Of Bone And Ice - Chapter 30

Fuyōna pulled himself up off his knees as he tried to muster the strength to stand.

The wind blew hard as the chill in the air bit his cheeks. He was still breathing hard, trying to catch his breath, his lungs burning from the cold air.

“I can do this…” He muttered.

Both of the large Yeti stared down at him, each noting his determination.

“Looks like he’s gonna try Kōri.” Mō Fubuki said with a small smile.

Fuyōna suddenly burst forwards into a sprint, planting his hands onto the massive doors as he tried to open them with all of his might.

“ARGH!!!” Fuyōna screamed as the veins in his head bulged, looking as if they would burst.

“Well, the kid sure has guts. I’ll give him that,” Kōri said, looking down as he gave a sign.

They both watched for a while as Fuyōna continued to push and push until his body had almost burnt out. Kōri turned to his fellow Yeti, smiling at him.

“Think we should tell him? He said as he shrugged his shoulders.

Mō Fubuki crossed his arms as he pretended not to care.

“Do what you want, Kōri, I don’t care.”

Fuyōna had finally burnt out now, his face bright red from his effort. He felt exhausted, and his muscles were burning and throbbing in pain. Having no chakra made him realize just how weak he was without it, making him feel powerless.

Fuyōna fell to his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

“It’s impossible… I can’t open these blasted doors.” He said, his anger getting the better of him.

Kōri walked over to him, sighing as he knelt to get a better look at Fuyōna. “Look, kid. You cant open these doors with brute strength alone. Why do you think the old man sealed your chakra away?” Kōri said as he pulled Fuyōna to his feet.

“Use your head, Yuki child. You must know the answer by now.”

Fuyōna let the Yeti’s words sink in for a moment before the answer slapped him right in the face.

“Sage mode…”

Fuyōna realized now that only with sage jutsu could he open the doors and get his chakra back. Now the only question was how he would go about learning sage mode.

Suddenly the doors flung open, and Fuyōna was blasted back by the force alone. It sent him flying towards the massive set of stairs. However, he was saved by Kōri as he grabbed the back of his shirt, stopping him from falling down them.

Hyōketsu slowly walked out of the hall, the massive doors closing behind him.

“Sorry about that. Sometimes I forget my own strength.” The little Yeti said, giving a small chuckle.

Kōri put Fuyōna back onto the ground, and he dusted himself off.

“What the hell is with this old geezer?” He thought.

Hyōketsu walked over to Fuyōna, “So you know now that you can only open these doors with the use of natural energy, little Yuki.” The old Yeti said.

“Wait!” Fuyōna shouted as he ran after him.

“Please teach me how to use sage mode. I can’t give up!” Fuyōna shouted, almost begging.

Hyōketsu turned to study him and gave a long pause before he answered.

“I will teach you how to use sage jutsu, little Yuki. But I promise you it will not be easy.”

With that said, he turned and started to walked down the steps, beckoning Fuyōna to follow him.

-Time passes-

Fuyōna had followed Hyōketsu down the mountain until they reached a frozen lake. The old Yeti didn’t say much of anything and Fuyōna had to wonder what the hell they were doing here.

“Wondering what we are doing here yet?” Hyōketsu said as if reading his mind.

Fuyōna had to say that it did seem strange, but so far, everything the old Yeti had done was just that.

“Now then, little Yuki,” Hyōketsu said, turning to face him.

“Your first test is to cross this frozen lake and fetch me my walking cane. Without it, I might fall.”

Fuyōna looked at the old Yeti.

“But your walking cane is in your hand…” Fuyōna said, pointing to it.

“Is that right…” Hyōketsu said as he suddenly tossed the stick all the way over to the other side of the lake, where it stuck into the snow.

“Of course…” Fuyōna thought, wanting to slap himself in the face.

He turned to look across the ice weighing up the distance with just a glance. Fuyōna took his first step onto the frozen lake, testing the ice’s strength to see if it would hold his weight.

So far, so good. The ice was holding under Fuyōna’s weight as he took each step with grace. He was starting to wonder just how this would help him learn sage mode, but he had guessed maybe it was just a test before they started the real training. Even so, Fuyōna wouldn’t let his guard down.

Fuyōna took another step and suddenly, the ice cracked under his foot. He froze on the spot as he tried to distribute his weight onto his other leg. However, the ice under his other foot cracked as he did.

