Chapter one
Young Again
By Wildfire
The sun shinned brighter than normal, the heat radiated down in a constant pulse, the slight breeze offered no relief from the heat as that itself was hot. It was a day for indoor activities a day to take shelter from the heat with the cool air conditioning. Of course not all took refuge inside some took refuge in the cool water.
The Ronin's were some that went for the water, playing in the lake that was only a few miles from their house. Even Sage joined in on the 'frolicking' in the water. Only one Ronin was still dry.
Ryo laid on the grass beside the lake, perfectly content to just bask in the hot rays of the sun. It wasn't hot for him though, it was comfortable he was use to the heat of a volcano, this was just nice. His friends had asked him to join them in the lake more than a few times but he really felt very content to just lay there. He was temporarily shaded before the grass rustled, he looked up. Sage sat beside him.
"Going to swim?" He asked as he stared out at the lake, Ryo only smiled. Sage's normally poofy hair now hung around his face the bangs pushed back behind his ear.
"I might." He stared up at the clear blue sky, the warm breeze running over him. "Don't really have the energy to get up right now though." He paused looking up a bit at the men still in the lake. "Kento's swimming better."
Sage nodded, "He still sinks like a rock but Cye's been working pretty constantly with him. I don't think Cye would trust him out here alone yet though."
Ryo nodded, "Neither would I. You find anything in common with him yet?"
Sage just snorted, as if the idea was ridicules.
Ryo chuckled and propped himself up on his elbows. "Some day you two are going to end up being best friends."
Sage raised an eye brow at Ryo before looking out over the lake at the bulky boy. "I certainly hope not…"
"Why?" Ryo asked with a laugh, "He's not that bad!"
Sage smiled slightly, "Well if he was my best friend that would mean you, Rowan and Cye would all be gone." He patted Ryo's shoulder. "Come on. Rowan's getting cranky that you haven't joined in."
"Rowan's always cranky…" Ryo grumbled.
"Well if I was your best friend you would be too." Sage said keeping the smile on his lips.
Ryo just stared at him, mouth slightly open. "Did… Oh my—." He fanned himself over dramatically. "Did.. Did Sage Date really just make a joke?!" He pretended to be faint. Sage whacked him up side the head. "Hey!" Ryo laughed rubbing his head.
The blond merely pointed to the lake though. Ryo stuck his tongue out at him before running into the water, Sage rolled his eyes before he followed at a more leisure pace.
"Ahh are leader is gracing him with his presence!" Kento teased as he slowly swam ungracefully toward Ryo.
"Geez Kent you make him sound like he's a god." Rowen was floating on his back, though he—like Cye—was keeping an eye on their rock warrior.
Ryo laughed, "If that's true than you all should be doing my chores and paying my rent." That earned him a splash from both Cye and Rowan. "Hey you said it, not me. " He wiped the water from his eyes. When he looked back up Cye was gone, he quickly looked around. "Ohh Sh-" He gasped as his ankle was grabbed and he was yanked under water. His eyes quickly adjusted to the blurry water, Cye held his ankle and was swimming him… well who knew where he was being drug to. He reached forward grabbing Cye's arm before managing to wiggle free. He started swimming back toward the surface, knowing he would never make it. Cye had lungs of steal and would use that to his advantage down here. It was a race to see if you could escape before your lungs gave out. Of course there was no danger in it if for some reason you didn't make it back to the surface in time Cye would have you up in less than a few seconds.
He was almost to the surface when arms wrapped around his middle yanking him back down. Ryo resisted the urge to yell, wouldn't be helpful under water. He looked back at Cye's smiling face, but no matter how hard he struggled he just couldn't get free. He was sure he couldn't hold his breath any longer when suddenly they broke the surface. Ryo gasped in air turning to look back at Cye's-still- smiling face. He kept his arms around the dark haired boy as he was sure with all the thrashing he has done with the lack of air he wouldn't stay up.
"You lasted longer than normal, mate, went past 2 minutes." Cye patted his back before swimming off, Rowan taking his place beside him.
Ryo laid his head on Rowan's shoulder, still breathing harsh. "Remind me… later… to kill… him."
