Hi! I’m back. I know I’m a little late with this chapter, but I’ve been busy. I’m still trying to work my way out of that conflict, but don’t worry, everything should work out in the end. I don’t have too much to say, so I’ll just shut up and let you get to the good stuff!

Happy Reading!

Standard diclaimer: I don’t own the Ronins and Co. I’m simply borrowing them. I do own everything/one else. If you would like to borrow them, please ask me first. Thanks!

Chapter 10

"What did you do to get Talpa to do what he did to you?" Mia asked the inert form lying on the bed. As usual, there was no answer. There had been no answer for the past week. Mia was getting worried. She brushed his long red bangs off his forehead only to have them flop back down. Sai came in with lunch. A sandwich and salad for Mia and soup for their house guest. Although, with Sai’s help, Mia could manage to rouse Anubis enough to feed him, he never fully regained consciousness.

"How is he?" Sai asked.

"The bruises are beginning to fade, but I don’t think he’s anywhere closer to waking up," she replied.

"Would you like to eat first or should he?"

Mia’s answer was the same one she gave for the past week. "He’s got soup. We’ll feed him first." And so they did. Anubis was a very restless patient. He often had what appeared, from the outside, to be nightmares, he often called out in his unnatural sleep. Yet Sai and Mia never had any trouble feeding him. Sai often joked that that would be what Kento would be like if he ever ended up the way Anubis was now.

"But someone needs to stay with him," she persisted.

"He hasn’t woken up in a week. I think he’ll be ok if you come out and get some sun for an hour."

"Well," Mia looked at her patient, who had once again become restless.

"Come on, Mia. You know you need to get out of this room."

"All right. But only for an hour. And then I’m back in here."

"Fine, let’s go," Sai and Mia walked out of the room, and Mia pulled the door behind her.

Anubis’ head thrashed restlessly on the pillow. "Raine…"

Where was he? It was some sort of limbo, gray all around, clouds rolling by. And he was still trying to figure out who that girl was from the other night.

"Anubis!" he heard his name. She was calling him. "Anubis!"

"I’m here!" He opened his mouth but no words came out. "Anubis! I know you’re here!" he heard again. Where was she? Why was she looking for him? And more importantly, who was she? "Anubis! For Goddess’ sake, get out here. You’re needed for a mission!" It was she! It was the Empress, only she would be sending him on a mission. But wait, it couldn’t be. He had left Talpa’s service. Talpa had almost killed him, but the Ancient had rescued him. He had brought him somewhere, Anubis didn’t know where, though. And the Empress had left the Netherrealm almost 400 years ago. But when she left a part of him went with her. Why would that happen? She meant nothing to him. She was only his Lady, he and the other Warlords were to obey her. They would train together, she would send them off into battle to kill people for her. But 400 years ago, she had come to him. She had begged him to leave Talpa and come away with her. Together, we will defeat him, she had promised. Who was she, to him? They had obviously meant something to each other, or she wouldn’t have come to take him with her. Could it be? Was she the one from his other life—his life before becoming Talpa’s Dark Warlord of Cruelty?

He vaguely remembered a time in his life when he didn’t serve the Master. It was many years ago. He was very young. But he was happy, that he remembered. There was a girl, he was to marry her. It was coming back to him. Now that he was no longer under the Master’s control, his mind was his own and he could think for himself for the first time in almost five centuries. This girl, he sat down where ever he was to ponder her. She was beautiful, he remembered. She was very petite, he remembered. She was wonderful, she had a sparkling personality, she was alive, not like the women he had cavorted around with in the Dynasty. Her eyes, they were a startling shade of blue, but they were incredible. He could look into them and see right into her soul. And he remembered the feeling of having her look into his eyes and see his own soul, when I had a soul, he thought scathingly. It was incredible. He loved her so much. And then, the day their parents informed them that they were to marry. That was the happiest day of his short life. When they walked to the hillside and he kissed her. He closed his eyes and relived the moment.

They looked over at the sunset; their village was below, the sky changing colors in the fading light. He looked down at her, she looked up at him, she was very petite, he was remembering. He told her that he had loved her since the first moment he had laid eyes on her. She told him she had loved him just as long. He lowered his lips to hers. Their lips met and he slid his hands into her long red hair. She whispered his name, "Anubis." He whispered her name as he deepened the kiss, "Raine."

Anubis fell back into a deep and dreamless sleep.

***

"Gentlemen, I need to speak with you—immediately," Rhiannon said as the rest of the crowd dispersed from Talpa’s audience chambers.

"What for? So you can kill us as you desired to so many years ago?" Sekhmet asked.

"Please, just listen to me. Whose chambers can we use?"

"Why not yours?" Cale asked.

*Talpa has them under complete surveillance. What I have to say isn’t for him to hear.*

"Mine are available. They’re also clean," Dais volunteered. The four of them teleported directly to Dais’ chambers.

