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This article, A Silent Hush: The Calm Before The Storm, is the sole property of Phantom and cannot be used, edited, or referenced without his permission, with the exception of collaboration articles, whereas terms listed above are unserviceable. |
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This article, A Silent Hush: The Calm Before The Storm, is property of Zicoihno. |
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Introduction[]
The sound's of the night animals was all that could be heard in the city of Utopia, a place originally known to be the heart of Genosha, now stood silent as a ghost town. All that could be seen throughout the streets were large cracks on the floor, torn down buildings resulting from the earthquake, and small burning lanterns from some people looking around for something to steal.
Near one of the large caves leading to the city, the sounds of voices and music could be heard echoing thorugh it, making some of the animal's near the forests look with curiosity.
Inside the home of Phantom Breaker, the entire guild was assembled, including some of the children from the day care and some of the assistant helper's there as well. In the middle of the entire room full of people stood the guild master, Jayapura Marsh, who held a large cup of booze in one hand and an plate of food in the other.
"Listen well my comrades, today was a test of true selfesness, our very home was at risk as well as the people who lived outside of us. Yes, there were those who we couldn't save, a fact that we all know well to be true, but on this day, we saved many! We lost some, but we will honor their memory and their sacrafice, by making sure that those who survived will live to see the next sunrise!!!" Jayapura yelled as the entire guild erupted with cheers and tears of joy as some of the servers began to pass out food to everyone in the guild.
Near the bar counter, Taichi and Sanjo were both sitting next to each other, food and drink in hand as they saw the celebration taking place right in front of them.
"Another round, fellas?"
Sanjo shook his head at the bartender, "No more for me." He let out a soft sigh, rubbing a hand on his stomach. Perhaps he had eaten a bit too much, or too fast. But, how could he resist? The cooking here was fantastic at the least. "Is this how it always is after earthquakes?"
A soft smile crossed the bartender face. She continued to clean the glasses before her with a wet, white rag. "In a way, yes. Dealing with quakes this effectively is always a cause for celebration. Shakes are almost staple of Genosha, " She laughed, setting a glass down. "But....."
"But what?" Sanjo asked with an arched eyebrow.
"I've never felt a quake last that long, In fact, I don't think we've ever had such a quake of such a long duration, " She tapped a finger to her chin, "The more I think about it, the more it bothers me, you know?"
Sanjo smiled, "I know exactly what you mean." His eyes shifted to his silent companion as the bartender returned to her work, Taichi. The man didn't talk too much. "So, when do you plan on looking into todays events? I'll tag along later if you need help, free of charge."
Taichi shook his head a bit, obviously deep in thought as he looked over to Sanjo putting a smile on his face, "In cases like this, we can't really be too sure about what happened. Yes it was an unatural event, but when you grow up in this place it's the kind of thing you would want to expect. For now, just sit back and enjoy the party" Taichi replied as he heard the sounds of clattering plates, looking over to see his father among the guild, eating the entire table of food in one go.
"That however, is something that never changes" He said with a sigh, embarrassed at the fact that he was related to Jayapura.
"Hello, gentlemen."
The pair turned to see a young woman step before them with her hands on her hips. Her long, brown hair easily went past the lower part of her back. It was no overstatement to call the young lady quite the looker. Though, Sanjo was more interested in other things at the moment even in the midst of this celebration. He arched an eyebrow, "And you are?"
Taichi rose to his feet suddenly as a raised a hand toward their newest companion. "Ah, you two have not been acquainted yet, " He said, " This is Aina Kuudou, she's one of the mages here and part of the daycare staff. Like me, she's been around here since before she could walk. Aina, this is....."
"...Sanjo Vista, " Aina said quickly, stretching our her hand, " I know his name. Konoha had told me a bit about our guest. You two look alike, you know that?"
The wizard saint shook the woman's hand as he rose to his feet. Sanjo smiled, " That is actually the first thing that crossed my mind when I saw this guy. Though, I held my tongue on it till now." The two exchanged small smiles and turned their attention back to Taichi. "Anyone else I should meet?" Sanjo asked.
"Soon enough, but, " Aina said, laying a hand on the blonde mage's shoulder, "First, you deserve a tour of the guild and what not. It's a common courtesy. Mind if I take him off your hands, Taichi?"
