Chapter Six—Separate Quests
The dragon settled himself outside of the forest edge, his eyes scanning the dark perimeter warily. With his expert vision, Rantach could see the hundred eyes staring back at him, most likely with more fear than they had ever felt. And Rantach made sure that was the kind of presence preceded him. He wanted others to be afraid; he wanted others to shrink back at his form. Simultaneously, the eyes blinked in confusion then vanished in a millisecond. Blackness filled the empty space, and Rantach preferred it; less trouble for him to encounter. Lady Morin wanted the implosion ingredients immediately, which technically meant five years ago.
Grudgingly the belabored beast penetrated the forest border and plodded too slowly through a bramble bush and tumbled then into a mess of choking vines dangling from the canopy. "I'm too big for this job," the dragon grumbled as he slashed at his living restraints with his knife-like tail.
Rantach went over the essentials for the Lady's spell: a glob of swamp muck from Unagi Swamp and a Moonlighter Faerie's wings. Although there were only two ingredients to the potion, the second would be next to impossible to get because of the Moonlighters' numerous precautions taken to ensure their safety. The dragon would be lucky if he even got a chance to smell one!
Finally, after three hours of lumbering through dense woodland Rantach got fed up. He roared with a stomach full of fire, setting the surrounding trees into a wall of flames. The heat warmed the cold-blooded creature, and the sight of unnatural death everywhere eased his mind. Suddenly the path widened and Rantach was free to travel unhindered.
Get the goo, the crimson dragon urged himself, then the wings, and you'll be out in the clear, with a mistress to favor you!
Rantach smiled broadly, saliva oozing from the awkward expression, as he watched sizzling embers of fire fall at his feet like rose petals at a ceremony to the gods. Yes, with his power and presence, who could afford to stand in his way?
@~~`~~~
An hour later and light had yet to make its way over the horizon to illuminate the steaming woodland, so Ryo remained relatively blind to his environment. He had just escaped a terrifying encounter with swamp goblins, an experience that left his heart racing with an unnatural excitement, and to his dismay the adventure was no where near concluded. Ryo hadn't even seen the first evidence of the Moonlighter Faeries, so he didn't have the slightest clue as to how close he was to them.
Bumbling through the darkness, the Ronin came to a fork in the barely beaten path. One road split to the left and one to the right, each as foreboding as the other. Since neither trail lead directly east, Ryo was at a crux in his mission. How was he to tell which one he was to follow when he had so little information on the journey itself? "Well, when all else fails…" he whispered. "Eenie meenie…" Although he felt childish and stupid for doing it, the children's rhyme was his only hope—slim though it was. Finally, the Fates had decided he should take the road to the right; but Ryo wondered if he should listen to them. After all, in the past couple of hours they had played some awfully cruel jokes on him.
Warily taking the first few steps toward the end of his quest, the Ronin breathed deep the steamy air that embraced him, and immediately his mind slipped to Mia. God, she'd been angry when he accepted his mission; but what else could he do for a friend who at one time had in fact given up his soul to the enemy in order to save Ryo's petty life? Mia couldn't understand his duties to his Ronin brethren, not when she hadn't experienced the closeness that they shared.
No, she would never come to grips with his twisted Destiny, and he couldn't rightly expect her to. It wasn't fair to her and it sure as hell wasn't fair to him. Besides, Ryo knew very well the dangers of his job—that someday he would fail to come home to his precious Mia. Maybe that's what she had realized in the apartment; maybe Mia had finally comprehended that as much as she loved Ryo and as much as she wanted to settle down into a normal life with him, for all that wishing and hoping it wasn't meant to be. "It wasn't meant to be," Ryo croaked out through lips tight with pain.
Thoroughly disheartened, the warrior slinked down the path with his head bent like a flower wilted from lack of its necessary sunlight. The ever-lightening forest encroached on him, trees grappling with each other at a chance to pick Ryo apart. The bleakness of the world around him slapped the Ronin across his face with the force of sledgehammer. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach and the gloomy colors swirled around him in a sickening dance. "Mia… Oh, Mia," he groaned, pressing his palm to his forehead. Things would never be okay again.
