Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has anything even remotely to do
with the Ronin Warriors, although I wish I did. Anything that is original,
like the girls, are mine. Blah.
Note: -* words* - means shared thoughts between the girls.
Chapter 5 By: Soulful Gray
Robyn stared at the piles and piles of boxes with wide eyes. They literally covered every square inch of the room, save for a small crawl spaces here and there.
"I know it's a lot," Mia said sheepishly. "It's all the rejects from the museum. Anything that wasn't pristine had to be gotten rid of, and I couldn't bear to throw all the beautiful antiques away."
"Understandable," Lin said. "So where are we taking these?"
"Up to the attic. Anything heavy, we'll leave for the guys to take for us."
"Why don't we take the easy way out," Lin began, "kick those guys out of their dance recital, and make them do it all?" She spoke of the Ronins and Warlords, who were training outside.
Kayura chuckled. "You know, I've always thought of Sekhmet as a bit of a twinkle-toes."
Laughing, Mia grabbed a stack of small boxes. "Don't let him hear you say that. You might end up with snakes in your bed."
"Not if he doesn't want the better half of my foot shoved up his ass."
Laughing they all followed Mia's example and grabbed some boxes to begin hauling them up to the attic.
"So tell me," Kayura began as she preceded them up the steps into the attic. "Do you three know how to fight?"
Robyn peeked past the side of her stack of boxes. "We can throw a few punches if need be, but we've never had any real training." She shared a look with Lin and Katrin, one that Kayura and Mia couldn't see because of the boxes.
"Maybe tomorrow we can see about teaching you some self-defense. I have a feeling Kaiden may show up again."
"Poor girls," Mia commented. "Training from those guys is like having a language professor try to teach science."
For the next two hours the girls made trips from the room to the attic, back and forth, back and forth, until they had made a considerable dent in the room's lack of space. Now there were only the few heaviest boxes, ready and waiting for the strong backs of the Ronin guys to be thrown out whilst carrying them.
Robyn knocked some dust off the maroon tank top and shorts she had donned that morning as she made her way into the room she shared with her sisters. She and Mia had been talking about favorite books and she wanted to show Mia her Lord of the Rings book. (AN: It's a different world! They don't know about LotR, for all we know.)
As she bent down to retrieve her duffle bag, she suddenly stumbled back as something hit her mind like a brink. It hurt! Oh God it hurt! She squeezed her eyes shut as the force of the vision assaulted her mind, and a single tear coursed down her cheek as she fell back onto the bed for support. She lowered her head between her knees to sooth the feeling of nausea welling up inside her.
Images flashed before her, making her break out into a sweat. She took a few heaving breaths as she tried to make sense of the vision, but nothing came out clearly; the pictures were blurry, like bad TV reception, and made it worse for her to comprehend, made her swiftly brewing headache worse.
Slowly the vision passed, fading away until it was less than a drippy faucet, and she curled up on her side, her ribs aching as she tried to take in much needed air. It felt like she had been slammed in the gut by Superman and she was never going to breathe again. But air was greedily sucked into her sore lungs, and soon she was able to sit up and then stand.
"I need to zone," she muttered as she grabbed the book from her duffle bag and sailed down the stairs. She must have looked a fright because Lin and Katrin immediately came to her side to see what was wrong.
"What happened?" Lin whispered urgently.
"Do I look that bad?" she muttered. "Where's Mia."
"Outside talking to the guys. Don't avoid the question," Katrin growled.
"Nothing, okay. Just a vision. I need to zone for a while." Robyn handed the book to Lin. "Give this to Mia. I told her I'd lend it to her. I'm going to go zone."
"Robyn! Don't you have your cards with you?" Katrin asked nervously.
"Always. But it was too strong for the cards to hold. I don't think it would even apply to the cards if they were strong enough to hold it." Leaving it at that, Robyn sailed out the front door and made her way to lord-only-knows were.
"Did you see her face?" Lin asked. "She was so pale..."
"Her eyes were freakin' bloodshot," Katrin whispered. "It has to be bad. We need to get it out of her soon, if it was that bad. We should know."
"She'll tell us eventually," Lin said. "We'll get it out of her sooner or later."
Just then Mia walked in and they abruptly stopped their conversation.
"Robyn said to give this to you," Lin said and handed the thick book to Mia.
"Oh. Thanks. Where is she?" Mia looked behind them.
"She went for a walk. She was getting cooped up," Katrin said quickly.
"Okay. That doesn't surprise me, as energetic as she is." Mia smiled good- naturedly. "I was going to start lunch now. The guys are taking a break out back if you want to join them for some lemonade."
They took the chance eagerly and slipped out without hesitation. Anything to avoid explaining where Robyn was.
Meanwhile, Robyn was running at breakneck speed through the woods. She didn't know why, but the exertion of running always made her zone better. Most days a light jog would do it, but today she was pushing herself to the limit, running as fast as her legs could carry her, up hills, down hills, off and on the path. Her blood was pumping wildly, her hair was streaming behind her in a tangled mass, her feet barely touched the ground before they lifted off again. Part of her exertion was magic based; when she ran, her inhibitions were null and her power gave her the boost she needed to push herself farther.
She didn't know how long or how far she had run before she collapsed at the bank of a small stream that ran through Mia's property; she didn't even know if she was on Mia's property any more, nor did she care. She only wanted to be at her limit.
