The Great Infernos The Ronin's reunion was interrupted by a sultry-sounding "Hello", followed by a chuckle and an equally-silky, "Hello, my two beautiful ones—although I think you were much prettier as souls. But all creatures are like that, so hello regardless." The two Ronin tried sitting up, but being dead had taken its toll, and their skin felt like lead. They could see their visitor, at least, along with their surroundings: they were laying on a stone tablet, surrounded by walls of dusky gold, with etchings and strange drawings on them. Several torches dotted the room; decorations such as crimson tapestries, censers of incense, various treasures, and here and there an eerie skull were scattered around. The stone tablet they were laying on had runes carved into it, and wasn't too uncomfortable, compared to the pain of coming back to life. "And just who," Rin asked with a wince, "are you supposed to be?" "I am Kissa, the one who pulled you back into the world of the living," said their guest. Her voice was like a sweet harp or violin, and she was beautiful enough to match the sound—bronze skin, smallish and svelte, hair reddish-black and eyes hazel, smiling. She wore a simple, white dress made of cotton, secured by thin shoulder straps. A large, gold-link necklace covered her breasts, as her outfit did not, and she smelled sweet in spite of being alive (the land of the dead was alive with fresh and wonderful smells; Kissa had no doubt dabbled in necromancy for long years to have that particular odor). "And you," she added after the briefest of pauses, "are Rin and Kailin, I presume. Welcome back." "Piss...off." "Now-now, you forget who you owe a debt to. I will let you rest and recover—the dead easily forget how to operate when they are brought back to life—and I may even feed you, if you like. But soon I'll cast you out into that world and expect for you to do me that service." "Oh, right." "We don't have to kill anybody that's good, do we?" wondered Kailin, wailing from the hopelessness of the situation. Kissa's perfumed, creamy lips twitched into a smile. "Well, good and evil are all based on one's point of view. People may see me as wicked, even though I bring the dead back to life, or people may see you two as wicked, in spite of what good you may do. There cannot be a universal definition of good and bad because no two minds can agree on everything." "Well, can you at least tell us who they are?" "That's what I intend to do. I shall give you a list to follow; when you've killed all eight people on the list, we shall be even. Oh, and do not think of trying anything suspicious: the paper I write with and the ink I use are both enchanted, and you shall be tied to it until your task is through. I will even send one of my servants with you just to be sure." "And who might that be?" "Rest for now," Kissa smiled at them. "After all, you have a long road ahead of you, do you not?" She laughed and dismissed herself, leaving Rin and Kailin to gaze at each other in dread. They were alive, yes, but perhaps at a cost too high to pay. They could only hope that the eight people Kissa wanted them to kill were real threats, and their guide not the cruel sort. They soon fell asleep on that stone tablet, the runes surrounding them and pulling them into a deep, hopeless dream. ...... Kissa's servant turned out to be a beautiful yet tragic-looking young lady around Kailin's age. She had long hair, dark as charcoal, and her face was like that of an angel. Her eyes glowed with a mysterious pale blue light, and she wore a black cloak, perhaps to conceal her identity better. On the back of the cloak, the Ronin noticed, was a pair of dove's wings painted red. The girl nodded, keeping her eyes mostly shut, and handed them a sheet of paper that felt like it was on fire at first. "This Kissa's death list?" wondered Rin. She and Kailin looked over it. Thankfully, they didn't recognize any of the names, which meant they would not be killing anyone familiar. They looked to the girl again, black against white, and asked her name. "A-angel," she stuttered. "T-the G-guardian Angel." "Guardian Angel? Cool name." She blushed and hung her head. "Th-thank you. Uh...l-lady Kissa asked m-me to come w-with y-you..." "Oh yeah, uh...I guess we should introduce ourselves. I'm Rin the Ronin and this is Kailin the Inferno." "Pleased to meet'cha," said Kailin. She took Angel's hand, making the poor girl turn even more red. "Oh! W-what nice names. Um...uh...oh, p-please do not mind me. I-I shall just...come with you...on