Time
By Quiet Chaos
Chapter Four
A/N: Go to the bathroom, get a snack, and get ready for a nice long, sit-down 'cause this chapter, as promised, is extra long! Again, same rules and disclaimers apply.
Black-tipped ears flicked and swiveled to the accelerating breathing. Brown eyes opened and curiously peered around the unfamiliar room towards the noise while noting the darkened sky outside. He sighed and stretched his paws and stiff limbs before climbing into the bed where his charge stirred.
White Blaze purred softly in the sleeping boy's ear and gently pressed his nose into the damp flesh, but there was no acknowledgement. Ryo was lost in a dream, and the tiger could only lie beside his cub and hope the warmth of his fur would send some line of wordless comfort into the world of unconsciousness.
xxxxx
He trembled, trying to shake off the layer of cold and numbness that threatened to drag him into death's dark embrace. Distantly he heard the armor rattle to his shivers. The once shimmering and powerful white armor was now dimmed by his free-flowing blood and salty sweat. It stood heavy and cold, propped upright only by his fading will.
He was alone on the corpse-littered battlefield. He had charged headlong into the demon horde and incinerated them all with the fires that had been raging in his mind, and now that his thoughts no longer burned with power, he stood alone and depressingly aware of the carnage surrounding him.
The only thing that remained was the demon emperor. Talpa.
"Have you at last come to your senses, Hariel?" He strode across the parched dirt between them, not even noticing or caring for the empty armors that crumpled beneath his clawed boots. "You were never worthy enough to wield that armor."
The words echoed painfully in his head. It was true. He hadn't been strong enough to control the armor; all that burning power had driven him mad. It had brought him to this point, this humiliating end. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he quickly lowered his head so the demon wouldn't have the pleasure of seeing him break down.
Talpa stopped just within striking distance and bellowed a triumphantly wicked laugh that rang across the field and made Hariel's ears ache. He squeezed the handles of the Ferver swords tighter in a weak effort to steady himself. With every hollow heartbeat he could feel his life slipping away.
The laughter faded, and he vaguely became aware of the demon's taunts. "What a waste." The emperor's spear idly swung just within his field of view, mocking his helplessness. "I will never understand why the Inferno chose you. But I suppose it doesn't matter now that I've defeated you and the Inferno."
The heavy white helmet lifted slowly and revealed an enraged glare that brought the taunting to an abrupt standstill. Hariel's lips curled into a decisive sneer as he watched the demon take an instinctive step back. "No, Talpa," his voice rasped as he forced the words to form in his blood-clotted mouth. "It's far too early to claim the victory that belongs only to me. I brought this on myself, and I will see it through to the end."
"How?" The spearhead was now pressed against his vulnerable neck, severing a thin line in the naked flesh. "You are spent, Hariel. It was I that defeated you with the power of the precious humans you sought to protect. It was their fear, hatred, and their humanity that fed the sleeping armor. And all that energy was sent down the lineage to me. A pathetic, dead mortal like you can do nothing to stop me from claiming that god armor and all of its power!"
Hariel felt like laughing. "I may be a dead mortal, but I have my senses again, and they tell me that no low-class demon will ever wield this power when he cannot even control that of his own!"
"How dare you!"
He was laughing as hard as his ravaged body allowed, wild, insane, rasping laughter that sucked away the last of the energy reserves his rage had given him. But at this point, he didn't care. The Ferver swords slipped from his trembling hands, but instead of falling to the ground, they ignited and merged into a flaming bird. For just a second it hovered between the two warriors before soaring away into the distance.
"You think disposing of the Ferver swords will stop me?" Talpa seethed as he stepped closer, holding the spear's tip on the edge of the fatal point. He glared at Hariel's glazed eyes and crazed smile, and his anger intensified.
"DAMN YOU!" He plunged the spear right through Hariel's chest, shattering the blue heart. "GIVE ME THE ARMOR!"
But Hariel just continued to smile, letting Talpa know that even as he was dying, he could still mock the demon's childlike impatience and anger. "I'll tell you now, Talpa, that even though I may die, my spirit will be within the Inferno's virtue…" For an added touch of ridicule, he spat thick blood into the red mask. "You will never…be able…to touch its power…"
The white helmet began to dissolve into sparks of energy, and was quickly followed by the rest of the armor, leaving the skewered body naked and twitching. Swirling itself into one golden mass, the ephemeral Inferno plummeted into Talpa's chest.
