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 6 By: Soulful Gray
Lin glanced up as Sage entered the kitchen. It was early morning- earlier than she had awoken the day before- and she was surprised to see that he wasn't yet dressed and ready for the day.
She sipped at her sugar- and milk-laden coffee, not greeting him as she thumbed through one of her Shonen Jump magazines. He was decked out in a pair of green boxers and a white t-shirt, and Lin could feel his eyes on her as he poured himself a cup of the strong brew she'd made.
"Are you always up this early?" he asked as Lin scanned her eyes over one page then the next.
"Sometimes." Sip, scan.
"Are you having trouble sleeping?" His lovely violet eye was sparkling. "I could help you with that if you are." He grinned invitingly.
-I'm sure you would,- she thought sarcastically. My, what she wouldn't do to dip his floss in some jalapeno juice. Hmmm, that sounded like fun! She made a mental to do just that sometime in the near future.
Unlike Sage, Lin had showered and dressed already. She wished Robyn were awake to braid her hair since she hated doing it herself; her hair was loose and fell down her back in graceful red waves, annoyingly falling over her shoulder occasionally. Her gray t-shirt fit her like a glove and her green cargo shorts were showing off her long slender legs. She'd never admit it out loud, but she felt kind of uncomfortable around him in such get-up, thought there was nothing even remotely wrong with it.
Sip, scan. "Whatever." She really didn't feel like listening to any of his flirtatious remarks.
If Lin was a little less congenial that morning, it couldn't have anything to do with the breaking of one of her best bottles of potion. No, when she woke up that morning and shattered a vial of her strongest defense potion- in an attempt to grab an oil for her hair- thus spreading an awful burning rash over her whole left arm, it hadn't soured her one bit. No, that didn't have anything at all to do with her no wanting to listen to Sage.
Besides that, she'd put up with it yesterday while Robyn was off in her zone. Before they'd finally started to worry about the blonde's whereabouts, Sage had been flirting, and flirting, and flirting, and flirting, flirting, FLIRTING! She had been moments from throwing something vile into his face to turn him ugly when somebody- she couldn't remember who- had announced that they should go look for Robyn. Thank God, or Sage would have been uglier than a bull-dog's ass by then.
Still, Lin had been successful about disclosing nothing of her own personality, and she was glad to have scored that much at least.
After a moment of silence, Sage must have given up because he set his cup on the counter and went back upstairs to get ready for the day.
For the first time that morning, a grin sidled up the corners of Lin's mouth.
Then it got shot down by thoughts of the night before.
Lin stared at the pages of her magazine without really reading it. She was worried about Robyn. The girl was convinced that her vision of the Sisters before them was a warning to them. And while Lin admitted that Robyn was rarely wrong, she still couldn't believe that. Sure, a few coincidences here, some truths there, but was that really a reason to think that they were about to get tested?
Lin had no doubt that Robyn, Katrin, and herself were there for a reason, possibly to help the Ronins defeat some Kaiden dude, but a test of the Sisters?
-What makes Robyn think that it was even a test the first time around?- she wondered. -Robyn's good, but how does she know for sure?- She sipped her coffee and grimaced; it was stone cold now and she stood to dump it out and get a refill.
She grabbed the carafe and poured coffee as she poured over her thoughts some more.
"Okay. Let's think about all the crap Robyn said," she muttered to herself. "Okay... Kaiden sent Sage's sword to my world's past. Said event produced Ronin Warriors series. Damn that. Me, Katrin, and Robyn got together. Where do the first Sisters fit in here?"
Lin and Katrin, the night before, had sat down to a bit of a history lesson as Robyn told them of her vision. But there was an Anubis look-alike in her vision. If there was an Anubis look-alike in that vision, then the first Sisters' supposed test had occurred in the Ronins' world. Or had it? Maybe the Anubis look-alike moved to the Ronin's world. Oh hell.
Lin thunked her head on the table as she vowed to herself to never question Robyn like that again. It hurt too much.
Despite her doubt in the authenticity of the vision, Lin decided she'd better have a little more faith in her elder sister. Especially if deciphering all that crap would get them back home, away from the Ronins.
Sage came back down about thirty minutes later, looking perfect in his khakis and white button-down. Lin raised one thin eyebrow as she scanned him from top to bottom with a regal look plastered on her face and she chained her immediate mirth to the floor when she glanced at his "perfect" hair.
He took up his coffee cup again, filled it, and sat down next to her.
Sage couldn't help but scan her legs as he sat down comfortably near her. She was a willowy creature and his eyes were constantly drawn to her ankles, where she'd fastened a thin silver bracelet on each. He couldn't help that he found her adorable and that the anklets were driving him nuts. Just like that wall she had up was driving him nuts.
"Are you doing anything today, besides helping Mia clean that room?"
"Obviously not," she said coolly. "What would I have to do here?"
Sage felt the edge of annoyance slip in. Responses like that and many others had been all he was able to get from her the day before, and it was really beginning to wear thin. No matter how much he liked the look of her, he was beginning to think she was little more than a waspish, ungrateful, rude little brat.
"Well, considering we've not seen a sign of Kaiden, I was thinking maybe you'd like to come into town with me and catch a movie."
"No thank you. I'll just stay here."
Sage eyed her just as coolly as she had spoken to him.
"Why do you act that way?"
"Act what way?" Her eyes met his and Sage grappled with the wall he met there.
"Distancing yourself? Walling yourself up?" He folded his arms across his chest and waited for her answer.
"I wouldn't call it either of those two things," Lin said smoothly and she sipped her coffee. "More like, just not wanting to interact."
"Same difference," he said stubbornly. "And you interacted just fine with Mia and Kayura yesterday. You can be polite to all of us, but beyond that it seems you're quite incapable of setting aside your prejudices against us."
Lin glared at him, and Sage mentally marked a point in his favor. She was finally sparking.
"I haven't the inclination to set aside my 'prejudices' against you guys for the simple fact that I'll be going home soon anyway. I don't see a point in-"
"How do you know you're going home?" Sage interrupted.
"How do you know I'm not?" she countered.
