As usual, I do not own anything except for Kubi, Katie, Sarah, and the events in this story.


Part VIII: The Future

As the evil power inhabiting Lady Kayura began to grow, Kubi furthered his plans to conquer the Nether Realm. He had managed to gain control over the armies of darkness, the Nether Spirits, and had gained allegiance from most of the Warlords. Kayura however, did not even try to stop him. The three former dark warlords dared not raise a weapon against Kubi, knowing it would be their destruction. Kayura refused to see any of them, spending her time either fending off, or inviting in, the darkness around her.

Meanwhile, Kento and Mia had been discussing, at length, the situation with Kayura. "Kento… what should we do?" Mia asked.

"I'm not sure there is anything we can do," Kento responded honestly. "We could tell Rowen, but how would that help? It would just make him paranoid."

"But remember what she said, she'd find a way to make him hers, what if she does something to him?" Mia questioned.

"I don't think she would. I mean, she's like, obsessed with him and stuff, but I don't think she'd do anything to him. She may be a little unstable, but she is an Ancient."

"I know, I just do not want to regret not telling him later…" Mia murmured.

"I'll talk to Sai, get a third opinion on this thing," Kento reassured her.

"Should we tell Ryo?" Mia asked.

"I don't know, I think Ryo will probably just defend her, or blame himself," Kento laughed. "I'll clue in Sage too. Don't worry about it Mia, everything is going to be fine. We are the Ronin Warriors after all. We beat Kayura once, and, if it comes down to it, which I really hope it doesn't, we can beat her again." Kento winked at Mia, and then left the mansion.

"Yes… but what if you're too late…" Mia whispered.

Kayura's face turned bright red as she thought of her encounter with Rowen the night before. "I came on too strong… I was too pathetic… I have to try again…" Kayura whispered to herself. The dark power that consumed her made her feel strong, and sure of herself. Kayura stood up and examined herself in the mirror. She stood perfectly straight, her head upright in confidence. She waved her hand in front of herself, creating a violet glow. When it disappeared she was standing in a pair of cuffed short shorts, which revealed the expanse of white skin on her legs, a purple T-shirt that ended just slightly above her navel, and a denim jacket. She secured a purple bow in her hair, and re-tied the sneakers that had appeared on her feet. "There, might as well approach Rowen like any other human girl would. No more kimono, he did not find it alluring last time, maybe he prefers this."

Rowen heard a knock at his door. Puzzled that someone had gotten to the door without buzzing first, he pulled his crystal out of his pocket and slowly approached. Wishing there was a peephole on his door, he stopped before it, and then quickly opened. He was more than a little stunned to see who stood there. "Kayura?" he asked. This was not a Kayura he had ever seen before, she was dressed like a modern person, and, wow, she was showing a lot of skin.

"Rowen… do not say anything. I wanted to tell you that I am very embarrassed about what happened the other night. I do not know what came over me. However, to make up for it, I would greatly appreciate it if you would join me for some coffee," Kayura proposed.

Rowen was unsure of what to do. After her little display of insanity the other night, he found it hard to trust her. The coffee might just be a trick. He could still sense the evil in her, however, he did not know if it would be worse to refuse, or to go. He finally gave in to curiosity and agreed. "Just let me grab my shoes and keys," he said. He did not invite her in. Kayura waited patiently outside of the door. She tried not to stare at him, but she could not help herself, he was so gorgeous.

He joined her in the hall, and the two exited the building together. They walked in uncomfortable silence for a while, once they had gotten to the café, and ordered their coffee, Kayura spoke, "It is so good to get out of the Dynasty. It can be beautiful, but I have spent most of my life there, yet this is the world I was born into, the world I was meant to live in."

"It must be strange, having to deal with the two different worlds, and the life that was stolen from you," Rowen responded.

"I sometimes wonder what would have happened if the Dynasty had not kidnapped me and destroyed the village. I probably would have grown up, gotten married, and had a very nice life. Now, everything is so unclear. I feel like I do not really belong in either world. I still have the same dream as every other girl; marriage to a wonderful man," she paused here and looked at Rowen. "…children, a happy life, growing old with the person I love the most."

"Do you see that in your future?" Rowen asked, trying not to think about the amorous look she gave him when she said "wonderful man."

"It all depends…"

"On what?" he countered.

"On you…" she whispered. He heard her, and looked away. Once again they were surrounded by silence.

"Kayura…" he began. She turned toward him, and suddenly he could not speak. Her eyes were hard and cold; he had seen those eyes before. "What could you possibly have to gain by playing the hero?" He heard her voice in his mind. And that was when he knew, his instinct had been right on all along, she was indeed turning into Lady Kayura again. However, what did that mean for him?

Kento relayed the story of Mia's fight with Kayura to Sage and Sai. They were in a large, outdoor café in Toyama, sitting in the corner. "She's worse than I thought…" Sage whispered.

"She's that obsessed with him?" Sai asked. "That's horrible…"

"For Rowen, or for her?" Kento asked, his eyebrows raised.

Sai chose to ignore that comment, and continue. "So, by the way she disappeared, did you and Mia come to the assumption that she is evil again?" Sai asked.

"I don't know dude, but she was definitely using some evil power. That doesn't mean that she is evil."

"Either way, evil magic is evil, she can so easily be corrupted, having grown up on the stuff. I think we have to make sure that she stays away from Rowen," Sage declared.

"Well, I think we're too late for that," Kento said, gesturing to the other end of the seating area. The two Ronin followed his gaze, and to their surprise and horror, saw Kayura and Rowen sitting together.

Rowen, though he could scarcely bear to admit it, was scared. He had no idea what Kayura was going to do, the power in her, the coldness in her eyes, all told Rowen that she could turn on him in an instant, make him regret not falling in love with her. He stayed silent, his eyes fixated on Kayura's hands, lest she attempt to attack him.

"So Rowen, do you like my outfit?" Kayura asked, her voice charismatic.

"It's very… um… western," Rowen managed to choke out. Kayura took his hesitation to nervousness, an early stage of attraction, and responded with giggles.

"Kayura," Rowen suddenly said harshly. "I can't do this. Like I told you the other night, I do not love you, nor will I ever."

"You do not know that for sure!" Kayura cried. "You could love me, in time! Please, do not give up on this before it has begun!"

"You have to stop this, rid yourself of that evil power, and find yourself someone else to lust after!" Rowen shouted. He turned and quickly stormed out.

"Rowen!" she called. Rowen moved faster at the sound of his name, worried that she would pursue him. She did not.

Sage, Kento, and Sai watched Rowen run, and then turned their attention to Kayura. Tears flowed down her cheeks, her mouth formed into a snarl. Without regard for secrecy, she disappeared.


Ooohhh, what will Kayura do now?

I'm not sure if that was the best spot to end it or not. However, I really want to finish this story, so I can work more on the next ones. It's starting to wind down now!

I hope you all enjoyed, keep your eyes out for the next update, and keep those reviews coming!

Sarah Shima