Title: Lonely Heart (Chapter 24)
Fandom: Ronin Warriors
Characters/Pairing: All five Ronins, Sayoko Mouri, Mia Koji, Luna, Cale, Dais, Sekhmet, Saberstryke
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine
Warnings: Violence, referenced canonical minor character death/familial death. Also, please note that Sage goes through a LOT of self-loathing in this chapter. (If I missed anything I need to warn for, please let me know.)
Notes: More slice-of-life/remake AU!

--

“Ms. Watson.” Saberstryke’s tone was similar to Mom’s when Luna had crashed while rollerblading when she was twelve. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” Luna managed as she willed herself back to alertness. She was glad to be alive, but also frustrated. Her job was to rescue the others, not needing to be rescued.

“It’s fine to be vulnerable.” What was even more annoying was that Saberstryke was perceptive enough to not only discern she was upset but also what she was upset about. “And everyone needs to be rescued sometimes.” He helped her up gently.

“Okay, first off,” she huffed. “Let me say you are not my dad, but… thanks.” She stepped away to test her limbs. Good, nothing was broken or sprained. She frowned at their surroundings. They were in a forest rather than the small road where they had fought Saranbo. The colors of… everything seemed muted. “Where are we?”

“In a between realm.” Saberstryke made a frustrated sound as he removed his helmet. “Usually, I could magic us back to where we were, but in the urgency to save you I’m afraid that I didn’t have time for that part of the spell.”

“So, what?” Luna put her hands on her hips. “We’re here forever?”

“Hopefully, not. But it will take us some time to locate Wildfire and then find our way back to the mortal realm.”

“Got it.” Luna knew that Ryo would be okay with what she was about to do. In fact, he would probably encourage it. That did not allay her guilt. She had no idea where he was… but the man who knew what had happened to her brother was right in front of her. She had to act, now. “Before we begin, I want to ask you some questions.”

“You don’t even have to do that.” He eyed her levelly. “I will provide you the answer you seek. I am why your brother is dead.”

Her first impulse was to grab a knife and jam it between Saberstryke’s eyes. In fact, she had one in hand, her desire to hurt the one who hurt her brother guiding her body to act. But… but… the other desire that had grown steadily over the past few months, to keep Ryo and her dearest friends safe, won out. Not to mention the way Saberstryke had framed his words. “Hold on.” She put the knife away. “You didn’t say you killed him. All you said was that—why do you think you’re the reason why Billy died?”

Saberstryke closed his eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply. “Mortals with no mystical abilities have aided in curtailing the Dynasty’s ambitions in the past. There was a couple that aided my rebels until they were killed by Dynasty soldiers.” With a sickening feeling, Luna realized that the couple must have been Mia’s parents. “A gentleman served as my guide in stopping demons from invading an area where the barrier between our realms was thin before he was killed by that monster Saranbo.” He took another breath. “That man was your father.”

Dad had died before she was born. Mom and Billy had said it’d been a heart attack. “I… I see. Does that mean Billy helped you in order to avenge our father?”

“I never should have permitted it.” Saberstryke’s tone was laced with bitterness. “But your brother had this device that could capture movement. It was a boon to our cause. And his zeal reminded me of my own son.” The bitterness ceded to sorrow now. Luna did not need to ask what had happened to his son.

“Camera.”

Saberstryke looked almost vulnerable as he blinked at her. “I beg your pardon, Ms. Watson?”

“The device Billy used is called a camera. And listen.” She hoped she could get through this without crying. “I think I can guess what happened next. Some Dynasty creeps realized where you were getting your intel and killed him. It wasn’t your fault at all. All I need to know now is who killed him.”

“Saranbo,” Saberstryke spat out.

“Hmm. Well, isn’t it convenient that he’s already around and causing trouble?” Luna grabbed her knife again, noting that Saberstryke’s hand rested on his blade. “Once we find Ryo, we can get started on avenging Billy.”

Saberstryke nodded. “Agreed.” Then he smiled. “Ah. Speaking of Wildfire, I suspect the shouting coming from those trees over there might be your sweetheart.”

