Disclaimer: I do not own the Ronin Warriors characters or the show. Just the few characters that I made up. Also constructive criticism is always welcome.
Chapter 7
The second session was now over and the officials were getting ready for the third. The arena had cleared somewhat because some of the loosing competitors and their guests left, however some also those that stayed to watch the duration of the tournament. Regardless, the stadium was still crowded.
Sage was standing with his friends at the bleachers drinking from a water bottle. Little beads of seat lined his forehead and upper lip. He was making all that he could out of five minute break. Earlier he forgot that the third session was one round with everyone competing in the different arenas, so after competing in the last round of session two he realized he would have a very short break.
"Don't worry, Sage," Yulie encouraged. "You'll do great."
"Yeah, compared to the dynasty this should be a piece of cake." Rowen added.
Sage took another drink from his water bottle. "Tell me about it. My biggest workout is coming from dodging. That's why I like the finals. At least there is some competition."
"Be careful what you wish for, Sage," Mia commented.
"Relax, Mia. I'm sure there's no one here that can beat Sage." Yulie said.
"Look, they're putting the competitors up on the board now." Cye pointed out.
Sure enough one by one the screen was lit up with the competitors and the arenas they were to compete in. Sage was in arena A and Shimi was in Arena C. 'It looks like it might come down to the semifinals now,' Sage thought.
Soon the announcer called for the competitors and the matches began. Once again cheers filled the stadium and grunts and "hy-ahs" filled the arenas. Everyone watched as all of the competitors engaged in their waltz of fists and feet. Only time would tell who the winners would be.
Shimi studied his opponent deciding to let her have the first move. 'When she attacks I'll counter. This will be over with soon enough.' Shimi thought.
Shimi's opponent attacked with a palm strike and he dodged to the side. She saw this and spun to perform another palm strike, but Shimi quickly grabbed her arm and flipped her over his head. She twisted her body and landed on her feet, but her momentum caused her outside the ring. She reentered and quickly found that Shimi had taken the offensive. He was throwing so many punches that she barely had time to block the majority of the blows. She was too focused on blocking that she stepped out of the ring again earning Shimi extra points.
The break bell rang and both went to their opposite sides for a quick rest.
Sage looked from his side to his opponent waiting for the bell to signal the break to end and the match to begin. He gave his opponent a smile and he received one. The bell rang and the two of them approached each other ready to start.
His opponent opened with a sweep which Sage easily dodged. He returned with a fist thrust which his opponent countered with a punch to his stomach. Sage jumped back and swept knocking his opponent down. Once on her feet she drew into a fighting stance. Sage executed a flying kick; anticipating her to dodge he performed a backward kick which connected with her stomach.
The match ended and the competitors bowed to each other. They also stayed in their arenas while the judges tallied the scores. Once the judges were finished they announced the winners alphabetically by arena. Sage was announced the winner in arena A, another guy in arena B, Shimi in arena C, and a woman in arena D.
The intercom announced that there would be a 10 minute break before the semifinals would begin. Sage stepped down from the arena and approached his friends on the bleachers. He wiped a little sweat from his forehead and got a drink from his water bottle. "That was awesome, Sage." Yulie said.
"It looked like she was starting to get the better of your for a moment, dude." Kento joked.
"I'll admit she was a really good competitor. She's very talented in the martial arts," Sage replied. "I'll be back in a bit."
"This is starting to get rather exciting since it's the semifinals," Cye stated.
"I know what you mean," Kento said.
"Of course you would. You enjoy any kind of violence," Cye said bringing everyone to laughter. He coughed a couple times and tried to keep himself from going into a coughing fit.
"Let's just hope the dynasty decides not to attack us right now. We're at a huge disadvantage with only you and Sage having your armor right now. I don't think we'd stand much of a chance," Rowen reminded.
Rowen's comment seemed to bring them back to reality for a moment. It never fails that when they seemed to be having a good time and relaxing, they dynasty always showed up to ruin it. A long intense silence filled them. "Don't worry too much right now guys. I'll check my computer database for anything that might help us find the rest of your armors," Mia said.
