Notes: Sorry this chapter has taken so long to get out. I suppose
it should be expected by now. Regardless, it’s short (for me, at least) and on
the whole I don’t like it. Anyway, here it is.
The small group woke nearly at the crack of dawn, and was on the road again
shortly there after. None of them had slept well, but there had been no camp to
take down. They had only to wait for their pet tiger to squeeze into the back of
Mia’s Suzuki Samurai before they were on the road.
It was Mia driving this time and Makoto had taken her customary spot in the
back with White Blaze, leaving Ryo to the passenger seat. No words passed
between them, and no one exchanged sly glances, save Ryo who was trying to gauge
the emotions of the female members of the group. Neither had spoken a word after
being woken, which was severely disturbing. He could understand their actions
because of the circumstances, but not hearing a barbing remark from Makoto or an
encouraging word from Mia was beginning to become disturbing.
When he glanced to the rearview mirror, he saw Makoto was leaning against
the tiger, eyes open, but breathing steadily through her nose. She seemed lost
in thought and did not seem aware to the fact that he was staring at her.
‘That’s probably for the best, too…’
Then when he glanced to Mia, he saw the same vacant look in her eyes. She
seemed to be running on autopilot. Her hands methodically gripped the steering
wheel while her eyes slowly moved back and forth, maintaining their course by
the road signs offered.
He wondered if it was because of his lingering gaze that she finally spoke,
“We’re going to the Akidoshi Plateau… Grandfather’s poem,” she rolled on without
a hitch, “spoke that 'the darkest prison sheds the light.' Beneath the
plateau lie the Kanasota Gulch Pinnacles. If there’s a dark prison around here
somewhere, it’s got to be there. Besides, compared to Shinjuku, it’s got to be
in the middle of nowhere…” She spoke, and yet even as she said the words they
seemed uneasy and hollow in their sentiments.
‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ Makoto thought silently, releasing a sigh
before closing her eyes and trying to sleep. It was not the first time, but
every time she had tried to do so the vision of her grandfather, possessed by
some demon from The Dynasty, came back to her; his kind blue eyes replaced by
red while a nasty snarling expression was embedded on his face.
She didn’t cry. She didn’t feel like she could cry anymore, and still she
knew that wasn’t the case.
‘I just want all of this to be over,’ she thought silently and
sighed, dropping into White Blaze’s soft, warm fur, causing him to give a
rumbling purr beneath her. In response she reached up and scratched his jaw line
gently.
“It’ll be okay, White Blaze,” she spoke. Even as she said so her stomach
rumbled and she held her free hand against it tightly, saying nothing. Makoto
sighed and rolled onto her back, staring at the roof of the SUV before glancing
to the front.
When they reached the pinnacles, it was colder than Makoto would have liked.
Mia had time to change clothes and not only was Ryo wearing his armor, it held
the essence of fire. Of course he would be warm. She had not had a chance to
change clothes in the past few days they had been running around, and she
probably looked like a complete mess. She pushed the thought to the back of her
mind as she climbed out of the SUV and another growl escaped her stomach.
Ryo’s sympathizing expression caught her eye and he smiled slightly and she
returned it, but the smile did not reach her eyes. She didn’t bother to wait
until she turned away before dropping it.
“What I wouldn’t give for a rat, right about now…” Makoto spoke calmly,
stretching her arms over her head. Just at that moment Mia came walking around
from the other side of the vehicle and eyed the girl strangely. When Makoto
lowered her arms, she looked at the strange looks she was receiving from both of
them, and reached over to pat White Blaze’s head… “When you’re on the street and
you’re hungry… You’ll eat just about anything.”
The words caused both of the older two to gain horrified expressions and Mia
murmured quietly, “You ate rats?”
Makoto’s head snapped upward and with a mortified expression, she said, “EW!
No! I’m just saying I might eat one now if I had one!”
Ryo and Mia stared at her for a moment before she turned away and they broke
into small chuckles. At their laughter she turned back to observe them, and
smiled gently. “Where do we go from here, Mia?”
Mia smiled again, her heart feeling lighter from her cousin’s antics and she
nodded. Then she glanced up, her face somber, though her heart was not as heavy,
and cast her eyes in the direction of the front of the vehicle.
