A/N: ~screams~ where is it?! Who has it?! ~takes a deep breath~ Okay, I'm okay. Little explaining to do, apparently. I had a floppy disk. Containing sixty some odd Ronin, Sailor Moon, Gundam, and Animorphs fics.
IT'S GONE!!
When I find the creep that took my disk… let's just say he/she will be eating the ten-foot psychic pole. Anyway, brining stuff to school on a floppy disk saves me about forty hours of extra typing, but since I can't save italics, bolds, dynamics in general on the blasted thing, I have asterisk. Now, usually, I'll go through when I get it on the school comps and change that all but… I'm sick of that. So I'm going to scan it for random mistakes, but know this all you happy reader people: any word/line surrounded by "*" is italicized. 'Kay then!
Unknowing
Prologue- August 13, 1993
Sage watched Cilya sleeping on the couch, her daughter Jeyna in her lap. Jeyna was barely eight months. Why would the Dynasty want to take her away?
Jeyna started to fuss, but Cilya was out cold. There was strong poison in her thanks to Sekhemt. Sage stood up carefully and gently picked up the small child. She looked up at him with forest green eyes, like her mothers and gave him a baby smile. He grinned back.
"What could the Dynasty possibly see in you as dangerous?" he wondered out loud. She cooed loudly. This time, Cilya groaned softly and lifted her head.
"Jeyna," she muttered. "It's okay..."
"Hey," said Sage. "How do you feel?"
"Like a truck's front grill," she said. Jeyna leaned towards her mother and he gave the small baby over. Cilya smiled at him. "You're actually one of the few people who can hold her without making her cry. Feel special." She kissed her daughter's forehead. "What could that jerk want with you?" she asked quietly. "You're just a kid. It's your mommy he should be after."
"What do you mean?" asked Sage, sitting down next to her. She looked at him with a sympathetic grin.
"Misa was right," she said gently. "You Ronins *are* too good to be true. Here." She handed him Jeyna, who started to whimper almost immediately. "Shhh, my baby. I can't take care of you anymore. Sekhmet's poison works too fast, even in my blood." She stood up slowly and walked around the table. "Halo, please, I beg of you, watch over her. I'll keep Talpa at bay as long as I possibly can, but the most I can give her is fourteen years." She closed her eyes as the venom reached her heart and slowed its beating. A serenity over came her shadowed mind. "In that space of time, make sure she learns everything she can, but do not tell her about me. As far as she's concerned, I never existed." She opened her eyes again and Sage saw they were filled with tears of pain. Then she started to vanish. "In fourteen years, it will become clear, don't worry, but until then, you cannot and will not try to find any answers. It's not worth your life to find the truth behind darkness." A cold wind blew through the window and she was gone, leaving them in the dark. Sage looked down at the now quiet Jeyna. She was concentrated on playing with his fingers. It was truly like Cilya never existed...
Chapter 1 - August 12, 2007
"Jeyna, turn that down!"
"Alright dad!" She hit the volume on her CD player and looked back down at her math book. "Y= 5X + 15, so 2Y+ 9X must equal 2(5X+15) + 9X."
"But where did the Y go?" asked Ayia. Jeyna sighed.
"I told you already. You have to kill the Y to solve the equation."
"You kill the Y?"
"Yup."
"But what did it ever to do you?" Jeyna sighed and leaned back against the wall.
"You are *such* a dumb blonde, Ayia." Ayia grinned.
"I know. Thanks anyway, Jey. Maybe I'll stay after school on Monday and Mr. VanWeiran can explain it to me." She looked at her watch. "Are we gonna meet the others at the mall?" Jeyna looked at her own.
"Yeah. We should go. I hadn't realized how late it was. Hey dad!"
"What Jeyna?" She turned off everything in her room and grabbed her backpack. Ayia followed her into the kitchen.
"We're going to the mall, okay? We'll be back before nine."
"Ayia's staying the night?" Jeyna put her hands on her hips, but he just grinned. "Alright. Be careful. Remember, call me when you get there."
"Gotcha. Let's go, Ayia." They walked out the door and all the way to the mall. It wasn't far, one of the perks Jeyna enjoyed about their house. It was crowded and busy, the way they both liked it.
