Swordplay

Ryo watched sadly after Mia as she pursued Yuli and Whiteblaze (or rather, Yuli atop Whiteblaze) through the playground. Suddenly a familiar voice came from behind.

"Hey, Ryo, what's up, bro?" Kento asked. Both young men wore white shirts, though Ryo's was a sleeveless muscle shirt, while Kento's was merely a short-sleeved T-shirt. In addition to this, Kento's shirt was sweat-soaked, his hair matted, his headband soaked through. He wore short, tight shorts that bordered on obscene, especially with the sweat stains soaked into it. Ryo seemed comfortable in his blue jeans. "Man, are you so hung up on Mia that you don't even notice how hot it is?" the lad asked, taking another lick of his rapidly-melting ice cream. "Hottest heatwave of the decade and you're sitting there in JEANS?!"

"Heat doesn't bother me since I wore the Armor of Wildfire...or maybe it was the Inferno Armor that caused it." Ryo mused quietly. "But for all the power I wielded when we fought Talpa, I'm still a babbling idiot when it comes to Mia."

"Dude, you just need to know how to talk to girls." Kento said. "I mean, look at me, I'm dating Akari Hayami tomorrow night, and I'm not half the looker you are." Ryo gave Kento a strange look, and for the first time since the campaign against the Dynasty, a large bead of sweat appeared on his head. "I didn't mean it like that! Look, go to the library and consult an expert online. If you need help, just ask Rowen, he spends so much time there he's practically the librarian! I may go there myself, they've got A.C.!"

"I dunno..." Ryo muttered.

"Look, bro, what've you got to lose?" Kento asked. "The worst that could happen is you find out you have a rare wrist condition that makes you susceptible to quick-onset carpal-tunnel syndrome, right?" Ryo rolled his eyes, but couldn't argue with Kento's point. He really didn't have anything to lose by looking.

Later, at the library, Ryo signed in exasperation as yet another website turned up a dead end. He hit the "Back" button on the browser, and grunted in annoyance as a pop-up window began to load. He was about to click the "X" to close it when it finished loading, captivating him with an image of a guy with a girl on each arm and one kneeling at his feet while he winked at the camera and gave a thumbs-up sign.

"SPICE UP YOUR LOVE LIFE!" the ad said. "OPEN THE DOOR TO UNLIMITED PLEASURES, BOTH FOR YOU AND HER! CLICK HERE!"

I must be nuts! Ryo thought as he clicked the ad. The window disappeared, and his search window was redirected to a sub-page of Amazon.com advertizing a book called "The Hidden Benefits of Hypnosis - $9.95 American"

"Finding everything you need, Ryo?" Rowen asked, startling Ryo so badly he actually fell off the stool. "Amazon.com, eh? I've bought a few books from them. As a matter of fact, I think I gave that very book to the library after I finished reading it."

"You read that?" Ryo asked from the floor. "Get any use out of it?"

"I was doing a report on the subject of hypnosis and its various uses." Rowen said. "Can't say I approve of the way Amazon is advertizing the book, it's got quite a variety of helpful hints. Perhaps it could even help you gain the confidence you need to speak honestly to Mia."

"Jeez, is EVERYONE gonna lecture me on that?" Ryo muttered.

"Relax. I'll go ahead and check it out for you so you don't show up in the library database as having had it, if you're worried about what people will think." Rowen said. He turned away then, heading for the nonfiction section. He returned later with an armload of books tucked nonchalantly under his arm. Ryo followed him out of the library at a discrete distance. "You do make such a big deal out of these things, you know?" Rowen remarked as he passed the book off to Ryo.

"I know." Ryo replied, bidding his friend goodbye as he tucked the book under his arm.

Ryo awoke the next morning at his desk at home, his nose buried in the book. "Man, I read that thing two and a half times without stopping..." he groaned. "...sure gives you messed-up dreams!" Once again, the image of Mia, hypnotized and compliant, appeared in his mind, and a major wood appeared in his pants. He went down to the stream to calm himself, and was surprised to find Mia lying out by the stream in the shade, all by herself. An idea came to him, and he changed to his Armor of Wildfire once again. He hid behind a bush as Lady Kayura appeared before Mia from nowhere. Why was she here? Straining his ears, he managed to hear what Kayura said.

"I have come to warn you that great danger approaches." Kayura said.

"What kind of danger?" Mia asked fearfully.

"The Ancient's Staff has been a little vague as to the nature of the danger." Kayura admitted. "But it is coming soon."

"Have no fear, Ryo of Wildfire is here!" Ryo said on a whim, emerging nervously from behind the bush. Kayura looked at him askance, while Mia merely giggled. Flushing and embarrassed, he drew one of his swords and began to twirl it idly. "Uh, yeah. No need to worry. I won't let any harm come to you. You can count on me!" he tried to say confidently, but in his nervousness it came out low and kind of monotone. He figured he must sound like a complete idiot. To his surprise, Kayura and Mia just nodded absently as the dim, early morning sunlight flashed off the shining sword and into their eyes.

What the...? he thought. I never figured it was this easy! Better to be safe than sorry.

"Look at the sword." he said, continuing to spin the sword at a slow, regular pace. "You know I won't let anything hurt you. This sword will help me make sure of that. Looking at the sword makes you feel safe, doesn't it?"

Both women nodded, their eyes blank and glassy.

"Watch the sword as it spins, making you feel safe, secure, protected." Ryo said. "The light shines in your eyes, dazzling you, but it won't hurt as much if you just let your eyes go unfocussed. Just relax and watch the sword, you don't even have to focus on it, just focus on my voice." The girls nodded absently. "The flashing makes it hard to think, but you don't have to think. Just let your mind drift and listen to my voice. Relax, don't even worry about your free will. Just let it go. It doesn't matter anymore. I'm here to guide you and protect you. Just let go of your will, let it cease to exist as you give yourself completely to me. It feels good to let go and let yourself become my slave, because you don't have to think or make decisions for yourself anymore. Just let go, relax, and let your master take control."

"Yes, Master." Kayura and Mia replied blankly. Ryo smiled.

"Now, we're going to have some fun." he said.

Some time later, at Mia's house, Yuli heard the phone ring. He extracted himself from the sleeping Whiteblaze to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Yuli? It's Mia." Mia's voice said over the phone. "Something's come up, I need you to stay with Kento for a while. Pack a few changes of clothes and have Whiteblaze carry you there?"

"Mia, what's wrong?" Yuli asked as the phone clicked in his ear. At Ryo's, Mia set the phone back down in its cradle and walkude ude through the house to Ryo's room, where he was just finishing with Kayura. He put her to sleep and had Mia join him in the bed.

"You're a good girl, and you're going to do whatever I say from now on, aren't you?" he asked as he slid inside her.

"Yes, Master." Mia replied softly.

End.