Ronin Warriors
The Ugly Duckling~ Chapter 10: Monsters, Magic, Mia – Oh My!
By Kakeumei Tenshi
I have a feeling that this chapter will definitely be a long one. ^_^ A lot of things are going to happen in this chapter [hopefully]. The reason I'm speaking as if I'm in present tense is because as I am writing this, I have not had the privilege to start the chapter. I should probably start now. ^_^ So without further adieu, I give you the next chapter of this…ficcie. Tee-hee!
Disclaimer: Your mother wore army boots and your father smelt of elderberries! [Monty Python FOREVER! YEAH!]
"Rowan, parallelograms have two pairs of parallel sides. A rectangle can be a parallelogram but a parallelogram can't be a rectangle – that's right, isn't it?" Kento asked, his head buried under a book. This was a strange picture, yet Rowan was so engrossed in his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed since the study session began.
"Yup," Rowan responded monosyllabic while staring out the window, a pen gripped in his hand, tucked under his chin.
Kento glanced at his friend. He was much more observant and realized that Rowan wasn't doing his part in helping him at all. He figured it'd be selfish to think that Rowan would give every single moment but the man had promised to help Kento study. What was he to break his promise? Kento scrunched his face in agitation for he realized that even if Rowan had promised to help, the dreamy boy had not done anything except respond in a one-syllable sentence. Glaring at Rowan, Kento studied the blue-haired teenager's face. Rowan had his poker face on so Kento couldn't tell if the thoughts that were running through Rowan's mind were good or not. Kento sighed and returned to his books, determined to study with or without Rowan's help. Maybe another time…
~*~*~*~*~
"Even after the wonderful way you all have treated me, a question remains on my mind. When my grandfather awoke last night, why was I not notified about it?" Mia asked, her face as serene as ever.
"Miss Koji, even though he woke up, he did not stay awake for a very long time. In fact, when we reached him, he had fallen asleep again." The nurse answered.
"I see, how do you know he isn't in a coma?"
"Simple, the brain activity changes and his body is more stable. That's why we have all those monitors hooked up to him," The nurse smiled and started to speak again as she hugged the clipboard to her plump body. "Besides sweetheart, you look like you need sleep, you should take better care of yourself,"
Mia smiled in return, graciously. "Thank you for your concern. If not too much trouble, will you please direct me to where he has been moved to?" Since he wasn't in critical condition anymore, the hospital moved his prone form to where it would be more comfortable for him…and for them. Though I doubt anywhere in this hospital is comfortable…it's too white and sterile.
"Of course, this way please," The nurse said as she led the way.
~*~*~*~*~
"Grandfather?" Mia whispered as she moved her face closer to her grandfather's still face. "Are you awake?" She asked as she grabbed one of his hands and clasped it in hers. Duh…of course he isn't. Otherwise, he wouldn't be sleeping! BAKA! BAKA! BAK—
A groan emanated from the prone body.
Mia gasped softly, her hair falling over one eye. "Grandfather?" She asked again, more excited.
"Mia?" Came the hoarse answer.
"Hey, how are you doing?" She questioned as tears in her eyes clouded up her vision.
"Water…"
Mia quickly grabbed a glass of water that was sitting nearby and held it to his lips. He had licked his cracked lips to wet them before taking several big sips of the water. "Slow down, you don't need stomach problems," She half-joked.
He stopped immediately and laid back. Lifting his head up took more energy then he expected. He could also feel his chest warming up. Just a few more seconds… He requested to whatever power that was listening to him. Instead of listening, his chest grew hot. He felt himself starting to cough.
"Is something the matter? Goodness, I knew you shouldn't have drank so much water," She said as she set the glass down.
Her response was a series of hoarse and powerful coughs.
Mia looked at him, her face evidently concerned. "Nurse!" She called out clearly.
"Mia…I need to tell you something," More coughing.
"NURSE!" She called frantically.
"No, listen to me," He said and then coughed some more. His breathing became very labored as his chest started to glow. "Mia…" He gasped before fainting from the heat.
Mia was shocked as she stared at the glowing ball of red on her grandfather's chest. It floated from the chest and up into the air. Several moments lapsed as she stared at the ball of red energy. Where the HELL was the nurses and doctors?! Her eyes widened as the ball grew. Her gasps of breath could be heard as she stared at the ball. Suddenly…
The red ball shot into her chest. For a split second, she felt a sensation of suffocation, of hot pain, and then…nothing. She was going into shock.
