"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"
By Onikage
Scroll Sixteen: Battle Fallen Angel
Part One of Two
Kiku scribbled away onto a piece of white paper with a blue crayon while Yuli played his video game vigorously. "Go, go, go, go!!! C'mon- Ha ha! Gotcha!"
"Finish him!"
"All right! Who's the man?! Whose-"
"Fatality… Reptile wins."
"WHAT?! Hey, that's not fair!!!" Yuli yelled and pounded the table. Kiku looked up at him. "Yuli-san?"
"… What, Kiku?" he replied gruffly.
"Can I play?" she asked and sat down next to him. Yuli blinked and looked at the screen. "I dunno, Kiku… It's really hard."
"I wanna play!" she snapped and folded her arms. Yuli shrugged and handed her the controller. "Okay, Kiku, but it's really hard…" he warned. She smiled when he gave her the controller. I can't watch this… he thought and stood to go. "I'm gonna go get a snack. I'll be back."
"'Kay!" she called as she selected Raiden. Strangely, he looked like Kaos.
He entered the kitchen and saw Dais and Mia having dome kind of baking-flour fight. They and the kitchen were covered in flour. Yuli stood there in the doorway and stared at them as they froze when they saw the boy. Dais had Mia by the wrists with one hand and a very full bag of flour in the other over her head. It was like that for several moments before Yuli calmly opened the pantry door, entered, rummaged around for a few seconds, and then left the smaller room. He looked back at them before leaving. "… You guys are weird," he stated and left.
Dais shook the flour from his hair and coughed as he accidentally inhaled it. Mia silently brushed herself off. Whiteblaze growled softly as he shook himself free of the powder. He sneezed several times and gave the pair a strange look, before leaving after Yuli who had taken an entire package of Oreo's. Mia placed her hands on her hips and sighed heavily. "What a mess…"
"You better help me clean this up," Dais said.
"What?! You started it!" she giggled.
"No I didn't. You did." Mia threw a handful of the white powder at him.
"Now I did."
"WHAT THE HECK?!" Yuli yelled from the other room. Dais and Mia came scrambling out of the kitchen. They found Yuli standing on the sofa with a very angry expression. Kiku on the other hand was jumping up and down, laughing. "Yuli, what happened?" Mia asked. Dais looked at the red letters on the television and laughed.
"Flawless victory. Raiden wins."
"Oh, that is so not cool! How the heck can she do that?! She's only four!!" Yuli exclaimed as he gawked at the television screen. Mia shrugged. "Beginner's Luck? I was pretty smart when I was little. I could read fairly well."
"But it's on the hardest setting! Not even Rowen can do that!!!" Dais lifted Kiku into his arms. "Did you see, Dais? Did you? Did you?" she asked excitedly.
"Yes, I did…" he said slowly and peered at the child. There was something about this child that was beyond normal. He felt it. He also had felt an extra power when everyone had first arrived, but figured that it was all the extra people. He had no idea that it came from Kiku. Must be the same with Rekka… They are of Ancient blood after all, he thought. "Dais? How come you gots one eye?" she asked.
"Hm? Oh… I…"
"Did you get hurt?" Dais' face softened and he smiled gently.
"Yes, little one. I had an accident a long time ago…" Kiku leaned upward and kissed his eye patch. She pulled herself free of him and sat down next to Yuli who had found a place on the sofa and held his head in frustration. "Yuli-san?" she called.
"… What Kiku?"
"Wanna cookie?" she asked with half an Oreo in her mouth. She held out the other half to him with a smile. He looked up and blushed, taking it slowly. "Thank you, Kiku."
"Let's go find Whiteblaze…" she suggested and slid off the couch. Mia watched in amazement as the child shut off the game console, remove the game, and put both the system and the games away. Both she and Yuli then left the room calling for the giant cat. "… Did… did you see that?!" she gasped.
"See what?"
"That child is every mother's miracle baby!" Dais chuckled and turned to return to the mess in the kitchen. Mia froze as Kiku's frightened wail filled the house after the sound of shattering glass and splintering wood was heard. "DAIS!! MIA!!" Yuli exclaimed.
