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Mia was exhausted. It had been
trying listening to Rowan, and tiresome arguing with him about
the fact that she was going with them when they attacked Talpa,
no matter what Ryo said, she WAS going to be there.
At her words Anubis had smile, as though he didn't believe her.
What exactly was he going to do about it?
"This is really not fair." Mia sighed as she washed
her face in preparation for bed. During her conversation with
Rowan and Anubis Mia had discovered that Anubis was ALWAYS with
her, he only slept when Mia was with the three warlords, Kayura,
the Ronins and White Blaze, but then he only slept minimally.
He is there when I sleep? Mia's face was crestfallen. "This
is really embarrassing."
Mia silently padded down the hallway in her slippers, and closed
the door to her room. At the sight if another person in the room
Mia shrieked.
"MIA!" Anubis called in suprise and leapt up, clamping
a hand over her mouth. "Your going to give me away."
Mia shook her head her initial fear gone, and Anubis held her
in place, and hand on her waist and over her mouth.
Heavy footsteps pounded down the hallway ,and Mia mashed the lock
on her door.
"Mia, what's wrong?" Mia heard all of her houseguests
at her door.
Mia pulled Anubis' hand away from her mouth, clutching at his
wrist convulsively. "N…Nothing, I only saw a …mouse.
It scared me, but it's gone now."
Mia saw the door handle rattled and saw her lock slip open again,
her door opening a crack.
Mia slammed against the door, pulling Anubis with her, having
at the opening of the door clutched his wrist even tighter. "Don't
come in!" Mia nearly screamed.
"Why not?"
"I'm…changing."
"oh…" Mia could hear the embarrassment in Sage's
voice and sighed with relief as footsteps grew softer everyone
leaving.
Mia noticed that Anubis was slightly pink, an that she clutched
his hand. Blushing a bit she release his wrist.
"Changing?" He arched an eyebrow.
"It's the only reason that I could think of the slam the
door in his face, although I don't think you should be in here
when I chance, so why don't you go talk to Cye or something?"
Mia looked to Anubis who immediately disappeared.
"You had better be gone." Mia called and changed into
her pajamas in the link of an eye, diving under the safe haven
of her covers, and forming a warm cocoon of covers for herself.
"Is it safe now?" A voice called out at her window,
and he received a yea.
"Don't you ever get tired of watching me?"
Anubis settled into his chair before answering. "No."
"But all I do is sleep."
"Ad drool."
"WHAT?!?!?!?" Mia shrieked and then turned bright re.
" I do not."
Anubis looked as though he were going to object, but then he nodded.
"if you insist. My apologies."
"You don't believe me, do you?"
"I have seen it with my own eyes."
"Since when does guarding me involve watching me sleep? Should
you be watching for the dynasty?"
"The evils of the dynasty are everywhere even in -"
"Liar." Mia growled cutting him off and threw her pillow
at him, which he easily caught and handed back to her with a slight
bow.
"Mia, are you alright, I heard a shriek." Cye's voice
come through the door.
"I'm fine."
"Can I come in a minute?"
"Are you alone?"
"Yes."
"Come in then." Mia smiled as White Blaze entered too.
"Is your guardian giving you a hard time?"
Mia nodded ignoring her guardian.
"He insists that I drool when I sleep."
"Hmm." Cye grinned. "If I remember correctly, he
said you were the picture of elegance…I don't see how that
fits in a elegant."
Anubis turned red.
Mia smiled at his embarrassment then frowned. "Anubis, is
that the same outfit you were wearing when you arrive here?"
He nodded.
"Cye, tomorrow we are getting him some new clothes."
Cye nodded in agreement. Tomorrow is the day that we attack Talpa.
"I'll go get some clothes for him now. I believe I have something
that may fit him. While he changes I can guard you."
At Mia's nod Cye departed returning quickly with a pile of clothes.
"These really aren't my style but I thought they might do
for you."
Anubis paused before leaving but when Mia smiled and said "I'll
be fine for a few minutes Anubis." He hurriedly left.
As soon as Anubis left Mia turned towards Cye. "Picture of
elegance"
He nodded. "I know he use elegance, but his compliment was
a lot smoother than mine."
"Really." Mia smiled but her smile faded into a frown
as Cye inquired about her locket and bracelet, both sitting on
her bedside table.
"Cye, I don't know what to do…I…don't want to encourage
Sage, but I also don't want to insult him…I also don't want
anymore gifts, and that goes for the BOTH of them."
Cye nodded, sitting down on the bed next to Mia. "I'm really
not sure what to tell you. I know you don't feel for Sage what
he feels for you, and I don't know how you should tell him. Do
you like him?" Cye jerked his eyes towards the staff Anubis
had left sitting in the room and Mia sighed, blushing.
