Chapter 3
The music boomed, echoing throughout the room as the disco lights bounced off the walls in eerie colors of orange, red, greens and blues. Kids of all ages crowded the dance floor as the DJ spun the music, changing it to songs that all the kids would dance to; some people hung off to the sides in their own little groups of people brake dancing or doing something to their own liking. The crowd was buzzing with kids, mostly teenagers, who had come to party. Every part of the dance floor and corners of the room were filled with teens talking, laughing and basically just enjoying themselves and their Saturday night. This was what club night at The Warriors Corner was like.
While the kids partied on the dance floor, the adults sat at tables and chatted, keeping an eye on the kids around them for any signs of trouble or things going on that shouldn't have been. Among the adults who sat away from the crowd of hyped kids were five young men more aptly known as the Ronin Warriors or the fathers' of Rylea Rona Keish Kami and Heather, depending on who you asked. This was chill Saturday for the fathers. A time to grab a beer and kick back while your child tires themself out so you won't have to deal with them later. This had now become a pretty regular ritual for them bring your kid, let them run free for a while and you can relax while you forget you even had a child or two to begin with. It was the only way they could keep their sanity.
Ryo staggered over to the table his friends occupied and sat down in the open chair. Kento smiled knowingly and passed him a beer, "You look like you could use this, buddy," he said while sitting back in his chair and taking a swig of his own beer.
Ryo chuckled ruefully and took a drink of the beer Kento had passed him, "You have no idea," he replied and sat his bottle back down on the table.
"Tell us your problems, Ryo," Sage said as if he were a shrink and listened to people's problems for a living, "it's confession Saturday anyway."
Ryo chuckled at his statement as he took another swig of his beer, "Well my problems seem to revolve around, Lea." All the guys nodded their heads in sympathy at his problem they too had problems with their own daughters. "It's almost like lately she's been acting different at times," he continued with a light frown, "almost like she's a totally different person."
"What do you mean?" Rowen spoke up a little baffled by his statement.
"Like one minute she'll be her normal self and the next she's acting like a total stranger. Kind of like she has an evil twin or something," Ryo clarified for him while his frown increased more as he spoke.
"Maybe that's just her way of letting off stream or something. Plus we all know she has her father's famous bad temper," Cye commented logically with a sly grin in Ryo's direction.
"I don't have the slightest idea as to what 'famous temper' you're talking about, Cye," Ryo retorted with a smug smirk in his direction.
Cye sighed dramatically and swirled the liquid in his cup around as he talked, "Ok, Ryo, if you say so but we all know that you do have one." Becoming serious now he said, " Let me ask you something. Rylea tends to hold her emotions in, right?" At the nod he got from Ryo he continued, "Well, maybe her going off on people is her way of trying to reach out, to let you know that she needs help. However, she normally has a bad temper so I don't know why it's concerning you, Ryo."
The guys all blinked and just stared at Cye like he had just spoke a different language or something, surprised that he would be the one to come up with the logical explanation. Rowen chuckled and placed his arms behind his head as he sat back against the back of the booth they all sat at or around. "And here I thought I was the smart one," he said with dry humor, smirking over in the brunette's direction.
"Well, if you can understand what he said, Ryo, then your problems are solved," Sage commented, taking a drink of his margarita as he scanned over the dance floor.
Kento leaned back in his chair while placing one large arm on the tabletop, "But, if you're like me and have no idea what he just said then you're screwed," he put in and grinned at Cye who only glared back at him.
Ryo sighed and twirled his beer bottle absently as he thought over what all Cye had said to him, "I try to talk to her or ask her what's wrong but all she does is shoot me down. She won't tell me anything. It's like she's completely shut down to me when it comes to talking about what's bothering her," he replied, sounding a bit helpless at his situation.
"Ryo," Rowen spoke up now, "When Rylea's ready to talk to you, I'm sure she will. Right now she's just like the other four girls; confused, scared and probably a little freaked out by all this, even though she won't admit it."
