Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Requiem of Summer ❯ Chapter Sixteen ( Chapter 16 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Dark blue eyes scanned through the news articles. Headline after headline was all about people who mysteriously vanished over the course of the week. If it was a simple missing-persons case, she wouldn’t have cared as much. She twirled some strands of her dark blue hair with her finger as she flipped through the pages. No. This whole thing reeked of evil. She removed the papers from in front of her and massaged her temple with her fingers. The girl was sitting in a dark room with only a single lit candle as her light source. A knock emanated from the door behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Yes?” she asked in a tired soprano voice. She didn’t realize how tired she was until she heard herself speak. The research was taking a toll on her.

A tall shadowed figure entered the room and sat down on the couch that was up against the wall. “You have been in here for hours,” the figure spoke, his tenor voice filled with concern. “You haven’t slept well these past few weeks. You are going to make yourself sick.”

A smile formed on her soft pink lips. “Concerned about me, are you? I appreciate the thought.”

The figure rose and walked into what little light there was, exposing him to her. His long white hair was pulled back into a ponytail and only one eye was visible, the other was hidden behind a black eye patch. The man was clad in a simple gray robe that had a golden sash going around his waist.

He looked at the girl with a stern look on his face. “Kayura, I must insist you end for today, at least.”

“I’m the last of my people. I must protect the mortal world from the greater evils. Right now is not the time,” Kayura argued, her eyes filled with determination. She took a handful of articles and held them in front of the man’s face. “Look at these, Dais.”

He took the papers in his hands and flipped through them. Missing cases of women and men of all ages suddenly disappearing without a trace, the police baffled. The Warlord of Illusion looked back at Kayura. “And you don’t know who is behind these disappearances?”

The girl shook her head. “I have an idea. The visions that I have been having have only showed me yellow eyes. I must admit, I’m getting scared,” she said softly. In the visions she could only see the darkness. She hadn’t sensed fear in a long time, not since Talpa. She was once a warrior for the evil emperor, who was brainwashed and served him. She fought against people who should have been her allies. After she was free from his hold, she claimed the armor that Anubis left behind. She could take on any obstacle with grace and courage, but something about the visions made her feel uneasy. “Come with me.”

Kayura got up from her seat, fixing her purple kimono before exiting the room with the Warlord on her tail. The two of them walked down the hallway and out into the fresh air. They entered a garden where various different flowers flourished. It was a side project that she was working on. She wanted to bring color and positive energy to the once dismal area.

After the war with Talpa, she and the warlords went back to the Nether Realm to try to restore it to somewhat of a better place. They chose a spot far away from the castle where they found an abandoned building. The men fixed it up quite nicely. Kayura had the downstairs to herself while the men shared the rooms upstairs. It wasn’t bad for a start. It was going to take them a long time to make the whole area new and improved, but all of them were hesitant to go near the castle. However, it seemed that they would have to. The feeling that Kayura had made her stomach turn.

Dais looked at the young woman intensely. “There is something more to these visions, aren’t there?”

Kayura bent down in front of a bed full of purple and white flowers that resembled the daffodil on Earth. The sweet aroma of the flowers filled her nostrils, calming her nerves a bit before she spoke. “I tried to prolong this. The Ronins have faced many enemies since Talpa’s demise, but the battles were mediocre. I’m afraid this coming battle will be just as heavy a battle as Talpa.” She closed her eyes and continued to breathe in the sweet scent. “The Ancient One came to me while I was meditating.”

“Anubis?” Dais questioned curiously.

Kayura shook her head. “Anubis was only following the ways of the Ancient. It was the one who fought Talpa many centuries ago. He told me that a great evil has awakened. He said that Talpa was the youngest brother of Taikoku, a once powerful lord before he was sealed in a deep sleep by Talpa. That’s all he told me before vanishing into thin air.”

“Talpa never mentioned having a brother. How can you be sure this is true?” Dais didn’t like to question such things when it came to the Ancients, but it sounded strange to him.

“It is true,” she said, her voice hard. “Those eyes that I see at night… I’m sure those belong to him, to Taikoku. My entire body freezes with great fear, something that I haven’t felt in a long time.”

Dais took a long deep breath and placed a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “Then we must tell the Ronins before it’s too late. We are going to need them. I’ll tell Sekhmet and Cale about what is going on, but we must act fast.” The older warlord left the area to pursue his comrades, leaving Kayura alone in the garden.

