Writing The Blind Demon [M-LV]

[Annie]

[center][font=tahoma][size=5]The Blind Demon[/size][/font] [b][u]Chapter 1: He is born..[/u][/b][/center] ?Sho,? a soft voice called out, barely audible, ?Sho, snap out of it. We have to move, now.? He stood quiet, staring into the velvety sky. The rain had slowly dwindled to a drizzle, beating softly on his face. His chakra swirled and pulsed with dull light. He had blood on his hands and body, which he could smell. He then smiled, tilting his head at her. ?Fine, let?s get going, Shinsei,? leaning down, Shogo scooped up his scythe and bolted after her. She, small and young, led the way into the darkness of the wild forest. Her dependent eyes scanned the terrain with caution. She picked out every branch and limb, every hole and rut, every animal and, if applicable, enemy. Their mission was to assassinate a shogun of the warring country; a mission they weren?t expected to return from. But that?s what every mission assigned to them stated, and every time, they returned in glory. ?By the way, what were you day dreaming about back there? I called to you many times,? Shinsei asked, quite irritated with being ignored. ?Why I was standing there. How I got here. Stuff like that.? ?Somehow, I don?t feel comfortable with your answer, Sensei,? she smirked and leapt over a fallen tree and whistled to him. Shogo landed next to his companion with a swift pad on the ground. The two stay low as Shinsei clasped her hand over his mouth. Her sense of hearing was impeccable, if it were so, she could hear a leaf drop on water. Not to say that Shogo?s sense of hearing was any less, he had to rely on the sense to survive. It just so happened that Shinsei was more focused, she always was. It was a bad and good habit for her. ?Rustling, heavy. I hear,? she paused, ?two heavy set men, and one female.? ?Very good, Shinsei,? Shogo muttered under her palm, ?They are no elite force, they are making too much noise.? ?What if it?s deliberate?? Shinsei slowly lifted her hand, but brought a finger to her mouth--indicating if he made a sound, she?d knock him into the next season. Shogo smirked, she knew him so well, it was scary at times. ?It could be deliberate, they might want us to think they?re amateurs. Why don?t you go take a peek?? Shogo sat back against the moss-ridden log. Shinsei, without a word of approval, jumped straight up into the trees, but not without spouting something along the lines of ?Move, make a sound, ambush without me, and I?ll kill you myself.? It meant no harm, and did not phase Shogo; he had heard it many times before. But he knew it was best not to fool around when she was on the prowl. When she wanted the kill, or thrill, nothing could stop her; he learned that when she was just barely a Genin. ?Ah, the memories..? he yawned and pulled his cloak hood over his head. [I][b]25 years earlier, the night Zankokusa Shogo was born..[/b] ?Master Zankokusa, your first born,? the house maid placed the flailing infant in its father?s hands, ?It?s a boy.? ?We shall name him ?Shogo?. His name will be our family title, and the name will be known to all the ninja,? Master Zankokusa Hitashi held his son to the woman laying breathlessly on the bed. Taka, the woman of the house, the mother of this child. She took him in her shaking arms and cradled him close, even though the blanket he was wrapped in was bloodied and soaked in other fluids from birth. Luckily for Shogo?s health, the night was unusually warm. ?Taka,? Hitashi sat next to his wife, who was beginning to pale, ?we will have to wait.? Shakily, either from fear or exhaustion, Taka nodded and kissed her son on the forehead. Her color had not improved, but no matter how he argued, Hitashi could not pry his son from her arms. Concerned with his wife?s condition, Hitashi sent for the village?s family doctor. It was terrible news for the Zankokusa household, Taka had developed a slight fever before childbirth and had not said anything. The birthing process put too much strain on her fragile body, and her immune system could not keep up. Hitashi fought for the doctor to give her the best treatment, which would result in the doctor staying for weeks. ?Is the baby?s condition well?? the old man with ash-colored skin and pale brown hair asked, walking towards the cradle. ?He?s strong, Doctor,? Hitashi jumped slightly, rushing to the child?s crib. The doctor, surprised at the usual subtle Hitashi?s abrupt movement. But he minded his main business, and tended to the ill mother. One night, as Hitashi slept at his wife?s bedside, the doctor looked in on Shogo. He found him to be in perfect physical condition. When he went to check the child?s pupil response, he stumbled upon the horrifying secret Hitashi made obvious to try and cover. The child carried the Hidden Eye?s forbidden advanced bloodline; the Sharingan. The next morning, Hitashi woke up to find the physician had left. Even his equipment was gone. There was nothing to explain why the doctor left abruptly except a simple symbol above the child?s crib. It was a red symbol stamped on a thin, single small square of rice paper. ?Abomination.? That was the symbol, suggesting to Hitashi that the doctor found out about the child?s gift.