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Standard disclaimer: seriously, I am running out of witty things to say here. I don’t own the series.
AN: So, I was originally going to post this along with the last chapter… but something just didn’t seem right. Well, after reading the original draft, I found it to be way too out of character for the Ryu that I wrote about during Act I. While one could write off Ryu’s attitude as part of his disguise as Seigy, I… just couldn’t do it. I mean, I couldn’t leave Ryu as a perverted womanizer. Eh… I guess that Nina Windia’s review(s) had something to do with influencing my decision as to what to do with this chapter. Oh, and I just didn’t like how it turned out. Originally, I had Ryu kill a bunch of Rangers in a blind rage (during his flashback/story telling)… and uh, yeah. That doesn’t sound like Ryu at all, does it? So, yeah. I decided to take a different approach to this. I think it turned out much better than the original draft. And I think everyone will be pleased to see how Ryu acts by the end of the chapter (smilies)
I know a lot of you have some major questions as to what happened to Ryu to make him act so differently. Okay, expect this to be an entire flashback as to just what happened to Ryu during his ten-year absence. You know, I can explain in little bits and pieces about everyone else, but Ryu’s deal is a lot harder. Oh please tell me if this was hard to read.
Okay, here are the review(s). Oh, and BTW, Hotmail is being a pain in the ass, so I couldn’t get in and check my emails for reviews. So, I went into my FF.net account and looked at the reviews there. See, I am have freaky ninja skills!
Anime Monkey: Ah, so you aren’t gonna kill me for that cliffhanger? (sighs in relief.) Thank goodness. Hm, I thought about that, having Nina find Ryu first… but ah well. Heh, heh, heh… yeah, I know. Not exactly what you’d expect, huh? That gives yah some kinda insight to just how… odd he is. (snicker) Well, you get to find out where Ryu’s been this chapter. And as for our winged princess… heh.
Okay, so, here’s the chapter!
“So, what exactly happened to you?” Yuki asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed. “When did you turn into such a… unique… individual?”
Ryu grunted slightly as he adjusted his position on the bed. He didn’t realize that Jaclyn and her goons had hurt him that bad. Though he didn’t heal, he didn’t really find that disturbing. The auto-regeneration of his body wore off years ago. The only time it healed with rapid speed was when his started to crystallize.
“What happened to me?” Ryu laughed slightly. “Heh, that’s a silly question, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t,” Yuki said flatly.
“Eh?” Ryu noticed the change in her demeanor. Something about Yuki had changed. He just hadn’t had time to notice.
Yuki was still staring at him, awaiting an answer. “What happened to me?” Ryu asked. Yuki nodded. “Okay, sure. I’ll tell you. Well, you remember that the last time we saw each other was at Angel Tower, right? Well, I’m not sure what happened after that, but…”
Pain. That was the only way to describe what he was feeling. The pain laced through his torn and battered body like a hot knife. His heart pounded and he felt like his head was about to explode.
He thought that he heard people talking, but he wasn’t sure anymore. He suddenly felt his body being rip to shreds. Then, he felt nothing. He thought he heard Sari crying, but he wasn’t so sure anymore.
Is… is this how its going to end…? Ryu thought.
This isn’t over yet! He thought he heard Mary yell.
Ryu groaned and suddenly found himself floating in a black space speckled with stars. He tried to move, but found he couldn’t.
Hello, Child of Destiny, a sweet voice said throughout the darkness.
Ryu looked around and tried to find the source of the voice, but found he couldn’t. He could, however, feel some kind of all-compassing presence around him. He felt the presence being wrapped around him, like a mother would wrap her arms around her child.
Ryu opened his mouth to speak, but found himself unable to utter a sound.
Mortals cannot speak or move within my domain, the voice explained. The only reason that you are here, is because I brought you here. You are dead within your reality. Though, that child will most likely bend time to bring you back.
Ryu could say nothing. He figured that the mystery person was referring to Sari… wait! Did that voice say that he was dead?! Ryu suddenly felt sick. He was dead… by his brother’s hands. At least now, he didn’t have to worry about turning to crystal now. He could be with his mother now.
But, what of his friends? He was worried about them, but he knew they would be all right. He hoped, at least.
Ryu thought he could see them… at least a little. He couldn’t make out appearances, but he could see their auras. Or… that aura that surrounded them.
He was able to identify the blue auras as Yuki and Nina… a bright gold and white aura caught his attention. Was that Jin…?
Then, he saw a dark crimson black aura. Ryu suddenly felt very frightened. He didn’t know who that was, but the aura scared him.
A name came to him… Legence. The very sound of that name scared him. He didn’t know why, but it did. It felt like the name that was associated with the one who killed gods.
Ryu could feel the presence wrap around him tighter, almost as if it was hugging him.
