Shadow within the Darkness

(Day 10 – Part 1)

By: Little Ucchan

He didn't really want to open the door without some kind of plan. He knew that his enemy waited on the other end, and that the disadvantage was on his side. Lacking any kind of weapon other than the lantern he had, all that Sage had to rely on was his instincts. He just hoped that he could fight in such a confined area.

Taking a deep breath, he gripped the handle of his lantern tightly. Slowly wrapping his fingers around the metal knob, he waited. Waited till the beast was aware of his presence. His body remained tense as he felt the aura slowly approaching the door. The adrenalin coursed through his veins as every muscle strained in readiness.

Wait for it. The monster was three yards from the door. Wait for it. Two yard. Sage could now feel the beast's aura emanating through the closed door. One yard. One more step. That's all Sage needed. Just one more step closer. He felt the energy hesitate. Then it moved again towards the door. Now! Turning the knob as fast as he could, Sage slammed the door open, the solid edge colliding with the monster.

Reeling back in pain, the creature screamed out in agony, clutching its jaw with both of its claws. But before Sage could continue with his assault, the demon lunged at him. One claw outstretched, it swiped down on him, hoping to tear out some flesh. Sage quickly backed up into the hallway. But the demon was still on the move. On instinct Sage swung his right arm, striking the creature in the head with the lantern he was holding.

The beast screamed out again on impact and fell back against the wall due to the weight of the blow. Looking at the lantern that he was still holding, or what was left of it, Sage couldn't believe how thick of a skull that thing had. The metal frame was caved in completely and the fire that had illuminated the room was put out for good.

Somewhat safe for a few seconds, it surprised Sage to see that the monster he was fighting was not like the ones he's seen so far. This one was smaller. A bit shorter than he was, but not at full height. It was skinnier too. More stealth like, and only had its claws and teeth as weapons. But this thing was fast. Always on edge, and always ready for more.

Growling at Sage menacingly, it made another attempt on an attack. As a reaction, the Ronin threw the remains of the lantern at the monster. It batted the metal piece away easily with one strike from its razor claws, tearing through it like glass. But this was enough of a distraction that Sage needed. Entering the room the monster originated from, he slammed the door shut, successfully locking his opponent out. But preventing him from escaping the confinements of the room.

Sighing, he quickly examined the room. Why did the princess want him to come in here anyway? This room looked just like the last one he was in. So what was so special about it? But before Sage could think about the matter any further, he felt the full strength of the beast as it tried to break into the room.

In an instant, he found himself sprawled on the floor. It was so strong. Strong enough to have thrown the Ronin back even though he was on the other side of the door. Sage began to lift his body off of the floor, but instead heard the sound of splintering wood and the metal hinges being pulled apart as the only barricade that stood between the two combatants was finally removed.

Looking back at the door, Sage was just in time to see the demon heave it up over its head and chuck the heavy wooded object straight at him. He dove across the marble floor, barely missing being crushed by the door. But that wasn't all that was in stored for him. With a giant leap the beast was airborne, its claws stretched out in front of it, aiming directly at Sage.

*SLASH*

The monster's claws sunk into the hard marble floor where Sage had once been. He had jumped back when he saw the demon coming and had landed a few feet away. But that wasn't enough distance. It attacked again. Having lost his speed and running space due to the last two skirmishes, Sage was only able to sidestep out of the way, barely missing the claw that would have ripped through his stomach. However, he wasn't prepared for the backhand to the chest that he received.

Sage had the wind knocked out of him when the blow slammed his body into a corner. Holding onto the wall to stop himself from falling over, he eyed the beast warily. There was something wrong. He was seeing two of them. Shaking his head slightly and blinking a couple of times, he tried to straighten out his vision. Damn! That hit was strong!

Bearing its long rows of teeth at the young warrior, it approached him slowly, believing it had won. Caught in a corner, Sage had nowhere else to run. It took another step closer, and then another. As it continued to advance, all he could do was back up against the wall. He couldn't help it. It was a natural reaction.

Giving out a shriek of a battle cry. It charged straight for its prey. Sage leaned even more of his weight against the wall. Anything to try and get away…but escape was impossible.

*CLICK*

What? He heard the noise come from behind him. And the wall that confined him somehow gave way. Sage felt his support vanish as he fell back away from the beast. But not before it had drawn blood from the boy, striking him across his chest as he stumbled back into darkness.

The image of the monster grew smaller and more distant. Sage was only aware of his body's fall through the air, his own cries of fear, and the pain he felt through his blood soaked shirt.

