Water and Wind
Written by: Padfoot-chan
Thank you ever so much for the lovely reviews :3 I really appreciate the ones that I receive. Thank you. I had so much fun writing this chapter. I think I might have gotten a little carried away getting into Kyuhi and Ryou's past but I just love them so much and again, I had fun writing this chapter so it got a little long. I hope everyone enjoys it, though. Also...sorry if there are a lot of typos. I was rushing a little.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the GS character. I only own Okami, Yoru, Ryou, Daisuke, Kyuhi, and Mamoru. Aoshi belongs to Ivan and Kanata and Amiko belong to Hoshi-chan (aka Tsuna Arashi :3)
Notes: Shonen-ai warning. Don't like, don't read. Flames shall be handed to Okami and he shall throw them into the fires of Hell along with the flamers where they belong. Flame me and you will see a very angry Padfoot-chan. Very angry.
Also, as promised to my lovely reviewers (who cares if there were only two, it makes it easier on me anyway) this chapter is dedicated to: Tsuna Arashi (aka Hoshi) and Barbelo who seems to be new to FF.Net, so I'd just like to welcome you as well :3
Read and review please 3
Chapter Six: Nostalgia
"Robin!" Ivan stood in the middle of the doorway to Yoru's room, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the empty bed and the empty room. "Robin!" He called again, this time putting a little more urgency in his voice to get the Earth Energist to hurry to him. After waiting a few seconds, he heard someone running up the wooden stairs and Robin stumbled toward him, nearly barreling into him in his rush to reach Ivan's side.
"What is it?" asked Robin, gasping for breath as Ivan pointed at the empty room. Robin looked up and examined the room before turning to Ivan, breathing a sigh of relief, "From the way you were calling out my name, I thought for sure something bad had happened to you. I nearly had a heart attack back there." Ivan shook his head, tossing his wet locks from side to side, sending droplets of water flying here and there.
"I'm sorry, Robin, but what about Yoru? He's gone and he didn't leave anything behind! Not a note, nothing. What if something bad happed to him? Do you think someone could have come in and kidnapped him or something?" Robin placed his hands on Ivan's shoulders, looking around the hallway before kissing Ivan's forehead in hopes of calming the young Air Energist down. "Something serious could have happened to him. We need to…"
"You need to calm down." Said Robin, tightening his grip on Ivan's shoulders slightly, "There is no signs of a struggle. Yoru is gone because he left on his own. He took all of his stuff with him, made his bed and the door was locked before you came in here, I presume. The window is closed as well, so even if someone had broken in, they most likely would have used the window as a source of escape. If they had, they would have been unable to close the window.
"Yoru left of his own free will, Ivan. Perhaps he wanted to give us some more time to rest or hurry to the Mercury Lighthouse to try to save Tret. I do not know his motives but I do know that no one kidnapped him in his sleep." Ivan looked around the room one last time before looking up into Robin's pale blue eyes and nodding. He rested his head on Robin's chest and closed his eyes. "Don't worry about it too much, Ivan. I am sure that Yoru was just really worried about the humans that Tret turned into trees. He does not want the Tret to have innocent blood on his hands when he dies."
"I guess you're right," mumbled Ivan. Robin smiled and ruffled Ivan's hair, and leaning down to kiss his cheek quickly.
"Now that that is settled, what do you say to breakfast?" The Air Energist nodded as Robin led him down the hallway after closing the door to the empty hotel room. "I'm not sure when you would be ready to set out on the road again, but it would be best if we were to leave Bilibin soon. Okami and the others should read Imil in about a week, maybe more or less depending on the weather up there. I don't really want to take any chances, but if the weather is good right now, it would be wise to take advantage of it before it worsens."
"And if the weather is bad now, it could change by the time we reach Bilibin Cave. But that could go either way, Robin." The Earth Energist nodded solemnly as they entered the lobby and sat down at one of the tables near a window.
"That's a chance we are going to have to take. We are both rested up and Satyurous and Menadi are not going to wait around for us to catch up to them. They are most likely headed to Mercury Lighthouse, since it is the closest to Haidia Village and they would be stupid if they were to pass up a chance like that." Robin leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head and looking out the window as some of the little kids ran by.
"I don't understand why they would try to do something like this, though. The elemental lighthouses were extinguished for a reason, right?" Ivan nibbled on his bottom lip, his hands reaching for the little glass cup in the middle of the table. He twirled it around in his hands for a moment, helping keep his hands occupied while he thought. "But I just can't help thinking that…there is something more to all of this, Robin. Why would someone build the elemental lighthouses in the first place if they were going to be such a danger to the world? Okami has told me stories about there being something darker hidden in the lighthouses, something that would only be released if the beacons were fired again."
"What is this something?" asked Robin, turning his attention away from the window and leaning his elbows on the table. Ivan shrugged his shoulders, sending the glass cup flying back to its original spot with his Air Psynergy. It spun a little, making a gentle clicking noise until it came to an abrupt stop.
"Okami never went into any great detail about it, but he said that it was some great evil, something that would aid in the destruction of Weyard. It's more of a person, than a real force, though. He said that there was one for each elemental lighthouse and that it happened after the Elemental Stars were released from the care of the Legendary Warriors and placed in Sol Sanctum." Ivan thought about it a little more, trying to remember all the details. He did not want to give Robin any false information. "There was a spell placed on the Elemental Stars, and I think the lighthouses as well. It was maybe something to get back at the Legendary Warriors or perhaps an extra precaution to stop anyone from trying to light the elemental lighthouses. The spell created opposites of the four Legendary Warriors; it was perfect for something like world destruction. Using the opposites of the people who were charged with protecting Weyard from the elemental lighthouses."
"Maybe at one time the elemental lighthouses were good, but we know that if they were lit now, it would mean the end of Weyard as we know it. We cannot just let this go without doing something about it. We are the only ones who know about this and that means that we are the only ones with the best chance of doing something about it." They stopped talking as a woman walked up to them, notebook in hand. She smiled to them and bowed."My name is Kimiko, can I take your order?"
"Kimiko…where have I heard that name before…?" muttered Ivan, turning away slightly before smiling back at the girl. "I don't really know, can you tell us what you have?" She continued to smile before glancing between Robin and Ivan.
"I'm sorry but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation earlier. You're friends with Okami, right?" The two Energists looked at each other, surprised before nodded back to the girl, suddenly interested in what she had to say about their friend. "Okami stops here a lot when he travels, sort of as a favor to my mother, she runs this Inn and all. He never lets us help him out, though, so maybe we could pay him back by helping you two out."
"What did you have in mind, Kimiko?" She giggled."I'll tell you after you guys had something to eat. I know just what to get you and it's on the house. We always try to do the same with Okami but he wouldn't hear of it and just so you know, I'm not taking your money for the food either." Ivan and Robin blinked at each other as Kimiko hurried off to get their breakfast.
"I should have known," laughed Ivan, "Kimiko is the name of the girl Okami's parents wanted him to marry. He came to Bilibin when he was younger so that he could let her down gently, he didn't want to settle down, saying that he would rather die out on a battle field first." Robin lifted an eyebrow, "He just didn't want to marry, really. He was still so young that he thought girls were gross and had coodies."
