Ok, Disclaimers, whoever owns the Ronins owns them,
I don't. Any original character's, though I rarely use them, are mine, but if
you like them, like I care if you use them. And warning, bad things happen to
Sage and Cye, kay? Well, have fun!
Through Thick and Thin
Chapter 1
"Oh Cye, our poor innocent,
naïve little Cye. Can't stand seeing Mia's underwear while folding clothes. So
pathetic………."
"I'm not pathetic! I'm just not as
comfortable with seeing those types of things."
"Yeah Sage, stop harassing the
British brat."
"Kento, I am not a brat!"
"Oh Cye, you look so cute when
you're mad." Sage teased as Cye glared
at him.
"I am not mad."
"Could have fooled me." Rowen said
as he entered the room with a book in one hand a sandwich in the other. He then
plopped onto the couch next to Sage.
"So, Sage, having fun with Mia's
underwear?"
"You better believe it. And Cye is
too though he'd never admit it."
"Hmpf……" Cye muttered in distaste.
Rowen grinned at his British friend.
"Hey Kento, there are a bunch of
sandwiches in the kitchen."
"Sandwiches? Cool I'm there!" Cye
and Sage sighed in unison.
"Thinks with his stomach, not with
his brain."
"I agree." Cye replied to Sage's
words.
"Well, I guess I better go make sure
he doesn't want anything else."
"But I was just in the kitchen and
there are about 20 of those things." Cye looked at him and Sage sighed.
"Rowen, this is Kento. No way in
hell are 20 sandwiches gonna fill him up." Rowen nodded in understandment.
Kento could eat more food in a day then Sage could in a week. As soon as Cye
left the room, Rowen let his head rest on Sage's shoulder as he continued
reading.
"Rowen, how many times have I told
you that while you are in my presence you are not aloud to read?" Rowen
grinned.
"Lots of times. And how many times
have I told you that I won't listen to you?" It was Sage's turn to smile.
"Lots of times." Rowen laughed
slightly as Sage gently pried the book out of Rowen's hand and set it on the
table. He leaned down and gently kissed the bridge of Rowen's nose.
"I think I've found something better
then reading."
"I thought so." Sage muttered,
deepening the kiss. It was then Rowen pulled away.
"What…..?" Sage questioned as Ryo
walked in the room.
"Hey guys, what's up? I'm bored.
Either of you got any ideas of what we could do?" Sage shrugged.
"Not really. Why don't you go do
something with Mia?" It was Ryo's turn to shrug.
"I don't know. I'm out with Mia so
much that I never get to spend time with the guys."
"Getting tired of doing women
stuff?" Sage asked flatly.
"Oh yeah." Ryo replied.
"We could go to a bar."
"Well, that's not interesting.
Anyway, Mia won't let me drink." Sage and Rowen stifled their laughter as Ryo
glared at them.
"Fine Ryo, why don't you go as a
girl." Rowen joked as Ryo's eyes widened.
"Ryo, you aren't serious. You aren't
actually thinking of dressing up as a girl are you?" Rowen asked nervously.
"Of course not! I couldn't pull of
being a girl if I wanted to. But you two…… That might work."
"No Way Ryo! Maybe if it's your
birthday or some celebration, but on a normal occasion? Uh uh . Yeah right."
Ryo sighed.
"Fine. But if it was a celebration
then you would, right?" Sage nodded.
"I'll keep that in mind you two."
Ryo said as he walked out of the room, a devilish grin on his face.
~~~~~~
What Sage and Rowen didn't expect
was for Ryo to remember their promise 2 months later.
"But guys, you promised that
you'd do it a long time ago!" Ryo exclaimed.
"We were joking Ryo. Sage
wasn't serious about it."
"Well, actually, at the time I
was......" Rowen glared at Sage.
"That's not helping!" Sage
shrugged.
"Well, since it is Ryo's 17th
birthday, I think he deserves a treat. I mean, he is our leader and all, the
least I could do is provide the entertainment. I'll just get drunk off my ass
and then we'll see what happens." Rowen began shaking his head no.
"Uh uh. No way. Sage, when you
get drunk, you hit on everyone, male or female." Sage shrugged.
"Rowen, why would that bother
you? Sage always hits on everyone." A blush slowly crept up the archer's
face as he turned away.
"No reason." He muttered.
"Rowen, I'll go pick out our
dresses later. And Ryo, don't tell everyone else. I wanna see if I can make it
so that they don't recognize us." Rowen's face flushed crimson.
"I cant believe we're actually
gonna do this." He muttered as he left the room.
"Well, guess I better go get
those dresses." Sage said as he exited the room. All Ryo could do was
laugh, thinking of what the next night would bring.
~~~~~~
When Sage awoke the next day, he did
not expect to find a coughing Rowen in the bed next to him.
"Rowen?" He muttered as he
walked over to his friend and placed his palm on the boys forehead.
"Oh no. You're burning alive. I
better go get Cye."
"Stay." Rowen said to Sage
as the blonde stopped in his tracks.
//Guys, Rowen's sick. Come here.//
Sage called telepathically to his friends. Within moments, all the Warriors
were in the room.
"Oh dear. He has a nasty
cold." Cye muttered. Sage gently pressed his palm against Rowen's
forehead. A rush of light and warmth rushed over Rowen, and a smile formed on
the archers lips. He could feel Sage's presence and essence filling his body
and gently healing his wounds.
