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 distance.
"I feel fine..." Ryo said.
"Okay...I'm just worried because you scared all of us back there..." Leo said, leaning against the window. "And you just got up after all of that, just making sure you're okay..."
Dimi was figiting in his chair next to Ryo, craning his neck to look around the bus and out of the windows.
"I said don't be a nuisance..." Leo said, reaching past Ryo and pulling Dimi down in his chair.
"But isn't this cool?!" Dimi said. He was careful not to talk loud enough for the other passengers to hear him, but it didn't restrain the excitement in his voice.
"It's not that special," Ryo commented. He looked out of the window towards the west. It was not late afternoon and the sun would be setting soon. He wondered how long they would have to sit on the bus until they reached Camaria's capital. He looked farther back in the bus at Janon and Steel. Steel was sitting with his head slightly lowered and his eyes closed, apparently sleeping. Janon looked bored, staring out of his window.
Taj traded seats with Jim to have an aisle seat across from Dimi. "Uh...hey Dad?" Dimi looked at Taj with a confused face. "Can I...ask you something?" Ryo and Leo had nothing better to do, and they both listened.
Dimi looked stunned that Taj would go to him for advice, but the stunned look was immediately replaced by a look of mischief. "Yeah! Go ahead!" Dimi said, leaning on his armrest.
"Um..." Taj stammered, looking embarrassed. "Well...how do you get a girl to...like you?"
Ryo stifled a laugh. Dimi should have been Taj's last choice for getting advice.
"How do you get a girl to like you?" Dimi repeated. His trademark mischief smile plastered all over his face. "That's easy! You just gotta get a pick-up line!!" Ryo heard Leo laugh softly next to him. Kalon and Caza even turned around in their seats to watch. Kalon was grinning.
"Pick-up line? Like what? I don't have any!" Taj said hopelessly, sulking across from his father. Dimi got a thoughtful face.
"Well Son, I guess I could let you use some of my pick-up lines I used on your mother..."
"Really?!"
"Yep!" Dimi smiled, remembering them. Leo and Ryo were holding down a fit of laughter. They both remembered the first time Dimi hit on Taj's mother, Kima.
"What'd you say to mom?" Taj asked, leaning closer. Jim and Davis leaned in closer too. Dimi looked satisfied that he had everyone's attention. Dimi took on a dramatic, serious position in his seat, and closed his blue eyes.
"The first thing I ever said!" Dimi said proudly, "To my wife! The woman who bore my son was...!" Dimi inhaled, leaving Taj and everyone else in suspense.
"'I may be an orphan, but you can call me Daddy anytime you want!'" Ryo and Leo broke into fits of laughter. Taj flushed, and he made a repulsive face.
"Oh God! Dad!" Taj said in disbelief. "I do not wanna picture that!"
“‘I’m no pony, but you can ride me all you want!' " Dimi went on exclaiming. Taj convulsed at Dimi's suggestions, but still found them amusing. “‘Hey baby, I'm a Water User! I can guarantee you can't get pregnant!' "
"I remember when you used that!" Ryo said between his laughs. "I still can't believe she believed you!"
Dimi smiled, satisfied with his results. “‘What’s long, hard, and full of seamen?!' "
"I remember what she said to that..." Leo said. “‘A submarine from the Great War?'"
"I was thinking more between my knees and below my waist, but good guess!" Dimi said proudly. Taj convulsed more, but started laughing, along with everyone else. "'I'm sure you've heard of the fab four, but you just gave me a straight six!'"
"You were the horny little bastard back then, weren't you?" Kalon commented. Even the solemn Caza was laughing softly.
"You were there when my dad met my mom?" Taj asked Leo.
"Are you kidding me?" Leo said. "I think I was in the next room when you were being conceived!"
"Yeah..." Ryo said, leaning back in his chair. "Kima kicked your ass when you said all of that stuff to her..."
"Yeah, she did, but it worked didn't it?" Dimi said, motioning towards Taj.
"Yeah...thanks anyways Dad..." Taj said before switching seats with Jim again. Dimi lowered his eyebrows, trying to think of who Taj would be referring to. The only girl Taj ever hung out with was Kaira.
"Is it just me..." Dimi said to Leo and Ryo, "Or is Taj falling for Kaira?"
