He rolled off her and stood straight, with one hand on his sword. He waited for her to make her move. When she came at him again from behind, he rammed his elbow into her gut. Then he grabbed her wrist with one hand, grasped her under her armpit with the other, threw her over his shoulder, and twisted her arm around into a lock. Once more, she patted the ground, and he rolled off her again, rose to his feet, and waited.
He suddenly felt her come at him again from behind. This time she managed to put him a blood choke. He got low on his knees and gripped her arm, knowing he didn’t have long before he was out. He got down on one knee, threw his hips forward, and flipped her over his shoulder hard onto the ground. Then he stood straight, waiting for her to make a move again.
This time she came at him from the front, and he grabbed her hand. She twisted his arm around as she stepped behind him. Locking out her wrist, he brought her back, flipped her onto her side, and punched down a centimeter from her face. He stood straight and waited for her next attack.
This time it came from his front, and as she grabbed his collar, he grabbed hers, and she threw him into the air, twisting around. He grabbed her neck with his legs and brought her down hard. As he held onto her arm, she landed on her back, and he held her wrist in an arm bar. He twisted wrist, and put her in a double lock. She patted the ground again, and he rolled back onto his feet.
“Remove the blindfold, Alac-Ryuu,” said his mother.
He slipped it off and looked at her in front of him, then at the cutting mats around the two of them. They were all now six inches shorter than they had been before. Some of them had been cut at various angles, with shattered arrows around them. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked back at her. Then they walked back to the fire.
They knelt across from each other again.
“Recite the seven virtues and their meaning,” his mother commanded.
Ryuu breathed deeply.
“One, Gi: the right decision, taken with equanimity; the right attitude; the truth. When we must die, we must die. Rectitude.
“Two, Yu: bravery tinged with heroism.
“Three, Jin: universal love; benevolence toward humanity; compassion.
“Four, Rei: right action—a most essential quality; courtesy.
“Five, Makoto: utter sincerity; truthfulness.
“Six, Melyo: honor and glory.
“Seven, Chugo: devotion; loyalty.”
His mother held her stern gaze on him for a long moment, and then she smiled from ear to ear. “Well done, Alac-Ryuu, very well done. When we started, you were my student to my family’s style. Now you’ve earned the right to call yourself Samurai.” She bowed to him.
Ryuu smiled back at her. “Thank you, my mother.” He bowed to her.
*
A half hour later, Ryuu was sitting at the coffee table dressed in black. In front of him were weapons and tools he would need for the test with his father that night. He looked at the clock every few seconds, taking deep breaths. His mother soon came out of the kitchen, another cup of tea in her hand. He was far too nervous to eat dinner, and he was glad to see that she understood that.
She placed the tea in front of him, and he picked it up and drank deeply.
“Relax, honey,” she said. “If you perform like you did earlier, you’ll be fine.”
He put the cup back down and looked at her. “You wouldn’t be singing the same tune if you were in my place, Mom.” He looked at the clock again. “It’s time.”
One by one, he picked up the weapons and tools from the table and slipped them into their proper place. He picked up the remaining pieces of his uniform, pulled the balaclava over his head, and tucked it under his jacket. The last piece, a long strip of cloth, he tied over the spot where his mouth would have shown, and when he was finished, the only part of his body that showed was his eyes.
His weapons were a Kumai knife carrier, which was strapped to his upper right leg, and a shuriken, a star-shaped weapon with projecting blades, which was contained in a carrier that was strapped to his other leg. He slipped the three-pronged, bladed-edged Sais to their sheaths, which were connected to the Kumai knives and, shuriken carrier, and buckled them in. He then slipped the chucks into the antigravity belt around his waist, which the carriers were strapped to.
The last weapons he picked up were his sword, quiver, and bow. He quickly tied the three to his back. Feeling like his limbs had turned to lead, he faced his mother and smiled behind his mask as best he could. Then he left through the back door as silent as the dead, and after sprinting across the lawn, he leapt into the trees.
