Prologue
The two boys sat quietly watching the kendo team's practice from the sidelines. They were good for a high school kendo team, the two had already admitted to that. But as the two sat and watched silently it became apparent that they were just that. They were just good as a high school kendo team.
'They've got no real talent for combat. They look at sword fighting as a hobby, not as something that could save their life. God I wish they'd take a short trip to Spira. Then they'd see just how pathetic they are.' Matt thought bitterly.
It'd been two long years since he, along with Ryan, and Andy, had returned to Earth from Spira. When they'd gotten there they'd found several changes had happened while they were gone. First and most dominant was the presence of fiends in the world. The national governments had each formed their own "anti-fiend" unit to deal with their own fiend problems, only to find that conventional weapons didn't work well against them. That was where Ryan, Andy, and Matt had come in. Their first day back from the hospital, since their bodies on earth had been in comas while they were in Spira, that they'd been allowed to go to school the school was in fact overrun by coyotes. The three had beaten them with a dramatic flare, but that had been what attracted the US government to them. After a small "test" to see just how skilled they were the three of them, plus their friend Nick, had been formed into a not just an anti-fiend unit, but a fiend-killer unit. Rather then simply kill fiends when they appeared, they took the battle to the fiends, hunting down and killing them off before they had the chance to get close to any type of civilization. If the fiends had already gotten into a city or town, they worked with the local law enforcement to get the innocent to safety while taking the fiends out by any means necessary.
The second most dominant change was the fact that Auron, who Andy, Matt, and Ryan all looked up to like a student does a master, and who had been sent to the afterlife at the end of their time in Spira, was not in the afterlife. Instead, by some twist of fate, he'd been sent to earth instead. For the past two years he'd taught them the ways of combat, but with Auron "teaching" consisted more of beating the hell out of them until they got it. Despite Ryan's having long since mastered the Hiten Mitsurugi Style, and Matt being the reincarnation of the god of thunder, Dnortih, they'd were barely able to hit him more then once in a three hour session. But against Auron, once in any session was impressive, and while he never failed to point out their mistakes he never failed to point out the things they did well either. He'd also decided, for reasons known only to him and maybe the gods, to teach Nick how to use whatever weapon he wanted to use. As a joke Nick had picked a hockey stick, only to find out that Auron had been serious. For two years he'd been giving Nick private lessons after he'd finished with Ryan and Matt, and his quick improvement in melee combat showed just how effective a teach Auron was. He wasn't on the same level as Matt and Ryan yet, but he was better then anyone on the kendo team.
The last thing that had changed was their attitude towards life on earth. Knowing that they'd be going back to Spira in three years, Matt, Andy, and Ryan had decided to take several courses they normally wouldn't have taken in school. The first was advanced robotics, a move that had surprised everyone that knew them. Another move that had surprised everyone was their decision to go to a boot camp for not just basic, but also advanced survival training. Nobody knew of their job working for the government, but the fact that they were even getting out of their rooms and working made everyone so happy they didn't bother to ask questions.
A whistle snapped Matt out of his near-sleeping state. 'Finally, time for challengers.' Matt thought as he dropped down from the top of the folded bleachers. He had on a pair of loose fitting pants and a t-shirt that shouldn't have drawn too much attention to him but the team moaned none-the-less when the two dropped to the ground. He glanced over at Ryan who had on a similar outfit except for the pair of sword carrying cases he had slung over his shoulder.
Being in Japan for nearly two years had had one major benefit, and that was they weren't thought of as odd for carrying practice weapons around. Sure, they usually wore long coats or just stayed out of the town so that no matter what they were armed, but the thought that if they were asked why they had practice weapons they could simply pass it off as going to kendo practice. It wasn't that uncommon, so nobody bothered to ask questions as long as they didn't attack anyone.
"Wonderful, the Americans wanna try playing swordsmen." The coach, who apparently didn't enjoy the fact that his team had to take on any challengers, sneered as they approached.
"Play?" Ryan raised and eyebrow at the comment. "Did he say play?"
Matt smirked at the team. "I'm pretty sure the idiot did say play. Why don't we show them how to use a weapon?"
"You two even know how to use weapons? I'm pretty sure you'd piss your pants if someone even came after you with a pair of brass knuckles." One of the members taunted. The words sent shivers down both their backs as it reminded them of the reason Andy wasn't with them. He'd lost it on a gang and attacked them with his powers as the god of fire and then he'd been admitted into an insane asylum. Since then they hadn't been able to contact them, and even the government couldn't get him out.
Ryan dropped his pair of sword cases to the ground, removing one sword so quickly that the cases were empty before then. The kid who'd made the comment blinked in surprise before regaining his confidence. "Coach, I'll take them on."
"You sure Kenji-san? You're our second best swordsman; normally they'd have to prove themselves to even be allowed to fight you. That's our way." Ryan and Matt simply rolled their eyes.
"You don't think we're deserving enough? What the hell is this Matt?" The thunder god shrugged and Ryan grinned. "Ok, I'll fight you one-on-one, but on one condition: I win the rest of the team has to attack Matt and me at the same time."
Kenji burst into laughter at the thought of the two wannabes trying to take on a twenty-man team, assuming they could even get past him. "Well, anyone got a problem with that?" The team laughed at the question, apparently thinking the same thing he was thinking. "Well then, I'm going to have to accept your condition."
Matt shook his head and stepped to the side a few feet. He knew all too well how people flew through the air when Ryan fought. 'Well, not that they don't fly when I'm fighting. If anything I'd say they have a shorter flight with Ryan. And I tend to have to repair walls too.'
"Ready?" The two combatants bowed to each other. "Begin!"
Kenji lead the match off with a straight, vertical slash that, had they been using real weapons, would have split an opponent in two. Ryan raised his one sword lazily while throwing his other to Matt. The wooden weapons met and locked in mid-air, the sound drawing the attention of those who had been packing up.
"Wow, that was really… slow." Ryan grabbed Kenji's hand just beneath the finger guard and held the sword where in place while he slashed Kenji across the stomach with his own sword. Kenji winced in pain despite the fact that he was wearing protective gear. He felt Ryan let go of his sword and he jumped back two feet before dropping into a drawing stance.
"Oh shit. Bad move." Matt called out with a knowing smile. Ryan let out a small chuckle as he dropped into his own Battou Jutsu stance.
"So you wanna decide this with a drawing match." Ryan shook his head sadly. "Bad, bad move. You sure you don't wanna reconsider that?"
"Shut up and draw."
Ryan let out another small chuckle of amusement. "If you really insist." The two crept forward until they were within striking distance.
"Well, draw. You're the challenger."
"You're the dumbass." Kenji chuckled at the comment.
"You don't know who I am, do you?"
"Not really, but from what I've seen I shouldn't either, so it makes sense." Kenji glared but his voice betrayed no hint of anger.
"I'm Urameshi Kenji, second best swordsmen on this team, and also known as the 'Living Basttousi', not that you read--"
"Rurouni Kenshin, right?" Kenji nodded and Ryan shook his head. "Sorry, but I can't see you being anywhere near as good with a Battou Jutsu as me."
"Why don't we find out then!" Kenji's wooden sword flashed and Ryan watched the rather fast move come at him.
'Well, it's not half bad, I'll give him that.' Ryan thought as the sword drew closer. With a single motion Kenji went flying into the wall to Ryan's right, his sword spinning into the wall to Ryan's left. "You're good with a Battou Jutsu. I'm better." Ryan told him mockingly as mummers of amazement swept through the dojo.
"Well then, shall we? Or perhaps you'd like to wait for your best to get here?" Matt threw a hint of fear into his voice to make it seem like Ryan had forced him to come with.
