Total Eclipse of the Heart

Total Eclipse of the Heart
By: Aurorarose13

Chapter One – Enter the Key Figures

The smell of the dew on the grass lingered in the crisp morning air of the low country. The sun had not yet broken the horizon, but the first light of the new day rimmed the edge of the Earth in a watery stretch of canvas. Overhead, Venus glimmered her last – along with accompanying royal court – as the morning would soon overtake her.

Rowen stared upwards. So beautiful. Sometimes he wished he could return to the heavens and just drift lifelessly in an orbit of the Earth and moon he loved so much. He wanted to let its peace run through his veins once more, for the city was anything but peaceful nowadays. With Talpa in town it was hard to even think such soothing thoughts. If only he could find that serenity once more…

The grass whispered in the meadow as a summer breeze captured its blades in its invisible arms. Rowen felt a presence in the field; he was no longer alone. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" a feminine voice asked dreamily, permeated with thought. Rowen turned his head to the left slightly. "Huh?"

"Venus. I suppose that's why they called her the Goddess of Beauty. Notice how she outshines everything, even the moon. Like an intricately cut diamond."

"Yeah, I've noticed that as well," he answered, shifting his gaze back to the distant planet. "She's quite a sight."

"You know, sometimes I wish I could just fly away from all this, up to space, up to Venus. What I wouldn't give to just escape this Earth some days."

Rowen smiled at his companion's thought. "I know exactly what you mean. We think a lot alike; we always have." Finally, the girl in the mist stepped into the waning moonlight, her face completely in view. Her figure was slight, pale under the white gaze of the moon. Her hair was onyx and gathered in a loose ball on the top of her head. Two red and gold sticks protruded from the ball, their gold leaf ends sparkling faintly as she craned her head. The grin on her face danced softly – fragile and warming – perfectly mirroring her emerald eyes.

The woman clothed in a crimson and ivory kimono trod lightly to his side, her delicate hand hovering over his shoulder. She breathed deeply, then asked what she had really wanted to all along. "What are you doing here, Rowen? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I could ask you the same question, you know. What exactly are you doing here this late, or rather, this

early?"

The raven bird in the meadow tut-tutted quietly. "I asked you first."

With a heavy sigh of resignation, the lone Ronin turned to face the beauty beside him in the field. "Just admiring the view. I come almost every morning at this time. I like pre-dawn best, when the horizon is aglow with the light of the rising sun, but the heavens are still visible enough for me to see the constellations. There's nowhere quite like this valley to view the show. Besides, you know about my obsession with the sky; it's a part of me, of my armor." She closed her eyes for a moment, absorbing his every word. "Your turn, Mirichu."

It seemed to Rowen that the woman drew into herself, as if desperately seeking a place to hide and avoid answering his question. She looked into the pasture of silver blades slicing the twilight air with their razor edges – a field of katanas and ninjitshu. The wind played upon the dew and stirred her hair with its feathery touch, kissing it with a wet kiss. "I like to look at the stars. Perhaps early morning isn't the best time to see them all, but, like you said, the view is just too spectacular otherwise. And it's the best time to see Venus in her prime." Mirichu glanced up purposefully at the planet to evade his probing gaze. Rowen, with his heightened senses, instantly noticed she was hiding something important from him, but it was clear by the look in her eyes that she merely wanted to watch the sun come up today. And Rowen was going to let her have that fleeting moment in time, when the world seemed to start anew, to herself. She was, after all, searching for that same peace he was.

They watched in perfect silence as an orb of burning red fire set the world aflame with its crimson fingers. Trees as far off as the next town over could be seen trembling in the sizzling glow of the ancient monster, their leaves shaking in a distant breeze. The cliffs that surrounded them melted from black to cherry in an instant to quick to be captured by the eye. The grass around their feet caught fire within seconds, and suddenly the whole world was alight. Shadows retreated into themselves. Animals retreated into the forest. Blackness retreated under the lip of the globe. Life restarted itself. Earth came alive once again and a new day had formed.

Mirichu closed her eyes and drank the fiery light like Chardonnay from the great goblet of the Earth. Rowen, too, soaked up the newness of the world through his exaggerated gasps. Dawns as fabulous as these were a rarity anymore, now that Talpa had come for his revenge.