"Thanks, Mia." Ryo said with a smile trying to hide his sudden depression.
A few minutes passed and Sage came back and sat down on the bleachers. The Ronins, Mia, and Yulie all engaged in small talk to pass the time. They talked about the tournament and how the competition was getting fierce. The semifinals and finals were Sage's favorite because everyone was near the same skill level and the matches were pretty much equal. Yulie, being the little boy he was, had his mind set on Sage automatically being in the finals. With some explaining he finally understood that the martial arts tournament wasn't a competition of strength, but of skill.
Soon the automated sign flashed to life with the semifinal competitors. Sage was in arena A and Shimi was in arena B. Sage would be fighting another woman and Shimi would be fighting the other man. 'It looks like if I want to face Shimi I'll have to do my best to make it to the finals; that is assuming he makes it there,' Sage though while looking at the sign.
Kento leaned over toward Sage and said, "Look at it this way. If you lose this match we can all say you got your butt beat by girl."
Everyone laughed. "That's a mean thing to say, Kento," Mia tried to say through her laughter.
Sage only smirked. "The sad part is you guys would never let it go."
"No chance," Kento added gaining more laughter sending Cye into a coughing fit.
The announcer called the competitors to the arenas to begin the semifinals. "Are you okay, Cye?" Sage asked
"I'm fine; I just got choked. Go ahead and get to the arena before they disqualify you for being late." Cye replied.
Once Sage was gone Ryo turned to look at Cye. He could feel his bright blue eyes boring a hole straight through him. Ryo's eyes were often peaceful, but at other times seemed so intense that walls would crumble. "Are you sure, Cye? You look flushed."
Cye could feel the eyes of the other staring at him and it made him a little uneasy. He looked quickly at Rowen for help. "Rowen?" Ryo asked not missing the eye contact between the two.
"He's really not feeling well, but didn't say anything cause he didn't want to spoil it for Sage." Rowen answered.
"You should have told us Cye. Sage wouldn't have cared if he knew you were sick," Mia said
"I know, but it didn't start out like this. This morning I just had a headache and took medicine for it. It wasn't until we got into the car when it really hit me."
"Do you want us to take you to the doctor?"
"No thanks. I'll just take some more medicine at the house and then we'll go from there."
"Okay, but if you feel worse let us know," Ryo instructed.
"Okay," Cye nodded in agreement.
They all turned their attention back to Sage whose match had started during their conversation. The match was turning out to be a well fought one. Just by looking each person deserved to be in the semifinals. Shimi's match consisted of him and his opponent throwing various punches, blocking, and countering. They generally stayed in the center of the ring and very seldom separated from each other. Shimi's match was of skill and strength. Sage and his opponent, on the other hand, made full use of the arena by dodging and driving each other towards the outside. Sage's match was clearly skill and agility.
A few minutes passed and all of the competitors gave and received their share number of punches and kicks. With a couple minutes left in the match the competitors were starting to wear down. Now it was a test of endurance. Slowly the better competitors were gaining the upper hand and it became more apparent who the winners of the two matches would be.
At last the round was over and the judges tallied the scores. Sage and Shimi were pronounced the winners of the semifinals and cheers and unsounded disappointment filled the audience. The competitors bowed to one another and exited the arena for a much needed fifteen minute break.
"That was awesome, Sage!" Yulie exclaimed as Sage approached the bleachers.
"She really gave you a run for your money," Ryo added.
Sage rolled his eyes. "She's really talented. One of the best I've faced in this tournament," Sage replied wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel. "Now it looks like it's down to Shimi and me."
"How good do you think he is?" Asked Rowen.
"I won't know for sure until I face him, but from what I can gathered from watching him he is really good."
"At least you'll be able to rest for a little bit," Mia said.
"I'm heading to the locker room to meditate and cool off," Sage said.
"How are you feeling, Cye?" Mia asked after Sage left.
"About the same," he answered. "I'd love to take a nap though."
"We've only got a little while to go," Ryo said.
