-=Remember What You’re Fighting For=-

*The white light of leave taking encompasses my vision fully.*

*They say this process is instantaneous, and it is. I experienced it before, when Ryu took me to the village all those years ago.*

*Yet, instantaneous as it is, it still feels like forever in a big way. When the light takes over, you feel like you’re in a different realm, a different area of time and space.*

*You feel like you’re in a dream.*

*I felt that way last time. Actually, it felt more like a nightmare. There was no darkness to see, only white light and two new friends, but there was plenty of darkness to feel. It came from within me, filling every fiber of my existence with feelings of hopelessness and despair, making me feel as though I was an avatar of such things.*

*I looked all around this white empty space that surrounded me. Even with Ryu and Yuka there with me, it all seemed so empty. This only served to remind me of a void in my heart. A void that was once my family, my old friends, my old home, quickly became nothing but a black, unfilled space inside me.*

*All I could do in that space was fall to my knees and give in to the powers of emotion. Tears fell out of my eyes as quickly as they filled them. I had never felt so scared and alone in my life.*

*Yuka, 9 at the time, and Ryu, 11, came to my sides, trying to comfort me. However, I was too scared to trust them, too frightened. I feared they had captured me for some nefarious plot. Were they with the raiding pirates as well? Would they take me to their leader? Force me in their ranks? Throw me in a dungeon? Or perhaps they would use the cover of that white, empty place to simply kill me outright and take everything I had. Those were the only thoughts I had in mind when they took me.*

*I remember how they did. I ran smack into them, with Yuka holding a scroll. Ryu instantly set himself upon me, using his superior strength to subdue my physical resistance and cries for help. When he had me secured, he called out to her. She immediately placed a hand on him and unfurled the scroll. The mystical white envelope of magic consumed us all.*

*It seemed like they were villains at the time. Little did I know they had really come to save me and keep me calm. My instincts of fear, however, tried to convince me otherwise, as I shook away their attempts at cover numerous times.*

*”Stay away! Don’t kill me! LEAVE ME ALONE!” Things like that and more were all I screamed at them. I was unarmed and unarmored. I tried running from them, in every direction around me, looking for something to hide behind in all this open whiteness. Hoever, no matter where I ran, I always returned to them.*

*They, on the other hand, were worried about my demeanor. They never tried to catch me, or even chase me. They each knew, in their own way, I would soon see the truth. I watched them as I ran. I could always see something in their eyes, but I couldn’t force myself to stop and take a look.*

*I continued my frightened demeanor, always trying to run and always returning. Numerous times I shouted to my parents, hoping they weren’t really dead, praying endlessly that they would come and rescue me. That never happened.*

*Of course, my boundless running and cries for help couldn’t last forever. I soon got tired, then exhausted. Even then I pressed on as much as I could, but I soon got dizzy, and….threw up. I fell on my side, blackness covering the whiteness. I heard two voices cry out before I knew no more for a time.*

*When I came to, I was at the foot of the village. Ryu and Yuka were still there. I wanted to run and cry for help, but I was still very weak. My stomach began growling endlessly, straining for food. I listened intently, moving my eyes around, looking for something to eat.*

*That was when I suddenly realized I had nothing to fear anymore.*

*As though she listened intently, Yuka immediately held up a loaf of bread and a glass of water for my consumption. When I saw them, I saw more than food and drink; I saw someone holding life itself in front of me. I grabbed them without hesitation, gorging myself on these valuable gifts that helped ensure I could continue my mortal existence.*

*Seeing me eat, the look of constant worry Yuka held ever since I first saw her finally disappeared. She gave a gentle smile, a lone tear streaming down her cheek. Ryu’s once constant look of concern and determination lightened as well, and he gave me a light pat on the head.*

*Soon, a voice called out Ryu’s name. All of us looked over, seeing five distant silhouettes, of whom my eyes would days later see as the elders, stood by, as if waiting for something. Ryu quickly gave instructions for Yuka to go over to them. She complied and left immediately. Ryu waved at the distant figures, and proceeded to pick me up. This time, I gave no sign of resistance or fuss, as I knew he would keep me safe. Even if I didn’t want his help, I was still too weak to move under my own power anyway.*