***

Sage tossed and turned in his sleep, more in a need to escape than in restlessness. His pillows were scattered across the floor and his blankets, pushed aside earlier that night, were tangled around his legs. Moving again, he gasped, trying to get needed oxygen back into his lungs. His face was littered with sweat as he continued to struggle in his sleep.

Whipping his head to the side, Sage continued to move this way and that. His whole body felt hot on the inside. Right under his skin. Inhaling again, his hand moved to grab his chest. It was burning, as if his lungs had been set on fire. Taking in more shallow breaths, Sage couldn't take it anymore. It was hurting him so much. This pain. He needed to get away. But how?

His other arm dangling at the edge of his bed, Sage felt a cool sensation envelop his arm. The source, a gentle breeze circulating through his room from the open window. It felt good against his hot tortured body. He unconsciously moved closer to the source, desiring only to put out this raging fire he felt consuming his very being, burning him alive.

His feet pressed awkwardly against the bedroom wall and the rest of his arm and head already over the edge of his bed, Sage was dangerously close to falling over. So much that soon enough he…

*THUD*

He cringed at the dull numbness that entered his head followed by the same familiar pain that he has been experiencing an awful lot of lately. Just how many times has he been hit on the head this past week?! Feeling unbearably uncomfortable, Sage opened his eyes to see the ceiling patterns of the room at a much lower viewpoint from what he had been used to. Half of his body was on top of the bed only because his blankets were still intertwined between his legs. He couldn't say the same for the rest of his body. Sage's back lined the side of his bed, his arms were lying lifelessly on the hard wooden floor, and his neck felt like it would snap any minute.

Quickly kicking off the rest of his blankets, he flipped over to the ground. Getting to his feet, Sage stumbled forward dizzily. It must have been the blood rush to the brain when he was hanging over the side of his bed. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he steadied himself, waiting a few moments until his balance was certain. Sighing in exhaustion, Sage took a seat on his bed.

What a rough night! First he couldn't get into the Nether realm and was literally thrown out. Then he gets attacked in his dreams and nearly dies…yet again. Not to mention that he still doesn't know what any of this means. Plus Sage gets hurt for the second time that night in his own room. And his chest still felt like it was burning.

Pulling on the front of his shirt, Sage lifted it up slightly to cool down his skin. It was hot to the touch when he pressed the palm of his hand against his stomach. But what was odd to him was that some areas were distinctly hotter than the rest. Looking down he noticed, even in the darkness, the red mark located slightly above his abdomen.

Shocked, Sage moved to the mirror, hastily taking off his shirt. Staring at the reflection in front of him, he couldn't believe what he saw.

"Oh god…"

Three long gashes marred his chest. Scars of wounds he was certain he had never received before. Fingering one of them absently, his expression of worry and confusion grew even more apparent as the marks grew hotter at his touch, almost stinging his skin. But soon enough, the wounds ceased to exist, fading back into Sage's chest. But the burning was still there. Looking through the glass at himself, only one question escaped his lips.

"What's happening to me?"

***

"Are you serious Sage?" Ryo questioned. Running into him on the way to school, he was eager to know how Sage's rendezvous in the Nether realm went. What he heard wasn't quite what he had expected.

The young man nodded. "Something forced me out. It's almost as if…" he paused, trying to word what he was about to say correctly. "…there was some kind of magical seal on it. Whatever had thrown me out was protecting the gate from intruders."

"Protecting…from intruders?" Ryo was having a hard time letting this entire thing sink into his brain. The account of what had happened to Sage when he had gone to contact Kayura just didn't seem right. Something about this didn't fit in.

"You're joking, right?" He wanted to make sure that all that Sage was telling him was true. But Ryo didn't know him to be a liar. He couldn't possibly be making this up. However, his doubt on the subject was due to the fact that he didn't want to believe it. If what his companion said was true, then someone must have placed the seal on the gate. But who? And more importantly, why?

"I wouldn't joke about something like this Ryo," he assured the Ronin leader as they entered the gate to the front door of the school.

"Well then can you try another gate or something? We still have those demons to deal with."

"I don't know." The change of tone in his voice and the way that Sage refused to make eye contact with him led Ryo to believe that he wasn't so keen on doing this again.

With a sly grin, he tried his luck on the subject. "Don't tell me you're chicken."

Cocking an eyebrow suspiciously at Ryo's direction he replied with a simple no. "It's a waste of time for me to go looking for another one. It's not like I choose which gate to go to. Besides, what if the other gates have protective seals on them as well?"

