Dragon Wars
Continuation of Obsidian Fires
By Mieren
Mia smiled fondly at Ryo's back, a contented expression settling on her face. With a soft sigh, she turned back to the meal she was cooking, struggling not to grin too widely at the memories. Even knowing how shy Ryo was, it was unbelievable that it had taken him over eight years to propose. Eight years! If that hadn't been bad enough, their honeymoon certainly was. Shy was an understatement in his case.
She grinned wider suddenly when she glanced at her watch. The others would be arriving any time now. She was nearly dancing where she stood in anticipation of seeing them again. It had been so long, almost twenty years now. It was hard to believe that they had all drifted apart so quickly after having returned from Mieren's dimension. She was glad to get the Warlords out of the house, naturally, but she had objected to the guys leaving. Sage and Kento said that they had to go home to their families. They called occasionally, but they had never had the time to stop by. Rowen had moved out with Mieren and Touma, getting his own place and starting a life of his own. The last she had heard, he was working as an electrical engineer somewhere. Mieren had gotten a job teaching martial arts and self-defense, and was doing quite well in the way of collecting students. Being orphans, Ryo and Cye had remained with her. Seeing that things were getting somewhat serious between her and Ryo, Cye had left as well despite her numerous offers for him to stay.
From what she understood, Kayura had spoken to Mieren once they had all moved out, getting her to lift the agelessness placed upon her by Talpa that prevented her from growing old. At four hundred and fifty, she had grown a bit peeved at still having the body of a fourteen-year-old. Mieren had lifted the immortality for seven years before replacing it for the most part, altering her aging so that it would match Sage's. That thought brought a wider smile to her face. Sage and Kayura had gotten married shortly after Mieren had replaced the shield around her. She wondered briefly if they had any children yet. That took her to another line of thought.
The best she understood matters, Touma had vanished on his eighteenth birthday and hadn't returned or been seen by either of his parents for the last two years. He occasionally called his parents, telling them that he was still all right and enjoying touring the world. He had last called them less than a month ago, and Rowen had told him about the party coming up at her place. Mia grinned even wider. He had said that he would arrange his travels so that he would be in the area and could drop by.
A knock at the door had both her and Ryo scrambling to get there first, pushing each other playfully out of the way as they ran. Mia casually stuck out her foot and sent him careening into the ground face first with an indignant yelp. She opened the door casually, grinning at him over her shoulder.
"Cye!" she called out happily, sweeping him into a bear hug, ignoring his soft chuckle as he peeked over her shoulder to see Ryo picking himself off of the floor.
"Did I come at a bad time?" he asked slyly, eyes sparkling when she released him.
Mia snorted softly. "You're getting as bad as Dais," she reprimanded softly.
Ryo snorted loudly and ambled over to the door, making a face. "Damn, Cye. You suck!" he growled, exchanging a few playful blows. "You still look like you're twenty. That is NOT fair."
Cye smiled innocently and made a point of straightening his clothes, flipping his longish ponytail over his shoulder so he could straighten his jacket. He then looked up and began studying Ryo carefully, a smirk appearing on his face.
"You cut your hair," he stated simply, reaching forward to flip a raven lock out of his friend's tiger blue eyes.
"He looks better with it short," Mia called over her shoulder as she trotted back to the kitchen to check on a few things.
"And you were saying something about Rowen being whipped?" Cye asked softly, eyes gleaming mischievously.
"What was that, Cye old buddy?" Ryo asked sweetly, cracking his knuckles loudly. Cye chuckled and prepared to respond when someone pounded loudly on the door, nearly unhinging it. A reprimanding voice arose from the other side.
Ryo opened the door slowly, bursting into laughter when he saw who was on the other side. "Come in, Sage," he hooted, eyes watering. Cye grinned widely when he saw what Ryo was looking at, struggling not to chuckle at the sight that met his eyes.
Kayura was griping at Sage for nearly taking the door off of the hinges while he ducked his head, occasionally murmuring 'yes, Kayura' and 'no, Kayura,' in a soft, submissive manner. His hair flopped over half of his face when he began nodding in time to murmuring 'yes, Kayura' to the infinite amusement of Cye and Ryo.
