Consequences of Capture

By Dixxy

Chapter Fourteen: Where Are You, Christmas?

Cye woke up that morning feeling cold, tired, and miserable. His body ached, his skin felt clammy and cold, and he wanted to curl up in bed and never get out. But, none the less, if he tried that Trulpa would probably barge in on him and order him out of bed so he could do more training with his magic and help whatever plan she was formulating. Sniffling, Cye laid back down to try and catch a few more minutes of rest.

With little interest, Cye looked over at the calender wall plaque. Usually he didn't bother to check the damn thing (the last time he had was around Kento's birthday, just so he could do something for his best friend), but something drew his eyes to it that made his heart ache and is eyes begin to tear.

Where are you Christmas?
Why can't I find you?
Why have you gone away?

"December twenty-fifth," he said, sitting up. "It's Christmas."

Cye was amazed at this. Normally by this time of year he was just as excited as any other person who celebrated the holiday- Christmas meant being with friends and family, seeing snowfall, listening to Christmas carols and eating gingerbread cookies and candy canes. . . yet this Christmas felt empty and desolate.

"Cye?"

Cye was briefly aware of Sage's presence as he sat down on the bed next to him. He did acknowledge him, instead choosing to cry into his hands. He felt Sage move closer and put a hand on his shoulder. Cye batted it away, not wanting his company at that moment.

Sage chose his next words carefully, speaking in Cye's native tongue. No matter how good Torrent's Japanese was and how much it had been improving, whenever he got upset his Japanese turned to mumbled words and jumbled sounds that hardly made any sense. Though Kento was slowly picking up English, Sage was effectively bi-lingual and the best person at understanding an upset, crying Cye. "Cye, what's wrong?"

Somehow, Cye spat the words out. "Look at the bloody calendar and you tell me!"


Where is the laughter,
You used to bring me?
Why can't I hear music play?

Sage stole a glance at the calendar, saw what day it was, and understood Cye's frustration. "Aw, Cye, c'mere," he said, pulling Cye into a hug. Cye continued to sob and Sage rubbed his back, hushing him and telling him it was all right. Somehow the words "Merry Christmas" seemed like a bad idea, as that might evoke a highly negative reaction from the hysterical Brit. "It'll be all-"

"NO IT WON'T!" Cye snapped, looking at Sage through red, wet eyes. "How do you think our families must feel?! This is the first Christmas they've spent without us since we were born! They're suffering, too! And what about Ryo and Rowen, hmm?! Christmas is supposed to be a happy time but now. . . I just want to be there to let them know I'm okay!"

Sage felt a pit form in his stomach. Cye had a point- sometimes it was hard to remember the three of them weren't the only ones suffering. They had loved ones back in the Mortal Realm. Even though Sage had his issues with his own family, he still cared about them and realized they were probably having a miserable Christmas without him. This was why Cye was upset.

"We're going to go back to them someday," Sage said.

"No we aren't," he said. He sniffled. "Oh, yeah, sure, maybe we can go live with Anubis and the Senshi, but how can we ever go back? We'll be practically coming back from the dead! Nothing will ever be the same for us again! We'd get hounded by the media and get blasted for every 'T' we don't cross and every 'I' we forget to dot. We'll be sideshow freaks!"

You're not going to get through to him, Sage thought to himself. He looked at Cye, then took a deep breath. "Do you need some time alone? Or do you want me to stay here, or even get Kento?" Cye looked at Sage with a sad, pathetic expression that was very childlike in its nature.

"I. . . I need to be by myself, Sage, but thank you for offering."

"All right."

"I'm sorry I snapped."

"Don't give it a second thought." And with that, Sage disappeared, leaving Cye by himself once again. Not seeing much point in just lying in bed when he knew Trulpa would be hounding him soon, Cye got out of bed and started to get dressed. Trulpa wouldn't give them the day off today of all days- if anything she'd be worse!- and there was no point bringing on any trouble. On any day.

Never mind Christmas.


My world is changing
I'm rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too?

Cye looked at himself in the mirror. For him Christmas didn't just mean the typical Christmas things most people thought out. Oh sure he enjoyed the holiday under normal circumstances- very much so, in fact- but there was always something else Cye thought about whenever Christmas came around. It wasn't quite a happy feeling, but it wasn't sad, either. But it was a feeling he got almost every year without failure.

Cye's birthday was less than a week away now.

It was perhaps pure luck that all of the Ronins were born in the same calendar year. Though he was born at a fairly reasonable time in Bathe (his childhood hometown), he was born at precisely 11:59 in Japan on New Year's Eve. By Japanese time, they were all born in that same year, which amazed slightly amazed Cye. He wasn't sure if that happened with the Senshi as well, but it didn't seem to matter.

