Disclaimer: I don't not own nor did I create the Ronin Warriors. They all belong to their respective owners. I, however, own all the other characters created solely for this fiction.

****

"Dudes, are we leaving or not?" Kento called from the doorway, tapping his foot anxiously and pounding against the front door frame. "I don't have all night here! Some of us are hungry ya know!" he yelled.

"Jeez, Kento! Hold your frieking horses!" Ryo called down from the stairwell, grabbing his red flannel from the stair railing and walking down the stairs. He was just as anxious as Kento, but didn't show it as obviously as Kento did.

Rowen glanced at his wristwatch while attempting to throw on a pair of Levi's. "Christ, I'm gonna be late!"he murmured, hopping on one foot.

Sage stuck his head in from the hallway, snickering wildly as he caught site of Rowen's plaid boxers, "Boxers, Ro?"

Rowen shot his eyes to the doorway to see who had called him, "Agh, Sage! Go away!" He quickly pulled up his pants and stormed to meet Sage at the door, "What are you doing?"

Sage shot him a grim smile, "Just waiting for you. You ready?"

Rowen blew some of his unruly blue hair out of his face and straightened his hooded sweatshirt, "Sure. We've done this before," he replied, walking down the hallway and to the stairs.

Kento moved around like he had to pee, "C'mon, guys! You're killing me here!"

Cye jogged through the kitchen and towards the front door, greeting Kento with a little wave, "All right, Kento. I'm here. Don't go crazy on us." He took out the car keys from his pocket and threw them to Kento.

Kento clawed for them and fumbled around, looking for the car key. He found it upon letting out a huge gasp and flying out the door.

"Kento has the keys!" Cye called out before following Kento out the door.

"Shit!" Rowen and Sage both cursed, sprinting to the front door and rocketing off the front porch. They both climbed in the old red jeep alongside Ryo, just as Kento got into the car.

He bounced up and down in his seat like a dog in a car, "Alright, dudes! Surfs up!" he yelled, finally starting the car.

Cye shook his head and stared out the passenger side window, "Please, Kento, drive safety."

Kento just roared with laughter as he peeled out of the driveway, racing down the street.

***

Kento whirred into a parking space at the nearby strip mall of restaurants. These restaurants were unlike anything else in the whole town; each of the six food stops a tantalizing erotica of exotic food, drinks, and - more importantly- girls. It was the most popular hang out for young adults at night. This place of food was located right along the beach of the Pacific Ocean, the waves crashing every 60 seconds. The beach, the food, the people - who would want anything more? Even the full moon seemed to welcome everyone, glaring on the water like a giant spotlight.

The 5 guys stepped out of the car and straightened themselves after that hellish car ride.

"Jezus, Kento! What's gotten into you? It's not like we haven't been here before!" Rowen retorted, trying to flip his hair out of his face.

Sage chuckled, "Kento will be Kento."

"C'mon guys! Whadda mean 'what's gotten into me'? This place is the shit! And now that we're here at night?" he paused long enough to glance mischievously at all his friends, then turned his back and headed towards the seafood restaurant. "I'll see you guys inside."

Cye groaned, "Why seafood again?"

Rowen placed a hand on Cye's shoulder, "Ah, Cye it's all right. Just think of us doing you a favor tonight. You don't have to cook."

"Besides, they serve other stuff." Sage compromised, slightly tagging on Cye's arm, getting him to walk with them. "You'll have fun, I promise." Sage smiled and gave Cye a wink.

Cye couldn't say no, "Well, if you say so." he got up to speed and walked along Sage and Rowen's side.

"Wait a second- Ryo?" Rowen turned around and looked back toward the car. Even though there was no light, Rowen could see the silhouette of Ryo against the moonlight. Ryo was leaned up against the side of the car, his legs crossed at his ankles and his arms around his chest. His hair and loose clothes were blowing wildly in the quick wind that suddenly picked up, but it didn't look like Ryo even noticed.

Rowen turned to look at Sage and Cye, furrowing his brows, "What-"

"Take Cye inside, Ro. I'm gonna get Ryo." Sage remarked, patting Cye's back and turning on his heel to walk back towards the car. He waited and watched until Rowen and Cye were inside the restaurant before he moved in front of Ryo. "Ryo, ya wanna tell me what's up?"

Ryo shook his head, "It's nothing, Sage." He pushed himself off the car and started to walk away, "Don't worry about it."

"It's Layna, isn't it."

Ryo stopped dead in his tracks.

"Look, Ryo. You know things weren't going to work out in the first place. I don't know why you went through with it."

