Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ No Namer #2 ❯ Chapter 7

PART 1.7 THE CAROUSEL

Nicole and Sage had a very peculiar way of fighting with one another. Neither would raise their voice, and their movements remained calm and controlled. They were, however, very much so embroiled in a quarrel. Sai watched them from his seat at the kitchen table, oceanic eyes following each as they went through the motions of a typical morning. He couldn't decide whether to be amused or not by the whole affair, as to even his peaceful sensibilities, it seemed a bit odd to fight without…well…fighting.

"I know you want to help Nicole, but you couldn't handle this. I don't mean you would be incompetent," Sage quickly saved himself from a dirty look. "I mean to say that, with your…talent, you would be on your knees in three seconds. You're far more sensitive than I am to such things."

"Fine then, I'll admit that perhaps my empathy may overwhelm me and it might not be a wonderful idea for me to go in there…but why don't you at least stay home? You've had a total of eleven hours of sleep in the past three or four days," Nicole stated calmly as she started slicing up bread to make toast. Nicole was quite the rival for Sai in the realm of cooking, and preferred to make her own bread, butter, and assorted neccessities herself.

"I've gone for longer before," Sage replied just as pleasantly as he laid out four plates. Rowen was never up in time for breakfast, but he always set a place anyhow, if for no other reason than the need to be a good host.

"That doesn't make it alright," Nicole stood on tiptoes to reach for the drinking glasses on the top shelf of the cabinet, and Sage handed them to her without missing a beat. "Thank you. You'll do nobody any good if you collapse from exhaustion out there. You'll perform better at the clinic and stay healthy if you just take a day off to rest up. One day, that's all I'm asking."

"There's too great a need," Sage switched jobs with his cousin wordlessly, and she poured the drinks while he finished up with the toast. "Yayoi and Mother most certainly haven't taken any time off, I should be there with them."

"I'm disappointed in your mother then, she of all people should know her limits," Nicole chided gently and started putting the glasses on the table…leaving Rowen's empty, of course.

"I slept for quite some time yesterday, remember?"

"And you still look like death warmed over," Nicole went to take a bite of toast and paused just short of it, putting it back down and pushing it across the table to her cousin as though to make a point. "And you put fish paste instead of butter on the toast, dear."

". . ."

Sai pushed his away with double distaste and put his head down on the table. He knew he shouldn't laugh, but there was something strangely amusing about the whole affair. He kept his snickers quiet.

"You're tired, Sage," Nicole reached out to put a small hand over his own. Sage sat in silence for a few beats, then got up, leaving his breakfast untouched, and grabbed his now clean coat.

"I'm sorry Nicole," he shook his head as he pulled the garment on. "I have to do this." With that, he snapped up his keys in one hand and strode out the door, letting it click softly behind him. Sai raised his head and glanced to Nicole, who was quietly gathering up the ruined toast.

"He'll be alright," he offered a little smile. "He really is tougher than he looks, you know."

"I know he's strong," Nicole sighed as she took the dishes to the sink, getting fresh ones to replace the toast with. "You all are. But you…and he…have limits. He's getting dangerously close to his."

"OIII!!" Someone yelled suddenly, and the door trembled beneath a series of overenthusiastic blows. Nicole jumped, nearly dropping the plate she had been carrying. Sai rolled his eyes and got to his feet.

"I'll get it," he offered, already heading for the noisily assaulted door. "That's Kento if I ever heard him."

"Hurry up and lemmee in!!" Kento cried in agitation, nearly running right over poor Sai the second the door was opened. Sai closed the door and turned to look at him with wide eyes. Nicole came out of the kitchen, her arms behind her head as she pulled those long red tresses back into a ponytail.

"There's no need to beat the door down," she admonished, blinking as she saw him, and to her empathetic soul, felt him. Kento was awash in a strange mixture of elation and anger, his face flushed and his hair even more disarrayed than usual.