As silently as she had arrived, Mirichu disappeared into the forest without a word of goodbye. Such is her way, Rowen remarked to himself. Always appearing out of nowhere when she's least expected, then vanishing before I even get to say goodbye! Sometimes I wonder what her true story is…

The Ronin broke from his thoughts when he noticed the glinting orange of a high-up Dynasty gate. Think about her later, Rowen! You've got work to do!

After quickly adjusting his jacket on his shoulders, he broke into a run and raced to the black serpent that sliced through the woods. His jeep sat there waiting for him, the water of the morn freshly gathered on his windshield. Rowen hopped in and started for home with but one thought on his mind… What was for breakfast, and could he beat Kento to it?

@~~`~~~

Four Ronin Warriors sat meditatively around the breakfast table, soaking up the last of their eggs with their toast. Mia cleared the table as dirty plates and silverware soon covered it. It was completely silent, save the sounds of the forks clinking on plates and Kento's loud munching. "Man, Mia, you sure can cook a breakfast!" Ryo remarked, shoving the last of his roll in his mouth. "I haven't eaten like that since Talpa came to Toyama."

Mia blushed appreciatively. "Why thank you, Ryo. I didn't want to send the Ronin Warriors to any battle on empty stomachs."

"That's what I always say!" the Warrior of Strength blurted happily. Everyone laughed at Kento's remark before returning to his plate. The silence returned, but it was short-lived.

"Where's Rowen?" Cye inquired, staring at the unoccupied seat next to him.

"Oh, he's probably at that little valley of his," Sage answered. "He's asked me to go with him once or twice, but I value those extra two hours of sleep I get if I don't go."

"Yeah, only Rowen would be crazy enough to get up at four in the morning just to watch the sun rise! Like it's not going to happen tomorrow or the next day!"

"It may not, if Talpa gets his way, Ryo," Mia added sadly from the stove.

"That'll never happen. Earth's got the Ronin Warriors fighting in its corner!"

"Now that's the type of optimism I like to hear, Cye! Talpa doesn't stand a chance against all of us," Ryo added enthusiastically.

Mia sighed wearily, her sleepiness making itself known. "Well, it's a good thing he hasn't decided to launch an attack at this moment because right now you're one Ronin short!"

Kento looked up briefly from his meal to survey the scene. "He better get back here soon if he wants anything to eat."

"Who?" Rowen asked as he entered the kitchen, knowing full well that his friends meant him. "Rowen! Man, where ya been?"

"At the same place I always go to every morning."

"Which is where?" Kento prompted.

"My secret field that only Mirichu and I know about."

Immediately Ryo's ears perked up. "Mirichu was with you?"

"Yeah," Rowen said as he took his seat between Sage and Cye. "Briefly, then she just sorta vanished into the fog. I swear, I have got to tag that girl!" Sage smiled at this comment, for he, too, knew the mysterious ways of Mirichu very well.

"Looks like I gotta rethink this not-getting-up-cos-it's-too-early-in-the-morning thing. Maybe I could come along tomorrow?"

"If you can drag your sorry carcass out of bed that early," Rowen said in such a way as to be jocular, but his tone betrayed him. It was clear in the underneath of his voice that he really had no interest in the company.

"Is she there every morning?"

"No, she just shows up when she wants to. Such is her way…" It was getting obvious that Rowen did not want to talk about Mirichu with Ryo anymore. His face tightened and his normally peaceful eyes grew stormy.

Sensing the growing animosity between the two, Cye interrupted dutifully. "So what's so great about this spot anyway? Why go every morning?"

Boy, how many times had he been asked this question, Rowen wondered. As far back as he could remember, even with his parents, when he'd gone out in the yard to watch the sunrise, they had always asked for the reason he did it. Of course, the answer he had given was never quite sufficient, but he gave it anyway. "I guess the sky is just such a part of me, I can't fight the urge to go out there and see Mother Nature weave her magic. Everything's serene at four o'clock in the morning-"

"That's because everything's asleep!" Kento butted in. "Are you gonna eat that sausage, Sage?" The blonde shook his head no, and in the blink of an eye it was gone, only the white of the plate was left staring at the ceiling.

"Is that why Mirichu goes?"

"You know, Ryo, buddy, I don't exactly know myself. She says it's because she loves the stars and, more importantly, Venus, but I think there's something else she won't tell me."

Ryo arched an eyebrow. "You two have been best friends since kindergarten, and she won't confide that to you. Now, I find that hard to believe."