She was on her hands and knees, feeling the adrenaline and power coursing through her like a mad drug, and her eyes rolled back a bit as she automatically sought after a comfortable position to zone in.
Zoning was the same as meditating to her, but she preferred the shorter word and thought it sounded neater. She was in her zone when she went under. She knew the moment she closed her eyes under the assault of her vision she would be under for a long time.
In a moment, she was completely blanketed by the fog of the vision set before her. Her blood churned then cooled, her power simmered down and then froze over as she focused everything on that other plane of existence she found daily. Today it was harder, but she pushed through stubbornly until she was there.
There they were, the images that found her earlier. Now she had found them. They were in her territory and she was going to decipher them even if it drained her of everything. Damned if she was going to be attacked like that and then not get her answers.
She closed her inner eyes and concentrated hard. She was going to take the images somewhere stronger, somewhere guarded so they couldn't fight her. And when she opened her eyes again, she was exactly where she wanted to be.
A breeze played gently over the tall stalks of dark grass. It was late evening, the moon was shining brightly, and the stars were literally like the brightest diamonds in the sky. Fireflies winked brightly around her and she turned to see the tree she envisioned. It was gnarled and old, the branches bare of leaves, but under the moonlight the bark shown like silver. Her tree. The being was huge, with branches low to the ground that were as thick as a good old oak tree's trunk. She called the tree a being, because to her, its branches were alive with its own soul. She winked once, and immediately the fireflies came to settle on his branches and stars fell from the sky to hang as silvery-white leaves. She stepped under its peaceful haven and breathed in and out.
This was the one place no other being could go without her consent. She had every sort of blessing she could imagine to protect this place from invasion. And now that she knew there was someone out there powerful enough to get into her mind, she was glad she had taken the precaution to create this place. Now she would let the visions in; here, they had no power over her to hurt her and take her breath away. Here she was her own army, stronger than anything or anyone could imagine.
She chose a spot to sit between its roots and as she settled herself, she took not of the long silver and emerald gown she wore; its cut was to her medieval tastes, the background color silver with twisted green vines curving all over her body. She smiled; no matter what, she never wore the same thing, and this was certainly a nice change of pace.
"Enter," she commanded, her voice husky with the same control she was trying to keep on her anger. The anything outside the trees protective branches immediately became the images of her vision and she stared at the sky as it turned hazy.
"Whoever you are, you will not get by without answers," she stated coolly and unleashed a sample of the power behind her words.
It looked like an atomic explosion as the images receded at once, and then advanced in a blast of icy wind that Robyn only barely felt because of her tree's protection.
"Show me my answers," she commanded regally. Whoever it was sending this vision obviously was thinking twice about the way they went about it, and were trying to get the upper hand.
To prove this point, the vision exploded once more, but Robyn brushed it off and sent back another bout of her power, this one with a little push of the elements. Earth, air, fire and water were all drawn into this one as she pushed them with her soul out into the images before her.
The explosion was greater than the first! Even the boughs of her tree groaned but Robyn refused to stop her assault until finally, all the image was wiped away, and all that was left was a black void.
Then, a flicker of something and she smirked as the void once again became her vision. This time crystal clear.
Surprisingly, there wasn't the jumble of colors and forms like before. Two figures, both women, stood there, smiling at her. One was fair, the other dark, and the love shining from them was something Robyn had rarely sensed before. She stood as she surveyed them. The fair one moved and spoke.
"He's beautiful, sister. I must have him." Her hair was long white as snow and her eyes sparkled like the stars in Robyn's tree. Her love was great for the one she called her sister, but the lust that radiated from her was greater.
"If you must, but I warn you-" the dark one spoke, but was interrupted.
"Don't be silly, sister. I love him. It is true and pure." The dark one, whose hair was ebony and wavy and eyes black as pitch, was staring at the fair one with sadness.
"You know what will happen. Do not say that I never warned you."
A third figure appeared out of the gloom, simple in her beauty with her lovely chocolate eyes and hair, and stood between the sisters. While the fair sister radiated lust, and the dark one wisdom, this simple beauty held innocence and purity. Robyn stood at the edge of her haven, struck with awe as things unfolded.
"He's here," she whispered shyly, her eyes round with her love for the unknown 'he' that had not been seen yet. "I'm ready. Wish me luck." She was dressed all in white, with small white roses pinned in her hair, and a loose veil draped over her whole body as she hugged her sisters.
With dread, Robyn figured out what was going to happen.
A wedding, a celebration. A man stood proudly at a table and toasted his new wife. The man was handsome as sin, with long red hair and gorgeous green eyes. Robyn's eyes widened when she saw him. Hell if he wasn't a shoo- in for Anubis. A few subtle differences stood the two figures apart, but she didn't have time to hash over those details.
The vision moved swiftly to the part Robyn had feared the most.
The man was locked in an embrace with the fair woman, and both were backed into the corner of the man's wedding chambers. The fair one was exuding a huge amount of power, power Robyn suspected was based on illusion, greed, and lust. Both were stripped nearly nude when the innocent sister walked in.
Robyn cried with the pain of seeing those happy chocolate eyes turned dull brown with heartbreak, seeing that lovely bouquet of unknown white flowers fall to the ground. The man thrust the fair sister away and stumbled to his new bride with the effort to explain things. She wouldn't listen however, so great was her heartache. Instead she turned on her sister.