Kayura herself nearly had Cye gaping. Fully grown, she had the appearance of a woman in her mid-twenties, her beyond perfect figure making Cye's eyes bulge. He noted wryly that Ryo was almost drooling.
Finished with her tirade, she clapped both Ryo and Cye on the shoulders before calling out to find Mia. She vanished into the kitchen immediately upon receiving a response. Laughing too hard to speak, Ryo waved Sage in, eyes streaming. Sage threw him a glare daring him to say anything before looking over his shoulder.
"Come on," he called out softly. "They're not going to eat you. I told you to be careful of Uncle Kento, and he's not here yet."
Cye's jaw contacted his chest when a little black-haired girl with dark blue eyes, around eleven years old, wandered over towards Sage shyly, staying fully behind him except to peek around occasionally in wide-eyed fascination.
"Uncle Cye? Uncle Ryo?" she asked shyly, chewing on her lower lip. Cye nodded numbly and looked at Sage demandingly.
"I showed her a group photo we took before scattering," he said simply.
Cye shook his head. "I did not know that you had a kid."
Sage didn't respond, peering over at his shoulder amusedly. "Come on, I said. They don't bite."
Cye and Ryo received their second shock in so many minutes when a blond nine-year-old boy edged over towards them fearfully, crystal blue eyes nearly bulging out of his head. He smiled shyly and tilted his head minimally, causing a lock of blond hair to fall over one eye. He pushed it behind his ear, making a face when it stubbornly fell back into place over his eye.
"Ella and Gau," he said simply, throwing them a fatherly smile.
Shaking his head slowly, Cye moved back and waved Sage in. Ryo was too busy laughing to breathe properly, let alone speak. He sobered up immediately when he heard a single word that nearly sent both Sage and Cye into convulsions.
"Daddy?"
Laughing softly and prodding each other in the ribs, Sage and Cye turned as one to see an eight-year-old girl come into the room atop an enormous amber-eyed leopard, a puffy white kitten curled up in her arms.
"Yes, Nasuti?" he asked gently as he plucked her off of the great cat, Chimera. She smiled at him shyly before peering around with bright blue eyes from under delicate waves of brunette hair. She squirmed slightly until he put her down, instantly running over to Ella and snagging her wrist. She tugged the older girl towards the stairs, urging her to come see the litter of kittens.
"Am I the only bachelor?" Cye cried out irately.
"Probably," Mieren teased as she walked past. "Even White Blaze got laid, it would appear."
Rowen thumped him as he walked by. "You left the door open."
Cye peered over at him good-naturedly, carefully noting his friend's left arm. A thin cloth sleeve ran across the back of his hand and up his arm, disappearing into his shirt. A thin strip of fabric ran beneath his middle and ring finger to hold the thing in place. A second strip circled his thumb to make absolutely sure that the cloth didn't bunch, which was perfectly understandable considering the streaks of obsidian decorating his arm as a reminder of a battle that he had barely won twenty years ago.
"If it makes you feel any better, the Warlords are still single too," Mieren called over her shoulder as she headed unerringly for the kitchen, snapping him out of his musings. "They can't seem to get the dating thing down right."
"What about Kento?" Sage asked carefully.
Cye's expression darkened immediately. Listen up, guys, he said sharply, purposely using telepathy so that the children couldn't hear. You are not to say anything to Kento on that subject. I've spoken with him. Hell, I had to live at his house for awhile after it happened until he recovered from the shock. He was married to a woman named Cowry.
What do you mean 'was'? Sage interjected sharply.
As I was saying, she died in a car accident almost ten years ago. And just so you won't be surprised, he has a son.
Why are you telling us this? Ryo snapped.
I didn't want you to go asking about the mother when he showed up.
Thank you for warning us, Mieren sent from the kitchen, immediately backed by both Mia and Kayura.
