READ ME!!
This is my first Ronin Warrior story. But don't hit the back button just yet! This story takes place after the defeat of Tulpa, and the Ronins have full access to their armors. However, I've added a few twists to the origins of the armors, Tulpa, and thrown in some other seasoning, just to make it fun. I also did a bit of alteration to Cye, but I swear, it's absolutely necessary to the plot! You'll find out why later, in future chapters.
I really debated uploading this story for all to see, please forgive a humble writer's twisted attempts.
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The Casting of Shadows
By Phoenix Cubed
Chapter 1 -- Pyromancy
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Know by now the story's end
Continued on notes of a faulty trend
See the darkened blue go by
To cage forever a spirit fly
Upon this day and upon this night
There will be no holy flight
The heaven has come to make its mark
For there is a tree with starlit bark
Find the bird and find her light
Or there will be no holy flight
Sage walked slowly down the hallway, ignoring the everyday hustle and bustle of the school hallways. Auras came and went by the pondering empath, but he tuned them out. There was something in the air, but what it was, he could not quite decipher. Turning a corner, he headed to the commons area, looking for a face that would almost certainly be by the food.
"Hey Sage! Over here buddy!" A familiar shout came to him, and Sage shifted his eyes to see an ashen head and a pair of large hands waving him over to a table by the west wall. Taking a quick glance around, Sage quietly walked over and joined his large friend, who was at the moment busy stuffing himself with the latest creation from the school kitchen.
"Cye, have you seen Rowen?" Sage asked, seating himself next to the auburn companion of the bottomless pit.
Green eyes regarded him curiously, and Cye shook her head, auburn hair gently ruffling with the movement. "Not yet, but I believe that he might be with Ryo, we caught the bus this morning. Is there something we can help you with?"
Sage gave Kento an amused glance, "you might have to take a rein check on that 'we' thing there Cye. I think Kento's a bit busy at the moment."
Kento looked up from his heaping meal long enough to cast and evil glance and low growl, before returning to his pile and filling his face once more. Cye laughed and rephrased her question, leaving Kento out of the discussion.
A blonde lock fell in front of Sage's face once more. And once more, Sage neglected to push it away. "Have you felt anything...odd...lately?"
Cye frowned, "like what?"
A sudden, eerie wind found the nape of Sage's neck, raising his hackles and tickling his psychic senses. Halo looked up sharply, his eyes caught in the vision of a familiar figure that he couldn't quite place. Focusing his energy, Sage's eyes glazed over as he toned his sights to the familiar senses of the aura. Lights began to fill the room, colors of every shade and spectrum. Everyone had a unique shade, all but one, the girl that slowly passed by the Ronin's table before disappearing into the crowd. Sage shook his head, trying to figure out if what he had just seen was real while Cye shivered and looked about warily. Even Kento looked up from his meal.
The Mighty Hardrock looked to his friends, his eyes slightly enlarged. "Did you just feel, what I just felt?"
Cye nodded, but Sage continued to focus his mind on the retreated form of the blonde girl. Something was familiar about her, but with that same sense, something was very wrong and out of place for what should have been just another high school student.
"Sage? Hey, Sage!" A hand came and flashed in front of his face, taking Sage abruptly from his concentrated trance. "Sage! Snap out of it, bud."
"Hm? What? Oh, hello, Ryo." Blue eyes peered intently at Sage, and then a smile appeared on the face of a dark skinned boy. Ryo was their leader, keeper of all armors, and bearer of the Inferno.
"You've been out of it a bit there, Sage. Where've yea been?"
Sage broke his gaze with Ryo to look for traces of the girl, but she was nowhere in sight. "Been searching and thinking, that's about it."
Ryo let out a small chuckle, "with you Sage, that's about everything."
The first warning bell rang, and students began to clear the eating hall, heading to wherever their next class may be. Kento cleared his tray quickly. Giving a wink, he headed off to his next class, promising to meet his friends in the usual place. Cye gave a shrug and wandered off, leaving Ryo and Sage standing alone together.
Sage repeated his original question to Ryo, "Cye said that he might be with you."
Ryo shook his head no. "He had a rough night last night, kept waking up all sweaty and stuff."
"Dreams?"
"More like nightmares. When he was sleeping, he kept mumbling something about a fire. He looked beat this morning, so Mia told him to stay home and catch up on his
rest."
Sage took on a thoughtful look, "odd, he didn't say anything to me."
"That's because you left before any of us." Ryo rolled his eyes at his friend, "we had to bum poor Mia for a ride because you wouldn't wait for anyone."
The Great Halo shrugged, "I didn't want to be late."
"You left two hours before school started."
Sage began to walk away, "I wasn't talking about school."
The second bell cut off Ryo's reply. Class was starting, and he was late.
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Mia quietly crept up the stairs and peeked into Rowen's room. Poor Rowen, those dreams weren't giving him any rest. The warrior of the stars was tossing fretfully on his bed, sheets tangled about his body. Words escaped from his mouth, but as to what they meant was beyond the guide of the Ronins. Fire? That was Ryo's expertise. Why was Rowen dreaming about fire? Shaking her head, Mia carefully withdrew and shut the door, leaving the Enlightened Strata to his dreams.
