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Kuro's Life; This is the prologue, 1st & 2nd Chapters
Tweet Topic Started: Nov 16 2009, 04:40 PM (251 Views)
Post #1 Nov 16 2009, 04:40 PM Vanishedspartan
Alright guys. I have been planning on making a novel for a while now and I just love Kuro as a character so I tried to begin his life's story. I have more of it, but I don't want to have it all out here for plagiarizism purposes. This is just a rough draft. I do plan on making each chapter longer. I gladly accept criticism. Anyone who participated in Legend is more than welcome to get more of the story. Just send me a PM and I'll PM it back.
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Post #2 Nov 16 2009, 04:44 PM Vanishedspartan
Prologue

“‘I have travelled every road, docked at every port, and flown around the world.’ No, no, no, that sounds wrong too.” He scoffed, scratching out the line with the metallic quill. He sighed. Writing an autobiography of his life’s travels seemed an impossible goal. It was hard, writing a hundred seventy-six years of history perfectly, let alone remembering it.

The lamp on the wooden table seemed to dim on his every exhale, yet the flame appeared determined to shine throughout the entire room even against breath. The room appeared humble, yet as if it could be larger if arranged right. To him, it seemed smaller than it used to. What was once a grand-looking bedroom now lined its floors with cluttered with small wooden boxes, and various knickknacks and trinkets stood atop each of them, with more surely inside each box. The desk where he sat was across the room from the door to the rest of his house. A bed, large enough for two, could be seen in the corner, its headboard inscribed with an ornate cursive. The letters spelled out “Kuro Takai.” More writing was carved underneath, but the inscription looked as if someone tried to sand it over. It was no longer legible, seemingly erased from time. A digital clock, positioned on the ornate oak nightstand, buzzed gently on the hour. Kuro looked up from his unwritten book. Indecisive scrawls that plagued the page had been scratched out too many times to count.

As he looked back at the clock, time seemed to catch up to him. He couldn’t help but stretch and yawn. “Three A.M. already?” He muttered to himself. “I guess I should get some sleep. I ca-” he yawned again, still trying to talk, “-n start back up tomorrow.”
Kuro took another stern look at the pages. He couldn’t figure out how to start the story, no matter how hard he tried. It just wouldn’t come to him the way he wanted to convey it. True to his word, he stood up and dimmed the kerosene lamp until it went out. He wearily stumbled away from his desk, across the room, until his knees hit the side of the bed. He felt so numb at this hour, barely able to even keep his eyes open long enough to find his bed in the darkness. When his head hit the pillow, he was out.

Memories of the distant past blew into his dreams like a rushing tornado. Sad dreams which involved people he loved made him stir, unbeknownst to the rest of the world what he had been through. Happy memories, not thought of by him in years, twirled like a dust devil in front of his sleeping eyes. All the adventures and everything he had once experienced, once known to be true, rested in the back of his mind until now. This was why Kuro planned on writing about himself, he wanted his memories known.

Kuro woke up late the next morning. Getting out of bed proved to be troublesome since he wasn’t used to being awake at such odd hours as the night before, yet the clock on his nightstand persistently blared at him until his eyes opened drearily. In his kitchen, he brewed some tea and returned to his bedroom to write. “Short and sweet.” the thought played at his mind. He thought it funny to try putting an entire life’s history into terms of short and sweet, let alone his life. Loneliness had dragged him down. The past fifteen years of his life had gone by with nothing for him to do but read the hundreds of books he picked up in his travels. The books he owned now rested in a vast library he made in the study, which looked more like an extension of his living room than an actual study. Still, this didn’t reduce the value of any of his books. Some broad books told countless stories of adventure and mystery; others gave a deep look into religion, wisdom, and even basic learning; yet all the books were priceless.