And sure enough, Ryo was there a moment later, clad in his sub-armor. “Luna!” He grabbed her in a hug. “I was so worried! If I lost you—”

“That’s not happening,” she promised, stroking his back. She pulled away when her comm started beeping. “Hunh. Guess the boss is getting worried.” She put her comm on speaker so the others would know what was going on. “This is Luna.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Sayoko’s voice was staticky over the comm, but it didn’t hide the somber tone. Luna and Ryo exchanged a wary glance. Even in the middle of a fight, Sayoko was usually in high spirits. “We need everyone there to sit tight before Mia, Rowen, and I can get you out of there.”

“Sage was captured by Saranbo,” Ryo added. “Cale said he was going to rescue him and I had no choice but to trust him. Did he, or do I need to kill him when I get out of here?”

The silence on Sayoko’s end was long enough to make Ryo feel dizzy. If Saberstryke hadn’t put a hand on his shoulder, he might have stumbled.

“Cale saved Sage,” Sayoko said slowly. Before Ryo could relax, she continued. “However, Saranbo attacked us at the mansion before they could arrive.” She took an uneven breath. “Professor Koji didn’t make it. Ryo, I am so sorry—”

“Don’t be sorry.” His tone was impassive, which seemed innately wrong for such a lively young man. “Tell me where Saranbo is so I can kill him.”

“Yeah, about that. Sage beat you to it—and then he ran off with Cale. Except he’s also apparently betraying Cale because that’s somehow going to help us. I don’t know; Dais didn’t stick around enough for me to interrogate him.”

“Wait,” Luna said. “Dais was there?”

“Yeah. He saved Cye’s life, which shocked me as much as I’m sure it’s shocking you right now.”

“Yeah, it kind of is,” Luna whispered breathlessly. “Okay, let me sure I understand. The professor… was murdered by Saranbo. Sage killed Saranbo, but now we have to rescue Sage? And Dais might be in the middle of a redemption arc?”

“Hunh. It was easier to catch you up than I thought.” Sayoko was saying something to Rowen. “We think we’re near where you are. Cye’s going to be the conduit to get you guys out of there, so don’t panic if his eyes are glowing.”

“Okay, boss. See you soon.” She turned around, but Ryo had disappeared.

“He’s only a few meters from here, that way,” Saberstryke assured her. “I kept an eye on him but did not pursue him. I suspect we need to approach him together.”

It turned out that Luna didn’t need Saberstryke to point out where Ryo was hiding. She could have followed the sound of his crying. He was sitting on the ground, hands in his hair, sobs wracking his frame.

“Oh, Ryo.” She knelt next to him. Once again, she hated how unfair it was that someone so gentle had to deal with so this crummy universe. She took his hand gently because there wasn’t much else she could do. She couldn’t say it was going to be okay, because it wasn’t. All she could do was be there with him.

“I can’t even avenge him, Luna,” he managed after some time. “That monster killed an innocent old man and—and is probably why Sage ran off, and I can’t even kill him!” The sorrow overwhelmed him and all Luna could do now was hug him.

“Then the three of us are in a similar situation. You wished to avenge Professor Koji. Ms. Watson and I wished to avenge her brother.”

“… What?” Ryo blinked away his tears. “God, Luna, I’m sorry. I’ve been acting like this and you’re dealing with that.”

“Yeah, I have.” She felt crummy and she wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. “But helping you makes me feel better.”

“Thank you.” Ryo grinned shakily. “But I want to genuinely help you. I want you to find some sense of peace after your brother died.”

“Thank you. Let’s start by saving Sage.” She helped Ryo up. “We’ve all been going on about wanting to kill Saranbo. But Sage did. He got revenge for all of us, but it’s destroying him on the inside.”

Ryo nodded as he wiped away the last of his tears. “Here’s our new goal. No one else dies. We stop Talpa and we all make it through to celebrate.” Luna’s eyes were bright as she nodded.

Saberstryke frowned. “That is admirable thinking, but naive.”

“I don’t care! I’m going to make it happen.” Ryo’s face was tear-streaked, but he still glowered at Saberstryke. “We will all survive to see Talpa vanquished. That includes you, by the way.”

Saberstryke was still frowning, but it wasn’t quite as severe as before. “I suppose I can’t argue with an angry teenager. Very well. I shall endeavor to survive this battle.”

