Chapter 6: Back on the Trail

Sei fell asleep quickly, having not quite realized how tired she was until her head hit the soft pillow. The morning came and Sei was awakened by the early morning hubbub of the people living in the village, or what was left of it. She climbed out of bed and stretched her arms high above her head. She walked out of the doctor's bedroom and into the small living room. He had already left and Sei assumed that he was out taking care of the wounded. Sei left this room as well and entered the main room. She looked all around this room for Ryu, however it appeared that he too had left. Sei quitted the house and paused a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the bright morning sun.

The villagers had already busied themselves with the task of rebuilding their town and to Sei's surprise Ryu could be seen helping them. He was working among the rubble of one of the buildings that had collapsed under the stress of the fire. His hands deafly shifted through the debris pulling out anything that was still useable and tossing aside all that was not. However this was not as surprising as what she saw next. As he glanced up and noticed Sei looking at him, a smile spread across his face. Sei was completely shocked by this. Just yesterday he had lost Subaru, and today he acted as if it had never happened. Ryu walked away from the debris as he approached Sei.

"Ohaeyo," he called to her in a cheerful voice. "Did you sleep well?"

Sei responded in a tone that showed her concern to be genuine. "Ryu, are you okay? You were so depressed yesterday."

"Yes, I was," Ryu responded in an equally serious tone, "But I spent last night thinking. I thought about Subaru and what I was going to do without him. And I realized that as long as I remember Subaru, he will always be with me. He sacrificed himself so that I could live. It was that sacrifice that led to him receiving that taint. He died because he protected me, and the best way to honor that sacrifice, is to live. So I decided to not look back. Rather, to keep Subaru in my heart, and look forward." Sei was unable to speak. What was there for her to say? All she could do was to look into Ryu's eyes and smile. One of the villagers approached the two Mahouski.

"Ano, Ryu-sama, Sei-sama." He said very tentatively. "We can take care of our own village, so if you are free to leave if you wish." Ryu glanced back at the village. Sei could see the conflict in his eyes. He wanted to stay and help these people rebuild their town, but at the same time he knew that he couldn't. Time was critical, and they had none of it to spare. Ryu turned his gaze toward the villager and apologized that he could stay no longer. With that the two left and continued their journey.

However they did not continue alone. As they left the village, Akamaru watched them closely. A smile crept across his face. A faint glow appeared around his body. It faded into the air and moved toward the Mahouski. He chuckled slightly as the glow grew brighter and more and more of the energy flooded toward the two unsuspecting victims. "You two will be mine." Akamaru said in a soft tone.

Ryu and Sei walked side by side through the grassy plain around them. The energy that Akamaru had emitted into the air was beginning to fill their system. With every breath they took it poisoned them. Yet they did not notice it since their senses were not very strong yet. Akamaru pursued them, but was careful to stay far enough away as to avoid being detected by the two travelers. His aura built up in their bodies and soon Akamaru was satisfied with the amount they had inside them. At this point he slowly moved in behind them and waited for a moment to strike. Sei tripped over her own feet, and that was the moment he had been waiting for. Ryu moved to catch her and at that moment Akamaru leapt forward. Ryu noticed him just in time to grab Sei and jump out of the way. He landed a short distance away and set Sei back on her feet before drawing his sword from its sheath.

"You sure you want to try this again, Akamaru." Ryu taunted. The corner of Akamaru's lip curled up in an evil grin. He did not respond to Ryu. He quickly reached down to his belt and pulled out several of his kunai. He threw them toward Ryu at great speed. Ryu jumped into the air and dodged the flying projectiles only to notice that three more were flying at him. He didn't trust his sword skill enough to block them so he extended his hand forward and willed the air in front of him to move.

