Life and Soul

by Cypher

A rewrite of the original Life and Soul series. Shortly after the incident with Suzunagi, the Ronins, now trying to lead normal lives, are called to battle once more against the Dynasty, a new Warlord, and find a new ally. Slash & Het, Spoilers, R&R

2. Chapter 2

Life and Soul

By Cypher

Chapter Two

When you're going this fast, the transition doesn't seem so bad. Sage rested his head against the back of his seat, his eyes slightly unfocused. The train from Sendai went right by a forest which, even at high speeds, was heartwarming to him. After a few miles the forest melted into suburbs, and they were fast coming up on a city. Normally seeing the scenery change disturbed him, but on a train the scenes meshed together almost like a living painting. It was nice enough to almost take his mind off his troubles. Almost.

After Ryo's frantic call, he had gotten onto the train and found a relatively quiet car. He had mediated in crowds before, but it was more difficult then when he was at home. Once he was seated by the window, he calmed his breathing and entered into a trance, drowning out the sounds around him with his own heartbeat. Once his mind was clear, he astral projected his spirit to the Dynasty.

The other Ronins thought when he meditated answers came to him. They didn't understand that he actually had to separate his spirit from his body to really search for answers. His favorite way to meditate was in the forest, as when he was in spirit form, he could see the life of each plant, each animal. Nature in its purest form was the closest way he could describe it. Even the dead had some sort of life to it, and whenever he could leave the dojo to meditate, he would go to the forest.

Learning to enter the Nether World with his spirit was an accident, and he suspected a residual effect from staying there so long during the second half of the war. His psyche had formed a subtle bond with the land, drawing on any form of nature to help sustain him. As a result, when he returned to Earth, he could sometimes send his spirit there. Only Kayura and Cale could sense when he did that, and he sometimes spoke to them.

He couldn't enter the world through teleportation like Ryo could. He didn't have that power. The fact that Ryo couldn't get into the Nether World worried him, but he hoped that whoever set up the block only prevented things entering on the physical plane. He was partially right. He immediately recognized the Nether World vegetation, but he was in an unknown part of the world. He'd never been here before. Off in the distance he could see the castle, and its vision disturbed him.

The building retained the pagoda-like shape he was accustomed to, but now it was completely covered in some sort of crystal. Ice, perhaps? It would make sense, if Cye's vision gave any hints to what this Warlord's power was based on. Looking up, he found that the stars were quickly vanishing, becoming blocked by heavy gray clouds that were spiraling out from the castle. So he's making a Nether World ice age. He heard a cracking sound, and quickly looked around him.

A shadow was prowling across the land, transforming everything in its wake into ice. "Kayura! Can you hear me?" He didn't want to call Cale, not yet. If his grandfather was right, he'd be corrupted by the new Dynasty master. He took a step back as the shadow seemed to pause a minute. Then it turned and rushed at him. He flung his hands up automatically, to ward off a blow. A yell of pain was torn from his spiritual throat as the shadow swallowed him. He tried to will himself back to his body, and couldn't.

If I can't get back… His body could only live so long without his spirit, and if it were kept here, he would die. He was tempted to call his armor, but then his kanji would light up on his body, and it would result in a panic on the train. I think I'll have to take the chance. He raised his hands into the air, focusing his thoughts through the pain. Its power should get me out of here.

Then, without any warning, the shadow was hit with a bright light, one that blinded Sage for a second. When he could see again, he found himself floating above the world, his world. Above a city, actually. Not Sendai…or Toyama. No Tokyo Tower--hey, that's Rowen's college. Kyoto? He squinted at the college. There was a glow coming from there, a black glow. Well versed in various auras, Sage knew that a black aura was almost always associated with something dark, evil. But with this aura, there was something off, something not quite normal about it. A lesser evil that doesn't want me to die? It was possible, but he couldn't figure out why it was at Rowen's school.

Feeling a tug from his body, Sage abandoned the astral search he was about to start and retreated to his body, opening his eyes to see that the city merging into another suburb. One more city and he'd be in Toyama. He sighed and rested his chin on his hand. What was that? Whatever it was, it had been powerful to free him from the hold of Dynasty energies. At least as powerful as the armor, then. But why save me? If it's evil, why would it waste its energy? His fingers began tapping on his chin. Maybe it knows the Ronins are the only ones who can fight off this new Dynasty. He made a mental note to go to Kyoto as soon as possible, to try and hunt down this being.

A hand landed on his arm and a small spark of energy traveled through the person's fingers into him. He tensed, until he realized he recognized the energy, and turned his head, raising his eyebrows at his friend. "Rowen?"

"Hey, Sage." Rowen glanced around, and nodded his head towards the bathroom. "Come on."

Sage frowned, but stood and followed the blue-haired Ronin into the restroom. Sadly, it was barely large enough for one person, and Sage felt like a sardine with the two of them in there. He was worried one of them would end up with their foot in the toilet. "What's going on?"

"You'll see." Rowen's sub-armor flashed into existence. Without preamble, Rowen put his arm around Sage's, and the next thing Sage knew, he had all the room in the world. He quickly stretched out, but was stopped from going too far by some invisible force. Rowen. So this is what he means about the teleportation. It was strange to be air, but not really uncomfortable.

Rowen led him out of the bathroom, then through a car door, until they finally left the train and were floating in the air, the train rushing beneath them. Something that felt like a warning brushed by his conscious, and then he was moving too fast to make out anything. If he were solid he was sure his organs would've been crushed and his skin peeled away by wind shear alone. How fast ARE we going? He definitely had to ask Rowen, especially since they just passed a jet.