[/I] ?Shogo,? Shinsei dropped out of the tree limbs above him, ?Gah, don?t tell me you fell asleep.? ?Huh? Oh, did you try to call out before?? Shogo sat up, pushing the hood back to reveal a scarred face that smiled innocently at her. ?No, lucky you. We were both wrong. The group wasn?t any elite anything,? Shinsei sat opposite of Shogo, no more than three feet. ?Oh? So, they were just a group of villagers?? Shogo leant forward and reached around in his cloak. He pulled out a small, leather pouch and opened the flap. Inside contained his new vice, beef jerky. He had come across this upon meeting with a Westerner, an American. Shogo gnawed on the tough, flavored meat and held out the pouch to Shinsei. She examined the pouch and plucked out a piece of meat. ?Yes, they were villagers,? she stuffed the jerky to one side of her mouth and tried to manage something audible, ?They were really intimate villagers. If you get my drift.? ?Ew, you watched them have a gang bang? You dirty, perverted girl,? Shogo laughed. ?I did no such thing!? Shinsei nearly choked, slapping at the cowering man before her, ?You?re the perverted one, thinking of such nonsense!? ?Hush, hush. Do you want to give away our position?? Shinsei decided it was best to ignore his taunting. It would only egg him on if she retorted in her defense. He was always good at pushing her buttons, and soothing her anger. The truth was, she was just too tired to fight with him, and he was too tired to continue. They had been traveling non-stop for weeks. During these weeks they encountered heavy ambush, angry animals of the forest, hunger, and nearly losing their lives. This, in all of their past missions, had been the most troublesome. It seemed as soon as they took one step forward with completing their mission, they were reeled two steps back. ?Sho, do you think this mission is bogus? I mean, we?ve been on this mission for weeks. This isn?t like us to take this long. I feel like we?re on some wild goose chase, and it?s driving me insane,? Shinsei desperately tried to keep her voice to a whisper. It wasn?t wise for her to raise her voice above a whisper unless needed in battle. ?Calm down, Shin-chan. You are right about the chase. But I think we?re actually making progress,? Shogo picked at his teeth furiously, frustrated that he couldn?t get that little piece of meat from his canine tooth. ?Why don?t you use one of my needles?? Shinsei chuckled playfully; her needles were filled with poison. ?I don?t like needles. Never have, never will,? Shogo blew a raspberry, ?Why don?t you get some sleep, you?re getting cranky. I don?t like you when you?re cranky.? ?Whatever you say, Sensei,? Shinsei stretched and folded her hands behind her head, ?Don?t do anything too rash, Sho.? ?Just go to sleep before I put you to sleep,? Shogo groaned and pulled off his cloak, draping it over his partner. Minutes pass and Shinsei gave the first sign that she was asleep; her body slumped to her left. Shogo smiled and tucked his cloak tighter around her. She mumbled, like she normally does in her sleep, and hugged the heavy fabric. Tracing her face with his hands, Shogo smiled at her child-like quality under her cloth flap of a mask. She tried her best, and was quite convincing, to be an adult. It was her time, she had just turned sixteen. It was the little things she did, like mumbling in her sleep or curling up in his arms, that showed her true identity. ?Identity,? he thought sitting back, ?It was this forest, wasn?t it..?? [I]He tripped and fell, stumbling to the vegetative floor. He called out in pain as he blocked himself from falling on top of the infant in his arms. Climbing to his feet, the Zankokusa gardener bolted from the sounds of jutsu?s being practiced. He had to get the child far from the village, and luckily for the child, this gardener knew the forests like the back of his hand. It would take a few days to get far enough out of reach, but he could do it. He planned to meet up with his wife at the half-way point. She would take the baby and escape deeper into the woods. Blood seeped through his wrapped hands from his fall, and his feet started to ache from the amount of chakra he was using for speed and to jump from tree to tree. At this rate, he?d make it to the half-way point, but he wouldn?t be able to follow with his wife. He would have to stay and try to gather as much chakra as he could to either continue a day behind her or fend off whatever the Hokage would send after him. With one hand, he grasped onto a small limb and hurdled himself over, landing on top of it. ?Just a little farther, I promise, Shogo-san,? he whispered, giving the child a weak smile. And with that he leapt into the tree tops once more. They would give him at least an hour head start. They were that arrogant. But, they had the right; Anbu go through the toughest of exams. It