*As Ryu carried me over on his back, he explained who he and Yuka were, along with the place I was now in and what it stood for. He the explained of how he came to know of the attack on my village. “We’ve had numerous reports of these attacks happening all around the mainland,” he said, calmly yet in a distant manner. “We’ve worked endlessly to stop these raiders. We’ve been mostly successful in saving the villages, but this one, along with a few others, somehow caught us off guard. Pirates like those are normally more obvious than that. I wonder how this escaped us…”*

*He trailed off, his mind wandering on other things. After listening intently, I became very curious about the fact that he fought those raiders. So curious that I managed to garner strength to ask him a question. “Ryu…” I remember asking. “Y…you fight them? you f..fight pirates…like th…them?”*

*Ryu snapped back to attention upon hearing my question, and responded. “Yes, young boy. I fight them, along with many others. You see, this town didn’t always exist. About a century ago, this land was once compiled of simple villages and hovels, where everyone lived in peace. However, that all changed when pirates and raiders began attacking us. They began at the coast. At first, it was just a minor scuffle or two, trying to pilfer a few things. The villages were made up mainly of peasentry, but we still fought them off easily. The raiders were merely simple thieves and unfocused criminals at that time. But as the years progressed, they became more focused, more organized, more…..deadly.*

*”95 years ago, a coastal village called Kyushu suffered a major attack from the raiders. The people were killed, their homes burned, their valuable possessions-food, tools, anything of monetary worth-all stolen. Word of the attack spread quickly, and the surrounding villages did whatever they could to better protect themselves-building walss, making weapons, that sort of thing. Yet even as we improved our defenses, the pirates came back with better and better weapons, mainly swords, some with strange weapons that shot these….projectiles that caused massive wounds to the human body.*

“*As they progressed farther inland, even claiming a few areas as outposts, the remaining villages emptied themselves and gathered at the very center of this country. The people discussed fervently what could be done to repel the heartless invaders. That was when one man among them-my great grandfather-began creating and implementing special stealth techniques that could easily outwit the forward boldness and headstrong tenacity that was the raiders’ way of fighting.”*

*I tried to listen to more of what he spoke, but I found the fatigue of my earlier actions bear down upon me. Noticing this, Ryu smiled and lowered me down. Holding onto him for support, I saw Yuka sitting by a stretcher. That was the last image my waning muscles could afford to give me before finally giving way to a deep sleep.*

*The sleep turned out to be a coma that lasted 7 years. No one, not even me, has any sort of reasoning for that long of a slumber. I asked everyone, even the elders, but there was nothing they could really explain, other than the fact that the attack probably brought a stress upon me so powerful, it took a long time to recover from.*

*Given the way I acted while in teleportation, it’s hard for me not to agree*

*All I know was that when I woke up, I still had all the memories of what happened in my childhood before the coma. Further still, I somehow gained knowledge of stealth combat rather easily. I was amazed at how quickly I became a genin. I had accomplished in two years what no one else could in five.*

*I knew deep down that it was the heart and soul I put into my training that carried the lion’s share of this feat. My memories always burned strong in my mind over what I lost that day long ago. I believed, one day, I would find a way to avenge the loss of my parents.*

*Right now, though, I stand alone, readying myself for a journey that will avenge others I have lost. Ryu and Yuka, two friends who, when I first met them, almost seemed like parents themselves, have both fallen to a common enemy, but I will not let their deaths stand unnoticed.*

*Just as in my training, I will succeed in this quest, no matter how long it takes. I will fight anything that gets in my way. I will go to every corner of this maple world. I will defeat this Dark Lord imposter, find out the evil behind him, and destroy it for good.*

*I can feel the white light beginning to fade. A new world is about to take shape around me. Soon, I will be on my way. I know I can do this. I know I can succeed.*

*I know, because I know what I’m fighting for.*

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Hiss hiss, the viper returns! Yes this is the transition intro, and it all takes place throughout the teleportation sequence. It’s basically a bridge between the pre-story and main story that takes an even closer look at Shadow Viper’s past. As for the coma thing, I had a vision that I could have that in the story and explain it perfectly as the story went on. It seemed like a stretch at first, but then thought, why not. After, this is my story, and my mind is my oyster(whatever that means). Enjoy! *Sets up a table with free Mountain Dews on it before leaving*