A/N: Crap. I just went back to the last two chapters I posted... You can't
tell what's being thought by other characters unless you're really paying
attention... ::Sighs:: Anyway. I will attempt to fix that from now on. Mail
me if there are any problems reading. Thanx.
"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"
By Onikage
Scroll Twenty-Six: Chrysanthemum Covered Gravestone
Part One of Three
"'Hormonal regulation of spermatogenesis and testicular androgen production involves interactions between the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary gland, and testes, a relationship sometimes called the brain testicular axis. The sequence of regulatory events, shown schematically in Figure...' Graaahh. I haaate thiiis," Nasake groaned and flopped her head into the middle of her anatomy book. "My head huuurts," she whined. The scent of morning breakfast that Mia was preparing was making it hard for her to concentrate. Dais was calmly eating beside her alongside of Strata, Wildfire, Kayura, Sekhmet, and Korin. Halo was chopping away at the counter.
"I can't believe you are studying!" Domo groaned and poked Nasake in the head with the back of her chopstick. "Your brain's gonna turn to mush if you work too hard." Nasake frowned.
"You mean like yours! You wouldn't know a penis from a pituitary if there weren't pictures of them all ready," she snapped. Domo grinned raising her eyebrows slyly.
"I've got plenty of hands on experience on the latter, thank you very much," she smiled. Sekhmet's eyebrows piqued with interest. A smirk curled onto his lips. Ryo nearly choked on his serving of omuraisu. He colored gently as Kayura giggled sweetly. "Something wrong, Wildfire?" Dais asked. "You look a little... flushed..."
"N-no... I'm fine," he squeaked.
"Nasake, why don't you take a break and have some food," Sage offered and handed her a plate.
"I guess..." she sighed pushing the book aside. "There's no way I'll pass if I can't study." Dais pulled the open book towards him.
"Tenku? What are you studying anyway?" he asked and flipped through the large book. Nasake swallowed a large amount of orange juice.
"... Reproductive system," she replied. Dais' one eye widened the more he flipped the pages. Sekhmet peered over his shoulder and scoffed.
"Peh, I prefer 'Playboy's' anatomy book," he grinned. Kayura rolled her eyes.
"You would." Dais became completely enamored inside the book.
"Remarkable... yet... 'clit... clitoris'? What the devil??" Domo, Nasake, and Mia started to giggle, Sage hissed loudly as the knife slipped. "Ow!" Sekhmet sighed heavily and covered his face in shame. Where did he go wrong?? Ryo coughed.
"U-um... Dais?" he began.
"What? What's so funny?!" he snapped. Ryo scratched his nose and smirked.
"Uh, if you don't mind my asking... how many times have you made it with a girl?" Dais frowned with a light blush. It deepened as Mia's gentle perfume tickled his nose when she reached over and started to clear away empty dishes.
"Uh... I don't keep track. A lot, I suppose. Why?" Ryo leaned close to his ear and started to whisper. Nasake and Domo giggled as the light of knowledge was turned on to Dais' handsome features. "Ohhh... That."
"Yeah," Ryo said, before falling into laughter. Dais frowned.
"I don't see what's so funny." He then smiled. "At least 'I' know how to use one properly, Wildfire."
"I know how one works!!" Ryo snapped defensively. Of course it had been almost a year since... Dais leaned on his elbow and took a lock of Lady Kayura's hair into his palm. "Hmm, what do you say about that, Kayura?" Kayura froze and colored deeply.
"Nothing, Dais," she gritted. "Why would I know anything about that?!"
"That bad, huh?" he chuckled. Kayura snatched her hair away with a growl.
"Your mind is so polluted," she huffed. Dais kissed the top of her head as he stood to clear his dishes.
"You seemed to enjoy it," he whispered. Kayura's hand few out and pegged him right below the belt of his jeans. He double over slightly with a grunt and gritted out a smile. "Still the animal," he smiled. Kayura growled. Dais set his dishes in the sink and kissed Mia's cheek gently without thinking. "Lovely breakfast as always. I'll be in the shower if anyone needs me."
"Not likely!" Kayura snapped. She noticed the embarrassed blush on Mia's cheeks as the young woman washed the new dishes.
"Sekkie!" Nasake gasped and grabbed his bandaged hand. The older man flushed. It was hard getting used to the affectionate shortening of his name. "What happened to your hand?!"
"Uh, I got it caught on something. It's fine," he lied. He had been actually hoping that no one would notice the result of last night's... anger management failure. He wasn't even thinking clearly when it happened. Sage cleaned off his hands and silently removed the bandage, ignoring some of Sekhmet's objections. He frowned when he discovered that a claw had been partially and forcibly removed. "What did you catch it on?"
"Does it matter?! Hurts like hell," he muttered. He colored in shame when Kayura gave him a most knowing glare. Sage sighed.
"Whatever... Just be more careful in the future. Wasting what little power I have on a little careless thing isn't smart." A soft green light came from his palm and his hand was restored. Sekhmet lengthened his claws with ease and retracted them.
"Many thanks, Halo." He glanced at Domo and Nasake who eyed his hands nervously. "W-what?"
"Can you purr like a kitty too?" Nasake asked innocently. Kayura sipped her tea delicately.
"Careful, Tenku. When that man purrs there's only ONE thing he's thinking about..." Nasake blushed heavily.
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"Cale-kun, you have pretty hair," Kiku smiled and brushed the blue locks with a hairbrush. She stood wearily on her bed as he sat in front of her. Cale chuckled. "Thank you, little one."
"I make more pretty!" Kiku slipped off her bed and dug into a drawer. She tossed out a red, then a yellow, a green, and finally an orange ribbon before claiming a bright pink barrette. "Here!" she smiled and climbed back up.
"K-Kiku? Little one, what are you doing?" he asked carefully.
"Making you pretty!" She gently pulled a tuft if hair from the top of his head and fastened it with the decorative pink accessory. If anyone saw him, gods he didn't want to think about it-
"Woo hoo!" Kento cooed from the doorway. Sai laughed.
"Ha, ha! You look so darling, Cale!"
"Cale, Ronin of All Things Pink and Frilly!"
"I think I'm in looove," Sai sang. Cale frowned and growled. He opened his mouth to spout some choice phrases at the bearers of water and earth.
"HEY! Leave Cale-kun alone!!" Kiku shouted and grabbed her hairbrush. She became even angrier when their laughter continued. Kento yelped, in more shock than pain, when she actually hurled the hairbrush at him, hitting him square in the face. Sai's eyes widened.
"OW!" Kiku gasped and hid behind Cale. She hadn't quite realized what she did until it happened. Kento growled. "You little-"
"Cool it, man! She's only four!" Sai hissed. Kento frowned. Cale smirked and pulled the barrette out of his hair.
"The wrath of the Ronin of All Things Pink and Frilly is deadly, huh?" Kento rubbed his nose.
"Yeah, she's real Inferno material..." Kento slinked off.
"S-sorry, Cale..." Sai apologized. "Pink's a good color on you, really!" Cale flashed him a glare before turning back to Kiku. She was crying into his chest.
"Oh, Kiku. It's okay. They're not mad at you," he smiled.
