'Thoughts'
"Talking"
Spells/Other's thoughts/Skills
[Captions]
{Korin's Voice}
Inner Voice
Chapter 18 Meeting the Dragon of Fire
"D-DIE?-!" Tsuna cried in shock of Yong-Kia's statement, "Motoyama-san will die?-!"
"Fon, show me the direction of the nearest hospital." Yong-Kia said, now a bit a panic in his voice.
"Got it, follow me." He said as he leaped off, the man jogging after him.
"Wait, Yong-Kia!" Reborn shouted, the man stopping, "What are you doing here?-! Explain yourself!"
"Reborn, explanations will have to wait." He stated, "Although, I have no qualms to explain anything to you, Sun Arcobaleno."
"You have the very qualms to answer me!" Reborn said, he losing his patience, "Why you, the Ninth Knight that has retired from his position all those years ago, came back just to save your successor?"
"N-Ninth Knight?-!" Tsuna cried.
"He is the Ninth Knight?-!" Gokudera cried.
"We're running out of time here." Yong-Kia said annoyingly, "Fon, the hospital."
"Got it." He jogged after the infant martial artist, now leading out of the school.
"Wait! I'm coming along!-!" The brunette cried as she ran after the man, ignoring her tutor and friends cries.
"That stupid girl." Reborn sighed, "She is going to get it when she comes back."
At the hospital, the girl sitting outside the ward with worry all over her face, 'Is Motoyama-san going to be alright?' Tsuna thought, as she puts her hands together praying, 'Please… be alright…!'
Inside the ward, Yong-Kia ready out a magic circle under his son's bed, Korin started to gasp for air. "Spirits of past, please lend me your aid." He chanted, his soulless eyes starts to glow in a blue light, "Souls of death and life, led through the endless circle of rebirth, suffering through centuries." The magic circle starts to glow; Korin's gasps starts to calm down as a blue fire is made visible above where his heart.
"Good…" He sighed, "Now… Seal's position moved, now headed to decoding…" His eyes looking at the chains made visible around the small blue flame on Korin's chest. As time pass, the chains starts to unlock as it loosen its grip on the blue flaming ball, "decode complete." The chains shoot out of the flame and into the ring around Korin's finger as the blue fire orb burns even stronger than before, "Seal is returned back its original state." The magic circle stopped glowing as it disappeared, Korin now breathing easily when the blue flame re-enter his body.
"Damn…" Yong-Kia sighed, "Why did Ray have to make the seal target his soul?"
"Is he alright?" Fon asked.
"He'll live." Yong-Kia said, "The seal just accidentally sealed off a portion of his soul that was keeping him alive. All I need is remove the seal and return back into the ring."
"So, that is the magic that your family practiced over the years? It doesn't look all the flashy that I thought it would be."
"Well, our magic isn't like those in the west." Yong-Kia explained, "The magic that the Yan Exorcizing Magic Council uses is based on more spiritual terms, like how each soul are connected to the vessel and the existence of a heaven and hell. Despite the magic seemly very reliant on spiritual believes, it is pretty straight forward in modern times now. The formulas that were used as the basic steps in magic were normally changed for a better more effective if used by Western Mages from Europe or the Middle East, but ours expanded on its formal roots."
"Which means that it would be based on the classic rituals used in those sorceries; creating magic circles with the formula written inside." He added, "As long as the formula is there, magic can be used."
"But that would mean that anyone can use magic." Fon stated.
"Technically, it is possible." Yong-Kia stated, "After all, magic is basically an event which something that is not bound by logic is created."
"That's good to know." Fon said.
"Korin will be fine." The Ninth Knight assured the infant, "But I want no one to enter this room without my permission. Can you please past this down that girl outside, as well as Reborn?"
"I'll be sure to let them know." Fon said as he walked towards the door, "I'll try to make sure Reborn doesn't enter here."
"Thank you."
Fon exited the ward, where he found the girl sleeping on the bench outside the ward, her shoulder rise and fall with each breath, 'She was so worried about Korin…' He sighed before looking around for a blanket to cover her petit body, 'I better inform Reborn…'
Korin stirred as he found himself lying in a dark place, the only lights are the red-yellow flames that flickered all around him in the background that seemly show the barren red rocky ground, 'Where… am… I?' He thought as he got up, his clothes has changed, to a simple long sleeved black shirt and dark blue jeans.