"I don't, but I also don't see a point in you acting like we Ronins are some scum to be wiped off the bottom of your shoe." His violet eye had gone cold. "At least I've gotten that much out of you and your wall."
He was satisfied to see her temper rise a bit more in her eyes.
"What? So I'm not allowed to form an intense dislike against the stupid cast of some stupid kiddie-show that-" Lin stopped when he shot out of his chair and grabbed her hand. "Does this feel like a damn TV show to you!" he snapped. He tightly gripped her slender fingers in his, making sure she got it through her head that she could feel him. When she failed to answer he let go of her hand. "I didn't think so."
He put both hands on the table and leaned over to her.
"Just because this world is some cartoon over there, doesn't mean it's every bit as real as your world. It doesn't mean that the characters don't have thoughts and feelings. And just because Robyn has some weird sense of hero-worship for us, knows a lot of things about us that she can tell you, doesn't mean she knows us. You don't know us."
With that, Sage left the kitchen. A few moments later, Cye entered so he could start breakfast.
Lin stared at her coffee, unable to contain a feeling of- what? Guilt?- from washing over her. Sage had made some awfully true points, and her stubborn pride had been pricked. Like anyone she disliked being wrong, but her will was more stubborn than most others, and she was determined to continue being only civil to them.
She admitted it wasn't really fair that she had gotten along great with Mia and Kayura, whereas she barely talked with any of the guys. She would converse with them politely without giving any of herself away. She figured it was that she got along with other females better and any connection they had with the Ronins was a moot point.
Her mood no better than it had been when she woke up, she left Cye to putter around the kitchen and headed upstairs.
Once in her shared room, she threw down her magazine, strolled over to her travel-potion pack, and rummaged through it.
"Jalapeno, jalapeno... no jalapeno." Miffed, she searched the labels on the tiny bottles and found the next best thing, probably better than jalapeno juice. It was a special concoction she had made herself, one that, with a flip of her hand, could be anything she wished it to be, from poison to breath freshener. She smirked and pulled the inch long bottle, of what looked like water, from its spot and headed to the bathroom.
She stepped in just as Kentoe stepped out of his room, yawning hugely. She stifled the urge to laugh at him- he looked hilarious in his bright orange boxers and wife-beater, both incredibly wrinkled, worn, and in dire need of straightening- and as she closed the door and zoomed in on Sage's basket of party-goods.
Smirking coldly, she dug around and pulled out his container of floss and popped the lid. She fought with the top part until it came free and then extracted the rolled wheel of floss. She set it down and held up the bottle.
"Hmmm. Scentless, and extremely hot. That should do the trick." She flicked her wrist over the bottle and it glowed a bit before settling. She pulled the corker from it and carefully poured a few drops onto the wheel of floss. Then she stuck the bottle in her pocket, fixed the floss container and tossed it back in the basket.
"Don't neglect your gums, deary!" she said snidely and sidled out of the bathroom and back to her room.
"Morning," she said as she entered to find Katrin and Robyn waking. Robyn looked a little more alert than she had the day before, unfortunate since nobody minded watching her fall down the stairs, and she was pulling her hair out of her braids and combing it with her fingers.
"What's with you wakin' up so," huge yawn, "early!" Robyn inquired as she rolled her covers off and made to stand.
"Nothing, really. Just do," Lin answered as she put the bottle back in her pack.
Katrin must have noticed because she shot out of bed. "Who'd you poison! Please say Sekhmet!"
"Squeezy's the Warlord of Venom. Doubtlessly immune to poison." Robyn stretched her legs and eyed Lin seriously. "So who's the unlucky one?"
"Sage." Lin closed the top carefully and placed the pack carefully at the back of the dresser.
"Nothing too drastic, I hope." Robyn crossed her arms. "Lin, I know you love pranks- we all do- but you know what I said-"
"It's just a little spice," Lin snapped. "Nothing big. Besides, it's just a potion and-"
"And it's a potion that was made by your magic." Robyn had assumed her serious mentor/teacher/big sister roll. "Lin, please be careful not to use to much of your magic-based potions. The natural ones are okay; they're not so suspicious."
"It's my magic," Lin groused. "I don't see why I shouldn't use it when I please. Would you get off my case already, oh Wise One?"
Slightly taken aback, Robyn sighed and tried again. "Just be careful, okay?"
"Why do we have to hide our magic!" Lin suddenly burst out. "My gosh! Look at what they can do! I don't see why it's so big that we-"
"We don't know how they will react!" Robyn crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well, how do we know that they'll react better or worse if they find out we've been hiding it from them?" Katrin said pointedly, tired of being left out.
"We don't," Robyn said.
"You could," Lin said accusingly. "You with the vision, and all the great powers."
"Lin, you know I don't like looking at the future."
"Not even for a little thing like this!" Lin threw her hands up. "You're so damned prudent Robyn!" Without thinking, Lin went on in her now-waspish tone. "On the outside you're a brainless, bouncy blond who lives for excitement, but on the inside you're little more than a scared little girl who's too frightened of her own damn power!"
Lin snapped her mouth shut as Robyn's gray eyes turned a storm-cloud hue. Without saying a word to that, she walked to one of her bags, randomly grabbed some clothes and left the room.
"You shouldn't have said that, Lin," Katrin said softly. Through the whole thing she had remained as silent as stone and was picking absently at her finger nails. "You know she's just being safe."
"She's holding us back though! She won't let us do anything!" Lin was just trying to justify her behavior, and failing miserably.
"She let's us do plenty," Katrin admonished. "She's just taking things slowly. I admit that I wonder why she takes things so slowly with us, but I still appreciate all she's taught us so far."
"But she's always harping us about not using our powers-"
"For a good reason!" Katrin said, pleading. "Can we please just drop this Lin?"
Huffing, Lin exited the room and moved back down to the kitchen.
Most of the guys were already assembled and Lin snagged a spot at the empty end of the table and scanned her eyes across the other occupants.