“Oh shit.” He said as the ice beneath him gave way and he fell into the freezing cold water.

Fuyōna slowly pulled himself out of the water, shivering as he stood. The air was so cold that his wet clothes had almost frozen in an instant. If not for his bloodline ability and resistance to the cold, Fuyōna’s body would have already given in to hypothermia.

“You will have to try harder than that if you don’t want to fall in!” Hyōketsu shouted, chuckling.

Fuyōna wasn’t pleased and turned around, ready to keep moving across the ice.

“Laugh it up, old man…” Fuyōna said, looking down at the ice once more.

This time, Fuyōna decided to break into a sprint, thinking that he wouldn’t fall in if he didn’t give the ice time to break. He was still moving quickly even with his chakra sealed, his lungs were burning from the cold air, but he continued to push as hard as he could.

The ice started cracking under his feet. Each time his feet moved, the ice gave way, seeming as if it was chasing after him. Fuyōna could see that the breaking ice was catching up with him. Deciding that he had to act swiftly, he jumped, avoiding the ice-cold water and landing on a small piece of ice that was floating.

Fuyōna had managed not to fall into the water, but now he was stuck on a small floating island of ice with nowhere to go.

“Didn’t think that one through now, did you little Yuki!” Hyōketsu shouted, mocking him once again.

Without his chakra, Fuyōna was helpless at the moment. He had no way to jump off of the ice without landing in the water. He knew this and so decided to take the plunge into the freezing cold before climbing out onto a fresh sheet of ice.

He was breathing hard now, his body working on overdrive to try and keep warm. He could tell something was off. Typical, the cold would have never bothered him.

“I forgot to mention little Yuki. Even though you possess the Yuki clan’s blood and are resistant to even freezing temperatures, these waters are different. A normal person not of Yuki blood would have died as soon as they fell into this water. However, with your blood, you should be able to withstand it about three or four times before you die…”

Fuyōna was shocked and turned around, enraged.

“What!!!” He shouted.

The old Yeti just smiled before waving his hands.

“Now, now don’t get all stroppy. Hurry up and fetch my cane!”

Fuyōna knew he had no choice. He was already halfway across the lake and his chances were about the same either way. However, he had to choose between giving up and learning sage mode.

Fuyōna took another look over towards Hyōketsu, who gave him a toothy grin and then over towards the cane.

“Looks like its do or die…” He said quietly under his breath.

Fuyōna closed his eyes and filled his lungs with the freezing air.

“I can do this… I have to.” Fuyōna said as he took another step.

“Blast it.” Fuyōna thought as he looked down at the ice.

“What am I supposed to do? Every time I take a step, this bloody ice cracks on me.”

“Come on, Fuyōna think. What should I do? Think damn it think!” Fuyōna thought as he closed his eyes, trying to think. His mind was blank as he tried to draw in anything that he thought could help him now.

Suddenly the memory of Naruto’s sage mode training entered his mind. He remembered that in order for him to draw in nature energy, he had to remain still. The only question now was how did that apply to this exercise.

“…..”

“Be one with nature.” Fuyōna suddenly thought, his eyes popping open.

“I have to be on with nature.” He said, looking down at his feet.

He took another deep breath as he tried to let his body relax. Again and again, he took more deep breathes, allowing all of his worries to fade into the cold.

Fuyōna lifted his leg, taking another step, slowly placing his foot onto to the ice. This time the ice didn’t crack and so he moved again, slowly and gracefully, until it seemed he was gliding across the ice.

Hyōketsu looked on from a distance, impressed, to say the least, that Fuyōna had managed to figure out what he needed to do.

“That boy… Maybe he stands a chance.”

Fuyōna had now reached the other side and took a step onto the snowy bank’s safety off of the ice. Walking over, he picked up the cane and turned to face Hyōketsu, waving the cane at him to emphasize that he had got it.

Hyōketsu smiled and clapped his hands together.

“Not bad little Yuki not bad.” He shouted over, his voice surprising clear from the other side of the lake.

“Now comes the real challenge. Make it back before there is no ice.” Hyōketsu said, cracking his knuckles.

Fuyōna was once again confused as to what he meant.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

Hyōketsu slowly walked over to the edge of the frozen lake taking his time, of course. He lifted his arm into the air and smashed his fist down onto the ice, causing a massive crack to form, splitting the ice that covered the lake in half.