"That's a good thing to know," Dais murmured as he slowly walked in, he and Sehkmet engaging in a ribbing contest for a moment. Cale and Anubis were arguing softly from behind them. From the best that Ryo could tell, they were trying to decide which of them was the worst at driving.
"Dad," Gau called out softly as he hid behind Sage suddenly, eyes wide. "Isn't that the other one who you said might eat us?" he asked innocently, pointing out Sehkmet. The former Warlord made a face.
"Why did you tell him that?"
"It's true, isn't it?" Sage asked, fighting to keep a straight face. Trust Gau to break the tension in the room with such a ridiculous question. The blond boy tugged demandingly on his shirt.
"Then where's Uncle Kento?"
"He's coming," Sage said evilly, his one visible eye sparkling with humor.
"Uncle Anubis and Uncle Cale will protect us, won't they?"
"Uncle?" Anubis asked, tearing himself away from his argument with Cale. "Don't you think I look a bit young to be your uncle?" he asked, grinning widely.
Gau shook his head firmly. "Dad said that you were around to see the beginning of the world."
"He did, did he?" Cale asked, making a face.
Gau nodded shyly. "He said that you were around in the days when Warlords hunted dinosaurs in wild packs."
"Really?" Dais drawled, cracking his knuckles loudly.
The blond head nodded again. "Does that make you a caveman?" he asked softly, looking directly at Sehkmet, who in turn looked over at Sage.
"I… uh… have to go," Sage called out over his shoulder as he darted for the stairs, four Warlords on his heels.
"This is going to be an interesting day," Ryo muttered. Cye nodded numbly.
"The door is open, you know," Kento growled at them as he walked in, arms folded across his chest. A lanky looking teenager followed him, looking kind of lost. He shut the door gently with the heel of one foot, looking around curiously with pale gray eyes that were all but hidden from beneath a darker mop of unruly gray hair.
"Hi Uncle Cye," he called out softly, an amused smirk appearing on his face as he looked around. "Why are those guys trying to kill him?" he asked, jerking his head towards Sage as he sprinted by with the four Warlords closing in.
"He called them old and ugly," Cye responded simply. Dais skidded to a stop to make a face at him.
"I don't recall the ugly part," he grumped. He blinked when he finally saw the lanky boy looking directly at him with an amused expression. "Didn't see you," he murmured.
Kento laughed softly and swatted the boy on the back, forcing him to take a step forward. "This is Akira." Dais shook his hand with a strange expression on his face.
"How old is he?" Ryo asked curiously.
"He won't ever give you a straight answer if you ask him anything," Kento smirked before Akira could open his mouth. "He's fourteen."
Gau didn't waste any time now that his sister was occupied and his father was gone for the moment, darting forward and snagging the older boy's wrist. Akira blinked in shock and peered down at the blond boy clinging to him tenaciously before looking at his father uncertainly. Kento shrugged.
"You up for babysitting?"
Akira shrugged massively. "Depends. Can I teach him how to fight?"
Sage immediately skidded to a halt in front of the group congregating by the door, a strange expression painting his face when the Warlords caught up with him. He looked over his shoulder at them, smirking widely.
"Old and slow," he taunted, eyes shining. "Now," he murmured, turning to Akira. "You can teach him all you want, but be careful not to hurt him. Okay? You are a bit bigger than he is, after all."
Akira nodded, arching one eyebrow. "I wouldn't hurt him." Sage nodded.
"Just don't let Kayura see you," he said softly. Akira nodded and wandered in the direction of the back door.
"Am I missing something here?" Kento asked slowly. Cye grinned.
"Sage is more whipped than Rowen and Ryo combined," he chortled, jumping back to start dodging blows immediately. Kento chuckled softly and shook his head.
"Figures."
"I'll have you know," Sage grumped, "that Kayura's three months pregnant and I'm not about to upset her for any reason."
Dead silence greeted this announcement for the moment that it took to sink in. Congratulations hidden well within howling laughter followed.
