Disclaimer: I do not own the Ronin Warriors. But dear god do I wish…
Chapter Three~ The Ancient Appears ~
By: Lady AvaRyo awoke with a start early that morning. He was sweaty and pale as he sat there in the darkness of his bedroom. Looking over at his digital clock, the numbers read '2:00 am'.
"Aw man. I won't be able to get back to sleep now." He growled, swinging his legs out of bed. Standing, the teen walked over to the window and opened the blinds. The light of the full moon flowed into his bedroom, creating a strangely soothing feeling over him and the room. Looking down at the floor, Ryo saw a pair of brown cat eyes staring up at him. "Hey White Blaze. Did I wake up you?"
The tiger stood from his spot on the round carpet in the center of the floor. Stretching out his front paws and then his back, the cat walked over to his troubled master. He stopped at his side and rubbed his head up against the teen's leg.
Smiling down at his loyal friend, Ryo scratched him behind the ears. The cat let out a low purr of thanks. "You're welcome." Ryo whispered.
Sitting down on the window seat in his room, the teen stared out the window and into the woods. The trees were illuminated with the shine of the overhead moon. The lake in the back of his house was sparkling like glitter in the water. The calming waters washed up against the shore gracefully and a calming breeze blew over the entire scene.
"Let's go for a walk." Ryo told his friend.
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Upon walking outside, the breeze kissed Ryo's skin sweetly. Adjusting his jacket, the teen walked over towards the dock. The wood creaked under his feet as he and his tiger walked out onto the small wooden platform. As he reached the edge, Ryo stopped and stared off into the starry sky. "Strata…" He mumbled. Then, glancing down at the water, he murmured. "Torrent…" Then looking down onto the deck, Ryo picked up a small stone. Examining it, he stated softly, "Hard Rock…" Then, he threw it into the water. The light from the moon rippled as the stone hit the water. Examining the light, Ryo finally stated. "Halo…"
Sitting onto the edge of the deck, Ryo fell backwards and laid there in the cold night air. "Who are they?" He asked himself.
White Blaze walked up next to his friend and sat on the edge of the dock as well. He looked back at his master, who was looking at him. The cat seemed to smile as it looked back out on the lake. Suddenly, the cat roared loudly, causing Ryo to fling forward into a sitting position. "White Blaze. What is it?" He asked quickly.
Standing, the cat turned and ran off the dock. Jumping to his feet, Ryo gave chase after his pet. "White Blaze! Come back!" The teen shouted. He ran as fast as he could to catch up with his tiger. Following the cat to the edge of the woods, Ryo stopped and looked back at his house. Then, turning around, he rushed after his friend.
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The forest was a completely different place to Ryo at night. The trees looked like creatures of the unholy master of hell. The bare branches acted like hands or claws that reached out as if trying to grab him. Bright, glowing eyes of the night creatures of the mountains glared at Ryo as he ran by, as if giving him a warning to leave this place. The hoots and low growls of the creatures flowed through Ryo's head, making him run twice as fast.
Finally, he saw his tiger. The cat had stopped in a clearing that was illuminated with moonlight. Running into the opening, Ryo ran up to his tiger, panting heavily. "White…Blaze…why did you…run off like that?" The teen breathed, his sides heaving in and out.
The tiger remained still. His eyes were locked on the row of forest in front of him and the small dirt path intertwined with the trees. As Ryo watched the trees as well, he suddenly heard something clanging. It sounded like metal against metal only because the sound echoed so well. As the tiger and teen continued to watch the path, a man slowly came into sight. He was dressed in ancient monk ropes of white and dark blue with a spice bag around his neck. He wore wooden sandals on his feet and held a staff in his hand.
As he came into the clearing, White Blaze walked forward towards the man. The two stopped right in front of each other. Reaching out, the man scratched the top of White Blaze's head. "You've grown up well, my friend."
While the cat let out a soft purr, Ryo took a step forward. "Who are you? How do you White Blaze?"
"All of those questions will be answered within time, my young friend." The stranger stated, his voice echoing into the night.
Looking down at the tiger, the person whispered. "It is almost time. The warriors are almost ready." Looking up at Ryo, the man smiled. "Your destiny awaits you…Ryo."
"How do you know my name?" The teen asked, his breath still a bit heavy from his run.
