Hi there! It’s me again! Well, first things first, I’ll have to thank all those who have reviewed me. Thanks a lot, guys! Now, this is a new story from me and it will be a totally different take from my previous two works since this is a manga story. This isn’t pretty much planned out yet. But I’ll try my best to come out with something hopefully coherent in the end. Anyway, enjoy!

Sendai Eiyuuden: Chapter One – Beginning of Destiny

In the history of mankind, there were those who were viewed as heroes. Those who had done great deeds in their lives. They were not forgotten throughout the centuries and were etched into the very minds of the people after them. However, there are those in our time who were destined for greatness. Only the others around them had never taken notice. These individuals are the very same people who inherited the will of long dead heroes with powers beyond the logic of all. They were known as Tenmei no Yusha and this is their story…

In Chengdu, China

He saw it all. The image of an ancient Chinese warrior fighting one million soldiers on his own, with only the thought of rescuing his master’s only son. Despite being outnumbered, the enemy forces were awed by his prowess and none could stand before him. The scene unfolding before him had caught his breath. Never had he saw such a battle before and neither did he saw anybody displaying such strength and valor like that warrior. Then something caught his eye. The banner of the enemy forces he saw was that of the Wei Kingdom! He was taken aback. Did that mean he was actually seeing one of the countless battles during the era of Three Kingdoms? Then he saw the lone warrior turned his head and he was shocked to the very core. The warrior in fact resembled him right to the very detail! Then everything faded to nothingness…

The alarm clock at his side rang and he groaned. The ringing sound was rather loud and it was more than enough to wake him up. Sitting up from his bed, the young man gave a yawn and started towards the bathroom. After brushing his teeth, he set to tie up his long dark hair in several segments. He was rather handsome to say the least with the fringe of his hair parted at the centre. He then changed into his normal outfit of jeans and a white shirt, completed with a red jacket. He then went downstairs to have his breakfast, which his mother had just finished preparing.

“Morning mum!” he said.

His mother looked up to see her son descending the stairs, all ready with his outfit and long hair tied in segments with the end segment being longer than the others and looking slightly tired. She was around the age of forty plus with a slim figure and she was rather attractive for someone her age with long hair braided in a single fashion.

“You didn’t sleep well?”

“Well, yeah, sort of I guess since I was having some weird dream for quite some days…”

“What was the dream about?”

“Well, I don’t know. It really seems I’ve been dreaming about some guy looking exactly like me fighting with loads of enemies…”

“I hope it’s not going to affect your studies…”

“Nah, I guess I can still cope… anyway, what’s for breakfast?”

“The standard fare; miso soup, rice, preserved radish with natto…”

“Well, I guess that’s good enough for me then since I’ve been used to it ever since I learned how to walk… anyway, I do really think it’s a miracle for you to be able to buy ingredients for Japanese meals…”

“No miracle here… you should know that this is where my own countrymen lived for years and I can say that I’m rather glad that the locals didn’t say anything about it.”

“I guess that’s because both sides are not that dumb to start a brawl out of nowhere.”

“That’s nonsense. You should know that!”

“Well, I’ll have to admit the Japanese here knew about the truth of World War Two and were remorseful for what their forefathers have done; the locals knew that as well. But trust Koizumi to be so dumb to visit the Yasukuni Shrine every now and then. And I heard his latest trip takes place shortly after the Chinese astronauts have landed. If he’s not dumb, then he must be inviting trouble on purpose. No wonder UN refused Japan’s plea to enter into the Security Council…”

“I hope that you’re not going to say that in Japan…”

“Depends…” shrugged the young man.

“Zhao Yun, you’re twenty already. Be mature…”

“Yeah I got that. Anyway, where’s dad?”

“He’s gone off to work…”

“Without having breakfast?”

“Well, he’ll be having it later in another location. I’ve packed it for him.”

“New sites found?”

“Most probably. You should know that your father’s an archaeologist and an antique dealer too.”

“But I still can’t believe that he could make so much for that. Just looking at my house and most of my classmates just went ‘Wow!’”

“It’s just a two storey house. And there are definitely antique dealers richer than him. Enough of that though; just have your breakfast. You’re getting late…” with that, Zhao Yun began to start on his breakfast.

How he got his name, Zhao Yun didn’t know. True, his father’s surname was Zhao even though his mother was Japanese. But the reason in giving him this name was lost to him. His father told him that he was a fan of the famous general with the same name, but somehow, he felt it’s more than that. Of course he didn’t mind since he also admire the original Zhao Yun, but somehow, he felt that something major will happen in the course of his life.

“Ok, I’ve eaten. Take care, mom.”

