Inside the room, there was darkness. Ryo, who had no great love of shadows, let his eyes adjust as well as they could, then observed the room with the only sense he could safely use in this situation - hearing. In the gloom around him, he could make out several different breathing patterns - only one was smooth and even, unafraid, or close enough to mask the fear, while the others seemed to whistle and hiss, like the rapid breathing of an asthmatic snake. Did one of the others have a respiratory problem?

"This is unexpected," came a voice from the darkness, a young voice that carried the same tone as his mother's, only now the wisdom seemed like a heavy scar. "There's so much power in the room now… all of you have come well prepared." The whistle breathing became more laboured, but now Ryo's only breath caught in his throat - this kid could sense his power?!

The air near him shifted slightly and he stepped back from the intrusion, backing into the smooth metal of the door. A hand closed around his wrist, small, yet strong enough to hold on when he tried to pull back. A voice whispered in the darkness,

"You and I are the only ones here close enough to human to count," it said with thinly veiled disgust. "My sister has informed me of your promise, but I will give you the advantage - you and her and I carry the burden of the same power. No one else who has come here has even been close - you are the one destined to release her. But she will die this day if the others get to her first."

"Die?" repeated Ryo, matching the level of the boy's whisper. "From what?" The hand pulled back with such quickness that Ryo thought he had burned the kid - instead, the space he had occupied was invaded by a shadow darker than the ones that surrounded him. Ryo pressed himself against the wall as it stopped in front of him, then moved with liquid grace straight ahead.

"I didn't give in just so you could dodge, you little brat," snapped a voice loudly. It sounded like Kyoko, but there was a higher pitch to it now that hadn't been there before. And, for some reason, she had taken to dragging out her S's. This bothered at Ryo's mind until it finally clicked - his own similes, the boy's words, and now Kyoko…

… damn it, I don't need this!

"Lights on!" hollered a loud voice. The room was instantly flooded with cool, white light and Ryo barely managed enough time to close his eyes against the assault. His companions or whatever they were now, hissed and spat and a new sound reached his ears - like sand paper against metal, a sound that could only be described as "slithering". Ryo dared to open his eyes at last and blinked away the bright dots that burned his vision. The boy, Dakota, crouched in the middle of the room, directly across from Ryo. His dark brown hair was shaggily cut and hung partially over one eye and he was wearing what Ryo had expected every other boy his age to be wearing - cargo jeans with a black stripe running down the outside of either leg and a black and yellow basketball jersey. He didn't look a thing different from any boy his age Ryo had ever seen and, when he stood, his dark eyes flitting back and forth, he was actually shorter than Ryo had expected - if this kid stood to Ryo's shoulder, he would be lucky. But there was no doubting the power that emanated from him like the heat of a fire, or the hardness in his eyes - he was a fighter, as much, if not more than, Ryo or any one that Ryo knew.

"And I haven't spent three and a half years guarding Belle just so some black-magically enhanced fucktards can come in and take her away," Dakota challenged, his glare falling just to Ryo's left. "You're seriously going to get your ugly faces kicked in, I can promise that." Ryo turned his head to face the sound of a high pitched giggle. Kyoko also turned her head to look back at him, but they were no longer Kyoko's eyes that found his and it was no longer Kyoko's face from which the windows stared out from. The pale skin of the girl had darkened to black and a red diamond pattern traced the contours of one cheek, sliding down her neck. Her eyes were endless black, her pupils lost to the dark rings that now surrounded them. Ryo took an unconscious step back from her, the blood in his veins suddenly freezing, even as something inside of him smoldered. He could feel the malevolence that slid off of her and it caused a reaction as power such as hers had caused before - the need to fight and the need to protect.

"Heya, California," stated the snake-girl brightly. "Ready to defeat this little brat and claim our reward?" Ryo's conscious regained control of his movements and he shifted his backing up so that he was, instead, putting himself between her and Dakota. As he moved, Ling and Steven became visible in his vision - they had been on the other side of him from Kyoko, and, like her, bore the dark, scaly skin, and red diamond patterns of a cobra. Ryo stopped less than a foot from Dakota, who made a noise in his throat like he was choking on laughter.

