This chapter is still under construction and so changes may happen and parts added or deleted

This chapter is still under construction and so changes may happen and parts added or deleted.

Chapter Thirteen

Rayne was resting from the only thing that she knew that would take her mind off of everything and anything that might be worrying her, shopping, not only for herself but also for the constant hunger that any group of warriors would build up. She was at first enjoying herself but it didn't last long, it was also the best place for her to think but that wasn't working for her either she was just picking at the food on her plate.

I might as well go home, there's no way that I would join the others in that paintball/training that John invited me to, I don't enjoy getting welts she winced at the imaginary welts along her side, sighing she finally gave up on finishing her spaghetti and got up to throw away her plate. She was turning to head out of the mall when she stopped dead spotting Chrissy and Hawthorn from the corner of her eye. She completely filled with shock of seeing the two; they were navigating through the maze of chairs and tables trying to get to the other side of the mall.

Why the hell would she be doing at a mall? And with Hawthorn!? She slowly walked around to the other side where they wouldn't see her and fallowed them into a gothic store. She hastily ducked down pretending to look at power beads but wasn't blending well as she was the only person in the store wearing a bright orange shirt but she was grateful that her hair was black so that she somewhat blended. I hope everyone else thinks that I'm just really into Halloween or something, and it seems that Chrissy and Hawthorn don't seem to expect to run into any of us. she thought at the back of her mind. Chrissy and Hawthorn seemed to be talking to everyone in the small store. But what was weird was that Chrissy was talking with her hands a lot more than she usually did. Rayne and the others were accustomed to her moving her hands a little to emphasize her point and occasionally throwing in some Sign language while she talked but this was a little bit stranger than usual.

The thing that got Rayne the most was that Hawthorn was completely silent and wasn't uttering a single snicker or giggle at all, he seemed somewhat normal which sorta scared Rayne a lot. After talking to all the customers they then headed to the single cashier

"Blessed be good sir" Chrissy said, which threw Rayne off and almost had her step back into another customer. Fortunely Chrissy and hawthorn hadn't noticed at all, "Would you perhaps know of a girl with Red hair and Golden eyes, we do know that she is well known as a prophet and your sign says you have a fortune teller." Chrissy calmly asked the cashier

"Lady I don't know you, or what you…" he started to stop speaking and Chrissy was once again gesturing with her hands. He then started speaking again "Niomi… she has some sort of weird power to tell the future. She has red hair and her eyes are gold. She usually hangs out at the pier before it was destroyed" The cashiers voice was flat and emotionless, but suddenly Hawthorn started to giggle and Rayne readied herself as Chrissy franticly was looking for something. She found what it was and popped it in his mouth, the people in the store looked at them with weird glances.

"Its his meds" she explained the customers shrugged and returned to shopping both Chrissy and Rayne breathed a deep sigh. Chrissy franticly left the store leaving the cashier frozen in place. Rayne went up to him and snapped her fingers, trying to snap him out of whatever she put on him.

"My god, has she wiped his mind?" she stated she couldn't believe it, the cashiers head dropped down to the counter then back up startling Rayne.

"Hey, what happened? Where's the cutie?" he said franticly looking around. Rayne sighed with relief and hurried out. The mall unfortunately was crowded and she saw no sign of Hawthorn or Chrissy anywhere.

I've got to tell everyone about this before it's to late, but why would they want this Niomi person? I just hope I find them before they find her Rayne then braved the crowds and did a private broadcast to the rest of the Ronins.

--

Chrissy and Hawthorn arrived at the half destroyed pier that was damaged by the bomb that the Ronins had thrown in to the bay. The entire carnival was shut down, but three days of clean up did little good as the place still looked quite torn up.

"Hey hawthorn," Chrissy said casually "Why are you so messed up anyways, what happened to you to make you so insane" Chrissy asked knowing that she may get another answer that wasn't going to be pretty but that it was better than plan silence.

"My mommy and daddy said that I was doing good. So I just kept on killing so I would be a good boy." hawthorn replied simply

I should have known "Oh well, that's nice hawthorn." She said cringing. She instead looked around trying to see how anyone would stick around this carnival at all.

As they were talking the one they were searching for, Niomi, was sitting quietly on top of the farise wheel, watching with a great interest. The intruders of her home cautiously made their way through the dreary carnival and its wreckage.

"Can we go on one of the rides?" hawthorn asked innocently looking at the farise wheel and the other broken rides.

"Their shut down, they don't have any power and most look like their going to fall apart." Chrissy looked at him rolling her eyes and wishing that a lunatic didn't have to escort her. "Besides Hawthorn were supposed to be looking for that Niomi chick. Not to play around on the rides" Chrissy looked at the ride that was half destroyed. "I don't even think that it's safe for you to even get close to it much less ride."

"But, that's what makes it fun!" hawthorn yelled jumping onto the basket of the farise wheel rocking it back and forth.

Suddenly out of nowhere a rock hit Hawthorn square in the face startling him and causing him to fall out of the basket Chrissy sighed and then proceeded to try and help him up when she was pelted with a rock as well, again square in the forehead.

"What the, who's there?" Chrissy called out to the darkness slowly Niomi came from the shadows behind the wheel her face emotionless and grim. Chrissy was surprised that it was a child.

"Why are you here?" Niomi asked them simply.

"We're here for someone called Niomi" Chrissy said cautiously knowing full well that a child can be just as dangerous as an adult.