is said that they have to endure training that is even more intense than a Jounin?s. All they knew was to hunt, kill at order, and show no mercy for those in treason. He dropped from the trees to land on a bed of heavy slabs of stone. A woman, slender and dressed all in white, stood waiting. She looked worn, but not from travel, more of just age taking its toll. She walked lightly and scooped the child into her maternal arms. ?Take him, Shiizu, take him far away,? the gardener fell to his knees. He wasn?t as young as he used to be, and neither was his chakra. ?I will see you then, Miki,? she smiled through her tears and left him to his destiny. It was inevitable what would become of her husband. And if she were to ever get caught, his fate would be hers as well. Not that she wouldn?t mind, but he made it his last wish to take care of the child. She would not dishonor his humanity. Shogo was now four, and had no memory of past events. All he knew is where he lived now, and this woman he knew wasn?t his mother; she had told him so. However, he loved her just the same, and respected her just the same. She didn?t have to do what she did for him, she risked her life for him, and she lost her beloved husband for him. Even at a very tender age, Shogo understood her pain and risk, and he did all he could to make her life easier. All he had was her, and all she had was him. He wanted to become strong to protect her. Once, their house got attacked by bears, and all he could do was cower as Shiizu warded the bears off with shuriken. ?Shiizu-sama, could you teach me?? he asked one time. ?How to throw shuriken? But, Sho, you are nearly four,? Shiizu chuckled and placed his plate in front of him. ?I want to protect you from mean animals,? Sho smiled up at her with his entrancing eyes. ?Do you understand that you throw them with a killing intent? Shuriken are not toys,? Shiizu knelt beside him and pulled the razor-sharp star from a pouch on her thigh. ?I understand. I don?t want anything to hurt you. If they hurt you, they should be hurt, right?? ?That is right.? For hours, Shiizu instructed Shogo the proper way to throw shuriken. Within days, the little child was able to throw as fast as Shiizu. He got his first kill while fetching water from the well; it was a wild boar. He had been bending over the well to pull up the bucket when he saw the bushes in front of him wrestling around. The sound of grunting and obscene growling erupted and the bushes burst open, revealing the hideous beast they hid. The boar squealed and charged straight for Shogo. With a blink of the eye, Shogo thrust a shuriken and rolled out of the beast?s rampaging path. He got up quickly, knowing if he didn?t hit it, the boar would come right back. He expected the boar to be hurt, but was surprised to find out what he had truly done. It lay on its side, lifeless and silent. With a great deal of caution, Shogo crept up to the animal that was as big as he was, and kicked at it with his foot. The over-sized pig did not move. Sho leaned over to investigate to find his shuriken lodged deep into the boar?s forehead; right between the eyes. ?That was a perfect hit, child,? a dark, smooth voice came from behind. But before he could whip out another star, his wrist was caught in a death grip and a hand clasped over his mouth. The speed was incredible, and it fascinated Shogo. He looked up to see a figure draped in black robes with a ceramic, cat-like mask. The figure knelt down and released Shogo?s hand. ?You?re going to come with me, child. But you must be quiet. If you do not be quiet, I will have to be mean to you,? he spoke soundly, tilting his head, ?I do not want to be mean to you, Zankokusa Shogo. You will be a great ninja some day. I can see that you have amazing potential.? The figure pointed at the hump of stinking beast. ?Now, I?m going to take my hand from your mouth. But promise me that you will not scream,? the figure pointed his finger to his masked mouth and lifted his hand from Shogo?s face. ?Where are we going? Are you a ninja? Will you teach me so I can protect Shiizu-sama?? ?Yes, I am a ninja. A very special type of ninja-? ?Can I be one too?? Shogo?s eyes twinkled with delight and hope. ?Perhaps,? the figure chuckled lightly and stood up, ?Now, take my hand, we will leave now.? ?What about Shiizu-sama? I want to say good-bye to her.? ?She already knows about your departure with me.? With some hesitation, Shogo took the man?s hand and walked away from all that he knew. ?What is your name, Sir?? ?You can just call me ?Anbu?.?[/I] ?Sho-Shogo!? Shinsei flew out of her slumber. ?Gah!? Shogo scampered backwards, clutching at his chest, ?I hate when you do that!?[/font]

[font=tahoma]All righties. This is a story I started writing up, and plan to start continuing. It was inspired by the manga I've been reading, Naruto. So you may recognize the continuous flow of referencing and style. I will wait for my hand to heal up a bit more before I continue. But I wanted to get it out, and see what reactions I'd get. [/font]