Stir of Shadows
by Queen of Sarab
Chapter One
"You called, Great One?"
The kneeling girl did not lift her eyes from the ground as she spoke. To do so
without first being told would be insolent- and insolence meant death...or
worse. She did not move until a booming voice sounded out of the enclosing
darkness.
"RAISE YOUR EYES BEFORE YOU, GIRL."
The girl obeyed, her long, jet-black hair cascading back over her shoulders.
The voice spoke again.
"KNOW YOU WERE CHOSEN, KURAI -BUT IF YOU FAIL, YOU MUST SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCE OF ALL WHO FAIL OUR PEOPLE."
Kurai allowed herself a small, malicious smile, her cat-like green eyes shining
in the light of a softly glowing green amulet hung about her neck.
"I will not fail," she answered softly.
* * * * * * * * *
Green light filled everything...it shone with a brightness
that hurt Rowen's eyes, yet illuminated nothing... the light was everything,
and yet nothing, held in place by a dull buzzing that slowly crescendoed into
laughter...bad laughter...it hurt....and then came the pictures, spinning into
view and then disappearing just as fast...a black-haired girl...Ryo in subarmor,
running at full speed across a field...a garden full of white roses...a black
cat...in full armor, Sage, his blond hair falling in his eyes as he fought an
unseen enemy...beautiful birds singing...the girl laughed...a green amulet...a
boy with shaggy red-brown hair and blue eyes--Sai?...white
roses....darkness...Kento,fighting off hundreds of headless soldiers, blue hair
plastered down with sweat..a place of utter black...roses...roses...and now the
roses were changing, molding into people in black
robes...chanting....chanting..."I can't understand..." Rowen screamed....no one
hears...or cares....chanting.... chanting....and three words became audible
"Shuzoku no mayonaka...Shuzoku no mayonaka..."
Rowen sat up suddenly out of sleep, his dream still fresh in his mind.
Groaning, he brushed a stray strand of dark blue hair out of his eyes and
tumbled off his bed, realizing that it was the sun glaring in his eyes that had
awoken him.
"Just a dream," he muttered to himself, fumbling around for clean clothes just
as a knock sounded on his door.
"Hey, Rowen, hurry and get up or you'll miss breakfast!" a voice called through
the door.
"Ya know, the world doesn't revolve around food, Kento," he called back,
grinning. "Welcome back to reality..."he laughed to himself as he threw open the
door and headed down the stairs.
"Morning, Ro!" Sai called in his light british accent as Rowen
walked into the kitchen.
"Mornin', guys," Rowen muttered, sliding into an empty seat at the table.
Besides his four friends Sage,Kento, Sai, and Ryo, 2 others sat at the table-
Mia, her long brown hair and clothes immaculate, and Yulie, a young boy,whose
dark hair and disheveled appearance was just the opposite.
"Sleep well, Rowen?" Mia asked lightly.
Sighing, Rowen leaned back in his chair. "Not exactly...I had this really weird
dream...But I couldn' understan' any of it except three words, so I don' know if
it was some kinda premonition or sumthing."
Looking up at him, Ryo raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "What were the words you
understood?"
"Umm..." Squinting, Rowen thought for a minute. "Shuzoku no mayonaka, I
think..."
Sai stopped in the middle of buttering a piece of toast."Shuzoku no mayonaka?"
he repeated."Tribe of Midnight?"
"Do you know what it means, Sai?" Ryo broke in.
"Not exactly...I just think I've heard it somewhere before." Sai went back to
the toast. "But I could be wrong."
"I'll look it up if it eases your mind any, Rowen," stated Mia, passing around
a pot of tea. "But for now, just forget it and eat something."
"Ye'a... guess you're right," Rowen stared at his food.
"Hey, Ro, gonna eat that?" asked Kento.
That was when the knock sounded.
Chapter Two
Kurai looked at herself carefully in the window on the outside of Ronin Manor,
then after a moment of thought, reached down and tore off part of the hem of her
dress, leaning the torn section hanging down. Ruffling her hair a little, she
looked at herself one last time and then knocked.
"Yes..." Sai opened the door, trailing off as he saw her.
Putting on a look of distress, Kurai began to cry."Please help me," she sobbed
hopelessly, falling against Sai's chest.
"Um...all right. Come in." Looking startled, Sai led Kurai through the door and
into the kitchen.
"...And when I got out of my car to help them, they jumped in and...and...and
they took it," Kurai choked back a sob."I just didn't know what to do!" Risking
a quick look to gauge the boys(and Mia)'s expressions, Kurai broke into fresh
tears.
"Don't worry about anything," Sage said, wrapping an comforting
arm around her shoulders. "You can rest here for awhile, and then call someone
to come get you."
"I...I don't have anyone to call..."
"No family or friends?" Ryo asked in surprise.
Kurai shook her head sadly.
"Then you'll stay here as long as you need to," added Ryo firmly. "You can
borrow some of Mia's clothes until we can get you new ones."
Kurai gave a weak smile. "Oh, you are all too kind. How can I ever repay you?"
"No need," Ryo smiled. "Mia, take her up to one of the guest rooms, will you?"
"Can I talk to all of you in the hall first?" Mia asked through clenched teeth.
"I'll stay with...um..." Sage thought for a moment."What'd you say your name
was?"
"It's Kurai," the raven-haired girl smiled sweetly. "And I would LOVE for you
to stay with me."
As Sage flushed with pride, the other 4 Ronins and Mia went out into the hall.
Yulie followed them out, but was promptly sent upstairs by Mia.
After she had sent off Yulie, Mia turned to Ryo. "Ryo," she started. "I KNOW
you're just trying to act all nice and leaderish or whatever, but you just
offered some girl we don't even know room and board in MY house, MY clothes, and
practically passed me off as a maid- WITHOUT asking me first!"
Ryo looked startled. "Sorry, Mia, I just figured, you know, you'd want to be
nice to her- she's been through alot."
"Wow, her car got stolen," Mia scowled. "If we tried to help everyone who's car
got stolen we'd have QUITE a full house."