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A great bird fell from the starlit sky, plummeting at a dangerous speed to the earth below. Fire fell everywhere, lightening ran through the atmosphere, slithering out like the forked tongue of a snake. Thunder crashed, and the wind whipped about. The earth seemed at war with its elements, and all due to a great bird that plummeted from the sky.
Rowen had watched the unfortunate descent, and he had also seen the hyenas and crows that had come to claim the body. The bird was not dead, only held at bay by the animals that had come to ravish her broken form. Her captors snapped at her wings and dove at her back, damaging her fragile body, yet she screamed in defiance, fighting them however she could. Then the hyenas backed away for a moment, and one of them spotted the blue haired observer. With malicious grins, they turned to him, but the bird screamed once more, and struck out with her golden beak, and they turned back to her, ready to take her from life.
Then it came again, the lightening that had no end. It shook the ground as well as the sky, blinding all who thought to look at it, including Rowen. The light! Oh, the light! It harrowed through him, touching every nerve and fiber in his body. Sending course after course of electrical current into him until he screamed his agony, and everything turned to darkness.
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Kento was lost again. It wasn't ten minutes into his algebra class and he'd been left behind. Who really cared about dividing fractions with variable expressions anyway? Certainly not him. The way the teacher explained things; Kento was surprised that anyone could follow the meaningless jumble of numbers on the board. The only thing he could hope for was that the teacher wouldn't catch his lost expression and decide to call on him. Mr. Fe had a nasty sense of humor, and very little was beneath him.
There was a sudden tap on his shoulder, and a note fell onto Kento's desk. He looked up cautiously, making sure Mr. Fe hadn't seen the note passing. Fortunately, the teacher's back was turned, as he was writing on the board. Quietly unfolding the note he began to read, the handwriting told him it was from Ryo.
///Hey Kento,
Mia called the school. She's gonna pick us up right after this class.
Something's wrong with Rowen. We're all meeting by the tree. Now pay
attention!!! ///
The bearer of Hardrock grunted, and folded up the note. It wouldn't pay for him to get caught with only ten minutes of class left. But as he tried to focus on the teacher, his attention wandered back to the note. What could be wrong with Rowen?
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"I wouldn't know Kento," said Cye. "I'm just as confused as you are."
Cye was waiting for everyone under the tree; as soon as Kento had come he had bombarded his thin friend with questions. Unfortunately, Cye hadn't been able to answer any of them. Sage joined the group next; he gave them all a small wave and settled down next to Cye. Ryo came to the tree last, a pack slung across his shoulder.
"Hey guys," he said by way of greeting. "Sorry I'm late, Mia wanted me to pick some stuff up for her. Homework and the like."
Kento donned a forlorn look. "You mean there's not food in your backpack?"
Cye seemed to find this incredibly funny, and began to roll around on the grass, clutching her sides. Tears streamed down her cheeks as a surprisingly aquatic sounding laughter filled the air. Ryo just shook his head, "come on guys, Mia's here."
Sage stood and began walking with Ryo. "Did she say what was wrong with Rowen?"
The dark haired warrior bit his lip and cast a glance at Sage, "not exactly."
"But you have a theory."
Ryo paused from his walking to give the warrior of light a direct look. "I really wish you hadn't gone in early this morning Sage."
That statement troubled Sage. The bearer of Wildfire continued his way to Mia's red jeep. Sage lagged for a moment though. Of all the Ronin's, he was closest to Rowen. What Ryo said had cut through his conscience like a knife. He couldn't help having to leave early this morning, but the guilt still gnawed at his insides.
"Cheer up, Sage, Ryo's just worried." A hand clapped down on Sage's shoulder, and he looked over to see Cye smiling at him. "We're all close to each other Sage, some of us just express it better than others."
Everyone piled into Mia's jeep. Kento took the front and the others wedged themselves carefully into the back. The little red jeep was a wonderful vehicle, but much too small to be adequate for the four teens.
Mia gave them all a small hello, but her face was troubled. "We've got to hurry along. I left White Blaze at home with Rowen, but there's only so much a tiger can do."
The ride home was silent. Mia wouldn't tell them what was wrong for the sole fact that she couldn't. "He had been resting peacefully, the next thing I know he was screaming loud enough to shame a banshee. It took me ten minutes to wake him, and he didn't even remember where he was, much less his dream!" Mia snorted, Rowen was a practical person, and his actions were very out of character.
White Blaze was waiting for them. As soon as the jeep pulled into the drive, the tiger bounded out of the front door and straight towards the newly arrived. He stopped at Ryo to give him a gentle shove, but then he went immediately to Sage and fastened his teeth onto his school jacket, pulling him steadily along.
"Hey White Blaze, easy!" Sage tried to protest against his escort, but it was of little use. The white tiger was twice as long as he was tall, and weighed more than all the Ronin's put together.
White Blaze steadily dragged the blonde through the doorway and up the stairs to his room, where Rowen was in a fitful sleep. Beads of sweat fell from the sleeping Ronin's forehead. Though his body was motionless, his head tossed from side to side, as if he was tied down and being forced to watch a scene he wanted no part of. Fingers would spasm and grip the sheets, but no grasp could wrench him from whatever horrible site he was witnessing.
White Blaze looked disparagingly at Rowen, then bunted Sage closer to the bedside. Sage looked down at the tiger. He was obviously meant to do something, but whatever it might be was lost on the warrior of light.
"Ryo, he's your tiger, what does he want me to do?" Sage looked to Ryo, who just shrugged.
