Disclaimer: None of the recognizable characters, etc. belong to me. I'm not getting paid for this, and you couldn't get much money from me by suing me, so please don't. However, new characters (Skye, Nobuyuki, Suki, Akira, Mirachtunel, Chephren) and this story are my sole creation and should NOT be used without my permission.

Part Two

He walked along the city streets for the second time that morning, back towards his old neighborhood again. A few blocks away from the Tanaka house, he took an easterly direction, traveling away from the nice homes on the edge of the city and their well-kept lawns. He entered more and more rural-looking neighborhoods for the next few blocks, until they ended all together and the forest sprang up all around. He entered using an old path that had once been well-beaten and clear, but was now being infiltrated by weeds and long-growing grasses. It was narrow, but he could still pick his way along it without much trouble. He followed it in a wide bending path amid the old trees and rough terrain. There had been a few really bad storms in these parts many years ago, and the innumerable felled trees still littered much of this stretch of the forest in large heaps of rotting wood.

As time stretched on, his path brought him up to the shores of a shallow, rapid-filled river. It was sunny and warm here because the river allowed large gaps in the hood of the trees where sunlight could shine through. Rowen walked along the banks northward for a few more minutes until he came to a large clearing just off to his left. A little harbor was carved deeply into the land there, creating a small, deep pool in the center of the clearing. The trees parted enough to let some sunlight in to warm the still, clear waters until they were like bathwater even in April, only more refreshing and soothing.

There was a large, gnarled tree with a wide trunk and large, leafy green leaves freshly sprouted all over it just to one side of the pool, and a large grey bough of it stretched over the pool's edge low to the water. On it Skye had perched herself comfortably, dangling her bare feet and legs into the warm water. She was ringing the excess moisture from her soaked mane, and to Rowen's surprise she had shedded all but her bra and panties, which were lacy white and satiny, like something he'd seen Kento drooling over in a Victoria's Secret catalogue. He cleared his throat loudly as he stepped up to the opposite bank of the harbor, averting his eyes like a good little boy.

"Oh, Ro-chan!" Skye exclaimed happily, her hair forgotten. She slipped into the shoulder-deep water and swam over to him with the expert grace and elegance of many summers spent in the water. Without a thought about her revealing appearance, she climbed out of the water and stood up to greet Rowen with a familiar hug and a peck on the cheek which she had to stand on her tiptoes to deliver. He was surprised to receive such a warm greeting after so long, but Skye had always been very affectionate and open. He guessed it was part of her boisterous American attitude, but he wasn't going to object. He liked having someone so honest and forward around sometimes.

"I'm so glad you came," Skye smiled warmly. "I was afraid you'd get scared away by all this cryptic babble and seriousness we've been subjected to. Frankly, it's been pretty frightening for me, too. And I at least know what's been happening! I don't suppose Akira had the chance to tell you this morning, huh?"

"How did you know?" Rowen asked in surprise.

"About you being in the old neighborhood this morning? We still walk to school together. He told me when he came over to pick me up, and I came to see you right away. What were you up to, anyway? I haven't seen you down here since...you know..."

"Yeah..." Rowen sighed, glancing away, across the river. From there he could just barely see the charred circle of trees that he knew still stood a little way back from that bank of the river. "I was just...walking. I had to get out of the house for awhile, so I went out to think about things. I guess my thoughts just pointed me that way. I really didn't notice until I was there."

"I know how that goes. I've been doing that a lot lately, with one exception: I always end up here. How many times did the five of us come down here to swim and play games in this forest?"

Rowen didn't bother counting. "Countless..."

They both stood in nostalgic silence for a few moments, pondering their seemingly lost youth. At length, Skye caught his gaze again with her bright, intelligent eyes and held it. "It's all real, y'know. Mirachtunel, Suki's death... It's really happening."

"I know," Rowen admitted. "I spent years telling myself it was all in my head, that somehow I had just imagined all of this, but I know it's real."

"So what do we do now? The three of us - you, Akira and I - are all that's left. And he's going to come after us, just like he came after Suki." Skye's voice trembled slightly in fear and sadness.