Her eyes trembled slightly. “Please, Ancient, help me with this battle. What do I need to do?”

 

“Burning Phoenix Strike!”

A medium sized purple-shaped bird flew into the air. It was magnificent with its flame-like wings and tail. The bird flew higher and higher, with its wings close to its body. It then evaporated into the air. Heavy pants escaped through Hana’s parted lips as she looked up into the empty sky. A smile formed on her lips as she looked at the men in front of her.

“That was awesome!” Kento exclaimed excitedly, a huge grin across his face. “I had no idea you could do that!” He raced over and wrapped his strong arm around her shoulders.

The smile on Hana’s face widened with pride. “Thanks. I’ve been working on it for some time now. You know, when we aren’t training on the other thing.”

“What made you come up with such an attack?” Cye asked curiously. It was the first time in months since he was with her during her training. He didn’t really know what Kento and Hana were doing, but after seeing such a show, he was interested.

Hana crossed her arms over her chest, the smile vanishing. “I overheard Sage talking to you guys about the nightmares he’s been having. I think they mean something, too, and I want to prepare for whatever is coming. Shijisha was able to use her energy for attacks, so I wanted to make my own.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kento grinned, squeezing her a bit. “And you did a fantastic job!”

Cye frowned. “Yes, but you don’t have any armor to protect you, Hana. What happens if you get hit with an attack? I don’t want you to get hurt. We don’t even know what we are up against. It could very well be a villain. Sage’s visions haven’t been wrong so far.”

Hana groaned in irritation. “I can’t just sit by and do nothing! Not when I have this power. I have been through battles before, remember?

“Yes, and each time you were badly injured, or did you forget that part?” Cye disputed. “This discussion is over. I agreed to the training so you could control your powers and nothing more.”

Kento removed his arm from Hana as the two of them argued. It was a rare scene, but with a stubborn Hana and an overly protective Cye, it wasn’t a surprise. He took a step back as their voices started to rise.

Fists formed at Hana’s side as she glared at the man in front of her. “You aren’t the boss of me!” Purple aurora surrounded her body as her rage started to climb.

Kento was about to intervene when he heard a gasp. He turned his head to his right and saw a very surprised and scared Aika. Her eyes were wide with fear, like a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming car. She was staring at Hana, who was surrounded by her energy. “Hana!”

Kento was about to intervene when he heard a gasp. He turned his head to his right and saw a very surprised and scared Aika. Her eyes were wide with fear, like a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming car. She was staring at Hana, who was surrounded by her energy. “Hana!”

The dark-haired woman looked over at the Bearer of Hardrock and then gasped. The energy that was intensely surrounding her faded. She could feel her stomach drop as she spotted Aika standing next to Kento, completely shaking like a leaf. “Aika…” She took a step toward her little sister, who, in turn, took a step back.

“She was right. Auntie was right,” Aika whispered as she felt her heart race with panic. Her feet were moved on their own as she took steps back, away from everyone. She didn’t want to believe the stories, but she couldn’t shake the fear.

“Aika… please…” Hana pleaded. The terror on her sister’s face tore Hana’s heart in half violently. “Let me explain.”

The teen shook her head. “Stay away from me…” She turned on her heel and ran out of the area. She raced through the trees as fast as her legs could carry her. The image was burned in her retinas as she made it out of the forest, tripping over her own two feet. Her sister was the monster she was told about. She was the reason for all the suffering the family faced. What a fool she was to think she was different.

Kento held Hana back by the backing of her black shirt. A pained expression was on his features as he looked at the defeated woman in front of him. He hated seeing her in pain. “Hana…”

Tears fell onto the dirt ground below, her shoulders shaking violently. After all that hard work in trying to mend the relationship, her sister was now afraid of her, despised her. “Damn it!” she screamed as she dropped to the ground, pounding her fist into the dirt. “Why?! Why does this have to happen?!”

Cye placed a hand on her back, rubbing it slowly. He sighed as he looked toward the area where Aika once stood. Hana’s powers were still getting the best of her. Instead of working for that control, she was working for something completely different. The incident could have been avoided if she only stuck to that one goal.

“Kento, see if you can find her,” Cye said quietly. “Maybe she’s back at the house.”

“Yeah. Sure,” Kento said and was hesitant at first on leaving Hana behind. He shook his head and ran out of the area.

