Shadow of Time (+16)

[Crow]

Chapter one - Last resort

The night was dark as the sky was full of storm clouds. The occasional flash of lightning was the only source of light for the group of monks that was struggling to make their way through the dense forest. As the one in the lead looked back for a moment he only had time to see another one of his companions be killed by the enemy.
Cursing he turned around, clutching the bag on his shoulder and kept running, with the last two of his companions right behind him. he could distinctly hear their pursuers getting closer and closer but they could not stop, at least not until they were forced to.
Just as they passed the last trees they came across the edge of a cliff. Only then did they realise that that was their enemies' plan all along.
They were getting closer and closer and even though it would not have been a difficult descent, with their enemies on their trail they could not risk it. However, as the one in the lead turned around to look at the worried looks on his companion’s faces, he saw an instant change as they turned their backs to him and pulled out their swords.
"Go on, Sorata! We will hold them off as long as we can," said the one on the left.
"Your mission is to guard the statue," said the other. "Ours is to make sure you accomplish it."
"I cannot leave you… you'll be killed!" the bald monk protested.
But just as he was about to grab one of his friends by the shoulder, they both pushed him off the cliff and he was forced to use his grappling hook to grab onto a ledge. Moments later he could hear that the fight had begun but he would not let their sacrifice go to waste and he started to descend.
When he reached the bottom, he stopped for a second to listen but he could hear no more fighting, looking up he saw five black figures coming after him. Without wasting another second he ran off, praying he would escape.
In the distance he could see the temple but it was far and his enemies were drawing closer and closer. Realising there was no way he could reach the temple before his enemies caught up with him, Sorata decided to go to the nearby town instead. There he could hide and hopefully lose his trackers.
Unfortunately he was only able to get downtown before they caught up with him and he was forced to hide in a loud disco. There was a large crowd inside and he hoped that he would at least be able to hide there until he could regain his strength. But the five ninja even followed him inside and although they did not see him when they entered, sooner or later they would.
The monk went to the back of the club and hid inside the bathroom just as a young man was coming out. Sorata pushed him back inside and gave him the bag he was holding.
"Please, you must help me!"
"What the hell are you on?" the boy replied.
"Take this bag to the shinto temple in the mountains. Just show the monks what's inside and they will understand."
"What temple? There’s no temple around here," the boy said confused.
Without answering, Sorata tried to leave but he just as he opened the door he saw three of the five ninja not twenty feet away. The monk backed down inside and the boy was about to hand him the bag back when he grabbed him by the arm, turned him around and hit him with the length of his hand on the back of his neck, rendering him unconscious.
He grabbed the boy before he could fall and gently set him down. Next he opened his back and took a small, black statue of Nataku and placed it on the ground. Then he sat down and started chanting. In only a few minutes a purple smoke started rising from the statue, it hovered for a few moments above it and then headed straight for the boy and entered his nostrils.
When it was over, he placed the statue on the young man’s lap, wrote him a note and left the room, making sure the ninja saw him leave. Half an hour later, the young man woke up and seeing the statue and the note that read: <Go to the mountains and if you can’t find them, yell 'Yasarane' and someone will find you.>
Going home he felt dizzy but still was still clutching the small statue in his hands. Placing it on the table next to his bed, he changed his clothes and fell on the bed, feeling very tired. That night he had a nightmare about being chased by dozens of soldiers armed with swords. Every once in a while he stopped and threw a few shuriken at them, each one taking down one target with pinpoint precision. The nightmare ended when he came face to face with a tall man with red hair and dark grey skin and tattoos on his face.
The next morning, he was walking through the forest with the bag on his shoulders. He looked very angry and was kicking everything in his path, from leaves to rocks and sticks, trying to calm down.
"Why did I even come here? Crazy ass monk! You told me to yell? Ok, I'm yelling! Yasarane!"
As he expected nothing happened and he decided to go back but he only managed to take a few more steps before being surrounded by over two dozen men and women dressed completely in black. They each had a kodachi in their right hand and three shuriken in their left.
"Oh… shit…" the boy said shaking.

