Changing Series Episode 8

The Truth About Kayura

Narrator: In their last battle against Empress Katie, the White Armor of Inferno was completely destroyed!  Or was it?  And how does Sage know Empress Katie from her pre-Dynasty days?

            The five Ronins were resting after their battle in the living room.  They were all in their civilian clothes again.  Sage was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his white jeans spattered in blood, and his bare chest covered in cuts.  Ryo was sitting next to Sage.  Rowen, Kento, and Sai were on the couch. 

            “So, you know her?” Ryo asked Sage.

            “Yeah, I taught her a few lessons of Kendo,” Sage replied, examining his wounds.

            “Great Sage!  Teach the enemy!  That’s probably why she’s so good, man!” Kento exclaimed, annoyed.

            “I didn’t know she was evil!” Sage responded, squinting his eyes in anger.

            “How long ago were her lessons?” Rowen asked, his right hand holding his bruised head.

            “Ah… about… five months,” Sage answered.

            “Hmm…” Rowen thought.

            “Sage!  I’ve got the first aid supplies!”  Mia walked into the room with a white bag filled with peroxide, bandages, cotton balls, and an ice bag.  “You’re lucky I’m so good at cleaning cuts!”

            “Yeah, it’s weird though.  He looked a lot worse earlier,” Sai mused.

            “Okay Sage, this is going to sting a little,” Mia said.  She gently pressed a cotton ball with peroxide on a large gash.  He did not flinch at all.  “Hm, tough guy?”

            “I can take care of this Mia, really,” Sage said, a tinge of annoyance apparent in his voice.

            “No, Sage, I don’t mind,” she responded, and then looked at the hard expression on his face.  “Oh fine!  I can see when I’m not wanted!”

            “Mia, that’s not what I meant.”

            “Well, I have better things to do anyway.”  She walked towards the couch and then spotted Rowen tentatively poking his bruise.  “Oh!  I almost forgot!” Mia exclaimed.  She reached into her bag and pulled out an ice bag.  She gently pressed it against Rowen’s face, and then he held it there.  “There you go sweetie,” Mia said.  Then she turned toward Sage and angrily flipped her hair at him.  Then she sat down and picked up a magazine.

            “Wait, Mia.  Can I see that?” Ryo asked.

            “Sure,” Mia responded, handing the magazine to him.

            “Ryo, since when are you interested in women’s clothing magazines?” Rowen asked.

            “Look at the cover,” Ryo said, turning the magazine and exposing the picture of a teenage girl posing in jeans and a tank top.

            “Pretty girl,” Sai said.

            “Look closer.  Here Sage.”  Ryo handed Sage the magazine.  Sage looked at the cover and his eyes widened.  “Recognize her?” Ryo prompted.

            “That’s Katie!  So, if she…”

            “She couldn’t have been with the Dynasty long is she modeled for this magazine,” Ryo finished for him.

            “Well, it may not be her in the picture,” Rowen said, pressing the ice against his left eye. 

            “I wish Anubis was here, he could help us figure this out.  Anubis…” Mia sighed.  Then, in a flash of light the Ancient’s staff appeared, held by Anubis.  “Anubis!”

            “How… we thought you were dead!” Ryo exclaimed.

            “No, I’m very much alive, thanks to the Jewel of Life.  It revived me after my last battle with Kayura.  I have come to inform you about the Dynasty… and the two female Warlords. 

            “What about them?” Kento asked.

            “They hold special powers,” Anubis said mysteriously.

            “Are they Ancients like Kayura was?” Sai asked.

            “No, their power is much different.  You must not destroy them.  Their power can help you greatly,” Anubis said.

            “Whatever happened to Kayura?” Ryo inquired.

            “Yeah, is she really dead?” Rowen added.

            “Let me show you all!  Ancient!”  His staff began to glow, and the light spead, encircling the five Ronin Warriors and Mia.  When the light dissipated they found themselves in the Dynasty.

            “We’re in the Dynasty!” Ryo exclaimed, stating what was painfully obvious to everyone else.  “There’s Katie over there!”  The Ronin Warriors moved into fighting positions.

            “Relax, they can’t here you, see you, or touch you.  I’m showing you something that happened a month after Talpa was destroyed,” Anubis explained. 

            “Kayura!” Sage exclaimed, amazed.  Kayura, wearing Anubis’ armor, was being led out of a building by three soldiers.  She walked up to a circle drawn on the ground.  Empress Katie appeared on the opposite side of the circle.

            “Lady Kayura, you wish to destroy the Mortal World, correct?” Katie asked.

            “And then destroy this world!” Kayura yelled, a crazed look in her eyes.  “And no one can stop me!”

            “You have betrayed the Dynasty, and you shall be puniched.  You’ve been nothing but trouble since Anubis broke your bind to us.”

            “And you’ve been nothing but a thorn in MY side!” Kayura screamed.  She lunged at Katie, and Katie tossed her knee into Kayura’s stomach.  Kayura fell to the ground, but grabbed Katie’s ankle in an attempt to trip her.  Katie stepped on her wrist.  Kayura’s grip loosened.  Katie jumped into the air and pulled out one of her swords.  She rushed back and stabbed Kayura in the stomach.  Kayura’s eyes widened and blood trickled out of her mouth.  The wind blew between them, and Katie backed away with her sword. 

            Kayura rolled painfully onto her stomach.  “You cannot destroy me, I am the all powerful Kayura.  I cannot lose,” she said in a scratchy voice.  Then she rolled her head to the side and whispered, “I’ve done all of this for him… I love him…”  That comment was unheard except by Rowen, Sage, Mia and Anubis.

            “Daku, finish her,” Katie ordered the soldier, then she turned and walked away.  Behind her she could hear the soldier raise his weapon and bring it down.  Some of Kayura’s blue hair fell into a puddle of blood, her body obscured by Daku.

