Timeline: after episode 14 [Anubis falls into the hands of the Ancient], during episode 15 [after the Ancient "saved" Anubis from Talpa's influence, he tells the boys and Anubis that Cruelty is Ronin armor; right before Talpa sends the other Warlords to retrieve their wayward Demon General]
CHAPTER 6:
Defection
It was a beautiful early summer day ... or would have been, had there not been a gigantic dark cloud in the sky with Talpa's castle looming over them. Anubis stood in a park he didn't remember getting to and tried to figure out what had happened to him and the rest of the world. It seemed only hours ago his life had been ... well, normal. The very last thing he clearly remembered was nearly drowning Kale in the bathing pool. Then he had done the mistake of a lifetime, confronting Talpa about his use of the Netherspirits and his plans to have the Dark Realm fight their fight. Anything after that was lost to him in a hazy red cloud. He'd fought Strata and Wildfire? He'd been defeated? Well, that wasn't so hard to believe these days. Then ... pits of red, hot, glowing pain?
Anubis groaned and buried his face in his hands. Waking up surrounded by Ronins who weren't hell bent on killing him had been an unwelcome surprise. The Ancient telling him that he needn't serve Talpa any longer had not been the revelation he figured it ought to have been. How had he come from doubting Talpa to facing his freedom? The Ancient had explained it to him, but how could he just walk away from centuries of ... servitude? He needed a master. Didn't he? He wasn't like those Ronins.
They watched him. Eyes weary, but weapons sheathed. They trusted the Ancient, which meant they trusted Anubis who reluctantly admitted to himself that he also trusted the Ancient's judgement. It wasn't that he missed Talpa's leadership, he simply craved the familiar ... Well, this ... this was new to him. He hadn't walked in the mortal world in centuries, how could he function here? And without a master?
He saw Wildfire approach and flinched. "This is all your fault."
The harsh words weren't exactly what Ryo had wanted to hear when he came over to check on the very pensive Anubis. He took a step back and stared. First surprised, then angry. At a loss for words, he simply kept his mouth shut and started to walk away. Fine, he didn't care about the Warlord ... former Warlord any more than Anubis did apparently care for him. Fine! Who was he to dictate who should be thankful to him and the guys and who shouldn't? See if they were going to liberate any other Warlords.
"Is it wise to turn your back on me?" Anubis couldn't help his hostile attitude. This WAS Wildfire's fault. His insolence had sparked this whole affair. If he had cowered before him like he should have, then Anubis wouldn't have wasted a second thought on ... desertion. Gods, he'd deserted his master for this!
Ryo's chin came up in a defensive gesture. His bright blue eyes became even brighter with defiance. Was gratitude so much to ask for? "Why? Should I be afraid of you?" His words were dripping with barely concealed contempt. "I seem to remember kicking your ass before. I am sure I can do it now, too."
Truthfully, Anubis didn't look all that imposing at the moment. He actually looked kind of lost. Ryo suppressed a sigh. Those defeated, empty eyes tugged at him. He was vaguely annoyed to realize that he did care. They couldn't just abandon Anubis. And Ryo had a thing for strays. Stray animals, kids, young ladies ...Warlords.
"I remember." Anubis took his eyes off the park that sprawled before them and turned to face the young Ronin. He was surprised to feel ... nothing at the thought of his defeat at Ryo's hands. His anger, the humiliation he had felt just days ago were gone. "You defeated me. And it made me doubt myself, question Talpa and his ... wisdom."
"Well, if kicking your ass is what got you here, then you're welcome," Ryo deadpanned. "You are free now, you know. You can thank us later."
"What if I don't want to be free?" Barely audible.
Ryo's eyes widened almost comically. "Why wouldn't you want to be free of Talpa?"
"Have you ever considered the consequences?" Anubis' tone was even. That's all he had thought about the last hour. "What do I do now? Where do I go? I don't know anything but war. I am only good at fighting."
Ryo didn't see the problem. Why was Anubis being so difficult? And why did he look so young? He wasn't sure what he had expected, who he thought the Warlord would be like. Somehow he couldn't help but feel a small tinge of disappointment. And hope! Disappointment, because Anubis seemed to be just that, a man, a human, nothing more, nothing less. Hope, because that meant the other Warlords were, too. And mere men, they could defeat. After all there were five of them and only three Warlords. Piece of cake, Kento might say. "Then fight with us. Help us destroy the Evil Dynasty."
Anubis snorted. "Will you take me home, too? I am not some stray animal you just free from a cage, give a warm meal and send on its way." Because I wouldn't know where to go, he added to himself.
Ryo was beginning to feel angry now. "Why were you with Talpa in the first place? You are a man, human? Whatever made you do it?"
There was a pause. Anubis didn't care to remember, but Ryo made no move to leave. Finally, he relented. "I was young, foolish. A hothead. Always ready to fight. Don't get me wrong, I was good at what I did. But most of the time I was acting before I was thinking." He smiled and for the first time met Ryo's eyes; his were alive now with memories and sparkled with some of their usual passion. "I was like you."
"Hey, man, that's Kento you're talking about," Ryo joked, feeling defensive and threatened by that statement. He was nothing like the Warlord - former Warlord - at all.
