Here it is, the long-awaited, much anticipated, repeatedly begged
for...Part 17!!!!!! I apologize for the long delay. I was uninspired for a
while and then came freshman year of college and now a full time summer
job. But hopefully I'll have more time when school starts since I'll only
be taking five classes. A small bit of off-topic advice for those heading
off to college: Pack light! You're always going to be buying more stuff and
you're going to have to lug it all back home anyway. -Jay'a
Ronin Warriors: A Legend is Reborn
Part XVII By: Jay'a
Ryo took his seat next to Sage in Literature. "You know, we really should start practicing."
"Practicing what?" Sage flipped through his book.
"With the armors and stuff. See if we can't get Cye an Rowen fighting something besides each other."
"When and where do you think you want to do this?" Sage asked.
"My place, Saturday? I'll tell the rest of the guys."
*
"You know Brain, for someone who's so smart, you sure are dumb sometimes." Tammy sneered.
Rowen wavered between snapping back and shrinking back.
"Hey Tammy, I think you have something stuck in your teeth. Might wanna go to the bathroom and check that out." The ever-innocent Ryo Sanada peered at her, looking almost concerned.
Tammy's hand slapped to her mouth in near panic as she bolted from the room.
"Nice save," Rowen commented as Ryo sat down.
"Not my style to lave a buddy in trouble."
"She's gonna be pretty pissed when she finds nothing there," Rowen warned.
"What do I care?" Ryo said. "What are you doing this Saturday?"
"Homework probably. Why?"
"Wanna get together at my house and start practicing and stuff?"
"Practicing what?"
"What about practicing?" Cye sat down next to Ryo.
"With the armors," Ryo said. "My house, this Saturday. Sage already said he'd go. Can you guys make it?"
Rowen shrugged. "Sure."
"I might have to check with my mom first," Cye said. "I'll let you know tomorrow."
"Okay."
"You."
Ryo turned to see the towering bitchiness of Kimi and Tammy. "Um, can I help you?"
"I did not have anything in my teeth," Tammy snapped.
"Oh, well good." Ryo flicked a glance at Rowen and Cye. "Wouldn't want you to be embarrassed or anything."
"You have been nothing but annoying since you came in here," Kimi said leaning in close. "That doesn't suit me. And plus you hang out with.them." She sneered at Rowen and Cye. "If you have any intention of enjoying the rest of your high school career, you better be more aware of who it is you're dealing with."
Ryo looked wide-eyed at Rowen and Cye who had suddenly found the floor very interesting. Kimi and Tammy sat down as Mr. Tanaka started class.
*
Kento brought his head up.and found himself in a great gray mist. What the hell? "Hello?"
There were sounds of fighting up ahead. Kento moved quickly but cautiously. When he came to the edge of the mist, he could make out two figures. The larger one seemed to be punishing the little one.
Kento pulled the aggressor away. "Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
"You would defend this thief?" the figure boomed.
Kento glanced down at the little one who was coveting a bag of coins. It looked up at him fearfully. Kento knelt down. "Did you steal this?" he asked.
The little one shook its head vehemently, obviously frightened. Then it stopped, and nodded.
"You know that isn't right, don't you?" Kento said to the little one.
"We have nothing. He has everything," the little one whispered.
"You don't have nothing. If you do right then you'll have self respect and believe me, that's worth more then any bag of coins."
The little one remained silent.
"Will you return it?" Kento asked.
The little one slowly lifted the bag into Kento's hand. Kento pulled a few coins out of his own pocket and pressed them into the little one's hand. "Good job kid. I'm proud of ya." He ruffled the little one's hair. "Run along home," and the little one scampered off.
Kento tossed the bag to the other figure. "Here," he said, disgusted. "But money isn't everything you know."
He turned to leave to find that the mist had lifted revealing a large meadow. A monk stood before him, his wide brimmed hat concealing his eyes. "What the hell? Where am I now?"
"Your sense of Justice will serve you well Kento of Hardrock, Warrior of Justice."
"What?"
"But be wary. The time draws near." The monk and the surroundings faded away.
