Chapter Ten: The Hunt Begins
It was difficult for Sage to keep from whistling as he strode down the hall to Matsuka's office. The day was gray and gloomy and it looked as if a major storm was on the way, but as far as he was concerned the sun was shining brightly…after all, he hadn't felt this good in weeks. And why shouldn't he? His friends were once again united, he and Carey were reconciled (and how, he thought with a sly smile), and he sensed that they were getting very close to finding the Devourer and rescuing Ryo. He was willing to bet that the demon had not escaped their psychic combat unscathed; it was only a matter of time before it got desperate enough to do something reckless. And when it did…Sage allowed himself a tiny, ferocious smile.
He knocked on Matsuka's partially opened door, not even waiting for her reply before he walked in. "The Minoko photography exhibit is a go, and we've got five good possible spots for an overseas expansion," he told her. "Personally, I'm leaning toward Rome or San Francisco; London is known more for antiques, D.C. is too eclectic, and New York already has enough art galleries. We should have more detailed reports on actual locations by the end of next week, so it'll be easier for you to narrow the list down. Oh, and don't forget you have that 1:30 appointment with Mr. Katsue from Hana High about that Career Day lecture. I graduated from there --- wonder how much it's changed?" he mused. Matsuka didn't reply, her attention focused on an object on her desk. "Matsuka?"
His boss just continued to stare at the object, and as he drew closer Sage realized with a start that it was the Devourer's mask. "I should have gotten rid of it that first day," Matsuka finally said quietly.
"Matsuka, are you all right?"
Matsuka looked up, and Sage was taken aback by the hollowness of her eyes. "I got a call from Mexico today," she said, still in that same toneless voice. "Matt Sano, the man who sent us this mask --- he's dead, Sage."
"Dead?" Sage echoed, surprised. "How?"
"He was murdered. I just spoke with his assistant; the police found the body day before yesterday."
"Oh, Matsuka, I'm so sorry," Sage said sympathetically. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I should have known," Matsuka went on, as if Sage hadn't spoken. "I should have seen it that first day it arrived. That mask is cursed, Sage. The earthquake should have been a warning. It should never have been sent here, should never have been taken out of its resting place. And now a good man is dead because of this…thing." She knocked the mask off her desk with a single, violent sweep of her arm, watching stonily as it rolled across the carpet to rest at Sage's feet. "Why did he go back?" she demanded of no one in particular.
Sage automatically bent to pick it up, frowning thoughtfully at his boss. Matsuka usually dressed even more impeccably than he did, with never so much as a hair out of place or a scuff on her Italian-leather shoes. But today her suit jacket was askew and her normally perfect French twist had several graying hairs escaping from it. And stranger yet, she was slumping --- not once in the almost six years that he'd worked for her had Sage ever seen Matsuka slump. Then he realized what she had said. "Back? What do you mean he went back?"
"He wasn't supposed to be in Mexico," Matsuka replied dully. "He was on another assignment, but he went back to where he found that horrible mask. It cost him his life. They found him at the excavation site." Her thin shoulders sagged even further and she seemed to shrink within herself. "God, he didn't deserve this." she whispered.
The excavation site…It might have been a coincidence, but Sage wasn't going to bet on it --- if he had learned anything as a Ronin Warrior, it was to never give demons the benefit of the doubt. Something was very, very wrong here, and Sage had a growing suspicion that it wasn't just the shock of Matt Sano's death. But he needed more answers…"Matsuka, do you have a number where I can reach Sano's assistant?" he asked suddenly. "We're going to have to notify the family, and they'll need help making arrangements to have his body returned."
Matsuka nodded listlessly and handed Sage a piece of paper with a phone number scrawled on it. "I've never had to do this before," she said in a faraway voice. "He didn't even really work for the gallery. How do I handle this, Sage?"
"You don't have to," Sage replied gently but firmly. "I'll take care of the arrangements, don't worry. I know this has got to be a shock for you. What do you want to do with the mask?"
"Get rid of it," came the reply. "Send it back to Mexico, throw it in the ocean, I don't care. But I don't want to see it ever again." Matsuka buried her face in her hands for a moment, and when she raised her head again she looked very old and tired. "Oh, Sage, what's the use?" she asked hopelessly. "Matt Sano died because his life revolved around things, things like that mask. Is that how I'll end up, too? You know, I've put practically my whole adult life into this gallery. I don't have children or any family besides my husband. What will I have when he's gone? All I'll have are things." She sighed, a sound that seemed to carry an infinite wealth of sorrow and weariness, then turned to stare out the window at the steel-gray sky. "It's just not worth it anymore," she finished, then settled back into a melancholy silence.
A gust of wind rattled the window, and Sage's eyes narrowed in speculation. Funny, but he didn't remember the weather forecasters predicting a storm…in fact, if he remembered correctly, today was supposed to be clear and sunny. A memory came back to him: the streets of Shinjuku, almost a decade ago…dark clouds blanketing the city as unnatural lightning slashed the sky…and an ancient evil feeding on innocent souls. He stretched out with his empathy-sense just a bit and frowned sharply at the thick fog of apathy and pain he encountered, a fog that was horribly familiar. Suddenly the whole picture became terrifyingly clear. Without bothering to excuse himself, Sage slipped out of the room and headed purposefully back to his office. He had to find some answers, and he had to do it fast. Lives were resting on it.
Matsuka didn't even notice he was gone.
"It's like this all over the city," Carey said from where she curled against Sage's side on the loveseat. The Ronins had gathered at Rowen's house to discuss the day's bizarre events. "Company class today was like Valium Nation, and we only made it through two rehearsals before everything else, including performances, was canceled until further notice. There's hardly anyone on the streets, and the few people I did see seem to be in a majorly advanced state of depression."
