Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Requiem of Summer ❯ Chapter Nineteen ( Chapter 19 )

By the time the warriors got to one part of the city, it was completely deserted. Debris littered the streets, along with some personal belongings. Windows of buildings were shattered completely. There were some decent sized chunks of wall missing from some of the buildings. They could hear rushing water coming from a few of the fire hydrants that were destroyed in the mix. Luckily for them, there weren’t any signs of lifeless bodies hanging around. It was even more of a surprise how fast the people evacuated. The city of Tokyo was always the first target of any villain the Ronins had faced. Maybe the citizens were so used to having their city invaded by weird looking monstrosities that it become commonplace for them.

Dark gray clouds were rolling in from the East side of the city. The winds started to pick up, as well. Kayura was clad in the sub-armor that Anubis left behind, the ancient staff gripped tightly in her right hand. She stared intently at the barreling clouds meshed with flashes of purple lightning. There was no doubt that the Dynasty was close. She closed her eyes and meditated for courage and strength for this battle. People were counting on her as the last child of the ancient clan. Her eyes snapped open. She looked at the men that were with her, all in their sub-armors, as well.

Mia was with Aika, Take, and Yuli. As much as they were against it, they had the four come along. Who knew what would happen if they were left unprotected. The Dynasty already had Hana and Natsumi; they weren’t getting anyone else.

The female warrior raised her staff, which started to glow gold. A raging tornado-like portal struck the earth from above. Ryo, Rowen, Mia, and Yuli were no strangers to this form of travel.

Kayura looked over at Ryo with a determined expression on her young face. “I’m sure you know what this is,” she insinuated. The Bearer of Wildfire nodded his head. “I can’t tell you what you’ll be up against once you get to the Dynasty. I’m sure it has changed over the years. Try to buy some time so we can assist you.”

Ryo was about to say something when a loud roar echoed from the distance. The party all took a look to see what the source of the noise was. Excitement filled Yuli’s heart when he saw his old four-legged friend racing toward them. The teen ran forward to greet the big cat. White Blaze knocked into Yuli, causing the boy to fall to the ground. The tiger licked his face playfully.

“I see the tiger is back,” Sekhmet commented as he watched the feline and the teen.

“I whistled for him about an hour ago” Ryo mentioned. “We are going to need him and Black Blaze if we are ever going to win this battle.”

Aika watched half terrified and half amused at the interaction between Yuli and the giant white tiger. White Blaze was slobbering all over Yuli’s face as the teen laughed joyfully. Cye noticed the mixed expressions on Aika’s face and smiled softly.

“It’s okay,” he reassured her. “White Blaze is an ally of ours. He usually fights alongside Ryo. He’ll protect you against any enemy.”

Ryo turned toward Kayura with a serious expression on his face. They couldn’t delay any longer. “Don’t worry about us,” he said. “Just focus on getting rid of the soldiers that are terrorizing the city.”

The female warrior tightened her grip on her staff as she looked at the Bearer of Wildfire in the eyes. “Understood. Please be careful.”

Ryo nodded then turned toward his comrades. “Let’s go. Once we reach the Dynasty, we’ll stick together.” He walked over to the tiger and knelt down in front of his companion. “It’s nice to see you, White Blaze. We have some new people with us that I want you to watch over. They’re Hana’s family.” The cat roared as if in understanding. Ryo smiled and patted him on the head. “Great. Then let’s get going.”

Heavy winds surrounded the portal to the Nether Realm. It looked like a giant tornado. The Ronins stood before it, each mentally preparing themselves for what was to come. Ryo turned and nodded his head at his friends. One by one they entered the cyclone. Aika clung tightly to her uncle’s shirt with her eyes shut. She hated roller coasters, along with heights, and that’s what the portal felt like. The unpleasant sensation her stomach was making wasn’t helping the situation. She wanted to get off the ride. The howling of the wind echoed in everyone’s ears as they continued to get sucked up.

