Fan Fiction ❯ Chosen ❯ A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chosen...
Author: Byakko Rei


Chapter 3
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

The team trained intensely for over a year before their sensei was somewhat satisfied. Shinbo's assistant, known only as 'Nin', also trained with them.

Nin was an... androgynous... curiosity. The only 'words' the perpetually dark-clad individual uttered were focused shouts during combat. Nin was tall, lean and powerful. The skilled fight maneuvers were precise and gracefully fluent. Yuriko suspected that Nin had been under Shinbo's guidance from a very young age.

It was no surprise when, one day, Shinbo announced that the five trainees were ready mentally to enter the dark world and confront The Deceiver. He motioned the warriors into a hidden underground vault and stepped aside.

"If we do manage to cast Hakujou back into the dark realm, he will not let us leave in peace... he will most assuredly set his demons upon us. Weapons will be needed to fight our way out of the realm of darkness," Shinbo explained.

There was a collective gasp of delight from the women as the fantastic array of clothing, armor and weaponry was revealed.

Shinbo laughed. "Whatever warrior you choose to be should come from the heart. Over the next few weeks you shall *become* that persona."

Yuriko's gaze swept through the arsenal. Every time period and almost every culture was represented. She openly laughed at a knight's shiny armor until her eyes lit upon another type of body armor; something that allowed for a lot of mobility and yet was protective.

Yuriko fingered the bright titanium-like metal with the single strip of gold inlay that ran the length down the middle of each thigh protector. A gold band was also centered horizontally across the chest piece. The shoulder boards seemed to meld together into a single piece with an opening for the head to fit through. Gold decorated the highest part of each shoulder board and was attached to a silver collar. Front and center of the shoulder piece was an amethyst jewel which begged to be 'activated'. Behind the shoulder piece flowed a crimson cape made of some sort of impervious material. There were titanium shoes with gold heels to finish off the hard metal armor.

Her attention drifted to a soft all-body undergarment and blushed a little... she wished it weren't *quite* so revealing. It was made almost entirely of form-fitting see-through mesh. Yuriko surreptitiously took out a sharp penknife and attempted to stab a sleeve cuff. Impenetrable. The crimson top resembled a baby 'T' with short, ribbed sleeves. The matching bottoms were, well... brief! The ensemble was completed with ribbed crimson socks that came up about mid-calf. Where did this stuff *come* from?!

Yuriko sauntered over to the weapons racks and immediately homed in on a twin pair of plasma guns. The controls looked suspiciously like the amethyst gem on her armor's collar. She glanced over at her companions to see what they had selected.

Mariko had chosen what looked to be a dark traditional Ninjutsu uniform... sort of like the one Nin wore on occasion. When Mariko held it in front of her with a critical eye, Yuriko could see that it was a one-piece body suit instead... probably made from the same type of material her own cape was. Mariko selected a royal purple obi that would wrap around the waist twice and a pair of gauntlets that matched. Mariko began to select small lethal weapons, (shurikens, a blowgun, darts, knives, poison), and tools to aid with climbing and quick getaways. All items disappeared into hidden pockets of the dark uniform. Lastly the kunoichi chose some iron fingernails and a short bow with arrows.

Not surprisingly, Kishi picked out khaki shorts that had slotted olive cuffs for bullets and an olive drab tank top. Accessories included heavy brown boots with lugged soles, a brown weapons belt, and brown arm and head bands. For weapons she chose a Snubnosed 3" Colt .45 revolver with walnut stock, grenades, and a wicked looking dagger. The dagger had a blade that resembled an inverse 'Mortal Combat' knife, and had a hand guard that tapered to a point past the grip where the spiked blade part began. Kishi's last item of choice was a Ruger MP9 sub-machine gun. Woah!

Yuriko's gaze rested finally upon her lover. Midori had a pewter-gray kimono and navy hakama in her hands. For her feet she had comfortable white tabi socks and sandals. Though the outfit looked quite ordinary, Yuriko suspected it was anything but. She smiled slightly as her partner passed up the gorgeous pair of Samurai wakizashi for the straighter, more versatile, Ninjutsu ninja-to. The hilts had black leather cord braided around them that ended at steel knuckle guards. Midori truly adored swords! She also chose matching tantos and rounded her arsenal out with a crossbow and steel arrows.

Yuriko grabbed her sensei's attention with the wave of her hand. "Yaiba-san, is there a place in this dungeon where we can change into our fashionable 'new' outfits?"

Shinbo's eyes twinkled as he sharply clapped his hands twice. "Follow me!"