"I don't know…I think I'm to overwhelmed at the moment
to decide if I do -" Mia's voice trailed off as Anubis walked
back into the room, wearing a slate gray pair of suit pants and
a white dress short, the sleeves rolled up and the front partially
open.
"Those were your clothes Cye?" She whispered her eyes
wide.
He nodded, then confided in the barest of whispers.. "I never
looked that good in them."
Mia smiled. "I doubt that. Your just as good looking as he
is…" She leaned closer the Cye and then whispered even
softer tan he had. "If not more so."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
Cye smiled. "I feel a lot better, now get some sleep."
Mia nodded and snuggled under the blankets of her full sized be.
White Blaze lounged over most of it.
"Silly tiger…"Mia mumbled quickly falling asleep."
Mia awoke around ten to a silent
house. Hmm, this is odd. Even Anubis was nowhere in sight. Mia
stood, slipping her feet inside of her slippers an entered the
hallway. All of the guys rooms were empty.
"They didn't!" Mia rushed to the stairs and place her
foot on the top step when a voice startled her.
"Mia."
She whirled around and her foot slipped, sending her flying down
the stairs. In the blink of an eye Anubis rushed down the hallway
and grabbed Mia's waist, stopping her fall. He pulled her against
him as he steppe away from the stairs, and he could feel Mia trembling.
"That was close…" Her voice was muffled against
his shoulder. Ma felt she should move away, but she could stop
shaking, or seem to force her breathes to come in anything more
than frightened gasps.
"You should be more careful Mia." Anubis' voice was
soft.
"Its not my fault you startled me." She refused to look
up at him, and somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered
where Yuli was. " How would you have explained it to the
guys?"
"Explained what?" Anubis sounded extremely puzzled and
finally Mia looked up to him, his piercing gaze locking with hers,
but it was gentle too, not intimidating as it had once been.
"How I has succumbed to my death by the evil dynasty staircase."
Mia could help but smile, and Anubis laughed. She could hear his
laugh rumble in his chest long before it reached his mouth.
"I would have brought you back from the dead, m'lady, so
you could explain it to them yourself. But, Mia, you would not
have died, for I would not allow it. I would trade my life for
yours, if it would keep you alive." His voice turned from
gentle and gravely to impassioned and gravely, and Mia's eyes
were wide.
"You, would…do that for me?" Mia's knees were weak,
and she almost fell, but Anubis still had a firm hold on her,
his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
"That I would Mia, in an instant. That is one of the reasons
that I was chosen to protect you."
"What is the other?"
"It is a secret."
"A secret?"
Anubis nodded laughter in his eyes as he heard stirring from the
boys room. Once Yuli had asked him to stay with him and Mia, but
he was unsure if he would be as welcome now.
"Go to the boy, I shall be here as always…"
"Mia…" Yuli rubbed his eyes sleepily.
"Yes Yuli?" Mia smiled at the boy, Anubis, as always
disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"I had a bad dream."
"Well come here and tell me about it." Mia held her
arms out to Yuli, who rushed into them, burying his head under
her chin, his arms clasped around her neck.
"I dreamed that my mom and my dad were never coming back.'
"Yuli, you know that snot true." She couldn't keep the
tinge of sadness form her voice. "They will come back."
They have to.
Getting into the dynasty was
the easy part, with three ex warlords and Kayura on your side,
so the Ronins had no trouble entering Talpa's realm, but finding
the evil emperor once there was another matter entirely.
"This is odd Talpa never leaves his castle." Cale frowned.
"What's this?" Cye picked up a piece of paper.
The Ronins were silent that
is Sage, Kento and Ryo were silent.
"Anubis?" Sage's voice was low. "We left Mia with
Anubis?"
"We've done it before." Ryo's voice was calm he had
no reason to doubt Anubis, who had been, and still was a invaluable
ally.
I have to compete with Anubis? It can't be that hard, can it?
"Does Mia know?"
Cye smiled at Kento's question. "Since last night."
"Well lets go save Mia!"
The group rallied at Kento's cry, but out of nowhere hundreds
upon hundreds of dynasty soldiers appeared.
"You cannot leave Master Talpa expects you to be here upon
his return…"
Mia couldn't shake the eerie
feeling she had as she quickly dried off from her bath.
"Mia…"
Mia shivered as Talpa's voice invaded her senses.
With a frenzied urgency she dressed, and in her min she heard
the Ancient's voice. Conceal your staff Mia you shall need it
later…
The floor began to swirl and Mia screamed as she slowly sank into
her floor. She could barely suppress her terror as she heard Anubis's
anguished roar.
"MIA!"
"It's Talpa, he's here…" Mia called out, sinking
farther and farther into her floor. "He's going to capture
me."
"Never!"
The bathroom door shattered and an enraged Anubis stood before
Mia. "Grab onto my staff." He held it out to Mia, who
clung to it, but she still sank deeper and deeper into the swirling
blackness.