[sungoddess]

Uuuuu...curios...dac are blood si gore me wanna read more..

[Crow]

Chapter 2 – Hidden

He tried to keep as still as possible but with so many weird people with weapons in their hands surrounding him it was not easy. They, however, were as motionless as statues, not even blinking as their piercing eyes glared at him, which were all he could see of their faces, the rest being covered by black masks.
When he heard movement from behind he slowly turned around to see what was going on. A woman wearing what looked like armour made out of a very flexible material walked forward. She was armed with the same weapons as the others but she had two, one was still in its sheath that was tied to her back. After examining him for a few moments she looked him straight in the eye.
"Who are you?" she asked the tone of her voice cold.
"Kai… Yoroshi Kai."
"What are you doing here?"
"Some weird bald monk gave me this," he answered and reached inside his bag.
In a split second she grabbed her other sword and placed both of them in a cross, only a millimetre away from his neck. She was so fast that he didn’t have time to see her move until she stopped. Being too afraid to react he froze and one of the others approached and checked what he was reaching for. When the one examining the bag pulled out the small statue everyone gasped and even she looked surprised for a second. The next second she narrowed her eyes and took a step towards him, not lowering her weapons.
"Where did you get that?" she asked, her voice clearly sounding furious.
"I told you! Some weirdo gave it to me last night and told me to come here and yell for some guy Yasarane."
After further inspection, they also found the note Sorata had written and recognising his handwriting, the woman lowered her weapons. Kai first sighed relieved but then he was told that he would go with them to the temple and if he were lying, they would kill him.
The walk through the forest took them almost an hour. To Kai it all looked the same but his escorts seemed to be following a fixed path. He was starting to get bored but did not dare to ask any of them how much longer it would be until they reached their destination, whatever it was.
They walked all the way to the foot of a cliff that did not seem to have any distinguishing marks, as far as he could tell. But the woman, who he assumed was their leader, walked to the rock wall and pushed a rock that looked a little loose. Moments later the ground started to shake and the entire cliff opened up and after they all walked in, she pressed another rock and the cliff closed back up.
For about ten minutes they walked through the long, dark and damp cavern, only the sound of their own footsteps breaking the silence. When light was seen ahead Kai thought they were approaching a room by a lot of torches, he didn't expect to find himself at the entrance to a plateau.
The sun was shining above and the whole place was the size of a town much larger than the one he had left in the morning. He didn’t have time to admire the scenery because he was urged to continue down a cobbled path all the way to a temple. There they all kneeled and forced him to do the same, then waited until an old man stepped out, followed by a young man in an armour similar to that of the woman who lead the ninja, and a few monks.
"What is this you bring us, Miyu?" the old man asked.
"We found this one while on patrol, sensei. He was carrying this," she added and took the statue out of her bag.
"Buddha be praised!" the old man exclaimed and rushed to the woman and started inspecting the statue closely.
"And how did the statue end up in your possession?" the young man in armour asked stepping forward.
"For the last time, some weird bald guy gave it to me last night. He told me to bring it here and if I couldn't find anyone to yell for a guy Yasarane."
"That's Yasarane-sensei! You will show respect, whelp!" the one in armour snapped at him.
"Now, now Takeshi, there is no need for hostilities," the old man said smiling. "Plus we have graver matters to worry about than simple protocol. The chi is not within the statue."
Everyone gasped when they heard what the old man said but the one who seemed most shocked by the news was Takeshi who also looked angry. The old man, however, looked calm and even smiled as he walked towards him.
"What is your name, boy?"
"Yoroshi Kai."
"And did anything happen last night when you encountered the one who gave you the statue?"
"Well he pushed it in my arms then he was about to leave but he suddenly ducked back in and as I tried to give it back to him, he grabbed my hand, turned me around and… everything went black."
"As I expected…" the old man said with a sigh.
"He couldn't have… he had no right to give it to him!" Takeshi shouted looking insulted.
"Give what…? What the hell did that guy do to me?" Kai asked starting to worry.

