Blood of The Eternal Star: Seasons of the Armors Trilogy: Summer of the Fire Storm

My name's Brinara Lijak. Call me Brin. Call me Brinara and I'll be forced to knock some sense into you. The deal is, Talpa's got six new armors. Dark Fire, Black Water, Corrupt Ice, Wicked Lightening, Acid Air, and Satanic Earth. Of course, they're all guys who wear them. I'm not a guy. I happen to be a girl, almost fifteen, with short, light brown hair (that I always keep in a bandanna) and blue eyes. It's kind of a long story as to why I have the twin armor of Dark Fire and why I'm not evil. I'll explain later 'cause, trust me, it's confusing.

I'm Nicjashi Coran, or Nicka, or Nikki. The one name I can't stand is Nee, so don't even suggest that. My armor is Water Star, Black Water's twin. I have bluish black hair that's about to my shoulders and pulled back in a headband. My eyes are green and I really like to fight. Really, especially if it's for a good cause, like the entire mortal realm. One thing Brin "forgot" to mention is we fight with the Ronin warriors, not against, unlike our doubles. Um… I kinda have a thing for Kento, but don't say anything. I wouldn't hear the end of it.

Nicka has a thing for Kento… yeah, like we didn't already know. Not that I should talk. Yes, I like Rowen. Anybody got a problem with that? I thought not. The one major item you should know about all of us is we're all girls. Not the Ronins (what kind of evil demented person are you to think up such a thing?), but my five friends and I. And, we're not giving up until the Dark Star Armors are destroyed.

Prologue

I collapsed on the couch and sighed. Damn Kaji and his "let's attack the New Years party downtown with hundreds of innocent bystanders". Since we had been defending the city, we had missed having our own celebration. Now it was one in the morning, but I wasn't going to sleep for another three hours or so. I will still high on the adrenaline of battle.

"That was definitely a little less then fun," said Saki. "Micael got hit pretty hard and, of course, so did I."

"Sorry," apologized Cye. "I wasn't aiming for him, he just kind of got in the way." Saki grinned.

"That's okay," she said. "But next time, I'll kick his ass, 'kay?" He nodded, but smiled back.

"I'll go make some tea," said Mia. Ryo followed her into the kitchen and Rowen and I exchanged a glance. They liked it each other a lot, that was obvious, but for some reason, they never showed it. He shrugged and sat down next to me.

"I swear, if Grant calls me a dumb blonde one more time, I'm gonna ring his neck," said Ariogya, settling on the floor at Sage's feet. "I'm gonna ring his neck anyway, but it will be much easier if I'm really angry at him."

"You're always angry at him," commented Sage. She glanced at him, then sighed.

"Don't be a jerk, Sage."

"At least they were just there to be a pain," I said. "Usually, they actually do damage." Nicka laughed.

"Brin, I consider half a city block damage," she said. "But it's difference of opinion, I guess."

"Not really opinion, just the fact I'm so used to him doing much, much worse." Rowen wrapped his arms around my shoulders and I leaned against him. "Some things change."

"What's your new years resolution?" asked Kento. Nicka smiled at him.

"Personally, I'm going for one day where I don't have to call on a mystical power, don't have to worry about Hario reading my dreams, playing with my mind or anything involving such, and don't have to think about the fact that there's a profound evil threatening our world," she said. Mia and Ryo came back in, with cups of tea.

"Why don't we go shopping?" suggested Mia. "It would be fun." A laugh filled the air before there was anyone to put it with. Rowen tensed, but I just beamed. Micja and Laori appeared out of thin air.

"You've never shopped with Nicka," said Laori. "Armor is a definite must have."

"Oh, hush," replied Nikki. "That's not nice." Micja grinned.

"But it's true," she said innocently. I shook my head.

"What?" asked Rowen.

"I'm just thinking," I answered. Not even a year ago, Nicka would've been all for fighting. Micja wouldn't have been so quick to make a smart-ass response and Laori… she wouldn't have been here at all. We've all changed so much-

"Yuli!" shouted Briana, my sister raising her hand to hit him. He ducked her blow and ran up the stairs "Give me back my scrunchi!" I smiled and shook my head.

And then again, some things are still the same.

Chapter 1

Thud. Thud. Thud. I looked up from my book, and my confusion disappeared in a split second. Kaji and his gang, the Dark Stars, were once again surrounding a single person and kicking the snot out of them. That person happened to be a friend of mine, Sakimata Demhi. I sighed and folded down the corner of my page, then stuck the thing into my duffel bag and walked over to the little gathering.

"Saki, Saki, Saki," said Kaji with a slight smile of satisfaction. "You should know better then to defy us." I coughed and he whirled around angrily. "You! What do you want?"

"Basically, I want you to stop beating the shit out of my friend," I said calmly. "Is that too much to ask, Kaji?"

