The Staff of Kyade (2 page)

'I am sorry to hear of your struggles. I am on a journey to avenge my village as well; maybe we can work together and help each other out. It would be a lot easier and less scary if we each had someone watching out for us. '

'I think that would be a great idea.' Shin said joyously.

Hearing Shin's story made Kenji even more determined to find the Ujiima. He quickly realized that he may have found a great ally and friend in Shin. Kenji decided to stay with Shin and learned many things from him. Shin taught him how to fish and trade and, most importantly, how to fight.

Kenji and Shin's friendship became greater with each passing day. They knew everything about each other. The only thing that Shin did not know was the origin of the staff of Kyade, but whenever he brought up the subject of it, Kenji refused to talk about it. Although Shin thought the staff was somewhat odd, his trust in Kenji became strong enough that he did not care. Shin even taught Kenji how to use the staff for battle with a fighting style called bojutsu, which had been taught to Shin by his adoptive father.

Days turned in weeks and months into years until the young boys were young men in their twenties. They had spent all their days sparring with each other and training for when they would avenge their homelands. Kenji and Shin both knew that when they decided what their paths should be that they were still too young to complete their duty, but since they had matured both physically and mentally, they were ready to start their journey.

Kenji and Shin decided to go see the emperor of the country, Tokufumi. Shin wanted to ask him for help with clearing out the monsters that had invaded his village, and Kenji wanted to ask if Tokufumi knew of a way to contact the Ujiima. It took them weeks to cross the country to get to the emperor's castle. When Shin and Kenji were near, they decided to get some rest. They did not want to be exhausted when they met the emperor, especially when they needed his help.

Night fell and Shin and Kenji were asleep. In his castle, Tokufumi was also sleeping when once again the voice spoke to him.

'Wake up, my emperor.' The voice said.

'What is it?'

'The staff, it is nearby. It is heading this way.'

Tokufumi became very nervous. 'This cannot be. You must be wrong.'

'I am never wrong!' The voice thundered, and Tokufumi's entire castle shook.

'I am sorry, I am sorry.' The emperor pleaded fearfully.

'The wielder of the staff is heading your way. You must make sure you get it this time.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Do not disappoint me, my emperor.' The voice faded. Tokufumi was terrified. He was afraid that he would lose his empire—or even worse, his life. He quickly ordered his men that if anyone came to the castle in the next few days that they were to be captured.

Morning came and Kenji and Shin were closing in on the castle doors. As they approached, a bit of fear started to overwhelm them. Could they really restore everything back to the way it was? Could they avenge their homelands? Could Kyade really be restored and did the Ujiima even truly exist? Kenji was overcome with doubt.

'Shin, I was wondering, do you think we are strong enough to restore our homelands back to the way they were?' Kenji asked.

'I don't know Kenji, but could we live with ourselves if we never tried?'

'We don't have anything, Shin. We don't have friends or family. We have nothing.'

'This just means we have nothing to lose and everything to gain, Kenji.'

Kenji stopped and looked at Shin as he placed his hand on Shin's shoulder. 'Shin?'

'Yes, Kenji?'

'I was wrong. We do have one thing.'

'What is that?' Shin asked confusedly?

With a smile emerging from Kenji's face, he replied. 'We have each other.'

'Indeed, we do,' said Shin, who also started to smile.

They found comfort as well as courage within each other. They did not realize it yet, but they had developed a bond from being together for so long and training together day after day. There was many a night when they would cry into each other's arms after a bad dream or reflection of the horror that was the past.

'Shin … look!' Kenji said in awe.

'What is it?'

'The staff … it's glowing.' The staff had indeed started to glow. The two intersecting gold rings were becoming a blinding white.

'What does it mean Kenji?'

'I am not sure, but maybe it means we are close to finding what we are looking for.' Kenji and Shin ran towards the castle door thinking something important was there waiting for them. The Ujiima must be inside the palace, Kenji thought. As they stepped in front of the door the staff's glow disappeared.

'What just happened?' asked a confused Shin.