[Crow]

Chapter 3 – Burdened

The ninja that escorted were dismissed, except for the woman who was leading them, and Kai followed the old man and the others inside the temple. They went inside a large room. The old man sat down at a table at one end of the room, Takeshi sat on his left and the monks on his right while the woman sat in the middle of the room, next to the wall with her legs crossed under her.
Kai sat down at the other end of the room, opposite to the old man and waited. He realised there was a lot going on but decided on letting them speak first. As he waited he couldn’t help examining the room. They were covered with all sorts of paintings of ninja fighting enemies both human and beast. After closer inspection, he realised it was actually the same man in every painting, wearing the same kind of armour as Takeshi. He also wore a forehead protector in the shape of a trident with two blades stretching from the forehead to the temples and a third from between the two blades, half way to the back of his head.
Kai found himself mesmerised by the look in his eyes. Cold and fierce at the same time, like a caged storm ready to be unleashed at any give moment and then retreat back in its shelter. A sudden rush of feelings came over him and the images of the nightmare he had had the previous night came back to him.
"I feel I should introduce myself first," the old man spoke, waking Kai from his trance. "I am Tsumikido Yasarane. The monk who entrusted you with the statue was Arisugawa Sorata. This young man is Mitsuhide Takeshi and I believe you have met his younger sister, Miyu."
As soon as she was introduced, the young woman took off her mask to reveal short black hair and a face Kai could only describe as angelic. He was gazing at her, lost in her beauty and while the look in her eyes was cold she could not hide that she was as confused as he was by everything.
"What I am about to say may be difficult for you to understand and believe but I assure you it is the truth. We are the descendants of an ancient group of shinobi that was trained by the great Hattori Hanzo, whose portrait you see around you."
"You mean you're… ninja?" Kai asked raising an eyebrow.
"Indeed," Yasarane confirmed. "The statue you see here was a treasure, passed down through generations. It held the very essence of the great Hanzo, his wisdom, his power, his legacy, basically… his chi."
"Right… I'll be going now," Kai said standing. "But I'll be sure to tell some nice people in white coats about you when I get home."
"Do you mock us?" Takeshi roared and stood up in a flash.
For a few minutes, the two remained fixed to the spot, glaring at each other. Kai couldn't explain it but for some reason he didn’t like that guy. He was arrogant, self-absorbed and snobby, not to mention annoying. It didn’t occur to him that Takeshi was probably able to kill him with one move.
"As I said, it is hard for someone who has never had contact with our community to believe we exist," the old man continued, ignoring the tension that had settled in the room.
His words seemed to have calmed down the young man on his left because he sat back down, with a frown and folding his arms over his chest. Kai also let his anger fade away but did not sit down and remained standing.
"Let's assume I'm buying all this bullshit, 'the hell does it have to do with me?" Kai asked starting to lose his patience.
"Well, everything," Yasarane replied. "You see, when Sorata knocked you out last night he performed the ritual of transition and transferred the chi from the statue into you."
"Come again?"
"You now hold all the power of the great shinobi Hattori Hanzo."

[Crow]