Good to know, Cye ‘said’ as he carefully ripped reality just enough for the three of them to escape. He was wearing a surprisingly plain blue long-sleeved shirt and jeans, but his glowing turquoise eyes gave him an otherworldly air. He smiled, holding out a hand. Shall we?

--

Mia fought the urge to toss the laptop out of what remained of her living room window. “I don’t understand. Unless Sage forsook his Armor, I should be able to find him.”

“Maybe he did,” Sayoko offered as she sat down next to Mia, a mug of tea in hand. She handed Mia the tea, which Mia sipped thankfully. “He seemed like he was ready to do anything if he thought it would help us.”

Mia shook her head. “I know something in Sage… changed in that fight. But I just can’t believe he would discard something that powerful, even if he wasn’t planning on donning the Armor anymore.” She took another sip of tea. “How are the others?”

“Well, I convinced Ryo and Luna to take a quick nap. I think having that Saberstryke bloke around to patrol the grounds helped, though. Now, this is where I would normally say that my brother is cooking, but it turns out Kento’s been learning a few simple dishes. So, we’re having buttered noodles for lunch while my brother hopefully gets some rest.”

“Your hopes were in vain,” Cye said as he stepped into the room, a bowl of noodles in hand. He took a bite. “This is pretty good. I need to thank Kento later.” He took another bite. “I’m usually protective about my kitchen, but the help is appreciated right now.”

“Sorry that you can’t sleep.” Sayoko frowned sympathetically as she scooted closer to Mia so Cye could have a seat. “Nightmares?”

Cye nodded as he sat down gingerly. “That and Rowen’s spirit is so tense I can’t settle down to sleep. I tried talking to him, but you know how he gets.” He nudged his sister with his shoulder. “He’ll listen to you, though. He always does.”

Sayoko nodded. “On it. But before I go: Mia, I have handled everything with the authorities. As far as anyone is concerned, your grandfather had a heart attack during a freak accident.”

“Thank you,” Mia managed. “I don’t like lying, but this does solve a lot of legal problems. It also makes sure that the civilian population doesn’t learn about demons invading our realm. When will Sage’s grandfather be here?”

“I’m not sure,” Sayoko admitted. “He said something about ‘getting everyone together.’ But I do know that Ophelia will be here within the next couple of hours.”

“Thank goodness.” Mia allowed herself a sigh. “I could use some help.”

“Speaking of…” Cye put down his noodles so he could grab Mia’s hands. “If you want me to ease the pain, I’m ready.”

“Thanks, Cye. I’ll probably take you up on that soon.” She squeezed his hands. “But for now, I want you to save your strength for fighting the Dynasty, okay?”

“Okay.” Cye frowned as he pulled away. He picked up his bowel and resumed his meal glumly. “I just don’t like seeing any of you hurting. Honestly, I’m kind of wishing that Luna’s comic books were real at this point. I think we could all use a champion right now.”

“Did somebody call for a champion?” Despite his ragged clothes, Sekhmet oozed confidence as he sauntered into the mansion.

“You do not want to know how long he was waiting for the perfect moment to enter,” Dais said as he helped Cale inside. “By the way, we’re calling a truce.”

Sekhmet chuckled deeply as he took in the mansion. “Yes, this is a worthy fortress for me to reclaim my glory and so much more.” He smirked wickedly at Cye, or more appropriately, the bowl of noodles Cye was holding. “Runt! What are you eating?! The smell is entrancing.”

“Um, buttered noodles?” Cye studied Sekhmet like he was a particularly difficult piece of music to figure out. He offered the bowl to Sekhmet. “You can have some if you want.”

“I will have all of it,” Sekhmet swore as he grabbed and devoured the noodles, gleefully ignoring Cye’s protests. “You, girl!” He pointed at Mia. “Direct me to where I can find more of these buttered noodles immediately—” Sekhmet collapsed to the ground as Kento ran up and hit him in the face.

“Kento, stop!” Cye, Sayoko, and Mia grabbed him before he could start literally kicking Sekhmet while he was down. “They called a truce!”

Kento’s eyes were wild as he struggled against all three of them. “Cye, this is the guy who tried to kill you!”

