Disclaimer: Nothing but the twisted story belongs to me

Disclaimer: Nothing but the twisted story belongs to me.

Notes are at the very end of the story if you would like to know.

Destiny is Forever

Chapter 1

By: Cat Paws

The very sight of her disgusts me. I am repulsed by the mere thought of her. How can someone be so degrading to me?

The others don't seem to mind her; in fact they down right adore her. How can they tolerate such a foul creature as she? She, who reeks of putrid scum that could kill a man. Are they that blind to her toxicity?

I shut my eyes and my thoughts. I turn my head away to face the window, my escape. There is a conversation that goes on around me, but I do not pay attention. The hob-gobble that they talk of means nothing to me. I want out. I must get out, get away, from her.

"Excuse me," I say and leave the room. I cannot hide the coldness in my voice; try as I might. I manage to stop the conversation long enough for my escape to be noticed by her.

I make it outside, into the fresh air and warm evening sun. Nature always has a way of calming me down. It sets me free from my dark thoughts that seem to make their way into my consciousness.

I walk deep into the forest and stop in no particular spot. There comes a gentle breeze that rustles the surrounding vegetation and my hair. The breeze is so claming and relaxing that I drop to the ground and lie there, letting it wash over me. The sun's remaining rays wrap themselves around me and do their magic; caressing me to peace, tranquility. The soft grass provides a cushioning for my now exhausted body.

All afternoon, I have been on guard, my senses open to her every move no matter how it disgusts me. She had slithered her way into our lives only this afternoon, yet she managed to tear us apart. Us, the inseparable team. Are we that inseparable? I wonder...?

I must put these thoughts out of my head if I am to survive our encounter. I must be focused, calm, cool, and unwavering. She approaches and I am reflecting on nonsense. I have a lot to learn.

Her descent chills me to the bone and her stench fills my every pore. If only I had armor that could block her infectious scent.

She is here. I don't attempt to get up. Why should I show her any respect? Night has fallen, how appropriate for what will happen.

"Enchantress, why have you come?" I ask from the ground. My voice reflects me feelings towards her, angry and annoyed.

"You know why I have come. You invited me." Her tone of voice, meant to seduce and mesmerize, only makes me laugh. I feel her pull back in surprise to this reaction. I roll over and continue to laugh. Tears come to my eyes as I gather my composure and sit up.

I smile as I see her expression. It is a mix of exasperation, amazement, and... a little anger? I smile wider and say, "Now Enchantress, you know your charms don't work on me, so please stop wasting them. Save them for your other chumps, okay."

"As you wish." That intoxicating stench slowly drifts away. "All though, why should I make you comfortable?" She asks, crossing her arms. She is silhouetted by a silvery light that does not come from the moon. This light makes her every feature more beautiful. Her slender form, her seductive eyes, her porcelain skin, her silky black hair. Beautiful, so very beautiful. Only an illusion.

I stand and say with a smile, "Because I asked you. I'm only thinking of your best interests. You know you don't have to dress up for me." Once I had said that, before me stood a not so attractive creature, though still beautiful in her own right.

"Now, why have you come? I know I did not call you." I had to get back to business. Her being here can only mean the worst, if not for this world then for me.

"True, you did not call me. But..." Her voice, a little raspier now, trails off. She wants to unnerve me, make me drop my guard. I cross my arms and tilt my head sideways. Her delaying does not impress me.

She walks towards me and places a hand on my cheek. "Your eyes, they are so cold, like ice. Is it because of me that they are like this? Such a shame." I pull away, annoyed again. Hard to believe, but for a moment I was enjoying our meeting. Now, she reminds me of why she has come.

"See, you do know why I'm here, don't you?" I must admit, I was a little surprised at her remark. True, I did realize why she was here, but for her to know. It must have shown in my eyes. Damn demon eyes. They can't hide everything from another.

"So what are you going to do? Show my friends what I really am? It's not like they don't already know."

"But do they know the whole story? I can tell them for you. They truly do love me, I must admit." She smiles at this as she reflects on those memories of things that happened not so long ago.

"You can't tell them, because I am the only one who knows." A false confidence begins to build in me.

"But I can show them!" A flash of light blinds my eyes and I can smell smoke. There is a strange sensation all over my body. My eyes are not working right, but I can feel her smile, her triumph over me.

Now it is her turn to laugh. "Your friends should be coming to investigate the flash. Have fun explaining yourself to them. That is, if they listen. They maybe too afraid and attack you instead. Too-da-loo."

I am now able to focus my eyes and I see what she has done. Placed upon me is a shell in the shape of my dark armor. My hands are like claws and I can feel my fangs.

This 'shell' that she placed on me is an imitation of the form given to me by my father, my real father. The memories of my first and last encounter with him invade my mind.

"Witch, what will this prove? That your parlor tricks work? Come and take this off of me," I say, not too enthusiastically.

"No. I have to go now. Bye..."

"Wait! Enchantress." She never did have the patience needed to see a job all the way through. Well, no matter what she may think, I'm not ready just yet to show myself to my friends.

"SAGE!!" I glance in the direction the voice came. I smile and close my eyes. I focus my thoughts and can feel her trick vanish. Only a trick, nothing to worry about, just a reminder. A reminder that there will always be people, creatures that will try to mess with me. They don't understand my choice. They never will.

"Sage?" I open my eyes to find a friendly, but worried face staring at me. "Are you okay?" My dear friend Cye asks me in a gentle voice.

I can't help but to smile as I say, "Yes. I will be fine."

"Are you sure? You look a little surreal here. Are you aware that you're glowing?" I look at him a little puzzled. Perhaps he can't see the light blue glow around himself. Even so, I foolishly ask, "Aren't we all?"

"Um, not that I know of."

"Oh."

"We should head back to the house. The others are anxiously awaiting my report on what the flash was. By the way, what was it?" He starts a conversation that I can't help but to not pay attention. All though, I did know what he was talking about, I just didn't feel like answering, but I should. They do deserve an explanation. After all, they, we, are the Ronin Warriors.

Just then, a strange yet not so unexpected thought crosses my mind. Cye, my friend, you're next aren't you?, I think as I watch his approach to the house before me. You are, aren't you?

He suddenly stops and looks at me with the most puzzled expression on his face. "Did you just say something?" He asks, bewilderment in his voice.

I look down as though laughing at some inside joke. In a sense, I guess I am. How would one explain to another what awaits them? Such a dilemma. I will definitely have to speak with Cye, but not now anyway.

I look at him as he waits for my answer. I almost ask him to turn down his aura of light blue, but that would only confuse him more. Instead, I shrug my shoulders and simply say, "Must be hearing things." This statement is not that far from the truth, after all.

"Yeah, must be," He says rather quietly. I walk past him and glance at him from the corner of my eye as he starts to follow. I can't help but to feel happy and a bit sad that I'm not the only one to have to face this. Though why it has to be Cye, out of the others, makes me wonder what is in store for us.

Then, logic takes over as I come to some half way decent conclusion. I look back at him, now almost by my side and think, It's all up to us now, my friend.

He stops and looks at me, again. "Are you sure nothing is wrong? You haven't been acting youself."

I look away from him, towards the house. "All in due time. Come on. The others are waiting." I can't imagine what he may be thinking. I will have to explain, but not now.