When Kokiruko wakes back up, he looks over and sees Rai-On cradling the baby.
Kokiruko "Hey!"
Before anything else comes out he notices a smile on the baby's face. The baby feels safe and secure with Rai-On. It's the happiest they have been and that smile puts a smile on Kokiruko's face. He lays back down and just starts thinking about his power. He looks at his hand, he looks at the scars and just clinches his fist.
Rai-On "Your power, it confuses me. Although it is stolen it shouldn't hurt."
Kokiruko "Well it does okay!"
Rai-On "I'm trying to think as to why. When I look at Ziku's body it isn't that much different from yours."
Kokiruko "Will you stop with this Ziku?! I don't even know who that is. What does he have to do with me? There is nothing he or you can do to help me!"
Rai-On "You know the promise I made to your sister."
Kokiruko "Yeah, I do. It's to protect us! That has nothing to do with my power! I can help myself with that and I definitely don't need your help with anything! If my life is in danger fine, but any and everything else just leave it to me!"
Rai-On "Then can I ask for your help with something?"
Kokiruko "What?"
Rai-On "I still haven't thought of a name for her. I can't just keep calling her baby."
Kokiruko scoots over to them both, as he looks at her and smiles again.
Kokiruko "I guess you're right."
Rai-On thinks to himself how important the baby is to him. Whenever she is the topic of discussion his face lights up and he wants nothing more than to be around her.
Kokiruko "I think I got a good name."
Rai-On "Let's hear it."
Kame "Damn!"
Kame just stares down his doppelgänger. They both start pacing back and forth sizing each other up.
Kame "You look like me, you move like me. But do you fight like me?"
He gets into his stance and his mimic does the same exact stance. He changes his stance portraying a different fighting style, but it just copies him. He gets shocked, but changes again. The last time he changes, the mimic changes his fighting style. This time to a style unfamiliar with Kame. A style he hasn't learned yet.
Kame "What stance is that?"
The mimic lunges towards him and begins the attack. Kame defends well and the fight drags on for awhile. It doesn't take Kame too long to realize that this fight will be completely different from his others. He can physically touch the mimic, even though it's a shadow. Still he is unable to hurt it, and he can tell it doesn't get tired. It just keeps coming.
Kame "Never seen anything this persistent."
The fight continues, but just when it seems like Kame gains the upperhand he instinctively holds back a bit in order to keep the fight going. In doing so, he allows the mimc to gain the upperhand leading to one of Kame's biggest mistakes. The mimic is just like him, same strength, same speed and same techniques. The mimic lands 3 devastating blows, one to Kame's stomach, another to his leg, and the final to his chest. Kame falls to one knee, confused and in pain. Something he hasn't really felt before. Most people aren't strong enough to really hurt him. He struggles to catch his breath while coughing up blood and vommiting on the ground. He wipes his mouth and tries to stand, but just falls back to his knee. He looks over at his leg and in disbelief to find out his leg is shatter. He can barely move it let alone get up. He looks forward and immediately the mimic hits him again and Kame gets pushed back hitting a wall. The impact cracks his spine. When he falls to the ground looking up at the mimic he can see it still coming. His vision getting hazy, body in shambles, spirit semi broken.
Kame "How am I supposed to win?"
His last words before he is unconscious. Kame wakes up, but in a completely different place than before.
Kame "What happened? Where am I? Where is the shadow?"
Kame looks around frantically, desperately trying to find the mimic. He leans against a wall and then just slides down letting out a sigh of relief.
"I am so tired, my body hurts."
Kai "What kind of Chikara rests in the middle of a fight?"
Kame jolts up and gets into his stance, ribs broken and blood flowing.
Kame "Wait, is that...dad? Where are you? I can not see you?"
Kai "Of coure you can't."
Kame "What does that mean? What happened to me? Why can I even hear you?"
Kai "You're dead. You can't see me because you don't want to."
Kame "Dead?! How did I...? What are you...? I can not be...This is a dream right? What do you mean I do not want to see you? Why would I not want to see you? It is what I have wanted for so long!"
Kai "You are dead because you are giving up. You can't see me because you are ashamed. I know you feel like you have failed me, but that is far frok the truth. Up until this point I have been watching you. Right now I'm not impressed with your actions, as of now I am a little upset with you. Not because you have failed my son, but because of how much stronger you are than I was at that age. Your own doubt holds you back. You are the strongest."
Kame "The strongest? I am not."
Kai " That is what I'm talking about Kame! Stop doubting yourself! Pick yourself up, and go finish the trials! You will not suffer the same fate! You hold the pride of the Chikara on your back! Everything you have done up until this point was to get stronger and maintain the integrity of the village! Quit now and it would have all been for nothing! I will say this one time and one time only! Go back and finish!"
