Shadow within the Darkness
(Day 13 – Part 4)
By: Little Ucchan
The young man couldn't help but grin to himself. White Blaze was standing behind the last remaining shrubbery that separated the forest from the river that flowed not too far off behind his master's cabin. Staring out to the river, the unsuspecting tiger wasn't aware of Ryo looming over him, eyeing the wanted armor orb in the animal's mouth. Time to end this!
…Isn't it weird how things always manage to go wrong?
Just as Ryo was going to make his move, White Blaze's ears shot up, his head diverting to the left. The sudden action caused the boy to look in the same direction, his own ears picking up the sweet melody that his companion had heard. Ryo couldn't really describe the sounds that were gently tickling his mind. It was… light, like the wind. And smooth as well. Almost… ethereal. In an instant, the intoxicating sounds made Ryo forget about his armor orb, drawing him closer to the source.
He spotted the figure along the river, not being able to distinguish much but knowing enough to see that it was a girl. Falling back into the shelter of the woods, Ryo moved stealthily through the forest, White Blaze tailing close behind. He could feel the strength emanating from the tune, the melody fading from its airy whisper to a defined voice the closer he got to her.
Now, standing several yards directly behind the girl, he could make out the elegant patterns sprinkled across her kimono. Soft colored rose petals with a sheen magenta trim on a light purple background, the fabric covering her body with a sweet atmosphere. It was almost as if the floral designs were giving off some kind of rich nectar.
She continued to sing, pulling back here sleeve and slowly dipping her hand into the cool water. He heard her laugh, the action causing a few strands of hair to fall in front of her face. She unconsciously tucked the pink lock behind her pointed ear, mind distracted by the little show in the water.
There was something odd about her. But Ryo didn't know what. She seemed out of place to him, and yet… natural at the same time. Like she was in her element or something. He couldn't place it. Her mysterious air was driving him nuts, and without knowing it… he moved forward.
A twig snapped from underneath his shoe.
In an instant, he found himself staring into burning ruby red eyes. Her cherry-like hair seemed to be on fire and her fangs, practically bared to the gum line, showed the danger level involved in tangling with her. Her sudden switch from innocent to deadly put him in such a shock that he couldn't speak. He couldn't even breathe, thinking that the act would irritate her in some way. But even if he sensed that he had a demon on his hands, Ryo didn't make a move against her.
It didn't feel right.
That sense of natural beauty he got by just looking at her… That song that she had sung… It came back to him. And the thought that had sprung in his mind was so strong that it had silenced the blaring alarm that would have warned him of upcoming danger. She's not supposed to be a demon. And with that in mind, he did the most inappropriate thing that could possibly be done in this sort of situation!
He said 'hi.'
***
…Hi?
The demon-girl's expression quickly dropped from dangerously menacing to complete and utter bewilderment. Did he just say 'hi?'
Did I just say 'hi!?' Ryo blinked. Oh God, what was I thinking?!
He stole a glance at the demon-girl, who apparently was as surprised as he was with his unexpected response. And it looked like he was about to put himself through more shock with his next words.
"Um… I'm sorry if it seemed like I was spying and all." Oh, what the hell possessed him to say that?! "I didn't mean to. It's just, uh, your song was beautiful and…" His life could end right now and just what was he doing with his sweet time? Fumbling through words and worrying about how to give a sincere apology! That's what he was doing!
"I… wanted to listen to your song," he finished, realizing for the first time that the atmosphere had cooled down considerably since he had first spoken. Looking at her face, Ryo could now see those same bright eyes swirling with uncertainty and mistrust. But there was no trace of the hostility from before. A good sign.
"I'm sorry… to bother you," he began, seeing this chance as good as any to escape without incident. "I'll be going now."
Ryo had only managed to turn halfway. Stopping, he turned back when he heard that familiar tune again. The demon-girl had begun to sing, lips moving softly, formulating sounds that glided up into the heavens. That serene feeling came back again, covering her like a second skin, her face placid in the glittering sunlight. Ryo all but became lost in her voice, drowning in endless tranquility. And when he had returned to reality, the song was near its end, the last note held softly until it was no more.
