"A Kaosu warrior should not be blinded by materialistic interests… Because, in this chaotic world, the line between Free Will and Addiction, can be very subtle."
-From "Kaosu Jutsu" (the Kaosu warrior's Code)
2.
Ruju za Batto
Materialism… Some say, it is the drug of the fool… Some other say, it's a thing people can't help but have, it's one of the pathologies that makes us what we are… Imperfect beings.
To me, Materialism is just a word without a real meaning… I prefer to call it… Desire.
From Desire comes Ambition… From Ambition comes Determination… From Determination comes Will…
And my Will… My Life mission… Is to pursuit the goal I decided to follow, until the Old Lady would come and claim my soul.
They misunderstood my Passion for Addiction… I am not addicted... They can't just see this. I'm well aware of the risks in pursuing my ideal… Not only the spiritual ones (as the "Kaosu Jutsu" states) but the very physical ones…
I am what the so-called "honest" people call… A criminal.
I beg to differ from such hasty terminology… I, first and foremost, am a Kaosu… Who's just following his own ideals and goals, just as the Code suggested… And therefore, his own rules are more important then the common being's ones.
And yet, they dare to judge me… They dare to point their filthy fingers at me… Just who the heck they think they are? They're just a bunch of ignorant peasants who love to persecute the whom who do not see things their way.
And so… For the way I've chosen for myself, I'm considered a reject… How appropriate. We live in a chaotic and controversial world, indeed… Then again, aren't we bound to fight for what we believe?
And this, is exactly what I am… A fighter who shall defend his own right to believe in what he chooses to believe…
And I believe in thievery and the sheer beautifulness of jewels… Because this is who I am…A thief…
At least for this month.
Next time, I'll try the bounty hunter profession.
Signed: Kaosu thief, Fangu za Sunaipa.
Emerald Hill Zone, 15 years ago.
Over the past couple of decades, this land has suffered immense misery, as well as its own inhabitants…
To this very day, the once marvelous heaven known as Emerald Hill was nothing more than a pale shadow of its former self… A ghost, a rotten corpse, a cancer… A disfigured parody of everything barely lively… Ruined and mauled by the Four Horsemen themselves…
War.
Famine.
Pestilence.
Death.
This dead land has seen them all… On its barleys, on its cities… On its children.
It was an unfortunate routine of this chaotic world…
A conflict would explode somewhere for some unknown reason… Sides would be chosen… Men would be killed for an ideal they would be forced to believe… And children would follow suit.
Soldier kids… Heavily drugged soldier kids who would think of the war as a First Person Shooter videogame to play with friends through an On-Line connection… How macabre and pitiful.
After the war, somehow, ended… Despair and Famine were its descendants. Epidemic diseases didn't late to arrive and claim the lives of the eldest… Leaving the remaining children by their own.
This is what Emerald Hill had became… A giant, soulless orphanage inhabit by the young victims of an anonymous war for which no one would care about…
And of course, Life (what was left of it) was not easy… In such environment, the laws of the so-called democratic society were as worthless as a sack of swine's crap.
Jungle law would reign supreme. The stronger ones would eat the weaker…
Literally.
Famine can bring even the most rational individuals to their own primal instincts… to the feral beast that lies inside us all… The un-mistakable trace of what we all used to be before evolution came along…
Animals… Who would struggle in order to survive.
This was the environment She used to live in… Before being rescued by her savior…
It all happened in a normal day… As far as normal a day could have been around this zone… When the weird looking stranger with a funny looking hat arrived in Emerald Town… Or, as its current inhabitants used to call it, City of Sheet.
A childish name that couldn't possibly be more appropriate… Since hygiene was not exactly a priority… Not anymore, at least.
The town's soil was covered by partially eaten body now turned into food for maggots, blood and rotten organs, skeletons and… Random hills of sheet. The smell would have been unbearable for every common living being who would have come from the outside world… But not for this particular individual… Who happened to know first hand what a war can do to people.