"I can make it till the end," Cye said. He felt really bad and wasn't for sure if he would last until the end of the tournament or not, but didn't want to worry them.
The Locker Room
Sage entered the locker room and untied his martial arts upper robe and laid it on the bench. He walked over to the sink and wet a paper towel with cool water and began to wipe his chest, neck, and arms. He rinsed the paper towel and did the same thing with his face. 'That feels good,' he thought. 'That cooled me off pretty quick.'
He sat on the floor against the bench and assumed his meditating position. There was a little commotion outside the door, but he would treat it like white noise. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his thoughts. At first it was hard because he was excited about the finals, but he quickly corrected himself and dismissed the thought. Soon the noise beyond the door drifted from his ears and the lights faded from his eyes. His heartbeat and breathing synchronized as he fell deeper into meditation.
Soon Sage was in full meditation and seeing through his mind's eye, and time seemed to move faster. He looked up and saw few clouds in a blue sky that stretched from horizon to horizon. Surrounding him was thick white fog that slowly rolled across the ground and around his bare skin. It gave him goose bumps for a moment even though the temperature was not cold. He could feel the dampness on the grass beneath his feet.
He took a step forward, and each step was like he was taking a thousand. He soon came to the edge of the fog and saw a single tree that stood on a small hill. The hill was covered with the greenest grass ever imaginable and the tree was covered with an uncountable number of leaves and blossoms. As he neared the tree he could hear the many sounds of nature coming to life. He could hear birds singing, cicadas chirping, and the faint rippling of a stream.
Now standing leaning against the tree with his hand, Sage did not see the vast beautiful Eden he was expecting. Instead he saw a stream at the bottom of the hill, and on the other side a meadow that abruptly ended where a forest began. He walked down the small hill to the stream and waded into it. The water rose halfway up his shin and was neither cool nor warm, but just the right temperature. He slowly lay down, shut his eyes, and allowed the waters to caress and massage each flawless extremity of his body.
He continued to lie for several minutes until he heard an echoed laugh of a little girl. He bolted upright and looked around for the source of the laughter, but found none. "Sage…" the echoed voice called in a playful manner.
'That sounded like Satsuki,' Sage thought as he stood and continued to look in every direction. 'Why is Satsuki in my vision?"
The sky grew eerily dark and the scenery around him began to disappear. The wind picked up with a howl as Sage realized he was no longer standing in the stream, but on the cold hard ground. The wind slowly died leaving behind the thick white fog as before. He could hear a deep maniacal laughter far off that sent chills up his spine. He noticed that the fog began to disperse as a purple haze took it over. Once the fog was completely gone he realized that the purple haze surrounded him but did not touch him. Despite the strange feelings he was getting curiosity got the better of him, and he stretched out his right hand to the purple haze. He touched it and felt intense pain. He quickly pulled his hand back out and found that he could barely make his fingers twitch. 'My hand's paralyzed. I can hardly move it.'
"Sage…" Satsuki's echoed voice called "help me…"
"Satsuki! Where are you?" Sage yelled still clutching his hand.
He heard the maniacal laughter once again though louder as it neared. "Submit," the evil voice echoed.
It was very close and Sage knew it. It was probably just inside the purple haze, but he could see nothing. Sage turned around trying to pinpoint the source of the laughter but it was no use. It was all around him. He had never encountered anything like this and was absolutely terrified. He knew defending himself would do no good; like every other vision he would have to let it finish. He heard rumbling as the haze began to billow. He knew what was happening; it was coming right for him. His breath stopped in his throat and his eyes grew wide not knowing what would happen next. "You're mine," the voice whispered in his ear as a hand grabbed his shoulder.
Sage's eyes flew open and he could have jumped out of his skin. His eyes were wild with fright and the shock of his mind being rapidly brought back to his body; he was also breathing heavy. Still sitting on the floor he spun around to see Shimi behind him. "Whoa, Sage. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, you just scared me is all." Sage answered calming himself.
"Sorry. The announcer called us and I found you here. I didn't want you to be late."