"He'll be fine." Sage
said, his breath slightly faster then normal. The Warriors figured out what
Sage had done and said nothing. It was then Ryo pulled Sage aside.
"Sage, Rowen's sick. What about
our plans tonight?"
"well, I guess he can't do it,
though that's stating the obvious. And I spent good money on that dress."
Sage looked around the room when a smile curled on his lips.
"Unless we get someone else to
wear it...." Sage muttered, eyeing Cye in the corner of the room.
"Will it fit?" Ryo asked.
" Don't worry. I'm the one with
the tight outfit, his is rather lose, so it's bound to fit." Sage
whispered back to Ryo.
"Ryo, I'm gonna go to the
kitchen. In a few minutes, tell Cye that I wanted to talk to him in the
kitchen." Ryo nodded as sage walked out of the room.
"This is gonna be a birthday
I'll never forget..." Ryo grinned as he approached Cye.
~~~~~~
"Sage, Ryo said that you wanted
to see me about something."
"Indeed I do. For Ryo's
birthday, Rowen and I had planned a little show. But since Rowen can't perform
tonight, I was wondering if you could fill in."
"What kind of
performance?" Cye asked curiously as Sage smiled slyly.
"I'll tell you if you agree to
help in advance."
"I don't know...."
"Come on, were just trying to
make this a birthday Ryo will never forget." Sage pleaded.
"Oh all right. What do I have
to do?"
"Just come with me to get
ready."
~~~~~~
"Oh my! Dress up as a woman? No
thank you!"
"But Cye, you promised!"
Sage exclaimed.
"That was before I knew you
were trying to change my sexuality!" Sage sighed.
"Oh come on Cye! How often is
it that Ryo turns 17?"
"Once in a lifetime." Cye
muttered as Sage nodded.
"And I'll never make you do
anything like this again." Cye shook his head.
"Fine, I'll do it. But only
because Ryo is our friend and you only live once I suppose." Sage gave Cye
a rare and genuine smile.
"Thanks Cye. I owe you one. I
just didn't want a 150 dollar dress to go to waste." Cye looked a Sage in
awe.
"You spent 150 dollars on a
dress?!"
"Well actually, 300 dollars for
both. Ryo's done so much for us, and anyway, this is his birthday
present." Cye shook his head.
"You haven't done this much for
the rest of us."
"Maybe I will, when you guys
turn 17, you just got lucky that you're already 17." Sage said slyly as he
handed a box to Cye.
"Put that on. Everything you
will need is in there." Cye nodded as he stepped into the bathroom. When
he opened the box, he couldn't help but admire Sage's good taste. The dress was
a pale baby blue that was loose and made of fine silk. Cye pulled on the dress,
running his fingers over the cameo that was connected to the ribbon of the
dress that circled his neck. He looked into the box and found a pair of
matching cameo earrings. He gently put them on and reached into the bag for the
last item. When he pulled it out, he noticed that it was a tiny ring. He pulled
it closer to examine it, and realized that it was an emerald with two smaller
diamonds to the sides.
"Oh my..." He muttered as
he slipped it onto his ring finger. It was then he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"It was my grandmother's. She
gave it to me to give to the person I love. I thought that it would go good
with Rowen's outfit. So I was going to let him wear it." Cye nodded
softly. He turned to face Sage and gasped at what he saw. Instead of his cold
friend, he saw a striking woman with a tall, lean figure. She was wearing a
dress that was indescribable. It was tight on the upper part of the body, but
the lower part of the dress flowed. It had a slit that ran up to just below the
thigh, and a see-through shawl draped across lean shoulders. Green high-heels
added height to Sage's already to tall figure. Along the top of the heels were
engravements of tiny golden flowers.
"Woah Sage...." Cye gasped. Sage had a tiny bit of make-up on his
face. Across his forehead was a tiny gold tiara with a fake emerald in the
middle, and he'd obviously used a curling iron to make it so the tip of his
hair curled inwards.
"Cye, you're next."
"Eep..." Cye yelped before
Sage called Mia into the room. When Mia entered she gasped.
"Sage, what do you need my help
for? You seem to be doing a fine job on your own." Mia said while looking
at Sage.
"I can put it on myself, but I
always have trouble putting it on others." Mia nodded.
"OK Cye, just sit back and
relax." Mia said, ushering him to sit on the chair.
"Relax! I'm dressed as a bloody
woman!" Sage and Mia both began laughing.
"Cye, if you haven't noticed, I
am too. And Mia is a woman." Sage said as Mia nodded in agreement.
"Mia, you work on Cye, I'm
going to go get the last part of his outfit. Oh yeah, and his shoes are in a
box under the bed." Sage said before pulling a cloak that was draped
across the bed on. He pulled the hood on as Mia eyed him oddly.
"I don't want anyone to see me,
yet." Mia nodded in response as she watched Sage leave the room.
~~~~~~
Sage gently opened a box he had
secretly hid in Mia's room a long time ago. He actually had no use for it now
that he was with Rowen. In the tiny box was a beautiful diamond engagement
band. After his mom had left, his dad had given it to him, hoping Sage would
have better luck with finding a wife. Sage laughed silently. He'd found the
person he cared about, but unfortunately it was a guy. Oh well. Maybe Ryo could
use it when he and Mia finally hooked up. Sage slowly stood up and made his way
to the door when he ran into Ryo.
