Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Untitled ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

A/N: WE FINALLY DID IT!!!!!

Kathrine: THIS TOOK FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!

JC: I hope all of our fans can forgive us for the lack of writing. We ended up with the flu and still have to study for midterms.

Kathrine: I swear everyone is against us and our writing. They just want to keep us from doin' what we love.

JC: We finally have a title!!

Kathrine: We'll leave it as Untitled on the front until people get used to the change.

JC: And now, the long awaited 4th Chapter!

Disclaimer: GRRRRRRRRR!!! Just thinkin' it makes us mad.

Warning: GET WITH THE PROGRAM!!!!!! IF YA AIN'T REALIZEDF IT YET THAN YA NEED HELP!!! WE ARE SPLIT PERSONA!!!! I THINK WE'VE MADE EVERYTHING PRETTY CLEAR!

Fates of the Clans

( Formerly 'Untitled')

By Kathrine and JC

" Is it really him?" a young brunette asked, disbelief and worry clearly etched on his features. He nervously pulled on his ponytail that lay over his shoulder as he squeezed the hand of the brawny azure-haired boy sitting next to him. His lover wrapped an arm around him and held him closer as an act of reassurance, both awaiting the other boy's reply.

" Hai, it's really Sage," Ryo nodded sadly. He could see that it was not the answer the other boy wanted, but in a way it relieved him as well. None of them had truly wanted the blonde to die.

" But how? We heard the rumors, but we didn't dare believe them," the azure-haired boy asked.

" He said that he woke up in the back of the cart you left him in that day, Kento," the boy answered. " He's not sure how he ended up in the Tangi World other than Poppa was the one driving the wagon. But he was very weak when I saw him. Father had drained his energy and beat him for escaping."

" Nani?!" the brunette was livid. " He's such a monster! He had only done what we couldn't!"

" Calm down Cye," his lover urged. " If Arago has drained Sage's energy than h will feel your hatred for him. It will only make things worse."

" If he hears you calling him by anything save Father, we'll be in trouble," the other pointed out.

" Let him, it's not like he hasn't done those kind of things to me before," the other boy huffed.

" But what about Sage?" Cye changed the subject. " When can we see him?"

" Maybe in a while, when he's healing better and is actually awake," Ryo suggested. " He was half way asleep when I saw him just an hour ago."

" Oh Kami-sama," Cye gave them a worried expression. " It seems that everything is going just as Father planned."

" What do you mean?" Kento questioned. " What is he up to now?"

" I don't know all the details," the brunette explained. " I just heard the guards at my chamber doors whispering the night before last. They were talking about something father planned to do on the day of the eclipse when the entire realm is covered in darkness."

" Do you think Sage has something to do with it?" Ryo wondered.

" It's his birthday," Cye reminded them. " You know it happens on his birthday every ten years. Last time was when…"

" When he escaped," Kento finished for him. " He would have killed Sage if Rowen hadn't thrown that stuffed bear thing into the spirit pit and stopped whatever he and that crazy priest Badamon were doing."

" But what if they're gonna try it again?" Cye whispered. " Sage doesn't have the strength to withstand anything right now."

" We'll have to protect him," the raven-haired boy decided. " He might have not been around for ten years, but he's still our brother. We have to protect him."

" I just hope that Rowen is somewhere safe," Cye prayed.

" Rowen was nothing more than bait to lure out Sage," Ryo spat. " I can't believe he allowed him to remain in the Tangi World."

" I think he might have something up his sleeve," Kento replied. " Ya know he never keeps his word about anything." That's when they heard the sound of heavy footsteps and the clinking of metal against stone. All three boys looked up at the sound of the room they were in being unlocked and the door opened. On the other side of the door were eight guards standing with their helmets on, red on black eyes staring at them.

" It is time for you three to return to your rooms," the first one stated. " Arago said that you were to turn in earlier tonight."

" Yeah, whatever," Kento rolled his eyes before kissing Cye on the cheek and raising to his feet. He nodded to Ryo in understanding of their earlier agreement. They all knew it would be easy for them to escape their own rooms and get into Sage's chamber.

The azure-haired boy walked over to the door, smiling as the guards stepped away from him slightly. They all knew how strong he was, his unmatched strength only being controlled by a spell from Badamon. Four of the guards stepped away from the other to surround him as he continued walking towards his own personal chambers.

