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[Scene 1: An Uneasy Reunion]
Ryo's footsteps echo against the worn path, the park enveloped in a silence that even the wind seems hesitant to break. Waiting beneath the canopy of a solitary Sakura tree stands Yua, her presence sharp contrast against the pink blossoms swaying in the subdued breeze. Her arms crossed, the slightest crease between her brows betrays her growing impatience.
Yua (without turning): "Finally decided to show up, did you?"
Ryo (mumbled apology): Sorry, Yua, I got a bit lost on the way, and then—"
His words hitch, mouth snapping shut as he takes in her attire—her signature outfit is replaced by a sleek, crimson-accented kimono, exuding both elegance and a dangerous edge. His words come out a bit choked: "-—whoa... is it some kind of special occasion, or are you just trying to give the trees a run for their money in the gorgeous stakes? "
Yua (grudgingly amused): And here I thought I chose today to wear my 'subtle and intimidating' kimono.
She flicks her wrist, dismissing his surprise with a faint smirk. He notes how the motion doesn't carry her usual 'get on with it' impatience. A quiet hum of anticipation vibrates the air around them; it's as if the very forest, too, holds its breath.
Ryo clears his throat, breaking the silence. "So... what was it you wanted to show me? Something so important it couldn't wait?"
Yua (tilting her head, voice softer): "Patience, Ryo. Some things require the right moment, the right... perspective."* She uncrosses her arms, motioning towards the bench beside her, "C'mon."
The tension eases like a held breath released. Hesitant but resigned, he joins her, the old wood creaking under their weight. Their knees brush, the simple contact a sudden, grounding echo of their shared secrets.
Yua draws a steadying breath and begins:
"Ryo, you've got... potential, raw and untapped. That power you manifested—it's Seishu." Her eyes shine with a violet light as her energy surges, matching Ryo's own, the air around them crackling with barely contained power. It's then that he notices it—the faint echo of a second heartbeat, synchronizing with hers.
"Seishu," Ryo repeats the unfamiliar word slowly. "Does that have something to do with the fact that you're—"
Yua (cutting him off, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of her lips): "Over 60? Yeah."
She takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly before continuing.
"That's another story for another day. You, on the other hand—you're a mystery even to yourself." Her gaze is piercing, and he can't help but squirm under the weight of her words, the pressure to understand his own origins becoming almost physical.
"Yua, I..." Ryo's voice falters, unsure where to begin. She waits, patient but expectant.
[Scene 2: Whispers of the Past]
The air thickens with anticipation as Yua leans forward, their shared gaze steady and intense. Ryo takes a deep breath, gathering the courage to speak aloud the questions that have been eating away at him since his world turned upside down.
Ryo: Yua, you know so much about this world of Hunters and Seishu... Is there any way I can learn the truth about my past? I need to understand who I am and where I came from.
Yua (her smile fading ever-so-slightly): "Truths like those, Ryo, they're not always easy to bear." She stands abruptly, the sudden motion startling even herself. Her gaze sweeps the peaceful park, the setting sun painting the sky in shades of gold and crimson.
"What if all you thought you knew about your world was... only half the picture?" Her words hang in the air, each one like a weighted stone falling into the pond of Ryo's mind. They seem to echo around him, the implications leaving him dizzy.
Yua (stepping closer, her eyes blazing with Seishu energy): "Ryo, you want answers? They lie with your father—the one person who should know the truth." Her voice is sharp, the urgency in it palpable as if she's trying to pierce through his haze of confusion.
The words hit him like a revelation. His father—the taciturn, enigmatic man who always seems to be a step ahead. The one person Ryo had never considered as a font of information.
Yua (snapping to attention): Did you—?" She breaks off, her senses sharpening. The sudden shift in her demeanor is like a switch flipping from concern to cautious alertness.
Her words are as sharp as a dagger:
Do you sense that? The air is crawling with something... unwelcome. Stick close—we're leaving. Now.
