Courting The Jester
Chapter 16
Mia sat in the darkness, her head bowed. Her long red hair had fallen out of its messy ponytail a long time ago, and now hung limply around her face. She was starving. She’d been here for too long, and her captor had not had the inclination to regularly provide the necessities that she needed to survive. Her stomach twisted in hunger and her throat was so parched she doubted she could speak if she tried. Mia didn’t know, and she hadn’t tried for a long time. Once she had realized that Damian wasn’t going to take her back to her world this time, panic had overtaken her. Mia had screamed and beat her hands on the smooth stone walls of her prison, mentally crying out to Sage and Cye, to the rest of them in a desperate plea that they would hear her even from this far. She had received only silence in reply.
Once the panic had died away, Mia had slumped to the floor, her mind racing. This was a trick, it had to be a trick. Everything Damian did was a trick. What felt like hours here only felt that way because she was alone in the dark, in a tiny room that stank of sulfur and sweat. It was hot, and the air pressed down on her from all sides, even more confining than the stone walls. Mia told herself she couldn’t have been here that long. Damian never kept her too long. It amused him to return them back to their own world after only a couple of hours had passed, to do as much damage as he could and then watch them try to put on a brave face in front of their friends. The hours he kept them however could feel like a lifetime, and Mia reassured herself that this time was the same. This would end eventually, and in a couple hours she would be home, as safe as she could be these days. She had settled back to wait.
Eventually the thirst had come. The air here burned her lungs, and each breath hurt her chest and her throat a little more. Then finally the hunger had come. It started at a low rumble, but built until she was sick from it. Sharp pains developed, but bravely she tried to wait it out. She searched the darkness, running her hands along the walls to try to find a way out. There wasn’t one. Mia tried to remember how she had gotten in here, but the memory wasn’t there. Her hands never found a door or a window, she was completely sealed in by stone walls. The realization brought another surge of panic, and this time she had screamed with what was left of her voice at Damian, once again beating her hands uselessly against the walls. He had promised he wouldn’t kill them. That was the deal. He had promised! Mia screamed until her voice gave out, and her bruised and scraped hands stopped hitting the walls. She had staggered back, stared around in the complete darkness, and slumped to the floor in defeat.
It seemed like a lifetime. She passed in and out of consciousness. Every once in a while she would wake up to find a rude leather flaskin filled with stale sharp tasting water. Mia would wring it until the very last drop was squeezed out, but it was never enough to quench her thirst. Instead it just prolonged the inevitable, making her more lucid and reminding her of her situation.
She didn’t know how long she had been there, but Mia finally reached the point where she believed she would soon die. She started to welcome it, compared to this desperate isolation. She had reached the point where her fighting spirit had finally left her and she had given up on rescue. That’s when he finally came.
Strong arms wrapped around her and picked her up, carrying her out of the room and away from her prison. He murmured to her, a gentle voice that Mia would have known in her sleep, and his words were comforting. He told her it would all be okay, that he was there. Mia wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, clinging to him. She had hoped, had prayed he would rescue her. She never should have doubted him, he was always there for her when she needed him.
He carried her away, sometimes running, sometimes fighting, but always moving towards some indeterminable point that he said would be their escape. She believed in him. And she did her best to keep up, despite her weakened condition. He found them places to hide when they needed rest, places where nothing came looking for them. It was in those moments that he pulled her into his arms and held her, telling her how much he loved her, and how scared he had been that he was going to lose her. Mia had clung to him, telling him that everything was okay now. That would find a way to be okay together. He had kissed her, tentatively at first, but then with growing passion.
It was what Mia had dreamed about for years, being in his arms, feeling the strength of his body and the heat of his skin on hers. She had always been reserved, but his touch calmed her and the smell of his skin, a mixture of sweat and spicy aftershave, made him all the more attractive to her. He had slowly explored her body, never pressuring, but gently asking her what she wanted. She wanted him.
She had never been with a man before, but this was the man she had wanted to be with. It hurt as first but he was gentle, and she soon lost herself in his arms.
She should have known better.
It was subtle at first, but the longer his body moved and flexed over hers the more things seemed wrong. She asked him to stop, and he looked at her in confusion. She told him to stop and he did. But as he moved off of her he looked down at her and grinned. Mia went cold. She had spent all this time building up her defenses so that she was never taken by surprise by him, but she stared at Damian in shock and horror. That’s what he had been waiting for. Her defenses were down, and he leaned down and clamped his mouth over hers, delving her.
It was different when Damian delved. He was after one thing, information about his enemy. Their strengths, their weaknesses, all were locked away in this girl’s mind, and he ravaged through, taking every bit of it he could before she was able to finally force him out. Then he left her, letting the illusion dissipate. She was still in his castle, in that perfectly round room, lying on the center carpet. Mia screamed as he walked away, the stone walls slamming down after him. She keeled over, burying her face in her hands, horrified that she had let this happen. That she had let her love for one of them bring her to the point that she betrayed them all. Mia had dealt a dangerous hand and had just lost to the most deadly player in the game. And there was no one to blame but herself.
***************
Cye and Damian crashed through the flooring, both disappearing from view. Silence stretched as the figures in the room remained motionless. Even the stone walls seemed to hold still, as if the horror that had taken place, and that was going to take place would be stopped if only no one moved. Then Ryo groaned, armor creaking and snapping through the silence, and he stirred painfully on the ground at Rowen’s feet.
“Mia…” Ryo’s voice, raspy and in pain, echoed through the room.
Mia raised her head. Her eyes ran over the Ronins, bound or injured or both. She looked at Nikki where she had fallen, her body limp and her dark hair fanning the ground beneath her. For a moment a flicker of pain crossed Mia’s face, just one, then her eyes hardened.
“Mia…” Ryo groaned again, struggling to rise, hand clinging to a wall slippery with blood, Rowen’s blood. The blue armored man hanging above him had the dark sticky stuff caked down his neck, and it ran out the joint of his right arm to drip out at an alarming rate. If he didn’t get help soon, Rowen was going to bleed to death.
“Mia, help me get them free,” Ryo said between clenched teeth, face ashen as he put pressure on the torn and battered arm hanging loosely at his side. “Quick, before he gets back!”
Mia never even looked at Ryo as she suddenly bolted away from him towards the middle of the room. Ryo’s eyes widened in shock, then a wave of nausea waved through him, causing him to stumble and lose his balance, grabbing on to Rowen’s leg for support. The action caused Strata to groan, weakly kicking out his foot in defense.
“Rowen!” Ryo cried, “Rowen it’s me, Ryo!”
“Ryo…” Rowen muttered, raising his head to stare confusedly around the room. His face was white as a sheet, making his dark blue eyes stand out from his gaunt face. His movement pulled at the wound at his neck, the barely clotted mess splitting and welling up with fresh crimson. “Ryo, what happened? Where are we?”
“It was a trap,” Ryo said, once again trying to stand, gripping onto his bound friend for support. “This whole fucking thing was just one big trap.” Ryo’s tone, though weak and in pain, was filled with a barely contained fury, and his eyes had narrowed dangerously.
“I have to get you free, Rowen,” Ryo stated, using his good arm to grasp the chains that held the other man’s hand’s bound over his head. “We don’t have much time. I don’t know how much longer Cye can hold him off!”
As if in answer to his words, a huge crash sounded, shaking the walls and causing the room itself to groan and shift. It was enough to cause Kento’s eyes to flutter open, followed by a low string of curses as he winced in pain. Sage however remained limp in his chains, chin touching chest and blood-caked blonde hair obscuring his face.
“Why the hell is everyone upside down?” Kento growled, craning his head around to look at Ryo and Rowen in confusion. Ryo had slid one of his swords free and was aiming at the chains holding Rowen.
“Don’t miss, man,” Rowen suggested as Ryo’s sword snapped through the heavy metal. Rowen fell to the ground instantly, with Ryo unable to break the fall because of his bad arm. Rowen groaned and put one hand up to his neck. He moved his hand away, staring at the blood, then looked around the room weakly.
Nikki had started to stir, and Rowen pushed up to wobbly feet, trying to head towards her. Nikki was in better shape than he was though, for while she was able to slowly stand and get her bearings, Rowen’s legs gave out from underneath him and he fell back to his knees.
“Rowen!” Nikki cried, running across the room to his side. She took one look at his neck and shuddered, ripping at her sleeve for a piece of cloth to bind the wound. She tied it around his neck as tightly as she dared, listening as Ryo slowly and painfully freed the other Ronins. They had managed to wake up Sage, but he looked about as unsteady as Rowen was. His eyes were half glazed over and they saw that he had been struck brutally in the back of the head.
“Mia! We need you over here,” Nikki shouted. “Sage is hurt, and I don’t know if he’s okay or not. This isn’t my area of expertise.”
Mia however ignored the call, on her knees with her face panicked as she dug at the ground in the middle of the room. The flooring was hard packed dirt, so her fingers barely scratched at the surface as she desperately tore at it. Realizing that her actions were futile, Mia’s head jerked up and she cast around for some sort of help. Ryo stared at her in shock as the redhead jumped to her feet and plunged toward him. He didn’t even realize her intentions until her hands closed around his sword, yanking it out of his grip before spinning and throwing herself back at the same place in the ground. Mia thrust the point of Ryo’s sword into the ground, watching it slide easily half way up the blade. Mia went to jerk it back out, but the sword had flared up in a bright red light that threw her backwards.
“Ryo!” Mia cried, “Get it out! Now!” Not even sure why he was doing as she said, Ryo strode forward and gripped Wildfire’s weapon. It surged even brighter as his hand touched it, and he felt an overwhelming compulsion to thrust the sword as far as he could into the dirt and to unleash all his armor’s power into that one spot.
“NO!” Mia shrieked, rising and throwing herself into Ryo, grasping at his arm and trying to pull his weapon free. “Don’t! Please Ryo!” Ryo stared at her in bemused confusion until suddenly a dark haired girl was at his other side, pulling at his arm as well. Thrown off-guard, Ryo stepped back slightly and pulled the sword out of the ground. As it came free the weapon surged one last time, red light slamming into the ground, blowing dirt and rocks in every direction.
