Part One: Not A Soul

"Come back to your altar
And build a fire
It's getting cold
Nothing stops to wait here
There's not a soul here
You're all alone…"
--Garbage, "Subhuman"

  Disclaimer: Ronins, et al, belong to Sunrise. My characters and concepts belong to me, do not use without asking.

      If you have read the previous version of this story, be warned this is totally different. I use the YST ages and families in this and every other fic, but only for the Ronins (meaning Kayura is not twelve, heh!)  Also, this part has language and mature situations, so be warned of that as well. Enjoy!

Mia's House, Outside Toyama, Japan, Earth Year 1988

     "Cye!" came the loud bellow that echoed down the halls. Kento scrambled to grab for his friend, but the wiry Ronin merely laughed and vaulted over the railing of the stairs, landing on his feet below. "Cye, I'm telling the truth!"
     Following the other Ronin, Kento tore down the stairs, skidding around a corner and through the dining room where Rowen sat reading. He glanced up from his astronomy magazine, chopsticks raised in the air with a large roll of sushi between them. "Shut up, you two," he said, waving the raw tuna at them momentarily before looking back to his reading. "Ryo's still kind of out of it, if you know what I mean."
      "Oh yeah," Cye replied, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "You probably woke him up, Kento."
      "Me?" he said indignantly, crossing his hands behind his head. "You're the one that started it by acting like you don't believe me!"
      The red-haired Ronin opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped by Ryo's groggy voice. "Believe what? And you both woke me up, you know…"
      Kento looked abashed. "Sorry, Ryo."
      Cye walked up to him, eyeing him critically. "Still got that headache? It's only been a few days since we were fighting Talpa, but still, you shouldn't have a headache for that long…"
      "He was inside Talpa," Rowen pointed out, licking sticky rice from a fingertip. "That can't leave you feeling your best, you know."
      The unofficial leader of the Ronins sat down at the table, rubbing at his temples. It was true that there was still a dull throbbing pain in his head, left over no doubt from forming that white armor - Inferno... the name roared inside him - for the first time. He looked up into the guys' worried eyes and smiled wanly. "It's all but gone," he said, letting his hands drop down to rest on the tabletop.
      The resident cook of the house hovered with nervous energy between his friend and the kitchen entrance. "You hungry, Ryo?" he asked. "I can probably make up a can of soup, since we don't have any ingredients for a proper one at the moment."
      "Don't look at me!" Kento said immediately, sitting in another chair, although no one had been looking at him until he'd said it. He raised his eyebrows and looked away innocently.
      Rowen finished the last of the sushi and put down his chopsticks. "Sage and Mia are at the store as we speak," he pointed out.
      "And White Blaze?" Ryo asked.
      "In the backyard with the Yule-meister," Kento said, idly playing with the tablecloth. "They're both pretty worried about you."
      Ryo smiled. "I'm fine, really. And I'm not hungry right now, Cye. I'll just wait till they get back, okay?"
      "Okay, Ryo." He smiled back uncertainly and took a seat next to Rowen. He glanced over at his friend's empty plate and grimaced. "You really ate that sushi, Ro? Frankly, it was getting kind of old in the fridge…"
      He looked up through his fringe of blue hair. "It tasted all right," he replied.
      "That doesn't mean it didn't have salmonella!" he cried. "You'll probably be regretting that tonight."
      Kento grinned, leaning his head in his hands. "Because of salmonella or because he ate your little fishy friends, raw?"
      The Ronin of Life smirked. "That's not very nice, Kento."
      "Well neither is he, the distrustful little… little…"
      Cye sat up straight, a mock-offended look on his face. "Me? Distrustful? In case you forgot or something, my attribute is trust! But, unfortunately, I still don't believe you!"
      "Believe what?" Ryo said, lifting his head off his arms. Rowen put down his magazine and looked at them intently, listening.
      Cye grinned, jabbing a finger in Kento's direction. "I don't believe that he has a girlfriend back home."
      "I do!" he protested. "Her name is Tanaka Sadako, and she goes to school with us, Cye."
      "I've never met her, and the name doesn't even sound familiar," he returned.
      Rowen shook his head. "That doesn't mean too much," he argued. "I go to the same school as Sage, and he never even knew who I was until we found we were both Ronins and came to Toyama." He stood up and stretched, taking his plate out to the kitchen, but not missing much conversation-wise. Kento's voice carried easily through the open doorway.
      "See, there you go! I swear she's real! We haven't been going out for that long, yeah, but still!"
      His best friend rolled his eyes and shot him a teasing grin. I can tell that Kento's not lying, but I think I'll put him on the spot anyhow... "I'm not gonna believe you until I see her in front of me, and she says that she's going out with you!"
      Ryo chuckled shortly, leaning back in his chair and pressing his knuckles into his scalp in an attempt to lessen the pressure of his headache. He twisted the strands of his black hair around his fingers, stifling another yawn. "Why don'tcha call her up and ask her to come over?" he teased, knowing as well as Cye - maybe from Cye - that the Ronin of Justice was telling the truth. "Then we'll all have to believe you."
      He made a frustrated noise. "I can't just do that! Her parents are pretty strict, and won't just let her go to some house in the middle of nowhere where five guys are staying!"
      "Five guys with armors who attract Dynasty trouble at every turn?" Rowen amended.
      Cye shook his head, his sea eyes adamant. "Talpa's gone. We're just five normal guys now. That's what's true."
      I don't know about that, Ryo thought unhappily. I feel that maybe we're not done with Talpa just yet. Unwilling to ruin the happy mood, however, he kept his worries to himself.
      "Don't worry about it, Kento." The blue-haired boy laughed, leaning against the wall and joining the teasing. "We'll just have to believe you some other time."
      The other boy frowned, standing up. Argh! How am I supposed to prove to 'em that Sadako's real? They wouldn't tease Sage if he said he had a girlfriend! Hell, he probably has ten of 'em! "Fine, then, I will prove it," he huffed, brushing past Rowen on his way out to the kitchen. "I'm gonna call her right now."
      For a moment there was a collective pause. "He's serious," Rowen said.
      "Well, I did know he was telling the truth," Cye said. "Hope he isn't too ticked off."
      Ryo blinked slowly. "Well then, let him prove it, and this topic of conversation will be over and done with." The other two nodded in agreement.
      The red-headed boy glanced out toward the kitchen and its phone, but Kento was nowhere in sight. "Where is he going?"

