Chapter 15

Surprise Attacks

The next day they all went to school like normal. It was hard for them to concentrate in their classes, though. In their minds they kept replaying the events of the previous day. All of the girls made more than their usual mistakes in gymnastics due to their increasing worry. Karate practice after school did not go much better.

Sensei Maxwell was having a hard time trying to remain patient. For some reason, all of the girls just weren't concentrating today. They had made mistakes that only beginners made. He knew something must be seriously wrong to have all five girls acting like amateurs.

"Sara, keep your leg straight when you kick!"

"Jaya, keep your eyes on your opponent!"

"Penny, you need to have more control!"

"Midget, keep your attention focused on the here and now!"

"Munchkin, make your movements more crisp!"

By the end of practice Sensei Maxwell was at his wits' end. "Just what has gotten into you five? All practice long it's been one mistake after another, from all of you!"

"Sorry, Sensei," they chorused.

He shook his head in exasperation. "That's not going to cut it. You all shouldn't be making those kinds of mistakes. I want each of you to go through each of the basic lessons three times before you go change."

"Yes, Sensei," all five girls answered reluctantly.

After they were finished, they headed for the changing room. Because of the extra practice the guys finished before they did. None of the girls were looking forward to explaining why they had taken so long. When they met up with the guys outside they found out that they had heard Sensei Maxwell yelling at them.

"So. What was the problem?" Kento asked Penny.

"I don't know. I just couldn't concentrate today." Penny replied.

"Same with me," the others agreed.

"What were you all thinking about?" Cye asked.

"Just about the things that happened yesterday," Jaya answered.

"We just couldn't get those creeps out of our minds," Sara said.

"Yeah. All I could see all day was the face of that Grim Reaper guy," Penny stated.

"All I could see was that guy Blade," Jaya chimed.

"I saw that stupid chick Sheeva," Sara said arrogantly.

"I know how hard it can be. I did the same thing the first time I fought Cale," Sage said.

"Same with me, but with Dais," Kento agreed.

"Seckhmet was the guy I always saw," Cye stated. "Especially after he killed a lot of fish to get to me."

Ryo, Rowen, Munchkin, and Midget were just quietly listening to everyone, while trying to think of what to do next. They were all worried about the others and what was going to happen in the next few weeks.

For the next three days everyone had an increasing sense of dread. Every day it seemed to get worse. School kept getting harder and harder. They had pretty much just lost all concentration on their classes. All of the girls tried their hardest to concentrate better in gymnastics and Karate practice, but it seemed they were always having to do extra practice.

When Friday came they were all pretty much at their breaking points. The waiting had stretched their nerves. Today was the day Midget and Munchkin were supposed to train with the guys in Kendo practice. Sage had warned them that Grandfather Date and Sensei Date wouldn't tolerate stupid mistakes, so they would have to try extra hard to keep from screwing up. The other girls got the day off because Sensei Maxwell was worried about how the two girls would do. He wanted to watch the practice to see what was going to happen.

The two girls were waiting for Sensei and Grandfather Date when Ryo and Rowen approached them.

"Are you two all right?" Rowen asked worriedly.

"Yeah," the two girls stated.

"Just relax and concentrate. Try not to think about the Dynasty," Ryo suggested.

"Sure. It sounds a lot easier than it is," Munchkin retorted.

"Thank you for the advice. We will try," Midget said reasonably. She had noticed how uneasy the two guys were and was trying to get them to relax a little.

Grandfather and Sensei Date were now approaching the group.

"Are you two ready for your first practice?" Sensei Date asked.

"Yes, Sensei," the two chimed.

"Good, then lets get started. Ryo, Rowen, you two go get stretched out," Grandfather Date said.

"Yes, Sensei," the guys chorused. With that the two guys left leaving the girls to Grandfather and Sensei Date.

"I have heard that you five girls have been having a hard time concentrating this past week. Is there something that I should know about?" Sensei Date asked.

"No, Sensei," the two girls said.