“Take care too, Zhao Yun.”

XXX

Zhao Yun was early as usual. Class in his university always started at nine. He was around fifteen minutes earlier. Of course his entrance never failed to grab the attention of female students. Two of them spotted him and exclaimed, “Hey, it’s Zilong!”

On hearing this, the rest of the girls present began to swarm around him. This always set him on the edge. True, he admitted himself as “not bad looking”, but this was way too absurd especially since he knew there were other handsome guys around here. Problem was he always underestimated his charm, a fact that he didn’t know nor would be prepared to accept. Of course on his nickname of Zilong, it all originated from his name since the former Zhao Yun’s style was Zilong. (Author’s note here: style in here means the alternate name of a male in ancient China where it was used as a respectable term)

“Erm, ok, I know you gals are pretty hyped, but can you all get off me, PLEASE!”

On hearing this, the girls relaxed a bit, which give Zhao Yun the chance to run off before he could end up being raped by a bunch of girls affected by a serious bout of horny syndrome, which to him, seemed like a real and possible reality although it was an absurd notion to any sane person.

When class started at nine o’clock sharp, things were going better for Zhao Yun. At least no one was trying anything funny when the lecturers were speaking. During the break, a certain girl approached him. Zhao Yun didn’t shy from her though since they knew each other since childhood, only to be separated when they were in their late teens and reconciled only recently when both were enrolled in the same university.

“Well, I’ve heard that things are still going fine for you especially during the scene at the school entrance, huh?” smiled the girl, who was rather attractive with huge eyes sparkling with mischief and small lips curving up to a smile. Her hair was done up in a simple fashion of a ponytail with her fringes parted at the centre. Another thing to note about her was that she had a figure to go with her looks; a flattering bust size, slim waist and an attractive bottom.

“Yeah, and I nearly became a helpless goat in the face of those female predators.” said Zhao Yun sourly.

“Come on, it’s not that bad, isn’t it?”

“Guess again, Ruan Er.”

Sun Ruan Er smiled. She knew that Zhao Yun like the back of her palm. Although he was an attention grabber from both starry eyed girls and jealous guys, he never wanted that all along. More than likely that although he would want some attention of his own, things did go out of hand with the source being a total joke played on him by Fate or more specifically, his looks. After all, who could blame him? He was born of a Japanese mother and Chinese father and the result was someone with the facial qualities of both races. Add to the fact that he possessed an air of a pretty boy and things went downhill for him.

“What about you then?” questioned Zhao Yun, “You’re also an attention grabber as well. No one here can say he’s a guy, but yet never tried to pursue Sun Ruan Er unless he’s a gay.”

“Well, don’t worry about me. I can cope with all those horny guys out there myself.”

“I guess you have forgotten about what happened a few weeks back…” Ruan Er gave an injured look at that.

“I was a bit drunk and that was out of my calculation for once.”

“No, you didn’t get drunk. The fucking bastard spiked your drink. If one of your friends never contacted me to ask me where you are, which made me cycle like Lance Armstrong on steroids and seen him carrying you to a back alley, you’d be ended up in a counseling centre by now.”

“Well, at least you taught him a lesson.”

“Yeah I did. You should be thankful for all the bruises I sustained. It’s a good thing I managed to knock him out before he could try that brass knuckle cheap shot on me.”

“And you’ll have to thank me for warning you!” smiled Ruan Er.

“Yeah I know.”

“You looked a bit tired. Is it that dream you’re having recently?”

“Well, yeah I guess so. It’s been bugging me for quite some time. Whenever I think of it, it really seems that I’m actually seeing the live version of the Three Kingdoms era. More specifically the Battle of Changban…”

“Wow is that true?” a loud voice rang out as a bespectacled guy popped out of nowhere. Zhao Yun gave a groan. Yao Wen was a famous nut in the affairs of the Three Kingdoms era and he was an avid fan of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel. Simply put, to others, he’s a nerd and shunned by the general populace of the students. That wasn’t the case with Zhao Yun and Ruan Er though. They knew he was a nerd, but they also saw him as a friend of sorts too. In fact, Zhao Yun had always spent his days with Yao Wen playing Dynasty Warriors on his PS2. Given at this time however, the very last thing Zhao Yun wanted was having someone like Yao Wen bugging him. He may be a friend, but he could get rather bothersome at times.

“Wow! I guess that must be awesome!” exclaimed Yao Wen in excitement as he approached them. , “I mean seeing Zhao Yun braving one million strong Wei army seven times to save Liu Bei’s only son and making it back in one piece. What’s more can you ask for? Well, let me guess what’s next… I know! The scene where Lu Bu battled Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, all at one time. I guess that’s the most… eh? Where did Zhao Yun go?”

