A/N: For all those reading my Yu Yu Hakusho story, the update will be ready sometime in February. In the meantime, there's a new poll you oughta check out. Might get a kick out of it. This chapter is part one of the opening arc. Just a heads up, I'd estimate the opening arc is about 5 or 6 parts long, but that's only a rough estimate. I know what you're thinking, just get to the main series already! Well, I thought about turning this into one part of the series and then starting the main series off in another story. But honestly, it just didn't sit right with me. One of my biggest problems with the series was the lazy writing and the bad story telling. It was like there wasn't enough development. Actually, the lack of development is the reason why I could never get behind Catradora. And no, it has NOTHING to do with the fact that they're both women, so just let me explain. Okay, so it's like, they spent the first 4 seasons trying to kill each other (Or at least Catra wants to do the killing), then there's the rescue from Horde Prime and the redemption moments, and then at the very last minute they're like "Aw screw it, let's make them a couple". It was like rushed to the point where it felt superficial. I swore to myself then that I would NOT become that kind of writer. Whether I'm writing a novel or fanfiction, I'm not gonna do it. I'm not gonna sorry for doing this story my way. Every part of this is important. There'll be a lot of references to this moving forward
Anyways, I'll try and compress as much as I can into each chapter to see if I can shorten the arc so we can get to the main series faster.
So now, Part One of the beginning arc! IKUZO!
Regular Speech
Flashback/Dream
Attacks/Written Messages (Trust me, it's not that hard to distinguish the two)
Narration
I don't own She-Ra or Super Sentai. I only own Hino Chiro and all Original Characters featured in the story.
Chapter 1 The Oncoming Storm
"To save time, I'll give you the rundown version. I was raised in Japan, in the Saitama prefecture to be precise, and I was born in...well, I don't really know where I was born exactly. I was found washed up on the shore of a lake as a child. An old man who was passing by found me, and gave me a place to stay. He fed me, gave me a place to sleep, and even some new clothes. As mentioned before, I don't know where I came from. From the way I looked, we had all assumed I came from America. They tried to look for my family, but they couldn't find them. With no place else for me to go, the old man took me in as his own. His name was Hino Kazuya and he became my guardian, as well as my coach. He was a boxing coach, and he took it upon himself to teach me everything there was to know about the sport. His granddaughter, Kashima, helped to raise me and get me into school. His oldest student, Tatsu-senpai, became my mentor and my oldest friend. He taught me the art of Kendo in addition to boxing. Even though he was always hard to read, and somewhat grumpy at times, he was always kind to me, and I began to see him as one would see an older brother or maybe an uncle".
"Growing up as an American in Japan, you can probably guess I had a hard time. They see guys like me as gaijin, an outsider. All the kids called me that, the grownups too. At first, I wasn't exactly the happiest kid in the neighborhood. In fact, I became one of the most infamous delinquents in my prefecture. Being a delinquent brought about a lot of issues that weren't the easy to overcome. But thanks to my sensei and senpai, I always managed to get through. Things got easier when I got to middle school. Made a few good friends in the club I joined. They were members of the astronomy club. Seemed like a big waste of time at first, but they eventually all grew on me. I didn't have much interest in astronomy or science, so I was usually helping around with grunt work".
"Our presidents' name was Shimizu Daichi. He was very smart, athletic, and by the book kind of guy. Kind of a stickler at times, but he was good guy. He always looked out for us, even when we weren't at our best. He came from a very respected family, and was next in line to head up his father's company. Our treasurer was a boy my age by the name of Hayashi Kazama. He was the strong and silent type, and always carried a rather arrogant vibe about him because of his advanced studies. We'd butt heads from time to time, but through it all, he became my best friend. The third in our group was a girl named Mochizuki Tsubaki. She was a very outgoing girl, and was the class rep, even when we got to High School. She was also the club's "Mother Hen", and would always get onto us whenever we acted carelessly or lagged behind in our work. But we knew that she cared very much for us. Her dream was to be in Journalism, and become a big-time news reporter. Lastly was Inazuma Kazu, the youngest of our group. He was the newest member of the group, but he was a big fan of space exploration, and wanted to be an astronaut one day".