"The police that came in for lunch today said they've had record numbers of self-inflicted 'accidents'," Kento related. "Knives slipping, swallowing too many pills, stuff like that. Domestic disturbances are way up, too."
"Even the animals are affected," Cye said quietly from where he stood by the window, watching the trees lash about in the rising winds. He had hurriedly left Hagi the night before, having heard Sage's desperate mental cry for help. "In the past twelve hours there have been at least five accidents involving collisions with animals or birds. An injured dolphin we were treating at the Institute died after it kept ramming repeatedly against the side of its tank. It's as if they're trying to escape."
"They probably were," Rowen replied grimly. "Sage, your hunch about the storm was right. It doesn't show up on any weather maps. In fact, according to the university's meteorology department, skies are mostly clear. They can't figure out why we're suddenly having extremely thick cloud cover and gale-force winds." He smiled thinly. "Of course, I couldn't give them the real explanation as to why their state-of-the-art instruments have all gone haywire."
"Well, at least the Devourer learned from Talpa and didn't just wipe the city off the radar completely," Sage sighed. He rubbed his eyes wearily with one hand, his other arm wrapped around Carey's shoulders. "What I want to know is, how did it get so powerful so quickly? I'm still reeling from last night."
"And here I thought I did that," Carey murmured so only Sage heard her.
"We know it was strong to begin with," Rowen said. "But it's like it skipped a step somewhere. I worked up a timeline. The Devourer got loose on the twenty-fourth of March, one month ago. Ryo's disappearance and the first attack were over two weeks later on April tenth, followed by the fire on the eleventh. There's a three-day gap before it went after Cye on the fifteenth, then two more days before it faced Sage on the eighteenth. For a whole month it's only been able to control one person --- Ryo. Suddenly, overnight, it's controlling an entire city. Obviously its hiding place would be somewhere that would be a good source of energy for it. But that doesn't explain this huge increase in its strength, the way it went directly from Step A to Step C."
There was silence for a moment, then Carey spoke up. "That's because it didn't."
"What?" Sage queried. "What do you mean, 'it didn't'?"
"Exactly that --- it didn't skip anything." At the guys' puzzled looks, Carey went on, "I keep thinking about something that happened in rehearsal today. The choreographer had me doing pirouette into arabesque, but for some weird reason my balance felt off. I thought it was my foot causing the problem, but Toshi pointed out to me that I was actually dropping my shoulder going into arabesque. I just couldn't tell because it was my own body."
The Ronins looked mystified for a moment, then Rowen's eyes widened. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"Well, look at what's happening around us --- doesn't it look familiar? The Devourer is an incredibly powerful demon and it knows what it's capable of --- I mean, when it tried to grab Sage last night, even I felt it. But it's been dormant for how long, centuries? It's not going to launch its big offensive without a practice run or two. It started with Ryo, to get its feet under it, so to speak. Once it had him under control, the next logical step would be to stretch a bit more and take on…oh, let's say a small group. Well, I don't know about you guys, but for the past week or so I've felt like there's been a huge black cloud hovering over me, kind of like you see in the cartoons. Last night, though, it just vanished...only to show up hovering over everyone else this morning. Don't you get it?" Carey demanded. "We didn't see Step B because we were Step B. This thing's been getting stronger all the time; we just never noticed because we were so busy with our own problems, or at least what we thought were our own problems. But what we're seeing in the city now is the same exact thing we've all been going through since this demon escaped, just on a larger scale," she explained.
"Wait a minute…you're saying that the Devourer was behind all those problems we were having?" Sage wanted to know. "But we'd have felt it if something was controlling us."
"Would we? This thing has been around practically since the dawn of time, Sage. It didn't survive all those years by being obvious. It's like teaching a dancer to hit a certain pose. Yank her around and she fights you --- but move her slowly and subtly and you can mold her however you want," Carey pointed out wisely.
"It makes sense," Cye said slowly. "The day Mum died I was in an utterly vile mood, and I remember thinking that it really wasn't like me --- I didn't even know exactly why I was so angry, but I couldn't seem to snap out of it."
"And remember what you told me the day you and Carey had that big fight, Sage?" Rowen spoke up excitedly. "You said you felt helpless, like there was something controlling you. Well, what if there really was? We thought the Devourer was just using Ryo to play us against each other. But what if it decided to take a more direct approach? It's encountered each of us and gotten our psychic wavelength --- what better way to warm itself up than by messing with that wavelength?"
"I'll be damned," Sage marveled. "It's been manipulating us the whole time!"
"We were the dress rehearsal --- now it's time for the real show," Carey agreed.
Kento slammed a fist on the top of an end table. "That's it --- no demon messes with my head and gets away with it! I got enough of that from that creep Dais. This monster's going down."
"One problem, though…this thing hasn't just been practicing on us," Sage told the group solemnly. "Do you remember what we said about the Devourer not being able to kill? We're going to have to revise that."All eyes turned to him. "What do you mean?" Cye asked.
"Matsuka got a call from Mexico today. The guy who sent her the Devourer's mask, Matt Sano, was found dead at the dig site two days ago. His assistant called this morning to let us know."
"Suicide?" Rowen wondered.
"I doubt it, not unless Sano was able to slice himself open from groin to collarbone and rip out his own heart." As the others winced at the grisly image, Sage continued, "Matsuka didn't get a lot of details, so I called the assistant back and did some digging. According to him, Sano was in Brazil, where he was supposed to be for another week, but for some reason he decided to go back to Mexico the day before he died. Koishi --- the assistant --- said Sano wouldn't give a reason for going back, but he seemed preoccupied and kind of anxious. Sano left for Mexico that afternoon, and that's the last time Koishi saw him alive. Sano's body was found the following morning, stretched out on a slab at the dig site with its heart missing…and an obsidian knife by his head."
