Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Awakening Angel ❯ Pain of Reuniting ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: The Ronin Warriors are not my property. I still dearly wish they were, but can't have everything I want, no? Kenji, Miaka, Shara, Eros, Rime, and the Empress are mine. If anyone ever actually wants to use any of 'em, you gotta ask me first.

The Pain of Reuniting

She awoke on a cold stone floor. Shara looked at her hands, her wrists, and the dark bruises that were forming. Reminders. Horrid reminders of what had happened. She sat up, wrapping her arms around herself and rocking back and forth, wondering why tears wouldn't come. After a while, her mind finally emerged from its fog long enough to register that she was now wearing a familiar black jacket over her naked body. Her head shot up and she looked wildly around the rest of the room, fearing who else might be with her.

"You looked cold," a soft voice said.

Shara turned to look over her shoulder. Miaka leaned against a blank stone wall, not three feet away. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed her before. A shackle was on her right ankle, chaining the lovely redhead to the wall. A five-foot chain gave Miaka plenty of slack so she could move about, but very effectively prevented her escape.

"Miaka…" Shara was relieved at first, but then was stricken by a horrible thought. Her friend must have seen the state of her body when she had dressed her in the jacket. She must know what had happened. Suddenly Shara was ashamed to even look at Miaka and quickly averted her gaze.

"You know." It wasn't a question, only a statement of fact.

"Yes." Shara heard the rustle of the chain as Miaka walked across the floor. She soon felt a light touch on her shoulder. "I know. But you don't need to hide from me, Shara. Whatever happened… None of it was your fault. There's no way you could've stopped it or gotten away. Please don't blame yourself."

"Maybe I should… I let it happen. Maybe there's something I could have done… something I didn't try… Maybe I just didn't fight hard enough. Maybe I even deserved it…" She was shaking even harder now. "God… How am I going to face Sage? He'll be so disgusted…"

Miaka wrapped the trembling woman in a gentle embrace. "No, he won't be. He'll understand that you were helpless. He'll understand that it wasn't your idea. Don't let any of that worry you."

"How can he understand? How can anyone understand?" She shoved her friend away. "Nothing you can say will make this any better! I'll always remember. I'll always know what I allowed some man to do to me." She scrubbed at her arms with her fingernails. "God! I can still feel him! It won't go away! His hands… His hands… I can still feel them!" Shara scratched at her arms until the skin tore and bled.

"Shara! Shara! Stop that!" Miaka grabbed her friend's wrists and held them firmly. "Please… It's over… He can't hurt you any more."

The blonde woman struggled for a moment, but soon her body went limp. When Miaka released her hands, she pressed them to her face, as if to hide the tears that should be flowing. Dry sobs shook her body, but still not one tear would fall from her eyes. She pulled back her hands and gave her friend a miserable look. "Why can't I cry, Miaka? Why? It isn't fair! All he took… he took my tears away, too."

Miaka paused, trying to figure out what to say. "You're just… in shock, Shara. Give it a little time. You'll be okay." She smiled reassuringly at her forlorn friend and offered her hand. "Come on. Together, I know we can find a way out of here. Then we can go kick that bastard's butt."

Meekly, Shara nodded and took Miaka's hand. The two stood and looked around the dark dungeon, searching for any possible escape route. There seemed to be an area of darker shadow on the far wall that could possibly be a door, but there was no way to be certain. Miaka thought for a moment and gave her friend's hand a gentle squeeze. "Okay, here's the plan. First we have to figure out how to get this thing off my leg. Then we go check and see if that's a door and bust our way out of here." She glanced down at her ankle and frowned. "Now. How do we get this thing off?"

Shara gazed down at it, a blank look on her face. "I… I don't know… We don't have a key…"

"No, guards don't generally give keys to their prisoners so they can escape," Miaka teased. "So… Hmm… I don't suppose you have a hairpin or anything. That would be way too convenient."

Shara shook her head slowly. "No… I don't even think I own one…"

"I wouldn't doubt it." Miaka laughed. "Well, guess we'll just have to figure something else out."

Shara fiddled with the zipper on one of the jacket's pockets. "I don't have any ideas… I can't do anything…"

"Jeez, you're no help today." Miaka gave her friend a quick hug. "That's okay. I can come up with something." She patted her own pockets then, finding nothing, examined the jacket Shara was wearing. "Hey… I wonder. If we could tear off one of those zippers, it might be long enough to trip the tumblers in the lock." She shrugged. "Well, it's worth a try anyway. C'mere, Shara."