A ways in, Ryuu stashed some of his weapons away in a tree hollow. Then he leapt away, memorizing the area so he could find them again.
For the next few minutes, Ryuu leapt from tree to tree. He was so quiet, the animals gave no warning of his presence, even when Ryuu landed next to an owl. Ryuu looked at creature as it turned his head. Then it gave a small hoot and flew off.
Ryuu traced the owl’s path as it moved across the clear night sky. The moon was full, and the stars were bright. He thought, it has begun.
Chapter 4
Ninja
Ryuu crept through the forest in the late hours of the night, keeping his knees bent and cross walking with his hands out for balance. As he walked, he kept looking left and right. He saw only trees, but he knew more was out there. After taking a few more steps, he froze and dropped lower. In the moonlight, he ran a finger along a wire that was almost invisible in the gloom.
Making up his mind, he took a few steps back, and from his carrier he drew a four-pointed star shuriken. He stepped behind a tree. After a moment, he whipped around and threw the star, which cut the wire. A log swung down lengthwise and past him, and he exhaled deeply, relieved that he had not been standing in front of it.
He leapt up and wall-jumped up to a tree branch. Then he ducked down, keeping a sharp watch on his surroundings. Quick as a flash, he drew his sword when a black-clad figure approached. Then he spun around, and blocked his opponent’s sword, which was aimed at his head. As he pushed the sword away, he fell off the tree, flipped around, and landed on his feet. When he looked up, this opponent was gone.
He stated moving away, as quiet as the dead, hunting what he couldn’t see or hear. Suddenly, he stopped. His eyes darted to his right. He leapt up on a tree branch and reached into his carrier. He whipped around and flung a four-pointed metal star. It sailed about twenty feet away, where one of the blades became embedded in a tree right in front of another black-clad figure. This figure, who had a staff across his back, stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the star as he was coming around the tree.
Quietly running along the branch until he reached the end, Ryuu leapt from it, throwing a flying sidekick. The other figure looked at him and then ducked under the kick, which put a foot-shaped hole in the tree. Before the staffed figure could retaliate, Ryuu spun around in the air and threw a sidekick to his head.
Ryuu flipped backwards back onto his feet. They landed and assumed fighting stances. When they circled each other, the staff bearer pulled out his staff and twirled it above his head and behind him, one hand extended outwards. Ryuu recognized it and took a closer look at the clad figure in front of him.
“I’m a warrior chosen by a creature that’s connected to all four elements of life,” Ryuu said.
The staff bearer got out of his fighting stance. “I’m a warrior bound by a code to protect the weak, abused, and the innocent,” he said. It was Bryan.
Bryan put his staff away, and the two grasped hands. Then he pointed at his friend. “Remind me to kick your butt later, Ryuu,” he said.
Ryuu patted him on the shoulder.
“Fat chance, Bryan, my friend. Now let’s finish this examination,” he said, and the two headed out together.
After traveling for almost ten minutes, they stopped and examined their surroundings.
“You take cover down here. I’ll take the trees, LJ,” Ryuu said.
Even in the dark, Ryuu could see his friend roll his eyes. “Sure thing, Robin. Good luck,” he said. Then he moved off.
Ryuu watched him go. Then he leapt up into the trees and started following Bryan by jumping from branch to branch. He made a brief stop on an oak with a large hole, and, reaching in, he pulled out a quiver full of arrows and an unstrung bow in a strapped leather tube. He placed both items over his shoulder and continued to follow Bryan as the two looked for their target.
They traveled like that for another ten minutes. Then Bryan was attacked by their target. As he started to fight back, Ryuu leapt from his hiding spot and double- kicked the attacker in the chest. Using the momentum of the kick, the figure flipped back, pressed a button on his belt, and then dived directly into the ground.
Ryuu and Bryan stood back-to-back, looking down at the ground, with weapons drawn at the ready.
