Disclaimer: I don't own our favorite Warriors, I just like to screw with
the original plot line.
Plot: This takes place after the last battle. Everything's explained in the story.
Warning: There will be slash/yaoi (whatever you want to call it) male/male relationships. If it's not your preference then run the other way, cause there are only a few straight relationships in here and they're in the Part II.
CHAPTER 1
Ryo and Zoë walked in the forest, ready to visit Ryo's friends who lived in a huge mansion at the top of this hill. Ryo hadn't used his power as a Ronin or even seen his friends for over two years. He had let his fine raven black hair grow out to his buttocks, and had adapted a totally new way of dress.
He now wore a velvet cloth that covered the top half of his chest and his arms with a skin tight cloth under that, like a tank top. Most of his chest could be seen, his hair was now a river of black, bound only by many layers of string, in a pony tail that shined beautifully. In the golden rays of the sun, silver could be seen illuminating a few strands of his long locks of black. His tiger blue eyes shined most of all. At the moment he wore baggy pants and boots.
Ryo only half worried about what his friends would think because if they didn't like him anymore it wouldn't crush him like it would have two years ago. Now he was stronger, and more independent than ever. Any anxiety he had of this reunion was wiped away as the soft kisses of the wind on his cheeks and skin soothed him, reassuringly.
At his side was Zoë. She loved Ryo because of his kindness and brave heart; he was very beautiful in her eyes. They had met some time ago before Ryo had left his friends, so his friends knew about Zoë, but didn't seem to approve of her.
Zoë wore a black velvet cloth tank top that covered her breasts and hooked around to tie behind her back under her shoulder blades. Her smooth flawless skin, like Ryo's glowed a mellow color in the sun. At the moment she also wore black pants, but her pants were tight, they ran into her black lace up boots. Zoë's eyes were a beautiful light baby blue color with a rim of black around the outside of her eyes. Zoë entranced many men with her eyes, but she didn't need to entrance Ryo, he liked her for the unselfish and graceful person she was.
They walked up to the house smiling. The sharp green blades of grass they sauntered on didn't even leave marks to prove they had walked there. Not a sound emanated from the long uncut grass to announce their arrival, they glided so softly over the yard. It was as if the wind caressed the ground they walked over. As Zoë walked new blades of grass sprouted from the ground and flowers bloomed. In Ryo's wake, no flower's bloomed, but he did walk as light as Zoë.
They reached the house, but didn't even have to knock on the door before it was opened.
A tall lanky fellow glared at them, his blue eyes blazing while he squinted from the bright shine the sun gave. It seemed that it wasn't the sun that shown so brightly though.
It was a beautiful autumn day and the sun was just setting. At first he was happy to see Ryo, but then he looked over them peculiarly. The man standing before them looked at their outfits oddly then looked toward the driveway. For a vehicle, Ryo guessed. He didn't greet them, but just stared. Another voice could be heard from inside, a soft velvety and slightly alarmed voice.
"Is that him?" Ryo knew all of these people, but Zoë hadn't bothered to get to know them since they hated her with a passion from the start. The man before them with the short, spiky, dark blue hair, was Rowen. He liked the stars and his hair seemed just as dark as the night itself, but Zoë liked Ryo's black hair more. Rowen couldn't stop staring at Ryo, looking him over oddly, but also entranced.
A blonde fellow with short hair came running up to the door with a frown on his face. Zoë thought that the frown didn't suit him after a once over. He was also quite tall, it didn't bother her, in any case.
"Ryo?" His mouth dropped open and he raised his blonde brow. Ryo smiled, pretending to cough.
"Did you get the message I was coming for a visit?" He wondered. This blonde tall man, Seiji, nodded after a moment of gawking at Ryo and Zoë. He seemed rather fixated on their outfits, while he was rather distinguished in his slacks and illustrious shirt.
"Uh, yeah. Come in." Seiji moved out of the way and gestured for them to enter.
