(a/n) here it is, technically not the first but I consider it the first chapter of Begun By Blood. and let me tell ya, this is only the first chapter and it will already raise a lot of questions.
Part 1: The Reunion
Chapter 1: Rome and Sahara
Rai carefully eyed the various fruits that the street vender was selling. All around him was a throng of people, all of whom were also looking through various booths and stands buying various goods and foods. Normally all of these people would've been at a grocery store or something, but dramatic changes had happened since the Seven Deadly Sins had conquered the world only a week earlier. All ready Europe, or at least the city he was in at the time, Rome, had reverted to a very medieval place. Rai was currently in a bazaar, a traditional market place, but he wasn't planning on buying anything that day. His friends would take care of the food soon enough.
"How much for a bag of apples?" Rai asked as he scratched the back of his neck just above the green vest he wore. He wore no shirt underneath his vest and never had it zipped up. He also wore a pair of baggy blue jeans with many pockets on the legs.
"'Bout five silver pieces." The vender, a dark skinned and muscular man, answered.
"You're kidding?" Rai asked, appalled.
The vender shook his head. "Ever since that Gluttony character took over Europe I'm lucky to sell a few pieces of fruit a day. That colossal bastard only cares about is filling his own belly and entertaining himself."
"I hear ya." Rai said, "Living with the constant fear of being dragged to the newly revived coliseum and dying just so he can be entertaining makes me just want to leave Rome, if I could."
"Same here kid, but I can't. Family an' all that."
Rai nodded. "Well, I don't have the money, so I can't buy anything. Maybe tomorrow." He then walked off, stuffing his hands in his pockets and whistling as he walked away.
Rai vanished from the vender's sight as he rounded a corner into an ally. It was then that the real action began. Another boy about his age was walking up to the fruit stand. This boy had short, spiky black hair and wore a black sweater, blue jeans, and sunglasses. The boy had a plastic bag in his hand, completely empty. He stood in front of the stand for a moment or two and then began grabbing various fruits from it and stuffing them into his bag. Apples, pears, oranges, and various others; he was stocking up big time and this made the vender suspicious, considering so few people could pay anymore. "How you planning to pay for all them?" he asked.
The boy grinned and chuckled, lowering his sunglasses slightly to get a better look at the vender. "I don't." he said nonchalantly. The boy then took off running, weaving through the throng of people easily and leaving the venders sight quickly. The vender didn't chase after him though. He'd rather let people eat then make money for himself, just as many others did anymore. "Hope to god someone gets ride of these damned Sins soon. Don't think many of us could take it much longer." He said, touching his fingers to his forehead, then his mid chest, followed by his left breast and then his right, the traditional catholic prayer.
Rai waited silently in the ally way he'd disappeared into, waiting for his friend to return with the goods. He looked up as he heard footsteps coming towards him. "Took you long enough." He said. "What took you so long, Jet?"
"I took the casual approach this time." Jet answered. "Let's me get more stuff with less of a hassle." He paused as he reached into the bag and threw a pear to Rai. "Nice guy though. Didn't even chase after me."
"Who does?" Rai asked, catching the pear and taking a bite out of it. "Everyone just wants everyone else to have a decent meal anymore."
"Like you remember." Jet laughed as they started walking further down the ally. "If I recall you can't remember a thing before my sister and I found you a week ago."
"Yeah, thanks for reminding me." Rai chuckled, elbowing Jet in the chest. "Now let's get back to the shack before Jess gets mad again. You she doesn't like us breaking the curfew Gluttony set up for Europe."
"And since when are you one to follow the rules?" Jet snickered.
"Gee, I don't remember."
THE SHACK
Jess yawned as she turned the page in her book and pushed some of her long blond hair out of her eyes. It had been quite a few hours since Rai and her brother, Jet had left to get food for the day. Since it was almost dusk she'd already bathed in the nearby river and was in the brown bathrobe she usually slept in.
Jess sighed and she placed her book mark in between the pages and closed her book, placing it on top of a small pile on the floor next to her. She then took a look around the small shack she, her brother and Rai had lived in for the last week or so. It was small and made entirely of old two-by-fours, the floor was covered by various shag rugs and two mats covered by blankets (all of which were stolen) where Rai and jet slept. There were also two doors, one leading outside to the forest and the other leading to her own private room which also had stolen rugs and blankets. The only windows, however, were a few small holes in the walls where Jet could stick the barrels of a couple shot guns he'd stolen in case they were ever discovered by Gluttony's forces. There was no furniture at all, only a small gas stove in the middle for cooking the occasional steak the boys brought home.