Ryu could see another light… this one was gold also, but very faint. This light actually appeared in the same realm he was in. A small girl with red hair, dressed in a white dress appeared before Ryu.
Ryu knew her as the one that called herself Mary.
The presence also seemed to know the girl, but by a different name. The presence, however, didn’t feel the need to explain the name.
Mary looked at Ryu with a solemn look on her face, as if she was apologizing.
“You will allow this?” the child asked.
The wishes of Mortals have no power here, but that child is willing to bend time and space to get what she wants. That something is the soul of this child to be returned to his body.
“Then, are you going to return him?” Mary asked.
That is not the reason that I will return the child. If I had not snatched his soul as it left his broken body, then Legence would have gotten it, then all would have been lost. But… as it stands now…
“This will be the last time,” Mary said. “It’s all or nothing. There will be no in between. I grow tired of the mortals fighting on my world. Either the Cycles will break, or I will break them.”
You forget your place here. Though you are a Creator, I rule Destiny. We are the one factor you cannot control. Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is chaos, there will also be order. Order and chaos do not exactly mean good and evil. You of all beings know this.
“Yes, I know this. You of all people do not have to tell me this. You will return the boy’s soul to his body. Why?”
Because, he is a part of the Grand Design, just like you and I are. I am the Overseer of the Grand Design, and the Destined Child is needed, or darkness descends on all the lands. That is why I will return him.
“You are interfering.”
Lucien did nothing and he died as a result. Though, that too was foreseen and he knew he would die. All is as it is and all is as it will be. Of course, you already know this.
Mary said nothing. She merely nodded and vanished. Ryu was highly confused. He had no idea what those two were talking about, but he felt like he didn’t have to know. If he was meant to know, he would know.
GIVE HIM BACK!
PLEASE MAKE THIS RIGHT!
He suddenly felt something pulling at him. The presence was gone and he could feel the pain once more. He then felt nothing.
“So, you had some sort of out of body experience?” Yuki asked. Ryu nodded. “So, what exactly happened that turn you into some kind of perverted bounty hunter? Why use an alias and for the love of the gods why didn’t you tell us you were alive?”
Ryu shifted. “I… found out something rather alarming. The reason I took on an alias was because I didn’t want people to know that I was alive. The whole bounty hunter thing was to bring people to justice and take out the bad guys along the way. It’s a lot like being a Ranger, only bounty hunters play a little dirtier.”
“Oh?” Yuki said. “If that’s the case, then why was it when I found you, four people were dead?”
“Uh…?” Ryu looked slightly confused. “Oh… oh! That lady… she was part of the Taobashi thieves guild. You know, the ones that came after me when we were younger. Uh, the reason that they were dead was because they jumped me and attacked me. I guess that they forced me to transform into a dragon form in order to defend myself.”
Yuki nodded slightly. “I suppose that make sense. I remember what you did to Zake and Jenkin when provoked. BBQ bandits,” Yuki chuckled. “Okay, I get that, but that doesn’t explain why you vanished off the face of the earth for so long. And… when did you become such an ass?”
Ryu laughed, but winced at the pain. He adopted a solemn look and leaned back against the bed. “I wanted to make sure that the ones that are after me didn’t find me. ‘Ryu’ is known for being a noble and honorable soul that would gladly give his life so save his friends, family, and world. ‘Siegfreid Griffith’ is an egotistical asshole that is a perverted womanizer. Would YOU think I was Ryu if I acted that way to you?”
“I did, didn’t I?” Yuki smirked. She adjusted her position on the bed and crossed her legs under her.
“Eh, you know what I mean,” Ryu grumbled.
“So, who is after you?” Yuki asked.
“Legence,” Ryu muttered darkly.
“Who…?” Yuki asked. “Wait! You mean Dragnier’s new prince?”
Ryu nodded. “Yeah. He did appear right after Sari healed me and tried to fight against what she and Jin did for me.”
“What… exactly did they do? Jin can’t heal… unless he was just making Sari’s spell stronger… was that it?”
“Bingo,” Ryu said.
“Oh,” Yuki said. “Okay, so Legence is after you… as Ryu, or as Seigy?”
“Ziggy?” Ryu asked. “Whu? Oh, I get it. No, he’s only after me as Ryu. Hence why I took on an alias.”
“Okay, that does make sense. So, how did you get that scar on your face? Are you blind in your left eye?”
Ryu nodded. “Sadly, yes. So, I got the scar shortly after I reawakened after the Angel Tower incident…”
Ryu screamed as he left his body burn. The flames were agonizing. Soon, though, the flames subsided and Ryu could feel and see once again. The young boy looked around in confusion, unable to figure out where he was.
