Part Ten

Shuu watched as a small boat large enough for two men and a horse rowed to shore. Manning the oars was an older man, easily into his forth decade, maybe even his fifth, but still had a twinkle in his eye. As the man's boat finally beached itself, the man gave a grunt and stood up.

"You must be the passengers Ryo's awaiting for." The men held out his hand. "Name's Sekijirou. I'll take you t' other side o' Bread here."

"Captain Sekijirou," Shin smiled, taking the old man's hands. "If you would like, I have just finished preparing some lunch."

"Sounds good," the seaman replied. "But you'll have to bring it. M' son's lookin' after the ship right now. Don't want to leave him alone to long."

"I understand."

They all made their introductions and headed, one by one, to the boat. Shuu made sure he was the last to go, stomping out their cook fire and keeping the last pack horse calm on the boat. When he got aboard, he found the others were below deck in the small room that was separate from the horses.

"Hey guys! We're all set to go."

Touma turned and shushed him.

"Huh?"

"Ryo's here and is sleeping." The prince turned to the bunk where Ryo's sleeping form did indeed lay.

"Ryo? Why?" the Lugan asked, his voice softer than before.

Seiji kept his voice quite, answering "According to Sekijirou-san's son, Ryo pounded on their door late last night soaked straight through. He explained the situation, but has been sleeping since they set sail this morning."

"With good reason," Sekijirou explained, coming down the steps. "That water was cold last night. We had a li'l bit of a rain last night on our end of the shore. The fact that he even found t' place's amazing."

Shin was dishing out the lunch he had cooked and gave Ryo's bowl to the captain. "Here. Ryo is rather amazing by his nature."

The old captain sat down, or rather fell down to the bunk across from Ryo. "Yup. Think that's t' same man I saw 's a kid needin' passage to Roanoke."

"It is the Korin Forest," Seiji corrected. Out of habit Shuu believed.

"Name's a name. Don't change a place. T' think that young man started our business all those years ago."

A young man knocked at the top of the stairs. "Dad, I think we should get going now."

"Youngsters' always in a rush. Come down here boy. We got a proper lunch. Shouldn't let it get to waste."

The young man took a long sniff. "You just might be right. Smells like when Ma was still around."

"You need to be getting' your own Ma soon." The young man blushed, but took a bowl of Shin's rice and fish.

"Think this is the first time Ryo here's ever needed passage f' friends," Sekijirou continued. "Always travels alone. No horses. No people. Just him 'n his pack."

"That oddly sounds just like him," Shuu murmured. "He's not really much of a people person. He's got a big heart and all, but he's not used to having us around." He looked to his three friends who were looking at him surprised.

"Well think about it. He's got a lot of trouble when it comes to what he can and can't tell us. He tries to be as honest as he can, but it can't always be that way and that puts him in a bind." Shuu took a large spoonful of his rice. "He does his best to keep us happy, but underneath it all he usually is worried that he's doing the right thing."

"You do have a point," Shin quietly muttered. "He tries so hard to give us what he needs that he forgets about himself."

"Hey," a voice said from the bed. "I'm awake you know. And hungry."

"Ryo!"

Sitting up, Ryo wrapped the blanket around himself. "I didn't think there would be rain on that side of the river." He shivered. "Shin, that smells like fish. Could I have some?"

"Certainly." Shin took out a dish and handed it over to Ryo.

"Captain," Ryo continued. "You and your son can now get started. We can't sit here all day."

"Got a point," Sekijirou agreed. "Come on, Suichirou. We got work to do."

"Sure Dad."

Father and son finished their meals and headed above deck.

"If you don't mind," Shin started, "I'd like to join them."

"Still connected with the seas?" Shuu asked.

"Need I reply?" The monk went up the stairs.

"I'll join them," Touma offered, looking a little green.

With room to actually sit down now, Shuu pulled a stool over to Ryo and Seiji sat down where the captain had.

"How are you doing?" the elf asked.

Ryo shivered in his blanket. "Cold. Tired. But overall, I'm fine." The disciple let out a loud sneeze.

Seiji's ears twitched. "Are you sure?"

Shuu knew what Seiji was getting at and put his hand to Ryo's forehead, pushing aside his damp bangs.

"You've got a slight fever, Ryo," he informed his friend. "I'm willing to bet you've now got a cold."

Not liking that one bit, Ryo cursed under his breath. It was going to be a long trip to shore.

