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				Main Site Navigation Home Fan Art Gallery Game Reviews About RPGenesis Link Title here Contact Us Forum Hiroshi's World Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Gaming Platforms Playstation Portable Nintendo DS Playstation 2 Xbox Gamecube Credits Site ©ms_nintendo Layout © Oritsuru
	Hiroshi's World! Chapter Ten: Wasted Talent Where we last left off, Shiro had approached the group for an unsuspected battle. It appeared that Shiro's intentions were not to retrieve the book that was stolen, but to slay the theives that stole it! Even when Orochi handed Shiro the book, so that he would spare Sakura's life, Shiro took it and slashed it to bits! Jerk. Orochi managed to chase Shiro off, but failed in finishing off the fiend. Now that the heroes no longer had a sense of direction, they sat around in the Momorin Ruins, pondering their next move. Sakura: It bothers me... how Shiro's trying to kill us... Rikku: It does a lot more than bother me, that's for sure. Sakura: No... I mean, why? All we did was steal a stupid book! Is that really demanding a death penalty? I thought the maximum punishment for stealing was 200 lashes, or having to sit on that pointy wooden horse... Kajin: Um... Sakura, the horse is only a punishment given to men. Sakura: Huh? Why? Oh, wait... I get it. Orochi: Stop joking around! We have to figure out where we go from here! Rikku: Can't you just chill for once? How are we supposed to figure out where we're going anyway?! Sakura: Well... even though we don't have the book, we still have the map. We'll just have to look around and hope we'll find some clues... Kajin: What?! Do you know how many cities and towns there are JUST in this continent? There are hundreds!! We can't just go to every single one! That'll take forever! Sakura: I... guess you're right... Orochi: It is true that it will take a long time... nevertheless, it is our only path to follow. Where's the nearest city from these ruins, other than Utsumora? You guys have to be treated properly... there weren't enough bandage rolls to fix you all up, so I used some makeshift leaves and an herbal ointment for you, Kajin. Kajin: Uggh... eww... I was wondering why I smelled like chlorophyll... Hey! Why did it have to be ME who got stuck with the leaves?!?! Sakura: Hmm... I do see a dot marking a city on this map... but the writing is pretty damaged. I can't read the name. I guess this map is as old as your dad, Rikku. Rikku: And as unreliable. Kajin: WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME?!?!?! The group decided to head for their unknown destination. The dot was pretty small, actually. Smaller than a town, even. As Sakura followed the trail marked on the map, she wondered how small this area was. What could you even call an area smaller than a town, anyway? Kajin: I bet it's just an outhouse or something... Sakura: Well, I'm sure we could all use a pit-stop... Rikku: Hey, Sakura... look! There are a lot of other small dots, too! There's one about 50 miles away, and-- Orochi: Heh, great. Sakura: But the names on the dots aren't damaged like this one. They all say... Asukane. Could it be that they're all branches of one big city? Orochi: That is a possibility. However... maybe they are different meeting locations for a certain group of people. Such as a ninja or theif clan, or a group of researchers or something... whatever they are, they're nomadic. Kajin: So... that means they don't live in just one area, right? They keep moving from one to another. I guess all those dots are their secret bases or something... Suddenly, a cracking sound of a twig caught the attention of Orochi's pointed ears. Though Orochi appeared to be human, upon close inspection, it was noteable that his ears were pointed, rather than rounded like a human's. His reflexes made him pull a hidden kunai from inside his sleeve, and he threw it blindly in the direction that he heard the noise. He heard a faint screeching sound, and then followed the smell of blood to whoever was spying on them... Orochi: Ah-HAH! Hiding in the bushes are we? Right next to that dead rodent! Sakura: Um... Orochi... the spy isn't hiding in the bushes, you just killed that squirrel. Orochi was overcome with both embarassment and frustration. Orochi: Damn... first I couldn't finish off that bastard Shiro, and now I finish off anything BUT Shiro! UGGHG!!! Sakura: Orochi... you did the best that you could... Rikku: She's right, you know. We're all alive thanks to you, isn't that all that matters? So what if Shiro got away? Staying alive is our most important priori--... huh? There was another sound, deep inside a nearby forest. It sounded like footsteps. And they were moving pretty quickly. Orochi: listening carefully Those footsteps... they're moving in our direction! Away from the closest Asukane area! They looked through the forest for what was making those footsteps. Though... they didn't really know what they were looking for. Kajin: Hey, Orochi! Don't go paranoid again on us again! Who knows? This time you might kill a human child! Orochi: Why you little... Rikku: Speak of the devil! Look at this! They found a young human boy, sitting under a tree, looking utterly afraid to be randomly confronted by a scar-faced half-demon, a perverted theif, an adolescent with a large bow and arrows made of steel, and a young girl with a staff. A really big staff. It looked as if he was previously just lounging about, trying to find his way through the forest. Orochi: DAMMIT!! It's just a kid!! Rikku: Shut up, Orochi! You might scare him! Kajin: Hey, kid! Don't be scared of us, we just thought you were someone else, that's all. Sakura: We're sorry if we scared you. We don't mean any harm at all. The