Mia uttered a low cry as she hit her knees once more, thrusting her arms into the hole created by Wildfire’s armor. Her body was half in the hole as she searched desperately for something they didn’t understand.
“Mia, what the hell are you doing?” Sage asked weakly, pushing up to his feet, then suddenly his eyes went wide. His armor had started to glow and was pulsing brightly. The others around him were paused in a similar shock, watching as their armors did the same.
Sage’s armor was tearing at him, causing him to take an unconscious step forward towards the hole. Anger welled in him, not from him but from an external source, something that raged against whatever it was that was in that hole. Sage wasn’t even aware that he had drawn his weapon and taken another step forward, because his mind was spinning. Familiar images and feelings were turning inside him, and the image of a small clearing in the woods came unbidden to his thoughts. An image and heat and light and spinning and a sense of something being so terribly terribly wrong… Something telling him that something was wrong and it was him that was wrong. He was wrong.
And it was all because of whatever was in that hole.
“Mia!” Nikki cried out in warning, stepping back towards her friend as four armored men took an unconscious step towards them, their armor glowing with a blinding brightness and their weapons half raised. “Mia, a little help here!”
“Yes!” Mia crowed triumphantly, straightening from the hole, something dirty and square in her hand. It was a ratty old wooden box, filthy and rotting, but Mia cradled it against her stomach protectively. Hands shaking, she unclasped the lid and looked inside. Disappointment flooded her face, and she sat back on her heels. In her hand dangled a small dark crystal on a silver chain, glittering and reflecting in the light of the armors.
“That’s the seal!” Ryo said, his armor flickering as he shook his head to clear away confusing thoughts. “Mia, you found the seal!”
Mia looked sick. Sage, however, was still spinning inside his mind, and his armor had taken over. Sword raised he moved towards Mia, eyes blank but face twisted in anger.
“Sage! What are you doing?” Ryo cried out, moving to intercept Halo. Sage struggled against Ryo’s grip, and Rowen moved to help Ryo. Between the two of them they pushed Sage back, albeit barely. The motion spilt Rowen’s wound again, and he paled, hand pressing against the cloth binding to try and staunch the bleeding.
“There’s something wrong with that crystal,” Sage said, perspiration beading his forehead. He was about to say something else when a blue armored figure came flying into them, knocking Sage and Ryo back. Cye moaned weakly, his handsome face bloody and his eyes looking dazed. Rowen had turned and stepped sideways in front of Nikki.
Damian smirked as he crawled down the wall, licking his lips in anticipation. Sage and Ryo had pulled the broken and bleeding Cye to his feet and were supporting him between their two bodies. Rowen was swaying where he stood, his body the only thing between Nikki and the demon slithering towards them.
“That was fun,” Damian said jovially as he reached the bottom of the wall, rising back to two feet. “He actually put up a struggle…for a while.” He cracked one of his knuckles, causing Nikki to flinch from where she was standing.
Damian strode forward towards them, but unfortunately Mia was halfway between them and him, on her side, her arm reaching down into the hole as far as she could. She watched him with growing fear but kept searching with her hand.
“Mia!” Rowen yelled, “Get back!” Mia’s eyes widened as Damian dropped back down to his hands and knees, crawling with alarming speed at her, his face in a large toothy grin and black eyes glittering. Mia shrank away but kept her arm inside the hole. She heard the yells coming from hr friends, and the crash of armor as they moved towards her, but all she saw were those teeth coming at her. Finally just as Damian lunged for her, Mia flattened over the hole, crying out as she rolled, both arms disappearing in the hole momentarily as she thrust her back at him. She braced herself for his attack, but instead something heavy hit into her back, metal digging into her skin as she was shoved backwards, away from the hole with only the crystal dangling in her grasp. Kento had thrown himself in between Mia and Damian on the ground and now the creature had crawled on top of him, nails and teeth tearing at his armor.
“Get the fuck off of me!” Kento snarled, kicking and fighting. Kento jerked out the broken off spear head and thrust it at Damian’s unprotected throat, causing him to rear back and knock the weapon away. Kento managed to land a heavy kick right into Damian’s throat, managing to knock him back a few feet. Damian merely licked his lips and began crawling towards them again, slower this time.
“She seems awfully focused on that hole,” Damian murmured.
“Go to hell,” Kento said through gritted teeth as he regained his feet.
“Do you wonder why that crystal calls to you, sweeting?” Damian purred. “Do you wonder why it wants you to touch it, to hold it, to destroy it?”
“Shut up and fight me,” Kento snarled, tightening his grip on his staff. Damian giggled and crawled forward a few more feet.
“Are you still believing what she’s telling you, sweeting?” he asked Kento. “Haven’t you figured it out yet?”
“Figured what out?” Kento spat, backing up another few steps. Mia remained behind him, edging backwards as well.
“That everything she says is a lie.”
Kento hesitated, and a flicker of emotion passed over his face. Then he steeled himself and raised his arms up to deliver a blow. Damian twisted, faster than they would have possibly believed, and lunged for Mia, snatching the wrist that held the crystal. He squeezed with his hand, nails digging painfully into her skin and the crystal dropped from her hand.
“No!” Mia cried, trying to twist to grab it before it smashed to the ground. She watched in dismay as it hit the floor, bounced once, then lay still in one piece.
“See?” Damian purred, “She doesn’t want it destroyed for her own reasons. She doesn’t want you to know.”
“Let her go!” Kento roared, throwing himself at Damian. Damian released Mia but moved back beyond Kento’s reach, seeming content to watch. Mia threw herself on the ground, clutching at the crystal. Kento’s armor yanked at him, the way Sage’s had yanked, but Kento continued to try to stave it off. He wanted to trust Mia, and she had said that the crystal was important. He had to trust her…
“Mia, give me the crystal and get back!” Kento ordered.
“No,” Mia whispered, backing to the side.
“Mia! Give me the fucking crystal! It makes you a target!” Kento roared, sidestepping to keep between Mia and Damian.
“No.” Mia backed up another step, not just away from Damian, but away from Kento as well. Kento looked at her, his face hurt. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the other Ronins moving around to flank him, but Damian didn’t seem interested in fighting anymore. He just grinned at Mia with amusement.
“Mia…?” Kento said softly, stretching his hand out to her, still trying to fight his armor driven instincts. Mia shook her head and backed one more step away. Kento froze, eyes flickering from her to Damian and back again. Finally he moved quickly, but it wasn’t towards his enemy.
“I’m sorry, Mia,” Kento said as he leapt forward and seized her hand. Mia had just enough time to gasp in dismay before he jerked the black crystal out of her grip and closed his large fist around it. The crystal was strong but Hardrock was stronger. There was a single crunch and then the crystal shattered into a thousand glittering pieces.
When the memories hit, it was like a flood drowning out everything else around them. Stones can’t differentiate what memory belongs to whom, so everything hit everyone all at once. Feelings and emotions, tastes and smells, every touch, every fear, every scar was felt by all. And for a brief moment, seven became one.
The crowd at the airport mulled around Rowen and Ryo, pushing and talking and rushing. Both men waited patiently, although Ryo’s eyes flickered back and forth excitedly as he scanned the crowd.
“Her plane should have landed by now,” Ryo stated for the millionth time. “Where is she?”
“She’ll be here, buddy. Calm down,” Rowen reassured him. Ryo always became excited when Mia got back from long trips, and tended to mope when she was gone. The two seemed joined at the hip these days, and it wasn’t just Rowen that speculated there might be more to the relationship then friendship. Ryo had been almost unbearable these last couple days before Mia returned from the States.
Ryo stood up on his toes, peering over the crowd, then came back down with a broad grin spreading across his face. “There she is,” Ryo stated happily, his body language relaxing. From his taller viewpoint, Rowen could easily make out a red head, but to his surprise a short brown haired girl was walking with Mia. Mia smiled beautifully when she saw them and ran to hug Ryo. Then she hugged Rowen as well, but Rowen was preoccupied with his study of the other girl that hung back a little hesitantly. She wasn’t pretty, at least not in a turn your head way. She was shorter than the girls Rowen usually liked, and he had always preferred blonde hair. Still, there was something interesting about her, something Rowen just couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“Nikki, these are my friends, Ryo and Rowen. Guys, this is Nikki, she decided to come back with me for a couple weeks,” Mia introduced in Japanese, words that she had taught Nikki earlier on the plane. Ryo smiled and said hello in Japanese, bowing politely. Rowen however seemed distracted, not saying anything as he sized the girl up, and seeming not to hear Mia’s words. Nikki smiled sweetly and held out her hand to Rowen.
“Hi, my name’s Nikki,” she said in English. “Nice to meet you, and thanks for staring at me like I’m a piece of meat, jackass.” Mia snorted and Nikki smiled brightly as Rowen took her hand, confident he had no clue what she just said.
“It’s nice to meet you, Nikki,” Rowen replied in flawless English. “And you’re welcome.” He bowed to her, his eyes amused and slightly mocking. The American flushed, then jerked her hand back. As they left the airport, Ryo looked over at Rowen.
“Kind of got started off on the wrong foot, huh Rowen?” he said, a small smile on his mouth. Rowen just shook his head.
“Doesn’t matter, Ryo. It’s not like she’s going to be around very long, anyways.”
*********
Kento had walked upstairs, curious about Mia’s new guest. He heard voices coming from Mia’s study, and he headed that direction, only to trip on his shoelace, which had somehow come untied. Kento knelt down and retied it, the voices drifting to his ears. Nikki was wandered around Mia’s study, listening as the other girl’s fingers tapped out swift keystrokes on her computer. Nikki ran her hand along on of the katanas that hung on the wall.
“You sure have a lot of stuff here, Mia,” she said, “It all looks pretty valuable. Do you have any kind of security system on it?” Mia smiled and looked up from her computer.
“I have an obscure kind of security system. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Mia resumed tapping on her computer.