Smiling to no one in particular, she glanced over at the human by the forest with the peculiar white tiger by his side.
"Lovely," was all he had managed to say. She nodded to him, accepting his praise.
Ryo nodded back, a smile beginning to creep up the corners of his mouth. But the gesture was short lived, White Blaze suddenly moving towards the demon-girl still ankle-deep in river water.
"White Blaze…" he called out, but the tiger had already reached her. Both gazed at each other curiously till White Blaze made the first move, gently rubbing against her side affectionately. She had an instinct to pull away, but the tiger had already surrounded her with his strong body. The animal had looked at her with such a pleasant face that she found herself giving in to his kindness, now running a hand through his thick coat. She laughed when a scratch behind the ear had produced a delightful purr from the large feline's throat. And while she continued to play, Ryo watched on with growing amazement. White Blaze… so you feel the same way I do.
He would have stayed content watching them play together if it wasn't for an eerie tingling sensation that had suddenly crept up his back. What was it? Did he sense danger?
An image of the Halo armor suddenly flashed before his eyes.
Oh shit! The match! He couldn't believe that he had forgotten something like that! I have to leave now!
Ryo marched right up to White Blaze, his hand already moving towards the tiger when a sharp hiss made him stop. The demon-girl looked at him sharply. Although she had sung for him earlier, it was clear that she still did not trust him. And she most certainly did not want him within three feet of her current position. Too bad for him that White Blaze was in that vicinity. Great. Now what am I going to do?
Well, the first thing he did was to retract his hand that was hovering a few inches from the tiger's head. Raising both arms up, he slowly backed away from the pair. "I understand," he said, taking another step back. "You don't trust me. And… I'm sure you want me to leave you in peace."
"And I'd be glad to." He stopped walking backwards, lowering his hands to his side when they were a good distance apart. "But my tiger, White Blaze… He has something of mine that I need."
Ryo gestured towards the armor orb, the demon-girl bending over the tiger to get a better look at what he was pointing at. "And I can't leave here without that. So… if you'll just let me take—"
He stopped speaking when she looked up at him, doubtful of his words. But she seemed to consider what he had said, eyes flickering from one emotion to another as she tried to make a decision. Stepping onto the bank, she looked at the tiger again. Holding out her hand, she motioned for White Blaze to hand over the object that he held in his mouth.
Ryo was about to interject, but decided against it. She probably figured that, since it seemed like the white tiger was keeping the orb away from his master, letting him try and take it would be pointless. Maybe the tiger would be persuaded to give it to her instead.
White Blaze gazed at her open palm and then shook his head from side to side. She huffed, placing a hand on her hip and repeating the same motion with her fingers. Again, the tiger shook his head, refusing to hand over his prize. Ryo had to bite back his lip to stop himself from laughing. The entire scene was quite amusing.
Sighing aloud, the demon-girl sat on her heels, resting her arms on her upper calves. She made one last attempt, pointing her index finger at the shining red marble and holding out her hand again. When the tiger had hesitated she all of a sudden made a pass for the orb. Her fingers barely touched it, but it was enough. The demon-girl screamed out in pain as the orb flared violently, burning her on contact.
She snapped back her hand, clutching it gingerly to her breasts, whimpering as the burning still itched underneath her skin. She blew on it, pressed the injured fingers to her lips, anything to ease the pain. But that prickling sensation remained, crawling up her arm, making her eyes grow wide with panic. And what made her situation worse was that the human had decided to approach her.
***
"Hey! You alright?!" Ryo cried out once he had seen her stumble back. He was about to run to her, but only got a low growl as a reply. A definite warning to stay away. He watched her conscientiously blow at her hand, eyebrows scrunched up in obvious agony.
Exhaling, he decided to throw caution out the window.
Taking out a handkerchief from his back pocket, Ryo quickly dipped it into the river, squeezing out the excess water so that the cloth was only damp. Walking right up to her and ignoring her threatening looks, he held out his hand. "Here. Let me have a look."
