Stir of Shadows
by Queen of Sarab
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Chapter Ten

Complete and total darkness.

Not even a trace of light pierced the darkness that met Ryo and Rowen.

"What's going on?" Ryo whispered, afraid to break the silence that surrounded them.

Rowen stared around them. "One of the others' dreams, I guess...but why is it that in spite of the darkness we can see each other, although there isn't any trace of light?"

"I..." Ryo began to say, but stopped suddenly as he heard a sound.

"Where am I?" a voice asked from near them. They knew that voice.

"Sage?" Rowen called softly, and suddenly, although no light appeared, they could see Sage standing in front of them, his eyes wide and very frightened.

"What's going on?" he breathed.

"Sage! You're ok!" Ryo cried out suddenly, then lowered his voice as though he had just been hushed in a library. "You are ok, aren't you?"

"Yeah, Ryo, I just 'appeared' in some creepy dark place, I hate the dark, and the last thing I remember is talking to Kurai in our kitchen. I'm great."

"Just checking."

As Ryo explained what had happened to Sage, Rowen looked arounf them warily. Blackness stretched in all directions, unbroken by anything.

"Sage– what's your worst nightmare?" he asked softly, just as Ryo finished filling the third ronin in.

Halo thought a moment. "Um, I think it was..." Sage suddenly stopped, his face draining of color. "In a place like this. Exactly like this. And there were all these things in the dark, and I...I couldn't see them..."

"For some reason, I don't like the sound of this." Ryo grimaced.

"And it'll just get worse," murmured Rowen grimly.

Suddenly, Sage was pushed back into Rowen, knocking both of them to the ground with a loud crash. They quickly scrambled to their feet, Sage summoning his subarmor.

"Why can't you just have nice dreams about pretty meadows and pink bunnies?" Rowen asked bitterly.

"Sorry, Ro, I'll try to dream more to your liking from now on."

The darkness lashed out again, slashing a midnight black sword a millimeter from Sage's head.

"Sage, you gotta face your nightmare," Ryo said between clenched teeth.

"Sure, oh great and fearless leader, just tell me HOW I'm supposed to face darkness?!"

Ryo was silent, but realization dawned on Rowen's face. "Sage, you gotta fight it with..." The darkness leaped at him, knocking him down again. He scrambled back, suddenly realizing he was going deeper into the darkness. He quickly scampered back towards his friends. "Light, Sage! Summon Halo, kill it with light!"

Sage didn't answer. He was staring at he darkness, transfixed, muttering something to himself under his breath.

"SAGE! LISTEN!" Rowen screamed. He could feel the darkness closing around them, and could see the others felt it too. "Sage, you're the only one who can beat this!! Summon your armor!"

Sage slowly nodded his head slowly, not even turning.

The darkness was creeping around Rowen's body, wrapping him like a blanket. And suddenly, his body shut down and he felt himself began to drift off into his mind.

"THUNDERBOLT CUT!"

A blaze of light slashed through Rowen's vision, and he snapped back to reality just in time to see...nothing. Sage's attack had illuminated a broad expanse of dark floor, seemingly with no end any way. However, a black door stood about 100 feet away, floating in the air with no frame or any type of structure around it.

"The way out! Head to the door!" Ryo called out as the light projected by Sage's attack faded suddenly. They couldn't see anymore, but they had a new hope– a way out of Sage's nightmare.

The other 2 ronins nodded and began to push their way over towards the door against the hard wind that suddenly appeared.

When the door was 73 feet away, the darkness began to tug. Now struggling against two forces, the ronins pushed harder. They reached around them frantically, trying to find the door in the pitch black of the place.

Suddenly, just as they were beginning to once more give up hope, Sage's hand touched cold wood. Following the sound of his voice, Ryo and Rowen made their way over to them. Together, they were able to yank the door open. Light burst into the room, and a blood curding screamsounded from the darkness bohind them.

Ryo, Rowen, and Sage quickly jumped through the door– into the unknown and blinding light beyond.

Author's note- Light vs. darkness... e-mail me... join the dark side, Luke...e-mail me... [email protected]