Author's Introduction:
So the Ronin and Mia have decided that they're not going to sit idly by and let a beast continue to wreak havoc on the city. They're going to stop it—but first, they need to know exactly what they're dealing with. As Freddy Jones might say, "Let's split up, gang!"
Cross My Heart, and Hope to Die
A Ronin Warriors fanfiction by Firestar9mm
Chapter Four: All Good Soldiers
All good soldiers crack like boulders
The sun climbs up to a razor
Violins, new boots, and numbers on a chain
All good soldiers
All good soldiers
It's 6 AM, I can see my breath and the clay dirt is laughing at a weakling boy
Today is the day that I'll write my friends
It's something I've been trying to remember
I had a dream of a wall that was twenty-one stories tall
All good soldiers fall in line
(Bad Religion, All Good Soldiers)
White Blaze got up carefully, trying not to wake Ryo, who was still sleeping soundly. The Warrior of Wildfire twitched his nose, murmured something, then stilled.
The tiger pushed his nose against his best friend's cheek affectionately. He'd let Ryo sleep for a little while longer.
The big cat stepped carefully among his sleeping pals, all curled up on the cabin floor. There was plenty of space for him to sidle up next to the sofa—the space beside it was empty, the blanket folded on top of the pillow. This did not alarm White Blaze overly; Sage was often restless in times of stress and had probably let himself out. He'd be back when he got hungry, the tiger decided wisely.
Speaking of hungry…
Mia was lying on her stomach, one arm tucked beneath her in an almost childlike gesture, the other dangling off the side of the sofa, knuckles brushing the hardwood floor where Sage had lain. One of her feet wasn't covered by the blanket. White Blaze licked her toes delicately. She stirred and kicked, but didn't wake up. White Blaze tried again, his broad tongue scratching against the sole of her slender foot. She kicked again, squirming, brows knitting over her closed eyes. "No. Monster, no. Don't eat me," she murmured, then sat up with a particularly well-aimed kick. White Blaze stepped back, brushing at his sensitive nose with a paw.
Immediately penitent, Mia opened her arms to him and he stepped closer to her, raising his head so she could smack her lips against his muzzle in three loud kisses. White Blaze liked that and flicked his tongue against her cheek.
"All better," Mia trilled softly, beaming with the magic smile, the one that melted the mighty Kento of Hardrock into his socks and caused even the strong, stoic Sage of Halo's heart rate to pick up. "Somebody must be hungry."
White Blaze's stripy tail began an excited dance, hoping to prove that he was somebody who was hungry. Sliding off the sofa, Mia frowned as her foot met the wood floor, noting the empty space where Sage had slept. "Doesn't that boy know the meaning of the word 'vacation'?" she murmured. Patting the tiger's head, she headed quietly and carefully towards the kitchenette, tiptoeing around Kento's broad chest and Rowen's outstretched arms. White Blaze followed happily.
The scent of fat browning in butter forced Kento's eyes open like a shot.
Sitting up slowly, he sniffed the air a few times, making sure that it wasn't a false alarm and there was a good reason to leave the warm cocoon of sheets he was wrapped in. But a flicker of stripes in the kitchenette confirmed his hopes, and he was up in seconds.
Mia was at the stove, having found a dented skillet and an old apron in one of the cabinets. The threadbare garment was tied into a bow at her back, forcing Ryo's borrowed "Milk Ball" shirt higher over her Lycra shorts, and she was singing softly to herself as something sizzled in the pan she held. "Funny how all dreams come true, like a fool I'm into you, boy…"
"What a beautiful sight," Kento sighed happily.
"You haven't even seen what I'm cooking yet," Mia laughed, turning over her shoulder to grin at him.
"Was talking about the chef, not the meal—but since you brought it up—" Kento hooked his chin over Mia's shoulder and his breath shuddered outward in unmistakable delight. "Bacon," he said. "Marry me." Locking his arms around her from behind, he gave her a huge hug, picking her up a bit off the floor.
The skillet clanked onto the heat as Mia squeaked out a laugh. "Stop it before you make me burn myself!"
Cye shuffled into the kitchenette, yawning, tripping a bit over his long, loose-fitting flannel pants. "Something smells good."
"It ain't me," Kento chuckled, releasing Mia and raising an arm as if to smell himself. "I wanna take a shower before breakfast is ready."
"Someone has to go wake Ryo and Rowen," Mia said, poking at the bacon.
"No way," Cye said immediately, leaning against the fridge. "The last time I tried to wake Rowen, he threw a shoe at me."
"Not just no," Kento agreed. "Hell no."
Mia turned to dimple at her last available option, flashing the tiger a would-you-do-it-for-a-Scooby-Snack smile. "Extra two pieces of bacon for you if you do it."
White Blaze padded obediently out of the kitchenette. Seconds later, Rowen yelled, "Ay! Awright, awright, ya ovagrown stuffed toy, I'm awake awreddy." Ryo's full-throated chuckle could be heard in the background.
Back in the kitchenette, Kento pouted. "I would have done it if I knew you were offering extra bacon!"
"Take your shower, Kento," Mia said affectionately. "Plenty for everyone."
Kento leaned in to smack a wet kiss against Mia's cheek. "You're a princess. Don't start without me."
White Blaze came back at Ryo's side, eagerly awaiting his promised extra bacon. Ryo stretched, his shoulders straining at his university t-shirt. "What's cooking?" he asked. Rowen followed, glaring at everyone like a beast in a lair. Mia made a mental note to give him the crunchy pieces of bacon that she knew were his favorite.
"Good morning, Rowen," Cye and Kento sang, beaming at their friend's angry expression.
Rowen's eyes narrowed to slits. "Oh yeah? What's so Rowen about it?"
Ryo chuckled as he stretched to get plates out of the cabinet above Mia's head.
Sage had slept fitfully, woken constantly from dreams in which red eyes stared from shadows and a heavy weight kept striking his shoulder, forcing his hand away from Mia's. He'd heard her and Rowen come back into the cabin sometime in the middle of the night and heard her gently scolding Strata that he shouldn't attempt to keep watch all night by himself. She'd had a point, and since he hadn't been able to calm himself, he had sat outside until dawn shaded up from the horizon, trying not to dwell on his uneasiness. He had thought he felt a little better—until he returned to the cabin and saw a sight through the kitchenette window that sent him into an entirely new paroxysm of confusion.