“That way,” she said and the rest of the group turned to look with her. A
large cave mouth stood in front of them. Beyond it was an even larger rock that
the cave was carved into, but the rock dipped into the ground quickly and
leveled out with the ground beyond them.
“Must be a steep drop once inside,” Ryo thought as he studied the
mouth of the cave.
“'The darkest prison sheds the light…' This is the darkest place
around. Give me a minute and we’ll go in.” Mia spoke while Makoto and Ryo
nodded. As Mia stepped back to the vehicle, Ryo and Makoto took a few steps
toward the cave and then paused.
Makoto stared at the cave with solemn eyes. Her right hand moved upward to
grasp her left elbow as her left arm dangled at her side. She could imagine just
how cold it was going to be in the cave, not that the wind chill wasn’t cold
enough already. With a sigh she bowed her head as a shiver passed through her
body. Wincing, she paused for a moment, gritting her teeth, and then completely
closed her eyes.
“Okay, we can go. Makoto?” Mia asked stepping forward and placing a hand on
her cousin’s shoulder. “Are you all right? You’re trembling violently.”
“Huh?” Ryo’s voice penetrated her thoughts and Makoto could hear the loud
footsteps of his armor coming toward her before she cast her eyes upward. When
their eyes met, he gasped and lifted a hand quickly to her brow, brushing her
bangs away from her forehead. “Mia…” he spoke and her cousin stepped around to
face her quickly.
She wanted to pull away from them, show them that she was fine, but she knew
she wasn’t fine. Something was terribly wrong about this place. Makoto wasn’t
aware of what. The only thing she could feel was the spasmodic tremors that were
wracking her body and the fact that was it was terribly cold in this place.
“I’m fine,” Makoto spoke, though her voice betrayed what everyone was
thinking. She looked up and gave a poor attempt of brushing Ryo’s hand away.
Mia’s hand immediately replaced it, brushing the hair away from her forehead,
but it was comforting. “Just cold…” Makoto admitted finally while Mia pulled her
hand away. The eleven year-old reached up to her ponytail and pulled the elastic
out, letting her hair fall around her shoulders. It was messy and uneven, due to
its dirtiness, but she took a moment to arrange it so that it covered her neck
and blocked some of the wind. She then lifted her eyes, smiling gently. “That’s
better…” she trailed, hoping to alleviate the looks she was still getting.
They continued to stare though, and Makoto sighed inwardly. “Different
tactic…” she thought quickly and smirked up at them. “If Sage is waiting for
us, then what the hell are we waiting around for?”
They relaxed slightly as she pushed by them, but she could tell they were
not completely convinced. “Too bad for them…” she thought and then sighed
aloud. White Blaze took a step next to her and she dropped a hand to his back,
masking the fact that she was leaning on him with the small strokes she ran over
him.
“She’s right about that much. Come on,” Ryo spoke to Mia solemnly and then
continued after the girl.
When their eyes could no longer see her expression, Makoto sighed and
dropped them to the ground. She could feel warmth emanating from her forehead,
but she was sure it wasn’t a fever. She had had those before, and it didn’t feel
the same. This was more comforting and soothing. Still-
The warmth diminished and she heard Mia and Ryo behind her scream, causing
her to look up sharply. Planning to turn back to them, she abruptly stopped,
facing Sehkmet directly before her. The Warlord of Venom grinned down at her
suddenly terrified expression, but made no advancement toward her, causing a
brief flash of confusion in her mind. It was quickly replaced with terror once
more.
“No…” she spoke, lifting a hand up quickly to block him from her. Snake-like
eyes peered down at her through the shadow created by the demon’s helmet. It
lifted an arm out to grab her and she screamed again, “NO!”
A gasp ripped through her as brilliant, lime green light surrounded her
body, sending a flurry of warmth through her body, causing her skin to tingle
all over as she accepted it. At the same time, she could see Sehkmet being
forced away- violently, forced away. She screamed again, though she was no
longer scared. Sehkmet was now cowering on the ground and Mia and Ryo were
standing before her, protecting her from whatever might have come her way…
“Then again, I protected myself…” she thought and she lowered her
arm, feeling the warm glow and the green light leave her. Mia and Ryo were still
staring at her as if she had grown another head.
