“Yeaaaaa…”Kanlan yawned. Blinking, she took a bite of the apple she was eating and slumped over the table, resting her head on in the palm of her head. The candlelight from the chandeliers flickered overhead. Clusters of voices echoed around the room as hundreds of elves bustled around the dining hall, each trying to get their share of a meal. 

There was no one sitting at Kanlan’s table, she was off on her own. This wasn’t strange for her. She didn’t have many friends at the castle. It was difficult to make friends when your grandfather rules the castle. Social status was a big deal in Elvin society. Most of the Elves didn’t dare approach her. The only few that did were Ryuu’s friend’s, who didn’t seem to have trouble making any for some reason. It a bit lonely sure, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. Besides, she always had Ryuu, and her Grandfather. 

Kanlan set the apple down on her plate and gazed out one of the many windows in the room. The stars twinkled through the glass. Once again, green eyes flashed through her thoughts.  

There was a hissing sound as the border scouts all shot their blades of ice at the human. They flew at him at ferocious speeds. Suddenly there was a flash, and the blades crashed into the tree that was behind the human. The border scouts eyes widened. The human stood a few feet off to the side, completely unharmed.  

“You missed,” he said.  

… 

“Why are you here, Rai?” Jiro asked. Rai narrowed his eyes. 

“Take a guess,” He replied. Jiro paused.  

“Hmmm…It’s about that is it…?” he asked him. 

… 

“Who is he? Hmm…I’m afraid that is a question I will no answer. As to why I’m letting him into Ishiburu. Well I owe it to him after all, you see…three years ago, on one of my trips to visit another elf clan, that boy saved my life.” 

It annoyed Kanlan that her grandfather wouldn’t tell her anything. And it only made it worse that she couldn’t think of any logical answers. Why was he here? Why did he have demon powers? How did he know her grandfather? And most importantly, what the hell did he want? Suddenly Kanlan felt someone’s presence behind her. 

“Hey sister,” A voice behind her greeted. Kanlan swung around in her seat. 

“Hey Ry…” She blinked, staring at her brother “…Pff-haa ha ha ha aha ha!” She burst out laughing. Ryuu head was almost completely wrapped in bandages, along with his arms and what could be seen of his legs. This must be the result of his earlier fight. He looked ridiculous, at least to Kanlan. Ryuu scowled at his laughing sister. 

“Shut up,” He growled. Kanlan didn’t oblige. She doubled over in her chair, nearly chocking on air. Ryuu gritted his teeth and tried to look angry and threatening, which only made her laugh more. 

“Man! You got your ass handed to you didn’t you?!” Kanlan laughed. Ryuu’s eyes twitched. 

“Shut up! Like you could do better!” Ryuu shot back. Kanlan chuckled. 

“I know I could,” She lied. In truth she didn’t know if she was strong enough to face even a mock demon…but Ryuu didn’t need to know that. 

“Whatever,” Her brother said, looking away. He slammed his plate next to hers and sat down. Grumpily, he began to chew on his food, ignoring the snickers of passing elves. 

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KAZE 3: THE INVISIBLE 

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“…Why did Grandfather let a human into Ishiburu?” Ryuu finally asked after a few minutes of silence. Kanlan nodded. 

“You know? How? Did you see him?” She asked. Ryuu shook his head. 

“I just heard about it from Master. In fact, from what I can tell, no one has seen him,”  

Ryuu answered, “If there’s a human here, he’s keeping a real low profile. Everyone I’ve talked to didn’t even know about the whole thing,” He paused to take a bite of his food, “So I take it you’ve seen him?” He said.  

“Ah, yeah,” Kanlan told him, 

“He was the intruder, wasn’t he?” Her brother asked. 

“Again, yeah.” Kanlan replied. Ryuu nodded. He looked forward, looking thoughtful.  

“I wonder what he wants,” He wondered aloud. 

“Your guess is as good as mine, but I hope he leaves soon, he gives me the creeps,” 

“Master said he’s only like, what… sixteen,” Ryuu said, “How can he be scary?” Kanlan thought back to the Furui Forest. The image of his piercing green eyes dominated her mind. It made her shiver.  

“This guy…his name is Rai… he’s not normal,” Ryuu cocked his head. 

“Rai? You know his name…Wow...making friends are we?” He said smirked. 

“Pfft, as if,” She scoffed. 

“Just teasing,” Ryuu shook his head “…and what exactly do you mean ‘he’s not normal'?” Kanlan bit her lip. 