A snapping twig jerked Ryo out of his sullen mood, forcing him to once again be painfully aware of the dark world around him; even his dreary reverie was a welcomed escape from the untamed jungle. Again he drew his katana tight to his chest, pausing, waiting for his enemy to make the first move. "I know you're there!" he shouted into emptiness. "I've dealt with plenty of your stinking kind today, and if you don't leave now, you'll die! I'm a fierce warrior with a quest, and nothing and no one shall stand in my way. I strongly advise that you step aside!"
There was silence, then an odd rumble in the dense bramble beside him. Although Ryo felt little fear on the inside, gooseflesh prickled his skin under the layer of crimson armor. He could almost feel the rank breath of the monster pluming down the collar of his armor, tainting his very body. "Show yourself or run!"
An abrupt howl pierced the air and split the sky into two colors, glaring vermilion and burning orange. The heavens opened up at the eerie beckoning, leaving Ryo with the strange feeling as though he were transported to another realm—a place ruled by beasts. He saw no sign of the creature that stalked him, but that didn't really surprise him; they never did show themselves until they went after their dinner. Ryo's eyes narrowed as he scanned for his assailant. Boy, this routine is getting old! he sighed wearily. He waited patiently, his muscles tensed and ready to spring into action.
When nothing happened Ryo elected to move on. Up ahead a patch of light—actual light—pierced through the thick canopy and illuminated a small section of a deer (or something like it) path. Ryo ran toward it and basked in the wonderful glow. The feel of the sun, the warmth of its rays soothed his travel-hardened heart, and for the first time in 24 hours he felt human again, like he had a soul. Fantasia Forest had drained his life force from him, leaving him withered inside, but now the mother sun had set him free. A joy spread through him, and suddenly he wasn't worried about the lurking beasts or the darkness or Mia or Rowen or anything. There was just the warrior and the sun and a peace unparalleled.
Naturally, that's when the monster chose to attack. Or not…
Standing there before the warrior was a striking woman of about 20. Her hip-length red hair swayed with the rhythm of her hips, shimmering even in the encroaching darkness. Although she wore the tattered remnants of a dress, it did nothing to diminish her beauty, nor the regal nature of the outfit. Fantastic, hand-beaded slippers, though heavily worn, retained a rich allure. Her cornflower blue eyes gazed at him with a weariness that suggested she'd been lost for days in the forest; but they also looked on Ryo with awe, as if he were some deity. Her lightly freckled face smiled gently at first, but the smile turned into an ear-to-ear grin. But for every ounce of loveliness she possessed, there was something about her Ryo didn't like.
"Excuse me, good sir!" she shouted excitedly, racing to his side to place a delicate hand smooth as marble on his arm. Gooseflesh prickled his skin again as he stared at the gold bracelet stamped with a seal of a roaring dragon around her wrist. "I'm ever so lost, and a horrible monster has been hunting me for days! You look like a strong, noble knight. Could you help an ever so helpless maiden find her way out of this beastly forest?" She squeezed his arm. "Oh please?"
Something's not right, he warned himself. "Look, ma'am, I'm on an urgent quest, and I don't have the time to see you out of here." He stared at her with sharp eyes.
Her brilliant face plummeted with a countenance of hatred. "But I asked ever so nicely."
"I know, and I feel horrible for doing this to a lovely lady such as yourself, but I simply must complete my mission before time runs out." Ryo shook her grip loose and stepped forward in hopes of forcing her to back off. Unfortunately she did not budge.
"Then would you mind too terribly if I tagged along? I'm scared to death. I've seen creatures that you would not believe—oh, ever so horrible things that could kill you with but a glance. After all, I am but a poor wench lost in this awful jungle. I beg of you, valiant knight, please allow my presence to follow you. My father will be more than grateful to you for my safe return."
The Ronin was getting antsy, with the attentions of the gorgeous woman becoming more obsessive every moment. She had placed her hand back on his forearm, stroking the armor in desperation. "Look, miss, I just can't have you along with me. Where I'm headed in the forest is even more dangerous than the section we're in now. Here now, don't cry. Simply follow this trail to the big swamp, cross it (during the day, mind you) and continue following the trail on the other side. That will take you out of here."
