"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"
By Onikage
Scroll Eleven: "Getting To Know Your Fellow Ronin"
Yuli dropped to his knees and scrambled to clean up the mess on the kitchen floor where he and Megami had collided. The ceramic bowl that had once held Mia's delicious dinner rolls lay in varying sized shards and pieces all across the tile floor. Yuli felt the guilt wash over him and up in his eyes as he realized that he had broken Mia's favorite dish. The very one that had been in her family for quite a long while to which she only used in special occasions. However, since there was more life inside her giant house than ever, everyday was a special one in its own manner.
His face flushed as he heard Mia and Kento from behind and Megami on the floor cursing under her breath as the sharp pain in her skull where the edge of the counter and the back of her head connected. "That's what she called it, Kento. I'm not sure what's in it, but it looks yummy to me," Mia said from the dining room. Apparently, she hadn't heard the crash. Kento scratched his head in wonder, and then gasped when he saw Megami and Yuli on the ground and the mess before him. "Whoa, what the heck happened?" he asked as he circled around the mess to pick Megami up off the cold tile. Yuli seemed to be all right by means of physical pain. "Mm, ow... I didn't see Yuli when I turned around from the sink and we just crashed. I hit my head on the counter..." she hissed through the pain and clutched throbbing lump rising to the surface. She felt Kento's hand cover hers and rub it gently, "Geez, that's some bump. Better have Sage look at it," he murmured and guided her out of the kitchen. He smirked as she called to his healer friend in a most 'help me' voice. The sound of clinking glass met his ears and he remembered Yuli.
He looked down at Yuli as he finished picking up the dinner rolls. The boy was silent for he knew what was going to come from Mia. He only hoped that Dais or Cale weren't present when it happened; they always seemed to take the side of Mia to him. "Hey, Yuli... You okay?" Kento asked and stooped down to clean up the mess while Yuli went and retrieved the rather large broom and dustpan from the pantry. He didn't answer as he tried to will the all ready too-big-broom to work as he swept the tinier pieces into the pan. God, Mia's gonna kill me... he thought as the tears blinded his vision. Kento took hold of the broom, but was shocked to have the boy wrench it away in a surprisingly powerful tug for his size. "Yuli..."
"... I-I got it, Kento..." he whispered and wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his forest green sweater. Kento picked up one of the larger pieces that lay in a heap on the counter beside the rolls and stiffened. Mia's bowl... Ohh, boy... he thought and sighed deeply. Then Mia walked in and saw the handle of the broom working by itself. She couldn't see Yuli over the center counter top, but she did see what Kento had. "All right, what broke this time?" she said in a rather annoyed and tired voice one that made Yuli flinch. Kento hid the giant piece behind his back and moved in front of the pile of broken ceramic shards. "Uh, just a glass," he lied. Mia glared at him with a most knowing look. He gulped as her hands flew to her tiny waist before she stalked toward him. "All right what are you hiding?" she demanded.
"Nothing," he replied as calmly as he could make it. He knew it wasn't convincing, hell nothing ever sounded convincing. He was always caught when he lied. Mia frowned. Her patience was growing tired of these 'I can get away with anything' games and pushed him out of the way. She saw the light blue shards with broken, hand painted, darker blue flowers in a heap on the counter and drew her hand to her mouth. Kento heard a faint 'Oh, no' from her before she exploded. "What happened to my grandmother's bowl?! Didn't I tell you to be careful with it?!" she shouted, tears of anger rising in her teal eyes. She faced Kento and snatched the piece angrily. "Gods! Kento you are so clumsy sometimes?! Why can't you be more graceful-"
"Kento didn't break it, Mia! I did!!" Yuli practically shouted. Mia jumped and had forgotten that he was there. She turned around to face him. "I'm so sorry, Mia! It-it was an accident!! I was bringing the bread out to the table and me and Megami-sama tripped over each other!! I'm sorry!!" the boy cried. He didn't realize that Dais and Cale had entered the room. They had heard Mia's outburst. Mia said nothing, still shocked. Yuli dropped the broom and broke off into a run. He slammed into Dais and fell on his rear. "Lady Mia, what happened?" Cale asked. Yuli gasped and scrambled out of the kitchen as fast as his legs would carry him.
Finally she spoke, "... Nothing, Cale. Just an accident..."
"What did the boy do this time?" Dais sighed. Mia frowned and glared at Dais.
"You know, he has a name just like everyone else in this house! It wouldn't hurt if you would use it! He's all ready terrified of you enough as it is! Referring to him like that makes it worse!!" she snapped and went to find Yuli. Dais felt the blood of shame rush to his cheeks and left the room without a word.