"Speaking of Satan-spawned offspring, when is Touma showing up?" Ryo asked suddenly, trying to change the subject before Rowen and Cye creamed each other. Rowen glanced over his shoulder and shrugged.
"No idea. He's never on time for anything."
As if to prove him wrong, someone pounded on the door roughly, causing resounding thuds to echo through the house. Ryo and Rowen immediately moved over to the front door.
Ryo pulled the door open suddenly to reveal a tall, lanky, twenty-year-old Touma grinning at him happily. A single lock of blue hair fell stubbornly between his silver eyes even when he brushed it out of the way roughly.
"Daddy!" he wailed out in a deep baritone, batting his eyes and grinning like an idiot. Rowen groaned.
"I forgot to warn you guys," he called over his shoulder. "My son is a wise-ass."
"And this differs from you how?" Sage smirked, poking his friend in the ribs.
"He's got it right, Dad," Touma snickered, eyes shining. He sobered up immediately and began looking at the ground dejectedly.
"What's wrong?" Ryo asked carefully when Rowen only paled.
"There's something that I need to tell you guys," he whispered, blinking back tears and gnawing his lower lip.
"What?" Rowen prompted, growing concerned.
"I've signed my own death certificate," he whimpered. He peeked up at their worried faces, his lips beginning to twitch. "I got married!" he announced joyously, holding out one arm behind him. A slender woman with reddish brown hair and stunning teal eyes walked up and looped one arm around him, grinning widely.
"Hi," she greeted amiably. "I'm Mana."
It took Rowen and the guys a few seconds to realize that she was holding a baby in her other arm. Cye was the first to recover, moving forward smoothly to gently lift the baby out of her arms so he could hold it. He smiled warmly when the infant looked up at him with bright aqua colored eyes, cooing and squealing delightedly, quickly disarraying his russet locks.
"He looks just like you," Cye murmured, looking up to where Touma and Mana were still poking fun at the others for believing Touma's little performance.
"No way," Kento called out happily, poking Cye in the ribs. "He looks just like you, man." Cye only rolled his eyes at his friend's comment.
Mana looked over at him amusedly. "His name is Cye," she said proudly.
Cye jerked. "I'm sorry. What was that?"
Grimacing contritely, she looked over at him and bit her lips. "Touma told me there was already a Cye here. I named him after my grandfather, though. Hope you don't mind."
Smiling somewhat unsteadily, Cye shook his head. "That's fine by me," he said lightly, saying something almost inaudible about coincidences that no one could quite make out. It didn't help any when he began grumbling in another language.
"You still spouting that nonsense?" Kento asked slowly, poking him meaningfully in the ribs a little more roughly than was absolutely necessary. Cye opened his mouth to respond when Mana cut him off.
"That sounds kind of familiar," she murmured, expression turning thoughtful. "But I can't seem to remember where I've heard it before. Do you know, Touma?"
Touma shrugged massively. "He wasn't saying anything I'm going to repeat."
Everyone except Rowen jerked in shock. Cale's expression darkened. "You could have told us that you were teaching him that, Rowen," he growled, eyes flashing.
"Bite me."
"Isn't that Mom's job?" Touma asked slyly, beating Sage and Dais by a heartbeat. Sage grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. Dais only smiled and pretended to flick a tear from his one remaining eye, sniffing loudly. Rowen made a face.
Mana laughed softly, causing Cye to snap to attention, peering over at her with a strange expression on his face. He looked lost and slightly pained. Cale waved one hand in front of his face, opening his mouth to ask him if he were all right. Mia happened to push open the door to the kitchen at that exact moment, calling out loudly that dinner was ready.
"Go find Ella and Gau," Kayura called out, sending Sage immediately trotting for the stairs. Ryo rolled his eyes and followed him to retrieve his own daughter.
"Guess that means I have to track down my spawn too," Kento said cheerily, turning to head out the back. Surprisingly, Sehkmet was the first to turn and follow him. Blinking in shock, Dais automatically spun to trail his best friend. Anubis and Cale headed for the kitchen after casting curious looks in Cye's direction, quickly resuming their previous argument of who was the worst driver in the group. It sounded like they had it down between Sehkmet and Mieren, the former being an idiot and the latter acting insane just for the fun of it.