"You're protecting me now, Sanada?" he asked, snickering. "Why the hell for?"

"I promised your sister I wouldn't hurt you," Ryo stated dully, watching the movements of the snake triplets. All were smirking and all fidgeted in some way, as if they couldn't wait to get their hands on the boy that stood behind Ryo. "And I'm damn well not going to let power like this hurt you. I've fought this before, Dakota - they don't hold back." Dakota snorted now and moved so that he stood on Ryo's side, facing this new opponent from the same position.

"What've you got?" he inquired, his eyes passing critically over the three.

"Mystical Armor," answered Ryo. "You?"

"Mystical Sister," chuckled the boy. "And last I checked, snakes were her favorite animals to play with. She'll enjoy this." He dropped into a fighting stance that Ryo had never seen before in his life and smiled broadly. "Time to have some fun, for once. Come on, rat breath! Give me your best shot!" Kyoko nodded, grimly now, her smirk fading to a snarl. The three of them fanned out, forming a triangle around the boy and his would-be protector.

"What's with the sudden change of heart, Ryo?" asked Steven, shifting smoothly from one foot to the other. He seemed to be the one in the most constant movement, always moving his feet or his head or his hands. "I thought your goal was the same as ours!"

"My goal was never to defeat Dakota," said Ryo, reaching into his pocket for his yuroi. It settled heavily into his hand and hummed with the same fire that burned inside of him. "I'm here to free Belisma and that's it." He let the orb rest in his hand, but didn't call on its power - if he needed it, he would, but for the moment, everything seemed to be in the control of Dakota, who was grinning quite happily, despite the current danger. Ryo made a note to figure out what the hell kind of kid he was.

"Ah, the rugged hero, eh, Cali?" asked Kyoko, sniggering. "What's your plan, then? You go up there and break the spell and she falls for you like the rescued damsels of fairy tales?" A slight blush colored Ryo's cheeks - well, he hadn't thought of that. It was possible that she could, of course, but he… she had a family and… was American and he lived in Japan…

"Oh, screw it," spat Ryo, grimacing. "That has nothing to do with why I'm here!" he continued, maybe a little too quickly. "I was sent here to free Belisma and damn it, that's what I'm gonna do!"

"Way to be smooth, Sanada," commented Dakota briskly. "Now are you belly crawlers gonna fight or keep givin' Genius Boy the third degree? I haven't had lunch yet, for crying out loud. Let's get this over with!"

"You're gonna be lunch in about two minutes," snarled Steven, glaring ice at the boy. "The both of you! You can't humiliate us and expect to get away with it!"

"I did it once, didn't I?" Dakota shot back, his shoulders tightening. "Now stop talking and fight me, damn it!" Ryo was ready for Kyoko - he had already seen a demonstration of her fighting prowess and he could handle it. He'd fought snakes before and won and Naaza had been wearing his armor then. Ryo could handle an unarmed, half snake, half human. No problem.

Except, if maybe, Kyoko vanished into thin air.

Which she did.

Ryo ducked the kick that came suddenly from in front of him, aimed high enough to land squarely in the center of his face. But it missed and the sneaker fell back to the floor to rejoin its twin. In his surprise, Ryo instinctively called for the protection of his yuroi and felt it answer, burning through his blood and over his skin. Kyoko leapt back with a hiss of surprise - but it wasn't over yet. Even as the light of his sub-armor faded, the power was still moving, expanding into the room and seeking out something Ryo could never have fathomed. Or rather, someone. Or, rather, Dakota.

Steven and Ling, who had double teamed the pre-teen, both leapt back as their companion had done, making the same noises as well. Dakota stumbled back from where he had been standing, his eyes wide as the heat invaded his system. Somewhere, he gained his footing and froze on that spot as the burning side traveled outside of him, settling on his skin. The light condensed and hardened, forming a thin plated armor exactly the twin to Ryo's. The boy held out his arms, examined his hands, examined everything with wide, confused eyes, while Ryo watched him with the same look. He… his sub-armor? On Dakota?