Ryo let Zoë in before himself and she forced a smile walking into the clean house. It reeked of beer –covered up by aerosol- to her sensitive nose. She assumed they had cleaned it beforehand, but she knew that it was only for the occasion of Ryo's return that they had done this. Ryo walked in after Zoë with only a glance to the two next to the door. His feet didn't make impressions in the carpet at all, like the grass. He walked straight ahead, knowing he was headed to the living room.
The house hadn't changed really at all since he had last been there. The walls were still a dim cream color, the place just looked more lived in, and –he was surprised to find- clean.
Zoë had stayed in the doorway to the living room, awaiting Ryo's entry, and not wanting to get on Ryo's friends bad side. She wanted him to have a lovely time visiting his friends.
The living room was a relaxing cream color with one couch, a love seat, and three extra arm chairs. A fireplace was on one side of the room, the TV was situated on the opposite against the wall.
In the living room their were five other people in chairs and one large tiger, which was already very alert to Zoë, but as soon as Ryo entered the room the tiger lunged from his place near the fire, toward them. Ryo's reflexes were swifter than the tigers and he dodged the beast, smiling, as it came toward him again. He gracefully turned to the tiger and pet his head respectfully.
"Hey, White Blaze." Ryo turned back to the other people in the room while White blaze rubbed against his leg and licked Zoë's hand simultaneously.
Zoë walked over to a nearby round coffee table, in the back of the room –near the fireplace- and sat on it gracefully without making one protest from the floor. Ryo went over to stand near her as Rowen and Seiji walked back into the room and leaned on the walls staring at the two new arrivals like everyone else.
"Ryo?" A young man with auburn hair stood up from a large couch on the left side of the room and smiled opening his arm as he walked over to Ryo. He hugged his friend, tears rising in his eyes, but he banished them, and Ryo smiled hugging him back, tenderly.
"It's been a while, Sye." Ryo whispered into his friends ear. Sye pulled away looking up into Ryo's eyes. Ryo was taller than him by a few good inches and much more muscular than before. His abdomen caught Sye's attention when he had hugged his life long friend.
"Too long." Sye whispered back smiling, he was reluctant to let go of Ryo, but he did and took a few steps back. "What's with the outfit?" He questioned, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence the new wardrobe was causing. Six pairs of ears perked up to hear the answer to this one. Ryo glared at Zoë, momentarily thinking about how he should answer this. He chose his words carefully and answered the question:
"You remember Zoë of course." Ryo gestured to his companion on the table who looked around the room and nodded. She looked back at Ryo wondering how he would word the answer as well. "I had gone to join her on a quest of adventure when I left. Things were just too quiet around here I suppose. We went to a lot of desolate regions of the world and met many clans and races of all sorts. It's kind of just an adaptation of each of their apparel. I haven't really been in many cities at all so it didn't matter how I dressed. In short, this was just most comfortable."
Ryo glanced at everyone around the room as they accepted the answer, then to Zoë who thought about it and nodded agreeing that it was stretching the truth, but still the truth. She smiled at his analogy and scratched behind White Blaze's ears after he had stopped licking her hand.
White Blaze had always been fond of Zoë, though Ryo's friends weren't. He understood her odd behavior more than even Ryo did sometimes. Another friend of Ryo's stood. {Mostly they all wore casual clothes, though more new than old.} He had green hair and small eyes, his name was Sekmet. Zoë glared at him, a shot of distrust suddenly running through her veins.
"Ryo, it is good to see you after these last two years." He smiled, but Zoë still didn't like him. Ryo walked closer to Zoë and touched her knee. Her short blonde hair had been flaring in her sudden anger. She glanced at him and looked at her lap calming down.
Ryo waited for Zoë to be alright before looking up to his friend Sekmet.
"Yes, it is very good to see you all. What have you been up to whilst I was absent?" Sekmet glared at Sye who shrugged and they both sighed.
