Prelude Part Three: Defeat
The room was completely silent. None of the individuals who occupied it was sure of what to say. The new stranger was up with Ryo, checking to make sure he was alright. Rowen was pacing back and forth, concerned not only for his friends welfare, but also about the new evil that had arisen. Kento and Sai were sitting on one of the couches just staring at the floor with expressionless looks on their faces. Mia and Yulie sat on the other couch doing the same, and Sage sat on the floor against the wall.
They heard the sound of footsteps as the stranger entered into the room. She was slim, about 5'6", with long, flowing, goldenrod hair that came to her hips. Her eyes were bright green and her skin, while it was not exactly pale it was only a shade or two darker. She was wearing a white square cut dress with sleeves that flared out at the elbows and that flowed out from her hips. Around her head was a braided rope that was about half an inch wide.
Mia stood up. "Is Ryo alright?" she asked.
The girl smiled. "Yes," she said. "He's resting now, but he'll be alright."
There was silence again.
Rowen spoke. "Who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Sachineera Koojima," she told them. "But you may call me Sachi."
"Why are you here?" Kento asked.
"I am here because the last ancient, Kayura, has requested it of me."
The Ronins and their friends looked at her in surprise. "You know Kayura?" Sai asked. "How?"
"I think the remainder of my explanations would best be reserved for the time when your friend awakens," Sachi told them kindly. She smiled again. "I admit that I myself am quite exhausted, and would rather enjoy a long relaxing walk around the lake." She turned to Rowen. "Would you be so kind as to show me the way?"
Rowen was speechless at first, but then he replied, "Um… sure, I guess."
"Thank you."
The two of them left he room, leaving the others behind to wait, some a little more patiently than others, for their return and for Ryo to awake.
Ryo felt a cool breeze blowing over his face. He opened his eyes to find himself in his bed with the window open. He sat up. From the light being cast around his room he could tell that the sun was setting. He sat there on his bed a moment trying to remember what had happened, but all that came to his memory was a girl with bright green eyes.
After a few minutes Ryo decided to stand up and go downstairs, hoping that there would be more answers there waiting for him. As he descended the stairs he could hear people talking. Ryo had a brief moment of deja vou. The last time this happened he ended up slugging Kento in the face.
"This is all just too weird," Kento was saying.
Sage laughed. "Since when have our lives NOT been weird?" he asked.
"Hmm, good point," Sai replied. The three of them started laugh.
Ryo smiled. It had felt like an eternity since he was able to really laugh. The laughing that had taken place earlier that day had seemed forced to him. He reached the bottom of the stairs just as the front door open. Ryo looked up to see Rowen and the girl who had protected him walking in the door.
The two of them stopped. Rowen's face lit up at the sight of Ryo. "You're awake!" he exclaimed as he hurried over to him.
"Yeah," Ryo said, smiling back. He then turned to the girl. While she was plain by the world's view, there was something about her that emitted a kind of beauty that no one would see just by merely looking at her. "You helped me," Ryo said. She nodded. "Why?"
The girl smiled. "Come," she said, beckoning the two of them. "I'll explain myself to you and the other Ronins."
The three of them entered the living room and immediately the laughter stopped. Ryo and Rowen sat down on one of the couches and waited patiently as the stranger stood before them all.
"As I have already told your friends Ryo, my name is Sachi, I am here because Kayura has sent for me."
"How do you know Kayura?" Ryo asked.
"In order for me to answer that, I must start from the beginning. I come from a world known as Londra, a parallel world to yours. Thousands of years ago, the prince of Londra wanted to come here and study about this world; its culture, its people, just the general information. When the arrangements were made, it was decided that the ancient who guided you in the first part of your battle against the evil Emperor Talpa, was the man who would be aiding the Prince in his studies. That was when Talpa first surfaced here in your world. The Prince, being an eager and ambitious young man, wanted to help in the battle. He nearly lost his life, but the Ancient saved him. And so, the Prince told him that if the Ancients of your world were ever in need, they could call upon his people for aide and we would give it."
"So, Kayura is in need?" Mia asked.
"Yes, she is."
"But why?"