"This really isn't like you, Mia," Sai chirped. "I mean, aren't we SUPPOSED to
help people?"
Mia sighed. "There's just something I don't like about her..."
"Me neith'a," Rowen agreed. "Plus, she was one of the people in my dream last
night- and trust me, NOT in a good way."
"And did you notice her name?" Mia went on. "'Kurai'? Doesn't that mean
'darkness'?"
"So? She's got black hair!" Ryo laughed. "I'd say that's pretty dark.You two
are being way too paranoid. I mean, she's only about our age. Really, how bad
could one teenage girl be?"
Chapter Three
"Sage?"
Startled at the sound of Kurai's voice, Sage spun around from the getting a
glass of water at the sink. Kurai smiled at him.
"It is Sage, right?" she asked.
"Uh...yeah."
Kurai smiled again, standing up and walking over to him. She looked up at him
through her eyelashes.
"I...I just wanted to say thank you," she spoke slowly. "I mean, for
everything."
"Well,um," Sage stuttered. "You know, it's really not my doing... you should
thank Mia or Ryo or something."
Kurai moved in closer until she was practically pressed against him.
"Oh, but I like you so much better," she smiled.
"Um, I..." began Sage, but the door flew open before he could say anymore.
Kurai jumped back away from him.
"Kurai?" Ryo pushed Mia forward. "Mia will take you to a guest room,now, if you
want, and get you some clean clothes."
"I would love that, " Kurai smiled sweetly, sweeping out the door.
With a frown, Mia hurried to catch up.
"There's somethin' just not right with her," muttered Rowen as the door shut
behind the girls.
Sage turned on him. " What's that supposed to mean?" he snarled.
"Just what I said," Rowen scowled. "I don't think she's being completely honest
with us, eitha'."
"Are you calling her a liar?"
"What's wrong with you, Sage?" Rowen shot back. " Why are you being so
defensive of some girl who, for all we know, could be trying to kill us?"
With a cry, Sage threw himself at Rowen,knocking him down.
"Sage! What are you doing?" Sai cried as he, Kento, and Ryo pulled them apart.
Rowen rubbed his arm, scrambling to his feet as Sage was pulled away from him.
Sage jerked out of Ryo and Kento's grasps, glaring at Rowen. Without a word, he
turned and stalked out of the room.
"What's his problem?" Kento asked, staring at the door.
Ryo chewed his lip thoughtfully. " I don't know, but we're going to find out."
"Kurai?"
Spinning around from where she was sorting through a pile of Mia's clothes,
Kurai could see Sai peeking around the edge of the guest-room door.
"Yes?"
Sai stepped into the room, looking around him nervously. "I was just wondering
if you were getting settled all right, and if you needed any help with
anything."
"I'm doing great," Kurai said. "But I was about to take a break from going
through these clothes--maybe you'd like to stay and talk for a minute?"
With a small smile, Sai sat in the chair Kurai indicated. "Sure," he said
lightly.
Chapter Four
Rowen skidded to a halt in front of Mia's room and knocked twice. "Mia?" he
called softly. "It's Rowen. Can I come in?"
"Sure," Mia's voice came, muffled, through the door.
Mia was hunched over her computer, fingers flying over the keys.
"Found anything?"
Sighing, Mia stopped to stretch, then wheeled her chair around to face Rowen.
"Sorry. There is absolutely nothing on Shuzoku no mayonaka except for
confirmation that it means 'tribe of midnight'. And that in itself was very
difficult to find."
Rowen bit his lip. "Nothin'?"
"Did you not just hear what I said?" Mia sighed. "And frankly, I'm beginning to
think maybe we are being a little judgmental about this girl. We really haven't
even given her a chance."
"But what about my dream, Mia?" Rowen urged. "I know that was the girl from my
dream."
Mia sighed again. "I don't know, Rowen. Maybe you've seen her before and you
just forgot. People dream lots of stuff. I mean, not all dreams are some kind
of premonitions."
Defeated, Rowen ran a hand through his hair. "Ye'a, guess you're right."
Seeing the dejected look on her friend's face, Mia frowned, then smiled slowly.
"Of course, your dreams usually do mean something, and I really never was one to
pass up a challenge like this..."
Rowen broke into a grin, wrapping Mia in a sudden hug. "You're the best, Mia!"
he called enthusiastically, bounding out the door and off down the hall. As he
skidded around the corner, he almost ran into Sai, who was leaning against the
wall, arms folded, looking ready to kill someone.
"What's the matta', Sai?" asked Rowen, suddenly concerned.
Scowling, Sai turned on him. "I heard you and Mia talking. Why can't you even
give that poor girl a chance?! Are you really so paranoid and blind that you
would think that innocent girl would be associated with such evil things?!"
Shocked, by Sai's outburst, Rowen backed up against the wall. "What's wrong
with everybody today? Usually you're at least open-minded to things."
"You're the not being open-minded!" Sai cried. "You just don't understand!"
"Sai, you're right. I don't. But apparently you don't, either. Besides, she's
been here, what, 15 minutes now?"
"Yeah- she's been here 15 minutes, hasn't even done anything, and you're
accusing her of plotting our deaths!" Sai growled menacingly.
Before Rowen could retort, Mia came crashing around the corner. "Oh, um, Sai,
Ryo needs to see you in the kitchen." Sai threw one last angry glance at Rowen,
then stalked off. Mia looked after him worriedly.
Rowen released a big breath. "Thanks alot, Mia," he sighed. "I hope Ryo keeps
him busy for awhile."
Looking guilty, Mia giggled. "Well, um, he didn't actually want to see him...I
just heard Sai yelling and didn't want another fight to break out."
"What, you lied?!" Rowen feigned surprise. "I am shocked, Mia! How could you?"
Giving him an exasperated look, Mia turned to leave. "When you're done being
shocked, Rowen, I'll be looking for more information."
"Wait, Mia," sighed Rowen, suddenly serious. "I think we really have a problem
on our hands."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, think about it- Sage is alone with Kurai, he attacks me when I say
something about her," Rowen mused.
