FAMILY GROUNDS
SANJURO MANSION, 3:00PM
Inside his room, Jamal stood in front of a full body mirror, trying on some new uniform his mother had gotten for himself and his twin siblings. It started off with crimson red exercise leggings, worn underneath knee-height black shorts. On top, he wore a black sleeveless hooded shirt with a small pouch on the front, the hood having crimson Magatama markings all over, and its back decorated with the Sanjuro Clan Symbol; the kanji representing Warrior 武 in the same color scheme. On his feet were black crepe shoes. He was also given a crimson bandana having black Magatamas, which he wore in his hair, and black wristbands striped red at the ends.
“Well, someone’s excited,” he heard along with the opening of his door; it was his eldest brother, Fudo.
“Big brother?! You’re home?” he asked in surprise.
“I need a little break now and then. Cool uniform,” he complimented him.
“Yeah, Mom got them made for us. They all match…well, Gina’s is more of a girl type,” he informed him.
“I see. Well, you guys just do what you’ve always been doing. Those practicals are gonna be a piece of cake,” Fudo encouraged.
“That’s easier for you to say, brother…” Jamal responded while looking away.
“Perhaps you’re right…” he agreed. “But someone like me having faith in someone like you, says a lot, doesn’t it?”
Jamal paused. He thought on the question, knowing full well how powerful an individual his elder brother was; being within the top 5 strongest among the Two Clans outside of Gado and Tenchi…yet, he had faith in his ridiculously inferior younger brother.
“Well, I’m gonna watch a movie or something,” he said as he left the room.
“…thank you, big brother.”
Jamal was looking down when he said this, and he spoke rather silently. But Fudo heard him quite clearly.
“Don’t mention it, kid,” he responded in his heart with a smile as he left.
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NEARBY YAMAGUCHI MANSION
Outside Tenchi’s Mansion, Emir had been lingering outside, more or less pacing back and forth. He seemed somewhat focused, but also absent minded. He was shortly interrupted by the call of a familiar voice:
“Find whatever you’re looking for?” it was his brother, Lord Tenchi.
“Well, yes, but no,” he responded. “I don’t know…something feels a little off-”
“I know,” Tenchi cut him off in response. “I’m not sure what exactly it is, neither do I want it to be what I suspect…but just keep your eyes open. Take any approach you like...your call.”
“Got it...so, how are those two?” Emir asked.
“Like mouse and cat, as usual. But they’re running some drills right now,” Tenchi informed him as he led him to the backyard area, where they stood by a corner, and saw Satoru and Tarik meditating together on the grass; Satoru was actually immersed, while Tarik fumbled now and then. They were preparing themselves for the test.
“That’s probably the most relaxed I’ve seen them while together,” Emir remarked.
“I hear you,” Tenchi responded. “Reminds you a little of Fudo back then, doesn’t he?”
“Tarik? Absolutely. Fudo’s written all over that kid - stubborn and reckless as hell, but he doesn’t come short of promise. He’ll grow up just fine, Tenchi.”
“Hmph, I’m holding both you and Gado to that,” he responded.
The two of them had returned to the front of the yard by this point. They took in the view of the not-so-busy Grounds for a while, as well as the dark clouds that loomed in the distance. It seemed like it would rain that night. After a moment of peace and quiet, they both decided to return to their activities.
“It’s calm out here...but don't let your guard down. I don’t think we’re going paranoid. Take Fudo or one of those guys with you,” Tenchi instructed.
“Got it. I’ll let you know what’s up,” Emir responded as he left.
He walked for a bit toward the south of the Grounds, and ended up visiting a Restaurant Bar where he and his fellow High Rankers normally spend time hanging around.
Arriving, he was greeted by Katashi and Hayami who were having food.
“Yo! Captain Emir!”
“Emir-sensei! What’s up?”
“Not much, I’m doing a little sightseeing,” he responded as he went up to the counter where they sat. “Not too extreme this time, please,” he signaled to the waiter for a drink.
“So, you ready to cheer on your knights in shining armor, Hayami?” he teased her as he took a seat. But, she had a slightly distressed look on her face. She responded,
“Sensei…I’m accompanying the Trainees tonight. On that test.”