"Rowen's right. Do you guys remember how we felt during our first real battle?" Sage asked, smiling sadly at the memory he'd brought up, "Even though we wouldn't admit it, we were scared out of our minds, not to mention we weren't much older than they are so we can actually relate to them in a way."
"Well thank you, Sage, once again for your wonderful words of wisdom and in sight," came the sarcastic remark from Kento right on cue who sat across from the blond. "Those Dr. Phil, self help books are you workin' for ya, I see. "
Sage glowered at Kento, but the oriental man just grinned back at him as if in way of saying you-can't-do-nothin'-to-me. Cye chuckled at his two friend's behavior, "Sage has a point though. We need to be there for them. They're going to need our help a lot more then they think."
Everyone nodded at his words in agreement as they clanked their glasses or beer bottles together in a salute and then they took a drink. All was silent for a minute as the five ex-Ronins thought silently to themselves before the silence was then interrupted by the sound of loud cheering and yelling over the blare of techno mixed with house music that blasted through the speakers set up next to and around the dance floor. All five men exchanged perplexed glances at each other before getting up to investigate what all the commotion was about. A large circle of people had appeared around the dance floor and the five had to respectfully push their way through the throng of kids until they could see what had everyone so hyped. Finally reaching the inner center of the circle, they got a look at what the commotion was about and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what they were cheering about.
Rylea, along with some guy who looked to be about her age, were out in the middle of the dance floor, having what appeared to be a dancing duel a battle between two dancers to see who was the better of the two. Rylea looked like she was having the time of her life while she did foot rocks and moved her body in fluid, music-video-worthy moves in time to the beat of the music that blasted through the speakers. The other guy was keeping up very well with her, matching her complicated moves with ones of his own. Both teenagers looked to be totally oblivious to the kids who had crowded around them, cheering them on and shouting words of encouragement. The ever-changing lights cast colored shadows over them and gave the two an eerie glow.
Rylea smiled brightly and almost seemed to be laughing while the other guy looked to be growing tired. The guy she was battling against did a few of his signature moves while Rylea crouched down low hitting the ground with the palm of her hand before coming back up to meet the guy face to face in a stand off, where the techno lights and music then stopped. More loud cheering and whistling followed as the two smiled at each other and tried to catch their breath again.
Ryo smiled proudly at his daughter; he could see why she had earned the title of 'dancing queen'. Kento laughed heartily and placed a companionable arm around Ryo's neck. "Now that was one hell of a show," he told him with a sly grin. Ryo shook his head at his friend who was obviously drunk or near to it.
"You can say that again, Kento," Ryo replied back with a grin.
"That," Kento started and pointed out at the two dancers who were still standing in the middle of the floor. "Was one hell of a show."
Cye chuckled at the ash-blue haired man and patted him on the back with an all knowing smirk, "Don't even think about it, Kento. You are not going to try and get those two kids to do that every Saturday night just so that you can make money off it."
Kento laughed loudly at Cye's accusation, "Now, Cye, why would you think that I'd do that?"
"Because you'll do anything to earn a few bucks, Kento," Ryo added with a smirk at the man who still had his arm around his neck.
"Peh," Kento said and waved them off. "You guys don't know nothin." Ryo looked over at Cye who smirked in the same thought as he.
Rylea now exchanged a few sportsmanly words with the guy who had challenged her and lost before spying her father and uncles standing off in the circle of people who surrounded the dance floor she stood on. She smiled and walked over to him. "Were you watching? Did you see me? I whipped that guy so bad! He never had a chance," she exclaimed happily once in hearing distance of her father while still trying to catch her breath from the dancing she had just done.
Ryo couldn't help but smile at her giddiness and chuckle in humor. "Hai, I saw you, Lea. You were great. I was actually amazed by you for once," he said and then had to dodge her wrath.
"Ha, ha, you're not funny, Dad," she informed him dryly with hands on her hips.
