Sakura cradled Ryo's head in her lap, tears falling down her cheeks.
"You jerk! Why did you do that?" She asked the unresponsive Ryo as her tears landed on his face.
"Sakura! A little help over her would be nice!" Came the cry from one of the others. Sakura looked up and glared at the Shadowrunner who was trying to grab someone else.
'You will pay for this Shadowrunner.'
Laying Ryo's head down gently on the cavern floor she stood up, shaking with rage. Ryo had given his life so that she wouldn't be hurt, and she wouldn't let his killer live. Sakura picked up her sword and ran after the Shadowrunner. The others made way for her as she jumped up, landing an attack on the Shadowrunners arm. The Shadowrunner growled with anger as he tried to grab her. Sakura leapt out of the way as she charged again. Nothing. No matter where she hit him, she couldn't even create a scratch. It was as if he didn't feel pain. Sakura fell back, joining the others as they watched the Shadowrunner with a wary eye.
"All right, any ideas?" Cale asked the group.
"No matter what we do to it, it just keeps going." Rowen answered.
"And without Ryo, we can't form the Armor of the Inferno!" Cye added.
"I doubt it would have helped anyway." Anubis said. "This thing doesn't seem to feel pain."
"We have to keep trying!" Sakura yelled. "I won't let that thing get away with this!"
"Sakura, there is nothing we can do!" Sage said trying to reason with her.
"No! I won't give up! It's my fault it got out, and it's my fault that it got Ryo and so it's my responsibility to make sure it never leaves this cavern." Sakura cried as she turned and ran toward the Shadowrunner. The beast saw her coming and let out a beam of dark energy. Sakura rolled to the side, avoiding the beam as the Shadowrunner, backhanded her across the room. Sakura slid to where the Shadowrunner had been first contained. She lay there for a second on her back, staring up at the stone slab that had held the creature hostage. She closed her eyes in remorse, this was all her fault.
"OUCH!" she cried as she felt something burn her shoulder through her armor. She looked at her shoulder and saw a liquid that had burned through her armor and had touched her skin. Looking up, she saw something drip from the stone slab. Looking down she noticed an indention on the cavern floor, big enough for the stone to fit it which was what sealed the Shadowrunner in so effectively. Upon closer inspection she noticed a liquid in the indention. She touched it as she recoiled back at the burning as her eyes widened.
'It's acid!' Suddenly an idea flashed through her mind. They could beat this thing. But they would only have one chance. Running back to the others she told them her idea.
"Well what have we got to lose?" Kento asked as they prepared to carry out their plan. First they had to position the Shadowrunner, right in front of where the opening to his holding cell had been. It took a while, but they were eventually able to lure the Shadowrunner in front of it.
"All right, guys, now!" Sakura yelled. The guys all performed their attacks. Their attacks combined into one big one, hitting the Shadowrunner, propelling him backwards. He hit the back wall of his cell and tried to charge them. But the force of the Shadowrunner hitting the wall caused the stone slab to fall down, hitting him in the back of the neck. The acid on the bottom of the stone caused the Shadowrunner to cry out in pain as he lay there, trapped under the weight of the stone. Walking over to where the Shadowrunner continued to yelp, they were able to scoop out some of the acid, from the indention on the floor and pour it on the jewel, embedded on the Shadowrunner's forehead. With an echoing cry, the Shadowrunner died.
"Yes! We did it!" the group cried, cheering each other for their success.
"That was a great idea, Sakura." Dais applauded. "Sakura?" he asked looking around for her.
They found her, over where Ryo lay on the ground. She cradled his head in her lap.
"Ryo." She murmured as they gathered around her. Mia bent down and put her fingers to his neck, checking for a pulse.
"I can't find a heartbeat." She said sadly.
"No!" Sakura cried. "He can't be dead. He just can't!"
Anubis bent down next to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It'll be okay." He said soothingly.
Sakura turned to glare at him. "How can you say that!?" she demanded to know. "He's dead, and he died trying to protect me." She said as she hugged his lifeless body close.
"RYO!"