The White Tower
This story is rated PG-13 for sexual situations
Chapter 23 - The Plan
The very next morning, Aniki and Kamui returned with Souten with news of their findings and were surprised to find the Princess, Kurama, Hiei and Hiya in the palace. Soon they learned of the tragedy that had brought them to Suzaku.
"How can this be? A demon -- especially as healthy as Toya -- does not die overnight." Souten exclaimed. First, his best friend and now that friend's father. Was this family cursed?
"I agree! There is no way that this was a natural death!" Hiya said her voice filled with anger. "I will not rest until I find out what happened!"
"If only Chichiri was able to do some tests." Kurama added.
"Why wasn't he?" Souten asked.
"Boushin would not allow anyone to touch Toya's body, except for Tekken and Vara who prepared it for burial. He was buried that same evening under the same willow tree next to his son, Toyna."
Nothing more was said -- what could be said? And the group went inside to tell Tekken and Vara their news. And their problem -- how to get Jae out safely. Many ideas were bantered about and then discarded. How do you fight a Great Dragon in his own den?
"Wait a minute!" Kamui exclaimed. "He is not a Great Dragon. He is in his human form."
"He can change in an instant." Tekken reminded the young Bat.
"What if he can't?" Kamui insisted. "What if the cave is too small? If he changes while he is inside the cave, he will collapse the whole mountain and kill Jae, perhaps himself. I doubt if even a Great Dragon can handle a mountain falling on top of him."
"Can you see the cave walls with your sonar?" Kurama asked.
"I should be able to. I was doing the opposite, but with the extra shards, I should be able to see the walls if I set my power to do so."
"Then tomorrow you and Tennu will go back to the cave and check out the size of the cavern they are in. Chichiri can teleport you to the area. Be careful not to make contact. We don't want Rye to know that we have found him." Kurama said.
"And if we can keep him in the caves, then we can capture him. But what happens when we take him out of the cave? He will change to his Great Dragon form." Tekken added.
"We don't take him out."
"Wait! You are not going to kill him while he is human form?" Kyo asked his voice tinged with anger.
"That is not my plan. I only want to get Jae free. We will offer Rye his freedom in return for his promise not to harm Suzaku or Otherworld." Kurama explained. "I think he will accept the offer."
"He burned the Castle! And he wanted to kill Taiki and Kiri!" Hiei growled. "How can we trust him?"
"Well, he actually only burned the Towers." Vara said. "And he never harmed the Unicorns. He threatened, but did not follow through."
"I still don't trust him." Hiei muttered.
"A Great Dragon would never go against his word. If he gives it, his word is sacred. We have our honor." Kyo stated firmly, ending the debate.
The next day, Chichiri took the Bat Demon and Tennu to the cave and Kamui sent his sonar downward, describing what he "saw" while Chichiri mapped it out. The two humans were still down there and the cave they were in was not large enough to hold a Great Dragon.
While the group was busy mapping the caves, Kyo and Tekken went to Otherworld with the Princess and her group through the portal. From there, Bakura could transport Kurama, Tennu, Kyo and Tekken to the cave. They should be able to subdue a Dragon in his human form. The plan was for Kurama to create plant barriers as they moved down through the cave and then for Tennu and Kyo to subdue Rye while Tekken rescued Jae. Chichiri and Kamui would stay out of the main cave and Tekken would bring Jae to him to teleport out of the cave. As long as Rye did not change into his Dragon form, the plan would work.
Everything was going according to plan. The group started down the dark passage using Chichiri's map and Kamui's sonar to guide them. Every so often, Kurama would plant a thorny barrier. It would keep smaller demons out and hopefully Rye in -- at least a human Rye. A Great Dragon would not even notice them. Everything hinged on the belief that he would not endanger Jae and transform.
On the way, the group saw lesser demons in smaller branches coming off of the main tunnel but Tennu sent them scurrying away with a blast of wind and Kurama quickly grew barriers across the openings to prevent them from returning to the passage they traveled on. Kamui checked with his sonar each time to make sure that these smaller passages did not go to the cave where Rye was located.
Finally, they reached the last cave. It had been made into a living quarters and they could see Jae on the far side. Rye was in the center and lesser demons were on the edges of the cave, deep in shadows, but visible to the Bat's sonar. Before they entered the cave, Kamui pointed out each demon.
Leaving Kamui and Chichiri at the mouth of the cave, the group moved in quickly. Kurama threw his seeds in a wide arc and plants instantly sprung up, attacking the smaller demons. They went squealing into the smaller caves.
Tennu and Kyo jumped on Rye, taking him completely by surprise. He was extremely strong, even in his human form, but Tennu and Kyo were his equals and the Dragon was quickly subdued and hurled to the ground. A sharp rock tore his skin open just above his left eyebrow and blood spilled down his face. It looked much worse than it actually was.
Tekken had almost reached Jae when she turned and saw the blood on Rye's face. "No! No!" She cried. "Don't hurt him!!"
A wave of pure power knocked Tekken off his feet and he landed hard. Light filled the cave. Rye was transforming!! Tekken turned to his son and Kyo and to his surprise, Rye was still in his human form, flattened to the ground as was everyone else. He turned back to the light.
It was Jae!