JUST LOVE
Chapter Two : Sweet Moments
Lance sighed to himself in relief as he sensed that the danger was over. The forest was once again quiet; the Devils must be gone. Thanks to his speed, stealth, and cunning, he managed to remain undetected from the winged monsters. With a chuckle, he jumped off the tree where he had been hiding and continued his journey. He was heading to Cyrum Kingdom.
"That little girl back in Mirumu told me I might be able to find her at Cyrum Kingdom. I just hope she's right," Lance told himself. He looked up in the sky. The sun was brightly shining. "I'd say it's about noon. If I keep up my pace, I'd get to St. Heim by nightfall and I should get through Raul Hills in half a day."
The young Ninja stopped walking as he heard a soft moan. With an arched eyebrow, he followed the noise as quietly as possible. The Ninja led himself to the river shore. There, he found Ryudo laying on the ground, unconscious. He walked over to Ryudo silently and examined him carefully. "He's breathing... but barely," Lance said to himself mentally. He kicked the Geohound's right arm with his left foot gently in an attempt to wake him up.
"Elena..." Ryudo groaned in his unconscious state.
"Elena, huh? He must be dreaming. I wonder how he ended down here. Surely, he just didn't go out here to sleep. Humph, why should I care? I have better things to do. I have to find her no matter what. She's the only one I have left," Lance thought and turned around. Before he could walk away, he heard Ryudo moan again and turned back around to face him.
Ryudo's eyes opened slowly. He shook his head and got up slowly. When his eyes finally focused, the first thing he saw was Lance standing right in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. "Who... who are you?" he asked.
Lance gave him a mocking look. "Humph, that doesn't concern you. You should be more concerned about yourself." With that said, the Ninja ran away.
"Who on Earth was that guy? Whoever he is, he's right. Damn, my head hurts from that fall and my clothes are soaking wet. I better get the Hell out of here. If Devils come out during the day to attack humans, I'd hate to see what comes out during the night," Ryudo told himself. He then checked his equipment to see if anything was missing. His back pack, Maken Valborg, and Dragon Egg were all intact. "I better hurry," Ryudo whispered and continued his journey.
***
Skye, Elena, Millennia, Roan, and Tio were all in Roan's office, discussing the monster incident from their picnic. Roan made himself comfortable on his office chair while the others sat in front of him.
"What do you think happened back at Raul Hills?" Tio asked.
"Something must have driven those monsters to attack us," Roan answered.
Elena frowned. "But what?"
Skye, who was perched on a book shelf, spoke. "You know, those monsters looked like they came from that old ruin where we found that Fairy Egg."
Millennia gave Skye a mocking look. "Well, duh! Everyone knows that old ruin is a monster nest, bird brain!"
Skye gave Millennia a dirty look and she returned it with a teasing smile. "Please, stop that, this is serious. We should know what drove those monsters away from their home. Whatever drove them away could pose a threat to us in the future," Roan said sternly.
"What should we do? Should we investigate the old ruins?" Tio asked.
"No, it would be suicide. That area is crawling with Chameleons, Dragon Knights, Land Cougars, Snow Leopards, and the dreaded Devils. My army of knights will not stand a chance against them," Roan replied.
"So, what are we suppose to do now?" Elena said.
The young King sighed in exasperation. "I do not know. I wish there was something I could do."
Millennia stood up, stretched, and yawned. "Well, since we're not getting anywhere, I'm outta here. I'm gonna walk around for awhile. Ta-ta!" she smiled and left the office.
"I hate to admit it but she's right," Skye added and flew out of the room.
"I shall be retiring to my room. If you need me, I shall be there," Elena said and left.
"I will see you later, Roan." Tio got up from her chair and left as well.
Roan sighed heavily. "Ryudo, I wish you were here..."
***
"NO! Don't do it! I could not bear losing Ryudo to Valmar!" Elena cried when Ryudo decided he would release the Horns of Valmar within him.
Ryudo sighed deeply and looked at Elena lovingly. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at her. He walked over to her and spoke. "Don't worry Elena! I won't give in, no matter what form I take. I know that you... my need to protect you, will help me persevere. I believe that!"
Elena's face crumpled. "Ryudo!"
Ryudo gave her a stern look. "Elena, there's no other way. If I don't go, everyone will die."
A machine in the Birth Place of the Gods hummed. "The system has been activated," Elmo announced.
Ryudo walked away from his comrades and eyed the center of the Seal. Leaving Elena was one of the hardest things he had done in his life. He loved her dearly and he would not be able to bear it if he could not come back if something should go wrong. But, he had to go, for his and her future and everyone else's. He took a deep breath and then turned to Tio. He walked over to her. "Tio, I must apologize to you."
Tio looked confused. "For what?"