She stepped obediently to Miaka's side. The redhead grabbed a zipper on one of the pockets, twisting and tugging on it until it came free. "Alright! Now let's see if this is going to work." She kneeled on the cold stone floor and inserted the rather large silver rectangle into the keyhole of her shackle. Miaka turned and twirled the zipper for several minutes before she heard the satisfying click of the tumblers finally being pushed back. The shackle fell loose from her ankle and clattered noisily on the floor.

"Yes! Now we can get out of here!" She grabbed Shara and tugged on her arm. "Come on! Let's go!"

She yanked her arm free and shook her head violently, her eyes wild. "No! I'm safe here! If I go out there… He might find me again! I can't go! I won't! I'm too… too scared…"

"Shara, you can't be afraid! Not forever. And if you don't cut this out, I don't know if you'll ever be okay again!" Miaka gave her an incredulous look. "What happened to the brave girl who took down a Dynasty emperor all by herself? Who always stands up for her friends? Who came to the Dynasty realm to save her son and friend, even though she had lost her powers? Where did she go, Shara?"

The blonde woman slumped against the wall, her emerald eyes dull and flat. "She's gone… She was taken far away… Or maybe she was merely an illusion… Maybe this is the real me…"

Miaka leaned beside her, a soft smile on her face. "No, I can't believe that. No illusion can be as brave as you are. Façades are never that strong. That courageous girl is still in you, somewhere. All you have to do is find her again."

"I don't know if I can…"

"Sure you can! All it's going to take is a little time." She glanced at the possible door once again. "Unfortunately, time is not something we have a lot of right now. We've gotta get out of here and find the guys. Then we can save Kenji."

"No. We can't save Kenji…"

"What are you talking about? Of course we can! Nothing can beat the guys." Miaka smiled confidently, and gave Shara's arm a tug. "So let's go!"

"No… I know the guys might be able to win… But no one can save Kenji… They… they told me that… that… he died…"

Miaka's eyes widened. "No… They must have been lying. They wouldn't kidnap Kenji just so they could kill him!"

Shara's face was empty and cold. "They didn't try to kill him… They were trying to summon some kind of legendary Armor by using him… and he wasn't strong enough… So he died… And then they sent that… that Warlord… after me… So I could have another child… a stronger one…"

"Oh, is that so?" Miaka clenched her fists in anger. "Alright. Then we'll pay them back. We'll kill them all for what they've done!"

Shara looked up, a light sparking in her eyes for the first time. "Do you think we can?"

Miaka nodded forcefully. "You bet we can. Once we get together with the guys, nothing could stop the seven of us."

Shara stood up straight and started toward the far wall. "Then let's hurry."

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"To your left!" Rowen yelled. Sage quickly spun and struck down the three enemies that had been trying to sneak up on him. He thanked him by slicing the soldier behind Rowen in half. The blue-haired Ronin nodded his thanks and dashed back to take position on top of a hill, striking down the minions who tried to stop him with deadly kicks and strikes with his hands. When he reached the apex of the hill, Rowen leaped into the air with his bow in hand.

"Arrow Shockwave!"

The arrow struck the ground, sending out a massive wave of golden energy. It struck a large portion of the Dynasty soldiers and turned them all into dust on impact. The wave continued to flow outwards, disintegrating some, wounding others.

"Yeah!" He pumped his fist in the air and grinned. The battle was going much better now that all five of the Warriors were strong enough to fight. They were beating back the Dynasty's forces, foot by foot. At this rate, they would be close enough to the main castle to run inside and try to find Miaka, Kenji, and Shara in only a matter of minutes. The legions of Dynasty soldiers began to withdraw, apparently sensing their imminent defeat.

Then he appeared at the head of his retreating troops. The tall black-haired man with the scythe. The Warlord who had kidnapped Shara. Rowen's blood began to burn with anger and he dashed down the hill in a full sprint, aiming for the Warlord. The man saw his approach and froze him, literally, in his tracks with one wave of his scythe. Rowen couldn't move, his feet frozen firmly to the ground.

"Agh! I'm going to kill you!" He lifted his bow and placed an arrow in position.

"Unlikely." The man raised his scythe and pointed it at Rowen's arms. They were immediately covered in deep blue ice, stopping him before he could release the bowstring. "My ice is impenetrable. So any attempts to escape would be futile."