"The man who has been fighting you has captured her. We do not know if she's still alive, but we keep our hopes burning. If he has gotten rid of her, it is now the responsibility of the Londrans to help you. When Kayura sent us her message that you were in need, I volunteered to come."
The silence after this explanation seemed to drag for eternity. Ryo was the one who broke it.
"So, why is Azuri after me?" he asked.
"That is a question you'll have to ask your Aunt and Uncle." Ryo stared at her in surprise. "I'm sorry I cannot provide you with any more answers. I must go for the time being. If you need me, just call for me and I'll be there." Sachi bowed to the Ronins and their comrades and then left the room. They never heard the door open, but they knew she had left.
"What did she mean?" Rowen asked turning to Ryo. "I thought you didn't have an Aunt and Uncle."
"They're my father's family. He didn't like being underneath my grandfather's thumb. He wasn't a bad person, he was just… I don't know, he didn't like my mother for some reason or other and so my father and mother eloped and he never saw my grandparents again."
"You mean, you've never met you're father's parents?" Mia asked incredulously.
Ryo shook his head. "And I never will." The others looked at him curiously. "They were killed in a car crash a few weeks ago. I got a letter inviting me to the funeral, but I was too…"
"Pigheaded?" Kento said.
Ryo gave a small smile. "Yeah, I guess so. I just couldn't go. I knew I'd feel awkward; only child of the rebel son that ran off with a girl his father didn't approve of, no one has ever met me before and the only reason they sent me the invite was because they decided it was time to let bygones be bygones. I just didn't want to deal with the tension of it all I guess."
"Well," Mia said. "Looks like you'll have to deal with it now. I don't think Sachi is going to tell us what's going on."
Sage smiled. "Gee Mia, you sound annoyed."
"I just don't like the whole situation," Mia told him looking cross. "It'd be nice if she'd have just told us what was going on, then maybe you five could get rid of this Azuri quicker."
"I'm going to go see them."
They turned to Ryo. He was looking down at the floor his face concentrating on something. "I know it'll be awkward, but I'm not going to let this creep put all of us in danger."
"We'll go with you," Sai said standing up.
"No," Ryo told him. "I have to do this on my own. I'll go pack my bags. I don't expect to stay any longer than a day or so. If I catch the midnight train tonight then I'll be there by six tomorrow morning."
He left the room without saying another word.
Ryo pulled up into the train station parking lot. He had about half an hour before the train was supposed to leave. He got out of his car, grabbed the small shoulder bag that had a few days worth of clothes in it, locked the car and then walked into the station. He walked over to the ticket masters desk and bought his ticket. He then went out and sat on the platform.
As he waited for the train he thought back to just half an hour before. He said his goodbyes to Mia and Yulie and then he and the other Ronins went out and stood beside his car.
"I'll call you guys when I get back," he told them as he threw his back into the car and closed the door.
"Don't be too long," Sage told him. "I don't like you leaving on your own with Azuri still out there."
"Yeah man," Kento said. "If you need us at all give us a call and we'll hop into Mia's jeep and get there as fast as we can."
Ryo laughed. "You'd probably get there too late, after all it's a six hour train ride, which means it'd take you guys about seven or eight hours."
They laughed.
"Still," Rowen said. "Call us if you need anything."
"I will," Ryo told him.
"Be careful Ryo," Sai said the worry evident in his voice and face.
Ryo smiled, nodded and then he left.
He heard the train pull up. Ryo picked up his bag and boarded the train. He showed the conductor his ticket and then took a seat next to the window. He watched as the dark forms of the trees flew past him. He could feel his stomach begin to knot as he thought about the meeting that he had never been allowed to have throughout his eighteen years of life.
Rowen leaned against the railing. The moon was shining on the lake and the wind was blowing through the trees. The others had gone to bed hours ago but Rowen couldn't sleep. It was four in the morning and Ryo was only about two and a half hours away from meeting his aunt and uncle. But that wasn't why Rowen couldn't sleep.
Rowen and Sachi had spent about half an hour or so walking around the lake. They didn't talk much except for the occasional comment about the sunset or a bird nearby. Although they had really said anything, Rowen couldn't help feeling something. It was a feeling he had never felt before. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. He was excited and scared at the same time. He wanted to laugh and cry, scream and shout all at once. It was an exhilarating feeling, but he didn't know what it was.
