Toshida Gaiden Chapter 6: The Light and Darkness

"What is this?" Kunashiro asks out loud, "Am I dreaming? The storms have stopped completely!"

Kunashiro's fellow colonists cannot help but celebrate the fortunate turn of events as they all cheer aloud as they enjoy the first sunlight they have seen since arriving in the colony. Kunashiro finds himself brandishing a joyous smile as the bright warm sun beams down on his skin. As he looks to the sky, his eyes almost immediately close, having been kept in the dark for so long, the sunlight will take a lot of getting used to.

Kunashiro hears a familiar voice calling to him from several yards to his left. Kunashiro tries to focus in on who is calling for him, but the sunlight is still complicating his vision.

"Shobu is that you?" Kunashiros calls out. "It is so bright out here I can't see a damn thing!"

Kunashiro feels a hand land on his shoulder and the comforting voice of the old man Shobu is recognized by Kunashiro. "Can you believe it young shinobi? The storms have completely stopped! It's a miracle! Maybe the gods have finally decided to act against the injustice of this place and offer us some form of relief."

"I don't know about that old man, I don't know if the gods had anything to do with this. However, I am not going to dismiss the idea!" Kunashiro laughs whole heartily with the old man as the two can barely contain themselves, overwhelmed with joy.

Suddenly, Yuna's father appears from the mouth of the cave with a concerned look on his face. He lays a hand on Shobu's shoulder and whispers something into the old man's ear. Shobu's smile dissipates and he leaves following Keinea closely behind.

Kunashiro remains oblivious to Shobu's absence as he continues to bask in the rays of the morning sun, something he has not been able to do for almost a year already. "This truly is a miracle. For the place that people once believed was damned, to all of a sudden just turn into such a bright . . ." Suddenly the reality of the situation becomes evident to Kunashiro. "The storms were the result of the demon imprisoned in this area. If the storms have stopped . . . then that means that something has changed . . . The demon is no longer sealed in this place . . . but if that is the case then where the hell is it?" Kunashiro raises his hands and stares coarsely into his palms.

"Did it work? Is the demon actually inside of me? But I performed that technique months ago and I haven't felt any different since that day. This isn't making any sense at all, if the beast is in me then why the hell can't I do anything with it!" Kunashiro's mood changes to a frustrated stupor and not even the newly found sunshine can reverse it.

Kunashiro leaves the rest of the colonists at the mouth of the cave and returns to the bowels of the colony shouting out Yuna's name as he moves further. Yuna does not respond to Kunashiro's calls no matter where in the colony he makes them. Kunashiro becomes concerned and he begins to increase the speed of his search until he makes his way to the medical area where he finds Yuna sitting up on the examination bed where Kunashiro has found himself on numerous occasions, with Shobu and Keinea standing by her side almost as if they were waiting for Kunashiro to arrive.

"There you are. I have been looking all over for you." Kunashiro then begins to notice the concerned expression on Yuna and Keinea's face. "Wh . . . what is going on here? Yuna what's wrong?"

Yuna does not answer, and directs her attention to Shobu who has a subtle smile across his face. He turns to Kunashiro and surprises the room by saying, "Congratulations young shinobi . . . you're going to be a father."

Kunashiro's heart skips a beat as the shock sends shivers through his entire body, the only sound that can be heard in Kunashiro's head is the sound of his heart pounding heavier and heavier with each passing millisecond as if trying to burst out of his chest. Yuna's face finally shows emotion and she begins to cry tears of joy seconds before running to embrace the father of her unborn child. The room is silent and Kunashiro's mind is racing a mile a minute.

"I'm going to be a father . . . I . . . I can't believe it . . . what do I have to teach a child?" Kunashiros face remains radiant with joy as he turns to Yuna. "I am so happy right now. You have no idea." He embraces Yuna tightly until the realization begins to hit him. Kunashiro's face turns white and his expression begins to change to one of fear, as he begins to remember the dream he had the previous night. The visions of the dragon like shadow with the piercing green eyes contorting into the shape of a young child haunt Kunashiro's mind in that moment.

