Disclaimer: A good majority of the characters in this story are not mine and are sole property of their creators. I am not getting a dime from doing this, only the satisfaction that I can work with a lot of characters and still have a story make sense. The characters that you will not recognize I fully blame on my subconscious.

The Gathering of the Legends

Chapter One

"Birthday Reunion"

September 1996

Yokohama, Japan; Chinatown: 10:00 a.m.

Vivid-blue eyes gently flickered over the elaborate decorations that had been put into place. The owner of these eyes was taking one last look, before deciding if any further decorating would be required to the spacious Chinese restaurant.

He calmly ran a hand through his wild and thick ebony hair, before turning around to face his three 'accomplices' as it were.

The one young man was also scanning the walls, his usually emotionless face, showed his complete approval and mirth with the situation at hand. He felt eyes upon him, and turned his head to look, strands of golden hair effectively hiding his right eye.

"Approve do you Sage?" the raven-haired man inquired, effectively hiding a smile.

A smirk adorned the blonde's face, as he gave a mere nod, "Payback is wonderful."

Ryo Sanada sniggered quietly, tilting his head to the auburn haired man standing next to Sage Date, waiting for him to weigh in on the matter at hand.

Sea-green eyes were filled with volumes of laughter, voice undoubtedly tinged with amusement, "Kento's in for it this time."

Here the raven-haired young man tried not to snort, "We'll be lucky if he doesn't figure out a way to get us back for this."

"In that case," the smirk on Sage's face widened considerably, "Rowen will be the one in trouble."

A huff was heard from the last occupant of the room, as he lowered the text book he had been leafing through. Rowen had decided not to enroll for a second term in college, a mistake that may cost him later, but he really didn't care.

He shoved the stubborn lock of blue hair out of his face, before responding, "Ya, whatever. All I know, is he better appreciate this."

Cye Mouri quirked an eyebrow at the man standing next to him, not sure if it had been sarcasm or a serious statement; Sage was also giving his best friend a none-to-kind look.

Ryo chuckled to himself, "I don't think they took that as a joke."

"Oops?" Rowen Hashiba permitted himself a smirk, it was often way-too-easy to do that to them.

The four young men had spent the past two hours decorating the Faun Family Restaurant, as elaborately as possible.

It was partly due to the fact that Kento Rei Faun had insisted upon throwing surprise birthday parties for each one of them, and doing a wonderful job of completely surprising them.

This was their attempt, to more or less, return the favor.

Cye gave a yawn, and pulled out a chair quickly sitting down in it, "He has no clue at all."

"None whatsoever, he probably thinks we forgot," the blue-haired man also sat, laying his book on the table.

"So," Ryo cleared his throat, sitting down as well, "What have you all been up to?"

Sage snorted back a laugh, "Since your birthday? Nothing really."

"Don't be a wise-guy," Rowen ridiculed his friend, "That's my job."

"No, it's your job to be the smart one. Being wise, and being smart are two totally different things," the blonde smugly retorted.

Ryo let out a low groan, he should've known better than to set the situation up for those two to bicker.

Cye offered his best friend a smile and shake of his head, "We haven't seen each other much lately, and yet you two are carrying-on like we haven't been apart."

Sage and Rowen stopped mid-insults allowing the weight of those words to sink in.

The blonde was quiet for a few minutes, before he spoke, "Just because we haven't been within the same space, doesn't mean our friendship is going to change. We all remember what happened the last time."

"Yeah," Ryo shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Suzunagi did show up after we had drifted far apart…I should've…"

A collective groan went up from the other three, causing Ryo to pause and quirk an eyebrow at them all.

Rowen gave an exasperated sigh, "Bud, you really need to stop blaming yourself for things."

"But!" the raven-haired man began to protest, only to be cut off by Cye.

"He's right Ryo, it isn't like…"

"Guys!" he yelled causing them to jolt, and he hid a smirk, "I was just saying. Gah."

"Oh," they sheepishly grinned in response, quite used to Ryo and his famed guilt trips.

If it was raining when it was supposed to be sunny, you could be sure that Ryo Sanada was blaming himself for letting it happen. Of course, they were smart and never told him that analogy to his face.

To some the names would seem familiar; perhaps they were family, friends, or former schoolmates. The young men seemed no different from anyone else; they looked and acted just like any other person their age.