"We were always together, my friends and me, but our time in high school was coming to a close. Tsubaki and Daichi were reaching their final semester, and the rest of us were just finishing up our Junior Year. My friends all had these great plans and ambitions, but as for me? I had no plans other than to take my boxing to the professional level. Either that or become a salesman. All I could think about is the same questions I had since I first started grade school; Where did I come from? Why did my parents leave me? And who am I"?
"Little did I know, fate was planning on delivering the answers to me, in a REALLY big way. It all started in July, just before summer break. We had planned a celebratory meeting that evening at Sayama Hills for an important event. It was going to be our 5th year together in the club and our last year with Daichi and Cana. We were all planning on taking a trip to Kyushu this year and everyone was really excited. Because not only were we going to visit the Myui Observatory, but we'd also get to spend a day at the beach in Okinawa. Before that, we were all meeting at the club to take our group photo, spend the night at an inn there, have a few laughs, that kinda thing. I was planning on heading to the school after running an errand".
Kazo, Saitama Prefecture - Two Days Ago
As the evening sun began to set in the rather cloudy sky, Chiro made his way up the stairs that lead up to the apartment where he lived. After opening the door, he promptly removed his shoes before closing it. Going over to the kitchen, he set down a set of shopping bags he had brought back with him on the counter. In an almost absentminded manner, he went over to a small Butsudan shrine in the living room. Kneeling down, he lit a small candle he had set on the incense burner. As the smell began to fill the air, he folded his hands and bowed his head.
"I'm home, gramps", he said solemnly to a picture frame in front of him.
The picture in the mentioned frame held an 8x10 shot of an elderly man with a beard, smiling warmly at the camera.
"It had been 5 years since Coach Hino had died, and things were never the same after that. Kashima did the books for the gym, so it was no surprise to anyone when she took over and with her in charge, we didn't have to worry about the landlord foreclosing on the building. But Tatsu threw himself into his studies and soon joined the police force after High School. No matter what excuse he gave, I knew he was just trying to run away from all that pain inside him. But even though that was something we shared, the gap between us grew wider, and I stopped seeing Tatsu-senpai as often as I used to. He offered to help pay for my apartments' expenses, but with Kashima helping to cover them, and only having a few terms left in my high school career, he settled for paying for the rest of my education. Even though he was helping, he still kept his distance, and my sense of isolation and loneliness only began to grow. Without my mentor or my senpai to guide me, I just couldn't help but feel disconnected and out of place, and over time, I guess you could say I'd forgotten everything coach had taught me".
After wrapping up his prayer, Chiro got back to his feet and headed to his room to prepare for the rest of the evening. Moments later, he was dressed in a more casual outfit, consisting of a red and gray letterman jacket over a red short sleeved t-shirt, black jeans, and red and white sneakers. He also wore a backpack which contained an assortment of snacks, couple sets of clean clothes, his toothbrush, and other miscellaneous items. An hour after he had left the house, he had arrived at the train station. Upon seeing the train pull to a stop, he felt his phone go off in his pocket. As he pulled it out, he saw that he had a message from Kashima. He quickly read it as he boarded the train and sat down.
"Been a while since we saw you at the gym. I'm making Katsudon for dinner tonight. I know it's your favorite, so why don't you stop by for a homecooked meal? I know it's probably been a while for you since you had one".
Chiro smiled as he read the text. Kashima had always been so kind to him. She was like a big sister to him, and he always felt comfortable around her. With her kind and caring nature coupled with her financial and cooking skills, he found it so odd that she stayed single for so long. Maybe it was because she felt so committed to helping Coach Hino run the gym? Or maybe she was holding out for the off-chance Tatsu got interested? Either way, it certainly was quite the mystery.
