Disclaimer- I don't own Ronin Warriors or Sailor Moon. They'd be horrified at what I've done to them anyway.

Chapter 1

"Are you certain about this information?"

"Yes, my lord," came the nervous reply. "These armors were created from an emperor named Lord Talpa. They possess great strength."

"And where is this Lord Talpa now?"

"Erm…" The informant coughed lightly. "He has been defeated, by those who now bear this armor."

"I see."

"What is your next command, my lord?"

Silence met this inquiry as he stood and walked to the window that overlooked the courtyard. He placed his hands behind his back, appearing to be deep in thought as he gazed at what was once a beautiful grove.

Now, all that remained was death. The grasses had long since turned to dust as the water supply had dwindled. Trees were bare of leaves and many a limb had fallen to the parched ground. His people were dying; his planet was dying.

It was inevitable, he supposed. The time had come for him to provide his people with a new planet on which to live. There was no other choice- there was no water left and the rains had stopped many moonfalls ago. If he wanted his people to live, his legacy to continue, he needed to conquer a new planet and quickly.

"And where are these armors now, Laeren?" the lord asked without looking away from the wasteland view.

"On the planet Earth, my lord," Laeren replied with a bow.

"Earth?" the lord immediately turned to the informant, his features cold, calculated. No emotion crossed his handsome face, yet his emerald eyes glowed like green fire. "Those damned Sailor Scouts protect that planet- there's no way for me to find and obtain those nine armors without confronting them."

Laeren coughed again. The lord narrowed his eyes. "The Sailor Scouts have been…neglectful… in their protection of their planet, my lord."

"How so?"

"They have not needed to protect the planet from threats in some time. It would appear that they are simply living normal lives- no training, no battles, no concerns."

"And this helps me how?"

"It would be an uncomplicated matter, my lord, for us to breach Earth's defenses, obtain the nine mystical armors, and conquer the planet for our own use."

The lord made a wry sound that might've qualified as a dignified snort. "I hardly think such an invasion would be so simple, Laeren."

"I have a plan, my lord," Laeren replied meekly.

One finely arched white eyebrow raised as the lord regarded the mage. "Elucidate."

"It is simple, my lord," Laeren replied, bowing yet again. "The Sailor Scouts are now of an age where their interests lie in other things than battles and protecting the planet. In short, they are interested in finding mates."

"So?"

"So the Ronin Warriors that hold five of the nine mystical armors are also of an age to be looking for mates. If we were to, perhaps, distract one group with the other…"

The lord smiled slightly, this time with real humor. It disturbed the mage deeply- his master was even more dangerous when amused. "I see... While these lovesick fools are preoccupied with each other, we shall sneak in, take the armors and conquer the planet before either party can do anything about it."

Laeren bowed again, relieved to have pleased his master. "Thank you, my lord."

The lord stroked his smooth chin, pondering a sudden thought. "What of the other four armors?"

"They belong to four warlords, my lord," Laeren replied. "A female and three males, all from several centuries in Earth's past. They will have to be taken first, since they reside in another dimension."

"Another dimension? And how, pray tell, are we supposed to obtain access to this dimension?"

Laeren swallowed nervously as he pulled a vial from his left pocket and a slender dagger from his belt. The lord narrowed his eyes at the mage. "Do not worry, my lord… I do not seek to harm you."

"You would not have lived this long if I thought you would, Laeren."

Still attempting to maintain a positive demeanor, the mage dribbled a tiny bit of magenta liquid onto the blade of the dagger. "If I may...?"

Laeren took the dagger and held it in the air, as though getting ready to strike a foe. He stabbed the air, and shockingly, the point of the dagger disappeared, as though embedded in an invisible enemy. The mage then pulled the dagger down, seemingly ripping a fissure in the air.

The lord stared stonily at the rip in the air. "You just ripped a hole…?"

"In the fabric of dimensions, my lord. Indeed."

"Leviathan's gills, Laeren. Do you seek to destroy us all?"

"No, no, my lord! I would never!"

The lord ran a hand through his short snow-white hair, the long strands of blue-green hair in the front proclaiming his noble lineage. The shimmering strands fell back over his turquoise eyes, almost vanishing due to the similarities in color. "How long will this remain open?"

