- Created By Ryo or Demon
BAHD Chapter 12: Camaria
Camaria "Are you feeling all right?" Leo asked. They had been riding on the bus for nearly an hour, and the only landscape they could see out of the window was sick-looking grass. The Mountains behind them were getting small in the distanc...BAHD: Chapter 11: Green-Eyed Demons
I'm falling behind in some classes, so hopefully this can act as a buffer >< ____________________________ The Green-Eyed Demons Ryo sat in his room, rubbing his right arm, near his black tattoo. It was slightly bruised,...BAHD Chapter 10: Apocalyptic Angels
Blah...I hate and love this chaoter at the same time. I hope it's ok... Ryo-san ______________________________________________________ Apocalyptic Angels Chapter 10 Leo stared blankly at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn...BAHD: Chapter 9: Simple Housework
^^ Sorry that this took so long to put out. I'm back in college so things are becoming priorities and I'm always busy it seems....
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Simple Housework
Chapter 9
"What in the hell is wrong with that guy?!" Kaira yelled once they were out of earshot of the throne room, heading back to their own rooms. "How could he do that to his own grandson?! In front of everyone!"
"What is that guy's problem?!" Dimi yelled, just as angry as Kaira.
Roxanne led them on, looking down in sadness. "Kain's always treated Demon that way, as long as I could remember..."
"Demon? His name's Ryo now...but why? It makes no sense!"
Roxanne turned to them, looking around to see if anyone else was listening. "Haven't you noticed anything about the eye color of everyone born in this house?" Everyone gave her a confused stare.
"All of their eyes are red, or some form of red, except Ryo's," Ken said, matter-of-factly.
"Exactly," Roxanne said. "The Razada House...it's very...superstitious. Every member of this family, as far back as the records tell, every member has been born with red eyes...Ryo was the first to be born with green eyes, the opposite of red."
"But why would that matter?!" Davis asked. "Kaira's eyes are blue, and mine are dark brown! How come we're not treated like that?”
Roxanne shook her head. "You were not born under the Razada House, and your mothers were not especially chosen for breeding purposes, the way Kain had originally intended..."
"But why would it even matter? Ryo's done nothing wrong as far as I can tell..." Kalon said under his breath.
Roxanne lowered her light green eyes. "From what I know, it's from something their mother said a long time ago..."
"Their Mom?" Dimi asked. "Where is she so we can ask her?"
"She died..." Dimi cringed and muttered an apology. "From what they've told me...she was able to tell one's future..."
"Really? That's awesome!" Dimi said.
"Not really..." Roxanne said. "When Leo and Ryo were born, she gave them predictions...she said Leo was going to be a very skilled prodigy, and Kain made him heir to the Razada House. But when she read Ryo's future..." Roxanne hesitated, as though considering how much she should tell them. "...she said Ryo was a Demon, and that his future was shrouded in Darkness...and that he would end the Razada House..."
"He would end the Razada House? That could mean several things," Jim said softly.
"Kain hates Ryo because of his green eyes now, because he sees them as an omen..." Roxanne said quietly. "I was supposed to marry Ryo, because I have green eyes too..."
"Don't worry Roxanne," Kaira said. "You're supposed to come with us!"
"To where?" Roxanne said surprised.
"We don't know, but Steel said he'd tell us eventually..." Taj said. He looked around and saw Kyo had left to their room, and followed.
"Were you really gonna marry my dad?" Kaira asked when it was just her and Roxanne.
"Your...dad?" Roxanne asked slowly, sounding hurt. "Ryo's your father?"
"Yeah, I just have to pretend Uncle Leo's my dad until we leave here,"
"Oh...I see..." Roxanne said, trying to sound happier.
"I'll see you tomorrow!" Kaira said, waving goodbye to Roxanne before leaving to her room to feed Ryo the Dragon.
Ryo knelt as still as he could, breathing hard. The welts and bleeding wounds in his back ached, but he'd have to bear it for now. Leo still stood next to him, giving him the little emotional support he could. Steel had put the cane away in silence, pleasure written across his face. May and Nayota were still against the wall in their places. They looked down on Ryo with no pity, but gave Leo warm smiles occasionally. Leo ignored these. He did not deserve their love if Ryo could not receive any.
Kain sat on his throne still, smiling evilly at Ryo. He leaned his head against his hand, looking laid back and comfortable. Ryo clenched his teeth. He couldn't look directly at Kain, but he knew Kain had enjoyed it.
"It's good to have the family together again, isn't it?" Kain said, ending the silence. "I met your children Lion...Davis and Kaira, am I correct?" Leo just nodded, not looking up. "Neither of their eyes were red...I was quite disappointed." Kain continued, "If you had stayed here with Bella, they would have had red eyes for sure..."
"Kain..." Steel said in a low voice, "I believe Lion had a request to make..." he shot Leo a demanding stare.
"Oh...and what would that be?" Kain asked, sounding amused.
Leo took a deep breath. He remembered everything Steel had told him to say, even though none of it made complete sense to him. "Grandfather..." Leo started, choosing his words carefully. He was most eligible to make a request from Kain, but even he had to be careful. "Me and Steel both request that Roxanne accompany us..."
"Roxanne?" Kain said. "Why would you need that witch to join you to Camaria?"
"We wish to all go to Camaria..." Leo continued slowly, "And make our prayers to the Cathedral in capital city...we are all sinners that wish to make redemptions...Demon and Roxanne still haven't made their prayers, so...I figured she would accompany us and redeem her sins as well...for not getting married at eighteen..."