Sage couldn't ignore the tingling sensation in his right hand. "Yeah, ok. I'll be right there."
"I'll tell them that you'll be there in just a second," Shimi said as he left.
Sage stood and extended his hand to examine it. He saw deep red vein marks that began just below his wrist and extended to his fingertips. 'No way. This is really starting to freak me out. There's no way that vision should have affected my body. At least I can move it, though.'
He walked over to his bag and pulled out a roll of wrap. He wrapped his hand the best he could to cover the marks. He put on his upper robe, tied it, and tossed his bag back into his locker. He exited the locker room with his mind more flustered than it had been before.
In The Stadium
"Hey Ryo, where's Sage? If he doesn't get out here quick they're going disqualify him." Yulie whined pulling on Ryo's arm. Seeing only Shimi in the arena was starting to worry him.
"Don't worry, Yulie. I'm sure he'll be out here soon. As hard as he had to work to get this far I'm sure he won't miss it," Ryo replied.
"If it'll make you feel better after we wait a little more we'll go look for him," Mia comforted.
"Alright, but I hope he comes soon." Yulie finished.
A few seconds passed and Sage finally entered the stadium. His friends could take a breath of relief, but he couldn't just yet. He couldn't help thinking about his latest vision. He tried to dismiss it until later, but it always seemed to creep back into his train of thought. 'I need to focus on the finals right now.' Sage thought, 'I can think about the vision afterwards.'
Sage had been moving his hand and fingers to get rid of the tingling sensation, but to no avail. He stepped into the arena and stood facing Shimi. Sage looked and smiled at him while the host was announcing the finals match. The audience applauded both contestants giving their congratulations.
"Looks like this is it," Shimi said.
"Congratulations," Sage replied.
"Likewise."
The referee held out his hand between Sage and Shimi and they both signaled they were ready to start. He signaled the bell ringer and stepped back a few feet. Sage and Shimi bowed to each other and assumed their fighting stances. The bell rang and the match commenced.
For the first couple of seconds they stood staring at each other waiting for the other to make the first move. Shimi decided he would take advantage and be the attacker. He performed a flying kick which Sage easily dodged to the side. He then charged with a series of three palm strikes and a kick. Sage easily blocked the punches, but the kick connected with his hip.
'Wow. He's really not wasting any time,' Sage thought.
Sage blocked another punch and decided to take the offensive. Sage charged Shimi with a volley of palm strikes and punches and a couple kicks; Shimi easily blocked all of them and executed a sweep. Sage jumped and performed a palm strike, while Shimi was standing up, connecting with his ribs. 'Even though that was the hand that was paralyzed it still hurt more than it should have. Don't tell me this guy is cheating,' he thought.
Shimi spun attacking with a roundhouse. Sage blocked, grabbed his leg, and kicked his other leg out from under him. He fell to the ground, and quickly rose back to his feet. He then attacked with a punch. Expecting Sage to dodge, like he did, he turned and grabbed him and rolled backward, put a foot on his chest, and threw him over his head. Sage, taken off guard, could not counter the attack and slid on his back outside the ring. He reentered the ring and charged Shimi with a flying kick followed with another series of punches and palm strikes. Shimi was effectively blocking each attack, so Sage faked a punch for his diaphragm and with his other hand struck Shimi in the chin with a palm thrust uppercut. Shimi's head flew back with the blow and Sage punched his chest with two hands. Shimi took two steps back recovering from the blow. "I'm impressed, Sage. You managed to slip one by me."
"I'm happy to please you."
"After all this time I thought I knew what to expect from you." Shimi said as he charged Sage once again.
Sage's smile quickly changed to a look of confusion as he prepared for Shimi's onslaught. Sage was blocking the majority of Shimi's attacks, but many connected; too many for his liking. He had to think quickly for a way to end Shimi's assault. 'It's like he keeps speeding up,' he thought.
Sage quickly ducked and swept. Shimi jumped the sweep, but Sage swept a second time with his other leg catching his feet just as they touched they ground sending Shimi falling onto his butt.
