Quetzalcoatl and the Wolf

Chapter 86 : Quick Stop

A/

Running, the boys tried to make sure Robin wouldn't faint again from the power he'd processed. Starrier was ahead. "Is he going to be alright?" She asked worriedly. "Don't worry…pant…" Verra said. "We just hit a soft spot that's all…huff …huff…" Verra wanted to soon be carried by Alice who's dress kept weighing her down. "I don't know if I can…" she replied to his big baby eyes. "Aw, but I don't weight that much…"

"Not that. The fact of running away from my home…" Cyborg looked at her with steady eyes. "This was never a home, even now. Where we're goin, that's gonna be your new home."

Starfire and Raven smiled while Alice went over to hug the big lug. "Thank you…for trusting me."

"Hey, um Alice?" Beastboy's ears perked up. "Did you know your eyes were purple?"

Alice giggled. "That was a spell put on me many years ago by my father to exchange a quick report about my mood. My eyes and hair change due to its spellcasting system of thought and emotion."

"Um, yeah…Who was that girl that we thought was you with the big red eyes and black hair?" He burst out. She gasped and fidgeted with her hair. "I…Well you see —

No time, we have to get to the next village before the sun hits that peak." Wiz said pointing to a hill and beyond. Beastboy looked over to where he pointed and sagged. "Why there? We have the whole world to —

Robin was staring at him. "Oh…um, on second thought, I don't mind walking." The group turned back to the roads and went a walking.

/

Before they knew it, the group had landed dead in a new town full of lots of sheep! Beastboy decided to become one of them for fun so he could ask for directions. When he'd told them of the palace, naturally they ignored. "CMon! Stupid…"

Roku was now back and fluttering his eyes. "Where…am I?"

"With us!" Grinned Verra. He jumped poor Roku in an attempt of wanting group hugs from the teammate.

"For goodness sake…. Beastboy, Verra. Don't misjudge him." Star looked at Kayumon. "His power…It is still unstable, yes?" She asked with unsure eyes. The guardian was about to answer when they heard a scream from a person down by the next village.

Beastboy brought his hand to his head. "What was tha —

Like I said, no time." The small wizard went ahead with Robin looking, dumbfounded.

"Help!" Running towards them was a man in Asian attire, a baldhead, and small beady eyes. He was about 40 something Raven guessed, and didn't have any means of protection from a band of gang members coming up the path behind him. "Pl-please! Help!"

Alice cupped her face in her hands and stared surprised. "We must help him!" Starfire went up to the man. "Star, don't!" Cyborg held out a hand to stop her but missed his chance. The man stumbled into her grip. "Oh, thank the gods you have come, warriors! Those men are criminals and must be stopped." He said pointing at the other men. His angered face left him as he smiled weakly back towards Starfire. "I know someone who can help you find the ones you seek, but first we must dispose of these men." He sounded excited almost, but Starfire decided if these were bad men, she could take em.

"Halt! —

Stop! You must not pass!" But the men were coming at the Titans, guardians and man alone. They were holding up swords and sticks, ready to strike. Starfire blasted at the men saying, 'they were not to hurt her friends.' The men came at her as if not caring what happened between groups. Alice didn't like seeing Starfire 'ganged up' on and, so she levitated one into the air. The man was speechless as he had tried to get down. Until he let out a scream from being dropped in the dirt. "H-how…gulp…. Did you? —

Alice soon was caught between her dark past as she ran by the men and up the road. Stopping, she called back.

"They are yet to be dealt with, but this will do. For now, let us go."

B/

The man waited to be able to get away from the cowering men, as did the Titans. "So, he can help us to find Slade?" Asked Robin to Wizardmon. Neither spoke until they'd gotten to the village. "Here we are." Sighed the magical guardian. Robin frowned. "You still didn't answer my —

Whoa!" Cyborg spoke as he let Robin down again. "You seem 'up' enough to walk." He said impolitely. Robin huffed and crossed his arms, while looking around. His eyes lowered and he yawned. Still sleepy… Thought Roku to himself.

Starfire clasped his shoulder with her hand. "Robin, are you feeling much better?" She asked quietly. He shook his head downward towards the dirt road. "I still feel, kind of funny…" he wobbled a bit before almost falling back onto Starfire. "Sorry…" he grumbled, half-asleep. Kayu turned his head directly to face Starfire. "He should rest some more, his energy levels aren't exactly functional…" Kayu said to her. Now facing his cousin, Kayumon decided to himself that it would be best to explain a bit more to the non-believers.

Verra was about to begin when he was cut off by the man they'd rescued, and the exact work of words poured out of his mouth as well.

