Hakkenden Fan Fiction ❯ Shin Hakkenden: ECLIPSE ❯ Emergence ( Chapter 1 )

Author's Note: Yay! Chappie 1! Wow! I can't believe some people actually viewed this. OK, this is where some action actually starts. And as for the OCs…I'll explain them next chapter.

PS: For some reason, the editing I made last chapter did not show. Nothing big. I just added this little note: I'm sorry if I have offended anyone with the note I put up about the pairings. I don't have anything against the TomokaRei (except for the tiny bit that I can't seem to catch on anything romantic there)! But just to play safe, I won't have any romance in this fic or any of its sequels so sorry!

 

Thanks so much for listening (reading)! Now here we go with chapter 1…

 

 

Chapter 1: Emergence

 

Earth Year 2
4th Moon

 

Tokyo, Japan

 

“Maa…another dream again…!”

He woke up with an irritated groan as he sat up on his futon.

“It was the same dream again…like before…about that guy…” He mumbled, massaging his temples irritably. “That guy named Ken…I wonder who he really is. For the past week, I keep on having dreams about him. I hardly get any sleep because I keep on wondering just why I'm dreaming about that guy in the first place.”

 

[Kou Yagami, 13 but insists on being 16…so, yeah

Status: Rank “E” Slave of the Eijiri family mines

Location: The Eijiri family mines in Tokyo, Japan

Stills blows off a lot of steam when being called a girl]

 

True enough, ever since the passing of sixteenth birthday (though the whole world keeps on insisiting that Kou is only 13, much to his chargin), Kou Yagami kept having dreams about the mysterious purple haired teen called Ken. The sick boy who was on a journey to somewhere to find a cure for his illness. It was odd—he was sure he had never met the other boy his whole life…yet there was a sense of familiarity whenever he'd catch a glance of those purple eyes.

And what was even stranger was that he could never figure out why was he having all these vivid dreams. He could hardly connect himself with anything that he had been seeing, and he strongly prayed that it was not a warning of trouble to come. After all, he was living in a peaceful time now…

 

Or, as peaceful as it can get…

It was certainly better than the situation back when the Eight Moons of Heaven were still separated.

Kou sighed audibly at the thought of what happened that crazy year of 2588. He was 15 at that time when he received the Murasame, a metal sword with a jewel on its hilt, from his father.

He, the Kou Yagami who was once a rebellious little boy who knew nothing but running off from his father and having fun with his “friends”, was suddenly entrusted with the responsibility of finding those who have jewels like his, and to ultimately restore Earth.

And it wasn't a straightforward task either: Kou found out the hard way that the bearers of the eight jewels were not exactly keen about each other, let alone with the task of restoring Earth. Kou himself had no problems getting along with the lot of them, but some of the jewel bearers were at cross with each other due to either their pasts or their conflicting morals and views.

Yet in the end, they were all able to resolve their conflicts. Nearing the end, the jewel bearers turned from a rag-tag team of different people into a closely knit friends—and dare Kou say, family. Even if it took the lives of almost everyone to complete their mission, Kou knew deep in his heart that he and those who died were truly united in hearts, in friendship and in love.

After all, truth be told, the jewel bearers were the only people that made Kou feel that he was truly part of a family. Not to say that he had no love for his deceased parents, Kajiya and Yoshino Yagami—but for the majority of his life, Kajiya had treated him like an eyesore, and it was not until the very end that Kou was able to feel the love of his father even for a short while. And as for his mother…although the reason why she went to that pilgrimage was for him, still the fact remains Yoshino had been absent in his life ever since day one.

 

Minna…it is true…you were all the family I've ever had. My best friends..my truest friends…the only ones who knew and understood me better than anyone else. I wish I could've told you that before.

Kou sighed as he tied up his red hair. He decided to grow the lustrous red locks past his shoulder, and his bangs were now parted in the middle, to give himself a new appearance.

In fact, in just one year (and a half) Kou had changed rather drastically. Sure, his sweet girl-like features were still there, but other than his new hairstyle, his wardrobe had also changed. Discarding his old jacket and shorts, Kou now wore a long sleeved black vest over his white inner shirt and long black pants over his brown boots. Not only did the change of clothes give him a fresher look, it also served to hide…things…that he did not want anyone else to see.

So much has happened since I have been reincarnated…a lot of them had changed me even more ever since my experience with my friends…

 

“YAGAMI!” A loud pounding on the door of his small flat shook Kou out of his thoughts. “YAGAMI YOU'D BETTER GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE OR ELSE I'LL MAKE YOU! AND YOU'D DEFINITELY WANT THAT!”

