Shadow within the Darkness

(Day 9)

By: Little Ucchan

He stopped at the beginning of the hallway, a bit hesitant to travel through. Sage didn't know why. This hallway was the same as all the other hallways he came across. But there was something different.

Holding out the candle lantern that he had found earlier, he waved it around a bit, trying to get a good look ahead of him. The hallways were now dark. All of the lights had died and now he could only see a few feet ahead of him. The rest of the path was shrouded in darkness. Sage didn't like the dark. Having the armor of Halo makes you feel that way.

Venturing forward, he looked from side to side as he walked, making sure that he didn't miss anything. Coming across a door to his right, Sage stopped in front of it. Extending his senses past the wooden door, he checked the room to see if there was any danger before going in. The last thing he'd want was an unexpected surprise.

Turning the knob, he peered into the room. A bedroom. But there wasn't anything special about it. It was probably one of the guest rooms. But he had to make sure. Taking a step forward, Sage held up the lantern to get a better view. It seemed like this room has never been used.

Letting out a sigh, he turned around to leave the room. A very familiar smile greeted him back. He gasped, startled that the little girl was standing in the doorway. Giggling at his reaction, she turned around and ran away.

"Wait!" Sage called after her, pursuing the young princess. Stepping out into the hallway, he stopped for a second when he saw that she was waiting for him outside. Standing farther ahead of him, she continued on her run, occasionally looking back to see if he was following her.

Sage ran after her, amazed at how far ahead that she has gotten in such a short amount of time. But the movements were odd to him. They flowed naturally and slowly. She didn't seem human to him at all, almost like…a ghost.

Swerving to her left, the girl hesitated before entering a room, passing right through the solid door. So Sage was right about her. She wasn't real. But the spirit of the princess must have brought him here for a reason. There was something important in this room.

Reaching for the doorknob, he jerked his arm back when feeling it twitch under his hand. Taking a step back the handle vibrated again. Was there something on the other side? As soon as he had thought this, the knob stopped its rattling. It remained quiet, but Sage could feel it now. The slow heavy breathing. The pulsating of the veins. The low menacing growl of his enemy.

***

The youth strolled across the grassy lawn to the picnic tables. He was in a hurry because he was suppose to have a meeting during lunch, yet he didn't make an effort to get to his destination any faster. Running a hand through his auburn colored hair, he sighed aloud. It was a beautiful day. He didn't want to waste it. But yet the weight of the seriousness of their situation drowned out all forms of peace and serenity that he would normally be able to find in his surroundings.

Stopping for a moment, the boy gazed ahead with sorrowful eyes. He hated fighting. And they were going into their seventh month of peace now. It's been a bit over half a year since they defeated Talpa. But they were being called back again. This just wasn't fair.

War is never fair. Rubbing his wrists with precaution, Cye noted to himself that Rowen was right about the armors taking longer to heal when you get hurt while not wearing it. It wasn't painful anymore, but his wrists and thighs still felt like the monster was squeezing them tight.

Continuing on his walk he tried not to let all of this get to him. He could handle Talpa. But the idea that there was a new enemy out there waiting to destroy the earth was a frightening thought. It was too difficult of an idea for the young Ronin to grasp. An evil force other than Talpa? It just wasn't possible. Or was it?

Approaching the table where Ryo and Kento were at, Cye decided to play it cool. He didn't want to bring the others down with his problems. Besides, he wasn't the only one that was affected by this new threat. He had to keep a level head, for the guys.

"Hey you guys!" Cye greeted, sitting down across from Kento with Ryo on his right.

"Hey Cye," both of them replied.

"Where's Rowen and Sage?"

"They'll be out in a minute," was Ryo's reply.

"I bet I know why they're not here." Both of them stayed quiet to hear Kento's explanation. "Sage probably got mobbed by another pack of girls. I'd be surprised if they got here before lunch is over."

"What was that Kento?"