Zoë looked around to all of them then up at Ryo.
"I should leave you alone to speak with your comrades." Zoë sighed and stood up, bowing her head ever so slightly to Ryo before leaving. Ryo watched her walk out the door and White Blaze ran after her, excited to play with Zoë.
"Is there something you would all like to ask me? It seems like you have something to say that troubles you about my presence." They all seemed to sigh in distress, but Ryo looked at Sye for an answer.
"It's just, you seem different." Sye spouted off quickly, almost in defense, then he thought for a moment. Ryo was letting him speak, he had never really done that before. "You talk different and you dress weird, and you even look like you've been through a huge maturing process, but it also seems pretty obvious you're hiding something. What have you really been doing the last two years of your life? In detail." Sye tried not to look into Ryo's eyes until he was done, but Ryo's eyes weren't angry.
He seemed very gentle if anything else. His eyes were so calming and tender. Sye wanted to melt to the floor, he felt so much lower on the food chain than Ryo, like he didn't deserve to be in Ryo's presence almost.
Ryo closed his eyes and sat on the table Zoë had sat on. Considering his weight and height the table should have tipped over, but it stayed put, not even groaning in protest. This shocked those who noticed.
"That, my friend, is an extremely long story, if you wish it to be in detail. Where should I start?" Ryo stared at all of their beautiful lean faces before starting. "The day I left here I was very bored and I had a lot of contained energy to rid myself of. I had met Zoë only a few days before, but I knew I would learn a lot from her. She had so much knowledge about everything. She was and is beautiful, smart, strong, and she knew so much about the universe that seemed so simple and plain. It was like it was in front of my face all this time, but I hadn't ever noticed it until she put it into words, and what beautiful words, flowing off her lips in the most cunning and quick of analogies. I loved her speech. It was as if she were a noble, lofty person of royalty, so I adapted her speech pattern.
"I was mesmerized by her words and stories of adventure and power. I wanted to go on adventures with her and when I shared my interests with Zoë she decided to take me on her next journey. I was thrilled, but also afraid about how you would all take it. She convinced me to be strong and to be independent and it was one of the most important things she had ever taught me.
"Ever since becoming a Ronin I've learned to believe in the impossible, but Zoë just showed me all these things that I would have never guessed existed. She told me of dragons she had vanquished and warriors she had fought. I almost laughed in her face, but she merely smiled and nodded with unlimited patients. After that she showed me proof that things like dragons, gargoyles, and angels existed. I laughed no more. I met a dragon that she had befriended a while back after saving his life. It all boggled my mind, but I loved it." Ryo closed his eyes sighing happily.
"Angels? Ryo you don't honestly believe in angels do you?" Rowen questioned raising his brow. Ryo smiled patiently, he had been waiting for the denial.
"I had said that same thing to her once she brought up the subject, but I was soon a believer." Ryo smiled remembering past explorations he had gone on with angels. He remembered his first flight on another angels back. He started to drift off into his own world, but he brought himself back and smiled embarrassed slightly. "Sorry. Please understand, I can not prove that all of these creatures exist to you and I know you probably don't believe me so if you want me to stop I will. It doesn't matter to me whether you all believe, but you wanted to know what I was keeping from you, this is basically it."
"Let me get this straight." Another man stood up from the couch. He seemed a heavy set man with grayish blue hair. "You want us to believe you've been hanging around angels all this time. Dueling with dragons have you?" This man laughed.
Still full of patients for the ignorance his friends had, he smiled still and continued.
