Disclaimer: I don't own the YST/RW characters.

Cale sat beneath a lone tree surrounded by his most recent destruction as empty, mangled suits of armor littered a silent battlefield. He looked into the sky of eternal twilight, sighing as he dropped his eyes back to the earth.

The mortal world was safe from the Nether World but with Emperor Talpa's death came an unavoidable upheaval by its citizens. The peace that he and the others sought to bring to the land was thought laughable by the general populace. Strength and power were all that mattered here and personally, he didn't see how that was ever going to change.

Kayura had taken to the role of leadership well, subduing the few lords and daimyos that dared to oppose them with little effort. Instead, they had turned to fight amongst themselves and while that was business as usual, occasionally a platoon of soldier would get a little too close to the city. When that happened, it was their job as her generals to put them in their place and remind them who was in charge. At first, it had been fun to destroy whole swaths of enchanted suits of armor. Now that the novelty had worn off, it was just another chore for the Warlord of Darkness; no one here posed a real challenge anymore.

His demon-bred horse whinnied quietly nearby. Setting his helm down, he fished around his small pack for something to eat. His horse padded over and began nudging the warlord, looking for food.

Cale sighed at his onigiri, biting into it anyway. Eating was more of a hassle than he wished to admit, and he was the least picky out of the four of them. He didn't derive pleasure anymore from food, it just wasn't as satisfying as it used to be. Did it have to do with his newfound freedom or something else?

His horse shook its mane, pawing the ground. "Don't start begging; you don't need food to survive. Stupid beast," Cale grumbled, pushing the horse's head away.

Unexpectedly, it snorted, looking to the horizon.

Cale scowled and stood up. He jerked the reins in his hand. "What is wrong with you, there's nothing…" His eyes followed the pointed ears of his steed to the horizon.

A breeze carried the bitter tang of smoke, rising from a point near the northern distract of the City of Desire. He could just see the red licking its way into the sky.

How the hell did I miss that?!

He stuffed the last of the onigiri into his mouth before grabbing his helmet. The demon horse pranced in place, anticipating the race through the grasses. A thin thrill of pleasure and fear warred for dominance as Cale strove to meet the burning flame that threatened to consume his home.

…

When the Warlord of Darkness arrived, he found to his relief that the fire was outside the city in a field used for farming, and his fellows were already on the scene. Sekhmet was directing troops with buckets of water to contain the flame closest to the city proper. Dais had taken a contingent of soldiers with scythes and kamas to cut down foliage and crops that could provide more fuel for the blaze. He didn't see Kayura, but he didn't have to; he knew she had to be nearby somewhere.

"Cale!" Ah, there she was. He turned his head upwards to see her supervising from the top of the city wall. "With everyone distracted, I need you to make sure we aren't taken by surprise! Circle the city. Nothing gets in!" With a single nod, the Warlord veered the horse about and kicked into its side again, spurring it into a gallop.

With the fire at his back as he rode the length of the wall, the dark-haired man was dead set on fulfilling the one task he'd been given: Protect the city. He felt something familiar in his chest and quickly recognized it for what it was. It was adrenaline, pumping through his veins like an addictive drug, and when he turned a corner to see soldiers fighting on the south side of the city, a wicked grin stretched along his features.

Abandoning his horse, Cale used the saddle as a launching point to catapult himself above the battlefield, his nodachi singing as he pulled it from its sheath.

"Black Lightning SLASH!" Lightless streaks of energy plummeted onto the hapless souls who had been thrown at the gate as their metal armor twisted and shrieked, the spirits within released from their bonds with equally shrill screams. Whatever soldiers managed to survive the dark bolts raining from the sky, Cale quickly dispatched with a wild glint in his eye, and when the last fell to his blade, he found himself looking around desperately for more. Scowling, he made for his steed and stepped up via the stirrup, sword still in hand. As he rode off again in search of new prey, the Warlord of Darkness basked in the sweet satisfaction of destruction he left in his wake, a sensation he wished would have no end.