"You got me, but he obviously thinks you can solve the problem."
Sage looked back to Rowen. With a slight frown, he kneeled down beside him and attempted to use his talent of empathy. Gathering his energy, he reached up and placed his hand lightly on Rowan's perspiring brow. The moment his fingers touched skin, a fire erupted and surrounded both Ronins. Images spilled from the mind of Rowen and straight into Sage. Through the fire, Sage caught glimpses of a great bird, lying injured-a flash of the girl he had seen earlier swept through, closely followed by a feeling of terrible darkness, fear, and a great evil. The fire began to abruptly fade, but not before relaying its message to the Ronin.
Sage's hand fell from Rowen's forehead, and for a moment, neither of them moved. Rowen's spasms had ceased and his countenance gradually cleared. His face began to relax and become strangely peaceful.
Sage focused his eyes and moved to a sitting position on the floor, his back to the bed. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly and looked up to his friends.
"Well?" Asked Kento impatiently, reflecting the feeling of the Ronins who had been left out of the little fire reading.
Sage locked eyes with Ryo, "she's back."
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There was no sound in the kitchen, but the silence was deafening. All but Rowen sat around the kitchen table, nursing drinks or just simply sitting. Each had a thousand questions on their minds, but no one wanted to be the first to voice the one that rose to the top. Tension was beginning to build, and if it didn't break soon, trouble would break out.
Cye decided to crack the ice. She let out a quiet sigh and the inevitable. "Why?"
Ryo visibly winced, it wasn't a nice question, but it did need to be asked. He turned to the bearer of Halo, "did the fire say?"
Sage shook his head. "It didn't say much at all really. Just that she was here, but something's wrong. And there's another party involved, one that I don't think should be."
"I wonder how long she's been here," Mia said quietly. "She usually approaches at least one of you right away."
A worried look came into the violet blue eyes of Sage. "I don't think she can."
Kento snorted, "can't, won't, its the same thing for our dear little Fire. If she's here for any reason involving us, she'll reveal herself in due time."
"Kento!" Exclaimed Cye, "what an awful thing to say. Lady Fire is a wonderful creature, and you should be respectful."
Ryo began to chuckle, "it's not good to hold grudges Kento. Just because she wouldn't cook you a farewell supper doesn't give you any right to dislike her."
Their leader's quip was enough to relieve the building tension, and questions began to flow easily. The subject at hand was not an easy one to deal with. The return of the being known as the Fire could mean many things. Another battle perhaps? Had she come to claim their armors? Would she take them away again?
They continued to talk long into the night, and all the while Rowen slept. Finally, Mia noticed the dark rings forming around her charges' eyes, and sent them all to their beds. Tomorrow was a school day, and she felt that their educations were essential to their lives. They may be battled hardened warriors in some people's eyes, but to her, they were younger brothers who were in need of an education. And if that was what they needed, an education they would get.
Sage walked to his bedroom slowly, only paused at the doorway. Rowen still slept, it was his favorite pastime outside of reading or stargazing. But this time it was from the pure, exhaustive energy of the dreams. Why the Fire had decided to go through Rowen was a small mystery. Sage himself usually carried the dreams; he was more emotionally and mentally equipped to deal with the stress of relaying the intense messages. Besides, Rowen hated the Fire, and the dreams that she had sent him would not improve his view of her at all. So why did she choose him?
With a frustrated shake of his head, Sage stripped his clothing and slipped into a night outfit. Pondering this wasn't helping, he was traveling in circles. Violet blue eyes began to close; perhaps tomorrow would bring some answers . . .
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An aura of peace had settled over Ryo. Dreams of fire and warmth drifted through, beautiful and -
BRREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
"Hmm," with a groan, Ryo's hand snaked out and hit the noisemaker. For a moment, all was peaceful, but then it came again, the obnoxious scream of the clock. This time, a beefy hand came aggressively forward to smack the unfortunate alarm, sending it spinning across the room to land in a corner, its high alarm note slowly dying out.
The large hand withdrew into a mess of sheets, and a happy murmur issued from the living mass. In another bed, a blue eye slowly opened and focused on pile of sheet and human across the way.
"Kento, isn't that the third this week?"
The mass that might have been known as Kento gave a grunt and reshaped itself, not dignifying the answer with a reply.
Another blue eye opened, and Ryo slowly pushed back his blankets to stretch out. Throwing out his arms, his hand slid over a furry coat. He turned his head, only to be greeted by a rough tongue sliding across his face. Calm brown eyes gave him a look of good morning.
Ryo smiled, "morning to you too, White Blaze. I'm up, why don't you go work on Kento?"
The large white tiger turned and approached the still mountain on the other bed. He sniffed about a bit before finally poking his head through a small opening, and for a moment, he was submerged all the way to his shoulders. But then a small growl was heard, and he began to pull out of the sheets, dragging a sleepy Kento out with him.
"Hey, 'Blaze!" Kento woke up quickly as he was dragged unceremoniously from his warm bed to the cold wooden floor. "Come on! I can walk, I'm up White Blaze, I'm up!"
However, the tiger didn't let up. Kento was dragged from the room and down the hall. A moment later, the sound of running water could be heard, along with feeble protests and fervent splashing. White Blaze had decided to give Kento a bath.
