3"You have to have a darkness for the dawn to come." - Harrison Ford
The only noise that Cye could hear at he smashed through the beams and wooden planks of the house he flew back was the crack of the wood and his heartbeat in his ears. He closed his eyes as his body came to a sudden halt against a brick wall.
With a gasp Cye's back smashed against the hard surface and he slid down the wall until he sat slumped against it with his hand automatically going to his chest holding the frayed edges of the ripped fabric there. His ears were ringing now and he could feel the blood from the cut on his left one dripping down his neck. And he knew from the copper taste that his lip was swelling up where he had bit it.
Groaning Cye looked up at to see that the bright white full moon above illuminated his opponent where they still stood two buildings away, their eyes were glowing a golden yellow. The ringing in his ears was starting to fade and in its place he could hear the flap of the webbed wings and shrill cries of the creatures crawling around the city he was in.
How did it come to this? Cye asked himself. It wasn't supposed to go this way. His and Ryo's trip to Sapporo was supposed to be uneventful and simple. Help Kayura research the Ancients, find answers, go , he now sat on the ground staring what could very well be his own death walking towards him.
It was worth it though, and he knew it. All the trouble, all the heartache, all the pain, it was worth it.
As his opponent came closer their weapon flashing in the night he closed his eyes and thought back to the beginning of the trip…
Cye opened his eyes as the train he sat on came to a slow yet still jerking stop. The sound of his audiobook still played in his ears even though he had missed most of it due to him falling asleep. He lifted a hand and plucked the earbuds out of his ears.
"We're already there?" He asked Ryo who was getting up to grab his bag from the overhead shelf.
"Yea, you fell asleep right at the beginning. You missed all the views." Ryo teased as he reached over and opened the pull down curtain that had blocked Cye's view of outside.
Cye blinked the sunlight back as he looked at the city surrounding them once again. The northern city they had come to looked more open and cleaner that Tokyo. There was more sense of traditions here too as he watched a group of women walk by in casual kimonos.
He and Ryo had come to Sapporo after Kayura had gotten a hold of the Ronins updating them on her search of a rumored sect of the Ancient Clan living on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. She had come across some ruins of a small village in the mountains where the layout matched the Ancient Clan village that she had been born in near Tokyo.
Mia and Ryo had then arranged to get access to some ancient texts at the local university and Ryo volunteered to come up and go through them while Cye had volunteered to come and take a closer look at the ruins with Kayura.
Well, volunteer was a strong word Cye thought as he grabbed his own bag from the overhead shelf and followed Ryo off the train. It was more that he had to get out of Tokyo for a break.
Granted, he just became one of the entry-level marine biologists for a marine conservation group in Tokyo, it was an exciting time for him. He was only doing grunt work at the moment, like refilling oxygen tanks and cleaning scuba equipment, but he knew that he would be in the field with his team soon enough. The position brought him joy knowing that he was on his way to reach his dream job.
What he had to get away from was how only he and Ryo were the only ones in the Ronin Warriors that weren't currently in a relationship. Everyone seemed to pair off so easily and their happiness radiated off them.
Don't get him wrong, he wasn't bitter about any of their relationships. Everyone was happier than he had ever seen before. However, it made him realize just how alone he felt at the end of the day. Even Ryo had White Blaze for company when everyone else was busy.
Cye sighed and reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter that was wrinkled with a missing corner that was worn off from the result of being passed between multiple people. Along with the letter were three photos.
The photos showed Rowen and Riska standing together on a ridge overlooking Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains; another showed them looking up at the towering Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, and the last showed hammocks set up in the middle of the rain forest. In each one both people beamed with love and joy that was contagious even through a photo. Their eyes glowed with the feelings they had for each other and the new appreciation for life they had acquired. According the letter they were heading for the Galapagos Islands then Easter Island next.
Even though the letter stated they missed everyone, Cye knew from his brief phone calls with the couple that they were enjoying their trip so much that they were sad it was coming to an end.
They had left shortly after the incident with Hariel. The brush of death Rowen had and the near end of Riska had left the couple not wanting to ever leave each other's side and an intense sense of wanderlust. So, at the end of November they left Japan and set off for an around the world trip.
Rowen had submitted for a sabbatical at his position in the lab he worked at claiming he needed to refresh and gain perspective. Riska simply didn't have to say anything since she worked for Mia and Mia didn't need her as much with her sight back.
They had briefly returned around the holidays to celebrate Christmas Eve with Rowen's parents but left again before New Year's. Ever since his parents had met Riska they insisted on coming together as a family again for holidays. Cye smiled thinking about his call from Riska telling him how his parents seemed to really like her and how relieved she was about that.
Cye tucked the letter and photos back into his pocket as he heard a familiar voice call out to him and Ryo in the busy train station lobby. The air in the train station was warm as beams of the late spring sun shone through the glass walls.
"Cye! Ryo! Over here!" Yulie's voice carried over the hundreds of conversations around them.