Dais had all ready pivoted quickly onto his heel and was in the front foyer of the house where the screams came from. He was confronted by two very large golden samurai, which trapped both children. Yuli stood on quivering legs, with an angry glare and a very large piece of splintered wood from the front door in his hands. Kiku was crying as she huddled behind Yuli. "C-c'mon!" the boy snapped. "I-I dare ya!" One of the samurai laughed and snatched the boy by his shirt. "My, my! Brave, aren't we?" he sneered. Yuli squirmed in his grip and remembered the wood in his hand. With all the strength he had, he drove the wooden spike into the soldier's neck, reducing him to a smoking shell. In the other samurai's shock, Dais tackled him and rammed him into the wall. Yuli picked himself up from the ground and scrambled over to Kiku. "Are you okay?!" She nodded and sniffled. She had stopped crying.
"Are you two all right?!" Mia exclaimed. She searched both children over for cuts and scrapes. "W-we're fine, Mia." Dais stood and summoned his sub armor.
"That was clever, boy. Using that piece of wood like that," he said with a wry smile. Yuli grinned. "Anubis said that there are spaces on them were there isn't any protection. I saw his neck and I just… I stabbed him!"
A spear flew past Dais' ear and embedded into the wall like a dart. He spun and saw that there were at least ten more soldiers in the doorway. Dais glared and removed the spear from the wall. He spun it around himself expertly and locked into a solid stance, holding the lance behind him.
"… Cool," Yuli breathed before being yanked away upstairs by Mia.
"Find the Ancient, Mia!" he ordered. Dais felt a breeze of cold air from behind him and grinned. "There you are, Whiteblaze. I was wondering were you had gone." The feline seemed to chuckle and prowl around behind Dais, eyeing one particular soldier dangerously. "Are the girls upstairs?" The beast responded with a low snarl and seemed to nod. "Good. They need to stay here and protect Kaos, Kayura, and the little ones…" he thought aloud. He frowned and stood straight and sighed. "Are you guys going to attack me or what?!"
*****
Tori grumbled as she stepped into the shower. She felt like she had been sleeping for weeks. She could barely remember what happened before she passed out. All she knew was that she had a major headache, a stiff back, and in desperate need of a bath. Ugh… What the heck happened? Fire in a forest… freaky, black, flying, dirty laundry… "I need to stop eating late at night…" she mumbled and turned on the shower. She felt the house shake and thought that Kento and Sekhmet had gotten into another fight again.
*****
Megami and Sakura scrambled to Kaos' door and knocked hurriedly, but politely. "Masaki-san, Masaki-san!! Sorry to bother you, but-"
"Oh, fer crying out loud! Masaki-san, the Dynasty's attacking!!!" Megami exclaimed and banged on the door. Immediately after, she burst into the room. Kaos sat on his tatami mat, crossed-legged with his back straight. He didn't even appear to hear them. Sakura crouched in front of him and shook him gently. "Masaki-san?! Wake up!"
"What's he doing?? Masaki-san the Dynasty's here! We have to hide you!" Megami pleaded. Still he said nothing and continued looking blankly ahead of him. His eyes had lost their ancient glow and now were a dark and deep blue. His ice blue eyes were gone.
"Hey guys… Was goin' on?" Domo asked sleepily, as she looked in on them.
"The Dynasty's attacking!"
"They're after Lady Kayura."
"And Masaki-san!"
"With a giant-"
"-ONI!!" Domo yawned again.
"… Oh… I'll be in the shower…" she said sleepily and locked the hall bathroom door as she entered. Megami and Sakura stood in awe with their jaws hanging slack.
*****
Sekhmet leaned over the edge of the roof as he saw Torrent, Halo, Strata, and Wildfire scramble out with their weapons drawn. There were a few armored samurai surrounding the house, but not for long. Anubis and Cale met him on the rooftop. Hardrock was busy fending off other soldiers from climbing on the roof. "Back, back! You guys can't… come up here! You're too… fat!" he grunted and chucked a soldier into a tree; the samurai's armor burst apart and left nothing but smoke. "What do you make of it, Sekhmet?" Cale asked as he dodged and arrow. Anubis caught one that had been aimed at his head easily. "I just need to know where Kayura and Kaos are," he replied.