Cye gave Ryo a worried glance as they followed the muscular boy's example and allowed their two guards each to lead them away from the lounge room and to their cell-like rooms. Both knew that they would meet before it within a few hours and hoped that nothing would happen before they had a chance to prevent it.

*****

" Is everything almost ready?" the dark figure asked the nearly translucent spell-caster.

" As long as he is kept away from the others until the day of the eclipse and his energy if peaked within a day of the transference, nothing shall go wrong," Badamon assured his lord. " But we still need Strata."

" Do not worry," Arago smirked evilly. " Do you truly believe I would allow the boy to remain free? It was only temporary so that Seiji would not rebel."

" So you sent the shadow warriors?" he asked with a small smile.

" Why of course, they shall bring back the Strata, finish off that blood-sucker that stood against me and anyone else that may have helped our young Seiji during his years of absence," he assured him. " Then they shall bring back their heads on a platter so that Seiji can see what his escape has caused to those I believe he holds dear."

" Perfect," Badamon applauded his decision.

" Now finish the preparations for the eclipse," Arago ordered. " Nothing can go wrong."

" Hai, as you wish my master and emperor," the priest bowed to him before continuing with his work.

*****

Darkness was everywhere. Rowen could smell dead bodies and ashes as he coughed and made his way through the blackness. Where have my visions brought me this time? He wondered silently. That's when he heard the screaming.

Running quickly towards the sound, he stopped when a clearing appeared in the shadows. He saw walls of stone and fires of green and dark blue scattered around the room and stared in despair from the origin of the screams. It was Sage, the blonde chained against a familiar six-pointed star that lay in the center of the floor. Surrounding the star were four circular platforms with four other darkened forms attached to them.

He wanted to call out to the blonde, to try to help him, but he had learned that such things were useless in his visions. He was only a watcher of things that were to come or had already been. So with a heavy heart, he watched as another shadowed figure stood before the blonde and extended his hand until it was touching the blonde's chest.

Sage let out another scream as a spark of golden light engulfed the room and everything around it. Rowen was forced to cover his eyes and cried out in his mind, NO!!

" NO!!" the blue-haired boy jumped from his sleep with sweat covering his entire body. He could tell that something was wrong for a vision could only mean that danger was approaching.

" What is wrong?" he heard the voice before Kale actually materialized into the room he was staying in.

" We have to get out of this house now!" Rowen jumped out of the bed, only to land on still weak legs. Kale caught him before he could fall and wrapped an arm around his waist.

" What do you mean?" the blue-haired vampire asked.

" The shadow warriors are coming!" Rowen stated as he pulled Kale towards the door of the room. Before either of them could do anything the light in the room vanished and they were plunged into complete darkness.

" I think they're here," Kale pointed out as he put himself in front of the young boy.

" We've come for the Strata," a voice whispered from the darkness. " Our emperor wants him returned."

" Well, you can't have him," Kale growled.

" If you wish to do things the hard way, it is your own death," the voice returned with an almost amused tone to it. That's when Kale saw the shadows take shape and form into six figures, all bearing either a sword, blade-tipped spear, or scythe-like weapon with a chain connect to the handle.

" Lord Arago requests your head on a golden platter," one of the figures seemed to smile at them. " We are here to please our master."

" Your master can suck pig's blood," Kale snorted. Rowen wanted to laugh at the comment, but it was then that three of the warriors launched themselves the two.

Kale immediately pushed Rowen from the line of fire and pulled his sword from his sheath on his belt, happy that he had just returned from hunting and still had it with him. One of the warriors thrust their blade at him while another attempted to strike him from the side with their scythe. The vampire merely dodge the scythe and used his sword to block the blow from the blade.

Rowen watched as the last warrior faded into the darkness and then appeared behind Kale, spear held high in the air and ready to strike. " Behind you!" he yelled out the warning and let out a breath when the man easily blocked the attacked by lifting his sword in the air as he kneeled. Then Kale jumped up into the air and turned with lightning speed, slicing open the shadow warrior as he dragged the blade through his chest.

" That won't work!" Rowen warned, but the cries from the creature as its physical body dissolved was one he thought he'd never hear.

Kale could only smile as the shadow beings began to back away from him warily. " Did you truly think a vampire would carry around just any kind of sword?" he asked with a smirk.