“We’ve got a mole on our hands,” Bryan said.
“Well, you know what they say, bro. Fight fire with fire.”
They looked at each other and nodded. Then they quickly pressed the buttons on their own belts and sank into the ground, following their target.
A few seconds later, the three figures burst back to the surface with an ear-splitting sound that reverberated through the forest like a train crash. Their target pressed another button on its belt and started running through the air. Seeing this, Ryuu and Bryan mimicked his moves and followed him as fast as they could.
As they were catching up, there was a faint buzzing sound like a bee, and the figure dodged onto a tree branch, barely escaping a pair of Sais. Ryuu couldn’t tell who had launched them until Allison and Aiolos leapt into view onto a branch to the side of their target. As Allison passed by, she retrieved her Sai swords and twirled them in her hands. Then she got into a fighting stance, with one Sai reversed.
Aiolos drew a pair of numchucks, and they quickly turned into a blur of motion like the prop of an antique plane: left, right, up, and down. Next he grasped both ends in his hands, ready for what was to come. Ryuu drew his bow, fitted an arrow to it, and placed their target in his sights.
Their target looked at the two groups—one in front and one to the side of him—and he took a step back.
“I wouldn’t keep moving if I were you,” a fifth person told him. Ryuu recognized the voice. It was Erik.
He turned his eyes up just in time to see a small orb-like object drop between them. Then went off. He doubled over, eyes shut in agonizing pain, as a blinding flash of light and a deafening sound filled his head.
He twisted and turned as his ears rang with the blast of noise. While it felt like his eyes were being stung by white hot needles.
Then he felt a rush of air. Before he could right himself, his side slammed against something hard that sent him spinning. Twice more he collided with hard objects— first in the back and then in the head. Finally he came to a hard stop on the unforgiving ground.
As his body rang with pain, he curled up into a fetal position. Ears and eyes still covered as best he could.
He couldn’t tell how much had passed, but when he finally was able to open his eyes, he saw nothing but blackness. Suddenly he became aware of rough, gloved hands shaking him hard.
“RYUU! RYUU!” someone was screaming. “RYUU ANSWER US!”
“Stop shouting! My ears hurt enough as it is,” he whimpered.
“Oh, thank the gods.” Bryan’s voice was filled with relief.
“Anything else we should know?” came Allison’s voice.
“I can’t see,” Ryuu answered. “And my head feels like a starship landed on it. What was that?”
He heard Aiolos speak next. “That’s not surprising considering that blow to the head you took falling. And to answer that question, it was a flash bang. Our target booked it when you fell.”
“Erik, help me to sit him up,” Allison said, and he was gently shifted into position. “Ryuu, I’m shining a light in your eye. Do you see it?”
Ryuu just stared ahead. The blackness seemed never ending. “Nothing,” he answered.
“Gods above!” Allison cursed. “I wish we took more than basic first aid. But from what I can tell from your pupils, you might have a slight concussion.”
“You guys wait here. I’ll get help.” Brian said.
“NO!”
Ryuu heard everyone turn toward him.
“Ryuu you need—” Allison started.
“I know who did it.” They fell silent. “I smelled him. It was Dulglad.”
“Bastard!” Brian barked. “His father must have told him our grid, and they set this up to ensure we fail!”
“Not you, me!” Ryuu growled. He climbed to his feet. “And I’m not going to quit! They are not going to stop me from graduating!”
“But Ryuu, you can’t see,” Erik said. “How are you going to continue?”
“I can hear, and I can smell!” he hissed. Then he followed a scent to a tree and felt for a branch. “You guys will be my eyes. We all used flash bangs in training; we know this is temporary…” He turned, holding the branch to keep himself steady.
“Ryuu, that was in daylight, and it took half an hour for your sight to return,” Brian said. “And that isn’t counting—”
“I can do this!” Ryuu snapped. “Our target is still in the area! Get me up high enough and I can help you find him! You know we need every advantage we can get!”