"Yes, actually I have." He whispered and his eyes fell on this man, Kento, who shrank back totally out of line. Kento sat back onto the couch and waited for the story to finish. "I traveled with Zoë's coven of friends. We've wandered to vast places of rich earth that grows the strongest and most beautiful of foliage I have ever laid eyes on. We lived in the grandest form of a tree house you'll ever see. This palazzo of trees and the most beautiful and extravagant nymphs that ever lived. I was spoiled for the longest time and taught of the great battles of the past that mortals don't know about or understand. It explained so much. Zoë told me about how some bad nymphs that could turn invisible and made their home near civilizations to either terrorize those people or convince them that they were gods and rule over them. Some of it is really funny." Ryo crossed his legs seeing the image of one of the little pests that he had helped Zoë catch. It had scared his leg deeply, but Ryo had been proud of the wound, he would never have a funnier story to tell them.
Opening his eyes he saw several disbelievers, but most the expression that made him know they didn't believe him. They thought he was mad and perhaps he was, he laughed. With all of the things he had seen, he had even thought that he himself had gone mad at times. He wasn't about to stick around for this though.
"You don't believe me?" He questioned resting his hands on the table ready to push off. After a minute of quiet Ryo sighed, he started to say something, but stopped and leapt five feet away from the table and took wide steps to the door.
"Hey, where you going!?"
"Kento, you probably wont ever understand the wonderful things that have happened to me. I only wanted to see you all again. I've changed quite a bit over last two years and so have you all. I've seen you all and you've seen me, we've associated, I call that a visit. I'm leaving." Ryo opened the door and closed it behind himself. There was only a moments' hesitation before they all started to run for the door and they all burst out of it.
Ryo was walking toward Zoë who leaned against a tree adjacent from the garage. White Blaze was snuggled up to her feet, but he jumped up when he saw Ryo. Ryo's friends came running out of the house. They had all missed Ryo and were not about to let him just leave. He had been their leader and when he had left, a part of them had left with him.
"Aren't you going to stay longer?" Zoë questioned loud enough for Ryo's friends to hear her. She glanced at the crowd, behind him, then focused on Ryo.
He shook his head and Zoë shrugged.
"Not much of a visit. Was it even worth the time?" She questioned and he shook his head. Ryo pet White Blaze's head then gestured to the road, for them to leave.
"Don't leave!" Rowen yelled out just as they caught up to him. "Ryo, its nothing personally against you because we don't believe in little fairies and angels, is it?" Ryo sighed and nodded to Zoë. He closed his eyes and bent over slightly. Pushing with all his might, his back stretched making two humps, then suddenly the humps opened his skin to reveal two glossy white wings.
He stretched his body and wings together as one with a sigh of relief.
"It is personal." Ryo sighed as they all gawked, their mouths open.
"Ryo! You have wings!" Sye gasped, stating the obvious.
"Yes." Zoë answered taking a step forward, she put her hand on Ryo's hip and glared at his friends. They all felt very small compared to their friend. He looked like such a fragile beauty now, but it was like he were royalty and they were peasants that could never measure up to him. "Ryo saved the life of an angel and was granted the ability to fly and become a part of our clan. So it was fairly accurate when he said that he had acquired the new form of dress from other clans."
"Wait." Kento gasped turning to her. "You... you're a... just like..." Kento stuttered. Zoë nodded putting her arms in front of her. She tilted her head back gracefully and her wings appeared much the same way as Ryo only more easily.
Seiji now saw more of a reason for their clothes looking like they did. The clothes were made especially so their wings would be brought forth without tearing any cloth and without making it any harder on the angel.
White Blaze looked like he was bowing his head slightly to Zoë who bowed back.
"We should probably check in with Orion before it gets too dark. It will take us a while to return to him." Zoë whispered getting closer to Ryo who nodded.
"We have to go for now, but I will return again tomorrow, that is if you still want me here?" Ryo raised an eyebrow and looked at his seven friends who all nodded furiously.
With a good-bye to White blaze, Zoë leapt off the ground and started flying away. She turned back to Ryo after soaring fifty feet up or so as if she were a bird, so graceful.
Ryo waved good-bye to his friends then pushed off the ground as well and flew up to Zoë who kissed his forehead and they took off.