"So, are they getting married now? Now that Okami is a little older? It sounds like Kimiko really likes Okami." Said Robin, leaning back in his chair again and folding his arms across his chest. Ivan smiled weakly, resting his elbows on the table now and dropping his chin into his hands.
"I think Kimiko does like Okami, but since it was Okami's parents decision for them to get married in the first place, it is Okami who gets to call it off. He still hasn't said if he wanted to marry her, and he did call it off when he was younger. He felt guilty about it when he grew up so he decided to help out around the Inn whenever he was near Bilibin and spend time with Kimiko." Ivan sighed, "She's more of another little sister to him than anything else. Plus, I think that Okami would rather be with Yoru than anyone else. He may tease him, yell at him for every little thing, and get mad at him but Yoru is the only one that Okami will really open up to and Yoru is the only one who truly understands him."
"And you?"
"Okami may find me more of his intellectual equal, it is sort of hard to keep up with him sometimes, but I do manage. However, I think that he feels he needs to protect me from his past. I don't know my about Okami myself. He pretty much appeared out of thin air when he arrived in Karei Town with his parents. We were fast friends but he and Yoru…they had something different." Ivan tapped his foot against the floor, laughing quickly, "He would always get Yoru to do dangerous things with him. Like raiding the palace or trying to see how much they could say before Lady Layana tried to kill them.
"Yoru being a Legendary Warrior helped their relationship as well. They both had a special responsibility to Weyard that I would never even begin to comprehend back then, I still do not understand much of it now." Ivan touched a finger to his lips in a thoughtful way, "Besides, the way Okami acts around Yoru, you can tell that there is something more between them, even if they don't want to admit it. Okami treats Yoru the way he does because that is the only way he knows how to show he cares. From what little he has told me about his birthparents, it seems that they did not really show him much love when he was growing up."
"Why didn't they want to do that? With someone like Okami, you would automatically think that he did get a lot of love when he was growing up." Commented Robin, remembering the way he was treating by his parents. His mother and father would always make sure that he knew they loved him and as brother. "I mean, Okami is a pretty sweet kid."
"He is, but that is mainly because of the people he grew up around and wanting to make sure that the people he cared about, knew that he wanted to be there for them to protect them no matter what it did to him. His godfather had a hand in him being this way, though."
"Who is Okami's godfather?" Ivan smiled and started laughing again.
"He's really cool. I think you might know him, Robin. His name is Kyuhi and he lives in Haidia Village." Robin started a little bit, grateful that Kimiko had not brought their food yet or he would have spit out what he had been eating.
"No way! Kyuhi? Kyuhi hasn't been in Haidia Village for three years. He left after the storm, saying that he was on his way to Karei Town to look after his godson." Ivan's violet eyes darkened.
"That couldn't possibly be. Kyuhi would have contacted Okami before he left and Okami hasn't said anything about Kyuhi for a while now." Ivan shook his head, "Not to mention that Kyuhi hasn't been to Karei Town in his entire life. He was forbidden to see Okami because of something that happened when he was younger. We all thought that he was still in Haidia Village, though…I don't know what could have possibly happened to him. For him to leave Haidia and not tell Okami…""Kyuhi is pretty strong, though. I've seen him do some amazing things with his Psynergy. He's like no other Energist that I've seen before." Said Robin, "Maybe we could find him once we are finished getting the Elemental Stars back. We might even see him on the way to Imil."
"I hope so…you should tell Okami everything that you know about this when we meet up with him in Imil. He'll want to know about his godfather status. I don't want him to worry but he has a right to know more than any of us." The Earth Energist nodded in agreement. "But you knew Kyuhi? What was he like? Do you know what his Psynergic powers were based on?"
Robin laughed at all the questions, even though a little part of him was feeling a little jealous at all the interest that Ivan was showing in Kyuhi. And Kyuhi was only five years older than him…but on the other hand, that would make Kyuhi eight years older than Ivan. "Yeah, Kyuhi looked after Felix and me when we were younger." Robin narrowed his eyes slightly, hating himself for even saying that traitor's name. Ivan noticed this and began to reach across the table to take Robin's hand when Kimiko came back. He pulled his hand back quickly, blushing crimson and stuttering. Robin smiled and leaned across the table, ruffling Ivan's hair.
"Here you go, boys, my mother's specialty, beacon and eggs." Said Kimiko as she set the two plates in front of them.
"Wow, this looks great!" complemented Ivan once he stopped stuttering. Kimiko laughed and pulled a chair from another table so she could sit next to them, "Thank you so much.""It tastes even better." She laughed as they started to eat. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I don't even know your names yet." Robin turned to her after he took a bite out of his breakfast.
"My name is Robin, and the little piglet over there is Ivan." Ivan bowed his head, blushing even more than he was before. Kimiko giggled at him. "So, Kimiko, tell us how long you've been working here?"
"Wow, it's been ever since I turned seven, I guess. It wasn't that we were short on work hands or anything, I just always wanted to help my mother out and so, she thought that I was old enough to help out around the Inn then." Kimiko blushed lightly, averting her eyes from the two boys, "I also wanted to impress Okami by showing him that I was old enough to work and do things for myself. Okami told me, when we first met, that he would never do something for someone who could not do anything for themselves. He was so smart and brave back then…I was so taken with him, even at such a young age. No matter what I do, though, he still treats me like a little kid, more of a little sister than an equal.
"You're so lucky, Ivan. He talks about you a lot, and he also talks about some Yoru-guy a lot, too." Ivan coughed a little. If only she knew what he did, but it was still only speculation, there was still a chance that Kimiko had a special place in Okami's heart, other than him just thinking about her like a sister. "And the two of you seem really close, I hope to be that close to Okami one day." Robin and Ivan looked at each other, wondering what to say to this. They could not lie to the girl and tell her that it was not what she thought, but from the way she put it, it was what she thought and they did not want to lie to someone that would let them eat for free, even though it was her way of paying Okami back for all the help that he had given her and her mother.
"So, Kimiko, when did you first meet Okami?" asked Robin, hoping to get the subject away from him and Ivan. Kimiko leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling with her pale green eyes.
"Let's see…Okami came here a couple of weeks after his parents were killed." Robin stopped with his fork an inch from his mouth and looked over at Ivan. The Air Energist turned his eyes away from him, looking out the window sadly.
"Okami's biological parents were killed? By who?" Kimiko shrugged her shoulders.
"Dunno, but I do know that Okami disappeared after they died and he didn't show up until a couple of weeks later and that was when he came to Bilibin to try to call off the wedding his parents had arranged with mine when were we still only babies." Explained Kimiko, "He was about five then, so cute in his little dark green tunic and cape. He always carried around this little dagger that was too big for him so he used it as a sword whenever he fought. Anyway, even though I was two years younger than, I knew that there was something special about him and that I wanted to be by his side when I was older. It may sound a little corny but that's how I felt then."
"It doesn't sound corny at all, Kimiko. It sounds like you are really in love with Okami." Smiled Ivan. Kimiko reddened and turned away, waving a hand at the Air Energist as she used the other one to cup her cheek. "What happened then? Okami didn't return to Karei Town until he was six-years-old, a little after Yoru came back from Tolbi with his parents."