Rowen let out his breath in frustration and bowed his head. He just couldn't stop thinking about her. She was a plain girl, and yet she was beautiful.
His head snapped up. Was that it? Was Rowen in love with Sachi?
"No way," Rowen told himself. "I barely know her. For all I know she could be a stuck up snooty annoying girl who always has to get her way." No, he thought to himself. She isn't like that, I'm not sure how, but I know she isn't.
Rowen sighed. "This is just too complicated."
He hit the top of the railing and then turned to go back inside.
Ryo had fallen asleep for the last five hours of his trip, and when he finally arrived at his destination the conductor woke him up. Ryo thanked him, grabbed his bag and stepped off the train. He went to the ticket master and asked for directions to the address on the invitation from his aunt and uncle. He then set out to meet them.
When he finally stood in front of their house he simply stood outside the gate. His heart was racing and his mind filled with so many questions. What if they expected him to stay longer than he intended? What if he turned out not to be what they expected? What if they refused to speak to him because he did not come to the funeral? What if they really didn't care about him like they claimed?
"Come on Ryo Sanada," he muttered under his breath. "None of these 'what ifs' are going to get you anywhere, and they aren't going to be answered if you just sit out here staring at their house." He took a deep breath, opened the gate, and walked up to the front door.
It took a minute for Ryo to finally ring the doorbell but he did it. He heard the sound of footsteps on the other side of the door. It opened and there standing in the doorway was a little girl about seven or eight years old with black hair like Ryo's.
Ryo smiled down at her. "Hi, is Tyrra Huko here?"
"Yep, she is," the girl told him. "Come on in."
Ryo followed the girl into the living room. There was a little boy lying on the floor in front of a TV watching the beginnings of early morning cartoons and another one sitting on the couch. The one on the floor looked about the girl's age and also had black hair. The second had brown hair and was about ten or so.
The ten year old looked up when Ryo and the girl entered, but then he returned to his cartoons. The little girl looked up at Ryo. "Wait here," she told him. "I'll go get her." She left the room and Ryo turned to watch the two boys.
The younger one turned and, noticing him for the first time, jumped up. "Who are you?" he asked in surprise.
"I'm…" Ryo began, but he was cut off by the sound of someone coming down the hall. He turned and there in the doorway stood the little girl and an older woman. She too had dark hair and looked similar to his father. When she saw him she stared at him, her mouth agape slightly.
"Ryo?" she said still in a daze.
Uncertain of what to say, Ryo simply nodded. His aunt hurried over to him and embraced him. He was a whole head taller than her. At first he was too surprised to do anything, but after a moment he put his arms around her and hugged her back.
Tyrra Huko looked over her nephew's shoulder and saw the confused looks on her children's faces. She pulled back and smiled at them.
"Children," she said turning Ryo so that he could face them. "This is your cousin Ryo."
The three children stared at Ryo their mouths open so far Ryo thought their jaws would fall off from the weight. He smiled at them.
"I didn't know we had a cousin!" the little girl exclaimed.
The other two nodded their heads. Their mother looked down at them sadly. "Well," she said. "A long time ago, your uncle, Ryo's father and my brother, met a woman who was very kind, gentle, and a friend to all. For some reason or other, your grandfather did not approve of her. None of us ever discovered why. Anyway, he tried to convince Ryo's father not to marry her. He did anyway, and we haven't heard from him since."
"But why has Ryo showed up now?" the ten year old asked eying Ryo suspiciously.
Tyrra turned and was about to ask him when a man, about two inches taller than Ryo walked into the room. He saw Ryo and just stared at him. Tyrra explained the situation to him.
"It's Ryo honey, Ryo Sanada," she said smiling at him.
The man stood there silent and motionless, and then in what seemed like the blink of an eye he went over to Ryo and embraced him in a crushing bear hug. Ryo was half tempted to tell him that he couldn't breathe when he finally let go. He grabbed Ryo's hand and began shaking it furiously.