"You have awaken, boy."
Korin turned around, finding a large red dragon with yellow reptilian eyes, two black horns extruding from just above its ears. Its wings flopped down in rest as it stared into the teen's eyes, "D-Dragon…?-!"
"I believe this is the first time we truly met. Welcome to my humble abode."
'Humble? I hardly say this is anything to be humble about…' Korin thought. His attention drawn back to the dragon; for some reason he felt like he know who the dragon is, even if it has no image in his mind before. Even so, its presence felt familiar, yet foreign at the same time.
"Who are you?"
"Quick to ask are you, boya?" The dragon chuckled, "Well, I have countless names, but I prefer one that was given to me by an old friend. You may address me as Hiryuu."
"Hiryuu…? As in [Fire Dragon]?"
"Indeed, a simple yet sensible name. I see you have many questions, boy. Ask away, we have all the time to talk."
"What do you mean?"
"Why, you are in limbo, boya. You are hovering in between life and death, even as we speak. Be grateful that you have managed to reach this place, for if you didn't, you would truly have died."
"Limbo…?" Korin then remembered, "The fight…! What happened?-! What's the outcome of the Knight Battle?-!"
"Easy now, like I said, you have all the time to ask." Hiryuu raised its massive hand; its sharp horn of a nail tapped the ground. From it, a circle of flames formed in front of Korin and starts showing images like a screen. In it, it shows all the actions that he had done since awakening out of control.
From his first hit at Dracul, his raining of swords down on the others without discrimination, his attacks getting blocked by Tsunahime.
That carried on to Korin attacking her directly, leading to a fight between the two and his subtle change in appearance into a more monstrous form.
The images finally reach its end as it shows his attack attempt on the Ninth boss' life, before it blurred out and the screen turns blank.
Korin dropped onto his knees in shock, "I… did those…?"
"It was the primal instincts in your blood that took over." Hiryuu explained, "As I feared, even in near death, my flames are still too much for your young body."
"Eh?" Korin then realized, "Wait, what did you just say? Your flames? You mean…" He pointed at the red-yellow flames around them.
"Indeed, those flames are mine." The dragon stated proudly, "The proud flames of the Lord of Flames that is me."
Lord of flames…? 'Okay, what…?' Korin thought.
"That reaction means you don't believe me? That's rather insulting. After all, I have been maintaining your life all those years."
That stumped Korin, he couldn't believe what he has heard, "What did you say again…?"
"Oh? My, you really are problematic." Hiryuu sighed, "Have you wondered, why you survived that incident seven years ago?"
Korin's eyes widen in shock, remembering that incident seven years ago, the one that cost his mother's life, the one that he first met those men… His eyes narrowed down in anger, his remembrance of his hatred brewing in him.
"That day, seven years ago, you were supposed to have died."
"…W-What…?"
"That day, your soul was fractured. When a soul is damaged, nothing much can be done to it. Yours was completely broken, if left on its own it will slowly vanish out of existence, your life along with it. Seeing how I can't afford to lose such a compatible vessel, I wrapped the flames of life from my own soul around it to keep it before breaking any further. That, however, let your body to change into one of an immortal being."
"So… the regeneration… was because you?"
"Not completely." Hiryuu explained, "Your heritage is part of the equation. Back then, when the seal activated, it sealed off the connection between my flames and your soul. That in exchange puts your life in great danger. I managed to push a little of the flames back into the soul, in turn pulling you here."
"W-Well… thanks, I guess…" Korin said.
"Even so, it is apparent that your father has successfully removed the seal from your soul."
"My… father…? What is he doing here?-!"
"Boya, you should thank him. You would have been trapped here for the rest of eternity if he didn't get rid of the seal in time."
"Like hell I'll thank him! The only reason I called him my father because for my sisters! That man… he didn't do anything when I cried for help… He let his only son suffer under those people hands…" (Note: this is said in a kansai accent)
The dragon shook its head in annoyance, "He is still your father."