"Oh, look," sneered Kyoko, snapping Ryo's reverie. "They match." Steven snickered, but Ling remained customarily silent. Ryo looked over at him, drawn to the silence, and then held by the look the snake-boy was given him - not the same, hatred filled looks as Kyoko and Steven, but one so completely different that Ryo couldn't even identify it.

"Oh, you're all meat now," laughed Dakota, curling his armored fingers into a fist. Ryo looked back at him and Dakota only smiled. "Sanada, worry about it later. Now we're gonna have some fun." He took the same fighting stance as he had before, but this time, lunged from it at Ling. The snake boy, caught suddenly unawares, dodged back, but wasn't fast enough by far. Dakota landed a solid hit across the other boy's chin, sending him flying into a wall, where he landed with a thud against the metal, then another when he slid to the floor. His skin faded back to its natural color and the red diamond burned and fell to ash on his collar. Ryo and Dakota shared a glance and an unsaid agreement - oh.

"How dare you?!" screamed Kyoko, her voice reaching a pitch that stung Ryo's eardrums. She attacked Dakota with a rapid hiss, only to be intercepted by Ryo, who caught her and wrestled her to the floor. She clawed at him, leaving stinging marks along his unprotected neck. He grabbed her hands and forced them to the floor as he heard Steven snarl and Dakota give a loud, theatric war cry. Ryo turned his gaze to see what was happening and Kyoko snapped up the opportunity, switching their positions with surprising strength and speed. Ryo knew better than to struggle in this position, but it never hurt to fight her hold. She grinned down at him, a bright glint in her eyes, and as her smile parted her lips, gleaming fangs peeked out, glistening as bright as the malice in her gaze.

"Sanada, it's really a pity," she hissed very lightly. "I was beginning to like you, despite the fact you were human and all."

"What the hell are you?" asked Ryo, turning his face away from the look of hunger in her eyes. Was she really going to eat him?

"I am what I was forced to become to regain my family's honor," she said sharply, pressing her weight down on his arms.

"Hey, Sanada!" came Dakota's call. "You got a moment?! I could use your help!" Kyoko snickered and the grin widened.

"Destroying that pest will be a wonderful thing," she said quietly. "He's busy, human!" she added in a surprisingly affectionate call. "I apologize!"

"Yeah, okay! Never mind!" answered Dakota. There was a loud thud, similar to the one Ling had produced, only this one was aided by a cry of pain from Steven. Kyoko lifted her head and scowled, the diamond shifting with the movement of her skin.

"Those idiots. I'll have to do this myself. Stay here, California." Ryo opened his mouth to state, firmly, that he would not stay where he was, when Kyoko grabbed his shoulders and lifted him up, before slamming his head into the floor. A shock wave ripped through his head and bright light flashed across his vision, burning bigger spots than even the room lights had done earlier. Every conscious thought he had been holding onto shattered and slid through his grip, leaving him with half formed thoughts and a swimming darkness took hold and threatened to drown him. He grappled for the edges of his awareness and when he finally reached one, it the awareness of a whoosh of air and, less than a moment later, a sharp gasp. The spots separated, but hovered at the edge of his vision, giving him enough of a clear view to make out the form of Dakota's mother, standing rooted into the doorway. He heard Dakota cry out and suddenly, Kyoko was in his field of vision, closing in quickly. Ryo forced himself up, his limbs responding, it seemed, whole minutes after he gave them the command to move. Now everything moved slow and Ryo saw a moment of hope. With an unclear mind and a burst of adrenaline, he slipped in between the snake and its prey. His sudden appearance seemed to break whatever spell held Mrs. Handover and she stumbled back, the door slamming shut when she was clear of it. There was a sharp, short pain where his neck met his shoulder and everything around him became abruptly clearer - the sound of Dakota's labored breathing, the press of Kyoko's body against his, then the cool, comforting press of the metal against the back of his sore head as he slumped against the now closed door. Then, Kyoko's warmth was gone and through the haze that was sinking in around him, Ryo heard a thud. The horizon slid higher and the wall moved up against his back, the floor meeting him somewhere along the line. Someone, or something, grabbed his arm and pulled hard, dragging him to his feet. He was now, officially, dully aware of very little and that didn't bother him a bit. Then, without warning, very little became absolutely nothing and he closed his eyes to darkness.