Disclaimer: I don't own Ronin Warriors. If I did Ryo would have fought with the Inferno more because, let's face it, that armor is way too awesome to be used so little.

Chapter 10

Fighting the Past

The Ronins and the others continued to travel. Even as the 5 boys kept an eye out for any more fights, none came. The longer that the peace lasted, the more relaxed everyone but the Ronins became. It was as if all the fights from before were just a nightmare.

But, like in this future, peace never lasted long. It was as if Talpa had cursed Japan. Before the Ronins had been forced into suspended animation, there were hardly any battles to fight. Now, though, now was different. It felt at times as if they went from one fight to another.

Ryo and the other Ronins stopped walking all the sudden. White Blaze stopped beside his human. His head turned behind him.

"They're coming," Ryo whispered to his friends.

"I know," Sage agreed.

"Can't we have a break?" Kento asked no one.

"This is the future, Kento," Rowen reminded Hardrock. "Talpa has taken away that possibility."

"At least for us anyways," Cye chimed in.

Ryo made a shhh sound. "Quiet, guys," he told his friends.

River listened to the strange conversation that the boys by him were having. Whose coming? And why did they mention Talpa? He was confused.

"We know you're out there," Ryo called. "Show yourself."

There was laugh. Ryo and the other Ronins spun around to face the opposite direction. White Blaze roared and turned to the enemy. They blinked and found themselves back to the time when they had fought Anubis 400 years ago. The Ronins looked behind them to see Mia and Yuli standing inside the Circle of Light.

"What's going on?" Ryo asked. "This doesn't make sense."

"You're right, Ryo," Rowen agreed. "This is right before we went to sleep for 400 years."

"This is freaky, man," Kento commented as he turned in place. "Everyone's gone."

"But, boy," Anubis said as he appeared. "This is the present."

Kento shook his head. "That's not possible," he shot back.

Anubis laughed. "Were you having a dream?" He asked the purple-haired boy.

Hardrock shook his head. "It wasn't a dream, Anubis!"

…

River just stared at the Ronins. He was confused; why were they suddenly acting weird?

The young man could see a Warlord in an armor that somehow reminded him of a spider nearby. He could feel the terror building inside him the longer the man didn't move. Isn't he going to attack us?

There was a scream beside him. He saw one of the women pointing off to the side. The green-eyed man saw that another Warlord – this time in brown and red armor – was standing in front of the 5 Ronins and White Blaze.

The odd part of this whole situation was the fact that the Warlords were just standing there. Even the Ronins were acting odd as the conversation between them didn't make sense to River.

"What's going on?" Ryo asked. "This doesn't make sense."

"You're right, Ryo," Rowen agreed. "This is right before we went to sleep 400 years ago."

400 years? River questioned inside his mind.

"This is freaky, man," Kento commented as he turned in place. "Everyone's gone."

"But, boy," the Warlord in brown and red said suddenly. "This is the present."

Kento shook his head. "That's not possible," he shot back.

The Warlord laughed. "Were you having a dream?" He asked the purple-haired boy.

Hardrock shook his head. "It wasn't a dream, Anubis!"

Anubis…, River thought. I've heard that name before, he realized. The only problem was that he didn't remember where.

…

Ryo knew that all of their armors were protecting Mia and Yuli. He felt like he had no power suddenly. When he looked at his friends, he could clearly see it written on their faces. The black-haired boy looked down at his hands. What's going on? He silently asked.

"Ryo!" Cye yelled as he looked at Wildfire. "What do we do!? Our armors are protecting Mia and Yuli!"

Ryo shook his head and answered. "I don't know!" He yelled back. "We'll have to fight without our power!"

Rowen nodded. "Let's do this!" He told his friends.

White Blaze roared in agreement.

…

River's heart stopped. They didn't have any power? Terror mixed with the confusion. And why are they talking about Mia and Yuli? Mia disappeared 400 years ago and my ancestor, Yuli, died about 340 years ago.

Rowen nodded. "Let's do this!" He told his friends.

Do what? River asked himself.

White Blaze roared in agreement.

…

Kento ran at Kale/Anubis. His fist went next to his head. "YAAAAAA!" The boy screamed as his fist went for the Warlord's face. The man jumped back without any worry about damage. The Ronins believed that they had no power. He remembered this from the times that Anubis had retold the story over the years.