A soprano laughter drifted through the hallway, and Cye's voice mingled with the cries of Kento. Some angry retorts came forth, and then a great splashing sound.
"Hey, Cye, stop it! Ow!"
"That's what you get for getting me all wet, ya big ox!"
Ryo began to chuckle, then quickly slipped from his bed and donned his clothing. The last thing he wanted was for White Blaze to decide he couldn't dress himself.
Sage shook his head; White Blaze was at it again. That tiger was worse than a mother! Pulling on a shirt, he glanced over to Rowen's bed. Fringes of blue hair stuck out from the mess of sheets, and a hand fell down to the floor-a typical morning position. The door began to creak open, and a black and white head poked its way through. Brown eyes regarded Sage critically before moving to the next occupant. Quiet feet moved the tiger over to Rowen's bed, where they paused, as if not sure what to do next. The eyes looked back to Sage, questioning.
"Might as well," Sage answered the silent question. "He'd sleep his life away if he could. Besides, we won't know if he's better when he's just lying there."
Confirmation gained, White Blaze began the process of bringing his blue haired charge to the land of consciousness. The big cat stuck his head into the sheets, and suddenly the pile began to twitch and snort. The exposed hand quickly retracted, and a struggle seemed to take place under the sheets. White Blaze withdrew his empty jaws and shook his head, giving a disgusted snort. Growling softly, he plunged back in, the sheets began to convulse, and White Blaze once again pulled his head out, only this time dragging out his victim. Rowen was trying pull away, but the tiger had obtained a secure grip, and was confidently dragging him from the room and down the hall.
"No, not in the bathtub!"
"Ach, White Blaze, don't dump him in here!"
The sound of running water was heard once more, and a heavy splashing quickly followed. Soprano laughter flitted once more through the halls, and Sage joined in with a low chuckle. He took his brown loafers from the closet and headed towards the kitchen, where someone was hopefully preparing breakfast.
As he entered the kitchen, Mia looked up from her coffee and computer at the table. "Morning Sage, did you sleep well?"
"As well as one can, I suppose. How was your night?"
A wry smile formed on Mia's lips, "about the same."
Sage gave her a sympathetic look and sat down at the table. Cye came over with a good morning and a plate of breakfast. He thanked her and began to pour himself a glass of orange juice.
A sudden rumbling shifted through the house, Mia's eyes glanced up to meet Sage's, "three, two, one."
"Food!" With three incredible leaps, the formerly immobile mass had taken the flight of stairs, the living room, and jumped the kitchen to land in an open chair at the table.
"Food!"
"Kento," snapped Cye. "One of these days you're going to break your neck doing that."
"Food!"
Sage rolled his eyes. "Oh just feed the thing, Cye. He's not going to understand much else."
Emerald eyes glared coolly at table occupants, but didn't favor them with a reply. Kento began to stand up and make his way over to the cooking pots on the stove, but Cye shoved a heaping plate of pancakes and waffles under his nose. "No, no, Kento. This way boy."
Kento's eyes became riveted to the plate before him, and Cye led him back to the table. "Sit boy, good. Here you go."
With animal like ferocity, the bearer of Hardrock attacked his first meal of the day.
A new voice entered the kitchen. "Does he ever stop eating?"
"Hey, Rowen, hungry?" Cye greeted her friend in the usual way, slightly preoccupied with keeping Kento's plate full.
Rowen's tongue hung from his mouth slightly, and his pale cheeks held a slightly greenish tint. "I might have been."
Cye laughed. "Sit down, I'll make you coffee and toast."
Mumbling his thanks, the blue haired teen took his place between his fellow Ronins and guide. A moment later, Ryo came down, followed closely by White Blaze. Ryo took a seat, and the tiger surveyed each person, deciding if each passed his rigorous inspections. He stopped at Rowen, and for a long moment simply watched him as he ate a small portion of his breakfast. Rowen stopped altogether and stared back at the large cat. Finally, White Blaze reached up and licked his face. Rowen gave a small smile and scratched behind the tiger's ears, causing White Blaze to purr in contentment, before moving on to another subject.
Mia set aside her computer, "how are you this morning, Rowen?"
"Doin' fine guys, apparently the Fire's done her work and I'm allowed to be normal again."
No one could miss the sarcasm that dripped from his voice. But he looked up and gave them all a smile; "say what you like, but say it later. We gotta get going, otherwise we'll miss the first bell."
Sage looked at his friend. "If Rowen's capable of being that cynical in the morning, then he's fine." Rowen shot Sage a glare, but the blonde boy chose to ignored it. "Kento, would you like the house next? I think you've eaten everything else, get ready for school."
Kento glowered at him this time, but Sage calmly returned the look. Hardrock grunted, it was hard to stare at someone who only had one eye visible.
The ride to school was ordinary. Sage was taking them in his vehicle, as he didn't need to go in early. Kento was trying hard to finish his homework, Cye was berating him for not completing it earlier, Ryo was meditating, and Rowen was largely ignoring everyone and reading a book. Mia would leave later to attend the University, and White Blaze would stay at home and guard the house.
However, something was not quite ordinary. The attempt to make everything seem usual was false. And as they drew closer to school, the strange feeling returned. A disturbance in the way of things, a feeling that begged to be named, but could not be. Was it because of her return? Where was the Fire?
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My first Ronin Warrior attempt! Tell me what you think!