"He stayed in Bilibin for about a month, maybe more, helping my mother take care of the Inn, do some repairs to the roof and things like that. His Psynergy helped him out a lot, too." Robin frowned.
"He could use Psynergy back then?" Ivan nodded.
"He rarely stayed in Karei Town when he moved into one of the houses with his birthparents. They were always out on trips for longs periods of time and when they did come back, Okami's tunic was torn and covered in his own blood. It looked like he had been through a lot while he was traveling, but I also felt that he had grown strong. It always was the same each time he returned, only each time he was much stronger than when he left." Said Ivan, "He later told me that he had been training his Psynergy with his parents. Since he is the Guardian of the Venus Lighthouse, his parents wanted him to be as strong as possible in case anyone were to try to fire the Venus Lighthouse beacon."
"Okami seems to have a lot of important things hanging on his shoulders and for his parents to push him that hard…" Kimiko shook her head, "Even Kyuhi, Okami's godfather, tried to stop them from pushing him to the breaking point and Kyuhi was best friends with Okami's parents. He rarely went against their decisions, especially when it came to his training and how they raised him.
"He came here once, though, but it wasn't to see Okami, he said he had come to see me and talk to me about something. I was away in Kolima with my father so I missed him and my mother said that he seemed in a hurry to get back to Haidia Village so he couldn't go to Kolima to speak with me." She sighed, "I really wish I had been here when he came. Okami speaks so highly of Kyuhi, he sounds super nice, too, like the kind of person that would get along with just about everyone he comes in contact with."
"That was Kyuhi." Smiled Robin, "I wonder what could have happened to him, though…" Kimiko blinked, inclining her head thoughtfully at the Earth Energist.
"What do you mean by that, Robin? I thought that Kyuhi was in Haidia Village." Robin nodded, playing with his fork now, twirling it around in his fingers.
"He was. Do you remember that storm that happened in Haidia Village only? That big one?" The girl nodded in acknowledgment, "Well, we lost four people that day, when a boulder from Mt. Aleph tumbled from the mountain and crashed into the river. Kyuhi said that he felt somehow responsible, that if he had been at the river instead of at the plaza, he could have stopped the boulder. I don't think even Kyuhi had enough power to do it on his own, though. He is pretty strong, but I don't know…not even the elders were able to keep it at bay long enough for us to get out of there…" Robin paused as he thought back to the event carefully, the memories of that horrible night rushing back to him like a tidal wave. Ivan wished Kimiko was not sitting there with them or he would have been able to hold Robin's hand, rub his shoulder or maybe even kiss him to try to make him feel better.
"So you grew up in Haidia Village, Robin?" asked Kimiko, a little oblivious to Robin's pause. "That is pretty far from Bilibin, what are you doing out here?" Ivan glanced away from Robin, knowing that he would not answer her question at the moment.
"We need to meet up with Okami and some of Robin's friends in Imil. It's a long story, really, but it is very important that we leave for Imil as soon as we can." Explained Ivan, wondering if the girl would allow him to leave it at that.
"Okami can be impatient sometimes," mused Kimiko before nodding to them. She rose out of her chair, pushing it back into the table she had gotten it from, "Well, I should get back to work before the other customers start to get mad and complain to my mother about me. When you two get ready to leave, just tell me."
Ivan waited until Kimiko was gone before he tapped Robin's hand, breaking the Earth Energist out of his thoughts. He looked around, "Uh, where'd the kid go?" Ivan smiled weakly and sighed, resting his head down on the table. "Sorry about spacing back there, I was just thinking about something."
"About your mother…and about your father." Whispered Ivan, folding his arms on the table and resting his chin on his arms now, "I didn't read your mind so you don't have to worry, I could sense your emotions. You were very sad and it just started after you were talking about the storm and how the elders of your village were unable to hold the boulder back long enough. I just put two and two together. I am very sorry, Robin. I wish there was something more that I could do to ease your pain."Robin shook his head, "It's all right, Ivan. There is nothing that either of us can do about what happened then. That was three years ago and maybe if I had known how to use Psynergy then, I would have been able to do something to have helped out, but I didn't so there is no use in dwelling in the past." He smiled to himself, hoping that he could follow his own advice, "Besides, Satyurous and Menadi played a part in causing that storm. If I can retrieve the Elemental Stars from them, then maybe I could fight them and avenge my father's death."
"What about saving your friends? Jenna and Kraden?" asked Ivan carefully, wondering if he had gotten the names right. "That is part of the reason you are on this journey in the first place, isn't it?" Robin started. He had totally forgotten about Jenna and Kraden, now he really felt bad.
"Yeah, I want to save them too, of course. I just think…" he paused, "that it would save time if I just said retrieving the Elemental Stars instead. Since Satyurous and Menadi are the ones with them and they also have Kraden and Jenna…it would be the same thing, right?" The Earth Energist laughed nervously, knowing he was just blabbering nonsense now.Ivan furrowed his brow and decided to change the subject since Robin was finding this one so uncomfortable. "Well, since we are finished with our breakfast, don't you think that it is time for us to leave Bilibin?" Robin nodded in agreement and they rose out of the chairs and went back to their room to get their things together so they could leave.
----
Daisuke flopped down onto the ground as he and Yoru stepped onto a wooden bridge. "Yoru! We've been walking for hours! Can't we take a break? You have got to be tiered too. You are human, aren't you?" The cross-Energist looked back at boy and frowned.
"Look, I didn't want you to come with me in the first place. I have to be in Imil and I have to be there as soon as I possibly can. If you are just going to complain the whole way, then you are better off going back the path and staying in Bilibin." Said Yoru bluntly, tapping his finger against his staff. "I don't tier easily, anyway. You don't travel with the people that I have traveled with and get exhausted after only a couple of hours of walking.
"But, again, it's your call, kid. I don't need you with me and as far as I am concerned, you are just a big annoyance to me anyway and you are slowing me down." Yoru turned away from Daisuke before he had a chance to answer him and continued along the bridge until he reached the other side of the path.Daisuke narrowed his eyes, something dark and foreboding flashing in their seemingly innocent cherry-red depths before he jumped up and hurried after the cross-Energist. "Wait up for me, Yoru! I'm coming!"
----
Alex brushed back his bangs as he entered the darkened room, the heels of his boots clicking loudly on the marble floor. There was a warm flame crackling in the fireplace a few feet in front of him and next to that was a large, comfy armchair with a young man sitting in it. The Water Energist sat down in the chair across from him, letting the back of his head rest against the chair.
The other man looked up and over at him before smiling, sweetly, "Was it that bad, Alex? I would have thought that you would be happy to get rid of Daisuke and let him attach himself to someone else for a while." Alex looked over at the man and sighed, shaking his head.
"I had forgotten just how cute Daisuke was at the age, a little immature but he still retains his mind. That is either a good thing or a bad thing but I do know that I am going to miss him while he has to travel with that idiot cross-Energist." The man across from him started to laugh.
