Elvengirl: Wow...Been a long time, huh? Sorry this is so late. Alot happened in the past few weeks, and I really just didn't feel like writing. But, I'm back, and the fanfic is progressing nicely. I'll try to be more frequent in my updates.
"Where the hell am I?" Hector grumbled, wandering through the dense forest. About five days had passed since he had left Tokyo, and he was as unsure of his bearings as he was when he had started his journey.
'Has Karel reached Kyoto yet?' he wondered, 'And how about Lyn and Guy? Are they on their way? Limstella has her patients, so she can't come...He better not be there!' Hector's brow furrowed at the looming image of Ephidel in his mind.
"However, this forest looks really familier," Hector thought aloud. His reverie was broken by a loud growl from his stomach. Hector reached into his bag and pulled out a small, white, dumpling. The last one.
"I suppose after this I'll have to catch frogs or something," Hector shrugged, tossing the dumpling up.
A sudden rumble echoed through the forest, causing Hector to lose his balance. After recovering, he stared forlornly at the dumpling, which sat in the dirt. Angrily, Hector stuffed the dumpling into his mouth, then went off in search of the rumble's source.
"Who's the moron who ruined my dinner?!" He shouted, marching through the underbrush. He stopped short at a small clearing. Within it, there was a man seated in a circle surrounded by six stone buddahs. He was a man of strong build, larger than Hector, but still fit. He wore a black tunic overtop a white shirt. His pants were also white. A white bandana sat upon his head. His arms were bandaged, for support Hector guessed. The man was chanting and at various intervals slam a cerimonial dagger into the ground, causing the stone buddahs to shake.
"Some monk...but what's he doing? Praying for crops?" Hector wondered.
Again the monk slammed his dagger into the ground. The stone buddahs exploded from the impact. Hector was shocked. He had never seen or felt anything like that before. The monk opened his eyes and stood up, turning to face Hector, noticing him for the first time.
"Wow, powers borrowed from Buddah from an adept monk. 'Horiki' right? First time I've seen 'em used."
"Are you lost?" asked the man, who bore a somber expression on his face. His eyes were surrounded by dark rims.
"Yeah, can you show me the way outta here? And can I have some food while you're at it?"
"First time at begging, huh?"
"Ah, I see. You ate dirt dumplings because of me. Sorry about that," The monk apologized with a small smirk. He and Hector were sitting around a small fire as the dusk began to set in. The smell of fire and roast frog filled the clearing.
"No need. I got a hot meal out of it, right? Plus, I got to see Horiki in action." With a grin, Hector took a large bite out of his frog.
"Those weren't buddhist powers. Horiki was used to convince believers, but it is mearly a lie.Even if such things did exist, I, an adept on the Buddhist path would not be able to use them." The monk's reply was somber.
"So, you're a fallen priest then?"
"Yes."
Hector nodded, trying to recall what he knew of the subject. As he recalled, they were disgraced priests who felt no shame in violating the laws of Buddha.
"So, that explaines the evil-looking face," Hector mumbled.
"You're one to talk," the monk replied. Hector looked away. That wasn't meant to be heard.
"But, if you abandoned Buddah, what's with the training?"
"My beliefs may not be with Buddah, but I have retained my will to save the world. Though that cannot happen through Buddah's hands. Only men can save the world of men, and to do that they must surpass the Gods. I try to attain such power."
"I suppose you didn't fall 'cause of temptation then?" Hector smirked.
"Do you know of the movement to abolish Buddhism ten years ago?"
Hector drew a blank.
"No point in explaining then."
"Hang on, if that thing you were doing back there wasn't Horiki, then a normal guy like me could also learn it, right? I ain't gonna turn it evil or anything, so how 'bout it? Think you could teach me?"
"Why do you desire such power?" The monk asked.
"That a zen riddle?"
"Just answer."
"Well, to put it bluntly: I just want to be stronger than I am now. Before I left Tokyo, this guy told me that I had a weak defense, so I tried working on it. But after thinking about it, I figured that defense just isn't my style. Besides, it'd just hurt to take advice from him."
"So, a personal reason then."
"Compared to saving the world, I guess so," Hector gave a nervous laugh, "But I'm willing to give my life for it."
"Answer one more. What are your thoughts on the Meijii Government?"
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"Just answer."
"I hate it. It killed my captain, and framed him as a fake, an imposter. I'll never forgive them for that."
A brief silence fell over the clearing. Hector was still comtemplating on what relevence the Meijii government had on the conversation when the monk held out a rock.
"Listen. To break this rock, you apply force with your fist, right? However, all objects, not just rocks, carry resistance. So the rock does not revcieve the full force of the blow. In other words, some force is wasted. In order to transfer the full force of your blow, you must avoid the wasted force. First you must bring your fist against the rock like this and deliver a first impact."
Holding the rock in his left hand, the monk brought the knuckles of his fingers against the rock.
"Then, when the impact meets the rock's resistance, you must fold your hand into a fist in order to create a second impact. The impact is transferred without meeting any resistance, thus destroying the rock. This is the technique that I spent ten years developing, The Mastery of Two Layers. With it, one can preform stunts like the distance I was attempting." The monk held out the rock, "Here, you try."
"That's...all over-simplified, right?" Hector asked, taking the rock. All that information was making his head spin. Hector shook his head and held the rock out in front of him. Raising his fist, Hector rapidly slammed down on the rock, which mearly shattered.
"Huh? It didn't explode?" Hector was confused. Surely he'd done it correctly.
"That's because it was simply two blows." The Monk picked up another rock, "The second impact must be done immediatly after the first." The rock in the monk's hand exploded, "It took me one month to understand this secret. You have the same. Master it in a month or die. This is a technique to save the world. I cannot take teach it to just anyone. You said you would give your life, so, would you?"
