• The blade dancer, lineage of light.
    By molly motes

    Long ago in the land of Shinjuku there lived a boy whose mastery with the sword was undiminished, he could fight so well and was so fast that he looked like he was dancing. This boy, named kife, was hailed as the blade dancer. No enemy could stand in his way, he was undefeatable. It remained this way for a long time but one day a man dressed in black armor appeared, kife fought with all his might but his efforts were futile for he was destroyed, but before his sword dropped from his hand he sent the dread knight into hiding, now the dread knight has returned and a new blade dancer must arise, listen to this story of a young boy and his companions…

    “Mizune! Mizune! Where are you!?” a young boy shouted
    “here kife!” a girl’s voice shouted and the boy, kife, went towards it to see a girl shooting a bow and arrow. “ there you are!” said kife

    “hang on, just one second…” said mizune and she fired the arrow in her bow.
    “alright”
    “quit fooling around, come on, my father said he had something to tell us” said kife and so they left the woods and went to kife’s house
    “ there you are! Kife, it’s time you learned of you namesake.” Said kife’s father
    “what do you mean?” said kife
    “your name, kife, was the real name of the legendary blade dancer from one thousand years ago, an ancient prophecy says: ‘when the name of a legendary hero reappears that one shall have the power to save he world from the force of evil’ said kife’s father
    “what!? My name was- but I thought nobody knew the name of the blade dancer?!” said kife
    “kife! This is great! You have the name of a hero!” said mizune
    “That’s just it mizune! I don’t want to! If this prophecy is true I’m going to have to go defeat him!” said kife
    “ True, but you will not be entirely alone, take riku with you, he can travel with you.” Said kife’s father
    “I go as well, right?” said mizune
    “I am afraid that can not be mizune, girls and women can not enter the lair of the dread knight.” Said kife’s father
    “But I’m strong! I can help them until then!” said mizune
    “No, stay here and wait for me to return alright, I promise I’ll be back soon.” Said kife
    “~Sigh~ alright, but don’t take too long, or I’ll come after you!” said mizune, and she took a necklace out of her pocket
    “Here, my lucky charm, and you better not lose it! Also, here, take my bow as well, it’ll help” said mizune
    “Thanks” said kife as he put the charm around his neck and put the bow across his back, he then went to get his best friend, riku.
    “Awesome! You have the name of the blade dancer?! C’mon then, lets go see your father.” He said as he put kife in a headlock and rubbed his head with his knuckles and a few minutes later they were back at kife’s house.
    “before you go kife, I have something for you as well” said kife’s father and he handed kife a sword.
    “that sword was the same sword that belonged to the legendary blade dancer, use it with care.” Said kife’s father
    “I will, thank you” said kife
    “good luck, both of you” said mizune as she gave kife a hug.
    “thanks, stay here and help father look after the town, he’ll need the extra help.” Said kife.
    “don’t worry, I will” said mizune. and kife and riku left town
    “WAAAAAIT!” a voice shouted, it was mizune! She handed kife a quiver full of arrows. “even a hero can’t make arrows appear as he pulls back the bow string! You’ll need these.” Said mizune as kife took the arrows and slung across his back.
    “thanks.” Said kife
    “good luck, and if you two don’t come back soon I’ll come after you and when I find you I’ll never let the two of you out of my sight!” said mizune
    “we’ll miss you too mizune.” Said kife and riku
    “Then I’ll cling to you all the tighter.” Said mizune as she went back to town


    “That girl has some serious issues.” Said kife
    “Tell me about it.” Said riku and they left town to face the dread knight.
    They didn’t come across anything over the next few days, though they were constantly on the alert. As the days went by kife eventually saw a castle in the distance…
    “Look, you don’t think,” said kife
    “Most likely, we should stick to the woods and keep out of sight until reach the castle.” Said riku
    “Good idea, we should stop here and make camp for the night, it’ll take most of the day to get to the woods after descending these hills” said kife
    “Good idea.” Said riku and they started to make camp. As dinner cooked over the fire kife, who was looking up at the stars, said:
    “I wonder how mizune is…”
    “Mizune’s fine, trust me.” Said riku
    “I guess your right… I just wish I knew how she was doing,” said kife
    “You like her, don’t you? Admit it kife!” Said riku
    “No! Yes;” said kife
    “Mizune’s fine. And when we get back you can tell her how much you like her.” Said riku
    “Tell her! No! I- I can’t tell her!” said kife
    “If you don’t tell her, then I will.” Said riku
    “You wouldn’t dare!” said kife
    “Oh, I will, blade dancer.” Said riku
    “Not if you don’t make it back! En garde!” said kife drawing his sword and striking at riku, who rolled, grabbing his sword and shouting:
    “How bat you! Blade dancer!” said riku and, laughing, the two sparred in preparation for the upcoming battle.

    ~The next morning~
    When kife woke up the next morning he saw riku’s sleeping bag empty
    ‘Where did he go? Is he off getting breakfast?’ thought kife. He saw several pairs of footsteps leading away from camp and not to far off he saw riku’s sword, around which he saw the dirt trampled up. Kife’s eyes widened, the dread knight had kidnapped riku!
    ‘No… dread knight, you’re going down!’ thought kife and he dashed off towards the dread knights castle. He stormed through the castle and was soon in front of the dread knight.
    “Welcome blade dancer!” he said
    “Enough of your false hospitality dread knight! Your going down! And this time, your going to be more then just in hiding!” said kife.
    “Really now?” said the dread knight
    “Yes!” said kife and he and the dread knight fought vigorously and kife was soon winning.
    “Your through!” said kife
    “You might think that, wouldn’t you?” said the dread knight
    Kife suddenly felt someone behind him; he turned around to see riku.
    “No, NO!” said kife, dropping his sword and falling to his knews.
    “You can’t give up… the dread knight took my best friend from me as well, it was with that weakness exploited he destroyed me, may my powers be passed to you” a voice said in kife’s head and he suddenly felt strength and power flow through his body. He got up, drawing his sword and started fighting the dread knight again, when riku tried to stop him
    Kife put the tip of his sword to riku’s forhead, breaking the spell the dread knight placed upon him and the two fought him together and won and returned home.
    “Your home! I was so worried about you!” said mizune
    “I told you we’d come home in one piece! Hey, umm…” said kife but mizune put a finger to his lips and said
    “You talk to much, I’ve known since we were 9.” And mizune and kife kissed, and with the dread knight destroyed the land of shenjinku was forever wrought with peace.