Returned Threat
Part One
Cye woke up early, one Saturday morning to enjoy the sunrise. He walked out to the backyard, and lie down in the damp dewed grass. He closed his eyes, and enjoyed the tranquility.
Ever since we beat Talpa again, things have been so much more peaceful. he thought to himself. I'm not quite sure why, but I think this thing with Kento is not quite over yet. I wonder if this presence I feel around us has some role to play. Maybe I should ask Sage when he gets up. He usually senses these things too. Cye got up and was about to go in to start breakfast when something stopped him in his tracks.
He could sense something amiss in the woods behind him. He spun on his heel to see something he hadn't seen in months.
* * *
Kento streached and walked downstairs. He was surprised to see Ryo Sage, and even Rowen sitting on the living room couches.
"What's everyone doing up so early on a Saturday morning?" he asked of the group.
"Don't know." Ryo answered.
Kento gave him a confused look.
Sage answered his unspoken question. "None of us could sleep. I can see that also happened to you, seeing you down here as well. Anyway, I sense that something's up. On top of that, Cye's missing."
"So what does all that mean? Maybe Cye just went out." Kento wondered, taking a seat next to Rowen.
"No. He's not in your room, he's not in the kitchen, and he's not anywhere near the house in the woods, which is saying a lot. Rowen already flew up and looked out over the forest. He couldn't find him anywhere. Besides, he would have told someone where he was going. Or at least left a note, which he didn't." Sage assured.
* * *
The youja lunged at Cye. Cye quickly dodged. He instictively reached into his pocket to pull out his small kanji ball. He was almost surprised when it wasn't there.
Five youja surrounded him. They had already forced him about a mile or two into the forest. Cye slapped his forehead. "Duh! Didn't think I'd need it out here!' he thought aloud.
He squatted down, letting the energy build in his ankles, and jumped over the youja. He began sprinting through the forest with the youja hot on his trail.
* * *
Up in Cye's room, unknown to anyone, Cye's kanji ball flared to life on his dresser.
* * *
Cye continued to run throught the woods, trying to come up with some brilliant plan to get himself out of this mess. He looked behind him to see that the youja were no longer in persuit. He didn't even have the time to turn his head around before he ran into something.
At first he thought it was a tree. That was before he realized that it, too had fallen back. Cye landed on his back, and lifted himself up onto his elbows. When he looked at what he had run into, he was confused.
Sitting on the ground in front of him was a thin-framed, ash haired girl about his age. She looked kinda familiar.
What the heck is someone else doing out here in the middle of nowhere like this? I don't remember Mia saying anyone else lived out this far away from downtown. Cye thought. He quickly got to his feet, rushed over to her, and took her hand to help her up. "I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going! Are you alright?"
The girl looked up at him at the sound of his soft English accented voice. Her grey-blue eyes were wide with fear.
Suddenly, she got up, and threw herself into his arms. "Oh! Please! Help! You've got to believe me! These huge metal things are following me!"
The girl began to shake with sobs as she began to cry. Cye wasn't sure why she felt so comfortable, lying in the arms of a complete stranger, but, he guessed that it was just his kanji at work. She wrapped her arms around his chest, under his arms. Cye slowly pulled her away. He raised her chin so she was looking at him directly in the eyes.
"Do you...think you can help?" she asked, hope tinting her voice. Cye nodded his answer. "Oh! Thank-you! My name is Hashira Rei Faun. I come from a village near here. It's about two miles that way." Hashira pointed behind her.
She was about to continue with her story when he stopped her. "Wait a minute! Did you say that your name was Hashira REI FAUN?"
"Yeah, so?" Hashira asked bluntly.
"Uh... nothing. Continue." Torrent shook his head, pushing back the thought that was forming in his mind.
"Ok, the village is called Sadeno. It is where the Rei Faun family, well, part of it, has lived for about eighteen years now. About two to three weeks ago, my father, Carde Rei Faun, noticed some sort of disturbance in the village. Being the head of the village, he had to warn the other leaders. Then, it happened. These huge armord people came and started killing people, and destroying the village!" the girl fought back tears. "Today, they came back for the remaining survivors. They were right behind me!" Again, she threw herself into Cye's arms, shaking as she cried.
