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Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.
AN: 'Ello! Heh, Whelp, yet another chapter! Nothing much to add, so here are the reviews!
Anime Monkey: Hee, glad you enjoyed it! I thought it would be a little risky… but ah well. Glad it worked out!
Rouge Kaiser: Ah, heh. I don’t torture my characters, do I? ^_^;; Hee, is he gonna recover? If I said, would it be a spoiler? I can say that he DOES NOT have cymoison. Hee, yeah. Yuki can be a little mature. I am glad that you enjoyed the end of the chapter. (smileys) Yeah, it has been far too long. Hee, remember Nina is still in a somber mood, so it might seem like their relationship is moving at the speed of snail, but let it be known that this WILL continue to be developed. They are just tooo cute together! Oh, ho! Wait until you find out what else they are going to do!
Nina Windia: Hee, glad you liked it. I was especially wondering what you would think of this chapter, heehee. Ah, ha. I wouldn’t do that… hee… Nina and Ryu doing THAT would have been completely out of character for them… yes, Ryu might act perverted, but he is still a gentleman. I’m glad you liked the fluffiness.
Hee, that was just thrown in there for those who thought that Yuki might like Ryu. (since I don’t have her paired with anyone… yet). Ah, ha hahah! That is the first time someone has corrected me on my grammer… hehe. That’s kinda funny (smileys). Though, I thank you for pointing it out to me. Eh, you’re fine on your grammer.
Hee… won’t that be a surprise. (snicker). All I know is that I am going to have to get a tin hat or something…. (looks paranoid) Are you SURE that you are not in cahoots with my flying monkeys/muses? Just asking…
Hee, thanks. I thought it was a nice name, too. Hee, I thought that scene would be funny (smiley)
Hope you guys enjoy! Here’s the next chapter!
”And if any shall fall into evil’s hands, darkness descends on all the lands…’”
“Oh, how I just love ancient prophecies of death and destruction, don’t you?”
“Did anyone ever tell you that you are a smart-aleck?”
“All the time, but that’s beside the point.”
Sari merely sighed as she flipped through Aaron’s journal. She had the tech people trying to decode that damned thing for the past two weeks. So far, they only had half of the ingredients translated. Sari was beginning to get nervous that they would not have the text decoded in time to save Ryu.
What Ryu didn’t know was that Salla had reported Ryu’s seizure to Sari the moment she had the chance. Sari did not say anything out of respect for her bodyguard. Besides, Salla had promised that she would not tell anyone. But in Salla’s book, Saria la Crosse wasn’t just anyone.
Sari turned her attention back to her computer monitor. The person on the other end grinned like a madman. Sari gave the man a stern look and shook her head in annoyance.
“Why must you insist on contacting me on my personal line if all you are going to do is joke around?” Sari asked.
The silver-haired man grinned. “Oh, but it’s just so fun!” the man’s face grew serious. “So, Gideon’s finally showing his true colors?”
Saria merely shook her head. “I do not know what the king of Dragnier is doing. I am in no position to either investigate or retaliate.”
“Ah!” the grin on the man’s face just kept getting wider. “But I am. And if you recall, that’s what I’ve been doing for the past ten years…”
“Yes,” Sari nodded. “You and your companions have done an excellent job. Was this for Lady Deis, or for something else?”
“We only helped Deis with her plans. Manna, Jin, and I were already doing our own investigation when we happened to run into Deis. We had similar goals, so we decided to help each other out. It’s just dumb luck that it all fell into place like it did.”
“Yes, I agree,” Sari said. “But I am not a firm believer in luck. I prefer faith instead.”
“Ha! You sound like Jin.”
“Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?” Sari asked. She raised an eyebrow and gave the man a questioning look. “So, what are you going to do now?”
“What do you think, fairy?” the man laughed.
“I should have known,” Sari grinned slightly. “I would like to see where this will lead.”