      He stomped up the steps, grumbling to himself. I should still have her phone number around here somewhere. I think it was in the pants I wore when I left for Toyama... I don't wanna have to call home and have Rinfi find it for me... and listen to him go 'Ooooh...' Kento sighed, pushing open the door to the room he shared with Cye. Being the oldest of five, he was no stranger to being teased about girls. However, it seemed different when the other Ronins did it, mainly because they were his age, and not just little kids like his siblings.
      Besides, if he did call home, he'd have to make up a lot of stories about how fun this 'camping trip' with Cye was. That was the story they'd come up with when they'd received the mysterious call to come to Toyama, and surprisingly their parents had accepted it. Now he wondered if perhaps the Ancient had anything to do with that.
      The boy glanced around the room, which looked exactly like the guest room it was. None of them had brought anything besides the clothes they had been wearing and what was in their pockets when they came together to stop Talpa. If he had the number, he knew exactly where it would be.
      Kento sat on the bed and opened the drawer in the nightstand. There underneath his wallet and some old fast food receipts laid a crumpled scrap of notebook paper with '06-443-2798' scribbled hastily on it. He snatched it up, closing the drawer, and then laid back on his bed a moment, thinking.
      He reached into his jeans pocket and took out his armor orb, holding it up in the light that shone through the window. He held the paper behind it, watching as the light shone orange onto it, the glow of his kanji symbol a paler orange over the numbers. Sadako was trapped in the Dynasty, he thought, remembering how Talpa had taken the people of Toyama and its surrounding areas to use their energy. And my family too, my brothers and sister... if they hurt them--! He squeezed the orb tightly in his hand, filled with anger. Slowly it subsided, and he relaxed. But we beat Talpa, he's gone now, and everyone's safe again. They don't even remember it.
      He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, tucking the orb back in his pocket. Kento walked toward the door but then stopped and turned, looking back over at his friend's bed. Oh, Cye. I wish I was as confident as you that we're done fighting. "Let's hope you're right," he said aloud before heading out. Instead of going down the stairs, he continued down the hall towards Mia's room, so he'd have some privacy.
      "Kento!" a high-pitched voice called as Yulie darted out of his room.
      "Hey, Yulie," he replied. "I thought you were out playing with Blaze."
      He nodded, bouncing on his toes. "Yup, I am. Just came in to get my skateboard." He held it up for his friend to see. "What are you doing? All the guys are downstairs."
      "Makin' a phone call," he replied, swinging Mia's door back and forth impatiently.
      The boy blinked up at him. "Who are you calling?"
      Kento restrained himself from snapping. "Someone. Why don't you go play now?"
      Yulie scowled. "Fine then, if you're gonna be mean." He flounced down the stairs with his skateboard, and the Ronin turned immediately into Mia's room, closing and locking the door behind him.
      Like everything else in the large house, it was immaculate and well-organized. He sat gingerly on the floral bedspread and picked up the off-white phone. Please don't let her dad pick up, please don't let her dad pick up, he prayed as he dialed Sadako's house. He was definitely not supposed to find out she'd given him her number.

      Carting his skateboard under an arm, Yulie tromped sullenly into the dining room where the other three boys still sat, talking. He stood, scowling and clearing his throat pointedly, until Ryo glanced up at him.
      "Hey, buddy, why the frown?" he asked blearily.
      Cye smiled at the boy. "You keep making that face and it'll freeze that way," he joked.
      The eight-year-old continued to give the world in general dirty looks; he knew from extensive experimenting that his face would not freeze that way. "Kento's being a meanie-head," he complained.
      "Oh?" Rowen asked.
      "I wanted to play, but he locked himself in Mia's room to make a stupid phone call," Yulie elaborated. "I'm gonna tell Mia when she gets back that he was in there!" He laughed with the glee that can only come from getting someone else in trouble.
      Cye raised an eyebrow. "So he is doing it now."
      The boy blinked, confused, as the three Ronins gave each other looks. However, none of them would explain what they were talking about.
      Well, I did tell him to invite her over, Ryo told himself. So I shouldn't be surprised he took me up on it. Still... I sure hope Mia won't mind. And that nothing happens to give us away while she's here...

