Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds

By Dixxy

Chapter Sixteen: It Begins

(Kento)

Less than an hour later, we found ourselves outside of a stone gray building, which we guessed was probably some sort of an old factory. Evan dismounted me and I shifted back into my normal shape, shaking my head from the slight lightheadedness I had received. I looked up, quickly evaluating the building. I closed my eyes and held my hand out, trying to get a feel for the energy in the area. I nodded my head. "I think she's in here," I said. "I can sense a lot of dark energy, and fragments of her power."

"You sure?" asked Evan.

"Positive." I pressed my hand against the building for a clearer picture. It only seemed to get progressively worse with physical contact, much like the doorknob in the Narrlobi household. I shuddered, not wanting to think about Keisha in that building by herself with those people. "We have to find an entrance to this place, and fast."

"Fast?" asked Evan. "How fast?"

"There's some serious crap going on here," I said, taking my hand off of the wall. "There isn't any telling what these losers are doing to Keisha, but whatever it is, it's real." I used my armor orbe and transformed into subarmor. "Lay low. Get your hand on any weapon you can get that you think you can handle safely, because trust me on this- this is going to get ugly."

My girlfriend's older brother looked nervous, but nodded with a slight gulp. I grinned, somehow admiring his bravery. He was really determined to save his sister, but this wasn't something he had to do or was destined to do- it was my responsibility as a fellow Ronin to go in after her, especially where she was my partner in arms and now even more than that. Evan had nothing of that, yet he still wanted to go in anyways. I gave him a nod of respect, which he returned with a smile and a returning nod. Evan was braver than I thought he was.

"We can go around the back," I said.

"The back? Why the back?" asked Evan.

"Less likely for them to notice," I said. "Ever heard of sneaking in through a back door? Well that's exactly what we'll be doing." Evan nodded and quietly followed. The two of us crept to the back of the facility. Sure enough, there was an old looking door barely hanging onto its hinges. I went up to the door and pulled it off the hinges. It came off quietly enough. I placed it down in the snow (it WAS winter after all), then signaled for Evan to follow me. He nodded, the two of us sneaking into the building.

"This is frightening. Exciting, but still frightening," whispered Evan. He looked behind his shoulder, gulping yet again. I shot him a look, raising a finger to my lips as a very direct signal for him to "shut his trap before we get caught". He got the message, but asked me a rather important question first:

"Is it normal to have a sudden urge to pee your pants in a situation like this one?"

"Welcome to my world."

We were in a back room of some sort, an ancient coffee pot and several chairs somehow confirming this. Dust lined the room, as if no one had been there in a long time. I looked around, raising a hand. I extended my powers. I felt a sickeningly stronger sense of the energy surrounding the place. It was getting darker, too, and I didn't like that idea one bit. "It's only getting stronger."

"Is that a good thing or bad thing?" asked Evan.

"Depends on the situation- if I can get a feel for what kind of energy it is than I might be able to know its weaknesses. I can feel a ton of energy, but there's so much magic here I can't separate one thing from the next," I said. I sighed. "This isn't easy. Man, where did your grandma find these guys?"

"I don't know. How can you sense all this magic?"

I tapped my temple. "All Ronins can sense different magic types- we all have a sixth sense, so to speak to know when there's something evil afoot. That's how the five Ronin Warriors got together- we all sensed the negative energy coming from Toyama and just followed it," I said. "Now that I actually have an idea as to what I'm doing, I'm actually finding it quite useful."

"You're trying to tell me that you could sense magic and you ignored it?"

"Er. . . pretty much," I said with a weak attempt at a laugh. "I was a bonehead when I was fifteen, what can I say? But now that I see this isn't all about brute strength and bashing in bad guys, I'm actually beginning to understand how to really use my armor and its abilities to my advantage. The Hardrock armors are the most sensitive to the world around us and I didn't start using that until it was almost too late."

Keisha's older brother looked at me in a new light, his eyes seeming somehow somber with what I'd just told him. Slowly, he nodded. "Just relax and let it come to you. You're a seer, right?" said Evan, putting a hand on my subarmored shoulder. "You'll figure it out."

"Thanks," I said. "I just hope I figure it out before it's too late to save your sister."

"Do we split up or do I stick with you?"

I thought that one over. The idea of Evan wandering around alone wasn't exactly comforting (he could, oh, I don't know, get killed or something), but if we were both caught at the same time, that could be dangerous, too. If we split up, there'd be a back-up if something went wrong for one of us. "Okay. We'll split up. Take off five minutes after I leave."

The slightly older teen pointed at his watch. "On the dot," he said.

I sighed heavily, rolling my eyes. I walked out the door. "Stay out of trouble. Don't instigate a fight, but defend yourself if someone tries to attack you. Don't let yourself be seen so you can avoid my first piece of advice. If you find Keisha, cut her loose from whatever is holding her if it's just ropes or something- don't mess with something magical because I can almost guarantee you'll get hurt. Don't do anything stupid," I instructed.

