Disclaimer: I don't own the Ronin Warriors, but the other character I do own, so don't steal them!
The only thing he could remember was the loud crash and the feeling of being slammed into something. After that everything was blank, everything was dark. The next minute he was awake, laying in a bed, fur blankets covering his body. He could see around the room, but moving his head hurt, so he just looked at the ceiling instead. That wasn't so bad, it a was a pretty ceiling, covered in a mural of the night sky, starts shining everywhere. Now, if his head hadn't hurt so bad he might have been able to enjoy it better. And something else was bothering him, something he should know, but he couldn't remember. He couldn't remember anything except the sound of a loud crash...
"I see you're awake," someone said, stepping into the room.
He turned his head to see a beautiful young woman holding something in her arms, a basket filled with bandages and medicine. She was very pretty, with light tan skin, large and expressive green eyes and long curly black hair. Twined around her head and through her hair were gold ribbons, and on those ribbons were tiny bells. Her dress was also a gold color, but not as dark as the ribbons in her hair. she wore boots made of leather, lined with fur on the inside. He couldn't help but stare at her. She noticed, and smiled brightly, as if this wasn't the first time she'd gotten this reaction. It probably wasn't, he thought.
"Aja told me to come check on you," she said, walking across the room. "You were quite a wreck when we found you, Ryo."
"Ryo... is that my name?" he asked.
"Y-you don't remember what your name is?" she asked. "We found an I.D. in your pocket... Oh dear, your head injuries must be worse than we thought. Well, as far as we can tell, your name is Ryo, and we certainly aren't letting you out of our sight. My name is Kye-Ren, and I am a healer. Not as good as Aja is, but he is busy else where. No hold still while I change your bandages."
Ryo obeyed and lay as still as he possibly could while Kye-Ren changed the bandages on his head and chest. She spoke very little while she worked, she was more focused on her task. Her hands were very gentle, and caused little pain as she rubbed some sort of cream over a particularly nast cut. Then she was done, and she was as relaxed as when she had first come in. Ryo couldn't help but stare at her eyes, which were full of laughter at the moment. He wondered why.
"You are something else," Kye-Ren laughed.
"Huh?" Ryo asked, confused.
"Never mind. Do you have any questions, other than about yourself, as we know about as much as you do on that subject."
"Yeah, what happened? I mean, where did you find me?" Ryo asked.
"Well, Aja was out riding, when he should have been inside as there was a storm coming, and he heard a loud crash. He said he found you in a car, but that it had crashed into a large bolder. The car was on fire, but he saw you in there and pulled you out before it exploded. You were unconscious, so he brought you back here."
"And where exactly is here?"
Kye-Ren was quiet for a moment. She knew Ryo was hurt, but would he really believe her if she told him? He was waiting for her to answer, and his eyes were telling her to trust him, so she told him the truth.
"You're in the realm called Ayriss. Its a world that is parallel to Earth, which is where Aja found you. I know it may sound hard to believe, but it is true!" Kye-Ren exclaimed in a hurry, obviously worried.
But Ryo's expression never changed, and he accepted that as if it were an everyday fact! This shocked Kye-Ren even more. She asked about it, but he could only answer that something inside of his mind told him this wasn't the first time he'd traveled to another realm, it was just that he couldn't remember where and when it had happened, no more than he could remember who he was or where he came from. This answer eased Kye-Ren's mind, and she told him to rest, and that she would bring him some food later. Then she left the room, and Ryo quickly found himself asleep once again.
No one could believe it when they heard the news. It was just too much of a shock. They couldn't believe that Ryo was gone. And yet the police and medics both agreed that Ryo had died in the car crash, and that he had burned to death when it had exploded. They were still trying to determine the cause of the crash, but it was clear to them that Ryo was dead. The news was too much for Mia, who just started sobbing. Yuli was no better, but he at least kept quiet. The other four Ronins, Rowen, Sage, Cye and Kento, were just too shocked to do anything. White Blaze had ran into the woods, and his roaring could still be heard from the house.
