Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Raising the Past ❯ Chapter 3

A/N: I apologize for taking so long in getting this story out. Kathrine and I have been working on other projects and we just couldn't get a good idea going for this. Eminem and BBMack combined can do wonders for the imagination. We got this going and hope that it suffices for a good chapter. Know that the next one will really be a big one for the action part anyway.

Kathrine: We hope that our lack of working on this one hasn't destroyed your interest in it. If it has then we understand. But I do hope that someone will flame me about it.

JC: Still after a new sacrifice, eh?

Kathrine: (sighs) Yeah.

JC: Then you shouldn't have told them what you did to the first one.

Kathrine: Oh well can't change it now. On to the fic!

Disclaimer: Shall not repeat myself.

Warning: PLEASE COME TO ME MY FLAMERS, THE GODDESS REQUESTS YOUR PRESENCE. I HAVE WAITED FOR YOUR NEXT ARRIVAL, BUT NONE HAVE COME. PLEASE TRY AND BE MORE UNSELFISH TO THE NEED OF OTHERS. I REALLY NEED A SACRIFCE!

Raising the Past

BY JC and Kathrine

" Rajura should be back by now!"

" Stay calm Naaza," Kayura chastised the Doku Masho.

" This is not like him and you know it," Naaza growled. " He's never been one to not report back. Something went wrong if he isn't back by now."

" Give him another half an hour," Kayura suggested.

" He's five hours late!" Naaza frowned. " We have to take proper precautions and declare him captured."

" I know," Kayura lowered her eyes. " Things are starting to get a lot more difficult. Makuyo's forces are breaking through our defenses. They'll be at the palace gates within a day if we don't do something."

" Let us fight them," a voice answered from the background. Kayura and Naaza turned to stare at the faces of their guests.

" That wouldn't be wise," Kayura stated. " Who knows what Makuyo could be planning. He probably even knows you're here."

" But if most of us can distract the army long enough for the others to find a way to strengthen the energy fields then it would buy us sometime," Touma countered.

" It's the only thing we can do with three people out of the fight," Shu added.

Kayura looked at the set expressions on their faces and sighed. " You're right, but I'll need Naaza to remain here so that we can check through the old scripts, seeing as he and I are the only ones that can read them."

" But-" Naaza was about to protest.

" My decision is final Doku," Kayura's voice was one of unusual authority. " Do not forget who is the charge." She didn't usually use her rank against the Masho, but when she did it was to make sure her choices wouldn't be tested.

" Yes, Lady Kayura," Naaza nodded and then he looked at the Troopers. " You best come over here so that you can see the map." The young boys nodded and walked over to the large table covered in maps, sketches, and books.

" Where should we start?" Ryo questioned.

" This is a map of the area surrounding the castle," Kayura pointed at the scroll that lay above all the others. " It shows the places where Makuyo has exerted the most of his force in hope to break the barriers. The magic of these won't hold for long at this rate."

" So we have to get them to let up for a bit," Shu replied. " It shouldn't be too hard to hold them off."

" You don't know these youja," Naaza stated. " Makuyo has given them the power of sorcery. That is why they do not even fight our defenses physically. They merely are using their power to ward off our soldiers and break the barriers with incantations at the same time."

" Nani?!" Shin gasped. " How do we fight that?"

" You just have to catch them off guard and use your sure kills, otherwise we all will be dead." Kayura replied. " The one flaw in Makuyo's army is that they have weak protection against attacks from behind when they are spell casting."

" Why haven't you used that then?" Shu asked.

" None of the soldiers can get behind them since all of them were here at the castle for the summer solstice ceremony," Naaza explained. " It was the day we give thanks to the Gods of the summer."

" But how did Rajura get out?" Touma asked.

" He is the Gen Masho," the Ancient said. " He merely appeared to be one of them and they let him pass."

" So let me get this? We just have to find a way to get out of the castle sneak up behind them and then we can defeat them jut like that?" Touma didn't sound convinced.

" No," Kayura shook her head. " More will come in less than half a day once these fall. The interval will merely give us chance to strengthen our mystical defenses before they return."

