Buryoutougen

I own this origional work of fiction and it's character's.

-JayDeth, writer, author, and all around cool dude.

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"Welcome," the announcer said in a magically enhanced voice that echoed through out the stadium, "one and all, to the largest---" a great cheer went up from the crowd, "the grandest---" another, louder this time, "and the bloodiest complex in Buryoutougen!" another, still louder, "Welcome to the Oujou Arena!" he proclaimed, drawing out the name of the place, and yet another cheer, the loudest by far, was heard from the thousands of spectators, drowning out even the booming voice of the announcer before he could even finish naming the great venue.

One man was roused not at all by the booming voice of the announcer, nor by the cries for bloodshed from the onlookers. Instead, he sat with his back against one wall of an entry tunnel, near to its exit, that led to the large, open, sand filled ground where the blood was to be spilled. Several steps to each side of him was a portcullis, both now closed, one blocking entry to the battle ground, the other blocking the way to the rest of the tunnel and a perpendicular hallway beyond. It was here, just on the other side of the second portcullis, that a few guards milled about, ready to raise the other one to make the way clear to the arena on their cue, and also to raise the one nearest them and get the man moving in the right direction on the ends of swords if need be.

The man wouldn't need further prodding once the portcullis was raised though, this was not his first time being called to entertain after all, thus the mood of the soldiers was lighthearted and they talked idly amongst themselves. The man's height was average and so to was his build, though he was stronger than he appeared. Fiery red hair that hung low over deep blue eyes hung even lower now for his head was bowed, as it so often was. His expression was grim and his shoulders sagged, this was the resigned look of a man who had spent the past several years of his life with nothing to look forward to, other than the next time he might be let out of his cell, so that he may once again attempt to sate the people's thrist for blood. But alas, they would always hunger for more. And so, Hinote's work was never done.

* * * * *

So far so good, he thought after making his way successfully past another set of guards, it wont be long now. I can finally avenge her death. She can finally rest in peace!

Spurred on by the thought, he continued his determined way down the corridor, nearing the cornor that would take him to yet another set of guards. Unfortunately, the thought also brought with it memories of the person he was doing this for. Memories of her wonderful smile.

He felt the strength drain from his legs and his pace slow.

Memories of the way her dark eyes always seemed to sparkle.

He reached a hand out to the wall at his side, needing the support.

Memories of the horrible way she had died.

He found himself on his knees then, his face buried one hand, fighting back the tears.

"Oh sister," was all he managed to get passed the lump in his throat and he nearly lost it there in the corridor.

Suddenly remembering where he was, he lifted his head and glanced around, fearful that someone might have seen or heard him. Fortunately, he was alone in the corridor he was in and, after pausing for a moment to make sure no one was, he was confident he hadn't blown his cover.

After finally managing to get a hold of himself, he got back on his feet, straightened his "borrowed" soldiers uniform, and put a hand to the hilt of the sword at his side, drawing strength from the feel of the handle of his blade. Firming his visage, he continued on his way down the corridor, silently promissing death to the one responsible for taking his sister from him.

* * * * *

Though the man might have been alone in the corridor, someone was indeed watching as well listening. High in his dark tower fartherest from the main part of Tendou Castle and some distance from the Oujou Arena, a little old mage turned away from an ornate, man sized, mirror, it's frame and stand inscribed with various intricate runes, and let the images within it's depths fade from veiw.

"What could it possibly mean?" he asked the dark room with a raspy voice, as he stared out across Yuttarishita Lake and into the new rising sun, whos sunlight oddly did little to lighten the room nor the tower itself.

He had noticed the suspicious soldier quite by accident and soon after created a magical doorway into which he then stepped through to the room he now stood. He proceeded to find and watch the man, using the mirror he had just turned away from. He had soon suspected that there was more to the soldier and, after a quick check of a few references, he was quite certain now that the soldier was an imposter. And now this?

"Sister, eh?" he asked again of the still oddly dark room, as he brought up a hand to stroke his chin, which was heavily laden with stubble. The old mage wasn't quite sure what to make of this latest development, not even sure if this "sister" had anything to do with the situation at hand at all.

He muttered a curse to the darkness then, thinking that he should have confronted the man when he had the chance.

"But what to do now?" he asked aloud again, letting his hand fall from his chin and turning to face the mirror once more. He thought almost immediately, as he had multiple times already, that he should quickly send his thoughts through the mirror to his and this very castle's lord and tell him of what he had discovered. He owed much to his lord, it was the lord himself who helped him attain his current station after all, and started to send his thoughts through the mirror to his lord.

But then he began to see the potential gains to be had from alowing the imposter to complete his assassination of his lord, which was only a guess but was very likely the man's intentions, and so he redirected his concentration so he was once again watching the man.