Each had their distinct personality, their own aspirations and dreams. Sometimes they could be so different from one another it was hard to see how the five could get along.

But, in any friendship there is always something that keeps it together; making it so that either the friendship weathers the test of time, or it breaks. And constantly, that bond had been the thing to bring them back together and make their failing friendship stronger.

They were the Ronin Warriors, or Yoroiden Samurai Troopers; they had saved the world from many great evils, and managed to live through each experience; a little worse for the wear maybe, but still alive. Considering the magnitude and strength of the evils they had faced, it was lucky that a one of them had survived.

There had been close calls along way, more than a one of them were willing to admit, but they had still made it out, as stronger friends and brothers-in-arms. At times their friendship had begun to fray, but it normally took only one get together to fix the problem.

That had not been the case the last time…After the destruction of the armors, they had tried to go back to normal lives…Well as normal as it could be for five young men who had spent over four years of their lives' fighting things that weren't supposed to exist.

The adjustment had not been an easy one, and in the process they had drifted away from one another, whether it was intentional or unintentional didn't matter…All that mattered was it had happened, and they shouldn't have permitted it.

When the mysterious Suzunagi appeared things had changed…And ever since she had left them with their new armors, their bond had not wavered once. In fact things were even better now, then when they had been fighting Talpa…But maybe that was because they were more mature.

Ryo came out of his thoughts just in time to hear Rowen call Sage a very lame insult…The Ronin of Wildfire sighed, so much for the maturity aspect. He should have known better.

'Things never change,' he thought with a wry smile.


10:50 a.m.

A burly Chinese man made his way to the phone, bellowing, "I said I was coming!"

He carefully picked up the phone, while trying to figure out who would be calling, "Hello?"

The voice on the other end hesitated for a minute able to discern the note of irritation, "Shuu dear?"

Kento Rei Faun bit back a sigh, after having been called by his formal name, "Yeah, Ma. What can I do for you?"

The Chinese woman on the other end immediately began her usual brisk chatter, "We could use your help in the restaurant today. We are a bit short, and you were my first thought. Seeing as how we haven't seen you in over three weeks. You don't mind coming in do you?"

"I'm on my way Ma," the Warrior of Strength tried not to chuckle, as he placed the phone into the receiver.

He had a feeling she would call to ask him to help, that was why he had already dressed in his work clothes.

He gave a shake of his purple-ash hair, "My own mother forgot my birthday. Not to mention the guys, not so much as a letter...But ehh that's what I get for throwing people surprise birthday parties all the time. I bet they were past being amused."

He shrugged to himself, taking a glance in the mirror to make sure he would be acceptable to work, satisfied that he was, he grabbed a light coat, and left his apartment.


11:02 a.m.

The wind blew around him lightly, almost enough for him to notice.

Kento had opted to walk to the restaurant, since it wasn't that far from his apartment. He hadn't strayed far from home after completing his required schooling, none of the others had either, or at least not to his knowledge.

The walk allowed him time to think which was something he was in desperate need of, lately he had been to busy to stop and think.

He felt...Almost edgy, as though something were going to happen soon that would once more change the course of his and his friends' lives.

The re-occurring dream he had been having also troubled him, it was a battle, but it felt like it had happened a life-time ago. All he knew was that he and the other four Ronins were not the only ones on the battlefield.

There were others and somehow he knew they were allies; but as far as the enemy they were facing...The Hardrock Ronin had no clue at all who it could have been; or what for that matter.

Kento's main worry? Was this dream a warning of what was to come, or was he simply remembering something that had happened? He also had one last thought on this, and this one bothered him a great deal...

Was it possible that it was both?

'If there is a new evil out there, who could it be? It can't be the Dynasty...Kayura and the other Warlords made sure that nothing that happened there would leak over to our world. This dream has to mean it isn't over for us, and somehow I get the feeling it wasn't meant to be over yet. But who could it possibly be?'

He walked along quietly for a few minutes, before realizing that he was at the restaurant; a new thought popped into his head, 'Okay, we own a chain of these restaurants, would someone please explain to me, why my Mother and Father, insist on working in this one? I guess when you've done something all your life; it's hard to give it up...But still and all...'

He briskly entered, hanging up his coat, and immediately heading for the kitchen.

"Good Morning, Oniichan!" a girl about twenty greeted him, on his way to the kitchen.

