Author's Notes: Hey readers, sorry for the long wait. Currently, my main focus is on Urban Legend (which you should totally look at if you haven't. It's a lot of fun.) And I only pick at this story in between passing UL back and forth between my co-author. So thanks for your patience with this.

The Knight and the Princes

Chapter Two: The Melancholy

As Ryo awoke later that morning, he had the distinct feeling he was not alone in the room. His first assumption was that Sage was still hanging around, trying to mother him. Upon opening his eyes, however, he saw another body laying in the twin bed across from his. Robyn's red hair sprawled around the pillow as she watched him with hooded, sleepy eyes.

Ryo sat up a little, surprised to see her there when the last thing he remembered was Sage telling him Robyn was off to the airport with the possibility they would never see her in person again.

"Hey," was all that fell out of his mouth.

"Hey," came the lazy response. Robyn didn't move. She looked too comfortable where she was.

"What are you doing here?"

"I said I was going to look after you for a while, but I just ended up napping with you instead. I hope that's okay."

A smile tugged at the side of his mouth. "You're different now."

She returned the smile with one of her own, full of familiarity. "I know I'm home now."

Ryo opened his mouth to tell her how great that was, how relieved he felt that she remembered him, that she knew where she belonged. Rowen's entrance cut him off.

"Hey, hey, lunch is going to be ready soon. Hope you're hungry."

"Ugh, starving," Robyn replied. She flopped over on her back, touching her stomach. "I'm gonna eat it all."

"That's what we like to hear." Rowen strolled in and up to Robyn's bed. Without warning, he flung himself crosswise on top of her with a "whomp". Robyn "oofed" as his abdomen landed on hers, knocking the air out of her. Then she squawked and laughed as she tried to remove Rowen's heavier form off her.

He continued to be a smug, dead weight on top of her until she managed to roll him off the bed with a mighty shove. The action even surprised Rowen as he tumbled loudly to the floor. Robyn laughed at his startled expression.

"That's what you get."

"Stop fooling around up there and come down to eat," Cye's voice came from the floor below.

Rowen pulled himself to his feet as Robyn sat up.

"How about you, Ryo?" the former asked. "Think you might be able to make it downstairs to join us?" He touched Wildfire's forehead. "Fever's nearly gone."

Ryo winced a little as he gently pulled himself up to a sitting position. "I could probably make it. I'm already sick of being in bed anyway."

Slowly, he managed to rotate himself so his legs were hanging off the bed. He wore a gray pair of sweats with a dark blue T-shirt. His feet were bare. While his clothes were clean, there were still some dirty patches of skin and the grime of his hair told he hadn't seen a shower yet since they'd gotten home.

Certainly, no one blamed him for his current state and neither Rowen nor Robyn hesitated to get in close to help lift him onto his feet. If anything, it was more of a rivalry.

"It's okay, Robyn, I've got him," Strata offered.

"You're too tall, you're going to make him stretch his stitches," Robyn insisted. "I can do it."

"No, it's fine, we can-"

"I said I can do it, Rowen."

Ryo smiled at Rowen as he put both arms around the redhead's shoulders. "I'll stick with her."

Robyn looked triumphant as she allowed Ryo to lean on her, her arm around his waist as they walked toward the door.

"Can you blame me?" Ryo threw back at his teammate.

"No," Rowen said to himself as he watched them leave the room. "No, I cannot."

Ryo was heartily greeted as he gingerly sat himself at the table. Mia, of course, went to check his temperature as well, ruffling his bangs affectionately as she did so, and then set a full plate of food in front of him.

This meal certainly had a much more comfortable air to it than the early-morning breakfast before. Everyone was where they belonged. Conversation was little, but light. Everyone still ate like they hadn't eaten a good meal in weeks. Robyn shared their appetite this time and the guys were all quietly satisfied to see her acting more like herself.

During lunch, Mia, the only one not inhaling her food, took notice of how the guys were all subtly checking on each other. Even though it had been a full day since they had returned home safely, each warrior was still keeping an eye on their teammates. They would lean in closer to each other, check on each others' bandages, watch one another's body language for signs of pain or fever. It was really quite cute.

"You should change that again," Rowen said, nodding to the bandage around Cye's bicep.

Cye glanced at it. "Sage is going to do it. He's going to attempt to tap into Halo's healing power."

"I haven't tried it yet," Sage added to give information to the room in general. "I don't know what will happen or how hard it will be. Chances are, it will be the same as before, but you never know. If it works well on Cye, I'll go to Ryo next."

Torrent smiled at Wildfire. "Thank me for being the guinea pig for you."

Ryo smiled back.

"You should probably consider a bath sometime soon, bud," Kento then said to Ryo. "I mean, I love you man, but I can smell you from here."

"I'd love to get clean." Ryo frowned down at himself. He felt gross. "It's so difficult to get up and down in the tub, but I could shower."

"Unless you suddenly pass out from standing under hot water too long," Sage reasoned. "I can help you if you-"

"No," Ryo instantly cut him off.

"I don't mind helping," Cye said.

"Not a better offer," Ryo insisted.

"I could-"

"No, Kento."

Robyn sat with her chin resting on her palm. With an amused grin, she raised her hand to volunteer.

Ryo pointed at her. "Yes."

"No," his other four teammates warned all at once, each with a different threat level in their tone.

Robyn and Mia both laughed.


Ryo didn't want to admit it out loud, but after a while, standing under the hot water did make him a little dizzy. He had to lean against the wall for balance a few times, especially as he washed his hair. But it was all worth it to be clean again.