 

Dodging the many trees that were in the way, he sprinted while keeping an eye out for the teen. Seeing Hana so distraught made his heart break into pieces. “Cye is with her. Get a grip on yourself, Kento!” The warrior made it to the house, slamming the front door open and stepping into the kitchen. He entered the living room where Rowen and Ryo were sitting, each with a book in their hand. “Where’s Aika?”

“Dunno, man. She was here a little while ago. She came looking for Hana and I told her to have a seat here until she returned,” Rowen replied. “What’s wrong?”

Kento clenched his teeth hard, his hands in fists. “She came to the training grounds. She saw Hana’s power when she and Cye were arguing. She ran out of the area and we don’t know where she is,” Kento explained angrily. “You would think she would stay put.”

“She went home.”

The three men turned their attention to Sage who was in the entryway of the room. Of course the blonde was cool as a cucumber.

“Home? You saw her?” Ryo asked. “Is she alright?”

“Of course she’s not alright!” Kento exclaimed, feeling his blood boil. “Now Hana is a mess!”

“Calm down, Kento,” Rowen said in a firm voice. “There is no use in getting worked up.”

Sage leaned his body against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “I asked her where she was running to. She looked like a bear was chasing after her or something. She told me that she was heading home. That was it.”

Ryo placed his book down on the side table. He looked at his hard-headed comrade as he sat heavily in the armchair, arms crossed over his broad chest. He figured that Kento probably still harbored feelings for Hana and that’s why he was all worked up. Ryo sighed through his parted lips. There should have been a different approach in telling the young girl about Hana’s special abilities.

“Well, there is nothing we can do to change what happened,” Sage said as he eyed Kento.

“Of course you are cool about this,” Kento said flatly. “Do you honestly not care about Hana?”

“That has nothing to do with it. Carrying on like a child isn’t going to fix the problem and you know it,” Sage stated. “She needs more training on her emotions.” He looked at his other friends who seemed to have felt the same way. It wasn’t that Sage didn’t care about Hana; he did, but he never showed his emotions that easily. He was trained to remain as calm as possible and see things in a different light. That meant that he had to remain neutral.

Natsumi emerged from the bathroom, drying her damp hair with a brown towel. The tension in the room seemed to weigh on her shoulders as she looked at everyone. “What’s going on? I heard the door slam and then yelling,” she said. Ryo opened up his arms as an invitation to her. She walked across the room and sat on his lap. He nuzzled his face against her bare arm, enjoying the scent of fresh lavender on her soft skin. “Is everything okay?”

“Aika found about Hana’s powers. Now she’s afraid of her,” Rowen explained.

“Oh, no,” Natsumi said softly, a solemn expression on her face. She knew that Hana was trying to make her sister believe in her. She snapped her head up when she heard the door again. This time it was Hana who stormed into the room with Cye not too far behind.

“Where is she?” she demanded, trying not to yell.

“She went home,” Sage replied. Hana looked at the man standing against the wall. “I saw her leave and that’s what she told me.”

“Shit,” Hana said through her clenched teeth. Aika might tell her aunt about what she saw. She won’t be able to get close to her again. There was only one thing left to do. “I have to see my aunt.”

“Are you sure about that?” Kento asked. “Who knows what that witch will say to you? Are you sure you want to go through all that?”

Hana shook her head, feeling sick to her stomach all of a sudden. “No, but I have to do something. I… have to confront her at some point and now might be the only time. If I leave this alone, I might never see Aika again. I have to explain myself to her, to tell her the truth and not have my aunt fill her with lies.”

“Then I’ll go with you,” Natsumi spoke up. “You were there for me when I was in trouble. I would like to do the same. Maybe I can help convince your aunt.” She gave Hana a small smile. She was still nervous about going out into the open, not knowing what was going to happen next. However, she wanted to help her friend. Hana was the one who forgave her after the Kurushimi incident. She was the one who gave her courage to confront her father. Now it was her turn to be Hana’s support system.

“Thank you, Natsumi. It means a lot to me and Aika likes you. Maybe you can convince her, too,” Hana said with a smile.

“I’m coming, too,” Cye said softly as he wrapped his arms around Hana’s body. “I can’t let you go there without me.” He eyed Kento who was silent in his chair. “I want you to stay here. It’s for the best.” Kento was about to oppose, but saw the glare in Cye’s teal eyes. The Bearer of Hardrock grunted and turned his head to the side.