"Wait for this you bastard!" The third best on the team yelled as he charged in at Matt. He slashed at the teen twice before being sent flying to join his superior in the wall.
"Well, are you gonna wait for your best? My offer still stands."
"What about me?" A girl who looked like she was only a year younger then the two challengers asked as she walked into the room. She was already dressed in the typical kendo team outfit, a white kimono with the black pleated skirt. She had hazel eyes that were complimented by her light blue hair that shimmer in some spots but not in others as she stepped in and out of the sunlight that filtered in through the windows. "And what happened here? Why are Kenji and his friend sitting next to a pair of dents wall?"
"Ah, Sakura-sama!" One of the still standing kendo team members bowed to her.
"Sakura-dono. These two challenged us. The deal was that if Kenji-san couldn't beat the one with the sword one-on-one they'd get to fight the whole team." Sakura shook her head.
"Kenji nii-chan, what did you do?" Sakura asked lazily as she sat down and started to dig through her bag. "Wait, don't tell me, lemme guess. You got cocky and agreed to a bet that was so irrational that you should've noticed that something was wrong but didn't, right?"
"Onee-chan, are you gonna help or not?" Kenji asked as he sat up slowly.
"Ah-ha! Found them." Sakura pulled out a pair of Tonfas. "Well, I guess it's time to save all your butts again. So, who's first?"
Ryan and Matt shared an amused look. "I've got this one." Ryan nodded, sat down and waited to continue the match with the Kendo team.
"So, you first, eh?" Sakura rolled her eyes. "You'd better be ready to jump in, unless your friend doesn't mind getting his dignity handed to him."
"People are just so cocky these days." Matt muttered sadly. Sakura snorted at the comment. "You don't agree?"
"Well I've placed first place in the past six weapons competitions I've competed in. I'd say that gives me at least a little bragging right, wouldn't you?" Matt smiled slightly.
"Well you may have placed first in the past six weapons competitions you've competed in…" he hefted the wooden axe onto his shoulder and flashed Ryan and amused grin, "but this is going to be a lot different."
"Think so?" Sakura asked in a voice that held a razor edge. "Well I've got a rep to keep, so I'm just gonna have to kick your ass quickly then."
"Why don't you see if you can even land a hit first, hmmm?" Sakura let out an annoyed laugh before she charged in.
She covered the thirty feet between them in the blink of an eye and opened the fight with a roundhouse kick at Matt's head. Matt smiled and stepped back and let the kick swing buy harmlessly. As she turned he put the head of his axe on the ground where he expected her foot would land. He was right. "Mine." He muttered as he pulled the axe, and Sakura's foot, out from under her. She hit the ground and brought her Tonfas up in front of her face. She felt the weight of the wooden axe slam into her Tonfas and kicked up as hard as she could. Her foot hit something, but she suspected that, given how hard whatever she'd hit was, it was the axe and not his arm like she'd intended.
"That's my arm you know." Sakura opened her eyes and couldn't believe that he wasn't lying.
'What is he? His arm is like a tree trunk.'
"Well, you gonna get up?" She raised an eyebrow as he held out a hand to help her up. "You look surprised. I'm not going to attack someone that can't defend herself. Well, I guess their would be a few exceptions, but in general I like to keep my matches as honorable as possible."
Sakura shook her head and took his hand. She wasn't surprised that he had an incredibly strong, nor that he had a calloused hand, nor was she surprised that he lifted her off the ground with ease. "I can't say that a lot of people would've let their opponent up willingly."
Matt sighed and Ryan laughed. "When you've got the instructor that we've got it pays to be honorable and courteous. If not…" he let the sentence trail off and shivered as he thought of the few times he hadn't been honorable when sparring against Auron. "Anyway, let's finish this."
"Matt, what are you doing?" Auron's gruff voice cut through the silence like a knife. "Hurry up and end it. We've got work to do. Ryan, stop watching Matt fight and finish your own."
The two moaned softly but made no move to resist. "Well, sorry guys but it looks like you're all going to have to come at me at once." Sakura risked a glance over at the other battle and found Ryan knocking her teammates out in groups of three with a single swing of his sword. His eyes were closed and the way he moved made it seem like he was almost bored, despite the ruthless efficiency with which he worked.
'Who are these two?' Matt grinned slightly as the Sakura turned back to face him, the color of her face significantly drained.
"Well, I'm afraid we've only got two choices: the first is to finish this now and the second is to finish this later. I don't mind either way." Sakura smiled slightly.
"Let's end it." Matt smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that." Sakura punched out at his face but Matt caught the punch like it was nothing, his head moving ever so slightly to avoid the butt of the Tonfa. Sakura frowned and punched out with her other Tonfa only to find Matt repeating his defense. "Anything else you'd like to try?" Sakura smiled innocently.
"One thing." She did a standing back flip. Her hands wrenched out of Matt's iron like grip, and heard the satisfying "thud" and winced in pain as her foot connected solidly with Matt's chin. 'Guess he wasn't as good as his friend--' Her mind and body froze up with surprise when she landed and found Matt still standing. "You're kidding me."
"Not bad, but not good either." Matt grabbed her by the back of the head and pulled down. She gasped as she realized a second too late what he was doing. Pain exploded in her head as his knee connected with her forehead. The world erupted and then went black.
"You idiot. You overdid it!" Ryan yelled, already halfway across the large kendo hall before Sakura was halfway to the ground. Ryan slid to a halt as Sakura landed on her hands and knees, breathing heavily but struggling to stand. "No way…"
'Interesting.' Auron thought to himself as Sakura got her left foot under her. 'After such an attack she should be barely conscious. Standing is nothing short of impressive, no matter who she is.' Matt, Auron, and Ryan shared interested glances before Sakura was on her feet completely.
"That… hurt." She muttered as she wiped some blood away from her eye. "It's been a long time since I've had a challenge. Sorry, I'd forgotten what it was like to fight someone who could take a hit." She reached down and recovered her Tonfas. "Well then, shall we continue?"
"Are you serious?" Matt asked, starring at her like she'd grown another head. She spun her Tonfas menacingly and Matt laughed. "I guess you are." He picked up his wooden replication of Lightning Edge and smiled. "Well, as I said before, let's finish this."
He swung the axe down in an overhand slash that Sakura sidestepped. She spun around and tried to chop him in the neck but Matt ducked under it easily, planted a hand on the butt of his axe and spun around. He felt his foot hit something and heard Sakura grunt in pain before his leg passed through nothing. He glanced down and was relieved to find that she'd rolled away from his attack, and hadn't simply decided to counter it.
"Mine!" Matt whirled around and saw Sakura's Tonfa blocking the rest of his view. He snapped his head back a second too late. He felt the edge of he Tonfa catch him in the jaw and he went to the ground spinning.
'This is getting really annoying.' Matt thought as he landed with a thud.
"Had enough?" Matt pushed up of the ground, ignored the metallic taste in his mouth, and glared at the girl in front of him. "Well, I guess not."
Ryan let out a low whistle. "Matt, she's kicking your ass. You sure you don't want any help?"
"End it." Auron ordered.
"If you really insist." Matt slammed his heel down on the head of his axe. The wooden weapon flipped into the air and landed in Matt's waiting hand. "Sorry, but you heard the man." Sakura rolled her eyes and dropped into a ready stance.
The two stared at each other for two minutes before Sakura grew bored of the stand off. She launched a series of three kicks and twelve punches at Matt, who in turn simply bobbed and weaved in between them, easily evading the attacks. "Game over!" He raised his axe over his head and brought it down with a single, mighty slash. Sakura, who'd been in the middle of a kick, was forced to block despite having only one foot on the ground. The impact caused her one leg to buckle beneath her, and her uppermost Tonfa cracked to the point where pieces of wood were biting into her arm. She felt one of his hands wrap around her wrists and realized the blow had only used one arm.