"Now, I wouldn't say that… Flare Up Now!"

Blazing flames swept over the Warlord, knocking him flat on his back, and continued on to Rowen, melting the ice that covered half of his body. Ryo landed beside his friend, his swords at the ready.

"Hey, there, buddy. Looked like you needed a bit of help."

Rowen grinned. "Naw, I was handling it just fine. But thanks anyway."

"Not a problem." Ryo switched his gaze to the Warlord as he rose to his feet. "Hey, you. What did you do with Kenji and Shara?"

He sneered at the Ronin. "That's none of your business, Wildfire. Even so, you won't live to see them again."

"Oh, come on. I just knocked you flat on your butt with one blow. Do you really think you can stand up to our combined attacks?"

"I am the mighty Rime! Second most powerful of all of the Dynasty's Warlords! I'll crush you with the greatest of ease! Prepare to die, wretched Ronins!"

Ryo turned to Rowen and rolled his eyes. "Typical villain. Egotistical and corny. They must have a script that every villain has to memorize before he gets his villainy license." He returned to speaking to the Warlord. "Okay, Rime, was it? Tell you what. You tell us where our friends are and we won't kill you. Sound fair to you?"

Rime was trembling with anger. "Stop with your senseless drivel! I'm a Warlord and deserve respect!" He lifted his scythe and pointed it at Ryo. "Icy Death Grip!"

The icy claw formed around the fiery Warrior, squeezing the air from his lungs. He let out a strangled cry, trying to break free of the crushing ice. But it held firm, even withstanding the natural heat of the Armor of Wildfire. He soon slumped unconscious. Rowen beat at the claw with his bow without result.

The Warlord threw his head back and laughed. "Now let's see you melt my ice!" He pointed his scythe at Rowen and ice covered his feet, beginning to creep up his legs toward his waist.

"Hey!" Rowen brought his bow down on the ice, but it wouldn't crack. "Umm… guys? Little help, please!"

Cye and Kento broke away from pursuing the dark gray-armored soldiers and hurried back to help their friends. The Warlord merely pointed his weapon at them and they immediately became covered in the same crawling ice as Rowen. Sage rushed over to try and assist the four, but he, too, was frozen in his tracks.

"Um, this is definitely not good." Kento watched the ice spreading from his calves to his thighs to his hips. "Now what?"

"I don't have any ideas!" Cye's bright blue eyes were wide with alarm.

"Well, somebody better come up with something quick!" The frozen prison was making its way up Rowen's chest and across his shoulders, closing in rapidly on his neck.

"Inferno! Our only chance!" Sage yelled. "Everyone! Send your energy to Ryo quickly!"

"Armor of Torrent!"

"Armor of Hardrock!"

"Armor of Strata!"

"Armor of Halo!"

The four Ronins Armors emitted beams of light, pale blue, orange, dark blue, and green, and the energy streaked toward the unconscious Warrior and combined with his red armor. A flash of brilliant light saturated the sky, showing the Dynasty what daylight looked like for a few seconds. The ice claw cracked with the rush of heat that accompanied the appearance of the white Armor. It suddenly exploded in a shower of silver-blue shards, carpeting the ground with ice. Ryo stood in the middle of a blaze of flames, the gleaming Armor of Inferno reflecting the image of the fire. His blue eyes held swirls of fire. Two silver katanas gleamed in his hands. He faced the Warlord, his head raised high.

"Bring it on."

Rime lowered his scythe, icy eyes wide with amazement. "That's… that's impossible. No one has ever broken free of my Grip!"

"Yeah, well, there's a first time for everything." Ryo leapt into the air, raising his swords high and placing their ends together. "Time to burn! Rage of Inferno!"

Red-hot flames raced from the sky, bathing the surrounding area in fire. Everything in a 500-yard radius was saturated with the burning fire. The ice covering the Ronins evaporated instantly. The cold Warlord was covered with the brilliant blaze and incinerated. Ryo landed nimbly and smiled at his fellow Warriors.

"Shall we go find the others?"

Rowen stepped up beside his friend and grinned. "You bet." He raced toward the castle, the others following closely behind.

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"Careful, careful!" Miaka hissed urgently. "There's two soldiers coming this way. Quick, quick, duck into that room."

The two women darted into a darkened room, waiting quietly until the guards walked by. Miaka peeked her head out of the doorway and looked quickly in both directions.