Tanaka residence, Yokohama, Japan

      Sadako was chopping onions for yakitori when the phone rang. She quickly wiped her hands on a dishtowel and slid her way across the kitchen floor towards the receiver. She half-expected her older brother Shiro to have gotten to it before her, as he usually did, but he was nowhere in sight. Sadako skidded to a stop in front of the phone, her dull black hair swinging loose behind her, and swept it up to her ear. "Hello?"
      "Um… may I speak to Tanaka Sadako, please?"
      At the sound of his voice her eyes opened wide, and she immediately whipped around to look into the living room. Her mother was watching the news on TV and was apparently not listening to her. "Kento?" she hissed into the phone, edging back around the corner.
      "Yeah… hi. How are you?"
      She paused for a moment. "Good… but… it's been a long time, hasn't it?"
      Kento shifted his weight on Mia's bed a little, switching the phone to his other ear. "Yeah… it has." They were cursed with one of those long uncomfortable pauses before he continued, "Sorry I didn't call, but I haven't been home for like a week and I didn't think I had your number with me. Just found that I did…"
      "That's all right," Sadako replied immediately, in such a soft tone that he knew she was trying not to let her family hear her on the phone. "I'm just glad you didn't forget about me and find… oh, one of those romantic summer loves, you know?"
      "Of course not!" he said vehemently. "I wouldn't have asked you out if I didn't want to be with you."
      She blushed even though she knew it was silly. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I should know you're too much of a gentleman to do that. But summer can change people, especially when they're far apart."
      "I know," he said. "That's true. I do want to see you, Sadako. But it's kind of complicated… for both of us, right?"
      "Yes… you've been so good about keeping the secret. None of my friends even heard about it at school from anyone… at least they haven't asked me if it was true."
      "Right. But see, I went to Toyama with Cye a little bit ago… you know Cye?"
      "Cye… is he that redhead on the swim team?"
      Kento nodded vigorously. "Yeah, that's him. Well, we met some people here and so we're all just kind of hanging out at this - this mansion outside of town. You should see it! It's a huge Western-type house, and there's even a forest around it and a lake… and Mia - she's the one who owns it, she inherited it from her grandfather - she's real nice and is letting us stay there free for a while…"
      Sadako smiled as she listened to him talk. Listen to him… that is just too cute. "I wish I could see it. It sounds very nice."
      "Well see… I want you to come visit. It'd be fun! We could do whatever you want… like a real vacation. You know, just for a while."
      She sighed. "Oh, I'd like to, but you know I won't be allowed. My parents would have to meet everyone else's parents, and-"
      "There are no parents," he said, scowling. Damn their overprotectiveness, anyway...
      "That's even worse," Sadako replied, sounding none too happy herself. Kento could picture her there as she talked, looking complacent on the outside but with that telltale look of disappointment in her gray eyes. She sighed softly into the receiver, peeking around the corner to check on her mom again.
      Kento sighed as well. "Well, you know… this sounds kinda dumb, but my friends don't exactly think you're real. I mean, even Cye, and he goes to our school."
      "Not too surprising," she said wryly. "I don't exactly stand out in a crowd, you know?"
      "I understand if you can't, 'cause your parents won't let you. But, well, I really want you to come…" he finished lamely. Maan, I don't think she'll be able to sneak out even. This is great; they still won't believe me. Oh well, at least I got to talk to her...
      The corners of her mouth quirked up a moment. "Hold on…" She tapped her finger against her lips, thinking a moment, and then reached into the phone stand and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "Could you give me directions there?"
      "Huh?" he said, surprised for a moment.
      "I've got an idea, but I'm not sure it will work."
      Kento smiled, and proceeded to give her the address. As she wrote it down, he thought he could hear voices in the background. "Are you going to have to get off now?" he asked.
      Sadako covered the mouthpiece with her hand and called into the living room, replying to her mother's question. "Dinner's coming along just fine, Mom. I'll be off the phone with Megumi in a second." She turned back and lifted her hand. "Yeah, I have to go. But don't be surprised if I get there tonight… or if I don't either."
      "All right," he told her. "Good luck then."
      "Thanks. I'll bring you something if I get to go."
      He grinned. "Oh man, really? Sadako, you are the best."
      She giggled. "Thank you. Bye now." In a whisper she added, "See you tonight, Kento."
      "'Bye," he said happily, his smile feeling almost permanent on his face. As he slowly put down the receiver and strolled proudly out of Mia's room, Sadako pressed the dial button on the phone and reset the connection.
      Trying not to make any more noise than necessary, she turned the rotary and dialed some very familiar numbers. Please, let her be there, she thought. Megumi, I will owe you big if you're there... Her best friend had been orphaned a few years ago after her parents died in a car crash. Therefore she lived in an apartment with her older sister Yui - a sister who was quite definitely not strict.
      "Hey-lo," Megumi's casual voice said.
      Sadako breathed a sigh of relief. "Hi, Megumi, it's me. I'm so glad you're home."
      "Hey. What's going on?"
      "Well… I have a big favor to ask you…"

Children's Dungeon, Talpa's Dynasty

      She had long ago decided that there was no use in fighting. However, that didn't mean she was perfectly content where she was. Taia had seen the Mortal World. It looked a lot warmer and happier than the Netherworld. And then Talpa had attacked it.
      The young-old woman pulled her thick blanket closer around her, its ragged edges trailing alongside her bare, dirty feet. I wonder if the boys are still okay, she thought, staring at the pattern of mortar and brick on the wall. They'd be old enough now to take care of themselves. Maybe they're helping the Ronins even. She had not been punished with pain for freeing Saranbo and Kokuyoen, although they kept her now in her own room, away from the rest. For more than ten years, Taia had been even more of a prisoner, coming out only to train and spar with the others.
      She stood up shakily, moving to the bars of the door to look for the soldier that would bring her meal. Her stomach kept good time, and the soldier was never late. The gold cuffs had not been used for quite some time, longer than she could remember, but they still hung heavy from her thin wrists. These had been put back on her after she had freed the boys, but she had never given Talpa cause to use them.
      Taia took hold of the dark iron bars, and then let out a gasp as the door swung forward and she stumbled along with it. "Wha-what?" She looked carefully around, but no one was there. Did they leave the door open last time? Or... but why?
      She walked quietly down the corridors, her first thought to find someone and tell them they'd left her door open. And where was Kiirvri? She hadn't seen him in so long… she would take him with her when she left. Left? Why would I go? I'd be punished!
      But as more searching revealed a silent, empty dungeon, her thoughts turned back. Tao Fuki, came that whisper, and her feet inexplicably hurried their movements toward the stairs. Escape from here, and be not afraid. Kiirvri will be all right, and if you find the Ronins you can free him too.
      But she was afraid, because of the memory these halls awakened in her, remembering the long-haired seer with the smirk who oh-so-gently pushed her against those stones and touched her like that. She bit her lip and ran even faster. There was no one here, and she wouldn't let the seer get her. That was not allowed and she would tell Anubis this time, she would!
      Anubis is gone, Taia told herself. He is a traitor now and fought with the Ronins. But Talpa got him all the same. She shook her head and ran, hand on stone steadying the moment's dizziness. Talpa's gone too... but is he? It feels weird, in the air, and the Warlords aren't gone... the Ronins failed, they failed, they failed...
      The stairs were cold under her feet. "Door," she breathed. There was a door to the outside on this level somewhere; she wouldn't have to risk going up where all the important people were. She pulled her blanket up over her elbows again, jogging quietly through the halls. Dead, dead, the castle was dead, after the Ronins had fought here and everyone hid away. But they would return, they would return, just like Talpa must they would return…
      But she would be gone. There were a few soldiers around, and as she spotted one she pressed up close into a shadow, trying to blend in and hide. If it bothered her, she'd sing at it and blow it up. One little soldier could not keep her here, oh no! It looked straight at her - she met its eyes with her own. And then it looked away and walked on.
      Not questioning this, she continued running, going straight to a door. Pushing it open, she found only someone's chambers. Taia spun back and went the other way, searching the empty palace for a way out of it. She did not question why, or how. Her soft footfalls were barely audible on the tiles. She searched for her freedom, unaware that her frantic dash was not so much of a surprise as would be thought.