“Yeah, I know, you told me back in Yamaguchi,” Cye reminded him as they did their best to keep him at bay. “And I’m not thrilled with it, but if we want to save Sage, we need to be objective.”

“Believe me, Kento, I’d love to kill him, too,” Sayoko told Kento. “But we don’t have that luxury. Sage matters more than any attempts at revenge.”

Kento snarled and howled, struggling against his friends… but finally relented. “I’ll play nice. For now.”

“You’ll play nice forever.” Cye’s tone was chilly as he led Kento to the kitchen. “Now you’re going to cool your head off by making me another helping of noodles.” Kento grumbled, but predictably obeyed Cye’s ‘gentle’ authority.

As for Sekhmet, he was currently nursing a bump on his head while scowling at Dais. “You said that Hardrock wasn’t here!”

“Yeah, I lied,” Dais replied lightly. “It was the only way to get you to tag along.”

Sekhmet stood upright, eying Dais coldly. “Remind me how you lying to me is any different than Talpa lying to me.”

Without missing a beat, Dais argued, “I lied to save your life. If you knew Hardrock was here, you would have holed up in your territory. Like it or not, Talpa would have eventually found you and executed you. Meanwhile, Talpa promised you glory, but all you have to show are meaningless battles and a case of amnesia.”

Sekhmet scowled. “I hate it when you’re right.”

“Then you must be filled with hate all the time,” Dais replied with a smirk. He patted Sekhmet’s arm. “Why don’t you blow off some steam by guarding the mansion? You could even scream ‘venom’ a few times to scare off any soldiers.”

Sekhmet brightened at that possibility. “Very well.” He left the mansion. Dais then turned his attention to Cale, who had been silent during the whole exchange. “Come, wolf. Let’s get you comfortable enough to rest. No one is using this couch anymore.” Carefully, maybe even tenderly, he helped Cale on the couch.

“Not just yet.” Mia stood before Cale and Dais; eyes sharp. Her expression reminded Sayoko a little of Sage. “I want to know why.”

Cale glanced up at her for only a moment. “What do you mean?”

Mia made a fist, and the only reason that she didn’t hit Cale was that Sayoko stopped her. “Woah, Mia! What’s going on?!” Before she was acting like Sage, now she channeled Kento.

“Tell me why you took Sage from me!” Mia’s voice was raw with equal measures of fury and grief. “The Dynasty took my parents, my grandfather, and that still wasn’t enough!” She struggled helplessly in Sayoko’s grip. “When are you going to be satisfied?! When will you have enough corpses to just—just leave us alone?!”

“I persuaded Halo to join us to stop further death,” Cale muttered helplessly. Dais stood between them, silent but with one arm held out in front of Cale protectively. “And now he’s been lost to whatever creature was lurking in that blasted jewel.” He met Mia’s gaze. “If my death will ease your grief, so be it.”

That, of all things, seemed to get through to Mia. She calmed, although her expression was still stern. “Believe it or not, I don’t want you dead. I’m not like the Dynasty.” If his shudder bothered her, it didn’t show. “If you want to ease my grief, help me stop Talpa.”

“We were going to do that anyways,” Dais said for Cale. He turned his attention to Sayoko. “I’m not calling off the truce, but I’m left wondering how our groups are going to work together. I mean, the last time I saw you, I nearly blasted your arm off.”

“But now you’re having a civilized conversation with me,” Sayoko countered. “We’re just going to have to put our feelings aside and focus on the goal.”

Cale almost smiled at Sayoko. “I remember a young girl who said she would stuff my head on a pike one day.”

Sayoko cleared her throat. “I was sixteen and going through an edgy phase. And right now, all I want to do is stop Talpa. We all do”. She shrugged. “We don’t have to become best friends; we just have to not kill each other long enough to accomplish that goal.”

“That we can all do,” Mia promised her. “I refuse to accept otherwise.”

--

“Mom.” Luna hugged her mother tightly. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I am too.” Mom sighed heavily as she removed her coat. “Luna, I’m so sorry. If I had known what would happen, I never would have gone back to Tokyo, I would have—”

“Probably died in the battle,” Luna retorted gently. She clasped her hands. “Mom, I found out why Billy died. Dad, too.”

