Author's Note: Hello I know it has been an insanely long time. RL has made it difficult to focus on writing, however I believe I'm in a better place and as I always say this will be finished.

Disclaimer: I know neither Winx or Ronin Warriors.

Warning: Near death experience, Drowning, Violence.

Chapter 38) Underwater

Musa was breathing heavily, she could feel the bruises on her arm welting up from the vicious blow Darcy delivered. Flora had been knocked to the ground by the last blast but thankful Seiji had been there to catch her. Musa looked around, seeing the same struggle as every fight before. They just couldn't get a foothold, and even worse was the dynasty soldiers pouring in attacking anyone they could. They were going to be overrun soon. It seemed like there would be hope as magic burst from Tecna and when the light it created faded she too was in this new fairy form, the Soulix. Musa kept her eyes on Darcy blasting and shielding herself from every attack but her ears were listening in on Tecna, Ryo and Rajura.

She panted watching her friend casting a spell while Ryo and Rajura took to defending her. They must have come up with a plan she was silently hoping it would work. Her attention was pulled away from her friend as another one of Stormy's lightning blasts wildly passed her so close that she felt the tingle of electricity. Musa gritted her teeth in anger at the witches and looked back to them. Stormy, Icy, and Darcy. They were all attacking them and the dynasty soldiers were pouring on the school grounds too. Icy was focused on Bloom and the group with her, Stormy was attacking everyone and Darcy was ordering the soldiers. Something felt wrong. Darcy would have been taunting her, or her friends she'd be attacking them from behind or something but she was just giving orders. Folding her wings Musa dived down for the ground hurrying over to Seiji and Flora who were trying to thin out the soulless soldiers.

"Seiji! Seiji, is Darcy really there?" Musa called out as she landed right behind the green armored warrior of Halo. Musa watched Flora take control of the vines and keep the soldiers back while Seiji lifted the sword of Halo up. One side reflected what they saw and in the otherside Darcy wasn't there but flying away.

"Where is she going?" Seiji questioned lowering the sword.

Musa however didn't give him an answer; she didn't wait. There was no way she was going to let Darcy hurt anyone she cared about. She took off ignoring the calls of her name and dodging Stormy's attacks that tried to blast her out of the sky. Thankfully her zoomix wings were still fast enough to keep her safe. Darcy was leaving the area of the school and she wasn't trying to get around them. So where was she going?

"Darcy!" Musa screamed out as she cut off her path. "Running from the fight?"

"Cheeky, and so wrong." Darcy smirked, summoning darkness to her hand. "Tell me where are the rest of your little friends? Arago really is missing the armors." Darcy sneered, shooting a simple flash of darkness to blind the fairy.

Musa pulled up a shield trying to protect herself but it wasn't needed. She hated Darcy and her tricks. Yet seeing her take off again Musa bit her lip. She didn't understand why Darcy was going the way she was but she was going to follow her. Musa summoned a simple spell to carry her voice back to Ryo and Bloom holding the purple magic in her hand as she flew after Darcy.

"Darcy isn't at the school, she's taking off somewhere and I'm following her. I know she's planning something." Musa said and sent the spell back to Ryo and Bloom. She knew if they could spare anyone they would find her, but until Stella, Roxy, and Aisha came back she doubted that would happen. She also found herself hoping that she'd find either Naaza or Shin. It was troubling that they hadn't shown up yet. Catching back up to Darcy, so that the witch was clearly in her field of vision Musa squinted in suspicion to what the witch was doing. Why was she aiming a spell down at a lake? As soon as the darkness hit the surface of the water there was a light blue glow that rippled through it.

"Wait that's…. No Shin!" Musa called out. Whatever Darcy's aim was Musa wasn't going to let her get it. She wasn't going to let her get to Shin. But why was Shin just in the water, why hadn't he come to join them? She knew Ryo had to have called out to Shin. It was why the rest of them had returned so what had stopped Naaza and Shin. Musa sped down towards the water where the blue glow was brightest and flipped so she was looking up at Darcy. "Sonic Mirror!" Musa called out summoning her shield just as Darcy's darkness hit. Musa's arms shook as she poured her magic into the spell refusing to be pushed down into the water. She didn't know why Shin wasn't helping but she knew it was beyond his control and she would keep him safe.

"Well I guess I'm going to have to get rid of you before claiming the armor for Arago." Darcy smirked duplicating herself so now there were four of her.

"You're not going to get any of the armors." Musa shot back. She started to switch spells wanting to take the offense but found herself having to re enforce her shield. The shield was cracking under the strength of Darcy's magic but Musa wouldn't let her get to Shin.

