Okay, another update! This one was a little late . . . XD Sorry! I was working on a CG all weekend. XD XD Hope you enjoy!

Kyia Star- Thank you! I'll edit that as soon as I can. XD I knew something about it looked funny!

Kaeru Soyokaze- Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked the history so much; it was fun to write!

Loki- Thank you! I'm honored. XD

Lady Rhian Knightmage- lol, it's okay! I'm sure you were very busy. XD Thanks for all of the mini-reviews! And the tips weren't harsh at all. XD I'm trying to keep the diologue pretty modern on purpose, but I'm going to go back and re-edit all of the chapters soon! So, maybe then some of the diologue might change . . . Dunno! XD But, I like modern diologue better than . . . umm . . not so modern diologue, so I wanted to use it. XD lol!

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"A Croteal," Tatara muttered as the reptile monster turned it's body around, crawling on all fours out of the room and onto the street. It was so tall it had to bend itself a little so it wouldn't hit the ceiling; it's one eye focused on the small group ready to fight it, specifically seeing past the group of four to the fifth member: The Priestess of Byakko.

'Get ready,' a whisper etched into it's mind, and it's eye grew wide as it's claws broke into the trampled dirt as it prepared to charge. The crowd behind the party scattered in fear, loud screaming and rushed shouting calling out in all directions. However, the ones protecting the Priestess stood their ground.

"What should we do?" Lanva said to the other two, knowing his fists wouldn't be of much help. "That things'- what'd you call it Tatara, a Croteal- skin looks a little too tough for my Martial Arts to be any good."

"Don't worry," Danko said, her voice void of fear. She shifted her spear so it pointed towards the creature, and she held it this time with both hands, looking ready for the challenge. She turned her face to Tatara, though her body remaining frozen. "What about you? You a Martial Artist too?"

"No," Tatara replied, taking the long, beaded necklace he wore in his hands. He picked off four of the beads and tossed them onto the ground between the Croteal and the party, forming a square. "Be prepared to attack on my cue."

Although she didn't understand, Danko nodded, looking back over to the creature and preparing for it's attack. "Okay buddy, whatever you say . . ."

'Go! Kill the Priestess of Byakko!'

Rapidly the Croteal charged, digging it's claws and pushing hard, forcing it's body to run at top speed. The dirt its' claws dug into flew up into the air, dirtying the area around it. Danko held her spear tightly, waiting for whatever clue the man next to her had set for her to fight. Looking at the creature sprinting towards her she tensed in anticiptation. She squeezed her weapen even tighter. 'Waiting, waiting . . .'

"Now!" Tatara shouted, and the symbol on his left hand glimmered a bright, gorgeous white light. The seeds that he threw onto the street spread open wide and grew quickly, grabbing hold of the Croteal that had run between them. The first two seeds, which cultivated into thick stalks in what felt like the blink of an eye, grabbed hold of the monster's front legs, constricting it and forcing it into a startling halt.

The other two didn't aim for the other available legs but instead wrapped around it's body, growing even more bulky and fat until no matter how much it clawed at the ground, trying to push itself free, it would have been impossible. It was completely caught in a net of weeds wrapped around it, the roots of the plnts ingrained deep into the ground.

"You!" Danko shouted, not throwing her spear to attack it as planned. Her eyes were wide as she watched the flora continued to solidify themselves tighter and tigher, then she looked at the symbol on Tatara's hand. She relaxd her legs and let the javelin hold to her side instead of in front of her. She was amazed. "You're really a . . . a . . ."

"A Byakko Warrior," Tatara finished for her, and she gulped and nodded. "Now, use your weapon to fight now. It should be easier."

"What?"

"Your sharp thingy," Lanva implied, pointing at the stick and then to the creature. He cupped one hand over his mouth and whispered into her ear, using his other hand to spot out the monster that was right before them. "He wants you to stab it."

"I know that!" she shouted, elbowing his face. Trying her best to regain her composure and her pride, she lowered her knees and held her spear high into the air, getting ready to pounce and dig it deep into the face of the now struggling reptile. Once again, she prepared, getting her mind mentally ready for the kill, the moment, the movement. She was just about ready to attack when for a second time her concentration was broken.

"Stop!"

Suzuno looked past Subaru, who was still insisting she hold and her face flushed when she saw the black haired man approach them. He was dressed only in a thin, dark brown robe that reached his feet, only showing off his coffee colored boots. He walked past them all until he was inbewteen them and the Croteal, standing as if he were ready to stop a brawl. Suzuno was once again fascinated by how confident he looked, and when she caught his glace, he beamed.

"Priestess of Byakko," he said, nodding his head a little as if bowing. "It's an honor to see you again."

"W-Wait," Subaru said in a nervous voice, her arms around Suzuno's shoulders gripping further. "How did you know she was the Priestess?"

'That's right!' Suzuno thought, a shock running through her system. 'I didn't tell this man anything, so how could he have out of the blue . . .?'

"The Priestess . . .?"

Danko whirled her head around to look at Suzuno, who couldn't see very well since her face was pressed into Subaru's chest, like a mother protecting her daughter. But instead of her eyes growing large, they instead grew determined, and Danko readied herself to fight for a third time; this time, her aim was at the black haired man.

"You!" she shouted, her voice full of fury. "I knew it; you just happened to come when the first Toroki appeared and easily defeated it in the dark when no one was around! Then, a second comes and you're here again!"

"Wait!" Lanva cut in, looking between the young female to the mysterious man. "What are you talking about? Are you saying this guy . . .?"

"Yeah! This man has been causing the Toroki's to appear all over Kutou and Sairou!"