"Just like an Aztec ritual sacrifice," Carey mused. "Do the police have any leads?"
"They think it was a gang of bandits that have committed several murders in that region recently. But I've never heard of any bandits that kill like that. Guns are usually much more efficient. Plus, according to Koishi, all of Sano's personal effects were on his body when it was found. Watch, ID, jewelry, wallet, even a pretty good amount of cash. Not only that, there was a note. That's why Koishi called Matsuka. The note, which Koishi verifies is in Sano's handwriting, asked that Kazuhara Gallery be notified immediately in the event of Sano's death. But here's the kicker. Sano has an ex-wife and two teenage children, and Koishi says he was still on very good terms with all three of them. Matsuka, on the other hand, is solely a business acquaintance. But I had Koishi fax me the note, and it's very specific --- if Sano died, Matsuka was to be the first if not the only person notified. The family wasn't even mentioned. Oh, and there's one more thing," Sage added. "When he found out that Sano never checked into his hotel, Koishi did some asking around. Not many people remembered seeing Matt Sano, but the ones who did all said the same thing. Just before Sano disappeared, he was seen with a tall, Oriental-looking man in his twenties with dark hair…and very vivid blue eyes. A man whom no one has seen before or since," he finished grimly.
There was a heavy silence, then Kento exhaled noisily. "This is not good."
"It's the Devourer, it has to be," Rowen said. "It somehow managed to infect Matt Sano enough to draw him back to the dig site, where it killed him. But why him? I mean, all he did was send you the mask, and besides, the Devourer passed him up the first time because he couldn't have given it that much power. It's so clumsy it doesn't make sense."
"Actually, it does," Sage replied. "The Devourer wants the rest of us pretty badly, and it's getting tired of waiting. It obviously has enough strength now that it doesn't see the need for subtlety anymore. Like Carey said, rehearsal's over. Sano's death served several purposes; it gave the demon a last good test of its manipulation skills, it upset Matsuka --- and remember, this thing is drawing power from her and everyone else in the city as we speak --- and it got our attention. It didn't kill Sano for power…it killed him because it could."
"We underestimated it," Cye murmured. "The Devourer's been holding back on us."
"And now it doesn't feel like it has to do that anymore," Carey agreed. "Sano's murder, this weird storm, the sudden epidemic of depression…it's showing us just what it can really do. It's calling us out."
"Then it's time we answered," Rowen said. He got to his feet and looked up at the ceiling. "Kayura!" he called firmly.
"Kayura?" Carey asked Sage in a whisper. Sage smiled and put a finger to his lips.
A column of shimmering white light began to form in the middle of the living room. When it cleared, Lady Kayura stood there in her formal robes, shakujo in hand. Rowen got straight to the point. "Kayura, we've run out of time. We're going after the Devourer now."
"I know," Kayura replied. "I've been waiting for your call. It's good to see you all again." She looked around at the gathered Ronins, then her eye fell on Carey. "And this must be Carey," she added with a smile.
Sage made the introductions. "Kayura, this is my fiancée, Carey Navarro. Carey, this is Lady Kayura, last of the Ancients and ruler of the Nether Realm."
Carey blinked. What did you say to someone who could appear out of thin air? "Uh…hi," she finally managed. She turned to Sage. "This is just going to get weirder, isn't it?" she asked. Sage just smiled sympathetically.
Kayura stared thoughtfully at Carey for another second or two, then turned her attention to the Ronins. "I've located the Devourer," she told them all. "For whatever reason, it's suddenly dropped its magical shielding. It's taken shelter at the Meiji Shrine."
"Not too far from here," Rowen mused. "We can get there in no time, especially since the traffic's light. Damn, it's been right under our noses this whole time!"
"All right, so now that we know where it is, why are we just standing here?" Kento demanded. "Let's go blast it into little demon bits, get Ryo, and maybe even make it home in time for dinner!"
"Wait, Kento. We can't just charge in and attack this thing, we're not at full fighting strength," Cye said. "There's only four of us, remember?"
Kayura smiled. "No, there isn't. You have your fifth." All eyes turned to see what Kayura meant.
"Um…why is everyone staring at me?" Carey asked suspiciously.
Sage was the first to get the message. "Oh, Kayura, no," he protested.
"You know I'm right, Sage," Kayura told him gently but firmly. "In fact, I think you know it better than anyone else. You haven't told her yet, have you?"
Carey slanted a glance up at her fiancé. "People have been saying that to you a lot lately," she observed wryly. "What haven't you told me now?"
"Kayura, you can't be serious," Sage replied, uncharacteristically ignoring Carey. "She's never done this before; she has no battle experience."
"Neither did you when you first went up against Talpa," Kayura pointed out.
"Wait a second --- Carey is our fifth?" Rowen asked. "Kayura, how do you know this?"
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Carey wondered, looking from one to the other of them in utter confusion.
Kayura looked directly at Sage. "Tell her, Sage," she said quietly. "It'll be easiest coming from you."
Carey turned wide, inquiring eyes up to her fiancé and Sage sighed in resignation, knowing there was no easy way out of it. "Sweetheart, do you remember what we talked about last night, that I was among other things an empath?" he said. "Well, as it turns out…so are you."
"What?" Carey exclaimed. "But --- but how do you know? How is that even possible?"
