Hey guys its been a while, been overly busy with life.
Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter. More to come as well.
Oh and there's vocabulary at the end to help with the history I have chosen to assist with my writing.
Chapter 3: Gratitude by Death
The birds were chirping outside the window of Heihachi and Kazumi's bedroom. The sun shined brightly throughout the room, from the same window. Heihachi had been in bedrest for a few days now. According to his doctor, he had shattered three of his ribs and ruptured several vital organs. His emotions were mixed from his bittersweet victory over his father. Bitter, not because he had to take his father down, but because he had completely underestimated his father's power.
"How did the old man get so powerful?" He stared at his right hand and clenched his fist tight. "Tch, I'll have to train harder."
Kazumi came in to check on her husband's deserved injuries. She had just come back from town to shop for medicine for her husband as well as her hidden guest, who still layed unconscious in her pet tiger's cave. She had on a very elegant burgundy blazer and skirt that went past her knees. Heihachi knew what she would say before she even asked so he looked away in annoyance.
"Have you decided to tell me where father is?" She had said sternly.
"Hmph, Are you still on about that? He is gone. That's all there is to it."
"Then why do I still feel his energy around?" She made her way towards his side of the bed as she pulled out some of the ointment she bought in town.
"It's probably in your head. All that spiritual Hachijou nonsense makes you believe things that aren... Haatatata!" Kazumi began pressing the ointment over his shattered ribs.
"All the years I have known you Heihachi, you have never lied to me. Not even once. You may have chosen to not involve me in some matters, but you have never lied." She looked at him sternly and the embarrassed Heihachi turned away from her stare. "I know more than anyone how strong willed you are when it comes to your own ambition, but will you destroy all of your family to achieve it?" She sat in silence to a Heihachi who was now too embarrassed to speak. "There are a few more errands I must make, so I will return later." She placed the ointment back in the pouch and made her way out of the room.
"Kazumi..." Heihachi spoke as she approached the entrance of the room. Kazumi stopped but did not turn around. "There is no future I want without you at my side." She stayed for a few more seconds before leaving.
Kazumi started making her way towards Shizio's cave where she left the mysterious stranger who had shockingly appeared before. She had come up with an idea that perhaps could save her husband and child from assassination.
If I can get this man to teach me how to control the Hadou then I can trade that knowledge for the lives of my family. That's if he ever wakes up from the Kuroi Toru*.
The absorption method of exorcism, or Kuroi Toru, can only be performed by a select few in the Hachijou clan. By concentrating on a specific ki pressure point, one can absorb all the negative energy and harbor it in themselves. The method can be dangerous to those of whom it is performed on. The recovery time for the possessed is quite long and requires someone with knowledge of acupuncture and pressure points to treat. Kazumi had reached the cave, but to her surprise, the man was not there.
"Impossible! He should not have been able to move for at least a few more days." She took a few steps inside the cave to get a better look. She stopped and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She could feel the man was standing behind her. Her initial reaction was to take a defensive stance, but she did not feel the same killing intent she felt before when she fought him. "You continue to impress me my mysterious friend." She turned around slowly to greet him. "Not only did you recover faster than anyone who has undergone the Kuroi Toru, you also managed to sneak up behind me, a feat no one has managed to do since my childhood."
"I was aware the entire time while you tended to my failure. I thank you for your hospitality." He took a slow bow but maintained his eye contact with her.
Aware?! I was sure he was unconscious! Kazumi noticed his awkward way of bowing. She could see that he has forgotten how to turn off his warrior spirit. I'm sure it's killing him to bow like this. He leaned back up. "I was going to save this for the walk back home." Kazumi pulled red bean mochi buns from her purse. "Would you like some?" He stared at the buns for a moment, then his stomach decided to speak in his place. Kazumi laughed slightly and broke the mochi ball in half. He cautiously took half of the pastry and ate it in one bite. "It must have been hard to become as strong as you are?"
"Why do you know of the Satsui no Hado?" He rudely skipped over her question.
"Such a straight forward man... Very well it makes things a little easier. To answer that question; the Satsui no Hado is my birthright. I belong to the Hachijou clan. We are descendants of the great half-demon Kintaro who created the Satsui no Hado to destroy demons when they rampaged the lands of Japan." She took a seat on a boulder small enough for her to sit on. "You will be the first person outside of my clan to hear any of our history." She smiled at him, but only receiving his menacing scowl in return. "'The Hachijou's are cursed with the responsibility to eliminate all evil from the world.' My grandmother would often say this to my brother and I when I was younger... Hundreds of years ago a very rich and powerful Lord paid a very talented thief to steal the scrolls rumored to give a man the strength and powers of a demon. Those scrolls were instructions to the Satsui no Hadou. The thief succeeded in taking the scrolls from my clan, but upon looking at them, believed them to be too dangerous to deliver to his greedy employer and hid them. The rich lord was infuriated and eventually caught the thief and publicly had him tried and executed in town. Ever since the scrolls were supposedly erased from history... This story is one told to the children of my clan to prevent them from stealing. There were a few other stories about the might of the Satsui no Hadou but they all were dismissed by the elders as nothing more than folktales to frighten children. My grandmother told me long ago that the stories were true, she said she had seen it with her own eyes. Someone outside of the Hachijou had mastered the Satsui no Hadou and I believed her. I believed her when no one else would." She looked up at the man whose demeanor hadn't change since they began speaking. "Tell me warrior what is your name?"