Kame "I have not seen or even heard your voice in years. First time I get the chance and I am getting yelled at. I hear you dad, I am ready."
Kai "Now you're talking like a Chikara! You got this son!"
Kame "Can I ask one last question?"
Kai "Of course."
Kame "What happened? Why are me in Rai-On the only Chikaras left?"
Kai sighs loudly. He never thought that the day he tells this, it would be at a point where he can't talk to both of his sons together.
Kai "To be honest, you two aren't the only Chikaras. The Man who has attacked the village on more than one occasion Mayonaka is the main reason for all of this. Although, you could argue it is my fault. Anyways, we were about your age when it started. Me and Mayonaka were best friends. Your mother was also our friend. We all hung out everyday; we played together, trained together, and even slept together. You could say we were inseparable. At some point I started taking my training serious, I stopped hanging out with them. Not go distance myself, but to better myself. One day Mayonaka confessed his love for your mother. I told him to pursue her. He did just that, although he was persistent in his approach it didn't work. Your mother and I were alone one day training. She fell and broke her elbow. I helped her patch it and sat with her until her parents arrived. While we waited we talked, in that conversation she confessed her love for me. At this point training was the most important aspect of life for me. I didn't see myself in any relationship, but just how Mayonaka was persistent, so was your mother. One day she kissed me, Mayonaka saw the whole thing. At first he was hurt, but he got over it. It wasn't log until we were all hanging out again. The more we hung out the more my feelings for your mither grew. I didn't even notice it, but after awhile I guess you can say Mayonaka was more of a third wheel than our best friend. His envy grew, he distanced himself from us and even when we saw him he barely spoke. Before you know it, he grew resentful. We saw him less and less until he was just gone. It was years until we seen him again. That encounter he tried to kill your mother. I didn't know what happened to him, he wasn't the same man at all. It was like someone took over his body using his strength, amplifying his negative emotions and using that to fight. It's like he was suppressed and was a whole new man barring the clan crest. We fought on multiple occasions each time I came out the victor. Each time we fought he didn't say a word. It's like he was a machine driven by pure hatred and envy. I cried for him, and yet nothing worked. It was a battle we had for years, with him losing his humanity more and more. Obviously you seen the aftermath of our last fight, to show his power he destroyed our clan. I blame myself, I couldn't bring myself to ever put an end to my friend."
Kame "Never knew he was a Chikara. That just put it into perspective."
Kai "What's the perspective?"
Kame "I have to complete these trials!"
Kai "My son."
Kame "Is mom with you?"
Kai "She is."
Kame "Tell her I am strong. We are ok and that we love you both."
Kai suddenly appears in front of Kame smiling at him.
Kame "Dad?!"
Kai puts his arms out for a hug, but when Kame runs over to him and tries to hug him he vanishes and he is awake again standing in front of the mimic. The mimic gets into its stance, but this time something is different. This time it's smiling at him.
Kame "Yeah, let's do this."
Both of them lunge at each other fighting. Not one having the clear upper hand.
Kame "I can not let this thing win! If I lose here then that means I let them both down! Not only them, but Rai-On as well! I have to be stronger; stronger than I was last year, stronger than last month, stronger than last week, stronger than yesterday, and even stronger than 5 minutes ago!"
Again Kame's body begins to emit that unfamiliar golden glow. The passion and steam also emitting. With every blow landed being more devastating than the last. Kame pins the mimic against the wall landing a flurry of punches. The mimic is left unresponsive with holes all over his body the size of Kame's fist. Kame backs away and then takes a breath. Pure steam from his passion and resolve. The mimic fades away and leaves Kame speechless wondering what to do next. He points at the hole he made then notices the golden glow.
Kame "What is this?"
Another door opens, immediately he gets into his stance awaiting the next challenge. All of his aura being raised.
Rai-On "He did it."
Kokiruko "Who did what?"
Rai-On "Kame, he's done it. He did what I couldn't."
Kokiruko "You mean he?"
Rai-On "Yes, and it seems we aren't the only ones who noticed."
Kokiruko "What do you-"
Before he can finish, Mayonaka appears.
Ziku "What is that?"
Shizuko "The hell are you doing?"
Ziku "My bad, just felt something crazy."
Shizuko "Felt something?"
Ziku "Yeah, it's nothing though. Let's start."
Shizuko "Gladly."
Mayonaka "You know why i'm here."
Rai-On "I do. Thought you would wait for him to come out at least."
Mayonaka "I was, but I remembered that when you go oi and come out completing the trials or not your senses are dull for a bit. He won't see me coming."
Rai-On "You must be stupid if you think i'll let you take this away from him."
Mayonaka "Hahaha, you and I both know you are in no condition to fight. You won't even make it to next month."
Kokiruko "What the hell is talking about?"
Mayonaka "You didn't tell them?"
Kokiruko "Rai-On! What the hell is talking about."