"I don't know how it's possible, Carey, I just know that it is," Sage replied. "As best I can figure out, you've always had this gift, but it's been practically dormant for most of your life. But something happened last night to awaken it fully, because somehow you were able to tell that I was in trouble and needed help. You said it yourself, honey --- you knew something was wrong and that you had to get home. You didn't even stop to change out of your pointe shoes. And then you somehow managed to save me from the Devourer. The fact that you were able to sense the demon wasn't just that it was powerful, but that you were…are," he amended. Carey still didn't seem convinced, and Sage went on, "I know it's hard to believe, but think about it for a minute. Remember the night we first met, how comfortable we were with each other from the very beginning? And you've always been able to tell when I was in a bad mood, even before we started dating…I remember one time at the studio when you refused to start our lesson until you had dragged all my problems out of me. I think on some level each of us has always known about the other, and that may even be what drew us together in the first place," Sage said.
Carey stared at him for a moment, then a sound escaped her that might have been a small, disbelieving laugh. "I was right. This is just getting weirder," she murmured to no one in particular. "So say I believe you, and that I'm an empath just like you. Is that why ---?" She broke off, biting her lower lip slightly.
" 'Is that why' what, love?" Sage prodded gently.
"Well…all day long, every time I've been around other people I keep hearing this weird, I don't know, chatter," Carey said hesitantly. "It's like I'm standing in a room crammed with people and they're all talking at once and I don't know who I'm supposed to be listening to. Even when the room's completely silent, I can still hear it; I've downed about four Advil today trying to dull the headache. Is that what this empathy stuff does to you? Because I'm not sure I like it."
"Nah, you're just crazy," Kento opined, then had to dodge the cushion Rowen winged at him.
Kayura arched an eyebrow at him in a "you see?" look, and Sage's heart contracted painfully with remorse. He was so used to his own gifts that he tended to take them for granted, including the ability to shut them off at will. It hadn't occurred to him that a newly-awakened empath like Carey wouldn't have that ability yet. The thought of her walking around all day unshielded and bombarded with the myriad emotions of whoever she happened to cross paths with horrified him; it said a lot about her inner strength that she hadn't gone mad from the assault. "Oh, my God, darling, I'm so sorry," Sage told her softly, gathering her into his arms. "I didn't realize you'd be this sensitive this soon. You don't even know how to shield yet. Yes, sweetheart, what you're feeling is your new gift coming to life. But don't worry, I'll teach you how to shut it down when you need to so it won't be so painful. Are you all right?"
"I'm better now… I did eventually figure out how to tune it out a bit," Carey said. "So I guess I'm just like you. What exactly does this mean?"
"In the larger picture, I'm not really sure," Sage said, relieved that she seemed to be accepting the news. "For starters, you're not exactly like me --- your gifts aren't that strong yet, in large part because you haven't been trained to use them. But it may explain why you've picked up on our weapons training so quickly and so well. Which is a good thing," he added grimly, "because Kayura seems to think that you're supposed to help us take down the Devourer."
"What? W-wait a minute," Carey squeaked, alarmed. "As in, going into battle? You know, when I said I wanted to help you with this demon situation, I didn't mean I wanted to pick up a weapon and actually fight the thing!"
"For what it's worth, I'm not happy about this either. And I'm not about to take you into that snakepit until I get a damned good reason as to exactly why I should," Sage replied, fixing an implacable violet gaze on Kayura.
Kayura met his gaze evenly. "I've been meditating a great deal lately, trying to find the Devourer or at least to unravel some of this mystery," she said. "During those meditations, I've seen the four of you and sensed the danger you were in; I've even been able to sense Ryo very faintly on occasion. But I could also feel something else just starting to come to life, something I couldn't really get a handle on because it was still so hidden and unformed. All I knew was that it wasn't evil, that it was connected to one of you, and that it would somehow be important later on. Rowen, you remember --- I told you that there was a part of this equation that I couldn't identify." Rowen nodded, and Kayura continued, "Last night, though, that 'something' woke up with a vengeance. I felt that surge of power even in the Nether Realm, and I knew that it was directed at whatever was threatening you, Sage. And when I met Carey just now, when I saw her aura, I knew only she could be its source." She turned to look at Carey. "You've felt a difference in yourself, haven't you, even before last night? You're stronger, faster, your senses are sharper; you're able to do things you never thought you could before." Carey nodded mutely, wide-eyed, remembering sixty-five fouettés in a row. "It's as I thought," Kayura told her. "Your bond with Sage probably started removing the block on your own gifts, and his peril last night caused you to break through the rest. You're changing, finally coming into your own. I know it's strange and rather unsettling, but trust me, Carey --- you're becoming what you were always meant to be."
"So what are you saying?" Rowen queried. "Do you mean that Carey's a Ronin Warrior, that she's meant to take Ryo's place?"
"No, simply that she's gifted," Kayura replied. "It may be many years before she reaches her full strength, if ever. But you need five to defeat the Devourer, and unless you know anyone else who could fill in I'm afraid Carey is your best choice."
"Oh, no!" Kento protested loudly, and everyone turned to look at him. "No way, Kayura! No way in hell are we taking her along!"
"Kento, I can understand your misgivings. But I've seen this in my visions. You need Carey to complete the circle. You have no chance against the Devourer without her," Kayura said calmly.
"Yeah, well, your visions are wrong," Kento insisted, stubbornly folding his arms across his broad chest. "She's not one of us. I mean, what's she gonna do, tippy-toe the Devourer to death? She's useless, she'll only get in the way, and I'm not gonna spend my time babysitting her when Ryo needs us."
"Uh, Kento?" Sage interjected, seeing Carey's eyes narrow ominously. "I really don't think that's a good --- "
It happened so fast none of the Ronins actually saw it. One moment Carey was standing by Sage's side, and the next she had knocked Kento back into his seat, one hand gripping his shirtfront and the other holding a knife under his nose. " --- idea," Sage finished lamely, then did a double take. "Carey, what are you doing? Let him go!"