"Fair and beautiful you greedily yearn, to own his heart and mine to burn!" she wailed, unknowingly beginning the last incantation any sister would ever utter. "And so begin your hell in life, as I cast out to end mine!" The words were so simple, so heartfelt. They were the fate of all sisters following them. Robyn screamed as the sister threw herself out the window, sealing the curse of all sisters.
With tears in her eyes, Robyn bent her head and began to sob.
She understood now, things her mother had never been able to tell her. The reason she didn't have to speak words to entreat the elements to do her bidding, why she had to keep her sisters so close to her, why she had to be careful of the sisters she loved. That was the test the sisters before her had failed. To accept that some things were not meant to be yours. Although Robyn didn't mind not whispering long incantations to seek out her power, now that she knew how it came to be, it felt wrong to be thankful.
She looked out again as she felt a gentle push from the vision. She had to see it all.
She watched as the husband grieved for days afterwards, before disappearing into oblivion for all anyone knew.
The dark sister confronted the fair.
"I warned you," she whispered. "Our circle is gone now."
"We can find another," the fair snapped. "She was weak."
"No, you were weak. And so begins the hell she promised." The dark noticed the change in the fair's eyes. "You can already see it. You of illusion, of deceit. Watch as your beautiful mask becomes a shell to live out eternity as nothing." The fair's diamond eyes had shifted to a dull gray. "You will never know to give the love of a mother..." With that, the dark walked away and never returned. Robyn saw this one as the mother of all sisters. She knew with certainty this wise sister had been the one to warn of the second test of the Sisters.
There was no more after this. Robyn was thankful since she didn't know if she could take any more of this. She didn't know if she could take seeing more of a bitter past that had made her present, her future. She didn't know if she could take in the thought that something like that might happen to her. Her test was coming.
When her thoughts had calmed, she had retreated back to the comforting embrace of her tree's roots. She was thankful for the light of the stars in its branches; she didn't want to be in the dark.
Rationally, she reviewed the vision and its relevance to her and her sisters' place in the Ronin's world. There was a connection, if not through the innocent sister's husband's spitting image to the dead Anubis, then through something else she had not seen. But Robyn found that she had no more to give, and she had to get back. It might not have seemed like a long time in her blessed realm, but outside her body, she knew it had to be getting late.
"Farewell, my Haven," she whispered reverently to the tree, the stars, and the fireflies.
As she left her blessed realm, she thought about the innocent sister, and how much she wished the girl could have had the chance to live and love again. Alas, her power was not of life, so she was forced to admit the wish was impossible.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a lotus position. Her cheeks were salty from her dried tears, and as she eyed the scenery around her with dull acceptance, she felt a presence behind her.
"I've never seen anybody cry when they meditated," Sage said as he came around to study her from the front.
Robyn smirked. "Well, I'm not just anybody, and my zone makes me do weird stuff." She stood and smiled at the pleasant ache left behind. She felt refreshed and energetic. "What time is it?"
"You've been gone for almost four hours, you do the math." The remark wasn't meant to be scolding, but Robyn still felt like she was being reprimanded under Sage's careful violet gaze. She met his eye squarely and decided to say something to throw him off guard.
"I've always wondered Sage: Why the fook does your hair stay in the same position under a waterfall, but it moves when you put your helmet on?"
It seemed to do the trick, because his mouth opened and snapped shut as though he couldn't think of an appropriate answer. Robyn turned on her heel to start back up the hill, following the path she had beaten into the ground during her run through the woods. She had just reached the top when Sage's hand caught her elbow.
"I never got to say thank you," he said softly. Robyn turned her gray gaze to his and smiled.
"For what?" She knew perfectly well for what.
"For my sword. I'll be the first to admit it's like losing a limb when I lost my sword."
He released her elbow and they walked side-by-side back to Mia's mansion.
"So do you meditate often?" he asked.
"Yeah." She was surprised he was being so talkative. He had always seemed so reserved to her.
"Does Lin meditate?"
"Well, I've been trying to teach her-" she stopped and eyed him. "Why do you want to know?"
"I was just wondering," he said smoothly.
"Bull," she said in her sing-songy voice. "Sage, you're the King of Flirts."
"I want to forget that you know so much about myself and the others, but it's hard to when you keep reminding us." He placed his hands in his pockets. "I was wanting to see if I could get Lin to lighten up a bit. You said you've been trying to teach her to meditate."
"And failed miserably, might I add." Robyn popped her knuckles. "Sage, I'll warn you now, that I don't mind if you try to get Lin to lighten up a little more around you guys- in fact, I'd encourage it- but if you start flirting with her and leading her around just to get her to 'lighten up' it might hurt her. And if that happens, Big Sister will be on the warpath."
He stopped and watched her solemnly. "It would not be my intent to hurt her."
"What other intentions do you have besides getting her to lighten up then?"
"I would like to be her friend, if nothing more," he said sincerely.
"The nothing more part makes me wonder." Again with her sing-songy voice.
"Well," he said with a cool smile. "As you put it, I am the King of Flirts."
"That you are! So you do want something more than friendship with her!" Robyn eyed him critically. "Since you're a confirmed good guy, I suppose that you might be good enough for Lin, but you're still capable of hurting her." She let it hang and skipped on ahead of him.