"I guess we'll just have to face him, when the time comes. What exactly happened to Suki? When you called me yesterday, you said she committed suicide. And then I saw you and Akira at the funeral, and you tell me it was Mirachtunel-"

"What? I didn't call you, Rowen. I assumed someone else did."

"Then who called me saying it was you?" Rowen asked, more accusingly than he'd intended.

"I don't know!" Skye protested. Her eyes widened in horror, and she covered her mouth with one pale white hand. "Ohmygod... Maybe it was Mirachtunel? But why-"

"Shh..." Rowen hushed gently. "I heard something."

Both paused tensely, and Skye held her breath as she strained to hear what Rowen heard, but all she heard was her own heartbeat and the wildlife frolicking in the trees. "Maybe you're hearing things," she suggested quietly.

"Maybe." Rowen looked around for abnormal movements or sights just in case. "Look, maybe we should get out of here, go someplace in doors, where we're not so open. Just in case he attacks."

Skye's smile returned. "Listen to you! You sound like a seasoned warrior or something. What happened to the innocent little boy I grew up with?"

"Things change," Rowen locked gazes with her, looking deeply into her large, round eyes. She returned the gaze, adding to the seriousness a little bit of levity with her bright, genuine smile.

"So much that you can't take a swim with me, for old times' sake?" She took his hands in hers and leaned back into the water. Rowen knew from experience that it was pointless to fight with Skye, so he let her pull him into the water with her, fully clothed and all.

The warm, soothing water kissed his skin lovingly, sending a pleasant tingle down his spine and throughout his body. He arched his back slightly in pleasure, making Skye smile wider. Her cheeks seemed to glow with the same inner light and beauty as her bright eyes. She waded out into the middle of the pool, pulling Rowen with her. She looked into his eyes, studying their stormy blue depths until she lost herself in them. She leaned in close against his chest, and his arms found their way around her shoulders. They embraced gently, and then, slowly and gently, she leaned in and kissed him on the lips, and he returned it hungrily. Her hands were in his hair, pulling him closer to her, and his were circling her shoulders, kneading the strong muscles of her neck and upper back.

She moaned softly into his mouth, leaving him entrance with his tongue. He took advantage of the opportunity and kissed her deeply and passionately, lifting both of their fears and cares for a few blissful moments of intimacy. The kiss eventually ended, and Rowen reluctantly pulled away.

Skye couldn't take her eyes off of him. The attraction was beyond magnetism. It engulfed the soul and lit one's insides on fire until all one could think about was pouring the water of the other's touch over oneself to put it out.

"I've always loved you, Ro-chan," she whispered softly in his ear, using the pet name he'd acquired as a child. "Since the day we first met, I knew you were the only one for me. These last years without you have been hell for me."

Rowen didn't answer, but hugged her tightly. A tear slipped down his fair cheek, unchecked. He kissed her forehead, then tilted her chin up to his and reconnected with her soft, velvety lips. They glided through the water, their bodies intertwining and flowing together like fluid in the small harbor as they kissed each other passionately for minutes that stretched on for an eternity of bliss. The sun was shining down on their heads with love, and the entire forest seemed beautiful and alive, moreso than either could ever remember.

Eventually, panting and tired, but ultimately content, they pulled apart. Miraculously, both still possessed the articles of clothing they'd started with, but they knew they weren't ready for that without saying a word. Rowen held Skye in the circle of his arms for a long time, reluctant to let go, studying the swirls of silver strands of her hair that were trailing all about her. They moved fluidly, like living tails of mercury cascading down her shoulders and back. He tucked a long silver strand behind one of her ears, sweeping his palm over the apple of her cheek as he did so.

His mind conjured up various images of his childhood, highlighting the happier moments they'd shared. Time and again, Suki and Nobuyuki appeared in his thoughts, and his eyes misted and grew rueful and full of sorrow.

"Tell me what happened to Suki," he asked quietly .