"That happens to be my cousin you are calling an idiot." Alex rolled his eyes as the man continued, "Anyway, Yoru does not trust Daisuke enough to tell him what he has in mind yet, so he is just going to have to wait until he gains my cousin's trust before he can make his move. In the end, everything will play out and we will all get what he want."
"Why are you working from the shadows, Ryou?" asked Alex, lifting his head from the chair and looking over at the Lemurian, his golden eyes glittering in the firelight as he watched the Water Energist carefully. "You have the power to make this all happen in a second, why do you want to wait months for the lighthouses to be lit?"
"Because that is the way it has to happen, my dear Alex. Felix wants his parents back, so he will have to help Satyurous and Menadi for the time being. You need to make sure that those fools do not end up triggering the lighthouses defenses, as well as making sure that they trust you and not alerting them to your real plans and motives for helping them fire the elemental lighthouse beacons." Ryou pushed his light blue bangs out of his eyes before he continued, "I also want Okami and the others to become stronger. Once the final lighthouse it lit, he will be able to awaken. It is a little more complicated than you think, awakening the Apocalypse Energist, but once the four yamis of the Legendary Warriors are awakened and released, I will call them to me and then…"
"I understand." Murmured Alex, cupping his cheek in his hand and leaning his elbow against the side of the armchair. "In other words, you think it is going to be more entertaining this way, correct?" Ryou smiled and started to laugh again.
"You know me all too well, Alex. That is exactly what I was thinking. It would be quite entertaining to see how all of this plays out. How far are Satyurous and Menadi from the Mercury Lighthouse?" Alex closed his turquoise eyes and searched for the two Fire Energists.
"They should be there in a couple more weeks, they are behind Okami and the others by a weeks." Said Alex.
"That is good, they will not act until they sense that the Mercury Lighthouse is in danger and they will only move when Robin and Ivan reach Imil as well. Robin and Ivan are behind Satyurous and Menadi by a day, maybe less. Hopefully they will not run into each other. Make sure that Satyurous and his little group get turned around for a couple of days. I want the young Energists to get to Imil before them." Alex nodded and rose out of the chair, walking out of the room without another word.
Ryou stood up once Alex left the room and he disappeared behind a velvet curtain in the corner of the room. The cross-Energist entered a small room with a four-post bed centered in the middle, a man only three years older than him sitting on the bed, blindfolded, gagged and chained. Ryou smirked and walked over to him, pulling off the blindfold and gag. "Ryou, why are you doing this? You cannot keep me here forever and you know that. Okami is going to get suspicious when he hears that I was on my way to Karei Town and no one has seen me since then."
"Yes, Kyuhi, I understand that but what you do not understand is that I want Okami to get suspicious and I know that he will begin to think that I am behind all of this when he discovers that you have gone missing." He let out a defeated sigh, "However, I will eventually have to let you go someday, you are correct there. That day is not today, though. I suggest that you make yourself comfortable, Kyuhi. Stress is bad for you."
"Tell me why you are doing this, Ryou. I know you are not like this. When I found you that day…" Kyuhi paused and shook his head, "When I found you at the docks and brought you back to Contigo with me, I thought you and I would become good friends. Didn't you trust me?"
"Trust is not the matter, old friend." Smiled Ryou, sitting down on the edge of the bed and turning to look at Kyuhi over his shoulder. "For my plans to work, you need to be out of the way for now. It will only be for a little while longer but you know too much and Okami has to do this on his own, without knowing what is going on. The elemental lighthouses need to be lit and you know the reason why. I can let you go to Lemuria, but that is all."
"Then you can go with me there, too." Tried Kyuhi, struggling against the chains binding him now, "Why do you have to be here? Wouldn't you rather be in your home?"
"No, I need to be here. The elemental lighthouses will be lit and everything will go as I have planned. It always does. I am the fifth Legendary Warrior for a reason." He stood up and placed the gag and blindfold over Kyuhi's mouth and eyes again. "Try to relax, things will go a lot smoother if you just relax."
----
It was raining in Contigo. It had never rained like this before and the waters around Atteka were rough, unfit for travel by boat. However, somehow a lone boat made it to the docks a few miles outside of Contigo. No one was there, though. All the people of Atteka were safe and sound in their homes in Contigo, avoiding the stormy weather.
Ryou climbed out of the small boat, falling onto the grassy shore, gasping for breath. Yoru had fallen out of the Lemurian ship a few days ago and he did not know what had become of his beloved cousin now. He had managed to get back to the Lemurian ship after they docked in Raripero Town and were about to leave for Tolbi. Babi had discovered him and was going to use him as another scholar. He snuck out of their room in the Inn and used one of the lifeboats on the Lemurian ship to leave the strange town.
Having never been out of Lemuria before, the Legendary Warrior did not know where to go and just allowed the waves to take him. A storm stuck his boat a day ago and he was tossed about in the sea for what seemed like forever. He was just glad to be on land again, even if it was wet from the rainstorm. He wrapped his arms around his tiny frame, shivering from the rain and the cold winds blowing around him. He had not eaten in two days, not having thought to steal any food while he was still in Raripero Town.
The young Lemurian wrapped his arms around his thin frames, hoping that this would help warm his body. However, the cold, unforgiving rains continued to beat down on him, the scathing winds adding to the ice-cold water crashing down on the boy. He pushed himself off of the ground and began to stumble forward, even though his vision was blurry and the winds kept pushing him to the side and sometimes back down to the ground. He could not give up, he would not give up. He had to stay alive so that he could search for Yoru once the storm was over. His cousin was his responsibility, both because he was his younger cousin and because a Legendary Warrior and Ryou was supposed to look out for the other Legendary Warriors and make sure that no harm befell them. It would be a little hard for him to do that in the condition he was in but he was still more worried about the others than himself. It was the curse of being the top Legendary Warrior; the others came before him even if he was on the brink of death.
Why was everything in front of his eyes spinning so fast? Ryou stopped in his tracks; hoping that would stop the spinning but it only seemed to make it worse than it was before. Someone was coming toward him; he could see their silver hair in front of him as the world came in and out of focus. The person was calling out to him now, asking if he was all right. The Lemurian went to say something but he was slowly slipping from consciousness, his entire body slowly growing numb. He felt himself falling to the wet ground again, only this time it was as it were happening to someone else and he was merely watching. The person reached him just as the world before him grew dark and he slipped from consciousness.
Kyuhi knelt down next to Ryou, lifting the Lemurian off of the wet ground. He turned around to see his mother and father running after him. "I guess you were right, Kyuhi, about sensing someone at the docks." Said his father once they reached him.
"Who do you think he is, Bradley?" asked Kyuhi's mother, turning to her husband as he knelt down to look at Ryou, "He does not look normal."
"He must be like Kyuhi, there is no other answer for it. He is an Energist." Bradley lifted Ryou off of the ground and started back to their wagon that Kyuhi had stolen when he felt a strong force coming toward Contigo. Kyuhi narrowed his silver eyes before his mother took his hand and lead him back to the cart.
