“Bastard! They’re fast.”
Aryu began to worry again, even with the big man by his side. “Is it an Embracer? Can you feel it?”
Nixon shook his head again, his hair flipping back and forth with the jerky motion. “I feel somethin’, but it's unfamiliar t’ me. If it is tha Power, it's like nothin' I've ever felt. It's far more natural, like it's a part of tha forest.”
Another wind rushed behind them, causing Nixon to send a wave of brilliant flame off into the direction it traveled, incinerating a young cherry tree. Aryu could hardly believe the awesome display the phoenix was putting on.
The flames gave Aryu the glimpse of another brief reflection moving around to flank them.
He spun off to his right, bringing the Shi Kaze around and hitting another tree, driving the sharp edge into the trunk yet again. This time the blade hit something very hard with a loud clang and sparks flew from behind, sending the shadow backwards with a thud. Nixon was past Aryu and on the thing immediately, broadsword out and arcing down as he went.
“Wait!” said a cry from the dark. “For the love of God, Nixon.” Nixon, still fired-up, stopped the attack against the person on the ground.
Aryu ran over to see Nixon standing over a very tall and lithe man with a large silver shield raised to defend himself.
“Nixon, please, I wasn't trying to cause trouble, I was just trying to watch over you.”
Nixon took the edge of his sword and moved aside the shield to reveal their attacker.
Once clear, Nixon looked at the face of the man before him. Even in the dark, Aryu could see the expression on his face grow from relief to being horribly upset.
“Sho?” Nixon said at last. “Dear God, is it you?”
A cautious smile on the face of the man below him. “It is, my old friend, it is. Please, help me up.”
Nixon lowered the sword instantly and reached for the man’s free hand, hauling him up to his feet. The man was tall. He wasn’t as massive as Nixon, but wiry like a large cat. The shield he carried was lined with pointed spikes and looked impressive. His face was still shrouded and blurry, but Aryu could see the light hair and beard. The man’s free hand extended, which Nixon took readily, shaking it with great enthusiasm.
Something about this man had instantly put Nixon in a terrible mood, and Aryu was certain it had nothing to do with the brief skirmish they'd just had with him.
“Sho. By all things good and holy I can't believe it's you.”
“Oh, it's me alright.” He released Nixon’s hand and extended it to Aryu as he stepped over to meet him. “And you are...?”
Aryu looked at Nixon first, unsure if he should trust Nixon’s face or body language more. Nixon gave the briefest of nods, followed by a deep sigh.
Aryu took his hand, shocked by the strength in a hand so thin. “Aryu O'Lung'Singh, from the village of Tan Torna Qu-ay. And you are…?”
The man looked back to Nixon. “All we've been through and he doesn't know who I am?”
Nixon, still sour, looked at the man and then at Aryu. “Aryu, this is Tokugawa Sho, a man who I wish were dead more than anyone else in the entire world.”
-----------------------
The three sat around a fire at Nixon’s insistence.
Tokugawa Sho was very quiet and reserved once he sat on a nearby log.
“Why are ya here, Sho?” Nixon asked right away. The story behind Nixon’s cryptic statement about wanting Sho dead was held off until they could get back together at the fire and be more comfortable.
“I'm here because I must be, Nixon,” he responded eventually. “I'm here because this place demands it of me.”
Nixon clearly wasn't satisfied. “Why? When last we met ya gave me yer word on wha' ya were plannin' next, and it wasn't a life in service t' this place and tha Power tha' maintains it.”
“The voices haunt me, Nix.”
“The voices? Wha' do ye have t’ do with tha voices?”
Aryu could only assume they were referring to the mystical voices Nixon had mentioned earlier. “I have everything to do with them. It's because of me that they exist.”
Nixon snorted with contempt as much as laughter. “You? Wha' do ya 'ave t’ do with it? They exist 'cause of a fool.”
“Regardless, I am in part responsible for their pain and existence. As the fool isn’t here to be held accountable, who else is left?”
“Not you, Sho. Least of all you. By God, man, how can ya think it was yer fault? Ya did wha' ye must, and ye were the only one tha’ could. Ya did wha' even I would 'ave 'ad a terribly difficult time doin’. Don't waste yerself runnin’ the useless errands of a dead man.”
A small, half-smile came to the face of the newcomer. “You sound just like my mother.”
“HA! More like yer mother sounds like me. I'm the older one. Still, she's damn right. This never shoulda’ been yer path, ya old fool.”
Mother? Since the name Tokugawa was mentioned, Aryu assumed that this person was related to Ryu, and Crystal was his lover. The rest came together.
“Well, as ya brought it up, is yer mother still alive?”
Another shallow smile. “Yes, she’s alive, and I'll wager you have a lot of questions for her.”
Nixon looked annoyed, even though the answer sounded like what he wanted to hear. If Sho knew what Nixon was referring to it was a safe bet Crystal did too, meaning she'd likely have some kind of answer.
“What d’ye know, Sho?”
“Nothing at all compared to her. She has some very interesting new skills since last