Skye sighed deeply and pulled herself up onto the banks from behind. She wrung her thick, shimmering mane out and stood at the base of the gnarled old tree at the water's edge. She threw her clothes on quickly as she spoke, and her voice was tinged with sorrow. "Like I said, Mirachtunel got to her. He first came to her more than a week ago. She said she was seeing him wherever she went and he was taunting her, driving her insane. We thought she'd lost it, until the night she died.

"I was out here, just trying to escape from reality for a little while, when all of a sudden I heard someone screaming across the river. I knew right away that something was desperately wrong since I'm the only one who comes out here anymore." Skye glanced apprehensively at the dark circle on the opposite banks, as if she were afraid of being heard. "It was Suki, and she was yelling at someone. She kept insisting that it wasn't her fault, that she didn't know. She cursed Mirachtunel's name and said she would never be one of his brainless minions. Then to my terror, I heard his voice, deeper and icier than any nightmare and I knew he had come back. We broke our end of the bargain, and he was going to make us pay. If we wouldn't surrender our will to him and call him Master, he'd kill us and destroy the lives of everyone dear to us, he said to her. She screamed and pleaded, but he wouldn't listen. He said he'd given her the chance to reconsider, and now it was too late.

"When she screamed Nobuyuki's name, I ran. I was terrified and I didn't know what to do to help her. So I abandoned her." Skye was crying openly, trying not to let her sobs drown out her voice. "The next morning, Mrs. Tanaka called our house, balling. She'd found Suki in her bedroom, hanging from the ceiling fan by her neck."

Rowen jumped out of the water and went to her. He embraced her tightly, letting her cry into his shirt. He hushed her gently in a soothing voice, playing with her soft, smooth hair and talking quietly. It was only for her sake that he held back his tears.

Rowen sighed half-heartedly and shivered a little as a cool breeze swept over his wet body. He'd parted with Skye reluctantly after getting her to cheer up a little and promising to call her as soon as he got back home, just so she knew he had gotten back safely. It was stretching on to late afternoon now, maybe 3 o'clock by his reckoning, but it was still warm and sunny out, despite Rowen's chill. He was soaked through, so the slightest breath of wind seemed to turn his skin to gooseflesh.

He walked at a slow, sedated pace toward his destination, feeling more troubled than ever. He couldn't help but dwell on the things he'd done in the past now that they were coming back to haunt him...

"He has to pay!" Suki screeched, her normally smooth, musical voice high and shrill. Her stunningly bright emerald green eyes flashed furiously. She was pacing back and forth near the pool next to the river, her straight, jet black hair flying around her in an array of raven feathers every time she spun on her heel. "He has to! He can't get away with this!" she kept repeating.

Rowen eased himself to a relatively comfortable position atop the bow of the old tree at the edge of the harbor, careful not to make any jarring motions to his midsection. Akira sat next to him, and Skye was standing uncomfortably a few feet away. All four were dressed in simple black attire, the color of mourning. They had just come from Nobuyuki's funeral.

Rowen kept his head down on the crystalline water for the most part, but now and then he dared to sneak looks at his friends' faces. Akira and Skye were trying not to cry for the twentieth time that day; Suki was just angry. A drunk driver had killed her twin brother, just like one had killed her father when she was just a baby.

As for himself, Rowen could feel nothing. In fact, there had been a big nothing inside him ever since the night of the accident. He might have called it a mix of emotions so intertwined they were inseparable, but in truth there was no feeling inside him, and it was centralized at the long, stitched stab wound in his abdomen. As Suki continued her rageful rant, he just kept dwelling on that night, like there was something he had missed.

After awhile he looked up at Suki and spoke in a low, cautious voice. "So how do we do it, Suki?"

Suki halted and looked at him in shock. Akira and Skye were staring at him as well.

"What?" Akira asked.

"I said, how do we make him pay?"

The forest was stock still and disturbingly silent until, at length, Akira whispered, "I...know a way..."

Rowen snapped out of his flashback when a minivan screeched to a stop and blared its horns at him for the second time that day. He crossed the street quickly and stopped on the other side, yet was unsure why he stopped.