This is my first Ronin Warrior story. But don't hit the back button just yet! This story takes place after the defeat of Tulpa, and the Ronins have full access to their armors. However, I've added a few twists to the origins of the armors, Tulpa, and thrown in some other seasoning, just to make it fun. I also did a bit of alteration to Cye, but I swear, it's absolutely necessary to the plot! You'll find out why later, in future chapters.
I really debated uploading this story for all to see, please forgive a humble writer's twisted attempts.
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The Casting of Shadows
By Phoenix Cubed
Chapter 1 -- Pyromancy
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Know by now the story's end
Continued on notes of a faulty trend
See the darkened blue go by
To cage forever a spirit fly
Upon this day and upon this night
There will be no holy flight
The heaven has come to make its mark
For there is a tree with starlit bark
Find the bird and find her light
Or there will be no holy flight
Sage walked slowly down the hallway, ignoring the everyday hustle and bustle of the school hallways. Auras came and went by the pondering empath, but he tuned them out. There was something in the air, but what it was, he could not quite decipher. Turning a corner, he headed to the commons area, looking for a face that would almost certainly be by the food.
"Hey Sage! Over here buddy!" A familiar shout came to him, and Sage shifted his eyes to see an ashen head and a pair of large hands waving him over to a table by the west wall. Taking a quick glance around, Sage quietly walked over and joined his large friend, who was at the moment busy stuffing himself with the latest creation from the school kitchen.
"Cye, have you seen Rowen?" Sage asked, seating himself next to the auburn companion of the bottomless pit.
Green eyes regarded him curiously, and Cye shook her head, auburn hair gently ruffling with the movement. "Not yet, but I believe that he might be with Ryo, we caught the bus this morning. Is there something we can help you with?"
Sage gave Kento an amused glance, "you might have to take a rein check on that 'we' thing there Cye. I think Kento's a bit busy at the moment."
Kento looked up from his heaping meal long enough to cast and evil glance and low growl, before returning to his pile and filling his face once more. Cye laughed and rephrased her question, leaving Kento out of the discussion.
A blonde lock fell in front of Sage's face once more. And once more, Sage neglected to push it away. "Have you felt anything...odd...lately?"
Cye frowned, "like what?"
A sudden, eerie wind found the nape of Sage's neck, raising his hackles and tickling his psychic senses. Halo looked up sharply, his eyes caught in the vision of a familiar figure that he couldn't quite place. Focusing his energy, Sage's eyes glazed over as he toned his sights to the familiar senses of the aura. Lights began to fill the room, colors of every shade and spectrum. Everyone had a unique shade, all but one, the girl that slowly passed by the Ronin's table before disappearing into the crowd. Sage shook his head, trying to figure out if what he had just seen was real while Cye shivered and looked about warily. Even Kento looked up from his meal.
The Mighty Hardrock looked to his friends, his eyes slightly enlarged. "Did you just feel, what I just felt?"
Cye nodded, but Sage continued to focus his mind on the retreated form of the blonde girl. Something was familiar about her, but with that same sense, something was very wrong and out of place for what should have been just another high school student.
"Sage? Hey, Sage!" A hand came and flashed in front of his face, taking Sage abruptly from his concentrated trance. "Sage! Snap out of it, bud."
"Hm? What? Oh, hello, Ryo." Blue eyes peered intently at Sage, and then a smile appeared on the face of a dark skinned boy. Ryo was their leader, keeper of all armors, and bearer of the Inferno.
"You've been out of it a bit there, Sage. Where've yea been?"
Sage broke his gaze with Ryo to look for traces of the girl, but she was nowhere in sight. "Been searching and thinking, that's about it."
Ryo let out a small chuckle, "with you Sage, that's about everything."
The first warning bell rang, and students began to clear the eating hall, heading to wherever their next class may be. Kento cleared his tray quickly. Giving a wink, he headed off to his next class, promising to meet his friends in the usual place. Cye gave a shrug and wandered off, leaving Ryo and Sage standing alone together.
Sage repeated his original question to Ryo, "Cye said that he might be with you."
Ryo shook his head no. "He had a rough night last night, kept waking up all sweaty and stuff."
"Dreams?"
"More like nightmares. When he was sleeping, he kept mumbling something about a fire. He looked beat this morning, so Mia told him to stay home and catch up on his
rest."
Sage took on a thoughtful look, "odd, he didn't say anything to me."
"That's because you left before any of us." Ryo rolled his eyes at his friend, "we had to bum poor Mia for a ride because you wouldn't wait for anyone."
The Great Halo shrugged, "I didn't want to be late."
"You left two hours before school started."
Sage began to walk away, "I wasn't talking about school."
The second bell cut off Ryo's reply. Class was starting, and he was late.
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Mia quietly crept up the stairs and peeked into Rowen's room. Poor Rowen, those dreams weren't giving him any rest. The warrior of the stars was tossing fretfully on his bed, sheets tangled about his body. Words escaped from his mouth, but as to what they meant was beyond the guide of the Ronins. Fire? That was Ryo's expertise. Why was Rowen dreaming about fire? Shaking her head, Mia carefully withdrew and shut the door, leaving the Enlightened Strata to his dreams.