"So do I, but that's the feeling I get when I'm around her – like she's hiding something from me."

"I've gotten that impression, too," Sage added. "Wonder what it is she won't tell us?"

"Plenty of time to ponder her later," Mia said a bit nastily. "Talpa's who you should be worrying about now. We've got to figure out a way to storm his castle and bring him down. With the fall of Sekhmet yesterday, at least the task should be easier, but there's still three dark warlords to take care of."

"Make that two!" the Ancient trumpeted as he waltzed into the kitchen side-by-side with none other than Anubis.

@~~`~~~

The warriors had now gathered in the living room and were seated in a semicircle about the Ancient and the Warlord. "So," Kento began with a deep breath, "you're saying Anubis isn't evil?"

The white-haired man, whose face was darkened by the shadow of his reed hat, bowed his head. "Yes, Kento of Hardrock, that is what I am saying. Anubis has a good heart; his armor was merely swayed to the dark side by the Dynasty's evil powers." He nodded at his silent companion, who sat looking nervously at his new compatriots. The air was thick and pressing. For a while, no one dared speak.

"But he's tried to destroy us for the last month, and he almost succeeded," Ryo blurted suddenly. The others looked up at him in shock. The air grew thicker and pressed harder.

"Anubis was the Dynasty's puppet at the time. Through the awesome evil powers of the Nether Spirits and Talpa, his armor was used to try to kill you and take your Ronin armors. But Anubis was never truly evil himself. Now that he has broken free of the Dynasty's grip, he can be a great asset to your battle. Not only do you have one less Warlord to fight, but you have also acquired a very powerful ally."

This time it was Cye's turn to speak. "But how do we know we can trust him?"

"You can't know for sure, but you must trust me. You Ronin Warriors must know that I would never lead you to your destruction." Suddenly the room became a furnace. Rowen began to sweat furiously in his light jacket and shirt. His breathing was erratic and strangled. His stomach knotted into a fist, pulsing and painful. Wheezing slightly, Rowen stood up from the couch and made his way laboriously to the doorway. "Excuse me, guys, I suddenly don't feel very well. I'm going to step outside for a moment."

"Rowen, man, are you okay?" Kento asked, concerned by his friend's raging red face.

"Yeah, I just need to step out for a breath of fresh air; I'll be fine in a minute or so." The blue-haired man disappeared into the hallway – out of sight of the rest of the Ronins – and reappeared on the balcony overlooking the shimmering lake in the valley of the great mountains. The sun had risen high over the sheer bluffs, capping their snowy peaks with a vibrant yellow. Ripples on the icy water glimmered in a rainbow of colors as rays of the piercing light speared the murky depths. The Ginkou trees whispered to the Ronin while the wind crackled their branches. "Come to us, Rowen. We are waiting for you. Come, Rowen, come." He closed his eyes and waited for the waves of nausea to pass through him. The biting mountain wind swooped down to him, kissing his face with its icy lips. Rowen could feel the illness slip from his pores as the breezes captured it and threw it into the air behind him.

"Hey, Rowen? How're you feeling?" Sage questioned as he joined his friend on the patio. "And what happened?"

"I'm not quite sure," he confessed, watching the trees sway rhythmically against each other. "One minute I was fine, listening to the Ancient about Anubis, then wham! I felt like I was going to be sick on the floor."

"Maybe it was something you ate?"

"I'm not sure…" he said thoughtfully, avoiding Sage's eyes as best he could. "Do you believe what the Ancient said?" Rowen kept his gaze steady on the mountains that grew from the fertile land of the valley, mostly on their glinting peaks.

"About Anubis? Sure. I don't trust him yet, but if you don't ever put your faith in anything, you won't get anywhere in life."

Rowen sighed in contemplation. "No, I didn't mean about Anubis. Do you believe that the Ancient would never lead us to destruction? I mean, this is a risky business we're in. A lot could happen."

"It is true, Rowen, that what we do is dangerous, but the Ancient created us. We are Earth's only hopes for the future. He would never lead us intentionally to our deaths."

"Still, I got this sickly feeling when he said that. There's something about it…"

Sage looked curiously upon his companion of many years. He seemed distant, small, like he didn't belong here on the balcony overlooking the valley. Rowen was a fallen star on Earth. "Are you coming back in now?"

"Nah, I'm gonna hang outside for another minute or two. It's too hot in there right now." The wind gusted. Sage shivered. Rowen sighed.

