Unforeseen Circumstance
Set It Off
(Day 21)
By: Little Ucchan
Maki's call had been quite abrupt.
The boy had been granted certain 'privileges' as a spy under Tajhinn's command. The nature of his missions called for it. But the Demon Lord sometimes questioned the way he used them, especially in this case.
A secret meeting in the inner most chamber of the Gates System. Same as last time, but Maki had warned the demon-dragon beforehand—a mere two seconds beforehand—prior to his entrance so as not to alarm Kayeda of the intrusion. Tajhinn had agreed, despite the time of night, thinking that some breaking news on the unidentified rebels had come up. What he did not expect was a pacing Maki, anxiety high and temper in full bloom, as he told the Demon Lord of the ninja that had appeared before Yume.
"Calm down, Maki," Tajhinn urged the restless youth as he continued to walk around the room, like a caged tiger eyeing its prey behind steel bars. "You understand the mentality towards crossbreeds. Anyone could have wanted to scare her."
"He threatened her, Tajh!" Maki cried, barely any restraint kept in his voice. "As much as I'd like to believe that this is all just a hoax, anti-hybrid sentiment doesn't go this far!"
He stopped his pacing abruptly, standing before the Demon Lord, realizing his insolence. But even if he recognized his error, he did not apologize, nor did he calm down. And if it was anyone else but Tajhinn, he would have been severely punished for his foul mouth. But the Demon Lord knew the boy well; understood his fervor and instinctive protectiveness over the water sprite. And he did not find any insult in his behavior.
"What do you want me to do?" the demon-dragon asked simply, for that's what it came down to. Despite Maki's burning desire to hunt down whoever was stupid enough to frighten Yume, he would not move unless Tajhinn gave the order.
He straightened up, fierce eyes boring into his leader's. "Grant me permission to seek out Yume's assailant."
"And do what?" Tajhinn asked. "Kill him?" The Demon Lord shook his head. "Maki, he didn't even attack her."
"Well at least let me beat the crap out of the little son of a bitch."
"Maki!" Tajhinn snapped, making the room grow still and Maki's temperament to cool down slightly. "That's enough."
He sighed, leaning forward with his claws folded on top of the table. "Do not think that I don't understand your feelings," he began. "But even if he did attack her, I cannot have you carry out the punishment yourself, especially if it were to take place in the Mortal realm. Your presence must not be made known. By anyone."
"I know that, Tajh. But…" He started pacing again, but this time taking more melancholy steps, each stride heavier as the knowledge that his profession stopped him from protecting Yume sank in. "She's scared." Maki let his arms fall lamely to his side. "She came running to me, crying. …You know I don't do well to see women cry."
"I can't have you act, Maki," Tajhinn said softly. "Not now."
"But what if this guy has something to do with the rebel faction?" he mentioned. "Don't you think the message was odd? 'Don't interfere? Death with be your punishment?' She had to be close to something she wasn't supposed to in order to get a threat like that. Maybe something in the area."
"I know where you're going with this," the Demon Lord stated. "And although I do admit that the message is suspicious, unless one of the conditions we've agreed upon are met, you cannot do battle." Maki opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by Tajhinn's sharp voice. "You are limited to surveillance and surveillance only. You knew this when you accepted the position."
"And I still know it now," he insisted. "But I just have this feeling that I should keep an eye on this guy. Please, Tajh." He held up his index finger. "Just one favor."
Gray irises, studded with gold regarded the young man gravely, weighing the pros and cons of his request; his plea. Maki was one of his most reliable sources of intelligence. Already on an ongoing mission, to divert him from the objective to seek vengeance… Well, it isn't simply vengeance anymore, now is it?
"You may track him," he finally agreed, choosing his words carefully. "If he proves to be connected to the rebel faction, report back to me. We will decide where to go from there."
Maki's face lit up, sharply saluting the Demon Lord before excusing himself from the room, already moving forth with his task.
Tajhinn kept his seat at the table, claws poised beneath his chin as the candles in small room flickered slightly.
"Do you think I'm too soft?"
The shadow at the door moved into the chamber, but did not answer the Lord's question. It didn't require a response.
"They're on the move."
"Perhaps," Tajhinn sighed, glancing at his general out of the corner of his eyes. "It's not confirmed yet."
Kayeda waited at the door, stolid and unyielding, as always. "What are your orders, My Lord?"
The demon-dragon paused, his mind working in preparation for today's events. "Send out a messenger. Tell Yume that she's confined to the castle for safekeeping until this is cleared up."
"That's rather severe."
"Maki's in a frenzy," he said as way to explain. "Nothing less will do."
"As you wish, My Lord." Kayeda bowed once. "Anything else?"
Lord Tajhinn took in breath, his next order being something that he wasn't too fond of but knew had to be done. "Assemble the BlackGuard. We're holding a meeting once Maki gets back."
***
He had been meditating for two hours now. But that wasn't much of a surprise to Jonathan. His son had an astounding level of discipline.
He sighed to himself, watching the boy meditate in the early hours of the morning. He had stepped inside his room not too long ago, and although Sage's concentration was great, he had a feeling that his son was aware of his presence.
"What do you focus on when you're meditating?"
Sage opened his eyes, regarding his father as he sat down on the edge of his bed. "Nothing really."
