The Calling of Destiny: New Beginnings
Chapter 1
The sounds of metal clashing against metal rang throughout the air as shouts and anguished protests followed, disturbing the stillness of the once quiet morning as the two trained. Ryo brought his katana blade he held in his right hand down in a killing arch aimed for his daughter who brought her own katana up to parry his attack. Twisting around she slashed at him in a futile attempt to win. Sweat dripped down her arms and the sides of her face, her movements making it evident she was growing tired. Ryo smirked inwardly as he dodged her attacks and then taking his katana blade came down on her with all his strength. Rylea brought up both of her own katanas in an effort to block his attacks it worked but with the strength he came at her with and the fact she was growing weary, it didn't help any. She lost her balance evidentially and fell to the ground flat on her back with her katanas falling to either side of her.
Ryo couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain at seeing his daughter fall like that, but quickly brushed it aside. "Get up Lea," he barked at her in a commanding voice, "we're not finished yet."
Rylea groaned in protest and stayed where she had fallen. Every muscle in her body was crying out in anger against her pushing them so hard. It hurt to move her pinkie let alone pick up her katanas and continue to spar with her father, the great Ryo of Wildfire. Ryo only frowned down at the poor girl. His leader instincts that told him she needed more practice replaced his fatherly instincts that told him to help her up and end it. "Rylea Marie, get up now," he commanded her sternly.
Rylea tried to open one very exhausted eye and glare at the dark haired, oriental man she called Dad, but couldn't get her glare 'look' right. Instead she mumbled out an angered, "Leave me alone!"
"This practice is not over yet," Ryo retorted, "now pick those katana blades up and get your butt moving!"
"Yeah, well my body says this practice is over so guess what, it is!" she threw back at him, raising her voice in outrage.
Ryo scowled at the pretty young girl who almost looked like a female carbon copy of himself lying on the ground. She was starting to get on his last nerve now. "Rylea," he said in a threatening tone.
"Dad," Rylea said back, her voice taking on the same threatening tone as his had.
Ryo twirled the katanas he held in his hands impatiently and placed them at his sides. He started to tap his right foot intolerantly, already feeling his temper bubbling up. "Rylea how are you supposed to learn anything I'm trying to teach you if you cop out at the first sign of pain?" he said slowly and calmly to her almost as if he were talking to a two year old who had just done something wrong and had gotten caught.
Rylea growled and sat up slowly, wincing in pain as her muscles protested to her moving them. "Well gee, I'm so sorry I'm such a disappointment to you, Dad, " she replied with sarcasm evident in her voice. "Gomen ne, sorry that I can't get my body to drag its self up off the ground and continue to learn what you have to teach me."
Ryo sighed and dropped his katana blades the fatherly instincts winning over his leader ones as it became evident that she wasn't going to get up. He walked over to her and knelt next to her to make sure she was ok, "You're not a disappointment to me, Lea. Gomen ne, are you ok?"
Rylea half laughed at his sudden mood swing, "Yeah, I think I'll make it and if I don't, make sure and get Rye back for all the times I couldn't," she replied jokingly to the man kneeling beside her.
Ryo smiled and brushed her unruly bangs from her face, "I'll try and remember to do that as I'm also trying to figure out how I'm supposed to go on living without you, jouchan."
Rylea laughed at his comment, "Oh, I'm sure you'll find a way."
"Come on," Ryo said with a smile as he placed his right arm around her waist to help her stand, "practice is over. I think what you need is some rest. We've being practicing for a while anyway."
"Oh yippy skippy," Rylea replied with fake enthusiasm, "I feel so happy that you deem me worthy of such a thing."
Ryo rolled his eyes to the sky as he helped his daughter back to the house, "Always so much sarcasm. That's all I ever get from you anymore."
Rylea grinned and wrapped both arms around her father in a tight hug, "That's jus 'cause I love ya, Dad."
Ryo chuckled at her actions as he smirked down at the dark haired girl who now was hugging him, "Yeah well, do you have to show it all the time?" he asked back wryly.
Rylea let her arms drop from the tight hug she had them in as she pondered his question, her tiger blue eyes slanting into a frown. "Well no, I guess I could be a rebellious, disrespectful fifteen year old instead. How bout that?" she challenged with a bright smile up at her father.
Ryo shook his head at her and put his arm around her shoulders as he walked with her back to the house, "And here all this time I already thought you were that, but you're not fifteen yet young lady."
