Ark 8 Episode 25: Blood In A Name

Participants
Ginsei Yanazuka (Shinto)

Darkness Again..
((http://www.listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=1LR_5BgRbkY)) “Ugh…” Ginsei slowly glanced around, seeing darkness around him. He was getting really tired of this scene that he was constantly met with. Nothing but darkness around him. He slowly slid his right hand through his bangs when a tree formed in front of him. The strong looking tree was covered in bright pink Sakura blossoms which seemed to glow. There was a single paper lantern hanging from one of the branches, giving the area a warm yellow glow. A slight breeze blew, causing the Sakura blossoms to sway, some of them floating away in the wind. Ginsei slowly walked up to the tree, glancing around, wondering what it was that was going to confront him this time. “Yanazuka…” A clear and calm voice spoke out from somewhere in the area. Ginsei glanced around, the voice seemed to carry itself on the breeze. “Ginsei. A boy born from a long line of Yanazuka men. Not all were worthy of the Yanazuka family name which was made and refined through blood shed and honor…” Ginsei looked at the tree before catching movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced to his left, seeing a man standing there, staring off into the distance.

Lineage
((http://anidream.net/_dr/35/69739878.jpg)) The man slowly turned his head to look at Ginsei, a small smirk on his face. His eyes were a red violet color, the same color Ginsei had noticed his eyes were turning… “I’m Seijin… Seijin Yanazuka.” The man fully turned towards Ginsei, beginning to slowly walk towards him. His arms were loosely crossed in front of his chest as he looked at Ginsei, the smirk still on his lips. “I see your eyes have finally reached their true color…” Ginsei eyed the man, unable to look away from this man who called himself Seijin Yanazuka’s eyes. “I’m sure you have questions, and they will be answered. The tale I have to tell is of your lineage and all we Yanazuka stood for.” ((http://www.listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=scBCf-Jfu4Y)) “The Yanazuka family line… Began long before this time… We’ve had a place in history since the sword was first carried by man. We’ve been swordsmen since the term was used. Those who carried the name Yanazuka were known for their black hair and their eyes. The eyes I have, the eyes you now have. Those red violet eyes were the signature of our clan as much as the symbol for fear we carried. Osore… The kanji for fear that you find so appealing was once the very symbol for the Yanazuka blood line.” He stared at Ginsei, watching for reactions though Ginsei’s face stayed blank as he listened. “The Yanazuka name… Was as sharp as any finely crafted katana. We were samurai to our core, holding honor above all else unless family became involved. We were devils on the battlefield, leaving trails of blood behind us whenever we stepped foot on a battlefield. Lords and Emperors tried to claim and tame us but we defied them unless they were able to earn our loyalty and when it was earned… No one touched our lord. We didn’t kill for a cause we thought was worthy, we slaughtered for it. Our souls were stained with blood and cleansed by our sense of honor.” ((http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/338/3/3/nurarihyon_no_mago___nura_rihan_by_minatosama207-d5n197j.png)) Smoke slowly formed around Seijin’s feet as a sheathed katana formed in his left hand. He held the sheath, slowly placing his right hand onto the hilt. He spoke as he slowly unsheathed the blade. “I could speak about our family… Your family… Yet you’ll know nothing unless you experience a true Yanazuka devil.”