A bit disappointed, but not at all surprised at Sage's ability to keep a cool manner, Ryo still continued to try his luck at convincing him to make a second attempt.  "But you don't know that for sure."

"C'mon Ryo. What are the chances of out of all of the Dynasty gates out there, that I would pick the one with a defensive barrier on it?"

He shrugged. "Bad luck I guess."

"Ryo…"

"I'm kidding!" he quickly told his friend after seeing that his patience was beginning to waver.

"I don't think that the seal was just limited to that one gate I was at."

"But we have to find a way to contact Kayura. It's our only option at the moment." Ryo was coming close to begging.

Stopping in the middle of the hallway, Sage sighed at Ryo's 'almost' plea. They couldn't exactly afford to miss any opportunity to learn about their new enemies. Especially since their alternatives were very limited. He would have normally agreed, if that was his only choice. But Sage's little experience with the gate earlier that morning made him think otherwise.

"I know. I wouldn't mind really if the force of the seal hadn't physically slammed me back into my own body."

Ryo took a while to respond after that last statement, blinking unbelievingly at him. "When you said that it had thrown you out, I didn't know you meant literally."

"I did. The energy coming from the gate threw me out of the astral plain with such force that when I returned to my body I was slammed back into my bedroom wall. If it wasn't for the fact that it might happen again at another gate, I would be glad to try."

"What's wrong? Are you afraid of a little pain?" Ryo asked with a playful grin.

"You know I'm not," he replied with a smile of his own, glad at his friend's attempt to liven up the mood.

"Well I guess we're stuck then?" Ryo sighed as they continued to walk.

Sage nodded. "I didn't think that it would be this hard."

"I know what you mean. With the Dynasty we knew what they were up to."

"Which wasn't that difficult. It was kinda obvious that they were after us for our armors and that they were planning to invade."

"Yeah.  And if we didn't know what to do, we had Mia to help us out with that."

The sudden silence that came between them had forced Ryo to a complete stop.

"Ryo…what's wrong?" Sage asked when he realized that his companion was no longer by his side.

Staring back at him, Ryo tried to find out what was wrong. Why did he stop walking like that? There seemed to be nothing wrong with Sage, but at that split second when he mentioned Mia he…

His eyes lighting up with the new idea he cried out, "Hey! You're still in love with Mia, aren't you?!"

Ryo was silenced soon after by Sage's hand placed firmly over his mouth. "Ryo keep it down!" he commanded in a hushed whisper.

"Oh, so I was right then?" he asked after Sage pulled his hand away.

"No," he quickly replied.

"Then what's up with all the secrecy?"

"You know exactly why I want this to be a secret!"

"Oh, so then you DO like her!!"

"…I…um…" Sage stuttered and then sighed in defeat, knowing that there was no way of getting himself out of this now.

"Whoa! Now here's an interesting twist!" a new voice called from down the hall. Both boys turned to address the newcomer that was casually sitting on one of the wide windowsills that littered the hallway.

"Who would have thought that Flirt King would actually have a crush on someone," the new voice taunted with a mischievous smile across her lips.

"Laura…" Ryo was surprised that neither one of them had noticed that she was sitting there all this time. A look of dread crossed his face. What if she heard about their little conversation about the Dynasty? Boy wouldn't they have a lot of explaining to do.

"How long have you been sitting there?!" Sage immediately questioned, ignoring her earlier comment.

"Oh…not very long," she replied casually and then jumped off of the ledge she was on. Walking right up to Sage, a sly grin forming on her face, she asked, "So, who's Mia?"

Sage fought back the color that was rising up in his cheeks, trying to keep his composure. He could see it, just by the way that she was looking at him, that Laura was up to no good. The sparkle in her eyes only ensured various types of torture later on. Great, she's back to her old self again. This sucks!

"Well?" Laura pressed on.

Turning away from her, he replied, "I don't have to tell you anything."

After a few seconds of silence she smiled at him. "Okay, whatever you say."

The quick surrender on her part shocked Sage. There's no way that she would give up that easily. She was up to something. But what? His question was answered sooner than he had expected.

"Ryo, who's Mia?"

Ryo was loss beyond words on how quick she was to change tactics. So was Sage. But he was quick to respond. "Ryo don't tell her!!"

"Hey!! He can answer for himself you know!" Laura cried.

"Why are you so bent on ruining my life!?!?"

"Who says I am?!?! I'm only asking a simple question!! I want to know who Mia is!!"

Pausing a moment after Laura's last sentence, Sage didn't even try to hide the smile on his face. "Oh I get it."