“Do you know where your aunt lives now?” Ryo asked who still had his arms wrapped around his girlfriend’s waist. “You did say that she moved close to here.”

Hana nodded her head. “Aika gave me the new address a few days ago.” She glanced at the floor, feeling angry, sad, and scared. Who knows if confronting her aunt will work in her favor and that Aika will understand about her past. She might be totally set on hating her.

Cye planted a kiss on the top of her head. “Everything will work out,” he whispered.

“I hope so, Cye, because if it doesn’t, then I lose my sister for good.”

 

The pain was unbearable. It felt like scorching hot lava was flowing through their veins as the twins lay on metal plates, their wrists and legs bound. A ball of deep orange energy floated above them, striking them with what looked like electricity. Kodoku and Sosa both struggled against the leather that held them in place. Their heads felt like they were going to explode with all the built up pressure.

“This fucking sucks!” Sosa yelled into the air. Another painful shock coursed through his tired body. His chest was moving up and down in an alarming rate. Sweat dripped down his face as he turned toward his sister who had her mouth tightly shut. “The fuck is wrong with you?”

“Y… yelling w… won’t help you, fool,” she stammered, also feeling the pain pierce through her. She groaned as she looked at the gray ceiling with squinted eyes. “What did we do… do to

“Excellent question.” The twins weakly turned their heads toward the voice. Jaaku waltzed in with his hands behind his back. “What you are experiencing is a power boost. The master is ready for the second phase of his plan and he needs you two in perfect shape.” He looked at the pink-haired woman with a smile. “I’m going to need you, Kodoku.” He walked over and released her from her bounds.

Kodoku fell to the floor and vomited immediately, her body shaking violently. She glared at the old man who was standing next to her. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Old geezer, what the hell?!

“Save that temper of yours. You are going with Master Taikoku to get a girl,” he said nonchalantly. “Or should I say bait?”

Kodoku slowly got to her feet, her legs still unstable. Master Taikoku was requesting her to accompany him? That was the biggest honor she could have received. “Such an honor. I’ll go get my weapon.” With shaky steps, she exited the room, leaving Jaaku with her brother.

The old man turned his attention to the struggling man before him. “Don’t you worry, Sosa. Your time will come.” The only thing the younger man could do was growl before darkness took over.

 

The three of them stood in front of a two story, taupe colored house. The lawn was well taken care of and there were different colored Impatiens under the bushes by the white front door. Hana stood in front of both Cye and Natsumi, stiff as a board. Her hands were in fists at her side as she stared at the door in front of her. It was now or never. She slowly walked up the cement walkway and knocked on the door. A woman in her mid-fifties answered the door. She had dark brown hair that came up to her shoulders and intense blue eyes. A scowl was on her face as she looked at her company.

“Look at what the cat dragged in,” she said, her voice filled with bitterness. “What business do you have here?”

Already Hana’s rage was slowly climbing and it wasn’t even a full minute with the woman. She swallowed hard, trying to regain composure. “I’m here to talk to my sister. The one that you hid from me all this time,” she said, the words were coated with venom. Two can play at this game.

“Poor Aika came home crying, scared because she saw the monster in you,” her aunt spat. “There is no way that I’m letting you near her again.”

Before her Aunt could close the door on them, a hand grabbed the edge. “Jun. Let her see her sister,” Take said in a firm voice. It was the first time in a long time that Hana had heard him be so stern. Her uncle looked at her and smiled. “It’s good to see you, Hana.”

A smile broke out across her pink lips. “It’s good to see you again, Uncle Take.” Her aunt reluctantly stepped aside to let their guests in. Hana shook her head. “No. I would rather talk to her out here.” There was no way she was getting into that house. She might make a mistake and destroy something. No. Outside was much safer.

“Very well,” Take said and left to retrieve Aika from within the house.

“I see you are doing well. I didn’t think you would have friends,” her aunt said in a disgruntled tone.

Cye said something to her aunt, but Hana was too busy focusing her mind and energy to stay calm. She also heard Natsumi chime in, as well. She opened her eyes and stared at the older woman with hard eyes. Her aunt’s thin lips were in a tight line, her face bearing an unpleased expression.

“Do you enjoy torturing me?” Hana asked in a low voice. Her eyes were focused on the ground.