The maiden reached back and slapped Ryo across the face with the back of her hand. "How dare you, lowly knight! Do you know to whom you speak? Princess Kinuyo, that's who! The whole kingdom must be in an ever so terrible panic without me, and here I thought you were the search party! Well, as your ruler, wretched warrior, I demand you take me back to my palace, then you will be dealt with for your rudeness. Kneel, I say. Kneel, damn you!" Princess Kinuyo smacked him again to get him to obey, knocking around his already swimming brain. With one more strike, Ryo was driven to his knees, his head bowing with pain. "That's better. Now, escort your princess out of these woods."
Princess? he thought to himself. Japan hasn't had princesses for centuries! This lady's delusional, but I better play along. "My humblest apologies, your highness, for any discourteous behavior on my part; however, as I said before, I have a sacred quest to finish, and I will not deviate from the assigned course." At that moment he glanced up to see the fire in the princess' eyes.
"Insolent warrior! I will have you hanged for this!"
Suddenly, and almost thankfully, a snarl originated from some nearby shrubbery. Both knight and princess glanced to the source, surprise evident on their faces. "Oh god! I know that sound. It's that ever so horrible monster from before, the one that's been chasing me. Please, take me with you. I'll die here!"
Ryo sighed, but he knew what he had to do. With a swift movement, he grabbed the princess' hand and dragged her through the woods, his katana at ready in his other hand. "Run," he ordered with the casual manner of an experienced warrior.
Just as they broke into a fast jog the creature burst from the underbrush, slobbering and growling with a primitive lust for meat. Ryo swore under his breath as he glanced back at the hideous visage of a thargon. Its streamlined body twisted elegantly beneath the forest canopy, stripes of metallic gray fur against the ebony backdrop glinting in the slivers of morning sun. A sleek wolf-like face grinned obscenely at him, but the rest of the body appeared as that of a jaguar. With every stride Ryo and Kinuyo took, the thargon gained three. The speed of the creature was nearly unimaginable, and Ryo knew sooner or later (sooner) it would be within pouncing distance and he would be dead along with the princess.
"Faster!" Ryo urged, losing his battle nerve. "Faster, Kinuyo!" But no matter how quickly they ran, he knew they couldn't escape. I just have to reach a wider clearing, he remarked. If he could get to an open space, then he could counterattack the thargon; but not within the surrounding vegetation, for there wouldn't be enough space to maneuver. "Faster."
At the worst possible moment, the princess stumbled over a root, her wild strawberry hair flying around her. She screeched in terror and howled in pain. "Ryo! Help me!" When she turned her head, she noticed the thargon charging straight for her. One ear-piercing wail filled the atmosphere as the wolf/jaguar sailed through the blackness, over her head and angled right for the Ronin.
Caught off guard, Ryo flipped head-over-heels and rolled across the earth, the thargon on top of him the entire time. Even through his magical armor he felt the talons scratching and clawing to break inside. The wolf face loomed like a summer moon over him, animal spittle showering onto Ryo's face. The teeth snapped at his head, and the warrior's life flashed before his eyes in a colorful, if not grim film. As it projected the most recent events, that's when Ryo realized his Wildfire sword in his hand. He could barely move his wrist to aim for the monster, but he took advantage of what he could and angled the katana into the ribs of the thargon. Yowling in agony, the beast swayed and clumsily staggered into the woods.
"Oh, fantastic, heroic knight!" the princess exclaimed as she stood up from the ground and clapped her hands in triumph. "What a feat! You have proven your worth to me again."
"Look, Kinuyo—ah, Princess Kinuyo—but the wound's not fatal. Once the thargon heals, it will be hunting again. And that's something that puzzles me."
"What are you mumbling about, silly warrior?" Ryo narrowed his eyes at the beautiful princess, as though he could find the answer in her face. "You're beginning to frighten me."
He raised an eyebrow. "You're just now being scared? Maybe I misjudged you, your Highness. I suppose to survive in this horrible woodland you would need to be as tough as nails, but I can't imagine you stomping bravely around here with your head held high."
"Shows you how ever so wrong you are about me, knight. Well, that's bizarre indeed. I don't believe I caught your name."