Startled by the presence of a new voice, and a bit worried because he knew who it was, Kento slowly turned around in his seat. Standing behind him and Ryo was Rowen and Sage. Sage looked a bit annoyed while Rowen was trying hard not to smile.

"Hi Sage!" Kento greeted, pretending that nothing happened. "Didn't think that you would make it."

Leaning over a bit he said to Kento, "You do realize that my #1 priority isn't girls."

"Oh really? You could have fooled me!" Placing his arm around Kento's shoulder, Sage patted it a couple of times…HARD. He didn't mean anything by it, but you could tell that Sage was slightly irritated by Kento's comment, just slightly. Wincing, Kento wondered just when did Sage hit that hard. Kento was much stronger than him and had a bigger build. But then again Sage could swing that long nodachi of his one handed. Looks can really be deceiving.

"Kento, you should really watch what you say around people," Sage warned him, finally letting him go and walking to the other side of the table.

"You're one to talk," Kento shot back. "And were you just threatening me…Halo?" That did it. They never used the titles given to them to call each other by. Not unless they really wanted to piss each other off.

Stopping, Sage called out to him without looking over his shoulder. "Don't temp me Hardrock. I'm warning you."

"Empty threats."

"Do you want to start something?" Sage demanded, turning around to face Kento.

"Bring it on!" he challenged, rising from his seat.

"Hey guys! Chill alright!" Cye cried out, getting in between the two of them.

"Yeah. As much as we'd like to see you two duke it out, save it for another day," Ryo told them. Turning away from Kento, Sage took a seat besides Cye.

Crossing his arms indignantly, Kento mumbled, "Jeez. Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"Well excuse me for being upset," Sage cried. Resting his chin in one hand he looked away towards the school building. "I just wish I didn't have to come today."

"I don't see why any of us are here," Rowen spoke up, sitting next to Sage. "I mean the school was just attacked by a demon. No one will deny that. And there's a huge hole in the wall of the third floor. You'd think that the headmaster would have enough common sense to close the school down for at least a day."

"Yeah but the problem is that our headmaster is lacking in that type of common sense," Ryo commented with a smile.

"What do you thing he's doing there?" Cye asked when he noticed the headmaster standing near the hole looking out towards the campus.

"Probably admiring the view," Kento said, a hint of amusement ringing in his voice. The rest of them had to smile. But the moment was brief. All of them remained silent. None of them really wanted to discuss this topic. They were trying so hard to avoid it, but it was something they couldn't run away from.

Staring back at the damage that was done to the school, Ryo sighed. "Just what happened yesterday you guys?" he asked to no one in particular.

Clearing his throat, Cye began to recall yesterday's battle. "Rowen and I were doing an experiment during Physics class. We felt the monster's presence right before it crashed through the wall. We tried to get everyone out first, but as we were doing so, it used its tentacles to capture us. We weren't able to transform."

Soon Rowen picked up from where Cye left off. "It was going to crush us, but then we felt another presence. Then that cloaked figure appeared. He cut through our bindings and then went after the monster. You know what happened from there." The others nodded.

"But that still doesn't tell us who or what we are dealing with. We don't know who they are or what their purpose is," Kento cried.

"The only clue we have are Sage's dreams," Ryo said. All eyes were suddenly directed on him.

"Have you figured out anything yet?" Rowen asked his blonde companion.

"…No," he sighed. "I haven't found any connection between my dreams and reality other than the fact that the monsters are the same."

"You think we should ask Kayura about all of this?" Cye suggested.

"But it's not Dynasty related," Rowen reminded him.

He shrugged. "You never know. She might have been able to pick up something."

"But there's one problem," Sage stated. "How are we going to contact her?"

He soon got his answer when all four sets of eyes came to rest on him. "Oh no…" he cried, holding his hands up defensively. "Not me!"

"Awww, c'mon Sage! You're the only one who can pull it off since you practice that meditation thing. I mean, how else are we going to reach her?" Kento cried.

"But…" he started to protest.