Ryo crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Bullshit..."

Kaira held onto Ryo the Dragon tightly as they drove along. The tiny dragon had panicked when Ken started the jeep, and Kaira had to hold onto him tightly to make sure he didn't scurry away from her. Kyo sat in the back with her, his black trenchcoat blowing in the wind created by the Jeep. Roxanne sat in front, but she was sitting sideways in her seat to face Kaira and Kyo as well as Ken.
"So how did you two meet?" Roxanne asked Kaira and Kyo about an hour into their ride. Ken glanced back at Kyo, but looked back to watch the road and follow the bus. Roxanne rested her head on the seat, waiting for her answer.
"We found Kyo living on the edge of the Dead Lands," Kaira said. "He was all alone, so I told him he could come with us!"
"Where are you from Kyo?" Roxanne asked.
"I don't know..." Kyo said, looking off in the distance. "I have no memory of my past except when I awoke next to that tree you guys found me in."
"No memory at all? No family?" Ken asked.
"No. I grew up there for years, and stole what I needed from by-passers." Kyo said in his deep polite voice.
"It seems like a lot of us in this group grew up alone, and fending for ourselves," Roxanne said, looking sad. "Me, you, Ryo, Kalon, Dimi, Caza..."
"It doesn't bother me," Kyo said. "Sometimes I prefer it that way."
Kaira gave Kyo a sad look. "You'd rather be alone than with us?"
"I didn't say that," Kyo said. "I just thought it was better I was alone in the Dead Lands. It's really not a place one would start a family or anything."
Roxanne gave them both a smile before turning back around in her seat. "You're Kalon's son, aren't you?" she asked Ken.
"His biological son," Ken said, not taking his eyes off the road and keeping both hands on the wheel. "But he didn't raise me."
"So your mom raised you."
"No..."
"I'm sorry," Roxanne apologized. "Where's your mother?"
Ken paused a moment before answering. "She left...we don't know where she is anymore..."
"I'm sorry..." Roxanne said, feeling truly sorry for Ken. "My mom died when I was young, but I still remember her."
"I don't remember my mother at all," Ken said bluntly. "The Professor didn't know my mother, and Kalon never talks about her..."
"I'm sure there must have been some reason for the way things were..." Roxanne said reassuringly.
"I doubt it. I think it must be something Kalon did, since he never talks about it."
"Maybe because it hurts him too...how come you always call your father by his name?"
"Because...that's Kalon's name."
The sun was slowly setting in the west. The temperature lowered as the sun set, making the wind from the jeep colder too. Kaira wrapped Ryo the Dragon in part of her shirt, shivering herself. Kyo saw her shiver and removed his trenchcoat.
"Here...." Kyo said, wrapping the trenchcoat around Kaira's shoulders.
"But won’t you be cold now?" Kaira asked.
"I'll be fine," Kyo reassured her. Kaira gave Kyo a warm smile and got an idea. She turned the trenchcoat sideways to where the tailcoats covered Kyo slightly.
"Now neither of us will be cold!" Kaira said happily. She scooted closer to Kyo and closed her eyes. Soon she was asleep and her head fell against Kyo's shoulder. Kyo watched Kaira doze for a minute before closing his own eyes, but he didn't sleep. Roxanne looked back and saw them. She gently nudged Ken. Ken gave her a questioning look before looking back at Kyo and Kaira.
"That girl is sure oblivious..." Ken said.
"She is..." Roxanne said, watching them some more. "But the way she does it is cute..."

The sun had finally completely set when the capital city came into view. Kalon pointed it out to Leo, who pointed it to Ryo. The city was lit up with multiple colored lights, and the buildings were twice as tall as the one's in Hollow. The great towers seemed to touch the sky.
Dimi had fallen asleep, and was leaning against Ryo's shoulder with his mouth opened. Ryo shoved his head over, but it flopped back onto his shoulder.
"Wake up Water Sprite!" Kalon yelled at Dimi, seeing Ryo trying to get Dimi off of him.
"Shu'up Kalon..." Dimi mumbled in his sleep, leaning against Ryo's shoulder again. Ryo smiled. After all the years he and Dimi lived together, he had gotten used to Dimi's odd affection and for an odd reason it didn't bother him.