Ryo smiled and he couldn't resist. "That's because I didn't throw it."
Kinuyo glowered at him with a look that read: "That was just plain bad." He blushed and muttered, "Sorry, but one of my friends once said that and it slipped out. My name is Ryo Sanada, by the way." Suddenly he bowed before the princess, placing a kiss on her hand, which was strangely ice-cold. "But of course her Highness needs no introductions."
The redhead awarded his praise with a glorious smile as bright as the sun. "I see you do have some manners after all. Tell me, fair knight, under whose rule did you live exactly? I shall have father see that this lord better educates his warband. The provinces are in a sad shape when their warriors cannot even recognize the face of their princess."
That was when the warning signal began blinking in Ryo's mind. Several things about Princess Kinuyo had seemed off from their meeting, but it was all coming together. "Ryo, Ryo? Are you listening to me?"
"Your Highness, perhaps it is best that you continue on with me as your escort. Dangerous things lurk in these parts." Meanwhile, he kept his real reasons for her accompaniment to himself.
She clasped her hands together in joy. "Oh thank the heavens above! I'm finally going to get out of this ever so creepy forest. Lead away, my valiant Ryo." With a nod they were off.
@~~`~~~
It may as well have been raining, the day was so dreary. Although the sky was clear and beautiful, a vast polished sapphire above her, Mia saw no light. Gray, dark, cold as the headstone before her. She felt as though she were spiraling into a great abyss without anyone to care. And who would? They were all dead or lost or gone. No one wanted her anymore. No one loved her.
Mia stared unblinking at the steel gray slab in front of her. The words, though carved neatly into the stone, blurred through her tears of anguish. Her trembling hand reached out to trace the letters slowly and with the love of a mother.
"Yuli," she murmured to the tombstone. "Oh, Yuli. I let you down, honey. I let you down, and I'm so sorry. Everyday is a reminder of you, of how I failed to protect you. Oh god, why didn't I pay attention? Why didn't I keep my eyes on you? You were just an innocent little boy, too curious for your own good. I knew that, too, dammit! I knew that, too!" Mia broke into heaving sobs, her whole body shaking with the tremors of her pain. "And I didn't pay attention, didn't pay attention. Now look where I am. Without love, without hope. Without you and Ryo. Because I never pay attention, and I never read the signs!" Touching the smooth face of the stone, Mia fell into despair. "I messed things up, honey, and I don't know how to fix them. If you were only here to help me…"
The clouds swooped down from the sky and enveloped the sobbing young woman. Mists of pearl and steel surrounded her, tugging on her clothes and pulling her hair. Mia simply stood there and stared blankly at the horizon as if nothing were happening and nothing mattered.
Little Yuli came running up to Mia's side, arms waving wildly in the air as White Blaze playfully chased him. "Help me, Mia! White Blaze is gonna tag me!" The little boy grabbed her skirt and hid behind it, laughing and giggling the whole time. "Now you're in for it, White Blaze! You'll never get me. I'm the king of tag!"
White Blaze growled in a way that suggested he was groaning. Mia smiled warmly, but shooed Yuli away. "Now get out there and play fair and square, Yuli, so I can finish my gardening. Run along and finish your game of tag." The little boy tugged on her skirt and frowned, sticking his tongue out at her. "Stay away from the road. White Blaze, look out for him!"
Not more than a moment later she had forgotten about the boy and his tiger, her attentions centered on weeding the flowerbed. The boys were out training, per usual, so there wasn't too much else to do around the house. She lost her senses in the wonderful scent of the magnolia trees and the dazzling colors of a dozen varieties of wildflowers. The sun rained glorious rays of gold down upon her, warming her back with a pleasant feeling. Everything that day simply felt good.
Carefully, Mia extracted one tiny weed from the base of a purple flower and tossed it aside. She rubbed some soil between her fingers, relishing the odd sensation the action produced. Despite the occasionally sweaty work she was doing, it seemed every muscle in her body relaxed. She buried her hands in the dirt, scooping mounds of the brown earth out to make room for her first rose bush.