"Lea!" yelled Keish as she ran up to her friend, enveloping her in a big hug. She was wearing black jeans with gold fade stripes on the front and a gold halter. "Girl, you were on fire! You shoulda' seen the way you was kickin butt," she exclaimed happily to her and waved a hello to her uncles and father who stood by them.
Rylea laughed at the other girl's comment to her and put an arm around her friend. "You think so?" she shyly asked the hyper ash-blue haired girl.
"Fo' sho', girl!" Keish exclaimed and both girls laughed. The two continued to chat and Keish had her demonstrate how she had done one of her moves while their fathers could only look at them in wonderment while shrugging their shoulders. "Hey, where's Rona?" Rylea asked suddenly as she looked around at the people who had begun to congregate back to the dance floor, snapping from her dance lesson with Keish.
"I was wondering when you'd ask," came Rona's voice as she came up behind her cousin. She was wearing a denim mini with an off the shoulder blue turtleneck that set off the blue in her purple-blue eyes.
"There you are!" Rylea shouted while jumping on her much taller cousin and almost knocked her over.
"Gah, Lea!" Rona screeched and stumbled back in shock.
Rylea let go and smiled ruefully at her, "Sorry," she apologized, "Oh!" she shouted then as if something had just struck her and leaned pulled her cousin's head down to meet her level so as to whisper something that only she was supposed to hear.
Rowen looked over at Ryo with a raised eyebrow who just shrugged in the same thought. Rylea stepped back away from her when she was done and grinned with a wink. Rona's jaw dropped as a light blush rose to her cheeks and she had to blink several times before she could manage to say anything. "Really?" she managed to squeak out finally.
Rylea grinned even more and grabbed her hand to drag the much taller girl behind her, "Come on."
Rona held her ground sternly and didn't allow her shorter cousin to drag her though, "I don't know, Lea."
Rylea rolled her eyes to the sky at her, "Rons, come on! Stop being such a wuss."
"I will later, ok?" she told her, hoping to pacify her cousin.
"Fine," Rylea replied and then stuck her index finger threatenly in her face, "later and no backing out."
"Promise," Rona told her and held her hands up to show that she had no fingers crossed.
Keish laughed at the two cousins feuding, "Watching you two argue is pretty funny at times," she proclaimed with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah," Rylea replied with a wave of her hand in Keish's direction as if what she had said meant nothing to her. She grinned evilly as she noticed her father who was now busy talking to her uncle and winked at Keish and Rona, mouthing to them to watch her. "Hey Dad!" she shouted happily as she hopped in front of him suddenly, making him stumble back in surprise.
"Damnit, Lea. Why is it you always have to do that?" he asked her grumpily with a glare once he had regained his footing and had calmed his beating heart.
Rylea smiled sweetly at him as she clasped her hands behind her back and swayed from side to side, "Because it's funny," she replied simply to him as she looked around at the people as if she were searching for a certain someone. "Do you know where Rye is?"
"No, I haven't seen him," he replied and then added with a suspicious glare, "why do you want him?"
Rylea shrugged half heartedly, "No reason," she replied simply and then turned back to her two friends who were chatting behind her with a smile, "come on you guys, party time!"
Keish laughed, "That's my girl! Always up for a party."
"Just a minute," Ryo said as he grabbed onto her wrist as fast as he could to keep her from disappearing back out into the group of people, "I want you to at least eat something before you go back out there."
"But Dad-"
"Don't you 'but Dad' me, Rylea. You get something in that stomach of yours or you're going to be sitting with me and your uncles for the rest of the night, do I make myself clear?" he sternly told her while setting his vivid blue eyes into a narrow glare at her.
"Yes, ma'am," Rylea mocked with a grin and saluted him before then acting as if she had accidentally made a mistake and quickly reprimanded it with, "I mean sir."
Ryo smirked at her comment, knowing that she had meant to say it on purpose. "Always gotta get that last thing in, don't you? Get your butt moving," he said and gave her a light push in the direction of the table he and the guys were sitting at. Rylea glared at him over her shoulder, but continued to walk in the direction he had pointed her in. Rona and Keish looked at each other with a smile before following after them, deciding they'd just hang at the table with her until she was done.