Sage barely let him have time to stand when he launched his own barrage of attacks. His attacks were skilled and precise attacks, but somehow Shimi was able to block all but a few.
The break bell rang and they both returned to their sides of the arena. Shimi, of course, smiling, and Sage frustrated.
In the stands the Ronins, Mia, and Yulie were in awe of the battle. They were amazed at how Shimi was besting Sage. "I can't believe Sage is letting that guy get to him like that," Kento commented. "He needs to quit goofing around with that guy."
"What makes you think he is?" Rowen asked.
"Well, come one. Sage is much better than what he's letting on to be right now."
"What makes you think he's not already going all out?" Rowen continued.
"Would you quit playing psychiatrist?" Kento barked.
"Rowen's right," Ryo said. "Look at him. His breathing is heavy and he's sweating a lot. He's definitely trying out there."
"Stop. Stop it you guys." Yulie pleaded, "The way you're talking sounds like he's already lost. The match isn't over yet. He can still come back and win."
"We're not saying he can't win this thing, Yulie. We're just saying that it will be hard for him," Cye comforted. "In fact I bet he still has some tricks up his sleeves."
Cye's words seemed to put the little boy at ease for now.
'Come on, Sage. You can do it,' Ryo thought.
'Come on!' Sage screamed at himself. 'It's like he knows all of my moves! I know he said that he's been watching me fight for a while, but there is a difference between watching and actually fighting. He seems to rely on attacking me strong and fast. I'll have to watch for openings.'
The bell rang again signaling the match to start once again. As soon as he turned around Shimi charged with a flying kick. Sage saw an opening and knew that this would be one of the few chances he would get. He jumped to the side and leaned to kick. Shimi, after landing, turned toward Sage to execute a series of palm strikes. Instead he found himself in Sage's trap; his foot swiftly connected with his chest causing him to take a couple steps back. Before he could get his bearings Sage kicked him again with his other foot sending him back a couple more steps and once more with his first foot causing him to step out of the ring.
"Extraordinary, Sage. I wonder what your sister would say about that move."
Sage looked dumbfounded. "I… don't… know. If you're looking for a date…" Sage said.
"No," Shimi interrupted with a smirk. "You're younger sister, Satsuki."
Sage was even more dumbfounded. "What does she have to do with this?"
"Everything, Sage," Shimi replied as he charged Sage once again. "In fact your future; as well as hers."
Shimi launched a volley of punches at Sage purposefully making them easy for him to block. Not knowing what to think Sage said, "I don't know what sick game you're trying to play, but I think you need to find a better way to occupy your time."
Sage punched at Shimi, but he grabbed his arm and locked it underneath his. Their faces were now a mere six inches apart. "Maybe I've not been entirely clear," Shimi said his voice becoming deep and malevolent. "You're sister's life depends on you."
Sage's eyes widened in shock. "Dais," Sage said with hatred. "What do you want?"
"I already told you, but you didn't believe me. We've captured your sister and are keeping her in the dynasty. But there's a catch, you are the only one that can know."
Worry ran through Sage's body; he knew the things the warlords and the dynasty were capable of. He drew back and struck at Dais with his free arm only to have it locked like his other. "Let her go!" Sage growled. "It's obvious that you want me."
Sage began pulling away from Dais to get free, but the more he pulled the stronger Dais' grip became. Dais placed his foot behind Sage's and leaned forward a few inches. The weight shift was enough to send them toppling over landing hard on the ground with Dais on top. "Too true, but why not have a little fun first," Dais said into Sage's ear.
The referee began moving toward them to pull them apart. "Remember, Halo, we're watching you, and the moment you squeal we'll kill her in an instant. Any wrong move and we'll kill her in an instant."
"You're weak. A poor excuse for a warlord," Sage hissed in his ear. "Hiding behind an eight year old girl shows just how weak you are."
Dais furiously glared at Sage. Sage's words were a low blow; they were directed at his character as a warrior. 'How dare he mock me,' Dais thought.