"Jey! Ayia!" came a yell from inside a Chinese restaurant. They both headed over to where Irui, Neara, and Cyian were sitting. Cyian was through what was most likely her second helping of beef stir-fry. Jeyna grabbed a fortune cookie from the stack in the middle of the table and sit down opposite Irui to read it.
'Shadows of the past forever haunt those in the light.' She laughed.
"That makes about as much sense as Cyian actually cooking," she said, handing it to Neara. They all saw it before Neara finally grabbed her own. The other three followed suit.
"Wings like gold over shadow your future," read Neara. "So if I come into any money, it will corrupt me apparently."
"Forever lasts as long as the shadow lord walks free," read Irui. "Hmm... maybe I'll die, but everyone will remember me, I think."
"Among friends lies the shadows heart," said Ayia. "Ohhhkay... maybe Jeyna's explanation of chapter eleven will start making sense," she said hopefully. Cyian pushed aside the empty plate and grabbed the last one.
"Blond," she said to Ayia. "Strength and courage light the shadowed path. You know what? I'm thinking we've been gypped. Should I ask the waitress for some more fortunes?" Jeyna shook her head.
"We can't be here all night. Come on." They stood up, Cyian paid her bill, and they left, out into the crowded mall.
"Hey! Wait up!" Jeyna turned when she felt someone slid an arm around her waist. "What's up, Jey?" asked Noue. She grinned. her dad's best friend's son had a way of making her feel utterly happy even when she wasn't.
"Not much. Hey, you even managed to bring Mr. Solitary here. Hi Keato."
"Hi," he muttered. Neara grabbed his hand.
"Come on, quiet. I want you to show me that book you were talking about." They started into the crowd.
"Meet back here in an hour!" shouted Jeyna and Noue at the same time. They grinned at each other.
"Come on," said Jeyna. "One on one, you and me, basketball at the arcade."
"You're on kid." They walked away and two by two, the remaining ones left. Ayia and Trevor walked off to find something to eat other then Cashew Chicken and Beef Stir Fry, Irui and Seshin went to see who actually won between Jeyna and Noue and Cyian and Mian stayed right at the Chinese place.
"Try the beef stir fry," she said. "It's good."
"Nah, I ate before I got here. My mom would kill me if she found out I blew my money on Chinese."
"Fine. *I'll* blow my money of food. Have a fortune cookies." The waitress had brought another plate, not recognizing Cyian. He grabbed one.
"Rocks make the best for strength *and* patience," he said aloud. "That makes no sense."
"No," she disagreed. "It's perfect for you, trust me. It's telling you to control your temper and that being strong isn't enough."
"You're one to talk."
"Thanks."
"Three points," said the automated voice. Jeyna laughed with joy.
"I win!" she said. "Alright, fork it over." He begrudgingly took five bucks from his pocket and added it the other one on the machine. "Irui, remind me later to thank your luck."
"Okay." Jeyna dug a quarter out of her pocket and they restarted.
"Hey," said Seshin to Irui. "Let's go check out that sporting goods store back there. You said you wanted a new volleyball." She nodded and they walked across the mall to the sporting goods store. He got there first and when she found him, he tossed a volleyball at her. She passed it back. "It's a good one."
"Yeah, but it's a little soft."
"I'm telling you, the burgers here are great," said Trevor. She shrugged.
"I've already got pasta," she said. "You want some?"
"Not really, no."
"You know, you need to stop having such a closed mind about foreign foods."
"Burgers did *not* originate in Japan."
"Oh, never mind."
"So Keato, how'd they got you to come here?" asked Neara. She flipped through a book on astrology, then sat it back on the shelf. "Keato, where are you?"
"Over here," he said. She followed his voice three aisles over to the myth section. "Can you really believe this is what my dad was?" he asked, pointing to a picture. She nodded.
"The Ronin Warriors saved the world," she said, lowering her voice. "And if it's in danger again, you guys get the armors, right?"
"I hope so, even if..."
"Even if what?"
"Even if I can't fight." She frowned.
"Don't listen to Noue. He's a moron. He just tried to get your goat so you'll try harder. I've seen you fight, Keato. You're a great fighter. Just ignore that moron. He needs to be slapped." Keato gave her a weak smile.
