My Brother's Keeper

[Ryu // Kazu]

"Alright, I want to see the Phoenix style perfected by each and every one of you. All of you have been here for at least a year and have trained under me every day. There is no reason why this style shouldn't be second nature to you. Now, again! Place your pivot forward and follow my motions instinctively."

Ryumo separated both of his feet and stood firmly. Both of his feet faced forward and he breathed deeply. Then without warning, he stretched out his right fist, sending a quick wave of flame directly in front of him. With the flame suspended in the air, Ryumo stretched out both of his hands and began to move them in a circular motion around the flaming matter. The fire began to spin, gaining velocity the faster Ryumo moved his hands.

"Once the flame is controlled, you should realize that your movements are syncronized. You control the flame, it is not a wild character. It is a symbol of your inner strength, the power to control yourself and your surroundings at will. If you do not master this now, there is no way that you will be able to battle outside of these grounds. Watch closely."

Ryumo clenched both of his fists and punched the spiraling sphere of fire into the air. The ball shot straight up, screaming towards the clouds. Ryumo focused his eyes on the ball and then spoke lowly to his students.

"And then...you finish it."

He clasped both of his hands together and instantly the ball exploded, resembling a star's supernova. He then inhaled and waved both of his hands in front of the sight of flame. The flame then dissipated and was no more. Ryumo turned to his students and stood there quietly for a moment.

"Today, I want you to ponder the very mind of a warrior. What is the main focus of a warrior?"

A warrior with dirty blond hair stood forward and saluted him. "Master! The main focus of a warrior is respect!"

Ryumo nodded and pointed to the soldier. "Correct. But, respect for whom?"

The soldier pondered this for a moment and then looked up, apparently confident with his answer. "Yourself and your enemy!"

Ryumo spoke lowly. "Once again, that is correct. Respect for yourself is a given. But respect for your enemy...that is almost a virtue. If you do not respect your enemy, that will lead you to underestimation. And if you underestimate your enemy, you will surely die. No matter what I tell you about an enemy, you will never, ever know what an enemy is thinking or prepared to do to you! You can prepare yourself all you want, but let me tell you...it's always a battle to the death. Near death situations can lead to desperation. And we all know what damage an enemy can do in desperate times. You've felt it. The adrenaline that pumps through your body when a blade narrowly misses your throat, the thrill of blocking an arrow and destroying your enemy...." Ryumo trailed off and then removed one of his daggers. The blade sang as it was removed from it's sheath and allowed to gleam in the sunlight of the training grounds. He ran his finger along the edge and then looked at each of the students. They looked back at him in earnest, waiting for his words. Instead, he saluted them with the formal Burning Legion salutation. He clenched his left fist and placed it in the center of his open right palm, and then he bowed. The students mimicked his movements with unified grace.

"Dismissed. Return to your barracks," Ryumo said lowly.

The students bowed and walked away from the training grounds, each marching in their own designated line. Ryumo sheathed his blade and sighed as he noted the present emptiness of the area. He exited the grounds and found himself in the center of the fortress market. Panting was heard behind him as Bato, the humorous Plains messenger, nearly bumped into him. He was carrying a large scroll that was marked with the new seal of the Earth Kingdom.

"Master Ryumo! Phew, I almost thought you had left for a moment. Anyway, remember the background information you requested on that man?"

Ryumo's eyes widened as he turned and faced Bato. "...Yes. Yes, what did you find?"

Bato opened the scroll and squinted his eyes. "Well, I found that he is in fact alive."

Ryumo's face turned a shade of pale as he backed away from Bato and gritted his teeth. "Are you sure that this information is correct? Not some sort of mixup?"

"Well, you sent seven spies. I'm sure that seven spies that are all saying the same thing would be lying," Bato said with a laugh.

Ryumo tapped a foot and looked at the ground and spoke once more. "Well, where is he?"

Bato shrugged and began to read through the scroll once more. "...mm...it says here that he is at the border between the Earth Kingdom and the Plains. Almost here."

[Ryu // Kazu]

~~ Chapter II ~~

Reunion of Dark Hearts

Ryumo's demeanor became hardened as he acknowledged the messenger's foreshadowing words.