"Wait!" Kento called. "What - "
Kento drifted back to a dreamless sleep. And in his bed, his fist gripped a pulsing orange globe.
*
Cye swam the hardest and fastest he'd ever swam. Just ahead, always, it seemed, just ahead, a large fish, a predator, a carnivore, was being roped into submission by the only being higher on its food chain: humans. Cye dove under the land-dweller's boat and with more strength than he realized he had, capsized it. The boat spilled over, sending the crew thrashing into the deep blue water where the waves carried them away.
Cye was alone with the fish, the predator, the carnivore. Now what? Do I trust it? It probably doesn't like humans.
The fish cast an inhuman gaze upon the strange one. It looked like the two- legged menaces, but it seemed more at home in the water. Ad it had tipped over the floating land.
Cye saw that the fish was hurt. Not badly, nothing that wouldn't heal itself if left alone, he was sure. But all the same, he wanted a closer look. He treaded closer, slowly, keeping his eyes locked with the fish's. It darted away just a bit. "I'm not going to hurt you," Cye said. "I just want to make sure you're okay. Is that all right?" Cye waited for an answer.
The fish swam around Cye, who stayed as still as possible. Satisfied, the fish stopped in front of him, revealing its wound to Cye. No, Cye thought. Not bad at all. He reached up to stroke the fish but it darted away behind him. Cye spun. "Hey wait!"
But the water was gone, replaced by a meadow of high grass and a lonely tree. "Where.?"
"You trust and are trusted, Cye of the Torrent, Warrior of Trust."
The speaker was a monk in a wide-brimmed hat. "Who -?" Cye started.
"But be ready. The time draws near."
And again, Cye was safe in his bed, deeply breathing, yoroi in hand.
*
Sage opened his eyes - and saw nothing. He blinked. And still saw nothing. He panicked slightly and gripped the sides of the cot he was lying on. He took a couple of deep breaths and slowly sat up, then forced himself to let go of the cot and cautiously stood up.
The room, or whatever it was, was completely dark, not a speck of light to be found. Never having been one for dark dank places, Sage sat back on the cot. Now what? he wondered. I can't even see two centimeters in front of me, much less to the other side of the room. Or whatever. Sage stared into the nothingness.
Presently it occurred to him to wonder what was on the other side of the cot. A wall perhaps? Unless the wall was on his side the rest of the room opened up behind him. That made his heart skip a beat, thinking his back might be to whatever may or may not be in the room with him.
Sage slid his hand along the cot to the other side. Just beyond the edge, Sage was rewarded with the feel of cold stone. Keeping his hand on the wall, he slid off the end of the cot and crept slowly along the wall.
Centimeter by centimeter he moved, always testing the floor in front of him with his foot. The ground felt like dirt and rock under his shoe. It crunched and grated, making the only sound Sage could hear other than his ragged breathing and thumping heart.
Sage felt his way into a corner and turned right. He momentarily wished Rowen, or even Ryo, was there with him, but immediately dismissed the idea. What would they think? he thought. Me being scared of the dark.
But it was very dark. And very quiet. Anything could be out there, silently waiting for him as he crept along the wall. Something large with big teeth, or small and venomous. If it was big it was probably stealthy and fast. Something small would be very small, like a spider. He would probably be paralyzed and then have the juices sucked out of him while he died a painless but horrifyingly slow death. Sage almost preferred a larger beast. It would be scarier but fast, and only painful at first. Then he would go into shock and pass out and that would be the last thing he'd ever know. Unless it ate something non-vital first, like a leg. Then it would take longer to go into shock. And even longer to die. That might be painful.
Sage stopped and shivered, trying to shake away all the nightmarish thoughts. He looked behind him, obviously seeing nothing. How long had he been walking? It seemed like forever. How many corners had he turned? He couldn't remember. How big was this place? Where was this place? How did he get here? Sage slid down the wall to the floor. Where am I? Somebody help me.
Sage sat huddled against the wall for several minutes, waiting for whatever horrible death was stalking him.
And of course none came.
Sage frowned. He hadn't heard anything, or felt anything. If something was going to attack him, it missed its best opportunity. Sage stood up and still nothing happened.
