Ryuu closed his eyes as he began to feel exhausted. He focused on saving his energy as he began to meditate. "I am from a time long ago, when honor was something expected of a man," he said in reply. His eyes shifted slightly under his eyelids, "but I guess I can assist you in this attack if lives depend on it, my purpose is protection, first and foremost."
[ QUOTE ]
Hmm, so he doesnt quite understand whats going on
typical, Jase thought as he listened to Hikarus words...
[/ QUOTE ]
((OOC: What exactly were my words? 
OOC EDIT: Oh, nevermind. I take back my last comment. 
))
((Something about an old man with alot of arrows))
((OOC: Speaking of which, would you like to see the post? 
-Burning Fang))
"I don't know his name." Yuri responded, and then stopped. She didn't talk any further; as she was too busy drifting in her mind. She had indeed fought with the man, but that was her second mission. He was only at least 1/16th as skilled as he had become now, but he was still a ninja. Her former skill was also cut to about that same degree. And when they fought, you could tell he wasn't a murderer.
When he fought, he fought quickly, and tried to attack the weak spots. But when he moved to do so, he looked as if he was trying to give himself away. Like he was trying to send a message.
Yuri was only ten at that time, and Hikaru was about 14. Even then, he was flawless
Or as flawless as a Genin could be. But there was something about him then, surely he wasnt a bad guy.
Yuri just wasnt sure if her feelings were accurate.
-----------------------
Hikaru was also thinking about his previous battle with Yuri. He thought about who he was then, and who he was now.
He managed to stifle a laugh, because back then, he wasnt a murderer. He fought for honor, not for blood. Back then, he was different, but he had to try and hide it.
He at least remembered that battle better then everything else going on with the current one.
-----------------------
Six years earlier...
-----------------------
The training session was interrupted. Some of the younger students screamed down the hall, Yuri turned to see what had happened.
This Dojo was an old building near China, antique weapons and relics hung on the wall. The building looked straight out of one of those old Chinese movies where the words never matched the mouths of the fighters, but in color.
Two people walked from the hall. A tall Jounin with a ninja band around his arm, showing his skill and family in which he belonged to, stood tall with two swords hanging from his side and back. The emblem on the band represented that of air. Three soft lines floated from one end of the metal to the other, representing the wind as it blew across a field.
His black outfit was similar to Hikarus current one, but without chains, and a straw hat. He wore an assassins mask over his mouth, instead of a mask. The hilts of his swords had a cloth wrapped. The three foot end of the cloth flew through the air as wind found its way from the main entrance of the garden.
The other was much younger, about the age of 14. While he indeed looks trained, he had no band like the one of his masters, and the outfit he wore looked too big for him, making him look rather goofy. At the time, this was Hikaru. No sword, and instead wore a dark blue Gi and no mask.
He was supposedly trained, but his eyes seemed to wonder around the room much more then a 3 year old child being introduced to a Candy Land gift shop. He didnt wear gloves, and the belt around his waist carried an unusual wavy pattern with blue and white.
Many of the younger children ran behind many of the furniture, even if they knew better to begin with
-----------------------
Hikarus mind was suddenly brought back as the dust flew toward him. If he was right, this powder would have something to do with spider pallet rested between his fingers.
He did the best he could to dodge, vanishing to just behind a tree where most of the powder wouldnt get to him.
-----------------------
Yuris master stood up, his hands bare, and his outfit a normal white. Yuris outfit was elegant, to say the least. The sleeves and other long parts of her outfit complimented her fighting style, giving her a semi-afterimage, which, of course, was useful against certain slow adversaries.
The two masters seemed to stare at each other for about 15 minutes, before the Opposing Jounin fired off in striking position to take down Yuris trainer in one hit. He was followed shortly with the younger Genin running forward to attack Yuri.
She moved quickly, jumping forward to counter attack Hikaru before he even got the chance to. He was knocked backward, stumbling to regain his balance.
Meanwhile, the fight with Yuris master and the Jounin had already begun its stage of a fury of attacks and blocks, most of which too fast for her to see
-----------------------
Hikaru fell to the ground as his endurance was suddenly sucked out of him. At the same time, something was attacking his mind to force him into sleep.
Everyone in the Dojo experienced the same thing
A sudden loss of endurance, followed by an attempt to bring them quickly to unconsciousness
Some of the younger learners in the Dojo quickly fell to the floor out cold.
Hikaru did the best he could to resist the affects. Standing up slowly, tying to regain his posture.
-----------------------
Yuri was already in bad shape, so suddenly bringing her down was quick. She was suddenly pushed backward, followed by an attack of the mind, which left her on the bed, knocked out for possible hours.