A True Devil
((http://www.listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=sltGIbG657A)) “I, Seijin Yanazuka, was the Oni’s Blade.” He slashed his blade at the air, dropping the sheath which faded away as it left his hand. He gripped the hilt of the blade in his right hand as he faded away, the smoke covering the area. Ginsei looked around, quickly unsheathing Yuuyaiba in time to raise it diagonally in front of him, the tip of the blade facing the ground as Seijin’s blade met with his harshly, causing him to slide his left foot back a couple inches for extra support and stability. Seijin’s red violet eyes seemed to glow in the smoke as he stared into Ginsei’s eyes, his face utterly blank as he disappeared back into the smoke. Ginsei looked around, feeling a tiny sensation in the pit of his stomach as he felt a blade tear across his back from his left shoulder to his right hip. “Guh!..” Ginsei stumbled forward, slashing clockwise in a half circle, his blade meeting Seijin’s once more. He reached out with his left hand, gripping the bottom of Yuuyaiba’s hilt. He hardly ever used both hands with Yuuyaiba but this time… He felt that he’d need it. He and Seijin began slashing at one other, each hit meeting with a loud TING. Flashes of sparks would be seen if anyone else had been watching this exchange of slashes. Ginsei’s face was completely focused as he battled Seijin who was still holding his own blade with only his right hand, handling Ginsei’s two handed style with ease. “The Yanazuka family has grown so weak. You’re pathetic.” Seijin growled those words. He seemed to be utterly disgusted with how Ginsei was handling himself. Ginsei’s eyes seemed to flare with anger as he continued his furious battle with Seijin who seemed to be taking it easy. Ginsei didn’t realize that he was being pushed back during the exchange of blows but soon, his back met with the tree. He ducked down, leaping to his right as Seijin’s blade met with the tree, easily cutting a deep gash into it. Seijin glanced to his left at Ginsei as the smoke had finally cleared. The tree was covered in Ginsei’s blood, now bearing a deep gash that went right through the blood. Seijin’s face remained blank as he started to slowly walk towards Ginsei, his eyes seeming to burn into Ginsei’s soul. “Why’re you so weak?..” Seijin disappeared, appearing above Ginsei not even half a second later, slashing vertically downward at Ginsei with a vicious strike. Ginsei raised Yuuyaiba, holding it horizontally over himself to block the strike. His knees almost buckled as he blocked the strike, inwardly shocked at how much brute force and speed that Seijin had. Ginsei felt as if he were back in the human world, facing someone from this realm. He felt weak like he was just struggling to fight for his left. Seijin swung his left leg, harshly slamming it against the right side of Ginsei’s face, sending him tumbling to the left and to the ground. He rolled to his feet, barely dodging another downward slash from Seijin. ((www.youtuberepeat.com/watch?v=ImAjxKF_udA)) Seijin seemed to sigh as he glared at Ginsei, shaking his head slightly. “Fight you fool…” Seijin disappeared, appearing behind Ginsei, slashing horizontally towards Ginsei’s shoulder blade. Ginsei turned his body, barely blocking Seijin’s strike. Ginsei growled, a black color taking over the whites of his eyes as he activated his Kusei form. He felt as if he would only be able to go on the offensive in his Kusei form. He began slashing viciously at Seijin like he had against the armored Oni hunter. His arm was almost like a blur as he sent a flurry of slashes at Seijin who seemed to be blacking the slashes with ease. His face was blank as he moved his head slightly, occasionally dodging a stab. He seemed to move at normal speed as he blocked or parried each and every slash that Ginsei threw at him. Ginsei’s red violet aura formed around Yuuyaiba as the blade turned a solid black color, his Tsuiyasu YamiMikaduki taking over his blade. He continued his flurry of slashes and stabs, determined to hit Seijin and tear him to pieces. By some stroke of luck, a tiny cut formed across Seijin’s left cheek which only resulted in a small smirk as a tiny drop of blood rolled down his cheek. “If you really want to defeat me and prove your worth Ginsei… You’ll have to do better than that.” Seijin spoke simply as he faded away, appearing behind Ginsei. Ginsei disappeared as Seijin tried to slash him, his Kusei speed helping him out finally. He appeared behind Seijin and suddenly the two began a battle of speed. Each time one would appear to attack, the other would disappear. This went on for a few minutes as the two went at each other, occasionally a clash would be made before both of them would disappear. ((http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD8xrOCKbOI&list=UULJDuXIacY9eguFUS-iCrWw)) Seijin suddenly disappeared completely, leaving Ginsei looking around. Seijin appeared above Ginsei, slamming his right heel against Ginsei’s head with a drop kick, sending Ginsei rocketing down to slam against the ground. Ginsei slowly started to get up when Seijin appeared in front of him, slamming his foot against Ginsei’s face, sending him tumbling backwards, sliding across the ground on his back. Seijin grinned devilishly as darkness overtook the whites of his own eyes; the red violet color of his irises seemed to glow even more. He walked towards Ginsei slowly, propping the flat of his blade on his shoulder, the hilt of the blade was leaned against his palm.