Fangu za Sunaipa was known in his ambient as the Chaotic One… Because of his unique ability to find a new life mission almost every week, instead of choosing only one path and pursuit it the best way he could. Idealistically speaking, Fangu's path was every kind of path… And no one at all… The endless possibilities of Life.
He was seen by many as a nutcase… And by few, as the wisest individual who's ever walked on Earth. What did he think of himself, you may ask? He still had to decide it.
What was he doing in that forgotten wasteland?
For that week, Fangu happened to be a missionary… In his own way, of course. He decided to come here because he rightfully thought those kids desperately needed some help… Especially, the one he was looking for.
Amazingly enough, for the mess the place was, he immediately found her…
A cute little bat girl, no more than 8 years old, with pure white fur… A fallen angel inside this Hell. She was on the ground, hugging her knees, swinging back and forward… And crying… Softly and silently, as in fear to awake the Devil himself.
She looked shocked and confused, as far as Fangu could tell… She only wore an old smelly poncho… Probably taken from a corpse. Her soft and partially mauled body was exposed to the coldness of this world… Both literally and figuratively.
Her shining blue eyes were fixed over a peculiar scene not so distant from where she used to be…
A group of young Mobian hyenas, eating something… Or better, someone. This bat's older brother.
They would growl and snarl… They would bite and chew… They would fight each other for the bigger piece of meat, just like their feral ancestors would do…
The line between primal animals and evolved creatures, had no meaning in this place.
And yet… This little girl seemed so out of place… Her eyes, her body language, were the portrait of a well known emotion… An emotion often felt by non-feral beings…
Fear.
She grew up in this hellhole but she was not accustomed to it… She was the weakling of this jungle… Already destined to endure violent death.
But she could still be saved.
Slowly, Fangu reduced the distance between himself and the girl… Once he was just a few inches from her trembling form, she turned her head and looked up at him. She didn't try to escape or anything else… She just stood on her spot, already resigned to embrace her fate…
The fate of a prey… Her brother's fate.
Instead of eating her, this weird looking creature with a funny looking hat and a huge tooth, simply smiled at her… A reassuring, warm smile… Something that she didn't even know existed. Then, he offered his hand to her, never dropping the smile. She thought about it for a few minutes… She then eagerly took the stranger's gloved paw. In an instance, she was in Fangu's arms, feeling the comfortable warming sensation that another one's compassion brought to her cold body.
"What is your name, little girl?" He suddenly asked.
She tried to answer but the words were frozen in her throat. Fangu just smirked.
"Do not worry, little one. I have the perfect name for you… From this moment on, you'll be known as… Ruju za Batto." He said, faking an ominous tone in order to impress the little bat girl.
Her giggling reply confirmed the rightful choice of her name.
"Say… Would you like to become a jewels thief?" He suddenly (and randomly) asked.
She nodded, even though she had no clue of what jewels were… Yet.
"Good… Because I'll be a thievery teacher for the next 3 years… I'll make you a Kaosu thief, the best kind of burglar in the world!"
She giggled even more, before yawning and falling asleep inside Fangu's arms… She cuddled in his protective embrace, trying to find shelter from the cold weather.
And so, Ruju za Batto escaped Hell… Only to enter a whole new one…
The Outside World.
Present time.
"You do realize that you'll have to fight an army of deadly robots for practically nothing in return?"
She just shrugged and smiled her trademark seductive smile.
"What can I say? I'm a generous person…" She casually said.
With generous proportions! Every male in the pub thought.
Yeah… If you're an altruist, then I'm a dancing, polka dressed Leprechaun! A certain pink hedgehog thought.
"So… It is settled. You're our second Kaosu." The blue warrior stated, not hinting a sincere amount of amusement.
Maiti and Biggu started dancing like idiots for the joy. Emi just hmpfed. To her pleasure, she noticed that even that golden vulpine she just met, seemed to be a little concerned about this decision…
What was his name? Oh yes, Mairusu Paua.She said within herself. I can't believe he's a Kaosu warrior, he's so cute… Then she turned her head towards the older hedgehog. But not as my Sonikku! She blushed… She definitely had a crush for him, no doubts about it.