“Mia?” Nikki asked, holding up a small grey piece of stone. It was rounded and flat, like a disk, and had an odd feel to it. “What’s this? It seems warmer than the rest of the room.”
“I don’t know, Nik,” Mia replied, her voice sounding distracted to Kento’s ears. “My grandfather collected a lot of things before he died. I haven’t got around to figuring out what all of them are yet.”
“It’s really warm, Mia.”
Kento saw Mia move across the room to where Nikki stood, and the redhead picked up the disk.
“That’s funny,” she said. “I don’t remember it being this warm. But then again, some materials hold heat better than others.”
Kento finished tying his shoe, rose, and moved to the doorway. He smiled at both girls and upon seeing him, a huge grin split Mia’s face. She set the disk down and moved to give him a big hug.
“Long time, no see,” Kento said happily, hugging her back tightly. Nikki glanced once more at the disk and moved away, leaving it forgotten on the cabinet.
*********
“Cye? Cye, I can see him. Why can I see him Cye?”
********
The wind picked up, blowing Sage’s thick hair across his face. There was something about tonight, something…wrong. The usually gentle waves rose high and crashed heavily into the dock, giving an eerie backdrop to Sage’s mood. He didn’t know what had sent him out here this late at night, usually he was an early riser and went to bed accordingly. But something had driven him here, something was pulling at the edge of his consciousness. Something…
A gust of wind smacked into him so hard that Sage actually staggered back, shocked at the unexpected voracity. Water droplets sprayed at his feet and reached up to sting his eyes. Even the ground seemed to lurch beneath his feet, causing Sage to stare around him in confusion even as he sought to balance himself. Only half an hour ago the weather had been calm but now everything seemed to be going crazy. As if the elements themselves were trying to get his attention.
The elements.
A sudden rush of terrifying clarity tore through Sage’s body and he spun around, racing frantically towards Mia’s house. No one else was home but the girls. If something was happening, it was happening to them. Sage reached the back door, shouldering through it, and bursting into the kitchen. The lights were out. It was late, that wasn’t unusual. But that feeling of wrongness had spread and Sage ran through the kitchen, bellowing Mia’s name. Driven by instinct he went directly to the stairs, taking the steps three at a time.
“Mia!” he cried, reaching her bedroom. He didn’t even think twice about jerking open the door, but all he found was crumpled up empty blankets. He tried Nikki’s door next to Mia’s but found the same. Casting around in frustration, Sage noticed the tiny amount of light peeking out from under the closed study door at the end of the hallway. That’s where they were. Sage strode swiftly down the hall, but as he approached that closed door, he found that his steps slowed, and four feet away from the door he faltered. Sage had known fear in his life, he had fought with it constantly in their battles with Talpa. He had learned to control his fear, to contain it and use it to help him, not hinder him. Fear induced adrenaline had saved him more than once in his life. But this…this was different.
He did not want to go into that room.
But Mia was in there, and so was Nikki and Cassie. If they were in trouble, then Sage had no choice. And standing here staring at a closed door wouldn’t help them. Sage couldn’t explain why he was trembling as he turned the doorknob, or even why the brightly lit room with the three familiar faces in it didn’t calm him in the slightest. All Sage could focus on was that there were crumbled pieces of an old grey disk lying scattered on the carpet, and that the room had become much too warm.
“Sage?” Cassie whispered softly from her place in Mia’s desk chair, her blind eyes flickering around as she scanned the darkness she lived in. Her face blanched and she flattened back in her seat, flinching away from something none of them could see.
“Sage?!” Cassie cried out more frantically, reaching her hand out to the side he was on and extending her fingers to him desperately. Sage took two steps towards her, his hand just managing to grasp hers when the house seemed to shudder beneath them. Then the lights went out.
***********
Ryo leaned his head against the wall in frustration. His body ached, his muscles stretched and torn in places he’d never hurt before, not even when fighting Talpa. He had always prided himself on his strength and stamina, but this new enemy was more than he could keep up with. How do you face an enemy that is never really there? One that flickers in and out of reality, staying only long enough to play on your doubts and your fears, to convince you that your friends had fallen, only to find that you yourself were fighting them? And almost killing them? It wasn’t that this enemy wasn’t real, he was. His blows broke bones, and his attacks could throw them for miles. Right now Cye lay unconscious upstairs, his wounds from the shockwave being treated by Sage as best he could. But Sage could only do so much, and the weaker he was when they were attacked, the more this enemy seemed to hone in on him. Damian was like a cat, playing with them before he struck, and he seemed to find immense pleasure from focusing in on the ones that were most vulnerable. That meant the girls, and that made Ryo very nervous.
This fight had gone on too long. At this point they had been fighting for almost three months straight, with never more than a day or two without any attacks. At first it had just been Damian himself, twisting them and toying with their minds. But now he had seemed to step back and was idly watching, amusing himself by sending…things after them. They prowled around in the darkness outside Mia’s home. Not even the guys went out at night alone anymore. No matter how many of the creatures they fought, more just kept coming. And when Damian attacked them personally when they were worn down…well, things went from bad to unimaginable. So they picked their battles, and left the creatures to themselves, only fighting the ones they had to and saving themselves for the harder fights. Even now, inside Mia’s home, Ryo could feel them out there. Their numbers grew more each night, and when he looked out the window he swore the darkness crawled. But there was nothing they could do. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
Ryo leaned his head against the wall in frustration. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than sleep. But with sleep came dreams, dark dreams, and he always woke with the feeling as if he was being watched. White Blaze wasn’t even a reassurance. The animal had taken to prowling the manor restlessly, only stopping when Ryo tried to sleep. Then he would sit by Ryo’s bedside, growling that low rumbling growl that signified something was wrong. But Ryo was at the point he ignored it. Something was almost always wrong these days. But they would find a way to get through this. They would find a way to beat Damian. Ryo repeated this to himself almost on the hour. They would find a way to beat this demon out of their lives.
They had to.
**********
“You know, you’re the biggest jackass I’ve ever met!” Nikki screamed at Rowen, stomping across the room and slamming down her book on the table. “You think you know everything-”
“When it comes to this, yeah I do Nikki,” Rowen snarled back. “Don’t think for one second that just because I can’t stand you and that when half the time you talk I want to put my head through a wall that I’m going to sit around and let you put yourself in danger! Like it or not, missy, we’ve got a reputation to maintain, and even though I doubt anyone would miss you too much, you’re not going anywhere.”
“Try me,” Nikki snapped, marching towards the front door. Rowen was so angry he didn’t even realize what he was doing. All he knew was that something bad was outside and he was supposed to protect this girl and she wanted to make his life more difficult than it already was. Nikki had reached the doorway when she suddenly froze midstep. Rowen was about to say something nasty when he noticed the odd look on her face. And also the fact that her foot was still raised.
“What…the…hell…did you do to me?!” Nikki snarled through clenched teeth. Filled with curiosity, Rowen went to her side. The short dark haired girl was trapped in a cocoon of air, which seemed rock hard to her, but squished under Rowen’s finger as he poked at it.
“Do you mind?” Nikki asked as he circled her, his eyes alive with wonder. “Rowen? Let me out!”
Rowen’s eyes narrowed into a mischievous grin as he backed away and plopped down on the couch, kicking his feet up in relaxation.
“Nope, Nik. Don’t think I will.”
**********
He watched Mia walk across the room, her fingers drumming absently against her hip. She was beautiful when she moved, and she seemed to posses a grace he had always lacked. She made him feel rough, almost uncouth in her presence, although the smiles she turned his way were always gentle and caring. But now, something was off. Just because he had spent most of the last two years trying to pretend he wasn’t captivated by her, he still knew her habits better than he should. And now there was something different about her, something he instinctively didn’t like. He knew the others couldn’t tell yet. They were all preoccupied with…different things.
But him, he knew. It was in her eyes. There was something Mia wasn’t telling them. And by the look in her eyes he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know what that was.
*************
Rowen stood up and brushed past her, grabbing his shirt up and yanking it on viciously. He paused in the doorframe and said over his shoulder,
“Actually Nikki, all I wanted was five lousy minutes of company. Of you not being a bitch for once. It might’ve been nice. Now I couldn’t give a shit.”
*************
“Stop it! You’re friends! Stop this!” Cassie screamed. But they didn’t seem to hear her, the two men struggling in the grass. Ryo managed to roll on top and thrust his elbow hard into Sage’s throat, cutting off his air supply. Sage struck out at him and the blow landed hard on Ryo’s face, but Wildfire never let down his pressure. Sage started to choke, coughing as he continued to struggle.
“Damn it, Ryo! You’re killing him! Stop it!” Nikki shouted. “Rowen, do something!” Rowen just looked at her sadly and shook his head. He wasn’t getting in between this, not when it was Ryo. Ryo was his leader and he wouldn’t contradict him. That was the mistake Sage had made. He had stopped trusting in Ryo’s leadership, and his fear for Cassie had driven him to make bad decisions that affected them all.
“Friends don’t do this! They don’t do this!” Mia yelled at them, trying to intervene. Cye grabbed her arm and stopped her.
“You don’t get it, Mia. It’s not just about us anymore. If Sage takes Cassie back to town, the creatures will follow him, and they will be free to attack helpless people. I know why he wants to, because I want to as well. But we can’t. Ryo made that decision. Now we all have to stick by it.”
“Ryo’s hurting him,” Mia whispered, turning her face away.
“We’re in a war, Mia.” Kento said softly from her other side. “People get hurt.”
***********
“Choose. Or they both die.”
“I can’t!” Cassie wailed, tears pouring out of her eyes as she knelt on the ground in front of Damian, her hands blindly stretched out in front of her, trying to touch something she recognized. She was lost, her sense of direction gone, but she could hear the sounds of both Sage and Cye choking above her. “I won’t!”
“Then they both die,” Damian said, his mouth twisted in amusement. He lifted his two captives higher and clenched down his fists. Both men were kicking and fighting, but this enemy was much stronger than either one of them, and the longer they went without air the weaker their struggles became.