Cye's feelings came from the fact that, like it or not, he was another year older. Though he always felt happy at the thought that this meant he might be treated with more respect from his elders and those younger than him, and maybe even gain a few more privileges, there was always the reminder that his childhood was slowly getting farther and farther away. Even considering how long his imprisonment had felt like, it still seemed as if it were only the other day that he was still playing with the neighborhood children as a small boy. Those were happier times for Cye, and sometimes he longed for them. He didn't need to worry about much outside of who was going to be captain when he and his friends played football ("soccer" to the Americans) or what kind of ice cream he should have when his mother took him and his sister out to the local parlor. But soon he had to start worrying about school and doing well so he could succeed in life well enough to get by. Then he needed to choose between his native land, his fold friends, and his family or the once in a lifetime chance to study abroad and see places he hadn't ever seen before. And then of course his armor brought its own set of things to worry about as well.

I'm going to have a wrinkled forehead before I'm twenty, Cye thought sarcastically. Now fully dressed and ready for the day, Cye stepped out of his bedroom to see if he could find Kento and Sage. Despite the fact they were all probably feeling bitter and mellow, he still wanted to see them.

Much to his disappointment, the living room area was devoid of any signs of life. The two of them must have already retreated to their practicing, and Cye felt his heart sink further than it had been before. He gripped his hands into a tightly clenched fist, his frustration taking hold. Angry and unable to keep his normal cool, Cye teleported out of the apartment.

~
Where are you Christmas?
Do you remember,
The one you used to know?

Cye found himself in one of Trulpa's many libraries. Surrounded by books on all sides, the frustrated youth began to stomp up and down the isles, muttering bitter words and phrases to try and blow some steam. He was mad, but wasn't quite ready to show it to the whole world just yet. If he did THAT then he'd REALLY have something to complain about.

He was about to turn a corner, he heard a high pitched yelp come from the other side of the library, shortly followed by the ghastly screech of a gargoyle gremlin- one of the little beasts that had nearly taken two months earlier. Not sure what he was thinking by running in the direction of the demonic flesh eaters, Cye turned on his heels and began to run in the direction of the scream.

Sure there was a gargoyle gremlin. . . but there was something else there, too.


I'm not the same one
See what the time has done
Is that why you have let me go?

Cye skidded to halt to see that, indeed, a gargoyle gremlin had found something to prey on. Shuddering in a corner was a small dog-like creature with dark gray fur and a long, thin tail. A fresh wound was over one of its eyes, crimson blood dripping from the cut. The demonic little critter was tormenting the poor creature, licking its claws clean of the blood it had. The dog thing was whimpering, obviously in a great deal of pain.

Cye was horrified. "STOP IT!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. This got the attention of both animals. The dog shuddered and try to back further into its corner, whimpering even louder and harder than before. The gargoyle gremlin, however, just looked him up and down, licking its fangs as if trying to decide if the dog was just an appetizer to the main course that was this human boy standing infront of him.

"You're not eating him OR me!" Cye said. The gargoyle gremlin hissed at him and lunged. Cye was able to dodge the leap- unlike his last encounter with the creature, he could see what was going on, there was only ONE of the little buggers, and he knew what he was up against. Now it was just a matter of defeating the little thing.

Cye turned to face the gremlin and its landing spot, which now placed him between the dog and the demon thing. The gremlin made a growling, hissing sound and bared its fangs, now very upset that Cye had interrupted its meal. Cye, however, did not care how the little devil felt- after all, it would probably do him good to take his frustrations out on it. Watching the gremlin back up, he knew exactly what it was going to do.

The gremlin back to run towards him, then jumped and sailed through the air, straight for Cye's throat. Teeth bared, tongue flailing, and drool flying from the corners of its mouth, the gargoyle gremlin intended to kill Cye then and there with one fatal blow to the jugular.

Cye had other plans. With one VERY carefully planned kick, he sent the gargoyle gremlin flying back in the other direction, where it unceremoniously crashed into the opposite bookcase. As it slid to the floor, several books fell with it. A particularly heavy volume landed smack on the top of its head, and the creature was rendered unconscious if not dead.

Smiling, Cye turned back to the dog and knelt down. He got a better look at the dog, and decided that maybe it WASN'T a dog. Or at least not the kind he was used to. Though everything else seemed normal, two things were noticeably different. One, its tail was very long and VERY flexible. Two. . . it didn't have any back legs.

What a strange little dog, Cye thought. Feeling sorry for the creature, Torrent came to a decision. "It's all right, boy," he said soothingly. "I'm not gonna hurt you." Gently, Cye held out his hand. The dog, still in pain, looked at his hand with fear and interest, looking up at the boy with terror. It shook, making a puddle on the floor of the library. Cye frowned. Poor little thing was terrified.

Being very careful about how he did it, Cye placed a gentle finger on the dog's forehead. Far too frightened to move, the dog didn't make an attempt to bite the digit or growl at him in protest. Instead, it looked at Cye with amazement, unsure what the bigger animal was going to do with him. "It's all right- I'm going to help you."

~
Christmas is here, everywhere
oh,oh
Christmas is here, if you care
ohhh

"Hey!"

The dog creature yipped at Cye, a big red tongue hanging out of its mouth as it pushed itself into a "standing" position from where he sat in the cauldron that was now a bathtub. Cye was soaking wet from yet another tidal wave caused by the dog, and he wondered who was actually getting the bath- him or the dog.