Snapping out of his reverie, Cye handed his namesake back to Mana and led her and Touma in the direction of the kitchen. Peering out the window leading to the field behind the house, he couldn't help but chuckle softly. Akira had apparently convinced Gau that it would be fun to see how long they could outrun Kento, and from the looks of things, they were succeeding. He excused himself and wandered outside to see if he could help matters, immediately pushing Kento over and urging the kids to get to the table before the Twinkie-snorting mammoth made it to the food. Gau took the statement literally and bolted towards the kitchen. Akira only laughed uproariously before following him, tears streaming from his eyes as he loudly called out Cye's comment to the others.
* * *
Rowen allowed his gaze to roam around the table slowly, purposely memorizing the faces of each of his friends, not sure when he would see them again. Their own lives had drawn them all apart and kept them congregating despite their efforts. He smiled sadly. As glad as he was that the chaos following their lives had finally abated, he missed the way it brought them all together. He sighed and turned his attention back to the conversation at hand.
So far, they had been discussing everyone's jobs and lives up to this point. Kento had evaded most of the questions, simply saying that he worked for a construction company in north Japan. Cye had somehow acquired a manager's position supervising the care of the aquatic life in every theme park throughout Japan and was always traveling. From the best he understood, Sage was now a photographer for a modeling agency, much to Kayura's irritation. Surprisingly, Ryo taught at a nearby university along with Mia, both of them specializing in history, ancient legends and myths. Sehkmet, Dais, Cale and Anubis had announced that they now ran a multitude of martial arts classes. Rowen had told them only a moment ago about working as an electrical engineer while Mieren was employed similarly as the Warlords. Touma had smirked at his announcement, saying that he paused at large companies as he passed through an area, repairing their computer systems for a hefty income before continuing with his travels.
Akira had been watching them talk with a slightly amused expression painting his face, his eyes beginning to sparkle with wry amusement.
"You're telling me that you four," he mumbled, pointing out the former Warlords, "know how to fight?"
"You don't believe it?" Dais asked slyly, cracking his knuckles sinisterly.
Akira shook his head firmly. "No way. I could cream any one of you old farts."
"Now, now," Anubis said sweetly. "Do I look like an old fart?"
Thinking carefully, Akira nodded happily. "You bet. Uncle Cye doesn't seem to age very quickly. If he looks like he's around twenty and he's actually fifty…"
"Hey! I'm only thirty-seven!"
"Then you could easily be the same age or older," he concluded smugly. "Besides," Akira continued happily. "He told me that you're all around five hundred."
"How in the hell can Kento's kid be smart?" Ryo asked slowly.
"Or thin?" Sehkmet tacked on for good measure.
"Shut up," Kento growled.
"Returning to the issue of creaming the old farts," Dais said slowly, eye shining mischievously as he regarded the younger boy. "How would you like to back that up?"
Akira blinked and looked to Kento curiously, who shrugged and nodded.
"Not in the house," Mia snapped. Ryo chuckled softly.
Obediently, Akira rose to his feet and headed for the back door, shooting a superior look at Dais over his shoulder as he walked.
"Is that a good idea?" Mana asked slowly, eyeing Dais as he hopped out of his chair eagerly to follow the younger boy.
"He's fine," Kento chuckled, rising leisurely out of his chair to watch the ensuing chaos his son was about to initiate. Curious expressions passed around the table along with several resigned shrugs before the others got up to follow him.
Pushing out the back door, they were awarded with a sight of Dais chasing Akira around the yard while he laughed uproariously, calling out the phrase 'old and slow' loudly enough to be heard by everyone. Kento shook his head slowly.
"Try not to hurt him, Akira," he cried out happily when his son shifted tactics and turned his retreat into a low, spinning kick that deprived Dais of his balance and left him sprawled unceremoniously across the ground.