As the light faded, only the demon lord remained. He angrily kicked Hariel off his spear and roared at the convulsing body, "HARIEL! I will unseal and command the power of the Inferno!"
A void of glistening red electricity formed at the tip of his spear. In the next second it exploded. The power sparked and jolted wildly before slamming into Hariel's prone figure, tearing his body apart limb by limb. His last moments of consciousness were overwhelmed by unimaginable pain. He screamed one last time.
xxxxx
Ryo bolted upright in bed, screaming and thrashing wildly at the darkness as cold pain seared along his skin. The sudden movement knocked White Blaze clear off the bed.
Sage was up in an instant and desperately holding the trembling tanned shoulders, searching for the reason behind glazed blue eyes. "Ryo, it's all right!" He had to yell just to be heard over the blood-curdling cries of terror. "Ryo, look at me. Come on."
The thrashing came to a sudden stop as a wave of vertigo and the pain of sore muscles rammed into Ryo's chest, sucking away his breath and energy. Exhausted, he crumpled into Sage's awaiting arms. The blonde gently pressed a pale hand over the sweaty and fevered flesh and frowned. "Ryo?" He brushed away the damp, tangled black locks and saw that Ryo had his eyes shut tight and his brow furrowed. "Ryo, open your eyes and tell me what's wrong."
Sage held his breath as he felt Ryo's whole body shudder in his arms. The darker boy took a few shaky, shallow gasps before slowly opening his eyes. "Seiji?" he whispered hoarsely. His throat rattled and burned from the intense outburst just a few seconds ago.
"I'm right here." The warrior of light couldn't help but smile and breathe a sigh of relief when he heard his Japanese name and saw clarity in those tiger-blue eyes. "Are you all right? You were dreaming."
"That was...a dream?" He weakly pushed himself out of Sage's embrace in favor of the pillow. He wearily gazed at the ceiling, barely registering the stampede of approaching footsteps.
"Ryo! Sage!" Kento charged in the room first, fists raised; anger, worry, and panic written all over his face. "Who's attacking now? Where's the fight at?"
Sage moved to intercept him, gently waving his hands to calm the other boy. "Calm down, Kento. Ryo was just having a nightmare."
"Oh." Kento relaxed as Rowen rounded the corner behind him.
"That must've been some dream." Rowen peered around them. Ryo had a shaky hand pressed lightly on his brow, his eyes staring into the blank ceiling.
"What's going on?" Cye called out from across the hallway.
"Ryo was having a nightmare, Cye. It's nothing to worry about." Rowen answered him as he slowly started back down the hall.
"Oh, is he awake now?"
"Yeah, and by the looks of it, pretty shaken up." He flicked a blue lock of hair as he glanced over his shoulder. Behind him, Sage and Kento were being unceremoniously herded out of the room by White Blaze. The big cat was purposefully nudging their legs with his heavy head until they were out the door.
Both warriors stared incredulously at the big cat as he planted himself firmly in the doorway, blocking entrance to everyone.
"I guess visiting time's over," Kento muttered with a wry grin.
Sage shook his head in disbelief, then thought better of it. He knelt before the Siberian. "All right, White Blaze, we understand. You take care of Ryo until we get back." Grinning as the cat huffed, he joined Rowen and Kento down the hall with Cye.
As soon as he was sure the Ronins were occupied with something else, White Blaze hobbled over to the bed. In one swift movement that seemed impossible for a cat his size, he mounted the bed and perched himself squarely over his cub. He had to be careful. He delicately leaned over, pushing his face directly into Ryo's field of view.
"White Blaze?" The words were slurred as blue eyes now stared confusedly into deep brown. The tiger pressed closer so their noses nearly touched. He had to make sure that their eyes remained locked.
Blue eyes opened wide with sudden realization and fear. "Black Blaze?" A wave of mental comfort flowed from the brown gaze, and Ryo suddenly found himself wrapped in warm darkness. Unable to resist, his eyes slid closed and unconsciousness enveloped him.
xxxxx
After a brief argument with Cye, Sage convinced the auburn boy to take a break and to let him take the next watch. He sat in Cye's seat beside the bed, watching the girl known only as Kurari.
"You know, you almost had me fooled," he softly sighed with a slight smile. It was a moment before Kurari decided to open her eyes and peer at him. When she didn't answer, he continued. "My friend thought you were asleep, and I almost believed that too. But you're not one to sleep through so much commotion, right?"
"No." She rolled onto her side to face him more directly. "I was doing a little meditation."
In the dark he squinted at her. "You know how to meditate?"
