"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"

By Onikage

Scroll Fifteen: Leaves, Petals, and Thorns

Kento of Hardrock stretched sleepily and yawned as he woke up from the unexpected nap he fell into. "Aw… man. Mmm, I fell asleep… Hope nobody saw. Mia would have a cow… again." He stood up and looked over at Megami and Sakura's beds to make sure that they were all right. He stood there for a moment and looked at the now empty beds. "Hm, they're gone…" he said with another yawn, not thinking anything of it. There was a pause. Then reality smacked him in the face hard as if he had been slapped upside the head with a fish and after the brawl in the middle of the marketplace he went with Mia one time; he unfortunately knew what that was like. "OH SHIT! MIA!!!" he exclaimed and was downstairs faster than his stomach would have gotten him. He burst into the kitchen.

"Mia, Mia, Mia!!! They're gone! I fell asleep and woke up and…"

"Hi Kento-kun…" Megami greeted with a yawn. "Want some?" She held up a half of a chocolate Pop-tart sleepily and munched on the other half. Sakura smiled at him. "Mia isn't here, Kento. I think she's outside with Dais, Cale, and the kids… Is there something wrong?" she asked and stood from her seat beside Megami. Kento swallowed hard and yanked the smaller woman into his arms without a word. He held her against his chest and buried his face into her hair. Sakura gasped when he began to shake slightly. "… God… I thought…" he mumbled. Megami felt her face get hot as she watched them and put her dishes in the sink. Sakura felt his grip loosen and he stepped away from her slowly, regaining the composure of the renowned 'party animal'. "Sorry 'bout that…" he said softly. He cleared his throat. "I was just worried about you two…" he added. He surprised Megami with a bear hug from behind. He lifted her off the ground and grinned when she squeaked in terror. "K-Kento!!!" He put her down and saw her hold her robe closed. He flushed when he saw more skin than intended. "… Not wearin' much, are ya?" he laughed. Megami flushed and looked away not expecting him to embrace her more gently. She squeaked suddenly. "… You girls have got to be more careful around here," he said softly. He pulled away slowly and left the kitchen. Sakura swallowed hard. "…W-well… That was different." She saw Megami's flushed, but angry face. "What's wrong?"

"He just grabbed my ass!" she frowned.

"O-oh."

*****

Nasake yawned as she attempted to descend the staircase accurately. Her mind was completely somewhere else. Even after her shower, her body felt like lead. There was the banging of the back screen door, thundering of feet, then nothing. Mmm, what wazzat? she thought.

"'Sake!" She yawned in the direction of her name and blinked. She saw a blue-topped body race up toward her and yank her off her feet. Whas goin' on? She looked up and saw a clearer Rowen. "Mmm… Whazzap, Rowen-kun… Zzz." Rowen flushed as he realized that she had just fallen asleep standing up in his arms. Sai laughed loudly. "Never thought I would see th' day when you'd bore a girl to sleep!"

"Bite me!" he snapped. Nasake awoke for the second time that morning.

"Huh?… Hello…" she flushed and stood straight with a yawn. "What happened? I feel like I've been hit by a bus…" she mumbled. Sai met them at the staircase and took her by the hand. "C'mon, love. Let's get some food in you and th' other girls first before you all pass out!" Rowen felt Nasake being pulled away and reflexively held her still.

"Wait a sec, man! Ya can't rush food into someone! Ya want her ta throw it up?" Nasake yawned again and pulled away from both boys as she sleepily descended the stairs. "Mmmn… I'm gonna go ge'some juice," she said in a very slurred voice. She pushed the kitchen door open and ambled inside. "'Mornin' girlies…" she yawned.

"Hi, 'Sake!"

"Wanna Pop-tart?"

"Ack! Tenku's awake too?!" Cale exclaimed after a crash in the kitchen.

"Ow, Cale-kun… Don't hug me so hard…"

"Sorry."

Sai glanced at Rowen who had a dazed smirk on his face. He nudged him and descended. "All right. I'll try not to show off my cooking in front of her…" he said. Rowen blinked and flushed. "HEY! Jus' what th' hell's that supposed ta mean?!"

"You tell me… It's your hormones, not mine."

"Whatever, man!"