The pressure inside the portal was intense as Ryo struggled to lift his head up to get a look at the end. He narrowed his eyes and noticed that they weren’t too far away. Below he could hear Kento complaining about the ride. Dark gray clouds finally came into view as they all reached their destination. They stood before the entrance of red double doors. A cross-like pattern was in the middle with white and blue stripes going vertically and horizontally. The top of the door had ends that were turned upward.

“That’s the entrance,” Kento said. “Do we just go in?” He looked at Ryo for an answer.

Ryo stared at the closed doors intensely. Behind those doors was the castle that Talpa used to reign over, the castle that held his three friends captive for the longest time. It was no surprise that he was hesitant to move forward, but the reminder that Natsumi and Hana were somewhere in there removed that fear from his mind.

“Open the door, Kento,” he ordered. “We can’t waste any more time. I have this sick feeling that the girls are in danger.”

“I agree with Ryo. The more time we waste, the more time the girls are held prisoner,” Cye said. He, too, was getting more anxious by the minute.

Kento cracked his knuckles as he walked over to the double red doors. He placed both hands on the ironed surface and pushed with all his might; the door was a lot heavier than it looked. Once he was able to make a large enough gap between the two doors, the gang hurried into the kingdom. The heavy door slammed shut behind them and vanished.

Both Aika and Take stood close to one another as they surveyed the unknown land. The atmosphere sent chills down their spines. Grayish-green clouds hovered above them. There was no sign of light for miles. The negative energy that was mixed with the air was almost nauseating. Aika wanted to go back home. She wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare. Yuli appeared next to her and took her hand into his. She was too frightened to even notice the gesture.

“It’ll be okay, Aika,” he said in a calm, soft voice. “You have the Jewel of Life in your possession. It will protect you. I will protect you, too.”

“How?” she asked, her voice hoarse. “Look at this place. How can you protect us when you, yourself, don’t have any protection?” Yuli didn’t have armor of his own to protect him from lethal attacks. How was he going to protect her?

“I’ll manage,” he said simply. “I’ve seen enough battles in my life to know what to do.”

The Ronins looked at the tall walls that surrounded the castle. Soldiers were marching back and forth on the tops of the walls, each with a spear-like weapon in their hand. There were even more soldiers at the base of the walls. Sage scanned the area for any entrances into the threshold. Kento wanted to race over to the wall and start pummeling the crap out of the armored soldiers. Cye just stared at the top of the castle, wondering what was happening within those walls. Was Hana and Natsumi okay in there?

“I would like to think that they don’t know that we are here, but I know they do,” Rowen said quietly. “I’m sure that Taikoku person is watching us as we speak.”

“I would have to agree with Rowen,” Sage said as he kept scouting for entrances. “He wants us to come to him. That’s why he took the girls in the first place, right?” He sighed and looked at his leader. “I don’t see any entrances from here. We could go lurk for a bit until we find one. Drawing attention to ourselves right now isn’t the best idea being that we don’t fully know what is going on.” He glanced over at Kento because he knew that was what the Bearer of Hardrock had in mind, barging into the place like a bunch of animals. No. They had to be careful with this one. Unlike Talpa, they only knew a few details on what was playing. Kento groaned at the idea and crossed his armored arms over his chest.

Ryo nodded his head. If he remembered correctly, there were some spots that they could go where they couldn’t be seen. Hopefully those areas didn’t change. “Let’s head this way,” he said as he pointed to his right. “Keep an eye out for any soldiers. If they spot you, get rid of them as fast as possible before they alert the others.”

Everyone agreed and followed Ryo toward their next destination.

Intense pain shot through Natsumi’s tired, beaten up body when she awoke. She groaned in misery as she looked ahead of her, seeing the iron vertical bars. Where was she this time? A gentle touch on her shoulder made her jerk; she cried out from the pain. She looked and saw Hana sitting next to her; a worried expression was well-written all over her face. Dark bags hung heavily under the dark-haired woman’s eyes as if she hadn’t slept in weeks. How many days had it been since they were taken? Once again, Hana reached out and placed a hand on Natsumi’s shoulder.

