Date: Mon, 13 Feb 1995 16:06:45 -0600 Reply-To: AS930753@caper1.uccb.ns.ca Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: ALLEN GLENN LAURENS SMOLENAARS Subject: Coming of Age Well, this is my first "stab" at a highlander story, so any comments or anything would be greatly appreciated. There are no characters from the movies or series (I've only seen one episode, don't have cable :( ! ) and the rules are the same as the first movie. The usual violence that you'd expect, a little graphic, the odd head here and there. Hope you enjoy it. Here we go.... Chapter 1 Histories and Realities..... The woods were stark and bare, the darkness engulfing them with it's cloak of mystery. The lone hoot of an owl broke the stillness for an instant before the forest became silent again, like a tomb. Nothing moves, nothing stirred....there wasn't even any wind to push the branches of the trees. The only thing that broke the monotony of the night was a small wisp of smoke, travelling to it's destiny in the sky. At it's origin was an equally small fire. The flames threw their stark light across the small clearing where it was situated. In the shadows just beyond the range of the light, something moved. The shadow came within the light, almost as a part of the night itself come alive and detaching itself from it's folds. But this was no thing of the night come alive. This was a man....in it's broadest terms. Clothed completely in black, even his face was covered by a sash, leaving only his eyes to be seen. He moved like the wind, silent, steady. He seated himself in front of the fire Indian style, and began to skin the rabbit he had just caught. He set about his work with a steady, methodical rythm, borne from years of practice. As he prepared the rabbit for the fire, his thoughts wandered to the past. He could still see it clearly, as if it were yesterday....he stood at the kings side, one of the elite of his Japanese clan. He had been shown an especially high honor, to be chosen as one of the kings personal gaurds. He was but the son of a farmer, thought to grow into nothing more than a laborer. But his father had known that he would grow into something more....something special....and so it had come to pass. Scantly a week passed by before his training began, for the most part, as of all children at his age, training consisted of nothing more than a type of "baby aerobics". He laughed slightly at the thought. A mere child, a babe, being "trained"....he recalled nothing of those days....his earliest memories began less than 2 months after he began to walk. Gone were the days of being a helpless child, eating only certain foods, being pushed to seemingly infinite limits. No, now was the time that he would be pushed _beyond_ the limits. He was, of course, being trained to be an assassin....a ninja. He stuck the spit through the rabbit and began to slowly revolve it over the fire. He allowed his thoughts a brief respite before going back yet again.... How he had wanted to make his father proud. He had trained, he had pushed his endurance to the limits and beyond....he had felt the burning desire to be the best....and he fulfilled it. He quickly excelled in all the arts, from stealth to archery, from 1000 ways of weaponless death to sword-fighting. Sword-fighting. He absently reached over with his free hand to caress the hilt of his katana. The blade, made by his own hands over 950 years ago. How he wished that he could have that one day back....the day of the assault.... It came so quickly, nobody even thought that it was happening....the samurai's appeared and began cutting a swath towards the castle, towards the emporer. He had been chosen less than a week ago, but he knew that he had no real experience. But he felt no fear. This excited him, allowing him to prepare for the oncoming invasion. But it was hopeless....they were doomed from the start. When the first of the samurai's got into the castle, 2 of the other 4 gaurds went down in a volley of arrows. Only his great dexterity allowed him to dodge the arrows as he worked his way towards the invaders. 