“I see.” Mom sank into a chair. “You’re probably furious with me.”

“A year ago, I probably would have been. Then again, I was furious with a lot of things.” She rested a hand on her mother’s shoulder. “But after watching the Mouris deal with their respective issues, I think I get it now. You were just doing your best to protect me. But I can take care of myself now. So, please. No more lies. Let’s work together to stop these creeps from destroying more families, okay?”

Mom wiped at her eyes and nodded. “Okay.”

--

“Hey, Rowen,” Sayoko shouted from the front lawn. Rowen was up on the rooftop. “It’s getting dark. It’s time to head inside.”

“I don’t want to head inside,” he informed her. She could observe him in his sub-armor, hunched over his laptop. “I want to find Sage.”

“Oh, Rowen. We all do.” They had tried tech. Cye and Dais had both tried pinpointing him psychically. No one had any luck. “At this point, our best bet is to try again tomorrow.” He didn’t move from his spot, which meant she would have to be a little sterner. “You know how you’re always reminding me that if I don’t rest, I’m going to mistakes? I’m certain that you don’t want to make mistakes while looking for Sage. So, turn off that laptop and float back down.”

He stared down at her for what felt like forever. Then, with a huff, he closed his laptop placing it under his arm. He closed his eyes and glowed indigo as he hovered back to the ground. Despite the situation, Sayoko was impressed that he had gotten so good at his newer abilities. “I concede,” he murmured, eyes shadowed and face pale. “But only for a few hours.”

“Of course,” Sayoko promised as she walked alongside him. “Of course.”

--

At least Cale was finally sleeping, secure in one of the mansion’s seemingly countless guest rooms, Dais reminded himself as he once again failed to find Halo’s energy. That was the only silver lining in the increasingly stormy sky that was his life. He supposed there were probably some artifacts here that could augment his powers, but the Koji girl had just gone to sleep herself. He did not wish to disturb her.

He growled softly, running a hand through his hair. When did he get so soft?

“Hi, Dais,” Cye said around a yawn as he came in with a broom. “Don’t mind me. I’m just going to clean a little.”

Dais gave Cye an askance look. “You do realize that the living room is essentially a couch and rubble at this point?”

Cye harumphed as he began sweeping. “Well, luckily for me I was raised by a wild butler and I’m good at cleaning.”

“Oh, please,” Dais scoffed. “You and I both know that you’re only doing this because you don’t want to deal with more nightmares. They always get worse the more pain you heal.” And it seemed like all Cye did was heal pain. “Go find your precious little Kento and have him ground you.”

“Not this time.” Cye shook his head as he kept working. “Kento needs his rest as well. I don’t want to interrupt it by making him coddle me all the time.”

How annoyingly noble. And foolish. If any of their psychics went down for the count, their hopes of finding Halo would vanish the same way he had. Dais doubted Cye would accept the offer, but…

“I can guarantee you a night free of any dreams. If you want.”

The broom stilled. Cye’s eyes were huge. “You can do that?”

“Yes. Mind you, it’s similar to the technique I used when I cursed you. A lot of this would hinge on your ability to trust me after that—”

Cye was already lying on the couch, eyes closed and hands folded on his chest. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

“… I literally hypnotized you to sleep forever a month ago. Then I attacked you with a knife.”

“Yeah, before you had your redemption arc.” Cye’s eyes were still closed, but he was grinning cheekily. “You’ve changed, Dais. I can see it in your actions and feel it in your heart. Now, c’mon. I think the last time I enjoyed a dreamless sleep was back in March.”

“So, even the innocent little Torrent is selfish at times,” Dais remarked as he hovered over Cye.

Cye opened one eye. “Hey, I can be downright bratty when I want to be.” His expression grew concerned. “But if you’re not comfortable with this…”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t. Now shut up and close your eyes.” Once Cye did that, he placed a hand on his head. Let your spirit sink to the darkest depths of the ocean where nothing can harm you. He took care to make his ‘voice’ sound like a mix of Cye’s father and Professor Koji. When you’re rested, you’ll rise again. A moment later, Cye’s breathing evened out as he slipped into sleep.