“What- “ Sehkmet gasped and coughed, saliva flying from his mouth with the
force of the action. “What is this power you hold?” His already dilated eyes
narrowed as he stood to his feet and lowered his swords to his sides, standing
wide open for an attack. “This is not over. For now, though, I’ll leave you to
yours.”
He disappeared as swiftly as the wind as though he’d never been there, and
Makoto dropped to her knees, only slightly aware that he had vanished, and even
less so that Mia and Ryo were still standing over her gawking down at her.
“Is this- Is this why the other family members wouldn’t take her?”
Mia thought suddenly, reaching out to touch Makoto’s shoulder. She pulled back
though, almost worried about what would happen. Were her strong emotions the
trigger for the power that attacked Sehkmet? “The trigger for what power?
Where did it come from?” Ryo took the stand opposite Mia next to Makoto and
laid a hand on Makoto’s shoulder.
“You okay, Makoto?”
The girl was silent a moment before she nodded and brought two hands to her
face, rubbing her eyes tiredly, while mumbling, "I’m fine… I’ll be fine…” Makoto
stood then, but she made no move to walk forward and away from them. This time
she simply stood there.
“Okay…” Mia spoke gently, and Makoto was glad that she was dropping the
subject, though she silently wondered if it would be nice to have Mia fawn over
her more.
Nah.
The quartet moved on, no one saying anything of Makoto’s episode or the fact
that she had just saved them all. The girl walked slightly ahead of the group,
with White Blaze moving at her side, nearly as tall as she was. While no one
said anything about it, Ryo and Mia still thought about it and Makoto tried to
push it from her mind.
“We can’t keep running from the Warlords…”
“They were right, I am a freak…”
“I’ll have to fight them. I have to keep the others safe…”
As they took their first step into the cave, Mia switched the flashlight on.
It wasn’t that bright at first but as they moved further in, its light seemed to
grow brighter. The tension between them began to fade away, though none of them
could deny the apprehension they were still feeling over Sehkmet’s
disappearance. He hadn’t reappeared and they had seen no Dynasty soldiers as of
yet.
“Don’t think like that, Mia,” Mia told herself as they began another
steep decent, holding hands while Makoto took a thick tuft of White Blaze’s fur
in her hand and pulled him along after her. Despite the sometimes, rough jerks
she gave at a drop or when she slipped, he followed her along and did not try to
pull away as she used him to steady herself.
“It’s getting colder as we go down… and wetter,” Makoto observed.
“Yes it is. Do you want to ride White Blaze?” Ryo replied, glancing ahead to
her while he picked up the rear.
“No,” Makoto spoke simply, feeling a sudden surge of fear run through her.
The pain of everything that had happened; the capture of Shinjuku, the loss of
the Ronin, the constant running in fear, and now the death of her grandfather;
it all came back to her in a swift rush. She paused for a split second, gasping
for silent breath, and then she walked on as her eyes began to itch. She glanced
away and thought of something else quickly, like what she was going to do when
all of this was over. The emotion slowly drained away and she blinked a few
times, to get her eyes to return to normal.
“Sehkmet disappeared awfully quickly. It must mean that Sage is here…
Right? Or are they just trailing us to get to Ryo?” Mia wondered silently.
“He’ll be back before this entire journey is over. I am sure of that much…
Has Ryo recovered enough to protect all of us?”
Ryo watched Makoto for a moment. The split-second pause did not go
unnoticed, but he said nothing. The girl probably had enough on her mind as it
was. He looked up again, casting blue eyes to the front of the line where Mia
was guiding them; every now and then issuing a warning for a dip or an
exceptionally slippery surface.
“Watch out here, there’s a drop off to the left… Not sure how big it is, so
be careful,” Mia spoke and emphasized her words by slowing. His eyes had
adjusted to the darkness sometime ago, even with the presence of Mia’s
flashlight and he could make out stalagmites growing up from the ground and even
a few lower stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
“I can feel him…” he spoke suddenly to the darkness, not entirely aware that
he had said anything until the other three stopped and turned to face him.
“What?” Makoto asked, more for him to affirm what he had said than
questioning that he said anything.
“Where is he?” Mia asked, turning around quickly and accidentally shining
the flashlight into the other pair’s eyes.
