"Ronin Warriors: The Final Victor"
By Onikage
Scroll Forty: Rock Hard Rain of Justice
Yuli's eyes widened as Cale brought down a rough blow with his sword. The boy lifted his sword up just in time to block before the force of it throwing him off balance and to the ground with a thud. Cale leaned over him and chuckled. "That was good… until you fell on your behind." Yuli rubbed the back of his elbow. It was scraped.
"You throw those swings too hard," Yuli replied.
"I was holding back… A LOT," Cale laughed. "But you are improving!" he added with a smirk. He lifted Yuli to his feet by the back of his shirt. Yuli smiled.
"Whoa, really?"
"Yep. Dais has taught you a lot it seems… And here I thought he was nothing but a dullard!" Yuli dusted off himself.
"He's really strict though," he began. "I get hit if my stance isn't just right or if I miss something."
"He's not used to having students so young… You'll toughen up in time."
"I hope so."
"Ready?"
"Yeah!" Cale watched Yuli back up a few paces and adjust his stance. There was a soft gust of wind. Not a very strong one, but enough to draw ones' attention. Cale lowered his sword slowly and turned. The wind chimes tingled softly. A faint floral scent tickled his nose. A chill ran down his spine as it subsided. "Something wrong, Cale?"
Silence.
There was a blast of a hard wind, knocking Yuli down. The wind blew furiously and Cale could have sworn he heard Shakujo's rings chiming madly. Yuli covered his head, as Cale stood strong in the gusts. Suddenly, it stopped. The chiming continued slowly, before it faded with the breeze. Yuli stood up slowly. "What was that?"
"I… I don't know," he murmured.
"Aw shit…" Kento grumbled as he rummaged through the picnic basket. Megami was spreading the blanket out underneath the large oak tree.
"Something wrong?"
"I forgot the silverware. Damn."
"Oh here," she opened the lid of the basket. On the underside was a zippered pocket. "I put them in there so they wouldn't poke holes in the baggies."
"Whaaaat? I didn't know that's what it was for," he laughed.
"Now you know!" she laughed. Without another word she went back to fixing the blanket.
Insert awkward silence now… Kento thought to himself. "Need some help?"
"Nope!" she replied. She started to hum. Kento sighed and walked over to the lake's shore. He picked up a few flat rocks and started to skip several on the water's surface. "… can't even make decent conversation… such a moron… man…" he grumbled. An orange butterfly flew by his nose. He watched it settle on the trunk of a large tree. He peered at it more closely, then grinned. "Hey Megami."
"Whaft?" she said through a mouth full of food. He laughed.
"C'mere."
"What? Is there something in the water? You better not try to push me in!" she frowned. He rolled his eyes.
"Here." He placed one of the rocks he had in her hand.
"A rock?" He stood behind her and held her waist as he positioned her where he wanted.
"Throw it at that tree."
"Which one?"
"The big one by the lake."
"Why?"
"Just do it!" he laughed. Megami rolled her eyes and hurled the rock aiming for the tree. As it connected thousands of butterflies filled the air around them. Kento beamed when she practically squealed with delight. She watched the swarm flutter across the lake with a giant smile. "Wow, Kento-kun! I didn't know butterflies could do that!"
"Pretty cool, huh?" She leapt into his arms and gave him a warm hug.
"Yeah!" She pulled away slowly, but not completely. She blushed heavily and tried pulling away. Kento held her close.
"Meg?"
"I-I know Kento-kun… but… I'm not ready." Kento just pulled her into another large embrace and sighed.
"S'okay… I don't wanna rush it either…" He kissed her hair. "I just…" Megami pulled away with a giggle and poked him in the nose.
"Stop worrying! I'm not going anywhere!" Kento rubbed the end of it.
"Owww… I know that!" he chuckled.
"Let's eat!"
"Sounds good," he smirked. "I could eat a horse!" Megami turned back to the blanket.
"Heeeeeeey…" She ran up to the spot. The basket was gone. "Our food! Kento!"
"What? I was with you! Maybe Kongo ate it!" Kento suggested sarcastically.
"Kongo can't eat people food!" she snapped. "Kongo! Heeeeeeeey!"
The large minotaur peered around the tree and startled Hardrock. "HWHOA!" Megami smiled.
"Have you seen where the food went?" Kongo pointed into the woods. Megami scratched her head. "In there?"
"Maybe a bear ate it?" Kento said. "C'mon. Let's go. It's personal!"
"Wait! It's just food!" Megami exclaimed. "Maybe he really was hungry… Kento! Haaay!" Kento stopped at the edge of the woods and frowned. Megami looked up at the trees. "Whoa… it's dark in there," she mumbled, grabbing his arm.
"A little too dark to me. It's broad daylight!" Megami gulped when Kento summoned the orange and ivory subarmor.