Jonathan nodded, letting the silence pass between them. "Rowen called. He was wondering if you could pick him up at the station this afternoon."
"…Did you tell him that I couldn't go?"
"Actually, I told him that you'd be there."
Golden eyebrows rose at the proclamation, looking at the man in confusion. "But… aren't I grounded?"
"Well, I'm starting to question if you were even grounded in the first place." Jonathan smiled wryly at him. "Last I checked, it didn't involve talking on the phone, driving, or playing poker."
Sage had the grace to flush at that remark. His father shook his head. "I suppose it's my fault. After all, everyone else was against it but me."
"Are you still angry with me?"
"I was never angry with you," Jonathan said, wanting to make that perfectly clear. "I was… worried. You scared me, Sage. Being in the hospital… It reminded your mother and I of when you were younger."
"I'm sorry, Otousan," Sage bowed his head. "I didn't mean to cause so much trouble. And…" He hung his head even lower. "I didn't mean to yell at you."
"It's alright." He chuckled lightly. "Besides, I'd choose to hear you yell at me over your mother's scolds any day."
Sage laughed at that. His mother was a fierce woman. "So, I'm not grounded anymore?" he asked carefully.
Jonathan shook his head. "But your mother and I are going out for the day. Mind your sister and Sammy for us?"
"But Satsuki isn't that irresponsible," he countered.
"I know, but she can't put together a healthy meal to save her life. And neither can your grandfather," he reminded the boy, getting up from his seat. "Watch the little one, okay?"
"Okay," he nodded, his eyes following his father's back as he left the room. Sage smiled to himself. I'm not grounded anymore…
After a moment's pause, he got up from his meditative pose and reached for the phone.
***
Riing! Riing!
Krysta dried her hands with a towel before leaving the kitchen to pick up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hi. Can I speak to Laura, please?"
The woman's eyes narrowed at the unidentified male on the other end. Who could this one be? It doesn't sound like that Ryo boy from the night before. "Hold on." She covered the receiver with her hand, catching Laura and Cye just as they headed out the door. "Kino."
Laura turned her head, seeing her aunt with the phone, and turned back into the living room. "Hello?" she asked upon taking up the receiver. She blinked. "Sage?" She placed a hand on her hips. "I call you one time and all of a sudden you feel like you can act familiar with me."
"Shut up," he immediate replied. "Just wondering when you were coming back."
Laura's lips curled up in a teasing manner. "Why do you miss me?"
"Hardly," came the dry retort. "I'm picking up Rowen at the station later today. I wanted to know if your arrival time is the same as his."
Business as usual, I see. Laura checked her watch. 8:00. "We're leaving at noon. I'm not exactly sure what time we'll get there." Dark brown eyebrows suddenly scrunched together as a thought came to mind. "Why are you picking up Rowen? You're grounded."
"Am I?"
Laura smirked, also catching the meaning behind the phone call. "Don't exercise too much freedom."
"I would never," Sage replied in mock seriousness.
She laughed, shaking her head. "I'll call you when we're in Tokyo."
"Right."
Laura hung up the phone and walked back to the front door, where Cye was waiting for her. "We're going to get the items we need for the counter spell," she called before closing the door.
***
The streets of Naruto were bustling that Sunday morning. The sun was up, surprising for fall weather. The wind was cool, blowing in from the beach. And the shade that littered the city streets was just refreshing. Albeit one was a little malicious.
The air in a dark alleyway shifted, the shape of one of the assassins forming within the safety of darkness. His eyes kept forward, to a little shop directly ahead where a yellow taxi cab pulled up to the side, letting off two young teenagers at their destination.
Just across the street, barely fifty yards away, he waited.
Throwing knife in hand… he waited.
***
"Aren't you being a bit unmanageable?"
"What do you mean?"
Cye sighed, remembering how they had exited the summerhouse and how quiet the ensuing ride to the city had been. "You hardly spoke to her."
"Well that can be fixed," Laura said, opening the shop door and stepping inside. "I'm sure we'll have a lot of time to talk to each other when I'm back in China."
"Laura…" She stepped forward towards one of the shelves, skimming over the titles of the salves the store possessed. Cye crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Are you giving up?"
"No," she answered, then sighed. "I just can't think about it right now. I asked Krysta to help me restore the armors and that's what I'm focusing on."
"But you can't just put this on hold," he shook his head. "We have to think of something."
"Cye, I've done enough thinking for the past week. Any more and my brain will self-destruct." Laura selected two jars from the shelf, picking up a few herbs on her way to the cash register and setting them down on the counter. "Besides, I've gone over this a hundred times. Xiang-Quon didn't approve of me leaving in the first place, and Krysta was my only sponsor. The only way I can stay is if she changes her mind and I don't know how to do that."
She paid for the items, taking the small paper bag the clerk had given her and stuffing it in the small knapsack she had purchased just yesterday. "If you can come up with something within the next 24 hours then I'm game. But until then… I guess I'm just praying for a miracle."
"We'll talk to her, okay?" Cye promised as they both turned towards the door. "All Krysta-san wants is to protect you and Sammy. She's not an unreasonable woman." He reached for the door handle. "I'm sure we can reach some kind of agreement."
