Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I am so pleased to get feedback.

Well here's part two, chapter one.

Disclaimer: If I owned Ronin Warriors, then Rowen would get way more face-time.


Changing Series: A New Foe

Part II: Crushed

Chapter 1: Inferno's End

At the Date dojo Sage and Ryo were clothed in kimonos and were barefoot. Sage's kimono was light purple while his hakama pants were green. Ryo's ensemble was white. They both were wearing black wristbands. Sage had one sword and Ryo two and they were practicing fighting techniques. In a quick slash Sage knocked one of Ryo's blades out of his hand. They continued to fight. Ryo brought the sword down but Sage ducked out of the way, slid around behind Ryo, and put the sword to his neck.

"Ryo, you have to anticipate my moves better," Sage said, removing his sword from Ryo's neck. Sage walked to a closet, put the sword inside and then pulled two rolled towels off of the shelf. "Here," Sage said, tossing a towel to Ryo. They both began to wipe the sweat from their faces and necks.

"I did figure out your move, a little too late though," Ryo said.

"Ryo, do you really think that the Dynasty is gone?" Sage asked.

"Of course they are. Sai crushed their last good Warlord! Don't worry though, if they're not gone, we'll crush them with Inferno!" Ryo said, his left hand in a fist. Sage half-smiled.

"You mean you'll crush them with Inferno," Sage said, smiling as he put away Ryo's swords.

"Oh, come on!" Ryo protested.

"What, it's true! You do need our powers to pull it off, but once you have put on Inferno we're useless. We just stand back and watch, we can't do a thing," Sage said, not looking directly at Ryo.

"What are you talking about?" Ryo demanded.

"I know everyone else feels the same way, but they would never admit it," Sage added.

"Hmm…" Ryo began. Then they were interrupted by the entrance of Sage's grandfather.

"Sage, phone," he said.

"Oh, Ryo, excuse me for a minute?" Sage asked.

"Yeah, sure," Ryo said. As soon as Sage left the dojo he said, "That guy's a little too proper sometimes."

Sage walked back in after a moment. "That was Rowen, he said to meet him at Mia's, and to bring luggage."

Ryo's eyes widened with excitement. "You're moving back in!"

O

At Mia's expansive house, Rowen, Sai, and Kento were sitting in the living room. Rowen was wearing his blue shirt with the green collar with dark jeans. Sai wore a light blue t-shirt with white jeans, and Kento an orange hooded sweatshirt and light blue jeans. Sage and Ryo walked in, still wearing their kimono and hakama, but now wearing tabi socks and sandals as well.

"Great, you're here," Rowen said upon their arrival.

"What's this all about?" Ryo asked, taking a seat next to Sai.

"Sage proposed to me last night that maybe we should move back in together, due to the last Dynasty encounter. I told I'd think about it, and I decided that it's a good idea," Rowen responded.

"What made you decide?" Ryo asked.

"I felt like I was being watched this morning," Sai began. "When I turned around, I heard a noise, like they were trying to hide, but I didn't see anyone. I was in the middle of a field, so there was no way someone could have hid."

"Unless of course they were a Dynasty flunky. They could have just beamed themselves somewhere else," Rowen added. "You were right Sage, the Dynasty's getting smarter."

"Well he could be wrong, couldn't he?" Ryo asked.

"What's always a possibility, but it's better to be safe," Rowen said. Sai and Kento nodded in agreement.

Sage caught Rowen's eye and motioned with his head for Rowen to join him in the kitchen. The blue-haired warrior reluctantly stood and followed Sage into the kitchen. "What's up?" he asked.

"So you really changed your mind about what you said earlier?" Sage asked.

"Which part?" Rowen asked. He had not been sleeping well, and a side effect was a sort of buzzing in his head. It was getting rather annoying. He was looking forward to spending the night at Mia's, at least there he did not feel so vulnerable.

"The part about not wanting us here because it would be dangerous for Mia," Sage responded.

"Oh," Rowen said. That was indeed one of his top concerns. After their fight against Katie and Sarah and their little sphere, Rowen could not help but wonder what could happen to their friend if they stayed with her. He figured he was getting some sort of hero complex, where he was afraid to let anyone get close, lest they were injured. Mia had been in some tight spots before, that girl had been close to death a number of times. "I guess I just realized that if we did not come back here, she would kill us," Rowen answered. It was the truth. If Mia had caught wind of their ideas about "protecting" her, they would be the ones who needed protection. "But I think we should pay more attention to where she is at all times, you know, prevent anything bad from happening to her."

"I agree," Sage said. "Well, maybe you'll actually get some sleep tonight," Sage changed the subject swiftly.