Well, Dais had done his good deed for the night. After patting Cye on the head (something he would never admit to doing, ever), he went to go check on Cale but was stopped by Sekhmet.

“How sweet,” Sekhmet cooed sarcastically. “You tucked little Torrent into bed. Are you his big brother now?”

Dais made a thoughtful sound. “Shall I inform Hardrock that you’re in the same room as Torrent?”

Sekhmet dashed back outside.

Meanwhile, Cye smiled in his sleep, enjoying a rare moment of peace.

--

Hariel enjoyed a rare moment of peace.

The scent of cherry blossoms was heavy in the air as he surveyed his work. His magic shielded this grove from the outside world, allowing the flora and fauna to flourish in ways that the selfish and wicked never would have permitted. A young doe headbutted her fawn as they walked by a clear stream. Hariel allowed himself a smile as the mother and child trotted along together.

The smile faded as he realized that unless he did something, these innocent creatures would suffer the same fate as those oppressed by the wicked. The same fate that had struck down Professor Koji… and Cye.

He took a breath to steady himself. Those were his two regrets: that he could do nothing to bring the professor and Cye back to life. But even the Warrior of Grace had his limits. At least, he did until he created a realm where no one would suffer such a bitter end ever again.

He would end pain for the innocent and kill all the sinners. Then everyone would know how much he had loved them.

Still… as he watched the sunrise, he selfishly wished that Cye was here. The grove was quiet and all lived in peace. He would have been so happy.

“I wish I could show you this, Cye,” he whispered to the wind, praying it would reach his friend’s spirit. “I wish I could see you one last time.”

… And that prayer was so earnest, so simple and true, that it pierced Cye’s heart even when he was compelled by the Warrior of Illusion to rest. He sat up, fully awake. “Sage?”

--

“Kento,” Cye whispered because Rowen was snoring a meter away and he did not want to wake up his surrogate brother. “Kento. Get up, caveman.”

Kento glared up at him. “Only if you feed me.”

“I will as soon as we do what we need to do.”

“Ugh, fine.” Kento dragged himself out of bed. “What do we need to do?”

Cye put one finger to his lips as he led Kento out of the bedroom. “I’ll explain once we’re downstairs.” The instant they had descended the stairs, Cye turned to his boyfriend. “Okay. I didn’t want to say this with Rowen within earshot since I don’t want to get his hopes up, but—”

“You found Sage?” Kento finished for him, wide awake now.

“Possibly,” Cye qualified. “That’s why I’m only telling you. Ryo and Rowen would just run off to save him.”

Kento gave him a look. “And I wouldn’t? Because seriously, Cye, the second you tell me the location I’m heading there.”

“I don’t know the location,” Cye said around a huff. “All I know is that Sage, without realizing it, contacted me. And he wants to see me.”

“Okay. So, how are you going to do that?”

“I’m going to try reaching out to him psychically. I’ve only done that once and with the help of magic stones, so I need you here to keep me from burning out.” Although he wasn’t (too) worried about that. He’d had an amazing nap. He was going to have to get Dais to show him how to turn his brain off before sleeping on his own.

But for now, only Sage mattered. He sat down on the couch, Kento nearby. “Okay.” Cye closed his eyes. Sage. I want to see you as well.

--

When he opened his eyes, Cye was fairly sure he had stumbled upon paradise.

The sky was brilliantly blue without so much of a hint of a cloud. The grass was verdant and lush, decorated with stray cherry blossoms. Birds sang and rabbits slumbered under the trees. It was beautiful, but not what he would have associated with Sage’s perfect world at all. Then again, Sage had a habit of subverting Cye’s expectations. It was one of the many reasons Cye liked being friends with him.

He could hear a stream babbling, so Cye headed in the direction of the water’s sound. He had walked a few meters when he saw a young man nuzzling a doe. He was clad only in a simple white kimono and his violet eyes sparkled with mirth as he laughed. This man was Sage… and yet he was not.

That was enough for Cye, however. “Sage?” He took a tentative step. “Is that you?”

Sage and the doe froze. His gaze was just as wild-eyed as the doe’s. For a moment, Cye wondered if he had been too bold in approaching him.