Chapter 4 – Sudden change

After everyone calmed down, the old man took Kai on a tour of the compound. It turned out to be a small city where they had lived for generations. They had schools and gardens and workshops and even a hospital. As they walked, the old master explained their world to him.
Kai was about how, on his deathbed, Hanzo asked the monks to preserve his power so he could always watch over their tradition. Then about the ancient statue and how it had been passed down through generations and each generation, a young man was chosen to receive the power.
"So that’s why he's an ass?" Kai interrupted.
"Takeshi? Yes… he is our strongest of the young ones and thus very proud. When he was told he had been chosen was probably the happiest day of his life."
"Power hungry psycho," the young man commented.
"Do not be so quick to judge unless you are prepared to be judged. I do not deny that he craves power but there is more to it than simple vanity. He has a strong sense of duty and a great love for his people."
Kai did not agree but did not argue further and listened silently to the rest of their history. Apparently, over three hundred years ago, when the one to receive the power was to be chosen there was a great argument. One side voted for a young philosopher who would have a higher understanding of their ancestor’s wisdom while the other side rooted for their strongest warrior. In the end, the warrior was chosen but he ended up making the wrong decisions and almost condemned their people to death. Seeing their mistake, the statue was given to a group of monks to keep safe until all agreed on only one person.
As the sun was starting to set he realised how simple but peaceful their lives were and how disrupted they had become because of the Black Snakes. The people that still followed the teachings of Hanzo Hattori had always been at war with them and Takeshi was the only hope they had for a peace. Even though he had entered their world by mistake he couldn’t help feeling responsible for the fear they saw in their eyes. Seeing him so disturbed by everything, Yasarane left him alone by the waterfall.
Kai stood there until midnight, too afraid to return to town and tell them he wanted to leave. Although he possessed something that did not belong to him he had no obligation to take Takeshi's place and he doubted they would use force to keep him there.
Just as he stood up and was about to leave he heard someone crying close by. Searching around the edge of the water, he saw Miyu but for a second eh didn’t recognise her. the armour he had first seen her in had been replaced by a light blue kimono decorated with green and red flowers. It was obvious that she was the one who had been crying but the moment she saw him, she stood up, turned around, to hide her face, and was about to walk away.
"Wait!" he called. "What's wrong, why were you crying?"
"It is not your concern," she quickly answered, her cone as cold as when he had first heard her voice.
"If it's personal I didn't mean to pry but if it isn't… maybe talking about it would make you feel better."
"It is personal… but I doubt talking would do anything."
"You never know until you try," he persisted. "Maybe I can help…"
"You can't!” she interrupted abruptly but then froze, turned around and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be disrespectful."
"It's ok, I know you guys were all hoping your brother would get those snake-skins out of your hair," he replied smiling. "But all of this… it's a lot to handle, ya' know?"
"I understand," she said and straightened. "And it would be unfair of us to ask you to bear such a responsibility because of an unforeseen chain of events. The elders have agreed that if you wish it, you may leave tomorrow. A room has been prepared for you. Good night."
With those last words she turned around and left him alone feeling even worse than before but still without a reason why he should remain. He kept contradicting himself on what was the right and what was easy all the way to the guestroom that they had arranged for him. Even as he lay down to sleep his conscience and his reason continued to argue with each other on what he should do in the morning.
When he woke up in the morning he was still not sure about what he should do but one thing he was sure about, he could not remain there and abuse of their hospitality. He planned to go to them and ask for more time to think about it but to be allowed to leave first. But when he went to the temple and saw Miyu’s face with signs that she had cried the night before still visible, all doubt was erased from his mind.
"Alright, old man!" he said with a confident smile on his face. "When do we start with this shinobi training?"

[Crow]

