AUTHOR NOTE 1: I hate the name "The Ancient". It is stupid. So I'm going to use the Japanese name: Kaosu. I like it better.
xyxyxyxy
The Test of Strength
Chapter 6: Ky's Gift
Over the next two days the figure lying in the hospital bed remained motionless. The other Ronins had taken turns going home, packing up most of their room, and moving it all to the mansion. Rowen and Sage were still sharing one room, while Sai and Kento shared another. Whiteblaze, Sage, and Rowen were the only other occupants of the room at the moment; the other three were moving Kento into the house.
It was the fourth day of Ryo's hospitalization. His bruises were still the same shade they had been. The bandages that had been put on were removed, including the one around his forehead. The wound Ky had given him was just starting to show some improvement. The blood bags were also taken away, for Ryo no longer needed them.
They called Yuli every morning and night to let him know how his hero was doing. They knew he wanted to be there with them, but they thought it would be better if he waited and came to see Ryo when they took him to the mansion.
At the moment, Sage and Rowen were so engrossed in a game of cards that neither of them noticed the movement on the bed. Ryo's eyes slowly fluttered open; the light being too much to take in at once. The boy was very weak, even with all the sleep he had had, even if he wasn't fully at peace during it. He hated hospitals, and he wanted out of there. So he pushed the darkness away, knowing that he wouldn't get out of there unless the others thought he was getting better.
He once again removed the tubes that were up his nose. He inhaled sharply, feeling his lungs burn. Whiteblaze heard him and jumped up to the bed. He nuzzled Ryo's hand affectionately, and Ryo returned the affection by giving him a weak smile and scratched him behind his ear. The tiger purred and licked Ryo's hand. He looked back up at Ryo, quickly seeing how scared he was. Whiteblaze understood. To Ryo this place was one of pain and loss. It had changed the boy's life forever.
Rowen and Sage stopped their game and walked over to Ryo, to see what was up with Whiteblaze. Smiles graced their faces when they notice their leader was awake, but they faded when they seen his eyes. Both boys could see the fear that had filled the tiger blue eyes. They could also tell he was fighting to stay awake.
"Ryo?" Rowen asked.
The boy in question looked up at them, and took another deep breath. "I…" he began. "I…want t'…go home."
"Don't worry, Buddy. Ya'ah goin' t' go home."
"Once you're feeling better and the doctor says-" Sage began.
"No…NOW!" Ryo demanded angrily, but his face quickly went sad. "I…I can't stay."
They saw the tears come to his eyes that refused to let fall. Ryo didn't like people to see him cry, even if they were his friends. It would only make them worry.
"Ryo?" Sage asked and put a comforting hand on Ryo's shoulder. He didn't know why Ryo wanted out so badly.
"Please," Ryo begged before he fell back into the darkness that was flooding his mind.
Whiteblaze nuzzled his charge's face, whipping the tears that had leaked out from the closed eyes. Sage whipped them from the other cheek since the tiger couldn't reach that side. Rowen continued to stare at his friend, his mind trying to work out what had happened, and why. All three jumped when the door opened.
"We finished moving Kento in," Sai said cheerfully as he closed the door behind him. "What's wrong?" he asked when he seen their faces.
"He woke up," Rowen mumbled.
"And he practically demanded we get him out of here," Sage added.
"He was so scared, ya guys. He had tea'hs in 'is eyes. But he's unconscious now."
"Come on. We're all going to the cafeteria. You, too, Whiteblaze. You need to move around some and get out of this room," Mia said.
The tiger let out a small growl of stubbornness.
"We'll be right down stairs, boy. He'll be okay," Kento assured him.