"Hey!" she shouted, hitting him playfully in the chest, "Not funny Dad and I will be soon so ha."
Ryo chuckled and rubbed his chest where she had hit him, "And here I thought you were too tired to practice. I guess next time I won't let you off so easily," he threatened, smiling at the glare he got from her.
"Oh ha, ha," Rylea replied dryly, "very cute, Dad."
"I know," Ryo said, giving her shoulders a squeeze, "I thought I was too."
Rylea sighed audibly at her father, wincing next when her muscles started to cry out in pain then as they neared the house. Whiteblaze got up from his spot at the door where he lounged lazily as the two came walking up. One would have laughed at the sight of a tiger acting as a guard dog. The large tiger yawned and got up to slowly follow after them in to the house, stretching his arms and legs in the process.
Ryo shut the door after the tiger had trudged into the house then leaned against the now closed door to look up at his daughter who was now slowly making her way up the stairs, ouching and owing the whole way up. He chuckled softly to himself, cracking his neck as he walked into the living room where he found his son sprawled out on the couch.
Ryu lazily looked up at him briefly as he came in before going back to the tv and show he was watching, "Hey, so I take it the training went well?" he queried of his father who had now taken a seat in the Lay-z-boy.
"What was your first hint?" Ryo asked back.
Ryu shrugged disinterestedly, "Well, I guess when little miss priss went ouching and owing up the stairs."
Ryo chuckled at his son's comment, "Why can't you two just get along?"
Ryu scoffed at the thought, "I try to, but it's kind of hard when you're dealing with her. Not to mention there's that four year age difference too."
Ryo shook his head at him, it was the same lame excuse he always got from him. Deciding to let his son go on thinking what he wanted to he got up from his seat and started to make his way to his room. Along the way he passed the bathroom and could hear the water running, signifying that Rylea was now in the shower along with the sounds of her still ouching and owing. A pang of guilt hit him at hearing that, knowing that he was the reason for it cut him deep. He sighed inwardly and kept to his way to his room.
So many things had happened over the past few months. Now not only was Rylea turning fifteen and just that much closer to being an adult, but her and the other girls had been plagued with the responsibility of being the new Ronins. Ryo frowned at the thought as he remembered Leinto first appearing and telling him that his daughter was to be the new Wildfire. The idea of his daughter fighting in battles, in a war like he had was not setting too well with him still. He didn't like the idea at all and wouldn't even be letting her if he knew he had a choice, but the truth was he had no choice. None of them had a say or a choice in the matter. It was either let them fight or let the whole world end but why couldn't they fight? Why couldn't they just call upon the armors once more and fight this new evil? Why did the girls have to fight? Questions like these ran through the Ronins and his mind a lot. Questions that always seemed to have the same answer it was the girls' destiny. That answer didn't seem just or fair though. Nor did it put to rest any of their growing apprehension about the battle that was soon to come.
Ryo tried to put his concerns aside and think about something else as he walked into his room, closing the door behind him with a silent clicking sound. His eyes quietly scanned over the contents of his room. They then came to rest on a picture on his nightstand next to his bed. Picking the picture up he examined it more closely a small smile coming to his face at the remembrance of it. In the picture was himself standing next to an overjoyed Rylea in her gymnastics leotard. He had an arm around her shoulder while she made the 'V' sign for victory with her fingers a gold medal hung from her neck. The picture had been taken after her first gymnastics competition which she had taken first place gold medal in.
He smiled sadly at the picture, replacing it back on the nightstand. How time flies. Ryo unconsciously thought. Life for the Sanada family had been great until that one day that had changed the way they would live forever. Everything was as perfect as ones life can be and now it had been torn and shattered to pieces for the second time. He looked over at the face down picture on his nightstand picking the picture up hesitantly to look at it. A smiling Luna looked back at him from behind the glass over the photo.
Ryo sat down on his bed while still looking at the picture as he continued to let his mind run wild with thoughts. What was the point in trying to stop it? Just when everything seemed right and like he had finally found that perfect life it was all taken from him. He closed his eyes as the tears started to come and the memory of what he had come home to on that tragic day as well.
It had been just another normal day. He had gotten up and gone to work that day just like he had every day. Little had he know that this time when he kissed Luna good-bye that he really would be saying good-bye. As he left he had this sudden, nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen, but he shrugged the feeling off and left.
What he came home to he would never forget.
