(Prologue)
"When the ten Fangs of Ryuhogo reunite after thousands of years, the Dragon Guardian shall at last fulfill his destiny and rid this world of the Jewel that has caused so much suffering, and begin a new era for all."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The skies were calm as day was just beginning to break over the city of Tokyo.
However, for one young man and his friends and family his life was about to change forever, for the better or the worst had yet to be determined.
Either way, a great adventure was about to begin.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A young man with brown hair and brown eyes suddenly bolted upright in his bed, panting heavily with sweat dripping down his face "Dammit… that same dream again…" he put his glasses on and glanced over at his clock '5:30 in the morning again… For f*ck's sake, I give up already.' he laid back down in his bed and sighed 'My name is Tatsu Kamikaze and I'm pretty much as normal as they come, well for the most part anyway. I'm a 15 year old 9th grade student in middle school in modern day Tokyo living a pretty normal life, at least as normal as I can get given the circumstances. I live in a pretty nice apartment with my older brother Kazuma and his high school sweetheart Moyako, and her older brother Akira, all of them age 25. Kazuma works as a programmer for a few rich CEOs throughout the country so he's pretty busy, but we still get to hang out a fair amount of time, and he's really good with tech, so that helps a ton, and then there's Moya… well she's got enough problems, she thinks Akria is a perv with a sister complex. Well she's only half right, he is a perv, but it's safe to say he isn't the only one. As for my parents… my mother got sick and passed away when I was really little, and my dad, a respected archeologist, he disappeared after about three years ago. It was a car accident, one of his work expeditions. I just plugged in my headphones to listen to some music, there was a huge flash of light, and then the next thing I knew I was in a bloody heap on the ground surrounded by what was left of the car. They never even found his body. I was in a pretty bad place after that, the same with my brother, especially since this was the only thing I have left to remember him by.' he held up a necklace that he kept on his nightstand, with what appeared to be a single orange-colored fang attached to the end of it 'My dad handed this to me a few minutes before the accident, he said that it would be a pretty big help to me someday. I still don't know what he meant by that. Like I said though, even though we were in a pretty bad place after that, there was a silver lining. I realized where my true feelings were, and they were for her.' he slowly looked over at a picture of him and a beautiful girl with wavy raven black hair and big blue eyes 'Her name is Kagome Higurashi, she and I met when we were about 6 and her dad was killed in a car accident, but seeing her cry made me die inside and my brother helped me realize what this meant… I was in love with her, and I still am today. I made a vow to protect her so that she would never have to shed tears again, and since then I've been training every day of my life to get as strong as I could so that I'd be able to protect her. That and it's a coping method, I don't know what it is but getting the blood pumping really helps me to take the edge off. Plus apparently Moya's brother Akira runs a dojo on the other side of town, he's also Kazuma's best friend. That makes things a little bit awkward since he's basically sleeping with his older sister. He and I get along pretty well too, maybe it's because I'm not sleeping with his sister and because I took an interest in learning how to fight with a sword, but I guess that's what you get when you watch every episode of Rurouni Kenshin, and that includes all of the filler.' he looked over towards another picture of him with a few other guys beside him 'That's me in there with Kazuma and Akira, and the one that's right beside me is my own best friend Arashi Kazama. Arashi has been my best friend since we were 4, his dream is to become the greatest chef the world has ever seen, and if my past experience with him has been anything worth going by then he's got the talent to back it up, plus it's fun to watch him and Akira try to be ladies men and fail miserably at it. Either way all of them, Arashi and my brother, Akira and Moya, they all understand that I want to protect Kagome and how I feel about her, and they've been training with me in every way they could. Thanks to them I've mastered 7 different forms of martial arts and I'm a third level master of kendo. Still though, I can't help but having these dreams ever since the accident with dad. Whatever it is I see me and Kagome, and a few shadowy figures going up against what I think is some kind of gigantic spider monster, and then it transitions to me and Kagome facing off with some kind of huge dragon creature. I don't know what it means but I've got a bad feeling in my gut that I'm gonna find out soon enough.' he heard his phone ringing and picked it up "Hey there Arashi, what's up? Yeah of course we're still on for you guys coming over for breakfast today. Yeah it's that dream again, no I don't know what it means. I'm just gonna go ahead and head out on my usual morning workout before breakfast. Alright see you then, and say hi to your mom for me." and he hung up and started to get dressed for the day ahead 'I have a feeling this is gonna be a pretty interesting day, now isn't it?'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
About 15 minutes went by.