"Think Talpa took our food?" she asked meekly and started to follow him.
"Well, he's not emperor anymore according to Sekh and Managi…" He pushed branches out of the way and ducked over others. "Must be a little bored I bet…"
"I guess… What do you think, Kongo?" She turned and he was gone… and so was the path. "Kongo? Kento! The path's gone!"
"Wha?" He turned, making a face. "Damn it… I'm trying to have a nice quiet date here!" he shouted and punched the ground. "First the food, now the day… Grrr."
"Let's just get outta here… Which way is out?" Kento looked up.
"Up. You'd better get your gear on. Can't be too careful."
"R-right." Megami closed her eyes and suddenly felt the ground beneath her quake gently as she was surrounded by a gathering whirlwind of dust. Almost immediately, she was engulfed in a soft orange colored light, with tendrils of power tapering off her glowing body. A dark, amber cloak gathered at her shoulders, then seemed to fall like water down her slender now armored self. Onyx armor, glided over her skin warming her chilled body. Her eyes glimmered orange as they peeked out from underneath the darkness of her hood. Megami touched back to the ground and stood beside him warily as the rest of the dust subsided.
Kento blinked. "Cool…" She blushed heavily.
"I can't just put it on like you guys can… with all the pretty flowers and junk…" Kento just gave a small laugh.
"Come on… Let's get outta here."
"Going somewhere, pets?"
"Something wrong, little one?" Anubis asked when Tori's playful behavior stopped suddenly. She just relaxed the side of her head against his chest as he still lay 'pinned' beneath her. She sighed.
"Nothing. I was just thinking…" Anubis folded his arms behind his head and let her continue to rest against him. The tone in her voice seemed to strike something in the back of his mind. It bothered him. He looked up at the bright blue sky through the trees. "What were you thinking?" he asked softly. "Was is about Korin?"
"Huh?" she mumbled, munching on her apple again. "Oh, nah…" Anubis shifted slightly.
"… Wildfire?" Her silence was his answer. "… Don't fret about it. How you are going to defend yourself against my former is more important, I think." Tori sighed and lifted off of him. She stared down at the apple.
"… Do…" Anubis looked at her when she stopped. She looked down at him. The look in her eyes caused him to lean on his elbows.
"Yes?"
"… Do I really look like her?" Tori asked softly. Anubis stiffened, not at all surprised by her question. He knew it was coming though no matter how hard he tried he wasn't ready when she asked it. He sat up slowly and remained silent for a long moment before he extended his hand, summoning his kusari-gama. Tori jumped.
"Holy shit, 'nubie! It was just a question! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed.
"No, you little idiot," he snapped. He took the soft fabric of his surcoat and buffed the reflective surface of the large blade. After a few rubs with the cloth, he held it in front of her face. Tori saw her own reflection staring quizzically back at her.
"… Ask me again," he ordered gently. Tori colored.
"D-do I look like her?" she asked softly, looking into her own eyes, and answering her own question. She lowered her eyes as he banished the weapon. She didn't say a word. Anubis took her hands and lifted her eyes.
"… Now do you understand?" he asked softly. "When I get you both confused, I don't do it to upset you. I cannot help it. Yes, you do resemble her, but… even when she was… human, I find that you are kinder, more loving, and more selfless than she ever was. That is what makes you different than she… Do we understand one another?" Tori nodded silently.
"… So… if I were to ask who was cuter, you'd have a hard time with that, huh?" she asked, attempting to sound as serious as she could before falling into giggles. Anubis rolled his eyes.
"Well, since you put it that way, neither."
"'Neither'? What the hell?"
" I am prettier than both of you combined, so that question isn't relevant!" he smirked.
"I wasn't asking about you!" she sputtered.
"That's why it wasn't relevant!" he laughed. Tori pouted.
"You are so self-absorbed." Anubis simply laughed at her comment.
"Come on… Let's finish up for today," he said as he started to clean up the picnic blanket. Tori groaned.
"I don't wanna walk all the way back to the field!"
"We can practice here if you want. We won't need so much space this time." Tori jumped up.
"Yay!"
Kayura took the journal Mia handed her and sat down at the desk. "I haven't seen or spoken this language in a very long time. Since I was a child… It will take a little bit of time and some praying to translate it, but I'm afraid I don't know how accurate it will be. Plus, I am still looking for ways to restore Whiteblaze's vision."
"Do the best you can, Kayura. You won't have to worry about the rest of it. Anubis can read practically anything," Dais reassured. "And we can help you look for something for Whiteblaze also," he added.
"Yes… Anubis was a little bit of a 'geek', wasn't he?" she giggled. "I've been looking into spells and such in one of the books I brought from home. I haven't found anything worth trying though… I need a break so I'll get started on translating right away," she smiled. There was a small pause as she touched the surface of the journal. "Have you told Rekka about it yet?"