Sage jumped and his hands went together over his head. He brought them down as he screamed. Kale/Anubis' arm stopped the attack. The blonde jumped back and rubbed his wrist. Ow…, he thought.

Ryo ran to attack the Warlord. The boy's fist punched the man's face but there was barely any force behind it. Instead, Kale/Anubis planted his fist in Ryo's stomach and sent him flying towards a tree.

"Ryo!" Sage and Cye yelled as they jumped with hands reaching out. They grabbed the handles behind Ryo's heels. Wildfire's back hit the tree, and Torrent and Halo fell to the ground. Ryo looked at Kale/Anubis.

"If we only had our power," the boy said, "we could fight in our armor."

White Blaze moved in front of Ryo. The tiger wasn't going to let his human get hurt again.

River/Mia shouted something. What was a 'but you have your power!' came out as a 'be careful!' but Ryo didn't react to it. River/Mia became frustrated.

"I know we don't!" Rowen yelled. He dodged Kale/Anubis' weapon. "But we can't let Mia and Yuli get killed!"

Sage, Kento and Cye agreed. The 5 Ronins would have to do their best even though they had no power. By this point Sage and Cye were fighting again. Ryo took a little longer to get to his feet. The tiredness was almost gone by now but, even so it still affected his ability to fight.

The 5 boys continued to fight Kale/Anubis but couldn't do much damage no matter what they tried.

"Is this the best you can do?" Kale/Anubis laughed. "You disappoint me, Ronin Warriors."

"Shut up, Anubis!" Kento shot back. "We'll still win without our armors!"

Kale/Anubis raised his weapon. "Let's see if you can," he taunted. The Warlord's weapon swung forward. The side of the sword/ax hit Kento's chest and the purple-haired boy went flying.

Rowen's body spun in the air before hitting Kale/Anubis. Even with the force behind Strata's legs, the Warlord didn't move. The blue-haired boy landed on his feet.

Ryo wished he had his Wildfire armor. Heck, he'd take his Inferno one right now. The boy felt so powerless. It was a feeling he didn't like remembering. Are we really going to lose? He asked himself.

Ryo knew that losing wasn't an option. Not with Mia and Yuli's lives on the line. But how can we win like this? He looked behind himself. He saw that River/Mia hadn't moved. Yuli was just watching from next to her. He needed to find a way to at least fight. They all needed to find a way to fight.

White Blaze's nose nudged Ryo's face. It as if his tiger was trying to bring his attention back. "Sorry, boy," Ryo apologized. "I guess I'm out of it."

Ryo got to his feet. There was a fleeting rush of something as he stood. Was it the power that he was lacking?

"Guys!" Ryo called to his friends. "Do you feel something? Something different?"

Sage looked at Ryo. Did he feel something different? The blonde didn't know what his friend meant. It's the sudden lack…that's it! It's the power!

"Ryo, it's the lack of power!" Sage answered.

Cye paused long enough to listen. He knew that the blonde was right. He had also felt the sudden lack of power.

"But isn't it the same like last time?" Cye loudly asked the 2.

River/Mia yelled something at the Ronins. This time no sound came from him. The only problem was that none of the other Ronins had seen it.

Rowen blocked Kale/Anubis' weapon. The Ronin threw the weapon back. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

…

River's mind took him back to one of the fights at Koji Village. A Warlord called Anubis had come to fight the Ronins once. But wasn't his hair red? The one who the Ronins were fighting had blue hair. Not to mention the weapons are different, River noted.

...that's it! That guy isn't Anubis! River realized.

"Boys, stop floundering!" River yelled at the Ronins.

Rowen blocked 'Anubis's weapon and threw it back. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

Can they not hear me? River silently asked.

White Blaze looked at River. The tiger roared. Ryo's head moved.

…

Ryo's head turned to his tiger. "What is it, White Blaze?" Ryo asked. He looked behind himself. All he saw was River/Mia. He could tell that she had moved. And yet is seemed as if Yuli had never moved.

Ryo had to quickly block Kale/Anubis' weapon. The boy pushed it away and flipped over the Warlord. The boy planted his hands on the floor and jumped from hand to foot multiple times. He stopped a little ways away from the Warlord.

Kento's fist hit Kale/Anubis' helmet. The Warlord took a few steps from the impact. Hardrock kicked him and the man fell onto his side.

There was a rush of something inside Kento. "That was interesting," he commented.

Rowen's arms caught Kale/Anubis' weapon. "Watch it, Kento!" The boy warned his friend.