"Well, we lost several dozen foot soldiers at the southern wall, thanks in no small part to a particular loose cannon," Dais reported, side-eying the man sitting in red subarmor, but he looked unapologetic. Typical. "But the walls held fast, and no other attempts were made." His one-eyed gaze settled back onto the Lady Ancient. "The damage from the fire, however, was more severe. The city was spared with only scorch marks, but the harvest is ruined."

"How much food do we have left?" Came her thoughtful reply. The four of them had gathered in a chamber with a long low-sitting table with pillows and cushions littering the tatami mats and scrolls and maps scattered along the tabletop. They used it to convene and share information while the reconstruction of the throne room went on, but none of them were willing to admit that the place brought back memories best left forgotten.

"Enough for two weeks, unless you want to have rice for every meal and nothing but," Sekhmet answered, sitting up straight and arms crossed over his chest. "It could be stretched for three in that case, but we would be pushing our luck."

"Then…we sow new seeds, starting now," Kayura suggested, bringing a hand to her chin.

The Warlord of Venom was the first to veto the idea with an exhausted sigh. "Even if we did, it would take weeks for any of it to be edible. We'll starve first."

She bit her lip, her brow furrowed as she tried again. "What if we ration what we already have?"

"I already factored that in when I gave you my estimate, Lady Kayura. We just don't have enough food to-"

"All right," she threw up her hands in exasperation. "Then instead of shooting down my proposals, why don't you offer us some suggestions?"

He frowned, clearly unimpressed with her outburst. "You won't like it."

"Try me."

"…The human world has-"

Her slender hands slammed down on the table. "No. Absolutely not!"

"I did say you wouldn't like it."

It was Cale's turn to speak up as he leaned forward. "I realize you don't want to jeopardize the mortal realm by interacting with it, Lady Kayura, but our options are limited, and I, for one, don't plan on starving to death because you refused to be reasonable."

"I am being reasonable!" She shouted, but the awkward silence in the room was deafening. With a heavy sigh, she settled back into her seat before bringing a hard gaze back to the three warlords.

"Very well. One of you may go and purchase what we need, but that is all. Communication with humans is strictly limited to get what we need and then return. No side trips, no attempts at contacting the Ronin Warriors," Dais and Sekhmet looked at one another uncomfortably while Cale stayed stone-faced, "and no drawing attention to yourselves. Get in and get out, then we stand on our own two feet as soon as we're able."

Seeing Cale open his mouth to volunteer, Dais spoke up quickly.

"I will do this. Infiltration is my specialty, after all," he said, ignoring the growl coming from across the table.

"Fine. Take whatever gold you think you'll need and prepare accordingly. I want to get this over with so we can focus on more important matters."

"Yes, Lady Kayura," all four stood, the three men bowing as the Lady Ancient left the room.

"Is this the place?" The redhead asked from the backseat, looking out the window as she twisted a gold ring on her left index finger with her thumb. A Chinese restaurant passed them by, decorated with stylized dragons and bright colors. It was a bit on the vulgar side, she thought, but at least it was easy to pick out.

The man in the driver's seat grunted. He had a shaved head with a goatee and wore dark sunglasses over his eyes while wearing a suit tailored for his unusually large frame. She supposed that to most people he would be intimidating to look at, but that wasn't what made her uneasy.

"Well. Wish me luck, Itsuki," she said off-handedly as she opened the door. She didn't expect a response from the tight-lipped chaperone, and she didn't get one as he pulled back into traffic. Standing in front of a building next to the showy restaurant and now devoid of an air conditioner, the woman realized just how much the humidity in the air was going to make her sweat and was about to head for the door when she heard a commotion to her right.

A teenager had run into a white-haired man carrying several bags worth of groceries, and the contents had spilled all over the sidewalk. The young girl was apologizing profusely, and bystanders were kneeling to assist her in returning the displaced items to their bags. The man, who wore an eyepatch, was scowling at the crowd, muttering something she couldn't overhear. Judging by the way individuals were recoiling, he likely wanted to be left alone. She considered ignoring the scene altogether, but that look of frustration in that man's one remaining eye was too familiar an expression for her to disregard.