Then Sage darted to him, embracing him with a tenderness Cye had never associated with Sage until this moment. “Cye,” he gulped, soaking Cye’s shirt with tears. “I thought you were—if I had known—”

“I know,” Cye whispered as he hugged Sage back with everything he had. “I know.” He would figure out what was going on with Sage’s eyes changing color and the cherry blossoms and the deer and the bunnies in a moment. For now, he stroked Sage’s back, assuring him that he was alive, he was real, and he wasn’t going anywhere.

Finally, Sage’s sobs subsided. He pulled away, smiling warmly even as he wiped away the remaining tears. “How did you even survive?”

“I was lucky. Dais appeared and saved my life…” Cye paused when Sage’s smile morphed into a stern frown. He wished that he could say that he was acting more like his old self but he could sense something else. Something steely and cold. “But I’d rather talk about you.” He kept his body language neutral and open. “You’ve changed since I last saw you, Sage.”

“I am Hariel of the Inferno now,” Sage corrected him. “And I had to change. I had to become someone who was strong enough to do what must be done.”

“I see,” Cye said. The fact that Sage was calling himself after the Warrior that had brought peace to all and then vanished from history was upsetting enough. The grim resolution that he sensed from Sage (Hariel?) didn’t help. But now was not the time to argue. He needed to get answers. “Would you mind if I read you? I think if I can do that, I’ll get a better idea of what you mean.”

Sage nodded. “Of course, my friend.” Cye concentrated. Sage was still in there… but so was someone else. He would have expected that there would be a stronger and weaker personality, but despite Sage’s claims that he was Hariel, they shared equal presence in his mind. At least they did for now. Hariel desired absolute control of Sage for his goals to be realized… and Sage was willingly conceding his spirit, bit by bit, to make it happen.

Cye clamped down on the horror, the fury, on anything that Sage/Hariel might sense and realize something was wrong. He needed to focus on his goal. “Thank you. I understand now that Sage had consented to be… subsumed by Hariel. Could you tell me how that happened?”

Sage’s face broke out into a huge grin. “Cye, it was amazing.” He reached under his kimono, taking out a jewel that he wore around his neck. “I had assumed that this was simply some tool to augment my abilities. But it’s so much than that.” He held it close to his heart. “Hariel understood me. All of me. How much I missed the professor, how angry I was because I thought you were dead, that I would do anything to make sure those I love are safe. All the loneliness I felt because I cannot connect with people? He made me realize that it was all right. I can even use it to my advantage.” His fingers tightened around the jewel. “I have no bonds to this world. That makes me the ideal candidate for this mission to burn the fallen realms to ash and merge them into paradise.” He gazed at Cye, looking more peaceful than Cye could ever remember. “I know I was a difficult friend, and I apologize for that from the bottom of my heart. But now I can make everyone happy.”

“What about you?”

Confusion flickered across Sage’s features. “I beg your pardon?”

“What happens to you once you merge the realms? Are you going to come home? Will you stay here?” He took a breath to calm himself. “Your life is your own. I just need to know what will become of you after you accomplish this task.”

Sage wouldn’t look at him. “My spirit will always be with you, Cye. With all of you.”

… No. “You can’t do this.” Cye grabbed Sage by his arms. “You can’t sacrifice yourself—I won’t let you!”

“Oh, Cye.” Sage’s expression was damnably gentle. “I have no desire to perish, I assure you. But this is the only way I can ensure that all my friends are safe. It’s the only way I can show all of you that I love you.”

“Bull,” Cye snarled, barely resisting the urge to shake Sage. “The whole point of being a team is so that no one has to make that sacrifice.”

“You didn’t see what I saw,” Sage muttered, purple eyes dim. “If I don’t merge the realms, the four of you will die.”

“The future’s not set in stone. We can change it.”

“I refuse to take that chance.” Sage stepped away, and Cye watched in horror as the gold in Sage’s hair slowly turned white. “This is for the best, Cye. When I was young, sometimes I wondered if I was supposed to exist. Everyone around me could show and give love like it was as easy as breathing. I have always struggled with words and my actions… they bemused people at best and frightened them at worst. Even my sister thought I was a freak.” He did his best to smile. “I… I do not believe that I was built to be loved.”

