Dark Clouds

Chapter 6

By Amazon & Riana

"Well, what do you think, Seiji?" Amazon, Seiji and Kenji sat in the empty house. Amazon shivered as the wind echoed through the empty shadows. They'd sat here for an hour, trying to figure out just what was going on.

"If we three got armors, what's to say Kinjiro and Yoshio didn't too?" Kenji suggested.

"Then that means they're out there somewhere." Amazon looked to the window. Seiji still didn't answer Amazon's original question.

"If they do have armor, then they could be under attack by those soldiers." He finally said.

"True. But where are they?"

"Who knows? That psycho didn't exactly leave us any clues or anything."

"I guess we just start looking." Amazon sighed. "But that could take days."

"What else can we do? We can't just leave them alone!" Kenji added.

"Yeah, you're right." Seiji picked up the sword he'd unsheathed earlier. He had found out that sitting down with the no-datchi on his back could led to moments of embarrassment and cursing. "Let's go."

******

Drip, drip.

Kinjiro moaned as a drop of water hit his face. He rubbed his face with his hand and sat up. He massaged his forehead. It hurt from when Apollo had hit him on the forehead with one of those blasted chains of his. Kinjiro stopped massaging his forehead and froze. Where was he?

Kinjiro looked around. He was in an underground chamber. On closer inspection it was one of the subway stations underground. Someone had brought him down here. Who, was the question. He ran his hand along his back, feeling the groove. That reminded him. Where was his staff? Kinjiro got to his feet and looked around.

He spotted it in the corner, propped up against the wall. He walked, more like stumbled, over to it and picked it up. When he picked it up his hand brushed something. He picked it up and looked it over. It was a Yari with a yin yang with no dots on the headpiece. Who did it belong to? Kinjiro put the Yari back where it had been and headed for the exit.

He started up the stairs but looked up, he froze. A figure stood at the top of the stairs; its back was turned to him. The figure seemed to be looking at the stars above but he couldn't be sure.

"You're up. Do you feel okay? That was quite a blow you took back there." The figure turned around to face Kinjiro. Against the black sky and the moon he saw that the figure wore an armor similar to his except it was a silvery blue, it would be light blue in the sun. He also saw the wings on the back of the person.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Kinjiro asked, holding his staff out in front of him just in case it tried something. The figure took that in stride but didn't do anything. "Are you friend or foe?"

"I could ask the same of you." The voice of the figure was laced with a soft British accent and seemed familiar to Kinjiro. He shook it off and continued to hold the staff in front of himself. "I am a friend unless you belong to the ones that did this to Tokyo, then I'm your foe."

"It's called the Dynasty, whoever you are and I'm Hardrock." Kinjiro was hesitant about using his real name after the encounter with Apollo but he felt that he could trust this person for some odd reason.

"So that's what it's called. I'm Torrent." Torrent lifted his head to look at Kinjiro. Kinjiro tried to see the eyes of the person but couldn't because of the shadows the helmet cast across the face. There was something very familiar about this person but he couldn't place it. Torrent moved down the stairs, past Kinjiro who watched him. The armored person picked up his yari and put it in the 'sheath' that was on his back.

"Well, Torrent, thanks for whatever you did cuz if you hadn't who knows where I'd be." Kinjiro also put the naginta on his back. Torrent boded no ill will and no reason to fight so having his weapon out had no point. Torrent glanced over his shoulder and smiled, the moonlight from the subway entrance played across the persons face but did not reveal his eyes though it revealed a tattoo right below where an eye would be.

Kinjiro's heart seemed to stop as he recognized the tattoo; a mermaid. "Yo-Yoshio? Is that you?"

Torrent stopped in his footsteps and looked at Kinjiro. "Who are you really? What do you want?"

"Yoshio, if that's you, it's me, Kinjiro." Kinjiro put a hand on his chest. "It's me, Yoshio."

"How do I know it's really you?"

Kinjiro slowly took his helmet off and held it in the crook of his arm. Yoshio's jaw hit the floor as he realized that it was really his friend. Yoshio's hands trembled as he took off his helmet. The two boys grinned idiotically as they hugged (as friends, mind you). They weren't alone anymore.

*****

"Artemis!" Ares knocked on her door impatiently. The girl answered, dressed in her green and black sub-armor.

