Chapter 14
Loren and Sekhmet were walking to the botanical gardens when Loren noticed that the lights were off, 'What's going on?' She wondered.
"Naotoki," Loren asked, "Did you forget what time the gardens closed?"
Sekhmet just looked at the night sky as Loren's sixth sense went wild. Loren suddenly realized that she had just walked into a trap. "What the..." she began.
Sekhmet looked at her, "I have something to tell you."
"What do mean?" Loren demanded, backing away from Sekhmet.
Sekhmet dropped his disguise, "I'm sorry," he said, not looking at Loren.
Loren grew angry, "You played me for fool," she accused.
"I won't deny that, but..." Sekhmet began.
"But you did your job," another voice laughed.
Loren and Sekhmet turned to see Cale and Dais in armor. "Good job," Dais smiled.
"So you can you play the hunting game," Cale laughed.
"THIS WAS A GAME!" Loren yelled.
"Yes," Sekhmet admitted, still not looking at Loren.
Loren reached for Cruelty, even though she was surrounded. 'If I'm going down,' Loren thought, 'I'm going down fighting.'
Dais and Cale began back Loren up into the wall of the gardens. Loren's mind was racing as she slowly edged her fingers toward her right pocket. Before she could pull out her armor orb, Dais yelled, "Web Of Deception!"
Loren dogged all the webbing she could, but some webs pinned her to the wall. Loren struggled, 'since when did webbing actually become a restraint?' She thought.
Loren turned her head toward Cale and Dais as they were walking toward her as she struggled to get free, she didn't see Sekhmet or the Ronins. Dais looked at Loren, "Don't make this hard," he told her.
"Where's the syringe?" Loren shot back angrily.
Cale smiled, "Right here."
Cale handed Dais a syringe filled with a clear liquid, Loren began to panic and struggle as hard as she could. She hated needles, but she also had the feeling that the liquid inside the syringe was going to erase her memories. 'The family's secret recipe,' Loren thought, 'I wonder how many test subjects were used before the drug was completed.' Loren continued to struggle, 'Cruelty, help me,' Loren yelled mentally.
Dais smiled, "We cut the link to your armor, Cruelty cannot save you."
"Burn in Hell!" Loren bit out.
"You won't even remember what happened," Dais laughed.
As Dais brought the syringe to Loren's shoulder, Loren heard, "Snake Fang Strike!"
A sword-like whip knocked the syringe out of Dais' hand. When Dais turned, the whip hit him dead center in the faceplate.
"Traitor," Cale yelled, and attacked Sekhmet.
Sekhmet used his whip again and hit Cale in the side of the helmet, knocking him to the ground. Sekhmet then disconnected his whip and walked over to Loren. He then pulled out one of his swords from across his back, and let a pink liquid drop from them, 'Venom,' Loren thought numbly. After the webs were burned through, Sekhmet got his face in the same place Loren's was, and took off his helmet. Loren looked at Sekhmet; he now had wild green hair, purple eyelids, and black beady eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked her.
"Why did you do that?" Loren asked.
Sekhmet looked Loren straight in eye and said four words he never thought he would ever say in his 400 years, "Because I love you."
Loren smiled, "Were you afraid to love?" She asked.
"I never thought I could love," Sekhmet admitted, "After my mother died, I thought I lost all my emotions."
Loren smiled, "It takes the right person to make someone feel that way."
"Loren," a male voice called out.
Sekhmet turned to leave, but Loren stopped him, "Where will you go? You can't go back to the Dynasty."
"I'll find a place," Sekhmet promised.
"Take care of yourself," Loren said. But before Loren could say anything else, Sekhmet kissed her. After that brief, hard kiss Sekhmet turned away from the scene and ran. Loren just looked in shock as the five Ronins ran up to her. "Are you okay?" Sage asked.
"I'll be fine," Loren said.
"How did you get free?" Rowen asked.
"Sekhmet freed me," Loren said.
"Where is he?" Cye asked, "It would be suicide if he went back to the Dynasty."
"Never mind," Ryo said, "Let's just take Loren home."
As they drove home, Loren fell asleep. As she slept, she had wonderful dream:
Loren stood in a field of Sakura wearing a kimono and a pair of geta. She saw another young woman walk up to her. The young woman had light brown hair and vivid green eyes, much like Sekhmet's disguise. "Thank you for giving my son the chance to love again," the young woman said.
"I'm glad he can live again, Naomi," Loren replied, and I know what I've got to do," Loren replied. "Still, I wish Sekhmet didn't run off. He would have been welcomed."
Naomi smiled, "Do you remember the time you were saved, but you later found out that Cruelty didn't give the warning call?"
"I remember," Loren said.
"Venom gave the call," Naomi said.
"Then I guess I should tell Sekhmet thank you," Loren smiled.
"You owe him nothing but what feels natural to the both of you," Naomi replied. "That is something you should tell him."
"What will happen to Sekhmet?" Loren asked.
"When you get home, you will see," Naomi replied.
Loren woke up, the first peaceful dream ever since she had been here. When they got home, Loren opened the door only to find Sekhmet in the living room. Loren ran up to Sekhmet and embraced him, "I'm happy you came," Loren said.
"I found him outside," Mia said, "he was watching the house when I saw him. I learned what he did and told him to come in until we decided where he can stay."
Loren looked at the five Ronins, "he has no place to go. Can he stay here, at least until I go home?"
"We'll need to talk about it," Ryo said, "but I think we can work something out."