When the doctors and nurses finally arrived, they had not one but two patients to deal with.
~*~*~*~*~
Kayura breathed in the sweet scent of the cherry blossoms and felt the energy of the plant wrap itself around her slender form. The blossoms floated slowly around her. They floated so slowly; sometimes, it seemed as if they were frozen in air or were hovering. It defied gravity for sure. Sparkles flew from her fingertips as she swung her arm around her head gracefully. The sparkles landed on every plant making them shine even more. It was as if more light had been given to them. She kicked a small stone, lost in her thoughts of cherry blossoms and whatnot. Sitting down, she gently broke off a branch of the cherry tree and held a flower blossom to her nose. Taking in a deep breath, the sweet smelling fragrant seemed to have had made her dizzy. It was strange. Cherry blossoms were not supposed to do that. Dropping the branch, her breathing became labored as her eyes became dilated. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. Suddenly, she shrieked bloody murder. It was the most horrifying sound anyone had ever heard. As she landed in a heap at the foot of the cherry tree, people who had heard her terrifying shrieks ran to her aid.
~*~*~*~*~
"Two cases of shock? That's very strange,"
"Both of them seemed to suffer breathing problems too…"
"Their temperatures are abnormally high,"
"I've seen the blue haired girl around the red haired girl…maybe they're sisters?"
"No, the blue haired girl is Kayura Shindo. The red haired girl is Mia Koji, granddaughter of Professor Koji,"
"Let's go see how they're doing,"
~*~*~*~*~
The first thing Mia realized was that her head felt like a truck was smashing repeatedly against it. Groaning softly, she tried to sit up but when she did, her headache became even worse. Setting her head gently back on the pillow, she laid a hand over her eyes as memories of the previous event awakened in her mind. "Grandfather…" She murmured. She smiled as her fingers started to massage her temples. She didn't worry too much because she knew that deep down in her heart, he was still alive. That didn't keep her from worrying…it just kept her from worrying too much. A slight shifting noise echoed throughout the room and her head turned slowly. Blinking, her blue-green eyes started to register the form sleeping on the other bed across the room. An intravenous tube had been inserted in the person's arm – dehydration, probably. Looking down at her own arm, she realized that she also had a tube in her arm. For some reason…probably laced with sleeping drugs. Mia thought as her head pounding grew less and her eyes drooped lower. Sleep was what she needed now and tomorrow…she'd get answers.
~*~*~*~*~
Wrapped up like a cocoon with a cotton blanket, Rowan sat on the back porch and stared up into the starry skies. He rarely had time to do this anymore with school and everything else. He pretty much memorized the mid-term review sheets the teachers had passed out. After hours of incessant studying, he checked the weather and decided it was good enough to go star watching. His telescope sat on the table next to him, untouched. A strand of blue hair tickled the corner of his eyes, so he brought a hand up and smoothed his hair back. He sighed as the memory of the study session with Kento arose in his mind. "I should make it up to him," He said aloud to himself and the spacious tapestry above him. Getting up instantly, he quickly went inside, grabbed the phone off the rack and dialed the familiar number.
Rowan waited patiently as his phone tried to make a connection. Slowly trudging outside and sitting in the same chair that he had occupied moments earlier, he waited for someone at the Rei Fuan family to pick it up. "Mou…Nobody's picking up." Rowan concluded as he set the phone gently on the deck. Sitting back, he stared up into the night sky.
~*~*~*~*~
Bright light flared from the window and fell across the two patients' faces; instant groans were heard as blankets were pulled up simultaneously and the occupants turned over, away from the glaring light. The nurse suppressed a chuckle as the two girls went on sleeping. "Breakfast time!" She chirped.
Both shot up at the same time blinking and rubbing their eyes, then both groaned once more.
Mia's eyes went instantly to her wristwatch as Kayura tried to focus her view with the glaring light right in her eyes. She had the unfortunate luck of getting the bed right next to the window.
"Where's my watch?" Mia questioned upon discovery that her watch wasn't on her wrist anymore.
Kayura's head swiveled over to Mia and a smile flitted across her dry lips. "Mia?" She questioned.
"Kayura?" Mia gasped. "What are you doing here? Are you okay?"