Rowan chuckled, "Ya slaughter him enough when you spar. I think he's the one trying to get even with you."
Ryo just groaned.
"Kento, small movements you're going to wear yourself out doing that!" Cye shouted. "No- Kento you're going to sink if you don't stop moving so chaotically!"
Ryo turned and watched as Cye swam to Kento who was swimming about as well as a six year old. "You think he's ever going to learn to swim?"
"Maybe" Rowen shrugged. "He's the warrior of earth though, and earth sinks in water."
Ryo smiled. "And kills fire, yet here I am, swimming away."
"And tonight you'll be sleeping like you're in a coma." Rowan said moving away and floating on his back again.
"I will not!" Ryo splashed him. "I am perfectly able to stay awake after swimming!"
Rowan up righted himself again, "Wanna make a bet?"
Kento swam over in a doggy paddled way. "I want in! What are we betting on?"
Cye rolled his eyes right behind Kento. "Ken you really want to get in on bet you know nothing about?"
"Yeah! It's not like I said whose side I'd take yet! I just want in on the bet. I can always use some more dough! Buy me some ding dongs..." He said with a smile.
"I'm betten him he can't stay awake after swimming." Rowan said with a smirk.
"Oh hell yeah! I'm totally on Rowan's side, tell when?" Kento asked flopping onto Ryo's back, Ryo grunted but managed to stay above the surface. "I say midnight!"
"Ohh come on I normally go to bed at ten!" Ryo glared back at his large friend, Kento didn't let go though.
"Fine" Cye cut in. "Nine than, and if you fail you give each of us 10 dollars."
"Fine, and if I win I get 15 from each of you!" Ryo flopped backwards dunking Kento.
Kento came up sputtering grabbing onto Cye instead. "Deal!"
Rowan and Cye both nodded as well.
"Now than, I think we should do laps, lots and lots of laps." Rowan said with a smirk. Ryo rolled his eyes before he got dunked again this time by his blue haired friend.
It was hours later he was finally rescued from the lake, by the only uninvolved party. Sage nearly dragged the fire warrior from the lake, ignoring their friend's complaints.
Ryo shivered a bit, wondering where their sun had gone. He looked up to a now gray sky the sun almost completely hidden. "Where did that come from?" He wrapped a towel around himself as a now cold breeze brushed past them.
"It's been building for a few hours now, I imagine we'll see rain tonight." Rowan responded coming out of the lake as well. "It might actually get cold tonight." He smirked looking at Ryo. It was no secret that the firey warrior slept more when it was cold out.
Ryo just huffed heading back toward the house. He could hear the others following, he shivered again as another breeze rushed past him. He jumped slightly as another towel wrapped around him.
"We can't have our firey warrior getting sick." Sage walked past him in just his swimming trunks, unfazed.
"No joke." Rowan laughed from beside him. "We can't take you to the doctor because your temperature is already higher than normal so when you get a fever you should be dead."
"Not to mention Cye freaks out." Kento laughed. His towel draped over his shoulders.
Ryo snorted, "Cye freaks out? I recall last winter Cye was the only one able to keep the lot of you from hovering. You'd think I was dieing the way you were reacting."
"Dude… you were way sick." Kento said a little softer than before. "I mean… danm you were freaking pale."
Rowan huffed. "Not to mention thin. You couldn't keep a danm thing down for longer than five minutes."
"You guys are over dramatizing this." Ryo huffed, "It wasn't nearly that bad."
"Dude, even Sage was staying up all night with you." Kento moved beside him. "I mean it was one thing to think we lost you for 'the greater good', if we lost you because of a cold…"
Ryo gently shoved him. "You're not gonna lose me Kento. I'm far too stubborn for that. Plus I'm pretty sure if I did somehow manage to die you lot find a way to bring me back."
"Danm right!" Kento hollered, "We're not gonna let you escape us that easy!" He flung his arm over Ryo's shoulders. "Honestly man I don't know how you survived all those years without us. I mean you're tired after you swim the cold nearly knocks you out and you get sick in the winter. If you're not careful we'll have to start treating you all gentle like."