your journey." "No need to be shy!" exclaimed Rin, who knew she would like the girl. "We may look tough but we're not bad characters. You'll see." "We really are nice," added Kailin. Angel smiled bashfully, but still didn't raise her head. Rin noticed her companion staring, trying to optically pry open those luminous blue eyes, and poked her on the shoulder. "Shouldn't we get going, Hsu? We've got a lot of catching up to do." "That's right. I think we should look for BaoBao first. The poor thing's probably lost and alone without me." "Yeah..." Rin didn't exactly get along with the panda cub, but she knew that there would be no rest for either of them until she was found. She personally wanted to check in with her parents, see if they were all right, and wanted to see what Snowblood was up to. Was that strange blind girl aware of their death and resurrection? If she was, what a surprise she was in for! "Well," said Rin, knowing they had lost enough time already, "we should get going before Missa Kissa decides to put us to further use. What's she got you doing anyway, miss Angel?" "Oh, um...I'm not at liberty to s-say." "Meh, whatever. Knowing her it can't be good." Since neither knew the way out of...wherever they were, they followed Angel. It turned out that the Ronin had been brought back to life in some kind of pyramidal temple, where pagan magic rituals took place. That might've explained their revival and the lack of scars on their necks, but it sure didn't make things any less creepy. The sun, they noted, was quite dull and uninspiring, but they became unadjusted to its brightness soon as they set out into the world. As they journeyed, Rin and Kailin told their new companion about themselves—how they met, the adventures they had gone on, that sort of thing. They left out their deaths, of course, and a few other things that nobody would tell a stranger. Angel made the stranger status obsolete by telling them about herself, once she got used to their presence. Her real name was Kathryn or Kathy O'Hare, and she called herself the Guardian Angel because she literally saw herself as just that, an angel sent to protect those who were otherwise defenseless. Like the two Ronin, she had strange powers, but would not divulge them just yet, nor why she was Kissa's servant. Neither Ronin thought BaoBao would still be at that beach where they had been killed, and they couldn't check it anyway because strangely enough, Kissa's temple was on a totally different continent. That made Kailin grow worried, but it also gave Angel a good reason to demonstrate her powers. After getting a good description of BaoBao, Kathy stood in an open area, flared her eyes wide open, and seemed to glow slightly. She stood still for about a minute, never blinking, and relaxed once her duty was done. The glow faded, her eyes closed, and she smiled. "BaoBao is several miles in that direction," she pointed to the northeast. "I do not think she is in danger, but I may be mistaken." "How do you know?" Kathy's face turned red and she looked humiliated. "My...powers. I call it the Angel Eyes. I can see far better than most people—lost things, such as your pet, are easily found by me. I can penetrate matter, and even people's neural process. I cannot hold it for long, so that is why I keep my eyes half-closed." "Oh. That's a pretty handy power. So you could see BaoBao all the way from here?" "I believe so. It's a good lead at the very least. Come." She smiled and took Kailin's hand, knowing the young girl was worried sick about the panda. Kailin smiled from the contact and squeezed back; Rin, oblivious to everything except her new hunger, traipsed along carelessly, humming as she rested her sword on her shoulder. What she wouldn't do for a jug of sake right about now... The Guardian Angel proved to be an excellent guide, taking the two across shortcuts and tricky paths that nobody would've otherwise known about. She also warned them of any upcoming dangers—not that there could be anything dangerous enough to concern those three. A group of bandits were in their way, but were easily taken care of. Angel did not require protection, as she soon proved herself capable in a fight. She didn't even get hurt, something even Rin couldn't boast of (she just assumed those eyes of hers enabled her to see all kinds of attacks, and respond accordingly). Angel stopped to gasp in surprise a few miles later. She activated the Angel Eyes once again, and reported that a building was on fire, not very far away. Kailin wondered if