Sage wasn't back yet and Robyn hadn't left the bathroom it seemed. Ryo was at the end of the table, absently chewing his breakfast and staring at Mia, who sat next to him. Her hair was falling cutely in her face and every once in a while she would glance up at the Wildfire Ronin and blush. Moving on she saw Kentoe wolfing down his food at the speed of light and next to him sat Kale, eating slowly as though he were savoring his breakfast. Continuing to Yulie, who ate like any child, to Sekhmet, aka Squeezy, who ate much like Kale. Dais and Kayura were on her side of the table cozying up and she noticed that the white-haired warlord couldn't keep his hands off the girl's hair; he was constantly touching it and drawing his fingers through the shortest strands at the nape of her neck.
A few minutes later Robyn came down with Katrin; the blonde settled herself next to Sekhmet, not the least bit squeamish about his appearance, and immediately started in on the plate that Cye set down before her. Katrin sat next to Lin, and she was inwardly glad that the brunette wasn't too mad at her; they both started eating the food Cye handed to them. The only people missing were Sage and Rowen.
Rowen was no surprise, but everybody seemed to have the same question on their mind as they waited for him.
Finally, Yulie asked the question. "Where's Sage?"
"I'm right here, Yules." As if summoned, the Halo bearer walked in, got his food and settled in next to Robyn.
It was a few minutes before anyone realized that something was different about Sage. The warrior must have sensed something because he looked up and found everyone staring at him.
"Uh, Sage?" Kentoe asked, actually pausing in his conquest of the plate before him so he could stare at the Ronin of Wisdom.
Lin was staring at him with a wide-eyed look like everyone else so nobody would suspect her.
"Yes Kentoe?" Sage asked when the other young man didn't continue.
"Are you trying a new look, Halo?" Kale asked, obviously trying to hide a smile.
"What are you talking about?"
"Have to admit, Sage," Ryo said from the head of the table, chuckling lightly. "Your hair... looks just as... ah... perfect.... as usual..." Wildfire couldn't go on because he started laughing against his hand, his eyes closed with the effort to stop the errant giggles.
"What in the world are you-... OH MY GODS!" Sage had run his hand over his "perfect" hair and felt a wet splotch of goop where he touched it. At his exclamation, the whole table burst into laughter and a few glasses were knocked over and some silverware clattered to the floor as Sage shot from the chair, banged his knees against the table, and flew from the room. Laughter followed him in hot pursuit; after he disappeared the sounds of the bathroom door slamming and the shower starting spurred more giggles as the group sat there.
"Oh Gods the look on his face!" Sekhmet was practically choking as he said this and grabbed a glass of water to toss back so his raw throat would cool.
"What was that stuff!" Cye asked breathlessly.
"I don't know, but it sure looked like something not suitable for children," Dais said, smirking and looking pointedly at Yulie.
"What's that supposed to mean?" the little boy asked.
"Another thing you'll learn when you're about fifteen," Robyn snickered.
"But that's-"
"-six years from now," the whole table filled in for him and burst into new giggles.
"You know what?" Robyn said thoughtfully as she leaned back with a glass of orange juice. "That reminds me of my dog Buffy. She got into a bottle of Vaseline once and ended up with hair like that."
"Birdie, everyone reminds you of something weird," Katrin said, rolling her eyes.
"I'm gonna start callin' him Buffy," the blonde continued as if Katrin had said nothing. This, of course, spurred excited chatter over how Sage might react to that and the mutual vow that everyone there was going to call him Buffy from now on just to tick him off.
Lin was cackling victoriously as things went on around her and she stuck a point on her invisible Sage vs. Lin scoreboard. She knew there would probably be hell to pay for her little stunt if he ever found out who did it, but she didn't overly care about the consequences right then; it had been soooooo worth it.
There were some consequences she couldn't live with, however and she followed Robyn up the stairs when breakfast is over.
"Robyn?" she asked softly from behind her older sister when they entered the room. Robyn turned around.
"Yeah?" she asked softly. This was the side of Robyn Lin dreaded seeing the most; it was the soft, vulnerable side. Sometimes it had its virtues, but right now Lin couldn't stand it. She had been cruel earlier, and she hated herself for it.
"Listen, I just wanted to say... That is... I'm sorry." Lin looked down at her feet. "I didn't mean what I said earlier. I just... I'm just..."
"It's okay Weasel," she said softly, and for once Lin didn't mind the annoying nickname. As one they both walked forward and hugged each other tightly. "I understand, hon." Robyn pulled back and framed her sister's face. "I know that you're frustrated, for more than one reason. I just don't want to rush things with you guys."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did," Robyn pointed out impishly and they laughed as they perched on the edge of the bed.
"How long did it take you to learn everything you did?"
Lin said something akin to pain cross those gray eyes before it passed and became a sad little spy. "Truthfully, not very long. I learned everything quickly, but not by choice, mind you." She fingered a lock of hair. "If I could go back, I would try and take things slowly, but time demanded that I learn fast."
"Is that why you're taking things slow with us?" Lin asked, truly curiously. "Because you're making up for how fast you learned?"
"It's not just that," Robyn said. She leaned forward. "Lin, it hurt me to learn things so quickly. I don't want the same to happen to you." The blonde stood from the bed and skipped to the door. Lin knew this was a sign that the subject was painful and now officially closed, so she breathed in slowly and let it slide. Then she stood and followed her sister out of the door.
"So what are we doing today?" Robyn asked animatedly as they met Mia and Ryo at the foot of the stairs.
"Training," Ryo said. "And you three are training with us."
The bright expression left Robyn's face, replaced with a look of miserable acceptance. "Physical exertion. Woo."
"Yippee," Lin said with a dryer voice than Robyn had used.
"Nothing big," Ryo continued. "When Sage decides to face the world again, we'll start, but until then we'll show you some quick warm ups."
"Kat's already outside," Mia said, smiling.
"Oooh. Don't let her hear you call her that," Lin said, grinning at Robyn.
"Oh. Does she prefer Katrin?" Mia looked as though she were afraid she had crossed some invisible boundary.
"Yes. You see," Lin explained as they headed out to the back yard. "Kat resembles 'Kitty' and 'Kitty' is the name we use to annoy her. 'Kitten' is just as bad."
"Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!" Robyn yelled in a high-pitched cry as they stepped onto the back deck.
"And as you can see, Birdie enjoys using said name!"
"SHUT UP!" the brunette screamed.
