Reia fidgeted with the sleeves of her blouse, staring alternately at her hands folded on her lap, or out the window at the passing countryside. Upon actually leaving the house, they'd elected Cye to drive, and she was sitting in the passenger side.
"So... did you two have any actual plans for this outing?" Cye asked at last, looking at Lys and Kasukio in the rearview mirror. "Before you swept us up into the afternoon?"
"Actually, believe it or not, we did," Lys reached into her purse, and produced a folded brochure. "I finally talked Kasu into taking me to see this awesome museum."
Cye glanced at the brochure as Reia opened it to read it. "Ah, yeah, I've been there before... that place is huge, they have everything. They just opened an addition to the fine arts wing last month, I think."
"Hm... Natural history, art, science... maybe this won't be so bad after all," Reia mumbled. "In our time, you can't get into places like this unless you've got a lot of money..."
"Which no one does," Kasukio added.
Kaori stared at herself in the mirror, her face not betraying any emotion.
Her mask was on the dresser, on top of her carefully mended and folded cloak. She had taken her hair from it's loops and braids, and it hung halfway down her back in dark brown waves.
Her brow furrowed, as her stormy violet eyes narrowed, the glass of the mirror cracked from the force of the smoldering anger in her eyes.
She reached up to touch the wound she'd taken from Ryo's sword on her cheek, now just a small line. The scar would fade, but... Her hand went down, to the bottom of her throat at her collar bone, where a small, X-shaped mark was.
It had been weeks since her battle with the Ronin Warriors, and STILL, the combined blow from Kento of Hardrock and Junichi of Torrent remained. It was... to say the least, extremely vexing. By now the servants had figured on bringing her food and drinks only in metal or wooden ware... glass objects in her possession had a tendency of breaking lately...
To make matters worse, she hadn't seen much of her father at all. Well, that in itself wasn't bad, but she dared not act against the Ronin Warriors without his permission. She'd learned by now, Arcane did not take well to defiance, particularly from her. As a child, she'd learned quickly that obeying her Lord and Father was always less painless.
Kaori blinked painfully away from the cracked mirror, resisting the urge to punch and shatter the already cracked glass. Maybe, one of the glass shards would 'accidentally' slit her wrist... ~ No, what am I thinking? Silly thoughts, girl, you're letting these thoughts make you weak. ~
She put her mask back on, unable to bear the sight of the old scar that marred the skin around her eyes anymore. Walking over to her bed, she sat down, and began rebraiding her hair.
The room seemed awfully cold and quiet, with no promise of the only company she cared to have anymore. Yormo had been gone almost as much as Arcane. He, Celtia, Jiquar, and Fiian were seldom seen, since Balin had assigned them to hunting down Lady Kayura and the former Warlords. On the occasion that Yormo did break from his work to come see her, he could only tell her that they were all laying plans and traps on her own. The thought almost made her laugh... the idea of that bubble-brain blond and that revolting sword swinger coming up with plans, much less traps... and as for Jiquar, she could care less if he succeeded or not. Yormo was the only one she ever thought about...
Kaori could feel her bottled up emotions threatening to explode again, and decided it best to get somewhere out in the open, away from her confined quarters.
She wandered through the halls of the castle, letting her feet take her where they may. In the end, she found herself at the practice field.
That mercenary woman Osa was throwing knives at various targets she'd set up, alone on the field.
Upon sensing her presence, the red head froze, a knife poised in her hand to be thrown, and looked up at Kaori.
"Lady Kaori," She said, sounding almost surprised.
~ SOMEONE around here affords me some respect, ~ Kaori thought sarcastically as she walked out onto the field. ~ Even if she is likely being sarcastic. ~
"I was beginning to wonder if I was the only Dark Ronin left around here," Osa remarked casually. "Balin is always off plotting or planning with Lord Arcane, and Persephone's gone off to sulk since Rowen of Strata gave her a taste of her own medicine..." She gave Kaori a measuring glance. "You must want revenge on those that got away from you..."
"I cannot act without my father's permission," Kaori shook her head firmly. "Although I wish I could..." She clutched her hands into fists. "Not only would I like to crush those Torrent warriors... I want to kill Kento of Hardrock, too..."
"Hm, well..." Osa held up a knife, that glittered in the light of the torches nearby. "Hardrock is my quarry, dear child. However..." She gave Kaori a sly smile. "Perhaps we can work something out. Or... if you can defeat me, you should be strong enough for three, and I'll give you Kento of Hardrock. After all... I could plan my strike against the other one with more... finesse... that way."
~ Hm... a chance to work out my frustrations? And get a chance to get at that insolent earth fighter, too? Well, why not! ~ Kaori summoned her staff, and fell into ready position.
"I love it when chicks fight..."
