A lone figure walked slowly down the beaten trail of Furui Forest. A slight breeze rustled his black cloak around his body. He was moving slowly, surly. Leaves crunched under his feet when he walked. Nearby Animals scampered out of sight when he approached. Animals could sense danger, and that’s the feeling they were getting from this person. A large hood was covering the persons face, only the lower part of his mouth could be seen. A long sword was strapped to the figures back. It was Odachi, a great sword.
Suddenly the figure stopped walking. His hooded head looked up into the sky. Another breeze of wind came by, rusting his cloak slightly. A smirk spread across the figures face.
“Found you…”
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KAZE 2: ODE COME’S THE WIND
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Kanlan walked alongside Kichiro as they went to intercept the intruder. Five border scouts walked behind them. Kanlan thought it was a little much for one intruder, but she knew the rules. Illegal intruders were not tolerated in Yasuragi. Elves were cautious creatures, and for the most part, liked to keep to themselves. Most Elves didn’t want to deal with the troubles of humans and the like. Sure it was their job to protect the world from demons, humans included, but really, that was all they were obligated to do, because they were the only ones with enough power to do so. Humans could help themselves with the rest of their problems. Other than that, the Elves wanted to be left alone. Most anyway, Kanlan actually didn’t mind Humans, and even had one as a good friend, but apparently there were some Elves that did mind.
After few minutes of walking in silence, Kanlan tuned to look at Kichiro.
“Master, what happens when we meet this intruder?” She asked. Kichiro glanced at her.
“Don’t you know the regulations for intruders?” he asked. She shook her head.
“I’ve never heard of someone illegally entering Yasuragi before,” She told him.
Most people are smarter than that.
Kichiro smiled at her.
“Well, first we simply tell him, or her, to leave,” Kichiro answered to her, “If they refuse, well…then we make them leave…” Kanlan nodded slightly, not really liking the sound of ‘making them leave.’
“But why did my grandfather ask you to come? Surely the border scouts are enough to handle one person,” Kichiro smiled.
“Do you think the border scouts could handle me? And I’m simply one person,”
“Well, but you’re a really powerful Mizu,” She said, “There’s no way this intruder could be as strong as you,” Kichiro shrugged.
“You’d be surprised. There are many people in this world more powerful than I. In this case…I don’t know… But you’re grandfather said he felt something strange about this person, so it’s best to be careful.”
“But…”
“Kanlan,” Her teacher interrupted, “It’s just what Lord Silverstar ordered. There are times I don’t understand his actions. But I learned long ago your grandfather has a knack for being right.” Kanlan couldn’t think of anything else to say so just nodded.
They walked in silence for a few minutes. Because of the lack of excitement, Kanlan’s mind began to wander. The Elvin girl wondered why someone would intrude in Yasuragi. Quite honestly, that was just foolish. He or she must be either very brave, or very stupid. Probably the latter. Suddenly one of the border scouts stepped in front of her. Kanlan and Kichiro stopped waking.
“Do you have something Squad leader?” Kichiro asked.
“Perhaps,” The border scout replied. Silently, he held out one hand and closed his eyes. The air suddenly got colder. Kanlan shivered a bit.
Aisu Jutsu. The control of water in the air, freezing it to form ice. Also used to track, by sensing disturbances in the water in the air in a person’s surroundings, a very difficult and advanced form of tracking. It’s pretty impressive.
The border scout suddenly dropped his hand.
“He is near.” He said, “Very near,” Kichiro suddenly reached behind him and put the hood of his cloak on, with the scarf and the hood, hardly any of his face could be seen.
“Master?” Kanlan asked.
“Don’t worry,” Was all he said. The border scout turned to Kichiro.
“He is just around the corner,” He said. He turned to the rest of the border scouts.
“Positions,” He commanded. They nodded. They walked and stood side by side across the trail, forming a barrier. The commander of the border scouts stood beside Kichiro and Kanlan. Nobody spoke. They waited. Kanlan suddenly felt anxious, she waited in silence, waited for some mysterious person to show up. A person that her Grandfather thought could be dangerous.
Soon enough, they heard it. The crunching of someone walking along the trail. It was coming from just around the corner. Kanlan tensed. She wasn’t afraid, just anxious. At least, that’s what she told herself.
Suddenly he appeared, turning the corner and stepping into view. He stopped when he saw the elves. Kanlan studied him closely. He wore all black, light baggy pants and a cloak over his loose tunic. A hood obstructed his face and a long sword hung from his back. Stepping forward, the border scout leader spoke loudly.
“You’re trespassing in Blue Elf territory, I demand that you leave now,” He commanded. The figure did nothing. After a moment he spoke.
