Episode 0: A Song of a Steel Resolve

Hiiro and Giruu go on a small hunt, only to turn around and up telling a strange tale long passed from ear to ear.

“How many times do I have to tell you!” Came from a gruff voice that belonged to a equally looking and rather displeased half-ogre. It was a common feature found on the man's face and it wasn't unusual that it appeared so crossed. Though that was nothing to really bother about to Hiiro, all he really wanted to do was kill a simple slime-ball creature. “Take your eyes off them and they'll just-” before he could finish there was a slime already glued to Hiiro's face with a strong sense of provoked aggression. A muffled yell of frustration gurgled from within the slime's clear body and with a grasp of wet and sticky handfuls of the slime, he yanked off the annoying creature from his face. He proceeded to then slam the creature onto the ground without hesitance and pointed his rather shabby sword at it. He stepped on the moist body and it bulged to one side of his boot.

'Come at me again damn it!” He shouted loudly. “I'll kill you dead!” His stream of ranting continued until the slime had managed to slip from under his foot, bounced upon the ground and then once more smacked him in his face, yet again. Though it lacked any actual obvious emotion, one could assume it was quite pleased with Hiiro's displeasure as he lacked any way to speak with unbridled frustration at his repeat of a scenario. His companion by the name of Giruu simply crossed his rather large, muscle honed arms and stared with a typical blank look of expectation. The kid always thought he could take on anything he put his mind to, but the little pest seemed to have other plans.

“You're making this harder than it needs to be Hiiro.” He said with a straight face. Hiiro once more unlatched the creature from his oxygen depraved reddened face and tossed it with perfect accuracy at the nearby tree, seeing as there was no point in trying to cut it down. It bounced off rather harmlessly and into some brush nearby. “I'll never understand why you do this to yourself. But we'll continue another day it seems.” He made to turn away and Hiiro stomped his foot as if he was a taunted child.

“I will be the greatest swordsman ever! Don't ask me why I keep trying, you know that already!” He gripped his short sword with renewed determination. “I just...didn't have the right sword. Yeah, that's it you hear me Giruu? I need to buy a new one! Palpa needs to stop being a tight wad and let me get something that suits me already!” Giruu made a sidelong glance as he continued to walk and simply frowned and furrowed as expected by Hiiro. This topic again.

“At this point, an invisible sword would suit you just fine. Come, we need to return soon. It'll be dark by the time we get back.” Hiiro's face scrunched up in a snarl and sheathed his sword with reluctance. He really wanted to give Giruu a good whack upside the head but he knew that he'd never be able to even reach within ten feet before he'd get knocked around like a rag-doll by that giant sized blade of Giruu's. Something then occurred to Hiiro as he pouted, catching up to his long time friend and teacher. He walked behind him but close enough to speak in a quiet tone. He hung his head low as if trying to hide his face.

“Giruu,” He said in a unusually low voice, “why is it that every time I try anything, I always end up screwing things up?” Giruu gave another long expression devoid face and sighed inwardly. This kid was just not someone that looked on the bright side of things.

“You don't screw everything up Hiiro. Stop being so hard on yourself for once, you'll get old faster by being so moody about everything you cannot do.” Hiiro had become much more sensitive and emotionally distraught over the course of the year after the defeat of both Nanbuuko and Dagon Zot the evil dragon. Though he threw tantrums as often as ever did, he had begun to express himself more than before. Maybe Saraato had been able to take the edge off his ego in some way. Though he wasn't sure if he liked the angst Hiiro seemed to give off in massive vibes. “No offense, but you're still a kid. Acting like you are a total failure is just going to waste everyone's time.”

“Easy for you to say, old man. You've got all the time in the world to get better.” Giruu simply itched the back of his scraggly hair and closed his eyes to hide his annoyance.

“Old man? Since when did I deserve the honor?” He retorted with a forced laugh in between his words.

“Never mind I guess you couldn't possibly understand anyways.” Hiiro made a sharp downward motion at the edges of his mouth and his eyes became half lidded as if he was trying to clear his head of something he'd regret saying aloud. It was then Giruu stopped and turned to face Hiiro. He looked back at his long time friend and all Hiiro could do was give a mildly confused look as to why they stopped walking so abruptly.

“Sometimes to understand something, you must first learn the reason why you struggle to do so and in doing so you learn something about yourself. Not everything is laid out in obvious explanation, Hiiro. Part of life is accepting that which you fail to comprehend at first glance.” He looked at Hiiro without any expectation of any real response and figured it was lost on the boy the moment he started talking with any actual intent of thought. Hiiro looked away from the intense gaze and seemed to tense as if the words were actual attacks aimed at him.

“What if...you just can't do it right, no matter what you do then?” He said in a hushed voice.