Korin didn't want to think about it anymore, mentioning of his father and that incident has hit a real soft spot in his heart. "Still what is this place…?"
"This is a separate dimension, or in better words, a higher plane of existence than your world. Tell me, where do you believe gods of your world lived?"
"I don't know, in heaven or hell?"
"Those terms are what describe this place. This is the world that I reside in, for I am one of the gods."
"Gods…?"
"I am the Lord of Fire, the god that reigns over fire and all others afflicted to it, one of the five great creator gods, the Joteijuu (Heavenly Beasts)."
"Joteijuu…?" Korin then remembered. The Joteijuu, a legend that was passed down in his family and some of the greatest magic legends that was said to be true; when world was first created, it was dark and barred with nothing in it for the humans to live. One day, five beings came to life in higher planes of the gods. They came in the form of five unique creatures that represents each of the five elements in eastern magic.
Fire
Water
Earth
Wood
Steel
These five creatures goes about to form the world as they saw fit, creating seas, mountains, volcanos, minerals, the sun. By the time they finished, the earth is a thriving place of plants and creatures, and they left for the planes of gods back to where they first came.
And now, in front of Korin, is one of them. "So… you're the fire element of the Joteijuu…?"
"That's right." Hiryuu said, "And you, boya, are my vessel."
"Vessel…?" Korin wondered, before remembering what Dracul said.
"You're… one of the Five Vessels?-!"
"What do you mean by…Vessel…?
"Vessel is the term the five of us used on people that we are able to channel our presence through." Hiryuu explained, "We are unable to descend down onto the mortal realm without major consequences, so we make use of people that are compatible with our power to channel ourselves into the mortal realm. In return, that person will gain a fraction of our own powers."
"So… you mean I'm compatible with your power?"
"That is correct." The dragon said, "You are one in a million. Your soul is one compatible with not just magic, but with demonic essence. It is in a perfect balance of light and darkness, a rare one in centuries. You are special, boya. It was that rarity that is completely compatible with my power."
"Are… you sure…" Korin muttered, "What about those times, where your flames took over and I ended attacking everyone?-!"
"That is the problem. Compatible is one thing, but your heart is filled with hatred and anger, sadness and guilt. Those flames were overthrown with those emotions and causing it to go berserk."
"Is that so…?" Korin muttered.
"Boya…"
"Yes?"
"You have something to do back in the mortal realm, right?"
Korin flinched, knowing what it meant, "Why are you hesitating? I may have pulled you here, but with your life saved, you should be returning easily if you wished. Yet, you doesn't want to return."
"I… I'm just…" Korin muttered, 'Scared… If I go back now, won't the same thing happen again?'
At Nami Middle, Tsuna stood at the roof admiring the field below. Unknowingly, the field that was once filled with countless swords, is now a normal soccer field of her school. The reason, is that some of the Cervello's illusionists are stationed near there and constantly projecting the illusion of its original state while repairs on it is underway.
She sighed, 'Motoyama-san…'
Xx Flashback xx
"Is he alright? Is Motoyama-san…?" Tsuna asked worriedly.
"Don't worry." Fon assured her, the two outside the ward where Korin is still in coma, "The Ninth Knight is a licensed doctor with a degree in medicine. Korin will be in safe hands."
"B-But…"
"Look, why don't you head to school?" The Storm Arcobaleno stated, "Reborn stopped by a while back while you're asleep with some fresh clothes for you. Wash up and head to school, okay?"
"I-I see…" She muttered, 'That's why there were doodles all over my face when I woke up…'
"Listen, your friends will be worried if you didn't show up." He tells her, "And I doubt Korin will like it if you end up exhausting yourself for worrying about him."
"O-Okay…" Tsuna said as she took the change of clothes from the bench and head towards the washroom.
Xx Flashback over xx
She looked over to the sky, her mind constantly on the teen's figure when she intervened. The rage look on him is not like him at all, even that time with Mukuro, he still shows some control over his actions, mostly were pushed by anger. But this time, it is not the case. It feels unnatural, like another person has taken over him completely transforming him into a berserk beast.