“Torture? You think you’re the one being tortured? Ha! That’s a new one. You tortured this family far more-”

“You think I don’t suffer?! That I don’t regret anything?! Well, I do. In fact, each day I suffer, trying to control the beast within me! Each day I think about all the wrongs that I did to the family. My heart is still in shambles. I was fucking cursed as a child!” Her control was slowly slipping. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder as she held out her palm. Warm energy enveloped her hand as she levitated a rock from the ground and into her open hand. “This is what I deal with everyday. I was possessed by an evil spirit when I was little. The only reason why I did those things in middle school was because I didn’t know what was happening to me. Believe me or not, but this right here is proof.” She practically made the rock float to her stunned aunt. Hana’s eyes wandered over to Aika who was standing behind Jun. Her expression softened. “I regret everything that I did to you, Aika. I don’t want you to fear me. I want you in my life.”

Aika listened intently to what her older sister said. “What about mom, dad, and Ken?”

Hana swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she looked at her sister, who was waiting for a reply. “I… I am at fault.” She saw her sister’s expression change to dread. “I was being used and the person betrayed me. I tried so hard to keep you guys safe, but I failed.”

Her aunt made a scoffing noise.

“She’s telling the truth,” Natsumi said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. “You are her family. You should be standing by her no matter what.”

“And what do you know?” Jun asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I know because I didn’t get a chance to grow up in a family that was loving and sweet. I was abused by my father while my uncle did nothing. I see the torment in Hana’s eyes every day. She was so happy when Aika came back into her life…” Natsumi stopped talking when she noticed the surprised looks on Hana and Cye’s faces.

Hana smiled at her friend and returned her attention to Aika, ignoring her aunt all together. “I was going to show you my new power, but in a different way. I’m trying to make up for all the wrong that I did. I was trying to rebuild the gap between us.”

“How touching.” Everyone looked toward the source of the new voice. A tall, thin man stood behind the group, wearing a black jacket and slacks. His silver hair was in its usual place, tied in a ponytail. His yellow eyes smiled as everyone looked at him curiously. “I’m so glad I came in at the right moment .You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this.”

“Who are you and why are you on my property?” Jun demanded as she walked toward the man. “I don’t allow soliciting, so go away.”

The man smiled wickedly. In a blink of an eye, he was right in front of her, holding her chin up with his hand. He licked his thin lips as he drank in the woman’s features. “Yes. You have spunk. I like that.”

Before Jun could utter a single word, the man captured her lips. Everyone’s eyes grew wide with surprise. Take stepped forward before stopping in his tracks. The horrific sound of bones crunching reached everyone’s ears. Hana’s face drained of its color as dark gray armor protruded from her aunt’s body, the helmet replacing her face. Once the transformation was complete, the man let her go.

“Wha… what the hell did you do to her?!” Hana screamed as she charged at the stranger, not thinking about the consequences. The man disappeared and then reappeared in the air.

“I saved you some trouble, young miss,” he grinned. “She won’t be bothering you anymore.” With a snap of his fingers, the newly formed soldier disappeared.

“Bring her back!” Hana demanded as she created an energy ball in between her hands. The man looked at Hana, amused.

Cye raced over and stepped in front of his girlfriend. “Calm down, Hana,” he whispered. “We don’t know who we are dealing with.” The auburn-haired man glared at the floating figure above them. “Who are you?”

“I am Taikoku, lord of the Nether Realm. You must be Cye of the Torrent,” Taikoku said in a smug voice. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Fear spread throughout Cye’s body as the mention of the Dynasty echoed in his ears. He could have sworn they destroyed Talpa’s empire. What was going on here? And to make matters worse, he was the only one around. He looked back at the man, trying not to show his fear. He noticed the yellow eyes. Those had to be the ones Sage was seeing in his nightmares. “What did you do to her aunt?”

The evil lord licked his lips. “You see, my friend, I can turn mortals into my soldiers by sucking out their life source. They are basically empty shells but I assume you already knew that. You fought a lot when you went head to head with my brother, Talpa.” His grin grew wider as he saw the dread and shock on the Ronin’s face. “I could go on and tell you my life’s story, but I have other things that I need to do.” He looked at Aika and Take hungrily.

Hana moved in front of them with her arms out in a protective manner. She didn’t care who this nut job was. He wasn’t going to take them. “You lay one finger on them and I’ll make sure even your own mother won’t recognize you,” she sneered. She felt hands grip onto the back of her shirt. Hana turned her head and saw Aika sticking close to her.

