Courting The Jester
Chapter Seven
Cye smiled as she slipped her hand into his. He didn't say anything as they continued to walk along the edge of the lake, listening to the gentle lapping of the water against the shore. Her slim fingers entwined with his and he felt his heart soar. She was so beautiful…he just couldn't get over it. Every thing about her was perfect. From the freckles on her slightly upturned nose to her tiny little toes; he was completely captivated by her. The trust she'd placed in him when she had extended her hand to him filled him with equal amounts of nervousness and protectiveness. The sun shone down on them, making her hair shades lighter than it normally was. He wanted to run his hands through it, but he didn't want to possibly ruin the moment they were in. But god, she was so beautiful…
She tripped on a partially buried rock and yelped, losing her balance. Cye cursed his inattention and instinctively reached for her, catching her before she fell. Her weight was light in his arms, lighter than he would have believed. She blushed, face down-turned, and he immediately felt awful.
"I'm sorry," Cye said quietly, standing still but not releasing her. "I couldn't stop staring at you. It was my fault."
She kept her face away, and he felt a slight trembling.
"Hey," he whispered, cupping her chin in his hand and tipping her face up. She was laughing silently, her mouth quirked up in a grin. Cye immediately relaxed and let himself smile as well. She reached up and touched his face, fingers brushing his upturned lips.
"So serious…" she teased. Cye chuckled, pulling her in tighter.
"Brat."
She laughed at his words and pulled back, deftly avoiding the rock she'd tripped on before. She reached for his hand again, face upturned.
"Try not to suck this time," she ordered. Cye shook his head ruefully, but he took her hand again.
"Yes my lady," he joked, drawing her along with him and tucking her arm through his. She was still smiling, enjoying the warm sunshine on her skin, letting him lead her along. It took them two wonderful hours to stroll around the lake, and he loved every single minute of it. They were almost back to the house when she suddenly perked up and turned to the driveway.
"He's back," she exclaimed happily. She squeezed Cye's bicep before slipping her arm out. She made a beeline for to where the other man stood waiting for her, a smile on his face. She hugged him and let him take her hand, guiding her into the house. Cye stood watching silently.
He would not be jealous. He would not be jealous. He would not be…
Sighing Cye continued after her to the house, the thought repeating in his mind. He would not be jealous. They couldn't afford that right now. By sheer force of will he wouldn't let it happen. He could not let it happen. But she was so beautiful…
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Cye snapped awake, disoriented. His back hurt and his legs were stiff, making him groan when he stretched out. His foot promptly thumped into something soft and furry. Cye looked down and saw that his shoe was buried up to the ankle in White Blaze's side, and the tiger was staring at him grumpily. Cye quickly retrieved his foot.
"Sorry Blaze," Cye apologized, covering up his mouth as he yawned. "Forgot you were there." The tiger just grunted and turned back towards the room they were guarding. Cye remembered that he'd parked out in the doorway of Mia's room and he was supposed to be keeping an eye on her. Instantly he was awake and on his feet.
"Falling asleep when you were on watch. Stupid…" Cye muttered, scanning the room to make sure everything was still normal. A blanket-covered lump on the bed said that Mia was still sleeping. Good thing too, because if something would have happened when he was keeping guard the guys would've killed him.
Cye reassured himself that the room was clear, then sat back down cross-legged by White Blaze. He ran his fingers through the tiger's thick coat, listening to the large animal purr.
"She had a rough night, huh boy? She was tossing and turning most of the night. Whatever happened must have scared her half to death."
The tiger didn't answer, but he did lean into Cye's hand. The Ronin of Torrent smiled and gave the animal one more good scratch, hearing footsteps down the hall. A sleepy looking Ryo poked his head into the room, looking first at the bed, then at Cye.
"She alright?" he asked, running a hand through his messy black hair. Cye nodded and Ryo shrugged.
"Well it's day now. She should be okay until she gets up. Blaze, you mind staying with her until she does?" The tiger made a purring noise again, but whether it was a yes to Ryo or a reminder to Cye to keep rubbing him remained to be seen. Cye obliged the tiger quickly before rising and following his leader out of the room.
