Consequences of Capture

By Dixxy

Chapter Eighteen: From Father to Son

~

Many months earlier. . .

~

I know I can't sleep, Cye thought, turning over in his sleeping bag. He'd spent the past hour or so trying to fall asleep, but he couldn't do it. His mind was buzzing with a flood of thoughts and his eyelids refused to gain any weight. Groaning, Cye sat up and looked around the small training hut he and the other Ronins had dubbed their temporary base of operations.

There wasn't much to see. Mia was curled up in a far off corner, a happy smile on her face. Cye couldn't help but wonder why she was so happy. Shrugging it off, his eyes moved to where Sage and Rowen sat back to back, their chins resting on their chests as they softly sawed logs. Torrent smiled at the image- it was rather amusing. That left Kento, Yuli, and Ryo, who were all using White Blaze as a pillow. Ryo was nuzzled by the tiger's head while Kento and Yuli were resting against his back. That left himself and their new ally. Curious, Cye began to look for Anubis, but only saw the Ancient's Staff resting in the corner.

A gagging noise outside confirmed the monk's whereabouts.

Cye rushed outside to investigate, careful not to wake the others. He could handle whatever it was, and with a big battle tomorrow. . . well, better one weary Ronin than five. As soon as he was out the door, Cye whipped his head around to try and find the source of the terrible sound. He stepped out further, listening carefully. It appeared to be coming from Cye's right, so to the right he went.

As he rounded the corner of the tiny hut, he saw Anubis standing up, wiping the corners of his mouth with a white handkerchief. Before him was a bucket and splatters of something wet and creepy looking. The large rice bowl hat was lying on the ground a few feet away, and Cye could see a sad look in his former enemy's eyes. The monk dropped his hands to his sides and breathed heavily, looking very depressed. Thinking about his words carefully, Cye opened his mouth to speak. "Anubis?"

Anubis jumped at the sound of Cye's voice and stared at the Ronin in shock. He fell to the ground, crashing on his bottom as he scrambled to regain his senses. Feeling responsible for the spill, Cye rushed over to Anubis and offered a hand. The older man looked at the hand, then back at Cye, and took it.

Once he was on his feet, however. . .

"What are you doing up!?" Anubis hissed. Cye stepped back at the comment. "You should be resting! You and your friends need to be well-rested for the battle! For heaven's sake, Torrent, you've just seen first-hand what Talpa is capable of! Now why on Earth are you still awake?"

"I. . . I can't sleep, I'm sorry," he said. He looked up at Anubis- Cye was still fairly small for his age, and Anubis was at least of average height. "I've got a lot on my mind. And then I heard you. . . retching. Anubis, are you sick?" He cocked his head to one side, then saw that whatever Anubis had thrown up included blood. His eyes got wide as he turned to the older man in terror. "Anubis, you're coughing up blood! You're REALLY sick! Is there anything we can do to help you get better?"
Anubis shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he said. "You and the other Ronins should be more concerned about fighting off Talpa and the . . . other Warlords, not worrying about me. I'm a grown man, I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

"Just because you're grown doesn't mean that," said Cye. He lowered his head and looked at the ground. "My mother lives in a nursing home because she can't take care of herself anymore!" Cye stopped, recalling the soft spot in his personal life. He turned his head away, unsure if he could continue. "I. . . I'm sorry. . ." This earned the young Ronin a look of shock from Anubis, who was having trouble comprehending this.

"But. . . she's got to be too young to be in a place like that. . ."

Cye shook his head. "She was in her late-thirties when I was born. The pregnancy was very hard on her. I know women are supposed to be able to have children until they're forty or so, but it's quite a risk. Shortly after I was born she started having a lot of trouble with her heart. Most of the time she was fine when I was growing up. . . but last year my older sister called me to tell me that our mum asked to be put there. My sister's a lot older than I am, and she'd struggled trying to balance night school, watching me, and taking care of mum after she graduated high school. Mum wanted her to have a chance to enjoy her youth, so she admitted herself to the home," he said.

". . . why weren't you there when that happened?"

Cye laughed. "I'm not from Japan- I was born in England."

"Oh!" said Anubis. "I've been there before."

This took Cye by surprise. "You serious?"