“Then find another way. There's never just one way to do something, that I know even as a old man.” Though he doubted Hiiro fully understood his own emotions in itself, he knew that Hiiro was always trying to compensate for his lack of strength in physical means in whatever trivial way possible. Giruu once more turned away from Hiiro and put his massive hands on his hips. He took a moment as he surveyed the area around them and took a deep breath. This kid wore him out more than any life or death battle.

His mind drifted through the clear sky as he glanced upwards and saw birds flying about as if without a care in the world. Naturally he knew they were in search of food, but the thought of being without care for other worries other than hunger seemed fairly tempting. The sun shone brightly as if to mock the gloomy hunch that Hiiro's body had taken, his slim shadow looking like a bent out of shape tree branch. Maybe now was the right time to share some insight that even Hiiro could perceive as logic.

“Hiiro, have you ever heard the tale 'The Song of a Steel Resolve'? It's not a very well known tale but it's something I heard about some time ago.” A gentle but brisk gust of wind made the grass under their feet sway in rhythm with Giruu's steady breathing. Hiiro gave a small look of pained interest and seemed to submit to the incoming lecture. “Don't look so glum. We'll need to keep walking to get back in time.” Giruu proceeded to tell Hiiro about a odd story that he once overheard from somewhere long forgotten in his memory as they continued walking onward towards camp...

Saraato sat in a gentle inclined posture on a smooth yet dully colored rock not too far away from their camp as she awaited Hiiro's arrival. Her brilliantly shining hue of azure hair shone regardless in the sun or moonlight, but this night was particularly noticeable being a full moon. The stars seemed to wink back at Saraato as she extended a hand to count the dark lights that emitted from so far away. She weaved her hand in several motions as if tracing the constellations she knew. It had gotten fairly late and she wondered if Hiiro was purposely taking his time while out with Giruu. Her slender figure shifted slightly, her hand brushing her check as she looked out into the silence of the dark, and forms illuminated only by the shine above almost appeared like that of a cut out silhouette.

Hiiro was such a nice person, she thought to herself. It wasn't long after the final battle from last year to have her be more certain of his worth as a individual, as not only did he save Saraato from being killed when her dragon stone was destroyed, but gave her his human heart that had once taken residence in Dagon Zot as well. Ultimately, she not only owned her life to him, but her heart literally belonged to Hiiro in more than one way. As she thought of Hiiro, a small stroke of carefully preserved memory lit up her mind. She recalled a story that Giruu had once told her. It was a treasure of a tale and reminded her of when she first heard the heart within his chest beating with unrivaled power.

What was it called? Saraato's sapphiric colored eyes looked up once more into the abyssal calmness that emitted such warmth in silence. She moved herself to laying on her chest, her hair trailing her neck and shoulders like a stream of liquid jewels. She laid like this for a time as she felt the warm reminder of it's presence in her mind. She had the feeling Giruu was telling it again, but it was just a feeling. Even though they were never close, Saraato had a knack for knowing the vague look he wore as easily as the back of her hand. She closed her eyes and placed her hands under her chin as if cradling a child in a mother's arms. Ah yes, she thought to herself. It had something to do with a steel resolve and the story of a choice that had made the world kneel before the power of the vast universe.

“Say what now?” Hiiro said with a disbelieving tone. “You mean to tell me some old fart literally had the world kneel before them? That just sounds so clique.” He made a upturned lipped sneer and swore he was going to pass out from being bored to death by Giruu.

“It's not literally what happened, do you not have a sense of imagination? People tend to exploit events that mean something as a way to explore the truth.” Giruu held his thick hands to the back of his unkempt hair and continued with a monotone voice. “Anyways, the 'world' obviously mean the people of our world. The 'vast universe' alludes to the true king of Kunaaan. Not like you really paid attention to my teachings though. I doubt you even recall half the things that cross your mind.”

“What's that suppose to mean exactly?!” He threw his arms up in the air in confusion and waggled his hands to signal total frustration. “First you'd tell me some random old story no one cares about then you explain how I'm too stupid to understand it! What gives old man?” Hiiro was nearly fuming from the ears and clenched his teeth tightly in annoyance. Giruu merely chuckled with a deep throaty sound.

“When did I say stupid? Are you admitting your own short comings for once?” Giruu let a hoarse laugh escape and was thoroughly amused by the boy's reaction of fury.

“THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT.” Hiiro's vain by his temple bulged with crimson and he growled with every word. “Damn it Giruu! You're too old to make up stories anyways. Maybe you're the one who needs a check in the head. Short comings my a*s, I'll stick my sword up yours before I go and admit anything so childish around you!” Giruu gave a dark smile though it was hidden in the night like a fox sneaking into a hen-house.

“So if it were Saraato you'd gladly show your ah, 'incompetence' with the sword? Do girls this day and age find that attractive?” Hiiro couldn't be seen other than a slight glimmer of the moonlight bouncing across his face.