"The heroes of our past, the reincarnates, and…gasp…the GUARDIANS!" He clasped his palms together as he leapt for joy. "Oh, how happy this will make my lord knowing that they are now in our presence!" He was as gleeful as a little girl, frolickling about playfully in his manner of being. Raven gave a look to Cyborg, which in turn returned the gesture. "Is he a nut?" asked the cat, fox, dog guardian. Raven frowned at the man, then leaving her mouth to fit into a thin line across her face.

"No. He's happy we're here."

"Um…why is this?" Raven stared at the alien girl and then accusational, pointed at the joyful man by the road.

"That." She replied. She let her arm down and sighed in a huff. Then the man called to them. "Oh, yoo hoo! I wish to tell that we are now in site of the village!" he exclaimed happily. For an aged man, he sure seemed to have a lot of energy…

There were trees all over the area and the place was littered with little homes and shops. Then it hit Roku. They HAD been here, he had!

Biting his lip, Robin, tried to get off Starfire's arm as she held him up limply. He flailed wildly as he fell from her grip to the dusty trail they stood upon. "Help." He whimpered. Starfire gasped and stooped to pick him up, seeing as he was to mobile at all towards this point. "Robin, he is not well…is he?" Verra and Wizardmon turned to the wind as it brushed past each of them. "We don't know yet."

Starfire now stood floating with her fists clenched together. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DO NOT KNOW?" her voice had reached the ears of another, a fox up in a nearby tree. Robin cringed from its aura. It was a magical creature, he was sure of it. Roku. Was sure.

The fox chuckled. "Having a problem down there, friends?" it asked slyly bushing up its tail. It sighed.

"Don't you know these are esteemed guests, Gorou? Treat them better than this you foolish old dog."

"Righteeo!" Instantly, right before the Titan's eyes the man they had saved became a small furry creature that scampered the same way it had been taking them all this time. "Follow me." It said playfully. Starfire blinked as she followed the cutie towards a large building with bells hanging outside it. Coming out of the place was a girl with a priestess's attire and red hair with cat ears and a tail. Starfire's mouth grew wider as she spoke. "Kana!" She instantly hugged the girl, completely forgetting she had a team right behind her.

"Actually, it's Hikana, not alone to Kana, my working girl name…" she answered weakly, eyes set on the others. "Welcome to our temple."

C/

"Hi- Kana…Hmm…Why does that name sound oh, so familiar?" The fox god now stood on all fours, a coat on its back and an accusational smile on his face. Poor Hikana began to breathe differently which made Verra's ears go up. "You ok kid?" Verra frowned at the fox who turned his head back to the priestess. "Uh…um…" the girl bowed informally and then bent herself up straighter than before. Something was in the back of her mind as Raven could see. She was about to go off like a light.

Trembling, the girl waited until an older woman came from inside the temple. The others also were told that she was a priestess. "Scared hon?" Teased the woman, waving her fan before her pupil. "I'm terribly sorry, Hikana is just my student. She doesn't know what to say. But please, feel free to join us this afternoon." The woman's long Raven locks fell from its bun as she walked, revealing that the hair she had now was dyed. Raven and Kayu exchanged glances.

Beastboy whispered over to Cyborg as carefully as he could. "Who is she?" he asked the other Titan. Cyber simply shrugged his shoulders as they made their way down the hall. Sliding open a door, the woman asked that Kana be the first to enter. Agreeing, the young girl hybrid hesitantly watched her feet shuffled towards the door.

Inside were women dancing in all sorts of styles, training for a big performance by them all. The two; Kana and the stranger woman bowed as the dancers did the same.

"Lady Miyu has returned to us." Said one woman.

"Lady Miyu has much beauty." Recalled a second.

"We could never out-learn her." The third finished as the group went back to their dancing.

The older woman held out her arms to the group. "Welcome, the Titans. Our saviors from the world called Earth." The women stopped their dancing to come up to the team and gather around. "You? Oh, be at your best ladies." One woman said to the others. "We have guests. Highly esteemed ones at that." Robin was immediately lost from the group as he head over to the side of a wall by the mistress.

"So…he's looking for you." She said in a low voice. He nodded. Then turned away. "Roku…saw me for the first time in a temple. I was sacrifice there…Why?" He turned back to her, his eyes full of confusion and fear. Fear for them all. The woman hid behind her fan.

"My lord of this land can help you, he is a high priest of such magics as the ones you have seen. But first you must leave spirit world Japan, for I fear there is a spy among us." Her voice did not change. She was still worried as well.