They both jerked back, bringing an arm up to shield them from the lights and
Makoto swore, “Dammit, Mia!” She took another step backward, hearing a sharp
squeak from the rubber soles of her shoes against the slippery rock beneath her.
Makoto could feel only her toes still touching the rock, and a short scream
escaped her throat
“Makoto!” Ryo and Mia screamed, but only Ryo was in the position to catch
one of her flailing arms. His armored hand caught her wrist and he clamped down
as she caught his wrist tightly in return. Her strength was severely
underestimated, though, because when she gave a sharp tug to pull herself back
she ended up pulling Ryo into her. The girl grunted as his larger armored body
rammed into hers, sending both of them sprawling even farther backwards.
“Mako! Ryo!” Mia screamed as the two toppled over the edge.
- - - - -
The fall was not nearly as long as she would have thought it to be, and very
shortly after slipping from the edge, she found herself on the receiving end of
a rough landing, complete with grunt and groan. For a span of time, Makoto did
not look forward to moving. The sudden fall, followed by an even more sudden
landing, had caused her entire body to start aching.
Cuts and scratches from the exploding glass when the helicopter landed stung
as if they were fresh, and the cut above her eyebrow from Anubis' stellar
entrance was throbbing. She chose to ignore the pounding in the back of her head
from the contact with her grandfather’s office door. The less she thought about
her pains, though, the more chance she had to think about her surroundings; like
the fact that her clothes weren’t wet from landing on the slippery rock and her
fall area seemed warm, not feeling as rock should.
When Makoto chanced to open her eyes she could not see any better than she
could when Mia had blinded her, though now it was completely dark, reminding her
of why she had fallen in the first place. Another span of time passed before she
moved a hand to help prop her so she could move into a kneeling position. She
had fallen on her stomach, but surprisingly enough that wasn’t as sore as the
rest of her.
Her hand moved directly beneath her and when she pushed down she heard a
grunt of protest, revealing the fact that something with sentience was beneath
her. She pushed down again, and there was another grunt.
“Ryo! He must have taken the fall for me!” she thought suddenly and despite
the darkness, her eyes widened. She was surprised, to say the least.
“Ryo,” she choked out and then was suddenly exhaling a mouth full of dust,
the origin of which she was a bit unclear. When he did not respond, she used the
same hand that had found him to feel for his face. Upon finding it she slapped
him hard, causing his head to escape from her searching fingers as it lolled in
the opposite direction. The strike worked, though, because Ryo groaned and began
coughing roughly so that Makoto crawled off of him and sat on the ground,
wincing as she felt another spike of pain run from head to toe.
“Makoto?” he asked and sat up slowly, without the wait that she, herself,
had taken. For a split second she wondered if she should try and make him rest,
then decided that he had enough common sense to gauge his injuries by
himself.
“Yeah, it’s me,” she spoke and then sat back fully, not bothering to cross
her legs beneath her. She glanced over to him, wondering if her eyes were able
to adjust better when there seemed to be no light whatsoever. Still, she could
see Ryo flexing and moving his limbs as he crawled to his knees.
“You okay?” she questioned nervously. If he could be concerned enough to
take the fall for her, she could at least return the courtesy. “One good turn
deserves another and all that…” she thought silently. Still, it felt strange to
even pretend to worry about someone that was not close to her. “Maybe by the
time all of this is over, Ryo and I can be friends…” Makoto thought as she
waited for Ryo to respond.
“Yeah,” Ryo answered quickly before taking a short, quick breath, and
rocking onto his backside. “My armor did a good job of absorbing most of the
fall. Are you okay?” he asked. She was surprised to hear that he sounded
sincere, despite the weariness in his voice. She couldn’t fault him, though. The
young girl nodded in the darkness, knowing that if she could discern Ryo’s
movements, he should be able to clearly discern hers.
There was a span of silence from the time that she began to stand, feeling
something wet roll over her eyebrow and down to her eye. Blinking, she wiped it
out of her eye quickly, feeling something decidedly warm smear over her temple.
Lifting her hand to her nose she inhaled deeply but she could not smell
anything. Then she cautiously raised her fingers to her mouth and ran her tongue
over them. The taste was coppery. Blood. Makoto spat quickly and raised her hand
back to her eye quickly. It stung only a little, proportionate to the bleeding,
and thank goodness. She could already feel the re-opened wound trying to scab
over itself.
