"Behind Dynasty walls, the power to shatter one's sanity lies sleeping…"

Shattered

(Inspired by Weiß Kreuz)

Written by Lord Lykouleon

Act I ~ Preservation Of Memories

+Chapter Three+

Second Target

[The Dynasty: March 24, 1989]

Tap! Tap! Tap! "He's been out for two days!" Tap! Tap! Tap! Pause. Tap! Tap…

"Don't worry about it. His fever's gone, and his heart rate is steady."

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap… "But what if he doesn't wake up?" Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

"He'll wake up. All of his vital signs are strong. There is no reason that he won't wake up."

Another pause. Then… Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

Dais gritted his teeth, letting the scroll he was reading roll back with an audible snap. "Kayura!"

She stopped pacing in the middle of the room, turning towards her companion. "What?"

"Will you stop doing that?? It's irritating." He softened his expression upon seeing her hurt look. She did not mean to distract him.

He sighed to himself, going back to his work. Kayura has been restless and inattentive since that incident two days ago. He couldn't really blame her. From what he could gather, the encounter with the unknown force at that door had been traumatizing, to say the least. The door… His one good eye narrowed behind locks of soft, white hair. Kayura's vision… His brief dream that same night… It was not a coincidence.

Something… dangerous was hidden behind that door. But what? He went over the blueprints with Cale that very day, scrutinizing the Northwest Passage and all surrounding areas. Strangely enough, all the maps excluded the hallway they were looking for, as if it never existed. One scroll did contain a sketch of the passageway, unfinished. But what lay hidden behind the door was an absolute mystery.

They were going to examine the place themselves, Dais wanting to confirm with his own eyes that the door that laid hidden in the corridor was the same one he saw in his dream. But Kayura, upon hearing of their plans, adamantly refused to let them go near it. She wouldn't even allow the Dynasty Soldiers to approach it, giving the order to seal the surrounding area with barricades and spirit wards. Dais thought she was overreacting, but she seemed quite lucid when she had snapped at them, threatening to throw them both in the dungeon if they disobeyed. Cale was livid at her audacity, but Dais had convinced him to concede to her wishes.

Since then, he has been researching the numerous scrolls within the Dynasty's extensive library, trying to find a connection between the door and the empire's dark past. But so far, nothing. The only thing he could gather was that the corridor was a hallway that was included in the original construction plan of the castle, but for some reason was never finished.

Our lack of any solid lead is making everyone tense. He eyed Kayura, who had started pacing again across the wood floor. Kayura can't focus on anything other than Sekhmet and everyone else's safety, and Cale is becoming more snappish and withdrawn with each passing hour. With Sekhmet out of commission and himself only half attentive to his own duties, Cale had to cover for the lot of them. And the former Warlord of Corruption was having a hard time of it.

It doesn't help that he and Kayura continue to cross each other. Cale was the one person who would not hold his tongue, whether it be out of propriety or for his own sake. And he had gotten into several arguments with the young Ancient about her negligence, arguments that she was not too appreciative about.

We're falling apart. Dais frowned sadly, shaking his head. One week, and we're falling apart. He had to do something.

Rolling up the scroll he was reading, he tied up the cord and set it aside, his sudden movement grabbing the girl's attention. She stopped pacing once again, gazing at the older man curiously.

"Kayura, why don't you go for a walk?" he suggested.

A raven blue eyebrow rose, confused by the suggestion. "If you didn't want me in the room, you could have just said so."

He shook his head, folding his hands on top of the table. "What I mean is… why don't you take a break. Walk around. Relax…"

A strangled laugh escaped her lips. As if she could really relax walking around the—

"In the Moral Realm."

Her mouth closed, staring at him in shocked bewilderment. "What?"

"Visit downtown Shinjuku," he said. "Walk around the shops… You know, enjoy some of the pleasantries the mortals have to offer."

By this time, Kayura's face was turning red, her hands clutched tightly at her sides. "You want me to enjoy myself while an unknown threat lies within our walls? While everyone is working so hard? While one of my generals lie in a bed, poisoned by an enemy that we know nothing about!?"

"Yes." He nodded his head. "That's exactly what I want you to do."

Now she was speechless.

