The Missing Element

Long ago in 660 B.C., lived a dictator emperor in the land of Kyoto, Japan. Naruhito was cruel and unruly. He was extremely powerful with all the elements of Earth and Wind, in the palm of his hands. Naruhito ruled his kingdom alongside his servants who did everything he wanted. The people of Japan did not approve of Naruhito and his ruling ways and wanted to overthrow him, but the idea was incredibly risky and they would need someone or something with a higher power to vanquish the elements. The streets of Kyoto were flooded with many unhappy citizens. Constant chants and signs were amongst the people, who were demanding a change in rulings from the emperor. The stubborn emperor sat stubbornly in his ways. He laughed and even mocked the people. “How could they be so needy for a change, when I give them everything?” Naruhito paced around his room in the empire he stayed in. “I believe they do not like the way you are ruling sir, perhaps, you could change some things and be less harsh?” The servant insisted and poured him a cup of Green Tea. “Become less harsh? You fool!-” The emperor splashed the hot tea in the servant’s face and placed the cup onto the metal platter. “I am not harsh at all.” Naruhito laughed evilly, and stepped out of the room, with his arms behind his back, in an intimidating manner.

Meanwhile, a small dragon named Ryu, was roaming the streets trying to find a place for quiet meditation but hearing the chaos of the night, disrupted this idea he had in mind. Ryu did not know he was the last dragon to ever exist, and he was special although he looked like a normal dragon. As Ryu was stepping further into the crowd, he felt a forceful tug on his tail that pulled him back quickly and into a dark alleyway. Ryu turned around to see who snatched him, and it was an older man dressed in a white outfit with a black belt. This man looked like he meant business and Ryu backed to a corner in fear. “Ryu, I am not here to harm, only to tell you, the people of Japan need your help.” The stranger bowed before him and Ryu scratched his head in confusion. “Me? What am I, a measly dragon going to do?” Ryu questioned the man. “You are the only dragon left and you possess the last element of Fire within you. You are certainly the one to overthrow Naruhito and save the people.” The man explained, humbly.

Ryu and the stranger walked down the alley and made their way to his small home, in which he offered Ryu some tea. Ryu could not process the idea of him battling it out with the empire for power. He is the last dragon but who was to say he has fire in him? He has never tried to blow fire. How was he going to do it? The man with the black belt had a name which he told Ryu. His name? Sakura. He was a wise old man who has mastered the art of Jiu-jitsu with many years of experience. “You mean to tell me, you’re going to help me breathe fire?” Ryu tilted his head. He was not sure how he felt about this, considering he was not so confident in his ability to do many things, and that was breathing fire.

Sakura and Ryu spent many hours training and learning the ways of the last era of dragons. It was rough and Sakura did not let Ryu slack one bit. This was serious and the fate of Japan was in Ryu’s hands. Ryu builds air within his chest in hopes of fiery flames to form in his stomach, but nothing comes out but a whoosh of air that blew Sakura over. “Master, I am so sorry!” Ryu apologized and helped Sakura stand. “I don’t understand. We have practiced for hours. I know things do not come easy, but you are the only one who has this flame in them.” Sakura sat down and sighed. It seemed his years of the patience of mastering Jiu-Jitsu was not present with teaching Ryu how to breathe fire. The night was chilly and the two called it a day. They would meet again and continue their practice.

As Ryu was flying back to his home, he could hear a womanly scream that came from the hills where Naruhito’s empire lay. Ryu was not planning on starting a scene but was only checking in to see if they were ok.

Ryu flew as fast as he could and he hid behind a tree or two and could see a window where the Emperor and his wife stood. He was holding a box and she was pleading to him not to drop it in the swampy waters. Ryu was now even more curious and flew lower to where he was not seen and flew under the window to hear, “Please, Naruhito, do not drop my precious jewels from my mother. They are so special to me.” The wife continued to plead. “Silence, this box of jewels will no longer have the powers they do, I am the only one in this empire with the powers to rule, not my wife.” Naruhito tossed the box out of the window and Ryu quickly grabbed the box before it splashed into the waters. He hid quickly around the corner to make sure they didn’t look out the window. “Noooo!”, she cried out as she could no longer see the box.

Ryu opened the box and the jewels lit the entire box with a bright light that shone brighter than the sun, it seemed. “I have to return this,” Ryu whispered to himself. The cries of devastation could be heard and this made Ryu angry. This box belonged to her and she deserves to have as much power as she wanted. Naruhito’s greed for power only made Ryu want to overthrow him even more. The frustrations and anger were settling as a pit of fire in Ryu’s core and Ryu flew up and into the window. Naruhito gasped and called his guards into the room, and yelled, “How could this be possible! All the dragons are gone, cease him!” Before Naruhito could dash out of the door, Ryu snatched him and flew out of the window. “You will no longer continue to rule Kyoto, you are unfit to be emperor!” Ryu threw the emperor into the air and blew out a fiery flame that surrounded the emperor. He had no chance of the remaining elements as the fire began to make parts of him vanish until there was nothing left in the air but Earth and Wind that were floating in a ball. Ryu grasped them and flew back into the window where he gave the box back to the wife and smiled. “I hope you can rule better than Naruhito. Please, do not let the people suffer.” Ryu bowed in her presence. “Thank you, Ryu, you are a hero. Naruhito had good intentions when he first became emperor but the power got to his head. I will be able to fix the damage he has done to Japan with this box, thanks to you.” The wife gave a stroke to Ryu’s scales.

And so it was, Japan was finally under the new ruling. Naruhito’s wife was a much better person and had great plans to restore Japan and make sure nothing like this happens again. Sakura later found out about the news and was extremely grateful. Ryu thanked Sakura for telling him he had the missing element in him. All he needed was a good push to save Japan and so he did. Ryu was the missing element of Japan.