The tiger reluctantly nodded and followed them out room, leaving his charge alone in the dark room.
stststst
Ky watched from the rooftop of the next building. 'Good, he's alone. Finally. I thought they'd never leave. The fools,' he thought before vanishing. He appeared in the room beside Ryo's bed. He looked at the sleeping boy lying before him, completely vulnerable. The armor drew back the covers so he could look at Ryo's whole body. The boy was just wearing a pair of hospital shorts they had put him in when he had first arrived at the hospital. Ryo flinched, then adjusted to the new temperature of the room without his blanket. Ky smiled when he seen Ryo's legs were also covered with bruises and cuts.
The green armor moved to the left side of the bed and looked at the bandage over the wound it had created. It reached down and tore it off. The armor smiled as the boy let out a moan of discomfort and as his body jerked and pulled into itself to ease the pain away. Ky smiled wickedly as he placed his cold hand on Ryo's cheek and used his power to pulled Ryo out of the darkness he had just fallen into.
Ryo's eyes snapped open and for a moment he didn't know what was happening but then saw Ky. He tried to jerk his head away from the armor but his fear had taken over and he was frozen in place; making himself helpless to whatever the armor was planning to do to him.
Ky caressed Ryo's face gently, running his hand over the bruised cheek. He smiled at the fear in his victim's eyes. He moved his hand smoothly down to the boy's throat, wrapped his fingers around it, and then squeezed, causing Ryo to gasp.
Ryo's heartbeat increased, causing the monitor to go faster. Ky quickly grew annoyed with the noise and yanked the cords off Ryo's chest, then slammed his fist into the machine to shut it up. The force of hit sent the machine through the window. Ky released his grip on the boy, allowing him to breath again. Ryo inhaled sharply, which caused his chest to flare in pain. The armor put his hand back on Ryo's right cheek and began to caress it, while he took his left hand and yanked out the IV cord, making fresh blood come from the new wound.
Ryo clenched his teeth as the pain shot through his arm. He watched as Ky looked over his body with lingering eyes. He tried to move again, to stop the armor from what he had planned, but quickly realized Ky was holding him in place. His eyes became fearful once again when Ky's gaze locked with his. The armor gave him a wicked smile as it held up its index finger. Before Ryo could understand what was going on, Ky winked and rammed his finger through the stitches, back into the wound he had played with last time. Ryo began to scream in agony, but Ky's hand clamped down over his mouth. Arching his back, Ryo tried to pull away, but Ky continued to hold him in place. The armor pushed, pulled, wiggled, and poked its finger around inside the wound. He enjoyed the tears of pain it brought from the boy beneath him, and the jerking Ryo's body did as if in protest of the invasion. His hand tightened on Ryo's mouth as the boy screamed harder with every movement the finger inside him made.
Blood covered the sheets of the bed in a matter of seconds.
stststst
Dais entered the thrown room of the castle in the Nether Realm. He approached Sekhmet and Kale, who were talking amongst themselves. They looked up and watched as he approached.
"Do you two have a bad feeling?" he asked, cutting to the chase and not bothering with small talk.
"About what?" Sekhmet asked.
"I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right."
"We agree, Dais. That's what we were discussing before you came in. We've felt it for about a week now. It's faint, but-" Kale stopped when the door flew open.
Kayura stormed in with Kaosu's staff, which was ringing and glowing, in her hands. "Something's wrong with Wildfire," she said.
The three Warlords looked at her in shock.
"What's wrong with him?" Kale asked concerned.
"I'm not sure. The Staff acted this way last week. I couldn't figure out what it meant then, but I do now. Wildfire is in danger."
"Then we must help him," Dais replied.
"Why?" Sekhmet asked stubbornly. He knew they had to help Wildfire but he couldn't let the others know that.
"Because, Sekhmet. One, he defeated Talpa. Twice. Two, he wears the Inferno. And three, it's our job to help them when they need us," Kale hissed.
"Fine. Let's go."
They all nodded and vanished.
stststst
Whiteblaze sensed something was wrong. There was a presence here that shouldn't be. He turned his head back towards the stairs.
"What's wrong, Whiteblaze?" Sage asked.
