Hello again! I decided it was time for another update, the story is starting to reach its climax, so it's becoming more exciting to write, and hopefully more exciting to read as well!
Disclaimer: To have hadacquired therights to RW, I would probably have to call it YST, andI would probably have to be a Japanese person... and I'm not...
Part IX: Destiny
"Tell me Badamon, why did Talpa abduct these girls?" Kubi asked, sitting before the demon priest in a cave deep within the Dynasty.
"Talpa may have been foolish, but he was never stupid. He had the good sense to abduct Kayura in order to harness the powers of the Ancient's clan – of course that did not work out exactly. He lured the four Dark Warlords to his side with promises of power and greatness, and he would have had the five Ronin Warriors as well, except that they refused his bribes, and their armors could not be controlled once they had been released," Badamon explained.
"You still have not answered my question," Kubi responded.
"If I answered now, it would just ruin the whole surprise," Badamon whispered, more to himself than to Kubi. Badamon was not one to switch sides so easily. His allegiance would forever be with Talpa, and if that meant he would get to watch Kubi's plans blow up in his face, then so be it.
"What, are you going to make me guess?" Kubi insisted. "Tell me Priest!"
"Do you remember the three clans of demons who took the name of the Hisa-Me a thousand years or so ago?" Badamon asked.
"Yes… how is that relevant?" Kubi asked, frowning.
"Perhaps it is relevant, perhaps it is not, you will just have to wait and see," Badamon laughed, disappearing.
Kubi frowned in Badamon's wake, wondering what the creepy priest meant by that. Kubi's frown deepened as he began to question whether Badamon was truly his ally.
Kayura was angry, very angry. She tore through her room, throwing magical items, overturning furniture, ripping the tatami mat flooring with her bare fingers.
"Temper, temper," a woman's voice chided, echoing off of the white walls. Kayura's nostrils flared in anger. "Although, when faced with rejection, I suppose most women react this way."
"Who's there? Tell me!" Kayura demanded, looking around the dark room. The silhouette of a woman in a full kimono showed against the shoji screen door. The woman stepped forward. Her hair was red, and she wore a deep black and crimson kimono. "Lady Scarlet?" Kayura asked. "What do you want!"
"Just to let you know what I've seen," Lady Scarlet replied. Her face was round, with a flat nose, and a wide mouth with full lips. It was well known throughout the Dynasty that Lady Scarlet was psychic. However, her sadistic nature kept many from seeking her guidance.
"And what have you seen?" Kayura asked.
"That Rowen of the Strata will never love you," Scarlet responded, her voice dripping with false compassion. She waited for her words to sink in, studying Kayura's face.
"You… you said Rowen wouldn't love me… how… why…" Kayura said, her voice shaking.
"Oh my dear sweet Kayura, you're so blind to the shadows of the past, and the future. There is a woman that Rowen will come to love very much, one he has loved ages before – in another life, and she's not you…" Lady Scarlet smiled evilly.
"Who is she? Tell me!" Kayura demanded, standing and staring up at Lady Scarlet's dark eyes.
"Are you sure you want to know?" she asked. Kayura nodded. "Very well then." Scarlet leaned forward and whispered into Kayura's ear.
"No!" Kayura protested. "That isn't possible! No, you're lying!" Kayura backed away from her, her hands out in a defensive stance.
"I am not lying, and you know it. The question is, what will you do about it?" Scarlet paused, studying Kayura's thoughtful expression. "Aha! I know what's going on in that disturbing little mind of yours! You mean to kill the girl, before Rowen can meet her, so he'll never fall in love with her!" Scarlet laughed. "Women, they're all the same aren't they? But Kayura, as the new "Ancient One", you cannot kill. The only thing your power could do is push those two together. But if I know you, you'll do whatever it takes, whatever it takes to make Rowen love you, won't you?"
"Yes, yes I will," Kayura replied. Her eyes were filled with a strange light.
