Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Shadows of Cyan ❯ The Crash ( Prologue )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Prologue
Shadows of Cyan: The Crash
by: wingsofsakon

Laughter and joyfulness of being together filled the air. Ryo looked out side from time to time and noticed that things had gotten darker. The bright full moon that over powered the darkness. Had slowly faded and made things a dark midnight blue instead of the brilliant cyan.

He felt comforted though by the closeness of his friends. Although there was a slight sprinkle it didn't phase him one bit. That was until every thing came to a screeching halt that swung every one to the other side of the car. From the back seat he saw the head lights reveal the patch of trees and suddenly a quick shine of a side railing. There it hit darkness and his ears heard nothing for what seemed a second frozen in time. His body jerked as the impact made the car turn to its side and flip as it hit the water's surface. Silence… and then panic as water forced it's way in rages of splashes.

In the panic he could only see what he was imagining. Him self failing to get out of his seat and drowning. He fought as hard as he could to free the seat belt that held its grip. He jumped as a hand came into view and slit it with a pocketknife. He wasted no time and followed Shuu from the car. Fighting the loss of air as he climbed to the top and barley making it. Sink, he started to sink and he lost control completely. He looked up and saw the surface bubble away from him. Astonishment hit him when a hand grabbed him and pulled him to the top where Seiji dragged him to the shore.

"Ryo. Ryo are you alright?" Seiji asked with a wild look in his face as he held him from shivering.

Thoughts started to whirl through his head and he could do nothing but sit there and try to form words.

"C'mon, Ryo speak up. Tell us you're okay." Shuu said sitting next to him.

"When we didn't see you surface I went back in after you. Thank god you didn't go any deeper I wouldn't have been able to reach you." Seiji said shaking while he tried to talk to stay calm.

"Is… is every one alright?" Again the silence hit and all he could hear was the break and the sound of the sprinkle upon the trees.

"Tell me… is every one alright?" Ryo said looking around at his friends." Suddenly noticing that there were only three next to him.

"Shin… " Shuu said and stopped and looked at the water.

"Shin hasn't surfaced yet, Ryo." Seiji said and looked away from him.

Ryo stood up quickly and started to the water once again.

"What are you doing?" Shuu said going after him.

"Going back to look for him." Ryo said as his feet hit the sand under the surface.

"No, Ryo stay out of there! Don't be a fool!" Seiji shouted and made Ryo stop in his tracks.

"No, he might need help and I'm not a fool!" Ryo said as he took another step, but a strong grip pulled him back.

"No, Ryo… " Shuu said with a sincere look in his eyes.

"Let go Shuu." Ryo warned.

"No." He said softly taking a step back to shore.

"Let me go now! He needs help." Ryo said letting a swing make Shuu dodge. Only to have that wrist clasped onto also.

"Let me go Shuu! He needs… " Ryo shouted until he was interrupted.

"It's too late, Ryo." Shuu said velvety.

Yet it stung through his soul and turned it to ice. "No… " Ryo said trying again to pull away. "He just needs us." He pleaded.

"No, Ryo we… " Shuu started to say but changed his mind.

Ryo stood as confusion ran thoughts through and out his head. "You what?" He scolded with tears in his eyes.

"By the time we could get out get up here and make sure every one here was alright and got back down… it would have been useless." Touma said and hit his knees to the shore.

"What?" Ryo said in disgust and shock. "You left him… You left him there to DIE!" Ryo said once again with a directive. He thrashed his way out of Shuu's grip and splashed over to the soaked archer. "How could you! All of you!" Ryo shouted as he lifted Touma up from the front of his wet sweater.

"Stop it, Ryo!" Seiji yelled back and pushed them apart. "It was already too late. We had to get ourselves out first! At least we were still alive!" Seiji said cruelly and stepped back in shock and shame covering his own mouth.

Ryo blinked in what had just been said. Hurt turned to anger and the anger swept away and a wave of despair hit him. Making him fall to the ground. The waves circled around his thighs and forearms. He couldn't believe what had happened. He couldn't believe that this was the reality and the truth was… Shin was dead. It had seemed he had lost his breath and started to choke.

"Ryo?… " Shuu asked from behind him.

"Ryo, please. I didn't mean it the way it sounded." Seiji tried to apologize. The chokes alarmed him and he involuntarily took a few steps closer. "Are you okay?" He asked crouching down by him.

"Ryo? Please, answer us." Touma said from his spot across from him.

"Are you alright?" Seiji asked again as softly as he could.

Ryo caught his breath and in one sudden jolt of agony. His soul ripped and his chest ached with a sharp pain. Fusing through out his body making tears run rapid down his face to join the waters below him.

"No… No! No I'm not all right! I'm not all right! I'm not alright with this!" Ryo objected as he pounded his fists to the bottom of the water. "I'm not alright! This isn't right!" He shouted as he thrashed at the surface with his hands trying to rip them apart only to rejoin as splashes rehit the water around him. "This isn't right! Why? Why! Why? This isn't right! Why him? No! No! No!! I'm not all right! This isn't right! It's not right!!!" He yelled making an echo ring in his ears only making it worse.

"Ryo… " Seiji whispered as it slowly came to a halt.

"It's your fault." Ryo accused coldly as he looked up from the water to meet the blond with a cruel stare.

"What?… " Seiji asked in blank astonishment.