"I still can't believe it," Mia said through her sobs. "How do they know if Ryo is dead? We all know that fire wouldn't have hurt him."
"Mia's right," Sage said softly, bringing the others out of their shocked trances. They were all staring at him. "Even if Ryo had been hurt in the crash or knocked unconscious, the fire would have healed him, not hurt him. And the fact that they couldn't find anyone in that pile of debris could mean that someone else found Ryo, and he's safe."
"But wouldn't they have found tracks or something?" Kento asked.
"Not with this rain," Rowen said logically. "And I think Sage is right. Ryo isn't dead, but he probably is hurt. We need to find out where he is."
"Not in this storm, though," Cye said quietly. "If it gets worse we might end up in worse trouble than Ryo. And that would be pointless, don't you think?"
The others agreed, and now were calming down now that they realized Ryo couldn't be dead. But they were still anxious to get moving, for who knew how bad Ryo was hurt and where he was. Cye was right, though, they couldn't leave until the storm was over, or they might get hurt. They would just have to wait.
Kye-Ren was preparing some soup for Ryo when three men walked into the kitchens, their cloaks soaked from the cold rain. Aja jumped up from his seat to greet them, and told Kye-Ren to fill up three mugs of coffee and bring them over to his table. Kye-Ren did so quickly, then dished the soup into a bowl and carried it into Ryo's room, not wanting to be near those men. She knew quite well who they were, they were the town Elders, and they were mean men at times. No doubt they had heard about Aja's rescue of Ryo, and they had come to find out what had happened.
Ryo was already awake when she came in, and thanked her when she handed him the bowl of soup. He drank it slowly, and then asked what was bothering her. She looked at him in surprise, how had he know how she was feeling?
"I can see it in your eyes," He told her. "What's wrong?"
"The town Elders are here, and they are talking to Aja right now. I fear they may want to do you harm," Kye-Ren said in a soft, meek voice.
"Why would they want to do that?" Ryo asked.
"Because you're not from this realm. People here are afraid of the other realms because of what happened a few months ago."
"What happened?"
Before Kye-Ren could answer there was a loud crash the the sounds of shouting. Kye-Ren ran to the door and locked it, hoping that it would hold against the three elders. Then she heard her brother's voice rise above the others, and then the sounds of stomping boots, and the slamming of the kitchen door. Everything was silent for a minute, then Aja's deep voice was outside the door, asking Kye-Ren to unlock it. She did so, standing back next to the bewildered Ryo, who was now sitting up. Aja entered the room, clearly upset.
"Bringing him here was a bad idea," Aja said.
"Why, brother? We are healers. We are supposed to help anyone who needs it."
"Yes, but he is not from this realm, and they want to get rid of him. They think he is one of the demon-spawn."
"Ryo is no demon!" Kye-Ren exclaimed.
"We know that, but they don't. At any rate, those three will be coming back with reenforcements, and I don't want you or him here when they return."
"Meaning what, brother?" Kye-Ren asked.
"Take Ryo and get out of here. Find a different Realm to hide in, for we know they will not stop searching Ayriss until they find you. Go on Big Black. I already got supplies ready, incase something like this happened. Now get going."
Aja left no room for Kye-Ren to argue, for he was laready helping Ryo out of the bed and tying his fur cloak around Ryo's shoulders. Kye-Ren got boots for Ryo to wear, and then picked up her sword from the corner of the fireplace. She was as good a soldier as she was a healer, and she might need it. Aja then led them to the stables, where a large black horse had been sadled and stood waiting. Another horse whickered from its stall, and peeked its grey face from the stall door.
"Two horses would be better," Kye-Ren stated. "We'll take Naaki, too. I can ride bareback."
"Yes, but can Ryo ride on his own?" Aja asked.
"I can," Ryo told him, and mounted Big Black without any help. Kye-Ren took Naaki out of her stall and vaulted to the horse's back, and both left the stable at a slow walk that turned into a run as soon as they were outside. Neither of them looked back at Aja, just kept riding foreward into the woods. Neither of them knew that they would never see him again.