“Oh, and one more thing,” the man said. “Will you be joining them?”
Sari frowned. “…I… I have had visions of things to come… not all of them will make it to the final confrontation with Gideon…”
“What…?”
Sari had a determined look on her face. “And… when that happens… I will be there… to fight back.”
Nina groaned as the sunlight was just beginning to seep into the window. She tried to ignore the light and burrow her head back into her pillow. Coherent thought stated that what her head was lying on wasn’t a pillow. For one thing, the ‘pillow’ kept moving up and down slightly.
Full realization finally caught up with her and Nina slowly lifted her head up and opened her eyes. She looked up and saw Ryu lying right beside her, snoring slightly. Nina did a mental check with what happened last night. She was feeling really sad and didn’t want to be alone. She remembered what Yuki said about not wasting another moment and the next thing she knew, she was asking Ryu if she could sleep with him…
“Oh, Ladon…” Nina mumbled more to herself than anything.
It took her another moment to realize that nothing had happened between them last night. Ryu had been a perfect gentleman. Nina mumbled something to herself and toyed with the idea of just going back to sleep. She looked down at Ryu again. He looked just like an angel when he was asleep.
The image in her mind seemed to echo across the ages as memories of past lives came rushing back to her. She shook her head and sat completely up. Okay, no going back to sleep for her.
She stood up and looked around the room. The other bed was empty. No doubt where the little master was sleeping. Nina laughed to herself as she stumbled over to the door and took the knob in her hand. She would just let Ryu sleep a few more minutes before they had to wake up.
Ryu suddenly groaned and opened his eyes. He blinked and slowly sat up. Nina grinned at the look that Ryu gave her. Ryu slowly blinked again and then grinned.
“Aw, did my snoring keep you up or something?” Ryu asked with a sheepish grin.
Nina shook her head. “No, I was just going to head back to my room and get ready for breakfast. I would assume that Jin would want us to be ready to head out soon.”
Ryu stood up. “Right.”
And with that, Nina walked out of the room and down the hallway to her room. She hummed to herself as she opened the door to her and Yuki’s room. She walked in and spotted Yuki and Wyatt sitting on the couch, fully clothed, playing poker. She gave them a curious look as the two ignored her.
“I raise you five,” Wyatt said.
Yuki gave him an annoyed look. “Ugh, again?”
Nina cleared her throat. The two looked over at her and grinned like maniacs.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Wyatt smirked.
“Knock it off, Chibi-sama!” Nina muttered darkly as she walked past the two and into the bathroom.
“Eh???” Wyatt had a confused look on his face. “Did… did she just crack a joke???”
Yuki nodded in approval.
After everyone was at least coherent enough, they met in the dinner area and ate breakfast. Jin basically gave them an outline as to what the five of them would be doing that day. He quickly explained to no one in particular that the queen was very traditional. In other words, they had to be on their best behavior, or she would have them put out of the castle.
Jin had been looking especially at Wyatt, Ryu, and Yuki when he had said that, too. Yuki had questioned her brother as to why he didn’t tell the exact same warning to Nina, and he said that Nina actually knew how to act her age.
It was hell after that.
After Jin and Yuki had stopped arguing, the fivesome headed off to the palace. Unlike Castle Wyndia, the palace of Rosethrone was much different. For one, the palace seemed to be one level. Ryu began to understand what they meant by traditional when he saw that the palace was more like a giant compound than an actual castle.
Jin explained that, yes, those people at the gates were guards, and that what they were wearing was armor. Jin explained that the guards weren’t knights, but samurai. Ryu merely blinked and shook his head in confusion.
Jin said that he would explain later as they approached the second gate. The two guards at the gate crossed their spears and stopped the group in their tracks. Jin explained who they were and said that they had an appointment. The two guards nodded and withdrew their spears and allowed them entry.