"Face it Sage. We're totally clueless as to what's going on right now. This is our only option, unless you have a better idea," Ryo cut him off.

"Well…" Rowen began. This had definitely caught everyone's attention. They thought that they had already covered every possible option they had. But this was Rowen that they were dealing with. "We could talk to that guy with the cloak."

Kento's response came soon after all the guys were finished staring at Rowen in disbelief. "Are you serious?!"

"Well, it's our only option other than contacting Kayura. This guy obviously knows what's going on. And we can't depend on the demons to tell us since they are so fixated on killing us," he explained. Leave it up to Rowen to think of a crazy idea and actually make it sound reasonable.

"Do you really think they're after us?" Cye asked. "What about the attack on the city?"

"I really can't be sure. But that demon went straight for us yesterday. And it went directly to our classroom. It wasn't lingering someplace else. If it was, we would have sensed it beforehand."

"Why do you suppose it went for your class, Rowen? We were here too," Ryo questioned.

"Yeah, but the three of us didn't have classes together," Sage pointed out.

"He's right. Remember, our energy output is stronger as a group. It probably was attracted to energy that was emitted by Cye and myself."

"Okay, so maybe they're after us because of our powers as Ronin warriors. But like Rowen said, they won't tell us. And we can't exactly trust that cloaked guy either," Kento told them.

Sage nodded in agreement. "Even though it saved us twice, we don't know what its motives are. Or…if it's even human." The others grew silent. They did remember the energy they felt when they encountered that hooded figure. He had the same energy pattern as the demons. Sage was right. They didn't know if this guy was on their side or not. If it was human…or something else.

"I'll try to contact Kayura tonight," Sage broke the silence that hung over them. "But I honestly don't know if it'll work. Traveling on the astral plane is one thing. But crossing realms is an entirely different story."

"So you don't know if you'll be able to reach her?" Ryo asked.

He shook his head. "I never tried it before."

"Just be careful while you're there okay," Cye warned him.

"You've got nothing to worry about if you think that I'm going to get lost in the spiritual plane. I've done this plenty of times," Sage reassured him.

"Yeah. Sage is an expert when it comes to supernatural stuff like this. Not to mention chasing women," Kento added.

Sage failed to miss that remark and was about to say something very rude, but then stopped. Something was here. Watching them. Suddenly rising from his seat, Sage fixated his keen eyes on the tree situated a few yards away from Ryo and Kento. He didn't tear his gaze away from one of the tree's sturdy branches.

"Sage, what's wrong?" Rowen asked, getting up as well. He didn't respond. Sage could have sworn that something was there. But whatever it was, it was gone now.

"Sage?" Ryo's voice finally broke in.

"Don't worry about it," was his reply to his friends. "It was nothing."

***

Leaning against the outer wall of the school, the cloaked figure from the other day folded its arms. It was impressed, no doubt, about the perceptiveness of that blonde haired boy. He's good. I blended my energy with the surrounding area almost perfectly, but yet he was still able to sense me. Unfolding its arms it quickly left the vicinity. If it stayed there any longer, the boy may still be able to pick up its aura.

Finding another comfortable spot in the shade of another tree, the warrior jumped atop a nearby branch and sat there resting, meditating on what it had just learned. It was far enough from the school it was just at to not be detected, but close enough to sense if something was wrong.

Leaning against the strong trunk for support, it had one leg extended the length of the branch it was on, and the other casually dangled in the air. The Ronin Warriors. It has heard of the legend of the nine armors before, but didn't fully believe it till now. So that explains the disturbances in Shinjuku half a year ago. Everything began to make sense now. But one thing was still unclear to it. Why were the demons targeting them? The hooded character had always believed that the demons were interested in itself. So why go after the Ronins?

Feeling another presence nearby, the warrior tensed. Quickly getting into a crouching position, it scouted the area with its sense to feel out this new presence. A demon.

