Chapter 2
Mia tried to control her rage but it was impossible. Who was Arago to hurt
Shuu just to bring them out into the open, to be slaughtered like cattle so
a demon could have his way with worlds? Not this time, no sir, she would see
to that.
"Let's go." She ordered swiftly, and walked down the road.
"Where are we going?" He asked.
"To save my other friends before they end up as Arago's toys." Softer… "I
won't let them suffer."
"Do you think they will know where Nasuti and Shuten are?"
"Very well may, they knew about you." To Anubis's surprised, she let out a
small chuckle. " 'Nasty'? Is my twin that bad? What kind of a name is that?"
"I find it a beautiful name for a beautiful woman."
She smiled, "And Shuten… it just suits you so well."
"Good to see you lovebirds again." A familiar voice rang out in the
distance.
Mia ran ahead, she couldn't wait to see him again.
"Ryo!!" She embraced her old friend.
"I missed you, girl!"
Anubis caught up with them, recognizing Ryo's twin but not the woman next to
him.
"I am forever in your debt, Mia Koji. You have reunited me with my own
lover, Luna." Ryo smiled as he introduced them.
"Thank you so much, Mia." Luna smiled at her.
"I'm so happy for you, Ryo, but I need your help."
"Anything."
"Shuu's been kidnapped by Arago."
Ryo's fist clenched. "I knew he was making trouble for us, I just didn't
know how much. I'll help you get him back, Mia."
"Me too," Luna said, and before Ryo could protest she added, "If it weren't
for you, I wouldn't be with Ryo. I plan to be with him wherever he goes, so
we will always be together."
Ryo nodded in agreement.
"Thank you. The more allies the better. Do you know where Nasuti and Shuten
are?" Anubis asked.
Luna shook her head. "Lure and Kaos told Nasuti and Shuten early of Arago's
plans. To protect themselves and their twins, they went into hiding, and
told no one of their whereabouts, so Arago and his thugs couldn't find
them."
Mia was unfazed by the news. "We'll find them, I know we will. Let's get
Touma."
They entered the city and fought the masses to Touma's restaurant.
Surely 'Touma' is Cye's twin, Anubis thought to himself as they walked in
thru the doors, until a white tiger knocked over Mia and licked her face
like a dog. White Blaze is TOUMA?!
"Byakuen!" Touma scolded from the kitchen doors. "I told you before, no
jumping on the costumers!"
Anubis sweatdropped. ROWEN was TOUMA!!
He stormed out to attempt to drag Byakuen off, and then he saw Mia.
"Mia! You're back!" Touma lifted her off the floor.
"It's great seeing you again, but I need to ask for your help."
"Anything, but first, let's eat!" He escorted them to a table, and then he
and Byakuen went to the kitchen to get the food.
"Does Touma actually cook the food, or is Cye tied up in back?" Anubis
whispered to Mia.
"You'll live," She reassured him. "Shuu gets fat on Touma's cooking."
"Shuu has the Inferno armor for stomach defenses."
Mia didn't say a word, only pointed to the train of carts overloaded with
food snaking its way to their table. Anubis mentally apologized about his
misgivings and piled a fair amount of food on his plate, only to wolf it
down seconds later.
Ryo sweatdropped, watching this guy eat. "Shuu's back, he processed Anubis."
Touma slid in next to Mia after giving Byakuen his own banquet. After
everyone had an appetizer of a plate apiece, with Anubis as the exception,
inhaling four, Mia got down to business.
"And he's after Nasuti and Shuten to kill them and us." Mia explained.
Byakuen let out the most blood-curdling roar you never heard, making him the
demon instead of a domestic tiger.
"I'm sorry Mia, I don't know." Touma hung his head in shame. "But I'll find
them soon enough. With Shin on our team, we'll take on Arago head on."
Everyone was soon satisfied, leaning back in their chairs and patting their
stomachs. Touma snapped his fingers, the signal for Jun to come and bring
the dishes back to the kitchen for cleaning. He waited, and waited, and
waited. No Jun. He snapped them again more urgently, and saw Jun rush out of
the doors, drop to his knees and beg Touma-sama to forgive his tardiness.
Or he saw the scene in his mind's eye. Still no Jun.
Fed up with his insolence, Touma rose to his feet and bellowed, "JUN!! GET
OUT HERE NOW!!"
He came, but the obedient servant manner was gone. "What?" The boy snapped
at his master, malice reeking from his presence. Anubis instinctively
shielded Mia, anticipant of an attack.
Touma narrowed his eyes, fingering the dagger he had hidden. Jun worked for
Arago, that's all he needed to know.
Jun saw his cover was blown but he didn't care. To catch them by surprise or
on guard mattered nothing; his true form would finish them either way. The
skin of a boy peeled away, revealing the hard as iron black scales of a
dragon. He screeched his challenge, confident of his victory.
"Byakuen, get them out of here!" Ryo ordered, unsheathing his katanas. He
ducked a flame spurt, jumped into the air, and connected with the beast's
neck, only to be deflected by scales as hard as stone. The dragon smirked as best he could and smacked Ryo hard into the floor, making a Ryo body print.
Mia saw no more as Byakuen dragged her and Anubis out of there. "Go to Shin's." She ordered the tiger, and he maneuvered expertly among the
crowds of the streets and free into the Yamato Plains. The trip was silent,
save the swishing of the tall grass as Byakuen swept thru them and the
mutters and sighs of the night's creatures in the forest bordering the far
side of the plains. It helped to cool their anger, as they took in the
innocence and beauty of the land, and knew what it was exactly they were
fighting for.