"This mixture allows us to open the portal between our dimension and the warlords', my lord, for only a few moments at a time."

The lord turned away from the mage, walking slowly toward the jeweled chest next to the royal throne. He had no other choice, he supposed.

He knelt and lifted the lid, revealing an ancient sword. The blade appeared to be made of liquid and the silver hilt was adorned with a single large aquamarine. He strapped the dark blue sheath to his back.

Lifting the waterblade out of the chest, he stood, nearly 7 feet of powerful, dangerous male. He turned to the mage, his gem-like eyes glittering.

"Let's go conquer a new world, Laeren."

^v^v^v^v^v^

"Come now, Kayura! Surely you can do better than that!"

Kayura, last of the clan of Ancients and bearer of the Armor of the Ogre, whipped her long black ponytail over her shoulder as she sparred with two of the three ex-Warlords. She smiled, a genuine smile that made her violet eyes sparkle. "I wouldn't want to hurt you boys now…"

Kale of the Jackal laughed, brandishing his no-datchi, a black-bladed sword. "You? A mere woman, hurt us?"

"Unlikely!" added Sekhmet of the Cobra. "We have been warlords long before she was born!" He swung two of his six katanas around as he circled Kayura.

"Fools!" Dais of the Tarantula mumbled as he dangled upside down, observing the fight between the lone female and his two cohorts. "She'd tie you up and serve you both for dinner before either of you could blink."

Kayura turned her amethyst gaze to Dais briefly, sparing the Warlord of Illusion a quick grin and a wink. He nodded slightly in return, a faint smile upon his lips. Due to his missing eye, he was unable to wink back, yet the Lady of Cruelty knew how he felt. A tentative relationship had begun between the two, developing slowly these past years since Emperor Talpa's defeat. As they were both over 400 years old, they felt they had time to let things grow as slowly as necessary. Even though they had never actually said the words aloud, they were each very much in love with each other.

"Bah!" Sekhmet spat out. "You say that only because you fancy her!"

Dais chuckled. Kayura blushed slightly. "That has nothing to do with it. I speak only the truth, my friend."

"Enough chatter! Let us find out what is truth and what is not!" Kale cried as he lifted his no-datchi. "Black Lightning Slash!"

Multitudes of jagged lightning bolts branched out from the blade, each bolt so black as to devour any light surrounding it. Kayura jumped lithely out of the way, black bolts striking the ground where she once stood.

"Your lightning is no match for her, Kale," Dais muttered with a small grin.

"Then let her try to evade this!" Sekhmet hissed. "Snake Bite Strike!"

This, too, was evaded as Kayura jumped away again, allowing the venomous attack to land where her feet once were. She shook her hair back again, grinning at the two ex-Warlords.

Dais dropped to the ground, landing gracefully on his feet. He brushed his white hair out of his face with a hand and proceeded to walk over to a nearby tree. He leaned nonchalantly against the trunk, crossing his arms in seemingly disinterest. He knew what was coming.

"You boys have had your fun," Kayura said as she lifted Anubis' old weapon, the kusari-gama. "Now let's see what I can do in return…"

She jumped into the air, doing an elegant backflip as she left the ground. She raised her kusari-gama and threw the sickle end of the chain deep into the ground. "Quake with Fear!"

The sickle caused several fissures to crack open under the ground, then multitudes of chains flew out from the ground, effectively trapping and suspending the two ex-Warlords. Dais shook his head in amusement.

"Dammit!" Kale choked out as he struggled against the chain holding his head up. His arms and legs were likewise trapped, leaving the Warlord of Corruption as defenseless as a fly in a web.

"Should've known this would happen…" Sekhmet muttered as he pulled helplessly against the chains. The Warlord of Venom managed to turn his head slightly as he saw Dais trying hard not to laugh out loud at their predicament. "You're not helping, Dais!"

Kayura pulled back on the kusari-gama, releasing the two ex-Warlords. They dropped to the ground with identical grunts. "I believe that makes me the victor, boys."