"No, she is out with Anubis. The both of them have been quite 'thorough' with training lately," Dais chuckled. "And she's has been quite the 'teacher's pet'…" Mia rolled her eyes.
"I'm sure she is. Some pet," she giggled.
"My lady we really have to put that polluted mind to better use, hmm?" Dais said against her ear. Mia's cheeks flared.
"DAIS!"
"Get a room, you two…"
Sai checked the clock on the stove and frowned a little. "That's odd. I figured they would be back by now."
"Who?" Sakura asked as she helped him prepare for the night's meal.
"Megami and Kento. They've been gone a long time."
"Maybe Meg decided to have a little hard candy after lunch?" she giggled.
"I thought she was going to wait after what happened?" he reminded. Sakura shrugged.
"Maybe they just wanted to be alone to talk things over. Tori and Anubis are still gone to, you know," she pointed out. Sai started to wash the vegetables in the sink. He saw them outside the window.
"No, they're outside fighting."
"Again!" she groaned.
"Well, sparring. They're goin' at it pretty hard. Look!" He pointed. Sakura peered out the window.
"Wow. She looks pretty tired."
"Smiling?" he smirked wryly. "Didn't think she liked it rough."
"You perv." She gasped and covered her mouth when Tori took a hard blow to the face. "Oh shit!" Tori didn't get up from the ground. She just covered her nose and stayed down with Anubis leaning over her looking a little worried.
"Lord! He really needs to be a little more gentle with her!" Sai puffed. He wasn't too fond of hitting of girls or anyone who did it intentional or not. He stopped what he was doing and prepared an ice pack. "That's gonna leave a mark."
"OH!" Sakura gasped again. "Atta girl!" she cheered. Sai rushed to the window.
"What! What happened!"
"Anubis went to check on her when she elbowed him in the gut!"
"Dirty fighter…"
"He stuck her in the face, Sai! You don't do that to cute girls!" Sai chuckled. He went over to the kitchen back door and stuck his head outside.
"Hey you two! Get a room!" he laughed. They stopped in mid-fight, both panting heavily. Anubis grinned and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"You know you like to watch, Torrent," he shot back. Tori colored softly and used her cloak to dry off. She looked around, surprised to see that they ended up all the way back at the house. The spot where they had started was at least a good twenty-minute walk! Sakura met her with an ice pack as they entered the cool kitchen.
"That hit looked ugly. Here."
"Yeah… Ow," she touched her nose it was bleeding a little. Anubis placed a hand on her head gently.
"You all right?" he asked with a tired grin. Tori nodded breathlessly and winced. "Let me see…" She squeaked when he lifted her by her waist and placed her on the counter, tipping her head back to examine her. "Broken?"
"No… That fuckin' hurt, Red," she shot.
"You know, you should be a little more gentle when you play with her, Anubis," Sai scolded. Anubis soaked a washcloth and nursed Tori's nose, almost ignoring his motherly comment. "She's tough. Aren't you?" he winked. A tear leaked from her eye and she didn't answer. The adrenaline was wearing off and now it really started to hurt. "… I suppose I did over do it a little," he murmured. "Where is Halo?"
"I think he's upstairs taking a nap. Domo looked pretty… thrashed," Sai murmured. Tori's head shot over to him. "What! Ow!"
"Hold still," Anubis ordered firmly.
"Ow! Hn… Is she okay though?" Sakura grinned.
"She and Sage were holding hands on the way upstairs sooooo," she started to giggle. Tori smiled.
"That's good…" Anubis continued to clean off the blood streaks and mud off of her face.
"I told you, little one… Hm, it looks like that cut reopened. You'll need a few stitches," he said softly. Tori groaned.
The kitchen door shot open and Yuli zipped in with Cale shortly after him. "Hey! What's cookin'?" he beamed and climbed on a stool. "Need help?" Sakura smiled.
"Sure kiddo, but first wash your hands. You're a mess."
"Yes ma'am!" Cale pulled up a stool next to Anubis and Tori.
"Woah. You look like hell, Rekka."
"Thanks, Cale. You really know what to say to a lady," Tori gruffed.
"Sorry," he chuckled. "What happened?"
"Anubis happened."
"Good Lord, man! What did she say to you!" he exclaimed. Anubis rolled his eyes.
"We were sparring. She wanted to keep going."
"Yep." Tori held the cloth to her nose.
"You fight dirty, you know that," Anubis said and washed the bloody cloth.
"You stuck me in the face, Red!" she snapped. Yuli was helping Sakura peel potatoes.
"I thought you said it wasn't okay to hit girls, Anubis," Yuli pointed out. Anubis sighed.
"It wasn't on purpose. We were sparring!" he defended… again.
"Man, she really must have been creamin' you!" Anubis grumbled to himself. Tori hopped down from the counter.