He was in a heavily wooded area, not unlike the ones outside of the village of Tantar. Ryu shook his head and rose to his feet. His mind was all messed up. He could not for the life of him figure out what happened.
In fact, he was having trouble figuring what exactly was going on. How did he end up out in the middle of the boonies and where was his short sword. Ryu groaned as he realized that if he were attacked, he would not have a means of defending himself.
Ryu walked around the woods for a little while, more or less trying to figure out where he was. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a pack of currs.
Currs were wolf looking beasts that were known to be both poisonous and ruthless killers. They prayed on anything that moved. Ryu gulped and took a slow step back. One of the currs lunged forward and tackled Ryu to the ground before he had a chance to act.
The beast clawed at Ryu’s face and ended up creating a large gash that ran the length of the left side of his face. He screamed as the blood consumed his left eye.
Another curr jumped into the fray and took a large bite into Ryu’s shoulder. The poor boy screamed as the beasts started to circle around him and tried to bite and claw at him. Before Ryu knew it, there was a flash of yellow and black and two of the currs were missing heads.
The one that clawed into Ryu’s face jumped up at the figure, but was once again cut down. The remaining currs whimpered at their alpha’s defeat and ran off into the woods.
Ryu moaned as he tried to sit up. He felt like he was on fire. He figured that it was the curr’s poison that was causing the sudden spike in his temperature. His eyes closed as he felt someone pick him up. He figured it was the person in yellow and black that saved him…
Ryu groaned as his eyes slowly opened. Or at least his right eye. He soon realized that his left eye was bandaged up, as was various parts of his body. He was lying on a cot in a simple looking log cabin. He had no idea where he was.
Ryu grunted as he slowly stood up and tried to walk to the door. There was a figure that appeared at the door suddenly, blocking his view.
“Where do you think you are going?” a deep voice asked in an odd accent.
Ryu blinked and looked up. The man had dark brown hair, tanned skin, and was dressed in a black sleeveless shirt and a yellow vest and long pants and had a pair of black leather boots on. There was a pair of twin daggers hanging from the man’s waist, similar to the ones that Jin had given Yuki.
“Um… I really don’t know…” Ryu mumbled. He was surprised that he could even talk.
“I doubt that you will be going anywhere in the condition that you are in,” the man laughed.
Ryu scratched the back of his head. He thought that he knew the man, but for the life of him could not figure out where he knew him.
Then, it hit him. He HAD seen the man before… in his dreams. But the man from the dreams was much younger and cheerful. This man was much older and seemed to be battle worn.
“Uh… who are you?” Ryu asked.
“Me?” the man asked. “Heh. I’m just a wanderer that just happened to be passing by when I saw you being mauled by a bunch of currs. So, what’s a kid like you doing out in the middle of nowhere without a weapon?”
Ryu sighed. He could lie to the man, but that seemed rather moot at this point. There was a good chance the man already knew who he was, so he might as well tell him the truth. He didn’t want what happened to Bunyan happen to this stranger.
“I name is Ryu… Bateson,” There. He didn’t exactly need to tell the man everything.
It turned out that he didn’t have to tell the man anything else other than his first name.
“Ryu?” the man grinned slightly. “Ah, you are the Destined Child. I get it now. So, I see that Myria’s servant didn’t succeed in killing you off after all.”
“How did you know about…” Ryu stuttered.
The man smiled. “Kid, I know a lot of things that you couldn’t even imagine. By the way, my name’s Karn Danc. So, Ryu? What are you going to do now?”
“Karn… Danc?” Yuki asked in confusion. “Wait! You mean Karn, as in the thief guy from the First Cycle?”
Ryu nodded. “One in the same. How he was still alive after all those years was beyond me. I later found out it might have had something to do with some residue energy from the Obelisk, but I could be mistaken. The point was, he saved me.”
“So, how does Karn factor into this?”
“Well, you see, Karn somehow knew about me and what was going on. He later told me that Deis contacted him and told him what happened. I think that the ‘presence’ took control of me and sent me off into that general area and put me in a place that Karn could find me. At least, that’s my theory.”
“Makes sense,” Yuki said.
“You say that a lot.”
“I know.”
Ryu shook his head in amusement. “Anyway, the point is, I stayed with Karn until I was sixteen. He taught me how to fight among other things. Heh, he also taught me how to worm my way out of most traps. Even the magical ones. Needless to say, he trained me in the ways of the Phantom Thief.
“Heh, I definitely put those skills to good use. The only reason that Jaclyn was able to do that to me was because they caught me off guard. Uh, the only thing that I haven’t learned to do was to control my dragon powers. Not only that, but I seem to crystallize almost completely after I revert. So, I don’t use those powers if I can help it.”