"What do you mean?" Rowen asked, surprised.

"You look horrible. I know something's been going on with you, and you won't share it with me or anyone, but you didn't look this bad until you went home. I wish you would just tell me what's going on."

"Sage…" Rowen began, his voice holding warning.

"I told you about the kendo match," Sage told him.

"I'm not like you, I can't talk about this. I just can't okay? This topic is closed."

"It doesn't have to be! Rowen, you and I are friends right?"

"Of course we're friends," Rowen retorted.

"And friends tell each other when they're in trouble. They confide in each other," Sage explained.

"Maybe according to you. I'm not going to do this Sage. I'm not going to argue with you. There is nothing to argue about. I'm not talking and that's final. Have a nice day," Rowen said gruffly, turning to walk away. He was stopped however by a strong arm grasping his shoulder and pulling him back. "What is your problem?" Rowen asked.

"I'm worried about you!" Sage shouted.

"You don't need to be!" Rowen countered. "I've gotten along just fine by myself for years. I don't need anyone's help. I can take care of myself!" Before Sage could respond, Rowen turned and left.

O

Sai, Ryo, and Kento sat in silence, listening to the sounds coming from the kitchen. "What are they doing?" Kento asked.

"Arguing," Sai responded. "They're going to start shouting any minute now," he added. Sure enough, they heard Sage raise his voice, and Rowen shout back.

"Well they better hurry and make up," Ryo sighed. "Our hearts need to be united you know," he added with a smile at the phrase Mia so often repeated.

"Sai, Ryo, you guys never really filled me in on that whole battle thing. So, Ryo couldn't defeat her but you could?" he asked with a side glance at his best friend.

"Yeah, using Inferno again totally wore me out," Ryo admitted.

"Well, it has been a while," Kento said. "I wasn't feeling too hot afterwards either. Sometimes I wish there was a way to do this without using Inferno." Sai and Ryo looked up abruptly at him. "I mean, it takes so much outta all of us, you especially Ryo. It would be better if we could get that much power without calling Inferno."

His statement was immediately followed by Rowen's shouts from the kitchen, "I can take care of myself!" Kento smacked his forehead and sighed. They heard Rowen storm up the stairs, and shortly after, Sage slowly entered the living room.

"So much for uniting our hearts," Sai whispered as Sage settled angrily on the couch.

O

In the Dynasty castle, Katie was standing fully armored. Her eyes were closed, and she appeared serene as she reviewed Yoja's defeat at Sai's hands. Katie opened her eyes, which were blazing with fury. "Yoja lost, Sai got stronger, the Ronin Warriors moved back into Mia Koji's house, WHAT ELSE COULD GO WRONG! That's the LAST time I rely on other people! I had a PERFECT PLAN!" Katie closed her eyes and calmed herself down. When she opened them again she was smiling evilly.

"It obviously wasn't that perfect," Warlady Sarah said as she entered, flanked by two lower level warlords. Katie shrugged.

"That's okay, the plan has changed," Katie responded.

"Well then, what's this new plan?" Sarah inquired.

"You'll see."

O

Kento sat at Mia's table, surrounded by food. He was consuming potato chips, a sandwich, milk, chocolate bars, pickles, and cereal. Sai sat across the table from him, his head on the table, sleeping.

In the living room, Rowen, who had come out of hiding for lunch, was on the sofa reading. Ryo was sitting on the floor, leaning against the sofa and writing something. Ryo had changed into a red T-shirt and blue jeans.

"Where's Mia?" Ryo asked, looking up from his notebook at his blue-haired friend.

"Shopping," Rowen responded gruffly without looking up.

"Oh," Ryo said, turning his attention back to his work.

Sage walked into the room wearing a light blue T-shirt and blue jeans. He was carrying a plate of cookies which he placed on the table in front of Rowen and Ryo.

"Here, I saved these from Kento," he said.

"Thanks," Rowen responded. He picked up a cookie without looking up from his book.

"Hey Ro, I was hoping that we could talk," Sage said, looking down on Rowen, who refused to meet his gaze. Ryo slowly looked up from his notebook.

"About what?" Rowen asked, his voice cold. He purposely did not meet Sage's gaze.

"About what happened before, and…" he paused for a moment, "about what's been going on with you lately," Sage responded.

Rowen put down his book with an exasperated sigh. "Don't you ever give it up! There's nothing 'going on' Sage, so there's nothing to talk about! And I'm still mad at you for what happened 'before'!" he said harshly, putting the book in front of his face again. Sage looked as if he was about to say something, but wisely decided against it.