"Hmm..." Kain thought, massaging his forehead. "Your entire party consists of sinners that wish to make their prayers?"
"Yes..."
"When will you return?"
"Possibly two weeks from when we leave for Camaria." Kain stood up and walked to Leo. Leo stood perfectly still and faced forward. Kain gripped Leo's chin and turned his face to his. Leo's eyes met Kain's. Their eyes were both fire red.
"Your eyes haven't changed at all, Lion..." Kain commented, turning Leo's face to and fro, examining them. "It's like your mother said before she died, Gods bless her soul...the Blood of Angels flow strong in you heart."
"Thank you sir..." Leo said quietly. Kain released his face and turned to leave.
"I'm sure you'll need some time to catch up with your siblings... oh, and Demon." Kain looked back once more at Ryo, still kneeling on the floor. "You'll have to do all of your chores before any of you are permitted to leave. And when you return from Camaria, you'll see it is your place to always remain here."
Kain left, followed by Steel, leaving Ryo, Leo, May, and Nayota alone. Leo sighed deeply, before giving Ryo his hand to help him up. Nayota went to Leo and threw his arm around his little brother's shoulders.
"Where the hell have you been Lion?! You know you had us worried sick for you!" Nayota said playfully.
"What were you thinking?! Just leaving like that, and not coming home for years and years! We were worried for you!" May exclaimed, hands on her hips in front of Leo. All of her brothers were much taller than her, but it never stopped her from scolding them.
"I'm fine, I'm a full grown man...I can take care of myself..." Leo said softly.
"But how could you just leave like that?" May went on. Ryo stood by himself, several feet away, watching Nayota and May fawn over Leo. A part of him had always been slightly jealous of Leo, but he knew it wasn't Leo's fault. They were born this way. He remembered back when Nayota and May had cared for him too, but those days were gone. Since they had left and made their prayers in Camaria when they turned eighteen, they had changed. Nayota went first when he was eighteen and Ryo and Leo were thirteen. When he returned from making those prayers, he became a different person. He treated Ryo the way Steel and Kain did, only caring for Leo, the heir. May had left to make her prayers when she was eighteen, when Leo and Ryo were sixteen. The same thing had happened to her, and she no longer cared for Ryo. As far as Ryo was concerned, making prayers was a bad thing, and it undoubtedly changed people for the worst.
Leo gave Ryo apologetic looks from behind May and Nayota. Ryo shook his head, saying it was fine. He left, being completely ignored by his older siblings. It was late, and he was hungry, but that'd have to wait for tomorrow. Ryo thought about everything he had to do before they left. He looked down at the floor he'd have to clean before anyone was permitted to leave. It would take him several days to clean the whole house, and he couldn't use any Element to help him. In the Razada House, he was Demon, and non-User.
Ryo slowly made his way to the servants’ quarters, his back still bleeding and sore. He wondered if Kaira was doing all right, but figured he'd check on her in the morning. He found his old room he still had to share with Roxanne and went inside. Roxanne was in the room alone, sitting on her bed. She looked up at Ryo and smiled.
"Ryo! I'm so happy you--oh God, let me fix your back!" she said quickly. Ryo said nothing and sat on his bed, slowly peeling off his torn shirt. Roxanne quickly got bandaged and helped Ryo wrap his back and chest. When she was finished, Ryo lied on his stomach and closed his eyes. He didn't feel like dealing with Roxanne yet. Roxanne saw that he was tired and remained silent, watching him drift into a deep sleep.
Kaira sat alone in her room, watching Ryo the baby Dragon play with the bed sheets. He made soft noises and rolled around in a cute manner that made her smile. Kaira couldn't sleep. She stood up and went to the door, deciding to go see if Kyo or Taj were still awake. She closed the door carefully to make sure the baby dragon would not escape while she was gone. As she entered the hallway she saw the top of Kyo's head descending the stairs. She moved to go after him but stopped in front of their room. She quietly opened the door and looked in to check on Taj.
Taj was sprawled out on his bed, unconscious with a small welt growing in the side of his head. Kaira smiled, thinking Taj was sleeping. She closed the door and quietly went down the stairs after Kyo.
Kyo walked into the garden, looking around at the plants idly. He walked next to a large tree and placed his hand on the trunk. It was late, and the sky was dark with few scattered clouds. The full moon hung in the sky, suspended in its fall to the earth. Kyo looked up at the moon, his face serious.
"Midnight tonight..." he said quietly to himself. He recalled a dream he once had, where on his eighteenth birthday, he received an unusual mark. He wasn't sure what would happen to him, but it didn't bother him either.
"You can't sleep either?" Kyo spun around to see Kaira walking towards him in the garden. "I couldn't sleep...I thought I'd visit you, but I found you out here."
"Oh...yeah..." Kyo said, looking back up at the sky.
"It's really nice out tonight..." Kaira said, looking up at the moon. "It's so sad that places like this exists in this world, ruining the natural beauty..." Kyo didn't say anything. Somewhere in the Razada House, a clock rang, signaling midnight. Kyo became alert, waiting for whatever was going to happen to happen. Kaira looked at Kyo, confused at his sudden alertness. Suddenly, Kyo's hair changed, and silver streaks appeared randomly in his hair
"Your hair!" Kaira gasped. "What happened to it?"
"What?" Kyo said, reaching up to feel his hair. He strode over to the pond and gazed at his reflection. The new silver streaks in his hair glowed in the moonlight. He had to admit it was a nice addition.