When they got back to the Koji Mansion, Robyn was assaulted by two female forms, who tackled her to the ground in the effort of seeing that she was all right.
"Where the hell have you been!" Katrin yelled.
"You freaking blonde!" Lin seconded. "You've been gone for hours!"
"Thanks for worryin' now could you get your knee out of my stomach!" Robyn grouched. She wanted badly to get her sisters alone so she could explain her vision, but with the circle that was forming around them, she doubted that would happen any time soon. It was only a little after four, hardly time to head up for bed, and Mia and Kayura had requested that they go to the Toyama Mall that evening for their scheduled hair appointments; they'd wanted to get it done as soon as possible. So she knew that she was going to have to wait a long time. She was exhausted from her excursion in her zone, although she didn't appear to be, so telepathy was out of the question.
When she was drug inside, she apologized to Mia for skipping out on cleaning the room some more.
"Something was bugging me and I needed to get away for a while to think about it," she said. It wasn't a lie; it was only omitting certain truths.
"It's no problem." Mia smiled. "I had the guys come up and do some real work for a change." They laughed as they got ready to leave for the Mall. Mia and Kayura's appointments were in less than an hour, so they had to get going if they wanted time to shop as well.
"We're going!" Mia yelled as they made their escape and piled into Mia's Jeep. The Ronins had been miffed that they weren't allowed to go; they wanted to see Mia's and Kayura's new looks firsthand, but the girls had grouched them into submission.
"This is nice," Mia stated as they cruised along. "I haven't had a car full of girls since high-school. Lately it's been nothing but the guys!" She looked frustrated. "It's so annoying sometimes, toting them with me about everywhere I go."
"I can see how that would be annoying. Although, there have to be some good points, like them being your pack mules." Robyn grinned. "Tonight it's us chicks, no guys, and two makeovers in the process. Let's relish it."
"Definitely!" Kayura giggled. Robyn laughed after the Warlady giggled; she'd never been able to fit giggles with Kayura's image, but it happened, so she had to adjust.
"I don't mind riding around when it's just Ryo, but the others." Mia shrugged.
"Sooo, Ryo's got the sweet-spot of your jeep-driving heart or something?" Robyn inquired impishly.
"No!" Mia cried, her cheeks reddening, and the four other girls burst out laughing.
"Mia and Ryo! Sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" The sisters couldn't help themselves as they taunted Mia's obvious crush on the Wildfire hunk.
"Leave me alone!" she cried, but the girl was laughing. Kayura was stifling giggles herself, scrunched down in her seat as if it would help keep the dam up.
"Honey, after we get done with you, you'll have Wildfire eatin' out of the palm of your hand," Robyn said, leaning between the front seats.
And two hours later, Mia and Kayura both could have had men on the floor begging to even look at the palms of their hands.
Kayura had gone with bob like Lin suggested, and it curved just so she could pull a brush through it and give it a flirty, wind-blown look. And much to the shock of the girls, she'd also had them add in several bleach- white streaks and some black as well. The effect was stunning with her deep blue eyes, and gave her an edge that was unbelievably beautiful.
Mia too, had shortened her hair, but only to her shoulders, and her highlights shown like gold. It was a simple style, layered and elegant, and framed her face just so that it made her eyes stand out more and take away attention from her sometimes stubborn chin.
They'd gone shopping, and totally revolutionized Mia's wardrobe, planning to get rid of every ounce of anything frumpy from the confines of her closet. They chose colors of rose, despite their intense dislike for its likeness to pink, because Mia like the color, but they threw it in with black and tan. They also picked out some flashier outfits that could be mixed and matched. Kayura too, got a few outfits, but she was better off than Mia was in the fashion department.
And let's just say that when they got back home, the reaction to the two women's new looks was nothing short of amazed. Compliments galore. Ryo, the sisters had noticed, had had eyes only for Mia and was practically drinking in her image like a man in the desert yearns for water. Dais was staring at Kayura in a predatory fashion, and it made them wonder if something wasn't secretly going on between them.
But the moment dinner was over and Katrin, Lin, and Robyn had a moment alone, the two younger sister cornered her.
"What happened?" they demanded.
Somewhere Else (Where would this mysterious somewhere else be?)
Lasheen's fingers tapped against the crystal ball again as he stared into its depths at the pained form of Anubis. He was impatient for Kaiden to bring him his requested guest, but then he knew it would take the Hunter three days to reach the Earth and one day to get back. He had three more days to wait before he would have the key to getting Anubis to surrender.
"You're just like him," he whispered to the image. "But more stubborn, I think. More resistant. Not for long. Once I have your little Angel, I'll have you as well..." He stood and walked about the room he always sat in. It was the only place he was safe.
"And when I have one sister, I'll lure the others in... Then I'll lure in the Ronins. That silly Talpa. He didn't have a clue to what he was doing. He should have waited for the sisters to come, like I did. Unlike him, I'll have the world... I will have all worlds... with Anubis there with me."
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I hoped you liked this chapter. Ooooooh. Who is this mysterious Lasheen dude? When is Kaiden going to get the "angel"? What do the sisters have to do with anything even remotely Ronin!?! MWAHAHAHAH!... Oh... umm, more next chapter! Well duh, if there wasn't I'd be worried. Please review!