"Things did work out, Sage. She just left me cause she said she loved me too much and she didn't want to hurt me."

Sage bit his lip, "But look at you! You're hurting!"

Ryo scowled and turned around, "Sage, stop it, alright!? Just leave me alone for awhile. I need to think about this."

Sage looked to the ground to avoid Ryo's steely blue eyes. "Alright, Ryo. Just don't stay out here all night." Sage started to walk towards the restaurant again. "But, Ryo," he turned to gaze at Ryo's softly moonlighted eyes, "We're still friends. We'll always be here through the hard times. You think about that, alright?" Sage smiled half-heartily and jogged to the restaurant entrance.

Ryo leaned up against the car again, smiling softly as he heard a multitude of cheers upon Sage's return. Most of them were girl's cries, but he still smiled. He could see Rowen, Kento, and Cye already seated at a table, Kento digging into some disgusting ocean platter, Cye's white face as he sipped on his drink, and Rowen leaning back into his chair, his arms behind his head and he smiled in Sage's direction. Ryo already knew that Sage was probably moving from table to table, melting the ladies with his smile, charm, and his player aura.

"What have I done to deserve such good friends?" Ryo whispered to himself. He grinned and sighed, forcing himself to forget the past. He walked towards the restaurant again, letting his hands find his pockets.

Ryo...

He turned, instinctively jumping into his defensive stance. His tiger blue eyes scanned the scenery, finding nothing but a parking lot full of cars and dark alleyways. The ocean waves in the back round crashed, and another light breeze swept through the air.

Ryo...

Ryo whipped his head to where he head the noise. It was a advertisement flag thrashing in the wind and every time it hit against the pole, it slithered away, creating the 'Ryo' noise again.

He took a deep breath and calmed his tensed nerves. Ryo chuckled at himself for being so paranoid and continued to walk towards the restaurant. He finally reached the door, waves of laughter and many muffled conversations flying to his ears. He practiced a smile and held his hand out to grab the door handle.

"Ryo."

Ryo jumped and looked over his shoulder. He spun around and locked his eyes with the pale sapphire ones in front of him. The wind danced with her long coffee colored hair and made her appearance seem gloomy.

He stumbled, "L-Layna?"

"Ryo, I'm sorry." She stared deep into his varnished eyes, looking for something that Ryo couldn't bring out.

"Sorry? For what?" he replied, afraid to move.

The door to the restaurant suddenly opened, a cheery - but drunk - couple staggering out of it. They were laughing and leaning on each other's shoulders and the man ran into Ryo's shoulder. He made out a broken 'domo' but continued to walk to the parking lot.

Layna grabbed Ryo by the hand. "I want to talk to you, but not here."

Ryo stumbled to keep up with her, his mind too confused to even control his feet. He followed her into one of the dark alleyways, the stench of old garbage and animals stinging his nose.

"Ryo..." she stopped and embraced him, pressing her face into his shoulder and taking a deep breath. "I missed you."

Ryo hugged back, warmed faintly by her touch. "I missed you too, Layna."

"Do you still love me?" she spoke softly, running one hand through his thick locks on the back of his head.

Ryo held her tighter, "Of course I still do. We were together for a long time, Layna." He pulled away slightly to gaze lovingly into her pastel sapphire eyes, "Why did you break up with me anyways?"

Layna looked away immediately. "Something came up. I couldn't be with you-"

"But you're here now! Tell me the truth, Layna. What happened."

She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. "Do you really want to be with me?"

Ryo nodded harshly, "Yes, I do, Layna! I love you."

"Forever?" she whispered, a cold wind whipping around the two and taking them into its intangible arms.

Ryo pressed his lips to her ear and mouthed, "Yes."

She whispered, "Then forgive me for what I am about to do." Layna slightly pushed Ryo away, enough so she could see his whole body. Her eyes were still closed, her hair still whipping around her like a cape. She tilted her head back and slipped her black coat off her shoulder, letting it drop to the ground. She stood there, completely naked.

Ryo let his eyes bulge, "What the- Layna!"

She slowly arched her shoulders, curving her back and arms forward. Her shoulder blades suddenly pierced from her skin, making a terrible ripping sound that made Ryo's stomach tense. But her facial expression didn't change. She continued to stand in front of Ryo, her head hanging down towards the floor. Her shoulder blades continued to be pushed out, blood dripping off her back so thick it was black.

Then and there, Ryo felt his skin bleach white. Enormous black wings sprouted from her back like a jack-knife, crimson blood dripping off the ends like thick venom. She slowly began to raise her head, her eyes a piercing yellow. She flapped her wings once, red liquid splattering everywhere, and pulled them over her exposed body. "Ryo..." she whispered. "This is why."