Dais growled in the back of his throat and jumped to his feet, abandoning tactic to tackle the younger boy prancing in front of him on the balls of his feet. Akira snagged the front of his shirt and rolled onto his back, planting one foot in the former Warlord's stomach and sending him flying. Laughter erupted from the Ronins and Warlords when he landed fully on his back, loosing all of the air in his lungs.
Using the momentum of his opponent's last attack, Akira rolled back to his feet while Dais was still flying through the air. He walked over closer to the fallen man and offered him a hand to his feet, grinning happily.
Having regained his feet, Dais refused to relinquish his hold on the younger boy, instead yanking him closer and lifting him roughly over his head, strutting around the yard with his trophy.
"You're supposed to kick him in the ribs while he's down, not help him up," Touma called out loudly, an amused twinkle in his silver eyes.
"Gee, thanks," Akira grumbled, wobbling slightly as he peered down at the white-haired man holding him. Making a face, he hooked one leg around one of the well-muscled arms holding him and ripped it free from him. This action, predictably, resulted in him being dropped. Spinning in his fall, he used the head below him as a springboard and launched himself clear before any retaliatory actions could take place.
Landing lightly on the balls of his feet, Akira abruptly reversed direction and slammed fully into the Warlord, rolling clear of the older man after snagging twin fistfuls of his shirt. Completing his roll, he swung the Warlord above him and deposited him on his back for the second time in so many minutes. Smiling innocently, he rose leisurely to his feet and made a point of brushing the dust off of his clothes.
"Give up yet, Uncle Dais?"
"Oh… man… you suck," Dais gasped out, blinking groggily up at the victor of the miniature war.
Laughing, Akira pulled him to his feet again and led the group back into the house, raiding the food yet again as he passed by to the infinite amusement of the others.
* * *
A set of crimson eyes narrowed angrily when the group turned to go back inside to their meals. Unbelievable. It could almost understand the carelessness of the humans and lesser demons, but for Mieren to be so blind to the presence of power…
Hissing softly, dangerously, the red-eyed shadow moved back further into the trees and settled down easily. Waiting.
* * *
Conversation quickly resumed once the group reached the dinner table and continued with their meals. Several cracks rose centering on how badly Dais, supposedly a master of martial arts, was just beaten by a fourteen-year-old boy.
"Your father must have trained you well," Mana murmured, ruffling the gray mop of hair topping the youth sitting beside her. Akira grinned bashfully.
"That can't be it," Dais scoffed, sitting gingerly in his chair. "Kento can't fight worth a piss."
"Care to back that up?"
"Not at the moment."
Rowen chuckled softly, glancing over to Touma where he continued to poke fun at the Warlord. Sighing softly, he pushed that irritating blue lock of hair out of his sapphire eyes and began massaging his temples gently. Migraine, he thought dejectedly, grimacing as he closed his eyes against the light that was beginning to burn in his mind.
Seeing his expression, both Mieren and Touma ceased their torment of the Warlord and shifted their attentions to him.
"You okay, Dad?"
"Another migraine?" Mieren murmured softly, placing one hand on his shoulder.
Rowen only nodded gingerly, mouth tightening as the slight movement set his head spinning. He unconsciously dropped his arms from his head and began kneading his left hand with his right. When a soft keening noise began in the back of his head, he cursed softly and excused himself from the table, weaving his way into the living room to lie down for a few minutes until the spell passed. Frowning, Mieren followed.
"What happened?" Sage asked slowly, staring after where the two had vanished.
"He's been getting really bad migraines since I can remember," Touma said softly, gnawing his lower lip. "They're usually not quite that bad, though. If this one is anything like the others, he'll be up and moving around again in about a half hour."
Mana frowned at them for a moment before handing of the baby Cye to the nearest person, Sehkmet, and wandering into the living room after her father-in-law. The infant cooed softly in confusion at being handed off so suddenly, turning wide eyes to stare in fascination at the Warlord holding him. He squealed happily and proceeded to yank a handful of green hair before promptly wetting himself and the man holding him.