“Ah…The infamous Blue Elf Border scouts. I got to say, I expected you a lot earlier…I’m actually kinda disappointed,” The Border Scout growled.
“What did you say?” He hissed. The figure chuckled.
“Take it easy,” he said. He reached up and pulled the hood down, “It’s nothing personal,” Kanlan’s jaw almost dropped as his hood fell away from his face. He was just a human, no older than sixteen. His had dark brown hair that slightly covered green eyes as he smirked.
It…It’s just a kid!?
The human looked at all their faces. Most of them looked shocked.
“What’s with all your faces?” he laughed. “What? Didn’t expect me to be human, or is the ‘he looks young’ thing? Heh heh…” He laughed and pointed at Kanlan.
“And you, you’re face is priceless!” Kanlan gritted her teeth, her eye twitching in annoyance.
How dare he talk to me that way!
The border scout regained himself.
“It was simply unexpected. However, child or not, you must leave now,” The human rose an eyebrow.
“Child? Hey, that’s a little insulting,” He said. The border scout gritted his teeth.
“Don’t play with us. This is your last chance, leave now,” The human lowered his head a little.
“Geez…You’re hospitality leaves a lot to be desired,” he chuckled, not loosing his smirk. All the border scouts suddenly raised their hands. The air crackled as pointed blades of Ice formed on their palms, they were all pointed at the human.
“I’m warning you, if you do not leave this instant, then you’re going to find quite a few holes in your body very soon,” The border scout said. The human said nothing, but his smirk faded. He looked at all the elves.
“Are you…actually threatening me?” He asked, his face turning serious.
“Picked up on that have you?” The border scout answered. The human’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“…Aizu Jutsu,” he said, slowly, “the ability to condense the water in the air to form ice. Very strong and very deadly,”
“So what is it going to be? Are you going to go back like a good little boy?” The border scout asked. The human suddenly narrowed his eyes. Kanlan almost took a step back. For some reason, this human suddenly looked very dangerous.
“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…” His eyes were bright and angry, “…Or I’ll have to kill you,” He said darkly. The border scout hissed. He’d had enough.
“The only one that’s going to be killed is you!” he shouted, “Blow holes in him!”
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. The human didn’t move. 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.
“What…the hell?” The border scout whispered in astonishment. The human stared at them evenly.
“You missed,” he said calmly.
“Eh,K-kill him!” The border scout shouted. All the scouts shot ice at him. The human dodged them all, weaving and ducking to avoid the ice. Kanlan stared at him, her eyes wide.
Impossible…No human can move at those speeds!
Suddenly the human was right in front of the scout leader.
“You’re annoying,” He said in an irritated voice. His eyes blazing he swung his fist outward. The elf flew backwards, rolling on the ground and stopping a few feet away from his men. With a groan, the elf struggled to his feet, gritting his teeth in pain.
“Such strength…” He groaned, “Are you really human?” He asked. The human said nothing. The elf sucked in a breath.
“Che, doesn’t matter,” He turned to his men, “Form up,” They nodded. They all clasped their hands together. The air became frigid. The human raised an eyebrow. Suddenly the elves’ all shouted simultaneously.
“Bariaretsu!” [Cold Barrier] They shouted. Suddenly ice sprang up from the ground around the human. Before the human could react the ice encased him. There was a crackling sound as the ice hardened. Slowly, the elves dropped their hands. A white mist surrounded the ice. Smirking, the scout leader walked over to the ice. The human was frozen in the ice, a surprised expression on his face. The scout leader tapped the ice.
“I told you, you would be the one to die,” he sneered. Kanlan sigh, almost embarrassed by the man’s words.
These border scouts are pretty bloodthirsty…
Kichiro, who hadn’t moved throughout the entire ordeal, shook his head at the border scouts comment.
“I’m afraid he’s not dead, squad leader,” He said. The scout leader turned quickly to Kichiro.
“Huh?”
“I said he isn’t dead,” Kichiro repeated. The squad leader stared at him.
“What do you mean?! He’s completely encased in ice! Of course he’s dead!” He said. Kanlan’s eyes suddenly widened. The human’s eyes had suddenly started glowing.
CRACK!
The border scouts eyes widened, he slowly looked over his shouter.
“Wha…”
BOOM!
The ice suddenly blew apart. The explosion threw the scout leader back. Kanlan stared in shock. The human stood hunched over the ground, an icy mist surrounding him. Kanlan’s eyes widened. Jagged claws had formed on the human fingers, and his stance looked rather…animal like. Slowly, the human looked up. His eyes were glowing an eerie green. Kanlan eyes widened. His eyes looked very familiar. She gasped when she realized why. The image of a demon flashed through her mind.
The creature snarled, its jagged teeth dripping with saliva and its green eyes shining with bloodlust
Kanlan stared.