"Kento-kun and Sai-kun are mean!" she snapped in a sob. Cale laughed and lifted Kiku in his arms as he stood.
"Yes! And you taught them a lesson like a good Ronin," he smiled. Kiku dried her eyes.
"I did?"
"Yes," he hugged the small child. Kiku clutched his shirt.
"... I love you, Cale-kun," she sniffled. Cale closed his eyes and sighed heavily thinking of long forgotten memories.
:: Papa!::
"I love you, too sweetheart," he whispered.
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"I won't ask you again..." Anubis grumbled. He glared down at the lump of blankets in the center of Tori's bed. He sighed heavily and grabbed one end, pulling slightly. A snarl much like an angry cat rose from underneath the blankets and he was greeted with a resisting tug. "Mmm... Bugger off..." she grumbled. Anubis sat down on the bed and started poking her head with his finger. "Stop it!" she groaned.
"I won't stop until you get up..." he smirked. Tori growled and with one swift motion she lifted the blanket away from her head and snapped at him, her teeth grazing his knuckle. "Ouch! You bit me!"
"Mmm, quick... Go away." She yawned and slipped back underneath her covers.
"How can someone as lazy as you sleep in this late? It's after eight!" he demanded.
"Oh no. The world's gonna end because I don't have my butt outta bed before dawn. Oh, god no," she grumbled. Anubis yanked the covers away from her head,
"It's not wise to fool around like that, especially when the fate of the planet does require you to be up before dawn! You have a choice, little one. You can do as I say and get up, or you can be difficult and I will force you out of bed!"
"'C' none of the above..."
"Don't say that I didn't warn you..." He stood and yanked the covers off of her bed, then picked up a glass of water, holding it above her. "Last chance, my dear..." Tori cracked open one eye and sat up.
"Geez... You don't have to be so threatening... and for god's sake! Have you no decency? I'm in my underwear... Get out, I'll be down in a minute." Anubis smiled and set the glass down, leaving the room. Tori yawned and stood up stretching. She walked over to her doorway and watched him descend the stairs. With another yawn she closed her door and locked it. She then crawled back onto her bed and pulled her blankets back over her head with a satisfied sigh. "... Ya know, for a four hundred year old warrior, he isn't very bright."
Just as she became comfortable once more the entire house shook, knocking her out of bed, "WAAAH," and on to her stomach. It shook again as she tried standing. "Whaaaat the hell's going ooon!?!" she exclaimed. Her bedroom door burst open: Anubis.
"Quickly! We need to get outside!!" he exclaimed. Tori picked herself off the ground.
"Wait a fucking second!! I'm in my damn underwear!"
"No time! Get your armor or whatever it is on unless you want to end up dead in chicken print panties. It's not a noble way to die, I can assure you."
"HEY! I like my chicken panties THANK YOU." The jet Ronin like armor appeared in a glow of red light as she met him at the door. "Let's go."
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Sakura scrambled into the living room, nearly knocking Kento and Sai over. The ice pack Kento had on his face exploded everywhere. "Noo! My ice!" Kento whined.
"Sakura-sama! What's wrong?!"
The house shook.
"There's this huge... thing outside!" she cried. "I've never seen something so horrible!!"
"Huge thing?"
Another quake.
"A monster! Wi-with three eyes!!" she exclaimed, shaking in fear. "What the hell is it!?"
"Th-three... eyes?" Kento breathed before nearly loosing his balance.
"NIUGHHH!!!" The familiar howl rocked through the household. Sakura covered her ears and whimpered. She fell to her knees. "Something's in my heeeead!!!" she screamed.
"Tori!!!" There was a thud and a crash as Tori toppled down the stairs, groaning in pain like Sakura. Anubis followed her immediately and caught her before her head hit the marble floor. "That thing is-AHH!!" she screamed.
"Anubis! What's going on?!" Kento demanded.
"How the hell should I know?!" Anubis snapped over the whimpering of the two younger women. Sakura stood slowly and winced.
"You okay?" Sai gasped.
"Mnn... Didn't you hear it?" she asked, obviously still in pain. She watched Tori stand slowly, using Anubis for leverage. "'Ri-san?"
"Ow... What the fuck was that noise?" she growled. "Aw, my friggin' skull... How come you guys weren't... ow," she hissed.
"Talpa," Anubis growled and dashed out the back door and on to the veranda.
"NIUGHHH!!!" The shriek was closer now. Tori and Sakura clutched their ears and whimpered.
"No, no, no!!"
"Suiko, stop it!!" Sakura begged. Sakura's protective armor formed around her, blue light nearly blinding the others.
Another scream shocked through the house. Kayura.
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"KAYURA!!" Ryo shouted as a large hand snatched her into its grip before tossing her into the ground. She literally bounced before settling in an unconscious heap. Ryo dodged the monstrous arm of the familiar oni form. With the difference only in hue, the oni was an exact duplicate. Filthy jet hair of Yin was in co comparison to the platinum tufts of this newer creature. Dark skin was now a pale lavender. Even the black and red trio of orbs was now cloudy and ghostly white and deathly blue. It was in every way a negative twin of Yin.
Oddly, Badamon was not present. Instead a figure cloaked in jet sat upon the left shoulder, silent. An arrow whistled past Ryo and lodged itself into the thick folds of leathery skin on the demon's right shoulder. It grunted and practically ignored the prick. Rowen cursed to himself and unloaded several more rounds of arrows in an attempt to distract it long enough for Ryo to pull the unconscious priestess to safety; a force field had suddenly formed, blocking any new assault. He could feel the temperature again dropping quickly. Crystals of ice were quickly covering his armor as fast as he felt his lungs burn with the frozen air. (... So... cold...) he thought. He turned his head towards his name to some of the others that rushed out of the front of the house: Anubis, a dampen Dais, Cale, and Sekhmet. The lot of them froze in their steps, gaping in awe. Sekhmet cursed, Rowen grateful that he could not fully understand the serpentine tongue. Inside flashes of gold, rose, teal, and amber, their armor appeared fully intact and ready for fighting. Sekhmet wasted no time and drew both of his snake fang swords before sprinting towards the creature with expert speed. Dais, too, had launched himself, dodging blasts of frozen air from the full, thick, and sickly pale colored mouth.
Both met with a nasty surprise as they slammed with full force into an invisible shield. Anubis and Cale met with a similar fate as they took their chances. Cale pulled himself to his feet before a large clubbed foot pummeled his lower half into the ground. A gurgling bubble cut off his howl of pain as blood gushed from his throat. The foot came down again, only to miss the former warlord as Sekhmet dashed away with him and onto the roof. Cale rolled over to his hands and knees, coughing up blood with a groan. He felt his helmet being ripped off of him. Air came more easily. "G-go!" he managed to hiss to Sekhmet and gestured to the giant pillar of water pummeling into the force field from Torrent. The beast had been distracted. Sekhmet nodded and left Cale to catch his breath.
"Nooot again!!!" Kento whined and launched his sure-kill again in time with Sai. "Dammit!"
"Why isn't it working?!" Sai snapped and sent another blast. The wall just absorbed it. Sage brought down his blade. It met with a vicious clang and shook in his hand.
"Damn it!!"
"We need Inferno!!" Rowen exclaimed and dodged an arm.