Hardrock looked at the blue-haired boy. "I am watching it!" He protested.

"Guys, focus!" Ryo told the other Ronins.

…

The young man wished there was a way to help the Ronins. It felt to him as if they were locked in a dream of some kind. He knew that he had to bring the Ronins back to the present. The problem was how. What could River do to 'snap' the Ronins out of their dream?

There has to be something….

…

Slowly the Ronins each felt that 'something' that Ryo had mentioned. They didn't know what it was though. It was if it was reacting to something.

"What is going on?" Sage asked the others.

Cye shrugged. "I don't know," he answered. The brunette jumped into the air and pulled his knees up. His body twirled and his foot hit the Warlord. Torrent also felt something inside him. He looked at Rowen. The brunette could see that his friend had felt it too. What about Sage? Cye wondered.

"Sage, can you feel it?" Cye asked the blonde.

Sage paused. "Feel what?" He asked.

"That 'something' of Ryo's!" Cye answered.

Sage frowned. What was this 'something' that the others felt?

"This isn't the same like before!" Kento helped. "I didn't feel like this the first time we fought him!"

…

The past…they're reliving the past, River realized. Now it makes sense. Mia and Yuli would have been with them back then. But River was here now. Unlike Mia and Yuli, River at least knew how to fight. The young man knew that he would be killed by the Warlords but he wasn't defenseless against the Soldiers. Mia and Yuli were the ones who had been given the 'helpless' role.

I have to do something to break them out of this, River thought. But what can I do? I'm not a Ronin Warrior so if I attack one of them I'll die. The Warlords are not worried that one of us will attack them because of this.

River's arm moved. His wrist hit the hilt of his sword. The green-eyed man looked at it. "I know what I need to do," he softly breathed.

He knew what he would do but was worried about the possible outcomes. What if his plan failed? Or what if none of the Ronins saw his action? If either happened River was as good as dead.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered.

River ran at the Warlord in pink.

…

Something flashed out of the corner of both Ryo and Sage's eyes. They couldn't see clearly enough to know what it was. Their eyes moved to where the ripple had moved. There was a sound from within it.

Is that River? They thought.

"Guys, look!" Ryo cried as he pointed to where the ripple had been. "I think I hear River!"

Cye punched Kale/Anubis in the face. He looked at the place that Ryo was pointing. Kento's eyes moved to the same point. Rowen's followed a second later. What is Ryo talking about? They silently asked themselves.

It was barely there but another ripple came, closer than before. This time they saw a young man with black hair who was screaming at the top of his lungs.

"River!" They all cried.

Kale/Anubis realized that he was too late.

…

River heard Ryo cry "guys, look! I think I hear River!"

The young man screamed at the top of his lungs. His sword swung above his head. He was terrified of his next words. But even though he was terrified, he knew that he had to say them.

"DIIIIEEEE!" He screamed as he ran at the Warlord in pink.

The Warlord's face showed his surprise. He hadn't thought that one of the people with the Ronins might try something.

…

"DIIIIEEEE!" River screamed as he ran.

The Ronins saw another ripple in front of the young man.

"Dais!" Kento hissed.

Suddenly it clicked for them. Dais had created an illusion to trick them.

The 5 boys didn't waste any time.

"ARMOR OF WILDFIRE, DAO JIN!"

"ARMOR OF HARDROCK, DAO GI!

"ARMOR OF HALO, DAO CHI!"

"ARMOR OF TORRENT, DAO SHIN!"

"ARMOR OF STRATA, DAO INOCH!"

The illusion dropped. Anubis' image turned into Kale.

"Rowen, Kento, save River!" Ryo ordered.

River ran away from Dais. His job was done. The Ronins had been freed.

Kento and Rowen didn't waste any time. The purple-haired boy went for the Warlord of Illusion and Strata took his bow from his back. Rowen shot before Kento reached Dais.

Ryo crossed his swords in front of him. "We know it's you, Kale."

Kale laughed. "Then there is no more pretend, is there, Ryo of Wildfire?"

Sage's sword went in front of him. Cye held his trident beside him. All 3 took off at the same time. This time, when the 5 Ronins attacked the Warlords, there was power behind them.

Dais blocked Kento's staff with his arm. It immediately went above him then came crashing back. Dais used his arm to protect himself from the hit.

