8

Twisted Reality

Chapter 3

A/N: Yes, I've been under a rock. Also, I don't own these characters. They're just being used for my personal entertainment and maybe yours too.

Dais didn't like the feeling he had. This pressing feeling tightened its grip on his heart and warned him that something wasn't right. The Dynasty was too quiet, more than usual, and there was a bit of unrest in the air. After Talpa's defeat by the Ronins, things in the Dynasty had immediately changed. Adjusting to a better state of mind and behavior had been difficult for him and the other two Seasonals, Cale and Sekhmet. There had been a lot of bitterness and anger about what Talpa had done to them, and complete shame of their own horrible actions.

Redemption was hard. Frankly, if he was one of the Ronins he wouldn't have been so quick to forgive and forget. The Seasonals had a lot to make up for, but he truly wondered if they'd ever accomplish that goal. This uneasy feeling didn't sit right with him. It was cold and unnatural. He didn't like it one bit. Walking down the corridor leading toward the throne room, he saw Cale and Sekhmet already at the throne room doors. The doors were closed.

"I see you two had the same idea I did," he murmured.

"And what idea was that?" Sekhmet demanded. He cast his eyes downward to stare at his shaking hands. In an effort to keep them still, he clenched them into fists and held them down at his sides.

Cale was quieter, choosing instead to pound on the doors as hard as he could. The doors echoed back with a loud clang. Any other time they would normally just teleport inside the throne room, but Kayura had placed wards to keep surprises out. It was irritating considering this was important.

"The same sense that something isn't right," Dais said, watching as Cale pounded on the doors. A few minutes later, the doors opened. Kayura stood in front of them, her hair disheveled, her kimono wrinkled around her, her eyes bloodshot with dark circles under her eyes.

The Seasonals stared at her, eyes slightly widening with alarm. Kayura said nothing at first when she ushered them inside, closing the doors behind them. She walked back to the throne, muttering incoherently, causing them to cast nervous glances between them.

Sekhmet finally grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face them. "Kayura, what is it? What has you so worried? This isn't like you, so we know something is wrong. Tell us what it is, and how we can help?"

"Yes, tell us," Cale pleaded. He hated seeing her like this. Unlike Sekhmet he didn't reach out for her, not trusting her not to throw him across the room. Sekhmet was the braver one, he was the smarter one. That didn't stop him from worrying about Kayura's abnormal behavior stirring forth apprehension and fear within his own soul. Previously, as the Warlord of Corruption and Darkness, he was prone to casting such against his targets, but seeing this troubled darkness within Kayura's soul scared him.

"It's impossible, but yet it happened," Kayura muttered. "I didn't think it was true, but it is. We are all in danger." She pulled out of Sekhmet's grip, turning her back on them to walk across the throne room toward a large book set open on a pedestal. "I've been up all night long with visions and dreams. Anubis came to me in the last one."

"Anubis?" Dais followed her, behind him Cale and Sekhmet. What did Anubis have to do with anything? His stomach knotted over the likely reason why Anubis would appear in Kayura's dreams. He asked the foreboding question for them all. "Why did Anubis come to you? Is he not at rest?" Could that have been why they were all at unease?

Kayura reached the book and flipped through it, the pages a blur as they gathered around her. "No, far from it. As I said we are all in danger. We thought Talpa had been destroyed when Ryo pulled off that last amazing attack, you know the one where he nearly sacrificed himself to do it?"

"Wait, Talpa?!" Cale slapped his hand down in the middle of the book while she was still flipping through pages to stop her for a serious discussion. She shot him an annoyed look, but he didn't relent. The page flipping could wait, this news about Talpa could not. "Kayura, talk. What is this about Talpa?"

"Talpa was never officially destroyed," Kayura said, picking up Cale's hand and pushing it back toward him. "We all thought he was, but we were fools. I was a fool." She resumed going through the books again until she came to the page she wanted. She pointed down at it. "Do you know who this picture of these parents and the small boy sailing on the ship are?"

Sekhmet's eyes lit up with recognition. "It's Torrent as a small boy with his parents, Aina and Isamu Mouri. He has this photo in his album, though whenever he looks at it sadness overcomes him and he puts it away as quickly as he can. I don't understand what this photo has to do with anything."