Rylea plopped down in the booth with Keish and Rona taking a seat next to her. Ryo sat down next to his daughter while Rowen and Kento took a seat on either side of the four. Cye and Sage ended up taking the chairs that were pulled up to the booth. One of the waitresses came by, took the girls' orders and then left with a smile on her face. Rylea sat back against the booth and crossed her arms over her chest, "This is boring. Why can't I just go out there and then come back when the food's here?" she asked her father.
Ryo held his beer bottle in his left hand, absently fiddling with it his right arm lay across the back of the booth they occupied. "Because I don't want you to," he replied simply without even so much as glancing at her.
"That's not a reason," she protested smartly.
"It's reason enough for me, now drop it," he told her sternly.
Rylea growled but did as he had requested. Rona shook her head at her cousin; she was used to Rylea arguing with her father. Keish laughed, "You know, I don't think I've seen Miss Blondie or Kami here."
"Um, Kami's probably in the kitchen still helping out," Cye replied about the whereabouts of his daughter.
"And Heather's here," Sage added and motioned over his shoulder to the crowd of people behind them, "Somewhere anyway."
"I saw Heather. She was hanging with her group of friends," Rona spoke up into the conversation.
"Big surprise," Keish stated quietly under her breath.
"Aw man," Rylea whined now in protest, "Not the prep squad! You mean I have to deal with those half-minded, nitwits tonight?"
"Lea, just don't go around them and they won't bother you," Rona informed her cousin smartly from her spot next to Keish.
Rylea scoffed at the thought, "Easy for you to say, Rons, you hang with those airheads."
"Only because Heather's my friend," Rona retorted in her own defense.
"So, then, you're not denying that they're airheads?" Rylea asked with a grin back at her royal blue haired cousin.
Rona glared at the dark haired girl she was related to, "You know, you really bug me at times."
"Then why do you talk to me?" Rylea retorted mockingly.
"I'm not really sure," Rona replied sweetly. "Maybe because we're related."
Rylea smirked knowingly at her blue haired cousin, "I'm sure."
"Alright girls, enough," Ryo commanded as the waitress came back over with the food, sitting it down in front of them with a polite smile.
"Arigato," Rona said to the waitress who bowed politely and walked away.
"Yes, food!" Rylea proclaimed happily as she started to dig into her noodles and rice cakes.
Rona looked over at her cousin with a disgusted frown while Keish just laughed at her and ate her own food. "Think you could inhale the food any faster, Lea?" Rona asked her wryly with a smirk.
Rylea chuckled as she sucked a whole noodle in her mouth, "Prolly, wanna see?" she asked her back with a full mouth.
Rona wrinkled her nose in disgust at her cousin's table manners, "No, I think I'll pass thanks."
Rylea chewed her food while all the while smirking at her cousin. Keish laughed as she ate her own noodles, "Aw lighten up, Rona. Live a little," she told the blue haired genius.
Rowen chuckled at the glare Rona gave Keish. Ryo watched his daughter eat with a raised eyebrow before he then smirked at her. "In a hurry to go somewhere, Lea?" he asked her with slight humor evident in his voice and a cheery smile claiming his face.
Rylea took a bite of one of her rice cakes and glanced over at him, "No, why ever would you think that?"
Ryo shook his head innocently, "Oh, no reason," he replied to her, "Besides the fact that you're eating like your Uncle Kento."
"Hey," Kento protested at being used as an example.
Ryo held his hands up, "Sorry, I couldn't help it."
Rylea swallowed her food, "What's wrong with the way Uncle Kento eats?"
"Yeah," Kento piped up, "What's wrong with the way I eat?"
"Nothing, Kento," Sage told him with a shake of his blond head in mirth, "Nothing at all."
"Besides the fact that you basically inhale everything in sight that's food related nothing," Rowen added from his spot across from him, that innocent look claiming his face.