Right after asking, the guild roared in cheers as the three looked over to find a few gallons of empty booze barrels next to each other as Jayapura and Konoha hold the glasses, appearing to be dizzy and loopy as they shout at each other, both claiming that either of them won the contest.
"Oh dear, with that contest we have run out yet again" The bartender said sighing with grief, "We need more for the party, but most stores will be out..." She moaned as Taichi stood up.
"I can go get them, reports say that the nearby city is still up and about, I can get some more back here by the hour" Taichi said as the bartender smiled and bowed, thanking him for the offer. "You two go have fun, I'll be back shortly" He said walking through the group towards the doors and passing onto the cave. After exiting the cave, Tai began to walk towards the exit of the city, unaware that in the shadows, four beings were seeing eyeing him as they quickly moved along the forest, watching his every move.
"After some events following Genosha's stabilization, the first master was given the chance to pick anywhere to establish our guild and he picked here."
Aina and Sanjo walked side by side through a dim corridor. All of Phantom Breaker could be found being merry in the guild's lounge, away from the worries of life. The grand tour was upon Sanjo and a history lesson along the way — just the two of them. The young woman continued on about the early days of the guild, all "big guilds" had a thing about opening the floodgates when they got the chance to talk about the start of things.
The wizard saint nodded softly as he watched his tour guide's mouth move, he could only care to much. "So, are you and Taichi a thing or what?" Sanjo cut in, coming to a stop. A small grin crossed his face.
"Excuse me?" Aina blinked, her mouth wide open.
"Ah, so no, " Sanjo said through a frown. "I'm usually on the ball with these sort of things. Then again, I did get it wrong with Laxus too..." He trailed off, shaking his head.
"Laxus, who? You know, what," Aina said, throwing her hands up. She took a deep breath and grinned, "You're getting a kick out of this, aren't you?"
Sanjo shrugged, "Digging for the truth, joking, it's all the same."
Back and forth was never her thing, Aina thought. She let out a soft sigh, time to change the subject. "Enough about Phantom Breaker for now, since I know you zoned out on me more than a few times, " She said with a knowing look, "Let's focus on you, Mr. Vista. What's the name of your guild?"
"Was, that would be the right word," Sanjo answered. It had been a long time since anyone asked him about this. He leaned against the wall under the flickering light of the torches that lined the corridor. "My guild was disbanded, on the old man's... I mean master's orders. Old history."
Aina frowned, not sure if she had hit a sore spot. "Well, okay. Let me rephrase that, " She said quickly. "What was your guild like?"
"We were the strongest."
Sanjo locked eyes with his companion. Such statements would be lost on the girl, she wasn't even from the same continent as him, much less the same country. The world was different here when it came to guilds, in some ways magic was as well — life was different. He smiled, "It was fun then. I was just a kid, really. Wasn't as crazy as here, but it was some of the best years of my life and I've had a good life. I'm 23 and I can say that without hesitation."
"So, you're not looking for any guild to call home now?" Aina asked through a concerned look.
The small smile did not leave the man's face, it just couldn't. "I've been on my own since I was 13, the adventure's been fun so far, " Sanjo said, watching Aina's expression. "I really can't complain. I've done well for myself."
Aina narrowed her eyes, "And it doesn't get lonely?"
"I have seen many things, made many friends, trekked new lands being my own boss. Guilds are wonderful, but I like to write my own adventure. And far as I'm concerned, when you join a guild, life becomes a team effort, " Sanjo replied. Her look spoke all it needed to, she understood but didn't at the same time. There was nothing wrong with it, his way of life wasn't for everyone. "You don't need to worry, I assure you. Being an independent mage isn't something anyone can do."
She nodded in agreement. "I know, and I can tell you're content, " She said with a smile. Even in the dim, flickering light, her newest friend's blue eyes were like a calm blue sky. Yet, they were piercing at the same time. "If you ever need a home, and I'm not just saying this for the sake of the moment, Phantom welcomes anyone with a conscience."
Sanjo smirked, "You're a kind person. Mao would be proud, I'm sure."
"Oh! So you were attempting to care during the tour, I'm ever so pleased," Aina laughed. She nodded to the end of the corridor. "I'll just show you the meeting room and your grand tour of Phantom Complex will be complete."
Before Aina could say another word, she felt squealed in surprise as she felt someone goosing her on her butt, looking down to see a stretched hand, and hearing the sounds of giggling coming from around the corner. In one quick moment, Aina grabbed the hand and pulled it over, sending a young tanned girl onto the floor next to them, looking up at the two as she chuckled sheepily while the other kids with her ran off laughing.