'Back then…' She thought, as she remembered the scene when he starts transforming ever slightly. What wasn't noticeable to most people was that there were some tears flowing from his eyes, 'Motoyama-san… was crying… He didn't want this to happen, but it did… He wanted to stop as much as most of us do…'
The image of him unconscious on the field reappears in her mind, "Please be okay, Motoyama-san…"
"Good morning, Tsu-chan!"
She turn around, her fellow brunette friend greeting her with a smile, "G-Good morning, Kyoko-chan…"
"…! Reborn-kun said you will be here." She smiled, "And it's true, exactly like he said!"
"Hm?"
"Tsu-chan's face looks like a bullet train!"
"B-Bullet train?-!" Tsuna cried, "Don't make fun of me, Kyoko-chan!"
"Hahaha, sorry, it's just that it really doesn't suit your cute face." She giggled, before stopping with a worried expression, "Are you alright, Tsu-chan?"
"Kyoko-chan…"
"Reborn-kun told me." She stated, "Motoyama-kun got injured during the fight in the sumo tournament, right?"
"Eh? A-Ah, y-yeah…" Tsuna said, 'She still thinks it's a sumo tournament…?-!' "B-But, the doctor said he will be fine."
"But he hasn't wake up yet, right?" She said.
"Y-Yeah…" The brunette sighed, "I…I just don't know what I should do… I feel really useless… I could have prevented Motoyama-san from getting this injured, but… W-What should I do, Kyoko-chan?"
"Well… Whenever onii-san has a boxing match, he always told me to believe in him, that he will win." Kyoko said, "Maybe you should believe in Motoyama-kun, have faith that he will recover."
"K-Kyoko-chan…"
"Ah, almost forget!" She remembered as she looked into her skirt pocket, taking out a small blue charm with a picture of a fist and four kanji that means safety for the top two and victory at the bottom, "Here! For you!"
"For… me…?" She said as she accepted the blue charm.
"After what I heard about Motoyama-kun, I made these for you!" She smiled, "I also have one for Yamamoto-kun and Gokudera-kun."
"I-I see…" She smiled, "Thank you, Kyoko-chan."
"I'm not the only one who made these, you know. Everyone contributed as well."
"Everyone…?"
"Tsuna-chan!"
She then find the most energetic girl of the three friends running over towards them waving, "H-Haru-chan?-! W-Why are you here?-!"
"Since today is my half-day at my school, so I decided to sneak in to help distribute the charms!" Haru said happily.
"Wait, sneak in?-!" Tsuna cried, "If Hibari-san finds out… wait, that's Nami Middle's uniform!"
"Heheh, Bianchi made it for me!" Haru said happily.
"That nothing compared to what I do." The older woman appearing behind them, Bianchi along with Fuuta and I-pin arrived with their respective custom made Nami Middle uniforms.
"Y-You guys!" Tsuna cried.
"Tsuna-nee, are you alright?" Fuuta asked her worriedly, "Reborn said you are feeling down, so we came to cheer you up."
"F-Fuuta…" Tsuna muttered, a bit moved by his pure intentions, "T-Thank you…" She said hugging the little boy, "You really cheered me up."
"Alright!" Haru cheered, "Now Tsuna-chan is feeling better, let's go distribute those charms!"
"Yeah!" They all cheered.
"H-Haru-chan, Kyoko-chan, can you teach me how to make those?" Tsuna asked.
"Sure!" Kyoko giggled, "You want to make one for Motoyama-kun, right?"
"Yeah…" She muttered 'This is the only thing I can do now…'
"I'll help as well." Bianchi said, "I am not one to stand aside in affairs of the heart. Ah, to think that the little girl has now felt the delicacy known as love…"
"I-It's not like that!" Tsuna cried blushing, "I-I just want him to get better, that's all!"
'Too oblivious…' The three other female members all thought while giggling away.
"J-Just show me how to make them!"
"Okay, okay, don't be in a rush. That's the one rule in love, never be impatient with your lover."
"I-I said it's not like that!-!"
Back at the hospital, Korin, or rather, his soul is still at the dimension of the Lord of Fire, Hiryuu, "Boya, you have stayed here long enough." The dragon said, "You should head back to the mortal realm, and carry on fighting."