" So there is no real way to beat these freaks?" Shu frowned.

" Of course, there is always a way," Kayura disagreed. " I just believe that in doing so we either need to defeat Makuyo himself or have all nine yoroi."

" We don't know how to beat him yet, and we don't have all nine yoroi," Touma sighed. " But that just means we'll have to work a little harder to get this to work."

" We better do this soon before they call reinforcements," Ryo stated and the others agreed.

" Yes warriors," Kayura approved. " But it will take at least two days to reorganize the small amount of soldiers we have left. You should try to prepare until then." The young men smiled bravely before leaving the room.

" But what if what I told you is true?" Naaza asked her after they'd gone. " It was but a mere thought believed to be memory, I'm not even sure how I remembered it."

" If it is true than we have more to deal with then we thought," the woman sighed. " I only hope that the Troopers will be able to go against it, especially Tenku."

*****

Sage peered around the corner of the corridor before slipping onto the stairs unnoticed. He walked down the steps as if he were a ghost with a bag hung over his shoulder. He sighed in silent relief at finally being able to lose his usual youja caretaker, Nio only caring for him when his lord was away, and made the familiar trek to the dreary cells of the dungeon.

He hadn't been to the prison in two days due to his caretaker's usually careful eye, but for some reason she seemed skittish that day. He came to the end of the stairs and listened. He came when he knew that someone had been taken as a captive and had heard from a bath servant that a soldier was to be executed that very night. He hoped that he hadn't gotten a bad source of information.

Suddenly, he thought he heard a low moan echoing through the cavern. He looked, but didn't see any of the stalls as being occupied. He heard the sounds of chains and knew that his imagination wasn't playing tricks with him. It was from the final chamber. It was the smallest room at the end of the hall that was used for important hostages or spies.

Funny how I know what it is for, but I don't remember seeing it before, Sage mused himself with such thoughts. He walked up to the door of the chamber and realized there was no window to see through into it and the lock was of magic, not metal. With a shrug of his shoulders Sage placed a cool hand on the lock and whispered three words of an incantation. With that the locked seemed to just disappear completely.

Can't keep out a fellow spellbinder, Sage smirked. He pushed the door open slightly, but could see nothing in the unlighted room. He usually never went into the prisoners' cells, just handed them items through the bars. Only that was impossible with no bars on the door. " Hello?" he whispered. " Is there someone in here?"

Rajura could hear the sounds of someone in the hall outside his cell. Secretly, he hoped that it wasn't Makuyo. The sadistic (Kathrine: There's nothing wrong with being a sadist!) sorcerer/warrior had beaten him endlessly in the past two days and Rajura could only imagine what new tortures he could create in his mind. He did not have his armor and that only made him more vulnerable.

He heard a voice speak a few words of a language he didn't know and a dim light crept in as the door to the stall began to open.

" Hello?" a familiar voice called quietly. " Is there someone in here?" His mouth was too dry to say anything, but Rajura moved his arm to rattle his chains, though regretting it as the pain flowed through his tired forelimbs. The silhouette in the doorway was one of a tall slender figure that he could not make out clearly.

" Gen Masho?" the voice seemed shocked. " Oh no!"

" Sage?" Rajura managed to whisper hoarsely. What would he be doing down here? The illusionist wondered.

" I knew this would happen," Sage mumbled as he walked into the room quickly and set the bag he carried next to Rajura. " I'm sorry," he apologized. " I didn't want you to get caught."

" My own foolishness," Rajura forced himself to say. He did not want the young man to feel guilty for his own shortcomings.

Sage opened his bag and pulled out a pouch of water, a rag, and a small bowl. He poured some of the water into the bowl and lifted the pouch the white-haired man's lips. " Drink this," he pleaded.

Rajura complied by opening his mouth a little and allowing the cold liquid to quench his sore throat's craving. Sage let him drink until he could tell he head was hurting from the bent position. He set the pouch on the ground and picked up the rag, dipping it in the bowl. Rajura winced at the stinging sensation of the wet cloth on his bruised skin.