"Kaze Kekkai!" He yelled. However nothing happened. The air remained unchanged and the darts sailed through it with ease. Ryu swung his katana and knocked two of them away, however the third struck him in the arm. Blood flowed form the wound onto his white clothes. Ryu landed on the ground and reached his hand over toward the dart. With one pull he removed from his arm and clutched his hand around the wound. Ryu stared at Akamaru. Why hadn't his ability worked? Why couldn't he use his noryoku? He had rested for a while and the Kaze Kekkai was a low level ability. He should have had no problem using it. So why had it failed?

"You seem to be very weak without your powers." Sneered Akamaru. I should have to problem killing you now. Ryu was shocked. What could Akamaru do that could stop him from using his noryoku? "You seem puzzled. Well than let me explain it to you. I have been trailing you for some time now. And all the while I have been releasing my aura into the air. You of course breathe that air. So my aura is within you. And because of that you can no longer use your abilities. My aura blocks the energy you use to manipulate the wind. Without it you are nothing special." Sei drew her sword and prepared to fight. "I wouldn't do that missy. You breathed the same air he did. Your noryoku has been sealed also." Sei backed down. She was far weaker than Ryu was in terms of actual fighting ability. Her strength was in her noryoku, and now she was without it.

"Sei," Ryu called in a commanding tone, "you see the forest to your right." Sei turned and noticed a small forest in the distance.

"Yeah." She replied in a quiet tone.

"I want you to run there. I'll keep him busy for a while, and then I'll join you there. Hide in there and wait for me." Sei started to protest, but Ryu cut her off telling her to get going. Sei turned and ran. Akamaru lunged at her, but Ryu hit his claws hard, knocking him back. He stood with his sword drawn and at the ready. While, behind him, Sei faded into the distance.

"A very bold thing to do. Facing me alone will not be easy for you, especially without your abilities." Akamaru jumped up into the air and threw more darts down at Ryu. Ryu dodged to the side and watched Akamaru closely, looking for any movement that might give away his next attack. Akamaru came down on Ryu forcing all of his weight onto the blade Ryu held up to defend himself from the claws. He pushed off with his claws and landed a short distance back and lunged forward for another attack. Ryu quickly jumped over him and swung his sword in a broad swing that was easily avoided. The two warriors lunged toward each other and the clash of metal sounded another stalemate. The match continued in a similar fashion. Both of the fighters executed advanced moves and almost impossible acrobatics, but nothing managed to connect.

The fight was allowed to continue for only a few more minutes before Ryu assumed that Sei had managed to make it the forest. At that point he turned and ran toward the forest he had sent Sei to. Akamaru ran after him, throwing kunai at him. Ryu ran as fast as he could and randomly jumped to one side or the other to try and avoid the darts. Akamaru was fast, but not as fast as Ryu. It wasn't long before Ryu had made good his escape, and taken shelter in the trees of the forest.

With their noryoku sealed the only quick way of finding the two Mahouski was lost. Akamaru would not allow the two to get away from him so when he arrived at the forest he was forced to search for them the old fashioned way. Ryu had already hidden himself nicely within a well-covered tree. He didn't know where Sei was, but at this point it wasn't his primary concern. He was still weak, too weak to be taking on one of the four generals without his noryoku.

Ryu heard footsteps coming closer to him. He tensed his muscles, ready to spring if necessary, but remained motionless hoping it would not be. He could not see Akamaru through the leaves that covered his line of sight, but because of them Akamaru couldn't see him either. The footsteps were slow, but they came and went without pause. Ryu relaxed in his tree, leaning his back against the trunk. He waited a shot while to make sure there was considerable distance between him and Akamaru. Then he moved. He stuck to the trees not wanting to place himself too far in the open. All the while looking for any sign of Sei. Now that he knew Akamaru wasn't right behind him finding Sei became his top priority.

As he jumped from branch to branch something caught his eye. He stopped and turned to examine it. It was a small piece of white cloth caught on a thorn. Ryu knew it was a good chance that it was a piece of Sei's clothing. It may have been a long shot, but it was the best shot he had. He moves quickly in the direction he believed Sei had traveled.