Nikki stood up shakily, her body quivering as wave after wave of heat slammed into her. Her face went bleak as she whispered, “I can.”
“NO!” Cassie shrieked.
“I can,” Nikki said again softly. Damian’s head swiveled towards her and a grin crossed his face. His eyes glittered darkly as he strode up to her, each step crunching into the ground. Sage and Cye remained dangling in his grip, both fighting for air as Damian’s hands systematically loosened and tightened around their necks. He was prolonging this as long as he could.
“Well, sweeting?” the devil asked her. “Who will it be? This one?” He lifted Cye up higher and gave him a little shake. Then Damian brought Sage up to Cye’s height and turned him so that Nikki could see Sage’s face better. His lips were turning blue and his eyes were starting to roll back into his head.
“Or this one?”
Nikki looked at Sage, then at Cye. Damian seemed sure of who she would pick and had already tightened his grip on Sage’s throat. A sad little smile crossed her face and she whispered, “Cye? I’m really sorry…”
Damian’s head tilted in surprise. It was only a moment, but that was all the moment Nikki needed. With a cry she flung herself at Damian, fingernails finding his eyes and gouging deep. With a roar of fury, Damian stepped back, swinging his arm so that Cye’s heavily armored body slammed into Nikki, causing her to go flying across the room. But then Mia was there, having come up from behind him while Nikki distracted him. In her hand she clutched the small dagger that Ryo had given her earlier and she desperately thrust it at Damian’s unprotected neck.
She had known it wouldn’t work, that he wasn’t really in this realm enough to be injured badly by something so small, but it could still hurt. The blade managed to slide into the back of his neck, deep enough that a faint bit of hope swelled inside her as Damian roared again, jerking forward and loosening his grip on Cye and Sage. Both Ronins crashed to the floor as Damian spun around, his hand jerking the bloody blade out of his flesh. He lunged at Mia, grabbing her up by the hair and lifting her off the ground. With a snarl he whipped the knife across her stomach. Mia screamed in pain as it cut a deep gash from rib to rib, not enough to pierce through her abdomen, but deep enough that her shirt was instantly soaked with blood.
“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Damian purred as Mia began to writhe in his grip, screaming again, this time in even more pain. “It’s the intermingling of our blood. My kind burns yours, eats away at it like poison. Do you like how it feels?”
Damian ripped off the torn half of her shirt and exposed Mia’s bloody stomach. The gash was awful, but worse was the way the edges of the wound were beginning to blacken. With a deliberately cruel grin, Damian brought the knife across again, two inches above the first wound. Mia cried out, this time weakly, and her eyes started to roll back into her head.
“You don’t get off that easy, lover,” Damian said, sending a jolt of energy into Mia’s body that immediately snapped her eyes wide open. She moaned in agony, tears streaming down her face as she continued to struggle.
“Once more for old time’s sake?” Damian asked her, raising his hand once more.
“GET OFF OF HER!” someone bellowed furiously, and a flash of orange slammed into Damian, throwing all three figures across the room. Mia went tumbling and would have hit the ground with terrific force if it weren’t for the red armored man that managed to get behind her in time, catching her in his arms.
“Mia?” Ryo gasped. The redhead collapsed weakly and Ryo had to lift her up. Blackened blood covered her stomach, soaking her clothes almost to her knees. “SAGE!” Ryo roared. A flash of blue passed him, as Rowen flung himself into the fight after Kento.
Sage had managed to rise to his knees, and was gripping onto Cye’s arm. Dark bruises had already started to rise up on both men’s throats, and Cye seemed barely conscious. Ryo didn’t even have to look at Halo to know how little strength he had left. But Mia was injured badly, and if she didn’t get healing soon…
Ryo rushed Mia over to Sage, laying her down in front of the blonde man. Sage looked once at Ryo, then nodded, knowing that he had no other choice. Mia should have passed out by now, for her wounds were awful and were getting worse by the moment. The flesh across the rest of her stomach was beginning to blacken and the pain must have been unimaginable. She seemed unable to speak; she just stared up at them in mute agony, her body twitching with bits of the energy Damian had put inside of her. Her eyes begged them to make the pain stop somehow. Uncertainty surged through the armor bond as Sage examined Mia’s wounds. Ryo knew that Sage doubted he could heal her. The poison from Damian’s blood was spreading at an alarming rate. And if he couldn’t heal her…Ryo cared very deeply for the woman in front of him and tears stung his eyes as he realized that if Sage couldn’t help her, then it would be up to him to make the pain stop. Permanently. Ryo clenched his fists helplessly and stood back to watch, praying it didn’t come to that.
Sage leaned over Mia and closed his eyes. Then he laid both of his hands flat against her stomach. Mia managed to cry out once more, and a shudder went through her body. For a long moment nothing happened, until finally Sage began to glow. The light around him pulsed and brightened until it reached a blinding intensity, then it dimmed and started to pulse down. Ryo’s heart broke when he saw through the light that the wounds across Mia’s abdomen still remained. Sage was trembling, but he still held on, throwing everything he had into it, but it wasn’t enough. He wasn’t strong enough to save her.
A hand dropped onto Sage’s shoulder. It was taboo to touch Sage when he was healing. It always broke his concentration and stopped the healing, but this time it was different. Ryo could feel the surge of energy as Cye leaned into Sage, giving him his strength or what was left of it. Sweat was pouring down Sage’s face and his body had started to shake violently. The light flickered then brightened. But was it enough?
It was. As the light died once more, Ryo leaned forward just in time to catch both Sage and Cye as they slumped. Cye’s breathing was raspy and sporadic and Sage had become deathly pale. But Mia wasn’t shaking in pain anymore, and she had managed to prop herself up on her elbows, staring down at her abdomen. It was still covered in blood, but the wounds were gone. Sage had healed her. Mia pushed herself up to a sitting position, and turned to Sage, a look of pure relief on her face. She leaned forward and hugged him, pressing her face against his shoulder. Sage gave her a weak smile and rested his chin on the top of her head, letting Ryo support them both. Mia reached her hand over and gripped Cye’s tightly, and he too managed a smile for her. Cye bent his head, leaning in towards the others, and for one brief moment everything was all right again. They were all here together and they were okay. They had made it this far, everything was going to be alright.
Rowen chose that moment to come flying past, hitting on his back and skidding until his helmet cracked against wall. He grunted and struggled upwards, rolling his eyes at the four huddled together.
“Do you guys think you can have one of these ‘moments’ after we kill the bad guy?” Rowen inquired sarcastically. “Cause Kento and I are getting our butts creamed.”
To prove his point, Kento came flying after him, his momentum taking him directly into Rowen and sending them both back to crack their helmets on the wall. At this point Rowen said something not very polite, rubbing his helmet and wincing.
“A little help!” he spat. Mia jumped to her feet and moved to the pair, leaning down and grasping Kento’s heavily armored arm. She managed to help pull him off of Rowen and onto his feet, but then she bent over, clutching her stomach in pain. Kento’s arm went around her to support her, his eyes worried.
“Mia…” he started in, but she flapped her hand at him.
“I’m fine,” Mia said, rubbing her stomach tenderly. “Just still pretty sore.” She put on a brave face, trying to smile up at him. Kento just shook his head, looking around their group. Ryo had managed to get Cye to his feet but Sage wasn’t even able to remain sitting upright without swaying back and forth. Neither one would be much help in a fight. And the fight was coming their way.
Damian moved towards them at an easy pace, allowing them the chance to get their bearings. He paused halfway there and reached down to pick up the knife he’d cut Mia with. He spun it in his hand, then grinned as he slowly licked the blood off the edge, his eyes focused on Mia as he did. A deep growl rumbled in Kento’s throat, and his eyes flashed in anger. Sweat rolled down his face, and Mia knew he was exhausted, but Kento still pulled her behind him and gripped his weapon, bracing himself.
“Do you think you are going to protect her, little one?” Damian asked Kento, tipping his head to the side. His grinned broadly, as he started to hum to himself. From her place behind Kento, Mia shivered violently. “Do you think that you can keep bad things from happening to her? All by yourself?”
Damian skipped a step, spinning the knife on his finger before flicking it behind him. Rowen had started edging towards to the left, one eye locked on Damian and one flickering to the where Nikki still lay crumpled on the ground. His movements were careful, aimed at appearing to only be circling his opponent, but Damian turned his head towards Rowen.
“Or you?” he asked, letting his teeth show as he grinned larger. “You turned your back, and oh what fun we had.” Rowen’s eyes flickered in confusion as he continued to try to place himself between Nikki and Damian. Damian winked at him.
“Haven’t you figured it out yet? The games we played?” Damian leaned forward and licked his lips. “Right…in…front…of…your…noses.”
A snarl slipped from Kento’s lips and he launched forward, throwing himself at Damian. Damian spun towards the attack, giving Rowen the chance to get to Nikki. Ryo came at Damian’s other side and weapons clashed as their enemy slipped sideways out of the way. Hardrock and Wildfire turned after him, and Rowen looped his arm around Nikki, pulling her to his side and dashing back towards the others. Cye was looking around the room desperately for Cassie, but he couldn’t find her. Fear rose in him as he gripped his yari and threw himself into the battle once more.
************
Cassie pulled something out of her pocket. She crawled forward towards the sound of the fighting, one hand clutching a small white disk tightly to her chest, the other searching the floor in front of her as she moved. She had heard it, it was here. Somewhere…Her hand touched something wet and sticky, and her fingers closed around the knife Damian had dropped. The sounds of crashing and grunting was progressively louder, and she could feel the heat on her skin radiating from their enemy. He grew more powerful, because he was letting more of himself through from his realm. Damian was confident and wanted to physically feel the hurt he was inflicting on them. It was his first mistake.
After all these months, it was his first mistake.
Cassie found her feet, trying to move as quietly as she could. She would only have one shot at this, one chance to save those she cared about. She felt the air in the room begin to swell, and she knew what was coming. Damian was going to blow them all into pieces, unleashing a shockwave in a place that would take them apart. Not even the Ronin armor would be able to withstand this one. Too much of Damian’s real power was coming through. But she could feel where it was centering from, and even blind she knew exactly where he was.
