I'm so sorry for the delay in this chapter guys, but I've had some time to write up a lot of this fic and the next chapters should be out soon. Hope you all enjoy this one.
Chapter Six
Tyson was staring at Kai rather strangely. He had been for quite a while now. It was starting to irritate the tribal man, though he would never admit it, or let it show. Actually, they were all staring at Kai, but Tyson was glaring so hard Kai was wondering if he would manage to drill holes right through his head. Being stuck with the four others for the time being in a small chamber because of the terrible weather was bad enough and Kai was ready to snap.
"What?" he finally yelled out.
"Nothing." Tyson looked away, but seeing the deadly look in Kai's eyes he sighed. "Fine. I want to know more about these power things. What powers are you talking about?"
"The Powers. Are you stupid or were you not paying attention before?"
"Hey, watch it. Explain everything you know. If we're getting involved in something this dangerous we deserve an explanation."
Kai looked around and saw that the other three were looking at him insistently as well. "Fine. There are five Powers in the heavens, Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Aether. Each are governed by a spirit, the Tiger for Earth. His name is Drigger, protector of the forests. Your blade, Rei, holds the spirit of the Tiger in it. He placed himself inside it for his own protection when the Dark Lord grew too strong."
Rei paled and he almost dropped the blade he'd been polishing. It glowed slightly in his hands and his eyes widened. "But ... how ... why?"
"I'll get to that. Within your blade Max is the spirit of Draciel, Power of Water, guardian of the seas. Like Drigger, Draciel placed herself in the blade as protection from the Dark Lord."
"Well, how about that." Max looked at his blade in awe.
"Let me guess, I've got Dragoon," Tyson said. "Who is he?"
"He's the dragon spirit of Air, master of storms. However, being a rather stubbourn Power, Dragoon was actually forced into his blade by the Dark Lord, which gave the other powers their ideas."
Tyson grinned. "Sounds perfect for me. Never gives up."
"Actually, the others were probably a bit smarter than Dragoon, he was just thick-headed, not brave." Tyson glared at Kai, who just smirked. It was too easy to get him riled up.
"What about me?" Kenny asked curiously.
"Aether is an unusual Power in that it has no single incarnation, considering it is the overseer of life. Hence the reason why the Dark Lord could never overcome it, thus ensuring his downfall in the heavens. There was one manifestation of the Aether Power combined, but it is not imbued in the blade. The blade however does have a rather large significance, though I'm not sure what. The legends never say."
"What of yours?" Rei asked.
Kai hesitated, but there was a look in Rei's eyes that made him nod his head and continue with the story. "Dranzer, Power of Fire, Empress of the Sun and Moon. She was the first to fall in the attack of the Dark Lord." Kai took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then he looked back down, a distant expression on his face. He began to speak, almost as though he were reciting something, but his voice was filled with passion, something very unusual for Kai. The others were captivated.
"Coming from the night, her vigilance had faded, the moon dark. The Dark Lord doused her flames and she lay wounded. With one flash she was gone, fading to the darkness and a warning went up. Dragoon attacked, calling for Draciel and Drigger to flee when he saw they were hurt by the attacker. Having received deep wounds they did so, leaving Dragoon to sacrifice himself for them. At the last minute, he was called to the world by his clan and was saved. They had sensed their protector's struggle and aided him in the only way they could. Drigger and Draciel followed him down retreating to their clans for protection. In the mortal realm, the Dark Lord could not reach them, protected as they were by their clans. But there was a problem, they were safe, but trapped. Only those worthy from their token clans could touch them and live, but soon they were all but forgotten."
Kai hesitated slightly, thinking something over. "There were two minor powers, actually there were many minor powers, but these two were the Guardians to the Mortal Realm. The Wolf and the Falcon. They held the gates against the Dark Lord for a while, but rather than trying to overpower the powers, the Dark Lord infected them, turning them against their true nature. He tamed them, made them do his biding against their own will. Yet, when he tried to pass, the Dark Lord could not get to the mortal realm.