Mia was special to all the boys—each was close to her in his own way, and they were overprotective of her and generous with their attention. Some were more physically affectionate with her than others, like Rowen. Or Kento, as Sage was noticing right now through the kitchenette window. The Warrior of Hardrock had his arms around Mia's waist and was lifting her off the ground in a bear hug. Sage focused on her face, seeing but not hearing her laughter.
Sage frowned, trying to regain his earlier calm. Kento was a flirt, that was all. And Mia didn't look like it bothered her; she was smiling and laughing, no matter how much Sage was wishing she'd just smack Kento and make him let her go—
He blinked, shocked at the suggestion his mind had supplied.
It wasn't the first time he'd felt this—a vague, acidic flare of temper towards one of the others for flirting with Mia. He hadn't thought much of it the first few times it had happened; he'd chalked it up to how fiercely protective he was of the redhead. He had never said it in so many words, but ever since that night on the mountain, when she'd shown that she was willing to die for them, he'd felt responsible for her somehow—a sense of chivalrous duty to someone who'd nearly lost her own life protecting his.
But as time went by, he'd realized that predators weren't limited to timber wolves and armored warlords. Even run-of-the-mill schoolboys and foppish academics, who would see Mia and like her for the obvious, could prove to be a danger.
Sage bared his teeth in a silent snarl at the memory of that jerk she'd been seeing in the spring, that snobby, arrogant researcher. The others had done most of the work chasing him off, but Sage had been just as eager to send that particular suitor packing.
Still, he'd hardly considered the researcher a threat. He'd known from the word go that the man wasn't going to be a runner. Kyouya had suffered from a tendency to drink white wine spritzers and treated Mia like a glass bauble. Plus, he was just a researcher, a boring old archivist, nothing there to capture Mia's active imagination. If the guys hadn't stepped in to let him know he hadn't been welcome, Sage was sure that Mia would have gotten bored and done it herself in less than two months.
That wasn't the problem, Sage reflected. The problem was that Kyouya had been just one of a seemingly endless string of crashing bores who were threatening his friend, making complete pains of themselves and going to great lengths to tie her down or silt her up.
The less obvious problem was that he couldn't explain why it bothered him so much.
Kento was smacking his lips messily against Mia's cheek. She squinted, twisting away with a grin and swatting at him with a slender hand, and resentment crackled through Sage once more, sharper and more abrasive than before.
It was when he began to see the guys, his best friends, as potential threats to Mia that he became the most alarmed at his own ferocity, having to consciously remind himself that they all felt close to Mia, that she was special to all the guys, not just him.
It made him wonder just how emotionally invested he was in the girl he'd elected to hold in his care. But the answer to that question lay over a line that Sage of Halo just wasn't sure he was ready to cross. Because there would be no going back.
A noise distracted him from his thoughts, and two heads poked out of the kitchenette window, one human, one feline. "Hey," Mia said cheerfully, leaning over White Blaze's twitching ears. "What're you doing hanging around out here? Breakfast is up."
White Blaze pushed his head further out, giving Sage a friendly don't-you-want-bacon look.
"Come on," Mia cajoled. "I saved you some of the crunchy pieces, but you'll have to share them with Rowen. Want some?"
Sage nodded. "Sure."
"Then come inside," Mia laughed. "This ain't no drive-thru!" Giggling, she ducked back into the kitchenette, followed by the tiger.
Unable to help himself, Sage laughed, shaking his head as he followed her into the cabin.
Mia had learned a long time ago that if she let the guys fight it out over the shower first, she'd be left in relative peace when it was finally her turn. So by the time they were all scrubbed (and sometimes bruised; Cye had forced Rowen out of the way with an Indian burn), she had breakfast waiting for them along with a stack of paper and some writing utensils from her duffel bag.
"What's with the paper and pens?" Ryo asked through a mouthful of toast. White Blaze crunched happily on bacon at Wildfire's feet.
"They're for an experiment," Mia explained excitedly. "I thought maybe it would be useful if me, Sage, Cye and Kento all drew what we think we saw and try to see what they have in common."
"But Ryo an' I didn't see it," Rowen protested. "How're we s'posda help?"
Mia dimpled at him, crossing one leg behind the other girlishly. "There's a whole sink full of dishes that need some help."
Ryo clapped a hand over his head. "Weak," he declared.
"Supah weak," Rowen agreed, but he was getting up from the table to help regardless, rolling up the sleeves of the white long-sleeved shirt he was wearing under his dark t-shirt. "How come we gotta do the dishes?"
"Next time you nearly get electrocuted, I'll do the dishes," Cye promised, reaching for a ballpoint pen.
Sage had a doubtful expression on his face. "Can I do the dishes?"
"No," Mia said, handing him a charcoal pencil. Ryo grumpily took the dishrag and started drying the dishes that Rowen handed to him. Kento had immediately commandeered a box of crayons that Mia had placed out, and he and Cye were fighting over the red crayon.
Rather than sulking and ignoring the others, Sage speared Mia with a glance and said, "Okay, I'll do it, but you have to do it too."
Mia blinked, mildly surprised, and everyone else stopped what they were doing to glance at the warrior of Halo. "Of course I will," Mia said brightly, sitting down at her place and reaching for paper. "If Kento will share the crayons."
"Get your own!" the warrior of Hardrock declared, the tip of his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he colored.
In the end, the exercise actually proved useful. By the time Ryo and Rowen finished the dishes and sat down with the others, Mia had collected the drawings and placed them all side-by-side, then took a clean pad and a pen to take notes. Every single drawing shared a few details—red eyes, a big tail, pointy teeth. Both Kento and Sage's drawing had three eyes. Mia's had two tails and sharp fangs. Cye's had two tails—and that was about the only thing Mia could recognize. "Cye," she finally asked after several seconds of scrutinizing his paper, "what is this?"
She held up Torrent's drawing. Most of it was colored with a blue ballpoint. In one corner there was a grey pencil blob with a forked tail and two red crayon dots for eyes.
"I didn't get a good look," Cye said, fidgeting. "I was underwater, and it was moving really fast." After a pause and a few raised brows, he burst out, "I can't draw, okay?"
