The Sign
YutakaFifteen years ago, five incredibly strong demons attacked an island east of Japan. Each demon possessed a single element: Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Lightning. They slaughtered anybody who dared to oppose them. Only one brave soul was able to stand and fight them. This brave soul was the Sage of the island, his name is lost to history, and challenged the beasts. The intense fighting took five long days. During those days, each of the demons were sealed in an object that was appropriate for their elements. But the last and fifth demon escaped ensealment. The Sage then scattered the objects or relics across the earth. Weak: the Sage returned home and died in his sleep; peacefully, five years later. A memorial for those who died during those five days was erected.
Fifteen Years Later, the village was at peace. A young man and his mother were training... by using fire.
The Mother was slender and had black neck length hair. She was wearing a black skin tight suit with gold plating on her shoulders, knee caps, elbows, back-of hands and chest and back. Her name was Kasa.
Kasa launched a fist sized fireball from her right hand and it ran for her son.
Her son was wearing a black skin tight suit; like his mother but instead of gold plating, he had red plating in the areas that his mother had plating. His name was Yutaka.
He clapped his hands together and separated them when the fireball hit them, dispersing fiery embers everywhere.
Kasa(preparing to launch another fireball): "Yutaka, your just like your father."
Yutaka(confused look): "I am?"
Kasa nodded and launched a stream of fire from her right hand. On her right hand the kanji for "Dragon" is written on it.
Kasa(launching a stream of fire): "Pay attention!"
Yutaka held out his right hand; which had the kanji for "Dragon" written on it. He caught the fire stream and started to form a fireball out of it.
Yutaka(forming the fireball): "Hey mom! Pay attention to this!"
He gripped the fireball and fired it at Kasa. She jumped in the air to dodge it but Yutaka guided it to Kasa's location and she punched it to the ground. It slammed into the ground and a huge red and orange explosion blinded Kasa and Yutaka.
Kasa landed on her left foot.
Yutaka uncovered his eyes from his arm guard and looked at his mother.
Yutaka: "Do we call this a draw?"
Kasa(dusting herself off): "Yeah, for now."
Yutaka(stomach grows): "I'm hungry."
Kasa(walking back to the back door): "I'll make some dinner."
Yutaka shot his head up at the head and saw a full moon.
They've been training all day. Yutaka ran into his house and knelt in front of the table.
Kasa(cooking pork teriyaki and chicken flavored ramen and thinking): ''It's been 15 years since Hiroshi died. And Yutaka is looking more like him with every passing day.''
Yutaka looked at his right hand and a kanji appeared on his right hand.
Yutaka(looking at kanji): "Fire."
Kasa stopped what she was doing and turned her head to her son.
Kasa: "What?"
Yutaka(holding up his right palm to his mother): "Fire."
Kasa walked over to him and knelt across from him.
Kasa(holding up her right hand): "It's known as an 'Element Sign.' everyone has it."
Yutaka(looking at the Element Sign): "Everyone?"
Kasa nodded.
Yutaka: "Why do we have it?"
Kasa: "It's because these signs gives us the ability to manipulate the elements."
Yutaka: "Manipulate the elements?"
Kasa(getting up and walking to the stove): "Yeah... the elements."
She held her right hand out and a small ember of fire shot out of it like a cannon. The fire was gripping the pot full of ramen.
Yutaka(bolting to his feet): "That's amazing! So that's how we manipulate the elements!"
Kasa(laughing a little): "Yeah."
Yutaka(confused): "But how?"
Kasa(turning head to Yutaka): "How what?"
Yutaka(show the kanji): "How did I get this kanji on my hand?"
Kasa(looking for chopsticks): "The Sage of Countless Seals gave it to you."
Yutaka: "But why?"
Kasa(pulling out chopsticks): "That's how it is. When a baby is born... the current sage gives you the "Element Sign" of your clan. And since our clan's fire... you have a tamed dragon sealed in your body."
Yutaka(crumbling to pieces): "A tame dragon is in a my right hand?"
Kasa(putting bowl of ramen in front of Yutaka): "Actually, it's in your entire body."
Yutaka turned to dust and a gust of wind took him away.
Kasa(seeing Yutaka faint): "YUTAKA!"
She ran over to her son but he was out-cold.
Kasa(scratching head): "I guess I told you to soon."
Yutaka pulled himself together and jumped up to his feet.
Yutaka: "You guess?"
Kasa: "Oops."
Yutaka took his bowl of ramen and devoured it. He than got up and walked away. Outside: he was staring at a picture of a family photo, minutes after he was born.
Teenage Male's Voice(coming from the ground): "Hello up there!"
Yutaka turned his head and looked down. He saw his best friend: Tobias.
Tobias was a free spirited boy, Yutaka's age, silver colored hair, wearing white battle armor and he had black plating where his shoulders, knees, back-of hands and chest and back.
Tobias(landing softly next to Yutaka): "So what'cha been up to lately?"
Yutaka(putting the picture face down): "Looking at a picture of my family."
Tobias(looking at the night sky): "I keep thinking... what happened to our fathers?"
Yutaka looked at the picture than at Tobias.
Yutaka: "Who knows."
Tobias: "Our mothers."
Yutaka(looking at his right hand): "Maybe it has to do with this 'Element Sign'"
Tobias(showing his 'Air' Sign off): "Nope. This was given to us at birth."
Yutaka(standing up): "Everyone has it, huh?"
Tobias(standing up next to him): "Yup."
Kasa walked out and saw both boys standing on the roof of her house.
Kasa: "Tobias. Yutaka. Why don't you come down here?"
Both boys nodded and Yutaka jumped down landed slightly hard on his toes. Tobias landed softly on the ground.
Kasa walked back inside. Tobias turned to Yutaka.
Tobias(pointing to the heat flashes): "Those heat flashes have been happening for the past three days."
Yutaka(looking at the flashes of heat): "That's odd."
Tobias(scratching chin): "And it only happens at around mid-night."
Yutaka(looking at the middle of the flashes): "I think it's a sign."
Tobias: "A sign?"
Yutaka: "A sign that an event is about to unfold."
Tobias: "What type of event?"
Yutaka(nodding): "I don't know."
Kasa was looking out the kitchen window and saw the heat flashes.
Kasa(thinking): ''First, three days of heat flashes. Than overnight thunderstorm. Finally, he comes. "Tobias, get home now! Yutaka get inside!''
Yutaka(turning to his mother): "Why?"
Kasa(running outside): "Because this is what happen fifth-!"
She stopped herself before she revealed to much.
Tobias nudged Yutaka in the arm and the whole village experienced heavy rain: all night.
In his room: Yutaka was preparing to go to bed when he saw the image of a man form from the lightning outside.
Yutaka stopped unmaking his bed and went to investigate and saw nothing.
Yutaka(walking back to his bed): "That was weird."
He fell asleep in an instance but couldn't shake the image of the man he saw. Who was it? Why was he at his house?
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