Turning the knob, Cye opened the door, managing only halfway before Laura grabbed his wrist and pulled him aside. "Laura?? What—"
A second later, the glass panels on the door shattered, a shiny, slim object penetrating through the shop to embed itself in the opposite wall. The two teens stared at the item as it wobbled with the force of the throw. A dagger.
Cye took an unconscious step back, his chest tightening at the near miss. Laura turned to look out the window.
An arm was extended outside of a darkened alleyway, a partial silhouette of their attacker revealed in the morning light. Dark eyes, vacant of any emotion other than a thirst for battle stared back at them.
And then, he moved.
"Run!!" Laura pushed Cye towards the back of the shop, following after him just as the demon assassin burst through the door, throwing knives drawn as he spotted the duo making a break for the rear exit. He released the deadly projectiles, each blade soaring towards his target, and then some.
Laura whirled around, hearing the shriek of the terrified store clerk, before she called upon her rune, wakizashi materializing in her left hand. With a snap of her arm, she deflected the knives that were aimed towards the young man, the small blades clattering noisily against the hardwood floor. But her preoccupation with the throwing knives had some dire consequences, and the assassin had breached her defenses before she was aware of it.
She cried out in alarm when his forearm connected with her stomach, driving her back so quickly that the force threw her over the countertop. Laura gave a grunt when she slammed into the floor, her neck aching at the awkward way she had landed. She pushed herself up as quickly as she could, hand clutching the hilt of her sword firmly in anticipation for another attack. But none came.
Briefly looking at the shaking sales clerk by her side, Laura peered over the countertop only to find the store empty. What? Why would he just leave like that?
Then she recalled that there was one other person missing from the scene. Cye!!
Laura bolted for the back door, running down the narrow alley towards the screams and shouts, her only indication of where Cye might be. She cursed under her breath. That guy's not out to kill me! He's after Cye!!
That thought didn't ease her mind one bit.
***
Oh shit! Oh shit! "Everybody get out of the way!!"
Crowds dispersed. People screamed. Some ran blindly, and others stood still. Cye's worst nightmare was coming true. He was being attacked at a busy street corner.
Shit! He sprang forward, dodging another barrage of knives that dug themselves into the ground, the assassin in hot pursuit. His mind vaguely wondered where Laura was and if the demon hunter was alright, but now wasn't the time to be lost in thought. He couldn't armor up with so many people watching. And his pursuer wouldn't even give him time to do that.
I have to get out of here! his mind screamed. But I have to protect these people!
Another wave of knives came streaming forward, Cye weaving to the side to avoid them only to see that a young couple was directly in its line of fire. His eyes widened in horror as the man grabbed his girlfriend in a last ditch effort to shield her from the attack.
No no no no NO!! He reached out, his soul screaming for them, but knew that he could do nothing.
A tingle of power floated up inside his chest.
Cye gave a start, watching in amazement as the daggers collided against something in front of the couple, a shield of some sort, and fell harmlessly to the floor. What—
He felt the assassin at his backside, and Cye swerved to the right, barely missing the blade that was to stab him in the back. The demon ninja continued his assault, swiping his dagger in a wide arc to try and catch the Ronin in the chest, but Cye also managed to dodge this, trying to put some distance between them in order to lead him away from any other civilians. The entire time his mind was swirling in confusion.
This power… He didn't recall his reflexes being this fast without his sub armor. What's happening to me?
His opponent suddenly flipped the hilt of his weapon, holding the handle in a thrusting position instead of a stab, and pushed forward, aiming for the boy's unprotected stomach. He avoided the attack, sidestepping to the right, then backing up when the assassin snapped his arm forward, letting the dagger fly. The weapon zoomed past his face, straight for another person not fast enough to get away.
Cye took in breath, watching helplessly again as another life was about to end. But just like before, he felt a power in his chest, this time more concentrated, and the dagger diverted to the left. Away from the man like it had been thrown off course by some invisible force. Am I…?
He felt something plow into him, the ninja taking his distraction as an opportunity to tackle him to the floor. They rolled around on the pavement, struggling to overpower the other. Cye was suddenly forced onto his back, his attacker towering over him and coming down strong with another blade in his hand.
The Ronin threw out his forearm, catching the assassin beneath the wrist and stopping the dagger from coming any closer to his face. He gritted his teeth, feeling the compounding pressure against his arm as both of them entered another power struggle, one that Cye was quickly losing. C'mon Cye! Do something!
His leg pulled up almost on its own accord, battle instincts taking over as the boy placed his foot in between himself and the assassin. One well-placed kick had the ninja flying down the pavement, giving Cye enough time to get away. Gotta find some place safe to fight!
His feet pounded against the ground, searching for some street, any place that had no people in it. The demon had already recovered from his fall, and was now running after him. Cye could feel his aura at his back, pushing forward all the time. It wouldn't be long before the assassin caught up with him again.
***
Laura was running through the streets turned battlefield. She didn't even bother to look at the faces that had been affected by their little war. All she did was run, her short sword drawn at her side as she pushed herself harder to catch up to her enemy, and her friend.
Please be alright! She had the strongest feeling that he had yet to don his sub armor, and with no weapons to protect himself with… Hang on, Cye! I'm coming!
