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Episode five: Kudan Battles!
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Who are you?
Sky was floating a dark abyss with nothing but the light of his Kudan to guide him about.
Who are you?
The question repeated itself in his mind. Sky wheeled around, trying to find the source.
Who are you?
Sky closed his eyes and heard the voice coming from somewhere near him. He looked to his right and opened his eyes, to see a soft pale blue light steadily growing stronger. Sky could somehow feel wariness and fear from the orb and couldn't help but feel a need to calm it.
I'm a friend, he thought and the light seemed to brighten even further. It continued to shine brightly and Sky felt warmth coming from the sphere, increasing with its brightness and then…
BRRRIIIINNNNGGGG!!!
Sky let out a yell as a loud ringing sound came from somewhere near him and clutched at his heart, which was beating very fast. He glanced around as he remembered where he was and saw Mokona playing around with the ringing alarm clock.
"Mokona can't get it to turn off! It hurts Mokona's ears!" the small creature squeaked as it wrestled the clock to the ground.
Sky let out a small chuckle before taking the alarm clock and quickly shutting it off. Mokona let out a small sigh and then grinned mischievously.
He glanced about and then noticed Kurogane trying to go back to sleep. It let out a loud cheer and hopped onto the ninja's spiky hair, "KURO-CHAN!"
"THAT'S KUROGANE! AND GET OFF MY HEAD!" the dark ninja roared as he grabbed Mokona.
Sky laughed at the antics of the fighting twosome and saw Fai stretch with a yawn.
"Morning, Fai-san," Sky said politely.
"Good morning, Sky-kun! Have a nice sleep?" Fai said cheerily, reminding Sky of another certain someone who was unbelievably perky in the morning.
"Yes, thank you," he answered and Sorata and Arashi came in at that point.
"Hey there! Sleep well?" Sorata said cheerily.
"Yes, thank you so much!" Fai said just as cheerily.
Sky smiled as he watched Fai and Sorata speak cheerily. It reminded him of the mornings when he, Bridge and Syd were the only B-squad cadets. Bridge and Syd would be sickeningly cheerful in the mornings while Sky would grumble and they would try their best to cheer him up.
"Well, we're gonna go get breakfast ready, get changed and be down in twenty minutes," Sorata nodded, "Fai, Kurogane, there are some spare clothes form this world for you in the other room. Sky, your clothes are like this world's anyway."
Sky nodded and watched as Fai and Kurogane walked out of the room. Well, Fai walked out, Kurogane was chasing Mokona out. He sat back down next to bridge and gently took his hand in his and his eyes widened.
"It's… warm?" Sky said in a mixture of shock and relief. He curled his fingers around Bridge's and felt his forehead. Where as before, Bridge was still somewhere between cold and warm, his body temperature was now perfectly normal.
"Thank goodness, he seems to be getting better," Sky smiled and then pressed a gentle kiss to Bridge's forehead, "Please wake up soon, Bridge."
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"There should be enough for lunch in there," Sorata pressed a small bag of coins into Sky's hands as he and his companions prepared to leave.
"Why is he giving it to the kid?" Kurogane grumbled, dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans. Sky was wearing what he had been earlier and Fai was wearing a white shirt with blue jeans.
"Cause he looks most trustworthy!" Sorata winked and Kurogane glared at him.
"Thank you Sorata-san," Sky smiled and then set off with Fai, Kurogane and Mokona. He had left Bridge in the care of Arashi, a woman he had just met, but trusted.
"So where do we go now?" Sky wondered after a couple hours as they looked around to the different buildings. Mokona was sure there was a feather nearby, but he didn't know where.
"HEY!" a young voice came from behind them and they turned to see a young boy running up to them.
"Can we help you?" Sky asked as the boy stopped in front of him.
"Don't you remember me? You saved me from the Kudan battle yesterday!" the boy said.
"Oh yeah!" Sky remembered and then frowned, "sorry, but I didn't catch your name."
"It's Masayoshi," the boy nodded and held out his hand.
"I'm Sky, this is Fai-san and Kurogane-san," Sky shook his hand and gestured to the others.
"I owe you for saving my life, so is there anything I can do for you?" Masayoshi asked eagerly.