"Almost...here? How far? I need statistics, measurements, time limits! Estimations on how fast he could get here."

Bato nervously stood before Ryumo and shrugged. "I say...he could get here in five days if he continues the civilian route through the border. It's easy to travel there."

Ryumo's eyes traced the ground for a momen before he walked away from the messenger, rage and anger welling deep inside of his heart and conscience. So much confusion! Why is this happening to me!? Out of all the things I've experienced in my life, I never would have foreseen this. It's not possible...it's not! And I refuse to believe it...I refuse to accept it! Bato called out to Ryumo.

"Master Ryumo! Don't you want the-"

Ryumo turned slowly and Bato stepped back as he saw the rageful glow in his master's eyes. He didn't know why his master had sent spies to follow this...civilian! There was no record of any wrongdoing, and it the way his master reacted to the man's name disturbed him. "Zasume." He didn't know if the name held some symbolic meaning or if the man owed Ryumo something. There was something definitely wrong, but he wouldn't investigate. He wasn't going to get himself killed.

~~

A bell rang three times throughout the fortress, and the warriors inside recognized what this meant. Advanced sparring would begin as scheduled. Ryumo clenched his fists as he made his way to to the sparring arena, where a nicely sized crowd had gathered to watch Ryumo face the top Burning Legion competitors. Ryumo silently made his way through the cheering crowd as he fought back the need to scream out his frustrations. He looked in front of him and saw his newest competitor stretching. A built man that seemed a few years older than Ryumo with jet black hair practice various Ashida combos that were familiar to Ryumo. His eyes and Ryumo's eyes met, and the man grinned confidently. Ryumo answered with an icy stare that made the man's demeanor fade. Haniro, one of the older men of the Burning Legion, stepped in with his hands cupped over his mouth, acting as an announcer.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! It is once again time to see the advanced fighters take their places in the arena. Our very own Ryumo Quan has made his way through the ranks to make himself known as one of the best fighters in the Burning Legion. But he will have to face Takio Mishida! The self proclaimed "Eagle Claw" of the Plains! We'll see how this plays out once the fight begins." Haniro motioned for both fighters to come to the middle of the ring. The fighter did a front flip to the middle of the ring to impress the crowd, while Ryumo simply walked to Haniro. Haniro looked at both of them.

"Ok, you know the rules for the fights. Martial arts techniques only. No bending, no weapons, just hand to hand. No dirty shots including sand kicking or crotch shots. You will be disqualified if found guilty of foul play. Understand?"

Both fighters nodded and backed away from each other as the crowd size grew in number. Ryumo clenched his fists at his sides, while his opponent approached an open palm stance. Haniro yelled out a loud HAI! and the battle began. Takio rushed Ryumo with a scissor kick that would have rivaled Ryumo's Airbending comrade Aiden. Ryumo channeled his rage into his hands and threw a punch at Takio's stomach. The hit connected, but it only made Takio land harder than intended. He grinned and launched two punches and a flying knee that almost connected with Ryumo's chest. Ryumo put up both of his palms and pushed the knee back down. Then, he followed this defensive technique with a riveting palm strike to Takio's face. The smack from the attack made Takio grunt audibly, but he recovered nicely. That attack had made him a bit angry and he intended to make Ryumo pay for it. Ryumo's frustration was still within him, and now it was at a point where he was about to burst. He wanted to end this. And he knew he could.

And indeed he would.

Ryumo did something that was out of his character. He went on the offensive with movement so fast, you would have had to stare to see his technique. He launched a flying kick that he knew Takio would block, and then followed up with another kick to knock him off balance. It worked, and Takio stumbled backwards. Ryumo knew that his end was near. As soon as Taki's chest was exposed, Ryumo let loose a barrage of punches that made the skin on Takio's chest ripple and bruise, a sight that was a bit disturbing to the squeamish. Ryumo's breath quickened as he sped up his attacks, each punch switching between open palm and closed fists. Takio crossed his arms to block the punches, but Ryumo punched them too until he released his defenses. Takio's right arm cracked and he let out a pain filled yell that made Haniro cringe. Then Ryumo let out a yell that released his distress, anguish, and pain all in one motion. And then he struck out into Takio's face.