"Then you both will do as well as you did in practice last week, right?" Grandfather Date asked.

"Yes, Sensei," the girls answered uneasily. Both girls had the same thought in their minds right then. I hope we don't mess this up.

Practice went a lot better than any of them had expected. The two girls never made a mistake. It took all they had, but they had managed it. After practice was over they went to get dressed. In the dressing room the two girls were completely exhausted and were trying so hard not to scream.

"I can't believe how hard that was," Munchkin said.

"I know. Trying to do several things at once is hard. Keeping our thoughts in check and practicing is difficult," Midget replied.

"I just need a brake before I go insane. Maybe we can all go out tonight," Munchkin suggested.

"That would be great. Just a little break would do wonders for all of us," Midget agreed.

With that thought the two girls went to meet the others. Outside the others were just sitting on some benches, waiting.

"What took you two so long?" Penny asked.

"We were tired and had to sit for a while," Midget explained tiredly.

"That was some practice you two had," Jaya said.

"I know. I thought for sure that you would mess up on several occasions," Sara stated.

"Thanks. I think," Munchkin replied.

The guys then came out. Ryo and Rowen ran to Munchkin and Midget.

"You two did great," Ryo said happily.

"Yeah. You both practiced like nothing was wrong," Rowen said equally as happy.

With that statement the two girls slumped into the guys' waiting arms. They were too tired to say anything. The guys must have known because they didn't ask them. They just helped them to walk. After a while the thought about going out tonight had reentered their thoughts.

"Ryo, can we go out tonight?" Munchkin asked in an almost pleading voice.

"Yeah sure. I would love to do something with you tonight. How about we go to the movies?" Ryo said eagerly.

"I would love to," Munchkin replied happily.

"Would you like to go somewhere also, Midget," Rowen asked her.

"I would love to," Midget answered softly and with a smile.

"How about we go to the cliff and have a picnic?" Rowen suggested with a smile.

"That would be great," Midget said with a huge smile.

"How about you, Penny? Want to go out to this new dance club with me?" Kento asked giddily.

"I would love to go. I love to dance," Penny replied hugging Kento.

"Sara, would you like to go with me to this new restaurant I found?" Sage asked hopefully.

"That would be nice. I can't wait," Sara answered with a happy grin.

"Would you like to go to the beach with me, Jaya?" Cye asked quietly.

"I would love to go with you. I haven't been swimming in a while," Jaya said with a shy smile.

With that they all went home to get dressed and tell their parents where and what the were going to do. Around 5:30 they were all off to enjoy themselves. Flame, White Blaze, and Star were let go in the woods behind Munchkin's and Midget's. They had promised not to follow them or go near the city unless there was trouble. Apparently White Blaze and Flame had gotten pretty close. It also seemed like White Blaze was treating Star like a youger sister.

When Jaya and Cye arrived at the beach they set up their towels and things then went swimming. They played water volleyball with some other people for a while. After that they had a couple swimming races. After a couple of hours they went to dry off. They walked down the beach and found a secluded spot to rest.

"Jaya, I want to ask you something," Cye said shyly.

"Yes. What is it?" Jaya asked.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Cye asked almost in a whisper.

"I would love to be your girlfriend," Jaya said excitedly.

"Really. Great," Cye said happily.

After another hour or so they decided to go home. It was getting pretty dark. As they were gathering all of their stuff they both felt an evil presence. They quickly stopped and looked around. No one was there. Then all of a sudden Katrina appeared right in front of Jaya. Katrina tackled Jaya sending her to the ground.

"Jaya!" Cye yelled then ran after Katrina. While he was running he put on his sub armor. He then grabbed Katrina from behind and body slammed her.

By that time Jaya had gotten up and was putting her own sub armor on. Jaya then ran to help Cye. They were doing really good until Katrina tried her sure kill. The two of them noticed Katrina powering up so they transformed into their full armors. She yelled, "Gail Force Blast."