But before the man could answer, a loud roll of thunder crashed through the forest. Ryo looked up at the sky just in time to see the heaven's open. The heavy rain fell harshly against the boy's face as he looked up. Then, he stared back towards the man, but only White Blaze stood there, looking at his master.
As Ryo continued to stare at his cat, another roll of thunder crashed and a huge bolt of yellow lighting streaked across the sky. "Let's go, White blaze!" The teen shouted, coming out of his staring contest with the feline.
The tiger ran up next to his friend and let him climb onto his back. Then with one mighty leap, the cat took off and ran back towards the house.
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Upon reaching the clearing where the house was located, White Blaze and Ryo saw a woman standing outside the Sanada home, umbrella in hand. "Ryo! Where are you?" She called, her voice filled with distress.
Urging White Blaze to a walk, Ryo jumped off into the muddy ground. "Mom! Over here!" He called as he and his pet approached the house.
The woman looked over towards the soaked boy and tiger as they came walking up. "Oh Ryo." She started, hugging the teen tightly as he came into reach. "Where were you? I was so worried." She asked, running her hand though her son's soaked hair.
"White Blaze ran off and I went after him." Ryo told the woman.
Suddenly, the teen let out a loud sneeze. Looking at him, Mrs. Sanada smiled. "Let's get you inside before you catch your death out here." She told her sniffling son as she lead him inside, with White Blaze at her heals.
Shutting the door, Mrs. Sanada told her son to sit on the couch. As he did so, the woman rushed into the hallway and within moments, returned with the blanket from Ryo's bed. "Here honey." She stated softly, handing the shivering teen the blanket.
"Th…Th…Thanks…M…m…mom." He stuttered out as he wrapped himself up in the blanket.
Sitting down next to her son, the woman smiled. "Ryo, why were you really outside? I know for a fact that you wouldn't have been outside unless something was troubling you." She stated sweetly.
Ryo stared at his mother wide-eyed. "How do you know that?"
Laughing lightly, Mrs. Sanada placed a loving arm around her questioning son's shoulders. "Because I'm your mother. I know everything about you." Watching her son yawn as he laughed, she calmed down a bit. "And I can tell that someone needs to get some sleep. Unless you want to fall asleep in class tomorrow."
Stretching out on the couch, Ryo placed his head on his mother's lap. "Thanks mom." He whispered as he fell asleep.
White Blaze walked over to the two people on the couch. He growled a bit, causing Mrs. Sanada to placed a finger to her lips. "Shh. Don't wake him White Blaze." She stated, scratching the cat behind the ears. As the cat laid down for the rest of the night, Mrs. Sanada ran her fingers through her son's hair again. Ryo slowly adjusted his position on the couch and let out a harsh cough that made his mother's heart stop. As soon as he calmed again, the woman kissed her son's cheek. "My little boy. I love you so much. And your father will always as well."
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The next morning, Ryo awoke from a large wet lick swipe across his face. Opening his eyes slowly, the teen came face to face with his large White Tiger. "Hey boy. Morning." Ryo stated, ending his sentence with a cough. That's when he realized that he was still on the couch, his comforter still wrapped around him tightly. "It wasn't a dream. That man in the robes was the real thing." He murmured to himself.
"Ryo honey. Are you awake?" His mother called sweetly from the kitchen.
Sitting up, the youth shook out his messy black mane of hair. "Yea…I'm up." He shouted back, sniffling.
Walking into the kitchen, Ryo let out another cough. "Ryo? Are you feeling alright?" His mother asked, switching into her sick detection system. "Because if you're not, then you are staying home."
"I'm fine. I have to go to school today. I have a test in Science class." He slurred out.
White Blaze walked up to his master. The cat could tell that Ryo wasn't 100 percent, for he didn't crack a smile when the feline came up next to him and began to purr.
Ryo placed a hand on top of the tiger's head and scratched him behind the ears. "Mom," He started, but suddenly he closed his eyes and began to slide out of his chair.
Mrs. Sanada ran over from the stove and grabbed her son's shoulders. "Ryo, face me please." She asked calmly. Looking over at his mom, Ryo looked into his mother's blue eyes. Placing her hand onto her son's forehead, Mrs. Sanada felt for a temperature. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally pulled her hand away. "You're burning up honey. You must of caught something when you were out in the rain last night." Pointing towards the doorway towards the bedrooms, the woman stated. "You get into changed and into bed right now."