BaoBao was in trouble, but Rin had something else on her mind. "I think I know where we are!" she exclaimed. "I recognize this place! It's been a long time, but...holy crap! I grew up around here! That house must be in my neighborhood! Aw, and what if it's my house!? We better hurry!" She plucked Kailin and Angel up off the ground before they could speak, and ran as fast as she could towards the direction of the blaze. Soon they could all smell smoke; later it was confirmed that yes, Rin's house was on fire. She stood to gape and curse momentarily. "Sonofa... When I get my hands on the bastards that did this—aw, crap! What if my parents are in there?! Angel, think you can see in there?" "Of course." Kathy didn't need to use her powers at their maximum when she was so close, so it only took a moment for her to find something. "Yes, I see several men inside there, most of them wearing red armor and carrying swords. There is also another man in there, wearing a blue kimono, and he is fighting them off." "Damn it!" snapped Rin, crushing the ground with her foot. "What's the old fool got himself into now? Can you see my mother?" "I...think I see something else, but...oh! Oh no! Kailin, I see BaoBao! She's inside that house!" "NOOO!!!" The poor girl wailed and collapsed, too stricken with grief to do anything but cry. Rin snarled and forced her companion to stand up. "Get a grip! Don't just sit there crying! You can control fire, so help me out! Angel, you better come too. We'll need your eyes. Don't worry, Hsu and I will protect you." Angel smiled, in spite of how sick she felt from the smoke and fire, and went to search for some water to douse everyone in. Firefighters were already on the scene, but the blaze was uncontrollable, even against their hoses. Kailin stood before the inferno, knowing the deep intimacy of fire better than anyone, and commanded with a gesture for the flames to part. They did—but what a parting! It was as if the very hand of God had pushed the fire away. "Whoa! Did I do that??" "No time to gape!" screamed Rin, scrambling to grab some buckets from Angel. She had just taken one and was about to splash herself (Kailin refused, of course, saying that she needed to be dry for her powers to work), but as she held the bucket over her head, a voice called out to them. "Don't go in there, you'll kill yourselves! Just let it be!" Splash! Rin shouted back, soaked and irritated. "Fat chance, lady! That's my house!" "You lie!" "You wanna say that to my face?" The owner of the voice pushed through the crowd, and in the split second it took for the two faces to meet, they recognized each other. "Snowblood?" "Oh, dear God..." It was Snowblood, all right, and quite shocked to see (or rather, to know) both Rin and Kailin alive. She trembled and fell to her knees from the overwhelming blow. "Rin, my God! Is that you!? I thought you were dead!" "I was!" she snapped. Kailin's scream suddenly broke her concentration—she turned just in time to see the fire grow worse. Rin cursed violently and turned back to her adversary. "Look, it's a long story, so I'll explain later! Right now I gotta save my dad!" "So that is your father! I had heard rumors..." "No time! We'll kill each other later!" Rin sprinted off... "Wait! Let me help you!" And turned around, flabbergasted. "You're kidding, right?! Didn't you start that fire?" "I had nothing to do with it, I swear! You'll need me to find your father anyway!" "Thanks, but we already have a great set of eyes. If you wanna help, be my guest, just don't get in my way!" And with that she was gone for good, taking Kailin and Angel in with her, just as the house exhaled more flames and smoke. Snowblood, still reeling from Rin's sudden reappearance, found herself calling out to her enemy. "RIIIIIIIIINNNNN!!!!" I have lost you once, Rin, she said to herself as she gave the younger girl chase, but I will not lose you again! If we both make it out of here alive...I will tell you everything you want to know. The fire around her broke her concentration. Snowblood screamed and shielded her face from the merciless inferno. Fire did not adhere to the rules of the sixth sense; it was unpredictable and thoughtless, and so she could not move her way through it. Her senses vaguely told her that Rin, Kailin, and one other were making their way through the house, fighting their way through—whether by strength, skill, or persuasion. Every time Kailin begged the flames to recede, they did, but at a level that far exceeded her normal power. Snowblood coughed and