Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Timepiece ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own RW/YST, this is just for fun. All rights reserved.

Chapter One

Mia sat around in her study, her head in her hands. She could not shakes this feeling of wrongness that is plaguing her this last week, ever since Kayura and the guys decided to spend a night in town. Something was going to happen, something very bad and she is powerless to stop it.
In her minds eye she could see Rowen curled up in a little ball in a cold dark room with bars on the windows. He was naked, angry and terrorified. Tears began to flow down Mia's cheeks, "Rowen…"
"Yeah, Mia?"
Mia looked up to see Rowen peeking his head in. "Oh, hi,
Rowen."
"You okay?" he asking, looking over her carefully.
"Fine, I just don't feel well. I have one hell of a headache."
"You've been having a lot of headaches lately, have you thought about going to see a doctor?"
"It's just stress headaches, I have a lot on my mind, that's all."
Rowen looks confused a moment, steps in the room and shuts the door, "Something you want to talk about? If you are so stressed it's making you sick that is not good, Mia."
"There is nothing you can help me with, Rowen, anyway, you already called me paranoid so I'm gonna refrain from asking for your opinion," Mia said, picking up a book, pretending to read.
"You mean this is about the 'feeling' you have. You are getting yourself worked up over nothing!"
"No, Rowen, it's not that… I don't want to talk about it now. I'm behind on this translation and I think it's something very
important. I just can't make sense out of it."
"Mia, I…"
"I said I don't want to talk about it, Ro, and that's my final word on the subject."
"I don't know why you let translations get to you like this. We've already stopped Talpa, you haven't come up with anything else that has to do with him."
"Rowen, I hate to shatter your little world but there are many more demons out there than Talpa. Talpa was a spirit-daemon, and was not very powerful."
"How can you say Talpa wasn't powerful?" Rowen shrieked.
"Compared to other demons he wasn't, Rowen, demons like Hade, Artits, Makuiji and Belford are powerful demons. They could look at Talpa the wrong way and utterly destroy him."
"No, way! Lucky those guys haven't shown up yet, why have you kept this to yourself until now!"
"Keep your pants on! Hade, better known in Greek Mythology as Hades, is a half-breed the son of Artits. Hade is pretty
human-friendly, but that doesn't mean it is any less dangerous to provoke him. The other demons and those like them are not as stupid as Talpa was, to pull a siege like that and publically announce their power. That is how a demon gets killed and how the Dark Ages of vampire, demon, werewolf and so hunters was started. They pull low profile actions and are constantly recruiting minions that is how the real demon war is, Rowen, but sometimes a estranged demon goes solo or a demon gets really pissed off and gets careless… you get the idea. Legends help to predict what is going to happen and most are very straight forward but this one confuses me."
Rowen took a deep breath of relief, "Don't scare me like that!"
"I've got to get back to work…"
"Well what does the legend say… the part that confuses you."
"Nothing, really, Rowen, nothing at all… I'll get it sooner or later."
"Well you look tired why don't you go relax for a while, I bet once you've cleared your head you'll be able to make more sense out of it," Rowen smiled, "maybe you could come into town with us tonight. I'm sure no one would mind and you need a break."
"No, no thank you, I'm sure Kayura has things in mind that doesn't concern me," Mia began to say when another wave of blinding pain hit her, another vision this one of Kento and Cye, laying together in a pool of blood: dead. There was a note: 'Dead as dead can be you cannot catch us'. Mia cried out.
"Mia! Shit! I'm gonna go get you some pain killers, I'll be right back."
Sage enters the room, hearing Rowen, "What's wrong?"
"Mia's sick, sit with her until I get back," Rowen said running out the door.
