(a/n) low and behold, exactly one year after the end of Begun By Blood, the first chapter of A Tale of Two Times is here!... okay, so its a day early. whatever. I just got it done and didnt feel like waiting until midnight to post it.
Chapter 1: The Present: Of the Future
Riku collapsed onto one knee, groaning and wrapping his arms around his rib cage. Kim and Julia both ran up to him and helped him to his feet. The others watched in shock and confusion as the two girls helped him walk and followed them into the temple where they laid Riku down in the bed chambers. "Riku? Riku, are you all right?" Kim asked, kneeling down next to him.
Riku groaned and opened his eyes enough to see what was going on. He looked directly at Kim. "How do you know my name?" he asked.
Kim was taken aback by this. How could he not remember her? It's not everyday that someone meets the teenage version of their own mother. Julia understood, however. "Kim, the Sins are gone." Julia explained. "The future that the Riku we met can't exist anymore. This Riku must be from the timeline we're on right now."
"Can everyone… stop crowding me, please?" Riku asked as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. He took a good look at the ten people standing around him, nodding to himself as if confirming something he was thinking. "Well, I'm definitely in the right place." He said.
It was then Rai came to a realization and his eyes widened and his jaw hung open. "Kim, am I looking at what I think I'm looking at?" he asked.
"Well, that depends." Riku said as he pushed himself to his feet and brushed off his shirt with his hands. "If you think you're looking at a giant alien squid, then no, that's not what you're looking at. If you think you're looking at your teenage son from the future, then yes."
Rai just stood there in a trance with his jaw open. Omi waved a hand in front of his face, getting no response. "Yeah, he's gone." Omi said.
Riku just shrugged. "Okay, two things. First, I hope you guys are excited, because you get to save the world yet again!"
Everyone groaned. "Oh, come one!" Jack complained. "We've gone through a trilogy already. I mean, come on! We've already taken down an all powerful psychopath with a god complex who I wouldn't doubt was actually some sort of god! How in the world could they top that?"
"You'll see." Riku said.
Jack groaned, rubbing his hand over his face.
"So… what's the second thing?" Mimi asked.
"I haven't eaten in days… well, I guess technically it would be negative twenty something years, but that's beside the point. The point is I need a cheeseburger… or ramen noodles or something. I don't really care so long as it's edible."
~ELSEWHERE~
"I've found it… the first key…"
The voice rang out through the dark abyss, nothing but dark clouds visible in all directions… except for one floating island of land, nothing more than a chunk of rock with a flat surface floating in the abyss. Two figures appeared upon the floating island. This first was a woman; tall, slender, and curvy with long blond hair that floated as if underwater, caused simply be her own power. She was clad in a long purple skirt with a golden hem, slit along one side to expose one leg, and what looked like a purple poncho with a golden dragon design, which hung off of one shoulder, exposing some of the opposite arm and some cleavage. Her eyes were hidden behind a blindfold. The second figure was a young man; tall and muscular with a pair of black angel wings on his back. Clad in nothing more than a pair of tattered trousers. His hair was short and raven black, and his skin was pale as a ghost. The irises of his eyes where white as well and his pupils were like those of a cat. He carried a long scimitar in on hand with an onyx black blade and etchings in the blade which glowed neon green.
The two circled each other, the man never taking his eyes off the woman and she seemed to do the same, though if she was the blindfold hid it. "So where is it? And which one?" the man asked.
"Oh, but that would be too easy, handsome." The woman snickered. "You have yet to prove yourself to me and I have many ready minions at my disposal."
The man spread his wings out menacingly and pointed his sword at the woman. "I grow tired of your games, Lilith. I agreed to work for you, but only to claim what is rightfully mine. To do that, I need what is behind the gate, and we need the keys to open it. What you seek to gain beyond that gate I do not know and couldn't care less. Now, if you know the location of a key, tell me and I will find it…" he lowered the scimitar to his side and grinned. "Or don't tell me and I will find it anyway. But you… you will never see what is beyond the gate."
"You know not your place." Lilith responded. "I could crush you like that insect from which you spawned…" a dark aura appeared around her clenched fists, but quickly disappeared as she relaxed her hands. "Your search will take you to the city of London, on the isle of Britain." She said. The man nodded and turned to walk away. "Do not… fail me." She said just before he disappeared in a burst of black and purple flames. "… Dark Rai."
~THE TEMPLE~
Rai, Kim, Omi, Mimi, Clay, Saya, Julia, Elena, Jack, and Nina all watched in awe as Riku wolfed down sandwich after bowl of soup after hotdog after sandwich and so on. He hadn't been kidding when he said he hadn't eaten in days. "He's eating more than you, Clay." Saya whispered to her boyfriend. It was all he could do to nod.