"Sage is making food," Ryo informed Cye as they walked towards the stairs. "Do you want something, or do you want to try to get some sleep?"
Cye colored slightly. "I actually fell asleep for awhile," he admitted, embarrassed. Ryo cocked an eyebrow at him, then laughed gently.
"We know Cye, don't worry about it. We all kept dropping by to check up anyways. We just figured you'd be there in case something tried to get in the room. We'd hear you yelp when you got stepped on, and we'd come running."
"I'm sorry Ryo---hey!" Cye stopped at the top of the stairs, an indignant look on his face. "I don't yelp."
Ryo just grinned and headed down the stairs. Cye followed quickly.
"I don't!" he declared, "I might gasp or exclaim or roar with fury, but I don't yelp."
"Sure Cye," Ryo replied noncommittally, heading into the kitchen. This only succeeded in goading the auburn haired warrior further.
"Name one time when you ever heard me yelp," Cye demanded. "Name just one time---oh shit! That's cold!" Cye jumped, cursing as an ice cube slid down his back and lodged itself in the loose waistband of his jeans. Behind him Kento stood holding a tray of ice cubes, a grin splitting his face.
"That was a yelp," Sage commented from where he stood at the counter, cracking an egg. "Rowen?" he asked the blue haired man already at the table.
"Yep. Most definitely a yelp," Rowen backed his friend up, chuckling. Ryo sat down next to Rowen, trying to hide his smile as Cye attempted to get the slippery ice out of his waistband. Unfortunately it had started to melt, slipping deeper into his jeans. Cye cursed, trying to fish it out without actually putting his hands too far down his pants. It slipped again, making him jump as icy cold hit skin that especially didn't like being cold. Finally he forwent all propriety and just dropped his pants, shoving his hands inside his underwear. Sighing in relief, he grabbed the remaining bit of ice and pulled it out.
"You know, I never would have thought Cye to be a boxer briefs man. Could have sworn he wore tightie whities," Rowen commented. Kento laughed, but Ryo looked confused.
"What's wrong with briefs?" Ryo asked them. "They're supportive."
"Sure Ryo," Rowen laughed, glancing over at Sage in amusement. Sage said nothing, he just cracked another egg. This for some reason made Rowen crack up completely and made Sage's face get all stony.
"What?" Ryo asked again. Cye just gave them all a death glare as he pulled his pants back up. A cough made them all turn. Mia and Nikki stood in the doorway, both looking interestedly at Cye. The Ronin of Torrent went beet red and whipped around, hastily trying to button and zip up his pants.
They all heard it when it happened.
"Oh shit!" Kento gasped as four men all collectively winced. The fifth went pure white. "Did he just…?" Mia clamped a hand down over her mouth in an attempt to keep herself from laughing, while Nikki didn't even bother to try to stifle it.
"Oh my god," Nikki said, tears pouring from her eyes. "He just…poor Cye!" She couldn't stop laughing. The Ronins looked like they didn't know whether to laugh or to cover themselves protectively, and for some reason Sage had a really smug expression on his face.
"Cye, are you alright?" Mia tried to ask with a straight face. The back of Cye's head nodded slowly.
"Could…could you ladies mind turning your backs for a moment?" Cye asked through clenched teeth.
"Sure Cye," Mia said as kindly as she could, hiding her face from him. Nikki just kept chortling and Mia swatted her arm, indicating for her to turn around. Nikki did, but she glanced over her shoulder at Cye, seeing him walk carefully across the kitchen with tears in his eyes. Mia hit her again and she turned around. Ryo snorted but managed to keep it in. Kento looked like he was seizing, trying to contain himself.
"Poor Cye," Nikki repeated, shoulders shaking with laughter. "Rowen, help him!" She didn't seem to realize what she had said, and Rowen gave her a very strange look. Still he rose and tried to assist his injured comrade. Cye batted away his helping hand, making Rowen grin as the door swung shut. The kitchen exploded with laughter. Even Mia couldn't help herself, leaning against Nikki as she cracked up.