The two men on the ground groaned. They had taunted Kayura into a sparring match, and now that she was indeed the winner, they were at her mercy.

Dais locked gazes with Kayura and she winked again. Then she kneeled down next to the two ex-Warlords. "Guess that makes you two my bitches for the week…"

Dais cackled. Sekhmet and Kale groaned again. Kayura grinned.

A strong wind blew across the field where they had practiced, making all four snap to attention. There was something on the wind- something strange.

Dais walked over to Kayura's side, his attention still focused on the wind's origin. "You sense it too, do you not?"

"Indeed, Dais," Kayura whispered. "My concern is if this presence bears us ill."

Sekhmet and Kale stood up, flanking the other two as they, too, gazed into the wind. "We should check this out," Kale said.

"Agreed," Sekhmet nodded. He turned to Dais and Kayura. "You two stay here and we will deal with the intruder."

"Who died and made him Emperor?" Dais muttered as the two men ran off. Kayura lifted a slender hand and placed it gently on his arm.

"Do not worry about him," she said softly. "You know how he is." She turned back to the wind, worry defined on her exquisite features. "I just hope that they will be safe."

Dais sighed and laid his hand on top of hers. "I worry more for whatever quarry they may discover."

^v^v^v^v^v^

Too much time had passed. Dais was pacing, something the Warlord of Illusion never did. He was agitated- that much was certain.

"Dais?"

He turned to the lovely raven-haired woman sitting under the tree. Her amethyst eyes, which usually held a special sparkle just for him, were now clouded with worry. She stood and walked up to him, anxious.

"I am concerned, my love," she murmured, turning her head towards the horizon, where Sekhmet and Kale had disappeared.

Dais' heart stopped briefly as the endearment reached his ears. My love? After all this time, she would finally admit that she cared that much about him? He mentally shook his head. Now was not the time to rejoice over her confession. His friends could be in peril.

"I think the time has come to follow them," he replied, trying to appear unmoved by the declaration. She turned to him and silently nodded, understanding. She stepped away from his side and as one they each grabbed their left wrist with their right hand and called upon their armors.

"Tao nin!"

"Tao chu!"

Sakura blossoms surrounded the couple, enveloping them as their armors enfolded their bodies. When the sakura blossoms had finally dissipated, Kayura and Dais stood under a tree, clad in the Armor of the Ogre and the Armor of the Tarantula, respectively. Kayura held her helmet under her arm, while Dais had already donned his. She nodded to Dais, and then placed her helmet over her head. The helmet of the Ogre adjusted itself, so that her long black ponytail emerged from the rear of the helmet.

Together they leaped into the air, heading into the wind to follow their companions.

^v^v^v^v^v^

The lord looked down at the unconscious figures on the grass in bewilderment. He prodded the green-haired one with a toe as though concerned the Warlord would awaken.

"Do not worry, my lord," Laeren murmured. "They will not awaken until long after we have left with their armors."

"And how are we to take these armors from them, mage?" the lord asked, still looking at the two men. "I tire of your games and riddles. Let me kill them and be done with this entire matter."

"No, you mustn't, Master!" the mage cried, cringing when his lord's sharp gaze locked on him in obvious disapproval. "Killing them will not relieve them of their armor- indeed, they will be bestowed upon new bearers. We must remove their spheres carefully." Laeren pulled yet another vial from his voluminous black robes.

"Caution," he said as he dribbled a small amount of turquoise powder onto each man. "I would not want this mixture to accidentally splash on you, sir."

The handsome lord did not do as his mage ordered; however, his right hand did take hold of the hilt of his waterblade with an expert ease.

The armors of the two Warlords began to glow, lightly at first, then becoming a bright turquoise. In a flash that nearly blinded the lord and the mage, the two men were left lying on the grass wearing strange garb instead of the armors. On the ground next to each man lay a small sphere, about the size of a small fruit. The lord strode over to the men, stooping to pick up one of the spheres. Laeren walked over and picked up the other.

"Obedience, my lord," Laeren said as he handed the brown sphere to the lord. He took it and gazed at the strange, black symbol shining deep within the globe. He looked at the dark green sphere in his other hand. "That one would be Piety, I believe."