“He’s gone off to buy a drink. He said that your words are making him in serious need of some soda… and you know he always did that when he’s nerves are being on the edge”

“I guess I talked too much?”

“No. It’s more of a case of speaking at the wrong time…”

Zhao Yun sighed as he picked up his can of Coke from the vending machine. Things had been going on strangely for him namely, his dream that bugged him for quite some time. Then when he told his parents about it, they looked a bit uncomfortable, as if that they actually knew what was going on for him, if not, a vague idea at least. Then he heard someone calling out from behind.

“Hey there, sissy!”

Zhao Yun swore under his breath as he turned around to face the name-caller. It was none other than Yin Feng, the famous school bully with his underlings. A good number of students had fell victim to him and his flunkies although Zhao Yun haven’t experience it before. Basically speaking, if someone picks on Zhao Yun, he would be making enemies out of the entire female student population here. That’s why Yin Feng never tried anything funny. At least up till now. Everyone knew that Yin Feng never liked Zhao Yun partly due to jealousy and it’s only a matter of time when things could go out of hand. And that moment could be now.

“What do you want?” asked Zhao Yun.

“Nothing. All I want is to say is that you better leave Sun Ruan Er alone. She’s my target, get it?”

“Man, don’t you have enough girls already? I heard you always pick them up at pubs and such. I don’t care what you think of them, but Ruan Er is my friend. If you dare to have any designs on her, I’ll make sure your ass will be whooped for good. Get it?” Zhao Yun growled. He only knew too well about Yin Feng’s reputation. He was always boasting in front of his buddies about how many girls he had picked up and jilted after he had enough fun with them. That obviously invited disgust from the girls in the campus. But he didn’t care since he only had his eyes on Ruan Er. At least for now. He didn’t know how truthful was his claim, but anyone boasting like Yin Feng would always be some form of lowdown creep to him. They may be empty, but Zhao Yun didn’t like to take risks. At least where Ruan Er was concerned.

Yin Feng, on hearing his reply, sneered as he cracked his knuckles.

“Sorry there. You don’t have a choice there. It either let up or be beaten up…”

To his reply, Zhao Yun only turned away and walked off. He didn’t like the thrice damned bastard before him, but still, he wouldn’t want anything to do with him either.

Now if only that bugger was around… he thought. Yin Feng didn’t take too kindly to this reaction as he grabbed Zhao Yun’s arm and prepared to punch him.

“All right, so you wanna take this the hard way, huh? I’ll… argh!” shrieked Yin Feng as his arm was twisted behind his back. Before he knew it, a hard left hook punch connected squarely on his jaw, sending him crashing onto the wall.

“Who in the blue… what?! It’s you!?” exclaimed Yin Feng in shock and terror as he saw a guy standing before him. He was a quite handsome with his hair dyed white and spiked slightly backwards. He was wearing a simple outfit of a blue jacket zipped up to mid chest level with white cargo pants. He didn’t wear anything beneath the jacket though as was obviously seen. He was of a muscular built with ears pierced at several spots and he obviously wasn’t too happy. Yin Feng wasn’t the only one shocked for his underlings also had a similar expression. They knew it too well who was the person before them.

“Gan… Gan Ning? How come you’re here? You should have been suspended now…” asked Yin Feng. Gan Ning on hearing this just cracked his knuckles as he answered with a growl.

“Oh, did you miss me while I’m suspended? You should be glad that my suspension period had just ended yesterday. At least there’s somebody around who can teach you what it means to be the boss around here, you pea-sized-balls fucker…”

Yin Feng gulped as he sweated before the fellow in front of him. Gan Ning was a well known figure in the campus. To put it more accurately, he was a notorious figure around here. He had a proven track record in brawling and there had been cases of school bullies being sent to the hospital just because they pissed him off. The latest incident had slammed him a two week suspension. If not for the fact that his father was friends with the head of the school, he wouldn’t have stayed here already. Simply put, he was the campus punk, someone whom others tried to keep their way out of; even the girls think that he was a dangerous figure despite his looks.

“Well, I think you still didn’t know what happened to the three morons two weeks back, huh? Maybe I should let you see the live version of Gan Ning going ballistic…”

That was more than enough for Yin Feng and his followers as they scrambled out of sight. Gan Ning then turned to Zhao Yun as he raised his palm, only to have him slapping it across for a hi-five, grinning.

“Well, just see who’s come back!” smiled Zhao Yun.

