Things Remembered

Prologue

“Remember those that died that day,
In darkness it was brought.
The fighters fought with all they had,
And in the end she died.
Fire wept, and the earth stood still,
The wind howled no more.
Lightning lit up the sky that day,
To send them both to soar.
But something happened to that girl,
That gave her life for all.
She was not dead and was sent below
Far from the God’s eyes.
They all returned to where they dwelled
And were reborn for the time that was to come.
But the darkness laid out in the sky
Dwelling on his pain.
Was brought to life by an evil that
Has never seen the earth.
It consumed him all day long,
And bestowed upon him power.
That one day he’d return to them,
And finish what he started.
But the day will come when water falls;
A new life will be sought.
And then the darkness will hide no more
And remain just a thought.”












Chapter 1
Meeting the Pope



The rain was falling gently onto the alleyway.  TINK TINK TINK was all that could be heard aside from the faint breathing of the young woman standing in the shadows.  She was about 5’4’’, her shoulder length black silky hair was wet from the downpour.  Her breath was moderately heavy due to what she was about to partake in.  She listened for the sound of a vehicle pulling up to the main residence of the most notorious mob boss in the galaxy.  Her mission:  to take him out.  She stood there in meditation, waiting, listening while the rain fell….

It was about five in the afternoon when the door of the small pub opened and the bell chimed.  Walking in was a figure that everyone knew, it was the Pope’s advisor and lawyer.  His blue suit and nicely kept body didn’t fit in well with the usual crowd, but no one paid him any attention.  They all knew who he was there to see.  He headed straight for a door in the back and knocked three times.  The door opened with a small creek and he walked inside.

“I assume you have something for me?”  The woman’s soft voice asked.

“We have new intelligence on the whereabouts of Katsuaki. Our informants say that he is due at the old Emperor’s palace in three days for a “conference”.  We believe this is going to be a one time opportunity since there has been no trace of him until now.  Your mission is to infiltrate this base and take him out with any means necessary.  The Pope, however, wants you to visit him this afternoon.  There is something he himself needs to tell you.  Be at the monastery at 9 pm sharp.”  The man replied.

The girl got up from the chair she was in and silently walked to the window.  It was clear and you could see the night sky barely through the glow of the city lights.  The blue glow of her eyes could be seen from across the room and her silhouette was mesmerizing to the man.

“Hiromitsu, tell the Pope I will be there,” she said turning her glance to him and slightly smiling.

“I will Miss Atara.”  With that he left the room and the woman standing in the glow of the night.

“Will this ever end?”  She thought to herself.  “Why did they choose me?  Why do I live this life?  Is there more for me?”  She wondered to herself.  With a sigh she closed the window and pulled the blinds shut.  Turning on a soft glowing light in the corner of the room, the woman’s skin was glowing.  Her pale skin, piercing blue eyes and silky raven hair could not be mistaken by anyone on earth.  She was wearing a ceremonial robe that had been given to her by the Pope himself.  He said it belonged to her family.  The water insignia was etched in the finest silver atop a beautiful calming shade of aqua.  She opened her closet to reveal only two things:  a trunk and a few outfits.  The trunk was aged and was of the finest oak that could be found.  The lock came off with ease for her as she was the only one that had the knowledge of opening such an antique chest.  There was no keyhole and no combination but it remained locked.  Only a small incantation could open it.  As she muttered the words, the trunk opened to reveal an arsenal of weaponry.  There were small makeshift bombs, throwing stars, shurikens, poison darts, marbles that when triggered let off a deadly explosion, and her prized possession: her grandfather’s Sais.  They were silver all over and a small stream of aqua was engraved into the handles.  The same color aqua was on the ribbon the flowed from the ends of the weapons.  Engraved on the blade was a quote:

         “All that feel the sting of these weapons, you have been judged as guilty by the gods.  Feel the pain of all those you’ve wronged and burn for eternity where evil dwells.”