covered her face, knowing the best time to move was right after Kailin swept the flames away. Meanwhile, Rin was unaware of Snowblood's intrusion. She was just trying to survive the fire. Even with Kailin and Angel helping her, the house was incredibly difficult to navigate with so much of it burnt or burning. Angel tried leading the two of them to Rin's father, who she guessed was the one fighting the men in armor, but this was hard because smoke continued to get into her eyes. Rin had to break down a few walls and doors (briefly experiencing her nostalgic early years as a super-powered girl) to get in the general direction, and Kailin, though contributing the most, was wearing out and growing sick with worry. "Not that way!!" they heard a voice scream to them from afar—it was Snowblood's. Rin cursed and ran over to retrieve the "stupid blind woman" before she could get herself killed, leaping over pits of fire in the process. Poor Snowblood was suffocating from the smoke, and her lifeless eyes were wet and red. "Going the wrong way," she managed, and pointed to a door. "Through here. Can sense...(cough, cough!) presence..." "Through there? Thanks. Kailin, take this crazy idiot outside before she dies! Angel, you go with her! I got a foolish old man to rescue!" "Will you be okay?" Rin flashed a grin and gave a proud thumbs-up. "Hey, it's me!" She winked and scampered off, breaking down walls and ignoring the fire. Despite her surroundings, Kailin couldn't help but sigh. "So brash. Come on, Snowblood, we better leave. You don't look so well." "I...(cough, cough)...thank you." She and Angel helped the older woman outside—it was easier to go out than in—and found sweet relief upon the grass and cobblestone in moments. An ambulance was already on hand; several oxygen masks were given to the three brave (or foolish) girls, and two more were requested. Back in the blazing inferno, Rin found her father and was amazed to see him fighting off the men in red armor. She knew he was good at making swords, but using them always seemed to be her forte. As he killed the last of them, though, she couldn't help but be impressed. "Well! Seems I inherited the right genes!" "Rin Li Kyan Takamatsu!" he screamed, as if looking at a ghost. "What the devil...?" "No time for a reunion, pops! We gotta get you outta here! Oh, wait—you haven't by any chance seen a panda cub around here, have you?" "You might say that!" he yelled, surprised at her. He quickly ran over to a bookcase, pushed it aside violently, and plucked, of all things, the unmistakable BaoBao from a hidden compartment. "I kept her safe! She came wandering around—" "Just run, you idiot!!!" Rin's father apologized and made tracks for the back door. He told his daughter that her mother was safely in another house, and had been for some time, unless she had been foolish enough to run into the blaze. It was a coincidental visit to the neighbor's that saved her; the patron Takamatsu was more unfortunate, having been caught in the fire and subsequent fight. "Just who were those guys anyway?!" "No idea, but they said I owed them my blood. I figured I had made an enemy." "You think?!" Rin quickly picked him up and jumped as far as she could, bursting out the door and rolling on the grass. Several medical aides came (one splashing her with water to douse a stray flame) and treated them; firefighters continued to try and save the house, but Lord Takamatsu told them to give up. After all, he said, all the important things were safely away from the consuming fire. He then looked at Rin and smiled; she rolled her eyes and gave his dirty, hot face a kiss. ...... Once things calmed down to a reasonable degree, and Rin straightened everything out with her father, she joined Snowblood on the remnants of her front porch, which was almost completely smoldering rubble. A small staircase was all that was left; they sat down on it, not knowing what to say since so much had happened. As for Kailin, her reunion with BaoBao was sweet. Apparently the young cub had made its way to Rin's house, through one way or another (it really was a fascinating journey, but since BaoBao couldn't speak, nobody would ever know it), and ended up a victim of the fire, which (unbeknownst to everyone) the Crimson Blades themselves had started. And for the record, BaoBao adored Kathy just as much as she adored Kailin. "It is good to see you again, Rin," said Snowblood at long last, showing a smile of relief. Rin mirrored it. "But you can't see anything." "It's a figure of speech, you