This is stupid, Sage berated himself. You've no proof anything is out there. How pathetic are you that you scare yourself out of your mind just because you can't see? Do something productive already.
Feeling a bit braver, Sage braced himself against the wall and took three bold steps forward. He hit something small hanging from the ceiling and he hopped back. It jingled. Sage reached up cautiously to touch it. It was meat, beaded. It felt suspiciously like a ceiling light switch. Sage yanked and sure enough three fluorescent lights flared on.
Once Sage's eyes adjusted to the light, he got his first look at his surroundings. They were nothing special: A simple stone room, a box almost, with no doors or windows. It was about three meters by four and furnished only with the cot and lights. He was alone. There were no large carnivorous beasts or small voracious spiders.
Feeling sick with relief, Sage turned to go sit back on the cot, but it was gone. The whole room was gone, leaving Sage in a grassy plane facing a monk and a single tree. "What?"
"Wisdom comes with experience, Sage of the Halo, Warrior of Wisdom. Draw on all you have. The time draws near."
"Huh - "
Tucked away in a corner of the Date household, Sage opened one eye to see the satisfying streetlights pour into his window. Snuggling under his covers, he closed his eye and fell back asleep, felling the warm green glow of his yoroi.
*
Rowen pushed through a think dark forest. Light from the moon barely made it through the trees.
Something was wrong, very wrong. Rowen didn't know what or how he knew, he just knew. He knew. He could feel it, feel it like someone would feel a knife in the back. He felt.death.
Jolted by new knowledge, he pushed harder. His fist thought was of Kento, then Sage. Desperately he flung himself past thick branches, stumps and rocks. He stopped at a small clearing to catch his breath. He gasped. There on the far side, lying face up and as still as the inside of a Pharaoh's pyramid, was Cye.
All at once relieved that it wasn't Kento or Sage, but also confused, Rowen knelt next to the last person he'd expected or cared to see.
Rowen reached around Cye's neck to feel for a pulse. He cringed. The skin was cool and stiff. And there was no pulse. Rowen tried the wrist. An extremity, very cold. And still no pulse. Fighting down fear of the obvious, Rowen checked for other signs of life: The slightest breath from mouth or nose, the smallest rise of the chest. Nothing. A reaction from a shake or a pinch. Still nothing.
Rowen fought for composure. He felt the arm again. Freezing. This body was dead, had been for a while. But how? Rowen wondered. It's not like there's any -
Blood.
Oh the blood. Cye's head was lying in a puddle of it. More than a little afraid, Rowen hesitantly lifted Cye's head. He reached around to feel the back and nearly threw up. He felt the cool, slimy-wet stickiness of ragged blood soaked flesh and hair, shattered skull bone, and he didn't want to know what all else. Rowen laid the deceased head back down and turned away to give his stomach a minute to stop turning cartwheels.
He wiped his face with the back of his hand and it came away damp. Reality was setting in. No one Rowen knew had ever died before. Certainly not like this.
Rowen forced another look at Cye. Cye can't be dead, Rowen thought. What about our history project? What about saving the world? What about -? Rowen hated to admit it, but he knew it was true. What about Kento?
He knew Kento would be upset to find out that Cye was dead. And while on the one hand that fact annoyed him immensely, Rowen never wanted to see Kento upset. Kento was the most cheerful person he knew. An upset Kento was like the end of the world.
This cannot be real, Rowen finally asserted. This can't - he can't - No!
Rowen laid his hand on Cye's chest and willed it to start rising again. Nothing, nothing - Rowen hiccuped - and then -
Rowen jerked back. He imagined it, he must have. This body was dead. Rowen peered more closely. Up and down, steady and rhythmic. "B-but how?" Rowen sputtered aloud.
Cye opened his eyes and inspected his surroundings. "Rowen?"
"Cye!" Rowen looked away, his mind spinning. But when he looked back, Cye had faded away along with the rest of the forest, leaving Rowen alone in the grass. "What the hell?"
"The lives of your comrades are worth more than an emperor's fortune Rowen of Strata, Warrior of Life."
Rowen's eyes shot up and landed on a monk under a tree. "Who the hell are you?"