"Heh heh, I'm caught aren't I?" She said with a blush on her face.
"Sanjo, this is Tori Akahada, one of the teens that live here with us in our guild" Aina replied letting Tori's hand go as it went back to place and was back to normal.
"More a child than a teen," Sanjo thought, outstretching his hand. They shook firmly as Tori regained her composure. He arched an eyebrow as the young girl gazed at him with a questioning look. "Something the matter?"
"Well," Tori took a few steps back and locked glances with the wizard saint once more, "There's just that one thing like why are you here? It's good to meet ya, but I can't help but wonder about a foreigner waltzing into a place like this."
Shadows danced over the wall to their backs as light from the blazing torches flickered about. Sanjo grinned at the question. "Well, aren't you straightforward, I like that, " He said. "To answer your question, I'm looking into a few things about my family, small stuff that caught my eye."
"Is your family originally from this side of the world?" Tori asked intently.
"Not at all, just a relative took a trip here and spent more than just a few days in your homeland," Sanjo answered with a nod. He looked back to Aina, "We should be getting back now, shouldn't we?"
She tapped a finger to her lip, mulling over his comment. "We've been out and about for a while not," Aina replied, " I suppose so, we should head back to where the others are."
After an hour of quick sprints through the road, Taichi is seen wheeling a wagon full of goods and supplies for the party, enough for an entire building as he pushed it with ease on the road. "Hopefully this will be enough to satisfy everyone's hunger, if not, I may have to go on another run" he told himself with a chuckle.
After another hour of walking, Taichi could see Utopia not too far from the road as he continued to push the wagon, but stopped and smiled. "You know I already had you all tagged when you first started following me, so you might as well show yourself".
Out of nowhere appeared three squad of men in cloaks, all of them wearing masks as they stared right at Taichi, which caused him to smile a bit. "Interesting fashion choice" He replied letting go of the wagon as he walked closer towards them.
"Hello Taichi, we've been watching you" The leader of one of the squads said as he approched him and bowed.
"I could tell, care to explain why you have five squads here, all of them blocking my way?" He said with a serious tone, keeping an eye on them to make sure they didn't make sudden movements.
"Forgive us for the intrustion, but we only wished to make sure nothing happened to you, you see our leader has had his eye on you for quite sometime, and he wishes to meet you" He replied as Taichi saw the squads bow in respect.
"I see, interesting way of showing it no doubt, but I have to ask: if I refuse to come along?" Taichi said as some of the squads began to tense up, causing Taichi to keep his guard up at the squadrons.
"It would be in your best interest to come peacefully Mr. Taichi, otherwise..." At that moment, most of the squadron began took off their cloaks as some had weapons, while others started to charge up their magic quite a bit. "We will have to persuade you otherwise".
There was a silence in the area, with only the sounds of charging magic in the air, however it was broken when Taichi began to chuckle a bit before turning it into full on laughter. Something that made some of the mages there look at him in confusion.
"I will admit, it is a tempting offer no doubt, but..." Suddenly out of nowhere Taichi shouted a shock-wave that crashed into one of the squadron, taking half of them down without even trying. That caused an uproar to occur as most of the remaining troops began chaging towards Taichi.
One by one, each made their own attempt to try and slay the S-class mage, but like with the others, none had any success at all. Taichi easily defeated trooper after trooper only using his fists. Eventually the numbers dwindled down to a few handful with the remaining leaders.
"Now, here is my propsition..." Before he could speak, two gunshots could be heard as Taichi gasped qucikly, looking over his shoulder to see a cloaked figure with two guns in hand, smiling as he showed his pure white teeth.
"Who... are....." were the last words that Taichi spoke as he fell to his knees and passed out on the ground, not feeling the blood pooling down his back as the man simply placed his guns away and walked towards him.
"Master, you didn't have to come all this way, we were almost..."
"You were failing me, an entire squadron almost reduced to nothing by one Boy" The man said glaring at them, causing them all to kneel in shame as he ignored them and focused on Taichi. "You" He said to the squad leader while taking off Taichi's jacket and handing it to him. "Take the food and this jacket to the Phantom Breaker guild along with this" He said handing him a Lacrima as well.
"What about the rest of us?" Another leader said as the man stood up and placed Taichi over his shoulder.