“You believe wrong, then.” Cye sounded too angry to be helpful but he couldn’t help it. “Your sister was wrong. Anyone who made you feel that was wrong.”

“Please listen,” Sage murmured in response. “Please try to understand. I cannot be loved but I do love. I love my family and I love my friends more than anything. As Hariel, I have a chance to finally show all of you that I love you. You shall see, Cye. Your family and the others will finally have peaceful lives. Any who would harm you shall perish. All of you will be happy and safe. It is all you ever wanted.”

Breaking down in front of his friend who was having an existential crisis was the worst idea ever, but Cye couldn’t help it. All this time, Sage had felt like this. And the supposedly empathic Cye of the Torrent, the Ronin who was supposed to ease pain never even suspected just how deep Sage’s pain ran. He hid his face in his hands as he gave up any attempt at composure and wept openly, feeling childish and weak. “I don’t want that,” he somehow managed between sobs.

“I.” Sage froze, obviously not expecting this reaction. “What do you want, then? I would do anything for you. I will do whatever it takes to create a world where you feel safe and loved. Just tell me what you want and you shall possess it immediately.”

“I want you with me!” Cye all but screamed at him. “How can I be happy in this ‘perfect world’ if you’re not there?!”

Sage wrung his hands nervously. “But… but you will have Kento and Luna. And Rowen and Ryo.”

“But I won’t have you,” Cye hiccuped helplessly. “I don’t care if it’s selfish or goes against what being a Ronin Warrior is about. I don’t want a perfect world if I have to give up you. I’d rather fight for the rest of my life than lose you.”

Carefully, Sage took a step in Cye’s direction. “You truly feel that way?”

“Truly.” Cye wiped at his eyes, trying to collect himself. “I’d never met a psychic my age before. And you taught me how to build shields and use my abilities in a way that made sense and didn’t make me feel pathetic for not knowing how to do it already. And you’re smart and cool and do what you feel like, no matter what anyone says. We may not have a perfect connection all the time like TV says friends are supposed to have. But the connection we do have? I’ve never felt that with anyone else in my entire life, and I would rather die than give that up.”

Sage ran his hands through his hair, a nervous action that despite its origin, made Cye feel a glimmer of hope. That wasn’t Hariel of the Inferno’s body language, but rather how Sage reacted whenever he was upset about something. Cye was getting through to him. “I see. Then maybe… maybe it is not too late to…”

The Jewel of Life pulsated, steady as a heartbeat and brilliant as a sunrise. Sage’s hands fell limply to his sides. His now snow-white hair contrasted with dull violet eyes as the silver-white kanji for ‘grace’ appeared on his brow. “No,” he said flatly. Like someone was speaking for him. “Connections are supposed to be perfect. Love never hurts. Good people always feel loved. Everyone else Sage knew could be loved effortlessly. Sage never felt that, so he has no choice but to sacrifice himself for his friends.”

“Hariel,” Cye whispered desperately. “Please let my friend go. Take me instead.”

Hariel laughed softly. “No. You love and are loved in return. You do not deserve this fate. As for Sage… every time he tried to help, someone would lash out at him. Strata when he was upset. Hardrock in the alley. You when you were cursed. That is objective proof that he could never be loved. I can relate to that. That’s why I chose him as my candidate.”

Cye cried out as he could feel Sage/Hariel pulling away from their psychic connection. He tried to hold on, but he was powerless against the two of them working in tandem.

The last thing he saw before he lost the connection was Sage smiling. “Farewell, Cye. I loved you. Tell the others that I loved them, too.”

--

“Cye,” Kento breathed, brushing away Cye’s tears. “Did you find Sage?”

“Yes,” he said as he stood up. “We need to wake up the others, now.” Sage was still in there, but they had to act now before it was too late.

--

Final Notes: As you may have noticed, the way work is going for me right now it’s easier to post fic chapters on Mondays or Tuesdays rather than at the end of the week. Let’s see if that continues.

Hariel being the Warrior of Grace is, of course, a reference to Seiji’s virtue being ‘grace’ in YST. Like with the hair and the eyes, it’s there to emphasize that Sage is changing into Hariel.