Anubis nodded. "The other Warlords and I went there when we wanted to have time to ourselves. Talpa didn't pay too much attention to that area of the Mortal World, so it was a good place for us to go. Evil or not, we wanted to go out and play, too." He coughed, and Cye instinctively put his hand on his back. Anubis batted the Ronin's hand away, shaking his head.

"Cye, there's nothing you can do. The best thing you can do for me is to just keep fighting. You understand me, young man?" Cye nodded dumbly, and Anubis placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're a strong young man. Your parents and your sister must be very proud of you."

Cye looked down to the ground. "I only have my mother. Never knew my father."

"Oh."

"Not your fault."

Anubis looked up at the stars. "Poor kid. Your mother is sick, you don't have your father. . . how do you cope with it?" he asked. He turned back to Cye. "Don't you ever feel upset that you don't have what most children have growing up? Or is it something so foreign to you that you don't know what to miss?"
"Both," said Cye. "My friends back in England had dads, and I lived with Kento's family for a while and he's got a great dad, but watching other peoples' fathers is. . . I don't know how to explain it. I feel a little jealous at times, but it's not like I didn't have any father figures at all. I have a lot of uncles, and Kento's father took a shine to me pretty early on." He shook his head. "My personal life isn't important! You need help-"

"Cye, I don't want to talk about that!" Anubis snapped. Cye quieted, feeling as if he were about three times smaller in size. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so harsh. Let's put it this way- you don't have TIME to find something to help me. Talpa's too close to taking over the Mortal Realm, and I don't think you'd be able to live with yourself if you chose one person- especially a person who's done the things I've done- over the entire world."

"All right, but once this is all over we're taking you to a doctor," said Cye. Anubis laughed and led Cye to a wooden bench they'd been using for a variety of training exercises. They sat down, Anubis having a somewhat distant look in his eyes as he began to speak.

"You were the only one who trusted me right away, you know."

"I know."

"Why was that? I know your armor is guided by trust, but that was awful quick."
Cye fidgeted with his fingers, going through several old grammar school games. As he made the church and the steeple with his hands, he sighed and continued. "Not sure. I guess I just accepted it." He shrugged. "Don't feel like I would've done that for Cale or Dais, and certainly not Sehkment, but you. . . I don't know. Maybe it's because we fought so hard to try and keep you from getting taken back to Talpa by the Warlords before the Ancient One died, but I don't really know for sure."

"At any rate. . . I'm glad you didn't attack me."

Cye laughed. "No problem."

Silence reigned for a few minutes before Anubis spoke up again.

"You're handling things pretty well."

"What things?"

"Cye, Talpa had you, Kento, and Sage locked up like dogs in that awful place. All three of you seem to be coping fairly well. I haven't seen any of you actually react to what happened," said Anubis. He looked at Cye. "How are you bottling your emotions like that?"

"I try not to think about it," Cye said.

"It's going to come back and haunt you."

"I can deal with that."

"Are you sure?"
"No."

Sighing, Anubis pulled Cye into an awkward hug. The younger boy's hands were at his sides. "You're going to get through it. You're going to go on with your life. One day it'll all be just a bad memory, and you can put it behind you. But. . . I want you to keep this in mind."

"Keep what in mind?" asked Cye. Why is he hugging me?

And why haven't I shoved him away yet?

Cye was thoroughly confused. Normally he didn't like receiving affections from other men (except for his uncles and Kento, the latter being like a brother to him). Something about Anubis made him feel safe and secure, and in a way he didn't want the embrace to end. But why did he feel that way?

"Whatever you do. . . never have children."

Cye pulled away from the embrace in surprise and shock. Turquoise eyes met turquoise eyes in a strange stare. "Never. . . have any children? But, if I ever got married, how would I explain that to my wife? I mean, I don't want any children right now, but that's a pretty big thing to keep in mind. I-"

Anubis pressed a finger to Cye's lips. "Horrible things could happen if any of you have children," he said. He lowered his hand, satisfied that he had Cye's attention. "I've always wanted children. When I was younger, before the armors, I wanted to teach my sons to be honorable samurai and bring honor to my family's name- Doji. But once I received my armor. . . everything changed." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Sometimes I feel like I should be a parent. I enjoyed watching Yuli while Mia did her research. It made me realize just how much I wish I could have one, but I'm too afraid to."