Rowen's arrow went for the Warlord's shoulder. Dais moved in time to dodge it. The Warlord of Illusion turned to Rowen. "Is that the best you can do?" He asked the boy.

"Just watch, Dais," Kento called.

The silver-haired man saw Kento's staff swinging in 3 pieces. The Warlord jumped above the boy.

Ryo's swords stopped Kale's sword above his head. Wildfire pushed up and the Warlord went into the air. Sage's sword came from the side and Kale turned over to parry it.

Cye's trident blocked Kale's sword. The brunette tried to push the man away but the Warlord just laughed.

"Are you weak, Cye of Torrent?" Kale taunted.

Cye grunted. "I can still fight!" The boy countered.

Sage's sword came from Cye's left shoulder. Kale jumped away and Halo's sword missed. This is harder than normal, the blonde thought. He brought his sword beside him. The boy ran at the Warlord.

Ryo ran at Kale, swords held diagonal from him. I'll get him this time, the black-haired boy promised himself. He swung his swords towards each other. The Wildfire swords were blocked by Kale.

"What's going on?" Ryo asked himself.

Wildfire flipped over Kale. He landed behind the man and his swords lashed out. There was an impact and Ryo heard Kale grunt in pain. The boy quickly turned around to see the Warlord bent over a little.

"Nicely done, Ryo of Wildfire," Kale commented. "But it wasn't enough." The Warlord of Corruption straightened.

Dismay filled Ryo. Could they not fight the Warlords this time? It was too similar to Talpa's attack for his liking.

Rowen shot another arrow but Dais jumped over it. It was like the man was seeing them in slow motion. Strata shot another arrow. This isn't working, he realized. The blue-haired boy looked at the others. Sage, Ryo and Cye were also having a difficult time. Is there nothing we can do? Rowen silently asked himself. There has to be something!

"Rowen!" Kento called to get the other's attention. Kento's head moved in Ryo and the others' direction. To Rowen it was as if to say get them together.

Strata didn't know what Kento was thinking. Hardrock wasn't a genius but he had somehow come up with a plan. The blue-haired boy nodded; he knew what his friend wanted.

"Hey, ugly!" Kento shouted. Hardrock ran at Dais with his staff twirling in one hand.

Dais knew what Kento was about to do. The Warlord of Illusion jumped away from him. He didn't notice how close he was getting to the other Warlord.

"Ryo!" Rowen called. Ryo looked at him. "Bring him closer!" Strata pointed at Kale.

It took Ryo a second to figure out Rowen's plan. "Sage! Cye!" Ryo called. His friends looked at him. The black-haired boy pointed his right sword at Dais. Sage and Cye looked at each other and nodded.

The 5 Ronins brought Kale and Dais closer and closer to each other. The 2 Warlords didn't realize what was going on. All they knew was that the Ronins were getting stronger. What is going on? Dais asked. The Warlord of Illusion jumped back.

"Now, Ryo!" Rowen cried.

Ryo knew what his friend wanted. He held out his swords. Rowen moved his bow before himself. Sage threw his arms to his sides. Kento's staff pointed down at his side. Cye's trident went perpendicular at his side.

4 lights came from them and hit Ryo.

Ryo tore his Wildfire armor. After the fire disappeared around him, Black Blaze came to him. Ryo unsheathed the Swords of Fervor from the tiger's sides. He hit the blades together. The boy ran to attack the Warlords.

The force that collided with Kale was vastly stronger than before. Ryo easily pushed Kale back. Dais brought out his weapon from behind his back. The Swords of Fervor hit Dais. The man went flying in the air. His body almost disappeared into the sky before hitting the ground hard.

Kale went flying towards Ryo. His sword was perpendicular to him. Ryo's swords stopped Kale's. The boy pushed the Warlord back and the man lost his balance. "This can't be happening!" The Warlord cried in astonishment.

One of the Swords of Fervor hit Kale's chest. Like Dais, Kale skyrocketed into the air. He also almost disappeared before crashing to the ground.

Kale and Dais saw the Swords of Fervor move. Panic rose in them. Run! They screamed at themselves.

"RAGE OF INFERNO!"

Bright, white light raced at Kale and Dais. The Warlords' arms rose. "MASTER TALPA!" They screamed together. They disappeared before Inferno's attack hit them.

Ryo went back to his Wildfire armor. He yawned and rubbed his eye. "So much for not being tired," he muttered.

There were sudden whispers to the side. Ryo blinked in their direction. "What are they talking about?" He asked no one in particular.