Jess turned her attention to the door as it swung open and the boys walked in, dropping a bag of fruit on the floor, walking over and sitting down next to her. "Back on time for once… that's a first." She said.
"What, you think we wouldn't get it after a week?" Rai asked sarcastically.
"Still can't remember anything, I take it?" Jess asked.
"Not a thing." Rai answered.
"So, what did you get this time?" Jess asked, pointing to the bag.
"Fruit." Her brother answered. "Apples, pears, and oranges mostly. I think I threw a few bananas in there too."
Rai suddenly got up and started for the door. "Speaking of which I think that pear from earlier just worked its way through my system. I'll be back in a few." He said before walking out the door and closing it behind him.
A few minutes after he'd finished his business Rai started his short trek back to the shack. It took him a bit long than usual, however. Not because he got lost or that it was dark out now, but because he just wanted some time to collect his thoughts. Sure, he didn't remember anything about his life before a week ago when he'd been found in this very forest by Jet and Jess, but he hadn't told them about the dreams he had every night. Dreams of fighting, magic, people who seemed oddly familiar but he couldn't recognize. They almost seemed like memories to him, but he couldn't be sure. One girl in particular appeared quite frequently in his dreams, an Asian girl with jet black hair and a certain flair about her. He didn't know who she was; all he knew was that she was extremely attractive. "More like the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He muttered to himself.
"You know she's waiting for you."
Rai swung around to find a man leaning against a tree. He had armor covering his body, traditional armor like a medieval knight only more form fitting and the iron sheets were spread apart more, probably making it easier to move in. "Who the hell are you?" Rai demanded.
"The girl in your dreams, she's waiting for you. And she'll keep waiting until you find her again." the armored man said, walking closer to Rai.
Rai backed away slowly, glaring at the man curiously. "You know something about me… about my past… tell me!"
"You want to know about who you are?" the armored man asked. "Then head to China, the Xiaolin Temple. You'll find the answers you're looking for there… and you'll get to see Kimiko in person again."
When the armored man mentioned this name something flashed into Rai's head, a memory from what he could tell. He was lying in a bed and he was seriously injured. The girl from his dreams, Kimiko the armored man called her, was sitting in the chair next to his bed. They were just talking and then, out of nowhere, Kimiko leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.
Rai flashed back to reality and glanced around after coming out of his daze. "Kimiko… how could I have forgotten about her?"
"Everyone forgets sometimes, kid." The armored man said.
Rai eyes the man carefully, trying to figure out something about him. But the helmet he wore his him well. "Who are you?" he asked.
The armored man simply chuckled and backed away. "You know who I am." He said cheerfully before vanishing instantly with the wind. Rai stood there for a moment wondering where the man had vanished to, but quickly dismissed this thought and ran back to the shack. He'd finally remembered something about his life before Rome. Kimiko, his girlfriend… the armored man said she'd be waiting for him at the Xiaolin Temple in China. That's where he would head.
Rai burst through the door of the shack, startling both of the siblings sitting on the floor. "God, Rai, scare halfway to hell why don't ya!" Jess snapped, clutching the golden cross pendant around he neck.
"Whoa…" Jet said, confused. "Usually takes more than that to make you use God's name in vain."
"Yeah, yeah, she's a hard core catholic, whatever." Rai broke in. "Listen, I ran into this guy in the woods and then I remembed something."
"Oh, this aught to be good." Jet said sarcastically.
Rai punched his friend in the shoulder and then continued. "Listen, asshole. I have a girlfriend in China at the Xiaolin temple! If I go there maybe I can figure out more about who I am!"
"So… you're going to China?" Jess asked.
"You can't do that!" Jet snapped. "Intercontinental travel has been forbidden since the Sins took over except for transporting cargo!"
"To hell with the Sins!" Rai snapped. "I'm going to China whether you guys are backing me up or not." With that he got up again and walked over to the bundle of blankets he used for a bed. "I'm leaving first thing in the morning."
