Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Sympathy for the Devil ❯ The Early Bird Gets the Guardian ( Chapter 2 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Faia Saiyajin 
Anime/Manga: Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Occult / Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.19.2002 | Updated On: 10.05.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 243 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Occult / Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.19.2002 | Updated On: 10.05.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 243 | Status: Completed
Chapter II: The Early Bird Gets the Guardian
The rain continued on through the night, a downpour that was bordering on
torrential. Mia's lake was slowly filling over, the pier already awash. The sun
wasn't to be seen that morning, when Sage awoke at 5 am.
He stood at his bedroom window, arms crossed over his chest. There was a slight
draft leaking in through the window, making Sage shiver in his flannel pants and
white T-shirt. "If it keeps up like this..." Sage began.
"We'll get flooded out."
Sage spun on his heel, singular eye darting around the room. "Who's there?" He
demanded. A low, familiar chuckle sounded from the far corner of his bedroom.
Sage recognized it immediately. "Bah... Cale."
The former Warlord of Corruption smiled from his shadowy corner. "As if it would
be anyone else?" Cale was nestled in the corner, his arms crossed over his chest
loosely.
"You're the only Shadow Rat I know." Sage taunted. "What in the name of Bhudda
are you doing here?" Out of habit, he checked the bedside clock.
"I know that we aren't supposed to be here for another several hours. But it is
important." Cale's words were grave.
"And how long were you planning on slinking around in the shadows before you
decided to speak up?"
Cale shrugged.
"What's so important that you--"
A loud scream tore through the hallway, coming from Kento's room. Sage rolled
his eyes. "And Dais..."
"BLOODY HELL!!" A groggy Cye yelped from two doors down.
"And Sekhmet.." Sage groaned. "Lovely. The whole crowd is here..." He muttered
under his breath. "What's so important that all of you are here so damned
early?"
"Kayura's gone."
The reply was simultaneous.
"WHAT?!?!"
The four Ronins were downstairs in a flash. Mia was wide awake, scurrying around
the kitchen, making tea and something substantial for Kento. Those assembled sat
at the table, the three Warlords on one side, the Ronins on the other. Rowen was
on his feet, surprisingly very awake, given the current hour.
"Strata. Sit. Down." Dais said, accenting every word. The archer had been pacing
the room, making Dais rather dizzy.
"I CAN'T." His palms slammed down on the table, china and silverware jumping
nearly as high as the people. "Kayura's been abducted, and you're telling me to
sit down? What are we sitting around for?"
Kento looked over at Cye. "Uh... is it just me, or has Rowen lost it?"
"He never had it. He's been fooling us all along. ...Rowen, you're thinking
irrationally. We need a plan." Cye watched the blue eyebrows knit together.
Perhaps it was the surroundings that was making him so jumpy. "I'm surprised
that you're the one up and shooting off like a bloody lunatic." Cye's voice lost
its soft English accent for the briefest of moments. It was a hard commanding
tone. "Calm down." Torrent was just as worried over Kayura's disappearance as
anyone, but it would be impossible to get anything accomplished with the
so-called brains of the outfit running around like he was daft.
"Cale... did Kayura's abductors take the staff as well?" Mia asked, as she
poured tea for Sage.
Cale nodded his head gently. "Yes."
"That means whoever has taken her knows of the powers it possesses." Cye
murmured, looking at his reflection in his cup.
"But what about Kayura? What purpose does she serve?" Rowen asked, sitting down
finally.
"Hostage." Sekhmet said quietly.
This made the hairs on the back of Rowen's neck stand on end. Cye shivered
delicately out of the corner of his eye. "Then they're after something bigger."
"Our Armor." Sage murmured, taking a small sip of the steaming beverage.
"Probably." Dais nodded. He glanced up at Mia, who was moving around the table.
"None for me, thanks." the Spider whispered, raising a pale hand. Mia moved on,
pouring Cale his tea. Sekhmet also declined. Kento was munching contentedly on a
muffin, working on his third glass of chocolate milk.
"There is... something else." Dais said, his lips pursing together for a moment.
"What?" Sage's brow furrowed.
"They have the Ogre Armor as well."
Kento nearly choked. "What?!"
"Yes. Anubis' Armor sphere was missing from Kayura's study."
"Wondrous." Rowen flopped down in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose with
his thumb and index finger. "So it's affirmative that they're after our Armor,
already have one, and using Kayura and possibly the staff as ransom?"
"Your friend Ryo may be in danger as well." Dais shrugged off-handedly.
Sage's head whipped to the left. It was still raining bus-loads outside. There'd
be no way to get to Ryo, unless Armor-power was involved. "How do you know?"