Narrowing its eyes, it spotted the monster nearly a hundred yards away. But something was different. If the demon wasn't visible from where it was stationed, the cloaked figure would have completely missed it. It was using a technique similar to its own. Blending its aura with the surroundings so it wouldn't be detected. But the technique itself wasn't perfect. You couldn't completely mask your aura, so there was still a bit of it left that someone could detect. That's what the warrior had felt. And that is how that student had located it before.

But why was it hiding its presence. Was the beast searching for something? Another drawback to it was that you couldn't attack unnoticed while performing this technique. Any sudden movement or preparation for an assault naturally builds up one's energy, automatically canceling the effect of the technique. It was only designed for spying.

While trying to decipher what the monster was up to, the hooded figure finally got a bearing on exactly where it was. It's another school. It's looking for someone. It decided to probe the school itself, but it didn't find anything unusual. Looking back at the creature, the warrior debated whether to attack it or not. A dead demon was always a good one. And that would be one less demon for it to worry about.

But it decided against it. The mysterious character was more curious of what the beast was doing here. Besides, it wasn't the one that the warrior was after. It waited a while longer, never tearing its gaze from that one spot where the creature was. And soon enough, it disappeared.

The cloaked figure was a bit startled that the demon would leave just like that. That made the warrior even more interested in what they were looking for. What could be so important that they would just spend their time searching and not cause any havoc? What did they want?

Resuming the position it was at earlier, the mysterious warrior tried to make some kind of sense as to what was going on. Most of the time, they attacked me. Or I attacked them. Either way their battles are always with me. But for the past few days, their targets were someone else. Those five boys. But why?

Gazing back at the school, it finally realized why the demons were so interested in the Ronins. That monster just scouted this school…for energy patterns. It did the same the other day, only it actually found a strong source of energy yesterday. So they're attracted to the energy those warriors are giving off. That's the only possible reason. But those boys aren't involved in this. They're not supposed to be. Standing up from the branch it was sitting on, it knew what it had to do now. This isn't their battle. It's mine.

***

Stretching his hands out above his head, Sage yawned. Homework had really kept him busy the whole day. Detention didn't help any either. But now it was ten o'clock. Maybe this time he could go to bed and get a decent night of sleep.

Sitting down at the edge of his bed, he reached over to his nightstand to turn off his light, in the process catching sight of his armor orb. Stopping midway, he frowned at the glowing green marble, having had reminded him of something else he had to do. Contact Kayura.

Groaning aloud, he picked himself off of his bed and sat down on the floor of his bedroom. Sitting cross-legged and resting his folded hands on top of his legs, Sage prepared himself for the task ahead. Taking in slow deep breaths, it didn't take him long before he was completely calm, physically and mentally. He could feel himself letting go, being separated from his own body. But he made sure that he always had a link back. Once that was confirmed, he began to wander about across the astral plane.

There was nothing in front of him at first. Just endless white. Then color started to enter his vision. Mountains formed and the sky littered with bright stars. He saw several moons scattered across the golden yellow background, and felt the cool touch of the water at his feet.

Sage hadn't meditated in a while now. He only did it when he had free time or felt troubled. So the time or need for doing this never really came up. He had tried it before. Once when the dreams really started to bother him. But all the meditation would do was recap what happened to him already in his dream world.

The area, finally finished formulating, was very pleasing. At least he was at the right place. It was true that the world that appears around you when you meditate only aids in your search for truth. He remembered this place well, from Talpa's Nether world. Hard to believe that a world like this exists amidst the evil Dynasty.

But he didn't have time to admire the beauty of it all. He did the first part successfully. Now all he had to do was find the gate. Or Lady Kayura. Whichever comes first.

Wandering a bit further, Sage soon found what he was looking for. It didn't take him as long as he thought it would. Or rather it didn't seem like it. Time tends to stand still whenever he was meditating.

The gate was just as he remembered it. Tall, and very intimidating. But not anymore. Now that Talpa was gone. But a new threat has arisen. The guys were right. They had to find out what was going on as soon as possible.