"Please, sit," he gestured to the others. Rhiannon perched on the corner of Dais’ bed, where they had spent many nights simply talking into the morning.

"What do you need to discuss with us?" Cale asked when they were all settled and Rhiannon had sufficiently shielded the room.

"One of you has the joy of attempting to father my child," she stated simply.

"Well, don’t sugar coat it for us," Sekhmet remarked.

"I thought that you couldn’t—" Dais began, but stopped.

"That I can’t have children? You’re correct, I can’t. I never could."

"But Talpa---" Cale continued.

"Has always wanted me too? Yes. Before, it was a matter of the fact that I wouldn’t break my vows as Avatar and have children. Now, I cannot. Talpa does not know that. Nor do I ever intend for him to find out. Nor do I intend for anyone outside of this room to find out. No other living souls know that I can’t have children."

"Then how do you intend to keep this charade up for Talpa? Won’t he wonder?" Sekhmet asked.

"Not for another four of five months, at least. And I don’t intend to be here in five months. I also don’t intend for Talpa to be here in five months."

"But I thought you went back to him? You’re his Empress and Goddess."

"Dais, darling, would I be sitting here having this conversation with you if I had truly gone back to Talpa?"

"Well, you just exuded this aura of purity. I didn’t think you’d go back this quickly and without any type of mind altering device, but your aura, it’s gone."

"I’m good at that kind of thing. And you can’t forget how I was when I was here the first time. Something like this is exactly what Talpa would expect from me. I was so, so"

"Evil?" Cale supplied.

"Yes, thank you. I was very evil. And it was kind of fun, aside from the killing people part," Rhiannon said with a smile. "Now all I need to do is tell the Master who I’m choosing to father my child, and then we can get started on planning how to get out of here." Rhiannon pondered for a moment. "Now, how to choose a father…"

"We won’t actually be, well, you know," Cale stumbled over what he wanted to say.

"Of course not!" Rhiannon answered quickly. "I promised him I’d never do that. I still love him you know."

"Out of sheer curiosity, do you really think he cared about what you promised. I don’t mean to sound cruel, but you left and we were all still undyingly devoted to Talpa. I mean, you’ve made and obviously kept all of these vows, but I know he wasn’t faithful to you. And now he’s dead and you’re still living your life as if he could walk back into it at any moment," Sekhmet said.

Rhiannon took a deep breath. She let it out. "I know that he was devoted to Talpa when I left. I also know that Talpa was controlling all of our minds. I know that if Kayura ever found out about the circumstances and rumors floating around surrounding my leaving, she would think I was the worst sister in the world. I never went to find her and take her with me, I went for my fiancé first. But that’s not true. He came running after me to prevent me from leaving. I begged him to come with me, that’s true. I had planned to escape, find Kaos and then destroy Talpa and free the five of you and all of his other slaves. But that’s beside the point. When I left, I vowed that I would free the five of you. I vowed that I would love both my sister and my fiancé for the rest of my life. And any other vows I’ve made are strictly between my Goddess and myself. As for the fact that neither has been faithful to me, I know that and I didn’t expect it. Chances are neither of them knows or knew I was still alive. I haven’t seen my fiancé in 400 years. I haven’t seen Kayura since the day we were captured. Although I trained with the four of you, Kayura and I were forbidden to even train together. As for the fact that I still think about my fiancé in the present, that’s because I know I will always have the memory of our love. That will never die. We were in love, nothing anyone said or did would change that. And I’ve seen enough strange things in the 5 centuries that I’ve been alive to learn to never trust the obvious. With all the power floating around in this world and the human world, anything could happen. And even if he is dead, I know that he’ll be free of Talpa’s control and he’ll remember our love just as I do. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must meet with my Lord and Master, let me hurl, to discuss what I will be taking care of while I am his Empress." And with that, Rhiannon teleported out of Dais’ chambers.

***

"Dais, I’ve got a question. If she’s so strong, why is she still here with us? Why did she allow herself to be captured in the first place?" Sekhmet asked.

"I have no answers," Dais said. "All I know is that I can tell that her power level is incredible, and I have no doubt that Talpa knows it as well."

"What if there’s some lock on her powers and she can’t get us out of here," Cale suggested.

"Then we’re screwed," Sekhmet said simply. "She’s got to get us out. We’ve got to take her with us. Talpa must be defeated. That’s the long and short of it. Now, I suggest we go do something so that the Master does not think we’re plotting his demise."

***

Mia had returned to her position at Anubis’ bedside. Ryo was getting very pissed off at that fact. The two of them had just started making progress on forming a relationship when Kaos had arrived baring Anubis. And then Mia had spent every waking hour of her day with that warlord. Ryo stormed through the house, stomping up and down, making his displeasure with the whole situation known.

"Yo, Ryo, what’s up?" Sage asked as he walked in from a practice session.

"It’s that damn warlord. Why the hell does Mia feel the need to spend so much time with him?"

"Do I sense some jealousy?"