She couldn't keep the fear from her eyes as she gazed up to Anubis,
and as the blackness completely covered her she was aware only
of the fact that Anubis came with her, for he could not let her
go alone into the corruption of the dynasty.
"STAR SWORD SCREAM!"
Kayura relished the fact that she had her won armor back, she
was not relying on someone else to protect her. Her armor was
light, and meant purely for protection.
"DARK LIGHTNING STRIKE!"
Having combined their powers, a huge gap was blasted into the
column of dynasty soldiers, but was filled as quickly as it had
appeared.
"Guys, this is useless!" Kento growled his frustration
as he took out a couple more soldiers. "Any one of them
we take out s replaced by another."
Everyone nodded, back to back, surrounded.
"Guys, I have an idea." Rowan smiled. "Just follow
my lead."
Mia moaned as she picked herself
up off of the ground. As she looked around she frowned. She was
in a locked room, with two pallets on the floor, and no conceivable
door. She was also on a pallet, but she could not see Talpa, placing
her on the pallet, so she had to assume that Anubis had move her
there.
"Where are we?" Mia looked to Anubis, who sat meditating
his staff nowhere in sight.
"One of Talpa's holding cells." Anubis sounded weary,
exhaust, and as he looked at her, his eyes were haggard, and they
held…fear.
"What is he going to do with us?" Mia couldn't keep
the trembling note from her voice as she stood and winced in pain.
"Mia, are you alright?" Anubis looked questioningly
to his fellow captive and charge. Who shook her head, sinking
back down onto the pallet.
"Somehow I injured my knee, see my jeans are even torn."
Anubis frowned, noticing that Mia's knee also bled. "We
should bandage that….it probably happened when we fell through
your floor and came rather ungracefully through the ceiling of
this holding cell."
Mia nodded. "Anubis, are we going to be able to get out of
here?" Mia pitched her voice low, her eyes shimmering with
fright.
"I don't know." He motioned for her to sit on the edge
of the pallet. Having obeyed his order Mia's foot was place in
Anubis's lap as he sat cross-legged in front of her. "I'm
going to have to rip your pants a little more."
"It's alright, I can always change into another pair. If
we get out of here.
Anubis didn't look up to Mia as he ripped the knee of her pants
open, then ripped two strips of cloth from the plentiful sleeves
of his dress shirt. One to wipe away the blood and attempt to
cleanse the wound, the other to bandage it.
"Anubis…"
He looked up to her the grave tone of her voice chilling him to
the bone.
"Yes Mia." Anubis tried not to show his fear or worry,
but Mia could see it reflected in his eyes.
"If we cant escape, I'm going to die, aren't I?"
"Your not going to die." Anubis looked sternly at Mia.
"Remember what I told you? I shall not allow you to die.
Talpa will have to kill me first, and that shall not happen."
Mia's mind flashed back the acquisition of the Jewel of Life.
"But you cant be sure of that Anubis, he could separate us,
and then by the time you escape I could be dead, and Talpa would
have what he wants.
Mia place a hand on Anubis's cheek, trying the banish the look
of anguish which had appeared on his face.
"I wont let you die Mia, I swear t." Anubis spoke so
quietly that Mia almost doubted he spoke at all. "I cannot
let you die." Anubis gently lay his cheek on the knee he
had just bandaged.
"I hope your right, Anubis. And I trust you to protect me."
"Which I shall."
"How touching." Talpa sneered as he appeared in the
room, walking trough a non existent door. "The Warlord of
Cruelty has gone soft." Talpa laughed. "Of all the
girls you could have fallen for Anubis, why pick this mouse, whom
I shall kill with great pleasure."
"You shall not kill her Talpa." Anubis stepped protectively
in front of Mia, in an attempt to shield her from the evil emperor.
Mia shivered as the felt the malignant aura which radiated around
the room, announcing Talpa's presence. Mia could feel her staff
calling to her, but she did not call it, the time was not yet
right. Anubis on the other hand, used his staff to bar Talpa's
foreword progress. A dim light shone from it, glowing brighter
and brighter the farther foreword Talpa advanced.
"You shall not have her." Anubis repeated, and Talpa
sneered as 'loyalty' flared brightly on Anubis's forehead.
"You really did give your heart to her, didn't you."
"Who I give my heart to is none of your concern, Talpa. But
in this instance, I gave my loyalty freely, without corruption
and deception."
"You are truly pitiful Anubis."
"And you Talpa, shall die." Anubis's eyes narrowed and
the staff flared brightly, blowing the walls and the ceiling of
the room they were captured in into particles of dust. Then while
Talpa was blinded Anubis turned, grabbed Mia by the shoulders
and under her knee's, and clutching his staff disappeared into
the dark recesses of Talpa's castle.