"What?! You don't tell the guy who kicks your ass to 'shu'up'!" Kalon reached over his seat and shook Dimi by his neck. Dimi's head flopped back and forth until Caza managed to get Kalon back in his chair.
"What the shit was that?!" Dimi said in a surprised voice, looking around and shaking his head from being shaken awake.
"We're there," Ryo said, trying not to laugh. Dimi stood up in his seat to look at the city they were approaching.
"Whoa! Look at it!" Dimi exclaimed. Leo reached up and grabbed Dimi by the shirt to pull him back down.
"Keep your voice down, idiot..." Leo said, glancing around.
The bus pulled into a station on the very edge of the city, and opened its doors. Steel and Janon rose first and exited the bus as casually as they had entered. The rest quickly followed pursuit. Ryo stepped off the bus and stretched his back. He looked back to see Ken pulling the Jeep in behind the bus. As soon as Ken turned off the engine, Kaira jumped out of the back and ran to her father.
"That was fun!" She said, wrapping her arms around Ryo's neck in a hug. "What do we do now?"
"What do we do now?" Janon asked Steel, still keeping an eye on Ryo.
"We need to rent a place and plan how we're going to shut the Gates..." Steel said, looking at the sky. "Somewhere on the edge of town. Follow me. Leave the Jeep, it should be almost out of gas anyway." Steel stalked away, walking down a small alleyway. Everyone except Steel and Janon looked around at the buildings.
This was the capital of Camaria. Their enemy. The city had many neon and bright signs, and the streets were all paved. Yet the buildings were all dark in an ominous way, like they were watching everything the inhabitants of the city did. The alley Steel took them down was nearly empty. But the people who were there eyed the large group. Steel shot them all evil glares in return. Steel led them to a building, and went inside. There was a reception desk with a tiny man with glasses. He looked surprised to see such a large group in his lobby.
"We'll take one big reception room," Steel said, slamming several large bills on the table. "We'll be out by midnight."
"Oh, yes, this way." The small man stammered. He led them down a small hallway and unlocked a room for them.
The room was like a large meeting room with several chairs and a table, but nowhere near enough to seat everyone. Steel threw his bag on the floor and everyone did the same, some of them taking seats. Steel drew several bills from his pocket and held them out.
"Two kids need to go out and find something for everyone to eat. Don't get lost and come back as soon as possible," Steel said. Davis and Jim both went forward and took the money. "The rest of you leave, I need to speak with the Angels."
Ryo dug into his pocket and got what little money he had out. He handed it to Kaira as she was leaving with Taj. "Go find something for yourself, and don't wander off alone," Ryo said to her. Kaira thanked him before leaving with Taj, Kyo, Ken, Jim, and Davis.
Ryo and Dimi both sat on the floor, while Roxanne, Leo, Caza and Kalon sat at the small table, looking at Steel expectantly. Janon stood alone and apart from everyone else against a wall. Steel began pacing the way he had done back at the Razada House, massaging his forehead. He reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of parchment. Steel violently shoved bags off the table and laid out the parchment on the table. Ryo and Dimi got off the floor to observe, and saw it was a city map.
"This...is Camaria," Steel said, waving his hand over the entire map. The city was in a basic circular shape, with thousands of winding streets and alleys. But on the map were seven Xs, each a different color. The X at the center of the city was Green, and had 'Demon' written next to it. The six other Xs created a hexagon around the Ryo's Gate, all of equal distance from each other The northern most Gate at twelve o'clock was brown, and had 'Kalon' written next to it. The gate at approximately two o'clock had a Blue X labeled 'Dimi'. At Four o'clock was a Yellow X labeled 'Caza'. At the bottom of the map, near the southern part of the city was a light blue X labeled 'Janon'. A violet X labeled 'Roxanne' was at eight o'clock, and the last gate was in red, labeled 'Lion'. Each gate was well into the city, and nowhere near the edge.
"Each of these dots...represents one of the Seven Gates to the Heavens..." Steel said, pointing out every dot. Ryo couldn't read the map, but he got the general idea behind it. "We are here," Steel pointed at the very edge of the city, between the Wind and Ice Gates.
"Okay...so where do we go first?" Caza said, leaning on the table, memorizing all the important locations on the map.