"Come on, you don't want to keep Hama waiting, do you?" Kyuhi flipped up the hood of his tunic and hurried after his father. There was something about Ryou that made him a little wary maybe it was because he could sense an immense amount of power flowing from him but at the same time there was something else, something that made him want to trust Ryou. It was gnawing at the back of his brain and he could not put it out of his head that this strange little kid was dangerous.
----
Menadi fell back onto the ground with a dull thud after a branch came swinging back at her, slapping her across her face. Felix turned around, trying to hide the smirk on his face when he saw the regal Fire Energist sitting in the dirt with a red mark across her face. "Wipe that smirk of your face, Felix! You did that on purpose, didn't you? I swear, one of these days you will go too far and then I will be able to kill you!"
The Earth Energist rolled his russet eyes before he held out his hand to help Menadi to her feet. She smacked his gloved hand away, smoothing out her dress before getting to her feet and brushing back her hair. "Chill, Menadi. I didn't do it on purpose. I had forgotten you were behind me. I mean, you weren't barking orders like usual so, when I didn't hear your voice, I assumed that there was no one behind me."
Menadi harrumphed and pushed past Felix roughly, knocking him into a tree. He narrowed his eyes at her but smiled when he noticed the twig and snail in her hair. Jenna paused in her tracks and turned around, "Come on, Felix, what's keeping you?" Felix was about to hurry after them when two hands grabbed him and he was pulled into a tight hug. He reached for his sword and was about to draw it when a wisp of turquoise hair fell onto his shoulder. Only one person…
"Alex, will you get your hands off me before I kill you?" Alex let go of Felix and when the Earth Energist turned around to glare at him, he saw that Alex was pouting. "Where in the name of Venus have you been? You ditched us a couple of days back so we had to find our way to Imil all on our own."
"Don't worry, I was keeping an eye on you." Smiled Alex. Felix shivered. He did not like how Alex had said that, the very idea of the Water Energist keeping an eye on them scared him more than it probably if someone else had said that. "You are on the wrong path anyway. The path that you are taking right now is going take us a lot longer to reach Imil and the terrain is far worse. We need to head over this way." He pointed over at another path.
Satyurous paused and looked over at the path, frowning over at Alex. "Are you sure about this, Alex? It looks like that would take us longer to get to Imil." The Water Energist's eyes flashed with some foreign emotion before he smiled again.
"Trust me. I am from Imil, remember?" Satyurous nodded and they began to head down the path that he had indicated. He sighed once he stepped onto the path, a little worried about the fact that he had almost been caught. They could not possible know what he was planning, though. It was all too perfect and he was the perfect actor. They would never suspect anything, not even once the curtain rises for the final act. All he would have to do was contain his excitement for another few months when they lit the final elemental lighthouse in Prox. No one would be able to stop them then. He would have what he wanted and no one would be the wiser. Ryou had it all planned out and Ryou's plans always played out the way that he had planned.
----
Kyuhi was sitting in a stool next to the bed Ryou's was sleeping in when the Legendary Warrior woke up, his golden eyes searching the room from something familiar, anything at all. Nothing. This room was nothing like the rooms in Lemuria. It was too primitive. Everything was wrong. His stomach churned and he covered his mouth. That is when he turned, suddenly spotting the boy with a stoic expression on his pale face. "Who are you and where am I?"
They were like fire and ice. Even their eyes were opposite. Gold upon silver. Their personalities ran that way as well. Maybe that was why they got along so well later on in life.
"My name is Kyuhi. You are on the continent Atteka, in the town of Contigo." Explained Kyuhi, his voice calm as his exterior. It was strange behavior for someone as young as he but he had always acted older than he really was. He would later call it his curse since it made people think he was so reliable before they even got a chance to know what he was really like. "I found you shipwrecked on the shore. You are lucky that I found you when I did or else you probably would not have lasted out this storm on the beach."
Ryou sat up in the bed slowly, resting his forehead in the palm on his hand after he brought his knees up to his chest. "I thank you for finding me and helping me." Atteka… Contigo…where were they? Lemurians rarely spoke of the outside world. He knew he should have taken Picard up on his offer of learning about Weyard. Too late now. At least Yoru had studied with Picard, but a lot of good that would do him. There was no telling what kind of trouble his cousin was getting into now. Even if he managed to stay out of trouble, there was still the question of whether or not Yoru would be able to find his way around and without a ship he would not be able to find his way back to Lemuria even if he did know the way.
"What is your name?" asked Kyuhi. It seemed as if he were struggling to keep the conversation up. Was he planning on doing something? Ryou turned his eyes back to Kyuhi's, studying him carefully for a moment before he spoke.
"My name is Ryou and before you ask me where I am from, I am from Lemuria, in the middle of the Eastern Weiard Sea." Kyuhi narrowed his eyes slightly. "I know it may sound strange but it is true. I do come from Lemuria. My people and my civilization are as old as Weyard itself. We have seen civilizations rise and fall before their time. We even saw Weyard when it was bathed in the protective light of the four elemental lighthouses." He did not understand why, but he felt that he had to make Kyuhi believe him about this. That he had to tell him about the elemental lighthouses and about when they were still lit, even though he did not see it himself. His parents had told him. His parents had told him about the glory that Lemuria once was, instead of the dying island it was now.
"Protective? I had always thought that since the elemental lighthouses were unlit, that they were a danger or that the Elemental Stars were stolen and then lost." Mused Kyuhi. He stood up and walked over to the window, pulling back the curtain to reveal a giant violet building in the background, the stormy clouds still hovering in the sky as the rain poured down around them. "Jupiter Lighthouse is only a few days away from Contigo, which is why the Anemos used to live here."
"The Anemos?" asked Ryou, staring off at Jupiter Lighthouse. Kyuhi nodded, finally smiling as his silver eyes watched the Jupiter Lighthouse as well.
"Yegelos, the leader of the Anemos Clan founded Contigo a long time ago. The Anemos are the Jupiter Clan, Air Energists and wielders of winds almighty power. There are only four Energists left in Weyard that are apart of the Anemos Clan." Kyuhi turned back to, "My father, my mother, my sister and I are the only ones left alive that are direct descendents of Yegelos, and we are the only Air Energists left in Contigo." So that was why he felt something coming from Kyuhi. He was an Air Energist.
"You are an Energist…?" asked Ryou. Kyuhi nodded, a little surprised that he would have caught that out of all that he had said. The cross-Energist sighed, relieved that he was able to have found a fellow Energist in all this confusion. "I am an Energist as well, actually, I am a cross-Energist." Again, Kyuhi was the one to be surprised by Ryou's words.
"My mother told me about the cross-Energists, how they were supposed to be these great people. Aren't you a little young to be a Legendary Warrior?" Ryou pouted.
"I must be at least a year younger than you, besides, Legendary Warriors have been on Weyard ever since the elemental lighthouses were created. We were considered gifts from the gods and goddesses, to watch over the lighthouses and make sure that they remained lit for all eternity and that no one tried to change that." Ryou sighed, hugging his legs to his chest and resting his chin on his knees. "The Elemental Stars were taken out of the elemental lighthouses a century ago, maybe more. They where then given to each of the four Legendary Warriors who protect the elemental lighthouses directly. Once they died, they were given to the next generation of Legendary Warriors, and after them, they were given to the current Legendary Warriors.