The tiger lowered his head, still glaring at the stairs, and growled. Before the others could stop him, he jumped out from under the table and ran for the stairs, running up them to the tenth floor. Kento threw down his burger as he and the others chased after the white tiger.
stststst
Ky pulled his bloody finger out with a quick jerk, opening the wound further and caused more blood to pour out. Ryo screamed again but it was muffled by the hand over his mouth. Tears continued to stream down his face as he watched Ky put the bloody finger in his mouth and began sucking the blood off. Ryo had never wanted to throw-up as much as he did in that moment.
'Blaze…guys…,' he thought in agony.
Ky removed his finger from his mouth and smiled wickedly. With his hand still tightly covering Ryo's mouth, he moved his head towards the wound. He licked the blood as it poured out, smiling against the boy's side as he felt Ryo flinch. Without hesitation, Ky shoved his tongue inside the wound. He felt Ryo's body begin to shake again from the invasion, and he had to tighten his hand over Ryo's mouth as the boy screamed from the movement of his tongue. Ky removed his tongue slowly, then licked the blood around the wound before he straightened himself. He locked eyes with Ryo, and proceeded to lick the blood off his lips.
"That wound won't be healing for a while," he smiled. "My poison will make it last for a long time. I hope you enjoy my gift." He leaned over so his mouth was by Ryo's ear. "Now for the painful part," he whispered.
He erected himself again placing his free hand on Ryo's chest, which began to glow the green of his armor. The glow seeped into Ryo's body, and Ryo arched his back again and his body began to shake uncontrollably. His screams were once again muffled by Ky's hand, and fresh tears rolled down his face into his already soaked hair.
stststst
Kayura and the Warlords appeared in the hospital room Ryo was staying at. They looked at the scene before them, which quickly made their blood boil.
"Stop it!" Dais demanded.
Ky looked up and smiled kindly. "If I stop now, it will kill him."
"If you don't, it'll kill him anyway!" Kale snapped.
"How little you know," Ky shook his head, still smiling.
Whiteblaze, the Ronins, and Mia ran into the room before the Warlords could make a comeback. The boys were about to attack when the green light faded and Ky withdrew both his hands. "Finished," he said, then caressed Ryo's face once more before he looked at the others in the room. "Try to help him now!"
Sage shoved the others out of his way and ran to Ryo's side. He quickly took in his friend's condition; he was breathing erratically, blood came out of the places on his arm where the IV had once been, blood also poured out of the wound on his side, his eyes were glazed over, the tears had stopped, he was flat on his back again, his body was trembling slightly, and he was still conscious.
"Hold on, Ryo," Sage whispered, placing his hands on Ryo's chest. A soft green light filled the room, but so did Ryo's scream. The injured boy arched his back as hot tears ran from his tightly closed eyes. Sage jerked his hands away instantly and the light faded, along with Ryo's cries of pain. He looked around in disbelief. "Wha-What happened?" Sage asked.
"The armor has blocked your healing powers. Now, if you try to heal him, you'll only be hurting him more," Sekhmet explained calmly from his place near the wall.
Whiteblaze and Rowen joined Sage by the bed, while Sai and Kento left to find a doctor. Rowen applied pressure to the wound on his side in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Sage whipped the tears off Ryo's face and held his arm where the IV's had been. Whiteblaze nuzzled his leg in hopes to comfort his charge. Mia and the Warlords stood in the corner watching them.
"Gomen, Ryo," Sage whispered, and rested his forehead on Ryo's.
"Hey, don't start blamin' ya'ahself, Sage. Ya didn't know," Rowen said.
"He's right, Halo. There's no way you could have possibly known," Kale agreed.
Sage refused to say anything; instead he continued to stroke his friend's sweat and tear soaked hair in apology.
"Sage-" Rowen began, but was interrupted when the door was thrown open as Sai and Kento ran in with the doctor. The middle-aged man stopped dead in his tracks as he took in the scene before him.
"What happened?" he demanded.
