Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Battle of the Elements ❯ Chapter 7

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
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"Battle of the Elements"By Lady Eclipse


Chapter Seven


When the bright light had faded, the Ronins found themselves outside of Mia's mansion. All of the Ronins breathed sighs of relief.
"Phew! That got a little too close for comfort!" Cye remarked. "Sage, your healing power?" Anglarana sounded very tired and her face still had a great deal of strain on it. Her characteristic light still coated Anubis' still form. "Right," Sage replied as he lifted up his sword. He closed his eyes in concentration and focused his healing powers on Anubis. "Wisdom," he murmured as his kanji symbol appeared on his forehead. Sage's sword glowed green, and the light flowed over to Anubis. The light was immediately absorbed. When Sage was finished, the silver green light that had surrounded Anubis was gone and Anglarana looked relieved. "Well?" Kento asked anxiously. Anglarana smiled reassuringly, but she still looked worried. "His body is whole, but there is still something missing. It is as if his spirit is not with his body." She knelt down beside Anubis and placed a cool hand on his forehead. "He sleeps, it is as though he is waiting for something..." "His armor," Rowen said quietly. "What do you mean, Rowen?" Ryo asked, his eyebrows frowning. "In order to save Lady Kayura from Badamon, Anubis gave up his armor. I don't know about the rest of you guys, but my armor is a big part of me now. I don't think it's just that easy to give it up." Anglarana looked up.
"Yes, and who knows what Justin does to keep his victims from struggling."Ryo shivered.
"Can you help him?" Ryo's worried eyes wandered over to the still body. "Maybe; but I will need rest first. I am too worn out to do anything more this day. Anubis should be fine until I am ready to begin." Kento picked Anubis up and started for the house. Anglarana stood very slowly. She took a few steps toward the surrounding forest, but she wavered slightly and nearly fell. She paused near a tree and leaned against it for support. "Are you okay?" Sage put an arm around her shoulder to steady her. "I am fine, I just need rest." She broke away from him and headed into the forest. "Wait! Aren't you coming inside?" Anglarana shook her head.
"No, I will rest better outside. Go on inside, do not worry about me." Sage was about to protest further, but his attention was suddenly diverted. Whiteblaze had bounded out of the mansion and had collided into Ryo, knocking him down. "Whoa, Whiteblaze. It's good to see you too," Ryo said with a laugh. When Sage turned back, Anglarana was gone. The guys all changed back into their street clothes and walked inside. They were immediately greeted by Mia. She was wearing an emerald green blouse that was buttoned up all the way with the sleeves rolled up. She was also wearing tight jeans and sneakers. "I was so worried about you guys! What happened?" Her eyes lingered on Anubis. "It's a long story, Mia," Ryo said. Mia looked at all of the present people and suddenly looked concerned.
"Where's Anglarana?" "She was really tired, so she went to the forest to rest." Sage shared Mia's concerned expression. "The forest? To rest? That's weird," Kento remarked. Mia smiled,
"Well, I guess you'll have to give me the details later, after you've rested. And I definetley want to hear all of them. I don't know how on Earth you found Anubis, and alive too. Kento, go ahead and take him upstairs to the guest room. He is all right, isn't he?" "Sort of. Anglarana said that he's fine physically, but he's not spiritually there yet," Cye replied. Mia frowned as she watched Kento gently take Anubis upstairs. She found her mind wandering back to the past as it had been doing for the last few days. "Hey, Mia," Ryo called, interrupting her private reverie. "The night we fought with Justin..." "Who's Justin?" "That blonde guy who showed up in the middle of the battle who Crynis was totally subservient to. Didn't you see him?" Mia's hand went to her chest and she turned away from Ryo.
"Um, no actually. I couldn't see anything with all that fighting going on." Sorry Ryo, Mia thought to herself, but the truth's just a little too weird. Ryo gently placed an hand on her shoulder.
"Are you all right?" he asked softly. "You look so edgy." Mia conjured up a smile,
"Yea, I've just been worried about you guys." Mia cursed inwardly, she hated lying to the guys like that, especially to Ryo. Ryo stared deeply into her eyes. His expression clearly told her he didn't buy it. Ryo was one of the few people who could read Mia so well. Or am I being that obvious? Mia moved away from Ryo and addressed the other guys who were regarding her with equally worried eyes now that Ryo had called their attention to her. "Well, I'll bet you guys are hungry. I was just making dinner. Why don't you guys just relax here and I'll make a big meal?" "Dinner?! Did I just hear someone mention the glorious creation that is a meal?!" Kento barrelled down the stairs. "I'm practically starving to death here!" Mia used the distraction to disappear into the kitchen to procure the promised meal. I'll tell them all later; once I get a chance to speak with Anglarana, Mia promised herself. This new change was turning out to be very isolating and confusing. I just hope Anglarana knows something.