'I am not sure Shin, but let's find out.' Kenji knocked on the door. It opened, but no one was there. They decided to walk in anyway. The palace resembled a huge dungeon rather than an actual palace. It was grey and black and white and surrounded with bars and spikes. Kenji and Shin were both starting to wonder if they should leave, but there was no turning back. As soon as they got a few steps in, the door slammed shut behind them. They jumped in fright and turned back to look at the door—when they heard the roar of a huge dragon above them.

'Who are you and why are you here?' A warrior sitting on top of the dragon yelled.

'We came to see the emperor.' said Shin.

'What business do you have with the emperor?' the warrior asked disdainfully.

'We wanted to know if he could help us poor village people out.' replied Kenji.

'The ruler of this country has no time for meager peasants like you,' said the warrior.

'We are very sorry that we disturbed you; we will be on our way,' spoke a nervous Kenji.

'I am afraid that you will not be leaving until the emperor has decreed you are not a threat to the empire.' The warrior motioned to his dragon, 'Kazu, capture them.' Kenji and Shin ran for their lives. Despite the dragon's large size, it was very quick. They dodged the first fire blast and then ran a separate way. The warrior, seeing the staff in Kenji's hand, followed him.

'Kenji, look out!' Shin yelled. Kenji jumped to the side, just missing the blast of fire from the dragon. The dragon then took a deep inhale to shoot out another fire blast. Kenji was paralyzed with fear. The dragon went to exhale when a flying chair knocked the warrior off the dragon. Shin had thrown a piece of furniture.

'You'll pay for that!' The warrior said, holding his head. 'Kazu, get him.' The dragon flew towards Shin.

'No, leave him alone!' Kenji screamed. He ran after the dragon, but with a quick tail swipe, Kenji was knocked back and the dragon continued towards Shin. Kenji quickly ran up the stair case that led to the next floor of the palace. There, he saw a balcony. The dragon was taking another inhale, preparing for another fire blast, when Kenji jumped off the balcony onto the head of the dragon. He covered the dragon's eyes with his hands so the dragon could not see. The dragon went into a wild frenzy. Kazu started to shake and fly around the room, twisting and turning until he knocked Kenji down next to Shin. He had them both cornered and there was nothing they could do.

'I guess this is it,' Kenji said.

'I am so sorry, Kenji,' Shin smiled sadly.

'I am too, but at least I got to make an amazing friend.' Kenji said as he also began to smile. Kenji grabbed Shin's hand and they both closed their eyes in preparation for the fire blast that was coming. The dragon took a deep breath and hurled a huge ball of flames so great that it ignited the entire room. Right as the huge, orange and red flames were about to engulf them, the staff begin to vibrate and glowed once again with a great, bright light.

'Shin … something's happened.' Kenji said and slowly opened his eyes. Shin opened his eyes to see that the staff had started to glow again. The light was so bright that Kenji, Shin, Kazu and the warrior all were engulfed in the light. When the light finally faded, the dragon and warrior were gone.

'What happened, Kenji?' asked a confused Shin.

'The staff … I think the staff protected us,' said a relieved Kenji. Kenji knew what had happened, but he was still a little nervous about revealing everything to Shin.

'What is going on, Kenji? What is that staff and why does it glow?' Kenji realized that Shin was the only one he could trust. He deserved the truth after everything that they'd been through. So Kenji told Shin everything. He explained about the staff and the legend of the Ujiima and how the warriors who destroyed Kyade had wanted it. The more Kenji talked, the more he realized that the people who attacked Kyade resembled the warrior and the dragon who had just tried to kill them. Kenji did not know why there was such a resemblance, but he prayed that it was merely a coincidence. Even so, he did not share that thought with Shin.

As they composed themselves, they noticed someone staring at them. A man slowly walked up to them. They didn't know that the man had watched their entire ordeal and was wise to the situation at hand regarding the staff.

'I do apologize for my mindless warrior. You see, we have had a lot of intruders these days and they fear for my safety; but I've told them that needless attempts at killing were deplorable.' The man said with a smooth voice that seemed apologetic.

'Who are you?' asked Kenji.

'That is Emperor Tokufumi!' Shin exclaimed. 'My emperor, it is an honor to meet you.' Shin bowed.