Her fingers curl around his wrist, the grip more of reassurance than force as she tugs him from the park into the lengthening shadows.
[Scene 3: A Shadow in the Alley]
Their boots strike the pavement like a warning as Yua leads Ryo through the tangled veins of the city. Neon lights flash past, blurring the world around them into a kaleidoscopic nightmare. Suddenly, Ryo's step falters—he can feel it too. A presence lurking just on the periphery, the air thick with something dark and hungry.
Ryo (whispering, voice trembling): "Yua, something's here."
His eyes flick from shadow to shadow, searching for the source.
Yua (through gritted teeth): "I know."
The air ripples—a sudden shift in pressure as the figure materializes from the darkness. Cloaked in tattered rags, the figure's presence is the absence of light, the absence of warmth, as if it's cut from the fabric of the void itself. It moves with a predatory grace, each step a dance of danger toward the pair.
"Ryo," the figure rasps, the single word echoing with the weight of unspoken history.
Yua (tensing, her grip on Ryo tightening to the point of pain): "Get away from him. Now."
Her words are a snarl, a mother lion's warning to a challenger—but the figure doesn't waver. It only steps closer, a shadowy whisper rolling from unseen lips.
Figure (its voice a rasp of sandpaper and silk): "So much potential... squandered. A seed planted but never tended."
[Scene 4: Battle in the Alley]
As the mysterious stranger advances, Ryo and Yua slide into defensive stances. The figure's gaze is locked on Ryo, his words a taunting whisper.
Stranger (with a chuckle): "You're not so different from your father... always running. But from what?"
Ryo's jaw tenses—this stranger dares mention his father, and the fury wells up inside him like a tsunami. But before he can react, Yua's palm blazes with the violet light of Seishu.
Yua (her words a growl, her gaze unwavering): "Step. Aside."
Her command is clear, but the figure merely laughs, a cold, hollow sound.
Figure (leaning in, voice a whisper): "Such arrogance... but what can a lost princess and a forgotten seed hope to achieve against me?" The air crackles with building tension, and the stranger extends a gauntleted hand. "Come. Witness the true depths of your potential. Embrace the end with eyes wide open."
The Figure looks up for a moment and then and then without a word disappears without a trace…
Yua exhales a breath she didn't realize she was holding, her hand falling by her side. Ryo stares at the empty air where the dark figure stood a moment ago, his mind reeling. *"Lost princess? Forgotten seed?" What does it all mean?*
Yua (turning to Ryo, her eyes hard, but not unkind): "Enough questions, Ryo. I think it's time you faced some truths." She pauses, weighing her words carefully before continuing. "And I'm willing to tell you all I know."
[Scene 5: Ryo's Apartment - Night]
Back at Ryo's small apartment, the scent of old books and dried herbs hangs in the air. Yua lights a few candles, casting dancing shadows against the walls. Ryo sits on the floor, hands clenched, a maelstrom of thoughts spiraling in his head.
Yua (perching on the edge of the couch, her gaze steady): "So... what do you want to know?"
Her words break the heavy silence, opening a path to the answers he so desperately seeks.
Yua (leaning forward, her words carrying the weight of a secret long held): "Sanmei. Your sword. It's not just any blade. It's a legacy."*
Ryo's fingers brush the hilt of his sword, a frisson of energy sparking at the contact. His eyes widen with curiosity. "A... legacy? Like from my dad?"
Yua inclines her head, her expression unreadable. "From your mother, actually. Or rather, what's left of her."
[Scene 6: Ryo's Attic - Night]
A fine layer of dust blankets the attic, the air heavy with secrets. Ryo's breath echoes in the stale silence. Yua's fingers trace over old photographs, forgotten relics of a life Ryo never knew existed.
Yua (sifting through an old newspaper, eyes sharp): "Here. This is it."
She hands Ryo the yellowed paper, the headline stark against the faded print: Local Man's Life Changed Forever—Fallen Star Lands in Akiruno City.
