World Without End
An End of the Ronins Story
Author's Note: This is a COMPLETED short story. To best view this story, please visit my Ronin Warrior Wing on my web site -- http://www.geocities.com/libraryoflegends/
Afternoon sunlight filtered through a glass paned window, illuminating a cherry wood desk pushed right under the frame. The wood was weathered from many a decade of use, the reddish tint slightly dull and the beams worn smooth. Yet the top was grit free, shining from constant polishing. Here a few picture frames adorned the shelving; the glass was dusty but the photographs they protected remained in pristine condition. Further down, a thick leather-bound book, its cover dyed a dark blue rested on the whorls of wood. Careful calligraphy sprinkled across the yellowed pages made brittle with age. Rays dancing in a gentle breeze highlighted the dark ink. For those strokes told a story, a story of epic proportions and that long tale of life. The book was nearing its end; there were only a few pages left before there would be no more.
A shadow fell across the outstretched volume, temporarily blocking out the blinking sunlight. A pen tip, griped in a hand bedecked with wrinkles, met the fragile pages and formed slow strokes to add to those already there.
It has been a long while.
The pen lifted briefly, its tip hovering above the pages before being lowered once again.
Yes it has been long, perhaps too long.
The head of the figure seated behind the desk lifted, movements slow and deliberate, to stare at the pictures on the shelves, at the images wearing smiles but also those of heartbreak; of determination, and despair. He shook his head and thinning silver blue hair waved with the movement.
How far away those times are now. Yet it seems like only yesterday. Has it really been that long, my friends, since we first met? We five who were living our lives as normal youths, unknowing of the destiny that was to be laid on us? We were a legend come to life, chosen to defend our world against evil, evil we thought existed only in storybooks. It's strange, our trials could have been a storybook were it not for the fear and the heartbreak, the battle and the pain. It was a war we fought, one we dared not lose for the sake of humanity. So much battle, so many times when survival depended on the courage of our hearts and the strength of our friendships.
My friends. Ryo, Sage, Cye, Kento. We've been through so much together. I had never been a very social person but I didn't realize until meeting you what I had been missing for so long. It was difficult at times, I had a hard time understanding what friendship was but you were always patient with me, even when I was acting like a fool. We were all so different yet it was those very differences that complemented each of us, and formed us into the team we were. Ryo the leader, Sage the planner and resident psychic, Kento the stubborn one, Cye with his gentleness, always seeking other answers besides battle, and me the strategist. Each of us different, just as each cloud is uniquely shaped. Alone we cannot do much but together we can accomplish anything we put our minds too. This lesson was long in coming but one I will never forget. I remember being frightened, the day Strata appeared before me. It had chosen me yet I was afraid, until I realized that I wasn't alone, that we all were Ronin Warriors. Then there was Mia, always researching so we could gain the upper hand. And Yulie, his innocence reminded us what we were fighting for. What we faced we faced together. And we remained friends, through thick and thin.
I can never forget those days during the war with Talpa. Forever will those events be burned in my memory. The pain of defeat and exhaustion. Of watching innocents tortured and dying. Of knowing that the path we tread could mean our deaths. The magic of Netherspirits, the endless sea of youja, and the warlords that fought for him. And yet, despite the pain, I cannot help feeling pride at each victory. There is nothing more heady than the rush of adrenaline in a battle. Though I was glad that it was over, I couldn't help feeling disappointment. A foolish thought, but then we humans are selfish creatures. I always wondered why humans would fight for Talpa. I know better now. The battle with Talpa was a mirror of that for human nature. Our senses of morality and right are always at war with our selfish pride. But we can be turned and shown the error of our ways, as the warlords and Kayura were.
Even when I thought it was over, the world refused to let go of the Ronin Warriors. I remember when Sage was captured in New York by Shikaisen who controlled his armor through his dreams. Such heinous deeds. Sage never forgave himself for it, for letting down his guard and allowing hundreds of innocents to die. And the look on Ryo's face when Luna died . . . In Tanzania we clashed with the black Kikoutei armor. The armor that wished only for battle, and our own that rejected our hearts . . . and Cye was the only one of us that realized that. His gentle soul is what saved us then and I thank him for it. Suzanagi. Why did you wish our deaths so? And why is it you gave our armor back to us when we thought all was said and done? So many memories. But interspersed within those, I see happiness too. What I wouldn't give to have them back. But those days are long past now.
