The Iron Rose: The Fallen

Re: The Saints and the Sinners

Introduction

When the battle began, the human race was forced underground. The Henkei were vicious creatures who wished to destroy humanity. They had only one weakness; a stone known as Chisi. Weapons crafted from this rare material were given the title Tsurugi, though only few could bear these items. These few were members of an elite squad known as the Iron Rose.

Over half the population were minors, constantly searching for this rare material. Without it, the light of mankind would someday burn out.

This was a constant, and nobody ever intended to change it. The state of war, the endless fear; this was that way it had been for centuries, and most thought it would remain this way until the war was over. And that's how it would've played out, if it wasn't for one person...

One savior.

Chapter 1

A loud groan escaped Shujin as the alarm clock's continuous buzz bounced off the cavern walls. The male fell lifelessly onto the floor after a failed attempt to stop the noisy machine. He stumbled around aimlessly looking for his shoes, hardly aware of his surroundings.

He could barely see; the faint blue glow of the lightning crystals were the only source of light in the residential district, and it didn't help that they were only allowed a certain amount per room.

The male sighed, thinking about the punishments he was sure to receive. He was late for training, the last day before eval. Everything building up to now; the long days of running, lifting weights, hand-to-hand combat courses, strategic courses, the long nights of being too sore to sleep, and being shouted at by Lieutenant Sashe would finally be worth it.

If he passed eval, then he would finally become a member of the Iron Rose. Then, he would be able to escape the confining walls of the cavern.

Chapter 2

Cadets were put in rows in order to proceed with role call and the male could tell that may chance of jumping in line before the Lieutenant noticed had long since passed, leaving him with her vicious anger. The door slammed shut behind him, causing him to jump and quickly scramble into a solute. The male's higher ranking officer sent a menacing look his way, piercing him like a bullet.

Shujin winced as her mouth flew open. "Cadet Sukuinushi, just because it is your last day of training does not mean you can slack off! Now drop and give me 50 push-ups!"

"Yes, Lieutenant Sashe!" He did what she asked of him then panting, got in line with the rest of the cadets.

Chapter 3

"I am very proud of all of you. You have made it through the most rigorous and demanding training the human race has to offer. You are the strongest of your generation. You are humanity's last hope, and the Saigon should be proud to call you one of their own."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Everyone shouted in unison. Commander Hiroikku finished delivering his speech, then took a seat to the left of the stage. Shujin was beaming in the process. He couldn't wait until they handed out their uniforms. The male was so eccentric, he could barely contain himself. He was finally going to be free. He drifted into thoughts of what the outside world might've looked like if there hadn't been a war.

The ceremony lasted what seemed like hours to an eager Shujin. Towards the end, Lieutenant Sashe began handing out badges, uniforms, and awards. As she shook Shujin's hand, he noticed that she was smiling, a rare thing. Suddenly, she hugged him and, in a serious tone, she whispered, "You will change everything..." The male stared at her for a moment, before she suddenly backed away and continued on to the next cadet.

The male couldn't help thinking about the Lieutenant's words through the rest  of the ceremony. Eventually, they dismissed and the sense of uneasiness faded. The male had a smile plastered to his face on the way back to his room when his best friend, Moritani, approached him.

"Hey man!" He greeted as he wrapped his arm around Shujin's shoulder, slowly drifting into a headlock.

"Hey..." Shujin spoke softly as he struggled to break free from Moritani's grip. The two continued down the corridor and into Shujin's room. As he looked for a place to set his new uniform, he realized he so desperately needed to clean his room. Eventually, the male settled for a stone shelf after dusting it off first. "So man, what regiment do you plan on joining?" Moritani questioned.

"I wan-"

"No, don't tell me! I want to guess. Um, the Iron Rose?" Moritani asked sarcastically. A long pause spread throughout the room as Shujin scolded himself for putting Moritani through this. "Yeah, actually." The male said, barely a whisper. "But, the Iron Rose is a death sentence!" Moritani shouted, grasping his shoulders and shaking him violently. "Do you want to die?"

"You know why." Shujin replied, the only calm one in the situation. "No I don't, Shujin! I've never known. You always say I know, but I don't! Who cares if you were born on the surface? You are the only friend I've got!" Moritani screamed, breaking down and on the verge of tears. "I can't take these walls anymore, Moritani! They are smothering me! I can't breathe!"

"But if you go out there you'll die!" Moritani screamed at the top of his lungs, hugging his knees, while tears streamed down his face. "Look I'm sorry, but it's happening whether you like it or not. Besides, I'd rather die up there, free, then down here, hiding like a rat." The male sent Moritani a menacing look, signaling for him not to speak, and with that, he left Moritani curled into a ball on the floor.

Chapter 4

Moritani Oshihara was found on the surface unconscious at the age of one. He suffered some kind of trauma, whether physical or mental I don't know, because he has no memory of the surface. Parents are presumed dead.

Birthdate: unknown

Says he is experiencing recurring nightmares about who he presumes are his parents. Other children avoid him because of these vivid dreams. I am going to perform a psych to decide if he is going to be a miner or be sent to the battlefield.

<UPDATE>

The psych went well; he will start training for war next week. Moritani came in today happier than usual. When I asked him why, he told me he had met somebody who was kind to him. I did some research and his acquaintance was one of the new arrivals named Shujin Sukuinushi.

Chapter 5
Shujin headed towards the dining hall, though every fiber of his being was against even the thought of food. But he had a schedule to keep and he was already running late. The male entered the hot and muggy room, the hottest room in the whole city due to it being the room that the food supply was grown. If something was to go wrong, the whole city would starve to death.

Shujin grabbed a quarter-loaf of bread and took a seat in a corner table alone. He had a guilty knot forming in his stomach, making it even harder to eat. The male understood why Moritani was so upset. He really was his only friend because of the nightmares Moritani used to have. They made the other children either bully him or shut him out completely.  For just talking to him, Shujin too was bullied. Honestly, he thought it was funny. They were so innocent and clueless, thinking that someone being different was their biggest issue. If they had seen what horrific sights were taking place on the surface, they too would have nightmares.

When Shujin had met Moritani, he had already lost that innocence. He lost it the day his parents died trying to protect him and his sister, then later watching her meet the same fate. He almost died that day, but Commander Knile pulled him out of the way and brought him to safety. If he hadn't, Shujin would've been ripped to shreds. That was when he realized how corrupt the Kyuba were.

Commander Knile looked ageless. He had silver hair; but not from age; his skin was pale form the lack of sunlight the tunnels have to offer, and he had inherited the Saiko's blood through through his parents, who were both Originals. He looked like he could be a god. Shujin adored him, looked up to him. The male wanted to be just like him, but he knew he couldn't.