She didn't understand it. Why the demons would send an assassin after him… It didn't make sense. But for making one of her friends a target… Oh, she'd make them pay dearly for that transgression.
Turning another corner, Laura saw that the pursuit had stopped. The assassin had managed to outrun the Ronin, and was now trying to stab him with either one of the two daggers in his hands. Cye had his back to her, dodging and moving his body to evade the attacks. But the boy couldn't keep this up for long.
She gasped when a particular move left Cye open, the demon kicking him flat in the chest. The boy slammed against a brick wall, his opponent poised to attack.
Immediately, Laura drew her sword across her body, tip aimed at the assassin. "Forces that propel the moon and the stars…"
"It is forbidden to mix both styles."
"Come to my aid…and move the heavens!"
"Joining them together… can cost a hunter her life."
Like I really care! Laura thrust her arm forward, and the energy that had been gathering around her blade, like electricity to a metal rod, blast forward as well. "Shotgun!"
True to its name, the attack shot off like a bullet, catching the assassin in the side and throwing him several yards down the street.
"You alright?" Laura asked when she reached Cye.
The Ronin picked himself off the floor, rubbing his back to try and ease out the pain. "I'm fine," Cye turned to her, eyes reprimanding as both caught sight of the few onlookers that had witnessed that entire display. "Why did you do that?"
"You'd rather have a dagger in your chest?" Laura countered before shrugging her shoulders. "Better me than you. You're more conspicuous." He had to give her that point. Light blue armor stood out way more than energy blasts.
Both teenagers tensed when the assassin rose from the floor, daggers ready. "Now what?" Cye whispered under his breath, eyes watching the demon's slow approach.
Laura brought up her wakizashi, the sun's rays reflecting off the blade. "We fight."
She charged just as the assassin did, sword and daggers clashing for a split second before the demon somersaulted over the girl in the middle of their fight. Laura turned just as two more daggers were thrown her way.
She back flipped out of range, landing in a low crouch and ready to go another round when she discovered that the assassin had deserted her to attack Cye.
"Spurn me twice, huh?" Laura gritted her teeth. No matter what I do to distract him, he'll keep coming after Cye! Current tactics weren't working. There had to be something else she could do!
Glancing around at her surroundings, Laura caught sight of a metal railing by a bus stop. Property damage, a warning voice nagged inside her head, probably the same one that had reminded her of Krysta's warning about combining fighting styles.
Laura smirked.
Without a second thought, she sliced through the railing at two different spots, creating a makeshift spear out of the hard metal. She hefted the rod in her right hand and whistled sharply before letting the weapon fly straight for the assassin.
The demon ninja had felt the projectile coming, swerving to the side to narrowly avoid it spearing him in the back. But, unfortunately for him, what he thought of as an attack was really a pass to Cye.
His movement gave the metal rod a clear path to his opponent, the Ronin snatching it right out of the air. A grin came to the boy's lips as he twirled the makeshift spear in his hands, grabbing the assassin's attention for the moment he needed to clip the demon under the chin with the dull end of the shaft.
"That felt good," Cye exhaled, leaning on his spear as the assassin began to pick himself off the floor. He brought the pole-arm into a ready position. "Up for round two?"
Laura couldn't deny that she was in awe when she watched Cye fight. It was a demon he was facing off against, and she remembered quite clearly that the Ronins didn't fare this well as civilians. But he's doing alright. In fact, when she looked closer at how he parried the assassin's moves, Cye was doing much better than alright. He's… stronger!
But how? It didn't make sense. The bond between the five is supposed to increase each of their abilities, but we haven't restored it yet. So where's all this extra power coming from? It's almost like… Her eyes widened, staring at Cye in disbelief.
…Like how she could fight with her rune.
Laura shook her head, forcing out the idea. It can't be. Besides, Sage tapped into that very same power during our duel at the dojo. There's not way that—
She snapped back to attention when the assassin drove forward, his movements now desperate, and managed to slice a piece out of the front of Cye's shirt. Hazel eyes were transfixed on the silver locket around the boy's neck, no longer concealed by his shirt collar. That locket…
Cye clutched the item protectively to his chest, stunned for a moment before he brought up his spear again, this time ready to finish his battle.
The assassin took an unconscious step back, drawing out another set of throwing knives at the boy's approach. He threw one dagger after another, trying to stop Cye in his tracks. But the Ronin only blocked and dodged the projectiles with his spear, coming in closer for the finishing move. The demon pulled out his two remaining daggers, each in a stabbing grip as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and charged headlong at Cye.
Weapons crossed. For a split second, they both looked even.
Then the daggers were dislodged from the assassin's hands. Cye swerved on his heels, saw his enemy's back to him, and took his shot, driving the sharp end of the spear into the demon's back.
Surprisingly, the spear came in contact with no resistance as it penetrated the assassin's back, coming out through his chest with ease. His body went rigid as death throes overtook him. And then he was no more.
The ninja's clothes collapsed lamely to the floor. Like a suit hanging on a hanger that looks like a man in the dark, it fell, boneless and unmoving. The demonic power that was behind its movement was gone, driven away by Cye's spear.
The Ronin warrior breathed a sigh of relief. Glad that's over with.
"Don't look now," Laura muttered when she was back at Cye's side. "But we've got an audience."
