The Last Sword: Prolouge
				  The Birth of a Demon.


	The rain fell to the ground as he stood and stared at the angel; His
short brown hair was matted against his head from the rain and his dark
brown eyes were red with days of insomnia. He stood silently as the angel
seemed to plead with him, to pitty him. He breathed hoarsly and felt the
rain chill his skin through the thin silk clothes; but it didn't matter
to him. The angel seemed to mock him with her stare; she stared back at
his empty form with vacant white eyes ;the water fell in streams down the
pale white face of the cherub as it stood in silent memorial. The man
watched it ignoring the rain with a sort of cold and hurt anger; The rain
mixed with his tears as he let out a soft sob and fell to his knees in
the soft mud at his feet. His hands scraped at the newly dug soil as his
emotions peaked.
	"Why?" he whispered hoarsly, "Why did you leave me?" He grabbed the
statue and hugged it in a vain attempt to comfort himself. His fingers
went numb as the cold marble chilled his hands as they gently rubbed the
still slick shine of the newly cut and polished stone. "I won't let you
leave me a lone in this world."
	Lightening crashed in the distance revealing countless grave markers all
around the man as far as the eye could see. He stood tall with an angry
and hateful stare at the soil beneath his feet. Wordlessly he walked over
to a large green cloth bag that lay half submerged in a puddle. He ripped
it open and pulled an old and rusty shovel from it with almost voilent
force. The sky seemed to roar with anger at this act as lightening struck
again in the distance. He stabbed the spade into the soil cutting through
the soft earth easily. Relentlessly and tirelessly he dug onward, never
pausing, never slowing. He dug for two hours with patient and controled
strokes before he felt the blade strike wood. He cleared the remaining
dirt away and brushed the polished surface of the coffin with his hands.
A dark smile formed on his lips as he pried at the lid with his hands and
felt it give slightly. He strained painfully as he lifted harder ripping
the nails that sealed the porthole closed from their places in the
framework. Finally it gave in and the man was almost thrown to the
ground; he staggered back and regained his ballance. 
	She lay there in a silent and disturbing sleep; completely unaware of
the figure invading her rest. Her body, still fresh, lay silently in the
soft red satin of her coffin; peacefully she watched him with cold, dead
and unseeing eyes. 
	The man gasped at her beauty even in death. "My love, my darling," he
whispered as he reached for her face clumsily and kneeled on top of her
body. "Never again will we be appart." He brushed her golden hair away
from her face. She was young and her hair seemed to float around her like
a hailo in her eternal slumber. Her face, although pale, still shone with
kindness and hope. Her lips still had the slightest hint of color in them
despite the fact that she had never worn makup. He gently lifted her from
the coffin and cradled her body in his arms, a regretful smile crossed
his lips as he looked into her open cold blue eyes. The sky boomed
angrily again as he climbed out of the hole carefully cradling the body.
	Her shroud, a long flowing dress that had once been her wedding gown,
blew in the wind as the storm peaked. The sky seemed to scream in anger
at the desecration of her tomb. The man simply stared coldly at the
heavens in defiance.

	Several miles away an old Temple village sat nestled within it's walls.
The storm already past it's residents began to sleep as lights slowly
began to die within the small simple homes. Two men sat mournfully on one
of the walls surrounding the berg. One of them, a young bald man dressed
in the bright orange robes of a holy man. His face was pale and sad, yet
it seemed almost contemplative as he reflected upon his own thoughts. 
	The other man was watching him with a sort of unclear pitty. He had long
brown hair pulled tight into a single long braid that was slung over his
shoulder. A simple but beautiful Tai Chi longsword hung at his side. His
clothes consisted of a dark red silk shirt and a black pair of slacks. He
absently ballanced a small knife on his finger while silently waiting for
the other man.
	"Pu-chin," said the bald man calmly.
	The other man simply nodded, "What's up?"
	"It's a bad night," said the monk calmly.
	"Yup," replied Pu-chin calmly after a moments thought. He knew the man
was not reffering to his resent loss.
	"No good will come of this night," said the monk as he turned to walk
away.
	"You worry to much, Shien," replied Pu-chin absently. It was as much to
comfort himself as his friend.
	Shien stopped and looked off at the horizon coolly. "I will not be
sleeping tonight."
	"I'll put out a few extra guards tonight," said Pu-chin as he followed
the man's gaze.
	Shien continued walking away quietly and methodically. "It will do no
good," he said finally before he vanished into the darkness.
	Pu-chin frowned and looked off at the horison again. The storm flashed
in the distance as it's fury made itself remembered. He watched it
silently for what seemed like hours in a sort of mesmerized state. Then
he became aware of another presence. He whirled around to face the
newcomer, but he paused when he realized that it was not a threatening
presence. "Yes?" he called into the near by shadows.
	She stepped forward quietly and gazed at Pu-chin with a sort of quiet
knowing smile. She had long flowing dark purple hair that she kept tied
in a loose ponytail behind her back. Her eyes were a deep green color
that seemed darker than any forest could ever be. He smiled as she lifted
her light colored robe off the newly wet stones that made up the walkway
along the top of the wall.
	"Mei-li! What are you doing up?" he said cheerfully.
	She smiled and brushed her bangs from her face as she looked at him, but
the smile faded when she looked over the wall at the storm in the
distance. "Something doesn't feel right tonight," her voice was shaky and
nervous. "I'm worried."
	Pu-chin wrapped an arm around her and found she was shaking like a small
bird in the darkness. She calmed almost immediately as he gently brushed
at her face. "That's OK, I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight," he said
as he gazed deeply into her eyes.
	Mei-li felt her face flush and her heart skip as his eyes pierced into
her soul, she fell into his embrace willingly as he pressed his lips
gently to her own. "Pu-chin," she gasped as she pulled back momentarily.
"I..."