"Sage, what are you doing in
Mia's room?" Ryo demanded.
"And why are you wearing that
stupid cloak!?" Sage remained silent as always.
"Why are you in my girlfriend's
room?!" Ryo grabbed the cloak and yanked it off the other boy. Underneath
was what looked far from a boy.
"I was getting the last part of
Cye's outfit, OK?" Ryo nodded, speechless. He wondered what Cye looked
like at that moment.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I
have to go get going. I've got to go give Cye this ring. It'll keep him from
getting hit on so badly."
"What kind of ring is it?"
Ryo asked oddly.
"An engagement. If anyone asks,
he's with Kento. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone to pretend that I'm married
to. Oh well, I don't need as much protection as he does." Sage said as he
slowly left the room.
"This is gonna be fun..."
Ryo muttered as he also left the room.
~~~~~~
"OK guys, were ready!" Mia
called out. She walked out first wearing a short lavender dress with pearls
around her neck. Kento and Rowen sat in the living room, Rowen in a pair of
flannel Pjs.
"Mia aren't you gonna be
cold?" Rowen asked as Mia shrugged.
"Not as cold as Sage and
Cye." She said giggling.
"Come on out you two!" Mia
ordered as the two slowly appeared in the stairwell. Kento nearly fell out of
his chair as he watched the two slowly proceed down the stairs.
"Mia. You mean to tell me that
Cye the wuss, and Sage the cold bastard are the two hot ladies on the
staircase?! This is great!" even Rowen was grinning from ear to ear.
"Yes, we are Sage and Cye. Now
can we please get going?" Everyone nodded as they headed to the door.
"Bye guys! Have fun and take
lots of pictures!" Rowen called out as everyone left the house.
~~~~~~
Cye blushed at the constant stares
he was getting as soon as they entered. He didn't receive as much hungry
glances as Sage, which was a relief.
"Sage, stay with me. Every man
in the bar is looking at you like you're a piece of fresh meat." Kento
warned as Sage sighed.
"Thanks for caring Kento, but I
am very capable of taking care of myself. And anyway, Cye's the one who you're
engaged to." Kento's eyes widened.
"What....?" Kento asked as
Sage grinned.
"Cye is your "girl"
for today. I gave him an engagement band so that he wouldn't worry as much.
Less people will hit on him that way." Kento nodded. He guessed he didn't
mind, Cye was his best friend and he didn't want anything to happen to him.
"Kento, I'd go save Cye. Two
guys are pestering him." Sage said as he pointed to the Cye that was
pinned up against the wall.
"Well, guess I better go save
my fiancé." Kento said as he walked over to the men. Sage glanced around
and spied the bar.
"Rowen didn't want me to drink
anything......" He muttered to himself as he walked over to the bar and
sat on a stool. Within 5 seconds, people were sending drinks in his direction.
Sage was well aware of the fact that Rowen didn't want him drinking, but how
was Sage supposed to turn down free drinks? Sage slowly pulled a glass up to
his lips and began to sip at it.
"Sir, give that girl the
strongest thing you have here. This should pay for it." A man pointing at
Sage said as he handed the bartender the bills. The bartender counted up the
bills before he nodded and passed the drink to the beautiful blonde before him.
"The man over there wanted to
give you this." The bartender said as he pointed to where the man had
been. When Sage turned to see who it was, no one was there.
"Well, he was here a minute
ago....." The confused bartender said as he went back to work. Sage
shrugged as he quickly downed the drink before he stood up and headed off to
find his friends.
~~~~~~
What Ryo least expected was a
totally drunk Sage to walk up to him.
"Come on birthday boy, lets
dance." Sage said as he grabbed Ryo and dragged him of to the dance floor
leaving a very amused Mia behind. Sage quickly climbed up onto the bar counter
and pulled Ryo up with him.
"Oh dear Kento, Isn't that Sage
and Ryo dancing on the table?" Cye said as he pointed to the dancing
couple that was attracting everyone's attention. Unfortunately Cye was right,
Sage and Ryo had become the life of the party. When the song ended, Sage
gracefully flipped into the crowd, and Ryo lost sight of the blonde for the
rest of the night. Not before Sage had kissed him a little deeper than he would
have preferred, though.
Sage was now the center of
attention, bounding around the party without a care in the world. Every time he
moved, he was magically in a lip lock with someone. He felt bad at the thought
of his blue haired archer at home, but another drink bumped that thought out of
his mind. It was then a person approached Sage that seemed oddly familiar to
the wasted blonde. As Sage took a closer look at the man shrouded in darkness,
memories flooded his mind. As the alcohol began to kick in and things started
to slowly fad into darkness, Sage uttered one last word.
"Cale......"
~~~~~~
"Kento, I'm gonna go to the
bathroom with Mia. She wants to freshen up, and since I'm dressed as a girl,
she decided that it was time for me to see what the ladies bathroom looks
like." Kento couldn't help but grin as Mia grabbed Cye and dragged him
off. Kento then went over to Ryo.
"Did you have fun dancing with
blondie?" Kento asked with a smile. Ryo just glared back.
