A Planned Future, A Destined Parting

Living in peace and harmony, as cliche as a life of an ordinary person that Zen had become, it has been six years where he has grown up into a Thirteen year old. He had a very scheduled habit of writing before sleep, about random yet useful things he discovers in life.

Zen sat down on the floor as he pulled the table close to him again, lighting up the candle he slid the ink smoothly on the page.

"I noticed that I didn't mention this anywhere, but I was born with special, unique eyes. It is like, I'm able to see a targetted body's aura, the bigger it is, the stronger the source is. But that day, when nii-chan was fighting the other Rakshas... His aura... It was, it was similar to nii-chan's. It was only a little larger, yet I had never seen something like that."

"Ryuzu is applying to be a swordswoman just like her father used to be a swordsman. Swordsmen kill and banish Rakshas from the face of the earth in order to protect humanity, she is really stronger than me. I'm not surprised."

"Neither did I ever asked Nishiki-san to train me like her daughter or accept me as his student."

Zen closes the book and heads to sleep.

The burning passion of the giant rises yet again, as the hopeful warm rays of the Sun greets the village with a new day, a peaceful morning. The citizens of the village wake up, while some sleep might sleep till noon, meanwhile some had already went to work. Zen yawns dizzily when Ryuzu snaps him back to reality.

"Zen... Zen!"

"What is it? Ryuzu...?" He answered in a very drunken voice.

"Today I gotta train in the forest till evening again!" 

"Go then," Zen replied nonchalantly.

"I don't want to get super bored alone, come and accompany me!"

"Huuuh? Why should I--?" If Zen had voiced this line further, he would have met a punch so he rather stayed quiet.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, let me just get ready, ma'am."

"You're gonna have me late, Zen."

"You're the one asking," He replied coldly,

Zen crawled out of his futon and stood up to pick it, he folded his bedsheets and yawns as he carried them to the other room, stubbing his toe in the way.

"ARGH!"

Finally, the two readied up as they headed out of the house and waved Nishiki a bye, walking in the village, Zen and Ryuzu greeted the other citizens on their way too.

"Good morning Mrs. Ueno,"

"Good morning my sweet children,"

"Good morning Takahashi-san!"

"Good morning you both"

All of a sudden, Ryuzu's eyes targetted Zen as she looked at him, "What?" He reacted.

"Can't believe you joined us six years ago, it feels like you were always here." Said Ryuzu,

"Six years is probably enough to call "forever" by now, and we're to young to count forever, aren't we?" Zen corrected,

"Way to ruin the feels. I was to kind as a kid that I took you in."

"You were an intruder to our village, yet I still took you in, be grateful." She felt proud as she spoke this,

Zen replied with a sigh, "Yes, yes, I'm really grateful to you."

Some kids desperately ran around and kicked a rock one by one, passing it to each other an act of play.

"Papa just happened to get curious of you because you were from Althon. Even if you weren't what threat would a child possess to the village?" Ryuzu wondered,

"I don't think kids possess much of a threat anywa-" Zen was interrupted as he felt a deep shock inside his stomach. One of the kid accidentally kicked the rock so hard that it went into Zen's direction, and hit his stomach deeply. Zen noticed yet didn't snap.

"Y-you're definitely wrong... D-don't underestimate any age group."

"Are you okay?"

Finally, the two had met the end of their path as they reached their destination, Zen hopped on a giant rock in a resting sitting position.

"Alright go ahead, you train and I'll count your swings."

"You're gonna slack like that?"

"Hey, watching you train so slowly is much more of a work to me."

"One, two, three, four,"

"Forty eight, forty nine,"

Eventually,

"Ninty nine... and, hundred!"

"My shoulder feel like they've been broken twice!" Ryuzu whined.

"That's not great, look at the time. It took you decades only for one damn slash. You really need to work on your speed and strength."

"Long time? It's only been twenty minute--"

"The sunset is beautiful..." Ryuzu was amazed,

She was really embarassed by her lack of speed as Zen burst out a laugh.

Finally the both catch their path back to home, as soon it was dark enough and due to being worn out, Ryuzu was walking slower.

The luminous moon shined it's way through the dark, milky sky... Yet beauty never stays forever, as clouds of a threatful storm form it's way through the silence too, roaring out loudly. "It's night already?! We gotta hurry home fast, Ryuzu!" Zen said worriedly.

"You're right, let's go faster!" Ryuzu replied to Zen as they both started to run.

The thunder and lightning sparked more and louder again and again, to which Zen looked surprisingly.

