Midnight Shadows
Part 5
By Mieren
Dais crept down the halls silently. Talpa was currently looking for someone to attack the Ronins and he had no indention of being the one to do it. He had seen all to well what that girl had done to Cale's armor. Hell, Sehkmet had barely been able to heal the two of them. He fingered his throat in wonder. He hadn't even felt her presence before she dropped him, and judging by Kayura's evasive behavior, she hadn't gotten off either. True, she wasn't injured, but that girl had done something so scare the wits out of her.
Dais!
He jumped several feet into the air, mentally cursing Talpa's uncanny ability to find him even when he was doing his best to sneak around.
"Yes, Master Talpa?"
I want you to go to the city. One of the Ronin whelps is there alone. Do you think that you can handle that much since you're afraid to attack them when they have a little girl with them?
"Yes, Master Talpa," he said, cringing. 'Little girl' my ass, he grumped. He waited for Talpa's presence to vanish completely before swearing loudly. Where there was one Ronin, there was bound to be that blasted girl.
Sighing resignedly, he vanished in a swirl of black flames, reappearing on a rooftop overlooking a nondescript street. Hardrock was sitting on the curb with his head in his hands, shaking slightly. The Warrior of Strength… was… crying?
He ignored caution and common sense, jumping off the building to land silently on the street behind the Ronin. Dais blinked as the boy didn't move in the slightest. Surely he could sense his presence. He was about to make a snide comment when Kento jumped to his feet, backing up a few paces while throwing a murderous glare at him with one puffy eye. He raised his hands, preparing to fight.
Dais's jaw dropped. Since when had Hardrock lost an eye? Or half of his hand for that matter? "What the hell happened to you?" was the only thing that he could think of at the moment. Kento scowled.
"Leave that bitch out of this. Do you or don't you want to fight?"
"The girl did that to you?!"
"Might as well have," he snapped, launching an attack. Dais merely sidestepped him, allowing the furious boy to careen by as his mind spun with possibilities.
"How would you like to get revenge for what she did to you?" Dais asked. As Kento's eyes narrowed, he began guessing and added, "And for what she did to your friends?"
Kento froze, staring at the ground hard, his shoulders slowly tightening until they began to tremble from the strain.
"Don't you want justice for her actions?" he whispered softly, watching the boy's kanji flare brightly, almost blinding in its radiance. He smiled.
* * *
Sage glared at Rowen furiously. "Are you intending on untying me anytime soon? You realize that the longer I hang here, the worse you're going to suffer."
Rowen grinned sheepishly. "You're covered in blood, dust, and only God knows what else. Cye won't let you back in the house like that and you know it."
Sage writhed again, eyes burning with unconcealed rage as he pulled at his hands bound firmly behind him. If that hadn't been bad enough, they had tied his feet so he couldn't thrash worth a damn and then hung him from a tree so that Rowen could scrub him. "This is your own fault," Rowen continued. "If you had given in when we first tried to hose you down, it wouldn't have come to this."
Sage began to tremble in a righteous fury, his eyes murderous from beneath his dripping bangs. He knotted all of his muscles furiously, crying out joyously when the ropes snapped and he dropped to the ground.
"Shit," Rowen squeaked, darting for cover.
Sage jumped to his feet, brushing the worst of the mud off of himself with sharp movements, glaring in Rowen's direction before heading for the house. "I'm taking a shower," he muttered, starting for the front door. He was intercepted by Cye and Mia.
"You are not coming in the house like that," Cye snapped.
"You will not make a mess in here, I just cleaned the carpet."
"Tough," he muttered, brushing by the two in irritation, fully intent on thrashing Ryo when he found him. That whole business of binding him and hanging him from the tree had been his idea after all. As he passed through the living room, he saw the real reason they had been trying so hard to keep him outside. Mieren was sound asleep on the couch, twisting and muttering in her sleep. He blinked as the words coming from her mouth. He knew those words, had heard them in his memories along with the translations she had thrown at him. He had relayed what she had told him the best he could, but everyone seemed to think he was exaggerating or lying for some reason.
He shook his head darkly and looked around. Kento still wasn't back. He was starting to get worried. It wasn't like him to disappear without a word like this. Deep in contemplation, he didn't pay attention as he trotted up the stairs, nearly trampling Ryo when he reached the hall. Ryo squeaked, bolting in the other direction only to land flat on his face when Sage kicked his feet out from under him, not bothering to be gentle about it.
"Show some respect for you leader," Ryo muttered groggily, clutching his head gingerly and fingering his nose to see if it was bleeding. Sage didn't bother to respond, merely stepping on the prostrate boy as he headed for the bathroom, grinning happily at the answering grunt.
Sage walked into the bathroom, instantly grateful that this house's bathroom had a tub that could hold a half a dozen people comfortably. Tossing up the curtain, he turned on the water and began the long laborious process of working all of the mud, grass, blood, and grime off of him, performing incredible feats of flexibility in the process. When he was satisfied that he was finally clean, he filled the tub with steaming water and settled down to soak for awhile.
"Oh man! How long you gonna be in there? Other people gotta use the bathroom too, ya know," Ryo griped loudly from just outside the door. "And since when do you lock the door?" His complaints cut off abruptly, causing Sage to raise one eyebrow in curiosity. Normally when he started harping about use of the bathroom, he kept it up until he got a turn.
Halo.
"Ah shit," Sage muttered, looking fearfully at the door.
Halo.
"Go away," he snapped angrily.
Can't go away. I need to use the bathroom too, you know. Now.
"I'll be out in a little while," he called frantically, hoping futilely that she wouldn't just come in. The last time she had wanted use of the bathroom while he was soaking, she had just climbed into the tub with him, trying to get him to scrub her back.
I said now, Halo.
"Just give me a few minutes!"
Your funeral.
With that, she simply walked in, sliding through the door as though it wasn't there! Sage's eyes bulged. How in the hell did she do that? He didn't get a chance to think about it as a grin appeared on her face.
A hot bath! How thoughtful of you, she chirped happily, stripping out of her clothes and hopping into the water with him, oblivious to his reddening face. Sage was out of the tub and into the hall in two seconds flat, several towels in his arms as he bolted to his room. Ryo's poorly contained peals of laughter followed him down the hall. He grumbled loudly in his room as he toweled his thick golden fur dry, thinking of horrible things to do to the girl for further humiliating him. He sighed. At least Ryo was back to treating him like he always had, poking fun whenever the girl managed to mortify him, which was far too often for his liking.
Shrugging into one of his favorite shirts, he began to work with his hair as much as he was able without all of his necessary implements of destruction. Scrubbing his hair dry roughly, he tied it at the base of his neck, wishing he had access to his hair gel or at least the blow drier. Sighing again, he trudged out of the room, hoping that the girl was still occupied with her bath. Starting down the steps, his eyes widened and he let out a yelp as he lost his balance and slid down the stairs on his stomach. He blinked in fury, never having realized how hard it was to go down stairs like this. Pushing Rowen away from him with a growl, he jumped to his feet and stormed towards the kitchen, giving a start when he found that Cye wasn't beating Kento off with a skillet as was the usual.
"Is he still gone?"
