Dragon Flames

Chapter 14

By: Malaca

Rowen shifted his weight uncomfortably. Two hours of waiting in a tree was beginning to wear on him. Why was he here? Well, because he couldn't go anywhere else. His "friends" were on their way from the North and in front of him to the South was an entire demon army. Or at least he assumed it was a demon army, but for the fact that it was dark and they looked a lot like demons didn't nesscarily mean they were demons.

'Demons, who ever thought that they were even technical!' Rowen snorted, 'Since when is anything in my life technical? All I wanted to do is study science. Who ever thought the paper they print that "technical shit" wasn't worth the money, even as toilet paper.'

He snorted again, 'Expensive toilet paper.'

Such strange thoughts we think when we are really stuck. Rowen jerked up and smiled. Ah, Malaca was on the move again. Now if he could only find exactly what she was doing. And that wasn't nesscarily easy.

Kale peered up into the tree and whispered to Sekhmet, "What's Strata doing in a tree?"

"How ever should I know?" whispered back Sekhmet.

"Hush!" Korin waved his arms franticly pointing to the collected demons below in the valley.

Dais shrugged, "That might be the reason."

"Of course it is, old man!" Sekhmet stated slapping him over the head.

Akira rolled his eyes, "Good Lord Malaca, do you have to deal with this all the time?"

"Hm?" Malaca looked to Akira not paying attention.

Seeing Dais and Sekhmet bickering, she shrugged, "No."

"Good."

"Normally they're worse."

Akira sweatdropped.

"So........" started Diagon also peering up into the tree, "how do we get tree-boy down to play?"

Malaca shrugged and set fire to the tree with a gesture. Rowen let out a yelp and fell to the forest floor with a thud. Diagon raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that's not exactly what I had in mind."

Rowen groaned sitting up. He rubbed his bruised cranium and looked around confused. Seeing Malaca standing there with a smirk caused his anger to well up.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?"

Malaca shrugged, "I didn't feel like yelling. We have to go, coming?"

And with that she walked away with the Demon Hunters following her. Rowen sighed, good old Malaca, stating the obvious.

"I AM NOT AN OLD MAN!"

"ARE TOO!"

"SHUT UP YOU BOTH ARE OVER FOUR-HUNDRED YEARS OLD. ITS NO TIME TO HAVE A MID-MILLENIUM CRISIS! GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE NOW!"

"Yes, madam," they both answered meekly.

Kale sighed and followed his two sadly womanized friends. Life was so ironic sometimes. Him, a ninja, taking orders from a women with a hell of amount of power. Better just to listen and play nice.

"Master, are you sure we should leave it to those demons to take care of the Ronins?" asked Lalpin with an arm placed firmly over his chest.

"Patience, Lalpin all is going well," Talpa laughed.

"I don't think they are trustworthy," he muttered.

Talpa chuckled, "I know for a fact they are not trustworthy, that is why we have joined them temporarily."

Lalpin gave his master a confused look, "I don't understand master."

"It is not for you to understand Lalpin. But I have a mission for you."

"Master?" Lalpin perked up.

"It has come to my attention that our forces have been greatly reduced because of the Dragon. I want for you to find a piece of both armors destroyed by that child."

"Master, the Dragon is hardly a problem. We don't need help, like those weaklings, Kazul and Salee."

"Do you dare challenge me?" Talpa's eyes glowed red and Lalpin screamed and fell to the floor when his figure was encased by the revengeful power.

"Master, forgive me!" he screamed.

"See that this is done, Destruction," Talpa disappeared.

The room was silent except for the tired panting of Talpa's general.

"So, do you know what's going on?" Rowen asked as Malaca walked sedately in front of the group.

Malaca was silent. Rowen sighed.

"Your not going to talk to me? Malaca, what is going on, and who are these people we are with?"

"Do you really want to know, Ro?" Malaca's tired voice startled him.

Since when did she sound like she was a hundred years old? Rowen thought deeply, did he want to know? Perhaps he really didn't want to know.

'I mean if I was so smart, who come I couldn't figure her out? It seemed a simple enough a job. Figure out her past, and help her with it. Sure I know parts, like the raping, but I don't really know her. I know she was in Florida when we first met, but did she really not have power before that meeting? I truly doubt it. And now, the guys are acting real strange, and these new people who are totally comfortable with Malaca and she is with them. I find this all too strange for my liking. It took her almost a complete year to begin to trust us, and with these strangers she seems to treat them like family,' Rowen managed to throw his hands up in frustration.

Malaca raised an eyebrow, "Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure anymore," he said with his face in his hands.

He looked up at her and stopped, "Why can't you just tell me the truth? I can handle it really, Malaca."

Diagon walked by, "No, you can't."

Rowen raised an eyebrow, "I can't?"

"Nope," Akira stated following Diagon.

Korin gave Rowen a sympathetic smile, "Sorry."

Malaca managed to chuckle, "They're right Rowen. This is strange to you, but commonplace for us. You are leaving the Twilight Zone. Welcome to the real world, Rowen."

"I still don't understand what you are talking about," Rowen shook his head confused.

Malaca sighed, "Then maybe your not supposed to. The world is not as simple as it seems, but what you see is merely an illusion to prevent humans from falling to pieces. We are not alone Rowen, and you'll learn that before the night is over."

Rowen was speechless. Sekhmet walked by.

"She has a point Strata," he called over his shoulder. Dais and Kale nodded in agreement.

Rowen threw up his arms, "Does everyone but me know?"

"YES!"

"Oh."