Atara took special care lifting them in a ceremonial like fashion.  She placed them gently on the bed and returned to the trunk.  She pulled out a black leather jacket, a black tank top, and black leather pants.  Her boots were in the closet and she pulled them out as well.  As she dressed, her body began to tense up.  Every time she had to use her weapons for combat, someone died.  It was who she was; it was who she trained to be.  Ever since her childhood, she had been preparing herself to take out the evil in the world.  Her family had been doing it for generations, or so she was told.  She didn’t remember her family.  All she ever knew was the Pope.  He had taken her in at an early age and gave her sanctuary in the church.  From there he taught her, loved her, and cared for her like a grandfather.  She was shown how to fight in all the ancient ways, and she soon became a formidable opponent.  When she was 14, Grand Cardinal Ai was promoted to pope after the death of the former pope.  He had a mission:  to raise the church’s best assassin in history, his student was Atara.

At age 15 his prized pupil was first taught in the ways of the ninja, then in the combat of the government.  She was a well rounded killing machine.  By 19, she could take out the best from any nation in the world and was heralded in secret by the Pope and Grand General Himes.  The years passed and Atara grew into a beautiful young woman.  Her once childish looks blossomed into a milky white skin and piercing blue eyes that gave off a deadly stare when angered.  Her hair she kept shoulder length and it was as dark as the raven and as soft as the finest silk.  Her movements were like the water, gentle but deadly when needed.  With her growing of age came some new abilities as well.  She had found that she had a peculiar reaction to water and all her senses were heightened when she was around it.  So she trained by herself to hone in on this ability even when she was not near water.  This applied more to an unstoppable killing machine.  At the age of 24, Atara was called on to take out the last remaining threat to the new world: Katsuaki.

She strapped her Sais into her boots, put on her jacket and opened the window.  Down below rested a covered motorcycle.  She leapt out of the window and landed beside it.  After uncovering it she started the motor.  The engine roared as it was started and the silver of the bike could be seen in the glow of the lights.  She put her helmet on and raced out of the alley toward the center of town, the Monastery of the Pope.

Atara’s motorcycle raced through the streets of downtown Neo Tokyo.  Building lights bounced off the shine of her muffler.  People walked by on the streets as if nothing was happening, and it was a good thing they didn’t know.  For if they knew what was coming, there would be total chaos.  But they didn’t and went about their everyday normal lives and paid no attention to anything unless it was the headline of the newspaper of the top story on the evening news.

Thoughts were in Atara’s head of what the Pope could want to speak to her about.

“Why now after all this time?  Why would he want me there now?  Hadn’t he told me to stay out of sight until Katsuaki was found?  And didn’t he tell me to stay away from the monastery?  It’s been almost four years.  Why now Papa?  Why would you beckon me to you after I receive this information?”

She could find no answers in her thoughts and zoomed faster through the now marketplace that was on the way to the monastery.  The building sat between the marketplace and the old temples.  Being in the center of town it wasn’t hard to find.  The building was only about 60 years old but you could see its war ridden face.  The moss on the sides of the once pristine chapels, the brown grass dying at the expense of troops marching to and from, it was a war zone at one time.  Back before Atara was born, there was a war between the nations.  The church at the beginning of the war had reconciled its differences with each other and had put all its energy into combining religions for the sake of the world.  The Pope took reign and had his advisors from every corner of the world to help the transition with the religions.  Since they were a force to be reckoned with, the other nations that were fighting were unable to stop their advancements after they teamed up with Japan and America.  Once the war was over, the Pope became leader of the new world and all the nations were unified.  Several years passed and a new location for the Pope’s palace was being thrown every which way.  The pope at the time, a Japanese native, chose to build in the city he grew up in: New Tokyo.  So almost 65 years ago, the old emperor’s palace was redesigned and made to fashion and house the new era.  And 60 years ago, the building was finally open and the regime began.  Peace became a part of every day life; no one knew any war, or famine or heartache.  Times were good.

Then without any warning, descendants of an ancient Japanese clan, known only as “Ghosts”, wrought havoc on the peaceful lives of Tokyo.  And within ten years, the once peaceful nation was now at war with its own people.  A new Yakuza had taken form underground without any knowledge and had been planning an assault against the new palace.  They claimed it disrespected the ancient ways of the people and was an abomination to the world.  But their fights were small and were managed to the best degree and were deterred to random encounters every now and then.  The last time anyone had seen these “Ghosts” were when Atara was 7 and was taken in by the Pope himself.