"We're so glad you're here Ryo!" he exclaimed. Ryo smiled at the man's enthusiasm and energy. "Do you have a place to stay? How long before you return home?"
"Rich," Tyrra said speaking to her husband. "I think we should allow our guest a moment to rest before he is bombarded with your many enthusiastic questions." She turned to Ryo. "Did you just get in?"
Ryo looked at the clock. "About an hour and a half ago," he told her.
Rich took his bag. "Did you get some sleep on the train?"
"About five hours or so I think."
"Well," Tyrra said turning to her husband. "Rich, if you'll take Ryo's bag up to the spare room. I think we'll let him get some sleep before we 'get down to business' so to speak."
Rich led Ryo up a flight of stairs to the second floor. He opened the door at the top the stairs and stepped aside for Ryo to enter. The room wasn't much bigger than his room at Mia's, but he didn't care. The walls were a cream color, bare, with a desk in the corner and a bed with white sheets on it. Rich went over to the closet and opened it.
"There are your blankets if you need them," he said. The smile on his face caused Ryo to think that if he smiled any more his face would split in half horizontally. "IF you need anything, we'll just be downstairs."
He left Ryo alone in the room and shut the door. Ryo didn't bother to grab a pillow. He just plopped onto the bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.
It was one o'clock in the afternoon when Ryo awoke. He sat up and sat for a moment. At first he couldn't remember where he was, but then the events of the morning came flooding back to him. He stood up and went downstairs. He searched the house for his aunt and uncle and found them sitting at the kitchen table with their two youngest children.
"Ken went to soccer practice," Tyrra said speaking of her eldest son. "Would you like something to eat?"
"Actually Aunt Tyrra, I'd like to talk to you and Uncle Rich about something," Ryo told her.
Tyrra turned to her two children. "Sue, Ron, will you two go play outside please?"
"Yes mamma," they said in unison. They stood up and went out the
back door. Tyrra waited for them to close it and then sat down next
to Rich. "What did you need to tell us?"
Ryo sat down across
from them. "Who is Azuri?" he asked without prelude.
He watched as his Aunt and Uncle's faces drained of color. Rich stood up and went over to the window. He watched his children outside playing.
Tyrra looked down. "Rich was there in the car when your Grandparents died," she explained to Ryo.
Ryo waited, but when Tyrra didn't say anything more, he asked, "What does the accident have to do with Azuri?"
"He was the reason we got into the accident."
Ryo and Tyrra looked at Rich. He turned to look at them. His normally enthusiastic and happy face was now care worn and looked five years older. "He used his magic to take control of the wheel and force the car off the road," he explained. "I know because after the accident, just before I lost consciousness, I saw him standing there, smiling at his work."
Ryo looked down. "I'm sorry," he said.
Rich let out his breath. "Azuri came to see your grandparents two days before the accident," he continued. "He said something about a magical armor, and about how he wanted it."
Ryo's head snapped up. "Did he say anything else about this armor?" he asked.
"The only words they could remember were Wildfire, Inferno, and some other ones that I can't think of…" Tyrra said.
"Halo, Torrent, Hardrock, and Strata."
Rich and Tyrra stared at him. Ryo lowered his gaze.
"You know what he was talking about?" Rich asked in astonishment.
"Yes," he told them quietly.
They were speechless. Rich sat down next to Tyrra. He took her hand but she pulled it away.
"Are you trying to put this family in danger again?" she asked bitterly staring down at the table.
"I just…" Ryo began, but he was cut off.
"You're father and grandfather may not have gotten along, but they were good people! Your grandfather may have been stubborn, but he had a good heart! How dare you come here thinking that you can talk to us about the thing that killed him!" She stood up abruptly and left the room. Ryo hung his head.
"I'm sorry," Rich said. "She's been upset about this whole thing. She's worried about the children's safety." The two men were silent.
"This armor Azuri spoke of," Ryo said still looking down. "I have it." He saw Rich's head snap up. "My friends have the other four. We have been using these armors to protect the world from the forces of evil. Some of us have told our families, others have decided it would be best to keep it from them so as to keep them safe." Ryo waited for a response, but when there was none he continued. "Azuri found out where I was and tried to get me. Luckily, I had my friends there to help me. He's still out there, but I had to find out the truth. I'm sorry that I've hurt the two of you, it wasn't my intention."