"I feel okay, I'm not sure what happened," Kayura answered as the nurse placed a breakfast tray before her. "Thank you," She said.
"You're welcome dear, and here's yours, sweetheart," The kind nurse said as she placed one on Mia's bed.
"Thank you," Mia replied as she opened the top at the same time Kayura did. An odd smell wafted up into her nose and she drew back.
The nurse laughed. "Don't worry hun, it doesn't taste as bad as it smells," With that, she left the room.
"Wanna bet?" Kayura murmured loudly.
Mia giggled.
Opening up a wrapped set of silverware [or rather plastic-ware], Kayura started stabbing at her eggs. "So how come you're in here?"
"Dunno, I guess a blackout or something?" Mia shrugged as she started digging into her food. Ignoring the smell, she stuffed the eggs into her mouth and chewed.
"Good morning girls," A deep voice came from the door.
"Morning," Both chirped as they swallowed quickly. Mia reached for her orange juice as Kayura fumbled to open her carton of milk up.
"Lessee…how are you girls recovering?" The doctor asked gently as he glanced at his clipboard. "You both got a nasty case of shock, any reason how?"
"Shock? What do you mean?" Kayura asked as she set her carton of milk after taking a satisfying gulp from it.
"Both of you went into shock, it wasn't bad but it was severe enough to send you both to the hospital, as you can see…so do you guys have any ideas of why?" The doctor asked hopefully. "We've only concluded that it could've been a lack of water, which is why you have IV tubes connected to your arms, or a sudden stimulus. There are other ways but we know for sure that they didn't make you go into shock,"
"Well…" Kayura began. I felt a surge of power, the armors…I felt the armors. Then I felt as if I couldn't breath and then…all black. Total darkness. "I don't know, I just blacked out," She answered simply.
"People nearby said you screamed bloody murder moments before…care to comment?" The doctor asked as he scribbled notes down.
Kayura shook her head. "I don't remember very well,"
"I see…and you, Miss Koji?"
Mia cleared her throat. "Grandfather. He seemed all fine and then he wasn't…I guess I fainted or something,"
"When we found your, your eyes were wide open, almost as if you saw something that clearly shocked you, did you see anything?"
"I really can't remember, it's all very fuzzy," She replied.
"Perhaps the shock of seeing your grandfather in pain put you in shock?"
"Perhaps."
"Alright, that's about it, you guys seem fine, your vital stats are stable. I don't think you'll need to stay in the hospital very long…after breakfast, you may call your guardians to come pick you up." He smiled. "Unless you want to stay in the hospital for another thirty-eight thousand yen?"
Mia and Kayura grinned. "No thanks," They chorused, simultaneously.
"Good bye," He waved before disappearing out the door.
~*~*~*~*~
"What is it…five days before mid-terms and Ryo went on a vacation?!" Kento asked. He sighed and sat down. "I wish I was as relaxed and unworried about this mid-term thing."
"What possessed that boy to go in the middle of the school year is beyond me," Sai put in his two cents as he took a sip of his soda.
"Don't forget that it's five days before mid-terms," Kento commented, nodding his head for effect.
"We heard that the first time," Sage chuckled. "Really Kento, I don't know what you're stressing out about…how about we treat you to a whole meal after school today? Will that relax you?"
"Heck yeah! Are you kidding me? Nothing makes me happier then food…free food is a bonus!" He said grinning, happily.
Sai nudged Sage and motioned towards the silent Rowan.
Sage took one look and returned his attention back on the sandwich. He had a good idea what, or rather who, his friend was thinking about.
Sai was puzzled at the lack of concern on Sage's part. Then again, he probably shouldn't be seeing as how Sage rarely revealed the serious thoughts that were going through his mind.
"So anyways, are you guys going to attend the Cherry Festival?" Kento asked, changing the topic.
"Kento, nobody in Japan missed the Cherry Festival," Sai responded dryly.
Kento sweatdropped. "That's right…how about the Spring Formal Dance the school is holding? I hear a lot of hot girls from the neighboring high school is gonna be there! I'll probably need to find a date but that'll be easy. Girls are drawn to my sweet body," He flexed his muscles.
Sai, Sage and even Rowan groaned at Kento's arrogance, all knowing that he was very well just joking.
"We~ell, if you all are so displeased about my plan, then tell me, who are you all going to have as dates? I don't hear anyone of you talking about it do I?"