Kanata was lost in a sea of confusion. Ryuu said something but he didnt seem to understand exactly what as his thoughts were muddled. Soon he found himself pulled down but an insurmountable weight, his naginata. Eventually, Kanata found himself falling flat faced into the ground followed by loud snoring.
Jase, on the other hand, seemed just fine. Hikaru seemed to be hiding behind a tree now, to dodge the smoke. Heh, whats wrong? Are you afraid to attempt a counter attack? He paused a moment, watching the spectators falling to the ground one by one. Huh? What tha
.Whats going on? he thought as he leapt up and over the barrier and landed on the opposite side of the tree as Hikaru. He silently and cautiously rounded the tree to find the assailant asleep. There was a bit of shock upon discovering this and he looked about the training grounds in a panic. Crap! I thought he was doing this! What the hell!?
Reaching out as far as he could with his mind, Jase searched the area for the cause. How could this have happened without me knowing? his panic stricken mind thought as he focused more to discover the source of the effect. Suddenly, he could feel it too. Whatever it is, it was slow, gradual and encompassing. That must be why I couldnt feel it at first
He wasnt falling asleep but the fight was slowly being drawn out of him.
Feeling he had made his position quite clear, Shadow Pyre focused his complete attention upon the ongoing battle before him ignoring the continuing discussion between Kanata and Ryuu. So far he couldn't find any discernible technique to the assailant's movements other than his reliance on speed, however he was well aware that looks could be deceiving.
"It appears someone or something is attempting to drain away my power, yet I can not detect the source." the voice said rather calmly.
"What are you talking about? I don't feel anything." he whispered back, his words barely audible.
"That is because my power surrounds you shielding you from the direct effects, at least for the moment. The force behind this must be quite strong as it seems that those around us are also suffering from the same malady." it explained.
Looking around at some of the students he saw several of them slump to the ground and lay still. Even from where he was he could still see the movement of their chests as they breathed and he realized they were merely unconscious. Out of the corner of his eye he happened to notice something light brown on his left arm. Much to his surprise it was his own skin, his costume was beginning to recede and the color of the tattoo on his chest began to fade.
"What the..." Pyre muttered aloud as a sudden wave of fatigue washed over him.
For a brief instance his real eyes looked through his helm as spots of rust became visible upon it. At his side the hilt of his sword, sticking out from its' sheath, became worn and dilapidated appearing fragile to the touch. Closing his eyes he struggled to resist the invisible onslaught that seemed to bearing down on his mind and body.
"I shall...not..be defeated..so....easily." he said, the darkness spreading back across his form as his helm and hilt were restored to pristine condition.
((OOC: Ok, first off, Hikaru is not sleeping! ))
--------------------------
Hikaru got up to his feet just as Jase jumped behind the tree, close to his position. He stared deep into his foe's eyes. "Oh, so now you have mind attacks?" He got out his katana, putting in front of him. But instead of reaching a defensive stance, he stumbled backward. Almost as if his sword was too heavy!
He tried to reach stability next to the tree trunk, but his head was killing him. Unlike the rest of the crowd in the Dojo, Hikaru was getting the worst of the psychic attack! Because of it, he slowly slid against the trunk to the ground. He looked up, forcing his eyes on his opponent.
But instead of seeing victory in Jase's eyes, he saw a slight sleepiness. Is he being affected to?
((Just if you didn't realize it by now, Jase is a telepath. Not a psychic or telekinetic but telepath. He has natural resistance to psionic attacks just like he does in game. I had him reaching out with his mind to discover the origin of the psychic attack so, seeing as you're the poster that created the attack, you have to say if he succeeds or fails in finding the source or just unveil the source already...))
((OOC: I'm waiting for the Wolf to reply first. And who said that my character KNEW you were a telepath? He ASSUMES you're a Fortuna!
-Burning Fang))
(( ))
Ryuu stood up and pressed his katana into the floor proping his wieght against it. "What is your..." his words trailed off as he yawned slightly. His eyes narrowed as he caught himself "plan."
((I didn't say anything about your character. I said you, as in the poster just so you realize what he's doing.
[EDIT] I'm saying I'm waiting on you to finish replying to my other post.))
Toru's eyes widened as Yuri slumped forward. She reached out and caught the girl, gently lowering her to the bed on which she sat. The medic yawned slightly, but checked Yuri over.
"She's fine, she's just sleeping." he said groggily before slumping to the floor himself.
"What on earth?....." Toru thougth to herself. With one last glance at Yuri, hoping she'd be alright, Toru dashed down the hall. She was feeling a bit drained, and very confused by what had happened in the infirmary. She'd return to Ryuu and see if he knew anything more than she did.