Throne Room, Talpa's Dynasty

      Sekhmet, subarmored arms crossed in front of his chest, looked away from the viewscreen. "They are all ignoring her, Master. You intend her to leave?"
      "Yes." Talpa nodded, and inwardly his Warlord felt somewhat startled. After so long, his master had a body again. It would take a little getting used to. "In her insanity she may very well cripple the Ronins. I will let her go to them, and while they are distracted, we will prepare our next assault."
      The once-mortal man frowned. "You will just let her go free then?"
      Talpa made a grumbling noise. "If she was just a woman I would have killed her a long time ago. But I still wish for her power, and I will bring her back after she has done her unwitting job."
      "Understood," Sekhmet replied, somewhat relieved. His feelings for Taia, confused as he was about them, had changed since she had been broken forty-four years earlier. The rebellious fire that had both drawn him to her and made him think her a fool was gone, and he was only feeling pity for the shade that had once been a banshee. He hated pity.
      The demon lord's gaze did not shift toward the viewscreen, yet he said, "She has found the door, but already she is lost. That deranged girl will not last in the wastes long enough to find the right gate. Sekhmet, go out and bring her to it."
      "Yes, Master," he answered immediately, saluting and fading out of the throne room. Taia... he thought, arriving in the stables and quickly readying a horse. Perhaps this 'mission' of yours will return you to the way you were before. It is a disgrace to see you this way... as much as I hate them, maybe the Ronins will make you worthy again.

Supermarket, Toyama

      "Grab me two packages of prawns, will you, Sage?" Mia asked, distractedly waving toward the frozen seafood as she consulted her list.
      "Sure," he replied, retrieving the chilly styrofoam trays and depositing them in the cart. Waiting for the next item to be called out, the young man shifted his weight from foot to foot, bored. Since they were all staying with her rent-free, Mia insisted on the Ronins helping out around the house - and going grocery shopping with her was one of their tasks. However, Kento was generally exempt from this, a fact Sage quite envied him for at the moment.
      She began pushing the cart down an aisle, and he followed listlessly afterward, eyes raking the shelves of food. He wasn't hungry now either, which was either a good or a bad thing. He couldn't decide. Grocery shopping while hungry meant getting things you didn't need, but nothing looked good now, and he couldn't possibly fathom eating any of it.
      The auburn-haired woman led them into the produce section, where she proceeded to pick over a heap of some nauseating-looking string beans. "I need a nice cabbage," she told him, and he wandered over and picked up a large leafy vegetable, dropping it into a plastic bag without much ado, or consideration of its qualities.
      How long have we been here? he thought, consulting his watch. More than an hour? Oh God, I want out of this place. And she won't let me leave! Sage swung the thin bag and its large load around as he sauntered back to Mia. It hit his thigh twice before he swung it up to hold in front of her face, like a dead animal by its tail. "Happy New Year."
      "Sage," she sighed, taking the bag from him. And here I thought he was the mature one.
      Feeling antsy, bored, and decidedly not mature - everyone has one of those days, after all - he snickered in the back of his head at her expression. Sage blinked innocently and asked the first thing that came to mind as he looked at her. "Mia, do you really have a crush on Ryo?"
      For a moment she just stared at him, dumbfounded. And then the cabbage slipped out of her hands. It bounced once before rolling its way directly under the wheels of a man's cart. He brought it back to her, and she thanked him, color flushing her cheeks. As soon as he turned back to peruse the mushrooms, Mia whirled around to face Sage. "Of all the - the stupid questions!" Oh. God. He did not just embarrass me like that. He didn't... I can't believe it.
      He shoved his hands in his pockets, shrugging. "Well, do you?" He knew he was pushing it, but even so, the intensity of her frosty glare shocked him.
      "He should be so lucky," she gritted out angrily. It was amazing how he could hit the truth right on the nose like that, and in different circumstances she might have been willing to talk to him about it. But since he chose to bring it up in the middle of a supermarket… well, there was no chance of that, was there? Sage was usually quite mature for his age, but he was, after all, a teenaged boy.
      Whoo... I guess that answers that! But after this trip... it was so worth it, he thought snidely.
      "Go take the cart and wait in line," she told him coolly, virtually spearing him with her eyes. He nodded, at least knowing when to quit while he was ahead, and pushed it toward the shortest one.
      And then he thought of the ride home.
      Perhaps it wasn't so worth it after all…