Yuli sat on his bed and sniffled loudly. The carpet was strangely comforting to look at. Maybe it was the color of Sai's armor that made him feel slightly better. He was always the most understanding anyway. A soft knock at the door made him jump. "... S'open," he murmured and kicked off his house shoes. He didn't look up when the door opened. "Lady Mia's not angry at you, you know," a deep voice said softly. Yuli leapt off his bed and backed up a few steps. Dais had him cornered. He was surprised to see the older man smile gently. "You really are afraid of me, aren't you?" Yuli frowned and swallowed his fear. He realized that it was a rather large gulp.
"No." Man... What a day I picked to be brave! ... I bet he could crush me under his foot easily! Boy Yul, you really are a chicken... Dais lifted his chin and looked down the bridge of his nose at him. He then faked a lunge at him, making the boy fall to his rear and covering his head. "Show some back bone. I'm not going to hurt you..." he said stepping towards the bed and taking a seat. Yuli gave him a look that said, 'I don't believe you'. He sighed heavily and beckoned him over. "Come here and sit." Yuli stood and shook his head quickly. Dais grew impatient. "Come here," he said a little louder. Slowly, Yuli mustered up the courage and claimed the spot next to the Ronin. Dais scratched the back of his head. "Why... why is it that you are so terrified of me?" he asked gently. Yuli had never heard that kind of tone in his voice before, except when he was talking to Lady Kayura or Mia. Yuli shrugged. Maybe it's cause you tried to kill everybody! Maybe it's because you leapt from the shadows of that temple to get me to get to Ryo and Sai! Gee, I dunno, Dais!! he thought angrily. Dais sensed this,
"You are angry at me, aren't you?" Yuli nodded and didn't look up. Dais lifted a strong hand to the boy's head and rested it gently upon his head, feeling his thoughts with the aid of his armor. So, that's it... He sighed again. "... That day inside the temple is what bothers you?"
"... You tried to kill Ryo and the others. Then you attacked Mia and Anubis. Mia was the only person I had for comfort when you and the others attacked. My parents are dead because of you and Talpa! Why wouldn't I be angry?!" he shouted as he slipped off the bed and headed to his dresser. There was a sword on it that Sage had given to him for Christmas a year ago. He stared at it intently. Dais saw his intentions as he stood there shaking with anger. "I wish I was a little older then. Maybe then I could have..." he stopped and didn't turn around, remembering what a helpless child he was against him.
"I had no intention of harming her or you..." Yuli stiffened as Dais stepped behind him slid his hand to his back and rubbed it gently. "... You have a big heart, little one. Some warriors I've known never had nerve quite like you do... Perhaps that is one of the reasons why I didn't try to kill you when I fought Anubis. You have the potential to be a great fighter someday. Something that many of them lack... Your parents must've been proud of you."
"... Why didn't you kill Mia? Does she have potential to be a fighter too?" he asked softly. Dais placed a firm hand on the boy's shoulder and did not reply. Yuli looked up and saw a very different kind of look in his eye. "Oh, I see..." he mumbled. "I won't tell..." He slipped away from him and started towards the door. "Yuli?"
"What?" Dais picked up the sword laying on the desk removed the blade.
"... I can teach you to use this properly, if you wish," he said, fingering the blade delicately. "Really?!" he gasped with a grin creeping to his face. Dais snapped the sword shut rather loudly. "Sure... There are things that I can show you that not even Cale knows."
"... Th- that'd be great."
"... Go on downstairs. Hardrock is more hungry than usual." Yuli gasped and bolted out the door. "KENTO! DON'T YOU TOUCH MY FOOD!!"
Dais sighed heavily and picked up the picture frame on Yuli's dresser. The boy's mother and father... Damn you for making me what I am, Talpa...
"... That was very sweet of you, Dais," Mia said from behind. The ancient man actually felt himself jump. "L-Lady Mia!" Why didn't I detect her?! "Just how long were you listening to us?!" he exclaimed, blushing.
Mia just smiled at him not saying anything for the moment. He took it for himself and just gazed at her and the way her auburn hair tumbled down across her shoulders clad in the dark purple, tight knit sweater she wore. She was so beautiful. Beautiful enough that it melted his heart of ice that day he first saw her on the vision screen in the dark chambers of the throne room. That moment was the calmest he had ever been in his life. Now the perfect image that was 'Serenity' stood before him, smiling at him even after everything he had done. A smile that was so forgiving and pure of unwanted immorality. A smile that he had long waited to be on the receiving end of for so long.