Suddenly the arm stopped and the creature turned its head to the black clad figure. A low groan met their ears. It stopped. Anubis picked Dais up and on to his feet.
"What is it doing?" Dais asked in a groan. Anubis scowled up at the darker figure.
"... I don't know."
"Anubis! Dais!!" Megami called and rushed to them. Tori, Sakura, Domo, and Nasake followed more slowly out of the house, gaping at the now docile creature. It plopped down on to the ground and just watched the smaller, doll like humans. Rowen shot an arrow. It bounced off the field and the creature made no aggressive move.
"W-what is that?" Megami gasped softly.
"It's ugly," Tori spat. "That's what."
"Tori!" Sakura hissed.
"WHAT?! Cale's coughing up blood all over the roof! I don't care if it isn't nice! That thing is FUGLY."
"What are you doing out here?!" Anubis hissed. "What about Mia and the children?!"
"Relax. Whiteblaze is inside with them and Mia's got the staff..." Domo spat.
"What is it doing?" Nasake asked. The beast pulled a tree up by its roots and chomped down on it." Dais steeled himself to stand.
"Feeding his inner Hardrock and ruining Lady Mia's crepe myrtle," he sighed.
"I'm more worried about our friend on his... hers... its shoulder," Megami mumbled. "Where's Kongo when you need him?"
"Remember those migraine attacks we just had? Domo said.
"... Unfortunately," Nasake grumbled.
"Our godly friends have made a permanent home in our lovely selves," Domo explained with a sigh.
Sage lowered his sword slowly. He glanced at Sai who was becoming quite vexed. He had just pruned those branches too. Kento frowned and kept his tetsubo pointed at the beast. "... Okay. See? I'm not the ONLY one here who gets hungry in the middle of a fight..."
"Point taken and duly noted. Now what do we do?" Rowen spat. The creature yawned and leaned against a larger tree, falling asleep. "Where the hell's Ryo?"
"Reviving Kayura..." Sekhmet replied. He saw the young woman waking slowly a few feet away in the trees. He then glanced over at Cale. He had collapsed. For now they would not be getting his help.
"It would be wise to heal him," the figure advised. They fixed their eyes on the man. This was the first time he had spoken. "Go on... I want you all to see the end of all days," he chuckled. Sekhmet hissed.
"I'd know that laugh anywhere..."
"Do you now, Sekhmet?" he chuckled. Sekhmet spat blood trickling from his mouth with a fang filled smile. "The giant gig get old or what?" he laughed. The figure stood and leapt down past the field. The ground quaked faintly as he landed rather gracefully. He straightened and the cloaked man held several inches on Sekhmet who was all ready pushing six feet. Rowen armed his bow.
"Something like that... Careful, Strata. You'll put an eye out..." the man chortled.
"I heard that!!!" Dais spat. Anubis frowned and began lifted his kusari-gama.
"Why don't you quit the ridiculous suspense?" Megami placed her hands on her hips defiantly.
"Yeah! Just who the hell do you think you are!?" The figure shrugged.
"... I think I'll wait..." He extended his midnight blue armored hand and a large broadsword appeared into it.
"Ooh, magic! I'm soooo scared!" Megami rolled her eyes. The empty armored hand beckoned her arrogantly.
"You should be..."
"Grr..."
"How about we play a little game?" he chuckled. "No weapons, no magic attacks," he listed as one by one the weapons of the Ronins vanished from their grasp.
"What the fuck!?" Kento hissed
"How the hell?" Sai frowned, attempting to summon it. Sage, Rowen, and Ryo failed also.
"You're in MY domain, now, boys... Do not fret. It's only a game..." Sekhmet hissed loudly and lunged at him.
"I may not have my weapons, but I have my fangs!!" Rose-colored electricity halted him.
"... I thought I de-fanged you... Any more interruptions?" he asked.
"YEAH!" Kento yelled and lunged at him. He met with the force field and fell back. A rose colored circle had formed around him and the others as well. A deep chuckled filled the air as all the Ronins began to pound at the shield. Honestly, it was like a badly written cartoon: the bad/good guy stands around and gapes until he's over run by a sure-kill or trap in this case.
"Dammit! Let us out! It's us you want!!" Ryo ordered. Lady Kayura slammed her shoulder into the barrier with a scream.
"Come now, Kayura... You know as well as I do that you cannot break through that. For once, I am NOT here for you Ronins, Wildfire. Haven't you learned patience yet? " Kayura snarled.
"I'll give YOU patience!!" she snapped.
"Now that we won't be disturbed, ladies," the man began, "shall we continue?" Megami folded her armored arms over her chest.
"Okay. I like games. Whaddya want?" she demanded. The figure shrugged again.
"World domination," he replied bluntly, "the end of the mortal world, revenge... Shall I continue? I've had a thousand years after all," he laughed.
"My, my. Not asking for much, huh?" Dais spat. Tori rolled her eyes and summoned a large blade of fire.
"Cut the crap, evil dude. Tell us who you are and we'll play your stupid game," she smirked. The man stuck his sword into the frost-covered ground and nodded with a glow of his red eyes.
"Fair enough," he said in a smile. He pulled back the dark hood and threw off the black cloak, vanishing into the air. Snow white hair landed back in place, framing a Wildfire red, grinning mask. "I... am Talpa."
The Ronins stared in shock after a moment of silence before the young summoners started giggling in fits of amusement. They were laughing, all of them, and at TALPA. Dais eyed the others in slight confusion. Anubis just shrugged, eyes wide.
"Unn... What happened?" Cale groaned. Sage picked him up inside the barrier they shared.
"You got stepped on," Sage answered obviously. "How do you feel?"
"Like I got stepped on... What... TALPA?!?!?"
"Welcome back, Cale," Anubis murmured still not believing that these girls had the gall to laugh at someone who just trapped half of their entourage.
"Oh... my... god!!" Megami laughed and turned to Kento. "THAT'S Talpa?! He's so... goofy lookin'!" Kento smiled nervously.
"Ehhh, y-yeah... This is gonna get ugly," he said through his teeth to Sai. Torrent nodded humbly.
"Not exactly... evil," Sakurai giggled. "Did you sleep in when they were giving out the evil costumes at school?" Talpa picked up his sword again saying nothing. He simply set out four currents of red energy binding all but one summoner: Megami. Laughter turned to screams as they collapsed. Megami gasped.
"HEY!" It stopped. Sai pounded on the wall.
"You bastard!!" Talpa laughed.
"I could have killed them... Throttle back, Torrent. You sound like Hardrock."
"Yeah, well fuck you too, man!" Kento snapped, kicking the barrier. His foot began to throb. "Fuck..." Talpa pointed his sword to Megami.
"Let us see what they taught you." Megami growled. Bright orange energy formed into her hands as she grinned. "Kento-kun and Anubis taught me this!" she said proudly.
The earth began to shake below their feet. Deep grooves and tracks exploded from behind Talpa. The energy burrowed toward him and dug into the earth below his feet. A pillar of earth shot upward, taking the evil emperor with it. Megami opened her hands, the pillar parallel to her motions. Talpa fell through the split before Megami crushed her grip, the pillar forming as one once more. With an angry snarl she charged the pillar before shattering it with a staff of pure orange light. "Earthshaker!!" she cried. The pillar shattered, blowing boulders and shrapnel of stone everywhere. She backed up smugly and spun her weapon behind her.