She hissed again, showing off her teeth. But this time, Ryo wasn't intimidated. "Just let me look," he repeated, moving his hand towards hers. She immediately pulled the limb closer to her body, hissing louder than before. The act only made Ryo more determined. He made another pass for her hand, but she snaked away from his reach.
"Will you hold still!?" He tried again, but missed. "C'mon! It might be serious!!" She only countered his concern with a growl, moving out of his reach again. Ryo huffed, blowing a few strands of hair out of his face. God, she's stubborn!
The demon-girl had resumed to tending to her wound by herself, cradling the injury in her palm. She was glad that he had finally given up. If she was lucky, then maybe he'd leave.
Unfortunately… Ryo had other plans.
Shouting in surprise, the demon-girl was all but ready to kill him for the way he just came out of nowhere and grabbed her wrist. She felt the change occur in her other hand, fingernails shifting into long claws. Knives that were out for blood. The demon part of her rising from underneath her skin. She was so ready to drive her hand through his guts that, when Ryo had pressed the moist handkerchief against her palm, she gasped aloud, startled by the cool touch.
She blinked back confused crimson eyes, watching the young man as he tenderly cared for her wound. She felt the warmth of his hand against her skin as he gently stroked her palm with the damp cloth, sending a pleasurable chill down her spine; one that she has never experienced before. It was enough to calm her nerves and retract her elongated claws, returning her other hand back to normal. What was happening to her?
Tying the handkerchief around her hand, Ryo finally looked up from his work to meet her eyes. He smiled. "There. Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"
She nodded meekly, hoping that her hair color would hide the fact that her ears were turning red.
Smiling to her again, Ryo then turned his attention to his meddlesome companion, who was sitting quietly with his tail curled around him. "Okay, enough games White Blaze," he said firmly, arms crossed over his chest. "I have to go now."
'Not yet you don't,' was the message he saw in the tiger's eyes. And as if to prove he had something else to show him, White Blaze flicked his head upwards, releasing the armor orb from his jaws and sending the object flying up into the air.
"WHITE BLAZE!" Ryo screamed. But it was too late. The orb was seconds away from falling into the middle of the river!
He watched helplessly as the orb continued its rapid descent, coming closer and closer to being swept away in the currents. But, just as he thought he'd have to spend the rest of the day in the freezing water combing through the dirt for his armor, a blast of water swirled up to meet the falling orb. It caught the red marble in its watery embrace and hurled it through the air again, this time in Ryo's direction. He caught the orb in his hand just as the fountain broke apart, falling back to join its brother, the river.
Ryo stared at the river for a good hard minute, trying to get his brain to make sense of what had just happened. But it was totally blank. Or rather it was saying, 'You saw what you saw. There's no explanation to it.'
But there was an explanation. He turned to the demon-girl not too far from his side. She had her uninjured hand stretched out towards the water, a distant look in her eyes. She only turned to face him when she felt his eyes on her. Lowering her hand, she met his gaze.
They stood like that for a moment, neither saying a word. Just staring into each other's eyes.
She giggled softly, her timid act soon turning into joyous laughter. Ryo didn't know why, but he too started to laugh, her mirth being contagious. The forest was filled with their happiness.
Being the first one to calm down after a few good laughs, Ryo smiled, stretching out his hand. "I'm Ryo."
She looked first at his outstretched hand, and then at her own. After a moment of deliberation, she reached out and quietly placed her hand in his. "Yume," she spoke. "My name's Yume."
He gave her hand a small squeeze. "It was nice meeting you, Yume."
She nodded to him as he released her hand, the warmth of his skin being lost to her again.
Fiddling with his orb, Ryo glanced down at White Blaze. The tiger had returned to lounging in the grass, only looking up to give his master an 'I told you so' look. Ryo made a face. I hate it when he shows me up like that.
"Well… I'd better be off." Taking a few steps towards the woods, he looked back to see Yume staring at him, a bit of a disappointed expression on her face. Ryo ran a hand through his hair, suddenly finding his sneakers rather interesting. "Um… maybe… I'll see you again sometime?"
