Armor of Hope It's back up, minna-san! But I will be revamping it later, so keep an eye out for the new and improved Armor of Hope! I may actually get to how Amalthea figures in this story!
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Armor of Hope
by Lira

Part One: Regeneration

Ryo yawned sleepily from his perch on top of a picnic table in front of his high school. His grandmother had set all the clocks half an hour early to trick him into getting to school on time. Life was pretty much back to normal since Talpa's defeat a few years ago. In other words: BORING. He kind of missed the thrill of an impending battle, the heady rush he got whenever he'd put on the Armor of Wildfire. He almost wished a new enemy would show up so he could get that feeling again. ALMOST.

"Hey, Ryo!"

Ryo looked around to see Rowen waving at him and he waved back. "Hi, Rowen! Where's Sage? I thought you never got out of bed without him dumping you on your head!"

"Ha ha. Very funny." Rowen jumped up to join his friend on the table. "He's hiding from his fan club again."

Ryo chuckled. "Poor Sage. So how'd he get you up this time?"

The blue-haired boy clutched at his throat dramatically. "He tried to drown me! He poured a glass of water in my mouth!"

Ryo laughed.

"Look, I didn't ask for your help-"

"So what? You obviously did NOT want them to bother you, blondie."

"My name is Sage, not 'blondie'."

"Coulda fooled me, Mr. Stiff."

The two boys looked up with interest as they heard Sage arguing with someone. They saw Sage talking angrily to a young woman with long, wild red hair and vivid green eyes. She had a powerful build and the way she held herself plainly said she was a practiced warrior. She wore a black T-shirt with the kanji for hope in white, faded blue jeans, and flame-colored sneakers.

"I don't even know you!" Sage was saying.

"I don't know you either, so shut up," she snapped. "Besides, why're you following me and making such a big deal out of it?"

Sage looked startled and Ryo and Rowen burst out laughing.

"She's got you there, Sage!" Rowen hooted, then jumped off the table and walked over. "Hi!" he said, holding out a hand toward the girl to shake. "I'm Rowen Hashiba. What's your name?"

She looked at his hand suspiciously as if it were a snake ready to strike. "I'm busy tonight," she said coolly, turning up her nose haughtily.

Rowen face vaulted and fell over while Ryo laughed. "I wasn't asking for a date!" he protested.

"You were going to, Rowen of Strata," she sniffed haughtily.

Abruptly all three boys had surrounded her.

"How did you know about that?" Ryo demanded quietly.

"Oh, puh-leaz!" she snorted, raising a hand. Before their eyes, a small blue flame formed in her open palm. "I have my ways. Now get outta my way before I hurt you where the sun don't shine."

Ryo scowled, but moved out of her way.

"Don't worry, guys," she said with a sudden sweet smile. "I won't tell anyone your secret!" She grinned and flashed a peace sign, then ran off.

The three boys watched her go.

"Can we trust her, Ryo?" Rowen asked.

"We have no choice," Ryo replied. "Did you guys feel that weird power that was around her?"

"You felt it, too?" Rowen looked at Ryo in surprise.

Sage frowned. "She's either a new enemy or an ally of some sort."

"I hope it's the latter," Rowen said, putting a hand behind his head. "I'd hate to have her as an enemy."

"Me, too."

"Ditto."
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Kento munched on some chips as he walked to class, oblivious to his surroundings. That is, until someone rounded a corner and ran into him, sending his chips flying. "Hey!" he yelped, watching in horror as his chips scattered.

"Sorry," said an apologetic voice. "Here." A new bag of chips was thrust into his hands.

"Thanks!" He ripped into the bag and stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth. He looked at the voice's owner and stared at a pair of slightly glowing green eyes. Not glowing like normal eyes, but glowing like Talpa's. "Who are you?"

"I'm Amalthea Ryushi," she said shortly. Then she smiled slightly. "By the way, it was Thomas Edison who invented the light bulb, not Thomas Jefferson." She turned and walked away.

"Huh?" Kento looked at his history homework in shock. "Ack! She's right! But how did she know I had that one wrong? My homework was inside my binder." He looked up, but she was gone.
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Cye looked at his science class work, totally baffled. He didn't understand what he was supposed to do.

"Need help?" a voice asked.

"Yeah, please." He looked up to see the new girl, Amalthea Ryushi, smiling at him. "I have no earthly idea how to calculate acceleration."

She laughed lightly and sat beside him. "See, this is what you do..." She showed him step by step how to do it, then had him practice one on his own before letting him do the assigned problem.

"Oh! Okay, I get it now. Thanks."

She smiled. "No prob. If you need help on any of the others, just ask me, okay?"

He nodded with a smile. "Right. Thanks again."

She grinned and flashed a peace sign. "Don't mention it!"
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"Have you met the new girl?" Kento asked as he joined his friends outside for lunch. "Amalthea Ryushi?"

"I have science with her," Cye said. "She helped me with my class work."

"She corrected my homework," Kento added.

"She turned Rowen down flatter than a pancake," Ryo grinned slyly at Rowen.

"She chased off Sage's fan club," Rowen laughed.