"Yea," Cye murmured worriedly. "He was pretty pissed when he left, but I expected him to cool off and come back a few hours ago. I've never seen him that ticked though. I'm starting to wonder if he's hurt. He's never missed dinner."
"Except when Rowen's cooking," came the dry response.
"Kento!" Cye cried, spinning to face his best friend.
Kento stood in the doorway obvious in his attempt not to look anywhere in Sage's direction. Sage recognized his expression and moved over to place his hand on his friend's shoulder, trying not to grimace when he noticed that Kento was struggling not to flinch. Rowen and Ryo darted into the kitchen at the sound of Kento's voice, gathering around the four already there, sliding around Mia to see their friend.
"Where have you been?" Mia asked.
"Just out thinking about a few things," he muttered, settling down at the table and looking quite eager to start eating one of Cye's meals. Mia and Cye obliged, setting the courses out in front of the near-drooling figure. Sage eyed the chairs in irritation before just dropping to the floor at his usual place at the table, only having to strain a little to reach everything. They had just started eating when Mieren sauntered into the room, plopping down at the table between Rowen and Sage. Kento's eyes tightened and he tensed violently at her appearance, refusing to say anything for the rest of the meal despite the others' attempts to start up a conversation. Mieren eyed him carefully, for the first time ever not making an attempt to steal his food.
"Hey Kento, what's going on?" Ryo asked slowly as Kento rose from the table. Kento was never the first to leave a meal. For his part, he didn't bother to reply, merely walking around the table to crack his fist in the back of Mieren's skull.
Mieren blinked, raising her head from her plate to regard the furious boy. She casually leaned to the side to avoid his next blow, rising leisurely to head outside as Kento grew increasingly enraged, tearing after her and making several attempts to take her out as he followed. Stepping outside, Mieren calmly stood in the center of the yard, making no attempt to defend herself as he proceeded to pound her.
"Kento, stop it!" Rowen yelled, trying to restrain his friend.
Kento snarled, knocking him to the ground roughly as he proceeded to thrash Mieren into oblivion. A soft silver glow enveloped her, but she still refused to lift a hand to defend herself, only occasionally making a pale echo of an effort to dodge him. She began to chant in a language that the Ronins had only heard snatches of since they had met the strange girl. Whatever she was saying, she seemed to mean it fervently. The sky darkened slightly as her chanting reached a climax, a single flash of golden lightning cracking in the distance. The unnatural darkness vanished from the sky as the pale silver light died around Mieren. She rose to her feet, swaying visibly for a moment before Kento slammed her into the ground again with considerable force.
"Kento!" Ryo snapped, cutting off as Sage moved around him to restrain his friend, lifting him off the ground by his shoulders and holding him at arm's length.
"What in the hell did you do to Halo?" a horrified voice called from atop the house, causing everyone except Kento to turn sharply. Mieren's head snapped up so suddenly that it was a wonder that she didn't break her neck in the process.
A howl rang through the air, resounding sharply through the trees, as Mieren leapt into the air, knocking the horrified Warlord from the roof. Dais thrashed and squawked in her grip, cutting off with a liquid gurgle as she punched through the breastplate of his armor, blood running unchecked down her arm.
"Shit!" The incredulous cry ended abruptly as Dais was thrown into Cale with tremendous force, both of them vanishing in a violent swirl of black flames.
"Armor of Hardrock! Dao Gi!"
Mieren landed lightly on the ground only to end up kissing the dirt when Kento slashed at her with the glimmering blade on the end of his tetsubo.
"Iron Rock Crusher!"
"NO!" Rowen screamed.
The light of the sure-kill faded to show the girl lying on the ground, a muscle in her cheek twitching in irritation, Kento pinning her to the ground with the blade of his tetsubo.
"You'll pay for what you've done to all of us, especially Sage."
I try only to protect you.
"You call this protecting?!"
I try only to make you stronger so you can survive the upcoming battle, brother.
"Brother? Hmph. I'm going to make you regret the day you were born."
That will be hard to do, brother. I was never born. I was created. And I regretted being created on my second day of life when those I would have called family betrayed and tried to kill me for being weak. I have no family, and have thus adopted the whole lot of you for my own. Well, except for Rowen, that wouldn't sound right, she paused, tossing the furious boy a sad smile. Without you, we've lost already. If we've lost for certain, I suppose it's good to know that at least one of you will survive the upcoming battle. Mieren paused again, looking up at Kento with misted eyes. I will not fight you, little brother.
With that, Mieren grasped the tetsubo as far up the pole as she was able, yanking downwards with all of her considerable strength. Kento dropped his hold on his weapon, moving away from Mieren slowly.
"Nice job," Sehkmet said happily, slapping Kento on the shoulder, not noticing his answering scowl. Mieren looked up from where she lay panting on the ground, wrenching the tetsubo from her chest and tossing it lightly through the air to Kento. He snagged his weapon out of the air, rounding furiously on the startled Warlord.
"Iron Rock Crusher!"
Sehkmet screamed as the sure-kill slammed into him from point-blank range, the sheer power of the blow melting the front of his armor into a molten mass. He called upon his last reserves of strength, vanishing in a swirl of black light.
He never seemed too bright anyway, the weak thought caught the attention of the Ronins, Kento dropping to his knees as he turned to face Mieren once more. He looked to the blade of his tetsubo, eyes watering at the crimson staining the shining metal.
"Sage," he whispered, throat closing.
"I can't do anything! I haven't been able to since…" Sage trailed off helplessly.
Mieren looked up, eyes clouded. Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter. The five of you need to stay together. Together you may be able to do what I could not.
By the end of Mieren's last thought, the guys could barely hear her. As the gentle rasping in her throat died, so did Mieren.
* * *
Cye scrubbed his hands through his hair in frustration and helplessness. Kento wouldn't even let him in his own room and was blatantly refusing to talk to anyone for any reason, too racked with guilt to speak. Ryo had retreated to his room and seemed to be struggling to keep from having a nervous breakdown. Sage had immediately disappeared into the woods, probably to meditate, but Cye was worried about his mental and emotional stability at the moment. Rowen had collapsed sobbing and had to be carried up to his room. He and Mia had been left with the task of burying Mieren, all attempts at reviving her having proved to be completely useless. Mia had fallen asleep from exhaustion shortly thereafter, leaving him to deal with the others on his own.
A soft growl caught his attention. He looked down with tears threatening to fall from his eyes as White Blaze nuzzled him weakly, still sore from his time in the caves. He dropped to his knees, embracing the huge cat roughly, seeking comfort in any form he could get it.
"Watch Ryo for me, would you Blaze?" he whispered to the tiger unsteadily.
White Blaze whimpered softly, licking the boy's cheek before trotting to Ryo's room, pushing open the door, slipping in silently, and even kicking the door shut once inside. Cye was eternally grateful for the tiger's intelligence at this point. He didn't think he could handle this on his own.
He sighed, slipping outside. Scaling one of the trees near the house, he made a flying leap, landing on the balcony of his room, sliding inside to make another attempt to talk to his best friend.
"Kento, it wasn't your fault," he began slowly.
"You don't understand," he whispered, tears streaming down from the one eye that still worked. "I went to the Dynasty willingly so I could get enough power to fight her. I didn't care about anything else like why she did what she did. I just wanted revenge for what she did to us. I wanted to stop her from what she would have done."