Realization dawned on Mia's face. "And before Sai yelled at you, he came up
here to check on Kurai."
"Exactly," Rowen nodded. "So now what?"
"I guess we warn Ryo and Kento before they're alone with her, too," stated Mia.
"I'll do it," agreed Rowen. "You see what you can find out."
Chapter Five
The door to the living room was closed-and something was wrong. That was
immediately obvious as Rowen bounded down the stairs. From under the door came a
dull green glow, like a TV had been left on. But that wasn't what seemed wrong.
It was the feeling that flowed through the area around it, letting off a general
air of despair and evil.
"This can't be good," Rowen murmured, and, taking a deep breath, threw open the
door.
It was immediately obvious the glow didn't come from a TV. In fact, the glow
had died as soon as Rowen had opened the door.
In a chair next to the couch, where Ryo sat, was Kurai, who spun around angrily
as the door was thrown open. And, just for a second before she composed herself,
Rowen could have sworn Kurai's eyes glowed.
"Ryo?" Rowen said softly.
As if coming out of a daze, Ryo focused on Rowen.
"Are you, um, ok?" Rowen asked.
Ryo smiled eerily. "Of course, man. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh, no reason...um, what are you doing?"
"We were just talking," smiled Kurai sweetly. "Ryo, why don't you go get me some
water?"
Nodding, Ryo stood and started to leave, but Rowen held him back. "I'll go with
you," he said hurriedly.
Smiling coyly, Kurai motioned to Ryo's former seat. "Why don't you stay and
keep me company, Rowen?"
"No!!" Rowen yelped. "I mean, no thanks, I'm kinda busy." And, pushing Ryo
along with him, he hurried from the room.
Ryo turned to him as soon as the door closed behind them. "That was really
rude, Ro -- you really should try to be nicer to our guests."
Not wanting to get into another argument, Rowen shoved Ryo towards the
kitchen. "Uh-huh, I'll try that, gotta go talk to Mia, bye!" Leaving Ryo
bewildered and calling after him, Rowen skidded off and bounded up the stairs
two at a time.
Bursting into Mia's room without knocking, he collapsed in a chair next to
Mia's desk, panting.
"You look like you just ran a marathon," Mia cried out, shocked. "What's the
matter?"
Taking a deep breath, Rowen shoved a strand of hair out of his face. "She's got
Ryo."
The clock next to the guest bed read exactly 11:59.
One minute left, thought Kurai nervously, until he comes. One minute until
mayonaka.
The clock changed.
Suddenly, as if on cue, a spot of purple light appeared in front of Kurai --
and exploded into swirls of light, intertwining and weaving together in time
with it's words.
"HAVE YOU SUCEEDED?"
Trembling, Kurai spoke, almost inaudibly."Al..Almost, Great One."
"WHY NOT COMPLETELY?" Anger began to fill the room, causing Kurai to grasp her
head in pain.
"I have all except one, Great One..." she moaned. "I will get him soon enough.
But I believe he and the girl are suspicious."
"THE GIRL IS NOT IMPORTANT - GET RID OF HER, IF NEED BE. I MUST HAVE THE
RONINS' ARMOR - AT ANY COST."
"I understand, Great One," Kurai managed to choke out, the pain in her head
building to unbearable heights.
And, as suddenly as they had come, both light and pain disappeared.
Chapter Six
Rowen was awoken by complete silence. "It's quiet...too quiet," he muttered,
then laughed at himself. "Oh, no, Rowen, that wasn't at all cliche or
corny...Ok, now I'm talking to myself. No, I'm not going crazy at all..."
Throwing on his clothes, the blue-haired archer raced down the stairs,
expecting Sai at the stove cooking, everyone else seated around the table
laughing and talking. But the kitchen was completely empty. As were the living
room, the study...
"Looking for someone?"
Whirling around, Rowen automatically assumed a fighting stance. Kurai laughed
at him.
" You think you can stop me, Strata?" she smirked. "Oh, don't look so suprised-
I know you're on to me, and I know all about you and your little friends fight
for good. Pathetic, really. All this time and the Dynasty hasn't made a dent in
you, and it takes me half a day to take out four of you!"
"Who are you?" Rowen suddenly realized he was being backed against the wall,
and cast about him for a way out.
"You surprise me, Rowen," replyed Kurai smoothly. "Who am I? I am Kurai, of
Shuzoku no mayonaka. Remember dreams, Strata- they tell you what is to come. You
should have payed more attention to yours."
By now, Rowen was completely against the wall. Suddenly, with one sudden, fluid
movement, Rowen struck out with one leg, aiming to knock his opponent over- and
found himself thrown against the wall.
"How..how did you..." Rowen gasped. "I mean, you didn't..touch me..."
"Not physically," laughed Kurai, clearly enjoying the whole thing. "See, that's
the great thing about the mind- it holds unimaginable power. Probably why you
were my greatest opponent amongst the Ronins- you have the greatest brainpower."
Her eyes narrowed. "Now to test it."
A dot of light began in the amulet around her neck, growing larger and larger
until it filled the room. Suddenly dizzy, Rowen felt his knees go out. He
collapsed to the floor in a heap.
"Oh, come on, Strata! Put up a fight!" Kurai grinned wolfishly. "You know, I
was only supposed to get your armor, but if put under my mind control I could
gain five powerful warriors for us and probably would be well advanced."
Rowen suddenly realized he could move again. She has to be concentrating on me
to have control, he realized in amazement. His hand began inching towards the
knife drawer.
"Would you like to have some fun before put under mind control, Strata? I know
I need some amusement..." his opponent narrowed her eyes, her voice becoming
more of a hiss. "And some revenge....you've evaded me longer than most, and I
don't like that. I want to see you hurt."
Rowen stared up at her carefully in an effort to distract her from his hand,
which was slowly pulling on the handle of the knife drawer. "What do you mean?"
he asked guardedly.
