Those Who Fear the Dark
Chapter 1
"Those who fear the dark have never seen what the light can do."
- a "Magic – The Gathering" card
"Hey, yo! Sage man, how's it hanging?"
Sage laughed at the large boy's greeting. "What's up Kento?"
"Hey, ya know. Rowen's got detention again." Kento brushed his blue-grey hair out of his eyes. He still wore his uniform from football practice. It was drenched in sweat but he wasn't breathing hard at all. A summer of fighting as a Ronin Warrior was great conditioning for his game. It had taken all the guys a while to get back into the swing of things after all that excitement, but they eventually fell back into their normal lives. 'Course for Rowen that meant getting into trouble.
"What he do this time?"
"Tried to plant a camera in the girl's locker room."
"Would've gotten away with it too if you could keep your big mouth shut Kento." The blue-haired delinquent himself entered the scene. "But nooo… you were too excited about seeing Karie Chang in her panties. That ah can understand but then you had to go ruin the nookies for the rest of us."
"Aww, Kento. Great going you ass."
"Come off it Sage, you've already seen her in her undergarments. And probably out of them!"
"Nah, we didn't go far before we broke up. But she's got a body!"
"Anyways, Casanova, Kento 'ere's just lucky that he got out of detention. However, he's not as lucky as he thinks 'cause ah got stuck with it!" With that statement out of his mouth, Rowen proceeded to jump the big Chinese boy.
Sage grinned as he watched the two knock each other around. This stuff tended to be par for the course with Rowen. His grin faded, though, when he noticed the bruise on Rowen's arm when his shirt rode up. Unfortunately, normal life for Rowen meant getting his ass beaten by his father whenever Mr. Hashiba felt that his son was getting uppity with him. That was when he was sober. When he was drunk – most the time- he didn't even need that excuse. Sage knew that Rowen actually welcomed when his father got really drunk because then he was too out of it to even notice his son. But even that hurt him. After all, half the time, his mother didn't even notice his existence enough to show up at the train station when it was her turn to take him. Sage couldn't image how Rowen dealt with his father, but he could symphasize with Rowen's feelings about his mother. His own parents had virtually abandoned him and his sisters. Their grandfather had been left to raise them. His mother worked until late night, early morning at the hospital and he was lucky if he got to see his dad more than twice a week. His jaw tightened and he clenched his fists in anger. They were never there! He had spent his last birthday alone. His sixteenth birthday and it was just like the one before. Mom had to be at the hospital, Dad at the station. Yayoi was at college and even Grandfather had to teach at the dojo. Not that that was a bad thing – the less he saw of his grandfather, the better, he felt. His little sister had offered to stay but he sent her off to her friends. There was no reason for the two of them to be miserable. Fuck. So his parent's didn't care. Damn them anyways.
All this passed through his mind in a matter of moments. That's because that's when it hit him what time it was. "Damn it people! Get your asses off the ground! We're gonna miss the bus!" And if he was late, he was going to catch hell from his Grandfather.
"Fuck! Damn it, Kento, I'm in enough trouble all ready!"
"Shut the hell up Rowen. You started it and Mama Fung's NOT going to be happy if she has to pick me up again."
"So will you two stuff it so we can go! Let's move!" The three broke into a run, praying to make it to the bus station before they missed their bus and all of their asses were late.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
They had missed the bus. Luckily, Mama Fung had been able to pick them up. She was used to Kento's antics. She may throw a fit (Kento had been grounded for a week) but she loved her son and was fond of his friends. She had been playing mother to Rowen ever since Kento first brought him home but the quiet blond was a bit of an enigma. He seemed nice enough, quite courteous towards her and she knew that his father was a cop and his mother a doctor. His family was well respected and both of the elder Date men were well known for teaching at the dojo. However, Sage seemed almost… closed off somehow. He tended to draw into himself almost the same way Rowan did. She knew that Rowen did it to hid his pain – but Sage… She had seen him angry once. He had just finished talking on the phone to someone and his eyes – they had been frightening. So cold…but he was a Ronin Warrior, like her son and Rowen and the other two. Yet, for the warrior of light, he seemed to have a hidden dark side. 'No.' She shook her head. Sage was a good kid. A little different maybe but all of the boys had been through a lot. So Mrs. Rei Fung waved pleasantly at Sage as she dropped him off at his house and drove away.
