The Secret

Author's note: In an effort to limit the amount of space used up for thank yous, I write individual emails to the people that review (especially those that give good advice). Any flames that are based on the fact that you don't like my penname or just to be plain mean will be ignored. With that in mind, I would like to thank Max, Nagia, and Rouge Ronin for their tidbits of advice. PSBe sure to swing by the original fiction section and check out the humble beginnings of our other story, "Impossible".

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the idea behind this story. If any miscellaneous characters pop up (i.e. some old lady on the side walk gives them a city map.) I might own those.

Agenda for the day: Feed Kayura

At the words 'bad news' a groan was heard from the dining room.

"Aw man!" Shu cried. "Just one vacation without anyone trying to take over the world, is that to much to ask? One summer where I don't have to worry about someone trying to kill me or steal my armor, ya know? Please Kayura, how about we let Super Man or someone other super hero handle this one?" If Kayura had been in any other type of mood, she would have laughed. Shu was so cute when he was upset. If she wasn't in a bad mood already, she would almost agree with Shu on this one. But Kayura had already had to put up with losing her sleep because of the vision that had sent her to the Ronin's home, going through the process of waking Rajura, Naaza, and Anubis, then had to listen to THEIR bitching and moaning. The cherry on top had been when Naaza suggested they all travel in separate groups, to insure they all arrived in one piece. Now, Kayura was just tired. She hadn't even had time to grab something to eat and she was starving. Translation, Shu had picked the wrong time to open his mouth.

"Look, Hardrock," she gritted before Shin shoved a full plate into her hands and pointed to the dining room. "Don't worry; it's not as bad as you think." She finished sweetly. Nasuti handed her a cup of tea to go with her food then poked her head into the living room.

"Someone go wake up Touma, please?" Four heads all turned to look at each other before Naaza solved the problem for them.

"Why thank you for volunteering, Rajura. With your illusions, I'm sure you'll think of something creative." Rajura could only blink. Nasuti smiled and thanked him before disappearing back into the kitchen. Rajura looked towards the dining room only to hear.

"And don't even THINK about asking me for help." Sighing he walked up the stairs as if he were going to his own beheading. Everyone downstairs was silent. Moments later a loud scream was heard, followed by the sound of running feet. Touma ran down the stairs, nearly colliding with Seiji. Grabbing his friend by the collar, he began to shake the blonde as he babbled.

"Seiji there's a.and it's got the hugest tail you've ever seen and I'd swear.You gotta help me kill it!" Seiji was trying hard to keep a straight face while behind him, Naaza and Anubis failed miserably. Touma turned eyes as blue as his indigo hair to them. "You think my nearly being killed by a rabid 200 pound, 5 foot rabbit is funny? I'll never be able to watch Loony Toons again!" This caused everyone to burst into laughter at Touma's expense. Noticing the time on a nearby clock, Touma did the math and figured out that he had been duped. "RAJURA!!!!!" The white haired man held his hands up.

"Not I," he said. "I was down here the whole time. And before you even think it, I like to watch my handy work." Everyone besides Touma tried not to blink. Obviously this Rajura was a fake and the real one was in hiding. "Maybe you've been watching that movie again. The one about the guy who had the invisible friend?" Touma had recently (four months ago) taken everyone to a film festival in Tokyo. Since then, he had become obsessed with old American films.

"You mean Harvey!" Jun called from the kitchen. "You have been watching that one a lot, Touma." Touma was at a loss for words. He finally decided that since whatever dream he had had was not going to allow him to go back to sleep, he might as well grab breakfast. "Maybe Shu hasn't gotten to it yet." He thought. Passing through the dining room, he saw Ryo helping Shu set the table while Kayura ate. His two comrades in arms shot him looks that said. 'Don't ask.' Shu even made a slicing motion across his neck and pointed to the Ancient. Touma decided to let it be and continued into the kitchen. Inside the kitchen, Jun had a plate as well and was watching as Nasuti pulled another batch of muffins from the oven. Touma took a moment to enjoy the view. While Jun had gotten over his crush on the auburn haired girl, Touma had not. And with all other potential rivals out of the room, he was going to savor the moment. Shin caught where Touma's attention was and tried not to roll his eyes.

"Welcome to day 40 in the quest to be the first to take Nasty on a date. I'm your host Mouri Shin." he muttered under his breathe. From Shin's facial expression, Nasuti seemed to know who had entered without turning around.

"Touma," she said. "Could you grab that platter for me? The sooner I get these on there, the sooner we can eat." A joyous cry of "Hallelujah!" was heard form the dining room. Amid the laughter that followed, Rajura crept back downstairs to stand behind a preoccupied Naaza.

"What did I miss?" Naaza jumped. "Don't do that!" Seiji shook his head and motioned for Anubis to follow him to the table.

Once everyone was seated, Touma asked. "So what brings you guys here again so soon? Miss us already?" Naaza nodded his head. Kayura smacked him with a candle stick.

