~Is this what I am meant to be?~

The steady drip of blood splattering on worn stones, weeping from open wounds as though the gods themselves had reached a clawed finger down from the heavens to drag it across a pulsing vein. Steaming heat rising in a room chilled, but its occupants couldn't feel the numbing cold.

The drip echoed in his mind as he stared at the austere looking glass before him, so out of place in his traditional Japanese mind. Clear glass holding a silver backing, showing what was to be seen with startling clarity. He felt like that silver backing, reflecting the world with his illusions but never truly seen for what he was.

~Illusion is cruel.~

A wondering hand slowly raised itself in the stark image, lightly touching a chin that looked berry stained. Soft lips, like rose petals, seemed dry but as detached from his body as real petals under the questing fingers. A smooth elongated canine rested against those inhuman lips.

~This is reality. This is me.~

A pale blue eye blinked sluggishly as though the weight of the world rested on that single blue-veined lid. Wispy white hair was tangled with rusty dried blood, like a spider's web snarled in the breeze around an insect's corpse.

He was. . .different, now. Not filled with the ethereal longevity of Arago, but something else. Something more base and bestial that robbed his spirit of words and inspiration. Primal. This was the first moment of self-awareness since yesterday, and he felt the shiver of fear run through his body.

~This is what I have become?~

Horror made his gorge rise as he stared at another image reflected back at him. Auburn hair, not quite the startling deep red of his love's, was nestled deep within the satin sheets of the four poster bed. An elegant arm draped limply over the bed's edge, other limbs entwined in the black sheets as their bodies had been earlier.

From the tip of one slender finger came the echoing drips of life, slowly leaking away between the cracks in the ancient stone floor. Candles that burned without melting cast an eerie shadow across Suiko's pale back. The Ronin was barely breathing.

~What have I done?~

His chest burned suddenly, taking his breath away and causing him to double over in its intensity. His insides felt like they were melting away, coagulating into a solid lump of burning swollen flesh that sat heavily inside his rib cage. His hands clenched the antique washstand before him convulsively.

~I am a warrior. I feel no pain. I feel no pain. I feel-~

A slicing stab of agony hit him full force and he knocked the washstand over. Reflexive tears leaked from his eyes as he gasped for breath with lungs he wasn't even sure were there. His mind was a haze of pain, discorporate and losing itself in itself. He was battered by the burning, the pain was slowly winding itself tighter and tighter around him, trapping him-

~Blood will set you free.~

It wasn't his voice anymore, but a warm insinuating one weaving its way through his thoughts and pain until it was the only thing he could hear or see.

~Blood will set you free.~

"NO!" He cried hoarsely. "I will not take his life! I will not bow to you!"

~I am your master now, illusion maker.~

"NO!"

~I can take away your anguish, make your life as it used to be, just surrender to me. Give yourself to me and the pain will go away. You can be with Shuten once more, laughing and loving on warm carefree days. You will be reunited with your love-~

Rayjura felt his armor's power tugging at his senses like an electric shock, interrupting the voice. He was angry and ready to kill. He let the battle-lust take over his senses and drive the blackness out. His soul was his, not a thing to be chained and controlled. Never again would he suffer that indignity.

"No." He stated with more control, his subarmor answering his summons to cradle his abused body. The rage took over- He would not let harm come to the Ronin; he would not destroy that wistful innocence.

~You already have. With just a little bit more, he will be mine, just as you are. . .~ The voice whispered gleefully.

"I will not turn him over to you," The words were wrenched from the depths of his clouded soul. "You will not command me, demon."

The full Armor of Illusion came rushing forth, but he feared it was too late.

*****************************

"Where are they?!" Shu's voice was a furious roar as he charged into Naaza's auto shop. Morning commuters passing outside gave him wary glances and hurried on their way.

"What now?" Naaza snapped in annoyance, turning from an intense conversation with Anubis to confront the latest interloper.

"I saw him go with that illusion-weaving son of a-"

"Kongo!" Anubis cut him off. "Calm yourself. Who are you speaking of?"

"Don't tell me what to do, you Netherworld scum. And I'm talking about Shin! I saw Rayjura take him, now tell me where they are!" Shu's face was furious, his blood singing with anger and looking to fight.

Shin was missing from their link, suddenly cut off from him in the middle of the night. He knew Rayjura was responsible for it- He had followed Shin to the coffee shop, intending to talk further, but Rayjura had gotten to him first. It was obvious who Shin wanted to be with at the moment, so he had started walking away, but not before he saw them disappear into the alley.