"Okay, all clear. Let's go."

The duo continued sneaking down the corridors, hiding to avoid soldiers when necessary, as they had been doing for at least the last hour. Miaka finally came to a stop and leaned against a door.

"Jeez! This place is just too freakin' big!" She glanced down one hall and then down another. "Okay, which one now?"

Mutely Shara pointed down the left hall.

"Alrighty. If you say so. Let's go." Just as she started forward, a door farther down the left hall exploded in a cloud of splinters. Three Dynasty minions shot through the opening and slammed into the opposite wall. Then two more men jumped into the room, their weapons held high. One held a broadsword; the other, a pair of katanas.

Miaka raced toward the man in white. "Ryo! Ryo!"

He spun to face her and ripped off his helmet, eyes shining with tears of joy. "Miaka! You're alive! Thank God!" He swept her up in a close embrace, burying his face in her long hair. "I thought I'd lost you…"

"I'm not that easy to get rid of…" She wrapped her arms around his neck and lost herself in a deep kiss.

"Shara!" Removing his helmet, Sage ran over to her, sweeping her off her feet and showering her face with kisses. "You're okay! I was so worried when Rowen told us you had been kidnapped." He frowned when she didn't respond in her normal cheery manner. "Hey, Shar…? Is something the matter?"

She simply stared at him, her face void of any expression.

He finally noticed the way she was dressed. He knew immediately that something horrible must have happened. His wife did like to run around in skimpy outfits sometimes, but she had never wandered around in nothing but a black leather jacket before. And the jacket wasn't even hers. Sage recognized it as a present Ryo had given Miaka on their second anniversary. His eyes darkened as a thought crossed his mind.

"Shara…? Did… did something happen to you…? Did someone… Did they…" He couldn't bring himself to say the words.

She looked at the wall, her face growing paler and paler. Shara didn't do anything after that for quite some time. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet and hoarse.

"So. I was right. You don't understand…"

"What? What do you want me to understand?" He gazed at her in concern.

"Put me down, Sage."

"Shar…? What… what happened to you?"

"Put me down."

"What happened, Shara?"

"What do you think happened?!" she suddenly exploded. "You know, don't you? And you just can't bring yourself to say it. Because if you do, that will make it real, and then the world won't be so perfect any more. I won't be perfect any more. Not good enough for a noble Warrior like you. You'll find me disgusting, and that will be the end of everything! So go on! Tell me you hate me! Tell me you never want to see me again!" She writhed in his arms like a wild animal. "And let me go!"

Shara stared at him, her eyes wild with some emotion Sage couldn't identify. Something close to fear and self-hate. Silently, he did as she requested, lowering her feet to the floor so she could stand. He stood still for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"I could never say that to you," Sage said with a slow shake of his head. "You know I love you, Shara. How can you think that anything could tear us apart? No matter what may have been… done… to you, that fact will never change. I'll always be here for you, and I'll always think you're the most beautiful, the bravest, the sweetest, and the most caring woman on this planet, or any other, for that matter." He took her hand in his, powering down until he was wearing his normal clothing. "It's okay, Shara. I don't care what happened. I don't care if you were…" He paused to take a deep breath, still struggling with the word. "…If you were raped. You're still perfect in my eyes."

She gazed up at him with vulnerable eyes. "Do you mean that, Sage…?"

"Every word, Shar. Every word." He reached out with his other hand, brushing her cheek with his fingertips. "I still love you. And I always will."

She fell into his arms, a joyful smile on her lovely face. He ran his fingers through her hair and held her close, his eyes closed, enjoying the simple feeling of her body in his arms. He hated lying to her in such a way, but there had been no other option. Sage wasn't as perfect and accepting as he had pretended; the idea of his wife being raped certainly did disturb him, and made a streak of revulsion and disappointment stain his heart. But he would never let her know that. Shara was too important to him, and he vowed to never tell her the truth. All he did was hold her.

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AN: Whee… Not the most cheery ending imaginable, but it's probably the most realistic. No guy is perfect, after all. Not even sexy Sage. Mmm… now to see how Rowen will react to the news. And see if Shara figures out that Sage is lying… Oh, the fun I could have if she does find out… *wicked grin* I'm so evil… Hehehe… Stay tuned; amazing revelations are still on their way… And a fun confrontation between the Warriors and the mysterious Warlord…