The powerful winds sent Jaya and Cye flying backwards a good fifty feet. They then tried their own sure kills yelling, "Wind Water Strike," and, "Super Wave Smasher." Together the two powers sent Katrina back to the Nether Realm screaming.

Jaya looked at Cye with haunted eyes. "Jaya, what's wrong?" Cye asked scared.

"Someone is hurt. I can feel it. We have got to hurry," Jaya replied. When she was saying this Cye had noticed her kanji glowing.

"Jaya, your kanji is glowing. We really do have to hurry," Cye said worriedly. The two of then ran to where ever Jaya was leading them.

Sage had taken Sara to this fancy new restaurant. On every table there was a white candle and a vase of flowers. There was even a violinist that would go from table to table playing soft music.

"This must be expensive," Sara said quietly.

"Not really. Besides I know the owner. He is a friend of my Grandfather's," Sage replied.

"That is cool. Does that mean you get a discount or what?" Sara asked.

"Well, it means that if I help his son out with school I get a discount," Sage answered with a sly smile.

During their meal they talked about their families and their pasts. They had double chocolate cake for desert then decided to dance a while. After about an hour of dancing they decided to go home. On the way home they were walking down a dark street when they felt an evil presence. Stopping, they looked around and noticed that the street was deserted. With another look around they noticed something standing under a distant street lamp.

"What? You don't remember me," Mase said in mock surprise.

Sara and Sage immediately transformed into their sub armor. Mase slowly walked up to them with a grin on his face the entire time.

"What do you want?" Sara asked in exasperation.

"I want to kill you. Unfortunately, Madam Tara wants you alive. I guess I will just have to take you alive, however, you aren't needed," Mase replied. With that last remark he was looking straight at Sage. Mase then ran full force into Sage knocking him into a nearby wall.

"Stop! You stupid jerk," Sara yelled kicking Mase in the side. "Get the heck away from my boyfriend!" Sara then did a flip and landed right in front of Mase then punched him in the jaw.

Sage was now running to Sara's side to help fight him. They were doing good for a while. Then Mase decided to use his sure kill. Seeing that she was powering up, Sage and Sara got into their full armors. Yelling, "Electric Shock Torture," he hit them both. With purple beams surrounding them they fell to the ground in pain.

Slowly getting up Sage and Sara combined their most powerful attacks yelling, "Lightening Bolt Cut," and, "Sun Flare Ignite." With the combined strengths of their attacks they sent Mase back to where he came from cursing them.

"Let's go check on the others," Sage suggested.

"Good Idea," Sara agreed.

Right before they started home Sage noticed Sara's kanji glowing. "Sara, your kanji. It's glowing."

Sara stopped, "Some one got hurt. I can feel some of their pain. We have to hurry." With that they both ran to where ever it was that Sara was leading them.

Penny and Kento went to a teen dance club. They played two rounds of pool then decided to dance. They danced to the Hokey Poky, YMCA, Macarena, and a couple of slow songs. At the end of the day the club held a limbo contest, where Penny won. After the contest they went to the food court and had some nachos and drinks.

"Penny, can I ask you something?" Kento asked.

"I don't know can you," Penny teased.

"You know what I mean," Kento laughed.

"Yes Kento. You can ask me. What is it?" Penny asked trying not to laugh.

"Will you go out with me?" Kento asked.

"I am going out with you right now," Penny answered a little confused.

"No. I mean will you be my girlfriend," Kento blurted out quickly.

"Oh. Well..." Penny said slowly. She watched him squirm uncomfortably for a minute then said, "I have been waiting for you to ask me that all week."

"Really! That is great," Kento said almost jumping up and down. With a relieved sigh they finished their snack and then decided to go home.

On the way home the two stopped by an ice cream vendor and got two Rocky Road cones. As they were walking down the street they saw a little kitten run across the street. Looking up they noticed that they were all alone. They decided not to pay much attention to it since they were only three blocks from their homes. At the corner of the street the two stopped suddenly, feeling an evil presence approach. Quickly turning around they saw Sheeva running straight for them. They both put their sub armors on and then jumped up to dodge her. Sheeva quickly grabbed Penny's leg dragging her to the ground.