Damian raised his arms, laughing with glee as he spun in circles. The heat hit them in waves, pushing them all back but Ryo. Ryo tried one last time to attack him, raising his swords and calling his sure kill.
“Rage…of…”
“NO! Cassie’s still back there somewhere, Ryo!” Cye yelled in panic. “Ryo, you can’t!”
“INFERNO!!!”
Every bit of energy Ryo’s armor had was flung at the spinning creature. Damian’s laughter grew to a horrible pitch as he was surrounded by fire. He disappeared beneath the onslaught, and Kento leaned forward in desperate hope. Then a hand lifted from the fire, and suddenly Wildfire’s attack condensed into a small sun, spinning and raging on the palm of Damian’s hand. He winked at Ryo, leaned forward and like a candle, he blew it out.
The silence that remained was deafening. They stood there in shock, trying to comprehend how their strongest attack could be brushed off so easily. Ryo’s eyes widened, then his face grew sick. The others shifted around him nervously, and almost as one the Ronin Warriors stepped back. Damian had finally done it. Month after month he had come at them, dragging down their spirits and taking away their sense of security. They had been exhausted and battered and bleeding, but not matter how many times Damian attacked them, they still stood up to him, still knowing that someway, somehow they would beat him. That they would lose. They couldn’t lose. But this…this was too much. Understanding washed over them and with a kind of sick dread the Ronins realized that they couldn’t beat this enemy. He was too strong, they would never win. Not only that, but he was going to kill them all, right here, right now. In that one horrible moment, the Ronin Warriors broke.
Even heroes are human. No one wants to die and no one wants to see their friends die. No one wants to have every last shred of hope ripped from their chest, to be filled with doubt and uncertainty. Suddenly their enemy seemed larger, more terrifying real than anyone they had ever faced. Ryo found himself wishing that he had never brought his friends here, and Sage breathed a soft prayer under his breath. Even strong, steadfast Kento faltered, and his eyes began darting back and forth, looking for some way that they might escape.
“Mia, Nikki,” Rowen whispered softly to the girls, “Run. The only way out is right behind him, but if we all attack him at once you might have a chance to get past.” He reached behind his back and grabbed an arrow, notching it against the bowstring and pulling back. He sighted down the arrow at the figure that stood patiently waiting for their next move.
“Bite me, Rowen,” Nikki snapped, although her voice was thick with fear. “No one’s bailing on anyone. Don’t stop fighting him!” Rowen shook his head slightly, his bright, intelligent eyes going flat.
Nikki turned towards Mia, whose eyes were locked on Damian’s.
“Mia…?” she whispered. Mia didn’t reply as she stared back at the creature that had haunted their lives for so long.
“Are you going to run away now, sweetings?” Damian asked in amusement. “Are you going to betray them even more by abandoning them?”
“Go to hell, you sick freak!” Nikki shot back.
“What does he mean by that?” Ryo asked them, his voice sounding wearier than they’d ever heard it. There was barely any curiosity in his tone, as if there was nothing anyone could say that would make this any worse. “How did you betray us?”
“I didn’t betray you,” Mia said tightly, but her face had gone very pale.
“Yes, you did, lover,” Damian smirked back. Then he licked his lips again, eyeing her up and down.
“Don’t call me that!” Mia snapped. Damian just laughed.
“We bought us some time!” Nikki said, then gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. Beside her Rowen had gone very still.
“Would you like to see?” Damian asked politely.
That’s when Damian raised his hands and showed them just exactly what he had meant. A screen of darkness appeared behind him, and in it were images. Only these weren’t an illusion, they were real images of Mia and Nikki and Cassie, of them being taken from their home, of them in Damian’s realm, crying and fighting and screaming. Of them lying to the Ronins when they returned. Image after image after image. Mia shrank at each one, as she heard her voice tell Damian she had a proposition for him. And then what she dreaded the most was before her eyes, her lying in the arms of a man that she loved, only to have him turn into Damian. She saw the horror on her face and she looked away. She saw him turn his blue eyes towards her, hurt and confused, but Mia refused to look at him. Damian stood back, reveling in the emotion damage he had caused, the looks of dismay and horror on the Ronin’s faces, of the shame on Nikki and Mia’s. He stopped paying attention to his entire surroundings. That was his second mistake.
“Excuse me,” a quiet voice said from directly behind Damian. He turned, having forgotten Cassie was even there. The slim blind girl smiled grimly and said, “Time to go back to hell, you sick bastard.” Then she thrust the white disk against Damian’s chest and plunged the knife through the center of it and into his flesh. Bright white light exploded from the disk, wrapping around both figures.
Damian stared down at her in shock, for a moment not realizing what she had done. He roared in fury, striking out at her, but the blow never fell. He couldn’t move. The white light held him paralyzed, and Cassie tried to jerk away. Her hand however was stuck on the hilt of the knife and she too couldn’t move. The white light began to spin around them faster and faster as the Ronins stared in shock. Damian’s glared murderously at the girl in front of him, and his teeth clenched as heat started to radiate even stronger, all of it aimed at Cassie.
That’s when the first cut appeared on Cassie’s cheek. A second one crossed it, then a third. Her mouth opened in shock, and she cried out softly as sudden cuts started slicing all over her body, down her arms and across her face. Crimson started to well from the cuts, red lines crisscrossing in a chilling pattern.
“Cye,” Cassie managed to whimper, as blood welled up on her lips.
“CASSIE!” Cye yelled, throwing himself forward towards the pair, but Mia somehow managed to get in between them first. She grabbed Cye’s arm and with more strength than they’d ever seen from her, Mia shoved into him, tangling their legs and causing them both to crash to the floor. Sage stumbled forward as well, adrenaline and fear pushing him through his exhaustion, and he raised his sword with a cry. This time it was Nikki that intercepted Cassie’s rescuer, although her method was much simpler. The short dark haired girl jumped in front of Sage and threw her arms around his neck, shoving her face in his so that he couldn’t see where he was going. It startled Sage enough that he hesitated before grabbing Nikki roughly and shaking her off, cursing. Nikki wasn’t going to give up that easily, and she wrapped her arms around his waist as he pushed past, digging in her heels and pulling Sage back with all the strength she had.
The confusion only lasted a moment, with Rowen and Ryo staring at the struggling pairs. Then they turned back and both leapt towards Cassie, but Kento had already gotten there first. The white light was so bright and spun so thick that it was hard to see anything but the top of Cassie’s head, and Damian’s shoulders and face. The creature was still staring murderously at the girl connected to him, but a look of indignation had crossed his face, as if he was very irritated about this entire thing. Kento reached out to grab Cassie with one armored fist.
“NO!!!” Mia shrieked at Kento, her body still entangled with Cye’s as she desperately tried to rise. A look of pure horror was on her face and she stretched out her hand towards Kento. Mia’s scream rang through the room, causing Kento to hesitate just one split second.
It was enough.
Cassie’s head suddenly snapped back, her long blonde hair wrapping around her shoulders as her crimson covered face turned to the sky. Her shoulders lifted once, as if in a sigh of relief. Then the light folded. Where Damian was, a great rushing noise sounded, and with the smell of sulfur stinging the air, his body folded too, the light carrying him into the fold until nothing remained. Then the rest of the light surrounded Cassie and, after one great pulse, shattered like breaking glass. The force threw the ones who were standing back to the ground, and the ones on the ground flat on their backs. Then there was only silence.
Cye was the first one to lift his head up. His eyes widened and then he seemed to keel over on himself, his body shaking violently. Sage rolled to his side, then froze. His eyes stared ahead of him for one long horrible moment, then he rose to his knees, sat back on his heels and lifted his face to the heavens. The cry of grief that tore through from his throat was heartbreaking, and tears streamed down his face as the always unshakable Halo began to sob, great gasping breathes that shook his shoulders.
There was blood everywhere. It was even on them. Where Cassie had been only remained bloody scraps of the clothing she had worn, and those were thrown outwards as well.
There were bloody clothes everywhere.
************
“You let this happen!” Sage screamed, tears running down his face. Cye remained on his knees, silently bowed over in despair. White Blaze had moved to his side and lay close to him, his furry face against Cye’s thigh. “You LET it!” Sage raged. “You fools! Cassie’s dead and it’s all your faults! You wouldn’t let us rescue her, why the hell didn’t you let us rescue her? Why didn’t you tell us you had a weapon that would defeat him? Why?!”
“You’re right Sage,” Mia whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. “It is our faults. It’s my fault. But it had to happen. I know you don’t understand, but it had to happen…” Sage stared at her in complete disbelief, then came towards her, his face furious. Ryo stepped in between them, a sick expression on his handsome face.
“Please, Sage,” Ryo said, grasping Sage’s shoulder in a firm grip. “Please don’t make this any worse.”
“How the hell could it possibly get any worse?” Sage snapped, jerking out of Ryo’s grip and pushing past. “They betrayed us all! And Cassie died because if it. They went behind us and made deals with the enemy, and they lied to us over and over again. And this entire time we’ve been trying so hard to protect them and they…they…” Sage sputtered off, seeming unable to complete his sentence. Never before had any of them seen Sage this upset. It was as if every bit of control and serenity that made him who he was had vanished, and all that was left was a furious and broken man. Sage had never raised his hand to a female before in his life, except in competition and in fighting Kayura. But he stepped up to Mia and grabbed her forearm, yanking her closer to him, and raised his hand to hit her. Mia flinched and ducked her head, but the blow didn’t fall. Kento had appeared, grabbing Sage’s arm and twisting it painfully behind his back. Then Kento gave one mighty shove, pushing Sage back several feet.
“Don’t make me hit you, man,” Kento said in a voice full of emotion. “I really don’t want to do it. I know you’re hurting bad right now, but don’t do this. We can’t turn on each other. Not now.” Sage stared at Kento, face still raging. There was a long silent moment when the two stared each other down, then finally Sage seemed to wilt, his shoulders slumping forward and he buried his face in his hands, turning away. Ryo moved with him, giving Sage space but also staying within reach if something else happened.