Kento paused a moment, furrowing his brows, "Morning, Rinfi? It's close enough to be lunch time, isn't it?"

She was a traditional looking Chinese girl, though the edges of her hair had been dyed pink...Probably by Chun Fa, the youngest of the Faun family children.

The young woman gave a slight chuckle, and shook her head, "We still have another forty minutes, and only twenty until the early-lunch crowd comes in though."

A holler from the kitchen caused the woman's entire demeanor to change, from practiced pleasantness to one of extreme annoyance, as she snapped, "I'm coming!"

He ran a hand through his purple-ash hair, stifling a chuckle as he watched his sister storm off to the kitchen; he dutifully followed, but at a good distance.

Rinfi was the one with the temper in the family, if she ever got mad enough you were in trouble. She was twice as stubborn as Kento, and that was definitely saying something. But, she was also very much a realist, so it did have a tendency to balance out.

The person who had called her back, was eighteen-year-old Yun, and a slight smirk adorned his face upon seeing his older brother. Yun resembled Kento in looks; his hair was still an off-blue in color and more neatly kept, though he had the lighter build of his father.

The young man passively ignored his sister, while she rambled on about how improper it was to kid around when he was supposed to be working, "Hey, Shuu-nii-chan."

Kento bristled, demanding, "I thought I told you not to call me that?"

The slighter boy smirked, "Yeah, so you did."

Kento rolled his eyes and brushed past Yun without another word, why did younger siblings have to be such royal pains?

"Hey, Ma," Kento chuckled as the woman whirled around.

"Shuu!" she gently reprimanded, "You shouldn't sneak up on an old woman like that."

He smiled, "An old woman? I don't see any, do you Pa?"

Chan Run briefly looked up from the meal he was working on, "Yes, she's standing right in front of me."

Mama Faun glared daggers at her husband, signifying he would be hearing about this conversation again later, before turning thankful eyes to her son, "Thanks for coming, I'm sure you had other plans today, but we're so short! Misha is the only working waitress today, Shira's on maternal leave."

The young man gave a slight nod, indicating that he was listening and that she could continue.

"Well, we have a party in or reserved section, and the front is completely packed. Rinfi and Yun are helping out, but we could really..."

"Don't worry about it Ma, I'll handle the party," Kento resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and smirk at the same time. Sometimes his mother amused him too much for him to keep a straight face.

The Chinese woman watched as he departed the kitchen, this time she was the one beyond amused.

A fifteen-year-old boy came out from his hiding place, his eyes were almond-colored like his fathers, but his hair was straight black like his mothers, "Did he fall for it Mama?"

The woman let out a sigh, "As much as I love your dear brother, Mei Ryu," she paused and then grinned, "Yes."

A giggle came from the youngest of the children, as she, too, appeared from where she had hidden.

"This is going to be fun!" Chun Fa cried in delight.

Kento trudged his way up to the second floor of the restaurant, where the room was cordoned off for reservations only. It had been that way for as long as he could remember, or at least he thought it had.

He was too absorbed in thought to notice that for a party there was relatively little noise coming from the room.

He put a hand on the door knob, musing aloud, as he threw them open, "Wonder who's birthday its for?"

"Yours!" a chorus of voices sang.

Kento blinked a few times after hearing a clicking noise followed by a bright flash of light, he then proceeded to groan. His friends had managed to get him back after all.


12:20 p.m.

The talk started to wind down about an hour or so later, noticing this Rowen picked up the picture, saying with a smirk, "Mia, you have to make copies of this for me."

The brunette woman arched her eyebrows at him, deciding to hold her tongue. Her long hair was somewhat shorter than it had been, and curly now...A change she thought she had needed, or rather deserved.

Mia Koji was now a twenty-five-year-old professor at the University, as well as partners with a few other professors that dealt in ancient mythology around the globe.

Few could understand her fascination with the subject, but it had largely to do with the fact that she had lived through the legend of the Ronin Warriors (Yoroiden Samurai Troopers for those who wished to be politically correct).

As the years had gone by, the five young men had still fought to include her at these social gatherings as often as they could, or as often as her schedule would permit. She had managed to fit this party in, at almost a last minute's notice.

Kento gave a grunt of irritation, choosing to ignore the Ronin of Strata completely.

Seeing that his best friend's teasing was going on ignored, Sage quickly brought in, "Yes, I think I will need three."