"SHEEVA! I am going to kill you!" Kento shouted kicking Sheeva in the back when he landed. "Penny, are you all right?"

"Fine. Just get her," Penny answered.

The two of them were kicking Sheeva's butt until she used her sure kill. Before she was completely powered up Kento and Penny put on their full armors. She got up then yelled, "Massive Rock Avalanche." Several huge boulders fell on top of Kento and Penny.

Smashing the boulders, Kento got up and helped Penny to get out from underneath them. The two of them decided to combine their attacks and yelled, "Wild Vine Choke," and, "Iron Rock Crusher." With the two powers combined they quickly sent Sheeva back crying.

"We better get back and check on the others," Penny suggested.

"That's just what I was thinking," Kento said. "Penny, your kanji is glowing."

"Something is wrong. Some one got hurt. I can feel some of the pain," Penny replied. "We need to go now." With that settled the two of them ran to where ever it was that Penny was leading them.

Rowen and Midget had hiked up the cliff using the new trail. They saw several colorful birds and a few other animals on the way. When they got up there they laid out their blanket and sat down to eat. They had bought some Subway sandwiches and chips. They had also gotten some Macadamia nut cookies. While they ate they talked about how they met their friends and some of the things they did together. When it got dark they laid back and watched the stars appear.

"Look. It's a shooting star," Rowen exclaimed.

"Hurry, make a wish," Midget said.

After a few seconds Rowen looked at Midget and asked, "What did you wish?"

"I can't tell you or it won't come true," Midget answered with a sly smile.

They then cuddled a little. After a couple minutes of being in each others arms they looked straight into the others eyes. They were leaning in to kiss when all of a sudden an evil presence approached.

"Ahhh. Did I interrupt?" Blade asked sarcastically. "I have always had the worst timing." With that he began to laugh maniacally.

"Shut up," Rowen snarled.

Then the two of them got up and put on their sub armors. Blade kicked Rowen's legs out from underneath him. Midget then kicked Blade in the chest and went to help Rowen up. Midget and Rowen were succeeding in keeping Blade at bay until he used his sure kill. Sensing Blade powering up Rowen and Midget got into full armor. Then Blade jumped up and yelled, "Killer Plague Infect," the weird thing was that he was aiming only at Rowen. Seeing where his aim was Midget jumped in front of Rowen and took Blade's full power.

"NO! Midget!" Rowen yelled running for her.

"Just get him," Midget rasped.

With that Rowen jumped up and put all of his energy into his sure kill. Yelling, "Arrow Shock Wave," Rowen hit Blade directly in the chest. The power sent him back to the Dynasty confused.

Rowen knelt beside Midget and called her name softly. When she looked at him he spoke again. "Why did you do that?" Rowen asked almost in tears.

"I couldn't stand it if you got hurt," Midget said quietly. Rowen then notices that her kanji is glowing.

Just before Rowen picks her up Star comes running to them. Setting Midget on Star's back Rowen tells her, "Take her home. I will be right behind you."

"I hope the others are ok," Midget whispered.

"Me too. We will call from your house," Rowen stated. With that Star carried Midget home on her back, while Rowen ran behind them.

Munchkin and Ryo went to the movies to watch The Sixth Sense. They bought a huge tub of popcorn and a super size Dr. Pepper to share. Every time a suspenseful moment would come along Munchkin would hug Ryo and cover her head. They were in each others arms the whole time the movie was on. Afterwards they went to the park for a little walk before going home.

"Would you like to sit down?" Ryo asks Munchkin.

"Sure," Munchkin replied.

As they sat they talked a while. They talked about their friends, White Blaze, and Flame. After a while they looked deep into each others eyes and drew each other in for a kiss. Right before they kissed, though, an evil presence arose in their senses.

"What a crappy time to bug us," Munchkin said getting really ticked.