“Oh? Couldn’t stand the thought of not being there?” he joked once again.
“I have to be there…I just know it,” she insisted, trying to express to him how serious she was.
“…well, I don’t think Chojo or Miwa will stop you. Just let them know beforehand, so they won’t be confused or distracted,” he instructed.
“Yes, I talked to them already, so…here I am, just killing some time.”
There was a moment of silence among the 3 of them. Hayami hadn’t spoken to anyone else regarding her dream, besides Fudo. As far as Emir and Katashi could tell, it seemed more like she just wanted to be around the trainees for some reason. However, they didn’t ask her about it. But they could tell something was off.
“Katashi-kun, you seen bigshot around?” Emir asked.
“Fudo?” he verified before responding, “I’m not sure. He’d normally be here, if he’s not with you. Maybe he’s with Gado-sama. Did something come up?”
“Nah, it’s nothing. I’ll see him when I see him, I guess,” he responded, finishing his glass and leaving some money, as he started to leave. “I’ll be off to my sightseeing again; you guys take care.”
“See ya.”
“Alright, sensei.”
Hayami let out a sigh and drank down the rest of her drink. “I’ll be going now...I’ll see you soon, Katashi-kun,” she said to him as she got up and started walking out the bar.
“Hayami…something’s wrong, isn’t there?” Katashi asked from his seat. “What’s going on?”
“…it’s nothing really, but I’ll talk to you later. Something was bothering me, but I’m over it now.”
She didn’t want to have to lie, but she didn’t want to talk about it. After all, it could’ve just been her own paranoia, right?...at least, that’s what she hoped.
“Who am I kidding...I didn’t want to acknowledge it, but I can’t deny it any longer,” she thought as she walked along, looking up into the dark clouds that loomed across the sky…
“...someone is going to die tonight.”
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5:45PM
NEARBY FIELD A
The time had finally come; walking to the south of the Grounds, toward Field A. were Ilmar, Akiro, Jamal, Zeke, Gina, Amira, Satoru, Kinshi, and Tarik. They were all fitted out in their best gear - Gado’s children wearing matching uniforms; Satoru and Tarik wearing long sleeved white tops unbuttoned with white undershirts, with dark long pants and black sashes tied around their waists. On the backs of their shirts were the Yamaguchi Clan Symbol, the kanji representing Wisdom 知.
The others wore the standard Hunter uniform: for the Sanjuros, a black long-sleeved turtleneck undershirt with a crimson sleeveless vest worn over, bearing the Clan Symbol, along with black ankle joggers and red crepe boots. For the Yamaguchis, a dark grey long-sleeved shirt with a matching hooded cloak worn over, bearing their Clan Symbol on it, army-style ankle joggers of matching color, and black sandals.
“The three of you look pretty good in those matching clothes,” Akiro complimented the siblings.
“Thanks, I guess,” Ilmar responded. “They’re cool, but I think the fact that they match is kinda embarrassing,” he lamented.
“Huh? Shouldn’t twins wear matching clothes?” Gina asked with an offended look.
“That doesn’t have to be a thing.”
“Of course, it does!” they argued.
“Alright, alright! Don’t get at each other’s throats before the test. We’ll have to stick together,” Akiro broke up the argument he indirectly started.
“How are you feeling, Tarik?” Jamal asked his friend.
“I’m pretty good…I’ve been meditating up until about an hour ago,” he responded. “Steffan-sensei sent me a message, saying he’ll be busy by the time we leave. He wished me good luck.”
“Well…Ilmar and I haven’t sparred for a few days. Fudo told us to try and give our bodies a rest, since he knew we’d need it for today, and the following weeks,” he informed him.
“I see…I feel like I’m ready for this…I’m not scared at all, y’know,” Tarik shared with him.
“Right? This feels…less worrying than it should be.”
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
“Is that the rest of them?” Kinshi asked, squinting his eyes as he looked ahead toward Field A at a few individuals standing around.
“It’s probably them. Alright, let’s move it,” Satoru instructed.
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Toward the southern end of the field, nearest to the South Gate of the Grounds, the 16 trainees gathered with their instructors. Some were confident, and some had jitters, but they were all ready to engage this test. Chojo then spoke to them:
“Well, I’m glad to see that you’re all here, especially after all that big talk yesterday. I really admire you lot,” he complimented them. He couldn’t help but notice however, the nervousness displayed on some faces, such as Zeke, Saki, and Genki.