“I’m not interested in those weaklings,” Taikoku waved. He snapped his fingers and a figure dropped from the sky and to the ground.

Kodoku stood up, wearing a golden breast plate, gauntlets and boots. It looked like she was wearing a dark purple leotard under what little bit of armor she had on. She held two big metal fans, one in each hand. The woman glanced at Natsumi and smiled. “That girl over there is the one, Master?” Natsumi took a step back when she realized that she was the one being mentioned.

“Yes. Let’s make this quick. I’m getting bored,” Taikoku said.

“As you wish,” Kodoku bowed then sprinted toward Natsumi.

“I don’t think so,” Cye growled and transformed into this sub-armor. Metal met with Cye’s armor as he tried to push the woman away. “Natsumi, run!”

The brunette had to recollect herself before making a run for it. Panic spread throughout her body when she saw Hana motion her to her. She heard Cye call out for his armor and with a flash of bright light, he was clad in the Armor of the Torrent. He swung his yari at Kodoku, missing her by a hair.

She laughed as she opened her fans. “Interesting armor you got there, but it’s no match for my power.”

“Hold your tongue!” Cye snapped. He didn’t like the idea of hurting a woman, but he had to do what had to be done. He leaned back and pointed his weapon at her. “Wave Crusher!” Swirling water appeared at the center of the yari, and then shot outward toward its target. His opponent moved the open fan in front of her, making the attack go in different directions. “What?”

Kodoku smiled at the confused warrior. “My turn,” she whispered and sprinted forward, kicking Cye in the face with her foot. The warrior slammed into the ground. “Let’s play!” She leaped into the air and spun in place. “Floral Waltz!” Tiny pink petals appeared around her. Using her giant fans, she blew them toward the fallen Ronin.

Cye screamed as the petals shocked him, some of them cutting into his flesh on his face. He couldn’t move a muscle, not with the searing pain going through him.

“Cye!” Hana yelled and then looked at her uncle. “Please take Aika and get away from here.” Her uncle just stood there, not wanting to leave his niece alone. “Go! I don’t want anything else happening to you guys. Go now!” Take pried Aika from Hana’s body and led her into the house. A growl emanated from deep within her throat as she created an energy ball. “You bitch! Burning Phoenix Strike!” The energy ball formed into a soaring bird. The attack flew right into the fans, causing the enemy back on the ground. Hana raced to Cye’s side. The man was motionless on the ground. “Cye?”

A cough escaped between his lips as he weakly looked at Hana. “Go… this battle is too much.”

“No. I’m not leaving you here,” Hana argued before she heard screaming. She looked to her left and saw Natsumi in Taikoku’s grasp. “Natsumi!”

The brunette struggled against the firm grip he had on her arm. “Too easy,” Taikoku laughed. “Kodoku, it’s time to go.” Kodoku glared at Hana as big red double doors appeared before them. The evil lord dragged Natsumi toward the gates.

“Let go of her!” Hana yelled and grabbed her friend’s other arm, pulling her back. “I won’t let you take her!”

“Pitiful human. You have no choice in the matter.” Suddenly darkness claimed Hana as her body went limp. Kodoku had smacked her in the back of the neck, knocking her unconscious. She picked up the dark-haired woman and looked at her master for an answer. “Bring her.” The pink-haired woman nodded before doing the same thing to Natsumi. Taikoku picked up the limp girl and threw her over his shoulder. “Thank you. She was getting annoying.” The four of the disappeared behind the doors as they closed shut.

“Damn it!” Cye yelled as he struggled to get up. Blood dripped from his face as he pounded the ground with his fist, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Cye!” He looked over and saw Aika running over to him. When she got to the injured warrior, she clung to his armored body, hysterical. “What happened?! Where did they take Hana and Natsumi?! Is Auntie dead?! Why are you wearing this thing?!” She sobbed into her hands, her emotions all over the place.

Take lent a hand and helped Cye to his feet. He was trying to remain calm for Aika’s sake. “Is she really gone? The girls and my wife?”

Cye looked at the older man solemnly. “I’m afraid it’s too late for your wife. However, we are going to get Hana and Natsumi back.” Cye removed his armor from his body then bent down to hug Aika. “I’ll explain everything, but right now we need to get to the others.” The warrior directed the two to his car. He had to let the other Ronins know that the evil Dynasty was back and stronger than ever.