Both women turned towards the deep voice, as the huge figure that accompanied it emerged from the shadows.
"What do you want, Trox?" Osa growled, looking up at the tall, dark skinned man.
"Oh, I dunno... that outfit crumpled up on my floor in the morning?" Trox grinned, his teeth showing up bright white.
A dagger at his throat made his grin fade. "I'm already tempted to kill you, don't push it," Osa said quietly. "Go away, so we can have our match."
"Wouldn't you rather duel with me? It's not really proving anything to beat a skinny little girl," Trox shot back.
Osa sighed, putting her hands on her hips and glancing back at Kaori, who's face echoed her disgust. ~...Trox is such a moron, what could Lord Arcane POSSIBLY want with him? He even insults the lord's daughter to her face! Not even Fiian has that kind of gall! ~
"Anytime, pig," Kaori replied. "If you were to harm me, my father's punishment for you doesn't bear thinking about." She chuckled. "Even if we don't get along that well, I am still his only heir."
"Now, now, children, are we quarreling?" Another masculine voice, heard before seen.
"Balin, this does not concern you," Trox snarled.
"Oh, but it does, my underlings," Balin laughed at the irritated expressions on their faces. "Like it or not, I am in charge, remember."
"Well, have you some business, or did you just come to flaunt your rank?" Osa demanded crossly.
"Actually I just came to fetch our big friend here," Balin replied, nodding at Trox. "Arcane thinks you're ready to be let off your leash."
"Yes..." Trox narrowed his eyes, laughing. "About time! I'll smash the Ronin Warriors!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, I'm going, too... to make sure you don't have too much fun." Balin held up a hand, and shot the females a look to silence their protests. "Kaori, you've had your chance, and your father doesn't think you fit to attempt a strike again. Bide your time, Osa, you'll get your second chance eventually."
"Let's get going," Trox said quickly. "You'll just have to wait for me to return, ladies."
The two vanished with only small sparks of black light to signify their exit.
"Hm." Osa crossed her arms, glaring at the thin air. "It won't be any skin off my nose if the Ronin Warriors trounce them both."
Kaori nodded. "Now, Osa... about that match..."
"It's hard to believe these incredible creatures lived so long ago, and now there's nothing left of them," Lys murmured, craning her neck to look up at the top of the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton.
"Uh-huh... fascinating," Reia replied, stifling a yawn with her hand.
"Gosh, this place has everything," Lys continued to talk, mostly to herself, holding the brochure in one hand and dragging her boyfriend along with the other. Kasukio had placed himself into some sort of trance, and nodded and mumbled a response whenever she talked to him.
Reia moved to follow after Lys and Kasukio, but Cye surprised her by taking hold of her hand, and letting the crowd create some distance between them and their friends.
"Are you bored?" Cye asked, without taking his eyes off of the dinosaur.
"Was it that obvious?" Reia replied, feeling a little guilty. Cye seemed to be enjoying the museum as much as Lys was, but Reia didn't see the big deal.
"Well this is a big museum, there's other stuff we could look at," He replied, smiling at her.
"REIA! Pick up the pace!" Lys called from the end of the hallway.
"Commando-Lys speaks," Reia said with a grin, nodding towards her. "We'd better follow her."
Cye shrugged and followed Reia as she pushed her way through the crowd towards their companions.
"Where should we go next?" Lys asked, settling down on a bench and unfolding a huge map.
"Wherever there are less people... I'm feeling claustrophobic here," Kasukio answered quickly, jerking about uneasily as people bumped into him.
"Hm..." Lys looked over her shoulder. "There doesn't seem to be a big crowd down that hallway..."
"It goes through the section on Japanese history," Reia said, peering over Lys' shoulder to look at the map. "And it's between us and the art wing."
"Ahh, kewl! Then let's go there next!" Lys stuffed the map back into her purse. "You guys coming?"
Reia opened her mouth to respond, but Cye took hold of her arm again.
"...We'll catch up," She said, smiling slightly at Kasukio, who nodded with understanding.
"OK, well... don't get lost," Lys said with a perky grin. "Come on, Kasu-chan." The couple turned to head down the new hallway. Lys was hugging Kasukio's arm, looking happy as a clam.
Reia and Cye dropped down onto the bench that Lys had left unoccupied.
"..My feet hurt," Reia complained, after a pause. "These shoes are not meant for walking."
"I don't know why women put themselves through that kind of stress," Cye said mildly, as he looked her up and down again.
"For YOU people," Reia answered, punching him on the arm as she crossed her legs. "Men put this all on us."
"Well if the results weren't so good looking..."
"Oh, stop it!" Reia folded her hands on her lap and stared down at them. "Sorry I'm not exactly suave or anything... this is my first d...date. If you even want to call it that."
Cye didn't say anything, but he did reach down to take her hand, and smile at her.