"You really should watch where you're going," a smooth, low-pitched woman's voice said just behind him. He spun around, and there was a tall, crimson-haired woman with black pools for eyes and full, pouty red lips. She sneered at him mockingly with her leather-clad hands on her leather-clad hips. The tight, glove-like leather was a red just lighter than her shoulder-length hair, and it clung tightly to her voluptuous form.

"Who're you?" Rowen accused defensively.

"I am Chephren. The Master has requested an audience with you, Rowen of the Strata of the Ronin Warriors." She made no advances, but her cruel smile and defiant stance made him uneasy.

"The Master?"

"Our master, mine and yours. Do not tell me you have forgotten your pledge to the great Lord Mirachtunel! I will buy no lies, and neither will the Great One!"

"Then I won't offer any," Rowen said darkly, taking on a fighting stance.

Chephren frowned disapprovingly at him, showing her pouty lips in a mildly seductive manner. It didn't work.

"Then will you obey your master's summon?"

"Hardly. My only master is myself, no matter what Mirachtunel thinks!"

"That's too bad," Chephren said darkly. "I was hoping to get to know you better; you seem like an intriguing man. But my orders are clear, so it looks as though you will be joining your obstinate friend, Suki. She disobeyed Master's orders too, and I had to kill her in the end. Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

The dam over Rowen's emotions took a final blow and collapsed, and he lunged at her with a shrill cry. Unfortunately, Chephren was capable of far more speed than he would have guessed. A metallic black bo staff appeared out of nowhere, jabbing Rowen in the stomach over an old scar and knocking him back. He stumbled back unevenly, the wind knocked out of him, and Chephren took the opportunity to kick him in the temple with a high spin crescent.

His world went black in one terrifying second, and in the next he was lying on his back on the cold, rough cement trying to catch his breath and make the world stop spinning. A blurry, pale face hovered over him, making him scramble to his feet too soon. He wobbled a little, but stood his ground and prepared for another face-off.

"Perhaps you should sit this one out, Strata," Chephren said with mock concern. "Or do you wish to rethink your response to Master Mirachtunel's order? It's only a meeting, you know. He wants to make peace between you, he really does!"

"I'll bet," Rowen spat vehemently.

"Aww, now don't go being all patronizing on me! I'm willing to go easy on you if you give me the chance!"

"Easy like you went on Suki? No, thanks!"

Chephren sighed. "Very well, Strata. Have it your way."

She deftly swept his legs from under him with a quick swipe of her staff, then grabbed him by his shirt and threw him headfirst into the trunk of a thick maple tree. His head smacked against it was a sickening thud, and just before he passed out, Rowen heard her voice, saying, "I'll be seeing you shortly, boy. Give your decision some more thought, for me?"

Then all was dark.

"Rowen? It's time," Akira shook him gently, rousing him from a light slumber. There was no joy in his manner.

Rowen rose groggily from his perch in the tree by the pool, and the two waded across the shallow river, allowing their jeans to get soaked along with their sneakers. The sun had gone down behind the trees awhile ago and it took Rowen's eyes some adjusting to recognize the shapes of Suki and Skye seated around a small flickering fire amid a circle of trees. Suki had built a small altar of some large rocks and a tree stump, upon which she had laid a thin white cloth.

They looked up as Rowen and Akira entered the circle, and Suki queried, "Where are they?" of Akira.

"Right over here," he disappeared into the shadows for a moment then returned with a bundle in his arms. He handed it to Suki, who quickly unwrapped it and discarded the grey cloth.

"Be careful," Akira warned. "If my dad finds out I took these, I'm history."

Suki laid the beautiful, hand-crafted European sword on the altar.

"Skye?" she gesticulated.

Skye revealed the small, motionless bird held in a cloth on her lap. She held it out toward Suki, who gingerly picked up the tranquilized animal and held it over the sword with her left hand. With her right, she drew a ruby-studded dagger and held it with the point to the bird's breast.

"Positions, everyone. Akira, you start us out. Rowen, you take over at my cue," Suki commanded.

Skye, Rowen and Akira kneeled around the fire so that each of them accurately represented one of the cardinal directions - North, South, East, West - and directly faced the person with the direction opposite theirs.