"I don't either," Dais said. "A trip down memory lane would be nice if it wasn't known for causing someone else suffering. We never knew Torrent's parents. His sister, Sayoko, on the other hand…" He drew his mouth into a tight-lipped grimace, refusing to speak of his first encounter with Cye's older sister while memories of Sayoka yanking his pants down in broad daylight played through his mind. He didn't step foot outside for several months. Sayoka probably still had the photos of his naked ass. His cheeks burned a little.

"Oh, but you do know them," Kayura informed, "the father at least."

"What?" Sekhmet reached out to check her for a fever, backing off when she cut him a hard, 'don't you dare' look.

"How?" Cale was quite certain he didn't know Cye's father, since the man had died when Cye was very small.

Dais said nothing, continuing to peer down at the image of the man watching the younger Cye run toward the edge of the ship's hull with a satisfied smile on his face. He looked back at Kayura, waiting expectantly for an explanation.

"Talpa is a demon and demons are spirits, capable of possessing a mortal body for a temporary period of time, thrown out either by exorcism, or when the body dies and can no longer sustain them," Kayura educated. "As such they are capable of reproducing an offspring while possessing a fertile being, using them as a tool to engage in sexual activity."

It was starting to register in their minds of the worst, no this couldn't be possible, but she's strongly hinting around that it is, revelation that they wished wasn't true. Heads shaking, fingers twitching, the shifting on the balls of their feet told Kayura what they felt about this newfound information.

Dais cleared his throat a few times before speaking again. "So, what you're saying is Talpa survived the attacks by the Ronins, and is now out there somewhere?"

"Yes," Kayura said. "All they did was destroy the armor Talpa was temporarily using while Ryo of Wildfire's virtue held him in place. Once the armor was destroyed, Talpa's demonic spirit fled, seeking a new host."

"And you think Cye is the new host?" Sekhmet looked back down at the picture of Cye again, brow furrowed.

"No, thank Kami," Kayura muttered. "But Talpa does have something to do with Cye's past." She flipped the page to a picture of the same man on the previous page. The man looked like an older version of Cye, and he had been smiling at the camera while holding a smiling, six year old Cye on his shoulders. At his side was Cye's older sister Sayoko, just staring worriedly at the camera.

The Seasonals moved in for a closer look. There was something strange about Isamu's eyes that the previous photo didn't reveal to them. The color of the irises wasn't normal

even for a set of cold, malicious looking eyes staring with a cocky smile at the camera.

"Isamu was possessed by Talpa when the Ronins were just little children," Dais offered. He checked Kayura's facial response and saw his knowledge was correct by the tense affirmative nod of her head. "How did we not know this? We were with him."

"We were not with him on the Earth back then. Left to train and prepare for the upcoming war, we four Seasonals spent decades preparing to fight anyone who opposed the Dynasty," Sekhmet responded. He briefly closed his eyes, working things out in his mind. "Talpa would often leave for days at a time for about seven years. He never informed us where he was going, or why."

"I doubt very much he would have told us if he had," Cale put in. "He only talked about wanting to take over the mortal world with the Dynasty's merging of it, while keeping us in the dark about the nine armors until he admitted that the nine armors had actually been his." He gripped his blue hair in a tight fist, shuddering. The memories and the wrongness done would never fade and would never be forgiven.

"Does Cye know about this, Kayura?" Sekhmet asked.

"I doubt it very much," Kayura replied. "Cye was little when his father was possessed by Talpa, and Talpa couldn't repossess Isamu now if he tried."

"How exactly did Isamu die?"

"Sayoko."

All three mouths dropped open below widening eyes. A mere mortal girl who had been young herself at the time had killed her own father, especially one possessed by a demonic spirit much stronger and powerful, seemed something out of a fantasy movie. It was hard to believe, but Kayura wouldn't lie about someone to them, even if the action seemed out of ordinary.

Cale relaxed as much as he could, letting out a deep sigh and placing his hand under his chin thoughtfully. He leaned against the pedestal, studying the picture of Isamu and his two children, especially of Sayoko. "How did she do it?"

Kayura shook her head with a helpless shrug. "I don't know. I only heard her mention it once during a victory party the Ronins and Mia held at Mia's home. Thank goodness the music had been loud at the time, otherwise Cye would have heard it at a time he didn't need to."