Finally, once he had cleared the entire table and nearly the whole fridge, Riku leaned back, sighed, and patted his belly. "I can't tell you how much I needed that. It has been forever since I've had a good sandwich."
They all nodded. "So… you're here to warn us about some horrible future, right?" Rai asked.
"Yeah." Riku agreed. He sighed and turned his face away from them, looking out the window. "I wish I could say I have nightmares… but, honestly, I'd welcome nightmares compared to the hell I live in… fifteen years from now, when I'm only five years old, demons overrun the earth and obliterate most living creatures… especially humans. I'm from a very small group of survivors, just over a dozen counting myself. The others are my sister, Bonny, the rest of all of your kids, and you five." He said, indicating Julia, Elena, Mimi, Nina, and Jack. He then turned to Rai, Kim, Omi, Clay, and Saya. "You five were with us at fist but… you… you sacrificed yourselves so the rest of us could be safe."
"What about me?" Dojo asked.
"Dojo, you… I'm sorry but, I can't tell you." He said.
"Why not?"
"I'm sorry, but even in this situation there are certain things you shouldn't know about your future." He said. "I've probably said too much already, but if you can change the future it won't matter much… Anyway, I stole some of the Sands of Time and used it to come back here. That's basically the whole story."
"What do you mean some of the Sands of Time?" Elena questioned.
"The hourglass was destroyed not long ago. Now the demons have the sand stored in one of their temples… the worst part is that now the sand is unstable and becomes useless after being used once."
"In other words, you're stuck here." Nina said. Riku nodded.
"Okay so what do we have to do to stop this horrible future?" Omi questioned.
"You have to find and destroy all three keys." Riku explained. "They're the original Shen Gong Wu that Grand Master Dashi used to seal the Destroyer behind an inter-dimensional gate fifteen hundred years ago."
"The Destroyer?" Julia asked.
"The Grand Demon. The Hell Bringer… Sarah thinks he's actually Satan himself, and I honestly wouldn't doubt it… Sarah's your daughter, by the way, Clay and Saya."
"Come back to the past to save the future, why do I feel like I'm in a Terminator movie?" Rai asked.
~CHASE YOUNGS DOMAIN~
Chase's eyes snapped open. "She's back." He growled.
He got up from his meditative position and summoned two of his feline minions, two black panthers. "Summon Hannibal and Wuya." He ordered. "We have much to discuss." The panthers nodded, purring, and ran off as Chase walked down the marble stair case. Chase came to a stop in front of a stone wall, just next to the entrance of his domain. He raised one arm up, the back of his hand facing the wall, and clenched his fist. Then, he quickly and forcefully brought it down to his side. A section of the wall, the size of a doorway, lowered into the floor, allowing Chase to enter the small chamber inside.
It was dark inside. The jagged stone walls formed a dome, the highest point just a couple feet above Chases head. Inside there was a triangular table with three chairs and three candles burning and slowly melting in the center. He sat down in the chair nearest to the door as it slowly rose back up, sealing him inside. No sooner had the door closed than Wuya appeared in a burst of green flames, followed swiftly by Hannibal appearing through a portal to the Ying-Yang world in his armor. "You called?" Wuya questioned, crossing her legs and leaning back in her chair.
"This had better be good, Chase." Hannibal growled. "I was in the middle of planning my vengeance."
"Your petty vengeance will have to be put on hold, Hannibal. We have much bigger problems than the monks at the moment." Chase said. He waved his hand over the three candles on the table and the burning wicks burst into one massive flame. The Seal of Thanatos could be seen burning within. "She's back… and she's on the move."
"Lilith has come back?" Wuya demanded.
"I was wondering when she would show her face." Hannibal chuckled. "She must have stayed in hiding after she and Pride were released from their prison… she was the more clever sibling… but then again you know that first hand, don't you, Wuya?"
"My past is none of your concern, Bean." Wuya snarled. "Especially concerning her."
"Quit your squabbling." Chase said. "The past is the past. My concern is out status in the future if she is allowed to roam freely."
"Well how do you expect us to stop her?" Wuya asked. "She's just as powerful and twice as cunning as Pride was. And Chief, the only person on earth that knew how to imprison her, is dead."
"That's right." Hannibal agreed. "And even if we're able to muck up her plans she'll just attempt to destroy the world as Pride had."
"Which we prevented." Chase reminded him.
"Barely." Wuya added.
Chase glared at her. "Then what do you suggest we do, dear Wuya?" he questioned.
"Drive a spike through the black hole she calls a heart!" Wuya growled, slamming her fists on the table.
"She's immortal." Hannibal said.
"But not eternal." Wuya retorted. "Pride was presumed invincible, and now he is dead. He was Lilith's brother, so she must be able to be killed as well."