*****

Mia brushed the hair out of her face as she kneeled in a bed of fresh earth that she tilled with the help of Cale and Dais. Strangely, the two men had been over competitive lately. This morning, for instance, the incident with the hose, she had gotten completely soaked from that. Afterwards, the lifting of the potted plants; they had unloaded Kento's truck faster than the younger five had in the previous summer. Cale had gone back into the house, so the minor quarreling had stopped. Dais was still outside, but he was on the other side of the garden. He had gone over there to sulk after she had heard him call Cale a very nasty little name that she would not repeat. He went of grumbling under his breath, as Cale strutted proudly to and from the truck to retrieve and replace potted plants.

She planted the last of the tulip bulbs and hoped that Talpa would leave the weather as is. It was bad enough that she had to go to and from the neighboring village, but the money she spent on some of these plants was too much. If the temperature rose or fell unnaturally again, Mia would find a more efficient way to use a shovel. She sat on her heels and stretched. Bits of dirt fell from her gloves and her jean overalls were streaked with grass stains and dirt, not to mention still damp from the recent shower she had again that day. She glanced to the side of her and saw another stock of tulips that she didn't see. "Ohh, noo… My back's killing me…" she groaned to herself and stood up, brushing off her legs. She stretched and turned to see Dais still hard at work. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head, as he struggled with a stubborn weed. Weeding isn't his strong suit, she thought with a smile. She shielded her eyes from the sun and looked upward. The sun was still high in the sky and it was getting quite warm.

Dais' hair clung to his neck and back as he worked diligently. He constantly had to push it out of the way, making his work time twice as long. She laughed to herself. He looked rather strange with a pair of sunglasses on, even though he had only one eye.

"… Damn weed… What were they thinking when they created this world??" he said to himself as he cut it free with a knife. "… We didn't have these… 'weeds'."

"Dais? They'll keep growing back if you do it that way…" Mia said, as she peered over his shoulder. Her long braid tickled his bare back, which made him feel very nervous all of a sudden. He turned his head and saw the smiling woman kneel beside him and carefully pull the rest of the root system, after calmly unburying it from the ground. "See? Now it's harder for them to grow back. These things always kill my roses every year…" she sighed and tossed it into a bucket. Dais sat in the dirt with a sigh of relief and slight groan. "… This is hard work, my lady!" he laughed. Mia flushed and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Yep and I did this all by myself! It was a lot easier once the guys started living here. I could get twice as much work done…" she said proudly.

Dais stood and looked up at the sky. "Looks like rain…"

"What?! Ohh noo!!! Never fails!" she frowned and kicked over the bucket of tools. "Damn it to hell!" she snapped. Dais held her arms firmly to calm her.

"Now, now, Lady Mia. There's nothing to worry about!" he reassured. "Anubis and I installed a drainage system a few days ago like you asked, remember?" Mia blinked and stood still for a moment. "O-oh… That's right…" she mumbled and blushed, as she realized her behavior was quite unnecessary.

Dais chuckled and hefted a bag of extra dirt onto his shoulder. Mia watched him on his way to the greenhouse. "Dais!" she called and ran up to catch him. He turned and set the bag down. "Yes?"

"U-um… thank you for your help today…" she murmured softly. Dais blushed lightly and removed his sunglasses. "Don't mention," he began before it started pouring. He snatched her wrist and led her inside the greenhouse. "Great! Dirty and wet again!" she laughed. Dais slicked his hair out of his face. "What? You look good wet."

"Shut up," she giggled. Dais laughed and found and removed a cloth from his back pocket. He extended his hand under a stream of water from the roof. "Dais, what are you-"

"Hold still," he ordered. He gently wiped the dirt streaks from her cheeks with one hand and held her close with the other. "There!" he beamed. Mia flushed and looked outside. "Well, looks like we're stuck for a while. It's good walk back to the house…" Dais glanced around the greenhouse and raised an eyebrow. "Well… Some of these plants need tending to. We've got nothing better to do, I guess…" Mia glanced back at the house and sighed. "You have your armor, don't you?"

"The only kind of protection," he replied and began to clear off a table. Mia blushed furiously. "P-Pardon?!"

"The armor. It's for protection. What did you think I… Lady Mia!" he laughed at revelation. "That's quite the imagination you have! Now, if you meant that, well, then of course I-"

"Dais!" Mia sat on the old wicker chair beside the table and attempted to clear away some of the dead foliage of the other plants as he laughter continued. A quick and very different kind of thought flashed into her mind and she paused slightly in her work. Now, wait a minute, Koji… This isn't the kind of thing you should be thinking about. Still… life has been pretty sucky these couple of years. It wouldn't work out anyway… He'll be gone and you'll be back teaching those kids… Mia sat up and sighed heavily. She had forgotten how unfair life was.

