Author's Note: Okay so I have a lot of things coming up soon. I've got to cousins who graduated this year and a little brother who also graduated. In short I will be busy and just to be safe I'm saying I'll post every other Monday until July.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Winx Club or Ronin Warriors.
Chapter 12) Sincerity
Shin had been set on the ground with Seiji and the man in green and red armor suddenly around him. Seiji was using the power of Halo to heal Shin up as much as he could while the other was using bandages brought out by Kayura to wrap some of the wounds that weren't healing. The rest had moved away from the three as they wanted to be out of the way and the girls were worried about Stella, and Roxy. Though Shin was in the worst shape, Stella, Roxy and Shu all were hurt, as were the two new people.
Musa was stunned and couldn't move when she saw the sight. Shin wasn't moving and there was blood coming out from under the armor. His face was twisted up in pain, and he wasn't the only one hurt. Musa didn't even think about transforming she just did and began to use her fairy dust on Roxy and Stella. Flora had joined her, but for Musa this was just too much to handle. First they'd been gone now they were back and hurt badly. Techna was too relieved to do anything but hug her too friends and even ignored the fact that Stella was being held up by Shuu.
"What happened? Why didn't you use your fairy dust?" Bloom asked Stella who was still leaning on Shu. Bloom was worried, since she knew Stella would have tried to help but they were all hurt. Had they been worst?
"We did try, it didn't work. Darcy lead us into the nether realm. Bloom it was horrible, it felt worst than the omega dimension and I thought we were going to lose Roxy and Shin. Some of my magic just wasn't working there." Stella stated her hands trembling. They'd never been so out matched by the trix since they had summoned the army of darkness.
"Yeah, I felt like every spell I tried was weaker. It took so much energy." Roxy chimed in as she returned to her civilian form out of exhaustion. "I even thought we'd be stuck there but Stella got us out."
"Yeah, I haven't used the ring of Solaria in so long I nearly forgot that I could opened up a portal with it." Stella laughed a bit but as she looked to Shin she frowned. "Shu why did you get me out of Darcy's spell and not your friend."
"Shin and I agree on that. That witch wanted your ring, and Shin and I have been through worse." Shu shrugged. Yet all the fairies looked stunned to hear that they'd been through worse. Shin was only now starting to gain consciousness and Seiji was collapsed against Touma for support. Without the armor of Torrent on Naaza was able to finish bandaging up his old rival.
"Yeah, after going a round with any of the warlords. It was like a walk in the park." Shin joked as he was helped into a sitting position. There were some glances around the group that didn't go unmissed by the winx. There was something more than that but it wasn't being admitted. Even the new people looked nearly ashamed like they had been a part of something horrible.
"Anyways I don't think you've been introduced properly… After all I can tell everyone's been fussing over other things." Shin smiled and the girls were amazed. He was still so calm and sweet even as he was being bandaged up, worrying over them instead of himself.
"Huh, you're order of priorities is always interesting, Torrent." The man in the red and green armor commented. He helped Shin stand before he, and the two other new warriors plus Shu returned to their civilian clothes. The three new men were dressed in old style traditional clothes.
"I'm Anubis, warlord of Winter and Darkness." Anubis introduced himself. He had blue hair like Touma and Shu and a prominent scar on his face. Roxy noted that he'd been the one to pull her out of Darcy's spell.
"Rajura, warlord of Summer and master of Illusions." Rajura said bowing to the fairies.
"Naaza, warlord of Fall and Poison." Naaza stated and looked almost nervous. It was when eyes fell on him he noticed the surprised looks at his features, and how there were hints that he wasn't human. He bit back a growl while the fairies looked between themselves and then two of them stepped forward. The one with red hair and the one with pink short hair.
"You guys are hurt two, we can use our fairy dust to heal you." Bloom stated and it shocked all the warlords. True they could ask Halo for help but to have it offered by strangers, it was something they'd long forgotten. Since none of them could find the words to eloquently say thanks or ask they just nodded. Though Anubis shot a glare to the smirking ronins.
"Also, I'm Bloom, this is Tencha. Over there is Flora and Musa, and Stella and Roxy were the two with you." Bloom introduced the winx each of them offering a smile or a wave to the stunned warlords. The warlords looked to Kayura who merely shrugged her shoulders but there was a smile pulling at her lips. She understood why there were so shocked, but there was no reason to reveal the darker deeds of their past.
"Thank you for helping Stella, Shu, Shin and me out." Roxy said sincerely and the warlords remained surprised though they were starting to suspect that they would be surprised quite a bit while in the presence of these young woman.. True they'd come to be friends with the ronin but there was little kindness and sincerity in their lives with the exception of each other, the ronin and lady Kayura.