"Yes, don't you? Meditation is just elevating your awareness of your environment and of yourself. I wanted to see why my wounds are gone."
"I healed them." He turned away from her prying eyes. "I did it as thanks for this morning."
Scoffing, she sat up. "Why on earth would you want to thank me? I was the one that started everything."
"Yes, I know. But it's the way that you finished it is what I appreciate." Their eyes met again, but this time Sage was determined to hold the gaze until he was done. "You obviously had a clear shot at Ryo when his back was turned, but instead of going for his heart, you went for his shoulder. And then there was the second chance where you knocked off the helmet. You could have decapitated him, but you didn't." He paused for a reaction, but there was none. "I don't believe you're one to miss," he ended softly.
Kurari broke their gaze first and let her hair cover her eyes, refusing to answer him in any other way. Beneath the blankets she clenched her fists. Why hadn't she struck him down when she had those chances?
Sage sighed. He could tell by the tense silence that she was struggling with his questions, and both of them probably weren't going to get answers anytime soon. He opted for a different path. "That was some pretty amazing fighting, though. You were able to take on all five of us without any armor."
"Armor? You mean those colored suits you all wore?" He nodded. For some reason, he felt he could confidently tell this girl their secret. The feeling intensified as she mulled over the information. "I couldn't cut through it with my sword."
"It's mystical armor that has been passed down through the generations. You saw first hand the power within Ryo's armor. All five of us have similar powers as are determined by our armors' elements. You've probably guessed this, but Ryo's armor draws its strength from fire, but the dominant characteristic of his power comes from virtue. My armor is of light and wisdom and gives me the power to heal. Rowen's is air and life; Cye has water and trust; and Kento is earth and justice."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Truthfully, I'm not sure." He paused, noticing her eyes through black strands of hair. "I suppose you can take it as a warning. All five of us share a strong bond in friendship and will defend one another to the end. We won't let you hurt Ryo again."
"Then you shouldn't have let me live," she flatly said before settling back under the blankets and laying with her back to him.
xxxxx
"Breaking news today in Shinjuku: another body has been found in what appears to be the twelfth victim in a bizarre serial homicide case. Earlier today the body of a sixteen-year-old girl was discovered in an alley. Initial reports say that the girl, whose identity has not yet been released, matches the pattern of strange deaths set by the recent eleven other victims. Police investigators have determined that all eleven victims' deaths were caused by heart failure, which resulted from severe psychological trauma. An autopsy will be performed as soon as possible on this newest case. Police have no suspects or witnesses and are asking for the help of the public. If you have any information please contact-" Click!
Kento tossed the remote. Earlier they had had another discussion about the morning's events so Cye coul hear Rowen's side of the story. But as soon as the talking was done, there was really nothing left to do. He hadn't felt like playing another video game and so he'd opted for regular T.V. while waiting for Cye to finish up in the kitchen. But at the late hour only the news was on. He slouched on the couch. Boredom was setting in fast, and he couldn't help but fidget in the fresh quiet.
"Turn that back on, Kento, I was listening to it." Cye came out from the kitchen just in time, and with a tray of sandwiches in hand.
"What for? It's just more of the same." He snatched a sandwich as Cye sat beside him. The slighter boy rolled his eyes and handed one to Rowen.
"Don't eat it all," he automatically said as Kento reached for a second helping. He stretched for the fallen remote.
"Oh leave it off, there's really nothing on," Rowen mumbled through a bite of food.
Tossing his hands up in mock defeat, Cye gave in. "All right." He picked up the tray and headed for the stairs, ignoring the puppy-face Kento was giving him. "I'll take these up to the rest of the house's occupants before some inconsiderate-bottomless-pit consumes them all, and then I'm going to bed."
"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Kento whined as he left.
Rowen snickered. "No, you're worse. Cye was being nice." Kento replied with a loud raspberry. "G'night, Cye," he called over his shoulder, ignoring the wet sputtering noise. He started reading his book again as Kento wandered away into the kitchen looking for a little more food.
At the top of the stairs, Cye was nearly run over as Sage uncharacteristically stormed out of the guestroom. "Sage, what's the matter?"
"Nothing," he seethed. Cye's expression fell, and Sage quickly apologized. "Sorry," he sighed, and Cye waited patiently for him to calm down. "It's just…I can't figure her out."
"Kurari?"
"Yeah. I'm sure she's still determined to attack Ryo, but this morning she had two clear chances and she didn't kill him. She doesn't even seem to care for her own life either. Why did she fight so hard to survive, and then try to run when the tables turned if she doesn't care?" he though out loud.