"Kayura is inside with the girls," Cale answered. Anubis nodded and knocked several more arrows out of the way. Megami and Sakura appeared in the attic window out of breath. "Sekkie!" Megami cried and slumped tiredly over the ledge. "Ma-ma-"
"The Ancient won't move or speak!" Sakura exclaimed. "What should we do?!" Sekhmet noticed the fear in both of their eyes and Kongo looked like she was about to cry. Angry, Sekhmet lashed out at a nearby soldier and ripped its head off with his claws. He snarled and turned back at the girls. Megami flinched at his face.
"Stay in the house and protect Mia and the children! Make sure that Kayura stays well hidden! If she dies and the Ancient this world is done for, Ronin Warriors or not!" Megami sniffled and dried her eyes.
"O-okay! C'mon Sakura!"
"Domo and Tori are awake too!" Sakura informed before she shut the window. Anubis and Cale froze. The older of the two grinned. "Well, it's about time!"
"Of course! They wake up at the worst possible time!" Anubis snapped and hurled a spear he caught into the head of a soldier.
The house shook, knocking all four warriors to their knees. Kento slipped and rolled down the roof. He caught himself and dangled for a moment. He looked down. "Hey, hey! They're running away!" he cheered. "Yeah! You better run! Ya bunch a pussys!!" he laughed. "Whoa!" Kento grabbed the ledge with two hands. Sekhmet pulled him up. "Don't be so happy, Hardrock. This was only a heads up."
"What are ya talkin' about?" The house shook again and again. The whole earth rumbled as if something very large was quickly approaching. Sekhmet stood and removed both Snake-Fang swords. Cale and Anubis followed. "… Didn't think he would risk making one," Cale said.
"He is stronger now, remember?" Anubis reminded. Hardrock stood and swallowed. "Huh?" Sekhmet pointed to the solid wall of trees.
*****
Sai gripped his yari firmly in his armored hands to steel himself from the rumbling that shook the ground beneath him. His mind scrambled for reason to explain what could be coming for them. And what made things even more confusing was that the level of power did not quite fit the presence coming. However, Torrent's mind could not stray from the ominous feeling he was getting. He had always had a type of sixth sense when it came to danger ever since he was little. Now that he was old enough to recognize it, he knew that by the end of the day, this battle would be a lost one. He glanced over at Ryo. He stood proud, tall, and ready for anything. It was as if nothing could faze the younger man whether he knew the end or not. Sai was glad that at least one of them was optimistic. He could see it in all of their eyes.
The thunder-like steps occurred closer together, much like the sound of a storm as it drew overhead. And one was doing just that. They felt the temperature quickly drop and the water from the morning rain quickly solidify upon the edges and sides of the house. It wasn't long before they could see their breath. The creature was so close that the leaves on the trees shook until a giant powerful arm the color of a dead bluish-grey plowed through the wall of the forest in front of them and ripped the giant guardians from their ancient roots. As the large titans of the wood fell, a beast that easily held ten or eleven feet on the three-story house emerged slowly. A roar that could split the earth they were standing on emanated from the oni's human like mouth that was dripping with its drool and fresh blood that more than likely came from a large pack of wolves or a bear. Its eyes were of three black irises and dark red weeping orbs where the whites of the eye should have been. They scanned the ground floor and eyed each of the awestruck Ronins hungrily and curiously. The powerful chest rose and fell slowly, with the intake of air louder than any snarl Whiteblaze could make. Yellow and almost black crooked teeth peeked out from the sickly purple lips and the stench of the beast could over power thousands of dead or dying creatures. A creature that appeared to be a hideously deformed human did not even come close to the name. With its three eyes, stunted growth in the hands, and the inferior, primal mindset of kill to survive, it was far from anything that the gods or even the Dark Prince himself could create. This was the very presence of a clash of worlds. A mistake. It was put together with whatever parts were left over that no one, good or evil, wanted at the dawn of Creation.
Sekhmet and the others met them on the ground as the creature had revealed itself from the forest. He peered upward at the creature and found perched atop its shoulder was Badamon. He glared up at the old ghoul and said nothing. Something else caught the old warriors eye. Upon its forehead and the backs of the hands were five runes: three on the forehead and one on each hand. Badamon chucked and kicked his ghostly legs with amusement. "Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho! Lookie what I found! Food for my precious baby Yin!"