Kou paled instantly at those words. Yes, he would not want the mine's slave manager to make him do anything. Last time that happened…he would not even dare think about that! “H—hai! I'm coming!”

With one last good look at himself on the glass of his window (slaves were not allowed the luxury of mirrors, you see), Kou bolted out of his door and locked his slave's quarters seemingly with the devil on his tail as he set out to do his daily work.

The Eijiri family mines was an abysmal place, to say the least. Even the hardiest of slaves in Tokyo found it very hard to even bear living with its awful stench, the constant dampness and the simply put, inhospitability that made the mines known as the Slave's Pit.

Which was why only the most despicable, most rebellious of slaves were put to work here.

 

Kou was neither of those things. But the reason he was put to work in the Eijiri family mines was because he was a stubborn slave, especially when it came to defending the weak. Even though he no longer had the Murasame, Kou would still leap up to the chance to fight to protect his beliefs in life, and he could still put up a good fight even without a weapon (thanks to the skills he had learned back then while he still had his trusty sword).

And as for how Kou became a slave in the first place…when he was reincarnated in Tokyo, Kou had no idea how to fit in or where to go to. He didn't know where to find his friends, and he couldn't find anyone he could even give the benefit of the doubt.

Simply put, in Tokyo, he was a nobody.

That made Kou an easy target for slave traders, who took him away and instantly branded him as a slave…literally.

The area on his chest where they branded him still hurts whenever he thought about it…

 

“GET IN LINE, YOU DIRTY, MISERABLE ANIMALS!” Hollered the slave manager of Eijiri family mines, a man simply known to all as “Wattaro-sama”. Wattaro was a big, bulging man with wild black hair and small eyes partly hidden by his robust cheeks. He had a large bottle of sake strapped on one side of his waist, and a thorny whip constant on his hand.

Wattaro was infamous for his disregard for human life and his crazy obsession for beating up slaves and those who can't put up a good fight with him. He was made head of the mines because all of the nobles knew that even just mere mention of Wattaro's name can bring any man quaking at his boots.

The resounding crack of his favored whip was a good reminder of why that was so.

“LINE UP! LINE UP OR I'LL MAKE SAUSAGES OUT OF ALL OF YOU, DICKHEADS! LINE! UP!” Wattaro screamed as everyone hurriedly fell in line while avoiding the whip's careless flying in the air. “All right, now that you dogs are in order, it's time to head back down in the mines and work your keep. A cartload of ores in the morning, and another this afternoon, or you won't have anything to eat…and you'll have the pleasure of spending the rest of the night with ME! Got that, little bitches?!”

“H—HAI!”

“Well then what are you all waiting for? LET'S GO! GO! GO!” Wattaro's flailing of his whip like a baby with his rattle sent all the slaves to a run, grabbing heir helmets and pickaxes.

As Kou fumbled with his helmet, offering silent prayers to the gods to give him strength to finish his chore, he heard a soft voice call…

 

Kou…

“Huh?” Kou paused for a moment, his hand on his pickaxe. “Who was that?”

Kou…Kou…kikoeru yo (hear me)…Kou..

That voice…it can't be… Kou's eyes widened at the familiar sound. That voice sounded so much like…

 

CRACK!

“ARGH!” Kou gasped, stumbling as he felt Wattaro's whip strike hard on his back.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR, YAGAMI BITCH?! GET YOUR ASS MOVING!”

“…” Kou gritted his teeth as he forced himself up with the help of his axe. He was sure his back was awfully bruised by the strike he had received, and judging by the way it was feeling a bit damp, he had a feeling it was already bleeding.
But Kou did not complain. Instead, he silently headed for the mines, ignoring Wattaro's shouting, and thought about the voice that he heard a while ago. Was it me…or did that voice just sound like…Fuse…?

 

“Damn that Wattaro…” A tan skinnned slave by Kou's side muttered once inside the mines. “One of these days I'm gonna gut that little coward like the pig that he is!”

“Don't talk like that, Shinbo!” Anotehr slave hollered from behind Kou. “If that man catches you going about like that, you'll be lucky to even have your tongue once he's done with you!”

“Oh shut up, Hamka, you filthy coward! It's not like I give a damn about your shitty—!”
“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!? I OUGHTA KILL YOU!!!”

“Quit it you two!” The slave next to Shinbo cut off loudly. “If you keep on shouting like that, Wattaro will definitely hear you!”

“…Fine!”