"Sage…."
Sage finished waving to Mrs. Rei Fung, then turned around, the smile on his face quickly disappearing. "What Grandfather?"
"Don't speak to me that way. You're late. Again."
"I'm sorry Grandfather."
"Sorry! This is the third time this week! If you feel you can lounge around when you're supposed to be home during the week, then you can make up lost time this weekend!"
"Grandfather, this is the weekend we're all going to Mia's!"
"All but you."
"Grandfather…."
"Sage – if you question my decision one more time you may spend the weekend in the cellar."
Sage was quiet. Fuming but quiet. When he was a little kid, he had spent a lot of time locked in the cellar. His grandfather felt it was just punishment for misbehavior of any sort. He hated it. Sage disliked the dark under any circumstances but being in that damp cellar made it that much worse. So he turned and walked into the house to change for practice. Funny, when he thought about it, Yayoi had never been punished that way. But then again, Yayoi had never misbehaved. She was perfect in his grandfather's eyes. Yeah, right. Satsuki was lucky – she never had to put up with their grandfather. By the time she was born, Yayoi was old enough to watch her and when Yayoi got into high school, Sage took over.
"Hnn."
"Boo."
What the hell!" Sage whirled around. There was a…a… Well, it was some type of demon! Standing right behind him! It had little devil horns and a tail, but…. It was blue! And it was wearing a suit of all things! And a pair of Nike sneakers! What the hell kind of demon was this anyways?
"A very important one."
"You can read my thoughts!"
"Yeah, yeah. Come on now. Put that damn youri down. If you think I'm stupid enough to let you call your armor then I've overrated you. And I'd hate to think that I'd made a mistake like that." Damn the boy's armor. He hadn't planned on such an interference. He and the Ancient one had made a deal! Well, it would complicate things but his over-all plan should work out still.
"So then, now are you ready to talk?"
Sage was thrown off guard. This demon wanted to talk with him! What the hell! He killed demons – he didn't hold conversations with them! But this demon hadn't attacked him at all. Sage's confusion grew as the demon just looked at him and tapped his foot impatiently. The Ronin wasn't sure what to do.
"Look here. I don't have much time. I'm keeping your grandfather from wondering where you are but the spell loses its efficiency quickly." Sage was visibly startled. So this demon could work magic.
"Most can you know."
"You just read my mind again! What's going on here? What did you do to my Grandfather?"
Kra'ak's face twisted in rage. "That's enough!" he howled. Sage found himself hurled backwards into his chair. He still has a hold of his youri but when he opened his mouth he found he couldn't speak. "No more interruptions. I came here to speak cordially to you but now you're just going to have to sit down, shut up, and listen."
Sage glared at him, furious. How dare this demon do this to him! His ice blue eyes flickered dangerously.
"Don't threaten me kid. You don't have the power – and I'm not talking about your precious armor. I ran into the Ancient a loooooong time ago. Now then, my name is Kra'ak. A long time ago, even before Talpa, that egotistical floating head… Anyways, before even him, I held sway over these lands. However, my minions and I were driven out. You wanna say something? Say it quickly."
"All of a sudden, Sage discovered that the invisible gag has vanished. "Oh, boo hoo. Real sad story. So the good guys kicked your ass and threw you out. That's got shit to do with me or the other Ronins."
"Well, certainly nothing to do with them. But my presence here has everything to so with you, little mage."
Now Sage began to worry. If this whole thing was related to his magic usage, he couldn't turn to the guys for help. He didn't even want to think about how pissed off they'd be at him. Sage was getting the feeling that he was in some seriously deep shit.