"It's okay, Kento. We were all mad at her, at what she did. Sage nearly killed her himself."
"He did?" he asked tremulously.
"Yea. They both disappeared into the woods shortly thereafter. When he came back, he told us what she had told him. You know that she was created a long time ago in the war of the sorcerers, right? Well, that makes her over three thousand years old. Her original opponent, the one she told us that we were to fight, is now in the Dynasty. Sage told us that everything she did was to make us strong enough to beat that demon that she never could. That's the only reason that he didn't kill her, but you didn't know that."
Kento didn't say anything. His head hung against his chest limply, body racked with sobs and shoulders trembling. Cye's shoulders slumped. Kento wasn't going to get over this any time soon, and understandably so. Hopefully he wouldn't do anything drastic until the guys could snap him out of this. He would also have to watch Rowen. He had tried to kill Kento just before he had passed out from grief.
Sliding quietly onto the balcony once more, he slipped silently into Rowen's room, hoping he had a little better luck with him. Rowen was curled up on his bed, shivering violently, breath rasping in his throat.
"Rowen," he began softly, fumbling with something comforting to say. Rowen was immediately engulfed in sapphire flames, eyes blazing.
"Leave me alone," he whimpered, curling up tighter on his bed as the flames around him rose higher, licking the ceiling. Cye swallowed nervously. He couldn't handle that much energy without either hurting himself or Rowen. Even if he tried, the two of them would probably end up blowing up the house, and Rowen would be no better off from it. He backed out of the room with his hands raised wearily in front of him. Even now, it was hard to believe that Rowen loved the girl, the very idea being quite astonishing considering how she had tormented all of them, especially him.
Stumbling down the hall dejectedly, he came to Ryo's room. One last try, he thought, mouth tightening. His last attempt to speak to the older boy hadn't gone over so well, leaving them both with more bruises than he would have cared for. Shouldering the door open, he eyed the tiger sitting in the far corner of the room, regarding Ryo with large, worried eyes. For his part, Ryo was curled up on the bed, faced buried in his hands and hair falling limply across his hands.
"Ryo," he whispered, nearly leaping out of his skin when his friend looked up.
"Leave me alone, Cye," he said in a small, tremulous voice, burying his face in his hands once more. Cye could only blink in confusion.
"I thought you figured that out," he murmured, eyes tracing the heavy muscles apparent even below Ryo's baggy shirt. His gaze hovered for a moment on his strangely jointed legs when Ryo looked up, awarding him with a view of his blurred features.
Ryo shook his head forcefully. "She lied to me, Cye. She said that she had removed the shield. She hadn't. Not all the way. She was slowly removing it so I had time to learn," he trailed off, eyes sliding shut as tears threatened to fall. "Without help, this is all the better I can do. Go away, Cye. You wouldn't understand."
Cye's shoulders slumped. A lot of good he was doing today. He had no idea what he was supposed to say in a situation like this. Zero out of three. Just great. Maybe he would have better luck with Sage when he got back.
Slipping out of the room silently, he threw a meaningful gaze at the tiger before heading back to the kitchen, back to the only thing he seemed to be any good at.
* * *
Sage shifted uncomfortably, mouth tightening in irritation and hopelessness. He had seen Mieren's body, but he couldn't bring himself to accept that she was dead, not after what he had seen her survive in her memories. He scrubbed his hands through his hair, disarraying several golden locks. She and Ryo could shapeshift. Without her, how was he going to learn? Ryo seemed to know what he was doing for the most part, so he didn't have much to worry about himself. He dove into the depths of his memory, searching frantically through the slivers of thought that had been transmitted to him with the main memory. Mieren raging across a battlefield for a lost cause, the only remaining survivor of a battle long since lost. A mob surrounding Mieren with torches and swords. Mieren roving through the Dynasty, leaving a trail of corpses behind her as she traveled through the endless halls. Kayura screaming in agony as Mieren left her sprawled bonelessly across the floor, blood dripping from both of them, none of it Mieren's. Mieren crying alone in the night, curled up on the couch in the living room, only rising once to check on each of them. Mieren looking up at Kento, eyes clouding in betrayal as he screamed out his sure-kill.
Sage gasped loudly, lurching to his feet. That was impossible. That had happened only a few hours ago. How could he have seen that from the memories she had shown him? He licked his lips uncertainly, wondering if the confusion and shock of her death had scrambled his memories. Maybe she had unknowingly transmitted the thought to him while speaking to them as she breathed her last. That was a possibility. Settling back to the ground, he began to meditate once more, trying desperately to settle his mangled nerves and emotions.
Several hours of meditation proved to be pointless, leaving Sage just as unhinged as when he had staggered out here. He pulled himself slowly ho his feet, throat tightening in disgust when he looked at what the girl had done to him. He slowly began to head back to the house, deciding that Cye and Ryo would probably need his help with Rowen and Kento.
Something in the far reaches of his mind clicked softly, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. Sensing nothing around him, he took a hesitant step towards Mia's house, freezing once more when a strange sensation tickled the back of his mind so softly that it was almost undetectable. He strained his eyes in the darkness, searching desperately for something that could set off his senses like that, but found nothing. He was about to start moving again when he heard the soft snapping of a twig not far from him, originating from somewhere within the dense cover of bushes to his left. One of the trees ahead rustled softly, causing Sage to curse mentally. Only one tree had moved. Whatever was out there, it had him completely surrounded.
Sage bolted in the direction of the house, hoping his new speed could save him if nothing else. He was unprepared for the attack as it came, a single wolf darting between his legs, the teeth sinking into his front left leg throwing him off-balance. A second wolf jumped in from the left, further unbalancing him as a third leapt down from a tree, the beast's weight throwing him onto his side as the rest of the pack darted in. Sage squeaked, rolling to his feet and making a point of stepping on several wolves in the process. Gathering all of his strength into his fists, he slammed the nearest wolf into a tree, gaping incredulously when it sprang back to its feet immediately. A similar blow had knocked Mieren across the yard and downed her for several seconds earlier today. One of the wolves, apparently the leader of the pack, growled sharply, causing all of the others to circle in a unified fashion, darting in simultaneously to seize legs and pull fiercely. Sage dropped to the ground abruptly, lashing out with his fists frantically as a wolf slipped in and seized his throat in its thick muzzle.
A bellow in the distance barely registered in his mind as the pack of wolves pulled him onto his side, teeth slashing viciously. He gulped in air pitifully as the wolf at his throat released him suddenly, a pained howl erupting from its throat. Sage's eyes fluttered open weakly to see a massive cougar darting among the wolves, claws sending the beasts running if they were still upright after the blows. In a matter of moments, the entire pack of thirty was either dead or dispersed. The mountain lion moved over to him, growl thrumming deep within its throat as it sniffed him skittishly. Great, he thought miserably, what next? A rabid bear to the rescue?
The cougar paused in snuffling him, looking at him with deep golden-brown eyes, tongue running along the length of its muzzle. Pushing past his feeble kicks, the cat began licking a thick gash along his ribs, leaping out of the way as he managed to take a swing at its head with one hoof. Circling him, the cat began again, this time standing directly behind him so that he could take no more wild swings in its direction. Finishing with the one trench, it moved onto another, occasionally throwing a glance at his face while licking a bloodstained muzzle.