boy was comforted, and looked up at the group. He had an adorable pair of eyes, and their colour was a mixture of sky blue and green. His skin was a pale colour, and his hair was an unnatural shade of steelblue. It was kept short, and spiked up. He wore a ragged archer's tunic, with some samurai plates on his arms, chest, back, and legs. He appeared to be around 9 or 10 years of age. Kajin: That's a killer outfit you got there. Where are you from? Boy: I'm... I'm from... Asukane... I'm... Orochi noticed another thing about the boy's appearance. His ears... were pointed. Orochi: So... you're not a human child, are you. But... you don't really smell like a demon. Boy: H-Huh? How can you tell? Orochi: Because I am a demon. Boy: No... you are a half-demon. Kajin: What? How do you know that? Boy: The mana in your body is unstable. If you truly are able to identify someone's race by the scent of their blood, even with this fault, then you are indeed a half-demon. Rikku: Wow! But... how do you know that his mana is unstable? Sakura: That is because... he is an elf. Rikku: An ELF?!??! Sakura, that's impossible! Elves don't live in Gaia! Their existence is a mere myth. Sakura: I remember once back in Kozuka when I was reading an ancient legend about the elves... it said that they were able to detect mana in other living beings, and be able to manipulate and materialize their own mana and use it as a weapon. This is because their biological structure is different from a regular human being's... they not only have a blood stream, but also a mana stream. Thus, they also have a second heart, made out of pure mana. It pumps mana to every part of the body rather than pumping blood. Boy: You're... pretty smart. I didn't think anyone knew anything about elves on Gaia. What you say... is true. I am an elf. However... in my childhood, I got separated from my home village. I don't really remember why or how, but when I woke up one day I just found myself in one of the Asukane camps. Kajin: So they're camps? Boy: Yeah, camps of the Asukane Clan. They're not a ninja clan or theif clan or anything like that... they're a clan of hunters. Going from place to place, hunting animals for food and for a profit. They raised me like one of them. The boy had a bow strapped to his back, and a case of arrows. However, the arrows were different than typical arrows. They were made of a much stronger steel than Rikku's arrows, and the arrowheads were made out of a slightly weaker steel. They didn't look like weapons that a regular hunter would use. Rikku: You said you got separated from your village, right? Were there elves back in your hometown? Boy: Yes, or at least... I think there were. My memories of the past fade more and more with each passing day. Sakura: And... you said you got lost in your childhood. Aren't you still a child now? Boy: Well... my comrades don't consider me a child anymore. I'm thirteen. Orochi: What?! I could have sworn you were at least 9 or 10 years old... Boy: Elves have a much slower growth than humans and demons. Thus, we have a much longer lifespan. Rikku: So... are you out hunting or something? Boy: Yes. Well... I'm already finished, so I'm going back to the campsite. He had a pile of dead fish inside a net. Some looked like they had been charred, others like they were freezing cold. He clearly had not used a fishing rod... Orochi: Sorry if it's too much trouble, but could we come with you? I'd like to speak to your people for some directions. Boy: Um... sure. The five of them walked deeper into the thicker parts of the woods. They almost could have sworn they stepped on a dead ferret. Just when they thought the woods couldn't get any thicker, a husky deep voice sounded from a nearby tent. A man dressed in the same attire as the young boy, along with many other similarly dressed men, seemed particularly angry at the young boy the heroes were accompaning. Boss: SHINJI!!! What took you so long?!? We're starving!! looking behind boy And who are these people? Shinji: I'm sorry, Boss... I got a little sidetracked during the hunting, that's all. These guys are travellers that I met in the forest. They mean no harm; they just want directions. Boss: Heh, lost? Not very good travellers then, are ya? Look, we're having dinner now, so why don't you just come back later? I'd be happy to give you guys directions then. Shinji: Erm... Boss, couldn't they just join us? I'm sure it wouldn't be too much trouble... Orochi: Oh, no that's alright, we really couldn-- OWW!! Kajin gave him a sharp nudge in the arm. Kajin: whispering it's FREE FOOD, you idiot!! They all sat around a high flag pole. The flag had the word "Asukane" written in the Kanji script, very clearly and largely. These people were clearly very proud of their clan name, and their nomadic culture. The boy, Shinji, sat in between the Boss and Sakura. Everyone was eating Shinji's voluminous bounty. For a kid, he truly was a skilled hunter. It was a shame his archery skills were wasted on something so primitive. Sakura: It sounds like the people here depend on your hunting skills the most, Shinji. Shinji: Yeah... it's because the mana in my body gives me extra power and more precise aim. I can't help but feel I may have an unfair advantage over the rest... Sakura: You shouldn't be sorry for that, Shinji. Talent is a blessing, that only certain people are allowed to have, or earn. We should all embrace our gifts rather than using them as an excuse to feel bad about ourselves... well, at least that's what I believe. Shinji: Really? I... never thought about that. You sure are wise, Sakura. Do you... know that from personal experience? Sakura: Not at all. I was always the talentless person in my shinobi village. I just... couldn't do ninjutsu! Even