“I’m okay,” Natsumi said in a soft, weak voice. She was trying to sound convincing, but knew she had failed when Hana shook her head. The brunette could still feel the burning sensations from the contact of the whip her father used on her. Blotches of black and blue bruises were on her arms. She noticed the dry blood on the concrete. “Was that from me?”

“You don’t remember coming back here, covered in blood?” Hana asked in disbelief. “They threw you in here like some kind of animal. What happened?”

Natsumi could see the fear and concern that plagued her friend’s features. She sat up and wrapped her arms around her beaten abdomen. “My father did this to me,” she said quietly. Hana’s eyes widened at the answer. So that’s what that guy meant by “daddy dearest.” She could taste the bitter bile that rose in her throat. “I couldn’t fight back. I was tied up in a chair. All my fears came rushing back to me…” Tears started to fall down her dirty cheeks.

Hana sat quietly, focusing on a spot on the wall. Why was Natsumi’s father here of all places? It didn’t make any sense. She looked at her friend solemnly. “Did he tell you why he was here?” The brunette shook her head as she silently sobbed into her hands. They had to get out of the cellar, but her powers were useless against the spell put on the bars.

Chuckling could be heard as a flash of crimson caught Hana’s eye. She ground her back teeth together in anger.

“Didn’t think the man had it in him. I was wondering why Lord Taikoku brought such a weakling over,” Sosa said as he leaned against the bars of the cell that the girls were in. “Such brutality.”

“Shut your face.” Hana sneered as she glared at the man in front of her. Her brows furrowed and her fists tightened. This was the last person she wanted to see or hear.

“Now, now. No need to get all angry,” he said with a grin on his lips. “I came all this way just to see you. Your fiery spirit is a turn on.”

Hana thought she was going to be sick. Just then the light bulb in her head turned on. There was a way to escape, and it was right in front of her. A sly grin appeared on her face as she looked up at the crimson-haired man. She slowly got to her feet and made her way to the bars. It made her stomach churn just thinking about what she had to do, but she had no choice. They had to get out.

“You came to see me?” she asked in a low voice. “Why? I’m all dirty from my trip here, my hair is a mess, and my clothes are all nasty. Why would you be interested in me?” She could see the hot and bothered look on the man’s face as he looked down at her chest, the front of her green tank top hung lower than usual. Her eyes flew open when he inserted the copper key into the keyhole and opened the door. Bingo.

Natsumi looked up when Hana was pulled from the cellar and was slammed against the cold stone wall. The dark-haired woman struggled against the hold on her. Sosa licked his lips hungrily as he crushed them against hers. Muffled noises could be heard as he entered his slimy tongue into her mouth. Her eyes shut tightly as she felt the contents of her stomach slowly rise up in her throat. They flung open when she felt a hand on her breast. Anger coursed through her as she placed her hand on his chest. In a blink of an eye, Sosa was thrown across the room. He slammed into the opposing wall and fell hard to the ground.

Hana spit on the ground before glaring at her enemy. Sosa immediately got to his feet, flames suddenly surrounding his hands. He leaped forward and grabbed Hana’s shoulders, making her cry out at the burning sensation.

“You little bitch!” he spat as he dug his nails into her flesh, drawing blood. “And here I thought I was going to let you off easy.” The flames increased, causing red patches to appear on her delicate skin.

“Let her go!” Natsumi demanded and slammed into Sosa’s body as hard as she could. He laughed when he didn’t even budge. She fell to the floor in pain as some of her wounds opened up again.

“N… Natsumi… run…” Hana stammered.

“Oh. She’s not going anywhere,” Sosa smirked. “Once I’m done with you, I’ll go to her.”

Rage was at its peak. Purple aurora surrounded Hana’s body. She grabbed Sosa’s head and slammed it against her own. He immediately let go of her shoulders and held his head in agony. Hana winced as her entire body felt like it was burning from the inside out. She fell to her knees and looked up. Just above them, there was a piece of iron sticking out of the wall. Something must have hung from there. It was a perfect tool to use and it was long enough. With a shaky hand, she focused her power on her enemy.

He removed his hands from his head when he noticed he was being lifted into the air. A smile graced his features as he looked down below. “So this is your power? How weak! My fire will continue to burn within you, my dear. Enjoy it.” Laughter erupted from his lips before the piece of iron penetrated through his heart.

