Strange Dreams...
Disclaimer: Same as in previous chapters…
Terry rolled over in the bed and looked at the wall clock. 2:13 am. Yet again, he was having that dream. Three nights in a row. Every night since that girl, what was her name... oh, yeah, Kalani... since she left. It didn't make sense, why would he be having dreams about Egyptian temples and people with animal heads? Maybe it was just his subconscious giving him a hellish guilt-ride? Who was the guy with the bird head anyway? Why was he even bothering to try to analyze it? Dreams are just dreams, right? They don't really mean anything... do they?
He got out of the bed and went into the bathroom. Reaching out, Terry turned on the sink faucet and splashed some cold water onto his face. His blue eyes rose to the mirror... he looked like shit. He still hadn't shaved since he'd come back from the temple. Had he ever let himself go for so long? Oh, yeah... Krauser... when he'd spent nearly a month in a drunken stupor. It was funny, even alcohol wasn't helping him forget this time.
Digging a razor out of the complimentary kit, Terry turned the hot water on... the beard had to go. Why hadn't he noticed that it itched before now? Maybe he was too caught up in his guilt. The shaving cream was some exotic brand that had a nice scent to it. Felt good on the face, too. He needed to focus on something normal or he was going to have another crying fit. The act of shaving seemed normal enough. Too bad it takes less than five minutes...
"Lynn... Lynn... wake up, my daughter... wake up and understand."
Rising from the bed, the woman being addressed walked out the patio doors to her garden, "who's there?" Her hazel eyes searched the nearby brush for the voice that was both beautiful and charged with power.
"Lynn," the voice continued, "the world needs you. It needs your purity and your strength. A great evil has fallen and even now it darkens all that the Fathers have created." A figure stepped out from the darkness and looked at the dancer with divine eyes. "You must help the others to stop this evil."
Quickly, Lynn took in the white Grecian clothes and the longbow across her back. Thinking back to her college mythology studies, she recalled only a name...'Artemis', the virgin huntress of Greek myth and legend. "Why me?"
"Because you are a child of my power," the Goddess continued, "you, Lynn, are my Champion, and the world needs you."
The darkness of the room was comforting when Lynn sat bolt upright in her bed. The dream was still fresh in her mind and so was what the woman in it had said. Her left hand grabbed the phone and she hastily dialed a number she knew by heart. "Moshi-moshi.. Yatsuo-san? Is my brother home?"
"Hai," came the voice on the other end of the line, "Mr. Higashi is home. I will get him for you."
Minutes later, the familiar voice of the woman's brother was heard, "Lynn, what's wrong?"
"Listen, bro, I'm on my way there. Do me a favor... call Osaka Plaza and find out if a 'Kalani Kai' is still there. If she is, tell her I'm on my way. Okay?"
Benimaru Nikkaido looked around suddenly, his dark eyes going wide. He should be in his bedroom--asleep, but something was very wrong. "Where the hell am I?"
"In a place you have never been, Benimaru." The voice was booming and powerful, causing the fighter to turn around and fall into stance.
"Who are you," the blonde fighter asked in awe. He'd never felt so much power from one being.
A bolt of lightning struck down right in front of Benimaru, throwing him back nearly twenty feet. When his sight cleared, the fighter saw a man standing in the small crater. He was tall, dressed finely in ancient Japanese garb, with white hair, and featureless white eyes. "Raiden," Benimaru gasped in surprise. What did the god of thunder and lightning want with him?
"There is one who holds the power of a god," the thunder lord began, "yet he is not a god himself. I want you to join with others as my representative, Benimaru. This is my command."
The blonde fighter woke suddenly, a sheen of sweat covering his body. 'It was only a dream,' he told himself, 'it has to be. Why would the thunder god have anything to do with me?' He wanted to believe it, but the very air seemed charged with power and there was a distinctive scent of ozone in the still bedroom.
The dream too powerful to ignore, Benimaru picked up the phone and rapidly dialed numbers. "Hello, could you connect me with Kalani Kai, please? She's staying in the penthouse." He waited for a few moments, "Yes, I'll hold... thank you."