"You really are a fallen priest. "You will die" ain't exactly the most priestly thing to say. Fine, I'll give my life. But I dont have time to waste with stupid training. I'll master the Mastery of Two Layers in one week!"
"Orah!" Hector grunted, slamming his fist down on the rock, smashing it to pieces. Hector glared at it, annoyed. It had been three days since he had started his training, and it still wasn't working right. Sighing, Hector sat down on another rock, trying to figure out what he was doing wrong.
"I'm delivering those two blows so fast, it should be working perfectly," He complained.
"It's easier said than done," said the monk, coming up behind him, "You must have had a taste of how difficult mastering this skill is. Please, reconsider."
"Heh...no way."
"Stubborn man. You only have four days left."
"Hey, even in four days, pee in the river can make it to the ocean."
"What's your point?"
"Whether this is impossible or not, you can only judge four days from now, right?"
"Prayers in a horse's ear," the monk replied, walking away.
"Who're you calling a horse?"
"Fine. Your limit is one week and you've four days left. If you cannot master the two layers strike by then, then you can consider yourself dead." To emphisize his point, the monk swung his fist into a tree, exploding it into dust.
"You are on."
Day Four...
One by one, Hector destroyed every rock he could find, though every attempt seemed to be turning out the same way.
'I have to get this. I must. What's the point of having something if I can't bet my life on it? I will get this!'
Day Five...
"He will not be able to do this," the monk mumbled to himself during some meditation, "The Mastery of Two Layers is the pinacle of ten years worth of training. It is not so cheap that it can be learned by desire alone."
Day Six...
Hector lay on a large rock near the river. Night had fallen. Hector had spent all day training, still no chloser than he was at the begining of the week. Wincing, he sat up.
"There's still time till dawn...I can still get this," he scrambled off the rock, but his legs buckled and Hector fell. "But I've crushed every decent rock in the area, and I don't think my body can take much more of this." Hector glanced at his fist, bloody and raw.
"Damn...is this where it ends? Out in the middle of nowhere? Like this?"
"Hector..."
Hector looked up and blinked. Captain Oswin Sagara was standing before him. But...Oswin was dead.
"Am I dreaming? Hallucenating maybe?" Hector rubbed his eyes and took another look at Oswin. He had no feet. A ghost? Hector scurried backwards, a little nervous.
"That's enough Hector, it's alright. You don't have to push yourself any further. It's alright to admit defeat. Just pushing yourself past your limit may end your life. Stop now, and rest."
"I'm sorry Captain, but I can't obey that order," Hector replied. Though he may have been a ghost, he was still the same Captain Oswin. "Back then, when you were made an example of, I hated the Chousu government for what they did and I hated myself for not being strong enough to stop it. Ten years later I grew bitter, but then a good man came and woke me up. But now, he goes to a death match in Kyoto, and I have to go help him. I don't want to relive my rage from ten years ago, and I don't want anyone else to know it either. That's why I must get stronger, even if it costs me my life. In order to strike at the unjust violence of the world. As dream, hallucination, or ghost, I am happy to see you again." With those words, and newfound strength, Hector dragged himself off the ground, and went to train further. As Hector walked away, Oswin smiled, proudly. Hector would be just fine.
"Hmm...seems to have died from exhaustion." The monk stared down at Hector's prone form lying on the large rock, "A shame really, at least deserving of a prayer."
"I'm not dead. Just resting," Hector growled, his eyes springing open. Stifly, Hector threw himself into a sitting postion.
"Today is the final day, and judging by the rock in your hand, you were unable to generate any fruits from your labour."
Hector smirked and slid off the rock. With a slight wince, he tossed his rock up, and slammed his fist onto the rock that he had been lying on. The rock exploded. Hector caught the small rock.
"Easy as pie. Told I could do it. Pretty easy, once you get the hang of it."
"I can see much potential in you," the monk nodded, impressed.
"Priest, I almost died there," Hector admitted, "No sense in demeaning it in a word like potential."
"True enough. Allow me to rephrase." the monk smiled, holding out his hand. Hector took it in a firm handshake, "You're quite a man."
"Now then, since I've wasted enough time, which way to Kyoto?"
"Kyoto?"
"Yeah, could'ja point me to the Nakasen Road? I can find it from there."
"Easily done. This is Shimosuwa, so if you go straight that way through the forest, you'll soon come across the inns."
"Shimo...suwa..." Hector began to laugh. The monk looked at him as if he were insane. Hector couldn't believe it. The last stop of the Sekiho Army. Shimosuwa. No wonder it looked familier.
"Seems strange to say this to a falle priest, but I think I'm starting to believe in spiritual guidance," Hector grinned, earning him another funny look. "Never mind. Thanks for putting up with me. I'm Sagara Hector, by the way. Let's meet again, if we're meant to."
"Yukyuzan Geitz. Farewell."
As Geitz watched Hector leave, he noted that Hector had become a bigger man, almost overnight. 'He came as a chick, and is now a hatchling ready to leave the nest.'
"There you are, Geitz-san. I've been looking for you."
Geitz turned around.
"Ewan-dono? This is a surprise." Geitz nodded respectfully to the young boy.
"The battle is begining, and the entire Juppongattana has been summoned to Kyoto."
And thus does the stage shift to the turbulant setting of Kyoto.
Elvengirl: Well...I hope everyone enjoyed that. I've got a new Fire Emblem fanfiction in the works, and I hope to have it up here soon, once I have a bit more written. So until the next chapter:
Next Time; Arrival In Kyoto. The Stage is Set.