"Kayura…" Dais began, leaning his elbows on the top of the mahogany wood surface. "We're at a standstill whether we like it or not. There's not much else we can do until we get this cleared up, or at least minimized to a controllable level. Sekhmet's going to wake up in a day or two. I wouldn't be surprised if he woke up right now. His armor's power makes his body resilient against illnesses like this, and the poison has been completely removed from his body." He rose from his seat on the floor, straightening out his clothes in preparation to leave. "When he does wake up, we'll have an easier time figuring this out since he knows more about the castle and its history than I do. Until then, we should take it easy, and not panic." He gave the girl a meaningful look. "You've been on edge since that incident in the Northwest Passage. We'll need your help to get through this, and it won't happen if you're always tense."

She slowly nodded her head, comprehension dawning. His words rang a sense of truth that was absolutely clear to her. "You're right.  I've been more of a hindrance than a help lately."

"It's not your fault," Dais reassured her. "If anything, you took it pretty well."

"Thanks for lying," she laughed, shaking her head. "I think a visit to the Mortal Realm would do me some good." Kayura turned to him. "You and Cale will be alright on your own?"

Dais smiled, recognizing part of the 'normal' Kayura resurfacing again. She was going to be fine. "Yeah. You go ahead. We'll be right here when you get back."

She nodded again, and then left the room.

Dais lingered for a while, studying the properties of the room that he had become so accustomed to for the past two days. He sighed to himself and stepped out of the door.

It wasn't too hard to find Cale. The ex-warlord was in the armory, supervising the inventory count and inspecting some of the weaponry himself. He was in the middle of hearing a report from one of the soldiers that helped him oversee the reconstruction work when Dais stepped into the room, leaning casually against the door frame.

"Busy day, isn't it?"

Cale glanced over his shoulder, realized it was Dais, and turned back to the soldier before him. "Carry on. I'll be there shortly after the arms inspection."

"You know, I could finish up here, if you want," Dais offered.

The man declined. "No thanks. I'm fine on my own."

"Right," he nodded once. "Don't want anyone doing your job." Because that's how Sekhmet got hurt.

Cale stiffened, then laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "No tact at all. I thought you had more diplomacy than that."

"Don't tell me you blame yourself." He chuckled, noting the dark look that crossed Cale's face. "Your guilt trips are worse than Kayura's."

"Thanks for pointing that out to me," he barked, storming up to him. "Next time, wait till I ask for your opinion before shooting off your mouth." With that, Cale walked past Dais, his shoulder brushing roughly against the former Warlord of Illusion. The white-haired man watched him go, a look of exasperation crossing his face. But he didn't pursue him. This was one person that he couldn't reach through words.

The nerve of him. Heavy armor clad footsteps traversed the halls, more menacing with the force of each step, powered by anger… and guilt. Cale snorted, running a hand through his disheveled blue hair. Damn you, Dais. He couldn't hide anything from him. From the Master of Illusions… there was no hiding.

Cale stopped, trying to calm himself. He couldn't very well manage his duties in this state, although that hasn't stopped him in the past before. He took a deep breath, and relaxed. That's when he realized where he was.

He gazed at the entrance to Sekhmet's room, the fusuma slightly open to let some air flow in. Without hesitation, he stepped inside the room.

The lights were dim, soft candles illuminating the room with a hazy sort of yellow. A calm setting. Cale stepped up to the ex-warlord's bedside, watching the young warrior's chest rise and fall in slow, rhythmic breaths underneath the sheets. Though Sekhmet was naturally pale-skinned, there was more color in his face. A good sign. He should be waking up soon.

Cale lowered his head, dark clouds of remorse beginning to rise from the depths of his haggard spirit. "This shouldn't have happened." He gritted his teeth, looking at his fallen comrade in shame. I should have been the one that…

His expression hardened, his nodachi materializing in his hand. "I'll get them," he vowed. "Whoever it is… I'll get them for this."

He bowed once, then turned on his heels and strode out of the room.

Through the dark hallways, past the barricades and spirit wards, Cale entered Death's Frozen Breath, a torch held high in one hand, sword drawn ready in the other.