Akira closed his eyes in concentration and held his hands out, palms toward the fire. In a monotone, almost hypnotic voice, he chanted loudly, "Victune ducine amnaebos recht. Ai mirantos michantos andob i." He repeated the phrases several times, and with each time the air surrounding them grew colder. A greenish-blue quality entered the flames of the bonfire, and all life in the forest seemed to pause and hold its breath in fear and anxiety.

Upon his third time finishing it, a large crack of thunder bellowed across the sky and the wind picked up dramatically. Suki chose that moment to go past the point of no return. She plunged the dagger deep into the bird's chest, letting its warm red blood pour over the blade of the double-edged sword on the altar.

"Now, Rowen!" she commanded.

As Akira continued to chant his verse and the storm unleashed its fury over the woods, Rowen recited what Akira had instructed him to say. To his amazement, his voice sounded much less tentative and unconvincing than he would have imagined.

"We gather here to call Mirachtunel, to seal the deal our hearts have woven in the spirit of revenge. We pray of thee to hear our plea and be merciful! Wrongs have been done to us, and we wish them avenged swiftly, by his justice and no other. In return, we offer our undying allegiance to his glory. Mirachtunel, vengeful spirit, show mercy on your subjects! We call and conjure thee. We pray to thee. We invoke thee! Mirachtunel a delai nuch tanyao!" A force had come over Rowen's voice, and by the time he finished he sounded demanding and bold, instead of timid and afraid, as he felt.

At the final word, the wrathful storm's fury peaked and shot down a jagged bolt of electric death, and Suki plunged the blood-covered sword into the center of the altar as the lightning struck it, throwing them all back. The four of them laid where they landed - still, silent, like death - until the mysterious thunderstorm parted as quickly as it had gathered. One by one, they revived and rose unsteadily.

Rowen noticed that the fire had gone out just after he noticed the brightly glowing sword protruding from the altar on the opposite side of the fire. As they all fixated their eyes on the iridescent bluish light and the metallic object it engulfed, a voice spoke to them. It was inhumanly cold and deep. It cracked and rasped as though it were the cracked surface of an ancient leather-bound tome being opened.

"Who calls me forth from my realm? Stand forward!"

They exchanged terror-stricken looks, but no one moved. After a few seconds of tangible tension, Suki stood and took a single step forward.

"I call you," she said boldly, her green eyes dancing dangerously. "I am Suki of the Tanaka clan. I wish to make a deal with you."

"What have you to offer me, my child?" the bodiless voice boomed.

"I want my brother's murderer to pay for what he did. Nothing else matters," said Suki, bitterly.

There was a long pause, then the voice returned. "I will do this for you, but you must all take an oath of allegiance to me in return."

Suki was prepared. "Yes, my gracious Lord. Anything; we accept."

"Then, by your verbal pact, I bind ye all to my power. For ever shall I call you, you must obey - without question. Do I have your words?"

"Yes," Suki said, too eagerly.

"Yes," Akira and Skye whispered.

Rowen looked carefully at each of them and balanced out the evils in his mind. At length, he condescended.

"Yes..." he whispered.

"Then may it be so!" Mirachtunel's voice rang through the dark forest long after the glowing of the sword had ceased, leaving the four friends to ponder what they had just done.

Akira strolled along casually, his tousled brown-blond hair shining in the setting sun's orange-red glow. He didn't seem to care in the least that he was in one of the worst districts in all of Tokyo, at night, looking more like a lone, lost tourist than a born-and-bred native. He had a tendency to wander when he was thinking, much moreso than Rowen, but unlike Rowen he didn't really mind the strange places he seemed to end up. He felt as at home on the streets as he would in a palace.

Still, he didn't appreciate being followed. He stopped in the middle of a particularly dank-looking street, calling out behind him, "Whoever you are, you may as well save yourself some trouble and face me. I don't intend on doing anything spy-worthy for at least a few hours."

"Well, then..." a rich female voice sang, stepping out of the shadows. "I guess I've been found out. You're very perceptive, young mage."