“What the hell is that suppose to mean? Stop talking like you know everything for once. I'm more competent with my sword than any other guy around here. You wanna have me whip it out and smack you? Just because you're big doesn't mean I can't take you old man.” Giruu made a sound that Hiiro wasn't sure was a chortle or maybe a suppressed choke. “What? What is so friggin' funny!”

“Just stop before you hurt yourself. Well, at least you're sword will be fine, you, not so much.” Hiiro simply continued to screech insults but it seemed to only further Giruu's awkwardly on point comments.

“Just tell me the damn story before we get back to the damn camp before I damn well go ahead without you.” Giruu once more found this funny in any event.

“As you wish, just stop talking for once. Or at the very least stop trying to be the bigger man. You're a sapling yet, firm, but easy to snap.” Giruu made a small wry smile at Hiiro's utter confusion and waved a hand in the air next to his side as if to clear the air. “Alright. Well, like I was saying before we went very much off the topic, not everything is so literal and you must take that into consideration for anyone or anything that experiences something of interest or of curious nature.” At least Hiiro had stopped his bickering and remained stone cold silent. He guessed Hiiro was still listening despite everything said prior. Giruu had such a time making the boy squirm some days, it was better than most meals he could make from scratch on the often.

“Just get on with it.”Hiiro managed to say with some some sort of remaining sanity.

“So the story of the steel resolve is quite simple. It was once thought that there would be one true king to unite all of Kunaaan under their flag, but obviously that seems quite outside any reason of rationality for the time being.” Though it was dark he could Hiiro's increasingly dragging feet drag through the dry earth. “But that king was not without the help of the people. The people often saw the king as a man of great means, but because he was not of royal blood, he could never bring the nobility to heel.”

“Go figure. A bunch of rich pricks looking to take over and let me guess, he beat them all against the odds right?” Hiiro said with a small sigh of exasperation. That's how fairy tales typically worked out. The good guy was always the good guy, the bad guy the sore loser.

“He died of course by being mugged in his own house. It was then left to his other living relative, his only daughter.” Giruu made gestures with his hands as if it was twirling around in tandem with his speech. “So the daughter decided retribution was in place for such a low blow as to see her father without dignity, die on the very hearth he so cherished between them.”

“That's just...that sounds like what happened with my parents when they tried to seal Dagon Zot. That b*****d Nanbuuko tricking them, forcing the ritual to fail out of his greed for chaos.” Hiiro actually sounded rather serious and that truly made Giruu pleased. “So then what? She get her revenge?”

“Revenge is not quite the word I'd use, but it certainly is a option in this case. She didn't do anything other than fade into the shadows for most of the world's knowledge. She made no fancy address, no declaration of war, nothing short of simply of vanishing. Though they would pay dearly for assuming she was harmless.” Giruu said with a stern but straightforward answer.

“And how is that revenge exactly? I'm I missing something here?” Hiiro cocked his head, trying to understand how someone could simply give up on their own flesh and blood. As if reading his thoughts, Giruu responded with a answer.

“It's thought that she dropped her old name, and took up a dark oath with a also vengeance seeking daemon. That demon is thought to have the name meaning death, though it's unclear what the relationship was between them. What is known, is shortly after, nobility began to die explainable yet gruesome deaths.” A short stint of quiet lingered where only Hiiro's breathing was audible.

“Serves them right. The powerful always think they're invincible until poof! They're dead and forgotten.” Hiiro commented but also was thinking at the same time. It was as if the words spelled themselves from his mouth.

“Oh? And what do you think the powerful feel of the needs of the weak? The constant demands, the irregular trivialities of keeping face and protecting what must be kept within the reach of a hand?” Hiiro seemed to not really understand the notion. “Humans are weak creatures. Without some sense of ownership or influence, they fall easily into the jaws of corruption and become a target if not made to appear perfect. The true price of power comes in the form of resistance to the over all accepted by those unwilling to change.”

“You make my head spin. Who the hell is the good guy then? If the weak are too needy but the powerful are too fearful, just who the world is the right side?” Hiiro said with utmost confusion.

“Who said there had to be good in order to achieve what they want? Good guys and bad guys are not as easily so different as you think they are. What one sees as wrong the other sees as insanity, the other may see chaos as the means of attaining enlightenment.” It was then a sharp blue reflection of some kind glinted off in the distance. “With that said, I do believe we have reached our destination just in time. Seems Saraato has been expecting you.” As they approached camp Hiiro could see the glare of Saraato's pure blue hair flutter in a soft breeze. She seemed absolutely thrilled, even if he couldn't see her clearly, he could tell she was happy to know he was safe.

“You know Giruu, you talk a lot of nonsense out of your a*s.” Hiiro picked up his pace and moved forward at a quicker rate as if being totally disinterested in the entire matter. “See you in the morning.” Giruu simply shook his head and sighed once more.

“You're more similar than you think, Hiiro...and not just for revenge...”

Author's Note

Please make sure you read fully before commenting, I don't like being asked questions when they're already in front of you answered. Otherwise, please enjoy and comment as you'd like.