OMG! I'm alive! And this is all thanks to Girl with a Golden Heart aka Kurokage Tenshi. She sent me a PM asking me for an update not once, but twice! And she had been patiently waiting for an update for 4 years! OMG! I felt I owed it to her. I mean, I never thought that would happen to me. Sure, I've e-mailed my favorite fic authors after a few years to see if there was still any activity, but I never expected to have someone waiting on me. When I starting writing fics, I always figured anyone who would read my fics were just passing by. They'd like it, but if I disappear for a while, no one would really care. And here I'm proven wrong! Well, enough of me, you all waited for this. And for those new. Welcome!
PS I fixed a few typos in the other chapters.
Ch 3- A Bond
Ryo groaned as he felt the sunlight hit his face. He didn't want to wake up just yet. This was the best sleep he had in a long time. He wanted to stay in the warmth. With another groan, he rolled over and tugged the blanket over his head.
Even though he didn't want to open his eyes, even though he fought to stay in the dream state, there was a nagging in the back of his mind. Telling him he should wake. Strange, since normally his body was more than willing to stay lost in sleep rather than face the reality of his life.
With a sigh of frustration, Ryo sat up, giving his muscles a stretch. A soft growl from his right caught his attention. Wise brown eyes stared at the boy as he tried to put the pieces together from sleep.
"Whiteblaze," he said at last, remembering the majestic tiger. "Right, so the whole demon thing was real huh?" A cold nose butted against his arm. "Morning Boy." He gave a scratch to the tiger's head. "I was just remembering things." In his still sleep hazed mind, he pondered how normal is felt to treat this dangerous animal as a tame house cat. Whiteblaze's pleased rumble didn't help to strike terror either.
A soft knock echoed in the room.
"Come in," called Ryo, his voice weak.
The door opened to reveal Sage. "Good Morning," the blonde greeted. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah, I did. Thanks." Ryo rubbed at his throat. It felt dry. Maybe he should get a glass of water. The orphan was startled when Sage handed him a cup. "Thank you." He gulped the cold liquid. It helped to sooth his throat if only a little.
"Cye sent me to get you for breakfast," the demon explained.
"Ah. I'll be out in a minute."
With a nod, Sage left the room. When the door closed, Ryo fell back onto the bed with a bounce. He really didn't want to get up, even if it was for the rare chance of food. He lay there for a few minutes more before giving out a long sigh. Ryo pushed his body off the bed and straighten his clothes. A sudden wave of dizziness hit him. Blue eyes shut tightly, willing the room to stop spinning.
Whiteblaze looked up at the human, letting out a questioning growl.
Once the dizziness had passed, Ryo looked to the tiger. "I'm okay. Just a little dizzy. I'm sure I'll feel better with some food."
With Whiteblaze by his side, Ryo exited the room.
Cye hummed happily as he assembled the feast he had prepared. Mr. Kido had a fully stocked store room built under the kitchen for the time when they would be released. Some items had passed their time, but a little demon power took care of that. Cye had enjoyed cooking for the old man, the recipes so different than in the past. Sadly, being tied to the Box, he was unable to eat any of them. He planned on making up for that.
Kento agreed completely. "Oh man! This looks awesome!"
Cye slapped the hand that inched towards the pile of bacon. "Wait until everyone gets here."
"But Cye~" whined the larger teen. When Sage entered the room Kento's eyes lit up but dimmed at seeing Ryo was not with him. "Hey Sage. Where's Ryo? He's coming right?"
The blonde nodded as he took his seat.
"Why do we have to wait for that brat?" demanded Cale. He wanted to eat damn it!
"It's only polite," stated Cye. "And don't call him a brat."
"Yeah, Cale," said Rowen as he brought plates to the table. "He did release us from the box."
Dais grunted. "He's just a shrimp. There's no way he can handle the power."
"You don't know that," stated Sage.
"Quiet," commanded Anubis. All fell silent. "We are free from the seal, and for that we should be grateful. As for the kid, we will decide things if the time comes. Even if it never does, we are bound by honor to serve him in anyway we can."
Before anyone could comment, footfalls could be heard from the hall. Kento walked to the doorway excitedly. "Morning buddy!" he greeted. "So Cye, we can dig in now?"
Rowen swung his arm around the dark haired boy's shoulder. "Come on Ryo, let's sit down before Kento starves to death."
Dais snorted. "I'd like to see that."
The blue haired demon guided him to a chair before taking a seat next to the human. Whiteblaze gave a pleased rumble when Cye placed a pile of stakes in front of him.
"The brat's here so let's eat." Cale took hold of his chopsticks.
"You guys didn't have to wait for me," Ryo said.
Cye waved the comment off. "Nonsense. It's only polite."