'Just how strong is he?' she wondered as he lifted her into the air like she was nothing. She tried to kick him as his free hand drew back to hit her, but the kicks were barely enough to make him flinch. He world erupted into pain as his fist connected with her stomach. She felt herself flying through the air for several agonizing seconds before she hit something. It didn't splinter like she'd expected the wall to, and when she looked up she understood why. "Ryan-san?" she asked despite the fact that the air had been knocked out of her lungs.
Ryan looked over at Matt and shook his head. "Like I said before: You. Over. Did. It." He said the sentence slowly, like someone teaching a young child for the first time.
"Hey, I had Auron up my ass." Matt countered. Ryan sighed and set Sakura down gently. He muttered a few words that either Sakura didn't know, or she was getting so little oxygen to her brain that it was affecting her hearing. As soon as he was done speaking she coughed, and then found herself very much able to breath.
"Thank you." She whispered absently. 'What happened to me? I've had the wind knocked out of me before, but to be able to breath again so soon… it's not normal at all.'
"You might want to save those thanks." Auron muttered as he stepped past the two and drew his giant sword. "Ryan, get Wind Cutter. Matt, catch." Auron launched Matt's signature weapon, a battle-axe named Lightning Edge, through the air as Ryan dashed for the second sword case he'd been carrying with him.
Matt caught the battered battle-axe and gave it an expert twirl, glad to have the familiar weight back in his hands. Had they been back on Spira, Matt would've had another battle-axe in his free hand, and he'd have wielded both with a skill that would've sent terror into the heart of almost anyone that would have stood before him. The sound of Ryan's remaining sword case opening brought a smile to his face. He turned and found his friend pulling his own legendary weapon from its sheath. Wind Cutter, the weapon of a psychotic, killer, gay angel that had it out for Ryan in every way. The only thing he didn't miss about Spira, the land where he'd first felt truly at peace, the land where he'd watched Auron be sent to the after life. And now he stood here, for reasons lost on everyone who knew him and his past.
"You said we had work to do?" Auron nodded and pointed to a window. Outside several floating eyeballs were coming towards the dojo. "You and Nick couldn't have handled that?"
"He was getting on my nerves." Before anyone could say anything about Auron's lack of patience with people the fiends fired bolts of energy at the sliding door, disintegrating it almost immediately. "Move!"
"Like we're even going to reach them?" The sound of metal passing through flesh was drowned out by the sound of the fiends screaming. "With so few did you really expect to reach them before Ryan?" The teen sheathed his sword and walked away from the three pools of blood. "So what did you really come here for?"
'Perceptive as always.' Auron noted with a chuckle. "You know your instructor well."
"You're dodging the question." Auron just watched the two from behind his sunglasses. "You're not going to tell us in public are you?"
"I felt the presence of someone." The fact that Auron was using English rather then Japanese testified to just how important this subject was. The two shared a glance and walked out of the dojo so they could talk in private. "It was the same presence you two, and Andy, gave off when I first met you."
"Meaning?" Ryan prompted.
"Meaning that it was a person touched by one of the gods or Lusniec, but like you when you first arrived in Spira, doesn't know it." The two teens just stared at him in amazement.
"You're saying that we've found him?" Auron nodded after a second.
"It's possible I could be wrong, but I know that it was someone that was touched by one of the gods."
"Is it possible to be touched by one of the gods and not be the reincarnation?" Matt nodded, also curious.
"Several of your more powerful predecessors were known to pass on the genes, although they are dormant and not usually strong enough to raise any suspicion among people. If the person who receives the gene goes on to be able to cast black magic, the spell of the god that has touched them will be more powerful then a normal spell casters of that type, though by no means close to what Matt or Andy could do."
"So whoever gave off that feeling might actually be the god, but might just be someone who's been touched by one of the gods." Auron nodded and the two sighed sadly. "Way to shoot down our hopes Auron."
"We're going to find this person, and take him or her back to Spira. I want the god found by nightfall, do you understand?" The two nodded and handed him their weapons, both of them knowing that it was going to be a long night.
888
"How long have we been looking?" Ryan asked as the three friends sat down in a park. The sun had long since set, and they hadn't had even the faintest lead all day. Matt looked down at his watch.
"It's ten. Curfew in an hour." Nick laughed at the comment. He sat on the far right of the bench and wore jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and a light over shirt with short sleeves. He had brown hair and always had an air of confidence around him that matched either of his friends if it didn't exceed theirs. It wasn't that he was truly more confident then them, they just like to be invisible as often as possible so they didn't walk into a room and draw attention to themselves the way Nick tended to.
"When has that ever stopped us?" Nick asked earnestly. "We've been here for nearly two years, and in those two years we've been out after curfew at least half the time, and we've yet to get caught."
"He's got a good point." Matt admitted. "But the real problem is getting the god of ice, not evading the cops. We're already several hours past our dead line."
"Which means Auron's going to be annoyed." Ryan added.
"Which means extra sparring and training, right?" Ryan and Matt nodded sadly and Nick moaned. "Well, at least we know that we're going to Spira soon, right?"
"Not necessarily. This could be a total waste of time." Matt glanced back at his watch. "And if it is, Auron is so screwed."
"Who are you screwing now, Matt-san?" Sakura asked as she walked up the path and sat down on a bunch next to them. "And what's all this about an 'ice god'?"
Nick and Matt moaned, leaving Ryan to talk for them once again. "You wouldn't believe us if we told you."
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Try me, Ryan-san."
Ryan sighed but Sakura didn't show any signs of backing off. "You remember that story I wrote for writing class that one time? About a place with a giant monster, and Summoners, a group of humans called Al Bhed, stuff like that?" Sakura nodded, recalling the insane story vividly. "Well, what would you do if I told you that it wasn't a story?"
"I'd probably call the mental institution, now mind explaining what that has to do with anything?"
Matt and Ryan chuckled and Nick just rolled his eyes. "You don't want to know." He warned.
"Just answer the question."
Ryan shrugged and cast his friends a helpless glance. "It was real." She stared at him. "All of it, every last detail. It was a little different since we didn't put ourselves into it, but it was pretty accurate. Good story too."
Sakura laughed at them. "You're kidding me, right? With Yuna, and Tidus, and Auron, and Rikku, and all them? You want me to believe that that was real?" She was answered by silence and her face dropped slightly. "You're serious. Ok then. Amuse me. What're you doing now?"
The three shared a look. "Well, we're trying to go back." Sakura just stared at Ryan, waiting for him to explain. "When we left, it was under the condition that if we found someone, a specific person that we'd never seen, met, or heard of before, we could come back. And we had three years to do it. We've only got about a year left."
"So you're trying to find a specific person, on earth, so that you can go back to this insane world where it seems like every day is a struggle to survive." Ryan and Matt shared a look before nodding. "Ok, I'm in."
"You're shitting me, right?" Sakura glared at Nick.
"What's wrong, Nick-san? You wanna go to this place, right?" Nick nodded. "Well, I've been really bored after school recently. And if this place really does exist, I think I'd fit right in with those "guardians" you guys mentioned in the story, don't you agree?"
"Nope, not really." Sakura glared at Matt. "Well, after Sin died, there wasn't a need for Summoners. Without Summoners, there were no more guardians."
"Oh. No big deal. I'm sure I'll find something I'll be useful in. Maybe make my own group. Who knows, right?"
"Wait, you mean you want to come now?" Sakura nodded and the three sighed. "Auron's not going to like this." Sakura's eyes widened.