"Indeed, Laeren," the lord agreed, his unemotional mask belying the gleam of success in his turquoise eyes as he slid his waterblade back into its sheath. "Now all we need to do is wait for Loyalty and Serenity."

^v^v^v^v^v^

"I still don't like this," Dais muttered as they raced towards their friends. "I can't sense their armors at all- it's like they disappeared."

"Then that's all the more reason to hurry," Kayura replied. She gave an encouraging smile to her companion, but her attention was quickly drawn by something in the distance. "What the-?"

Dais spotted it too. "Hurry, Kayura!" She nodded once as they ran faster toward their goal.

As they approached, they could see that there were two figures lying prone on the ground, clad in old-fashioned Japanese haori and hakama. The black haired man could've been anybody, but as for the green-haired one-

"Sekhmet!" Kayura cried as she fell to her knees beside the unconscious man's body. She placed a hand by his mouth and, to her relief, verified that he was still breathing. "What happened to you?"

"Kale," Dais muttered as he knelt next to the other man. He glanced up at Kayura, confusion clear in his single-eyed gaze. "Where is their armor?"

Kayura shook her head. Her head snapped up as she searched the nearby foliage for the source of the dangerously powerful aura she could feel. Dais stood slowly as a man of indeterminate age stepped out of the trees.

"You must be the Tarantula of Illusion, bearer of the kanji of Serenity," the extremely tall, handsome stranger said, an idle gust of wind blowing the long turquoise hair out of his eyes. The rest of his hair was pure white and cropped short, while his oddly-colored bangs hung over his eyes to brush his cheeks. His ears were strange, seeming rather like dragon's wings, with sheer membranes stretching between long spikes of flesh. His eyes flashed the same shade as his hair, reminding Kayura of the ocean. He wore a sea-blue tunic with two belts- a white one at his waist and a navy blue one positioned diagonally across his chest which seemed to support a sword scabbard. His loose-fitting pants were white, tucked into shiny boots the same shade as his scabard's belt.

Those piercing turquoise eyes turned to Kayura and remained, his gaze so sharp she was surprised she wasn't bleeding from somewhere. He assessed, weighed something in his mind, then seemed to come to a decision. He nodded regally to Kayura, who remained by Sekhmet's unconscious form. "So that would make you Loyalty, my Lady."

Dais growled. "Who the hell are you?"

The stranger flicked his gaze briefly to the Warlord of Illusion. His countenance remained completely blank, with only disinterest evident in his eyes. "It is not any concern of yours, human. I am Zaeras, lord and leader of the people of Wataer."

"Water?" Kayura looked puzzled.

"Not 'water,'" he replied, his voice as sharp as his gaze as he turned back to her, "Wataer. It is the name of my people, as we are servants to our most holy Water-god, one your race has termed a 'Leviathan'." He took a few steps forward, his eyes locked on hers. "We travel from planet to planet in search of voluminous amounts of water to satisfy our god. We stay on that planet until the water supply is drained- then we move on, searching for another water planet."

"And what does this have to do with us?" Dais gritted out, pulling his chin-lin-tao out. Kayura stood and took a stance next to him, pulling her kusari-gama out as well.

"My lord is in need of your armors," a new voice piped up. As smooth as satin, the voice slid across the air as though caressing the wind. A new man, this one shorter than Lord Zaeras, stepped out of the trees, garbed in flowing black robes belted with a band of shimmering material, changing colors as he moved. He held a black staff in his hands, topped with a large solitary gem that caught the light in a rainbow of colors. His dark blue, waist-length hair was tied back with a black band and his grey eyes shone in the light of his staff gem. His ears were finned as well.

"Our armors?" Kayura and Dais assumed a more defensive position. "Why would you want our armors? They are of little consequence."

Lord Zaeras reached over his shoulder and grasped the silver hilt of the sword on his back. "Oh, I beg to differ, Warlord," he said as he pulled his weapon from its scabbard. "Your armors are most important." He brandished his waterblade in front of him, the aquamarine on the hilt glittering in the light.