"Nah, I told him to get rough. It's okay," she said. Anubis shrugged silently.
"Come. Let's get you stitched."
"Anubis…" Cale began.
"Yes?"
"Have you noticed anything… odd?"
"No… not really. Why?"
"We heard the Ancient's staff earlier today and there was all this wind!" Yuli exclaimed. "I thought it was another one of the Dynasty raids, but we heard the staff! Then it was all calm again!"
"'Jiisan," Tori whispered. "Maybe he's come back!" she exclaimed happily.
"Maybe…" Cale murmured. He fell silent.
"We'll have to wait and see… Come," Anubis murmured to Tori. She followed reluctantly, wanting to hear more of what had happened to Cale and Yuli.
"Sit on the counter and keep holding that cloth to your nose," Anubis instructed as they entered his bathroom. He kneeled down and dug underneath the bathroom sink for the first aid kit. Mia put one in every bathroom. Tori obeyed silently and sighed.
"'Nubie?" she began. He colored as he left the room to get something.
"Y-yes?"
"… Do you think that 'Jiisan's come back?" she asked softly. Anubis returned with a green vial from his trunk. Tori looked down at the cloth in her hands. Anubis sighed heavily. "I… want to believe it, but… I don't believe so, little one…"
"I thought you might say that…" Anubis ran a washcloth underneath the faucet and wrung it out before cleaning off the cuts and scrapes on her face. They had both changed out of the armor; they were still just as sweaty and dirty. "All I can tell you is that… Kaos is watching over us."
"I hope so… Ow."
"Sorry." He dabbed more gently at the large gash on her brow. "Looks like you'll need stitches there too…"
"I hope you know what you're doing. I don't want scars."
"It comes with the territory, little one. You'll just have to get over that," he said. Tori pouted.
"It's hard enough to get a date with my face all ready…" she mumbled. Anubis stopped and gave her a hard look.
"You know you are gorgeous, so stop that. Besides, I don't think Wildfire will care if you have a few little nicks." Tori's face flared.
"… Really?"
"Really, really," he chuckled. He took a cotton ball and opened the vial. Tori watched him.
"What's that?"
"This? It prevents infection from both our worlds. Who knows what is floating around in the air around here now? It should minimize scarring too." Tori took it and sniffed it.
"Blegh!"
"It'll--"
"Owww!"
"—sting. Sorry." Tori winced as it began to burn as he swabbed her brow and the corner of her mouth. "It'll stop soon. It'll numb it too so you won't feel the needle," he said as he held the needle in his teeth while getting out the stitching thread. Tori swallowed as she saw the size of it.
"What?"
"I don't like needles very much…" Anubis wiped the needle with some of the liquid from the vial.
"Numb?"
"Kinda." Anubis threaded the needle and tipped her head back to start on her eyebrow.
"Hold still. You'll feel a pinch," he warned. Tori winced a little. "There. See? It's through." Tori saw it in the mirror and felt a little better.
"Where did you learn this stuff?"
"War. I had to stitch a lot of my own wounds when I first started fighting," he said and continued to carefully and thoroughly close the wound. Tori's nose was filled with the scent of spring rain and sweat. She colored. He was a little close. He smells REALLY good. "What's the worst one you had?"
"Worst one? Ooh… Um… Well, I didn't tend to that one, but…" He lifted the side of his shirt up exposing his hip. There was a set of three scars equal distance apart right below his rub cage. It looked like he had been stabbed with a rather large fork. Tori blinked. "What was that?"
"Cale."
"Cale did that?"
"His claw did it. That was when Kaos had shown me how evil Talpa really was. Talpa sent the three of them to retrieve me. Badamon fixed that one. It still gets sore from time to time."
"Sheesh…" She poked it. He squirmed.
"Hey that tickles!" Tori grinned and poked again. "H-hey!" he laughed. He accidentally pulled a little too hard on the stitching. Tori hissed.
"Ow!"
"Whoops…"
"'Whoops'! What the crap?" she whimpered. It really hurt. "Dang it! It feels like I've gotten my eyebrows plucked a billion times!"
"Sorry. I warned you though…" He started again. "I'm almost done with this one." Tori looked up at him as he worked. He caught sight of her and stopped. "Something wrong?" She looked away.
"No, nothing."
"Something," he argued, putting in the final stitch and securing it. He dabbed it gently with more of the liquid and covered it with a bandage. Tori touched it to make sure it was on firmly enough. She sighed. "Wildfire again, hm?" he smirked. She nodded shyly.
"What should I do? How do I go about letting him know? Besides telling him up front…" she asked. Anubis re-threaded the needle and disinfected it before starting on the corner of her mouth. He thought a moment.