"That's because the damned dance is three weeks away. We have plenty of time so we don't really have to worry about it." Rowan chirped in as he gathered up his books. "As for the date, I may just have a girl in mind,"
"Who?" Kento and Sai chorused.
"That's for me to know, and you to find out, ja!" He said grinning as he walked out the door just as the bell was ringing.
Sage watched his friends leave and stood up slowly. He knew Rowan since they were in diapers so the only girl that popped up in mind was Miara, cousin of Sai's. "The dance is foolish anyways…" He spoke to himself as he strolled down the hall, books clutched in hand.
~*~*~*~*~
Drinking strength from immortal fire…
Ryo stared at the big mountain of rock right in front of him. Here it was. He didn't know why of all places, he was standing in front of a volcano but something inside him stirred. The next thing he knew, he had grabbed his keys and was out the door. Taking a few steps back, Ryo felt as if he knew what he was supposed to do. Stooping down…he charged and with inhuman strength, jumped up the mountain is if it was nothing.
Once he reached the top, he looked down. Heat resounded from the mountain but he scarcely felt it. Spreading out his arms like wings, he jumped into the opening.
~*~*~*~*~
Darkest prison sheds the light…
Sage shot up in bed, confused and dazed. "Darkest prison sheds the light?" What a strange dream…He thought as a yawn rumbled out of his mouth. He glanced at the clock and groaned. Time for mid-terms. Joy. He thought sarcastically as he walked over to the closet and searched for his school uniform. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he shuffled hanger after hanger but to no avail could he find his school uniform. Where did I leave it-oh darn! He mentally slapped himself as he trudged out the door towards the basement. He had forgotten to bring his uniform up to his bedroom last night.
Once in the basement, Sage turned on the light and covered his eyes instantly. The bright light was not unexpected but they still hurt his sleep-deprived eyes. "Where is it? Where is it?" He mumbled as he shuffled through the basket. "Aha!" He pulled out a shirt. "There you are…" Swinging it onto his arms, he shuffled through the basket and found his vest. Pretty soon, he had found his tie and his jacket. It didn't take him very long to find his pants though. Swinging the pants onto his arms, he barely acknowledged the fact that the pocket of his pants was glowing a strange green hue. As he turned off the light, the green hue disappeared.
~*~*~*~*~
Swirling beneath a sea of salt…
"What the hell..?" Sai cursed as he spat out sea water. How the heck did I end up here? He thought as he picked himself up from the sandy beach. "Something funky is going on…I must've eaten something pretty bad…" He muttered as he brushed the sand of his legs. Somehow, he had ended up on the beach and spent the night on the sand. Why can't I remember a single thing? He shook his head and rubbed his arms. Sleepwalking was the only excuse he could thing of. It sounded logical and reasonable but what caused the sleepwalking? Sai couldn't remember a single event where he had been sleepwalking…then again, if he was in that state of sleep, of course he wouldn't notice. However, until today, he had never woke up in a place that he didn't have a single idea of how he got there. A shiny blue ball laid next to him as he glanced down. Bending over, he picked up the large and shiny light blue marble. "Nice…" He murmured. Looking around, he wondered who could've dropped such a delicate thing.
Sai shook his head and studied the ball. As he held it, his hand felt warm and his body, tingly all over. He shrugged and pocketed the marble-like ball. He'd have to find the owner after school…as for now he had to think of an excuse to tell his mom.
~*~*~*~*~
Buried within a throne of rock…
"Kento, where did you get that large boulder from?" Mr. Rei Faun scolded as he motioned wildly towards the not-so-hidden rock on the front lawn of their house.
"Boulder? What boulder?" Kento questioned, confused. He looked out the window and yelped. "What's that doing, sitting on our front lawn?!"
Mr. Rei Faun narrowed his eyes. "Kento, don't lie and insult my intelligence…your little sister saw you haul that thing onto the front lawn before she went to school. Though I wonder how you did it…but that's besides the point."
"But dad, I did-,"
Mr. Rei Faun held up a hand and sighed. "Kento, just find a way to remove that boulder and we'll forget that you lied, alright?"
"But dad, I didn't do-," He protested again.
"Don't 'but dad' me Kento…really, don't get yourself into more trouble then you are alright? Find a way to remove that boulder, go to your exams and we'll forget all about this."