*ahem*
“Please bear in mind that all we’ll be doing for these few weeks are some test runs, not actual missions; we won’t be anywhere near any Dragons,” he reminded, trying to reassure them.
“Um, excuse me,” Genki raised a hand. “Where will we be practicing? Is there some special place?”
“I’m glad you asked, Genki. Now, let’s get into some outlining,” he started off:
“As I explained yesterday, you guys will be learning how to operate within squads; learning how to navigate and maintaining formations. Of course, the public area isn’t the most ideal of places to be in training, which is why we have our very own private town district reserved for this kind of thing.”
“A WHAT??” Zeke blurted out in surprise, “You guys own a part of the city for yourselves? Don’t people like, have shops there, or have to drive there??”
“Our descendants had a few negotiations with the government back in the day, and ultimately, we acquired our own district reserved for private, personal use,” Chojo responded. It’s located about a mile and a half east of here. We’ll be heading there on foot.”
“So, is it like…blocked off or something? Do people know that it’s not somewhere they should hang out around?” Akiro raised the question.
“Well, you guys will just have to see for yourselves, don’t you?” Chojo answered as he turned around to face the gate.
“Well then, it’s about time…Trainees, are you all ready?”
A few of them looked one on another, as if agreeing with each other before answering, until they all answered in unison:
“Yes Sir!!”
“Perfect, now let’s move. You’ll be accompanied by myself, Miwa-san here, and the high-ranked Hunter back there who agreed to tag along with us.”
They all looked around when he said this, unaware that someone was actually behind them; it was a female Hunter, dressed in long camouflage pants and boots, a dark sporting top, and fingerless woolen gloves. Her hair was caught up in a messy bun, and she wore a grey mask with the face of a cat. It was Hayami, but the trainees couldn’t tell; Jamal and Tarik included. She wanted to conceal her identity, as to not distract the two she cared about so much, knowing they would be distracted by her.
Underneath the mask, she was worrying. She felt small chills all around her body. Was she really just paranoid about the whole situation? Or…was it reality?
“Please...let me be wrong tonight...please...” she wrestled within herself. Just for that moment, she felt as if she was losing her mind when suddenly, she remembered…Fudo’s words:
“I know everything will work out fine. I trust you, Hayami.”
Finally…she calmed herself down.
“...right. I’ll protect these kids, with my life...I’m a Hunter.”
“Alright? Let’s go!”
By that point, they departed out of the South Gate, and made their way to the location.
Over by the Restaurant Bar in the meanwhile, Emir had been sitting on the outside seats by himself, drinking a can of soda. By that time, Fudo came there to him.
“How’s it going? Did they leave already?” he asked, popping up next to him quietly.
“Who are you trying to sneak up on? Too obvious. And yeah, they just just left,” Emir responded.
“I see,” he responded, taking a seat next to him. “Hayami too, right?”
“Yep. I wanted to ask you what’s up with her, but-”
At that moment, an individual in a dark hooded cloak got up from his seat nearby and started walking away toward the north. Emir, still leaning back in his seat with his legs crossed, seemingly paid him no attention, while Fudo glanced at him, but ignored him.
“What’s his deal?” Fudo muttered after the man had walked a little distance.
“Fudo, let’s take a walk.”
Emir who was just in a relaxed position, now stood up. He had his hands in his pockets as he waited for Fudo to stand as well. He looked back at him in silence for a moment before standing up...and they started walking to the north, following the mysterious individual.
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CITY DISTRICT EAST
After a short travel, the training group arrived at the “location”. They were in a vacant area having many old, rotting buildings and damaged roads, and a few blinking streetlights. It looked like the home for a bunch of criminals. The fact that it was night didn’t make the atmosphere any better either.
“Is…this the place?” Galib asked, troubled.
“Well, almost. But don’t worry, this area is scouted regularly to make sure no one’s hiding around out here. The real location is right here.”
Chojo pointed the group to a short road leading to a dead-end area, with a building’s face and what appeared to be a forest behind it.
“…what?”
They were utterly confounded.