"I'll pit you against one of your friends," the dark-haired girl replyed
calmly. "Perhaps.... Wildfire? Yes, Wildfire it is...." Kurai snapped her
fingers, and Ryo came bounding in the door several seconds later. Without even
turning, Kurai ordered "Wildfire- fight him."
Rowen tensed his muscles. The knife drawer was halfway opened, and he closed
his hand around a small but deadly blade.
Suddenly, Ryo lunged forward, brandishing his twin datchi and barely missing
beheading his archer friend. Leaping up, Rowen concealed the knife he held in
one hand and leaped out of the way as Ryo again lunged at him.
Rowen pinned him to the floor. "Listen to me, Ryo," he hissed. "This is not
you. You are under Kurai's control. You have to break through- I need your help.
If you can understand me, you have to distract Kurai for me. Trust me on this.
Please, Ryo."
Something flickered in Ryo's eyes, and Rowen thought he perceived a small nod.
Rowen let his friend up. Ryo immediately stood and backed up a little.
"Wildfire!" Kurai growled. "I said fight him!"
Circling Rowen, Ryo muttered, "Sorry 'bout this, man," and then lunged at the
archer, knocking him to the floor. Ryo lifted his datchi about his head as
though he were about to strike at Rowen. Suddenly, before anyone could react,
Ryo jumped up and sprinted straight for the door.
Kurai quickly summed up the situation and with a jerk of her head knocked Ryo
up against the wall. "Bad Wildfire," she frowned. "No biscuit."
While she was distracted with his friend, Rowen silently lifted himself up and
in two steps was across the room, his knife at her throat.
"Release your hold on my friends," he said from between clenched teeth, "or
die."
"Die before surrender," Kurai returned defiantly. "But do you really expect to
defeat me physically like that?"
"Two heads are better than one." With Kurai's attention on Rowen, Ryo was able
to cross to her other side, pressing his datchi against her chest.
Kurai closed her eyes and began speaking rapidly in an unidentifiable language,
and before Rowen or Ryo could flinch, she was gone.
"Okay, um, what just happened, man?" Ryo furrowed his eyebrows. Rowen shook his
head.
Slowly, as if coming out of a daze, sound began to return to the Ronin Manor.
"She'll be back, won't she?" asked Ryo quietly.
"Definitely," Rowen agreed, staring absently out the window. "She'll be back."
They sat in silence for a moment before Ryo spoke up.
"Do you think the others...are normal again?"
Rowen's eyes widened. "I dunno...I guess we'll have to see. Come on- let's go
check on them."
They took the stairs two at a time, slowly panicing as they realized that while
sound had returned ot the world, there was no sound coming from upstairs. Where
Kento's loud proclamations of hunger, Sai's light British accent, and Sage's
laughter usually filled the house, it was silent.
They arrived at the room Rowen and Sage shared first.
"Was he there this morning?" hissed Ryo.
"Didn't notice," Rowen returned. "I wasn't really paying attention."
Ryo threw the door open. "Sage?"
They were met by silence.
Exchanging a worried look, Wildfire and Strata inched into the room. "Sage?"
Ryo called again.
Rowen strode over to Sage's bed. It was empty- in fact, it looked as if it
hadn't even been slept in.
It was the same in Kento and Sai's room- empty beds, completely neat and made
up.
"Now that is a feat," Ryo laughed nervously. "Kento never makes his bed."
Rowen glanced at him. "We need to find Mia." As Ryo nodded agreement, they
headed to Mia's room.
Chapter Seven
Mia wasn't in her room, her study, or anywhere else in the house. The two
ronins did, however, find a note plastered to the door of her study:
Guys-
Took Yuli- wanted to get him out of harm's way. Food in the fridge, contact
you in a couple of days.
Mia
"That's not like Mia," frowned Ryo.
"That's not Mia," Rowen corrected.
The Ronins looked at each other. "Now what?" Ryo asked.
"We wait," the blue-haired archer answered.
3...4...5...6...
Two sets of eyes fixed themselves immovably on the chiming clock.
7...8....9...
A cold wind began to blow through the den of Ronin Manor, making the remaining
Ronins shiver- not only with cold, but with anticipation.
10....11...
Ryo of the Wildfire and Rowen of the Strata tensed their muscles beneath their
armor.
12.
Midnight..
"Waiting for your coach to turn into a pumpkin?"
Rowen and Ryo whirled around, weapons at the ready.
Kurai stood there, her cat-green eyes cold and mocking, raven hair swirling
around her. The edges of her mouth twitched into a grin.
"Where are our friends?" demanded Ryo from between clenched teeth.
Kurai looked at him in amusement. "Where I want them," she said simply. She
glanced at their weapons. "I expected more from you."
When she realized her opponents weren't answering her, Kurai waved her hand
dismissively and went on. "But I'm bored with this- will you surrender, or shall
we fight?'
" 'Die before surrender'," Rowen repeated mockingly.
"Fine," Kurai sighed. "We'll do this the hard way. But I'm not completely
unsporting- let's make this more interesting, shall we? Make it fair?" With a
swift movement of her hands, Kurai pulled two foreign-looking weapons out of the
emerald green sash wrapped around her slim waist. Twirling them, she grinned
again. "Let the games begin."
Ryo was the first to strike, his right foot snapping up in a roundhouse kick,
directed towards Kurai's jaw. She ducked as it swung over her head, then with
two quick movements, grabbed his foot as it raced towards the ground and used
his own momentum to send him tumbling to the ground. Ryo quickly scrambled back
to where his fellow ronin stood to escape her reach.
Rowen didn't even glance at his friend. Slowly, things began to click in his
head, and his gaze fixed on the amulet around Kurai's neck.
"What's the matter, man?" murmured Ryo to his friend as he stood and brushed
himself off.
"It's her amulet," Rowen said under his breath. "Remembah, Ryo? Like Kayura's
made her obey the Dynasty, only this doesn't make her obey- it concentrates her
psychic power."
Ryo followed the direction of his friend's gaze. "You sure?"
"Ye'a."