"She knows we're the Ronins," Sage said quietly.

"She's over there! Hey Amalthea! Over here!" Kento yelled and he and Cye began waving at the red-haired girl.

"Hey, guys!" Amalthea called, walking over to join them. "What's up?" She sat down between Ryo and Kento, grinning brightly.

"Thanks for correcting my homework, Amalthea," Kento said.

"Call me 'Thea."

"Okay. But how did you know I had that one wrong? I had it in my binder."

"And how'd you know I was Rowen of Strata?"

Amalthea held up her hands to halt the questions. "If ya'll would shut up for a moment and let me talk, I'll explain part of the reason I'm here." She waited for them to fall silent, then began digging through her lunch bag as she talked. "Okay. I'm Amalthea Ryushi and I just moved here from America. I'm not normal, just like you guys. I'm kind of a scorcoress, but my magic comes naturally. I came here because I got a strong premonition of danger here. So here I am. So what are your names?" She took a bite of her sandwich and waited.

"I'm Cye," Cye said first.

Kento grinned and pointed a thumb at his chest. "I'm Kento!"

"We met this morning. I'm Rowen."

"I'm Ryo."

"Sage."

She grinned sheepishly. "Eh...Sorry about the fight this morning, Sage. Forgive me?"

Sage inclined his head slightly in an affirmative.

"Thanks!" She grinned and flashed a peace sign. "You're awesome!" She slapped Kento's hand away from her lunch bag without even looking at him. "So what's your story?"

"Can we trust you?" Rowen asked.

She nodded. "I haven't told anyone yet, have I? Besides, I trusted you with my secret."

"Your secret?" Cye looked up from his sandwich.

"Yeah. My magic. Most people would call me a witch and hate me if they knew. That's another reason I left America. I made the mistake of living in Salem, Massachusetts, which was notorious for witch hunts. I almost ended up on intimate terms with the torture devices in the witch hunt museum."

"Ouch." Ryo looked sympathetic. "I don't blame you for running. Well, our story is..." He went on to tell her about their battles as the Ronin Warriors, with interruptions from the others about their parts of the story.

She waited politely until they were done. "Wow. You guys sure saw a lot of action. I'm surprised you all survived with your good humor intact. I'da had a nervous breakdown at the first sight of Talpa. You guys are awesome. Don't ever let anyone tell you you're not good warriors, because you are. You're the best warriors you could possibly be. No one else could've done what you did and stayed sane. No matter how hopeless a situation seems, no matter how strong Evil appears, there is always, ALWAYS a way for Good to win. And there is always a loophole to every bad situation. You just have to find it." She smiled and handed Kento her candy bar before he could open his mouth to ask, then she stood up. "Remember that, guys, because it'll save your lives very soon." Her green eyes glowed visibly as she spoke. "I can't tell yet what the danger is, but it's very near. I don't expect you to trust me, but still, I'd suggest you be ready for it." She grinned then and gave them a jaunty salute, then turned and walked away. "Seeya later, guys!"
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"Do you think she was telling the truth?" Cye asked later as the five Ronins stood outside after school had let out for the day. "I mean, it sounded a little crazy."

"Our whole life has been crazy! what are you talking about?" Kento grinned. "First an evil spirit from the Nether Realm tries to take over Earth, we put on magic armor, Ryo's got a pet tiger, and-"

"And we've got you," Rowen interrupted with a grin, poking Kento's chest. "The appetite on legs. Everything else is normal compared to you."

Kento grabbed the front of the blue-haired boy's shirt. "How'd you like a knuckle sandwich, air head?"

"What an apt nickname for Strata!" Amalthea teased as she walked up. She then put on a mock girly face and fluttered her eyelashes. "Would one of you big, strong men like to walk me home?" she asked in a sickly sweet, high-pitched voice.

"I'll pass."

"Me, too."

"No thanks."

"Can't. Sorry."

"No way."

She laughed. "Good, 'cause there aren't any men around here. All I see are five little boys."

"Little?!"

She laughed again and ducked Kento's playful swipe. "Nyah nyah! Missed me!" she taunted, sticking her tongue out and pulling a lower eyelid down. She then let out a screech and bolted as Kento raced after her.

The others laughed and shook their heads.

"Looks like Kento's found a new friend," Ryo chuckled.

"What do you expect? She gave him food!" Rowen snorted. "He'll be friends with anyone who does that."

"I don't think that's it," Sage said softly, watching Kento and Amalthea wrestling on the grass. "It's more like a brother/sister friendship."

Abruptly Amalthea jumped up in front of Sage, startling him. "Gee, ya think?" she grinned broadly, if a little maniacally.

"Gyah!" Sage stumbled back from her while the others laughed. "You're nuts!"

She looked at him innocently. "You just now noticed, Sage?" She grinned and flashed a peace sign. "I hate to tease and run, guys, but I gotta go! Seeya!" She turned and jogged off.

"Doesn't anything faze her?" Cye asked with a faint grin.

"If she can handle Rocks-for-brains here, obviously nothing fazes her," Ryo laughed, putting a companionable arm on Kento's shoulder.