With a tender grin Mia turned her attentions to the tiny plant nestled beside her in burlap cloth. Three petite blossoms sprouted from the stout branches on the bush. Miniature thorns grew dangerously all around the stem and leaves, notifying everyone not to mess with the seemingly innocent flower. That's why Mia loved this rose most of all, for its rugged toughness yet also for its striking beauty; it was how she tried to model herself. Gently removing the cloth from the base of the plant, she settled the flower into its new home, packing the soil around it lightly. "There, pretty one. Now, you grow up and be the most radiant flower in my garden."
"Hey, Mia!" Yuli yelped from down in the valley trees below the house. "Check out how high I am!" He waved his arms frantically to attract her attention.
"Yuli, now don't you go any higher! In fact, climb down right now before you break your neck!" She frowned a warning at him, but the boy just laughed musically—a defiant no. "Down now, as in this instant!"
"Ah, you're always such a spoil sport, Mia!" He stuck his tongue out at her and slowly began to descend from the branches. Mia returned to her gardening, satisfied that she had gotten her way.
Abruptly a thunderous crack sizzled through the air, a dreadful sound that meant only one thing: a tree limb had snapped. Screaming before she was even sure what had happened, Mia spun round, breaking the delicate stem of her first rose bush. She raced down the slope into the green valley to see little Yuli—innocent Yuli—lying on his stomach, his head twisted at a frightening angle. White Blaze was howling with despair, Mia's terror-permeated shrieks chorusing in with him.
She knelt down to the child, feeling for a pulse and searching for a sign of breathing. Nothing, the awful sensation of nothing—an irony in itself. She wailed at the accompanying white tiger, pleading for him to go get help. White Blaze understood everything and charged up toward the house, tracing the tracks of the Ronins. Meanwhile, Mia tried desperately to think of a way to revive the boy. She didn't want to leave him, but she needed to get to a phone and call the hospital. "Yuli!" she bellowed from the bottom of her soul. Tears dripped down from her eyes and splattered onto his dirt-smeared skin. "Oh please wake up. Hear my voice. Yuli, please!" Her own voice cracked like the sound of the branch and more tears sprung from the well in her eyes. She kissed his forehead and brushed his hair back from his face. Mia rocked herself forward and back, unsure of what would cure a broken neck.
She wasn't exactly sure how long she'd been sitting beside the boy before she heard the sounds of the Ronins racing over the hill in full armor, all five crying in their own ways. She recalled vaguely Ryo's arms encircling her, begging her to "snap out of it." Trouble was, she didn't know where "it" was. Mia sorta just floated above everything on a plane that few knew existed, one where she could not feel. "No!" she screamed, wrenching out of his grip. "Lemme stay, lemme stay!" Sobbing again.
The Ronins lifted Yuli up, each one drowning in his sorrow. The impromptu funeral procession headed up to the house, where they packed into the cars and drove to the hospital. And there it was officially confirmed; Yuli was dead.
The next thing Mia remembered was the phone call to Yuli's parents. It was the second most horrific moment in her life. The agony, the grief, the overwhelming hate. Yes, it was an accident in most everyone's eyes, except three people's: Mia's and Yuli's parents'. They were so enraged they forbade Mia to attend Yuli's funeral, a thing that would haunt her eternally. The first time they saw her since the accident, they hardly looked her way. But during the brief moment that they did, the young woman saw a barely jailed contempt unlike any she had ever seen, even in Talpa, and it nearly knocked her off of her feet. Then, why should they look at her in any other way? Mia hadn't been paying attention to the little boy like she was trusted to do. She let everyone down, especially Yuli. She would never forgive herself.
The mists rose, leaving Mia to stare again at the solemn gray stone. "Sorry, Yuli, I still don't have any roses for you yet. I planted a new bush in your honor, sweetie, so give it another year or so before the blossoms get big enough and pretty enough to cut. In the meantime, these will have to do…" The weary woman laid a bundle of red and white wildflowers at the base of the marker. "I'll see you next week, Yuli. The Ronins are having some trouble now. We all wish you were around to help us out, so lend us some of your trademark courage and strength, will you? I love you, Yuli." Mia kissed her fingertips and then pressed them against the headstone.
She turned her back to the somber sight, biting back her tears as well as her pride as she took the road back to Sage and Rowen's place.