Wetland Wastes, Talpa's Dynasty

      She had found that the maze of the Dynasty castle grounds wasn't as much of one as she had expected. It hadn't taken long to get out into the Netherworld itself, but Taia had been so engaged in running that she didn't pay much attention to where she was running to. Now she stopped to drag in a few trembling breaths, staring at the expanse of water surrounding her. It reflected the white and gold of the starry sky, beautiful and endless.
      Endless... Her mind could only comprehend the fact that she had to run. There had to be a gate nearby, one that led out to the Mortal World. There was nothing here but death. She stared down into the glistening water, crouching closer to its surface and looking for fish or the other creatures that lived there. Instead of any of these, there was a woman's face there, all pale and white, looking dead under the water. Blood framed the face, which rippled gently when she breathed on the water.
      Taia gasped in fear, splashing it away, turning and running. It didn't matter where she went as long as it was away from Talpa, away from the death and that woman who was dead there. It never occurred to her that she had been looking at herself, for she hadn't ever recalled seeing her own face. There was only the running, the spray of the water as she crashed through it.
      She's running in circles, Sekhmet thought, reining in the horse and staring at the woman as she fled in whatever direction she thought would lead her away from the Dynasty. It had been incredibly easy to see where she had gone, as her movements had stirred up mud and left a trail as plain as day.
      He felt slightly appalled, but didn't know where to place the blame. If Talpa hadn't... he began, but shook his head. No, Talpa was right. He always was. It was the woman's own fault for resisting in the first place. If she had just listened, had just obeyed, she would be by his side as they crushed the Ronins and took over the Mortal World. You turned yourself into a ghost, little fool... pretty little fool... Sekhmet nudged his mount into motion again, tearing towards her.
      Taia's feet were freezing, and the chill was spreading to the rest of her despite her continual motion. And then a mixture of notes met her ears, sounding like an unorganized symphony trying desperately to get into tune. She stopped in her tracks, not turning around. He found me already? I've been running so long... Her shoulders slumped in defeat. I suppose it was stupid anyhow.
      She turned to watch the man on the violet horse as it ran closer, arcs of water spraying up from the force of its hooves. Sekhmet was in his subarmor, not having bothered to armor up fully. He wouldn't have needed it anyway - both of them knew that his aura, which she heard as music, made it impossible for her to concentrate on the notes she needed to attack. His hair blew wildly around his face as he slowed the horse down to approach her, and she opened her arms wide, her blanket falling down to sink under the water.
      Letting go of the reins and holding on with only his legs, he leaned down and reached out to her. One arm snagged around her waist, the other supporting her back, and he concentrated on holding on as he flew past. A gasp escaped her lips as her feet left the ground, sucking mud trying vainly to keep her in the water. The horse crashed onward as he effortlessly straightened, pulling Taia up with him and setting her sidesaddle in front of him before grabbing back up the reins.
      At first she could only look straight ahead, fingers twining in the horse's stiff, spiky mane even though Sekhmet still had one arm around her waist. She waited for him to turn back toward the castle, or say something, maybe, but the only sound was the sploosh of hooves in water, on mud.
      "Aren't you taking me back?" she finally asked when the silence became too much.
      "No," he said shortly. "Did you want to go back?"
      She hesitated, looking around at the passing, monotonous scenery of the wastes. "No…"
      Why don't you fight? "Where do you want to go, then?" he queried, although his voice was as emotionless as the scenery.
      "I want to go to the Mortal World," she said, expecting to be refused anyhow. He simply made a noise of assent and changed directions slightly. She blinked and turned to look up at him quizzically, but he was staring straight over her head, watching for their destination. "Aren't you afraid of getting in trouble?"
      "No."
      She could feel his arm around her tighten a little as she raised first one bare foot and then the other, bending down to try and rub some warmth back into them. "Are you going to kill me?" she asked, wondering what this was all about.
      He was surprised at the way she had said it. There was little fear in her voice, only a curiosity. "No…" he replied, not wanting to elaborate.
      Taia twisted again to look at him. She could tell nothing from his musical aura, and had already automatically blocked it out anyway. She was afraid of his eyes, but at least if she saw them she would have some clue as to what was going on. She reached and turned his face so she could see, perhaps, why he was helping her escape. A flicker of surprise, and then nothing, as he was good at hiding his emotions. He's like a block of stone, she fumed. "Sekhmet, do you hate me?"
      She wanted him to say something more, he knew. The shattered glass of her brown eyes bored into his, but all he could do was say "No," again, this time softer. All he wanted from her at the moment was just some kind of reaction, something more than just the innocent childlike asking of questions. Despite her age and physical maturity, she was still a child in thought. He wanted her mad, he wanted her afraid, anything, something.
      "Don't," she said urgently when he tried to look back up again, holding his face gently between her hands. "I hate you, you know. Hate me back."
      "But you don't hate me," he said. "Listen to yourself. You talk to me with the same voice you talk to children in. That doesn't sound like hate."
      Now it was she that broke the gaze, dropping her hands and looking away. "I do hate you. You make my head hurt, and I don't like the way you look at me. It's just like the seer did when he wanted to touch me, but different."
      He shook his head, replying, "Aedesola is dead. Talpa had him killed when he predicted that there were no Ronins, but they showed up with their armors anyhow." And I would have done it if I'd known what he was up to. You are mine only... "You just let him do it, didn't you?"
      Taia put her hands on the horse's back, feeling the ripple of its muscles as it ran. "He said I'd be punished if I said no. So I had to. He was mean, but he was pretty." She raised her arm and examined the engraved cuff on her wrist. "Just like these. They haven't hurt me for a while now, but I bet you could make them do it, couldn't you?"
      Sekhmet dropped the reins, his hand shooting out and grabbing her wrist, clenching tightly around the golden cuff. He brought his other arm around her, pulling her back against the smooth surface of his subarmor. She gasped softly at the motion, eyes wide as he took the cuff in both hands and began to pull it apart. Like the weak link in a chain, the metal began to bend, splitting open. Red energy spit and crackled around the broken edges, hissing as if in pain.
      Removing it from her wrist, he dropped it down to the ground, and she started as she realized it hadn't splashed. They were now traveling on sandy ground, still bare of any trees or ground cover, and she hadn't even noticed. She wanted to look at him, see what he was thinking, but his hold on her prevented it. He picked up her other wrist and yanked the other cuff apart the same way he had the first, tossing it away. She rubbed her wrists where they had been, blinking in disbelief.
      "Now you have no excuse," he said gruffly, letting her go and returning to guiding the horse.
      Taia stared straight ahead, trying to comprehend this. She… didn't have to let anyone hurt her? What was she going to do now? She finally turned and leaned her face against his chestplate, hitting it once with her fist before just seeming to go limp. "I hate you," she said, muffled against him.
      "I know," he mumbled, his arm back around her. They rode silently for a while, Sekhmet looking about cautiously. They were entering an area of the Netherworld that was home to beasts only referred to as 'dirt-crawlers'. They were incredibly dangerous, even to one with a yoroi, and they attacked in groups. He didn't want to have to fight them, especially with Taia there.
      They were close to the gate, anyhow - he'd taken the long way on purpose in order to talk with her, but there was no putting it off now. Talpa would be getting impatient anyway for her to be on her way and for him to get back to the castle. He drew the horse to a stop in the large area where the gate would appear, and looked down at her. "We're here."
      Taia raised her head, looking out at the empty space. He outstretched his hand and called up the gate, feeling the familiar tingle along his nerves as the portal to the Mortal World shuddered into being. The huge red doors swung open, dust roiling along the ground. When it settled, he nudged her, and she slid her legs over the side of the horse, letting him support her by the arms until her bare feet touched the ground.
      "It should take you near the city called… Toyama, I believe," he told her. He could call the gates all right, but getting them to connect to a certain place was more difficult, and more suited to Cale's talents anyhow. "The Ronins are there, somewhere. You should have no problem finding them."
      Sekhmet looked down at Taia as she stood staring at him, her arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes were still wide and unbelieving, her fingers clutching the folds of her rough, torn robe. "I don't know why, but th-thank you," she murmured to him.
      "Go," he said shortly, pointing imperatively at the gate. She automatically turned to obey, but stopped to look back again.
      "Don't get in trouble!" she called, her heart suddenly leaping in amazement as she faced the gate. Was she actually free? It was too strange.
      He frowned back. "Remember, Taia, you don't have to let anyone do anything to you. No one will punish you. Fight back."
      She blinked into the mists, nodding to herself. That was right. She was free, and there were no cuffs. She took a few steps into the gate. The Mortal World that she had been away from for hundreds of years awaited. Find the Ronins? she thought as the ether of the gate began to cling to her clothes and skin. She heard the sound of hooves as Sekhmet abruptly wheeled the horse around, heading back to the castle. Neither one looked back.