Tatsu, now clad in an azure blue martial arts gi with a black t shirt underneath, black wrist bands, a black belt around his waist and a pair of black shoes, and with the fang necklace tied around his neck, prepared to make his way out the door of his apartment with a set of headphones and a sword strapped onto his back 'I still can't shake this feeling, I'm not sure exactly what it's about.'
"You about to head out on your morning workout?"
Tatsu looked back and saw Kazuma (short brown hair, teal eyes and glasses) and Akira (black hair, bright blue eyes and white t shirt) standing behind him clad in a white collared shirt and black pants "Yeah I figured I'd go ahead and get it done while the city is still quiet and before the guys get here. Plus Moya is still asleep so I don't have to worry about waking her up."
"A lot of people would respect you for your discipline and dedication, have a good run but be careful. I have a feeling that something big is about to happen, so whatever happens be sure you don't let down your guard."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." and he made his way out the door.
'Something big is about to happen, I can feel it in the pit of my gut. That neckle that our father left behind that day, somehow it seems like that's more important than I had initially realized it to be. You have a long and hard road ahead of you Tatsu, but I know that if anyone has the strength inside needed to deal with it, it would be you.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
About 10 more minutes passed by.
Tatsu was running across the rooftops and leapt down in front of the stairway to a shrine 'Good old Higurashi shrine, one of the perfect places to go to clear your thoughts together. Kagome lives here with her mother, her grandfather and her little brother Sota. I teach him in a few subjects
"Engaged in your morning exercises as usual?"
Tatsu looked up and saw an old man in a priest's robes make his way down the stairs "Yes sir, I figured it was best to do it while the city was still quiet. Father Higurashi, the priest of the shrine, and Kagome's grandfather. He tends to ramble on but he does mean well, at least most of the time.'
"A wise choice, your dedication to the warrior life is commendable."
"Please don't misunderstand me. I'm no warrior, I just do what I have to in order to protect the people I care about. Speaking of which…"
"She's still asleep, after all it's still only sunrise on a Saturday."
"That's true, and to be honest sometimes I forget that Kagome is such a heavy sleeper."
"She always has been. Tell me Tatsu my boy, have you ever heard of the tale of the Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of Four Souls?"
"At least 10 times, and with all due respect I highly doubt tourists are actually going to buy those key chains."
"It's more than just a key chain, the jewel on the end of each one-"
"Is a replica of an ancient jewel. And that's about as far as you get before everyone gets bored with the story."
"...Yes, anyway have you ever heard of the story of the Fangs of Ryuhogo?"
"No, I think that's a new one."
"While I would love to take the time to explain it to you I wouldn't want to interrupt you during your morning training, I'll just come by and discuss with you about this matter when you get the chance."
"...I'll be sure to keep that in mind." and he took off to continue his workout.
'Tatsu my boy, destiny has great plans for you.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The Kamikaze household was quiet in the early morning.
Kazuma was reading a book on the couch when he heard a knock on the door "You know you do have a key, you don't have to knock."
"Yeah I know." this was when Arashi (black hair, blue eyes, red t shirt) made his way into the apartment "I could give some spiel about decorum and all of that, but the truth is that the last time I came in withough knocking… I don't know what I saw exactly, next thing I remember is waking up in therapy."
"Fair enough. So then did anything interesting happen to you guys since… you know, yesterday?"
"Funny story actually." Arashi let out a chuckle "I slept on my hand all night and it got numb and hit my face and I thought someone slapped me while I was asleep, don't you hate it when that happens?"
"...Words never cease to fail me with you."
"It's part of my charm."
"Charm isn't the word that I would use with you."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The sun was still rising over the skies of Tokyo.
Tatsu was racing across the rooftops of Tokyo with the sun shining down on him 'Great, I've got unwanted company. That's the last thing I need.' he whipped his head around and noticed several figures in black suits and masks charging at him with swords in hand 'Great, so now some guys looking for a fight have to throw away common courtesy and interrupt me when I'm in the middle of my workout. Alright guys, I'm not one to promote violence but since talking clearly isn't gonna work with you then I guess I've got no choice." he easily sidestepped one of them and kicked them into a nearby wall before facing the others as he drew his sword off of his back 'I can't attract too much attention while I'm dealing with these guys or people will start to freak out, I'd better get moving.' he leapt down onto the roof of a lower building and started running for it, with the figures hot on his heels 'I can't draw any attention by fighting these guys, I've gotta lure them away to the less populated area of the city near that old abandoned shopping district!'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, in the Kamikaze residence…
Soon enough, Arashi was hard at work in the kitchen preparing several plates of eggs and toast with several glasses of orange juice poured and ready "Shouldn't be much longer now guys, just hold on for another 10 to 15 minutes or so."