“Kento,” Mia started to say, but the armored man in front of her turned around angrily.
“Don’t talk to me,” Kento snapped at her. “Don’t say one word.” He moved away from her, his face bleak. Mia stared at the men around her sadly. Rowen had moved away from everyone else, and was looking at her and Nikki, his face twisted and confused, as if he was trying desperately to piece together everything that had happened and link everything that came before it, trying to understand what they had done. Sage had secluded himself on the opposite side of the room, where his steps weren’t in drying blood, his skin white as a sheet. He had passed anger for the moment and was standing there with his eyes closed, trembling. Kento had his back to her but she could see him shaking his head and knew he was talking to himself. Ryo looked at a loss, as if he didn’t know who to try and comfort, and as if once again he blamed all of this on himself. Nikki was trying to talk to Rowen, but he wouldn’t say anything, the sting of betrayal all over his face. But it was Cye that broke Mia’s heart. Cye had gathered up a scrap of clothing, and was holding it tightly in his hand, cradling it to his stomach, his head bowed. He wasn’t crying or raging the way Sage was, but he seemed oblivious to everyone else, so completely lost in his mourning that nothing else mattered. As far as Mia knew Cye hadn’t shed a single tear but the look on his face told her that Cye had lost something so infinitely precious to him that the loss of it was crushing. It was the pain on Cye’s noble face, and his armored hand holding that one strip of cloth so tightly as if he would never let it go, it was that that made Mia’s decision to betray them one last time.
“I’ll fix this,” Mia whispered softly to herself. She pulled something from beneath her jacket, something that she had hoped never to have to use, despite Kayura assuring her it would be necessary. “Nikki,” Mia called out, her voice piercing the room. All heads turned towards her, and Nikki went to Mia’s side. The shorter woman was shivering slightly, but there was relief on her face. She knew this was finally almost over. Nikki wanted her to do this too.
“Don’t worry,” Mia whispered to the guys, her eyes lingering on Sage and Cye. “I’ll fix this. I’ll make everything alright again.” Even Cye raised his head in confusion as Mia lifted a small black crystal in her hand and began to chant the words Kayura had taught her. The Ronins looked at her in amazement and distrust as her voice rose in pitch, naming the armors between words they didn’t understand, then she ended the incantation. Little flecks inside the crystal started to slowly move. It would take a moment, Kayura said, but the words were right. Mia had just put into motion something that could not be stopped.
“What did you do?” Ryo asked Mia once more. At that moment Ryo looked older and more tired than she’d ever seen him. This whole thing had changed Ryo, and that sense of indestructibleness about him was gone. Even though Damian was gone, the Ronin warriors had lost, and the doubt that came along with that had settled inside of him.
“You don’t understand,” Mia told them, her eyes going from one to the next. “None of you understand how important you are, for this world, for our future…The world needs the Ronin Warriors, the world needs you guys to keep it safe. Something’s going to happen, not soon, but something is going to happen that only you can face and you have to believe that you are invincible! You have to know that you can win! Damian…He wasn’t ever really in this realm. Only part of him was really here, and you weren’t strong enough to defeat even part of him. These armors, they aren’t nearly powerful enough to defeat him. Had he been here in reality with all the power he really possesses, he would have destroyed you with one blow. You know that, I see it in your eyes! These last months, I saw it eat at you, erode your confidence, take away your strength. What happens with the next enemy you come across? Your belief in yourselves is what made you win against Talpa, against everything you’ve ever faced. When Damian turned away your attack, Ryo, I saw it in your eyes! He broke you! He broke you all! Do you think that I’m going to sit by and let you spend the rest of your lives afraid that you aren’t good enough, aren’t strong enough? You are the only hope this world has! We need you, and I will be damned if I let this happen to any of you.”
Mia stopped her rant, and looked pleadingly into their eyes. The flecks in the crystal were spinning faster, writing patterns inside the blackness beneath her hand.
“Mia, it already happened,” Ryo told her quietly. “You can’t change that.”
“I can if you don’t remember any of it.”
Heads snapped back up.
“You wouldn’t,” Rowen challenged her, but he looked very worried.
“I already did, Rowen,” Mia replied softly, keeping her voice steady. “The crystal’s already activated. It takes a moment, but it’s already done. It will take you all back to the beginning and you won’t remember any of this. The fear, the horror, you won’t remember any of it. And then you’ll be strong, they way you once were, and when the world needs you, you’ll be there, confident and strong. It has to be this way.”
There was shocked silence, as if none of them could truly comprehend that she would do this to them. Then one of them stepped forward towards her. She stepped back, holding the crystal protectively behind her back. He stretched his hand out to her, and his blue eyes tore at her.
“Mia…” he whispered. “I know you think you’re right, that you’re only trying to protect us, but this is wrong. Don’t do this. Have faith in us, Mia. Have we ever let you down? Have I ever let you down?”
“You don’t understand,” Mia repeated, shaking her head. But her voice had started to lose its confident edge.
“I understand you’re scared, Mia. I understand you want everything back to normal, but this isn’t the way.” He looked at the crystal in her hand. The flecks were spinning faster. “Baby, please…please stop this. Don’t take away what we had. We barely got started, we never got the chance to…fuck, I haven’t even kissed you yet!”
“I love you…” Mia whispered. The look of pain on his face was almost more than she could bear. Then his expression darkened and he whispered thickly to her.
“You wait until now to say it? Now?! You’re a coward.” He moved away in disgust.
Rowen kept his eyes riveted on Nikki. She turned away.
“Don’t you dare,” Rowen said roughly. “If you’re going to do this, then watch what you’re doing, Nik. Watch everything you’re destroying. Watch it!” The snap of his voice made her flinch but she continued to look away.
“Watch, Nikki!” Rowen roared. Nikki let out a broken sob and turned her back completely on him.
“Nikki…” Rowen whispered. Nikki shut her eyes and prayed for it to be over.
His back was still to Mia, and it tore her apart inside, but she refused to let it show on her face. It was almost done. The crystal jumped in her hands. Five seconds. Four. Three. He turned around and sad blue eyes looked deep into hers. He mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ and Mia couldn’t keep the sob from escaping her lips. She grabbed her necklace and turned away, crying openly now. Two. One.
“I love you, too,” he said softly. She wheeled around to see him but it was too late. There was a flash of light, brighter than the sun, that made everyone flinch back. Then it was all over. It was done.
**********
The silence was deadening. No one moved, no one spoke. They just stared at each other, trying to comprehend everything that had just been thrown at them, to understand what the hell had just happened. Then as one all eyes went to Mia, where she had crumpled in front of Kento, pieces of the shattered crystal all around her. She looked stricken, and her beautiful face was very pale. She didn’t look at any of them, just stared straight ahead of her, eyes flickering over nothing as she gripped her necklace in white knuckles. Nikki had not moved but she suddenly didn’t look as if she felt quite as safe in her position between Rowen and Cye.
Then suddenly someone began to clap loudly. Damian lounged on the throne up on the dais, one leg draped over the arm, slowly clapping his hands, a mock serious expression on his face.
“Very very nice performance! Impressive! A little on the melodramatic side, but I think worthy of at least a standing ovation.” With that Damian raised one hand negligently and flicked his fingers. An invisible force seized each of the Ronins and squeezed around them, lifting them up bound tightly into the air. Then Damian started to draw designs in the air with one finger. In response the force holding the Ronins captive twisted and bent, molding the helpless figure in the air to mimic his drawings. Ryo was bent backwards painfully and tumbled in the air as Damian traced a circle with one long nail.
“Stop it!” Nikki shrieked, but Damian only smirked at her. Mia rose up and turned to him.
“Drop them, now,” Mia ordered quietly. Damian lifted one sculpted eyebrow at her, then oddly enough conceded to her demand. All five figures instantly dropped like stones back onto the ground, crunching heavily. As they lay moaning on the floor, Damian lifted himself up sinuously from the throne and moved towards her. Mia stood her ground as the creature reached her, holding her chin up as he circled her, one long sharp fingernail trailing over her shoulder. He chuckled low in his throat and his countenance shifted and changed. His shoulders broadened and he seemed to grow taller, his muscled frame towering over hers. His flesh darkened to a more natural color but his eyes remained a deep glittery black, and he licked his tongue across teeth too numerous and too sharp.
“Someone’s getting demanding,” Damian murmured, pausing behind her and brushing his lips up the side of her neck. “It’s too bad you don’t have the strength to back it up.”
“You have no idea how much strength I have,” Mia said coolly. Behind her Nikki had shifted forward, her eyes gauging the distance between herself and Damian. Then Nikki leaned down and picked up a sharp shard of broken crystal. With a cry she threw herself at Damian’s back. He turned irritably and flicked his fingers again, this time sending Nikki flying back. She hit the ground heavily with a cry, sliding several feet to finally end stretched out on her side.
“Nikki!” Rowen cried, shoving to his feet, but her eyes met his and she almost imperceptibly shook her head. She scooted over to the right, grunting in very real pain as she did. Rowen’s eyes flickered over her and then widened in understanding. Rowen jumped forward and moved his heavily armored body in between Nikki and where Damian stood with Mia, blocking her from their view. Then he swayed, still weak from blood loss. Rowen reached for an arrow and drew, aiming down the shaft at Damian, but didn’t loosen. Damian was right in front of Mia, and if he moved at all the arrow would slam into Mia’s unprotected body. Rowen didn’t know what to think about Mia right now, but that was to be figured out later. Right now he had people to protect.
“Get away from her!” Rowen roared. Damian however ignored Rowen completely, his focus still on the red head in front of him. The other Ronins had found their feet and were circling out, surrounding the pair. Damian closed his eyes for just a moment, and the room became several degrees warmer. Then without warning that invisible energy slammed into them, throwing them all back. Ryo and Rowen were knocked together, and fell in one tangled heap.