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A great bird fell from the starlit sky, plummeting at a dangerous speed to the earth below. Fire fell everywhere, lightening ran through the atmosphere, slithering out like the forked tongue of a snake. Thunder crashed, and the wind whipped about. The earth seemed at war with its elements, and all due to a great bird that plummeted from the sky.
Rowen had watched the unfortunate descent, and he had also seen the hyenas and crows that had come to claim the body. The bird was not dead, only held at bay by the animals that had come to ravish her broken form. Her captors snapped at her wings and dove at her back, damaging her fragile body, yet she screamed in defiance, fighting them however she could. Then the hyenas backed away for a moment, and one of them spotted the blue haired observer. With malicious grins, they turned to him, but the bird screamed once more, and struck out with her golden beak, and they turned back to her, ready to take her from life.
Then it came again, the lightening that had no end. It shook the ground as well as the sky, blinding all who thought to look at it, including Rowen. The light! Oh, the light! It harrowed through him, touching every nerve and fiber in his body. Sending course after course of electrical current into him until he screamed his agony, and everything turned to darkness.
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Kento was lost again. It wasn't ten minutes into his algebra class and he'd been left behind. Who really cared about dividing fractions with variable expressions anyway? Certainly not him. The way the teacher explained things; Kento was surprised that anyone could follow the meaningless jumble of numbers on the board. The only thing he could hope for was that the teacher wouldn't catch his lost expression and decide to call on him. Mr. Fe had a nasty sense of humor, and very little was beneath him.
There was a sudden tap on his shoulder, and a note fell onto Kento's desk. He looked up cautiously, making sure Mr. Fe hadn't seen the note passing. Fortunately, the teacher's back was turned, as he was writing on the board. Quietly unfolding the note he began to read, the handwriting told him it was from Ryo.
///Hey Kento,
Mia called the school. She's gonna pick us up right after this class.
Something's wrong with Rowen. We're all meeting by the tree. Now pay
attention!!! ///
The bearer of Hardrock grunted, and folded up the note. It wouldn't pay for him to get caught with only ten minutes of class left. But as he tried to focus on the teacher, his attention wandered back to the note. What could be wrong with Rowen?
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"I wouldn't know Kento," said Cye. "I'm just as confused as you are."
Cye was waiting for everyone under the tree; as soon as Kento had come he had bombarded his thin friend with questions. Unfortunately, Cye hadn't been able to answer any of them. Sage joined the group next; he gave them all a small wave and settled down next to Cye. Ryo came to the tree last, a pack slung across his shoulder.
"Hey guys," he said by way of greeting. "Sorry I'm late, Mia wanted me to pick some stuff up for her. Homework and the like."
Kento donned a forlorn look. "You mean there's not food in your backpack?"
Cye seemed to find this incredibly funny, and began to roll around on the grass, clutching her sides. Tears streamed down her cheeks as a surprisingly aquatic sounding laughter filled the air. Ryo just shook his head, "come on guys, Mia's here."
Sage stood and began walking with Ryo. "Did she say what was wrong with Rowen?"
The dark haired warrior bit his lip and cast a glance at Sage, "not exactly."
"But you have a theory."
Ryo paused from his walking to give the warrior of light a direct look. "I really wish you hadn't gone in early this morning Sage."
That statement troubled Sage. The bearer of Wildfire continued his way to Mia's red jeep. Sage lagged for a moment though. Of all the Ronin's, he was closest to Rowen. What Ryo said had cut through his conscience like a knife. He couldn't help having to leave early this morning, but the guilt still gnawed at his insides.
"Cheer up, Sage, Ryo's just worried." A hand clapped down on Sage's shoulder, and he looked over to see Cye smiling at him. "We're all close to each other Sage, some of us just express it better than others."
Everyone piled into Mia's jeep. Kento took the front and the others wedged themselves carefully into the back. The little red jeep was a wonderful vehicle, but much too small to be adequate for the four teens.
Mia gave them all a small hello, but her face was troubled. "We've got to hurry along. I left White Blaze at home with Rowen, but there's only so much a tiger can do."
The ride home was silent. Mia wouldn't tell them what was wrong for the sole fact that she couldn't. "He had been resting peacefully, the next thing I know he was screaming loud enough to shame a banshee. It took me ten minutes to wake him, and he didn't even remember where he was, much less his dream!" Mia snorted, Rowen was a practical person, and his actions were very out of character.
White Blaze was waiting for them. As soon as the jeep pulled into the drive, the tiger bounded out of the front door and straight towards the newly arrived. He stopped at Ryo to give him a gentle shove, but then he went immediately to Sage and fastened his teeth onto his school jacket, pulling him steadily along.
"Hey White Blaze, easy!" Sage tried to protest against his escort, but it was of little use. The white tiger was twice as long as he was tall, and weighed more than all the Ronin's put together.
White Blaze steadily dragged the blonde through the doorway and up the stairs to his room, where Rowen was in a fitful sleep. Beads of sweat fell from the sleeping Ronin's forehead. Though his body was motionless, his head tossed from side to side, as if he was tied down and being forced to watch a scene he wanted no part of. Fingers would spasm and grip the sheets, but no grasp could wrench him from whatever horrible site he was witnessing.
White Blaze looked disparagingly at Rowen, then bunted Sage closer to the bedside. Sage looked down at the tiger. He was obviously meant to do something, but whatever it might be was lost on the warrior of light.
"Ryo, he's your tiger, what does he want me to do?" Sage looked to Ryo, who just shrugged.