Sure enough, there was a good sized crowd gathered at the sidewalks and around the intersection, all staring at them with wide eyes and hushed voices.
"Is it too late to run?" Cye asked half heartedly, then frowned as his nose got a whiff of something in the air. "Do you smell that?"
She did. "Incense."
Laura took a hold of Cye's arm, her free hand grasping the rune around her neck. Quietly, she began to chant.
He felt the air shift, two different forces at work here. One was the protection spell that Laura was conjuring up. The other was the mysterious power behind the smell of burning incense. Cye looked around with astonished eyes. A visible mist had begun to gather. And the people that had been watching them had stopped moving. Like stone statues, they froze on the spot.
One by one, they began to fall to the floor, dreaming peaceful dreams of whatever their hearts desired. Gone from their memories was the strange battle that had taken place in the streets before them. Gone were the faces of the two teenaged warriors.
The scent was still there, a strong, sharp aroma that penetrated his mind and clung to his clothes. Cye thought the very smell would rid him of his senses like the others, but due to Laura's quick reaction, they were both unaffected.
The mist was thick now. Like a damp fog in the early morning, he could hardly see through it. But he did catch sight of a silhouette sitting atop a nearby wall. The figure was slender, both hands folded together in prayer. By her side, a tray of incense was burning.
Krysta ceased her chanting, looking at the two of them before snuffing out the incense and hopping off the ledge. Neither one of them had anything to say to the older woman as she approached them, stopping only to pick up the demon ninja's battle gi.
"Let's go," she ordered.
Laura and Cye exchanged looks before following after her.
***
The door slammed open, rushed footsteps traversing the floor. Chairs scratched against the woodwork as scores of notebooks and paper were shoved off the table. Krysta spread out the clothes on the tabletop, eyes closing in concentration as her hands glided over the fabric.
Cye watched from the sidelines, curiosity and worry forming his features. He wanted to ask what the woman was doing, but held his tongue. Krysta's demeanor had changed. There was something grave about it.
Laura was also watching from the sidelines, sporting a look similar to Cye's. But the demon hunter knew what her aunt was doing. And she didn't like it. For all the years that she'd known Krysta, the woman never acted with this much urgency.
She finally pulled her hands away. "Trigger network."
Cye's brows creased at her words. He didn't notice Laura stiffen upon hearing those words. "Trigger network?" he echoed, confused. "Krysta-san, what exactly does that mean?"
"It means that there's more than one of these assassins." She rubbed the fabric in between her fingers, frowning at the texture. "It's already deteriorating. There's not much time."
"Wait," he shook his head. "I don't understand. There's not much time for what?"
"Time till the next demon attacks."
Cye's eyes went wide. "What?"
"A trigger network is a term we use to describe a condition placed on a puppet demon," Krysta explained. "The one you fought was created and controlled by another, and there's several others like it, all under the same restriction."
"Which is?"
"They all have one mission. This demon started it," Krysta said, pointing to what remained of the assassin. "And when it fails, the other continues where the first left off." She glanced down at the clothes again, shaking her head. "These garments are the key. They act as a timer when the demon is slain. Once the last piece of fabric deteriorates, the next demon is activated."
"And how many of these demon assassins are out there?" Cye demanded.
"I don't know," Krysta sighed. "It depends on how strong the master is."
"Yeah, well that's not the worst part of it," Laura interrupted, laying out a detailed map of Japan on top of the table. Cye blinked. He didn't even realize that the girl had left the room to retrieve the map.
"Timers in between assassins can vary." She took out a pen from her knapsack, then leaned over and ripped a strip of cloth off of the ninja gi. "So can the number of assassins activated at one time. It all depends on the guiding rules the controlling demon had set up beforehand." She hurriedly tied the cloth around the pen and uncapped it, her hand poised over the map. "Even worse, strength and skill aren't always identical. We'd be lucky if all of them are ninjas. But even that's a problem. Same class demons bonded by a trigger network only get stronger the farther down the line you go."
Laura's writing hand moved over the map, feeling, searching the country for the remaining demons that resembled their assailant's aura. The pen moved over Hokkaido. Nothing near Kento's area.
"And," Cye ventured delicately. "Their mission?"
Laura didn't answer, concentrating on her work. Krysta took one look at Cye, immediately diverting her gave when his eyes moved to meet hers. She turned her head away sadly.
"They're after me, aren't they?"
"We don't know that for sure."
Cye frowned. "But they are. They attacked me, not Laura."
"Yes, but—"
Amanohashidate and Naruto are clear as well. Laura's eyes narrowed. That only leaves… She gasped, quickly turning the map over to a larger version of Central Honshu, concentrated more towards the country's capital: Tokyo.
She felt Cye tense by her side as she tried to steady her own breath. The pen came down on the map, striking an 'x' on the outskirts of the city. Another was found near the first, possibly less than two miles away. Three more were discovered congregating outside of downtown, in the residential area. The last was hovering ominously in the heart of the metropolitan city.
Laura looked over at Cye who was staring at the map with wide eyes, visibly shaken. They weren't just after him. Ryo and Sage… Their targets were the three Ronin warriors from the Kanaji battle.
"Shit," Laura cursed, feeling the demon's clothes herself. Krysta's right. The fabric's already tender. It's only be a matter of time before the fibers begin to fall apart.