"The demon has been released . . . that just wasn't any dream that I had . . . it was a premonition of sorts . . . the technique did work . . . but the beast isn't in me anymore, it is in the child. Or rather the demon is the child . . . This is unexpected . . . I don't know what to do." Kunashiro begins to panic in his own mind as it draws conclusions left and right, to everyone else, the room is silent enough to hear a pin drop, but to Kunashiro the sounds of his own thoughts are deafening.

The silence however, is abruptly broken by the sound of Keinea hitting the floor, having fainted in response to the shocking news. Shobu rushes quickly to Keinea's side laughing under his breath at the awkward situation created by the soon to be grandfather of the couples unborn child.

My father for the first time was becoming human. Before he was a heartless machine, but from what I hear the thoughts of him becoming a father was enough to make him reconsider his place in life. My father knew what I was before I was even born but he withheld the information from my mother in fear that she would over react and make his secret known to the rest of the colony. Hmpf . . . most mothers would "over react" at the idea of their first born child being the spawn of some monster. I suppose it was better that my mother never knew for her own good and her own sanity.

Nine months would go by with my parents marrying one another in a private ceremony held outside the colony in the open air and sunshine. They spent a lot of time deciding on a name for their child and eventually they decided on Toshida. Both of them were happy as can be.

The happiness my father felt would be short lived of coarse . . . everything changed for him the day I was born. Shobu would be named my godfather and was the one that overlooked the delivery . . .

Kunashiro sits next to an exhausted Yuna at the side of the examination table used to make the delivery. Yuna holds the newborn baby in her arms and smiles as she passes the child off to Kunashiro. "Meet your son Kunashiro" Yuna says, as tears roll down her cheek.

Kunashiro's face brandishes an uncharacteristic smile from ear to ear as he is captivated by his newborn son's face. The baby's eyes are closed and the boy remains quiet and stoic in his father's arms.

"Welcome to the world Akira Toshida." Kunashiro whispers, as his eyes tear up. Shobu looks on happily and then directs his attention to Yuna to assess her condition, making sure the delivery did not have any unexpected complications.

"I'm your father." Kunashiro says to the newborn child. Kunashiro repositions the boy in front of him so that he may further examine his new son. He inadvertently tickles the under arm of the baby and the baby smiles and for the first time opens his eyes to the world.

Kunashiro is caught off guard as the boy opens his eyes revealing the same piercing green eyes that Kunashiro dreamed of the night the storms stopped in the colony.

"D-dear god . . . I was right . . . the demon is in the child . . . Toshida is . . . is . . . the dragon!"

Kunashiro finds himself staring blankly into the penetrating eyes of his own son and slowly watches them fade from the reptilian shape and bright color, to a subtle brown human eye reminiscent of those possessed by Kunashiro. Kunashiro shakes his head in an effort to determine whether or not it was all his imagination playing tricks on him.

"This is unexpected . . . I am not sure what this means . . ."

It was about that time that my father realized exactly what it was that he wanted to do about the situation.

"If I can't have the power that the demon offered . . . then I will have complete control over who does." Kunashiro's mind once again fills with his sinister thoughts of revenge as he looks at the metal cap that lies on top of the stump that used to be his hand. "This works out even better than I had planned . . . I have access to an untarnished tool. My own son will become the implement of that bastard's demise . . . The Raikage would never expect a boy to make an attempt on his life . . . and under normal circumstances no child would be able to succeed . . . but my son on the other hand . . . has something that no one else has . . . he has access to a well of chakra far beyond even his own understanding . . . killing the Raikage will be only the beginning for us Toshida . . . I expect you and me to do a lot of father son bonding in the next few years."

Kunashiro's mind races with the infinite possibilities that have arisen from this turn of events, and he finally realizes that the day of his revenge . . . has come within arms reach.

"I have to tell you again son . . .

. . . welcome to the world."