"Long enough to know that people actually listen to me around here," she mused. Dais chuckled. "I didn't want you to be upset anymore. Besides... I have been meaning to talk to him for a while... It's been nearly three years since I came. I found it disturbing that he ran off afraid every time I entered the room." Teasingly she brushed a lock of hair away from his eye patch.
"You have the glare of an angry tiger, Dais. You frighten even me sometimes." He caught her hand before he even knew what he was doing. "... I don't mean to," he whispered. Mia stood on her tiptoes and kissed his is forehead. "I know. Now come on to dinner. Kento took dibs on your food."
"... One of these days I'm going to give him nightmares about food. I can do it, too..." he grumbled. Mia dragged him out of the room by his hand.
"Yes, I know. Fright is your specialty..."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
*****
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Waaaaiiit a minute! You mean to tell me that you were floating aimlessly in space?! NO WAY!" Nasake exclaimed from across the table to Rowen. He grinned handsomely. "Yeah... an' I don't remember any of it! Ryo's the one who saved me from this giant-"
"-ball of radioactive, purple spaghetti!" Kento finished. Kaos looked at him blankly,
"... Even in danger you manage to link everything to food, don't you, Hardrock?" Kento frowned. "No! That's what it looked like!" Cale poked at the food on his plate cautiously.
"Actually, he's right. I mentioned it to Talpa before, but then he electrocuted me for making fun of the 'weapon of mass destruction that shall destroy Rowen of the armor Strata'," he mimicked in a 'Talpa' like voice. Yuli laughed,
"Hey, you sounded just like him!"
Sage set down his glass and looked at Kayura, Dais, and Cale. "So... tell us... Is Talpa really just a giant floating head with a mask that doesn't even look evil?" he inquired. The other Ronins nodded anxiously wanting to know. "Yeah, does he have like a messed up face that's all deformed and stuff?!" Ryo asked.
"Yeah right. I bet he looks like anybody else. You don't have to be hideous to be evil. I mean, Kayura was evil, but she's cute!" Sai said trying to keep a straight face, but the blush was failed to be suppressed. Kayura smiled weakly and drank the entire glass of wine she had in one nervous gulp. Cale set his fork down and gave them a blank look. "Actually... I've never seen his face... He never took off his mask, in front of us, that is." Kayura fingered the edge of her wine glass anxiously. He caught her out of the corner of his eye and looked at her in a softened shock. "Kayura?... Have you seen Talpa's face?" She nodded slowly. "When?! Where?! What's he look like?!" She flushed heavily.
"I really see no need to know where and when I saw him. The point is I saw him!" Dais' one eye bulged. "Kayura... you mean you've-" he didn't finish his sentence. No WONDER he liked her more than us! ... Gods that must've been Hell for her...
"... Eww," Tori and Domo mumbled. Kayura fidgeted in her chair beside Ryo. He slid his hand against hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, realizing what had happened to her. The room around her became unbearably warm and it felt like it was closing in on her. Drawing for breath she began her reply,"... His face is-"
"WHO WANTS CAKE?!" Megami called from the kitchen. Kayura bolted from the room and dashed upstairs. Kento groaned, " MAN! I wanna know if Talpa looks like an ugly ass-"
"Kento! There are children present!" Mia scolded in a harsh whisper, grabbing his arm rather painfully for a girl. Kento glanced at Yuli and Kiku who looked up at him innocently. "Heh... sorry."
Ryo slid from his chair and took his dishes into the kitchen without a word. "Hey Ryo! Ya want some cake? It's a special recipe I made up!" Megami said with a grin in her voice. The girls gasped. "NO! Don't Ryo!!" they yelled.
"Uh... No thanks, Megami. I think I'll pass today. It's not good for the abs anyway."
"Psshh! You got abs a steel man! Geez! Didn't ya see the way Tori was lookin' at you?!"
"MEGAMI!!" Tori roared and flushed as a million 'whoos' and 'hoots' met her ears. "I'm gonna kill you!!"
"... Not tonight, Meg... Save me a piece from Kento in there though." Megami sighed as she came through the kitchen door with the cake. "Man, he looked really bummed..."
"He's just worried about Kayura..." Cale said and helped Mia clear the table. Nasake grabbed her plate away from Kento as he reached for her roll. "Hey! No!... Um, what... what exactly happened to her?" Domo's eyes bugged.
"You're kidding, right 'Sake?"
"N-no. What happened? Will she be okay?" Her girlfriends sighed heavily, giving no reply. "HEY! Answer m-"
"'Sake... You know what a harem is don't you?" Rowen asked once the others had left.