Once on shore, Ryo watched as Seiji shifted some of the packs to leave one of the pack horses free.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You have stated that you are tired. You are also sick. You will ride." Seiji's tone left no room for arguments.

Ryo had to admit, riding might not be a bad idea. He could sleep on the horse, on their way. No wait, they didn't know which way they were heading. And they would need to refresh their supplies. And they were probably also getting low on money. And he needed to find some herbs to cook up some medicine. Sleep wasn't much of an option right now. He'd be better off walking. That would keep him awake.

"No thanks," he finally said, sniffling. "I can walk."

"You've got a cold. It will get worse if we don't tend to it. It requires rest."

"But . . ."

"Hey, Seiji!" Touma called over. "Do you have any money?"

"No," Seiji replied. "Why?"

The prince walked over. "Shuu noticed this morning that we were getting low on supplies. We're pooling our money right now. Sekijirou says that there's a trading post a couple of miles south of here, but we're sort of low on money as well." Touma rubbed the back of his neck. "In our rush to leave Tou Hashiba, I forgot to pull some money for this trip."

Ryo coughed. "It's alright," he said. Walking over to the pack horse that had his stuff, he pulled out his wallet. "That should help with the money. I can refill when we get to my home. That's about two weeks from here."

"We're going to your home?" Touma asked. "Aren't we supposed to be on a quest?"

"We are," Ryo agreed, "but we need to get a few things from my home that'll help."

"Alright," the Tenkuu muttered, opening up Ryo's wallet. He whistled. "You say we need to refill when we get to your house? With this much? Are you sure?"

Ryo chuckled. "I'm willing to bet there will be a lot of expenses by the time we're done."

Touma looked at him, but went back to the others. Well, it looked like he wouldn't have to worry about money or supplies. Touma and Shuu seemed to have that under control. But he still had to find some herbs and lead them home. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't sensed anyone coming. His head felt so foggy. Argh, of all the times to get a cold!

"Ryo," Shin softly said. "Get on the horse. We can take care of you for a change."

Ryo thought about it. He could give them some directions when he was awake. After all, he knew Lilimundralle like the back of his hand. Seiji, as an elf, would probably know what plants to get. Maybe, for once, he didn't have to do all the worrying. Maybe, just once, he could be sick and let someone else take care of him.

Foggy brain no good. He had a responsibility to his friends. He couldn't let them down.

But he was already mounting the horse. He was so tired right now. The fur wasn't as soft. Oh well. He could still lean forward and relax. Yeah, this was nice. He just wished the fur was softer, and more like . . . Ryo fell fast asleep.

When Ryo woke up the next morning; they were approaching the trading post that Sekijirou had mentioned. It must have been new, since it wasn't there last time he was in the area. Granted, that was quite a few decades ago, but that didn't matter. His head was still foggy, and he couldn't breathe that well.

He dismounted with the rest of them.

"So," Shuu started. "What do we need?"

"Food," Shin said first. "All we have left is rice, and we're running low on it. We could probably use some dried fruits or vegetables, bread, and cheese. Since this is farmland, we can't really hunt for food. Some meat would be a good idea then."

"Be light on the meat," Touma added. "Meat is usually most expensive, and I don't want it to appear that we're rich. Then they'll charge us even more."

"Don't worry, Touma," Shuu assured him. "I know how to haggle."

"I've had some experience myself in that department," Ryo agreed.

They ignored him.

"We also need some medicinal herbs," Seiji informed Shuu. "I can mix a powder which should help ease Ryo's symptoms."

"Anything in particular?"

Seiji listed them.

Ryo tapped Shuu's shoulder.

"Ryo," the big Lugan stated firmly, "you should be resting."

Chuckling, Ryo added to Shuu's shopping list. "We need some wax for our weapons, food for the horses, and some of you could probably use some new shoes." Shuu looked down to his well-worn boots.

"Hehe, they have been getting a little drafty. But I don't think there's a cobbler around here."

"Something to think about then."

Shuu and Touma entered the shop while the other three sat outside and let their horses rest. Most likely, the haggling would take a good while. It always did. Ryo leaned back against the hitching post and took a deep breath. It made sense that Shuu could haggle prices down. He would undoubtedly be in charge of supplies if he was ever hired. Since he would most likely have a strict budget, haggling just might be second nature to him. Actually, things were going pretty good, all things considered. Ryo relaxed and fell asleep again.

