Ch. 2: Okay, those are some really big trees.
By the aesthetically pleasing Jou-chan.
Disclaimers: Good freaking grief, it's only the second chapter and I'm getting tired of doing this thing! The only cool part about it is making the first word italic! After that, it's all down hill. So I don't own the Ronins, or anything that came from the series. BUT, the strange and totally improbable plot, as well as the characters you've never seen before in your entire existence as an earthly being, are mine. And I'm spent!
Author's Notes: You know, I'm beginning to think that the only reason anyone ever does this is just for the opportunity to put it in italics again. I mean really, everything I put here is usually nonsense anyway. I bet I could fill this up with unintelligible words and people wouldn't notice a thing. Biggerworm, stinker, buttlecock, jicyglesworth, poopface and sporoonka. Ha ha ha! Ha!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It was dark. He didn't know why, but it was dark, and he was laying on something not so soft. Realizing the major problem, Ryo opened his eyes and it wasn't so dark any more. And the thing he was currently on was now recognizable: Kento.
"Oy, Ryo, get off me! You're in serious denial if you think you're any where near a pleasant weight!"
Ryo gently rolled himself off of Hardrock's back, bringing himself to his knees. "Sorry Kento… ouch, stupid twig…"
"……Not so loud…" Sage groaned, and the two glanced to their left to see the blonde holding his head carefully. Cye was sprawled on the ground next to him, looking comatose as all get out. Rowen was nowhere to be seen.
"Guys," Ryo started, climbing to his feet, "where's Rowen? Do you guys see him?"
Kento glanced up at him as he helped the now recovered Cye to his feet, and blinked. "Hey, where is Hashiba?"
"I'm up here!"
The four of them paused, before turning and looking up, a fair distance, into an extremely large tree. Kento just blinked. "Ro? How the hell did you get up there?"
"I don't know! If I knew, I'd do the same thing to get the hell out of here!" The blue-haired one yelled, sounding very exasperated.
Sage closed his eyes, sighing. "Try climbing down. I think the branches are close enough to each other to make that possible."
While Rowen Hashiba, Monkey Man Extraordinaire, started down the length of the tree, Ryo glanced around them, finally realizing something. "Hey guys…we've got a slight problem."
There was a thud as Rowen jumped from the lowest branch, which was only a small seven feet from the ground. He winced slightly, standing up slowly. "Ouch."
Cye glanced to Ryo, noticing Wildfire's gaze wandering around, before doing the same. "Oh…my…"
Kento turned slightly, putting his hands on his hips, rather impressed. "Okay, those are some really big trees." He said, before glancing at the others. "Somehow, I get the feeling we aren't in Toyama anymore."
"No kidding." Ryo muttered, as Rowen let out a low whistle next to him.
Surrounding the boys were trees, huge trees that seemed to touch the sky. Their trunks were wide, spanning at least fifteen feet in length, and the bark was seemingly non-existent. Instead, the trunks were smooth, too smooth for someone to climb. And with the lowest branches still seven or eight feet off the ground, it made it hard to get up there at all. How Rowen got up there was a mystery that they could only guess at. But another strange thing was the foliage. The leaves were very big, like nothing the Ronins had ever seen before, and the colors were strange; wild blues, greens, reds, and purples, vibrant colors that only artists dreamed of. Cye paused, before glancing at the others. "This is…different."
Sage suddenly stopped dead, a look of dread passing over his normally calm features. "What happened to our armors?"
Ryo cursed loudly, instantly coming the same realization: their armors were gone. His hand fumbled in his pockets; his jean pockets, his jacket pockets, anywhere he could think of, but his orb just wasn't there. Glancing up at the other Ronins, who had been doing the same, he set his jaw. "I don't know about you guys, but I want some answers."
Kento slammed his fist into his hand, quite displeased with the current events. "I don't get it! Where are we and how did we get here?" He looked at the others for support, sighing in a frustrated manner. "I mean, the last thing I remember is a…"
Slowly, Cye finished his sentence, an unreadable look passing over his figure. "…A bloodcurdling scream." A silent glance was shared between the Ronins as Cye's statement sunk in. He's right, Ryo thought, suddenly remembering little bits and pieces of the battle that had lead them to where they were, somebody screamed bloody murder and then everything just went black. What the hell happened to us?
But time to dwell on that didn't last long as a shrill scream rang in their ears. The sound seemed to increase ten-fold, reverberating off the trees as the air carried it along. Ryo looked at the others quickly, his ears picking up the distinct sound of someone in need of assistance. "Let's rock and roll, guys!" Before anyone could say anything, Ryo was off like a rabbit, jumping over the bushes and running towards the commotion. Sage made a small, disapproving sound, not at all liking the idea of jumping into a battle that they knew nothing about in a place that was completely alien to them. The most I can do right now is make sure that Ryo doesn't get himself killed, he thought. They ran through the trees, picking up whatever they thought could be useful in a fight, before finally breaking into another tiny clearing. And the sight in front of them was atrocious.