" He carries the blade of Yami," one of the shadow warriors stated in shock. The others seemed to cower at this revelation and backed away towards the walls.

" What in hells does that mean?" Kale asked. He knew his sword held power for he'd received it from the one that had turned him into a vampire.

" We shall return," one of the creatures growled. " Lord Arago will not like this turn of events." With that the warriors seemed to dissolve back into the walls as the area lost the sense of void and darkness was lifted. Rowen stared in confusion as the candles in the room relit themselves and he could finally breathe in relief.

" I wanna know where you got that sword," the blue-haired elemental requested.

" I received it from the one who gave me eternal life and this," he pointed to the scar on his eye. " It was this very blade that caused it."

" Well I wouldn't lose that sword if I were you," Rowen sighed. " It might just keep us a live long enough to reach my realm."

" What are the Yami?" Kale wondered out loud.

" Don't know," Rowen shrugged. That was when the air shifted in the room and two figures joined them.

" What the hells happened in my house?!" Dais demanded to know. " I can smell the sent of death and dark magic all around it."

" We were just attacked by shadow warriors," Rowen answered.

" Nani?" Sekhmet raised an eyebrow.

" They are creatures created by Arago for war and destruction," the boy explained. " I didn't think he would send them after me."

" But they were afraid of my sword," Kale lifted his blade towards them. " They said something about Yami and vowed to return."

" Yami?" Dais' eyes widened at the mention of the word.

" What do you know about this?" Kale asked his brother. He knew that Dais had been a vampire far longer than both he and Sekhmet, but he had never thought to ask how he became one.

" Hai," he nodded. " He was one of the first known vampires and one of the most powerful."

" Powerful? But from what I was told and read in the ancient records in my realm, the vampires were exiled because the others believed them weak," Rowen pointed out.

" No vampire is weak, we merely do not use all of our power," Sekhmet explained. " It goes against our code to use all of our power, especially the power of the Masho."

" Masho?" Rowen and Kale repeated in confusion.

" The Masho were the elite vampires, four who had far more power than others would believe and abilities that no vampire should possess," Dais started. " It was said that they were all from the legendary Ancient Clan but turned by one rogue vampire who came to their village.

" They controlled all other vampires because no others could fight against them, though they were just and fair lords. But one day all four disappeared, some said they went there separate ways and allowed chaos to reoccur which caused many vampires' deaths."

" Is that the truth?" Kale asked.

" No, they were forced to leave," Sekhmet shook his head.

" Why?" Rowen wondered.

" Because they were part of the Ancient Clan they had to pass on the powers which they possessed," Dais explained. " Unfortunately, due to them being vampires, they had to transfer their power onto a vampire. They left in order to search for ones who wouldn't abuse what they would be given."

" This Yami must have given his to the wrong person for it to have ended up with me," Kale returned the sword to its sheath.

" I can't believe you didn't know any of this," Sekhmet seemed rather shocked. " It is the duty of vampires to teach those they've turned. Did your Paternal tell you nothing?"

" He died the next night," Kale shrugged his shoulders. " Killed by a vampire hunter who had tracked him from a small town near Olenu."

" You don't seem very upset over his demise," Rowen thought out loud.

" This has nothing to do with the point at hand," Kale changed the subject. " Rowen, we can't waste anymore time. You have to take us to that gate you spoke of."

" Hai," the blue-haired boy nodded, noticing the need to back away from a touchy subject. " Do you have horses? I know you will not have those that are in the Nether World, but I do believe you have a sort of them."

" We don't usually ride them, but Sage kept them well groomed and in good shape," Dais affirmed.

" Good," the boy nodded. " It shall be faster to use them and we won't have to go for supplies…well, maybe we will have to stop every night."

" Do not worry, we have ways of holding energy until needed to lessen to hunger," Sekhmet assured him.

" All that is needed then is for you to gather what supplies and weapons you believe you'll need that won't slow us down."

" We shall be ready within the half hour to ride and go as far as we can until dawn," Kale nodded before disappearing from the room.

I do hope that Sage is all right when we find him, Dais prayed silently. I believe kale is finally beginning to admit to himself how much he truly needs our young blonde brother.

