Aiden stirred in discomfort, trying to go back to sleep. It wasn't going to happen. His mind was too occupied, questions buzzing around like bees on a lazy summer day. He had to find Akio. The young man had promised to summarize his ancestor's book, and Aiden thought it was exactly what he needed.
Getting out of bed reminded him of every ache and pain. The medi-pedes were flexible, allowing him full movement, but he was still afraid of tearing them, the combination making him move extra cautiously. Akio and Masanori didn't seem to be hurt half as badly. Well, Masanori at least seemed less affected, even if he had been more grievously injured.
At his bedside was a red robe, or kimono, Aiden thought he remembered hearing them called. It was better than the torn and stained clothes he had been wearing. Someone must have brought it while he slept. He looked around but couldn't find his old clothes. The same person must have removed them. He put the kimono on, figuring out how to secure it properly. Or close enough. The loose clothing felt strange, and it was a little too short, ending slightly above the halfway length of his shins. Aiden hoped he could get something less traditional to wear soon.
He was mercy to his new acquaintance's kindness. He had no money to speak of, and now he even had to borrow clothing. It made him uncomfortable, and he wondered how he was going to pay him back. He thought about the black clouds and the empty metal soldiers, and knew there wouldn't be any going home today. It was a strangely helpless feeling.
Still, he was alive, and being looked after. This stranger was willing to share with and provide for him. It wasn't a comfortable situation, but it was certainly something to be grateful for. Accordingly, Aiden settled on his knees and held his cross, offering a prayer of gratitude. For his life, recovery, and the kindnesses of strangers. He prayed also for the strength to carry out whatever tasks would be required of him.
He opened the door, trying to remember the way out of this part of the compound. A left, a hall, and another left, and he was overlooking a beautiful little water garden. Koi shimmered in the fresh sunlight, moving lazily about their stone enclosed world. A myriad varieties of water plants swayed with exquisite grace on the water's surface, gloriously exposing their pleasing hues for all to see. The sound of gently flowing water was soothing, and Aiden could see a modest fountain, sitting on the lip of stone marking the garden's boundaries. It's simplicity was completely at harmony in this little world, as it made its unique contribution to its peaceful quality. Aiden had never seen anything quite like it, and was captivated by its pure charm.
"Lovely, isn't it?" Akio said beside him.
Aiden started. When had Akio gotten here? He glanced around, now noticing that the sun was still rising. He must have slept all the rest of yesterday and through the night. "Yes," he answered. "I haven't seen anything that's quite its match." It's tomorrow, he thought. Happy Birthday, my little niece. I'm sorry I couldn't make it to celebrate with you, Calla.
Akio chuckled. "This one is small, compared to many of the others here, and certainly to some of the expansive ones I have seen in other places, but it's still my favorite. I used to try drinking out of that fountain when I was little. I usually fell in." He laughed at the memory. "The things we do."
Aiden laughed with him, picturing it. It sent his thoughts back home, to his own youth. "When I was about eight, my family and I visited my uncle, who was a shepherd. He had this ram who I took an instant disliking to. It walked around as if it owned the place, and seemed to look at me as if I was a thing barely worth his notice. My uncle was quite proud of that ram, and I ended up being jealous, thinking they both felt it had more worth than me." He smiled. "I decided that if I could ride it, then it would show that I was better than it was. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Eventually I got so mad, I began chasing it around. He didn't like that much, and ended up butting me into the fence. Of course, all my shouting at it had drawn everyone's attention, and they saw what happened. I tried to wrestle the nasty thing, and just ended up getting all dirty and bruised. Eventually, my uncle came in and broke us up, laughing the whole time."
Akio looked at him. "So how was your score settled with the ram?"
"It wasn't really," Aiden grinned. "But my uncle had a younger, less uppity ram the next time we visited, and I really enjoyed imagining where our mutton came from that dinner." They shared another laugh.
Akio glanced at the length of his robe, amused. "I hope you don't mind, but we didn't have anything that would fit you."
Aiden shifted his feet self consciously. "It's okay. I mean, thank you." He sighed. "I don't mean to be ungrateful, it's just very different from what I'm used to. But it's definitely better than running around in destroyed clothes."
"Don't worry," Akio assured him. "I am having new ones made for you. We took your old ones so that the seamstress could better gauge your size."
"I'm not sure I'll be able to repay you," Aiden began.
Akio waved his words away. "It is nothing. Besides," he began walking away from the water. "We're in this together, now, till some conclusion is met. All of us."
"I'm not sure what the three of us can do, considering." Aiden echoed, following him.
"There are more than three. In fact, I am sure there are ten of us." Akio wandered slowly back towards the main buildings.
Aiden didn't want a whole lot of people staring at him and how awkward he was in the robe, but it was only a passing thought, his curiosity piqued. "Ten?"