Kuro didn’t like writing much. He had never before done it for pleasure, and never thought he would. Last night had inspired him, though he didn’t yet know it. He sat down in his chair and dipped the quill. As if someone slapped him awake, he suddenly recalled his restless night. The man looked down at the parchment in front of him, knowing exactly what he was going to write.
His hand seemed to blow across the page. Words poured from the pen until the ink was exhausted, and he had to re-dip. Page after page, he transcribed his collected memories, stopping every few minutes to recollect his thoughts. He wrote as if the memories before him were not his own, but some stranger’s. Kuro’s own life, written as if it were a myth or legend, gathered between the book’s covers.

His story began.
Edited by Vanishedspartan, Nov 16 2009, 04:48 PM.
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Post #3 Nov 16 2009, 04:44 PM Vanishedspartan
Chapter 1: Recess

Wind is a powerful element. It is peaceful and pleasant, spreading life as well as change. At times, wind clashes, creating violent storms capable of destroying anything. It lets you feel it when it wants you to know it’s there, but it cannot be touched, cannot be grabbed. When harnessed properly, it can light up towns or even power cities. Metal, on the other hand, is tough, hard to shape, and sturdy. It cannot be blown over. Metal can build and also destroy. Two contrasting elements of nature with the similar powers to destroy or create were brought together through the destiny of a child, a boy.

From birth, the boy appeared to be different from the rest of the babies born on the island of Fulgeosaari. He never cried, always smiling at even the littlest things. He even looked different. His skin was darker than others whose skin was fair; he was tan. The first hair on his head was white and soft. It was unusual for anyone other than the elderly to have white hair, let alone children. The difference in his appearance didn’t sway his mother. She still nurtured him lovingly, cooing over his unusual silvery-white hair as if it should be admired by all. To her, he was special.

Life in the grassy forested outskirts of Fulgeosaari was peaceful. Food was plentiful in the lightly forested area and there was ample room for even a family of twenty to live comfortably. Growing up there would give any child an isolated but enriched first few years in the world.

The boy had grown quickly over the last few years. His father feared others would ostracize their son for his unusual image none of the islanders shared, while his mother tried to keep attention away from the topic, wanting for him to be treated as normal. Simple disguise hid him from unwanted attention until his first day of school.

“He won’t fit in, Alyssa. He doesn’t even look like he was born here!” the boy’s father continued their argument. “Kuro’s coming of age to where he’ll soon need to be taught in a public environment. How will the school treat him?”

“Nami, honey, Kuro may be different, but there’s no reason for them to judge him any differently. I think you have been blowing all this out of proportion. Kuro’s a fine young boy, no different than any of the other children on the island.” The boy’s mother remained calm. She smiled reassuringly.

“But…” Nami bowed his head with nothing more to say in argument. “You’re right. Maybe he will do fine. I suppose we will know soon enough.”

Kuro slid down the side of the wall outside his parents’ room. Sitting on the floor, the young child began to cry. Am I really so different? He thought. He had not met other children yet. The family lived on the outskirts of the shining city of Fulgeosaari. Most houses within the city had existed for thousands of years, created by the Ancients. Now, the only known inhabitants of Ootewa that possessed knowledge of the Ancients were the members of the Council.

As he and his mother strolled through the fern-filled field toward school, Kuro felt anxious.

“Mama?”

“Yes dear?” Her shoulder-length curly platinum-blonde hair ruffled slightly as a breeze touched it gently.

“Why does Pa not like me?”

Alyssa stopped walking and knelt down next to her son. “Kuro, your father loves you dearly. He’s only concerned for you. He just wants you to be happy.” She grasped his hands gently in her own and kissed him on the forehead.

They continued through the field, straight to the edge of the city. Kuro had always been able to see the tall buildings through the tree line, but up close it was absolutely magnificent. Large metal buildings, polished to preserve the city’s glow, stood everywhere. Kuro looked straight up and admired the numerous towers. At the center of the city Mount Stenza rose high above the buildings. Atop the mountain perched Concillium temple, the house of the Council elders. Little was known about the residents inside other than the laws they passed. Rarely, a trial brought out the Council for judicial reasons, but their mysteriousness lingered.