"Get what?"

Circling around to her other side, he smiled again and chuckled. "I'm beginning to think that you DO like me."

"WHAT?!" Laura screamed at him as he continued to smile. "Where the hell did you come up with such a stupid idea like that?!?!?!"

That's what I'd like to know, Ryo thought to himself. Just where did that idea come from? And why would he say that to her? Probably to piss her off.

"Well if you think about it, why else would you ask about a girl that I'm interested in?"

"I'm just…curious. That's all!!"

"That curiosity must have sprung from something you know," he countered, all the while enjoying this little turn of events.

"That's…that's not true!" she screamed at him, her cheeks turning a healthy shade of red.

"Admit it Laura, you're jealous of Mia."

"Me?! Jealous?!?! Ha!" she scoffed. "Like I have any reason to be!!"

"But you are. It's a real shame, how you can so easily turn down guys but can't stand it when someone loses interest it you."

That did it. Sage was pushing his luck way too far. Laura was already seething with anger. Ryo could feel her animosity growing stronger by the second. Stepping cautiously out of the way, he only hoped that his friend had enough common sense to know when to quit. If he didn't stop now, someone, namely Sage, was going to get hurt.

But apparently his next statement clearly showed that he was lacking in that type of common sense that would keep him out of danger. "Jeez, just because I don't find you attractive anymore doesn't mean that you have to throw a fit about it."

Charging at the offensive boy, Laura swung at him with her book bag in hand. But having had seen this coming, he backed up out of the way. She swung at him in a wide arc again, only this time in the opposite direction, intended on backhanding the boy at the side of the head as hard as she could.

The sudden movement from her opponent had knocked her book bag out of her hand, sending the object flying down the hall. Laura wasn't expecting Sage to have blocked the move, or to have grabbed her wrist to stop any further advancements against him. She could only blink at him, first in amazement, and then in anger.

"Hey cut it out already! You can really hurt someone that way!" Sage cried, still holding her wrist captive.

Growling menacingly at him, she replied, "That's……what I……" Breaking free of Sage's grip with a swift movement of the wrist, she quickly grabbed his arm instead.

"…intended!!!!!" Swerving on her heels, she hauled Sage over her shoulder and slammed him onto the ground.

Ryo winced when he heard the sound of the impact. He didn't know what to make of the whole situation. One minute Sage was standing right in front of Laura and the next he's sprawled on the floor admiring the various ceiling patterns. Looking down at his friend, Ryo could only think of one thing. Score one point for Laura.

Blinking hard, Sage couldn't believe that this was happening to him. He'd thought that it was just his imagination or something, but the pain he felt on his back was no illusion. I can't believe she just did that!! I can't believe she was able to do that!!

"DATE!!!!! KINOKU!!!!!" The sudden scream that rang through the hall made both students tense on the spot. They recognized that voice, or rather, that scold.

All three teenagers turned to face Mr. Teri who had his arms folded over his chest and a rather crossed look on his face. On the floor were scattered papers from his open briefcase and Laura's book bag. Laura and Sage had fearful looks on their faces when their brains had registered what had happened. They were in real deep shit now!

***

"Explain to me again why Ryo and Sage aren't with us right now," Cye asked on their usual walk home from school.

"They have detention," was Kento's reply.

"But it's three o'clock and we got out at two today because the hole in the wall was being fixed," Cye told them.

"And?" Kento asked.

"And so, they should have been done with detention already."

"That normally would have been the case but…" Rowen started.

"But what?"

"They're detention is not based on the time served, but on the work done." With that sentence, Cye sighed in grievance for his friends.

"And what does that mean?" Kento asked, not really sure as to what he was trying to say.

"Basically, Ryo and Sage don't get out of detention until they finish all of the work assigned to them by their teacher," Cye answered.

"And since their teacher is Sensei Teri…" Rowen let the sentence hang in the air, allowing time for Kento to understand what he was getting at.

With a heavy sigh, he completed Rowen's thought. "…they're going to be there for a long time." The other two nodded.

Placing his hands behind his head, Kento let his gaze wander to the sky above. "I wonder what they did."

"I don't know the details. But I do know that it was another 'Laura vs. Sage' fight," Rowen informed them. Both Ronins had sweat drops and the corner of their faces.

"Enough said," Kento replied dryly.

"They never stop do they?"

"Apparently," was Rowen's response to Cye's question.

"Sheesh. Those two fight like a married couple," Kento remarked.

"Just make sure that you don't let Sage know that," Cye warned his friend.