As he sat down in his seat, he covered his mouth as a yawn escaped his lips.
"Still got an hour left before the next stop", he thought, "Wouldn't hurt to catch a few z's".
Leaning back in the seat, he slowly began to relax, his eyelids became heavier and heavier as he began to sink more and more into torpidity. Until at last, Chiro fell fast asleep, and began to dream.
"The hour draws near...".
First came the voice. It wasn't one that Chiro recognized. The owner of the voice spoke in a low and firm tone and left a feeling that whoever was speaking was as old as they were wise. Then came the images; A small town that was being set ablaze. People running and screaming as they tried desperately to escape a group of armored soldiers who wore a red winged symbol on their chest plates and carried rod like weapons. Five different colored stars in a sky with a pink hue. A gold and white sword whose blade was sheathed within a stone mound. For some reason, this sword looked vaguely familiar, as if Chiro had seen it before.
"The cries of the oppressed and the enslaved are spreading throughout the land each and every day..."
A flash of light appeared, and Chiro was now standing before a large and majestic castle with a large waterfall that stood behind it. At its' front stood a large structure where an enormous glowing stone hovered above it. For some reason, there was a calm and tranquil feeling throughout the area that filled Chiro with a sense of bliss and euphoria.
"Chiro..."
Turning his attention to the forest behind him where the voice originated, Chiro could faintly hear the rustling of leaves within the shrubbery. Suddenly, a pair of bright green lights appeared in the bushes.
"It's time Chiro...if the Rebellion is to succeed, you must take your place in the coming battle. Their fate rests in what you decide".
Feeling his curiosity getting the best of him, Chiro edged closer and closer towards the lights. Just when he was barely a foot away from them, he was suddenly knocked off his feet by a gust of wind which was proceeded by what sounded like a lion's roar. Covering his ears was all he could do as the loud and guttural roar filled the air. It took all his strength to stay on his feet before finally giving way and falling on his side.
Seibu Railway Train Station
Chiro awoke to the screeching sound of the trains' wheels screeching. The train was at last coming to its' stop, which in turn shifted him into the empty space next to him and woke him up. As he heard the hiss of the sliding doors, he exited the train alongside the other passengers. Making his way over to a bench, he began to type in a message on his phone when suddenly a weather notification appeared on his phone screen. He tapped it and it read;
"Warning! Be advised, heavy storm clouds scheduled to arrive at 3 PM. Expect Lightning and heavy showers to follow. It is advised that you be in your homes or find shelter by then".
Chiro frowned as he finished reading the digital print.
"Weird, the weather report said we weren't supposed to expect any storms until Tuesday and that the skies would be clear today", Chiro wondered out loud.
Looking up and seeing the clear sky, Chiro frowned curiously. This was almost too strange for his liking, but then again, summer rains were always less predictable, as the old saying went. Glancing down at his wristwatch, the time read 2:15.
"I've got plenty of time before it's supposed to get bad", Chiro thought out loud.
It would take about an hour and forty-five minutes to walk from the station to the school, and that's not including all the wait time where traffic was involved. The storm would have already started by then, and Chiro wasn't about to risk being caught in another one. Then he remembered something from earlier. There was a hidden path, a shortcut through Totoro's Forest (yes, that one), that could serve as a shortcut to the school for him.
"Hopefully I can get there if I don't stop for anything", Chiro thought, "Can't risk getting sick. Got that weigh in for my first match coming up".
It was true; thanks to Kashima, Chiro had finally managed to get his first professional boxing match. The fight was set to happen a month from then, during summer vacation. Normally Kashima wouldn't let him goof around during his training, but seeing as how it was the last summer he would have his friends, she had allowed him to take one week off. One week of freedom before a hellish variety of training methods that he knew would leave him on all fours coughing up blood. Well, maybe that wouldn't really happen, but it would be tough for him.