"No I did not. Though those
rumors going around are true. Sage is one damn good kisser." Kento looked
on in shock as Ryo began to laugh.
"Well it's true!" Ryo
exclaimed at the moment Mia burst out of the bathroom and ran to them.
"Quick guys! When Cye and I
were in the bathroom, we ran into Sekhmet who knocked Cye out from behind! We
have to save him!" Mia exclaimed.
"Kento, go find Sage!"
Kento began to run when a familiar snow-haired figure appeared before them.
"Don't waste your time looking
for him Hardrock. We already have him." Dais motioned to the two exits in
the club. At one stood Sekhmet carrying an unconscious Cye and at the other was
Cale carrying a semi-conscious Sage, who was grinning like a hyena.
"Sage, try to get away!"
Ryo called out as Sage shook his head.
"Can't move, too much to drink,
and anyway, this is way to fun..." It was then Sage passed out once again
and the 3 warlords disappeared into nothing.
~~~~~~
"Damn it!" Ryo said as he
punched his fist into the wall.
"Calm down Ryo, you'll only
hurt yourself if you keep doing this." Mia warned as Ryo nodded in
understanding.
"Ryo, bud, at least we know
where they are. I say we just go home and get Rowen, then we go get them, OK?
They'd both hate to see you like this and you know it." Ryo sighed and
said nothing. Mia set her hand gently on his shoulder and smiled.
"Lets go get Rowen and then you
can go break them out." Mia began to lead them away to the car.
~~~~~~
Rowen sat at the house when he felt
a tiny voice in his head mutter "Cale" and then fad away. Rowen
quickly analyzed that it was Sage and they'd had a run in with some not too
kind Warlords. When the door burst opened, Rowen lunged to the table and grabbed
his yoroi, thinking the Warlords had come after him next. To his relief, the
three figures in the door weren't the three Warlords, instead it was Ryo,
Kento, and Mia. Sage and Cye were nowhere in sight.
"The Warlords have them don't
they?" Rowen asked, fearing for his friends. All Ryo could do was nod in
agreement.
"I'll quickly go get
dressed." Rowen dashed up the stairs and changed. Sage's earlier healing
made it so he felt fine. Rowen quickly appeared in the doorway and they all
rushed out the door. They were going to save their friends.
~~~~~~
Cye woke up to find that he was in a
hot, pitch dark room. He turned to his left and saw a chained up Sage. It was
then that Cye realized that he was also chained up. A soft moan came from the
body beside him and he turned to see Sage was slowly awakening. Sage's body was
glowing faintly, in obvious protest to the lack of light.
"Cye, where are we?" Sage
asked, stumbling slightly on words.
"I don't know. All I remember
is being hit over the head with something hard and Mia screaming." Cye
replied, wondering where exactly they were and why.
"Cye, I know where we
are." Sage murmured, the look on his face frightening Cye. For as long as
Cye could remember, he'd never seen Sage actually scared. Cye calmed down when
he remembered that Sage was probably still slightly intoxicated, which was why
he let his emotions slip.
"Where are we Sage?" Cye
whispered, waiting for a reply.
"We're..............in Talpa's
castle." Sage replied as Cye froze.
"Right before I fainted, I saw
the person I fainted on and it was Cale. And then later, when I woke up and he
still had me in his arms, Ryo told me to try to get away, but I couldn't
because I drank too much...... and at the time enjoying being carried."
Cye nearly smiled. Sage was caught because he never listens to Rowen.
"Sage, how much exactly did you
have?" Cye questioned, trying to lighten the mood and rid the room of all
the tension.
"Umm.... I had on shot to begin
with, and then some guy gave me another, which was the strongest thing on the
menu I believe. I think it was that thing where they mix all those different
alcohol's together."
"Drink on the rocks?" Cye
asked as Sage laughed.
"Cye, that's like, the wussiest
thing on the menu."
"Well it sure got to me when I
had it." Cye muttered as Sage laughed some more.
"Oh well, who cares what it's
called. And then after that, I had another drink. By then I'd lost basically
all of my senses. And then Cale came right when I fainted."
" I was in the ladies room with
Mia when Sekhmet came and bashed me over the head. My head still hurts
too."'
"Well, I planned it to be like
that." Both warriors turned to see a green haired man smiling in the
doorway.
"Master Talpa told us to get at
least one of you, and said that if we brought two, we'd get one to play with
ourselves. He says that he only needs one bearer of an armor and that any other
armors would be well appreciated, but the bearer is irrelevant. And he said
that we could have whichever of you we want. And Cale says he has a score to
settle with Halo, so I guess we get to play with him. Or should I say
her?" Sekhmet said with a laugh. He could have cared less about which
warrior was tortured which way, and Dais felt the same way. In fact, Sekhmet
hadn't even wanted to do anything besides provide poisons if needed. But
everyone had insisted that he help, so he said that he'd rough the two up a
bit.
"What do you want from
us?" Cye asked wearily.
"From Halo, nothing more then a
good time. Well, that's what the others want. I prefer to just stay out of the
whole thing. And for you Torrent, Master Talpa wants you for some experiment
he's conducting. Don't ask me what, because that goes beyond my
knowledge." A worried look appeared on Cye's face.
"What do you mean by wanting
"A good time" from Sage?" All Sekhmet could do was shrug. He had
no idea about what his friends planned to do to Halo. Except that he didn't
want to be involved.
