Chapter Two
Two Hours Later
Days tended to move forward at a nice clip when there were things to do, just to prove there were never enough hours in a day to get everything done. As had become the norm around the house, some warriors were out working at their jobs, others were training, and the remaining were trying to piece together what they could about the past.
By better knowing what had occurred hundreds, or even thousands of years prior, they hoped to better understand what it was they were facing now, or would be facing in the future. For the past did have the tendency to hold the keys to the future.
In any case, the scene the young man walked into was a rather normal one for the time of day and the day of the week. Darien Shields, also known as Tuxedo Mask (unfortunately for him), had been perhaps the only person not to stop his steady job. He'd been battling demons and working for so long, it was second nature to him.
Ally to the Senshi, Darien would be the reason why there wasn't a Sailor for the planet Earth; which was quite all right by everyone, because quite frankly there were more than enough Senshi as it was. In the past he was the Prince Endymion, and in the future he would be King…But sometimes he really wondered if he'd ever make it there.
"I'm back," He announced hanging up his coat and slipping out of his shoes and into a pair of slippers.
"Well it most certainly took you long enough," the green-haired Fall Seasonal remarked on his way out the door.
Dais was not too far behind the other man, saying with a slight snort, "I doubt he felt like putting up with a house full of hormonal females again so soon."
"No, that's not it," the Prince of Earth took pause, "Wait, are they at it already?"
Both Seasonal Warriors chortled at the man's assumption, before quickly dispelling his fears and then slinking outside. The young man simply shook his head at the two, and shut the door softly behind them.
He casually moved into the living room immediately spying the Elemental Senshi, he gave a slight bow of his head in acknowledgement to them. Kirstin was the only one actually having noticed his entrance, and she offered him a wry grin before diverting her attention back to the conversation.
"We haven't so much as minutely sensed a negative presence," Vannesa said in mild complaint, "Either the enemy is up to something, or somebody is doing the work for us."
The Senshi of Earth spoke up, "Rei told me that ever since September she hasn't been able to connect with her usual method of finding out information. However, over our 'vacation'…" The woman took a pause, "Or should I call it temporary eviction?"
Here Darien had to chuckle; Elayne had most certainly pushed and nearly shoved the warriors to get out and go see their families, or just to find something else to do in that time. To get away and focus on 'normal' even if it only lasted for a few sparse weeks, and nothing for nothing it had helped.
"Rei managed to connect for a short while, and what she saw and felt was that this is soon to take a turn for the worse," Kirstin murmured quietly, "Hotaru says she feels a great disturbance, and I've noticed that Sage is tense."
Aurora let out a low moan, and leaned back into the sofa, "You know you're in trouble when practically every empath, psychic, and spiritually-inclined person in the house feels the world is going to end. Ugh, we're doomed."
Darien chortled outright at this, saying, "You think so?"
Callista offered a slight grin, "Nah, it's just an assumption. Back so soon?"
"Yeah, they needed me to work late, so," he gave a loose shrug of his shoulders, "Same old thing here, though right?"
"Sort of," the red-headed Elemental broke in, "Our resident geniuses managed to find a whole stash of scrolls and ancient texts. They were hidden in one of the bookshelves."
The man blinked and tilted his head, a frown on his face, as he waited for someone to further explain the situation.
"Solely by accident," the Sailor of Air took over, "Kayura was helping us, and as she went to get a book from that rundown shelf in the back, the whole thing just gave way. Revealing another bookcase behind it, containing all this old stuff…"
Her lips twitched upward in amusement, "It was a great find, and what makes it humorous is that Rowen ended up catching Kayura, even though he didn't mean to."
Darien started to laugh, "Oh you're kidding, she landed on him?"
"Yup. Entirely out of everyone's control, but what a picture that made."
The Prince of Earth could only imagine what a Kodak moment that had been, and thinking about it was funny, seeing the real thing had to have been hysterical.
"In any case," Vanessa had managed to get her own laughter back under control, "They think the stuff is in some sort of ancient Japanese dialect, so the Seasonals went up to look, but Elayne had walked in hearing the commotion…" She gave a shrug of her shoulders, "She had a thirty minute head start, so it's possible she'll have something before they do."
"Um, Sekhmet and Dais just walked out the door, about ten minutes ago," Darien pointed out.
"Eh?!"
If he could have, the man so would have sweat-dropped. The four of them had been sitting in the living room for almost that full-length of time, and they had not seen the Seasonals? However, Darien forgot to take into account that it was the Seasonals; and the older beings never did anything in a predictable manner.
"She's pushy," the green-haired Fall Seasonal grunted out, having taken a blow to his arm.