If there is love in your heart and your mind
You will feel like Christmas all the time

As Cye began to dry himself from the last drenching, he heard a knock at the door. "Hey Cye, buddy you in there? It sounds like there's a lot of water involved. . . you doing an experiment with the sink or something?" That was Kento, though Cye wouldn't have been very surprised if Sage was nearby as well.

"I found a dog," he said. "I'm giving him a bath."

"You found a what?" Kento opened the door and stepped in. Before long, Kento gave a short, loud yell that surprised the dog so badly it dove beneath the bubbles, not noticing its tail was protruding well above the surface. "Cye, what the hell kind of a dog is THAT!?"
Cye frowned. "I'm not sure, but he was being attacked by a gargoyle gremlin," he said. Cye reached into the bath water and pulled the drenched dog out. A tight white bandage had been wrapped around his head, covering the injured eye while two other small bandages covered his ears, both of which had been slightly taken away.

"Cy-EEE, you should have brought him to Say-GEE," Kento scolded. Cye's eyes widened- somehow, in his rush to get the dog cleaned and fixed up, he'd forgotten Sage was a skilled healer- a VERY skilled healer. Heck, Cye was certain he'd forget his own mother's name before he'd forget THAT area of Sage's expertise. Kento sighed. "C'mon, let's go bring Fido to Blondie so he can get fixed up."

Taking the soaked dog in his arms, Cye followed Kento out of the bathroom towards Sage's room.
~


I feel you Christmas
I know I found you
You never fade away

"I can't believe you aren't scared of him, Cye," said Sage. Now that the puppy was fully healed, he was bouncing around Sage's room on his behind, investigating the different crevices of the area. Cye was only half paying attention to Sage, who wasn't clear on his position as to what the big question was.

Did the dog stay or go?


The joy of Christmas
Stays here inside us
Fills each and every heart
with love

"I think we should keep him," Cye said. "I think he's just a baby- look at him! He's far too curious for an adult. Yeah an adult animal would be sniffing around, but he's just acting so immaturely." The puppy was depicting Cye's description perfectly as he yipped and howled, then began chasing his tail.

"Well. . . he is kinda cute for a chewed up little scruff," said Kento.

"Kento!" said Cye. "You'll hurt his feelings!" The puppy looked at Cye in shock, not used to him getting upset. Torrent saw this and groaned. "I'm sorry," he said in a much friendlier tone. He held out his hand for the dog to sniff, and the dog happily bounded over to lick it. "Hey! Cut that out, it tickles!"

"You know, if he's a baby, and we raise him, he'll be our friend," said Kento.

"If he's a baby then he isn't full grown- we don't know WHAT he is or how big he's going to get," said Sage. He frowned. "Besides, Trulpa will probably be furious if we keep him. And as he gets bigger it'll be harder and harder to keep him a secret from her if we do."

Cye paled at the thought. "No!"

"What do we do with him? We can't just release him- we can't get outside anywhere close to the ground," said Kento. He looked at Cye. "Looks like we have to keep him for now, but we need to figure out how to keep him from Madame Bitch. She'll probably kill him or worse!"

Sensing some sort of danger, the puppy jumped into Cye's lapped and curled up, shaking. Feeling sympathy for their new pet, Torrent reached down to gently stroke his head. The puppy seemed content with this, yawned, and began to sleep. All three Ronins managed a smile, and it seemed like maybe things were beginning to look better.

"Merry Christmas, boys. I think this little guy is our Christmas present."


Where are you Christmas?
Fill your heart with love

~

I'd love to comment right now, but my modem is being an ass and I can't get onto the Internet. How fun is that?

*a couple of days later. . .*

Harry: I think he's innocent, and I wrote that chapter a LONG time ago. No, seriously, I do- I'm not as sure about the last one, but this one seems fishy to me and I think the word "extortion" is stamped all over this. Anubis kinda has shown up, just not directly. Kayura was brainwashed. She'll probably try to kill Anubis next time she sees him.

Crystal Cat-chan: Er, Sage still doesn't really know what he saw yet. Well, as far as what I have planned for Rowen it isn't AS bad as some of the stuff that happened to the other Ronins. I mean, it still sucks, but there isn't any Dynasty involvement or brutal murdering involved. But it still sucks. Hey! Ryo has his share of trauma, too! Dude, he's an orphan who keeps loosing people he cares for. Well, true, but Cye and Anubis are gonna be on the same side. Well, if you saw a zombie would YOU run up and say "Hello, Mr. Zombie, can I take you home so we can play tea party?" or would you run and scream for your mommy? Yeah. There will be much tweaking with Kaze.

Celesta SunStar: Man, my spell checker hates your name. It has the little red squiggle thing going on. Anyways, let's go on. It really is sad that Sage doesn't exactly know what's going on, but once he does he's gonna feel better about himself (Sage is under the mentality he was discovered the way he was because he was unwanted or "not good enough") and be royally pissed off at Trulpa. Life DOES suck. And if we all saw the world in the same way we'd be stuck in some communist 1984 reality. Which would make life suck even more.

Sakura123: Thanks for enjoying (I'm choosing not to comment on the Bush thing).

This'll make ya'll happy- I've been writing up a storm. On this story. Still trying to get though everything else.

~Dixxy