"Do nothing, you've all done an excellent job" He said with a sadistic smile as he held his gun, shooting off multiple rounds, and killing them all in one blow except for the messanger.
"Go boy, enjoy you spared life after delivering the message" he said as the leader nodded and ran with the wagon back to the city, leaving the man holding Taichi alone as he began to walk into the forest.
Back at Phantom Breaker, the party began to slow down as many were now just talking among one another, mostly about anything that came to mind. Among them was a drunken Konoha and Jayapura, both snoring loudly as it began to shake the walls.
Entering the main lobby, Sanjo, Aina, and Tori looked around, seeing that the party had died down greatly.
Fear is Here[]
The clang of pots and pans, dishes and glasses echoed in the guild hall as the grand clean up began. It's what everyone didn't want to do, but had to do. Everyone had to pull their own weight in this guild, as Sanjo could see, looking around the room. No one was anyone's maid, apparently. People scurried about grabbing rags to wipe down the long, wooden tables that filled the room while others stacked countless plates together and made the dangerous trek towards the kitchen hallway across the room.
Aina smiled, "Almost like clockwork, eh?"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Sanjo laughed. He watched several men and young women go to work on the floor, sweeping and mopping best they could, not leaving a place untouched. The strong scent of disinfectant rushed into his nose as he watched from before. He arched an eyebrow, " These jokers can definitely get to work though. Not bad."
"Speaking of getting to work, " Aina said, turning an eye towards Tori. "Don't give me that look, you should be helping as well."
"I didn't even eat with these guys tonight, " Tori said through a nervous grin. She watched Aina's expression with a small glimmer of hope. But, the older woman's look didn't soften. She frowned, "Aye aye, cap'n." The young girl walked off towards the kitchen with her shoulders slouched.
Sanjo eyed Jayapura at the same place he had been since the start of festivities. The elder man seemed unfazed by the amount of beer he had drank, or at least in comparison to the others still walking on wobbly legs around him.
"Taichi isn't back yet?"
Jayapura looked up to see their blonde haired guest take a seat before him. The young looked so much like his only son, it was uncanny. But, looks was all they shared. Their guest was hardly a loud mouth, but not reserved like his son had always been. "No, actually, " Jayapura said, setting down his cup. "I don't know where he's been, he's not the type to get distracted. Eh, he can take care of himself--"
"Master, you need to get out here quick!" The fearful voice of one of the guild members cut through the casual spirit in the room. A young, blue haired man waved at them from the bend of the hallway that lead towards the guild's main entrance.
"On it," Jayapura shouted, shooting up from his seat. He nodded at Sanjo, "You come as well, kid. I have a bad feeling on this one." Sanjo gave a quick nod and followed the elder guild master towards the source of commotion. They turned the hallway and marched to the main entrance. Through the doors, they noticed Aina, a crouching Tori, and Konoha all before a tied up man laid against a wagon of food.
Sanjo noticed a something folded in his lap, all too familiar to miss. "That's Tai's jacket," He said through a frown. The old man's comment was starting to make perfect sense, much to their misfortune.
Tori looked up to Sanjo with a confused look, "Tai?"
The wizard saint gave a quick shrug. "I doubt I'm the first to say his name like that, " Sanjo answered. "That aside, things are looking--"
"This is bad," Jayapura said to himself. It was a hope of his that the nagging feeling that hit him some moments ago had been in vain, but reality is not so kind. It rarely is, he reminded himself, not in all his years.
Konoha sighed, "Bad is definitely one of the words to describe it."
Aina and Tori exchanged confused looks as the young girl rose to her feet. She put a hand to her hip. "Anybody care to fill me in. This could mean anything, couldn't it? Why jump to--"
"No, it's clear. Your Taichi's been captured by an enemy you guys didn't even know you had, " Sanjo said, cutting the girl off. He turned towards Jayapura, "And I find it no mere chance that the son of this guild's master was caught in the initial crossfire. Tai's not pushover, this is a focused and calculated abduction."
"It ain't just that, " Konoha said, gritting his teeth, "It's a bloody declaration of war."
Jayapura grabbed Taichi's jacket as he saw the holes on the back, reconizing them to be bullet entry's with large spots of blood on them, seeing that blood made Jayapura remember the loss of his loved one, Karei Akahada, who sacrificed herself to save their son during a natural disaster.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" A painful yell came from Jayapura as he accidentally released a quarter of his magic, making the entire ground shake in his fury as Konoha blocked the release of the magic to Aina and Tori as he and Sanjo were the only ones unaffected by the amount of energy released. The two girl's looked in shock as Jayapura sank to his knees, holding his son's jacket very tightly.