"Auron? Isn't he the old, tough, cryptic as hell guy from your story?" Ryan nodded. "He's an actual person?"
"Yeah, you saw him earlier today. He's the guy that showed up at the dojo. Tall, white streaks in his hair, big sword, red coat, sunglasses, only one eye."
"Okay, okay. I get it. So who is this person you're looking for again?"
"Oh, he's the god of ice." She stared at him. "What?"
"Your story didn't mention any gods." Ryan sighed.
"No, but didn't I say I took us out? That's because Matt is a god. God of thunder as a matter of fact. And there was Seph, who was the water god. Our friend Andy is the god of fire. There's still the god of ice though. Once he's found we can go back and save Spira for good. That's the plan anyway."
"Uh-huh. So you guys are gonna save an entire world?"
"Actually we've already saved it once. We're just going to make sure the job stays finished." Matt shrugged. "It's a pain in the ass, but we've all got things we've gotta do."
"Well then, what do we do now?" Matt and Ryan glanced around, suddenly on edge. "Something wrong?"
"Nick, take Sakura-san to our house. Tell Auron that Ryan and me are doing some street cleaning." Nick just looked at Matt and then he seemed suddenly on edge too. "Move it Nick!"
"Right, come on Sakura-san." Nick grabbed her by the hand and started to run back towards their house, but Sakura wrenched her hand free. "Come on, Sakura-san! We've got to get out of here!"
"Why, what are you guys so afraid of?" something brushed up against her leg and she gave out a small cry. "What was that?"
"Shit, get out of here you two!" Ryan switched to English without realizing it as electricity filled the air and two thunder flans jumped at the group. Sakura screamed before passing out, and Ryan launched a holy spell into the first creature. It erupted in a wave of gooey gore as Matt grabbed the other as best he could. Lightning rode up his arm and wrapped around him as the creature tried in vain to escape his iron-like grip. It flashed as the last bit of electric essence that gave it life was absorbed and then it was gone.
"That was fast." Matt shook his head. "It's not over, is it?"
"Is it ever that simple, Nick?" He shook his head.
"Unfortunately no, it never does seem to be that easy." Nick glanced around uneasily, suddenly very aware of the multiple sets of eyes watching him. "Well, I guess I'll leave all this to you two. Tell Auron you're doing some street cleaning. Got ya." Turned around to find an almost solid wall of flans between him and Sakura. "Guys, problem!"
"Damn flans! Why are they always coming in abnormally large waves? So inconsiderate." Ryan complained as he launched a few Holy spells into the group of flans. Two exploded but the rest, now twelve in all, started to hurl spells of their own. Matt and Ryan scattered, dodging and blocking the spells and countering with their own.
"This isn't going to work you guys. They're bound to notice Sakura eventually." The leaves near Sakura started to rustle. "Nick, get Sakura out of here, now! Stop waiting around for us!"
"I would if I could, but I'm kind of busy. Have Ryan get her out of here, he's the damn guardian angel after all!" Two ice flans burst out of the bush next to Sakura.
"Shit!" They each hurled a spell as Ryan started toward Sakura. 'I won't make it!' As the realization dawned on him he instinctively threw a shield over Sakura, something he'd been forced to do many times since Auron had taken over their training. There was a bright flash followed by a wind that would've been cold in an Alaskan winter. The sudden temperature change caused all the fighting to stop. All three boys stared at Sakura in amazement.
"You're kidding me, right?" Matt muttered in a voice mixed with hope, fear, amazement, and annoyance.
"Only if we're both dreaming…" Ryan muttered absently as the flans started to harden in the icy wind. 'Why aren't we freezing?' He glanced over at Nick, and although he did seem like he was a lot colder then he'd been before, there was no sign of him freezing either. The two warriors from Spira looked over towards Sakura and almost exploded in laughter. A wall of ice had appeared between her and the magic.
"Guys, what the hell happened to Sakura! She's covered in fucking ice!" Nick was beginning to panic, but his comment snapped Matt and Ryan out of their daze. Ryan whipped out the sphere that he'd been using to record anything special or amazing over the past to years and turned it on.
"Well Sakura, here's the proof." He muttered just loud enough for the sphere to pick up. He moved around so the sphere took in the flans, which were now encased in solid ice. "All this with your own power." The wind died down and Ryan put the sphere away. A single bolt of lightning slammed into a flan and arched around to all of the ones that weren't thunder flans, which Ryan destroyed with a holy spell instead. When they finished they turned back to see Sakura muttering in her sleep.
"Now that's how a god should act." Matt muttered as he picked Sakura up gently and led the three back to their house.
888
Whack, whack, whack.
'What's going on?' Sakura wondered as she wrapped the blanket around herself more tightly, trying to drown out the sound.
Whack, whack, whack, whack, whack, thud. "Ow!" The realization that she was hearing the sounds of a fight began to pull her out of the fog-filled void she'd been dreaming in. 'Who was that man?' she wondered. He'd been tall, worn a kimono, had had long silver hair, and his sword had been almost as tall as he was, maybe two inches shorter at most.
The sound of wood being broken through brute force nearby brought Sakura out of her half-dazed state and into a completely alert one. She took in her surroundings and frowned. 'This isn't my room. Where am I?' she stood up and found that she still had her clothing on, but her muscles seemed tense, like she'd just gotten out of an ice-cold shower. 'What happened here? And why is my head throbbing?'
The door to the room slid open a few inches but waited to see if she said anything. "Come in?" Sakura asked as much as stated, and the door slid completely open, revealing Ryan standing there with a bandage.
"Good, your awake." He closed the door behind him and put the bandage down. "I was coming in to change your bandage."
"My bandage…" He smiled and tapped his head slightly. Sakura reached up and felt a bandage. "What happened? Last night I mean."
Ryan sighed before answering. "Well, I think that's a conversation that can be saved until after your parents hear from you. But before that, could you turn around?" Sakura raised an eyebrow and took a single step backwards. "No, no! Nothing like that. The bandage is latched on the back of your head."
"Oh, sorry. I'm not exactly used to waking up in a house full of guys." Whack, whack, whack, whack, whack. "What's going on out there?" She glanced at Ryan and for the first time realized how exhausted he looked. "And what happened to you?"
"Me? Oh, I must look like crap, huh?" Sakura nodded and he shrugged. "Auron's been cracking the whip on us ever since we got home. It's never a good thing to be four hours late to finish something that Auron tells you to do. Anyway, let's take care of that bandage." Sakura nodded, turned around, and sat down. "So what do you remember about last night?"
Sakura thought for a second before answering. "Well, I remember some jelly things, but that must've been a dream." The old bandage came off and dropped to the floor in a pile of white and red cloth. Sakura winced at the sight of the blood. "Other then that I just remember you, Matt-san, and Nick-san telling me that that story you wrote for school was real." There was a slight sensation and her headache disappeared. She turned and looked at the exhausted teen who was now standing up. "You've definitely done this before."
Ryan shrugged. "You could say that I'm the doctor of our little group." Matt poked his sweat-covered face in and Ryan threw a pillow at him. "Hey, nobody needs to see your ugly mug in the morning. It's just too cruel to be allowed by the law."
"Yeah, yeah. E'mm gemm oui mydan (I'll kill you later). But for now, Auron says to go make breakfast." Ryan sighed but stood up.
"Well, try not to move your head too quickly, Sakura-san. And don't forget to call your parents, your mom was freaking out on me last night."
Sakura giggle. "Sorry 'bout that, she doesn't know that I joined the kendo team. If she did…" Sakura ran her thumb across her throat playfully. The three left the small room, each heading to a different part of the house. Sakura knew he way around very generally, since she'd come in to get out of the rain once. She'd called her mom then too so finding the phone didn't prove very difficult. "Hey nii-chan. It's Sakura here, can you put mom on?"