"I really don't want to do
this, because as much as I hate you two for all the trouble that you have
caused, I have a feeling that if I hurt you, Wildfire, Hardrock, and Strata
will kill me."
"Hey Cye, I think I've found my
favorite of the warlords, and the smartest." Cye smiled faintly at his
friends remark.
"You didn't let me finish. But
I have to hurt you anyway, because I don't wish to be tortured for disobeying
orders." Sekhmet then pulled out a whip that had been covered with a
special poison that made the person on the receiving end loose all muscle
control. He'd been told to use it to keep them from escaping.
"Sorry..." He muttered as
he whipped it across Cye then Sage. Cye cried out in pain though Sage said and
did nothing to tell that he was feeling the same torture.
"All done, you've been
poisoned. And if anyone asks, I did more to you then just whip you once,
OK?" Sage nodded and Cye said nothing. It was then Sekhmet left the cell.
"Sage, we have to get out of
here." Cye said softly as Cye nodded in agreement.
"Cye, try as hard as you can to
get the chains off." Cye nodded as he began to pull hard on the chains.
Sage then closed his eyes and focused his strength to Cye. With their combined
efforts, the chain broke and Cye tumbled down onto the floor, his wrists raw
from the ordeal. He slowly stood up and unlocked the chains on Sage. Sage tried
to stand up but failed, and Cye collapsed to the floor.
"Sage, the poisons to strong. I
can't stand." Cye muttered slightly as Sage nodded his head in agreement.
Without his armor and the water, poison effected Cye the worst.
"Don't worry Cye, I won't leave
you. I think the door is this way, so follow me." Cye nodded as Sage began
crawling across the room. He tried to follow Sage, but his body refused to
move.
"Sage, I can't move. The
poison's too strong." Sage turned to Cye, his own body weakening. He
crawled back to Cye as his Kanji began to glow and he began to heal Cye. Cye's
body finally allowed him to move slightly, but Sage was now weakened.
"Sage, you can't do this.
You're only hurting yourself by trying to escape in this condition." Sage
shook his head at Cye.
"Cye, we have to keep trying.
We can't go down without a fight. I'll stop when I'm ready to stop." Cye
sighed as he continued to follow Sage. Sage gently shoved open the door at the
moment a sword slashed out into his leg. Sage let out a blood curdling scream
from pain and surprise when he felt the cold metal penetrate his skin. Cye
gasped in frozen fear, having never heard Sage scream before.
"A scream from your mouth feels
good, Halo. You never scream. In fact, you never show emotions. This is an
achievement." Sage said nothing, all his strength being used to keep
himself from crying or screaming out in pain again. Sage felt a cold hand on
his neck and then a sensation that sent chills up his spine. He could feel his
sword wound healing slowly, coldness and a sense of fear coursing through his
body. It was then he was grabbed by the waist and hauled upwards onto his feet.
Strong hands pulled him up off the ground as Sage screamed out in his mind.
// Cye! Run!// before he disappeared,
along with the warlord of darkness.
~~~~~~
Rowen, Ryo, and Kento all looked at
each other at the same time.
"Did you guys just hear Sage
yell out "Cye, run"?" Rowen asked as the other two nodded.
"That means that they're going
to do something to Sage, doesn't it?" Rowen asked as Ryo shrugged.
"I don't know. To me all it is
is a warning sign to hurry up and save them before something bad happens to
them." Ryo said as Rowen's face drained of color.
"Ryo, Sage is already hurt.
Can't you feel it? It's not that bad, but it's there." Ryo closed his eyes
and concentrated on finding Sage's presence. Out of all the warriors, he and
Sage had the strongest connection because Sage was wisdom and Ryo was the
leader. Ryo continued searching as he felt a cold green aura which he
recognized immediately to be Sage.
//Sage?// He asked gently as he
waited for a reply.
//Ryo, is that you?// Ryo heard and
couldn't help but smile. His friend was OK.
//Yeah Sage, it's me. Are you OK?//
//Not really. Cale used his sword on
my leg and Cye and I were poisoned so we can barely move.// Ryo became severely
worried at that moment.
//Where is Cye?//
//I don't know. We tried to escape
but Cale came and slashed at my leg. He semi-healed it though. He took me away
and I haven't seen Cye since. *Gasp*//
//Sage? Are you OK?//
//I'm fine. Cale, Dais, and Kayura
are using a whip on me. I need to tell you something, so listen.// Ryo said
nothing, knowing that Sage was getting too weak to keep up the connection.
//Sekhmet came and whipped us once
to infect us with the poison. He said that Talpa was going to do some
experiment on Cye. When you get here, don't worry about me. I want you to find
Cye. I don't have my yoroi anymore. Cale took it and gave it to Talpa, so I'd be
useless, anyway.// Ryo felt the connection begin to fade.
//Sage, what do they plan to do to
you?//
//What they're doing now. Torture.//
Sage cried out in pain once more.
//Ryo... I think Talpa....is going
to......turn Cye....against you by combining.......the strength of our
armors.......be careful....// and then Sage was gone.
"Ryo, what happened?" Mia
asked while shaking Ryo. Ryo looked up at them blankly.
