Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Betrayed Innocence ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

 

As the door closes behind her, Kaida glances toward the stairs, only to find one of people who can truly call the house a home walking down the stairs toward her.

 

“Hey, Makoto,” says Kaida.

 

“How was the beach?” asks Makoto, smiling at the Kaida. Why don't you ask her what you really want to ask? `Hey, Kaida, want to go out sometime?' Great! I'm talking to myself again.

 

“The sunset looked really cool by the lake,” says Kaida, as she moves away from the door and heads for the kitchen. Glancing over her shoulder, she calls back, “Forgot to mention. We've got company coming.”

 

“Company?” asks Makoto, but Kaida is already gone and doesn't hear him.

 

Before he can ponder what she said long, he hears a knock at the door. Placing a hand on the knob, Makoto opens the door to find Lady Kayra and the three Warlords at his doorstep.

 

“Uh,” says Makoto, standing with the door open.

 

Smiling at the young man, the second eldest of the Ronin children, Lady Kayra waits for Makoto to offer them entrance. Again, as if none of the Warlords could demonstrate patience that night, Dais steps forward.

 

“Do you always allow guests to stand at the doorway, boy?” demands the Warlord of Illusion.

 

“I think `guests' might be pushing the term, Dais.”

 

Looking passed the boy, Dais finds that the boy's father has stepped up behind his son.

 

“Common courtesy, Torrent,” replies Dais, nodding his head to Cye. “I assume that you taught your children this.”

 

“Both of my children have been taught how to treat friends of the family,” replies Cye, stressing the word `friends' so as to leave no doubt of his meaning.

 

“Dais, please,” says Lady Kayra.

 

Glancing over his shoulder at her, Dais backs down from what was becoming a growing battle between two former enemies. Drawn by the commotion, Cye other's child and Makoto's twin sister, Nami comes from behind her father to stand next to her brother.

 

“So, like, Dad, if they're not friends, do they have to come in?” asks Nami, glaring at Dais for being so rude to her brother.

 

“Nami,” says Cye, glancing once at his daughter before looking back at the four standing in his doorway.

 

“It was just a question,” says Nami, before taking her brother's sleeve and pulling him away from the door.

 

Watching his children leave, Cye glances back once to the four whom were still standing in the doorway.

 

“Might as well come in,” says Cye, before turning to walk away from the door to get the other Ronins.

 

As the four enter the house, they quickly find themselves approached by others who are currently living in the house. Watching a blonde blur flip down over the railing of the stairs to land perfectly on the floor, the blonde raises her violent eyes to see that she was not the only one who watched her decent downstairs.

 

“Your typical entrance, Kira?” asks Lady Kayra, amused as she watches a blush flair across the young woman's cheeks.

 

“Umm, pretty much,” replies Sage's daughter, nodding her head.

 

Blinking a couple of times before talking again, Kira addresses herself to Lady Kayra.

 

“Does anyone know you're here?”

 

“Yes,” replies Lady Kayra.

 

“Ok,” says Kira. Glancing at the Warlords and Lady Kayra, Kira motions to the door on the right. “The living room's in there if you want to wait for my dad and the others.”

 

“Thank you, child,” replies Lady Kayra, walking away from Kira and entering the living room.

 

“Finally, a child with manners,” says Sekhmet, before following the others into the room.

 

“I have always found her to be the most reasonable of the offspring,” says Cale, as he sits down in a corner chair.

 

“I'm sure there's no other reason why she might draw your attention,” says Dais, smirking at the Warlord of Darkness.

 

“Hardly,” replies Cale, with a curl of the lip. “She's a child.”

 

“They all are,” adds Sekhmet, before taking a seat with Lady Kayra on the couch.

 

The room falls silent as those seated wait for the Ronins to appear.

 

“You realize there are things worse than being a child.”

 

Realizing that they are not alone, the Warlords and Lady Kayra search the room only to have all their eyes settle on a young man seated in a corner with a book in his lap.