"You wanna start something?" asked Hario darkly. "You think you can take on all of us?"

"Probably, but she's nicer then that." I grinned as Ariogya Sheekai, Nicjashi Coran, and Micja Nurama came around me. "Now, who wants to fight?" finished Nicka.

"We can take you," said Grant.

"Wanna try me, pretty boy?" asked Ariogya coldly.

"Yeah. Let's go." I stepped in between the two of them.

"Uh, guys? Bloodshed before school is not a good thing," I said. "Kaji, six against one aren't good odds, especially since we all know Saki's been sick. What the hell made you start this?"

"I simply asked Saki for the money she owes me-"

"I don't owe you any money," groaned Saki into the cement. Micja pulled her to her feet and Saki wiped blood from her upper lip.

"That's what you say…"

"I'll trust Saki over you any day of the week, Kaji. Now move you carcass before I kick it."

"Try me." I grabbed his collar and lifted him clear off the ground. Being several inches taller the Kaji, this had a nice effect.

"Leave. My. Friends. Alone. And. Get. Your. Lackies. Out. Of. Here" I chided coolly. "You're a small brained little P.O.S and not worth half the space you take up. Now, do want this to go further, or do you want to save your parents the hospital bill?" He paled slightly and cast a glance over at his friends. They moved forward, but Nicka coughed, waved with a psychotic little smile, and they stepped back quickly. Ariogya sighed and turned her attention towards town.

"What the hell is that?!" I dropped Kaji (on accident, of course) and turned to where Ary was pointing. Dark smoke billowed through the sky. My instinct kicked in with the thought Someone could be hurt. Not the smartest thought, being I'm not trained in first aid, but I've always liked helping people.

"Let's go. There might be someone in trouble."

"You got it Super Women," said Nicka. "But can I point out the fact that their running away like chickens with their heads cut off?"

"And can I point the fact that I don't really care?" I asked, grabbing my bag. "Let's hurry."

Chapter 2

I threw my bag down on the pine needles and watched the blaze angrily. Our school. Destroyed and we had no idea how of when it had started. But something was definitely up. Ash does not burn that well.

"This isn't right," said Ary. "There's something wrong."

"Even the firefighters don't know how this happened," said Saki. "They're more confused then we are."

"This smells bad, tastes bad, and looks bad," said Nicka. "Does that mean it's bad?"

"Just slightly," I answered, getting back up. I felt… that there was still something missing. Something we hadn't noticed. I could feel darkness surrounding the entire building, despite the heat.

Suddenly, there was a flash. I whirled around and watched the flames. Something glinted off the sun again. I realized no one else had seen it. Saki had run off to talk to a teacher, dragging Micja with her and Ariogya and Nicka were watching the firefighters attempts at putting out the blaze. That left me. Don't ask why this was so important to me. Usually, walking straight into fire is not something I do, but that light was familiar. And I wanted to know why.

"Brin!" shouted Ary. I barely heard her. My hand went into the flames… and I was scarcely aware of it. I wrapped my fingers around some solid thing and reality came crashing back. Ariogya and Nicka grabbed my shoulders and hauled me back into the trees. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" hollered Ary. "Are you insane?!" I coughed smoke out of my lungs and showed them the katana. Nicka glanced around as Ariogya raised an eyebrow and almost started shouting again.

"What is that?" asked Nicka, bringing her voice down.

"I don't know," I replied between coughs. "But we need to find out."

"How?" said Ary, regaining her composure.

"There's a woman at the university. My aunt talks about her constantly. She knows about ancient weapons and name the last time you saw a katana. I think her name was Mia Koji."

"Then let's go," said Nicka. "We've got to get Saki and Micja first."

"Saki's gonna kill you."

"Me?" I said. "Why… oh. The whole risking my life for a sword thing, right. Can we just not tell her, maybe?"

"She'll wonder where we got it."

"And? We're in the middle of a forest. There are a hundred places I could've gotten this."

"She won't buy it." Just then, Saki and Micja came back, looking perplexed.

"Ms. Kender said this has been going on since around five this morning. No one's been hurt, but it was almost like the place exploded," said Saki. "What in the name of-"

"Come on," I said, getting up. "We've got to get going." I pulled open the zipper of my duffel bag and put the katana inside. The handle still stuck out, but at least that way, I knew it was there and I wasn't carrying it around out in the open. Everyone was so busy with the inferno that had once been my school they didn't notice us running off.

Chapter 3 –Pasts Brought Back

"It's a nice day," commented Micja, glancing up at the sky. She was right, of course. The sky was blue and the only clouds were white little wisps. It had rained not too long ago, so the ground was wet, but for June, this was wonderful. "How far is it until the university?"