A few hours. She didn't know exactly how many, but that's all they had.
"Cye." His eyes looked up, firmly locked onto her own. Without her saying it, he already knew. And he agreed.
"Kino!" Krysta cried in alarm when the two of them were suddenly on the move. She followed the girl as she grabbed her knapsack, heading directly to her room. "Kino, what are you doing??"
"We're leaving," she brusquely announced, throwing open her duffel bag and stuffing the rest of her things inside. "There's a 9:30 train leaving for Nagoya. If we keep station hopping, we'll probably be able to get to Tokyo in five, possibly six hours." Laura zipped up her bag and hauled it over her, Cye already at the door with his things by the time she reentered the living room.
"Kino! You don't have to do this!" Krysta shouted as she followed the girl out of her room. "You're going into a battle that you do not have to partake in! Why are you doing this??"
"Because!" she whirled around, hazel eyes staring straight into deep almond brown. Laura paused and took in breath before smiling brilliantly at her aunt. "Because I need no reason to help my friends."
"Kino…" Krysta tried one last time, trying to sway her niece's decision for her own sake. Laura only shook her head.
"I'm sorry." She smiled softly, laughing lightly at her own resolution. "It's just… I'm sorry."
"Kino!" Krysta cried out again, but she and Cye were already out the door.
***
The bustle of people moving about on the platform was grating to his nerves. The constant pace, the chatter, and the ringing of a telephone that wasn't going to be picked up only succeeded in heightening his fear and tripled his worries. Damn it! Ryo, pick up!
After what seemed like the eleventh ring, Cye reluctantly hung up the receiver. He leaned his head against the pay phone, the cool touch of metal against his forehead offering temporary relief to his mind before the swarm of buzzing apprehension came back again in full. If only we were still connected by the armor link. He might have been able to telepathically send the message to Ryo and Sage. Even if he didn't know how, his anxiety level might have just been able to push through with the warning.
"Any luck?" Laura asked when he came back to the platform, the train already boarding.
"Nothing," Cye shook his head glumly.
She sighed, throwing her bag into the overhead bin before taking her seat. "Where could they be?"
"Ryo normally doesn't stay home on weekends. He's either out in the woods with White Blaze or he and his grandfather went into the city for the day."
Ryo in the city? That wasn't good. He'll move the location of the battle. "And Sage?"
"He was in the shower," Cye reported. "I left a message. But I didn't know whether to tell him to wait at home for us to call from Nagoya or to get out of the house as quickly as possible."
She paused, thinking. "You told him to wait, didn't you?"
"Well I had to. I was telling this to Satsuki." He sat across from Laura just as the train started to move. "How much time do you think we have?"
She looked down at the piece of cloth in her hand, the one she had ripped off the ninja gi in order to determine where the other six demons were located. Laura felt the fabric, prodding with both her fingers and her aura. "I still can't tell," she announced. "But we've got some time. By the way they were positioned on the map, there's three attack groups. Only one will be activated."
"Are you certain?" Cye asked. "What if they're all in one attack group and are just spread out?"
"I don't know," she shook her head, eyes downcast at the possibility that the two Ronin warriors would face an attack this big without any assistance, or any prior knowledge to it. "But I know we still have a chance. We'll reach Nagoya in a little over three hours. It's close, but from what I'm sensing in the deterioration pattern, I'm certain that the next attack wouldn't have taken place by then. We'll have one more chance to warn them."
One more chance. Cye sunk back into his seat, taking in a deep breath to calm his nerves. Just one window of opportunity left available to them. He remembered a time when things like this used to be easy. As much as war was devastating, it was much more convenient than the underground battle they were fighting now.
***
Sage stretched his arms above his head, feeling rejuvenated after his bath. Towel still around his neck, he walked down into the living room, almost colliding with a red blur when he reached the base of the stairs.
He eyed the little girl curiously, taking in the white keikogi and dark blue hakama that she wore, making her look more like a miniature samurai than anything else. "Sammy."
She stopped upon hearing her name, turning around to find her 'nii-chan' staring at her. She ran back to him, her smile bright as Sage kneeled down to her level. "Where are you off to?" he asked conversationally.
"Lessons!" she beamed and raised her hand, displaying the small bamboo sword that he had previously missed when first spotting her.
Sage recoiled back when the tip of the shinai came a bit too close to slamming into his face by accident. He smiled and pushed the sword gently away, looking over her attire once again. The hakama, he realized, was a bit too long for her short stature.
He reached over and lifted the hem of one of the pant legs, realizing that it was a good two inches longer than the length it was supposed to be. "Is my grandfather waiting for you?"
"Uh-huh," she nodded. "He's waiting in the dojo." As if just remembering that she had an appointment to keep, the little girl made a move to run. But Sage caught her by the arm.
"Wait." He pulled her back, taking a hold of the hem of her hakama and folding it up. "Don't run. You'll trip."
"But—" Sammy moved again, compelled by the restless energy of being a child to move out of Sage's grasp. But he pulled her back once more.
"Sammy, hold still," he cried, rolling up the other leg so her toes were at least visible. God, I feel like a mother. But he had that dreadful sinking feeling that if he didn't take this precaution, Sammy would fall. He had this reoccurring image of the red-head tripping over the hem and scraping her elbows. But it was always accompanied by this other image of the same red-head picking herself off the floor and running again. Maybe I should staple the folds into place.