"However, the guardians of Haidia Village, a village in north Weiard, felt that Energists as young as we were not fit to protect the Elemental Stars and thus, they were taken from us and sealed away in the deep chambers of Sol Sanctum." He leaning his head to the side slowly before continuing with his story, "Someone broke into Sol Sanctum late one night, after the Elemental Stars were delivered to Haidia Village and this person whom broke into the Sanctum, they placed a spell of some sort on the Stars, perhaps it was an extra precaution to keep someone from firing the four elemental lighthouses again and returning Weyard to its former glory. The spell was a very complex one, though. I am sure it must have taken this person a long time to master it and an even longer time to complete it. The spell was placed on each of the Elemental Stars and in turn on each of the elemental lighthouses as well."
"What was this spell?" asked Kyuhi. He was curious now, especially since Ryou was being so serious about it all.
"It created opposites of each of the Legendary Warriors." He paused. The fifth Legendary Warrior, him, he was supposed to be kept a secret from the rest of the world, some sort of safety matter that seemed to be needed. So, he would remain a secret. "Maybe it was a sign that whoever cast the spell on the Elemental Stars hated us and did not want the elemental lighthouses lit. Or maybe it was someone mad at the world. The opposites of the Legendary Warriors are called yamis. There is one sleeping in each of the four elemental lighthouses, surrounded by a protective barrier that will allow none to disturb them, not until that elemental lighthouse is lit. The yami ages and progresses with its hikari, which is what the original of the Legendary Warrior is often called. This is so that if the yami ever awakens, their hikari will fight them. The one who deserves to win will do just that. However, if the yami were to win the fight, they would move from the elemental lighthouse and commence destroying Weyard."
Kyuhi furrowed his eyebrows at this. It seemed pretty farfetched, too bizarre to be possibly true. However, this boy's story carried some truth to it. How much, Kyuhi could not know and may never be able to find out. His parents knew little of the matter, outside of rumors. They had turned deft ears to the world as soon as they lost relatives in the outer continents and his own Air powers were too weak to send out his mind to the distant reaches of Weyard. For now, he would just have to believe Ryou, like his heart was telling him to do.
He was going to say something to Ryou when the door to the room opened and his younger sister ran in, clutching her small teddy bear her arms. "Big brother, big brother!" she cried, running to Kyuhi and throwing her arms around his waist. Ryou blinked at them. It was almost like when Yoru had been younger, before he decided to save face around Ryou and try to act tough.
"Hama, what is it? Did you have another nightmare?" The little girl nodded into her brother's tunic and he sighed, a smile slipping onto his face. "What was it this time, Hama? Was it those pink fluffy bunnies attacking you in your sleep again? Or were they blue this time?" Hama pulled away, her pale violet eyes suddenly very serious as the tears continued to stream from the corner of her eyes. "Hama?"
"Something happened to our baby brother." Kyuhi blinked for a moment.
"We do not have a baby brother, Hama, remember?" Hama shook her head quickly. "It was probably all just a bad dream. You should get back to bed before Mother and Father see you up and blame me for it. You don't want me to get in to trouble, do you?" Hama sighed, shaking her head again, only this time much slower. "Okay then, run along." She turned away, glancing at Ryou for a moment before hurrying out the door.
"She sounded pretty adamant about that whole thing, why didn't you hear her out?" asked Ryou, watching Kyuhi as he continued to start down the hallway even after Hama had returned to her bedroom.
"It is because I already know what she was going to say to me. If she told me, I would be obligated to tell my parents." Kyuhi turned away, looking back out the window and leaning against the sill. "A year from now, maybe a little less, my mother will give birth to a baby boy and name him Ivan. Someone will attack Contigo, murder my parents, knock my sister and me out and take Ivan from his crib." Ryou goes to stand up, but a wave of nausea keeps him seated in the bed.
"Why don't you warn them? Don't you even care that you have their life in your hands? The life of your baby brother?" Kyuhi turned to Ryou, his eyes locking with the Lemurian's once more.
"Don't you think I want to? I want more than anything to prevent this from happening but it has to happen. If it does not, it could screw a lot more things up in the future. The only reason I had this vision was so that I knew what to do afterward. I was not supposed to stop it from happening in the first place." He closed the curtains and crossed the room until he reached the door, turning around to look back at Ryou with his door on the handle. "Precognitive dreams can be very confusing, they have even been known to drive some Air Energists to insanity. They are unable to handle the knowledge that they have the key to either salvation or destruction of all of Weyard and there is sometimes nothing they can do about it. I am not one of those Energists. I understand my limitations and use that information to my advantage.
"If there is anything that you need, do not hesitate to call out for me. I will be in the room next to this one, so I will come as soon as I can." Ryou nodded to him, turning away and staring down at his small hands. "I suggest that you do get some rest, though." Kyuhi was about to pull away when Ryou called out to him.
"Kyuhi…thank you."
A couple of days after the young Lemurian first landed on Atteka, he recovered enough that he was able to get out of the bed he had been provided, not well enough to travel far distances, but just good enough to move around the house and even take a walk around Contigo. The villagers did think him a bit odd. From his light blue hair to his bright golden eyes that seemed to shine with their own mysterious light. However, they grew to like him quickly. He had a special charm of his own, placing his hypnotic spell on anyone and everyone that he came in contact with. Even Kyuhi slowly grew to like him, even if there was something in the back of his mind telling him to be wary of the young Legendary Warrior.
Kyuhi's parents, being the kind people that they were, offered to adopt Ryou after he had been living with them for two weeks. He did not want to be rude and he was beginning to doubt that he would ever be able to return to Lemuria, or find his cousin for that matter. His past life, all of it was lost to him now. The people of Contigo were nice enough, they treated him like one of their own, so why not stay with people who cared about him like the people of Lemuria had before them. So Bradley and Elizabeth adopted the young Lemurian and he was added to the family.
"So, I guess you are going to be my brother now?" asked Ryou when he walked up to Kyuhi. Kyuhi was in his secret spot, a little knoll surrounded by trees and shrubs that overlooked the docks. He glanced back at Ryou and smiled, patting the ground next to him. The Lemurian nodded and sank down on the ground next to him, looking out at the calm waters as a gentle breeze blew around them.
"Haven't you wondered…" he started in a whisper, making Ryou look over at him to make sure that he caught each word, "Why I don't look like Mother and Father? Or Hama for that matter. Has the thought ever crossed your mind?" Ryou nodded, not really wanting to say anything. "I won't say that I'm like you, washing up on Atteka by boat. It was something else.
"Father was on a journey of sorts, traveling around Atteka and studying the animals, cataloging them and drawing sketches of them in his books. Well, one day, he was passing by Jupiter Lighthouse when something standing on the steps of the lighthouse caught his eyes." Kyuhi smiled to himself, his eyes still trained on the waters ahead of him as he pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs before he continued. "It was a small boy in only a ragged white tunic that went down to his knees. He was covered in bloody cuts and bruises; his shoulder length hair was in a shambles, twigs and leaves sticking out here and there. Everything about him seemed lost and hopeless, everything except his eyes. They seemed to be the only thing that seemed alive, had any hopes of being saved. At least, that is what Father told me."
