Last modification date:  04/08/99

Because so many people have asked about it, here's a teaser for Part 7
of "Tiger Claw".

It's in VERY rough form and is subject to change without notice, but
I welcome any comments anyone might have!  ^_^;


(start of teaser)
-----------------------------------

    Yuri sighed and gazed thoughtfully at Ukyo.  "Well, if you're
utterly determined to become involved in my search for this cat-demon, I
think I should warn you of a potentially serious complication."

    Ukyo gave the other young woman a sour smile and said, "Like it's
not complicated enough already?"

   With a muffled snort, Yuri said, "Oh yes, things can get MUCH more
complicated."  Her expression became serious.  "My older sister also
survived the destruction of our clan.   And now she's doing her best to
track me now and  kill me."

    "Why!?"

    "Because she blames me for the destruction of our family and all
that the Funadas have stood for.  The truth is that she hates me and has
always hated me.  She'll do anything it takes to accomplish her goal.  I
think she may have gone as far as to ally herself with an entity of
darkness in order to gain more power."

    Ukyo sounded outraged.  "But that doesn't make sense!  I mean, if
she claims to be upholding the name of your clan and your clan has been
fighting these evil demons for centuries, how can she possibly
justify...?"

    Yuri sat down and said, "Ukyo, let me tell you an old folktale about
my family.   Perhaps it would help you to understand the Funada clan a
little better."  She took a deep breath, then started her story.

    "Many centuries ago, a warlord and his sons raided and burned a
great shrine.  They greedily stole the holy relics, selling them for
gold or used them to decorate the warlord's many castles.   Suddenly the
land, no longer protected by the holy shrine, was plagued by demons, who
swarmed over the countryside, preying ruthlessly on both the livestock
and the people of the warlord's domain.  

    "The youngest son knew why the demons were running free and begged
his father and brothers to rebuild the shrine and return all the relics.
  They laughed in his face and he was banished for his foolishness.  But
the youngest son would not be deterred.   With his own hands, he built a
modest shrine, then he set out to retrieve all the holy relics in order
to save the kingdom and his ungrateful family from destruction.   He was
accompanied only by his faithful hound who never left his side.   

    "Two years of relentless effort passed, fighting off both demonic
beasts and the greed of men, but the youngest son's dedication never
wavered as he worked to return the shrine to its rightful glory. 
Finally, he managed to retrieve the last holy relic, the greatest and
most precious of all, and headed back to the shrine, his loyal hound
still by his side.  The warlord learned of his youngest son's success
and coveted the holy treasure.   Pretending to be repentant, the warlord
took the young man off guard and mortally wounded him.   Left to die in
a muddy field, the delirious young man feverishly mourned his failure to
complete his task and protect his people from the demons.

    "The hound desired more than anything to please and serve its
master, but it had neither the wits nor the body to accomplish the task.
 Terribly wounded, it stood over his fallen master's body and howled its
anguish to the skies."

    Ukyo was entranced by this tale.  Although Yuri's recitation had
been stark, nearly devoid of descriptive details, the chef found it very
easy to fill in the details herself.  She could just imagine that young
man, the epic struggles he endured, all the hard work and pain....  

    The chef whispered, "So what happened?"

    Yuri smiled.  "But the gods, impressed by the young man's dedication
and by the hound's devotion, asked the hound if it was willing to
sacrifice its life to help its master.  When the hound said 'Gladly,'
the gods took the hound's great heart and placed in the young man's
body, bringing him back to life.  He successfully retrieved the last
relic, returned it to the shrine, and drove the demons away from the
land.   

    "And even after the demons were defeated and sealed away, he
continued to guard the people and the land from the forces of evil.  The
Funada clan descended from that man -- the man who bore the heart of the
most loyal and devoted of hounds."

    Yuri looked at the chef and said with a cynical smile.  "Or that's
what my father keep telling me when I was a child whenever I dared to
question his actions."

    Ukyo let out a long breath.  "That's... really something.  But, if
you don't mind me asking, what does it have to do with you and your
sister?"

    In a somber voice, Yuri said, "The hallmarks of the Funada are
loyalty, devotion, fidelity, and a remarkable capacity for emotion.  In
view of the legend, some might say that these traits are in the blood. 
When a Funada undertakes a duty, he pursues it with total dedication and
without faltering.  Debts and obligations are fulfilled regardless of
cost.  Their true love, once given, does not waver."   