Her motorcycle stopped fast in front of the large palace and took her mind to the here and now.  The outside guard looked at her and opened the gate.  She wheeled her bike into the yard and parked it in her usual empty spot that was now covered by ragweed, dust, and moss.  She shrugged and began her ascent up the golden stairs.  Of course the shine was long gone, a memory of long past.  To her right and left were statues of all the previous Popes.  One after the other, as she climbed.  Some were broken and uncared for, others had small shrines that families would pay their respects to as that certain pope was their favorite.  She smirked as she passed some of them, not knowing why.  And then she stopped.  Dead still in the middle of the stairs.  There was a distant howl but very familiar to her.  She didn’t understand why it felt so familiar it was only the wind.  She stayed silent for just a few more moments to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary.  After her pause, she continued climbing and reached the top.  There she was greeted by a dozen armed guards and two army generals.

“Miss Atara. So good to see you again.”  General Ichiro greeted.

“It’s been a long time, Madame.” General Hyabusa bowed.

“Generals” is all that came from her mouth as she moved passed without bowing, which was very uncommon for women to do in that city.  She entered the giant bronze doors and hanging overhead for layers of gold and red silk.  In the center was a giant chandelier made of the finest blood diamonds that had been confiscated from the nation of Africa.  The lights reflected off of it to light the entire grand hall.  In the center was a water fountain that came from Rome.  Its architect was one of the best of his time but was also unknown.  The sketches of the ancient gods were etched into the stone and atop the mural sat a dashing woman, and from her came the “living water”.  People came here when the palace was opened to give thanks to their god, whichever it was they worshipped.  This particular piece was one of the pope’s favorites and was mostly visited by the people that still followed roman mythology or the newer depiction of it where a woman was heralded as the most stunning, most powerful, and most wise of them all.  She was the mother of Zeus and all the other gods.

Atara always stared at the woman because she thought that she shared a connection with her.  But she dismissed it as something that only little girls think of, she, after all, was a woman and an assassin and had no need of childish things.  She continued down the back hallway where the paintings of the ancient emperors of Japan were hung.  The hallway was massive and encompassed every one that there was recorded in the history of the nation.  At the end of the hall she took a left for about 50 ft then a right.  Going through a great green door, she was now in the library.  A massive collection lined the walls.  The library was over 40 stories high and contained every original piece of literature in the history of the world.  It was the grandest place of the entire building, save for the chapel.  A fire was glowing in the back of the room and Atara headed for it.  Several men were nearby wearing red with black or black with red robes.  Each robe depicted his status within the hierarchy of the church.  She gazed at a man standing beside a chair that was wearing all black and a silver crucifix around his neck that hung down to his waist; it was Hiromitsu.  His hood was down due to that he has no need of hiding himself in the presence of the Pope’s granddaughter.  The pope was seated in a brown leather chair.  His clothes were a milky white, his cross hung around his neck with another necklace that no one had ever seen, not even Atara.  She moved in past the head advisor, and sat in front of him.

“My darling granddaughter; it has been a long time,” he said as a smile showed on his face.

Chapter 2

Katsuaki

“It’s good to see you again Atara.  How long has it been now?  Three?  Four years?”  the older man said with a soft touch.

“It has been four years since you told me to go into hiding,” she said with a stern look on her face.

Gently chuckling, the Pope reached for his tea and said, “My dear, you still don’t know why you are here?  I thought the meditation you were doing while secluded would jog your memory….but enough about that.  On to more important matters.”

Atara’s glance shifted.  “What is he talking about now?  Meditating to jog my memory?”