Loren and Sekhmet were walking to the botanical gardens when Loren noticed that the lights were off, 'What's going on?' She wondered.
"Naotoki," Loren asked, "Did you forget what time the gardens closed?"
Sekhmet just looked at the night sky as Loren's sixth sense went wild. Loren suddenly realized that she had just walked into a trap. "What the..." she began.
Sekhmet looked at her, "I have something to tell you."
"What do mean?" Loren demanded, backing away from Sekhmet.
Sekhmet dropped his disguise, "I'm sorry," he said, not looking at Loren.
Loren grew angry, "You played me for fool," she accused.
"I won't deny that, but..." Sekhmet began.
"But you did your job," another voice laughed.
Loren and Sekhmet turned to see Cale and Dais in armor. "Good job," Dais smiled.
"So you can you play the hunting game," Cale laughed.
"THIS WAS A GAME!" Loren yelled.
"Yes," Sekhmet admitted, still not looking at Loren.
Loren reached for Cruelty, even though she was surrounded. 'If I'm going down,' Loren thought, 'I'm going down fighting.'
Dais and Cale began back Loren up into the wall of the gardens. Loren's mind was racing as she slowly edged her fingers toward her right pocket. Before she could pull out her armor orb, Dais yelled, "Web Of Deception!"
Loren dogged all the webbing she could, but some webs pinned her to the wall. Loren struggled, 'since when did webbing actually become a restraint?' She thought.
Loren turned her head toward Cale and Dais as they were walking toward her as she struggled to get free, she didn't see Sekhmet or the Ronins. Dais looked at Loren, "Don't make this hard," he told her.
"Where's the syringe?" Loren shot back angrily.
Cale smiled, "Right here."
Cale handed Dais a syringe filled with a clear liquid, Loren began to panic and struggle as hard as she could. She hated needles, but she also had the feeling that the liquid inside the syringe was going to erase her memories. 'The family's secret recipe,' Loren thought, 'I wonder how many test subjects were used before the drug was completed.' Loren continued to struggle, 'Cruelty, help me,' Loren yelled mentally.
Dais smiled, "We cut the link to your armor, Cruelty cannot save you."
"Burn in Hell!" Loren bit out.
"You won't even remember what happened," Dais laughed.
As Dais brought the syringe to Loren's shoulder, Loren heard, "Snake Fang Strike!"
A sword-like whip knocked the syringe out of Dais' hand. When Dais turned, the whip hit him dead center in the faceplate.
"Traitor," Cale yelled, and attacked Sekhmet.
Sekhmet used his whip again and hit Cale in the side of the helmet, knocking him to the ground. Sekhmet then disconnected his whip and walked over to Loren. He then pulled out one of his swords from across his back, and let a pink liquid drop from them, 'Venom,' Loren thought numbly. After the webs were burned through, Sekhmet got his face in the same place Loren's was, and took off his helmet. Loren looked at Sekhmet; he now had wild green hair, purple eyelids, and black beady eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked her.
"Why did you do that?" Loren asked.
Sekhmet looked Loren straight in eye and said four words he never thought he would ever say in his 400 years, "Because I love you."
Loren smiled, "Were you afraid to love?" She asked.
"I never thought I could love," Sekhmet admitted, "After my mother died, I thought I lost all my emotions."
Loren smiled, "It takes the right person to make someone feel that way."
"Loren," a male voice called out.
Sekhmet turned to leave, but Loren stopped him, "Where will you go? You can't go back to the Dynasty."
"I'll find a place," Sekhmet promised.
"Take care of yourself," Loren said. But before Loren could say anything else, Sekhmet kissed her. After that brief, hard kiss Sekhmet turned away from the scene and ran. Loren just looked in shock as the five Ronins ran up to her. "Are you okay?" Sage asked.
"I'll be fine," Loren said.
"How did you get free?" Rowen asked.
"Sekhmet freed me," Loren said.
"Where is he?" Cye asked, "It would be suicide if he went back to the Dynasty."
"Never mind," Ryo said, "Let's just take Loren home."
As they drove home, Loren fell asleep. As she slept, she had wonderful dream:
Loren stood in a field of Sakura wearing a kimono and a pair of geta. She saw another young woman walk up to her. The young woman had light brown hair and vivid green eyes, much like Sekhmet's disguise. "Thank you for giving my son the chance to love again," the young woman said.
"I'm glad he can live again, Naomi," Loren replied, and I know what I've got to do," Loren replied. "Still, I wish Sekhmet didn't run off. He would have been welcomed."
Naomi smiled, "Do you remember the time you were saved, but you later found out that Cruelty didn't give the warning call?"
"I remember," Loren said.
"Venom gave the call," Naomi said.
"Then I guess I should tell Sekhmet thank you," Loren smiled.
"You owe him nothing but what feels natural to the both of you," Naomi replied. "That is something you should tell him."
"What will happen to Sekhmet?" Loren asked.
"When you get home, you will see," Naomi replied.
Loren woke up, the first peaceful dream ever since she had been here. When they got home, Loren opened the door only to find Sekhmet in the living room. Loren ran up to Sekhmet and embraced him, "I'm happy you came," Loren said.
"I found him outside," Mia said, "he was watching the house when I saw him. I learned what he did and told him to come in until we decided where he can stay."
Loren looked at the five Ronins, "he has no place to go. Can he stay here, at least until I go home?"
"We'll need to talk about it," Ryo said, "but I think we can work something out."