"A man came in and attacked Wil-…Ryo," Sekhmet explained.
"Call security and get them to post some guards at the door," the doctor ordered.
"No," Ryo gasped out before he fainted.
"We'll be watching over him. No need for security," Dais said firmly. He and the other Warlords were dressed in all black, which made them look like they were from some sort of bodyguard service. Despite this, the doctor looked at them doubtfully.
"We're his bodyguards," Kale informed him calmly.
The doctor dropped it and moved to help Ryo. He pushed the nurse button and called for some help. "You'll all have to go out to the waiting room," he told them. The Warlords hesitated, but followed the Ronins when they shook their heads yes. They all watched as more doctors went into the room and left with Ryo, heading towards the emergency room.
"Let's go wash up, Rowen. We'll meet the rest of you in the waiting room," Sage said. Then he and Rowen made their way to the washroom, while the others went to where they were told to go.
stststst
"I can't believe this is happening," Sai said as he sat in a chair in the waiting room.
"Well, it is; so cope," Sekhmet hissed.
Sai looked at him with anger. He stood up, ready to say something, but Rowen put a hand on his shoulder.
"Back off, Sekhmet," the Ronin of Strata warned.
The Warlord of Venom glared at the blue-haired boy.
"How did he get in here in the first place?" Dais asked.
"Why should we tell you?" Kento snapped.
"We're here to help," Kale replied.
"Yeah right," Sage mumbled.
"We are here to help. Kaosu's staff told us he was in danger, so we came," Kayura explained.
"Whe'ah we'ah ya a week ago!" Rowen shouted. "We can handle this!"
"Not from where I'm standing, you can't," Sekhmet hissed.
"You stay out of this! We don't need your help!" Sai snapped. "We can protect him on our own."
"And you've all been doing such a wonderful job already," Dais retorted.
All the Ronins looked at the floor under their shoes. They hadn't done a good job of protecting their friend. They knew that, but they didn't want help from the Warlords. They didn't know if they could trust them. Sure they were on the side of good, but the past could be a bothering thing at times.
Kayura saw their hesitation and took advantage of it. "We know you don't fully trust us but we are here to help in any way we can. It is our responsibility to help when we are needed," she said gently.
"And with Wildfire down right now, you'll need our help to deal with this new threat," Kale added.
Mia watched her friends look at each other, then at the Warlords. They didn't say anything, just shook their heads in acceptance. With how the armor had fought against them, they were sure they would need the Warlords help, even with Ryo able to fight.
For the next three hours, they sat in silence, waiting for Ryo to get out of the emergency room and placed into a new room. The doctor told them he needed to rest, so only a couple of people at a time were allowed in the room.
stststst
Once the tranquilizer wore off, Ryo pushed himself out of the darkness. He had a dull pain all over his body. 'Must be some strong painkillers,' he thought. His left side was killing him, though. He looked around the room, taking in the scene. Whiteblaze had his head on the bed by Ryo's hand, and Dais and Kento were busy arm wrestling, which neither was winning. Aside from them, no one was in the room.
Ryo pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing from the pain, but shoved it aside. He wanted out of there, and he wanted out of there now, and nothing was going to stop him. He noticed Whiteblaze was looking at him with concerned eyes, then the tiger nodded. Ryo nodded back, knowing his friend knew what he was doing. Ryo looked over to see the other two hadn't noticed him yet. He gently removed the IV cord from his arm, took off the oxygen mask, and pulled off the heart monitor cords. The ringing that filled the room made Kento and Dais snap out of their match and look towards him. They watched him reach over and turn the machine off. Pain flared throughout his body and he had to sit still for a moment.
Kento ran to his side when Ryo tried to get up. "Where are you going, Ryo?" he asked concerned.
"Home," was his matter-of-fact answer.
"You can't, Ryo. You need to-" Kento stopped when Whiteblaze growled at him. "Easy, Whiteblaze, it's me!"