"Don't worry. *If* I do need to fight, I will-" He lifted his head at the same time she did. What had that scream been? There was another one, coming from the storeroom of the bookstore. The lady behind the counter rushed back to find out what was going on, only to be knocked back when the door exploded. "Dynasty soldier! Neara, get out of here!" he yelled as the dark blue and white sub armor appeared.
"I'm not leaving you!" she answered. There were two of them now, too many for him to fight on his own." Come and get me, tin can!" The one on the left dove for her, but she jumped back. "Get the other one while I keep this idiot busy!" she said quickly. The soldier obviously didn't like being called names. He attacked again, throwing his spear at her. She caught it mid air and threw it back, slicing clean into his middle just as Keato finished off the first one.
"Are you alright?" he asked, helping her to her feet. She nodded, then shook her head when she put weight on her leg. It felt like it was on fire.
"I must've cut it on a shelf or something," she said. He wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her out into the main part of the mall. It was mostly deserted now, except for more armors laying scattered about. And some living soldiers too. Well, living for the Dynasty. "Let's take them out."
"No, you stay here," he said, letting her down gently onto a bench. "You're hurt."
"But-"
"No buts. Stay here." She opened her mouth again, then sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Fine, but be careful."
"Jeyna, behind you!"
"I'm *fine*," she said. "Watch yourself- hey, give me a minute, then I'll kick your ass!" she yelled at the soldier. He attacked again and she kicked his head. "Or I can do it now, your choice."
"No one gets in the middle of me and beef stir fry and lives," said Cyian, slamming a chair into a soldier. "Got it?"
"I think they've gotten your point, Cyian," said Mian. "All five of them." She grinned, half at her pride and half at the fact that he looked *really* good in the sub armor for the Hardrock armor.
The army was fallen now. And without any apparent reason why, they weren't leaving anytime soon. The five young Ronins switched back to their normal clothes and Keato tore a strip from his shirt to bandage Neara's wound. Jeyna's cell phone rang and she cringed.
"Oops. Ayia, why didn't you remind me to call my dad?"
"It never crossed my mind, sorry." Jeyna rolled her eyes and dug in her backpack to find her phone.
"Hi dad-"
"Jeyna, what's going on? Do you have any idea what time it is?" She looked at her watch and gasped. It was almost ten-thirty.
"Geez! I'm sorry dad, really I am. We kinda had a problem and I guess I lost track of time."
"What kind of problem?" She looked around. Keato was helping Neara walk around on her bad leg, Noue, Mian, and Cyian were digging through the rubble of a Gap store to find someone who was crying in the debris and the others had gone off to the same.
"Um, well, it's a little complicated," she started. "But I'll try and keep it simple: The Dynasty's back."
Chapter 2
"It's settled," said Ayia. "Everyone's spending the night at Irui and Noue's house, or here." Neara sat with her legs out in front of her on the floor. Keato sat behind her, next to his father and mother, Rowen and Niea Hashiba. Cyian was perched on the edge of the couch, next to Mian and his parents, Kento and Hieua Reun Fei. Sage looked at Jeyna, who was so lost in thought she hadn't seen Ayia come in and lean against the wall behind the chair where Trevor was sitting. His father, Cye Mori, was in the kitchen still, while his mother had died a few months after he was born. His twin brother, Seshin, was in the kitchen with his father. She looked aver the room and marveled at the fact they were alive. That, plus how Noue and Irui could be brother and sister and look nothing alike. Noue looked just like his father, Ryo Sanada-Koji, and Irui took mainly after her mother, Mia Koji-Sanada. It was amazing the things that happened in their lives.
"What could make them attack?" wondered Jeyna, breaking the silence that had ascended. "Are they just making their presence known?"
"Did they say anything to you?" asked Ryo. She shook her head.
"No. They just attacked. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Other then Neara."
"It wasn't even from a soldier," said Neara. "Just plain klutziness on my part." Keato laid his hand on her shoulder and smiled gently. She grinned back.
"Let's think about this and talk more in the morning," Said Sage, seeing Ayia already half asleep. "It's almost midnight."
"I think I'll go for a walk," said Jeyna. "Don't worry, I'll only be gone a couple of minutes." She grabbed her jacket from the back of the couch and walked off. After a moment's pause, Noue followed. He wasn't going to leave her alone, not after what had happened.