Ryo's heart pounds in his chest, every detail of the article burning itself into his mind. He stares at the image of his house—the place he grew up, nestled among mundane suburban facades. But there, in the photo captured by chance, is a flash in the sky—a streak of brilliance against the night.
Ryo looks up, eyes wide and a little wild. "Fallen star... my home... I... what does it all mean, Yua?"
Yua (pausing, her voice soft but firm): "It means, Ryo... your mother came from another world."
The words hang in the air, a revelation that shudders through Ryo like an earthquake. His mother—the warmth of her smile, the echo of her voice, the lingering scent of her perfume... all of it now tinged with a different hue.
Another world.
Ryo's chest tightens, a whirlwind of emotions threatening to tear him apart.
Ryo's Dad enters the room from behind them
Ryo's Father: "What's all the fuss about, Ryo?"
Ryo: "This…"
Ryo shows his father the article on the newspaper
Dad (casually, too casually): "Ah, a newspaper article. Always a good source for... imagination."
The way he emphasizes 'imagination' makes Ryo's skin crawl. His dad's gaze drifts to the Sanmei, resting by Ryo's side. For a split second, there's something in his eyes - recognition, fear, anger... it's impossible to tell.
Dad gives Ryo a stern look: "You should be studying. Not getting caught up in fairy stories."
Ryo (stiffening, his grip on the Sanmei tightening): "This (isn't) a story. I know it's real... and I know about Mom."
His words are an accusation, a plea, all rolled into one. Ryo holds his father's gaze, refusing to back down. His father's expression shifts, the facade of nonchalance slipping for a moment.
"Let's have dinner," his father says, his tone final. "We can discuss this privately."
Someone crashes through the ceiling as the three of them freeze.
The Masked Figure (revealing her scarred face, her voice a rasp of sandpaper and silk): "We meet again... Kenzaki. Still running from the truth, I see."
Ryo's dad goes rigid, all color draining from his face. Ryo's mind is spinning, trying to process the implications of this revelation. How does this strange, scarred woman know his father?
Yua steps forward, her hand inching towards the knife at her waist. "Who are you?"
The masked figure just laughs—a sound that rings with pain and menace.
The Scarred Woman lunges at Ryo, punching him and knocking him out in one blow.
Yua (her eyes narrowing as she moves to intercept the scarred woman): "Ryo!"
Her hand blurs as she draws her Sword, lunging forward with lethal grace. But the scarred woman is faster, slipping past Yua's thrust with inhuman grace. She reaches out, tapping Yua's temple with a single finger.
Yua collapses, her weapon falling from nerveless fingers. Ryo's heart hammers in his chest, the world slowing as he watches helplessly. His hand grips the Sanmei's hilt, but it trembles, the blade as unsteady as his resolve.
Ryo's Father (baring his teeth, the air crackling with his power): "Enough, Keiko!"
The scarred woman's eyes widen, and she stumbles back as if struck. Ryo can almost see the unspoken history between these two—a history rooted in pain and fear.
Ryo's father turns to Ryo, his face a mask of regret. "Son, this isn't your fight. You don't have to..."
He trails off, unable to meet Ryo's gaze. The pieces click into place for Ryo. Ryo's father knows. He knows everything.
Ryo's father whispers to Yua silently as her eyes widen, but she nods silently.
Keiko (chuckling grimly as she backs away from the confrontation):
"You always were good at hiding, "Kujuro Kenzaki". But your lies can't shield him from her. Not anymore."
She slips into the shadows, vanishing without a trace. Ryo's chest is a tangle of emotions—betrayal, confusion, and a rising fear.
Kujuro stands there, shoulders slumped, looking older than he ever has. He doesn't meet Ryo's eye as he walks past without a word, leaving Ryo and Yua with more questions than answers.
Ryo can't handle the constant revelations as he eventually passes out on the spot.
🌀 End of Chapter Five