"What do you want? The lil' ronins beat you up?" she said sarcastically. Erise was perched on her shoulder, and seemed to glare at the warlord too.

"Cute." He snarled back. "Funny you should mention the ronins. One of them, Halo, I believe, has been..badly injured." He held up his claw to show the red taint. For a moment, surprise mingled with disgust and flickered in her violet eyes.

"And?"

"and master Talpa wants you to heal him." Ares answered. Artemis was quiet for a moment. It could be a stupid trick. But why would he lie about something this insignificant? <Erise,> she mentally whispered. The bird only gazed at her, showing he was listening. <If you even sense Ares is pulling a trick, warn me immediately, got it?>

The bird nodded slightly. She turned her violet gaze back to Ares.

"As Talpa commands," Artemis gathered her healing things.

******

Kento slammed down his hand against the wall in frustration. "WHY WON'T THIS WORK?!" he screamed. He was chained against the wall by the wrists. The chains seemed unbreakable.

"Didja ever think that MAYBE, just MAYBE they made them TOO STRONG FOR YOU?!" Rowen snapped. He too, was strapped to the wall, but unlike Kento, his shackles practically taped him to the wall, along with his ankles, making it nearly impossible to move.

"Guys, will ya SHUT UP?!" Ryo said in a low, dangerous voice. "Yelling is gonna get us nowhere." Ryo hung his head in aggravation. His hands were pulled up, their chains stretching to the ceiling; tight enough not to move around too much, loose enough not to pull them out of their sockets.

Cye lay in an unconscious heap on the wall. Yes, the wall. Both his hands and legs were stretched and chained to the wall, hanging him like a living tapestry. His head hung

down, as if he were dead. If we don't get out of here soon, he could be. Ryo thought. We've gotta get out. No tellin' what they're doin' to Sage.

*****

Artemis brushed her long blond hair out of the way as she placed a reeking poultice on Halo. The sheer amount of blood was nauseating, leave alone the stench. "Couldja have possibly cut him up any worse?" She murmured. "It's sickening."

Ares smirked. "Talpa wanted him alive, after all."

She sighed. The cuts were horrendous and covered the once beautiful body. I honestly don't know if this will be enough to save him. And Talpa would have my hide if I let him die. Suddenly, Artemis struck upon an idea. Concentrating, she placed her hand in the middle of his back, where the wounds were the worst. Her chartreuse aura began to pulsate as she fed just enough energy to survive into his system. "There." She said as she finished. "I'll have to give him some more within the next few days, take him to the dungeon for now.

Ares looked at her, shrugged and dragged the lifeless body to the dungeon.

*****

"Hmm." Talpa tapped the arm of his mahogany throne. His other hand cupped his cheek as he watched three exotic women dance before him. They were beautiful, with long black hair and darkly tanned skin. He quickly grew bored and ordered them away. He had seen beautiful women before and weren't impressed with these ones. Ares and Apollo watched them go reluctantly.

"Apollo!" Apollo cringed as he turned to Talpa. The Ruler of the Dynasty was clearly mad at him. Ares smirked at him. < Hah! You're in trouble Apollo! You couldn't catch a Ronin runt! > Ares sang telepathically in his head. Apollo ignored him.

"Yes, Master Talpa?"

"You have failed me. You did not bring to me the new bearer of the Hardrock armor." Talpa spoke low and dangerously.

"Master Talpa, I would have had him if the figure hadn't appeared."

"What figure? Is this the sixth Ronin?" Talpa asked, his eyes narrowed into slits. If this is the sixth Ronin then a trap could be set up.

"I don't know Master Talpa." Apollo chose his words carefully after that. "I was about to strike Hardrock down when the figure had appeared. It. knocked-

"Or how about you dropped your weapon and ran like a chicken from the battle, Apollo?" Ares taunted.

"Let him finish, Ares, I am sure that you yourself will have an interesting tale to tell Master Talpa." Athena said after she stepped out of the shadows of the great hall. Alesta flapped her wings before settling down again.

"That is MY business, whelp." Ares spat out. A brawl would have started between the red-haired Warlord of Darkness/Corruption and the gray-haired Lady of Illusions if Talpa hadn't stopped them.