Laughter broke out around the table. Kento slung a friendly arm around Cye. "Cheer up, buddy. I can't do lots of things."
Despite his initial reluctance to participate in the experiment, Sage's drawing was elegantly abstract, heavy on shading and thick sketchy lines, darkest where they framed the sharp teeth and red eyes, which blazed in bright marker amid the dark charcoal pencil she'd given him. Mia felt a little dizzy at how the drawing reminded her of what had happened in the library.
By contrast, Kento's drawing was cartoonish—but gruesome cartoonish. The demon had three red eyes, a mouth full of sharp teeth and a big bushy tail. "Why can't you take anything seriously, Kento?" Ryo said. "You drew it drooling."
"It was drooling," Kento insisted. "It was chewing and spitting all over the light pole I was climbing. It would have spit on me if the pegs I was standing on hadn't come loose."
"That was odd," Mia agreed. "I saw you fall, but those pegs should have been able to hold you, even in your subarmor."
Kento pointed at Cye, who was about to speak. "If you make even one fat joke, your family will never find your remains."
Cye's mouth snapped shut. After fuming for a few seconds, he tried again. "What I was going to say was that the pegs were no good. I saw a couple of them on the ground after we were thrown clear of the water. Their ends were all lumpy and misshapen, sort of thinned out near the edges."
"Maybe they were damaged then," Kento said. "Could explain why it smelled so bad."
"You didn't tell us that it smelled bad," Sage said.
"Well, it did." Kento wrinkled his nose. "Like rotten eggs and vinegar." Blinking, he turned to Mia. "Do you think the pegs got eroded by weather? Like acid rain or something?"
Sage's hand immediately went to his neck, where a gauze pad was affixed over his burn. Mia and Cye were thinking along the same lines too.
"Not acid rain," Mia said. "Acid saliva."
"It can't really be acid," Sage pointed out. "If it were, it would have eaten right through our bones. It didn't."
"Good point. But whatever it is, it's caustic," Mia said, picking at the gauze on her own hand. "Sulfur is an element found in all living cells. What's to say that it couldn't be creating a caustic effluvia like a snake creates venom?"
"What's bothering me is that all of this is actually starting to make sense," Cye grumbled, pillowing his head on his arms at the table.
Ryo and Rowen had found a way to contribute to the conversation—Rowen had the tabloid, Ryo the evening edition of yesterday's newspaper, trying to find any details about burns or a caustic substance. "Dammit," Rowen said. "All of th' victims in this article were too torn up t' tell if they had any burns or anything."
Ryo had gotten sidetracked by a story on a middle page. "You're in the paper, Mia," he said, turning the paper on an angle so Mia could see the print.
NOVELIST DISCOVERS BODY IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
The article relating to Hiro's death consisted of one short column and hadn't even made it above the fold. According to the story, Hiro's death, while tragic, was not unusual and had been ruled as accidental.
"I didn't scream and faint," Mia huffed. "Where did they get that idea?"
The guys exchanged relieved smiles; they had been worried the article might upset her, but Mia, ever the practical princess, was more aggravated by the exaggeration of her reactions.
"Well, I screamed, of course I screamed," she was saying. "But I absolutely did not faint. It was probably that odious detective, Whatshisname."
"Kozu," Sage supplied, brow creasing at the memory of his own run-in with the tightly wound detective.
Ryo took the paper back and read aloud. "Detectives led the sobbing Ms. Koji downtown to take her statement—"
"I didn't cry!" Mia protested indignantly. "Well, I did, but not in the police station! I was all done crying before they even showed up." She pouted, like a little girl trying to prove to her brothers that she was just as tough as they were.
"At least they got the 'Ms' part right," Ryo said cheerfully.
Mia's cheeks were flushed pink with rage. "It's got to have been that beastly detective. He was giving me such a hard time, like he was mad because I didn't push Hiro or something."
Rowen had his hands on Mia's shoulders, pushing her gently back down into her chair and massaging the tense muscles, a favorite gesture of his affection. "Easy, tigah," he chuckled. "S'just a stupid news column. Nobody even reads th' middle pages anyhow." He brushed his thumbs against the sides of her slender neck, and Sage looked away, focusing on dispelling that toxic flare of temper again.
"What else does it say?" he asked Ryo, attempting to distract himself.
Ryo took up the paper again. "Hiro Imamura's body has been released to his wife, Eiko. Services will be held…huh. Today."
Mia's shoulders relaxed beneath Rowen's hands. "Oh," she said softly. "When?"
"Early this afternoon." Ryo scanned the page for the time.
Mia sighed, glancing up at the clock on the cabin wall. "If I hurry, I can probably make it."
The boys exchanged glances. "Mia," Cye said gently. "You don't have to."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kento asked.
Mia pressed her lips together. "I definitely don't want to do it. But I should. It's the right thing to do."
"We'll wait for you, then," Ryo said. "We won't investigate without you."
But Mia shook her head. "No, no. We can't afford to waste time. You go on ahead, and I'll catch you up."
"But how are we going to know where to look without you?" Ryo asked. "You know more about this stuff than any of us."
Picking up the tabloid, Mia flipped through a few pages. "We've practically got a map right here. You could scout the locations of the attacks, see if you find anything unusual?"
Cye warmed up to the idea. He took a clean piece of paper and a felt-tip pen. "We'll write down anything that seems weird."
"I got an even better idea." Kento jumped up from the table with happy inspiration. Ducking into the next room, he returned with his duffel bag. Rummaging around inside it, he pulled out a camera. "I brought this to take a few group pictures, but I guess it'll come in handy today!"
"Great!" Mia said. "You guys look for clues, and I'll meet you later."
"Why don't we all just meet up here later?" Ryo said. "As soon as you're ready, Mia, come back here. We'll call you here when we're coming back."
"What if the thing comes after you again?" Sage asked. "You'll be all alone."
"I'll be fine," Mia soothed. "It's just a funeral service. I hardly think a monster will crash the party."
Rowen had an idea. "We'll take th' satchel with us," he decided. "If that's what this thing really wants, it'll come afta us, not her."
Mia blinked. "I suppose that would be all right," she said. "Just be careful with it, please. Bring it back to me."
"Promise," Rowen said.
"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" Ryo asked.