"For watching you desperately struggle to discover what a human heart is and what it is capable of," Ryudo answered and then looked away in shame. "I'm ashamed that I treated you like a doll. For that, I apologize."
"Ryudo, do not worry about it." Tio felt something flutter in her chest and a euphoric feeling overcame her. Tio walked away and looked at the ceiling. "This plan is nearly hopeless... but I believe in you. I do not want to see the end of humanity. I enjoy the company of people." Tio turned to Ryudo and gave him a serious look. "Ryudo, please, protect my dreams."
Ryudo then turned to Roan. "Roan, no matter what I become, I terrible battle will take place. I want you to evacuate everyone as far away as possible. Please, do as I say. Your Highness."
Roan looked down on the floor. "On my... journeys with you, I have discovered who I am. Ryudo, I owe it all to you!"
"You'd do the same for me Roan. We have to win. NO! WE WILL WIN!"
Roan's voice began to shake. "Ryudo, you must absolutely... positively come back!"
Elena watched Ryudo talk to his friends as if he would never see them again. It was painful for her when Ryudo decided to 'test his heart'. What if something happened to him? What if Ryudo became Valmar? She would never see him again. She could not bear that, she would not be able to go on. Life was unfair. She just learned to love a man, she just learned to live but Ryudo was now going away. It all seemed that fate was playing a trick on her. Her heart began to beat slowly and every time it did, it sent pain throughout her body. It felt like a thorn was stuck in her heart. Her eyes threatened to shed tears, her fingers tingled, her mouth became dry, and her knees felt weak. Elena could not take anymore of it and ran to a corner. Ryudo followed her.
Elena put her hands together over her aching heart and stared at a red orb. She was frustrated. The God she had been worshipping turned out to be dead. Her mission to save the world turned out to be a part of Zera's Evil plan. And now, Ryudo. Why did the world turned on her like this, even after all the things she had done for it? She then turned around as she heard Ryudo come. "Why did it have to come to this? I wanted to save everyone... I did everything I could. But still... why can't we be together? What did I do wrong?"
Ryudo favoured her with a smile. "Elena... nothing you ever did was wrong. It was right. That's why I can do this. I'll happily risk my life to protect your kindness. So, if I should die, you may live."
"Ryudo..." Elena whimpered.
"Live Elena, live." Ryudo said softly.
Ryudo walked over to Elena and kissed her forehead and then her cheek. His arms snaked around her back to hold her still for her body was shaking with grief.
Elmo had been watching Ryudo say good bye to Tio, Roan, and reason with Elena. It was all frustrating. Why did it matter if Ryudo was attempting to release the Horns of Valmar? She was surprised that Tio had feelings and did not want to see the end of humanity. Why did it matter if humans live or die? All things must end some time. Would it matter if it was now or in the future? And then there was Elena. Love, Elmo had no idea what love was. By looking at Elena, love looked like an emotion that brought pain. Why did it matter should Ryudo not come back? Could she not love again should the Geohound not return? Elmo's main circuits felt like they were going to fry from all of her questions. Pushing her thoughts aside, she spoke. "The Horns of Valmar will be released. Please proceed to the center of the system," Elmo instructed.
Ryudo let go of Elena but it was hard. He looked at her one more time and his heart sank. He did not want this. Leaving Elena was painful but if it meant saving the world, he would gladly do it. He would die happily if Elena, his friends, and the rest of the world could live. The need of the many out weighed his. Ryudo began to walk slowly to the center of the Seal. The machine made a noise as he reached the center and the system began to power up. The center of the Seal began to rise and Elena ran over to Ryudo.
Elena now looked more composed. "I want to believe in you. But... But... Please, share your strength with me!"
Elena wrapped her arms around Ryudo's waist and leaned her head against his muscular chest. Ryudo wrapped his arms around Elena's waist as well and rested his head on top of hers. The two were locked in a passionate embrace while the center of the system began to rise. Elena could hear his heart beat rapidly and Ryudo could feel her body shaking and held her tighter. Although it might be their last embrace, it felt pleasant and both felt fulfilled. For a long time, both felt something was missing in their lives and now they knew what it was. Both whispered the other's name to each other silently.
After awhile, the center of the Seal stopped moving. Elena freed herself from Ryudo. "Thank you Ryudo." Ryudo took a step forward and began to slowly slant his face forward, Elena did likewise. The two met in a passionate kiss and held it for a couple of seconds. Elena then tilted her head a bit to deepen the kiss. Ryudo slid his tongue into her mouth and began to flick Elena's.
Expecting Elena's tongue to dance with his, Ryudo felt something light slap his cheek. "What is she doing?" Ryudo thought as more weak slaps followed the first one. Ryudo opened his eyes to see what was going on and then everything just blurred away.