2, 3, 4 went down to his sword swipes and he began to feel that the invasion may be quelled. But as he glanced to his left, he saw Horoko, his freind, his companion, impaled on a pike. Screaming madly, he rushed the samurai, slicing off his left arm at the elbow before bringing the sword back across for a slash across the chest, tearing open the lungs and filling them with blood. The samurai dropped to the floor, and he cradled his friends head in his arms, but he was too late....Horoko had died instantly. He turned, seeing the last gaurd fighting for his life against an unheard of number of people....how had they gotten by the traps? No matter, they were here now. He lept into the fray and took another gaurd with a well placed sword thrust through the stomach, then, withdrawing the blade and whirling around, slashed the throat of another. He twisted around, trying to see what was happening. He found that he was alone. Alone against an enormous squad of kamikaze samurai. He no longer cared. He flew towards the nearest one, planning to alleviate him of his head, when the arrow flew threw his chest. He fell to his knee, ripping the arrow out and knew he was going to die. That was his last thought as a sword ripped into his back. The rabbit was beginning to char. He quickly removed it from the flames and began to chew on the meat. He will never forget the feeling that he experienced.... He awoke the next day, still sore, still covered in blood, but miraculously, alive. He could not understand why, but he was alive. Slowly he got up, and saw to his dismay, the kings body, lying on the floor, less than 10 feet away....they had taken no pains to be sure that the old king would never breathe on this earth again. He stumbled out the door, picking up his sword on the way, and was greeted by a world darkened....darkened by smoke. They had wiped out the entire village. Noth ing was left. Livestock, men, women, children, nothing. That which could not be killed was burned or taken. Then he remembered. Father! He raced to where his home had once stood, where he had lived all of his 23 years, and found, in it's place, a smoldering ruin, with three charred bodies laying just out of sight near the back. His mother....father....and his sister. She had celebrated her 12th birthday only three days ago, and in her blackened hands she still held the gift he had given her. The small silver locket that he had made for her. Tears of rage filled his eyes. "I swear, by all that I have lost, that I will avenge the death of my family! I swear.....I swear....", and he lost himself to his grief. Yes, he remembered, I swore. I swore on my family name and honor, that I, Nakota Kuyamota, would get revenge. So many years ago. So many deaths ago. He remembered still, his first quickening. It came at the hands of the man who told him of his new life, his "mentor". Ganto had taught him of his new life, being immortal. Oh, he had rejected it at first, but then he began to see the possibilities. He was taught the rules and other things he needed to know to survive. But Ganto failed to notice something. The bitterness still lived in Nakota, and it lived there to this day. When Ganto told him he was leaving, he asked what would happen if they were the last two left. "We would have to fight it out for the prize, Nakota. It is the only way, for there can be only one." "Well," replied Nakota, "there is one less already." While the look of shock spread across Ganto's face, Nakota swung his sword up and over, trying to get a quick and easy kill. But Ganto was not one to be caught off gaurd so easily. He quickly countered the thrust, and knowing of his opponent's inexperience, Disarmed him with a quick swiping motion. Nakota, a look of shock permeating his features now, stared as Ganto raised his sword back and prepared to behead him. "There can be only one...." he whispered. "But it shall not be you!" retorted Nakota, quickly releasing a shuriken throwing star, which imbedded itself in Ganto's eye. Screaming in pain and fury, he fell to the ground and Nakota seized his sword and with a quick slash, left Ganto a memory. "Thank you, old man for teaching me. But you were not as wise as you thought...." Lightening was beginning to form and Nakota watched in anticiaption as Ganto's body was ungulfed in a white energy. The lightening streaked out of the sky, striking him, causing his body to jerk. The Quickening, he thought wildly. "Yes! YES!!" he screamed as the feeling of power flooded through his body. Then, as suddenly as it started, it was over. Nakota lay on the ground for several moments afterwards and allowed his body to adjust. So this is my new found life, he thought. And so it was to this day. He showed no mercy, and expected none. He knew he was the fastest Immortal, but also knew that there were more skilled Immortals, looking for him, searching for him. He welcomed the chance to take their heads, to pit his skill against someone worthy of a fight. It was these thoughts and his brief reverie of his past that did not allow him to hear the sounds of movement until too late. he whirled around, grabbing his sword and brought it upright into a fighting position. "Hello, Ninja. It has been many years...." To be continued in Chapter 2.....Fights and Submissions =========================================================================