"I found something! Well, kind of, I mean, it found me, and it ran away, but I think it's one of the…the…you know, the THINGS that are hurting people!"

"What?" Sai blinked. "Just now? But it's broad daylight! These guys only strike after dark!"

"Well this one didn't wait for dark before it tried to eat my little sister!" Kento shot back.

"What? Is she okay?" Nicole gasped. Sai moved away from the door.

"Wait, we should wake up Rowen and have him hear this too, he may be able to figure something out," Sai said just before jogging down the hallway to rouse the perpetual late riser. Nicole and Kento stood in the living room, listening as Sai tried in vain to wake Rowen. Kento grumbled something colorful under his breath and disappeared the way Sai had gone. Nicole crossed her arms and counted quietly to herself. One. Two. Three.

"EEEYAAAAAAGH!!!"

A scant few moments later, Kento emerged, nearly dragging a very sleepy Rowen, who was blinking his eyes against the morning light and trying to gather his wits.

"Damn you and your double cheeseburgers," Hashiba cursed, yawning. "I think you cracked a rib or two."

"Do you always bellyflop on people to wake them up?" Sai grinned, coming up from behind.

"Naw, Ro's a special case," Kento replied, tossing the now grumpy Rowen onto the couch. The cobalt haired man untangled himself from the throw pillows and sat up, scrubbing his eyes childishly.

"Good thing that was a futon, or you would owe Sage a new guest bed, you big buffoon," he growled. "Th' hell you want so early, anyway?"

"Chun Fa was attacked," Kento started. Ro's head snapped up, his eyes suddenly alert. Kento held up his hands placatingly. "She's okay, she's probably gonna need ten years of therapy, but she's not hurt. She skipped school and went to the park…she got found out because school got cancelled and all the other kids came home except for her. When I found her, she was screaming and looked like she'd been running from something…she told me later a dead girl was chasing her, but I never saw that. What I did see was…well, nothing, really, he was moving too fast, but he talked to me. At least, I think it was a he. Anyway, he was attacking me, and I didn't bring a weapon, and I had Chun Fa to worry about so I used my orb to call up my bo, and he…went away. I think he was scared of it."

"What did he say?" Rowen asked, now quite alert, midnight ceruleans studying his friend as he narrated. "You said he spoke to you. What did he say?"

"Um, I dunno…he spoke kind of funny…not like that Shakespeare guy with the thees and thous and stuff, but he did say `ye' a lot. I think he called himself Deonus, or something like that, and said now wasn't the time…or something. I dunno, he didn't say much, he was kind of busy trying to saw my legs off. He moved fast though, *real* fast."

"Deonus?" Rowen rested his chin on laced fingers, his eyes growing distant. "This was during the day, was it not?"

"Yeah," Kento nodded. "About two hours ago. Look what he did to my shoe!" Kento lifted up his foot to show the severely shortened shoe. The rubber sole had been sliced off right up to the leather proper. Rowen snatched it, making Kento flail and bobble about for balance. "Hey!"

"Whatever he used had to have been damn sharp and moving fast," he mused. "This stuff doesn't cut all that easy." He released Kento's foot and leaned back into the couch. "He spoke though, that means he's intelligent. He stopped attacking when you used the orb, right?"
"Yeah," Kento nodded. "I dunno if it was because of that or because he just through foolin' around though. I didn't call up my armor, just the weapon."

"I'd like to see the place you last saw this person…thing…whatever," Rowen stood, seeking out his shoes, which like everyone else's save Kento's, had been shed at the doorway.

"What, you mean now?" Kento blinked.

"No, next Tuesday," Rowen said over his shoulder. "Yes, now!"

"I want to go as well!" Sai went for his shoes.

"Me too," Nicole followed. There were no objections.