“I was almost impressed, lover,” Damian murmured into Mia’s hair. “I knew you were up to something, and I even knew about the seal, but I never expected you to sacrifice the little blind one. Most humans aren’t that heartless. But you…you are different.” He snapped his teeth by her ear and she flinched, but only slightly. At this point Rowen and Ryo had managed to untangle and were finding their feet, bending torn and bruised muscles gingerly.
“You always were overly sure of yourself,” Mia replied, a biting tone in her voice. “And too easily amused. Distraction was always your weakness, Damian.”
“You mean how my other sweeting is desperately trying to find the other seal when she thinks all my attention is on you? Do you really find me so shallow?” The comment made Rowen’s blood run cold and he cried out, jumping towards Nikki. Ryo had done the same thing, and both men managed to get in front of her just as Damian turned around and lifted both hands, creating a ball of bright red liquid in front of him. Damian hefted the ball once, like a ball player, then with a grin hurled it at them. Both Ryo and Rowen threw up protect barriers of light around themselves and Nikki but the fiery red liquid rolled down the barriers, dripping like melted candy, until it completely covered them. Then like a strong acid, it began to bubble and pop, burning away at the barriers. Cye jumped forward and held his yari out. Energy filled him, and he could hear the pounding of the waves in his ears, could feel the power of the ocean not too far from where they stood, could isolate every single patch of condensation that built up on the stone walls, and knew every droplet of sweat that clung to his comrades’ faces. The energy reached a peak, and just as he raised his yari, Cye knew without a doubt that Nikki was terrified and trying desperately to find their salvation in the hole the energy barriers provided.
“Super Wave Smasher!” Cye cried, aiming the attack at the red liquid burning inexorably towards his friends. Water slammed out of his weapon and into the red acid. It hissed and screamed, writhing and bubbling like a living thing, and heavy black smoke rose into the air.
“Don’t breathe it! It’s an acid cloud!” Sage yelled, his face guard coming down. Kento and Cye followed suit, with Cye never lessening his attack. The smoke continued to rise, growing blacker as more red liquid reacted with the water. Finally the red liquid turned a dull orange color and gave one last bubble, before slowly sliding away from the significantly weakened barriers. Ryo and Rowen were both breathing heavily and Rowen looked a bit wild-eyed when they dropped the barriers.
“Shit!” Rowen breathed. Ryo had raised his head and met eyes with Mia for one long moment. Something unspoken passed between them. Ryo looked down, taking a deep breath, then he leaned towards Rowen and braced his bad arm against Rowen’s armored shoulder. Ryo rested his hand gently on his arm, let out a long soft sigh, then wrenched his arm back into its socket. He gasped put on pain and staggered, tears coming to his eyes from the shock of it, but Rowen caught him and steadied him. When Ryo looked back up, his eyes had narrowed with that familiar look, and the specks of color in his blue eyes had started to spin as his armor’s power built up in him. He drew both of his swords, gingerly with his injured arm, and held them up in front of him, his face drawn in cold determination.
“Enough of this!” Ryo snarled and jumped up into the air, spinning his swords above his head.
“No, Ryo!” Cye cried, “Mia’s in the way!” But Wildfire seemed to ignore him, focusing intently on the creature before him. Damian turned to meet him with a grin of pleasure on his face as he braced himself.
“Ryo, NO!” Sage roared as both he and Kento leapt towards Mia and Damian. But they were too far away. Damian raised his hands and another ball of energy appeared, this one of such blackness that it matched his glittering eyes.
“Flare up NOW!!!”
Wildfire and blackness rushed to meet, crashing together, intertwining and tearing at each other. They twisted, spinning around and around until the black finally overcame the wildfire, and dark energy slammed forwards into Ryo. It tore into his armor, throwing him backwards, all the way across the room to slam into the wall. His body made a thick imprint into the stone, and Ryo’s eyes rolled up into his head as he slid heavily to the floor.
“Ryo!” Rowen gasped, moving to help him. The force of the blast had hit at both Sage and Kento, throwing them to the sides, and Cye had gone down on one knee protectively. Damian started to laugh, giggling as he looked at the battered and exhausted warriors. Then he looked at Nikki, his eyes gleaming in amusement. Damian raised his hand once more, but hesitated when instead of fear he saw triumph in her eyes. Nikki sat up, pulling her hand from the hole, and lifting something up to show him. It was her middle finger. Damian snarled and jerked towards Mia. By the time he had spun around a small flat midnight blue disk had been pressed against his abdomen. In Mia’s other hand she held the broken off spearhead Kento had been carrying. This time she was the one who grinned.
“This is for Cassie, you son of a bitch.” Mia drove the spearhead right through the center of the disk. The look of rage on Damian’s face was terrible, but almost as terrible was the grim determination on Mia’s.
“This is for my friends,” Mia snarled, shoving the spearhead in deeper. Her face leaned in towards Damian’s and her lips curled back. She shoved the spear in one last time all the way to its end, twisting it viciously as she did. “And that’s for me. One of these things might not hold you, but two sure as hell will. I’m finishing what Kayura started.”
Damian roared in fury and he tried to throw himself back, but once more found himself paralyzed. This time instead of white light it was dark blue, like the night sky, but it enveloped them the same way, gathering and twirling around them. Unlike Cassie, Mia never even tried to jerk her hand away, only held onto the disk and the spear, pressing them into the creature in front of her. There was an empty look in her eyes, devoid of anything but sheer determination to kill the thing before her. She seemed to not even realize it when the first cut appeared on her cheek.
“That’s what it means!” Rowen gasped, just as Nikki went flying past him, throwing herself on Mia. Her hands grasped Mia’s and she pulled at her with all her strength.
“Nikki, don’t!” Mia snapped. “Get back!” She tried to shoulder Nikki off but couldn’t move that far. The light had picked up speed and another cut appeared on her other cheek.
“Mia, please, don’t do this!” Nikki cried, desperately pulling at her.
“It’s too late, Nik,” Mia said between gritted teeth. Another slash appeared, this time on her forehead. “Get back!”
But Nikki had never been good at following orders. She continued to try to free Mia. The light expanded to envelope her as well, and Nikki gasped as the first cut appeared on her arm, causing blood to well up. It was like being sliced with a razorblade. You didn’t feel it until it had already finished cutting through your skin. Another one immediately joined it and Nikki whimpered. She clutched at Mia’s wrists, blood running down her arm to mix with that from slices on Mia’s hands. Then blue-armored arms wrapped around Nikki’s waist and someone was trying to pull her away from Mia and Damian.
“Rowen, get back! Get back, damn it!” Nikki cried, but Rowen only gritted his teeth and tried to pull her even harder. Nikki cried out as metal crushed into her ribs, and Rowen loosen his grip. A snarl tore from Damian’s throat, and he threw his head back, but there was nothing he could do to free himself.
“Rowen, go!” Mia managed through lips that were bloody and almost immobile. “You do this and we lose everything we fought for!”
“What the hell are we fighting for if we lose both of you as well?” Rowen growled. “I’m not going anywhere.” Rowen did something very dangerous then. Realizing that he couldn’t pull Nikki or Mia away without hurting either one of them, he released his armor. Clad only in his street clothes and still pale and weak from blood loss, Rowen wrapped an arm around both Mia and Nikki’s waists, braced his feet and pulled with all his strength. It wasn’t enough and as the light expanded once more to take Rowen in as well, slices started to appear in his flesh.
Cuts crisscrossed Mia’s face, and blood was soaking her clothing. She couldn’t move but there was a spark of fear in her eyes, and of desperation when another pair of bare arms wrapped around her and a blonde head bent down close to hers.
“Hold on Mia,” Sage whispered, hands closing over hers. “We’re here. You’re not going through this alone.” The first cut appeared on his skin and a single tear managed to squeeze from her eyelids, now held frozen in place. Sage tried to focus healing into the bloody girl next to him, but something interrupted him. The light that swirled around them was pulling at him.
“Rowen, what the hell is this stuff?” Sage gritted, and Rowen shook his head, his own arms now bloody as he held onto the girls.
“I don’t know, but it’s…pulling at me. It’s taking my strength away. I can barely move!” Rowen replied painfully. Then Kento and Cye were there, extra arms going for Mia and Nikki, bodies straining to free them as the image of Cassie being torn to pieces stood out in their minds. Both Mia and Nikki had become bloody messes, and Rowen was almost as bad. But he held on. They all held on.
“Is this Damian?” Kento shouted over the roar of the ever increasing wind. “Is he doing this?”
“No! I think it’s the seal itself!” Cye yelled back. “Nikki said that it takes energy to move between one realm and the next. If that’s true then the seal needs energy to send him back! It’s taking energy from Mia to do it!”
“It’s taking energy from us all!” Sage said, wincing as another slice crossed his face.
“Then pray we have enough it doesn’t kill us,” Ryo suddenly said, his black hair falling messily in his face as he pressed his own hands directly against the seal. His voice was full of grim determination as he looked at his comrades. “Cause if one of us goes, we all go. I’m not losing another person I love to get rid of this piece of shit.”
At the touch of his hands, the seal surged, almost jumping, and the spinning light reached a fever pitch. Slice after slice the light cut into them, pulling at them, taking from them. It hurt. Worse than anything they had ever experienced. It was like being caught in a paper shredder with no way out. Finally, just when they thought they couldn’t handle any more, when their skin had pulled so tight it seemed it had to rip right off, when they had almost given up the last bit of hope that they would survive, another roar sounded in their ears. Where he had been all this time they didn’t know, and what he had been through they didn’t know either, for no Ronin was able to see the wounds all over White Blaze’s body. All they heard was the roar, then they saw a blur of white as the powerful feline body sprang over them. White Blaze snarled one last time before his great jaws closed viciously over Damian’s throat. The creature’s eyes snapped open wider and his mouth sagged in frozen shock. The smell of sulfur burned their lungs, and heat blistered their skin painfully. Then the light folded, pulling in the creature that had twice terrorized them, and with him went White Blaze, his jaws deadlocked on Damian’s throat.