"Ah… man… what is it with your family?" Sehkmet cried out in frustration, handing the dripping infant off to Touma as quickly as he could. Cye snickered softly, the faintest hint of red appearing on his cheeks. He was glad that no one noticed seeing as to how it may have lead to some rather awkward questions he was in no mood to answer at the moment.
"What about my family?" Touma asked slowly, utterly baffled.
Ryo snorted. "You did the same thing to him when you were Cye's age."
"Does this mean it's Rowen's turn now?" Dais asked innocently, ignoring the answering glare thrown in his direction.
Touma chuckled softly as he wandered out of the room with his son, glancing over at Mia curiously. She smiled ruefully.
"Upstairs, second door on the left, under the sink," she said helpfully.
Nodding, Touma vanished out the door. Sehkmet was already on his feet heading out of the kitchen as well, grumbling about his dripping shirt. He returned promptly, minus his shirt.
"I'm blind!" Kayura wailed, covering her eyes dramatically.
Cye snickered at the irritated look that Sehkmet threw back at her. The grin slid from his face suddenly as his shoulders stiffened and his eyes glazed. Tilting his head back ever so slightly, he began to speak softly into the now silent group at the table.
"Spawning of the shadow's past, elements shall follow the dragon's fires through the night airs as blue armor framed in white rises to his call. Looking to the midnight stars and shrieking fury into the night, shall he fight the world alone. Armors rise to fight again, falling to burning arts under a dragon's tears. Ancient fires shall rise again, breaking free as dimensions fall to fight the powers of past mistakes now broken into shards. Fires rise and fires die, falling to the dragon's cry."
Ryo paled instantly, his breathing growing ragged. "Oh God, it's starting again," he whispered, trembling slightly.
"What the hell is going on?" Sage snapped, rounding on him furiously. "What do you know, Ryo?"
"All those years ago when we were looking for Mieren, there was one premonition that was never fulfilled," he breathed, lowering his head and staring at the table intently.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Anubis demanded, shaking him roughly.
"Because I knew there was nothing we could do about it," Ryo hissed, head snapping up as he distributed glares around the table. "I saw no reason to have all of us worrying for no reason." His voice lowered suddenly as he looked away. "After all of these years," he murmured, eyes misting, "I thought we were finally safe."
"Safe from what?" Akira asked slowly. Everyone at the table stiffened.
"The children," Kayura whispered. "How are we going to keep them out of this?"
"Daddy," Ella whispered, tugging on Sage's arm. "What's going on?" Gau stood beside her, looking up at him with wide trembling eyes.
"Mama?" Nasuti whimpered, snagging one of Mia's arms.
Touma wandered into the room with his child cradled protectively in his arms. His gaze roamed around the table before settling on Cye.
"How long do we have?" he asked slowly.
Kento shook his head. "There's no way to tell. It could happen at any time."
"How did you even know?" Mia asked slowly. Touma blinked in shock before turning absently towards her.
"Cye is sending out telepathic signals that even the weakest empath could hear," Mana hissed as she darted into the room, eyes wide. "Do any of you know exactly what he meant?"
Cye blinked and glanced around numbly, realizing instantly what had happened. There was no other way he could think of to send them into such a frenzy. He concentrated fiercely on what he had just said, not hearing the frantic conversation passing between the others.
"How much have you told her?" Cale asked quickly, rounding on Touma.
"Everything," he growled.
"He didn't have a choice," Mana snapped. "He slipped up when I was watching and I saw one of his little stunts."
"That doesn't matter," Mia snapped. "She needed to know anyway. Now what are we going to do about our kids?"
"We need to find someone who can protect them," Sage said quickly. "Someone who isn't directly involved in this preferably."
Akira growled, furious at being ignored. "What is going on?"
"All hell's about to break loose," Kento murmured, glancing over at him.
Cye looked around numbly for a moment, eyes blanking again. Everyone immediately stiffened and rounded on him when he slowly opened his mouth.
"It begins," he whispered. As if to prove him right, Rowen screamed.
To Be Continued…
I like cheese…