"This is getting bad, it's a storm."

"Lack of sunlight, meaning there can be a Rakshas here. They only survive in the dark." Zen's intuition guessed,

"I'm still a student so even if a Rakshas appears, I can't do much. But, I'll do my best to protect you, Zen!" Ryuzu assured him,

"Hah, Thanks! I'd appreciate it even more if you lead us the way home now, you know the directions more than me--"

"I don't know,"

Zen: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Ryuzu: Don't tell me, we're lost...

Zen: We're lost. Damn it!

They both put an end to the rushing after noticing a large, tall cliff right in front of them.

"Let's not panic, we might lure Rakshas here." Ryuzu said calmly.

Ryuzu and Zen looked around to get a good grip of their current situation and find a place safe for the present,

In that moment of silence, Zen's pupils instantly moved to a certain direction in an instant as he too gets distracted by some noises. "Is it a Rakshas...?" Ryuzu noticed as she questioned Zen.

"Not sure, still searching--"

"There! A person on the top of that cliff!"

A darkly silhouette gazes down upon the fragile bodies of Zen and Ryuzu, he pushes one of his steps forward and lowers his stance, supporting his elbow against his knee as he looked towards Zen in detail.

"U-Uh? You need something, sir, ma'am?"

Zen grips his hand in tension, when he noticed a sword on the person's waist.

"I need to keep my guard on--"

The lightning sparked with tremor sounds, as the brightness flickered for a bare moment lit up the silhouette which no longer remained the same, as Zen caught a glimpse of him in that one instant. The face and proportions were very familiar... yet Zen couldn't notice it for a longer time, the trailer to his identity was too short.

"Y-you..." Zen struggled to speak in a faint voice.

"You are...."

"Heya, Zen."

"H-Huh?" His eyes widened, the voice was a familiar tone.

Ryuzu looked towards him in worries, "Zen...?"

The same crimson shining aura no longer carried it's pure glam shine, dissolved much into a darker presence, the aura was suspended with only evil. It was visible to Zen as his eyes trembled in shock.

"T-That's the same face! The same aura!!"

"That's--"

In great fear, his own voice broke down as saltly water poured down from his eyes and slipped to his cheeks.

"That's the same voice..."

The dark figure which stood mightily on the cliff finally moved himself as he prepared for a greater speed. He suddenly disappeared leaving the dust particles behind, suspended on a large scale in the air, they get pushed back instantly. Representing an amazing speed.

The strange man appeared right in front of Zen, as he firmly kept his hand on his shoulder.

Those Dark Crimson Irises, Evil Manipulative Pupils, The Sharp Feeling In His Stare, The Dragon Roar Hilt. It's him... It's him! It's the Dragon's Fang! There! The shining silver hair! The calm seriousness on his face! It's...

Ryuga Takagi.

"N-nii-chan... nii-chan...! Ryuga nii--"

"Y-you're alive... You're alive!!"

Ryuzu turned her head right away as she went off guard due to Zen's weeping, she looked cluelessly.

"What...?"

Ryuga squints his eyes in disappointment as he puts his hands off of Zen's shoulder and grabs his hilt. But the younger brother was too shocked to even notice this movement, yet Ryuzu did.

Ryuga quickly pulls his blade out of the sheathe--

"ZEN!!" Ryuzu shouted loudly as she started to rush towards him with weilding her sword.

Zen breaks out of his illusions of a happy reunion and turns towards Ryuzu, only to notice a blade in front of his own eyes, moving faster towards him each instant--

His eyes widened.

Ryuzu's body moved automatically by her own as she dashed towards him and tackles Zen immediately, pushing both Ryuzu and him on the ground and dodging Ryuga's surprise attack.

"Ahh!!"

"Urgh!!"

A chilling sensation slides down through Ryuzu's bones like a call, she instantly acted to the sudden attack approaching her back. Ryuzu turned around quickly and clashed swords with Ryuga, blocking his attack yet getting pushed back together with Zen.

"Argh!"

"Hm..."

"Blocked? That is a fluke at a perfect match of time." Ryuga Takagi said calmly with sheer seriousness in his voice.

"Given the person you are standing against... I will appreciate your courage."

"W-Who in the hell... are you? W-Why're you after... him?" Ryuzu replied as she panted,

"Only... Only one indefinite hit from him... and it pushed me this far... Haah... Haah... He is... too... strong."

"Ryuzu... stop."

"H-He... is my elder brother. Ryuga Takagi."