She vanished into the woods as the clock inside the house tolled midnight. Something over came her. Voices, visions, things that weren't even possible. A flash of light, a darkened armor- no, there were five of them now. They looked exactly like the Ronin armors, only... different. Evil. No! It couldn't mean her friends were going to change to the side of the Dynasty! It just couldn't!
"Jeyna!" Noue managed to catch her before she hit the ground, but he couldn't get through to her. She was truly unconscious.
A shadow watched them and waited for the day when it would live again.
An owl watched them and hooted loudly.
A bat fluttered in the tree branches above them, but everything in the forest gave way to a deathly calm. The masters were returning and one by one, they would destroy the mortal realm, just as they had been born to do.
* * * * * * * * * * *
*Talpa created the Eclipse Wildfire, a dark twin to the Ronin armor of virtue. He instilled on its wearer, a young mortal named Cilya, a kanji of hatred. But she managed to fight it and fall for another follower of the Dynasty. Incidentally, her daughter was born. That is you, Jeyna.*
*Me? No, my father never followed Talpa. He's always fought against the Dynasty.*
*The one that you call 'father' is not what he seems. Cilya escaped to Earth to hide her precious child, but was attacked by Sekhmet, the warlord of Venom, and killed. She left her baby with the Ronin of Halo, Sage Date.*
*He... no! It's a lie! Who are you?! What do you want from me?!*
*I want you only to know the truth so that when the day comes, you will be able to fight your past...* Jeyna groaned and opened her eyes quickly. Noue was standing over her and somehow, she had gotten back to the house.
"What's going on?" she asked, sitting up slowly.
"You passed out," he said. "About midnight. It's now seven."
"What?! How did I get back here?"
"I brought you back."
"Where's... my dad?" She didn't care what the damned voice said. He *was* her father.
"He's in the kitchen. Hey! You stay right there!" She stood up anyway and gave him a weak smile.
"I'm glad you care, Noue, really, but don't get too over bearing or I'll have to kick your ass." She walked into the kitchen and grinned at everyone. "Morning all."
"How do you feel?" asked her dad.
"I'm okay." Noue came in behind her, shaking his head. "You can stop that."
"I know, but that doesn't mean I will." She rolled her eyes as Ayia walked in, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"Am I the last one up?" she asked. "Darn it. Why didn't someone wake me?"
"We tried," said Irui. "About ten minutes after you went to sleep. You wouldn't wake up then, so we didn't think you would after seven hours."
"I guess you're right... but man, I had the weirdest dream. Something about an armor called the Eclipse Halo. It was really messed up." Neara froze with her spoon halfway to her mouth.
"Tell me you're lying," she said.
"No, not really, why?" The phone rang, ending their conversation there. Eclipse Halo... Jeyna shook her head. It wasn't a lie then. There *were* more armors like the Eclipse Wildfire. And the Dynasty would be after them. Were all of her friends included on this?
"That was your mom, Ayia. She wants you home A.S.A.P," said Mia, coming back into the kitchen.
"Okay. Geez, you'd think it was national holiday instead of my grandma's birthday." She walked out to get her things and Jeyna just shook her head again. It was becoming more and more difficult to see Ayia in an armor of any kind.
"Hey Mia, is it alright if I look through some of your grandfather's files on the Dynasty?" she said. "I want to see if there's any explanation as to why they attacked last night."
"Sure, go ahead, Jeyna. You know where it is, right?"
"Yup. Come on Noue." She grabbed his hand and pulled him upstairs with her.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "What's Ayia talking about and why am I getting the feeling you know?"
"First of all... you should trust your instincts. I do know, sort of, but it doesn't make any sense." She sat down and turned on the computer. "Look, last night, when I passed out, it wasn't an accident. Something made me pass out. And..."
"And?"
"And I don't know anymore. It's too strange to figure out." She dug through a stack of disks by the computer and pulled out the most recent one, even if it was still in '89. She put it in the drive and opened all of the files. "Noue, if at any point in time I turn against you, I want you to destroy me, okay? Things are going to go incredibly wrong very, *very* soon and the last thing I want to do is hurt you or anyone else."
"Jeyna, make sense," he said. She looked at him and he saw absolute conviction in her eyes.