'Please, my young man, no need for that. There must be some way I can make it up to you for being attacked in my palace.' Tokufumi stared at the staff the entire time he spoke. He did not realize he was being watched by Kenji. Kenji was well aware that there may be another motive behind the emperor's kindness.

'Actually, my Lord, we came in hopes that you can help us deal with some of the problems that plague us,' explained Shin.

'I will do the best I can, but first, my friends, you need a hot meal and a change of clothing. I shall have my servants take you to a changing room and they will bathe and dress you. Then we will discuss what is on your mind,' said an overly eager Tokufumi. Kenji could not put his finger on it, but the niceness of the emperor did not seem genuine. It was as if the emperor was speaking at them, not to them. It was something about his eyes—they stared right through Kenji and Shin. Kenji did not trust him at all.

With a clap of his hands, Tokufumi signaled his servants to come down the staircase and lead Shin and Kenji to the changing room. As they walked upstairs, Kenji noticed again how Tokufumi stared at the staff. While Kenji and Shin made their way through the palace, they saw how beautiful and extravagant everything was. They saw all the paintings on the walls and even a beautiful garden and fountain outside through the window. When they made it to the changing room, they were in awe of the bathing pool that was as large as a small lake.  The servants helped Kenji and Shin get undressed, but Kenji did not let his staff leave his hand.

Once they got into the bathing pool, Kenji asked the servants to leave so he could talk to Shin.

'Why do you insist on holding that staff even while in the water?' questioned Shin.

'I have a bad feeling,' said Kenji, whose nervousness was returning.

'Why? Lord Tokufumi knows we are not a threat, so there is no need to worry,' said a Shin calmly.

'Hopefully you are right, but I will still hold on to the staff just in case.' Kenji saw that Shin was very trusting on the emperor and he did not want to dissuade him from believing otherwise.

While they bathed, something odd happened when they saw each other's naked forms. They had grown up together and seen each other naked numerous times, but somehow it was different. Embarrassment radiated from the two and they avoided eye contact. The servants came back in after a while and dressed them in the finest silk kimonos and sandals. Shin and Kenji were not used to the pampering, but it did feel nice.

'You young men look glorious,' said Tokufumi, who came into their changing room.

'Thank you, my Lord,' said a very grateful Shin.

'You must be hungry after all this excitement. Please, join me for breakfast.' Kenji and Shin were incredibly hungry and they willingly followed Tokufumi and his servants. They walked to the other side of the palace to the dining room. A huge table in the center seated thirty people and each chair was filled except for three which were for Tokufumi, Kenji, and Shin.

'Good morning, everyone, these are my guests. Please,' Tokufumi gestured, 'introduce yourselves.'

'I am Shin and this is Kenji,' Shin said with a smile. The people stared back expressionless. Their faces said they did not care who they were.

'Nice to meet you,' said a little boy with a smile. The little boy was the only person at the table who appeared genuine to Kenji. 'Same to you, and who might you be?' Kenji  asked.

'This is my crown prince, Jun,' responded Tokufumi.

'So he is your son?' asked Shin.

'Indeed,' replied Tokufumi. 'Now, please, you two sit so we can eat.' Kenji and Shin looked at the spread of food that consisted of white rice, miso soup, sushi, grilled fish, eggs, bread, umeboshi and green tea. The food looked so delicious. Shin immediately began to devour everything in sight. Kenji, however, was more hesitant; eating only once he saw everyone at the table do so as well.

After only a few bites Kenji, noticed no one at the table had uttered a single word. It was odd to have so many people in one place and have a meal in silence. Kenji felt less at ease than before. Even Jun, the crown prince, acted awkward. Kenji looked around the room trying to examine and analyze each individual, but no one would look at him. Tokufumi tried to start a conversation to alleviate the awkwardness.

'So, Kenji that is a very magnificent staff you have there. If you don't mind, tell me where you got it.' Kenji thought to tell Tokufumi the same lie he'd told Shin—that he'd been given the staff by a family member—but he realized he wanted to know what Tokufumi was hiding. He questioned what Tokufumi's motives were in helping them and there was no better way to find out than by telling the truth.