"Sage, I've had enough of his insults and his snide comments!" Carey snapped back, her amber eyes boring fiercely into Kento's. "I may not be a mystical armored superhero like the rest of you, but nobody talks about me like that, especially not to my face. So go ahead, machisto…tell me I'm useless now," she told Kento in a deadly voice.
Kayura, Cye, and Rowen could only stare in openmouthed astonishment. Kento shrank back into his chair, his eyes crossing as he stared at the gleaming blade only centimeters from his face. "Uh, guys…some help here?" he croaked.
"What's the matter?" Carey asked with an acid sweetness. "I thought you respected a show of strength. Besides, a big strong man like you shouldn't be afraid of a weak little girl like me." Kento gulped as the blade moved a fraction of an inch closer. "Still think I need babysitting, tough guy?" Carey taunted him.
Sage shielded his eyes for a moment. "I don't believe this. Carey, you cannot kill him --- we need him to face this demon," he said sternly. "Kento's sorry he insulted you, aren't you, Kento?" Kento managed a tiny nod.
"Can I hurt him just a little?" Carey wanted to know.
"No. You've made your point --- now let him go!" Sage insisted, and Carey sullenly complied. "What in the hell is that, anyway?"
Carey looked at the knife in her hand, then at Sage. "It's a switchblade," she said matter-of-factly, as if he really should have known that.
Cye snickered faintly. Sage sighed and briefly closed his eyes in a silent prayer for strength. "Of course it is. How silly of me," he said quietly. "Okay, Stupid Question Number Two: why are you carrying a switchblade?"
"Amor de mi vida, there's a murderous, soul-eating demon breathing down our necks and you have to ask why?" Carey replied with some exasperation. Sage gave her a stern look and she shrugged, tucking the knife back into her jacket. "Hey, I grew up around some pretty rough people. Force of habit," she explained.
Rowen and Cye collapsed onto the couch, howling with laughter. Kayura pressed her lips tightly together, but her shoulders shook with mirth. Sage and Kento glared at them, and Carey drew herself up to her full five feet four inches. "I don't see how that's so funny," she said glacially, which made Cye and Rowen laugh even harder. Carey gave them a disgusted look. "Pendejos locos," she pronounced with a disdainful sniff, then stalked regally from the room.
Kento scowled as he brushed himself off. "Jeez, Sage --- you're gonna have kids with that psychopath?" he demanded. "Just how well did you know her before you asked her to marry you?"
"Not as well as I thought, apparently," Sage replied thoughtfully, gazing after Carey.
Kento snorted. "No kidding. Oh, by the way, thanks for the help there, guys," he added with a pointed glower at Cye and Rowen, who were still laughing uncontrollably.
"Oh…oh, Lord have mercy. Sage, you lucky bastard," Rowen gasped between chortles. "Ohhh…that was absolutely priceless. Man, Kento, I really wish you could have seen your face when she jumped you."
"That tiny little thing…I've seen Kento eat snacks that are bigger than she is," Cye wheezed, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Oh, God --- the Swan Queen with a switchblade."
"Well, you can take the ballerina out of the barrio…" Rowen replied, grinning.
"If you two don't have anything intelligent to add to this conversation, would you please shut up?" Sage retorted, then turned to Kayura. "I don't like this," he said flatly.
"I know. But you've felt her power, Sage," Kayura replied, her own mirth abruptly vanishing. "Carey was strong enough to wrench you out of the Devourer's grasp without even knowing what she was doing. Not only that, but she's been walking around all day essentially unshielded and yet she's still coherent enough to take on Kento. You heard what she said --- she figured out how to shield without even realizing she was an empath. I know she's not Ryo, but she is a part of this…and she can certainly take care of herself. I think she's proved that already." Sage didn't look convinced, and Kayura went on, "Sage, I can understand your worry; I know how much you love her. But you won't do her any favors by overprotecting her. She needs to do this, to understand what she is and what she's meant to be. You had your trial by fire, and while it was difficult it made you able to grasp and use the full range of your own gifts. Carey deserves the same chance, and deep in your heart I think you know that."
"Kayura, all I know is that you're asking me to risk the life of the woman I love by taking her into battle. So for all our sakes, you'd better be right about this…because, ally or not, if anything happens to Carey, you'll answer to me," Sage told her quietly, his eyes cold. He turned on his heel and walked out of the room before Kayura could reply.
"Bitch," Kento muttered, sulking.
"Which one?" Rowen asked wryly. "Admit it, Kento, you're just ticked because you just got your butt whipped by a size two."
Kento scowled and started to reply, but Kayura interceded. "Enough. Gather the team and head for the shrine," she told them. "I'll meet you there…there's something I need to do first."
"Kayura, are you absolutely certain about this?" Cye asked. "It's one thing to risk our own lives --- it's another to risk that of an innocent civilian."
"I know. But Carey has weapons of her own, Cye…and I don't mean a switchblade," Kayura answered. "I saw her protecting Sage against the Devourer last night. If nothing else, he will be her reason to fight; after all, love is one of the strongest weapons there is against evil." A thought struck her, and she regarded Cye curiously. "Cye…why did you call her the 'Swan Queen'?"
Cye shrugged. "Carey's a ballerina, and the Swan Queen is a famous ballet character. It just came to mind. Why?"
"Well, it's just that…when Carey was defending Sage last night, I had this odd vision of a black swan, and it's not the first time, either. Isn't that strange?" Kayura mused. Without waiting for their reply, she vanished in a swirl of light.
Sage found his fiancée at the door to the backyard, watching the trees sway beneath the darkened sky. "I'm not apologizing to him," Carey said without preamble, her arms folded stubbornly across her chest.
"Somehow I didn't think you would," Sage replied with a wry smile. He moved to stand behind her and gently placed his hands on her upper arms. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly.