"What are you so afraid of?" asked Cye.

"You don't want to know. I'm sure Mia has information on it, and she'll probably come across it soon enough," he said. "I just don't want to say it myself. I know you probably don't understand this, but it isn't easy to say. You're just a kid, after all." Anubis paused when Cye frowned. "Don't take that as an insult. Out of the five you seem to have the most innocence, so to speak. Everyone else, especially Sage, seems to be rushing to grow up. You don't seem to have that desire, and I admire that. You have your youth, don't you?"
"I'm fifteen."

Anubis pressed his lips together. "Fifteen. You really ARE a kid." He scoffed. "Most of your predecessors were well into their twenties or thirties, you know. And now the Ancient has chosen children. Granted the five of you are doing better than anyone before you, but you're all going to end up in therapy for a good part of the rest of your young lives."

Cye laughed. "Yeah, right!"

"Wanna try me?"

Cye gave Anubis a light shove. "I'll be fine. The five of us have each other. We can bandage our physical wounds and talk out the emotional ones. As long as the five of us are together, we'll be all right. Nothing will stop us then," he said. He smiled. "And you can be there, too, Anubis."

~

The next day, the Ronin Warriors set off to fight Talpa. After all nine armor bearers were captured, Anubis escaped, saved Lady Kayura, and took his last breath before plummeting into the stream below the bridge. Cye's conversation with the other man was a memory now.

And now. . .

Cye wasn't sure what to think of it all anymore. The conversation was something he thought about a lot. He and Anubis made some sort of a bond that night, and now Cye wasn't sure if it was there or lost with his passing. Anubis was alive again. That complicated things.

For once, Cye was alone in his room. For whatever reason, Dash had decided to keep Sage company that night, and Kento had gone to bed early. That gave him time to think. Sitting on his bed, he had done nothing but think for the past hour. Things were getting more and more confusing as the days went by, and Cye wasn't sure what to think of anything anymore.

THUMP!

Cye turned behind him to see a pile of Mortal Realm clothing on the bed and Cara behind him. Cye was about to say something, but the quiet Warlady shook her head. "I have no evil intentions," she said. She held up her hands, the silk robes she wore sliding down to her elbows to emphasize the point. "I come in peace. I don't even have my armor orbe on me."

"What are you doing here, anyways?" Cye hissed.

Cara frowned. "Please, just get dressed. I promise I'm not looking- I'm blind, you know." Cye's eyes widened in surprise. "You probably don't believe me, but it's true. You could be naked right now for all I know." She gulped. "You, uh, aren't, are you?" Cye shook his head. "Are you?"

Maybe she's telling the truth, Cye wondered. "No, not right this second."

"I'm going to take you to the Mortal Realm briefly."

Cye's mood lightened. Confusion or not, just a chance to stand on the soil of his home world would be enough to last him another year in the Dynasty. "Are you serious? You're taking me home?! Are Sage and Kento coming too?! Are you changing sides and leaving Trulpa or-"

"BRIEFLY," Cara emphasized, her expression darkening again. "The clothes are loners and once we're done your ass will be back here." She turned her back. "Get dressed. Quickly, please. I shouldn't be doing this, but there are some things I still believe all people should be entitled too."

"Like what?" Cye asked, now fully naked and reaching for the underwear Cara had provided. As he pulled on the pair of boxer shorts, he looked at the woman in curiosity. "Please tell me this isn't some kind of trick. Because you know Trulpa will kill you if you try anything stupid."

"This is a stupid move, don't worry about that. But you need to do this."

Cye zipped the fly of his jeans, the texture of the denim feeling foreign after a year without it. What could Cara mean by that? "I have to do what?" he asked. Reaching for the hooded sweatshirt and pulling it over his head, Cye continued his question. "What's so important for me to see in the Mortal Realm that you'd risk getting in trouble over?"

"Cye. . . your mother is dead."

~

Cara had done her homework very well. She'd temporarily jammed Cye's leash, occupied Trulpa with a loose family of gargoyle gremlins in the castle for added insurance, and done a little extra research on the typical attire of English teenagers and adults. Now Cye could be undisturbed as he paid his last respects.

