Well, this is another chapter. Hmmm... I have not gotten any ideas from reviewers to continue so I will even take ideas for another story. This is about Ryou again, but worry not. Malik is around. You'll see. NOTE: MALIK CHANGES EVERY NIGHT. I KNOW THAT'S INCORRECT, BUT I NEED TO CHANGE IT FOR THE PLOT LINE. RRE. nn

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Ryou was now a warrior. He was trained to replace Malik. As his final teachings ended, he became bitter and sadistic. He was too young to be respected by anyone. He shut himself out from the village. Ryou would spend endless hours wiping his swords by the Nile. The promise of using the blades one day kept him going. His personality was acrid. He would never get to prove himself.

Ryou did smile sometimes. He loved her stories about the supernatural and how powerful some of them were. His great-uncle seemed crazy with his tales, but Ryou loved his odd nature. One day, his great-uncle gave him two pure silver swords that he had found years ago. Of the two, one had a crescent moon enclosing a star carved into a sapphire. The other had a blazing sun engraved on a ruby. Both gems were large and ancient, valued to be nearly priceless.

He then always had the weapons near him. It could have been from paranoia but probably because of their potential power. After his town heard of the beast attacks, he knew it would be fun. He could finally fight. His village was boring and there was nothing to battle with except some wandering desert foxes. With his swords, he ran away and went straight towards Starab.

The hot sand burned his bare feet as he trekked. There was nothing for miles around. No water or food or shelter. He found the city finally after several days. He was hungry and thirsty. Ryou desperately needed somewhere to rest for the night. The bustling city that was Starab was very different from his village. He had never actually left his home before. Odd shops selling all things imaginable lined the main street. Ryou strolled between the booths asking if anyone needed help in exchange for food and shelter.

Malik caught sight of the wandering boy. It came as a great shock. He remembered the child from years ago. It was the boy had admired him so. But, when heard Ryou telling his plight to someone near, he grinned. "This will fun," he thought.

Ryou neared Malik's stand. He looked over the meager food items Malik was selling. Then, he cautiously asked, "I have been turned down by everyone I have asked today. But, please, do you need help?" Ryou cringed; he hated having to ask for help. It made him feel extremely weak.

"Um, yes. I do need help," Malik replied while falsely smiling. "You can assist with growing my crop and weeding. Then, I will give you some food and a bed. Fine?"

Ryou stared at Malik, as if recalling the person. But, the glance broke and he answered, "Yeah ... sure." Malik was shocked that the boy did not recognize him. Great.

Ryou had to now do what Malik did years ago: work the fields. Afterwards, Malik would feed him some bread and some sort of vegetable. One day, Malik noticed that Ryou had two sword sheaths. "You have blades?" he asked.

"Yes, pure silver." Ryou unsheathed them.

"Oh," he simply said and then left.

Ryou received food, but his bed was never used. Ryou would go out into the surrounding desert and search for the killing creature. He would not find anything. Malik was smart. However, the warrior did see a large wolf one night in the distance. He threw one of his silver swards like an arrow at it. The blade gazed its shoulder. It howled in pain and kept on running. Ryou could not keep up. He found the weapon lightly touched with blood and embedded in the ground. The next day, Ryou did not notice Malik's bandage.

Ryou went out the next night hoping for another wolf sighting. He followed his normal path an oasis he found. The cool water it provided was a welcomed relief from the heat. He leaned against a tree as he watched the black sky shimmer. A noise behind him awakened his senses to the fact that he was alone. Ryou spun around. A hunched figure stirred a few yards away. It seemed to be calmly sharpening its claws against a tree trunk. "What are you doing here?" it growled. Steadily it rose to two legs. The moonlight reflected of its auburn fur. A werewolf. Ryou fought to urge to back up. His expression changed from shock to anger. He held his swords crossed in front of his body.

"Filthy demon, you killed and now must be killed," Ryou said. He had waited years for this moment yet still felt chills.

"Don't call me a demon. I may kill things, but I still have a soul," it snarled. The lupine glared at him through amber eyes. "Let me guess, you are here to kill me with your weapon and then be a great hero. Right?" it mocked. Its eyes stopped on the two gems, he remembered them ...

Ryou used his distraction to slash from the side. The lycanthrope easily caught the blade with lightning reflexes. The catch stung. It pulled its hand away muttering 'silver' under its breath. "Those swords, where did you get them?" it asked in a half-mad, half-intrigued tone.

"Why do you care? All you should care about is that they will kill you." Ryou struck again, but the werewolf dodged the attacked.

"You can't kill me with my own swords!" Malik yelled. Ryou stopped.

"Your swords? These were Malik's. They said he was killed. I don't believe it. He was a great warrior. You are just a lycanthrope."

Malik straightened into a challenging stance. "I was killed! Maybe not physically, but spiritually. The werewolf I fought deprived me from the honorable death I deserved. I have to feed off other animals like a parasite! It can be fun, though. I can rampage and do what I like. I wondered when I would see my blades again. But, out of fear, not pride."

"You can't be Malik. He was honorable and brave. You are just a worthless creature!" Ryou drove his swords down over his head. The lycan caught his wrists and twisted them sideways. Ryou clenched his teeth in pain.

"My child, you are still young." It would play with the warrior later. The were loped away. It was gone.

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Done! Review! vv