"All right, Meg!!" Kento cheered.
"Nuthin to it!" As the dust cloud separated, Talpa walked back toward them, unscathed. He chuckled.
"Impressive..." Talpa dusted the fragments of dirt from his shoulders.
"HOW THE HELL!?" Megami snapped. Talpa lifted his hand, Megami going with it before she was flung into Kento.
"Join your mentor!" he laughed. He beckoned Suiko and Tenku. "Next?"
"A-after you, 'Sake..."
"Gee, THANKS."
Nasake gulped and closed her eyes before she vanished from sight. Talpa snapped his head up and saw her dive-bombing him. He shielded herself with his arms to only have his feet swept out from under him. The back of his head connected with the ground. He found himself in total darkness. Pulling himself to his feet, he laughed. "Very nice... Dais has taught you a clever trick," he chuckled. The sounds of the Ronins and the others were gone. He saw nothing. "Where are you, little kitten?" he sang. A strong gale of wind sliced his back. Another blade of wind sliced across his front, then his leg, then and his armored cheek. Talpa swung his sword hard and hit nothing. He chuckled. "Enough... This is taking much too long..." He held out his hand and a red ball formed in it. He grasped it and smashed it to the ground, blinding Nasake. She yelped and covered her eyes. "HEY! Cheater!"
"You girls are so amusing! When will you learn that I don't-" He struck her with such a force that it knocked her into Strata's bubble. "- play fair!!" he cackled. "This is fun!" Light returned to the yard. Talpa turned to Suiko. "How about you, little girl?" he laughed.
"I'm not little," she spat. With an angry snarl, she blasted him with a stream of water that quickly turned to a spear of ice. Before Talpa could react, it had impaled him. Sakura jumped up in triumph. "Yesss!"
"... Creative..." Talpa mused and pulled the spear out of his chest. The armor closed up. There wasn't a trace of damage. "If only I were actually ALIVE. Hm. Too bad." Sakura squeaked as she collided with Sekhmet. He caught her.
"Asshole," she muttered. Talpa rested his sword on his shoulder.
"Come now. Don't make me choose," he sighed. Tori sighed and looked at Domo.
"Odds?"
"Evens," Domo said.
"Ja, ken, po!" they chanted. Anubis clapped his hand to his forehead.
"Our fate rests on Rock Paper Scissors... Lovely..."
"Damn! I lost!" Tori pouted. Domo smirked.
"Duh." Tori sighed. She armed herself with a flamed sword.
"Okay, Tutu... Bring it." Talpa stood straight.
"Oh? You wish for me to go first? Fine!!" Talpa raised his hand and shot a ball of energy into her, blasting her into Anubis and Dais. Anubis lifted her by her cloak.
"You haaad to pick scissors. You NEVER pick scissors!"
"Shut up! I beat YOU with scissors!" she snapped. "Put me down!" Domo summoned a sword of light and frowned.
"Let's dance, Talpa," barely left her lips before she lunged at him, thoroughly preparing to miss. As she leapt past him, Talpa latched onto her wrist and tucked her deftly under his arm, her facing behind them. Before a chuckle of victory left his throat, he wilted to one knee and dropped her as Domo proved to be very flexible by planting the back of her armored heel into the grinning mask. She heard the cheers of Hardrock and Megami as she twisted in mid air to land on her feet behind Talpa. He whipped around with an angry grunt and charged her. Domo smirked. "Hmph," and ran up the trunk of a nearby tree, flipping over him and clocking Talpa in the back of the skull with her foot. He caught himself with his arms and rolled to his feet. He picked up his sword from the ground. "Quick one, aren't you?" Domo didn't even blink when he suddenly appeared behind her. "But not quick enough," he whispered. Domo opened her mouth to gasp, only to have her breath stolen as a knee landed firmly into her side. An uppercut sent her flying on to her back nearly thirty feet, another ten when her back scraped the ground. Domo snarled and pulled herself to her feet. They were instantly swept out from under her, finding herself pinned. She snarled at the glowing red eyes and that stupid grinning face leering down at her. "Now," he began, stopping abruptly as stars exploded in his vision as she expertly managed to miss his armored forehead and hit the exposed area with her own. The armored circlet proved quite effective. She kicked him off of her and snatched his sword, driving it into his back with a scream. Domo backed away, gasping for air. "... Bite me," she huffed turning to the others with a smile. Their prisons had faded. She laughed with a gasp as Cale lifted her happily with a spin. Her eyes widened as he kissed her squarely on her lips. "Excellent, my dear!!" he cheered and set her down. Domo's cheeks flared.
"Th-thanks." She saw Megami roll Talpa over onto his back.
"What a retard!" Kento smiled as he found that he could summon his weapon again. "Feel so naked without this thing," he grinned wildly.
"I just feel naked, period," Nasake mumbled. "How can you stand wearing this armor??"
"Dude!! Let's look under the mask!!" Kento suggested.
"Uh, Hardrock," Kayura began. "I... I don't think that is a wise idea," she said glancing at Tori. "Leave it-"
"NO WAY." Kento bent down and unfastened the mask. He dropped it into the snow with a gasp. "H-holy shit..."
"It's..." Dais gasped.
"Oh my god," Nasake gasped and turned away. Tori covered her mouth and sank to her knees beside Talpa. "'Jiisan??" The face was the same; however, scars covered the visage. Tears fell from her eyes. "Is... is this some kind of JOKE?" she spat angrily.
"Rekka... Kaos and... Talpa were brothers... Both were born of Shakujo long ago. Shakujo chose Kaos and Talpa swore revenge..." Kayura explained gently and knelt beside her. "I... thought you knew."
"Why would I know!? I've never even heard of Talpa until a few months ago!!" Tori hissed through tears. Anubis knelt beside Talpa and lifted the mask. Domo kneeled beside him. "Twins... How fitting," she murmured. "Masaki- san was good, he was evil..."
"Amazing... I never thought I would feel... remorse," he whispered.
"He's not Kaos. He just looks like him," Domo said stiffly. She glared down the entire length of the armor. He didn't seem like the shell she had been told about by Mia. In fact, he looked human, almost too much like the Ancient One. The resemblance was astounding and not to mention a little bit cryptic. Her sharp eye caught a slight twitch of his index finger of the hand closest to her. Before a gasp could even escape her emerald glossed lips, the hand shot up and snagged her by the throat in a choking grip as Talpa took to the air. "That... hurt," he glowered, eyes flashing red. Domo clawed at his hand desperate for air. He cast an empty gaze down to Anubis as he held the infamous red mask. He summoned it silently, ripping it from his grasp. Still clutching Korin's summoner by her neck, he refastened it. "I think it is time for little Yang to wake..." he chuckled.
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A/N: ::raises eyebrows:: Yeah, I know Talpa's out of character a little bit... Kind of a bad ass attitude... Oh well, stay tuned for part two!! Oh, omuraisu, in case you are wondering, is a Japanese omelet made with onions, eggs (duh), mushrooms, chicken, butter rice, white wine, ketchup (ew...), and salt and pepper! I made it last night. GOOD STUFF.