River walked to Ryo's side. "It's amazing," he told the boy. "Every time I see you fight in the Inferno is unbelievable. I'm sure the others think the same."

Kento's arm went around Ryo's neck. "Hey, Ryo, my man, that was awesome!"

Ryo looked at his friend in the orange armor. "You really think so?" He asked.

"Definitely," Cye answered for the purple-haired boy.

"I must say the sheer amount of power is something else," Sage added as he came to them.

Rowen just stood beside the other Ronins. The Inferno is something, he agreed in his mind.

Ryo gave a jaw-splitting yawn.

"I think its working, guys," he told his friends, "I don't feel as tired as I did before this time."

Kento let out a whoop. Cye and Sage looked at each other in relief. Rowen just smiled. The 5 Ronins had finally found a way to make it so the toll on Ryo's body wasn't as much as all the times before.

Sage, Cye, Kento and Rowen suddenly yawned. They all of the sudden felt a little tired.

"Must have been some battle," Kento commented.

Ryo opened his mouth to say something but another yawn escaped him. This time, though, it wasn't a jaw-splitting one.

The 5 Ronins shed their armor.

Ryo rubbed his eye again. White Blaze came to him. The tiger nudged Ryo's back. The boy's hand went down to pet his tiger. White Blaze licked his hand.

"Dude," Kento suddenly pointed out, "White Blaze is back."

Ryo looked behind himself. His hand was on top of a white and black head. White Blaze whined at him. The tiger nudged his human's side. It was as if he was asking if the boy was okay.

"I'm okay, White Blaze," Ryo reassured his tiger. "I'm just tired."

River spoke up. "We need to move, everyone," he told the others. "They might come back and I don't want to be here when they do."

The 7 other people nodded. They came closer to where the Ronins, White Blaze and River were standing. They stood next to each other and waited for River to lead them. River started walking again. The rest of the group followed.

Sage, Cye, Kento and Rowen went to walk with River. Ryo moved to go with them but White Blaze moved in front of him. The boy tried to walk around the tiger but the tiger wouldn't let Ryo past him.

"White Blaze," Ryo groaned. "I need to go with them."

White Blaze just growled. He nudged his human's side. This time Ryo got what his tiger wanted. The boy climbed on top of White Blaze. As soon as the boy was settled on his back, the tiger went to join the other Ronins and River.

Ryo yawned again after a little bit. "So tired…," Ryo muttered. He moved so he laid on White Blaze's back. The boy grabbed the fur on the tiger's sides. Wildfire closed he eyes. He was asleep before he realized it.

Even when River saw Ryo was asleep he didn't stop the group. He knew that they needed to get as far away from where the Ronins fought the 2 Warlords as possible before he stopped the group.

The group walked all night. It wasn't till River saw Sage, Cye, Kento and Rowen about to fall asleep on their feet that he finally stopped the group.

The Ronins and River laid out 5 sleeping bags. The 4 Ronins almost dropped onto theirs in their exhaustion, too tired to really care about covering up. Ryo was woken and sent to his own sleeping bag that was waiting for him beside his friends. All 5 Ronins were fast asleep as soon as they covered up.

River smiled fondly at the 5 boys. They were brave, he knew, if they were willing to fight 2 Warlords without seemingly being afraid. Even though the Ronins were with him now, the young man was still terrified of the Warlords. River had spent his entire life dreading meeting any of them. He knew that he was dead the second he met them.

But now I've seen them 3 times and I'm still alive. It was an amazing thing to think about. If the rest of the captive Japan knew this, he wondered what they would think. They wouldn't believe me, he realized. They'd think I've gone crazy. He knew anyone would – heck, even he would have before he met the 5 Ronin Warriors. If the rest of Japan – no, the whole world knew of the Ronins what would they think?

River knew the answer. In truth it wasn't that hard to answer the question. The Ronins would become a 'something' that people would covet. They would have no freedom and no rights. All they would be used for is to attack the Warlords and anyone from the Dynasty who came after the people who kept them as 'possessions'. It would be as if they had no human rights.

I've got to be careful when we reach the other group of people, he realized. If I'm not, that might happen to them.

Daniel came to River. He sat next to the young man but didn't speak for several minutes. Finally he looked at Ryo.

"How is the boy doing, River?" Daniel asked.

River also looked at the sleeping Wildfire. "In all honesty, the fight against the 2 Warlords wore him out. Even the other Ronins were a little tired after the fight."