"That's beautiful!" Kento said, thumping his hand down on the counter. "That'll teach Cye to fall asleep during guard duty!"
The comment immediately sobered the room. Mia's face went still and Nikki's mirrored it. Slowly Mia went to the table, sitting down across from Ryo. He peered intently at her. Her face was still pale, and she looked as if she hadn't slept all night. Yet she still managed to meet his gaze calmly. Ryo knew the look she had on her face. It was the "don't even try to make me talk about it" look. Ryo decided to try anyways.
"How are you feeling, Mia?" he asked.
"Fine." She stopped the next question by addressing the room. "We're leaving for a site this morning. We'll be out there for a couple days. If anyone needs to get a hold of me, then try my cell. We're just going to grab a quick breakfast first. Almost ready Sage?"
Sage murmured it was and brought a plate over to her. She said thanks and started eating, completely ignoring the man in front of her. Ryo sighed and reached for her hand. Mia deftly avoided it and rose, walking to the refrigerator to get some ketchup for her eggs. Ryo's tiger blue eyes followed her, his expression unreadable. The other Ronins instinctively shifted away from their leader.
"Mia, we need to talk about what happened last night," Ryo said, voice firm.
"I had a bad dream Ryo," Mia replied equally firmly. "I fell asleep at my computer and had a nightmare. I'm sorry it scared you, but there's nothing I can do about it today. I've just been stressed lately. Don't worry about it. Nikki, are you going to eat anything?"
Nikki's reply was cut off by Ryo's fist slamming into the table. Rowen's half filled glass of orange juice fell over and spilled down the tablecloth. Everyone jumped but Mia. Before he started his tirade, she cut him off smoothly.
"Oh calm down, and pass me the salt."
Ryo stared incredulously at her. Mia waited then leaned across the table and grabbed the salt herself.
"I mean it Ryo, if you want to eat at my table, or stay in my house for that matter, then you need to learn to contain yourself and act your age. You're not a teenager anymore." Even Nikki took a step back, shifting slightly behind Kento. They waited for the explosion but it didn't come. Ryo took a deep breath, in and out, then unclenched his fists.
"Alright Mia," Ryo said, obviously trying to control his temper. "Maybe you were unaware of it, but something else happened in your study last night. Sage and Cye saw some pretty weird stuff, and we're a little worried about something happening to you. We tried talking to Nikki last night but she's not saying anything. Which seems to be the same thing you're doing. I don't know why you're acting the way you're acting, but I'm getting really tired of being left in the dark. So I'm going to ask you very nicely to please help us out here. And if you give me the same cold shoulder ‘I don't know what you're talking about' attitude, I will take you outside and spank some sense into you. We aren't the enemies, Mia. So please help us." The last was said through gritted teeth.
Mia's eyes widened then narrowed.
"You will do no such thing…" she growled, before turning to her friend. "Nikki, get your stuff, we're leaving."
Mia stood and made it two steps before she was seized and hoisted over a broad shoulder. She yelped like Cye and kicked out her feet.
"Ryo! Put me down! RYO!"
He ignored her as he carried her out of the kitchen, through the back door, and out into the lawn. Mia beat her fists against his back uselessly, long red hair falling over her face. She shrieked unintelligible threats until he reached the dock. Rowen and Cye heard the commotion and came outside. They all gathered a safe distance away to watch Ryo calmly deposit her in the lake. She went in with a splash, and came up sputtering. Ryo knelt down, leaning forward.
"You're not getting out of here until the attitude is gone," he said firmly. Mia cursed at him and splashed over to the side of the dock. Just as she went to hoist herself out, her wrists were gently gripped and pulled away. Mia went back with another splash.
"Ryo!" she yelled, voice becoming slightly plaintive.
"I told you Mia, you stay in until the attitude's gone. It's kind of cold today, and I bet the water's freezing." Mia gave him the meanest look she could muster while shivering in the water. Ryo just smiled at her.