"I *am* making sense, if you've been paying attention. There's something called the Eclipse Wildfire. It was created by Talpa and my mother was the first one who wore it."
"Your... mother?"
"My dad... isn't really my dad. I don't know who is, but my mother came here to hide me from Talpa. She was killed and she left me with the Ronin of Halo, the one I call 'dad'. I don't know what to do anymore. I can't tell him... can I?"
"Well, you have to tell him something. If you suddenly turn evil, he'll wonder why."
"You're not helping." She stopped on a page and let out a slow breath. "Holy..."
"What?"
"'In time of new, the torch of spirit will burn its last. Shadows rise and fall, the darkened moon holds the truth to death in many forms.'" She tapped her finger on the desktop. "Torch of spirit... that sounds familiar."
"'Torch of spirit sought through five; Drinking strength from immortal fire, darkest prison sheds the light, asleep in the throne of the gods, turning beneath a torrent of water, and ammored in the stream of the sky,'" said Noue. "It's a poem about the Ronin Warriors. My mother used it to find my dad and the others when Talpa separated them. A darkened moon is an eclipse, so maybe that Eclipse Wildfire... holds the truth to death. But that makes no sense." Suddenly, she gave a cry and dug a peace of paper out of her pocket. She typed it in and hit 'search'. A few minutes later, the rest of the poem came up.
'In time anew, the torch of spirit will burn its last. Shadows rise and fall with human faith, the darkened moon holds the truth to death in many forms. Past and present combine into destruction, the future has no path. All that was once doomed to the eternal fight is reborn through a blackened soul.' Jeyna rubbed her arm at the sudden chill in the room.
"Jeyna," started Noue. She jumped up as the window shattered, bringing in a Dynasty soldier with it. Before either teenager could react, he hit Noue hard into the far wall, then grabbed a stunned Jeyna.
"Put me down!" she shouted. Something flooded her mind, wave after wave of pain. She groaned and passed out again, unable to fight the agony. Noue groaned and pushed himself off the floor.
"Jeyna, are you alright?" he asked. No answer. "Jeyna?!" There was yelling from outside.
"I said let her go, Dynasty creep!" Noue ran to the window and looked down. the soldier carrying Jeyna was gone, but four more had Ayia, Neara, Cyian, and his sister. No, not them too!
"Virtue!" His sub armor appeared and he jumped to the ground, only to be slammed again by a different soldier. "Ow!"
"You alright, man?" asked Mian. Noue nodded and stood up again. The soldiers were gone, taking the five girls with them.
"I can't believe we failed," he said. "And we failed our own friends."
"We have to get them back," said Keato. "And we have to do it on our own. The adults left already. They won't be back for a couple of days."
"That's right. Their vacation to the mountains started today. Great. They've got perfect timing." Noue sighed in frustration. "But we *do* have to handle this on our own. Otherwise, we lose the ability to wear the armor. Come on. Let's go."
Chapter 3
Jeyna struggled to open her eyes. Pain shot through her head, but she ignored it. She had to figure out what was going on.
"This is bull shit," said a voice behind her.
"Cyian?"
"Yeah, it's me. We're all here."
"Where is here?" Jeyna looked around. A strange lave seethed beneath them and Nether Spirits floated around.
"This has to be the Nether pool," said Ayia. "Your dad talked about it once. e said it was the worst place possible. And I have to agree."
"Why are we here?" asked Neara. "Does Talpa really think that we're the Eclipse Soldiers?"
"The what?" asked Irui.
"Last night, while Ayia was dreaming about the Eclipse Halo, I had a dream, more or less, about Eclipse Strata."
"Sorry, but I didn't get much sleep. I was too worried about Jeyna."
"What happened to Jeyna?" asked Ayia.
"I passed out," explained Jeyna. "And saw the Eclipse Wildfire. Guys, I think we*re them. Do you remember the fortune cookies? I think they're coming true."
"Perfect," mused Cyian. "Just perfect. We're evil. There goes all chance at a relationship with Mian."
"First off, eww," said Ayia. "Why would you want a relationship with *him*?"
"Why do you want a relationship with Trevor?" Ayia's cheeks burned, and she kept her mouth shut. There was dark laughter.