"Only another half mile or so. Too bad the buses were down," said Ary, digging a book out of her backpack. "But this is okay."

"When I get my hands on Hario…" Nicka had been threatening his life for that past half hour and probably still would for the next three days. "I'll bet you he had something to do with that fire."

"And I'll bet your imagination has run away with you again," said Saki. She gave Nicka a pat on the shoulder. "He's just a punk who's got very little more to do then terrorize people. Kill him later."

"Fine," sighed Nicka. "I guess I will. You know what, Saki? Ever since I met you, I haven't had any fun." Saki grinned wickedly.

"You also haven't had detention," pointed out Micja. She looked up at the sky, then back down at the ground. Her entire mood changed in that two second span.

"Micja, what is it?" I asked. She blinked back tears and lifted her head.

"Laori's birthday is in a week," she said. "One more year I can't be with my cousin on our birthdays."

"Oh, Micja," I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. "We'll find her. I know we will." Laori was- is Micja's cousin. When we were in fifth grade, she suddenly disappeared. The police had no leads, no nothing. It wasn't an easy time for any of us. Ary's grandma had just died, Saki's favorite dog had gotten run over, Nicka's sister had been stillborn, and this guy I had known for a really long time had switched schools, without telling me why or where he was going, and without saying goodbye either. We weren't that close with Micja, but after Laori's disappearance, we got to know her better. Now she was one of my best friends. If anything good could come out of losing a friend, it was making a new one.

"I know. I know, but everyday that she's gone… it's like everything is getting dimmer. I miss her so much."

"We all do," said Ary. "Laori was our best friend."

"You guys are bringing down the whole mood," said Nicka. She never liked talking about Laori's disappearance. "It's a gorgeous day, we have nothing to do, and the simple fact is- holy shit!" I turned around and looked where she was. Literally, a door had come out of the ground. It was huge, about a hundred feet tall. It loomed over us and for a split second, I felt like I had seen them somewhere before. A couple of places actually, but that was impossible.

"Give me the sword of Wildfire," said a dark voice. A thing floated over us, and we could tell it was angry, even if it had a mask on. "Master Talpa will reward me greatly for brining a Ronin weapon."

"Ronin weapon nothing," shot back Nicka. "We don't have any sword, now go away." I clutched the strap of my bag tighter. He, it, whatever, wasn't going to get that katana. Not in this lifetime.

"So you are the ones that Lord Batamon warned of. The children of the Dynasty have returned. But why do you not call your armors? Surely a more befitting death would be in the armors of the stars."

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Ariogya. "We don't have any 'armors of the stars'."

"Of course. You do not remember." Electricity surrounded me and I felt the ground fall away. My head throbbed with the power that ran through my veins, but it didn't kill me for some reason. I still gripped the handle of the katana for dear life. There was no way I was going to let this creep get it.

"Sarenbo!" shouted a new voice. "Release her!" I tried to move to see where the voice was coming from, but I was paralyzed and starting to lose conciseness.

"She is not who you think she is, Wildfire." Wildfire! That brought me back long enough to shift around to the best of my ability and let the bag fall to the ground. Ariogya rushed forward and grabbed it. "All of them have secrets not even they know."

"Yeah, those usually qualify as secrets," said Nicka coldly. "Now let her go." Darkness… darkness…no, I thought. I can't pass out. I can't… damn it! Stay awake! But I couldn't. I felt like all of my energy was dying away. So the haze closed in and-

"Keshen, get back here! You can't go in there!"

FLASH!

"I swear, I'll never let you die, Kesha."

FLASH!

"Stay with me. Those Ronin trash don't stand a chance."

FLASH!

"I swear loyalty to you, Lord Talpa, as long I am alive."

FLASH!

"I can't do this, Keshen. I can't destroy them. They aren't the enemy."

"Nycoelle, they want to take away the Dynasty-"

"So what?! There's nothing here for us! Armors that do whatever the hell they please, leaders that have as much battle experience as we do, only they're older and the armors come directly from Master Talpa, so they get more respect and what do we have? Oriae's dead, Kaminta's dead, they're all dead! No matter what you say or what you do, Keshen Dragoen, they. Are. Dead. And we might as well be too, for all the rest of the Dynasty cares."

"They're not dead." Senaara ran in, out of breath. "They aren't dead. I just saw them. I swear, Keshen, it was them."

"They're… alive?" I asked. "But how? I watched Hariel die…"

FLASH!

He is dead I was in the largest expanse of black nothingness possible. And a sad voice was slowly floating around me. I killed him. I had no choice. It was what Master Talpa wanted…

Who are you??

I am who I was born to be… a traitor…

Why? Why are you a traitor?

How dare you call me a traitor?! You weren't there! You weren't part of the pain I caused for so many. My friends, my family, my love. All of them, dead. Because I can't control that damned armor!

