Before revealing the story of Ichiro, an old tale of two Kusarian Royal guardians must be told first.
Back in the days, when honor and tradition weren't just a virtue for warriors to follow, but a way of life for every Kusarian man, woman and children, our lands were ruled by Shoguns originating from the dynasty of Hideyoshi. As we all know, the most skilled, the bravest and the most honorable of the warriors had the honor of serving their master as his Royal Guard. Among many of the guardians, the history memorised the story of the two not because of their great deeds, but ... because of almost legendary friendship between them.
Masahiro Raionno and Katashi Watanabe were cousins. Both were mastering the warrior's traits and skills since their early childhood. According to family tradition, they were ment to become Samurai, just as their fathers did. Boys were often training their martial art skills together on their grandfather's house backyard, wich is when their friensdhip probably started.
Many years passed, and boys have become men... a true warriors, bearing love for Kusari and her Shogun in their harts. It was told that with their companionship, no challenge was challenging, no danger was dangerous, no enemy was safe and no bottle of sake was to be spared! Well, this was just a popular joke among the local folk, yet the truth was that Masahiro and Katashi were one of the most skilled warriors of Kusari, which did not go unvoiced... Our companions earned the highest privilege the warrior could ever earn, a privilege of becoming the Shogun's guard.
A stable life, on a one of the most respected positions, in relatively peacefull land, was like a dream come true for young warriors. Yet soon, they were to realise, that life of a warrior is not filled just with glory, but with despair aswell...
"It is better to reign in hell, than to serve in haven..."
500 years ago Masahiro and Katashi, as Imperial guardsmen, were the very vitcims of the horrible event, which course I hope I do not have to remind anyone. It was the first time our young warriors have seen the very essence corruption and desacration with their own eyes, but a warrior's spirit is ment not to brake so easly, thus they, and their comrades, managed to fend off the attackers.
Guardians were very aware of importance of the event they just witnessed. They realised that everything they were ready to sacrifice their own lifes for was shamefully crushed. Uncertanity haunted the brave warriors, all of them asked the one question: What should they do now?
Apparently, their leader knew the answer. Kozue Okamura stated that it is the guardians' obligation to abolish these responsible for Shogun's assasination and to avenge their master. Many of the guardians, including Katashi, greated his words with enthusiasm, but not every of them. These few stated that revenge is not a way of the warrior, pressing that using shamefull means to resolve a problem makes them equally shamefull with these ones they wish to fight. In fact, they believed that not by violence, but by hard work and example order can be brought back to Kusari. Masahiro was one of them...
It was the first time in companions' lifes, when their paths have separated. Both aware that some day, they might have to fight against his closest and truest friend...
"It is better to reign in hell, than to serve in haven..."
Katashistarted his family after the rebelled guardians, or Blood Dragons, as they refered to themselves, managed to create new home, a rock home far away from eyes and ears of those ones serving the honorless. A home they called Kyoto. Masahiro, unlike his cousin, started his family long before the events of the coup. Some believe that concern for the fate of his family were true reasons why he had not rebelled along with his guardian comrades. He moved with his family into inherted mantion on Planet Kyushu. It is worth mentioning, that Katashi, despite the inisitence of his cousin, was disinherted. Rumors had it that Katashi and Masahiro had met a couple of times, both to reason each other, yet neither of them has been convinced to change sides.
Many years passed, and our homeland advanced and expanded. Troughout this time both families have grown, both kept military tradition aswell, thus inevitable had come. In many battles pilots of house Raionno had to face pilots of house Watanabe. First time since ... ever, a warrior was forced to fight his own family. Still, rumor has it that no Watanabe pilot has died of hands of Raionno house pilot, and vice versa. It may sound impossible, but mission logs speak for themselves – no Raionno pilot has ever reported a confirmed kill of Blood Dragon fighter, belonging to pilot of Watanabe origin.
Secret firendship between houses, supressed by politics lasted for over 500 years.
"It is better to reign in hell, than to serve in haven..."
