Chapter 25

The Sphinx and the Fire

Campsite of the Legendary Five

Evening Hours

Adrian was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest and he was looking at his slumbering cousin and the black sphinx. "Why does Drake have to be so… how could I put it…?" Adrian wondered out loud. Jack, who was sitting by the fire, looked up at Adrian with a scowl on his face.

"I don't know, Adrian," he said. "I can't read your mind."

"Gakupo seems to like Farren a lot…" Aquarius said changing the subject.

"It would seem so," Sakurajima agreed. "It looks like Farren likes Gakupo in return."

"And I was ignored again," Adrian butted in. "This is my cousin that we're talking about, you know."

"We are fully aware of that fact, Adrian," the Kitsune said hotly. Adrian looked at the orange-haired woman with narrowed eyes.

"I want an answer to my question about Drake," he returned almost as heatedly.

"I'm not sure why he is being the way he is," Sakurajima said calming down some.

"What made him turn on us?" Adrian asked this time. Jack stood up and went to the camp entrance to keep watch for either Drake or the Shadowbane.

"Again I am not sure why he did that," the Kitsune answered.

"I think I might know…" Aquarius said meekly. The Australian man looked at the ground where he was sitting by the fire. Sakurajima looked at Aquarius quite surprised.

"Really Aquarius?" she asked. "Could you explain it to us?" Aquarius took a deep breath before he explained what he thought happened.

"Drake likes Farren, but she doesn't like him in return. The fact that she likes Gakupo; a man that she only just met, must have hurt Drake deeply," Aquarius said. "Nevertheless, that still doesn't justify what he did to Gakupo. It was wrong on more levels than one…" He fell silent again feeling as if he said something wrong. Sakurajima looked at him and smiled.

"Aquarius that was great…" the Kitsune said. "In fact, that might be the reason too!" Aquarius looked at Sakurajima slightly red in the face.

"It was?" he asked trying to hide his blush.

"Indeed it was," the Kitsune answered with a nod. Aquarius looked away shyly.

"T-thanks…" Aquarius stuttered shyly. The sphinx lifted his head and nudges Farren slightly to see if she was alright. When he didn't get a response from her, he nudged her a second time with his head. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at him.

"Huh…?" she questioned drowsily. The sphinx nudged her for a third time, this time knocking her over. "Hey…!" she replied sleepily. She saw that his eyes were shining with laughter which caused Farren to smile and pet his nose lightly.

"He seems to be enjoying himself…" Adrian said lightly.

"Climb on…" Gakupo said to Farren.

"Eh?" was all Farren could think of saying.

"Get on my back…" Gakupo urged. Farren nodded her head and climbed onto the sphinx's back. Jack faced the sphinx, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Where are you taking Farren?" Jack snarled.

"You still don't fully trust me do you, Jack-kun?" Gakupo asked.

"Why should I?" Jack asked. "You have the mark of the Shadowbane on your forehead. You could go evil at any point." The sphinx stood up and shook his fur free of the dirt.

"I'm sure that they'll be just fine, Jack," Sakurajima said gently.

"But he works for the Shadowbane!" Jack protested as he pointed to the mark on Gakupo's forehead.

"He doesn't work for the Shadowbane as long as Drake isn't around," Sakurajima objected.

"What if Drake finds them on their little 'flight' then what?" Jack snarled.

"Jack, get your head out of your ass and let's keep a look out here," Adrian interjected. "Gakupo and Farren can look after themselves."

"Gakupo can't control himself when Drake is around!" Jack yelled.

"Don't worry, Jack, he will be fine when Drake is dead…" Farren said. "…and I'll kill Drake when he comes for Gakupo." The sphinx spread his wings wide and lifted himself into the air. The sudden rush made Farren yell in delight. She held on tightly but still gently. Gakupo took off randomly in a direction away from the camp heading over the water. "Where are we going?" she asked him in his ear.

"Anywhere right now, I just need to get away from the stiffness of the campsite…" Gakupo answered her telepathically.

"Right, I understand," she replied and patted him on the back of the neck.

"You don't like that idea?" he asked her telepathically.