Kaira reached out and gently took one of Kyo's silver locks in her hand. "What happened?" she asked.
"It's nothing..." Kyo said softly. "It's after midnight...I'm eighteen today."
"Really?" Kaira said surprised. "I think this silver looks nice on you, kinda like highlights, only these look good."
Kyo smirked, heading back inside with Kaira. It was too late for a lady like her to be outside. While walking to through the hallway that led to their rooms, Kyo and Kaira passed Nayota, walking the opposite direction. Nayota took notice of Kyo's two-colored hair as he passed and stopped.
"Hey..." Nayota called back to Kyo. Kyo stopped and turned to Nayota. Kaira stared up at her uncle, not saying a word.
"Huh?...what?" Kyo asked, trying to sound polite.
"Hey...nice hair." Nayota commented. Kyo's eyes widened in slight amusement.
"Yeah...thanks...you have pretty profound hair yourself..." Kyo said, mentioning Nayota's white and black spiked hair. An awkward silence followed.
"Well...nice meeting you," Nayota finished before walking away again.
"Yeah, you too," Kyo said, leaving with Kaira giving them confused looks.
Ryo was up at dawn. Roxanne slept peacefully on the bed opposite of him, and he didn't wake her. He pulled on a gray shirt before leaving the room to start on his many chores. He wasn't thrilled to be back to his old life, but he knew he had to do it if they wished to keep their cover from Kain. He went to the supply closet and got his bucket of water and washrags. He could hear other servants whispering about him behind his back as they got ready for their day, but he ignored them.
Ryo went to his first section of hallway and diligently started to wash the floor, the way he had done all those years ago. When he was nearly done, he stopped to look at his work. It was then May entered the hallway. She walked down the hallway slowly, deliberately. In her wake she left footprints on the floor Ryo had just finished cleaning. As she turned out of the hallway, she looked back and gave Ryo a satisfied look. Ryo sighed in frustration, looking at the floor he had to clean again.
"Good morning Ryo!" Dimi yelled loudly walking into the hallway.
"Don't!" Ryo yelled, putting his hands up to signal Dimi to stop walking. Dimi froze, standing on one foot.
"What? What did I do?! I haven't done anything yet!"
"Yet...." Ryo said, sounding annoyed.
"Why are you cleaning the floor?"
"It's what I have to do here...I have to clean the whole damn house once before we can even leave with Roxanne..."
Dimi stopped, and watched Ryo clean up and down the hallway once. He smiled his trademark smile and grabbed a washrag. "I'll help you! It'll be faster with the two of us!"
"You shouldn't be helping me..." Ryo said, but he didn't stop Dimi. They both ran up and down the hall together cleaning it. Ryo thought Dimi was having too much fun to be a normal person. It didn't take long to finish the hallway.
Ryo and Dimi moved onto the next section of hallway and encountered Kalon. "Kalon! Awesome timing!" Dimi said, getting another washrag and throwing it at Kalon. "You can help us finish faster!"
"What?! What makes you think I'm gonna do that for you two?!" Kalon said, catching the washrag.
"Sorry Ryo, I guess Kalon's too much of a 'man' to help us," Dimi said, winking at Ryo and talking mockingly. "He's just jealous that I have superior cleaning powers and can clean faster than him!"
Kalon's face turned red. "Move!" Kalon said, shoving Dimi and Ryo over to make room for himself on the floor between them. "I'll show you how a man cleans!" The three of them together side by side was enough to clean the hallway with one run. Ryo went at his normal pace while Kalon and Dimi fought verbally over who finished faster.
"You guys can stop if you want..." Ryo said getting up. "I have to go do something else first..."
"We'll keep it up!" Dimi said flashing Ryo a grin before moving to the next smaller hallway in the enormous house. Ryo left them heading towards the laundry room where he figured clothes needed to be hung out to dry. To his surprise Caza was already there. Caza had the clothes in a vacuum of warm air he was circulating in front of himself, looking bored.
"Caza, what are you doing?" Ryo asked. Caza looked at Ryo, then turned back to his laundry.
"I call this Spin Dry," Caza replied, answering a different question. Jim walked in, looking around for his father. "Jim, good timing...catch," said Caza. A pair of pants flew out of Caza's Spin Dry, flying towards Jim.
"Yes Father!" Jim yelled, reaching to catch the clothes Caza threw at him. Dimi looked into the room just in time to see a pair of underwear land across Jim's face.
"Ryo!" Dimi yelled, and Ryo poked his head in. "Isn't that Kain's underpants?" Ryo confirmed it before leaving, and Dimi bursted into hysterical laughter.
"Shut up!" Jim said hopelessly, putting all of the clothes on a table to be folded.
"Your mouth was open and everything!! Were you inhaling?!" Dimi said while laughing. Caza had his back turned to Jim and Dimi, but they could hear even him laughing softly under his breath.
"Old, wrinkly, hairy, gray, shriveled!" Dimi yelled back as he left, making Jim convulse horribly.
Taj slowly became aware of his surroundings, rubbing his head where a small lump was. He looked around angrily for Kyo, but he was alone in their room. "Son of a bitch..." Taj muttered, getting his shirt on and leaving the room to find him. He walked down the stairs and was almost run over by Dimi and Kalon scrubbing the floor.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Taj said, stumbling back into the doorway to avoid being run over.
"Taj! Good thing you're here, now you can help us!" Dimi said happily. "We're helping Ryo so we can leave faster!"