Sky was about to decline when- "Do you know a good place to eat?" a squeaky voice chirped.
"Yup, there are a lot of good places here!" Masayoshi grinned at Mokona, who grinned back.
"Lead us there!" the creature grinned.
"Sure! Come on!" Masayoshi grinned and he led the traveler through the crowd.
"What were you doing in that battle?" Sky asked.
"I was passing by when it started. Wrong place, wrong time, I guess," he shrugged.
"What about that boy who was with you? Is he alright?"
"What boy?"
"The one who was wearing that odd cap."
"Oh!" Masayoshi grinned, "That wasn't a boy! It was my Kudan!"
"What?" Sky stopped and stared at him.
"Yup! Watch," Masayoshi concentrated and a boy in traditional Japanese clothing appeared next to him and disappeared.
"Cool," Sky grinned.
"Not as cool as yours. Mine is a fourth level, the weakest," Masayoshi sighed.
Sky was about to say something sympathetically when a bunch of men with mohawks stopped their way. Sky looked past them to see what looked like their leader standing a few feet away.
"Are you Sky?" the leader, a pudgy man, spoke up, pointing at Kurogane.
The real Sky stepped up, "I am."
The leader looked incredulous, "A little kid?"
Sky bristled at being called a kid but ignored it, keeping an eye on the other men, just incase they decided to attack again.
The leader spoke again, "I'm offering you the chance to join my team. You're pretty strong; I'll even make you my right hand."
Sky shook his head, "I decline."
"I'm not gonna let you join Shogo's team!" the leader growled.
"I'm not joining him, nor am I joining you. I have my own affairs so…" Sky turned his back on the man and began to walk away.
The leader looked very angry at this answer and then summoned his Kudan which looked like a giant Crab-like monster, "So you're planning to start your own team! Well, I'm going to take you out right here, right now."
Sky jumped forward and flipped away as the tail of the other's Kudan sliced towards him and ducked. The tail slashed through a rock pillar and it fell to pieces. Sky stared at it in shock; it sliced right through… he thought.
"Be careful! That Kudan can sharpen any part of its body to an edge as sharp as a knife! It's a level one! Though the leader doesn't look like much, his Kudan is one of the fastest around!" Masayoshi yelled in warning.
Sky crouched down, waiting, but was pushed back by Kurogane before he could be attacked, "I've been pretty bored here. I'll take you on."
Sky was shocked at the fact that Kurogane wanted to fight his battle and was concerned as well, "But you don't have any weapon!"
The ninja looked back at him, "I don't need one. That sword was magic, it was special. I needed it to kill the monsters in my Japan."
"So what level is your Kudan?" the leader smirked.
"I don't know, I don't care," Kurogane sneered, "come and get me."
The Kudan attacked him, but Kurogane jumped back until he was up against a pillar and ducked, the Kudan slicing through it. He leaped up but wasn't fast enough to avoid the next attack which slammed him into a pillar, bringing down part of the roof on him.
"Kurogane-san, watch out!" Sky yelled ready to help but Fai held him back. Sky looked at the blonde man, who smiled.
"If you try to help him, he'll get really mad. Besides, he's fine!" Fai pointed at rubble and a dark figure emerged from it.
Kurogane stepped out, completely covered in cuts and bruises but didn't seem to flinch at all.
The leader was slightly shocked but hid it, "Where's your Kudan? You're probably so weak you're ashamed to bring it out!"
The ninja stood on top of the rubble, "Your Kudan may have strong armor, but it has a weakness. If I had a sword, it would be in pieces right now."
No sooner did he say those words, a sudden wind blew up and droplets of water began to fall from the sky. The blue water swirled behind him and formed a large dragon over thirty feet long with an impressive wing span. It had large claws, a tiger's tail and a bright red jewel in its forehead.
"What?!" Kurogane stared in shock, "you appeared in my dream . . ." The dragon stared at him and then turned into a massive broad sword as big as the ninja, "You're asking me to wield you?" he grinned, "I get it. You like a good punch up too."
The Kudan came at Kurogane again but he was more than ready. "Hama Ryu O Jin!!" he leaped up and sliced the Kudan in half.