He moved coolly showing no hint of emotion. However inside he felt the exact opposite. In this moment, when Sei was in danger and he could do nothing, he realized how much he cared for her. With her noryoku sealed she was in serious trouble. Her sword skills were nothing compared to those of Akamaru. Sei relied almost entirely on her noryoku to fight. She had unmatched control, and her skills were incredibly powerful, but she paid for this power with her physical strength. Ryu jumped from a tree branch and landed softly on another only to repeat the motion again.

Ryu noticed a small figure crouched in the bushes. He stopped perched on his branch watching the figure closely. Searching for something to reveal their identity. The body moved slightly as it shifted its weight. Then it slowly backed out from the bushes and at that point Ryu got and clear view. The familiar white skirt hung low on one side, and the blue shirt that stopped above the midriff. It was Sei.

"Sei." He called quietly wishing only for her to hear him. Sei began to turn and look all around. She reached her hand across and grabbed the hilt of her sword. "Sei, up here." She looked above her and their eyes met. Ryu dropped down from the branch and landed softly in front of her. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I've been better, but I'll be fine. But that's not important now. What are we going to do about Akamaru?" Ryu paused for a moment clearly trying to think of something on the spot.

"I don't know." He finally replied, giving up on hiding his uncertainty. "The only thing that's for sure is that we need to get his aura out of us. Can you do anything about that?"

"Not without my noryoku back. And even with it I'm not sure I have the strength to do it. His presence runs through our entire body. That isn't easy to remove."

"Is there any way to get it out of us?"

"Maybe," replies Sei as she thought out the fine points of her idea, "if this is his aura within us than he is going to have a lot less stamina. If we can wound him bad enough it should force him to pull the aura out himself. The only thing is I'm assuming his aura works similarly to out own and that he is actually capable of removing it from us. But it's the best I've got."

"In that case we run with it. I can't think of anything better." With their course of action determined the two Mahouski began to work on a way to execute on it. Fighting Akamaru head on was not a good idea given their current state, so they had to work out a kind of ambush. Ryu and Sei continued to work on various ideas when suddenly Ryu sensed something. He grabbed Sei and pulled her to the ground just as several kunai flew over them.

Akamaru dropped down from above them and the two Mahouski were on either side of him. Akamaru ran after Sei, thinking her to be the easier of the two enemies. He slashed at her with his claws, but she managed to dodge and retreat into the trees. Sei assumed Ryu would follow her, but he didn't. Instead he attacked Akamaru. The two became locked in a massive duel, and for the second time, Ryu allowed Sei to make good her escape.

"Quite the chivalrous one aren't we?" Asked Akamaru as the two warriors fought in a power struggle. Ryu dropped to the ground and pulled his blade away from Akamaru's claws. Since all of his weight was pushing against Ryu he fell forward and Ryu stabbed his sword upward at his exposed belly. Akamaru leaped up and above Ryu's reach. His body sailed over Ryu and landed facing his back.

Ryu quickly spun around and got back on his feet. His blade was held off to the side as his eyes starred into the glowing red eyes of Akamaru. The two warriors sprung forward flying toward each other. The clash of metal sounded through the forest as their weapons collided. The two found themselves again locked in a power struggle. Both of them pushed back and slid a short distance along the ground before readying themselves for another assault.

Sei moved quickly through the trees racing to get away from the enemy she assumed was still pursuing her. She knew that Ryu was faster than her and found it odd that he had not caught up with her yet. She was worried that something had happened to him. When she stopped on a branch and turned to look behind her she saw nothing. Neither Ryu nor Akamaru had been behind her. It didn't occur to her that Ryu would have stayed and fought until she heard the loud clash of their blades. She immediately raced back to rejoin her fellow Mahouski. As she got closer the sounds of metal on metal got louder and louder. Avoiding detection by the two was easy, especially without her noryoku giving her away. She moved quietly behind a small bush that offered her a good view of the fight. Ryu and Akamaru were still locked in their acrobatic combat, a style of fighting that both of them favored. Sei gripped her sword tightly, as she readied herself to join the fight at the right moment. She watched the two fighters closely and at one brief point in the fight when she thought it best she made a quick movement. One that Ryu was in a position to see, and Akamaru was not. It was a moment that lasted barely one full second. Sei could only hope that it had been enough.