"Sakura? Where have you been?" Kenji seemed frantic. "Mom's been freaking out on me!"
"Well if you put her on I can put an end to that."
"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into Onee-chan." Kenji whispered before he handed the phone to his mother.
"Sakura! What have you been doing! Did they do anything to you! Do you know how worried we were?"
"Calm down, mom. It's okay, just let me talk, ok?" She was answered by silence and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Ryan-san, Nick-san, and Matt-san brought me to their house after I passed out. I guess I hit my head when I fell but they took care of that too. And no, they didn't do anything to me. Except for cook me breakfast."
"So you're okay then?"
"Yes, mom. I'm fine. When should I come home?"
"Whenever you feel like it. Don't push yourself, Sakura." Sakura's mom hung up the phone.
"Now I'm cooking for another person? Man, this day just keeps getting better." Sakura chuckled.
"Sorry, I hope it's not a problem." Ryan waved the question away.
"Nah, I just like to complain. Don't worry about it." Sakura bowed and left. 'Well, Spira's going to be quite interesting this time around.'
888
"Faster Nick. You're defense is too slow." Nick winced as he ran a hand over his bruised arms. "If you plan to survive the battles you're going to be in, you won't be able to rely on Matt, or Ryan. They'll have enough to deal with."
"I know, but it doesn't help that my arms have gone numb under you damn attacks!" Auron just glared at him impartially. "Yeah, I thought so." Nick threw down his weapon, a modified hockey stick. The entire blade of the stick was bladed, and at other end had a spearhead on it.
"Wow." Sakura muttered as she walked in. "That's a unique weapon." Nick shrugged.
"It started off as a joke. Auron turned it into an entirely new way of fighting." Nick shrugged and continued to rub his arms. "And he did it forcefully, too."
Sakura laughed. "I'm sorry, Nick-san. I'm not trying to make fun of you, it just I've never heard of an instructor that just beats fighting into his students. No offense intended of course, Auron-dono." Auron simply grunted.
"You held your own against Matt, right?"
"Huh? Uhh… yeah, why?" Auron looked her over, thoroughly surprised despite his impartial face.
"That shows that there is still some hope for you."
"Excuse me? Master swordsman or not, you do not talk to me like that!" Sakura stomped into her room, grabbed her Tonfas and then came back out. "I'll show you why, too!"
Nick and Matt laughed and Auron just glared at her as she spun her Tonfas impatiently. "You're serious then?"
"What does it look like?" she replied crossly.
"Hey, what's with the Tonfas?" Ryan asked as he walked into the room, a surprisingly good smell following him into the room. "Sakura-san, I thought I told you not to do too much. Fighting with Auron is way too much. Besides, breakfast is ready."
"Good, I'll need something to eat when I'm done with him!" Sakura charged Auron, who almost burst into laughter at the straightforward assault.
"Lesson one: Never attack an enemy that you don't know head-on." His sword slammed down on Sakura's shoulder and pain raced through her body. Her vision swam as she jumped back to avoid the follow up attack that would normally have followed. It didn't.
"Sakura-san stop it no--"
"Stay out of this, Ryan." Auron's voice left no room for argument so Ryan stayed silent as Sakura charged in again. This time she watched Auron's sword more carefully, and did manage to block his first strike, although even with a bamboo sword the force behind the blow forced her onto one knee. "Lesson two: Except the unexpected." Auron's kick slammed into her and sent her flying halfway across the room.
"Isn't this normally when you'd be stepping in?" Matt asked Ryan as the angel's muscles tensed.
"If it gets too dangerous for Sakura I will, but I don't think she'll appreciate it." Sakura's next charge was much more uncertain then the first two had been.
"Lesson three: trust your instincts." She sidestepped Auron's first cut, ducked under his kick and rushed in towards his back. With a cry she punched out at his face but he leaned away from it, having already anticipated where the strike would be. He slammed his fist into her stomach but felt wood crack instead as she went flying across the room. With moves that would've put any gymnast to shame she twist around so that she landed in a crouched, but ready, position. 'Well, she's better then I wanted to admit.'
"Did you know that would happen?" Matt asked as Ryan sat down. The teen smiled cryptically but said nothing as Sakura stood back up and looked at the broke Tonfa.
'If that had hit me I'd have been done for.' She realized as she looked at the splintered end. "Even though it hit the Tonfa, my arm is already going numb. And that was his weak hand!'
"Shall we continue?" Ryan stood up and stepped in between the two of them.
"Auron, she hasn't been to Spira, and she hasn't trained under you for two years like Nick has." Sakura raise and eyebrow at the English.
'Guess they don't know I understand it. Interesting. I'll have to use that to my advantage in the future.'
"Your point?"
"My point is she can't take a beating like I can." Ryan turned to face Auron completely.
"Move."
"Sorry, Auron. That's just not who I am and you know it."
"Then pick up your weapon." Matt hurled a pair of bamboo swords to his friend.
"Good luck, Ryan! You're going to need it!" Ryan rolled his eyes, already knowing that he was going to regret it. "Hey, before you begin. Ryan, can I have your CDs?" His friend flipped him off and Matt and Nick laughed.
"Last chance." Auron warned.
"Man, by the time we're done breakfast is going to be cold." Ryan muttered as he scratched his head. "Can't we just--" He stopped in mid sentence as an artic like wind swept through the house.
"Ryan-san, move it. I appreciate the help, but this is my fight." Everybody in the room turned to face the ice goddess who was, as far as they could tell, tapping into her power unintentionally. She charged in, her one Tonfa held against her arm tightly. Auron watched her, knowing that she wasn't dumb enough to try a straightforward attack without some kind of plan.
'What are you planning, kid?' He slashed down in his usual over hand slice, this time using both hands to gain even more power. Sakura stepped to the side slightly, barely avoiding the attack. Before Auron could bring his sword back up she slammed her foot down on it, snapping the wooden sword. She stepped forward and slammed her Tonfa into Auron's chest. Auron grunted with surprise, grabbed her by her arm, and sent her flying through the air.
"Idiot, she's hurt!" Auron watched as Sakura slammed into the ground and rolled to a stop, a line of blood marking the course she'd traveled. "Sakura-san, you ok?" Sakura pushed herself up to her hands and knees shakily and glared at Auron. "Hey, don't push yourself. You're mom's already going to kill me." He helped her up. "Perhaps we should just eat breakfast? It's already six."
"Six!" Sakura gasped in surprise.
"What, I'd have normally been up for almost two hours." She looked at Ryan like he was insane. "Yeah, most people look at me that way."
"Ryan! What the hell is this!" Matt demanded from the kitchen.
"That can't be good…"
"It's frozen! You froze the freakin food!" Nick threw a cup at the teen who ducked under it, only to realize that it wasn't a cup, but the tea that had been in it.
"Why would I freeze it, I haven't eaten yet! And besides, how could I have frozen it, I'm just an angel, not Sakura!"
"What's that mean?" Sakura spun Ryan around by his arm so they were staring face-to-face.
"I think that's Auron's department." Ryan said as he shrugged free of her grip easily. "As for me, I've got another breakfast to prepare."
888
Sakura put down her empty plate and stared at Auron blankly. "I've got to go home."
Auron sighed. "Do as you will."
"Sakura, we need your help. It'll only be a temporary visit for you, then we'll just send you back through the portal. Hell, if you want we'll give you an escort back to your house." She just glared at Matt.
"I'm sorry. You guys are talking about taking down a god. I don't care how good you guys are in a fight, you're no match for a god."