"Oh, my gosh!" Sye whispered devastated.
Plot: This takes place after the last battle. Everything's explained in the story.
Warning: There will be slash/yaoi (whatever you want to call it) male/male relationships. If it's not your preference then run the other way, cause there are only a few straight relationships in here and they're in the Part II.
CHAPTER 1
Ryo and Zoë walked in the forest, ready to visit Ryo's friends who lived in a huge mansion at the top of this hill. Ryo hadn't used his power as a Ronin or even seen his friends for over two years. He had let his fine raven black hair grow out to his buttocks, and had adapted a totally new way of dress.
He now wore a velvet cloth that covered the top half of his chest and his arms with a skin tight cloth under that, like a tank top. Most of his chest could be seen, his hair was now a river of black, bound only by many layers of string, in a pony tail that shined beautifully. In the golden rays of the sun, silver could be seen illuminating a few strands of his long locks of black. His tiger blue eyes shined most of all. At the moment he wore baggy pants and boots.
Ryo only half worried about what his friends would think because if they didn't like him anymore it wouldn't crush him like it would have two years ago. Now he was stronger, and more independent than ever. Any anxiety he had of this reunion was wiped away as the soft kisses of the wind on his cheeks and skin soothed him, reassuringly.
At his side was Zoë. She loved Ryo because of his kindness and brave heart; he was very beautiful in her eyes. They had met some time ago before Ryo had left his friends, so his friends knew about Zoë, but didn't seem to approve of her.
Zoë wore a black velvet cloth tank top that covered her breasts and hooked around to tie behind her back under her shoulder blades. Her smooth flawless skin, like Ryo's glowed a mellow color in the sun. At the moment she also wore black pants, but her pants were tight, they ran into her black lace up boots. Zoë's eyes were a beautiful light baby blue color with a rim of black around the outside of her eyes. Zoë entranced many men with her eyes, but she didn't need to entrance Ryo, he liked her for the unselfish and graceful person she was.
They walked up to the house smiling. The sharp green blades of grass they sauntered on didn't even leave marks to prove they had walked there. Not a sound emanated from the long uncut grass to announce their arrival, they glided so softly over the yard. It was as if the wind caressed the ground they walked over. As Zoë walked new blades of grass sprouted from the ground and flowers bloomed. In Ryo's wake, no flower's bloomed, but he did walk as light as Zoë.
They reached the house, but didn't even have to knock on the door before it was opened.
A tall lanky fellow glared at them, his blue eyes blazing while he squinted from the bright shine the sun gave. It seemed that it wasn't the sun that shown so brightly though.
It was a beautiful autumn day and the sun was just setting. At first he was happy to see Ryo, but then he looked over them peculiarly. The man standing before them looked at their outfits oddly then looked toward the driveway. For a vehicle, Ryo guessed. He didn't greet them, but just stared. Another voice could be heard from inside, a soft velvety and slightly alarmed voice.
"Is that him?" Ryo knew all of these people, but Zoë hadn't bothered to get to know them since they hated her with a passion from the start. The man before them with the short, spiky, dark blue hair, was Rowen. He liked the stars and his hair seemed just as dark as the night itself, but Zoë liked Ryo's black hair more. Rowen couldn't stop staring at Ryo, looking him over oddly, but also entranced.
A blonde fellow with short hair came running up to the door with a frown on his face. Zoë thought that the frown didn't suit him after a once over. He was also quite tall, it didn't bother her, in any case.
"Ryo?" His mouth dropped open and he raised his blonde brow. Ryo smiled, pretending to cough.
"Did you get the message I was coming for a visit?" He wondered. This blonde tall man, Seiji, nodded after a moment of gawking at Ryo and Zoë. He seemed rather fixated on their outfits, while he was rather distinguished in his slacks and illustrious shirt.
"Uh, yeah. Come in." Seiji moved out of the way and gestured for them to enter.
