ShadowDancer and SunSinger
Chapter 5
Rocky Oberlin

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Ronin Warriors or the idea of the
ShadowDancer and SunSinger.

Cye and Kento were sitting by Cye's lake when a Gate opened and Anubis walked through. He was startled by who was there, but not as startled as the WaterDancer and EarthSinger. Kento immediately went on the defensive while Cye took a more relaxed fighter's stance.
"What are you doing here?" growled Kento.
"Plotting treason with my 'enemy'," said Anubis. He hadn't moved from the spot he stood in and hadn't reached for his dagger. Yet.
"Cye may be you should go get Ryo. This may be the one he was talking about the other day," said Kento, never letting his eyes come off Anubis.
Cye nodded and ran quickly through the woods towards the house. If this person was speaking the truth, then between Ryo and Sage, they should know the answers. He burst into the back door yelling for Ryo to come quick.
"What's the matter Cye?" asked Ryo as he appeared in the kitchen.
"A red haired guy stepped through a Gate by the lake. He said that he wanted to "plot treason with his enemy", but Kento doesn't believe him. They're still there right now."
Sage walked in on the explanation and looked at Ryo. The FireDancer didn't wait for a response from his friend and exploded out the door with Cye and Sage close behind him. Rowen would have to wait on his explanation after he woke up.
When the three got to the lake they found that Kento didn't use the patience the EarthSingers usually were famous for. He had decided that Anubis was a threat and attacked. The battle they found was Kento standing on one side of the battlefield breathing hard and on the other Anubis crouched down, waiting for the next attack. He didn't have to wait long. Kento called his powers of the Earth and sent an earthen wave toward the waiting man.
Ryo knew that Anubis was an enemy, but he was also here to try to talk out something. Anubis seemed desperate about something and Ryo for one wanted to hear what he had to say. This was the second time that Anubis appeared before one of their number and this time it had to be on purpose. Ryo didn't think about the consequences as he ran towards the red haired man and pushed him out of the way of Kento's wave. The two young men fell into the lake with a splash and curse from Kento.
"Ryo, what are you thinking?! He's the enemy! You shouldn't be saving him."
Anubis surfaced first and glared at the ash haired young man. Ryo didn't surface at all. Cye and Sage came in time to see Ryo shove Anubis away from Kento's attack, but didn't see the FireDancer come up from his dive into the water. Cye didn't hesitate; he knew that there might be a problem with his friend and his element. Cye dived in as Sage helped the visiting warrior out of the water.
"Kento, next time may be you should come get us and let Cye stay with someone who wants to talk with us," said Sage. "If anything Cye can retreat into the lake to protect himself until we arrive."
"I don't trust him, Sage. He could be here looking for something. After all he did come through a Gate and that's how all the others come through."
"If you had let me explain, EarthSinger, then you would know that I am here to stop my 'Master' from taking your Realm and trying to free mine."
The conversation was put on hold as Cye dragged Ryo out of the lake. The FireDancer hadn't faired well when he hit the water. The lake didn't like the contact with a representative of its opposite element and had fought to protect itself. When Cye came in, he managed to stop the attack, but Ryo still seemed almost drowned and was unconscious. The WaterDancer pulled his friend from the depths of the water and onto the shore.
Sage threw one more look at the EarthSinger and started to help the WaterDancer help their friend start to breath again. After a minute of blowing air into Ryo's mouth, the FireDancer started to cough up the water in his lungs. Cye rolled him on his side so Ryo could force out the water.
"I don't think that I will be swimming anytime soon, Cye," coughed Ryo hoarsely.
"No, I don't think you will be either," replied Cye. "Why did you do that?"
"I knew what Kento was capable of; you guys don't. If I let Anubis take that hit, then we wouldn't know what he wanted." Ryo turned to look at Anubis. "You came here for a reason, didn't you?"
The red haired warrior nodded. "I came to talk to you about stopping Tulpa once and for all." This grabbed the attention of Sage and Cye. Kento watched the warrior suspiciously, still not trusting him. "I came to ask for your help. Tulpa plans for us to attack your Realm soon to find the ShadowDancer and the SunSinger. We know where both are, but we are trying to stall Tulpa as much as we can. One of our number know the prophecy that will destroy Tulpa, but he can't remember the whole thing. There are only four of us in on the plan to protect the ShadowDancer. If you run across any others, they want to find her as much as Tulpa does. Protect your SunSinger with your lives; I think that he is as important as the ShadowDancer is." Anubis looked around. "I think I better leave. Gates can be conjured anywhere by anyone in the Nether Realm. Be careful when you go back to your home. I think that someone else is trying to gain approval with Tulpa." Anubis stepped back and went through a quickly conjured Gate.
Sage looked at his three friends. "Well, we now know that we have some help in the Nether Realm. Now what?"
"I still don't trust him," stated Kento. "He may be planning on handing us to Tulpa on a silver platter may be with that ShadowDancer or not. She could be in on the deal."
Cye heaved a sigh and looked at his large friend. "Kento, we've heard this before. May be we should see what Rowen has to say if he's up now. May be he can help enlighten us."
The quartet walked back to the house and their sleeping friend.