*****

Talpa sat up in his chamber. It was late and he knew not the hour and sleep had evaded him. The torches were dimly lit as he slid out of bed and pulled on his robe. He had the strangest urge to go into the garden. He had fought with it for at least an hour and finally gave into the nagging feeling. He saw his mask on the bedside table and stared at it briefly, before leaving it there. … I need a walk. He slipped out of his room, unnoticed by his sleeping sentries. He made a note to replace them in the morning. He paused at one of his warlords' rooms. He chuckled to himself. Never a silent night in Raiko's room, I see… he thought and continued on. He noticed that Managi's room was unlocked and he peered into it. He had not seen her when she returned from her mission to the other side. Raiko had informed him that she had not been feeling well and claimed that it was the constant passing to and from worlds that sapped her strength. Oddly enough, that sounded truthful, yet it had been almost a fortnight in mortal time since then. Talpa pushed open the chamber door and found it empty not to his surprise. …Out after dark? What the devil are they hiding from me? He shut the door and hoped that he would find the missing female in the garden. After all, it was her favorite place in the whole castle. He would usually find her there. In the mean time, he would look in on Badamon and his progress with the oni.

"No, no, no!! I said for them to all be in one, one of them!! Take them out and set that one loose in the dungeon. Fools!! Fools all of you!" The old ghoul hurled several urns of herbs at his worker-priests. "Now we have to start all over again!! Ooh, Talpa is going to kill me… again!" Badamon moaned and clutched his head. "Well, only one must be ready for Milord's attack. He doesn't need two just yet…"

"Badamon? What are you doing?" Talpa asked from behind. The ancient priest flipped through several books frantically. "Not now! I must finish this before Master uses my entrails for lion feed! Ooh dear, oh dear… what to do, what to do?!" he whined and dumped an entire pot of black dust into the large cauldron that stood several feet short of the tall castle ceiling.

"But you are dead!" Talpa chuckled. Badamon floated back to his table and searched again for something else. "Oh… yes… I keep forgetting that… Blast that Raiko!! I told him that drug was dangerous!! Not my fault if it falls off! Serves the beast right… Oh… Poor Empress… I need to find those herbs she wanted. Pity, pity…" he murmured with a sigh. "… HEY!! Suzuna!!" he called over the railing where behind his table stood.

"WHAT?!" replied a very large female ogre woman. She was pretty in a plain sort of way. Her long, black braid fell over her left shoulder as she shoveled more coal into the giant flame over which the cauldron hung. "Did you get those herbs Lady Managi asked for?!"

"YEAH!" She hurled the sack at him. Badamon moved to catch it. He caught it, but the force of the object caused him to ram back first into the wall of stone. A shelf collapsed on top of him. "Ow… Giant woman…" he muttered and lifted himself up. He frowned and pulled a shard of glass from his rear. He looked down at the broken shelf. "Messy, messy, messy…" and proceed to clean it up. "Oh, look! My lucky rat tail!" he chuckled and pocketed it in his robe.

"Badamon? Are the oni about done?" Talpa asked again and watched his servant in amusement. Badamon glanced up at Talpa with no idea who that the man was that was bugging him. "The oni!!" he exclaimed and dropped everything in his hands. "Where are my herbs?!"

"DOWN HERE, SIR," Suzuna said lowly.

"WHY?! Hmm… At this rate I'll only get the normal one done… or maybe the runic one?? Hey! Quit lagging down there!! Or do you want to all be thrown into the abyss!?" Badamon sat down slumped into a chair and rubbed his head. "Master works me too hard…" he mumbled.

"Badamon," Talpa began again with a wry smirk, "how goes the oni project?"

"Hm? Oh… you again. I should have a least one done by morning. They mixed the runes separately into each one… Stupid, stupid little… Hmm… Master only needs one for now. Making two at the same time will weaken us and who knows if those blasted little Ronins and their harem fighters will come and kill us all?! On top of that, Milady Managi… ohh horrible, horrible thing Raiko did! Blackmail… Damn, damn cat!" he grumbled and began to throw the sack of herbs into a mortar and pedestal to grind them. He mashed them angrily. Talpa frowned.

"What happened to her?"

"Terrible, just terrible… Made her lie with him. He clawed her nearly to death in his pleasure. I didn't tell Master, for he would worry and forget the mission: to live in the light and dark; to be the one who holds the human weapon of the gods. Master is not bad… just mistreated at an early age…" the old man continued to ramble about Talpa's mistreatment as a child and the lack of praise that he should have received. "I only want what is best for My Lady and Lord… Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk…"

"Where is she now?"