Her ears immediately perked up at the idea, bobbing her head up and down enthusiastically.
Ryo chuckled. "Alright then. It's a promise." He waved to her once. "Until next time."
Yume returned the gesture, watching the boy and his tiger disappear into the woods. Bringing her hand, wrapped in Ryo's handkerchief, to her cheek, she smiled. "Until next time…"
***
A flash of black and white. Then a blur of red.
"Gotta hurry!"
Ryo raced through the forest in his sub armor, White Blaze running by his side. It was already six o'clock and he had just passed his cabin, speeding down the dirt road that eventually lead to the main highway. The match should be starting already, and he hasn't reached the city limits yet! I hope nothing happens!
A short roar from White Blaze brought him out of his musing. 'What's wrong?' the tiger had asked with his eyes, noticing the frustrated look on his master's face.
"I'm just worried about what's happening in the city. If they went through with it, Sage will be facing off against Lady Sierra."
Another roar from his companion.
He half smiled. "No. I'm glad you brought me to her. Although I'm sure things are going to get complicated from here on end."
A nod.
"So White Blaze. Does this mean you're coming with me after all?"
"ROAAAAR!!"
"Alright!" Ryo cheered, leaping onto the large feline's back. "Let's go White Blaze!"
***
Samurai armor…
Lady Sierra looked over her opponent one more time. From the spiked metal shin guards to the gleaming emerald green helmet, she looked him up and down unbelievingly. They have real samurai armor. She gritted her teeth, her troubled expression being hidden behind the protection of her metal face guard. I'll never be able to breach that kind of plating. Not only that, but the boy was armed with a nodachi. Tantos and katanas were no problem. But a nodachi? Against a short sword? She grimaced. Lady Sierra didn't like her odds.
While she was trying to figure out a feasible tactic to use, Sage was conducting his own examinations of his opponent… once he got over the initial wave of déjà vu that washed over him when he had donned his armor. It's been a while… since I've worn this. The war… The final battle with Talpa… It was all coming back to him now. Memory after memory…
Sage blinked, the images that had been flickering playfully in front of his eyes disappearing, his trip back through time abruptly coming to an end. The present loomed before him, his adversary a few yards ahead. He looked her over once, eyes already alerting his brain to the metal guards on her forearms and shins and the wakizashi strapped behind her waist. Her fingers were already wrapped around the hilt, ready to draw at a moments notice. If he were to have made just one slight movement, the battle would have begun. But Sage was frozen where he stood, feet flat on the floor and hands in a rigid grip around his blade. No… It can't be…
Looped around his opponent's neck was a square shaped pendant made of black onyx. A pentagram traced out in gold carved its center.
Sage couldn't believe his eyes as the royal heirloom that he saw every night in his dreams came back to haunt him during his waking days. He looked Lady Sierra over again, not to estimate her skill but to see the person that she was. And when his gaze fell upon her face, the brown hair and pale irises, he saw the image of the six-year-old girl at the hilltop staring at the clouds.
Princess…?
"Sage!! Pay attention!!"
CLANG! The sound of metal against metal echoed in everyone's ears, the battle beginning with a deadlock between swords. A quick struggle for power and they both broke off, Sage being the first to regain his footing and charge forward, blade drawn back. The whoosh of his own sword cutting through air had surprised him. Lady Sierra had leap out of the way, landing behind the Ronin and coming in with a thrust to the back. CLASH! Another block. And the battle started over again.
Cye sighed in relief. He had thought Rowen's warning had come too late. That the blonde wouldn't have defended against the opening attack in time. But Sage had broken out of his shock just as Lady Sierra had drawn out her sword to strike. The close save had eased the tension that had mounted in his heart ever since the ninja first moved. But his comrade's distraction had made Cye worry even more. He saw something. That had to be it. The way Sage had looked at Lady Sierra… There had to be something there. Something about her that troubled him to the point that he hardly noticed the girl's fast moving approach until Rowen had screamed at him. Cye only hoped that whatever it was that was bothering Sage didn't interfere with his better judgment in battle.