His opponent gave a half-snort, and rolled his ice-blue eye, "She was right in what she said, Sekhmet. We were getting frustrated, and needed to take a breather."
"True, but she didn't have to be so snappy about it," the man rebutted, trying to get in a high-kick, and executing it perfectly.
Dais chortled a little, "The pacing and snipping was starting to irritate her. The girl has proven herself to be patient, but it can wear thin. She's only human after all."
"Comparing us to the Ronin though," Sekhmet huffed slightly in annoyance.
"You were acting just like them," Elayne complained from the railing on the second porch, "Trust me, you were."
"Ah, any luck?" the Summer Seasonal queried, to change the topic.
"Kinda," Elayne rubbed at her forehead, "The text I have now, seems to reference dates and events in the past…Umm, one of the past lives. I'm trying to see if I can find something that'd give you a better idea where the enemy is, and what it takes to get Akemliek loose."
The Seasonal of Fall frowned now, he and Dais having bowed and given up their match for now, "Is there anything that references a prophecy book, perhaps?"
"Mmm," the girl was silent, thinking it over, "Not sure, why do you ask?"
"Think about it, we have a lot of gifted people here, and it stands to reason it was in the blood," Sekhmet explained, "Maybe one of their ancestors, or someone related to them had prophetic abilities…"
He fell silent a moment, not sure whether he should continue…Afraid, that he might upset her, since he was aware of something, even though she had not mentioned it.
Kayura had told the Seasonal Warriors about why the girl had been so hurt by words spoken during a time when the Ronins were being near-controlled by negativity. Elayne An Catarina Mogami had not existed prior to Rini's future, if she had, she had never been involved with the warriors like she was now.
Someone, or something, had seen a reason to place the girl into the current time-line, in order to better help secure a peaceful and stable future. The 'who' was unknown to them, but not to a certain group of Senshi that represented the Outer Planets.
Even though these people were living together, it did not mean they completely trusted one another. Especially when it came to handing out information; if one group found out something on their own, they never told the other everything (or anything at all).
Meaning, in short, not everyone was on the same exact page. Unfortunately, this lack of communication would prove to be a grave error with profound unintended consequences.
"Sekhmet?" Elayne inquired, looking at him strangely, "You stopped mid-thought and sentence. What is it that you wanted to say?"
"Mmm," he scratched at his head, and looked to Dais for guidance. The white-haired man merely shrugged his shoulders, and Sekhmet scowled at this…Dais merely didn't want to get on the girl's bad side, the coward.
"Maybe, even one of yours, perhaps?" the Fall Seasonal lamely finished.
Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp, "Of course, Naotoki, you're a genius! That would explain why I only remember my grandmother, and not my parents." She turned on her heel and went back inside.
Sekhmet let out a breath he'd been holding in. and hearing chuckling from behind him, he turned around and raised an eyebrow at the Summer Seasonal, wordlessly asking for an explanation.
"She called you by your name," Dais said in a taunting tone, "When did that happen?"
Sekhmet proceeded to trip his friend and sparring partner, saying with a slight scoff, "Stop reading into things spider-eye. You never were good at making predictions."
"Oh ha, funny," the white-haired man grumbled, knowing what Fall Seasonal was referring to. Sekhmet meant the fights with the Ronin Warriors back in nineteen-eighty-eight during the Dynasty's attempted invasion of earth. Of course, not like any of them were good at reading their enemy back then, nor were they any better at reading the Ronins as allies.
"Come on, I'm sure she'll come up with something now," Sekhmet murmured as he walked back into the house. Dais slightly shook his head, picked himself up and followed.
Cale had been surprised to see the girl came back inside in such a hurry, but he had tried to pay it little mind as he went back to deciphering the scroll he was reading. Soon, however, he became more interested in trying to figure out what she was doing.
Elayne had moved to a bookshelf, tapped it, shook her head, moved to the next and repeated the process. She was on her fourth bookshelf now, and a frown had settled onto her face.
Kayura had also took notice of the strange routine, and after a few moments of pause, queried, "Elayne, what are you up to?"
"Looking for something," the girl responded, ducking behind another shelf, "Sekhmet brought it to my attention actually."
"Oh, and what might that be?" the Winter Seasonal asked, tilting his head slightly.
"That-" there was suddenly a loud thud, and she exclaimed, "Found it!" She re-emerged with a large volume in her hands. The book was thick, and covered in dust; she walked over and gently placed it on the table.
"What is it?" Kayura blinked a look of confusion on her face.
"Like I said, Sekhmet mentioned it. Look for something that mentions a prophecy book," She paused as the Summer and Fall Seasonal entered the room, before saying, "And that it was possible an ancestor had made one; you got your abilities from somewhere, after all. But, so did I."
