Shadow Dancing

-Celesta SunStar

I don't own the Ronin Warriors. I make no profit from this.

As much as I would like to play around with Gaiden aftermath, I have never seen any of the OAVs so I must pretend that they never happened.

As the Ronins recover from the final fall of Talpa, Sage finds himself becoming the teacher and the student of the Warlords.

May eventually turn out yaoi, I will adjust the rating when/if that happens. Mentions an odd pairing, but I will generally focus on Sage and the Warlords

*

Sage gazed out of the window. The full moon turned the snow-covered landscape into a silver and velvet wonderland. Behind him Cye and Kento were having another friendly argument, this one about their respective girlfriends. Both Catherine and Milaya were sweet and sensible girls that had been rescued by Kento and Cye while on 'clean-up' duty after Talpa had been defeated the second time. Catherine's outgoing and bubbly personality complimented Cye well, while Milaya somehow managed to keep Kento under control. Sage was happy for them; they were lucky to have found girlfriends who understood the whole 'Honey, I have to go save the world' thing that happened to them occasionally.

Ryo, Rowen and Mia, now that was an odd set; Sage suspected that they had gotten together for comfort when Talpa had captured Kento, Cye and himself. It must have worked out well, since they seemed content to stay that way.

Sage wasn't lonely. With the armor bond, none of them could ever really be 'alone' again, but he felt... stifled. He was happy that his friends were happy, but that didn't mean that they needed to keep trying to set him up.

Finding himself outside, he breathed in the crisp, clean air and smiled into the calming silence. He started off into the glassy jeweled forest. His friends meant well, but he was starting to feel claustrophobic around people. He needed to rebalance himself.

He found himself in a clearing later. The ground was bare of snow, but hard and frosty. His subarmor was barely more then a thought away, the familiar magic turned metal as comfortable as a second skin. He stretched, and then frowned faintly. It felt like there was something missing...

With a soft smile Sage raised his hands and wove a short robe from the gleaming moonlight, twinkling starlight, shimmering snowlight, and the comforting, clinging shadows. As it whispered over the subarmor, Sage stood in the center of the clearing, and allowed the light to pour into his hands, forming his sword. The weight steadied him, allowing the closed-in feeling caused by worried care of his armor mates to melt away like a heavy unneeded cloak by a bonfire.

He closed his eyes to better let the stillness of the place become the stillness of self, and then let the stillness flow into the first simple turns and cuts of an elaborate pattern dance.

He felt another sword meet his, not harsh, but like the merest touch of a butterfly wing. He neither stopped nor opened his eyes, continuing the strikes, cuts, blocks, and spins that he had learned so long ago. He continued to feel the touch of an arm, the kiss of a blade, slide of lovers' lips in the light meeting of swords as he dueled his shadow in the winter moonlight.

And it was over. It felt far too soon, but the dance could not be denied its proper ending. Stillness blanketed him again, as Sage opened his eyes and bowed to his dance partner. His partner bowed back, the light revealing a smile and a cross-shaped scar before the shadows swirled around their advocate as he walked away in the star studded night.

Sage smiled as well as he too, turned to follow the glittering path home.

*

TBC

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