Highway approaching Toyama

      Madonna is my savior, Sadako thought, smirking a little. She continued to stare, as she had been for nearly the entire ride, at the back of Yui's head. Her best friend's older sister noisily chewed her gum as she drove, occasionally singing along to the chorus of the tape she was playing. The dyed platinum blonde curls of her hair, styled like her idol's, bounced in the breeze from the open window.
      "'Holiday… celebrate…'" she sang, drawing out the gum in strings and still managing to steer the small car at the same time.
      "Do you have to sing?" Megumi whined, scrunching down in the passenger seat. She fiddled with the knot that held her shirt tied close to her side. "Do we have to listen to Madonna? I swear, you listen to nothing else."
      Yui smirked, smacking her shiny blood-red lips. "My car, my rules. My expensive import tape, my generosity in driving your friend to meet her boyfriend…"
      "All right, all right! But can't we listen to the radio after this then?"
      "I'll see."
      Sadako spoke up, "I really appreciate you driving me, Yui, I do. You didn't really have to…"
      She winked so that the younger girl could see it in the rearview mirror. "No problem, really. I live to help unfortunates defy strict parents."
      She flushed as Megumi said indignantly, "Who in their right minds would make their daughter wait until she was eighteen to even date? Your dad is weird, even for, well, a dad."
      "He just thinks I should concentrate on my schoolwork first," she mumbled back, clutching the large brown paper bag in her hands even tighter. Not my fault he's so strict... besides, it's not like I'm too afraid to do stuff like this, right?
      "And then they won't even let you wear normal clothes," her friend continued. "Couldn't you have dressed casual even once? You know, jeans or leggings or something? Weren't your parents suspicious to see us picking you up for my 'slumber party' in that skirt?"
      Sadako shook her head. "No, I wear this kind of thing everywhere, you know that. I brought jeans. But I wanted to make a good impression on my host." Megumi turned around and rolled her eyes, and she stuck out her tongue back teasingly. "Besides, you'd wear a skirt too to go see your boyfriend."
      "Of course… to save time." She laughed. "Heh, just cause you're a prude doesn't mean you can't make innuendo, eh, Sa-chan? Didja bring some sexy pajamas?"
      "Megumi!"
      "Well, it's the truth, right, Yui?"
      The woman rolled her eyes. "No comment. Really, you are something else, Megumi. Your only sexual experience comes from romance novels."
      Sadako giggled at her friend's shriek of dismay. As she started to argue with her sister, she thought, She's right, though. Nobody flirts with the plain, smart girl. And Kento's probably afraid I'd get the wrong impression or flip out if he tried to kiss me. It'll be a long time before I'm kissed... She sighed to herself, but her thoughts were jolted back to the other occupants of the car as a scream of dismay mixed with Madonna's voice.
      "Stop it stop it stop it! Yui, if you don't stop it right now I'm gonna kill you!"
      Her sister snickered, continuing in a fake deep voice, "The delicate limbs of our heroine Megumi trembled as she watched the rippling muscles of the bodybuilder. He was so built, so perfect, that she would have to make him hers without delay. She could already imagine the mingling of their love-juices--"
      "Yui!" Megumi yelled, sinking down further into her seat and covering her face with her hands. "Shut up! Just shut up!"
      Sadako felt her face redden as Yui continued her impromptu steamy narrative. Could she even imagine doing- No! No way! I couldn't possibly... Her face grew even warmer, but she was too embarrassed to tell her to stop it. For all her protests, she knew her friend was probably quite intrigued by the story. Despite her best intentions, it drew her mind along too.
      You should at least kiss him. You're running away to meet him, may as well make it worthwhile.
      But, even so, she didn't know if she would find the courage when the time came.

Dayus's chambers, Talpa's Dynasty

      Her paleness seemed to shine in the dim light of the candle. The rest of the room was draped in shadow, as of course befit the chambers of a Dynasty Warlord. Kayura was sleeping, he thought, although he could never be sure. Even after nearly fifty years of knowing her, he had never been able to tell when she was truly asleep.
      Dayus shifted, moving to sit up, strands of her long mass of blue-black hair sliding down his arm and causing him to shiver slightly. She exhaled softly and turned to look up at him. "I'm sorry, if it means anything to you," she murmured, her slim fingers reaching up to trace his cheekbone.
      He brushed her hand away. "I don't know," he said. "Nothing means anything anymore."
      "You're alive; there's still a chance to defeat the Ronins. Talpa's even more powerful than he was. We're sure to win this time."
      He made a derisive noise, leaning his chin on his bent knees. "All thanks to you we will, I suppose."
      Kayura sat up now as well, moving to look at him. "Talpa thinks I can help, and I can. It's not my fault you failed and Anubis turned traitor."
      "There you go again," he said angrily, snatching for the robe laying nearby on the stone floor. He stood and slid it on, tying the sash and smoothing down the white waves of his hair some. "I'm sure if Talpa had allowed you to fight at the beginning, we'd be drinking sake from the Ronins' skulls."
      She frowned. "There's nothing wrong with having confidence, Dayus. Facts are facts, and when I beat the Ronins it won't change anything here…"
      You are fucking kidding. "Like hell it won't, Kayura! You know very well that being Talpa's favorite will give you a larger ego than you already have!"
      She seemed to explode into a standing position, the medallion she never took off swinging wildly before settling as usual across her bare breasts. They had been fighting even more than usual lately, and she knew that their relationship - whatever kind of one it was - was drawing to a close. Nothing lasted forever, after all, and they had been together longer than many mortals. "At least I have a reason to have an ego," she snarled. "I'm not a pathetic failure, losing to stupid little boys, ne?"
      "We'll just have to see how you fare then," Dayus spat back. They had just had a similar argument only a couple hours ago, one he controlled as he usually did by getting her into bed. However, right now he could hardly even look at her, mad as he was. Impulsively he pointed at the large double doors of the entrance. "Just… just get the hell out. If I'm just a cheap fuck to you, I'm sure you can find one even cheaper."
      She bent to grab for her own robe, flinging it around her shoulders and shaking her hair free. When both had settled, she put her hands on her hips and laughed uproariously. He had always found her cackles annoying, and clenched his fists, taking a step toward her. She did not immediately stop, instead shaking her head and degenerating into snickers. She stalked up to him and patted his cheek fondly, laughing again when he shoved her hand away, fuming.
      "They get no cheaper than you," Kayura said sweetly. Automatically his hand flew out, slapping her hard across the face. Her hand had come up to block it a second too late, and when she looked back at him, there was murder in her eyes.
      "I said leave," he told her in a controlled voice, once more pointing at the door.
      Her hands trembled into fists, but he did not respond in kind, and soon she relaxed, looking away haughtily. "You'll see, failure," she said calmly, transporting herself away rather than moving for the entrance.
      It was a little while after she had disappeared before he dropped his arm, sighing in frustration. Damn her and what she does to me! Dayus thought in rage, blindly fumbling behind him for something to break. His hand closed around a painted vase, and he clenched it tightly, flinging his arm back to throw it. Only half of the vase made it across the room to crash against the wall; he found the neck of the vessel had shattered in his grip.
      The pain hit him a moment later, and he sat down abruptly to pick the ceramic shards from the bloody mess of his hand. He took a few deep breaths to regain his composure somewhat. It'll be a cold day in Hell before I touch you again, he thought angrily, hurling the blood-spattered pieces of vase at the place where she had been. Damn you, Kayura, I hope the Ronins end up - end up hanging you by that damn hair. Because if they don't, I will!