Chapter 5 - Tested

The rest of the day he was allowed to familiarise himself with the tools of a ninja and was outfitted for a completely new wardrobe. First he was given five sets of clothes similar to the ones he had seen the others wear, next three kimonos of his choosing, to have something to wear when he didn’t train and last two armours like the ones Takeshi and Miyu wore.
After picking out his clothes, he was given a full set of weapons he had to learn and get used to by the following morning. His weapons were a short sword, kodachi, with a leather belt tied to the sheath to keep it on his back; ten small daggers that looked weird to him and when he asked for their name, the ones assisting him giggled before giving him the answer: kunai. Next a holster that he had to attach to his belt where he was to keep his smaller weapons and equipment. The holster was small but it still held two dozen shuriken, a pair of claws used for climbing and ten smoke bombs.
Finally he received two arm-pads that stretched from his wrist to his elbow. On his left he was supposed to attach three of his kunai, while the others were spread all around his body, and ten poisonous needles on his right one.
With so many lethal weapons in his possession, Kai had a sudden feeling of power. He knew that the old man and the others planned on him making him an expert in using all of them. However, he realised that most of the people there already knew how to use them, which meant he had to watch his step and not anger anyone.
He spent the whole day examining every detail of the weapons and stayed up late at night wondering how his training would be like. In the morning, as soon as he was finished with his breakfast, two women helped him put on his armour while one of the tour guides from yesterday showed him where each weapon went.
As soon as he was ready, his guide led him to the training grounds where Yasarane, Miyu, Takeshi, a few monks, a man reading a scroll and a teenager were waiting for him. The old man told him he first had to be tested, the first test being an obstacle course, so they could judge how comfortable he was in the armour, with all the weapons.
If he was excited when he woke up, his morale fell every time he did. The obstacle course took him twice as much time as it should have, as the old man informed him, and he had managed to fall or get knocked to the ground ten times, the average being three times; five times for children.
His second test was marksmanship. Although he managed to his the dummies, outside the markers, with his kunai and shuriken, when it was time to use the needles, his morale took another fall. He was not able to even throw them with enough strength to even reach the dummies and when he went closer, being very frustrated, and tried again he didn’t even scratch the surface.
"You know, the skin is a lot softer so it would have penetrated the skin," Kai said in his defence.
"You'd be dead by the time you get that close to the target," Takeshi commented and the old man did not argue.
His next tests were to measure his stamina by making him run with weights tied to his arms and legs while the last four tests: speed, strength, combat and being able to keep a clear mind under pressure were grouped into one test. They had him fight twenty other ninja one after the other without stopping to even catch his breath. It didn't matter if he lost; he had to keep fighting so he ended up being defeated by every opponent.
When the tests were over Kai couldn’t even look them in the eyes but he caught glances of the expressions on their faces. Most of them showed disappointment and he was too ashamed to even speak so he left without a word. He walked around the surrounding woods to try and avoid meeting anyone.
"Why the hell am I even here?" he asked himself sitting down by the waterfall. "I didn't ask for this!"
"Then I first must apologise…" came a voice from a few feet behind him.
Kai jumped to his feet and quickly turned around to confront whoever was trying to sneak up on him only to find that behind him stood the monk whom had started everything. He was leaning against a tree because he didn't seem able to stand on his own. Bruises and cuts covered his body, especially his face, and he was almost unrecognisable. Before Kai could say anything the man collapsed on the ground, unconscious.
When the sun came up, Kai was already awake but didn't want to leave his room. After his terrible performance the previous day he was still too ashamed to face them. When the woman who was bringing his breakfast knocked on his door he didn't answer but she stayed there for almost half an hour when someone else showed up and dismissed her.
A knock came at the door and before Kai could tell him to leave, the door and the monk entered. His entire body was covered in bandages but he was still able to walk, though with great difficulty.
"You shouldn't be out of bed," Kai said looking away from the man's bruised face.
In response, Sorata placed the tray with food on the floor then kneeled, put his hands on in front of him and then lowered his head until his forehead was almost touching the floor. Then he shouted at the top of his lungs: "I am sorry for placing this burden on you."
The young man looked at him surprised then turned his head away from him. "Get up man, you look ridiculous."
"I cannot, I have done you a terrible harm for which I can never make up for and…"
"Can it!" Kai interrupted. "Listen I know it’s your fault I’m here but you’re not the reason why I screwed up yesterday."
"I wish I could turn back time and rethink my decision," Sorata said sitting up. "My life is yours, do with me as you please."
"Are all of you loonies? I don’t want your life… I don't even know what I want. Not to be a screw up maybe.”
"If I may, Kai-dono. But few have been able to use the power of the one of the shadows on the very first try. You will need training, should you choose to continue your life here."
"You'd better be right," Kai replied with a sigh. "Cause this is your screw up if you're wrong about this as well."

[sungoddess]

Boy...he got beat up bad..