Luckily, the training was the furthest thing from his mind as he made his way through town and made his way through Sayama Hills. Shortly after entering the large, wooded area, he tracked down the path that would act as a shortcut to the meeting place with his friends. After sending the message to Daichi, he started down the path, taking the time to look at his surroundings.
"I always liked coming to Sayama Hills. Something about the serene and peaceful environment would more often than not manage to make my troubles just disappear. Truth to be told, this was the place Coach Hino found me. Over out by Sayama Lake, covered in mud and frogs. Heh, yeah yeah, I know, hilarious. So anyway, it wasn't until I was about halfway there when things suddenly seemed a bit...off".
As Chiro walked down the path, there was an overwhelming feeling of apprehension building up inside him. He could tell that something was wrong by the way the muscles in his neck tightened.
"Whenever my neck gets all stiff, it's like I know something bad is gonna happen. It's not really all that accurate, though, given all the tests I failed. I know what you're thinking, and no, it's NOT funny".
All at once, the wind slowly started to pick up. It was a brisk but quick breeze at first, like an industrial fan on the lowest setting. Looking around, Chiro could hear the wind whistling and the leaves rustling in the trees. Then, he spotted something in the corner of his eye. Turning his head to the left, he saw a person silhouetted against the treeline, walking in the direction away from him.
"Weird time to be out for a stroll", Chiro said to himself.
Looking up at the sky, he was surprised to find a grey mass of clouds forming overhead. Knowing that time was running out, he looked back over in the direction he saw the person heading in.
"Tch, oh what do I care"? Chiro asked himself in a terse tone, "If I don't know 'em, I don't owe 'em".
As he started to head back down the path towards the meeting place, he suddenly felt his feet becoming heavier. Glancing back at where he saw the person going, he groaned as he suddenly felt himself subconsciously moving in the direction that he saw them going in.
"Son of a bitch", he muttered.
"What can I say? Sometimes I'm just another bleedin' heart. Despite my act of altruism, I couldn't help but feel like I was headin' towards danger. Kashima would always tell me that once in a while, my intuition would serve me well. If I had only taken that advice to heart, then maybe I would've been able to predict what happened next...".
After finding a clearing through the trees, Chiro finally managed to catch up with the mysterious stranger. From the back, he could see it was a slightly older man with short black hair, probably in his mid or late 20s, wearing a black jacket, jeans, and brown dress shoes.
"Hey pal, there's supposed to be a storm comin', y'know"? Chiro said, slowly walking towards him, "You oughta find shelter before it starts pourin' down".
The stranger said nothing, as if he had ignored him. That didn't sit right with Chiro, as he hated being ignored. He quickened his pace as he walked around the stranger in order to see his face.
"Hey! Ya hear what I'm sayin'? Or are ya just..."!
Chiro's sentence caught in his throat as he was suddenly looking into the eyes of a familiar face.
"Tatsu"? Chiro said in disbelief.
"Hey Chiro", Tatsu greeted, a dubious frown present on his sullen face.
"Why're you out here"? Chiro asked, "Aren't you supposed to be at work or something"?
"Just office work today", Tatsu replied with a shrug, "Finished early and just...".
Tatsu stopped himself for a moment, as if unable to finish his thought.
"Just what"? Chiro said curiously.
"Just...felt like I oughta be here", Tatsu finished.
"What the hell's that supposed to mean"? Chiro said confused.
"Hell, if I know", Tatsu said with a shrug, "Just...felt as if I was supposed to be here".
Chiro thought on what Tatsu had said. Shrugging it off as just "one of those things", he stared out at the lake along with his older compatriot.
"This place...lotta memories here", Chiro noted.
"Yup", Tatsu replied with a nod.
"I remember the old man used to drill us from dawn to dusk out here on the shore", Chiro said, thinking back, "Whenever he'd see us sweating up a storm and looking like we were about to throw in the towel, he used to say, "You'll get more bang for yer buck if you train hard enough in a place as pretty as this! This 'ere's a place where memories are made, boys!". Hahahaha".