Kento sighed. "Alright." He mumbled as he trudged down the stairs. How the hell could I have hauled that boulder and not remember a thing? Opening the front door, he tried to surmise how he could move the heavy boulder. Pulling all his weight against it, he moved it towards the back of the house. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something and jumped back with a yelp. Did the rock just actually glow orange? He shook his head and almost laughed. Rocks didn't glow. "It must've been my imagination." Turning around towards the house, he cupped his mouth. "Dad! You better call someone to move it!"
~*~*~*~*~
Floating among the eyes of ages…Unmored in the stream of the sky…
"Damn boy, you left the computer on again," Mr. Hashiba swore as he looked at his sleeping kid. Taking a shoulder and shaking it roughly, he attempted to wake the sleeping boy up. "Rowan…Rowan…"
"Guhhh…"
"ROWAN!"
Rowan's head, shot up as his bleary eyes tried to make focus of his surroundings. "What? What? Is something wrong?"
"It's time for school…and what did I say about leaving the computer on?"
"Sorry dad," Rowan murmured as he turned the computer off.
"Hurry up kid, the bus is almost here,"
~*~*~*~*~
"Welcome back Ryo." Kento greeted, buried behind a mountain of books.
"Kento…studying?" Ryo asked incredulously. A flash of light blinded him.
"Memories," Sai grinned as he sat down, holding a Polaroid in one hand, the camera in the other.
Kento glared from the other side of a large book. "……"
"Ooo…let me see," Sage said as he came up from behind and took the Polaroid from Sai. "Heh…" Looking over the picture sinisterly at Kento, "Blackmail…"
"Rowan!" Kento all but shouted out happily.
"Hey," He greeted as he came to the table. "What's up?"
"I need your help," Kento said right away. "Finals are tomorrow and I need all the help I can."
"Sure," Rowan replied just as the bell rang. Grimacing, he turned to Kento, "It'll have to be after school,"
"Well duh,"
"I'll join you both if you don't mind…I haven't studied as much as I should've," Ryo commented as he took his seat in the table next to Kento's.
"Yeah, where'd you run off to?" Rowan asked as the last of the students filed into the room.
"Nowhere in particular, family stuff, the usual,"
~*~*~*~*~
"Mrs. Mouri, hi," Mia greeted happily to the petite woman standing before her.
Kayura looked up from the magazine she was reading.
"Hello Mia," Mrs. Mouri greeted warmly as she placed a kiss on Mia's forehead. "How are you doing sweetheart?"
"I feel a little drained and breathless but I think that's the effect of sleeping pills they've been giving me,"
"Oh my, why are they giving you sleeping pills? Is it necessary?"
"I suppose so, I've been having nightmares and I haven't been able to sleep very well,"
Kayura nodded to herself at that assessment. She had been woken up during the middle of the night because of the tumbling and mumbling Mia had been doing in her sleep.
"How's Sai doing?"
"Oh he's doing quite fine, ever since you've returned, he's been a bundle of joy," Mrs. Mouri said happily.
Mia blushed. "Have you told him I'm in the hospital?"
"Nope but I should, why don't you hold on and I'll go-,"
"No!" Mia shouted out as Mrs. Mouri came to a full stop, stared surprisingly at the slender figure laying in the bed. "I wouldn't want to trouble him, really, it's fine. Do sit down Mrs. Mouri,"
"Alright dear," Mrs. Mouri sat down on a nearby chair.
"Allow me to introduce Kayura Shindo, a friend of mine,"
Kayura poked her head up from behind her magazine and smiled tentatively. "Hello," She greeted.
"Hello!" Mrs. Mouri greeted back grinning. "Ya know, it just so happens that I brought two of my famous shredded pork sandwiches! I thought you might enjoy them more then the hospital food they're giving you,"
"It's not food, it's poison," Kayura joked as she got out of her bed and sat down in a chair next to Mia's, accepting the sandwich gratefully.
Mia and Mrs. Mouri both chuckled.
Mia accepted her sandwich and bit into it. "Oh man…How I've missed your sandwiches, they're the best."
"I must agree, these sandwiches are delicious," Kayura said as she took another bite of hers.
Mrs. Mouri beamed proudly. "I try…oh yeah Mia, I talked to the doctor today, he said that you could leave if you wanted, would you like me to take you home?"
