Note: I have nothing to do with Ronin Warriors and its characters except to be a fan who enjoys the series very much. This story is my extrapolation of the storylines as received in North America. I apologize if this story doesn't quite fit into the Japanese series.

"Wait a minute," Kento said, frowning. "What do you mean, 'they're not human'?"

"There's something strange about them," the patient, Hideki Kumano, said. "There's just...something wrong about them."

Kento shook his head. "I just don't get it."

He had finished his rounds quickly that day. Determined to help his friends, he'd used his spare time to locate the patient he'd calmed down the day he'd gotten the job. That had been the easy part. Now, sitting there by the bed, listening to Kumano relate the events that had landed him in the hospital, and understanding what the man was trying to say...that was the hard part. It just didn't make sense to him.

"I'm trying to make it as clear as I can," Kumano said, frustrated.

"I know you are," Kento said. "Let me see if I understand this much correctly, at least. You started working at Oninoseishin about four months ago. The first couple of weeks everything was fine. Then you started teaching some of the advanced classes, and at the end of each day you were exhausted."

Kumano nodded. "It was like all the energy was sucked out of me. I went to sleep early each night, got nearly ten hours of sleep, and woke up feeling terrific each morning. I'd teach the beginning classes with no problem, then have lunch. I'd feel fine up until then."

Kento frowned. From what he'd heard, that was very much like what Ryo was doing nowadays. "After lunch you taught the advanced classes, right? Then I guess it was teaching the afternoon classes that was draining you."

The other man shook his head. "I wasn't doing anything strenuous," he said, "certainly nothing that would leave me so totally drained at the end."

That, too, sounded like what he knew about Ryo's experiences. "And there was nothing different that happened during the afternoon classes that didn't happen in the morning classes?"

Kumano shook his head again. "Nothing," he said. Then he frowned. "Wait a minute," he said. "There was something different. One or two of the senior instructors always observed as I taught the advanced classes. Mr. Manigami said that, since the advanced classes were more for those wishing to attain mastery, the instructors were making certain that what I was teaching was proper and suitable for the students."

Kento sighed. That didn't sound all that bad. It didn't really help him, either. He sighed again. "Now tell me about when you left the dojo."

Kumano laughed. It was a harsh, bitter laugh. "When I left the dojo?" he asked. "When I fled the dojo! There's something very, very evil there! And nobody will believe me!"

"Calm down," Kento said firmly. "I believe you. I'm just having trouble understanding, that's all." He watched as the other man struggled to control himself. "Now just explain it to me again."

"One night after the last class," Kumano began, "Mr. Manigami asked me to stay late. He wanted me to duel with one of the other instructors while he and the rest of the senior staff watched. He wanted to further assess my skills, or so he said. So I dueled Goma. From the moment we started dueling, I felt something was wrong."

"Wrong in what way?" Kento interrupted.

"I'd never seen the senior instructors teaching," the other man said. "The moment we started circling each other, there was something not...not right about Goma's movements. His steps seemed awkward, more like when a boy's going through a growth spurt and isn't yet used to his longer limbs. And yet...somehow it seemed like Goma wasn't used to make such small movements, like his legs were supposed to be longer."

"Is Goma a tall man?" Kento asked.

"Taller than either of us," Kumano said, "yet they way he moved...it was like he was supposed to be eight or ten feet tall. And the way he held his sword...that was wrong, too."

Kento frowned. "Let me guess. It was like he was used to larger weapons."

Kumano nodded. "When you hold a sword, you hold it lightly, with your grip firm but loose, and your wrist steady but loose, too. Goma was clutching his sword tightly, and he locked his wrist."

"What happened when you actually started dueling with him?"

Kumano shuddered. "I felt...cold. It was like all the warmth, all the energy, was draining out of me. I was able to keep up my guard, but only just."

"Okay," Kento said slowly. "I think I understand that much. Now, why did you run away from the dojo?"

Kumano closed his eyes and was silent for a long moment. "What I saw..." he whispered finally.

"What did you see?" Kento pressed.

"Eyes," Kumano whispered.

"Eyes?" Kento asked, confused.

"Eyes," the other man repeated. "Eyes filled with such evil and cruelty. They all looked human, but their eyes...they weren't human. And they seemed to grow and swell..."

"Why did you flee?" Kento said softly.