He was awoken by a hand shaking his shoulder, and he looked at Shin's large sea-colored eyes. Was it afternoon already?

"We're ready to go Ryo. Come on. Back onto your horse."

Ryo yawned and stretched, suppressing a cough. He also noted that the pack horses were a little laden down.

"I think I can walk from here," Ryo stated, his voice clearer than it had been. "We shouldn't burden the horses like that."

"Are you sure?" Seiji asked from his gold and white pinto.

"We may not travel as far, but that would be the case anyway with these horses." He looked through the packs. "It looks like you got everything. Did we end up paying much?"

Touma mounted his white stallion. Come to think of it, the horses looked rather good. They must have been fed and brushed. "Shuu was remarkable," he said. "I've never seen someone who could finagle prices like that. We were able to get everything at almost half the price I thought we'd end up paying."

"That makes sense," Ryo said from below, already leading them down the road toward the south. "Shuu most likely would have had to haggle on an even stricter budget from the people that hired him." He paused, sneezed, and then continued. "Touma is also good with finances because he's been trained in them since he was a little boy."

"Well I am supposed to be the next 'Head of the Bank, Smartest of Accountants, the Fountain of Gold, Hashiba no O-sama'," he muttered darkly. Ryo let out a long sigh. Maybe after they made it home Touma would fix his outlook of his future. At least it wouldn't be long.

"Don't be so upset, Touma," Shuu laughed, reaching over and slapping the prince on the back. "After everything that happened in Hashiba, what'd you expect?"

"Did something happen?" Ryo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Touma's face darkened and Shuu laughed good-naturedly. "The guy taking our money asked if Touma was the 'indebted prince'."

Oh dear. That wasn't good.

That evening, once camp was set up, Ryo was beat. He'd walked all day while being sick before, but it never felt good. His head was clear for a while when he was walking, but it was getting fuzzy again. Really fuzzy. His ears were clogged, and anything he heard was muffled. His nose was so far gone; he didn't bother trying to breathe through it. He suppressed his coughs pretty well, but he was just sick and tired of it all. When Shin offered to take care of the horses like Ryo normally would, he didn't even put up a token resistance. He plopped down where Touma was attempting to start a fire. Ryo didn't really want to start the fire this evening since he had doubts on whether he could do it or not at the moment. He hated being sick. It muddled all his senses so he couldn't trust himself to be able to do little things like starting a cook fire. He knew that his friends were doing things around him, and that he was eating his dinner, but he was so trapped in his own head, he couldn't pay enough attention.

Okay. Enough of this. He needed to take some medicine. Seiji had gotten the herbs back at the trading post. But his feet were too sore. He was so far into his own head that he couldn't move. This was bad. Ryo really hated having a cold. He really, really, really hated it.

"Ryo."

Ryo did hear his name. It did register. It just took him a moment to turn to the source of his name. Seiji's bright coloring greeted him.

"Yes?"

"Ryo, here's some of the medicine." Looking down, Ryo saw a cup of hot tea. It looked delicious.

"Powder's in the tea?" he asked.

"Yes. Drink it. Then go to sleep. Your cold will be better in the morning if you do. We can double horses. I don't think you should walk for a few days."

"I can walk." Ryo sipped the tea. "I don't want to over burden the horses. They're going to have to support us for a good while."

"You know," Shuu said from across the fire. "You can pull that trick that you did when you broke us out of Hashiba if you're so concerned about the horses."

"Huh?" three confused voices questioned.

Shuu chuckled, a hand running through his hair. "Well, in order to get us out of our cells, I saw Ryo turn into a mouse and crawl right through the bars."

The three confused ones turned to Ryo.

"I'm a Rekka," he said quietly, still sipping his tea. It felt so good going down. Warmed him right up. He looked to his friends and they still looked confused. "That's right," he muttered. "Rekka isn't the word anymore. I think I'd be called a 'shape-shifter' today. Back when I was born it was Rekka. So many words have changed over the years." He took another sip of his tea, relishing the taste. "You've got a point Shuu." Ryo finished off his tea. "Sounds very good."

Ryo thought briefly about what to be while sick. Something small so that it wouldn't be burdensome to the horses, but large enough to hold onto so he wouldn't fall off either. A cat sounded good. With a brief thought, Ryo shifted into a small gray-striped cat and curled up in his blankets. This was comfortable. He could sleep for a while like this.