Sage pulled back once he was done, wanting to survey his work for a second, but the moment he had let go of Sammy, the girl was off like a bullet, leaving a quick thank you in her wake.
"Don't run, I said!"
A giggle from behind made Sage get up. "Getting a feel for what it's like to be a parent?" Satsuki asked teasingly from the hallway.
"I'm not having kids," he declared, walking past his sister to get into the living room.
"You're not serious, are you?" the brunette asked. "She's not that bad."
"Fine," Sage conceded. "Then I don't want any boys. They have three times as much energy and are half as nice as girls at that age."
"Alright!" Satsuki shot her fist into the air with pride. "Score one point for the female population!"
Sage rolled his eyes.
"Oh by the way," she began, just remembering. "Cye called. He wouldn't leave me an exact message, but said it was urgent and wanted you to wait for his call."
The blonde's eyebrows creased. Cye called? But he just talked to Laura not too long ago. "He didn't say what about?"
"Nope." Her eyes lit up suddenly. "But there was a lot of noise on the other end. It might be that he and Laura are at the station already."
"Now?" He glanced at the wall clock. "They said they were leaving at noon."
Satsuki looked at the clock herself. 10:00. "Maybe he was calling to tell you that they were coming back early."
"Maybe. Did he say what time he'd call?"
"Around twelve-ish. One maybe. About how long it takes them to reach Nagoya."
Nagoya? He thought that they were taking a direct train to Tokyo. Sage frowned. They're station hopping? A more expensive way to travel, but it saved on time. Straight paths generally took longer because of the waiting period. But why would they do that? Something wasn't right. They were rushing to get home, but for what reason?
Just then, both teenagers turned at the sound of the back door being opened, Grandfather Date entering the room a few moments later. "Satsuki, can you get the band-aids and disinfectant from the cabinet?"
The girl raised an eyebrow at the request. "Why?"
Her question was answered involuntary when Sammy trudged in a moment later, holding her elbow up and blowing at the injury in an attempt to drive out the sting. The hem of one of her pant legs was being dragged on the floor.
"I knew she was going to fall," Sage muttered with a sigh. He placed his hands on his hips, watching the girl as she came up to him. "What did I tell you?"
"Not to run," she replied sullenly.
"And what did you do?"
"…I ran."
He sighed again, shaking his head before he guided Sammy back into the kitchen. "C'mon. Let's get that cleaned up." He pick her up and set her down on the countertop, turning on the faucet before soaking a clean hand towel in the water. "It's not that bad," he soothed as he cleaned the wound, his grandfather coming up to his side a moment later to examine it himself.
"Aren't you a strong little lady," he patted her on the head. "Not even one tear." Sammy beamed at the praise.
Grandfather Date looked over the hakama, the culprit of the girl's fall. "Well, it looks like we can't continue for today till we get that tailored." She started to pout, disappointed. "I'm sorry, Sammy," he apologized, a small grin on his face. "But you'll just have to watch." He turned to his grandson. "Sage, I'll need you to change into your practice gi when you're done."
He blinked twice. "Now?"
"Of course!" his grandfather cried. "You haven't been able to practice the last few days. It's about time you got back into shape."
"Ha ha!" Satsuki smirked from the doorway, setting the band-aids and the disinfectant spray down on the table. "Can't get out of it."
Sage stuck his tongue out at his sister when his grandfather's back was turned, the elder man heading out the door to prepare to dojo. "Oh and Satsuki, can you sew the hems of Sammy's hakama so that she doesn't trip over them anymore?"
The girl's eyes immediately grew wide. "But Grandpa!"
"Can't get out of it," Sage taunted back. "And Okaasan's not here to do it for you."
Satsuki glowered at the blonde, looking around to make sure that her grandfather had left before stalking right up to her brother and pushing her heel against the back of his knee. The joint bent out of its locked position and his upper body support instantly gave way, Sage having to grab onto the edge of the sink in order to stop himself from falling. His heart rate had shot up at that little scare, his sister's satisfied laugh dancing in the background.
He pretended not to mind what Satsuki did, seeing her out of the corner of his eye at a safe distance from him. He grinned to himself, rinsing the wash cloth in the sink. When he felt her guard slip… that's when he moved.
Turning around, he whipped out the wet towel, the motion of his downward swing sending a thick lash of water in Satsuki's direction. She screamed upon impact, frozen for a moment by the sudden attack. Then her surprise turned into rage as she charged at her brother, jumping on his back and locking her arms around his neck.
"Geez, Satsuki," Sage grunted, trying to keep his balance. "How much do you weigh?" He gave a unexpected cry when her knee rammed into his side.
"Excuse me?!" She tightened her grip. "How dare you even ask me that!! Aahh!!" Satsuki suddenly let go, getting wet for the second time that day.
She wiped away the water from her face, glaring at her brother, who held the extendable faucet head like a gun ready to fire. "Sage…" She took one threatening step forward and got shot with water again.
She glared daggers at the boy, eyes narrowing. Her shirt was soaked. Her hair was dripping wet. And Sage knew that another blast of water wasn't going to stop his sister from coming at him again.