She blushed a little brighter.
"Isn't this a pretty mural?" Lys breathed, stepping back to admire the mentioned painting.
"Yeah... it's gorgeous," Kasukio replied, as she spun around to face him (probably to make sure he was listening to her). Her long silver braid swirled around her, before settling down over her shoulder. Small wisps of hair fell loose around her bright eyes, a gold contrast to the silver of her hair. She smiled at him, showing off white teeth.
"How come it can't be like this at home?" She asked, her smile drooping.
"...I don't know," Kasukio replied, shaking his head. "Time... has that way with things, I guess."
"It isn't fair!" Lys cried. "How could people do it to their world? Trash it like they did in our time? Why do we even bother to fight the Dynasty?! What are we protecting?!"
"Lys, keep your voice down," Kasukio muttered, looking around. No other visitors had come down the hallway. They were alone.
"I can understand... why Sage and Rowen and the others would want to fight, but..." She closed her eyes, as tears traced down her cheeks. "How come we're fighting for a world that's already dead?"
"Lys..." Kasukio placed his hands on her shoulders, catching her bright copper eyes with his own deep green ones. "You know why..."
"I thought I did," She said, turning away. "Being here, has made me realize what things should be like... and I don't know if the six of us are enough to change it."
"You don't sound like the girl I love!" Kasukio snapped. "What's gotten into you, Lys?!"
She whirled around again to face him. "I never realized before how much I don't have, that's what! And I never realized how much I do have! This has been a very difficult time for us, Kasukio! My best friend nearly died! And... and... it made me wonder..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "What would happen if... if something happened to you?"
"Lys..."
"I guess... that's what I'm really upset about. It's got nothing to do with our worlds, Kasukio... It was being with you today... in a totally casual setting... you know, there's no such thing as a casual setting back home, because we're in danger 24/7... but today... I realized how much I really stand to lose." She covered her mouth, clearly trying to keep from crying. "And......did you just say you love me?!"
"Lysithea, listen," Kasukio grabbed her shoulders again, and pushed her against a glass display case. "You're just scared now. I'm scared. We're all scared. But I know you're stronger... we're stronger... than that. We'll get through this. We could use our powers to change the world, don't you see?"
Lys stared up at him, shaking slightly.
"I'd take on the whole Dynasty alone, if I had to. But I don't get that strength from any grandiose or heroic ideas about saving the world." Kasukio pressed his palm against her cheek, wiping away a tear. She smiled. "There... that's the smile. That's where our strength comes from, Lys."
She shook her head, and laughed. "Since... since when were you this articulate?"
"I'm full of surprises," He replied with a little shrug, as he bent down to kiss her. Lys' arms came up, to encircled his neck...
Suddenly, shouting and screaming echoed off the wide hallway walls of the museum. Both jumped in surprise, as the crowds of visitors stampeded past them, cramming towards the emergency exits.
"...What the..." Lys whispered, as the wall nearest them exploded.
"Ahhhh!" Both were thrown, but they managed to land without hurting themselves.
A spear landed in the ground between them.
"#$%^!!" Kasukio shouted, as he jumped to his feet.
"You jerks have NO sense of timing!" Lys screamed at the dark Dynasty soldiers who began to pour in from all entrances they could see, including the new hole in the wall.
"There's no room to fight here!" Kasukio cried as his and Lys' breathing room became smaller and smaller. The couple backed up against each other, surrounded on all sides by the soldiers.
"We'll have to make room! What about Reia and Cye?!"
"I'm pretty sure they're as busy as us right now..."
"Why the rush for the exits?" Reia cried, as she and Cye edged against the wall to avoid being trampled by the frightened museum visitors.
Then, they were alone. For the time space of about three breaths.
"I'll give you three guesses, but you'll only need one," Cye hissed, then jumped back, crying out. An arrow hit the floor where he'd been standing. An eye blink later, spears, armor, and swords were glinting in the light as soldiers began to appear.
"It figures! You can't attack us when we're sitting at home bored out of our skulls, but you can ruin a perfectly good date!" Reia intended her comment to be a grumble to herself, but she found herself shouting.
She jumped backwards, and cartwheeled to avoid a series of arrows from the archers at the edge of the pack of soldiers. On a gamble, she slipped off one of her shoes and hurled it at the nearest attacker with al her strength, grinning as the front of its face caved in and it fell.
"I found a use for these things!" She shouted as she ducked a spear thrust and returned with a kick.
"What a woman," Cye muttered, as he dove headfirst into the throng, while replacing his clothing with his subarmor at the same time.
"I hope Lys and Kasukio are OK," Reia gasped as she dared a glance around the now very crowded hallway. There seemed to be soldiers everywhere! "OK, let's do it!... Dao Inochi!!"