"Okay, I'll tell the others. Oh, and Rowen?"

The warrior turned his gaze from the mountains finally, staring squarely at his blonde friend. "Yeah, Sage?" His eyes cleared, the clouds of confusion parting for a brief second in time.

"Ease up on Ryo, would ya?"

A scowl fluttered across his face. "I don't know what you mean."

"He's a good guy," Sage continued, "and I trust him. He wouldn't hurt her for the world."

"Her who?" Rowen asked innocently, trying hard not to look like he knew what the other Ronin was talking about. He glanced back at the shivering trees, their leaves shaking angrily at the sky. They swayed left, right, left… Hypnotic.

"You know perfectly well her who! Mirichu. She's a big girl now; she can take care of herself. She doesn't need a big brother-type to hang over her shoulder."

"I know that!" Rowen snapped more viciously than he'd intended whilst he spun around to face his surprised companion. Immediately he regretted his reaction, but he couldn't take it back now.

"We both do. We have the scars to prove it." Sage grinned, allaying the other Ronin's fears. "You don't have to be so protective of her. Remember how well she handled us being Ronin Warriors and losing her family and friends? Mirichu can do anything she wants, no problems. Ryo'd be a good match for her. Besides, he really likes her… a lot, and the two of them seem to get along okay."

Rowen closed his eyes painfully, letting the moment fill him. Sage waited patiently for a reply, knowing his friend was waging a battle inside that was hard to explain. "I trust Ryo, too – with my life, everyday. But I can't help this lingering fear that's inside me – that Mirichu's going to get hurt, and not necessarily by Ryo or Cye or Kento or you or anyone for that matter. I fear that I'm the one who's going to hurt her. Me, Rowen Hashiba of the Armor of the Strata. I'm the one who's going to let her down in the end. And there's nothing I can do about it. I've tried to convince myself otherwise, but it never works. I feel like it's my Fate, my destiny to let Mirichu down when she needs me the most."

"Rowen, I know you love Mirichu – so do I – and she knows that as well. She also knows you'd never hurt her on purpose."

"That's not the point. I care even if I don't do it on purpose! I never want to hurt her, period, end of story."

Sage laid a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. It was all he could think to do to make him feel better. Twice in his life Sage had felt the same way, but to a different degree. He never experienced the type of fear that Rowen did, and he couldn't think how to help. All he could manage to think to do was say what was in his mind. "And you never will. If I'm sure of anything in this unsure world, I'm positive you'll do anything to keep Mirichu from harm. But you can't spoil this chance for her with Ryo. Maybe he's the key to her happiness, and by keeping them from each other you'll only hurt them both. The point I'm trying to make is you can't know for sure. You may be a genius, Rowen, but you're definitely not a psychic. Just think about it, will ya?"

The blue-haired man nodded solemnly. "I will. Thanks, Sage. You're a true friend to the end."

"Anytime, buddy." With that, Sage disappeared through the sliding glass doors and into the house. Rowen returned his gaze to the distance spanning around him. He felt Mother Nature call his name in her sultry, gusty voice. The sky beckoned to him. The Ginkou trees urged him to come forth into their branches and play amidst their leaves. The mountains summoned him with their ancient words from a language long since extinct. Everything wanted a piece of him, and only one could have it. The sky had claimed his soul long ago, but that didn't mean the others didn't want it anyway.

Rowen stepped down from the white deck, onto the stairs that lead to the ground in the valley. Clambering down them, he reached the bottom and headed out on a trek to the glassy lake. On his way to its shores he felt someone come up behind him. Boy, he wasn't getting any alone time today! The Ancient pulled up beside Rowen, stepping in sync with the warrior. The pair walked in the company of silence for a while, taking in the summer scenery that sprouted from the land surrounding them. It was only when they had reached the shade of the Ginkou trees that the Ancient spoke. "Rowen of Strata, what are you thinking now?"

What an odd question the old man asked, thought Rowen. What was it that he wanted to get from him? "Just remarking to myself how beautiful the country around here is. Everything in Toyama seems to know my name, even the trees," he added, glancing up into their green arms.

"I, too, have noticed this calling. What do you suppose it means?"

The Ronin was growing steadily suspicious of the Ancient. He was asking a lot of probing questions as of late. "I don't suppose it means anything. I know all these sounds are in my mind – that nothing is really calling me. They are just inanimate objects."