Jet and Jess just sat there watching him and glancing at each other. As much as they wanted to help their friend recover his memories they'd lived in Rome their whole lives and if they were caught sneaking into Asia they'd be sent to the coliseum to be fed to Gluttony's Lions immediately. It was a hard choice and, believe it or not, they'd heard that life in Europe was actually much better than in Asia. Compared to Lust, the sin who ruled Asia, Gluttony was very lenient with his people. It took them a while, but they both finally reached a decision, nodding to each other, knowing they'd agreed on the same thing.
Jess quietly snuck off to her room to get to sleep while Jet walked over to his own pile of blankets and made up his bed. "Hope you two can keep up with me." He said as he took off his sunglasses. "They don't call me 'Jet' for nothing."
Rai chuckled into his pillow and nodded. "Thanks man." He said before drifting off into sleep.
The next morning Rai, Jet and Jess quickly dressed (Jess pulling on the same shorts and pink tank top she's had on when they'd found Rai), gathered what they could carry with them, and burned down their shack. They were headed for China, and they didn't expect to make it back here.
SAHARA DESERT
Saya trekked helplessly through the ocean of sand around her, almost ready to collapse. Were it not for a few freak thunderstorms over the past week she would already have died from thirst. And were it not for a few snakes and hr ability to shoot lightning she would've died from starvation. "It's a good thing I've been through here a few times already or I wouldn't have any idea how to survive." She muttered to herself. She remembered the last time she'd gone through this desert, almost a year ago. She somehow managed to survive this hellhole and make it to Kenya where a tribe of friendly aboriginal people gave her food and shelter… that was also when she witnessed Pride being released from that mountain. "Kind of ironic that I ended up here, of all places on earth."
"Irony perhaps… or perhaps it was fate."
Saya spun around to see who had spoken. It was a man who seemed vaguely familiar to her even though his person was completely hidden by a long brown cloak and hood which swayed in the dusty wind. All she could see of him were those burning dragon eyes in the darkness of his hood. "You…" Saya said softly. "Jermiane and Guan told us about you… you're Prides oracle.
"Formerly Prides oracle." The oracle said. "I have detached myself from Pride his Sins."
"So… w-what are you doing here?" Saya stuttered, backing away slowly. Despite not knowing him at all something about this man just frightened her. It wasn't even how Jermaine and Guan had described how he fights either, it was just something about him seemed… like a long lost nightmare. Saya didn't know it but she would soon find out that she was closer than she could imagine. The oracle reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing the long main of jet black hair and pale skin that surrounded those burning dragon eyes.
"Hello Saya… remember me?" Chase Young asked, grinning at her devilishly.
The instant Saya saw Chase's face something snapped inside of her and she went into a blind rage. She immediately threw back her sleeves and started shooting lightning bold after lightning bolt at the dragon eyed man. Chase simply smirked and vanished, the lightning bolts shooting directly through where he'd been before he reappeared behind the blond Chinese girl. Saya swung around to slam her knuckles into his face but Chase was quick and caught her fist in his hand. Saya pulled back the first fist and went at him with her other and again Chase caught it in his hand. Saya then tried to round-house kick him but Chase blocked it with his forearm. "Are you quite finished?" Chase asked. "We don't have much time to waste here."
"I'll be finished when you're DEAD!" Saya shouted, shooting another lightning bolt at him only to be dodged when Chase teleported again.
"I see you've developed some new skills." Chase said as he reappeared behind her again. "How do you like the newest of mine? I call it the 'flash step'."
"Why don't you flash step back to limbo where you belong!" Saya shouted. She then swung back with her elbow, expecting to nail Chase's nose at least but missed once again. Chase had flash stepped to the other side of her again and this time caught her in a full nelson, restraining her completely.
"Now are you going to settle down or are we going to continue this pointless feud?" Chase demanded. Saya growled and seriously considered continuing the fight, but knew it was pointless and agreed to back down, despite her better judgment. "Good." Chase said, releasing her from his grip. "Now listen, I want those damned Sins gone just as much as you do. I think we may be able to get rid of them but only if we work together for a minimal amount of time… understand?"
"What do you mean work together?" Saya growled.
"I'm searching for an old acquaintance of mine, some one who was also alive fifteen hundred years ago. You know where he is, and I would like you to take me to him." Chase explained.
"How am I supposed to know where this guy is?" Saya demanded.
"You met him once. He is the chief of the village that guarded Prides prison in Kenya. I believe you were there when Pride was released, correct?"
"And how is this chief supposed to help us defeat the Sins once and for all?" Saya asked.