-Gray
Note: -* words* - means shared thoughts between the girls.
Chapter 5 By: Soulful Gray
Robyn stared at the piles and piles of boxes with wide eyes. They literally covered every square inch of the room, save for a small crawl spaces here and there.
"I know it's a lot," Mia said sheepishly. "It's all the rejects from the museum. Anything that wasn't pristine had to be gotten rid of, and I couldn't bear to throw all the beautiful antiques away."
"Understandable," Lin said. "So where are we taking these?"
"Up to the attic. Anything heavy, we'll leave for the guys to take for us."
"Why don't we take the easy way out," Lin began, "kick those guys out of their dance recital, and make them do it all?" She spoke of the Ronins and Warlords, who were training outside.
Kayura chuckled. "You know, I've always thought of Sekhmet as a bit of a twinkle-toes."
Laughing, Mia grabbed a stack of small boxes. "Don't let him hear you say that. You might end up with snakes in your bed."
"Not if he doesn't want the better half of my foot shoved up his ass."
Laughing they all followed Mia's example and grabbed some boxes to begin hauling them up to the attic.
"So tell me," Kayura began as she preceded them up the steps into the attic. "Do you three know how to fight?"
Robyn peeked past the side of her stack of boxes. "We can throw a few punches if need be, but we've never had any real training." She shared a look with Lin and Katrin, one that Kayura and Mia couldn't see because of the boxes.
"Maybe tomorrow we can see about teaching you some self-defense. I have a feeling Kaiden may show up again."
"Poor girls," Mia commented. "Training from those guys is like having a language professor try to teach science."
For the next two hours the girls made trips from the room to the attic, back and forth, back and forth, until they had made a considerable dent in the room's lack of space. Now there were only the few heaviest boxes, ready and waiting for the strong backs of the Ronin guys to be thrown out whilst carrying them.
Robyn knocked some dust off the maroon tank top and shorts she had donned that morning as she made her way into the room she shared with her sisters. She and Mia had been talking about favorite books and she wanted to show Mia her Lord of the Rings book. (AN: It's a different world! They don't know about LotR, for all we know.)
As she bent down to retrieve her duffle bag, she suddenly stumbled back as something hit her mind like a brink. It hurt! Oh God it hurt! She squeezed her eyes shut as the force of the vision assaulted her mind, and a single tear coursed down her cheek as she fell back onto the bed for support. She lowered her head between her knees to sooth the feeling of nausea welling up inside her.
Images flashed before her, making her break out into a sweat. She took a few heaving breaths as she tried to make sense of the vision, but nothing came out clearly; the pictures were blurry, like bad TV reception, and made it worse for her to comprehend, made her swiftly brewing headache worse.
Slowly the vision passed, fading away until it was less than a drippy faucet, and she curled up on her side, her ribs aching as she tried to take in much needed air. It felt like she had been slammed in the gut by Superman and she was never going to breathe again. But air was greedily sucked into her sore lungs, and soon she was able to sit up and then stand.
"I need to zone," she muttered as she grabbed the book from her duffle bag and sailed down the stairs. She must have looked a fright because Lin and Katrin immediately came to her side to see what was wrong.
"What happened?" Lin whispered urgently.
"Do I look that bad?" she muttered. "Where's Mia."
"Outside talking to the guys. Don't avoid the question," Katrin growled.
"Nothing, okay. Just a vision. I need to zone for a while." Robyn handed the book to Lin. "Give this to Mia. I told her I'd lend it to her. I'm going to go zone."
"Robyn! Don't you have your cards with you?" Katrin asked nervously.
"Always. But it was too strong for the cards to hold. I don't think it would even apply to the cards if they were strong enough to hold it." Leaving it at that, Robyn sailed out the front door and made her way to lord-only-knows were.
"Did you see her face?" Lin asked. "She was so pale..."
"Her eyes were freakin' bloodshot," Katrin whispered. "It has to be bad. We need to get it out of her soon, if it was that bad. We should know."
"She'll tell us eventually," Lin said. "We'll get it out of her sooner or later."
Just then Mia walked in and they abruptly stopped their conversation.
"Robyn said to give this to you," Lin said and handed the thick book to Mia.
"Oh. Thanks. Where is she?" Mia looked behind them.
"She went for a walk. She was getting cooped up," Katrin said quickly.
"Okay. That doesn't surprise me, as energetic as she is." Mia smiled good- naturedly. "I was going to start lunch now. The guys are taking a break out back if you want to join them for some lemonade."
They took the chance eagerly and slipped out without hesitation. Anything to avoid explaining where Robyn was.
Meanwhile, Robyn was running at breakneck speed through the woods. She didn't know why, but the exertion of running always made her zone better. Most days a light jog would do it, but today she was pushing herself to the limit, running as fast as her legs could carry her, up hills, down hills, off and on the path. Her blood was pumping wildly, her hair was streaming behind her in a tangled mass, her feet barely touched the ground before they lifted off again. Part of her exertion was magic based; when she ran, her inhibitions were null and her power gave her the boost she needed to push herself farther.
She didn't know how long or how far she had run before she collapsed at the bank of a small stream that ran through Mia's property; she didn't even know if she was on Mia's property any more, nor did she care. She only wanted to be at her limit.