“B-But, didn’t you say it was a whole district? And if it isn’t where we are now, then…?” Zeke trailed off, confused. However, rather than responding to him,
“Miwa-san, go ahead.”
At Chojo’s signal, Miwa walked toward the big building that faced them at the end of the road, and as she stood in front of it, she lifted her hand, crossing her middle and index fingers while uttering the phrase:
“That which is hidden from sight…reveal thyself unto light.”
At once, the entire building and the forest-looking area behind it began to distort; there was now a glowing transparent wall, and behind it…a new area seemingly appeared! It had the same setting as the area they were currently in, but it was as if it had spawned out of nowhere.
“Wh…what is this?!” Akiro asked in utter shock, while the faces of his companions did the same.
“This is Tenchi-sama’s Soul Barrier technique. It’s a high-level barrier, and can be applied for many different purposes, such as the one that surrounds the Family Grounds at all times. In this case, the barrier conceals the entire area that it surrounds, completely cutting it off from view,” Chojo elaborated.
“This is unreal…” Gina commented in awe.
“Tenchi-sama is…amazing…” Zeke added.
“Alright, no time for dawdling. Let’s go,” Chojo instructed.
“Everything good?” he signaled to Hayami who returned to a nearby roof, after scouting the area. She responded with a nod, and following that, they all went through the wall of energy. By the time they went in, the view from the outside reverted, and it was back to looking like a dead end with a large forest behind.
The scenery wasn’t much different; the buildings still looked old, but not weathered like the ones a moment ago. The storm clouds were also gathering above them with a few thunders; the rain would definitely pour that night.
“Well, I don’t plan for us to stay all night here, so let’s get down to business,” Chojo spoke,
“For this and future weeks, you’ll be getting used to the lay of the land here, every nook and cranny of this place. For that, we’ll be dividing you all into teams,”
“Satoru, Kinshi, Maki, Jamal, Akiro, Galib, Gina, Tarik.”
“All of you will be in one group led by Miwa-san. The rest of you will be with me. All we’ll be doing for now are simple scouting routines. Got it?”
After assembling according to Chojo’s instructions, they prepped up themselves. All worry and uneasiness had now departed from them completely, and they were ready.
“Let’s get this started then, shall we?” Chojo asserted.
“See you all on the other side,” Miwa said to Chojo and his group of students.
“Hunters, scatter!”
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FAMILY GROUNDS
NEARBY FIELD B
“So, that’s what happened, huh.”
“Yeah. It’s been having her really concerned, ever since yesterday.”
Back on the Family Grounds, Emir and Fudo were still walking toward the north, trailing the suspicious individual from earlier. While they walked, Fudo was explaining what had actually happened concerning Hayami.
“Still…could it really be that bad?” Fudo asked.
“The Oriki Clan…from what I’ve heard, they were known back in the day for being premonitory dreamers…they could see future events in their dreams. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of Hayami having one, but what’s confusing is the fact that she had a dream of the past,” Emir elaborated.
“That’s exactly what I don’t get,” Fudo responded. “But it’s also equally confusing that it’s the first time in years since she had that dream…”
“Whatever it is, I just hope everything will be alright,” he hoped.
“…and as for this guy…”
They finally arrived on the outskirts of Field B, where they saw the man standing in the middle of the field. They stopped for a moment, looking at him while he looked back, then they started walking once again. He had a small grin on his face.
“Heh…”
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ABANDONED WAREHOUSE
UNDERGROUND LOUNGE, 3 MINUTES AGO
Somewhere within the old warehouse, inside a lounge, Gyuwhan stood putting on a robe. He was getting ready to leave. At that moment, Daisuke entered the room:
“You called, Gyuwhan?”
“Yeah, Mujin just talked to me. It’s time.”
“Oh, it’s that time, isn’t it? He gave you a location?” he asked.
“To the east of their home base. I’ll be back in 10 minutes…with them.”
Daisuke was a little bothered about all this.
“Gyuwhan…to be perfectly honest, this is still a pretty reckless move. As it stands, your existence is at best, only a hunch to the Hunters. After tonight, you will definitely be exposed, even if you go about this as subtly as possible” he expressed. “Especially if that place is surrounded by a Soul-Barrier…which it probably is.”
