A/N: I thought to myself, Ryo's cool. He should have his own chapter. And then this chapter was born.

.o0o.

Ryo had been standing there for over twenty minutes and still he couldn't decide whether or not to get Nasutei the red flowers. He didn't want to be too overt in his advances, wanted to still be able to back out and call it a friendly gesture, wanted to avoid losing Nasutei entirely if his gestures were unwanted. That's why he'd quickly bypassed the roses and headed straight towards these simpler flowers. He didn't know what they were called, didn't want to know what they were called, in case he had to back out. "Just found 'em by the road on my way here." He'd say if her eyes hooded she started to distance herself. They could be friends. They would be friends, no matter what.

But Ryo wanted so much more.

With a hurried glance down at his watch, Ryo realized that he would likely be late if he spent any more time deliberating. Scooping up a single flower, a compromise, Ryo paid the old vendor who was clearly startled by his sudden decision. Walking quickly, Ryo found himself in front of Nasutei's door in record time and slightly panting. She opened the door almost immediately, as if she'd been waiting for him (but she couldn't possibly) and Ryo thrust the flower into her face before he lost his courage.

"I found them, er it by the way on my road here." He stuttered, wanting to slap his forehead.

"You know this kind of flower doesn't grow around here." Ryo chuckled nervously. "Must have been really lucky to find one. Thanks, Ryo." Nasutei kissed his cheek and made room for him to enter, searching the adjacent kitchen to find a vase to put the flower in. "I don't know if I told you, but red is my favorite color."

"You hadn't mentioned that. Mine, too." Ryo responded, glad Nasutei wasn't looking to see his starry eyed expression as he laid a hand on the cheek she'd kissed.

Nasutei returned and set the vase on a nearby coffee table. "Come here," she invited, "there's a particular legend I'd like you to take a look at." Ryo trotted over obediently and sat beside the college student, accepting the large tome she placed in his lap. "Be careful with that one, it's very old and quite possibly the last of its kind."

Ryo nodded and gently pulled the cover open, turning immediately to the page where a single white feather had been stuck. He read quietly as Nasutei was taking notes on something and finished the story with a strange sense of deja-vu. He was sure he'd heard the legend somewhere before but he couldn't recall where. It certainly hadn't been with Nasutei, she'd assured him over the phone that this was a completely different one, one that somehow needed their immediate attention.

The story was of a dark lord and nine armors that gifted their bearer with superhuman powers. The catch was that each armor only chose one bearer and while the armors would only select a human with a good heart, the dark lord would attempt to turn each of the bearers to evil ways. Only with the combined forces of the armors could the dark lord be defeated and the world saved. But the ending was strange, like the legend hadn't been finished.

"Ryo, there's something I've got to tell you. And you're not going to believe me at first, but please keep an open mind. It's very important."

"If you tell me that it's the truth, there's nothing you can say that I won't believe."

Nasutei smiled, a bit sadly, as if she didn't truly believe him. "Ever since I was a little kid, I've had... strange dreams. I know things I shouldn't know, I see things before they happen."

"You're a psychic?"

"I wouldn't say that. I just know some things that I don't have any logical reason to know. Train crashes, names, faces... I would say premonitions." Nasutei confessed nervously.

"Okay. I'll admit that's a little farfetched, but if you believe it, then so do I."

Nasutei looked at Ryo so adoringly that he felt heat rise up in his cheeks. "I've always been afraid to say anything. I'm not saying I'm always right, you know." She chuckled. "I thought your name was Rekka for some reason. And you always make me think of red."

"Rekka? That sounds... familiar."

"Maybe I wasn't as far off as I'd thought. Look, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I believe this legend is true and that it's going to happen soon. I've seen it. And you're involved... somehow." Ryo opened his mouth to try to find some middle ground here, but she held up a hand to stop him. "I've read this legend about a thousand times, but I wouldn't have dared say a word if that was all there was. My grandfather sent me a package; I just got it last night." Nasutei moved out of the room briefly and returned with a small box. "He'd been searching through the storage in a museum he recently bought and couldn't figure out what these strange colored balls were doing there. They didn't seem to be of any significance but thought they were quite pretty and so he sent them to me. He doesn't have the time to do the research and I always liked a challenge... Anyway, I think they're the armors." Nasutei tipped the box slightly so Ryo could see in.

"Look, you know I believe in you, but I'm not sure I follow you. Those are little balls, how could they be armor? And there are only four of them. The legend says nine armors."

"I don't understand it either. But I know that these are the armors. You have to trust me."

And perhaps it was because Ryo was undeniably in love with this woman or perhaps because he felt she was right somewhere deep inside him, but Ryo nodded. "I trust you."

Nasutei burst into a grin. "Good. Because there's something else." Nasutei practically ran from the room and returned with a fifth ball of the same shape and size, but this one was red and glowing brightly. "As soon as you got here, this one started glowing. I think it's yours." Just as she said the word "yours", and took one more step towards Ryo, the ball flew from her grasp and sailed towards Ryo. He caught it deftly and as soon as the ball touched his skin, his whole body glowed and his clothing was replaced by a thick shell of underarmor.

"I guess that's how it works."

.o0o.