Sage lifted his head slowly as he realized the cougar wasn't going to maul him. "Were you someone's pet or something?" he muttered dryly, eyeing the cat that was nearly the same size as White Blaze. The cougar cocked its head at a strange angle, regarding him carefully as he spoke. Turning away suddenly, it moved to his legs, pinning the nearest one gently with one paw as it began cleaning the deep lacerations. Sage craned his head to see the deep trench in his ribs, choking on a curse when he saw that the wound had stopped bleeding and looked almost half healed, a thin layer of pinkish skin covering the slash.
"Mieren?" he asked slowly, turning to face the cat fully.
The mountain lion froze in cleaning a set of fang marks in his leg to give him a guarded look, eyes narrowing. Something tickled the back of his mind again, the feeling so light that it almost wasn't there. Sage couldn't focus his mind clearly enough to place the feeling, sighing in exasperation as he lowered himself back to the ground wearily. The feeling came again, intensified slightly, pulling at him gently. He closed his eyes, opening his mind to the feeling there, entering a pale state of meditation and concentrating fiercely. The slight sensation sharpened to something that almost resembled a shocked denial.
Sage's eyes snapped open as he regarded that cougar once more. "That was you, right?" he whispered, blinking in surprise when the beast moved to rasp his face with an incredibly rough tongue. He grinned weakly, reaching out to pet the great cat's head, missing miserably as the massive feline shifted to resume work.
Something that was half growl, half whimper escaped the cougar's throat as it stood in front of him. Sage lifted his head, eyes widening when he saw what the beast was looking at, a nauseous feeling rising in his throat. His entire stomach had been ripped out, disemboweling him completely, the cougar unable to see anything from his thrashing, which unfortunately seemed to have caused more problems than he would have liked to admit. He reached down with an unsteady hand, not resisting when the cougar swatted his arm away. He tried to keep his legs still so he wouldn't do any further damage. The cougar only threw him an irritated glare before bolting into the woods once more.
* * *
Cye slumped in his chair at the table. He hadn't really expected anyone to make it to dinner anyway, but for all three of them to run him off when he tried to bring it to them was something that he hadn't anticipated. He sighed for at least the tenth time in the last five minutes, bending over to scratch White Blaze's upraised head wearily. The tiger jumped to his feet, growl rising and abruptly dying in his throat as he looked at the front door for a moment before darting upstairs. Cye blinked in confusion as he heard a door crash open upstairs, quickly followed by Ryo's furious cursing. White Blaze darted to the door, slamming it open without slowing as Ryo clung frantically to his back, swearing loudly at the tiger.
Cye had barely had time to pull himself to his feet when a mountain lion charged through the open door, fixing him in its sights immediately. He squeaked and turned to run as the great golden-brown cat charged him, slipping between his legs before turning to bolt out of the house with his rather unwilling passenger. Cye leapt off of the beast, spinning to bolt only to be cut off by the growling cougar who slipped under him again, holding his wrist in his mouth to make sure that he didn't escape again as he slipped into the darkness. In a matter of moments, White Blaze and the cougar were running side by side, Ryo and Cye exchanging incredulous glances and peering ahead uncertainly.
They were both unceremoniously dropped to the ground as the two cats skidded to a stop simultaneously. Ryo was on his feet immediately, turning to head back to the house to hole himself up in his room once more, White Blaze cutting him off with a furious roar before he had gone two steps. Both boys had their wrists snagged again as the cats pulled them forward demandingly, the cougar forcing Cye to his knees as he pulled the younger of the two towards something on the ground just in front of them. Cye shifted his eyes to accommodate to the dark without thinking, Ryo following his example immediately, both of them oblivious to the cougar's widening eyes as they saw Sage sprawled on the trail ahead. Cye was by his side in an instant.
"Oh God, Sage, what happened? Ryo, help me!"
Ryo nearly fainted when he saw his friend lying disemboweled on the ground, shallow breaths rasping in a half-healed throat.
* * *
"MIA! ROWEN! KENTO! Get down here NOW! Sage is hurt!"
Before Ryo's order had finished ringing through the house, Mia and Kento where in the room, followed by Rowen after a few seconds.
"What the hell is that?" Kento demanded, indicating the cougar.
"Later, Kento. Get the medical supplies."
The two great cats lowered themselves to the floor, gently depositing the injured Ronin to the ground as they slowly slid from beneath the mortally wounded boy. Cye moved forward quickly to untie the strips of his shirt holding Ryo's coat firmly to his friend's midsection. Rowen and Cye were instantly side by side, surrounded by sapphire and turquoise flames, respectively, as they inspected a delirious Sage.
"Let Turriv by," Sage gasped weakly, swatting at his two friends feebly.
"Turriv?" Cye asked slowly, silently questioning his friend's mental stability at the moment.
"The cougar," he panted, trying to push Cye out of the way again, succeeding this time in knocking the younger boy off to the side. The mountain lion immediately moved forward, trying to begin work again, ignoring the many sets of hands pulling at him. He swatted away the nearest boy, yelping as he singed his paw on the sapphire flames emanating from the youth. He got in another few licks before the boy that had been riding his young cousin pulled him away forcefully.
"Guys, let the cougar go," Mia whispered, ending the ensuing struggle.
"Why?" Kento demanded, placing himself firmly between the cat and Sage.
"Look at Sage," she murmured.
There was a moment of stunned silence before Kento stepped numbly aside to let the massive cat pass him, staring blankly at the half-healed gash in his friend's stomach. Everyone watched paralyzed as the wound lessened under the gentle cleaning of the mountain lion until a fragile layer of skin shone wetly from beneath the rasping tongue, leaving a ragged scar through the thick golden fur. The cougar inspected his work for a moment before settling down to begin washing himself, occasionally glancing around the room at the four boys and one girl staring at him intently.
"Um, let's get Sage to his bed," Ryo said slowly, freezing when the cougar leapt between the five of them and Sage, hissing angrily.
"I don't think we should move him," Cye whispered, eyes slightly unfocused.
"Shit, Cye! What's wrong with your eyes?" Kento cried out, grabbing his shoulders roughly as he peered more closely at the gray film shimmering across his friend's eyes. "Tell me that that thing isn't another one of them!"
Cye collapsed twitching in Kento's arms as the cougar turned his gaze on him, panting frantically and twisting futilely in attempt to escape the strong arms holding him. Ryo, Rowen and Mia moved closer, trying to get a better look at the flailing youth as his trembling increased, Ryo careful to hide behind Rowen so that Mia couldn't get a good look at him. Tears began streaming from the youngest Ronin's eyes.
"Turriv, slow down. You're hurting me. Please. It hurts!" Cye wailed into the room, his cry escalating into a shriek for a moment before Ryo spun to deck the cougar with a growl. The cougar blinked at Ryo in confusion for a moment as Cye's shrieks abated slowly, softening into a whimpering pant that wracked the slender boy's body for a few seconds before he passed out.
