Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Tell ❯ Tell ( One-Shot )

Disclaimer-I will never own Cale and/or Anubis. Sunrise, Nagoya TV, and Sony Music Entertainment copyright all these characters.

 

Warning-This story has a rating of T, also known as PG-13, because this story mentions premeditated violence and other unpleasant things. If you do not want to read something like this, then please hit the back button. My Boxers will bite flamers who ignore this warning.

 

Tell

Isabel Night

 

In the world of the living, according Japanese mythology, two different spheres exist alongside each other. Most humans only know of the human domain, known in myths as the Mortal Realm. Yet, how many people know of its veiled twin, the demon world, known through the old stories as the Nether Realm? How many humans have seen the capital city of the Nether Realm, the City of Desire, and gained an audience with the demon emperor Talpa and his four closest generals, the four Dark Warlords? If one were able to get close enough to the lord and his four generals, then would he or she recognize a midnight shrouded room, occupied by a man with tan skin, untamed dark blue hair, and a cross-shaped scar that unevenly adorned his left eye sitting on a black meditating pillow?

 

Would guests also see this man, wearing a silk kimono stitched in red, navy blue, and gold thread, inside a concealed bedchamber, ignoring the sturdy midnight-colored wooden wall frames held together by thin sheets of white rice paper? Would the viewer care if someone looked at the whole room from the left side of the wall, giving the chamber a square-shaped appearance?

 

To the front of the room, if one were to continue to analyze the setting, a sliding paper door assembled from a thicker type of wood, also painted black, opened to a narrow hallway, which would constrict towards a corridor of maze-like hallways and ultimately lead to the main part of the castle. The back wall, also made of black-colored wood, viewed two scrolls. One displayed the occupant's calligraphy skills, while the other exhibited a mass-produced copy of an Edo Period kabuki theater. Resting on the floor, if one were barefoot, were expensive tan and black-bordered goza mats, hiding soft tatami mats underneath.

 

Furniture in the room consisted of a soft futon with black sheets and a red comforter, a desk, chair, dresser, sword stand, several tall candleholders, and an artificial flower arrangement. It was a simple section of the Dynasty, the collective name for Talpa's empire, which, from a traditional perspective, screamed of affluence and comfort.

 

Yet, wealth, luxury, and power were not on the mind of the blue-haired occupant. An emotionally torn immortal was only one part of the layer, for he was Cale, the four hundred fifty-five year old Warlord of Corruption. This man, who fought for the illustrious Lord Talpa, and battled side-by-side with his three brethren, Dais, Warlord of Illusion, Sekhmet, Warlord of Venom, and Anubis, Warlord of Cruelty. Together, the gods had blessed them with wealth, power, and friendship but lately, that bond seemed to be collapsing. Moreover, as things started to deteriorate, it looked like there was nothing he could do except loose ground, repeatedly, to those five cancerous irritants, the Ronin Warriors. His apparent defeat at the hands of one of those annoyances, Cye of the Torrent, however, would not stop him from his daily meditation exercises.

 

He had almost arranged Torrent's one-way meeting with the Judge of Hell until Anubis, who had been brainwashed into following the ways of the contemptible monk, threw that blasted staff between the two of them, crashed into his dark abode with Hardrock and Wildfire, and turned the tide of the battle against him. It had been a near miss but after he had escaped from those three brats and his closest friend, Cale made his way back to his sleeping compartment where he grabbed his meditating pillow in sheer frustration, sat down, and began to deliberate on his stolen victory. It appeared that what Kayura had reported was true, and now that the little Ogre had decided to come back to Nether Realm, the Warlord of Corruption felt that now would be a perfect opportunity for the new monk to have a head-on collision with his past.

 

Provided through a "personal meeting" with his former comrades, Cale believed he could bring his former ally back to Talpa's Empire. Nevertheless, the man did not know if he should hunt his red-haired friend and bring him back to the Dynasty via force, or if Anubis should come back willingly. On the other hand, playing a sadistic game might brighten up his mood, and with what he had just gone through, the mismatched spraying of blood from a severed head looked tempting.

 

For some unknown reason, Cale hesitated in outright kidnapping the former Warlord of Cruelty. He did not know why he wanted his ex-leader's consent, but the hunter knew that Anubis would never forgive him if he dragged "innocent" people into this. Honor had been a major part of Anubis' life, and even now, his friend's honor would never allow those whelps to interfere.

 

Cale's bloodstream ran thick with rage at the mention of the Ronin Warriors. With the help of that blasted monk, The Ancient One, those five children had kidnapped and manipulated Anubis, forcing him to believe that Master Talpa was playing them like a puppeteer. It soon became clear to the three Dark Warlords that Anubis, now drugged and brainwashed, needed them to bring him back to the Nether Realm.

 

While Cale pondered these thoughts, he saw himself, in his mind's eye, walking down a blackened hallway. Dark and empty, it seemed to give off the image of an abandoned battlefield, no longer covered with dead and dying bodies, but still reeking of fresh, free-flowing blood. An electric, skin-tingling silence hung thick in the air, and as Cale made his way around, he realized that he wasn't alone. Much to his amazement, another man stood at the end of the hall wearing a reproduction of the kimono he wore. From only a distance of five feet away, Cale noticed the male also carrying the exact same Black Wolf's Sword as he did when he charged into battle, but as he started walking towards the person, the warlord was shocked to find that his mental guest was almost a carbon copy of himself.