"But be prepared. The time draws near."
"Wait! What time? What -?"
Rowen jolted awake. Shaking, he retreated completely into his covers and curled protectively around his pulsing blue yoroi.
Ronin Warriors: A Legend is Reborn
Part XVII By: Jay'a
Ryo took his seat next to Sage in Literature. "You know, we really should start practicing."
"Practicing what?" Sage flipped through his book.
"With the armors and stuff. See if we can't get Cye an Rowen fighting something besides each other."
"When and where do you think you want to do this?" Sage asked.
"My place, Saturday? I'll tell the rest of the guys."
*
"You know Brain, for someone who's so smart, you sure are dumb sometimes." Tammy sneered.
Rowen wavered between snapping back and shrinking back.
"Hey Tammy, I think you have something stuck in your teeth. Might wanna go to the bathroom and check that out." The ever-innocent Ryo Sanada peered at her, looking almost concerned.
Tammy's hand slapped to her mouth in near panic as she bolted from the room.
"Nice save," Rowen commented as Ryo sat down.
"Not my style to lave a buddy in trouble."
"She's gonna be pretty pissed when she finds nothing there," Rowen warned.
"What do I care?" Ryo said. "What are you doing this Saturday?"
"Homework probably. Why?"
"Wanna get together at my house and start practicing and stuff?"
"Practicing what?"
"What about practicing?" Cye sat down next to Ryo.
"With the armors," Ryo said. "My house, this Saturday. Sage already said he'd go. Can you guys make it?"
Rowen shrugged. "Sure."
"I might have to check with my mom first," Cye said. "I'll let you know tomorrow."
"Okay."
"You."
Ryo turned to see the towering bitchiness of Kimi and Tammy. "Um, can I help you?"
"I did not have anything in my teeth," Tammy snapped.
"Oh, well good." Ryo flicked a glance at Rowen and Cye. "Wouldn't want you to be embarrassed or anything."
"You have been nothing but annoying since you came in here," Kimi said leaning in close. "That doesn't suit me. And plus you hang out with.them." She sneered at Rowen and Cye. "If you have any intention of enjoying the rest of your high school career, you better be more aware of who it is you're dealing with."
Ryo looked wide-eyed at Rowen and Cye who had suddenly found the floor very interesting. Kimi and Tammy sat down as Mr. Tanaka started class.
*
Kento brought his head up.and found himself in a great gray mist. What the hell? "Hello?"
There were sounds of fighting up ahead. Kento moved quickly but cautiously. When he came to the edge of the mist, he could make out two figures. The larger one seemed to be punishing the little one.
Kento pulled the aggressor away. "Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
"You would defend this thief?" the figure boomed.
Kento glanced down at the little one who was coveting a bag of coins. It looked up at him fearfully. Kento knelt down. "Did you steal this?" he asked.
The little one shook its head vehemently, obviously frightened. Then it stopped, and nodded.
"You know that isn't right, don't you?" Kento said to the little one.
"We have nothing. He has everything," the little one whispered.
"You don't have nothing. If you do right then you'll have self respect and believe me, that's worth more then any bag of coins."
The little one remained silent.
"Will you return it?" Kento asked.
The little one slowly lifted the bag into Kento's hand. Kento pulled a few coins out of his own pocket and pressed them into the little one's hand. "Good job kid. I'm proud of ya." He ruffled the little one's hair. "Run along home," and the little one scampered off.
Kento tossed the bag to the other figure. "Here," he said, disgusted. "But money isn't everything you know."
He turned to leave to find that the mist had lifted revealing a large meadow. A monk stood before him, his wide brimmed hat concealing his eyes. "What the hell? Where am I now?"
"Your sense of Justice will serve you well Kento of Hardrock, Warrior of Justice."
"What?"
"But be wary. The time draws near." The monk and the surroundings faded away.
"Wait!" Kento called. "What - "
Kento drifted back to a dreamless sleep. And in his bed, his fist gripped a pulsing orange globe.