"I just talked to Sage. They're
torturing him for fun. Sage said that he thinks that Talpa is going to
brainwash Cye and force us to fight him. The only catch is that Talpa has
Sage's armor.... well, yoroi. Sage thinks that the two armors strengths will be
combined and put up against us." Everyone looked at him in horror.
"Did Sage say anything else
about his condition, or what they're doing exactly?" Rowen asked softly.
Ryo just shook his head.
"Not really. All he said was
that Cale, Dais, and Kayura are using a whip on him. He's really weak at the
moment. While we were talking, he cried out in pain sometimes. But that was the
only sign that told me he was in a lot of pain."
"Well, I guess that settles
that. Were going to Talpa's castle. One of us will sneak off and get Sage,
while the other two confront the brainwashed Cye." Kento said as the others
nodded in agreement.
"Mia, you stay with Kento and
I, OK? Rowen, you go after Sage." Ryo had given up a long time ago in
trying to prevent Mia from coming with them. It never worked out. And if you
tried to force her not to come like Sage did, she got into trouble somehow. So
it was better to avoid crisis by taking her with you and guarding her at all costs. Ryo couldn't help but feel
stupid for forgetting all about bringing White Blaze. He figured the tiger was
smart enough to sense if they needed him, and would come at his own free will
to help.
"Mia, be really careful. Stay
with me at all costs. But if we run into battle with Cye, I want you to get
away." Mia nodded.
"Then it's settled. Lets
go." Ryo said as the 4 began to head for the castle.
~~~~~~
"Let me go you, you
fiend!" Cye yelled as he was dragged off by Sekhmet.
"My my Torrent, you sure know
how to cuss people out." Sekhmet said with a sarcastic laugh.
"Where are you taking me, and
what are you planning to do to me?" Cye demanded.
"I don't plan to do anything to
you. And I'm taking you to master Talpa." Sekhmet replied in a matter of
fact voice.
"Where is Sage?"
"How
am I supposed to know? Does it look like I'm near Halo? If you want my guess, I
would say either a dungeon or Cale's room. Both equally filled with torture
devices." Sekhmet said jokingly.
"Cale's room? Why would he be
there?"
"your guess is as good as mine.
All I know is that Cale is pissed because Halo almost always kicks his butt in
battle and that Cale wants revenge. And that Kayura is stronger then anyone
else, so if Cale wanted to hurt Halo, he'd have her beat him up a bit."
"And Dais?" Cye asked as
Sekhmet shrugged.
"Dais really isn't one to care. If Cale wants to hurt Halo, he'll help just because Cale asked. He's actually a really nice guy when you're not on the receiving end of his blows. But his illusions can be used to harm someone. Like, now this is only an example, but if Kayura captured Wildfire and wanted to make love to him, but he refused because he's head over heals for that Mia girl, Dais could make Kayura look like Mia so that Wildfire would go with her. And when they finish, Dais could take off the illusion, and Wildfire would be forever tortured with the fact that he'd slept around with the bad guy. So he could torture Halo by doing something similar I guess."
"But Sage isn't with
anyone." Cye pointed out as Sekhmet sighed.
"I told you that it was just an
example." Sekhmet said flatly as he carried Cye into a throne room.
"Well, here we are. Guess this
is good bye Torrent." Sekhmet said as he set Cye on a table and began to
walk away.
"Sekhmet, were you talking with
the bearer of the armor of Torrent?" A booming voice asked as Sekhmet's
eyes widened.
" Yes sir, I'm sorry."
Sekhmet said as he collapsed to the ground.
"You've been under my command
for hundreds of years and you are talking with my worst enemy? You fool!"
Sekhmet clutched his head as pain flowed through it. After a minute, the pain
subsided.
"I understand Master. I will
not speak with the enemy again. I apologize for my behavior." Sekhmet
bowed before exiting the room.
//I'm sorry Torrent.// A voice
softly muttered in Cye's mind.
//Sekhmet?// Cye questioned.
//Yes. I can talk to you through
your mind link too, though it is rather difficult to do. Talpa can't hear us,
so I thought that I must forgive you. Now I must go.//
//Sekhmet?// Cye questioned, but by
then the voice was gone. It was then an idea struck him. He focused his mind on
one thing, and that was locating Sage Date.
//Sage!?// He called out loudly in
mind, praying for a response.
//Cye........?// a soft voice moaned
in such a low whisper that Cye could barely hear.
//Sage! Thank goodness you're OK!//
//Yeah, you just keep thinking I'm
OK Cye.// Sage muttered.
//Sage, what are they doing to
you?//
//Nothing I can't handle.// Sage
murmured before he cried out.
//Sage, what's wrong!?//
//Don't worry 'bout me Cye. I don't
want to burden you with my pain.// Cye could tell that Sage was trying to hide
his pain from seeping through the link and at the same time, he was trying to
hid his pain from showing to whoever was hurting him.
//Sage, I know this is hard for you
to manage, so I'll leave you alone if you can answer this question. You are not
going to die, are you?//
//.............// Cye didn't hear
from Sage again after that.
"Oh dear……." Cye muttered as he
turned to Talpa.
"Release Sage and me." Cye's order
was responded to with a deep, throaty laugh.
"In another lifetime, Torrent. For
now I'm going to brainwash you and make you fight your friends."