What do you mean? What armor? Who are you?

I am Keshen Dragoen. I am the bearer of the Dark Fire Star Armor. It fights for control over the wearer. All it wants is blood and death. There's no reason that armor shouldn't be destroyed, but Talpa never listened to reason…

Why are you here?

I… don't know. Who are you?

I'm Brin.

What has happened?

Something attacked us for a katana. He called it the 'Wildfire Sword'

Wildfire? So the Ronins still live… perhaps that is why I have come back…

Explain, Keshen.

I am here to help you, apparently. Though why, I don't know.

Help me with what?

Destroying the Dynasty. I was so confused… who were the Dynasty? How long had I been out? I couldn't leave my friends to worry so I pushed away the fog around my brain and opened my eyes. Everything was still dark. Oh no. What if I was blind, or something?! Hey, genius, I think there may be cloth over your eyes.

Oh, thanks. I sat up and the cloth fell into my lap. My head was throbbing, but it was still daylight out. Or maybe it was a different day. I didn't know.

The feeling of being watched crept through the pain.

"You're awake." I turned my head and almost passed out again. No way… it couldn't be…

"You're a dumb monkey brain, Kaji!" I said. I was probably six, so cut me some slack. He glared at me, then gave a small smile.

"I know you are, but what am I?" Drat. What can you possibly ever say to that? I growled, knowing there was no way to get him back. He had won. Then again, the one thing I had always been good at was the ever-popular retaliation with sticking out my tongue.

So I did.

"You're toast!" shouted Kaji angrily. He lunged over a desk at me, but I jumped back and ran into the hallway. I almost knocked over our teacher, Ms. Smyke. I heard her groan as we took off.

"Not again." Kaji and I had a tendency to fight each other. Or, at least we had since the beginning of school, which was about a week before.

I was so busy looking over my shoulder, I hadn't noticed we weren't in the kindergarten hallway. In my elementary school, every grade had a hallway and kindergarteners stayed in theirs, first graders in theirs, second graders in theirs and after that, fourth and fifth graders were pretty much godlike, so they went as they pleased. And right at that moment, I was in the first grade hallway.

Out of nowhere, a kid came from one of the classrooms. I didn't see him and ended up knocking us both to the ground. In the next second, something grabbed my collar, hauled me to my feet, and punched me in the face. I recovered and was about to knock Kaji to the floor when something caught my arm.

"Fighting never solved anything, especially not for little kids," said the guy I had run into. I pulled free and glared at him.

"It's always solved plenty for me and I'm not a little kid," I said.

"Mr. Nukaog, Ms. Lijak! Stop that this instant!" Uh-oh. Busted. And worse, by the principal. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Principal Miletillo," spoke up the kid quickly. "I saw what happened. He punched her first."

"Mr. Nukaog, didn't we have a conversation about being a gentlemen and not hitting young ladies?"

"But she's not a lady!" protested Kaji. Principal Miletillo grabbed his arm and hauled him off, kicking and complaining that it wasn't his fault. I looked at the guy with confusion as he motioned into an empty classroom. He sat in at group of desks and handed me a bandana.

"Your lips bleeding," he said. I sat across from him and wiped my lip. Yup, that was blood.

"You just saved my butt," I said slowly. "Why?"

"He did hit you first," he answered. "What's your name?"

"I'm Brin," I replied. "And thanks."

"No problem. By the way, I'm Rowen." My eyes widened in shock.

"Rowen!" I said in surprise. Then three years of anger set in. "You jerk!" I added furiously, throwing the cloth at him. I would have done more, but that was the first thing I could reach. "Why didn't you tell me you were switching schools?!"

"I didn't know how to tell you," he said. I glared at him.

"Rowen, you were one of the smarter of the people I knew. How could you not think of a way to tell me you were changing schools? And even at that, why didn't you call or something? I've lived in the same house for thirteen years."

"I knew you'd be angry."

"Well, no crap I'd be angry. You basically dropped off the face of Toyama."

"Here's my question: Why didn't you call me?" I grimaced, but he was right. I should've called him.

"What the hell kinda question is that?" asked Ariogya, coming out from a door. "She was ten, genius. I remember that one too. It was right after Laori disappeared." She cast a worried glance at Micja, who was paying more attention to the floor then the rest of the people. Nicka came in after her.

"What I want to know is what is going on here? I'm having a serious case of déjà vu seeing Rowen again, and the fact of what happened with that one thing back there isn't helping my sanity."

"You never had any," I said, trying to get up. My legs threatened to collapse underneath me again and the look Rowen gave me didn't help. "Okay, we need to figure out what to do. I have thousand questions and I think you guys maybe able to help." One with black hair sat on the edge of a chair.

"Shoot," he said.

"First of all, who, or what, was that thing that attacked us?"