Once finished, he stepped out of the shower. Wearing a towel around his waist he slid open the Japanese-style door to the changing area. There he found Rowen sitting on the floor reading a book.

"Just here in case you needed anything," Strata answered without being asked. He didn't even glace in Wildfire's direction before standing and leaving.

Ryo dressed in the extra set of clothes he always kept at Mia's house in case of instances such as these, then he padded barefoot in sweats and a t-shirt back to the room he had been using and carefully lay back in bed. He closed his eyes with a tired sigh. The mere act of showering had taken a lot out of him. He was ready for another nap.

A few moments later, Sage stepped into the room. He didn't even ask for permission before hiking up Ryo's shirt to inspect the wound. The raw, jagged flesh stitched together with black surgical thread was not the most welcome sight to behold, but it looked healthy enough. No sign of infection, so it seemed to be healing properly.

Ryo was slightly annoyed at how little Sage respected his personal space when he was injured. Sage cared not as he pressed a cool, pale hand to Ryo's stomach, making him flinch.

"Cold," Ryo complained.

"Deal with it," Sage retorted as he closed his eyes and concentrated. His earlier session with Cye went well. Halo's power responded well to being called forth to heal. The armor certainly couldn't heal a to-the-bone gash or a bullet wound in a day, but it would definitely speed things up.

Once finished, Sage straightened and looked down at the wound. The flesh seemed a little less red and angry now. He pulled Ryo's shirt back in place and draped a blanket over him. Ryo took the treatment silently, but with a frown. Covering himself with a blanket seemed like an easy task, but actually proved to be quite painful. Still, it didn't mean he enjoyed being mothered so much.

"I'm going into town for most of the day," Sage informed him. "I have to pick up my car and take care of some business. I'll be back later tonight if you need anything. In the meantime, you can-"

"Sage, I'm fine," Ryo insisted. "The house is full of people and I can do most things for myself. Seriously, I am satisfied with my care."

Sage just looked at him blankly, not getting the movie reference.

Ryo then stared at him pointedly. "Go. Away."

That Sage understood and he left with a smirk.

It was only a few minutes later when the taxi he called for showed up outside the house. Mia had offered to give him a ride if need be, but Sage was insistent that she still had many others to care for. He could take care of himself.

The taxi drove him toward town and the airport. He had been the only one to take his personal vehicle to the airport when they had first left for Oregon. More than once, Sage tried to count how many days ago that was for them. They were on day four now of disappearing from their normal lives, but they had spent a couple weeks in Falnan and then another week in the future. Time seemed a difficult thing to wrap his head around when he thought about it too hard.

Instead, Sage surreptitiously checked the contents of his wallet, finding both cash and cards still present. He was quite proud of himself for having been able to hold onto it through both different worlds and time travel. For everyone else, most of their cell phones, passports, wallets and personal times were left back in that hotel in Oregon.

As soon as it was remembered that these things were missing Mia had called the hotel, apologized for disappearing and paid for the hotel rooms with the credit card she kept at home for emergencies. Natalia had already promised she would drop by the hotel when she reached home and pick up all their luggage. Then she said she would send them back the important stuff. In the next few days, their time to heal was also going to be spent trying to get their lives back in order again. They all had to step back into their ordinary lives as if nothing ever happened.

As if he had never witnessed what he had seen.

Sage's cool violet eyes had beheld many a strange and violent thing. All hard to witness, traumatic. But nothing kept replaying itself in his head so obsessively as the death of the Warlord of Darkness. Over and over he heard that sickening crunch of bones in his ears. He remembered the blood backing up, boiling over Cale's open mouth. He remembered the way the body fell so wrongly, as if everything sturdy in the middle had suddenly liquefied.

A sickness rose in his chest as he thought about it. Cale would no doubt take some morbid pleasure in it if he knew his gruesome death would haunt Sage for the rest of his life.


Mia's house phone and both her laptop and desktop were in constant use as the guys attempted to get back into their normal lives again. Each had a bit of notice before they left in order to contact teachers and bosses and let them know of sudden emergencies that would cause them to disappear for a few days. Now each attempted to get back in touch with the people in their lives in order to report in and pick up where they left off on school work.

Cye had just finished e-mailing several of his professors before leaving the laptop for Rowen's use. Kento was still on the desktop attempting to do the same. Technology and Hardrock rarely met and Kento was the slowest typist Cye had ever seen. He would probably be at it for a while.

Stepping into the living room, Cye found Robyn staring blankly out one of the windows. She had that same look on her face, the one she wore before. The one that was lost, scared and troubled. Cye didn't like that at all.

"Hey."

Robyn was startled from her melancholy at the sound of his voice. To Cye's relief, the troubled expression disappeared from her face.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, giving the scenery out the window one last look before moving away. "I'm just trying to fill in some of the blanks." Cye sat himself on the couch and patted the cushion next to him for her to join. "There's still a lot of fuzzy moments when I think about all that happened. I'm trying to retrace my steps a bit to see if I can figure it all out."

Cye put an arm around her as she sat next to him. "No need to push too hard. The important thing is that we're all here and safe now. In fact..." He drifted off for a moment as he thought about all they had been through. There were a few things he wouldn't have minded forgetting himself. "Maybe it's good there are some things you don't remember."

Robyn nodded and leaned against him a bit. He was right. This, being here with everyone and safe was the most important thing. The past was over. Remembering or forgetting it didn't change what happened. But it still ate at her.

"And how are you?" Cye asked when he noticed Ryo slowly walk into the room.

"Not bad," Ryo said. "Other than the fact that all I want to do is eat and sleep."

"That's all any of us want to do." Cye yawned. "It's been murder trying to get my internal clock back on our original timezone."

