Akamatsuverse Ronins Imperialis

[Dark Knight Gafgar]

A lone figure trudged silently through the desert, his form clothed in a simple brown robe, it's hood pulled forward to conceal it's wearer's face, which was old and worn. His body was aged and seemingly near decrepid, yet his pace was relentless; his strides long and measured, his breathing regular even after hours of endless treading of sand through the burning sun.

As the elderly man continued his journey, a city slowly began to emerge upon the horizon, and after cresting a tall hill it came entirely into view: a massive and radiant capitol, surrounded by a crescent-shaped lake on three sides and a powerful wall, a dozen feet wide and a hundred tall, on the fourth side. The buildings were typically square with a round dome cresting the top, and some were connected by slabs of stone held up by gargantuan pillars. On the far side of the city, directly straight from the main gate on the banks of the crescent lake, was a large, resplendant palace carved of white marble that shined blindingly bright in the hot sun, trimmed in pure gold. Whereas the desert surrounding the city was barren and lifeless, large swaths of green dominated much of the city, especially around the royal palace, hinting at lush and luxurious gardens that thrived under the careful attentions of the city's populace.

Todai, capitol of Molmol, the most powerful nation on the barren world of Hinata.

The man continued his slow, easy advance towards the city, remaining perfectly calm and collected dispite the burning sands and heat and the tempting lushness and green of the distant capitol that beckoned and excited the senses, promising safety, shelter and, above all, thirst-quenching water. Movement far to the west drew the man's gaze in that direction, as he witnessed two travellers scramble desparately through the sand, arms reached out toward the city in front of them. As they continued their mad dash, one, then the other stumbled and fell to the sand, and did not rise again.

The man returned his sight forward, his gaze locked directly on the main gate into the city, and continued his advance, reaching his destination without incident less than an hour later. He was met at the gate by a trio of soldiers, two of them - one tall and lean, the other short and round - wearing simple military uniforms and wielding rifles while the third, a showy young man with brown hair who wore a custom tailored white officer's uniform that was much too heavy on gold piping, showboatingly twirled a sword with a long, gently curved blade and a razor sharp edge, his face opened in a broad, white-toothed and utterly dishonest smile.

"You there!", the man shouted, "Halt! I am Captain Kentaro Sakata of the Todai Guard! State your name, if you even warrant one, foreigner, and your purpose here!" He then thrust his blade directly toward the face of the elderly man, it's sharpened point halting less than an inch from the tip of the traveller's nose. The traveller did not react. The two soldiers behind the haughty officer levelled disgusted glares at their commander, then made apologetic motions toward the traveller.

"I am but a humble old man.", the traveller said in a frail voice, "I have travelled long and far on a journey to this place. Please, allow me ent-"

"Lies!", the officer snarled, slashing his blade downward and to the side, before thrusting it into the traveller's face once again. Behind him, the short soldier looked away while the taller soldier's finger twitched toward the trigger of his rifle. "What is your TRUE purpose here?!"

"I am but a humble old-"

"Enough of this! I tire of your repugnant presence!" The officer twirled his sword once again, then sheathed it. "A filthy commoner - and a foreigner, to boot! - like you does not warrant the right to enter our fair city. Begone!"

The elderly man remained silent for a long moment, then took a step forward. Immediately the three soldiers stood ramrod straight, their eyes staring forward, unfocused. The traveller's form seemed to grow taller, broader, and for a moment his eyes blazed like fire... and then the traveller stepped backward once again, returning to his original size and form. The three soldiers blinked in unison, and then the commander took a step forward, unsheathing his sword and twirling it.

"You there!", the officer shouted, "Halt! I am Captain Kentaro Sakata of the Todai Guard! What is your business here?!"

"I am but a humble old man.", the traveller stated once again, "I have travelled long and far on a journey to this place. Please, allow me entrance."

The officer snorted, then sheathed his sword. "Very well, then. Masayuki! Kimiaki! Open the gates!"

The two soldiers behind him snapped to attention and saluted, rushing to either side of the gate. There, they both simultaneously pulled a pair of levers, and a resounding thunk! sounded from the other side of the wall. The two then about-faced and signalled to their commander, who ignored them, turning to the elderly man and glancing at him. For a moment a look of confusion crossed his face, but then the haughty mask returned, and the officer spun around, flipping back his hair, before striding toward a small door next to the wall, which the taller soldier hurried to open. As the officer hurried to escape the scorching sun outside, the gate began to slowly rumble open, until finally it separated just wide enough for a man to walk through. The two soldiers took up their positions on either side of the opening, and smiled and nodded at the traveller as he walked through.