"Oh, poor little Kitten's mewing for-" *WHAP!* The angered and petite girl had come up to throw her ever-present silk bag, which was heavy with some unidentifiable object, into the back of Robyn's head. The thick-skulled blonde only seemed to find this amusing as she burst into a fit of what could be dubbed "witch cackles."
"Shut up you butthead!*" the girl cried, and the simple expression only made the giggles worse until she finally huffed and walked away to sit beside Cye, who was sitting next to White Blaze, so she could pout. The Brit was chuckling and trying to hide it as he turned a bright smile on Katrin's steamed person and struck up a conversation that had the girl blushing and chatting nervously.
Lin noticed this and felt a smile tug at her lips. She was kind of envious of Katrin; she seemed to be giving the Ronin's a chance, and Lin felt a tug at her heartstrings telling her she should do the same. Her stubborn pride was still in the way, and she wondered if she should definitely should just toss it aside.
Time would tell.
Sage came out a minute later, his hair stiff with real gel, and a cool look on his face as he took his armor orb from his pocket and scanned the girls. Then he made a silent decision and stuck the orb back in his pocket.
"So, let's warm up," he said smoothly.
"Joy!" Robyn said sarcastically.
-Somewhere Else (Damn, we still don't know where. Lasheen's Joint!)
Anubis breathed easy for a moment as the pain stopped for a while. Lasheen must be going to bed. At least that's what Anubis thought he did; he didn't really know if the monster slept or not, but the time when he was free of pain was enough time for a good night's sleep.
He winced has he turned over on his back and the cool stone touched the inflamed welts on his back. It felt like he had been tortured by Talpa, but Talpa had never left such lacerations behind. The stone helped the pain a bit, but the pressure of his weight made the coolness a moot point, so he rolled to his side, where the pain wasn't as great on his skin.
One thing about the power was that it made him warm, and when it left him for seven long hours, he quickly became chilled. Not a surprise since he was as naked as a babe in his little stone cell. There was no window, so no breeze touched him, but just the darkness and the silence chilled him like no other.
He shouldn't think of the power Lasheen used on him as "warm" but rather as hellish, but his chilled body could make him think of it in no other way. A shudder wracked his frame as he curled up against the protest of his aching bones and tried to keep in some heat.
He was hungry, but he would never admit it out loud. He'd been there for weeks and that silent bastard, Kaiden, had forced the only things he had eaten or drank past his lips. He refused to willingly touch the fine gourmet dishes Lasheen had brought to him every day. He didn't trust anything that came from Lasheen's so-called "generosity". Torture and fine food, what a place!
As if reading his mind, a door appeared where there had been none on the stone wall, and it opened. In slide a tray of food, pushed by no hand. The door closed and left Anubis to eat the fine food by the candle that had appeared, lit, on the tray. He ignored it, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
In his few hours of peace, Anubis liked to close his eyes and try to meditate, but his atmosphere was daunting and all he could really do was dream of a pair of storm-gray eyes, set in a pale and cheery face. Long blonde hair framed his angel's face in thick, straight layers. He called her an angel because at her back was a fluffy pair of white wings, making her look innocent in the sultry and satiny nightdress she wore. The satin of the nightdress was dark gray, and the thing that always puzzled him was that she was sprawled on a bed of dark crimson silk. On closer observation she had a few freckles on her shoulders, and she would fidget while gazing at him, her legs in the air and crossed at the ankles as she lay on her stomach. Occasionally she would run a hand through her waist-length locks, look down, then back up, and one of the thin spaghetti straps of her nightdress would slip down.
She did little more than this, and Anubis had hours to study her as she shifted a bit here and there. She never lost her cheerfully shy expression, or the twinkle in her gray eyes. So Anubis picked these things out about her and compared her similarities to Lasheen.
Lasheen, disgustingly, had dubbed himself Anubis's Gray-Eyed Angel, although it was insulting to the Angel of his dreams. Lasheen dipped into Anubis's thoughts and dreams constantly, especially during his torture, when the vision of the girl would comfortingly appear to him. Lasheen's hair was nearly white, whereas the Angel's was the sunny color of wheat and sometimes flashes of gold could be seen. His captor's eyes were gray and changed to silver when he was angered. The Angel's eyes never seemed to move from their pleasant storm-gray.
Sighing, he opened his eyes; little good it did him since the room was the dark, the candle having gone out ages ago, and he couldn't see anything.
He didn't know who she was, felt that she might be real; his senses were muddled in this world that belonged to Lasheen, so he couldn't just depend on meditation to give him his answers.
Anubis had been there for months, locked in a cold dark room, and the lack of food and exercise had taken its toll. He was weak and powerless now. His ribs had begun to show through his skin, and he knew he must look like death warmed over, which, let's face it, he pretty much was. Being brought back to life had been a surprise, especially when the ethereal Lasheen had been there to greet his first breath with a smoldering kiss that had made Anubis wish to retch his new life through his esophagus. Then had been Lasheen's first offer to become little more than the station befitting the lowest whore. Disgust wracked his body as he shuddered at the memory. He closed his eyes and searched for the vision of his angel.
Despite the similarities she shared with Lasheen, she was his only salvation. He felt that much at least.
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*Hey'all. What do you think? Horrible? Terrible? Wonderful? Neat-o Sp'deat- o? Anything at all-o? B-I-N-G-Ohhhh.... never mind. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this latest installment to "Just Returning Yer Sword." Any constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks to the group who reviewed. Oh, and the * next to BUTTHEAD is to remind a certain someone who CONSTANTLY uses that word! GRUMPH! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Anyway.
Also, if any of you have noticed that I've written Kale's name two different ways (Kale and Cale) I apologize. If you notice it any more, please ignore it. I will try to catch things like that, and for the most part I'll be using "Kale." Again, I apologize for my lack of attention.
Oh, and I'm going to be, in the future, creating a small Fan Art web site for my fic, and if you want to, when I've made the site, if anybody would like to send in any art of their own fics, my fic, or just Ronin Pics they've drawn. My e-mail's on my bio page, and note that the page is not up yet. Anywho, toodle-loo!
-Gray
Note: -* words* - means shared thoughts between the girls.