Now in her subarmor, Reia launched herself at the army...
"No matter how many we smash, they keep coming!" Lys cried as she pushed three incapacitated soldiers off of her, knocking over another two in the process.
"Hey, Arcane! Why don't you face us yourself, instead of bogging us down with all these tin cans?" Kasukio shouted.
Above their heads, the ceiling exploded, leaving a gaping hole in the second floor.
"Oh..." Lys raised her arm over her head to block the falling rocks.
"Lys! Going up?" Kasukio threw an opponent out of his way to get near her.
"Excellent idea!"
Hand in hand, the two made a leap for the hole. Kasukio caught the edge with one hand. The pair dangled there precariously, by his one hand, and Lys clinging to the other.
"Drop me, pull yourself up!" Lys shouted.
"Right on top of all those soldiers' spears? No way!" Kasukio grunted.
"There's no way you can pull us both up with one hand!"
"I have to!"
~ Kasu-chan... ~ Lys closed her eyes, feeling his weariness running through her as if it were her own. ~ I... I want to help you... Please... Armor of Halo... this would be an awfully stupid way for us to die...~
"...Lys?!"
Pale green, glittering light spread from Lys' arm, up Kasukio's where their hands were joined. It continued to spread, growing brighter as it covered them both.
"What's going on?" He asked, looking down at her, but her eyes were closed in concentration, and she couldn't hear him.
...Or could she?
"Pull us up!" She exclaimed, when the light died.
"...Strange... it's almost as if we don't weigh anything at all... how'd you do that?" He asked, as he hauled himself over the ledge, then brought her up.
"...I don't know. Magic, I guess..." She shrugged, and pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes.
"How do ya like that, huh?" Kasukio called down at the soldiers, who were now milling around, looking for the stairs.
"We won't have a lot of time to breathe," Lys murmured. "I hope Reia and Cye are faring better..."
" ...Is there no END to this?" Reia shouted.
"Where are all these guys coming from?" Cye wondered aloud. He looked up, and to his chagrin, he and Reia had been forced to opposite ends of the hall. "Reia! They're trying to separate us!"
She was tiring, and had no time to respond to Cye's warning. ~ He's right, though... this isn't good, what are they up to? ~ Fear gripped at her throat for a moment. ~ Oh, no... what if... Persephone and Kaori came back? Are they behind this? ~
Cye's thoughts were running along the same time. "Well, if you are here, Kaori, you won't catch me unarmed again!" He called aloud. "...ARMOR OF TORRENT...DAO SHIN!!!"
"Yeah, Persephone, come out and face me, woman to woman!" Reia shouted. "...ARMOR OF STRATA...DAO INOCHI!!!"
Moments later, the dozens of soldiers between the two were all fallen, pierced with arrows or torn apart by Cye's spear.
"...What, that's it?" Reia asked, as she stepped over the metallic bodies to meet Cye. "They've just... stopped coming."
"I don't know why they'd give up such a relentless attack so quickly," He mumbled, poking at a fallen soldier with his trident. "...Unless..."
"...It was a diversion..." Reia gasped. "...Oh, no... they're after Kasukio and Lys! We have to find them!"
"...I don't get it." Lys mumbled, as she paced about the large hole in the second floor. "How come those goons haven't come up here after us yet?"
"I don't know... Arcane sure is fond of mind games," Kasukio replied, as he cracked his knuckles.
"Well, then... I apologize for the delay," A deep voice said, softly.
"Where?" Both Ronin Warriors looked about, but they didn't see anyone to accompany the voice.
"Right here..." The voice whispered. Quite suddenly, on the opposite side of the hole from where Kasukio and Lys were standing, two men appeared.
One was tall, garbed in jet black armor. A long blond braid trailed down his back. The man standing behind him was... huge. Too big to be human. His armor was dark blue, almost as dark as the blond man's armor.
"Trox... you can go now. I feel almost guilty... she doesn't even look like she'd be a warm up for you," The blond said, quietly, motioning at Lys.
"Hold on, now..." Kasukio began to shout angrily, but then the large man... Trox... moved.
How a guy that big could move so fast, he had no clue. Neither did Lys. He slammed into her so hard, it threw them back... and right out a large plait glass window.
"LYS!" Kasukio screamed, as he moved towards the shattered window Trox had knocked himself and Lys out of.
"Ah, ah, ah, Wildfire!" The blond man leaped across the hole, landing in his path. A kitana came up, leveled at the boy's throat. "Trox was promised the girl by Lord Arcane."
"Like hell he's getting her! You better get out of my way, man, or I'll run right over you!" Kasukio growled.
"...If you think you can. You see, my name is Balin. I am the Dark Ronin Warrior of Sin... and you, my friend... are about to die."
