Konoha's Salamander - Takashi Shishigami

[TDG Super Kami]

The Beginning

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XXX To understand Takashi, you have to understand where he came from. The story is best started off with who Bang Shishigami truly was. You always hear the rumors and stories: he took out an entire battalion of raiders, he saved the damsel in distress, etc. Fables spin weather he was fighting or when he wasn't. It's hard to pick fact from fiction when it came to this single man.

XXX Here are the facts. As a Shishigami, Bang had a affinity for Katon and close-quarters combat. It was in those two arts that he shined the most and became world renown for. His heroic nature was not exaggerated, as he would not turn down a cry for aid, no matter the distance. When he wasn't training at the family's hidden Shishigami mountain village, he was traveling the world continuing to do what he did best. He tuned his body to the max. Strength, Endurance, Speed, and Toughness. No area was overlooked, which was what probably led to his success in the first place.

XXX Rajah is a Dragonil-born daughter of Irish royalty. How the two families mixed will probably remain a mystery, but once she turned eighteen, she was to be 'auctioned off to the highest bidder', as she called it. Due to her beauty, captivating dances, and singing voice, many nobles wanted her, none of which she returned the favor for. So, she secretly hired maids to post help wanted posters around the city, which were written in code. Bang.... he wasn't an idiot either. He actually had some smarts about him, so when he noticed something off about the posters, he immediately investigated them. Once he deciphered them, he immediately leaped into action. Within three hours, Rajah was safely in Bang's arms as thy dropped from the side of the castle and into the waters below. The next day, they were long gone. Many blame Bang for the castle being set ablaze, but that was Rajah's doing.

XXX All men want something. That's what Rajah thought. But being with Bang, she realized he was too simple-minded to need an alternate motive for his actions, something that must have run in the Shishigami line. Everything he wanted, needed, or thought was always spoken outright. It was that quirk that made Rajah feel at ease around him, and possibly let to her falling for him. What was suppose to only be an escort job to get her out of the country led to the two staying together. And from that, at the summit of the Shishigami's sacred Ryuujin Mountain, Takashi was born. He would be the eldest of two children. His sister, Asura was born three years later, though there were... complications. She was born blind, though she's always acted as though she could see. Her explanation? That she could see, just in a different way than others.
 

[TDG Super Kami]

Rise of the Salamander

XXXAi ShiteruXXXX

XXX In his childhood, Takashi was very much a prankster. If there was a mishap, he was to blame generally. That was until members of the Sonozaki clan moved to the mountain village. Most notably, Mion and Shion, the Sonozaki Twins. Once they came into the picture, it was both Takashi and Mion running the pranks and hijinxes. They were the life of the village back then, to which Shion gradually began to look down on Takashi by claiming he was corrupting Mion. Neither cared, nor did Shishigamis or the Sonozakis. After all, both clans had been close allies since way before anyone could remember. Even though the Twins were about four years older than Takashi, he was able to keep up with them with chores, with weapon forging, with everything. It was because of this that Bang, with the Twin's father's blessing, asked Mion to mentor Takashi. The Dragon of the West's pupil and heir, a right normally only held by the Sonozakis, would be a Shishigami. Shion objected, but Mion immediately accepted the offer.

XXX The routines started small. It was hard t find that connection. After all, he prefered to use his fists while she, being a Sonozaki, was more prone to using weapons. It wasn't with their styles that they connected, but their beliefs and personalities. Both believed heavily in protecting their loved ones, and both saw no point in being all serious all the time. Through that, Mion and Takashi started off with runs around the village, which months later the entire child and teenage population of the village joined in as well. After that, They moved on to providing lumber, fish, crops, and other materials for the village. During this time, she also taught him a few of the Sonozaki forging secrets, one of which was how to create Dragon Skin. The only part he didn't like was the time of study, where she taught him the history of the shinobi world, and he would then have to take tests on the subject. But all of her lessons were essential. Mind, Body, and Spirit. This tenet she etched into his head. All three were equally important, and all three were trained as hard as she could push him.

XXX Takashi soon began to feel for Mion. Not like in the way of a lover, but in the way a little brother would love his sister. He came to find out that the Twins' mother died when they were only weeks old, and that they were practically raised by the entire clan. It was also at this time that Takashi found changes happening within himself. He began to have huge appetites, his senses were keening, and most importantly, his prowess with fire was improving dramatically. He didn't seem to care, but Mion noticed the changes immediately. She said it was because of his mother's blood within him, and that Rajah hailed from a family of powerful fire users. That coupled with the Shishigami natural affinities, and they created a child destined to become a pyromaniac. It was also during this time that Asura began to act strange. Deep thought and worry hid behind a mask of smiles and sweet voices. Mion had a notion as to what Asura had become, but there was no definite proof.
 

[TDG Super Kami]

Death of a Hero

XXX Takashi's last regimate was isolation. From the ages of six and eight, he was left alone in the middle of a giant, inhabited forest. A six year old. In the forest. Filled ith bears and jaguars. For two years. For the first six months, he was terrifie. Every night was a struggle to feed and shelter himself. By the end of the year, he managed to cope with the environment around him. He could slowly understand the signs of an animal approaching or distinguishing posion berries from helpful ones. The third quarter, he'd come to better understand his clan bloodline. It was a miracle he didn't burn down the forest by this time. His senses became keener. His control of the katon element strengthened. By the end of the second year, he'd become a different person... or he was suppose to be. He, of course, didn't.

