Tale of Storys.

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

TATSU

After I gave Inferno the amount of life that was necessary to raise Ichirin from the dead, I could feel myself growing even weaker. More blood gushed onto the ground. It felt as if something was pushing it's way out of me. This sharp pain was an unusual sensation indeed. Soon my vision started to blur, everything was out of focus and Ichirin's body became a distant figure. I tried to shake off what was happening, but soon a buzzing sound echoed in my head and I feel down, I kept on falling into a void that had appeared below me. It left like I was falling for hours, no days, the longer I feel the colder yet hotter the air around me came to be. Soon the darkness was letting up, and a bright light was coming close from beneath me. I was falling to it. This light was fire, it was everywhere. The ground was sorched and burnt. Flames lingered lazily about. I stopped falling and landed in a field. The sudden impact to the ground below me surprisingly didn't hurt at all. All of my bones should have been broken, but I hadn't even gotten a scratch. I also had noticed that my wounds were gone, all my injuries had vanished.

Where was I? The ground was dead and black. The grass was grey, and when I touched it, they disintergrated in a puff of ashes. This was trully bizarre. Was there some kind of torture chamber under the prison? Had I fallen through a hole in the floor? I looked down at my hand to ask Inferno what was going on, but he was no longer on my finger. As I examined my left hand, it occured to me that I had my right one! I was temporarily stunned when I saw this. It is impossible, how could I possible have my right hand? I had my entire right arm! With my hand, I reached up to my face, my right eye was there too! I must be dreaming, I lost to much blood, and giving Ichirin some of my life, must have made me faint due to the pain. I laughed at myself for being so foolish. There was no way this was real, so I decided to look around and try to enjoy this dream. As I stood up from the ashen grass, a cloud of smoke was gathering in a clearing before me. Curious to discover what it was, I moved towards it.

"Tatsu" whispered a deep voice unknown to me. "Tatsu" the voice spoke again a few seconds later. I moved casually up to the smoke. The voice was coming from inside. I reached out to touch the smoke. It was far too thick to see through. As my hand neared the cloud, something grabbed my arm and pulled me into the smoke. Inside the smoke was like I had been pulled into a different area all together. This time I was in a huge room, and a giant altar stood before me. The smoke that I had seen just a minute ago appeared before the altar, but this time the smoke morphed into the shape of a human. Black eyes formed at the center, and fingers and feet grew forth from the smoke cloud as well. "Tatsu, do you know where you are?" spoke the shape. "In a very interesting dream." I said. "No, no dream. Fate. This is what has become of you. A wraith." I shifted my eyes. "What do you mean Fate? A wraith? What is this nonsense you are spatting?" The smoke made a smile. "You are dead Tatsu, this is your hell."

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

TATSU

"You are dead Tatsu, this is your hell." The figures words ran through me like a cold blade lodged into my neck. I'm dead? I thought to myself. Impossible, there is no way, it just can't be possible. This must be some sort of joke, an illusion placed on me by the dragon's during my time of weakness.

"There is no way that is true." I say firmly. "There is just no way." The smoke figure smiled again. "Oh yes, it is quite true. You gave what life you had inside of you to that boy. Inferno tried to tell you but you wouldn't listen." I stood in shock. "But I am not aged! I have many years of fighting still left in this body. How could I possibly give my life up? I could have given no more then 16 years. This doesn't make any sense." I try to gather myself and figure out how this could be possible. I can't be dead, there is so much left for me to do. "You don't get it do you? You were fated to die when you reached a certain age. By giving that timespan up, you ended your life right there and then. That was your time of dying." The smoke figure moved forth from behind the altar. "This is your hell Tatsu. Everyone imagines hell differently. Well this is your prison, and I am your devil. You may call me Onijin, for that is the only name you will need yo know in this place." Onijin smiled once more. It was sickening me already, his evil smiles full of self-righteous pleasure. "How can I be in hell, I led a life to protect people from the darkness of the world."

I stand back to try to make sense of things. I should be in Heaven. "You led a life of revenge and hate." said Onijin. "You traveled the world to achieve you own goals. You only protected the weak because it helped you come closer to the dragons. All you cared about was killing and taking the life of those that took everything from you. Well, two wrongs do not make a right, you should have stayed with Shima's memories, and moved on in your life, and found someone new for you to cherish and love. You did, eventually. You found Nozomi, your Shima reborn. But it was too late, the damage had already been done, and by hunting people and dragons for seven years saved you a cozy little spot here in your oblivion. You have no one to blame but yourself Tatsu. Now for all eternity you will be here with me. I will torment you, and show you everything you have done, I will show you all you have killed, and place them all before you on this altar. All you guilt and misery will become visible for all the soul's in hell to see."

The devil's words cut me deep. It is too late now to realize my folly. Everything he has said is true. I was just to blind in my rage to see it. How could I be so careless? How could I make such a crucial mistake that you damn me to this hell? My self-sacrifice should have brought me to heaven. I gave my soul to the demons to save the soul of another. But it was too late it seems....Nozomi.....Ichirin.......Swift......Shima........forgive me now. Please forgive this fool. I wanted to see this through to the end. I wanted to see a new world free of evil, and free of the dragons that were hunting us down like animals. But in the end, I was the first to fall, and the first to let you all down. What am I to do now?

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Kanji_The_Wanderer

KAZUHIDE

I fly towards the Dragon City on Fayuro, with Swift's sakkat slung over my left shoulder.