Hana watched the lifeless body hang from above them before toppling over in pain. Sweat covered her forehead as she groaned into the floor. Natsumi crawled over to her friend. She saw the deep markings that were left from Sosa’s nails, crimson continued to trickle down her bare arms. The burnt flesh started to spread. Hana struggled to get herself off the floor. They had to leave now if they had any chance of making it out alive. She held onto Natsumi for support.

“We have to get out of here,” Hana said through clenched teeth. She felt greater pain before; she could certainly handle this.

Slowly, they walked out of the dungeon. Hana stopped every once in a while to listen to their surroundings, just in case someone was coming for them. Luckily the place was quiet. Step by step they climbed the long, stoned staircase. Once they got to the top, she slowly opened the door that led to the prison below. The hallway was dimly lit by candles on the walls. Velvety red carpet ran down the hall. She motioned Natsumi to follow her. The two crept along the walls and stopped at an open door. They peeked around the door frame to see if anyone was occupying the room.

It was a vast office with golden furniture. A desk was sitting toward the back wall of the room. A portrait of a man with long silver hair, wearing black armor was hanging in the center behind the desk. Hana knew that man in the picture, his long face with a devilish smirk on his lips. It was of Taikoku himself. Heavy footsteps could be heard coming down the hall. The women struggled into the room and hid under the antique-looking couch that was adjacent to the desk. Fear nestled into the back of their heads as the figures entered the office.

Two sets of feet could be seen along with long robes. One was that of purple and black and the other was all gold. The one wearing the gold robes headed toward the desk where they could hear him seating himself in the chair. Hana clamped her hands over her mouth as a way to keep her from making any noise. Her body still felt like lava was coursing through her veins as more red patches appeared. Her heart was pounding rapidly against her ribcage. Luckily the bleeding had stopped and all that was left were dry blood trails on her arms.

“The Ronins have arrived, Master,” said a high, nasally voice. “One of our troops have spotted them wandering in the fields.”

“Excellent, Jaaku,” said a tenor voice that had a chill to the tone. “Everything is working in our favor. Soon we will have those armors and my power will be unrivaled.”

“My Lord, just one question,” Jaaku said nervously. “That human man that you brought aboard. What purpose does he serve?”

Taikoku grinned at the question, completely unaware of the girls’ presence in the room. “When the time comes, I’ll absorb him. He will supply me with great amount of energy. The only way I could get him to join me was to say that I have his daughter. The more hatred that grows within him, the more power I will have. He has so much hate for this child. It’s sad, really, if you think about it in human terms.”

Natsumi almost let out a gasp, but caught herself just in time. They were using her father. They were going to feast on him when they were through. She felt sick to her stomach just thinking about it. All her father did was the cause her turmoil and distress. Happiness and triumph is what she should have been feeling. Like karma was finally biting him in the ass for all the years of torment. However, she couldn’t help but feel afraid for him.

“So he’s like a toy for you to enjoy,” Jaaku concluded. “As long as he satisfies you.”

Just then a sound of hands banging against the door frame rang in everyone’s ears. Kodoku stood in the doorway, panting heavily, her face flushed with anger in her eyes. “They’re gone!” she screamed. “They killed Sosa! My brother is dead because of that whore!”

Jaaku turned toward the hysterical teen. “Calm down, Kodoku. What do you mean they killed him?” It didn’t make any sense to him. The two girls were mere humans. They were no match for Sosa’s ability to control the fire element.

“Look, you old geezer, I’m telling you he’s dead,” she sneered, glaring at the old man in front of her. “He’s hanging from the wall, an iron bar in his chest. Don’t tell me he’s not dead.” She should have gone with him. She told him to stay away from the dungeon. That idiot never listened and now his carcass was hanging on the wall like some sick decoration.

“You failed to realize that the girl with the black hair has some sort of power,” Taikoku brought up. “When I brought the girls here, I placed a spell on the bars of the cell. That spell should have made her powers useless.”