Sage sighed and walked over to the window. Suddenly, the window shattered as blue fire pushed into it and into the room. The fire slammed into Sage. He was pushed back from the force of it, his shirt shredding and catching fire. Glass swirled around the room, caught in the momentum caused by the flames. Sage hit the wall and cracked the sheetrock. A small moan escaped Sage's lips as he slid down to the floor in a heap, falling unconscious.

Kento and Sai raced into the room upon hearing the crash. Ryo and Rowen were both frozen where they were, staring at Sage in shock, and shaking. Sage groaned and moved slightly to reveal the myriad of cuts across his arms and chest, including one rather large incision. Blood trickled down his fair skin and stained the floor.

"Oh man, what happened?" Kento demanded. Ryo and Rowen were still wide-eyed and dumbstruck, Rowen's mouth was moving, but no sound was emitted. Then blue fire struck another window, missing Kento by a few feet.

Kento turned quickly to look outside. "Man! The DYNASTY!" he shouted.

The four warriors nodded and donned their undergear. Sai and Kento raced out the door, and Ryo jumped through the blasted window, while Rowen kneeled beside Sage, checking his wounds and attempting to wake him.

Blue fire bashed Kento, Sai, and Ryo into the house. More came through the window and shoved Rowen into the wall next to Sage. Empress Katie walked through the front yard angrily. White Blaze lunged at her, his claws extended, but she quickly dodged the feline and lunged at Ryo. Ryo ducked and Katie's sword slammed into the house. Ryo began to run down the street, Katie following him. Katie's superior speed was revealed as she jumped over the Warrior of Fire and landed in front of him. He barely prevented himself from sliding into her. Katie kicked him and he fell back to the place he had run from.

Katie proved she had enough power to overtake all of the Ronin Warriors as she aimed new attacks at Kento and Sai. "Rowen! We need you out here, NOW!" Kento shouted as Katie threw him into the house to prevent him from calling his armor.

Rowen looked up from his task of waking Sage and saw the devastation in the yard. Katie was attacking Ryo again. Rowen was torn between staying with Sage, and helping the others.

"Man, she is juiced-" Ryo barely finished his sentence before being hit with her fire. Ryo put his arms out before him as the sword slashed in his direction. He fell and rolled out of the way when she sent another ball of fire at him.

Kento ran towards Katie. Katie turned to him, and his expression hardened. She leapt at him, throwing her swords down. He attempted to get out of the way, but did not move far enough over. She grabbed onto his arm and threw him over her head. He landed hard on the balcony.

Sai dove at Katie, but she ducked and he flipped over her head. Rowen raced out, realizing that the other Ronin Warriors needed him the most right now. He aimed a few good punches at Katie, but she managed to evade or block all of them. Rowen tried to kick her in the back of her knees, but she flipped over his head. Ryo stood up and jumped at her. The battle continued as the Ronin Warriors attempted to get the upper hand on Katie.

O

Meanwhile, Sage still lay motionless in Mia's home.

O

Outside, realizing their attempts were not working, the four Ronin Warriors had armored. "FLARE UP NOW!" Ryo threw the attack at Katie. She quickly jumped out of the way. Rowen began shooting a myriad of arrows at super speed. Katie dodged them all, except for the last one, which she caught and threw back at him. He easily evaded it. Katie turned her attention to Ryo for the moment, aiming a harsh jet of energy at him that sent him flying. He released his hold on one of his swords, as he hit the ground.

"Now for you," Katie smiled, turning to Rowen. She charged at him. Rowen held his bow out protectively before him, blocking her swords to the best of his ability. She powered up her swords as she attacked, the flames causing heat streaks in the air when she moved the blades, which made it even harder for him to anticipate her movements. He narrowly blocked another swing, however, she had a back up plan. As she brought her arm up, the blade tilted toward the ground, she allowed the metal to hit his bow, and then flicked her wrist and brought the butt of her sword crashing down onto his helmet-covered skull. He cried out, the force causing a nasty bruise to form on his head. In his momentary lack of defense, Katie struck again, slicing a small cut on his face. She then aimed another barrage of sword strikes at him. He quickly began defending himself again. Sai charged at Katie, attempting to assist his friend.

O

Within Mia's house Sage was lying with his eyes half-open, his head against the floor. His wounds were throbbing, causing him pain. "Ronin…" he whispered weakly. Then his kanji appeared on his forehead in brilliant green light. "Wisdom."