"I'm not doing this to be mean, Mia. I'm also not going to let you walk out of here thinking you're indestructible. If something happened to you, it would kill us, so we're not going to let that happen. We've obviously been attacked by a bad guy. You and Nikki obviously know something about it. She saw us armed and it never even fazed her. You've both been cryptic and aloof since you got here, and if I didn't know better, I'd say you're scared to death and trying to hide it. Nikki's not even trying to hide it; she looked ready to bolt for cover last night. Enough."
Mia continued to glare at him, but eventually her glares turned to pitiful looks. She cast glances at the others, but no one was interceding when Ryo was like this. They'd never seen this side of him before.
"Fine," she chattered. "Fine, just let me out."
"Do you promise to be the nice old Mia?" Ryo asked. Mia rolled her eyes and splashed some cold water in his direction, but she nodded. Ryo leaned forward and grabbed her hands, lifting her out of the water. Ryo reached for her hand again and this time she didn't pull away. He looked seriously at her as he spoke.
" Now we talk."
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"I don't know where you want me to start," Mia said, taking the mug of tea that Kento handed to her. She pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders and looked down at the couch.
"Try the beginning," Rowen said sarcastically. Sage and Nikki shot him identical looks. He ignored both. Mia looked at Nikki for a long moment, as if deciding something.
"Whatever that was, you explain it too," Rowen suddenly snapped.
"Get over yourself," Nikki retorted, moving to sit at Mia's side. Rowen glared at her and started to reply but a look from Ryo cut him off.
He rolled his eyes and turned, picked up a pen off of the bookcase he stood by, balancing it on his fingertips. Nikki gave him a disgusted look and turned her back on him. Mia took a long drink before speaking.
"I got in a car crash yesterday. My rental got flipped over on the side of the road."
"We already know this," Rowen muttered. This time Cye's look silenced him.
"But it wasn't normal. When it happened, there were lots of cars around us. When we woke up, there was no one. I know for a fact several cars hit us, but we were the only one left. There wasn't even any glass on the road. When it happened it felt like a shock wave had hit us and thrown the car into the vehicle next to us. Afterwards my phone didn't work. I don't know why. I always get reception there, and my phone is fine now."
"Why didn't it surprise Nikki when we were in our gear?" Kento asked suddenly. Nikki grinned at him.
"You mean it's not normal for five guys to be dressed as sailor scouts?" Kento rolled his eyes at her. Nikki winked.
"How do you know five?" Cye asked quietly. He was standing across the room, leaning gingerly against the wall. He had yet to sit down since that morning. Nikki glanced at Mia, and Rowen coughed pointedly. Both girls gave him withering looks.
"Nikki's an old friend of mine," Mia said. "She knows about the armors because she's helping me with the research I'm doing. She's a scientist as well. Between the two of us we should be able to make some big breakthroughs at that new dig I'm in charge of. That's why she came with me. She needed to know about the Ronin armors to do her job."
"It's not like you to give away secrets, Mia," Sage said slightly suspiciously. Mia just shrugged.
"It's not like I gave her your names or anything, Sage. Nikki's not stupid. If it's a personal project I'm this concerned about that I drag her halfway across the world, and she has enough background to put everything together…I didn't ask you guys to be standing in my living room wearing battle gear. It's not unreasonable that she put two and two together." Sage's expression remained dubious but he didn't question her any more.
"Alright, then what happened to you last night?" Rowen asked, rolling the pencil down his arm. It fell off to the left, making him turn his suspicious look to it instead of the girls. "Are you still hanging on to the nightmare story?"
Mia went still, her fingers tightening on her mug. When she finally spoke, her voice was strained.
"There was something in the study with me last night. It started…whispering. I tried to get out of the room but the door slammed shut and…" she trailed off, holding the mug close as if for comfort.
"And whatever it was showed me things. Bad things. Things I don't want to remember or ever see again," Mia whispered.
"That doesn't explain why Cye and Sage saw blood, but the rest of us didn't," Ryo spoke darkly. Mia closed her eyes, and when she opened them they were glazed over.