"Oh. Let me apologize for my timing," Bear hissed sarcastically.

"Won't you guys ever leave us alone?" Ryo asked in a sigh.

"We couldn't do that. That wouldn't be any fun," Bear laughed.

With that Munchkin and Ryo put on their sub armors. Bear kicked Munchkin full force in the chest sending her into the bench they were just on. Ryo punched Bear in the face then kneed him in the stomach. He then ran to see how Munchkin was.

:Are you ok?" Ryo asked.

"Yeah, fine," Munchkin replied.

Behind them they could sense Bear powering up so they got into their full armors. When they turned around they saw Bear pointing his scythe at Ryo and yelling, "Life Draining Disease."

Munchkin not wanting Ryo hurt pushes him out of the way and takes Bears full attack. Screaming as she falls she notices Ryo get ready to attack.

Ryo jumps up and yells, "Flare up Now," and hits Bear right in the chest. Bear is sent up in flames, but then disappears yelling curses at them.

Ryo quickly runs to Munchkin's side. "Why? Why did you do it?" Ryo asks really worried.

"Because I don't want you hurt," Munchkin chokes out.

Just before Ryo picks her up he notices her kanji glowing. Then he hears two tigers roar. He turns around to see White Blaze and Flame running to them.

"Blaze, Flame, help me," Ryo says urgently.

"Take me to Midget's," Munchkin whispers.

The two tigers bring Ryo and Munchkin to Midget's house. There they see everyone else.

Everyone seemed to arrive at Midget's front door at exactly the same time. White Blaze was carrying Ryo, Flame was carrying Munchkin, and Star was carrying Midget. The other girls ran to the two hurt ones on the animals. Right when Sage went to grab the doorknob the door flew open. In the door way was the Doc. and Capt.

"What is all that commotion about," the Doc. asked before looking outside.

"Yeah. We are trying to have a conversation here," the Capt. added.

"Sorry," Midget and Munchkin chorused weakly. At the pathetic sounds of their voices Doc. and Capt. looked to their lefts.

They saw Midget slumped over Star and Munchkin slumped over Flame. They had already taken off their armors so they wouldn't be a burden to Star and Flame.

"What on earth happened to you two?" Doc. asked worriedly.

"Get them inside right now," Capt. ordered the animals. "Hurry up the rest of you."

The two animals brought them to the couches where Doc. and Capt. picked them up and placed them. As they did so they noticed several cuts and bruises. They also noticed their eyes were glazed over and they both were burning up.

"CALE, SECKHMET, DAIS, KAYURA, WHERE ARE YOU?!" the Capt. roared.

At these comments the others all looked at each other with confused expressions. The same thought was going through their minds. How do they know them?

A few seconds later the former Warlords and Kayura had arrived.

"What is wrong?" Kayura asked worried.

"What is the matter?" Dais asked alarmed.

"YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD PROTECT THEM!" the Doc. yelled getting upset.

"What do you mean?" Cale asked getting worried.

"Where are they?" Seckhmet asked.

"On the couch," Sage replied.

"WHY WEREN'T YOU WITH THEM?!" demanded the Capt.

"Sorry," they all chorused.

"SORRY! SORRY! THAT DOESN'T MEAN SQUAT!" the Doc. snapped.

Sage looked up from where he had been checking on the girls and said, "Midget has been poisoned and Munchkin has been given a disease."

"Please help them," Ryo and Rowen say together.

"I can't do anything. They are too far along," Sage said regretfully.

"NO!" Rowen and Ryo yelled. They both ran to the girls.

"Why did you have to save me?" Rowen asked sadly.

"Why did you push me out of the way?" Ryo asked regretfully at the same time.

Everyone hearing this got really quiet. The Capt. and Doc. had heard what the two boys had said and realized that there was something strange about each of the people in there.

"Who are you all?" the Doc. asked.

"I will explain later," Kayura said. "Right now Seckhmet and I will try to heal Midget and Munchkin."