“Makoto?” Ryo asked again, as if he was waiting for something.
“What?” she asked, and her voice was clearly strained, testament against her
earlier nod.
“I asked if you were all right…”
“I nodded,” She replied and then looked forward, feeling her way along the
floor to move back to his side. While her motions were clumsy, and often impeded
by the troublesome stalagmites that found their way into her path, she made it
back to his side, finding that he had moved slightly from their original landing
spot. “It’s too dark in here. I can’t see anything.” Looking up she could
faintly see the light of Mia’s flashlight far above her head. “Wait,” she spoke
as she saw it. She grasped out and grabbed Ryo’s arm, then pointed upward,
despite the darkness. “I see the light from Mia’s flashlight up there… Do you
think it would do any good to shout?”
For a moment he did not answer. It seemed as if he was still trying to get
his bearings.
“No,” he spoke very suddenly. “We’re in a cave… There might be bats or it
might cause a cave in to shout to her. We’ll just have to go-“ he stumbled
slightly, causing Makoto to grasp his arm tightly as his weight pulled her with
him. He caught himself firmly, and held a gauntlet to his head, breathing
raggedly.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked lowly, suddenly more worried than she
would have allowed him to know.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he spoke quickly. There was tension in his voice that told
her he was not okay, but she would not question him, yet. Save, having fallen
more than twenty feet, and being tracked by demons that were trying to take over
the world, they were in no real danger. He sighed, and placed his free hand over
the hand on his arm and spoke, “We’re going to have to keep going to find Sage;
with or without Mia’s help… ” He swallowed and Makoto began to pull them both
down to the floor to sit for a while as she listened to him. “Mia’s smart,
though. She’ll probably get up in a few minutes and go look for Sage by herself…
White Blaze will be with her, anyway…”
“Yeah, I guess,” Makoto murmured and looked back up. They waited a few
moments in silence. Makoto used the excuse of vertigo to keep Ryo off of his
feet for as long as possible. “Guess your armor’s not so hot, after all,” she
thought silently, reaching up to gingerly touch the scab over her eyebrow.
He wouldn’t stay down for long, though, and Makoto suddenly found herself on
her feet and walking side by side with the bearer of Wildfire through the
Pinnacles. More often than not, she found herself to be leading him more than
following.
“Hey Ryo,” Makoto said, holding onto Ryo’s arm with one hand, while the
other felt around in the dark for possible obstacles. Her earlier assumption
about Ryo being able to see better was not proving to be true. Not that she
could blame him, but he seemed as blind as a bat… “Thanks for taking the fall
for me back there…” A sudden feeling of gravity swept over her and she chuckled
to lighten it. “I’d probably be a stain on the ground, if you hadn’t…”
“Nah,” he spoke, laughing himself, “Your head’s too thick for that…”
She snorted at the comment, but could not suppress a grin as she paused and
began to climb up a steep rock shelf.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that much… Watch your step,” she minded,
helping to pull him upward through the darkness. He stumbled, even with her help
and was sent sprawling to his knees. Makoto gave a small cry of surprise as she
tumbled backward to avoid him, only to crash back into one of a growing line of
stalagmites she had become acquainted with.
“What the hell was that all about?” she demanded shortly, pain running
through her already tired body as she looked over in his direction. He was
silent, and for a moment fear swept through her. “Ryo?” Makoto whispered softly,
sitting up and balling her fists at her sides. She was suddenly very aware of
how dark it was within the cavern and how alone she was… She was cold, and
hungry, and now she didn’t have anyone to share her misery with. “Ryo!” she
called out, louder this time and more desperate.
“We’re here…” his voice came back, causing her to release a shaky sigh, then
feel around in front of her with her hand. Much the same way that she had found
his face after their fall, she found it again. Her small, slender fingers ran
over his eyes and his nose, then finely drawn lips. He was not smiling, and he
did not seem to be responsive to her wandering hand. “Bastard!” she snapped, and
promptly slugged her fist out, aiming in the darkness for his jaw.