"So, he found you at Jupiter Lighthouse, all by yourself?" Kyuhi nodded, finally turning away from the scene in front of him to smile at Ryou.
"Everything before that, I cannot remember. It isn't that I have a bad memory or anything, I remember with perfect clarity seeing Father standing there on the path, staring up at me. Everything afterwards, returning to Contigo, meeting Mother for the first time, being pampered…Hama being born…I remember all of it. Every last memory up to now." He tilted his head onto his knee, "Everything before meeting Father at Jupiter Lighthouse, it's all dark, like I was born then, when I met Father. Maybe there is something wrong with me. My mind could be blocking out my previous memories because something terrible happened to me. I do not know. I did say that I was part of the Anemos Clan…that much I know is true about me and my connection to Father, Mother, and Hama."
He held out his hand and summoned a small whirlwind to twirl and dance around in his hand. "Apart from that, I do not know who I am, who I was…anything before this life of mine. I do not want to seem ungrateful to them from finding me, I would have died if Father had not come to the lighthouse when he did. It is just sometimes…"
"You need to know where you truly belong. If you would have changed if you had stayed where you were before?" asked Ryou.
"Yes. I probably should not think that way but I cannot help myself." He leaned back slightly and fell back onto the grass with a gentle thud, resting his arm on his forehead to shield his eyes from the Sun. "Father said that when he found me, I was cut and bruised and my tunic was torn. Maybe whoever raised me…whoever I lived with before had done that to me. I could have turned out to be the same way if I lived long enough to have a child of my own that is."
"Well, I am glad that you did not turn out to be that way, that you somehow managed to make your way to Atteka. If you had not, from the way you told me, I would have died when I reached Atteka and passed out." Smiled Ryou, "You told me that you sensed something…and so you came rushing to see what that something was. I cannot thank you enough, Kyuhi, really. You saved my life and I will always be grateful to you for that."
"Yeah, well don't forget that I did save your life. I could use that favor in the future." Kyuhi smirked, closing his eyes now. "But still…I wonder where I came from. I couldn't have just appeared out of thin air, could I?"
"Dunno…I've never heard tell of someone with your eye color or hair color before, not on someone as young as you, anyway."
"Yeah, thanks. I wonder…maybe…" he paused and shook his head, "Never mind. It's nothing. I was just thinking something crazy." Ryou blinked at him but decided to let it go, enjoying the sounds of nature around him. 'Maybe Ryou has something there. I just need to check it out tonight…'
----
Kyuhi sat up in his bed in the middle of the night, his eyes shining in the moonlight that drifted in front the open window in his and Ryou's bedroom. He grabbed his cloak, throwing it over his shoulders and trying the laces in the front before he slipped on his boots and hopped out the window as silently as possible, not wanting to wake his Lemurian roommate. However, golden eyes flashed open as his footsteps began to fade. Ryou sat up and pulled on his boots and cloak before hurrying out the window after Kyuhi.
Contigo was silent. Everyone in the small village was now asleep, except for the two boys who were creeping through the town as quietly as possible. Ryou knew it was pointless for him to remain quiet for much longer. Kyuhi would be able to sense him any moment, even though he tried to keeps his Psynergic powers suppressed as much as possible. The older boy was leading him through the moonlit town, ducking behind barrels every now and then before hurrying off again, only faster each time until Ryou was running to keep up with him.
Kyuhi finally slowed his pace when they reached the old ruins in the far reaches of the town. Kyuhi paused, looking down at the strange drawings on the stone beneath him before he passed through the two large columns and slowly made his way up the steps and through the door of the old ruins. Ryou hurried after him, the heels of his boots clicking against the stone pathway as he went. He walked up the steps a little slower, not wanting to alert Kyuhi to his presence just in case he did not know he was following him yet. The Lemurian pushed the door to the ruins open carefully and poked his head inside, looking around to find Kyuhi.
Kyuhi was holding a lighted torch up to one side of the ruins, examining the ancient symbols on the stone. He frowned slightly; sweat breaking out on his forehead. "I don't understand…" he whispered as he continued down the wall, still studying the symbols engraved there. "All of these scriptures speak of the same thing…enter the temple to find your answers, enter the temple to find your answers." Kyuhi groaned, setting the torch back in its stand so he could ruffle his hair in frustration. "Kids my age should not be trying to solve things even the most accomplished scholars have a hard time figuring out." He paused. "The temple…the temple…could it be that…there is something more to these ruins?" He was about to move over to the back of the small enclosure when he heard a loud crash behind him.
Ryou had leaned in to get a better look at the ruins when he slipped and fell onto the ground. Kyuhi turned around, jumping in fright. He was not allowed to be in the ruins, only the scholars were allowed in there, which was why he had snuck out of his house in the dead of night to explore them. He tapped his foot on the ground as he waited for Ryou to pick himself up off the floor. "Hey Kyuhi." He said laughing nervously, "Funny seeing you here. I was just sleepwalking so I'll go back home now."
"Wait, Ryou." Ryou stopped before he had a chance to run off. "It's okay. Besides, I know you don't sleepwalk, that would be Hama's department." Ryou smiles and nods. "Are you all right? That sounded like it hurt."
"It's okay, I'll be fine. What are you doing out here anyway? You know we aren't supposed to come here unless one of the scholars asks us to go with them." Kyuhi sighed as he turned to trace the symbols on the walls with his fingers.
"I thought that maybe something here would be a key to unlocking my past, before I came to Contigo and all that, you know? I mean, I am part of the Anemos Clan, one of the descendents of Yegelos, so there has to be something in these ruins that will help me. Why did all of my memories stay when I was at Jupiter Lighthouse? Why did I chose to remember that rather than something else? Why was I in the Jupiter Lighthouse in the first place?" Ryou nodded and walked into the small room, resting his hand on the wall as well, looking at the strange symbols.
"I wish there was something I could tell you that would help you out but all of these symbols are Proxian to me." Joked Ryou. Kyuhi blinked at him, almost as if he wanted to ask what 'Proxian' was but if he did want to ask him something, he kept his questions to himself.
"Well, it is pretty simple. You see this symbol right here, the one that looks like the moon?" asked Kyuhi, pointing to a small crescent moon shaped symbol. "Well, that represents night. And this over here…the drawing of a person with the light around them, I think that might be one of the four gods of Weyard."
"Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars." Recited Ryou, remembering the stories his mother would tell him and Yoru when they refused to go to bed because they were having too much fun playing together. Kyuhi nodded his approval.
"Yes, but the problem is, I can't tell which one. Since it is by the moon…it could stay for to things. The basis for the gods' power, which means that this god could either be Jupiter of Mercury, since both of their powers stream from Luna. Whereas Venus and Mars' powers are from Sol, the Sun." Ryou nodded. "So maybe…a god or goddess…being either Jupiter or Mercury…appeared here…in Contigo," Kyuhi pointed to the small group of houses that symbolized ancient Contigo, "At night, when there was a crescent moon, perhaps. I still do not understand what that part means, but the rest of these ruins are the same. They say if one seeks answers, they can find those answers deep within the temple if they are strong enough to claim them for themselves, at least I think that is what is says. Very perplexing…" Ryou nodded again, this time in agreement before he turned his head, covering his mouth as he began to yawn. "I am sorry about having to wake you up this late at night. We should go back home. I'm not going to be able to find anything out tonight."