Kayura walked over to Munchkin, while Seckhmet walked over to Midget.

"I will try and draw out the poison inside of Midget," Seckhmet said placing his hands on her. "This is a very powerful poison, though. It seems to be a natural poison." After a couple of seconds his hands began to glow along with Midget's body. A few minutes later Seckhmet backed up and said, "I think I have drawn all of it out, but the effects will remain for a few days."

At the same time Seckhmet was healing Midget, Kayura was working on Munchkin. Kayura placed her hands on Munchkin. After a few seconds of that she said, "This is a kind of disease that will cause the body to waste away. I will try to neutralize it." With that she replaced her hands on Munchkin and started to chant. Her hands began to emit a strange light that engulfed Munchkin's body. After another couple minutes the glow dissipated. Kayura then turned to the others and said, "I believe that it is neutralized, but she will be extremely tired and won't have much of an appetite for a couple of days."

"They both better get some rest," Dais said.

"We can take them to their rooms," Cale suggested.

"First I want to know who these others are and why you weren't there to help them," the Capt. said.

"And who it is that did this to them," the Doc. added.

"These five guys are the Ronin Warriors and the girls are three of the other Elemental Warriors," Kayura explained.

"As for who did this. It was Talpa and Tara and their new Warlords," Dais added.

"I thought they weren't ready to attack," the Doc. stated.

"Yeah. You and Anubis assured us that they didn't have any warriors yet," the Capt. added.

"That was before, but they have found five strong Warlords to replace us," Cale answered.

"Why didn't you tell us?" the Capt. demanded pissed.

"You promised to keep us informed. Anubis, where are you lousy ghost?" the Doc. stated.

Just then Anubis' form appeared in the middle of the room. He had been in the corner watching to make sure the girls were all right.

"I am right here. I have been here the entire time," Anubis answered.

"Well, isn't that sweet. A little too late, don't you think," the Capt. snapped.

"Calm down, Chance," Munchkin said quietly.

"Yeah. You both need to calm down," Midget chimed in softly. "I am tired please be quiet."

Rowen and Ryo quickly went to their sides. They both gently picked them up and were about to bring them to Midget's room, when Munchkin added, "I think everyone should go home."

"Yes. I am sure everyone is tired," Midget agreed.

With that the two guys brought them down the hall to Midget's room to get some rest. After they came back everyone departed to go home. Before Ryo and Rowen left they wanted to talk to the Capt. and Doc.

"Hi. I am Ryo Sanada. I am the one going out with Munchkin," Ryo said shaking each man's hand.

"Ah. Yes. Now I see the resemblance to her description. Nice to meet you. Sorry about earlier," the Capt. said.

"Hi. I am Rowen Hashiba. Midget and I are going out as well," Rowen said also shaking hands with each of them. "Don't worry about earlier. We fully understand."

"Nice to meet you, Rowen, Ryo," the Doc. replied. "I don't know how I could have missed the blue hair Midget talks so much about."

"I was wondering how it is you know about the former Warlords and Kayura," Ryo asked.

"And how come you didn't seem to surprised at us being Ronin Warriors," Rowen added.

"We know Kayura and the others from the past. They have been friends of the girls for years," the Capt. replied.

"As for not being to surprised by you all. We have known about Talpa, Tara, and the Ronin Warriors for a while. The two girls are Elemental Warriors, we know," the Doc. said.

"How do you know?" Rowen asked.

"The Ancient One told us. He also has been a friend of the girls'," the Capt. explained.

"You boys better get home," suggested the Doc.

"Can we see the girls tomorrow after school?" Ryo asked eagerly.

"Yes. You both can come and see them," the Capt. said.

"Will they both be here or are you taking Munchkin to her house," Rowen asked the Capt.

"Munchkin can stay here. At least for the night," the Doc. butted in.

"Fine, but I will take her home tomorrow evening," the Capt. said. "You can see Munchkin here around five, ok?"

"Thank you," both of the guys chorused. They both then left.

To be continued....