Rich looked up at him. "Thank you for telling us," he said. "I'm sorry that Tyrra reacted the way she did." He stood up. "Let me show you something."
Ryo followed Rich into his office. Rich went over to the desk and picked up a manila folder that was sitting on it. He held it out to Ryo. Ryo took it and opened it up. "After the accident," Rich said. "I became obsessed with this Azuri character. I looked up all the information I could."
Ryo found a copy of a painting that had been done. In it was Azuri fighting…
Ryo shook his head and looked at the painting closer. It was the Ronins. Not just the empty armors, but the Ronins themselves. Ryo was blown away. This painting was done thousands of years ago. How…?
"You now understand why I was so surprised to see you?" Rich asked.
Ryo nodded.
Rich sighed. "Ryo, there's something you have to understand about this man," he said. "I've looked at everything that has happened in his life. The people he hurt, what he did, all of it. He didn't spare the family members of any of the people he went after. After he discovered that your grandfather had no idea what he was talking about, he got rid of him so as to prevent anyone else from knowing he was there."
"How do you know?"
"He's done it before. The thing is, Ryo, Azuri will not stop until he gets what he wants. He will hurt the people closest to you, kill them even, anything to draw you to him, put you into a weak state, and then take away what he wants."
Ryo's head suddenly snapped up.
"Azuri…how powerful is his magic?"
Rich took the folder from Ryo and flipped through some of the pages. "It says here that when the first warriors that had the armor you and your friends now possess were around, Azuri wanted them desperately. He consulted with an Emperor Talpa and was even his right hand man for a considerable amount of time. When Talpa was destroyed Azuri found a means for causing the armor to be removed from the wearer. He did and it nearly cost one of the warriors their life, but then the bearer of…Wildfire stopped him. Ryo, I did some research. The bearer of the Wildfire Armor was one of your ancestors."
Ryo came to a realization. "Thank you Rich," he said. He turned out the door, went upstairs and grabbed his bag and was about to head out the door. He turned to Rich who was staring at him confused.
"My friends are in trouble," he explained. "Tell Tyrra I'm sorry for causing her pain. Please explain the situation to her." He quickly wrote down his phone number on the back of a shopping magazine. "If she wants, she can call me. Any of you can." He then opened the door and left.
Kento heard the phone ringing. It was about two in the afternoon and the others were outside playing catch with Yulie and Mia was making some last minute arrangements with her colleague at the University. He figured that he'd just let the answering machine get it.
"Hi, this is Mia. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks." BEEP "Guys, are you there?"
Kento walked out of the kitchen with a sandwich half in his mouth. He listened.
"Hello? Listen, I'm coming back early. Something's come up; I'll be there at about 9 or so."
Kento quickly picked up the phone. "Ryo?" he said urgently.
"Kento?" Ryo said on the other end. "Where are the others?"
"Mia's at the University and the rest are outside."
"Get them inside now and tell Mia to get home as soon as possible. Don't leave the house at all unless it's an emergency."
"Why? What's going on Ryo?"
"I'll have to tell you later. I'm on the train right now. I'll call you guys as I pull in to the station. Just keep everyone inside."
"Ok," Kento said, still wondering what had brought this about.
"Who all knows I left?"
"Just us here at Mia's and the ticket master."
"Good, don't tell anyone else, got it?"
"Sure Ryo."
"Okay, I'll talk to you at nine. Stay by the phone, alright?"
"Will do, are you ok Ryo?"
"Just do it alright, I'll explain when I get there."
"OK, bye."
"Bye."
Kento hung up the phone and stared at it in confusion. He went outside and rounded up the others. As they came into the house Kento sat them down and told them what Ryo had said on the phone.
"I wonder what's wrong," Sai said looking down at the floor in thought.
"I don't know, but it's something really big, he sounded pretty urgent."
Sage stood up. "I'll go call Mia." And then he left the room.
Ryo had thought the train would never reach the station. It had been the longest six hours of his life. When he did finally get there he hurried out to the stations garage where travelers were permitted to leave their cars for a fee. He paid the parking officer the fee, and then hurried towards home.