"It was at this time that the Dark Lord encountered the Aether. He knew not what to make of it. Humanity was not something he had encountered before, it confused him. He drained all of the power from Wolf and Falcon to enhance his own, leaving them for dead. Yet, Aether had almost trapped him, but the Dark Lord closed himself off from attacks with the extra power and was soon beating back the spirits of Aether. Aether combined, forming one powerful spirit and tried to stand up to him, but it was failing. Without the other Powers, it was useless.
"It was then that Wolf and Falcon, struggling to escape the battlefield, stumbled across the ashes at the dark side of the night. In the ashes they lit a fire with the last of their strength and Dranzer was reborn from the pyre. She saw their aid for her and in return showed them how to reach the World and find the others. Then she flew to aid Aether and attacked the Dark Lord. Unprepared for this, the Dark Lord fell into a trap laid by Aether. Weakened, Dranzer fell to the World, leaving Aether in the heavens to watch over the Dark Lord. It was said that one spirit of Aether fell with her, but that was unknown.
"Unfortunately, the Dark Lord is free and Aether is most likely destroyed. Hence the reason for the lack of Spirit Mages. He has imbued a mortal with his power and is using him to get the blades and the Powers. But it seems that Aether has created vessels for the Powers to interact with, members of the clans that once paid fealty to the Powers. Us."
There was silence as Kai finished talking. The four others were taking in this information. Kenny was thinking things over pensively. Max was sitting with his head in his hands. Tyson was clenching his jaw tightly and staring out the window at the cloudy night sky, a strained look upon his face. Rei was sitting in his chair, curled up, the Drigger blade before him. He stared at it. Kai watched him closely. Of all of them, he was taking all of this worse than all of them.
"My clan has always been the dragon," Tyson whispered finally, looking down at his sheathed sword. He drew his katana and stared at the engraving of the dragon. He trailed his fingers over the carving and the symbol glowed slightly. He smiled at this. "Now I know more. We truly are the dragon." He kissed the carving and sheathed his sword again. He looked over at Kai, determined. "I will fight."
Kai nodded and looked over at Kenny who stood up.
"I'm not a fighter," he told them seriously. "I'm not that much of a magician right now either. I'm a bit cowardly and a bit of a know-it-all, but I will not let you down when needed. I was chosen and I will not fail you. I will put all of my efforts into the mission and I will not back down." He smiled at Tyson and Kai then looked over at Max.
Max grinned, sitting up straighter. "I'm with Kenny. Come on, as if I would pass up an opportunity like this. The Mizuhara family were Draciel's keepers for a reason, I will honour her and the position she has allowed me. I may be young and inexperienced, but I won't let you down. You can count on me to stick through this." He clutched his blade in his hands.
Kai looked over at the last person in the room who had yet to speak. Rei was still staring at the blade in silence. Tyson shared a concerned look with Kenny and Max, while Kai just stared at him stonily.
"We can't do this without Earth, Rei," he said quietly.
"Then you'd best find him, because he's not me." Rei looked up and the others were stunned to see tears in his eyes. "I'm not a mystic warrior come to fight with you against a Dark adversary. I'm a thief. This isn't even truly mine. It's the White Tiger's."
"But you said you were from the White Tiger," Tyson argued.
"I am, but I'm not their heir. This blade is passed down through the lines of the ruling family. It's true owner is Lee of the White Tiger." Rei got up and sheathed the blade. He walked over to Kai and handed him the blade. "You should be able to find him easily if you head south into their lands. Say you're returning this and they'll welcome you with open arms."
Kai felt a strange tingle go through him as Rei handed him the blade and then as he started walking away, there was a hollowness in his stomach so painful he couldn't stand it. "Rei," he called out as the boy reached the door. "You're wrong."
Rei looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"The blade chooses who its owner is, not the clan. The White Tiger was Drigger's clan, but Lee's family does not control who is his guardian." Kai closed his eyes and drew the blade. It seemed to hum slightly. "There was a tragedy eighteen years ago with your clan."