Kasukio balled his hands into fists. "I don't like you very much," He said. "But if it's a fight you want, you've got it! ARMOR OF WILDFIRE... DAO JIN!!"
"So... did you two have any actual plans for this outing?" Cye asked at last, looking at Lys and Kasukio in the rearview mirror. "Before you swept us up into the afternoon?"
"Actually, believe it or not, we did," Lys reached into her purse, and produced a folded brochure. "I finally talked Kasu into taking me to see this awesome museum."
Cye glanced at the brochure as Reia opened it to read it. "Ah, yeah, I've been there before... that place is huge, they have everything. They just opened an addition to the fine arts wing last month, I think."
"Hm... Natural history, art, science... maybe this won't be so bad after all," Reia mumbled. "In our time, you can't get into places like this unless you've got a lot of money..."
"Which no one does," Kasukio added.
Kaori stared at herself in the mirror, her face not betraying any emotion.
Her mask was on the dresser, on top of her carefully mended and folded cloak. She had taken her hair from it's loops and braids, and it hung halfway down her back in dark brown waves.
Her brow furrowed, as her stormy violet eyes narrowed, the glass of the mirror cracked from the force of the smoldering anger in her eyes.
She reached up to touch the wound she'd taken from Ryo's sword on her cheek, now just a small line. The scar would fade, but... Her hand went down, to the bottom of her throat at her collar bone, where a small, X-shaped mark was.
It had been weeks since her battle with the Ronin Warriors, and STILL, the combined blow from Kento of Hardrock and Junichi of Torrent remained. It was... to say the least, extremely vexing. By now the servants had figured on bringing her food and drinks only in metal or wooden ware... glass objects in her possession had a tendency of breaking lately...
To make matters worse, she hadn't seen much of her father at all. Well, that in itself wasn't bad, but she dared not act against the Ronin Warriors without his permission. She'd learned by now, Arcane did not take well to defiance, particularly from her. As a child, she'd learned quickly that obeying her Lord and Father was always less painless.
Kaori blinked painfully away from the cracked mirror, resisting the urge to punch and shatter the already cracked glass. Maybe, one of the glass shards would 'accidentally' slit her wrist... ~ No, what am I thinking? Silly thoughts, girl, you're letting these thoughts make you weak. ~
She put her mask back on, unable to bear the sight of the old scar that marred the skin around her eyes anymore. Walking over to her bed, she sat down, and began rebraiding her hair.
The room seemed awfully cold and quiet, with no promise of the only company she cared to have anymore. Yormo had been gone almost as much as Arcane. He, Celtia, Jiquar, and Fiian were seldom seen, since Balin had assigned them to hunting down Lady Kayura and the former Warlords. On the occasion that Yormo did break from his work to come see her, he could only tell her that they were all laying plans and traps on her own. The thought almost made her laugh... the idea of that bubble-brain blond and that revolting sword swinger coming up with plans, much less traps... and as for Jiquar, she could care less if he succeeded or not. Yormo was the only one she ever thought about...
Kaori could feel her bottled up emotions threatening to explode again, and decided it best to get somewhere out in the open, away from her confined quarters.
She wandered through the halls of the castle, letting her feet take her where they may. In the end, she found herself at the practice field.
That mercenary woman Osa was throwing knives at various targets she'd set up, alone on the field.
Upon sensing her presence, the red head froze, a knife poised in her hand to be thrown, and looked up at Kaori.
"Lady Kaori," She said, sounding almost surprised.
~ SOMEONE around here affords me some respect, ~ Kaori thought sarcastically as she walked out onto the field. ~ Even if she is likely being sarcastic. ~
"I was beginning to wonder if I was the only Dark Ronin left around here," Osa remarked casually. "Balin is always off plotting or planning with Lord Arcane, and Persephone's gone off to sulk since Rowen of Strata gave her a taste of her own medicine..." She gave Kaori a measuring glance. "You must want revenge on those that got away from you..."
"I cannot act without my father's permission," Kaori shook her head firmly. "Although I wish I could..." She clutched her hands into fists. "Not only would I like to crush those Torrent warriors... I want to kill Kento of Hardrock, too..."
"Hm, well..." Osa held up a knife, that glittered in the light of the torches nearby. "Hardrock is my quarry, dear child. However..." She gave Kaori a sly smile. "Perhaps we can work something out. Or... if you can defeat me, you should be strong enough for three, and I'll give you Kento of Hardrock. After all... I could plan my strike against the other one with more... finesse... that way."
~ Hm... a chance to work out my frustrations? And get a chance to get at that insolent earth fighter, too? Well, why not! ~ Kaori summoned her staff, and fell into ready position.
"I love it when chicks fight..."
Both women turned towards the deep voice, as the huge figure that accompanied it emerged from the shadows.
"What do you want, Trox?" Osa growled, looking up at the tall, dark skinned man.
