Not Even Goodbye
by Tiffany

Part II

 

Without Mia to guide it the gathering downstairs was chaotic. No one seemed to be civil. The mention of Anubis had upset the Ronins more than they care to admit, and the former warlords didn't take kindly to the hostile air the Ronins projected. Only Cale, Kayura, and Cye seemed unaffected by the hostility in the room.

Later that night…

Ryo sighed as he looked out over the night sky. Things weren't fitting into place at all. Mia…the warlords…Kayura…and especially the remnants of the dynasty.
Why pick tomorrow? Ryo closed his eyes in silent meditation, running the possibilities over in his mind. Suddenly his eyes shot open the answer a beacon in his mind. Tomorrow is the eclipse…during the middle of the day the sun will be completely covered by the moon, it will be black… and that is when the dynasty will strike. But what is so special about an eclipse? Mia would know, but I wont ask her tonight, she needs her rest, after all she has been through. I will just have to ask her in the morning.
Ryo closed the window to his room and missed the armored figure, a fellow Ronin slipping by.

"Kayura, why am I here?" Cye's voice was low as he and the lay Kayura met beneath the willow tree, the same one he had found Mia under months earlier.
"I know why the dynasty is attacking tomorrow…but of I explain it to you, and what we and they are planning you must swear never to tell. You must never reveal what you know."
After a moment of silence Cye nodded.
"Tomorrow there shall be an eclipse…this eclipse shall cause a disturbance in the astral plane, allowing Tulpa and innumerable nether spirits to be pulled back into the land of the living."
Cye's eyes widened. "Is there any way we can stop it? Prevent it from happening?"
"No, but we can use it t our advantage…But I am afraid what it will do to Mia, if she fins out that he is back, alive…and what the other Ronins will do. You saw what they did tonight, the way the reacted but Anubis is by far the strongest of us, even without his armor, the staff is really his you know, I only keep it for him."
"If they bring him back, will he be stronger?"
"Tulpa will undoubtedly be stronger, with unlimited nether spirits at his disposal he shall be nearly undefeatable. I know not how to wield this staff correctly, and the strategy you use to defeat Tulpa last time will not work again."
"The staff, it works for Mia…she saved us with it once, when Dais was about to kill us."
Kayura's face softened, "They really have changed, Anubis especially."
Cye's eyes bore into hers, "Does he know about this? About Mia?"
"No, but I don't think he will object, I have notice in him what I noticed in Sage, but unlike Sage, Anubis has no idea of his feelings for Mia."
"He and Ryo will take this the worst they will all think that the presence of Anubis will hurt Mia, add to her unhappiness. I don't know if they will trust him."
"But you trusted him once before with Mia, why would now be any different?"
"He was our enemy… and they worry about Mia, too much I think."
"So having her spend time with hi before, entrusting her to his care then was alright, but they would have problems with it now? You don't think it was hard for her before?"
"We had no choice, but they didn't like it, not one bit. I wasn't to fond of the idea either but I had no real objections."
"Do you now?"
"None whatsoever. I just hope this doesn't make things any worse for Mia. Any Kayura…I swear never to mention this to a single person., they will never know."
"Thank you Cye of the Torrent."
"Your welcome, Lady Kayura."

Mai awoke the next morning with a feeling of anxiety, but she couldn't name the source. She did however take extra time in making sure her appearance was perfect. She curled her hair a little , making it full, and tying it back with a pale blue ribbon, which matched the shirt she wore. She even put on a dab of perfume, not that any of the boys would notice.

"Cye there is something that Kayura didn't tell you last night." Cale's voice was low as he stood next to the Ronin.
"Tell me what do you mean?"
"Cye. She told me everything, the eclipse. Our dearly departed soon to be resurrected friend…"
Cye turned slightly towards the warlord as he sipped his orange juice.
"We need her as a catalyst."
Cye, shocked at Cale's words, spit his orange juice out and succeeded is soaking Rowan.
"Thanks a lot…" Rowan, who had just finished taking his shower frowned. "Well, I will be back down in a bit."
"Sorry." Cye murmured to Rowans retreating figure. And then he and Cale were alone in the kitchen. "Your going to do WHAT?!?!?!"
"It wont hurt her. Kayura is going to give her the ancients staff. .It will serve as the catalyst to bring him back, but it needs her strength and positive feelings."
"Why Mia, why not Kayura?"
"Kayura would be to suspicious, and Mia has positive feelings for him, Kayura's are closer to indifference. If anyone with negative feelings tried this, he would come back evil, and that is the last thing we need."
"When was Kayura planning on telling me this?"
"Last night but she really needed to talk to him an the ancient, there was a very limited window to…"
"Morning Mia." Cye interrupted Cale.
"Morning Cye, Cale." Mia smiled warmly at the pair, all her former melancholy gone. "What do you guys want for breakfast, there isn't much in the house, but I can try." She smiled apologetically.
"It's alright, I'm just fine with my juice." Cye smiled weakly.
"I'll be just fine with my toast." Cale smiled as the toaster popped up and he grabbed the toast before Mia could take it and fix it for him.
She sighed. " I guess I'll just fix breakfast for Yuli and Kento." Mai hummed to herself as she mixed the batter for french toast, adding a pinch of cinnamon into the batter. "Kento should be down as soon as he smells the food cooking." Mia stopped her humming long enough to comment on how Cye was in her was an gently push him out of it.
"Guy's I'd sit down if I were you, you know how she gets when she cook." Ryo leaned against the far wall of the kitchen.
Cye nodded and jumped out of the way as Mia walked to the table with the hot pan, and placed two pieces of french toast onto a plate in the center of the table. Yuli an Kento, having both come downstairs, scrambled foe a piece, fighting over it, and Sage, ever the opportunist grabbed the remaining piece.
Mai laughed at the scene and quickly returned to the stove.