Ryu noticed that the walls were actually rooms and surrounded the main building that reminded him of an ancient temple of some sort. Jin explained that the queen was mainly referred to with the usage of honorifics, but in this case, he would just use the good old fashion way of addressing royalty. Well, sort of. Jin would still use honorifics, but the rest of them didn’t have to.
As they walked, Ryu noticed that there was a massive garden in the center of the buildings. There were small ponds that had small bridges over them throughout the garden. There were massive oak trees planted throughout the garden, as well as a variety of bushes and flowers. Ryu also took note of the many people that were flitting through the garden and heading for the various building throughout the palace.
Jin explained that the layout of the palace was so that people would have to go outside to reach their destinations. Something about communing with nature, or something. Jin explained that the actual shrine was not located within the palace compound, but on the outskirts of the city itself. The Avatar, however, should be in the palace itself.
At least, that was the current theory. Ryu noticed that teleporting was beginning to have a tiring affect on Jin. Yuki didn’t seem to have any problems with it, but he didn’t want to take any chances.
Jin also explained that since they were foreigners, they didn’t have to do anything ‘traditional’, but they should still leave the talking to Jin.
The party finally reached the largest building in the compound. The guards bowed and allowed them through. Jin bowed in thanks and led the group of wanna-be heroes into the heart of the palace.
Ryu was impressed. The building really did remind him of a temple. Torches aligned the walls. There were various clansmen dressed in robes lined up on either side of a red carpet that led to the back of the room. At the end of the carpet was a dais that had a woman knelt down, dressed in fine blue and purple flowing robes. Her black hair was done up in loops and ordainments adorned her hair. The woman raised her hand and gestured for Jin and the others to enter.
Jin led the party up to the dais and bowed at the waist. Yuki, familiar with the greeting, followed suit. Ryu, Nina, and Wyatt just merely stared ahead at the regal looking woman. The woman wore a neutral expression on her face, but Ryu thought that he could see the hint of a smile on her face.
“Greetings, Queen Estuary la Fair,” Jin said as he straightened up. “We are honored that you would meet with us.”
The queen gave Jin a curt nod. “And greetings to you as well, Dr. Uzuki.”
Jin nodded. “Estuary-sama, we are on a difficult quest. We request permission to speak with Namanda’s emissary.”
The queen raised an eyebrow at this. “And why should I allow this request?”
Ryu opened his mouth to speak, but Yuki silenced him with a stern look. It took Ryu a minute to understand. If the queen herself had agreed to a meeting with them, then she would allow them to see the Avatar. All this show that the queen and Jin were having was just a formality.
“Because we are in great need of direction, and we wish to beseech the wisdom of the Earth Mother.”
The queen looked thoughtful for a moment. She finally nodded and gestured with her right hand.
“I will grant your request,” she said as she stood up. Even Jin looked mildly surprised by this display, but did not say anything about it. The queen walked down from the dais and gestured them to follower her off into a side room.
And so, they followed her.
“I was surprised that you would contact me for such a request,” the queen said as she led them down a narrow hallway.
“I was just keeping with formalities, Estuary-sama,” Jin said.
Ryu noticed that Jin was using that ‘sama’ honorific with the queen. He remembered that Yuki had jokingly called Wyatt that. ‘Sama’ meant ‘master’ if he recalled correctly. Yuki had quickly explained to Ryu that it could mean lord or lady as well, depending on the usage of the term.
Ryu also noticed that Jin was calling the queen by her first name. Yuki had also explained that when one used an honorific, the last name was to be addressed, followed by the honorific. To call someone by their first name only was considered extremely rude if the person did not have permission to do so.
And since Jin was someone that actually stuck with formalities, Ryu didn’t think that Jin would be rude to the ruler of his country. So, that meant that he was on friendly terms with the queen. At least, he hoped so.
Meanwhile, as they were walking, the queen explained about the Avatar. Apparently, the previous Avatar had died over ten years ago, and the new one had been blind since birth. Harmony could walk, but settled for being wheelchair bound for unknown reasons.