"That'd be very nice! Did you see how Grandfather was doing?"
Mrs. Mouri hesitated, "He's in a coma."
Mia's face fell, "I see…"
"Could I see him before we leave then?"
"Of course…"
~*~*~*~*~
Mia took her grandfather's hand into her own hand and held it. "Grandfather, hold on for me," She whispered into his ear. Then she got up and smiled at Mrs. Mouri. "I'm ready to go now,"
~*~*~*~*~
Ryo let out another loud laugh. "The expression on her face was PRICELESS!"
Sage rolled his eyes. "I didn't even know who she was,"
"And yet she knew who you were…" Rowan chuckled. "When you refused her phone number, I thought she was going to pop,"
"And rip our buddy Sage a new asshole…it was very amusing," Kento grinned as he followed Sai up to doorsteps of his home.
"Oh Sage, give me a call why don't you?" Rowan fluttered his eyes.
"I love you Sage! I worship your Adonis face!" Kento joined in, speaking in a high voice as they all entered the house.
"Cut it out you guys!" Sage snarled.
"SAGE! SAGE! WE LOVE YOU SAGE!" Ryo, Kento, and Rowan chorused, afterwards, falling into a heap of laughter.
"Shhhhhhh!!" Came the harsh noise from the entry hall. "Boys, please keep it down," Mrs. Mouri spoke lowly.
"Oh mom, it's just a little teasing," Sai replied hugging his irritated mom.
Her face softened. "I know I know…but Mia's upstairs resting, I don't want you guys to disturb her from her sleep,"
"Oh…I'm sorry, was she waiting for me?" Sai asked as he set his books on the table next to the door.
"No, I just picked her up from the hospital,"
"Is Grandfather Koji okay?"
"No, he's in a coma…though yesterday, it seems that he did talk to Mia but something happened…I suppose he went back into a coma or something because when the doctors arrived in the room, Mia was in shock and Grandfather Koji's heart stopped."
Sai's eyes widened as he started for the stairs. "Is she alright?"
Mrs. Mouri nodded. "She'll be fine…in the meantime, why don't you boys stay and join us for dinner? Sai dear, don't go sprinting up the stairs, she'll come down when she's well-rested…"
Sai stepped down from the stairs. "Alright mama, whatever you say,"
~*~*~*~*~
"Welcome back Lady Kayura,"
"It's good to be back guys…I know why I landed in the hospital,"
"Why's that?"
"The Jewel of Life has awakened…which means the armors have been revived. I can feel the power of the armors, which won't be hard for us to track down. The hardest part will be attaining the yoroi from their armor bearers," Kayura's clothes turned into her armor. She adjusted her hilts at her side and looked up at the four Season Armor bearers. "Here's my plan,"
~*~*~*~*~
Sai glanced at his watch and looked up at the ceiling. "Yeesh…how long does a girl have to sleep,"
"I've never seen you this anxious," Ryo commented as he sipped from his drink.
"She's had a bad night, she needs her rest Sai," Mrs. Mouri replied as a servant came from the kitchen and served them mashed potatoes.
"Speaking of rest, tomorrow's the mid-terms, we should all get some late-night studying in before we go to bed…" Rowan added in as he dug into his mashed potatoes. "These are good…"
"My head hurts from too much studying," Kento moaned. He chirped up immediately as the servant entered again but with a bowl of grilled chicken breasts. "Chicken…"
"I'm ready," Ryo chirped. "To take tomorrow's mid-terms I mean…"
"And then spring break," Sage grinned.
Sai arched his eyes and smiled. There seemed to be no more tensions between Rowan and Sage, he was all prepped up for the mid-terms, spring break was coming up and so was the cherry festival…the only bad thing was that Mia still hadn't come down from upstairs. He was anxious to get answers from her.
Kento and Ryo started chanting, "Spring break! Spring break! Spring br-,"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"
~*~*~*~*~
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Mia screamed again as she threw a lamp at the…thing that was on the bed. She had backed herself into the corner and out of desperation she tried to back herself up even more. The beating of her heart could've drowned out the sounds of pounding feet coming up the stairs.
"Stay the hell away from me," She cursed at the person standing on the bed. He was dressed in ancient Samurai armor that held a sword menacingly over her head.
"Mia!" Sai yelled as he burst into the room along with four other males.