 

“Are there worse things, Hoshi?” asks Lady Kayra.

 

“Of course,” replies the eldest of the Ronin children. “Isn't there always something worse?”

 

“Too true,” replies Lady Kayra with a nod toward the son of Rowen.

 

Smiling, the boy sets his book down as he stands up. Walking to the doorway, he stops before leaving the room.

 

“Oh, I do wonder one thing,” says Hoshi, directing his question to Sekhmet.

 

“Yes?” says the Warlord of Poison, annoyed that the child would dare address him.

 

“Was it poor manners that I had not made my presence known when you first entered?” asks Hoshi, who then leaves before the Warlord can answer his question.

 

Glaring at the doorway where the boy had been standing, Sekhmet fumes.

 

……………

 

Only a few minutes go by, before someone joins the Warlords and Lady Kayra in the living room. The first to enter of the Ronins is Ryo. Though there are now more lines in his face than when he first met the people in the room, the air of leadership and strength still surround him. Pausing a moment in the doorway before entering, Ryo looks over the faces of everyone present. Sighing, the Ronin of Wildfire enters the living room.

 

“As soon as the others arrive, we can get down to business,” says Ryo, moving to stand near the bay window.

 

Nodding her head, Lady Kayra waits to see if any of the Warlords will speak to the leader of the Ronins. Relieved at their silence, Lady Kayra gives a sigh of her own.

 

Hearing the murmur of voices, most of the heads in the room turn to look at the doorway as two more Ronins enter the room. Moving to the seat that his son vacated earlier, Rowen sits down, while Cye takes up a seat near the couch.

 

“Kento and Sage will be along as soon as they've made sure the kids are settled,” says Cye to the room.

 

Nodding his head at this, Ryo waits patiently for the other two Ronins to show. Only a few moments pass before again the sound of voices are heard and that last two Ronins enter the room. Sage enters the room only by a few feet and then leans himself against the wall, having decided to stand like Ryo is doing. Kento moves into the room to take the last chair available.

 

“Alright, Kayra,” starts Ryo, as soon as everyone is settled. “What have you found out so far?”

 

“To be honest, Ryo, not much,” says Lady Kayra, shaking her head.

 

“Then why are you guys here?” asks Kento from his seat. “You're wasting time.”

 

“I always thought time would teach you patience,” says Dais, a disgusted look crossing his face.

 

“And I always thought time would make you less slimey,” replies Kento, smirking. “I guess time failed us both.”

 

“Kento,” says Cye, using the same tone of voice that he had used earlier with his daughter.

 

Settling back into his chair, Kento looks at Cye once before folding his arms over his chest. Waiting to see if Kento was done, Ryo waits a beat before looking to Lady Kayra.

 

“What have you found?” asks Ryo again.

 

“Someone is building an army. We have not been able to find out who,” says Lady Kayra.

 

“Any idea how big this army is?” asks Rowen.

 

“I don't have accurate figures,” replies Lady Kayra, shaking her head. “But at a guess, I'd would say less than half what Tulpa had.”

 

“Have any attacks occurred in the Dynasty?” asks Sage, cocking his head to a side.

 

“None have been reported,” replies Cale. “But that doesn't mean that they aren't happening.”

 

“Isn't no news, good news?” asks Kento, glancing at Cale.

 

“Maybe in your world,” replies Cale. “But the Dynasty is different.”

 

Shrugging his shoulders, Kento turns away from the Dark Warlord.

 

“Were you able to find out anything about your clones?” asks Cye, glancing between the Warlords and Lady Kayra.

 

“Rumors only,” replies Kayra. “And half of the rumor conflict with the other half.”

 

“So the only thing we know for sure is that someone is gathering power,” sums up Ryo.

 

“When put that way, it sounds bad,” says Kento, glancing at Ryo.

 

“It is bad, Kento,” says Sage. “Our enemy knows more about us than we know about them. It's only a matter of time before they strike again.”