It's been a week since I was called up to headmaster Yamamoto's office, and I still haven't figured out the stupid riddle he had given me. First of all, he had stuck it in a combination-lock tube that I just barely got open. And now it's a stupid riddle filled with meaningless directions! Things such as, "standing under the one-eyed giant with a broken blade...", "beware the spiral for the Mad Hatter roams...", and the most confusing of all... "on a knife's edge his mind balances, saved by one of honor, given purpose by those of hate."

I couldn't even start to make heads or tails of it, but I didn't have time for that; I was going to be late! Rushing through the kitchen, sliding under my dad's "surprise" flying kick, and grabbing my book-bag, I quickly ran to the academy. Quickly looking at my watch, I decided that I should take the "high road".

I made quick time, and was actually a little early! So settling into my seat, I put the riddle out of my head and enjoyed the little precious time I had to relax before the cacophony of school started.

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**8 hours later**

With a hiss of escaping air, the smell of a couple really full vacuum bags bursting open, and the pop of a soda can all rolled into one, a tear in the fabric of the world appeared suddenly out of no where above the bell tower of the church across the street from Ryuu's house.

'Heh, let the games begin...' thought the strange stranger as he calmly walked out of the tear as if it was the most normal occurrence of life. Then, abruptly, he stood up a little bit straighter, sunlight reflecting off an Orange-whirl mask. Then, without further hesitation, sent a fireball the size of a mini-van flying towards the house with a sharp out burst of breath and a murmured "gogakyu no jutsu."

"Ai-yaahh! I'm tired! Kenpachi-sensei sure didn't hold back today, did he Rangiku-chan?" I groaned out as I walked and stretched out my sore muscles from the brutal "practice" (cough-torture!-cough). Matsumoto Rangiku, third year student of the academy, and lethal with a sword. (It also helps that her "girls" are bigger than most guy's heads.) In the week since I've been commandeered to the kendo club, she's the only one who hasn't tried taking off my head just for breathing. We found that we lived in the same area about five minutes ago, though it wasn't exactly pleasant... Let's just leave it at that, I'm trying to repress that memory...

Reaching over and snagging my head with her arm, Rangiku pulled me face first in her Valley of the Gods. All the while going on about how I was *so strong*.

With a tomato-red face, I pushed myself away and gulped down the sweet, life-giving air. "Geez.. a little warning next time?"

"No. And he did hold back Ryuu-kun. If he didn't, you'd just be a smear on the ground. I'm surprised you actually ,almost, kept pace with him!" She didn't have any sarcasm in her voice this time. Hearing her words, I started to scratch my head in embarrassment. "Well, I'm an Uzumaki, we never give up!" I proudly stated, ending with a thumbs-up and a cheesy smile in place.

We kept our faces straight for exactly 3 seconds, then we both doubled over in laughter. After sobering up a decent amount, we continued on in comfortable silence. After a while, Rangiku asked something that she just noticed, "Hey, Ryuu-kun?" I gave a small grunt to show I was listening. "What's up with your bokken? Did you draw that?" She ran her hand over the illustration on the side of my bokken that I had, once again, pushed through the straps on the top flap that allowed it to be fastened closed.

Last night I had taken a black sharpie and drawn two tribalesque dragons, one on each side, with one being just outlines, symbolizing a white one, and a completely filled in one, obviously a black dragon. "Yeah, I did."

She continued to run a finger down the outline. "this is really good... I didn't know you were a such great artist." She continued on in an amazed tone. Looking up, she continued in in a mischievous whisper, "Do you want to draw me? No one is home." With that I noticed that this pose gave me a great view of her ample chest. She gave a big grin as I jerked back, shocked and speechless. Letting out a big chuckle, she turned and walked away, with her hips sashaying and a small wave goodbye, down her street.

I sat there, just staring, for a few more seconds then stiffly walked away, images of her posing for me to draw swimming through my head. Now, not long after, my good senses kick started once again and I banished those perverted thoughts to the back of my mind.

I continued on and soon smelled wood-smoke. *'Looks like somebody's having barbeque for dinner'. * My stomach grumbled loudly in protest to these thoughts, and I sped up my pace. Turning around the bend, I realized a tragic piece of information... There wasn't a barbecue going on, someone's house was on fire. *'Wait a second! That's my house! Mom! Dad!' * In a flash, I was off like a rocket. Legs pumping hard, heart pounding, I crossed the half mile stretch in under a minute.