Kento lowered his best friend to the floor before rounding on the massive feline, eyes blazing furiously. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?" he all but screamed, fully intent on throttling the huge cat regarding him thoughtfully.
Rowen let out a soft noise, dropping to the ground promptly and clutching his head in quaking hands, his breathing growing ragged. He only trembled for a moment before losing consciousness and collapsing next to Cye. The cat snorted loudly.
Kento lost what little remained of his temper, tackling the cougar and trying to pin it to the ground as it playfully kicked at him with thick paws, claws carefully retracted. Kento would have none of it, slamming his fist into the heavily muscled side, earning a loud grunt from his opponent. The enormous cat promptly flipped him onto his back, sitting on his chest with what could only be called a smug expression.
Hardrock. The great cat paused for a moment, mouth opening in an approximation of a grin as he regarded the boy beneath him. Or should I say Diamond?
Kento nearly leapt out of his skin before going completely limp under the weight of the beast that seemed to by trying its hardest to crack his ribs. The cougar's mouth opened in an eerie proximity of a grin as it launched itself off of the dumbfounded boy, pushing him to his feet helpfully. Kento stepped away from the massive beast, paling further as it followed him lazily, eyes glittering golden in the pale light of the room. It spun to face the unconscious boy who had unwittingly singed his paw.
Rowen began muttering loudly in his sleep, the words frighteningly intelligible. "Kento?… yes, armor of Hardrock… no, she's not here… didn't make it… Kento killed her… betrayed us… she didn't fight back… fifth dimension?… no, it can't be manipulated like that… yes, a flash of gold in the distance… was that you?… what happened to Sage?… no, wolves aren't that strong… can't you heal better?… Sage is still hurt…" he trailed off abruptly, eyes snapping open. He gasped loudly, struggling to sit up, eyeing the cougar nervously. After clearing his throat raggedly, he looked up.
"Turriv says that Sage was taken down by a pack of wolves released by the Dynasty and that he can't do anything else for him. He says that he never was any good at healing. He wants you guys to know that Mieren brought him here to guard Kento," Rowen whispered, eyes watering as he regarded the person responsible for Mieren's death. He struggled with himself for a moment, his emotions raging across his face. He wanted to thrash Kento into an unidentifiable pulp for what he had done, yet at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to go against Mieren's last actions in her life. A cry escaped his throat as he darted up to his room, the door slamming closed sharply.
Kento's eyes bulged. That's what she had been doing? His throat tightened brutally, eyes misting. He scrubbed the back of his one good eye with his knuckles, not bothering trying to clear the one that would never see anything again. He had been trying to kill her, and she had used her energy to summon someone to guard him instead of defending herself. Spinning sharply, he darted out of the room, all too aware of the cougar that shadowed him silently as he slid into his room to weep in helpless frustration and guilt.
* * *
Cye jumped to his feet as Ryo moved to retreat to his room, catching the older boy's arm in a firm grip and giving him an irritated glare.
"Don't even think it," he snapped, pushing Ryo onto the couch. "I am not watching Sage by myself while the rest of you sulk. Don't glare at me like that. I don't care how uppity you are about your appearance right now. You're staying here. How do you think Sage feels? He's just as bad off as you are. Sit your ass down. Now. You're taking first watch, like it or not. Mia and I are going to bed," he hissed, blatantly refusing to acknowledge his friend's furious glare.
Ryo gave him a look that could have left his yari in a molten pool, but Cye returned the glare stubbornly until Ryo ground his teeth and nodded acquiescence.
Ryo growled in annoyance. Since when had Cye gotten so stubborn? Or developed a backbone for that matter? He sighed, leaning back in the couch and trying to ignore Mia's tear-filled eyes as she looked at him one last time before leaving the room. Ever since Mieren had shown up, there had been nothing but trouble. Not to say that it had been her fault, exactly, since things were just as bad if not worse now that she was gone. He scrubbed his hands through his unruly hair, forcing the wild black locks out of his face and tying them at the base of his neck. Cye was so different since having been captured by the Dynasty, his timid easy-going manner lost in a raging temper offset by a streak of uncharacteristic stubbornness. Rowen and Kento were both emotionally shot at the moment, and were likely to remain so for some time no matter what anyone did. As for himself and Sage… he sighed again, shoulders slumping.
Thinking of Sage, he leaned forward to check on his breathing, nodding slightly before leaning back. Whatever Turriv had done, Sage looked like he was going to be fine with just a little rest, and would probably suffer no lasting damage from the attack aside from a multitude of scars covering him. He nearly leapt out of his skin when Sage thrashed in his sleep, muttering unintelligibly.
He leaned forward again, blinking in confusion when he noticed that his friend was sweating heavily. Shit, he thought in irritation. He's running a fever. A bad one, too. Just what I needed. He sighed softly as he got up, heading to the kitchen for some cold water and some towels. Sopping a few of the small towels in cold water, he headed back to the living room, draping the sopped cloth across his friend's forehead and settling back on the couch when his tremors abated. After a few minutes when he was sure he had killed his friend's fever, he removed the soaking towels and leaned back to get a little rest, wondering idly how long Cye was going to be before taking his watch.
A soft rustling roused Ryo. He raised his head groggily, eyes snapping open when he looked at the empty spot on the floor where Sage had been. He was in a state of panic when Sage calmly walked in from the kitchen, blinking at him in surprise.
"Finally up?" Sage asked dryly, settling gingerly back to the floor with a small meal in hand. "I tried to wake you for nearly half of an hour before I gave up and got my own food," he said quickly when Ryo scowled darkly at him. Ryo grunted an answer and went into the kitchen for his own snack.
Plopping down on the floor in front of Sage, he squinted in the dim light to see if he was doing any better, shifting his eyes to crimson when he couldn't make out his features immediately. Sage jumped slightly.
"Stop that," he muttered, eyeing the ruby orbs glittering in the darkness just in front of him. "Turn on a light or something."
Ryo snorted in response, allowing his eyes to shift back when Sage continued to squirm uncomfortably. "How did you know Turriv's name? He dropped both Rowen and Cye by trying to talk to them. I'll be surprised if they're up and walking tomorrow considering how they were clutching their heads and yelling."
Sage shrugged. "I'm not sure. He was trying to talk to me for quite a while in the woods, but I couldn't hear him at all. I was only able to get the vaguest feelings from him and he seemed to be struggling to even get those across."
"Kento heard him without a problem."
"How do you know?"
"If you had seen him jump like he did with that expression on his face…"
"That bad, huh?"
"Yea, that bad. Kento was trying to cream him for dropping Rowen and Cye. He nearly had a seizure when the cougar sat on him and looked directly at him. I'm not exactly sure what he said, but it thoroughly unnerved Kento."
"Did you find out anything at all from Turriv?"
"Well, kinda," Ryo said slowly, chewing his lower lip. "He started talking to Rowen while he was unconscious. He said something about the fifth dimension, being unable to heal you any better than he already had, and about that flash of gold lightning earlier being him. He also told us that Mieren sent him to guard Kento."
Sage grimaced. "Rowen's not taking that very well, is he?"
Ryo didn't have to answer that, Sage's expression showing that he knew full well how badly his best friend was taking that particular bit of news.