"What the hell is that?!" Rowen asked sharply, an appalled look on his face. Standing before them was a huge, bear-like creature, standing on its two hind legs. Its skin was hard and crusted, and its spine was lined with horns. Sharp, gnarled claws slashed back and forth, and long, pointed teeth were bared menacingly as it snarled at its prey. The very sound the thing emitted was perhaps the most unearthly thing about it. Instead of a deep, primal growl expected from such a large beast, the sound was a shrill, feminine cry that sounded dangerously close to that of a woman's scream. The Ronins knew instantly how this thing attracted its victims.
Another movement caught their eyes; a figure jumped out from behind the beast's form, crouched and ready to strike. She looked human, but for the fact that her ears were unnaturally long. But the Ronins didn't have time to stare and figure out who she was as the beast let out another girlish roar, making the trees around them vibrate. The girl's lip curled up into a sneer as she wiped her jagged dagger on the hem of her skirt, before twirling it once and then springing into action. She jumped straight up, catching hold of one of the lower branches and swinging herself up on it. The beast cried out in fury, not seeming to notice the Ronins, as she slipped her dagger back into its sheath on her leg, smirking slightly. The girl did notice the boys, however, as she quickly unhooked her bow and reached for an arrow. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but her movements never wavered. Stringing the arrow carefully, she aimed for the creature's eyes. She let the arrow fly, quickly stringing another as the first struck its target. The beast screamed in agony, louder than ever, as blood ran down its face.
Ryo took a breath before brandishing his newfound weapon in front of the now blind beast. Gripping the heavy branch tightly, he took careful aim before swinging. The branch crashed down on the creature, sickening crunch sound meeting his ears as his makeshift weapon made contact with the thing's head. Ryo quickly moved out of the way as the beast fell to the ground, small whimpering sounds escaping it as it tried to save itself. The girl, meanwhile, jumped down from the tree, her bow once again in its place on her back, and lifted her leg slightly as she reached for her dagger. The Ronins watched as she plunged the knife deep into the creature's chest, twisting it around before quickly yanking it out and slitting the thing's throat. The ground was soaked with the bluish blood, and from the little that had landed on him, Ryo concluded that it was still warm.
The girl used her skirt to clean her dagger again, glancing up at the Ronins before sticking it back in its sheath. "Who are you?" She asked, not in a very friendly way, as she flicked a strand of dark green hair out of her eyes.
Ryo glanced back at the others, wiping his forehead slightly before answering her. "Strangers here. We don't mean you any harm," he added quickly, noticing the slight narrow of her eyes, "In fact, we would appreciate it greatly if you could help us. See, we're kind of in a jam…"
She gave him a long look, crossing her arms. "You humans want help? That's funny." Her voice turned slightly cold, her tone sarcastic. "Especially when you ask me, of all people."
Rowen blinked, his confusion showing. "Funny? Look lady, we're just lost, okay? We haven't ever been here before, and-"
She cut him off sharply, her bitterness showing. "That's quite obvious. But if its help you want, better start looking somewhere else."
Ryo was shocked, to say the least. Sage must have noticed the look on his face, and quickly acted before the bearer of Wildfire could say anything that he might later regret. "Listen, Miss, if we've done something wrong, I apologize. But we meant no harm. We heard screaming, and we assumed that someone was in trouble and came to see if we could help, and Ryo did." He said, and gestured towards the tree branch still in Ryo's hand. "At the very least, you could show us the way to the nearest town so that we can regroup and figure out what's going on."
Something that Sage said seemed to work, and the girl pursed her lips, giving the blonde a slightly scrutinizing look before turning and grabbing a small bag from behind a tree. "Fine. Because of him," she said, nodding to Ryo as she slung the bag over her shoulder, "I will take you to the closest human town. After that you're on your own."
"Thanks, eh, Lady." Rowen offered, smiling.
"My name is Aoen, not Lady." She said sharply, giving the blue-haired Ronin a steely look. "And I would think it wise not to call me anything else for the duration of our time together." As she turned to go, Rowen gave Ryo a sidelong look, raising his eyebrows. Ryo just gave a weak smile, and shook his head slightly. But inside, he was thinking similar thoughts. Great, we're stuck with the tour guide from hell. Should have seen this coming. Gesturing for the others to follow, he carefully stepped around the big, ugly, and now dead beast and followed after the girl, Aoen.
To Be Continued…