Sage quickly walks over to Mia, picks her up and holds her weakened, sobbing form. "Mia, hang on, Rowen will be right back. You take the medicine and we'll put you to bed."
Another vision: Sekhmet and Dais on an empty garden by some sort of palace. Sekhmet is confessing his undying love to Dais. Dais tries to say something, emotion chokes his voice. Someone orders Dais to kill Sekhmet; he gives him a fatal wound and leaves him there to die.
Mia looks up to see Sage looking down worryingly. She smiles weakly, "Thanks, Sage, I'm okay. I've very stressed out and I get like this when I'm stressed."
"That is not very healthy, Mia, come on, lets get you into bed…"
She laughs, "I never knew you wanted to get me into bed before, Sage…"
Sage turns a bright shade of red and coughs, "I… I… I never!"
"Oh well, maybe I'll get lucky next time," she sighed teasingly, "I am only joking Sage, calm down."
Rowen returns with Cye, carrying a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol. "Hey, Mia, I was wondering if you wanted a cup of tea or something. I can make you some chicken soup in a hurry or anything else you want," Cye offered.
"Your nickname should be changed from Fishy to Guardian Angel," Mia smiled, "could I ask you to make me a cup of tea?"
Cye smiled, "Me and angel? Ha! Sure, I'll make you an old family remedy."
"She'll be in her room, Cye," Rowen said as Cye disappears from the room.
"I'll carry her there," Sage said, still fighting over the blush.
"No, Sage," Rowen said.
"You've got the meds, I've got the patient," Sage said as he picked Mia up.
"Hey, I'm not on deaths door here, I'm very capable of carrying myself to my own room!" Mia exclaimed.
"But," Sage said, "it would make me feel better and just incase you'd have another attack."
"It's an episode!" she cried, "I'm fine."
Sage and Rowen would have none of it and Sage carried a fuming Mia to her room and laid her on her bed. "Let me guess you are going to undress me too?" Mia asked, sarcastically.
"Keep that up and I might," Rowen countered back, "now stop fussing. Sage and I are going…"
"Rowen, Sage, Kayura's here!" Kento called up the stairs.
"Oh shit!" Rowen said, "I forgot about tonight. Mia I think you will be okay for a few hours. We already bought the tickets for the movie so I can't get my money back…"
"You won't come back until the morning, you are with Kayura…time always seems to escape you," Mia said.
"Hey, that not fair!" Sage said.
"What's tomorrow?" she asked.
"Why?" Rowen asked.
"I was wondering if you knew anything important about tomorrow."
Rowen and Sage look at each other, hoping the other will have the answer but they shrug. "No, Mia, sorry. Why is it some sort of important day for the armors of something?" Rowen asked.
"No, never mind, forget I mentioned it. I'm tired, would you guys mind shutting the door behind you?" she asked as she turned over and closes her eyes.
"Of course not," Rowen said.
"Good night, Mia, feel better," Sage added.
Kento, Cye, and Ryo were all down stairs in the living room with Kayura talking about nothing at all. Rowen felt a pang of guilt run through his bones watching Cye talk to Kayura. He said he was going to make Mia some tea but he never did, which really bothered him a lot. He was glad Mia was resting now but he made a mental note to speak to Cye about this later.
"So, are you guys ready for tonight?" Kayura asked.
"Yeah," Rowen said, "I was just saying to Sage a little while ago that we were up really early this morning for practice and all so maybe we should get some rest this afternoon. You know, so we can be fresh and ready to go for tonight. It would stink if we were tired out by 11:00."
"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Ryo said, "I could use a nap, what do you guys think?"
Everyone whole-heartedly agreed with Rowen and Kayura left to sleep at her house still not accustom to the sounds of the mortal world. Cye went into the kitchen to clean up and Sage follows him in.
Rowen knew better than to have that talk in front of other people, Cye is a very easy person to hurt especially when he thinks he is being ganged up on. Instead he took off toward his room and read a book until he fell asleep.