Mia nodded, pleased with the plan. "Yes. This is a good plan." Glancing around the kitchenette, she decided everything was in order, then looked down at her rumpled sleepwear. Usually she was the one ready before everyone else; it seemed strange to be so out of sorts. "Thanks for cleaning up, guys. I'm going to shower—yell in to me when you're leaving, okay? And be—"
"Careful," all the boys laughed. "We got it."
As soon as she'd padded out of the kitchen, the boys exchanged glances again. "One of us should really go with her."
"I wanna see this thing," Rowen protested, keeping a tight hold on the satchel. "I ain't even seen it yet."
"Be careful what you wish for," Cye muttered darkly, twitching at the memory of the shock that had run through his body when the power line had hit the water.
"You okay, Cye?" Ryo asked. "Do you want to go along with her?"
"I'm not scared," Torrent said, a little hotly.
"I didn't say that!" Ryo soothed.
Kento noticed Sage's fingers drumming a thoughtful tattoo on the table. "How about if your name is Sage, you have to go with Mia?" he asked, smiling at his friend.
Sage narrowed his eyes at Kento, then answered him and the others, who had turned their gazes to him. "I was going to volunteer anyway, smartass." A smirk slashed Halo's handsome face. "I'm the only one who packed a suit jacket."
"You would, you freak," Kento teased, but his eyes were twinkling with amusement.
Mia closed her burning eyes, leaning into the shower spray. She did not want to attend the funeral service. Still, she knew that paying her respects was the right thing to do, and all good soldiers would not abandon their posts. Doing the right thing, being strong in times of need—Mia Koji followed her own warrior's code.
Still, she'd much rather have been out with the guys hunting for clues than once again donning a nice outfit and acting formal. Still…all good soldiers.
Mia was glad that Ryo's father had decided to have modern plumbing installed in the cabin all those years ago; she'd had a few scary fantasies of them having to tote well water up to the house in order to shower. But the bathroom was done beautifully, complete with a spa showerhead and a deep bathtub.
Bracing her hands against the wall, she let the water hammer at the tense muscles of her neck. She was not looking forward to the grief she was about to intrude upon.
Twisting the taps, she stepped out of the shower and dried off half-heartedly. All sounded quiet outside; the boys hadn't yelled in to her that they were leaving like she'd asked, but they'd probably just forgotten. Slipping into a pair of panties and a bra, she stepped into the hallway, idly toweling off her hair.
"Mia?" Footsteps approached her as soon as the sound of the door opening was heard. "Do you want me to dri—" Sage stepped into the hallway, then stopped short when he took in her state of undress.
Mia froze, too startled to sort out why he was there when the others had said they were leaving. When Sage's wide eyes flickered reflexively down and then forced back to her face, she whipped the damp towel from her hair to cover herself, finally stung into movement.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, face hot with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry," he said, his own face flushed. He was wearing a grey collared shirt under a dark suit jacket and and trousers. His shoes were shined, and a tie lay unknotted around his neck, as if hearing her emerge from the shower had interrupted him in the middle of adjusting it. "I didn't mean—what I'm saying is—"
"What are you doing here?" she repeated, more forcefully this time. "Why are you dressed like that?"
Sage composed himself. "I'm accompanying you to the services."
Mia's clutched the towel close, eyes widening in disbelief. "Are you serious? You think I can't even go to a funeral by myself, is that it?"
"No, I'm just the only one who packed a suit jacket," he said, just as he'd told Kento.
She didn't laugh. Mouth snapping shut, she turned on her heel and stalked back into the bathroom, slamming the door.
Sage sighed, rubbing at his temple. "I'm sorry," he called in to her. "If it makes you feel better, it wasn't my idea. We agreed you shouldn't go alone."
"No one bothered to ask my opinion," Mia retorted frostily from the other side of the bathroom door. "This is difficult enough for me as it is."
"I'm coming with you whether you like it or not," Sage said, but not unkindly.
There was silence for a few minutes, and then Mia spoke again. "Don't just sit there. If you're going to be here, you might as well make yourself useful. My dress and jacket are hanging up in the bedroom. Go get them for me, would you?"
As he was heading to obey, he heard her add as an afterthought, "Please?"
The dress was hanging on the back of the bedroom door, the jacket draped over the garment. Sage took both of them and tapped his knuckles lightly against the bathroom door.
She opened the door a crack, one ocean eye fixed on him, trying to maintain its frustration. "Thank you," she said softly. "I'll be ready soon."
"Take your time," he answered, maneuvering the hanger in through the limited space between door and doorjamb. "There's no rush. If we miss it, it's not the end of the world."
She seemed to like that and smiled briefly before closing the door, but halfway through the action, she changed her mind and opened it again. "Wait. Come here."
Puzzled, Sage obeyed, stepping back to the open door. Her earlier embarrassment forgotten, Mia tucked the towel around herself and reached for him, a tendril of wet hair dripping onto an indigo bra strap. Using a fingertip to tilt his chin up, she knotted his tie expertly, smoothing it down and nodding at her handiwork.
Sage had to smile. "Thank you."
She smiled for real this time, nodding once more before shutting the door again.
When he heard the faint hum of a blow dryer, he settled down in the next room to wait, fidgeting with his cuff links and trying to banish the image of her, half-dressed, skin slick with water, from his mind.
"We should have asked Mia if we could borrow her car," Cye grumbled, handing off the tabloid to Rowen. "Can you navigate, please? I'm getting nauseous."
"Dude, we have got to get you some Dramamine or something," Kento said at the wheel of the CJ, craning his neck to see the directions Rowen was pointing out to him.
"Or you could stop going over and through every obstacle on the road," Ryo suggested beside Cye, rubbing his head. After the last speed bump Kento had gunned the car over, he'd smacked his head on the roll bar.
"Chill out," Kento chuckled, maneuvering the CJ to the curb. "We're here."
"We're where?" Ryo asked, climbing over the passenger seat and out of the car.
"Ask the navigator," Kento said, slamming the driver's side door after everyone was out of the car.
All eyes turned to Rowen, who explained calmly as he rolled up the tabloid and stuck it in his back pocket. "Cye gave me th' idea, actually."
"Me?" Cye asked, happy to be out of the car and stretching his legs.