" Gomen nasai," Sage turned his eyes away, but continued to cleanse him. " My lord is very brutal and cruel to his enemies, I didn't want this for you."

" It's all right," Rajura whispered. " Though you shouldn't have come."

" I like to come and feed the prisoners," Sage explained. " They usually starve them before execution, but I find it barbaric. I bring them food and things to clean up with so that they can at least die with some dignity."

" How many have you seen die?" Gen Masho questioned.

" Twenty youja soldiers from your side have come here and died," the blonde said with sadness in his voice. " My lord keeps me in my room when it happens though."

" I agree with him on that," Rajura understood. " You are to pure to witness such things."

" But that doesn't mean I don't feel it," Sage replied. " I feel their pain and hate and pride as they try to hold their heads high before getting them cut off, or filled with arrows."

" How do you know this?" the white-haired man questioned.

" I can feel strong emotions from others, have since I was but a child," the young man answered.

" How did you, a Nigen, come to be here in the Youjakai?"

" I was with my lord before he was banished here, he merely brought me with him and used a spell to keep me alive and built this castle to resemble ours of home."

" You love him so much that you would stay with him so long, even with all that he is doing?" Rajura was shocked.

" I had tried to flee him when we were in Nigenkai and my stupidity cost a beautiful man his life."

" Nani?" Rajura didn't understand.

" You love her, don't you," Sage changed the subject. " This Kayura means a lot too you."

" How did you-"

" I already told you of one of my abilities, this is another," Sage explained. " You care deeply for this woman Kayura and that is how I felt for that man, Rowen. I met him while drowning because I had never learned to swim. He saved my life and brought me into his home, cared for me during my fevered nights and loved me as if I was the only other person in the world. Makuyo found us together and went into a fit of jealous rage."

" He killed him?"

" Hai, and then took me home." A tear fell down the blonde's cheek. " After that day he never let me leave the castle again and showered me with attention, but I know that he truly feared me leaving him for another. I myself fear what he would do to you if he knew that I was down here now, but he has left again for the battlefield. I heard him say that he will give your people an ultimatum."

" I have to leave and get to them," Rajura pulled on his chains, but was stopped by a rush of pain.

" I know," Sage touch the chains and began to mumbled another incantation. Rajura's arms fell to his sides as the constricting metal disappeared. The Masho raised an eyebrow and Sage smirked, " Another gift of mine."

" You are a spellbinder?" Rajura inquired.

" Only with spells of those whose power I understand," Sage nodded. " I can easily diffuse their magical energy that way."

" No wonder he fell in love with you," Rajura chuckled.

" Please hold still," Sage requested. Then he placed his hands on the other man's chest and closed his eyes. " This is the last of my gifts and it should give you the help you need."

Rajura could feel the warmth flow over his body and feel his wounds closing. Light shined in front of his closed eyes in a green aura and he was immediately mended of all his injuries. The light began to fade and Rajura had to open his eyes. He could see the sweat and concentration on the face of the blonde just before the last of the light vanished.

Sage took in deep breaths and leaned back on his heels as Rajura sat up. His pain was gone, but the blonde looked as if he was about to faint. " You use you own energy to heal people," he summed it up. " I know of someone who does the same."

" Then I hope he has put his gift to better use than I," Sage replied. Something began to emerge from the back of his mind, but an ear-pounding headache quickly rid him of it. He grabbed his head and fell foreword into Rajura's arms gasping in pain.

" Your headaches have come back," Rajura lifted the boy into his arms as he stood. " You need to get back to your room."

" But you do not have that armor you wore and I know that was your source of power," Sage shook his head only to reach out a hand to still the throbbing pain.

" I have a small amount of stored energy from my armor and that should get us to your room," Rajura imagined the room of the boy in his mind and wished himself there. The air changed as he and Sage left the dungeon to the less secluded area of the castle.