Whiteblaze growled again and took a threatening step forward. Kento and Dais backed up, watching as Ryo lent on his tiger as he got off the bed. Ryo stood there until he could feel his legs, then he made his way over to the closet with Whiteblaze supporting him. Ryo grabbed his pants first and slid them on over the hospital shorts. The next item of clothing was a baggy red shirt. Pain shot through his body but he pushed it all away. He slid his shoes on and walked, with Whiteblaze, out the door.
Kento and Dais followed, having a rough idea of what he was doing, and doubting that he would be able to pull it off.
stststst
Nurse Akuji looked up as Ryo walked down the hall with the white tiger. She was surprised to see him up in his condition. She got up and stepped in front of him. "Mr. Sanada, you shouldn't be up," she began. "You-"
"Are leaving," Ryo cut her off. He didn't say it in a rude way, just firmly. "There's nothing else you can do for me. Please get the release forms."
"But-"
"Mr. Sanada?" his doctor asked as he approached. "You're awake, I see."
Ryo turned to look at the doctor. "And leaving,"
"But you're still in the critical stage. You need rest."
"I'll rest at home. I'm not staying here."
The doctor saw the determination in the boy's eyes. He wouldn't be able to stop him if he wanted to; especially not with the tiger around. Reluctantly, the doctor nodded. "I'll see what I can do." With that he left the pair. Nurse Akuji them a sad smile and then returned to her work behind the desk.
Ryo leaned more on Whiteblaze. All he wanted to do was faint but if he did that he definitely wouldn't get out of here. His whole body ached even with the painkiller. Whiteblaze purred softly while he rubbed Ryo's leg. He was a little disappointed when Ryo didn't scratch behind his ear like he usually did but he knew Ryo was using all his energy just to stay awake and not pass out.
The other Ronins, Warlords, and Mia came running up to him. Kento and Dais had gone to tell them what Ryo was doing.
"Ryo, get your ass back in that room!" Sage ordered.
"What the hell do ya think ya'ah doin'?" Rowen demanded.
"You shouldn't be up, Ryo!" Sai exclaimed.
"Go back, Ryo! You need to rest!" Kento yelled.
The Warlords just stood there watching Wildfire as he ignored his friend's pleas/demands. They could see the determination, and stubbornness, etched in his facial features.
"Ryo, are you listening!" the Ronins yelled in perfect unison.
Again the Warrior of Virtue ignored them, eyes remaining on the floor.
"I give up!" Kento shouted, throwing his arms in the air. "He's too stubborn to listen to anything we say."
Sai put his hand on the outraged boy's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.
A few minutes later the doctor came back. Ryo snapped out of his daze and looked at him. He signed a form and smiled at the doctor.
"Arigato," he said, and then he and Whiteblaze walked down the hall; the other Ronins following close behind.
"Miss Koji?"
"Hai, doctor?" she asked as she turned to face the man.
"I think you'll be needing these." He handed her a box of syringes, several little bottles of painkiller, and then he gestured to a box on the floor. "He can't eat whole food's yet. You'll have to make him drink that."
Kale walked over and picked the box up. Then he followed Mia and the other Warlords down the hall. They quickly caught up with the others and followed Ryo outside to the parking lot. The Ronins were only a couple of feet behind him. Ryo came to a sudden stop and fainted, falling backwards into Sages arms.
"Ryo!" they all shouted and gathered around him, including the Warlords.
"We have t' get 'im back inside!" Rowen ordered.
Kento gathered Ryo in his arms and turned towards the hospital. Before any of them could take a step, Whiteblaze jumped in front of them and growled.
"Out of the way, cat!" Sekhmet hissed, taking a step forward.
Whiteblaze lowered his head and growled again; then he gave them sorrowful eyes and whimpered. Everyone stood in silence, not knowing what to do.
"Wait a sec," Rowen began. "Sage, do ya rememb'ah what Ryo told us this mornin'?"
The blond thought for a moment. "He wanted to go home."