Taking a step forward, all he had to do was enter the gate to the Nether realm, then he could get a message to Lady Kayura. She would be able to hear it from there. He could have just sent her the message through the mortal realm, but there was no guarantee that she would receive it in time, or that she would receive it at all. This way was more efficient, although Sage didn't like the idea of crossing realms via spiritual planes. There was always a higher risk when dealing with other realms, but they didn't have any time to waste.

Not slowing down, he continued to walk forward. Even when he felt the atmosphere change and the oppressive heat blowing against his face. What was going on? It felt so hot all of a sudden. This couldn't be good.

His footing wavered a bit under the heat of the energy build up. Where was all of that energy coming from? Still continuing to walk, Sage only felt more resistance. The gate. There was something wrong with the gate.

Unable to continue, he fell to his knees. His hands resting on the floor bottom of the swamp like terrain, and his eyes closed shut to block out the effects of the increase in the amount of energy. But it was too much. The energy emitting for the gate was crushing him. Consuming his own strength, depriving him of oxygen.

Sage's eyes widened in fear as he felt the energy's approach. It was quick, and merciless, slamming into his body at full force, propelling him back. It carried out its job successfully, which was to prevent anyone from entering the Nether realm.

***

*CRASH*

Sage closed his eyes in pain as he was brutally forced back into his physical body, slamming straight into his bedroom wall in the process. He gritted his teeth to stifle a yell when he felt the pain entering his mind, like razor sharp needles. He grabbed the back of his head and tried to suppress the pain he was feeling as much as possible. What the hell was that?! But he had to put his thoughts on hold as he heard the rushing of footsteps from down the hall.

"What was that noise?" he heard his mother yell.

"I don't know. But it came from Sage's room." That was Yayoi.

Scrambling to his feet, Sage knocked over the chair to his desk gently onto the floor and kneeled beside it. Just then, both women had entered his room.

"Sage are you alright," his mother asked worriedly.

"I'm alright, Okaasan," Sage replied, setting the chair back up on its four legs. "I was leaning back in my chair while I was doing my homework. I guess I didn't know how tired I was and fell over."

Getting up from the floor he bowed to his mother. "Sorry for disturbing you."

"It's alright Sage. Just as long as you're okay," his mother assured him.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright Sage?" Yayoi questioned. "I mean it's kinda stupid getting hurt in your own room." Sage just shot her a dirty glare.

"Yayoi!" Mrs. Date scolded her daughter.

"Sorry, Okaasan," she apologized, bowing.

"That's better. And as for you young man…" she started, approaching her son. He thought for sure that she was going to scold him. He didn't know for what though. But that theory was gone when she smiled warmly at him. "Go to bed. It's late and you still have school tomorrow. Is that clear?"

Looking up to meet his mother's gaze, Sage replied, "Yes Okaasan." He then smiled when she started to ruffle his hair playfully.

"Mom!"

"I know. Not the hair," she cut him off with a smile. "Now go to bed."

"Yes Ma'am!" he replied, saluting her. Smiling at her son's antics, she and Yayoi walked out of his room and closed the door gently.

"Are you sure he's alright?" Yayoi whispered to her mother. "That bang sounded louder that his chair falling over."

"It's alright. If there was something wrong, he'd tell us."

"But you know how he is. Even if there was something bothering him, he wouldn't say."

"True. But I don't want to rush him. He knows that we're here for him if he needs anything."

"But Okaasan…"

"Don't worry," she told Yayoi. "Sage will tell us when he's ready." The conversation ended when Yayoi didn't say anything else to protest. She walked to her room as Mrs. Date made her way back to hers. But before leaving the hallway, she turned around to look at Sage's closed door. Just be careful. My little trooper. Silently wishing him goodnight, she left the hallway.

Unknown to the two women, Sage had heard every word that they had said. Stepping away from the door, he smiled. I'll tell you…everything mother. When there's no more threat to this world. I will tell you.