"There is some darkness approaching us. I saw it last night in my sleep." Cale
scowled. He stood abruptly, leaning hard on the table. "It was my own neglect
that caused Kayura's kidnapping. I knew something was going to happen to her."
Cale's head dropped in shame. "And I let it."
Kento looked to his counterpart, puzzled at Cale's reaction. Dais raised a
slender eyebrow, his remaining eye twinkling in a way to indicate an affair
d'amour between the reformed Demon General and the descendant of the Ancient's
clan. Kento's look was memorable, his blue eyes wide in shock. Cye bowed his
head to hide his small smile.
"It's not your fault, Cale. The fault rests with all of us." Sekhmet murmured
under his breath. "We are her protectors, and yet she has been taken captive,
right out from under our noses."
"The fact still remains," Came the quiet reply from Dais, "That she is still
missing. No matter whose fault it may be, we must find her. Quickly."
Rowen and Sage exchanged pained looks. Where to start? The Dynasty was the best
place, obviously, to search for clues. But nothing could be done without their
leader present.
"Cye, Sekhmet." Rowen's words were hard and determined. "You two go and get Ryo.
If it comes down to a battle, odds are we'll need the Inferno."
Cye and his counterpart stood, nodding at each other. "By water?" Cye asked
quietly.
"Yes. It will be much faster." Venom nodded. Robes and pajamas were replaced by
the Venom and Torrent Armor, respectively.
"When you get him out, meet us at the Nether Realm." Rowen said as the pair
clunked to the front door, and opened it, letting in a rush of cold damp air,
and the roar of the rains outside.
"Right. Be careful." Cye warned, looking at Strata over his left shoulder.
"You too. We don't know if Ryo's part of a trap."
Torrent and Venom swam as fast as they could, through one of the underground
streams that fed from Mia's lake into the aquifer underneath Toyama. Torrent
glanced only once at his companion, the orange visor on his faceplate serving to
clarify and somewhat illuminate the pitch black world. Sekhmet's eyes were
narrow and determined from behind his serpentine face guard, as he put all his
effort into swimming.
Suddenly, Sekhmet stopped, his hands to his head. "What is it?" Cye nearly
yelled, holding firm to Venom. The current here was strong, and if one of them
didn't keep fighting it, they'd be swept backwards.
"Evil. Close to Wildfire. We may be too late."
Cye's eyes went wide, and they locked with Sekhmet's, horror smashing whatever
hope he had left. "We can't give up. Ryo needs us." Cye's strength doubled, the
need to help his friend giving him a powerful adrenaline rush.
"Just pray that Ryo is strong enough to fend for himself."
The rain continued on through the night, a downpour that was bordering on
torrential. Mia's lake was slowly filling over, the pier already awash. The sun
wasn't to be seen that morning, when Sage awoke at 5 am.
He stood at his bedroom window, arms crossed over his chest. There was a slight
draft leaking in through the window, making Sage shiver in his flannel pants and
white T-shirt. "If it keeps up like this..." Sage began.
"We'll get flooded out."
Sage spun on his heel, singular eye darting around the room. "Who's there?" He
demanded. A low, familiar chuckle sounded from the far corner of his bedroom.
Sage recognized it immediately. "Bah... Cale."
The former Warlord of Corruption smiled from his shadowy corner. "As if it would
be anyone else?" Cale was nestled in the corner, his arms crossed over his chest
loosely.
"You're the only Shadow Rat I know." Sage taunted. "What in the name of Bhudda
are you doing here?" Out of habit, he checked the bedside clock.
"I know that we aren't supposed to be here for another several hours. But it is
important." Cale's words were grave.
"And how long were you planning on slinking around in the shadows before you
decided to speak up?"
Cale shrugged.
"What's so important that you--"
A loud scream tore through the hallway, coming from Kento's room. Sage rolled
his eyes. "And Dais..."
"BLOODY HELL!!" A groggy Cye yelped from two doors down.
"And Sekhmet.." Sage groaned. "Lovely. The whole crowd is here..." He muttered
under his breath. "What's so important that all of you are here so damned
early?"
"Kayura's gone."
The reply was simultaneous.
"WHAT?!?!"
The four Ronins were downstairs in a flash. Mia was wide awake, scurrying around
the kitchen, making tea and something substantial for Kento. Those assembled sat
at the table, the three Warlords on one side, the Ronins on the other. Rowen was
on his feet, surprisingly very awake, given the current hour.
"Strata. Sit. Down." Dais said, accenting every word. The archer had been pacing
the room, making Dais rather dizzy.
"I CAN'T." His palms slammed down on the table, china and silverware jumping
nearly as high as the people. "Kayura's been abducted, and you're telling me to
sit down? What are we sitting around for?"
Kento looked over at Cye. "Uh... is it just me, or has Rowen lost it?"