But her fist never reached its' target… Instead, his armored hand caught her
fist and gave it a light squeeze, sending a slightly painful tremor through
Makoto’s arm. She was silent as Ryo released her hand, placing it gently at her
side.
“Makoto,” he spoke calmly. “We’re here…”
“What are you talking about?” she demanded, trying to forget the exchange
that had just gone on between them. It was as if it had never registered in
Ryo’s mind.
“Sage- he’s here. He’s very close to us. I can feel the call of his armor;
it’s calling out to mine…” Ryo spoke gently. Makoto jumped to her feet and
looked around quickly, holding her hands out to keep from running into anything.
She could hear Ryo situating behind her, and she wondered if he was trying to
stand. Her eyes were searching as well as her hands, but she couldn’t sense
anything, not like Ryo was admitting to be able to do.
She had nearly given up hope, when there was a sudden blast of hot, fresh
air on her back. It was strong enough to blow her hair over her shoulder and it
smelled like cherry blossoms. With a deep breath, she seemed to be frozen in
place for a moment, captivated by the fresh air. They could not have been in the
caverns more than two hours, but the sudden fresh air made it seem as though it
had been an eternity. Just as she was about to turn and inspect the source of
the air, a warm red light began to glow behind her as well, wiping away all of
the warm feelings that the sudden gust of air had brought on. It cast a
coral-colored glow to the large rock mass before her, and for a moment she
winced, able to clearly distinguish her shadow from the light.
The heat radiating onto her back broke her from her stupor and she turned
slowly back, fear rising within her. Was it another warlord?
Her eyes quickly found Ryo, head bowed, wearing his full armor. It was the
source of the light, the source of warmth.
“I didn’t hear him say the words. Am I getting deaf as well as blind, or
did he really not say them?” Makoto stared at him and licked her lips
nervously, tasting the salt of sweat and dirt on them. Breathing deeply, she
called, “Ryo?” and once more found herself in the position of waiting. “He
said that he could feel Sage’s armor calling to his own, but wouldn’t his under
armor be sufficient to finding him? The only times he’s needed his full armor is
fighting the Warlords.”
“Sage?” Ryo asked, ignoring Makoto to find his friend. “SAGE!” he shouted
and then raised a fist, covered in a red and white gauntlet. Makoto’s eyes
widened as he drew it back and then released it. She tumbled out of the way,
falling hard on the wet rock floor beneath her. The air was knocked from her
lungs as she felt the ground rumble beneath her, caused by the impact of Ryo’s
fist against the massive rock in front of him. She groaned and wheezed deeply
for a moment, trying to catch her breath, then glanced back to where Ryo was
standing.
He was still glowing, more brightly this time. A red, hazy glow had been
cast to everything. Even his own black bangs seemed reddish in the light that
his armor was giving off. It reminded her of…
“What does it remind me of? I can’t- I can’t remember… Was it at the
volcano? I fell in- and then Mia was hugging me, like nothing had happened…”
she thought silently while still panting. She crawled to her knees and looked at
the indention Ryo’s fist had made within the rock. It was crumbling, but not
enough to get Sage completely out of the rock. “RYO! He’s in the rock!” Makoto
screamed, causing Ryo to pause in another effort to strike the rock. “Can’t you
see?! He’s in the rock!” Somehow, though, this still seemed easier than having
to get Ryo out of a volcano. Something about the rock, the earth… It just seemed
easier to have to deal with than molten lava.
“Makoto,” Ryo spoke, not moving as he rested his hand against the rock
before them. “I can’t see… I can’t see anything,” he admitted. His voice was
shaking and she could see his shoulders heave, then fall shakily, but she
couldn’t do anything. She simply stared at him.
It was not the first time that she had felt fear and hopelessness growing
within her. Ryo was blind? How? When? What were they going to be able to do? Ryo
had found Sage, but he was blind, what good was armor and weapons if you
couldn’t see to use them? Makoto could see, but even if she could take one of
Ryo’s swords, what good would it do? Even with this news, rescuing Sage still
seemed easier than having to go into the depths of a volcano…
“If Mia were here, she’d know what to do… But she’s not here, and Ryo’s
blind. A blind warrior and a helpless girl… ” She felt tears begin to prick
in her eyes at her frustration…
“Makoto, did you hear me?” Ryo choked out. “I’m BLIND!”