*****


The following day was one of the most beautiful spring days that anyone could hope for. The sky was a brilliant blue and only an occasion tuft of silken cloud wandering across it. The day was very warm and there was the distinct scent of young, green things. The birds chirped loudly in their wild songs and a light breeze would randomly sweep through the area to keep the day from being hot. Somewhere in the heart of the forest surrounding the Koji household, Sage wandered through the trees. The tree branches wavered in the wind causing dancing shadows on the ground. The sunlight streamed forth between the gaps in the trees, gently touching the earth and plants. Sage paused in one of the sun beams and closed his eyes. The forest had an overwhelming sense of calm and rightness in it that day. One couldn't help but feel lighthearted when passing through. He would've liked to just sit there and enjoy the moment, but he was here for a reason. Anglarana's weariness was really concerning him. He just had to find out if she was okay. Mia had been equally worried. When Anglarana had failed to show that morning, Mia had asked Sage to go and make sure that Anglarana was okay. That was another thing that bothered Sage, Mia was acting very strangely as well. She was always touching her upper chest and had a definite lost quality to her speech and movements. I wonder what happened to her while we were gone. Sage put his concerns aside and kelt down to examine the ground better. There were all kinds of tracks embedded into the soft earth. He could make out one of a bear, a racoon, some bird tracks, and the tracks of what looked to be a very large deer. The cloven hoof prints had a wider and larger shape with a degree of hardness similar to a horse's hoof. I'd like to see the animal that made that, Sage mused. Perhaps after he spoke with Anglarana he could go find it. Sage smiled. I sure wish I had paid more attention when Father tried to teach me how to track things. The normal forest sounds grew hushed and reverent as Sage suddenly heard footsteps coming from directly behind. He spun around and came face to face with Anglarana. She grinned at him.
"Were you looking for me?" Sage covered his surprise with his classic sweet smile.
"Yes, actually. We were worried about you and wanted to make sure you're okay." "I'm fine," she reassured him. "I was just on my way to the mansion." Anglarana began to walk in the direction from where Sage had come. Sage joined her leisurely stroll and they made it back to the mansion in a short time. Mia was waiting outside of the mansion accompanied by Whiteblaze. Whiteblaze had been very attentive to Mia ever since the battle. Instead of getting hurt by his pet's transfer of attention, Ryo was worried. Whiteblaze obviously felt that Mia needed his help. The question was, what was wrong with her? Mia refused to admit that anything was wrong. Once Anglarana and Sage had reached Mia, she immediately leaned forward and whispered in Anglarana's ear. Anglarana glanced at Mia quizzically but nodded. Mia began to lead Anglarana away from the mansion to the lake followed by a stubborn Whiteblaze. Mia turned and smiled apoligetically at Sage.
"Sorry, girl talk." Sage frowned as he watched the girls walk away. He shrugged and went inside. Maybe she'll tell Anglarana what's wrong. When Sage walked in, he found everyone in the living room. At his entrance everyone looked up expectantly. "What's up?" Sage asked, meeting the concerned expressions of his fellow Ronins. "Did you see Mia out there?" Rowen said. Sage nodded,
"She just took Anglarana out to the lake for some 'girl talk'." "Something is wrong with Mia. I wonder why she won't tell us what it is?" Ryo looked exceptionally worried and sad. "Mia's very level headed. I'm sure she'll fill us in when she's ready to," Sage replied, trying to look as reassuring as possible. "I hope so," was all that Ryo said as he moved over to the window to stare at the two figures, obscured by distance, standing by the lake.