Kento snorted and shook him off. "Go soak your head, Wildfire!"
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Amalthea looked up at the dark gateway before her, a strange smile on her face. She put a hand on the unearthly wood, her green eyes glowing like emeralds in front of a flashlight, and she pushed the door open. Dark mist swirled out around her feet as she entered the gateway. The door swung shut behind her and vanished.

She looked around the dimly lit netherscape a moment, then cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Hey, Kayura! Hell-O! Where are you, you lousy hostess?!"

"No need to shout, 'Thea," laughed a voice and Lady Kayura appeared before her. "So what brings you here?"

Amalthea's grin faded slightly. "I need to borrow Kale, Dais, Sekhmet, and you for a spell. The Ronins will need help to face a new evil."

Kayura nodded. "I'll call them. Where do you want us to meet you?"

"Where Denari Village once was. Meet me there before midnight tonight and I'll explain."

"Right." Kayura nodded and vanished.

Amalthea stood still a moment, silent, then a white kanji glowed on her forehead and she closed her eyes. "Kibo," she whispered. "Hope. As long as there is hope, we still have a chance." She then vanished from the Nether Realm.
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"Why are we here again?" Dais asked the green-haired man beside him.

Sekhmet gritted his teeth. "For the twentieth time, we are here to meet 'Thea. Try to remember that for more than thirty seconds this time!"

"Right." A pause. "Why are we here again?"

"You little...!" Sekhmet lunged at the white-haired man while Kale and Kayura laughed.

"Quit clowning, you two," Amalthea said as she abruptly appeared. "This is serious." She briefly told them what she knew about the swiftly approaching new evil. "Now, the reason I asked for your help is I need to perform a spell to help defeat the evil. It's a very dangerous one, but it must be done. Kayura, are you willing to give up the Armor of Cruelty for the spell to work?"

Kayura looked startled. "Give up the armor? Why?"

"To restore a much-needed ally."

Kayura's eyes widened in sudden understanding and she nodded determinedly. "Yes. I'm willing to give it up."

"Good. Dais?" The red-haired girl turned to the Lord of Illusions. "I need you to create an image of Anubis here." She indicated a spot where a large triangle had been drawn on the ground. "Stand here at this point. Kale, you take that point, and Sekhmet, take the last one."

The three Warlords took their assigned places at the triangle's three points, then Amalthea showed Dais where she wanted him to project the image of Anubis.

"Kayura, you need the Ancient's staff."

Kayura nodded and the staff appeared in her hands. "Now what?"

Amalthea smiled nervously. "Now the dangerous part: the spell itself. I'll be trying to harness power almost too much to be controlled. It could very well backfire and kill all of us. You guys sure you wanna go through with this?"

"Yes," was the unanimous reply.

"Very well. Here goes." Amalthea closed her eyes and bowed her head. All was silent. Then she began chanting softly.

"Jin. Chi. Shin. Inochi. Gi. Jin. Chi. Shin. Inochi. Gi. Jin. Chi. Shin. Inochi. Gi."

Five kanji symbols glowed in the darkness around the triangle: red Jin, virtue; green Chi, wisdom; light blue Shin, trust; dark blue Inochi, life; and orange Gi, justice.

"Ko. Nin. Tei. Chu. Piety. Serenity. Obedience. Loyalty. These nine virtues stem from the tenth. Kibo. Hope. As long as there is life, there is hope. As long as there is hope, there is life. I call upon the wild Earth energies to search for the power to transfer the Armor of Cruelty to another! Armor of Cruelty, DAO CHU!"

The wind began to howl as the black Armor of Cruelty formed on the ground in the triangle. Amalthea swallowed nervously, then threw back her head and raised her arms to the sky as lightning flashed overhead.

"I'm going to need your help, guys!" she called over the wind. "I don't have enough energy to do this on my own! Your armors!"

The three Warlords transformed into their armors instantly, lending her their energy as their kanji symbols joined the five glowing around them.

"Piety!"

"Serenity!"

"Obedience!"

A white aura surrounded Amalthea as she absorbed their power, crackling and popping like flames. After a moment, she shouted, "I call upon my power over the soul and call the soul of Anubis back to the mortal plane! Loyalty! Restore the fallen warrior's body in this, the place of his birth! Let body and soul reunite to reform the Warlord of Cruelty! NOW!"

A blood red lightning bolt streaked down from the sky, striking the empty armor in a blindingly bright light. Then everything stopped. Silence filled the now-calm night as the moonlight shone down on six prone figures.

Amalthea stirred, struggling groggily to her hands and knees. "Hope..." she whispered.

"Piety..." came Sekhmet's voice as he stirred.

"Serenity..." came Dais' voice.

"Obedience..." came Kale's voice.

"Loyalty..." rasped a new voice.

Amalthea looked up with a triumphant grin. "Anubis! You're back! It worked!" Then she spotted the other three Warlords and her eyes widened. "Oops," she said guiltily.
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"Oops"? What did Amalthea mean by that? Did something go wrong with the spell after all? How will the Ronin Warriors react to Anubis' return from the dead? Will the Warlords and the Ronins be able to work together to defeat the new evil? Find out in the next episode: Teenage Troubles!