"Yeah, he'll beat you to the ground if you even consider the thought," Rowen added.

"Let him try!" Kento cried, waving his fist in the air as if to prove his point.

"You know he will," Rowen said with a slight smile on his face.

With a sigh he declined. "Yeah I know," and then added with a hint of amusement, "Especially when I insult his love life."

"True that," Cye agreed with a smile. He then stopped when he felt something bounce against his leg. Looking down, he realized that the object that had struck him was a handball. Picking it up and looking at the direction that it came from, he and the other Ronins observed that they were at an elementary school.

"Uncle Cye!!" one of the students called to him and ran towards the group.

"Uncle?" the other two asked him, staring at the Ronin suspiciously. He only shrugged and instead diverted his attention to the girl that joined them. He smiled at the cute redhead that was panting before him.

"Why hello Sammy," Cye greeted.

"Hello, Uncle Cye," she greeted back. Upon noticing the presence of the other two she cried out, "Hello Uncle Ken!! Hello Uncle Ro-chan!!"

Cye and Kento stared at Rowen, exchanging a few quizzically glances between the two. There was a moment of silence right before they burst out laughing.

"Ro-chan?! Oh that's rich!!" Kento cried in between fits of laughter.

"Hey shut up already!! It isn't funny!!" Rowen yelled at them both, but they still continued to laugh.

Cye, having recovered much faster from that little outburst than Kento, apologized to Rowen. "Sorry about that. We couldn't help it."

"Yeah whatever," he replied, crossing his arms.

"So kiddo, what are you still doing at school," Kento asked the little girl.

"Well, the lady that usually walks me home after school couldn't come today. So I'm waiting for my sister to pick me up," she answered.

"Your sister?" Rowen asked skeptically.

"Rowen, isn't Laura in detention?" Cye questioned.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Do you really think she'll come?"

Rowen just shrugged a response to Kento. "Who knows. It's Laura after all."

***

"I can't believe she's not here!! The nerve of that girl!!" Sage complained as he plunged the mop head in the bucket of water.

"You know, I don't see why I have detention." Looking up from his work, Sage caught sight of Ryo's irritated look. "This was your fight after all, so why the hell am I here!!"

"Because Sensei Teri doesn't know that you weren't involved," Sage replied. With an exasperated sigh, Ryo jumped off of the windowsill and walked over to where Sage was.

"Are you almost done?" he asked, sitting on a nearby desk and placing his spray bottle and rag next to him.

"Almost."

"Then we can leave, right?" Ryo asked with hope-filled eyes.

"Nope." Both teenagers looked up to see Mr. Teri standing by the doorway. His eyes inspecting the classroom, he smiled in admiration. "You guys did a pretty good job."

"Thank you Sensei," the two of them replied simultaneously.

"But I'm afraid that you're not done for the day," their teacher said.

"No offense Sensei, but there's nothing else left for us to do in your room," Ryo pointed out.

"I know. But on my way here a few teachers requested that I let them borrow you two for some various things that need to be done. So it looks like you boys will be staying here a bit longer."

Ryo and Sage lowered they're heads in defeat. "I already told you both that this detention wasn't based on time, but work," he reminded the two students. Heading for his desk and taking out a post-it note, Mr. Teri started to jot down a few things.

"Here's the names and rooms of the teachers that I had said that you were going to help out at," he explained and handed Ryo the piece of paper. "After you finish that list, then you can leave."

Walking away from the pair to the door, Mr. Teri was about to leave when Sage stopped him. "Sensei?"

"What is it?"

"Didn't you give detention to Ryo, Laura, and myself?"

"Yes, I did."

"So why isn't Laura here?"

"Oh yes. That. Well she started her detention earlier during lunch. And she convinced me into letting her serve the rest tomorrow. Said she had to go and pick up her sister after school since no one else could. I couldn't really force her to stay since her younger sibling was waiting."

"I see."

"Besides, you two do more damage together than when you're apart," he grimaced, painfully remembering what had happened last week. "I thought you'd be happy if she wasn't here."

"Yeah. I guess you're right Sensei."

"Word of advice Sage. You should stay away from that girl. She's really difficult to handle," Mr. Teri told him before leaving the two of them to finish their work.

"That's what I've been telling you from the start," Ryo reminded him, annoyed. "Why is it that you don't listen?"

"Honestly…I really wish I did."