"Noooooo! I'll never fight my
friends!" Cye yelled as Talpa laughed.
"I'm sorry Torrent, but you don't
have a voice in the matter."
"I figured that I didn't…." Cye
muttered as he felt his body being lifted from the ground, all feelings in it
lost at the moment. A wave of pain surged through his body, tearing at his
inner soul, stripping him of his most important memories, leaving him bare of
any senses of love. He watched as scenes flashed through his mind, planted
there as a device to rid him of his sense of being, his urge to live and to
fight a losing battle. He watched the Warlords beat Sage, and watched the
Warrior of Light suppress any tears, his face clenched in pain, his body
shuddering uncontrollably. And then, Cye was no more.
'Torrent, what is your name?"
"What you just spoke, my
master." Talpa grinned as Cye's gaze continued looking foreword.
"And what is your purpose in
serving me?"
"to do your bidding
master." Talpa smiled.
"And what is your first
task?" Cye continued to stare ahead.
"To capture the Ronin warriors,
and if it has to be, destroy them." Talpa grinned.
"Good my servant. You are
dismissed to do as you were told." Cye nodded and turned, walking away
stiffly.
"Time to do Master Talpa's
bidding." He murmured as he exited the room to begin his hunt for the
Ronins.
~~~~~~
"Are you enjoying that Halo?
Are you enjoying this pain and humiliation? That's a word I've felt many times,
because of you." Sage struggled to avert the pain in his entire body, no
part of his body left un-touched, no part left un-harmed. He did not like being
violated in this way, by these people. It was horrible and disgusting, to feel
hard hands roaming your flesh, un welcoming and un-wanted. Sage tried to ignore
the pain and the idea that someone would do this to him, but it wasn't
possible. Reality was all he saw. This pain continued for nearly two hours,
till his tattered form was thrown into the confinements of a cell, ashen black,
and barely large enough for him to sit up in.
"Oh god Rowen, If only I'd
listened to you and not gotten drunk, none of this ever would have
happened." He cried into his torn sleeves, wiping the sweat and blood off
his face. He tried to take a deep, soothing breath, but the air in the room was
so low, he failed to do so. Sage of the Halo did not like darkness, and cramped
Quarters, especially right now. How he longed to have his secret lover nestled
in his arms, or vice versa. He'd give anything for that feeling again. He deeply
regretted the way he had shun the idea of cuddling, because he was too cold
hearted to except love and kindness, something the archer didn't give up
easily.
"What have I done to deserve
this?" He didn't expect the harsh voiced response.
"You've made me a fool once too
often Halo." Sage felt his hair being yanked as he yelped, and was dragged
out of his container. And then, it was back to hell once more.
~~~~~~
Capture the Ronin Warriors. So easy,
so simple, ha. Why did Master Talpa present me with such an easy task to prove
my loyalty? Cye laughed to himself, as he walked out in the ebony clothes that
he has been presented with. They were snug, and Cye could easily guess why, not
that he minded that is. He could care less if eyes roamed his flesh. Not that
they could touch, or do anything harmful to him. Master Talpa would simply not
allow it. Cye quickened his pace out of the castle, ready to confront the other
troopers. Indeed that time would come, and he was prepared with his armor.
Well, his and Halo's armor. He actually felt pity on the blonde, well aware of
what was happening to him at the present moment. He shrugged the thought off,
and focused solely on the matter at hands. To find the other three weakling
Ronins. And to think, he had called himself one of them not long ago. What a
riot? Fighting for the good of mankind was the most ignorant thing he had heard
of. But ruling them under the influence of Master Talpa? That was another. That
granted freedom, and the ability to do as one pleased. Cye continued walking,
until he ran right into Ryo of the Wildfire.
"Cye?" the two boys in
front of him asked, as he laughed smugly.
"That I was not long ago."
He watched as the two in front of him drew their weapons, prepared to fight.
"Hmmm, I've seen your armor,
now its time for you to see mine. Armour of the Oasis, Dao Shi!" Ryo and
Kento watched in shock as Cye's body was suddenly covered by a turquoise armor,
the silver fin from a top the armour of Torrent seen here as well.
"Cye! Why are you doing this?
Why are you helping Talpa?" Ryo questioned softly, pain evident in his
eyes. Cye laughed under the helmet, mask plate covering his mouth and face. His
eyes where crimson, matching the color of his hair.
"Why, you ask dear Wildfire?
It's simple really. The power of this position. You are worthless with your
little "Inferno" with out Halo and Torrent. You have no ability with
out us to follow your every whim and surrender our strength to you. Your a
worthless weakling." Ryo looked down at his sword, trying to keep his eyes
from meeting Cye's.
"Ryo, he's a bad guy right now!
He doesn't mean what he says!" Kento exclaimed as Ryo looked up, a single
tear falling from his face.
"I..... I hurt you guys with
Inferno. I... I call it on all the time, and I never think about you guys when
I do." Kento sighed.
"Dude, you only do what you
gotta do. If I was the bearer of Inferno, I'd do the same thing." Cye
laughed.
"You? The bearer of Inferno?
Highly un likely." Kento glared at him.
"And why not?" Cye smiled
softly as his eyes locked with Kento's.
"Why not? Well, that's simple.
