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Dreams, nightmares, the image of a jackal leering down at me. A woman was staring in my eyes, looking with a longing I could not even imagine.
A loud Click! jolted me into the real world. I opened my eyes to see the ground rushing up at me, the sharp impact cleared more of the fog, but there was still something out of reach, something important.
I became aware of someone in the room, I was rolled over and I saw my rescuer, a young woman with the most striking emerald green eyes...
Flash!
A laughing smile, a warm grin. A fox....
Flash!
She was speaking, not a language I knew. Yet it seemed familiar somehow. She paused and looked at me, "Hanta? Is that you?"
"Hanta? Who--? What--? Where am I?"
She looked stunned, "You don't remember me? You don't remember this?"
She handed me a silver ring, it appeared to have been worn for along time, but taken care of over the years, on the inside was inscribed the words, Together in Eternity...
Flash!
A different woman, riding in a car. Buying a ring, driving. The woman laying on a bed, no, a table?
Flash!
My rescuer was looking at me with concerned eyes, "No, sorry."
She sighed and stood, "Can you walk?"
"I think so, my head is all foggy, I can't remember anything..."
She didn't say anything, but helped me to my feet. It was then that I noticed that she was
Flash!
A warm lasting hug, tears rolling down my cheeks. Fighting... someone...
Flash!
at least a foot shorter than I. But the difference in height wasn't a hindrance, it seemed... right. She helped me out of the small room I was in, along a short hall and into a larger, better lit hall.
I came to once more, the small girl was still standing there. We were standing before a well-lit room, there were others moving around with in the room. She helped me into the room, and sat down on a chair. Once seated, she looked at me. "You don't remember anything?"
I shook my head, "No, nothing before you. Who are you? Who am I?"
"Your name is Hantakitsu, the Hunter Fox. You were a great warrior, but your destiny was never fulfilled. You sacrificed yourself... to save me."
Flash!
A man standing before me, grinning. Raising his hands towards me, his hands began to glow. A blinding flash.
Flash!
There was the sound of leaves moving around, I looked towards the source of the sound. I saw something moving, a kind of partition, moving back to cover the strangest creature I ever saw. I had a sense of fear, swiftly being overcome by the strongest urge to protect this little girl.
I stood up and moved between her and the creature. Raising my fists toward the creature, I wondered why I felt this urge to protect her. And who she was.
As I was standing there, a man walked into the room and said, "Why are you guys all talking, I thought you were killing unde--Oh, shit." And left. A moment later, another man walked in, spoke to a creature in the corner of the room. The moved over to speak to the rest of the room.
Somehow, this seemed familiar, as if it had happened before. However, it seemed that there was something different. As if I was not watching the last time, but was the one doing the talking.
The creature seemed to relax, and so did I. There were other memories there too, but I could not bring them forward. After that, a young man in robes came into the room, he looked around, then moved over to a torch mounted on the wall and pulled it.
The wall next to the torch slid away, a set of armor fell out that seemed vaguely familiar. As the armor hit the ground, a woman ran into the room, nearly knocking the man in the robes over. She darted over to the newly opened room and pulled a sword out.
She placed her sword on the ground, and something happened. A dark light began to glow around her it was a deep dark light. When the light faded, she was wearing an exquisite suit of armor, blackish and run with spikes. One of the men in the room moved over near her and spoke some words that I could not hear, at the same time, the robed man dragged the armor away.
The woman turned to the robed man, "If I were you, I would return that man's belongings."
"I just want to look at it, and besides, finder's keepers!"
The woman raised her sword and advanced menacingly towards the man in the robes, as she did, he seemed to panic and moved back. The other man moved over and pulled the helm out of his hands and handed it to me. I took it and looked at it. The helm was in the shape of an animal's head. One I seem know, but I could not place.
Flash!
A long lizard-like creature floated before me, a beautiful suit of armor appeared before me. The very same suit that had now been handed to me.
Flash!
The man who had handed me the armor, held out his hand and said, "Welcome brother."
As we started to leave, the man in the robes pulled out a book and opened it. As he was reading the pages, he began to glow. A strange off-purple color began to travel up his arms and slowly surround his entire body. He seemed to change, it took me a moment to figure out in what manner he had changed, then I got it; he was younger! By at least ten years.
My attention was drawn to another member of the group, he was a scrawny man almost six feet tall, as I watched he also began to change. Orange-ish fur began to grow all across his body, save for his face and chest, where it came in white. A long tail snaked it's way out from behind the man. His face reshaped into a short muzzle.
But that was not all, his waist narrowed while his hips flared outward. His shirt came open as a pair of female breasts grew on his chest. He seemed rather startled at this.