dope. ...I thought you and Kailin were dead." "We were. It's a long story." "I've got time." Rin took a deep breath and explained how she and Kailin had sojourned to the land of the dead, which wasn't as bad as she thought, only to come out again after making a terrible bargain with Kissa. She also mentioned Ferret, whom Snowblood remembered from the tournament, and wondered offhand what had come of their new friend. "She's probably wondering the same thing. So a woman named Kissa brought you back to life, eh? I didn't think such a thing was possible." "Neither did we, but we lucked out. So what about you?" Snowblood's face turned dark as she looked away. Dare she tell Rin how she had tried to avenge her death, only to fail? She did, and for that, Rin smiled and thanked her warmly. "I really thought I lost you," she added despondently. "You were the worthiest opponent I have ever thought, and despite my orders, I've grown fond of you. Knowing about your death only made things worse; there was so much I meant to tell you! I am sorry for not answering your questions sooner; I just thought it would make my job worse. But there's no point in hiding anymore." "So you're gonna tell me why you have to kill me?" Snowblood nodded. "That and more. First, I would like to tell you my real name. Please, from now on, call me Setsuka Hinomoto." "Setsuka Hinomoto? Pretty name. Pleased to meet'cha, Setsie!" "Setsie?" Snowblood—Setsuka, that is—turned red and coughed. Rin laughed and asked her to continue, favoring the new pet name. "Setsie" tried not to look too embarrassed as she resumed. "Yes, uh, anyway...about that order. You see, the thing is...I have...a daughter." Rin gawked. "Whoa! Okay, that just about blew my mind!!" "I thought it might. The thing is, though, my daughter is in the hands of a terrible enemy, who I don't know the identity of. I've tried using my psychic powers, but to no avail. I've been used by this organization for two years, sent on all kinds of missions and jobs. They said they would kill my daughter if I didn't comply, so I obeyed them. Eventually, my actions made me second-in-command. Some people, more kind than others, thought that I had worked long enough and wanted to get rid of me honorably, so they gave me one last mission and promised my daughter and I would be freed afterwards. Guess what that was." "...To kill me," whispered Rin, who was beginning to understand. Setsuka nodded. "Yes. The Takamatsu line was to be wiped out. Your father owed the group I was in a great deal of money, and since he was unable to pay, my superior decided to just kill him. I was ordered to slay you." "...Oh. And that fire?" Setsuka firmly looked at Rin with her vacant brown eyes. "I promise, it was not my doing. I was merely told to not interfere, and to not let anyone else interfere. But when I saw you..." She smiled faintly and looked away, bashful. Rin smiled gently and put her arm around Setsuka's shoulders. "I really am grateful. You did really good. And I am glad to see you alive and well. What's your daughter's name, by the way?" "Kohona." "Setsuka," Rin announced, "I swear to you upon the honor of the Takamatsu family and the sword I wield, I shall do everything in my power to save your daughter. Just so you don't have to kill me, of course!" Rin was beaming, but it couldn't help poor Setsuka, who looked worse than before. "I thought you might say that. That is something you must not do, Rin. You don't know how powerful this group is. Even I am afraid of them. I've heard that their leader, a man they call Sashuo, is so strong that he once leveled an entire forest all by himself, using only his sword. You are no match for him, not even if you went with Kailin." "But we'd go together, wouldn't we? You and I?" "No!" she shrieked. "That would make things worse! If Sashuo saw me rise up against him, he would order his men to kill my daughter without hesitation! Men like him are worse than barbarians! You can't interfere! Please!" "Then what the hell am I supposed to do?!" Rin screamed. Snowblood was weeping—she didn't want to lose Kohona, and she didn't want to lose Rin. She cared for them both too much. Rin calmed down and offered a worn-out handkerchief, which Snowblood quietly took. "I don't know," she answered. "I don't want either one of you to die. That's why it was so hard on me. I kept on hoping that a solution would present itself, but...the only way that will ever happen is if Sashuo and his band are all wiped out. And that will never happen! Not even an army would stop