"Exactly."
"What are you saying? He did all this just to go home?" Kale asked.
"That's exactly what Ah'm sayin'," Rowen replied.
"It would be like him to do something like this," Sai agreed.
"Well then, let's give him what he wants," Kento suggested. He walked over to the van, waited for Sai to open the door, told the Warlords to get in the back, and then placed Ryo across their laps. Kayura and Mia road in the middle, while Sai sat in the passenger seat and Kento in the driver's. Sage and Rowen road on Whiteblaze since they couldn't fit in the van. The tiger didn't object; he was just happy Ryo was getting out of the one place he hated more than anything.
When they reached the mansion, Sekhmet carried Ryo up to his room. Sai, Kento, and Whiteblaze following close behind him. They removed his shirt, being careful of his injuries, and took his shoes off. Since he still had on the hospital shorts, they decided to remove his pants.
"For some reason, this just doesn't feel right," Kento said as he pulled off Ryo's pants.
"Do you want him to be awake while you strip him?" Sai joked.
Kento glared at his best friend, then smiled. "Well, at least he'd know I was doing it."
Whiteblaze watched as Sekhmet and Sai placed Ryo under the covers, and as Sai pulled the covers up to Ryo's chest, then moved the locks out of his face. Ryo let out a soft moan as he flinched under the covers. The tiger approached the bed and nuzzled his charge's hair.
"Affectionate beast, isn't he?" Sekhmet replied.
"He acts as if Ryo's his own cub, he's so protective at times," Sai laughed.
Sekhmet looked at Sai and then back at the boy in the bed. The two conscious Ronins could have sworn a smile appeared on his face for a brief instant. "Well, let's leave him to rest. I don't think they'll be bothering him again for a while. We'll take turns checking up on him every hour or so," Sekhmet said as he left the room.
Sai and Kento looked at each other and shrugged. "Sleep well, Ryo," Sai said as he followed Kento out of the room, leaving the door open.
Whiteblaze curled up on the rug between the two beds. He watched his friend from the floor. 'You're safe now, Ryo. I won't leave your side. No matter what happens, I'm here,' he thought as he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
stststst
Rowen walked over to the phone and picked it up. Kayura saw him and stopped beside him.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh? Wha?" Rowen looked over at her. "Oh. Ah'm callin' Yuli t' tell 'im Ryo's he'ah."
"Oh."
Rowen watched her walk into the kitchen, and then finished punching in Yuli's number. It rang a few times before someone picked up.
"Hello?" a young voice asked.
"Yuli?"
"Rowen?"
"Yeah, it's me. Look, kiddo, Ah just wanted t' let ya know Ryo's he'ah at Mai's."
"He is! Is he awake?"
"Nah. He's out cold. He'll probably be asleep fo'ah a while. But if ya'ah parents say it's okay, Mia said ya could come ov'ah fo'ah a while."
"Hold on, let me go ask."
Rowen waited for a few minutes before Yuli came back on the other end.
"Rowen?"
"Still he'ah."
"Mom said I could come over when he's up. She thinks it would be better that way," he said with a bit of disappointment. "So tell him to hurry and wake up!"
Rowen chuckled. "Ah'll give 'im the message; fo'ah all the good it'll do."
"Okay, I'll see you guys later." With that, the eight-year-old boy hung up phone.
Rowen hung up and walked to his room. He opened the door to find Sage sitting on his bed looking at the wall. Rowen walked over and bent down near his friend. For a minute he studied the spot Sage was looking at. "Well, Ah just don't see it," he said, throwing his hands up in frustration.
Sage snapped out of his trance and looked at the blue-haired boy. "See what?"
"Whatev'ah the hell ya find so damn interestin' in the wall pap'ah," Rowen chuckled.
Sage looked back at the wall then at Rowen. He scratched the back of his head and offered a small smile. "I find nothing interesting in the wall paper, Ro."
"Then what we'ah ya doin'?"