"If your fight is with those wenches then it is an honor to aid you." Anubis said after Rajura cleared his throat. "But if you are satisfied Torrent would we be able to move inside. Standing around out here make little sense." Anubis pointed out and though his tone was harsh it didn't phase any of the ronin.
"Yeah, and it looks like all three of you could use new clothes." Touma smirked looking over the the traditional clothes. There were splattering of blood and a few tears in the clothes as the warlords had been focused on fighting rather than fashion. There was little else said as they all started to head inside, Seiji was leaning on Touma as he'd used much of his strength healing Shin. It was Techna who was wondering if they really had the room for three more men to join them, after all it seemed to be getting cramped when the winx moved in. Techna was first to notice Shin, Touma and Nasuti talking while Lady Kayura stood close to them listening. Maybe they were considering the same thing she was.
"Okay I think we need to take care of somethings first." Nasuti smiled pulling everyone's attention to her as they were just starting to settle into the living room. "So we need some people to go with Kayura to pick up some new clothes for Anubis, Rajura, and Naaza, since there's no hope of going back to the dynasty right now. We also need one of you girls, and one of the ronin to talk with the warlords so we can all be on the same page. Also Shin and I are going to get some more food, and other things." Nasuti said and the winx knew exactly who would go shopping.
"Oh, I'll go with Lady Kayura!" Stella jumped at the options, and while the others chuckled Musa offered to lend a helping hand. Which meant that Shu and Ryo were would be going with the three girls.
"Well I'm driving then." Shu said and while he didn't look thrilled to go shopping both he and Ryo didn't say anything on time or even complain that they were the ones going.
"Sure dude." Ryo agreed with a shrug.
"Oh, we could also get you some outfits too if you want." Stella smiled to Kayura trying to not be too pushy on the subject. Yet she couldn't help smile in excitement as Kayura nodded to the idea.
"It's not a bad idea, and don't worry boys this is will be fine." Kayura assured the warlords but they looked less than confident as they watched the five leave.
"If its pink I'm refusing to wear it." Rajura grumbled as he folded his arms and the others snickered at him.
"I don't think Stella would do that. She's pretty serious on fashion so I'm sure she'll find something you'll like." Bloom said after clearing her throat. It was a bit funny to see that this man who everyone here was regarding as a strong warrior was so off put by the idea he may have to wear pink. The one eyed man, Rajura seemed just as human as the ronin had.
"Ha, I'd pay to see that." Naaza laughed teasing his brother in arms, and even Anubis was smirking a bit.
"Hey I think I'm going to go with Shin and Nasuti if you two don't mind." Techna offered and it seemed to surprise Shin but he smiled warmly to her.
"We'd love the help. You know your friends better, than we do. It would be good to know what you eat." Shin said as he grabbed a coat and a set of keys. "Seiji do you mind us borrowing your car again?" Shin asked and Seiji shook his head. As both groups left Roxy, Flora and Bloom looked to the remaining warriors.
The warlords moved to sit in the comfy chairs and couch, almost with a sigh of relief, and one that Seiji and Touma understood. It wasn't fun being on the run and they probably didn't have much time to relax or let their guard down. The girls however were unsure about what the warlords had been through. No one was sure where to start as there were many questions, so in silence they sat and stood. It was while thinking about what to ask Roxy noticed Anubis undoing some bandages on his hand.
"Thank you, again for your assistance in healing us." Anubis said as he finished unwrapping the cloth. Both Naaza and Seiji watched as the man tested out his hand, making sure there was no lingering pain or damage.
"You're welcome. It's the least we could do." Bloom smiled.
"Can all of you heal, like that?" Naaza asked looking over the three women who were standing together.
"Yes, and any fairy who's gain her enchantix can." Roxy explains though the term seems to lose meaning for the men. "It's a strength and power a fairy can achieve."
"Hn, well at least we won't have to rely on Halo alone." Rajura commented knowing it was a drain on Halo and he would rather have the young swordsman able to fight instead of nearly falling over. "But what is it that you do… As fairies?" Rajura asked. It was almost foolish to believe in fairies, but they'd seen it and they were well aware of things not human.
"Well like Seiji, Touma and the other ronin most of us have an elemental power. Roxy has power over Animals, Musa has power over music, and Techna controls technology." Bloom explained and the three nodded. "Stella's strength is the sun and moon, I have the dragon fire, and Flora near is connected with nature. Darcy, Stormy, and Icy are the witches that we're fighting."
"Witches?" Naaza snorted.
"Yes, and I have a question. You see the fairy queens of earth, they knew about the armors, and our greatest foe used power they stole from the dynasty so I was wondering if you knew more about it. They were called the Wizards of the Black circle." Roxy asked curious. The warlords glanced around each other but shook their heads.
"We don't remember but that doesn't mean much. There are many demons, and spirits in the nether realm that move without notice." Anubis explained.