"Then let's get it."
Ryo attacked again, this time using his datchi against her weapons. They were
soon a blur of weapon, both opponents excellent fighters with their weapon of
choice.
As this was going on, Rowen was slowly circling the room until he was directly
behind the two fighting forms. Both fighters leapt apart simultaneously, a small
wound welling up blood on Kurai's cheek, and a similar gash on Ryo's arm,
slicing through his subarmor and cutting his skin.
Rowen was ready. As soon as they paused, Rowen, positioned behind Kurai, leapt
forward, knocking his opponent to the ground.
"You really should learn to divide your attention, Kurai," he grinned. He
grabbed the amulet, knowing if he released it for a second she would disappear
again.
A sudden pain lanced through his arm, originating with the amulet, which was
now burning an angry green. Rowen's hand burned, but he was determined to get
the necklace, now more sure than ever of it's power.
Ryo reached over to help him, attempting to pull the amulet over the now
struggling Kurai's head. She stubbornly pressed her head against the ground,
providing no way for that.
"Guess we gotta do this the hard way," Ryo told his friend. "Pull it tight."
Rowen obeyed, the chain that held the amulet becoming taut. With a cry, Ryo
swung down his blade, slicing the chain and stopping a millimeter from Kurai's
throat. Rowen pulled the amulet away from her throat as she screamed out as if
in pain. Thrashing wildly now, Rowen could barely hold her. Which was when she
bit him.
"Ah!" Screamed Rowen, and for a split second his hold on Kurai was loosened.
That was all she needed. Wriggling out from under him, she darted away, jumping
through the window with a loud crash. The Ronins immediately gave chase, but the
dark girl had disappeared.
Chapter Eight
"How are we supposed to get them back now?!"
"Calm down, Ryo- we'll get them. Trust me."
Kurai's amulet sat on the kitchen table between Rowen and Ryo. They both stared
at it.
"We gotta go find them." Ryo stood up defiantly and reached for his weapons,
suddenly crying out in pain as the wound in his arm throbbed.
Rowen was immediately at his side, setting him back down in his seat. "Ryo,
get a hold on yourself. It's not like we're gonna find them sitting outside the
door. We have to think of some kind of plan. And get you some more painkillers."
This last was said with a slight laugh as Ryo grinned in pain.
"What kind of weapon can cut through our armor?" he asked suddenly. "I mean,
they'd have to be pretty sharp."
Rowen gave his friend an exasperated look. "You forgot, Ryo- Kurai has some
kind of psychic powers."
Ryo winced as Rowen re-wrapped his arm. "And this effects her weapons...why?"
"Not necessarily her weapons, Ryo- she can manipulate things- people, animals,
objects..."
"Armor," Ryo finished, suddenly catching on.
"Not really...our armor is powerful against her- she would have to concentrate
alot of power to manipulate out armor. It's possible, but it would take alot of
energy. So she reserves power by manipulating her weapons, making them sharp
enough to cut through whatever she wants- such as armor."
Ryo stared at his friend. "Ok. So what do we do?"
"Midnight seems to be the time Kurai shows herself," Rowen's eyes flashed. "And
I have a feeling she's gonna want this amulet."
"YOU FAILED."
Kurai, kneeling on the floor, took a deep breath and looked up. "No, Great One,
please..."
"YOU KNOW THE CONSEQUENCE OF FAILURE."
"Please...give me another chance. I know I can win this time and capture
Wildfire and Strata. I did bring the others."
Oh, pleasepleaseplease....
Silence filled the room for a full minute, and when the voice came it was
harsh. "ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAVE BROUGHT THE OTHERS. BUT IF YOU FAIL THIS TIME...."
"Yes, Great One."
Kurai stood, a relieved smile threatening to break her solemn face. "I
understand."
Chapter Nine
Rowen and Ryo stood in the middle of the front yard in subarmor, not wanting to
have to be confined in the house when Kurai came- and they knew she would come.
The clock struck midnight.
Kurai's amulet began to glow softly in Rowen's sub-armored hand.
"Kurai," he called. "I know you're there- I offer you your amulet back for our
friends' safe return." Even as he said it, Rowen knew she would not accept- but
he also knew he had to try.
There was no answer for several moments, and then, suddenly, Kurai's voice
sounded behind them. "I cannot accept your offer, ronin.
And soon I'll have my amulet back and won't need to."
Ryo spun around quickly to face her, but Rowen turned slowly and carefully with
a deep breath. "You cannot take it from it by force, Kurai."
"I wasn't planning on it, Strata," Eyes mocking, Kurai tilted her head. "I have
a proposal for you."
"We're listening."
"Your friends are under our power," the dark girl began. "As you well know. I
will give you a chance to get them back- but if you fail, you are ours. All of
you. Including the girl and the little boy."
"What do we have to do?" Ryo asked immediately.
"You have to survive an...obstacle course, of sorts, of your friends' making-
an obstacle course of their nightmares. They are alreay inside their own
nightmare- you just have to find them and find the way out."
"No tricks?"
Kurai's opened her mouth in mock suprise. "What do you take me for?" She
grinned wolfishly. "If you accept my challenge, go back inside and go to sleep."
And she was gone.
"Go to sleep?" Ryo mused.
Rowen stared at the spot his enemy had stood a moment before as though it would
give him answers. "I don't think we have much of a choice. We have to help the
others."
"You're right," Ryo nodded. "Let's get back inside."
Rowen stared at the ceiling of the living room, where they had decided was the
most reasonable place ot sleep in this situation.
...Havetosleephavetosleephavetosleep....
Slowly, the blue-haired archer of life drifted off into a deep and almost
unnatural sleep at the exact same time Ryo fell into an almost trancelike state
on the other couch.
Chapter Ten
Complete and total darkness.
Not even a trace of light pierced the darkness that met Ryo and Rowen.
"What's going on?" Ryo whispered, afraid to break the silence that surrounded
them.
Rowen stared around them. "One of the others' dreams, I guess...but why is it
that in spite of the darkness we can see each other, although there isn't any
trace of light?"