"Oh, I dunno... that outfit crumpled up on my floor in the morning?" Trox grinned, his teeth showing up bright white.
A dagger at his throat made his grin fade. "I'm already tempted to kill you, don't push it," Osa said quietly. "Go away, so we can have our match."
"Wouldn't you rather duel with me? It's not really proving anything to beat a skinny little girl," Trox shot back.
Osa sighed, putting her hands on her hips and glancing back at Kaori, who's face echoed her disgust. ~...Trox is such a moron, what could Lord Arcane POSSIBLY want with him? He even insults the lord's daughter to her face! Not even Fiian has that kind of gall! ~
"Anytime, pig," Kaori replied. "If you were to harm me, my father's punishment for you doesn't bear thinking about." She chuckled. "Even if we don't get along that well, I am still his only heir."
"Now, now, children, are we quarreling?" Another masculine voice, heard before seen.
"Balin, this does not concern you," Trox snarled.
"Oh, but it does, my underlings," Balin laughed at the irritated expressions on their faces. "Like it or not, I am in charge, remember."
"Well, have you some business, or did you just come to flaunt your rank?" Osa demanded crossly.
"Actually I just came to fetch our big friend here," Balin replied, nodding at Trox. "Arcane thinks you're ready to be let off your leash."
"Yes..." Trox narrowed his eyes, laughing. "About time! I'll smash the Ronin Warriors!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, I'm going, too... to make sure you don't have too much fun." Balin held up a hand, and shot the females a look to silence their protests. "Kaori, you've had your chance, and your father doesn't think you fit to attempt a strike again. Bide your time, Osa, you'll get your second chance eventually."
"Let's get going," Trox said quickly. "You'll just have to wait for me to return, ladies."
The two vanished with only small sparks of black light to signify their exit.
"Hm." Osa crossed her arms, glaring at the thin air. "It won't be any skin off my nose if the Ronin Warriors trounce them both."
Kaori nodded. "Now, Osa... about that match..."
"It's hard to believe these incredible creatures lived so long ago, and now there's nothing left of them," Lys murmured, craning her neck to look up at the top of the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton.
"Uh-huh... fascinating," Reia replied, stifling a yawn with her hand.
"Gosh, this place has everything," Lys continued to talk, mostly to herself, holding the brochure in one hand and dragging her boyfriend along with the other. Kasukio had placed himself into some sort of trance, and nodded and mumbled a response whenever she talked to him.
Reia moved to follow after Lys and Kasukio, but Cye surprised her by taking hold of her hand, and letting the crowd create some distance between them and their friends.
"Are you bored?" Cye asked, without taking his eyes off of the dinosaur.
"Was it that obvious?" Reia replied, feeling a little guilty. Cye seemed to be enjoying the museum as much as Lys was, but Reia didn't see the big deal.
"Well this is a big museum, there's other stuff we could look at," He replied, smiling at her.
"REIA! Pick up the pace!" Lys called from the end of the hallway.
"Commando-Lys speaks," Reia said with a grin, nodding towards her. "We'd better follow her."
Cye shrugged and followed Reia as she pushed her way through the crowd towards their companions.
"Where should we go next?" Lys asked, settling down on a bench and unfolding a huge map.
"Wherever there are less people... I'm feeling claustrophobic here," Kasukio answered quickly, jerking about uneasily as people bumped into him.
"Hm..." Lys looked over her shoulder. "There doesn't seem to be a big crowd down that hallway..."
"It goes through the section on Japanese history," Reia said, peering over Lys' shoulder to look at the map. "And it's between us and the art wing."
"Ahh, kewl! Then let's go there next!" Lys stuffed the map back into her purse. "You guys coming?"
Reia opened her mouth to respond, but Cye took hold of her arm again.
"...We'll catch up," She said, smiling slightly at Kasukio, who nodded with understanding.
"OK, well... don't get lost," Lys said with a perky grin. "Come on, Kasu-chan." The couple turned to head down the new hallway. Lys was hugging Kasukio's arm, looking happy as a clam.
Reia and Cye dropped down onto the bench that Lys had left unoccupied.
"..My feet hurt," Reia complained, after a pause. "These shoes are not meant for walking."
"I don't know why women put themselves through that kind of stress," Cye said mildly, as he looked her up and down again.
"For YOU people," Reia answered, punching him on the arm as she crossed her legs. "Men put this all on us."
"Well if the results weren't so good looking..."
"Oh, stop it!" Reia folded her hands on her lap and stared down at them. "Sorry I'm not exactly suave or anything... this is my first d...date. If you even want to call it that."
Cye didn't say anything, but he did reach down to take her hand, and smile at her.
She blushed a little brighter.
"Isn't this a pretty mural?" Lys breathed, stepping back to admire the mentioned painting.