We couldn't be Ronins forever. Life moves endlessly on like a meandering stream meeting the sea. I laugh when I think back on it. Who would of thought that we could have our heart's desire, to live normal lives? We all parted ways after college. I think we all felt the need to find our own road, one not governed by the fates for they had released us.
Mia never gave up her love of the romance arts. She became a professor at Sengoku University, following in her grandfather's footsteps. She devoted the rest of her life studying the ancient myths and legends. I am only glad she never did find another that was to come true as ours did. I remember her wedding, and the look on her face when she showed me her newborn son was priceless. One son, but then she said that was enough after dealing with all of us for so long. He laughed and his face was split in a grin as he remembered the expression on her face when she had said it.
Ryo graduated with a degree in zoology. Having grown up around nature, not to mention having White Blaze as a pet, the decision was an easy one. He found the idea of traveling the world studying wildlife as engaging as I imagine his father before him must have found. It seemed as if every letter I received from him was from a different place. I think it was just what he needed to get away from the memory of the Ronin Warriors. Being a leader wasn't easy and I didn't envy him. Especially through the burden of calling Kikoutei, the armor of Inferno, and those dreams of foresight he kept having. He must have found the respite wonderful. Incidentally, he met his wife while he was abroad. They traveled together and even when they decided to make a family, they were always together. He didn't want an experience like the one that happened to him to occur again. He shook his head. He had one daughter. I wonder how she's doing now?
Of coarse Cye got his Master's in Marine Biology. Frankly I would have been surprised if he hadn't. Cye loves his home. Of all of us, I think he was the most glad that his life as a Ronin was over. He never did enjoy the fighting, that was not his way. And yet, when he gets mad, he whistled at the memory. All hell breaks loose. He laughed. He returned to Hagi to work in the Marine Institute so he could still care for his mother and help his sister Sayoko with the Mouri pottery business. And it's just typical of him to find a girl that loved the sea as much as he did. He had a girl, then a boy, he was so proud of himself. And yet, he permitted himself a smile, the two of them are nothing like Cye.
After college, Sage returned to Sendai, his hometown. Being a Ronin fascinated him to no end. He was always the one that forced us to think of plan. He's the most like me I suppose except in some things. He sighed in exasperation. Sage and his swords. That was what got him in trouble in the first place in New York. You'd think being that his kanji is Wisdom, it would have taught him something. Nope. I guess it's the same as keeping Kento from food. He grinned. Sage gave in to his passion and set his life to studying feudal Japan as an archaeologist. He always did love digging up old swords and artifacts from ancient Japan. His letters were so detailed about that. Lucky for him he found a wife willing to help him out with the dojo when he inherited it. He got the best of both worlds. Sort of. He couldn't help but laugh at the memory. He had two girls. Poor Sage could never get away from girls, he wanted a son so badly.
Kento took over his family's restaurant after graduating with a degree in International Relations. I don't know how he did it but he has chains all across Japan and even some in Hong Kong, not to mention inheriting Uncle Chin's restaurant in New York. For a moment, he was overtaken with mirth at the thought of Kento and his food. I think Kento was more known for his stomach than anything else. But then, he was always stubborn and found battle to be exciting, at least initially. He sure changed his tune later when he realized the threat Talpa was to his family. He did love his family. I envied him sometimes. Again he shook his head. But not afterwards. I guess coming from a big family, he decided to have one. Three boys and one girl. What a handful! It was always chaos when I visited him in Yokohama. I don't know how his wife kept her sanity.
Yulie moved on with his life too, but he was always sure to keep in touch with us, even through high school, college, and after. I was shocked when he wrote me and said he was making his career in business. Funny kid, you'd have thought he's work for Mia or go into wildlife like Ryo, his idol, but I guess he found business more attractive. Sigh. There were times during my days as a Ronin when I was ready to skin him alive but now I miss his rambunctiousness, his optimism and his faith. He always believed in us. He never once doubted our ability to get the job done. He is as much responsible for our successes as we are.
As for me . . . He grinned devilishly to himself. Well, I graduated from the prestigious Tokyo University with a PhD as an Aerospace Engineer. How much I was teased by those four when I told them that! I ended up helping in the designing of new satellites and telescopes, one of my joys. And wouldn't you know, I go ahead and fall in love with another fellow astronomer who graduated at the top of her class? I guess we geniuses attract each other. He laughed out loud. But Renee is as devout as I am when it comes to the mysteries of space. Though I could never get away from strategy, my other love, and spend my free time writing strategy guides for various video games. Heck, I've got lots of experience in that department, considering I was the strategist of the group. But I digress. My two children, Stella the oldest and Ryan the youngest, were a joy to have. Cye always joked that we copied him since he had his first but I would just humor him. He shook his head, a soft smile spreading across his face as the thought came to him. Yet it's Stella that's an Engineer. She's more like me than Ryan who chose to make writing his career. Must of got that from Mother.