    A trace of both sadness and bitterness began to appear in Yuri's
voice.  "Unfortunately, over the years, the virtues of the Funada clan
have gradually become its bane.  Taken to extremes, those traits slip
all too easily into blind obsession and ruthless fanaticism.  Somehow
over the centuries, the focus of the clan has changed from the
protection of mankind to the eradication of the creatures of darkness...
at any cost."

    Yuri's bitterness became more evident as she said with great
sarcasm, "The ends justifies the means.  Never mind the collateral
damage.  You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.  If there
are any mistakes, it is best to err on the side of severity.  Starting
to get the picture, Ukyo?  The Europeans had a group of people who had a
similar philosophy.  I think they were called the Spanish Inquisition."

    She let out a long sigh.  "As you can tell, I had some serious
disagreements with my family's grand purpose in life.  Unfortunately, I
let too many people know about my views.  When the clan was destroyed,
my sister needed someone to blame because she simply couldn't accept the
fact that the clan caused its own destruction because of its
ruthlessness and callousness.  I dared to disagree with the clan's
beliefs and traditions, so I became the obvious scapegoat."

    Ukyo murmured, "So now she wants revenge."

    "Exactly."  Yuri gave Ukyo a stern look.  "In her mind, she's merely
upholding the clan's honor and I've just told you how dedicated and
fanatical Funadas can get about things like honor.  She'll do anything
it takes to ensure she succeeds."

    "And... and what about you?  You're a Funada, too."

    "Believe me, sometimes I'm painfully aware of that fact."  Yuri
smiled ruefully.  "My teacher told me that before you can know your
enemy, you must first know yourself.  Well, I've had a good look at
myself and some of it's pretty damn ugly."   She shrugged.  "I do my
best to keep my own obsessions under control.  It's not easy."   
    
    Ukyo murmured, "What you've just told me about your family and the
Funada bloodline....  That would explain a lot about the Kunos...."  

    "It's all in the blood, Ukyo."   

-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------

    In the psychiatric ward of Nerima Central Hospital, a patient
stirred restlessly.

        [ Master, you must not linger here.... ]  
    
    "How?" Kuno muttered aloud as he tugged futilely on his restraints.
"Imprisoned by these blind fools...."

        [ Master, you are not safe here.  Until our bond is fully
sealed, I can do little, if anything, to protect you. ]  

    The voice was tense and agitated.  Reacting instinctively to its
urgency, Kuno struggled to free himself, but without success.  The door
to his room abruptly swung open and a tired looking nurse walked in.

    "Mr. Kuno, you need to calm down."

    "Foolish woman, let me out of these bonds!" he shouted at her.

    The nurse rechecked the patient's restraints.  "If you don't relax,
you're only going to hurt yourself," she said with a sigh, used to angry
and uncooperative patients.
 
    "That pain will be nothing compared to what will happen if you DON'T
release me!"

    "Threats are not going to get you out of here any sooner, Mr. Kuno."

    "Dolt!  You have no idea what you do!"

    With another sigh, this time of exasperation, the nurse left the
room.  There was a brief murmur of voices.   She soon returned to his
bedside and grasped his arm.  The sudden chill dampness at his elbow
warned him of her intentions.  

    "Damn you, no more!" the young man snarled as he felt the sharp pain
of a needle sinking into his flesh.

    "There you are.  You'll be feeling much better in a few moments." 
The nurse pulled out the needle and gently patted the sore spot on his
arm before walking away.  The door closed behind her, leaving Kuno alone
as a drug-induced lethargy seeped through him.  But even as his body
went limp, both his thoughts and the voice in his head seemed to grow
even clearer.

        [ The shadows and the darkness... both are stirring... ]

    "Both?  Are they not the one and the same evil foulness?"
        
        [ No.... ]

        [ The beast that dances in the shadows.... ]
        [ The abomination that slithers through the darkness.... ]

        [ Different, yet both dangerous and deadly foes.... ]

        [ One is here, the other will follow.... ]
        [ If they should join, the world will drown in madness and
blood.... ]
    
    "Is this true?  What can I stop this impending debacle?"