"That was Sarenbo, a lackie for the Dynasty," he replied.

"I'm getting sick of evil lackies," muttered Nicka. "We've got them with Kaji and the Dark Stars and now this Dynasty thing too."

"I've got one," broke in Micja. "Names, please. We know Rowen, but who are the rest?"

"I'm Ryo."

"Kento."

"Cye."

"Sage."

"Ah, thanks," she answered. "What is the Dynasty?"

"A group of demons trying to destroy the mortal realm," said Mia, or who I recognized as Mia. "The Ronin Warriors are basically what stands in their way."

"And you guys are the Ronin Warriors," said Saki. I shot a look at Rowen.

"You too, Row?"

"Rowen of the Strata," he came back with.

"Great," I muttered. "And did this have anything to do with you leaving?"

"A little, but I didn't really know then."

"Just great." I raised my hand to rub my temples and caught a look at my watch. "Oh, shit." I cursed. "I was supposed to pick up Briana from school three hours ago. My dad's gonna strangle me."

"Briana?" asked Rowen. "Who's Briana?"

"My adopted sister. Mia, is there a phone I can use?"

"Yes, in the kitchen." I walked past her, ignoring Rowen's confused look. Let my friends handle it. They knew enough about Briana to fill him in. That'll teach him to disappear on me. I picked up the telephone and dialed my home number. It was seven. My dad would be home by then.

It rang several times and when someone finally picked up, I wished I would've just gone home.

"Dad?" I asked.

"He's not able to come to the phone right now, can I take a message?" sneered a voice.

"Kaji!" I hissed, lowering my voice. "What are you doing?"

"I'll teach you to mess with the Dynasty. Your father and sister are our prisoners now."

"What?!" I shouted, then took my voice back down again. "What do you want, jackass?"

"I want your armor, my twin." There was the sound of air rushing past the phone, then my dad's voice.

"Brin, stay there," he said painfully.

"Dad! Don't worry, I won't let them-"

"No! You have to stay with the Ronins. They'll protect you."

"Shut up, old man, they can't protect her anymore then you can," snarled Kaji. "One hour, my twin. One hour." There was a click. I stood in a stunned silence. My armor, what did he mean by that? And how was I his twin?

The armors split… so much pain and suffering… I remember fighting with myself… no, not myself, the evil of my armor…

Damn it, Keshen, make sense. My family's in trouble.

I will show you, but you won't like it. Images started rushing through my head. I was vaguely aware of dropping the phone and catching myself against the counter. They started to join, a small movie but more then that…

"Destroy the Ronins, Keshen. It is your duty as my follower." I raised my katana, but I couldn't do it. Why? What part of me didn't want any more death, anymore pain?

Do as he says. Lord Talpa commands the blood of the Ronins said a dark voice in the back of my mind.

You stay out of this I ordered silently. This doesn't concern you. I won't kill them, no matter what Talpa says.

Blood… I can already see it… they have to die!! I lost control of my armor and it gained control of me. I stabbed at the Ronin of Strata, only I wasn't the one doing it.

Stop this! I command you! You are my armor!

I command you to shut up. They will die. You are too weak to do it, so I will finish Lord Talpa's orders. A shout of pain broke the air as my katana hit home in his chest. The pain in his voice hushed the voice in my head. It had done what it was supposed to, it had killed a Ronin. The rest was up to the other armors.

"Keshen… why…" I dropped to my knees at his side. Why was his voice familiar. No, please, god no, not him…

"Oriae," I said painfully. "I'm sorry. Please, Oriae, talk to me…"

You are weak. He is the enemy.

He was never the enemy! You killed him! Leave me, damn you! "Armor of Dark Fir-" Something gripped my throat. It was my own hand! My armor was trying to kill me! Go away! What don't you understand about that statement?! I don't need you anymore! You've killed everything I lived for!

Nor do I need you Immense pain… like nothing I had ever felt. I was being torn in two, ripped apart. I screamed as darkness closed around me.

I jolted out of my trance and looked around. Had I screamed out loud? No, no one had come running. Carefully, I picked up the phone and saw my hand was shaking. I had to get a handle on myself. Kaji had my family…

"Are you okay?" asked Rowen as he came into the kitchen. I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but Row…" my voice trailed off. "Kaji works for the Dynasty. He has my family and wants my armor. I don't know where it is, or I'd give it to him, especially after what it's done… I need to get home, Rowen." He looked stunned. Probably for several reason, but maybe because I was so calm. Kaji had my family and he would pay if they were hurt, I knew that, but it wasn't getting to me. "Guys-" I said, walking past him into the living room. "We have a problem."

Chapter 4(Nicka)

Brin is a lot like Keshen.