“…In the forest…something happened…he…” She said slowly, “…He…he had demon powers,” Ryuu’s eyes widened and he choked on his drink. 

“W-what!” he shouted. Kanlan leaned back, surprised at his outburst. 

“I-I said he’s got demon powers” She stammered, “He has their eyes, and when he was fighting the border scouts…he grew claws…” Ryuu suddenly scowled and banged his fist on the table. 

“Damn it! What’s grandfather thinking, letting someone like that into Ishiburu?” He said to himself. Kanlan raised an eyebrow. 

“What do you mean? Sure it’s weird, but I’m sure some sorcerers can-” Ryuu shook his head cutting her off. 

“Kanlan,” he sounded strained, “A human with demonic powers. Don’t you know what that is? It’s a Hanko, a half demon.”  

“A…half demon?” Ryuu nodded. 

“A child born with one parent a human, and another a demon,” Kanlan’s mouth dropped. 

“T-that kind of thing is possible?” 

“Unfortunately yes, they’re rare, but they’re not unheard of,” 

“Then why haven’t I ever heard of a Hanko before?” Kanlan asked. Ryuu scoffed. 

“It’s not exactly a thing someone would like to brag about. Most of them keep it a secret. So most people don’t know about Hanko’s. I only know about them because I stumbled across the name once while reading.” 

“…you were reading?” Kanlan asked. Ryuu glared at her. 

“Stuff it,” Ryuu growled, “Anyway, if this Rai is really a Hanko, this could be bad, Hanko's can be stronger than elves, and most are exceedingly violent.” Kanlan thought back. 

“You’re starting to make me angry,” He said in a low voice, “ So i’ll tell you what it’s going to be,” He said, “Either you get out of my way…or I’ll have to kill you,”  

“Well, I don’t like it either,” Kanlan said, “But grandfather seems to trust him, at least enough not to kill anybody,” 

“Then the old man’s gone insane if you ask me, if he trusts a half demon,” Ryuu said. 

“Really?…Gone insane have I?” A voice behind them said. Ryuu froze and his eyes widened. 

“Ehhhh….”He slowly turned around. Jiro Silverstar was standing behind the siblings, Kichiro next to him. 

“Uh…Grandfather…”Ryuu said nervously, “Hey, I …I…uh…I wasn’t talking about you...” He lied. Kanlan watched him with half lidded eyes. 

Idiot… 

“Oh, you weren’t?” Jiro said, smirking lightly though his beard, “And I suppose the grandson I have that got tossed around by a single fake Bajo today wasn’t you?” 

“Oh, No Lord Silverstar,” Kichiro said, grinning, “There’s no way that could have been Ryuu, that one was a total loser,” Ryuu fell on his hands and knees, completely downcast. 

“Cold…not fair guys…” He moaned. Jiro chuckled and Kanlan laughed along with Kichiro. 

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The blue sky was clear. The trees around them rustled slightly in the small breeze. 

“Okay, today we’re going to be working on our offensive techniques,” Kichiro said. The teacher smiled while the bright morning sun shone overhead. Kanlan narrowed her eyes in confusion. 

“But, Master…” She started, “What about my lesson? I thought I was going to fight the mock demon today,” Kichiro chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. 

“Yes well, we were going to do that, but in all the excitement yesterday…I seem to have misplaced the demon sphere,” Kanlan and Ryuu sighed. Kichiro was a good teacher, but not a very organized one. Kichiro smiled. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll find it eventually, and besides, this way you’ll get more practice, I was planning on teaching you a new technique today,” 

“Hey that’s not fair!” Ryuu complained, “Why does she get extra time to practice?” Kichiro looked over to the brother. 

“Well, honestly Ryuu…”He said, “…I thought you’d do better yesterday,” Ryuu’s face fell and Kanlan smirked. Kichiro grinned. 

“Anyway, let’s head on over to the lake, this way, Kanlan gets to practice, and Ryuu won’t set the forest on fire,” Ryuu looked irritated. 

“That happened one time…” 

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The lake was located right behind the castle, only about three hundred feet into Furui Forest. The higher parts of the castle could still be seen over the trees. Kanlan stood near the shore, Kichiro stood a dozen feet away. Ryuu was sitting in the shade of a tree, his eyes closed. Kichiro smiled. 

“Now Kanlan, watch,” he raised his hand. Immediately water sprang out of the lake and wrapped around his hand. 

“This is one of the more powerful, yet simple techniques of Mizu Jutsu. This technique is called the Mizu Taihou“ Kichiro raised his hand. The water circulated rapidly around it. 

