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"What?!?!" Rowan,
Ryo, Kento and Sage gasped. "He's back…"
"Look at his armor." Cye's voice was barely a whisper.
"Kayura…"
"It's the nether demons… he doesn't need your armor
now, he has made a new one."
"Not exactly…" Talpa's voice boomed around them,
the power of his awesome presence radiating around them. "I
am lacking one thing, but soon I will have it. The ancient was
to stupid to hide it from me what is mine, so until then Ronins
prepare yourselves for death.
"Mia!" Yuli sprinted
through the house at the sound of the door to Mia's room closing.
Without pausing he flung open the door an skidded to a halt inside
her room to see Mia, unconscious on the be, a staff on either
side of her, glowing with a pale light that bathed the entire
room with its radiance.
Yuli gasped, worried, than started forward. "Mia!"
As quick as lightning White Blaze leapt in front of Yuli and pulled
him from the room.
"But Mia…"
White Blaze growled and continue pulling the boy from the room.,
the door closing behind them.
Having cleared the room, White Blaze curled up in front of the
door, but he wouldn't let Yuli back into the room.
"You have to let me in there, she's been hurt!"
White Blaze shook his head.
"She'll be alright?"
The tiger cocked his head to one side. Yuli sighed an lay down
next to the tiger, using him as a pillow.
"If you say so…"
Thank you my friend…she will be safe, I shall watch over her…she cannot go unprotected… Mia's savior sat in a tree outside her window, watching, an waiting.
"MIA!" Ryo shouted
as he burst into the house, but frowned upon hearing no answer
to his shout. "Split up an find her."
"I'll take upstairs." Cye dashed off towards the stairs
an then down towards the computer rooms and the study.
"I'll take the other side." Sage, neglecting the stairs,
leapt up onto the second floor ad dashed down the hall towards
the bedrooms.
"Kento and I will take downstairs." Rowan grinned an
for once Kento dint complain about being hungry.
Calmly Kayura stepped into the house. "She is in her room,
cant you feel the magic?"
"Mia…" Ryo gasped and ran after Sage, shouting
for the others to follow.
"Kayura motioned for the warlords to stay. "They will
be back, for an explanation…"
Sage frowned as White Blaze
refused to let him into the room. "Ryo, he wont let us enter…"
"She's been hurt, and the room, is glowing." Yuli once
again told the Ronins the state of the room.
"C'mon boy let us by."
The tiger just looked at his master, unblinking. Then after a
moment the door swung open, revealing the same scene Yuli had
discovered earlier.
Ryo moved to enter the room but couldn't, some force barring the
way. "I know that is the ancient's staff, but who's is the
other, and will it harm Mia?"
"It shouldn't." Cye's voice was low as he looked for
the owner of the staff, wondering where he had disappeared to.
"You know something Cye, what is it?" Rowan peered at
his friend and fellow Ronin, but received no answer.
"Tell us." Sage's voice now contained not worry, but
a threatening note. "Cye…" Sage growled upon receiving
no answer an pushed his friend into the wall, pinning him there.
"Tell us!!"
"I gave my word Sage, Mia will be fine she is safe now…
no harm shall come to her."
Disgusted Sage stormed own the hallway.
"Where us Kayura?" Ryo's voice was low as he spoke a
he never once looked towards his friend.
"Downstairs I think." Kento spoke with a clipped voice
and only Rowan seemed amiable towards Cye. When the other had
gone it was he who remained.
"I understand Cye…you gave your word, but it wont get
her hurt will it?"
"No Rowan, I would die before any harm befell Mia…"
It was not Cye who spoke, but Mia's savior.
With wide eyes Rowan peered into he room, and standing at the
window's edge, at Mia's side was a figure, with the symbol of
loyalty shining brightly upon his forehead.
"Anubis…"
The warlord smiled and motioned for the pair to enter the room,
the door swinging shut behind them.
"Your alive…how?"
Rowan's voice was disbelieving as he stared at the figure standing
before him.
Anubis didn't answer for a moment as he checked Mia's pulse. "It's
almost back to normal." Anubis turned towards Rowan. "If
I tell you what has transpire, you shall be under the same vow
and Cye, because I do not know what the Ancient bid Kayura to
tell the others…"
Kayura was sitting indian-style
on the floor when the three Ronins entered the sitting room.
"What haven't you told us Kayura?" Ryo demanded an explanation.
"Have a seat, Wildfire, this could take a while." Kayura
took a deep breath an began her explanation.
"Before we came back here for a visit, the Ancient conversed
with me, as he had done many times before. He told me, that there
was to be an eclipse ad that Tulpa would once again be brought
forth into this realm, innumerable nether spirits coming with
him. He also told me…
"That I would be sent forth as his emissary." Anubis pause. "It seems that Mia possesses the one thing which Tulpa needs to complete his armor, and even I do not know what that one thing is. All I know is that it allows Mia to wield his staff as though the Ancient himself still wields it. That is why I have this silver staff, my own staff."
Kayura took a deep breath. "this
emissary is to protect Mia, with his life if necessary. Tulpa
will do everything in his power to claim his revenge upon you.