Chapter 6 By: Soulful Gray
Lin glanced up as Sage entered the kitchen. It was early morning- earlier than she had awoken the day before- and she was surprised to see that he wasn't yet dressed and ready for the day.
She sipped at her sugar- and milk-laden coffee, not greeting him as she thumbed through one of her Shonen Jump magazines. He was decked out in a pair of green boxers and a white t-shirt, and Lin could feel his eyes on her as he poured himself a cup of the strong brew she'd made.
"Are you always up this early?" he asked as Lin scanned her eyes over one page then the next.
"Sometimes." Sip, scan.
"Are you having trouble sleeping?" His lovely violet eye was sparkling. "I could help you with that if you are." He grinned invitingly.
-I'm sure you would,- she thought sarcastically. My, what she wouldn't do to dip his floss in some jalapeno juice. Hmmm, that sounded like fun! She made a mental to do just that sometime in the near future.
Unlike Sage, Lin had showered and dressed already. She wished Robyn were awake to braid her hair since she hated doing it herself; her hair was loose and fell down her back in graceful red waves, annoyingly falling over her shoulder occasionally. Her gray t-shirt fit her like a glove and her green cargo shorts were showing off her long slender legs. She'd never admit it out loud, but she felt kind of uncomfortable around him in such get-up, thought there was nothing even remotely wrong with it.
Sip, scan. "Whatever." She really didn't feel like listening to any of his flirtatious remarks.
If Lin was a little less congenial that morning, it couldn't have anything to do with the breaking of one of her best bottles of potion. No, when she woke up that morning and shattered a vial of her strongest defense potion- in an attempt to grab an oil for her hair- thus spreading an awful burning rash over her whole left arm, it hadn't soured her one bit. No, that didn't have anything at all to do with her no wanting to listen to Sage.
Besides that, she'd put up with it yesterday while Robyn was off in her zone. Before they'd finally started to worry about the blonde's whereabouts, Sage had been flirting, and flirting, and flirting, and flirting, flirting, FLIRTING! She had been moments from throwing something vile into his face to turn him ugly when somebody- she couldn't remember who- had announced that they should go look for Robyn. Thank God, or Sage would have been uglier than a bull-dog's ass by then.
Still, Lin had been successful about disclosing nothing of her own personality, and she was glad to have scored that much at least.
After a moment of silence, Sage must have given up because he set his cup on the counter and went back upstairs to get ready for the day.
For the first time that morning, a grin sidled up the corners of Lin's mouth.
Then it got shot down by thoughts of the night before.
Lin stared at the pages of her magazine without really reading it. She was worried about Robyn. The girl was convinced that her vision of the Sisters before them was a warning to them. And while Lin admitted that Robyn was rarely wrong, she still couldn't believe that. Sure, a few coincidences here, some truths there, but was that really a reason to think that they were about to get tested?
Lin had no doubt that Robyn, Katrin, and herself were there for a reason, possibly to help the Ronins defeat some Kaiden dude, but a test of the Sisters?
-What makes Robyn think that it was even a test the first time around?- she wondered. -Robyn's good, but how does she know for sure?- She sipped her coffee and grimaced; it was stone cold now and she stood to dump it out and get a refill.
She grabbed the carafe and poured coffee as she poured over her thoughts some more.
"Okay. Let's think about all the crap Robyn said," she muttered to herself. "Okay... Kaiden sent Sage's sword to my world's past. Said event produced Ronin Warriors series. Damn that. Me, Katrin, and Robyn got together. Where do the first Sisters fit in here?"
Lin and Katrin, the night before, had sat down to a bit of a history lesson as Robyn told them of her vision. But there was an Anubis look-alike in her vision. If there was an Anubis look-alike in that vision, then the first Sisters' supposed test had occurred in the Ronins' world. Or had it? Maybe the Anubis look-alike moved to the Ronin's world. Oh hell.
Lin thunked her head on the table as she vowed to herself to never question Robyn like that again. It hurt too much.
Despite her doubt in the authenticity of the vision, Lin decided she'd better have a little more faith in her elder sister. Especially if deciphering all that crap would get them back home, away from the Ronins.
Sage came back down about thirty minutes later, looking perfect in his khakis and white button-down. Lin raised one thin eyebrow as she scanned him from top to bottom with a regal look plastered on her face and she chained her immediate mirth to the floor when she glanced at his "perfect" hair.
He took up his coffee cup again, filled it, and sat down next to her.
Sage couldn't help but scan her legs as he sat down comfortably near her. She was a willowy creature and his eyes were constantly drawn to her ankles, where she'd fastened a thin silver bracelet on each. He couldn't help that he found her adorable and that the anklets were driving him nuts. Just like that wall she had up was driving him nuts.
"Are you doing anything today, besides helping Mia clean that room?"
"Obviously not," she said coolly. "What would I have to do here?"
Sage felt the edge of annoyance slip in. Responses like that and many others had been all he was able to get from her the day before, and it was really beginning to wear thin. No matter how much he liked the look of her, he was beginning to think she was little more than a waspish, ungrateful, rude little brat.
"Well, considering we've not seen a sign of Kaiden, I was thinking maybe you'd like to come into town with me and catch a movie."
"No thank you. I'll just stay here."
Sage eyed her just as coolly as she had spoken to him.
"Why do you act that way?"
"Act what way?" Her eyes met his and Sage grappled with the wall he met there.
"Distancing yourself? Walling yourself up?" He folded his arms across his chest and waited for her answer.
"I wouldn't call it either of those two things," Lin said smoothly and she sipped her coffee. "More like, just not wanting to interact."
"Same difference," he said stubbornly. "And you interacted just fine with Mia and Kayura yesterday. You can be polite to all of us, but beyond that it seems you're quite incapable of setting aside your prejudices against us."
Lin glared at him, and Sage mentally marked a point in his favor. She was finally sparking.
"I haven't the inclination to set aside my 'prejudices' against you guys for the simple fact that I'll be going home soon anyway. I don't see a point in-"
"How do you know you're going home?" Sage interrupted.
"How do you know I'm not?" she countered.