The meal continued with small talk between the younger boys. The demons told Ryo about the feudal era they had lived in, about the battles they fought. Ryo was enjoying the conversation until it turned to him.
"So enough about us," began Rowen. "What about you? What brings you to an old rundown temple in the middle of nowhere?"
Ryo looked down, poke at his eggs. "Uh well…nothing really. I'm an orphan. I was just looking for someplace to stay.
"An orphan? That's rough man. Explains why you're so skinny though," said Kento before stuffing a sausage link in his mouth.
Cye placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry for you loss."
"It's okay. It was a long time ago," said Ryo, a cough following.
Cye's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine," the human stated before another coughing fit hit.
Rowen looked at him worriedly. "Maybe not man."
"Hm," grunted Shekmet. "Humans are so weak."
Cye placed a hand on Ryo's forehead. "You're burning up! Maybe you should lie down."
When the coughing subsided, Ryo was left feeling tired and weak. "Maybe you're right. I do feel a bit dizzy." He got up from the table and quickly grabbed hold of the surface as the room spun.
"Come on, dude. I'll help ya to your room." Rowen steadied the human and walked with him out of the room, Whiteblaze followed.
The room was silent for a moment. When Cye was sure the ill boy was out of shot, he spoke. "His fever is pretty high. Abnormally so." He held up his hand. A tinge of red decorated his palm.
Kento sat back. "So does that mean…"
All eyes turned to Anubis as he sat silently, arms crossed. "We will wait and see."
Ryo's world kept spinning with each step he took. Blue eyes slid shut in and effort to end it, trusting Rowen and Whiteblaze would guide him. The entered Ryo's room and the air demon helped Ryo to lay on the bed.
"There you go buddy. Do you feel any better?"
"A little, thanks. I don't know what hit me."
"I'll go see if we can't find any medicine around here. I know Mr. Kido kept some since it was a trek to town if he ever did get sick. I'll be right back." Rowen turned to the tiger. "You keep and eye on him, okay, Blaze?"
The beast rumbled in reply as Rowen exited the room.
A weak cough escaped the boy again. Whiteblaze gave a small lick to his face. "I'll be okay, Blaze. I've had worse. I just need some rest."
Rowen returned to the room a pill bottle and glass of water in his hands. "Here you go, Ryo. Now these will make you drowsy, not that I think you're against it."
"Thanks." Ryo swallowed the pills and water, handing the glass back. "Sorry for being a bother."
Rowen gave him a warm smile. "Think nothing of it. We're buds. Just get some sleep and get better."
"Ok." His eyes drifted shut, body ready to rest. Quietly, the demon exited the room.
His dreams were filled with flames and a burning heat. He lay on a bed of hot embers, feeling safe and content. The fiery fingers brushed against him, comforting him, protecting him from the shadows that lay beyond. Tiger blue eyes watched the dancing flames attack any shadows that started too close to their liking. Ryo closed his eyes, curling deeper into the heat.
A splash of cold water ruined his warm heaven, bringing him to the waking world. Sleepy blue eyes blinked before focusing on the auburn haired demon beside him.
"Sorry," apologized Cye. "I didn't mean to wake you. When I came to check on you, you were sweating up a storm." He held up the cloth in his hand. "Are you feeling alright?"
Ryo blinked his dazed eyes as he processed what was being said. "I feel tired."
Cye smiled. "Then I'll let you get back to sleep." Cye placed the repapered cloth upon Ryo's for head. Cye turned to leave but Ryo's soft voice stopped him.
"I've never had anyone take care of me like this before. It's…nice…"
Cye's heart almost broke at hearing those words. He looked at the sleeping boy. They all knew Ryo had more troubles in his life than just being a mere orphan on the streets. Exactly what it was remained a mystery.
'Why anyone would want to hurt him, I have no idea.' Ryo was too nice to have anyone hate him. Even though the warlords spoke badly of him, they still had a level of respect for the boy-though they would never admit it. 'He's one of us now.' With that thought, he left the room, planning on talking to the other ronins.
Brown eyes watched the sick boy. He became restless after a few minutes of sleep. Coming to a decision, the tiger climbed onto the bed as carefully as he could so as to not disturb the boy. When Ryo's hand brushed against fur, he stopped moving. Whiteblaze gave a soft rumble as the boy settled down into a peaceful sleep.
Anubis sat in a darkened room, the flickering candle his only light. Silence echoed around him. He opened his eyes.
"All right."
And that's a wrap. Now, bad news. I have nothing further written or typed. Good news is I have an outline of what I want to happen. Also good news, because of my recent motivation, I might get the next chapter out sooner than 4 years. Please continue to be patient with me. But a good kick in the pants helps too.