"It's your fault Seiji! You killed him! You were driving! You lost control and YOU killed him! I'm gonna kill you!" Ryo shouted as he went at the blonde's throat pushing him back into the water. Struggling to release the grip he had that was petrified and squeezing. "You! You did it! You killed him! You did it! You're gonna pay! You murderer! You killed him!!"

"Ryo!" Touma screamed as he jumped to try and help the swordsman under him.

"What are you doing?" Shuu yelled as he tried to pull him off.

"He did it! He did it! He killed him! It's his fault leave me alone!!" Ryo scolded.

"No, Ryo it's not his fault." Touma yelled back trying to pry the death grip off.

"Let him go, Ryo. It's not his fault!" Shuu yelled and assisted Touma with the hands.

"Yes it is! Leave me alone!" Ryo screamed as he tried to push them away. Giving Shuu a chance to grab and pull him off.

Touma quickly grabbed Seiji and pulled him back up. After making sure he was all right he turned back to see that Shuu still had a firm grasp of Ryo.

"Let me go Shuu!! It's his fault! His fault Shin's dead!! Let me go! Let me go!! It's his fault! Damn it Shuu let go of me!!!" Ryo screamed and thrashed in the stronger arms. "It's not right! Its Seiji's fault let go of me! He's dead because of him!!"

"Stop it, Ryo." Shuu scolded. "It's not his fault!" He yelled back trying to get through to him. "Ryo, please? Please calm down. Calm down there's more we have to tell you. Please calm down it's not his fault, Ryo." Shuu pleaded softer as he started to rock him back and forth.

"Yes it is… it's his fault, Shuu. He did it." He answered as exhaustion started to wipe over him.

"Shhh… Ryo please. He didn't do it. Please calm down, Ryo." He continued.

"No… no… Seiji's to blame… Shin's gone." Ryo kept on as he started to feel heavy.

"No, Ryo.. please. It's not his fault. Shhh… " Shuu cooed in his ear.

With every little sigh and whimper he cooed back to him to calm down as he kept rocking him. "Shhh… "

"It could take forever if we wait for a car." Touma said as shivered next to Seiji.

"I'll go back into town and make a couple phone calls there." Seiji said as he rubbed his throat.

"Are you okay, Seiji." Shuu whispered.

Seiji thought about it a second. "I guess so. About Shin… "

"Don't dwell on what Ryo told you." Touma said walking out of the water.

"It's not that. It's just that… he wasn't in the car when I swam out. Just Shuu and Ryo were."

"Are you saying… " Touma asked getting choked off at the mere thought.

"I don't know… what any more, but he wasn't in the car."

"That's what I wanted to tell, Ryo." Shuu whispered from his spot.

"So he might actually be okay?" Touma said looking around at the forest.

"Perhaps, but stay close to them until help comes. We can't do any thing until day light anyway." Seiji said on his way up the steep bank.

Wetness started to penetrate through his clothes and the night breeze started to seep through them. He hugged himself as he walked along the highway. Wishing that every thing that had just happened was just a dream. Hoping that he would wake up at any moment. He gave a sigh in realization that it wasn't going to happen.

He tried to push away the thoughts and reflections of reliving what event. Although, the reaction from Ryo had made it hard to ignore that he was now the center of the blame. He hoped that when Ryo found his senses that every thing would be cleared up. He couldn't bear the feelings that were slipping in. Having one of his best friends' blame him for the loss of another just wasn't something he was ever prepared for. He knew that Shin had a slim chance of still being alive and knew if he wasn't. He would always carry around the guilt of the night.

"Damn it." Seiji said under his breath.

The cold was starting to soak through his skin now and knew the others had to be feeling the same thing. It was still a ways to go to get to town and every thing was starting to feel hopeless. Looking down the seemingly endless road he froze in his spot.

"It's going to take me forever." He whispered to himself.

Frustrated he twirled on his heels and spun around to face the other way. Turning back to start again the corner of his eye had caught something down the bank. "No, way… " He said attempting to make his way down there, but stopped in mid step and put his foot back under him. "It… it can't be. Don't get your hopes up, Seiji." He added as he slid a step closer to the edge for a closer look. In astonishment he started at the bottom. Where he could only see the faint coloring of the jacket Shin had been wearing.

With out hesitation he started stumbling his way down the hill. Grabbing rooted branches on his way down almost forgetting to breathe. Each step seemed to take forever as he rushed as fast as he could. Slipping and sliding avoiding from tripping on rocks, twigs and dead forest limbs. Until he crashed into the water still grasping a branch to steady him again. Looking over every thing confirmed what he had thought. Shin lay there motionless on his side. The river must have swept him away after the impact.

On instinct he turned him over and felt his heartbeat stop at what he saw. He was bruised up pretty badly. He was covered in bruises and scratched with puffiness that surrounded each of them. He looked him over for other injuries, but what stood out the most. Were the gash marks that were on his hands and forearms. Where he must have either tried to protect him self or grab on to something that bit right through them. Then he noticed how shallow he was breathing and he started to feel frantic.

"Shin… Shin, brace your self. It's time to start climbing." Seiji said as he tried to start back up the bank. Only to find that Shin's limp body was too heavy to carry one armed. So, he undid his belt and wrapped it around and under his arms. He struggled as he pushed and pulled his friend up the soft bank. He didn't know how long he sat on the highway holding him: trying to keep him warm before headlights came into view.