Ryo couldn't move. His feet were nailed to the ground. His eyes were super glued to his former girlfriend. And his mind was lost.

Layna pursed her lips, then flew to him.

Ryo backed up and pressed his back hard into the wall behind him, his eyes still glued.

She pressed her body against his, holding her wings over both of them. Layna teasingly opened her mouth, looking lustfully into Ryo's eyes. Two fangs glared threatinengly at him in the moonlight. "Ryo," she began again, "do you want to be with me?"

Ryo tried to speak, hell, he tried to scream, but he was so scared that even his voice had ran away.

"You said you still loved me." She started again, "What do you want?"

Ryo blinked a couple times, finally exiting from his stupor, "Shit, Layna!? No!" he cried.

Layna bared her teeth, raising her wings above her. She backed away from his face, blood still dripping off of her body, filling the alleyway with an enormous metallic stench that burned Ryo's nostrils.

"I don't, Layna. I still love you... but not like this."

"It's too late, Ryo," she rasped. With a demonic growl, she lunged her mouth at his neck, her teeth easily ripping through his flesh and penetrating deep in his throat.

Ryo fought for his life to push her away, but it only caused more pain to move. His life instincts soon kicked in, and he pushed against her face and kneed her in the stomach.

Layna immediately let go and grabbed her stomach in pain, howling.

Ryo stumbled, putting his hands on a trashcan for balance. There was so much pain in his throat that he couldn't see straight. He soon found that he couldn't breath in and his panic soared.

Layna just sat up, watching him gasp for air. She smiled, "Don't worry, Ryo. I still love you too."

Ryo grabbed his throat and coughed away the last of his life, feeling his soul fly away.

***

Kento threw his head back as he swallowed the last of his strawberry margarita. He wiped the salt from his chin and looked around the room. Cye was finally eating, but it was just a platter of french fries. Rowen had finished his third piece of the specialty desert and Sage had moved back to the table were one of the blonde's had caught his eye. He was confused. "Sah-aye?" he mumbled. "Where's Ryo at?"

Cye furrowed his brows, looked around and finished chewing, "I have no idea. Hey, Ro!" Cye tapped his shoulder. "Did Ryo ever come in?"

Rowen bit his lip, "Shit, you're right. I'll go and get him." Rowen stood from his chair and jogged out of the room.

***

He stood up, slowly. He grabbed his throat, feeling nothing but smooth skin. "What... where am I?"

"Ryo, turn around and look at yourself."

He did, and he found himself in a shattered mirror. He looked... different. His hair had uneven streaks of blonde in them and it was thicker and messier. His eyes looked wild, the pupil smaller and the blue in them darker and deeper.

"Layna... I'm... I'm still alive?" he asked, finding his voice much deeper than he hand planned it to sound.

She stepped out of the darkness and into the moonlight. "Of course, silly." Her wings were no longer out and her coat was covering her body once again.

Then he felt something on his back. It felt like something crawling, million's of tiny legs kissing his skin. He ripped off his shirt and turned so he could see his back in the mirror. But there was nothing there. Just two giant scars following his shoulder blades.

"Those are you wings." she said, taking a step forward. "Arch your shoulders-"

She didn't have to say another word before Ryo pulled out his wings on his own. He cried out and stumbled forward as agonizing pain shot through him, eating away at his nerves in his back. He could feel the warm liquid slide down his back, dripping to the floor, smelling like metal.

Layna looked confused for a moment, but it washed aside, "It takes awhile before you don't feel the pain anymore."

Ryo looked in the mirror once again, clenching his teeth to bare the pain. Once he actually saw his wings, the pain suddenly vanished. "My... my wings..." he moved them up and down, black feathers flying everywhere. "How come they're not like yours?"

Layna shook her head, "I don't know."

Ryo bent down and picked up one of his feathers, twirling it in his fingers, "I don't-"

"Quick! Behind here!" Layna grabbed Ryo and shoved him to the side behind some garbage cans.

"What is it?" he rasped, looked at her eyes through the darkness.

"There," she pointed towards the restaurant as a guy walked out of the door, "is your first victim.

Ryo furrowed his eyebrows, "My victim?"

"You need blood to survive, Ryo."

As he heard the word 'blood' something inside of him stirred his stomach, making his mouth water. He could taste it, and he knew he had to succumb to his insanely desirably craving. Ryo looked at his victim again, laughing calmly, "My victim has blue hair."

Layna ached, hating herself for destroying his past life. But she just bit her lip and the aching went away, "Yep. Now be careful with this one. He's your first so don't make it too noticeable."