As Kuro and his mother walked through town, citizens who caught notice of the two began to stare and talk. Whispers amongst the people reached Kuro’s ears. “What’s with the kid’s hair?” “Alyssa has a son?” “He seems different…”

“It’s okay honey, let’s keep going.” Alyssa squeezed Kuro’s hand more firmly. His hand was shaking. He didn’t understand why so many people seemed to take notice of him.

“Mama, why are they talking about us?” The boy began asking questions again.

“Your father is one of the soldiers on the island. He is very well known.” She hated to lie to her own son, but she didn’t want him to fret. Though everyone gave them looks, Kuro thought it was for his father, not him. He began to smile. Suddenly, the thought of being a soldier was the greatest.

The two soon came upon a large courtyard where grass seemed to pave everything but the walkways. Five large trees, planted in the center of each grassy plane, encircled the center and provided shade to the older learning levels for lounging. The campus housed responsibility of teaching all learning levels, from first years until adulthood at the age of eighteen. The sight of the campus grounds reminded Kuro of a cleared out version of the land around his home.

“Kuro baby, would you like me to stay with you your first day of school?” Alyssa asked.

Kuro crinkled his face. “Mom, I’m a big boy now. Stop calling me a baby.”

“Alright Kuro, have fun at school.” She smiled and bent over to kiss Kuro’s forehead again.

“First through Eighth years please enter your classes now. Lessons start in ten minutes.” As the principal began escorting students into the school, Kuro’s mother watched him walk inside. He waved to his mother one last time before the doors shut.

Kuro picked a seat toward the middle of the room. Children on both sides talked excitedly with each other over what they believed the first day would be like. Kuro seemed to be ignored. He didn’t mind though and he had never met city children before.

“Okay class, it’s time to begin the first day of school. We will begin by introducing ourselves. I am Celine Ridia. You may call me Mrs. Ridia. Now, who would like to go first?” Kuro’s hand bolted so quickly into the air it looked like it had broken. Children muttered amongst each other quietly. “This boy’s weird.” “Look at him.” “He looks like my granpapa.”

“Now Class, quiet down please. This young boy has the floor.” The class quickly grew silent. “What is your name?”

“Kuro Takai, ma’am.” The class began talking again, but more hushed.

Class continued until lunch. First and Second years ran out back to play in the recess grounds. Kuro pushed himself back and forth on one of the swings while others ate. He didn’t feel hungry. He still felt uneasy being different. Other kids were playing tag or kickball. Many of the girls started a new game with a disk that flew when thrown. One girl caught Kuro’s eye though. She sat on the corner of the nearby fountain alone while eating lunch. His eyes remained focused on her for what felt like minutes. With nearly a hundred kids on the grounds, it seemed odd for her to sit alone. She looked pale and cute, easily comparable to the rest of the children playing. She wasn’t different like him.

Suddenly, one of the taller Second years grabbed the girl’s remaining lunch. Kuro snapped out of his trance and stood up. The boy was filing through the girl’s lunch bag when Kuro walked up. He couldn’t stand to see the girl beg this bully for her food. “Here, take my lunch instead. I’m not hungry anyway.”

The Second year turned to look at the lunch bag held outstretched in Kuro’s fingertips and snatched it. His greedy eyes began looking inside Kuro’s lunch.

“Now give her back her food.” Kuro demanded. The Second year responded by pushing Kuro to the ground. He laughed and started to walk away. With no warning, he was knocked over. Other kids began laughing and pointing at the boy on the ground. He stood up and turned back to Kuro.

“You trying to pick a fight Firsty?” The bully grunted.

“I didn’t do it.” Kuro looked as surprised as the bully, though less angry.

“Don’t give me that bull.” The Second year swung his fist at Kuro’s face. “Wha’?”

Kuro was shocked. The fist had flown right at him. He was so scared, he flinched. He didn’t know what had happened, but it missed him. He opened his eyes and relief showed on his face.