They entered the city with Malaca's insistence. She felt something happening in the city's center, and was demanding that they figure out what it was. The city of Tokyo was silent, even in the bustling area of Toyama. Rowen shivered, only once before had he seen the city this silent-at the takeover of Talpa.

"Oh, my God," Malaca was speechless as they stopped in the middle of the city.

Demons were gathered at the far end of the street, snarling and snapping angrily. Diagon growled low in his throat towards his brethren. They growled back. Akira laid a comforting hand on Diagon's shoulder.

A woman was strapped to a silver five-pronged star. Upon closer inspection, Rowen gasped. The woman was Mia! Not to far from her battered, but living body was a two small circles, one in the other, engraved into the paved street. In the center was two adults, both clinging desperately to each other and calling to the trapped boy in the outer circle. Where the circle was engraved into the street, flames spluttered and roared. Malaca cringed, things were not going well. The boy was Ulie, and she assumed the two adults were his parents.

Akira looked over to Malaca, "Can you handle this Eclipse?"

Malaca nodded once, she would have to. A voice echoed through the buildings bouncing off and rebelling towards the spot in which they stood. Akira paused confused, that laugh sounded familiar.

"Ah, is it not the lovely Eclipse, and her little 'pets'?" the voice snorted.

A bright light flashed in the air. Kale covered his eyes with his cape, the light hurt. The light faded away to revel a smug male floating in the air not to far away.

"Hey isn't that....." Akira puzzled.

"That looks like...." Diagon squinted at the figure.

"Daemon," snarled Malaca.

Daemon smiled, "Long time no see, Eclipse. How is the family?"

Malaca glowered, "Don't you even bring them into this, traitor."

Akira looked to Daemon surprised, "What are you doing? Your not seriously on their side?"

"Oh, poor poor Akira. Still stuck in the past I see, what a pity," Daemon sighed drastically, "Oh, well. I guess I'll have to destroy you along with Eclipse."

"You don't seriously think that you by yourself will defeat us?" Diagon pointed out.

Korin tugged at his sleeve, "Look there!"

Daemon chuckled aloud, "Look at my troops, Eclipse!"

Ashira came out of the dark swaying her hips with a little smirk placed upon her face. She winked at Daemon who smiled and rubbed his hands together.

"And behind the curtain, is...." Ashira announced with a wave of her hand.

The four Ronins walked out in full armor. They grinned mercifully behind their face plates, their eyes glowing with purple power. Ashira giggled and brushed Sage's chest with her hand.

"They were so willing to play," she chuckled low in her throat, "isn't that right my love?"

Daemon sighed and grabbed Ashira around the waist kissing her deeply. Sekhmet had a look of disgust on his face.

"That is positively disgusting," stated Dais with a disgusted look of his own.

Daemon peeled all from Ashira and gave them all a smile, "What do you have problem with this, Eclipse? If you expect me to care for your blessing, you're full of shit. Life will end with the death of the last Eclipse leader, are you ready?"

Malaca snarled and crotched low towards the ground, "You dare challenge me traitor?"

"Eclipse," Akira called softly, "we have to go, can you handle it here?"

Malaca nodded slightly not turning towards him. Akira smiled and Diagon came forward to pat her shoulder resaduredly. Malaca turned around and grabbed his hand, removing the symbol of cleansing from Diagon in one swift movement.

Diagon shouted, "What was that for?"

Malaca kept her voice low, "We need all of you today, Diagon. If you wish to finish it, finish it when the world is not in jeopardy. Please, Diagon."

Diagon sighed and nodded, "Understood."

He saluted her and ran off with a reluctant Korin and a frowning Akira~Be safe Niccole~

"Where are all of you going? Your going to miss the fun!" Ashira jumped after them.

Kale knocked her away with a swipe of his no-Datchi. Ashira back-flipped away from the mystical weapon, snarling profusely.

"You want to play rough do you?" she smirked.

She drew her hands in front of her in a sweeping motion. Ashira smiled and left a small space between her two facing palms. A frown crossed her arrogantly beautiful face as she summoned an attack. Kale paced around her cautiously. Dais moved up behind him to protect his back as the other possessed Ronins surrounded them. Malaca snorted with anger and shifted her eyes in different directions. She was personally pissed off with the whole deal.

"All right Daemon, I used to respect you. Hell, I used to protect you against claims that you were no more than a pile of shit. Now, I'm wondering why I even tried to protect you from what you deserved."

"Shut up and fight, Eclipse. This will be your last day on Earth."

Malaca grinned feral and jumped at Daemon who blocked with a counter move. Back over where Kale and Dais faced off with Ashira, it was evident that they weren't faring too well. Ashira smirked as she dodged another attack from the over exuberant Kale, and continued to gather energy between her palms. She bent down in a stance as she felt her attack reach its peak.

Pushing her palms out towards Kale and Dais she let loose the attack, "FURIES DECEPTION! MAKE FRIENDS ENEMIES!"

Kale and Dais were caught up in the attack. They shook their heads to clear them from her strange attack. Ashira stood dumbstruck, how could they resist her most powerful attack?

Rowen shook his head and took to the air to avoid an attack from Sage. He cursed underneath his breath. It would figure that his own friends would be turned against him. That's the way things seemed to go lately. Oh well, no time like the present to fix the problem. To this Rowen smirked.

It's about time I finished this. *Takes a deep breath* I couldn't take studying for finals anymore, sooooo.....this was finished. I really have got to get off my recent Gundam Wing kick. Damn, I love that show. Anyways, JA NE!

Malaca