Matt sighed. "First off, I'm a god, and there's at least one other god waiting to finish what we started two years ago. We can get another god there as well. Then all we've gotta do is kill Yu Yevon again. Then you can come home and pass this whole thing off as a bad dream."
Sakura sighed. "Why me?"
"You have been touched by Usi." Sakura just rolled her eyes at Auron.
"Why have I been touched by Usi though? Why should I have to go on this adventure with you? Why couldn't it be some D&D nut or something, somebody who actually wants to do something like this?"
"Sakura-san?" She turned to Ryan. "When Matt and I first went to Spira, do you want to know why we went?"
"What the hell, why not. Why, Ryan-san, did you go?"
Matt and Ryan smiled. "We got killed." She stared at them like they were insane. "It's true. We got killed by a guy who was robbing a store. He came out, saw us, and killed us. Then the Fayth came and offered us a second chance. And we took it."
"Wonderful, now I'm talking to dead guys." Sakura moaned and put her head down on the table.
"What about this, Sakura-san." Everyone turned to face Nick who had been quiet the entire time. "If you don't come and help us stop the fiends, then there is a good chance that we'll fail. If we fail, you'll be the only person left with any power to stop the fiends, and you will have to. You'll be forced to leave your family and friends behind just like we were. And odds are, they'll all die."
Matt and Ryan just stared at him in amazement. "I thought I was supposed to be the team spokesman."
"Things change." Matt said absently, still slightly amazed that Nick had come up with such a good point. The fact that he was even attempting to use diplomacy was amazing itself as well.
"So if I help you… and we win, the fiends'll leave? For good?" Auron simply nodded, and Sakura took a deep breath. "Fine, I'll help."
"Well then, we'd better start getting ready." Ryan stood up and walked over to the phone. "Boss man! Hey, Ryan here…"
"You guys have a boss?" Sakura asked Matt as Ryan walked into another room.
"Yeah, and you'd never guess who it is."
"Then why don't you tell me instead of wasting both our time?" Matt smiled at the comment.
"The president of the United States." He enjoyed the amazed look on Sakura's face.
"Matt, we just got 100 thousand to get supplies."
"You convinced him to give us that much that quickly?" Nick stared at his friend in amazement.
"Well it is going to get rid of all the fiends, so he'll never have to pay us again. Besides, he's probably thinking 'How much could three teens spend' right now. And what are the odds we could even live through this, in his eyes anyway." Everyone in the room smiled. "Well, lets show him just how we appreciate the money, eh?"
888
"Hey, Bokuzen-san! You here?" The white hair old man stood up and waved them in despite the sign that said the store was closed.
"Well if it isn't my three favorite customers. You're a little early today boys, you're normally not here until nine. Something wrong?"
"Actually we're leaving Japan. We've got no choice, but we figured we'd stop by, stock up on supplies, say good-bye, stuff like that."
"Well I'm sad that you're leaving. That'll be a lot of money out of my pocket a month. You were good customers. But, I'm sure you've got your reasons."
"You've got no idea. Wait till you see what we've got to spend this time around." Bokuzen raised an ancient eyebrow at the comment, and Matt pulled out a wad of cash. "Well, let's see your… special stock."
"Well, with that kind of money in front of me I'm sure I could do something for you." The old man laughed as he led them into a back room that was lit by a single light bulb. He moved a carpet away from the back left part of the wall and started pulling on something, but it didn't come up.
"I got it." Matt gripped the rope with one hand and gave a half-hearted tug that nearly tore the trap door off its hinges. "After you." The elderly man dropped down the hole and landed with surprising ease for someone 85 years old. In the few seconds it took the three boys to drop down he had several different weapons on display.
"Throwing stars, throwing spikes, needles, grappling hooks, rope, foot spikes, hand claws, throwing knives, mini throwing knives, utility belts, chains, blunt metal spikes, and random bracer-like things." Nick let out a low whistle as they looked over the old man's special inventory. "You know, I'm glad you're on our side."
"Well Nick-san, you're my best paying customers. It would be bad for business if I took you three out, although I must confess I'm curious as to why you're looking for the weapons of an assassin."
Matt smiled slightly, "Well, with your connections I'm sure you know about the increase in fiend sightings, right?" The old man smiled thinly and nodded. "We're going to stop it. Before you ask how, don't. It's best if you don't know. As for this stuff, exactly how much do you have?"
"Three crates of just about everything, why?" the three teens smiled and pulled out more money, "Ok, what do you need?"
"Well, we'll take four sets of those," Ryan pointed towards the bracers, "four of these," he hefted a utility belt, "four of sets of each of these," He picked up the hand and foot spikes, "And none of the shurikens or kunai, none of the throwing knives. But we will take some of these." He picked up a throwing spike.
"And I'll take this with fifty feet of rope." Nick picked up the grappling hook and Matt and Ryan sighed. "What about these chains? We could use a few of those."
"Why not, it's not like we have to worry about money." Matt glanced around and pointed to a closet. "What's in there?"
"There? Oh, just my old outfits. I've got them for just about every type of environment." He walked over and opened the dusty closet. "Ok course, they're not big enough for you kids."
"Could you get us each a set like that?" He turned around and faced them.
"It'll cost you. These are highly insulated, lightweight, and custom made. It cost me four grand a piece." The old man glanced down at the two piles of money. "Of course, if you're willing to pay for them then yes, I'll get you some." The teens gave them the sizes they would need, including Sakura's, and left.
Their next store wasn't a store at all. It was actually a United States military base. "Hey sergeant." They said as they walked through the metal detector. The machine went off instantly but the sergeant waved them through and motioned for the man to turn it off. "Thanks for your help, sir."
"Help? This is a matter of self-preservation boys. You said you'd take out the fiend problem permanently. Besides, how could I let a bunch of kids go into such a dangerous mission without the proper equipment?"
"Well I'm sure the president wouldn't like this if he knew about it." The sergeant waved Matt's comment off.
"I'm in charge of the base, not the president. Besides, I know you three. You're young, hot-headed, stupid in a fight, but you aren't just doing what you do for kicks."
"I didn't know you cared, sir." Ryan said sarcastically as a door hissed shut behind them and locked tightly. "So we do we have today?"
"Nothing fancy today boys. We've got these prototype sunglasses, and wireless earpieces that'll keep you in touch up to a thousand yards without satellites, more with. Fiberglass boot daggers, heel and toes. Won't set off any metal detectors and it gives you a hell of an advantage in a fistfight. Stun grenade prototypes with motion, impact, and timers, and flash bang grenades. We've got capsules that explode using that powder stuff you showed us, though they won't do much damage unless you use a lot of'em. We've got smoke grenades too, impact, time delay, and motion delay. We've got satchels with the same stuff, and lots of trip wire. I don't know what else you guys could possibly need, but if there's anything else just let us know."
The three teens put four empty backpacks on the ground. "Well, I've got a question. How the hell do you have prototype sunglasses?" The sergeant smiled proudly and picked up a pair.
"They've got several different display modes. First you've got just normal sunglasses." He pressed a button on the glasses, "Now you've got night vision," He pressed the button again, "now you've got infra-red, and there's also a targeting mode to help even the best snipers aim."
"Could we get three pairs of those without the targeting assistance and one normal one?"
"This isn't a shop, Ryan. It's a military instillation. We can't just rip apart our prototypes for you." Ryan raised an eyebrow and the sergeant laughed. "That's what I would say if anyone else were here, but I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, sir. So guys, what do you think you'll need?" The three looked over the assortment of weapons and items.
"The earpieces are a given, and I like the fiberglass daggers. The capsules will fit nicely in the utility belts, and all good ninja-like fighters need smoke grenades. Hell, lets just take some of everything. That way we're sure to get what we need. The rest we can just find a make-shift use for or something."
