Chapter Sixty Six
She could hear his terrible laugh as she walked through the castle. Having her armor allowed her to maneuver far easily around the place than had she been on foot like the ronins. She felt bad for them, no armor and she kinda ruined their hope for the girl named Hoshi. Her mom wasn't Hoshi.
She paused to think about the look in her young father's eyes.
Heartbreak.
She looked at her hand, she was still here. She had to assume she was doing something right, to still exist in history.
The castle was dark and filled with nether spirits that she quickly vanquished as she found herself going through the place. Talpa would laugh occasionally, and she would cringe. Her father had to fight him twice before?
A shudder went through her momentarily.
She then turned a corner and met face to face with Ryo and Kento, who jumped back.
Cerule shook her head, "geez, watch where you're going."
Kento looked her over, "you're not some trick...are you?"
She held up Lokasenna , almost threatening him, "do I look like one, uncle?"
"You can't be too sure with...uh...him around," Kento replied and Ryo gentle nodded in agreement.
Ryo whispered, "so you're cat is out of the bag. You can tell us about your future, so we can help you better."
She frowned as she she looked at both of them, her mother would totally disapprove of such moves. "Look, my future isn't much to look forward to," she said as she wrinkled her nose. "Japan is pretty abandoned and still being fought over."
"Still being fought over," Ryo asked in shock. "You mean we don't defeat the nether realm again?"
"I don't know, Dad and Mum never told me much," she replied with a heavy shrug and started to head down the maze another way than she was originally headed for. "Most of the US too. Something about their presidents causing to much war and such."
"Why didn't they tell you anything," Ryo grumbled, "It doesn't seem like a Rowen thing."
"I don't talk to them much," she replied as she thought of her own time. She never really thought about why she didn't talk to them, "we're just estranged I guess."
Ryo just looked at Kento who shrugged, "sounds like you spend more time with us."
"I do..."
Kento sighed, "what exactly did Rowen and Baroness do?"
"They had my brother," she replied angrily. "He inherited Strata, he's their prize boy."
"That doesn't sound like our Ro."
"People change," she grumbled as she led them along, her cape billowing her behind her.
Kento leaned over and whispered, "we don't know what Hoshi's death did to Ro. He hasn't been himself lately."
"I don't think so, there's more to this," Ryo whispered back and then said to her. "What's Rowen like in your time?"
"Dad? He's pretty cold," she paused, "and mom too. They found out my virtue and considered me a freak, that and I inherited an armor that didn't belong to either of them."
"How did you inherit it?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
Ryo frowned and whispered to Kento, "what if her future is messed up too?"
"You mean, and she doesn't remember it?"
"Yeah, what if it got messed up when she was a kid?"
"What are you guys whispering about," she said looking back at them with a frown. "It's not polite to whisper."
Ryo nodded and came up to her side, "have you considered that maybe if our past is messed up, maybe your future is too?"
"I guess it would be..."
"Perhaps your parents wouldn't be how they are."
She stopped and looked at him seriously and then at Kento, "he's the only one I remember being like he is now."
"Kento never changes," said Ryo.
He griped, "hey!"
She shrugged, "then what's your idea, Uncle Ryo?"
"We go take down Talpa again, save Ruby, and then go to the Old Ones so they don't mess with us anymore," he replied and Kento gave an approving nod. Of course he would approve, he would approve of anything so brash.
She laughed and said, "If we make it out alive."
They saw a white rabbit in the distance looking at them curiously. It twitched its nose and ears, and as they got closer they noticed a set of glowing antlers on its head. It smiled and hopped forward a bit.
Kento asked Cerule, "relative of yours?"
"Oh shut up, Uncle, its obviously a nether spirit," she replied as she stepped forward. The rabbit twitched again and they began to follow it.
It stopped at a crossroad and they heard a howl. The rabbit almost seemed to smile and vanished. Cerule said, "sounds like auntie Ra."
They saw a shadow pass over head and they tensed up, but the sound of wings was soft.
"Ryo!"
Ryo felt a the shadow drop on him, and he felt Leea's soft arms embrace him. He gave her a sweet kiss as she fluttered her wings closed and landed perfectly on one foot.
Raleigh was panting as she jumped to the nearest roof top in her wolf form, Cye and Mia were on her back. Cye climbed off and jumped down easily, "hey!"
"Where's Blaze," asked Ryo as he looked them over.
"Ugh, long story," Mia said as she carefully jumped down into Cye's arms and he put her down. Raleigh jumped down quietly and looked up at Cerule with a soft growl. "Whatever distortions are going on, they're getting worse! We saved Kayura, but she vanished almost immediately."
"You fought Kayura last night," asked Kento suspiciously. "We fought Kayura last night."
"See, we have to end this quickly," Mia fumed and they saw her blink out for a moment. They starred at her, her hair had changed as well. It was now cut in a short bob.
Kento chewed a knuckle, "Mia... you're hair just changed."
She reached up and felt it, "Ahhhhhh!"
Leea gulped, "this really does need to end soon. I just wish I could help more!"
Ryo reached in his pocket and pulled out her orb, "did you forget something?"
She hugged and gave him a deep kiss as Raleigh looked up at the castle, they could see a figure watching them from the roof. She growled,Emperor Talpa.
The armored being chuckled, "so many all together! This will be easy!"
Raleigh instantly shifted into her human form and summoned her armor as the armored being jumped down to them. He wasn't in his larger form that the ronins knew too well, but Raleigh knew that this was probably just a chosen form. She unsheathed one of her swords as Cerule summoned Lokasenna. She looked back them, she also knew that neither her or Cerule would be strong enough to defeat the shadowy monstrosity. Her eyes darted back to the ronins, leave us! You need to go find Ruby and defeat her first, other wise you won't be able to use your armors.
Leea protested, "but Raleigh..."
I won't be able to find your friend if we're not alive, not that I have the faintest notion how, but just let be who I am. I am a Yojimbo, she turned back to face Talpa. Her hand gripped the sword tightly at her side as he approached them.
Cerule turned her blue eyes to her, "we can take 'im."
"Don't do anything stupid," Ryo replied to them and they ran in other direction as they heard a large explosion from the other side of the castle. They could see an armored dragon raising above the smoke and gold light pierced one of its wings.
Leea squinted as she the dragon crash, she could see an armored figure in the distance but she gulped and said, "it's Rowen!"
Kento looked through the smoke and saw the gleam of a golden bow as another light flashed at the the dragon who roared with fiery breath. Kento said, "it doesn't look right though..."
"It's possessed," Mia gulped as she flashed out of existence again. Her hair returned to normal length but her outfit was different, she held her head, "it looks like how the armors did when you fought Mukala."
"This is not good," Cye said as Mia blinked out again and then back into existence. She was wearing her normal clothes and she fell to her knees. She looked so exhausted. He helped her up by throwing an arm over his shoulder.
Leea flapped her wings softly, "Ill meet you guys over there."
"What are you going to do," Ryo asked of her. She could see his worry, so she gave him a soft kiss and flapped her heavy wings and headed off towards the dragon. He turned and looked back at Cerule and Raleigh, they were already exchanging blows with Talpa. They had to get over to Ruby. He turned and started running, the others following behind him.