“His eyes…” She whispered.
“How interesting…Green… the eyes of a Demon,” Kichiro said, staring ahead, “It looks like that boy…is not fully human,” Kanlan, eyes wide, looked back to the fight. The human took deep breath.
“Alright…Now you’ve just pissed me off,” He hissed. The scout leader gritted his teeth.
“Why don’t you just die!” He held out both hands, blades of ice shot from his palms. The human swung his arm. His claws shredded through the ice, shattering it. The human jumped at the elf, in less than a second he was before the scout leader. The elf brought up both arms. The humans arm smashed into them. The elf was driven to his knees. The human kicked out. The elf was thrown back. Suddenly there was ice headed for the humans back. The rest of the elves were joining in the fight. The human spun around, deflecting the ice with his claws. He then sprang toward the borders scouts. Most of them became frightened and some even started backing away. Kanlan turned to Kichiro.
“Master, shouldn’t you…”
“Yes, I suppose I’d better help,” Kichiro said. He raised his hand. Water suddenly formed around his hand, swirling around his palm. He pointed his hand at the human. He was just about to attack when a voice shouted.
“Stop! This! Now!” A loud and commanding voice shouted. Kichiro paused and the human froze. All the border scouts stopped moving as well. The human narrowed his eyes. Slowly, he turned around to see who had spoken. Kanlan did the same. Her eyes widened. Her grandfather, Jiro Silverstar was standing on the old beaten path. The old elf watched the scene before him. His wizened old face was creased in a frown. The Elf sighed through his white beard, his white hair flowing in the wind. His brown eyes gazed fiercely at the human. The human stared back, not saying anything. Finally Jiro spoke.
“It looks like I came just in time, I only just realized there was only one person who had an aura like yours...Rai…” The human stood up straight, the glow in his eyes fading. Kanlan watched as the claws shrank back into his fingers. The human, Rai, looked at Jiro.
“Old man Silverstar…You’re here…” He said, looking surprised, “It’s been a while,”
“Three years isn’t that long,” Jiro replied.
“Maybe not to you,” Rai replied, shrugging and brushing his shoulder off. Kanlan looked from the human to her grandfather.
“Wha…Grandfather!?” She exclaimed. Jiro looked over at her.
“Hmm? Kanlan? Why are you here?” He asked. Kichiro turned to Jiro.
“I’m sorry Lord Silverstar.” The teacher said, “It’s was my idea, I thought I’d bring her along. I had no idea the intruder was an acquaintance of yours…,” Jiro nodded, then turned back to Rai.
“Why are you here, Rai?” He asked, getting to the point. Rai narrowed his eyes.
“Feh, Take a guess,” He replied. Jiro paused.
“Hmmm…It’s about that is it…?,” Jiro asked him. Rai said nothing. Jiro sighed.
“Very well, you may come to my castle, I suppose I owe it to you,” Rai nodded.
“Thanks” he said. The human immediately began walking down the trail toward Ishiburu, not looking back at all. Kanlan watched as he came closer. Kichiro stepped out of the way for him, Kanlan, reluctantly, did the same. The human passed by them, suddenly he froze. His eyes darted over to Kichiro, but he quickly looked away and continued to walk down the trail. Kanlan watched him go. She turned when she heard a groan behind her. The scouts were picking themselves up off the ground, it looked like they had gotten a pretty bad beating. Jiro suddenly stepped up beside him.
“Kichiro,” He said, “No one is to harm that boy, spread the word,”
“I’m a little more worried about him harming people,” Kichiro replied.
“Regardless,” Jiro said, “He is to be treated like guest,” Kichiro nodded. Kanlan turned to her grandfather,”
“Grandfather, who is he? And why are you letting him into Ishiburu?” She asked. Jiro looked over at her.
“Who is he? Hmm…I’m afraid that is a question I will not 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.” Kanlan stared at her grandfather.
“Saved…your life?” Kanlan repeated. He nodded.
“We’ll leave it at that…Besides…if all goes well, he should be gone by tomorrow. That one doesn’t like to stay in one place for too long.”
“But why is he here?” She asked.
“That’s his own business, so I won’t say.’’ Kanlan nodded slowly.
“Oh…Okay…” She said. Jiro smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Do not worry about it. He’s rough, sure, but he’s a good kid.” He said. He frowned when he heard a moan behind him.
“Hmm…allow me to rephrase that. He’s violent and ill tempered. But, he’s not a bad person. Now…Come, let’s go back,” The old man began to take the path back to the castle. Kanlan started to follow him. Then she remembered and looked back over her shoulder.
“Master Kichiro? Are you coming?” Kichiro had been staring at the path Rai had taken. When Kanlan called him he snapped out of his gaze.
“Oh, yes of course,” He said.