"You got me, but he obviously thinks you can solve the problem."
Sage looked back to Rowen. With a slight frown, he kneeled down beside him and attempted to use his talent of empathy. Gathering his energy, he reached up and placed his hand lightly on Rowan's perspiring brow. The moment his fingers touched skin, a fire erupted and surrounded both Ronins. Images spilled from the mind of Rowen and straight into Sage. Through the fire, Sage caught glimpses of a great bird, lying injured-a flash of the girl he had seen earlier swept through, closely followed by a feeling of terrible darkness, fear, and a great evil. The fire began to abruptly fade, but not before relaying its message to the Ronin.
Sage's hand fell from Rowen's forehead, and for a moment, neither of them moved. Rowen's spasms had ceased and his countenance gradually cleared. His face began to relax and become strangely peaceful.
Sage focused his eyes and moved to a sitting position on the floor, his back to the bed. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly and looked up to his friends.
"Well?" Asked Kento impatiently, reflecting the feeling of the Ronins who had been left out of the little fire reading.
Sage locked eyes with Ryo, "she's back."
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There was no sound in the kitchen, but the silence was deafening. All but Rowen sat around the kitchen table, nursing drinks or just simply sitting. Each had a thousand questions on their minds, but no one wanted to be the first to voice the one that rose to the top. Tension was beginning to build, and if it didn't break soon, trouble would break out.
Cye decided to crack the ice. She let out a quiet sigh and the inevitable. "Why?"
Ryo visibly winced, it wasn't a nice question, but it did need to be asked. He turned to the bearer of Halo, "did the fire say?"
Sage shook his head. "It didn't say much at all really. Just that she was here, but something's wrong. And there's another party involved, one that I don't think should be."
"I wonder how long she's been here," Mia said quietly. "She usually approaches at least one of you right away."
A worried look came into the violet blue eyes of Sage. "I don't think she can."
Kento snorted, "can't, won't, its the same thing for our dear little Fire. If she's here for any reason involving us, she'll reveal herself in due time."
"Kento!" Exclaimed Cye, "what an awful thing to say. Lady Fire is a wonderful creature, and you should be respectful."
Ryo began to chuckle, "it's not good to hold grudges Kento. Just because she wouldn't cook you a farewell supper doesn't give you any right to dislike her."
Their leader's quip was enough to relieve the building tension, and questions began to flow easily. The subject at hand was not an easy one to deal with. The return of the being known as the Fire could mean many things. Another battle perhaps? Had she come to claim their armors? Would she take them away again?
They continued to talk long into the night, and all the while Rowen slept. Finally, Mia noticed the dark rings forming around her charges' eyes, and sent them all to their beds. Tomorrow was a school day, and she felt that their educations were essential to their lives. They may be battled hardened warriors in some people's eyes, but to her, they were younger brothers who were in need of an education. And if that was what they needed, an education they would get.
Sage walked to his bedroom slowly, only paused at the doorway. Rowen still slept, it was his favorite pastime outside of reading or stargazing. But this time it was from the pure, exhaustive energy of the dreams. Why the Fire had decided to go through Rowen was a small mystery. Sage himself usually carried the dreams; he was more emotionally and mentally equipped to deal with the stress of relaying the intense messages. Besides, Rowen hated the Fire, and the dreams that she had sent him would not improve his view of her at all. So why did she choose him?
With a frustrated shake of his head, Sage stripped his clothing and slipped into a night outfit. Pondering this wasn't helping, he was traveling in circles. Violet blue eyes began to close; perhaps tomorrow would bring some answers . . .
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An aura of peace had settled over Ryo. Dreams of fire and warmth drifted through, beautiful and -
BRREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
"Hmm," with a groan, Ryo's hand snaked out and hit the noisemaker. For a moment, all was peaceful, but then it came again, the obnoxious scream of the clock. This time, a beefy hand came aggressively forward to smack the unfortunate alarm, sending it spinning across the room to land in a corner, its high alarm note slowly dying out.
The large hand withdrew into a mess of sheets, and a happy murmur issued from the living mass. In another bed, a blue eye slowly opened and focused on pile of sheet and human across the way.
"Kento, isn't that the third this week?"
The mass that might have been known as Kento gave a grunt and reshaped itself, not dignifying the answer with a reply.
Another blue eye opened, and Ryo slowly pushed back his blankets to stretch out. Throwing out his arms, his hand slid over a furry coat. He turned his head, only to be greeted by a rough tongue sliding across his face. Calm brown eyes gave him a look of good morning.
Ryo smiled, "morning to you too, White Blaze. I'm up, why don't you go work on Kento?"
The large white tiger turned and approached the still mountain on the other bed. He sniffed about a bit before finally poking his head through a small opening, and for a moment, he was submerged all the way to his shoulders. But then a small growl was heard, and he began to pull out of the sheets, dragging a sleepy Kento out with him.
"Hey, 'Blaze!" Kento woke up quickly as he was dragged unceremoniously from his warm bed to the cold wooden floor. "Come on! I can walk, I'm up White Blaze, I'm up!"
However, the tiger didn't let up. Kento was dragged from the room and down the hall. A moment later, the sound of running water could be heard, along with feeble protests and fervent splashing. White Blaze had decided to give Kento a bath.
