Tears of Twilight
Chapter 18.
At the same time, all six warriors awoke, shooting straight up from their sleeping positions with wide eyes, wondering if they had all done it. In the cave where Rowen, Kento, Scorpio, and Lightning were, Kento glanced down at his neck and saw the silver pendant that Kaye had put around his neck in the convergent dream. Tears immediately sprang to his eyes and he glanced over at the other two who were staring at him.
"We did it!" he gushed out as he wiped his eyes, smiling sadly, but with much relief and hope. "We actually did it!"
Rowen and Scorpio both smiled at him joyfully as they cheered along with him. They now knew that their three friends would be okay, despite of being in the Dynasty. As long as their souls had bonded, nothing could separate them ever.
After a few minutes later, Scorpio looked out of the mouth of the cave, then looked back at the other two. "Hey, it seems like it's getting light out now."
Rowen checked his watch. It showed 6:30. "That explains it. It won't be fully light out until about 8:00 a.m. Sunrises and Sunsets here, always last a couple hours longer than on earth."
"Think it's safe to go out?" Scorpio asked.
Rowen shook his head. "There's some places that are still really dark within this realm. It's best we wait until full light, because any of those Dynasty soldiers or Warlords could be hiding somewhere, and they'll see us before we see them." Scorpio nodded and then sat down on the cave floor.
Kento sighed a little and turned his head to look in Lightning's direction. The tiger was laying on his side, sound asleep. For a long while Kento continued to watch him, one thought on his mind. Did the tiger know what had taken place only a few short hours ago?
Ryo had never felt so relieved in his entire life. He was practically doing somersaults in their hiding place while Sage was watching with a grin on his face, and Flash stood there, watching with an amused look on her face. White Blaze rumbled happily, knowing something wondrous had taken place. When at last Ryo had calmed down, he took several deep breaths, and then said, "When it gets light out enough, we're going to find the others, then we're going directly to the castle."
"Goody," Flash said as she rubbed her hands. "I get to toast and roast!"
Sage shook his head at her, then said, "Well, we better get all the rest we need. I'd suggest training, but we might be heard."
Ryo nodded in agreement, and was silent for a little while more, until, "I bet Kento flipped when he woke up."
"What do you mean?" Flash asked him.
"Meaning, he's really excited, happy, relieved," Ryo explained to her.
"Oh," Flash said. "Where I'm from, flipped out means to go berserk and out of control rage."
The two Ronins nodded. As of then, there wasn't much to do but wait, but each of them reflected on that brief time of moment they had gotten to share with their friends.
Kaye's eyes fluttered several times before they slowly opened. Dazed, she took in her surroundings, seeing she was still chained to the floor and locked within a cage. Beside her, Cye was waking up too, and he let out a low groan of pain as he lifted his head up and stared at her with a daze. Kaye managed to smile at him, despite their situation, and he smiled back a little. Behind them, there was groaning, and Thunder was waking up. He looked down at himself, and frowned, then lifted his head and noticed Kaye. Immediately his face turned red as he had forgotten about her being in the cage there, and he screamed, "OHMIGOD!!!" as he laid down and tried to curl up to hide his nude form. Instantly, Kaye turned red in the face and quickly looked away from him, and Cye's mouth dropped in shock.
"Y..you..you're back to normal" he said slowly.
"No shit!" Thunder cried out, trying to hide. "Clothes, now! I want my clothes!"
Instantly this got Jakada's and Talpa's attention as they approached the cage. Both had amused looks on their faces as they stared at the three prisoners, before finally looking over to Thunder.
"So you were that panther," Talpa said. "Very impressive, I must say. We weren't expecting you to be one."
"Clothes now!" Thunder repeated, feeling all the more embarrassed.
"Hrm, clothes you say," Talpa chuckled.
"Personally, we should let him stay like that," Jakada said coldly.
"But that's beyond cruel!" Kaye shouted, still hiding her face.
"So?" Jakada said as he was about to lick his lips at her, but a quick glance at Cye made him change his mind.