There are opposites for everything. For the FireDancers there are the WaterDancers. For the EarthSingers there are the HeavenSingers. And for the SunSingers there are the ShadowDancers. Tulpa even has an opposite in the Mortal Realm. This one watched the meeting of the two parties quietly in the shadows. When it was finished, he turned and walked away. Things were progressing well without his interference at the moment.

His friends at the Gate met Anubis.
"Well, how did it go?" asked Dais.
"I almost was killed by the EarthSinger and was saved by the FireDancer. The SunSinger and the WaterDancer seemed to listen to my explanation, but the EarthSinger is going to be a problem. He is more stubborn, but I think that the others will off set him. I think that we were watched, but I don't know who it was. I'm concerned that it was someone from Tulpa so I left."
"The shadows said that we had another listening to us, but they didn't say who either last night," said Cale. "We will have to watch our backs more carefully. And Mia. I don't want her going out alone anymore. May be we should go out with her more now that we know that someone is privy to our plans."
"So who will go tonight?" asked Seckmet.
"I'll go," offered Dais. "Tulpa wants to talk to you tonight, Cale, and Anubis already went to the Mortal Realm. I can at least hide in the shadows or illusions to stay out of sight."
"Then I'll go out tomorrow," said Seckmet. "This way we can take turns in case Tulpa get suspicious."
The group of four split to go their different ways, Cale went to get ready to see Tulpa and Dais went to get some rest for the night. Anubis and Seckmet went to oversee the practice of the soldiers and to keep the other loyal warriors from getting more suspicious then they already were.
At dusk Cale went answered Tulpa's summons and Dais met Mia at the Gate. She gave him a questioning look, but proceeded through the Gate to the darkening Mortal Realm.
"Is there a reason that you're following me?" she asked as she walked through the forest.
"We suspect that someone else heard our conversation other than you. Cale wants to be sure that you are safe."
"Are you going to coming with me all the time?"
"No. Seckmet plans on staying with you tomorrow, depending on what 'Master' Tulpa says."
"Well," sighed Mia, "let's see who we will run into tonight."
"Met someone last night?" asked Dais.
Mia shrugged. "One of the SunSinger's friends was out last night. The stars seemed to like him a lot."
"Did you tell Cale?"
"No, I didn't get to see you that much to tell you. It didn't matter, I left before he did anything."
"You should still be careful, Mia. This is why I'm here. What if he was working for Tulpa or someone else was. Tulpa would know about you within the hour and you would be his captive within the next."
"The stars trusted him, Dais. They didn't even tell me about him until my dance ended. Besides, like I said, he's a friend of the SunSinger. Even if they don't trust me, they won't do anything to me."
"Yet. The EarthSinger attacked Anubis. He is attack now ask questions later. There may be others like that."
"Then I'll be careful. I promise."
Dais sighed. "I guess that's as good as a promise as I'm going to get from you. Please, be careful Mia. I don't want to see you under the control of Tulpa and I don't know if we could even get you out."
The pair passed out of the forest and into a clearing. No one was there that night and Mia danced with only the stars, the forest animals, and Dais watching her.