Replacing the receiver, Kalani smiled, 'Looks like the Bosses finally got on the stick and found me some help.' She knew who Benimaru Nikkaido was, but the woman who had her brother call was an unknown. As far as she knew, Joe Higashi never had any siblings, so who was this 'Lynn' person? Her green eyes moved to Andy, "I guess we'll have some help after all."
"I though I heard you say the name 'Joe'," he asked her confused.
Kalani nodded, "Yes. Joe Higashi called and said that his sister was on her way." The Egyptian woman walked back over to the couch and sat down, ignoring the look of complete surprise on the blonde's face.
"I didn't know he had a sister," Andy told her as he, too, sat down on the other couch across from her, "He's never spoken of a sister in all the time I've known him."
"Maybe he didn't want her to become a target," Kalani offered, "Or maybe she asked him not to tell anyone. Stranger things have happened." She smiled at the irony of what she was saying, "as if a maniac in Avatar armor wasn't enough weirdness to us."
The blonde fighter chuckled, "I see what you mean. How long do you think it will take for them to get here?"
"Well, Lynn will be coming from the States, New Orleans, I think," she answered seriously, "Benimaru is here in Tokyo. He said he was on his way directly." Kalani rose from her seat and walked over to the bar, "You know, Andy, I wish sometimes that there were easier ways to get Her approval." The woman made herself a drink, "Bastet can be very fickle. It isn't always a fun ride in her service."
"Are all the gods like that," the younger Bogard asked with some concern, "I don't even know who I serve and the thought, I must admit, makes me more than a little nervous."
Kalani smiled, "I know what you mean. Some of the Gods have set ways to prove worth; others just decide 'Okay, here's what you have to do.' Just like that, out of the blue." She took a swallow of her drink, "Trust me, what you're feeling is common to the Champions."
"It explains so much," Andy whispered, "I never even knew... I wonder if Terry would have served the same one?"
Her drink sprayed, "What? Who's Terry?" Kalani had a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"My brother," she was answered, "Laucorn killed him in Israel." Andy couldn't understand, the Egyptian woman suddenly went so pale. Why?
"Oh, Goddess," she said softly, "And I let him go without thinking. Damn." Leaping the couch, Kalani grabbed the phone, 'Oh, please, let him still be there... ohpleaseohpleaseohplease...'
"Kalani," the blonde fighter grew concerned, "what's wrong?" Andy was trying to fathom why the woman was so panicked all of a sudden.
"I never made the connection," she growled, more to herself than to anyone else, "stupidstupidstupid... How in Her name could I have been so stupid?" She couldn't dial the numbers fast enough..."Hello, this is Kalani Kai, I reserved a room there last week. Is the gentleman I left in the room still there?"
Andy watched the exotic woman's face go three shades of pale and the phone fell from her nerveless fingers. He moved to her side and helped her to the couch before lifting the receiver, "hello?"
"I'm sorry," the voice on the other end said, "but that man checked out this morning... I'm afraid that we can't refund the money, either."
"That's alright," he said, confused, "I'll be sure to let Miss Kai know." Then, he hung up the phone, "what was that all about?"
"Remember about the one I told you that I tried to recruit?" Her voice was very small in the open space between them.
He nodded, "Yes." Andy didn't like where this was going.
"That hotel was in Israel. The man I left there was named Terry... I found him in the wreckage of the Temple that Laucorn took the last piece of the armor from."
Terry walked down the road, wishing he hadn't wrecked his motorcycle. He had to get out of that hotel, it drug too many memories up to the surface. Sulia had been so young... why did she have to die? He cut more to the side of the road, somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered the car racing up the pavement behind him.
The skidding brakes snapped him out of his thoughts to see a dark green ferrari idling next to him. The passenger side window lowered, revealing the driver, "You need a ride, friend?"
Looking down the road, the fighter realized that he had absolutely no idea where he was going, "Sure." Terry opened the door, tossed his duffel into the space in back, and got in the car.
The driver looked at him, "Name's Sebastion. Where you headed?" The slender man was Egyptian with long, black hair and very green eyes.
"Name's Terry... and anywhere but here." The fighter leaned on his fist and looked out the window, "As far away from here as possible, in fact."