There was a sickening crunch that made Ryumo reel his hand back in surprise. What had he done? Takio's chin had a large indention in it that seemed to be turning purple. Ryumo had busted a blood vessel. Takio flew backwards and rolled a few feet in front of Haniro. The crowd's yelling grew quiet for a moment, stunned by the sudden change in character from Ryumo. He had never experienced such violent power, a power that was useful but made him feel sick to the very core of his being. It wasn't natural. It was...dark. Very dark and distressing.

Haniro stood over Takio and raised a right hand. "It looks like...Ryumo Quan is the victor!" The crowd exploded into applause. Ryumo looked at his hand and noted the various spatters of blood on them. Why am I fueled by such hatred and rage...it's despicable... what monster have I become..? Ryumo felt tears well up in his eyes, so he quickly made his way through the crowd, shrugging off pats on the backs and positive comments. He didn't ask about the condition of Takio. He just wondered how his own mental state would fare.

[Ryu // Kazu]

~~ Chapter III ~~

A Mere Memory

Ryumo sat in his meditative position and blinked his eyes several times to hold back the tears. There were too many things bearing down on him. Each thought stabbed into his mind as if his conscience was made of cotton.

Zasume. Zasume. Zasume Izeniku Quan. My brother.

Just thinking of his brother made his rage flare within him. The rage seemed to consume his being like light upon a fleeting shadow. It was an enormous burden that crushed Ryumo and only made him angrier. But why? Zasume was supposed to be dead. He had killed him...hadn't he? YES! He was sure of it. How could he not? He remembered it clearly.

~~

Ryumo crawled away from his brother slowly, blood dripping down his face and onto the floor below him. His brother followed the trail of blood with a simple limp. The scene was beyond gruesome. The two brothers' blood was splayed upon the wooden floorboards of the house like a brutal display of art on an endless canvas. Ryumo's breath came and went quickly as his lungs heaved at an incredible pace. He had never been in so much pain in his life. The open gash that trailed from above his left eye to underneath his eyes seemed to release blood at a steady pace. Ryumo covered his eye with one hand and used his free arm to pull himself away from his brother, who continued to near him relentlessly. Zasume was not unscathed. His scarlet tattoos seemed to hide hide the various streaks of blood upon his body. He held the katana that bore the Quan name in his right hand while his left hand was flaring with a bright orange flame. The flame was so intense that the embers dripped onto the wooden floor beneath him, leaving a trail of holes behind him. Ryumo's right eye was filled to the brim with fear. If one looked closely, he could see the steady stream of tears that streaked the face of this disheartened youth.

"I hate you..." Ryumo whispered. "I hate you so damn much Zasume...I DESPISE you! You're not my brother...you're some sick fuck who doesn't give a damn about anyone..."

"REALLY, Ryu? I don't care about anyone? Are you not alive right now?"

"What are you talking abou-"

"Answer me!" Zasume's chest heaved as he screamed these words at his younger brother.

Ryumo sat motionless for a moment before answering. "Yes..."

"I could have killed you, Sai. I could have ended your life right then and ther, but instead I gave you mercy. There is nothing that I can do that will change what has happened in the past. I admit what I did was horrible. Monstrous and evil, it was....and I regret it with every fiber of my being. Even if I apologize, it won't help our situation. You're making a mistake, Sai. Murder only brings you closer to that which you hate. I know I sound hypocritical, which is understandable. But listen to your blood for one moment!"

Ryumo dropped his hand from his eye and let them both widen in disgust as he looked at his brother. "You have no right to categorize yourself with the others! You killed them all...all of them, Zasume. AND FOR WHAT? Some...some man who promised you wealth? Well, you have your fucking wealth, Zasume. Wallow in it. How does it feel too bathe in the blood of generations of families? Does it excite you?" Ryumo bit his lip until the familiar metallic taste of his own blood was recognized by his tongue. He stood up quickly and groaned as he did so. Every pain and wound on his body was now being concentrated into his stability. His vision hazed as he eyed Zasume. Zasume looked at his brother with eyes that seemed to bleed with guilt and sadness. There was no turning Ryumo.