“Harumph! Darn it!”

 

Kou sighed irritably as he dumped another ore into his cart. Why does everyone have to be noisy down here? Is it not enough that the darn little pickaxes cause enough rattling to wake the dead?

I swear, I am going to get a migraine by the end of the day. And on top of that, I've still got my shoulder to worry about…

“Hey, Yagami-kun?”

Kou turned to the slave calling him. “Yeah, Kumito-san?”

Kumito, a slave around two decades older than Kou, was actually a very kind and compassionate man. His only crime that merited his sentence to the Eijiri family mines was that he killed his former master years back. Though the report claims that Kumito did it out of “savage bloodlust”, Kou saw enough of Kumito's scars to know that it was definitely not true.

Nevertheless, it still remained that Kumito became someone Kou trusted in this hellhole. The man, for some odd reason, took it upon himself to look out for Kou even though the boy was no one important. And for that, Kou will always be grateful to him.

“Are you feeling well? You're not as energetic as you used to be today.”

“Ah, gomen, Kumito-san. I wasn't able to get enough sleep last night, that's all. I'll be OK.”

“Saa, if you say so, Yagami-kun. But weren't you hit by Wattaro-sama earlier?”

“Oh yeah, about that…”

“So you haven't checked on yourself, right? Maa, maa, once we're done with the work for the day, I'll help you out with that all right?” Kumito smiled kindly at him. “It'll be impossible for you to bandage that wound all by yourself, ne?”

“Ku—Kumito-san…” Kou's eyes shined gratefully at the man. “Arigatou…”

 

It was a long, tiring and painful day, but in the end, Kou was able to finish his work without qualms and was now sitting on the ground finishing his bowl of gruel with Kumito.

“Now that we're both done with this…rubbish,” Kumito said, smiling as he set his bowl aside. “Let's check that wound Wattaro-sama has given you.”

Kou nodded obediently, lifting his jacket and shirt to reveal his backside to Kumito. The older man's eyes widened at the sight of the long gash, already crusted with blood, that was presented to him. “Maa…that looks really wicked! I really admire your ability to endure this kind of pain, Yagami-kun. It's a nasty wound, I tell you. But don't worry. I always bring emergency medical supplies in my waist bag. I'll have this taken care of.”

 

“Thank you so very much, Kumito-san.” Kou said, wincing slightly as the man put on some antiseptic on the wound. “I wouldn't know how I'd get along this place without you. I'm really grateful for all your help.”

“Think nothing of it, Yagami-kun. It's my pleasure. We slaves should look out for each other you know.” Kumito smiled lightly.

Kou managed to smile back and was about to say something when he again heard the voice…

Kou…! Kou! Can you hear me?

Sono koe…(that voice)! Kou gasped, turning his head around the area. Fuse! Fuse, is that you?

“Yagami-kun? Yagami-kun are you all right?”

Kou…Kou, I'm here…I'm right here…

But Kou was not listening. His mind was furiously trying to find a way to reach out to Fuse's voice. “Where are you? Please answer me!”

“Yagami-kun, honestly is the heat getting to you? Who are you calling for?”

No, Kou, don't speak out loud! Reach to me with you mind!

…Oh yeah… “G—gomen, Kumito-san. I must be getting too tired. Uhm, yeah…”

“…Daijoubu (It's all right), Yagami-kun. Just rest for a while, OK?”

 

“Thanks…” Fuse! Kou thought back to the queen's spirit, his face masking the excitement and disbelief he was feeling. Fuse, is that really you?

Of course it's me, silly! Who else did you think I would be?

It's not that—Fuse, to be honest, I'd never thought I'd hear your voice again! I'm…I'm just so glad to hear someone so familiar to me!

I'm glad to hear it. Although I dearly wish I would've been able to see you under much better circumstances. Oh, this was truly not the life I wish you'd have! After all you've been through…but gomen, I'm not allowed to interfere directly unless something was amiss.

I…It's OK. I'm going along fine with this—

Don't be like that, Kou! You deserve so much better. But there's more to this conversation that catching up—I have news for you. Though good or bad, I'll leave it up to you to decide.

Matte (wait)…don't tell me…

There's danger Kou…approaching danger. Gomen, but I will be needing your help once more…

 

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!”

Kou and Kumito jumped at the sound of Wattaro's screeching. Everyone looked up to see a very angry looking Shinbo standing up and glaring at a very furious Wattaro.

“I've had enough of this place!” Shinbo growled, his hands balling into fists. “And I've had enough of you, you slimy little pig! You're going down tonight!”