"Fantastic! I'll be in the nearby hotel for a while… Call me when you're ready to leave." With that said, the breath taking form of the Kaosu bat left the building… Right after blinking her left eye towards all the boys inside… Which almost caused a mass hysteria followed by multiple faints.
Sonikku, however, managed to maintain his very distinctive dignity… He had a very good reason for accepting this bat girl's help and not just because of the fact that they were desperate.
"Sensei?"
"We've already had this argument, Mairusu, I'm not your sensei… Just call me Sonikku, ok?" The blue hedgehog scolded.
The fox seemed to be hurt by such affirmation, he truly wanted to be this Kaosu's apprentice… He already idolized him, simply because of his bravery. He asked his question, anyway.
"S-Sonikku-san… I was just wondering… Why did you accept her services without even know if she had any real ability?" A smart question… Apparently, Smartness was one of this kid's best qualities.
Sonikku put on the classic "I know everything" kind of smile, before answering.
"She wore the official Kaosu thief vest… That was the only proof I needed."
"Kaosu thief? I've never heard of such Order…" The vulpine said, showing genuine curiosity in his eyes.
"I shall tell you about it… Everybody, gather around me, please."
Everybody did so, including Emi.
Sonikku began his tale.
The Kaosu Thievery Order used to be the great alternative of the Kaosu Order itself… The people who chose to become Kaosu thieves had been trained in the art of stealth techniques and sneaking tactical actions… Basically, they've been trained to be burglars… Or better, "plunder artists".
Unfortunately for them, the rise of Modern Society happened to be their downfall… Kaosu thieves were considered nothing more than vulgar criminals and the Order was shut down…
Despite that course of events, the Kaosu thieves didn't completely disappear… They only had to operate their profession in the darkness of the laws…
In other words… They're outlaws… At least for this society.
Everybody in the pub (villagers and other customers alike) awed in amazement… Like the kids of a kindergarten during storytelling.
"So… That Ruju person… Is a criminal, right?" Emi advanced.
"Technically speaking… Yes. But do not judge her for this… Every Kaosu is extremely proud of the path he/her chooses." The cobalt storyteller stated… His mind wandering for an instance at his own life mission. "I sincerely think her skills will come in handy against the enemy…" He then assumed a sly look and muttered to Maiti: "… And besides, her presence alone will definitely keep the males' mood high, don't you think?"
Maiti couldn't help but chuckle at such appropriate remark. Sonikku resumed his seriousness.
"Ok, let's not waste anymore time… We still need some other recruits." He thought about this for a moment, then added: "Well, to tell the truth, what we really need is a whole army of suicidal nutcases but… We can't afford to have such luxury… And we need to leave this city for the end of this week. Time is not on our side." He looked in the direction of his would be apprentice. "Mairusu, go looking for someone else and take Emi with you."
"Yes, Sonikku-san. You can count on me, I won't disappoint you." The kit said, eagerness showed in his features.
Emi just sighed, she would have preferred to remain with the cobalt warrior… Alone, if possible. Within a blink of an eye, Mairusu took the girl's arm and rushed out of the building… He certainly didn't lack of enthusiasm.
During their quest, the two teenagers exchanged some words… Mainly referred to Sonikku. She would usually say how she found him so fascinating and full of intrigue… He would usually respond affirmatively or with a nod of his head.
In truth… The golden vulpine wasn't really aware of the argument, he was too busy trying not to blush while posing his gaze on her form… He was growing fond to her by the minute and, of course, she didn't notice because of her own crush.
When they arrived in the town's main square, something managed to capture the teens' attention… A crowd gathered around two persons… Two warriors, apparently.
Not without some efforts, both Mairusu and Emi managed to find a way through the rather thick mass of Mobians and get a better look of the two combatants.