Konoha looked over to the girl's as they nodded, allowing him to walk over to his brother-in-law, placing a hand on his shoulder as he looked over to him with his eyes darkened. "Jaya, I know how you must be feeling right now, but you can't let yourself fall apart now that he needs you more than ever" He said glaring at him.
"He's my son...."
"And he's my nephew Jaya, he's the only reminder I have left of my big sister, and like you, I promised her that I would help take care of him. That means keeping a leveled head even now" Konoha said as Jayapura took in a deep breath, calming down his magic as the earth stopped shaking.
The visage of their master's pain was more than shocking for Aina and Tori as they watched from afar. Fun, loving, caring, valiant, those were the words that came to mind when they thought of old Jayapura. Possibly the most renown person across the continent, there was little that could break him in such a way. But, here they were. That alone wasn't the end, the very news of Taichi's abduction made Aina more then simply worry.
"Taichi isn't out for good just yet," Sanjo said, stepping towards the two with a sure look on his face. This wasn't the first turn of crisis for him, it was a familiar feeling almost. "This abduction was a message more than anything else, I doubt they've killed him. If anything, someone has an old vendetta against this guild, or maybe just the old man."
"That does make sense," Aina muttered as she tried to regain her composure. "I don't know how it is where you are. But, no one's tried something quite like this on us as far as I know."
"There's no such thing as an incontestable guild, " He said quickly. Sanjo turned to Konoha and Jayapura, "So, what's our next move? I can't sit around and not lend a hand in this."
Jayapura took in a deep breath as he handed Aina Taichi's jacket and made his way to the man, unwrapping his gagged mouth and looking at Jayapura with absolute fear. "Who kidnapped my son?" He said with a dead serious tone.
"He never told us his name! We only called him the master, he kept us hidden in different locations and were always seperated by each other I swear!" The man said with tears running down his face as Jaya glared at him, then noticed something shining near his hand.
Jayapura reached down to grab the object, turning over to the group as they saw it to be a small Lacirma in his hand.
"I guess that answers the question of what this guy knows, " Sanjo said quickly, "And that would be nothing."
Aina nodded in agreement. "He's clearly just a pawn, and it might be that this enemy's subordinates in general are just the same, " She said, her eyes still stuck on their shaken captive. An interrogation was pointless it would seem, she figured. "Master, should we leave you be and let the others know?"
Sanjo, Tori, and Konoha turn their attention back to the elder man, his rage just barely contained in the midst of his allies. Sanjo kept his silence as he waited on the old man's next course of action, mulling over the situation once more. The facts stand as this: Taichi's abduction was calculated and precise, the enemy desired to taunt the guild in the wake of that abduction, and finally this enemy possibly has a vendetta against Jayapura and will possibly do anything and use anyone to get back at him. Whoever this person was, Sanjo could tell they were a worthy opponent, his original objective for sailing to this place would have to take a back seat.
"No, we are all allies in this, I am sure everyone would want to know what had happened to our beloved guid mate, and I will not hide anything from them or our allies" He said looking over his small group, showing his calm and collective face. "Come, we have to see what this is about" He said as the group followed him while Konoha took the man to the authorities.
Back inside the main area, most of the guild members had been told about the situation, some were even furious that one of their own was taken from them. Jayapura held the small Lacirma in his hand as it suddenly began to glow, after a few seconds, a projection of a being with a mask made himself appear in front of the entire guild.
"Good Evening Phantom Breaker, it is such a joy to see such brave and young faces of this guild, but most of all it is great to you see you Jayapura" He said as Jaya glared back in anger, wanting nothing more than to end the man's life.
"Why have you kidnapped my son? What exactly will you acomplish by kidnapping our guildmate, you only bring war to you" Jaya replied looking at him as the others nodded in response, some even wanting to destroy the Lacirma, but waiting until Jaya and him stopped talking.
"Oh don't worry, I have no reason to go to war with anyone Jayapura, it's simply a lesson I decided to teach you all, and it simply starts with this: Life always has unexpected twists and turns, don't worry, your precious person is safe and healing quite nicely" He said moving to the side as he showed Taichi to be in chains with bandages around his chest as it made some of the members angry, especially Jayapura.