"Yeah, you." Rowen gave his friend a playful shove as they started walking down the block. "Remember that dog ya tripped ova when we were playin' baseball? Th' one that looked like it got inta a fight wit' a dinosaur an' lost?"
Ryo jogged to catch up with the others. "Hey, yeah! Maybe there's more evidence of a struggle or of another animal around the area. Good thinking, Rowen."
Strata beamed, never one to turn down praise.
The green meadow looked innocent enough in front of them, but Cye held the collar of his sleeveless sweatshirt in front of his nose anyway, remembering the stench of dead flesh.
Ryo took charge. "Okay, guys. Let's section the place off. Yell if you've got anything suspicious."
"How will we know if it's suspicious?" Kento asked, raising his hand as though they were in a grammar-school class.
Cye set his jaw. "You'll know."
Mia was having trouble focusing on the service. Every time her mind wandered, disjointed memories would flash back to her of the day of her grandfather's funeral—it seemed like so long ago. Only bits and pieces came back to her—the way the shoes she'd worn had pinched her feet; the scent of the air promising rain, the buttery incongruence of the afternoon light. She remembered delivering the eulogy to a sea of strangers, voice trembling as she extolled the virtues of the man who'd taught them all so much, the man who'd given her the knowledge she needed to help five warriors save the world. Naturally, she hadn't mentioned that part, but she hadn't needed to—those same warriors were listening, paying their respects to him as well as supporting her on that dark day.
But mostly she remembered touches—the press of Rowen's stiff dress shoe against her foot right before she'd gotten up to speak; the warm comfort of Kento's hand on her back every time they rose from their places. And when the service had finally ended and her knees had begun to shake with the reality of the situation, her feet failing her, she remembered the strength of the arms that had been waiting to catch her, the arms of the one who'd kept his watchful eye on her the entire time.
His eye was on the crowd now, and she could tell he was not listening to the service, either. They had taken a place in the back, beyond everyone else at the gravesite. The last thing Mia had wanted was to attract attention. "Stop doing that," she murmured, touching an elbow to his side.
"Doing what?" Sage asked, not taking his eyes off the group of mourners.
"Scanning the crowd for potential threats."
Now he did turn to her, arching a brow, looking mildly impressed but trying to disguise it with confusion.
"Don't give me that look. I know you," she murmured. "Nothing's going to happen to us here. Be still."
His eyes flashed with disfavor at the scolding, but she noticed he at least attempted not to look as much like a fox in a warren. She pressed her arm against his comfortingly. She knew she didn't understand about soldiering, and that he couldn't help himself. He seemed to welcome the touch, although he did not look at her.
To distract herself from her own discomfort, Mia tried to follow Sage's lead, looking more closely at the mourners. She didn't recognize any of them; probably mostly colleagues from the university. Most of them looked sufficiently pained by Hiro's passing; no one looked overtly suspicious to her. Finally, she turned her gaze to the front of the crowd, where the only family Hiro had—his wife—now had pride of place.
Mia focused on the grieving widow. Eiko Imamura looked about sixteen, but it was sure to have been due to her lack of makeup and uncertain posture. Any lipstick she might have put on before the service had long since been worn away by the constant rolling of her bottom lip out and under, or the nervous flickering of her tongue out over it after a press of teeth. Wavy blonde hair feel around her shoulders with a roof of bangs that ended just over big bloodshot eyes. She twisted a handkerchief between thin pale hands the entire time. When the attendants began handing out cut flowers for the mourners to place at the grave, Eiko began to sob in earnest, the big, hiccupping, chest-shaking sobs that hurt with every new breath. Mia felt her own memories closing in on her, her own breath quickening.
Sage leaned in to murmur in her ear. "I could use some air. Do you want to take a walk?"
Nodding fiercely, she let him take her arm and steer her away from the gravesite. Let him rescue her, just as he'd done that day at her grandfather's grave, just as he'd done on the mountaintop. Just as he'd been doing since they'd met.
Mia was constantly confused by how the world looked its prettiest on days when people buried their dead. The sunlight was always pale and sparkling, the horizon a soft and unclear line at the edge of the planet. Her heels sank into the dirt; the gravediggers would have had no trouble hollowing a place for Hiro out of the ground. Mia closed her eyes, trying to will away the thought of the summer earth being so eager to swallow the bones of family.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist, hand tucking under her elbow, warmer than the sunlight on her exposed skin. Mia leaned into his solidity, her heart aching for his other arm to close the circle, her mind knowing that it was impossible—the steely Halo would never compromise his sword arm.
"I'm so selfish," she sniffled, brushing an errant tear from her cheek.
Sage blinked in surprise. "How could you say that? You didn't have to come here today."
Mia shook her head. "They're burying Hiro—he was someone's son. Someone's husband, someone's friend, and all I can think of is my own problems. My own…" She trailed off, gaze dropping. Sage stroked his thumb against her arm, an almost imperceptible reminder of his presence at her side.
"I still miss him so much." Mia's whisper sounded young and frightened, as if even after all these years she was shocked at the depth of her own pain. Idly, she gazed out over the graves, which blurred wetly as her eyes betrayed her.
"Mia," Sage said, a note of impossible tenderness in his voice as he reached for her. "Don't. Please."
As he spoke, he stroked his thumb across her cheek, and she realized she was crying silently. Embarrassed, she looked away, letting the tears blur the pale blue sky where it met the grass.
Like an answered prayer, the arms that had never failed her circled her waist. He was rock steady, no longer paying attention to the distant service, the unknown crowd, strong embrace promising safety as he tucked his chin over her head. Closing her eyes tightly, Mia pressed her face into the place where his neck met his shoulder, breathing in the scent of cologne and feeling her heartbeat slow to the tempo of his.
"Don't let go," she whispered. "Don't let me go."
He didn't whisper; his words were calm with conviction. "Never."
"Promise?" She lifted her head; she wanted to see his face when he made this vow.
The smile never reached his lips, but she saw it in his eyes and heard it in his voice as he assured her, "I promise."
His fingertips were gentle against her mouth, stopping her from finishing the sentence. Night shaded up in his eyes, and her heart picked up once more against her will. Softly, slowly, his fingers moved trailed from her hair to stroke down her jaw and rest beneath her chin, applying the slightest pressure to bear. Helplessly, she allowed him to tilt her face up as he bent down.