Hands cramped from writing, Rowen put the pen down briefly to stretch the joints. He took a moment to glance at the world beyond the window, a world of green forests and bright blue skies. He sighed with longing at the sight. I can never forget how beautiful this world looks. It was not easy to be battling constantly but when we can look beyond ourselves and realize the beauty of this world we live in, we realize that it is worth fighting for. As he turned back to his desk, his eye caught his reflection in the panes, dark midnight eyes stared from a face, wrinkled with age framed by short silver blue hair. One rebellious strand had shaken loose and dangled right across his brow. Rowen laughed at that and his eyes twinkled with mirth as he bent back to his writing.
Still blue. It never did go away after I dyed it so many years ago. Well, it's my trademark I guess, what made me different from everyone, even after being a Ronin. He laughed softly a moment more then shook it off, returning to the seriousness of his account. It was hard, things were never easy, but we came out all right didn't we? I vowed never to forget you, even after we parted and I've kept that promise.
I remember that day so well. That day right after we graduated from college. We met back here, in Tokyo, in Mia's mansion, a place we had spent so much of our time and held so many of our memories. We came to relive those days a little, but mostly it was because we knew we had to move on. To realize that our lives as Ronins were over at last. We had not seen battle for a long time and we couldn't hang on to a past any longer. If evil threatened, it would have to be answered by a younger generation. As the Ancient said, our work was done. And so, we returned our armors, our kanji balls, to their resting places where they will remain till they are needed again. And that was the last time I saw White Blaze for he said goodbye to Ryo, and to us as well that day. Rowen let a sigh escape him.
It was Ryo that called us together and insisted we go to each of the five sites together as we bid farewell to something that had been a part of us for so long. No longer would I be Rowen of Strata. I remember the tears in my eyes as I stood at the shores of Lake Biwa, my kanji ball held out in my palm. For all the pain the sight of that blue orb rising into the sky and disappearing finally in the distance left me feeling empty. Ryo put his arm around my shoulder and we stood in silence. He said nothing but he didn't need to. Strata was gone but I still had my friends. Grief overtook him and Rowen had to stop and bow his head until he was able to take up the tale again. And it was he that was the first to go. How sad it was to see him leave, who was our leader, and my best friend.
Mia went soon after. She lived longer than even she believed. Her son is the only other that knows of our tale, the heir to Yoroiden.
Then there was Cye. I thought Kento was going to die from grief when I saw him. Even after our parting they had remained as close as ever.
And Sage, he looked so peaceful. They say he went quietly in his sleep. That is so like him, he never did like people making a fuss over him. But after all the pain it was finally the healer's turn to go.
It was many years later before Kento departed. I think if was stubbornness that let him stay so long but even he had to let go eventually. He sighed.
Next to Yulie, I am the last. How lonely it has been without you, my friends. And yet, I couldn't leave, not until my work was done. He paused. I have no qualms about death. I have lived a full life. My calling is Life but it is now time to pass it on, just as those armors will be taken by the next generation of Ronins, should ever the need arise, though I hope such a thing never occurs again.
A loud thumping of a hand on wood startled Rowen from his thoughts but before he could even think about rising to answer the summons, the door swung open on its hinges to reveal a little girl not more than five, with fawn colored hair held back in a ponytail and dark blue eyes shining with energy.
"Hoshi," Rowen whispered with a smile.
The girl giggled and skipped into the tiny room, jumping straight into Rowen's outstretched arms. She squirmed in his lap until she found a comfortable position and then grinned up at him.
"Grandpa, what are you doing?" he face was spilt into that smile of pure innocence.
"Just writing in my journal," he answered with a quiet smile.
"Oooh," she said excitedly, bouncing on his lap in her glee. "Are there some cool stories in there?"
"Yes, there are stories in here, stories of defeat and triumph, despair and hope, hate and love, frustration and forgiveness, of five youths and their battle with fate, finding the strength within themselves to do what must be done," he shook his head. "Perhaps some day you will read it," Rowen smiled back down at her. "But weren't you just in here?" he teased.