Akira turned and beheld Chephren, in all her red-leathered glory and malice.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?"

"I am Chephren, Master Mirachtunel's most trusted servant. He has requested your presence in his empire. I am here to retrieve you for him. Will you come willingly?"

"Over my dead body," Akira spat, preparing himself for a fight.

"That can be arranged," Chephren laughed coldly. She rushed him, sprinting across the short distance between them. She had a metallic bo staff poised above her head and she unleashed a very gutteral battle cry as she overtook him.

Akira went down under her attack, just avoiding a crack on the skull, and rolling back with her on top of him, using her own momentum to flip her over his head. He recovered instantly, but she was too fast, and he received that blow to the head anyway. Luckily, her aim was off and he received nothing more serious than a knick over his left eye. Unfortunately, it was a gusher, and almost immediately he was having trouble seeing through all the blood that was running into his eye. He did his best to ignore it and recovered with great speed and force, delivering a smooth punch-kick-punch combo that left Chephren doubled over in pain and snarling at him.

She returned with her staff searching for an entrance to jab him, but he deflected everything thrown at him with no more consequence than a few bruises, and retaliated with another attack. They were in the midst of a bizarre, fast-paced dance of attack and defense when Chephren decided it was time to crank up the pace a little more. She leaped into the air unexpectedly, jumping high over Akira's head and surprising him. Unsure of her purpose, he immediately jumped back and held a defensive position. Chephren came down with her bo staff swinging down over her head. It was glowing neon red with a menacing energy, and when it struck the ground, a burst of power shot from it.

But Akira was blessed with seemingly superhuman reflexes and leaped into an alley to his left just before the wave could overtake him. He landed hard on his side on a pile of garbage and took a long time to quell his disorientation and pain enough to roll back out.

As he climbed to his knees, Chephren stormed into the opening of the alley with contemptuous rage and bloodlust emanating from every pore of her body; no one had ever dodged one of her time-perfected bo attacks! She approached slowly, savoring the last moments before she delivered the final blow. She raised her bo over his head, and sighed with pity.

"It's really too bad. Such a waste..."

Just before she brought it down on him, Akira's head snapped up and his eyes flashed briefly with a white glow. An unseen force socked Chephren with a lasting blow, throwing her and a bunch of random alley garbage flying across the street and into a crumbling brick building like a hurricane had blown through. As Chephren?fs body slammed fully into the wall, it crumbled around her and buried her in several tons of brick.

Akira only took a second to stare in wonder at his handiwork, then darted down the road at a full sprint. He knew Chephren would recover soon, and he wanted to be nowhere nearby when she did.

Rowen came back to himself slowly, the nightmare still fresh in his mind. Too real...

Slowly, he stirred and began to pick himself up off the ground. His head was throbbing painfully and he ached all over. A large black bruise had formed on his stomach and another one at his temple, both too sensitive to touch. He opened his eyes cautiously, but found it did little to help or hinder his situation. The sun had just finished its fall past the horizon, and there seemed to be no one anywhere nearby.

Stiffly, Rowen resumed his trek home, hoping beyond hope that there would be a bed and food for him when he arrived. He limped slightly, ignoring the cold dampness in his clothes and the blood still dripping down his forehead and cheek.

When it had just gotten too dark to see more than five meters or so in any direction, Rowen found himself at his destination at last. He trudged up the last bit of driveway and let himself into the house, not even bothering with stealth as he slammed the door shut behind him.

He passed by the family room and heard hurried footfalls coming towards him.

"Oh my god! Rowen, what happened to you?! Are you okay?" Mia exclaimed frantically. She came up to him, making him stop as she inspected the bruises and gashes on his face. There was a large scrape on his forehead near his hairline as well as a deep gash on his left cheekbone and multiple smaller injuries. Rowen was too hurt and exhausted to put up a fight, so he settled for standing there blankly while she fussed. Then Ryo pulled Mia off of him and tried to calm her down so he could get a look at Rowen.

"Are you okay, man? What happened? Where were you?"