"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"
By Onikage
Scroll Twenty-Six: Chrysanthemum Covered Gravestone
Part One of Three
"'Hormonal regulation of spermatogenesis and testicular androgen production involves interactions between the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary gland, and testes, a relationship sometimes called the brain testicular axis. The sequence of regulatory events, shown schematically in Figure...' Graaahh. I haaate thiiis," Nasake groaned and flopped her head into the middle of her anatomy book. "My head huuurts," she whined. The scent of morning breakfast that Mia was preparing was making it hard for her to concentrate. Dais was calmly eating beside her alongside of Strata, Wildfire, Kayura, Sekhmet, and Korin. Halo was chopping away at the counter.
"I can't believe you are studying!" Domo groaned and poked Nasake in the head with the back of her chopstick. "Your brain's gonna turn to mush if you work too hard." Nasake frowned.
"You mean like yours! You wouldn't know a penis from a pituitary if there weren't pictures of them all ready," she snapped. Domo grinned raising her eyebrows slyly.
"I've got plenty of hands on experience on the latter, thank you very much," she smiled. Sekhmet's eyebrows piqued with interest. A smirk curled onto his lips. Ryo nearly choked on his serving of omuraisu. He colored gently as Kayura giggled sweetly. "Something wrong, Wildfire?" Dais asked. "You look a little... flushed..."
"N-no... I'm fine," he squeaked.
"Nasake, why don't you take a break and have some food," Sage offered and handed her a plate.
"I guess..." she sighed pushing the book aside. "There's no way I'll pass if I can't study." Dais pulled the open book towards him.
"Tenku? What are you studying anyway?" he asked and flipped through the large book. Nasake swallowed a large amount of orange juice.
"... Reproductive system," she replied. Dais' one eye widened the more he flipped the pages. Sekhmet peered over his shoulder and scoffed.
"Peh, I prefer 'Playboy's' anatomy book," he grinned. Kayura rolled her eyes.
"You would." Dais became completely enamored inside the book.
"Remarkable... yet... 'clit... clitoris'? What the devil??" Domo, Nasake, and Mia started to giggle, Sage hissed loudly as the knife slipped. "Ow!" Sekhmet sighed heavily and covered his face in shame. Where did he go wrong?? Ryo coughed.
"U-um... Dais?" he began.
"What? What's so funny?!" he snapped. Ryo scratched his nose and smirked.
"Uh, if you don't mind my asking... how many times have you made it with a girl?" Dais frowned with a light blush. It deepened as Mia's gentle perfume tickled his nose when she reached over and started to clear away empty dishes.
"Uh... I don't keep track. A lot, I suppose. Why?" Ryo leaned close to his ear and started to whisper. Nasake and Domo giggled as the light of knowledge was turned on to Dais' handsome features. "Ohhh... That."
"Yeah," Ryo said, before falling into laughter. Dais frowned.
"I don't see what's so funny." He then smiled. "At least 'I' know how to use one properly, Wildfire."
"I know how one works!!" Ryo snapped defensively. Of course it had been almost a year since... Dais leaned on his elbow and took a lock of Lady Kayura's hair into his palm. "Hmm, what do you say about that, Kayura?" Kayura froze and colored deeply.
"Nothing, Dais," she gritted. "Why would I know anything about that?!"
"That bad, huh?" he chuckled. Kayura snatched her hair away with a growl.
"Your mind is so polluted," she huffed. Dais kissed the top of her head as he stood to clear his dishes.
"You seemed to enjoy it," he whispered. Kayura's hand few out and pegged him right below the belt of his jeans. He double over slightly with a grunt and gritted out a smile. "Still the animal," he smiled. Kayura growled. Dais set his dishes in the sink and kissed Mia's cheek gently without thinking. "Lovely breakfast as always. I'll be in the shower if anyone needs me."
"Not likely!" Kayura snapped. She noticed the embarrassed blush on Mia's cheeks as the young woman washed the new dishes.
"Sekkie!" Nasake gasped and grabbed his bandaged hand. The older man flushed. It was hard getting used to the affectionate shortening of his name. "What happened to your hand?!"
"Uh, I got it caught on something. It's fine," he lied. He had been actually hoping that no one would notice the result of last night's... anger management failure. He wasn't even thinking clearly when it happened. Sage cleaned off his hands and silently removed the bandage, ignoring some of Sekhmet's objections. He frowned when he discovered that a claw had been partially and forcibly removed. "What did you catch it on?"
"Does it matter?! Hurts like hell," he muttered. He colored in shame when Kayura gave him a most knowing glare. Sage sighed.
"Whatever... Just be more careful in the future. Wasting what little power I have on a little careless thing isn't smart." A soft green light came from his palm and his hand was restored. Sekhmet lengthened his claws with ease and retracted them.
"Many thanks, Halo." He glanced at Domo and Nasake who eyed his hands nervously. "W-what?"
"Can you purr like a kitty too?" Nasake asked innocently. Kayura sipped her tea delicately.
"Careful, Tenku. When that man purrs there's only ONE thing he's thinking about..." Nasake blushed heavily.
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"Cale-kun, you have pretty hair," Kiku smiled and brushed the blue locks with a hairbrush. She stood wearily on her bed as he sat in front of her. Cale chuckled. "Thank you, little one."
"I make more pretty!" Kiku slipped off her bed and dug into a drawer. She tossed out a red, then a yellow, a green, and finally an orange ribbon before claiming a bright pink barrette. "Here!" she smiled and climbed back up.
"K-Kiku? Little one, what are you doing?" he asked carefully.
"Making you pretty!" She gently pulled a tuft if hair from the top of his head and fastened it with the decorative pink accessory. If anyone saw him, gods he didn't want to think about it-
"Woo hoo!" Kento cooed from the doorway. Sai laughed.
"Ha, ha! You look so darling, Cale!"
"Cale, Ronin of All Things Pink and Frilly!"
"I think I'm in looove," Sai sang. Cale frowned and growled. He opened his mouth to spout some choice phrases at the bearers of water and earth.
"HEY! Leave Cale-kun alone!!" Kiku shouted and grabbed her hairbrush. She became even angrier when their laughter continued. Kento yelped, in more shock than pain, when she actually hurled the hairbrush at him, hitting him square in the face. Sai's eyes widened.
"OW!" Kiku gasped and hid behind Cale. She hadn't quite realized what she did until it happened. Kento growled. "You little-"
"Cool it, man! She's only four!" Sai hissed. Kento frowned. Cale smirked and pulled the barrette out of his hair.
"The wrath of the Ronin of All Things Pink and Frilly is deadly, huh?" Kento rubbed his nose.
"Yeah, she's real Inferno material..." Kento slinked off.
"S-sorry, Cale..." Sai apologized. "Pink's a good color on you, really!" Cale flashed him a glare before turning back to Kiku. She was crying into his chest.
"Oh, Kiku. It's okay. They're not mad at you," he smiled.
"Kento-kun and Sai-kun are mean!" she snapped in a sob. Cale laughed and lifted Kiku in his arms as he stood.
