Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Love's Tangled Web ❯ Part 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Author's Note: Hope you had fun with the last chapter, cause here the plot and the action pick up, and things only get more tangled and the situations more dire from here on out. *rubs hands together and cackles evilly* So don't say I didn't warn you!!! ^_^

 

 

Love's Tangled Web

Part 7

 

Jade perused the various boxes on the shelf. Selecting one, she gazed at it mournfully, trying to decide if she really needed it. So she was late. It could have just been stress. Stress would delay it; but not for ten days. And this would tell her definitely and for sure. Besides, ¥1700 was cheap for peace of mind.

 

Slowly, she walked to the counter of the convenience store and purchased the item along with a fair amount of chocolate. She had made it outside the store when the ground started rumbling and shaking. Hurriedly, she hit her hands and knees, feeling the normally solid ground shake and buck under her. Slowly, the tremors ceased, and she looked up to see that the sky had turned red-orange with dark gray clouds.

 

`What the hell?'

 

She waited. Again, the tremors came, these rougher, more violent. She could see buildings in the distance shaking themselves to pieces as gold lightening flashed from cloud to cloud. A walled fortress appeared in the center of the city as a soft rain started to fall. Again, the earth slowly calmed, and again became solid. She waited, but the earth remained still. The falling rain made her feel slightly sleepy, but she resisted it, watching as people all around her curled up and slept.

 

She walked over to one woman, and tapped her shoulder, trying to wake her. When that didn't work, she shook her, yelled at her, and still the woman slumped on the ground by the store. As though amused by her folly, evil laughter rang out over the city, making her blood run cold. She ran to her car and hastily drove out onto the highway, heading for the house. Normally at this hour, the highway would be jammed with traffic, but all the cars had pulled off to the side, drivers and their passengers sound asleep. It was… creepy.

 

She called out down the armor link, almost instantly receiving six ringing answers; yes, they were alright, but they seemed to be the only ones awake, and Ryo called them all back to the house. Steadily, she made her way home among the slumbering streets and crumbled buildings, the red sky looming ominously.

 

* * *

 

“Is this like anything you guys have seen before?”

 

“It's very similar to when Talpa tried to merge this world with the underworld. There's the static on the tv and radio, the people put into a daze, out of the way, and the appearance of the castle, not to mention the sky and this strange rain,” Rowen replied.

 

“Yea, but do you think it's Talpa again?” Sai asked.

 

“No, he was completely obliterated by the Sun armor. Even the Ancient One said so,” Ryo commented.

 

“Then who is it?”

 

“I have no idea.”

 

“Well, the way I see it,” Sage piped up, “is we can do one of two things. We can openly approach the castle and see who and what we come across, and possibly get our asses kicked in the process, or we can sit here and wait for them to come to us.”

 

“Well, I would much rather go and bang on their door than meekly sit here and wait for them to come to us,” Kento announced.

 

Sai laid a hand on his arm. “But do we really want to go rushing into the unknown?”

 

Ryo stood up. “We will approach the castle. But we will do so stealthily, and see what we can find out. We will not infiltrate the fortress until we have more information on who we're fighting. We leave first thing in the morning.”

 

All nodded their agreement and they broke up their meeting to prepare. Jade clutched her purchase and headed upstairs to the bathroom. After closing and locking the door, she opened the box, read the instructions and followed them to the letter. She put the rectangular piece of plastic back in the box and took it into her room to wait out the longest 15 minutes of her life.

 

* * *

 

The cloaked figure gazed into the crystal and frowned at what she saw. “Yoshitomo!”

 

“Yes, my Lady?” The winged creature stepped out of the shadows to kneel at his Mistress's feet. He gasped as his hair was grabbed and his head forced back to look up into her face.

 

“The Seven are still awake. You will dispose of them, permanently.” Her yellow eyes bored into his own.

 

“Yes, Mistress.” He folded his wings close to his body, trying to protect them, expecting a blow.

 

“Go now. Do not return until you have accomplished this task.” The Lady withdrew her hand, and Yoshitomo kissed it reverently before hurrying off.

 

* * *

 

Rhia clung to Ryo. “Are we going to be okay?”