Rai-On "My journey, I've encountered numerous people. One was with him who you see now and with his demon ally. He won't admit it, but I was putting belt to ass on both of them. The demon one got a hold of me and placed a curse within my body. It's slowly killing me from the inside. I-"
Kokiruko "Shutup! You talked enough! So, you're telling me that curse is what killed my sister?! You knew and you still-"
Mayonaka "He still had a baby."
Kokiruko "You can shut the hell up too! This is between me and him! Why Rai-On?! Why you do that to her?!"
Rai-On "It wasn't my intention, I told her everything. It's what she wanted."
Kokiruko "Don't give me that shit! You wanted me to accept you! You wanted me to accept your bother! Accept this baby! This whole time she was dead because of you! You said nothing, and you weren't going to tell me! You were just going to wither away and die! First my sister, now you?! What about the baby?! Did you guys ever think about her?!"
Rai-On "Of course I did, it's something I have been pondering this entire time. It's one of those things that is just hard to tell. I couldn't even tell my own brother. I rushed his training and development to the point where me and him never truly got to catch up. It's going to hurt me all the way to my death, never spending enough time with anyone I love. My parents, my brother, Mina, and now my own child."
Kokiruko " Don't say her name."
Mayonaka "Well, this has been awkward. Why don't we hurry this along?"
Rai-On "There's nothing you can do to defeat me."
Mayonaka "You know you may have been stronger before, but since you still rely on that useless training I on the other hand have a means of obtaining more power quickly."
Rai-On "Y-you didn't?!"
Mayonaka "Oh but I did!"
Rai- On and Mayonaka both release their Aura.
Rai-On "Hmph, guess this means you'll be a good fight now."
Mayonaka "That damn arrogance! That's what's killing you now!"
As he says this, Mayonaka charges at Rai-On and punches him. Rai-On goes flying, but then flips stopping the momentum and charging back at Mayonaka. They get into clinch, both of them look up, but the only one to smile is Rai-On. He kicks Mayonaka, pulls him in and then headbutts him. After the headbutt he throws an elbow pulling him in again and then throwing him over his shoulder.
Mayonaka gets up and just stares at Rai-On.
Mayonaka "The hell?"
Rai-On "You see this as arrogance, trust me if you trained as much as I did you would be arrogant as well."
Mayonaka "What are you saying?"
Rai-On looks over at Kokiruko and smiles.
Kokiruko "What? What is it?!"
Rai-On "I am not living through this fight, but he isn't either. I'm sorry for everything, believe me. When Kame emerges you tell him that you guys need to head east. Please tell him I did everything I could. Both of you take care of Mina. That's her name, for you Kokiruko."
Kokiruko just sits there holding Mina, he looks down and sees that she is reaching out to Rai-On. Rai- On notices and slowly turns back around to Mayonaka.
Rai-On "Lets finish it."
Mayonaka "Gladly!"
They both continue the fight, blow for blow. Evenly matched. Mayonaka confused the whole fight. His power was boosted by 35% and yet he still feels weaker than Rai-On.
Mayonaka "How?! How are still so strong?!"
Rai-On "Ah ah ah, I don't reveal my secrets."
Rai-On smiles and then when he releases his aura again it turns gold, but then the gold flickers on and off.
Mayonaka "Niju Tetsu?!"
Rai-On "imperfected, but you get the point."
Mayonaka "I see now, that's why you brought him here! He's close isn't he?! Both of you would have been unstoppable, I guess i'm glad we got to you when we did."
Rai-On "Yeah, and now you will die for that."
Mayonaka "Not if you drop dead first!"
They both clash again and continue fighting. Kokiruko just stares not knowing what to do. He can't help, but he also can't move his body anywhere else. His fear has taken over after feeling both of their spirits clash.
Kokiruko "I know you can't hear me, but I'm sorry too. Its not fair for me to blame you. I forgive you, and I will let nothing happen to Mina. As long as I am alive, she will remain the most important to me."
As the fight progresses Rai-On starts coughing up more and more blood. The curse he has on his body begins to spread. At one point it was just a small mark by his kidney and now it's all over his back and spread a little across his chest.
Mayonaka "Looks like that curse will kill you first. All I have to do is wait."
Rai-On "Trust me, I'm prepared to die. But I'm taking you with me!"
Before Mayonaka can say anything, Rai-On grabs his face and puts him in the ground.
Kame "What happens now?"
He walks through the door into an open room. The room has an altar with a mat in front of it. On the wall above there is a messgae displayed.
"The trials have reached the end. You have made it this far, not by luck, but by the strength of your heart. In addition your mind and body have also grown to new heights. Congratulations Chikara!"
Kame "Guess I am done? But how do I leave?"