"We're trying to figure that out, too, Ronin." Anubis answered from between clenched teeth.

"You mean ~you~ are trying to figure that out, Anubis," Naaza growled and turned away from both of them, cutting off protests. "I really could care less. Now, if you'll get the fuck out of my shop, I'd like to get to work."

Anubis growled back while Shu quietly fumed. Apparently this had been the topic of the conversation he walked in on, with Anubis trying to get the unfeeling snake to lend a hand. Frustration flared and he wanted them both to hurt and be as afraid as he was. Maybe if goaded, they would let something slip. So, he snorted in disgust.

"Guess you Warlords have even less loyalty to each other than I thought," Shu taunted with a smirk. The cocky anger of the war came back to him, memories of insults given on the battlefield.

"That's not true, Shu, and you know it." Anubis shot back at him, disarming him with the depth of feeling and worry in those canine-like eyes. "None of us are thinking straight at the moment. We need to just calm down and think about this."

"My thinking is perfectly rational, Anubis." Naaza turned on him with a snarl, obviously more affected by the situation than he was willing to admit.

"Then why won't you help?! You know him better than anyone!"

Shu thought he saw a flash of jealousy in Anubis' eyes as he spoke. He looked to Naaza, but the warlord just gave a bitter smile.

"I know him well enough to let him rot in whatever pit of self-pity he's decided to slink to now." Naaza pushed a strand of green hair out of his eyes and picked up a socket wrench, turning away to a car with its hood open. "He'll come back when he's ready."

"I understand his morbid obsession even less than you do, but the fact that neither of us can sense him anymore doesn't concern you? He's never done this before!" Anubis looked like he wanted to throttle the Warlord of Venom. "And I'm guessing whatever he's done now, he's brought Suiko into it if Shu is correct."

Naaza's shoulders tensed under his black shirt. "And ~I'm~ guessing Suiko went willingly then, if Kongo is only worried about it this morning." The words were meant to be sarcastic, but he couldn't hide the bleakness behind them.

"Yeah, he did." Shu whispered, an alien part of his heart feeling like it had just been sucker-punched. He was confused. Why should it matter to him? He had rejected Shin's advances, but he loved him and as his best-friend he wanted to protect him. The sucking void left behind in the link just didn't feel right; something was seriously wrong.

"Oh, for crying out loud-" Anubis yelled in frustration, but stopped himself by taking a deep breath and obviously controlling his temper. "You know what, Naaza? Forget it. I don't need your help. I'll find him myself."

With that, he stormed out of the garage. Shu hesitated, staring at Naaza's tense back side for a moment, then followed the warlord who might actually help him.

After they left, Naaza released a pain-filled breath. Didn't they understand? Rayjura didn't want anyone's help. He was content to wither away in the Netherworld, pining over a man dead for five years.

His eyes closed tightly at the remembered pain of Rayjura's rejection. The beautiful poet had just stood there, not even seeing him while Naaza tried to bring some life back into his world. The two were occasional lovers after the war, but Naaza wanted more. He wanted to make love and know that he was the one Rayjura was thinking of. He wanted some sort of affection bestowed upon him, not just weak smiles. He wanted Rayjura to just talk to him and treat him as an equal, to share their dreams. He wanted. . .

He wanted too much. He couldn't compete with a ghost.

Now he had nothing. And he couldn't move on with his life, much like Rayjura. At least he had his own business now, and interacted with people every once in a while. Okay, he was anti-social. But at least he didn't sit in the Netherworld and wait for death.

He didn't care anymore. Obviously Suiko had done what no one else could and caught Rayjura's eye. It made sense in a way- the Ronin had always seemed gentle and soft-spoken, yet vibrant and intense. Naaza barely knew him, but he seemed a match for Rayjura.

Sure, why not.

A laugh much like the old one escaped his lips- the one from when he was Arago's pet and insane with power and anger.

Karma. It all came down to Karma. Naaza wasn't religious but he believed in a cosmic justice, one that wouldn't let crazy bastards like himself rest easy at night because all their misdeeds came back to them thricefold. It was what they deserved.

*****************************

"Stupid sonuva bitch too damned bitter to think about anyone else-" Anubis was stalking briskly down the sidewalk less than a block away when Shu caught up with him.

"Hey- you gonna help us or not?" Shu decided being direct would probably work best at this point. He wasn't very persuasive like Seiji, or logical like Touma, so a sledgehammer would have to do.