Lady Sierra jumped out of the way of a side slash. Sped up for an opening. Attacked. Was blocked. Jumped out of the way. Speed up. Attack. Block. Jump. The routine was quickly irritating her. Moving out of the way of yet another near miss, Lady Sierra increased the distance between her and Sage, initiating a break between bouts.
This isn't working. She knew that this sword match, nodachi against wakizashi, would ultimately end in Sage's favor. The difference between the blade lengths, his being considerably longer than hers, had placed her at a disadvantage. She knew that much from the outset. But still, she believed that there must have been some way around it. Speed was the key. Her opponent's armor and heavy weapon had made her faster of the two, allowing her to always strike first. An advantage she was willing to push to the max.
But after a few minutes of fighting, charging into every opening she could find, Lady Sierra was still not able to break through Sage's defenses. What had gone wrong?
The short sword.
An inch more. Just one more inch of steel would have cut it. But the fact was that the wakizashi wasn't designed to battle a long sword, and Sage, even in his armor, was only a fraction slower than her. So every pass that would have gone through with a katana or a tanto was intercepted by Sage's nodachi, blocking attacks that were usually less than an inch away from landing.
Lady Sierra was grateful for the face guard that she wore, skillfully hiding her distress to the viewer so that all they saw were her piercingly pale eyes. A perfect poker face, revealing nothing. Especially, not was she was planning next. She had a trump card up her sleeve. The technique that she normally would have used on multiple opponents. And the one she was going to use when fighting both Ryo and Sage. The glittering mask hid back her smile. No way her opponent was going to win after this stunt. No way.
***
Sage waited for her to move. The way she broke off so suddenly… It made him a bit nervous. He was aware that, even though neither of them had actually landed a hit against each other, he was better off than Lady Sierra. That's what he'd like to believe. But the woman was full of tricks. Sage wasn't yet aware of what she was truly capable of. But he had a feeling that he was going to find out.
Lady Sierra stood up straight, pointing the tip of her blade at Sage. She remained like that for a moment, eyes closing to blacken out the world around her. Sage tightened the grip he had on his sword, feeling a slight shift in the air. She was definitely going to try something!
In an instant, she charged, blade drawn across her body for a side slash. He moved to meet the challenge, dashing forward, blade ready. Passing by each other, their swords crossed with a sharp clash…
"Sage!!" Cye yelled in alarm when he saw the blonde stumble forward, barely being able to regain his balance. Panic rose in his chest as he watched the boy lean forward, breathing heavily; his armored chest plate rising and falling as he took in needed air.
"Shit," Kento cursed, gritting his teeth. "Just what the hell happened?! Was he hit?"
Rowen kept his eyes on the battlefield. "…No. Their blades just crossed." But if that was the case, then why did Sage look winded? Back slightly hunched over and his grip on the hilt fairly loose, it seemed like he just got the crap beaten out of him. Why? Rowen narrowed his eyes. She didn't touch him! So why is he…?
Sage took in another ragged breath, sweat trickling down his face. What… what happened? he asked himself. Our blades clashed… and then all of a sudden… He closed his eyes, trying to get his vision to focus. It was like the time he fought Cale in the subway underneath the streets of Tokyo. …I felt so weak. Like my strength was leaving me. Taking one last breath to steady himself, Sage turned around to face Lady Sierra.
"So… you ready to give up?"
He smirked. "Sorry. But I don't go down that easily."
"Really now?" she questioned, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Well, we'll see about that."
He hesitated when she dashed forward, not knowing whether to try and dodge or attack. With her approaching fast, Sage charged. He felt the energy emanating from her wakizashi, almost being able to see the dark purple aura when his nodachi struck her blade. Then it happened again, more savagely than before. He felt her aura snake down his sword, through his hands, and shoot up to his chest, the shock of his energy being ripped away from his body making him scream out loud.
Unable to support himself, Sage crashed onto the floor, chest desperately heaving for air. He was vaguely aware of his friends calling out his name, asking if he was alright, begging him to stand. Sage felt like he couldn't do it, his entire body weighing him down. But he had to! As far as he was concerned, this match wasn't over just yet. Clutching his sword in one hand and pushing a trembling palm against the concrete floor, Sage slowly got up, gasping for breath as he rose to his feet. It's not over. Not yet!