"I'm okay…besides, I followed you because I was worried about you. You didn't ask me to come after you, remember?" Kyuhi nodded as he slipped his arm around Ryou's shoulders.
"That's all well and good, but still, I didn't send you home like a good big brother should have. It is getting late anyway and there is no telling if one of the scholars might want to study the ruins to help get to sleep." Kyuhi steered him out of the ruins, closing the door behind them.
"Have you ever thought about going back to your home, Ryou?" asked Kyuhi when they were back in the village, once again walking through the sleeping village. The Lemurian looked at Kyuhi, a little shocked and for some reason hurt. "I would miss you if you ever left, but it would not be my place to keep you from your real home…from your real family." Ryou turned away, looking down at the ground and he smiled weakly, wondering mildly why he had been so shocked and hurt when Kyuhi asked him that question.
"I was thinking about going back home. I do miss my mother and father." Ryou shook his head, "But it is impossible to go back. I don't know the way back home because I've never left before and I was kidnapped. Me and my cousin, Yoru, were kidnapped by someone by the name of Babi."
"L-Lord Babi?" gasped Kyuhi before covering his mouth. He has said the name a little too loudly. They waited for a moment before Kyuhi continued, a little quieter this time. "He's famous. Everyone in Weyard knows of him. He founded the town of Tolbi not to long ago. I heard that he is a great man." Ryou rounded on Kyuhi, the first and last time he would ever raise his voice to Kyuhi since they met.
"Some great man! He stole from my people, he kidnapped me and my cousin and when he found us, he didn't even think of returning us to our homes." Ryou shook his head, tears streaming from his eyes, "He thought about using the two of us as scholars to help him research Alchemy. Then the storm hit…Yoru fell overboard and that was the last I ever saw of him. I was hoping that…he somehow managed to swim to shore or at the very least wash up there.
"When the ship docked in a town called Raripero…I snuck out at night, returned to the ship and unhooked a lifeboat from the side. I didn't know where to go, I kept getting turned around until a strong storm stuck the boat…it lasted for days, with the rain and the wind it seemed a lot longer." Ryou wiped the tears from his eyes, "That's when I washed up here on Atteka…and you found me…"
"So that was what happened to you…" whispered Kyuhi, "I had always wondered what could have made someone travel out in a storm like that with only a little boat. As for your cousin, if he is anything like you, I am sure that he is safe and sound." Ryou groaned.
"Yoru couldn't possibly take care of himself. He is hopeless without me." Kyuhi smiled.
"I think you should have a little more faith in him than that. Maybe someone kind and helpful found him and decided to take him in and look after him." They began walking through the town again. Ryou tossed the idea around in his mind, finding it very plausible that something like that could have happened to Yoru. He was lucky enough to wind up on Atteka and have someone find him and take him back to their town, so why couldn't Yoru have the same luck that he had?
----
More than two weeks previous, Yoru washed ashore on the continent Weiard just as a couple were riding by with their young son, Okami. Okami jumped out of the carriage when he sensed a familiar aura and found the boy on the beach, nearly dead. "Mother! Father! Come quickly!"
----
Okami opened his eyes. He had opted to stop their journey to Imil because the weather was steadily growing worse by the minute. They were not in a small igloo he, Gerald, and Kanata had built to keep the biting winds and snow out. A small fire, curtsy of a certain hot-headed Fire Energist was burning in the center of the igloo. Okami was the only one awake now, knowing that there was still reason to keep watch even though they were seemingly safe in the small enclosure.
It was always times like those that made him think back to his past, back to when his parents where still alive and he was allowed to visit Kyuhi in Haidia Village whenever he wished. It was rare for him to think back to when he first met Yoru, though. He had been traveling with his parents, training and strengthening his powers as much as he could when he sensed something, another Legendary Warrior nearby. The Legendary Warrior of Fire, guardian of the Mars Lighthouse.
Okami leaned back against the cold wall of the igloo, glad that he had his blanket wrapped around his body to keep out the cold. He had always wondered how Yoru had managed to wash up on the shore during that storm and where he had come from. However, Yoru did not know himself. He had probably bumped his head while out at sea and lost all of his memory aside from his name.
Okami kicked at the fire with the tip of his boot, making the flames jump up a little, sparks flying here and there to melt the snow that was still on the ground. If the storm held up, it would take them a week to get to Imil, maybe more. They had not made much progress. Visibility was poor even without the snowstorm. The dark clouds had blotted out the Sun, casting the snow-covered land in darkness and Gerald could only hold Fire Psynergy in his hand for so long before he had to stop and take a break.
Mamoru shifted in his sleep next to Okami, sliding down from the wall and landing softly in his lap. The cross-Energist blinked down at him before smiling. The Earth Energist was quite young but his powers were slowly growing to be powerful. The same could be said for Amiko, Gerald, and Kanata. Okami sighed, brushing back Mamoru's sandy blonde hair before turning and looking out toward the entrance of the igloo, still seeing snowflakes being carried on a strong wind. They would have to start up again once the wind began to die down. There was no helping it. They had to get to Imil before Mercury Lighthouse was lit. It was his duty to make sure that none of the elemental lighthouses were lit.
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A month, maybe more after Yoru and Okami had met, a meeting was called for by the four gods and goddesses of Weyard. Each of the Legendary Warriors were to meet in the center of Weyard, a few miles outside of Tolbi.
Okami and Yoru were the first to arrive, followed shortly by Kanata and the Legendary Warrior of Water, Aoshi. Ryou, the final Legendary Warrior took the longest. When he arrived, he looked as if he had wanted to say something to Yoru, perhaps hug him but he kept those thoughts and emotions to himself as the voices of the four gods and goddesses spoke to them.
"The five of you have been chosen, born into this life…this power because you are needed." Said the first voice, "Okami, Legendary Warrior of Earth; Yoru, Legendary Warrior of Fire; Kanata, Legendary Warrior of Air; Aoshi, Legendary Warrior of Water; and Ryou, Legendary Warrior of Sol and Luna."
"You may know each other, or this may be the first time you have met." Continued another voice, "However, the five of you must work together for the greater good. There shall be no conflicts between you. We have taken precautions to make sure that that never happens."
"Even though the Elemental Stars were taken from you by the elders of Haidia Village, there is still something that the five of you can do to ensure that the elemental lighthouses are never lit and that your yamis are never released."
"You will guard the lighthouses." Said another voice, "Always make sure that they are safe. Each of you will be given the power to do so whenever there is need."
"Also, tell no one of this meeting. Tell no one of Ryou's presence and status as the fifth Legendary Warrior. As far as everyone else is concerned, there are only four Legendary Warriors, each to protect one of the four elemental lighthouses. Do not ask why, just do as we tell you."
The five Legendary Warriors look at each other before bowing and saying together, "We hear and we obey the great gods and goddesses of Weyard."
-TBC-