Rowen felt edgy and defensive after his long, difficult day and the fussing they put up, so he felt a little less than happy to indulge them. He turned and started to walk to the kitchen.

"None of your business! I can handle it on my own," he snapped.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder and spun him around. Sage's normally calm, rational demeanor was on the edge of fury.

"It is our business, Ro," he contradicted. "And I'm not going to let you keep avoiding the issue. It's plain as hell to see that you don't have it under control, and I'm not going to stand by and watch you get yourself killed for no reason! So you'd better come up with a story quick."

Rowen's face grew hard and cold. He jerked away from Sage's touch, challenging, "Or what? You'll ground me? You're not my mom! I don't have to tell you anything!"

"Rowen!" Mia stepped forward.

Rowen took a step back.

"No! You guys don't get it! You can't know about this! I can't afford to let you get involved! I can't protect you any more than you can protect me!"

Sage's brow furrowed in confusion. "Who, Ro? Who do you need to protect us from?"

Rowen took a deep, steadying breath and tried to calm himself.

"No one... It's nothing, okay? Can we just let it go?"

Sage tried to protest, but just then the doorbell rang and Rowen gratefully dashed to answer it. In the open doorway stood a disheveled, bloodied Akira Ueda, looking just as sorry as Rowen.

"Wow! You really look like hell, Ro," Akira greeted.

"You're not looking so hot yourself," Rowen retorted.

Akira peered over Rowen's shoulder then behind himself uncomfortably. "Look, Rowen, can we talk in private?"

"Yeah, okay."

Rowen stepped out and shut the door behind him.

"So what's up?" he asked seriously.

"A bitch named Chephren. She get to you, too?"

"Yeah. Jumped me on my way here. What's up with her?"

"I don't know, but she's working for you-know-who. Seems he sent her to bring us to the Dark Realm. I think she's the one he sent after Suki as well. A few days before she...died, she took me aside in school and started rambling about how she knew he was coming for us, and something about a woman in red telling her he was going to get us all back. I thought she'd flipped, but..well, Skye told you, right?"

"Yeah, she did," Rowen looked down at the ground ruefully, wishing he would have known earlier.

"Anyway, I just wanted to check up on you and Skye. I'm not a big telephone person, and I thought you should both know, I'm going to look for a way to destroy him - for good. I'm sure there're some appropriate spells for demon-slaying and oath-unbinding in my dad's workshop." Akira's father was head of the Anthropology department at Tokyo's largest museum, the Natural History and Science Museum of Japan, and specialized in occult lore and ancient mythological artifacts. "And the sword and dagger are still there," he added, for good measure.

Rowen's eyes widened in newfound respect for his old friend. "You're serious? You can do that?"

Akira shrugged. "I'm not a master warlock or anything, but I'm pretty sure I can make do. Way I see it, we'll die anyway if I don't try anything."

"I'm going with you!" Rowen informed.

"No way, man!"

"I've got to! If he finds out what you're doing before it's done, you won't stand a chance!"

"Excuse me? I can hold my own. What about you? Looks to me like Chephren gave you a bit of trouble. What's going to happen when we face Mirachtunel?"

Rowen scowled, "She surprised me. It won't happen again. I've defeated one of the Demon Lords before, and that was way more dangerous than this!"

"This isn't the same, Ro! The Ronin Warriors can't get involved. It's just you, Skye, and me now. I'm the only one with magick on his side, here," Akira argued heatedly.

"I'm not going to argue with you about it all night," Rowen said stubbornly, ignoring his disdain at learning that his lore-educated friend knew he was a Ronin Warrior. "I'm coming with you, whether it helps or not. Now let's get to your place before it's too late and we're all in the Dark Realm."

Rowen ducked back into the house briefly, grabbing Mia's keys and announcing loudly, "I'm leaving!" Then he gestured to Akira to hurry up and follow as he climbed into Mia's car. As they pulled out of the driveway, some very angry friends of his came out, screaming empty threats and obscenities.

Akira arched an eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong with them?"

"They wanna come too, I guess," said Rowen, flippantly. Akira grinned and sat back in his seat.