".....Let us finish this," Zasume said lowly. He gripped the blade in his hand and raised his blazing hand.

Ryumo clenched both of his fists and immediately fire covered them. The two brothers stood before each other for a long moment before Ryumo let out a scream that seemed inhuman. Indeed it was. The scream was a mix of anger, hatred, sadness, confusion, unadultered violence, anguish....and love. Ryumo closed the gap between them and ducked underneath the horizontal blade strike by Zasume. Ryumo brought both of his fists up towards Zasume's face, but Zasume quickly blocked it. As a counterattack, Zasume simply brought his arm down upon Ryumo's hands, which worked as he wanted them to. Ryumo cried out as his knuckled popped and he wasn't prepared for the next attack. Zasume looked away as he drove his flaming fist into Ryumo's stomach and brought him off of the ground, following the floating attack with a vicious axe kick. Zasume's heel slammed into Ryumo's back and Ryumo soon met the floor.

The wood splintered instantly as the force from Ryumo's body broke the wood into pieces. The small splinters stabbed into Ryumo and all he could do was gasp as blood continued to flow from his body. To relieve some of his pain, he rolled onto his back and stared at Zasume. Zasume did nothing as he watched his brother writhe in pain. He was simply going to walk away until he looked closely at his brother. He wasn't writhing. He was building up all of his energy into his hands. Zasume's eyes flared as he spoke.

"Ryumo, stop this now! Expulsion will kill you if you aren't ready! Stop it now, I beg of you!"

Ryumo's vision hazed over as unconsciousness began to grasp his body. "I truly hate you, Zasume...go to hell. Please..." And with that, all of Ryumo's energy burst from his hands in a wonderous glory of fire.

~~

By the time Ryumo had finished reminiscing, tears had already begun to flow freely from his eyes. He was no longer in his meditative position. No. This was no time to meditate.

[Ryu // Kazu]

~Chapter IV~

The Split Decision

The broken man sat in the middle of his tent, his face blank and his mouth closed as the same thoughts in his conscience were joined by fresh ideas and plots. Plots that were totally and utterly forbidden by his master and country. Thoughts he wouldn't have ever considered in the past, nor would he have ever considered acting upon. The man's mind was split, torn between two decisions, and only one side was truly led by the heart that he so longed for. Ryumo's arms hung limply at his side as he looked at the somewhat patterned dirt ground below him, his eyes searching for something in particular but finding nothing but the same thing. He pondered his two choices to himself.

Fateful Purpose

They need you here. Ryu, how foolish of you to even consider leaving the Execution Squad? The sheer thought of the consequences of betraying your brothers and sisters. It is unheard of. Your memories are for naught in the wake of the battle in front of you. The Rift is open, the portals are still being ripped open by the demons, and humanity needs as many warriors as they can to bring the spirits to their knees. Has Sanosuke taught you nothing? You would dare to even defy the nations before you in a brief fit of rebellion that would surely end your life in a fateful manner? Such foolishness should not even be tolerated in the presence of ultimate authority. You're pondering betrayal, not freedom. Betrayal! It will bring you to an absolute end, I assure you.

Dreams

I need to get out of here. I can't stand it. I can't stand holding those blades in my hands anymore. God, the spilling of blood used to make my heart rush with anticipation of another life worth taking, but now my heart beats out of pity for my lack of judgement. I am disgusted with myself. The very thought of the number of lives on my hand makes me feel ill. And it was all my idea. Revolution...ha! I've spurred more bloodshed than when the Fire Lord was the leader of this nation. I do not regret killing him, but I do regret what I have become because of it. A quite literal zombie in the eyes of my master and brethren. I love them, the spirits know I do. But..fuck. Fuck! Why am I even in this position? Not only am I worrying about this, but now I have Zasume to attend to. Gods, this is not falling like I want it to, not at all. I..I need to speak to Sanosuke about my choices...hopefully he will grant me with a bit of wisdom. Yes. Yes, that will do nicely.

Ryumo slowly stood from his sitting position and looked around his residence. His eyes locked onto his traveling pack and he walked over to it slowly. His hands traced the length of the right strap before he opened the empty pack and sighed. ".....time to pack."

~End~