His head was spinning as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the house. The phone rang, and rang, and rang. With each ring Ryo's heart beat faster. The phone finally stopped.
"Hi."
"Guys! It's…"
"…this is Mia. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks." Ryo hung up the phone and pressed down on the gas pedal. Something was wrong and his dread grew with each passing mile.
Ryo looked in his rearview mirror, wondering if Azuri was behind him. When he looked back in front of him he saw a large tree that had fallen across the road. He swerved so as to miss it and went off the road. His car went down a hill and when it reached the bottom it flipped over.
Ryo hung upside down and unconscious for a moment. He opened his eyes after about two minutes. He undid his seatbelt and pulled himself out of the car through his open window. He grabbed his phone and bag, and then headed up the hill. He had a cut on his forehead, but as far as he could tell those were his only injuries.
When he made it to the top of the hill where the tree was he was in for a shock. The tree had been cleanly cut near its base. Ryo knew this was no simple accident. He shoved his phone into his pocket and ran down the road. His head pounded as the world flew past him, but he didn't care. He had to get to Mia's. They were in trouble, and he had nearly been killed.
It was another twenty minutes before Ryo turned down the drive at Mia's. He came within ten yards of the house and stopped. Everything looked alright. The lights were on, Mia's car was there, and from what he could see there was no sign of a forced entry. He ran to the house and burst through the door.
It was silent. Ryo could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he began to get the chills. He slowly walked towards the living room. He found Mia and Yulie lying on the floor unconscious. He ran to them.
"Mia," he said shaking her gently. She began to stir and slowly open her eyes.
"Ryo?" she said.
"Yeah," he told her. "What happened?"
"Azuri…"
She lost consciousness again. Ryo looked out the sliding door that led to the deck. He checked to make sure Yulie was alright and then he went outside.
As he stood there on the deck Ryo scanned the area hoping that he could find his friends. He saw faintly the shadows of four forms lying beside the lake. Ryo rushed down to them. To his great fear, they were the other Ronins.
"Guys!" Ryo exclaimed. He tried to wake them, but to no avail. They were still in their armors, but as Ryo watched he could see their only protection begin to fade.
Ryo jumped up and looked around. "AZURI! COME OUT AND FACE ME!"
There was movement behind Ryo and he spun around. Coming out of the trees was the Warlord of the Moon. Ryo armored up before Azuri had a chance to attack him. The two of them stared each other down.
"I'm glad you could come," Azuri said. His voice was cold and cruel. "Glad you could be here to watch your friends die."
"I'll not let you take them!" Ryo cried out angrily. "You'll have to kill me first!"
"With pleasure."
Azuri leapt into the air drawing his sword. Before he could strike Ryo however, Ryo withdrew his own swords and stopped him. They held there for a moment, glaring at each other. Ryo finally pushed Azuri away, causing him to fly into a tree.
Azuri stood. "You seem to have more strength than the last time we battled," Azuri told him.
"That's because I know the truth now."
"Oh? And what is the truth?"
Azuri ran at him again. Ryo wasn't prepared and so he was thrown back about twenty yards. He pulled himself up and realized that he was beginning to grow weaker thanks to his accident earlier that evening, but he wasn't about to let Azuri know. He ran at him again only this time just a moment before they collided he called up his attack.
"Flare Up Now!"
Azuri didn't have time to call out a counter attack. He flew into the forest. Ryo waited a moment to see if he'd come back. When a few minutes passed he put his swords away and then went to his friends. As he reached Sage he saw that he was stirring.
"Sage," Ryo said as he gently shook his friend. Sage's eyes opened.
"Ryo?" he said. He sat up. "What happened?"
"It was Azuri. He…"
Before he could finish he was hit by an attack. Sage turned and saw Azuri coming out of the trees. He quickly began waking up the others.
"Sai! Kento, Rowen! Come on!"
The other three slowly awoke. The looked around, not quite sure what was happening?
"What…?" they began, but Sage quickly explained about Azuri. They got up just as Azuri made another attack at Ryo.
"Ryo!" Rowen called out. "Inferno!"