Yeah, but she's also a space cadet I answered to Linja, the newest voice in my head. Brin jumped over an abandoned volleyball in the yard and ran up the front stairs. The door opened almost on it's own.

"Stephen King, eat your heart out," muttered Saki, following her up the flight of stairs.

Then all hell broke loose.

From somewhere above our heads, there was an explosion. I heard Saki scream and Brin swore loudly enough for the whole house to hear. Cye and Rowen were the first ones to break out of the stunned silence, then they ran after them. I grabbed Ariogya and hauled her up the steps to find a scene of chaos. Saki was pinned against the floor by a piece of wall and Brin was facing Kaji…

In an armor?

"Where's my dad?" she asked. I tore my gaze from him and saw Briana, curled up unconscious in the back corner. "Bring him back, Kaji, or I'll kick your ass again." He just laughed.

"There's a difference between you and me now, my twin. I am more powerful. My armor was formed of the hatred Keshen had for the Dynasty and yours… is merely the love she had for the innocence of the world." Brin clenched a fist, nodded, and then barked a cold laugh.

"You're so wrong," she said, her voice taking on a different sound then what I was used to. "I was there, kid. Your armor is of my hate for the Dynasty and Talpa, but mine is not only how much I cared for the mortals, but for my friends and the pain… of losing Oriae to the scum that is your armor. I will show you how much stronger those are." Kaji gave her a severe look, then turned his katana threateningly on Bree.

"Give me the armor of Fire Star or the child dies."

"I don't have the armor," she said firmly. "And if you lay a hand on her…" I stepped behind her and glared at Kaji.

"Don't start what you don't want to finish," I said coldly. "If you hurt Bree, I'll injure you."

"Your temper will be your downfall, my twin." I jumped and glared at Hario as he appeared, fully armored. "I will see to that."

"Don't push me, Hario," I growled. He just shook his head.

"I could destroy you right now… but I won't. I happen to like my armor and if you die, both of them are lost," he said. "That is an unfortunate thing indeed."

"Seriously?" asked Micja.

"But, on the plus side," said Kaji with a wicked smile. "The connection goes to pain too." He resheathed his katanas and pulled out a dagger from his arm. One thought: He's an idiot. One reason: he stabbed himself in the arm.

Brin jerked back and choked down a scream. Red spread around her hand as she gripped the same spot he had driven the blade into. It soaked into the sleeve of her T-shirt and slid down her arm after a moment.

"You're insane," she muttered. "In. Sane. Bring back my dad, or you'll see just how much pain I can take."

"We don't have time for this, Kaji," said Hario coldly. "Master Talpa wants to give us our next job and now we have to get you healed too. Come on. And don't think you've all gotten off. Your families are guests of Master Talpa as well." He grabbed Kaji by his bad arm, making Brim grimace, then they both vanished. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"They both need to be kicked in the head," murmured Saki, holding her wrist painfully. Briana groaned and sat up.

"Daddy?" she asked. "Daddy?"

"It's okay, Bree," said Brin, kneeling down next to her. "It's okay." Briana burst into tears.

"They took him," she sobbed. "And Kaji said you were going to die. I thought I was alone again…"

"Shhh," said Micja, picking her up. "We'd never leave you." Brin stood up and leaned against the wall, pale.

"Ow," she said quietly. "Severe ow." Rowen walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She closed her eyes and started to nod, then opened them again.

"Son of a..." she trailed off as she pulled away from Rowen. Her hand came off of her arm and, other then a lot of blood, there wasn't a mark on it. "Well, that didn't take long," she mused. "Should've known he couldn't last long with a cut that deep."

"You're one to talk," said Ariogya, kicking at piece of rubble. Brin shook her head and started for her bathroom. She cast a glance at me and nodded. I followed her and soon the other three girls did too. The guys got a clue and stayed out of it.

Brin stood over the sink calmly, not looking at any of us.

"I'm assuming this is nuts," she said finally as I sat on the edge of the bathtub. "And I'm assuming I'm not the only one this is effecting."

She's right.

Hush. I know she is.

"We're all involved," said Saki. "I think. Even Laori, thought I don't know why or where."

"We are all involved," said Brin. "The guys we know as the Dark Stars are definitely that, the Dark Stars. They were created by the evil of the armors and somehow, we survived to create our own, otherwise they wouldn't be after them."

"That's all well and good," I said. "But this goes far beyond what we've ever known. The Dynasty's really powerful, and now they have six new armors, whereas we have six confused teenagers and five incredibly hot guys with armors."

"Pessimist," muttered Saki.

"Pacifist!" I shot back. She rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall.

"We have to tell the Ronins," said Micja. "It could get really ugly if we don't and somehow the Dynasty uses it against us."