Talpa watched in smug satisfaction as Ryo and the girl road deeper and deeper into the woods, soon finding themselves lost. He was happy that the Ronin Warrior had no idea who he was, and therefore could not help his friends when he, Talpa, Ruler of the Dynasty, attacked the earth. Without Ryo, the other Ronins would fall quickly. Nothing could possibly get in his way. He had already recaptured the Warlords and erased their memories, so as far as they knew, nothing had ever happened, and they had never been good. The only exception to that was Lady Kayura, who had escaped. No matter, she could do little without the fifth Ronin. And he was lost in another realm with no memories of his own.
"Soon the Earth will be mine, and I will have my revenge," Talpa hissed. "And this time the Ronin Warriors will be unable to stop me."
"That may not be true," came a soft hiss from the shadows. A spirit emerged from the shadows, her face covered with a black veil so that only her grey eyes could be seen. This was Shymal, and she had the abilty to see the future. Talpa had discovered her recently, and she had agreed quite willingly to help Talpa. Now she was gliding across the stone floor towards Talpa, her eyes gravely serious.
"What do you mean, witch?" Talpa demanded.
"I see a dark future for this realm... Ryo and this girl will bear a child, a girl," Shymal said, her voice as soft as a whisper of wind, but very clear. "This child will have great powers, powers that have been hidden in Ryo by his armor. And power that lies within the girl as well, great magic and understanding. If this child is born and is allowed to grow, then the Dynasty will fall..."
"Then I will destroy them all!" Talpa roared.
Shymal cackled in a high-pitched, disconcerting voice. Talpa's eyes glowed red with anger, but he didn't scare her. She was older than he was by far, and nothing could frighten her, except, perhaps, this unborn child.
"You cannot harm them. They have already moved into a realm outside of you reach. Now you must wait until they come back to the Earth, and hope that the child has not yet been born. Or better yet, that the other Ronins follow him and get lost, unable to return to the earth. Either way, you must wait."
Shymal cackled again and vanished into a whisp of smoke.
The only thing he could remember was the loud crash and the feeling of being slammed into something. After that everything was blank, everything was dark. The next minute he was awake, laying in a bed, fur blankets covering his body. He could see around the room, but moving his head hurt, so he just looked at the ceiling instead. That wasn't so bad, it a was a pretty ceiling, covered in a mural of the night sky, starts shining everywhere. Now, if his head hadn't hurt so bad he might have been able to enjoy it better. And something else was bothering him, something he should know, but he couldn't remember. He couldn't remember anything except the sound of a loud crash...
"I see you're awake," someone said, stepping into the room.
He turned his head to see a beautiful young woman holding something in her arms, a basket filled with bandages and medicine. She was very pretty, with light tan skin, large and expressive green eyes and long curly black hair. Twined around her head and through her hair were gold ribbons, and on those ribbons were tiny bells. Her dress was also a gold color, but not as dark as the ribbons in her hair. she wore boots made of leather, lined with fur on the inside. He couldn't help but stare at her. She noticed, and smiled brightly, as if this wasn't the first time she'd gotten this reaction. It probably wasn't, he thought.
"Aja told me to come check on you," she said, walking across the room. "You were quite a wreck when we found you, Ryo."
"Ryo... is that my name?" he asked.
"Y-you don't remember what your name is?" she asked. "We found an I.D. in your pocket... Oh dear, your head injuries must be worse than we thought. Well, as far as we can tell, your name is Ryo, and we certainly aren't letting you out of our sight. My name is Kye-Ren, and I am a healer. Not as good as Aja is, but he is busy else where. No hold still while I change your bandages."
Ryo obeyed and lay as still as he possibly could while Kye-Ren changed the bandages on his head and chest. She spoke very little while she worked, she was more focused on her task. Her hands were very gentle, and caused little pain as she rubbed some sort of cream over a particularly nast cut. Then she was done, and she was as relaxed as when she had first come in. Ryo couldn't help but stare at her eyes, which were full of laughter at the moment. He wondered why.