Mia tried to control her rage but it was impossible. Who was Arago to hurt
Shuu just to bring them out into the open, to be slaughtered like cattle so
a demon could have his way with worlds? Not this time, no sir, she would see
to that.
"Let's go." She ordered swiftly, and walked down the road.
"Where are we going?" He asked.
"To save my other friends before they end up as Arago's toys." Softer… "I
won't let them suffer."
"Do you think they will know where Nasuti and Shuten are?"
"Very well may, they knew about you." To Anubis's surprised, she let out a
small chuckle. " 'Nasty'? Is my twin that bad? What kind of a name is that?"
"I find it a beautiful name for a beautiful woman."
She smiled, "And Shuten… it just suits you so well."
"Good to see you lovebirds again." A familiar voice rang out in the
distance.
Mia ran ahead, she couldn't wait to see him again.
"Ryo!!" She embraced her old friend.
"I missed you, girl!"
Anubis caught up with them, recognizing Ryo's twin but not the woman next to
him.
"I am forever in your debt, Mia Koji. You have reunited me with my own
lover, Luna." Ryo smiled as he introduced them.
"Thank you so much, Mia." Luna smiled at her.
"I'm so happy for you, Ryo, but I need your help."
"Anything."
"Shuu's been kidnapped by Arago."
Ryo's fist clenched. "I knew he was making trouble for us, I just didn't
know how much. I'll help you get him back, Mia."
"Me too," Luna said, and before Ryo could protest she added, "If it weren't
for you, I wouldn't be with Ryo. I plan to be with him wherever he goes, so
we will always be together."
Ryo nodded in agreement.
"Thank you. The more allies the better. Do you know where Nasuti and Shuten
are?" Anubis asked.
Luna shook her head. "Lure and Kaos told Nasuti and Shuten early of Arago's
plans. To protect themselves and their twins, they went into hiding, and
told no one of their whereabouts, so Arago and his thugs couldn't find
them."
Mia was unfazed by the news. "We'll find them, I know we will. Let's get
Touma."
They entered the city and fought the masses to Touma's restaurant.
Surely 'Touma' is Cye's twin, Anubis thought to himself as they walked in
thru the doors, until a white tiger knocked over Mia and licked her face
like a dog. White Blaze is TOUMA?!
"Byakuen!" Touma scolded from the kitchen doors. "I told you before, no
jumping on the costumers!"
Anubis sweatdropped. ROWEN was TOUMA!!
He stormed out to attempt to drag Byakuen off, and then he saw Mia.
"Mia! You're back!" Touma lifted her off the floor.
"It's great seeing you again, but I need to ask for your help."
"Anything, but first, let's eat!" He escorted them to a table, and then he
and Byakuen went to the kitchen to get the food.
"Does Touma actually cook the food, or is Cye tied up in back?" Anubis
whispered to Mia.
"You'll live," She reassured him. "Shuu gets fat on Touma's cooking."
"Shuu has the Inferno armor for stomach defenses."
Mia didn't say a word, only pointed to the train of carts overloaded with
food snaking its way to their table. Anubis mentally apologized about his
misgivings and piled a fair amount of food on his plate, only to wolf it
down seconds later.
Ryo sweatdropped, watching this guy eat. "Shuu's back, he processed Anubis."
Touma slid in next to Mia after giving Byakuen his own banquet. After
everyone had an appetizer of a plate apiece, with Anubis as the exception,
inhaling four, Mia got down to business.
"And he's after Nasuti and Shuten to kill them and us." Mia explained.
Byakuen let out the most blood-curdling roar you never heard, making him the
demon instead of a domestic tiger.
"I'm sorry Mia, I don't know." Touma hung his head in shame. "But I'll find
them soon enough. With Shin on our team, we'll take on Arago head on."
Everyone was soon satisfied, leaning back in their chairs and patting their
stomachs. Touma snapped his fingers, the signal for Jun to come and bring
the dishes back to the kitchen for cleaning. He waited, and waited, and
waited. No Jun. He snapped them again more urgently, and saw Jun rush out of
the doors, drop to his knees and beg Touma-sama to forgive his tardiness.
Or he saw the scene in his mind's eye. Still no Jun.
Fed up with his insolence, Touma rose to his feet and bellowed, "JUN!! GET
OUT HERE NOW!!"
He came, but the obedient servant manner was gone. "What?" The boy snapped
at his master, malice reeking from his presence. Anubis instinctively
shielded Mia, anticipant of an attack.
Touma narrowed his eyes, fingering the dagger he had hidden. Jun worked for
Arago, that's all he needed to know.
Jun saw his cover was blown but he didn't care. To catch them by surprise or
on guard mattered nothing; his true form would finish them either way. The
skin of a boy peeled away, revealing the hard as iron black scales of a
dragon. He screeched his challenge, confident of his victory.
"Byakuen, get them out of here!" Ryo ordered, unsheathing his katanas. He
ducked a flame spurt, jumped into the air, and connected with the beast's
neck, only to be deflected by scales as hard as stone. The dragon smirked as best he could and smacked Ryo hard into the floor, making a Ryo body print.
Mia saw no more as Byakuen dragged her and Anubis out of there. "Go to Shin's." She ordered the tiger, and he maneuvered expertly among the
crowds of the streets and free into the Yamato Plains. The trip was silent,
save the swishing of the tall grass as Byakuen swept thru them and the
mutters and sighs of the night's creatures in the forest bordering the far
side of the plains. It helped to cool their anger, as they took in the
innocence and beauty of the land, and knew what it was exactly they were
fighting for.