Kayura paused. "Dais?" she whispered, feather-soft only for his ears. "What kind of blade is that? It looks as if it were made of-"

"Water?" Lord Zaeras blinked lazily. "Indeed, Lady Loyalty. It appears that not all humans are lacking in observation abilities." He lifted the liquid blade into the air as the mage moved quickly out of the way. "My only concern now is how well you can fight against the element of my god."

He stood straight and tall, his very pose radiating power and experience, with an aura that threatened to overwhelm both Warlords with every pulse of that power.

Dais attacked first, rushing at the stranger and then fading out, attempting to use his talent for illusion to trick Zaeras into making some sort of mistake. Over and over he taunted, attacked, lured, and struck. Yet each time Zaeras merely brought up his weapon, easily deflecting each strike, seeing thru every illusion cast at him.

Kayura lifted her weapon, swinging it out to lash at the lord while he was seemingly preoccupied with Dias. Instead his waterblade came up, blocking her attack whilst still holding Dias at bay with apparent ease.

Abruptly he pushed his sword away with one hand, a huge blast of energy knocking both Warlords away. As they landed, he swiftly cut an arc through the air towards them, creating a semicircle of water that shot towards them at an almost impossible speed. Kayura's violet eyes flew wide as she tried to block the wall of water. Dais stood behind her, bracing the two of them- yet they were easily overwhelmed.

The force was so great that they were both beaten off their feet and blown several feet away, striking the ground so hard it knocked them both unconscious. Kayura's helmet fell off, revealing her lovely features, marred only by a thin cut on her left cheek from the rough terrain.

Lord Zaeras walked over to where the two lay and gazed down at Dais with a look of mild boredom. Using the tip of his waterblade, he nudged the illusion master, disappointed to see there was more fight left in his opponent for the moment.

He mentally sighed, annoyed, and turned to Kayura. He paused, stared. He realized somewhere in his unemotional mind that he was completely caught off guard by the lady's exquisite beauty. "Laeren," he murmured to his mage.

The mage hurried over. "Yes, my lord?"

"Why did you not tell me how striking the Lady of Loyalty was?"

Laeren bowed deeply, blushing slightly. "I, uh… was unaware of this fact, my lord."

Lord Zaeras arched an eyebrow at him, stating silently that he believed otherwise.

"You have the potion for their Kanji spheres." An order, dismissing the subject for now.

Laeren pulled out the turquoise powder. "Right here, my lord." He hurried over to the last two Warlords and dribbled a small amount onto each unconscious body. They began to glow, as did Sekhmet and Kale. In a blinding flash, they were garbed in the same style of clothing as the other two Warlords and there were two spheres lying on the grass.

Lord Zaeras picked up the yellow Loyalty sphere first, then the dark pink Obedience sphere. "At last," he said, not without a hint of amusement, "we have all four Warlord armors." He looked down at the unconscious Kayura and his eyes glittered, a slow, calculating smile stretching across his lips.

"And it looks as though our people will finally have a Lady of Wataer, Laeren."

^v^v^v^v^v^

Kale sat up, rubbing his head and groaning. He noticed that the sun had long since set and night had settled upon the land. He looked over and poked Sekhmet. When the Warlord of Venom merely grunted in response, Kale whacked him upside the head with his hand.

"Wake up, fool!" Kale yelled in Sekhmet's ear. "Something's wrong!"

Sekhmet grunted again, wincing as he rubbed his head. "Didn't have to hit me, you know…"

Kale looked around, doing a double take as he noticed his clothing. "What? Why am I wearing normal clothes?"

Sekhmet rubbed his eyes to get a better look at the Warlord of Corruption. "Interesting… you seem to have lost your armor."

"Bastard!" Kale yelled. "You have lost yours as well!"

"What?" Sekhmet jumped to his feet, running his hands over his green haori and brown hakama. "How the hell did this happen?"

Dais stumbled over, holding his head. He was clad in a mauve- colored haori with grey hakama. "It was that Lord of Wataer, Zaeras."

"Zaeras?" came the twin outbursts.

Kale looked around, concerned. "Where is Kayura?"

Dais winced. He turned and gazed into the distance, his expression closed and stony. "…She's gone."

"GONE?"