O

Outside, Ryo was on the ground. One of his swords were stuck vertically in the grass, the other still in his hand. Kento was next to him, lying flat on his back. White Blaze stood protectively before Rowen. Rowen's armor was mangled from attacks, and his face was covered with sweat, a small cut on his head trickled blood down his face. Sai looked better than Rowen, but his armor has several marks on it from the abuse, and he was breathing heavily. "What are we going to do?" Rowen asked, sparing a glance at Sai.

"I don't know Rowen, it looks bad. Huh, what's this!" Sai exclaimed. The four armors began to glow. "Trust!"

"What? Life!"

"Justice."

"What's happening? I'm being healed! Virtue."

On the balcony, Sage was standing with his back to the battle. He had donned his undergear and was holding his Halo no-dachi in his hand. The sword was glowing. He turned his head toward Katie, and the other Ronin stood up.

"Did he do that? How? He shouldn't even be fighting!" Katie muttered angrily.

Sage turned completely around. His sword disappeared, and he called his armor. "Armor of Halo! TOU CHI!" Once the armor had appeared, he jumped down to the others. He then lunged at Katie. Their swords locked and he flipped over her. A green ball of energy formed around him.

"It's Inferno time!" Rowen shouted, releasing his power. "It's the only way! She's too strong!"

Everyone's energy channeled into Ryo. "ARMOR OF INFERNO!" White blaze transformed into Black Blaze and Ryo pulled out his Swords of Fervor. "It's over Katie!" Ryo said. Katie smiled evilly. "RAGE OF INFERNO!"

"FIERY SCREAM OF DEATH!" Katie countered. Their powers smashed together. The force was so strong that her tiara flew off of her head, and the ribbon was pulled out of her hair. Katie and Ryo both pushed their powers to their limits. Then Katie screamed and her power went through Ryo's. The attack hit Ryo and the Inferno Armor was blasted to bits, leaving Ryo in the Wildfire Armor. The shockwave sent each of the Ronin Warriors flying. Rowen landed painfully against a tree, which easily snapped in half, the branches crushing him. Sage and Sai fell back against Mia's house, and Kento went sailing into the street. Ryo however, was at the center of the explosion, and so remained in the same spot.

As the dust cleared, they surveyed the damage. Each Ronin Warrior stood and walked toward Ryo. Ryo's eyes were wide in terror as he surveyed the broken pieces of his once undefeated armor. "What! Why, how! No!" Ryo yelled. He fell to his knees and picked up a piece of the helmet.

The other Ronin Warriors were wide eyed. Katie fell to the ground, breathing hard. The Ronin's powers returned to them from the bits of Inferno. "She destroyed the armor?" Sage asked.

"Yeah, there's no doubt about it," Rowen replied dismally, dropping to his knees in the field out of exhaustion. He clutched his bruised ribs, and began to cough, spitting up blood. A thin line of blood trickled out of his mouth and down his chin. Sage saw this and became even angrier than he was. He gripped his sword hard in his hand hard. Around him, the pieces of the Armor of Inferno disappeared in a glitter of light.

Sage gave a yell of frustration and fury, and then lunged at Katie. She looked up and held her breath, completely vulnerable. He brought his sword up above his head. As he was about to bring it down on her, he stopped. Katie's eyes were filled with fright. The sight of them sent memories into Sage's mind.

In the Date dojo Sage handed Katie a bamboo sword. She looked at it as if it were the coolest thing she has ever seen. She said something to him.

Katie and Sage were sparring in the Date dojo. Sage was going easy on her. He laughed as she attempted to attack him.

Sage was five in the United States, in Albany, NY. He was holding his mother's hand as she spoke to someone, who was holding the hand of a four-year-old girl. The girl was Katie.

Sage stood up straight and lowered his sword to his side. He was confused, yet sure at the same time. Katie fell on her side and passed out. Then a pink light surrounded her and she disappeared.

"Sage, why'd you stop?" Kento demanded.

"I remember her," Sage replied, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, we've fought her before, remember! Are you going CRAZY!" Kento shouted.

Sage refused to meet Kento's angry gaze, but allowed himself to be swallowed by the memories: memories of a girl who he once knew, however briefly, memories he had been forced to forget. What could all of this possibly mean for the Ronin Warriors?


Ahahahahahahahaaa! I destroyed Inferno! Or did I? I must say though, I really cannot stand when they use the Inferno armor in the tv series. Because then it's "hey look, Ryo's going to defeat the enemy! Wahoo!" I like it better when all of them fight...

Oh yeah, and what is up with Sage's memories.

And on a note to anyone who read "The Consequences of Fallibility," remember the part where Badamon tells Kubi that the sisters were partially trained in a "mortal's dojo"? Uh-huh, that's right, it all ties in.

Anyway, please review, and join me for the next chapter!