The referee stepped back, and Sage started getting up. Dais shifted into a fighting stance and waited for the right moment to attack. Sage was halfway standing when he started to attack. He jumped forward and spun lashing out with a kick aimed for Sage's head.
Sage gasped as his eyes widened. He felt pain, but only for a brief moment as everything went white.
"What's he doing!" Ryo shouted now that Shimi had trapped both of Sage's arms. "That's not martial arts; that's dirty."
"Come on! You can do it, Sage!" Kento cheered.
"Knock him down!" Rowen continued. Shortly they both fell with Shimi landing on top. "Not you!"
"Let's go, Sage! Just a little bit more!" Yulie added.
A few seconds passed and the referee jumped in and pulled Shimi off of him. The ref signaled a five point deduction against Shimi. They all saw Sage start getting up, and Shimi's sneak attack. They watched in dismay as Shimi's foot collided with the side of Sage's head. It seemed like the entire stadium went silent. Sage landed in a heap about three feet from where he had been.
"Oh my God," Mia gasped.
Ryo and Kento were practically climbing over the seats in front of them, Cye was staring wide eyed and slack jawed, Rowen was in a similar state that Cye was in, and Yulie just put his hands over his mouth. "Cheap shot," growled Ryo.
"That son of a…" Kento grumbled.
"I can't believe he did that," Rowen added.
Several of the tournament officials and staff and medical crew ran into the arena. Two of the referee's ran up to Shimi to keep from getting to Sage and the rest of the officials were just watching over the medical team. They rolled Sage onto his back and supported his head. They lightly slapped the side of his face until he showed signs of regaining consciousness. They also spoke and asked him questions. "I'm fine," Sage muttered trying to get up, and immediately a wave of dizziness and nausea overwhelmed him.
"Don't get up. Just lay down for now," one of the medics told him.
Sage didn't argue. He decided he would lay down long enough for his head to stop spinning. Another medic held of up her fingers and he called off each number. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine now that my head stopped spinning." He said as they helped him up.
The referee turned to the judges signaling a twenty point deduction from Shimi. He then turned to the side of the arena where Shimi had been, but did not see him. He turned around and looked more, but he was nowhere to be found. The referee told other officials and they split up to comb the stadium.
"The coward must have split during all of the commotion." Ryo said
After a few minutes of searching it was determined that Shimi had left the stadium. After convincing the officials not to pursue the matter further they went ahead with the awards ceremony. Sage was given the championship trophy once again, but by default.
The ride home is what Sage dreaded the most, especially since his encounter with Dais. His words kept ringing through his head like a broken record: "We've captured your sister, Satsuki, and are keeping her in the dynasty."
Cye was once again in the back with Rowen, Ryo, and Kento; Sage was up front with Yulie in his lap. He certainly did not like the situation anymore than he had before, but since Sage had gotten knocked out he guessed he could put up with the long drive. Mia graciously turned on the air conditioner and turned the vents to blow on him.
Sage sat with his head propped on his hand gazing out the window. He wasn't really looking at anything particular; just watching things as they passed by. He watched people as they entered and exited the different stores with a few too many bags, and different people in their vehicles as they passed. He noticed a couple pretty girls window shopping, but didn't think much passed "pretty." His mind was too flustered with the events of the day. Then he noticed a family: a mother, father, and daughter. The mother carried a couple bags with one hand and with the other she held her daughter's. The father was obviously the pack mule.
'Such a wonderful family,' Sage thought. He immediately started thinking of his own family. 'I'll kill her in an instant,' Dais's words repeated.
Sage shivered at the thought. He had been thinking since he found out what Dais wanted. He thought multiple things, but most of them were illogical. The only conclusion that he came to was the one he had figured out within the two minutes after Dais revealed himself; they wanted him. 'Why not have a little fun first.'
'By fun they mean torture,' Sage thought.
After taking Yulie back to his house the rest of the trip was spent in almost complete silence.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading once again. Sorry it's been so long since my last update; I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner. Thanks to Firestorm and Yakumo27 for reviewing.
If there are any grammatical errors/spelling mistakes please let me know. I probably over looked quite a few of them.