"Ask to spar," he suggested. "… Or you can utilize Kayura's tactics and flirt shamelessly," he chuckled. Tori just sighed heavily. Anubis lifted her chin. "Be your charming self, little one. If it were me, I'd rather you'd be you than someone you're not." Tori flushed heavily at the thought. She nodded.
"'Kay…"
"No more questions!" he laughed. "I can't fix that pretty mouth of yours if you're talking. You want to be extra kissable for 'Yo-sama, doooon't you?" he teased. Tori's face flared.
"You hush!" she pouted.
"You're so cute," he chuckled. Tori's heart thudded.
He thinks I'm cute? "Hey 'Nubie?" He colored.
"Whaaaaaat?"
"Wanna spar again after dinner?" He blinked, a little shocked.
"Well, I suppose we can. Are you sure you're up to it?"
"I can handle anything you can dish out, buddy!" she grinned wryly, then winced when it hurt. Anubis rolled his eyes.
"Oh really?"
"Yep!"
Megami narrowly dodged the attack that would have cleaved her shoulder had it connected. Yipes! That was too close for comfort! I'm just a girl that wanted nothing more than to have a nice, quiet picnic! Why does this stuff always happen to me? she whined to herself. She rolled out of the way of another slash of a rather large sabre. She frowned at her attacker: Raiko.
"Nice try, furball!" Megami said in a smug tone, slashing at his head with the bo staff, hoping it would make contact. It didn't. It was easily blocked with his sabre and their weapons locked. Each put all of their strength against their end, trying to overpower the other. "Hmm, you've gotten stronger, little summoner," Raiko purred. He didn't seem to be giving much effort she noticed suddenly.
She rapidly realized she might be paying too much attention on trying to overpower Raiko… right before he kicked her feet out from under her, sending her tumbling to the forest floor. She rolled away just in time to avoid having the sharp and jagged blade of Raiko's sabre brought down on her. She leapt to her feet and flipped behind the warlord, catching him in the back with her staff. Raiko stumbled with an angry hiss. He pivoted on his heel, slicing sideways, missing her, barely as she back flipped out of the way towards Kento. Raiko had taken them by surprise and knocked him unconscious before concentrating his assault on her.
"Kento! Kento! Get up!" she cried, shaking him roughly. He groaned and opened his eyes in time to see Megami leap away from a swing of a large blade. "The hell?"
"Kento! Get your fat ass up and help me!" Megami squeaked and dodged another swipe of Raiko's sword. He looked like he was going back to sleep, oblivious to everything going on. Megami frowned. That dummy! Crap, I need more time! If only Kongo were here! Wait, that's it!
Megami stopped dodging Raiko's onslaught and turned to face him, grinning wryly. Raiko stopped himself and grinned evilly. "Well, well, pretty. Tired all ready?" Megami eyed Kento warily. He was finally starting to stir. She beamed.
"Nope!" She suddenly charged at him full force. Raiko held his sabre in front of him to catch her weapon should she use it. Megami let loose a battle cry before she passed right through the warlord and vanished.
"Huh!" He whipped around, scanning the clearing readily. Hardrock was still on the ground. He didn't concern him. Kongo was his target. He growled deep in his throat as he heard a low snort, and the scraping of dirt and forest foliage. He saw nothing. The scraping sound came once more. "Come out, pretty… or Hardrock will become most unpleasant!" he threatened.
Silence.
"Kongo! Say farewell to-"
"Blood Horns!" Raiko was cut off as a rumble of the earth quaked around him, shattering the ground below him. Bright beams of orange light seeped through the cracks in the forest floor before Kongo exploded out from underneath him, knocking Raiko into a large tree. Raiko swayed to his feet and saw the large mythical minotaur getting ready to charge him. His head dipped several times before coming at the dazed warlord at a speed that rivaled any beast he had ever known. Before Raiko knew it he was pinned to the large tree by the horns of Kongo.
Kento sat up slowly and felt Megami at his side. "Whoa… what the crap happened?" he grumbled looking around. He woke up quickly when he saw Raiko thrashing about trying to free himself from the vice like grip.
"Can you stand?" she asked helping him to his feet. She was hoping that Kongo was strong enough to buy some time for Kento to transform and get reoriented. Kento shook the cobwebs out of his head and instantly summoned the Hardrock armor in a flash of orange light and a shower of sakura blossoms.
Kongo groaned loudly as Raiko managed to free an arm and elbow the great guardian in the back of his skull. Kongo stumbled backward before he vanished in a wisp of dust. Megami gasped and charged forward at Raiko. "Cheap shot you bastard!"