“Right”
“Okay, well after I left, I started to travel under the alias of Siegfreid. I knew that Legence knew that I wasn’t dead and I was not about to draw attention to myself as Ryu anytime soon. The reason I didn’t tell you guys I was alive was because I didn’t want you guys caught up in my affairs.”
Yuki shook her head. “But we did that willingly! Do you KNOW how crushed we were after you vanished? Nina was willing to tear the world apart just to find you. Hey dumbass, here’s a news flash for you: she’s in love with you!”
“I… know that,” Ryu said quietly. “I… just didn’t want you guys to get hurt again.” Ryu clenched his fists. “How hard is that to understand?”
“I am a freaking Ranger!” Yuki snapped. “I was trained my by brother, who is a master swordsman and martial artist! I think I can handle myself!”
“I don’t want to be responsible for yours, or anyone else’s death!” Ryu yelled.
“Ugh,” Yuki grumbled. “So, you’re a bounty hunter now… who just happens to have a bounty on your head. How did that happen?”
“Oh, that one’s easy,” Ryu grinned. “I kept stealing the Rangers’ thunder. I would catch their guys and turn them in for the money. Hey, I had to make a living somehow, right?”
“I guess…”
“And as you can well see, ol’ Siegy’s not exactly a likable guy.”
“I can vouch for that.”
“Okay,” Ryu said. “So the perversion was just an act… sorta. What?! Hey, don’t give me that look! I’m a guy!”
“Keep your hormones in check then,” Yuki grumbled.
“Right, right. Sorry,” Ryu held up his hand in apology. “Anyway, while I was traveling around, I found out some stuff on Legence. I think he may be involved with a lot of the demon sightings that’s been happening lately. I think the guy’s up to no good.”
“Hn, the Church of Ladon’s been taking a lot of heat as well,” Yuki said. “So, anyway. What are you going to do now?”
“Move on… I guess. I mean, what can I do? I’m gonna die anyway because of the Cymosion…”
Yuki’s eyes lit up. “Wait! I can’t believe I almost forgot! Sari thinks she found a cure!”
“Are you serious?” Ryu asked.
“Well, actually one of Sari’s personal guards told me. His name is Leon Masters and Sari asked him to ask me to help them find you.”
“And…?” Ryu made a swirly motion with his hand.
“And now… and now I found you. Sorta. So, you can’t run off just yet. Not until we cure you.”
Ryu nodded. “Okay, I’m game. But you do realize that I will be under the guise of Siegfreid, right?”
“Oh, hell no!” Yuki snapped. “I am not going to associate myself with a pervert. Besides, the only reason I haven’t arrested you is because you are Ryu… and not Siegy. If you still acted like that, I would have to arrest you. You know, because of the warrant out for your arrest?”
Ryu shrugged his shoulders. “Fine, fine. I get you. So, now what? Its not like you can just take off or anything, right?”
Yuki grinned. “I’m overdue for a vacation anyway.”
Yuki stood up and stretched. This worked out better than she could have ever hoped for. But, that led to just one, tiny problem. She had no idea how Ryu would react to Demus. Though Leon’s intentions might be good, she didn’t know what Ryu wanted to do to his brother. Things might get messy if the two actually met face to face.
Leon wanted an answer. He wanted Yuki to help him find Ryu, and she managed to find him first thing. She didn’t have to give him an answer; she had already found him. Now the question was, what was she going to do about it?
Yuki noticed that Ryu was looking slightly pale. She stood up and wrapped her arms around herself.
She would tell Ryu about Leon and Demus later.
“You look like you could use some more sleep,” Yuki said kindly. “You should try to get some rest. We can talk more later, ‘kay?”
Ryu nodded as he lay back down and closed his eyes. Ryu felt the blankets being pulled over him. He felt Yuki’s hand on his forehead. He opened his eyes just as Yuki withdrew her hand.
“Just making sure you didn’t have a fever or something,” Yuki grinned slightly.
“Aw, and here I thought you were taking care of me like a love-struck schoolgirl,” Ryu laughed.
“Don’t make me sick,” Yuki smirked. “I always thought of you as a little brother or something,” Ryu gave Yuki a look. “I do believe that it was Nina that had a thing for you.”
“What…?”
“Goodnight Ryu,” Yuki said.
Ryu grinned slightly as he closed his eyes again. He heard Yuki flip the light off and close the door.
So, Yuki had actually found him. He didn’t want to get her involved with his business. He also didn’t want to get her in trouble. She was a Ranger after all and he was a wanted man. But, now…
Now he wasn’t sure what to do. Yuki had said that he was like a brother to her… that meant more to him than anything. She now knew about his past, that he was Siegfreid… that he might be way in over his head. Ryu groaned as he turned over. He could figure it all out in the morning.
To be continued…