Better to let him go about his business, he thought as a wicked smile spend across his face. If he succeeds, then I have everything to gain. If he fails, then I have nothing to lose. I couldn't ask for a better situation!

He gave a soft chuckle and fell silent then as he watched and waited. The sun continued to rise beyond him, still trying mightily to penetrate the cold and gloomy tower with it's warmth and light, but still to no avail.

* * * * *

The announcer stood in a small private box near the top rim of the vast circular arena and continued to fill the crowd with excitement and anticipation for the forth coming events.

Many rows below and across the arena, at the lower rim over looking the battleground, lay the private box for the lord of Tendou Castle, his advisors, and whatever other guests he may have. He sat in a pleasantly decorated chair which was, along with other not nearly as decorative seats, set back several steps from the rail facing the arena proper so as to allow plenty of room to stretch and move around. It was here in the most decorative of the chairs that sat the lord himself.

"We start off with this day's bloodshed with a few friendly little," the announcer now paused for dramatic effect, " executions!" The crowd gave a rousing cheer in reply.

He wore clothes and a cape of a fine white silk with lines of black crisscrossing occasionally across it, interwoven in pure silver and magically enchanted. Enblazened on the back of the cape was his family crest, a black sword with a pair of black lines that spiraled up along the blade of the sword from the hilt, changing to white when one would cross over in front of the blade and back again when it curved around behind. His hair was light blond, and his eyes were grey, though they were very bright, dispite the color. He wore few riches and one of these few was a glove on his left hand that was made of some unkown material and covered with many bluish-white stones---moonstones by name. One stone, set on the back of the glove, was an entire inch across. Though all of the gemstones contained vast amounts magic, it was said, the large one in particular radiated much magical energy, it's many facets reflecting even the dim torch light and brightening sunlight in a mesmerizing display.

The other of his few riches was a sword which was usually belted to his left hip, though now leaned against the side his fine, overstuffed chair. The hilt of it was covered in many more of the magical gemstones. On the pommel was another large moonstone, it too dazzled the onlooker with the light it captured.

He felt then a hand lightly touch his arm. Turning, he looked into the seductive, brown eyes of an auburn haired woman, her long tresses shining even in the dim light. The long, flowing robes of this beauty seemed a few sizes to small for her... and she was practically in his lap.

"The 'men', we shall be executing this day were captured in the war that we even now fight against those monsters, the Ikimono!" the announcer exclaimed, drawing a chorus of boos and jeers.

"Kaze..." she said, drawing out the name in that oh so alluring voice of hers, and drawing a scowl from Kaze.

"Hmm...?" she asked innocently, now lightly moving her hand across his arm. Kaze's scowl did not relent.

The woman rolled her eyes. "Lord Ijin," she said with a sigh, disliking the formal name. When she looked back at him, she realized she might have over stepped her bounds. His scowl had deepened considerably and she could see his patience was wearing thin. She settled back into her seat and looked away.

Reaching over to gently hold her chin, he turns her back so she is once again looking into his eyes. His glare had been replaced with an easy smile, showing her that she was forgiven. She smiled in return.

"Bring out out the prisoners!" cried the announcer, cuing the opening of a set of iron bar doors, and the entrance of several small, one horse drawn, caged carts, and the prisoners contained therein to be paraded around the arena for all to see.

"You know feel about the use of my first name, Atsui," he said, causing her to turn away again, "at least, " he continued, while leaning closer to her, lowering his voice and putting on a sly smile, " outside of my bed chambers..." Atsui looks back to him, returning the grin, and the lust filled sparkle in his eyes. Her expression quickly disappeared when she glanced over his shoulder and looked away once to hide her reddening face. Realising he had visiters, Kaze turned to regard them, looking amused.

The first of these two visiters was a tall, regal looking man with salt and pepper hair. His clothing was all black and clung snug yet comfortably to his thin frame. Though he looked frail, he was almost all muscle. Which was a good thing considering the heavy devices he wore on each forearm, devices which were commonplace for members of the Suraidingu Guard, of which, this man was the captain. He was known for the way he always seemed to glare at whomever his dark eyes fell upon, who happened to be Atsui at the moment. Kaze had wife, though neither he nor his "beloved" had much love for the other. And since the war had begun, the lord and his wife saw little of each other anymore, since she was the commander of the army facing the Ikimono, which was fine by both Kaze, his wife, and their lovers. The Captain of the Suraidingu Guard, like everyone else, knew just how Atsui had become his closest "advisor," though, of course, it was rarely spoken aloud.