"Yes! And you taught them a lesson like a good Ronin," he smiled. Kiku dried her eyes.
"I did?"
"Yes," he hugged the small child. Kiku clutched his shirt.
"... I love you, Cale-kun," she sniffled. Cale closed his eyes and sighed heavily thinking of long forgotten memories.
:: Papa!::
"I love you, too sweetheart," he whispered.
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"I won't ask you again..." Anubis grumbled. He glared down at the lump of blankets in the center of Tori's bed. He sighed heavily and grabbed one end, pulling slightly. A snarl much like an angry cat rose from underneath the blankets and he was greeted with a resisting tug. "Mmm... Bugger off..." she grumbled. Anubis sat down on the bed and started poking her head with his finger. "Stop it!" she groaned.
"I won't stop until you get up..." he smirked. Tori growled and with one swift motion she lifted the blanket away from her head and snapped at him, her teeth grazing his knuckle. "Ouch! You bit me!"
"Mmm, quick... Go away." She yawned and slipped back underneath her covers.
"How can someone as lazy as you sleep in this late? It's after eight!" he demanded.
"Oh no. The world's gonna end because I don't have my butt outta bed before dawn. Oh, god no," she grumbled. Anubis yanked the covers away from her head,
"It's not wise to fool around like that, especially when the fate of the planet does require you to be up before dawn! You have a choice, little one. You can do as I say and get up, or you can be difficult and I will force you out of bed!"
"'C' none of the above..."
"Don't say that I didn't warn you..." He stood and yanked the covers off of her bed, then picked up a glass of water, holding it above her. "Last chance, my dear..." Tori cracked open one eye and sat up.
"Geez... You don't have to be so threatening... and for god's sake! Have you no decency? I'm in my underwear... Get out, I'll be down in a minute." Anubis smiled and set the glass down, leaving the room. Tori yawned and stood up stretching. She walked over to her doorway and watched him descend the stairs. With another yawn she closed her door and locked it. She then crawled back onto her bed and pulled her blankets back over her head with a satisfied sigh. "... Ya know, for a four hundred year old warrior, he isn't very bright."
Just as she became comfortable once more the entire house shook, knocking her out of bed, "WAAAH," and on to her stomach. It shook again as she tried standing. "Whaaaat the hell's going ooon!?!" she exclaimed. Her bedroom door burst open: Anubis.
"Quickly! We need to get outside!!" he exclaimed. Tori picked herself off the ground.
"Wait a fucking second!! I'm in my damn underwear!"
"No time! Get your armor or whatever it is on unless you want to end up dead in chicken print panties. It's not a noble way to die, I can assure you."
"HEY! I like my chicken panties THANK YOU." The jet Ronin like armor appeared in a glow of red light as she met him at the door. "Let's go."
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Sakura scrambled into the living room, nearly knocking Kento and Sai over. The ice pack Kento had on his face exploded everywhere. "Noo! My ice!" Kento whined.
"Sakura-sama! What's wrong?!"
The house shook.
"There's this huge... thing outside!" she cried. "I've never seen something so horrible!!"
"Huge thing?"
Another quake.
"A monster! Wi-with three eyes!!" she exclaimed, shaking in fear. "What the hell is it!?"
"Th-three... eyes?" Kento breathed before nearly loosing his balance.
"NIUGHHH!!!" The familiar howl rocked through the household. Sakura covered her ears and whimpered. She fell to her knees. "Something's in my heeeead!!!" she screamed.
"Tori!!!" There was a thud and a crash as Tori toppled down the stairs, groaning in pain like Sakura. Anubis followed her immediately and caught her before her head hit the marble floor. "That thing is-AHH!!" she screamed.
"Anubis! What's going on?!" Kento demanded.
"How the hell should I know?!" Anubis snapped over the whimpering of the two younger women. Sakura stood slowly and winced.
"You okay?" Sai gasped.
"Mnn... Didn't you hear it?" she asked, obviously still in pain. She watched Tori stand slowly, using Anubis for leverage. "'Ri-san?"
"Ow... What the fuck was that noise?" she growled. "Aw, my friggin' skull... How come you guys weren't... ow," she hissed.
"Talpa," Anubis growled and dashed out the back door and on to the veranda.
"NIUGHHH!!!" The shriek was closer now. Tori and Sakura clutched their ears and whimpered.
"No, no, no!!"
"Suiko, stop it!!" Sakura begged. Sakura's protective armor formed around her, blue light nearly blinding the others.
Another scream shocked through the house. Kayura.
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"KAYURA!!" Ryo shouted as a large hand snatched her into its grip before tossing her into the ground. She literally bounced before settling in an unconscious heap. Ryo dodged the monstrous arm of the familiar oni form. With the difference only in hue, the oni was an exact duplicate. Filthy jet hair of Yin was in co comparison to the platinum tufts of this newer creature. Dark skin was now a pale lavender. Even the black and red trio of orbs was now cloudy and ghostly white and deathly blue. It was in every way a negative twin of Yin.
Oddly, Badamon was not present. Instead a figure cloaked in jet sat upon the left shoulder, silent. An arrow whistled past Ryo and lodged itself into the thick folds of leathery skin on the demon's right shoulder. It grunted and practically ignored the prick. Rowen cursed to himself and unloaded several more rounds of arrows in an attempt to distract it long enough for Ryo to pull the unconscious priestess to safety; a force field had suddenly formed, blocking any new assault. He could feel the temperature again dropping quickly. Crystals of ice were quickly covering his armor as fast as he felt his lungs burn with the frozen air. (... So... cold...) he thought. He turned his head towards his name to some of the others that rushed out of the front of the house: Anubis, a dampen Dais, Cale, and Sekhmet. The lot of them froze in their steps, gaping in awe. Sekhmet cursed, Rowen grateful that he could not fully understand the serpentine tongue. Inside flashes of gold, rose, teal, and amber, their armor appeared fully intact and ready for fighting. Sekhmet wasted no time and drew both of his snake fang swords before sprinting towards the creature with expert speed. Dais, too, had launched himself, dodging blasts of frozen air from the full, thick, and sickly pale colored mouth.
Both met with a nasty surprise as they slammed with full force into an invisible shield. Anubis and Cale met with a similar fate as they took their chances. Cale pulled himself to his feet before a large clubbed foot pummeled his lower half into the ground. A gurgling bubble cut off his howl of pain as blood gushed from his throat. The foot came down again, only to miss the former warlord as Sekhmet dashed away with him and onto the roof. Cale rolled over to his hands and knees, coughing up blood with a groan. He felt his helmet being ripped off of him. Air came more easily. "G-go!" he managed to hiss to Sekhmet and gestured to the giant pillar of water pummeling into the force field from Torrent. The beast had been distracted. Sekhmet nodded and left Cale to catch his breath.
"Nooot again!!!" Kento whined and launched his sure-kill again in time with Sai. "Dammit!"
"Why isn't it working?!" Sai snapped and sent another blast. The wall just absorbed it. Sage brought down his blade. It met with a vicious clang and shook in his hand.
"Damn it!!"
"We need Inferno!!" Rowen exclaimed and dodged an arm.
Suddenly the arm stopped and the creature turned its head to the black clad figure. A low groan met their ears. It stopped. Anubis picked Dais up and on to his feet.