“Here we go,” He pointed his hand at Ryuu, who had promptly fallen asleep. 

“Go,” Kichiro commanded. Suddenly a large blast of water shot from Kichiro’s hand. A constant stream flew at Ryuu. 

SPLASH! 

“GAH! What the hell!?” Ryuu coughed, water dripping from his body. Kanlan laughed while Kichiro turned to him. 

“I believe I said you could take a break, not a nap,” The teacher scolded. Ryuu scowled and grumbled something. Kichiro turned back to Kanlan. 

“Now this technique fires a constant burst of water from your hand, what I just did was not even a fraction of its power,” Kichiro explained, “Watch this,” Suddenly he pointed his hand to a nearby tree. 

“Go, Mizu Taihou!” A huge blast of water shot from the teacher’s hand. It slammed into the tree.  

CRASH! 

The trunk exploded, sending pieces of wood everywhere. Kichiro called off the blast. Water dripped from what remained of the tree. Kanlan, mouth agape, stared. 

“Wow…” She said. Kichiro nodded. 

“It’s a powerful, yet moderately simple to master. You shouldn’t have any problem with it,” Kanlan grinned. 

“Alright! Let’s do it!” She said. Kichiro smiled. 

“Yes, now, gather some water,” 

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The sun was just starting to set. The last of the orange glow was seeping behind the trees. Kanlan collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily and sweating, Kichiro nodded at her. 

“Well done,” He said. 

“Hardly,” Kanlan breathed. She looked over to the tree Kichiro had told her to use the technique on, there wasn't even a scratch on it, it was just wet.  

Damn…All I did was water it. 

“It’s good for only a day’s worth,” Kichiro said, “It took me several weeks to get it to powerful enough to damage something,” 

“Hmmm,” Was all Kanlan said. Kichiro looked up into the sky, it was starting to turn dark. 

“I think that’s good enough for today. You both seem pretty exhausted,” Kanlan glanced over to Ryuu, who was lying on the ground a few feet away, barely showing signs of life. 

“Hmmm…Perhaps I worked him to hard…” Kichiro muttered, “Anyway, why don’t we head back?” Kanlan nodded. 

“Sure,” She replied. Kichiro went over and picked up Ryuu. 

“Hmm…”The teacher said, “It seems he’s lost consciousness,” Kanlan watched her teacher. 

“Eh, Shouldn’t you be a little more concerned about that?” She asked. 

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Kichiro smiled, “I’ll take him back, you come when you’re ready, you look like you could use some rest.” He said. Kanlan nodded. Kichiro headed into the trees, back toward Ishiburu. Kanlan stayed on the ground a minute more, catching her breath. After a while she sighed and stood up. Stretching her arms she began to head towards the castle. Suddenly something caught her eyes. Here eyes trailed to the top of the castle. A black shape was standing on the top of one of the towers. It was a person. Kanlan couldn’t make out the face, but she knew who it was instantly. The figure was wearing all black and a long sword was strapped to his back. A soft breeze caused his cloak to whip around him. 

“…It’s… him…” Kanlan said to herself. He seemed to be looking in her direction. He was looking down at her, his black robe fluttering in the wind. Kanlan stared at him. Suddenly, he turned around, his back now facing her. Kanlan blinked, and he was gone. Kanlan’s eyes widened. 

What the… He…he just disappeared…! 

She narrowed her eyes. 

What the hell is he? 

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Kanlan yawned as she made her way up the steps. It was late into the night. After eating she had gone to visit Ryuu, who was, once again, being bandaged up in the infirmary. The Elf had been worked pretty hard. Apparently, he didn’t have the energy to move an instead decided to sleep there.  

She stepped off the stairs, turned a corner and began to make her way down the hallway. She yawned again as she made her way down the Elvin corridor. 

“I’m beat,” She said to herself, “I just want to go to go to my room, take a nice hot bath, and go to sleep for the rest of the week,” Her eyes trailed to the windows in the hall. The stars shined brightly in the cloudless sky. 

At least it’s a nice night. 

Tearing her gaze away from the stars she turned a corner… and froze. Her eyes widened. He was there, the human. Kanlan stared at him. He was casually leaning against the wall, staring out the window, a calm expression on his face. He was perfectly still; Kanlan guessed that if there weren’t lights in the hallway, she wouldn’t have even seen him. That was a rather scary thought. 

He wasn’t doing anything, simply looking out the window into the night sky. Kanlan considered ignoring him, just walking right past without looking or speaking. But before she could really think about it he spoke. 