She also had a bodyguard named Rekks Counsei that had watched over her since her birth ten years ago. So, that meant that Harmony was just a kid. She wasn’t that much older than Wyatt.
Though, the name Rekks seemed to fit a nerve with Ryu for some reason. He thought that he knew the name, but he just couldn’t place it.
Either way, the queen finally stopped outside of one of the rooms and slid the door open. Ryu nearly fell over. Seated before them in a wheelchair was a young girl with long black hair that was adorn with a gold headdress, dressed in dark black and blue kimono-like robes. Standing beside her was a large Shell clansman, dressed in a large purple tunic.
The queen motioned them to come in after her.“Hello Harmony, Rekks,” the queen said.
Rekks nodded and Harmony smiled. “I have been expecting you, Destined Child.”
Ryu froze. “You… know who I am?” Rekks stared at Ryu and his companions. The look had not gone unnoticed by Jin and Yuki.
Harmony nodded. “Of course. The Earth Mother told me of your coming. I also feel that you have others with you… other Destined.”
“Yes,” Ryu said.
The queen nodded. “I will take my leave now. Come to me when you are ready to leave.” And with that, the queen left.
Ryu turned from the queen and looked at Harmony. “Do you know why we seek your aid?”
Harmony nodded. “Yes, you seek the Earth Key. You were told that I might have it.”
“Yes,” Ryu said.
“Do you have it?” Yuki asked.
Harmony gave Yuki a sad look. “I can feel that one of you doesn’t have much time left.”
Yuki gave Harmony an odd look. “You know then?”
“Yes.”
“I see,” Jin said. “But as you can see, we are in a major hurry for that very reason. Evil forces are after the Goddess Keys and Ryu and his companions have been commissioned by the Queen of Wyndia to gather them before the evil does. We need the key. We need to take it to someplace safe before this unknown evil gets it.”
Harmony turned her sightless eyes towards Jin. “I know. I feel the darkness growing ever stronger by the day. But, the problem is, I do not have the key in my possession. I do, however, know where it is.”
Wyatt grinned. “Ah, and where’s that?”
Rekks merely stared at Harmony as the girl started to talk. “It is located deep within the Temple of Namanda. You must have the correct spells to break the protection around the temple. There are many traps and spells that are used to keep out dangerous foes. You will need help if you are to get the key.”
“Harmony?” Wyatt asked. “What are you saying?”
Rekks stepped forward. “She is saying that I will accompany you to the temple and guide you through the long, narrow maze and help you get the key.”
Ryu blinked and looked down at the Dragon Tear. The stone flashed rainbow colored. Ryu nodded. Another Destined. He then felt the Tear flash again and he looked down at it. He nearly had a heart attack. The Tear flashed a deep crimson red.
Yuki and Nina looked over at Ryu in concern. Yuki stopped the Tear and nodded. Nina shook her head, not quite believing that a fellow Destined would want to hurt them. Rekks seemed unaware of their mental conversation and was merely explaining what kind of traps they could be running into while in the temple.
Ryu and his companions started to file out of the room, Rekks behind them. Wyatt was the last to leave, but was stopped short when Harmony wheeled over and grabbed the tail of his trench coat.
“Yes?” Wyatt asked.
“You are a Destined, right?” Harmony asked.
“Yeah…?” Wyatt said, unsure as to where this was going.
“How is that possible? I don’t sense a life force from you,” Harmony said. “Are you even alive?”
Wyatt scowled. “I’m just as alive as you are…”
Harmony ducked her head. “I apologize… I did not mean to offend you. I just thought that…”
Wyatt waved her off. “Eh, it’s nothing.”
“Hey! Chibi-sama!” Wyatt looked up and saw Yuki poking her head through the door. “Quit flirting and c’mon before we leave you!”
Wyatt blushed. “FINE!”
To be continued…