"Which Gate first?" Ryo asked.
"Wait...won’t the Camarian Users come after us once they realize we're closing the Gates that give them power?" Dimi said, sounding serious.
"One would think..." Steel said. "But the Gates are surprisingly unprotected since they are fierce believers that the Six Angel Families would never turn on their own country. But I'm sure, once they realize someone's closing their Gates, they'll protect them with even more passion..."
"Then the smartest thing to do..." Leo said, his hand on his chin. "Would be to close the six Gates at the same time, then, immediately right after, close the Seven Gate..."
"You were the prodigy of the Razada House Lion..." Steel said, giving Leo a complementing look. "Each Gate is located inside a Cathedral on each of these sites. To close the Gate, a Descendant of an Angel will have to pour some of their energy into the portal, closing it. Each of us will split up into groups of two, and go to our respectable Gates...then, at the same time, on Midnight, the six of us will close the Gates, then, at 12:05, Ryo will close the final Gate...sealing them completely."
"It's a good plan," Kalon said, putting a cigarette into his mouth. "Then, at 12:10, we get the hell outta Camaria..."

Davis, Ken, Jim, Kyo, Taj, and Kaira all exited the building and stood outside.
"We should go find something to eat..." Davis said to Jim.
"Yeah...we're all gonna need our strength..." Jim said with a halfhearted laugh. Davis and Jim left into an alley, leaving Ken, Kyo, Taj and Kaira. The building was right on the outskirts of the city. A little ways off the road there was a field of yellow grass that went on to the Mountains in the south. Kyo began walking away into the field.
"I'll be out here..." Kyo said.
"I'll go with you..." Ken said, giving Taj a bad look as he followed Kyo into the open field.
"Do you wanna go check out the shops that way?" Kaira asked Taj, pointing in a random direction.
"Sure...as long as we don't get lost..." Taj mumbled, giving Kyo and Ken both bad looks in return.
Kyo and Ken walked into the field a long ways. Kyo looked back to make sure they were far enough away before stopping. "This should be fine," He said, stopping and untying his sapphire sword from his studded belt, and removing his trench coat.
"What are we doing out here exactly?" Ken said, removing his own coat.
"You saw Ryo earlier today..." Kyo said. "Steel managed to teach him how to summon Light, and Darkness. Now he can use eight Elements. I need to learn to do the same." Kyo raised his right fist, and struck the ground with all of his might, creating giant Earth spikes that ran along the ground at an unseen enemy. But the spikes weren't solid enough, and crumbled soon after being summoned. Kyo let off a frustrated sigh, and made a second attempt, to the same conclusion.
"You're trying too hard," Ken said when Kyo actually hit the ground with frustration. "Earth is different that the other Elements. It's harder to summon, so don't summon if you can avoid it. Instead, focus more on manipulating the Earth available to you. You'll only waste energy trying to summon new Earth to do your bidding." Ken knelt and placed his palms against the cold ground. He manipulated the Earth, creating spikes, and then cracking the ground in select places.
"I didn't come out here just to manipulate Earth..." Kyo said in a deep voice. "But it's still good to know."
"You want to learn Light?" Ken asked. "Then I'll have to do to you what Steel did to Ryo..." Ken stood upright and brushed his hands off.
"Just send attacks at me," Kyo said, bracing himself without his sword. "And I'll do my best to think of something happy...don't worry about not hitting me, I'll be able to take anything you throw."
Ken scoffed. "Then so will I," he said, taking his pose. They stood silent for a moment, waiting for the other to move. Ken threw both hands forward, sending a wave of rock and Earth towards Kyo. "Focus on something happy Kyo!" Ken yelled. Kyo ran at Ken, flipping over the wave. Ken sent another wave out at Kyo, and timed for the wave to be right under him when he landed. The second wave was faster and more jagged that the first when Kyo landed on it. He landed on his knees, and with his hands, pushed off a second time before the rocks could shatter with him on them.
In midair, Kyo tried focusing on something happy. He never had much in his life and thinking of something happy was more difficult for him. He focused on the few things that did make him feel happy, and attempted to summon the Light. At the same time, Kyo kept his focus on Ken and his onslaught of attacks.