Ryo let Zoë in before himself and she forced a smile walking into the clean house. It reeked of beer –covered up by aerosol- to her sensitive nose. She assumed they had cleaned it beforehand, but she knew that it was only for the occasion of Ryo's return that they had done this. Ryo walked in after Zoë with only a glance to the two next to the door. His feet didn't make impressions in the carpet at all, like the grass. He walked straight ahead, knowing he was headed to the living room.
The house hadn't changed really at all since he had last been there. The walls were still a dim cream color, the place just looked more lived in, and –he was surprised to find- clean.
Zoë had stayed in the doorway to the living room, awaiting Ryo's entry, and not wanting to get on Ryo's friends bad side. She wanted him to have a lovely time visiting his friends.
The living room was a relaxing cream color with one couch, a love seat, and three extra arm chairs. A fireplace was on one side of the room, the TV was situated on the opposite against the wall.
In the living room their were five other people in chairs and one large tiger, which was already very alert to Zoë, but as soon as Ryo entered the room the tiger lunged from his place near the fire, toward them. Ryo's reflexes were swifter than the tigers and he dodged the beast, smiling, as it came toward him again. He gracefully turned to the tiger and pet his head respectfully.
"Hey, White Blaze." Ryo turned back to the other people in the room while White blaze rubbed against his leg and licked Zoë's hand simultaneously.
Zoë walked over to a nearby round coffee table, in the back of the room –near the fireplace- and sat on it gracefully without making one protest from the floor. Ryo went over to stand near her as Rowen and Seiji walked back into the room and leaned on the walls staring at the two new arrivals like everyone else.
"Ryo?" A young man with auburn hair stood up from a large couch on the left side of the room and smiled opening his arm as he walked over to Ryo. He hugged his friend, tears rising in his eyes, but he banished them, and Ryo smiled hugging him back, tenderly.
"It's been a while, Sye." Ryo whispered into his friends ear. Sye pulled away looking up into Ryo's eyes. Ryo was taller than him by a few good inches and much more muscular than before. His abdomen caught Sye's attention when he had hugged his life long friend.
"Too long." Sye whispered back smiling, he was reluctant to let go of Ryo, but he did and took a few steps back. "What's with the outfit?" He questioned, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence the new wardrobe was causing. Six pairs of ears perked up to hear the answer to this one. Ryo glared at Zoë, momentarily thinking about how he should answer this. He chose his words carefully and answered the question:
"You remember Zoë of course." Ryo gestured to his companion on the table who looked around the room and nodded. She looked back at Ryo wondering how he would word the answer as well. "I had gone to join her on a quest of adventure when I left. Things were just too quiet around here I suppose. We went to a lot of desolate regions of the world and met many clans and races of all sorts. It's kind of just an adaptation of each of their apparel. I haven't really been in many cities at all so it didn't matter how I dressed. In short, this was just most comfortable."
Ryo glanced at everyone around the room as they accepted the answer, then to Zoë who thought about it and nodded agreeing that it was stretching the truth, but still the truth. She smiled at his analogy and scratched behind White Blaze's ears after he had stopped licking her hand.
White Blaze had always been fond of Zoë, though Ryo's friends weren't. He understood her odd behavior more than even Ryo did sometimes. Another friend of Ryo's stood. {Mostly they all wore casual clothes, though more new than old.} He had green hair and small eyes, his name was Sekmet. Zoë glared at him, a shot of distrust suddenly running through her veins.
"Ryo, it is good to see you after these last two years." He smiled, but Zoë still didn't like him. Ryo walked closer to Zoë and touched her knee. Her short blonde hair had been flaring in her sudden anger. She glanced at him and looked at her lap calming down.
Ryo waited for Zoë to be alright before looking up to his friend Sekmet.
"Yes, it is very good to see you all. What have you been up to whilst I was absent?" Sekmet glared at Sye who shrugged and they both sighed.