"I'm just looking for Kyo, I didn't come down to help!" Taj said.
"What? Why not? Even Kyo's helping Ryo at the other side of the house!" Taj started grumbling under his breath, leaving his father alone with Kalon. Taj slowly navigated his way through the corridors until he figured he was somewhere on the other side of the House. He found Davis on the floor working alone.
"Where's Kyo?" Taj asked. Davis pointed to the room at the end off the hall. Taj went to the door, but couldn't find the doorknob. He saw the door was made from paper, and stormed his way through. Kyo and Ryo were on the other side, Ryo glared at Taj.
"You do realize that was a paper sliding door, didn't you?" Kyo said, his eyes flashing green. Ryo sighed, standing up, figuring he'd have to fix the door next.
"Shut up Highlights! Gimmie that rag!" Taj took the washrag from Ryo and began furiously scrubbing the floor, mumbling under his breath. Ryo watched Taj for a moment before looking back at Kyo. He noticed Kyo's eyes were green like his.
"You shouldn't let Kain or anyone see you with green eyes..." Ryo said.
"I'm not worried about it," Kyo said. "Even if they do see that my eyes are green, they'll just change color again before anyone can do anything about it."
Kyo then knelt down to join Taj. They both ran down the room and back. Taj strained to get ahead of Kyo, but Kyo didn't pay much attention. Near the end, Taj suddenly tripped.
"What was that for?" Taj yelled at Kyo, getting up.
"I didn't do anything."
"You tripped me!"
"We're cleaning the floor with wet rags, you just slipped," Kyo said, hiding his smirk. Ryo slipped out of the room through the torn sliding door and left to the supply closet. He got the paper and wooden sticks he'd need and slowly started walking back. He was surprised so many of them were helping him, but he felt worried that Kain might do something to them to stop them.
"Ryo!" Ryo turned and saw Leo running towards him with a small plastic bag. "Here..." Leo said, holding the bag out to Ryo. Ryo took the bag and looked inside to find wrapped sandwiches. "Sorry I can't help...Kain's got those tutors watching me still..." he said apologetically.
"It's all right..." Ryo said, opening a sandwich and putting it in his mouth. Leo left without another word and Ryo went back to the hallway with Davis to fix the door.
"This is from your dad," Ryo said, handing Davis one of the sandwiches from the bag.
"Oh, thanks..." Davis said, leaning against the wall for a break, taking his food. Ryo threw two of the sandwiches through the hole in the door for Taj and Kyo.
"Are you doing all right?" Ryo asked casually as he started to replace the broken wooden poles of the sliding door.
"Yeah, I'm fine mister Ryo..." Davis said shyly. Ryo looked up surprised that Davis called him by such a formal title.
"You don't have to be so polite, you can just call me 'Uncle' or 'Ryo' or 'Uncle Ryo' or whatever...I don't care."
"But shouldn't I call you something like that while we're here?"
"No," Ryo scoffed. "I'm not important around here or anything. You just gotta keep pretending Kaira's your sister until we leave."
"That's easy, she's already like my sister..." Davis quickly finished his sandwich and went back to scrubbing the floor by hand. Ken walked around the corner towards then, his face looking mad.
"Put me to work," Ken said, standing behind Ryo, his arms crossed.
"What?"
"Kalon said if he has to work, then I have to. Put me to work." Ryo reached into the bag and pulled out a sandwich.
"You could eat first, you don't have to start off right now." Ryo said, holding the sandwich up to Ken. Ken closed his eyes and sat down against the wall next to Ryo, taking his sandwich. He looked angry.
"What's wrong with you and Kalon?" Ryo asked, starting to replace the torn paper of the door.
"You mean what's wrong with Kalon?" Ken corrected him.
"How come you don't like him?" Ryo said more specifically.
"Because he doesn't like me."
"How do you know?"
"It's been this way my whole life," Ken explained. "My mother abandoned us when I was just a little kid, and dumped me on my father. He didn't want me, he left me with Professor Bob and he got to go on with his life. If he isn't gonna care about me, I'm not gonna care about him.
To Ryo, his logic sounded harsh. Kalon was an arrogant bastard at times, but he thought even Kalon had to care for his own son. At least a little.
"He's finished..." Steel said dully to Kain. Kain sat on his throne, his red eyes closed. "He got help from his friends..."
"So he did..." Kain looked up at the ceiling, at the fan slowly turning. "Are you really taking them to Camaria by yourself?"
Steel glanced at his father, but his face gave away nothing. "Of course."
"Hmm..." Kain said, thinking. "Keep an eye on our Demon, and Roxanne...he's unpredictable when he feels cornered...but you know all about that, don't you?"
Steel lowered his eyes to his metal arm. It was because of Ryo that he had lost his arm, and got this metal replacement.
"Stay one more night...you can leave in the morning."
"That was fun!" Dimi said happily lying back on Caza's bed. Him and Kalon were both sitting around in Caza and Jim's room, taking up space. Kalon sat in a corner by himself, smoking.
"How come Ryo doesn't stay with us?" Dimi whined. "I miss having him around."
"I told you, he has his own room, now shut up!" Kalon hissed, exhaling cigarette smoke.
Ryo was washing dinner dishes with Roxanne and Kaira. Roxanne washed them, Kaira rinsed, and Ryo slowly put them away.
"None of you needed to help me...I could have done it alone..." Ryo muttered.
"But we wanted to!" Kaira said. Ryo the Dragon was playing in a mixing bowl filled with water on the counter. Kaira and Roxanne both adored the tiny dragon.