"You would have accepted Talpa, too."
"No." Ryo shook his head violently, long strands of hair flying every which way. "No way, man."
"Yes, you would have." A weary smile curved Anubis' lips. "Imagine Halo and Hardrock and Strata and Torrent dead. Needlessly killed, betrayed. If somebody would offer you a chance to find the one that betrayed your cause, you'd jump at the chance. And if the armor came along with the chance for revenge, all the better. "
Ryo didn't understand, Anubis could see that in his bright blue eyes. "Talpa took advantage of my thirst for revenge. He offered me the power I craved. He came at me with choices I had never had before. I had sworn to myself never to be vulnerable again, and he delivered all that I wanted and more wrapped up in the Armor of Cruelty."
"It would have been yours anyway. It would have found you, you know." Ryo's tone betrayed his impatience.
"It might have. It might not have." Anubis smiled bitterly. Talpa had been there every step of the way, had helped him understand and learn the armor and its power. "I was sick with grief. I was angry. I felt betrayed, wronged. This great injustice had been done, and I needed to fix it. Like my father before me and his father before him I had sworn to defend my lord, to fight for his cause, to die for him. He betrayed us, offered us up for slaughter. He fled like a coward while my family and friends were killed. Talpa offered me the chance to avenge them, and I took it. After that, it was easy for him. I was thirsty for control. I was never gonna be defeated and betrayed again. By the time I realized that I wasn't fighting for revenge anymore it was too late." He paused and almost as an afterthought added: "You don't say no to Talpa."
Yet that's what he'd just done, thanks to the Ancient's interference. And in that moment, that instant, he realized that while his brain shied away from the idea, his heart already knew. He'd found a new master, and he would fight as fiercely and loyally dedicated as before. Only now it was to destroy Talpa.
Ryo nodded hesitantly. He needed to think about Anubis' words. His gut told him that Anubis might have been right. That could be him. His heart, the one that could not leave any stray out in the rain, told him to get over his defensiveness. "Now what?"
"I don't know." Anubis shrugged, wishing for some solitude to come up with an answer and hoping for some companionship at the same time. Wildfire ... Ryo seemed like a nice guy. Fair. Honest. Way too trusting, but nice.
"We will help you. We'll figure something out. Rowen and Sage, they'll figure something out. Maybe Mia has some idea. " Ryo scratched his head in a very Kento-like fashion.
"Strata and Halo?"
"Rowen and Sage."
"I wonder what it was like up in space."
Ryo laughed an easy laugh. "Hey man, Kento said the same thing."
Anubis rolled his eyes. "I know." Now all he needed was Strata telling him that space indeed felt like silk, and he was ready to kill himself on the spot.
CHAPTER 6:
Defection
It was a beautiful early summer day ... or would have been, had there not been a gigantic dark cloud in the sky with Talpa's castle looming over them. Anubis stood in a park he didn't remember getting to and tried to figure out what had happened to him and the rest of the world. It seemed only hours ago his life had been ... well, normal. The very last thing he clearly remembered was nearly drowning Kale in the bathing pool. Then he had done the mistake of a lifetime, confronting Talpa about his use of the Netherspirits and his plans to have the Dark Realm fight their fight. Anything after that was lost to him in a hazy red cloud. He'd fought Strata and Wildfire? He'd been defeated? Well, that wasn't so hard to believe these days. Then ... pits of red, hot, glowing pain?
Anubis groaned and buried his face in his hands. Waking up surrounded by Ronins who weren't hell bent on killing him had been an unwelcome surprise. The Ancient telling him that he needn't serve Talpa any longer had not been the revelation he figured it ought to have been. How had he come from doubting Talpa to facing his freedom? The Ancient had explained it to him, but how could he just walk away from centuries of ... servitude? He needed a master. Didn't he? He wasn't like those Ronins.
They watched him. Eyes weary, but weapons sheathed. They trusted the Ancient, which meant they trusted Anubis who reluctantly admitted to himself that he also trusted the Ancient's judgement. It wasn't that he missed Talpa's leadership, he simply craved the familiar ... Well, this ... this was new to him. He hadn't walked in the mortal world in centuries, how could he function here? And without a master?
He saw Wildfire approach and flinched. "This is all your fault."
The harsh words weren't exactly what Ryo had wanted to hear when he came over to check on the very pensive Anubis. He took a step back and stared. First surprised, then angry. At a loss for words, he simply kept his mouth shut and started to walk away. Fine, he didn't care about the Warlord ... former Warlord any more than Anubis did apparently care for him. Fine! Who was he to dictate who should be thankful to him and the guys and who shouldn't? See if they were going to liberate any other Warlords.
"Is it wise to turn your back on me?" Anubis couldn't help his hostile attitude. This WAS Wildfire's fault. His insolence had sparked this whole affair. If he had cowered before him like he should have, then Anubis wouldn't have wasted a second thought on ... desertion. Gods, he'd deserted his master for this!
Ryo's chin came up in a defensive gesture. His bright blue eyes became even brighter with defiance. Was gratitude so much to ask for? "Why? Should I be afraid of you?" His words were dripping with barely concealed contempt. "I seem to remember kicking your ass before. I am sure I can do it now, too."