Four very surprised chosen ones looked at the cat that had once been a human.

"That explains why his chi keeps disappearing," Seiji muttered.

Shuten thought the spring rains would be long over with, but no. Now he had the summer showers. The warm air was damp, and his brown horse was tired from the continual pushing Shuten called for. But he refused to stop until he knew that he found where the Troopers had crossed the Bread River. He continued to follow the current east, looking for any signs of a camp or tracks. The rain continued to pelt at his light waterproof. He had traded his heavier overcoat for it at Pou Hashiba.

The rain suddenly let up. Shuten must have finally passed the edge of the rain cloud. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked up to the grey clouds. Anubisu had said that rain washed away tracks. He hoped it wasn't so bad this time. He needed a break, and badly.

Shuten continued to scan the fields as he followed the river. How the hell could that Yami do this on a regular basis? It required so much concentration power and eye coordination. He had to look at the ground for seven sets of horse tracks that may or may not have crossed the river at this point. The Kitsune scoffed. Let him handle finances and tax forms anytime, it was better than this.

Snorting, Shuten continued to ride until he came across a shack of a home almost at the edge of Bread River. There was a dock, and a boat large enough to hold the seven animals. Shuten would never know if there were tracks, the rain had washed them away. But wait; there was a man on the boat.

The redhead grinned and urged his tired mount just a little faster.

"Ho! The boat!" he called.

"Ho there!" the man on the boat said. "I'll be with you in a moment!" Shuten waited, looking around. The house was not the shack he had initially thought. There was a boy on the far side, waxing the hull of a rowboat. The windows of the home were clean, if small, and the wood shingled roof was held down with rocks.

"Yes, sir," the old man said. "Name's Sekijirou. What can I do you for?"

"I was looking for a small traveling party," Shuten said. "I have very important information for them, but lost them in the Roanoke."

"What's the group look like, lad?" the man asked his face warm.

Shuten loved it when he saw a sucker. "Well, one of them had blue hair. One was an elf. There was a mercenary person, and a priest. One of the members was Sanada Ryo."

"Oh, them!" The gullible Sekijirou laughed. "You're behind by quite a little ways. They used my ferry near on five days ago."

Shuten blinked. Jackpot! "Really? I have to get this information to them; do you know which way they headed?"

"Due south," Sekijirou replied. "I think they're headed for Ryo's home, if that helps."

Shuten decided to puzzle the thought of a god's disciple having a home that wasn't an austerely decorated palace, since he knew there were no castles or palaces in Lilimundralle, not even in its capital, Peace. "It gives me great encouragement. I will trouble you no further." Shuten reached down and shook the man's hand. Sekijirou smiled warmly, completely oblivious to the fact that the Kitsune had picked his pocket.

Giving a final nod, Shuten pushed his mount south. Once out of site, he picked through his winnings. A healthy amount of golds! Sanada Ryo must pay well to his servants. Shuten smirked. He could double this in the next town or trader's station, and have enough expenses to make it to Peace.

The cards were favoring him.

Shin looked down to the gray-striped cat that was nestled on his saddle with what could only be called utter disbelief. Nowhere had he ever read in all the documents about the great disciple Ryo that he was a shape shifter. The scrolls always mentioned that Ryo was good with animals and that animals would often help him in various tasks that he needed to perform, but it appeared that they were all wrong. Ryo didn't have an army of four legged friends at his commands, he was the army himself!

The gray bundle in his saddle stirred momentarily, yawning and stretching before curling back up again.

That was another thing. How was he supposed to treat Ryo now that he was in this form? Did he treat Ryo like he would a human, or did he treat Ryo like he would a cat? This was so confusing. He wasn't sure he wanted Ryo to stay as a cat for very much longer.

"Seiji?" Shin asked.

"Yes?"

"How long do you think it will be before-ah-Ryo here will be over his cold and back to walking beside us?"

Seiji paused, his ears twitching momentarily. "The medicine I gave him would help if he slept for a day or so. However, since he has changed form, I do not know how things will affect him."

Just great.

Shuu reined up beside them. "Shin, don't you know anything?"

"Huh?"

"Here, let me show you." The large Lugan reached over and picked up the cat, er, Ryo and placed him in the nook of his arm. Ryo let out a startled mew, but relaxed in Shuu's large arms. Letting go of his reins, trusting his horse to follow the others, Shuu started to stroke Ryo's fur and rubbed under his furry chin. In response to the gentle touch, Ryo started to purr contentedly.