Kento glared at the blue haired man, "I do not, smurf."
"Could have fooled us," Ryo muttered under his breath.
"Hey, now, you got something to say, then say it so I can hear it!" Kento yelled angrily at the blacked haired man.
"I said," Ryo started with a mocking smile at Kento and then said slow and plain, "You could have fooled us."
Kento growled, "Ok that does it! Let's go;, you and me, 30 seconds, Ryo."
"Now, guys let's not do this. We're supposed to be setting an example for our kids remember?" Cye said, acting like the mediator once again by trying to stop a fight before it could happen.
Rylea, Keish, and Rona looked from one adult to the other, Keish and Rylea grinning from ear to ear while Rona looked nervous. "Yeah, now this is entertainment! Don't stop now you guys," Rylea said excitedly, dropping her chop sticks as her attention was now focused on her father and uncle instead of the food in front of her.
"I'm not going to fight him," Ryo announced, "He's drunk; it wouldn't even be fair."
"Don't you worry bout that, Pyro Boy. I can still see only one of your ugly face so I'm all good to go," Kento told him smugly.
Ryo glared at the large oriental man, "Pyro Boy?"
"Do I hear an echo?" Kento asked as he cupped a hand to his ear and then laughed as if finding what he said to be a hilarious joke.
"Ohh," Rylea and Keish chorused from the sidelines, enjoying the entertainment they now had.
"Don't encourage them," Rona scolded the two girls.
"Ryo, Kento, your kids are watching. Stop acting like immature adults," Rowen now told them sternly in way of helping Cye out.
"Stay outta this, papa smurf," the ash-blue haired man spat at Rowen before looking back at Ryo. "So what do ya' say, you game, Ryo?" Kento now taunted, a sly smirk set on his face in way of challenge.
Ryo smirked back at him in a challenging manner, "You think you're ready for the ass whooping you're about to endure?"
Kento laughed heartily at his threat as if thinking it was funny, "You ain't gonna lay one finger on me, ninja."
Rylea grinned and cheered them on, "Yeah! Kick his butt, Dad!"
"You can get 'em, Dad!" Keish shouted encouragement to her father.
Cye, Sage and Rowen exchanged worried glances with the new change of events between the two adults. "Do you see what you two have done? Look at this. You've got your children cheering you two on to a fight. You two are supposed to be the mature adults here and right now you sure aren't acting like ones," Cye scolded them as if he were reprimanding one of his kids.
Ryo and Kento looked over at Keish and Rylea who looked annoyed that they hadn't started fighting yet and both sighed in recognition to what the brunette male had said to them. "You're right, Cye," Ryo compiled, looking ashamed for his actions.
"Yeah," Kento added and dropped his eyes to the table.
"Nani? You guys aren't going to fight?" Rylea asked as she blinked in confusion.
"No, we're not going to fight, Rylea," Ryo told his daughter mockingly.
"But why not?" Keish asked, just as confused as Rylea was.
"Because we're adults and shouldn't be fighting in front of our kids," Kento replied to her.
Rylea huffed in annoyance, "Well, if you guys aren't going to fight, then I'm outta here," she said while hopping over her father and Uncle Rowen's laps to exit the booth.
"Ditto on that," Keish said as she did the same, following after the dark haired girl as she weaved into mass of people.
Rona sighed and followed after them, "Wait up you guys," she shouted as she ran to catch up with them.
Ryo smirked and took one of the rice cakes Rylea hadn't eaten off her plate taking a bite out of it, "Were we supposed to let them go like that?" he asked the others slyly as he chewed the food on one side of his mouth.
Sage shrugged his shoulders lightly, "Better them be out there than sitting here with us I guess."
"You two weren't really going to fight were you?" Rowen asked while giving the two a skeptical look.
Ryo and Kento looked at each other and smiled, "Nah," they both said and all five started laughing. Kento reached from across the table with one of his grins plastered across his face and gave Ryo a signature hand slap before all then began to talk and joke once again.