That was when Moyako (long black hair, blue eyes, magenta colored burette in her hair) came into the living room wearing a silk purple bathrobe and matching slippers, and she let out a sigh at the sight before her "Oh right, my boyfriend and his little brother's friends are invading the living room again. Hey guys." she received a few nonchalant waves "Okay what's burning."
"Arashi's cooking again." Akira didn't even bother looking up from the book that he was reading.
As it turns out, Arashi had messed up the yolk on one of the eggs 'Well that's what improvising is for. Hey guys, scrambled is okay with all of you right?"
"Again?"
"...Ignoring that, where's Tatsu anyway? I haven't seen him yet."
"He's off doing his morning workout." Kazuma told him "He said he'd be back before breakfast so he should be back soon."
"Well I hope he does get back soon." Arashi looked out the window as storm clouds began looming over the city "It looks like it's going to rain, if he doesn't get back soon he'll get soaked and he'll probably end up making himself sick from it."
"The sad thing is it wouldn't be the first time."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with Tatsu…
As his rooftop battle raged on, Tatsu climbed his way onto another rooftop and found several more figures in black outfits waiting for him, swords in hand, so he didn't waste a second and got into a combat stance "Alright come on guys, let's do this!" he charged into the fray and began attacking them left and right, either kicking them in the face and torso or using his own sword to disarm them "Okay. who's next? Come on, I know you're out there. I've kind of got a feeling about these things, I can sense people when I can't see or hear them. Anyway come out and show yourselves!"
Sure enough, several more black cloaked figures showed up in front of him, swords and spears in hand as rain began pouring down.
"...Me and my big mouth. Alight fun boys, come and get me!" and he charged head first into the fray.
What he didn't notice was that a certain figure was watching him from afar, eyeing his every moment with narrowed eyes.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with the Kamikaze residence…
By this point, Arashi was doing dishes and tossing them to Akira to put into the cabinets "I think we're down to the last set!"
Akira kept catching them one by one "Got em, keep them coming."
Moya was mortified by the sight "No wait, don't!"
"One more Akira, up high!" Arashi threw another plate "It's going long!"
"Not the china!" this was met with a crash.
"...Oops."
Moya let out a sigh "Why should today be any different I wonder."
"Teenagers." was all Kazuma said without looking up from the newspaper.
"Oh yeah right."
"Sorry about that Moya, really." Arashi sounded somewhat sheepish "You got any glue?"
"Don't worry about it guys, I get that being teenagers means you've got… a lot of energy I think is the best way to put it. I mean you should've seen what Kazuma was like in high school, Hikarizaka was turned upside down." she watched him come over carrying pretty much every plate at once "So can I help you with that very delicate china that was given to me by my aunt?"
"Thanks but I've got it, just relax." he threw them all into the air, much to her horror, but he easily spread it out across the table, much to her relief "It's all about mad skill." and he started digging in.
Akira slowly started doing the same "Say what you like about Arashi, the guy has a talent for cooking."
"...Uh huh." Moya looked over at Kazuma "So one would think that with all of the time they've been training with Tatsu, table manners would've become a part of their training?"
"One would think." was all Kazuma said.
"Just checking. Anyway shouldn't Tatsu have been back by now? He did say he'd be back before breakfast."
"I wouldn't worry about that." Arashi waved her off "After all, out of all of us here Tatsu is the one guy that you never have to worry about."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
And now here's something to worry about:
Tatsu stood before a large crowd of black cloaked figures with his sword drawn "Come on guys, I'm down for round two!" he easily began disarming and knocking out the cloaked figures as they charged at him, taking a couple of pot shots along the way, leaving him with a number of bruises and panting heavily "Is that… Is that all you've got?" he looked up.
At least three more figures were glaring down at him from a rooftop higher up, only these were wearing blue martial arts uniforms and black masks, and they suddenly disappeared from his sight.