"Ah, Warrior of the Strata, you lie," the Ancient said, waving a finger in Rowen's face. "You know very well that nothing in this valley is inanimate. Everything has a life, a soul, a purpose, even these Ginkou trees under which we stand. You have a connection with all of these things, more so than any of the other Ronin Warriors. Why must you insist on denying this connection?"

"Because there is none to talk of, Ancient. When I hear the grass call me or the wind whistle my name, I know that it is not really happening. It is true that I may be able to make use of these things and elements when I need to, and I may be able to appreciate them better, but this connection you speak of does not exist."

The graying man shook his head in disappointment. "I thought you of all the others would listen and understand me, but I guess I was wrong. You fool yourself by not accepting this, Rowen of the Strata. It is not a wise decision."

"With all due respect, Ancient, wisdom is not my department, it's Sage's. I focus on life force."

"Exactly!" he shouted, raising a twiggy arm in the air. "Your armor contains the gift of life force; therefore, you should be capable of 'feeling' the life in the things around you. Listen, Rowen of Strata, to the voices inside your armor. Can you not experience the life of the grass on which we stand; can you not hear the cry of the mountains in the distance? They are within you because you are life."

"I hear nothing, Ancient One."

The old man folded his arms across his chest, narrowing his eyes on his companion. "That is because you do not listen carefully enough. Now, shut that big mouth of yours and concentrate on the feelings within you." Rowen closed his eyes reluctantly, the beautiful world around him fading into darkness, nothingness. His breathing slowed and so did his heart rate. All of his other senses immediately intensified. "Now what do you hear?"

"I hear you," he answered facetiously.

"Don't be a wise guy; like you said, that's Sage's job. What do you hear inside?" There was nothing for a moment, as he tried hard to find any sounds. It was when he was about to give up that he heard the calls. Like the sound of children laughing, birds singing, water rushing and crickets chirruping, except in one great symphony. Eventually, other sounds joined in, a fantastic medley of life all playing their musical pieces at once. It became an intense racket shortly, however, and Rowen had to open his eyes. "Ha, ha, ha," the Ancient chortled as Rowen grabbed his ears in pain, their ringing almost loud enough for the old man to hear. "I see you've finally gotten in touch with your spirit."

"What just happened?" he asked, irritated by the Ancient's amusement with his sudden deafness.

"That would be the Awakening. All of you warriors have it, you were just the last one to receive it."

The Ronin looked in disbelief at his companion. He may as well have been speaking another language because Rowen sure as hell didn't have a clue to the meaning of even one word he said. "What is this Awakening, and how come the others didn't tell me anything about it?"

Overhead, thunder rumbled as a storm bullied its way over the tops of the mountain range. Slowly, the land faded to blackness, and Rowen could see the gray lines of slanting rain off in the distance. He could hear it fall as well – great, booming pangs against the earth. Already he felt more in touch with nature than he had this morning, just as the Ancient said he would.

"The Awakening is a power bestowed upon all of the armors that 'awakens' the strongest, yet hidden powers within them. This includes the armor of Wildfire's ability to control heat and flame, the armor of Torrent's ability to manipulate the waves and water, the armor of Halo's ability to bend and shape light, the armor of Hardrock's ability to break stone and steel, and the armor of Strata's ability to communicate with life and nature. Everyone knows that the armors posses their own powers, but of what those powers are capable exactly, we are still finding out. The others know about their strengths, but not to the depth that you now do because yours is the most practical and also the most personal. There is so much more to understand about your Awakening for the simple reason that it is more complicated. We have yet to find out the true limit to this power. Even I am not sure of what the armor of Strata is capable. You have been given a great gift, Rowen of the Strata. I expect that you take advantage of it, for it will prove useful in battle and in relationships."

"No doubt. But, Ancient, I wonder why you asked me what I was thinking earlier. Was it because you wanted me to discover the Awakening or did you have another motive?"

The Ancient turned to face the warrior standing under the protection of the tree. He saw a fear in the boy's eyes that he had not seen earlier – a fear that was unlike the kind from which the other Ronins suffered. "Not now, warrior. Let us return to the house before the storm hits."

"But the storm will pass us, Ancient. I can sense that it is not going to strike this valley." Rowen motioned to the clouds tearing the sky into parts.

"I did not mean that storm," he replied cryptically, leading the boy back to the white stairs.