Legends of Darkness
By: Kim and Raven
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Standard Disclaimers Apply; we don't own Ronin Warriors or Bleach. However, the plot and characters of Claudia, Kima and Dorian are ours.
Chapter 1
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Love...a shredded angel heart
Cry to the sky all night long
Eyes...in this town there's always
Sad eyes...
The darkness of midnight was split in two by the bright lights of the Shinjuku district. But for all the lights in Tokyo, a shadow moved among them. It was seen only as a dark blur to the human eye. The extension of darkness soon slowed and came to a stop. A lone armored figure stood atop of the lower buildings gazing into the open window of an apartment complex. The neon glare illuminated the black and silver plating as the relatively fragile-looking figure removed its helmet, releasing a cascade of white-blonde hair. Her cobalt eyes remained fixed on the window.
A man in his early twenties lay peacefully in his bed, his auburn hair tousled by sleep. His athletically toned chest rose and fell gently. A nostalgic look softened her features. She could recall fighting by his side in years past. Upon making an agreement with Anubis prior to his death, she'd disappeared before their eyes, taking the burden of their armors with her. She really was a true Ronin Warrior now. It was somewhat amusing that she now moved more like a ninja than a samurai. Had she not taken up her duty as soul protector of the planet, their premature romance may have become something. There was no use for regrets now, however. The incessant buzzing of her cell phone interrupted her train of thought quite abruptly before she answered it.
"This is Kima." she muttered. "Ah, Claudia. I was wondering when you'd call. I have information on your brother. Can you be in Japan by tomorrow morning? Great. I'll have a favor to ask. I'll see you then. Oyasumi nasai."
Kima replaced her helmet after twisting up her long ponytail. Leaping over the rooftops, she headed back home in the Juuban district. She'd felt a stirring of the Youjakai over the past few days. It had made her apprehensive and her encounter hadn't made her feel any better. Finally making it to her thirtieth floor apartment, she opened the glass balcony door. Once she'd drawn the drapes, Kima sent her armor away. She didn't even bother to flip on the lights. There she was, the bearer of the Destruction armor, preparing for bed.
Kima lay between her black sheets as she thought back on how her life had changed so drastically since that day four years ago. It had caused her to lose everything and everyone that she had found dear.
Someday I want to put the smashed moon back together
And hang it in the night sky
If you try running ahead without thinking
You'll find a naked you
...Flashback...
Removing her helmet, the blonde took a deep breath after a hard battle with the youja. Kayura had been giving them all a run for their money ever since the Ronin Warriors had been reawakened and reassembled. As she rested her scythe on her shoulder and prepared to return to her friends, Anubis stopped her. He called her destroyer, his own little pet name for her.
"Destroyer, you fought well."
"It's easy to fight well when you're fighting not to die." Kima replied.
Anubis studied her a moment longer before speaking. "I've discovered a way for the Ronins to be free of their armor, demo you have a choice to make."
Kima's brow furrowed in confusion. "I have to make a choice?"
"You can choose for the Ronins to keep their armors and bear this burden or you can choose to bear the burden yourself and set them free."
The bearer of the Destruction armor stood silent and frozen. A massive decision was now resting on her shoulders. If she thought of herself, her friends would be angry with her, especially Cye. If she thought of the other Ronins, the planet would be her responsibility. Her choice had been made fairly easily. Her friends were far more important.
"What do I have to do, Anubis?"
The newly appointed Ancient nodded. "When the battle with the Youjakai is over, the Ronins will be stripped of their powers. Only you will have the ability to restore them. What you do from then on is your choice."
The happiness she expressed from that moment on was a facade. She knew what her duties would entail. Her friends were more important than her own happiness. They came first.
...End Flashback...
Your heart's armor isn't warm
It's the time! Do the best!
On the other side of courage...
Kima stared up at the ceiling with her arms folded behind her head. She'd become something of a hermit over the years. Her source of income was that she could find the information that others thought impossible to find. The Japanese government had asked for help on several occasions. That was how she'd met the young American woman she'd be picking up at the airport in the morning.
She also thought back on the young man that she watched from afar every night and how close they had been before. It wrenched her heart to know that he could possibly be in love with someone else. They had been close when they'd fought Talpa together. Cye was the most important thing in her life. He was her world even though he didn't know it.
Love...a shredded angel heart
Cry to the sky all night long
Eyes...in this town there's always
Stardust raining down
...Flashback...
"Kima, what's wrong, love? You don't seem like yourself." the young man in sky blue armor commented.
She tried to hide her nervousness from his empathy. "I'm tired of fighting, Cye. I just want to be normal. I want us all to be normal. Then you could actually take me out on a date."
Cye chuckled as the wind tickled his face. "I would love that. I'll make sure to once we beat the Youjakai."
The two shed their armor in favor of their lighter sub-armor. They were going to go their separate ways to begin the journey to return to their armors' individual resting places tomorrow. Something wasn't boding well for either one of them. The Empire of Doom had some secret plan that was waiting to be hatched. Kima focused intently on the ground in front of her before speaking.
"I want you to promise me that when we all split up, you won't take on anything you can't handle; especially Sekhmet."
He laughed a little, a bit uncomfortable with the severity of her tone. "I can handle the Warlord of Venom. You don't have to worry about that."
"Onegai, promise me, Cye." Kima begged, a pleading look on her face. "I know that Dais is going to come after me as soon as he's done with Kento."