Ryo slowly sat himself on the couch on the other side of Robyn, wincing as he did so.

She placed a gentle hand on his abdomen. "How is this feeling?"

His hand landed on top of hers. "Better. Sage and Halo gave it a little push so I think I'm through the worst of it."

He held her hand there, his touch warm, his body warm beneath the shirt. His smile was the warmest of all as they looked at each other.

Cye raised a curious brow from his side of the couch. This was...new. Or maybe it wasn't; it was hard to tell. They had all only reunited with Robyn a short time ago and during that time there was nothing but chaos. Between their time in Falnan and the future, everyone had been tossed around, having different experiences without each other in the strange worlds in which they were introduced. It would be days, weeks, before each one of them would be able to fill in each other on all the different things that happened to them during this time.

Cye knew Ryo had been with Robyn from the time he had been shot until when he showed up during the final battle. Even though she didn't know him, she had cared for him and she clearly trusted him. She kept clinging to him all the way home on the train. Of course the two would grow a little closer from an experience like that. Cye was just happy that she seemed content to be around them again.

"I'm ready to go," Mia announced as she stepped into the room. "Will you guys be fine for a few hours? I'm taking Robyn to pick up a few essentials."

Robyn was still wearing the same clothing Mia had given her the day before. She definitely could have used something new to wear.

"I can also drop by the house later," Cye volunteered. "I think we've still got some of your old clothes packed away. Mom didn't want to get rid of anything."

"I would actually prefer that to shopping," Robyn said as she stood. "Is there anyway we could do that first? And then whatever I still need after we can pick up at the store. Plus I want to see Cye's mom."

Mia brightened at the idea. "Sure. Cye, come with us and we'll drop by your house first."

"She's not home," Cye said. "She's off visiting Sayako and the kids in Hagi for a while. She's going to be gone for at least another week."

Robyn immediately looked disappointed.

"It's probably for the best," Cye continued. "Mom will ream both you and me if she sees you show up before school's even out. Let's keep you at Mia's until the semester's over. Then we'll tell her you're back. You can probably move back in if you want."

Robyn gave a weak smile. She was still feeling very out of place with her sudden decision to stay in Japan. Her world was still spinning; she had yet to come up with a plan for what to do with herself now that she was here.

"If you're going to get Robyn some new clothes," Kento called as he stepped into the room, "can I get my sweater back?"

Robyn instantly hugged herself, covered in the large hoodie whose sleeves easily swallowed up her hands and then some. "No, you gave this to me, no take-backs."

"Come on, Rob. It doesn't even fit you."

"You were ready to let me take this to another country and never see it again. It's mine, now." And with that, she ran for the front door and out to the car.


Upon arriving at the empty Mouri house, Cye let them in with a key hidden under a frog statue by the door. Mia stayed downstairs to speak with her work on the phone while Cye led the way upstairs to Robyn's old room. Upon entering, Robyn was flung a year into the past. A very foreign feeling of being home came upon her and she was so grateful she had decided to stay in Japan.

"My stuff's still in here?" she asked as she stepped in, going through the closet. Her things were in boxes now to keep them from getting dusty, but the room looked very much the same as when she had left.

"It's only been a year," Cye said. "Mom kept hoping you'd come back. She wanted to make sure there was still a place for you if you needed it."

Robyn sniffled a little. "I love that woman so much."

"You can tell her so after school's over. She will be thrilled to hear it."

As Robyn dug through the boxes, Cye went to his own room to pack a few \personal items. He could have stayed there, in the house where he lived normally if he wished. But after all they had been through, being with the guys, having them all heal together was something he craved more than sleeping in his own room. He planned to stay at the mansion at least for the next few nights if he could.

Once he had packed a quick travel bag, he returned to Robyn's room to find her sitting on the bed, staring off into space. That troubled look was back again.

"Robyn?"

This time, she reacted more slowly as her head turned toward him. "Is this what it's like for you?" she asked softly. "You go off somewhere to protect the world, see all these amazing, horrifying things. And when you come back, nothing feels the same anymore. It's very, horribly quiet and you feel like you're this different... thing from the rest of the world."

Cye sat himself next to her on the bed, breathing out deeply. "It takes some time. Every day feels a little more normal. Every day it gets easier to pretend you don't know what you know. But what helps most of all is knowing you didn't go through it alone. That there's people there with you who understand what you're going through, who believe you because they were there." He reached over to touch the hand resting in her lap. "We're all going through it and we're all here for each other. That's why we're all still going to be at the house for a few days recovering, talking it all out, making sure everyone's okay. Don't ever be afraid to tell anyone what you're feeling. We're all here for each other, alright?"

Robyn squeezed his hand back and smiled. "Alright."


When Mia, Cye and Robyn returned from shopping, they found Rowen and Kento fast asleep, napping on the pull-out couch in the living room. Ryo was still up, puttering around in the back yard with White Blaze in his shadow.

Around dinner time, Sage's car pulled up to the Koji mansion. He came with a packed travel bag, evidence that he had been home since they all saw him last. He could have stayed there and slept in his own bed that night. It seemed he, just like the others, had a greater urge to be together with his team after being a part of such craziness for so long.

A large dinner was served that night and everyone ate heartily. Conversation was loud and animated as they all discussed the last few weeks of their lives. Mia especially wanted to hear all about their time in the future: what it was like, what were the warlords like, how did they live so long, did they really see Talpa?

The ronins all took turns filling her in the best they could, and also filling each other in during the times they had been separated. Mia asked all the questions. Robyn just ate silently and listened. White Blaze eventually sat himself next to her, resting his head in her lap. She allowed it as she continued to eat.