He will also use this opportunity to extract that which he needs
from Mia, but this extraction will kill her, so it is to be prevented
at all costs."
"Your telling me, that this unknown emissary is suppose to
protect Mia, what about us why weren't we told?" Sage was
taking all his worry out an Kayura, and in the process yelling
at her.
It took every ounce of self control Cale possessed not to throttle
Sage.
"This emissary would die before he let Ma be captured, and
she is not defenseless. The Ancient guides both of them."
"That's a big comfort." Kento snorted.
"She wields the staff far better that I ever could. It is
as though it were made for her…"
"You gave your word Rowan,
I trust you shall keep it."
He nodded. "I will, but when the guys find out they will
be furious."
Cye nodded. "You should go own and discover what Kayura has
told them."
Rowan nodded. "I'm not happy about this, an I feel bad about
deceiving the guys, but if when this is over, Mia is happy again,
you shall forever have my gratitude."
"She's been unhappy?" Anubis' brow furrowed with worry.
"I'll come by later to check on her, will you be here?"
Anubis locked gazes with Cye. "Always."
"I'll explain then."
"What if she doesn't want you here?" Rowans voice held
a bitter note to it as he still didn't quite trust the former
warlord.
"Then, when her life is no longer in danger, I shall leave."
Rowan nodded satisfied, and Cye glanced to Mia once again. "She…will
be alright?"
"She will be fine…she just needs rest. The gateway she
created took a lot out of her.
When Cye and Rowan appeared
downstairs Kayura and the Warlords were gone. Sage and Ryo were
livid. Yuli, who ha been outside with Whit Blaze during all of
the 'fighting' had gone upstairs to bed.
"So where were you Rowan you missed all the fun."
Kento received a glare from both enraged Ronins.
"I was trying to talk some sense into Cye, but he refuses
to give an inch. What did Kayura tell you?"
"Tell us nothing. She revealed to us the deceptive plot she
ensnared us with. She knew of Tulpa's return!" Ryo slammed
a fist onto the coffee table, snapping it neatly in half.
So did Cye…
"Supposedly, since Tulpa was revived he is going to come
after us and Mia, so she needs a guardian. Apparently, we are
insufficient protectors." Sage stood, and began to rapidly
pace the room. "She refuses to even tell us who it is, she
says she doesn't know."
"She said that?" Rowan was startle. I didn't think she
was the sort of person to lie outright like that…
"No, she only referred to this protector as the emissary.
But we do know it is male." Kento scratched his head. "But
why wouldn't she tell us?"
"You say she knew of Tulpa's return." There was a long
silence after Cye's inquiry, the a reluctant nod. "What is
Tulpa doesn't know who the emissary is. If Tulpa is truly after
Mia, the house will be watched."
"And," Rowan took up where his friend left off. "
The less that is said about a secret the better."
"Goodnight…I'm going to go check on Mia." Cye expected
an answer from no one but Rowan, who seemed to understand his
plight, especially since he was now part of it but he also received
and answer from Kento as well.
"Goodnight Cye."
"Night." Ryo also answered, but not in his usual friendly
tone.
With a sight, Cye trudged up the stairs. I hope they forgive me,
and Rowan, when they discover the truth…
"How could he do this to
us?" As soon as Cye left the room Sage exploded.
"Do what? Refuse to tell us what he knew?" Rowan stood
up for Cye as he locked gazes with Sage. "I know your care
about Mia, and that you worried for her safety, but do you seriously
think that Cye would be part of anything that endangered Mia's
life?"
"But he betrayed us!!"
"It is a mater of honor Sage…he gave his word that he
would not tell, and we would be failing as his friends if we forced
him to reveal what he knows." Ryo sighed. "We will just
have to trust him"
"But…"
"Sage, if it were you, if you had swore never to reveal something,
would you tell us when we demanded to know?"
Sage had no answer for Kento's query. He only stood up and walked
from the room.
"He will be mad in the morning." Kento sighed, his voice
grim.
"But we have no right to hold our worry for Mia against Cye."
Ryo stood. "It's been a long day, we should all get some
rest."
Sage pushed open the door to
Mia's room and entered, satisfied that he encountered no resistance.
The room was devoid all life, save Mia's an his own. The staffs
still remained but the glow had dimmed considerably. Sage brushed
Mia's bangs from her eyes, the looked around the room
"I don't know who you are, or why you are supposedly a better
guardian than us, but if she is hurt, I will hold you personally
responsible, and I will collect upon that debt.
Sage exited the room an Anubis smiled from his perch in the tree.
"Foolish boy, does he really that that would allow any harm
to befall Mia?" Anubis shook his head then sighed resting
his chin on a hand. "But Cye never told me of this…does
Mia like Sage?"
You do what your master asks of you without question, but you
have the right to choose your own master.
The Ancient was right, but he forgot one thing…when I freely
give my loyalty, I am not that easy to be rid of. I shall fight
for what I choose to, for that thing which my loyalty has been
given…
"I shall not loose this fight, Sage of the Halo…"