Sage squinted at him suddenly, a soft greenish glow appearing behind his eyes, giving them an eerie molten appearance that set Ryo's skin crawling. "Shield's gone, isn't it?"
Ryo's head snapped up. "How can you tell that?"
"I placed the first shield on you, and was watching carefully as Mieren placed hers. The things are pretty obvious if you know what you're looking at." Seeing Ryo's hopeful expression, he sighed and leaned forward, grasping his friend's twisted face carefully in his hands. The two were enveloped by an emerald glow that lit up the room for a brief moment.
Ryo looked at his taloned hands, mouth tightening. "Sorry," Sage murmured. "That's all the stronger I can make the shield. I'm nowhere near as strong as Mieren was, you know." He froze as crimson flames began licking at Ryo gently, flickering in and out of existence erratically.
Ryo began to tremble fiercely, curling his fingers into fists and closing his eyes as all of the muscles in his body tightened almost to the point of tearing. His breathing became hoarse, a growl rising slowly in the back of his throat. His features blurred for a moment before he looked up triumphantly. Sage's eyes bulged.
"How in the hell do you keep doing that?" he demanded, eyeing Ryo incredulously.
"I'll tell you when I figure it out. You should go back to sleep."
Sage snorted unhappily, handing his plate to Ryo as he rolled slowly onto his side, very aware of the half-healed slash lining the length of his stomach. Ryo trotted to the kitchen, not realizing that he should have switched on a light when Sage had requested it. It would have been better for all of them if he had.
* * *
Roughly halfway through the night, Cye stumped downstairs slowly, knuckling his eyes fiercely and yawning loudly. Stepping into the blackness of the living room, he made a face and shifted his eyes to a deep ruby, scanning the room for a moment before moving unerringly over to Ryo. Shaking the snoring boy gently, he grinned ruefully as Ryo promptly squeaked and fell off of the couch at his first glimpse of a set of glowing eyes not three feet from him. Cye chuckled softly.
"That is not funny," Ryo grumped, shifting his eyes to match his friend's.
"Sure it is," Cye snickered. He sobered up quickly. "How's he doing?"
"He had a fever for about an hour, but I got it back down quick enough. He woke up not long ago to raid the kitchen, so I think he's doing fine."
Cye nodded slowly. With an injury like that, Sage shouldn't be eating anything just yet. But then again, Turriv had healed him, so it probably wasn't a problem. He appropriated Ryo's spot on the couch as the older boy staggered out of the room, still mostly asleep despite falling on his face.
Cye let out a deep breath as he settled into the couch, wishing he were still curled up in Ryo's bed, having been unable to get back into his own room. The last thing he had seen was Kento trying to lift the cat off of his bed so that he could throw it out into the hall, the great beast not complying in the slightest. In a way, it was almost as humorous as watching the heavy-set boy trying to take on White Blaze, the success rate being about the same.
Sage groaned and did his best to curl up on the floor, trembling slightly. Cye jumped down to inspect him quickly, making a face at his unconscious friend. He knew that Sage shouldn't have been eating anything just yet. He settled back on the couch. Idiot, he thought, you of all people should know better than to eat right now.
Cye leaned back on the couch, watching concernedly as Sage's trembling abruptly ceased, his panting changing suddenly to deep, steady breaths. Muscle cramp, Cye decided, yawning widely as he lost his battle to remain awake, head lolling limply to one side and a soft snore escaping his lips.
* * *
Kento yawned loudly, jaw creaking as he headed towards the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he cried out angrily. Someone had eaten the sub he had made earlier last night for his breakfast as a midnight snack. Grumbling in irritation, he began rooting through the fridge for something else edible, finally settling on a slab of cold turkey. Heading into the living room, he froze at the sight of Cye draped across the couch while Sage was sprawled across the floor.
"When da hell did ya go gray?" he mumbled around a mouthful of turkey.
Cye's eyes fluttered open slowly as he turned to regard his friend leaning against the wall just next to the doorway. "Wha?" he asked sleepily, scrubbing at one eye.
"Sage. Why is he gray?"
Cye was off of the couch and by his unconscious friend in an instant, jaw quivering violently as he stared at the gray fur that had been golden only last night. If that weren't strange enough, Sage's hair had changed to the same dull gray. Sensing that he was being inspected, he tried to push himself up, eyes peeling open slowly as he rose. Cye choked on a cry, sliding across the floor as quickly as he was able until his back slammed into the couch, eyes threatening to bulge out of his head.
"What?"
"Kento," Cye whispered, quivering slightly. "Go get Ryo."
Kento spun and darted out of the room, thoroughly unnerved by the terror in his best friend's voice. Within the span of two paces, a massive cougar was pacing him. Slamming open the door to Ryo's room and ignoring the indignant shouts, he lifted his friend across his shoulders and darted to the top of the stairs, depositing Ryo roughly.
"Cye needs your help!" he cried out as he careened down the stairs, pulling Ryo along in his wake.
Kento gasped as Sage looked up at them as they entered the living room, his normally crystal-blue eyes a pale green, yellow flecks surrounding his pupils heavily. Ryo skidded to a halt a few inches from Sage, dropping to his knees and grasping his friend's head in his hands, peeling back his eyelids to inspect his friend's irises.
"Oh God, not again," he whispered, thoughts drifting back to the tunnels.
"Guys," Sage began unsteadily, beginning to understand what was going on. "What are we going to do without Mie… um… someone to form a shield? I'm the only one who even knows vaguely how to do that, and I can't shield myself." Kento watched him worriedly, understanding quite well why his voice trailed off to a whisper by the end. Sage looked around the room, beginning to tremble, his eyes wild. "Ryo got a lot stronger when… and I'm already stronger than any of you," he whimpered, rising onto unsteady feet, ready to bolt towards the door.
Kento wasn't the only one to recognize the look on his friend's face. Ryo and Cye were immediately helping him block the front door, planting their feet surely and preparing themselves for a battle of strength and wills. Sage only looked at the three of them for a moment before turning and bolting out the back door. Curses rang through the house as the three Ronins started after their friend, losing him in the trees in a matter of seconds. Ryo leapt into the air, hoping to get a better view of the trails below, spitting vulgarities wildly when he realized that Sage knew he would try to follow like this and so had taken measures to remain hidden from an aerial view. After the three searched for nearly four hours, they collapsed in defeat, knowing that with as fast as Sage had become, he could be anywhere by now.
* * *
Sage stumbled clumsily to a stop roughly an hour after he could no longer see Ryo's silhouette soaring through the morning sky. Staggering to a halt near a huge oak, he blinked groggily, vainly attempting to force his eyes to focus. It shouldn't take them too long to get White Blaze and Turriv to trail me. They're bound to figure out eventually that if they can't see me, that the two cats will be able to follow me without a problem. He sighed. He had been trying to get away from the others. There was nothing that they could do and he didn't want to hurt any of them when he eventually lost control like Ryo had. He slid to the ground wearily, jaw tightening and eyes misting.