“Yeah, sort of glad to be back here. You got lucky that I managed to arrive in time. I just knew that fucker would find trouble for you…” grinned Gan Ning. “Anyway, how are things coming up for you and Ruan Er?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, usual stuff like dating, meeting the parents or even checking into a hotel if you both were daring enough…”

“Yeah, like that will happen… dream on, dude!” replied Zhao Yun as he gave a friendly slap across Gan Ning’s back. They both knew each other quite well when they were kids for Gan Ning’s father was a family friend. He was in the same profession as Zhao Yun’s father and they were on extremely good terms even though they lived in different areas. How Gan Ning got his name, he never knew except that he knew that it was also the name of a famous general of the Kingdom of Wu during the Three Kingdoms era. Incidentally, Zhao Yun did think that the Gan Ning of the Three Kingdoms and the Gan Ning he knew were quite identical in terms of personality. Of course Gan Ning also knew Ruan Er as well since they played around with each other before in their childhood.

As they reached the classroom, the whole population of students there kept quiet. They knew better not to rile the official campus punk, but not Ruan Er as she ran towards the two with a smile.

“Hey there! Xiao Gan Gan!”

“Stop calling me that!” said Gan Ning as he looked around. “Say, where’s the school nerd?”

“Well, erm, hi there, Gan Da Ge…” said Yao Wen timidly as he emerged from the crowd.

“So you’re still alive huh? Still into the Three Kingdoms now?”

“Well, yeah, I guess so… anyway, did you have any dreams about scenes from the Three Kingdoms era?”

“Hell no there… what am I supposed to dream about? The Battle of He Fei or the attack on Huancheng? I think you need to have your head checked…”

“Hmm, now that’s funny. Zhao Yun had a dream on the Battle of Changban and you didn’t have any dream like that… now that’s funny…”

“What’s so funny about this? You’re asking for a fist right now?”

“Err, no, Gan Da Ge…”

“I’ll let that pass. But to think that you’re having a dream like that… has your screw gone loose, Zhao Yun?”

“I don’t think so. There’s nothing in my brain that I think it’s strange…”

“I’ll take your word on that…”

XXX

The time for dismissal arrived and the students soon departed from the campus to home. As Gan Ning and Ruan Er prepared to part with Zhao Yun, his handphone rang.

“Hello, Zhao Yun here… eh, mum, is that you… what, you’re asking Gan Ning and Ruan Er over for dinner… and their parents were already there… ok, a reunion dinner of sorts I guess… yeah, I’ll tell them… ok, bye!”

“What’s up with your mommy?” asked Gan Ning.

“Nothing, it’s just that my mum’s asking you all over for dinner and your parents had already arrived…”

“Wow, it’s been a real long time ever since our families have dinner together. What’s cooking anyway?” asked Ruan Er.

“Steamboat Japanese style. Everyone just seems to love it…”

“Wow, that’s good. It’s been a long time ever since I’ve tasted that at your house. It’s an eat till you’re full issue, right?” asked Gan Ning enthusiastically.

“Well, I guess so…” shrugged Zhao Yun as they set off to his house.

XXX

There was one problem with going to Zhao Yun’s house from the school and that was having to go through a secluded path to get there. Zhao Yun had gone through there countless times and nothing happened. But he was getting a bit worried since Ruan Er was with him. If anything happened to her, he couldn’t imagine how he’s going to live with it. Zhao Yun, however, threw that thought out of his mind as they went through the path. He had gone through it before and nothing happened and it’s going to stay the same for now. But he was wrong as they were waylaid by a group of six masked men.

“Well, I told you it was a good idea to wait here… isn’t that so, Ah Xiong?” said one of the men.

“Yeah, and to think that we’ve got a pretty chick before us as well!” said his companion.

Fucking hell… robbers at this point of time…thought Zhao Yun.

Gan Ning, however, never gave two hoots about the odds before him. Not now or ever as he lunged forward and punched one of the robber right into the face. The others were shocked to say the least, but they soon reacted to his attack. Gan Ning, however, was putting up a real fight especially since he had brawled countless times ever since in senior high. Zhao Yun was stunned by what was unfolding before him, but before he could react, he felt a sharp pain exploding through the back of his head. Then he blacked out.

XXX

Gan Ning was raining punches at one particular man and he would have continued with it when a shout rang out, “Hold your fire, little brat, or they’ll get it!”

He turned around and swore under his breath. Zhao Yun and Ruan Er were in the hands of the robbers. Somehow, two of them managed to sneak behind him and knocked Zhao Yun unconscious and holding Ruan Er hostage with a knife at her throat.

The man who was attacked by Gan Ning immediately turned on him, knocking him onto the ground and holding him tight. Ruan Er was freaked out to say the least, but before she could scream out, the robber holding her pushed her to the ground and pinned her. Gan Ning’s eyes widened with fury. It was obvious what the man was planning to do. He wanted to rape her, possibly together with his other fellows as well.