"We're gonna leave tomorrow, you should go get some sleep..." Ryo said, picking the dragon up out of its bowl. The tiny dragon purred, then hiccupped. Kaira and Roxanne's squeals followed. Kaira carefully took the dragon and left Ryo and Roxanne alone. They finished in silence, Roxanne giving Ryo confused and concerned looks.
"I'm sorry..." Roxanne said quietly when they were walking back to their room.
"What are you sorry for?"
"The night you left...I'm sorry I got caught, and couldn't come with you..."
"Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault.
"But it wasn't yours either!" Roxanne said quickly.
"I didn't say that..." Ryo said simply, opening their bedroom door for her. Roxanne smiled, and hugged Ryo.
"I missed you!" she said. Ryo flinched. He'd never gotten used to Roxanne's closeness.
"I know...I missed you too..." Ryo said awkwardly. Ryo walked to his bed and took off his shirt before collapsing on his stomach. Roxanne saw that his bandages were slightly bled through.
"Here, let me replace them for you..." Roxanne said softly, getting her bandages again. Ryo let her bandage her back without saying anything. Then he remembered.
"I have something for you," Ryo said. He reached for his bag and started digging around for the pouch Professor Bob had said was for the Lightning User.
"For me?" Roxanne said in amazement.
"It's not from me, I'm just supposed to give it to you..." he handed her the pouch. Roxanne unzipped it and pulled out a long, five-inch needle. It was made from dark metal with a small symbol of Lightning in the middle. In the bag were many more, all identical. Roxanne found a note and read it.
" 'Congratulations Lightning User,' " Roxanne read the note out loud. " 'These are your weapons that I believe you will find suitable for your fighting style. Flying Needles of Lightning. Use them to your advantage. P.S. They can explode, kinda like The Fire User's daggers, only with Lightning....yeah' " Roxanne looked up from the note confused.
"We all got weapons..." Ryo said, laying on his stomach. "Leo got daggers, Caza got chakrams, Dimi got two short swords, and Kalon wears gloves..." Roxanne held multiple needles between her fingers, admiring them.
"They feel right somehow..." she said.
Chapter 8: Head of the Razada House
As usual, sorry for being so slow...
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The Head of the Razada House
Kaira held the small baby dragon close to her, gently rubbing it's stomach. It purred and squeaked happily as she did. Ryo smiled, watching Kaira have fun with her new pet. Steel glanced at Ryo, then at Kaira.
"You know what'll happen to her if Kain finds out," Steel said lowly to Ryo. Ryo's face fell.
"I know...hey Leo..."
"Yeah?" Leo asked, looking at Ryo.
"When we get to the Razada House, pretend like Kaira's your daughter, okay?" Ryo asked. Leo gave him a slightly surprised look, but understood.
"Yeah, okay." Ryo turned to Kaira. Taj and Kyo walked on either side of her. Taj occasionally glared at Kyo, but Kyo ignored him.
"Kaira...listen to me," Ryo said seriously. "When we get to the Razada House, you can't call me 'Dad', all right? You need to pretend like Leo is your father."
Kaira's eyes looked sad when she looked up at him. "Why?"
"Because..." Ryo said, feeling slightly like a jerk, "This place is a lot different than Hollow. There's this man, Kain, he's in charge of it...just pretend you and Davis are brother and sister, okay?"
Kaira nodded. "Okay, but...what's wrong with Kain? Isn't he like my Great-Grandfather or something?"
Ryo lowered his eyebrows. "I wouldn't say that..."
The path sloped upward more and more the higher they went. The climate was different higher up. The wind blew harder and was much colder.
"Once we get past this hill..." Steel yelled back at the group. "There'll be a valley, a big one. In the center of the valley is the Razada House..."
"Well finally!" Dimi said loudly, "I can't wait to sleep on an actual bed!"
"Who said anything about you even getting a bed?" Kalon said harshly, breathing hard. Traveling upwards was the hardest for him, due to his smoking habits and his lungs. He stopped to rest again, letting the group get further and further ahead of him. He leaned over, resting his hands on his knees breathing hard. Dimi looked back at Kalon with sympathy. He walked back and offered Kalon his hand.
"What do you want...?" Kalon asked angrily.
"To help you, you're falling behind," Dimi said simply. Kalon gave a soft laugh. He stood up straight and walked past Dimi.
"I don't need your help Water Sprite..." he said in a cold voice. Ryo saw the sad look on Dimi's face. He couldn't understand why Kalon couldn't get along with Dimi, even when Dimi was sincerely trying to help Kalon. After Kalon refused Dimi's help, he fell behind again, breathing hard. Ryo sighed and walked back to him.
"Here..." Ryo said, extending his hand to Kalon. Kalon looked at Ryo's hand, then lowered his head.
"Why does everyone think I need help?" Kalon said.
"Because you do. Dimi's right, you're falling behind." Ryo said. He grabbed Kalon's hand and helped him up. "The least you could do is accept help when you need it."
Kalon's eyes widened slightly at Ryo's action, but went right back to his cold , hard face. "Fine..." Kalon muttered beneath his breath. "Just don't tell him you helped me. I don't need that damn Water User thinking I'm gonna accept him or anything."
Steel stopped walking when he reached the top of the hill. The wind was calmer here, and the cold wasn't as severe. Slowly the group reassembled around Steel, looking at the valley between the Mountains. Kalon and Ryo reached the spot last.