She made her way over and joined in helping him out, paying little attention to the kind comments made by those around her, at least until he yelled.

"I am not OLD!" Old? Why would- Oh. She realized she had recognized the words for 'grandpa' and 'old man' from those around her, falsely making assumptions because of the way he looked. Or maybe it was the yukata he wore? She couldn't be sure; there were some things about Japanese culture she didn't have the luxury or desire to learn. Whatever the case, she ignored the unspoken threat behind his shout and kept going even when everyone else dispersed.

"I do not need help," he growled, this time directed at her.

"I know," she said gently. She could feel his gaze bore into her, but she dismissed it, chalking it up to distrust. With the task finished, they stood back up and she was able to get a better glimpse at him. He looked young, early twenties if she had to guess, handsome too, but the circles under his eyes and the way he carried himself told her a story she was well acquainted with.

He still glared at her, but she went into a respectful bow as she spoke in a thick New York accent. "I hope the rest of your day is better." When she stood back up, his expression hadn't changed at all.

"See you around, soldier."

The stranger looked bewildered at her farewell, but she didn't stick around. There was a job to do.

…

"Welcome! Please have a seat!" Said a cheerful young man as he approached. The redhead smiled at his English; she could work her way around a Japanese menu, but it was always a relief to be able to speak in her native language. She sat at an empty booth, of which there were plenty at this hour, and looked over the menu when he handed to her.

"Can I get you anything while you decide?"

She kept her eyes on the words in front of her. "I'm always relieved when someone speaks English to me in Japan. Tea is fine for now, please."

He grinned, showing off the dimples in his cheeks. "One tea, coming right up!" Her blue eyes watched his retreating backside appreciatively for a moment before setting her attention to the list of cuisine. A gentle clink alerted her to his return as a teacup and pot were put down on the table. "If you'd like, I can come back in a few minutes while you look over our menu."

"Try tomorrow; it all looks so delicious, I'm not sure what to get," she joked.

The muscular waiter beamed with pride. "I don't blame you; it's all as good as it looks! Would you like a recommendation?"

"I think I'll go with the dumplings for now," she closed the menu and offered it back to him while he jotted down the order — Time to go to work. "You know, your English is pretty good. Did you spend some time abroad?"

"A little, yeah, when I was in high school," he replied, taking it from her. "My friends and I visited New York City; my uncle runs one of our chain restaurants there."

Her eyes lit up; that was her opening. "I thought the name of this place sounded familiar! I'm actually from New York City."

"Really?!" If he wasn't considered lively before, he certainly was now, her order forgotten. "Did you get to meet my uncle, Chin? I bet you did; he never could resist talking to pretty-" his face turned red as suddenly as his shoulders tensed. "I mean, I hope your experience was a pleasant one! I'll be back with your order!" He bowed and hurried off towards the kitchen in back, leaving her without time for a reply.

The American woman furrowed her brow, propping her elbows up on the table as her fingers went to fiddle with the ring on her index finger again. What happened? It was going well, he was opening up, and then he shut down at the mention of something pretty. Pretty girls? Was he shy? She couldn't imagine someone as well-toned and ripped as this guy being shy around women. Maybe it was the mention of this uncle of his. Was there some bad blood between them, and mentioning him reopened old wounds? That seemed a little far-fetched to her. Before she could think any more on the matter, she spotted him returning to her table with a tray. She put on her most pleasant smile and folded her hands on the tabletop.

"Here you are, miss, one order of dumplings," she noticed he was more relaxed than he had been, but the enthusiasm in his voice was gone.

She spoke quickly, not wanting him to escape again. "And here I thought I'd scared you away. I know us New Yorkers can be intimidating, but I didn't think we were that bad."

That got a small laugh out of him. "No, nothing like that. It was very inappropriate for me to talk about my uncle in such a way, and I apologize." He made to bow, lower than she realized was customary for a casual apology.

"How about we start over, then, hm?" She offered him her hand. "I'm Julia, but my friends call me Jules."