"You forget, before Pride's death he overthrew the world, destroyed it, and it was only revived after his death. Surely Lilith will put up more of a fight." Chase said.
Wuya glared back at Chase. "All I know is that, while she may seem unstoppable, she isn't, just as her brother wasn't. We can destroy her, and then we can go back to our bickering and plotting to eliminate the monks and plunge the world into ten thousand years of darkness… as the universe intended."
"That, witch, depends on the universe." Hannibal said, chuckling darkly. The suit of armor then stood and a portal to the Ying-Yang world appeared behind him. "I believe we're through here." He said before stepping through the portal.
"Agreed." Wuya said. "… She will die." She snarled before disappearing in a burst of green flames.
Chase sat there silently for a moment longer, thinking over their options. Finally, he stood and opened the entrance to the chamber. "Perhaps it's time I checked in on my part of Dashi's request… but I'm going to need some backup."
~LONDON~
Stars and a bright full moon filled the dark London sky. Ino loved nights like this. Normally the lights from the city were more than enough to block the starlight from view, and if it didn't clouds or fog usually did the job, considering the city. But not tonight. The night sky was flawless; almost like it were a painting.
Ino was an average teenage girl. Born in Tokyo but raised in London, she had a very Asian appearance with long, jet black hair and narrow eyes. But there was something peculiar about her appearance. Her pupils were long and narrow, like a cat's, and were a peculiar golden yellow color. She suspected that, because her mother, Rukia, didn't have the same eyes, she got them from her father who she'd never met. The only other thing that Ino had of her father was a large copper key that now hung on her wall, one that, as far as she knew, belonged in a museum. It was a classic key with teeth, the handle end being crafted decoratively into the shake of a skull wearing the helmet of a Spartan soldier. The way her mother spoke of it, it was made by an ancient Chinese hero. Her father, or so her mother told her, had been from China and had given Ino the key the day she was born before disappearing a few weeks later.
It was strange. She knew that she should hate her father for running out on his family, but she didn't. She guessed that, since her mother had never shown any hostility when speaking of him, Ino had never learned to hate him. She was disappointed in what he did, yes, but she'd never hated him for it. She looked over to the ancient key on her wall and found herself imagining her father finding them one day and being welcomed back into the family with open arms. "Keep dreaming, Ino." She sighed, shaking her head.
She glanced away from the key when she noticed the light of the moon vanishing behind a cloud. The stars were disappearing too. "Odd. The sky was flawless a moment ago." It was then that she saw something strange out of the corner of her eye. She turned back to find her father's key pulsating with an eerie dark glow. Horrified and awestruck all at the same time, she found herself only able to do one thing. "MUM!" she shouted.
~THE NEXT DAY, THE TEMPLE~
Dojo yawned as he slithered into the temple kitchen. The sun was just rising above the horizon and everyone else was still sleeping, excluding Riku who was standing outside watching the sun rise. Dojo poured himself a cup of coffee and then slithered outside, hopping up onto Riku's shoulder. "Early riser, kid?" Dojo asked.
"Strictly out of habit." Riku said. "Kind of pays to stay up late and wake up early when you live in a post apocalyptic world… hell, I think this is the most sleep I've gotten in years."
"So what's it like?" Dojo asked. "Living in your time, fighting for survival every day."
Riku sighed. "It sucks just as much as you think it would." He said. He looked up to the sunrise and sighed again. "It's beautiful. Last time I saw a sunrise like this was a decade ago… or rather fifteen years from now, but whatever… I was only five years old when the gate opened and the demons came. I remember not being able to understand what was happening. I remember crying with my sister, Bonny, that day… Me and Bonny and the other kids all watched in horror behind Mimi, Julia, Elena, Nina, and Jack as Mom, Dad, Clay and Saya fought to defend us. Then Clay used the Ying-Yang Yoyo to transport us to the Ying-Yang world… and we were safe… sort of… ten long years we've spent hiding in the Ying-Yang world, only going back to the real world when absolutely necessary for food and water… and this." He clutched the small bag tied to his belt which contained the now useless Sands of Time. "It's horrible."
"You forgot Omi."
"What?"
"You forgot to mention Omi when you were talking about the day the demons came." Dojo said. He took the first sip of his coffee and sighed before continuing. "Ah… that's good coffee. Anyway, if I didn't know any better I'd say…" He stopped talking as his eyes widened and he dropped his coffee mug, letting it shatter on the ground. "Oh crap…" he murmured before turning to Riku. "Gather everyone in the meditation hall now!"
"Why? What's going on?" Riku asked as he ran back to the temple with Dojo still on his shoulder.
"It's revealed itself… the Key of Hades."
Riku furrowed his brow and quickened his running. "Damn… it's starting."