	On the other side of the village a great temple stood dwarfing the
village below it. A great altar stood in front of a great open window
that faced the village overlooking it. The storm could be seen far away
now fading into obscurity. A figure stood before the altar holding the
body of a young girl and gently placed her seemingly sleeping form onto
the cold stone table. He caressed her face and smiled as her hair fell
gently around her. 
	"A little longer my dear," said the man saddly. He reached into his bag
and fumbled about it's contents for a moment. He pulled a small jar with
a grey powder inside of it. He carefully opened the container and dipped
his thumb into the contents. It burned and felt like it was eating away
at his hands, but he continued undaunted. He rubbed the powder on the
bodies forhead leaving a mark, an ancient symbol that meant 'earth' in a
long forgotten language. He smiled as the mark smoked slightly as the
substance began to work it's way into her skin.
	"If the gods will not save you, then I will find someone who will," said
the man with a hateful glare at the walls surrounding him. He spread his
arms out triumphantly and grinned angrily. "Do you hear?! I will not be
stopped!"

	In the cemetary a lone figure stood watching an empty hole. He sits
under a bamboo umbrella and calmly stares into the grave. The rain falls
gently now and Shien frowns deeply at his sisters empty plot. "So, it is
as I feared," he said mournfully as he turned away from the desecrated
site.
	About an hour later Shien stood before a home in the village. It was a
small place that could not hold more than a single room. He rapped at the
door calmly; only his face gave away the pain that wracked inside of him;
it was all he could do to hold on to his own sanity. 
	Pu-chin answered the door dressed only in a sheet behind him the
sleeping form of Mei-li could bee seen sleeping gently on the bed.
Pu-chin seemed flustered and tired he shook his head as he struggled with
his sleep. After a single moment he recognised his friend at the doorway.
	"We have a problem," said Shien quietly, his face looked angry yet
controlled.
	Pu-chin grabbed his shirt and quickly dressed himself while speaking to
his friend. "What problem?"
	"My sister's body is gone," said Shien in an emotionless monotone.
	Pu-chin relaxed slightly, "After only three days? I'm sorry old friend,"
he said regretfully.
	"There is more," interupted Shien, "I can't find Shutaro."
	"Shit," muttered Pu-chin.