Talpa continued to stare at Thunder, before finally saying, "I really don't want you running naked around my castle." He snapped his fingers and a towel dropped over Thunder. "You'll wear that back to the room, and then you can grab clothes from your dresser." He turned to Kaye and Cye. "As for you two, consider the interrogation not over, because you will be brought back and asked more questions which you will answer." He snapped his fingers and the collars activated to keep them from moving as the chains and cage vanished. He called for Cale who came immediately. "Take them back to their room and lock them in."
"Um, master," Cale began which caused Talpa to give him a glare.
"What?" Talpa said impatiently.
"The door to their room is completely gone," Cale replied.
"What?!" Talpa bellowed. Instantly he turned and glared at Thunder with his glowing red eyes. Thunder looked back at him and knew he didn't like that look at all. Kaye and Cye frowned with worry. "I'll deal with you later, Storm," Talpa seethed. He released the hold on the collars, giving them mobility, and Cale led them back to the room. When they were back inside, Thunder grabbed some clothes out of the dresser, was shocked to see they were his own from the mansion he had moved into with Flash and Scorpio, and shut himself in the bathroom while he dressed.
Cye sat down on his bed and drew his knees up to his chin as he wrapped his arms around them. He let out a sigh and remorsefully shook his head. "Poor Thunder," he said.
Kaye nodded in agreement and sat down beside him. Cye glanced up at her, with his sad sea blue eyes, and immediately she frowned. There was something troubling him, but what though? "Cye, what's on your mind?" she asked quietly, worried he wasn't going to tell her. But then Cye spoke.
"Kaye...I'\e been struggling with several things in my mind, conflicting issues, and they're tearing me apart. Ever since I could remember, mom always told me that my father was dead. Never once did she mention it was Talpa.. Now I keep wondering, did Talpa know he was my father ever since I was first born? Was he there when I was small? Or did he leave? Kaye, you're lucky in some ways. You have a father that actually loves you. My father hates me."
Kaye frowned deeply, feeling extremely sorrowful for him as she watched the tears run down his cheeks. She really didn't know what to say to comfort him at this moment, and she was wishing she did. All she could do was just hold him close to her and rock him back and forth as he silently cried upon her shoulders.
The bathroom door opened finally, and Thunder emerged, dressed in a pair of denim blue jeans and red t-shirt. Immediately he glanced over at the siblings and frowned. He could see the wounds on them both, and thought it best to heal them, but something else seemed to be wrong. He could tell Kaye was comforting Cye, but about what, he didn't know. He decided to wait until they were both calm and ready before he'd attempt to heal either of them.
Little did any of them know, Talpa was watching them all on his Viewing Mirror from where he sat in his throne room. He had heard every word Torrent had said. Should he tell him the truth, or just lie to him? They say sometimes telling the truth hurts more than telling someone a lie, and that's what he wanted. He didn't really care about Torrent's feelings at the moment, and he doubt he ever would. As of now, he had more pressing matters to deal with; such as punishing Storm for breaking the door, then running those tests again, keeping Jakada from having his way with the Tiger bearer for now, and making sure his castle was firmly secured from those blasted Ronins and their friends.
He pulled out a chart and flipped through it until he found the page he was looking for. A grin came to his face. Storm would be the first again today at 6:00 p.m. Though he couldn't decide whether to punish him before or after. Oh well, it didn't really matter, he supposed. It would still happen. He looked at the other two tests appointment for today. Tiger's would be at 7:00 P.M and Torrent's would be at 8:00 P.M.
There were other things he wanted to do though. He knew they had only been getting one meal a day and after having spoken to the Dynasty Physician, found it better to keep them healthy by feeding them three times a day, and so he was going to have it arranged with the cooks to set that up. He was also going to have them checked out by the Physician himself and if needed have them vaccinated against possible Dynasty diseases. He didn't need them getting ill suddenly from this place. And another thing he wanted to add on was a proper bed time, which would be either at 10:00 P.M. or 11:00 P.M As of now, he couldn't make his mind up. Satisfied with the schedule, he put it away and interlocked his fingers together with a broad grin. Soon, very soon the Prophecy would come to pass, and he would be stronger than anyone ever thought possible.