"We'll tell them what we know," said Ariogya. "They don't need to know anymore then we do and-"

"We don't know a lot," I said. "In fact, we know very little. We know there was a split and now we've got completely evil doubles who all have their armors and we don't. This is a really big pain in the ass, okay? What about being normal kids? What about living our lives like we wanted?"

"Maybe this is how I want to live my life," said Brin slowly. "Maybe I want to fight the Dynasty, and maybe I like being half of an evil armor. But, you're right, this is a big pain in the ass. We don't know exactly what we're dealing with as far as the Ronins go. All we know is what we were told centuries ago: that they're the enemy. I'm mad at Rowen, but he's still my friend and there's no way I'm going to destroy him."

"So what are we going to do?" asked Saki after a moment of silence. "I won't fight against them, but I'll sure as hell fight with them."

"Me too."

"Yeah."

"I'm in," said Ariogya. "We won't fight them. That's for sure."

"Brin!" Briana burst into the room, consciouls and definetly a six year old. "Brin, Mia said we could all stay at her house!"

"All of us?" asked Saki. Mia came in behind her and nodded. "Thanks, but why?"

"If the Dynasty's after you," said Cye. "Then we're here to help."

"Not to mention you're families were taken," added Sage. Ariogya glared at him(get used to that.), then pushed past him out the door.

"She's got a point," I said. "We should probably get some stuff from our houses."

"We should go with you," said Ryo. "The Dynasty is still probably after you. Rowen, you stay here with Brin and Briana, Cye, you go with Saki, Kento with Nicka, Sage go with Ariogya, and Mia and I will go with Micja. We'll meet back at Mia's, okay?" The Ronins nodded and so did we. Other then Ariogya, who looked somewhere between angry and slightly happy. Only a little bit. Get used to that too.

"Fortunately, all of us live within walking distance," said Saki, heading out of the room. "I live down the street, Nicka lives across the way, Ariogya behind Brin, and Micja next door. It's been like that… forever."

Chapter 5

Briana stood up just as Mia walked back into the house. She seemed a little upset, but I didn't say anything.

"Can I get a glass of water?" asked Briana.

"Sure," said Mia. Bree disappeared into the kitchen and we sat in silence for a while. Most of us. I was listening to Linja in the back of my mind.

Why doesn't anyone seem to notice something was wrong with Wildfire?

Who knows? I don't know him well enough to care, frankly, and maybe the Ronins are used to this from him.

Still, he could be attacked, or captured or,-

And Saki calls me a pessimist.

"Hi guys." A boy appeared in the doorway, grinning. He couldn't have been more then Briana's age, as we soon found out.

"Hey Yuli," said Rowen. The door to the kitchen opened and Briana froze.

"You?" they both asked at the same time.

"Hi Yuli," said Brin.

"Why are you here?" asked Bree coldly.

"Because these are my friends," he shot back. They started arguing and I looked over at Brin.

"What's going on?" asked Rowen.

"Briana and Yuli go to the same school," she explained. "They've had some fights in the past. Nothing real big, but I know who he is." The two children stopped, both in the middle of sentences and Briana stalked off angrily.

"So what's up, Yuli?" asked Sage.

"Nothing," answered Yuli. "But where was Ryo going in such a hurry?"

"What?!"

"Yeah, he and White Blaze were headed towards town."

"He's probably going to fight Sarenbo on his own," said Sage, standing up. "We have to find him."

"You guys go find Ryo," said Brin. "He might need the white armor."

"What about you?" asked Kento.

"Do you think we can't handle ourselves?" I questioned. "We've known these guys since kindergarten. They may have armors, but that doesn't mean we're afraid."

"Come on," said Cye. "He could be in trouble." They, plus Mia and Yuli, ran outside to her jeep. Just as they drove way and Briana came back downstairs, something in the back of my mind literally froze. I felt cold and worried at the same time.

"It's far from over," said Hario. Something grabbed me by the back of my shirt and I heard Saki shout, but it was too late. Suddenly, I was dangling over the edge of a cliff above absolutely nothing. "You think you can defeat me?"

"If I'm on solid ground, probably, but you seem to have an unfair advantage right now," I said, struggling to get a grip on his hand. Someone swore and she sounded exactly like Brin.

"Put. Me. Down. You sad excuse for a tin can!!" she hollered. A Dynasty soldier had her arms pinned behind her and no matter how much she fought, she couldn't break free. "Where's Kaji? Or are you in charge of this bull shit trap?"

"Kaji doesn't know of this. You're both too much trouble to keep alive. "

"And you'd rather lose your armor?" asked Brin coldly, twisting one last time to no avail. "I knew you were a fool, Hario, but this takes the cake."

"You won't be dead. Until we find a way to re-combine the armors, you will be in the Dynasty. And you will suffer deeply too."