Daniel hummed in response. It seemed as if his mind was somewhere else. "I wonder what's it like having that much power," he commented. "And, yet, I am glad I do not have it." He looked at his leader. "It's funny, isn't it?" Daniel asked.

River shook his head. "Honestly, I'm amazed by their power," he admitted, "and yet it's the Inferno that is the most amazing to me. The sheer power would be enough to easily destroy a mountain. The Warlords hadn't stood a chance against it."

Daniel brought the conversation back to the reason he had come. "Is Ryo getting any better?" The doctor asked.

River shrugged a little. "I honestly don't know," he admitted. "They don't tell me much. You'll have to ask the boy yourself."

Daniel nodded. "Let me know when he wakes up," he told River. "I would like to check on him one last time."

The leader of the group nodded. "All right," he told the man, "I'll get you after Ryo wakes up."

The doctor stood. He walked away, leaving River alone with the 5 sleeping Ronins. Many hours later, River went to get Daniel. He told the man that Ryo was awake. Daniel came back with him. Daniel had Ryo return to his regular clothes so that he could check the boy's body one last time.

The other Ronins stood with River a ways away.

"Will this always keep happening after every time Ryo wears the Inferno?" Sage asked.

"Yeah, River, will Ryo have to keep going through this?"

River shook his head. "I don't think so," he told the 4 boys who were with him. "Daniel just wanted to check on Ryo one last time. I'm sure it won't happen again after this."

The 4 Ronins understood what River was saying. This was the third time that Ryo had fought in the Inferno since he woke up after the fight with Talpa. If something were to happen to Ryo because of the armor, it would have happened by now.

Daniel came back. He smiled at the 5 of them. "Ryo's body is fine now," he informed them. "I'm sure that with some rest the boy will recover."

River thanked the doctor while the 4 boys went back to their friend. Ryo was once again in his subarmor. White Blaze was lying next to him. Ryo's friends sat beside him.

"How are you guys?" Ryo asked.

"I'm fine now," Sage answered.

Cye and Rowen nodded their head in agreement with what Sage had said.

Kento just smiled. "Good as new, Ryo," he happily told the black-haired boy.

"What happened while I was asleep?" Ryo asked.

"Truthfully, we don't know, Ryo," Rowen admitted. "We just barely woke up ourselves."

"Oh…," Ryo said.

"Don't worry, Ryo," Cye told Wildfire.

Ryo yawned slightly. Even after all the sleep he had gotten after the fight with Kale and Dais, he still felt a little tired.

"So what happened with Kale and Dais?" Cye asked. "It was as if they had lost all power once Ryo changed into the Inferno."

Oh, yeah…, Ryo thought. "It was almost as if they weren't a match for me when I wore the Inferno," he explained. "It was like all their power had completely vanished."

"I know, right?" Kento enthusiastically said. "It was like you were playing baseball with them."

Cye snickered. "Yeah, and I bet they felt like they were the ball," he added.

Sage laughed at the image inside his mind.

"Guys, I don't think this is a laughing matter," Rowen pointed out. "Ryo could have hurt or killed someone in the group when he used Inferno's special attack."

"Chill out, dude," Kento told Rowen. "It's not like anyone got hurt or anything."

"Rowen's right, Kento," Ryo told the purple-haired boy. "I could have easily killed everyone here if I hadn't been facing away from them."

"You did the right thing then, Ryo. It's just like the rest of us, though. The only difference is that the damage the Inferno can inflict is much higher than any of us," Sage told Wildfire.

"Probably at least as much as all of our powers combined," Cye added.

Rowen nodded. "Just be careful, Ryo," Rowen added.

Ryo nodded. His friends didn't have to tell him twice – he knew that already.

River came to them. "We're going to start moving again," he informed the Ronins.

Ryo and his friends stood.

"Let's get going," Ryo told the young man.

River nodded and left. He went around to the other people then came back. He picked up his pack and began walking. Ryo and the other Ronins fell in step with him. Like every time before, the 7 people that the Ronins were protecting walked behind them.

RME: I think River's worry would make an interesting story. I mean, they kind of showed the people's reaction to the Ronins' armors in Gaiden. I just wonder what would happen if the rich, the famous, any regular people or even a government would do if they could force the Ronins into their own personal army. Can you imagine the damage that one armor could do? Or even the damage Ryo could create with just the Inferno?