Tatsu also found himself chuckling. The old man always did say stuff like that. It was almost as if that were his lot in life.
"Old bastard never did seem to tired to talk", Tatsu said thoughtfully.
"Yeah", Chiro agreed.
There were very few moments where the two of them were in the same place together. And ever since their old coach had died, those times were even more of a rarity now. As a young man, Chiro couldn't help but desire to reach out to adults for advice on his future. Sadly, there were barely any to begin with. With his coach dead, that left Kashima, but the thought of bearing his soul to a girl, especially an older one, only made him more uneasy. As much as he cared about her, he never felt like opening up to her about the tough stuff, so he never did. But now, with his first professional match coming up, and his group of friends on the verge of getting smaller, maybe now was the time to try and ask someone, namely Tatsu, for advice. As the sounds of thunder rolled overhead, Chiro choked down a lump in his throat and started to muster up whatever courage he could to try and speak his mind.
"Hey Tatsu, listen", he began, "I don't know if you heard but I got my first fight lined up and I was wondering if you had any advice on-".
"Shh", Tatsu said suddenly, holding up a hand.
Chiro couldn't believe his ears. He realized that opening up to another guy about his feelings may not have exactly been that great of an idea, but he did NOT appreciate being cut off.
"Dude! I'm trying to have a serious discussion with you"! Chiro fumed, "There's no need to-"!
"Chiro, just shut up for a second", Tatsu said as he lifted his arm and pointed upwards, "And look".
Chiro followed his finger to see what was so important and was completely dumbfounded. Up in the sky, there were flashes of light peeking through the large dark clouds. One would expect them to be thunder, but for some reason, they seemed...off. They were multicolored, like the Northern Lights, a new color appearing with each flash as the thunder crashed.
"What the hell is up with that"? Tatsu inquired.
"I don't know", Chiro replied, just as bewildered, "Never seen storm clouds like that before".
It was then that Chiro realized he'd lost track of time and had forgotten about the warning. Because then, the rain started coming down. As the lights kept flashing alongside the thunder crash, the clouds seemed to be getting closer and closer.
"Got a bad feeling all of the sudden, Tatsu", Chiro said warily.
"Me too", Tatsu said with a nod, "Come on, let's get outta-".
CRACKOW!
The older man was interrupted as a white flash of lightning suddenly struck one of the trees behind them. As the darkened bark glowed bright from the dulled flames, the two fellow boxers heard the sickening crack and instantly knew what was about to happen as they looked up and saw the tree begin to sway.
"Oh SHIT! Chiro cried.
"Move, quick"! Tatsu shouted.
The tree fell down like a meteor right between them. The impact was enough to knock them onto the ground. As Chiro scrambled back to his feet, he looked over the tree to try to find Tatsu. Unfortunately, his wet hair along with the raindrops running down his face obscured his vision.
"Tatsu?! Tatsu, where'd you go, man"?! He shouted.
As he edged over the tree, he nearly got struck by another bolt of lightning that struck the ground near him. As Chiro jumped out of the way, he noticed that this lightning bolt was different than the last, mainly because it was tinted red. Weird though it was, he didn't have time to think it over as more began to hit the ground near him. They were striking the ground around hi harder and faster than the rain.
"What the hell is this"?! He exclaimed out of fear and confusion.
Just as he managed to avoid being hit by another bolt, he lost his footing and fell to the ground. Panting out of both panic and disorientation, Chiro tried desperately to get to his feet, but the smooth and slippery rocks from the ground made it hard for him to get back up. He suddenly began wondering if this was how he'd meet his end and for the first time in his life, the thought of dying actually managed to scare him.
"CHIRO"!