Whatever had been there was long gone. Kento and Sai poked around in the foliage, trying to find any sign of the cackling little thing that had assaulted the two Fuans earlier. Nicole and Rowen wandered further into the wooded area to see if they could any clues. It was a pleasant enough day, warm and sunny, and more or less normal. Nicole turned her dancing green eyes up to the sun dappled, whispering tree canopy and smiled.

"You know, some people might think this is strange," she commented, her eyes still on the leaves above.

"What do you mean?" Rowen asked as he slapped aside a sprig of foliage that reached out onto the barely discernible path.

"Well, here we are, searching a playground for the boogeyman," she giggled, glancing at the lanky, pale man beside her. He shrugged, not cracking a smile.

"After all we've seen and done, I wouldn't be surprised at much," he explained. "I mean, what could possibly be more unbelievable than a big floating head trying to take over the world? Or five kids being able to magically summon up mystical armor? Or any number of other things….I think my personal Weird-O-Meter has a somewhat higher tolerance level than most people's, as should yours, at this point."

"Careful there," Nicole laughed softly. "Someone might get the impression that you're turning blase."

"Hey," Rowen stopped suddenly and knelt, plucking something off the ground. He ran his fingers over it briskly, knocking away dried mud. "Nevermind, it's just a barrette. Some kid must've lost it."

"Let me see?" she asked as he went to throw it back on the ground. It was just a muddy little barrette with a blue bow tied onto it. He shrugged and handed it to her.

Terror. Agony. Desperation. Death. Like a bolt of electricity, it jolted through her flesh and into her mind the moment she touched it. The tiny item was absolutely saturated with the most awful kinds of energy she could imagine. Nicole screamed and dropped it as though it had bitten her, covering her face and breathing heavily. Nothing had ever given her such a strong message. Startled, Rowen reached to touch her shoulder.

"Nicole? Nicole! Come on, Spooky, what is it?"

"Horrible," she breathed softly. "Something horrible happened to the wearer of that item. That poor child…"

"I don't understand," he peered closely at her, trying to catch her gaze as she moved her hands from her face. She looked up, gazing further off into the trees. She could feel it there…weaker…but definitely there-a ghostly trail of terrible emotion. Without thinking, she began to follow it, feet crunching on the carpet of twigs and leaves. Baffled, Rowen pursued. Their path would lead them further into increasingly difficult foliage. Rowen cursed as a thorny vine caught his ankle and he paused, gingerly unwrapping it from his sock with his fingers. When he looked up again, Nicole was gone.

"Nicole?" Surely she hadn't gotten that far ahead so quickly. "Hey, wait up!" Upon receiving no answer, he began to trot briskly along the disappearing path, his eyes keeping a sharp lookout. "Nicole!"

The silence was so heavy, the air so very still that it was nearly a tangible weight upon him. He realized he couldn't even hear Kento and Sai anymore. This was ridiculous. This wasn't a forest, it had to be less than three acres deep. And yet, he couldn't even hear the highway that should have been just on the other side of the trees. Nothing, save his own breath and the blood thrumming softly in his ears. A chill ran through him. He shook it off, angry with himself for getting lost in the first place. They were here somewhere.

"Kento! Sai! Nicole?" Silence. "Anyone? Come on, this isn't the time to be playing games!" He growled in irritation. He didn't like it when things stopped making sense. He knew the wood didn't stretch far. He took to as brisk a walk as the thick vegetation would allow. If he just went straight, logic dictated that he should come out on the other side sooner or later. Fifteen minutes later, he was still walking through the foliage, with no end in sight. This was impossible, he should have come out the other side by now…

Music. Chiming, cheerful music was playing somewhere up ahead. Dark brows furrowed as he moved onward towards the sound. It wouldn't take long before the trees melted away into a small, grassy clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a little carousel, of all things. Rowen stood frozen, staring. It was a pretty enough carousel, with five brightly painted, beautifully detailed horses staggered about a glossy, maplewood stage. The center pillar bore polished mirrors and carefully depicted, nineteenth century scenes of children rolling hoops and playing with dogs and ponies, wrought in long, wispy brush strokes. The carousel looked brand new, not a scuff or scratch or smear of mud touched its gilded frame. It looked…oddly tempting. He shook his head, a bit embarrassed at the thought. He had so many more important things to be doing. But why would someone build this so far in the wood? He glanced about, finding no keeper, or even a sign that someone had been here recently. He finally decided that, oddity though it was, he really did have other things to be doing. He walked past it, heading for the other side of the clearing.