Carey sighed unhappily. "I don't know anymore," she said. She stepped away from him, distractedly massaging her temples. "Damn it, Sage, I don't understand any of this. I mean, this whole thing is just too bizarre. Two days ago everything was normal. Now I'm hearing voices in my head and being told I'm supposed to fight demons. Yesterday I was just a dancer, an ordinary person, and now I'm a --- well, what the hell am I, anyway?"
"You're exactly what you always were," Sage replied firmly. "Remember what you said to me last night, that being a Ronin doesn't change who I am, that I was still the same person you loved? Well, the same applies to you. Carey, my love, you've never been 'ordinary'. You've always had these gifts, you just never knew they were there. Now you do. But so what if you're faster and stronger and able to leap tall barres in a single bound? Tomorrow you'll still be hanging your wet tights all over the bathroom and getting the giggles every time you put on kendo gear and stealing my razor and you won't get along with Kento to save your life."
"He started it," Carey pointed out, but there was a small smile on her lips.
"Yes, and I'm sure you've convinced him of the error of his ways. And if you ever do that again, I swear I'll put you over my knee…although I have to admit, the look on Kento's face was pretty funny," Sage admitted with a smile, wrapping his arms around Carey and drawing her back against him as he rested his cheek against her hair. Silence fell for a moment as the wind howled outside. "You don't have to do this," Sage said quietly, suddenly intense. "No matter what Kayura says. The four of us can handle this monster; I'd feel better knowing that you were safe here."
"Don't tempt me," Carey sighed. "Oh, who are we kidding, Sage? I'm not going to be safe here or anywhere else. You said it yourself: the Devourer knows about me now. There's no safe place for either of us in this world until we take this thing down once and for all. Besides, I can't just sit here and wring my hands while you guys go heroically charging off to save the world. I have to do something…even if I'm not completely sure what yet. I mean, maybe Kayura's right, and I'm meant for greater things. Or maybe she's not. But I won't know unless I try." She turned and wrapped her arms around Sage's waist, burying her face against his chest. "Ay, Dios, Sage, I'm scared. I'm a dancer, not a warrior. What if I can't do this?" she whispered.
"Shhh…hush, darling, it's all right," Sage reassured her, holding her tightly. "You may be a dancer, but you're a dancer with a sixth-degree black belt in karate and a switchblade --- and we're going to have a long talk about that when all this is over --- and you've picked up in a few months sword skills that it takes most people years to master. You have gifts whose full extent you don't even know yet…and you can kick not only my butt but that of a guy who's twice your size without even smudging your lipstick. You'll do fine." Carey giggled softly, and Sage went on, "You know, the first time I went into battle I was scared out of my mind. One day I was just a regular high-school kid, and the next I was a Ronin Warrior, one of the 'Chosen Ones', destined to save humanity from the ravages of evil incarnate --- and I was only fifteen years old. I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing or why I had been chosen or even how my armor worked. None of us did, so we pretty much just made it up as we went along." Sage chuckled wryly. "Kind of ruins the mystique, doesn't it --- the chosen defenders of the mortal world basically ad-libbing like crazy."
"Sounds like a couple of performances I've done." Carey sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "This is all moving so fast."
"I know, koibito." Sage kissed the top of her head. "Something else is bothering you, isn't it?" he asked after a moment.
Carey lowered her eyes and smiled slightly. "It's nothing. It's silly, really…just something trivial."
"Tell me anyway. I could use some trivial silliness right about now."
"Well…I was just thinking about what you said earlier, about how you were drawn to me because I was an empath like you." Carey looked up at Sage, biting her lip slightly. "I know it's stupid, and I shouldn't even be worrying about it at a time like this, but I just can't help but wonder if maybe that's why you fell in love with me…because I'm like you. And if maybe that's the only reason you love me," she finished softly.
"Oh, sweetheart." Sage hugged Carey close, rocking her tenderly. "Carey, I didn't even know you were an empath until last night, and I found that out purely by accident. I've loved you for a lot longer than that. Look at me, darling." His violet eyes met her amber ones, and Sage lowered his own shields without hesitation. He smiled as wonder and understanding mixed in her eyes --- this "empathy stuff" really did come in handy on occasion. "Do you understand now?" he continued. "I may have originally been drawn to a fellow empath, but I fell in love with a woman…I fell in love with you." Carey smiled and drew his head down to hers, and they kissed lingeringly until they were brought back to the present by Kento's shout.
"Yo, Sage!" the Warrior of Justice bellowed impatiently from the living room. "If you and the Black Swan are done playing kissy-face in there, we've got some demon booty that needs kicking. Come on, willya?"
Sage sighed in exasperation. "There are times when I could really hate him," he grumbled.
" 'The Black Swan'," Carey murmured, then began to chuckle.
"What's so funny?"
"Odile --- the Black Swan --- has always been one of my favorite roles," Carey explained. "I always thought she was much more interesting than any of the other classical female roles…plus I made my principal debut in Swan Lake. So he thinks I'm the Black Swan, hmmm? I like that." She glanced up at Sage, her eyes twinkling. "Just don't tell him that, will you? I've got a reputation to uphold."
"Your secret is safe with me, kurohakuchō," Sage promised. At Carey's mystified look, he added, "It means 'black swan' in Japanese."
"Oh. See, I'm saving the world and expanding my vocabulary at the same time. Eat your heart out, Sailor Moon," Carey said smugly. Sage laughed and took her hand, and they headed out to where Cye, Rowen, and Kento waited. "Are we ready?" Sage asked.
"We're ready," Rowen replied, and Cye and Kento nodded firmly in agreement. Sage looked from one to the other of them, noting the determined expressions they all wore --- even Carey had the light of battle in her golden eyes. His friends, his family…and a force to be reckoned with. Ready or not, Devourer…here we come.