"So, who was this Suzu you keep mentioning?" Mia then asked. "Was she related to the Dynasty? Or to... even one of you guys? How did she have a connection to the armors?"

"That's the craziest thing, no one would tell us," Kento said. "They wouldn't even let us see her face."

"Rowen seemed to know more about her," Sage recalled with a suspicious look to his best friend, "but he wouldn't tell anybody."

Rowen slammed his chopsticks down in sudden realization. "That's right! I did know something! And I was totally dying to tell you guys, too! What was it?" He paused to confer with the recesses of his mind; and came back with nothing. "I... I don't remember."

Sage groaned.

Rowen continued to search his recollection. He remembered the emotions. It tore him up to keep this secret from his team. What was it? What had gotten him so tied up in knots? He couldn't remember. All he did remember was...

"It was Dais! He took my memory from me before I went into the portal! That son of a bitch! He made me forget everything!" Rowen clutched his hair in impotent frustration. "Why would he do that to me?"

"Why indeed," Sage huffed, clearly disappointed. "Looks like they'll be keeping that secret to themselves."

Rowen let out another irritated growl. This was going to haunt him for a long time. Nothing was worse than knowing he had forgotten something important and there was possibly no way of getting it back.

"I don't think it's a big deal either way," Kento announced. "She was clearly on our side and she was willing to do anything she could to help us and get us home. Whatever secret they were all protecting, it was clearly none of our business. Or maybe even something that would... I dunno, mess up the space/time continuum or whatever if we knew. Maybe we're better off not knowing."

"Nothing is better off not being known!" Rowen practically screamed.

Cye gave Strata a bland look. "He's going to be insufferable about this for a while, isn't he?"

"And Robyn?" Mia asked politely, now actively avoiding Rowen's personal crisis, "the guys said you were in the city, too, but suffering from some sort of amnesia?"

Robyn stopped eating and looked down at her plate. She was happier when so much attention wasn't on her. "I guess... I got there before everyone else. White Blaze and I were probably there for, like... maybe two months or so? I'm not sure. But I was just there... just a blank wall. I couldn't remember anything. I thought I lived there. I thought I was a part of that time and that being on the Inside was just the way it was."

It was clear Cye was dying to ask what happened to her. The question was so far out on his tongue, Mia could see him trying to speak the words. She asked for him.

"What happened? Do you know why you forgot everything like that?"

"I've been trying to figure that out myself. Just today, I've been starting to remember everything. It's not like something extra horrible happened to me. It's just... after everything in Falnan, I remember how badly I wanted to get out of there. White Blaze and I walked through that portal and I was so ready to see something familiar, to be somewhere safe and normal again. And we step out into this nightmare city where everything's dark, where monster's hunt in the street.

"I was left all alone. There was no one to explain what happened or where I was. I kept waiting for you guys to show up. But when no one else came, I think I just had some sort of breakdown. I guess my subconscious decided it could better handle going in with a blank slate, accepting my circumstances, than knowing I shouldn't be there, but no one was going to come for me."

She looked around at the warriors at the table and then glanced down in apology. "I'm sorry I said it that way. I know it's not your fault. I shouldn't be so reliant on you guys for everything like that."

Kento put a hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault either," he said gently.

"You have every reason to rely on us," Ryo said seriously. "And every right to be disappointed when we let you down. It's our job to protect people, especially those closest to us. We didn't know what was going on or where you were, but I'm sorry we didn't come for you sooner."

"In fact, Robyn saved Ryo's ass," Kento said with a grin. "This dumbass gets himself shot and girlfriend over here takes care of business herself."

Robyn smiled a little, glancing at Ryo. Wildfire chuckled at the truth of the statement and then instantly flinched and held his side. That statement managed to lighten the mood for the rest of the night with only Rowen remaining a bit salty after dinner was over.


Kento tossed restlessly in bed, unable to sleep. He was exhausted, but his body strangely vibrated with adrenaline, his heart racing in fight or flight mode. What was going on? Why couldn't he calm down? Was this his body still recovering from being in the heat of battle so much in such a small amount of time? What was going on?

He rolled over with a heavy flop and a sigh, idly wondering if he should get up and do a little work out to get rid of all the butterflies trapped under his skin.

"Can't sleep?" Cye's voice asked from the next bed over.

Kento rolled onto his back. "My body's being weird. Like... like it's having a panic attack or something, but I'm just fine. I don't know what it's doing."

"I'm feeling a little restless, too. But that... that's a little odd. Has it ever happened before?"

Not that Kento could recall. Unless last night counted. Last night he recalled that he was feeling a bit of the same. It happened right before-

A muffled feminine cry of distress reached their ears and both of them sat up in bed. The sounds continued as they padded out into the hallway. Closer to the stairs, Ryo appeared from his room as well, a hand on his abdomen. Kento put a hand to his chest, his heart was racing as if his life were in danger. It compelled him forward down the stairs to the single bedroom where Robyn slept. The others followed him, Sage now joining as well. Rowen was most likely still in bed. Strata was dead to the world when he slept.

The periodic cries grew louder as they neared the closed door of Robyn's room. Kento opened it easily, as the door knob was completely broken after Rowen had broken in the door the night before. Robyn lay inside, curled up on the bed pressed against the wall. Her limbs jerked fruitlessly, tangled in the blankets so tightly they impeded her movement.

Cye flipped on the light as Kento stepped inside. As he approached the mattress, Robyn suddenly let out a horrified shriek in her sleep. She kicked at the wall, her leg making a dull thud, and Kento swooped in to pull her away. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her from behind. She immediately struggled as he pressed her against his chest and shook her gently.