The man didn't seem shocked in the least, or if he was he didn't show it. He just kept up with his attractive smile. The first move he made wasn't one to charge at his newfound enemies, but instead he took a few steps back until he was dangerously close with the jaws of the Croteal; while it was binded by body, it's mouth was not covered, and it's teeth looked sharp enough to rip even this mans' limbs off.

"Priestess," he began, now hopping onto the back of the creature, which whined a little as the toe of his boot stepped hard onto a brutal cut. He stood high on top of it like he was on an altar, looking down at the gathering of five, though his powerful eyes were staring down at the specifically at Suzuno. "I know who you are, and I know your every move, thanks to the power of Byakko."

"What!" everyone had said together, their heartbeats speeding in unison. He didn't chuckle, he didn't nod in approval. Was this man really . . .?

"Rua!" he suddenly shouted, pulling a sword out from underneath his robe and slicing the vines that constricted the Croteal with ease. The moment he spoke he jumpd off and landed on the ground next to it, and the symbol on the monster's back glowed brighter than ever. It suddenly growled loudly, then as if what he said were a command he ran away towards the outskirts of Midoru, not even bothering to look at passerby creatures.

The man walked over to the group calmly, as if he didn't understand the fact that they were enemies, and walked past the three that were on guard. He stopped before Subaru and Suzuno, and while she held tighter for just a moment, it was the Priestess who pushed away. Something about him made her want to stand on her own, stare into his eyes. His feel, his secure aura was so overwhelming. He smiled.

"You're not ready," he told her, and she tried hard not to turn her determined expression into a frown. "But the day that you are is the day the real Toroki will accompany you."

These things he said out loud, but he bent down low and whispered a little something extra into her ear, before casually giving her a kiss. He stood straight again and walked off as if it were another day, no one stopping him. He waved a hand, though since his back was turned they couldn't see the expression that came along with it. "Farewell, Priestess!"

"That bastard," Lanva muttered, his fists balling tightly. "Who does he think he is!"

"Why didn't you run after him!" Subaru snapped, slapping the back of his head. "He looks like a killer!"

"Ow! Dammit! Look, for once I'm not in the mood for this sadism right now, okay?"

"What!"

"That man," Tatara muttered, though it grabbed everyone's attention. He was staring down the path where he had walked, as if he were memorizing every step he took as he had gone away. He was completely out of view now. "Was he Toroki of the Byakko seven?"

"It sounds like it," Danko agreed, nodding. Her eyes trailed the same path for just a moment, then fell to the ground. "But Rua . . . I feel like I've heard that name before . . ."

"It's a name?" Lanva asked, already completely forgetting about his argument with his fiancee. She nodded. "But I thought it was a command in some sort of funny langauge or something?"

"No, it's definately someone's name . . . But . . ." She held her spear with one hand, the other palm pressing against her eye, as if he were pushing her brain to remember. "Damn! I can't remember if it's a famous persons' name or if it belongs to someone I really know . . ."

While Tatara was wondering about the meaning behind the name 'Rua', what made him more curious was the fact that he seemed to literally command the creature with the Toroki symbol on it's neck. "Could we have found the fourth warrior . . .?"

"We didn't."

Everyone, Tatara, Danko, Subaru and Lanva whipped their head around to stare as Suzuno, who's eyes seemed almost frightened. Her eyes were lined with tears, though she hadn't yet started to cry.

"Suzuno!" Subaru said, raising her voice as though she was filled with worry. Instead of hugging her like she had been, she grabbed hold of the girls' hands, holding them together while looking her straight in the face. "What's wrong? What did he say to you?"

"H-He said . . ." she started, and her voice was shaking, as if fighting back the will to cry was taking in all of her might. She coughed, and Subaru cringed at an odd scent that came from her mouth. "He . . . s-s-s-aid . . . He . . ."

She coughed harshly again, then unexpectedly she shut her eyes and fell limply down. Tatara was the one to catch her, quickly kneeling down and holding out one of his arms just in time before she could hit the ground. They all crowded around her while he felt her head.

"She has a fever," he told everyone, "It might be from exhaustion. . ."

"No," Subaru said. She was sure of it. "That guy . . . when he kissed her, he gave her something. I could smell it."

"Dammit!" Lanva shouted, slamming his fist into his other palm. He gritted his teeth in anger. "And we just let him do it too! What were we so scared of?"

"We can let her rest in my house in the guest room," Danko said, also kneeling like she was ready to pick her up. Tatara unconciously nudged the arm that held Suzuno a little closer towards him, making the younger woman back away a bit. "My grandma will take care of he- Oh no!"

She abruptly stood and ran hastily through the door to her house, and her loud, frantic stomping could be heard on the street because of the large hole on the side. There was a pause and a sort of muffled shout, then another trace of stomps and the door was slammed open again. Standing there with a relieved smile for only a brief moment, she stepped out of the way to show everyone her grandmother.

"She's okay," Danko said, her grin growing wider and wider. "Come on in you guys! It's a little breezy with the hole, but I hope you'll be fine here."

"Yes," Subaru agreed, pushing a little on Suzuno's back as Tatara lifted her in his arms, as if she wanted to hold her body steady. While she already had approval from the younger resident, she was the first to run to the door and bow deeply before her elder. "Please, ma'am! I'm the Byakko Warrior, Subaru. If we could just use a room until Suzuno is well again . . .?"

There was a pause between them, but Danko's Grandmother nodded and pushed the already open door wider a little more and held out her hand, graciously waiting for them all to come in.

X x x x x

And the next Warrior was almost revealed! XD Good Gosh, how long am I going to wait? It's soon, I tell you! Like, within the next tne chapters! –Everyone glares- But it is . . . And the next Warrior will come even sooner! I'm sure anyway. XD I haven't written that part. Well, I hope you enjoyed! And the mysterious black-haired guy steals a kiss! How evill! XD