Truthfully, Anubis didn't look all that imposing at the moment. He actually looked kind of lost. Ryo suppressed a sigh. Those defeated, empty eyes tugged at him. He was vaguely annoyed to realize that he did care. They couldn't just abandon Anubis. And Ryo had a thing for strays. Stray animals, kids, young ladies ...Warlords.
"I remember." Anubis took his eyes off the park that sprawled before them and turned to face the young Ronin. He was surprised to feel ... nothing at the thought of his defeat at Ryo's hands. His anger, the humiliation he had felt just days ago were gone. "You defeated me. And it made me doubt myself, question Talpa and his ... wisdom."
"Well, if kicking your ass is what got you here, then you're welcome," Ryo deadpanned. "You are free now, you know. You can thank us later."
"What if I don't want to be free?" Barely audible.
Ryo's eyes widened almost comically. "Why wouldn't you want to be free of Talpa?"
"Have you ever considered the consequences?" Anubis' tone was even. That's all he had thought about the last hour. "What do I do now? Where do I go? I don't know anything but war. I am only good at fighting."
Ryo didn't see the problem. Why was Anubis being so difficult? And why did he look so young? He wasn't sure what he had expected, who he thought the Warlord would be like. Somehow he couldn't help but feel a small tinge of disappointment. And hope! Disappointment, because Anubis seemed to be just that, a man, a human, nothing more, nothing less. Hope, because that meant the other Warlords were, too. And mere men, they could defeat. After all there were five of them and only three Warlords. Piece of cake, Kento might say. "Then fight with us. Help us destroy the Evil Dynasty."
Anubis snorted. "Will you take me home, too? I am not some stray animal you just free from a cage, give a warm meal and send on its way." Because I wouldn't know where to go, he added to himself.
Ryo was beginning to feel angry now. "Why were you with Talpa in the first place? You are a man, human? Whatever made you do it?"
There was a pause. Anubis didn't care to remember, but Ryo made no move to leave. Finally, he relented. "I was young, foolish. A hothead. Always ready to fight. Don't get me wrong, I was good at what I did. But most of the time I was acting before I was thinking." He smiled and for the first time met Ryo's eyes; his were alive now with memories and sparkled with some of their usual passion. "I was like you."
"Hey, man, that's Kento you're talking about," Ryo joked, feeling defensive and threatened by that statement. He was nothing like the Warlord - former Warlord - at all.
"You would have accepted Talpa, too."
"No." Ryo shook his head violently, long strands of hair flying every which way. "No way, man."
"Yes, you would have." A weary smile curved Anubis' lips. "Imagine Halo and Hardrock and Strata and Torrent dead. Needlessly killed, betrayed. If somebody would offer you a chance to find the one that betrayed your cause, you'd jump at the chance. And if the armor came along with the chance for revenge, all the better. "
Ryo didn't understand, Anubis could see that in his bright blue eyes. "Talpa took advantage of my thirst for revenge. He offered me the power I craved. He came at me with choices I had never had before. I had sworn to myself never to be vulnerable again, and he delivered all that I wanted and more wrapped up in the Armor of Cruelty."
"It would have been yours anyway. It would have found you, you know." Ryo's tone betrayed his impatience.
"It might have. It might not have." Anubis smiled bitterly. Talpa had been there every step of the way, had helped him understand and learn the armor and its power. "I was sick with grief. I was angry. I felt betrayed, wronged. This great injustice had been done, and I needed to fix it. Like my father before me and his father before him I had sworn to defend my lord, to fight for his cause, to die for him. He betrayed us, offered us up for slaughter. He fled like a coward while my family and friends were killed. Talpa offered me the chance to avenge them, and I took it. After that, it was easy for him. I was thirsty for control. I was never gonna be defeated and betrayed again. By the time I realized that I wasn't fighting for revenge anymore it was too late." He paused and almost as an afterthought added: "You don't say no to Talpa."
Yet that's what he'd just done, thanks to the Ancient's interference. And in that moment, that instant, he realized that while his brain shied away from the idea, his heart already knew. He'd found a new master, and he would fight as fiercely and loyally dedicated as before. Only now it was to destroy Talpa.
Ryo nodded hesitantly. He needed to think about Anubis' words. His gut told him that Anubis might have been right. That could be him. His heart, the one that could not leave any stray out in the rain, told him to get over his defensiveness. "Now what?"
"I don't know." Anubis shrugged, wishing for some solitude to come up with an answer and hoping for some companionship at the same time. Wildfire ... Ryo seemed like a nice guy. Fair. Honest. Way too trusting, but nice.
"We will help you. We'll figure something out. Rowen and Sage, they'll figure something out. Maybe Mia has some idea. " Ryo scratched his head in a very Kento-like fashion.
"Strata and Halo?"
"Rowen and Sage."
"I wonder what it was like up in space."
Ryo laughed an easy laugh. "Hey man, Kento said the same thing."
Anubis rolled his eyes. "I know." Now all he needed was Strata telling him that space indeed felt like silk, and he was ready to kill himself on the spot.