	Wind blew through the temple, an unatural force that chilled all it
touched to the core. The man stood staring at the body in painful
exspectation. "It is finished."
	The swirling tempest of wind stopped cold as the main doors to the
temple where slammed open. A single figure emerged from the darkness; he
stood angrily staring down the man at the altar. "Shutaro! Let my sister
sleep!" he roared.
	"Your to late Shien, she lives again," chuckled the man in an unstable
voice.
	Shien stared at the altar in disbelief. "Gods what have you done?!" he
exclaimed in horror.
	"I did what our god could not, would not do!" spat Shutaro angrily. "I
returned her to us!"
	Shien approached the altar in a horrified daze; his sister lay
undisturbed behind Shutaro. He took the man by the arms and shook him,
"What have you done?" he whispered in horror.
	"She lives again," replied Shutaro with a small laugh.
	"Dammit Shutaro! She's dead! Accept it!"
	The figure rose silently and turned to face Shien and Shutaro. She
smiled and watched them with a cold and cheerful stare. "Never," she said
with a playful laugh.
	Shien drug Shutaro back in horror. "What have you done to my sister?" he
gasped.
	Shutaro began to struggle as she raised her arms in a waiting embrace.
"I did it," he muttered.
	Shien strained to hold him back, "No! Shutaro! That isn't my sister!" he
warned desperately.
	Shutaro's struggles became more violent as he desperately reached for
his dead wife. "Let me go! She's alive!" he pleaded.
	"It's not her damn you!" warned the monk again.
	The face of the girl was pleading, "Shutaro! Come to me! Come to..."
	Her face suddenly twisted into a horrific mask of pain and anger. Fangs
protruded from her lips as her eyes became blood red. Her lips curled
back into a cruel smile much to wide for a human face. "...MEEEEEEEE!"
screamed the thing as it lunged forward towards the struggling pair.
	She ripped them appart easily throwing Shien into a wall on the other
side of the temple into a rack of weapons. He slumped to the ground as he
struggled to keep his conciousness. 
	Shutaro froze in terror as the monster ripped at his throat with it's
teeth and began to suck desperately at his throat. He felt the blood
rushing from his veins at an impossible speed as the monster drank. He
smelled the rotten flesh as it began to breath heavily in an almost
orgasmic climax as the last of his life force started to ebb away.
	Shien stood shakily balancing himself with a spear as he watched in
terror at the scene. He gasped and desperately tried to get himself to
move. His limbs felt like lead as he shifted on his feet and almost
collapsed. With a final lung he lobbed the spear towards the pair as he
collapsed to the ground once again.
	The monster reared it's head back and screamed; Shutaro felt a new pain
tear through the numbness of his body as the spear ripped through the
monster's back. With a great effort he looked downward and saw the blade
jutting from his own stomach as the monster pulled itself away in pain.
He screamed as the spear was pulled from his body by the monster as it
jerked back. He saw the beast begin to smoke at the wound as it clawed
violently at the weapon and skreeched in rage. It collapsed into
Shutaro's arms and he saw it's face become gentle once more as if his
dead wife once again occupied the empty shell. She smiled softly as the
smoke overtook Shutaro and enveloped the room. 
	Shien stood after a few moments of watching the monster in it's death
throes. He walked towards the edge of the smoke and watched it saddly for
a moment. "Fool." He stopped cold as a figure sat up within the putrid
smog and kneeled in fatigue.
	"Shutaro! Are you alive?" he called to the figure.
	The figure paused and looked at it's hands in the thick haze. "Yes."
	Anger over took Shien as he glared at the struggling figure of Shutaro
in the mist. "Fool! Don't you see why sorcery is forbidden?!" He gasped
as the figure looked up at him in the smog. Two glowing yellow eyes
stared back at him.
	"I understand... It is forbidden because you fear it." replied the
Shutaro thing as it lunged forward shrouded in smoke and mist. Shien saw
claws and jagged teeth in the cloud as it seemed to lunge forward towards
him.

	Pu-chin stood amoungst a large group of monks and villagers as they
searched the perimeter of the town. A scream broke the almost dead
silence.
	"That came from the temple," said one of the women standing near him.
Pu-chin growled and turned into a run towards the great towering
building. 
	He arived moments later and gazed into the darkness within. The doors to
the temple stood wide open and a mist was slowly vanishing from the
hallway inside. He drew his sword and stalked forward. Statues stood on
either side of him representing dieties or gods from ages past. They
seemed more dangerous and discomforting in the darkness and forboding
hallway. He felt no presence however and moved forward cautiously. 
	He entered the main room and gasped in shock, Shien lay dead on the
ground before him. He had been almost completely gutted. Tears began to
form in his eyes as he saw the body of his oldest friend staring at him
in terror.  His eyes fell onto Shien's hand clutched there was a pendant.
A dark anger rose in Pu-chin as he glared at the body again. "Shutaro,"
he spat.
	The quiet outside was torn by an anguished scream as a dark cloaked
figure made his way out the gates to the village. The figure turned and
smiled cruely with rows of jagged teeth.

  To be	Cont...

	Hope you enjoyed this tale, It may seem like it now but it is not a
Vampire story: Shutaro is something else entirely.  As for why it's
anime... Well it's clearer later on when we get to meet the story's hero
Xian. {Not Pu-chin, this part takes place 100 years before the real
story.}
Please C&C on this because I only posted it to see what people thought of
it. It's dark, but the story as a whole takes on a sort of Sorcerer
hunters or Ranma 1/2 type Comedy. It keeps it's dark theme though.  
C&C to Catbert25@Juno.com
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