The other man, standing behind and to the side of the Captain, kept his gaze forward and away from the intrigue going on in front of him. He wore a simple foot soldiers uniform, though it looked as if it was made for someone a bit taller Kaze noted. Kaze also noted, as the man's traveling cloak shifted aside breifly, that the sword at his side was not a broadsword, which would have been the norm, but instead was a short sword.

"What is it, Captian Datesha?" Kaze asked after an uncomfortable moment had passed.

"Lord Ijin, " he bagan, bowing while doing so, "this man brings word from the barbarians in the north."

"My lord, " the man greeted, bowing to Kaze in the same manner as the Captain. For a short instant, Kaze thought he saw a deep, seething hatred in the man's eyes. The moment passed quickly though, and before he knew it, Kaze found himself looking into the calm, unassuming eyes of a common foot soldier once again. Datesha glanced briefly in the direction of the man as he spoke before looking back at Kaze, something that the crafty ruler did not miss.

"Ah, very good," Kaze said in an easy tone, "you and Atsui may leave us, Captain."

Datesha and Atsui briefly shared incredulous looks, while the foot soldier tried hard to contain his own surprise, and Datesha spoke for them all, "But, Lord---"

"Yes yes yes," Kaze interrupted with a wave of dismissal, "I'll be sure to speak with you and the others later, after I have spoken with this one.... alone."

"Very well, Lord Ijin." Datesha gave a quick bow before taking his leave. Atsui rose and followed, but not without giving a deep bow of her own and glancing back several times.

When the door to the Lord Ijin's private box had closed and he and the foot soldier were finally alone, he turned back to the man... to find a sword tip pressed against his throat, and he was not surprised.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Kaze asked with a bored sigh, and he had to lean his head back as the man brought his sword up higher in response.

"What do I want?" he repeated with a slight tremor in his voice, "I want you to die Kaze. I want you to die for what you've done to me, my family, and countless others!

"As to who I am, heh, I'm nobody important. Not anymore..." and his voice trailed off as he began his thrust...

... Only to cry in pain as a dagger, it's handle bone white and the pommel crafted into the likeness of a skull, came whistling past Kaze's ornate chair to plunge deep into the imposter's sword arm. His arm feel limp at his side, almost upon impact, as the weapon worked it's deathly, cold numbing magic on the limb. So cold was it that the man couldn't even grasp the hilt of the thing, and he eventually had to reliquish his grip on his own weapon, his sword falling from his hand to clang loudly to the ground, the sound echoing unnervingly, as if Death himself were calling out to him.

The man looked up and backed slowly away toward the rail, as a figure, whom he couldn't believe he had not noticed before, walked calmly to stand beside his lord, and the imposter's eye's widened indeed as came to recognize the identity of the specter before him.

The cloak draped about his shoulders, and his hair, were as black as a starless, moonless night. A rainbow of colors were reflected whenever the light would hit them in the right way, and his face was hidden behind a mask of the same qualities.

"Did you really think it would be so easy to slay me?" Kaze asked his assassin. "Did you really think I would leave myself so unprotected?" The man did not answer, he just continued to stare wide eyed at his sister's killer. Kaze merely smiled when he realized no answer was forthcoming. He gave a slight nod of his head and the man beside him exploded into action. In the blink of an eye, he moved in front of the imposter, swiped his right hand diagonally across and down, slicing five neat lines through armor and flesh alike, ripped his cruel dagger from the man's arm with his left, and then, going with his momentom, brought his left leg in close to his body as he pivited on his right, kicking out powerfully as he came around into the imposter's mid section and sending him fly out over the rail to land hard onto the ground below.

As he lay there, eye's still wide in shock, he saw only his dear, dead sister, and his eyes began to well with tears as his lifeblood poured swiftly and surely from his wounds. The soldiers who had previously been parading the prisoners of war, took up arms and rushed toward him. He heard only the melodic sound of his sister's voice, and a few tears began to run down the side of his face, mixing with the deepening pool of red around him. Cries for blood came from the spectators, but he heard none of it. He closed his eyes, but he could still see his dear sister, could still hear her sweet voice, and he thought only one thing in his last moments of life---

The soldiers reached him then---

---Forgive me, Shisuta.

---and mercillisly hacked him appart, until the only thing remaining was an unrecognizable body, to the delight of all in attendence, and a little, golden heart on a small, gold chain, covered in blood and gore, lying beside what use to be a hand that read:

Love,
Shisuta

* * * * *

Unheard bye those in attendence at the Oujou Arena, the deep, sorrow filled cry of a bell sounds from a small, abandoned church just outside of the city.


*~*~*~*~*

"Anyone who limits her vision to memories of yesterday is already dead."

-Lily Langtry, British actress (1853 - 1929)