"That thing has a name?!" Rowen questioned and readied an arrow at one eye. Badamon frowned and stood. "Of course she has a name!!" he snapped.
"SHE?!" Kento and Ryo gaped. "That's a girl?!"
"Ouuu! I am so sick of you Ronins! Hypocrites! All of you are!!" he shrieked and hopped up and down furiously. "You spout all this nonsense of justice and peace for nature and here you all are denouncing Yin as if she wasn't!!"
"She isn't!!" Rowen snarled. "You created her out of god know what with intentions that were not here when these worlds were formed! She is not a natural being. All she is is the embodiment of you and Talpa's hate for this realm!" He let his arrow fly and it sunk into one of the large eyes of Yin. He let another loose and he left one eye still functioning. Nearly blind, she lashed out at the ground clumsily. It's large hand swung at Rowen and missed. He grinned. "Ha! All power and no speed!" he laughed. Suddenly, the dark blue stone on its hand sparked. A powerful blast of wind caught him and pummeled him into the ground, crushing his chest. Badamon giggled uproariously and hovered above Yin. "Yes, she may be slow, but her power quickly catches up! Even if she misses, her meaning never does! Aha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Sage scrambled over to the three-foot hold in the ground where Rowen laid unconscious. "God! Rowen!! Hey!" he called and pulled him from the dirt. He moaned and coughed up a mouthful of blood. "… O-ow…" he gasped.
"What where you doing?! You could have been killed! And you're supposed to be the smart one!!" Sage scolded and aided the Ronin to his feet while Yin still tried to pull the arrows from her skull. With a shriek that shook the ground, they clutched their ears. Her cry was deafening. Noticing the two closer Ronins, she drove Sage and Rowen into the ground with a heavy punch. Cale fell to one knee and glared up at the oni. "Got… to get it… away from the house!!" he gritted and pulled himself and Anubis to his feet. Yin stopped and scanned the ground again, setting her sight on Sekhmet. "NIUGHHH!!!"
Badamon chuckled as he watched her catch him in her grip as he attempted to leap away from her. Yin held Sekhmet in her powerful hands and squeezed, feeling his bones giving to the immense strain. He refused to let even a murmur escape his throat. He bit his lip until dark red blood began to trickle down his neck. "Crush him!! Kill the bastard that put Lady Managi in pain!!" Badamon shrieked. Sekhmet's eyes flew open and he locked a glare that rivaled the angriest of demons with the ancient ghoul.
"Black Lightning Slash!"
"Quake with Fear!!" Chains empowered by Cale's sure-kill wrapped around Yin's arm and shocked her, releasing Sekhmet. Dais leapt up to catch him before he fell onto the splinters of wood from the fallen trees. Sekhmet pushed Dais away with a deadly snarl and leapt onto Yin's arm. "What are you doing!?" he demanded. Yin struggled to pull away the chains. Anubis and Cale were pulled from their feet and launched into the ground. Sai and Kento rushed to them and pulled them away before she brought her foot down upon them. Ryo knelt beside them. "How can we beat this thing?! It's got the girls' runes!" Anubis struggled to sit up and watched Sekhmet evade the grabs that Yin attempted as he made his way toward her face. He saw that his body was about to change. "S-Sekhmet!! NO!!" he roared and raced towards his feet. He dodged Ryo's fire strike and Sai's water blast before meeting Sekhmet on the back of the shoulder. "Sekhmet! Come on! We have to lead it away! If you change now you might harm the others too!!" Sekhmet answered him with a loud hiss and dug his sharp claws into Yin's flesh. She emitted another scream and clawed at her back. Anubis glared darkly at him and delivered a blow to his skull, knocking him out. He fell and Anubis caught him as he touched the ground. Idiot! You'll get yourself killed! Then what am I supposed to tell Managi when she finds out that you're dead!? he thought angrily and followed Halo and Strata. Yin was not far behind.