"Cye, what are you doing?" Sage asked as he leans up against the counter, looking out the window.
"Well I'm not really tired so I thought I'd unload the dishwasher before going to bed."
"Oh silly me, I thought maybe you'd hurry up and make that tea you promised Mia," he said, light-hearted but with a venomous undertone.
Cye stops in his tracks and winces, "Bloody hell I knew I forgot something!"
"Mia needs that tea she is sick! Cye, I cannot believe you… you forgot a friend in need and here she called you her guardian
angel."
"Listen, I feel bad enough without you…"
"Go, unload your wish washer, Cye, I'll make Mia her tea,"Sage said as he yawns.
Cye yawns as well, "Whoa, sleepy spell… whew a major sleepy spell," he yawns again, "hit me like a ton of bricks."
Sage fills the teakettle with a cup of water and gets a tea bag from the cabinet. He does not acknowledge Cye he is focused
totally on his work. Cye looks down, "Sage, I didn't mean to…"
"What's done is done, Cye, go to bed. I'll take care of Mia,"he said those words as if they were signed with his blood.
"Sage, it's a cup of tea not open heart surgery!" Cye said.
"I'm not in the mood to fight with you," Sage stated plainly,"go to bed."

Rowen heard Sage come in, waking him from his light daze. As soon as Sage's head hit the pillow he is out like a light, Rowen hears him snoring away as he drifts back to sleep.

Rowen woke up with a start, he looks around but the room is covered in darkness. He is not on his bed; the ground is hard,
slightly damp and smelly. "Sage. Sage! Are you there, Sage?"
"Yes, I'm here but where are we?" Sage replied.
"I don't know, lets look around."
"Look around! I can't even see my hand in front of my face."
"We've gotta try," he said as he stood up and walks slowly forward, hoping to find a wall to be his guide.
"I think I found the door," Sage whispered as he opens the door.
The light is dim and the whole house reeks of mold, mildew, dust and sweat. They both are taken back by the horrible smell; Rowen walks up beside Sage and touches the wall by the door, accidentally flipping on a light switch. The pair jumps slightly and looks around at the room. It was a faded room with torn posters on the walls and carpet coming up at the corners. "I recognize this place," Rowen said as he walked over to the poster by the boarded up window. It was a poster of Albert Einstein Mia gave him for Christmas. He looks down to see that stubborn coffee stain where he spilled coffee about a week
ago. "Sage, I think we are in our room."

Sage is looking at the posters and the martial arts trophy he won the previous year. "Rowen, I think you are right."
"What in the hell happened here? Looks like world war three or something!"
"I don't know but we better see if we can find the guys."
Just then Ryo peeks his head into their room and calls back in the hallway, "Kento, Cye, I found them."
"Ryo, thank heavens you guys are okay," Rowen said, "What is going on?"
"I don't know," Ryo said, "I don't even know where we are. At least you guys have light… wait… isn't that your poster…"
"Ryo," Sage said, "we are still in the house: we didn't leave…"
"If we didn't leave then what the hell happened!" Cye exclaimed, followed by Kento.
"I don't know but I think we better look around, maybe get a clue as to what has happened."
Sage's eyes widen, "Ohmigod… Mia!"
Sage pushes past the guys and runs down the hall to Mia's room. The guys stand there dumbfound a second then chase after him.
Sage stood outside of Mia's room with a look of complete horror on his face, all the color drained away on his skin. "Sage?" Rowen asked, "What's wrong? Where is Mia?"
Sage did not reply, he only stood there in shock and horror. Rowen looks over Sage's shoulder and gasps.
In the room there was Mia's queen-size bed but Mia was not in it. Instead there was a man in his early 40's, with short blonde hair, which was unkept, and a stubble beard: the man was Sage. He was laying in the middle of the bed, appearing to be naked with only a white sheet to cover him. Sitting by the bed was Ryo, in a wheelchair, blankets covering his legs. His skin was scarred and weather beaten, as if he had been through some great war. Ryo appears to be nursing the sleeping Sage.
1Ryo and the others push in so they can see as well; all end up in some sort of shock. "What… what happened here?" Rowen whispered.

"Yes, I understand you are angry," future Ryo sighed, "yes, I can't say I blame you but you know how it is. She has always been very protective of you and she is scared to hurt you… the annoying little bitch. I don't know why you take her stupidity to heart, Sage, ignore her. The rest of us do and we are no worse off than before. She is only here to take care of us, and by the state of this place she does a horrible job. Let it go, Sage, let it go and worry about getting better."
Cye whispered, "What is going on? Where are we?"
"The question is when not where, Cye," Sage replied, "we are in the future."