"That's probably for the best." Ryan agreed and the sergeant nodded.
"Very well, I'll have packs made up for you." The sergeant took the backpacks and dismissed them. After they were out he smiled sadly, "Don't get yourselves killed, kids. We've lost too many damn good soldiers to the fiends already."
888
Sakura sighed as she listened to her mom's complaints about the idea of her going on a trip with four guys she didn't know very well for three months. 'I knew this wasn't going to work.' She glanced over at Auron for some help, but the man stood as still as a statue.
"So, do you have any proof that they won't try anything stupid? You already said that you couldn't beat one of them!"
Sakura was silent for a moment, pretending to try and think. She'd had a plan for this situation, but she wasn't sure that she wanted to use it. 'Oh well, only way I'll be able to go.' She thought glumly. "They're gay." Her mom stopped pacing and stared at her. Auron raised and eyebrow at the comment but said nothing as Sakura continued, "It's true. They had their boyfriends there when I woke up."
"Is that true?" Auron remained silent. "Sir, is that true? Are your children gay?" Auron raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." He muttered after a few seconds.
Sakura's mom studied him for a second before sighing. "If they're gay… I guess it is okay. However, if they try anything I want you to call immediately, got that?" Sakura nodded. "Okay, then go pack your things." She turned to Auron after Sakura was out of hearing range. "She's lying, isn't she?" No reply. "Your children aren't gay, are they?"
"No."
"Promise me you won't let them do anything to her." Auron looked at her before answering.
"Ryan already has a girlfriend that he's loyal to. He and Matt are both very honorable and won't try anything."
"She said there were three boys. What about the other?" Sakura's mom glared at Auron but he simply smirked.
"Ryan won't let anything happen to Sakura against her will."
"How do you know that? Is he all powerful?" She asked sarcastically.
"He's a master swordsmen, and he's nearly died several times trying to save him friends. Although that was two years ago he's become even stronger. There aren't many people, or many creatures for that matter, that could scare him. And even if they did, he'd still fight them. I can think of only three people who could beat him."
"And they would be?"
"Myself, Ryan's first Rival Lusniec, and his second rival who's only known as 'Yojimbo'. We are the only ones to ever beat him, or come so close to it that he nearly died." Sakura's mom shook her head and walked away. 'At least she's letting Sakura come.'
888
Lusniec sat in the darkness of his dimension. The candles had long since died, several months ago as far as he could tell. Despite the fact that he could recreate them with a mere thought, he didn't. Instead he spent all of his time and effort scouring Spira, night and day.
"He'll come back. I can feel it. He's coming soon!" The once living swordsmen muttered to himself. "This shall be fun. I'll cut him down, and then I'll be the best again! Only me, no one else! No one else deserves that title, it is mine!"
"It is." The voice sent a wave of surprise over Lusniec. The bloodlust the man was giving off suddenly became apparent as Lusniec turned to face him completely. The man was taller then most, close to 6' 3" as far as Lusniec could tell. He had on a devil mask, and a cloak that not only covered his entire body from view, but looked like it had blood running down it no matter how the light reflected off of it. "The title of strongest should be yours. Only you can truly wield a sword. Your successor, he is a fly before your power. How was he able to defeat you?"
"Luck." Lusniec snarled. "He was lucky, nothing more. Now who are you?"
"A friend." The figure replied calmly. "Someone who wants revenge on his friends as much as you want revenge on him."
"So mystery man, what do you want with me?" the fact that the man had been able to sneak up on him without him knowing unsettled Lusniec a great deal.
"Alone, I can't beat them. And Ryan constantly jumping in the way of attacks that are aimed at other people will be… problematic for me." The masked man looked at Lusniec's swords. "That's where you come in. If you can distract Ryan, however you see fit of course, I can make sure no one can get interrupt you battle."
"Nobody could anyway." Lusniec glared at the man. "None of Ryan's friends can see him, none the less help him in a fight against me. They won't get in the way for fear of holding him back."
"Two years is a long time, Lusniec." The angel stiffened. "They've all gotten stronger. And now there is another god in their group, one whose true powers are unknown even to one who sees as much as I do. She could prove to be the strongest of them all just as easily as the weakest of them all if she is allowed to be trained in using her powers. And the young thunder god. He can see someone at your speed move. And he can stop attacks at that speed, with startling efficiency no less."
"Matt? Ha, he knows of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style, but he cannot counter it. That is far beyond him." The man turned his head to watch the volatile angel. "You try to play on the fears of others to manipulate them, but you don't know as much as you claim."
The man chuckled grimly. "Am I? Does it matter?" Lusniec raised an eyebrow. "I will oppose them, with or without you. I just thought it would be prudent to have someone capable to deal with that annoying pest, and who better then the man who wants him dead more then any other?" Lusniec bit his lip at the offer. "If you wish to fight him then come to Gagazet in two weeks. They will be at the entrance to the caverns of darkness."
"Who are you?" Lusniec demanded, trying to gain at least some useful information from the conversation. The man chuckled again and lifted his hand to his mask.
"Do you truly wish to know?" Lusniec nodded and he removed his mask.
"That's not possible."
888
"Sakura-san! Auron! How'd it go?"
"You're gay." Auron said without breaking stride.
"What the hell are you talking about?" The three shouted at the same time.
Sakura laughed nervously and the three whirled around on her. "I'm sorry! My mom wouldn't have let me come otherwise, I had to tell her you were gay! Please forgive me!" Ryan's eye twitched, Matt just shook his head in annoyance, and Nick was red with rage.
"Don't ever say that I'm gay again, or we will all die." Sakura's confusion was easy to spot so Ryan explained further. "There's a guy there, in Spira. He's gay, but he also wants to kill me." Ryan shivered at the thought of Lusniec. "If he ever heard that I was gay it'd be really, really bad."
"For all of us." Matt added. "Well, except you."
"I'd rather avoid Lusniec for as long as possible. I barely beat him last time. And now he's seen the final attack, so he's probably figured out its weakness."
"There's a weakness? I thought it was the ultimate attack of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style, how the hell could it have a weakness?" Ryan shrugged Matt's question away.
"The Kuzu Ryu Sen had one, didn't it? That's supposed to be an 'Ultimate attack' too, right? Nothing's flawless, you should know that." Sakura stared at Ryan. "Can I… help you?"
"Hiten Mitsurugi Style? You use the Hiten Mitsurugi Style?" Ryan shrugged.
"After everything you've been through, does that really surprise you?" Ryan questioned.
"Yes! How could you possibly use the Hiten Mitsurugi Style! It's humanly impossible!"
"Well he is a guardian angel, so would he be half human?" Matt questioned aloud.
"Good question. Maybe you can ask Dnortih what exactly we are when we get to Spira." Ryan opened the door and motioned them inside. "As it stands now, we need to find a portal to Spira."
"Done." Auron pointed to a giant forest on a map of Japan. "The portal is in the middle of this forest."
Sakura's face paled. "That's the forest of death. You can't seriously expect me to go in there! The place is haunted!"
"No, it's infested by fiends." Auron corrected. "And fiends are not a problem."
"Unless some Sinspawn got through. Then we could run into some problems." Auron waved Ryan's comment away.
"Not possible. They died when we killed Sin. Even if one did get through, it would've dissipated into pyreflies by now."
"Well that's good to know." Matt muttered. "Any other complaints, Sakura-san?"
"You guys are insane, you know that, right?"
Matt laughed. "Yeah, we know. How many people would willingly fight the strongest god ever?"
"This is going to be a long trip." Sakura muttered in a defeated voice.
"Okay, we leave tomorrow." Matt told them. "So rest up. It's gonna be a long time before we get to sleep well again." Sakura and Nick moaned and immediately headed for the bedrooms. "We might have to keep an eye on Nick."