"There's been a disturbance in the spirit world." She said shoving a piece of bacon in her mouth. Everyone groaned. Surely Kayura had not gotten them all worked up over THAT? There was always a disturbance there. Little woodland creatures seemed to have made it a game to go and frolic around the barriers sending The Ancient's sensors into battle mode. Five months ago, the disturbance had turned out to be a raccoon that had somehow waddled into the wrong part of the realms. Kayura had claimed that (1) she couldn't be held accountable for the fact that she had yet to gain complete control over her powers (meaning all alarms felt the same be they big or small) and (2) One should always be on one's guard because what was today a raccoon could tomorrow be a nether beast. Sensing the bored expressions she was receiving, she began to bristle. "Would you all be so judgmental if I told you it concerned our armors?" Now she had their attention, but she was going to make them bleed for it. Hefting a large amount of food on her fork, she shoveled it into her mouth as the others sweatdropped. Chewing she made everyone wait until she swallowed and took a sip of tea. "And that's all I'm saying until the meal is done so be patient." Everyone sweatdropped again and went back to eating. No one could help but notice how Rajura and Ryo competed over who could get Nasuti's attention and hold it more. It was almost cute except Touma was glaring daggers at both of them, changing to glare at Seiji who was trying to cheer Kayura up by flirting with her. Seeing that none of them were paying the glares any mind, he sat back and talked to Jun. Kayura grinned to herself as she finished her breakfast. Poor Touma, he just couldn't seem to win in the race for any of the contests going on over the females of the group. It was almost too cute. Kayura would have taken the time to flirt, but she was running out of food and had to make sure they understood the danger that awaited them. Swallowing her last bite, she sat back with a contented sigh. All eyes immediately came to rest on her.

"Do you want me to tell you now or wait until everyone's done?" she asked.

"Why don't you just tell us now?" Ryo said. "I doubt anyone's going to choke when they hear it." Kayura nodded and pulled her staff across her lap. "A few nights ago I was talking to Shuten-" Shu choked. Everyone looked at Ryo who raised his hands as if to ask 'How was I supposed to see that coming?' Kayura coughed. "If I may continue? I was talking to Shuten and he told me that things had been feeling funny around the spirit realm lately. And before anyone asks, he's in a different spirit world."

"Are you sure he's just not used to being dead yet?" Anubis asked. Kayura was about to smack him, but Shin saved her the trouble. Nodding her head she continued as if he hadn't spoken.

"Now, Shuten said that for the past few days, something has been causing rumbling earthquakes along the barrier separating his realm from our realm and yours. Since odd noises are semi normal, we both decided to let it slide. A few days later, my armor orb disappeared." Gasps were heard around the table. Armor orbs only disappear from where they are being kept for one of two reasons: either it has found a new bearer or Talpa calls it back. Kayura was pleased that they were now taking her seriously and went on.

"The good news is that Shuten saw Talpa the other day. They keep him locked under heavy security so he can't break out. We're talking wards, guards, the whole she-bang. So I'm guessing that we will soon have a new bearer for the Armor of Cruelty. The question is who has it and where is that person?"

Shu raised his hand. "I have yet to see why this required you to come bearing 'bad news'."

"Because we have to find out who that person is so we can help him through the transition. We might need the Armor of Cruelty if the disturbances become a problem."

"I still say it's nothing to get anyone worked up over. We find the guy, tell him about the armors, he either moves in with us or with you guys, we all get back to enjoying our summer." Cautious nods went around the table, signaling an agreement with the warrior of Hardrock's words. Proud of himself for making a valid point, Shu sat back and folded his arms, shooting Kayura a challenging look. Only the combined efforts of Touma, Naaza, and Nasuti offering another muffin kept Kayura in her chair. Sniffing, she daintily nibbled on it while thinking up ways she could skin Shu alive. Hoping to avoid any bloodshed in her dining room, Nasuti suggested they just get to work finding the new warrior so they could set Kayura's mind at ease.

"Maybe if she didn't have to worry so much, she could turn her attention to other things." More than one head perked up at that comment. If they were not chasing after Nasuti, they were trying to get close to Kayura. Where Nasuti's charm and grace melted them at one end, Kayura's take no bull attitude stirred them at the other. Those who were not involved in the race just kept quiet and enjoyed the show. Seeing that hormones would soon send half of his brothers in arms sallying forth from the door, Shin suggested an end to breakfast. Jun volunteered to help clear the table. Shu volunteered to help as well but was told to help keep everyone from doing something stupid instead. The last time Shu had volunteered to help clear the table, he had tried to eat the leftovers. Shin was not going through that again. Everyone else, congregated in the study. Ryo and Seiji snagged spots standing next to Nasuti while Touma and Rajura got to sit next to Kayura on the sofa. Anubis was now the one left out and Shu couldn't care less-he saw the two as sisters. Naaza.No one was quite as to which, if either, of the two girls he was after. He was one moment protective big brother, jealous boyfriend the next. After a few moments of reviewing, Nasuti told them what she knew.

"I had already come upon some of this before when you guys first asked about why you might have been chosen for your armors. So far I've found three ways that are the most usual. The first and main way, which applies to 99.9% of you, is by blood. If an ancestor of yours wore the armor, you have a high chance of having it passed down to you. Another way is through gifting, which is what happened with Kayura. The former bearer gives it to you. The restriction on this one is that the person must be pure of heart and good of spirit for it to happen. The third is that the armor finds someone who has the same qualities or personality and bonds with him/her." Nasuti chewed on her lip for a moment before adding. "While those are the usual and most traditional ways to gain armor, there is a fourth way, but it is highly unlikely." The others looked at her, waiting for the method. "The spirit of a previous owner is reborn within a new body. The person doesn't have to have the same physical appearance, just the spirit is enough." Shu voiced the thought on everyone's mind.

"There goes summer vacation."