them!" Rin wanted to argue, say how powerful she and Kailin were, especially with the addition of Angel and maybe even Ferret and Kissa, but the look on Setsuka's face melted her fiery heart and sobered her. "Is he really that strong?" Setsuka nodded quietly. Rin cursed. "Damn it, Setsie, I gotta do something! I can't just sit here and let this pass! I wanna fight even if I die!" "You're not afraid?" "Hell no! I told you, I've been dead before, and it's pretty sweet. Now that I know the truth, I've got nothing to regret! I'll lop off that guy's head and give it to you as a gift!" Setsuka smiled sadly, knowing that Rin meant well, but she was still hopeless. She knew Sashuo better than most, and knew what he and his band could do. "You are a good, noble person, Rin," she sighed. "It's too bad we had to be on opposite sides in all this. We might've been good friends in any other circumstance. ...I am sorry, I have stayed too long. I must attend to other matters. Before I go, though, may I ask you a bold favor?" "Sure, anything." "Will you let me touch your face?" she asked. "I would like to know what you look like, and the only way I can find out is by touching." Rin squirmed and grimaced. She wasn't exactly keen on people putting their hands all over her, even for a good cause, and besides, this was Snowblood asking the favor. Aside from the obvious intimacies involved, she would have to factor in the idea that a woman who had been asked to kill her would be touching her in a familiar way. So naturally, she had no idea why she even let her do it. Setsuka smiled and gently placed her cool, rough hands on Rin's face. They were not only the hands of a warrior and a mother, but a samisen player as well, as she explained. That had been how she earned money before finding herself under the thumb of Sashuo. How she expected to survive once her term was up was a mystery. So many problems in her life needed to be solved, and yet here she was, gently touching Rin's face, putting every curve, line, and detail into her memory. At last she finished, and smiled. "You're very beautiful." "H-hey, cut that out." Setsuka smirked. "Of course, this will make it even harder for me to kill you...but I will accept this fate. Also, there is one other thing I have wanted to do." Before Rin could ask what it was, she already found out: Setsuka pulled herself close, hands still on Rin's face, and kissed her right on the mouth. Rin's eyes flared open in shock—her mortal enemy was actually kissing her—and despite the beginnings of bliss that were swelling in the pit of her soul, she grabbed Setsuka by the shoulders and pushed her away. There was no denying the look of pleasure on the older woman's face. "You...weirdo!" screamed Rin as she wiped her mouth with her hand. "What the hell'd you do that for?!" Snowblood merely chuckled, stood, and with the aide of her walking-stick, parted from Rin's village and her sight. Takamatsu watched her leave, wondering what sort of crazy thoughts had been going through Hinomoto's mind. What was that kiss all about, anyway? What a strange woman! Still. It wasn't all that bad. ...... The trio (now a quartet with BaoBao in tow) set out on the road the very next morning, once Rin's father had recovered. He let her part with only a few words, and asked that just for once, she write back and tell him how she was. She promised, but only half-meant to keep it; Kailin and Angel, meanwhile, were happily playing with the panda, who was more cute and energetic than ever since reuniting with her "mother". That she also liked Kathy might've suggested something, but Rin didn't notice. She had other things on her mind, such as the large debt she owed Kissa. She looked to the list, read the names, and wondered if she would need to be forgiven for her actions. Kristopher Spencer Shalis Torth Xeron Falth Garnet Yan Heidlach Indira Kathlyn Shival Jacob Pochanski "For your sake," Rin whispered to the names, "I hope we never run into you." ---------- Next time: Rin visits the headquarters of MERCS, where she meets several people she didn't expect to find! That is not the worst of it: Sashuo and the Crimson Blades finally track her down! With the aide of two other Dead Zodiacs, will they finally put an end to the heroic Ronin? Will all of MERCS fall under the heel of the Dead Zodiac? One thing is for certain: in the next chapter, somebody WILL die! But will there be darkness or light? Next chapter, "Systematic Enemy". Don't you dare miss out!
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