"You are something else," Kye-Ren laughed.
"Huh?" Ryo asked, confused.
"Never mind. Do you have any questions, other than about yourself, as we know about as much as you do on that subject."
"Yeah, what happened? I mean, where did you find me?" Ryo asked.
"Well, Aja was out riding, when he should have been inside as there was a storm coming, and he heard a loud crash. He said he found you in a car, but that it had crashed into a large bolder. The car was on fire, but he saw you in there and pulled you out before it exploded. You were unconscious, so he brought you back here."
"And where exactly is here?"
Kye-Ren was quiet for a moment. She knew Ryo was hurt, but would he really believe her if she told him? He was waiting for her to answer, and his eyes were telling her to trust him, so she told him the truth.
"You're in the realm called Ayriss. Its a world that is parallel to Earth, which is where Aja found you. I know it may sound hard to believe, but it is true!" Kye-Ren exclaimed in a hurry, obviously worried.
But Ryo's expression never changed, and he accepted that as if it were an everyday fact! This shocked Kye-Ren even more. She asked about it, but he could only answer that something inside of his mind told him this wasn't the first time he'd traveled to another realm, it was just that he couldn't remember where and when it had happened, no more than he could remember who he was or where he came from. This answer eased Kye-Ren's mind, and she told him to rest, and that she would bring him some food later. Then she left the room, and Ryo quickly found himself asleep once again.
No one could believe it when they heard the news. It was just too much of a shock. They couldn't believe that Ryo was gone. And yet the police and medics both agreed that Ryo had died in the car crash, and that he had burned to death when it had exploded. They were still trying to determine the cause of the crash, but it was clear to them that Ryo was dead. The news was too much for Mia, who just started sobbing. Yuli was no better, but he at least kept quiet. The other four Ronins, Rowen, Sage, Cye and Kento, were just too shocked to do anything. White Blaze had ran into the woods, and his roaring could still be heard from the house.
"I still can't believe it," Mia said through her sobs. "How do they know if Ryo is dead? We all know that fire wouldn't have hurt him."
"Mia's right," Sage said softly, bringing the others out of their shocked trances. They were all staring at him. "Even if Ryo had been hurt in the crash or knocked unconscious, the fire would have healed him, not hurt him. And the fact that they couldn't find anyone in that pile of debris could mean that someone else found Ryo, and he's safe."
"But wouldn't they have found tracks or something?" Kento asked.
"Not with this rain," Rowen said logically. "And I think Sage is right. Ryo isn't dead, but he probably is hurt. We need to find out where he is."
"Not in this storm, though," Cye said quietly. "If it gets worse we might end up in worse trouble than Ryo. And that would be pointless, don't you think?"
The others agreed, and now were calming down now that they realized Ryo couldn't be dead. But they were still anxious to get moving, for who knew how bad Ryo was hurt and where he was. Cye was right, though, they couldn't leave until the storm was over, or they might get hurt. They would just have to wait.
Kye-Ren was preparing some soup for Ryo when three men walked into the kitchens, their cloaks soaked from the cold rain. Aja jumped up from his seat to greet them, and told Kye-Ren to fill up three mugs of coffee and bring them over to his table. Kye-Ren did so quickly, then dished the soup into a bowl and carried it into Ryo's room, not wanting to be near those men. She knew quite well who they were, they were the town Elders, and they were mean men at times. No doubt they had heard about Aja's rescue of Ryo, and they had come to find out what had happened.
Ryo was already awake when she came in, and thanked her when she handed him the bowl of soup. He drank it slowly, and then asked what was bothering her. She looked at him in surprise, how had he know how she was feeling?
"I can see it in your eyes," He told her. "What's wrong?"
"The town Elders are here, and they are talking to Aja right now. I fear they may want to do you harm," Kye-Ren said in a soft, meek voice.
"Why would they want to do that?" Ryo asked.
"Because you're not from this realm. People here are afraid of the other realms because of what happened a few months ago."
"What happened?"