"Sometimes we only see what we're supposed to see," she intoned, as if speaking words she'd heard many times before. Then she shook her head, snapping out of it, her normal voice resuming.
"Sometimes what is real to one person isn't real to another and vice versa. I was shown something I feared and the attack was completely psychological. It makes sense. The residuals are still in that room, and probably will be there until I don't fear it anymore, or maybe if enough time passes. Cye and Sage would be the most likely to pick up on it, because of their…sensitivity to such things."
"Meaning?" Kento asked, confused.
"Meaning that both Cye and I were affected faster and more by the enemy than you or Ryo," Sage answered for her. "If the same thing is what attacked Mia, we'd be able to pick up on it sooner than the others."
"Why me?" Cye asked Sage, confusion on his face. Sage didn't reply, but stared at his friend. Cye turned his face away, expression now stony.
"Anyway, I don't know what else to tell you about it," Mia finished. "You know as much as I."
Rowen walked out of the room and then right back inside, pacing.
"Gee Mia," he said sarcastically, "that all makes a lot of sense now. Except that you didn't tell us anything that we didn't already know. So how about something new?"
"Go to hell, Rowen," Nikki spat.
"Enter the alibi."
"Bite me," Nikki retorted. Rowen gave her an insolent grin.
"Sorry sweetheart, not today." Nikki fumed but Mia reached over and touched her arm to calm her.
"Alright Rowen," Mia said softly, "What do you want me to say? What do you think I'm hiding?"
"How about more than ‘gee something really bad is happening'? Why did you deny knowing what happened upstairs? Why are you lying to us? And what's up with her? What part does she play?" He gestured at Nikki. Mia looked for a long time at Rowen before speaking again. This time her voice was deadly soft and her eyes never left Rowen.
"Why Rowen? I'll tell you why. What's your worst fear? What is so bad that you can't possibly imagine anything that could be worse? Take that, that fear, and multiply it by a thousand and make it so twisted and terrible that all you want to do is tear your eyes out so you can't see it anymore and rip your eardrums apart so you can't hear it anymore, and even when you do, all you know is that demented terror. Do you really want me to tell you who's blood it is covering the walls up there? Do you want me to tell you which spot is you, and which is Sage? And the rest of you? Exactly the expressions on your face when he ripped you up piece by piece, screaming? Because I DON'T!" At the end Mia's voice cracked and she started crying. Nikki leaned over and wrapped her arms around Mia. The others sat there, saying nothing.
"This guy is bad news," Kento eventually said. He stood and went to the couch, putting an arm around Mia's shoulders. She tensed momentarily then leaned into him. Her fingers drifted up to her necklace, clutching it tightly. She quickly got a hold of herself and pulled away from Kento.
"That's why I have to go out to that site," she stated, wiping her eyes roughly. "Anything new that might help…there's nothing in my grandfather's files about this thing. We need information. We have to go."
The guys looked at each other then to Ryo. He closed his eyes briefly then looked at Mia.
"Alright, but you aren't going alone. White Blaze and Sage are going with you. Rowen too."
"Why him?" Nikki yelped.
"Why me?" Rowen demanded. Ryo gave them both a pointed look.
"Because you know more about the research stuff than we do, Rowen, and I need someone who can sense this guy with both of us. Sage goes with you and Cye stays with me and Kento." Ryo grinned slightly. "Plus there's going to be a lot of walking and Cye may not be up to it yet."
"Go bugger off," Cye snapped. Ryo just grinned back at him.
"Fine but we leave now," Nikki declared. She turned to Rowen and snapped her fingers twice. "Chop chop blue boy."
Ryo laughed as Rowen rolled his eyes and followed the girls reluctantly out of the room. He laughed again at the look Sage gave him. Cye was still glaring at him as well.
Ryo turned to Kento, and said, "Well buddy, at least we're still cool."
Kento laughed and thumped fists with Ryo. "Yeah, just don't throw me in the lake." They watched in amusement as Nikki and Rowen snipped at each other all the way to the car, glad that they at least were out of it.