For the next few seconds, Ryuu could almost hear the silent argument between them.
Then he heard Allison step forward. She wrapped her arm around his waist and put his arm over her shoulder. “Hang on,” she muttered, and with her help, they climbed higher and higher into the trees.
When they reached a suitable spot, Allison settled him on a branch. She helped him knell down, gripping the branch in his hand.
Focusing on what his mother had taught him, he turned his head left and right to catch every sound around him while his ears slowly began to stop ringing. He took several deep sniffs, and the smells of the forest flooded him.
For the next ten minutes, he remained like that, going through the same movements. His aim was to pull that one particular scent and sound to help his friends.
As the minutes ticked by, the urgency to find their target again grew rap idly, along with his rising panic that he would not be able to stop his friends from being dragged down with him.
Just as the tension reached a boiling point, he froze. After taking two more sniffs, he whipped out a kunai knife. Spinning in a new direction, he hissed, “That way!”
Ryuu heard the others move forward. Carefully drawing back against the trunk of the tree. Ryuu raised his gaze up ward as he focused on the return of his senses.
Moments later he faintly heard, “You learned to work as a team; now it’s time to work alone.” Then he heard the breaking of glass, and he knew the target was gone. When his friends returned, they cheered their success in the first part of this final test of their training.
“Erik, you’re a genius!” Allison said.
“About time you admitted it, Allison.”
“Did you see the look in his eyes when he realized we had herded him?”
“Hey,” Bryan interjected, “me and Ryuu should get the credit for that! I did the herding, and Ryuu sniffed him out!”
“True,” Ryuu said, “but this isn’t over yet. We now have to accomplish that alone. We can’t rely on each other as a team anymore. From here on out, it’s one on one.”
The group’s sense of jubilation was quickly replaced with an air of nervousness.
“You really know how to kill a mood there, Ryuu,” Bryan said.
Ryuu shrugged. “I’m just saying how it is. I don’t mean to sound negative. Now let’s head up the mountain to the Academy and fin- ish what we started tonight. That is— after my sight returns.”
Chapter 5
Journey to the Academy
It took nearly an hour
for his sight to return. When it did, the group spent the next thirty minutes jumping from branch to branch, moving further up the mountain. Ryuu felt like his legs were made of lead. Eventually, he stopped and looked up a ridge that was covered by the forest’s oldest trees at the mountain’s highest points. A waterfall flowed out of the ridge, into a pool in front of them.
Ryuu and his friends dropped down to the ground. All around them, the blades of grass swayed in the night air.
He looked at his friends and nodded. “Okay, let’s do it.”
They darted along the edge of the water until they reached the side of the waterfall. After a quick look around, Ryuu pressed on a medium-sized rock. Suddenly they were standing on the edge of the mountain, higher up still, in the forest region of a location that only Ryuu’s father, the grandmaster, knew. In front of them was the Gold Dragon Academy, which was built in the Japanese castle style with pillars and sloping roofs that didn’t rise above the cover of the trees.
The Academy, founded centuries ago, was now run by Ryuu’s father, who was dedicated to training a new generation of warriors. For centuries, the Black Dragon had failed to find it, and now the Academy also stood as a symbol of hope, especially for members of the Resistance, which many of the students joined after the completion of their training.
Ryuu and his friends stood there for a moment, just looking at it.
Aiolos folded his arms and said, “And to think that after tonight some of us may never see this place again.”
Ryuu nodded and turned to his friends. “What are your plans for after tonight?”
Allison said, “Straight to the Resistance for me.” Then she added, “That’s after I take care of a few things here.”
Erik said, “I follow my sister.”
“Same here,” Bryan agreed.
That left Aiolos. “Me, too. What about you, Ryuu?”
At first, he remained silent. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “My father has been asked to start training his replacement. I may stay and work to take his place here. Or else I… just might strike out on my own.”
The Awakening Page 4