            The Ronins stood frozen in horror.  “Kayura was going to destroy our world?  But why?  We…” Ryo said in disbelief. 

            “Oh dear,” was all Mia could say.

            “Her immense power corrupted her mind, she became mad,” Anubis said.

            “That’s so said,” Sage said, staring at the ground, Kayura’s last words playing in his mind, ‘I’ve done all of this for him… I love him…’

            “I can’t believe her!” Rowen suddenly shouted.  “She was going to destroy both worlds?!  I knew we never should have trusted her, she is crazy!”

            “Unbelievable,” Sai whispered.

            “Man!  If her power is so immense like you said… then how strong is Katie?!  I mean, really, she beat her like it was nothing!” Kento said, angry and scared.

            “Why didn’t Katie finish her?  Like how she didn’t want to finish me?” Ryo said.  Everyone but Sage turned towards him in surprise.

            “What?” Rowen asked. 

            “Well, yeah,” Ryo responded.

            “YOU MEAN THAT YOU LEFT OUT VITAL INFORMATION TO THIS SITUATION, AND YOU PICKED NOW OF ALL TIMES TO TELL US!!!  WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?!?!?!!” Rowen shouted in Ryo’s face.

            “Sorry?” Ryo said sheepishly, acutely afraid of the blue-haired Ronin who towered over him.

            “YOU ARE NOT FORGIVEN!!” Rowen yelled, stepping closer to Ryo.  Sage maneuvered himself between Rowen and Ryo, and faced Rowen.

            “Calm down Rowen!  Now is a very bad time to lose your head,” Sage said forcefully.  “Let’s just think this whole thing through.”

            “I know what to do!  We can spring a surprise attack on the Dynasty!  They’ll never suspect it!” Kento said, proud of himself. 

            “Are you crazy?!” Ryo exclaimed.  “That would never work.  We’ve only really beat them on our territory.”

            “Ryo’s right.  Besides, it seems like we’re losing power every time we fight,” Sage added.

            “I just think that they’re gaining more power, faster than us,” Ryo resonded.

            “Either way, we aren’t getting any closer to winning,” Sage countered.

            “So what should we do?” Sai inquired.

            Sage peered at Anubis suspiciously out of the corner of his eye.  Anubis continued to stare at Sage.  Sage stopped looked at Anubis.  “I think that we should go back to the places that our armor was made.  Maybe that will help us gain some more power,” Sage said.

            “But –” Ryo began to protest.

            “We won’t go alone.  We will go as a group,” Sage finished. 

            “But isn’t there a good chance that – ” Ryo began.

            “Sage is right, this is the only chance we’ve got.  There’s nothing else we can do,” Rowen said.

            “I agree,” Mia affirmed.

            The Dynasty scenery around them faded away, revealing that they had returned to Mia’s living room.  Suddenly, Yuli burst through the door.  “HI!  Huh?!” he said quickly, noticing the blood stains on Sage’s pants and the cuts all over his chest.  “What ha-pp-en-ed?-?”

            Sage’s face turned bright red.  He looked down at his blood-covered self.  “Oh, I’ll be right back, you can explain Mia.”

            As Sage left the room, Yuli noticed the broken windows.  “Uh-oh, it can’t be… the Dynasty?” Yuli asked.

            That night, Sage sat up in bed, thinking about the events of the day.  In the bed beside him Rowen was reading a rather large, boring looking book.  “Rowen – did you hear what Kayura said, right before… you know…?” Sage asked tentatively.

            “What the ‘no one can stop me’ thing?” Rowen asked without looking at Sage.

            “No – the other thing – the part about how she was in love,” Sage said.

            “I might have heard that, why?” Rowen responded, still not looking at Sage.

            “Nothing, I just wonder who she might have been talking about…” Sage left his words die out.

            “She was crazy Sage, there’s nothing else to it.  And no she’s gone, and we don’t have to worry about her coming back.  Not to change the topic, but I’m still really mad at Ryo,” Rowen said, lying the book down on his bed.

            “Yeah, he should have told everyone about the nearly-killed incident, but you were too hard on him today.  Ryo’s just more…”

            “Stupid?” Rowen offered.

            “No, more nice I suppose than some people.  I think he just wants to give everyone a fair chance, including the enemy.”

            “Yeah well, he can explain that to me when we’re all dead,” Rowen replied.  He picked up his book again, signaling that the conversation was over.

            “Ryo, what’s wrong?” Sai asked, peering at Ryo who lay on his back with his eyes open.

            “I’m worried Sai, really worried,” Ryo responded.  “First off, Katie is human, we know that, she hasn’t been with the Dynasty that long either.  Then there’s that nice streak in her, where she won’t kill anyone.  I just wish we didn’t have to fight her, but if we don’t, then we’ll all be killed.  It’s so confusing,” Ryo sighed.

            “Yeah I know what you mean.  I just hope powering up our armors works, because if it doesn’t…  I’m worried about everyone too.  Kento, Sage, and Rowen seem to be hit especially hard in battle.  I mean how many times are we going to have to watch them get hurt.  Just the sight of blood from any of us now… it just scares me…  Sometimes I’m not sure if I really want to do this anymore.  Not as if I have a choice…” Sai turned over on his side, surprised by what he had said.  Ryo leaned back further into his bed, thinking about Sai’s comment, and worrying about what would happen next. 

Narrator:  What happened to Kayura that made her change so much?  Why would she want to destroy the Mortal World?  And if Katie beat her so easily then what does that mean for the Ronin Warriors?  And what does Anubis know that he is not sharing with the Ronins about these two warriors?  So many questions left unanswered as the Ronins prepare themselves to gain strength so they can defeat the Dynasty once and for all?