What is all this? What kind of madness have I stumbled into? I wondered to myself as we continued walking. There was this nagging feeling that I had left something unfinished. But I could not remember what that was.
This strange group and I traveled. Apparently we had been underground this whole time, though I could not recall how I came to be there. The small girl walked beside me, never far away.
We emerged into a warehouse, filled with boxes. The signs of a battle were still visible, a bit of blood here. A lost finger there. But the bodies were not to be seen.
We left the warehouse into darkness. It was night, but no night I had ever experienced before. This whole place was strange. I was not where I had been before, that much I knew.
As we walked, I watched the small girl who had rescued me. She was pretty, shorter than I, with red hair and the most striking green eyes I'd ever seen. Within those eyes I could see someone else. Someone I knew, but could not place.
She turned and caught me watching her, she grinned and fell back to walk along side me. "You don't remember anything?"
"Just bits and pieces, nothing useful. Or coherent." I shock my head.
"Well," She sighed, "we'll be back at the inn in a bit, we can talk there. I really don't feel comfortable talking around the others."
The rest of the journey was in silence.
It didn't take long for us to reach the inn the girl had mentioned. We entered and everyone promptly vanished. She lead me up stairs and into a room that looked as if it had never been used. She seated me at the small table and took a seat on the bed.
She looked at me curiously, "Do you remember my name?"
"Well, the others call you 'Eki' but that isn't your name, is it?"
She grinned, "It is now, but you knew me by another name. Do you remember what it was?"
I shook my head. "No, I'm sorry. You seem familiar to me, but I cannot recall who you are, or how I know you."
She seemed greatly saddened by this admission, then promptly returned to her normal self. "Well, we'll just have to make you remember then, won't we?" She giggled and was about to say more, when there was a knock at the door.
She looked puzzled, but stood and opened the door. A man entered the room, holding a sculpture that immediately caught my eye. He nodded to Eki and she sat back down on the bed.
He came over to speak to me, sitting across from me at the table. With a broad grin he held out his hand and spoke, "Hello brother, you look lost. My name is Balthazar, perhaps I can be of assistance."
I took his hand, and shook my head. "I don't know... All of this is so very confusing, I have no memories of my past. No idea of who I am or where I came from. I have been told that I am a great hero, a Hunter. But I don't know why."
Balthazar grinned, "There are many mysteries in this land. Some not even I know." He set the figure on the table. It was a fox. Standing atop a fallen log with a look of intelligence in his eyes that is almost eerie to behold. The entire figure seems to call to me, as if that fox standing there is watching something I should also see, but cannot.
"During my travels I have come across many interesting, unique and powerful artifacts. This, however, has never felt like it was mine. I sense a strong will behind these eyes, one that I also feel from you. You have my respect nobel Hunter Fox."
I could feel my eyes boggle, "There is no way that I can accept this. I am no one, even my own memories have abandoned me."
He smiled, "There is a Hero in all of us, you just have to know where to look. This fox is not mine, I always felt as if I was holding it for the true owner. From the moment I first saw you, I knew this is yours."
Balthazar left the room after that, as I was looking at the fox in my hands, someone else came into the room. This one appeared to be a serving boy or such. "They want you downstairs miss."
Eki nodded to him, "Yes, we shall be down shortly." She turned to look at me, "Are you coming?"
I set the fox down and followed her out of the room.
She lead me to a large room, the others were already there. Eki found a place to sit, and I sat next to her. The others began placing the things that they had found onto the table. After receiving several looks I dug into my own pockets and pulled out several metal disks and a few bits of greenish paper. Eki looked over at the papers and smiled softly, like one who has been reminded of another time and place, that they can no longer return to.
Once everything was on the table, madness ensued. Everyone began rummaging through the pile and pulling out things, looking them over, then either pocketing them, or tossing them back into the pile. I believe this would have continued like this had [Name] not entered the room and thrown his possessions on the table as well.
Everything went quite, for a moment. Then they simply resumed where they had left off. Eki looked annoyed at this and tapped me on the arm, "Let's go, leave these children to their toys. We have other things that must be done."
I nodded and went to leave. As I stood, a ring rolled out of the pile and fell in font of me. I looked at it, but left it there. As I turned to leave, I heard the sound of metal hitting the ground. I looked to see that the ring had fallen off the table and was rolling along to ground. It came to rest against my foot.
I picked it up and put it in my pocket. Then followed Eki out of the room.
We went back to the room where we sat and talked all night. She told me of how I had been a great hero, and sacrificed myself to save her life. It was a fantastic story, but I could not see myself in it.
I finally fell asleep well into the night, almost morning in fact. When I awoke, I felt a moment of terror and loss. As if I was not where I should be, yet I could not determine where it was I should be.