His fears were suddenly ignored as he heard the cry of a familiar voice. He looked around to see Tatsu on the other side of the fallen tree, panting as if he'd just fought 15 rounds against a human rawhide bone. The young man couldn't help but smile in the knowledge that his old friend was okay. Sadly, his smile quickly vanished as he heard a noise behind him. The red lightning bolts were beginning to close in on him. His eyes widening with fear, Chiro suddenly froze, unable to move. Right then, it seemed like time stood still. All Chiro could hear was the sound of his heartbeat, his heavy breathing, and the sound of the red lightning bolts hitting the ground, edging ever more closer to him.
"Chiro, ya gotta run"! Tatsu exclaimed.
By some miracle, Tatsu's voice managed to snap Chiro out of his stupor. Unfortunately, it seemed as though Chiro had completely forgotten what he was supposed to do now.
"What was I doing? Come on, come on, THINK"! Chiro thought.
As another bolt of lightning struck the ground behind him, Chiro quickly remembered and sprung up from the ground, kicking up rocks and gravel as he attempted to outrun the lightning that seemed to be pursuing him.
"Come on, Chiro! You can do it! RUN"! Tatsu exclaimed.
His breathing ragged, Chiro could feel the muscles in his legs begin to tense up. He ignored the sensation as he continued to dig into the dirt with each step he took. For some reason, though, even though it wasn't that far, the other side of the tree seemed like it kept getting further away.
"Shit, is this what vertigo feels like"? Chiro thought.
Regardless of what it was, Chiro knew that he had to get to Tatsu. So, using all of his energy, he sprinted towards the fallen tree, determined now more than ever to get to the other side, the lightning bolts growing closer and closer behind him. Until at last, Chiro was only two feet away from the fallen tree. Wanting to waste no time in climbing over it, Chiro kept running towards the tree and, with the last of his energy, he jumped up. Using the tree for leverage, he sprung towards Tatsu with an outstretched hand. A smile etched across his safe as a feeling of relief spread throughout his body. Tatsu seemed to share the sentiment as he too began to smile. But then, just as their hands were only mere inches away from each other...
BANG!
An even larger bolt of red lightning struck through Chiro and even went right through to Tatsu as well. Everything went white as Chiro felt his body go completely numb.
"Where...where am I"?
Through blurred vision, Chiro saw a glowing red light. It then became clear that the red light was coming off him. His body was still too numb, and he could barely even think. Casting a weak glance to the side, he could see 4 other different colored masses of light; Green, Pink, Blue, and Yellow. Even though he couldn't feel anything, it almost felt as though he were falling. Craning his neck back to where it was level with his shoulders, he saw in the distance what appeared to be a huge sphere surrounded by a bunch of other oddly colored spheres. The biggest one looked like some kind of giant ball or boulder. As his eyes began to slowly adjust it occurred to him that it was neither. But was in fact..
"A...planet"? Chiro thought, "Can't be..what's...happening..."?
His exhaustion overpowering him, Chiro felt himself slip into unconsciousness once more.
Unknown Forest on Etheria – Later that Day
"I barely remembered what happened after that weird lightning hit me. All I know is that when I woke up, I had NO idea where I was".
A groan escaped Chiro's lips as he began to stir. As he slowly opened his eyes, he was greeted by the brightness of what he assumed was sunlight. Shielding his face, he groaned once more as he felt the aches and pains in his body.
"Aww man, nobody told me how much it hurts getting struck by lightning", Chiro thought.
His focus suddenly shifted from the pain as he heard the sounds of nature fill the air. The wind rustling against the leaves in the trees, birds singing, a rippling stream nearby. What struck him as the strangest factor of all was that the storm had stopped. After slowly uncovering his eyes, Chiro received an even bigger shock than that of the lightning bolt that struck him earlier. He was no longer on the lakes' shore. In fact, he wasn't near the lake at all. He looked around to find himself in a forest unlike any he'd ever seen before. At least, not in Japan, that is. He looked around and saw that Tatsu was gone as well. Going over everything in his head, he realized 3 important things; he had no idea what happened, he had no idea where Tatsu was, and worst of all, he was in a strange place, all alone, and didn't have a clue as to where he was.
"...Oh boy", he said to himself.