Pausing abruptly, Anubis turned to look at him. "Fine- let's compare notes. I lost contact with Rayjura yesterday afternoon. And I mean complete contact- Not even a sense of living. I checked his room at the palace last night and this morning, but no one's been there. My only guess is that he's in the Netherworld somewhere, because the connection's stronger when we're on the same plane. Now your turn."

"Um-" Thrown off by the quick capitulation and information, Shu struggled to catch up. "Shin and I had a disagreement last night, and he ran out. I followed him to a coffee shop, but he was already talking to Rayjura. Then they left and went into a dead-end alley. When I looked, they were gone. Touma's there now searching for clues with Nasuti, Ryo's contacting Kayura, and Seiji is supposed to contact you."

"Well- you found me and if Rayjura teleported, searching the area won't do much good. I suggest-" He cut off, staring blankly at the sidewalk, kanji flaring.

"What?" Shu reached out in concern.

"Rayjura's back. . ." Anubis trailed off, searching with his mind. "He's. . . in pain- injured perhaps? I can't tell. It's far off and he's not making any sense, I just know he's there. . ."

A crash came from the open elephant doors of the garage.

"Naaza?" They ran back to the entrance and sought out the surly warlord.

They found him hunched over clutching his head, tool kit spilled carelessly at his feet like a child's pick-up-stix. Anubis reached him first, supporting once side as he motioned for Shu to help with the other. Together they guided him to a beaten-up metal chair with cracked vinyl cushions, it's color faded like eveything else in the depressing garage.

After Naaza seemed to collect himself, Anubis asked quietly, "You felt it too?"

"Yes. It's his armor projecting. . . He's threatened by something, but wants to protect Suiko." Naaza pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What's threatening Shin?" Shu demanded, anxiety increasing. He called out to the other warriors in the link, telling them what he knew.

"I don't know, but I think Rayjura wants us to get Shin." Naaza frowned in concentration. "I can tell where he is, it's an old ruin on the edge of the Netherealm. We've gone there before. . ." The memories were too painful, he had to focus on the present.

Anubis squeezed his shoulder with surprising gentleness. Naaza looked up to see understanding in his comrade's eyes. "Lets go find them, friend." Maybe Shuten knew what he was doing when he was determined to save them after all. . .

"The guys are coming," Shu said suddenly. He could feel Touma's close proximity as he ran down a side street three blocks away.

~Nasuti's picking up Ryo and Seiji when they hit town~

"We have little time," Naaza stated, surging to his feet with an overwhelming sense of urgency he figured was coming from Rayjura.

Going into his office, he unlocked a desk drawer and brought out his yoroi. Anubis raised an eyebrow and pulled his out of his coat pocket. In the old days, their yorois were always in constant contact with them. Naaza snorted. "You try bending over an engine and getting a crystal ball shoved in your crotch."

Touma arrived barely winded after running over ten blocks in less than two minutes. As he came to stand next to Shu, he looked questioningly at Anubis and Naaza.

"You still got 'em? Cuz we still don't have Shin. . ." The archer was wired with nervous energy and anger. He pulled his yoroi out of the side pocket of his cargo pants.

"Yeah, we got him," Anubis nodded briskly. "He's sending from the Netherworld-"

"I don't think he's the one we're linked to right now," Naaza declared suddenly, realizing it's significance. Anubis raised an eyebrow. "I think it's just his armor opening him to us. There's something else going on in his mind, it's very confusing. He's disjointed, furious, ashamed, indignant, hurt. I'm getting just emotions, no coherent thought. Something's blocking his thoughts from us. . ."

"I'm can't actually hear him. I just know he's there. You and him were always better at this telepathy stuff than me." The Warlord of Darkness conceded.

"But you know where he is, right?" Shu was trying hard not to panic. They were so close to finding Shin, but if they still couldn't hear him in the link and Rayjura was protecting him from whatever it was, that meant he had to be injured. But if something was in Rayjura's mind, what if Rayjura was the threat and Shin was. . .

Nasuti brought the jeep to a screeching halt next to the curb. Seiji and Ryo were in the shop before she had finished parking it.

"Sorry we're late, guys." Ryo joked, but there was deadly menace in his eyes. "Let's get to it."

"Now we go," Anubis growled as they armored up in the old garage, rattling the very foundations while spare parts crashed to the floor and a hubcap rolled past. The two warlords reached out and held onto the Ronins as they transported, taking them into the Netherworld.

**************************

coming soon Part 3. damn i'm on a roll.