"I..." Ryo began to say, but stopped suddenly as he heard a sound.
"Where am I?" a voice asked from near them.
They knew that voice.
"Sage?" Rowen called softly, and suddenly, although no light appeared, they
could see Sage standing in front of them, his eyes wide and very frightened.
"What's going on?" he breathed.
"Sage! You're ok!" Ryo cried out suddenly, then lowered his voice as though he
had just been hushed in a library. "You are ok, aren't you?"
"Yeah, Ryo, I just 'appeared' in some creepy dark place, I hate the dark, and
the last thing I remember is talking to Kurai in our kitchen. I'm great."
"Just checking."
As Ryo explained what had happened to Sage, Rowen looked arounf them warily.
Blackness stretched in all directions, unbroken by anything.
"Sage- what's your worst nightmare?" he asked softly, just as Ryo finished
filling the third ronin in.
Halo thought a moment. "Um, I think it was..." Sage suddenly stopped, his face
draining of color. "In a place like this. Exactly like this. And there were all
these things in the dark, and I...I couldn't see them..."
"For some reason, I don't like the sound of this." Ryo grimaced.
"And it'll just get worse," murmured Rowen grimly.
Suddenly, Sage was pushed back into Rowen, knocking both of them to the ground
with a loud crash. They quickly scrambled to their feet, Sage summoning his
subarmor.
"Why can't you just have nice dreams about pretty meadows and pink bunnies?"
Rowen asked bitterly.
"Sorry, Ro, I'll try to dream more to your liking from now on."
The darkness lashed out again, slashing a midnight black sword a millimeter
from Sage's head.
"Sage, you gotta face your nightmare," Ryo said between clenched teeth.
"Sure, oh great and fearless leader, just tell me HOW I'm supposed to face
darkness?!"
Ryo was silent, but realization dawned on Rowen's face. "Sage, you gotta fight
it with..." The darkness leaped at him, knocking him down again. He scrambled
back, suddenly realizing he was going deeper into the darkness. He quickly
scampered back towards his friends. "Light, Sage! Summon Halo, kill it with
light!"
Sage didn't answer. He was staring at he darkness, transfixed, muttering
something to himself under his breath.
"SAGE! LISTEN!" Rowen screamed. He could feel the darkness closing around them,
and could see the others felt it too. "Sage, you're the only one who can beat
this!! Summon your armor!"
Sage slowly nodded his head slowly, not even turning.
The darkness was creeping around Rowen's body, wrapping him like a blanket. And
suddenly, his body shut down and he felt himself began to drift off into his
mind.
"THUNDERBOLT CUT!"
A blaze of light slashed through Rowen's vision, and he snapped back to reality
just in time to see...nothing. Sage's attack had illuminated a broad expanse of
dark floor, seemingly with no end any way. However, a black door stood about 100
feet away, floating in the air with no frame or any type of structure around it.
"The way out! Head to the door!" Ryo called out as the light projected by
Sage's attack faded suddenly. They couldn't see anymore, but they had a new
hope- a way out of Sage's nightmare.
The other 2 ronins nodded and began to push their way over towards the door
against the hard wind that suddenly appeared.
When the door was 73 feet away, the darkness began to tug.
Now struggling against two forces, the ronins pushed harder. They reached
around them frantically, trying to find the door in the pitch black of the
place.
Suddenly, just as they were beginning to once more give up hope, Sage's hand
touched cold wood.
Following the sound of his voice, Ryo and Rowen made their way over to them.
Together, they were able to yank the door open. Light burst into the room, and a
blood curding screamsounded from the darkness bohind them.
Ryo, Rowen, and Sage quickly jumped through the door- into the unknown and
blinding light beyond.
Chapter Eleven
They dropped forever.
White light wrapped around them like a blanket, smothering them. Rowen could
feel Kurai's amulet, hung around his neck, began to glow and heat up. He felt
the air begin to leave his body, and his heart began slowing down. Right before
the blackness that threatened to envelop him covered him completely, he hit the
ground.
"Well, that was fun," Ryo groaned.
The 3 ronins took a moment to take in their surroundings. They sat in a meadow
of lush green grass, dotted with blue and yellow flowers. About 20 feet away
rose a tall apple tree, covered in perfect red and green apples.
"Ok, um, what exactly's going on here?" Kento's loud, familiar voice rang out
from behind them.
"Kento?!"
The three ronins whirled around to face their friend.
"Yeah...who else would it be?" he laughed. "Hey, you guys don't happen to have
any food on you, do you?"
"Yeah, it's Kento, all right," muttered Sage.
"I guess you probably want to know what's going on, huh?" Ryo couldn't help
grinning as he began to recount the recent events. Kento's eyes wandered slowly
around him, fixing on something beneath the apple tree.
"Hey! Food!"
Ryo shook his head. "Kento, you need to hear the rest of the story so we
can...wait, why is their a plate of food out in the middle of a field?"
Kento had quickly kneeled to the ground, reaching for a plate full of an
assortment of steaming food.
"This is his dream, remember?" Sage said in amusement. "I mean,
'nightmare'...but I don't see how food can be involved in a nightmare of
Kento's..."
As if in answer to his question, Kento suddenly let out a squeal of pain,
looking at his food in dismay. "I think this carrot just bit me..." he moaned.
Suddenly, the food on the plate began to warp and grow, shooting up to 1 foot
tall...3 feet...5...
"What the..." Kento began to back away from the food quickly.
"Kento! Armor!" commanded Ryo.
Kento obeyed, eyes locked on the food, which had sprouted mouths filled with
razor sharp teeth.
"Leave it to Kento to have nightmares about attacking food," Rowen muttered as
he aimed an arrow at an extrodinarily large fried chicken leg.
Next to him, Sage and Ryo charged forward, jabbing and slicing through the
assorted food. Kento stared at his snack, transfixed. Rowen glanced back.
"Kento!"
Kenot didin't answer. No longer transfixed by the food, he looked about him
wildly.