Toru padded silently into the room where the others were gathered. Students were laying scattered on the floor! At first, she thought the stranger had killed them all. But there as no blood, and their chests still rose and fell steadily. Were they alseep too? What was going on!?
Her movements graceful, Toru strode up beside Ryuu. "What's going on?" she whispered near his ear, her shoulder touching his slightly, a stance they always took when assessing a foe.
Ryuu shrugged secretly comforted by his sister's presence. He yawned again slightly "I don't know why I am feeling so tired all of a sudden, but it looks like we are going to all fight against this foe.. as one..." he paused in his whispering as he rotated his arm, his muscles sluggish.
Toru's eyes narrowed as she watched the stranger. He was currently engaging that pesky, pebble throwing boy. Then the stranger faltered, seeming to be suffering from the same malady the other students were feeling....but to a lesser degree.
"Are you sure that will be necessary?" she asked Ryuu, "Look at the way he tires....." she stifled a yawn and blinked several times. "I feel tired as well ....." she looked around as several more students feel to the ground. They were dropping like flies!
Suddenly several Sensei came rushing into the garden. "Students, enough!" she shouted, not realizing that it was an actual fight and not a sparring match taking place. "Everyone, to the courtyard, now! Help those who have fallen...." The Sensei spread out, lifting students off the ground. Some carried a student over each shoulder and swiftly carried their burdens out of the Dojo.
"Something is not right." Toru whispered close to Ryuu's ear, the warmth of her breath brushing the back of his neck.
She glanced at Shadow Pyre. "You feel it too....don't you?" she asked him. Her gaze traveled slowly between Pyre and her brother. "Well gentlemen, what is our plan?" a slow smile spread across her face. She hoped it involved dealing out some intense pain to someone.....anyone at this point. She needed to release some pent up energy. Right now, the stranger who'd attacked Yuri was looking like a prime target......but she'd wait for Ryuu's command. It was more fun to fight with him anyway.......
Hikaru moved himself upward in to his defensive position once more. He was getting the worst of the sleeping spell that fell across the Dojo. It wouldn't be long before he had to leave, or give in to his lack of energy.
One problem...
This was only the second wave of the spellbinding. The third, and last, was yet to come. That one would sure knock everyone out except for, at most, three people. (Not including Jase
Hes a Fortuna. ) If he was going to kill something, he better do it quickly.
He rushed forward... Well, rushed might not be the exact word... To him, it was more like limping or hopping... Or my favorite, the slow motion moon run... (Have you seen the movie, Happy Feet? ) Only slightly faster.
He moved his sword swiftly through the air, spinning around to get the maximum force upon impact. He held a small knife-like shuriken hidden in his other hand, just in case Jase decided to pull a surprise counter move.
------------------------
((OOC: Please note, I do WEIRD things with my posts when Im tired. ))
((Who is he attacking? Jase? If not, disreguard this post cause I don't want to waste a day to find out.))
Jase was quite surprised when his foe seemingly awoke and lunged at him for another attack. As Hikaru neared, Jase took a step back and when he did, his heel landed on something. It was one of the saya he threw earlier.
Thankfully, Hikaru seemed to be moving slightly slower so Jase had a chance to react. Jase tucked one foot under the wooden sheath then, with his other foot, clamped it between his ankles. With a quick turn, Jase sent the saya spinning at his assailant and spreading a decent haze of powder in a cone before him.
Jase leapt backward, back in the circle of dust he created a moment before to take advantage of his opponents fatigue. Jase reached into his gi again but quickly froze. Crap, Im out of tools, he hissed in his mind. He only had a few hours earlier to remake the spider pellet concoction which didnt give him a large supply not to mention everything else he had was confiscated.
"You feel it too....don't you? Well gentlemen, what is our plan?"
Even though Shadow Pyre was able to keep from passing out he was still disoriented and hadn't even detected that Ryuu's sister had returned. He quickly straightened himself so as not to appear weak in front of her.
"Turu? Is Yuri alright?" he asked, concerned about the young girl's injuries.
(( Quick question, is Hikaru the source of the psychic attacks or is he being targeted too? That last post has me confused about whether or not he knows exactly what's happening. ))
((OOC: Wow! Sorry for the confusion, it was not my intention. I told you I do weird things when I'm sleepy!
Q: Is Hikaru attacking Jase?
A: Yes, he is indeed.
Q: Is Hikaru the source of the psychic attack?
A: No, but you have all the reason to think that it IS him. Well, except for his sudden clumsiness.
Q: I want a cookie!
A: Well, that isnt a question, but Ok! *Hands out cookies.* ^_^
-Burning Fang 
))
((Man, and here I was expecting to get through at least 1 post a day. Seriously, we're all waiting on you 
. There's still time before it's my bed time, though.))
