Idrisil

Masami led her grandfather to his favourite tea shop, knowing he was starting to get tired. “Thank you, granddaughter,” he said as he sat down, “go and enjoy the rest of what the festival has to offer.” Masami hesitated, before kissing her grandfather on the cheek and leaving. As she wandered around, she noticed a small arena of sorts, and she saw people fighting there as well. Masami looked down at the beautiful kimono she wore and frowned. She didn’t want to dirty this, and while she had wrappings and underclothes, it was undignified for an Asukai to be seen in public in a state of undress. Clearly the registr

Masami ambled through the streets with her grandfather, listening to the general chatter of the crowd. She kept her arm in the crook of her grandfather’s elbow, looking out for any familiar faces. For now, she saw none, but the night was still young. She eyed some of the games that they passed by with consideration, but really they didn’t interest her. Just being able to spend time with her grandfather on this day was amazing. “Kenshi-san?” Masami turned to see an old man greeting her grandfather with a smile. A smile her father returned with ease. The man had thinning grey hair and wore a simple brown kimono. His bro

Masami watched Momoe go back with Haha-ue. She trembled as she held in the tears that came every time her mother’s gaze moved past her without pause. She refused to cry in Momoe’s presence. But as soon as Momoe was gone, she angrily shouted into the air, before going to the small training dummy her grandfather kept and letting her frustrations out on the object. She did this for a few minutes, before the sharp crack of a cane caught her attention. She whirled around mid-strike but collapsed to her knees before anything else happened. “This festival is for family!” she raged, her tears staining the floor, “why do

Asukai Masami, in a rare moment of calm, sat with her grandfather, staring at the lanterns being released into the sky. Together, they watched the gentle breeze cause the little lights to sway and bob, almost as if dancing. It was a serene moment, accompanied by the gentle sound of music, at this point in time somber and in remembrance of the fallen. Masami smiled gently, listening to the calm music with her favourite relative. “It is days like these that make me sad that I still live,” Asukai Kenshi said, causing Masami to look at him. “What do you mean?” she asked. Kenshi breathed deeply, closing his eyes as he did

A single pebble in a pond can cause a tsunami. The movement of a single stone can bring down a mountain. The wingbeat of a single butterfly can cause a hurricane. This is all true. And yet, it is not. Each of these events are small, inconsequential, without the millions of other major and minor events that led up to that moment. Kal-El of Krypton was destined to be alone. He was destined to be the enemy of Lex Luthor. He was supposed to become the hero of Metropolis. In that story, Kal-El of Krypton became Superman of Earth. A paragon to truth and justice for the planet. But this is not that story. This is a different story. * Dru-Zod was man

Fate is fickle. We, as mortal beings are subject to it. Even legends, such as Bruce Wayne of Gotham, the Dark Knight and mortal man among gods, Diana of Themyscira, the daughter of two kingdoms, and Kal-El of Krypton, the Last Son of his old world and the bastion of his new one. They have walked many lives, as heroes, as villains, as paragons of virtue or as symbols of anarchy. But never, has Bruce Wayne been a ordinary man. Never has Diana been raised as the Princess of a different kingdom. And never, has Kal-El chosen to learn of his old home rather than protect his new one. But now they will. A delayed tragedy, a failed kidnapping and a

When his eyes opened, he stood in a familiar blackness. While it had been thirty years since he last saw it, he remembered every detail that wasn’t there. Every crevice he couldn’t see. Every curve that hid from his sight. And of course, she sat there, tall and imposing in her monstrous form, a far cry from the form he remembered her having once upon a time. Once upon a time, she used her beauty to her advantage. Now, she was so assured in her strength that she saw no need for beauty in the same sense. Instead, hers was a beauty of deadliness. “And here we stand,” she said, “once more in conference. How long

Part 2: Protecting Our Kin I slipped my gloves on and prepared to leave the house, when Onee-sama stepped in my way. “I won’t let you leave, Kioshi,” she said, “this is ridiculous. How does this help the village?” I sighed, pushing past her. “The Phoenix began this conflict. They struck first,” I said, “I do not agree with a civil war, but attacking a clan is treason. In my opinion, every member of the Phoenix that participated in the attack should be at least imprisoned, if not executed.” “Kioshi!” “Enough,” I snapped, “you are a civilian, Takagama Mai. You

…and now, your real training begins. Asukai Masami, while in a reasonably good mood, was still a little confused by what her proctor was talking about. She talked about winning not being everything…she didn’t understand what that meant. Winning was the most important. Losing was not an option. But then, Tegakari Mao was a Jōnin. She knew what she was talking about… She put her concerns from her mind as she tightened her grip on the acceptance scroll she held. A grin slipped on her face as she skipped into the clan compound, immediately making her way to the training ground she knew Uncle Takashi was waiting. As s