"Welcome to Todai, elder.", the taller soldier said with a smile.

The elderly man nodded once, then wordlessly passed through.

-----

More once I finish more. This is the first part of the first chapter (or maybe even just the prologue), the final version will be approximately six to ten times as long as this.

 

[Antimatter]

<priest>

I am but a humble servent of the emperor.

</preist>

At any rate, great start. I'd love to see those three as imperial gaurdsmen ala Cain. the omakes write themselves.

can't wait to read more.

 

[Israfel]

Sweet, that was so frickin' awesome DKG, words do not do justice, and if that cloaked figure is Keitaro, which I'm pretty sure that it is, then you are god. As the forumites say: MOAR!!!

 

[Antimatter]

Sweet, that was so frickin' awesome DKG, words do not do justice, and if that cloaked figure is Keitaro, which I'm pretty sure that it is, then you are god. As the forumites say: MOAR!!!

Cloaked figure = keitaro?

Need to read up on your 40,000 if you think thats the case.

 

[Dark Knight Gafgar]

As the gate rumbled slowly shut behind him, the traveller continued his journey into the city. On the other side of the gates he came upon a large, walled-in courtyard, where a number of soldiers drilled and marched between the two massive stone buildings that lay nestled against the city walls. He was met by a number of curious glances, and in some cases suspicious glares - obviously the gate did often admit lone travellers. Bowing his head slightly, the man muttered a few words of power, and the entire force of soldiers blinked once in confusion, then continued on with their normal business, now seemingly oblivious to the traveller's existance.

Making his way through the military district, the traveller passed through another large gate and then entered the main town. Buildings of stone, mud-brick, and marble rose up at irregular intervals throughout the city, showing that, unlike most cities, this one did not group the rich and powerful into the center of the city and relegate the poor to slums on the outskirts. Either that, or many of the rich chose to live humbly while many poor were still wealthy enough to afford spacious mansions, which was doubtful.

Large crowds of people milled through the city streets, buying, selling, conversing, or simply frolicking about the gardens. Armored soldiers marched in groups of four through the streets, most of the common people moving respectfully out of their path, though a few youths made rude gestures at them in passing, which the soldiers ignored. The people seemed evenly divided between two groups: one group had deeply tanned brown skin and, typically, fair hair, while the other group was much paler and typically had black or brown hair. There were notable exceptions, such as one passing woman who had pale skin and fair hair, while two marching dark-skinned soldiers both had short brown hair, and these exceptions were treated normally, signifying that relationships between the two groups were apparantly not a taboo.

The cloaked traveller continued on into the city center, which consisted of a massive tiled plaza surrounded by shops and bazaars. A large bronze statue sat in the center of the plaza, visualizing what appeared to be, strangely, a flying turtle.

Just then, a commotion from the palace loud enough to be heard throughout the entire city began. The traveller looked around sharply, noticing that the locals had stopped their activities and were listening with amused interest, but did not appear surprised or frightened.

"Keitaro-sama! You PERVERT!"

"Wait, Naru, I didn't-AIIIEEEEEE!"

Suddenly, a section of marble wall from an upper floor of the palace collapsed, and a human figure shot out of the debris with alarming speed, flying thousands of feet into the air in mere seconds. The figure's ascent halted and the man seemed to hang in place for a moment, then gravity took hold and the man fell downward with a scream, impacting into the desert sands outside the wall with such force that sand shot up hundreds of feet into the air.

The impromptu event now obviously concluded, the townspeople immediately dismissed the incident from their minds and returned to their regular business.

The elderly figure remained impassive, turning and walking toward a nearby bazaar stall. As he did, he stopped suddenly, turning once again to look at the palace, and blinked. Hadn't that wall been demolished just now?

Dismissing the incident - for now - the traveller turned back to the bazaar stall he'd been approaching, and walked up to it, realizing that it was some sort of open-air cafe and bar, consisting very simply of a long counter with a line of stools in front of it. Behind it sat a number of shelves filled with exotic drinks and wines, as well as a single doorway covered by a piece of cloth, from which pleasant smells and the sounds of cooking emanated.