"It's… it's just that…" Korin muttered as he sat on the ground cross-legged, "If I return as how I am right now… won't the same thing happen again?"
The dragon sighed irritated, "Listen, staying here isn't going to change. Unless you want to head to hell, that I can help. But knowing you, you still have things you need to do back there, right?"
"If it means the same thing won't happen again, then I'm willing to head to hell."
The dragon's patience is really wearing thin with every passing minute that Korin refusal to head back to the mortal realm, and if he doesn't it would be trouble. "Look, you might want to die so badly, but fate won't permit it. I mean it, she told me specifically that you are not to grant death until the time is right."
"Wait, so fate is a god as well?"
"No, not technically, more like a messenger that delivers those events asked by other gods. Hell, that fire in London was a joke and she really made it happened."
"The Great Fire of London was your fault?-!"
"It was just a small humble joke that she made real by accident."
"That fire burn just about most of Britain that time!" Korin cried, "And you call it a joke?-!"
"Boya, I may be the Lord of Fire, but that doesn't mean I can handle every case about fire in your world. Like that incident of yours, four years ago, that was beyond what I can do."
"Four years…" Korin realized, "You mean that flame isn't…!"
"That was forced out of you against your will." Hiryuu stated, "Those flames aren't made to kill at all. And those flames, the golden Knight Flames, aren't mine to control. They react to one's will, that is to say, yours."
"Will…? That's impossible for me." Korin muttered, "I have no true desire of my own. All those protecting crap, all of them were taken from aniki, all of them. I have no real resolve of my own, never have one. I'm just a sword that follows others' will."
"…Even so, is that a bad thing?" The teen looked up at the large dragon in confusion, "Resolve is something that drives a person to their goal, right? So what if it is borrowed? If you are willing to follow it to the end, it is still your resolve. Besides, you do have a true resolve, just never notice it before."
"What do you mean?"
"That is something you need to find out on your own." Hiryuu explained, "You won't be able do so if you remain here." Korin looked down, deep in thought, "There is no need to hesitate. A previous vessel said that hesitation is enemy of victory. You need to grasp that power on your own."
"Can… can I look for you again?" Korin asked, "That's much I want to ask."
"Of course." Hiryuu smirked, "I'll be here when you need me."
"Thank you." He said, "For saving my life all those years back, and for saving me yet again."
"No need. I have to otherwise I would lose one of the best vessels I can find within the millennium."
Korin breathed out in concentration, his mind focusing back into his body. He felt this kind of thing before, probably that time that he supposedly 'died'. In his mind, he can see it, the chains that held his soul to his body. Tugging onto the so called chains of fate, he felt his entire person leaving the realm and towards his body.
Now the teen left, Hiryuu let out a sigh in relief, "That's good… About time he left." Its reptilian eyes looked up into the endless void in its home, 'He all about ready to forge a contract with me, but… that incident seven years ago has traumatised him so much that he rejected the dragon's flames. Not only that, the hatred for those men that took everything from him is never settled at all.'
The dragon sighed, "Maybe it is too soon to meet him after all."
Back in the waking world, Korin finally starts to open his eyes. He turns to the window by his hospital bed, the sky now dark with the moon shining down, 'The hospital… huh?" He then notices the IV drop bag near his bed frame, 'This marks the third time I have been in the intensive care ward…'
"You're awake, Korin."
Korin's eyes widen as he turned to face his father, the man smiling at the teen while sitting next to his bed, "You gave quite a shock. This is the second time you nearly died, you know."
"Yeah…" Korin muttered while getting up on the bed, "…"
"Korin?"
"Old man, did you knew?" Korin asked, "That I was the vessel, of one of the Joteijuu?"
"…!" Yong-Kia blinked in shock, "So… you met it after all."
"Yeah, the fire Joteijuu, it preferred to be called Hiryuu." Korin stated, "How long…? How long did you know?"
"…since you were born."
"All those years and you said nothing?"
"I…"
Korin slammed his fist on the hospital table, knocking down the glass of water that was on it and it breaks as it hits the floor, the shards of glass now drenched in the water that it once held, "You should at least tell me! Seven whole years…! All those years, I was tortured, maimed, stabbed and burned repeatedly for reasons I don't know! And you knew why they do that and you kept quiet?-!"