"This is where you guys were born?!" Dimi exclaimed to Leo.
"Yeah..." Leo said quietly. He didn't want to be here. The valley was green with forests of trees with hills and fields of grass. A small lake was in the center of the valley, fed by small streams running down from the higher mountains. On the far side of the valley they could see where the pass continued to the other side of the mountains. Ryo stared at the valley in slight amazement. He'd never seen the valley from high up like this. He almost thought the view was beautiful, until he saw the Razada House near the lake. It reminded him of everything that had ever happened there, and it stole the very beauty from the grand valley.
"After living in Hollow, it's hard to believe a place like this thrives just across the Dead Lands..." Davis said quietly. "Are there other places people live outside of Hollow? Besides this valley?"
"Of course there is..." Steel said, he sounded almost too calm. "Hollow's just a filthy, low-life country, hardly worth existing. The entire country isn't worth as much as this small valley..." No one liked what Steel said about Hollow, but no one said anything against it either. Steel watched the calm valley a second longer, than slowly started walking downhill, towards the path that led to the House. Everyone followed suit, but Ryo hung back, hesitant. Every part of his being wanted to wait for Steel to simply come back with Roxanne. Kaira stopped, and looked back at her father, noticing he wasn't moving with everyone else.
"Dad...?" Kaira asked. "Are you okay?" Ryo snapped back, realizing Kaira was talking to him.
"What...yeah, I'm fine," he said. He gave Ryo the Dragon a small pet before walking on.
"How come you don't like it here? It's so beautiful," Kaira said.
"It's not the valley..." Ryo said.
"I know you don't like Steel, but he is your father...don't you like him for that?"
Ryo scoffed. "No, I hate him..."
"Then why are we all following him?"
"I don't know...I really don't." Kaira looked down at the sleeping dragon in her arms.
"How come Steel always calls you 'Demon'? I hear him call Uncle Leo 'Lion' sometimes too..."
Ryo tried thinking of a way to explain it to her. "Well...those are our birthnames...Ryo and Leo are just our nicknames. We used them as our real names when we left a long time ago..."
"Oh..." Kaira said slowly. "But why would you leave? What's wrong with this place?" Ryo didn't answer her. He knew she would find out on her own eventually.
"Welcome to the Razada House travelers. It's good to see you back Steel," a maid said formally when they reached the gate. She took a look around at the tired, dirty people, and smiled. "You will all be offered meals, as well as rooms and baths if you wish. The Razada House doesn't receive visitors often, but we will work hard to make your stay comfortable!"
Steel smirked at the attention he was receiving. He took off his overcoat, revealing his white shirt beneath it. He also removed his gloves, fully revealing his metallic right arm. He gave them to a servant, who quickly left to return them to Steel's room.
"Show our guests their rooms," Steel ordered the maid in a suave, but demanding way. "Tell Master Kain we have arrived, and I have brought the Twins with me."
"Yes sir," The maid said, bowing slightly.
"Demon, Lion, you come with me..." Steel said over his shoulder. "We need to get ready for our audience with Master Kain."
"How come you can't come with us?" Caza asked, surprising everyone that he talked.
"Because...we probably still have our own rooms..." Leo said, following Steel and Ryo into the House. "We'll probably see you later..." Leo left them alone with the maid.
"If you'll follow me, I'll lead you to your rooms," she said kindly. She led the group into the House. The house was definitely old. The floors were all made from wood and the walls were white. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, lighting the dark hallways in the twilight of the setting sun. She led them past a hallway that had all of it's windows and doors open to the garden that was full of flowers and blossoming plants. Koi swan lazily in the small pond.
"This place looks expensive...." Ken commented quietly to the group.
"No kidding...it's not as fancy as the palace in Hollow, but it has an air of nobility to it," Jim said. The maid led them up a steep flight of stairs then to the left. The hallway ended there with five rooms.
"You may all stay in these rooms," the maid said politely, bowing to them. "You may decide among yourselves who will stay in what room. Each room has two beds, a sink, towels and robes, a desk, and a lovely view of the garden. The bathhouse is just downstairs and down the hallway to the right. How long will you all be staying here with us?"
Everyone gave each other a questioning look. Steel had ordered them all not to speak a word to anyone about where they were going or what they were doing. He had told them to only trust a maid named Roxanne.
"Are you Roxanne?" Jim askd politely.
"You're looking for our Roxanne?" the maid said, surprised. "She's busy attending other matters, but I'll be happy to fetch anything you need."
"Oh no, thanks," Jim said, giving her a smile. Caza lowered his eyes at his son. He didn't know where he learned all of his manners from. The maid gave them one last bow before leaving them alone in the hallway. Everyone looked at the five room. They had to split them among the nine of them, which ment only one person got to have a rom alone.
"I think Kaira should get her own soom since she's the only woman." Kyo said. Kaira flushed sligtly at being called a 'woman'. Everyone nodded, with no real objections.
"Thanks Kyo," Kaira said as she went into the room closest to her.
"Me and Kyo will have this room then," Taj said taking the room next to Kaira's. He wasn't going to let Kyo out of his sight since Kaira was staying by herself. Kyo shot Taj a bad look, but said nothing. He wasn't going to leave Taj alone either.
"We can share this room Dad," Jim said, taking the next room. Caza's face remained emotionless as always as he entered the room with Jim.
"Me and Davis will take this one then," Ken said, taking the second to last room. This left Kalon and Dimi alone in the hallway with one room left.
"I've gotta room with Dimi?! This is bullshit!" Kalon yelled.