Ryo nodded.
"Armor of Inferno!" Ryo called out. Soon he had all the Jin's of his friends and he was being armored up with the powerful White Inferno. As he prepared himself for a second attack, Black Blaze run over and stood beside him. Ryo withdrew the swords and sent an attack to Azuri before he reached him.
Once again Azuri flew back and hit the trees. When he stood again Ryo saw fire burning in his eyes and before Ryo could react he was engulfed by a ball of electricity.
It was pain beyond anything Ryo could remember. He fell on his hands and knees and began to tremble.
"AHH!" he cried out in pain.
As he sat there, almost ready to give up and die, he remembered what Sachi had said.
"If you need me, just call for me and I'll be there."
"Sachi!" Ryo yelled out. "Please! I need you!"
Ryo suddenly felt all of the pain diminish. He looked up and saw Sachi standing there. She leaned down and held her hand out to him.
"I'm here," she said gently. "Take my hand, we'll fight him together."
A wave of relief rushed over Ryo. He took her hand and stood up. Sachi took his other hand.
"Repeat this incantation after me, alright?"
"Okay."
"Lessa mahlo kee nor hoka," Sachi said. Her voice sound distant, but Ryo still did as she did.
"Lessa mahlo kee nor hoka."
They said it again this time in unison.
"Lessa mahlo kee nor hoka."
They continued repeating it getting louder each time until finally the ball of electricity disappeared. Ryo found himself sailing through space, the stars around him like tiny diamonds. He looked and saw Sachi smiling.
"Take them," she said. Ryo didn't understand. Sachi reached out and grabbed a hold of one of the stars. Ryo looked at it as it glowed in her hand.
"Gather about ten of them," she told him still watching the star. "Keep them with you and they will help you win the battle."
Ryo nodded. He reached out and took hold of the nearest ten stars. As they sat in his hand Ryo watched the stars melt together to farm one big one. He looked up to ask Sachi how he was to make them work, but she was gone. The stars began to fade and he was back beside the lake. The ball of electricity was gone and Azuri stared at him angrier than ever.
"Fool! You may have escaped my Ball of Torment, but you'll never defeat me!" he screamed. Another full blown attack was sent at Ryo. He flew back into the trees and lay there a moment as his strength began to drain.
The stars Ryo, use the stars…
Ryo looked around for Sachi.
The stars…
How? How do I use them?
Throw them, they will do their work.
Ryo gave an incredulous look even though there was no one there to see it. He barely had the strength to keep his eyes open. But, Sachi's instructions continued going through his mind, and so he stood. It surprised him that he could, for he could have sworn that the last of his energy had slipped when Azuri had hit him.
And then, Ryo felt a sudden energy throughout his body. He didn't know how long it would last, and so, with all his might and strength, he threw the ball of stars at Azuri as hard as he could.
Azuri tried to strike the ball of light flying at him, but it was too quick. He was struck right in the chest. Ryo watched in amazement as the stars seemed to disintegrate Azuri into nothingness.
Ryo was conscious long enough to see his friends running towards him, and then he hit the ground.
"It was a different way of fighting, that's for sure."
A few days after the defeat of Azuri, Ryo regained consciousness and told the other Ronins about how Sachi had helped him. Mia was fascinated by it, as were the Ronins, but Yulie just shrugged.
"Whatever works," he said. "Whether it's calling upon the power of your armor, or the power of the stars, as long as the bad guys get their butts kicked, it's all good."
The Ronins laughed. "You're right Yulie," Sage said.
"Do you think we'll ever see Sachi again?" Yulie asked with genuine curiosity.
"I don't know," Sai said. "But I really hope not, because if we do it'll probably be for the same reasons we saw her this time."
"Yeah," Kento said. "I think I'd like to take another what, five years off before having to battle evil again."
"Ha," Ryo said. "I don't think you'll last."
"Why is that?"
"Because, now that you're going off to college and everything, you're going to have to fight of an even greater evil, at least, greater in your case."
"Oh? And just what evil might that be?"
"Hunger."
The Ronins all busted out laughing. Ryo joined them giving the first truly heartfelt laugh he had in a long, long time.