Rei nodded, his eyes wide. "There was. Our leader was killed in a raid by a rival clan. His wife was taken, the unborn heir to the clan with her. She never returned. Lee's grandfather was their closest living relative, the leader's eldest uncle. Lee was to be the next heir unless the true heir surfaced and proved himself, his grandfather acting as regent to the clan throne."
"So prove yourself." Kai tossed him the blade and Rei caught the scimitar in the air, his eyes slightly wide.
"What?"
"Drigger told me about your mother. You were born after she escaped the raiders and found refuge among northern townspeople, a small family in a village. She caught sick a year later, never really recovering from the trouble of the birth and died. When traders from the neko-jin lands saw you with the family two years later, they asked to take you back with them. The family agreed and you were adopted back into the White Tiger clan, no one knowing you were in fact already a part of it and their heir."
Rei looked stunned as did the others. "How did you know that?"
Kai shrugged. "Drigger told me. You should try listening to him." He sighed seeing the dubious look on Rei's face. "If it makes you feel better, we can go past the White Tiger lands. It's on the way to Wrighton. Assuage your guilt if you must then we can finally get on with this. I've been waiting too long already, but if I have to waste time trying to find you again if you run off, I'm going to be pissed."
Rei nodded and grinned. "Thanks Kai. I really should go home and face up to things."
Kai rolled his eyes. "Any more side trips people want to make once the rains let up?" he asked sarcastically.
"Do you think I could dash by my place and see my niece? I haven't seen her in so long." Max and Kenny cracked up at Tyson's smart-ass reply. He grinned at Kai's dark look. "Just an idea."
"Whatever. Now that everyone knows about the mission, I'd better not hear anything else for a long time. Is that clear?" Kai glared around the room. "Good. Now get to sleep, we leave early in the morning."
"What if it's raining?" Tyson complained.
"It won't be."
"How do you know?" Tyson snapped.
"Max, will it be raining tomorrow?"
Max looked surprised and closed his eyes in concentration. "No," he replied.
"Lucky guess," Tyson muttered.
"I wouldn't be so sure," Max told him, glancing over at Kai. "Kai's pretty powerful and there's a lot we don't know about him." He knew Kai heard the not-so-subtle hint, but the cold glare he received made him grin. "But we'll figure that out later, right now we need to know who's sleeping with who." Rei snickered as he moved towards one of the beds. Kenny and Tyson grinned while Max blushed slightly. "You know what I mean," he muttered.
"Sure we do Max."
"Well, I tend to kick in my sleep," Kenny advised. "So I'd advise not to stay in the same bed as me."
"He's right and it hurts too," Max nodded.
"Okay then," Tyson shrugged. "Want to bunk in with me then?" he asked with a smile. Max blushed slightly, making both Rei and Kenny share a look and grin. Tyson seemed oblivious but he grinned as Max nodded. "Okay that's done. So who's with Mr. Grouchy over there?"
Kai glared at him then turned away, flinging himself on the other bed. There was only really one choice and Rei sighed and moved over, sitting beside Kai on the bed.
"Looks like you're stuck with me again."
"Whatever," Kai mumbled, suddenly wondering why he didn't care that much about he intrusion into his space. When Rei smiled at him he looked up at the ceiling beams studiously, trying to ignore the strange sensations in his chest.
"Well now that's settled, let's get some sleep," Kenny advised.
"Sure thing Chief." Kenny looked startled at the nickname Tyson gave him but shrugged it off as a quirk.
He quickly got into his own bed and smiled as he saw Max blush while getting in beside Tyson, who seemed to be staying right over to one side of the bed. Kenny looked over curiously at Rei and Kai to see that the neko-jin was quite content with lying beside Kai, already asleep. Kenny smiled and shook his head then moved to blow out the candle on the table nearby. As he leaned over, he caught a glimpse of Kai, looking down at Rei with a strange expression on his face. Kenny savoured the brief moment as he watched Kai's emotions play over his face completely unguarded then sighed as the cold face closed over again. He blew out the candle, leaving them in total darkness and silence.