She was on her hands and knees, feeling the adrenaline and power coursing through her like a mad drug, and her eyes rolled back a bit as she automatically sought after a comfortable position to zone in.
Zoning was the same as meditating to her, but she preferred the shorter word and thought it sounded neater. She was in her zone when she went under. She knew the moment she closed her eyes under the assault of her vision she would be under for a long time.
In a moment, she was completely blanketed by the fog of the vision set before her. Her blood churned then cooled, her power simmered down and then froze over as she focused everything on that other plane of existence she found daily. Today it was harder, but she pushed through stubbornly until she was there.
There they were, the images that found her earlier. Now she had found them. They were in her territory and she was going to decipher them even if it drained her of everything. Damned if she was going to be attacked like that and then not get her answers.
She closed her inner eyes and concentrated hard. She was going to take the images somewhere stronger, somewhere guarded so they couldn't fight her. And when she opened her eyes again, she was exactly where she wanted to be.
A breeze played gently over the tall stalks of dark grass. It was late evening, the moon was shining brightly, and the stars were literally like the brightest diamonds in the sky. Fireflies winked brightly around her and she turned to see the tree she envisioned. It was gnarled and old, the branches bare of leaves, but under the moonlight the bark shown like silver. Her tree. The being was huge, with branches low to the ground that were as thick as a good old oak tree's trunk. She called the tree a being, because to her, its branches were alive with its own soul. She winked once, and immediately the fireflies came to settle on his branches and stars fell from the sky to hang as silvery-white leaves. She stepped under its peaceful haven and breathed in and out.
This was the one place no other being could go without her consent. She had every sort of blessing she could imagine to protect this place from invasion. And now that she knew there was someone out there powerful enough to get into her mind, she was glad she had taken the precaution to create this place. Now she would let the visions in; here, they had no power over her to hurt her and take her breath away. Here she was her own army, stronger than anything or anyone could imagine.
She chose a spot to sit between its roots and as she settled herself, she took not of the long silver and emerald gown she wore; its cut was to her medieval tastes, the background color silver with twisted green vines curving all over her body. She smiled; no matter what, she never wore the same thing, and this was certainly a nice change of pace.
"Enter," she commanded, her voice husky with the same control she was trying to keep on her anger. The anything outside the trees protective branches immediately became the images of her vision and she stared at the sky as it turned hazy.
"Whoever you are, you will not get by without answers," she stated coolly and unleashed a sample of the power behind her words.
It looked like an atomic explosion as the images receded at once, and then advanced in a blast of icy wind that Robyn only barely felt because of her tree's protection.
"Show me my answers," she commanded regally. Whoever it was sending this vision obviously was thinking twice about the way they went about it, and were trying to get the upper hand.
To prove this point, the vision exploded once more, but Robyn brushed it off and sent back another bout of her power, this one with a little push of the elements. Earth, air, fire and water were all drawn into this one as she pushed them with her soul out into the images before her.
The explosion was greater than the first! Even the boughs of her tree groaned but Robyn refused to stop her assault until finally, all the image was wiped away, and all that was left was a black void.
Then, a flicker of something and she smirked as the void once again became her vision. This time crystal clear.
Surprisingly, there wasn't the jumble of colors and forms like before. Two figures, both women, stood there, smiling at her. One was fair, the other dark, and the love shining from them was something Robyn had rarely sensed before. She stood as she surveyed them. The fair one moved and spoke.
"He's beautiful, sister. I must have him." Her hair was long white as snow and her eyes sparkled like the stars in Robyn's tree. Her love was great for the one she called her sister, but the lust that radiated from her was greater.
"If you must, but I warn you-" the dark one spoke, but was interrupted.
"Don't be silly, sister. I love him. It is true and pure." The dark one, whose hair was ebony and wavy and eyes black as pitch, was staring at the fair one with sadness.
"You know what will happen. Do not say that I never warned you."
A third figure appeared out of the gloom, simple in her beauty with her lovely chocolate eyes and hair, and stood between the sisters. While the fair sister radiated lust, and the dark one wisdom, this simple beauty held innocence and purity. Robyn stood at the edge of her haven, struck with awe as things unfolded.
"He's here," she whispered shyly, her eyes round with her love for the unknown 'he' that had not been seen yet. "I'm ready. Wish me luck." She was dressed all in white, with small white roses pinned in her hair, and a loose veil draped over her whole body as she hugged her sisters.
With dread, Robyn figured out what was going to happen.
A wedding, a celebration. A man stood proudly at a table and toasted his new wife. The man was handsome as sin, with long red hair and gorgeous green eyes. Robyn's eyes widened when she saw him. Hell if he wasn't a shoo- in for Anubis. A few subtle differences stood the two figures apart, but she didn't have time to hash over those details.
The vision moved swiftly to the part Robyn had feared the most.
The man was locked in an embrace with the fair woman, and both were backed into the corner of the man's wedding chambers. The fair one was exuding a huge amount of power, power Robyn suspected was based on illusion, greed, and lust. Both were stripped nearly nude when the innocent sister walked in.
Robyn cried with the pain of seeing those happy chocolate eyes turned dull brown with heartbreak, seeing that lovely bouquet of unknown white flowers fall to the ground. The man thrust the fair sister away and stumbled to his new bride with the effort to explain things. She wouldn't listen however, so great was her heartache. Instead she turned on her sister.