Shin, Seiji, and Touma looked in shock.

"Shuu," Touma stated, "you're treating him like a cat."

"For now he is."

"He's not a cat. He's human."

"No, he's a-what did he call it-he's a Rekka. He isn't just human," Shuu calmly explained, still stroking the gray bundle sleeping in his arms. "So he probably has the same wants that animals sometimes have, depending on what form he's in."

Shin shook his head. This was just too much. Touma stroked his own hawk, which was looking very curiously at the sleeping Ryo.

Touma stroked his hawk, looking curiously at Ryo, who was better and now walking beside them. It was odd to think that for two days, their friend had been a small cat. While he had understood back in Hashiba that Ryo was not just any Ryo but the Ryo of legend, he had never seen the Kaosan disciple do any miracles. Yet that cat had looked rather like Ryo.

Yet, he was the prince of Hashiba, so of course he should have reasoned that out and not minded unexpected things, given his uncle. Touma's thoughts turned sour. He really did not like being prince. It wasn't that he was a spoiled prince; it was just that his uncle did not leave him with very good visions of how he would be when he once his coronation was over. It didn't help that his people rallied around him.

Sighing, Touma stroked his hawk again, who affectionately nipped at his fingertips.

"Good. We're almost there," Ryo said from below them.

"Oh?" Seiji asked. "We are almost at your home?"

"Yup. There's a cabin up ahead. We'll spend the night there."

"The home owners will let us?" Shin questioned

"Yup. I have an arrangement with the family. They pay me a rather low rent for living in my cabin and farming on my land. In exchange, when I drop by, I collect the rent, which is our traveling money, and can stay free of charge. They also have to keep one section of my land under nature's control. They can't touch it."

"How long have you had this arrangement?" Shuu asked.

"Oh I've been a friend of the family for about five generations now."

Touma shook his head. Ryo was just one surprise after another.

In the distance, down the long sloping hill there was indeed a log cabin. Though it seemed well maintained and didn't look that old, it had an ancient feel about the place. Touma's hawk seemed to fancy a large oak tree that was by the cabin, covering part of it with it's large branches, and flew up to the tree's heights. On the other side of the tree was a barn of moderate size that didn't have the same aura of the house. It must have been a newer addition.

"Ryo-sama!" came a voice from the door of the cabin as they approached. Only the pronunciation of Ryo's name was way off.

"Ah! Masamune-san!" Ryo walked over and hugged the young man. "Please drop the sama. I haven't seen you since you were a baby! How's the family?"

"My mother's still around, helping with the kids."

"You're married?"

"Yup. Three kids now. Wife's visiting her mother in a neighboring town with them, so you'll have some quiet. Your room's ready."

"Thanks. What about my friends here?"

Masamune looked over to all of them, somewhat surprised. "Ryo-sama, I don't think you've brought people with you before. I don't know if we have the room."

Touma ran a hand through his hair after he dismounted with the others. Somehow, this wasn't what he expected when Ryo said they were going to his home.

"Actually, yes you do," Ryo smiled enigmatically. "I've always had room for them, ever since I made this cabin a long time ago."

Masamune raised an eyebrow. "Really?" I'd like to see it. The kids are a little cramped."

"Well I made the rooms with eight in mind, but it looks like I've only got four." Ryo showed them around to the back of the house. "It's probably a little dusty after the years, but I think it will be suitable." Ryo was talking more to the four of them than he was to Masamune.

"Ryo-sama. There's nothing in the back of the cabin."

Ryo leaned forward to the ground, whipping some of it away. After a few inches of dirt, there was a large metal ring, hooked to some sort of door.

"You have rooms under the cabin?" Masamune was surprised. But he had nothing on the other four, who weren't expecting Ryo's home to have rooms made for them. And what "four others" was he talking about?

A flicker of fire came to Ryo's fingertip, startling everyone as they took a step back. The fire jumped to the ground and spread, burning away the soil to reveal a door. Smiling, Ryo opened the door and lit a candle that was by the apparent stairs that were there. Together, everyone went down the steps.