*****


Before Mia could say a single word, Anglarana reached forth a finger and lightly touched it to the center of Mia's upper chest. Mia flinched even though it didn't hurt. Anglarana smiled sympathetically.
"Carrying the Jewel is never an easy burden. Especially if you don't understand what is happening or why." Mia felt shock and relief wash over her. Her expression must have betrayed her because Anglarana moved her hand to Mia's shoulder and gently smiled at her. "I think it is time to tell you of your past. From what I've heard of your grandfather and the files he kept of the old legends, I suspect he knew. Have you interpreted all of them?" Mia shook her head. Right about then she felt like the earth beneath her was gone and that she was floating disconnected from her emotions and her body. I think the medical term for this is shock, Mia thought to herself wryly. Oh well, I might as well enjoy it now. I'm sure I won't like it when the emotions set in. "First, tell me exactly what happened the night that the Ronins and I fought with Justin and his forces. I felt the Jewel of Life's energy aiding me, I could not have succeeded without its help. Yet deep within its pulse, I could feel it calling for another," Anglarana continued. "I felt it calling me, even before I saw the light. It was like a missing part of myself was calling out to be reunited with the whole. Not calling; begging, screaming. I couldn't think or reason, just act. It came from my room. When I walked in, the whole room was bathed in a blinding pink light. I somehow automatically knew where I'd find the source." Mia found herself babbling a stream of thoughts. The whole story flowed out of her without any prompting. It was like she was in a trance reliving the experience. "The closer I came to the source, the brighter the light. But, for some reason, it didn't hurt my eyes. It felt good to see the light. I've kept the Jewel of Life ever since the fall of the Dynasty. I tried to take it back to the lake where we had found it, but the water had closed in around it again. There was no way I could put it back. So I have kept it in my room, but it never reacted to me. I picked it up and then the light all of a sudden was too hard. By reflex I clutched the jewel to my chest. It was then that I felt this horrible pain in my chest. It felt like I was being stabbed by a burning poker. I tried to pull the jewel away to see what was happening, but it wouldn't budge. I lost consciousness then, when I awoke..." Mia unbuttoned her blouse until the Jewel of Life was revealed. It was embedded halfway into her chest and the skin around it had a pink tinge to it. Anglarana studied the jewel for a few moments, then took a deep breath and spoke.
"The Jewel of Life is a little less than two thousand years old. It was after the imprisonment of Crynis that it was created. The clan of the ancients were the ones who assisted my people in his imprisonment. Unfortunately, the only way to capture him was to trap those of us who were near him as well. Crynis had managed to draw almost all of my people to him when he realized he was about to lose. But all of them agreed to be a part of his cage and were pushed into the bowels of the earth surrounded by powerful magics for all time. Only a few remained of my people. "Such a loss was unacceptable to the ancients as well as to us. We also feared that should Crynis escape, we would not be able to contain him again. So those remaining of my people and the ancients assembled and lended our powers to create an artifact that held the forces of life and creation. A jewel was harvested from the exact area where my people and Crynis slept. We all poured our power and energy into it, but it remained nothing more than a dead jewel. Then it was discovered that the essence of life that we sought could not be imitated. We needed to capture the seed of life and infuse it with the jewel that already held all the power of the ancients and of my people. But how, and where? "It was the human family by the name of Koji who gave us the answer. The head woman of the household was pregnant, she told us what we had forgotten. She reminded us where the seed of life exists. When the woman approached the jewel, it immediately sprung to life. No one is sure what happened next, but the jewel split in two. One half entered the belly of the woman and was never seen again. The other half remained, but now it had the strength and the force of life. We believe that the house of Koji has passed down the Jewel of Life's other half. For, throughout the years, the Jewel has only attended to their requests. "After its creation, the ancients locked it away so that no evil could steal it. So it has waited all these years to be used and to find its other half. I think my presence plus the traces of the Ancient One's power in the Ronin Warriors' armor triggered the Jewel of Life to fully awaken. Now it has bonded with the other half that you carry within you." Anglarana closed her eyes thoughtfully. "This is an act of destiny, Mia. I think we may finally be able to destroy Crynis and Justin and restore my people to this world." At that moment Mia felt very young and scared. But there was also a strength and an assurance in the newly revealed information. "All that is left now is too understand and learn how to control the wild powers that the Jewel of Life holds. But I can help you there." Anglarana grinned at Mia. Now I can really be of a help to the Ronins. Maybe this won't be so bad after all, Mia thought to herself

__________________________________________________________ ______________
Phew! (wipes forehead) that was quite a lot of stuff to happen in one chapter. Lots of twists and turns and the return of Anubis. I just had to bring him back, he's my favorite!! And a nice turn of events for Mia. Come on, you know she's got to have some power. That girl's too strong of a person to remain a victim of the Dynasty. ;D Hope you like it as much as I like writing it!Lady Eclipse

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Lexmark Z22-Z32 SeriesLPT1:LPT1:€:;:;€€:;ñ:1Times New RomanSymbol&Arial"ˆÐhìms†®us¦ƒ$&# 402;UThe Ronin Warriors characters and setting are not mine... etc., etc., etc. Enjoy. :D
Lawrence Wade
Lawrence Wade