“Nice night huh?” He said calmly, not even looking away from the window. Kanlan wasn’t sure what to do. 

“Uh…yeah…” She said stupidly. His eyes trailed over to her. 

“You’re… Kanlan right? Old man Silverstar’s granddaughter?” Gathering her nerves she nodded. 

“Yes, Jiro Silverstar is my grandfather,” She walked closer to him, “How do you know my name?” He shrugged, his head still facing the window. 

“Heard it around,” He answered. 

“So you know my name, what’s yours?” She asked. 

His head turned to look at her. His green eyes shining in the moonlight, he looked a little surprised for a second, but then his face became calm again. 

“Rai…” he answered, “Rai Shikon,” She nodded. He didn’t say anything else. Kanlan fidgeted in the silence. Then Kanlan spoke. 

“You…” She started, “You beat those border scouts so easily,” Rai rasied an eyebrow slightly. 

“…They weren’t that strong,” He finally replied. 

“But how could you do it so easily…” She said softly “You…are you a Hanko?” She asked out. His eyes narrowed slightly and he turned his head to look at her. 

“You know…it’s not very nice to call people that,” He said. 

“B-but I saw you,” Kanlan continued, becoming determined, “I saw those claws…and your eyes,” His mouth twitched upwards a bit. 

“Oh yeah, that’s right, you were there in the forest, the one with the stupid expression on her face,” 

“Don’t change the subject,” She hissed, growing irritated. He smirked and looked back toward the window. 

“Well, at any rate, you’re wrong, actually,” He said, “I’m not a Hanko,” Kanlan raised an eyebrow. 

“Than what are you? And I’m sorry if I sound rude,” She said the last part sarcastically. 

“That’s not a question I often answer, and I’m asked that quite a bit,” Kanlan’s eye twitched. 

“Oh, so you’re trying to confuse me now?” She asked. 

“Eh, take it easy,” 

“Listen you-” 

“You’re seem to be a pretty talented Mizu,” he commented, interrupting her. Kanlan calmed. 

“Huh...? Uh thanks?” She said. 

“I saw you by the lake practicing,” He told her. 

“So that was you on the roof!” Kanlan exclaimed. 

“Obviously,” He rolled his eyes, “Anyway, you managed to grasp most of the fundamentals of that technique in just one day,” Rai continued, “I was watching, you’ve got some talent,” 

“So you we’re watching me were you? Should I be flattered or creeped out?,” She smirked. His mouth curved upwards slightly. 

“Heh,” He smirked. Then his face became serious, “Hey…That master of yours, what’s his name?” Kanlan looked at him, puzzled. 

“You mean Master Kichiro?” His eyes narrowed at the name. 

“…Kichiro huh?” Rai said slowly. Kanlan cocked her head in confusion. 

“What’s with you?” He glanced over at her. 

“Oh, nothing,” He smirked. Kanlan bit back a sigh. This guy was kind of irritating. 

“Don’t give me that. Do you know Master Kichiro?” She asked. Rai looked away. Suddenly, a rather cruel smirk grew on his face. 

“Heh heh, You could say that,” He said in a cold voice. Kanlan shivered a bit.  

“What are you-” 

"Hey Kanlan!" Kanlan stopped. She recognize the voice, it was Ryuu, "Where are you?" The elf turned the corner. He spotted his sister. 

"Kanlan I’ve been looking everywhere for..." He froze when he saw Rai. His eyes widened. 

"You're..." Ryuu, trailed off. Rai's eyebrow rose at Ryuu, who was still covered in bandages. 

"...Strange clothes you elves like to wear..." The human said. 

"I was injured damn it!" Ryuu shouted, who had reached his breaking point on the subject. 

"Oh... Sorry..." Rai said, an eyebrow raised. 

"What did you want Ryuu?" Kanlan asked. Ryuu walked up next to Kanlan. 

"I was gonna say you forgot this," He said, he held out a small scroll. Kanlan took it. 

"Oh yeah, thanks." She said. Rai glanced at it. 

"A Mizu technique scroll?" He said. Kanlan nodded. 

"I like to practice, and sometimes Master Kichiro is busy," 

"Ah, I see," Rai replied.  

“What are you two like buddies now?” Ryuu asked incredulously. Rai snorted. He smirked and pushed himself off the wall. 

"I've got something to do," He said, "Nice meeting you both" The human began to walk away. Kanlan turned to him. 

"Wait, what?" She asked, "Where are you going?" Rai stopped. 