"Robyn, wake up."

She stopped fighting the second her eyes popped open. Her heart pounded in her chest so hard, Kento could feel it through her back. It pounded in rhythm with his, almost if they were one. Was there some sort of connection here? Had it been Robyn's anxiety that didn't let him sleep?

He felt her heart rate slowly lower, as did his. She remained still in his arms, not even acknowledging his presence or anyone else in the room. All was still, save her breathing, for a moment.

"Sorry," she finally rasped. "I guess I had a bad dream."

"But you're okay now?"

There was hesitation. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Kento loosened his hold. Then he felt it, an acute feeling that told him she wasn't ready to be let go. He tightened his embrace again. "Well, I'm just going to sit here for a moment anyway." She relaxed against him in his arms, the breath slowly going out of her in a silent, soft sigh.

Cye sat himself on the bed next to them as Ryo and Sage moved in closer. "This same thing happened last night, too. Do you want to talk about it?"

Like a telegraph line, Kento felt the surge of emotion from the body in his arms. He was aware of the embarrassment of being in this situation and the desire to be left alone. This wasn't so much as he was feeling all of this himself, more like the idea was being pressed upon him that this was how Robyn was reacting internally to the question. His hunch was confirmed when she sat up straighter, attempting to look stronger than she felt as she pulled away from him. Kento let her go.

"They're hard to explain. I can't recall them very well once I wake up. I think they're like... stress dreams or something. I mean we all went through so much, I think my subconscious is trying to come to terms with it all."

"But you don't have to deal with it alone," Cye continued.

"Yeah, believe me," Ryo cut in, "you're not the first one have very vivid, scary dreams after something like this. I had nightmares about Talpa for weeks after he was gone."

"A lot of us did," Sage agreed in a low, calm tone.

"I could stay with you a while, if you want," Cye offered.

She looked at all of them, their full attention on her. A rose colored tint painted her cheeks and Robyn touched her face as if to hide it. "This is really embarrassing, guys. They're just bad dreams. And I'm awake now so I should be okay."

In the background, Ryo and Sage looked at each other. They had a feeling she was purposefully downplaying her distress, especially after her clear display of utter terror in her sleep. But there wasn't anything they could do about it. If Robyn didn't want them to stay with her, they would have to respect her wishes.

"You sure?" Cye asked, looking as unconvinced as the rest of them.

She put her fingers on his arm. "I'm serious. All of you still look exhausted. None of you have to stay up because of me. Look at me, I'm fine. Now that I'm awake, it's over. And it's really unusual for me to have a bad dream twice in one night. So I'm good. I'm sorry I woke everyone up."

"You don't have to be sorry, Rob," Kento said softly. "That's why we're all still here together. It takes some time to get over all the hard stuff and we're here for each other."

She gave him a bit of a forced smile as she nodded. "And you guys did your job, you woke me up. Seriously, I feel kind of stupid. I'd really just like for all of us to go back to bed."

"Alright," Cye said. He hugged her around the shoulders. "Just remember that offer always stands. You can come to any of us if you need anything."

"Ditto," Kento said, hugging them both until Robyn let out a forced breath as the air was squeezed out of her between the two of them.

"Okay, I got it." Her smile was more genuine this time. "Good night everyone."

Eventually, they all left to return to their own rooms. Robyn made no further noise for the rest of the night. Despite this, the warriors didn't exactly enjoy a restful night.


Rowen awoke late, as usual, his limbs feeling heavy and his mood feeling foul. Why he was in such a bad mood, he didn't know, but he carried it with him clearly as he tromped downstairs with a frown. It must have been an impressive stink face that he wore for Mia actually balked when she saw him and moved out of his way.

"Rough night?" she asked while he fumbled for the coffee.

Rowen just grunted in response. In truth, he wasn't sure. He had slept like a log the entire night. He should be feeling fine. Instead, there was an acute sense of... emotional disquiet and he couldn't quite put his finger on why. If he tried to pick apart of the mixed feelings, putting each into a category, the early morning grumpiness was merely the surface. Below it, settled deep in his chest was... sadness.

Upon that discovery, Rowen had a very specific inkling that this sensation, this feeling wasn't coming from him. Robyn brushed passed him, getting up from the table and that heavy, despairing feeling sank deeper in his heart.

"Hey, Robyn," he called to her before she could leave the room. She paused to look at him, her face mostly neutral. "How are you feeling?"

She smiled at him. That smile took him back to high school. He saw that smile constantly. She always smiled, she always seemed happy. But it wasn't a complete happiness. Fear sat to the back; thinly, carefully veiled. The smile lied to them all, making them think everything was fine, everything was normal. That same smile lied to him now. How easily she could do that when his heart thumped slow and heavy in his chest.

"I'm getting there," Robyn admitted. "It might take a while, but I'm sure it will get better." Those words were far more truthful than her smile. She did not deny she was still trying to come to terms with all that had happened to them. It wasn't something any person just walked away from unchanged. She was allowed to need time to feel normal again; all of them were.

"While you're at it, you should start trying to contact your teachers and see what you can do to finish your classes," Cye offered from the table. "And contact your roommate. I know it's tough, but it will really help to get back into normal everyday activities. Trust me."

She smiled again. A weak smile, but there was an attempt to make it genuine. "Okay, I'll work on that."


Later that day, Kento drove himself and Rowen to the city to do much of the same thing; reconnect with their daily responsibilities and try to play catch up. They would be at it all day, each going to their respective homes and schools to speak with instructors and to gather personal belongings, for themselves and for Ryo, before returning to the mansion that evening. During the drive, Rowen noticed that heavy feeling in his chest had finally cleared itself out.