The room was small, but it wasn't overly noticeable. There was room for four beds a fireplace that undoubtedly was connected to the fireplace in the actual cabin, and a wardrobe that most likely wouldn't fit all of their clothes. The walls were partially supported by roots of the large oak tree that came through the room, yet not disturbing the small space too much. It was indeed dusty, but Ryo's fingers lit with fire again and the flames engulfed the room, burning away the dust, but leaving the room itself untouched. There was a door at the far side, which was most likely were four other beds would be housed.

"I'm sorry my room isn't here as well," Ryo apologized. "I actually live in the attic of the cabin, so as not to interfere with the family."

Everyone was staring at him in shock.

"What?"

Touma sat down on a bed, setting his pack down and put his head into his hands. Not surprisingly, the bed was warm. "Ryo, this is the fist time we've seen you do real maho. Why else do you think we're surprised?"

"Didn't you figure that out yet?" the tiger-eyed man replied.

Several things clicked in Touma's head. He looked up in shock. "You've been openly displaying maho around us for a specific reason haven't you?"

Ryo nodded, a way-too-bright smile on his face.

"You said back in the Korin Forest that you had fire maho, but you only displayed it now. You show us that you're a Rekka only a few days ago, though I don't think that was meant. You said we had to come to your home to pick something up. We're not getting anything; you're going to teach us to use maho ourselves!"

Several jaws hit the floor.

"You mean," Shin started, taking a bed to sit down as well in shock, "that starting tomorrow, we'll be learning maho? And you're going to teach us?"

"Not exactly," Ryo said, that annoying smile still on his face. "I'll help you, but you can't access your maho through me."

"Then who?" Shuu asked.

Touma paled. "Kaosu-sama."

Forget jaws. Whole persons were on the floor now.

"We're meeting a god tomorrow!"

"Kaosu! We're going to meet Kaosu-sama!"

"Watch your language, Shuu!"

"How are we supposed to act!"

Masamune, however, was still by the door.

"Ryo-sama," he asked hesitantly. "Do you want your rent now, or later?"

Ryo looked at the four shocked stupid future students.

"I think now might be a good thing."

That evening's dinner proved to be very interesting indeed. Masamune proved to be a fairly good cook and they all sat down to a properly made meal for the first time since Tou Hashiba or earlier. And as much as the meal was appreciated and complemented on, the main thoughts were focused on giving Ryo an inquisition.

"Just how are we supposed to act around Kaosu-sama," Seiji was the first to ask. "Do I give him the same respect as my grandfather? How do I address him?" His questions continued on, very much like an elf that wasn't sure what type of honor to bestow upon a god he didn't worship very often.

Touma didn't ask questions so much as sit and try to take a few steps back in his thinking. While he was raised under the Kaosan faith, one would hardly calm him loyal to the religion. Touma was too logical to believe in deities, so the very idea of confronting a being who could kill him with barely a thought was putting a few things into perspective for him. Okay, maybe not a few. Maybe a lot. Maybe everything.

Shuu, meanwhile, was trying to figure out if one treated Kaosu any different than Kayura. Shuu was a Lugan and followed Kayura, but was about to meet Kaosu, so he was curious what the differences were between the two.

Shin, meanwhile, bombarded Ryo with theological questions as well as questions on how to act around the deity he had been following since he was essentially three years old.

Ryo, to his credit, did his best to answer all of their questions. For the most part he could, except for how to act around Kaosu.

"How do you think you're supposed to act around my master?"

"Like the sinful person I am."

"Like he is the High Elder."

"Like he's Kayura, only a little more formal."

"Like he's a god."

"Oh boy." Needless to say, Ryo had his work cut out for him.

"My master is indeed very different from the other gods. But you don't base how you act around him on someone you already know, or what you suspect you're supposed to do."

"Then how?" four voices demanded.

"They way you want to," Ryo replied

"Huh?" four voices answered, befuddled.

Ryo's head fell. "I didn't think it would be this hard . . ." The disciple leaned back in his chair. "A long time ago," he started, "shortly after I was born, my mother died. I never knew her. I was raised by my father. He was a good man, taking care of our farm here, which was much smaller than it is now, and surrounded by forest. Lilimundralle wasn't as populated as it is today, you see. My father taught me how to live off the land, not just in a farm, but in case I was on my own in the woods. Back then it was very common to have to travel for weeks before coming to a town, and you usually went to town to get supplies. Therefore, knowing how to live based on your surroundings was quite important. He also taught me a little on how to use my skills as a Rekka and how to fight."

"But you've never sparred with us," Shuu interrupted. "I thought you didn't know how to because of that."