Instead of pulling her away, this time Cye embraced her, comforting her. The Ronin of water's kanji flared to life on his forehead. He closed his eyes and allowed his kanji power to take over. "They're gone now. Calm down. Shhhh." Cye pulled her close to his body.
Hashira felt his arms tighten around her. He began whispering to her to calm down. When she looked at his face, she gasped. A japanese character shone light blue in the center of his forehead. Then, just as soon as it had appeared, it vanished. She sighed, and figured that her mind was just playing tricks on her.
"What? What is it, Mia?" Kento asked, since she was looking straight at him.
Mia pointed to her forehead. "Your kanji!"
The others looked at Kento only to see the orange justice symbol glowing.
"What's up, Kento?" Yuli asked his friend, worried.
Kento said nothing, but held up his index finger to silence the boy. He looked down as if listening to something. A couple minutes later, he began talking.
"Cye! Don't worry. We'll be there soon, my friend. Hang on."
"KENTO! WHAT HAPPENED?!" all the others yelled in unison.
"I heard Cye!" Kento exclaimed.
"What? You did? I didn't hear anything!" Sage argued.
"How could Kento hear him if we couldn't?" Ryo querried.
"I'm not sure. But, whatever! I heard him!"
"What did he say, Kento?" an urgent Yuli asked.
"He said that a nearby village was attacked by youja." Kento said this as if he wasn't sure that he heard it himself.
"What? Youja? That's impossible! You must've been hearing things! Talpa's dead, and so's his army! Youja can't be alive!" Rowen reasoned.
"Look, all I'm telling you came from Cye himself. He also said to meet him and some girl at the large redwood tree in the center of the forest." Kento told them.
"Alright, let's go." Ryo said. "Wait a minute! Girl? What girl?" Ryo cried as he and the others turned their attention back to Kento. Kento's response was a simple shrug. The other Ronins shrugged too, then simply got up and ran upstairs, grabbed their kanji balls, and ran out the back door.
* * *
"Kento? Is that you?"
Hashira looked up at him. "Cye? What's wrong?"
"Kento? Listen! I need your help!" Cye told his friend. His kanji flared again.
"Cye? What is it? What's that thing on your forehead?" Hashira pushed.
Cye gave no answer, but seemed as if he was listening to something. As if he was expecting an answer from the wind itself. A couple miutes later, Cye spoke again. "Thank you, Kento"
Cye looked down at Hashira. Her eyes were clouded with worry.
"Don't worry. I'm fine. Uh... I need to know more about this attack. Tell me, did they want anything?" Cye asked the frightened girl.
"Yes, they wanted a person, though, I have no idea who he is." She answered after a pause.
"What? Who?" Cye asked, almost knowing the answer.
"A Rei Faun Kento." She looked confused. "But I've never heard of someone named Kento."
"I have. In fact, he's my best friend!" Cye answered, a serious and solemn look on his face.
"You know him? Then do you know why they were after him?" she asked.
"No. But we should find out." Cye tried his best to lie a bit. He figured that it was probably best if she didn't find out about the armors just yet.
"Well, there is a reason that could be why they are after him." Hashira offered quietly.
"Huh?" The warrior of Torrent looked back at her.
"He could be the one referred to in our stories."
"Stories? What do you mean?" Cye asked, getting a little anxious.
"Well, for as far back as I remember, by parents have told me stories about a man who never lived in Sadeno, but was definately part of the Rei Faun family. He had a son who was said to posess great powers, and would uphold the family name, and save the world. But, the story was made up by some old guy considered to be crazy about fifteen years ago." Hashira explained.
"And you think that the son described in that story is Kento?"
"Not necissarily, but if things as powerful as those metal things were after him, I'd say there is something special about him."
"True, but I've known Kento all my life! I've never noticed anything different about him."
Hashira nodded slowly. Cye continued.
"Anyway, let's go."
"Go where?" Hashira gave him a puzzled look.
"To the redwood tree at the center of the forest." Cye explained.
"Why?"
"To meet my friends!"
"Wha?"
"Just come on!" Cye grabbed her by the wrist, and began running in the direction of the redwood tree.