“NO BLAZE!” Ryo managed to scream but it was too late. The light folded tighter, sucking Damian and White Blaze in until nothing was left. They were gone. The light stopped spinning and Mia’s head snapped backwards, her face covered with blood. Her body seemed to sigh, as if in great relief. The light expanded and contracted around them, once, twice, three times, then shattered like broken glass. The force of it threw them all back, and for the final time the five Ronins hit the ground heavily, this time without the benefit of their armors. The walls of the room shook, and the entire building seemed to lurch and sway as the shockwave rippled out and into the destroyed city. The ground was beginning to vibrate beneath them as the Ronins attempted to regain their senses. Ryo pushed himself up off of his stomach, his arms sticky and burning from his multitudes of wounds.
Blood was everywhere. Once more it covered the floor and the walls, and there were bits of torn clothing that lay soaking on the crimson stained ground. Ryo looked at the spot that they had been thrown from, and saw only Nikki’s dark haired form lying limply on her side. With a cry Ryo jumped to his feet, casting around desperately, terrified the worst had happened. In the spot where Mia had been there was nothing.
“Oh no…” Ryo whispered in horror. That’s when he heard Cye’s voice behind him, thick with fear.
“No, Mia! Don’t you do this!” Cye cried. Ryo spun around and saw Cye behind him, bent over a slim figure before him. Cye was in bad shape, but Ryo almost didn’t recognize Mia, she was so cut up. Her eyes were closed. She also wasn’t breathing.
“Don’t you dare, Mia!” Cye yelled, leaning over and opening her lips, placing his mouth over hers and breathing deeply into her mouth. He breathed in again then placed his ear against her chest. “Sage, help me, I’m losing her!”
The blonde man struggled to Cye’s side and pressed his fingers against Mia’s throat. Then he tipped her head back and repeated Cye’s actions, covering her mouth was his and forcing air into her lungs.
“Heal her, Sage!” Kento urged but Sage shook his head angrily.
“Sage can’t make her heart start beating or get her to breathe again, Kento,” Cye said in a sick tone, sitting back on his heels and wiping blood out of his eyes. “Not like that. She needs to be breathing for him to be able to help her.”
“Don’t you leave us, baby,” Sage growled, pressing down against her chest rhythmically. “I haven’t got a chance to yell at you yet.” Ryo stood by helplessly, not able to do anything. Across from him Kento did the same, his torn face bleak as he watched the scene in front of him. Rowen had managed to crawl to Nikki’s side and had pulled her into his arms. She was in bad shape, but not as bad as Mia. Nikki was sliced up and was bleeding too much, but she was breathing steadily. She passed in and out of consciousness as Rowen tore off his shirt and pressed it against the worst of her cuts. He seemed oblivious to his own wounds, even the hunk taken out of his neck. Instead he held her tightly and pressed his face into the curve of her neck, whispering quietly.
“Damn it, Mia!” Sage yelled, pushing down on her chest more forcefully and returning to breathe for her. He had fallen back on his heels and Cye had moved to take his place when Mia suddenly coughed, blood coming out of her mouth. Cye turned her over, holding her as she coughed a distressing amount of blood onto the floor. Kento couldn’t stand it anymore and had fallen to his knees next to her, pulling her hair to the side.
“Sage, she’s dying. She’s breathing now, so heal her damn it!” Sage looked at Hardrock unhappily.
“Her lungs are full of blood, Kento. I can try, but she might still choke to death even if the rest of her body is healed.”
“Please, Sage,” Kento whispered as Mia coughed up even more blood.
“Lay her down on her side, and try to keep her face turned down. Then step back,” Sage ordered. “And no one touch her,” he added. Kento and Cye eased her down, and the ground gave a lurch. There was a crash, sounding like stones falling down. Kento looked around worriedly.
“This place is tearing itself apart,” he said. “We have to get out of here soon.”
Rowen had picked Nikki up and had carried her over to stand behind the others. He said nothing, watching the scene in front of him. Rowen knew Sage was exhausted, past exhausted. He didn’t know if Sage was capable of something like this. Rowen worried that he would try too hard, would throw too much of himself into trying to heal her, and in the end would end up as bad as Mia. But Rowen also knew Sage, knew the look on his face, and knew instinctively that in Sage’s mind too many people had died already. No matter what Mia had or hadn’t done, Sage would die trying to save her. That’s what made him Sage. Halo leaned forward, a green light surrounding both him and Mia. Rowen held his breath. It was weird watching Sage heal someone without his armor on, but Rowen knew Sage’s power came from within, and that he was just as powerful without Halo as he was with it. That fact gave him some hope as he watched silently.
The green glow brightened as Sage threw more of himself into healing Mia. Her face and arm wounds closed and knitted in front of their eyes, but they knew that wasn’t enough. She had been torn inside as well. They couldn’t tell if he was helping her any, and finally Sage swayed. The green light flickered and died out as Sage’s eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out. Ryo managed to catch him before he hit the ground, and Cye lifted Mia up, turning her back over. He waited, then squeezed her ribs. He squeezed again. Finally on the third squeeze she coughed heavily, blood once more pouring out of her mouth. Mia coughed and hacked, alternately spitting up and throwing up blood until finally nothing more came from her lungs and stomach. Then she collapsed into Cye, crying weakly.
“I think she’s out of the danger zone, but is Sage okay?” Cye asked worriedly. Ryo nodded.
“He’s just exhausted,” Ryo reassured Torrent. “He put everything he had into healing her. It was too much for him, but his heart is still beating strong.” Another earthquake went shook the ground beneath them. “We have to get out of here, guys,” he added. Ryo looked around at his comrades. They were in bad shape, torn and bleeding and battered. But they were still here and able to walk, and that meant they had a chance of getting out of here.
There was a crash, and one of the walls groaned, buckling in. Stone tumbled down, throwing dust up into the air.
“We don’t even know where we are!” Rowen yelled above the noise. “We go back through this place, it’s liable to come crashing down on top of us! We need a better option!”
“Everybody get to the middle of the room!” Kento suddenly shouted. “And once you’re there, don’t move!”
“What’s your plan, Kento?” Cye asked, ducking his head away from a tumbling stone. Kento grimaced.
“Just get in the middle and hold on.”
They did as he said, with Cye carrying Mia and Rowen still holding Nikki. Ryo hefted Sage over his good shoulder but hesitated, his eyes lingering on the place where White Blaze had disappeared.
“Ryo…we have to go,” Rowen said gently. Ryo remained staring at the spot then shook himself, forcing his eyes away. He moved to join the others where they were waiting. Nikki had regained consciousness and had wrapped one bloody arm around Rowen’s neck. He didn’t seem to mind. The ground rocked and tilted again, causing them to stagger to retain their balance. Kento moved to stand in front of them and he closed his eyes. As it had before, pressure seemed to build in the room.
“Hold on,” Rowen muttered to the others. “He’s not too good at this stuff.” Cye rolled his eyes at Rowen and Ryo let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He raised his eyebrow at Rowen. Strata had the decency to flush, but shook his head.
“What? He’s not.”
“I heard that, Rowen,” Kento grunted. Beads of sweat lined his forehead, but he opened his eyes to give Rowen a dirty look. Rowen just shrugged and grinned at his friend. Hardrock continued to focus, the room becoming increasingly uncomfortable, then Kento raised his arms sharply. The pressure that had built up in the room seemed to explode outwards. They hadn’t known exactly what to expect. Having the entire roof ripped off the building by flying boulders wouldn’t have been too hard to imagine, Kento was the warrior of Hardrock after all. But no one saw it coming when the walls around them burst out as well, slamming into the next set of walls, and then the next , and then the next, all the way to the edges of the building. The edges of the building burst out too, until there was nothing left of the building but a huge pile of rabble and a ton of dust.
“Shit, Kento!” Rowen yelped from where he knelt protectively over Nikki. “Warn us, okay? Just once, warn us!”
“I’m ready to be out of here,” Kento said calmly, shrugging his broad shoulders. They looked around at the huge cave, then were thrown to the ground as an even larger earthquake rumbled. A crack appeared on one end of the cave and split the ground, racing its way across the cave floor. Huge stones were falling from the ceiling, shattering into car sized boulders when they hit.
“That was our way out,” Ryo shouted, pointing at the widening crack that had effectively cut them off. “Where do we go now?”
“Up.”
Rowen stared at Kento in disbelief.
“What the hell did you just say?” Rowen demanded. “Up?!”
“Consider this your warning, Rowen,” Kento said with a perfectly flat face. His eyes moved over his companions, have torn and bleeding, the others even worse. “We have to get out of here, and up’s the only good option.”
Kento closed his eyes once more, his jaw set in determination. Pressure began to build and Rowen shuddered.
“We couldn’t have a nice sane Hardrock, could we? No, we had to have him.”
“He’s saving our ass,” Ryo reminded him.
“Or else we’re all going to get the biggest headache of our lives when he smashes us into that thing.” Rowen pointed upwards, but they ignored him. Ryo’s eyes still drifted to the spot that White Blaze had disappeared, and his heart twisted painfully in his chest. Get them out of here, he told himself. Then he’d grieve for the loss of his best friend. But get them out first.
Kento took a step closer to them, and the ground beneath their feet cracked and split into a large circle. The circle rose into the air, spinning slowly as large rocks rose with it. They built up momentum as they rose, until they raced upwards towards the ceiling of the cave. Instinctively they threw themselves down as the sheet of rock came hurtling at them.
“Oh SHIT Kento!” Rowen yelled just before they hit with a stupendous force. But instead of slamming into sheetrock, they kept on going upwards, the earth tearing itself apart before their passage. The circle of rock shook and cracked beneath them, and seemed like it was going to shatter any second. Then the ground above them burst out into bright daylight, and they were sailing through the sky. Without the stone circle beneath them. Flying through the air and heading for the grassy slope beneath them, nothing to cushion their fall. Rowen decided to take matters in his own hands.
Rowen didn’t know how he did it, he certainly never had tried before, but something inside of him surged and the air around him became heavier. They slowed their descent, until they landed with a soft bounce on the grass. At which point Rowen turned and gave Kento a dirty look.