Later that day…

The guys and the warlords had gone to subdue the uprising an Kayura was to join the momentarily. Ryo had asked Mia about the eclipse but she knew nothing, and Cye related none of the knowledge he held.
"Mia…"
"Hmm?" Mia looked up from the computer to see Kayura, in full armor, holding the ancients staff.
"If this uprising is as big as I think it will be, you and Yuli may be in great anger…take this please."
"But…"
Kayura held out the staff and it seemed to jump into the hands Mia reluctantly proffered.
"I've never seen it do that…" Kayura's voice was low. "Mia, keep it, protect yourself, protect Yuli, protect your work…"
Mia nodded, 'It seems as though I don't have much of a choice."
"Thank you Mia, your doing the right thing." Kayura smiled and then turned. " I will see you after the battle.
Mia was the one to nod this time. "As I told the boys, good luck and be careful."
"The same goes for you. And Yuli, be sure to listen to Mia, now it is more important than ever."
"I know." Yuli smiled from his vantage point behind White Blaze, his perpetual, unflattering guardian.

Mai sighed and nervously looked out the window. Something didn't feel right, it was too quiet.
"Yuli…" Mia waited to continue until she had the boys attention. "I'm going to go make sure everything is alright outside. White Blaze, no matter what make sure that Yuli doesn't leave this house, understand?"
The tiger growled his ascent and for once Yuli didn't complain about being left behind.

Mia slowly walked through the woods surrounding her estate, the ancients staff clasped tightly in her hands. It was slowly growing darker as the eclipse approached, and the darker it became the more Mia felt drawn to the staff.
Subconsciously Mia followed were t led her, scanning the forest for signs of danger.
Mia hear the snapping of a twig behind her, and the slice of a blade through the air. Unthinking Mia swung the staff around and blocked the blow, shocking not only herself but the dynasty soldier.
Mia seized the opportunity to runaway toward the place which the staff drew her, knowing the dynasty solider still followed her, a silent stalker.

Kento grinned with obvious pleasure as he began his attack. "IRON ROCK CRUSHER." And blasted away and entire column of dynast soldiers.
"There are so many of them. They just keep coming."
Rowan nodded at Sage's observation.
"Its almost time…" Kayura's voice was a whisper as she fought and Cale nodded.
"I hope she'll be alright."
Good luck Mia, be safe… Cye glance worriedly towards the house during a lull in the battle.

Elsewhere…

Tulpa's troops chanted words, unintelligible, their faces turned towards the sky.

Mia's rapid flight slowed as she approached a set of stairs, framed by and archway. "This place seems familiar…" Mia murmured walking down the stairway, the staff gently pulling her along. "…what is so special about this place?" Mia again heard the snapping of twigs, but that was not what frightened her. She stumbled backwards in suprise as the staff flared blue, a whatever was following her hissed in pain.

At the bottom of the stairs was a clearing with a fountain in the middle. In the fountain was a statue of a man that looked suspiciously like the ancient.
Mia looked towards the sky and noted the eclipse was nearly complete only a sliver of sun remained visible in the sky. The creatures and soldiers which followed her sensed this as well, seizing the opportunity to attack.
Before she knew what had happened dynasty soldiers and nether spirits had surrounded her. Frightened Mia clutched the staff tighter, feeling it pull at her mind. What do you want me to do, ancient, guide me…
Focus your will into my staff, tell it what you want it to do… The voce which answered her was that of Anubis and the ancient, raspy and strong, but kind and wise.
Mia concentrated, wishing the demons and soldiers would disappear, and then as she had seen done many times placed the tip of the staff on the ground.
Ching, ching, ching….…Ching. ching. ching
For a moment nothing happened then the blue light exploded and the nether spirits let out such a high pitched scream that Mia fell to the ground, clutching her ears in pain.
Mia don't let your concentration break, it will be over in a minute… The ancients voce was soft in her ears as the soldiers armor clattered to the ground.
Only a moment longer…
Mia's eyes shot open, Anubis…
Don't let anything distract you, its almost over… The overtoned voice spoke again. The spirits aren't that easily vanquished.
Mia's head grew light, and the world began to spin, Mia fell foreword.
"Gomen…a…sai." Mia murmured and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a dynasty soldier running at her, its sword raised to kill, but she was too weak to do anything. Ancient, I failed you…
Mai closed her eyes as she slipped into unconsciousness and as the soldier rose his sword higher for the kill, a blinding white light erupted around Mia, and a monk, with copper hair, brandishing a silver staff, identical to the ancients, appeared and saved our young heroine.
Rest now Mia, all is safe… The ancients voice was soft in her mind, and was reinforced by the verbal words of her savior.
"Everything will be fine now Mia, just rest."

Kayura smiled ever so slightly at Cale and Cye. "It is one, all is well."
But what about Tulpa? Cye silently though as the now pitch black sky flared re, then the face of the warlords former master and the Ronin's arch nemesis appeared in the sky, followed by his full body adorned in a new armor.
Maniacal laughter filled the air.
"Now Ronins, traitorous minions, I SHALL HAVE MY REVENGE!!!!"