"Why are you looking for her?" She asked clinging to the toy in her hand tighter.

"We are like the military guys," Hawthorn said Niomi's eyes widen with fear and anger. She then lunged at Hawthorn

"Wait no, you don't understand! He…" Chrissy couldn't speak fast enough as she was then attacked as well, not by a rock but from a power of some sort. But their was something about the girl that Chrissy couldn't put finger on. She realized that this girl couldn't be any ordinary girl as she was fast enough to attack Chrissy and Hawthorn without seeing it.

"Hawthorn armor up!" Chrissy yelled at him as she banished the illusions from them and drew her swords. Hawthorn did and attacked her but she dodged his attack easily.

"You are the ones who destroyed my home, and now you are here to finish the job" the girl said again. She then grabbed her wrists and a surge of power emerged as she armored up. She then stood in front of them armored in both cloth and plates a small staff in her hands.

So she already has her armor, I guess that's why Talpa wants her on our side but how in the hell did a child obtain an armor Chrissy then took her chance "We aren't the ones who destroyed this place it was others that we've been fighting" Niomi paused and tilted her head.

"Explain" Niomi said this time.

"The Ronins are the ones who placed the bomb in the bay causing your pier to be destroyed. We had nothing to do with your pier before now. And we're not from the military; he's just saying that we came to ask if you would help us. To recruit you on to our side like the military does at schools" Chrissy held her breath while it wasn't completely true that they weren't involved it was true that the Ronins did move the bomb therefore causing the damage. She wasn't sure if she would get another chance to make such a strong move of persuasion again.

"These Ronins, one of them wouldn't be carrying a staff would they?"

"Ya, and there's a red one, a green one, a orange one…" Hawthorn started to list them all by color but Chrissy just blocked him out

"The one with a staff had a person in a red armor and in a young one in white, gold and black. They tossed a bomb into the lake as the fell out of nowhere and then appeared at the shore afterwards. They left before I could even do anything to them" Niomi said in a cold chilling voice

"Well then join us and you will have your revenge, Talpa will make sure of it as he is seeking revenge as well" Chrissy held out her hand for her to shake and reluctantly she did. And then she again tilts her head to the side. Looking beyond Chrissy

"Crazed one, you had said that there was an orange one. Is that the one you spoke of?" Niomi pointed to the fast approaching Rayne

"What the! How in the world did a Ronin fallow us here?" Chrissy asked

"I get to play!" hawthorn laughed gleefully running towards Rayne. Niomi once again tilted her head as if she was studying Rayne

--

Rayne ran towards Chrissy and hawthorn trying to get to them before they hurt that little girl. Hawthorn met Rayne halfway and was fighting her. Rayne feeling a pressure of urgency knocked hawthorn away and ran towards Chrissy she was just about to reach them when the little girl tilted her head and a blast of water shot Rayne into the ocean. The last thing she saw was Chrissy opening a portal.

Rayne struggled to keep afloat and tried to keep her fear of the ocean under control but it wasn't easy as the waves kept crashing over her, forcing her to sink slowly down into the water. She was just about to pass out when she felt herself being grabbed. She opened her eyes to see that Cye swam and got her to the surface. Kento was right there at the end of the pier to help her up; he quickly embraced her and wouldn't let her go

"Ok Kento, I don't think she's going anywhere," Cye said gently.

"No, I know that," Kento softly sobbed.

"Kento," Rayne said with a faint smile "Its ok, you should know that this is what our job requires. It's nothing new, especially to me."

"You should have waited for me, you wouldn't have been in trouble if I was here for you." He said relaxing his embrace only partially.

"Kento there's nothing you would have been able to do" Rayne put her hand on his shoulder "I had to fallow them, I had to find out what they were up to." The other Ronins left the two to talk and to search the area.

"Rayne…"Kento was silent his head ducked down

"Its ok Kento, I know. If you would die I would feel the same." Rayne said getting up to avoid him seeing her own tears

"You almost did," he said

"I know, but if we were to quit now, who would protect the world? Who would help John and Jace get Chrissy back, who would make sure that justice and sincerity would live on in a world where it's a rare trait?" Rayne got back down "Kento," she put her hand on his face and had him look at her "its up to us, I know that our life wont be filled like this forever, we will have peace. We will be able to have a life together. I promise you, we will be together." Rayne took Kento's hands and looked him square in the face "I promise you, we will both live on and we will be together."

"Alright, we better get going before they think Hardrock has changed to become Softrock." Kento joked and Rayne smiled they both joined up with the others

"Well since you are here we might as well try and see if my stuff is still sitting at my table." Rayne joked to Kento

--

Chrissy watched in amazement as a small child could summon a gust of water that knocked Rayne 50 ft clear out into the water just as she dropped the pearl that opened the gate to the stone chamber. The other Ronins however were quickly approaching in the distance and she didn't feel like taking the chance of the Ronins clearing their name with Niomi. Even though it was them who decided to drop the bomb in the ocean.

"Hawthorn lets go, now!" she said urging him through the portal after Niomi. She smiled as she saw Ryo and gave a quick bow and entered as well. As the portal faded she heard a faint splash. The spirits on the other side barely noticed the new recruit, or it was if they were avoiding her.

Author's note: there is more to this chapter, but because i have not finished it yet i stoped it here. if you want to read what i have even though it may change go to my site iandikeep