"Gotcha," the man said before stepping on the gas. "I don't blame you for wanting to leave... Jerusalem sucks. Too damn boring, if you ask me."
Studying the driver for a moment, Terry had to ask, "Your last name isn't Kai, is it?" He'd have a coniption if this man turned out to be that woman's brother or something.
"No," Sebastion answered, "It's Ra-Thane actually. So... can I ask you why you look like somebody shot your dog?" He chuckled, "It's not like you have to answer. You can even tell me to fuck off if it's not my business."
"Fine then," Terry said harshly, "Fuck off, Sebastion."
The man laughed, "Now that's what I like to see. There's very few people here with the spirit to tell others how they truly feel." Sebastion paused, "I'm heading for Germany, if you're interested. I could use the company, no matter how silent. Sometimes it's good just to have another body along for the ride."
"I can't tell which one is the girlfriend," spouted an American tourist at the Austrian border, "I think it's the dark one."
Sebastion and Terry had stopped for petrol and road munchies, not really bothering anyone. Unfortunately, the Egyptian was almost too pretty to be classified as male. The American fighter had no problems ignoring the jibe; his exotic companion, however, wasn't about to let it slide.
"Excuse me," Sebastion said, turning, "Oh... I see. I don't know why I bothered. American frat-boys are hardly worth the time it takes to make them eat dirt." He turned to the blonde, "Just ignore them, friend. Perhaps, if we're really patient, they'll do the same thing as any other pest and just go away."
"Are you trying to start a fight," Terry whispered lowly. "Why don't you leave it alone?"
Sebastion smiled, "Yes, I am. I haven't had a brawl in years. It cleanses the spirit." He held open the door of the station, "Go on ahead... this will only take a few."
The fighter stopped, "Maybe I should stay out here, just in case you get in over your head."
"Nah... I can handle them," the Egyptian winked, "I probably won't even break a sweat."
The seven college students moved, as a group, toward the pair. "I'll beat you into the ground, faggot." Terry watched the slender Egyptian walk right up to the whole group before he slapped his hand over his eyes.
They're gonna have this guy for lunch.
"Oh, please," Sebastion purred, "You couldn't even beat your meat. Why should I be scared of some homophobic prick who'd fuck up a wet dream?" The Egyptian stood relaxed as three of the group rushed him.
What happened next was something Terry was not expecting.
Sebastion dropped low, his left leg arcing out wide in a graceful sweep that took down the first of the students. He rose quickly, jaking right to avoid a face punch before he caught the wrist and arm of the tourist with both hands, yanking him into the Egyptian's personal space. Smiling felinely, Sebastion dropped onto his back, feet firmly planted in the young man's gut, and launched him into the air towards the American fighter.
Kicking back onto his feet, the Egyptian caught the next punch in his open left palm and twisted the wrist viciously, making the tourist cry out in pain as something popped. Adding insult to injury, Sebastion turned and set his feet apart, throwing the young man over his shoulder. Spinning back around with a grace that Terry hadn't noticed until now, the exotic man ran towards the next two who happened to be standing side-by-side.
Planting his hands, Sebastion threw his legs wide, catching the pair in their stomachs. Then, he snapped his legs back together, a powerful blow to itself but also causing the mens' heads to crack against each other. Flipping up from the handstand to his feet, the Egyptian met the last two, opening up with a well-executed butterfly kick that caught the first one twice. "I love a good game of 'last man standing'," he joked immediately after landing.
Terry watched the first one to fall finally get back to his feet and begin rushing for his companion's unprotected back. The fighter darted forward and grabbed the man's belt, "Fair fight, man. You already got dropped once." Predictably, the tourist turned and swung on the American fighter, no where near close to connecting. Terry caught the arm under his and plowed his fist into the man's gut. His blue eyes flicked over to the Egyptian and he saw the man give his last opponent a hellish 'hail Mary' uppercut.
The blonde fighter cocked back and tapped the man in the forehead squarely with his fist, "Good night."
Sebastion dusted off his clothes, "Not bad, friend. But you could use a little more style." He walked to where Terry was standing, "Come on. We had a reason to stop here and it wasn't the brawl."
Still with me? Good. More to come soon…
~Rei.