*Can't believe it's been four days since my last post. It's about time to go back to my other man Kazuhide, who is still very much alive.*

KAZUHIDE

The Dragon Mountains soon vanish behind me as my black dragon Fayuro soars pass them. As I enter Dragon Territory, the headset over my left ear starts to beep again. I press a side button on the device, and it activates. It is my master again, the old elf. "Yes master"? I speak into the device. "Kazuhide, have you reached the Empire yet?" I'm silent for a moment, a bit embarassed at my ability to hurry. "No master, I am still in the air, I shall be at the Dragon's base soon. They don't know that I have left." I shift my body and balance Swift's sakkat on my knee. "I see, do not tell Swiftant of the Elven Stronghold underground. Just make him follow you, I will leave it up to your cunning to convince him, but do not speak of the lair until you are far from Shakura's reach". So my master was leaving everything up to me. If I acted poorly, then the Elf's plans of a revolt could sour. It is a heavy burden to bare, but I shall do it for my people and my city. "Yes master, I shall have Swiftant come with me, he will not be told about you. But I will have to tell him I am a mole inside the Dragon government."

"Do as you wish Kazuhide." the transmission ends, and I land Fayuro on the balcony to my bedroom high in a tower in the Dragon castle. I was an Elite in Shakura's army, so it was only natural that my place of living would be so high up in the castle next to the Queen herself. I must find a guard and ask him where Swift is. I will act casual, and pretend that I know nothing of this betrayal. I am simply just returning something of his.

I travel down a staircase and make my way to the prisons. A guard told me that he saw Swift before lurking about. Another told me that he was traveling to the caves below the prison. So I return to my room, hop upon Fayuro and fly down to the Caves.


***I was thinking that maybe the thing that SS was talking about in her last post, how Swift saw something coming towards them, maybe it can be Kazuhide on his black dragon ???***

[SweetSuicide]

**OOO ok that works!! I like that idea like alot!! sine Nard isn't posting... =[**

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

***You like my idea? I am happy! I thought I was the only one doing this thread now. I was just going to do it myself if no one else did. Since Nard-kun isn't posting why don't you do it for him? ***

[SweetSuicide]

**Haha ur funny! I can't write like he can. I look like a beginner compared to him and there's no way I could write it like he could. I'll try but I know it won't turn out good at all.**

[Ichirin]

Guys, i probably won't be online for 2 weeks or longer, because i have SAT's coming up.

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

***Don't worry about it Ichirin. I can take stretch the story plots with just my characters alone. I can do well enough to keep the readers, (if there are any ) interested long enough until someone else posts.

But I won't be writing anything tonight. Maybe tomorrow night. I am going to get going now.***

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

TATSU

I fall to my knees inside this prison for my soul. The ground is ice cold, and the room is full of darkness. People imagine Hell in all different ways. The Demons words ran through my head. He was right, I never imagined Hell as a place of Fire and Ash. I imagined it as a torture chamber for your soul, located deep inside the deepest darkness, where everything is dead and frozen forever. That is a true Hell, and it has become mine. Onijin leans down and smiles at me. "We have a very long time together Tatsu, so it is best that you learn to like me." I moved up to one knee, and looked the Demon in the eyes. His eyes were pure white, and had little black slits for pupils. He reminded me of a snake.

"Onijin, you are a fool. You don't understand anything. No matter what you do to me, or show me, I will escape this place!" Onijin started to laugh uproariously. "I am the fool?!! You are my dear Tatsu. You are dead! There is no leaving! Your soul has been bound to this room and to me. You will be in here forever. I am the guardian, and I am the master. You obey me now, and I own you." Onijin raised me off the floor by the front of my cloak. "Now Tatsu, lay upon my black altar, so I can show you everything. I'll make you re-live all the tragedies you have been faced with." I tried to remove the Demon's claws from my throat. But no matter how hard I pulled with my arms, his grip wouldn't even loosen for a moment. I realized I have no strength in this place. He holds all the power, and no matter what I do, I cannot break his hold over my soul.

He throws me hard onto the altar. A sharp pain travels up my spine. As I tried to move, the altar started to crack, and pieces of stone and metal move out and grab my arms and legs. Pinning me down.

Think Tatsu! I shout in my head. I somehow have to make him give me strength. He said he is the guardian, so if us some sort of method on him, maybe I can give him doubts about himself, and give me enough power to break his hold on me.

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

TATSU

As I lay strapped down with stone upon the black altar it felt as if an eternity passed me by. Every tragic incident that had occured in my life had been shown before me once again. I shut my eyes tight, but even with them closed, it was as if they were open. I continued to see everything. Onijin was towered over me, and was looking down leering. A gray cloud was hovering over my head, and was a window to all the sorrowful events I had witnessed when I was still alive. I could do nothing but view it, for my head was also fixed and place by stone. But I stayed silent. Sadness was growing in me, but I didn't show my despair.

"Ooooh! Tatsu! Isn't this so much fun! I just love the way Shima screams out when Akuma burns her with his fire! Bravo!" Onijin claps childishly. "I want to watch it again! Don't you Tatsu?!" I say nothing and Onijin continues to clap like a bumbling idiot. Time continues to move by, I cannot count how many times I have seen Shima die. Her death is what lead me to this fate. I lost her, and I dedicated my life to revenge and hate. No, I must stop thinking of such things, this is what he wants. For me to suffer, and show it to him. "Tatsu, why do you stay quiet for so long? I said before we have a long time to be together, so you mind as well like me now." I say nothing. "Oh I see, you don't like the film. Well do you rather I show you the part when your sister gives her life for you? Or the part when your parents die? That could be fun to watch." I shift my view and look the demon right in the eyes. "Onijin, no matter what you do, or what you tell me, I will never give you what you desire." Onijin starts to laugh. "Oh but you just did Tatsu, and I thank you.... Now why don't I put you somewhere more comfortable?"

With his large hands, Onijin pulls off my restraints and lifts me into the air once more. This time, he ties me to the wall. I gave him what he wanted? What could it possibly be? Him telling me this, will be how he loses this game of his.