Less than five minutes later all of the other ten of the temples current residents were sitting in the meditation hall, albeit yawning and half asleep (and in the cases of Clay and Rai, completely asleep). "Everyone, a new and extremely powerful Shen Gong Wu has just revealed itself!" Dojo announced.
"And me and Nina are he because?..." Jack questioned.
"Because you're good guys now." Dojo explained.
"That's debatable." Jack retorted.
"Anyway…" Riku said. "I'm afraid that the emergence of this Shen Gong Wu is a pivotal point in the future I came here to warn you about."
Dojo unrolled the scroll of the Shen Gong Wu. On the scroll was a picture of a key with a skull wearing a Spartan Helmet on the handle. "They Key of Hades." Riku explained. "One of the three keys that Dashi used to seal the gate which blocks the Destroyer from entering this world. It doubles as being able to steal away the spirits of the living, trapping them inside the key."
"Okay, so where do we find it?" Mimi asked.
"That's the problem." Dojo said. "Dashi took extreme precautions with these Shen Gong Wu. I can't sense them, considering that if my annual craving for Shen Gong Wu pops up and I happen to get these three keys… the world would pretty much be screwed over."
"So how do we find it, then?" Omi questioned.
"Dashi left the Keys with three different protectors." Dojo said. "Guan was given one and Dashi kept another… but this specific one was given to Chase Young."
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me…" Kim groaned.
"Afraid not." Dojo said.
"And I won't be giving it up so easily."
Everyone stood at the sound of Chases voice, turning around and readying themselves for a fight. Clay and Rai, who had been sleeping and leaning against Kim and Saya, both fell onto their faces when their girlfriends had moved, causing them to wake and stand in confusion, also ready for a fight but facing the wrong way. Chase raised both hands into the air as if to show he meant no harm. The Teenagers backed down before Chase continued speaking. "For the most part, because the key is no longer within my possession." He explained.
"Well where is it then?" Riku questioned, walking right up to Chase and glaring at him. "I need that damn key and I swear if you don't tell me where it is I'll beat it out of you."
Chase chuckled and placed his hand on Riku's shoulder. "You have spunk, young Pedrosa." He said. "Perhaps, if we didn't have a bigger problem, I would target you as my next apprentice."
"Where… is… the… KEY?" Riku demanded.
Chase nodded. "We're heading for London."
Without another word everyone headed outside. Dojo grew to his flying size and Jack summoned his jet which came flying over the tree line in less than five seconds. Jack and Nina boarded the jet while Rai, Kim, Clay, Saya, Omi, Mimi, Julia, and Elena climbed onto Dojo's back. Riku was going to join his future parents on Dojo, but Chase held him back. "We'll catch up." He said. "I'm sure Dojo can only carry so much."
Dojo snorted, jets of fire escaping his nostrils before he took off. "Dojo! What about Riku?" Kim demanded.
"Something tells me he won't be joining us." Dojo said as he flew into the sky, Jack's jet following close behind.
Back on the ground, Chase and Riku waited in silence for the others to disappear into the clouds. "So what's going on, Chase?" Riku questioned. "You gunna kill me or something?"
Chase just ignored him and started walking away. "You have your own time to worry about. Let us worry about this one." He said. Chase disappeared into the darkness of the bamboo forest surrounding the temple. Riku went to chase after him, but he wasn't given a chance.
"Sands of Time!"
"What the…" but before he could finish speaking, a bright flash of light engulfed Riku's body. When it faded, he was gone.
"Perfect…"
The temple now deserted, Lilith made her move. She appeared in the temple courtyard out of nothing, as if materializing through the wind. She held a set of garbs in her hands, black as coal with a sash, a mask with no eye holes, and two katana swords resting on top. Lilith slowly made her way to the graveyard and set the clothes down on the ground in front of Rush's head stone. She spoke one word. "Arise…"
The clothes began rising into the air and unfolded, the sash tying itself around the waist of the shirt and pants, the mask setting on top of the shirts shoulders, and the katanas hooking their sheaths into straps on the shirts back. Tied to the sash were multiple pouches in which shuriken and kunai were stored. A traditional Ninja garb. Finally, the clothes inflated as if a body had appeared within, fitting perfectly to the muscular body of a young man. Two glowing red eyes appeared on the mask as the ninja suit lowered to the ground, landing on its feet.
"In gratitude for releasing me from my prison, I have returned you to life." Lilith said. "I just ask one thing of you… serve me, Rush."
"As you command, Mistress."
(a/n) I'm going to be very disapointed if no one catches onto who my new Ino character is. seriously, I made it more obvious than I did Julia's sexuality (which wasnt obvious, but I did give major hints to that). but whatever. if you didnt figure it out, youll have to wait two more chapters to find out, because the next chapter will be taking place completely in Riku's future! hence the title, "A tale of TWO Times."