Your but a coward, hidden behind brute strength, clutching it like your only
life line, something to cast the world away behind with. No one will challenge
the strong, the ones that they believe to be stronger, better people then
themselves. But you are no better. What would you be without your strength? You
have no brain to support yourself. You'd be but a weakling, like the rest of
the world." Cye watched as Kento's self confidence crumbled, and he
laughed. This was the most pleasurable thing he could ever remember doing. The
putting down of others. It was ever so enjoyable. Now if only Strata was here
as well....... Cye glanced around. Where was the last armour bearer?
"Where is Strata?" Cye
asked as the two broken spirits glanced up at him from their position on the
floor. They said nothing as Cye sighed in annoyance.
"Ugh, weakling fools. Can you
not tell me where the last of your kind is?" they said nothing, preferring
to remain silent on the ground.
"Fine, Ill go find him on my
own, and have the guards dispose of you two." Cye briskly turned away,
leaving the two alone, to wallow in self pity.
~~~~~
"Sage!" Rowen exclaimed as
he saw the broken body lying limp in a tiny cell, unsuitable for someone of his
height. He quickly pulled out an arrow and shot the lock to the room, watching
it shatter into shards of metal. He immediately yanked open the iron clad door,
and crawled in to grab Sage.
"Sage..... what did they do to
you?" Rowen murmured as he assessed the damage that his lover had
received. Sage barely had any clothes on, the dress that he had been wearing
the day before, tattered into shreds, his hair coated in blood. Rowen pulled
the body close, ignoring the blood covering his armour. As he hoisted the body
up for a better grip, the shredded clothes did nothing to help hide the rest of
his body. The slits showed off his thighs, scratches marking them, many deep
enough to draw a decent amount of blood. Rowen didn't even want to go into the
chest area of the blonde, covered in welts, along with scratches and scabs
already forming.
"Sage, I'm going to get you
home, we're going to save Cye, and were going to heal you and not let you
die." Rowen said, nuzzling Sage's hair with his cheek, ignoring the fact
that blood now caked the side of his face.
"How touching. Nothing like a
secret lover declaring his love to a dying man." Rowen swirled around to
face the speaker, and came face to face with Cale.
"Did you do this to him!?"
Rowen demanded as Cale laughed.
"And if I did? What are you
going to do about it?" Rowen growled as he set Sage on the ground, as
gently as possible and drew his bow and arrow.
"What am I going to do about
it? Im going to do this! ARROW SHOCK WAVE!" the archer yelled as the
vortex formed at the tip of his arrow, flying at the un expecting warlord,
causing him to be flung backwards into the wall.
"No one messes with MY Sage,
and gets away with it." Rowen muttered as he grasped Sage into his arms
again.
"Come on love, I'm getting you
home. If you were to die on me, I don't know what I'd do." Rowen murmured
into the unconscious boys ear, as he made his way out of the castle.
~~~~~
"Kento, no matter how weak we
are, no matter how foolish we may be, we have to help Sage and Rowen."
Kento nodded in agreement as Ryo helped him to his feet. They had already lost
10 minutes to the former bearer of Torrent, and they couldn't lose any more. In
unison, they called on their armours, and began in pursue of their ex comrade.
Within 5 minutes, they ran into Rowen, carrying Sage with him, but Cye was
nowhere to be seen.
"Rowen! What have they done to
Sage?" Ryo exclaimed as the archer shrugged, tears welling in his eyes.
"I.......
I don't know. When I got there, he was like this, and then Cale came, and I
used Strata on him and then I came out here and I need to get Sage Home, or to
a hospital or somewhere, and I don't want him to die......" Rowen said
through racking sobs of sadness and fear for his love's well being.
"Rowen, you take him home, and
we'll bring Cye home." Rowen nodded as he proceeded to walk away.
"Be careful you two, one dying
person is enough, thank you very much." They nodded as The bearer of
Strata left the scene, the body of his best friend in deathly health.
"I hope Sage is OK......."
Ryo murmured as a voice stepped in behind him.
"Oh yes, Halo, I recall what
they did to him. They had me watch, a way to break me into becoming their
slave. What can I say, it worked wonders." Kento and Ryo jerked around to
see the grinning British boy behind them, still bearing the armour of Oasis.
"Cye, what has happened to you?
Your friend is dying and you don't even care? Please don't tell us that they've
taken away your feelings as well." Ryo asked as Cye laughed.
"Ugh, this is getting rather
boring. When your playthings regain they're self esteem, you lose your
interest. Why not get this over with while I still can?" Cye pulled back
his spear.
"LIGHTENING MIRAGE FLASH!"
He screamed as the Torrent of water and lightening flowed together, the
lightening strengthening the waters effect on the two armours of the opposite
elements. Both young men were flung back, slamming into the castle wall, and
sliding down the side. Cye smirked as he approached the bodies, unable to
contain his self pride for what he had accomplished. Unaware to the auburn boy,
both were not yet unconscious.
"Cye......." Kento
whispered through raspy breaths.
"I'm sorry.......... about
this........ and.... that I... didn't pro....tect.... you at.... the
bar....." His eyes rolled to the back of his sockets, as reality struck
Cye dead on, and the armour faded away from his body.
"Kento..... Ryo..... what have
I done?" He murmured as he kneeled next to the bodies, eyes full with
tears.
"What......... have........
I..... done.......?"
End of
Chapter 1