*****
Domo and Tori exchanged worried glances as the others filled them in on what had happened after they were attacked. So far Anubis and Sekhmet were on deadly terms with one another (actually Sekhmet was the one who wanted the other dead), one of Talpa's warlords had warned them that he was going to kill the Ancients, and to make matters even worse, there was a giant demon sent to do the job. Tori hid her face in a couch pillow. "Geez… Someone knock me out again…"
"So do you guys think you can help hide Kaos and Kayura?" Sakura asked. "I know you all just woke up from sleeping for two weeks…"
"Sure thing! I just wanna know why the heck I'm not out there!" Tori frowned as she went to the window. The Ronins and the oni called 'Yin' disappeared into the woods almost an hour ago. It was snowing, yet they heard thunder-like sounds from the woods. Sakura sighed. "… I hope they're okay."
"You mean you hope Sai's okay, dontcha?" Megami smirked. Sakura blushed and frowned. "No. I really hope that they're not dead!" she snapped. "I can't believe you want to make jokes at a time like this! We could all get killed!!" she cried and slumped beside Kayura. Kaos was still in his meditative state. Sakura covered her face and gasped for a breath to ease some stress. "Hey, chill out!" Megami said. "I didn't mean to say it like that!"
"That's not the point!!" she sniffled. Kayura touched her shoulder and rubbed her back soothingly. "It will be all right, Suiko. They defeated Talpa together. And this is just another demon… They'll come home safe," she said softly. Tori folded her arms.
"Yeah… She's right, Sakura."
"Sorry," she sniffled. "I just can't shake this feeling that something bad is gonna happen…" She ran her hands through her hair roughly as she stood. "All of them are gone and it's just us with hardly any battle experience here… I just don't feel that…"
"Kaos is gone!!" Domo exclaimed. Turning their heads to the tatami mat he was on, they found it empty. "He… How the hell could he have left the room?!?!" Tori demanded and ran into the hallway. "We would have seen him go!! 'Jiisan!!!" Kiku looked out the window and blinked. "Granpa is out there in the snow," she said calmly. Mia rushed beside her. "What? Did you see him?"
"No… 'Jiisan told me he went outside and that he would make everything okay," Kiku replied and resumed her playing with her doll. Kayura sat next to the child. "Kiku?"
"Huh?"
"Look at me…" Kiku looked up at Kayura. The priestess took her face in her hands and simply stared into the child's ice-blue eyes. "Where did he go, little one?"
"Outside."
"Yes, but where?"
"Um… To fight the 'dead man'."
"'Dead man'?" Kayura repeated. Badamon? No, Kaos wouldn't risk his life to fight that fool. 'Dead man'? "Thank you, Kiku…"
"Lady Kayura? What is she talking about?" Domo asked.
"I have to talk to Anubis first… Now, there's nothing we can do…"
"Nothing?! My grandfather's gonna get killed!!!!" Tori exploded. "I can't believe that you want to just wait for Anubis. Like he would know anything-" Kayura struck Tori across the cheek. She clutched it in shock. "I am tired of you always attacking him!! Anubis has risked his own life to save yours numerous times! He sat by you bedside for two weeks because he felt responsible for what happened to you! Stop being so selfish and childish! I am so sure that Kaos did not teach you that!! Now grow up, shut up, and wait for them! If we go out there now, I am almost certain that Talpa will try something and in your current state, none of you are even ready!!" she shouted. Tori's cheeks heated with shame and she sat down on Kaos' mat saying nothing more. Kayura let out a deep breath and sat down falling silent.
*****
Thundering footsteps roused Sekhmet from his 'sleep'. He found himself hidden with a few of the others in a small cave of some sort. Dais and Cale along with Torrent hid in the cave. His head throbbed and he sat up groaning. "Ughnn… What hit me?" he mumbled. Anubis peeked outside the cave opening to see Yin pass by. They froze and stayed silent. "Do you smell them Yin? You may eat them if you like!" Badamon chuckled. "Lord Fou-Lu said to take your time. Oh, ho! This is fun!" Yin moaned and began to pull bushes and whole trees up by their trunks. Anubis ducked back inside. "Where are we?" Sekhmet asked. "And why does my head hurt?"