"Keep fighting among yourselves. The dark energy thrives off that!" A strange Nether Spirit appeared in front of Jeyna. "Yes, you are the one. You look so much like your mother. A pity she had to die."
"What do you want, Badamon?" she asked coldly. "Why can't you Dynasty bastards just stay dead?"
"Because the Dynasty is destined to rule. Sage of Halo did not teach you as well as he should have." Jeyna struggled against the chains, feeling a glaring hatred for the Dynasty in general race through her system.
"You've fucked with your last realm!" she yelled angrily. "Just wait'll I get my hands on you!" He laughed and she felt the chains vanish. She plunged into the strange liquid that had been beneath her and disappeared from sight.
"Jeyna!" shouted Cyian. "You creep! Bring her back!"
"I will bring her back, if she survives." He vanished, leaving only four.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jeyna sank further and further away from the light, feeling something holding her arms-
FLASH!
"You were created souly to serve master Talpa and the Dynasty!"
FLASH! - and her air was running short fast. Her friends-
FLASH!
"I promise that if the day ever comes, I'll protect her, even if it means my life. She *is* my daughter."
FLASH! -were still trapped, but she could get free, if only-
FLASH!
"Cilya, you have betrayed the Dynasty. The girl belongs to us."
FLASH! -she could break free of what had her-
FLASH!
"Halo, please, I beg of you, watch over her. I'll keep Talpa at bay as long as I possibly can, but the most I can give her is fourteen years."
FLASH! -stuck underneath the surface of the damn pool-
FLASH!
"In fourteen years, it will become clear, don't worry, but until then, you cannot and will not try to find any answers. It's not worth your life to find the truth behind darkness."
FLASH! Jeyna screamed in rage as she tore free from the entity and kicked to the surface. She had been dragged far from where she had been dropped, to a calmer part of the Nether pool. Spirits floated over her, but she might as well not have existed. Not that the anonymity wasn't welcome.
*I don't know what to do,* she thought, pulling herself onto dry land. *I have to free my friends, first of all, but what can I do after that?*
*Hatred* Darkness floated her mind, but she forced it back.
*No! I won't be controlled by my past. I *have* to free my friends!* There was a burning sensation in her head as the true power of her armor over through that which had been instilled upon it.
*Devotion* Something glinted from under the torrent waters and not thinking, Jeyna dove back to get it. The entity that had held her before reached for again, attempting to regain what it had lost.
*Not this time.* Jeyna swam free, using every one of her senses to find it's source.
It was the same as the glint.
*To gain your armor,* whispered a voice in her ear. *You must destroy the evil that it holds within itself.*
*Easier said then done.* Twisting between the hardly visible tentacles, she dove deeper and deeper, towards the center of the beast. One caught her and threw her backwards, but she had a mission now and she wasn't about some evil figment of her over active imagination stop her.
*Mother, please, I want to protect what is rightfully mine. Give me strength to finish this job!* She felt a warmth spread through her. Out of nowhere came another tentacle, but it was seared off, straight down to the beast, before it even touched her. It writhed in pain, blood soaking the already red waters. Her fingers closed around the glint she had seen from the surface, which was now a blinding light. Emotions set to four times what she was used to flooded her body and fought each other. Rage against peace, tears against laughter.
*Hatred*
*Devotion*
*Hatred*
*Devotion*
*Make sense! I only want to know what's right! What is so damn hard about that?*
*Devotion.* Her eyes opened. She wasn't anywhere near the pool now. She was on a rocky ledge, over looking a battle. The Ronins! No! Had they come to save her and the others?!
"Watch your back, Rowen!" Rowen? These weren't... these were their parents!
"They fight well." She turned around. Two girls were standing next to other, watching the battle. They didn't seem to notice her. "Too bad they'll have to die."
"Misa, you know I don't want to fight," said the second. "I can't. I have to protect my daughter."
"Cilya, you can't possibly keep her safe for all eternity." The second one gave her friend a smile.
"But I'll sure as hell try." The image faded as Jeyna pulled herself out of the pool. Strength poured from the small orb in her hand. It vanished as a black and red sub armor covered her clothing. She reached down into the water and the black washed away.
"I promise you, mother, that I will defeat Talpa and Badamon and free your spirit."
The End