"I don't, but I also don't see a point in you acting like we Ronins are some scum to be wiped off the bottom of your shoe." His violet eye had gone cold. "At least I've gotten that much out of you and your wall."
He was satisfied to see her temper rise a bit more in her eyes.
"What? So I'm not allowed to form an intense dislike against the stupid cast of some stupid kiddie-show that-" Lin stopped when he shot out of his chair and grabbed her hand. "Does this feel like a damn TV show to you!" he snapped. He tightly gripped her slender fingers in his, making sure she got it through her head that she could feel him. When she failed to answer he let go of her hand. "I didn't think so."
He put both hands on the table and leaned over to her.
"Just because this world is some cartoon over there, doesn't mean it's every bit as real as your world. It doesn't mean that the characters don't have thoughts and feelings. And just because Robyn has some weird sense of hero-worship for us, knows a lot of things about us that she can tell you, doesn't mean she knows us. You don't know us."
With that, Sage left the kitchen. A few moments later, Cye entered so he could start breakfast.
Lin stared at her coffee, unable to contain a feeling of- what? Guilt?- from washing over her. Sage had made some awfully true points, and her stubborn pride had been pricked. Like anyone she disliked being wrong, but her will was more stubborn than most others, and she was determined to continue being only civil to them.
She admitted it wasn't really fair that she had gotten along great with Mia and Kayura, whereas she barely talked with any of the guys. She would converse with them politely without giving any of herself away. She figured it was that she got along with other females better and any connection they had with the Ronins was a moot point.
Her mood no better than it had been when she woke up, she left Cye to putter around the kitchen and headed upstairs.
Once in her shared room, she threw down her magazine, strolled over to her travel-potion pack, and rummaged through it.
"Jalapeno, jalapeno... no jalapeno." Miffed, she searched the labels on the tiny bottles and found the next best thing, probably better than jalapeno juice. It was a special concoction she had made herself, one that, with a flip of her hand, could be anything she wished it to be, from poison to breath freshener. She smirked and pulled the inch long bottle, of what looked like water, from its spot and headed to the bathroom.
She stepped in just as Kentoe stepped out of his room, yawning hugely. She stifled the urge to laugh at him- he looked hilarious in his bright orange boxers and wife-beater, both incredibly wrinkled, worn, and in dire need of straightening- and as she closed the door and zoomed in on Sage's basket of party-goods.
Smirking coldly, she dug around and pulled out his container of floss and popped the lid. She fought with the top part until it came free and then extracted the rolled wheel of floss. She set it down and held up the bottle.
"Hmmm. Scentless, and extremely hot. That should do the trick." She flicked her wrist over the bottle and it glowed a bit before settling. She pulled the corker from it and carefully poured a few drops onto the wheel of floss. Then she stuck the bottle in her pocket, fixed the floss container and tossed it back in the basket.
"Don't neglect your gums, deary!" she said snidely and sidled out of the bathroom and back to her room.
"Morning," she said as she entered to find Katrin and Robyn waking. Robyn looked a little more alert than she had the day before, unfortunate since nobody minded watching her fall down the stairs, and she was pulling her hair out of her braids and combing it with her fingers.
"What's with you wakin' up so," huge yawn, "early!" Robyn inquired as she rolled her covers off and made to stand.
"Nothing, really. Just do," Lin answered as she put the bottle back in her pack.
Katrin must have noticed because she shot out of bed. "Who'd you poison! Please say Sekhmet!"
"Squeezy's the Warlord of Venom. Doubtlessly immune to poison." Robyn stretched her legs and eyed Lin seriously. "So who's the unlucky one?"
"Sage." Lin closed the top carefully and placed the pack carefully at the back of the dresser.
"Nothing too drastic, I hope." Robyn crossed her arms. "Lin, I know you love pranks- we all do- but you know what I said-"
"It's just a little spice," Lin snapped. "Nothing big. Besides, it's just a potion and-"
"And it's a potion that was made by your magic." Robyn had assumed her serious mentor/teacher/big sister roll. "Lin, please be careful not to use to much of your magic-based potions. The natural ones are okay; they're not so suspicious."
"It's my magic," Lin groused. "I don't see why I shouldn't use it when I please. Would you get off my case already, oh Wise One?"
Slightly taken aback, Robyn sighed and tried again. "Just be careful, okay?"
"Why do we have to hide our magic!" Lin suddenly burst out. "My gosh! Look at what they can do! I don't see why it's so big that we-"
"We don't know how they will react!" Robyn crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well, how do we know that they'll react better or worse if they find out we've been hiding it from them?" Katrin said pointedly, tired of being left out.
"We don't," Robyn said.
"You could," Lin said accusingly. "You with the vision, and all the great powers."
"Lin, you know I don't like looking at the future."
"Not even for a little thing like this!" Lin threw her hands up. "You're so damned prudent Robyn!" Without thinking, Lin went on in her now-waspish tone. "On the outside you're a brainless, bouncy blond who lives for excitement, but on the inside you're little more than a scared little girl who's too frightened of her own damn power!"
Lin snapped her mouth shut as Robyn's gray eyes turned a storm-cloud hue. Without saying a word to that, she walked to one of her bags, randomly grabbed some clothes and left the room.
"You shouldn't have said that, Lin," Katrin said softly. Through the whole thing she had remained as silent as stone and was picking absently at her finger nails. "You know she's just being safe."
"She's holding us back though! She won't let us do anything!" Lin was just trying to justify her behavior, and failing miserably.
"She let's us do plenty," Katrin admonished. "She's just taking things slowly. I admit that I wonder why she takes things so slowly with us, but I still appreciate all she's taught us so far."
"But she's always harping us about not using our powers-"
"For a good reason!" Katrin said, pleading. "Can we please just drop this Lin?"
Huffing, Lin exited the room and moved back down to the kitchen.
Most of the guys were already assembled and Lin snagged a spot at the empty end of the table and scanned her eyes across the other occupants.