"HEY! Wake up!" a voice yelled.
Ryudo's eyes snapped open and quickly sat up from his bed. It was night fall. He was staying in a room in an inn at St. Heim. Ryudo turned to his side and saw that it was the inn keeper who had woken him up. He gave him a cold stare and the inn keeper flinched. "What do you want, old man?!" he growled.
"I just came here to tell you that dinner is ready. When you are ready to eat, go to the dining room downstairs," the inn keeper answered and immediately left the room. Apparently, he woke up the Geohound at the wrong time.
"Stupid old... senile... bloody..." Ryudo cursed under his breath. He sighed to himself heavily and hopped out of bed. He went to the balcony and looked at the beautiful city below him. He was dreaming of Elena again. He should find her soon and tell her his feelings or it would drive him insane. Ryudo chuckled a bit to himself. He used not to care about anyone except himself. He could have any woman he wanted but did not want to do anything with them. But Elena was different, his journey with her changed him. She broke down the wall he built between himself and his emotions. Half of him enjoyed the feeling of love but the other half was afraid of it. Maybe it was the fear of rejection. Ryudo shook his head, knowing fully well that pessimism would cloud his thoughts. Either way, he would find Elena and tell her his feelings. He just hoped that this time, he and Elena could live happily ever after.
***
Lance finally reached St. Heim. He stood on top of a really tall building. It was night fall and for the Ninja, it was time to prowl. As soon as he reached the city, a man had hired him to kill a group of people. Lance was not really a Ninja for hire and stayed on the good side most of the time but he needed money so for now, he did not care what his Clan stood or fought for. He sighed as a gentle breeze blew against him. His short, spikey, turquoise hair danced with the breeze and his long, black coat flowed freely in the breeze like a cape.
Lance decided it was time to go and checked his equipment. His five foot long katana, which he had named Falchion, and his Gravity Egg were all intact. "All right... let's get this over with..." he told himself and ran to the other end of the building and jumped to another and another and another to get to his destination.
The young Ninja stopped on his tracks as he realized he reached his destination. A frown formed on his face as he examined his surroundings. He looked at the map the man gave him and then the place where he was. "I'm in the right place but this is odd... a church? What could someone want from a rickety old church?" he asked himself. Lance's Ninja Clan did not believe in Granas or Valmar but he was quite aware of who they were. He knew that they were both gone. He also knew that there were still some people out there who worshipped them despite the truth.
Apparently, he was suppose to kill everyone in the building. He then heard a door open. A person had stepped out of the church. "There's a target." He jumped down from a roof top and silently ran to the person from behind. When he was close enough, he thrusted his Falchion into his victim's back. Lance then withdrew his katana and let his victim fall on the ground. His victim was an old man. The Ninja dragged the dead body away and cleaned the blood off of his katana.
The young Ninja jumped to the church's roof and sneaked into a window. Lance found himself in a bedroom and luckily, no one was there. Lance exited the room and ran down a hall way. The hall way lead the Ninja to the church's altar. There, he found a priest with five other men.
"Soon, very soon, my brothers, Lord Granas shall rise from the ashes and rule over this world again," the priest said.
"But what about the enemy?" one of the men asked.
"As soon as Granas' children are ready, we'll deal with them," one of the other men answered.
"Tsk. Tsk. Poor fools, they actually think that Granas is coming back. Hmm... but what do they mean by Granas' children?" Lance asked himself. "Humph, whatever they're talking about is none of my business. At least when I kill them, they can join Granas."
Lance crossed his arms over his chest and stepped out of the hall way, walking into the altar room. "Who are you?" the priest asked. Instead of getting an answer, the Ninja quickly threw a shuriken at his forehead. The priest fell on the floor and created a puddle of blood.
"Father Thomas!" the men cried. "Who are you and what do you want?" the men demanded.
Lance only gave them a murderous look and unsheathed the Falchion. Lance raised the Falchion straight above him into the air with both hands. The Falchion's blade glowed with a blue aura and the Ninja then slashed downwards. "GET READY! DARK SLASH!" As he swept it downwards, the katana's blade shot several dark blue, crescent projectiles at the men. His opponents were thrown backwards and fell on the floor.
The Ninja quickly ran to one of the men and thrusted his katana into the man's stomach before he could get up. One of the men got up and gave the Ninja a cold stare. Lance returned his stare with a malevolent look and took out the Falchion from the man's stomach. He put his right arm forward and fire emerged from his palm. "YOU'RE FINISHED! DARK FLARE!" Lance said and a big blast of flame flew out of his right palm. The attack sent his opponent flying to the other end of the church and he did not get up again. He then finished the rest off with a Hellburner spell.
The Ninja put his katana back in its sheath and crossed his arms over his chest. "Mission accomplished," he whispered to himself.