Seating himself at the one stool that remained open, the elderly man glanced to both sides at the people that sat on either side of him. The old, brown-skinned and gray-haired man tending the bar turned around with a small glass of wine in hand, then jerked in surprise as he saw all but one of his patrons hurriedly depositing large sums of money on the counter - far more than they owed, for those who had even given their orders - and vacating the establishment. Confused, the owner looked to his last remaining customer. "Can I help you, sir?"

The cloaked traveller laid a coin of gold on the table - a large one. "It seems as if this happens often.", the man said, gesturing toward the palace and the unlucky man's flight path into the desert.

Still slightly shaken, but in no mood to refuse gold nor some simple conversation, the owner scooped up the coin - as well as his other patrons' pay - and pocketed it. "Yes.", he answered, "It happens all the time." Peering closely at his customer, the man straightened the spectacles that sat on his face, then widened his eyes in recognition. "Oh, you're a foreigner, aren't you?"

"I do indeed come from a place that isn't exactly... local."

"I see. We don't get many foreigners around here anymore. But if you got past the gate - and especially Captain Sakata - then you must have a good reason. Or a good permit." Smiling, the owner offered his hand. "Professor Namo, retired, owner of NamoNamo's Cafe, at your service."

The traveller gripped the proffered hand once in greeting, causing the owner to wince slightly at the cloaked man's strength. "Caesar."

"Strange name indeed - where're you from, friend?"

"A place rather far from here - you wouldn't have heard of it. I came to see if the stories of the 'invincible man' were indeed accurate."

"Ah, Keitaro Urashima." Namo smiled. "Yes, the adopted son of the Urashima family is quite famous, even in neighboring lands. It's no surprise you've heard of him."

"What exactly is the cause of these... incidents?"

Namo laughed. "Well, Keitaro - I suppose I should say Keitaro-sama, not that he appreciates that much - has the worst kind of luck. He's a good man - smart, strong, kind, but clumsy as all hell. Not a day goes by that he doesn't wind up in a very embarassing situation of some sort, and of course miss Narusegawa - and on occassion even the younger Lady Aoyoma, though she's been more lenient on him as of late - comes across the situation, and, well... things get out of hand."

"I see. You said this happens daily?"

"For the past seven years, yes."

"It's a surprise the young lad isn't dead yet."

"Yes, Keitaro is indeed immortal as the rumors say. I suppose that stems from the... unusual circumstances under which he came to us."

"Unusual circumstances?"

"I remember the day." Namo leaned against the counter, a far-off look in his eyes. "Sixteen years ago a shooting star fell into the lake, and a metal... box, pod, something to that effect, washed up on the shore behind the imperial palace the following morning. Lady Hina discovered it, and found a young boy inside. Her daughter adopted the lad, and he's been raised as one of the Urashima family ever since."

"I see..."

A small commotion was heard from the plaza behind them, and the traveller turned to see a young brown-haired man, blushing red with embarrassment, clutching a bedsheet tightly around him as he made his way back toward the palace, flanked by two familiar-looking soldiers who spoke with him in teasing tones. The traveller's gaze followed the three men for a moment, and then he turned back toward the spectacled man who shook his head slightly.

"It's a good thing the kid's immortal."

"I would agree with you. They named him Keitaro, you say?"

"Yes, Keitaro. Since it's generally accepted that the box-pod-thing he was found in was the 'star' that fell into the lake, Lady Hina named him Keitaro, which is something of an archaic word meaning 'Star Child'."

The traveller allowed a small smile to cross his face for a moment. Star Child. How apt.

"Well, now that my curiosity has been sated, I suppose I should return to my original business here. Thank you for your time, sir.", the traveller said, placing two more gold coins down on the counter in front of him.

"It's no trouble. Thanks for the conversation - don't get much of that these days."

Nodding slightly, the traveller turned and walked away, immediately making his way toward the royal palace.

-----

Part two of the first chapter. The final version will combine all the smaller parts together into one large chapter. Enjoy.

 

[EagleCeres]

'star child' huh? more than a little ominous for a title, but overall interesting considering what his future holds

so miss Narusegawa is still everyone's favorite (jealous) ronin puncher, and Lady Aoyama has been a little more lenient... interesting, very interesting :snigger:

great start and good build up to the story

keep up the great work!