"Yeah, it's a bunch of... oh. Ohh... Okay, never mind... Will she be okay, Rowen?"
"... That's something you'll have to ask her."
*****
Tori sighed heavily as she ascended the staircase with a plate of food in her hands. She passed her grandfather on the landing as he was coming down. "Hi 'Jiisan. Is Anubis in his room? He didn't come down for supper..." Kaos smiled,
"Yes, but he's a little upset right now, mind you. Try not to fight."
"Hey, I haven't fought with him in three days!"
"Exactly..." Tori frowned. "And don't frown. An angry look from you is the last thing he needs to see." Tori flushed and passed Kaos.
She reached his room and stopped herself from knocking. She saw that Sekhmet's door was open and poked her head inside. He was asleep on his bed and hadn't even changed out of his sub armor yet. She then remembered what the others had told her. God... What a thing to go through... Must've cried himself to sleep... Anubis has gotta be feelin' guilty too... Geez, how much trouble can a giant floating head cause?! she thought angrily. She set the plate down silently and crept over to his bedside and draped an afghan over him. He stirred and he dropped something in his hand. Tori bent down and picked it up. Her heart sank as she gazed at the ring made of what looked to be a type of opalescent silver, if such a metal existed. Gently she set it back in his hand and closed it. He murmured softly. "... Managi..." Tori backed away and picked up the plate, returning to her first mission. She knocked softly on the door.
"... S'open."
"Hey..." she murmured and stepped inside. Anubis turned his head away from the dark window and to the door. For a moment, she saw something in his eyes, then it was gone. Still those eyes disturbed her.
Fou-Lu.
Tori felt a shiver run down her spine, but shook it off. "I... I brought you, um... supper..." she whispered and set the plate down on the dresser. "Mia kinda told me that if it wasn't clean by morning that she was gonna be mad..." Anubis smirked and looked back out the window.
"... Thanks for the warning." Tori stood beside him after a moment of silence.
"What's out there?"
"... The Nether Realm. Talpa wants to merge both worlds... Doing so would be catastrophic," he replied. "Have a look." Tori stood in front of the narrow window. Her mouth dropped open. There was an ancient, dark castle set just on the rocky horizon. The sky there was a blend of dark purples, reds, golds, and midnight blues where the Earth's night sky met the Nether Realm's. The sky around the castle flashed angrily. "... It's... kinda pretty," she murmured. Anubis' eyebrows raised in disbelief. Tori flushed, "i-in a evil sorta way, I mean." She returned her gaze back to the deadly horizon. Anubis sighed, "Yes, perhaps from far away... but you see all those colors?"
"Huh uh."
"... Dark energy. The same energy that tried to turn the others and I against you." Tori shuddered at the memory. Her neck could still feel the handle of his weapon choking her.
"I apologize for what happened and what I failed to control..." he whispered and slumped against the window. Tori shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Red. I'm okay. The only thing you did was try to choke me-"
"What?! Oh gods..." he pushed himself away from the window and ran his hands through his hair nervously. He plopped down on his bed and held his face in his hands. "Gods forgive me..." he murmured.
"Anubis, you really are freaked about this," she gasped and sat next to him.
"Of course I am!... I failed to control myself when I could. I just gave up and look what happened! God, first Managi's life... now yours... I'm going to Hell for this."
"No you're not... I'm still here, aren't I?"
"I've all ready gone to Hell for what I was!" he cried. Tori jumped. So, he had lied when he had said where he had been before he was resurrected. But why would he lie about something like that? she asked herself. "Why did you lie?" she asked softly. Anubis sniffled loudly and regained his composure. He felt foolish for letting his emotions get the best of him. However, this was the first time he had slipped and he had talked about this with Kaos and Mia countless times. For some reason, her presence was... no... It was just the lingering Dark energy that made him feel this way. Tori had nothing, no effect on him. "... I... I lied because I didn't want to frighten Cale, Sekhmet, or Dais... They have done this far worse than I... so..." He sighed heavily. Tori stood up and walked back to the window. "... If it's all right with you, what's... what was it like there?" Anubis stood and met her at the window.
"... Everything around you is so dark. You can't move. You can't speak. You can't stop hurting. It's cold. It's hot. It breaks, tares, cuts, stabs, rips, shocks, splits, pulls, shatters, splinters, burns, freezes, scorches, whips... Every nightmare, every fear, every worry, heartache, pain and suffering you feel in a lifetime is locked in a continuous circle of insanity and torture for all time. Everything that makes your blood run cold and brings agony to your heart is there," he whispered. Tori turned and searched for his eyes. He just stared down at her without a word. "... I can only imagine what a relief it is for you to have been give a second chance... Another chance to redeem yourself, to make this right, to start over... How on Earth did you manage to come back, I thought once you made a pact with the devil... that was it. No turning back..."