"Your friends are too busy to help and you aren't enough to stop me." Darcy pointed out her eyes glowing red and corrupted energy crackled around her before she shot it down at Musa. Musa cried out as her shield was broken as she was forced down into the depth of the lake. The water was cold and stung her body, as her eyes opened in the water she saw why Shin hadn't come to them. The aura of his armor had formed a perfect bubble around him, his eyes shut like he was sleeping. Musa reached out and touched the bubble and she felt it, the energy being pulled into the aura, the armor was storing up energy… Did that mean Shin couldn't help her? Tecna had told them about the time Ryo used the armor as a barrier against Icy.

Musa touched the barrier around Shin and swore she could feel his heart beating. She had to protect him, she wasn't going to let Darcy get to him. If Darcy got a hold of Shin, she didn't know what she would do. Shin had been honest with her, trusted her, and helped her reconnect with a piece of herself she'd thought she'd lost through all the fights and heartbreak. Musa didn't know why he wasn't waking up but she couldn't let Darcy get to him.

Stella and Shin had found each other as well as Aisha in the strange landscape. The three of them were heading swiftly towards the center of the place they were in. Shin was wondering if, like Seiji, Anubis was more aware of the spirit as according to Aisha she felt him but then he pulled away. He trusted that there was a reason why this had happened and he knew that if there was trouble that his friends could hold on till they could rejoin them. Still he wished Seiji was here so he could ask about the landscape. Normally he was in the sea or on a boat at sea, this time he'd woken to a castle in the sea, and ran into Aisha fairly quickly and Stella had greeted them when they'd emerged from the water. He kept thinking about the Kanji on the pillars that had been close to him about how that place felt the same as the heart of the whirlpools. Like the soul of the ocean and he'd awaken to it.

Shin couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to go back to that place. They all knew and could feel the struggle of their friends as the dynasty attacked. They knew that the sooner they figured out this puzzle the better they could work together. He understood that his body was still at the bottom of the lake that even if he returned he would have to run to his friends. That he would come up behind the enemy and with the strength of the witches that would just lead to more problems.

"Hey I think Roxy is up ahead."

Shin snapped his attention back to where they were heading. Looking around it seemed they'd almost reached the center of this place and sure enough at the center was Roxy and Naaza, as well as Bayakuen. While there was something reassuring at seeing the old friend of theirs, and Ryo's companion, there was something else pulling him back to the water. He knew just like everyone else there was trouble but this was something else.

"Aisha, Stella, go join Roxy and Naaza. I know there must be something here for you to learn. I trust you will figure this out." Shin smiled and Stella stopped and turned to look at him.

"Wait, you're not going to come with us? If there's something here shouldn't we learn it together? Right?" Stella argued and Shin just shook his head.

"I want to, but I also know and trust you can do this without me. I also know I need to go back to where I awoke, I have to trust this. It feels like when Ryo came to find me… I need to listen to this." Shin explained and while Stella frowned she nodded, and Aisha offered him an encouraging smile.

"Then we'll catch up once we figure this place out." Aisha confirmed and with a nod Shin took off the other way. She didn't know what he'd felt but it wasn't like Shin to just leave anyone. Aisha knew that much.

Shin nodded and took off at a full sprint. He couldn't shake this feeling, just like when Ryo found him. Ryo, he'd been hurt badly and would have died from poison had he not woken up and gotten him out of the water. It was the same feeling. Was someone defending him again? Were they being hurt because his armor held him in this sleep? No he couldn't let it happen, he had to help them.

Shin reached the beach was crystal like sands, the clean blue water gently rolling with a glowing heart deep below the surface. Shin dove into the water feeling the warm touch of his virtue surrounding him, along with his element. He wasn't just connected to his friends, it was something deeper than ever before. He could feel their pain, and struggle. He could feel their trust in each other, in him. Shin stopped as he reached the light blue glowing center, where he'd come to. Without even touching it he could feel Musa. He knew the danger she was in and he was here.

"Musa." Shin walked into the glowing light. He wouldn't leave her alone to fight Darcy.

Musa couldn't transform into her Sirenix not with Darcy's dark tendrils pinning her. She couldn't breath or even escape. Darcy was too strong. She was held down trying to just touch the bubble around Shin just to warn him. She couldn't let him fall to Darcy, she wouldn't let him go back to the nightmare he tried to cope with dailey. He didn't deserve this and she couldn't let this happen. He was kind, and sweet. He'd been there for her and she wasn't going to be there for him, for her friends and his. Musa strained with all her might against the tendril, her hand and fingers shaking as she was almost to Shin.