"When I looked at them...they were there, and yet...there was something else, too. Goma was still Goma, but there was another person...another thing there. Taller, bigger...a monster, with horns and sharp teeth. They were like real oni, and yet I could still see that Goma was standing there. And all the other instructors were the same."

Kumano opened his eyes. "I ran away from there and wound up here. No one believes me."

Kento didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell Kumano that he believed him, but what he was saying...was it even possible? The Dynasty had been real enough, so maybe he shouldn't discount what the man was saying, and yet...ogres? In the middle of the city?

"Why should anyone believe you, Kumano?"

Kento spun around. Behind him Kumano cried out in fright. "Goma!"

A tall man stood in the doorway. There was nothing particularly remarkable about him except that he was, indeed, taller than Kento, and there was definitely a menacing air about him.

"You'll have to leave," Kento said coldly, getting to his feet. "Mr. Kumano isn't allowed any visitors."

The man laughed. "Isn't that too bad? But I'm not here as a visitor." The man stepped forward, all traces of humor gone. "I'm here as his executioner!"

"Not on my watch!" Kento shouted. He flung himself forward, plowing into the man and shoving him back into the hallway. Screams echoed up and down the corridor as they crashed into the opposite wall and almost through it.

The man--Goma, Kento labeled him--shoved him away and got to his feet, but Kento charged in again. This time, he caught the man around the waist and swung him around before flinging him down the hall. Nurses, doctors, and patients scrambled out of the way as Goma when sliding along the slippery floor. Kento grimly followed.

Goma clambered to his feet, then caught hold of a room door and ripped it from its hinges. He swung the door at Kento, but the Ronin caught the door instead, and shoved it back into Goma, who staggered back, losing his grip. Kento dropped the door and flung himself at Goma again.

By this time they had reached the end of the hall. Kento's charge threw the two of them through the glass window at the end. As they began their seven-story fall to the ground below, Kento drew his feet up under him, positioned them against Goma's chest, and jumped. His leap carried him back through the broken window, where he did a handspring before landing on his feet. He rushed to the gaping hole and looked down.

Goma's impact with the driveway below had cracked the asphalt. That was surprising enough. What was even more surprising was that the man had gotten to his feet. He seemed to be mostly unhurt; he held his arm as though it were in pain, but that was all.

Goma looked up, and Kento felt a chill. Kumano had been right. Those eyes were evil, even worse than any of the Dynasty warlords' eyes had been.

"You'll pay for that, human flea!" Goma shouted, shaking his fist at him. Then he turned and ran away.

Kento swallowed. Something very strange was going on, and he wondered if he was ready for it. Then he wondered if it would be easier or harder than trying to explain why there was a cracked wall in the hall, a door missing from its hinges, a hole in the building, and a crater in the parking lot.

* * *

"Sage," Rowan said softly.

"I know," Sage whispered back. "We're being followed."

"Any ideas?"

Sage shook his head. He casually turned his head from side to side, studying their surroundings.

They had just left the city archives, where they had spent all morning and half the afternoon looking up everything they could find on the dojo where Ryo was working. They had unhappily very little to show for their work. Now, as they headed towards the park where Mia would pick them up, the two Ronins had sensed stalkers closing in on them.

They were, unfortunately, in an area of the city surprisingly empty for all its proximity to the city's political center. There were no bystanders around to get hurt, of course, but there were also no crowds for them to disappear into. If they tried to duck out of sight, their pursuers would notice and know that they'd been spotted. There also wasn't a whole lot of space to fight in, if it came down to that.

"Turn right at the next corner," Sage said. "But keep it casual, like we were planning to turn all along."

"Then what?" Rowan said as they began their turn.

"Then we disappear."

Sage kept pace with Rowan as they moved off of the main street and into the narrow alley. They took two steps into the alley, then--almost as if they'd practiced it beforehand--they jumped around each other and bounded up the sides of the buildings to either side. They ended up facing each other from opposite sides of the alley. Sage gestured for Rowan to duck down, then peered cautiously over the edge of the building's roof.

As he'd suspected, two men had rushed into the alleyway, obviously afraid that their targets had spotted them and were fleeing. Sage watched as the two men raced down the alley and to the next street beyond. They stopped there and, after a moment's discussion, split up and went in opposite directions, undoubtedly searching for their lost prey.

Sage backed up a few steps, then ran and jumped across to Rowan's roof. The other Ronin stood up.

"Well?" Rowan asked.

"Two of them," Sage said. "They split up. I think we should follow them and see where they go."