The terror passed after a moment, then was replaced by a different type of panic; the room was empty. I was alone. There is nothing quite as scary as waking up in a strange room with no memories of who you are or what's going on, and the only one who seems to know you or care about you in in way is missing.
A sound outside the door sent me leaping off the bed to assume a stance I did not know I knew as the door opened. Eki walked in. I nearly fell over from the relief that washed over my soul, half complete as it was. "What's all that for Hanta? What's wrong?"
"I--Nothing, just a bit of memory." Indeed, a fragment of memory had resurfaced at that moment, little more than a feeling it was nonetheless very potent. "What did you have in mind for today?"
She grinned slightly, "I thought we could go for a walk about the city. I still haven't had the chance to explore."
"Sounds good, perhaps some of my memories will come back as we are walking."
We spent the day seeing the sights of the city.
That night, we both fell asleep as soon as the suns had set. Even though we were once again talking about the past, sleep claimed us. During the night, I have some of the most vivvid dreams ever. The feeling that I had left something undone was gnawing at my mind. But I could not remember what it was I was to do!
My dreams were a mix of feelings and still out of reach memories, the only thing I can recall clearly from that night is the image of a jackal, he seemed to be speaking to me, but I could not hear the words.
I awoke with a start. I was in full armor with my sword and shield strapped on my back laying in the sands of the desert. This place was bare of all life and looked as if nothing had ever grown or lived here, yet I got a sense of familiarity with it. A strange sense of deja vu that told me I had once spent a great deal of time here, but the fog that clouded my mind would not part to tell me why... or how.
The others were also here, as well as Eki. All were in full battle gear, save for the tiger woman whom I had never seen in any type of armor. But watching her fight told me she didn't need any.
As we picked ourselves up and took stock of our location, and began to wonder how and why we had been brought here, a dark shape started moving toward us. It was like a bodiless shadow gliding across the endless tracks of sand. As it drew closer, I tried to make out what was casting the shadow, but there was nothing but us. In fact, the members of the party did not cast shadows. At all.
The shadows stopped a few feet away as rose off the sand to form into the shapes of men. There were seven. The ones on the sides were obviously subordinate to the one in the center, and were dressed in black armor that gave them the appearance of soulless creatures of evil.
But it was the man in the center that drew--nay, commanded--my attention. He was a creature born of darkness. Dressed in armor shaped like that of a demon, he carried himself with the air of one who is used to getting his own way. If the subordinates were evil, then this guy was pure evil. Of the type that nightmares are made of.
As he stood there, my sense of something not done grew even stronger. Almost as if this man, this creature of evil, was somehow involved in my past. He turned to look at Eki, "You have returned to me, little fox. After all these years, what is mine has returned."
She bristled at him and drew her sword, keeping her other hand near her supply of deadly shrunken. "I belong to no one!" She shouted as she threw the shrunken then leapt after it, fangs bared and aiming for his neck.
He chuckled, a deep and haunting sound as something knocked her from the air. A giant scorpion stood behind the man as he threw his head back and laughed. "Silly mortals, I am so close to becoming a god. You don't stand a chance. I will reclaim that which is mine."
He turned to look at me as my blade cleared it's sheath, "and what are you going to do about it? I destroyed you once before, I can do it again. And as many times as it takes to keep your pesky spirit away from me."
The sands around us were quickly stained red with the battle.
Through it all, the man in the demon armor stood there and watched. It wasn't until Balthazar made his way to him that the tides of battle turned. From out of nowhere an evil wind blew up, the other members of our group were pushed away, leaving only myself, Eki, Balthazar, and the female paladin that was never far from Balthazar.
We stood in a loose circle facing the man in demon armor. With a snide grin he looked at me. "You are so predictable, always risking your lives for useless things like love and hope. I know your weakness little man." He turned to look at Balthazar, "and yours is not hard to find either."
With that he raised his hand to point toward Balthazar. A greenish light emerged from his fingertips and struck Balthazar in the chest. Nothing happened to him, however the girl with him was covered in a greenish light. As the lights danced over her body, she doubled over and writhed in pain. The man in demon armor gave a satisfied grunt, "Love, such a useless emotion."
He then turned to face Balthazar. "Now I will deal with you." Once again his hand came up and he directed it towards Balthazar, a glowing ball of light formed in his hand. It grew to the intensity of a small sun, then fired outward towards Balthazar. As the glowing ball of evil energy sailed towards him, memories came to me. The same man, the same pose, but fired, not at me, but at another... one I loved with all my heart.
Eki, the Crazy Fox.
The woman moved. She threw herself across the intervening space to intercept the bolt of energy. It impacted her and I could feel her spirit torn from her body, as had my own long ago.
Flash!