"Is it just me, or does it just feel better to be out and away from the house?"

"It's away from Robyn," Kento said seriously, eyes on the road. "I'm willing to bet money that weird feeling of anxiety is coming from her."

Rowen raised a dubious brow. "How can you tell?"

"Through Hardrock. We still share that weird guardian bond... thing, I guess. Every time I start feeling bad for no reason, its like the armor points me right at her. It's her anxiety, her depression I'm feeling."

"So then, why do I feel it, too?"

Kento shrugged. "Maybe it's all part of the armor bond. We're always been able to tell when one of us is in distress or danger, especially if they're close by. Maybe it's part of the guardian bond, too. Or maybe it's because of Inferno. Remember when the armor saved her life? All the armors put their energy into her to save her. Maybe that's why. Either way, it just feels like the armors want us to know she's in distress."

"Maybe tonight we should talk about everything," Rowen ventured. "I mean, we have been talking about everything, but Robyn's never really said much. But then again, I guess she..." He paused, letting his head drop against the headrest of the car seat as he realized something. "She's had a different experience than the rest of us both times, hasn't she?"

"She's used to having a different experience and then keeping all to herself," Kento agreed. "Maybe if we let her get some things off her chest, she'll feel better about it. And then maybe we can all finally get a good night's sleep."


Mia had been gone most of the day and called the house phone to let them know she wouldn't be back until late. Work had piled up, along with an invitation to dinner from a few colleagues. Cye, who had answered the phone, insisted Mia go and have fun. Everyone was back home and they were all adults who could take care of themselves. With all the craziness over and no danger in sight, there was no reason Mia couldn't get back to her normal life and enjoy herself.

Both Sage and Kento helped Cye with dinner and Kento told the other two about the possibility of giving them all some quiet time together after eating for everyone to speak their mind and get anything off their chest. Hardrock had glanced at Sage while making the suggestion. They had all seen some crazy shit lately. Sage still had a haunted look on his face now and again. It would do Halo some good to take advantage of opportunity as well.

When everyone gathered to the table for dinner, the subject was brought up again to make sure all involved were on the same page.

"Just a quiet night," Kento was saying. "No internet, no TV. We just all sit together and talk about everything. You know, get all the garbage off our chests."

Most seemed to be in agreement. Ryo, who was hearing of this for the first time, nodded. Robyn watched her plate as she slowly put food into her mouth.

"Robyn?" Cye pressed, looking for confirmation.

Her head popped up. "Oh, me, too? I thought you were talking about just you guys."

"Of course you, too," Kento said, poking her in the side. "You think we're just going to leave you out?"

"I just thought maybe it was a Ronin Warrior thing. It's okay if you don't include me. I understand."

To her other side, Rowen's hand landed on her wrist, his touch surprising her. "We're all in this together," he said softly. "Have been for a while."

Robyn's cheeks colored slightly at the touch. "I suppose we are," she said even softer.

Ryo watched her across the table. Her nightmares, he was sure, were at least partially the reason for this group therapy session they were going to have. He had been observing her most of the day since there was little else he had to do to bide his time while he healed. He noticed there were times when Robyn seemed normal, even happy, and then moments where her mind drifted off and a look of concern would cross her features. She needed to talk. They all needed to talk. It was time.


When dinner was over, they all decided they were going to get comfortable by changing into pjs and lounging attire before meeting in the living room. The act had an air of nostalgia in it for the warriors. They had done this once before, when they were teenagers and Talpa had been completely defeated. While the world seemed to go on smoothly from their brush with annihilation, for the ronins, life had hung in uncertain suspension.

What were they supposed to do with themselves after this? How were they supposed to go back to the normal world after all they had experienced? After fighting for their lives, bleeding for strangers, feeling such a horrible, terrifying desperation to succeed? It had felt like they were tainted now. That anyone who saw them on the street would automatically know that they were different. They were something not quite human with more than human experiences.

So they had all gathered on Mia's floor like cautious mice, afraid to peer out of their hole. And they talked deep into the night. They talked about their fears that they would never see the world the same again, that they could never live normal lives again. The talked about their worries for the future, that some other evil would rear its head, that the armors would need to be used again. And they reminded each other that they weren't alone. All five of them shared these fears and hardships. All five of them had each other forever. That night had made all the difference.

Now, they were set to do it again. They would remain in each other's company late into the night if needed, letting everyone speak their minds, their fears, their hardships. All would listen, all would support. All, hopefully, would heal.

Blankets and pillows were brought in as there wasn't enough furniture to seat everyone and all wanted to be on the same level with each other. The scene looked more like a slumber party than a serious council of warriors. Kento and Rowen had flat on just sprawled on the floor on their stomachs, covered in blankets while Sage sat cross legged and straight-backed. Cye, Ryo and Robyn opted for sitting in a row, using the couch as a back rest. The latter had her knees pulled up, blanket covering all of her so only her head poked out.

At first, the conversation started light as the warriors covered whatever random thoughts entered their heads. There were many "remember how" and "wasn't that crazy when" type comments covering the last few weeks of their lives. Most of it seemed to drift toward the last phase of their adventures. Working with the warlords and Kayura were still fresh on everyone's minds. Even after it was over, the ronins were all still reeling from the abrupt shift from foe to friend that was forced on them.

"I still don't like him—Sekhmet," Cye said with a frown. "Not that there was much time to chat, but every time I talked to him, he acted like he had so many more important things to do with his time. It was very irritating."