“Atara, you have been informed of our current situation.  However, there is more to this you need to know before you go after Katsuaki.  And I suppose the best place to start is the beginning……

         I guess the best place would be to start about thirty years ago.  At that time, your mother was part of a clan that dates back to very ancient times.  Her heritage comes from the water clans.  The strongest of all the elements, water is gentle and violent at the same time.  Your mother was their strongest leader.  One night, a man came up the river, beaten and bruised.  Your mother was ordered to nurse him back to health and keep an eye on him, for he wore the symbol of the clan that sought out to seek the descendants of the gods and destroy them.  However, he chose instead to hide his powers and he fell in love with your mother.  The clan found out that he had been banished for failing to destroy a target and was thought dead by them.  He was allowed refuge in the water clan and was kept watch over by your mother, the strongest.  Her father saw that he loved your mother and thought it best for two of the strongest people of that time to get married and he arranged a marriage between them.  Your mother hated your grandfather for this and ran away.  Her betrothed was ordered to find her at all costs or face death. 
         He searched and searched for her, but in the end couldn’t find her.  So he took up residence in the wrong part of New Tokyo and began a life of living off the streets, and hiding his powers.  Little did he know though, that your mother also had hid herself in New Tokyo in a section of town about five blocks from the Monastery.  She had come to live with a friend she had made once that was on a pilgrimage with the pope’s advisors, for he was studying to be an advisor himself one day.  He worked at a local bakery and took her in.  The two fell in love fast and were married.  She kept her secret as did he, and he gave up becoming an advisor at the Pope’s request.  They acknowledged and lived a happy life.
         Things don’t always stay happy though.  One night your parents became lost in the fog and were drawn into the lair of the “Ghosts”.  Your mother knew she had to protect the two of them at whatever cost.  They were attacked that night and she was forced to use her powers.  Little did she know that the man she was betrothed to was watching and teaching himself how to become a “Ghost”.  They fled and made it back to their house, but with another closely watching them. 
         Years passed and every day the once fiancé would stay outside the bakery and watch the two of them, festering his jealousy and hatred for them both.  Day after day, night after night, he watched.  He saw them usher in anniversaries, birthdays, and even the birth of their daughter, you Atara.  This fueled him even more.  He was tired of this and wanted revenge.  So he planned with the Ghosts to assault the house one night.  Your mother, having the ability of premonition, took your father and you to the church to speak to the pope directly.  I was there seeing as how I was the advisor at the time.  Your mother told us of the situation and that she had foreseen it.  So the pope, believing her after she demonstrated her abilities, offered round the clock guards at your house and made a safe haven in secret in your house that only a few people new about:  your parents, the grand general, the pope and myself. 
         About a week later, the pope was frustrated because what your mother had told him had not come to pass and he was tired of waiting, so he cut the guards down to only a couple during the day and three at night.  This was his mistake.  Upon hearing what the pope had done, the man took his group and led an attack.  It was quiet and swift.  I hurried to your house and acted as if I were there on a routine visit.  Your parents were playing hide and seek with you at the time and you were hiding from them. Knowing you as I did, I knew exactly where you were so I went and hid with you.  We were quiet there in the secret place that lay within the walls of your parent’s room.  As your parents looked for you they came into their bedroom and found a man standing in the corner.  I had heard a change in their voices and movements so I opened the one way mirror slightly as you hid behind me.  The yellow of the man’s eyes could be seen from where I was and I felt an evil presence in him.  Your mother readied herself because she knew it was him, her betrothed. 

“What do you want?” she demanded.

“Only what I was promised, but I don’t take lousy seconds,” he chuckled out looking her up and down.  “You have retained your looks, that’s for sure.”


“I want you out of my house right now!”

“Aww, and miss a happy reunion?  I don’t think so,” he said as he started forward.

“Kano, I want you to leave this to me.  You have no powers and will be killed, please leave for our daughter’s sake.”  She ordered still facing her opponent.

“And do what Katara?  I am not leaving you here with this monster!  Our daughter will understand and must be protected by us at all costs!”  he yelled as he lunged at the man.

“Fool,” the figure said under his breath.

“Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!” Keiko screamed reaching for her love, but it was too late.

With one hit, the man in the corner broke your father’s neck and tossed him aside like a rag doll.  Tears were coming down your mother’s face. 

“How could you?!  You promised to not use your power ever again!”

“But my dear, that’s when I loved you.  Don’t you remember?”