"No, I'm fine with it," she replied verbally. He flew quietly for a little while but he came to a stop in midair suddenly, his gaze locked on something that he saw on the ground. "Gakupo, is something wrong?" He hovered in one spot his eyes wide in horror as he saw the destruction down below. He pointed with one of his massive paws to show her. When she looked at what Gakupo was pointing at, her eyes opened wide in horror.

"Is it the Shadowbane?" Gakupo asked telepathically.

"Possibly… or it could be Drake…" Farren answered. He went lower still flapping his wings.

"If Drake were near the mark on my forehead would be glowing…" Gakupo said to her telepathically.

"Oh yeah that's right," Farren replied. The sphinx landed on the ground, the fire was everywhere, his tails flicked in alarm as he began to panic. He reared up on his hind paws knocking Farren off his back; she landed on the ground roughly. "OW!" Farren cried out. Gakupo took a few steps forward his tails still lashing the thick clouds of smoke rising up from the fires. One of his tails landed in the fire and caught aflame; this caused him to panic even more. He began stomping around the area in pain. Farren got up and ran over to him.

"Gakupo, what's wrong?" she asked the sphinx. Gakupo's eyes were dilated in pain as he looked at her. they heard laughter in the distance, but it wasn't the laughter of Drake.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a familiar voice asked. Farren immediately drew her sword recognizing the voice.

"Spirit!" she yelled. The sphinx reared up again, his tails dipping more into the fire directly behind him.

"Farren, get the others!" Gakupo yelled at her telepathically. "Or get out of here!"

"Well, if it isn't little Ms. Farren Hawkins," Spirit sneered.

"No!" Farren said to Gakupo verbally. "I've handled this man before! I can take him down again if I need to!"

"This time you cannot defeat me," Spirit said. The sphinx stomped his forepaws on the ground in anger and pain. Farren took out her cell phone and called Sakurajima who answered after the second ring.

"Farren?" the Kitsune asked. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Spirit's here!" Farren said instantly. "I think he might have caused the surrounding fires here! We need you all here immediately!"

"We're on our way," the Kitsune said before she hung up her phone and gathered the others around her. "We have to go and help Farren fight Spirit."

"What's going on?" Aquarius asked.

"Great, just god damn great more problems right after another," Jack complained.

"I hope that my cousin is alright…" Adrian said slowly. They group start to head to the location where Farren and Gakupo were.

"Why are you here, Spirit?" Farren asked.

"I'm here for the samurai sphinx that Drake got for me," came the man's answer. Farren took a step forward.

"Oh, I don't think so, you'll have to get through me first," Farren said.

"That would be rather easy," Spirit declared. The man waved his right hand and the mark on Gakupo's forehead started to glow red.

"Gakupo!" Farren yelled. The samurai brought down his right forepaw close to Farren causing her to jump back in alarm.

"What's going on?" Sakurajima asked as she skidded to a halt next to Farren with her swords drawn.

"Spirit has taken control over Gakupo!" Farren reported.

"I thought that only Drake had control over Gakupo," Adrian said as he came to a stop next to the Kitsune.

"So did I…" Farren said. The sphinx continued to stomp as his tails caught more on fire. He backed into the fires more and more trying not to attack his friends like Spirit was commanding him to do.

"You stupid beast," Spirit growled, "Attack them!"

"Aquarius put out the fires!" Farren instructed. The sphinx's legs buckled from under him and he took on his humanoid form the fires completely surrounding him in every direction. Spirit disappeared with a growl of frustration. Aquarius began to put out the fires as fast as he could.

"Useless creature…" Spirit's voice echoed around Gakupo.

"Where is Gakupo…?" Adrian asked.

"The hell if I know!" Jack scolded.

"Gakupo!" Farren called loudly. The samurai didn't respond to Farren calling him. as the fires died down, Farren could see him, his clothing was burned and tattered, his face was covered in burns, his hair was scorched, and he remained unresponsive to the water that was poured over him by Aquarius. Farren ran over to the samurai and knelt next to him.

"Gakupo, can you hear me?" Farren asked. "Gakupo?"

"How did he end up so far in the fires?" Adrian asked.

"I-I don't know I was too focused on Spirit," Farren answered.

"He was trying not to attack us like Spirit commanded him to…!" Sakurajima said having observed the situation before Gakupo collapsed. Gakupo continued to remain unresponsive to Farren's hands shaking him.