"He never had it. He's been fooling us all along. ...Rowen, you're thinking
irrationally. We need a plan." Cye watched the blue eyebrows knit together.
Perhaps it was the surroundings that was making him so jumpy. "I'm surprised
that you're the one up and shooting off like a bloody lunatic." Cye's voice lost
its soft English accent for the briefest of moments. It was a hard commanding
tone. "Calm down." Torrent was just as worried over Kayura's disappearance as
anyone, but it would be impossible to get anything accomplished with the
so-called brains of the outfit running around like he was daft.
"Cale... did Kayura's abductors take the staff as well?" Mia asked, as she
poured tea for Sage.
Cale nodded his head gently. "Yes."
"That means whoever has taken her knows of the powers it possesses." Cye
murmured, looking at his reflection in his cup.
"But what about Kayura? What purpose does she serve?" Rowen asked, sitting down
finally.
"Hostage." Sekhmet said quietly.
This made the hairs on the back of Rowen's neck stand on end. Cye shivered
delicately out of the corner of his eye. "Then they're after something bigger."
"Our Armor." Sage murmured, taking a small sip of the steaming beverage.
"Probably." Dais nodded. He glanced up at Mia, who was moving around the table.
"None for me, thanks." the Spider whispered, raising a pale hand. Mia moved on,
pouring Cale his tea. Sekhmet also declined. Kento was munching contentedly on a
muffin, working on his third glass of chocolate milk.
"There is... something else." Dais said, his lips pursing together for a moment.
"What?" Sage's brow furrowed.
"They have the Ogre Armor as well."
Kento nearly choked. "What?!"
"Yes. Anubis' Armor sphere was missing from Kayura's study."
"Wondrous." Rowen flopped down in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose with
his thumb and index finger. "So it's affirmative that they're after our Armor,
already have one, and using Kayura and possibly the staff as ransom?"
"Your friend Ryo may be in danger as well." Dais shrugged off-handedly.
Sage's head whipped to the left. It was still raining bus-loads outside. There'd
be no way to get to Ryo, unless Armor-power was involved. "How do you know?"
"There is some darkness approaching us. I saw it last night in my sleep." Cale
scowled. He stood abruptly, leaning hard on the table. "It was my own neglect
that caused Kayura's kidnapping. I knew something was going to happen to her."
Cale's head dropped in shame. "And I let it."
Kento looked to his counterpart, puzzled at Cale's reaction. Dais raised a
slender eyebrow, his remaining eye twinkling in a way to indicate an affair
d'amour between the reformed Demon General and the descendant of the Ancient's
clan. Kento's look was memorable, his blue eyes wide in shock. Cye bowed his
head to hide his small smile.
"It's not your fault, Cale. The fault rests with all of us." Sekhmet murmured
under his breath. "We are her protectors, and yet she has been taken captive,
right out from under our noses."
"The fact still remains," Came the quiet reply from Dais, "That she is still
missing. No matter whose fault it may be, we must find her. Quickly."
Rowen and Sage exchanged pained looks. Where to start? The Dynasty was the best
place, obviously, to search for clues. But nothing could be done without their
leader present.
"Cye, Sekhmet." Rowen's words were hard and determined. "You two go and get Ryo.
If it comes down to a battle, odds are we'll need the Inferno."
Cye and his counterpart stood, nodding at each other. "By water?" Cye asked
quietly.
"Yes. It will be much faster." Venom nodded. Robes and pajamas were replaced by
the Venom and Torrent Armor, respectively.
"When you get him out, meet us at the Nether Realm." Rowen said as the pair
clunked to the front door, and opened it, letting in a rush of cold damp air,
and the roar of the rains outside.
"Right. Be careful." Cye warned, looking at Strata over his left shoulder.
"You too. We don't know if Ryo's part of a trap."
Torrent and Venom swam as fast as they could, through one of the underground
streams that fed from Mia's lake into the aquifer underneath Toyama. Torrent
glanced only once at his companion, the orange visor on his faceplate serving to
clarify and somewhat illuminate the pitch black world. Sekhmet's eyes were
narrow and determined from behind his serpentine face guard, as he put all his
effort into swimming.
Suddenly, Sekhmet stopped, his hands to his head. "What is it?" Cye nearly
yelled, holding firm to Venom. The current here was strong, and if one of them
didn't keep fighting it, they'd be swept backwards.
"Evil. Close to Wildfire. We may be too late."
Cye's eyes went wide, and they locked with Sekhmet's, horror smashing whatever
hope he had left. "We can't give up. Ryo needs us." Cye's strength doubled, the
need to help his friend giving him a powerful adrenaline rush.
"Just pray that Ryo is strong enough to fend for himself."