“That was not love.  You were using us the entire time just to get to me and my father never listened!  He was a fool and it is because of that that you still live!  But not for long, I will kill you for my daughter and my husband’s sake!”  She attacked with a style of tai-chi fighting mingled with kung-fu and karate.  She used her manipulation over water to burst the water pipes in the house to aid her in her fight.  The man defended himself and looked to be toying with her.  She jumped back and used a kinetic blast to shove the bed and the man out of the side of the house.  She was breathing heavy and thought she was victorious.  But then he moved, tossed the bed aside like it was nothing and charged at your mother.  He grabbed her neck and pulled her into his face.

“I told you I don’t take seconds.  For my pain, you will die and then, your daughter,” he whispered in her ear.

“Your mother managed to gather enough strength to blast him once more in rage from that comment.  She fell to her knees but he was still standing.

“How, how can this be?  You aren’t supposed to have this kind of power!”

“Let’s just say, a relative of yours helped me with that shall we?”

“No, he wasn’t supposed to be alive!  That…thing…he…he was suppose to be dead!”

“Awe, poor little mommy having regret for not killing her own son?  Well, I have news for you, he’s alive and well.  And he helped me find you and he will be coming for her as soon as I destroy you!”

He raged at her, grabbing her by the hair, he swung her around and threw her against the wall where we were.  Your mother knew you were there and I covered you so you could not see the blood and the bruises on her face.  She gave me a glance I will never forget.  It was a trusting glance, one that asked if I would take care of you.  I acknowledged this and took you in my arms until the fight was over.

She pulled herself up and readied herself to die.

The man made one last charge at her.  This time his fist was glowing yellow and an enormous aura was seeping from his body.  Your mother stood there with a smile on her face.  She gathered all the rest of the energy she could.

“You will never find her.  She will defeat you and I will be avenged, Katsuaki!”  And with that the two powers collided in a flash of light. 

The force almost blew the house away but the safe haven we were in was solid and steadfast.  You had been knocked unconscious and I was holding onto you as tightly as I could. When the smoke cleared, I could only see two bodies…your mother’s and your father’s.

Grabbing some more tea, the pope continued,” Katsuaki remained alive, as your mother predicted in her final moments, but she scarred him on his left cheek to remind him of that.  He fled but was heralded by the Ghosts as their greatest warrior and was placed in the highest position possible, Don.  So, Don Katsuaki used this power to rebuild the underground mafia and bring all the strongest thugs into his control.  He issued a decree that still stands that if anyone can ever defeat him, they would become leader.  This is a lot for you to take in I know, but you needed to know this before your battle with him…you needed to know what you’re up against my darling child.”

“So, Katsuaki was my parent’s killers?  And you’ve been training me to defeat him?”

“Yes.”

”Why wait until now to tell me grandfather?”

“That does not matter, what matters is that you are prepared for what is to come.  I need you to stay here and train for the next two days and do it vigorously.  Katsuaki is not a force to be trifled with.  You must be at your very best.”

“Understood.  I will go train immediately.”  She stood up to go but the pope grabbed her hand.

“There is one more thing you must have dear child,” he said as he reached behind his neck.  “This was your mother’s.  I have been saving it for this day when you should need it most.  Take it dear.”  He stood and put it around her neck.  “The power of your mother flows through this and will always be with you.  Let her guide you and never be apart from you.”

The necklace felt warm, which was unusual for a stone.  Most were cold upon wearing but this one remained warm.  The clear aqua of the gem was bright and glowing.  In the middle was the crest of her family, the same as the robe from her real grandfather.  The black chain held tightly to the stone and Atara could somehow feel a presence within it as the pope had said.

“Thank you,” she turned to him and said as she embraced him.  “I will never let this go.”

“I know dear.  Now, you will find your quarters just as you had left them.  Everything you need is there, and Hiromitsu will accompany you and help you with anything you need.  He is my most trusted, and youngest advisor so please let him help you.”

“I will grandfather, and thank you for all you have said.”

Atara left the room with Hiromitsu and the Pope said to himself, “God help us all if HE ever decides to find her.”