He paused on the street corner, at the edge of the crowd, and pulled down on the brim of his baseball cap over his face. Above, in the warm desert sky, burned a light like a second sun - brilliant and vibrant, giving off only the slightest bit of heat to warm even the coldest day. In this place of sand and mountains, no heat was needed, but the people that gathered beneath it seemed to not mind at all, chattering amongst themselves and pointing skyward at the glowing orb. From this vantage point, its source was not visible, not even to the keenest eye, but from the narrow black observation deck that stole into the space below it, that would not be a problem.
Provided, of course, that he reached the top of the deck, sometime before he either roasted alive or was crushed by the press of people filling in around him.
And I got talked into this, how? he wondered to himself as the flow of people guided him forward and narrowed into a line three people across. The City of Las Vegas, always eager to please the people that visited its fair and shiny city, had built this tower to hold a maximum of eleven hundred people on the top and to support the over all weight of upwards of thirty-five hundred visitors on the stairs and accompanying service elevator. The price to get passed the gates around the tower was six dollars for adults and children thirteen and up, four dollars and fifty cents for children under twelve, senior citizens over the age of 55, and kids under five were free. There was a separate cost, for something very different from the usual walk to the observation deck, and when the capped tourist reached the bottom of the grated metal stairs, he stepped aside, into the path of an armed, heavily muscled guard. The peopled around him cast doubtful glances at his back, boring into the deep red of his tank top, but he held his head eye and presented the guard with a laminated pass bearing a photo and his signature, as well as explicit instructions. The guard eyed the pass, then the capped young man holding it, and with a twist of his lips, stepped aside and opened a tall fence door, allowing the young man to pass him and enter onto a stair that had bore the weight of very few people since it had been built. Oh, there had already been several to pass through this door, since dawn alone, with bright faces and lean, fighter builds like his, but they had all left with broken dreams and sometimes, broken bones. The guard had been on duty since the opening of the tower, hired by the family who had built it, and he had seen them all. This young man's chances were slim - the path he was taking would lead him to one of the strongest, and most surprising, guardians in the world.
"Good luck, Ryo Sanada," gruffed the security guard as the young man placed one foot on the narrow metal stairs that ran between the close linked fenced in walls. The young man stopped and dropped his hand from the railing to his side. He reached up and pulled the hat from his head, revealing a loose tumble of tussled black hair.
"Do me a favor, please," he said, turning slightly and holding out his hat. He had the full attention of the crowd at his level and those who could make out his form on the stair above. The guard lifted a thick eyebrow and took the proffered hat in one on his hands.
"What?" he inquired. The young man pulled his hand back and flashed a broad grin.
"Watch my hat," he requested, turning back to the stairs. He was halfway up to the first platform, surrounded by the chuckles and rolled eyes of his audience, when he stopped and turned again, grinning down at the half annoyed, half bemused guard. "And call her family! I'm bringing her home!!" A chortle went through the people in ear shot, which included some of the tower who had been previously unaware of what was happening below them, and as he bolted up the rickety stairs, he met with light applause and people amused by the "fervor of youth".
The stairs ran in a haphazard pattern, turning at odd intervals, shooting out underneath the uniform stairs of the tourists. Originally, the tower had built for observation only, but less than a month after it had opened, a stranger had tried to attack the "Guardian Maiden" in the sky. The light itself reacted, destroying the attacker and sending a ripple effect through everyone who had been there - including the boy who would be the light's future guardian. That had been the most interesting fact about this tower, that Ryo could find - the tower's guardian was, in fact, the brother of the girl in the side the orb. And, furthermore, he was only thirteen years old.
Ryo paused as the straight, though crooked, staircase turned abruptly into a tight, circling stair with even narrower steps than the ones he was perched on. He looked up, then looked down - halfway up the half a mile tall tower and the construction workers had finally gotten smart - instead of attempting to fit in more flights of straight stairs, they had simply started building up, into the very base of what was commonly called the "Guardian's Room". Ryo had it on good authority that people just weren't very creative.
He took his time on the winding stair, keeping close to the outside and keeping one hand on the outside railing and one hand on the inside track. It would do him no good what so ever if he were to fall and break a bone and given his track record on stairs, he figured he had better be as careful as possible. As far as he and stairs went… well, they didn't. Period.
I hope the others are having this much fun, he thought idly as he stopped to rest. Only a few more yards to go, straight up, of course, but he could not- and would not- waste energy on them. Not even for the amount of money he was being paid for all of this. He sat down and leaned his weight against a thin metal spindle, closing his eyes to the angry Nevada heat.