Before Kye-Ren could answer there was a loud crash the the sounds of shouting. Kye-Ren ran to the door and locked it, hoping that it would hold against the three elders. Then she heard her brother's voice rise above the others, and then the sounds of stomping boots, and the slamming of the kitchen door. Everything was silent for a minute, then Aja's deep voice was outside the door, asking Kye-Ren to unlock it. She did so, standing back next to the bewildered Ryo, who was now sitting up. Aja entered the room, clearly upset.
"Bringing him here was a bad idea," Aja said.
"Why, brother? We are healers. We are supposed to help anyone who needs it."
"Yes, but he is not from this realm, and they want to get rid of him. They think he is one of the demon-spawn."
"Ryo is no demon!" Kye-Ren exclaimed.
"We know that, but they don't. At any rate, those three will be coming back with reenforcements, and I don't want you or him here when they return."
"Meaning what, brother?" Kye-Ren asked.
"Take Ryo and get out of here. Find a different Realm to hide in, for we know they will not stop searching Ayriss until they find you. Go on Big Black. I already got supplies ready, incase something like this happened. Now get going."
Aja left no room for Kye-Ren to argue, for he was laready helping Ryo out of the bed and tying his fur cloak around Ryo's shoulders. Kye-Ren got boots for Ryo to wear, and then picked up her sword from the corner of the fireplace. She was as good a soldier as she was a healer, and she might need it. Aja then led them to the stables, where a large black horse had been sadled and stood waiting. Another horse whickered from its stall, and peeked its grey face from the stall door.
"Two horses would be better," Kye-Ren stated. "We'll take Naaki, too. I can ride bareback."
"Yes, but can Ryo ride on his own?" Aja asked.
"I can," Ryo told him, and mounted Big Black without any help. Kye-Ren took Naaki out of her stall and vaulted to the horse's back, and both left the stable at a slow walk that turned into a run as soon as they were outside. Neither of them looked back at Aja, just kept riding foreward into the woods. Neither of them knew that they would never see him again.
Talpa watched in smug satisfaction as Ryo and the girl road deeper and deeper into the woods, soon finding themselves lost. He was happy that the Ronin Warrior had no idea who he was, and therefore could not help his friends when he, Talpa, Ruler of the Dynasty, attacked the earth. Without Ryo, the other Ronins would fall quickly. Nothing could possibly get in his way. He had already recaptured the Warlords and erased their memories, so as far as they knew, nothing had ever happened, and they had never been good. The only exception to that was Lady Kayura, who had escaped. No matter, she could do little without the fifth Ronin. And he was lost in another realm with no memories of his own.
"Soon the Earth will be mine, and I will have my revenge," Talpa hissed. "And this time the Ronin Warriors will be unable to stop me."
"That may not be true," came a soft hiss from the shadows. A spirit emerged from the shadows, her face covered with a black veil so that only her grey eyes could be seen. This was Shymal, and she had the abilty to see the future. Talpa had discovered her recently, and she had agreed quite willingly to help Talpa. Now she was gliding across the stone floor towards Talpa, her eyes gravely serious.
"What do you mean, witch?" Talpa demanded.
"I see a dark future for this realm... Ryo and this girl will bear a child, a girl," Shymal said, her voice as soft as a whisper of wind, but very clear. "This child will have great powers, powers that have been hidden in Ryo by his armor. And power that lies within the girl as well, great magic and understanding. If this child is born and is allowed to grow, then the Dynasty will fall..."
"Then I will destroy them all!" Talpa roared.
Shymal cackled in a high-pitched, disconcerting voice. Talpa's eyes glowed red with anger, but he didn't scare her. She was older than he was by far, and nothing could frighten her, except, perhaps, this unborn child.
"You cannot harm them. They have already moved into a realm outside of you reach. Now you must wait until they come back to the Earth, and hope that the child has not yet been born. Or better yet, that the other Ronins follow him and get lost, unable to return to the earth. Either way, you must wait."
Shymal cackled again and vanished into a whisp of smoke.