Fuyōna now knew what the old Yeti meant and he was starting to panic.

“Oh, crap!” He shouted as all of the ice started to break apart as the water became violent from Hyōketsu’s strike.

Fuyōna had no choice and made a break for it, dashing as fast as he could from one bit of ice to the other. He had no time to think about it, no time to be one with nature; he just had to haul it as fast as possible or be swallowed by the icy waters below.

Fuyōna flipped and jumped, trying his best not to slip on the ice. His footing was everything now and if he didn’t play it right, what was left of the ice would break and drop him into the water.

Fuyōna jumped onto another piece of solid ice and started to run. Suddenly the ice split and he was forced to stop, skidding all the way to the edge. The lake was getting more and more violent now as the waves started to grow larger.

His next footing was a long jump away and he wasn’t sure if he could make it, but with the size of the wave that was heading for him, he didn’t have much choice.

Fuyōna jumped, pushing off with his legs as hard as he could, willing himself to make the jump. However, it was too far as it looked like he was about to hit the water.

A small sheet of ice suddenly floated to the surface of the water, Fuyōna could tell it wasn’t strong enough to hold his weight and it left him with only one option.

“One with nature!” He thought as he tried his best to relax his body, his foot hitting the ice.

Fuyōna used the same foot to push off the ice hard and with perfect timing, allowing him to spring over the remaining water onto the safety of more ice.

“I made it!” He shouted as he skidded along the ice before jumping onto the bank, where he dropped to his back, trying to catch his breath.

Hyōketsu slowly walked over to his and Fuyōna lifted his arm in the air holding the cane up for the small Yeti to see.

“Well done, little Yuki, well done. I wasn’t sure if you would make it there, but hey ho.” The Yeti said as he took his cane and started walking off slowly.

“What the hell!” Fuyōna shouted as he stood up, still trying to catch his breath.

Hyōketsu turned around slowly.

“I thought I warned you this wouldn’t be easy.”

Fuyōna remembered his words before they had started; he was still determined to finish his training and master sage mode. He knew it wouldn’t be easy and had to deal with that.

“Now stop whining like a baby and follow me,” Hyōketsu said as he continued to walk off.

Fuyōna slowly pulled himself up and started to follow him, giving a small laugh as he did.

“I’m not whining…” He said under his breath.

Fuyōna followed Hyōketsu back into the village, where they entered a large wooden cabin. He couldn’t help notice that all of the other Yeti stood so much taller than Hyōketsu and younger.

All of them showed him mountains of respect where ever he went, all of them seeming to wait on his hand and feet. He never expected it and he was always kind to his younger Yeti. Fuyōna was determined to find out his history one of these days.

Hyōketsu has taken him to stay with Fuyu, who was charged with looking after him while he was not training. It was now mealtime. Moreover, Fuyōna was glad to hear it.

Luckily they had special seats for small people so that they could fit around the huge table. Hyōketsu was also sat in such a chair on the huge table as he himself was only small like Fuyōna.

Fuyu and it turn’s out Fuyu’s wife had laid out a massive feast of all sorts of food for them. Fuyōna was more surprised that Fuyu had a wife, to be honest.

They all sat around the table and started to eat, telling Fuyōna to dig in. Of course, he did so and stuffed his face full with as much as he could eat.

“I always say Fuyōna, its the one who eats the most who will always win in a fight!” Fuyu shouted between mouth fulls of food.

His wife didn’t seem impressed and instead turned to Fuyōna.

“So Fuyōna, Fuyu has told me much about you. How is your training going with lord Hyōketsu?” She asked.

She was much smaller next to Fuyu but seemed just as well built with just as much hair. If not for the softer features, Fuyōna would honestly not have recognised she was a female Yeti.

“The boy has much to learn. But he’s not dead yet, so that’s a plus.” Hyōketsu said, interrupting.

Fuyu’s wife looked at Hyōketsu and gave a small smile.

“Now, now lord Hyōketsu you mustn’t joke about such things.” She said, almost telling him off.

The more Fuyōna got to know the old bastard, the more he reminded him of some crackpot old geezer. But he knew he was much, much more than that.

“Make sure you rest well tonight, little Yuki. Your training only gets tougher from here.” The little Yeti said, his eyes seeming intense.

It didn’t help the fact that everyone else in the room also became a little tense, as if they knew what was to come. Fuyōna decided to ask Fuyu to see if he could work anything out.