"I suppose back then, he didn't know about Talpa possessing his father?" Dais guessed.

"If he knew, he kept silent about it," Kayura said. "I doubt it very much though he did know, because if he did, he would have been more keen on fighting, especially if it meant saving his father. Cye never had the desire to fight, just the willingness to."

"Yet, he did," Sekhmet snorted back a slight chuckle. "Although I believe he could have fought a lot better had his mind and heart been more into it during our battles."

"He still defeated you," Dais pointed out.

"Shut up." Sekhmet pushed Dais slightly away from him.

Cale interrupted Sekhmet's and Dais' little banter. "Kayura, did Anubis tell you more about Talpa being back?"

"Only that he's now possessing someone else in the mortal realm. We need to visit the Ronins and inform them once we discover who it is." Kayura closed the book and ran a hand through her hair before smoothing down her kimono.

"How will we know who the unlucky bastard is that he's possessing?" Sekhmet asked.

"The Staff of the Ancients will give a warning." Kayura was calming down more, something she'd have to thank them later for. She hadn't been sure how she'd tell them anything, but it gave her hope that she could calmly inform the Ronins of this discovery. She hated to put them on edge about fighting again, especially when things were more relaxed than they had been in a long time. She bit her lip, thinking of Cye. It was going to be the hardest for him out of all of them. "I need to prepare myself for departure. You three are more than welcome to join me to search for Talpa, or you can stay here in the Dynasty. Either way, I'm going."

The three Seasonals looked at one another for a decision between them as to what they would do; stay or go with her. It didn't take them long to decide. Even though the three of them had been no match against her when Talpa held full control over her, they each felt they could help in some way, maybe even offer some protection if it came down to it.

"We're going with you," Dais said.

"Then let's hurry out, because there's no time to waste." Kayura retrieved the Staff of the Ancients and met them where she left them. A little shake of the staff and all of them transported out of the Dynasty.

The mortal world looked exactly the way it did when they last left several months ago. People were carrying on their normal routines, always in a rush to get somewhere, even to places they'd rather not be. Kayura didn't stand around for long, intent on getting right to work with the search before they wasted too much time.

Dais, Cale, and Sekhmet walked beside her, noticing the strange glances some people gave them, especially Kayura, when they walked through one of the districts supporting a variety of businesses; jewelry stores, a fish market, petshop, a bank, and a grocery store that people continually went in and out of doing their daily or weekly shopping. The strong smell of fish made Sekhmet wrinkle his nose.

Kayura kept her eyes on the staff each time they passed a mortal human, but the staff remained inactive. It was both disappointing and a relief. A disappointment because the sooner they knew, the sooner they could figure out what to do about Talpa. A relief because none of them really wanted to face Talpa again, though they could not ignore the fact that Talpa was somewhere out there, and the sooner they learned who he was currently inhabiting the sooner they could, hopefully, end this.

Leaving the little marketplace area, Kayura crossed the street. A car blared its horn at her, but she barely registered it, so focused on the task at hand. Two strong hands gripped her tightly and yanked her out of the way, a heavier body rolling with her across the rest of the way of the street.

Sekhmet untangled himself from Kayura as the car sped past. He glared at the driver, having half the mind to use his Snake Fang Strike on the tires, but decided it was better not to draw more attention to himself. People were already staring to begin with.

Dais and Cale ran across the street toward them, mindful of the passing vehicles.

"Kayura! Sekhmet! Are you both okay?" Dais gasped out, immediately checking for any possible injuries from their tuck and roll. The car had missed them by inches. Any later, and it would have struck them both.

Kayura inhaled deeply with a shaky breath. "Of all of the battles done, the one thing to nearly do me in is my own ignorance of traffic." She muttered something else under her breath that they couldn't hear before turning to look at Sekhmet, cupping his face with her free hand. "Thank you, Sekhmet. You saved my life."

Sekhmet's cheeks turned a little red, but he smiled and shrugged. "You would have done the same for me." He helped her to her feet.

"I would have," Kayura agreed. She inhaled again, turning away her own blushing face from him. "Let's continue our task. He has to be around somewhere." She continued walking, cutting across a sidewalk over a parking lot filled with parked vehicles. The parking lot had been put in several months ago to help clear up traffic parked alongside the roads, freeing up the roads for moving traffic. It was surreal to know that so many people were shopping.