"Huh? Oh… must be in the garden. I must finish my tasks before Master punishes me…" he sighed heavily. He stopped grinding and floated away with another urn of some herb of his. Talpa slipped out of the laboratory and proceeded to the garden.

Managi sat at the edge of the goldfish pond in the center of the garden and stared at the moon in the water. She touched the surface gently and an image appeared. She smiled softly as the scene from the Mortal Realm played out in front of her. It was from earlier this evening.

"So, Sekhmet… Are you sure about what she told you?" Cale asked as he sat on the roof of the house. Kento sighed heavily and yawned. "Yeah, man… We've been watching for Talpa for two weeks and plus Tori 'n' Domo haven't woken up yet!" Sekhmet sighed heavily. "I am positive. Besides, do you want to risk losing the Ancient and Lady Kayura? We can't afford those losses. If they both die, then this whole world will be at the mercy of Nether magic. Magic that can change an infant into a starving demon that devours it's own mother…" Kento made a face.

"Dude… That wasn't cool."

Managi giggled softly at Hardrock's comment. She had been spying on them frequently and grew more and more interested in mortal ways. Yet she hadn't quite grasped the idea of 'Nintendo' or 'microwave' yet. Still, it looked very entertaining. But she did not want to betray her Emperor. He had shown her such kindness that no one she knew in this world had experienced. She sighed heavily and continued to watch the man whose kiss had stirred up memories that she didn't know she had. She rested her chin on her knees and felt tears gather in her eyes. She wanted to be with all of them, but she couldn't leave either. What's wrong with me? I shouldn't be thinking these thoughts… But why won't it stop hurting? she asked herself.

"Naotoki."

Talpa stepped past the gates of the fishpond and stood watching Managi. He saw the image in the pond and confirmed his suspicions. Silently he approached her and realized that she was crying. She rarely cried openly. "Managi. What are you doing out of your room at this hour?" he asked and sat beside her. She gasped and banished the window from the pool. "M-my Emperor!" she exclaimed weakly and dried her eyes. "I-I'm… That is," she stuttered. Talpa chuckled.

"Come now, dear. I am not angry, only a little concerned of my favorite warrior. I haven't seen you. You don't answer my summons," he said. Managi sniffled and swallowed hard, thinking back to what Raiko had said. "I… I was weakened in my travels to and from the other side."

"Lying will only get you killed," he warned. Managi drew in a quick breath and felt tears of fear come to her eyes. She remained silent. "What did Raiko say to you?" he asked and pulled her to her feet. She stumbled. She hadn't recovered fully from the constant raping she endured every night. Luckily for her Zeal was in an extra greedy mood. "S-sire?" Talpa pulled the sides of her silk robe from her shoulders roughly. She whimpered in pain. Old and fresh claw marks covered her shoulders, neck, and breasts. He saw a few fang marks on her arms and neck that still oozed blood. He noted where Badamon had tried to heal some of her more severe wounds, but Raiko had purposely reopened those. She felt stiff and shook violently, afraid that he would want the same thing Raiko did. Talpa inspected her further and more gently than before. Her wounds continued further all over her body even to the inside of her, he guessed judging by the heavy bloodstains on her robe. It was black so it was hard to tell, but he could smell it.

"Who did this to you? Is this why you haven't been answering me?" she cried softly and gave no reply. "Who. Did. This?"

"… Master Raiko," she sobbed in a whisper. Talpa frowned. He was her only master… very gently he covered her once more and was careful not to reopen any of her wounds. He wondered what lead her to let someone like Raiko have his way with her like that… unless it was something that she could not control. She stood there in his grasp, trembling like a frightened animal. He had never seen this amount of fear expressed from her in centuries. "… Why?" was the only question that he could choose. Managi lowered her head and let out a short sob. "I… I cannot tell you, My Emperor… for I fear my punishment…"

"Tell me now or shall I find out from Raiko?" he asked sternly.

"…The Ronins… they know of the oni that is coming for their Ancients… I… I told the one they call Sekhmet, sire…" she whimpered and stiffened her body for the pain that was not going to follow. "How much do they know?

"O-only that… their Ancients are in danger and that their summoners' runes will be what powers the beast…" she replied and dropped to her knees, bowing pleadingly. "I told them because I believe that this Kurai had tricked you! There is a darkness that is coming should we succeed. I was only thinking of you, Milord! I do not want you to be at this beast's mercy! He is evil… Please, believe me, sire!!" she pleaded in tears. Talpa felt her claw at his robe as he looked over to the pond. "How many did you say were coming?"