Zoë looked around to all of them then up at Ryo.
"I should leave you alone to speak with your comrades." Zoë sighed and stood up, bowing her head ever so slightly to Ryo before leaving. Ryo watched her walk out the door and White Blaze ran after her, excited to play with Zoë.
"Is there something you would all like to ask me? It seems like you have something to say that troubles you about my presence." They all seemed to sigh in distress, but Ryo looked at Sye for an answer.
"It's just, you seem different." Sye spouted off quickly, almost in defense, then he thought for a moment. Ryo was letting him speak, he had never really done that before. "You talk different and you dress weird, and you even look like you've been through a huge maturing process, but it also seems pretty obvious you're hiding something. What have you really been doing the last two years of your life? In detail." Sye tried not to look into Ryo's eyes until he was done, but Ryo's eyes weren't angry.
He seemed very gentle if anything else. His eyes were so calming and tender. Sye wanted to melt to the floor, he felt so much lower on the food chain than Ryo, like he didn't deserve to be in Ryo's presence almost.
Ryo closed his eyes and sat on the table Zoë had sat on. Considering his weight and height the table should have tipped over, but it stayed put, not even groaning in protest. This shocked those who noticed.
"That, my friend, is an extremely long story, if you wish it to be in detail. Where should I start?" Ryo stared at all of their beautiful lean faces before starting. "The day I left here I was very bored and I had a lot of contained energy to rid myself of. I had met Zoë only a few days before, but I knew I would learn a lot from her. She had so much knowledge about everything. She was and is beautiful, smart, strong, and she knew so much about the universe that seemed so simple and plain. It was like it was in front of my face all this time, but I hadn't ever noticed it until she put it into words, and what beautiful words, flowing off her lips in the most cunning and quick of analogies. I loved her speech. It was as if she were a noble, lofty person of royalty, so I adapted her speech pattern.
"I was mesmerized by her words and stories of adventure and power. I wanted to go on adventures with her and when I shared my interests with Zoë she decided to take me on her next journey. I was thrilled, but also afraid about how you would all take it. She convinced me to be strong and to be independent and it was one of the most important things she had ever taught me.
"Ever since becoming a Ronin I've learned to believe in the impossible, but Zoë just showed me all these things that I would have never guessed existed. She told me of dragons she had vanquished and warriors she had fought. I almost laughed in her face, but she merely smiled and nodded with unlimited patients. After that she showed me proof that things like dragons, gargoyles, and angels existed. I laughed no more. I met a dragon that she had befriended a while back after saving his life. It all boggled my mind, but I loved it." Ryo closed his eyes sighing happily.
"Angels? Ryo you don't honestly believe in angels do you?" Rowen questioned raising his brow. Ryo smiled patiently, he had been waiting for the denial.
"I had said that same thing to her once she brought up the subject, but I was soon a believer." Ryo smiled remembering past explorations he had gone on with angels. He remembered his first flight on another angels back. He started to drift off into his own world, but he brought himself back and smiled embarrassed slightly. "Sorry. Please understand, I can not prove that all of these creatures exist to you and I know you probably don't believe me so if you want me to stop I will. It doesn't matter to me whether you all believe, but you wanted to know what I was keeping from you, this is basically it."
"Let me get this straight." Another man stood up from the couch. He seemed a heavy set man with grayish blue hair. "You want us to believe you've been hanging around angels all this time. Dueling with dragons have you?" This man laughed.
Still full of patients for the ignorance his friends had, he smiled still and continued.