Chapter 18.
At the same time, all six warriors awoke, shooting straight up from their sleeping positions with wide eyes, wondering if they had all done it. In the cave where Rowen, Kento, Scorpio, and Lightning were, Kento glanced down at his neck and saw the silver pendant that Kaye had put around his neck in the convergent dream. Tears immediately sprang to his eyes and he glanced over at the other two who were staring at him.
"We did it!" he gushed out as he wiped his eyes, smiling sadly, but with much relief and hope. "We actually did it!"
Rowen and Scorpio both smiled at him joyfully as they cheered along with him. They now knew that their three friends would be okay, despite of being in the Dynasty. As long as their souls had bonded, nothing could separate them ever.
After a few minutes later, Scorpio looked out of the mouth of the cave, then looked back at the other two. "Hey, it seems like it's getting light out now."
Rowen checked his watch. It showed 6:30. "That explains it. It won't be fully light out until about 8:00 a.m. Sunrises and Sunsets here, always last a couple hours longer than on earth."
"Think it's safe to go out?" Scorpio asked.
Rowen shook his head. "There's some places that are still really dark within this realm. It's best we wait until full light, because any of those Dynasty soldiers or Warlords could be hiding somewhere, and they'll see us before we see them." Scorpio nodded and then sat down on the cave floor.
Kento sighed a little and turned his head to look in Lightning's direction. The tiger was laying on his side, sound asleep. For a long while Kento continued to watch him, one thought on his mind. Did the tiger know what had taken place only a few short hours ago?
Ryo had never felt so relieved in his entire life. He was practically doing somersaults in their hiding place while Sage was watching with a grin on his face, and Flash stood there, watching with an amused look on her face. White Blaze rumbled happily, knowing something wondrous had taken place. When at last Ryo had calmed down, he took several deep breaths, and then said, "When it gets light out enough, we're going to find the others, then we're going directly to the castle."
"Goody," Flash said as she rubbed her hands. "I get to toast and roast!"
Sage shook his head at her, then said, "Well, we better get all the rest we need. I'd suggest training, but we might be heard."
Ryo nodded in agreement, and was silent for a little while more, until, "I bet Kento flipped when he woke up."
"What do you mean?" Flash asked him.
"Meaning, he's really excited, happy, relieved," Ryo explained to her.
"Oh," Flash said. "Where I'm from, flipped out means to go berserk and out of control rage."
The two Ronins nodded. As of then, there wasn't much to do but wait, but each of them reflected on that brief time of moment they had gotten to share with their friends.
Kaye's eyes fluttered several times before they slowly opened. Dazed, she took in her surroundings, seeing she was still chained to the floor and locked within a cage. Beside her, Cye was waking up too, and he let out a low groan of pain as he lifted his head up and stared at her with a daze. Kaye managed to smile at him, despite their situation, and he smiled back a little. Behind them, there was groaning, and Thunder was waking up. He looked down at himself, and frowned, then lifted his head and noticed Kaye. Immediately his face turned red as he had forgotten about her being in the cage there, and he screamed, "OHMIGOD!!!" as he laid down and tried to curl up to hide his nude form. Instantly, Kaye turned red in the face and quickly looked away from him, and Cye's mouth dropped in shock.
"Y..you..you're back to normal" he said slowly.
"No shit!" Thunder cried out, trying to hide. "Clothes, now! I want my clothes!"
Instantly this got Jakada's and Talpa's attention as they approached the cage. Both had amused looks on their faces as they stared at the three prisoners, before finally looking over to Thunder.
"So you were that panther," Talpa said. "Very impressive, I must say. We weren't expecting you to be one."
"Clothes now!" Thunder repeated, feeling all the more embarrassed.
"Hrm, clothes you say," Talpa chuckled.
"Personally, we should let him stay like that," Jakada said coldly.
"But that's beyond cruel!" Kaye shouted, still hiding her face.
"So?" Jakada said as he was about to lick his lips at her, but a quick glance at Cye made him change his mind.