Elayne then opened the book, and continued, "My grandmother was a shaman, but I had to inherit the seer traits from her too. I was put into this time to make up for a mistake the last time, from what you and I have figured, Kay. I can recall plenty about my grandmother. Her mannerisms, voice, what she looked like, things she told me about herself…I can't remember my parents at all, so why can I remember only her? Unless-"
"It was done on purpose, so as to correct whatever problem might have occurred, if not to avoid it completely," Dais finished, stroking his chin in thought, "It makes perfect sense. Leave us a way to prepare for things to come, by leaving a book and only one person with knowledge of it, so as not to raise suspicion."
Elayne merely nodded to what the Summer Seasonal said, affirming he was on the correct train of thought. The room was silent at this, for it did make sense in a way; but that didn't mean anyone was comfortable with it.
"Where has Anubis vanished too now?" Cale inquired suddenly, having realized the bearer of Spring was not present.
"He and Ryo went out for a walk," Kayura answered, saying with a sigh, "He thought the fresh air might help some, and it does keep the other Ronin from getting suspicious."
Ryo was ill, but at this time everyone in the house thought it was nothing more than a winter cold…However, the Seasonals knew better than that. With the strain that had been placed on the Ronin Leader's mind and body, which was followed by a near-death experience…It was not surprising that he would still be suffering from the aftermath of that.
In fact, it was quite possible it would take anywhere from six to eight months for Ryo to completely heal from the ordeal. Time which they were not sure they had, but for now they saw no reason to worry the other Ronin or involve the Senshi so they left the matter alone.
If they had thought Ryo was in immediate danger, then they would have pressured him to tell the others what was going, or come out and said what was up themselves. As it was, things were quiet, so to bring it up was impractical.
"This is her hand-writing, and definitely a prophecy book," Elayne slowly murmured, tracing the pages with her fingers, "Text is really worn though, but in any case, some of these things have occurred already. This book is from one of the past lifetimes, it has to be. So, guess that means the same for me."
"Ah, about that, umm," Cale hesitated, before querying, "I am curious as to why you are behaving in such a way about this topic. You don't seem surprised that we know you aren't from this time."
Elayne grinned a little, "I don't think I would have ever brought myself to say it, so I asked Kayura to tell you. However, by the time I broached the subject you'd already been informed."
Kayura gave a rather sheepish grin to this; she had already apologized to Elayne for saying it to others. The girl really didn't care though, as long as she didn't have to tell people herself it worked.
"In fact, the Outer Senshi already knew and they told the Inner," she continued, flipping through the pages, looking for something, "I noticed a change in attitude towards me so I asked Trista, and she confirmed it." She paused, and looked up and said in a calm tone, "You really have to work on your communications with each other; it could lead to your downfall if you aren't careful."
She said nothing further on it, as a scowl settled onto her features, "This isn't good. I think I just discovered the reason why your enemy pulled back."
The Seal of Light shall be shattered,
Upon the collection of the powers and their rage.
But, at first the enemy shall not succeed,
Having far underestimated their need.
Only when the element of five is called,
Can the last of the power be collected.
To anyone those lines might not mean a whole lot, but the minute the Seasonals heard them, they knew instantly what it referred too. Relaying it to everyone else in the house hadn't been that much of an issue. Of course they had gotten blank looks from everyone, except the Ronin Elementals. The five young men heard that part, and each of them went as near-to-sheet-white as humanely possible.
Given the opportunity, Kayura gladly would have told them everything else they needed to know, right then and there. However, she knew she couldn't, as it was neither the time nor the place. For now, she would have to wait, and let them come to terms with this issue, presenting all the other ones.
Swallowing the fact that the Inferno armor was one more pawn in this never-ending game of chess, was not easy. One had to wonder when this cat-and-mouse nonsense would end, and things would reach the climax. For many of the warriors, this felt like it had been going on far too long without a major fight, which is something they were used to having.
Unfortunately, as the saying goes to be careful what you wish for; all too soon they would be getting more than what they bargained for.
Sage's lips were turned slightly in a frown, his brows furrowed, "So, I guess it means it is possible then. But this begs to question, why we couldn't before."
"There's no telling really," the Ronin of Strata gently brought in, "Maybe it didn't consider Suzunagi enough of a threat to be bothered with. Or, maybe it just didn't hear us."
"Or maybe it ignored us, we could be here for years if we try and go over all the possibilities for it not coming then," Cye broke in, to stop Rowen before he went off on a full-analysis of the matter.
"Yeah, but what guarantee do we have that'd come now?" Kento inquired, arms crossed resolutely in front of his chest.