"Then there is the fact so much as blurred over the time." Rajura pointed out and the others nodded.
"What do you mean?" Bloom asked.
"Well in the nether realm time is slowed maybe even stopped." Rajura started to explain. "When… when we first entered the dynasty it was back during what you now call the warring states of Japan." Bloom and Roxy looked shocked and exchanged looks while Flora just looked to them for clarification.
"But that was like back in the mid 1500's." Roxy pointed out and the warlords nodded. "But you look like you're not much older than Seiji and Touma."
"We probably are not, in a way. We were all around 20 when we entered the nether realm." Naaza suggested but it was still crazy to believe. But it did explain the traditional clothes, and the rigid formality. Still that meant they were in that realm for nearly four hundred years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~(Scene Change)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While Shu and Ryo mostly stayed back and carried the bags, Kayura was more intrigued by the idea of shopping and talking with the two fairies. Oddly enough they changing room ended up being where they finally had a moment to talk. Kayura had let the two fairies pick out so many outfits for her to try on that Ryo had joked they'd be buying the store. A notion that Musa said would only be a challenge to Stella.
Kayura was turning to look at the small dress that Stella had picked out, for dancing. Though Kayura wasn't sure when she'd go dancing especially with this war looming. Still it was nice and she was sure that all the guys would be stunned to see her in the little dark blue and silver number. In fact everything Stella and Musa picked out Kayura liked.
"You definitely need to get that one. Out at a club no one would be able to keep their eyes off of you." Stella smiled proud of her choice as Kayura came out to show the other's the dress.
"I do agree, but I don't see exactly when we would be able to. The dynasty must be dealt with."
"Yeah, but isn't it a bad idea to just keep going till you're going to drop dead? I say everyone needs a break now and then." Stella argued and Kayura was surprised by the blonde woman. She had a point even if Kayura was sure she was just trying to argue her way to having fun.
"You are right… And wiser than I had thought." Kayura stated and Stella smiled.
"Well it seems like all of you need to lighten up." Musa shrugged as she leaned forward in the chair she was sitting in.
"Hmm, that will take time and effort." Kayura smiled partially joking. "Still its funny you are telling me to lighten up, when most of you are carrying around some troubles. Shin isn't the only perspective one." Kayura's smile only grew when she saw the shock on Musa and Stella's faces. "You know you can talk with us. We want to be your friends, and well all the boys seem to think highly of you."
"What does that mean?" Musa asked stiffening a bit.
"It means that they trust you, and for all but Shin that's big." Kayura pointed out as she walked back into the changing room. "The fact is they've been through this war before, we've lost people and seen other's hurt badly. We've been tricked and betrayed. But Shin and Touma honestly trust you, Seiji respects you, and Ryo has noticed you all have good heads on your shoulders and you're tougher than Shu had thought. All in all I'd say that's pretty good, after all the tough crowd will be Anubis, Naaza and Rajura." Kayura explained from the other side of the door.
"You're talking like they want to be our friends." Musa stated and Kayura couldn't help but laugh as she opened the door.
"Because they do. What did you think they would only talk to a girl if they were interested in them in a different way?" Kayura asked but noted the sheepish blush on both girls. Shin had thought the troubles might stem from romance and it looked like he was right. "Trust me dating isn't everything to these men. I should know." Kayura smirked as she saw the questioning look. "Touma and I were a couple for about a year. But that was three years ago." Kayura flicked her long pony tail over her shoulder but her smile faded as she was met with cautious looks.
"We've been around girls who dated the guys we hung out with… It never ends well." Stella pointed out thinking about Diaspro mostly. She didn't want Touma getting close to Bloom if this was going to be just like Sky.
"Hmm, well I can't say anything either way. I can only hope I'm not like them. After all I don't want to be a reason you put your guard up against the boys. After all making a few friends should help you have fun." Kayura shrugged and she couldn't help but smirk at the look Musa gave her. Musa stood up and put her hands in her pockets and turned away. She couldn't help but feel like Kayura was trying to tell them it was okay to look at the ronin as more than friends.
"This is really too much to think about right now." Stella huffed. She knew Kayura wasn't speaking straight but she wasn't sure what Kayura meant either. "So do you have what you're going to keep?" Stella asked and Kayura nodded.
"Yes so this and then what we've gathered for the warlords, and that's all right?" Kayura asked and Stella nodded. "... Though, if you guys still think it's possible. I would like to go dancing at sometime." Kayura asked and Musa and Stella grinned.
"Oh darling, you are going to love it!" Stella smiled grabbing Kayura by the arm. It was then she was realizing that even if Kayura had dated Touma, they could be friends, and well maybe Kayura was right and they could be friends, and just friends with the ronin.