Kame frantically looks around, there aren't any hints. Him leaving is a mystery, but he has to figure it out. He may have completed the trials, but the last test is being able to get out of the temple in time.
Kame "I can not go back the way I came. I need to know what is going on out there. It feels different."
Kame looks at the mat on the ground at the altar. He sits down and stares at the altar.
Kame "Rai-On told me that meditation helps in situations like this. I am a bit stressed, I need to just breathe and take some time to figure some things out."
Kame begins meditating and with that it unlocks a new ability. It gives him future sight. As he's watching what is unfolding outside the temple, he can vividly see. Although he is watching, it doesn't seem clear. Things are bit blurry, but he can still make out who is who and what is happening. He can see Rai-On standing over a body. Rai-On then falls to his knees, he puts his hand over his heart and then his body drops. Kokiruko runs over to him and tries to help, but its too late. In the same instant, Mayonaka's body starts twitching. His eyes begin to glow and his mouth opens. When Kokiruko looks over at him Mayonaka's body blows up and it decimates everything in a 5 mile radius. Only thing left standing is the temple. Kame snaps of meditation in complete fear. He starts to hyperventilate, he doesn't know if what he saw was true or not. He can't tell if it happened already or if he saw a possibility of what could happen. He gets up and begins punching the wall.
Kame "Let me out! Let me out! My brother! My niece! My friend! Let me out!"
Mayonaka and Rai-On go blow for blow. Rai-On is clearly winning, but every now and then he falls to one knee holding his chest. Mayonaka coughs up blood, he stares at Rai-On and then starts to laugh.
Mayonaka "You're really dragging this? Do you really think you can kill me in time with those injuries?"
Rai-On "I don't think, I know I can."
Mayonaka "Tch! Yeah?! Let's see!"
Mayonaka's body disappears and then reappears behind Kokiruko. He grabs him by the throat and places a hand over the baby.
Rai-On "Mina! Ruko!"
Mayonaka "Hahahahaha! Again you let your arrogance be your downfall! I love it! Not only will you die, but the people around you as well. You know Rai-On, at some point you have to get tired of losing."
Rai-On "Let them go."
Mayonaka "Well since you asked nicely. No!"
Rai-On falls to a knee again, coughs up blood and then gives a death stare to Mayonaka. Rai-On stands to his feet and takes a deep breath.
Rai-On "Don't you dare touch my daughter!"
Mayonaka just smirks and tries to touch Mina. Before his hand can come in contact with her Rai-On grabs him ny the throat and takes him away. He squeezes his throat and then throws him to the ground. When he hits the ground Rai-On lands on his back crushing him and breaking his spine. Kokiruko just looks over in horror, he can't believe what he's seeing. This side of Rai-On is something completely different and it makes him uncomfortable. Mina starts to cry, when Kokiruko tries to comfort her and calm her down it only makes Rai-On more angry. Rai-On coughs up more blood and then punches Mayonaka in the face breaking his jaw.
Rai-On "I should break every bone in your body. I should rip the flesh from your bones. I will kill you, but before I do I want you to feel the pain of every person you ever hurt. Your death will not come without suffering!"
Mayonaka "P-please."
Rai-On "Mercy? How many people begged you for mercy? If you weren't in this position, what would yiy have done to my daughter?"
Mayonaka "I- If I c-could go b-back, I would h-have killed you."
Rai-On "I know."
Rai-On rips out Mayonaka's esophagus and then punches through his chest leaving a gaping hole. Kokiruko gets scared as he closes his eyes to try and unsee it. Mina continues to cry, as Kokiruko keeps twitching with his eyes closed.
Rai-On "Mina."
Kokiruko opens his eyes and sees Rai-On standing in front of them. He just smiles at Mina, she stops crying and starts to laugh. He plays with her for a bit, and then looks at Kokiruko.
Rai-On "Please protect her. When Kame comes out, you guys need to go east."
Kokiruko "Go east?"
Rai-On smiles and then walks back over to Mayonaka's body. He falls to his knees and then drops to the ground. Kokiruko runs over to his body as Mayonaka's body begins to twitch. Kokiruko looks over at it and starts to panic. He notices Mayonaka's eyes and mouth glowing, the winds pick up and Kokiruko's body is unable to move. He cradles Mina closer to him and he tries to shield her with his body. Mayonaka's body blows up and again it destroys everything within a 5 mile radius. Only thing left standing is the temple.
Kokiruko's eyes open as the dust and debris settle. He looks down and sees Mina. She's crying as both of their ears are ringing. Kokiruko looks up and behind him to see Kame standing there shielding both of them with a wall from the temple. Kame falls to his knees next to Rai-On. Before he can cry, Mina pulls his hair. He looks over at her and sees her smile. Through everything, the one thing that kept him from crying was her smile. He may have lost Rai-On, but there was something about Mina's smile that made him feel like it wasn't the end.
.