He seemed a bit startled but stood back up, and politely shook her hand with a smile. "I'm Kento. Nice to meet you."

"Well, it's good to meet you too, Kento. Want to sit and chat with me for a bit?" Julia extended her hand out towards the seat opposite her. She'd been hoping to see him relax at her invitation, but he hesitated.

"I really shouldn't…" He swiveled his head around, as if looking for something, then rubbed the back of his scalp, that charming grin slowly returning. "But yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

The sound of metal clashing against steel rang loudly from the courtyard, echoing for all in the vicinity to hear. The Warlord of Illusion sliced a kama blade repeatedly across the empty shell of a grunt with blind ferocity, gritting his teeth. He wore only his subarmor, but it was all he needed to take out the growing agitations in his mind. He needed control, and the more he turned the day's events over in his thoughts, the more furious he became.

Being caught off-guard by that little urchin girl was one thing. It was irritating and having to pick up all his supplies from the ground was a delay that irked him, but he could deal with that. No, what kept him from putting his temper back in check were those voices.

He let the sharpened edge of his weapon squeal painfully in his ears as he dragged it across the object of his frustrations; all of those people were crowding around, smothering him with their consoling like he was a lame animal. Dais was a warrior, someone to be feared and respected, and all he could hear, all he could think about were those names. Old man. Grandpa.

With a fury, he flipped the kama in his hand and sliced lengthwise along the shredded metal armor, and it fell to the ground with a loud crash, split cleanly in two. Breathing heavily, he clutched the weapon tightly in his hand and chucked it with all his might at the pile of unidentifiable steel, sending small metallic fragments in all directions. Even though he shielded his one working eye from his folly, a small cut formed on his neck from a stray piece of debris.

The warlord barely felt it, but he wiped the blood away with his thumb. His gaze settled on the red stain, and he remembered that there had been at least one human there with some sense, a human with hair as red as the blood on his hand. Soldier, she'd called him. He hadn't bothered to take in too many details about her, as preoccupied with his anger as he'd been, but he remembered her voice had a strange accent. He closed his eye, trying to reconstruct how she looked.

Red hair, bright as blood, that much he recalled. It was braided and fell over her left- no, right shoulder. She had stray hair left out of the braid like bangs, and the left side of her head was shaved, but not to the skin. Though her eyes weren't the characteristic almond shape of the Japanese, he remembered that the makeup she wore around them was a vibrant purple. It almost reminded him of Sekhmet in that regard, though that was the only thing they shared. Her lips had been painted a dark color, though he couldn't recall what, nor could he remember the exact color of her skin, though it was a lighter tone, of that he was sure. The most he could remember about her clothes was that she wore a black leather jacket of some kind, a strange choice given that the day had been unbearably humid, covered in yellow-colored metal buttons and such. There was something else, too, something that glinted off the sun from her hand. A ring or bracelet, perhaps.

Dais grasped around his brain to remember more, but that was all he could dredge up. When he opened his eye to the quiet courtyard, he realized that he was no longer fuming as he had been. He allowed himself a smile as he stood there, beads of sweat settling on his brow. All he'd needed was a puzzle to solve, and he was back to the calm and collected Warlord of Illusion that he prided himself in being.

The crunch of dirt and gravel under heavily armored boots drew him from his thoughts. "Finished tearing our troops apart?"

His smile vanished as he turned to face the Dark Warlord. "I would never be so wasteful."

Cale sneered as he kept a healthy distance between the two of them. "Right, because we couldn't possibly have found a spirit to inhabit the suit someday."

"What do you want?" Now that he had reigned in his temper, Dais was eager to get back to his duties.

"Am I so transparent?" He chuckled darkly. With a laid-back stride, the fully armored warlord approached him until he was within arms-length of the white-haired male. "I know you don't care to visit the human realm. Why not let me take over the task of getting supplies?"

The spymaster furrowed his brow, crossing his arms over his chest; Cale was too easy to read, but he'd indulge him for now. "Why do you want to go so badly that you'd beg me for the opportunity?"