"Yes, sir," said Evan. "Good luck." With that, he ducked under a table and sent me a thumbs up. I sent one back and opened the door that led into the main part of the building. Taking in a deep breath, I stepped out of the door and closed it behind me. I nearly jumped as it creaked from lack of oil. I paused, listening for some sort of a sound.

What I found was a long, drab corridor. Once again it seemed as if no one had been down those parts for a very long time, so I figured that I was safe. I started to walk down, looking both ways the whole time, behind me every so often. I my eyes scanned over every nook and cranny I could spot, trying to see if there was anything out of the ordinary.

I wasn't that great with rescue missions. During the second war against Talpa, when I'd tried to follow Dais to rescue Cye and Sage, I'd fallen into a trap and couldn't save them. Oh, I was able to get away for a while- I led the Tin Cans in a game of cat and mouse (guess who was the mouse?) for a good two or three hours before they finally cornered me. From there, I got to join Sage and Cye in what would lead to the event that would shatter our lives.

There are days when I wonder what would've happened if I'd tried to escape from Dais to warn Ryo and Rowen. Would I be back in Japan with them thinking that Sage and Cye were dead? Would it have not mattered if Dais was able to catch me anyways? It's those kinds of things I think about. I have a power that can possibly change the future, and I did it a few times when I was working for Madame Shinshu. I saw into the future, told someone what would happen, and then they wouldn't do something or they'd make sure they'd do it.

I don't like my power. As fun as it sounds to be able to see into the future, it's actually really creepy. There are times when I'll just tell someone to watch a glass and less than five seconds later, crash! Milk or juice all over the carpet. It annoys me. Yeah, knowing what's coming is great during battle, but in everyday life. . . ugh. I especially hate prophecies when I go into a trance and don't remember anything. I black out. It isn't fun. Keisha says that it scares her. It scares me, too.

Speaking of Keisha, I had to find her and bust her out of that hell hole before something really BAD happened. From what Evan had told me, what I'd sensed at their house, and what I was feeling in that building, I knew that SOMETHING big was going on and that I wasn't going to like it.

Some of the energies I was familiar with- teleportation type energies, magic herbs and spices that Cye and Sage had worked with before, and even a few hexes that I had seen Trulpa use on servants she wasn't pleased with. Then there were energies I hadn't felt before, probably part of whatever dark plan these people had for my girlfriend.

And then there was that one last energy. . .

I came to the end of the hallway and opened the door at the end, sensing more energy on the other side. I pressed my ear against the door, not hearing anything. I slowly opened the door and slipped through. This hallway was less dusty and much cleaner. People had been here more recently. I had to be careful, now.

I placed a hand against a wall, trying to figure out which direction Keisha was in. If possible, we were going to bust out of there and then go get the others to blow the place sky high or something. But first, I had to save my girlfriend. I sensed she was close by, but there were other life forces nearby as well.

"INTRUDER!"

Uh oh. Someone had found me. I saw a man around Mike's age pointing a finger at me, wear a dark robe with a hood. He shook with fear, his teeth chattering as he looked me over. I looked around innocently, trying to act "normal". "Hi, how's it going?" I asked calmly. "Nice weather we're having, isn't it?"

"You. . . you. . . get away!" he said, still shaking. "You will be destroyed!"

I laughed sheepishly as I scratched the back of my head. "You know, as fun as that sounds, I think not," I said. I straightened myself, getting back down to business. "I came here to rescue my girlfriend, so if you could tell me where Keisha is, then I won't kill you. Deal? Just a simple set of directions for your life- seems like a no duh choice to me, don't you think?"

"YAH!"

As the cry was sounded, I was suddenly enveloped with a shock wave of energy. I shook all over as the energy electrocuted me, my subarmor seeming to do nothing to stop the pain. The energy ceased and I fell to the ground. I braced myself, my arms clutched over my chest as my heart began to race out of control.

I looked up to see two more robed figures. One of them was a man I didn't recognize with dark but graying hair and sharp green eyes. He held a tall wooden staff that was twisted and distorted, kind of like driftwood. Standing beside him was Keisha's grandmother, who looked REALLY pissed off.

"You little son of a bitch! You ruined our plans!" she screeched, pointing a finger at me.

"I haven't ruined any plans yet, but if you don't let Keisha go then I WILL ruin some plans all right!" I said. I tried to move, and immediately regretted it. My whole body was in immense pain, as if I had broken every bone in my body AND gotten a really, really, really bad sunburn with a few muscle pulls added in. "Just let me get up and I'll go about ruining those evil plans of yours."