"But mom, I have a test. I can't afford to miss this. Please, just let me go to school and I'll call you if I don't feel well." Ryo begged. He never thought that he would be pleading with his mother to let him actually go to school.
Looking at her son's face, the woman finally caved. "All right. But the moment that you don't feel right, you call me at the flower shop, okay?"
"Alright. I promise." Ryo murmured, trying to stifle a cough.
After hardly touching his breakfast, Ryo changed out of the clothes he had been sleeping in all night and into a set of clean clothes. Then he left for school, not looking well at all.
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As the day wore on, Ryo started to feel worse and worse. He felt lightheaded whenever he stood from his desk and his vision would blur in and out of focus. Although six people, including Kento, Sai, Rowen, and Sage, asked if he was feeling all right, and every time he answered that he was just fine.
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That day during Gym class, the guys sat outside on the track. They were dressed in their uniform gym clothes for cooler weather: a school sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants with non-street shoes. The boys' gym teacher, Mr. Kuno, rattled on about the art of track and field. Finally, after what was timed to be the longest speech about running, the teens moved to the line up for the 100-meter dash.
"Sage, did you lighten your hair?" Sai asked, looking at Sage's hair in the afternoon sun.
Sage looked at the Australian in question. "My mom asked me that on Friday. Everyone has told me that it looks lighter. It started after my meditation on Friday." Remembering back to last week, the youth thought about the monk he saw. "I saw this strange man dressed like a monk."
Rowen looked up from his place on the track at the ladies man of the group. "I saw something like that too. I dreamt it." He said in shock.
"Same here." Kento added.
"Me too." Sai told as well.
Kento looked over at his best friend. "By the way, Sai. Are you all right? You're sister called me on Saturday and told me that you almost drowned at the pool on Friday." He asked, concern etched on his words.
The two other teenagers stared wide-eyed at Sai. "Dude, what happened? You're the best swimmer in the entire school. How did it happen?" Rowen inquired.
"I dove from the high dive, hit the water the wrong way and got knocked unconscious by the force. My sister got me out quick enough but…I don't remember a lot from when I was out." Sai informed. Lifting up his bangs, Sai showed the three youths the bandages wrapped around his brow. "My mom insisted that I get checked out by a real doctor and he said that I had a minor head injury. But nothing I couldn't handle."
"Damn, you were lucky." Rowen said. "Some people have died diving off of high dives."
Sai smiled at his friend's concern. "I've been diving and swimming since I was three. It's all good."
As the teens waited for their turn to come, Kento looked over at Ryo, who was sitting on the ground next to the fence, his knees pulled to his chest. "Ryo, what's up? You're so quiet today. It's scaring me." He joked.
But the black-haired teen didn't even move. He didn't react at all. Ryo was too deep in thought to be reached. 'That man in the woods last night. He knew White Blaze. Hell, he knew me. But how?' He wondered. Ryo placed his cooled hand to his forehead. He felt as if he were on fire. 'Damnit. Maybe I'm just hallucinating from my fever.' That was all Ryo needed to settle his nerves.
"Sanada! Mouri! Date! Rei Fuan! Hashiba! Get your heads out of the clouds and onto the track!" Mr. Kuno shouted, causing all five teens to jump to their feet. Stepping up to the starting line, the order of the teens followed: Rowen was in lane one, while Sage was next to him in lane two. Ryo was in the middle lane three, while Kento and Sai were in lanes four and five.
"All four of ya are going down." Kento smiled as he tried to intimidate the other teens.
"You'll win only they put a plate of cheeseburgers at the finish line." Sai shot back with a devilish sort of grin on his face.
Suddenly, the couch blew the warning whistle. "On your marks…get set…GO!" With the sound of the whistle echoing through the cold December air, the five teens took off at a full sprint. At first, Rowen had taken the lead, but Sage quickly caught up with him. That's when Sai came out of nowhere, just about half an arms length ahead of them, with Kento right one his heels. But before any of them could pass each other, Ryo passed them all with ease. They all crossed the finish line with Ryo in first, Sai in second, Sage and Rowen tied for third and Kento with a close fourth.
As they received their times from the couch, Rowen panted out. "Damn Ryo. You're fast. Ryo?" He asked looking up at his friend.