Ryo thought it odd that the front door was ajar, but dismissed it as maybe Ryu or Rylea had forgotten to close it all the way when they had run outside. Walking into the house he laid his car keys on the coffee table by the door same as always. Walking away from the door he was surprised when Rylea hadn't come running over and jumped into his arms like she always did then that feeling that something was wrong came back to him.
That feeling only grew stronger when he found no one in the living room and the tv on, almost seeming as if they had forgotten to turn it off in their haste to go somewhere. Turning from that room he hurriedly walked into the kitchen, now shouting to see if any one would answer no one did. Now frantic and full of worry he ran up the stairs to the second floor bedrooms and checked each room no one was there either. Running back down the stairs he went back outside to make sure that Luna's car was in the driveway and confirmed it was. Now passed the limit of being worried and baffled Ryo decided to walk to the back yard just to check, something was just pushing him in that direction.
What he would see here he was not prepared for.
Ryo's jaw dropped and his mind went blank at the sight in front of him. In the middle of the yard laid Luna in a puddle of her own blood and Ryo felt his own blood run cold at the sight before him. Finding his strength he forced himself to run to her, already fearing the worst though. Dropping to his knees next to her he surveyed her wounds and was elated to find that she still had a pulse, very weak, but still a pulse. Gently he cradled her head as he tried to get her into a half sitting up position. "Luna! Luna please honey wake up," he shouted to her in a shaky voice.
Luna moaned softly as she rolled her head to the side, trying her best to flutter her eyes open with whatever strength she could muster, "R-Ryo?"
Ryo thanked whatever God was in heaven that she was at least still conscious, "Yeah Luna, it's me," he softly replied back to her, brushing the strands of hair that fallen into her eyes away from her face.
Luna tried to open her eyes completely and focus them on her husband but seemed to be having a hard time doing that, "Rylea!" she suddenly shouted, coughing loudly afterwards blood streamed from her mouth in a thin line.
Ryo frowned and wiped the blood away with his hand, "What about Rylea, Luna? Where is she?" he asked her while searching through his jacket pocket for his cell phone.
Luna's eyes suddenly opened wide as if she had just found a new strength within her, "They took her," she got out slowly as she tried to look around as if searching for her, "I tried to stop them but-"
"Shh," Ryo said soothingly as he placed a finger against her lips to silence her, "we'll find her koibito. Don't worry," he dialed 911 and told the lady who answered to send an ambulance immediately. After giving her his address he hung up and set his cell phone down on the ground next to him.
Luna was starting to lose consciousness again and he could see it. She had to fight to keep her eyes open now. "You have to get Rylea, Ryo," she quietly told him.
Ryo caressed her cheek tenderly, "It's ok, we'll find her just hold on, Luna."
"Go and get her," Luna slurred out, now starting to slip back into unconsciousness.
"Luna I'm not going to leave you," he told her sternly, shaking her gently to keep her awake and with him, "stay with me, Luna."
"You have to save her, "she slowly and quietly repeated as her words faded off her eyes now starting to close as what little bit of strength she had left began to leave her.
"Luna," he said and shook her again, "stay with me. Don't go!"
The sounds of sirens in the not too far off distance became evident to him . Soon the bright flashing lights of the ambulance could be seen as people jumped out and rushed towards them. Ryo told them what he could and watched as they took her away. He wanted to go, but couldn't he had to find Rylea still. When he was certain she was in good hands and had watched them leave he turned around and whistled for his pet tiger. Ryo waited as the large white and black striped tiger came running to him from the woods surrounding his home.
Ryo crouched down in front of the large tiger when he stopped in front of him, "Where is Lea, blaze? Can you take me to her?" he asked his pet.
The tiger gave a roar and grabbed onto his jacket sleeve signaling he wanted Ryo to follow him. Ryo got the hint and took off after the tiger. His heart was pounding loudly in his ears and he had gone numb from shock. The only thing he could force his mind to focus on was finding his daughter now as he followed after the large house cat. Whiteblaze led the young man into the woods that surrounded the house, Ryo just numbly followed after him, not sure where the tiger was taking him. Soon the thicket of trees opened up into a small, woodless area and with it they found Rylea laying in the middle of the open area.
"Rylea!" he shouted to the little girl who made no response to his call as he ran to her aid.