“What’s this crap? You playin’ games with me kid?” The bully swung again, hitting Kuro right in the eye. He fell to his knees, clutching his eye. The children watching gasped.

Kuro refused to cry though. He even returned the favor by bringing his fist up and hitting the Second year in the chin. Silence encompassed the playground as the fight continued. One of the second years shouted “Go hit ‘im Marcus!”, and a small commotion grew within the crowd. Marcus turned and lunged. Kuro barely rolled out of the way in time, skinning his elbow in the process. Marcus stumbled forward before swinging around for another punch.

“What’s wrong whitey? Scared of fighting a real battle?” The boy’s antics became shoddy as he pressed to swing faster. It was obvious he was getting desperate. Kuro had successfully managed to dodge all of the boy’s jabs though this seemed to perpetuate his anger. After nearly giving up on the fight, he turned on the girl he stole lunch from. Giving one last spiteful glare at Kuro, the boy swung the stick down on her head.

A loud cracking sound resonated through the grounds as the girl opened her fearful eyes. She didn’t feel the pain of the large stick, yet Marcus was holding the remaining fragments of it in his hand. She looked to the ground and gasped. Sprawled across the cobblestone walk was the figure of the same white-haired boy who stood up for her. She reached her hand out to help, but Kuro had already started getting up by himself.

“What’s all the fuss about?” Mrs. Ridia looked over the children’s heads to see Kuro and Marcus exhausted and beaten. “Kuro! Picking fights on the first day!” Kuro began to speak, but before he made any noise, the teacher continued. “March back to class right now. Recess is over for you… You too Marcus. March.”

Kuro hung his head and slowly walked back into the school.
Edited by Vanishedspartan, Nov 16 2009, 04:50 PM.
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Post #4 Nov 16 2009, 04:45 PM Vanishedspartan
Chapter 2: The Week of Change

Kuro waited alone at his desk in the middle of the classroom until the other children returned from recess. He didn’t even bother looking up from the writing top of his desk as new children shuffled into their seats around him.

“Hey! You’re in my seat.”

“Jeez Thymus, it’s just a chair. Besides, it’s the first day; you can’t claim seats.” The voices he heard were coming from the desk next to him. It was that girl. Whoever she was, she now sat at the desk next to him. He looked up to see who she was talking to but was shocked to see her staring right at him.

“Thanks for saving me. I always seem to get picked on by those boys.”

Kuro stared blankly for the next few seconds as he tried to process what she was saying.

“Hello? Can you hear me?” The girl began waving her arms around as if trying to gain the attention of someone who couldn’t see her.

“Oh… umm, hi. I’m Kuro.” Kuro’s cheeks flushed with red when he realized he had completely blanked right in front of her.

“So anyway, thanks. My name’s Mia.”

Kuro nodded in response. “Umm… Do you want to-” The bell that rested within the school atrium chimed in a way only platinum could procure. The sound was absolutely magnificent. Mrs. Ridia walked into class, scanning the room for anyone out of their seat.

“Alright class, we’ll begin with some geography. Turn your text pads to page 24. Now then, Ootewa is the name of the island we live on. The majority of the island is covered by jungle growth while our city here.” She pinned a map of the island to the board and pointed. “The rest of the island has very lush soil which means it produces plant life easily. Any questions?” No one raised their hand. “Okay, moving on. This soil is lined with a material known as platinum. This material comes from ingots that are plentiful on the island.”

The class took notes on the subject for some time before class let out.

“Okay everyone, get your belongings and go out front for your parents to pick you up.”

Kuro grabbed his lunch pail from his designated cubby, said goodbye to Mia, and walked out to the courtyard at the front of the school grounds. Nami stood out on the walkway, wearing the red garb and white leggings of a Fulgeon Elite. Kuro grinned broadly and waved.

“Dad! I didn’t know you were going to be here.” Kuro said.

“I was on my way home from work and remembered you were getting out of school. Let’s go champ.”