"Kayura always smiling at us like we were adorable little kids was also annoying," Rowen said. "She kept looking at me like she wanted to ruffle my hair. It was so weird that she was older than me now. I'm so used to the spoiled little brat she was."

"And what about that Suzu?" Ryo asked. "Just who was she supposed to be and why was she able to tap into our armor powers?"

Rowen visibly frowned. That still ate at him. He just knew something important had been stolen from his brain and he was still so bitter about it.

"What is the point of hiding her identity from us?" Sage ventured. "Why would it matter if we saw her face or not? They lived so far in the future, why would that knowledge affect any of us? It doesn't make sense."

"I'm still going on the no-face theory," Kento said. "Or maybe she was some kind of other being and her appearance was far beyond our understanding."

"You totally had a thing for her," Rowen snickered.

"Shut up, I did not! It was just like... you felt better when she was around. Like everything was going to be okay."

"Maybe to lull us in a false sense of security," Sage said with a frown. "Everything about her was deceptive."

"Not that it matters any more," Cye put in. "We may not ever see her again."

After a moment's hesitance, Sage added: "Maybe she had something to do with Cale. She seemed close to him. There were times she felt like darkness, too. His darkness. And I definitely felt something between them when he..." Halo looked away, bombarded by the sudden graphic memory.

"Sage, what happened?" Ryo asked softly after so much silence.

The blond let out a heavy breath. "I never would have wished for a death like that for him, even as a teenager. It was like... giant jaws just broke him in half. Everything solid that held him up crumbled and the body just... fell to the ground. There was so much blood. I always thought I would be stronger than that, that I could prepare myself for watching death in front of my face. There's no way to prepare it.

"But the thing that keeps haunting me the most is how he looked at me, so defiant. So insistent that I never tell his present self. That I never try to warn him about how he dies. And in the end, there was something about him that was so...relieved that he was about to die. I don't understand that at all."

"Maybe after living all those years, you get tired," Rowen ventured. "All that time working for Talpa has got to put some miles on a person's soul. Even for them."

"Did you know he didn't leave a body when he died?" Sage then said. "I saw the darkness—his element—come for him. It swallowed him up and there was nothing left but blood on the ground. I keep wondering, will that happen to us? Will our elements and armors come for us when we die? Are we going to leave nothing physical behind?"

There was a breath of silence in the room.

"Damn, why is that so creepy?" Kento complained. "I mean, it shouldn't matter because we'll be dead but... I dunno. I don't want my body to just disappear, like, what? Swallowed by the earth for me? How is my family going to react to that? Can't Hardrock just chill? I'd prefer to be cremated, thanks."

"Guess we have no choice," Ryo said with a shrug.

"Of course you don't care, Ryo, you're getting cremation from Wildfire anyway."

Ryo smirked at that comment, allowing the dark humor to lighten the mood. Sometimes a dark sense of humor was necessary for their sanity.

"Robyn? Do you want to say anything?" Cye then asked. "You're being awfully quiet."

She stiffened a little when the attention was put on her and then shrugged. "This is fine. I enjoy listening to all of you talking. Even though it's hard to hear what you went through, this is nice being with all of you." She said the last part with a little smile while she stared at her toes curled in the blanket.

"We want to hear from you, too," Rowen said from across the circle. "It's obvious something's been on your mind. Want to share?"

She blinked at them as if the concept of sharing never occurred to her. "I'm... not really sure what to say."

"Do you want to talk about your nightmares?" Cye pressed gently. "Maybe we can help you with them. It was really difficult to see you like that. I know dreams aren't something we can control, but I'd rather not have it happen again if talking about it would help."

Robyn looked down at her feet, feeling like a child under their gaze. The blanket was draped over her front, but she wished she could pull it up behind her like a hood and hide from them. No, that's what her younger self would do. She was an adult now. She had promised herself a year ago she would get stronger, that she wouldn't hide from people, hide from these people especially, the same as she had before.

"It's difficult to talk about because I don't remember it very well. I remember when you guys came all the way to Oregon to see me. I remember going to Falnan and all that craziness. How they had all those rules and tried to get us to do some ridiculous ceremony." She rubbed her face. "It gets fuzzy after that. Any snippet of memory, it's usually black and full of anxiety. But there's feelings of violence and I remember all your voices, but not what you said. I just remember you were all so scared but I don't know what happened."

They were all taken back to that time at her words. They recalled how another being had taken over her, used her body to its own means with no regards for Robyn's personal health or safety. None of them had known what was going on and they had all been terrified that it would end in death. It nearly had.

"So what's in your dreams?" Ryo asked seriously. His intense gaze made Robyn feel like he was sitting too close to her. "What makes you scream like that? It scares the hell out of all of us."

Robyn's eyes widened, staring at him with a hint of blush on her cheeks. They were all adults now. They were all trying to be straight forward with her as well.

"I'm sorry, I just..." She caught herself about to make another excuse, about to downplay her distress and all the things that haunted her. This was the time to be honest. If she couldn't say it here, where could she? "There's like a black... thing. Maybe a person? A figure? With many arms or... many swords? I don't know. I can't see it very well. But it just stabs me, everywhere, all at the same time. There's pain, but also, like I can feel all of them wiggling inside me and it just starts dragging me toward it. That's usually when I really start freaking out and I wake up."

"Damn," Kento said quietly. "Sorry, that's rough."

"And it's not just that," she continued. "I wake up, checking myself for blood, trying to tell myself that it was just a dream but..." Her mouth gaped soundlessly for while. Closed her mouth and then tried again.

After a while, Rowen was about to say something to coax her forward, but Sage motioned him to keep quiet. Robyn was getting used to being open with her friends. She could take all the time she needed to find the right words.