Raionno kazoku were known for their bravery and will to fight. These qualities made them one of the most respected houses in Kusari. However, because of the political views they shared, many times it's enemies used shamefull ways to destroy their reputation, and as the government was slowly being filled with corporate agents, the house lost many priviledges it's members had earned. Fortunately, both groups were unable to hinder Raionno spirit, and despite the actions of those ones who opposed them, they managed to keep relatively high position in Kusarian society for a long time.
Real time of mourning for kazoku came 19 years ago, during the nomad war...
Many most respected members of the Raionno family were serving as Emperor Tekagi's personal guard. Many of the house's finest warriors and loving sons, husbands and fathers were infected along with Tekagi himself, or killed during Blood Dragons' attack on Tekagi's Arch in Tohoku, wich was secretly supported by the house. It was the time of great joy and great mouring for every Raionno child.
One of the lost ones had an 8 year old son. His name... was Ichiro.
"It is better to reign in hell, than to serve in haven..."
Ichiro was told to be overly mature for his age, thus he never had good relations with his cousins or even other kids. Boy had great imagination and liked to talk ...a lot! His closest family always emphasized his scholar nature, yet young Ichiro was fascinated with way of a warrior, possibly because of the bed time stories his mother, Aimi, was allways telling him, in wich hard life of a warrior was allways being idealised. Family members were usually sceptical about Ichiro becoming a warrior, they feared boy might not have the spirit needed for it, or if the boy's physical health will be good enough for a fighter pilot.
As I mentioned earlier, life of a warrior comes not only with glory, but with a sorrow. One day, young boy has lost one of his best friends, he ever had in his yet short life. His father, Hiroki, never returned home after his duty aboard Emperor Tekagi's battleship, and has been declared "missing" by authorities. Ichiro was young, thus elders thought that they should not tell him the whole truth, insted, they just said to him that his father honorably died for Emperor and country.
But Ichiro was not the one to be fooled easly, despite his age...
"It is better to reign in hell, than to serve in haven..."
News reports, family story and finally, conversations of family members he overheard gave the boy a new mission, a mission to find the truth. Ichiro started hunting every single piece of information concerning death of his father, any means necessary. If it required to log into his uncle's mailbox, he was ready to do so, and actually managed to do it succesfully! These actions revealed boy's relatively precious quality, he was able to completely put away or hide his feelings to focus entirely on his mission. When others were asking havens for the reason of their suffering, boy actually started to look for answer to them.
Yet, finding these answers were like battleing a hydra for him, as every of it raised more questions that it was answering for. But ... our Heracles got cought!
Security personel of national news station called Aimi Raionno, as her 8 son was trying to ... bribe one of the guards to let him enter the restricted areas of the building! When the mother arrived, competely shocked, she asked the boy one question... Why was he trying to do that? In response he asked her other questions. What really happened to his father? Why they lied to him? Who were "the terrorists" that attacked ship his father served on? And ... why was the family helping them?
... And Ichiro accomplished his mission.
He recieved answers he was looking for so long, and he discovered, that world he lived in is not black or white, but has many shades of grey...
"It is better to reign in hell, than to serve in haven..."
Ichiro has grown up, graduated military flight school, and joined the Naval Forces, just as his cousins did. As every Raionno, he followed the way of a Bushi, yet he seamed not convinced of the rightness of the leaders he was supposed to fight for, which resulted in mutual distrust between them. He had few close friends, which described him as very quiet and withdrawn man. It was said that there always was something disturbing in his look. He was frugal if it was to show emotion to anyone outside of what he considered "his elite".
War with Bretonia started, and every pilot was called to duty. Ichiro and his cousins,as many other unexperienced pilots, were meant to fight on the front lines. He was assigned to 2nd recon squadron, from which he never got transfered somewhere into other squadron, or promoted, even though he was showing remarkable skill. Declassified military document states that he disobeyed direct orders multiple times. One of the most interesting of them revealed that Ichiro managed to destroy transport vessel, which was resupplying hostile military ships, completely on his own, and by his own initiative. Fact that vessel was civilian had no impact on his actions. The only reason why Ichiro was not punished for his actions was the tactical advantage Kusarian forces gained because of it.