Ryo watched his friends with a weary-eye, having return from the walk he had gone on with the Spring Seasonal. The two of them had come upon the four young men, and Lady Ancient, and immediately knew by the looks on their faces something was up.
The Ronin of Wildfire was not surprised by this latest development; he had known all along Inferno could still be called. Even now, he could feel the presence of that armor in the back of his mind, more so since the coma and reawakening of his memories.
However, he was very reluctant to make this fact known, he did not want to concern the others, even though it was necessary to tell them…But, maybe, that could wait for another day.
"It was explained to me this way," Kayura said slowly, before murmuring out, "Each of the armors are an element, or season merely in solid form. The Inferno armor is the same, except it requires using the other armors to form. It uses the strength and connection between the armors to come into this world. Talpa's armors were destroyed, true enough. Yet, the elements were not, and nor was the connection between the bearers. So, if needed and called for Inferno will form."
Rowen sighed heavily through his nose, "Unfortunately, put that way it does make perfect sense. I just hope we don't need that thing."
"But we might though," Ryo brought in quietly, "Think about it, it's the only thing we haven't tried. It's January, winter for a good part of the planet, which is going to make touching Thanos and Kali now extremely difficult. Add to the fact, they've got almost all the energy they need to free Akemliek, and we're running out of options and time."
"True as that might be, using Inferno would give them exactly what they need," the Water Ronin rebutted.
"Not if Kali is incinerated by it," the Ronin Leader said in a calm tone, "Look, no one wants that thing buried forever and never mentioned again, anymore than I do. You guys have no clue, what it was like trying to fight with that armor, and I pray you never come close to an understanding of it. But, if it comes to using it, then what choice do we have?"
"There's always another choice Ryo," the Lady Ancient remarked quietly, subsequently reminded them that she was still there. "However, in the end it depends upon which consequence one will be most likely to handle as to which option should be taken."
She gave a polite bow of her head and excused herself from their presence, leaving them to talk amongst themselves now.
Kento watched the woman walk away, a small frown on his face; he turned eyes to his leader, "What did she mean?" The question had been phrased and directed at the Ronin of Wildfire with more than just the meaning Kayura had given; Kento knew that right off the bat.
"It's," he hesitated, running a hand through his ebony locks. Should he tell them? Tell them what the armors and virtues had done to him, that in trying to cling on to someone they had ended up poisoning him? It made him not only sick, but weak as well; making him vulnerable to enemy attacks. If he had to use Inferno in his current state, he would die…It was as simple as that. "Nothing, she worries too much, that's all."
Sage's violet eyes narrowed, that pause had been far too long to be good. He stood at attention now; he slightly tiled his head, using both eyes to stare down the Wildfire Ronin.
"Ryo, if there is something you need to tell us, just tell us, we don't need protecting," the blond swordsman remarked.
He might've winced, but he had expected that they would catch on to him sooner or later; but for right now he just wasn't willing to tell them. "I'll tell you guys later, all right? I don't want to talk about it right now."
"Fair enough," the Ronin of Trust murmured, letting out a sigh, "Just once, can't we have a normal non-depressing day?"
"Keep dreaming buddy," the Hardrock Ronin snorted out, clapping his friend on the shoulder, "Our lives don't happen to run that way."
The enemy seemed to enjoy making sure their lives didn't run perfectly. It didn't help there was no trust and communication between the groups. Elayne had spoken wisely; the lack of communication would cost them dearly.
It was too late, far too late for them to be stopped now. She watched the Ronin Warriors converse with a sneer on her face. Like a cat stalking its prey before the inevitable pounce, Kali continued to linger in the shadows provided by the trees.
There was no way to stop Akemliek's revival; no way at all…It would not be much longer before the prophecy would come to completion. The warriors would be caught in the middle, and if all went well their numbers would be reduced.
It was hard to guarantee that, but she and Thanos would do their best…In fact, Kali was already aware of a way to bring the warriors down. She could do nothing about it now, but when the warriors found the entrance to the realm…As they would soon do, because the magic hiding it had been removed…The minute they had entered the tunnels, her plans would be far easier to complete.
She was eager to get started, but knew better than to rush into something like this. No, for now patience would have to be her guide. Kali cast one more glance over her enemies, before cackling lowly in her throat and disappearing.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed your two chapter update; Book 4 is coming along at a decent pace. Don't be afraid to PM and ask about updates, I know some authors hate that...But I don't as most of my works are already completed (noted exception being Unspoken), and I don't think to update the completed stories on here that often. So if I haven't updated in a month, PM me and ask if I plan on updating this story anytime soon. :)
Thanks for reading, and for those who have reviewed!
LG