Ryo ran to the poor girl, kneeling next to her he scooped her up into his arms. Rylea's face was oddly white, not the usual dark tan color it was supposed to be and her skin felt cold and clammy against his own. She now looked more like a lifeless china doll then an energetic four year old. "No," Ryo whispered out as he held the little girl close, hugging her tightly, "God please let her be alright. Please God," he repeated out loud as he cradled his daughter in his arms. Ryo opened his eyes suddenly and looked down at the little girl in his arms had she just moved or was that his imagination? "Rylea?" he said her name quietly, brushing her bangs from her face. "Rylea baby if you can hear me say something, koibito. Give Daddy some kind of sign angel."
As if to answer him Rylea groaned and stirred in response to his voice she shivered as if she were cold and latched her tiny hands onto his jacket. Ryo let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding. Taking his jacket off he wrapped it around the little girl in hopes it may warm her. Holding her close he got to his feet and made his way for the house where he could get to his car.
Reaching the hospital, Ryo jumped out of the car and rushed the bundle in his jacket inside. "Help! Somebody help me please!" he shouted frantically as he dashed into the lobby of the hospital.
The lady in a white uniform behind the receptionist's desk picked up a phone and called someone. Not even a minute later a man with blue hair wearing a doctor's lab coat came running up to him. Ryo recognized the man immediately, "Rowen! Oh thank God. Rowen you have to help her."
Rowen ran over to him and took the bundled child in his jacket from him, "What happened to her, Ryo?"
"I don't know," he responded helplessly, "she was like this when I found her."
A couple people came running over to him, now wheeling a gurdy over with them. Rowen laid Rylea down on it and took out a pocket light from his coat pocket shinning the light into the little girl's eyes one at time. "How long has she been unconscious like this?" he asked out of the blue.
"I don't know, Rowen," Ryo replied, his apprehension growing, "Is she ok?"
"I think so," Rowen responded before he started shouting out orders to the people who immediately obeyed them rolling Rylea and the gurdy away from Ryo.
Ryo watched as they slowly faded from sight down one of the hallways. When they were gone Rowen turned back to Ryo now looking like he had bad news. "Ryo there's something I need to tell you," he slowly and calmly started as he turned to face the dark haired man.
Little red flags went up in Ryo's mind. Something about the way he said it gave him the feeling he wasn't going to like what was coming next, "What is it, Rowen?" he asked hesitantly, fearing that he really didn't want to know what it was he had to tell him.
"You might want-"
"Just tell me, damn it, Rowen!" Ryo shouted at him, cutting Rowen off before he could finish what he was going to say.
Rowen took a deep breath before he continued. What he was going to say was not going to be easy, "Ryo, Luna was DOA when they brought her in."
Ryo blinked as his mind drew a blank as to what DOA meant. Somehow he knew he should though. "What the hell does DOA mean, Rowen?" he demanded, fear making him irate.
Rowen sighed as he ran a hand through his cerulean blue hair, "Ryo, DOA means dead on arrival. I'm really sorry buddy. There was nothing I could do for her."
Ryo went numb after hearing the words 'dead on arrival'. Everything else Rowen had said to him he hadn't even heard. Suddenly his legs felt too weak to sustain him, and he collapsed into a near by chair. She was dead? Luna was dead? Somehow that didn't seem possible then everything else Rowen had said came flooding into his mind. "There was nothing I could do for her," just kept repeating its self over and over again in his head. The words chilled him to the core.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and blindly looked up to see Rowen's face, "Are you going to be ok?" he heard Rowen ask him but it seemed like everything he said was from a far, echoing through some tunnel now.
"Yeah," he heard himself reply, "yes, just help Rylea, Rowen. Help my little girl."
Ryo watched Rowen nod and walk away from him. Everything felt so unreal like it was one bad dream that he was going to wake up from soon. At least that's what he kept telling himself anyway. He didn't want to believe that Luna was gone that she may actually be dead and so he shut down from everything. He went numb to the world and everything around him.
Ryo opened his eyes and sniffed back the unwanted tears angrily, not wanting to remember any more of that night. He was surprised to find tears on his cheeks and wiped them away. That had happened at least ten years ago, but he could still recall it as if it were that day all over again. It was funny how he could recall the bad, tragic things that had happened in his life so easily, but found it hard at times to recall the good times. Life was funny in that way, leaving the hardships imprinted in your memory while the good times seemed to fade away like a dream.
He took a deep breath and let it out shakily as he stood and replaced the picture he was still holding face down again on his nightstand. All he wanted to do was change his clothes, not remember bad memories from the past but memories are things you can't run from, hide or get rid of. Memories are what make a person's life, gives them a past and something to reflect on. Not all memories are things to reflect on though, but sometimes one most look back on the worst of times to understand what's coming in the near future.