One of them was a crocodile, a tall and mean looking reptile with sharp teeth and a katana sword in his hands… Judging by his fighting stance, he was the kind of duelist used to conclude his fights within the first blow. His stature and appearance were intimidating and his eyes denoted his "all business" attitude but also a fair amount of nervousness.
His opponent, on the other hand, was the portrait of statuary calmness.
Both Emi and Mairusu found themselves to be in awe as they got a better look at that unnaturally calm warrior.
He was similar to nothing anyone has ever seen… He didn't resemble a Mobian, nor any other known species…
He was a weird looking guy with a slim body and a round head… A round nose-less head, for the sake of clarity. He had light grey skin and leaf-like pointed, green hair. He wore a full black kimono, black shoes… And black, three-fingered gloves… For his three-fingered clawed hands.
A peculiar creature, indeed. Was he an alien of some kind? Or was he just born different?
Born different… Just like a certain fox.
There that mysterious duelist stood… Immobile and erect, not even in a fighting stance… As if his current opponent wasn't there but somewhere else. His huge eyes were closed.
Was he concentrating?
Did he fall asleep? As many people around him joked…
Suddenly, the crocodile made his move… And the unknown creature's eyes shot open.
After that… No one joked anymore.
It was already over… The crocodile lay on the ground… Drowned in his own blood. Dead.
No one had seen that coming… An attack so sudden and precise. Mairusu's mouth was agape, as well as everyone else's.
The reptile's blood was still dripping from the stranger's dual blades come out from his gloves… His head raised towards the present crowd and collective gasps could be heard.
He had no eyes… Or better, he had eyes… Only, they were fully black… Pure nothingness…
Pure void.
If it is true that the eyes are the windows of the soul… Does he had any?
His stone-like face didn't betray a single emotion, neither satisfaction for his handy work nor hatred towards his latest opponent or the noisy crowd… And since they bet their money over the reptile, he should have had all the reasons to be angry.
Instead, he remained emotionless… Void as his own eyes suggested.
Mairusu's mind was running madly like a jet boosted monster truck. This warrior could have been the perfect asset for their group… He needed to ask him, at least.
The crowd started to disperse, returning to their own lives and affairs. The vulpine, Emi's hand unconsciously in his own (to her sudden blush), took this opportunity to approach the void eyed swordsman.
"E-excuse me?"
The mystery man, or alien, if you will, slowly turned his rotund head, fixing his lifeless gaze over the fox and his clearly intimidated pink friend.
Mairusu had to summon all of his courage in order to avoid an otherwise impending shiver attack. He took a deep breath, trying to ignore his interlocutor's gaze and focus his own in it, at the same time.
"Noble warrior, are you, by any chance, a Kaosu?" He said, timid-less as mobianly possible.
The un-mistakable sound of the two pair of dual blades re-entering the black one's three-fingered gloves… Was all the fox needed for an answer.
Noticing that the attempt of building up a normal two-sided conversation with this guy, was pointless… The kit went straight to the matter.
"We are gathering Kaosu warriors for protecting a village from bandits' assault… Would you please join us? Your abilities would definitely grant us a valuable edge in this battle…"
Both his and Emi's eyes were wide open in anticipation of the other one's answer.
His blank expression didn't change a single bit when he muttered his undeniable reply.
"No."
And then, he just went away, leaving two disappointed teens to collect the pieces of their shattered hopes.
Apparently, none of them noticed that a certain someone has been observing their every move since they left the pub…
A certain, pissed off-able, potty-mouthed, red echidna… Who happened to be interested in their current situation.
Why, you may ask? Because, right now, he was sober enough… To be a fool.
"Well, this is certainly a surprise…" Said a grinning blue hedgehog.
"As soon I knew that you were here, gathering Kaosu for a suicidal mission, I just had to come and see it personally."
"So… Will you join us… In honor of the old times?" He expectantly asked.
The new comer pondered about it for a few seconds… Then smiled.
"Awww, what the heck… I'm burning for some action!" Answered the lavender cat girl better known as Bureizo za Kyatto…
The third Kaosu.