Musa's lungs burned, her eyes stung and even under the water she could hear Darcy's muffled distorted laughter. The tendrils squeezed again and there wasn't enough breath in Musa's lungs even to scream. She was almost there. Her energy flickered over her hand a flash of magenta as her vision went fuzzy. Musa smiled as even with the quickly darkening world she saw him, Shin was rising up. She felt his fingers lace with hers. The crushing grab was being pulled away along with the water in a sudden rush. Musa gagged, coughing and choking on the air while gentle arms held her against the firm metal armor.

Her heart hammered and she continued to pant, and gasp at the air as her vision cleared as she heard Shin just repeating her name and apologizing. The light was gone and Musa could barely see Shin, in the soft blue light. She looked at him shaking and just letting him hold her. Her each breath wasn't enough and it hurt but he steadied her.

"Shin." Musa finally managed her face resting on his cool hard armor. She felt secure and relieved. She had reached him. She had managed to do it.

"I am so sorry Musa." Shin apologized. Her voice was so hoarse and weak, the look of her drowning trapped it enraged him, and scared him. He was scared of losing Musa and enraged that anyone would hurt another so badly. Would she fear the water after such an experience? He hoped not.

"I'm glad you are okay." Musa whispered watching the darkness quell the light above them. She flinched as black and purple energy crackled over the barrier Shin's armor naturally made. Everything was tinted with the soft light blue hue of the energy coming off of Shin. She watched the face mask lift and relieve his face full of concern.

"I think I am the one who should be saying that." Shin said. He caressed Musa's cheek and smiled. He couldn't let Darcy continue to hurt the people he cared about. The lake wasn't as large or vast as the ocean but it was charged with energy. There was power here, and slowly closing his eyes he let his own mix with it. The water churned, swirling while the fish came to the center with him. Darcy was trying to hold him down, and he felt why? The fear, the pain. She was holding them down and that was when Shin felt why.

~Seiji!~

"Musa rest, here." Shin told her. He watched confused eyes open trying to focus on him as he smiled. The face mask of his armor dropping down again. He stepped outside the protective bubble of air. The darkness tried to grab him and repress his armor but instead the armor's light and its strength forced Darcy's magic away. Light blue light surrounding him.

"Shin?" Musa whispered and he shook his head. She didn't want him to go alone. She pressed her hand to the bubble and his was on the other side, the cold metal against her skin. Yet her whole body was shaking, and her chest was tight as she gulped for air. She was safe with Shin, but her body was locked in the grip of clinging to life and nothing more.

"Just rest, I'll be fine." Shin smiled reading the expression on Musa's face. Shin pulled his hand away and turned his gaze towards the darkness. ~Hold on Seiji.~ Shin thought swimming up through the darkness. The energy off his armor was more than enough to break the darkness slowly and steadily. Breaking the surface of the water he saw Darcy. The black energy the shadows she was swallowing the lake with, powerful but not strong enough to hurt him. Nothing would hurt him in the water. However Darcy wasn't focused on the spell she'd cast on the water. No her and the three illusions were fighting against Seiji and Flora. He could tell Seiji was trying to figure out the clones from the real one but they were overwhelmed by her strength. Flora was injured as was Seiji, yet there wasn't fear, only hope and trust from his friend. Shin's kanji flares and the lake swirled strong and swift. The harsh currents his armor was named for mimic the swirl of emotion he felt. He didn't want to fight, but he would not let Darcy hurt his friends anymore. His armor and kanji glowing light blue dispelling the shadow from the waters and earning a glance from Darcy.

~Seiji, fall back a little with Flora. I'll hold her.~

~Shin is Musa okay?~

~Yes. She's safe. I'm sorry I wasn't awakened earlier, and I'll explain later. ~ Shin smiled as Seiji was already moving. He could feel the relief of others, and even the curiosity of Tecna flickering in and out. It seemed whatever power his friends were awakening to she'd found it. Good. This allowed him to focus just on Darcy.

"Why don't you come after me! That's why you came out here, right?" Shin called, his hand tightening on his weapon as Darcy looked towards him. His gaze flickered to Flora and Seiji both bleeding and hurt. He saw that they both needed a moment but all knew Darcy wouldn't give that. His hand trembled squeezing the metal shaft of his yari at the anger over how Darcy had hurt his friends. This fighting needed to stop.

~Guys we need to regroup. And I think Alphea will be the easier option, I'm going to take care of Darcy. ~ Shin suggested feeling attention turning to him, even Tecna was now here. He could also feel Naaza, Roxy, Aisha and Stella too. He knew they felt and agreed with his suggestion.

"Don't worry I'll be with you soon." Darcy laughed, creating four copies of herself to many for Seiji to track and check with the sword of Halo.