"That's what you think." My hand caught his wrist and I kicked his stomach. He jerked back in surprise and my feet found the ground quickly. Pain knotted my middle, but I ignored it. "If you want me to fight for the Dynasty, you'll have to kick my ass first, Hario."

"That can be done," he said coldly, gripping his stomach in one hand and his yari in the other. "Die, bitch!" He dove for me, but I dodged aside and he headed directly over the side. I grabbed his wrist. "Let me go!"

"If you die, I lose my armor before I get it," I said. "You're a jerk, but even you don't deserve to die like this."

"Let me go!" My hand was slipping. Brin hollered and there was a crash of metal. Heat raged from her and a bright glow surrounded her. I put my attention on getting Hario on the ground. But still, he kept sliding.

Why are you doing this?! Isn't he the enemy? He kidnapped your family for the DYNASTY!

I know, Linja, I know, but I can't let him die. It's not a fair way to die. I have my honor.

"Let me go," he growled. I struggled to keep a hold of his wrist.

"No way, pal. You're evil, but you're still human." I couldn't keep a hold… he was still slipping…

In the corner of my mind, something opened. A wall, a block, I don't know what to call it, but a sudden surge of memories that would've sent me reeling if I didn't have my focus on keeping Hario alive.

"I… need… my armor!" His hand slid free and I almost fell after him. No! he couldn't die. "Water Star!" I yelled harshly. "Tay Shi!" I closed my yari around his arm and dragged him back onto the ground. He glared at me, then vanished. I fell to my knees with an exhausted sigh. Brin resheathed her katanas and watched the mist disappear. We were on a cliff, but it wasn't as high as I had thought. And there was a pond underneath us. No wonder Hario had said to let him go. He wouldn't have died.

"We have… our armors," said Brin in amazement. "Is that a good thing?"

"Since we have the good half… maybe it is." There was a yell from the beach below us. I looked over the edge and saw Rowen and Kento, shouting and waving at us.

"Are you okay?!" asked Rowen.

"Give us a minute!" called Brin. Her armor disappeared and she walked calmly to the edge of the cliff. "Come on, let's see how they like this."

"What are you doing?" I asked suspiciously. She grinned and jumped off into the pond. That confused me, then I got the basic idea when I saw Rowen pale slightly. Okay, so it was fun. I grinned and followed suit. By the time I got to shore, Rowen was somewhere in between reprimanding her and completely worried.

"Are you okay? What happened?" he asked. She shook her head and brushed her fingers through her wet hair.

"I'm fine, trust me," she said. "Soldiers aren't that big of a problem with an armor."

"You got your armor?" asked Kento. I nodded.

"Why would I be wearing a sub armor if I didn't?" I said. "Brin, do me a favor. Next time, don't jump off a cliff, kay? That's a little dumb."

"I know. I wanted to see Rowen's reaction But by the time I reached the surface, he had recovered." She sighed. "It was fun though."

"Are you insane?!" asked Rowen. "How was that fun?!"

"It just was. Do you have a problem with that?" she shot back. I groaned. This was familiar. Think third-fourth grade, and they still act like it.

"Can we go now?" I wondered, turning around. "Believe me, Kento, this could get ugly." He looked over my shoulder and grinned.

"Not quite, Nicka." I turned back and was immediately surprised. Brin had somehow stopped fighting with him and was kissing him. He looked astonished for a split second, then kissed her back.

"Okay, that's it. They're the perfect couple. Neither of them has any sane thought when their around each other." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked up at Kento, who was grinning. "What?"

"Nothing," he answered. "You just made perfect sense though." I smiled warmly and we both started to walk back towards Mia's.

THE END

Heehee! I finally got it done! For all the months that I've been writing this… Yah! Okay, if you haven't guessed, I'm Shadow_Moon_Sedai and this is my first Ronin fic that I've posted. I have probably forty at my comp at home, but no Internet there since my mom thinks it's the root of all evil. Anyway, big. big big BIG thanks to ShadowRand and Shadow_Crystal who sat through all of my ranting about my stories, my life, etc in general… I plan to continue with this series for awhile, taking it from this trilogy. If at any point in time it becomes confusing or too long, just tell me and I'll try to unconfuse you all, 'kay? Okay. Um, on a side note, I'd like to make some blanenet plugs: read the Wheel Of Time by Robert Jordan. It's a little messed up in the prologue of the first one, but it gets itself together, trust me. And once you've at least read the first one, go to http://www.wheeloftime.org and talk to other people who've read the book. Hmm, maybe I should thank them to. Alright, I will. Thanx to Ulricha, Davian(why I'm thanking this guy is beyond me. He's weirder then I am), BlackRider, and the whole lot for sitting through my online rants about my life, Bob, and my spacebar being frozen. Love you all! And thanks to the peoples who are reading this, 'cause it's longer then it should be… okay. I'm done know.