Cye hadn't believed her at first. But once he was fully dressed, Cara began to argue her point. She knew his mother had heart troubles and lived in a nursing home. She informed him that shortly after she learned he went missing she had a massive heart attack. She'd spent several months in a hospital before she finally succumbed. Cye knew that what Cara told him was plausible, but he still didn't listen. Frustrated, Cara grabbed his wrist and teleported.

Their destination was a graveyard. Cye's eyes widened in shock as he FELT the Mortal Realm around him, caressing him and welcoming him home. That alone nearly brought him to tears. They were DEFINITELY in the Mortal Realm now. No Nether Realm magic could even begin to replace this. THIS was the real deal.

As he looked around. . . he realized that he knew this graveyard.

This was where his mother's late husband had been buried.

It was a burial grounds that his mother's family had used in the past. The only biological grandparents he knew were both buried here as well as an aunt who had cancer and a young cousin who'd died in a drunk driving accident- Cye had attended all four funerals. The layout of the land was identical (albeit time had added more grave markers), and he noted a few graves had a small British flag flapping in the night sky. It WAS late- probably around midnight- and they were alone.

Cye was creeped out by being in a graveyard at midnight with one of his captors, but realized that, if Cara was telling the truth, this was the only way to do it. He couldn't go during the daytime and get spotted by relatives who knew he'd gone missing and create a racket. THAT would get the attention of Ryo and Rowen, or even better, Anubis and the Senshi. That was an almost guaranteed ticket home. But with no one around, no one would know Cye had visited the grave.

"Go," said Cara. Cye nodded, choosing his path carefully as he moved towards the headstone that marked the grave of Minoru Mouri, the Japanese businessman his mother had married many years before he was born. The man whose last name he had only by means of legal documents. It was a double-headstone marker, with room for his mother's name left so she could be buried beside him.

Cye could see it. Gulping, he walked closer. Every step seemed to take an eternity, and the grass below his sneakers seemed to be deafeningly loud. As he drew closer, Cye's heart began to pound and tears began to roll down his face. This was getting more and more real. More and more believable.

When he saw his mother's date of death carved into the cold stone, he feel to his knees and cried out in despair. He cupped his hands over his face as his form was wracked with tears. The most important woman in his life was gone forever, and one thought rang through his head:

I killed her.

Her heart problems began when he was born. Her heart problems increased as he got in trouble as a child and put a burden on her. Her problems got worse as she couldn't afford all of the medication, having to buy enough food and clothing for him and his sister. Her heart pained when he went to Japan. And her heart gave out when he vanished into this air.

Her life gave out on his sixteenth birthday.

I killed her! Oh God, oh God, I killed my mother!

~

I wanted an introspective type thing between Cye and Anubis prior to the two learning of their relation, which was the main purpose of this chapter. Cye's mother's death also bears some significance.

Next up we'll be having an epilogue- WITH A SONG! Because I like lyrics to songs. They make me happy. Or sad.

Harry: Sabotage is going to be difficult for the Ronins to pull off- in general, they're going to play a very dormant role in the next fic with maybe the exception of Kento and Keisha's first contact. Technically they can't involve themselves in the first war on either side, so a lot of what they'll be doing is escape attempts. Heh, Dragonia. Funny. It's a fic that I'm having trouble really getting rolling. I have IDEAS for it, but it's the leading phases that bug me. No, I cannot just drop the leading phase. What's this group thing?

Morgan Ray: Yes indeed! Thank you for liking the chapter. Gruff? This is Dash's species. Check out Chapter Fifteen (or sixteen by FF.Net's rules) for info on his species. A LoJack is a kind of car security system. I'm not sure QUITE how it works, but in layman's terms it helps the police track down the car's location so it can be recovered.

Sakura123: Oh, that? Well, it's a term that questions the stability of a bet. A mortgage is NOT insurance- mortgage is what you're paying back the bank after you take out a loan to purchase a house. You need to mortgage your house on a sturdy payment, hence the term. For me, it depends on the commercial. What is P.O.D.? Yeah, it was a description heavy chapter. This one wasn't so bad, and of course we know about the epilogue.

~Dixxy