Before the fight, Kuro could have cared so little about school that he possibly even despised it, but his little brawl with that second year gave him the opportunity to meet someone who liked him, someone who he was friends with in the sea of children who otherwise found him to be outcast. Mia was kind. She didn’t seem to mind the fact he was different. The thought of school today raised his spirits to the point where he made an effort to tell the entire recount of his day to his father. Even the whispers and nervous staring of the street goers didn’t sway his mood, not that he took much notice. He was too excited.

When they made it back home, Alyssa came in and asked how their day was. Nami replied with a short “training was nice” while Kuro felt more than obliged to tell of the story of his fight with the second year.

“Oh dear. Nami, did he tell you this story?” Alyssa asked.

“Yeah, he did, but boys will be boys.” Nami seemed rather unconcerned with the whole incident. “He’ll be a warrior some day. It’s in his blood.” Kuro’s father shrugged as if it was obvious. The earlier doubts he mentioned seemed to dissipate as if they never happened. Kuro coming home with any stories at all apparently reassured him.

“Well, get ready for dinner and we can talk more about the matter later.” Alyssa dismissed the matter since her husband showed little concern.

The next three days went by quickly. Kuro didn’t get in any fights, he wasn’t in trouble, and Mia was quickly becoming a close friend. Kuro began to like school itself as he began to learn about the world he lived in. Amazing new ideas he never knew before were presented to him. Why had he never gone to school before for how amazing it was? Children even stopped making so much fun of him for his white hair and tanned skin. These last three days made him feel at home in the new environment.
School offered so much for his future. He found that the stuff he learned from Mrs. Ridia was just the base for an entire library of knowledge. Schools of thought were taught to students between the fourth and eighth years. Ninth through thirteenth years were taught about the profession they would take on for a good part of their lives. Some trained in construction which was focused on expanding the city to support the growing population. Others trained in agriculture and gathering of food to feed the people. Combat was taught to those who felt their skills were better suited for protecting and fighting. All these jobs contributed to Fulgeosaari in the most productive way, decided by the Council.

Kuro already knew what he was going to be when he grew up, an Elite soldier. He’d only seen a few of them, but they weren’t the reason he wished to protect; his dad was. That first day of school was only the first catalyst of many as his choices shaped his life and affected the world in time.

Ever since Kuro met Mia, they spent a lot more time together each day. On the fifth day, Kuro got up extra early to get to school as fast as he could. Spending time with Mia was fun. It wasn’t like spending time with his parents, who always seemed to want to be mature and serious, nor was it like being with other kids at school, who all thought he was different and weird. They took turns pushing each other on the swings, raced each other around the grounds like an obstacle course, and kicked one of the kickballs around when there was one available. Although Kuro was absolutely enthused to go to school, his parents didn’t express the same feelings.

“Mom, come on. I want to go to school. Please?” Kuro bounced up and down feverishly on his parents’ bed.

“Honey, it’s not even six yet.” His mother turned over in bed.

“Please. Mia said she was going to try to get there early too.” He begged.

This time, his father answered. “She won’t be allowed to go either. It’s barely light out. Go get some breakfast or something.”

“Alright.” As excited as he had been, all the enthusiasm dissipated.

Kuro had a large pomegranate, which took him until it was time for them to leave to finish eating. Alyssa walking into the room made the young boy’s head perk up. “Can we leave yet?”

His mother let out a sigh but then smiled. “Of course we can. Go get your stuff and we can head out.” Alyssa said lovingly.

Kuro cleaned up the peels from the pomegranate and dashed to get his things before they headed out. It was still early as they walked. Crickets chirped and little insects buzzed about busily working at the start of their day. The field was still covered in a cool haze that made the city look ominous. The sun, though it had already crept over the horizon, was veiled by the clouds above the island.

“Ahh, it’s going to rain soon.” Alyssa looked up toward the sky to watch the dark clouds moving above.

They arrived at school, and Alyssa kissed her son goodbye. A low rumble was heard in the distance as Kuro took his last few steps up the stairs. The door opened, Mrs. Ridia standing on the other side.

