Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Fire ❯ Fire ( One-Shot )

Disclaimer-I will never own Dais, Cale, Sekhmet, and/or Anubis. Everyone belongs to his or her respective owners, producers, voice actors, etc.

 

Fire

Isabel Night

 

"This sunset is stunning." A white haired man with one blue eye whispered as he watched the sky change out of her pale blue kimono and into a yukata dyed with red, orange, yellow, and purple pigments. The silvery stars that would normally grace the firmament's clothing were not out yet, and even with the man's other eye encased in a black silk eye patch, he could still see the beauty of what he had willingly given up some four hundred years ago.

 

Even after that long stretch of time, however, the human male could proudly claim that he had witnessed all of history from another realm. In that domain, demons lived together in dependent territories, and whole kingdoms, at one time, bowed in tribute before his late master. The human person could be none other than Dais, the four hundred fifty-seven year old previous Warlord of Illusion, and the deceased noble he once served was a powerful and ambitious demon lord named Talpa.

 

Moreover, like his fellow three warlords, Cale, the prior Warlord of Corruption, Sekhmet, the green haired ex-Warlord of Venom, and Anubis, the departed Warlord of Cruelty, Dais had dreams of wealth, power, and privilege. He had also longed for other things such as friendship, good health, and eternal happiness. Nevertheless, even when he had those things under his belt, the summer warrior took too long in realizing what his master's true intentions were.

 

Anubis, who had been Talpa's favorite, was the first one to figure out what was really going on in the Dynasty; he was foremost in questioning the demon's motives for starting a war and, in a sick and twisted way, he chose to become that same conflict's final victim. It had been something the mortals called "an emotional roller coaster ride," when dealing with Anubis' death. First, there was the emotional discovery of the corpse, then there was an even more poignant funeral, and now, the former Dark Warlords were going to celebrate their first Tanabata Festival without him.

 

'Maybe,' the former illusion spinner thought as he watched the summer sun set over the ocean, 'if I make the right supplications to Lord Enma, then Anubis will return to the world of the living for a short visit. After all, has not the judge of the dead sent other people back to man's territory because of their bravery and courage?'

 

"Dais," Cale called out from his spot in front of a dancing orange and red campfire, interrupting the white haired warrior's inner thoughts. "It's getting late; you might want to come over to the campfire so that you can get warm."

 

"Let him be Cale," Sekhmet told his seated companion. "It's been a long time since any of us have seen a sunset in the Human's World. If Dais wishes to savor the moment then let him do so."

 

"It is nothing," the magic master sighed, sticking his hands into his denim blue jeans to feel the ridged edges of a black seashell that he had picked up close to the shoreline. As he turned away from the sky, the white haired man who had stopped physically aging at twenty-one, took a seat on a water-eroded timber that was being used as an impromptu bench around the flames.

 

The beach where all three men were located was far away from the prying eyes of mortals in the Southern Kyushu region of Nippon. Because the area was peaceful and quiet, it had quickly become a popular spot with the three living seasons. As an added bonus, this area had also become so well liked that would soon inspire many of the former warlords' haikus, ink drawings, and woodcarvings. As of today, on the other hand, the beach's purpose was to act as an escape from the daily activities that were going on in the Nether Realm.

 

"Aren't you going to get closer to the fire?" The once Senior Officer of Corruption asked, sliding over to make room for the older male.

 

"I told you that I will be fine, there is no reason for you to worry over me."

 

"Like the time you weren't paying attention and tripped over that huge water-soaked log; landing face-first in the sand?" Sekhmet grinned, putting some more dry wood on the blaze. "You have been in and out of your thoughts all day. Not only that, but you brought over some candles from the castle. Why?"

 

Dais did not bother to look at the bag that he had stuffed with candles, incense, and other assorted items that he needed for the offerings the male wanted to make. 'Maybe, if I do the ritual correctly, then perhaps my desire will be granted.'

 

"I...made a wish." The daydream architect answered.

 

The winter soldier and the autumn fighter dropped what they were doing. "A wish?" Sekhmet questioned, "What kind of wish?"

 

"A personal wish; I..."

 

"...Wished for Anubis to come back to us," Cale guessed, cutting the summer combatant off.

 

"Yes. Why do you ask?" The man who weaved spider webs inquired, slightly raising his normal, calm voice.

 

The winter commander sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "It's a longing that will never become truth Dais; you know that."

 

"Lord Enma has sent people back to the world of the living before," summer's commanding officer accused, "Why would it be hard for him to do so now?"

 

"Think realistically Dais, how often has that happened? We only hear about those exceptions in myths and legends. Moreover, even if it did happen to us, why would Anubis be the exemption to that rule? He did not die in the place of another person; he made a conscious act to save our sorry backsides. He thought that we were more important, and that...we were the ones who would make it out of the war alive. To yearn for him to come back would be..."

 

"Hold it," the ex-poison warrior interrupted, cutting Cale off. "This argument isn't going to get us anywhere if the both of you don't look at this issue from a different point of view. Take, for example, my thinking brain. That part of my body automatically knows that Dais' wish might never happen, but I cannot accuse him of being unrealistic because my heart, the central organ for all human emotions, can and will often dream about what might have been."

 

"What do you mean by "what might have been"?"

 

"Haven't you figured it out yet Cale? We never thanked him for saving our lives, we didn't tell him how much we really cared about him, and we, in no way, got the chance to tell him that we missed his presence. We've seen four hundred individual years go by, and even then, we could not open out mouths to say what we should have said. In fact, Anubis might have died thinking that we still hated him, or that we were planning to kill him. I know that the three of us weren't plotting to take his life, but because we never opened our big fat mouths and said anything, who knows what in Lord Enma's entire kingdom he was thinking."

 

"I'm not saying any of this to be cruel," the winter commandant raised his voice, jumping up from his seat. "But do either of you honestly think that our souls can handle a hope like that? Be reasonable and think about what would happen if that craving doesn't come true; what if Lord Enma decides not to give Anubis back to us? Can our already scarred spirits take another painful blow? I saw the both of you at the funeral, and while you were being respectful and acting properly, I could see how that coffin tore the two of you up on the inside! We buried someone we cared about, and wish or not, we can't take the chance of it not coming true! I don't know about either of you, but Anubis' interment will haunt me for the rest of my life! In fact, the only other memorial service I want to attend is my own!"

 

Then the preceding War Chief of Corruption sat back down; a bit flustered from raising his voice and jarring off his seat. There was only the sound of the blaze crackling when the dark blue haired man stood up again and said, "I'm sorry for raising my voice, but I don't know if this is something we endure. He did so much for us, but I still feel like we weren't worth the trouble."

 

"I know," Dais agreed. "I sometimes feel that way too. Still, it was just a wish..."

 

THE END

 

End Notes-In Japanese Buddhist Mythology, Enma, known as Yama in Indian Buddhism, is the Judge of the Dead. He has the power to punish sinners, pass judgment on them, or send them back to the world of the living. A kimono and yukata are traditional Japanese clothing; the Tanabata Festival is the Japanese Star Festival, derived from O-bon Festival traditions and the Chinese Star Festival, Qi Xi. The festival, held on July 7 and/or August 7, celebrates the meeting of Orihime, the Vega Star and Hikoboshi the Altair Star. The Milky Way, a river made from stars that crosses the sky, separated the two lovers, thus, they could only meet once a year. This special day is the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. The festival may also take place on the seventh day of the seventh month of the solar/Gregorian Calendar. Many thanks go out to all my Beta Readers.