In a village deep in a large forest two boys were playing games near a stream outside the village. They both had a distinct characteristic that none of the other kids had. A streak of white hair. From the condition of their tattered clothes it was obvious that life was giving them anything but a just treatment. Yet they still smiled as if they didn't have a worry in the world.
"Hey Tsushiro. Do you think that we will
harvest enough to get us through the
year?" said the younger brother.
"I don't know but it doesn't look
promising," he replied," but don't worry
I'm sure we'll get by Yushiro."
Hey let's get back. Mom must be furious
by now!" Yushiro yelled after a sudden
reaction," Today is the day that we supposed to go visit father's grave,"
"oh crap, it's today. We can still make it, let's run!" Tsushiro yelled as he abruptly woke up.
They quickly started running back to the village through the thick forest. But as they got closer they started to notice the smell of smoke, so they picked up their pace.
When they arrived they were met by a horrific sight. Most of the houses and farms in the village were on fire. They didn't waste a second and rushed to their house only to find their
beloved mother lying face down in front of the steps of their burning house, her legs caught under burning debris.
She had a gaping hole on her chest as well as several bloody wounds across her body. It didn't take a genius to tell that she was dead, and that she had been for quite some time; otherwise there would have been signs of her trying to escape from the burning debris.
Yushiro ran to her and held her
lifeless body as he sobbed uncontrollably.
Tsushiro stood next to them in shock.
"Who could have done this?" he thought.
He didn't have much time to think about it though, because suddenly he got a spine-chilling feeling. Then without thinking, he pushed away Yushiro and just in time too, because if he had not moved him away in that instant he would have gotten hit by a strange glowing sword thrown at him from inside the burning house.
"Nice reflexes kid, but just know that I won't miss next time," declared a voice inside the flame.
Tsushiro gritted his teeth and yelled, " Just who are you!"
Before he could get a reply, a strange man came out of the scorching flame.
He had a tail and red eyes, but aside
from that he looked almost human. He
wore gray robe and seemed young. Young enough to be around the same age as the two boys who were teenagers.
"My name is Jarad," he declared loudly,"
and you and your village are like a branch in the road, in my way!"
"So you did this!" Tsushiro yelled out in anger.
Tsushiro then stood in front of his brother as his expression changed to a mix of anger and nervousness. Then suddenly jets of blood came out of Jarad's body and began glowing as they converged at four different points and took the shape of four swords, two
on each side of his body.
Be honoured to witness my technique you worms," he said as he took a fighting stance,"Blood manipulation: quadruple sword thrust."
Following a motion resembling a punch by Jarad, the four swords shot at a high speed towards the two boys. Out of fear, Yushiro crouched down and covered his head with his hands as Tsushiro tried to shield him from the attack with his body.
Before the attack hit, they heard a clashing sound akin to two metal objects hitting each other. The two slowly looked up to see an old man with a long beard and a head of grey hair standing in front of them.
He was wearing a blue robe and had a sword with him. He was carrying a bag with him, which indicated that he was only a passer-by. His demeanour was that of a man who had stared at the face of death
many times.
His appearance left both the
boys and Jarad in shock as he furiously
demanded that the man state his name.
"Oh me, I'm Kosuke Inda. Former captain of division 3 of the Ashura Samurai corps," he said nonchalantly.
After hearing his name Jarad got a sudden rush of excitement and yelled," So you're one of them, and a former captain no less! This is turning out to be quite the interesting development!"
"But you're nothing that I can't handle."
The old man, now pissed, said," You sure
talk big, so let's see if you can back it
up."
He then drew his sword, which had a small, circular, black guard, a black and red hilt and a normal looking blade.
He took a deep breath and entered into a fighting stance which was completely different from the one Jarad used just a few moments ago, signifying the difference between their fighting styles.
Jarad followed suit and entered into his own fighting stance.
They stood still for a moment as they looked into each other's eyes. None of them was willing to make the first move.
Tsushiro didn't know it at the time,
but this battle's outcome would decide
the fate of the lives of both him and his
brother.