Not then or ever would Mia be positive the kiss even happened; her eyes fluttered closed at the feel of his mouth on hers and she no longer felt two separate heartbeats but one that shook her down to her fingertips.
He released her slowly, and when she pulled back she saw that he'd closed his own eyes. A rush of blood warmed her face and it took two tries to make her trembling lips form words. "Do we talk about this now, or later?"
Sage looked like he wanted to talk about it right that very second, but a glance back to the gravesite helped him decide. "Later. The service is over."
As they returned to the gravesite, Mia couldn't help but notice that he made sure to walk on her right side, leaving his sword arm free once more, and the ache of a broken circle tightened her chest.
It was Ryo who found it, crouched on one knee and peering at the ground like Sherlock Holmes. "Got something."
It said a lot for the severity of the week's events that the other boys rushed over to crowd around their friend. "Looks like a stone," Rowen said.
"It isn't," Kento said, with the easy conviction of someone who felt the constant power running through seemingly still rock.
"Kento's right," Cye said. "It looks like…bone."
"It is," Ryo said, carefully trying to clear some of the dirt away from the object with his fingers. It caught the light eerily, sticking sharply out of the earth.
"That doesn't mean anything," Cye said carefully, trying to play devil's advocate. "This is a park. Animals live here. They bury things, I'm sure. It could even be what's left of a kill, or of someone's pet."
"Do you think the beast did this?" Kento wondered aloud.
"If that were true, why hide it?" Ryo asked. "All the other bodies were torn apart. Exposed."
"Sage said it looked like a dog," Kento responded. "Maybe it…buried a bone."
"Nah, Ryo's right," Rowen said. "It neva buried anythin' before. Why start now?"
"We don't know when this happened," Cye interjected, stroking his chin in thought. "There's no blood, no stench, no flesh. This kill is old."
Ryo furrowed his brow. "That gives credence to Mia's theory that a person is behind this. Only a person would hide a body so well that its skin would rot away before it was found. Animals don't do that." The Warrior of Wildfire leaned back on his haunches and rubbed at his cheek, smearing dirt across his face.
"Only one way to be sure," Cye decided. "We'll have to dig it up and take a closer look."
"Hang on a second," Kento said, an idea striking him. "I brought my brothers and sister to the beach a couple of weeks ago. They left some of their toys in the CJ. I'll be right back." He turned and jogged back towards where they'd parked the truck.
While they were waiting, Cye busied himself with taking pictures of the exposed bone with Kento's camera, which he'd left behind. Rowen helped by clearing the dirt away from the area so it could be seen more clearly, while Ryo stood by with a grim expression on his face.
"What kind of bone do you suppose it is?" Cye asked, squinting through the viewfinder to get a close-up of the bone. "A leg, maybe?"
"Nah. Lookit that," Rowen said, kneeling by the bone and indicating a little knob with his finger. "See that? That's a vertebrae. Spine bump."
"Spine?" Ryo asked hollowly. "You're saying that it's a spinal column buried there?"
"That's silly, Rowen," Cye said placidly, snapping another picture. "What would have a spine that sma—" Torrent dropped the camera with a sharp intake of breath, his mind finishing his own sentence in a way that disturbed him.
The three boys exchanged grim glances. It was Rowen who vocalized the upsetting thought. "You guys don't think it's, like, a kid, right?"
Kento jogged back up, his arms full of brightly colored beach toys. "They're small, but they'll do the job," he said, oblivious to the pall of gloom that had settled over his friends as he passed out gaily colored plastic shovels to his friends. "I figure Mia won't be satisfied with pictures. She'll flip if we bring her back a real clue!"
To a passing stranger, the sight would have been ridiculous—four grown men digging in the dirt with beach toys. But the four Ronin treated their task as seriously as heart surgery; Kento's face was set in concentration as he carefully scraped dirt away from the bone and scooped it into a plastic bucket that belonged to Chun Fa—something pink decorated with white and yellow flowers. Rowen's breath was quick with anticipation wondering just what sort of skeleton they were uncovering.
After a long period of careful work, the boys carefully lifted the bones onto the beach blanket the toys had been wrapped in when Kento had kept them in the car. Cye's breath whooshed out in relief. "That's not a child. There's a tail."
It was true—a long, thin chain of bones extended from curled haunches, as if the animal had died crouched low, hunched up in pain. "Not hands, either, not enough fingers. These are paws," Ryo mused, reaching to touch a skeletal paw. "Probably a dog or a cat."
"Dog," Rowen declared. "Too big f'r a cat."
"We still don't know if this is related to the beast," Kento said, dropping his plastic shovel and sitting down heavily. "Maybe someone's dog just died and they buried it here in the park. How do we know?"
Ryo's brow furrowed as he gazed over the bones. "I can answer that question with a question," he said. "Where's its head?"
Sure enough, the exposed bone had been a spinal column as Rowen had guessed. Paws and tail were all attached, but the skeleton only looked sad and confusing without a head.
"I think it's safe to say the beast is involved," Cye said.
Mia hesitated as they advanced towards the gravesite once more, seemingly nettled by the idea of just walking up to Eiko Imamura and speaking to her. Sage saved the day with ease, stooping gracefully to pluck two cut flowers from a discarded paper cone that had been left behind on one of the folding chairs. Handing one to Mia, he stepped around her and placed the one he held on the large floral arrangement already displayed. Smoothly, he straightened and leaned closer to examine the memorial standing on an easel beside the grave—a collage of pictures, awards and newspaper clippings devoted to Hiro. He did not look at her, but Mia knew he was listening, ready to step in if she needed him.
Emboldened by how easy he made it look, Mia followed his lead, catching Eiko's attention as she placed her flower on the arrangement. Turning towards the other woman, she inclined her head respectfully. "I am so sorry for your loss."
Eiko's bloodshot eyes squeezed to slits, as if the tears were overpowering her. "Thank you," she said quickly, and it was clear she didn't know who Mia was. She was just repeating what she'd been saying all day, like a mourning parrot—thank you, thank you.
Mia knew what that was like. Feeling pity for the blonde, she decided to give Eiko a little help. "The academic world will be poorer without your husband's book. I was supposed to meet with him to discuss it the other night and he let me sneak a peek at some of his notes beforehand. He was truly an authority in his field, just as my grandfather predicted."