There was a note attached to his papers: "Ruthless, but effective. Keep him contained. Inform only on need-to-know basis."
A memorable day of Gallic invasion has come. Warriors one again were looking at their future with uncertainty. But there was duty that required to be fulfilled.
"It is better to reign in hell, than to serve in haven..."
Emperor Jien's battleship was under attack and was requiring assistance. Every fighter wing has been scrambled and assigned to defend the battleship. But then, in the middle of a fight, something strange has happened. Every fighter wing has been ordered back to carrier, except 23rd "Lionhead" squadron, innto wich his cousins were assigned to.
Ichiro, seeing what has happened, was trying to reach his cousins and warn them, but for reasons unknown he could not reach them. Once again, young warrior disobeyed an order. He broke formation and turned back from battleship to assist them. 3 Squadrons of gallic fighters were storming one fighter wing, which had no intentions to surrender. When Ichiro arrived, their fighters were badly damaged, and it's pilots exhaused. We do not know if sight of any help gave them relief they desperately needed, or if they have noticed Ichiro at all. What is known is that 6 kusarian fighters after hour of fight have suddenly stopped...
What happened? As we all know, fighter pilots have to endure forces, which can exceed the force of earth's gravity even nine times. Every fighter pilot is trained not to blackout during conduction of a maneouver, but everyone's body has it's limits...
Few of the last of Raionno sons were betrayed by their own bodies...
"It is better to reign in hell, than to serve in haven..."
Gallic soldiers did not hesitate to use the advantage, and terminated the neutralised units immedetly.
There was only one kusarian fighter left to terminate, but somehow they endured a problem. Ichiro once again gave himself a new life mission, a mission to avenge them. No pain, no forces and no damage seemed to be slowing him down, picking out and terminating one gallic fighter after another. He was not fighting like regular fighter pilot.
His shots were not ment to damage and disable the ships, his rounds were directly hitting the cockpits of gallic attackers. Horrific screams of burned alive gallic pilots flooded the broadcast, but not a single sound was heard from Ichiro, not a single grasp of air...
Few of them, seeing this event, adjudged that their lifes are more valueable than advancement in military carrier, thus tried to run away from a fight. Yet these ones were to met the worst end. Seeing that his inaccurate shot in Lynx's barrel shaped part completely cut off power from drive and communication systems, leaving life support ones online, Ichiro learned how to leave his opponents with terrible choice to made: slow death in the voids of space hoping for rescue to come, or opening the hach...
There was only one pilot left to fight Ichiro. Suddenly, young warrior stopped firing, and stood in place. Gallic soldier, for the reasons unknown, instead of using the advantage he gained to neutralise murderer of his comrades, pointed his ship in direcion of closest gallic spacecraft carrier and engaged his cruise drive.
Maby it was good decision, because biometric data indicated that Ichiro was fully concious ... and aware of what he was doing... He allowed him to escape.
"It is better to reign in hell, than to serve in haven..."
Battle has ended, loud world of howling engines, growling weapons and creaking hulls has gone completely silent. Only audible noise he heard, were frozen blood drops bumping up against the glass of his cockpit. As Ichiro stared at bloodbath he has done, command has reached him... It was just looped message, that all units have been ordered to return to carrier immediately.
On place, whole personell of the ship was ordered for a special briefing. When everyone arrived in the overcrowded briefing room, commander started his speech. Soldiers recieved the news that war, which seemed to last for ever, was finally over. However, great cheering was interrupted by commander himself, as he mentioned that their duty was not over. This unit was ment to return to New Tokyo in order to help "stabilise the situation".
Confusion has once again in history showed up on faces of Kusarian warriors, and Ichiro's mind has been once again flooded with questions...
"It is better to reign in hell, than to serve in haven..."