“DON’T TELL ME THAT!” she shouted at him angrily, her own voice nearly
choked, but clear enough to echo back to them throughout the caverns. “I
won’t be powerless!” she thought angrily and began to climb to her feet once
more. It was a good attempt, but her stubbornness could not fight her weary body
and she stumbled back to the ground. The effects of two days without food and
being constantly battered were beginning to take their toll on her; almost like
the days when she had roamed the streets freely. “I can’t do anything about you
being blind!” she continued and crawled towards him. “I can’t do anything about
you being blind… But you can’t give up! If you give up, what are Sage and the
others going to do! Mia and I can’t find them alone in time to stop the Dynasty.
You know that!” Her voice was becoming more raw. Makoto paused as the first tear
dribbled down over her face, causing her to bow her head despite Ryo’s
blindness. “Ryo, you can’t leave this place without getting Sage, and I can’t
leave this place without both of you, but frankly I don’t want to be here
anymore. I’m begging you, please don’t make me stay here!” she cried.
Ryo paused, turning in her direction with closed eyes. Behind his closed
eyelids he could see a brilliant lime green aura that caused him to wince
involuntarily. He reached out and placed a hand on her head, causing her
sniffling to stop momentarily, though he could still feel her body racking
quietly.
“I never said anything about giving up, Makoto,” Ryo spoke. He didn’t
need to admit the fact that he had been thinking about it. What she did not know
would not hurt her, and she was already hysterical enough.
A smile lit Makoto’s face and she nodded, causing Ryo to smile as he felt
the action. He removed his hand from her head and sighed, resting both hands
against the rock next to him. He could definitely feel Sage’s spirit here,
strong and calling out to him silently.
Makoto watched this display, silently glad that Ryo had agreed. Her ploy had
been entirely sincere, though she wasn’t sure spilling her heart would have
changed his mind. She didn’t want to stay in this damp, dank, filthy cave for
one more minute, even if it was to save Sage’s life.
She reached over and hugged Ryo’s leg; too weak to stand and too weak to
care that she could not stand.
“Thank you, Ryo. Thank you…” she murmured, once more feeling tears running
over her face.
Ryo opened his eyes, still seeing only colors as he felt Makoto’s hug. The
very idea that she was depending on him was strange, drawing his mind away from
the more desperate matters at hand. Was she that scared or that desperate?
Both?
“How sweet…” someone hissed from behind them, alerting the pair immediately
to the identity of the figure. Makoto looked swiftly behind Ryo, the red glow of
his armor illuminating Sehkmet’s bulky figure. She clutched his leg tightly, and
clenched her jaw as her tears ran dry.
“God, this can’t keep happening. Things can’t keep going from bad to
worse like this. Why can’t we ever have a break?!” she thought as she
released Ryo’s leg and placed a hand on the rock next to her to steady herself.
“Sage, wake up,” she whispered, trying to grip the smooth rock to stand.
“Sehkmet,” Ryo growled and reached behind him swiftly to pull his right
katana from its scabbard. “Sehkmet,” he said again, this time louder. “Get out
of here now… You have no place here.”
“But that is where you are mistaken, rat! I very much have a place here.
Lord Talpa wishes you and your friends dead as well as to learn what power the
child may possess, and it is my wish to carry out his will,” the warlord spoke
calmly. Ryo felt the heat of his armor flare, causing a bead of sweat to appear
on his forehead. Even being blind he could see the light of his armor swell. The
lime green aura at the edge of his vision dimmed slightly and he realized that
Makoto had moved away from him.
He heard her gasp and he balked as she cried out, “Mia! They’ve got
her!”
Makoto stood shakily, panting with the effort, and watching as Ryo turned
slowly, eyes open, to face their enemy. All false pretenses, much like her
bravado, were gone. She no longer had the will to make biting remarks in the
face of the enemy. The tin soldiers, much like the one that had captured her and
Mia in the middle of the street, were now holding her cousin by the throat. The
older, but still young, woman looked like she was on the verge of passing out,
but there were no visible bruises on her body.
“They’re choking her!” Makoto thought and her vision began to blur
with tears. “Mia, I’m sorry that I’ve always been so mean to you! I’m sorry
that I never did what you told me to! I’m sorry that I’ve always been such a
pain, but please don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!” She took a deep, heaving
breath before taking a shaky step forward.