A glimmer of recognition rose in Eiko's eyes. She clutched a crumpled tissue in her fist, pressing her knuckles against her mouth. "I know you. I've seen your books on our coffee table. Koji—it's Koji, isn't it?"
Mia nodded. "Yes. Mia Koji. Hiro worked alongside my grandfather; Grandpa thought very highly of him."
Eiko stared at Mia with tortured eyes. "You said his name."
Mia blinked. "Beg your pardon?"
"Everyone else, they let their voices drop when they say his name. They'll say, 'Eiko, we're so sorry about—Hiro'." The blonde whispered the name as so many people had done to her, then resumed speaking in a normal voice. "Thank you for not doing that."
Mia nodded. "Again, you have my sincerest condolences."
"It's you who found him, wasn't it?" Eiko's eyes shimmered. "Was it awful?"
Mia could feel Sage's steely gaze on her; he was still nearby, waiting to see if she needed him. It seemed to strengthen her; she drew in a deep breath. But there was no nice way to talk to a woman about finding the dead body of her husband. "I…I don't think he suffered."
Eiko's eyes squeezed shut again; she pulled her fancy black coat tighter around her as if the cold were too much to bear.
"Do you have family in the area?" Mia asked, wishing she had a handkerchief to offer the blonde. "Someone you can stay with?"
Tears slid down Eiko's cheeks as she nodded. "M-my sister. I can't stay alone in the house without Hiro. Even our…even our dog disappeared a few weeks ago. It's so quiet without…"
Mia nodded. "You shouldn't be alone now." She touched the blonde's arm. "Mrs. Imamura, is there someone I can speak with about your husband's work? I'd like to look into possibly publishing his book posthumously." Admittedly, the idea had never occurred to Mia, but she was surprised at how smoothly the lie rolled off her tongue. Her joy at her own cleverness was short-lived, however—Eiko's eyes lit up.
"That would be so wonderful," the blonde breathed, clutching her mangled tissue in both hands. "Hiro loved his work so much, and he had so much to share. It would be so nice to see it in print."
Mia felt a nervous urge to twist a lock of hair around her finger; she felt guilty for getting Eiko's hopes up. "If we can move forward with anything, Mrs. Imamura, you'll be the first person I notify. Would one of his colleagues perhaps be able to discuss it with me?"
Eiko glanced around the gravesite. "You could always talk to his research assistant, Kaori. She's a graduate student, but she was involved in every aspect of Hiro's work. I know she's taking this very hard as well—she was just as passionate about the work, but she isn't experienced enough to take it on in Hiro's stead, so I'm sure she'd be thrilled to have your help sorting it out. She's right over there."
Mia followed Eiko's pointing finger to the only person still seated in the final row of folding chairs, a young woman with a heavy tail of black hair and dark eyes fixed on a middle distance.
"Poor thing," Eiko murmured. "I don't know what she'll do without the work to focus on."
"She was a hard worker?" Mia asked.
Eiko nodded. "Hiro had a feeling that she sometimes escaped into the research. Her fiance…he was an acquired taste." Eiko's eyes warmed over for a second. "Hiro would tell me he was the luckiest man in the world to have me to come home to." She laughed, a tear sliding down her cheek. "He called me his very own fairy tale."
Mia's eyes softened. "Mrs. Imamura, thank you for your help. Please accept my sincere condolences on your loss. Hiro will be missed."
Eiko tried bravely to smile through her tears. "Thank you, Ms. Koji. It was sweet of you to try to help Hiro."
"I will help him," Mia said with such conviction that Sage looked up, ruining the pretense that he wasn't paying attention to the conversation. "I promise, Mrs. Imamura."
Eiko nodded quickly, then bolted to the waiting limousine, where another blonde, presumably her sister, bundled her into the car.
Sage frowned as Mia returned to his side. "Do you think you can really publish his work posthumously?"
"I'm certainly going to talk to my editor about it," she said. "I'm not about to let all Hiro's hard work go to waste." Noting his disapproving expression, she asked, "What?"
Sage shook his head. "You're taking so much on. I'm concerned for you, Mia. This is not your responsibility."
Mia felt uncomfortable. "You know I can't sit idly by and watch when I know that I can help."
Sage arched a brow. "And you know that I can't sit idly by when you are knowingly putting yourself in danger."
Suddenly exasperated at the familiar argument, Mia let her arms fall to her sides. "Is that why you're standing with your arms folded like that? It looks like you're bodyguarding me."
"I am bodyguarding you," Sage said flatly.
Mia frowned. "No, you're not. You're helping me. It's not the same thing."
Sage snorted, lifting his well-made nose. "All I've done is follow you around and be useless. I'll stand however I want."
Ocean-colored eyes rolled in exasperation at him. "If you're going to be difficult, go back and wait in the car. I'll do this myself."
Naturally, Sage vetoed that idea. "I'm not your dog! I am not staying in the car with the window rolled down, and I'm not leaving you alone."
Grabbing his arm boldly, Mia yanked him closer to her. "Then walk beside me and pretend to be my friend. Come on, let's go talk to that girl."
" 'Pretend'?" Sage looked just the slightest bit hurt.
Too late, Mia realized her poor choice of words. She had only wanted him not to look as though he were her probation officer, but there was no time to apologize for the misstep.
"Heads up," Mia said, stalling any further argument. "She's over there. Please try not to look so menacing?"
Sage pouted, but tossed his head to be sure his blond bangs covered one eye—a habit he'd had since his childhood—and followed her.
The dark-haired girl now stood at the foot of the grave, clutching a yellow rose in her hands and staring at the disturbed earth intently, as though she were looking for something specific. Her profile was classically perfect as she carefully placed her rose on the floral arrangement.
Stepping forward, Mia addressed the girl by name. "Kaori? It's Kaori, right?"
Kaori wasn't just pretty, she was startlingly beautiful. Wide dark eyes dominated her face, and there was a faraway look in them, as if her thoughts were constantly elsewhere. "I'm Kaori. I'm sorry, I don't remember your name."
"You wouldn't. We've never met," Mia said. "My name is Mia Koji. This is Sage Date," she added, indicating her companion, who nodded respectfully.