Sage wasn't back yet and Robyn hadn't left the bathroom it seemed. Ryo was at the end of the table, absently chewing his breakfast and staring at Mia, who sat next to him. Her hair was falling cutely in her face and every once in a while she would glance up at the Wildfire Ronin and blush. Moving on she saw Kentoe wolfing down his food at the speed of light and next to him sat Kale, eating slowly as though he were savoring his breakfast. Continuing to Yulie, who ate like any child, to Sekhmet, aka Squeezy, who ate much like Kale. Dais and Kayura were on her side of the table cozying up and she noticed that the white-haired warlord couldn't keep his hands off the girl's hair; he was constantly touching it and drawing his fingers through the shortest strands at the nape of her neck.
A few minutes later Robyn came down with Katrin; the blonde settled herself next to Sekhmet, not the least bit squeamish about his appearance, and immediately started in on the plate that Cye set down before her. Katrin sat next to Lin, and she was inwardly glad that the brunette wasn't too mad at her; they both started eating the food Cye handed to them. The only people missing were Sage and Rowen.
Rowen was no surprise, but everybody seemed to have the same question on their mind as they waited for him.
Finally, Yulie asked the question. "Where's Sage?"
"I'm right here, Yules." As if summoned, the Halo bearer walked in, got his food and settled in next to Robyn.
It was a few minutes before anyone realized that something was different about Sage. The warrior must have sensed something because he looked up and found everyone staring at him.
"Uh, Sage?" Kentoe asked, actually pausing in his conquest of the plate before him so he could stare at the Ronin of Wisdom.
Lin was staring at him with a wide-eyed look like everyone else so nobody would suspect her.
"Yes Kentoe?" Sage asked when the other young man didn't continue.
"Are you trying a new look, Halo?" Kale asked, obviously trying to hide a smile.
"What are you talking about?"
"Have to admit, Sage," Ryo said from the head of the table, chuckling lightly. "Your hair... looks just as... ah... perfect.... as usual..." Wildfire couldn't go on because he started laughing against his hand, his eyes closed with the effort to stop the errant giggles.
"What in the world are you-... OH MY GODS!" Sage had run his hand over his "perfect" hair and felt a wet splotch of goop where he touched it. At his exclamation, the whole table burst into laughter and a few glasses were knocked over and some silverware clattered to the floor as Sage shot from the chair, banged his knees against the table, and flew from the room. Laughter followed him in hot pursuit; after he disappeared the sounds of the bathroom door slamming and the shower starting spurred more giggles as the group sat there.
"Oh Gods the look on his face!" Sekhmet was practically choking as he said this and grabbed a glass of water to toss back so his raw throat would cool.
"What was that stuff!" Cye asked breathlessly.
"I don't know, but it sure looked like something not suitable for children," Dais said, smirking and looking pointedly at Yulie.
"What's that supposed to mean?" the little boy asked.
"Another thing you'll learn when you're about fifteen," Robyn snickered.
"But that's-"
"-six years from now," the whole table filled in for him and burst into new giggles.
"You know what?" Robyn said thoughtfully as she leaned back with a glass of orange juice. "That reminds me of my dog Buffy. She got into a bottle of Vaseline once and ended up with hair like that."
"Birdie, everyone reminds you of something weird," Katrin said, rolling her eyes.
"I'm gonna start callin' him Buffy," the blonde continued as if Katrin had said nothing. This, of course, spurred excited chatter over how Sage might react to that and the mutual vow that everyone there was going to call him Buffy from now on just to tick him off.
Lin was cackling victoriously as things went on around her and she stuck a point on her invisible Sage vs. Lin scoreboard. She knew there would probably be hell to pay for her little stunt if he ever found out who did it, but she didn't overly care about the consequences right then; it had been soooooo worth it.
There were some consequences she couldn't live with, however and she followed Robyn up the stairs when breakfast is over.
"Robyn?" she asked softly from behind her older sister when they entered the room. Robyn turned around.
"Yeah?" she asked softly. This was the side of Robyn Lin dreaded seeing the most; it was the soft, vulnerable side. Sometimes it had its virtues, but right now Lin couldn't stand it. She had been cruel earlier, and she hated herself for it.
"Listen, I just wanted to say... That is... I'm sorry." Lin looked down at her feet. "I didn't mean what I said earlier. I just... I'm just..."
"It's okay Weasel," she said softly, and for once Lin didn't mind the annoying nickname. As one they both walked forward and hugged each other tightly. "I understand, hon." Robyn pulled back and framed her sister's face. "I know that you're frustrated, for more than one reason. I just don't want to rush things with you guys."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did," Robyn pointed out impishly and they laughed as they perched on the edge of the bed.
"How long did it take you to learn everything you did?"
Lin said something akin to pain cross those gray eyes before it passed and became a sad little spy. "Truthfully, not very long. I learned everything quickly, but not by choice, mind you." She fingered a lock of hair. "If I could go back, I would try and take things slowly, but time demanded that I learn fast."
"Is that why you're taking things slow with us?" Lin asked, truly curiously. "Because you're making up for how fast you learned?"
"It's not just that," Robyn said. She leaned forward. "Lin, it hurt me to learn things so quickly. I don't want the same to happen to you." The blonde stood from the bed and skipped to the door. Lin knew this was a sign that the subject was painful and now officially closed, so she breathed in slowly and let it slide. Then she stood and followed her sister out of the door.
"So what are we doing today?" Robyn asked animatedly as they met Mia and Ryo at the foot of the stairs.
"Training," Ryo said. "And you three are training with us."
The bright expression left Robyn's face, replaced with a look of miserable acceptance. "Physical exertion. Woo."
"Yippee," Lin said with a dryer voice than Robyn had used.
"Nothing big," Ryo continued. "When Sage decides to face the world again, we'll start, but until then we'll show you some quick warm ups."
"Kat's already outside," Mia said, smiling.
"Oooh. Don't let her hear you call her that," Lin said, grinning at Robyn.
"Oh. Does she prefer Katrin?" Mia looked as though she were afraid she had crossed some invisible boundary.
"Yes. You see," Lin explained as they headed out to the back yard. "Kat resembles 'Kitty' and 'Kitty' is the name we use to annoy her. 'Kitten' is just as bad."
"Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!" Robyn yelled in a high-pitched cry as they stepped onto the back deck.
"And as you can see, Birdie enjoys using said name!"