"Yes," Akio continued. "The last time, my great-grandfather's time, there were five who fought against this enemy. They didn't know each other to begin with, either, but quickly became brothers. They fought against the soldiers, called Youja, Talpa, Talpa's netherworld spirits, and most of all the four Dark Warlords. It was revealed that the armor the Dark Warlords used were of the same origin as their five, and the Ancient One left at the end of Sage Date's battles, taking them all with him."
Dark Warlords? Netherworld spirits? "I thought you said ten. You only accounted for nine."
"Yes," Akio said, frowning slightly. "There was a tenth armor mentioned in my great-grandfather's records. He makes references to a fifth warlord, but she didn't seem to appear until they were well into the war. Then, at the end of everything he states, 'When Anubis departed, he took our armors with him, as well as the armors of the Warlords Kale, Sekhmet, Dais, Lady Kayura's, and his own.' Is the line. Since ten armors were taken, it makes sense that there are now ten of us."
They had gone back inside, and Aiden could smell food, making him realize how hungry he was. "I'm confused, forgetting some of what he had been told the day before. Who is Anubis? Why did he have an armor? Who is the Ancient One? Why did he take the armors?"
"I'm sorry," Akio dipped his head. "I'm accustomed to talking about this only with my family, who are already well acquainted with the particulars as disclosed. It is easy to forget you know nothing about it. The Ancient One was a being who aided my forefather and his fellow Ronin Warriors. I don't know very much about him, except that he was powerful, and adamant in his fight against Talpa. He ended up sacrificing himself for that cause, but not before he had rescued the Warlord Anubis from Talpa's control, apparently sensing that he was not as devote as the rest. Anubis became an ally, and the power of the Ancient One settled on him as a successor. He continued to assist the Ronin, right up until my great-grandfather destroyed the Warlords." He paused, gesturing for Aiden to take a seat at the table. "An act that nearly destroyed him, as well. Then, Anubis took all the armors away, to try to undo the curse of corruption, to make them safer for the next generation. For us."
Aiden seated himself as suggested. "What curse?" he asked, alarmed.
"I was getting to that," Akio said, pausing as food was brought in.
Masanori followed the servants into the room, settling across from the door at the square table. He said something in Japanese, which Akio echoed, then seemed to remember that Aiden didn't understand the language. "Good morning." He said, his English much more accented than Akio's.
"Good morning," Aiden replied. "How do you feel?"
"Normal," he answered. "After a fight." He had crossed the room almost slowly, hiding a limp.
As he sat down, Aiden caught an exchange between the two Japanese boys. Akio looked at Masanori intently, as if searching for something. Masanori saw, and his face was thoughtful, but stony. Akio looked away and something streaked across his face, but what that was Aiden wasn't sure. What was going on between the two of them? Did it relate to himself? Or was he being excluded for a specific reason? Still wondering, he took the moment to pray before eating.
Akio waited until he was finished, and had selected, hesitantly, some cuisine. "Now, the corruption I was referring to seems to be an inherent design in the armor. It appears there is a balance in the armor. An evil nature counteracted by a virtue. It is up to the bearer of the armor to prevent feeding the evil, and holding fast to its virtue." He paused for moment to take some food. "If the bearer, if we, allow ourselves to indulge in darker emotions, to take actions out of intentions less than pure, we risk upsetting that balance. If that happens, the armors have the power to change our hearts, and corrupt our minds, turning us into the evil they naturally want to revert to."
Aiden thought a moment, fighting back an urge to get rid of the thing he was given. "And what if we hold firmly to our virtue? Does the danger go away?"
"It would appear not," Akio answered. "Even the act of fighting emboldens the corruption, even against the empty Youja, making it increasingly important to guard ourselves as we progress in Talpa's campaign."
Aiden let out a breath. "Well, that's a lot to take in."
"Indeed," Akio agreed. Masanori might have dipped his head.
Several minutes later, after trying several more of the strange items laid out before him, and settling on two as being the most palatable, Aiden voiced a question. "You said your great-grandfather was almost destroyed when he killed the Warlords. What did you mean by that?"
Akio frowned, the result of a concern shared by a family for generations. "From what Sage says, the beginning of the end was when the five of them killed the Dynasty lord, Saranbo. His was the first real life any of them had taken, and it had strong consequences. Each of the Ronin Warriors was adversely affected, which led Sage to making the decision to continue their fight alone. His hope was to spare his brothers from any further harm, to preserve their spirits. He also hoped that if he could destroy the heads of the Dynasty forces, the rest would flee. To further that end, and give himself a better chance, he attempted to merge himself with his armor. He did not, at the time, know how dangerous an undertaking that was."