“YOU! HOW DARE YOU?!” Wattaro growled making a grab for his whip. “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO EVEN LOOK AT ME, SLAVE! YOU'LL BE DEAD MEAT!!!”

“IT'S YOU WHO WILL BE DEAD MEAT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Shinbo growled in anger. “NOW THAT I HAVE THIS WEAPON! I NEED NOT FEAR YOU ANY LONGER!”

A collective gasp was heard when Shinbo drew from his back a swirling black orb. Kou's eyes widened considerably more than the others. That…that stone…

NO! NO, HE CAN'T HAVE—NOT A YAMI NO TAMA (Dark Jewel)!

Yami no Tama?

Kou, you have to escape there, quickly! I don't know where he's got that Yami no Tama from! But I do know that he won't be able to control its power!

 

“I found this in the mines way back, this magical thing…and for the longest time it has been telling me…it will help me become stronger! It will help me become the best of them all!” Shinbo flashed a crazy smile. “With this jewel, I will be able to overthrow you and the damn republicans—and I will be the supreme ruler! You cannot stop me! None of you can! I AM ALL POWERFUL!”

The said jewel began to glow in Shinbo's hand. And Kou felt a tug of pain in his heart as he sensed a dark energy grow in the area.

Fuse! What's going on?

Kou, you have to get out of there now! I fear that the Yami no Tama has been with that man for far too long, it has already corrupted him! I don't think there's anything else we can do! You have to get out of here before he destroys everyone!

NO! I have to stop him! I can't let him hurt the other slaves!

DAME (Don't) ! Kou—!

“Shinbo-san, yamete (stop)!” Kou shot up from his place by Kumito's side. Kumito gasped in fear and worry. “Yagami-kun!”
“Eh? What are you blabbering about?” Shinbo's manic gaze turned to Kou. “DON'T YOU WANNA SEE THIS GUY IN HELL TOO?!”

“Shinbo-san, that jewel you are holding…it's very dangerous! You—you could kill us all if you dare to—!”

“WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT I'M GONNA LISTEN TO SOME KNOW IT ALL BRAT LIKE YOU?!” Shinbo screamed. “YOU'RE A TRAITOR TO YOUR OWN KIND, BRAT! AND FOR THAT I'LL SEE TO YOU FIRST!”

The jewel in Shibo's hand glowed a pulsing light, making Kou gasp in shock. “Shinbo-san, dame—!”

Seeing Shinbo's attention averted elsewhere, Wattaro took his chance to strike with his whip. “IT'S YOU WHO'LL DIE, SLAVE!”

“YAGAMI-KUN, ABUNAI (Watch out)!”

“SHINBO-SHAN!!!”

 

A bright flash and a loud boom suddenly sounded from the Eijiri family mines. “AAAH!!!!”

“WH—WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!”

“A DEMON! A DEMON! KAMI (God), SHINBO'S TURNED INTO A DEMON!”

Kou moaned a little before opening his eyes to find himself and Kumito lying on the floor while the other slaves are running away from the area.

Kou sat up a bit then gasped. “Kumito-san! Kumito-san, daijobu?!”

“E—eh, daijobu, Yagami-kun.” Kumito shook his head before turning to the sight a few feet from them. “But…kami, what happened to Shinbo?!”

Kou followed Kumito's gaze to the center of the area and gasped.

Bathed in an eerie, unearthly light, Shinbo stood proud and tall, clutching the squirming Wattaro by the throat, but his appearance was greatly changed.

His black hair had turned red and was standing on his head like wild fire, his skin turned dark, motley brown and his eyes were lined with dark shadows.

Shinbo turned his evil gaze to the slaves running for their lives. A grating voice croaked from his throat. “And just where do you think you all are going, fools? The party's just begun!”

The orb Shinbo held in one hand glowed, and suddenly black smoke whipped out of the jewel and surrounded the mines. All the slaves who ran past the smoke ended up screaming in pain as a mysterious force, corrosive like acid, began to eat away mercilessly on their skin.

The few slaves left alive backed away from the smoky barrier, cowering in fear.

“That—that monster!” Kumito gasped, revolted but unable to take his eyes away at the sight of the other slaves' melting bodies. “How could he—how could he let this happen? How could he do this?”

The screams of agony of his fellow slaves sent a piercing feeling through Kou's heart.

He CANNOT allow this!

“Yamete, Shinbo-san! HOW COULD YOU HURT THE OTHER SLAVES? LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!”