"Like it’s any of your business," Ryo snapped.

"You just made it the entire household’s business when you decided to so openly show your displeasure. Come on, we’ll go work off some of that steam."

"Weren’t you just out?"

"I was meditating. I need a good physical workout to go with my mental one. By the time Talpa finally attacks, we’ll be so ready to take him and get Rhiannon back." Sage grabbed his bag and headed for the door.

"Let me change real fast," Ryo said as he slipped into the powder room just off the main sitting room.

Upstairs, Mia again brushed Anubis’ bangs off his forehead. And yet again, they flopped back down. "When will you come back to us?" she asked. Mia sat back to ponder life in general. She knew that Ryo wasn’t happy with all the time she was spending with Anubis. ‘But he needs me,’ she thought to herself. ‘The boys have each other to work out with. I know it’s probably foolish to get my hopes up, but he is very good looking,’ Mia thought as she watched the fallen warlord sleep. ‘But just the other day, I was talking to Rhiannon about how much I cared about Ryo. Do I still care about him? But Anubis, he could be…Is that what Ryo’s upset about? Is he actually jealous? I can’t believe it. That’s the only plausible reason. I have to find him!’ Mia jumped up and ran down stairs to locate Ryo.

Anubis’ eyes fluttered open. "Where am I? I remember a voice, a woman’s voice. Could it be her? She’s here? I sense something." Anubis attempted to sit up and was hit by a wave of dizziness. "Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea," he pondered aloud. "Let’s take a minute." He regained his equilibrium and attempted to sit up again. This time he was successful. "Good, making progress. Now, can we walk?" Slowly, he slid to the edge of the bed and dropped his feet to the floor. With the aid of the bed, he was able to make it to his feet without feeling as if he was going to pass out. He stumbled to the door and down the hallway. Upon reaching the stairs, he stopped. "I’m not even going to think about this," he said as he sat down on the top stair to do just that, think about his next move. ‘I have never felt so helpless in my life. Well there was that one time, but does it even count? I don’t even know if she’s still alive. When I asked Dais to look after her, I must have been delusional. God, how can I live without her now that I know what I’ve been missing for the past 500 years. Could it have been that long?’

"Anubis, what are you doing!" a soft cry interrupted his thoughts. Anubis turned to see Torrent standing behind him. He rushed to his feet and nearly toppled down the stairs. Sai caught him as he lost his balance. "Come on, you’re going back to bed."

"What! No, how could I be here! I don’t belong here, how did I even get here!" Anubis cried as Sai led him back to his room. Anubis had little strength to fight, but if it was up to him, he wouldn’t go peacefully.

"The Ancient brought you here. Mia and I have been caring for you for just over a week. Neither of us were sure if you’d ever regain consciousness."

"What?" Anubis went limp as he allowed Sai to tuck him back into bed.

"Yeah, we could wake you up just enough to feed you, but that was about it."

"Why am I here?"

"The Ancient said you would need us. He said Talpa had tried to kill you."

"Yes, I remember. Kaos saved me but I was too weak to be aware of where he was taking me. You must defeat Talpa!" Anubis bolted back upright.

"We will, don’t worry, just rest now," Sai said as he gently pushed his patient back down on the bed.

"No, it is essential that he not harness the Goddess’ power also," Anubis’ eyes took on a far away look, ‘Why do I feel as if I know the Goddess?’ he wondered to himself.

"You’re in on this goddess thing to?" Sai asked, then answered his own question. "Of course you would be, you worked for Talpa."

Anubis was fading fast, his momentary burst of energy faded from his excursion down the hallway. "You go back to sleep," Sai said as he drew the covers tighter around the former warlord’s shoulders. Sai noticed that his shoulders were much thinner than they had been in their earlier battles. He too wondered what Talpa had done to the man who once led his dark warlords. "Mia and I will be up later with something for you to eat. And today it’ll be something other than soup." But Anubis didn’t hear. He had already fallen back into a healing sleep.

***

Rhiannon slept fitfully in her chambers in the Dynasty. After her grueling workout with the boys, yes they were still boys to her. She knew they were all 500 some odd years old and they were all older than she was, but they would always be her boys. She had expected to sleep deeply to replenish the energy she had expended during her training session. Instead she tossed and turned restlessly. Something was preventing her from resting. During training, she had sensed that something was wrong. Talpa was more powerful than she had expected, and she didn’t feel right. It could be just disorientation, she thought, but as the session went on and she didn’t feel any better, she knew something was wrong. She had to get them all out of here, and soon. She didn’t think Talpa was buying her "I’m back and I’m still your little Empress henchwoman" routine. Things were not looking good. She sensed something wrong with her powers. And something else was going on. She just couldn’t put her finger on it. Rhiannon tossed once more and buried herself in her blankets.

Talpa sat in his chambers, watching his priest suck the power right out of the ‘Empress’’ aura. This is too easy, he thought to himself. This is simply too easy…

***

Toodles!