"If you touch a single hair on him...."
"Ah, but whether he comes home safe or not is up to me Jayapura, you of all people should know that, after all... It's up to you to not your own family died as well" He said which made Jayapura look in terror at the man, "A day from now, on top of Mount Treisa, we will meet alone to determine the fate of your child Jayapura, fail to comply and I will end his life right in front of you" He said before signing off of the lacrima as the entire guild grew quiet.
Sanjo sighed, it seemed his instincts had been half right in the end. This was a vendetta against the guild and Jayapura. But, now things rested on the shoulders of this guild's master. He had to go and meet this man on Mt. Treisa. That wasn't up for debate far as he could see. The real question was how they could go about this and not endanger Taichi's life anymore than it already was.
"Tch," Aina gritted her teeth, "There's obviously more to this than this man is leading on, there always is." She set her eyes on the back of Jayapura. His shoulders held strong as they always had. The time for action, for wrath, was upon them.
"Yes, though I have a feeling he will not keep his end of the bargin, something expected of those who follow the dark path, meaning that we will all be needed there" Jayapura said looking over at the guild mates, all of whom were seen with angry and determined faces. They knew that they were going to get their friend back, even if it meant they would die in the process.
Right before he could tell what they were planning, Konoha came in at lightning fast speed, panting heavily as he ran towards Jayapura, handing him what looked like a painting of sorts, whispering something in his ear, which gave him a shocked look on his face. "Go, all of you, rest. Tomorrow we have much to do" He said as some of them took their Guild Master's word and headed back to their rooms to wait for the morning sun to rise. Jayapura kept looking at the painting before he walked back to his room.
Aina found herself in the adjacent hallway, not sure of what to do or what to say. Only thing she knew was to just wait. Things had been unfolding chaotically more and more, at least she could find some twisted sort of peace in her actions. Anything could happen tomorrow. She wasn't worried about someone like Konoha or their guest, but her and many others would have to face the verge of death tomorrow possibly.
Sanjo looked towards Konoha and then back to Jayapura as the elderly man stepped towards the far off hallway. "This isn't over just yet, old man, " Sanjo said through a knowing looking. He turned back to Konoha, "That painting you handed him. What's going on?"
Konoha nodded to him, "This way". The older man followed after Jayapura quickly, beckoning the wizard saint to follow. With no other options, the young man joined this little game of follow the leader. The three entered the hallway promptly and turned into a room. Konoha shut the door behind them with a slam.
"So, what's going on that you didn't tell the rest?" Sanjo asked, crossing his arms.
"What he said, about me not letting my own family die, it reminded me of something terrible that happened when I was still an S-class mage for this guild" He said taking in a deep breath as Konoha didn't say anything and just leaned against the wall, "I failed to save a family, from that failure came one thing: the introduction of Aina into our family, the man who sent the message is her own father, something I've kept from her all her life" He said with guilt in his voice as Sanjo looked a bit surprised by his confession to him.
There was a moment silence amongst the three. Jayapura's words had come out slowly and laced with grief. There were few things worse than a man out on a mission of vengeance. "That, that is definitely, " Sanjo stopped himself as he mulled over this revelation a moment longer. He narrowed his eyes towards Jayapura, "And were you never planning on telling her this, and does Taichi even know this?"
Konoha took a step forward, "It's not that simpl--"
"Actually, let's get the details straight" Sanjo said, cutting him off. "What happened that day that turned this man into what he is now?"
"Sit down, this will be a long story" Jayapura said as he and Sanjo both sat down in front of his desk as he began to recant events that happened sometime ago.
Back in the gang hideout near the bottom of the dormant super-volcano, hollowed up by the magma core for many different people to enter and explore it. However, on this day, it was filled to the brim with different bounty hunters and Dark Mages, all of them celebraiting at their success of capturing the Guild Master of Phantom Breaker's son.
In a dark and hollow room deep within the volcano, Taichi could be seen with chains in his hand as he was slowly breathing, still tired from the torture that some of the bandits did on him as payback for everything that he did. The sounds of the steel door could be heard. The sounds of footsteps echoed throughout the room as they got closer and closer until stopping.
"Well young Taichi, we will see how much loyalty the breakers will show when they are forced to make an impossible choice" Yakeno said with a cocky grin on his face as he walked closer to Taichi.