 

"What took you so long?" The duplicate smiled, looking at Cale with his blood-red eyes and baring his canines that absently made the scarred warrior think that one of his wolves had taken human form.

 

"Who are you?" Cale demanded, slowly absorbing in the details of the replica standing before him.

 

"I am you. To be more accurate, I am the manifestation of your inner demons, desires, and your cravings to hunt those you call your prey, and break them to your will."

 

"I see." Cale mused, a puzzled look gracing his features. "Then may I ask why you're here?"

 

"Of course," the apparition smiled, causing a subtle raise in the room's temperature. "I thought that your yearning to hunt a certain red-haired youth would make your mind an open book. However, I see that we must dig deeper before all the manners of polite society are upheld."

 

Cale blinked, unsure if his other half was mocking him, testing him, or if he was simply playing a human-sized game of Go. "That red-haired youth has a name; what do you want to know about Anubis?"

 

"Nothing much," the illusion continued. "Although I find it interesting that you called this victim by his given name. I wonder; do you still care about him? Surely you must have plans for this one; not like the other insects we've butchered over the past four centuries?"

 

"You mean those weak and foolish creatures that Dais, Sekhmet, Anubis, and I slaughtered for opposing Master Talpa will? What of them?"

 

"Nothing; I'm just drawing a comparison between those we've killed, and our new prey?"

 

"Our new prey; last time I checked, this battle was between him, me, and not you."

 

"I see. Then because I have no say, I assume you're going to kill him?"

 

A false, glass-shattering chuckle soon left Cale's mouth. "Why should I? Capturing the traitor would be far less messy than taking his life."

 

"Capture him? Wait; you're telling me that because Anubis betrayed you and the Dynasty that you have a responsibility to bring him back to the empire. Yet, as you've just said, if this were any other person, then you would've killed him or her on the spot. Doesn't that sound like a personal vendetta?"

 

Cale stirred uncomfortably. Normally such an accusation wouldn't have bothered him, but in this time of war, a personal grudge could equal the more dangerous charge of treason. "This isn't personal; it's for the good of the Dynasty. We are at war, and every man in the city must take up arms. Besides, what makes you think I can indulge my whims?"

 

"We aren't talking about personal wants," the semblance grinned, seeing through the lie. "Though, the sight of Anubis strolling around the Nether Realm with those five Ronin Warriors infuriates you to no end. Speaking of you, while we're sitting here, and you're expecting me to believe that you can pluck Anubis off the battlefield, capture him, and spare him from execution, that Talpa will blindly agree to your decision. He is your lord; what makes you think he'll go along with any of his subordinates' plans?"

 

Cale gave off a nervous laugh. "I think you've been listening to too much wild gossip. You've just accused me of treason, but you don't have any proof. It's your word versus mine, and this is all hearsay without-"

 

"Proof," the façade chuckled, cutting off his physical half. "All the proof I need comes from your words and actions. Yes, I do believe that you want Anubis back, but I also know that you want to join his capture with personal vengeance. The Ronin Warriors have wounded your pride, and the Dynasty has nothing to do with it. Not only do you want to capture Anubis, but you also want him to watch you sever the bodies of those five children. You want to eliminate the girl and child in the most painful, bloody, and violent way you can imagine. Moreover, you want to crush Anubis' new life in your gauntleted hand, revel in the power that comes from bloodlust, and you don't care what Talpa, Dais, or Sekhmet think. I'll ask you this one more time; is this battle really for the good of the Dynasty, or is it personal?”

 

Cale became worried. If anyone in palace had heard those words, then he would've found himself in the throne room, answering serious allegations. "You only have words," he stuttered, hoping that no one was listening in. "Thoughts can be manipulated and bent to another person's will; there is still no physical-"

 

"If you don't believe me, then let me ask you this: if Anubis' defection didn't hurt you as badly as you claim, then why did Dais, you, and Sekhmet set up Gogasha to be killed after he threatened to take Anubis' place? Moreover, what about those bold, swaggering statements, saying that you hated Kayura and wanted your red sky child back. That didn't come from court gossip. Then there was the time you and Dais argued inside a storeroom after Anubis defeated him at the train tracks? The whole place staff in that wing heard the two of you, and I doubt that more than three people would make up the same-"

 

"Fine," Cale interrupted, realizing he had lost. "I'll come out with it! Yes, I miss Anubis! I want him back, I want the Ronin Warriors dead, and I'm taking this fight personally! What else do you need to know?"

 

"Nothing; I have all that I want. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what we've talked about, but I think that your beloved prey should know that his capture wasn't based on you following orders. When you have him at your mercy; chained in the castle dungeons and broken in spirit, tell him that you need him, that you have missed him, that you will never let him go, and that he means more to you than any bolt of silk, gold, or silver. I don't care how you attain your means; you can decapitate the Ronin Warriors, rape and behead the girl, and use the boy child for sword practice, but for this confession to be genuine, you must hunt the red-haired child with the fervor of a hunter enraptured by his prey."

 

After those words had formed, something shoved Cale's mind away from the internal conference until he slowly, wearily came back into the conscious world. When Cale opened his eyes, he blinked twice, and brought his hands to his chest. There, he felt a rapid thumping motion as horror registered on his face. How had that part of him known?

 

THE END

 

End Notes-I would like to thank all my Beta Readers. Without you, this revamp would have never been possible!