Talpa continued to stare at Thunder, before finally saying, "I really don't want you running naked around my castle." He snapped his fingers and a towel dropped over Thunder. "You'll wear that back to the room, and then you can grab clothes from your dresser." He turned to Kaye and Cye. "As for you two, consider the interrogation not over, because you will be brought back and asked more questions which you will answer." He snapped his fingers and the collars activated to keep them from moving as the chains and cage vanished. He called for Cale who came immediately. "Take them back to their room and lock them in."
"Um, master," Cale began which caused Talpa to give him a glare.
"What?" Talpa said impatiently.
"The door to their room is completely gone," Cale replied.
"What?!" Talpa bellowed. Instantly he turned and glared at Thunder with his glowing red eyes. Thunder looked back at him and knew he didn't like that look at all. Kaye and Cye frowned with worry. "I'll deal with you later, Storm," Talpa seethed. He released the hold on the collars, giving them mobility, and Cale led them back to the room. When they were back inside, Thunder grabbed some clothes out of the dresser, was shocked to see they were his own from the mansion he had moved into with Flash and Scorpio, and shut himself in the bathroom while he dressed.
Cye sat down on his bed and drew his knees up to his chin as he wrapped his arms around them. He let out a sigh and remorsefully shook his head. "Poor Thunder," he said.
Kaye nodded in agreement and sat down beside him. Cye glanced up at her, with his sad sea blue eyes, and immediately she frowned. There was something troubling him, but what though? "Cye, what's on your mind?" she asked quietly, worried he wasn't going to tell her. But then Cye spoke.
"Kaye...I'\e been struggling with several things in my mind, conflicting issues, and they're tearing me apart. Ever since I could remember, mom always told me that my father was dead. Never once did she mention it was Talpa.. Now I keep wondering, did Talpa know he was my father ever since I was first born? Was he there when I was small? Or did he leave? Kaye, you're lucky in some ways. You have a father that actually loves you. My father hates me."
Kaye frowned deeply, feeling extremely sorrowful for him as she watched the tears run down his cheeks. She really didn't know what to say to comfort him at this moment, and she was wishing she did. All she could do was just hold him close to her and rock him back and forth as he silently cried upon her shoulders.
The bathroom door opened finally, and Thunder emerged, dressed in a pair of denim blue jeans and red t-shirt. Immediately he glanced over at the siblings and frowned. He could see the wounds on them both, and thought it best to heal them, but something else seemed to be wrong. He could tell Kaye was comforting Cye, but about what, he didn't know. He decided to wait until they were both calm and ready before he'd attempt to heal either of them.
Little did any of them know, Talpa was watching them all on his Viewing Mirror from where he sat in his throne room. He had heard every word Torrent had said. Should he tell him the truth, or just lie to him? They say sometimes telling the truth hurts more than telling someone a lie, and that's what he wanted. He didn't really care about Torrent's feelings at the moment, and he doubt he ever would. As of now, he had more pressing matters to deal with; such as punishing Storm for breaking the door, then running those tests again, keeping Jakada from having his way with the Tiger bearer for now, and making sure his castle was firmly secured from those blasted Ronins and their friends.
He pulled out a chart and flipped through it until he found the page he was looking for. A grin came to his face. Storm would be the first again today at 6:00 p.m. Though he couldn't decide whether to punish him before or after. Oh well, it didn't really matter, he supposed. It would still happen. He looked at the other two tests appointment for today. Tiger's would be at 7:00 P.M and Torrent's would be at 8:00 P.M.
There were other things he wanted to do though. He knew they had only been getting one meal a day and after having spoken to the Dynasty Physician, found it better to keep them healthy by feeding them three times a day, and so he was going to have it arranged with the cooks to set that up. He was also going to have them checked out by the Physician himself and if needed have them vaccinated against possible Dynasty diseases. He didn't need them getting ill suddenly from this place. And another thing he wanted to add on was a proper bed time, which would be either at 10:00 P.M. or 11:00 P.M As of now, he couldn't make his mind up. Satisfied with the schedule, he put it away and interlocked his fingers together with a broad grin. Soon, very soon the Prophecy would come to pass, and he would be stronger than anyone ever thought possible.