"I feel that this young one is very dangerous, High Priest, Elder- just take a look at what he wears! That certainly is not normal attire for a young man his age, or for that matter, anybody!" said the man who had originally spotted me. "But we can use him. I think that the Death Lord will allow us to give him the girl and the one who soiled her."

Soiled? What the hell does that mean?

The Elder looked me over, grabbing my chin and turning my face from side to side. She threw me back down, and I sent a glare back up at her. "You think I CARE how you feel about all this? You'll be dead soon enough anyways," she said. She turned to the man beside her. "Yes, he'll do very nicely. Perhaps the Death Lord will be kind to us for this."

The High Priest nodded. "What do we do with him until then?"

"Restrain him and bring him out the main sanctuary- we'll have to slightly alter our plans for tonight thanks to this new development. Keisha will be ready soon, I believe, and will be brought out in due time. However, I haven't told the others about what she did last night, so there will be some surprise," said the Elder.

My eyes widened. They KNEW? I blushed bright red, getting a laugh from the two robed people. So that's it- they needed Keisha to be a VIRGIN sacrifice and now that she isn't a virgin anymore she's almost useless to them now! The High Priest raised his staff into the air and slammed it into the ground. As a result, I was suddenly bound by magical ropes that appeared out of no where. As my strength returned, I tested myself against them, but to no avail.

Keisha's grandmother stood guard while the High Priest left to go somewhere, probably something bad (I mean, he WAS the High Priest of some loonies out to sacrifice my girlfriend and now me, too). She knelt down beside me, a sickening, twisted smile on her face. "You're going to pay dearly for touching my granddaughter," she said.

"Why would you care?" I said, narrowing my eyes at her as I tried to give her a dirty look. "You're one sick bitch! First, you kill your daughter and her husband. THEN you want to sacrifice Keisha, your own granddaughter, in the name of some evil Death Lord. You don't give a damn about her!"

"She is necessary for the Death Lord-" started the older woman.

I began to scream and yell at her, my anger pouring out in one almost violent torrent of words. "Well your Death Lord can go himself for all I care! This is your family, and at that, you're ONLY family! What could possibly bring you so low as to destroy them!"

Before she could answer me, the High Priest came back with a large clan member. The robed man hoisted me over his shoulder and carried me out into what was apparently their main sanctuary. I was placed in a kneeling position on a black mat. Slowly, members of the clan were filing in, taking their places at red pillows that circled where I was placed. I watched as the seats were slowly filled until eventually all but a few remained. The only other object in the room was a large, throne like altar.

The High Priest stood by me, keeping his staff at my nose so I wouldn't move. I heard something in the background, like someone was struggling. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that they were bringing Keisha out and they didn't want me making a move. Like I could- the ropes were bound with strong magic and I couldn't get out on my own. I needed to come up with something.

"Let me go you jackasses!"

That was undoubtedly Keisha- she would definitely say something along those lines in a situation like the one we were in at that point. The High Priest did something with his staff and Keisha joined me in the ropes. She turned to her head to see who she had been tied to, me turning to face her with a slight frown. "Kento!"

"Yeah, it's me," I said dryly. "Are you all right?"

"Aside from the fact we're about to become a sacrifice for a deranged clan my grandmother decided to join and everyone here knows what we did last night, just fine," she said. She looked at me with confusion. "Why are you acting so calm throughout this whole mess?"

"Who said I'm calm?" I said. I found her hands and squeezed them tightly and tried to give her a kiss on the cheek. Keisha whimpered, getting scared. I grasped her hands tighter and hushed her. "Don't worry about a thing, Keish, we're going to find a way out of here."

"I think it's too late," said Keisha miserably. "They're starting."

While Keisha and I had our mini reunion, the Dark Wing had made their formation, all chanting. The High Priest's Staff was glowing a dangerous alternation of black and red hues, a huge amount of energy flowing through the room. Keisha and I watched as something began to form on the altar, a smoke beginning to almost solidify into something.

The Death Lord.

The voice of the evil being echoed throughout the entire building, causing candles and glass décor to shake and rattle in the mess. The clan all took some sort of a bowing position, even the High Priest and Keisha's grandmother. To them, they were in the presence of a great being. To us, he was an evil demon spawn.

"Well, well, well, it has been a long time, hasn't it, Kento of the Hardrock? Did you miss me, or were you too busy screwing with the one who my clan members have spent many weeks preparing for me? That's too bad, because now you and your lover will have to suffer. Hmm, hmm, I'm going to enjoy this."

My eyes widened in terror. I KNEW who was speaking to me. "Oh God no. . ."

"Kento?" asked Keisha. "What. . . what is that?"

I finally recognized the energy force I'd felt amongst all the other powers in the building and even a little bit back at Keisha's house. I just KNEW what it was when I heard the voice. It was a voice I had learned to fear. A voice I had learned to hate. And a voice I thought that I would never, ever hear again.

"The Death Lord. . . it's Talpa!"