"Meeeeee?" Hoshi replied innocently.
"Hoshi!" came a voice from somewhere downstairs, "Get back down here and stop bothering your grandfather! He needs some peace and quiet too you know!"
Hoshi was on the verge of ignoring that cry and Rowen couldn't blame her, at least, not really.
"Come on you," he placed Hoshi back on the ground, "I guess you better listen to your mother before she comes up her and makes a scene." He laughed.
"That wouldn't be fun," Hoshi made a face up at him then giggled, "Okay Grandpa! See you later!" She bounded back through the door and scampered back down the stairs, only to return to shut Rowen's open door, a finger to her lips and her eyes dancing mischievously. Rowen mirrored her action back at her until her head disappeared beyond the slit and the door closed with a soft thud. Oh Stella, you remind me so much of my own mother. You'll do fine, even when I am gone. He smiled then turned his gaze back out the window where the wind was rattling the tree boughs. He took up his pen once more and added the last few lines to the very last yellowed page in a dark blue leather-bound book.
This is my final chapter. Let the wind take me home.
Rowen lowered his pen for the last time and slowly closed the old volume, careful not to smear the fresh ink that still splotched the last page. As he did so, his eye roved to where the photographs sat on his desk shelf. Ryo at his sixteenth birthday party. The five of them in front of the Brooklyn Bridge. All of them chasing White Blaze who had the Jewel of Life clutched in his jaws. All of them memories. Rowen slowly closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the setting sun's rays warming his face while the wind beckoned him to faraway places.
Let the wind take me home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He was running through a forest. A thick forest swallowed by darkness that was as formless and as shapeless as anything he had ever seen before. He looked behind. There was something chasing him. He didn't know what it was only that instinct told him he could not stop, no matter how tired he became. The enemy, whatever it was, was relentless. Rowen found himself tiring in spite of himself.
Suddenly, the ground around him erupted in a fury of exploding rock. Pieces of dirt and granite flew everywhere in an avalanche of sound and motion. Dodging amongst the falling debris, Rowen cleared the area and leaned wearily against the broad trunk of a tree. His pursuer had either been crushed or driven away as Rowen could no longer feel that urgency to escape. He let his eyes closes with fatigue, not really caring who or what it was that had rescued him until a familiar voice cut across his thoughts.
"Took you long enough."
Startled half out of his wits, Rowen leaped to attention. He whirled and saw a sight that shocked him speechless. In front of him was Kento. It could be no other. The bulky build, broad girth, short, unkempt ash colored hair held back with a yellow headband, and a Chinese accented face from which two dark brown eyes twinkled at him. He was dressed in his familiar orange and white undergear, and looked just as he had following the war with Talpa, youthful and full of energy.
"Kento!" Rowen cried with a voice mixed with surprise and joy.
Kento's face split into a wide grin. "And I thought I took long getting here," he chortled. His brown eyes roved down, appraising his friend. "But at least you had enough sense to put your undergear on. I had to be reminded."
Rowen could only blink in confusion at him, "My what?!" He jerked his gaze downwards and did a double take. He was indeed wearing his undergear, the familiar suit of dark blue and white metal that fit him like a glove and enhanced his movements. But he noticed something else. Now that he thought about it, his joints felt limber and he knew without seeing that his skin was supple and no longer embellished with wrinkles. He raised an incredulous hand to his head and felt the polyester sweatband that held back his hair. The characteristic bang fell across his face and Rowen was shocked when he realized that it was bright blue, not gray or silver blue, bright blue. He blinked again then stared at the surrounding forest. It was still the same dark foliage he had seen before save that the clearing he was standing in was now full of cherry trees in full bloom, raining white sakura blossoms.
"What's going on?" he asked dazedly.
Before Kento could formulate a reply, someone else answered for him. "For someone with as high an IQ as yours, you're sure slow."
Rowen threw a glance over his shoulder and almost jumped back with a comic expression of alarm when he noticed a beam of light shooting through the upper canopy and illuminating the surrounding foliage. The beam collected in a spot to his right and began to slowly solidify. When he thought the intensity was going to blind him, a figure stepped from within the heart of the beam. With a wave of his hand, the light was extinguished but the figure left behind had Rowen's mouth open in astonishment. The unmistakable head of blonde strands and gray eyes could point to no other. Amusement was playing on the pale facial features and his arms were crossed across a body decked in green and white metal, just as Rowen remembered him almost a lifetime ago.