The room was burning hot compared to the coldness of the cell and Rajura could feel his skin warming again. " Set me down," Sage instructed him. Rajura complied reluctantly and the blonde walked over to the table next to his bed. He poured water from his pitcher and then took three dried green and black leaves and crumbled them into the water stirring it with his finger.

He turned around only to become dizzy from the pain and lean forward. Rajura caught the glass just as it was about fall to the floor. He caught Sage with his other arm and helped him to the bed. Something smelled wrong in the air as the steam came from the concoction in the glass. Rajura sniffed it and raised a confused eyebrow.

Amnese? He thought. Why would this boy be drinking leaves from the tree of forgetfulness? Sage laid himself down on the bed and reached his hand out from the glass.

" One second," Rajura set the glass on the table and dug his long thumbnail into his wrist vein. A small trickle of blood came quickly and Sage gasped at him.

" What are you doing?!"

" This will strengthen your body against these headaches," Rajura replied. " While I do not have the toxins of Doku Masho I do have immunities serums as that of my yoroi's creatures." He allowed five drops of his blood fall into the glass and stirred it. The brew changed from a light green to a dim pink and he handed it to Sage.

" Thank you," the blonde whispered as he drank down the liquid. He was so used to taking these drinks that it hadn't came to him to question the strange taste. As soon as he finished the drowsiness came and he set the glass down on his table.

" You shouldn't be here when Makuyo returns," Sage mumbled sleepily. " You need to get back to your people before he takes his final strike."

" Why are you helping me like this?" Rajura asked.

" I want the old Makuyo back," Sage answered. " I love him still deep in my heart, but his brother changed him so much that he loves usurpation and destruction now more than me. I would love for it to be like the days when we were just us two living in our cabin by a small koi-filled lake, but I fear that his soul is gone."

" I believe that I understand what you mean," Rajura nodded as he covered the blonde with the silky sheets.

" When you defeat him please fulfill for me one request?"

" Nani?" the white-hired man asked.

" Do not kill him," Sage said. " Don't kill him, bring him back to me so I may have one last chance to free his heart."

" Hai," Rajura bowed to him. The blonde nodded sleepily and closed his eyes, drifting off into the world of dreams. " I promise Sage I won't let him be killed, even though I might regret it."

He turned away from the bed and hoped that the antitoxins he put in his brew would actually do the intended job he had them for. Now I have to find my armor, Rajura told himself. He quietly walked to the door and placed his hand on the knob. He opened the door and was immediately met by six spears in his face.

He jumped back and six guards walked into the room after him. " Lord Makuyo thought Sage would become curious and go to the cells," a voice replied. The guards moved slightly, but didn't detour their spears as the youja, Nio, stepped to the front.

" You are Makuyo's youja dog," Rajura snickered. " You follow him around and whimper if he is displeased."

" I would love to kill you know and I will if I have to," Nio replied with a smug look. " But my lord has plans for you."

" You think I will make it easy for you?" Rajura laughed. " You are insane."

" You don't have your yoroi and I would hate for Sage to awaken to the sight of these soldiers running you through." Nio walked closer to the blonde's sleeping form. " He's so innocent and fragile, I don't think he could take it."

" Beast," he hissed. He couldn't truly fight against the magically enhanced soldiers without any kind of defense. Rajura could also imagine the trauma of the young blonde witnessing it.

" I take it you surrender," Nio smiled.

" Wake him and I shall kill you all before he opens his eyes," Rajura growled. He turned around and could feel the tight shackles being placed on his wrists. Then he was quickly turned around and punched in the gut. The air flooded from him as he fell to his knees.

" Bring him," Nio ordered the soldiers. " Our lord has very special plans for him." Two guards picked the Gen Masho up by his arms and dragged him from the room. Through all of the commotion, the blonde, Sage, remained asleep.

A/N: What do you think. Enough pain and soon to be even more torture.

JC: Got questionS for us? Just ask them in your reviews.

Kathrine: Thanks to all those who have reviewed this any way. We hope to have the next chapter out a lot quicker than this one.

JC: We are really sorry about the long wait. Please review and maybe check out some of the other stories we have been working on lately. Ja ne!