"I'm sorry, Sekhmet," Anubis began. "You were about to transform into your true self… We were too close to the house. You would have killed all of us too." Sekhmet frowned and leaned back against the stone wall. He closed his eyes and folded his arms. "At least I wouldn't have to deal with you anymore…" he muttered. Anubis sighed and did not reply to his comment. "Sekhmet, you didn't have to say that…" Sai scolded firmly. Sekhmet opened one eye and glanced at him silently.
"Any sign of the others?" Cale asked. "I lost track of them a few miles back… This stench of this oni killed my nose…" he said with disgust. "That Yin is all I can smell!"
"I think they're gone…" Dais said.
"SAGE!!!" Cale and Anubis were the first to scramble out of the cave to find that their other companions had hidden close by and Halo was caught in Yin's iron grip. Badamon was leaping happily upon her shoulder. "Yes, yes! Squeeze the incompetence out of him!! Go! Goo!!"
"HALO!!" Cale cried and drew his no-dachi. Yin turned and saw him charging her with the end of his sword determined to embed itself somewhere vital. Sage gasped for air and found the strength to open his eyes. A blurred figure raced down the arm towards him. "Sage!" he heard in his ringing ears. It was Rowen. Yin roared and opened her mouth wide. A deep, loud growl emanated from her throat with a brightness forming in her throat. A pillar of fire erupted from her throat and Cale was barely able to avoid it. His right arm sizzled and smoked something horrible. He snarled with disgust and dodged another ball of fire. Unfortunately for Ryo he was hit and knocked into the side of the mountain. Yin caught sight of Strata on her arm and snatched him in her other hand as the man tried to pull Sage free from her grip. She squeezed him, feeling his rib cage crush under the immense pressure. A scream ripped through the clearing before he fell silent and went limp. She dropped him to the ground where he fell in a heap.
"ROWEN!" he exclaimed and rushed to the younger Ronin. "Oh good god!" Blood trickled from his mouth and nose. The symbol of life burned brightly on his forehead. The armor was clamping down on his life determined to keep him alive. He began to breathe. Red bubbles splurged from his lips. Torrent stared at his friend in shock.
"Iron Rock Crusher!"
"Flare Up now!!" A bright wave of fire and rock that was liquefying under Ryo's heated sure kill pummeled Yin into the ground. Cale leaped onto her stomach and drove his sword down to the hilt and practically began to gut her. Acid like blood that was the color of black gushed from the opening. "Cale! Get the hell away from that!!" Kento warned and snatched the former warlord as he leapt over Yin.
A bright light from Badamon appeared in his hands and he launched it at Yin. At once she rose and ripped the no-dachi from her stomach. She drove it into Dais' shoulder and pinned him to the stone wall. Black blood fell like a waterfall from her stomach and corroded the ground, killing everything it touched. The snow all around melted at her feet, turning black before it ate away at the ground. She had dropped Sage in the process and he collapsed into the snow beside Kento. "Sage! You okay?!"
"… N-no… Do I…look okay to you?!" he snapped and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Ryo caught himself on a branch and saw Anubis and Cale being batted from the air as if they were flies. "Damn it all…"
"Wildfire!!!" Sekhmet shouted and met him on the branch. "The White Armor! Use it!"
"I can't it'll kill Sage and Rowen!" he protested.
"Idiot! We all can give you the power you need! Just take it from one of us! It's the only way!" he shouted.
*****
Kaos looked up at the clouded sky. It darkened quickly as he sensed a surge of power. The snow hailed down upon the valley in a heavy shower. Shakujo's rings clanged in a loud frenzy. He lowered his head. "Are you ready to use Inferno again, Wildfire?" he asked aloud. A blast of white light flashed in the distance and a great roar echoed in agony before it died away with the light. The darkness fell again and Kaos held the staff in both hands. Instantly, it became a sword that attached itself to the belt along his body. An armor that was similar to the other Ronins formed around him in a burst of white fire. He gripped the ivory helmet in his hands fastened it securely. As the flames died away he clutched the hilt of Shakujo and turned. "… At last we meet. You know how much trouble you caused me? Because of you, I had to use myself as a seal and put the ones I love in danger."
"… Thee should hath kept a keener eye upon thy precious runes, Ancient One." Fou-Lu sneered and descended to the snow covered ground. Kaos pushed the blade of Shakujo out with his thumb and crouched slightly as he grasped the hilt…