In the center of the room was a man. Middle-aged, nondescript, the kind of person who you would never even see. Not someone worth a second look. As we entered--myself first, holding my blade before me--he grinned and spoke, "Ah, at long last the time has come. The final showdown between the Kitsune and The Dark. I can see that you are a man who knows how to use that. And I know that, were we to fight, neither of us would win. So I will offer you a deal, return the creature to me, and I will let you go free."
"Return her? How can I return that which I do not posses? And even if she were to rejoin you, you would only resume her torture, as well as continue to torture other creatures that do not deserve it. We may be evenly matched. I may die in this combat, but I will fight you till my dying breath. I will curse you with my last gasp. You owe a great deal to these creatures. I am here to collect." With that I took my stance, and prepared to fight.
He raised his hand, a dull glow began to form at his palm. Within seconds it was too bright to look at. "Very well then. If you will not give her to me, then I will take her."
It was almost too late I realized that his attack was not meant for me. At the last moment, he fired a bolt of energy at CrazyFox. The racing sphere of who-knows-what was faster than my eye could follow. I leapt anyway.
Flash!
The memories were vivid and clear. Suddenly I knew who I was, and what it was I needed to do. I am Hantakitsu, the Hunter Fox. And my destiny is to kill this man. This evil creature of hate and power, the man in demon armor. The Master of the Dark.
I raised my sword to point at his heart, "You! It was you! You did this to me! You did this to her! And to countless others. Know this, one this day your evil will end. By this blade you will die. Today."
He laughed at me, "You tried once already, and look where it landed you. Lost and forgotten, your memories erased. I killed you once, I'll do it again."
Balthazar spoke to the man in demon armor, "You are a despicable thing, evil through and through, if you convert now you're soul will not be utterly destroyed."
The Master sneered, "Now why would I do something like that? I'm winning."
Balthazar only looked at him and opened his arms wide, "Do what you will, but know that you have already lost. I have died before, and I can see that you have not. Do your worst."
The man struck Balthazar with his dark blade, it bit into the paladin's shoulder and sunk deeply in. Balthazar turned his head and spat a clot of sandy blood at the Master's feet, "Is that all you got you pansy?"
With an irratated snicker he struck once more, but this time Balthazar's body began to dissolve, disintegrating into sand. As the Master's evil blade passed through his neck, he fell apart, leaving only his armor and weapons. The landed in the sand, Balthazar was gone.
I watched the weapons fall as the Master turned to face me, "You promised to kill me, do your worst." He spread his arms wide and closed his eyes.
I raised my sword once more, on the far side of him, Eki also raised her blade. In tandem, we struck. As my blade sung threw the air, I felt a righteous power flowing through me. I could almost see the power spilling from my sword as it arched through the air.
The Master's eyes, the only part I could see, bugged at the blades bit into his flesh. Slowly he sunk to his knees then fell to his back. I stepped forward to stand above him. "For your crimes against those undeserving of it, I take your weapons." He spat a clot of blood onto my boots, I ignored him and continued my justice.
My sword sliced cleanly through his sword arm, just above the elbow. The dismembered arm arched in the air, leaving a trail of blood behind it.
"Both of them." I continued my movement with my sword ending it in my other hand as I dropped to one knee. I placed my hand on his crotch and, getting a firm grip, twisted and pulled. It wasn't clean, nor was it pretty. The tissues did not want to separate, they stayed together for an arms length before snapping off. The shout of pain was almost deafening as I destroyed his pride.
I stood back up and placed my sword between his eyes. "Now I will end this. Once and for all."
I leaned my weight down upon the sword and felt it pass through his skull and brain, then back out the other side into the sands. I gave the sword a final twist, just to be sure.
In a single fluid motion I turned and pulled the sword out. I replaced it in it's scabbard as I walked away. The Master's body was consumed by demon fire as all of the betrayed demons claimed the right of Vengeance.
"It will be along time before Anubis weighs your heart. You have much to answer for."
As I turned to go, Eki leapt into my arms and kissed my face, knocking me to the ground. She giggled as befitting her name, "You remember! You remember!"
I chuckled, "Yes, my CrazyFox, I remember. I remember I love you."
She sat back, allowing me to sit up. I removed my helm and set it on the ground, looking into her eyes. Those eyes of eternal mystery and the--now departing--pain of loss. She startled suddenly, as if she remembered something abruptly. She reached around my head to remove something. She sat back in my lap, holding a silver ring in her hand.
She held it up to me, "This is yours. You should have it back."
I pushed it back towards her, "No, it is yours now. Keep it. Keep it as a symbol of my promise, that we will be Together for Eternity."
This story is done, but the adventures of Hanta and Eki are not yet finished. However, no more shall be added to the Dark Hunter, keep an eye on the Last Defender though. ;)