"Yeah... it's gorgeous," Kasukio replied, as she spun around to face him (probably to make sure he was listening to her). Her long silver braid swirled around her, before settling down over her shoulder. Small wisps of hair fell loose around her bright eyes, a gold contrast to the silver of her hair. She smiled at him, showing off white teeth.
"How come it can't be like this at home?" She asked, her smile drooping.
"...I don't know," Kasukio replied, shaking his head. "Time... has that way with things, I guess."
"It isn't fair!" Lys cried. "How could people do it to their world? Trash it like they did in our time? Why do we even bother to fight the Dynasty?! What are we protecting?!"
"Lys, keep your voice down," Kasukio muttered, looking around. No other visitors had come down the hallway. They were alone.
"I can understand... why Sage and Rowen and the others would want to fight, but..." She closed her eyes, as tears traced down her cheeks. "How come we're fighting for a world that's already dead?"
"Lys..." Kasukio placed his hands on her shoulders, catching her bright copper eyes with his own deep green ones. "You know why..."
"I thought I did," She said, turning away. "Being here, has made me realize what things should be like... and I don't know if the six of us are enough to change it."
"You don't sound like the girl I love!" Kasukio snapped. "What's gotten into you, Lys?!"
She whirled around again to face him. "I never realized before how much I don't have, that's what! And I never realized how much I do have! This has been a very difficult time for us, Kasukio! My best friend nearly died! And... and... it made me wonder..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "What would happen if... if something happened to you?"
"Lys..."
"I guess... that's what I'm really upset about. It's got nothing to do with our worlds, Kasukio... It was being with you today... in a totally casual setting... you know, there's no such thing as a casual setting back home, because we're in danger 24/7... but today... I realized how much I really stand to lose." She covered her mouth, clearly trying to keep from crying. "And......did you just say you love me?!"
"Lysithea, listen," Kasukio grabbed her shoulders again, and pushed her against a glass display case. "You're just scared now. I'm scared. We're all scared. But I know you're stronger... we're stronger... than that. We'll get through this. We could use our powers to change the world, don't you see?"
Lys stared up at him, shaking slightly.
"I'd take on the whole Dynasty alone, if I had to. But I don't get that strength from any grandiose or heroic ideas about saving the world." Kasukio pressed his palm against her cheek, wiping away a tear. She smiled. "There... that's the smile. That's where our strength comes from, Lys."
She shook her head, and laughed. "Since... since when were you this articulate?"
"I'm full of surprises," He replied with a little shrug, as he bent down to kiss her. Lys' arms came up, to encircled his neck...
Suddenly, shouting and screaming echoed off the wide hallway walls of the museum. Both jumped in surprise, as the crowds of visitors stampeded past them, cramming towards the emergency exits.
"...What the..." Lys whispered, as the wall nearest them exploded.
"Ahhhh!" Both were thrown, but they managed to land without hurting themselves.
A spear landed in the ground between them.
"#$%^!!" Kasukio shouted, as he jumped to his feet.
"You jerks have NO sense of timing!" Lys screamed at the dark Dynasty soldiers who began to pour in from all entrances they could see, including the new hole in the wall.
"There's no room to fight here!" Kasukio cried as his and Lys' breathing room became smaller and smaller. The couple backed up against each other, surrounded on all sides by the soldiers.
"We'll have to make room! What about Reia and Cye?!"
"I'm pretty sure they're as busy as us right now..."
"Why the rush for the exits?" Reia cried, as she and Cye edged against the wall to avoid being trampled by the frightened museum visitors.
Then, they were alone. For the time space of about three breaths.
"I'll give you three guesses, but you'll only need one," Cye hissed, then jumped back, crying out. An arrow hit the floor where he'd been standing. An eye blink later, spears, armor, and swords were glinting in the light as soldiers began to appear.
"It figures! You can't attack us when we're sitting at home bored out of our skulls, but you can ruin a perfectly good date!" Reia intended her comment to be a grumble to herself, but she found herself shouting.
She jumped backwards, and cartwheeled to avoid a series of arrows from the archers at the edge of the pack of soldiers. On a gamble, she slipped off one of her shoes and hurled it at the nearest attacker with al her strength, grinning as the front of its face caved in and it fell.
"I found a use for these things!" She shouted as she ducked a spear thrust and returned with a kick.
"What a woman," Cye muttered, as he dove headfirst into the throng, while replacing his clothing with his subarmor at the same time.
"I hope Lys and Kasukio are OK," Reia gasped as she dared a glance around the now very crowded hallway. There seemed to be soldiers everywhere! "OK, let's do it!... Dao Inochi!!"
Now in her subarmor, Reia launched herself at the army...
"No matter how many we smash, they keep coming!" Lys cried as she pushed three incapacitated soldiers off of her, knocking over another two in the process.