"Ha!" Raiko laughed and blew her backwards with a blast of energy. She screamed as she slammed into the ground. She didn't get up. Kento snarled and charged at Raiko while his back was turned. "You'll pay for that, cat! I'm gonna fuck you up nasty!" he snarled. Raiko vanished before Kento's tetsubo even made its downward journey towards the back of the Warlord of Chaos' head. He stumbled forward as he felt a heavy blow to his back. Kento whipped around and swung at his attacker. He barely got a glimpse of the lavender mane before he disappeared once more. "Aw, come on! Fight me, coward!" Dammit, it's like fighting Dais. Illusions… I HATE those damn illusions! He growled again. He was getting angry which was definitely not good for anyone. Getting on the defensive, he connected the tetsubo quickly. Maybe the Iron Rock can do some area damage to snuff him out? Kento glanced around the clearing for Megami. He spotted her well out of range and off to the side of him. He didn't want to hurt her with his sure-kill.
Raiko hovered just above him and smirked to himself. True; his mission was to kill Kongo, but perhaps Master Kurai wouldn't mind a dead Ronin added to the task. He smirked wryly. "Oh, Hardrock," he sang. Kento whipped around and swung his tetsubo hard missing Raiko yet again. He thrust his weapon straight at him.
"Stand still, damn you!" Raiko balanced on the end of Kento's weapon. He chuckled, almost giggled. Held out his palm and blew a fine glittering powder into his eyes. Kento snarled and scrubbed his eyes. "Can't… see!" he growled, falling to one knee. His eyes watered as he opened them. Upon finally getting things to stop blurring, he discovered that the warlord was momentarily gone and it was quite foggy now. Kento hissed and rubbed his eyes again, knowing in the pit of his stomach that this was just another illusion. Ah, dammit… I should have sparred more with Mr. Hocus Pocus… he grumbled to himself. He looked for Megami where she had been laying. He rushed to her.
"Meg! Meg! Oh man, wake up!" he said, shaking her gently. She murmured and opened her eyes slowly. Kento smiled. "Hey, good. You okay?"
"Man, my head feels like friggin' buckshot," she groaned and sat up slowly. She looked around. "What's with the fog?"
"Mr. Namby Pamby sprinkled faerie dust everywhere," he sneered. "My eyes are still burning…" He pulled her to her feet. "Can you sense anything out of the ordinary?" He knew Megami had an intuitiveness about the earth around her and was able to just sense things about her surroundings. It was strongest around plant life. She closed her eyes, falling silent. "… He's still here," she mumbled softly.
"Thought so…" He stepped out into the clearing. "Come on out, you pansy! I'm not gonna run away! Fight me!"
"So impatient, Hardrock," Raiko's voice echoed around them. "You'll get yours in due course." A blast of energy knocked him into the ground. Megami screamed and rushed over to him only to be snatched up by Raiko himself. He held her up by her neck and sneered at her. "Pretty, pretty little summoner. Are you ready to die?" He held up a small dagger tipped in what looked like black liquid. Megami kicked and pulled on his arm trying to get breath. She eyed the dagger warily. He threw her to the ground and straddled her waist, pinning her to the ground. "Get off me!" she snapped. "Kento! Kento!" she shouted.
"Pity… You have such energy," Raiko smirked and licked the contour of her ear. She squealed and pushed his face away, striking at him hard. Raiko growled in his throat with a smile.
Nasake giggled as she saw Whiteblaze pawing at the wrapping paper when she set the present down in front of him. He couldn't see it, but he knew what it was: catnip. He purred and his tail swished happily. "You gonna open it, boy?"
"There you are, babe," Ryo smirked and hopped onto the couch beside her as he entered the living room. "Rowen said that you got 'Blaze something!" Nasake nodded.
"Yeah. I made it while we were in the city. He won't open it though." Whiteblaze pawed at it again. He seemed to like hearing the paper wrinkle.
"Where's Rowen?"
"Right here!" He jumped down the stairs with a roll of duct tape in his hands. "Here you are, 'Sake. A brand spankin' new roll!" Nasake giggled evilly.
"Yay!" Ryo raised an eyebrow.
"I've never heard you laugh like that. It's a little creepy, hon. What's the tape for?"
"No oooone," she sang. Whiteblaze lifted the wrapped present into Ryo's lap.
"Oh, you want me to open it, huh? 'Kay." He tore off the wrapping and grinned.
"Heeey! She got you a…" A soft, plush-like person grinned up at him.
"Guess!" Nasake grinned. "Guess who it is!"
"Purple robes… blue skin… really long beard… Ha! It's a Badamon plushie!" he laughed. "Here ya go, boy." Whiteblaze grabbed Nasake's sleeve with his teeth and pulled. She fell forward and he lavished her with kisses.
"Blaaaaaaaze!" she squealed. "Quit!"
"He's just sayin' thank you, 'Sake," Ryo laughed. "Hey Ro, he's makin' a move on your girl!"
"Whoa! Hey now, buddy!" Rowen laughed. Nasake sat up and hugged the cat.
"I'm glad that you like it, boy…" He purred in response.