"Okay, then," Sage said. "Ronin Warriors --- move out."
They were coming. Amid the darkness that engulfed the city, five --- five? --- bright souls stood out from the rest, and they were advancing on the Devourer's stronghold. The demon watched them for a moment, then called its minions --- lesser dark spirits, little more than slaves, drawn to its power like moths to a flame. "We are expecting guests," it told them. "Prepare a suitable welcome." The dark spirits left to do their master's bidding, and the Devourer smiled in satisfaction.
It was time.
Finally.
It was time.
"Man, I don't care what Kayura says. I can't believe we have to bring Xena the Ballerina along," Kento grumbled as the small group moved along the pathway to the Meiji Shrine.
"Cállate, guabino," Carey shot back, not even breaking stride as her hand moved threateningly toward her pocket. "Don't make me have to hurt you this time."
"Cut it out, you two. Carey, put the knife away and leave it there. Kento, leave her alone --- you already know what happens when you antagonize her," Sage ordered, then shook his head in annoyance. "God, this is worse than a family road trip."
Cye grinned mischievously. "Are we there yet?" he whined.
"He's over on my side," Rowen chimed in, giving Cye a playful shove. Cye shoved back.
Sage sighed and cast his eyes up to the heavens. "Ryo, you'd better appreciate this... Next time I'll just leave all four of you at home and go demon-hunting by myself."
"Where's the fun in that?" Kento groused.
"Look at it this way, Sage," Cye said pragmatically. "This is great practice for when you and Carey have kids and go on your first family vacation." He laughed at Sage's look of undisguised horror.
"Note to self," Sage muttered. "Stock up on duct tape."
"Sage!" Carey scolded.
"And tranquilizers," Sage added, unrepentant. Carey shook her head. "Remind me to never leave you alone with the kids," she said.
"There it is," Rowen said suddenly, pointing at something ahead of them. The warriors stopped and followed his gaze.
The temple crouched at the top of the path like some sort of otherworldly beast waiting for its prey. During the day it was a thing of beauty, a poem of elegant lines and curves, but in the unnatural darkness it seemed suddenly alien and threatening.
Carey crossed her arms over her chest as if to ward off a sudden chill. Sage had taught her how to shield her newfound empathy senses on the trip up, but she could still feel the evil surrounding the once-peaceful shrine. "This is just so…wrong," she murmured.
Sage slipped an arm around her shoulders. "I feel it, too, aisuru," he said grimly. "Let's keep going. Kayura should be waiting for us." They continued up the path, all of them now silent and watchful. The wind tugged at them as the trees writhed in the storm-tossed gloom, and it seemed to Sage as if the branches themselves wailed in pain.
Kayura stood by the huge torii gate that marked the entrance to the shrine, her robes and her long black hair whipping about her in the wind. She looked from one to the other of the small group, her expression solemn. "I should warn all of you," she said gravely. "The Devourer isn't like any other demon you've ever faced, and you won't be able to defeat it the way you have the others. It knows your weaknesses, and it won't hesitate to turn them against you. You must be ready to face the darkest places within yourselves."
The warriors exchanged glances, but it was Cye who spoke for all of them. "Ryo needs us, Kayura. We can't turn our backs on him," he said quietly. "We're ready."
"All right, then," Kayura replied. "Call your armors."
"Armor of Halo! Dao chi!"
"Armor of Strata! Dao inochi!"
"Armor of Torrent! Dao shin!"
"Armor of Hardrock! Dao gi!"
For the first time in seven years, the calls of the Ronin Warriors soared into the night. The familiar bolts of silk whirled about Sage, Rowen, Cye, and Kento, exploding into a flurry of sakura petals. When the blizzard cleared, four armored samurai stood before the gate.
Carey's eyes were wide with amazement. "That is just so cool," she breathed.
"That was nothing --- wait 'till you see what these things can actually do," Rowen replied with a mischievous wink.
Kayura smiled faintly. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to show her what your armors can do. But don't rely entirely on the armors…you'll need what's beneath them as well."
"Wait, Kayura," Sage spoke up. "Carey isn't armed --- or armored. She won't be safe."
"Yes, she will," Kayura replied. She cupped her hands in front of her and a small, glowing sphere appeared in her hands. "Carey," she said quietly, extending the sphere to the younger woman.
Carey eyed the object dubiously. It was certainly pretty --- red with shimmering black swirls --- but she wasn't entirely sure she trusted Kayura. This whole thing was fast becoming more and more unreal, and she suddenly wondered if it was too late to back out. After all, she wasn't really a warrior. What good could she possibly do here?
As if sensing her doubts, Sage moved to stand close by his lover's side. "Go on, sweetheart," he said reassuringly, and Carey thought inconsequentially how much she loved the sound of his voice. Forcing her mind back to the present, she took a deep breath and held out her hands.
The sphere seemed to come alive the minute it touched her skin. As the others watched in astonishment, a deep ruby light ran swiftly up Carey's arms, quickly enveloping her from fingertips to neck to toes. When it cleared, Carey was clad in something that looked a lot like form-fitting black leather pants and a matching long-sleeved top with a surprisingly low neckline. Black gloves with elbow-length gauntlets covered her hands, and she wore black boots with sturdy but oddly fashionable-looking heels, both of which were trimmed with red bands. The piece de résistance, though, was the silver and red metal bustier and choker that topped the outfit.
Rowen grinned at Carey's transformation. "Someone's been studying the fashion magazines," he teased Kayura.
"Who says armor has to be strictly functional?" Kayura retorted.