Robin looked at the others with a tightly knit brow. "If he finds us…me…I don't know what I'll do —

You'll fight the possession." Replied the woman. "You'll fight the dragon with ever ounce of strength that you carry. But I cannot teach you such, as it is not custom for myself to do this."

"Why not?" Robin forgot that his group's only changeling was being bombarded with woman's screams of joy. The poor boy rushed out of the room with a tail still behind him from his last display. Peacock feathers all around the floor.

The two, boy and woman were laughing slightly with arms crossed. The other with her fan up. The white faced woman soon took Robin by the hand and pulled him to the door. "Come, I will show you what I mean." Starfire watched at the edge of the room before it was too late to see where they were going. She tapped Raven on the shoulder who'd been talking and whispered in her ear. Raven gathered up her energy. "A spy, huh?" she contemplated. "Starfire, get Beastboy and the others. I think we have a problem."

/

Hikana lead the group to a room with more books than room in its place. "This is our study." The Asian cat hybrid told them. "My mistress must be very interested in your leader." Starfire huffed. "Very." Raven looked over towards Alice who had stumbled upon a spell book with a page torn out, sitting on top of it. "Look!" Raven rushed over to the fallen piece. It had a symbol print of a red inked dragon and in the form of a golden amulet. Verra grinned. "I think we've found our little, liar, liar." Cyborg wanted to laugh as Beastboy did. But was forbidden to beyond this point.

"Do you wish to curse the spirits?" asked a negative, Kana. The two shook their heads. "Good then." Kana responded unmoved by the way they'd been excused. Starfire was eyeing Kana as her friends went away murmuring. Kana smiled wryly. Starfire gaped at what she'd seen and then ran to tell Raven.

/

"So, you said your teacher could help my friends?" walking up the steps to a new room the woman looked back smiling. "Yes. He can." Robin stopped at the third step and them continued up. Thinking back, he'd realized that all they'd done was walk before getting to a place. It was weird and boring. But had to be done in order for business to be attended to.

Opening doors led them to a room finer than the plain one downstairs. And sitting in a crossed position on the floor was an older looking man with a straw Asian style hat, long white beard, and a table as short as a small child's height between them. He was sitting in the back of the room. As the woman pushed him forward to meet the strange old man, an almost familiar aura or feeling brought Robin to freeze at the spot in the center of the room. Something wasn't quite right about this guy…But again he was pushed forward as the two were shown to bow low before the old teacher. The more the lesson went on the weaker Robin felt around the sensei. The man was wearing an orange red kimono with a staff by his side and half of his face in the shadows. Sitting up from his knees, Robin decided to ask if this were truth or not.

"Hi, uh…don't I know you from somewhere? Mister —

You have no honor if you ask to address before address is given." The man began. "If you would please close the door so that we may speak, Yoko." The woman's name was Japanese but she had red hair? How strange. And that voice..

"Ehem..."The sensei didn't give up did he?

"Would you like to sit down for some tea?" Yoko asked. "We were just about to have some." Robin weakly gave a grin as he sat down across from the man. The man only stared at him coldly. "What is your name child." Asked the old man as he poured his new guest a cup of steaming tea. Robin was asked to do the same, for Yoko and the man. Who only began to chuckle without Yoko really caring. Robin on the other hand was terrified.

Raven…help me…His whole body froze up as he'd finished pouring the drinks. Yoko looked at him unfeeling, and then to her master whom she nodded to. He nodded back, taking a sip of his tea. Time to get down to buiness.

/

"Kana? Who was that lady who had Robin's attenton?" Starfire looked up at the girl with a cooler expression this time. She wanted to know…Kana only swallowed then spoke. "I am told she is in league with the master of this temple. Only a day or so ago did he come back from his mission in the west." Starfire looked to Raven for support. "Mission? Why there?" Cyborg interrupted.

"He…he was trying to stop Rokuro's alliance with the man called Slade —

Starfire ground her teeth and then screamed. "NONONONONO!" She mangled the books around her without regret. Kana smirked. "Slade was there, he took awy your leader to be at harm's fall. No one dared help him out of there!" With those words she began to laugh harshly holding her sides in the process. Starfire was holding her racking brain from its demise. Raven Saw as Beastboy gasped and began to confront Kana. "YOU did this! Why? You helped us find him, didn't you?" he asked holding Starfire still. Kana began to fidget with her hands. "Maybe…But that was a long time ago! You are here to stop my master. And I won't let you." She soon grew claws on her hands from her nails that grew by themselves, while she held onto a staff from the same room they were in. "You won't leave breathing…" she hissed.

Ohhhhhhhh!