They bombarded the village and before long it was completely ablaze. A new wave of swordsman came from the woods being lead by a mounted commander; it was a. A human! No, it couldn't be. However Souske knew he was right. His skin was slightly off color, a bit gray like the demons, but his eyes were normal. And the demonic presence that Souske felt in all the demons, he couldn't find in this man. This man showed a power far greater than the demons. It was a dark and evil power, but nor demonic. Whoever this man was, he was human. Suddenly a distinct scream struck Souske's ears and broke his attention from the mounted warrior. There was Ayane, running from a demonic swordsman. Souske quickly sheathed his sword and pulled the bow over his head and notched an arrow. He pulled back and closed one of his eyes as he aimed. The demon was too close to Ayane; he couldn't take this shot lightly. But that closeness was exactly why he had to shoot quickly. Suddenly realizing that he had no time left, Souske fired the shot. Then he gasped in horror as he noticed it begin to fade right. The arrow was going to miss. Souske broke into a run, trying against all odds to reach the demon before he could kill Ayane. Souske unsheathed his sword and knowing that he wouldn't make it in time, he threw it at the demon. End over end it spiraled toward him. This time the aim was true. It came closer, closer. Then with a thud it stuck through the demons head. Instantly the demon fell to the ground. Souske kept running now in a mad rush to retrieve his sword. He raced by and ripped the sword free. He slid on the dirt and spun around. "Nigero Ayane." He said in a forceful tone that left no room for argument. Ayane quickly took off running away from the village. She was far clear of the battle and Souske began to feel a moment of relief. Suddenly Souske heard something go flying past his ear. He turned and then following the path saw an arrow flying toward Ayane. "Abunai, Ayane!" he screamed, but it was too late. The arrow struck Ayane in the back. She staggered and fell to the ground. Souske turned and saw the shooter. It was the mounted human. His bow was still held up from the shot. A slight smile spread across his face.
"Kisama." Souske muttered under his breath. He took off running at full speed toward the rider. "Yurusan!" he yelled as he closed in. Souske flew into the air and rammed his shoulder into the man. The horse started and shook its already off-balance rider to the ground. The man hit the ground and quickly rolled to the side and regained his footing. The horse took off running from the battle.
"You killed Ayane. She was a little girl, completely unarmed; she was running away from this. And you killed her! Yurusan!" Souske charged the man. He quickly unsheathed his sword and blocked the attack. His sword was different, it was thinner than any sword Souske had seen before and slightly curved backward. This was a sword that took a man of incredible skill to use. In the hands of an amateur it would mean certain death for the wielder, but in the hands of a master it meant certain death for his enemies.
Souske swung is sword hard and forced the man back. He charged forward and was again blocked by his enemy
"You seem to have some skill, but some skill is not enough to stop me. I'm going to give you a treat. I'll kill you with my noryoku." The man held up his sword and then swung it down. An arc of pure black surged from the blade. It came closer toward Souske, closer, and closer. He held his sword out to block the attack. However when the black reached the blade it sliced right through it. There was nothing now between Souske and the arc of blackness that would be his death. Souske's vision went black and he waited for his death to come. He was on his back flat on the ground. He slowly opened his eyes as he tried to adjust to the bright light. "This must be the afterlife." Souske thought to himself. He tried to get up, but his whole body hurt. Souske slowly got up trying to ease the aching pain he felt in his whole body. He looked around and was shocked at what he saw. "This isn't the afterlife." He stammered. What Souske saw was the remains of his village. Burnt to the ground all that was left was piles of charred wood. All around him lay the bodies of the villagers. It was a sight Souske wished he had never seen. People he had known and loved were surrounding him, their bodies horribly disfigured. Souske examined himself. His body, besides being incredibly sore, was fine. He felt his face and all that was there was the cut he had cotton from the arrow. "How did I survive?" Souske asked himself. "That man he sent that wave a blackness at me. I could feel the power in it. It sliced right through my sword and was about to kill me. But it didn't. Somehow it didn't." Souske slowly got up and walked around the village. He soon came to the place where the Ayane-chan had died. He pulled the arrow from her back and threw it aside. Souske lifted her body from the ground and held it in his arms. A tear fell onto her hand. Souske reached up and closed her eyes, and then he let the tears flow. Souske's village had not been the first one to fall victim to the demons, nor would it be the last. However Souske had survived for a reason. He would become one of the major players in the chain of events that followed the destruction of his village. The chain of events known as The Demon War
Well, what did you think? Please review, I'm eager to hear what you all have to say. Criticize, praise, suggest, or at the least could you just let me know you read it. I like to at least know this is being read by someone. Anyway gotta go, dinner time. I can taste the ramen already. later