"Sai," She whispered meekly.
"What the hell…" Kento murmured at the thing standing on the bed.
Sage and Rowan each grabbed the nearest thing at hand. Chucking the items at the man on the bed, they got the attention they had wanted to receive.
Unfortunately, pillows wouldn't do any damage.
The man snarled and he jumped off the bed, walking slowly towards the five males, swinging his deadly sword.
The attention off of her, Mia looked around for solid items. Picking up a chair, she hurled it at the weird man in armor but the chair bounced off. The man turned around, eyes flashing, he chucked the sword like a javelin right at Mia.
"Mia!"
Mia gaped at the oncoming sword…and darkness.
~*~*~*~*~
"Mia!" Sai screamed once more as he watched her body disappear right before his eyes.
"Is it just me or…" Kento started to say.
The five of them turned and looked. Their scenery started to disappear and faded into a green forest. A few feet ahead of them lay a crumpled Mia.
"Mia," They started walking toward to her before something blocked them. A figure garbed in pale blue and white monk robes shimmered in right in front of them.
"What the hell," Kento said.
"You're becoming very redundant," Rowan murmured, his eyes on the crumpled figure of Mia.
"Shut up," Kento shot back as he looked at the man in front of them.
"Who are you?" Ryo asked, standing in front of Sai, his feet planted in a defensive position.
The monk didn't answer. He did lift his hand up, which caused the other four to bristle. "No need to fear me, I am not your enemy," A golden staff appeared in his hand. At the top of the staff, was a golden ball, elaborately surrounded by rings. He struck the earth once with the staff, the rings jingling softly.
They stared at each other, confused.
"Guys…" Sage murmured as he stared down at the direction of his pant's pocket.
The four turned around to look at him and the glowing pocket.
"Go ahead, grab it, I think all the armors have found their worthy suitors…" The monk said from behind them.
They all shot back around and looked suspiciously at the monk.
He motioned at Ryo's pocket, which started glowing red.
Sage reached into his pocket and took out a green orb. "Wisdom…" He murmured to himself.
The others, following suit, reached gingerly into their pockets and pulled out an orb, each a different color.
Sai realized that the orb he was holding was the large marble that he had found on the beach. Holding the glowing ball in his hand, he stared amazed by the light blue aura surrounding it.
"What is this?" Kento asked, rolling the orange orb around in his palm.
"You'll see," The monk answered.
"Armor of Wildfire, Tao Jin!" Ryo screamed holding his glowing orb out. His tiger-blue eyes glinting, the orb flashed a brilliant red and absorbed in his arm.
Sai, Sage, Rowan and Kento grimaced at the bright light and stepped back. Once the red light faded, they stared, amazed at an armor clad Ryo.
"Oh wow…that just came to me," Ryo said as he looked down at himself. His back contained two katanas.
Sage looked down at his. "Armor of Halo, Tao Chi!" A brilliant green light swarmed his body and when it disappeared, he was dressed in an armor, different from Ryo's. Taking a few steps, he was amazed at lightness in weight. Heck, it just seemed as if he was wearing his own clothing. At his side was a no-dachi, huge battle sword.
"Armor of Strata, Tao Inochi!" Rowan's voice echoed through out the woods. Like Ryo and Sage, a glow infused him, though dark blue, and when it disappeared, he was wearing armor just as Ryo and Sage was. On his back was a quiver of arrows and in his hand was a large bow.
Sai followed suit. "Armor of the Torrent, Tao Shin!" Seconds later, the light blue hue that had covered his body disappeared and on his body was a light blue armor. In his hand was a large trident.
Kento nodded, "Armor of Hardrock, Tai Gi!" Seconds later, he was dressed in orange armor, at his hands he held a naginata.
The five of them stood around in awe of each other and themselves. The armors were significantly different from each other both in color and style.
"Now that the Ronin Warriors have been awaken, my job is done…" The monk disappeared, rings clanging on his staff.
~*~*~*~*~
Mia stared at the five guys, dressed in samurai armor and blinked. What was going on? Why was Sai and his friends dressed up like that? Pinching herself, she made sure she wasn't dreaming. She grimaced more at the fact that she obviously wasn't dreaming. She shifted around on the dirt ground.
She felt her chest growing warm and looked down, only to see it glowing a red color. Then it flashed.