"SHUT UP!" the brunette screamed.
"Oh, poor little Kitten's mewing for-" *WHAP!* The angered and petite girl had come up to throw her ever-present silk bag, which was heavy with some unidentifiable object, into the back of Robyn's head. The thick-skulled blonde only seemed to find this amusing as she burst into a fit of what could be dubbed "witch cackles."
"Shut up you butthead!*" the girl cried, and the simple expression only made the giggles worse until she finally huffed and walked away to sit beside Cye, who was sitting next to White Blaze, so she could pout. The Brit was chuckling and trying to hide it as he turned a bright smile on Katrin's steamed person and struck up a conversation that had the girl blushing and chatting nervously.
Lin noticed this and felt a smile tug at her lips. She was kind of envious of Katrin; she seemed to be giving the Ronin's a chance, and Lin felt a tug at her heartstrings telling her she should do the same. Her stubborn pride was still in the way, and she wondered if she should definitely should just toss it aside.
Time would tell.
Sage came out a minute later, his hair stiff with real gel, and a cool look on his face as he took his armor orb from his pocket and scanned the girls. Then he made a silent decision and stuck the orb back in his pocket.
"So, let's warm up," he said smoothly.
"Joy!" Robyn said sarcastically.
-Somewhere Else (Damn, we still don't know where. Lasheen's Joint!)
Anubis breathed easy for a moment as the pain stopped for a while. Lasheen must be going to bed. At least that's what Anubis thought he did; he didn't really know if the monster slept or not, but the time when he was free of pain was enough time for a good night's sleep.
He winced has he turned over on his back and the cool stone touched the inflamed welts on his back. It felt like he had been tortured by Talpa, but Talpa had never left such lacerations behind. The stone helped the pain a bit, but the pressure of his weight made the coolness a moot point, so he rolled to his side, where the pain wasn't as great on his skin.
One thing about the power was that it made him warm, and when it left him for seven long hours, he quickly became chilled. Not a surprise since he was as naked as a babe in his little stone cell. There was no window, so no breeze touched him, but just the darkness and the silence chilled him like no other.
He shouldn't think of the power Lasheen used on him as "warm" but rather as hellish, but his chilled body could make him think of it in no other way. A shudder wracked his frame as he curled up against the protest of his aching bones and tried to keep in some heat.
He was hungry, but he would never admit it out loud. He'd been there for weeks and that silent bastard, Kaiden, had forced the only things he had eaten or drank past his lips. He refused to willingly touch the fine gourmet dishes Lasheen had brought to him every day. He didn't trust anything that came from Lasheen's so-called "generosity". Torture and fine food, what a place!
As if reading his mind, a door appeared where there had been none on the stone wall, and it opened. In slide a tray of food, pushed by no hand. The door closed and left Anubis to eat the fine food by the candle that had appeared, lit, on the tray. He ignored it, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
In his few hours of peace, Anubis liked to close his eyes and try to meditate, but his atmosphere was daunting and all he could really do was dream of a pair of storm-gray eyes, set in a pale and cheery face. Long blonde hair framed his angel's face in thick, straight layers. He called her an angel because at her back was a fluffy pair of white wings, making her look innocent in the sultry and satiny nightdress she wore. The satin of the nightdress was dark gray, and the thing that always puzzled him was that she was sprawled on a bed of dark crimson silk. On closer observation she had a few freckles on her shoulders, and she would fidget while gazing at him, her legs in the air and crossed at the ankles as she lay on her stomach. Occasionally she would run a hand through her waist-length locks, look down, then back up, and one of the thin spaghetti straps of her nightdress would slip down.
She did little more than this, and Anubis had hours to study her as she shifted a bit here and there. She never lost her cheerfully shy expression, or the twinkle in her gray eyes. So Anubis picked these things out about her and compared her similarities to Lasheen.
Lasheen, disgustingly, had dubbed himself Anubis's Gray-Eyed Angel, although it was insulting to the Angel of his dreams. Lasheen dipped into Anubis's thoughts and dreams constantly, especially during his torture, when the vision of the girl would comfortingly appear to him. Lasheen's hair was nearly white, whereas the Angel's was the sunny color of wheat and sometimes flashes of gold could be seen. His captor's eyes were gray and changed to silver when he was angered. The Angel's eyes never seemed to move from their pleasant storm-gray.
Sighing, he opened his eyes; little good it did him since the room was the dark, the candle having gone out ages ago, and he couldn't see anything.
He didn't know who she was, felt that she might be real; his senses were muddled in this world that belonged to Lasheen, so he couldn't just depend on meditation to give him his answers.
Anubis had been there for months, locked in a cold dark room, and the lack of food and exercise had taken its toll. He was weak and powerless now. His ribs had begun to show through his skin, and he knew he must look like death warmed over, which, let's face it, he pretty much was. Being brought back to life had been a surprise, especially when the ethereal Lasheen had been there to greet his first breath with a smoldering kiss that had made Anubis wish to retch his new life through his esophagus. Then had been Lasheen's first offer to become little more than the station befitting the lowest whore. Disgust wracked his body as he shuddered at the memory. He closed his eyes and searched for the vision of his angel.
Despite the similarities she shared with Lasheen, she was his only salvation. He felt that much at least.
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*Hey'all. What do you think? Horrible? Terrible? Wonderful? Neat-o Sp'deat- o? Anything at all-o? B-I-N-G-Ohhhh.... never mind. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this latest installment to "Just Returning Yer Sword." Any constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks to the group who reviewed. Oh, and the * next to BUTTHEAD is to remind a certain someone who CONSTANTLY uses that word! GRUMPH! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Anyway.
Also, if any of you have noticed that I've written Kale's name two different ways (Kale and Cale) I apologize. If you notice it any more, please ignore it. I will try to catch things like that, and for the most part I'll be using "Kale." Again, I apologize for my lack of attention.
Oh, and I'm going to be, in the future, creating a small Fan Art web site for my fic, and if you want to, when I've made the site, if anybody would like to send in any art of their own fics, my fic, or just Ronin Pics they've drawn. My e-mail's on my bio page, and note that the page is not up yet. Anywho, toodle-loo!
-Gray