"I don't know... According to what I thought I was... 'told' down there... I was one of the most evil men alive... 'You could have been one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,' He told me. 'Death' I think it was... And in a matter of speaking, Cale, Sekhmet, Dais, and myself were..."
"... The gods must've had pity on you. Maybe you weren't supposed to be down there. Maybe you soul was predestined. Maybe that's was Rekka said about you having the 'same light as Ryo'," she suggested.
"Perhaps..." he sighed. Tori stared out the window once more. She suddenly felt her chest grow warm; she slumped to the window as a pain shot through her chest. Anubis jumped. "What's wrong?" Tori clutched her heart, breathing hard.
"... Hurts... to breathe... Mmn..." Anubis heard frantic voices from downstairs and realized this was also happening elsewhere. Tori fell to her knees and whimpered in pain.
'Don't fight it. The pain will pass...' They looked up and saw Korin sitting on the bed. Anubis grew angry, "What's wrong with her?! What are you doing?!"
'It's a small side effect... The rune is reacting with her heartbeat. In a moment she'll feel very dreamy.' Tori cried out and fell to the carpet.
"Korin!... Make it... STOP!" Tears fell from her eyes.
'It's only Rekka... He's transferring his power to you. I cannot stop it...' Anubis knelt beside her touched her arms. He yanked his hands away, burning himself. "Gods! She's like fire!" Suddenly, Tori leaned up to gasp for air and collapsed back to the ground. The pain stopped. "... God, that really hurt..." she whispered and wiped lazily at her eyes. "... Mm... tired... Head feels... funny..." She attempted to sit up. "I can... barely move..." Anubis leaned over her,
"Are you all right?"
"... Mm... You have funny lookin' eyebrows..." she smiled sleepily, finally taking notice of him. Anubis chuckled and sighed, "They are no more funny looking than you, little one..."
"Yeeaahh... Wait no..." she frowned and her eyes began to droop. "Mm go 'way... I sleepy..." she yawned. Anubis sighed and carefully lifted her in his arms. Her body felt like a rag doll, but soon she clutched his shirt and buried her face in his neck. "... Mm after shave'n'... raindrops..." she mumbled as he carried her down the hall to the room her and Kayura shared. "Fou-Lu..." Anubis froze in the middle of the hallway.
How are thee slumbering at night?
His eyes darkened. The bastard was trying to communicate with her through her dreams. Anubis pushed the door open with his foot and entered. Kayura stood from her chair and Ryo from her bed. "Anubis, what happened?!" Ryo exclaimed.
"Sh! She's asleep... Rekka did something to her and she fell asleep," he whispered.
"She okay? We heard some commotion downstairs..." Ryo said, pulling her covers back as Anubis set her down gently. Tori stirred and opened her eyes again. "Ryo-kun... Hiiii..." she grinned. He smirked, "Hey... you feel okay?"
"I feeel greeaat... Hiya, Red..." Her eyes shifted to Anubis. Ryo stood and turned to Kayura. She was gone. "Kayura?... Great. She's jealous," he groaned. "Man... I'll see ya later, 'Nubis. I gotta go find Kayura before she sticks a butter knife in my head later." Anubis chuckled, "Afraid of girls now?"
"No... I just... I like her, okay?!" he flushed and ran from the room. Tori sat up,
"Is Kay maad at me?" Anubis looked at her and eased her to lie down.
"... No. Don't worry about it. Go to sleep, okay?" Tori reached up and touched his cheek. "... You'll get your Heaven, Red... Just don't give up..." she mumbled. Anubis flushed and touched her hand gently. Thank you. He sighed. "Go to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
"Hm... Peachy..." She turned over and closed her eyes. He touched her arm and she thought she felt something warm and comforting enclose around her and touch the very depths of her mind before she fell into a deep sleep.
Anubis removed his hand from her shoulder and saw the mark of Loyalty fade from sight from her ivory colored skin. He sat there and watched her sleep for a while, suddenly feeling very protective of her. He yawned and pocketed his orb, feeling sleep coming to claim another victim. Try to call out to her now, demon... He switched off her light and slipped out of the room and hoped that the shield he created would not fall.
He looked up in the dark hallway and saw Kaos on the other end, giving him a long look. They stared at each other as if to read the others' thoughts. The Ancient then slipped into his room, retiring for the night. Anubis still stood and tried to figure out what it meant.