"Aww, come on Kalon!" Dimi said happily, putting his arm over Kalon's shoulder. "It'll be like back at the orphanage, only this time we have actual beds!"
"Shut up! And get off me!" Kalon yelled, shoving Dimi away. "I'll trade roommates with anyone!" Kalon yelled at the different rooms. No one answered back.
"It won’t be that bad Kalon! Look, we have our own separate beds!" Dimi said, opening the door and looking into the room.
Kalon growled, pulling out a cigarette and putting it in his mouth. He shoved past Dimi into the room, setting his bag on the bed farthest from the window. He lit his cigarette angrily, taking in a deep inhale of it.
"Come look at the garden Kalon! It's huge!" Dimi said, leaning out of the window. Kalon had half the mind to shove Dimi clean out the window. Dimi drew his head back in, and frowned at Kalon's cigarette. "You shouldn't smoke Kalon! You should find some other way to relieve stress."
"Shut up Dimi! You're the reason I have stress!" Kalon yelled, taking another puff of his nicotine and laying back on his bed.
Dimi collapsed on his bed the same, staring up at the ceiling. He sat quietly, trying to think of something for him and Kalon to do. "You wanna go down to the bathhouse?" Dimi asked, turning his head towards Kalon's bed. Kalon sighed. He wanted to, but not with Dimi. But he figured they find one of the others down there, and he could shake Dimi off on one of them.
"Sure why not?" Kalon said halfheartedly. They left the room and headed down the stairs to the left the way the maid had told them. They entered the men's side and exchanged their clothes for towels before heading into the showers. Dimi played and manipulated the water like a child before following Kalon out to the sauna rock pool.
Caza, Jim, Ken, and Kyo were already in the rock pool. Kyo was the farthest away at the far end of the pool sitting alone with his eyes closed.
"This place is awesome!" Dimi said looking around at the pool before slipping and falling in. Kalon ignored Dimi.
"You should learn to be more quiet in calm places like this, Dimi." Caza said quietly, not opening his eyes. Dimi submerged himself up to his nose and blew bubbles.
"Why would Leo and Ryo leave a life like this behind?" Ken said, relaxing back against the edge of the pool.
"Who knows?" Kalon said. He rested his head on his crossed arms on the side of the pool. "They were probably snobby rich kids or something who wanted a taste of a real life."
Taj and Davis entered the pool area. Kyo opened one eye to see them walk in. "Oh great...it's the gay brigade..." he said under his breath. Taj spotted Kyo off in his own section of the pool, and walked over to enter the pool by him. When Taj got in the water, Kyo stood up, grabbing his towel. "Damn it, I knew you were pissy, but I had no idea you were gay too!" Kyo said, getting out of the pool.
"In your dreams!" Taj yelled back, furious. "Even if I was gay I wouldn't go after an asshole like you!"
Kaira sat alone on the girl's side of the pool, leaning against the tall wooden wall that separated the men's side from the girl's. On the other side she could hear the men arguing with one another, especially Dimi and Taj. "Why do they have to be so noisy...?" she said softly to herself, looking up at the stars.
"The Master will see you all now in his throne room, and he wishes to meet you all and introduce yourself." the maid said after everyone had gone back to their rooms. "If you'll follow me I'll lead you." The group followed.
"When do we get to eat?" Dimi asked.
"Your dinners will be delivered to your rooms while you meet with the Master," the maid said. She led them down the stairs to the far end of the house. She opened the door to a large room and motioned for them to enter. A throne of marble and gold stood empty at the far end of the room, with Steel standing in it's shadow, his arms crossed. Steel wore a long, white robe lined in dark maroon that completely hid his metal arm. There were eleven mats on the floor near the door where the maid motioned for thm to sit. They carefully knelt on the mats given to them and waited in silence, the way they were ordered to by Steel that morning before entering the Razada House.
"Where's Leo? And Ryo?" Dimi asked out loud, receiving bad looks from everyone.
"They'll be here," Steel said sternly, his eyes telling everyone to remain silent.
The door behind them opened and everyone turned to see who it was. In the doorway stood an older man with long gray hair and slight facial hair. His robe was identical to Steel's, but had red and gold linings. His face was slightly wrinkles and his eyes were a fierce red. He walked slowly past his guests, hardly taking notice of them. Behind him were two people. One was a man with longer, white and black spiked hair and light red eyes, wearing a simple white shirt and pants. The other was a woman with long brown hair that reached the back of her knees and red amber eyes.
The older man turned to his guests once he reached his throne. "These are the people you've brought with you Steel...?" he said in a deep, strangely unsettling voice.
"Yes Father," Steel replied. Everyone in the room gaped at Steel. They'd never heard Steel talk to someone like that before, and none of them ever imagined Steel with a father. Kaira and Davis stared up at their great grandfather nervously. A smile slowly worked it's way across the old man's face. But it wasn't a nice, welcoming smile, it had a darker meaning to it.
"Welcome..." he said in his unsettling voice. "To the Razada House. I am the Head of the House, Master Kain. You’ve meet Steel, as well as Lion..." Kain's eyes scanned the room, not seeing his heir. "I thought you said you had Lion with you Steel..." his voice was almost threatening.
"They're both here," Steel reassured him. "They'll be along shortly." Kain made a hmph sound then approached the one closest to him: Dimi. Dimi started sweating with Kain so close to him. kain sikply stood, looking down at the blue-haired man.
"Well....introduce yourself!" Kain said loudly, sounding ominous.