Ryo was walking around by the fence. He was shaking and had drained of all his color. Placing his hands on top of the fence, his breath heaved in and out. "Ryo? Are you alright?" Sai asked, walking over to his friend. He placed a hand onto the youth's back, trying to calm his breathing.
"Yea…I'm fine." The black-haired youth panted heavily. Standing up straight, Ryo turned and headed over towards his friends. That's when dizziness overwhelmed him. He grabbed his head as the track began to move under his feet.
Rowen looked at Ryo with great concern. "Ryo, are you sure you're all right?"
Shaking the uneasiness away from his eyes. "How many times must I say that I'm fine?" He asked, his voice still in a raspy, airy tone. Before he could gain a strong foothold, Ryo collapsed onto the track. He fell hard onto his side, laying completely still and lifeless.
"Ryo!" His friends yelled, running over to their fallen comrade. Rowen bent down next to the teen and carefully turned him over onto his back. "Ryo? Hey buddy, answer me." The blue haired genius said softly to his friend, praying for a response.
Sage and the others bent down next to their friend as well. "Dude, he's out cold." Kento said, stating the well known.
"What's going on here?" Mr. Kuno barked as he walked over to the teens. "This is a track, not a tea hut. That the hell are you five doing!?"
Sai stood up and got right in Mr. Kuno's face. "Sir, Ryo just passed out from a fever he has. If you don't like the fact that we are trying to help our friend, then maybe we should report you to the principal for lack of caring for a student's health. Now, do you give us permission to take our friend to the hospital wing or should I go straight to the main office?" The usually quiet Sai shouted.
All the teacher could do was nod. Sai turned and went back to his group of friends. "Wow Sai, I didn't know you had it in you." Kento said, panting his friend on the back.
"Yea well…" Sai blushed.
Rowen looked Ryo over. "But you're right Sai. He did probably collapse from a fever. Kento…" The teen stated, grabbing his ash-haired teen's attention. "Can you carry him?"
"No problem." Kento gloated, lifting Ryo into his arms.
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Upon entering the nurses' office, they heard a woman arguing with the nurse. "Mrs. Sanada, I don't see any reason for you to take your son home. He hasn't been in to see me all day." The woman in the white nurses' outfit stated to the woman sitting at her desk.
"Listen, Ryo is my son. And I say he leaves." The black haired woman demanded.
"Um, excuse us." Sage stated, breaking up the sparking catfight. "But, our friend passed out during gym class."
Standing from the chair she was offered, Mrs. Sanada turned to face the other teens. All four youths stared in aw at the similarity between the two. The woman's black hair hung low to her mid back and she was wearing a black skirt with a red sweater set. Her tiger blue eyes matched Ryo's perfectly. "Woah…that is one close family resemblance." Kento whispered to the others, looking down at his friend he held and then at his mother.
Walking past Mrs. Sanada, the thin-faced nurse walked up to the teens. Reaching down, she touched Ryo's forehead. The black haired youth immediately reacted by trying to pull away from the woman. "Hey, stop moving." She commanded.
Pushing the nurse out of the way, Mrs. Sanada smiled as Kento and the others. "Would you please put Ryo down over on that cot over there," She paused, not knowing the teen's name.
"Kento. This is Sai, Rowen and Sage. We're friends of your son." Kento explained, as he moved over to the cot.
Placing Ryo down, he took a step back to join the others. Strolling past the adolescence's, Mrs. Sanada bent down next to her son. Leaning in close, she whispered, "Ryo? Ryo honey. Wake up."
Ryo's blue eyes opened slowly to half-mast and fluttered a bit. "Mom?" He asked.
"Yea, it's me. You're going home." She stated, and with that her son fell back to sleep.
"Do you mind if we come too?" Rowen asked, causing everyone in the room stare at him. "We've been with Ryo the whole day and we just want to make sure that he is alright."
Nodding, the woman came to her feet. "Very well. You boys are welcomed to come with us. Besides, I need some help to actually get him home."
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The car ride to the Sanada home was almost completely in silence. The only talking done was when Kento tried to calm down a feverish Ryo. The sick teen was stretched out across Sage, Sai, and Kento. Rowen sat up front with Mrs. Sanada and kept looking back to see how the others were doing.