Ryu clashed blades with Akamaru and pushed off hard sending himself flying toward a tree. He planted his feet on it and pushed off flying above Akamaru. He held his sword over his head and prepared to strike. Akamaru threw several kunai up at the falling Ryu, who had to immediately abandon his attack. He used his sword to block several of them, but without his wind ability he couldn't change his course. One of the darts got through and struck Ryu in the shoulder. He hit the ground on his feet but was unable to support himself and fell to his knees. He ripped the dart out of his body and threw it back at Akamaru who sidestepped out of its path.

Ryu lunged forward in a very broad movement. He made a long swing from the left and Akamaru easily jumped to the right to avoid the attack. Ryu gave a slight smirk.

"Imana, Sei!" Ryu called and Sei responded. A thin blade appeared out of Akamaru's chest. He staggered forward and fell to the ground. Sei rose stepped out of the bushes and starred down at the bleeding general. His red eyes had lost much of their glow and it was clear he was dying.

"Kusou." Groaned the figure on the ground. Akamaru stood up, using all of his strength to stay that way. He suddenly began to glow and shortly after he began glowing, the Mahouski did as well. The glow flowed from Ryu and Sei and returned to Akamaru. His wound slowly healed itself and the demon general was restored to his original strength. However so were the two Mahouski.

Ryu held his hand forward and called the wind together. "Hiryu Kourindan!" he yelled as he unleashed a concentrated blast of wind. It flew toward Akamaru, who jumped into the trees to avoid it. The blast continued forward blasting holes in several trees as it ripped through them. Akamaru was smart enough to realize that he had lost and retreated from the forest. A loud bang and a flash of dark energy indicated that the demon general had fled.

"Are you alright Sei?" Ryu asked turning to face her.

"I'm fine, but your not. Look at that wound." She said nodding her head toward the spot where the dart had hit. Sei extended her hand toward the spot and a blue light appeared over it. Slowly the wound healed and the blood staining the clothes was removed.

Ryu went to take a step forward but his knee gave out and he fell forward. Sei rushed forward to catch him. Ryu tried to get up again, but found his body unwilling to comply.

"You need to stop overdoing things." Sei said in a forceful tone. "You were fighting that whole time without having any noryoku. Ryu you know how vital noryoku is to us. None of it could circulate and that caused your body to weaken. Fighting in that state is bound to tire you out." Sei stopped her tirade immediately when she heard a slight chuckle from Ryu. "What's funny?" She snapped

"Nothing, nothing at all. It's just nice to know you care." Sei's face went red and she was suddenly at a loss for words. All she did was huff slightly and sit on the ground with her back resting up against a tree. "We'll stay here tonight." Ryu said in an attempt to move the conversation along. "I need the rest and you could use it too." Sei nodded in agreement. The night fell quickly upon the two resting Mahouski. Although it wasn't the smartest thing to do they both fell asleep together. And sometime in their sleep the two drifted towards each other. Although they had fallen asleep a good distance apart. When they awoke they found themselves right next to one another

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Yeah this was a very long time between chapters. I'll try to do better in the future. I just got caught in a massive set of problems from school to family, to laziness, and then there was the ever present I just couldn't figure out what to write. So anyway I'll try and do better next time.

Anyway in the next chapter you get to finally meet the third general. He's my second favorite, and my favorite will be coming up shortly after this.

Anyway hope you enjoyed that chapter and if you read it please review. I really don't care what you have to say, as long as its somewhat intelligent.