"You sound pretty confident for someone who hides his face behind a mask, tell me what is that you really fear? To let the world show you for the monster you are, or are you ashamed that your life was saved by us?" Taichi said as he could hear the man's blood pressure begin to rise.
"It is true what they say about the young Marsh, though only a foul would dare challenge the only being keeping him alive" He replied drawing his gun out before slowly aiming it right at his heart, "You and you're father are exactly the same, it makes me sick to my stomach." He said glaring at Taichi, shooting him in the leg as he yelled out in pain, blacking out.
"Then again, it always seemed like fate had a plan more cruel than anything I could ever imagine" Yakeno continued as he sat down and began to tell the unconsious Taichi his past.
The Tearing Wounds[]
Flashback, 25 years ago
In the Historic section of the library, a young Yakeno Kuudou seen wearing a straw hat and his work uniform, was seen looking through some of the scrolls that the library had in stock. Since he was the director of the Genosha Archives, he was often tasked with the job of making sure everything was up to code and organized when he took them to become finalized in books.
"Looks like someone has been very hard at work" A voice said as Yakeno turned to see his beautiful wife and young baby daughter down the ladder, looking up at the man in their life as he grabbed the remaining scroll and climbed down to put them on a nearby table.
"Sorry, I forgot that I was going to meet you two for lunch" He replied while taking his daughter in his hands and kissing his wife on the lips. "I just need to take these scrolls back to the archives and I'll meet you at the resturant" He said smiling while handing his daughter back to his wife, who took her, and kissed her on the forehead before walking out of the library.
"Seems like you're have quite the family don't you?" The librarian said as Yakeno picked up the scrolls and smiled at her.
"The best, hopefully despite this location's disaster's, we'll be able to live a good life" Yakeno replied as he took the scrolls and exited the library to finish finalizing the archives. After finishing his work, taking his family out to eat, and enjoyed their company with each other before heading back to their quiet home on the outskirts of the city.
"And the small vulcan finally managed to return home, where everyone was glad and happy to have him back where he belonged..." Yakeno read from a book in his hands as he looked over to his daughter's crib, seeing her sleeping peacefully as he closed it, giving her a good night kiss, and stepped out from the room before closing the door quietly.
"She is a true miracle..." He told himself before feeling his wife's arms wrapping around the middle of her body as he looked over and grinned.
"That she is, to this day I keep thinking that all of this is a dream and when I wake up, she won't be there" She said as Yakeno kissed on the lips before leading her to their bed room to enjoy their private moments.
Three hours passed as the two were resting peacefully in their beds, listening only to the silent sounds of the crickets and passing winds that blew by as if it was whistiling a silent tune. However, that tranqulity quickly dropped when the earth began to shake, awakening them as they both quickly got up from the bed.
"Aina !! We have to get to her!" Yakeno's wife said with fear in her voice as she ran passed the door, hoping and praying that their daughter would be safe.
"Wait!!!" Yakeno yelled as he chased after her, running down the hall, everything the family owned was either dropping to the ground or being crushed by falling debris as he kept on running, trying to make his way to his daughter's room, only to find it being blocked by some of the support beams that broke from the walls. Yakeno tried to move them, trying to force his way through, but could not get through due to his height.
"Yakeno!!" His wife yelled as she was seen holding their crying child, trying to find someway out of there, "You have to go get help!" She said with worry in her eyes.
"No, I'm not leaving you two, just give me a moment!!" Yakeno yelled out as he attempted to try and push the support beams out of the way, but could not due to them wedged deep into the wall, which caused him to cry out tears of frustration.
"Please Yakeno, the Phantom Breaker's should be close by, we don't have much time left please!!" His wife begged him as their daughter continued to cry. Yakeno's heart was filled with grief, he didn't have the muscle or magic strength to break apart the beams. The tears in his eyes kept dripping down his face, but he nodded, swearing that he would bring help soon as he ran outside the house.
All he could hear in his head were the sounds of his baby girl crying, keeping him from noticing the large tree coming down on him, trapping him as he struggled to get free, struggiling with all his might until he just slammed his fists into the ground, hoping and praying that someone would come and help him.
"Please... rescue my family...." He said with tears rolling down his face as he heard footsteps and looked up to find a man a few years older than him looking down on him.
"Are you alright?!" He yelled trying to budge the tree.
"NO! My family, save my family!!!!" He said with desperation as the man looked at him with soft eyes, then turned serious and nodded before running to the direction of his home.