"Does it really concern you?" He asked, amused, looking over his shoulder. Kanlan huffed. 

"Well, considering you're in my grandfather's castle, yes," She answered. He smirked again and started to walk away again. 

"Don't worry, I won't break anything." Rai said. 

"That doesn't exactly reassure me," Kanlan replied. 

"I told you not to worry," 

"And why should we trust what you say?" Ryuu asked, "From what I’ve heard, you were ready to kill some of my clan just yesterday," Rai stopped. He didn't say anything for a moment. After a minute he took a deep breath. 

"Hey you, Kan..." He said, ignoring Ryuu, "I want to say thanks, for talking with me…You’re…not like other elves…" Kanlan stared at his back. 

"Wha...?" She said in confusion. 

Kan? 

Suddenly a gust of wind caused the window to burst open. Kanlan and Ryuu turned their head toward the noise, when they looked back. Rai was gone. Kanlan stared at the spot where the human had stood. 

"He's...gone..." Kanlan said slowly. Ryuu stepped up beside her. 

"Well…” He sighed, “Let's not worry about it. I don't think he means us trouble," He said. 

"You just said you didn't trust him," Kanlan replied. 

"If he had wanted to hurt the Blue Elves, he would have started with us. Come on, let's get to bed," Kanlan nodded as Ryuu led her away. She took one last glance back in the hallway. 

What's with this… bad feeling...? 

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Kichiro yawned as he walked down the elaborate hallway to his sleeping quarters. It was easily past midnight. He had just spent the last two hours discussing Kanlan and Ryuu with Lord Jiro. The lord had wanted to know how their master felt about their progression in their callings mastery. Kichiro has smiled and replied that although Ryuu was still a little unrefined, Kanlan was a natural Mizu and would no doubt surpass himself one day. The lord seemed satisfied with this new and invited Kichiro for a drink. He couldn’t really refuse so the teacher agreed. Now here he was, stumbling his way to his room in the dead of night. He smiled when he reached his door. 

“Ah good,” He said. Opening the door he stepped inside. With a smile he closed the door and walked to his bed. However he stopped halfway there. The teacher paused and faced the window. The moonlight shone through the glass and a seemingly uncharacteristic smirk grew across the teachers face. 

“Ah, Rai…It’s good to see you,” He said. A second later the human stepped out of the shadows. The moonlight showed his blazing narrowed eyes. 

“Kichiro,” Rai said coldly. 

“My my, you sound upset,” Kichiro said smirking, “Heh…I’d ask you why you were here…But it’s rather obvious by that look in your eye” 

“You knew I was coming…” Rai said. Kichiro smirked. 

“Yes, eventually. I’d heard you were hunting down Hybrid members…I figured it only be a matter of time before you showed up here,” 

“So you integrated yourself in this castle to protect yourself,” 

“Not so much as protect, just to pass the time really. After all, Hybrid may have disbanded, but…” He looked over his shoulder, his eyes glowing menacingly, “It’s job it not yet finished,”  

“Well, you shouldn’t be worried about that,” Rai said darkly. Suddenly his eyes started to glow and claws snapped out of his fingers. He jumped at the teacher. 

“Because I’m finishing you!” Rai swiped at Kichiro. Suddenly a hand grabbed his. Rai’s eyes widened. Kichiro smirked, tightening his hold on the human. 

“You shouldn’t be so hasty.” He said. The Elf laughed. “You young fool, you may have been able to kill some of the others…but I’m afraid, my dear boy, I’m entirely out of your league,” He easily tossed Rai aside. Rai flew backwards into the wall. 

“Gya!” The wall cracked as Rai slid to the floor. Growling, the human stood back up. 

“Bastard…” He hissed, “I don’t care what you say,” The sound of sliding metal rang throughout the room, “I’m not going to stop until my blade is soaked in your blood!” He shouted as the blade glistened in the moonlight. Snarling he lunged at Kichiro. The elf smirked and raised his hand. Water started to circle around his hand. 

“Mizu Taihou” He said calmly. The water cannon shot at Rai. It had almost reached him when he suddenly ducked, the water passed by harmlessly overhead. Kichiro’s eyes widened. 

“Eh, Fast!” Rai was suddenly next to him. Narrowing his eyes he swung his sword. The blade collided with the water cannon. 

BOOM!!! 

Water blasted everywhere, soaking the entire room. Rai smirked his blade crossed with Kichiro’s water. 

“Heh…Surprised? I’ve gotten a lot stronger,” Kichiro scowled. 

“You shouldn’t be so arrogant,” he replied.