Ryo laughed pushing him off. "Only if you want to die." The rest of the trip back to the house was in relative silence, when they got home Sage turned the fire place on. Ryo was more than happy to cuddle into a blanket in front of it.
Far off a dark cauldron started boiling over. The thick slimy steam rose in great puffs. A faceless being stood over it. He could feel the one, his chosen, he was weak, exhausted. The cauldron was ready. Could it really be time so soon? The wrinkled hand lovingly caressed the snotty steam. He would have smiled if he still had a mouth.
The world was now blank to him he even lost his hearing. All the was left was darkness and feeling. He could feel the cauldron, he could feel his chosen. It was time and yet he stalled, he waited. It wasn't wise to wait his chosen would rest and be strong again. He needed to attack now. He needed to take the chosen now. His hands moved to the rim of the caldron, he could feel the skin blistering and burning. He ignored it, he paused for another second before he shoved the caldron over. The liquid hissed than rose into the thick steam. The being waited if it still had a heart he was sure it would be pounding. He waited as he felt the steam envelope him, burning away what was left of his body, the skin was the only painful part after that it was an oddly detached feeling. He stood there waiting until he was one with the steam, part of the steam, he was the steam, and it was time.
Ryo was half asleep leaning on Sage. The blanket wrapped tightly around him, he stared at the fire with half lidded eyes. Sage sat cross legged reading a book.
"Don't fall asleep." Sage said turning the page of his book, "You still have over an hour." He looks down at Ryo.
Ryo grunts, yawning into his blanket. "It's only eight?" He looked up at he clock. "7:50?" he made a slightly whinny noise pressing his forehead into Sage's shoulder.
"Is he asleep yet?" Kento hollered from the family room; the sound of his game behind him.
"No he is not!" Ryo snapped back at him, sitting up slightly. A loud crackle of thunder sounded from outside.
Sage set the book down, frowning. He stood up walking the short distance to the back door. Another large crackle of thunder sounded. Sage tensed up.
Ryo moved beside him. "What's up?" he asked with a yawn. "Never seen you tense up from a thunder storm." He said with a little smile.
"There's no lightening." Sage continued to watch the now dark sky.
Ryo turned his attention outside as well now. "That… isn't possible, is it?"
"No." Sage stuck his hand in his pocket, fingering his orb. He looked over as the other guys joined them. They stared out into the rain for a while, listening as the thunder rang on with never a spark of lightening.
"What's that?" Cye asked pointing out a ways to a darker cloud set low.
"Dude it's just a dust cloud." Kento said cupping his eyes to the glass to see outside better. "Maybe we're just not seeing the lightening."
"No, it's not there. I can feel it." Sage turned his attention to the low set cloud. "That's not a cloud… and it's not dust. I think we ought to armor up." He looked to Ryo.
Ryo stared at the cloud, eyes narrowed. "No… don't."
"Dude that things coming right at us! If it ain't normal we need to armor up!" Kento held his orb clenched in his fist.
"I said NO!" He never took his eyes off the cloud.
"DUDE-"
"NO!" Ryo turned his head to him glaring. "You will NOT armor up, understood? Nobody DO anything." His eyes darted to each person watching them fiddle their orbs. "Give them to me."
"Ryo… Their-"
"Now!" He snatched Kento's away and held his arm out for the others. "I mean it!" His eyes were no longer tired but alert and slightly firey. The other Ronin's slowly handed him their orbs. He ignored Kento's glare as he held the marbles in his fist. He himself wasn't real sure why he demanded the orb but part of him knew it was necessary.
In another minute the cloud enveloped the house seeping in through the cracks.
"Ahh Ryo, man, I think we need those orbs back…" Kento stepped back.
Ryo stared at the dark cloud, "Why, you going to try and punch it? It's not really solid." It was odd he felt strangely calm watching the gunk seep in. It was almost like feeling the ancient was beside him. Though he knew the old man was long gone. He tightened his grip on the orbs as the dark cloud started surrounding them.
The cloud was now fully in their house, blocking the view of everything else. It stayed still and no one moved. Than all at once the cloud erupted upward before slamming right back down onto them.
There was a sickening scream followed by the sound of bones being broken, snapped and crushed.