Lady Sierra quietly looked him over. "…I'm amazed that you can still stand. You're a remarkable warrior."
"Hey!!"
She turned her head towards the outcry, eyes meeting an enraged Kento barely being held back by a smaller Cye.
"What'd you do to him, Sierra?!" he screamed. "Just what the hell d'you do?!?!"
"His life isn't in any danger, if that's what you're worried about."
"…You took his energy, didn't you?"
Lady Sierra fixated her eyes on the blue-haired boy, as did the rest of the Ronin Warriors. Rowen cleared his throat, crossing his arms over his chest thoughtfully. "That technique… It's ittou youjutsu, isn't it? You channeled your aura through the wakizashi and used it as some kind of magnet to draw Sage's energy forward and claim it as your own," he deduced looking directly into the ninja's eyes. "Am I correct?"
Lady Sierra blinked. He was able to tell that much… just by seeing the move twice?
The sesshoku no kyuuketsuki, or Vampire's Touch, was a technique that enabled the user to draw out an opponent's strength with combined force and speed that the shock of the withdrawal would render the enemy unconscious in mere seconds. Normally anyway. The move was best used against multiple enemies, for one touch, even for the briefest of moments, would throw a person off balance so a more fatal blow could be delivered. The best part was that there were a million ways to change the basic move. In Lady Sierra's case, she didn't even have to touch Sage. His nodachi was enough.
She laughed softly. Aside from one minor mistake, Rowen had hit the mark. "You're a clever one. It's exactly what you've perceived."
"And that's why you challenged Ryo and I," Sage said, finding some strength for words. "To kill two birds with one stone."
Lady Sierra nodded. "If your friend were here, I'd have both your armors." Raising her blade, she took up a fighting stance. "But it looks like I'll just have to go home with yours." But… she wasn't too sure with him. Unbeknownst to the others, Lady Sierra could only perform the Vampire's Touch one more time. And she didn't even know why.
Rowen's mistake had been that she really didn't 'claim' the stolen energy, as in gain additional strength from absorbing it, like the name implied. It takes a lot of energy to just carry out the technique. So in reality, the energy gained from the attack is to replace the one lost for executing it. But that's not what happened. When Lady Sierra had used the Vampire's Touch on Sage, the energy didn't come back. She had felt it dissipate into the air. Almost as if her aura and his had canceled each other out.
There's something different about that boy, she thought, fingering the pendant dangling around her neck. Although the ordeal had not left her as weak as Sage was, she felt the energy from her charm had dwindled. I can't place it right now, but… he's different from the others.
Lady Sierra readied herself for another sesshoku no kyuuketsuki. One more time was all that she would allow. Any more would be too dangerous, for the energy lost would take her a while to gain back. And it wasn't wise to go demon hunting at half strength.
"I'm asking you one more time to give up," she offered. "I'm sure you don't want to feel my Vampire's Touch for a third time."
As a reply, Sage gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, falling into a battle-ready position.
Lady Sierra narrowed her eyes. "You've been warned."
"This ain't good, you guys," Kento cried, watching the two warriors intently. "Sage can barely stand!"
"I know Kento," Rowen sighed. "But what can we do?"
Cye gazed out into the horizon, watching the sun begin its descent behind the mountain ranges. Ryo, where are you?
***
Closing her eyes, Lady Sierra let her energy flow outward, encompassing the blade of her wakizashi till it glowed a royal purple. She felt a slight tug of fatigue pulling at her body, but there was no way she'd give in to it. Not when she was about to win. It's time.
Surprisingly, she missed her first thrust, the blade passing harmlessly by the boy's side. Lady Sierra had no idea where his extra energy came from, missing again as Sage dodged her cross slash. But he was expending energy that he couldn't afford to lose. Energy that he didn't have and that would eventually fail him.
That time came.