"Ryo. How is Kayura coming along with finding something for Whiteblaze?" Rowen asked. Ryo scratched behind the giant feline's ears with a sad sigh.
"Nothing worth trying. Everything is either too dangerous or the ingredients aren't available. She is still looking though…" Whiteblaze groaned softly.
"I'm sure she'll find something, boy," Nasake cooed. "Everything will be all right," she reassured and kissed his nose.
Whiteblaze started to rub his eyes again with a small whimper. Nasake touched him. "No, don't do that. You'll make it worse." Whiteblaze whined again and lay down on the floor, rubbing at his eyes again. "'Blaze no!" Ryo ordered, moving to stop him. Whiteblaze growled suddenly before howling with agony. Nasake scrambled back next to Rowen, afraid of being clawed. "What's wrong with him!" she exclaimed. They watched Whiteblaze whimper and groan, rubbing his eyes and snarling.
"Whiteblaze!" Ryo cried, fear striking the very depth of him as blood started seep out of his eyes like tears. Nasake hurried to the stairs.
"I'll get Sage!" Ryo again tried to get close to the tiger, but barely dodged a claw as it grazed his arm.
"Careful, 'Yo!" Rowen warned, holding him back. Tears started from Ryo's eyes as he watched his childhood companion suffer.
A dark blue light suddenly enveloped the beast, calming him considerably. When it subsided after a short time Whiteblaze lifted his head slowly. He whined softly as he opened his eyes carefully. The lights in the living room seemed so bright.
Ryo's eyes widened as once dark chocolate colored eyes were now a lovely shade of gold and silvery blue. "W-whiteblaze?" Ryo breathed, crawling close. The cat shook his head a few times and looked straight at Ryo and then at Rowen. A shaken hand reached up to touch the fur on the side of his face. "You okay, boy?" Rowen asked softly and also touched the fur. Whiteblaze purred and leaned into the contact. "C-can… can you… see us?" Ryo whimpered through happy tears. A gentle nudge and purr were his answers. Ryo clutched the tiger helplessly and buried his face into his neck, crying.
"What the devil is going on!" Dais demanded as he, Mia, Sai, Sakura, Cale, and Yuli rushed into the room. They froze at the sight. "What… what happened?" Mia asked. Whiteblaze turned his eyes to everyone, resulting in a collective gasp within the group.
"Whiteblaze?" Yuli began softly. The feline looked straight at him. "You can s-see?"
Tackle. "ACK! Whiteblaaaaaaaaaze!" Yuli squealed.
The entire room exploded with cheers and shouts. Mia and Sakura tried not to cry, but they were just too happy. Nasake returned with Sage, Domo, Tori, and Anubis hurriedly following down the stairs. "What in the name of Kaos is going on!" Anubis exclaimed. Whiteblaze leapt over the couch and pounced on him, lavishing his face with tiger kisses. "Ack!" Tori and Domo exploded into giggles.
"Whiteblaze can see again!" Sakura cried and hugged Sai. Another roar of cheering ripped through the house. Kayura finally emerged and removed her headphones.
"What's going on?" she asked. "Is everything—AAAAA!" Whiteblaze pounced like clockwork.
Megami fought to regain her freedom from the weight of the warlord on top of her body. With one arm pinned above her head, proved the task to be a little more than… difficult. She stopped struggling and just glared up at him. Raiko smirked, "Giving up?"
"Nope!" she chirped and managed to snatch his tail in a crushing grip. Raiko snarled as she pulled and gripped it hard. "Get off me!" she demanded and managed to free her other arm as Raiko brought down the dagger to stab her. She caught that and struggled to keep the blade from falling. The grip she had on his tail made it a little harder for the warlord to concentrate on using all of his strength. Kongo's summoner inherited her guardian's might. "Filthy twat of a woman!" he snarled, fangs gleaming. Megami frowned.
"That's… not… NICE!" she gritted out and yanked hard on the beast warrior's tail. He howled, weakening enough for Megami to push his arm away. Sheesh! He's like… part Saiyan or something! Raiko gripped the ground in pain as Megami clutched it standing over him. The forest fog had begun to dissipate and she was able to spot Kento in a nearby patch of grass. "Whew… Good. He's—"
"Die!" Raiko with every last ounce of strength he had lunged for Megami's legs and sliced her calf with the black-tipped blade. Megami screamed as the wound began to burn. She released his tail and fell to the ground, vision swimming as the venomous fluid broke into her system. Raiko stood warily and sneered over her. He was ready to plunge the dagger into her heart when a large mass crashed into him.
Kento let out a raw roar as he tackled the feral demon to the ground and wrestled the blade from his hand. He head-butted the warlord and kicked Raiko over him with a snarl. Kento scrambled to his feet as the fog returned and Raiko withdrew his sabre. He grinned. "Come, Hardrock. Show me what you are made of, boy." Snarling Kento twirled his tetsubo with lightning speed over his head.