"What is it doing?" Dais asked in a groan. Anubis scowled up at the darker figure.
"... I don't know."
"Anubis! Dais!!" Megami called and rushed to them. Tori, Sakura, Domo, and Nasake followed more slowly out of the house, gaping at the now docile creature. It plopped down on to the ground and just watched the smaller, doll like humans. Rowen shot an arrow. It bounced off the field and the creature made no aggressive move.
"W-what is that?" Megami gasped softly.
"It's ugly," Tori spat. "That's what."
"Tori!" Sakura hissed.
"WHAT?! Cale's coughing up blood all over the roof! I don't care if it isn't nice! That thing is FUGLY."
"What are you doing out here?!" Anubis hissed. "What about Mia and the children?!"
"Relax. Whiteblaze is inside with them and Mia's got the staff..." Domo spat.
"What is it doing?" Nasake asked. The beast pulled a tree up by its roots and chomped down on it." Dais steeled himself to stand.
"Feeding his inner Hardrock and ruining Lady Mia's crepe myrtle," he sighed.
"I'm more worried about our friend on his... hers... its shoulder," Megami mumbled. "Where's Kongo when you need him?"
"Remember those migraine attacks we just had? Domo said.
"... Unfortunately," Nasake grumbled.
"Our godly friends have made a permanent home in our lovely selves," Domo explained with a sigh.
Sage lowered his sword slowly. He glanced at Sai who was becoming quite vexed. He had just pruned those branches too. Kento frowned and kept his tetsubo pointed at the beast. "... Okay. See? I'm not the ONLY one here who gets hungry in the middle of a fight..."
"Point taken and duly noted. Now what do we do?" Rowen spat. The creature yawned and leaned against a larger tree, falling asleep. "Where the hell's Ryo?"
"Reviving Kayura..." Sekhmet replied. He saw the young woman waking slowly a few feet away in the trees. He then glanced over at Cale. He had collapsed. For now they would not be getting his help.
"It would be wise to heal him," the figure advised. They fixed their eyes on the man. This was the first time he had spoken. "Go on... I want you all to see the end of all days," he chuckled. Sekhmet hissed.
"I'd know that laugh anywhere..."
"Do you now, Sekhmet?" he chuckled. Sekhmet spat blood trickling from his mouth with a fang filled smile. "The giant gig get old or what?" he laughed. The figure stood and leapt down past the field. The ground quaked faintly as he landed rather gracefully. He straightened and the cloaked man held several inches on Sekhmet who was all ready pushing six feet. Rowen armed his bow.
"Something like that... Careful, Strata. You'll put an eye out..." the man chortled.
"I heard that!!!" Dais spat. Anubis frowned and began lifted his kusari-gama.
"Why don't you quit the ridiculous suspense?" Megami placed her hands on her hips defiantly.
"Yeah! Just who the hell do you think you are!?" The figure shrugged.
"... I think I'll wait..." He extended his midnight blue armored hand and a large broadsword appeared into it.
"Ooh, magic! I'm soooo scared!" Megami rolled her eyes. The empty armored hand beckoned her arrogantly.
"You should be..."
"Grr..."
"How about we play a little game?" he chuckled. "No weapons, no magic attacks," he listed as one by one the weapons of the Ronins vanished from their grasp.
"What the fuck!?" Kento hissed
"How the hell?" Sai frowned, attempting to summon it. Sage, Rowen, and Ryo failed also.
"You're in MY domain, now, boys... Do not fret. It's only a game..." Sekhmet hissed loudly and lunged at him.
"I may not have my weapons, but I have my fangs!!" Rose-colored electricity halted him.
"... I thought I de-fanged you... Any more interruptions?" he asked.
"YEAH!" Kento yelled and lunged at him. He met with the force field and fell back. A rose colored circle had formed around him and the others as well. A deep chuckled filled the air as all the Ronins began to pound at the shield. Honestly, it was like a badly written cartoon: the bad/good guy stands around and gapes until he's over run by a sure-kill or trap in this case.
"Dammit! Let us out! It's us you want!!" Ryo ordered. Lady Kayura slammed her shoulder into the barrier with a scream.
"Come now, Kayura... You know as well as I do that you cannot break through that. For once, I am NOT here for you Ronins, Wildfire. Haven't you learned patience yet? " Kayura snarled.
"I'll give YOU patience!!" she snapped.
"Now that we won't be disturbed, ladies," the man began, "shall we continue?" Megami folded her armored arms over her chest.
"Okay. I like games. Whaddya want?" she demanded. The figure shrugged again.
"World domination," he replied bluntly, "the end of the mortal world, revenge... Shall I continue? I've had a thousand years after all," he laughed.
"My, my. Not asking for much, huh?" Dais spat. Tori rolled her eyes and summoned a large blade of fire.
"Cut the crap, evil dude. Tell us who you are and we'll play your stupid game," she smirked. The man stuck his sword into the frost-covered ground and nodded with a glow of his red eyes.
"Fair enough," he said in a smile. He pulled back the dark hood and threw off the black cloak, vanishing into the air. Snow white hair landed back in place, framing a Wildfire red, grinning mask. "I... am Talpa."
The Ronins stared in shock after a moment of silence before the young summoners started giggling in fits of amusement. They were laughing, all of them, and at TALPA. Dais eyed the others in slight confusion. Anubis just shrugged, eyes wide.
"Unn... What happened?" Cale groaned. Sage picked him up inside the barrier they shared.
"You got stepped on," Sage answered obviously. "How do you feel?"
"Like I got stepped on... What... TALPA?!?!?"
"Welcome back, Cale," Anubis murmured still not believing that these girls had the gall to laugh at someone who just trapped half of their entourage.
"Oh... my... god!!" Megami laughed and turned to Kento. "THAT'S Talpa?! He's so... goofy lookin'!" Kento smiled nervously.
"Ehhh, y-yeah... This is gonna get ugly," he said through his teeth to Sai. Torrent nodded humbly.
"Not exactly... evil," Sakurai giggled. "Did you sleep in when they were giving out the evil costumes at school?" Talpa picked up his sword again saying nothing. He simply set out four currents of red energy binding all but one summoner: Megami. Laughter turned to screams as they collapsed. Megami gasped.
"HEY!" It stopped. Sai pounded on the wall.
"You bastard!!" Talpa laughed.
"I could have killed them... Throttle back, Torrent. You sound like Hardrock."
"Yeah, well fuck you too, man!" Kento snapped, kicking the barrier. His foot began to throb. "Fuck..." Talpa pointed his sword to Megami.
"Let us see what they taught you." Megami growled. Bright orange energy formed into her hands as she grinned. "Kento-kun and Anubis taught me this!" she said proudly.
The earth began to shake below their feet. Deep grooves and tracks exploded from behind Talpa. The energy burrowed toward him and dug into the earth below his feet. A pillar of earth shot upward, taking the evil emperor with it. Megami opened her hands, the pillar parallel to her motions. Talpa fell through the split before Megami crushed her grip, the pillar forming as one once more. With an angry snarl she charged the pillar before shattering it with a staff of pure orange light. "Earthshaker!!" she cried. The pillar shattered, blowing boulders and shrapnel of stone everywhere. She backed up smugly and spun her weapon behind her.