Sage was near the point of a nervous breakdown when something rustled in the bushes not far from him. He lurched to his feet abruptly, scowling. Not again, he thought wearily. Oh please, God, not again, he whimpered as a lone wolf slunk into the open, lips peeled away from terrifying canines. The beast took a single step forward, ears flattening to the dark head as Sage retreated several feet, watching the lithe animal warily. He didn't even have time to blink before another dozen shadowy forms leapt from the surrounding bushes, eyeing him carefully. Sage wailed softly as he eyed the rough circle of muscular forms surrounding him. His warrior instincts took over and he raised his arms defensively, refusing to go down without taking these bastards with him. The choice to fight was taken from him, however, as a snowy figure leapt out of the tree directly above him, slashing at the nearest golden-eyed canine. The wolf howled in agony, tearing away from the blurred figure as fast as it was able to move on its three remaining legs. The beast only had time to move three strides before a second strike from the pearly figure dropped it to the cold earth for the last time.
The snowy figure began a whirlwind attack, mangling anything that came within its considerable reach. In a matter of moments, all of the wolves lay still on the ground, most of them never having had the time to turn to flee the ensuing chaos. As the battle ended, the pallid figure dropped to the ground, barely breathing, not having the strength to pant properly. Sage moved forward cautiously, studying the abomination lying before him carefully before kneeling to offer assistance to the trembling creature.
Thin membranous wings lay limp in a pathetic attempt to remain furled, mostly obscuring the long, whip-like tail. Past that, the creature looked almost human, if one could ignore the fact that the thing couldn't have weighed more than fifty pounds for all of its apparent six-foot height. Sage's mouth hung limp. It was nothing more than a mass of skin stretched tightly over sharply protruding bones. Opal hair hung to the creature's waist, silken waves falling wildly about the gaunt frame. Sage reached out, openly wondering if there was anything he could do for the thing that had just saved him, seeing as how there were no external injuries for him to heal. Like I could heal it even if it were hurt, he grumped, thoroughly infuriated beyond calming.
Sage nearly jumped out of his skin as the thing opened its eyes for a moment, regarding him with blank orbs, no irises or pupils apparent. A skeletal hand reached towards him, dropping to the ground as the thing immediately passed out once more. He swallowed nervously. What was it? Another demon from Mieren's dimension? Coming upon that thought, Sage began to idly wonder if it was male or female. With something as starved as this creature appeared to be, the chest would be no indication in determining the gender. He flicked the thing's shirt back slightly, gaping at the hollowed stomach, caving so far back as to nearly reach the backbone. I could wrap one hand around its waist without even straining. Good God! How can it still be alive? How could it have fought like that? It has to be nearly dead.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Sage hooked one finger in the waist-band of the winged creature's pants, pulling them forward ever so slightly and peering down the baggy garment. Definitely female, he decided, one eyebrow lifting marginally. He froze at what he was doing. This wasn't like him at all! He remembered how Ryo had lost control in the caves, closing his eyes and mind against the memory. How long did he have? He had to keep better control than this.
Sage scrubbed his hand through ever-darkening hair, trying vainly to pull himself together, to gather what sanity and self-control he had left and preserve whatever remained of his own personality. His concentration was shattered as a cool hand traced his jaw-line gently, running the silken fingers under his chin to guide his gaze towards the starved figure swaying gently on the ground. The deathly white girl locked her hand on his shoulder, pulling herself to a sitting position for a moment before slumping bonelessly against him, pale echoes of tremors running through her slight frame.
"Did Mieren send you?" he asked softly, opening his mind entirely as he listened intently for a response, not surprised when he didn't get one.
The skeletal hand resumed its tracing of his jaw, sliding down his neck and chest almost appreciatively before slipping around his ribs to grope blindly at his shoulder blades and neck. Sage shivered slightly as the icy hand slid through a thick strip of fur running along his backbone, a patch that should not have been there. At the first sign of his shuddering, a tremulous wing unfurled unsteadily to enshroud him almost comfortingly.
The girl raised her milky hands to his face once more, her silken skin cool against his own, and began caressing his face gently. Sage closed his eyes, drawing back slightly. As reassuring and comforting as the pale girl was trying to be at the moment, he began to grow irritated. He didn't want her, or anyone else's, pity.
When he moved to draw away, the skeletal figure clung to him feebly, unable to maintain a grip of any sort as he pulled away. She collapsed to the ground limply as he rose to his feet, crying piteously and reaching out towards him helplessly. Sage grimaced, turning to move deeper into the wooded areas. The girl, whatever she was, seemed nice, and he wanted no part in hurting her if he was unable to restrain himself even for a moment. He hadn't gone more than a few steps before a soft padding alerted him that he was being followed. Sage spun, finding the snowy figure wobbling after him pathetically, almost unable to remain on her feet, the softly swirled browns and greens of her baggy clothes hiding her quite well, blending her with the surrounding landscape perfectly if not for her unnaturally white skin and hair.
"Stop following me," he muttered, eyes narrowing irritably.
For a response, the slender girl walked up to him slowly, hooking one wing across his shoulders to aid herself as she scrambled onto his back quickly. Sage's jaw dropped as she wriggled softly to find a comfortable position, slipping her arms under his and clasping her hands at the base of his ribcage, wings curling over his shoulders limply.
"Get off," he ordered darkly, beginning to tremble furiously.
Without waiting for the girl to reply, he snagged her by one wing and physically hauled her off of his back to hold her in front of him at arm's length, scowling fiercely. He was about to throw her on the ground and stalk away angrily when he heard a low chuckle from behind him.
"Has the eternal flirt lost his ways? One would think that you would welcome the girl seeing as how your last plaything died and all."
Sage's face contorted in fury at the sound of Cale's voice. Sage spun nimbly, dropping the girl to the ground roughly and charging forward in a blind rage. A swirl of green fire surrounded his hands for a moment, shooting out in front of him and solidifying into his no-dachi.
"Shit!" Cale cried out as Sage darted out of the shadows, becoming clear to the Warlord for the first time. "What in the hell happened to you?" he squeaked, his mind not registering that he was about to be run down by an infuriated Sage.
Sage bunched his muscles as he ran, launching himself at the mortified Warlord standing on a branch well up into a tree. Cale squeaked as the no-dachi slashed at him, barely dodging the glowing blade as Sage careened by, kicking the Warlord fiercely as he passed. Cale lost his footing and plunged from the tree, dissolving into a whirl of black flames just before crashing into the ground.
Sage landed surely, spinning to face where Cale would have landed, scowling when he saw that his opponent had fled. He blinked in surprise at the no-dachi in his hands, mulling over what to do with his sword when it disappeared in a flash of emerald light.
He scrubbed his hand through his hair, understanding immediately why Cale had been so thoroughly unnerved by his appearance. His jaw had long since stretched out to a length that could be considered a muzzle, and his hands had degenerated into talons. He knew without looking that his eyes were glowing fiercely golden, even in the shadows. He looked himself over hesitantly, horrified by the thick gray fur that seemed to be covering him almost completely, only missing a few ever-shrinking patches on his chest and back.
Sage closed his eyes tightly, head and shoulders drooping dejectedly. He took a deep breath to steady himself, nearly jumping out of his skin when a hand was placed gently on his back. He only had time to turn and stare in shock before the skeletal girl pulled herself up to her previous seat, wrapping her arms contentedly about him.