"Hey, Arcane! Why don't you face us yourself, instead of bogging us down with all these tin cans?" Kasukio shouted.
Above their heads, the ceiling exploded, leaving a gaping hole in the second floor.
"Oh..." Lys raised her arm over her head to block the falling rocks.
"Lys! Going up?" Kasukio threw an opponent out of his way to get near her.
"Excellent idea!"
Hand in hand, the two made a leap for the hole. Kasukio caught the edge with one hand. The pair dangled there precariously, by his one hand, and Lys clinging to the other.
"Drop me, pull yourself up!" Lys shouted.
"Right on top of all those soldiers' spears? No way!" Kasukio grunted.
"There's no way you can pull us both up with one hand!"
"I have to!"
~ Kasu-chan... ~ Lys closed her eyes, feeling his weariness running through her as if it were her own. ~ I... I want to help you... Please... Armor of Halo... this would be an awfully stupid way for us to die...~
"...Lys?!"
Pale green, glittering light spread from Lys' arm, up Kasukio's where their hands were joined. It continued to spread, growing brighter as it covered them both.
"What's going on?" He asked, looking down at her, but her eyes were closed in concentration, and she couldn't hear him.
...Or could she?
"Pull us up!" She exclaimed, when the light died.
"...Strange... it's almost as if we don't weigh anything at all... how'd you do that?" He asked, as he hauled himself over the ledge, then brought her up.
"...I don't know. Magic, I guess..." She shrugged, and pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes.
"How do ya like that, huh?" Kasukio called down at the soldiers, who were now milling around, looking for the stairs.
"We won't have a lot of time to breathe," Lys murmured. "I hope Reia and Cye are faring better..."
" ...Is there no END to this?" Reia shouted.
"Where are all these guys coming from?" Cye wondered aloud. He looked up, and to his chagrin, he and Reia had been forced to opposite ends of the hall. "Reia! They're trying to separate us!"
She was tiring, and had no time to respond to Cye's warning. ~ He's right, though... this isn't good, what are they up to? ~ Fear gripped at her throat for a moment. ~ Oh, no... what if... Persephone and Kaori came back? Are they behind this? ~
Cye's thoughts were running along the same time. "Well, if you are here, Kaori, you won't catch me unarmed again!" He called aloud. "...ARMOR OF TORRENT...DAO SHIN!!!"
"Yeah, Persephone, come out and face me, woman to woman!" Reia shouted. "...ARMOR OF STRATA...DAO INOCHI!!!"
Moments later, the dozens of soldiers between the two were all fallen, pierced with arrows or torn apart by Cye's spear.
"...What, that's it?" Reia asked, as she stepped over the metallic bodies to meet Cye. "They've just... stopped coming."
"I don't know why they'd give up such a relentless attack so quickly," He mumbled, poking at a fallen soldier with his trident. "...Unless..."
"...It was a diversion..." Reia gasped. "...Oh, no... they're after Kasukio and Lys! We have to find them!"
"...I don't get it." Lys mumbled, as she paced about the large hole in the second floor. "How come those goons haven't come up here after us yet?"
"I don't know... Arcane sure is fond of mind games," Kasukio replied, as he cracked his knuckles.
"Well, then... I apologize for the delay," A deep voice said, softly.
"Where?" Both Ronin Warriors looked about, but they didn't see anyone to accompany the voice.
"Right here..." The voice whispered. Quite suddenly, on the opposite side of the hole from where Kasukio and Lys were standing, two men appeared.
One was tall, garbed in jet black armor. A long blond braid trailed down his back. The man standing behind him was... huge. Too big to be human. His armor was dark blue, almost as dark as the blond man's armor.
"Trox... you can go now. I feel almost guilty... she doesn't even look like she'd be a warm up for you," The blond said, quietly, motioning at Lys.
"Hold on, now..." Kasukio began to shout angrily, but then the large man... Trox... moved.
How a guy that big could move so fast, he had no clue. Neither did Lys. He slammed into her so hard, it threw them back... and right out a large plait glass window.
"LYS!" Kasukio screamed, as he moved towards the shattered window Trox had knocked himself and Lys out of.
"Ah, ah, ah, Wildfire!" The blond man leaped across the hole, landing in his path. A kitana came up, leveled at the boy's throat. "Trox was promised the girl by Lord Arcane."
"Like hell he's getting her! You better get out of my way, man, or I'll run right over you!" Kasukio growled.
"...If you think you can. You see, my name is Balin. I am the Dark Ronin Warrior of Sin... and you, my friend... are about to die."
Kasukio balled his hands into fists. "I don't like you very much," He said. "But if it's a fight you want, you've got it! ARMOR OF WILDFIRE... DAO JIN!!"