Kaori arched a dark brow, adjusting the cuffs of her black suit jacket. "Koji? Hiro worked alongside a Dr. Koji. It was his dream to one day be as respected in his field; Dr. Koji was truly an inspiration to both of us. Are you a relative of his?"
"Yes," Mia said, her voice warm with proud memories of the man so many people admired. "I'm his granddaughter. I was his research assistant, just like you are Hiro's."
Kaori regarded Mia evenly with those faraway eyes, as if deciding the redhead weren't a complete waste of time. "Was his research assistant. I believe that is something else we have in common, Ms. Koji. I am sorry about your grandfather's passing; Hiro was as well."
Mia nodded. "That's very kind of you. And I am truly sorry about Hiro. He will be missed. He was a great scholar, and a great man."
Kaori nodded. "Did you both attend Shinsai?" she asked. "Do you two know each other from school?"
Not expecting the question, Mia floundered in her own thoughts for a second, but Sage picked up the slack effortlessly. "Actually, we met through a mutual friend." His eyes twinkled mischievously at Mia, and she blinked the question back at him.
Well…it was true, technically. She and Ryo had found Sage in the caves at the Pinnacles. But she hadn't expected him to be cute about it.
"I was going to help Hiro with his book," Mia explained to Kaori, trying to get her footing back. "He had wanted to cite my grandfather as a source, and asked me if I could assist in Grandpa's stead."
This seemed to pique Kaori's interest more than anything else had. "Oh, do you still study ancient legends?"
"I might know my way around a legend or two," Mia said, smiling.
Sage cut in smoothly. "She's too modest. She knows more about ancient legends and texts than the monks who wrote them down. In fact—" That mischievous glitter turned almost wicked in his eyes. "—We even visited the Throne of the Gods once. On that…ski trip on Mount Dojo. Remember, sweetheart?"
Mia's dizzy brain could barely form a reply in the face of an event as ridiculous as Sage Date calling someone "sweetheart", but she managed. "You're right, Sage, but it was so cold! I nearly froze to death up there!"
Checkmate—an expression of unbearable hurt flashed across Sage's face, there and gone in a second like heat lightning. Chastised, he backed down.
Kaori was oblivious to the power play that was going on beneath their conversation. She sighed. "That must have been so nice. Hiro was always promising me he'd take me to see all the wonderful places he'd been, but…" The girl's voice thickened with pain. "No time, no time for that now." Reaching into her blouse, she drew out a pendant on a long chain. "The first year I worked for him, he gave me this. Isn't it pretty?"
It was. The small silver disc was engraved with a symbol in an odd flowing script, a long stroke with three prongs. "It's for good luck," Kaori said. "In one of the ancient languages Hiro studied. At least, that's what he told me."
"Kaori, did Hiro act…strangely…over the last week?" Mia asked. "Was he especially nervous or upset?"
Kaori looked concerned. "No. We were just fine. I didn't…I didn't see much of him that week because I had a lot of work to do..." Her voice was squeezed tight with tears. "But he was happy, the same way he always is." She speared Mia with those dark, sad eyes. "What are you saying? Was something wrong with Hiro?"
Sage's hand pressed against Mia's back again. This time, it was less to comfort and more as a silent warning to back down, but Mia ignored it. "I'm not sure, Kaori. That's what I'm trying to find out."
"Hiro was my mentor," Kaori whispered. "He was my friend. Don't you think I would have noticed if something was wrong? Trust me, Ms. Koji. There was nothing wrong with Hiro."
"That pendant is lovely," Mia said, sensing she'd hit a sore spot and changing tack. "You should hang on to that. Seems like you could use a little luck."
"I never take it off." Kaori's thin hand closed around the medallion and her eyes closed in pain. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Koji, but I've got to go. My fiancé is waiting for me, and he hates to be kept waiting. I can't talk to you anymore."
Mia nodded. "All right. Thank you, Kaori."
Kaori's wet eyes jumped to Sage. "Take care. Take care of each other."
Sage shot a glance at Mia. "I would if she'd let me."
The statement only seemed to upset Kaori more; she bit her lip on a sob and hurried off, leaving Sage and Mia glaring at each other.
Author's Notes:
The original cut of this chapter was much longer, but I'm saving all that good stuff for chapter five as chapter four has already run to twenty-four pages. And maybe now it won't take me so long to get chapter five out. How does that sound?
All good soldiers wait like warheads: If there's anything—anything at all—that I took away from four blurry college years, prescription medication, alcohol abuse and a tragedy, it was a case full of Bad Religion CDs. If I'd escaped with nothing but those and my life and that was all I got, I'd have still ended up on the plus side.
Funny how all dreams come true, like a fool I'm into you:At the stove, Mia is singing the English theme "Dreams Come True", from Fushigi Yugi. I love Fushigi Yugi—and I love discussing the magical-world story smackdown between Yu Watase and Rumiko Takahashi *^_~*. (That's not to say that I don't enjoy a good early episode of Inuyasha; but the bloody thing's just gone on too long in my opinion.) (Boggy—does that fall under Offensive Fic #4? *^_^*)
Scooby Snacks: Mia bribes White Blaze with bacon to go wake Rowen, much as Daphne Blake will bribe Scooby-Doo to go somewhere scary by offering a Scooby Snack.
Corrosive effluvia: As far as I know, there are no demons that have corrosive saliva in Japanese lore, particularly not the type of demon we're currently dealing with here. But in my studies of magic, a common theme is that every spell cast by someone takes on their unique personality traits—they color their own magic, so to speak, add their own inflections and accents. Also, two of my favorite movies in the whole world are Ridley Scott's Alien and James Cameron's sequel, Aliens. (Although Aliens gets extra points for starring the oh-so-yummy Michael Biehn as gorgeous Corporal Dwayne Hicks. Oh that 80s eye candy!) Anyone who's seen the H.R. Geiger-esque Aliens knows that the down side of killing them is the high possibility of getting shrapneled by their extremely corrosive blood, and I wanted to include something similar in my demon, not just for danger factor but also to show that the Ronin are dealing with a spellcaster who's, not to put too fine a point on it, toxic.
Next chapter: The Ronin go dumpster diving, Mia begins to sort out the clues as to what they're dealing with…along with some other hints she's been getting from someone else.