"Oh no," Ryo smiled. "Remember, I have quite a few years on all of you. When I saw all of you through your initial sparring, I realized that I would probably be able to take you down quickly. That hardly seems fair in sparring. It's not that I'm stronger or anything. I've just had a lot more experience. Most of the moves you've used, I've had to defend against at least twenty times or more over the years. I think I'll probably start sparring with you when we hit the road again, because you'll need the help.

"Anyway, my father and I were really close. When I came of age at thirteen . . ."

"Thirteen?" That was Touma.

"Back then people didn't live as long as the do now. At thirteen, you were considered a full grown man or woman. As I was saying. At thirteen, my father died. He'd been getting sicker and sicker for years, but he finally passed on. When that happened, I was lost. I didn't want to stay on my farm because of all the memories. So I went into the woods and wandered. I barely got by, since I was so affected by my father's death. One day, I came across a small tower in a gentle clearing. There was a firelight coming from the windows, so someone lived there, but the field wasn't farmland. Back then you farmed or you died. Even if you hunted or traded, you still had a farm that you went home to, even if your family took care of it."

"I was curious about this tower. It was just what I needed, since it was a distraction from my grief. So I walked around it and found a door. Inside, the bottom level held a fireplace where a man with a hat that covered his eyes was staring at the flames. He was actually quite surprised when I walked over to say hello."

"That was Kaosu-sama?" Shin asked in awe.

"Yes. I didn't know he was a god at the time. Religions weren't very big back then. We had a vague idea that there was some all powerful being, but people were too interested in surviving long enough to grow up. In any case, I introduced myself and apologized for barging into his home." Ryo chucked. "He was rather surprised until he looked at my chest."

"Your chest?" Seiji's ears twitched.

"Yup. I had been running around to woods so much back then my shirt was sort of torn up. You could see my chest right through it. My master realized at that point that I was to be his disciple."

"How?"

"On my chest is a mark. It stands for 'virtue', though the language itself hasn't been used in centuries. Nobody can see it except for the gods. I believe all of you will probably have a mark somewhere as well that my master will see.

"As I was saying, back then, after I had introduced myself, he just sat there, staring at me. I didn't know what he was doing back then, so I turned to leave. The strange old man put his hand on my shoulder to stop me. He told me that I would stay there for the night, since I probably didn't look too good. The next morning, I was rather surprised to see a breakfast waiting for me. My master said that if I could farm his field, he would let me stay and keep me fed."

"So that's why you call him master," Touma thought aloud. "Back then, working under someone meant servitude. You were his servant so he became your master."

"Partly," Ryo agreed. "I farmed his field and he watched over me. We talked at dinner and the talks usually lasted well into the night. He became like a father to me, since I had lost mine. I didn't like the idea that I was replacing my father, so I brought it up to him one night. He told me that if I didn't like looking to him as a father, a master would do. I tried. That's how I started calling him my master. However, as I got to know him more, he didn't really act like a father like I had initially thought. So I asked him what a father of my father would be called. After that, I started to look to him more like a grandfather.

"It wasn't long after that that I also started to realize bizarre things tended to happen around him. So one evening I asked him why that kind of stuff happened."

"You're rather blunt, aren't you?" Seiji muttered.

"I prefer to think of myself as honest," Ryo replied. "That's when my master explained who he was. When I realized he was a god, I understood that he was far more than my master. But I couldn't change how I acted around him. He was still a grandfather to me. Just a very powerful one. After that I started to learn my maho."

"So, in other words," Touma surmised, "we aren't supposed to act like he's someone special."

Ryo paused, his chin in his hands. "Act like my master is a stranger that you're getting to know. The rest will fall into place."

Masamune's mother came in with a tray of drinks and handed them around.

"Ryo-sama," she said, giving a drink to the red-clad man. "I noted that some of your party's boots are a little worn. My son's a fair cobbler, if I say so myself. He could do with some work tonight. He'll be too energized to sleep tonight and some cobbling will keep him busy."

"Shuu? Touma? Would you like some new boots?"

What a way to end the evening.

Seiji awoke the next morning and climbed the stairs into the open air. The predawn sky was a pale purple and lightening as Seiji climbed the large tree to observe the sunrise. The previous evening had proved to send his head whirling in headaches as Ryo explained things that just continued to shock him over and over. In many ways, the way the tiger-eyed man explained things seemed natural. But when taking a step back, it seemed impossible that Seiji was going to be meeting a god that day.