"I'm Dimi! A Water User!" Dimi said quickly. Kain said nothing to Dimi and looked at the one next to Dimi: Taj.
"I'm Taj...Dimi's son..." Taj said in a low voice. One by one all them introduced themselves and their ties. Kaira remembered to pretend that Davis was her older brother and Leo was her father. Kain listened to them, hardly paying attention until they were all finished.
"This...." Kain said, motioning for the man with black and white hair to come foreward. "Is Nayota, the oldest son of Steel. Nayota nodded his head at them. "And she is May, Steel's only daughter." May gave a small curtsy from her place against the wall. Everyone was surprised. Leo and Ryo had never mentioned having an older brother and sister.
A knock on the door echoed throughout the room. Kain smiled, showing his teeth. He looked young to be a grandfather, but he had an air of power about him thta took the warmth from people's heart.
"Come in..." Kain said loudly to the door. "Lion...and Demon." He turned and walked to his throne and sat down. The door opened to reveal Ryo and Leo, standing side by side. Their appearance surprised everyone. Leo wore a white shirt missing the left sleeve, revealing his left arm tattoo, and white pants, all lined in red. Ryo's outfit was identical, but black with green lining. His shirt was missing the right sleeve, revealing his right arm tattoo. They both walked and knelt on the ground, ahead of the rest of the group, closer to Kain's throne.
"Hello Grandfather..." they said in unison. He looked down upon them. Kain stood back up and slowly approached the twin in red and white.
"Lion...you've been gone a long time. Stand up." Kain said in a tone that sounded almost kind. Leo did as he was told and stood up. Ryo remained kneeling, his head bowed, looking at the floor. Leo stood perfectly still as Kain slowly circled him. Everyone else watched in pure silence, not daring to speak.
"You've grown into a fine young man Lion...just as I imagined. I knew one day you'd come back to us." Kain said, sounding satisfied with what he saw.
"Thank you Grandfather," Leo said in monotone.
"It's a shame..." Kain said, sighing. "We sent Bella home when you two failed to get married at eighteen. You broke her heart."
"I'm sorry to hear it." Everyone in the room sat rigid. The aura given off by Kain made them all nervous, and on guard. Kain then turned his attention to Ryo, still kneeling.
"Demon! I thought I'd never see your unholy being back in this House," Kain laughed.
"I'm sorry Grandfather," Ryo said, doing his best to sound monotone and keep the hatred out of his voice.
"Look at your little brothers! They've grown up quite a bit haven't they?!" Kain said to May and Nayota. Neither said nothing. Kain's voice sounded mocking. "Imagine my surprise Demon..." Kain went on. "When my son came home, missing an arm...and my heir was missing." From the midst of his robes, Kain drew a long sturdy bamboo shoot. Kaira gasped. It was the kind used to beat people with.
"Fetch Roxanne," Kain said to May. May gave a small bow then left the room. The Head of the Razada House continued to circle Ryo, fingering his cane. "You always were the trouble child, Demon...always looking at things you shouldn't...look at me."
Ryo remained kneeling, frozen. He did not lift his head. Kain gave off a cold, mocking laugh.
"I see you remember your place..."
Everyone in the room, watched Kain in disbelief. They now understood the aura they each felt coming off Kain. It was cold, and cruel, like a dark abyss. There was no real compassion or sympathy in his heart. The door behind them opened, and May walked in. She was followed by another woman, slightly younger than Ryo. She wore the gray maid's outfit, and had blonde hair and green eyes.
"Come here Roxanne...kneel with Demon," Kain said, tapping the floor next to Ryo with his cane. Roxanne quickly went next to Ryo and knelt next to him. She smiled at Ryo, but he ignored him. "Say hello Demon, Roxanne's been waiting a long time for you," Kain mocked, smiling.
Ryo turned his head slightly to Roxanne, but didn't look at her. "Hello..." he forced himself to say.
"Hello Ryo..." Roxanne said quietly, sounding happy. Kain took amusement from Ryo's humiliation in front of everyone. He raised the cane, and brought it down upon Ryo's back swiftly. Everyone in the room flinched from the crack emitted from the cane striking Ryo's back. Ryo flinched from the pain, but remained kneeling. Kaira had her mouth covered to stop herself from screaming. No one in the party could hardly believe they'd just seen Ryo get struck by his own grandfather.
"Where have you been Demon?!" Kain demanded raising his hand again.
"Hollow," Ryo answered, flinching from getting struck in the back again.
"Why did you take Lion with you?!" Kain raised his weapon again.
"He came with me," Ryo said, getting struck again, this time, the cane cut through his shirt, and his back started bleeding slightly. Kain raised his hand again.
"Kain." Steel said stepping forward. Kain gave Steel a sharp look, but slowly lowered his hand, looking at his guests, all staring at him with fear and hatred.
"You have my leave to go..." Kain said to them, turning back his throne. "Roxanne, return them to their rooms..." Roxanne quickly stood up and ushered everyone out of the room. Steel took the cane from his father.
"I will beat him," he said, and slowly approached Ryo, still kneeling on the floor with clenched teeth. Leo remained where he stood, looking down at his brother with pity. Nayota and May stared on, not saying a word on protest. Neither of them had sympathy for Ryo anymore. Their love for their youngest brother had died when they turned eighteen.
Steel stood behind Ryo, cane in hand. "I will beat you hard..." Steel said quietly, so only Ryo and Leo would hear. "So he will not beat you harder..."