"Sage!"
"Welcome back Rowen. The wind's missed you you know," his lips curled in a smile that seemed to light his whole face up.
Rowen's mouth moved but no sound came out and in any case, he was beaten to it.
"It's not the only one."
The stream, which had been flowing placidly by them, began to ripple violently. Waves began to form around its center and soon the translucent waters erupted in a column to reveal a person wearing a grin, sea blue eyes twinkling and brunette hair dampened. Water droplets glistened on light blue and white metal. There were no wrinkle lines marring his smiling face, no worry to crease the dancing eyes.
"Cye, you too?" Rowen's eyes refused to cease blinking, unable to believe what was happening around him.
"The very same," he laughed.
"I . . . don't know what to say . . ."
"Then don't say anything."
Rowen turned incredulous eyes on a fire that had seemingly ignited from nowhere. He stared into the dancing flames, his mind knowing who it must be. A figure in red and white metal resolved within the licking tendrils of red, orange, and white. His blue eyes were full of energy and sparkle, black hair waving in the wind generated by the fire. Beside him, a large white tiger emerged, brown eyes gazing at him then bowing his head. As they stepped on to the grasses, the fire behind disappeared, winking from existence.
"We've been waiting for you Rowen," he smiled.
"Ryo . . ."
Ryo grinned at him, "So we're finally the Ronin Warriors again, eh?"
Rowen looked between his four friends, all of them smiling avidly at him and finally returned theirs with one of his own. "Yes, I guess we are." A tear formed at the corner of his eye. He couldn't remember ever feeling as happy or as fulfilled as he did at that single moment. "Gosh, I missed all of you! And . . ," his expression turned bemused, "Now that I think about it, I never stopped being a Ronin Warrior. We always were, even when we were hundreds of miles, or even worlds apart."
"Now THAT'S more like the old Rowen!" Cye laughed.
"Guys . . ." The tears were falling profusely now and Rowen embraced each of his four irreplaceable friends. "So where are we anyway?"
"The spirit world, or the afterlife if you prefer," Sage answered, "And we're going to be here for a good long time, an eternity if you get right down to it."
His words were interrupted by the sounds of distant crashing and odd screeching noises that grated in their ears. Rowen sensed his four friends tensing and he joined them in their scrutiny of the surrounding forest.
"What's that?" Rowen whispered, eyes silted in attempt to identify the sounds.
"Demons," Sage grimaced.
"There's demons here?" and for the first time there was a waver in Rowen's voice.
"Yup," Kento answered, nonplussed, "And a whole lotta other trouble too."
"So . . . we have to fight again," Rowen's voice was soft.
"There are those that won't let go of the Ronin Warriors so easily," Cye sighed sadly. But he let his expression brighten, "But don't worry, the Ancient and Anubis are ready to lend a hand and Mia's busy as always."
"Is it really so bad? Does evil follow us wherever we go?"
"It seems that way," Ryo shook his head, "But while I don't like it either, I can't not help if I know I have the power to do so. It is what being a Ronin Warrior is all about."
"Yes, you're right," Rowen let a smile crease his face, "I've said it myself so many times. And," he laughed, "I can't believe I'm saying this but there are some things about those days that I do miss . . ."
Ryo laughed right back at him. "Well I hope your archery skills are still up to task. We've been avoiding the enemy but now that you're here we can finally kick some butt."
"Yeah, but before that," Kento butted in, "We ought to show Rowen the village where our parents are staying."
There was a loud screech and a shadowy ephemeral form crashed from the surrounding shrubbery. Though Rowen was caught off guard, Sage, who had been in this new world longer and knew what to expect, kicked it viciously in its midriff, quickly subduing the creature and causing it to dissipate in flurry of shadowy motes. Beyond the sanctuary of the grove of cherry trees, they could see other figures forming, others just like the one Sage had just destroyed.
"Well, you know what this means," Sage said through pursed lips.
"C'mon," Ryo rallied, "Ronin Warriors to Arms!"
"To Arms!" four voices answered him.
"Armor of Strata! Dao Inochi!" Rowen shouted. And as the familiar ball of blue energy shot from his arms, calling the dark blue samurai armor sporting a golden collapsible bow on its back and a silver quiver from which an endless supply of arrows could be sprung, he couldn't help but feel invigorated. He smiled into the falling petals of sakura and the swirling bolts of silk. They had to fight, but at least they would do it together, as the Ronin Warriors, forever.
~El Fin~