One Step Closer Three
Cye knew something was wrong the moment he stepped through the portal. He could feel her anguished mind begging for and end just as Sage could feel her life slowly slipping away, like sand through their fingers. Without warning he grabbed Sage by the arm and ran past Anubis. The startled Warlord and three remaining Ronins quickly followed To find out what was going on.

When Cye and Sage finally reached their destination they found the door locked. The two boys easily ripped the door away just as their forgotten companions arrived. Inside, they found Lady Kayura lying in a pool of blood on her floor. In her hand she held a dagger with a Sakura Petal design on the handle. Angry red gashes covered her. A collective gasp swept through the group as Cye and Sage began to work. Sage worked as fast as he could to stop her bleeding while Cye found himself entering her mind. What he found frightened him.

Inside kayura's mind, Cye found himself in a pale pool where he was assaulted by visions of Kayura's time under Talpa's control. With a stray thought he pushed through the visions towards a disturbance in the surface of the water. With ease, he made his way through the water of kayura's pool. This was his element; he understood the mind because like the water it is consistent in its inconsistencies.

Pushing all other thoughts aside Cye swam on until the water around him seemed to turn red with blood. In the center of the bloodied water he saw her pushing something beneath the surface. Instantly he knew that this wasn't the Kayura he was searching for. This Kayura, though she was covered in blood, didn't have a scratch on her. Seeing a possible answer he dove down just in time to see his Kayura give up. Swimming as hard as he could he struggled to reach her before death could claim its prize but he knew that within her mind he could not do it alone. As he neared her limp body he reached out and hoped without hope that he could give her that last link to life. He stretched and felt his fingers brush against her just as her eyes fell shut.

Cye grasped Kayura's hand and he caught hold in a desperate grip, pulling her closer to him. As soon as he could he pulled her to the surface and the scene changed. The two warriors found themselves in a wildly over grown garden. Flowers of all types and colors. Cye held Kayura's arm, even in her mind she was becoming weak. The garden seemed to be trapped at the midnight hour and Kayura severely weakened.

" I know this place," whispered Kayura fearfully," Why have you brought me here Cye? Baddamon kept me here, Why are we here?"

" We're here in this garden because it represents who you are. You are dying Kayura and Sage and I can't stop it unless you fight to live." Said Cye.

" That is why it is wilting." she commented softly.

" Why Yu-Chan?" Cye held up the Sakura dagger for her to see," Why hurt yourself? You could have come to me."

" What could you have done to erase all of the things that I've done?" she cried turning away," I killed so many people. I dragged them out of their homes, tortured, and killed them. I deserved to die more than anyone else. Can you make their voices stop screaming in my head? Can you banish their faces as they beg for mercy that's too late to help them? Mercy that I couldn't give them. Every time I close my eyes I see you and the others screaming."

Cye placed his hand gently on her shoulder," kayura, I wish you had come to me, I might have be able to help if you let me." He said moving around to embrace her. As she fell into his arms she felt as though warm water washed over her, adding to the increasing light within the garden.

When Cye opened his eyes Kayura was in his arms and the soft green glow, from Sage healing her, was just beginning to fade. Sage slumped down on the floor and let his head rest in his hands. Cye blinked a few times trying to reorient himself with the real world. At the door, Anubis and the other Ronins were joined by the rest of the former warlords.

" She's alive," sighed Sage softly," She's going to be all right."

" She's going to need a lot of support." replied Cye," A whole lot of support."