She passed Ryo who she could falter at her movement, but she held her head
up bravely.
“God, I am so scared. Please let me be doing the right thing. Please,
God, don’t let them hurt Mia or Ryo or Sage. Oh, God, please take care of
them,” Makoto thought silently as she stood midway between Ryo and Sehkmet.
For the briefest moment she found it ironic that during the majority of her life
she had been a-religious, relying only on herself to get by. “Please let me be
enough, God,” she muttered under her breath, clenching her hands tightly at her
sides.
“Sehkmet!” she barked, but the cry sounded pitiful and weak even to her
ears. The warlord turned to face her and she could sense him grin, even at this
distance. “I’ll come with you, but you have to promise not to hurt the
others.”
“Makoto, NO!” Ryo cried, taking a step forward. Makoto winced, but pushed
her emotions back behind an invisible wall. She frowned solemnly.
“Child, are you trying to bargain with me, the Warlord of Venom?”
“I’m sure as hell not trying to milk a snake,” she snapped, her desperation
allowing a trickle of bravery to flow through her. Sehkmet’s humor vanished and
he grunted.
“You’re walking a thin line, girl.” He lifted a hand, keeping his eyes on
her. She watched as Mia was dropped to the ground carelessly. She didn’t move
from the spot where she fell, but her chest rose and fell in great heaves.
Makoto blinked back a fresh set of tears and swallowed a rising lump in her
throat as she watched her cousin struggle for breath. She looked back to Sehkmet
as he crossed his arms over his chest, one saber dangling from one of his
hands.
“Now I know why they call them the tragic hero… Sage, why couldn’t you
just have woken UP?! That’s what is supposed to happen, right?!” her mind
screamed as she glanced over her shoulder slowly to Ryo. He was grimacing and
his eyes were closed again, but he was facing her directly. “Ryo, you know
what you have to do… Find the others, and take care of Mia, all right?" She
had said nothing, but he straightened up and seemed to relax a bit, causing her
to smile faintly. He knew what to do.
Makoto’s smile vanished and she took a step forward and then another,
surprised at how easily her body obeyed her brain, while her heart was crying
out in agony. “God, give me strength. Give me the strength to pass whatever
comes my way. You’ve been with me all of the way and you haven’t let me down
yet… I’ll admit I don’t know why you didn’t take care of my parents, but I am
trying to be a little humble here. Please don’t let me down.”
She was arm’s length away from Sehkmet when she lifted her dirty, bloody
face up to his and saw two snake-eyes meet hers. Her bottom lip trembled and she
felt a tremor run through her body. Sehkmet lifted an armored hand and placed it
on her shoulder and terror seized her. He knew too, because he grinned as her
entire body froze beneath his hand.
Makoto could feel her last ounces of strength being siphoned away as he held
her firmly before him.
“I can’t take this!” she screamed, her mouth betraying her thoughts.
She turned savagely, hearing a savage crack in the shoulder beneath Sehkmet’s
fist. A searing pain gripped her and she fell to her knees, screaming, “SAGE
WAKE UP!”
Her vision was swallowed in a tremendous flash of green and she could feel
her body go lax. Then black began to work its way in through the green before
her, and before she knew it she had succumbed to the darkness.
End Chapter Three
Jade-san - thank you for my
birthday wishes! Half a year since I have updated on this poor, poor story x.x I
didn’t do very much for the crazy ol’ Warlord O’Venom this time, did I? Sorry
bout that. ANTI-YULI! JUST SAY NO!
Dera-san -
Mako? Legal age to drive! Pshaw! You think we’re running a clean show here?!
Cackle But then again, neither is Mia, if you want to get technical
x.x!
Elenheril - Elen sila lumenn omentievlo! Thank you for the
compliment! It felt extreme O_O! I hope you are still around to read this meager
chapter x.x
rhiannan - I plan on finishing it, but the best laid
plans of mice and men often go awry…
JupLuna - Sankyuu for the
birthday wishes =D! Second, YOU rock, too! Third, Mako owns. Yes, I know. She is
very much off the chain. Lmao. Thanks again ^_^