"C'mon, Kento! We need your help!"
Rowen looked back at the warrior of justice desperately. "Kento, it's just
food! You love food! You eat it constantly! So get over it and defeat them so we
can get outta here and aren't stuck here forever!"
Blinking, Kento slowly shook his head, then gathered himself together and
summoned his full armor.
"Hang on, guys! I'm coming!" he roared, diving into the fray. After a moment,
he called out, "Let's get this over with quick- IRON ROCK CRUSHER!"
The earth trembled around them, and a vortex opened in the earth beside the
tree, swirling the air around the Ronins furiously.
Kento looked at it in alarm. "That never happened before when I used my
attack," he mused.
"It must be our way out," Rowen yelled over the wind. "We gotta at least chance
it! We don't have much of a choice!"
Looking back over their shoulders, the Ronins could see the now dazed edibles
began to snarl and advance again.
"Here go's!" shrieked Kento, taking a deep breath and jumping in. Looking at
one another, the others closed followed, into the black void of nothingness.
Chapter Twelve
"Now what?" Ryo asked, attempting to peer through the inky, swirling darkness
that enveloped them.
"Only one more Ronin to go..." Rowen replied.
"Sai..."
As soon as that name was said, the blackness around them let up a little. It
was still too dark to see, but out of that darkness came the sound of childlike
laughter.
"That's not Sai," remarked Kento.
The other Ronins nodded absently, not really sure what to make of what they
were hearing.
Suddenly, the blackness shifted once more revealing a wide expanse of choppy
blue-grey water. An ocean. The Ronins were standing on a deserted beach, under
an overcast sky, gazing out at the rolling water. There, in a small boat, was a
middle-aged,auburn haired man and a small auburn haired boy, rowing out
together. The small child, of about five, was laughing delightedly.
While surveying the scene before them, Sage spoke up, "That's Sai, alright, but
it's him as a kid... This doesn't seem so bad."
"Yeah..." Ryo commented slowly. " I wonder what Sai's worst nightmare is. So
far, this is pretty nice, a childhood memory..."
"Knowing the ocean lover, it's probably an oil spill or something," Kento said
with a laugh.
"Let's just watch, shall we?" stated Rowen, who suspected that the dream was
probably going to turn pretty nasty in just a few seconds. He wasn't disappointed.
The overcast sky around them darkened with heavy thunderheads and the already
choppy water grew violent. The man in the boat hurriedly fastened a life vest
around his son, not taking the time to secure himself as well. As the man
quickly began to row back to shore, the sky let loose and the heavens poured
down.
From where the remaining Ronins stood, they could see a small Coast Guard
vessel, piloted by only two people, speeding out to assist the pair in the
rowboat. As the Coast Guard neared the small floundering ship, a vicious wave
crashed, toppling the little boat and sending both father and son into the
churning water. With the life vest securely around his shoulders, the little boy
immediately surfaced, coughing up water and crying out for his father. The man,
however, did not surface.
Aboard the Coast Guard boat, one of the guys hastily fastened a life line
around his waist and plunged into the swirling sea to retrieve the boy. As, he
was being rescued, the little boy attempted to fight his savior, still calling
out his father's name.
"NO! Daddy, no! Where are you? Come Back! Come back!!!"
The cries were in vain.
Suddenly, an older, familiar voice joined in with the little boy's cries, soon
drowning them out with their sorrow and intensity.
"NO! Not again... Please, not again!"
As lightning crashed and illuminated the angry sky, the Ronins could see
Sai--their Sai-- standing on a large outcropping of rock, not yet covered by the
swirling tide. His eyes were wide with horror, tears of despair streamed down
his cheeks, mixing with the rain.
"Sai!" Kento screamed out.
Sai, too lost in his own grief, didn't seem to acknowledge Kento or the others.
"How do we help him face THIS?" Rowen demanded. "This isn't like the other two.
Sage and Kento's nightmares were both about their worst fears, but THIS?!?"
"He's reliving the death of his father," Kento stated numbly, his heart going
out to his stricken best friend. "We gotta help him somehow!"
"We will, Kento, we will..." assured Ryo.
Rowen smiled sadly. "But how?"
The other three looked at him. "Thanks for the optimistic outlook, Ro," Sage
muttered.
They fell into an uncomfortable silence.
"We have to do something," said Kento softly after a moment.
"Let's go," Ryo sighed, and they began to climb their way over to the warrior
of Torrent.
Sai couldn't look anymore. Out on the water, his child self was screaming,
trying to go back over the side to his father as one of the men on the boat held
him back.
"DADDY!"
Closing his eyes, Sai lowered his head into his hands and began to rock back
and forth. A hand lighted on his shoulder.
"Sai," Rowen said softly.
Sai just shook his head.
"Sai...." Kento, Ryo, and Sage moved forward awkwardly.
"I could've saved him...." Sai collapsed to the ground in a heap, hands still
covering his face.
Taking a deep breath, Rowen jerked Sai's hands away. "Sai, you know that's not
true. You were what, 5? If you had tryed, you BOTH would've drowned."
Sai shook his head. "I could've tryed...."
"And then we wouldn't have had the 5th ronin, and Talpa would've won on his
first try," Rowen knelt next to his friend. "Sai, you have to come to terms with
the fact this was not your fault."
"I can't..." Sai cut himself off with a bout of sobs.
Rowen stood. "Think, Sai. You know, inside, that I'm right."
"It's cold here," Kento shivered. The four ronins other than Sai had pulled
away a little to give him time to think.
"Really cold," Ryo agreed. Falling silent, the ronins stared out over the beach
facing away from the sea. Jagged rocks pushed out of the sand, standing tall and
dark against the stormy gray sky.
"What do I have to do to get out of here?"
At the sound of Sai's british accent, with an obviously fake cheery quality
about it, the four spun around quickly. Sai's face was streaked with tears, his
eyes bloodshot, auburn hair wetly plastered to his head, but he held himself
straight and calm.
"Well, stop staring and tell me how."
"Well..." Ryo hesitated. "We don't exactly know."