"What do we do when we find him?" Cale questioned as they moved past a Jeep with several duckies on the dashboard. "If he sees us and knows we recognize him, he won't let us go. We'll have to fight him."

"That's something I considered beforehand," Kayura said. "While we were transporting out of the castle, I used the staff to put a temporary blockade on us. He won't see us while we'll be able to see him when we find him."

Dais chuckled. "Clever."

"And once we know it's him, we can tell the Ronins and then make a plan to get rid of Talpa once and for all," Sekhmet said. He pressed his lips together in deep thought as they continued their way across the parking lot and into a field that separated some houses from the marketplace. There were some families out with kids playing, running back and forth while shouting at each other gleefully. A few older teenagers hung around on one porch, listening to music and talking about an upcoming football game. The staff remained inactive.

"Not here, either," Kayura muttered, sighing again.

Dais stared at the ground, hands clasped behind his back as they left the area where the houses stood. The Staff of the Ancients was capable of many things, surprising them with its power, but was it stronger than they realized. He looked up. "Kayura, have you thought of using the staff to take us directly to Talpa's location?"

Kayura stopped short while Sekhmet and Cale glared at him before shifting their gazes elsewhere. Kayura slapped herself on the forehead and groaned. "I can't believe I didn't think about that!"

Cale coughed into his hand, but gave a little smile. "Don't feel bad. We didn't either."

"Dais did," Sekmet grumbled.

"Look, I know we don't really want to, but we have to," Dais said, cutting them both a glare of his own. "He won't see us though, or did you forget?"

Sekhmet's and Cale's embarrassed looks answered him. They were unsure if the blockade would even work on them for someone as powerful as Tapa. That same staff began to glow and its rings clanged musically. The three Seasonals put their attention to it, hearts beating a little faster than normal while looking around for any sign of Talpa. No one was around. Light surrounded them and they felt themselves ripped through space.

Reappearing in a vast yard enveloping a large parking lot of Sengoku University, the four of them carefully scrutinized the area.

Kayura checked the staff. It was glowing like crazy. She looked around again, walking about, searching for Talpa. Dais, Sekhhmet, and Cale followed her. Each of them glanced back and forth from the staff to looking around again themselves, hearts in dread.

Then Kayura stopped. A few feet away from them, a man in his mid forties with dark brown hair and dressed in a brown suit was at the trunk of his car. The man placed a large briefcase into his trunk and closed the lid, before getting into the car himself. The driver's door closed and the car started up, soon driving away.

They got a good look at the driver who didn't seem to notice them. Once the car had disappeared down the road. Kayura closed her eyes for a moment. "Let's go see the Ronins. We found him."

There was another flash of light from the staff and, again, they disappeared, reappearing within minutes at the Koji Manor. Everything seemed quiet here, the curtains drawn up tightly against closed windows that otherwise would have been opened to allow fresh air in on a beautiful day like this.

They walked up to the door and Kayura knocked loudly, stopping to wait. The door opened a few minutes later.

Mia stared in surprise, but quickly composed herself. "Kayura, Sekhmet, Dais, Cale.. What are you doing here?"

"Important business, I'm afraid." Kayura didn't smile.

"We need to talk to the Ronins," Dais said. "Are they here?"

"Yes.. they're getting ready to leave though," Mia said. "They have a surprise birthday event planned."

"They're going to have to temporarily cancel that plan," Cale said, staring at her hard. He winced when he saw her shudder. He pulled at the collar of his shirt. "Please, we must speak to them right now."

Mia still looked uncertain of what to do, but it seemed important. Still, she couldn't help questioning them. "Why do you need to see the Ronins?"

"Talpa's back and he's possessing a university professor," Kayura said. That was all it took before Mia ushered them into the living room. She closed the door behind them, and shouted, "Guys! Come here! Kayura and the Seasonals are here with some bad news you're not going to like!"

With a shaky breath, she gestured to Kayura, Dais, Sekhmet, and Cale to have a seat while they waited for the Ronins. She sat down too, staring down at the floor in disbelief while biting her lip so hard it bled.

It just couldn't be true… could it?