-
The young hybrid with the steely blue eyes and blond hair walked slowly into the penthouse he shared with a few other demons all hybrids like himself. No one seemed to be home at the time and that was just fine with him. He was more of a loner type anyway, preferring to be by himself rather then be with a group of people. Tonight must have been the gathering. He thought to himself. Old man Sirous had something important to tell all of us. He let a smile spread across his face as he entered the room that was designated his. Lucky me, I won't have to hear it.
"Sorry to pop your bubble, Tadin."
Tadin; that was his name. At least that's what everyone called him. Tadin turned wide steely blue eyes on the shadowy figure standing in his doorway. Deciding to remain quiet, he waited for the person to speak again. "We all missed you down at the meeting," the person spoke again, now stepping into the room his features could be made out. He was a tall man around 6'2 at least and well built. His long silver hair that he sometimes held back in a ponytail down his back stood out in contrast with his dark skin. His stern face and strong jaw along with his slate gray eyes gave him an almost menacing look a very powerful expression that most demons cowered to. "It was an all-demon meeting," he continued, "That means you were expected to show up."
"I didn't see the point in going," Tadin replied with irritation while turning from the man.
The man simply chuckled and allowed a smile at his reply, "I figured that much. Well, Tadin, you need to know what was said-"
"Sirous, I don't care," he snapped at the man with growing aggravation.
Sirous smiled again a cruel and almost chilling smile. The kind of smile that sends chills up your spine when you see it. "A new demon has awakened," he said knowing full well it would gain Tadin's attention.
Tadin turned around to face him, now intrigued, "Do we know who it is?"
Sirous smiled knowingly and walked closer to him his hands now behind his back as he talked. "We don't know 'who' exactly, but we have our suspicions."
Tadin kept his eyes glued to Sirous now. Somehow, he thought Sirous knew more then what he was telling him, "Care to fill me in on 'who' it might be?"
Sirous stopped his pacing and looked Tadin directly in the eyes now, "We don't know who. All we know is that the person is female."
Tadin didn't say anything now, all he did was watch the purebred with growing suspicion. Sirous was a purebred which meant he held command and power above Tadin who was only a hybrid. Sirous smiled and continued, "She is a female and I think right around your age. Well, if you were a human she'd be right around your age."
Tadin smirked at him, now slowly starting to understand what it was he was trying to say to him, "What does this have to do with me, Sirous?"
Sirous shrugged lightly, his hands still behind his back, "Oh, nothing I guess. It's just that there's a big reward out for whoever can find this new demon and bring her over to our side."
Tadin's smirk grew as he listened to Sirous' last statement, "I knew it. Let me guess, you want me to go and find this girl, am I right?"
Sirous smiled that same, cold smile at him. "That was the main idea," he replied and walked over to stand directly in front of Tadin, "You need to find this new demon and before anyone else can."
Tadin looked at Sirous with an unfaltering smile of amusement, "Any idea where I can find her?"
Sirous was quiet for a moment while he thought before he answered him, "Look for her in the Toyama area. I believe that's where the Supreme said they had felt the new power."
Tadin smirked at the mention of the Supreme. The Supreme were four of the purest of purebreds. All of their ancestors where purebreds and no outsiders, as they called them, had come into the bloodline. The Supreme controlled most of the demon race, except for the vampires who refused to take orders from purebred scum, as they liked to call them and had isolated themselves outside of their ruling power. "Say I find this girl, but she is of no use to us. What do I do then?" he asked Sirous, already figuring he knew what the answer was going to be. Purebreds, especially, hated the human race where as other demons tried to live amongst the humans without them knowing.
"Kill her," was Sirous' blunt answer. He turned and began to walk out of the room now, "Good luck finding her, Tadin."
Tadin smiled at the man's back as he watched the purebred walk away and grabbed his sword from its place on the display rack placing it in the sheath on his back he walked out of the room. "Luck? I was born lucky," he spoke out loud, "This girl will be mine."