Startled, she looked at her surroundings. This time, she was sitting on a bed of grass, the man dressed in the old samurai armor before her and her friends, on the other side, glaring menacingly at the man.
"Guys, what say we take down this tin can and show him how to really fight?" Kento grinned, a hard glint in his eyes. "Iron Rock Crusher!" The ground literally opened up and closed around the armor. The earth fell back in place as the 'tin can' stood still.
Then it fell, the pieces of the armor breaking apart as a black shadow wafted up from the armor, disappearing.
"Wow…" Kento murmured. "That was pretty damn cool,"
Ryo, Rowan, Sage and Sai relaxed, a glow of their respective colors covering their body. Moments later, they were dressed once more in their school uniforms.
Kento followed suit.
"*That*…was so awesome," Kento grinned.
"We heard that the first time you said it, big guy," Sage commented, chuckling.
"It was fascinating to say the least," Mia observed from the other side, picking herself up from the grass. She rubbed her chest gingerly.
Sai hurried to her side, taking her elbow. "You okay,"
She looked warmly at him. "I'm fine,"
~*~*~*~*~
"I'm surprised, Hardrock knew how to use his attack rather fast," Kayura observed as she watched a reply of the battle in her globe.
"Shouldn't we have sent out more soldiers?" Dais questioned.
"Next time Dais," Kayura mused softly. "Next time,"
~*~*~*~*~
"SPRING BREAK!" Ryo and Kento whooped as they jumped up and down. Students filtered out of the school, everyone chattering happily.
"Hey guys," Mia greeted them.
Ryo and Kento ran to her, one on each side, chattering to her excitedly.
Sai, Sage and Rowan chuckled.
"I for one am glad that mid-terms are over and that we're finally being allowed a period of rest," Sai reflected.
"Agreeable," Sage and Rowan chorused. Looking at each other, they chuckled.
"Jinx!" Rowan called out, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Sage scrunched up his nose unable to voice his opinion out loud.
"I'm just kidding buddy," Rowan said slapping his hand on Sage's back.
Sage chuckled.
"So Mia, are you going to the Cherry Festival?" Kento asked the slender girl.
"Yup!" Mia chirped.
Sai grinned as he reached their side. "Speaking of the Cherry Festival, Ma's been making our matching kimonos!"
"My mom's making mine also," Sage added.
"I still need to buy mine," Rowan commented.
"I have mine saved up from last year so I'll use that," Kento pondered.
"I…need to buy one. White Blaze tore up the one I had from last year," Ryo sweatdropped.
"White Blaze? Who's that?" Mia asked, cocking one head to the side.
"He's a-," Kento began before Ryo cut him off.
Ryo grinned, "Ya know, showing is better then explaining," Swinging one arm around Mia. "White Blaze is a fascinating animal, he really is,"
Sai, Sage, and Rowan chuckled to each other.
~*~*~*~*~
"White Blaze is a TIGER?!"
~*~*~*~*~
Next time on Ronin Warriors…
Sai: It's Spring Break and everyone's busy planning to go to the Cherry Festival…
Kento: About the Cherry Festival, I can't wait to sample all the food they're gonna have there…
Ryo: Babes galore!
Mia: I can't wait to check out the mythology section they have this year, I heard it's going to be wicked good!
Rowan: I was looking that up too, the volunteers are also dressing up like some of the mythological characters.
Sage: I'm going to check out the martial art displays they're going to have up…
Kento: Oh come on guys…can't you think of anything else rather then those boring things??
Sage: Are you suggesting babes and food?
Kento and Ryo: YEAH!
Mia: Er…
Others: Oivey…
Sai: Next time on Ronin Warriors: The Ugly Duckling~ Chapter 11: Spring Break
Mia: I absolutely adore the smell of spring…
Yeah. This chapter royally sucked. But my inspiration was dying on me and I had to get this chapter out. _ I need to start working on the next chapter, which I have a lot of inspiration for. The hardest part is putting all those thoughts in an organized manner down on paper! I think I better revert back to writing down each chapter then typing them up. Thoughts are much better organized that way…Anyways, sorry this chapter was bad…^_^;; Maybe the next chapter will be able to make up for this one…[Oh yeah, I didn't read this over because I was so frustrated…if there are mistakes, then please point them out for me and I'll fix them as fast as I can…arigato!]
Ja ne minna!
~Tenshi