"Don't worry about that. I am." Ryan commented. "Think we've got everything we need?"
"Well, Bokuzen-san's shop is still open." The two grinned. "Modifications?"
"Of course. Auron, keep your eyes… eye, on Nick." Ryan said as the two ran out the door. Auron watched the empty door for a few seconds before smiling.
'At least they're good at fighting.' He was sure he could trust them with Spira's safety… for now.
888
"Bokuzen-san! You still here?" Ryan banged on the door. The deceptively fragile looking old man walked out, saw them, and ran over to the door. For several second the sounds of locks being undone broke the calm night's air before the door opened.
"Ryan-san, Matt-san. What can I do for you now? The outfits will be at your door tomorrow, and you were going to pick up the weapons tomorrow morning."
"Well, we actually came to see if we could modify some of the stuff before we got it."
Bokuzen-san looked at them for a second before smiling. "Kids after my own heart. Very well, I've got lots of equipment, poisons, and the likes. Lets see if we can't fit your needs, hmmm?" The teens smiled and walked into the shop. "So did you have anything particular in mind?"
"Nothing a mortal could do." Matt said cryptically as the dropped down to Bokuzen-san's weapon storage room. "Of course, we're going to try anyway."
"If you say so. Just remember, you already bought the stuff. It's not my fault if you break or ruin it."
"Always worried about your business, Bokuzen-san. Don't worry, we've still go 50 thousand dollars, I think we're safe."
"Matt-san, if you still have 50 thousand dollars, I hope you do destroy some of the stuff." The three shared a laugh before settling in for a long night.
"Okay, lets start with the gauntlet things." Bokuzen-san pulled two pairs out and set them down in front of the teens. "I was thinking have a knife that pops out over the hand when you tap the bottom of the gauntlet. Think you can do it?"
"That old trick? Of course, it's not that hard. Shouldn't take more then a half hour." The two teens looked at him and smiled.
"Maybe this won't take so long after all." Matt said with a chuckle.
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Bokuzen-san glanced at the clock. "You two should get home. It's already three in the morning. I'll have the rest of the modifications done by the time you get the stuff, so go back home." The two nodded and yawned. "Good, now get. I need to work." Ryan threw 2 thousands dollars on the desk. "Well, now I'll really have to make sure I do a good job." The two nodded and left.
"Think he'll get it all done?" Matt asked as they walked down the shadow filled streets. "I mean, do you think he can even stay awake much longer?"
"Guess we'll just have to wait and see. After all, if not, we can always take a couple hundred bucks back, right?"
"True." Matt admitted as they started through the forest. The bushes rustled halfway through, and they caught the reflection of a small blade out of the corner of their eyes. 'Wonderful, more dumb asses.' Three guys stepped onto the path in front of the teens.
"Little early for a stroll through the park, don't you think?" Two guys stepped onto the path behind Matt and Ryan. "Could be a little dangerous for a couple of little guys like you, ya know?"
"Little?" The two shook their heads. "They just keep getting dumber, don't they?" Ryan nodded in agreement.
"Look you little shits, just give us all yer money and accessories and we'll let you leave with all your bones intact."
"Try it." Matt challenged.
"What?" The man they could only assume was the leader glanced around in confusion. "Try it? You serious."
"Why not, we need something to do before we end up sleepwalking home." Ryan said through a yawn. The men behind them charged in, yelling something too fast for the two to understand. Matt elbowed the first guy in the face, and the man slammed into the ground with a bloody nose and didn't make any attempt to get back up. Ryan ducked under the knife thrust and kicked the guy's legs out from under him. He rolled backwards to avoid the knife the man tried to stab him with and pushed off the ground as hard as he could, easily flipping over behind the leader. Matt stepped on the fallen gangster's hand and pushed until he heard a satisfying crunch and scream of pain, at which point he bent down and picked up the knife.
"You know, playing with a knife can be dangerous." He flung it into the bushes to his left and a man fell out clutching his eye. "You could put someone's eye out with one."
"You bastard!" The leader pulled out a gun and spun around to face Ryan while his thugs took care of Matt. "Go to hell!" He felt something cold against his back and froze.
"Now you wouldn't be talking to my friend, would you?" Matt asked so calmly Ryan shivered. "And next time, don't try to kill someone you can't kill. You'll live longer." He stabbed the man in the arm and pushed him to the ground. "See ya later."
"You're just gonna let us go? How do you know we won't come back for revenge?" A ring of electricity jumped between them and Matt smiled evilly.
"By all means, if you don't mind being electrocuted to death, do try."
"And believe me. It hurts, I know that better then anyone else on the planet." Ryan added as the electricity died away.
888
Auron answered the door and found only four duffle bags sitting there. Without hesitating he picked up all four with one hand, wondered what was in them for a second, and then walked in. Twenty minutes later the door rang again and a soldier handed four book bags that were filled to the top with all kinds of grenades and explosives. 'This is going to be an interesting trip.' He thought as he put them down, more gently then the duffel bags, in the same spot.
"Hey, our stuff is here." Matt commented as he picked up one of the book bags. He tested the weight and smiled. "Well, the sergeant came through after all." He pulled a pair of sunglasses out of one of the side pockets and put them on. "Ryan, time to haul ass! Get up."
The angel walked out and smiled at the sight of the bags. "Works for me." A small bolt of static raced into Nick's room and into Sakura's room. Two startled cries signified that they'd woken up.
"Matt, what the hell is wrong with you! It's only six in the morning!" Nick yelled as his door flew open up. "What the hell is with those bags?"
Matt threw Ryan a duffle bag with the second set of modified equipment. "Take your pick. They've got lots of stuff from our ninja gear to our military gear."
"Ninja gear? Military gear? What, are you guys planning on going to war or something?" Sakura asked as she walked into the room while combing her hair.
"You could say that. After all, we're going to stop the fiends from coming, right? No sense in not being prepared for anything." Sakura yawned.
"Any time for breakfast?" Ryan threw her a granola bar and shouldered one of the book bags. "Let's go." Nick and Sakura sighed and hefted their burdens. "This is really going to be a long few days."
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"So this is the big, scary, fiend infested forest we have to get through?" Nick asked when they got out of the bus they'd gotten on. "Doesn't look that bad."
"It's a two day hike to the center of the forest where the portal is." Auron told them. "Let's go."
"Translation, Nick, is that it's going to take at least three days with all the fiends." Sakura and Nick sighed and followed their three, less worried friends into the forest. The group spent the next three days were spent running from groups of fiends, sleeping in the tops of trees, and teaching Sakura and Nick the basics of magic. Despite the fact that she was a god, Sakura found she wasn't as good with magic as Nick was, who showed surprising potential but little desire.
"This is it. The portal I used to come here." Auron told them as they walked into a clearing with a bright yellow tree.
"That's a screwed up tree." Ryan muttered as he looked at the bright light in the near-pitch black forest. "Any idea where it'll lead us?"
"Gagazet."
"Damn." Matt muttered as he put down his pack and pulled out a pair of blankets. "Nick, Sakura-san, catch." He threw them the blankets. "Gagazet's the coldest place in Spira. You're gonna want them so you don't freeze."
"What about you two? You've only got sweatshirts." Nick pointed out.
"Ryan and me did this two years ago, we'll be fine." Nick and Sakura shrugged as Matt reset his pack and picked up his gore-covered axe. "Well then, shall we?"
"Just walk into." The group nodded and walked into the tree. They disappeared from Auron's sight in a bright flash that nearly blinded him.
well there we go. a little slow, yeah, and not lots of fighting. wait until the next chapter. it's going to get a lot better.