"Fair and beautiful you greedily yearn, to own his heart and mine to burn!" she wailed, unknowingly beginning the last incantation any sister would ever utter. "And so begin your hell in life, as I cast out to end mine!" The words were so simple, so heartfelt. They were the fate of all sisters following them. Robyn screamed as the sister threw herself out the window, sealing the curse of all sisters.
With tears in her eyes, Robyn bent her head and began to sob.
She understood now, things her mother had never been able to tell her. The reason she didn't have to speak words to entreat the elements to do her bidding, why she had to keep her sisters so close to her, why she had to be careful of the sisters she loved. That was the test the sisters before her had failed. To accept that some things were not meant to be yours. Although Robyn didn't mind not whispering long incantations to seek out her power, now that she knew how it came to be, it felt wrong to be thankful.
She looked out again as she felt a gentle push from the vision. She had to see it all.
She watched as the husband grieved for days afterwards, before disappearing into oblivion for all anyone knew.
The dark sister confronted the fair.
"I warned you," she whispered. "Our circle is gone now."
"We can find another," the fair snapped. "She was weak."
"No, you were weak. And so begins the hell she promised." The dark noticed the change in the fair's eyes. "You can already see it. You of illusion, of deceit. Watch as your beautiful mask becomes a shell to live out eternity as nothing." The fair's diamond eyes had shifted to a dull gray. "You will never know to give the love of a mother..." With that, the dark walked away and never returned. Robyn saw this one as the mother of all sisters. She knew with certainty this wise sister had been the one to warn of the second test of the Sisters.
There was no more after this. Robyn was thankful since she didn't know if she could take any more of this. She didn't know if she could take seeing more of a bitter past that had made her present, her future. She didn't know if she could take in the thought that something like that might happen to her. Her test was coming.
When her thoughts had calmed, she had retreated back to the comforting embrace of her tree's roots. She was thankful for the light of the stars in its branches; she didn't want to be in the dark.
Rationally, she reviewed the vision and its relevance to her and her sisters' place in the Ronin's world. There was a connection, if not through the innocent sister's husband's spitting image to the dead Anubis, then through something else she had not seen. But Robyn found that she had no more to give, and she had to get back. It might not have seemed like a long time in her blessed realm, but outside her body, she knew it had to be getting late.
"Farewell, my Haven," she whispered reverently to the tree, the stars, and the fireflies.
As she left her blessed realm, she thought about the innocent sister, and how much she wished the girl could have had the chance to live and love again. Alas, her power was not of life, so she was forced to admit the wish was impossible.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a lotus position. Her cheeks were salty from her dried tears, and as she eyed the scenery around her with dull acceptance, she felt a presence behind her.
"I've never seen anybody cry when they meditated," Sage said as he came around to study her from the front.
Robyn smirked. "Well, I'm not just anybody, and my zone makes me do weird stuff." She stood and smiled at the pleasant ache left behind. She felt refreshed and energetic. "What time is it?"
"You've been gone for almost four hours, you do the math." The remark wasn't meant to be scolding, but Robyn still felt like she was being reprimanded under Sage's careful violet gaze. She met his eye squarely and decided to say something to throw him off guard.
"I've always wondered Sage: Why the fook does your hair stay in the same position under a waterfall, but it moves when you put your helmet on?"
It seemed to do the trick, because his mouth opened and snapped shut as though he couldn't think of an appropriate answer. Robyn turned on her heel to start back up the hill, following the path she had beaten into the ground during her run through the woods. She had just reached the top when Sage's hand caught her elbow.
"I never got to say thank you," he said softly. Robyn turned her gray gaze to his and smiled.
"For what?" She knew perfectly well for what.
"For my sword. I'll be the first to admit it's like losing a limb when I lost my sword."
He released her elbow and they walked side-by-side back to Mia's mansion.
"So do you meditate often?" he asked.
"Yeah." She was surprised he was being so talkative. He had always seemed so reserved to her.
"Does Lin meditate?"
"Well, I've been trying to teach her-" she stopped and eyed him. "Why do you want to know?"
"I was just wondering," he said smoothly.
"Bull," she said in her sing-songy voice. "Sage, you're the King of Flirts."
"I want to forget that you know so much about myself and the others, but it's hard to when you keep reminding us." He placed his hands in his pockets. "I was wanting to see if I could get Lin to lighten up a bit. You said you've been trying to teach her to meditate."
"And failed miserably, might I add." Robyn popped her knuckles. "Sage, I'll warn you now, that I don't mind if you try to get Lin to lighten up a little more around you guys- in fact, I'd encourage it- but if you start flirting with her and leading her around just to get her to 'lighten up' it might hurt her. And if that happens, Big Sister will be on the warpath."
He stopped and watched her solemnly. "It would not be my intent to hurt her."
"What other intentions do you have besides getting her to lighten up then?"
"I would like to be her friend, if nothing more," he said sincerely.
"The nothing more part makes me wonder." Again with her sing-songy voice.
"Well," he said with a cool smile. "As you put it, I am the King of Flirts."
"That you are! So you do want something more than friendship with her!" Robyn eyed him critically. "Since you're a confirmed good guy, I suppose that you might be good enough for Lin, but you're still capable of hurting her." She let it hang and skipped on ahead of him.