Damn Seiji and his… job. He sighed to himself. Even if we do need the money, even if it is the company that he works for, even if… even if… damn him. He just had to bring up the "Honor of the Troopers". 'We've got to rescue those poor, trapped girls - their families are depending on us for our help!' He snorted and shook his head. Bastard. Seiji, you stupid, stupid bastard. There was a heavy thud on the flat ceiling above him and he lifted his eyes as people on the staircase glanced over as well. If this kid's half as good as the Minami report, they don't need our help. He shook his head and pulled himself to his feet, gripping the rail to keep his balance. Above him, there was the soft sound of a lock clicking and footsteps on the stairs. He pushed himself as far over as he could go, which was not very far, then though better of himself and clambered over the rail, wrapping one leg firmly around the spindle he had previously been leaning against. His other foot balanced on the step just below the one he had rested on and he held tightly onto the railing as the footsteps descended carefully down the steps above. The figure, or figures as it were, rounded the corner - a girl, about his age, carrying another girl on her back, this one unconscious. Both were blonde and as the conscious one regarded him with cool blue eyes, he realized that they were not only sisters, but twins. They had the bodies of fighters, lean and hard, with defined muscle lines on their bare arms. The look of a fighter hung heavily in the eyes of the standing one.
"I should do you a favor and push you off that rail," she said grimly and as Ryo's eyes widened in disbelief, she continued, "You're doing yourself no favors by going up there. That kid… he fights like a trapped animal. No matter how big you are, no matter how strong, you will lose." Ryo's eyes narrowed and he nodded firmly. She nodded back. "Good luck - you'll need it." She hefted her sister's weight higher onto her back and continued her trek back down the stairs. When she had disappeared from sight, Ryo pulled himself back over the railing and stopped, catching his weight on the inside rail. He turned and leaned over the rail again, watching intently until he saw the two blonde heads emerge from the bottom of the stair case. They stopped and the one on her sister's back slid off, landing on her feet. Her sister wrapped an arm around the other girl's waist and together, they limped down the rest of the stairs.
"That's one hell of an omen," Ryo muttered, straightening and rubbing the back of his neck. He was beginning to get a bad feeling about this - a really bad feeling, in fact, but not so bad as to negate the number that flashed in his head - the total sum of money the Minami Company would be paying him for this job alone. Multiply that by six, one for each of the six trapped girls, and it was sum worth even the possibility of getting his ass kicked by a junior human. He would free that girl - she would not only be putting him through the rest of his college years, she would also be buying him a new car and for all that, he at least owed her freedom she was currently denied.
He climbed the rest of the stairs carefully, taking them one at a time, and stopped again when he reached the landing at the top. The metal floor extended into a short - very short- hallway, with a door on either side. They were in descript doors, set up a few inches from the landing. Both were painted grey, though only one had a knob, a shiny, seamless round thing. He reached for it and turned it gently, pushing the door very lightly. A wave of cool air washed over him from inside, accompanied by the sounds of soft music. The door opened onto a medium sized room, one that was as grey as the door, but brightly lit with sunshine from the outside. This room - and the building itself- sat slightly higher than the observation platform and, like the platform, was completely enclosed and air conditioned, though the observation deck did not bear the same plush blue couches as this room. Two young men sat on either ends of one couch and a young woman was stretched out on the other, her arm over her eyes, a thick braid of black hair falling over the side of the couch to brush the floor. As Ryo stood there, taking in the room, she lifted her arm and regarded him with brown eyes.
"Heya, close that, would ya?" she inquired. "It's a frickin' furnace outside as it is - don't ruin this mini-paradise." Ryo quickly stepped inside and shut the door behind him. The woman nodded firmly and sat up, dropping her feet to the floor and casually tossing her braid over her shoulder. "So what's your story, California?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Ryo opened his mouth, than stopped mid thought.
"'California'?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow. There came a great sigh from one of the other boys in the room.
"I'm "Kansas" and Ling is "Texas", even though we're all Asian in the room," said the one furthest from the door, lifting his head and narrowing his eyes at the one sitting across from him. His short, spiked black hair glistened in the sunlight that spilled in from the window and his eyes were hard. "You're an idiot."
"Why don't you just bite me, Steven?" she shot back, leaning forward on her knees. "And grow up - we've got company. Have a seat, buddy, and tell us a little about yourself." She patted the couch cushion at the other end of the couch from her and Ryo took it gratefully, sinking down into the thick foam. The seat was a joy after his half a mile stair climb and he took a moment to savor it, leaning back into the backrest. He heaved a content sigh, making the girl laugh. "Enjoy the walk up, Cali?" Ryo nodded and lifted his head.