When they arrived at the small house in the woods, its beauty shocked the teens. Small shrubs and flower bushes surrounded the small one story house. Although they were covered in a light frost, they still seemed so beautiful and rare. There was a sparkling frost bitten lake in front of the house and a lush forest surrounding the rest of the clearing.
Upon exiting the automobile, the teens looked around. "This place is beautiful." Sai breathed as he grabbed his backpack from the car.
"We do try to keep the land as natural as possible up here." Mrs. Sanada laughed.
Upon entering the house, the woman rushed over and down a narrow corridor. Then she rushed back to the teens. "I'll take him. I don't want you to upset our cat. He isn't used to strangers and can be very temperamental around new people." Handing Ryo to his mother, Kento and the others watched the woman disappear down the hallway.
The four teens studied the cabin carefully. They were in a small living room that was very cozy. It had a large sofa with two chairs and a coffee table to go with it. There was a fireplace with a mantle over it that had tons of pictures on it. There was a small television in the corner with a VCR attached into it.
"This place seems very comfortable to live." Sage told the others, who nodded in agreement.
"We find it very comfortable." Mrs. Sanada answered happily as she reentered the room, carrying a tray of tea and snacks.
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As the teens and Mrs. Sanada sat and enjoyed the snacks, Ryo had awoken from his sleep again. He sat up quickly and looked around to see the familiar setting of his room. While he sat there, his head in his hands, White Blaze placed his paws up onto the bed and placed his head down onto the sheets. Looking over at the tiger, Ryo smiled. "Hey, are you worried about me?" The teen asked jokingly to his friend.
The cat nodded his head and smiled as he placed his head onto the bed again. "Thanks buddy." Ryo said lovingly to his tiger as he scratched the cat's head.
As Ryo settled to go back to sleep again, he suddenly heard the sound of something shatter from the kitchen. Sitting up rapidly, the youth jumped out of bed. Although the room was spinning, the young teen headed towards the door. White Blaze moved in front of him, trying to stop him from leaving.
"White Blaze move. Something might have happened to mom." He told his loyal friend.
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That's how Ryo was when it came to his mother. Every time he heard something break or bang anywhere in the house, he would instantly go to her side. Ryo's mother was indeed a very ill woman, although she was very good at hiding it. She had a new form of heart disease that spreads through the heart, closing off each artery at a time. The disease moved slowly and the doctors estimated how long she had left. But no matter how many times Ryo told himself, it wasn't going to change anything. His mother was going to die and there was no way to stop it.
With each year that passed since she was diagnosed, she showed signs that she was getting weaker. She would collapse from shortness of breath and would sometimes have to be put in the hospital for blood transfusions. The doctors told her that she had less then ten years to live.
That was when Ryo was five. A year before his father died and then he found out that his mother would soon die as well. These weren't things that he took easily. He knew that no matter what, he had to care for her until the unspeakable happened.
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Staring at him, the cat finally moved out of the way. Smiling, Ryo ran over to the door. "Stay here." He instructed as he shut the door behind him.
Walking towards the family room, a familiar voice rang into his ears. "Mrs. Sanada, I am so sorry."
"It's alright Kento." His mother sang sweetly. "We have six more cups like that one."
Walking into the doorway, Ryo's eyes widened at the sight he saw. Rowen, Sage, Sai, and Kento were sitting in the family room with his mother, eating and drinking tea. 'They came all the way up here with my mom. But why?'
Clearing his throat softly, Ryo quietly asked. "Mom?"
Turning around from what they were doing, the four youths and Mrs. Sanada saw Ryo standing in the doorway, his eyes half opened. Standing from their seats, the teens smiled. "Hey Ryo, you're finally awake." Rowen said, a grin on his face.
"Why are you gu—" But before his sentence, Ryo grabbed onto the doorframe for support.
"I got ya, bud." Sage's voice suddenly said as Ryo felt the teen someone grab onto his shoulders.
Looking at the brown haired adolescent, Ryo smiled. "Thanks Sage."
"I'll take him back to his room." Ryo's mother told Sage nicely.
As Mrs. Sanada took hold of her son, she turned to the other youths. "After I put Ryo back into bed, I'll take you boys home."
"Thank you Mrs. Sanada." The teens said in unison.
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~ Well? What do ya think so far? Once again, I would like to say sorry for taking so long with this chapter. Please Read and Review! ~