"You may fight later but I would still like to hear Apollo's pitiful excuse for why he failed me." Talpa commanded. Athena and Ares stood at the opposite sides of the hall, all the while glaring at each other. Talpa's attention returned to the Warlord of Cruelty.

"The figure knocked my weapon out of my hands and kicked it away from me. I retrieved my weapon only to find out that the person had set Hardrock free of my chains. He used his Hardrock Crusher against me-" Apollo was cut off by Talpa.

"And you had no time to defend yourself? I have heard better from my former Warlords. Be glad that I have a problem on my hands so that I don't punish you. You three are excused." Talpa watched them bow to him and disappear. He wasn't even in the least interested about what Athena was talking about. Another women stepped into the room.

She had ankle length black hair and violet eyes. Her skin was creamy and her figure was one that even Talpa had a hard time finding one that could rival her. She was Gensei, the leader of the Nether Spirits.

"Ah, Master Talpa, Apollo has had his first failure. Not to worry, Ares has triumphed, not all your choices were stupid." Gensei smiled when Talpa's eyes became slits once again. "Yes, but I am not here to speak of that. When shall the interrogation of the former Ronins start, milord?"

"Soon, soon, we must make sure that they are strong enough first." Talpa smiled when Gensei frowned and tossed her head. "My, my having a temper tantrum are we not?"

"Humph. The only person I know who throws temper tantrums. I need not mention a name for he who throws them proclaims himself Ruler of the Dynasty." Gensei laughed at Talpa's anger. The laughter was like the sound of tinkling bells, a laugh that shouldn't belong to an evil creature.

"Meet me in an hour in my bedchambers and I'll show you WHO will throw the temper tantrums, Gensei." Talpa challenged.

"I will milord, I have yet to learn of the limitations of a human body." Gensei disappeared leaving Talpa alone with his thoughts. Where is Artemis?

"ARTEMIS!!" Talpa's voice rang throughout his palace and the called for Lady cringed in her chambers.

******

Mia watched the scenery breeze by the jeep window before turning her attention back to the road. She glanced at the woman besides her and smiled. She was sleeping, Kayura may have been a Lady of the Dynasty for over four hundred years but her body was still that of a twelve year olds.

The young girl looked peaceful in her sleep and Mia dreaded reaching Tokyo. For the most part Mia didn't want to have to deal with the fighting and the fear again. She heaved a sigh. If they didn't go to Tokyo like the Ancient had said then Talpa would control the world.

I wonder who these new people that have the guys armors are. The guys. God, I hope they're okay. Who knows what Talpa's doing to them. Mia looked into her rearview mirror. Her eyes landed on the Ex-Warlords. They were also sleeping, more like trying to sleep as when one of them moved a joint or sword sheath would be rammed into somebody's rib cage.

Cale was the one that was sleeping the most on this trip. He hadn't recovered fully from the surgery and needed the rest. Mia turned her attention back to the road in front of her, not noticing the raven perched on the speed limit sign.

Erise watched the jeep blow by and Issa follow it. The black raven let out a caw before taking flight.

******

White Blaze looked down at the sleeping Yuli. The boy had cried himself to sleep that night. White Blaze lied down next to the bed and started to groom himself. Even though the tiger was an animal he still felt guilty about not protecting the Ronins like he should have. He had felt something evil yesterday but had pushed it out of his mind.

The large white tiger let out a low, long whine. Yuli tossed in the bed. White Blaze was immediately at his side. The young boy whimpered and called for his mother. White Blaze felt another pang of guilt. At least Yuli was safe; White Blaze had brought Yuli to the guy's home, where the boy had cried himself to sleep.

"White Blaze." White Blaze looked around the room, hackles raised and baring his teeth. "White Blaze, you need not be afraid of me."

The tiger relaxed when he recognized the voice. A portal of white light formed in the middle of the room. The Ancient One stepped out of the portal, which closed behind him. The Ancient One petted White Blaze on the head. "White Blaze, you are needed again. The armors have chosen new wearers and they need your help. Seek out the new bearer of the Wildfire armor."

White Blaze growled as the Ancient One disappeared. The large tiger seemed to heave a sigh before turning his attention back to Yuli. After the young boy woke up they left the house.