Well, silence until ...
"Tyson, stop taking all the sheets!"
*~*~*
Falcon groaned as he started to awaken, then winced and almost cried out in pain as the wounds covering his body flared up.
It was a mistake, he thought in retrospect, to get involved when his partner was being beaten. He could not stand to see Wolf in any more pain and he called out for their master to stop. Wolf looked up at him through the blood and Falcon could see the horrified gaze fixed on him. But even through he pain and the blood, Falcon was glad he did it. They'd stopped their punishment of the already weakened Wolf and concentrated on him. He could hear his partner's weakened sobs, but was glad for them.
At least he wasn't dead.
Wolf was stubbourn. He'd been scarred at an early time with their hard master. He would always take the blame for everything, never letting them touch Falcon. But he had been beaten only a few days before and hadn't recovered. He was unconscious for almost a day when they returned him to Falcon. He wouldn't have been able to survive another beating.
"You fool," he heard the whisper and he turned his head to the side and saw Wolf staring at him with tears streaming down his face. Falcon was shocked. He hadn't seen his partner like this since they had been recruited by their master. To him, emotions were a weakness and such a display was almost a death warrant.
"You couldn't expect me to stand by and let you die," Falcon whispered through his pain.
"You should have let me receive my punishment."
"I can't let you do this any more Wolf. They can't get to me, the realised that, so they're concentrating on you instead. There is no shame in letting me take command."
"I have to do this." Falcon's eyes narrowed hearing the desperation in Wolf's voice.
"That's bullshit," he snapped, wincing as he moved slightly. 'You take too much on yourself. This is a partnership, we're both in or neither of us."
"We can't get out now."
"I know, but I still want to be there with you." Falcon winced, but he reached out a hand and took Wolf's. The other clutched at it tightly, drawing strength from the weaker, yet stronger, boy.
"I know, but I don't want to see you hurt again, that's why I wanted to do this."
"But they're getting to you, you know you can't take what they're doing to you." Falcon stared at him desperately. "Please stop this, you can't keep this up." Wolf looked away, dropping his hand. The tears started to fall. "Tala, please! I can't stand this any more!"
"I know Bryan, but I just ..." Tala suddenly broke down, falling to his knees and clutching at the sheets covering the wounded falcon. "I can't stop it," he sobbed, "everything's out of my control. You can't stop it either, so just leave it, please, don't get involved. I want you safe." He looked up and stared into Bryan's eyes. "Let me do this, let me keep you safe. I couldn't save anyone else, let me save you."
Bryan stared at his long time friend and partner and nodded, looking away in both physical and emotional pain.
"Thank you Bryan." Tala got up and wiped at his eyes. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hands over Bryan, closing his eyes.
"Don't," Bryan whispered, holding onto his hand. Tala's eyes snapped open. "You're still weak and you may be called in to see the master again. I still don't want you dying on me."
Tala nodded. "Than I should go and make sure our next plan doesn't fail." He sighed and looked away. "Though I wonder if this is really what we should be doing."
"It's not. We're defying the heaven's themselves. But it's far too late to turn back now."
Tala looked down at the ground. "Do you think he'll ever forgive us?" he whispered quietly.
"Kai?" Bryan was silent for a long time. "I truly don't know," he whispered. "We betrayed him and his ideals. We betrayed his and our clan and you know how seriously he takes that. Yet he loved us once."
"I don't want that involved in this. I just want to know if he will kill us slowly or quickly." Tala stared at Bryan with such strange intensity that he was suddenly frightened by the Wolf. Tala noticed his shift in mood and walked to the door. "You can't avoid the thought Falcon," he called out coldly. "We will meet with him and one of us will die." Tala left the room.
Bryan closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "You really are slipping," he whispered sadly. "Kai, I pray you be merciful to us when we meet again."
AN: I really enjoyed that chapter … wait until the next ones.