though I did the hand seals and incantations properly, they just... didn't work. Sometimes I felt like someone up there just didn't want me to succeed. Like everyone was out to get me or something. My life... was a true hell. Orochi: You think YOUR life was bad? You're not the one who woke up from his nap to find everyone DEAD! Kajin: And you're not the one who's village got cooked like a steak while you were on vacation! Rikku: Heh... stealing's a vacation? Shinji: Wow... I don't know how I'd be able to move on like you guys have, if that kinda stuff happened to me... Sakura: No one really moves on in life... from anything. There's always a part of them that clings to the past. Even if it's just a tiny part of them, you'd have to be either pretty heartless or pretty strong to completely move on and forget... Just then, many of the other hunters started to go back into their tents. The sun was already setting, surprisingly. They didn't realize how late it was getting. Boss: All right, kiddos. So ya need directions, eh? What are ya lookin' for? Sakura: Well, to tell you the truth... Rikku: We were kind of hoping you could tell us. Boss: Uh... what? Sorry, I'm a little confused. Orochi: Sakura... tell him. Sakura: I'm... Sakura of the Kozuka Clan. Though... I'm not a ninja, I'm a summoner. And... uh... we were hoping your clan would be able to help us find the Guardian Spirits. I've already found two: Pyros, the Guardian of Fire and Zephyr, the Guardian of Wind. We had a book called the "Oracle of Summoners" that we were using to help us find them, but it was taken and slashed to bits. Now we have no sense of direction whatsoever. I was... hoping that you may know of some stories even, of any of the Guardian Spirits. Boss: Wow, I... really don't know what to say! I thought summoners left our world a long time ago! Rikku: Yeah. It's a bit strange, really. Sakura is the only one who is able to wear that necklace points to Sakura's necklace and she's the only one capable of wielding that staff points at staff. She's able to call forth the Guardian Spirits from the jewels in her necklace. If there's anything about the Guardian Spirits you could tell us, please do... Boss: Well... I know that only four of the Guardian Spirits of Gaia live here, in the Eastern Contintent. The other four are said to dwell in the Western Contintent, which is on the other side of the world. It is nearly impossible to travel there, actually. It is said that even the angels, with their powerful and majestic wings, can't even fly over the Sea of Gaia; the barrier between the two continents. Orochi: I wonder what the Western Continent is like... and how it's different from ours. Kajin: thinking to self I wonder what kind of women they have there... Boss: I'm not finished... it is also said that the spirits form a set pattern in their locations on their continents... there is said to be a Guardian on the northern, southern, eastern, and western-most points of both continents. I don't know if it's true, but... it's all I can really do to help you. Sakura: That's more than enough information for us. You've been a great help, Boss! Boss: No problem youngin'! So... you folks heading out while the sun's still on its toes? Sakura: Yeah. We have to get moving. Boss: It seems kind of pointless, really. Once the sun goes down, you're toast. There isn't another suitable rest stop for another 20 miles or so. Why don't you just stay here with us for the night? Orochi: I... guess that wouldn't hurt. Thank you for your hospitality, Boss. Early in the morning, Sakura was the first to wake up. She prodded the others with her staff, and they woke up as well. The Boss came out of his tent coincidentally. Shinji was sitting under a tree, inconspicuous in the shadows of dawn. Boss: Before you all leave, there is a favour I have to ask of you. Sakura: Hmm? What is it? Boss: Shinji... please take him along with you. Sakura, Rikku, Orochi, Kajin: WHAT?!?!?!??! Boss: I have to admit... Shinji is an impressive fighter. His talents are being wasted on our clan. I think it's better for him if he were to fight alongside you guys than with us. He needs to fight... for something worth fighting for. We've done all we can do to raise him, but Shinji has grown up a lot. Things are different. I want Shinji to learn to embrace his skills and differences, by using them to help you change the world. Shinji: But... Boss...!! Kajin: Oh please, Rikku doesn't eat children... if that's what you were thinking. Rikku: What's THAT supposed to mean, you pervert?!?! Boss: Shinji... haven't you always wanted to find your old home? Find out where you really came from? Sakura: I'm on the same mission as you, Shinji. I was found outside my village, and raised as a ninja. Now I'm trying to find out where I really came from, and who I'm really supposed to be, while on my journey to save the world! Shinji, you won't be alone. We'll all be right there, by your side the whole way! Shinji: R-Really? But... what if I'm a burden or something... Orochi: Your Boss has pretty much convinced us that you won't be. We... believe in you, Shinji. Orochi felt a bit awkward saying something like that. It was as if it slipped out of his mouth unintentionally. Shinji: I... I guess I'd like to come along... Rikku: That's the spirit! Sakura: Welcome to the group, Shinji! Shinji, the young elven boy was now a part of the quest to find and unseal the Guardian Spirits of Gaia. Will he really be a burden? Or will he prove to have unknown powers that outshine the others? Are his archery skills as impressive as Rikku's? The heroes have not only found a sense of direction, but they've also found a new friend. What will be in store for them next? Find out in the next chapter of Hiroshi's World.