Ryo weaved through the crowd easily with Cye right behind him until they were face to face with the grown up Yulie.
Immediately, Cye noticed that Yulie had grown tall over the winter holiday and was now Ryo's height. His hair was getting shaggy and was long enough to slightly cover his eyes. Even his voice had deepened since the last time Cye had seen him. Laughing merrily Yulie hugged Ryo and then Cye as if he were meeting with family. Cye was shocked by how tight Yulie held him he could feel Yulie's muscles tighten easily through his shirt, the boy had truly grown up.
He held Yulie back for a moment and laughed before ruffling his hair to the boy's dismay.
Yulie happened to be staying in the area with some relatives while his parents went on a trip to southern Japan and before Yulie would return to Tokyo to finish high school. Usually he would stay at Mia's, however she and Sage had gone to Canada so that Sage could meet her family. Meanwhile, with Cye's new job and Ryo living so far up into the mountains now the only choice he had left was to go out of town.
"Is anyone else coming?" Yulie asked.
Ryo shook his head, "Ro and Riska are still abroad, Sage and Mia went to Canada, and Kento is who knows where with Odessa. But, White Blaze is traveling by foot; he should show up around here soon."
Yulie laughed, "That means you two are stuck with the research on the Ancient Clan." He concluded.
Cye nodded, that about summed up how he ended up being volunteered for the trip by Ryo and Mia. "It's not so bad. I have some plans to get some water samples and observation notes from the bay for work while I'm here."
"Besides, we're the Ronin Warriors; it's all a part of the job." Ryo clapped Cye on the shoulder.
Cye nodded, "so, shall we head to hotel first to check in?"
"Are you sure that you don't want to stay with me?" Yulie asked Ryo as Cye began to walk towards the exit.
Ryo nodded, "we'll be just fine at the hotel. We don't want to intrude."
"It sounds like you have a lot of family here and that they want to spend time with you." Cye added.
Yulie shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. "They're pretty cool. I'm glad that I finally got to meet them all. Mom is from here and it's her brother that I'm staying with. She never talked about them much, I don't know why though."
"At least you seem to be having a good time." Cye told Yulie who beamed a bright smile, the same one he had since a kid.
"Yea, I'm lucky. Anyway." Yulie became a little more serious. "The spring festival is tomorrow night. Are you still coming?"
Ryo and Cye nodded in unison, "It seems like a good opportunity to see this area's traditions." Ryo told him, "The Ainu people were all over this region long ago and there's still a bunch of things influenced by them here."
"That's true." Yulie stated, "I wonder if my family has any relation."
"You never know." Cye laughed.
They reached a taxi and the three of them rode together to a hotel near the western edge of the city. From here it was a ten minute drive to the university in the east and the mountains that Kayura found the village ruins in the mountains in the west.
Cye took the responsibility to check in as Ryo and Yulie stood in the lobby catching up. Once that was done they headed to the room.
Cye and Ryo tossed their bags to the side then Ryo lay back on his tatami bed. There were two in the room one for him and one for Cye. Cye busied himself with unpacking his clothes and putting them in his temporary dresser.
"When are you meeting up with Kayura?" Yulie asked.
"This afternoon." Ryo answered from the bed.
"We're going to meet her at the ruins." Cye finished for Ryo. He picked his armor orb out of his bag and put it into his pocket. He knew that Ryo already had his in his own pocket already.
Yulie nodded as he caught a glance of the orb then looked between the two Ronins.
"You can come too." Ryo quirked a smile.
"Yes!" Yulie cheered. "I already told my Uncle that I wouldn't be home until late tonight. All my family knows is that some of my friends from Tokyo are visiting and I wanted to come hang out in the city with them."
"As long as we're not taking you away from anything important." Cye said carefully. He glanced at Yulie giving him a serious look. "Spending time with family is important too."
"I know, I know." Yulie said dismissively. "I'm not missing anything exciting. My uncle takes my cousins to my grandfather's to the family shrine to do ceremony stuff. I don't get to go since it's supposed to be all secretive and stuff. So I just end up playing card games with my aunt all night."
"Fair enough." Cye laughed. He went to sit crossed legged on his own tatami bed. "Where is the shrine?"
"It's a small one at the edge of the city. Not too many tourists know it's there. It's popular among the locals though." Yulie explained thoughtfully as he fidgeted with the bottom of his shirt. "We'll be near it during the festival."
"We'll have to check it out while we're here." Ryo said enthusiastically.
Before anyone could say anything else Ryo's stomach growled. Ryo let out a laugh as he sat up, "I guess skipping breakfast wasn't such a great idea on my part." He looked over to Yulie, "so, official Sapporo tour guide, where can we get some good grub?"
Yulie smiled and gave a wink, "just leave it to me. I know a noodle place that will leave you drooling for more."
"Good thing Kento isn't with us then." Cye noted as indicted for Yulie to lead the way.
Ryo and Yulie laughed at the joke as they all headed back out of the hotel room once more.