Seeing an attack come in from the side, Sage was too slow to move out of the way, instinctively raising up his blade for a block. And that was it. His nodachi flew out of his hand as the lightning like grip of the energy drain knocked Sage onto the ground. He tried to get up, but was stopped by the tip of a wakizashi hovering above the bridge of his nose, Lady Sierra towering over him. So he laid there, staring up at his opponent in his sub armor, the effects of the sesshoku no kyuuketsuki having had changed him back after he had hit the asphalt.
Lady Sierra closed her eyes, holding her middle and index finger in front of her chest. "Power that was bestowed upon thee… Separate thyself… Manifest thyself… Come—"
"Lady Sierra!!"
She froze, halting mid-sentence when she heard that voice. That new voice not too far behind her.
"Ryo!" Cye exclaimed.
"Alright man!" Kento grinned. "You made it!"
Already wearing his full armor, Ryo took a step forward. Eyes hardened, he glared at the ninja's back. "The battle's not over yet!"
"The battle is over," she replied, turning halfway to look at him. "I beat your friend."
He smirked. "That's fine. But as I recall… the challenge was for both of us. All or nothing. And you haven't beaten me." Reaching behind his back, Ryo drew his two katanas with one swift movement. "C'mon Sierra!" he cried, crossing the blades in front of his chest. "Let's do this!!"
She hesitated, not knowing what to do. She felt the rules had changed since she had agreed to fight Sage. It was one-on-one. But it was never declared, if you wanted to be technical about it. And she wasn't the type to shy away from a direct challenge. But…
"Are you really going to fight him?" a voice asked from behind.
Lady Sierra looked back down at Sage, who was sitting up, his hands acting as supports for his upper body. "I mean, you're last attack seemed a bit… sluggish," he pointed out, a knowing smirk on his face. "Are you sure you're up to it?"
Her eyes widened for a second. He saw that? She couldn't believe that, with the condition that he was in, Sage had noticed that her strength and speed had gone down. And not only that, but Lady Sierra felt that he knew she couldn't use the Vampire's Touch anymore. She didn't know how he knew. But she was sure he was aware of it, especially how he didn't seem to worry about Ryo dueling with her. It actually seemed like he was provoking her to do so!
She glared at the boy icily. "You were stalling, weren't you?"
"Maybe." He shrugged. "It's a possibility."
Sage watched as Lady Sierra took in a slow, deep breath, making sure to keep his face neutral, not wanting to smile in front of her thinking that she'd skewer him with her wakizashi if he did. Looks like I got her mad.
"You realize that once I beat Ryo, your armor orb is mine."
"That's if you beat him," he replied coolly. "Ryo's a lot better than I am."
"…You're bluffing."
"We'll see, now won't we?"
Glaring at him one last time, Lady Sierra turned abruptly, taking a few steps forward. Stretching out her free arm, palm down, she concentrated. Black currents of electricity crackled beneath her palm, building up till she felt it reach its peak. Grabbing hold of it, she slammed her arm to the side, the energy solidifying in her hand to form the large metallic shuriken that the Ronins had acknowledge as her signature weapon.
"This will be the final duel," she said, lowering her arm and looking pointedly at Ryo. "Winner takes all."
***
Sage waited for the match to begin. He should move out of the way. But God did he feel beat! A lot worse than his condition earlier that morning.
A soft nudge made him turning his head. White Blaze was standing beside him, looking at the boy the only way the feline would. Lowering his body down onto the floor, he roared softly, motioning with his head for Sage to use him as a support.
"Thanks White Blaze," he said, placing his arms across the tiger's back and using his body to pull him up. Slowly rising to his feet, Sage leaned heavily on White Blaze, the tiger getting up as well and leading him towards the rest of the guys. On the way there, he and Ryo had locked eyes; soft lavender against brilliant blue.
Good luck Ryo, Sage silently wished him, nodding slightly.
Thanks for keeping her busy for me, Sage, he nodded back, grateful for the effort the Warrior of Light had put into the battle. His face hardened, determination flashing in his eyes. I'll make it up to you guys, Ryo promised his friends. I'll make it up to you by winning!