A soprano laughter drifted through the hallway, and Cye's voice mingled with the cries of Kento. Some angry retorts came forth, and then a great splashing sound.
"Hey, Cye, stop it! Ow!"
"That's what you get for getting me all wet, ya big ox!"
Ryo began to chuckle, then quickly slipped from his bed and donned his clothing. The last thing he wanted was for White Blaze to decide he couldn't dress himself.
Sage shook his head; White Blaze was at it again. That tiger was worse than a mother! Pulling on a shirt, he glanced over to Rowen's bed. Fringes of blue hair stuck out from the mess of sheets, and a hand fell down to the floor-a typical morning position. The door began to creak open, and a black and white head poked its way through. Brown eyes regarded Sage critically before moving to the next occupant. Quiet feet moved the tiger over to Rowen's bed, where they paused, as if not sure what to do next. The eyes looked back to Sage, questioning.
"Might as well," Sage answered the silent question. "He'd sleep his life away if he could. Besides, we won't know if he's better when he's just lying there."
Confirmation gained, White Blaze began the process of bringing his blue haired charge to the land of consciousness. The big cat stuck his head into the sheets, and suddenly the pile began to twitch and snort. The exposed hand quickly retracted, and a struggle seemed to take place under the sheets. White Blaze withdrew his empty jaws and shook his head, giving a disgusted snort. Growling softly, he plunged back in, the sheets began to convulse, and White Blaze once again pulled his head out, only this time dragging out his victim. Rowen was trying pull away, but the tiger had obtained a secure grip, and was confidently dragging him from the room and down the hall.
"No, not in the bathtub!"
"Ach, White Blaze, don't dump him in here!"
The sound of running water was heard once more, and a heavy splashing quickly followed. Soprano laughter flitted once more through the halls, and Sage joined in with a low chuckle. He took his brown loafers from the closet and headed towards the kitchen, where someone was hopefully preparing breakfast.
As he entered the kitchen, Mia looked up from her coffee and computer at the table. "Morning Sage, did you sleep well?"
"As well as one can, I suppose. How was your night?"
A wry smile formed on Mia's lips, "about the same."
Sage gave her a sympathetic look and sat down at the table. Cye came over with a good morning and a plate of breakfast. He thanked her and began to pour himself a glass of orange juice.
A sudden rumbling shifted through the house, Mia's eyes glanced up to meet Sage's, "three, two, one."
"Food!" With three incredible leaps, the formerly immobile mass had taken the flight of stairs, the living room, and jumped the kitchen to land in an open chair at the table.
"Food!"
"Kento," snapped Cye. "One of these days you're going to break your neck doing that."
"Food!"
Sage rolled his eyes. "Oh just feed the thing, Cye. He's not going to understand much else."
Emerald eyes glared coolly at table occupants, but didn't favor them with a reply. Kento began to stand up and make his way over to the cooking pots on the stove, but Cye shoved a heaping plate of pancakes and waffles under his nose. "No, no, Kento. This way boy."
Kento's eyes became riveted to the plate before him, and Cye led him back to the table. "Sit boy, good. Here you go."
With animal like ferocity, the bearer of Hardrock attacked his first meal of the day.
A new voice entered the kitchen. "Does he ever stop eating?"
"Hey, Rowen, hungry?" Cye greeted her friend in the usual way, slightly preoccupied with keeping Kento's plate full.
Rowen's tongue hung from his mouth slightly, and his pale cheeks held a slightly greenish tint. "I might have been."
Cye laughed. "Sit down, I'll make you coffee and toast."
Mumbling his thanks, the blue haired teen took his place between his fellow Ronins and guide. A moment later, Ryo came down, followed closely by White Blaze. Ryo took a seat, and the tiger surveyed each person, deciding if each passed his rigorous inspections. He stopped at Rowen, and for a long moment simply watched him as he ate a small portion of his breakfast. Rowen stopped altogether and stared back at the large cat. Finally, White Blaze reached up and licked his face. Rowen gave a small smile and scratched behind the tiger's ears, causing White Blaze to purr in contentment, before moving on to another subject.
Mia set aside her computer, "how are you this morning, Rowen?"
"Doin' fine guys, apparently the Fire's done her work and I'm allowed to be normal again."
No one could miss the sarcasm that dripped from his voice. But he looked up and gave them all a smile; "say what you like, but say it later. We gotta get going, otherwise we'll miss the first bell."
Sage looked at his friend. "If Rowen's capable of being that cynical in the morning, then he's fine." Rowen shot Sage a glare, but the blonde boy chose to ignored it. "Kento, would you like the house next? I think you've eaten everything else, get ready for school."
Kento glowered at him this time, but Sage calmly returned the look. Hardrock grunted, it was hard to stare at someone who only had one eye visible.
The ride to school was ordinary. Sage was taking them in his vehicle, as he didn't need to go in early. Kento was trying hard to finish his homework, Cye was berating him for not completing it earlier, Ryo was meditating, and Rowen was largely ignoring everyone and reading a book. Mia would leave later to attend the University, and White Blaze would stay at home and guard the house.
However, something was not quite ordinary. The attempt to make everything seem usual was false. And as they drew closer to school, the strange feeling returned. A disturbance in the way of things, a feeling that begged to be named, but could not be. Was it because of her return? Where was the Fire?
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My first Ronin Warrior attempt! Tell me what you think!