"Yes, actually I have." He whispered and his eyes fell on this man, Kento, who shrank back totally out of line. Kento sat back onto the couch and waited for the story to finish. "I traveled with Zoë's coven of friends. We've wandered to vast places of rich earth that grows the strongest and most beautiful of foliage I have ever laid eyes on. We lived in the grandest form of a tree house you'll ever see. This palazzo of trees and the most beautiful and extravagant nymphs that ever lived. I was spoiled for the longest time and taught of the great battles of the past that mortals don't know about or understand. It explained so much. Zoë told me about how some bad nymphs that could turn invisible and made their home near civilizations to either terrorize those people or convince them that they were gods and rule over them. Some of it is really funny." Ryo crossed his legs seeing the image of one of the little pests that he had helped Zoë catch. It had scared his leg deeply, but Ryo had been proud of the wound, he would never have a funnier story to tell them.
Opening his eyes he saw several disbelievers, but most the expression that made him know they didn't believe him. They thought he was mad and perhaps he was, he laughed. With all of the things he had seen, he had even thought that he himself had gone mad at times. He wasn't about to stick around for this though.
"You don't believe me?" He questioned resting his hands on the table ready to push off. After a minute of quiet Ryo sighed, he started to say something, but stopped and leapt five feet away from the table and took wide steps to the door.
"Hey, where you going!?"
"Kento, you probably wont ever understand the wonderful things that have happened to me. I only wanted to see you all again. I've changed quite a bit over last two years and so have you all. I've seen you all and you've seen me, we've associated, I call that a visit. I'm leaving." Ryo opened the door and closed it behind himself. There was only a moments' hesitation before they all started to run for the door and they all burst out of it.
Ryo was walking toward Zoë who leaned against a tree adjacent from the garage. White Blaze was snuggled up to her feet, but he jumped up when he saw Ryo. Ryo's friends came running out of the house. They had all missed Ryo and were not about to let him just leave. He had been their leader and when he had left, a part of them had left with him.
"Aren't you going to stay longer?" Zoë questioned loud enough for Ryo's friends to hear her. She glanced at the crowd, behind him, then focused on Ryo.
He shook his head and Zoë shrugged.
"Not much of a visit. Was it even worth the time?" She questioned and he shook his head. Ryo pet White Blaze's head then gestured to the road, for them to leave.
"Don't leave!" Rowen yelled out just as they caught up to him. "Ryo, its nothing personally against you because we don't believe in little fairies and angels, is it?" Ryo sighed and nodded to Zoë. He closed his eyes and bent over slightly. Pushing with all his might, his back stretched making two humps, then suddenly the humps opened his skin to reveal two glossy white wings.
He stretched his body and wings together as one with a sigh of relief.
"It is personal." Ryo sighed as they all gawked, their mouths open.
"Ryo! You have wings!" Sye gasped, stating the obvious.
"Yes." Zoë answered taking a step forward, she put her hand on Ryo's hip and glared at his friends. They all felt very small compared to their friend. He looked like such a fragile beauty now, but it was like he were royalty and they were peasants that could never measure up to him. "Ryo saved the life of an angel and was granted the ability to fly and become a part of our clan. So it was fairly accurate when he said that he had acquired the new form of dress from other clans."
"Wait." Kento gasped turning to her. "You... you're a... just like..." Kento stuttered. Zoë nodded putting her arms in front of her. She tilted her head back gracefully and her wings appeared much the same way as Ryo only more easily.
Seiji now saw more of a reason for their clothes looking like they did. The clothes were made especially so their wings would be brought forth without tearing any cloth and without making it any harder on the angel.
White Blaze looked like he was bowing his head slightly to Zoë who bowed back.
"We should probably check in with Orion before it gets too dark. It will take us a while to return to him." Zoë whispered getting closer to Ryo who nodded.
"We have to go for now, but I will return again tomorrow, that is if you still want me here?" Ryo raised an eyebrow and looked at his seven friends who all nodded furiously.
With a good-bye to White blaze, Zoë leapt off the ground and started flying away. She turned back to Ryo after soaring fifty feet up or so as if she were a bird, so graceful.
Ryo waved good-bye to his friends then pushed off the ground as well and flew up to Zoë who kissed his forehead and they took off.
"Oh, my gosh!" Sye whispered devastated.