Road approaching Toyama

      There are people inside those metal beasts, Taia thought, staring as a car drove past her again. They always slowed down to stare, but they never stopped. They go so fast. If I can get in one then I can find the Ronins faster too.
      She waited again for one to come by, but the road was quiet and empty. She continued to walk along the side of the narrow road, the stiff dry grass prickling her feet. The hot dark gray surface of the road was little better, however. She had found a sign not too far from where the gate had led her, and had spent about five minutes reading it: 'Toyama 15' it had said. Fifteen what, she didn't know, but figured it was probably prudent to go that way. She would surely run into the city sooner or later.
      As she walked, a low rumbling growl reached her ears, and she spun to see a green-colored car approaching from up the road. It too slowed down so the driver could stare at her, but as it went past there was a sudden shriek from the machine, and the car stopped just ahead of her.
      Taia cautiously came closer, jumping in surprise as the person inside leaned down and the piece of glass in front of him slowly disappeared. "Need a ride, lady?" he said, eyeing her up and down.
      His gaze made her wish she had more on than the brown hemp robe she was wearing, but she didn't want to walk much more. She nodded and told him, "I want to go to Toyama."
      "You're in luck. That's where I'm headed." His dark eyes narrowed slightly. "Hop in."
      She hesitated, wondering what he meant, and how exactly she was supposed to get into the machine. There was an empty seat on the other side of him, so there was probably a way to get in on that side. She slowly picked her way around the front of the small car. There was definitely a door there. She reached for the metal piece attached to it and pulled, proud of herself as the portal to the machine opened.
      Taia slid into the dark-colored seat, strange smells of smoke and something like leather hitting her nose. She pulled the door closed after her and looked at the man expectantly. His aura was a kind of hesitant slow melody, and she didn't quite like the way it sounded, although at least it didn't give her a headache. After he had rolled the window back up, he shifted something with his hand and moved his foot, and the machine jerked into motion. Her eyes flew open wide as they moved along the ground, as fast as a horse but with no wind blowing across their faces, and with very little sound as well - even the rumble she'd heard outside was quieter.
      "So," he said after some silence, "why you heading to Toyama?"
      "To find the Ronins," she replied, looking at him and blinking. Did he know where they were? That would be lucky indeed.
      The man frowned. "You mean the memorial to the Forty-seven Ronin? You're not going to find that in Toyama."
      "Oh, no, there are only five," she corrected pleasantly, looking out the front window and humming to herself.
      He stared at her, not very impressed with his estimate of her intelligence. "Um… want to listen to the radio?"
      "Radio?" she said, cocking her head to the side. He gave her a strange look and reached to turn a knob. Immediately music began, some woman singing although there was no one else in the car. Taia glanced about wildly. "That's amazing!" she said excitedly. The man pushed a button on the panel, and suddenly the music changed. Taia reached out and pushed one herself, giggling slightly as it changed again.
      He let her mess with the radio for a few minutes as he drove, continually glancing over at her and then quickly back to the road. She paid him no mind, having finally found a song that she had wanted to listen to, and was sitting still, detecting the notes in it. It was not a song of any power, but it was pleasing to the ear. Suddenly, she could feel the car decelerating as the man pulled it over to the side of the road. He reached and turned off the radio.
      With the absence of the radio's music, she could suddenly hear how loud his musical aura was. She could hear it get darker and more ominous, and had tensed apprehensively before he even reached over, placing his hand on her thigh. "Look, I think you'd better give me something since I'm giving you a ride."
      "I don't have any money," she whispered uncomfortably, shrinking back into the seat.
      "You know what I want," he said, moving his hand higher.
      Taia shook her head, moving to push his hand off her, but he just grabbed her wrist with his other one. "You can't do this," she told him in a small voice. "You aren't allowed."
      "Of course I am. You little dolt, do you think anybody gives a damn what'll happen to you? Did you escape from an insane asylum, anyway? Nobody will believe you if you tell, and it's your fault for being stupid enough to take a ride from a stranger." He sneered, pushing her down. "Didn't your mommy tell you that?"
      "Stop," she said louder, trying to struggle away from his grip and his probing fingers. The look in his eyes was just the same as the other's had been. "Talpa will be mad if he finds out!"
      "What the fuck are you talking about, dumbass? Hold still before I have to hurt you," he gritted, pulling open her robe. The words made her go limp, automatically obeying. She didn't want to be punished.
      She felt his lips on her, lying there unemotionally. Taia closed her eyes, waiting for it to be over. And then she remembered, with the lightness of her wrists now that the cuffs were gone, and the voice in her head. 'You don't have to let anyone do anything to you,' he'd said. 'Fight back.'
      The woman sat up with a sudden force, giving the surprised man a shove that sent him back against the driver's side window, bumping his ribs on the steering wheel. "Bitch!" he shouted. "What the fuck--" The look in her eyes like fire stopped his voice in his throat. She leaned forward and touched her hand to his chest. He sat as if paralyzed as she opened her mouth - and sang.
       The man felt a tightening deep inside his chest, one that heightened with every new note. He began breathing faster, trying to scramble back away from her touch, but he was already pressed against the door. One hand reached for the handle, but the door was locked. He whimpered as his heart began to resonate, beating faster and faster in response to her voice. His fingers crawled upward to the lock, straining his arm as he came ever closer to it.
       Taia closed her eyes, letting loose with a high-pitched scream before yanking back her hand. The man almost matched it in frequency before his chest exploded outward with all the seeming force of a bombshell. The heat of his blood sprayed across her, causing her to flinch back until she too hit her back against the other window of the small car.
      When she could look again, she saw that she'd never have to worry about that man again. Most of him was splattered against the window, a bright red puddle behind him dripping slowly down the glass. The rest still sat in the seat, his ribs cracked open like a nutshell. Her mouth open and panting heavily, Taia nodded in satisfaction, wiping at and smearing the drops that threatened to run down into her eyes.
      There was no way she could operate the machine, especially since the body was taking up the driver's space. She sighed and then looked at the radio, turning the knob as the man had done. The music came on again, and she smiled, changing the stations until she found one she liked. Taia settled back in her seat, waiting for someone else to come along so she could finally get to town.