Weakness
((http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRZ-zlw9D8A&list=UULJDuXIacY9eguFUS-iCrWw repeat if needed)) “Ginsei…” Seijin looked at Ginsei as he struggled to get up. “At this rate, you’ll never win; you’ll lose your life completely. If you were a true Yanazuka… You would be able to keep up with me. You’d be able to gain some sort of ground against me but you’re weak… You’re pathetic. The Yanazuka name holds no ground anymore does it? No one cares who carries the Yanazuka name or if a Yanazuka carries a blade do they?” A dark red violet aura began to slowly swirl around Seijin as he looked almost… Sad yet disgusted at the sight of Ginsei. I watched from this realm as your father grew up… I watched you grow up. From this place right here, leaning against that very tree that is now tainted by your weak blood. Your father was a poor excuse of a man yet in you… I saw the potential for a true Yanazuka to rise again but instead… You’ve become this pathetic excuse just like your father.” Seijin was now standing at Ginsei’s feet as Ginsei lay there, staring at the darkness above him, taking in all of Seijin’s words, a sort of sorrow filling his soul. “That power you used to defeat Konchi… THAT is the Yanazuka spirit in you… That is what you must access and use… You must take control of it.” ((http://data3.whicdn.com/images/59414142/thumb.jpg)) “If you can’t do that… Then you aren’t worthy to be a Yanazuka and I’ll end your life right here…” Seijin looked at Ginsei, a hint of sadness in his eyes. “In the pathetic state that my family name is in now… I’d rather end it than watch it continue to wither away into a pathetic existence.” Seijin slowly raised his blade over his head, having gripped the hilt of the blade once more. The sad look in his eyes only seemed to grow as he held his blade over his head. Ginsei looked at him, seeing the sad look in his eyes, remembering when he had struck his own father down in cold blood. He remembered as Heba slithered around his father’s body, pulling his head back just before Ginsei cut his head off. Ginsei then remembered the cavern he had been sent into by Konchi, how he could hardly even move, similar to now… He remembered as he had been overtaken by that strange form… The strange power he had accessed, the same power that Seijin had mentioned. The slaughtering of Konchi which was nothing but a blur to him suddenly became focused and clear, letting him remember exactly what happened as if he had been watching it from someone else’s eyes. He remembered how it felt, how he moved using it. He remembered down to the very last detail how he had used it.

Choosing To Fight
((http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5c_2tDQryE)) He slowly started standing, struggling for a second to get to his feet. Seijin watched him for a moment as the sadness left his eyes, pure curiosity filling them. “What is this then? Have you chosen to fight?” Ginsei looked up towards Seijin, the tie which held his ponytail together shredded to nothing, his hair falling to its full length before raising up, beginning to look like Seijin’s, minus the small ponytail underneath he mass of hair. His bangs had a slight curve to the left that slightly covered his eyes though they were still completely visible, especially the slight glow that they held. Seijin grinned for a split second before his face went blank again, the happiness he felt being concealed as he slashed his blade down harshly, only to be caught by Ginsei’s now raised left hand. He gripped Seijin’s blade as he stared into his eyes, standing to his full height. The violet red aura began swirling around him with a liquid like flow. “You… Say I’m weak? Unworthy of being a Yanazuka?.. I’ll show you… ‘Oni’s Blade’.” A single black wing erupted from the right side of Ginsei’s back before turning into a blade like the one he had used to kill Konchi. He suddenly disappeared without so much of a flicker or sound. He appeared behind Seijin, catching him off guard. He slashed vertically downward, sending his blade ripping through Seijin’s back, right beside his spine. Seijin roared out as he jumped away, blood starting to cover his kimono. Ginsei stared at Seijin, beginning to slowly walk towards him. The ground from where he had disappeared finally exploded, a small crater taking the place of the ground. A grin slid across Seijin’s lips as Ginsei disappeared once more, appearing in front of Seijin yet before he was able to react; Ginsei jammed his blade into Seijin’s gut, causing him to cough. Blood began rolling down Seijin’s bottom lip and chin as he grinned. ((http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr7k1T8w2es)) “That’s it…” Seijin coughed, blood spilling from his mouth. “Be a true Yanazuka… Ginsei… Yanazuka…” Ginsei pulled his blade from Seijin’s stomach, watching as he fell to the ground, slightly curling up as blood pooled underneath his body. ((http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/190/e/b/nura_rihan_by_shiraishiyuuna-d3lh6ab.png)) Seijin’s body slowly faded away, blood and all. Ginsei turned his back, the form fading way though unlike last time, he didn’t pass out. It was at that time that he got a strange feeling that something had disappeared. “Keyth…” Ginsei glanced off to the right, into the darkness as it faded away, revealing a kingdom in front of him. He saw a man walking into the doors of the kingdom, holding a staff, dressed in golden armor. This was the kingdom of the Emperor and the man walking into the doors, was the Emperor himself, Oujin Shishigami.