“How come you can’t use Sage mode, Fuyu?” Fuyōna asked.

Fuyu almost choked on his food and he had to bang on his large ċhėst with his fist. Once he recovered, he swallowed the food and took a deep breath, putting the large slab of meat back on his plate.

“To become a sage takes years of intense training and focus Fuyōna. Most who try usually don’t make it and well…” He seemed to struggle to get the rest of his words out.

“They die,” Hyōketsu said, finishing Fuyu’s sentence for him.

Fuyōna didn’t seem shocked and continued to eat his food.

“What about the ones that don’t die? I mean, there must be more than one of you that can use sage mode?” He asked.

Fuyu laughed as he picked his food back up.

“We are a proud clan Fuyōna. Those of us who decide to take that path don’t give up.” Fuyu said, taking another large bite of his food.

Fuyōna went quiet for a little while, taking a sip of his water. He remembered that Shimō, his grandfather, had apparently tried to learn the sage arts but had failed.

“Can you tell me what happened to Shimō?” Fuyōna asked.

Fuyu looked at him and then to Hyōketsu, who took a sip of his tea.

“Ahhh, yes. Where to begin with little Shimō.” He said, placing his teacup back down.

“It was around twenty-five years ago now. Shimō was a young man, a great warrior among his people if I remember. He had proven himself among the Yuki clan earning the right to form a contract with our clan. Believe it or not, back then, we had a very close relationship.” He said as he took another sip of his tea before he continued once again.

“Little Shimō seemed smarter than the others. He was very aware, always picking up on things faster than others. Then one day, he came to me to ask for power. A power that could help his clan and change the land of water for the better.”

“If I remember correctly, it was not long after the first great war. The world was hostile and battles raged everywhere, especially in the land of water. The Yuki clan were one of the more powerful clans at the time, but that made them a target. Others would form alliances to fight them. What is the saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend? Something like that.” The old Yeti said.

“Our kind were feared and battled hardened warriors. For such, we became a prize for others to slay. My father knew your grandfather well and fell in battle.” Fuyu said with a heavy sigh.

Fuyōna was astonished at what they were telling him. He had no idea about any of this and found it very interesting.

“So that’s why you went into hiding?” Fuyōna asked.

Fuyu nodded.

“The more and more time that pasted, the more conflict that followed and soon our kind had taken many casualties, our home had been invaded, and we had no choice but to flee.”

Hyōketsu nodded, showing sorrow as he did.

“Those were dark times…” He said, the air becoming heavy from the despair in the memories.

Fuyōna decided to break the silence by asking more about Shimō.

“So what did Shimō do?” He asked.

Hyōketsu collected his thoughts and continued with his story.

“Yes… Little Shimō. He came to me asking for power, the kind of power that could change the Yuki clan and bring peace to the land of water. You see, little Shimō wanted to put an end to the fighting. He tried to raise up and stop the blood that had been spilt between clans. But his current powers and position could only sway others so far.”

“But as I have said, trying to learn the arts of sage mode is no easy task. Little Shimō failed the tests and chose to leave, deeming that his life was not worth the risk.” Hyōketsu said.

“After that, he promised that he would lock the secrets of summoning our clan away, only giving it to those who were worthy. We have not seen a member of the Yuki clan since. Until you appeared on my doorstep, asking the same as your grandfather.” Hyōketsu said, giving a smile.

Suddenly Fuyu’s wife stood up from her chair.

“Now, now that’s enough of this. I think its time we finished our food and got to bed. Fuyōna needs his rest, after all.” She said, putting an end to the conversation.

The others agreed, and Fuyu also stood to his feet.

“That’s right. Nothing will come of talking about the past. I suggest you rest up, take a hot bath and get some sleep, Fuyōna.” Fuyu said.

Hyōketsu also nodded his head.

“that’s right, little Yuki, get some rest. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.” He said, almost menacingly.

With that said, Fuyōna went and took a bath allowed his body to soak in hot water. His muscles were aching like never before and he had to say he missed having chakra. After his bath, he went to his room, where he had a bed and blankets provided made of soft fur. They were even better than his own back home and he was adamant he would take them back with him when his training was complete.

All that was left now was to sleep. He had to relax his mind and body to be ready for what was to come tomorrow.. For he knew his training would not be easy and he had to be prepared for anything.