"I have a feeling I already know," Rowan said.

"I know," Sage said. "Still, we might learn something more about them as they search for us."

"Good point," Rowan said, nodding. "Meet at the dojo?"

"Naturally," Sage said. "Let's get going."

* * *

Rowan had no difficulty finding and trailing after his would-be stalker. The street, like the one they'd turned off of, was nearly empty of pedestrians, and his target was sprinting down the street, his head frantically whipping back and forth.

From his vantage point above the street, Rowan was able to keep up without being spotted. He jumped from building to building with careless ease, counting on his mastery of the air and wind to keep him safe. Several times he wound up actually floating over the buildings as he jumped larger than average gaps between rooftops.

Finally, the man seemed to give up on his search. He turned and started off in the direction Rowan had expected all along. Making sure there were no bystanders around to see him, Rowan jumped down from the building he was watching from, breaking his fall by bouncing off an awning, then catching hold of a light pole and spiraling down it. The moment he touched down Rowan set off after his target.

With each passing moment, Rowan became more and more certain that his stalker had come from Oninoseishin Dojo, which meant that someone at the dojo was aware of their investigation. Now the question was, why? Why was their research into the dojo making someone uncomfortable? What great and terrible secret was the dojo hiding?

Not surprisingly, they reached the dojo, the man ducking inside quickly. Rowan walked across the street to a coffee shop and went inside. He quickly took an inside booth that still afforded him a good view of the dojo. He was immediately glad of his decision. This particular coffee shop had a clientele that included teenagers and young adults who indulged in the wild fashions infiltrating Japan from the West. His blue hair wouldn't stand out quite so much as it usually did.

When the waitress came over, he ordered a caffe latte. Then he settled back to watch the dojo.

It didn't take long for another man to rush into the dojo. Rowan waited a few moments longer, then saw Sage moving at a cautious walk past the dojo. Rowan concentrated, sending a thought to the other Ronin. Sage immediately turned and came into the coffee shop. He slid into the seat across from Rowan.

"Notice anything?" Sage said without preamble.

Rowan shook his head. "Nothing." He sipped his drink. "He searched for a little while longer, then turned and came right back here."

"Same here," Sage said. "Well, at least we know one thing."

"Oh?" Rowan asked.

"We're making someone nervous," Sage said. "There is something going on at the dojo. Otherwise those guys wouldn't have been following us."

"True," Rowan said. They were silent while Rowan finished his caffe latte. Then, while he was waiting for the check, he gazed at his friend. "We know something else, too."

Sage's eyebrow rose. "Oh?"

"Whatever is going on there," Rowan said, "now that we know something's going on, is definitely unnatural. And we're talking mystical unnatural here. We'd better be prepared for anything."

"You're right," Sage said. He stood up. "Come on, we still have to meet Mia at the park."

Rowan waved down the waitress, got his check, and quickly paid for it. Once outside, he and Sage glanced at the dojo. From the outside it seemed good and proper. It hardly looked like a hiding place for some dark mystical force. But, as they knew from experience, looks could be deceiving. But to think that Ryo was venturing into that place practically every single day...they had to find out what was going on!

"Let's go," Sage said, turning and starting down the street.

Rowan nodded and started after his friend. Just then, a young man started to cross in front of him. Rowan stopped to let him pass. Then he froze.

There was a strange power radiating from the young man. And it wasn't just the student, as his uniform proclaimed him to be. There was a strong aura emanating from the bundle the young man carried atop his shoulder. The bundle looked to be a sword of some sort, but it was hidden away beneath a plain cloth shroud.

Then the student was past, moving rapidly away from them.

"What's wrong?"

Rowan jumped, startled to hear Sage's voice. He shook his head. "Nothing," he said. "Let's get going."

* * *

"Fools! I'm surrounded by fools!"

"Forgive us, master!"

"First Goma gets beaten by an ordinary mortal, then Nima and Hachima let two mortals out of their sights. I'd be better off if I let him finish the lot of you off!"

"Please, master, forgive us!"

"Wretches. You're worth nothing more than cannon fodder. If you want to survive long enough to even reach our great confrontation, you'd better do better than what you've been doing."

"Yes, master!"

"Continue the surveillance on the hospital. Keep me apprised of any further attempts to investigate the school, but do not do anything unless I tell you to. Is that clear?"

"Yes, master!"

Back Home

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page