“The door to the cell was open. There was a key stuck in the lock,” Kodoku answered, her patience growing thin. “I want that tramp dead!”

“Calm yourself!” Jaaku demanded. “You are in the presence of the lord. I will not have you be disrespectful!” A hand rested on Jaaku’s boney shoulder. “My lord?”

“We will send out a word to find the escapees. Use that anger toward the Ronin Warriors, especially that Cye of the Torrent. I heard that black-haired woman is in love with him. Use that anger as a tool,” Taikoku suggested.

“I’ll make sure I turn him into sushi this time,” Kodoku said, her words covered in venom. She spun on her heel and dashed down the hall with revenge on her mind.

Hana bit her lower lip hard to make sure she didn’t go out there and start a fight she couldn’t win. It was the same thing all over again. Couldn’t they come up with something different? She saw Kodoku use her powers against Cye and that rendered him useless. She had to tell the others about what was going down.

“The girls are much smarter than I gave them credit for,” the evil lord said with amusement. He stroked his chin with his hand as he looked at the entrance to the office.

“Sosa was weak,” Jaaku said in disgust. “Even with that power boost. That boy was always taunting people and going after the ladies. It’s no wonder that he got killed so easily. You wasted your resources on him. Now Kodoku is someone who we can count on. Unlike her brother, when she puts her mind into something, she has no trouble fulfilling that deed.”

“We shall see, Jaaku.”Taikoku walked slowly out of the office with Jaaku hot on his tail.

Once they were sure the two had left the room, Hana and Natsumi each exhaled. Hana gritted her teeth when another burning sensation washed over her. She let out a small cry before turning her head toward Natsumi. It was a good thing her friend was faring much better than she was.

“We have to tell the others,” Hana gasped before shutting her eyes tightly. Sosa wasn’t joking when he said that she would be feeling his fire long after he was gone. “They’re in trouble…”

Natsumi placed a hand against Hana’s forehead. She pulled it back when she felt the heat emanating from the flesh. “Hana, you’re burning up,” she said with concern. “We have to get you somewhere cool.”

Hana just moaned as she tried to move, but her limbs weren’t having it. “Damn it…” She dragged her body out from under the couch, lying on the carpet as she took a deep breath in and out through her nose. Hana held up a hand and noticed that it was surrounded by her energy.

Natsumi followed suit and got to her feet, her sides were still aching badly. She quietly tip toed over to the door and closed it carefully. “What’s going on?” She looked at Hana’s glowing body that was on the floor. “What are you doing?”

“I… I don’t… know…” Hana confessed. She definitely wasn’t doing it on purpose.

“Try and relax,” Natsumi suggested as she knelt down beside Hana. She took her friend’s clammy hand into hers. “You are probably stressed or something. I don’t know…”

Hana smiled at Natsumi and closed her eyes. The pain was still there, travelling through her body. She took a deep breath through her nose and held it for a moment. Her mind was racing. The worry about her friends getting hurt, the anger she felt when she heard what that girl was planning to do to Cye, the determination to protect Natsumi from her twisted father: all those emotions were running through her head. She forced them all to the side, clearing some of her mind. She exhaled through her parted lips and looked at the brunette. The aurora had vanished from around her.

Hana sighed with relief as she slowly sat up. “We have to find the others,” she said as she wiped her brow. “They need to know what is going on.”

“What about my father?” Natsumi asked. “I can’t just let him get absorbed by that guy.” She saw Hana raise an eyebrow. An exasperated sigh escaped Natsumi’s lips. “He’s still my father. Even though he made my life a living hell, I can’t just ignore the fact that he’s being used. You must have felt some grief when your aunt got taken.”

She was right. Hana did blame herself for her aunt’s death. Just like Natsumi’s father, her aunt made sure Hana’s life wasn’t easy. She did understand where Natsumi was coming from.

Hana tightened the grip on Natsumi’s hand, a gentle expression on her flushed face. “I understand. We will find your father and explain things to him, but first we need to find the guys.”

The brunette gave a thankful smile and nodded her head. Once everyone was reunited, they could go forth with their plan to make sure everyone got back home in one piece.