        [ You carry the blood of the Funada clan.  The Funadas have
sworn to protect mankind from the forces of otherworldly evil who dare
to invade and despoil the mortal realm.  To accomplish this, your
bloodline has pursued and destroy evil creatures and their minions
throughout the centuries, regardless of the cost to themselves and to
others. ]

    "I see.   Oh yes, I begin to see now...."  

    Indeed he did.  All his life, Tatewaki Kuno had hungered for...
something.  He knew he bore talents and gifts greater than ordinary
folk, but to what end?  But it was all clear now. Like a sleeper waking
from a lifelong dream, he KNEW now what had been lacking in his life.  A
worthwhile goal.  A just purpose.  

        [ Do you take up this burden? ]

    "Is there any question of it?"

        [ It is a hard and often thankless task.   The costs are great
and the rewards are little. ]

    Kuno smiled slowly.   "But it is said that the most difficult of
tasks are also the most necessary and worthy.  Do you think that the
promise of adversity shall turn me from what I now know to be my true
calling?"

        [ Although I have slumbered unused for nearly three centuries,
the blood of the Funada runs powerful and true, even after all these
years. ]  The voice seemed to utter a quiet sigh.

        [ Then know me.   I am Inazuma.  I was created to protect and
serve the Funada clan.   That is my duty, master.  Nothing else. 
Whatever path you choose, I shall do my best to aid you. ]

    "MY duty is perfectly clear.  I should destroy whatever evil I may
find.  No matter the number, no matter the form.   I, the Blue Thunder
of Furinkan, swear it!"

        [ Excuse my presumption, my lord..... ]

    "What?"
        
        [ I merely wished to point out that lightning is the power while
thunder is but its aftermath.... ]

    "Oh."  Kuno thought a moment.  "Well then... I, the Blue Lightning
of Furinkan, swear it...."

    And in depths of the darkening clouds that slowly gathered over
Nerima, a blue flash briefly shimmered, followed by a muted growl of
thunder.

    "....for the sake of my beloveds!"

        [ You have more than one? ] Inazuma murmured a bit uneasily.

    "Ah yes.  Akane Tendo and the pig-tailed girl... beauty, spirit, and
passion unparalleled...."

-----------------------------------

    As it resigned itself to listening to its new master wax poetic
about the two great loves of his life, the sword known as Inazuma again
sighed quietly to itself.  His new master was indeed a true Funada,
through and through -- complete with immoderate passions and various
obsessions.

    For too long, the sword had rested in the dim recesses of the Kuno
family shrine, patiently waiting for a person worthy to wield it.  When
it was first placed in the shrine, the Kunos had ritually tested every
male born into the family to see if he would be deemed worthy to wield
Inazuma.  None had succeeded.  And as the years and the generations
passed, the ritual gradually became forgotten because for nearly a
century, no males of the Kuno clan came before Inazuma and dare to lay
claim to the blade and its powers.  

    After all the years of slumbering in the Kuno family shrine, Inazuma
had been awakened by the taste of not one, but TWO males with Funada
blood running through their veins.  Both had the heart and the power,
but Tatewaki Kuno's blood had touched Inazuma first.

    First blooded, first served.

    After such a long period of dormancy, Inazuma had taken some time to
return to full awareness -- too late to free its new master from the
black magic spells used to control him, but the blade had awaken quickly
enough to keep the young man from dying or being permanently crippled.

    The sword wondered how best to handle its new lord and master.  It
could sense the latent gifts in the young man, but Inazuma knew that
this potential was blocked and twisted by years of frustration and
unrecognized need.  A Funada without focus or a worthwhile goal was like
a trapped animal... a trapped animal that could easily turn on itself
and the people around it. 

    Although young, Tatewaki Kuno had already been well on his way down
his own particular path of madness.  Even as it listened to Kuno recite
obscure snatches of ancient love poetry, the sword had no idea if it
could undo the damage already done.

    For the moment, Inazuma would settle for keeping its master alive --
no easy task given the ominous undercurrents of unearthly power it could
sense converging on this place called Nerima.  It needed to find a way
to get its master out of the hospital so he could retrieve Inazuma from
its place of concealment.  Once the bond between the sword and his new
master was sealed, Tatewaki Kuno would be a far less vulnerable target.

    Even as Inazuma absorbed as much information about the modern world
from his master and worked on a plan to get Kuno to safety, it couldn't
help wondering about the other Funada male it had sensed the previous
day... the one with the strange taint in his aura.  

-----------------------------------
(end of teaser)

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