The dark general's scowl gave him cause to smirk. "Begging?! I offer you a favor, and instead, I'm met with insults?"

After the day he'd had, there was no way Dais was about to make this easy for him. It was something of a beloved pastime for them to infuriate one another, and he was long overdue for a bit of fun. "No need to be ashamed, Wolf; it wouldn't be the first time you had to supplicate yourself to get what you wanted, and I'm sure it won't be the last."

Dais could practically hear the man's teeth-gnashing beneath his helm. He shoved an armored finger against the illusion master's chest as he spoke with a low growl. "Don't patronize me, Spider; you may have been suckled with a silver spoon, but your dietary choices are appalling."

Now it was Dais' turn to glower as he clicked his tongue in annoyance. This game was losing its appeal already. "If you want to try navigating through swarms of humans to find suitable sustenance for the four of us, then please, be my guest. We shall see if you can do any better, Lord Culinarian." He brushed past the warlord to make for his quarters, leaving Cale grinning at his back. He was partly glad to have washed his hands of the task but worried what the impulsive man might do when left to his own devices in a city full of people.

A black sedan with tinted windows pulled up quietly in front of a small apartment complex on the outskirts of Tokyo. When the engine cut, Julia and Itsuki stepped out into the muggy night air, shutting the doors behind them. The redhead looked upwards, trying to pick out a particular apartment with little success as the large man stepped beside her.

"Do you have everything you require, Miss Mitchell?" Came a deep voice from his throat. She glanced at him, hands in the pocket of her jacket, her thumb fidgeting with her ring again.

"Just about," she turned away to pull out the passenger's side door and removed a small purse. From within, she removed a bottle of eye drops and a mirror, then sat down. With her head tilted back, she carefully squeezed out several drops across her lower lids, then rubbed at each with the palm of her hand. Dark makeup came away smeared on her hands as it mixed with the eye solution.

Checking herself in the small hand mirror, she stood up and looked to her partner. "How do I look?"

For the first time, Julia saw the menacing man look uncomfortable as he shifted his weight, scrunching up his mouth. "…A mess."

She rewarded him with a little smirk. "Good. Now, I'm going to need a favor here, Itsuki. Think you can smack me across the mouth, maybe draw a little blood?"

Julia didn't think he could look more unsettled than he did right then. He removed his sunglasses with a heavy sigh, his brow furrowed as he revealed hazel eyes.

"Is this really necessary, ma'am?"

"Well, I can't very well do it myself, now can I?" She smirked, giving him a quick pat on his arm. "I've got to sell this, and there's no better way to play damsel than with signs of abuse. So come on, hit me. I can take it."

Itsuki let out an exasperated grunt, the closest thing she'd ever heard to frustration from the stoic figure, then struck without warning. The flat of his palm connected with the lower half of the right side of her face with a resounding smack, sending her stumbling. She shook the stars from her eyes as she stood back up, checking herself in the mirror again. The skin was already starting to redden, and while there wasn't any blood visible, she could feel the muscle swelling.

"That'll do. Thanks," she idly commented, using her free hand to loosen hairs from her braid to complete the look. Replacing the mirror, she set the purse over her shoulder.

"I'll call you when the job's done. It's apartment C-2, right?"

"Yes."

"If I don't come back in ten minutes, assume things went south," without waiting for a reply, Julia rushed the nearby stairwell, taking the stairs as quickly as she dared.

By the time she had reached the third floor, the C level apartments, she was a little winded. She hurried down the hall, glancing at the numbers until she found the one she wanted and immediately started frantically banging on the door with an open palm.

"Please, if there's anyone there, I need help!" She looked around quickly, though there was no one in the hall to see. Another rapid knocking from her hand, and the door was thrown open. Though she had known what her target looked like, his sudden appearance still drew a surprised gasp from her lungs.

A veritable black mane of hair framed the man's face, the length of it tied loosely at his neck while he sported an inch worth of facial hair in the form of a full beard. A black tank top and knee-length shorts with a red flannel jacket tied around his waist completed the look, but it was those bright blue eyes, focused and determined, that caught her off-guard.