“Fuck you! Let go of her and face me like a man, you motherfuckers!” shouted Gan Ning as he struggled under his captor’s grip. If there’s a reaction for them however, it would most probably be pure lust as they eyed at a helpless Ruan Er like a pack of hungry dogs.

XXX

What’s going on here? Wondered Zhao Yun as he found himself within a field of darkness. Then he saw the dream he had previously before again. This time, his head hurt like real. He wanted to close his eye, but his sight was riveted to the scene before him and he watched the warrior turning to face him again.

Not again!

Then the scene faded before him as he saw the warrior standing in front of him.

“Who are you?” He asked.

“I am you.” answered the warrior, “More specifically, I’m your destiny…”

“What in the blue hell do you mean?”

“I share the same name as you. Zhao Yun of Changshan, one of the Five Tiger Generals of Shu.”

“That’s obviously stupid! This must be a fucking dream…”

“This is no dream. Look…” said the warrior as he pointed to a spot where Zhao Yun saw the scene unfolding before him. He was unconscious, Gan Ning was helpless and Ruan Er was about to be raped as her captor started to rip off her shirt. His eyes went wide with rage and his hands were clenched tightly into fists.

“What in the fucking hell is going on here?” snarled Zhao Yun as he turned to face the warrior.

“This is what‘s happening right now in reality.”

Zhao Yun stared at the warrior as he contemplated his words. He wanted to say something, screamed curses at the warrior, but he knew he couldn’t. Somehow, he knew that what he was seeing was true. Finally, he gave in as he couldn’t find a reason to refute the warrior’s claim. But he wouldn’t stand here like an idiot when his friends were in trouble. He turned to the warrior and stared at him again. Somehow, he knew that he was the key to saving them. The warrior seemed to know his thoughts as well.

“Accept your Tenmei no Chikara. This is your destiny…”

“Will that save Ruan Er and Gan Ning?”

“It will, but be warned that if your emotions are not kept in check, it will consume your mind. You’ll have to awaken it at some point of time, but the consequences should it overtake your soul will be dire. This is a warning to you. I’ll have to be frank with you. Given your current emotions, you’ll likely to go berserk. Even if that’s the case, would you want to awaken it?”

Zhao Yun stared at the warrior as he knew that it was now or never. Definitely he would be going for broke this time round. It was a dangerous gamble, he knew it, but he’s willing to take it. The warrior saw Zhao Yun’s expression as he nodded.

“Very well then. Be on your way and know that your destiny has arrived…”

XXX

Ruan Er was in tears as she begged with her captor to let go of her, but obviously, her word fell to deaf ears as she closed her eyes and await the horrible fate that was about to befall. But then she felt the movements of the thug stopped. She opened her eyes and saw all the six robbers and Gan Ning looking at Zhao Yun’s direction. Then her eyes widened with shock as he was standing with a red shafted spear in his right hand that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The other robber who knocked him out was lain down, motionless and a few distance away. Obviously, the robbers were freaked out by what they saw. Gan Ning couldn’t believed his eyes either as Zhao Yun opened his eyes. Ruan Er gasped as Gan Ning whispered some curses, for within Zhao Yun’s eyes, there were no traces of sanity. Something had happened to him and he wasn’t the same Zhao Yun that they always knew. The Zhao Yun before them had only one goal in mind: to totally annihilate the very people who dared to harm the ones he cherished.

XXX

Whew, finally finished the first chapter. Well, I guess it’s really a bit long, but ah hell… anyway, first thing I’ll have to say is that if you guys are offended by the contents, I’m truly sorry. That’s all I can say. Phoebe Meryll, if you’re reading this, I hope you won’t mind what’s in here and send a nice little review! On a side note, for those who are wondering, I’m actually referring this chapter from the novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms rather than the actual Three Kingdoms era. Also, you all saw some strange language there? They’re in Chinese and Japanese as well. Here’s the translation:

Tenmei no Yusha: Heroes of Destiny (Japanese)

Tenmei no Chikara: Power of Destiny (Japanese)

Xiao Gan Gan: Little Gan (Chinese)

Gan Da Ge: Big Brother Gan (Chinese)

Also, I’m not very sure whether you guys wanna know anything about the Three Kingdoms issue since it’s not really relevant to the storyline here. But if your curiosity gets the better of you and you all want to know about the characters in The Romance of Three Kingdoms, just email me and I’ll send a very good site address to you.

Of course I’ll be adding other characters as well from the Japanese Bakumatsu and Sengoku Jidai. Just only not that soon…