"… One, Milord…" she gasped. Talpa smiled to himself. "… I am ready for whatever punishment you have… I should die as a traitor… but I was always loyal to you." Talpa bent down and lifted her from the ground.

"There is no punishment. You have suffered and endured enough pain all ready…" he said softly. Managi froze at the kindness in his voice. He sounded very much like Kaos… They even looked alike… Managi nodded slowly and wiped her cheeks. "Y-yes. O-of course, sire…"

He stood slowly and gazed at the pool. "You… are beginning to remember things, aren't you?"

"… Some… Only names and a few memories are in my mind. I get such a headache after a while…" Talpa looked up at the moon.

"I told you that I would let you return to your place of origin if you remembered, didn't I?"

"Y-yes…" Talpa tuned and approached her slowly. She gasped and grimaced when he cupped her cheek. Blood trickled from an opened wound. "Well then… it appears that I shall have to let you go, won't I?"

"Sire?" she gasped. He leaned over gently and kissed her forehead.

"Go to Badamon. He has those herbs you wanted, and then come to my chamber. You'll be much safer in there."

"Yes, sire…" She gave him a small smile and hurried away to the laboratory. Talpa watched her go and then turned to the pond again. Very calmly he approached the tree and stared up at it. He turned his back to it and swiftly caught Fou-Lu by the neck. "I don't like it when I am being spied on, Fou-Lu," he stated firmly. He had the man pinned to the tree rather hard and clutched his neck in an almost choking grip. "You tell your Master that I will not tolerate such behavior in my domain. Raiko will be severely punished for his crimes: endangering the empire by weakening her army, inflicting harm to a superior officer, stealing from his Emperor, and above all withholding vital information from me…" Talpa released Fou-Lu.

"For… Forgive me… I was also worried about Lady Managi… Mine Master shall know of his treachery…" he replied as he immediately fell to one knee. Talpa nodded slowly. "Good. Are you ready for tomorrow? You know what to do?"

"Aye… and Raiko?"

"The other Ancient shall have the blessing of life a little longer. She has not angered me as much as Kaos… Zeal shall take care of that…"

"Of course…" Talpa stood silently for a moment and just looked at Fou-Lu before vanishing into the shadows. Fou-Lu frowned darkly and stared at the water. "Managi is a danger to us, Master," he said.

Dark, deep blue eyes peered faintly from the depths. "Let her be… They shall all perish. Ronin and Warlord alike. Talpa will be very… relieved that the Ronins will die quite soon…" Fou-Lu grinned darkly and disappeared.

*****

Sweet. Chewy and crunchy at the same time. Small yet there were so many in number. I love cereal! Cale mused as he padded down the hallway to look for Mia. He held a box of yellowish spheres of crunchy, sugarcoated bits, in which he ate them by the handful. He passed by Tori's room and stopped. Anubis was in there looking in on her as usual. "Still asleep?" he asked. Anubis glanced up from her form and nodded.

"Aye… Kaos said that she should have awakened by now. Has Korin risen?"

"No… Halo and Strata have been watching her too. Plus this whole thing with 'an oni of doom' doesn't make things easier," he replied. Anubis sighed heavily.

"I had forgotten about that. Is he still acting like a zombie?"

"He's been meditating since three nights ago. I don't think he'll get up anytime soon."

"Where is he?"

"His room… It's locked." Cale ate another handful of cereal. Anubis glanced at the box. "You're actually eating that??" Cale looked hurt.

"What's wrong with what I'm eating? It's good!" he smiled.

"Have you read the box?? Do you have any idea what…" he paused and peered at the side. "…'riboflavin' and 'dextrose' are?"

"No. But Mia and Kongo said it's good for you!"

"If they told you dirt was good for you, I bet you would eat it too."

"No I wouldn't."

"And why not?"

"Because I know dirt isn't good for you…" he replied calmly and left the room. Anubis shook his head and sighed heavily. Idiot. He looked back at Tori and touched her forehead. He remembered the dead look she had. Her eyes were empty and cold. It still sent shivers down his spine thinking about it.

"ANUBIS!" Cale scrambled into the room again. The box of cereal was gone and he had some of it in his hair. He stumbled and fell to the ground. "Cale? What's wrong?"

"They're… they're here!!"

I bet you can't guess what kind of cereal Cale was eating!