"Y-You have to help me, please let me hide here, he's coming for me!" Julia pleaded in a hushed tone, clasping her hands together.

Without a moment's hesitation, he nodded and stepped out of the way. "Get inside quickly." She obeyed, and the door to the little apartment closed behind her.

Julia bent her head, trying to get her loose hair to cover her eyes. "Thank you so much; I didn't know what to do." A calloused hand lightly brought up her chin for those piercing eyes to inspect the red mark on her face.

"What happened to you?" There was a quiet, but indignant fury in his expression and Julia silently hoped she wouldn't end up on the business end of that look tonight.

"I…My date…He…" She squeezed her eyes tight, praying that he wouldn't notice her lack of actual tears. Pulling her face out of his grip, she then hid behind her hands as she lowered her voice to a whisper. "I just want to go home."

A strong arm came around her shoulders as she was led away from the front door towards several cushions on a floor of tatami mats. The room was sparse, but a small television was tuned into some nature show, the volume turned low, and a half-eaten slice of pizza sat forgotten on a paper plate. A typical bachelor pad, she surmised, if more stylized for living in Japan.

"Here, take a seat, and I'll get you a glass of water, okay?" He smiled gently towards her as she peeked at him and Julia had to remind herself that this man wasn't what he appeared to be.

"Th-Thank you," she sniffled, and he turned towards the kitchenette. It was now or never. As quietly as she could, the redhead pulled something out of her purse and crept up behind him while he had his back to her.

"I'm Ryo, by the way. What's your name?" He turned at the sound of Julia's foot hitting the floor and she nearly panicked. Attempting to hide the small weapon, she quickly put her arms around his waist in a hug. She could feel him tense up at the show of affection, but when his free arm wrapped around her in a show of comfort, she struck. With a quick jab, she shoved the needle of a syringe through the thin fabric of his shirt and pushed down on the flange as fast as she dared. The glass he was holding shattered in the sink while he wrestled to free himself, but by the time he untangled her arms from him, it was over.

Anger and a little fear crawled their way into his eyes when he fished the syringe out of his back, but Julia was already putting as much distance and furniture as she could between them. She kept her gaze solely on him as he took two steps towards her, stumbled, and landed on a knee.

"What…What did you…do…?" Julia didn't dare approach him, but she couldn't help the satisfaction that came over her.

"Something I've been waiting a damn long time to do. It's bedtime now, Sanada. Off to sleep with you," She smirked, waving him off like a parent dismissing a child.

"Who…" His head bobbed, and then the rest of him fell to the floor with a heavy thud, sending the empty syringe from his hand across the floor.

Julia stood still in the apartment, her eyes glued to the body that lay unconscious. Her mind was suddenly blank as she stared. An animal, some large cat, let out a roar over the television's speakers, bringing her back into the moment. She pulled out her flip phone and dialed. The receiver on the other end picked up, not saying a word.

"It's done," she hung up, knowing full well that Itsuki wouldn't have bothered with a reply. With her back to a wall, Julia let gravity take over as she slid down to the mat. Her eyes wandered back to Ryo's form, and she could feel the adrenaline wear off as shock started to settle in. It's okay, she told herself. It's all going to be okay. Calm down. Breathe. She closed her eyes while she shivered uncontrollably, taking deep, slow breaths.

She heard the door open, and she didn't have to look to know who it was. His heavy footsteps crossed the room, first to Ryo, then to her. A quiet sigh left his lips.

"…Come on. We need to leave now."

Julia nodded, forcing her legs to carry her weight as she stood up, supporting herself with the wall at her back. "I'm coming."

As they left, Ryo carried over Itsuki's broad shoulder, Julia stopped in the doorway to look back into the drab living space. Almost as an afterthought, she went back in, turned off the tv and the lights, picked up the forgotten syringe, and closed the door behind her. The first is always the hardest, she assured herself as the two stood side by side in the elevator. And now it's over. I can do this. I can; I will get all of you for what you've done.

A/N: Thank you to all of my betas for helping me with this story as it goes along!