He walked. Deeper and deeper he went. But unlike the first time, the torch did not burn out. And the energies that had soaked the very air of the passageway, the dark auras that had poisoned Sekhmet, were not present. It was just a simple hallway leading to a sealed door at the end.

Cale stopped in front of the door, eyes narrowed in loathing. He raised his sword and pointed it at the decaying wood. "I know you're in there, coward!!! Come out!!"

There was no reply. Only an eerie silence. He waited.

The torchlight suddenly flickered, disturbed by some unknown wind. Cale watched at the flames battled against its unseen attacker, before the might of the gale was too much, and it was snuffed out.

Darkness enveloped him. Then the hallway burned with black, unholy light, the aligning torch lamps dancing in quiet mockery. Cale gritted his teeth, grabbing the hilt of his sword with both hands. "Come on!!" he cried, challenging the invisible threat that stood before him. "Fight me!!"

As a reply, the door began to creak open. The lights dimmed, the hallway growing darker, and darker as the door continued to open at its leisurely pace, the sound grating on Cale's nerves, making him sweat in anticipation. His breathing became rugged and his knees were weak. What is this? He blinked, starting to feel a dull pounding sensation at his temples. Is this fear?

No. It couldn't be that. As the pain in his head intensified, he knew it couldn't be that.

"Ugh." The nodachi clattered to the floor, Cale dropping to his knees, clutching at his head. This pain… He cried out, the throbbing turning into a stabbing sensation, striking his mind, making his vision double over. This pain… I can't…!

Then the door stopped creaking… And the lights blew out. 

"What were you thinking?!"

There was no reply. Kayura continued to pace back and forth across the room.

"You could have been killed! And you're calling me irresponsible??"

"It was a bad choice, alright," Cale grounded out, his eyes following the Ancient's ever moving form.

They were in Cale's room. All three of them. Dais had found the former Warlord of Corruption lying unconscious at the base of the door several hours after they had first talked. Kayura had found out when she returned, after Cale had come to, that he had gone to the Northwest Passage by himself.

She stopped pacing, looking at the blue-haired man incredulously. "Bad choice?? Cale! I told you not to go near it!!"

"Well, I couldn't wait any longer!" he cried out, rising to his feet. "There is something potentially dangerous within our own castle walls, strong enough to take out an armor bearer, and we're just letting it sit there while we run around like we have our heads cut off! What have we learned since we first discovered its existence?? Huh? Nothing!!"

"Oh, and I suppose running in their blindly is a better alterative?" Kayura crossed her arms, eyes glaring. "Tell me Cale. What have you learned about that door from your little escapade today?" she demanded. "I'm sure we're much more knowledgeable now about our enemy's capabilities than we were ten minutes ago."

"At least I did something!" he yelled.

"Yeah! I'll say you did!" she shouted back. "You risked your life needlessly and possibly placed the rest of us in more danger!!"

That silenced the room.

Cale bit back on his tongue, all comebacks gone from his voice as he stared into Kayura's eyes. That one phrase—that reality—cut him deeper than the pain he felt mere hours ago. Silently, he left the room, slamming the fusuma shut with such force that the walls shook from his departure.

"I think you struck a little too deep," Dais said after a moment.

She sighed softly. "I must really be an idiot if I need you to tell me that." Without another word, Kayura retreated back to her own quarters, leaving Dais alone.

He ran his fingers through his hair, somehow thankful that he didn't have to worry about stress turning the strands white. He shook his head again, gazing around the room. We're falling apart… and I'm stuck playing mediator. He frowned, blowing at some of the snow white locks that fell over his eyes. "Great."

The sliding door of Sekhmet's room opened, closing softly behind the visitor who'd often come to see how the young ex-warlord was doing. Cale leaned against the fusuma, eyes hidden behind his dark bangs as he started at the floor, lost in thought. Kayura was right. He did place them all in danger.

Cale took in breath, suddenly leaning heavily against the back wall, clutching at his chest, then his head. No… No! He slammed his head back against the hard wood frame, sinking down to the floor as a numbing pain engulfed his entire body. He heard the laughter ringing, taunting in the back of his mind. He gritted his teeth. I won't let you!

Panting for breath, sweating like mad, he tried to suppress the pain—suppress the laughter—shutting his eyes tight to the world around him. And soon, it subsided.