When they got back to the Koji Mansion, Robyn was assaulted by two female forms, who tackled her to the ground in the effort of seeing that she was all right.
"Where the hell have you been!" Katrin yelled.
"You freaking blonde!" Lin seconded. "You've been gone for hours!"
"Thanks for worryin' now could you get your knee out of my stomach!" Robyn grouched. She wanted badly to get her sisters alone so she could explain her vision, but with the circle that was forming around them, she doubted that would happen any time soon. It was only a little after four, hardly time to head up for bed, and Mia and Kayura had requested that they go to the Toyama Mall that evening for their scheduled hair appointments; they'd wanted to get it done as soon as possible. So she knew that she was going to have to wait a long time. She was exhausted from her excursion in her zone, although she didn't appear to be, so telepathy was out of the question.
When she was drug inside, she apologized to Mia for skipping out on cleaning the room some more.
"Something was bugging me and I needed to get away for a while to think about it," she said. It wasn't a lie; it was only omitting certain truths.
"It's no problem." Mia smiled. "I had the guys come up and do some real work for a change." They laughed as they got ready to leave for the Mall. Mia and Kayura's appointments were in less than an hour, so they had to get going if they wanted time to shop as well.
"We're going!" Mia yelled as they made their escape and piled into Mia's Jeep. The Ronins had been miffed that they weren't allowed to go; they wanted to see Mia's and Kayura's new looks firsthand, but the girls had grouched them into submission.
"This is nice," Mia stated as they cruised along. "I haven't had a car full of girls since high-school. Lately it's been nothing but the guys!" She looked frustrated. "It's so annoying sometimes, toting them with me about everywhere I go."
"I can see how that would be annoying. Although, there have to be some good points, like them being your pack mules." Robyn grinned. "Tonight it's us chicks, no guys, and two makeovers in the process. Let's relish it."
"Definitely!" Kayura giggled. Robyn laughed after the Warlady giggled; she'd never been able to fit giggles with Kayura's image, but it happened, so she had to adjust.
"I don't mind riding around when it's just Ryo, but the others." Mia shrugged.
"Sooo, Ryo's got the sweet-spot of your jeep-driving heart or something?" Robyn inquired impishly.
"No!" Mia cried, her cheeks reddening, and the four other girls burst out laughing.
"Mia and Ryo! Sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" The sisters couldn't help themselves as they taunted Mia's obvious crush on the Wildfire hunk.
"Leave me alone!" she cried, but the girl was laughing. Kayura was stifling giggles herself, scrunched down in her seat as if it would help keep the dam up.
"Honey, after we get done with you, you'll have Wildfire eatin' out of the palm of your hand," Robyn said, leaning between the front seats.
And two hours later, Mia and Kayura both could have had men on the floor begging to even look at the palms of their hands.
Kayura had gone with bob like Lin suggested, and it curved just so she could pull a brush through it and give it a flirty, wind-blown look. And much to the shock of the girls, she'd also had them add in several bleach- white streaks and some black as well. The effect was stunning with her deep blue eyes, and gave her an edge that was unbelievably beautiful.
Mia too, had shortened her hair, but only to her shoulders, and her highlights shown like gold. It was a simple style, layered and elegant, and framed her face just so that it made her eyes stand out more and take away attention from her sometimes stubborn chin.
They'd gone shopping, and totally revolutionized Mia's wardrobe, planning to get rid of every ounce of anything frumpy from the confines of her closet. They chose colors of rose, despite their intense dislike for its likeness to pink, because Mia like the color, but they threw it in with black and tan. They also picked out some flashier outfits that could be mixed and matched. Kayura too, got a few outfits, but she was better off than Mia was in the fashion department.
And let's just say that when they got back home, the reaction to the two women's new looks was nothing short of amazed. Compliments galore. Ryo, the sisters had noticed, had had eyes only for Mia and was practically drinking in her image like a man in the desert yearns for water. Dais was staring at Kayura in a predatory fashion, and it made them wonder if something wasn't secretly going on between them.
But the moment dinner was over and Katrin, Lin, and Robyn had a moment alone, the two younger sister cornered her.
"What happened?" they demanded.
Somewhere Else (Where would this mysterious somewhere else be?)
Lasheen's fingers tapped against the crystal ball again as he stared into its depths at the pained form of Anubis. He was impatient for Kaiden to bring him his requested guest, but then he knew it would take the Hunter three days to reach the Earth and one day to get back. He had three more days to wait before he would have the key to getting Anubis to surrender.
"You're just like him," he whispered to the image. "But more stubborn, I think. More resistant. Not for long. Once I have your little Angel, I'll have you as well..." He stood and walked about the room he always sat in. It was the only place he was safe.
"And when I have one sister, I'll lure the others in... Then I'll lure in the Ronins. That silly Talpa. He didn't have a clue to what he was doing. He should have waited for the sisters to come, like I did. Unlike him, I'll have the world... I will have all worlds... with Anubis there with me."
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I hoped you liked this chapter. Ooooooh. Who is this mysterious Lasheen dude? When is Kaiden going to get the "angel"? What do the sisters have to do with anything even remotely Ronin!?! MWAHAHAHAH!... Oh... umm, more next chapter! Well duh, if there wasn't I'd be worried. Please review!
-Gray