XXX When he came back, he came back stronger. Strong enough to match Mion one on one. He did, however, understand what the two years in the forest were for. He was suppose to understand that death was a definite, and the only way to get past that fact is to overcome the idea and become stronger. Odd lesson, but important. It was something every Sonozaki came to learn, and as he was to be Mion's pupil, he had to learn it the hard way. It wasn't just his skills that had improved, his mind had as well. He wasn't the most intelligent person in the world, he knew that. But he was cunning, he was able to adlib strategies on the fly. In his spars with Mion in the years following the forest isolation, he was able to use unorthidox styles and attacks. It was that combined with his unusual strength that caused him to be a deadly opponent. Every day, he became more and more like his father.

XXX At age eleven, everything took a drastic turn. Without warning, in the middle of a night, three homes were set ablazed. Moments later, screams rang out as a small forward party were found attacking the innocent people. The Sonozakis were the first to react. Mostly Bang, the Twin's father, Old Man Sonozaki, the Twins, and Takashi himself. The small group was easily defeated, but what was to come was worse than anyone could have imagine. All bandit groups in the area, nigh twenty groups with a combined number of at least four hundred, were closing in on the village. Through the entire night, the five went on fighting through the entire night. They held off the sea of riders to allow the civilians to get out safely. In the attempt to get out, Bang and Mion disappeared, though Takashi could tell where they were due to the flying bodies. He managed to get to them just in time to see a bade impale Bang's chest, then another raider's body fly. Mion was lying motionless next to him. Thirty yeards in front of Bang, three lines of archers. Debris fell on him, but he heard the arrows fly, Bang's battlecry, and explosions.

XXX The detals of what happened next, not even Takashi could definitely recount it. Asura, who had been missing the entire time, appeared out of no where as Takashi ot the burning debris off himself. Blood red chakra enveloped her body, then a flash. Takashi woke three days later within Konoha, then heard the news he already knew: Bang was dead. He'd never cried before, not once, but that night, he ran out of tears. The odd thing: they never found Mion's body, to which Shion blamed Takashi for Mion's supposed death. Rajah never spoke a word after that night, nor has to this day, and asura remains unchanged. Takashi promised himself he wouldn't lose to his father's image, that he would surpass Bang by never losing. In the following weeks, he seemed to be unchanged, but every hollow smile hid a shattered soul. He didn't care, not about anyone. He simply fought, ate, and slept.  

[TDG Super Kami]

Dying Ain't All It's Cracked Up To Be And The Union of Team Hot Potato

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XXX Once admitted into the Academy... nothing changed. He was morbid, and tended to act alone. An aura of... gloom followed him, sorrow and anger hid behind a blank expression. It wasn't until he met his family's caretaker, Saiyuri Mayu, that his mood slowly began to change back to his old self. The final push was from Nakaya Shouta, knocking some sense into him. He became social, happy, always grinning. Afterward, not much happened after his entry into the Academy through his normal life as a shinobi. He constantly pulled pranks, generally to ease tension and lift spirits more than anything. He always acted liked himself, usually seen as an idiot, but he didn't care. He managed to put smiles on people's faces, and that's all that mattered. The three got along fairly well for the short amount of time they knew each other. That's when the Demons struck.

XXX The Demons hit every village, but Konoha was hit hard, if not hardest. Many shinobi lost their lives too the Kyuubi, both old and young. Saiyuri, being one of the only medics on the field, pushed herself to the limit with injury repair, while both Nakaya and Takashi tag teamed it up to do their best to defend their village. The two realized they were going to lose ground, then Takashi came up with a stupidly retarded, reckless, and rash idea, but it was the only thing they could come up with.

XXX The idea was simple: Takashi got stronger the more fire that surrounded him. Simply spread the explosive flame love around the field and Takashi could harness the Katon element to hold the Kyuubi back. However, the amount of chakra needed would have been massive.... all of it in fact. It was the only thing that would give the veterans the shot they needed to seal the damned thing, and Takashi wasn't waiting for Nakaya's approval. Fire had already spread across the field, more on the way as katon was the primary element of Konoha. (Duh.) It was enough to use, but the concentration needed to not kill himself in the process would be extreme. However, he heard a scream, and a growl. Saiyuri, bless her heart, was glaring at the Kyuubi as it did to her. Then it roared, gathering red chakra in the form of a sphere in front of its mouth. Takashi yelled out. All concentration left his mind, replaced by desperation, anger, the whole prism of emotions. He was not, not going to let another friend die in front of him, not while he was breathing. His stomach turned, and suddenly the flames surrounding the field gathered before his hands to create a massive shell of fire to block the Kyuubi's attack, then send all that fire at the Demon in one wave. Three seconds later, he blacked out, and for thirty seconds, he was technically dead; his heart stopped beating.

XXX How he sprung back to life is still a mystery, but his eyes opened to tears pelting his eyeballs. Wonderful... he made another woman cry. Some man he was. He heard something about the medics calling for the time of death..... The hell with that. He grabbed hold of Saiyuri's hand. "Don't go killing me off just yet."