"Thinking."
"'Bout?" Rowen pressed.
"About…everything that's going on," Sage replied.
"Like?"
"Like…Like how Ryo's always coming through for us but when it comes time for us to help him, we…"
"Sage, Ah know how ya feel. Ah've been thinkin' the same thin'," Rowen admitted. Sage looked at him, his own eyes full of sorrow. "But right now we have t' focus. We have t' train and make su'ah they don't get a hold of 'im again."
"Yes. And thanks to Ryo, one down and two to go," Sage agreed. "We'll start training tomorrow morning. Even the Warlords could use it."
A knock came from the door and Kale entered. He looked a little hesitant as he stood in the doorway.
"Ya can come in, ya know," Rowen said.
"We won't attack, promise," Sage replied. He and Rowen looked at each other with wicked smiles and turned back to Kale.
"Very funny, Halo," Kale said as he entered their room.
"It's Sage, Kale," Sage said with a bit of annoyance.
"Halo, we have decided to start training first thing in the morning."
"Good."
Kale blinked at the response, and then gave them a confused look.
"We we'ah just talkin' 'bout that," Rowen provided. "We we'ah goin' t' tell y'all at dinn'ah."
"Well, Torrent and Mia are cooking dinner right now. It will be ready in an hour," Kale said as he left the room.
Sage and Rowen looked at each other and shrugged.
"Ya wanna play a game of chess?"
"Just to have you kick my ass?" Sage asked, looking at the blue-haired boy who gave him a puppy-dog face. He let out a sigh. "Oh, what the hell. I might even win for once."
They both stood up and left the room. "Ah doubt it," Rowen mumbled low enough Sage didn't hear him.
stststst
After dinner, Mia went upstairs with Kayura to check on Ryo. She slowly opened the door, trying not to disturb the sleepers inside. They quietly entered the room and avoided the large feline in the middle of the floor on their way to the occupant's bed.
Mia took the cap off the needle and poked Ryo's arm. She frowned when he let out a soft moan. After pushing the painkiller into his system, she pulled the needle out and gently rubbed his arm in an attempt to take the pain away. She heard Whiteblaze purr softly behind her, and then felt him rub his head against her leg. She rubbed his ear then turned her attention back to Ryo.
"He never ceases to amaze me," Kayura said softly as she studied the unconscious boy. She looked over to see Mia giving her a questionable look. "When I was under Talpa's control he was so determined, trying again and again to stop me, even if it wouldn't work. Him and Strata both. Such strength. It just amazes me."
"I know what you mean. They are pretty amazing, huh?"
"But, you know, just between us," Kayura said softly, "I'm no match for the Inferno. Or the Wildfire armor. Probably not any of the other's either."
"What are you saying? I mean, I know you were no match for the Inferno, but you creamed the guys when they were separated!"
"I know, but they haven't reached the maximum of their armors power's yet. Just like with the Inferno, they've only begun to scratch the surface. The stronger their bond and hearts become, the stronger the armors become. Even with all the power Talpa gave me, I would have been no match for them."
"How do you know all this?" Mia asked.
"The Staff; and because I'm part of Kaosu's clan."
Whiteblaze purred and rubbed Kayura's leg. She rubbed his ear like Mia had done minutes before. Then she watched the tiger nuzzle Ryo's hair before he went back to his spot on the floor. The girls left the room and walked down the hall. "How long will he stay with Wildfire?" Kayura asked.
"Until he's better; but even then he probably won't leave him alone for very long," Mia answered. "I remember the first time Ryo killed Talpa. He was out for a week. Whiteblaze never left his side once."
"Really?"
"Really."
stststst
In the darkness of a building a figure remained motionless, still deep in sleep and gathering energy for its comeback.
TBC
xyxyxyxy
Not much of a cliffhanger but it'll have to do. If there are any screw-ups, blame the radio. I type while listening to music. It seems to help the story come out faster when I'm listening to a tune.