All Yakeno could do was pass out from the pain from being crushed under the tree, all he could hear and see were muffled voices and shadows as he slowly ascended into the darkness before completely passing out.
One Week Later
In his mind, Yakeno could only see parts of his memory, some of when his young daughter was born, others of having his family over to see his baby girl, and some that showed the event of the earthquake that happened. This caused Yakeno to regain consiouness as he quickly shot up and found himself lying down in a white room, which he indentified as a hospital room.
"Where... where am I?" He said to himself as suddenly he winced in pain, finding himself completely covered in bandages from head to toe. He tried to leave, but found himself strapped down to the bed, which made his arms hurt even more as he attempted to break out of it, only to be stopped when he felt drips of blood coming down his bandages.
All he could hear were footsteps coming closer to his room, until fron around the corner, a doctor in a lab coat was seen with a clipboard in hand as he entered the room, quickly calling in one of the nurses to have him released so they could check out the bleeding they saw on the floor.
"Who are you?" Yakeno asked with confusion as he was released and could move his hand, seeing it already being absorbed by the bandages. "How did I get here?" He said as the doctor looked over the clipboard and looked back at him.
"You're in the medical wing of the Phantom Breaker guild, some of our guildmates brought you here after they saved you from the tree that nearly crushed you" He said before putting the clipboard down.
"Saved me... why...." Suddenly a shocking realization came to mind, he had forgotten about his wife and daughter, "Aina, my wife, are they safe?!" He said with fear in his voice as he quickly fell down to his knees, coughing up a bit of blood as some of the nurses tried to get him to calm down. "The person.... where is he...." He said with a weak tone as the sound of more footsteps came walking towards his room.
Yakeno looked over to see a tall young man with dark black hair and tanned skin in the doorway, covered with multiple bandages as he looked at him with guilt in his eyes.
"You... Where are they... Please, where is my family... you promised...please tell me....." Yakeno said with his voice beginning to break down as he waited for the answer, hoping and praying that it was the right one.
"I'm sorry... I couldn't save your wife... but...." Jayapura began, but quickly found a punch right into his face, slamming him into the wall, causing many of the nurses and doctors to turn over, wanting to know what caused the noise.
"I TRUSTED YOU!!!! YOU GAVE ME YOUR WORD THAT THEY WOULD BE SAFE!!!!!!! YOU LET THEM DIE, WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE THEM?!?!?!?!?!?!?" Yakeno yelled at the top of his lungs as suddenly from that form of rage, his Magical Aura began to manifest, taking control as he erupted, causing an explosion in the room.
Through the dust and dirt, Yakeno bursted through the windows, jumping into the forest and began to run through miles and miles of trees, eventually running out of air as he fell and coughed up more blood. At that point, he couldn't see clearly as the river of tears came running down his face, he gripped a handful of dirt and swung it back, continuing until his finger nails were gone.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" A cry of agony echoed throughout the forest as many of the animals looked on, feeling as if something terrible had happened and the echoes of pain could be a cry for those that were lost.
Present Time, Phantom Breaker
"Since that day, all I've ever felt was guilt for what I failed to do, and fate decided to make things right by taking away my love from me, because of the day I came back alive and one mother died" Jayapura replied as he turned around in his chair, not wanting anyone to see the small tears running down his face as he looked out his window to the setting moon, feeling all the emotion coming back to him.
Konoha simply closed his eyes, not wanting to say anything in his brother-in-law's private moment.
Revenge and regret were a terrible pair to have, Sanjo couldn't bring himself to say anything. Not now, not yet. It was like watching a man recount a terrible nightmare, no, that wasn't enough. Jayapura's tone said it all. Regardless, Taichi had nothing to do with this.
The silence pervaded them a few moments longer as Sanjo kept himself leaned against the wall behind him. "And you two are the only ones left that know about this?" He said, breaking the cold silence.
"Yes, Aina has no clue about the connection she has and for now, I want it to stay that way. All she knows is that her father died a hero, and if she heard this news, she would want answers from her father who is cold and ruthless" Jayapura said with a deep sigh as he sat back down in his chair. An eerie tone could be felt as they stood there in silence, unaware that Aina was listening in through the door, causing her to run from there with burning questions in her mind, knowing that tomorrow would be one of the most intense in Genosha history.
Last Chapter: Crashing Hearts: A Pathway to Hell