"Now may I continue?" The demon lord leaned back against Sage's dresser. "I was imprisoned in my own little 'netherealm', locked away from the mortal realm by an abyss. But through the abyss I can observe the mortal realm. I found that I could send a projection of myself, armed with some portion of my powers, into this mortal realm."
"So this is just an astral projection of yourself then."
"Correct little mage. You are wise."
"Don't call me that!"
"Anyways little mage, I began to 'recruit' people to my cause. Magic-users – like yourself. I might not be able to physically enter your realm but mortals can enter mine. These magic-users choose to serve me and become my generals.
Sage snorted. "Choose. Yeah. Right. What did you do – brainwash them?"
"I can't. They must come to me of their own free will." Of course, the boy wasn't going to know of how many, many ways Kra'ak had learned to manipulate free will.
Sage just looked at him. The demon couldn't really expect him to believe what he said! Yet, a shadow of doubt began to creep into Sage's mistrust. Why, then, was the demon – was Kra'ak – just talking to him?
Kra'ak sensed the boy's confusion and had to hold back a smile. Everything was working so perfectly. "So then, little mage, that's my story. My generals were defeated by your Ronin predecessors and others like them. No new strong magic-users have emerged in a very long time. Until you."
Sage narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. So Kra'ak was finally getting to the point. "You want me."
"Yes. That would be obvious by now, of course. I want you to serve me."
Sage laughed just once – a short, angry laugh. "I'm a Ronin – like the ones who defeated you. You actually think I'd help you!"
"You are a Ronin." Kra'ak softened his voice. His tone became – almost sympathetic. " But you're just a boy – not an adult as they were. And you're a mage. That is obviously important to you because you have kept that fact a secret even from your fellow Ronins."
Sage looked down at his white fists. Damn him. Damn him for speaking the truth.
Kra'ak's voice softened another notch. "And you're so very, very young little mage. A teenage boy – just turned 16. And what has this world offered you and your friends? A young boy without out a mother loses his father as well. Years spent at a miserable orphanage until his grandmother finds him and rescues him."
'Ryo.'
"Another young boy loses his father as well. His overprotective mother drags him back to a homeland he barely remembers."
'Cye.'
"Yet another struggles to make out the words on a page. His intelligence is equal to any others and his kindness is greater yet he's teased and tortured by teachers and peers for a simple handi-cap."
'Kento.'
"Still another lives without knowing the meaning of love. With a drunkard father who beats him and a mother who doesn't care that he exists."
'Rowen.'
"The last one also lives without love. A mother and father too engrossed in their own lives to ever be present. A grandfather who offers nothing but insult and discipline. Even his sisters have taken off on their own lives – uncaring."
'Me.'
Kra'ak did grin this time. The lad couldn't see it because he was staring down at his hands. The boy looked weary, worn down, defeated. "And with all this shit that the world has thrown at them, some old fogey whose time is long past, still expects them to risk their lives to save it." A whisper from the demon. "But you can change that."
No! Sage looked up, defiant. He would not let this demon get to him! "Forget it! I'm not joining you!"
"Fine." The word was passed as a sentence. Sage found himself lifted into the air, almost strangling. Then he was dropped to the floor, all supernatural forces disappearing. He looked up at the demon lord, gasping for air.
Kra'ak had expected his response. The demon lord wasn't dumb – he knew the boy would take persistence. "I shall give you time to think Sage of the Halo. Until next time my little mage."
Sage couldn't prevent himself for shuddering in repulsion and disgust as the demon lord laid his hand in his head. "I will NEVER serve you Kra'ak!" He tried to shout it but his voice rasped and the demon lord had already faded into nothing.
"Oh shit." Sage collected himself. He tried to stand but doubled over, clutching his stomach. His magical senses were going haywire. He didn't have much time before he'd have to go confront his grandfather but he needed to rest a few minutes. "Oh shit. What's happening to me!?"