Cale placed his palms against his face, pushing back his matted blue hair as his senses slowly returned to him. He had won this battle. So far, so good.

I'm not placing them in danger… I refuse.

[Koji Residence: March 24, 1989]

The air was cool that early spring night. The breeze just a few degrees lower than the temperature outside. It felt great against the young man's face, and he basked in it, enjoying how it swayed around him.

Then the pain came back, and he flinched.

He touched the side of his head, gingerly massaging his temple. The second time today he was overwhelmed by a spitting headache. What's wrong with me?

"Sage?"

He turned around. Mia was standing in the balcony doorway, looking at him worriedly.

"Another headache?" she asked, coming up to his side.

"Yeah," he lowered his hand and leaned against the railing.

"Should we get you to a doctor?"

"No. It's not that bad."

"Are you sure?" She turned to face him. "I'm starting to worry about you. I mean after what happened two days ago—"

"I'm fine," he reassured her, giving her his best smile. "And that incident on Friday was because of the weather."

"The weather?"

He nodded.

Mia raised an eyebrow. "The weather made you pass out with a 101 degree fever."

The way she said it made it sound absurd, even to him, and he turned away from her gaze, pretending to be preoccupied with the view from the balcony. She allowed him his quiet solitude for a little while, both just standing, staring out into the horizon. Then Mia spoke again.

"I think you should see a doctor."

"Mia…"

"To prove that there's nothing wrong." She met his eyes. "Go to a doctor, and show him how healthy you are. …Unless you have something to hide."

"I'm not hiding anything," he replied squarely.

"Then prove it."

"I don't have to, Mia." He sighed, turning half of his body to face her. "People get headaches all the time. And that fever lasted for less than three hours. You're worrying over nothing."

"Am I? …Sage, you told me that, as a child, you got sick a lot."

"And your point is?"

"Well, don't you think it's strange that, since then, you've been perfectly healthy, and it's only now that you're feeling ill? After the Dynasty War?"

His eyes narrowed in contemplation. Just what is she implying?

"I'm just saying that, we should check it out, you know." She smiled a bit, turning her eyes away. "I don't want anything happening to you."

Sage stared at her for a moment, watching as she fidgeted with her fingers distractedly. He looked out across the balcony again, and smirked. "Alright."

Mia blinked, whirling around. "You will?"

"Yeah." He nodded, briefly placing his hand on her shoulder before walking away. "I will."

Mmm… I can't help but smile every time I think of that memory. At that point in time, I didn't know what I felt about that particular Ronin. There was just something there… And I think we both knew it. I guess that's what made me push for him to see a doctor. When he did, however, nothing showed up. Sage was perfectly healthy, as he was trying to prove to me that night at the balcony. But none of us considered that his sudden bouts of illness had to do with events happening in the Nether Realm. It was the first week, after all. True, the guys were still guarded, looking out for signs of a threat from an evil force. It's hard to get used to not having to look behind your back or stay on alert for a possible attack when that's all you've been doing for the last year. But it was the first week… How can anyone carry in their hearts the possibility that something they worked so hard to achieve could spiral downhill so soon so fast? Especially when that thought-to-be unreachable goal of peace was all they ever wanted… was the victory they claimed that day when Talpa was vanquished forever. It's hard to harbor those kind of doubts in your mind when you're so happy. …We should have been more careful. …We should have read the signs.

~+~+~+~+~

A note from the author…

Greetings and salutations!

As you all know, I am Lord Lykouleon. I humbly apologize for not delivering this message to you in person, but as the Dragon Lord, I have business to attend to. Plus my Chief Secretary has banned me from all communication with the outside world. (Alfeegi found out that I sneaked out of the castle that last time.) This chapter was uploaded to you by my Secretary of State, Ruwalk, who is a good friend of mine. (And also more lenient than Alfeegi.) So again, I apologize for not being there in person.

I'd love to know what you think of the story so far. I'm also interested to know if any of the readers out there lean more towards the Ronins or former Dark Warlords. Just want to get a demographic of my audience. And don't worry. Ruwalk will sneak the mail into my office.

Your humble fanfic author,

Lykouleon