Hikaru leaned backwards just as the saya Jase had thrown flew toward him. Then he leaned a little too far backward and hit the floor hard. This did give him a few extra options though.
First he could catch the saya and through it back, he could roll off to the shadows and plan an attack from that point, or he could simply jump up and continue slicing his way toward Jase.
Hikaru voted on the second option.
With a quick roll to the left, and a sudden vanish into the shadows, he was gone. The powder from the attack provided at least some cover for his leave, but he had to act quickly.
He sheathed his sword and jumped in to the nearest tree. With the knife shuriken still in his left hand, he threw it forward at Jase, at the same time jumping to another tree just in case.
Turning invisible wouldnt really be of much use against Jase if you had a thinking mind to track. Although it was useless without a sufficient means of attack or defense. The kunai (which I think you mean when you say knife shuriken) flew at him with great speed, and although he could tell what direction it was coming from, he didnt have the speed to deflect it. Jase pulled up his left weapon to guard against the speeding kunai and the loud clashing of metal echoed through the dojo. The force of the attack knocked Jases ninjato from his hand, his wrist reverberated with the blow.
Still holding his other nijato in his right, he rubbed his left wrist. Crap, he groaned and focused on another tactic. Hey
hey guy
Kanata, was it? Jases voice echoed in the sleeping boys mind. Kanata stirred in his sleep a moment but he continued his gentle snoring. HEY! WAKE UP!
Kanata jolted awake, subconsciously gripping his Kantetsu tightly.
heh huh wha? he mumbled groggily. He rubbed his eyes and looked about to see the others still about him, now Toru with them. Did I miss the attack? What happened? Kanatas attention was then drawn to Jase who was now kneeling and massaging his wrist.
((OOC: Knife shuriken, kunai, same thing! Excuse my Wiki skill, I was unable to find the exact name for that weapon. Yet, I wonder how you all manage to... *Ponders*
-Burning Fang
Be back soon for my reply! 
))
Hikaru sighed as the Kunai didnt make contact with the body like he expected, but it did have an upside. Jase was now left with one sword, which meant that one more Kunai could very well finish him for good.
He grabbed one more Kunai from one of the small pouches. Next thing you know, the Kunai is aimed directly for Jases neck.
Now comes yet another problem
Wave three of the psychic attacks kicked in. The psychic scream was meant to cause so much stress as to either kill someone from resisting, or forcefully knock them in to unconsciousness as the bodys natural form of psychic defense.
Hikaru was already near emotional breakdown from not sleeping in days, and getting the worst of the annoying attacks. So, he went down as soon as he threw the Kunai. His motionless body fell from the tree to the grass below.
------------------------------------
A figure stood in a quiet corner of a dark room. The shadows concealed his gruesome figure while he chanted certain spells and played around with various evil dark servant doggies. (Dont ask.)
Another figure opened the door to the room, letting a bright light show on to the figure. He hissed and covered his eyes. The dark K9s disappeared as easily as they came.
What are you doing here
? He asked the intruder.
Sir, the one you seek is now asleep. Would you like to take action now? She asked.
He remained silent for a moment. Very well, but next time knock before entering my domain.
Sir. She retorted; then bowed and walked out of the room.
The dark figure, still in the corner, maliciously grinned under his mask. Two dark servants, behind the open doors, shut them, and then split into multiple smaller beings. The mini servants trotted back to their master, barking and wagging their tails.
Toru was beginning to feel......drained. Not tired, just physically drained. Or maybe it was emotionally. Honestly, she couldn't be sure which. The new life she and Ryuu had been given was alot to absorb in a short amount of time. She had just recently begun to feel secure in the Dojo. However, that sense of security was slowly ebbing with the arrival of Yuri's attacker.
Yuri looked as though she would bolt and return to the fight, but Toru wasn't about to let that happen. Grasping Yuri by her wrist, gently but firmly, she forced the girl to walk beside her and into the infirmary where one of the medical staff began to disinfect her wound.
Planting herself firmly between Yuri and the door, she leveled her gaze on the girl. "I know what you are feeling right now. You want to return to the battle. Trust me, my brother is back there and it pains me to think he may be facing danger without me at his side."
Toru paused for a moment as she watched Yuri wince as the medic began to stitch her wound. "However, if you go back in your current condition, you will surely get yourself killed.....or close to it." Another pause, hoping her words would register in the girl's mind. "Do you know that stranger who attacked you?" she asked curiously. If Yuri knew her assailant, perhaps she could learn more about him, maybe discover a way to either defeat him, or at least make him flee for his life........it might take the entire Dojo to do it, but there were many brave, experienced fighters here. This wasn't just a beginner's Dojo. It catered to some of the best, brightest, and most deadly fighters in the world.