He took another bite, gathering his thoughts. "He then defeated the Warlord of Venom, Sekhmet. Feeling more sure, he faced the Warlord Lady Kyura. During this fight, the consequences of his attempt to bring the armor into fuller alignment with his own being, and taking Sekhmet's life, took form. Sage's armor took control of his body, and Kyura was killed. Brutally. My ancestor's feelings towards harming women were strong, and the event took its toll."
He drank some water, finding revealing this to a stranger difficult. "He consulted himself and Anubis, and after taking measures to restrain the influence of his armor, he decided to press on with his original intention. And so he came to face the remaining two Warlords, Cale of Darkness, and Dais of Illusion. They were very cruel. Dais, especially, played a great hand in undoing my ancestor's efforts, and for driving my great-grandfather back under the armor's control. He managed to kill them both, with some aid from Anubis, but he had lost himself. He was driven into attacking the other Ronin Warriors, almost leading to their deaths, and his.
"At this time he credits Cye Mouri with helping him free himself of the controlling will of Halo, and regain himself. Some time later, Anubis gathered the armors and left, hoping, as I said, to cleanse them. How my ancestor was personally affected, it does not say, but I know the five of them stayed close friends, a strong bond forged by their shared experiences, though he seemed to be closest to Rowen Hashiba."
"That is still no excuse, Akio," Masanori said certainly.
Akio turned on him with heat. "You still insist on that, even though you have now seen why? You are supposed to embody Justice, Masanori! Why do you not give it to me?"
Aiden looked at them in bewilderment. What were they talking about? He supposed he should be grateful that they were doing it in English, but that made it little less confusing.
"I understand you view your ancestor as your role model and hero," Masanori said, still maintaining an even tone.
"And he was!" Akio cut him off, standing. "You deny him his glory?"
"No," Though Masanori was shorter, his presence would not be denied. He stayed seated. "Your ancestor was strong, and accomplished much, but my trouble is with you." He stared unflinchingly into Akio's anger smoldering eyes. "You wish so badly to follow in his steps, you are willing to risk the war, to risk lives, because you cannot have what you want."
"I am willing to do whatever it takes to stop Talpa and his Dynasty, it is my family's mission!" Akio snapped. "What do you see so wrong with my desire to be like a great man? Am I supposed to strive instead to be an average one?"
"You mistake me," Masanori said, and his eye twitched, the sole sign he was growing impatient. "I honor your mission, and I expect every man to be the best he can be. But you are not willing. If you were, you would wear your armor."
"I refuse!"
"Your obsession with the past is going to get people killed."
"I don't understand," Aiden broke in, sensing it was about to get out of hand. "If all the armors have potential to be good or evil, then shouldn't it not matter which one we get?"
"Will you explain," Masanori asked. "Or do I need to?"
Akio sighed and turned to Aiden. "I was, I received the armor of Illusion. Dais' armor."
"You were chosen by it," Masanori clarified.
Akio looked at him dangerously. "Isn't that rather easy for you to say? Considering what chose you?"
"And you are angry because Dais caused your great-grandfather to suffer?" Aiden asked, trying to understand the situation.
"Of course I am!" Akio stormed. "How can I be expected to wear this thing, this thing that has caused so much torment! I want to be like my ancestor, not his enemies!"
Aiden took a deep breath, venturing into turbulent waters. "You won't be."
Akio crossed his arms, waiting.
"Since it is your desire to truly follow the way of a noble warrior, then you will certainly be less likely to become something that isn't. If you're saying that you don't want to use the armor because it was once against your ancestor, maybe all you need to do is remember that the armor is a tool. It was Dais who did those things to him, and now Dais is dead." Aiden scraped his memory for anything he had heard about these people, and combine it with the little he understood about the young man who stood before him. They were a proud people, honor-centric, and he seemed to exemplify those qualities. "
"It is no shame to use it in the defense of," the scale was still astounding to Aiden. "Of our world, and everyone in it. Aren't you proud to have been selected at all? Out of every human being on earth, you were chosen. And you are prepared. You've studied all about this. Out of everyone, you are one of the most qualified." Akio still stood there stubbornly. Aiden plowed on. "You weren't chosen because you have things in common with the person who had it last. You were chosen because you are strong enough to use it despite that person, because you can best embrace your virtue, and master the evil within it. To use deception requires a creative intellect, and to use it for good would take a strong character." He searched for a response. "Wouldn't it?"
The room was quiet for a long moment. Akio uncrossed his arms, placing his hands on the table. He shook his head, his natural blond highlights dull in the light. Talpa's clouds had spread nearly this far, and had taken a toll on the sunlight. "You wouldn't understand." He said quietly and left the room.
AN: I could sympathize with Akio, but that is a little too much pride to be carrying around, isn't it? Poor Aiden's really trying! My sister called Aiden 'adorbs', and it made me laugh.