"NO!" the leader fell to the ground in pain. "You're a part of Sky's team, aren't you?" he pointed at Kurogane and pointed shakily.
The ninja looked furious at the idea, "I'm on nobody's team. In all my life I've served under only one person." Kurogane thought of his princess and his devotion to her, "And that's Princess Tomoyo!"
Sky had to smile at the ninja's obvious devotion to his princess. The tone of Kurogane's voice had the same amount of love Sky felt for Bridge. He thought about Bridge all the way back to Sorata's home and then immediately went to bridge's bedside.
"Did you find the feather?" Arashi asked softly.
"No. Mokona said that the wave keeps appearing and disappearing," Sky sighed.
"Hmm, that means that whatever has the feather appears and disappears as well…" she put a finger to her lips in thought.
"Do you think it's in a Kudan?" Fai asked from where he was sitting.
"Yes. A Kudan is the only thing that can appear and disappear," Arashi nodded.
"Mokona?" Sky looked over at the tiny thing.
"Mokona sensed a feather in the battle when we first came to this world, but there were a lot of Kudan there!" Mokona's ears drooped.
"It would have to be a very strong Kudan," Arashi supplied.
"What makes you say that?" Kurogane cocked an eyebrow as he applied some antiseptic to some of his cuts.
"Bridge's feathers contain a tremendous amount of power, as I said before. They are a part of his soul itself and this gives them more power than we can imagine, especially if he feels a strong emotion at the time of the memory."
"Bridge feels everyone's emotions all the time. His feathers therefore have a lot of power," Sky nodded in understanding.
"Hmm," Fai rubbed his chin and then raised a finger, "my bet is on Shogo."
Sky nodded, "I think so too."
"Well, tomorrow, we can continue our search, for now, let's get some sleep!" Fai yawned and he and the others, except Sky and Mokona, left the room.
Sky gently reached down and took one of Bridge's hands in his and closed his eyes as he remembered something Bridge had told him about this when they had been children.
Flashback
"Are you sure you're okay?" twelve-year-old Sky sat next to Bridge's bed, looking at him worriedly.
"Yeah, Ms. Manx says I just have a fever," Bridge grinned slightly as he let out another sneeze.
"Well, I hope you get better soon, Carson," Sky muttered.
"Sky!" Bridge fumed, "how many times have I told you!" he burrowed completely into the covers and pulled them over him head, "call me Bridge!"
"Ah, sorry… Bridge," Sky grimaced.
"Better," Bridge smiled at him and then let out yet another cough. He held out a gloved hand to Sky and smiled shyly.
"What?" Sky looked confused.
"My father used to say that if you're sick and someone holds your hand, you get better soon," Bridge smiled tiredly.
Sky smiled at that and took Bridge's hand in both of his, "I'll stay here as long as you want me to, Bridge. I promise."
Bridge smiled and closed his eyes, "This way, the first thing I'll see when I wake up is you, Sky."
Sky simply smiled as he listened to Bridge's breathing slow down and even out.
End flashback.
Sky held Bridge's hand tighter and thought, as he fell asleep, I will find Bridge's feathers! I won't let him die!
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The next day, Sky, Fai, Kurogane and Mokona were out looking for the feather yet again.
"This is so boring! I wish something would happen!" Kurogane grumbled and then all travelers let out a yelp as Masayoshi's Kudan poked out of a wall.
"There you are!" Masayoshi panted as he ran up to them.
"What was your Kudan doing?" Sky asked as Mokona jumped from his head to Masayoshi's.
"My Kudan can track down anyone he's met before. I was using him to find you."
"That's pretty cool!' Sky grinned.
"Yeah, but-" Masayoshi was cut off when a massive wind blew up and a large bird with a long beak swooped down on the group and pick up Masayoshi and Mokona, who was on his head.
"Masayoshi-kun!" Sky yelled as the bird flew off. A note landed on his head and he opened it.
Meet me at the Hanshin Castle at noon.
Sky reread it and then turned to Fai and Kurogane, "Look at this!"
Sky froze as the two of them started talking together and then they froze as they realised the same thing he did.
They could hear what the other was saying, but they couldn't understand the words…
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Uh-Oh! What's wrong? Find out in the next chapter: Fai's Kudan!