Kyo spun around in the air, preparing for a spinning kick to Ken's head. Ken saw the attack coming, and moved out of the way, but Kyo still caught him across the shoulder. Ken flew back, but caught his balance, and blocked Kyo's next roundhouse kick with his forearm. Kyo sent a furious wave of various punches and kicks at Ken, but Ken blocked them all. Kyo cursed to himself, still trying to force himself to summon Light by focusing on a happy memory.
"Fight harder!" Ken yelled to Kyo as he blocked his attacks. "The only way this'll end is if you summon Light against me!"
Ken found a break in Kyo's attacks, and started his own barrage of punches and twirling kicks. Kyo struggled to block them all, while still pushing his mind to summon Light. Kyo realized Ken was more like his father than he thought. He had inherited his fighting style almost directly from Kalon.
Kyo managed to grab Ken's fist in midpunch. Kyo quickly placed one foot on Ken's chest, and kicked off, sending both of them flying in different directions. Ken landed on his knees but stumbled over. Kyo landed gracefully on his feet. Seeing an opening for an attack on Ken, Kyo slammed both fists into the ground, sending a wave of Earth spikes toward Ken.
Ken cursed at himself, and send his own wave of Earth spikes to counter Kyo's. Ken's wave exploded against Kyo's and both wave's died out. A cloud of dust remained from the collision, blocking Ken's view of Kyo.
"Dammit!" Kyo said quietly, his fists both crackling with Lightning Energy. Much of his energy had been poured into his spike attack. He forced his mind to focus on summoning Light, and he could almost sense it, but when he looked at his hand there was no Light.
"Come at me!" Kyo heard Ken's taunts somewhere. "Think about Kaira! Make her your source of energy!"
Kyo ran through the dust cloud towards where he predicted Ken was waiting for him. Ken came into view just feet in front of him. Kyo threw a harsh punch at Ken's neck, only to be caught by Ken's own hand. In return, Ken threw his own punch that Kyo caught. Each of them gripped each other’s fists, and stared into each other’s eyes, their gaze never faulting. Ken's gray eyes and Kyo's silver eyes. They both pressed against the other, trying to bring each other down.
Kyo let out a grunted yell, pushing the last of his energy into Ken's fists. A sudden, untamed sphere of white light erupted between them, then exploded, sending Ken and Kyo flying several feet back. Ken stood his ground, breathing heavily, still wary of Kyo.
"Oh shit...did I do that?" Kyo asked, mentioning the eruption of Light.
"Yeah...I think you did..." Ken said, flattening his slightly ruffled black hair. "Not bad...you're a good sparing partner..."

"Taj, how's this?" Kaira asked, holding up an outfit against herself for Taj to inspect. Taj looked away shyly.
"I told you, everything you wear looks good on you..." Kaira blushed slightly, looking at the black shirt and pants she was considering purchasing. She gathered the clothes and went to the salesman to pay for them.
"You don't need to flatter me Taj," Kaira said as the man checked the prices. "I already like you."
Taj checked the prices of Kaira's stuff. "You should wait to buy these," Taj said, throwing down the price tag. "Back in Hollow you can get these for less..."
"Hollow?" the clerk asked, raising an eyebrow. "You two are from Hollow?" Taj froze with fear. He tried desperately to think of some excuse to what he had just said, but none came to him.
"Here, keep the change!" Kaira said hastily giving the man her money. She grabbed Taj's hand and quickly led him away from the store. "Taj! Why'd you say Hollow?!" Kaira asked, looking back to see if they were being followed.
"You know me! Dimi's my father! I didn't think about things!" Taj said in his defense, but he knew it was probably worthless now. They quickly made their way back to the building their fathers were in. Outside, they saw Ken and Kyo.
"Kaira, what's wrong?" Kyo asked when he saw the worry on Kaira's face.
"Taj, he...?" Kaira's voice trailed off.
"What did you do now?!" Ken yelled at Taj. Taj looked down and rubbed his head.
"Well...I didn't say it word for word, but, uh...I kinda...told someone we were from Hollow..." Taj mumbled barely loud enough for Kyo and Ken to hear. "And Kaira was with me..."
"You idiot!" Ken hissed between his teeth. "Can't you do anything right for five minutes?!"