*
Cye swam the hardest and fastest he'd ever swam. Just ahead, always, it seemed, just ahead, a large fish, a predator, a carnivore, was being roped into submission by the only being higher on its food chain: humans. Cye dove under the land-dweller's boat and with more strength than he realized he had, capsized it. The boat spilled over, sending the crew thrashing into the deep blue water where the waves carried them away.
Cye was alone with the fish, the predator, the carnivore. Now what? Do I trust it? It probably doesn't like humans.
The fish cast an inhuman gaze upon the strange one. It looked like the two- legged menaces, but it seemed more at home in the water. Ad it had tipped over the floating land.
Cye saw that the fish was hurt. Not badly, nothing that wouldn't heal itself if left alone, he was sure. But all the same, he wanted a closer look. He treaded closer, slowly, keeping his eyes locked with the fish's. It darted away just a bit. "I'm not going to hurt you," Cye said. "I just want to make sure you're okay. Is that all right?" Cye waited for an answer.
The fish swam around Cye, who stayed as still as possible. Satisfied, the fish stopped in front of him, revealing its wound to Cye. No, Cye thought. Not bad at all. He reached up to stroke the fish but it darted away behind him. Cye spun. "Hey wait!"
But the water was gone, replaced by a meadow of high grass and a lonely tree. "Where.?"
"You trust and are trusted, Cye of the Torrent, Warrior of Trust."
The speaker was a monk in a wide-brimmed hat. "Who -?" Cye started.
"But be ready. The time draws near."
And again, Cye was safe in his bed, deeply breathing, yoroi in hand.
*
Sage opened his eyes - and saw nothing. He blinked. And still saw nothing. He panicked slightly and gripped the sides of the cot he was lying on. He took a couple of deep breaths and slowly sat up, then forced himself to let go of the cot and cautiously stood up.
The room, or whatever it was, was completely dark, not a speck of light to be found. Never having been one for dark dank places, Sage sat back on the cot. Now what? he wondered. I can't even see two centimeters in front of me, much less to the other side of the room. Or whatever. Sage stared into the nothingness.
Presently it occurred to him to wonder what was on the other side of the cot. A wall perhaps? Unless the wall was on his side the rest of the room opened up behind him. That made his heart skip a beat, thinking his back might be to whatever may or may not be in the room with him.
Sage slid his hand along the cot to the other side. Just beyond the edge, Sage was rewarded with the feel of cold stone. Keeping his hand on the wall, he slid off the end of the cot and crept slowly along the wall.
Centimeter by centimeter he moved, always testing the floor in front of him with his foot. The ground felt like dirt and rock under his shoe. It crunched and grated, making the only sound Sage could hear other than his ragged breathing and thumping heart.
Sage felt his way into a corner and turned right. He momentarily wished Rowen, or even Ryo, was there with him, but immediately dismissed the idea. What would they think? he thought. Me being scared of the dark.
But it was very dark. And very quiet. Anything could be out there, silently waiting for him as he crept along the wall. Something large with big teeth, or small and venomous. If it was big it was probably stealthy and fast. Something small would be very small, like a spider. He would probably be paralyzed and then have the juices sucked out of him while he died a painless but horrifyingly slow death. Sage almost preferred a larger beast. It would be scarier but fast, and only painful at first. Then he would go into shock and pass out and that would be the last thing he'd ever know. Unless it ate something non-vital first, like a leg. Then it would take longer to go into shock. And even longer to die. That might be painful.
Sage stopped and shivered, trying to shake away all the nightmarish thoughts. He looked behind him, obviously seeing nothing. How long had he been walking? It seemed like forever. How many corners had he turned? He couldn't remember. How big was this place? Where was this place? How did he get here? Sage slid down the wall to the floor. Where am I? Somebody help me.
Sage sat huddled against the wall for several minutes, waiting for whatever horrible death was stalking him.
And of course none came.
Sage frowned. He hadn't heard anything, or felt anything. If something was going to attack him, it missed its best opportunity. Sage stood up and still nothing happened.
This is stupid, Sage berated himself. You've no proof anything is out there. How pathetic are you that you scare yourself out of your mind just because you can't see? Do something productive already.