"Why would he come after you? Kento is his archrival, ne?" Cye asked.
"That may be true, demo it's like we have this ongoing vendetta with one another. He'll come after me sooner or later and it will end in a battle." the blonde replied. "I can feel it."
Cye reached over and took her metal-shielded hand in his own. It dampened his spirits to know that Kima had such a pessimistic outlook already. "We're all setting out tomorrow. Promise me that you'll be careful too, Kima."
...Time Jump: Two Weeks Later...
There was a sharp pain in her head and she saw fireworks in the back of her eyelids before there was an acute agony in her left eye. The last thing she remembered before the world went black was the maniacal laughter.
...
Cye fought his bonds once more, struggling to get free. Since he, Sage, and Kento had been captured by Talpa and the Warlords, they could do nothing but wait for Ryo and Rowen to show up. The opening of the dungeon door caused all three of them to look up suddenly. The Warlord of Illusion had entered with a triumphant look on his face as he came dragging something behind him. The warrior of Hardrock bristled immediately.
"Dais! You finally decided to show your ugly face!" Kento shouted. "When I get out of these chains, you're dead meat, konoyaro!"
Dais merely smirked. "I brought you another companion."
He casually lifted an unconscious Kima into the air by her wrist. Her helmet had been lost in some battle. As her head lolled to the side, Cye saw the bright vermillion that covered the left side of her face. An "x" had been carved over her left eye. Sea green fire leaping into his eyes, the warrior of Torrent fought uselessly against his iron bonds.
"What have you done?" Cye screamed. "You've killed her."
"Don't be stupid, Torrent. Talpa-sama would obliterate me if Destruction was dead. She's just got a new addition to that pretty face of hers." Dais said smoothly as he was locking Kima into place by her wrists. "She put up a good fight. It was a glorious battle all the way to the end. She won't be using this again for a while." he commented, showing them her splintered scythe before tossing it over his shoulder carelessly. "If she's lucky, I didn't cut deep enough to blind her. At least I believe I didn't."
Cye slumped in a tired manner as Dais left them. From the corner of his eye, he could see Kima's head sunk forward. The blood dripping from her jaw echoed somewhere in the depths of the abyss far below.
"Sage, is there anything you can do?" he pleaded.
The blonde warrior of Halo shook his head. "Without sunlight and my No-datchi, there's no way I can help Kima. Gomen ne."
A soft groaning caught their attention. Kima's right eye fluttered open as she gazed about her. An enraged cry filled the air as she pounded her body against her prison.
"Kima..."
She cut Cye off with her cries. "Shimatta! He tricked me, konoyaro! Dais! Fight a fair battle and I'd win!"
"Kima, onegai. You're making your wounds worse. Yameru kudasai. Onegai desu!" Cye begged.
"That bastard Dais took my eye!" Kima screamed, attempting to get some footing to pull free from her chains. "I won't know for sure until it heals some."
The grating of her armor against the stone sounded, sending its shriek barreling into the cavernous chamber. Sensing Cye's distress, Sage attempted to intervene. "Yameru, Kima. Kima, yameru! You're only going to hurt yourself more!"
The female Ronin finally lost strength or gave up, sighing heavily. She finally succumbed to her pain and fell into heartbreaking sobs. This was it. Their only way of escape now was Ryo and Rowen.
"It'll be okay, love." Cye said, his voice strained. "There's still hope. Ryo and Rowen are still out there. They'll save us, Kima, I promise."
...End Flashback...
You can't just sit and cry in your room at night
The glass generation
I can't do it alone, but with you, I'll be okay
This meeting is calling me
Kima subconsciously rubbed the scar over her left eye. Luckily she'd retained her sight. Dais's mourning star had left behind a nasty scar that would remind her until the end of time of the pain that she and her friends had gone through. Now the struggle was beginning all over again. Two nights ago she'd encountered a squad of youja during her patrol. Something was on the brink of emerging from the darkness and she had no leads.
Sighing, the blonde left her bed and retreated to the balcony. The information she had for Claudia Preston would direct her to the Ronins. She'd planned it that way purposely. From what she knew of the American, she was something of a photographer, so she would direct her to the most picturesque city in Japan; Toyama. That's where Cye and the others had been meeting for years just before the blooming of the sakuras. When she arrived in a few hours, she'd have a favor to ask. There was a certain ex-warrior of Torrent whom she wanted to check up on.
Your heart is a soldier, hiding its tenderness
It's the time! Do the best!
To the other side of tomorrow...
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The stardust in your heart wants to shine
It's the time! Do the best!
Collecting love...
The mindless chaos of the airport was giving her a headache. The ear-splitting decibel level of all the garbled voices was infuriating. The swarm of people moving around in masses had no idea that they were in danger. It was only a matter of time. Her chances of preventing another wave of destruction were now slim. The gates of the Empire of Doom were practically visible. She slowly made her way toward the loading dock.
A brunette who was clearly not Japanese was looking around apprehensively. The young woman clutched her baggage in a protective manner as her eyes roved through the crowd. The blonde swept her waist-length hair over her shoulder and approached. Picking up one of the girl's bags, she extended her hand, speaking with a thick Japanese accent.
"You must be Claudia. I'm Nanao Kurosaki."
Love...a shredded angel heart
Cry to the sky all night long
Eyes...in this town there's always
Stardust raining down
...
End Chapter
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