"Definitely worth the exercise," he said, pulling himself into a sitting position. "I'm Ryo."
"Kyoko," said the girl, straightening. "And that's Steven on the left and Ling on the right. We're here to trounce a toddler - you?" Steven snorted and rolled his eyes as Ling remained silent.
"Well… the same, I guess," answered Ryo, even though his basic plan of attack involved no attacking at all. He made a face. "Although I still have no idea why." Kyoko chuckled and shook her head.
"We're back for a rematch," she explained, standing and stretching her arms above her head. "We were one of the first groups to lose to that little halfling and we've been training ever since, so we could come back and return the favor." She bounced lightly on her feet, than kicked high - higher than Ryo could ever hope to kick, in any case. Her foot came down firmly on the floor and she grinned to herself, silently.
"We got our asses kicked," spoke up Steven, shaking his head as well. "And the kid was only nine than. Now he's had four years to train as well - it'll be tough, but we're determined to win."
"Not half as determined as he is to protect his sister," came a quiet voice. All eyes turned to Ling, who sat up and rubbed a hand across his forehead. "I saw it in his eyes the last time. He never loses because he has too much at stake." There was silence, then Kyoko snorted weakly.
"We've got a lot at stake too, little brother," she stated flatly, but her eyes had lost some of the conviction. Ryo watched them with covert interest - were all of the fighters who came up here like these three? He certainly didn't think he himself was. In truth, while the money was a wonderful thing, when it came down to it, the real reason was to free the girl inside. The girl who had a brother risking his life to protect her and parents who missed her deeply.
"How long do we wait?" asked Ryo quietly, sensing the mood in the room quickly declining. Doubt is a horrible thing to introduce at the moment before a battle. Kyoko sat back down, on the edge of the couch this time, and pulled her braid over her shoulder, brushing the unbound tip against her arm.
"Who knows?" she replied, pulling one knee up to her chest and resting her chin on it. "Sometimes, people manage to last a few minutes and sometimes…" She pulled on her braid and frowned. "Sometimes, he just sits there. He talks with her, the Maiden, and he'll do that for hours."
"He can talk to her?" Ryo raised both eyebrows eye. "Now, that's not something I've heard before."
"You haven't?" Now it was Steven's turn to raise his eyebrow. "What have you heard, then?" Ryo knit his eyebrows together, then shrugged.
"What I thought that everyone had heard," he said, mentally crossing his fingers. He wasn't really lying - there were other people who knew what he did… just not everyone. "That he can fight in any style, from any country, that's he's never lost, that he's got speed unmatched by anyone and has never taken a hit - ever." Kyoko nodded grimly.
"I'll vouch for that - I'm the fastest in our family and wasn't even close to him," she said, lowering her eyes to the slate blue Berber carpet. "It's supernatural, the way he fights. She gave him his strengths and she supplements them… some people think that she wants to remain in her shell…" She lifted her eyes and turned her head to regard Ryo with her dark eyes. "Some people have placed them onto the pedestals of god-hood, revering them and worshipping them. To free them would be to destroy the faiths of possibly thousands." Something flashed in her eyes then, a glitter like a candle flame in the distance. Ryo felt a strange chill slide down his spine and settle down in the pit of his stomach. Ling straightened on the couch, a stray black bang falling across his eyes.
"Kyo-chan?" he inquired softly. She sat still as a sculpture, her eyes trained on Ryo and only Ryo.
"I know who you are." The words were soft, whispered, almost illegible from the lips of the formally rambunctious warrior in training. His eyes flickered from hers to the other two men, who seemed oblivious now, simply watchers, audience unhearing. "Ryo of Sanada, Ryo of Rekka, Ryo of Jin. I see the fire that burns so brightly inside of you…it calls to me, as it once called to you. Do you understand, Sanada Ryo, friend to all life?"
"I don't," he murmured in return. "Who… what are you?" A smirk passed over the lips of Kyoko, curling the edges of her mouth and relighting the faraway candle sparkle in the depths of her eyes. The darkness faded to blue ice. Two deep pools stared at him firmly.
"You will face me this day, Ryo Sanada, and from there, you must decide your own fate," she said, her mouth barely forming the words. The smirk faded and was replaced by a deep frown. "Harm my brother, Sanada, and I will not even give you the chance to choose. His life is more precious to me than you could ever image."
"I'm not here to fight," Ryo assured her flatly. "I'm here to free you and that alone." She lifted an eyebrow, then narrowed her eyes.
"We will see," she replied lightly, the pale blue giving in to the dark shadow of Kyoko's deep brown. "You had better not hurt Dakota. I will make your life hell, Sanada Ryo, you can count on that."