"Sage." Cye grinned as the taller boy reregistered his presence. "Don't worry about it so much." He held up a sandwich and the blonde gratefully accepted. "We've just met her, and she's probably confused about us and everything that happened this morning. But, I believe that in time she will eventually come around and tell us what we want to know. She's our peer in age, knowledge, and strength, and according to Rowen's side of the story, she can't be all that bad."
Sage sighed, smiling. "There's a reason you have the armor of Torrent. Thanks, Cye."
"Is she asleep?"
"Yes. I think it'll be all right to leave her alone as long as we stay with Ryo." They both peeked into Sage's room and felt relieved to see Ryo sleeping peacefully. White Blaze, lying on the carpet, perked up when they entered. "Look's like everything's all right."
"Okay, well, I'm going to drop this off with Mia." He held up the last sandwich. "Then I'm going to bed." With a small wave, Cye left.
Resigned, Sage crawled into the unoccupied bed and was soon fast asleep.
xxxxx
The house was as quiet as it had been nearly twenty-four hours ago when she first entered. Kurari slowly sat up, testing her strength and the air of the room. They'd left her alone, and that made her both relieved and tense. Were they testing her?
Her clothes were neatly spread out on the floor, and she carefully changed into them before slumping back onto the bed, exhausted. Her armor and clothes were heavier now that she was weaker, and the strain already brought on a cold sweat. She closed her eyes, struggling to find the best way out in her condition.
Soft footsteps shattered through the silence.
Her eyes snapped open and stared at the open door as a large black tiger crept in. She squinted in the darkness. It was indeed black. For a moment she wondered just how many tigers occupied the house when the big cat nuzzled her hands. She stroked its head in wonder. It was the same size and shape as the one she'd fought with this morning, but the color and temperament were completely different.
The beast rubbed his ribs against her legs and stood still as he gave her a meaningful look. He repeated the action and waited.
She tentatively met the cat's gaze and began to understand. She carefully mounted the tiger's back, gaining a little confidence as he purred his approval. She wrapped her arms securely around his thick neck as he started down the hall.
She was amazed at how careful and quiet the tiger was, despite having her extra weight. They moved as softly and as quickly as a shadow down the hall into Ryo's empty room. In the darkness she could see the untouched shards of the morning's life and death duel: an unmade bed, broken glass, and a depression in the wall. They passed it all and continued through the shattered door.
Outside the night was iced over with a fine layer of frost. Thin clouds veiled the moon so the light only ghosted the tips of the forest. She snuggled a little closer to the warm fur.
The tiger paused and growled softly. Kurari tightened her grip even more on the cat's neck as she realized what was about to happen. The tiger then threw itself over the ledge, carrying Kurari with him.
They soared off the balcony and landed safely and, to her surprise, smoothly on the battle-scarred ground. But the tiger didn't give her the chance to reminisce over it, or to even catch her breath as he sprang off into the dense woods.
A/N: -falls over twitching- Wow. That took a lot more energy than I thought it would. Phew. At least I made it! Oh yeah! Sadly though, this'll probably the longest any chapter will be. Oh well.
News: the next scheduled update, November 26th, will unfortunately not be happening that day because of my evil college workload. That update will be made on the 20th, and will be a shorter chapter in comparison to this one. Also, the scheduled update for December 11th will also be changed to sometime in the middle of the month, and there will be no update on the 26th. Again, blame college finals for the changes. Hopefully everything will go back to normal in 2006, though I may change the dates to something a little easier to remember, like the fist and the twentieth or something.
Enough babble, on to the shout outs!
Inda- Ooooh, a new reader! Thanks for checking out my story and for the support. New readers are always welcomed and supremely appreciated!
MorganRay- Yay! Your compliments are very much loved, and your continued support and reviews are wonderful to read! Thank you!
TheMadHathor- Huzzah! Another new reader! I am most happy! I can see why you advise against deadlines, but I am one of those lazy students that will never get anything done unless I set goals and deadlines for myself. Plus, it helps to see that people want to read what comes next, and that adds to my motivation to meet the mark! I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I hope you'll continue to follow along!
TeahLeafs- What can I say that I haven't already said? You're enthusiasm and support are definitely spurring me on to keep writing! Triple glomp attack! Whooo!
As a thank you and Christmas gift to all my reviews, I will post a link to one piece of Ronin Warrior fanart that I'll create just for you to download and enjoy. Look for the link in the December update:D