"Hey Mister!" cried a child's voice just before he reached the trees. Rowen blinked and turned. He saw no one, but the carousel had begun to move, the horses swaying gently up and down. Surely someone had turned it on, though he'd seen no controls for it in passing. He watched it turn a few times, listening as the music box chimes filled the air. Perhaps he had imagined someone calling out to him?

He was just about to turn to leave again when one horse came around, bearing a small boy on its back. He couldn't see the child's face, as he was distanced and the boy kept his head down, ebony hair keeping his eyes cast in shadows. Rowen moved back towards the carousel, tilting his head a bit as he watched the boy come around again. Rowen noted that he wasn't wearing a school uniform, just blue shorts and a white T shirt. He wasn't sure, but supposed maybe the boy was too young to be in school yet.

"Hey Mister, arentcha gonna ride?" the little one called out. Rowen crossed his arms and continued to watch.

"Where are your parents, kid?" he countered.

"You really should ride, it's lots of fun!"

"Hey, I asked you a question!" Rowen ran a slender hand through the lazily kept bangs that hung forever in his face and sighed. "Can you at least tell me if you've seen a woman come through here? Red hair, green eyes, really pale…I think she was wearing a white shirt like yours…"

"Ride with me," the boy laughed. "And maybe I'll tell you!"

"I don't have time for this!" Rowen cried in exasperation. "Just tell me, did you or didn't you see anyone?" The boy went silent, smiling as he passed Rowen again. The man sighed and grabbed a gold, spiral metal bar in passing, hefting himself onto the dark blue horse, of course. He was now just behind the boy. "Alright, I'm riding," Rowen grumbled. "Now, did you see anyone come through here?"

"I've seen lots of people come through here," the child replied cheerfully, not turning to speak at him directly.

"Is that a fact? Well I'm only interested in the girl."

"They all come through here. Some stay and play, and some don't. You should stay and play. It's much easier if you do."

"Sorry kid, I got important things to do," he slid off the horse and was about to jump off when the boy spoke again.

"He's going to get you, sooner or later." The boy laughed merrily. "He'll get all of you. He'll kill you, like he's killed you before."

Rowen went still, a cold feeling washing over him. Suddenly every instinct he had was screaming at him to run, to get away as fast as he could. He forced the feeling down, turning slowly to the child.

"Those aren't very nice things to say," Rowen smirked. "If someone's killed me before, then I wouldn't be standing here anyway, right? You don't make any sense, kiddo."

"You'll understand soon," the child laughed and looked over his shoulder. Rowen gasped and nearly fell off the platform. Familiar, angular blue eyes looked back at him. That child was the spitting image of…

"Ryo?!" he reached out for him, and the child darkened and disappeared, as though he were a shadow all along. Rowen cried out in surprise and grabbed at the metal poles driving the horses. The carousel's music suddenly stopped, and the thing began to spin faster and faster, an insane maelstrom of color and flashing mirrors. At this speed, Rowen wasn't terribly sure how safe it was to jump off…but he wouldn't have a choice in the matter if it kept picking up speed. He found his hands slipping, and he desperately fought to hold on.

The world blurred green and blue as his hold slipped and he flung free of the impossibly spinning contraption, striking the ground hard and rolling, white and red flashing before his eyes. The last thought through his mind was the realization that the child's horse had been red…and that the empty three had been pale blue, green, and orange. Before he could piece out the possible significance of what had to be mad coincidence, darkness overtook him.