A Brief History:

Prelude to the Aka Ryuu Chronicles

By: Liz Staley

In 2032, Humankind's scientific advances had given them the means to do almost anything. The major governments of the world put together a group of scientists to test a new power source that would allow Humanity to even travel beyond their own galaxy- to explore other planets and solar systems.

However, while the new power source was being tested, an accident occurred. This accident killed the entire research team. All technology on the planet Earth was rendered useless when the accident happened, and human beings were forced to begin civilization over again. One year after the accident, the citizens of Hinomoto rose up against a tyrannous, corrupt government. While the citizens were using only Martial Arts, they were victorious because the government's army had no weapon to use against the masses of people.

In the years that came, there was peace and freedom throughout Hinomoto. The new leaders, remembering all-too-well the pain of an abusive, corrupt government, made sure that the people's rights were protected. Never, in all the history of Hinomoto, had there been a more prosperous and tranquil time. Trade, art, and the economy all flourished. Even the Martial Arts, once almost extinct, experienced resurgence.

But, this new era would not last long. In the third generation of the government, corruption and greed began to set in. Fearing another usurpation by the people, the fledgling democracy outlawed the very thing that had ensured its foothold in Hinomoto- Martial Arts. Because of their ruling, Martial Arts once again began to die out. Anyone who openly practiced the old fighting arts was imprisoned immediately. Fear began to take hold on the people as the government began to abuse its power. The people, now too weak and complacent to fight back, would live in worsening conditions for years to come.

Over the next 400 years, the democracy that had been instilled with such hope was merely a shadow of its former glory. The Daimyo, the courts, and the Police all were corrupted. The Police Force was only a sham- a way to trick the people into thinking they had some portion of government on their side- some kind of protection against the corruption in the higher seats of power. Criminals who were supposed to be given a fair trial, were instead killed immediately. Hundreds of innocent people- merely bystanders going about their daily lives- were killed as a means of sport for those who had sworn to protect and serve.

There was almost no decency to be found in all of the government.

Then, the people were given a ray of hope. Tetsuo Kunota, a Daimyo at the time, announced his intention to run for Shogun. Kunota was a kind and decent man. The media always left him alone because, unlike the other government officials, he had no skeletons in his closet. He was a family man with good intentions, and so, he was voted into office in a landslide victory.

But, by this time, one man had control of the entire government. A Daimyo by the name of Yasakuto had successfully taken over the courts, police force, and the other Daimyo. However, he hid in the shadows and used the Shogun as a front. Because of Kunota's fame for being good-natured and pacifistic, Yasakuto welcomed his election into office, despite his promises to the people for reform.

As soon as Kunota had assumed his office, Yasakuto began to manipulate him. Any time the new Shogun tried to fight back against the corruption, Yasakuto would threaten his family with some horrible tragedy. Having already lost his first-born son, Kunota was reluctant to put his family in any other danger. And so, against his will, Kunota began to do whatever Yasakuto demanded. He passed bills that oppressed the People, and vetoed any laws that would give the populace hope and happiness. The man who could have been the second savior of Hinomoto, was instead a puppet. But, Kunota was not the only uncorrupted member of the government. Daimyo Shinrai, Kunota’s best and oldest, began to plan. Even though Martial Arts had been outlawed long ago, they were still taught in secret places in Shibasaki's underground. They were called ochiudo by the government and the press, despised as the lowest kind of scum on the earth. They largely called themselves ronin and believed they were helping to save Hinomoto’s dying arts. Daimyo Shinrai went out and sought ronin who also wanted the people's freedom.

Eventually he enlisted the help of a young man named Kanjou Tsukai. Kanjou, although an “ochiudo”, was a good man. And so, he agreed to help for a team that would bring the government's power back into balance and set Hinomoto's people free. But, he also made a request. Kanjou asked to not be considered the leader- instead, he would find a suitable leader and they would head the group.

And so, Kanjou's search began. In under a year, he had found 3 of the most powerful Martial Artists in Hinomoto. And then, finally, almost a year to the day of when he was asked to form the group, Kanjou found Andrea "The Tiger". Andrea would, whether she wanted to or not, become the leader of the group of Martial Artists known as the "Aka Ryuu" or Red Dragons.