Sprinting across the grass, I heard a scream... A woman's scream! With a flying leap, I lashed out and knocked the front door off its hinges. Landing in a roll and coming up in a crouch, I realized that I was partially in the living room and had a clear view of everything. My mother was being held by the throat by a stranger in an orange-whirl mask as he turned to me surprised, and my dad was in a heap of debris halfway in the kitchen that had fallen through the ceiling. Anger burned through my mind and, without thinking or hesitation, I leaped at the man and whipped out my bokken in a swing meant to hit his arm with enough force to shatter it. His other arm blurred, small black blurs leaping from it, and my swing actually saved my life. Four of the blurs slammed into the wood and I was able to see that they were actually throwing knives, but if they hadn't of stopped, they would've tore right through my chest. Though it was slowed down by the impact, my strike still hit with enough force to make him drop my mother.

Mask-guy backed off he was cradling his elbow as if I had broke it. My mother, gasping for air, pulled me over to my dad quickly and, keeping an eye on mask-guy, started to dig him out of the rubble, slapping him a few times to wake him up.

"Ryuu! What are you doing here? This guy is dangerous!" He quickly reprimanded once he saw me. My mom came to my defense though, "He saved me and I think he injured him, honey." Then, as if he was just waiting for this cue, Mask-guy started to chuckle ominously. We watches as the hand cradling his elbow started to glow green! 'Alright... Radiation Man then?... Nah, I like mask-guy.'

After a few seconds, he stopped glowing and stretched out his arm to taunt us. Then he spoke for the first time since I arrived, it was a hollow sounding voice, and had the effect of two different pitched voices speaking at the same time. " Hahahaha, don't get ahead of yourself. That was merely a lucky blow, it won't happen again boy." With a sudden dash, he closed the distance, but found himself having to dodge aside as my dad almost blurred into existence and snapped a kick into where his ribs used to be. His foot still caught Mask-guy's shoulder and sent him spinning into the wall.

He ran over to us and started to push us towards the door. Then, without warning, the ceiling in front of the door suddenly caved in, sending embers from burning timber everywhere and stopping us in our tracks. The chuckling started up again, that double toned, ominous laughter... I was starting to really hate that sound.

We turned around and saw him slowly pacing towards us, that chuckling slowly devolving into insane giggling. "You can't run, my little runaways... Now prepare to die!" And with that, he charged forward, a short blade appearing out of his sleeve. I reacted instinctively, my only thought being, 'Man, I am so screwed if that hits this wooden stick'.

Turns out he didn't even care about me as I lashed out. He just sidestepped and kept on going. Next thing I know, I hear a wet, squelching sound and a pained grunt and a half-scream. Fearing the worst, I turned around. My father was kneeling over my mom,the blade sticking out of his chest, but what really got my attention was the hole in hers pumping out her precious lifeblood. All I could do was watch as my mom died in my father's arms, an image that will be forever burned into my memory.

Turns out that my father had tried to protect her, and in doing so, had also received a stab wound to the chest. It had missed anything vital, but it had pierced right through and stabbed her. Mask-guy had backed off and, in between the near insane giggles, cocked his head to the side and let out a fake sounding, "Whoops, my bad." I had fallen to my knees next my mom, eyes clouded with tears and chest heaving, desperately trying to staunch the bleeding. My dad just sat there…. Still, I mean not even a twitch of a muscle…. He just sat there like a statue with his bowed over her face. With a breathy "I love you both so much," she was gone. Gently, as if she were only asleep, my dad set her down and stepped away towards Mask-guy who's incessant giggling had died down a bit. Stopping five feet from me, he slowly started unbuttoning his shirt, revealing the tattoo that has been on his chest over his heart since anyone could remember. It looked an awfully lot like a Celtic knot, but if you stared at it long enough, its spiraling design had a tendency to start twisting. His arms started to move to make weird sign language like symbols, then he ran his thumb through the blood going down his torso, then over the tattoo. All I heard was a mumbled "Fuin: Kai!" before the world exploded into light and chaos.