"It was an accident!" Taj yelled back, getting defensive. "What would you have done?!"
"You’re the only accident here! We wouldn't have blown out cover!" Kyo said angrily, taking Kaira and leading her inside. "Come on! You're telling everyone what you and your dumb ass did!" Ken shoved Taj inside after Kyo. Kyo practically kicked down the door to their room and shoved Taj inside. The eight adults in the room gave questioning stares.
"Tell them!" Ken ordered Taj.
"Tell us what?" Roxanne asked quietly, looking worried.
Taj took a deep shaky breath. Steel's dark maroon eyes were drilling holes in his soul. "Well..." Taj said nervously. "I kinda...let slip....that...we-were-from-Hollow."
"WHAT?!" multiple voices rang in unison. Taj flinched.
"What the hell is the matter with you?!" Kalon yelled, "We haven't been in Camaria half an hour and you're already telling people where we're from!"
"Who did you tell?!" Steel demanded, his metallic hand being replaced by a knife. "Who did you tell?!"
"It-it was this guy! At the store! He worked there!" Taj stammered through his words, taking a step back.
"Get out." Caza said in a serious voice. Taj stared at Caza, wondering if Caza was being serious. Caza punched the wall, making a hole the size of his fist. "GET OUT!!" Without another word, Taj ran out of the room.
"Goddamn it all!" Steel yelled, pushing over the table. He sighed, and leaned against the wall, considering their plan, and if it would even work anymore.
Davis and Jim opened the door slowly, both of them carrying bags. "What's wrong with Taj?" Davis asked.
"He blew our cover..." Ken said angrily. Davis and Jim exchanged looks.
"Well... we bought bento boxes...we didn't know what kind everyone wanted, so we just got a few of each..." Jim said in his polite voice. They set down the bags in the middle of the floor where the table had been. No one was in the mood to eat.
"Let's just eat..." Leo said. "We'll figure out what to do after..."
Dimi hurriedly went to the bento boxes and read the labels. He found the five boxes he was looking for, and brought them to where he, Ryo, Leo, Kalon, and Caza were sitting together in a corner. Slowly everyone else went to the boxes and got theirs until only one box for Taj was left.
"I got all of our favorites!" Dimi said, trying to cheer everyone up. He read the labels and gave everyone their box. "Ryo, you like the beef and rice, here, And the fish one, that's for you Leo. Caza, you like the chicken right? Here's your tempura Kalon! And dumplings for me!"
Everyone, even Kalon, gave Dimi a pathetic smile and they took their bento boxes. It was always in Dimi's nature to try and make the people around him feel better. Even when his own son was the reason for everyone's mood. Ryo opened his bento box but waited a moment before eating. He looked up around at everyone else. They all stared at each other, not eating their food. Caza, Kalon, and Dimi had always been friends since they had lived together at the orphanage when they were just kids, and they had all known Leo and Ryo since they first appeared in Hollow when they were all thirteen.
Ryo looked around the room at everyone else. Kaira was eating with Davis, Jim and Roxanne in another corner. Janon and Steel both ate alone, while Ken and Kyo leaned against a wall, eating in silence. Ryo turned back to his four friends, and looked back down at his food. They were all wondering the same thing. They were all wondering if they really could close the Seven Gates.
Dimi picked at his dumplings with a chopstick. He looked around at his five oldest friends, then got an idea. "Cheers!" Dimi said happily, holding up his bento box to clunk with someone. Kalon and Caza stared blankley at Dimi.
"You're such a corny idiot Dimi..." Ryo said, raising his box to clunk with Dimi. Dimi gave them all a big grin, then clapped his hands together.
"Itadakimasu!" He said happily, before stuffing a whole dumpling in his mouth. The other four mumbled their Itadakimasu's, then began eating. Ryo found himself stuffing as much beef and rice in his mouth as he could before swallowing. He glanced around and saw that Kalon, Caza, Leo and Dimi were all doing the same, stuffing their faces.
"Look at them," Roxanne said with a small laugh, watching Ryo and the others jam their mouths full, as though it was a competition to see who would finish first.
"Yeah, they all go way back..." Davis said, his mouth full of noodles.
Ryo, Kalon, Caza, Leo, and Dimi all continued stubbornly eating, ignoring the strange looks they were getting.