“Glad you could make it. Now, please hurry inside. Class is starting soon, and it’s going to rain.” She said.

During class, Kuro hardly paid attention to the lecture. He and Mia shared whispers toward the back of the class.

“Your eye looks better.” Mia blushed when Kuro sat down. “Does it still hurt?”

Truthfully, his eye couldn’t have looked worse. The purple bruise that was left from the fight was now a sickly yellow-green color.

“No, it doesn’t hurt anymore. My knee still kind of hurts though. I keep picking at the scab ‘cause it itches.”

“Eww. Don’t do that. My mom says if you touch your scabs you get scars.”

“That’s what my mom said too, but my dad has a scar on his cheek from the time he and the other Elites fought a pack of panther lions. I think it looks cool.”

The conversation went on until Mrs. Ridia eventually caught them. They were quiet for the rest of class. Recess that day was cancelled due to the rain. The children ran out to the back archway only to see their playground flooded over with an inch of water. Mrs. Ridia refused to let them outside, using the excuse “you’ll catch a cold.” Instead, Mrs. Ridia and some other teachers took rain as an opportunity to teach the class about the school library and to push some reading on them.

“I want you each to pick a book. I don’t care what the subject is, but your homework for the weekend is to read some of the book before coming back on Monday.” Students quietly scurried away to find the books they heard about from their parents or from one of the local authors. Kuro and Mia split up to check two different sections at once.

Kuro filed through a few of the books for a while before he realized that he didn’t know much about any of these books. Just then, a smacking sound came from behind Kuro. Marcus stood at the edge of the aisle, cracking his knuckles. Kuro knew trouble was coming and he didn’t want to be a part of it. He turned to run the other way but instead came face to face with two other second years, both grinning stupidly as if they knew something he didn’t. He didn’t know how to do whatever it was he did to win the last fight against Marcus, but even worse was now it was three of them instead of one-on-one. Marcus grabbed him and shoved him against the book shelf and one of the other boys punched him in the stomach. Kuro’s stomach churned. He felt nauseous. The other second year sat idle, laughing quietly at the scene.

Marcus turned to the other boy. “I want a go at him too. Here, you take over.” Marcus let go of Kuro and the other boy grabbed him. Mia turned the corner to see if Kuro was done yet when she saw the boys hitting Kuro. She gasped and immediately ran off to look for a teacher.

The pain started to become unbearable. Kuro felt absolutely sick. His stomach hurt, and blood started to appear at the brim of his lips. All he could think about was how much he wished they would stop punching him. He focused on Marcus’s hands to take his mind off the pain. Every punch, he willed the hands to just disappear. His vision blurred, but he still kept wishing.

“Marcus, what’s happening to your hand?” one of the second years asked. “It’s all shiny.”

Marcus looked down at his hand and began to shake it frantically. A silvery liquid began covering his arm. He flexed his fingers, stretching them out to keep them from sticking together. He grabbed a book and started trying to scrape it off his arm.

“What is this stuff?” Fear touched his voice. He no longer cared about Kuro. This stuff, whatever it was, was going to eat his whole body. He was about to scream when it suddenly stopped. The other two boys backed away from him like he was infected with the plague. The shiny liquid began to harden, making Marcus panic. Just then, Mrs. Ridia and Mia entered the aisle.

“Mia told me there was a fight… Oh my.” She looked down at the bruised body of Kuro, slouched against the book shelf. “Mia, get the nurse. You boys are in big trouble.”

Then she noticed Marcus’ panicking and huffed. “What is it?” Marcus raised his arm, showing the solid metal that had engulfed his hand. He tried to speak, but all that came out was stuttering and garbled noises. Fear had gotten the best of him. She had no idea how his arm had been covered in solid metal, but what was even more confusing was what could have caused it.

Sweat beads ran down Kuro’s face and dripped off his nose. He didn’t realize what he had done, but it certainly drained him.
Edited by Vanishedspartan, Nov 16 2009, 04:47 PM.
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