Mia's eyebrows sharply went up again, as she looked at the blonde incredulously, "Three?"

"Yes," a smirk adorned his face, as he went on to elaborate, "One for the living room to go along with the others, one for the office, and one for use as blackmail."

While the Hardrock Ronin glowered at Sage with a look that stated the only reason the blonde was in one-piece was because there was a lady present, Cye carefully took the photo from Rowen.

He glanced at it for a minute or two, before returning it to the table top, "I have to agree with them, it is a priceless masterpiece."

Kento closed his open mouth with a snap, and decided to sulk since his best friend had joined in the banter.

Ryo gave a slight shake of his head, thinking to himself with a grin, 'We'll never change, will we?'


"Yohoo, earth to Ryo?" Kento tilted his head at his friend, asking for the third time, "Do you want another piece of cake or not?"

"Uh, how about not? Two's more than enough for me," the Wildfire Ronin blinked a few times, unaware that he had zoned out on the others.

"More for us!" the other four cried, as they then burst into laughter.

Mia wasn't sure whether to be amused or exasperated with the young men, at times they acted their age, but others ... Well, it was like being back at the Manor. Now whether that was a good or bad thing…That she had yet to figure out.

The young woman took a glance at her watch, her eyes widening when she realized how late it was getting, "Guys, we've been here a while now, and I've used up all the film."

Snickers went up, before the sarcastic 'aw'-ing commenced.

She gave a roll of her eyes, "Oh yeah, you sure do act your age."

Rowen gave a sly grin to the other four after mouthing out, 'Ouch.'

"And just because you're younger than they are doesn't give you an excuse," Mia told him, point-blank, having caught that out of the corner of her eye, "Anyway, we had the party, Kento unwrapped his gifts..."

An award winning grin was plastered on the Hardrock Ronin's face as she mentioned that.

"Mia, dear, cut to the point," Cye told her, after swallowing. He adored her, as did they all, but sometimes he couldn't understand why she needed to drag things out. It wasn't like they needed to be let down easily, they were grown men after all.

He suspected it was just in her nature to be that way.

"It's been fun," here she smiled sadly, "But I have a job to get back to."

"Oh gee is that all?" Rowen and Sage teased her, knowing that there was the added fact of her boyfriend being unable to join them today.

Mia smirked as she teased back, "At least I have a steady."

Ryo let out a low groan, 'No, I guess we won't change.'

After saying goodbye and promising to keep in touch, Mia left the restaurant.

The minute she left the room Rowen muttered, though it was all in good-humor, "She always did know how to ruin a party!"

"Rowen!" four voices reprimanded immediately.

The blue-haired young man gave a pout, "What I say this time?"


A/N: Well folks here's Chapter One for you. At this time I would like to thank my ever-vigilant beta-reader, LaDyWiLdFiReKiTtY, who has been reading this story for almost as long as I've been writing it. Muchos gracias chica :) Thanks to those who reviewed the prologue -glomps all-

And just a few notes on things you may not like, or have a question about:

First, there are around ten or so ways to spell Kento's Japanese name. Shuyu Rei Faun, Shuu Rei Faun, Shu Rei Faun and Xiuli Huang being some of them. I tend to use Shuu Rei Faun (it's easier to type), and the only reason I use an 'R' instead of an 'L' is because I'm going by the official bios. And yeah, I know Shuu is the family name, however seeing as how in the series he was called Shuu instead of Rei Faun I'm sticking with it.

Second of all, I know some people regard Kento's hair color as being a "fanfic cliché." I found a tree though, the "Autumn Purple Ash" and in the fall the leaf color is similar to Kento's hair-color in Message. So that's why I'm using 'purple-ash;' seeing as how the events in this story include the Message OVA.

I am using the place names from the original Japanese version, instead of the dub. They work better with the story.

Last comment for this chapter, I promise! I realize some people have an issue when a writer uses Japanese like I do; the argument tends to be to keep it all one language since they are in Japan and speaking Japanese already. My thoughts are if you want to use a few simple phrases and /or words, go ahead…Just don't let it crowd your story. I use 'Oniichan' since it takes up less space than 'big brother'; just like I used 'Imouto' (little sister) in the prologue. To me it doesn't look as awkward when you read it. That's my reasoning behind using any Japanese terms/words/phrases in this story (a.k.a. I'm lazy).