Lady Scarlet smiled. "Good, make him yours," she said. Then she disappeared.
"I will destroy her, and make Rowen love me," Kayura said.
That night, Rowen invited Sage to his apartment. Sage appeared at the door precisely on time, he seemed apprehensive. Sage was wondering if Rowen wanted to talk about the secret Kayura mentioned, or Kayura herself, and the scene at the café. Rowen was wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans when Sage entered the apartment. Sage pulled his shoes off and followed Rowen into the kitchen. Rowen gestured for Sage to sit down at the table, and then sat down himself.
"Is this about Kayura…" Sage began.
"No, this has nothing to do with her, I don't even want to think about her." He paused, and then picked up an already-opened envelope from the Hachime Prep School, and handed it to Sage. "I think you deserve to know," he said.
Sage took the envelope, looking at Rowen inquisitively. At a nod from Rowen he pulled out a letter on expensive paper and began to read. "Wow," he said when he finished. "Wow, that's great!" However, there was a tone of sadness in Sage's voice. "Are you… are you going to go?" he asked quietly.
"You know, a few months ago I would have been ecstatic to receive this letter," Rowen said. "I was actually planning on taking their entrance exam, but something stopped me… I had this feeling that I shouldn't leave Toyama… Of course now we know why, I needed to be here for the battle. But then… I got a letter from them a while before Talpa. They had seen some of my test scores and wanted me to take their cram school course to see if I could be accepted into their school. At that time I wanted nothing more than to leave Toyama, and going to a Tokyo prep school would be a perfect out. So I enrolled. I just finished it last week, before that dinner with Kayura at Mia's house."
"So then… every time you've told us that you were at science expos or whatever, you were lying?" Sage asked, hurt.
Rowen nodded. "I just didn't want you guys to know, I wasn't sure how you'd react, but there's no ignoring it now."
"What are you going to do?" Sage asked.
"Are you mad?" Rowen countered.
"What?"
"Are you mad that I didn't talk to you about this? Before I mean…"
"Well we didn't even know each other well when you started taking the class, and then I can see why you wouldn't tell everyone, but I do wish that you had told me. It hurts, that you thought you couldn't trust me with this," Sage responded honestly.
"That's not why, it doesn't have anything to do with trust. I just wasn't sure what I was going to do, and I didn't want anyone to know until I'd made my decision. It's weird; I never thought this was going to be such a hard decision. I never had anything keeping me here, no friends, no one who meant a lot to me, my parents drift in and out of my life, and everyone else is just an acquaintance. I never thought I would have so many people in my life who are so important to me, you guys – you, Sai, Ryo, Kento, Mia – you all mean so much to me. I don't think I could bear to leave here just because of everyone. So I made my decision, I'm turning down this prep school, and staying in Toyama."
Sage smiled with relief. "I'm so glad…" he said. "When you showed me the envelope… I was scared… that you were going to leave… I've never had a friend like you before Rowen… I don't want to lose you…" There was a strange tone to Sage's voice, and a faraway look in his eyes, which inspired Rowen's next question.
"Sage, is something going on, is something about to happen?" Rowen asked, frightened by Sage's tone.
"I think so, I can feel it, evil is growing…" Rowen's eyes opened wide. "I don't want anything to happen to you Rowen, I want to protect you… I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you…"
"Me too…" Rowen breathed, picturing Kayura's evil energy, and her anger. He shook the image out of his mind. Then he glanced at the letter in Sage's hand. He took it, and in three quick motions ripped it into pieces. Then he scattered the pieces on the floor. "I'm not leaving," he said with a smile. Sage smiled back.
Aw, isn't that scene with Sage and Rowen touching? Now, don't any of you get any strange ideas, they're just good friends...
Hmmm I wonder who Rowen's future love is? Oh wait, I already know...
I hope you all enjoyed it! Come back next time to find out what Kayura does!
