Dacheng was confused at what he saw at the end of the tunnel. Wasn't it supposed to be the light at the end of the tunnel and not the wall? Putting the lantern down, he sighed and started feeling it all over the wall, trying to find something, anything that stuck out. It noiselessly opened to reveal a strange, spacious room in the traditional style Dacheng admired.
Just how far have I gone? He thought. And how long was I out for in the first place?
And yet, something felt wrong to Dacheng.
The room was dim and cold. It lacked the "sincerity" and "kindness" of the ryokan room he and his family shared. Instead, a dark and menacing aura permeated the room, and a deep droning sound filled the air. Thirteen candles were lit, and dark figures bowing down on their knees filled the hall.
Dacheng could tell they were Genin, lower-class ninjas, as their outfits lacked any markings to show high status.
Of course, he could be wrong, but he didn't want to find out.
He also thought he saw the bat monster from his dream transform into a human form. Was that the Hensōjutsu, or disguising skill, Dacheng heard about online?
But before Dacheng could ponder it any further, everyone in the hall shouted in unison.
"Great General!"
A deep, malicious voice rang out behind a nearby prominently placed folding screen.
"I, General Gale, have called you all here today to Edo Castle for a gathering of the Devil Storm Clan!"
Dacheng, fearing for his life, could only stay quiet and press himself against the side of the wall, hoping and praying none of them suddenly turned around.
The rest of the ninjas unanimously roared their approval as a mysterious cloaked man - the owner of the voice - appeared. He was wearing a gold-studded black lacquer mask with strange markings. Blue hair stuck out from under the samurai helmet he wore. The one who called himself General Gale began to speak.
"For far too long have we ninjas of the Devil Storm Clan been training, hiding in the shadows, since the Warring States period up until today! We have been forced into hiding by the inferior beings, the mortal humans! But the moment we have been waiting for is finally here! We, the Devil Storm Clan, have captured the daughter of the Minister of the National Ministry of Defense! And now, using our lethal Devil Storm jutsus, we shall rise to plunge Tokyo and the rest of Japan into chaos! By turning its weapons against itself, we shall rule over all of Japan! And with our Master's return shall come an undying universal utopia!"
Dacheng could barely restrain himself from gasping as he hid, unnoticed, in the corner of the room.
No… he thought, This can't be... Conquering Japan?! What is the meaning of this?! Ninjas are supposed to help the common folk! They are supposed to be stealing from those who have been corrupted by wealth! How can they now plan such cruelties?!
Dacheng was experiencing a minor crisis. Were these still the same as the ninja he had looked up to almost all his life? No... Wait a minute. That was Robin Hood. The ninjas were spies and assassins... and then there was the pirate ninja Fūma Kotarō... Well, that story checks out… OK. I guess ninjas aren't all they're cracked up to be…
Dacheng very quickly solved his crisis. Idealism and realism fought, and realism won. He was willing to accept the truth that not all ninjas were good. It was the most historically accurate choice. He nodded to himself in confirmation.
In his monologue, however, he had only just noticed a kunoichi, a female ninja, standing behind the General. She had a perpetual smirk on her face, framed by deep black shoulder-length hair with part of it tied up and spread out like a lily. She was wearing a black leather mask and a matching yet revealing outfit, which, for his own sake, Dacheng couldn't bear to try and describe further.
In contrast, a pretty and innocent young girl wearing a white-sleeved red dress was tied to a pole. She was but a mere child, younger than even him, looking to be about eleven years or so.
"Dark Lily!" The General said.
"My lord?" asked the leather-wearing woman, losing the smirk.
"Punish the girl."
"With pleasure, my lord!" Her smirk reappeared.
"It's time to set the mood for a pre-battle festival!" The General proclaimed.
With a cracking sound, the épée Dark Lily wielded turned into a whip. She raised it, ready to bring it down and introduce the girl to a world of pain.
"Father, save me!" the girl screamed in fear.
Dacheng tightly shut his eyes as time seemed to slow for him. His mind told him he wanted nothing to do with this, that his parents would want him alive. But suddenly, something flared up within his heart. His parents would want him to help out someone in need, and he knew it!
Before the whip could land on the young girl's delicate skin, Dacheng rushed forward, not quite in control of himself, and embraced the girl, shielding her from the blow with his body.
"AGH!!!"
He screamed through gritted teeth. Tears streamed from his eyes again. It felt as though a thousand rose thorns had pierced his back. Desperately striking out in pain, he sent a punch in Dark Lily's direction.
While Dark Lily managed to block it, she was pushed back a bit. Both were surprised, but Dark Lily, grinning widely and manically, almost instantly recovered from the sudden attack.