He spent most of the morning in the tree, observing the sunrise and debating on many of the things that had so shocked him the pervious evening. It wasn't long before the others came out from the cellar as well, congregating under the tree and talking. Seiji hopped off his branch and joined them. They all agreed that Ryo was honest to a fault, and that they would most likely be meeting a god that day. However, they all still held doubts on how to act around a god. It wasn't something that one did every day.

Masamune came out, giving two sets of boots to everyone but Seiji. Evidently, Shin had wanted to get a pair while he had the chance.

Ryo came out soon after and informed them that they wouldn't be having breakfast and to saddle up.

Since everyone was still tired and all of them were too anxious to really eat anything, they agreed and started out riding.

It was only an hour's ride before Ryo stopped in the middle of the path they were following.

"Everyone, get off your horses and keep a tight hold on their reins."

"What?"

"Shuu, Touma, hold on to the pack horses as well."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Not really understanding what was going on, they complied.

Ryo looked around, smiling. "Alright! You can come out now!"

Bewildered, everyone looked around. It was Seiji who spotted something down the path. "A tiger!" Already the horses were getting nervous as the large white cat approached.

"Byakuen! How are you doing?" Ryo knelt down and hugged the large beast.

"You know this tiger, then," Seiji grunted, trying to keep his horse calm.

"Yup. I inherited him from Kenbukyo. We'll discuss it more when we get to my master's keep. It's over the next hill. Byakuen's here since he's the only one who can guide people other than the gods or me into my master's home." The horses were still prancing around nervously, so Ryo patted each of them on the snout, speaking in soothing tones to them.

Seiji's ears twitched. Were they to be traveling with a tiger now? And how were they supposed to keep their horses calm like this?

Ryo, however, calmed the horses and mounted the large tiger.

"Shall we be going now?"

Shuten lead his exhausted mount down the road, furious that the animal would not keep the meager pace he had set for it. Except for the trader's station, there had been no settlements, leaving him with nowhere to double the golds that weighed down his purse. And he had yet to find those five troopers. Seven horses traveling at a leisurely pace should be easy to catch up to, but nooooo. The dice kept falling snake eyes and boxcars. Even a Little Joe would be better than this.

Growing angrier by the minute, he continued down the road that seemed to lead nowhere. His horse needed to be watered, and there was no stream in sight.

Wait a moment. Wasn't that a farm up ahead? Walking faster, after slapping the rump of his brown horse to comply, he headed toward it. A young man came out of it, washing his hands on a rag.

"Sir?" he asked after he spied the Hashiban clothes.

"My mount needs water," he said, handing the reins over to him with disgust.

The farmer looked at the horse. "You've been pushing him too much, sir. Poor animal's exhausted. He'll need a proper rest after this."

Shuten resisted the urge to growl. "I don't have time for it. I'm trying to catch up with someone."

"Ryo-sama?" he asked.

Shuten blinked, pulling out his dice to finger them. "Who?" he asked, unsure of the pronunciation.

"Sanada Ryo-sama," the man replied.

Could it be? A royal flush? In one deal?

"Are you sure?" he asked, wanting to check his deck. "He was with four other companions?"

"He left here early this morning. He and his party is the only one I know of that would travel this road."

Unable to help himself. Shuten smiled. Up yours, Rajura, you one eyed, uppity up, know-it-all, holier-than-though Gen wanderer!

Excuse me, Rajura replied. But you following a road by yourself successfully hardly seems worthy of my attention. Or you gentle affection.

Shove it, Cyclops! I found them! Shuten replied evilly. His winnings were not going to be spoiled. Not even by Rajura.

Arago-sama may smile on anyone once. Though why he would look your way after your horrendous failure in Hashiba is beyond me.

It's so nice to know you care, Shuten scoffed as he asked the farmer which direction the party had gone.

Whatever. If you just want to jump up and down and praise yourself like a baby, see if I care. Just don't drag me into your miniscule accomplishments. We already know anything you do will fail. So just let me finish my preparations and get on with it.

Shuten wanted to reply some choice words, but the mind link was severed.

Thanking the farmer, Shuten grabbed his feeble mount and forced it into a gallop after the five.

"Hey! I thought you wanted the horse watered!" the farmer shouted from far behind him.

Marie Kenobi, we hope this satisfies your curiosity about Ryo's abilities! wink