“…yeah, you’re right. I will be exposed after tonight. But, either way…” he trailed off as he glanced back at Daisuke,
“Not one of them stands a chance against me.”
Immediately, a black void opened in the floor of the lounge, and Gyuwhan descended into it. It was a form of Transportation technique which he learned. Daisuke let out a sigh, as the opening in the floor closed up.
“Watch over him, Ivan-sama...”
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FAMILY GROUNDS
Back on the field, Emir and Fudo were now standing face to face with the man, trying to comprehend his ghostly appearance; they could sense no form of energy coming from him, neither did it really feel as if there was anyone standing in front of them, but there absolutely was.
They stared each other down as the wind blew their garments. Emir was dead silent and serious, his glare piercing through his dark glasses. Fudo had his hands in his pocket, and he felt his eye twitching from all the questions that ran through his mind at the moment: How did this person enter the complex undetected? What was his purpose? Fudo relaxed himself, and settled on:
“Who are you?”
The man chuckled with his hoodie hiding most of his face, and his hair hanging out down his torso.
“Fudo Sanjuro…Emir Yamguchi…it’s a pleasure to meet you. Both of you.”
“I asked you a question. Who the fuck are you?” Fudo asked again.
“…my name is Mujin,” he responded as he lifted his head, causing the hoodie to drop back and reveal his face. That was when they saw the small Water kanji below his eye; a trait adopted by Dragons wherein a tattoo of an element or species is located somewhere on their bodies.
“A dragon...well, I wasn’t expecting it to be anyone else…anyway, let’s skip the chit chat.”
Emir then raised both of his hands and placed them together; the thumb, index, and pinky fingers extended while the remaining fingers bent downward and pressed against each other. No sooner after doing this, he uttered one phrase:
Soul-Barrier · 魂結界 (Ta-ma-shii Kek-kai)
Immediately, they were encased within a bright red cube of magical energy; Emir’s Soul Barrier. He planned on keeping their opponent confined within that space, until he was sufficiently dealt with. But not only that,
"Concealment."
Emir then erased the Soul-Barrier from outside view, as to not alert anyone about what was going on at the moment. Nobody except probably Tenchi, who is able to tell of all that happens within his barriers.
“At least now, we know you’re not running away. Especially with that ghostly appearance of yours-”
While Emir was still speaking, Fudo took a few steps forward,
“Sensei, I’m handling this.”
“…sure. No problem,” he responded.
As his hair blew in the gentle wind, and his eye gave off a glint of purple, he asked Emir one question:
“Standard operating procedures?”
“I quote, in the words of Tenchi-sama…take any approach you like.”
“...perfect.”
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CITY DISTRICT EAST
A black void opened up in the ground, and Gyuwhan emerged. He arrived at the abandoned area, almost no time after speaking with Daisuke.
“I think I’ll like this technique. Thanks for all your hard work, Old Man.” – he referred to his ancestor, Hellam Ryūjin.
“Now, where is this…oh.”
Gyuwhan stood on the same dead-end road and looked straight ahead at the face of the old building. He could clearly feel the energy of the Soul-Barrier that was there. It was like one big road sign to him.
“Might as well put some guards there as well…invisible Soul-Barrier or not, I can see it as clear as day.”
“Well, how about infiltration measures?” he asked himself as he placed his hand on the wall.
After a few seconds…the hidden area was revealed. Gyuwhan completely bypassed the secured Soul-Barrier.
“Now this is just hilarious,” he remarked with a scoff.
“Well…let’s see how fast we can do this.”
Without waiting another moment, he stepped right inside.
Right then, the hearts of everyone inside the area suddenly froze up; they clearly felt the monstrous presence that entered the premises. They stopped moving altogether, looking all around them.
“What in the world…” Chojo uttered over in his group. Before he knew it, he heard a loud voice speaking in his head; it was Tenchi, communicating through his Barrier. Miwa heard it as well:
“CHOJO, MIWA, ESCORT EVERYONE OUT OF TRAINING AREA IMMEDIATELY!!”
“Tenchi-sama-”
!!
Before Chojo could even finish a thought, he saw him at the end of the road in front of him…Gyuwhan Ryūjin.
“Found you.”