[Crow]

Chapter 6 - Mesmerised

Feeling encouraged by the monk’s words, Kai started training day and night under the close supervision of the old sensei. The young man seemed determined to do his best and prove his worth, no matter how many times he failed in his tasks. With only the old man watching, and the occasional passer-by, he did not feel as embarrassed as before.
His schedule consisted of waking up early in the morning, having a quick breakfast then get dressed in his armour and then off to training. He began every session with a sparring match with one of the other ninja, which he always lost. Next it was a ten mile run with a large backpack full of rocks on his back.
By lunchtime he was already exhausted but he only had time to eat because the old man did not let him rest for more than twenty minutes. With a full stomach he had to fight in another sparing match, which often made him throw up what he had just eaten. Beaten and bruised he had to go through the entire obstacle course again which was followed by hours of practising what he had failed at the most. The whole day he had to wear weights attached to his arms and legs that weighed a total of seven kilograms.
After only four days of such a cruel regime, he was allowed to rest on Sunday but slept the whole day and only woke up when the sun was already setting. His muscles were still sore so he only left his room and sat on the porch. Ten minutes an old woman brought him something to eat and he saw a change in the way she looked at him, with compassion.
He started eating feeling a little proud of himself for being able to change fear to compassion. At least they saw that he was doing his best. But as he was eating he suddenly had a strange feeling that he was being watched. He waited for a few minutes to make sure then suddenly turned his head and saw the old man, a few feet away from where he sat.
“There is hope for you yet,” the old man said smiling.
“Can’t I even eat without you around?”
“Speak with respect to your sensei!” Yasarane said and hit him over the head with his walking stick.
“Sorry… sensei,” Kai said rubbing his head. “You really think so?”
“Of course I do,” the old man answered sitting down two feet away from him. “When one gives up hope and faces cruel reality then one is truly doomed.”
“Thanks for the pep-talk…” Kai said sarcastically.
“Do not mock your sensei!” the old man said and landed another blow to the young man’s head with the walking stick.
“Yes sensei… I mean no sensei.”
“It is true that when you met Sorata in town that night he was desperate to find a solution for his predicament, however, he is a wise man and he would not have entrusted the chi to someone he believed would lead us to ruin.”
“You have a funny way of cheering people up… I think I’ll go for a walk,” Kai said standing.
“A mind thinks best when the body is occupied,” Yasarane said looking at the stars.
“Whatever…”
“Speak with respect to your sensei!” the old man said and threw a rice bowl that hit him in the back of his head.
Still rubbing his head and cursing the crazy old man, Kai walked around the grounds without an exact target. He walked slowly because his muscles were still sore and he was feeling a bit dizzy from the beating his head had just gone through. With the moon shining so brightly and with so few clouds in the sky, he figured the waterfall would be the one place that could calm him down and release the pressure.
As he walked towards the water he could hear splashing and wondered who else was awake at that late hour, and taking a bath too. He walked slowly, so as not to startle whoever it was and the first thing that caught his eyes was the light blue kimono he had seen Miyu wear, lying on the ground.
He moved even slower as he approached the water and hid behind the bushes when he was close enough. At first he saw no one in the water and when she still didn’t show up he feared she might be drowning. Just as he was about to jump out from behind the bushes, she suddenly burst out of the water. She was not looking his way and walked through the shallow water with nothing to cover her.
Kai found himself glued to the spot, gazing at her. Her skin glistened with a silver glow in the moonlight. As she slowly moved through the shallows, he couldn’t help but study her forms. His eyes moved up and down her smooth skin, gazing silently at her beauty. Her shoulders were white, her back was perfectly curved, her hips would have entranced any man and as she turned, he had a glimpse of her breasts, round and firm. He could feel his heart beating faster and faster and fearing he would be tempted to leave his hiding place, he slowly backed away and went back to his room. On the way back he was still smiling and his face was as red as a radish.
“I see your stealth skills are more advanced than I previously though,” came the old man’s voice, startling him so much that he almost yelled.
“Jeez… give me heart-attack why don’t you?”
“You find yourself attracted to my granddaughter?”
“She’s your… look it’s not like that… I just went for a walk and stumbled onto her… and I didn’t want to disturb her and…”
“Do not lie to your sensei!” the old man yelled and hit him on the head again with the walking stick. “There is nothing wrong with having feelings for her, you are both young.”
“Really?” Kai asked looking suspicious.
“Of course, now go to sleep. You need your rest… starting tomorrow you’ll double the weights.”