"...Me and my big mouth." he got into a stance 'I can still feel their presence though and I can hear their footsteps, so where are they?' he suddenly started taking random hits that he couldn't see and was quickly forced down onto one knee before being blown backwards across the rooftop 'Dammit, I'm not getting anywhere with these guys! Come on Tatsu think, if you don't find a way out of this they'll probably kill you… Wait, yeah that might work.' he pulled out a cloth from his pocket and tied it around his head, covering his eyes 'In battle you can't use just your eyes, you have to use all of your senses. There!' he kicked one in the torso, causing it to become visible again 'And there!' he slashed one down the chest and kicked the third one through mid air before dealing him a solid kick to the face, knocking him out cold "Well it's about time you guys took the hint. Now if you're done asking me to kick your asses I've gotta get home, I was supposed to be back before breakfast and that was like half an hour ago." and so he took off, with another mysterious figure watching him from the shadows.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The storm was growing heavier by the minute.
Akira was in the middle of doing dishes, much to his annoyance "The things I do, and for reasons I forgot about god only knows how long ago."
"Hey man." Arashi poked his head out from around the corner "You need any help with those bad boys?"
"Keep him away from the dishes!" Kazuma called from the other room.
"Alright, I knew it would work." Arashi looked up at the storm raging outside "Man Tatsu has to be even more insane than we thought he was to be out in weather like this, and that's saying something."
"You know Tatsu and his training, nothing stops him. Still though I've just got a bad feeling about something. Call it a gut instinct but I'm going to go after him, with any luck the two of us will be back within an hour." and so he took off out the door, or at least he prepared to.
"Speak the devils name and he pops up covered in dried blood, and word of warning, it's not my blood." this was when Tatsu finally made his way into the room, covered in a series of small wounds and dried blood, his gi ripped in a number of different areas "I take it I missed breakfast?"
"And you're dripping blood and god only knows what over the floor, you care to explain what happened to you?"
"Well for starters something entirely new happened, someone actually came looking for a fight with me instead of the other way around."
"Huh. That is a new one. How many of them?"
"I stopped counting after like 20. Sorry I took so long to get through them, I don't know what they wanted but I guess I missed breakfast."
"If it helps at all I set some aside for you before I cleaned up." Arashi told him "It's better than nothing."
"Thanks for that, but I think I'm gonna take a shower and clean up before I try and put anything in my stomach. The stench of dried blood is kind of overpowering. I'll be back in about 20 minutes or so." and so he made his way out of the room.
'Well it would seem that I was worried over nothing, he was able to deal with it pretty easily, at least for today.' Kazuma gave a small smile at the sight of Tatsu taking his leave, but then his face fell slightly 'But just because he fought it off easily today doesn't mean that the same is going to be said for tomorrow. And I can't shake this feeling in the pit of my stomach, that things are about to get a great deal worse.' he had no idea how right he was.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
From within the shadows, dark forces were at work, and they were not happy in the slightest.
One of the many black suited figures that had attacked Tatsu earlier stood within a dark room lit up only by a single row of candles, and he quickly got down on one knee "Master, I'm sorry to say that the plan had failed. The boy proved to be much more formidable than any of us could have anticipated, and so we were unable to retrieve the Fang."
"Spare me the excuses." this harsh and anger filled command came from a figure sitting on the throne in the middle of the room, clad in a black kimono and a samurai helmet obscurring his face, with a necklace hanging around his neck similar to the one Tatsu wore, only the one he wore had three fangs attached to it, one orange and the other two green "I will ensure that this failure on your part will be the last one of your lifetime, the same with the others. Nothing in this world or any other shall stand between the Guardian and his destiny. The time has come for me to retrieve the Fang myself."
A/N:
For those of you who have been following me for some time, you may know that I once did a Rise of the Warrior story (basically inserting my own OC into certain anime and incorporating any changes that I feel are necessary or I would find interesting) for the anime Inuyasha. Looking back, it wasn't as good as I remember it being. Truth be told it's mostly nostalgic, seeing how it was one of my first ever fanfiction stories. And since Yashahime is more than five episodes in now, I figured what better way to pay tribute to a great anime than to basically rewrite one of my earliest stories. This is it then ladies and gentlemen: The rewrite of the Rise of a Warrior: Inuyasha. This chapter itself is meant to establish the OC characters that I'm including in the story, and the real story is going to start next chapter.
Like I said, this one is mainly just a prologue, so you shouldn't expect too much from something like this. Mostly just some world and character building before the actual story starts.
Anyway that's all I have to say for the time being. Thank you all for reading, and please support my Patre0n at the link provided in my profile page.