Mia's jeep, Road approaching Toyama

      He had been right - the coldness emanating from Mia was astounding. She hadn't said a word to him since they were in the store, and he was definitely regretting what he had done. It was just that he had been so calm and mature during the whole fight with the Dynasty. One can only hold back so long, after all. He just wished it had been with the guys instead of Mia; they would have taken it a whole lot better.
      Sage sighed, glancing over at her again. She was so mad she probably wouldn't even accept an apology right then, so he concentrated on looking straight ahead. There was practically no one else on this road, but they had to be stuck behind the one car that was there, didn't they? Just another way to make this last longer and punish me even more, he thought, sighing internally.
      There were girls in the car ahead, and the one in the passenger seat kept turning around to look at them and laugh. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her or make a face back, merely ignoring them. Unfortunately, this just made the girl laugh even more, trying to get her friends to look too. None of them would besides quick glances, however, and he was glad of that.
      They were approaching a green car sitting on the side of the road, and Sage glanced over to look at it. No hazard lights were flashing, but it looked like someone was in it. "Hey, Mia," he said as the car ahead of them just went on by it. She didn't reply, and he tried again, "Mia, could we pull over and help them? There's like no one else on this road, and it's getting dark." And I want out of this car for just a minute! "Can't we just give them a jump or something?"
      Mia sighed. The mood in the car was oppressive, but she wasn't willing to just up and forgive Sage quite yet. "I suppose, but it can't take long, we've got ice cream here."
      "Thanks," he said as she flipped her blinker and pulled over to the side of the road. She hadn't even come to a complete stop before he unbuckled and opened the door, sliding down to the ground. The young man walked over to the driver's side of the car, and then pulled up short, staring. What in the hell was that all over the window? That's blood, his mind told him stubbornly, even as he tried to insanely deny it. That's blood all over the window, Sage. Someone is dead in that car.
      He spun to face Mia as she opened the door of her jeep and started to get out. "No, Mia, don't!" he called, holding out a hand.
      She paused, looking at him quizzically. "Sage…? What--"
      "No! Don't come over here! There's someone dead!" Her hand flew to her mouth in shock, and he turned to face away from both her and the other car, taking a few deep breaths.
      His father was a policeman, and had once brought home crime scene photos. Of course he had put them in a safe place, but Sage's curiosity had gotten the best of him and he had found them. Those had sickened him enough, but actually seeing a dead person… it was so much worse. Even as a Ronin Warrior he had never killed anyone, only the soldiers that released a column of smoke in death. Not ever blood. But still, he could have sworn there was someone alive in there…
      Cautiously, he moved around the front of the car, swallowing heavily and trying not to look at the bloody… something that was propped up in the driver's seat. He saw a woman sitting there, very still, and he had to doubletake to see that she too was alive, although she was almost as covered in blood as the window. She blinked slowly as she saw him, and he hovered for a moment. Was she the one that had done this? If so, did he want to go over to her?
      Don't be a coward, he told himself. You've still got your armor, after all. He continued over to the passenger door and gingerly reached out to open it. "Are-are you okay?" he asked, eyeing her pale, dirty face. When his gaze hit her open robe, he looked away abruptly, flushing. "What happened?" he queried in a soft voice, keeping his eyes averted.
      Taia blinked again, the aura reaching her ears sounding like the tranquillity of the woods, so light and airy. She knew immediately that fate must have had something to do with all of this. She reached up her hand to touch him, and he danced back suddenly at the movement, away from her. "You're a Ronin Warrior," she stated placidly.
      "Mia!" Sage yelled, staring in sudden fear at the blood-spattered woman. "Mia, come here!" The auburn-haired woman gingerly made her way over to Sage's side, her face pale at the sight of the driver's side of the car. She clutched his sleeve, and he looked up at her, saying, "If it's too much, you can go back, but she--"
      "You aren't a Ronin Warrior," Taia said when Mia came into view, and the woman spun around to face the car, surprised.
      "See?" Sage said quietly.
      Mia came closer to her, crouching down to eye level. "You killed this person," she stated, keeping her eyes firmly on the other woman's face and not looking at the body. Taia nodded in assent.
      "He tried to hurt me," she said. "I don't have to let anyone hurt me."
      "No, you don't," Mia told her firmly. Gently and hesitantly, she reached out and pulled the robe back over to cover her again. "What's your name?"
      She thought for a moment. "Taia. Kintami Taia!" she said after a pause, looking proud at remembering her family name.
      "Taia, I'm Mia, and this is Sage." She turned to gesture at the nervous young man behind her.
      "The Ronin Warrior."
      Mia nodded. "How do you know about that?" Sage said in a strained voice. Mia shook her head at him before Taia could reply, standing up.
      "No, let's not worry about that now. Let's get her back to the house."
      He blanched. "Mia, she killed someone!"
      "For a very good reason," she returned darkly. She looked back at the woman in the car and held out her hand. "Do you trust us? We'll take you someplace safe."
      Taia nodded and took Mia's hand, letting her help her out of the small car. She took a few steps and stumbled against the other woman, and Sage darted over to help steady both of them. Taia looked at Sage and reached out to touch his face. He almost automatically stepped back before catching himself. She pushed back the hair over his eye to read his expression. "I was looking for the Ronins," she said. "But you came to me."
      "Let's get back to the house," Mia repeated, starting toward her car.
      Sage nodded, moving ahead to open one of the back doors for Taia. He climbed in and pulled out the emergency blanket from the trunk, helping her inside and wrapping it around her as Mia got in herself. When she just sat there like a statue, he hesitated and then pulled up the seatbelt, fastening it. She just looked at him with those curious brown eyes, almost like a child. Feeling uneasy, he pushed his way up to the front and collapsed in his own seat. I hope we won't regret this. And how the hell does she know what I am?
     "Questions later," Mia said, as if she was reading his mind. "Let's just go home."

      Well, how'd you like it? Long, I know. Took a long time to do, too.  Please give me your impressions and suggestions for the future parts.  And also, many thanks to Sharra and Rogue Moonstar for reading this every two paragraphs I had done. ^_^;

Part Two