Without prior warning, he dropped the faucet head and bolted for the hallway, Satsuki right behind, promising numerous ways of torture once she caught up with him.
Sammy's gaze wandered to the hallway where the screams and shouts were coming from, swinging her feet idly as she waited from her seat on top of the counter, wondering if either one of them was going to come back. When the ruckus continued with no signs of ceasing, she turned to the box of band-aids and the can of disinfectant. She made a face at the spray, pushing it aside, far away from her. Humming to herself, Sammy took the box and pulled out a band-aid—one of the really big ones—and opened it.
Once it was in place over her wound, she gave it a satisfied pat and looked out to the hallway again. From what she could tell, judging by the screams of a certain male voice, Sammy could only assume that Satsuki had caught up with her older brother and was now executing punishment.
Tickle torture.
The little girl cringed at her chosen method, hearing Sage's laughter as he begged her to stop. Sammy sighed to herself, feet swinging as she looked around the kitchen, wondering how exactly she was going to get down from the counter.
***
Cye was tapping his finger against the pay phone impatiently, waiting for someone to pick up on the other end. He never would have been this cross, but when his friends' lives depended on a phone call… circumstances can really push a guy.
There had been no answer at Sage's house. He feared that his message to Satsuki didn't sound urgent enough, and it didn't. Cye knew he should have left some sort of clue, a double meaning that only Sage would have picked up. But this was no time to berate himself for something he couldn't change.
Now the only one left was Ryo.
"C'mon, please," Cye begged, hearing the phone ring again.
Finally, someone else picked up on the other end.
"Hello?"
Thank God. "Hello, Sanada-san?" Cye spoke up. "This is Cye Mouri. Is Ryo home?"
There was a pause. Not a good sign. "He's out in the woods, doing some training. I can tell him to call you when he gets back."
Cye's heart sank. Oh no, Ryo's not in the cabin. "No, that's—" He cut himself off when he heard his own voice sounding words of defeat. No! There's gotta be another way! "Sanada-san? …Is White Blaze around?"
"Why yes. He's lounging on the front porch."
"…Can I talk to him?"
Talk to a tiger over the phone? As strange as it felt, he knew that White Blaze would understand the message and warn his master.
Sanada-san chuckled on the other end. Cye thought that he wasn't going to fall through with it until he heard the old man call for the tiger. A moment later he heard a soft growl on the other end.
"White Blaze?"
The tiger growled again.
"Listen, you need to find Ryo," Cye began, making sure that his words were clear. "There's two demons near him, and three more by Sage. You need to find him and warn him that they're going to attack real soon. Probably in the next hour. Alright White Blaze? Did you get all that?"
A ferocious roar echoed through the receiver, followed by Sanada-san's startled cry, urging the large tiger to calm down. He got the message.
"My, you've sure got him worked up," Sanada-san commented from the other end. "He bolted right out the door."
Cye smiled at that. "Thank you very much, Sanada-san."
"Anytime, Cye."
He hung up the phone, relief showing on his face. White Blaze will deliver the message to Ryo. At least he'll be prepared. But that still left Sage. Cye didn't know what he'd do if they attacked the blonde first. Or worse yet, attack both Ronins once the signal was released. Their next stop was Yokohama en route to Tokyo. Another two hours. It was too risky to leave it at that.
Picking up the receiver again, Cye dialed a new phone number, one that he had recently memorized in the past week.
"Kento?" he answered when the line picked. "Hi. Listen, I need you to do something for me."
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
::cringe:: Yes, I know. BUT, I could have been extremely, terribly mean and not only take a longer time to update, but also leave in the middle of Ryo's battle, and that wouldn't have been very nice. Not that this is nice either but it's the lesser of two evils.
^________________^ Ahahahahahaha!!! I have conquered the one-month-update monster once again!! Ahaha!! Victory!!
Hmm… I'm starting to see a reoccurring problem with my battles. I go into writing these with a certain amount of chapters in mind, along with certain scenes or events I want in them and the outcome of the fight. BUT, the fillers in between that makes the story get from point A to point B… well those could be either really short or extremely long, and mine tend to be extremely long. I said two chapters and an epilogue, but that would have only occurred if I got through three-fourths of the battles I had planned for this certain day and that the next chapter prior to an epilogue would have been a follow-up/wind down period, but ::looks over the chapter again:: that idea is officially dead. Good for you guys, because you get more chapters of equal length. Bad because of cliffys and other such things you want to scream at me about.
Panthera… I know I promised you a masterpiece. I don't know if I've met your expectations because the Cye/Laura battle against the assassin was rather small in my opinion. Different, but small. But I did rack my brain and came up with that nifty trigger network problem thingamajig (Sorry Little Fairy from Nam but I'm borrowing your word =P) that's going to cause three of our favorite guys royal hell, especially Sage. So I'd like to know what you think, honestly.
Battle's not over yet. This is the first out of… three chapters of fighting, I think. (Don't quote me.) And I'd like to know, for anyone who's reading this and bothers to read the thoughts of a deranged author ^_^ if this set up for the final battle of UC measures up to my others. I honestly think it's too early to tell, and that you can't measure it because… it's different. (Trust me, it is.) But that's just my opinion.
Random thought: I love Sammy! ^-^ So cute.