Shinbo led the small group over to a weapons rack and punched a code into his hand held remote. The rack promptly disappeared into the floor. Behind it lay a heavy metal door with a coded key entry. Once opened, it gave entrance to an expansive 'other worldly' dojo. Through another door was a much smaller room that offered a changing area with a shower and a large furo in it. The toilet area was in a separate room adjacent to the bathing room. There was a collective intake of breath.

"Welcome to your 'weapons training dungeon'," Shinbo commented dryly.

The women looked at one another, then raced to the changing room. When the warriors emerged they were met by Shinbo-kun and Nin, who sported a camera. Four pairs of curious eyes stared at Nin whose 'cow' brown eyes twinkled back merrily. It was their sensei who gave explanation, however.

"My assistant also attends Tokyo University as an aspiring photographer. Very busy. I would be much obliged if all of you were to pose for a picture. Nin will never quit nagging me about it until you do!" Shinbo grinned toothily at the retreating back of the dark, silent ninja.

Nin began to arrange the team with a strange gleam in those big brown orbs. Midori and Kishi were put back to back, both heads facing forward, Mariko stood behind them and Yuriko knelt on the floor in front of everyone. A finger was brought to the covered chin which was tapped thoughtfully.

Nin walked over to a bench and carried it over, placing it at an angle next to Kishi and extending behind Mariko. Nin motioned the kunoichi to stand on the end of the bench, then was handed the iron 'claws' and gauntlets to put on. Mariko obliged, then crossed her purple clad forearms over her chest. Nin arranged Mariko's mid-back chestnut locks, then nodded in approval.

Nin walked around the bench and placed Kishi's right leg upon the other end of the bench, exposing a black leather pistol sheath strapped to the calf with the Colt 45 in it. Nin put the jagged dagger in Kishi's right hand so that it pointed downward, then placed a grenade in her left hand. The ninja lifted Kishi's bent elbow until the grenade almost touched the short, curly, blue-black hair. Shinbo's assistant's eyes took on a pensive look, then produced some military ID tags and put them over Kishi's head.

Satisfied with Yuriko's boss, the dark ninja glided over to where the armor clad warrior knelt. Nin positioned the big plasma gun in the right hand so that it would point directly into the camera. Yuriko's other gun was arranged so that it was directed off to the left and lowered so that it wouldn't interfere with the view of Kishi's pistol. The ninja gave up on trying to get Yuriko's straight blonde bangs to behave so her right eye could be seen.

Lastly, Nin stood in front of Midori and her ninja-to swords. Midori's long black hair didn't need to be fussed with, because it was tied back with a navy ribbon. The 'Samurai' warrior relaxed into a readiness stance with her right elbow bent and the forearm held slightly above her head. Her left forearm was leveled waist high. Nin moved the blades parallel to each other and stepped back. Perfect!

In an instant, Nin was positioned in front of the women and Shinbo instructed them to look menacing. The flash went off a few times, then the mysterious photographer swept out the dojo... presumably to find a darkroom somewhere to develop the film. The four were left alone to endure the cruel whims of their inordinately gleeful Sensei.

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After several months of frequent trips to Shinbo's well paid private physician for horrendous and inexplicable injuries, the warriors finally figured out how to use the Kuji-in training to enhance their awareness of danger so they could avoid it. Nin was still the best at everything, but the gap between their abilities had definitely narrowed. They were no longer 'inexperienced'. It was time they were taught how to defend each other as a team against a common enemy... namely the deadly duo of Shinbo and Nin.

Shinbo and Nin planted bombs detonated by trip wires. They hid in closets and blew poisoned darts through cracks when one of the hapless trainees walked by. Separated, the team had easily been picked off one at a time by the crafty pair. So the four of them learned to stay together, keep alert and watch each other's backs.

In the wee hours one morning, the foursome snuck undetected into the arsenal vault. Each chose a separate wall, and hidden amongst the incredible clutter of costumes; they waited. When their 'enemy' showed up to restock their weapons they were silently bombarded with arrows, shurikens, knives and laser beams. The two ambushed assassins managed to deflect the attacks that would have killed them, but they were ultimately riddled with injuries. As Shinbo lay bleeding upon the floor, he grinned ruefully up at the four leering faces bent over him with weapons trained at his throat. Nin was out cold.

Yuriko stretched a hand out to uncover Nin's face, but suddenly found another's wrapped around her wrist in an iron grip to stop her. Piercing brown eyes glittered warningly back into her own blue ones... and that was the last thing she remembered before darkness overwhelmed her.


To be continued....