Ryo smiled, "Noticeable? I'm gonna have fun." With one in draw of his wings, shot into the air and into the darkness.

***

"Ryo!" Rowen called, scanning his turquoise eyes around the parking lot. "Ryo, where did you go!?"

A clang of something hitting a trashcan was immediately brought into Rowen's attention. He looked to where the clang came from, "Ryo? Is that you?"

Suddenly, something hit him and hit him hard. Rowen was knocked into a car, his cry of pain echoing throughout the lot. He grabbed his side in agony, glancing up at the car and cursing at the dent that was there. "Shit," he mumbled, scrambling to his feet. He painfully looked around, "Who's there?" he called, weakly. A shadow fell over his face and he looked up, but saw nothing. "Dammit! Come out and show yourself!"

Another knock to his body sent him flying into another car's windshield. It shattered upon Rowen's impact, pieces of glass scattering everywhere. He let out another low cry of pain, and pried himself from the glass, whimpering as some glass stuck to his skin. Getting off the car and standing on his feet, he stared at the blood stamp his body left on the car. He brought his hand behind his back and felt the warm liquid stain his fingers. What the hell? Am I going crazy?! Nobody's here! He thought.

Rowen suddenly gasped and cried out as his body was pushed through the passenger side window, the glass slicing his skin. Then he was pulled through the web of glass again and propped against the car.

"What the fuck is your problem-" Rowen didn't get a chance to say anything more before he was pushed through the window again. Rowen's moan of pain sent spine-chilling echoes around the parking lot. This time, when he was propped against the car one last time, he didn't speak or open his eyes.

"You're my first, I think you should know that much before I kill you."

Rowen shot open his eyes, "Ki-kill me?!"

The man nodded.

Rowen didn't say anything more. He stared blankly at the man who was holding his shoulders. He noticed the man's wings, his pale skin, the black blood, the two tiger blue eyes, "Ryo?" Rowen asked in a whisper, "What the hell happened to you?"

Ryo took a step backward, "How did you know my name?"

Rowen couldn't reply. He was too shocked and in too much pain to understand why Ryo was killing him. And for all the intelligence he possessed, he couldn't understand why Ryo looked like a demon from hell.

"Answer me, you bastard!" Ryo pounded his body against the car again.

Rowen arched his body, trying to absorb some of the impact to cause himself less pain, but it just hurt more. "Ryo... please don't do this," Rowen cried, squeezing his eyes.

Ryo gave an inhuman growl and shoved Rowen to the ground, kicking him once in the stomach. "I asked you to answer me!"

Rowen coughed up a lungful of blood, "Ryo... don't you know me? I'm-" he stopped and wailed loudly as Ryo kicked him up and into the same car. He groaned and rolled over on his back, spitting the blood out of his mouth. "Ryo," he opened his dark blue eyes in a kindly matter, "I'm Rowen."

Somehow, the name Rowen hit a bell in the back of Ryo's mind. He scowled, "Rowen?"

Rowen nodded weakly, closing his eyes as his heart started to pound in his head. "Yes, Ryo. Rowen."

A past memory hit him like a boulder. Ryo stopped and stared at his half-dead friend on the ground. "Something's not right-"

"ROWEN!? Where are ya, man!?"

"Ryo!?"

Ryo's gaze immediately diverted to the front door, seeing Kento, Cye, and Sage walking out of it. He cursed and stared back down at Rowen. Ryo took his hand and held in his, "Rowen... I am so sorry. Something's changed for me. I have... another life- no, another soul. Please understand." Ryo waited for Rowen to respond, but the response he got was a very confused set of blue eyes. "I'll come back to you guys, I promise." Ryo outstretched his wings and flew into the night sky, into the night city, and finding a base to preserve this soul.

***

All three guys cursed as they saw the shattered windshield of one of the cars, and rushed towards it.

"Shit! Rowen!?" Kento, Cye, and Sage all sat down next to him, immediately checking his vitals.

"What bastard did this to you?!" Kento asked. "Tell us now before he gets away!"

"No, guys, it's okay." Rowen winced and sat up, shaking his head. "I already know who did this."

"WHO?!" All three guys asked at the same time.

"Ryo."

No on replied.

Rowen sighed, "He's not going to be with us anymore either."

Still nothing.

"C'mon guys, let's just go home and I'll explain it all there." He looked to the sky, seeing a well figured female in the air, following Ryo's path.

****

Authors Note: Heh, whadda thinks? Weird, ne? I wrote this based from a dream I had and I think I ate too much chips and spicy dip that night. ::sighs:: oh well, it was worth it though.