"Akuma." He said proudly.
"Akuma?! Surely that is not the name you were birthed with."
"I have shed myself of my former weak identity in order to ascend past my limits."
"Oh? Most would consider those words of a madman wouldn't you agree?" Akuma continued his stoic, demon like expression. She wasn't sure if he was trying to intimidate her or if he naturally only can show aggression when interacting with another person. She smuggly smiled and took a bite of the mochi ball. When she tried to swallow it she couldn't. The pain from the Hadou had once again sharpened and she fell from her seat. Akuma just stared at her as though he were watching an experiment.
"I could feel the Hadou tearing you apart from the inside but you showed no signs of pain until now. I know more than anyone how difficult the strain on your body can be. You have my respect as a warrior for lasting this long." Akuma turned away from Kazumi. "I care not for the history of the Hadou. All that matters is what levels I can reach through it... I thank you for coming to my aid and I am indebted to you. But the secrets I've taken from my master are between me and him... However I will tell you this, when I was a child I often would read the name of all the generations of students at my dojo. The very first name to read is Nezumi Kozo, the great thief, my grandmaster. I thought that coincidence only until today." Akuma started to walk when, Kazumi grabbed his pants leg.
"Please... you must help me control this power. With it I can save my family... I can offer to teach it to my clan... in place of my family's life." She barely managed to get the words out. Her breathing became heavy and she bagan to sweat. Akuma turned around slowly and looked down at Kazumi.
"I have no interest in teaching anyone to master what belongs to me... you on the other hand don't have the time to master the amount of Hadou you have received. You will die in less than a month and there is nothing you can do about it."
Kazumi, shaken by his words is angered and refuses to take his response as a legitimate answer to her request. She somehow manages to rise to her feet despite the pain.
"I am the heir to the Hachijou cursed bloodline. There is nothing I am not capable of learning. You underestimate a woman who lives and trains among gods and demons." Her legs shook beneath her as she barely managed to spill out her proud words. Akuma gave a slight nod in approval of her pride and decided that he give her something for her hospitality.
"Since I am indebted to you. I will guarantee you death to anyone of your choice... If you cannot choose before the Hadou takes control of you... I will come to destroy the demon myself."
His statement angered her, but she chose not to react as she could hear true sincerity in his voice. "If you will not teach me then I will learn to master it myself... in one month." She slowly walks past Akuma doing her best to look unfazed by the Hadou's side effects. She stops to turn around and look at him after several steps, but he had disappeared without a sound or a trace. She fell over and broke to tears. "This accursed blood!" She slammed her fist on the ground.
"Ha ha ha ha ha." The voice of the Hadou echoed through the forest and strong gust of wind swirled around Kazumi. Then Kazumi looked up to see the Hadou had taken shape in her mind of her own demon form: the white skin, the flaming wings, red eyes, flowing white hair. Kazumi knew it was an illusion but for the Hadou to be powerful enough to cast an illusion on her mind was beyond impressive. "You will conquer me in one month?! Ha ha ha ha ha! You are a much bigger fool than the oaf who believes he can defeat me when I do take over your body." Kazumi slowly got off the ground.
"Your power has always belonged to me and you underestimate the heir to the cursed blood." Kazumi could barely stand but she stood her ground towards the demon who took her form.
"Hmph. You are no Kintoki but you boast on being a much weaker, diluted version of him." The demon moved at an incredible speed, almost reminiscent of teleportation, and punched Kazumi in her gut. Kazumi couldn't react in time and fell back down to her knees. "Ha ha ha ha, look at you. How did you ever come to the conclusion that you will be the victor in this situation. Your own body betrays you every minute I inhabit it. Ha ha ha ha ha! You will fail cursed one and there is nothing you can do about it! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!" The demon's laugh echoed through the forest as the wind ruffled violently through the leaves. Kazumi managed to lift her head back up and saw the demon had left her once again.
"I must control this, I have no choice now."
Kintaro*- Also known as Kintoki the half demon boy from Japanese folklore who oddly enough has a been listed in actual historical events serving the great legendary general Minamoto no Raiko under the name Sakata no Kintoki (approx sometime at the turn of the 11th century).
wiki/Kintar%C5%8D
Nezumi Kozo*- (1797-1831) Considered the "Robin Hood" of Japan, he went for a duration close to 15 years stealing from rich greedy lords and giving the money back to the people of the land. Then one day he was captured forced to admit his crimes, decapitated and his head was paraded through town. He thought ahead before being captured and divorced his wives and divided his assets as to not cause his family any hard times (truly noble until the very end). I felt like his name would also add richness to the story.
wiki/Nezumi_Koz%C5%8D
Kuroi Toru*- loosely translates to "Black Take".