“Ha, so you still insist on being the first one to die by my hand eh? What a baka na kozo (stupid kid)!” Shinbo threw Wattaro carelessly aside like a doll. He smirked at Kou evilly, making Kou tremble a little. “You'll go down, kid! You'll be the first to fall to my power! COME NOW AND MEET YOUR MAKER!”

“YAGAMI-KUN!”

 

Shinbo raised his hand to fire a laser at Kou who was ready to dodge it, but instead of hitting him…

N—nani… Red eyes widened as he saw something block his field of vision—and the incoming laser—, only to find out that it was none other than…

“No…NO! IE! KUMITO-SAN!” Kou screamed as he saw the older slave fly away from him due to the force of the laser.

“Che (Damn), that baka!”

“Kumito-san!” Kou ran to the crumpled heap that was Kumito and scooped him up in his arms. “Kumito-san, why did you do that?! I could have avoided the laser no problem! Doshite (why), Kumito-san? WHY DID YOU RISK YOUR LIFE TO PROTECT ME?!”

“G—gomen, Yagami-kun. I…I know that you could've handled yourself well…but I guess, my emotions got the better of me.” Kumito coughed out blood before forcing himself to smile. “I haven't told you this before…but one of the reasons I wanted to protect you…it's because…you've…you remind me so much of my son…”

Kou froze vividly as the words of Kumito made his insides cold with a gnawing sense of familiarity. N—no…oh Kami please no…!

“My son…that's right…. If only that man…my former master did not…when I saw what my master had done to my son…I…I couldn't help myself…” Tears sprang from Kumito's dull brown eyes. “I was so…so angry, so heartbroken…I just…I couldn't stop myself from killing him…oh if only I could turn back time…if only I had been there to save my baby…”

“Kumito-san…Kumito-san!”

“G—gomen, Yagami-kun…it may not seem like it…you may think that I'm onl comparing you to my son…but the truth is…I've grown to care for you as my own son too…”
Kou's heart stopped beating for a moment as the words from his past came back to haunt him full force.

 

“I have grown to love you…as if you are my own son…”

“Yagami-kun…ie, Kou-kun…” Kumito's feeble hand reached out to stroke Kou's cheek one last time. “A…Arigatou yo…”

No, please not again! No, Kumito-san… Kou's eyes watched helplessly as Kumito's hand fell cold and lifeless to the ground.

 

Another life wasted just to protect him…

 

“Find her…then find the jewel…” Chichi…(Father)

“She left to find the purpose behind your jewel…she left for you…” Haha… (Mother)

“I'm glad…that I've met you…Kou…” Chuji…

“Kou…Arigatou…”

 

Kou's eyes began to glow, as well as his body, as the memory that hurt the most overwhelmed his heart and mind so strongly that it made him scream. “IADA, REI-SAN!!!”

“Wh—what?!” It was Shinbo's turn to be surprised as Kou's body shined red and a new, powerful force filled the area.

His eyes still shining and with a fierce look on his face, Kou held out his hand. Out came a light that glowed so brightly before slowly taking shape…into a very familiar object that made Kou's mind jump in excitement…

MURASAME?!

Sou (that's right), Kou…now you won't have to be unable to protect your loved ones anymore. End the darkness now Kou. For Kumito-san's sake…let Mursame help you. Let your jewel help you!

 

The red jewel on Murasame's hilt began to glow…

“YAAAH!”

Kou leapt with such ferocity at his enemy as the light glowing on Murasame disappeared to reveal the sleek blade in its full glory. The Murasame, though it retained its past design, had changed. Its hilt and handle was now golden with intricate carvings, and its blade now white with a heavenly glow.

“Wh—what?!”

Kou let out another battle cry as he struck at Shinbo. The man tried to block the Murasame's attack with his Yami no Tama, causing the area to explode in two contrasting lights, black versus white.

But Kou refused to be beaten.

You…you who killed so many people…you who killed Kumito-san… “YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! SHI'NE (Die)!!!” Kou screamed as red light burned from the Murasame, adding to the white light that was already hitting Shinbo.
Unable to bear the power, the Yami no Tama broke, leaving Shinbo defenseless and completely open to the Murasame's attack.

“N—no!!!”

“YOU'RE FINISHED!!!”

The battle ended with another flash of light…with Shinbo and the remains of the Yami no Tama gone…

 

Final Notes:

So yeah…it's done! It's done! Yayayay!

I hope that was OK, and I hope Kou wasn't (that) OOC. I had fun with this chapter though. See you guys again soon! R&R people!