"He has guarded Pride for over fifteen hundred years." Chase explained. "Surely he would know some secrets." Chase then offered his hand to her for the agreement. "Do you accept my offer?"
Saya gritted her teeth and stepped back. Every nerve in her body was telling her to kill him or at least get away, but just the thought of defeating the Sins for good tempted her. How could she refuse to free the world from them… even if it meant uniting with an old enemy? She took his hand and shook. "Fine." She growled. "But no tricks."
Chase nodded. "Agreed. Now I believe you could use with an upgrade." The dragon eyes man then took back his hand and snapped his fingers. Instantly his cloak and hood vanished and was replaced by his usual leather armor. At the same time Saya's ratty cloths, the yellow tank top and black miniskirt she usually wore was replaced by a cloak similar to the one Chase had been wearing… and identical to the one she'd wore while serving as Chases minion. "What the hell?" Saya gasped. "I said no tricks!"
"This is no trick." Chase said. "The journey ahead is long and perilous and with your normal strength you surely would not survive. I have returned to you the power you once had as my minion but with none of the limitations. You are free to speak to me, leave me stranded in the desert, and even attack me if you wish."
Saya nodded. She was still weary of her new ally, but for some reason it seemed like he could be trusted… just this once.
Over the next few days the two spoke little. Chase explained to Saya that by shooting lightning directly into the sky she could summon a rainstorm any time she chose and that was about it. They continued eating snakes and living off the rain water Saya summoned. It wasn't until they started noticing more plants and animals that anything significant happened.
"We should be close now." Saya said. "I recognize these rock formations." Chase remained silent, only wanting to reach his destination.
It was only a few more hours before they reached the village. It was small, made of only a few dozen wood and straw huts. Saya recognized the mountain behind it all to well. Its peak was still stained charcoal back from when Pride had been revived. The village itself seemed normal enough, at least as far as indigenous tribes in Africa go. Small children ran and played in its streets, women did their chores of collecting water and other things, and the men must have been off hunting.
Immediately Chase headed for the largest hut, easily recognized as belonging to the chief. Saya quickly followed after him, hoping to see her old friend the chief again. But just as they reached the hut two came walking out of it. The first was an elderly black man with gray hair and beard wearing various necklaces made of animal bones and pair of short, primitive red pants. He was holding a large white spear with also had various animal bones handing from strings tied around it. This was the chief, and as far as Saya knew his name was Chief, for that was what everyone called him. The second man Saya didn't recognize. He wore a suite of tight fitting armor that looked easy to move in and no skin revealed at all.
"My old friend, you should stop by more often!" Chief laughed happily in his thick African accent. "Had I know you were still alive I would've kept…" he paused when he noticed Chase and Saya standing only a few feet away. "Chase young…" he growled. "And young Saya, how nice to see you again!"
"Nice to see you too, Chief." Saya said shyly.
"What are you doing here?" Chief asked, turning to Chase. "Guan has told me what you have done."
"Believe it or not, old friend, greater matters besides my past with you and Guan are about." Chase explained.
"Yes." Chief agreed. "Pride has escaped and as of late taken the world… I have heard."
"Shall we set aside our differences and discuss this?"
"Yes…" Chief agreed. "I'm sure even you know when to set your own selfish goals aside." With that Chief walked back into his hut, motioning for Chase to follow him.
Chase turned to Saya before going after the elderly leader. "You may stay and wait for me if you wish, but I no longer require your services. Leave at your own accord."
"And where am I supposed to go?" Saya demanded.
"You've traveled long distances before. Perhaps all you need to do is find a faster way." Chase said before following Chief into his hut, leaving Saya and the armored man alone.
The two remained quiet, simply watching the hut and waiting for something to happen. It wasn't long, though, before the armored man walked over to Saya and grabbed her shoulder. "Your friends will be waiting." He said through his helmet before stuffing a folded piece of paper into her hand and then walking away. As he walked away from her and out of the village a small sand storm blew up, only lasting a second or two, and he vanished when it had passed.
Saya, confused, simply stared at the place where the armored man had vanished before turning her attention to the paper he'd given her. She quickly unfolded it and read what was inside. Only two words were written inside. Home and flash. It took her a second but Saya quickly understood. "I'll be home soon, guys." She said to herself. She then tossed the paper to the ground and closed her eyes, beginning to summon all the energy she had into the soles of her feet. "I hope this is how Chase did this… FLASH STEP!" And then she simply vanished without a trace.