/ Indeed, / Sekhmet thought in agreement. / But he doesn't know of the heritage of the vampire…He doesn't know that…/

We will wait until we are he was the one meant to be chosen before telling him, Dais decided. Believe me, if things continue as they are, we will know soon enough.

*****

"Sage?" a quiet voice whispered into the room.

He almost didn't hear him, he didn't want to hear anything really. His chest still burned from the remaining broken ribs he received and his lack of energy made his healing process slow and painful. He wanted to just return to sleep, but the fact of being in the room that had housed him for the first ten years of his life only brought back the nightmares and harsh memories.

" Sage, are ya awake?" a different voice asked curiously.

Forcing his eyes to open, the blonde rolled slowly onto his side to face the door and saw a shadowed figure peeping its head around the wooden slab. He couldn't see clearly in the darkness and he had to strain his eyes in order to focus. " Hello?" he called out in a hoarse voice, dry from lack of liquids.

" Oh my Gods," another figure peered around the corner of the door as it was opened even more. Suddenly, the candles in the room lit and he could see the forms of three young men as they tiptoed into his room. One was a tall yet lean young man, long auburn/brunette ponytail that came to three inches past the shoulder it lay over. Another was very muscular and well-built man set taller than the brunette with azure hair that was cut jaggedly around his ears. The last was one he already knew, who smiled at him with a look of sadness.

" Ryo?" Sage whispered at the raven-haired figure. He nodded in affirmation as the lavender/blue eyes turned to stare in shock at the other two in the room. " Kento? Cye?"

" Man, he really took it out on you, Blondie," the azure-haired boy whispered with anger in his tone. " But at least we know you're alive."

" I thought I would never see any of you again," the blonde stated with a teary look in his eyes.

" Oh, little Sage," Cye let out a breath of pity and sadness. " But I guess you're not little anymore." Seeing as he was the oldest and older than the blonde by three years, he'd always felt responsible for the well being of the him and the other boys.

" Time didn't stop," Sage agreed. " I see it as been well to you and Kento as well." He didn't expect the next second when Cye rushed over to the bed and wrapped his arms around the blonde elemental's neck.

" I didn't want to believe it when Father told us you were dead," his ranting muffled by his quiet sobs. " Please forgive us for giving up on you and accepting his lies."

" It's all right, Nii-chan," Sage extended his healed arm to pat the brunette's back in reassurance, using the special name he'd called him as a child. " I was happy for a while, Kale and my other brothers found me. They took care of me as if I was one of their own."

" Brothers?" Kento repeated as Cye finally loosened his grip and stood back up.

" They reminded me of how we were," Sage smiled at the thought of Kale and the other two back in the Tangi World. " Even though they were different they refused to turn their backs on me."

" So what they said was true?" Ryo asked. " You were living with…"

" Vampires?" Sage nodded, " but they were far too caring and kind to be put with what people usually thought of their kind."

" It's not as if we ourselves are would not be considered different in that realm," Cye pointed out. " I'm just glad that you were happy for a while."

" I hope Rowen will have the same chance to know them as I did," Sage sighed tiredly.

" Maybe we should go and let you actually sleep," Kento suggested. " You're not use to the energy drain anymore and you'll feel weak for a few days. Sleeping it off will be the best idea."

" Hai," Ryo agreed. " Besides, the guards are returning soon and we will have to be in our rooms."

" Stay safe," Sage called to them as they slowly crept back to the door. The candles extinguished as Ryo exited the room and he laid back down as Kento gave him a small smile and closed the door.

They're right, Sage thought to himself. It didn't usually last this long. I'm going to have to sleep off as much of this as I can so that I can stand up against Arago if he tries to use me again. With his mind, set he closed his eyes and prayed he would finally rest, free of the memories and nightmares. Instead he tried to keep his mind on a familiar blue-haired man that sparked a flame within as he slowly fell asleep.

A/N: How was that? Hopefully it was worth the wait. Believe us, the next wait won't be like this. We just finally regained our inspiration on this fic.

JC: Please review, Ya can even yell at us for takin' so long to get this out. We deserve it.

Kathrine: We would also like to point all those interested in original stories to a new authoress, Caller of the Dead. She is good, just shy about letting others see her work.

JC: All those who like original work as well should check out her teasers.

Kathrine: Thanks, we once again apologize for the long wait and hope yall like the new title. Please review!