Unable to vocalize what roiled in her chest, she sat up on her knees, the blanket spilling on the floor, and proceeded to remove her shirt. Everyone's eyes went wide at the sudden turn of events.

"Robyn, what are you-" Cye protested.

She wore a bra underneath, but the rest was bare, exposing multiple circular scars on her chest and abdomen. From his position next to her, Ryo could see several more on her back. His hand hovered over her skin, then pulled back without touching her.

Robyn's voice was remarkably solid as she spoke. "Back when I lost my memory, I saw these marks on my body and they terrified me. I couldn't even fathom what I survived. Even now, it's still hard to look at them. I remember I almost died. I don't remember why it happened. But I will have to see these in the mirror every day. And, one day, I may have to try to explain to another person why I look like this and I have no idea what I would say." She rubbed her face tiredly. "I just... I..."

"Yeah, I've got them, too," Kento spoke up. "From the same thing. Look." He was wearing basketball shorts and he hiked up one leg to show everyone a similar circular scar on his thigh. "Got one here, too." He tugged at the collar of his shirt, but it didn't give as much exposure as he wanted. With a "screw it" he pulled off his shirt to show everyone the other scar above his collar bone. "We've all got crazy scars we're never going to fully explain. I know it's weak compensation, but at least you're not the only one."

She nodded a little, eyes still on the ground, and accepted her shirt back when Ryo handed it to her. She glanced toward his abdomen. He would have a scar, too, that would be difficult to explain to any future partner he may have. "I know I'm not the only one with scars, I'm sorry to complain," she said after she covered herself again.

"No," Kento protested, "that's not what I meant when I said that. Sorry. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. I just wanted you to know we understand."

"And it's not fair," Ryo said seriously. "It's our fault it happened. You were dragged into this because of the armors, because of us. And we failed to keep you safe. While we have so few and you have so many is ridiculous. If any of us could trade you, I'm sure we would."

Robyn gave him a half-hearted sideways smile for his efforts. In her opinion, none of them deserved scars. But they were strangely fitting as they were the only proof of how hard these amazing young men worked to keep the world safe.

"Anything else?" Rowen asked, his chin on his pillow. "Anything we can do for you to make this better?"

Robyn glanced up at him, a flicker of hope in her eyes that she quickly hid. "No, I'm good. This really helped a lot. Thanks guys."

"Noooo, not with that face you just made." Rowen now sat up on his elbows. "Is there something you want us to do?"

The redhead instantly looked flustered. "No, you guys have done enough. It's fine."

"What do you want? You want an apology for all this? Will that make it better?"

Robyn was suddenly horrified. "No! Not at all! This wasn't your fault. I don't blame any of you."

"Then what it is?"

The demanding tone in Strata's voice caused Kento to put a hand on his shoulder to tell him to cool it. It often took prodding to get Robyn to open up, but too much prodding would just shut her down again.

"Robyn," Cye said gently. "You can say anything you want. That's why we're all here together. It's okay. We'll understand."

She glanced at all of them, her eyes lingering on each one just a little. Then she looked down at her toes again, hunched with hands rubbing the back of her neck. What she wanted, she felt she had no right to ask. They had all done enough for her already. She couldn't help but feel like further contact just... inflicted herself on them more than necessary. She already felt bad for showing them her scars, for making them feel bad about it. She didn't feel like she had the right to ask for anything else.

Kento had an inkling. He was reminded of the night before when he held her tight, how her heart raced again when it seemed like he was about to let go. He patted the space between himself and Rowen. "Hey, come over here for a second."

Without thinking, Robyn did as she was told, padding over and kneeling between them. The second she sat down, Kento's arms were around her, tucking her against his chest. She froze at the contact, eyes slightly wider.

"Jeeze, Kento, put your shirt back on first," Cye complained.

Robyn didn't seem to mind. After a moment, she began to relax in his embrace. Another body pressed against her from behind—Rowen—wrapping his arms around both of them.

"Better?" Strata rumbled.

Robyn maneuvered around and hugged Rowen around the torso. Strata, too, felt a release of pressure that had been building inside his chest. He didn't realize he had needed this, too.

"Yes," Robyn grinned. "How about you?"

Rowen just laughed, and there was much relief in the sound. They were all home. They were all alright, and it hit him surprisingly hard. He pulled her in a little tighter.

"Anyone else want to get in on this?" Kento asked with humor in his voice.

Cye instantly crawled over to plop himself among them and Robyn instantly used one arm to tuck his head in between her neck and shoulder. Ryo moved over and Kento carefully put an arm around him, pulling him in. Sage patted them both on the back and a thick, comforting aura of safety floated from the room.

After a time, everyone lay together on the floor, all heads close to one another and feet poking out in a circle. Robyn listened quietly as they told her about everything that happened to her in Falnan. How they had tried desperately to help her, how scary it was. How she almost died if not for the armors stepping in to save her. She lightly touched their hair as each of them talked and she loved them all the more for who they were.

It was getting late when Mia came home and walked in on them all in their weird circle on her living room floor. She didn't even have to ask what they were doing. She understood.

"Hey, Mi," Kento's voice called to her.

"Have fun?" Ryo asked.

"Yeah, it was nice to do something normal for a change," she joked. "Going straight to bed though. How about you guys? Lights on or off?"

"Meh, might as well turn them off," Kento said. "We'll get up if we feel like it."

"Alright, have a good night," and she plunged them into darkness.

The lack of light did little to affect the conversation and the group talked long into the night until one by one they drifted off in each other's company. That night, there was not a single nightmare to be had.