"Now look," Sage began, reaching over his shoulder to pull her off him again, freezing dumfounded when she shifted to rest her chin on his shoulder, her cheek nuzzled against his. Well, I suppose she wouldn't see anything wrong with the way I look, considering what she is. He sighed, raking his hair out of his eyes. Besides, when have I ever objected to having a girl wrapped around me?
Wandering randomly for about an hour, he looked up in a mixture of confusion and amazement when he realized that he was heading back to Mia's. He was about to turn around when the girl on his back moved for the first time since wrapping herself about him, gently indicating through her legs and arms with minimal pressure that she didn't want him to turn. Sage scowled. He wasn't about to be led about like a horse. With an effort, he forced his temper under control, grinding his teeth as he reminded himself that she couldn't speak and was communicating in the only fashion she could. He proceeded to ignore her, spinning to head where he wanted. She immediately slid off of his back, snagging one of his wrists and tugging determinedly in the direction he had been going. When he didn't follow her lead, she dug her heels into the ground, pulling with more strength that Sage would've given her credit for. He took one step forward reluctantly, refusing to fall on his face just to keep from losing a few inches of ground. His face betrayed a hint of awe as she forced him forward inch by inch, her breathing growing ragged rapidly. The girl shuddered suddenly, losing her hold on him and dropping to the ground.
Sage watched her where she lay on the ground, chest constricting when he realized that she was not breathing. Dropping to his knees, he felt gingerly at her throat for a pulse. Not finding one, he frantically began trying to resuscitate her, thankful that he had taken several first-aid classes before he had learned how to heal. He moved to breathe into her lungs for the fourth time, ceasing abruptly as she rapped his skull with her knuckles, glaring at him in annoyance. She pointed in the direction she wanted to go, climbing onto his back once more. Sage ground his teeth as he started forward reluctantly. He would drop her off at the house then leave. The guys could deal with her.
After only ten minutes of walking, the skeletal figure went completely limp across his back. Sage pulled her off, attempting to revive her when he noticed that her heart had stopped again. He hadn't been at it for more than a moment before her eyes fluttered open and she thumped him again, climbing back onto her place. Sage's left eye developed an irritated tick as he started moving again.
When her breathing stopped for a third time, Sage merely reached over his shoulder to poke the girl in the forehead, nearly losing a finger as her teeth clicked shut just short of his hand. He didn't bother her when she stopped breathing for the fourth time. After another three hours of the swift pace he had set, he reached the edge of the woods, peeking carefully across the lawn to make sure that no one was there. They were probably all still out looking for him. He made it across the lawn and had deposited his burden before he heard something trying to sneak around behind him.
Sage spun around, ready to fight. He blinked when he saw White Blaze and Turriv dart out of the trees, quickly followed by his four friends in their subarmor. Sage stepped back, preparing to bolt when a tiger and cougar pinned him to the ground after only a moment of struggling with him. He pushed them off angrily, getting a full three strides away from the house before a black wolf careened into him, sending him sprawling in the dirt once more. Pushing Ryo off him with surprising difficulty, he tried again to leave, encountering Rowen and Cye, both surrounded by wild flames. Cords of raw energy restrained him, holding him to the ground while Ryo continued to try to pin him, Kento holding his feet the best he could.
Sage sank into the ground suddenly, gasping in horror when he saw that he was buried to his waist in the stony soil. He glared accusingly at Rowen and Cye, discarding the notion that those two had done it upon seeing their incredulous expressions. He shifted his gaze quickly to the snowy figure leaning against the house calmly, pale green and brown swirled clothes shifting slightly in the gentle breeze.
Kento plucked his hands out of the earth with only a little difficulty, glancing at the two boys that were no longer glowing.
"Why didn't you two just do that in the first place?" he muttered.
"We didn't!" Cye wailed defensively, turning to Rowen helplessly.
Ryo shrugged, shifting into his human form, calling his subarmor so as not to be standing in the nude while trying to figure out what to do.
"You rat!" Sage snarled, whipping his arm forward suddenly to chunk a small stone at the girl from where she still leaned against the house casually. He blinked in confusion at his friends' open-mouth stares until he realized what he had just said, or rather, had tried to say. The words that had escaped his mouth were nothing more than twisted growls. He clicked his teeth shut and tried not to make eye contact with any of the others.
"Can you do anything, Turriv?" Ryo asked slowly, never taking his eyes off his trembling friend.
"Not a thing," Kento muttered, staring at the ground forlornly.
"I don't know what I'm doing well enough to try anything like that, and neither does Rowen," Cye murmured slowly.
Sage growled in frustration, chunking another rock at the figure standing motionless behind the four idiots staring at him. This time they turned around when the girl yelped sharply as the stone pegged her squarely between the eyes. The sight greeting them was that of Turriv curled up at the girl's feet while White Blaze blatantly ignored her very existence, the girl alternately rubbing her head and glaring in their direction.
Rowen walked over to her quickly, jaw trembling as he drew nearer. He closed his eyes and hugged her fiercely, muttering Mieren's name in the snowy hair.
"Rowen, don't do this to yourself, man," Ryo said slowly, preparing to pry his friend off of the strange girl when enormous pearly wings enveloped the boy hugging her, Rowen disappearing completely within the silken folds of skin. His yelp echoed across the yard as the wings folded about him and he began fighting his way free of the girl's embrace. The pale girl grinned widely at his antics, rewarding them all with a view of perfectly straight teeth, canines much too long to be human.
Sage glared at Rowen as though his best friend had just lost his mind. The only similarities in appearance that he could see between the two were their height and gender. The resemblance ended there.
"Can you do anything for him?" Ryo asked slowly, sighing in frustration when she only raised her head to regard him blankly. "Kento, could you?"
Kento sighed, looking towards the great cougar that he had learned how to speak to gradually while they were following Sage. Golden eyes raised to lock with his own for a moment before the enormous cat twisted his head to look at the snowy figure.
Kento blinked at the response. "She wants to know what exactly we're talking about. Right now she is just curious as to whether or not we actually want him freed from the ground." He suddenly looked like he wanted to rip his hair out as he locked eyes with the cougar once more.
The girl glanced over at Sage from where she leaned against the house, looking almost loath to leave her comfortable position. She ambled over to where Sage was planted in the ground, dropping to the earth lazily. She grasped his head in her hands, opal flames licking her gaunt form as she regarded him cheerily. Shrugging slightly, she turned to Turriv. Kento scowled.
"She wants to know if we wouldn't prefer to leave him like he is now," he muttered darkly, his one good eye glittering dangerously. "Turriv says that she thinks he's cute as is."
The deathly pale girl grimaced at the five scowls thrown in her direction, grasping Sage's head once more. The flames shot about her in a virtual inferno, both she and Sage vanishing in the brilliant light. The flames died to reveal Sage as he had been before the wolves attacked him, still buried in the ground to his waist, only parts of his golden back showing through, the ashen girl sprawled bonelessly beside him. Ryo, Cye and Kento began trying to pull their friend out of the ground, grinning foolishly, while Rowen hesitantly lifted the girl in his arms, trying to ignore Turriv's angry snarls.
TBC…
Another day, another chapter retrieved from the more or less totaled hard drive. These chapters are long and I have to fix them before I can repost. Stupid computer. R&R.