Carey blinked in surprise as she examined her new outfit. "Hmmm…kind of on the dominatrix side, but it's definitely a look. Oh, my God --- I've got cleavage," she marveled, and Sage had to choke back a laugh. Then she realized what Kayura had told Rowen. "Wait a minute --- 'armor'?"
"That's right," Kayura said. "It's an energy-shield that acts just like the Ronin subarmors. You've never worn full armor, so it would have been too dangerous to put you in something like the Armor of Wildfire. Since your main defenses are speed and agility, I had to come up with a way to protect you that wouldn't weigh you down the way a full set of armor would. This suit will protect you from injury without interfering with your own abilities."
"It certainly doesn't feel heavy." Carey craned her neck in an attempt to peer over her shoulder. "But what's this on my back?"
"The Starlight Swords." At the Ronins' looks of alarm, Kayura went on, "Don't worry. They've been cleansed and purified. They're completely free of any shred of Talpa's influence. Besides, she does need a weapon, and she's used to something like this."
Sage shook his head with a wry smile. "I'm not going to ask how you knew that. You're sure this will work?"
"Positive. Sage, I'm 438 years old. I've learned a few things about magic and armor crafting."
"Okay, so let's test it out," Kento said suddenly. Before anyone could stop him, he swung his iron bo full-force at Carey's unprotected head. Sage yelled in alarm and Carey screamed, flinging up an arm to protect herself. The bo struck her upraised arm --- and bounced off harmlessly. "Well, I guess it works," Kento began, but he was quickly cut off by Carey's ear-splitting screech of fury.
"Hijo de tu chingada madre!" the petite Latina shrieked, plowing a dainty fist into Kento's jaw. To everyone's surprise, the fully-armored Warrior of Justice went flying backwards, smacking into a gatepost with a resounding bong. Carey's jaw dropped and her eyes grew huge, staring at her fist as if it were some fascinating new toy attached to her arm. "Wow…" she murmured in awe.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that the suit significantly amplifies the wearer's strength?" Kayura said.
Sage shot Cye and Rowen a "laugh-and-you-die" look, then turned to Kayura. "Yes, you did manage to overlook that important little bit of information," he replied dryly. "You all right, Kento?"
"Oh, yeah, just peachy," Kento grumbled as a grinning Rowen helped him to his feet. He shot a wounded glare at Carey, who just glared back. "You didn't have to let her hit me, you know…again."
"Kento, you just tried to decapitate my fiancée," Sage retorted. "If she hadn't hit you, I would have." He turned to look at the gate. It gaped widely, like a ravenous mouth demanding sustenance --- or sacrifice, Sage thought grimly. And somewhere in there, our friend is being held captive…and the five of us are his, and the entire city's, only chance. The enormity of that realization struck him with a staggering force. I never wanted to fight again, never wanted to have to call the armor. But now not only do I have to go into battle, I have to take the woman I love with me. He closed his eyes, feeling suddenly, unutterably tired. When does it end? Will we ever be able to lay down this burden, this huge responsibility?
A small hand crept into his. Startled, Sage looked down to see Carey beside him. Her gaze was steady and trusting as her fingers tightened gently on his; he could feel the warmth of her touch even through the gloves they both wore. Her love and her strength flowed through him unchecked, and suddenly he understood. Carey knew his secret. She knew what he was, what he had done, and what they were facing…and she still chose to stand and fight by his side. We were brought together for a reason, and now I think I finally understand what that reason is. The weight lifted from his soul, leaving him calm and strong again. I have a huge burden to carry, and maybe I always will --- but now I don't have to carry it alone anymore. He squeezed Carey's hand in silent thanks, then turned to Kayura. "I take it you're not coming."
Kayura shook her head. "This is as far as I can go," she said with genuine regret. "It may have cloaked itself in illusions, but the Devourer is still in the mortal realm, and as long as it is I'm not allowed to fight it. This is the Ronins' battle now."
Sage nodded. "I understand, and you're right. This demon has kidnapped Ryo, hurt each of us, manipulated us like toys, killed an innocent man, and turned our city --- our home --- into its private feeding ground. But it ends now," he said firmly.
"Not if we just stand here talking all night," Kento reminded them. "Come on --- what the heck are we waiting for?"
A predatory smile curled Sage's mouth. "We're not waiting," he replied. "Let's go, Ronin Warriors." Still holding Carey's hand, he drew his sword and stepped through the gate, the others following him one by one. When the last of them had crossed through, a curtain of fog seemed to wrap around the shrine, hiding it from view. Kayura stood there for a long time after they had gone, staring thoughtfully at the gate as the wind keened and the trees thrashed in the gathering darkness.
It had begun.
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pirouette: French, "whirl" or "spin". A complete turn of the body on one foot, done on pointe or demi-pointe.
arabesque: A basic pose in ballet where the dancer stands on one leg with the other extended behind at a right angle.
machisto: Spanish, "male chauvinist pig"
amor de mi vida: Spanish; "love of my life"
pendejos locos: Spanish; "crazy idiots"
kurohakuchō: Japanese; "black swan"
cállate: Spanish; "shut up"
guabino: Spanish (Cuban origin); "idiot"
hijo de tu chingada madre: Spanish; extremely vulgar way of saying "son of a bitch" (literally "son of your f***ing mother")
A.N. Okay, I'm back (yes, I know --- finally!). I went on a long-overdue vacation --- to Washington, D.C., culture-geek heaven --- and so did my muses. Unfortunately, theirs lasted a lot longer than mine (and they didn't even bring me back a souvenir, the lousy ratfinks). F.Y.I., my description of Carey's "armor" was inspired by the vamp outfit worn by Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Willow in the episode "Dopplegangland" and the cover illustrations for Susan Sizemore's wonderful Laws of the Blood series ("crime-fighting vampire" novels, and damned good ones at that).