"How adorable…~" she cooed twistedly. She tried to whip Dacheng again. He managed to grab the whip with his bare hands, but it was like grasping onto a knife. He grit his teeth and threw the whip aside.
Dacheng narrowly dodged several of the Genin's attacks by a centimeter as he worked to set the girl free. He then made a beeline for the wall he came from, but not before taking the girl by the hand. Meanwhile, the Genin had surrounded them and were doing their best to block their way out.
Dark Lily cracked her whip, and it hardened into an épée again. She thrust it toward Dacheng, who without thinking grabbed a nearby Genin in front of him and threw them in front of Dark Lily's blade. As the bloodstained blade returned to its owner's hand, the Genin drew their last breath.
Dacheng's eyes widened in slow recognition of what he had just done. He who had just been a normal teenager mere hours ago was now a murderer.
He looked down at his hands, lost in his guilt, as his heartbeat tolled like a judgment bell.
The girl's cries pierced the air and brought Dacheng back to reality. Suddenly, he remembered why he did what he had done.
Wresting a ninjatō from the Genin's hands, Dacheng swung the blade around with an accompaniment of kicks and punches. He felt grateful that the Taekwondo classes he had taken as an extracurricular activity had a minor yet useful effect. Using the ninja sword in his hand, he clumsily deflected and parried his way through the enemies, clearing a path toward freedom. Though he was lucky enough to not be dead, he got many cuts along the way.
After all, he had only reached the second-to-lowest belt in Taekwondo - the yellow belt.
He took out a strange ball he had found in the Genin's pockets and threw it. It exploded into a cloud of smoke, stunning the Genin. Taking advantage of the disoriented enemies' gaps in formation, he ran and ran while the girl behind him tried to keep up.
As they hid in a tunnel unnoticed by their pursuers, Dacheng, in between pants, used his handkerchief to wrap up his dominant right hand, which was covered in blood. He decided to check on the girl. She was sniffling and on the verge of bursting into tears.
Honestly, Dacheng sort of understood her. Who wouldn't be crying if they had been taken hostage by strangers? And on their birthday too... Worse still, he had murdered someone right in front of her.
"Uh, are you okay? Daijōbu... desu... ka?" He asked in English and clunky Japanese, unsure how to talk to the girl.
She seemed surprised by his talking to her. Hesitation and reluctance were painted on her face, with a hint of apprehension.
"Y-yes," she said in English. Dacheng felt a little dumb.
"Alright," Dacheng shifted to English. "My name is Yun Dacheng. What's yours?"
"Um... it's Anzen Ritsuko," she replied, "Did Father send you?"
The latter question was asked with such hope that Dacheng felt too guilty to lie.
"No..." he said weakly.
When he saw her sad face, Dacheng quickly continued, "But do you believe me when I say I fell here from a tree? That could be a way out."
Her eyes, which had initially grown dim with disappointment, now widened in disbelief and surprise.
"Really...?" she asked.
"Yes, I did," Dacheng said. "I'd tell you about it, but first, we need to find our way out of here."
Dacheng picked up the lantern he had dropped outside, but didn't turn it on for fear of attracting the other ninjas. With Ritsuko in tow, he managed to find the place he fell from.
Wiping his hands, Dacheng placed Ritsuko on his shoulders. She pulled the hatch open, allowing herself to climb out.
"What are you waiting for?" Ritsuko yelled, "Climb up!"
Dacheng gulped. He knew he was a very clumsy guy, as did everyone else who knew him. Therefore, he hated doing risky things, physical things, and risky physical things unless he really had to.
Why? He knew his chances of success at doing these things were as slim as the toothpicks at the Chinese restaurants he and his family frequented.
Unfortunately for him, climbing this slippery ladder was one of those risky, physical things.
But at least the rubber shoes he wore helped, as did the jogging pants, which had given his legs room to move so well. He thanked his parents for packing these clothes for him to wear and himself for choosing these clothes last night.
Placing the ninjatō in his mouth and the lantern in his pants, he started making his way upwards. Hand up, foot up. He put the other hand up, and then the other foot up.
Dacheng managed to climb up the precariously slippery ladder by repeating this pattern and eventually made his way out of the hole.
Ritsuko looked at him with pity upon seeing his current state.
His shirt was stained with sweat and cut in several places, his pants were dirty, his legs bore several open wounds, and the state of his rubber shoes was indescribable. In short, he looked like he had been out without an umbrella while it was raining knives.
Taking the sword out of his mouth, he asked Ritsuko, "Uh, where do you live? I'll take you there if that's OK with you."
"All right." She said a little reluctantly. "But you can only take me so far, since you shouldn't need to know where I live."
"Oh, OK."
Before they could continue their slightly awkward conversation, they heard a terrifying shout - the other Genin had found them.