 

He smiled softly at her. “Sure we are. This is the reason you've been training so hard, and you're ready. Everything will be fine.” He kissed her softly, sweetly.

 

A crash outside alerted their attention, and everyone donned their sub-armor as they rushed out into the slowing rain. A creature stood waiting for them, his bare feet set firmly on the ground. Silver-blue hair feathered over deep cerulean eyes set in a delicately-boned face. Sensuous lips curved in an arrogant smirk, his head lifted high. Both ears contained multiple cuffs, hoops, chains, and dangles of silver and gold, and a golden collar circled his neck. His chest was bare but for silver hoops piercing each nipple, and golden arm bands around each bicep. He wore soft, loose pants that sat low on his hips, overlaid with a short mesh skirt. Both wrists and ankles sported silver and gold bangles, each finger ending in a wicked-looking claw. Black leathery wings sprouted from his back, and a long coiled whip hung at his side.

 

“Such naughty humans,” he chided them in a silky tenor. “You should be asleep by now.”

 

“Who are you?” Ryo yelled.

 

“Oooh, very direct. I like that. My name is Yoshitomo.” He eyed the humans before him. All were very pure of soul, with two beautiful girls, and an assortment of gorgeous guys. “You're all very beautiful; I would have so much fun playing with you. Too bad my Mistress has decreed that you all have to die.”

 

“Yea, you can try!” Ryo launched himself at Yoshitomo, punching, kicking, but all efforts were easily dodged.

 

Yoshitomo yawned as he leisurely dodged Ryo's attacks. “You're really going to have to try much harder than that…”

 

Ryo fell back from his attack and Kento, already transformed into his armor, rushed forward, naginata raised over his head for a powerful downward blow. Again, Yoshitomo effortlessly evaded all attacks.

 

“Still not good enough…” he taunted.

 

By this time all had donned their armor and they attacked all at once. The creature now actually had to block some of their blows rather than just dodging, but he was hardly putting any effort into it. He threw them all away from him with a sudden burst and a cruel laugh escaped his lips.

 

“Is this *all* the power you possess? No wonder my Mistress would rather have you destroyed than captured. Your souls are pure, but you possess no real power! You are nothing more than a nuisance.”

 

Jade got to her feet and took a step forward. “Just who *is* your mistress? And what are you doing here in this world? What are you?”

 

The arrogant smirk returned. “My mistress will reveal herself in her own time. All in this world will love her and fear her, just as it should be. We are in this world for my mistress to rule it, of course. Even now we are merging our two worlds. Beautiful, is it not? He motioned to the red sky overhead and the lightening that crackled through the gray clouds. As for what I am…” He pinned her with his cobalt gaze. “Come with me, and I will show you.”

 

His voice dropped, becoming softer, huskier, like fur over naked skin. His eyes flashed, and trapped in his gaze, Jade felt a correlating flash in her loins. His dark chuckle echoed in her mind, and she was powerless to tear her eyes away.

 

“*Come* with me,” he whispered huskily.

 

She let out a short, harsh cry as the warmth in her loins intensified to overflowing, her body arching in a powerful orgasm before she collapsed, panting heavily. Rhia rushed to her side, and when her friend looked up again, her lips were sensuously parted and slightly fuller, rounder. A flush colored her cheeks and nose, and her eyelids were heavy, irises clouded with lust and pleasure.

 

“Incubus…” she whispered, her voice husky.

 

Rhia's eyes widened at the whispered word and warily glanced back up at their attacker.

 

"Did I mention that they call me Yoshitomo, Heart-Breaker?"

 

Again, she heard his chuckle in her mind and she forcefully pushed him out and away, raising all her mental barriers against him. Arrogant asshole. She had to admit, he was stunningly handsome, but then, incubi were known for their beauty.

 

“Jade, are you okay?” Ryo called to her.

 

“Yes,” she called, though it came out sounding more like an impassioned cry, her orgasm having affected even her voice. “Don't look in his eyes, he's an incubus. He feeds on human souls, and sex is the preferred method of feeding. They are not discriminate of whether one is male or female.”

 

“Smart girl,” Yoshitomo commented dryly. “But you are a little too smart. Time for you all to go to your eternal slumber!”

 

There was a bright flash of light, and the seven warriors sank into darkness.

 

* * *