***

Leaning relaxingly against the brick wall of the school, Rowen smiled at the scene he saw before him. Cye was playing catch with Sammy and a group of kids. He'd throw the ball gently to the others and they'd always laugh when he missed the ball on purpose. Kento was running around giving the younger kids piggyback rides. Kids. Even though they can be so annoying at times, like Rowen had learned first hand from Yulie, they still really are a joy to have around. Plus they look up to older kids like them. Actually they had to look up seeing how he and the others were taller then them. They were so innocent and oblivious to the world around them, only aware of their immediate surrounding. Only caring about the fun they were having. Unaware of all the dangers that lie in the world they live in.

Blinking rapidly, Rowen quickly forced that mental picture out of his mind. Sighing inwardly, he leaned even more against the wall for support. Ever since he realized that there was a new threat to this world, every peaceful thought he would have would somehow remind him of the evil that was lurking about. And no one, other than the five of them, was aware of it. No one. This evil threatened everyone in this world and even beyond that. And yet, it was only him and his friends that were left to face the challenge. Was there really no one out there to help them fight this new evil?

"Hey Rowen?" Cye and Kento were standing besides him with concerned looks on their faces. Sammy was on Kento's shoulders, peering over his mop of ash blue hair at Rowen, blinking in confusion.

"You alright buddy?" Kento asked.

"Yeah. I just zoned for a few minutes. That's all," he told them and then froze on the spot. So did the other two, and all three of them tensed in reaction to the new energy that they were now sensing.

"What's wrong?" Sammy asked them.

Lowering Sammy down onto the floor, Kento replied, "Aww, don't worry about it okay."

"But…"

"It's nothing Sammy," Rowen told her as all three of them prepared to leave. They knew what this energy that they were sensing meant. There was a demon nearby. And they were not about to let an opportunity like this slip through their fingers.

"Where are you going?" the little girl questioned. "Are you leaving already?"

Kneeling down in front of Sammy, Cye gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. We'll be back. Uncle Ken, Uncle Ro-chan, and I just have to go and check on something." Kento started to giggle at the mentioning of Rowen's nickname but soon stopped after Rowen jabbed him in the stomach.

"Then you'll come back right?"

"Yeah we will. Now you stay here okay?" Cye told her and all three of them ran off, leaving the little girl standing there in wonder.

***

"What do you think it's doing?" Cye whispered to the others. Rowen shrugged. He hasn't figured that out himself. Hiding behind the wall that surrounded the district, by the entrance to the schoolyard, all three of them watched their adversary intently.

They had found the demon at the junior high besides Sammy's school. No students were around the area and no damage has been done, so they assumed that no one knew that the demon was there. Staring at the beast a little bit harder, hoping that it would reveal something to him, Rowen couldn't help but feel frustrated by its actions. It was just standing there, waiting.

"What are we waiting around for? Let's charge this sucker!" Kento urged his comrades, already holding his armor orb in his hand.

"No. Not yet. And put that away," Rowen commanded.

"But why?" Kento whined indignantly. But he still complied and stuffed the orb back into his jacket pocket.

"We have plenty of time to attack it. Besides, it hasn't sensed us yet. Transforming now would give away our position," the blue-haired strategist explained.

"But why are we just standing here watching it?" Kento cried, keeping his voice low enough so that only his friends could hear him.

"We have to find out what it's up to," Cye answered.

"That's right," Rowen nodded. "We're totally clueless about these guys right now. We have to find out something useful about them while we have the chance."

Giving up on trying to convince the guys into attacking, Kento crossed his arms in defeat and watched the monster like the others were doing. Focusing his attention on the back of the beast's head, he waited for it to make a move. And waited. And waited. And waited.

"How's this useful. It's just standing there," Kento growled after five minutes of waiting.

Looking away from the scene, Cye got up from his crouched position on the floor. "He's right you know."

Lowering his gaze, Rowen sighed. "Just what the hell does it think it's doing?"

"What are you all staring at?"

The new voice had scared the boys out of their minds. And when they had equated the voice to a face, their skin grew pale. Standing right in front of the entranceway, in plain sight, was Sammy.

Quickly grabbing the girl and covering her mouth so that she couldn't say anything else, Kento dragged her behind the wall. Placing his back against the wall, still holding the little girl close to his body, he and the other two Ronins remained perfectly still and on edge.

But nothing happened. Feeling the suspense gnawing at them slowly, the three boys cautiously leaned to the side to sneak a peak, looking for reassurance that everything was okay. That Sammy's little outburst had not been heard by the demon. They only received a sense of fear and dread at what they saw. A set of devil like eyes stared directly at them, and a smiling row of razor sharp teeth.