Shin saw Darcy readying to attack not only Seiji and Flora but him as well. As his kanji flared the lake swirled, the water splashing over the beach glowing with the same light blue light of his armor. He could feel the trust Seiji had in him, the gratefulness for his timely appearance and that was enough for his resolve to compromise his want for peace with his desire to always protect his friends. His seagreen eyes flickered over each copy of Darcy he had to get them all at once.

"Super wave smasher!" Shin called out the water swirling up creating several waterspouts, lowering the level of the lake and dispelling the darkness that had filled it from Darcy. The waterspouts raged, and moved lashing out at Darcy as if each one was the limb of a kraken trying to drag her and her clones down. Shin's narrowed gaze never left the witch either. He was going to stop her from hurting Seiji, Musa, and Flora. He wasn't going to let what happened with Stella and him repeat, after all he wasn't fighting the demons of his past at the same time.

Darcy had to give up on her attack on Flora and Seiji, the waterspouts kept protecting them and driving her closer to flying over the water. Even with all her clones. Damn this ronin. He was so pathetic on land but give him a bit of water, it was infuriating the shift in power. She would need her sister inorder to deal with him. Darcy gasped, pulled from her thoughts as the last of her clones was destroyed by the torrential currents of the spouts. She saw each one pull away making a ring around the lake with Shin and Musa in the middle below her, Seiji and Flora recovering on the outside. It didn't matter if you tricked the mind if the sheer power could invalidate any trick. Yet there was still one thing she could do.

Shin started to swirl the water around him; it lifted him higher. The smirk on Darcy's face, it worried him. She had a plan and he had to end it now. The water carried the light of Torrent and Musa had even come to the surface leaving his protective shield from below. He trusted his strength, and knew he could do this.

"Shadow blade vortex." Darcy casted her spell, and as the eyes were on the shadowy blades coming for all of them, she spilled in another spell. "Dark portal."

"Super Wave Smasher!" Shin called out at the same time.

Darcy gritted her teeth as the force of the water hit her hard, cracking ribs and tearing at her skin and clothes. She didn't let up on her own spell, her eyes turning red to give her the extra push she needed. Even through the pain her face split with a sadistic grin as she watched the blades cut and overwhelm the four. Shin might be invincible at the moment but the others weren't. She vanished into the darkness of her portal, sending a message to her sisters of her failure and triumph.

Musa flinched as she tried to dodge the blades swirling around her and Shin. She listened to the scrap against his metal armor each time he physically shielded her. She felt the wind of the blade pass her before her mind even registered the cut on her cheek or the chuck of her hair falling into the water. She wanted to move towards Shin through the water but something was wrong she was falling. Her blue eyes frantically look to Seiji, and Flora then Shin. Her hand reached out to him, and he grabbed it. Their fingers laced together falling into the darkness. The evil that whipped around them, it was like nothing Musa had felt and even as Shin pulled her close, as she saw Seiji and Flora in the same predicament.

Flora clung to Seiji, feeling the flat of the blade of Halo at her back, and watched as in their endless falling through the dark spell, Seiji and Shin grab eachother's forearm. Both Musa and her tried to flap their wings to pull them out of the spell but it didn't work even flying, they were falling. Spirits of evil, suffering, started to surround the armor of Shin and Seiji crackling with negative energy that pained them. Flora could feel the corruption crawling just like her dream. It was going to pull all of them under, but she had gotten out. The voice, what had it said. She was the guardian of nature but still separate from it. She was nature, she heard its voice, felt its pain, but there was something she had that Nature didn't. She loved Seiji, her friends and family. This love, her friends, her family were unique to her. She was nature but she wasn't. That was what the man said, a reminder. Then the corruption. The armors came from corruption but Seiji, Shin they weren't corrupt.

Flora opened her mouth to speak but instead found a light blossoming before her, a necklace around her neck and instead of her voice the voice of a friend breaking through the darkness. Seiji's seemed more entranced by what had bloomed forth from her than the light breaking through the darkness encouraging a green glimmer from his armor

"Guiding Star!"

The four were grabbed hands coming out of the star of light and pulling them out of the darkness away from the dynasty. Stella, Roxy, Aisha, and Naaza appeared first to the four before the light cleared and they were standing on the roof of Alfea. The smiles of relief, of hope and happiness it was all Flora needed to see before hugging her best friend, and Aisha laughed.

"You sure cut that close." Seiji scolded but the smile on his lips spoke to how grateful he was.

"Better late, then never I believe." Shin smiled releasing Musa to hug Stella in gratitude.

"Oh you guys are hurt! We can fix that now!" Roxy chimed but before she could do anything Naaza caught her shoulder.

"In a moment. First we finish this fight." The group followed Naaza's gaze to the soulless soldiers and Icy and Stormy. They were fighting their friends and it was time to end this.