"All right, Meg!!" Kento cheered.
"Nuthin to it!" As the dust cloud separated, Talpa walked back toward them, unscathed. He chuckled.
"Impressive..." Talpa dusted the fragments of dirt from his shoulders.
"HOW THE HELL!?" Megami snapped. Talpa lifted his hand, Megami going with it before she was flung into Kento.
"Join your mentor!" he laughed. He beckoned Suiko and Tenku. "Next?"
"A-after you, 'Sake..."
"Gee, THANKS."
Nasake gulped and closed her eyes before she vanished from sight. Talpa snapped his head up and saw her dive-bombing him. He shielded herself with his arms to only have his feet swept out from under him. The back of his head connected with the ground. He found himself in total darkness. Pulling himself to his feet, he laughed. "Very nice... Dais has taught you a clever trick," he chuckled. The sounds of the Ronins and the others were gone. He saw nothing. "Where are you, little kitten?" he sang. A strong gale of wind sliced his back. Another blade of wind sliced across his front, then his leg, then and his armored cheek. Talpa swung his sword hard and hit nothing. He chuckled. "Enough... This is taking much too long..." He held out his hand and a red ball formed in it. He grasped it and smashed it to the ground, blinding Nasake. She yelped and covered her eyes. "HEY! Cheater!"
"You girls are so amusing! When will you learn that I don't-" He struck her with such a force that it knocked her into Strata's bubble. "- play fair!!" he cackled. "This is fun!" Light returned to the yard. Talpa turned to Suiko. "How about you, little girl?" he laughed.
"I'm not little," she spat. With an angry snarl, she blasted him with a stream of water that quickly turned to a spear of ice. Before Talpa could react, it had impaled him. Sakura jumped up in triumph. "Yesss!"
"... Creative..." Talpa mused and pulled the spear out of his chest. The armor closed up. There wasn't a trace of damage. "If only I were actually ALIVE. Hm. Too bad." Sakura squeaked as she collided with Sekhmet. He caught her.
"Asshole," she muttered. Talpa rested his sword on his shoulder.
"Come now. Don't make me choose," he sighed. Tori sighed and looked at Domo.
"Odds?"
"Evens," Domo said.
"Ja, ken, po!" they chanted. Anubis clapped his hand to his forehead.
"Our fate rests on Rock Paper Scissors... Lovely..."
"Damn! I lost!" Tori pouted. Domo smirked.
"Duh." Tori sighed. She armed herself with a flamed sword.
"Okay, Tutu... Bring it." Talpa stood straight.
"Oh? You wish for me to go first? Fine!!" Talpa raised his hand and shot a ball of energy into her, blasting her into Anubis and Dais. Anubis lifted her by her cloak.
"You haaad to pick scissors. You NEVER pick scissors!"
"Shut up! I beat YOU with scissors!" she snapped. "Put me down!" Domo summoned a sword of light and frowned.
"Let's dance, Talpa," barely left her lips before she lunged at him, thoroughly preparing to miss. As she leapt past him, Talpa latched onto her wrist and tucked her deftly under his arm, her facing behind them. Before a chuckle of victory left his throat, he wilted to one knee and dropped her as Domo proved to be very flexible by planting the back of her armored heel into the grinning mask. She heard the cheers of Hardrock and Megami as she twisted in mid air to land on her feet behind Talpa. He whipped around with an angry grunt and charged her. Domo smirked. "Hmph," and ran up the trunk of a nearby tree, flipping over him and clocking Talpa in the back of the skull with her foot. He caught himself with his arms and rolled to his feet. He picked up his sword from the ground. "Quick one, aren't you?" Domo didn't even blink when he suddenly appeared behind her. "But not quick enough," he whispered. Domo opened her mouth to gasp, only to have her breath stolen as a knee landed firmly into her side. An uppercut sent her flying on to her back nearly thirty feet, another ten when her back scraped the ground. Domo snarled and pulled herself to her feet. They were instantly swept out from under her, finding herself pinned. She snarled at the glowing red eyes and that stupid grinning face leering down at her. "Now," he began, stopping abruptly as stars exploded in his vision as she expertly managed to miss his armored forehead and hit the exposed area with her own. The armored circlet proved quite effective. She kicked him off of her and snatched his sword, driving it into his back with a scream. Domo backed away, gasping for air. "... Bite me," she huffed turning to the others with a smile. Their prisons had faded. She laughed with a gasp as Cale lifted her happily with a spin. Her eyes widened as he kissed her squarely on her lips. "Excellent, my dear!!" he cheered and set her down. Domo's cheeks flared.
"Th-thanks." She saw Megami roll Talpa over onto his back.
"What a retard!" Kento smiled as he found that he could summon his weapon again. "Feel so naked without this thing," he grinned wildly.
"I just feel naked, period," Nasake mumbled. "How can you stand wearing this armor??"
"Dude!! Let's look under the mask!!" Kento suggested.
"Uh, Hardrock," Kayura began. "I... I don't think that is a wise idea," she said glancing at Tori. "Leave it-"
"NO WAY." Kento bent down and unfastened the mask. He dropped it into the snow with a gasp. "H-holy shit..."
"It's..." Dais gasped.
"Oh my god," Nasake gasped and turned away. Tori covered her mouth and sank to her knees beside Talpa. "'Jiisan??" The face was the same; however, scars covered the visage. Tears fell from her eyes. "Is... is this some kind of JOKE?" she spat angrily.
"Rekka... Kaos and... Talpa were brothers... Both were born of Shakujo long ago. Shakujo chose Kaos and Talpa swore revenge..." Kayura explained gently and knelt beside her. "I... thought you knew."
"Why would I know!? I've never even heard of Talpa until a few months ago!!" Tori hissed through tears. Anubis knelt beside Talpa and lifted the mask. Domo kneeled beside him. "Twins... How fitting," she murmured. "Masaki- san was good, he was evil..."
"Amazing... I never thought I would feel... remorse," he whispered.
"He's not Kaos. He just looks like him," Domo said stiffly. She glared down the entire length of the armor. He didn't seem like the shell she had been told about by Mia. In fact, he looked human, almost too much like the Ancient One. The resemblance was astounding and not to mention a little bit cryptic. Her sharp eye caught a slight twitch of his index finger of the hand closest to her. Before a gasp could even escape her emerald glossed lips, the hand shot up and snagged her by the throat in a choking grip as Talpa took to the air. "That... hurt," he glowered, eyes flashing red. Domo clawed at his hand desperate for air. He cast an empty gaze down to Anubis as he held the infamous red mask. He summoned it silently, ripping it from his grasp. Still clutching Korin's summoner by her neck, he refastened it. "I think it is time for little Yang to wake..." he chuckled.
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A/N: ::raises eyebrows:: Yeah, I know Talpa's out of character a little bit... Kind of a bad ass attitude... Oh well, stay tuned for part two!! Oh, omuraisu, in case you are wondering, is a Japanese omelet made with onions, eggs (duh), mushrooms, chicken, butter rice, white wine, ketchup (ew...), and salt and pepper! I made it last night. GOOD STUFF.