Feeling a bit braver, Sage braced himself against the wall and took three bold steps forward. He hit something small hanging from the ceiling and he hopped back. It jingled. Sage reached up cautiously to touch it. It was meat, beaded. It felt suspiciously like a ceiling light switch. Sage yanked and sure enough three fluorescent lights flared on.
Once Sage's eyes adjusted to the light, he got his first look at his surroundings. They were nothing special: A simple stone room, a box almost, with no doors or windows. It was about three meters by four and furnished only with the cot and lights. He was alone. There were no large carnivorous beasts or small voracious spiders.
Feeling sick with relief, Sage turned to go sit back on the cot, but it was gone. The whole room was gone, leaving Sage in a grassy plane facing a monk and a single tree. "What?"
"Wisdom comes with experience, Sage of the Halo, Warrior of Wisdom. Draw on all you have. The time draws near."
"Huh - "
Tucked away in a corner of the Date household, Sage opened one eye to see the satisfying streetlights pour into his window. Snuggling under his covers, he closed his eye and fell back asleep, felling the warm green glow of his yoroi.
*
Rowen pushed through a think dark forest. Light from the moon barely made it through the trees.
Something was wrong, very wrong. Rowen didn't know what or how he knew, he just knew. He knew. He could feel it, feel it like someone would feel a knife in the back. He felt.death.
Jolted by new knowledge, he pushed harder. His fist thought was of Kento, then Sage. Desperately he flung himself past thick branches, stumps and rocks. He stopped at a small clearing to catch his breath. He gasped. There on the far side, lying face up and as still as the inside of a Pharaoh's pyramid, was Cye.
All at once relieved that it wasn't Kento or Sage, but also confused, Rowen knelt next to the last person he'd expected or cared to see.
Rowen reached around Cye's neck to feel for a pulse. He cringed. The skin was cool and stiff. And there was no pulse. Rowen tried the wrist. An extremity, very cold. And still no pulse. Fighting down fear of the obvious, Rowen checked for other signs of life: The slightest breath from mouth or nose, the smallest rise of the chest. Nothing. A reaction from a shake or a pinch. Still nothing.
Rowen fought for composure. He felt the arm again. Freezing. This body was dead, had been for a while. But how? Rowen wondered. It's not like there's any -
Blood.
Oh the blood. Cye's head was lying in a puddle of it. More than a little afraid, Rowen hesitantly lifted Cye's head. He reached around to feel the back and nearly threw up. He felt the cool, slimy-wet stickiness of ragged blood soaked flesh and hair, shattered skull bone, and he didn't want to know what all else. Rowen laid the deceased head back down and turned away to give his stomach a minute to stop turning cartwheels.
He wiped his face with the back of his hand and it came away damp. Reality was setting in. No one Rowen knew had ever died before. Certainly not like this.
Rowen forced another look at Cye. Cye can't be dead, Rowen thought. What about our history project? What about saving the world? What about -? Rowen hated to admit it, but he knew it was true. What about Kento?
He knew Kento would be upset to find out that Cye was dead. And while on the one hand that fact annoyed him immensely, Rowen never wanted to see Kento upset. Kento was the most cheerful person he knew. An upset Kento was like the end of the world.
This cannot be real, Rowen finally asserted. This can't - he can't - No!
Rowen laid his hand on Cye's chest and willed it to start rising again. Nothing, nothing - Rowen hiccuped - and then -
Rowen jerked back. He imagined it, he must have. This body was dead. Rowen peered more closely. Up and down, steady and rhythmic. "B-but how?" Rowen sputtered aloud.
Cye opened his eyes and inspected his surroundings. "Rowen?"
"Cye!" Rowen looked away, his mind spinning. But when he looked back, Cye had faded away along with the rest of the forest, leaving Rowen alone in the grass. "What the hell?"
"The lives of your comrades are worth more than an emperor's fortune Rowen of Strata, Warrior of Life."
Rowen's eyes shot up and landed on a monk under a tree. "Who the hell are you?"
"But be prepared. The time draws near."
"Wait! What time? What -?"
Rowen jolted awake. Shaking, he retreated completely into his covers and curled protectively around his pulsing blue yoroi.