"Korin, listen-"
"No, you listen, old man!-!" Korin shouted angrily, "The reason why I didn't just straight up cut ties with you is because of Hiyoko and Kinchi! Now, I'm very tempting to just leave this family for good! Give me one good reason that I should do so!"
"Your mother wanted me to keep it a secret."
Korin's eyes widen in shock, "Mom…?"
Yong-Kia took out a small golden pendant from inside his shirt, opening it revealing a photo of a beautiful woman with dark brown hair and equally brown eyes, "From the moment you are born, you have been covered in flames, the flames of the Joteijuu. No one in the council knows about this, and your mother wants to keep it a secret. But then that incident happened, and the truth was shown to them all."
"I knew what was going to happen, and I tried to keep you away from council." He continued, "But I was too late. By the time I've heard that you were abused so badly, you have suffered so much… No matter how much I convince them, they won't ever listen. They only saw you as a monster that might bring destruction and treated you as such. One of the previous Vessels has caused many deaths of the Council, and you were hated for it."
"I know this is too late to say but…" Yong-Kia bowed down as much as he can on his chair, "I'm sorry. I was a terrible father, unable to protect you from those people, unable to be with you when you need me the most, and unable to even keep that innocent boy that was you from becoming…"
"…" Korin looked away, his mind now in a full confusion. His emotions were everywhere. He was angry that he was kept in the dark about this, he hated the council even more, but he was also, sad that he has caused his own father so much grief, guilty for hating his father for something he cannot control. He wanted to shout out his anger, but he couldn't, not when his own father is begging for forgiveness.
He knew that, deep inside him, he cannot truly hate his father, the man that he raised him as much as he could over the past seven years when his mother died.
"I'm the one that should say sorry." Korin said, "I behaved like a spoiled brat, like a repulsive child. I never considered if you can't stop them even with your influence…" He scratched his blushing cheek, "I couldn't truly hate you… you are my father after all…"
"Korin…" Yong-Kia blinked, small tears start to appeared at the side of his eyes, which he wiped away, "I'm just glad you are fine."
"Motoyama Yan Korin." They turned to the door, the Cervello standing at the door, "You have been summoned. Please come to Nami Middle as soon as you can."
"What…?"
"Whenever a Knight or Guardian is summoned, they have to arrive, no matter what." Yong-Kia stated, "Looks like the Sky Battle isn't going to be as easy as the rest." He raised a bag of clothes in his hand, "I have some spare clothes for you. Change into them."
"R-Right…!" Korin got off his bed, the needle for the IV drop come off him as he took off his hospital gown, changing into a white V-neck shirt with long black sleeves and dark green jeans. The Giltine was handed him by his father, Korin taking it gladly before tying the holster to his pants and slotting the gun in.
"This is the last battle." Yong-Kia tells him, "Make sure you protect her, got it?"
"I have a feeling that you are keeping something from me." Korin said as he reached to the door, "If you don't want to say, I'll figure it out myself." He faced his father one more time, his eyes now filled with determination and a small smile tugged on his mouth, "I'll be off, dad."
"Be safe."
Korin left the ward, heading to the final Ring Battle.
To be continued…
Done! Yeah me! …ah… people aren't really
care about what path Korin take, huh…?
Well, it's not like I expected everyone to
review about this…
Oh well, I'll keep that up for now until I start
the Future Arc. The question still remains:
[Light or Dark, which path should Korin take first?]
Now… now I am stumped on the harem decision
… who should I enter in it. I wanted to put
in at least some canon from KHR, or at least
some OC from KHR and some from Negima.
Well, here are some people I am considering:
1-Amaya Kasumi (The Rain Knight in my previous story, cheerful bro-con)
2-Mikuri (I had to try and put this in, she and Korin was my shipping for the entire story before)
3-Haru (Yeah… Their personality clashed, but opposites attract, right?)
4-Ziyan (Yeah, why not? I have many plans for this girl…)
Well, that's all, I guess for now. If you have
any other people you wish to add in, your
own OCs or some other cannon chara, please
mention them in the reviews.
With that, I thank you for reading this!