"Not sugar and spice and everything nice, ya fuckin' beast!" he snapped. The ground began to shake as bits of rock and electrical energy encircled the two from the earth and atmosphere around them. "Iron Rock Crusher!" Kento brought down the blade of his tetsubo hard onto the clearing ground and split it in two as the energy barreled towards the Warlord of Chaos. In a blast of amber light, bits of earth and dust showered the clearing as all became silent. Kento relaxed slightly. It took some strength to stand up straight. Dammit… I've got some broken ribs… He glanced over at Megami: out like a light. He moved to assess her.
"Is that all you have, Hardrock!" Raiko roared suddenly and dashed out of the curtain of dust and rock. He slashed the front of the Hardrock armor, catching a bit of his cheek and neck in the downward strike. Kento collapsed onto his back, helmet knocking loose. Raiko stood over him and kicked his tetsubo away from him before raising him off of the ground by some unknown power. Kento hung in the air as if he were a rag doll. Raiko delivered a punch to his face and then to his stomach, knocking the wind and a bit of blood from Hardrock's burning lungs. Damn… Punctured a lung. Great. Kento hacked violently as Raiko began to put some distance between himself and the Warrior of Strength. "Hardrock… You mean to tell me that this is all that the great Ronin of Justice can muster? Surely you can't really be this soft!" he laughed. Kento lifted his head and grinned to Raiko's surprise.
"… I'm harder than you'll ever get, shit for brains," Kento stabbed and spat blood before coughing again. Raiko just smirked and held up his sabre. With a glint of the sun's rays it transformed into Kento's staff.
"How is this for hard?" He began to twirl the staff high in the air, creating a whirl of wind with it. Bits of earth in the air and chunks of rock and dirt began to hover in mystical lines around Raiko. The ground quaked violently before silence filled the forest and Raiko retuned the sure kill ten-fold.
"No!" Megami tackled Kento's batter body, pulling him out of the air and narrowly dodging it. The fell to the ground with a thud, only to find that Megami had absorbed the brunt of the attack: her back and legs were badly scraped and bleeding. She promptly passed out cold on the ground.
"Oh well… I got at least one of you," Raiko chirped. Kento stood warily. He raised his hand and his tetsubo flew to his hand like lightning. He turned and just glared deadly at Raiko.
Silence. All Kento could hear was the thudding of his own heart. He glanced down at Megami. He body had begun to pulse with a soft amber color in time with his heartbeats. The amber grew brighter as a ball of light lifted out of her body and towards Kento. It emitted a softer light and a gentle breeze of wind. He lifted his hand slowly, almost holding it gently in his palm. Let the shard of the earth pass judgment upon it. He heard the voice as clear as a bell, yet no other sound reached his ears. The ball got larger and the dust and dirt around him started to orbit around him. Kento took his eyes off of the ball and smirked at Raiko. The warlord stood, dumbfounded.
The ball of light shot up towards the sun, all of the debris following. "Sonic Boom!" With all his strength, Kento hurled his tetsubo towards the ball of light and earth. There was a roar of the loudest thunder hear, splitting the ears of the feral demon. He stared up at the sky, blinded by the light for a brief moment before shards and slivers of earth pierced and speared his body in and straight through every inch. The tetsubo followed in suit spearing Raiko to the ground as he still stood amidst the raining shards of earth from above.
Kento collapsed to his knees beside Megami. She was barely conscious. He lifted her gently in his arms. "Meg! Oh shit… You okay?" he breathed, checking her over for her injuries. They were a little worse than normal. He had seen the other girls survive a lot worse. He then noticed a blacking gash on her leg. The armor was gone from her body and her entire calf seemed to be growing more and more grey and lifeless. "Something was… on that dagger. I… don't feel so good, Kento-kun," she gasped. Kento saw the dagger and reached for it. He picked it up and stared at it.
"Hold on, Megami. We'll get you to Sage, okay?" He was greeted with silence as her eyes glazed over a dark golden color like she had when she and the other girls were attacked. "Megami! Hey!" Tears filled the younger warriors eyes. It was at least a mile back to the house and he couldn't lift her with his broken ribs. He pulled her close trying to stay calm enough to think of something. "Think man… think!"
There was a gust of wind and a crashing of rings before a blinding light disrupted his vision. The sound of the forest disappeared and the next thing Kento knew were the sounds of Halo's name being called by Dais and Sekhmet and the cold touch of the marble floor of the front foyer.
A/N: Yes, yes. School has started and I officially have no life. The past 6 months have been taxing and some personal problems kidnapped my muse. Oh. I do not own the phrase "Sonic Boom". I ripped it off Guile from Street Fighter. Nyah. I like him so there!