"Um...what?"
"Well, the other times Kento and Sage just beat their dreams, did their attack,
and some kinda door or something appeared," he explained. "But..."
"Oh." Sai smiled sadly. "Got it." He thought a moment. "I could... try using my
attack?"
"On what?" Sage raised an eyebrow.
Sai looked around, then fixed his gaze on a large rock about 50 feet out in the
sea. It was shaped as to where it almost resembled a man in a boat, a wave
looming over him.
"That."
Rowen stared at it. "That rock is just way too conveniently shaped."
Nodding, Sai walked a little closer.
"Is that supposed to represent his feelings about his dad or something?" Kento
muttered.
"I guess so," answered Ryo softly.
In front of them, Sai had called his armor and was slowly advancing towards the
edge of the beach.
"SUPER WAVE SMASHER!"
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the world exploded.
Author's note- Gotta thank Saimone for writing the first part of this chapter
when I had writer's block...And for helping me come up with the idea for this
nightmare, too...
Chapter Thirteen
Black and white filled Rowen's vision, and he felt as if the ground beneath him
was gone and he was suspended frozen in the almost non-existent air. He couldn't
move. His whole body was paralyzed in an empty space that barely held enough air
for him to survive.
Ohmygod, we could be killed here and not be able to do anything about it, Rowen
thought. Kurai's upset we got out and will win at any cost, even going back on
the rules...
Rowen began to struggle with his muscles, trying to get them to move, even just
to twitch. He needed to know they were still there- a strange, disembodied
feeling filled him, even as he began to believe his air was getting low.
And he dropped.
He hit the floor with a loud thud, quickly looking to make certain the other
ronins were with him.
"Everyone ok?" Ryo asked shakily.
"I think so," Sage shivered.
They were standing in circular stone room with chains and shackles dangling
from the wall. There didn't seem to be any way in or out, adn the air was heavy
and damp.
"Welcome to my dreamscape."
Kurai was leaning against the wall, her voice self-mocking and almost bitter.
"We got through, Kurai," Ryo called out. "Now let us, Mia, and Yuli go."
"Oh, you're not through yet," Kurai's wolfish grin crept across her face. "You
still have one more challenge."
"Then let's go! Why did you bring us here?" Kento demanded.
The dark sorceress laughed. "I needed to make it more interesting. Only two of
you will face this challenge." She raked her eyes over the warriors, and
suddenly, with a flip of her hand, Ryo, Kento, and Sage were thrown against the
wall. Shackles closed around their wrists and ankles with resounding clicks.
Rowen and Sai looked at their nemesis.
"What do we have to do?" Rowen asked quietly.
"Close your eyes and I'll show you."
They were in Sai's nightmare. At least, it looked like his nightmare- it was
the same rugged, untamed beach and sea, but instead of Sai and his father in the
boat, Mia and Yuli sat there, tied and gagged.
"Oh......" Sai let out a low moan of despair, dropping to his knees. "No, not
them too..."
"We have to save them!" Rowen cried out, already sprinting towards the shore.
It wasn't until he was halfway there that he realized Sai hadn't followed, but
he didn't have time to go back for his friend. He was set on Mia and Yuli.
The water was up to his waist now, and he began to swim, knowing he had to
reach them- the sky was already becoming stormy and the sea choppy.
Rowen felt the side of the boat cold against him very suddenly, just as the sky
opened above him. Gasping for breath, he hauled himself over the side and into
the boat. Instinctively he began to fumble with the knots.
"Dammit..." he cursed. "Just a second, guys, these knots are too tight- I'll
have to cut through them." He looked around furiously for something sharp.
"There's no time!" a light British voice called from the shore, and the
blue-haired archer could see that on the shore Sai had gathered himself together
and was fighting his way towards them."Just get the life vests!"
Rowen immediately obeyed, fastening life vests to Mia and Yuli and gunning the
engine of the boat, pointing it towards shore.
"ROWEN! WATCH OUT!"
He barely caught a glimpse of the giant wave towering above him before the
world went black.
Chapter Fourteen
"He's waking up!"
Yuli's voice cut through his subconscious like a knife. Rowen winced.
"Rowen?" a soft female voice asked.
"Mia?" Rowen sat bolt upright, eyes flying open. A sudden pain cut through his
head, and he fell back with a groan.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm...." Rowen winced and bit back a cry. "Fine. What happened?"
"We're not exactly sure," replyed Mia softly. "After you blacked out on the
boat, Sai managed to get us to shore, and then... we all found ourselves back
home. We were all ok, but you...you've been out for almost a week, Rowen. We
think Kurai launched some kind of psychic attack on you on the boat or
something." Mia grinned as evilly as was possible for her. "Ryo said Kurai was
really mad about being beaten."
Rowen managed a weak smile, which immediately disappeared. "Where's the
amulet?" he hissed desperately, fumbling at his throat.
"Calm down," Mia laughed. "Right here." She reached over to his bedside table
and handed him the emerald and gold amulet. "Now get some sleep."
Kurai stared up at Rowen's window. With a graceful leap, she landed in the tree
beside it and scrambled up the rest of the branches needed to reach it.
Within minutes she was in his room, the cold night air blowing her black robes
around her. A soft green light emulated from Strata's bedside table.
Her amulet.
As soon as her hand closed around it, Kurai felt a surge of power jolt through
her. This was her lifeline, her drug. She needed it.
Her eyes lingered on Rowen's form for a moment. "I refuse to suffer," she
whispered. "So I'll run from my tribe, my home- all because of you. I will get
my revenge." As she slipped out the window, she couldn't help thinking how
beautiful he was. But she quickly shook that off, and slipped away- into the
shadows of the night.
Author's note- Do I smell a sequel?! I'm sooo glad I finally finished this...I
feel like I need a parade or something...I've already got the sequel planned
out, so it should be coming soon! Ok, I still want e-mails, so remember-
sarabian_queen@hotmail.com. Oh, and thank you for bearing with me in my first
fanfic attempt!