Then, as quickly as they had started, they stopped. He recognized they were in Kyoto, and if he'd had eyebrows, he'd have raised them. Instead of going to the college, though, Rowen brought them into the streets and skimmed over the heads of pedestrians. They must think this is weird, since there isn't a breeze today. They finally arrived at a place Sage recognized: Kento's apartment. They slid through the window and landed, for lack of a better term. He felt the freedom of being air dissipate, and he collapsed onto the floor, catching his breath.

"What kept you?" Sage glanced over to see Ryo kneeling by a bed, though he couldn't see who was on it at the moment.

"Sorry. Kento had to find me, and it's hard to get into a moving train." Rowen's foot stepped by his head, and the sub-armor vanished as his younger friend crouched down. "Are you okay? The first time can be a little rough."

"A little? How fast were we going?"

"Just under mach one. I would've gone faster, but I'd never reached that speed with a passenger before."

Sage heard a strangled whimper from Ryo as he pushed himself up onto his knees. "So what's so important?"

Ryo came over and helped Sage to his feet and nodded to the bed. "Him."

Sage shook his head at the brief dizzy spell that overcame him. Okay, never doing that again. He wondered how Rowen dealt with it, but then, he had spent a lot more time flying than any other of the Ronins. His violet eyes widened when he finally caught sight of the figure on the bed. "Anubis?" He quickly abandoned Ryo's grip and stood over the fallen man. "Is he…?"

"Barely. That's why we sent Rowen to get you."

Sage nodded and hovered his hands over Anubis' form. It was turning pale, but some of the veins were a sickly green color. "Sehkmet's venom is in him."

"Yeah, Yulie spotted that pretty quickly."

"Yulie? When'd he get here?"

"He came with me. Right now he's in the shower, and Kento's searching for some clothes for him. He was the one that took care of Anubis' wounds, but got pretty dirty, so he's cleaning up."

"He didn't touch the infected wound, did he?" Sage summoned his sub-armor. He would drain himself if he tried to heal all these wounds without the armor. Plus, only the armor's energies could purify the toxins Sehkmet had left. Unfortunately, said Warlord was known to leave wounds seeping with venom, so anyone who tried to help the victim would suffer the same fate.

"He injected it with something, but no, he didn't touch it. Neither did the nurse that Kento had Yulie bring in." Sage felt Ryo move next to him, sensing the worry emanating from him. "Can you save him?"

Have to watch myself around them, make sure I don't pick up anything I shouldn't. He finally put his hands over Anubis' chest, and a green hue illuminated that part of his body. "I'll try. How long has he been like this?"

"At least four hours, maybe five."

Sage winced as a hit a vein of poison mere seconds from striking Anubis' heart. "Well, I know I can heal him, but his body's been through a long strain. My healing him won't guarantee he'll wake up any time soon."

"He will. If not immediately, then soon. He's a warrior, and a guide. He came here for a reason."

"Or maybe he was exiled."

"I doubt it, Rowen. Why would they hurt him-"

"Guys, as interesting as this conversation is, I'm getting distracted." It wasn't a lie, either. Ryo's loyalty was about to conflict greatly with Rowen's doubts, and if he was going to heal Anubis, really heal him, he'd need to put all his focus into it. "Could you leave?"

"Right, sorry, Sage."

"I'll run home and grab some books for the trip to the Koji house."

Sage felt a brief breeze, and knew Rowen had teleported again. Ryo simply walked out, and Sage turned all his attention to healing. I hope you can tell us something about this new enemy, Anubis. Without Kayura, you're our Ancient, our guide. And it might've been his mind playing tricks on him, but for an instant, he could've sworn he felt something spark in Anubis' mind.

~*()*~

Richard stared after the retreating breeze, wondering what was going on. He could've sworn he'd just felt, well, it felt like Rowen had lovingly ruffled his hair. He turned on his heels and ran back to where he'd seen his brother drag that man--Kento--off. He wasn't as fast as his brother, but with someone that large, it was doubtful they got far.

He skidded to a halt as he reached the edge of the parking lot. I didn't see them, anywhere. That couldn't have been right. They couldn't have just vanished. That's when he spotted Kento, and he opened his mouth to call his name. He paused though, as he realized he had no idea how to explain what he had felt. He'd probably think I was crazy. I felt a breeze that emotionally felt like my brother? Yeah, that'd go down well.

Watching the car with Kento pull out of the parking lot, he sighed out his nose and started the journey back to his dorm. His mother had offered to let him stay at her place in Kyoto, but technically, he wasn't eighteen, and the school was liable, as was the condominium complex, if anything should happen to him. Granted, I'm used to not having parents around. But he understood their concerns. When he was eighteen he'd consider moving out of the dorm, though his mom's place was on the other side of town.

Maybe Rowen would want a roommate. He considered that for a moment, then shook the thought aside. Rowen had his own life, and while he may want to be near him, to spend more time with him to make up for what they'd lost because of the divorce, he had no right to infringe on it. If he was going to leave the campus when he was old enough, it'd have to be a place of his own. Unless he asks me to move in with him.

He glanced into the sky once more, then entered his dorm building and started up the stairs. Enough day dreaming. You've got a lot of information to go over, plus you need to make a list of all the books you'll need for class. Reaching his floor, he went over to his door and entered the central room. His room was part of a three bedroom set, connected by a nicely sized 'common room,' as the college advertised it. The plan was to have at least one older, more experienced college student in one of the rooms, and the third room would be occupied by whoever needed it.

At the moment, though, he had the entire place to himself. He had chosen the room that was on the corner of the building, giving him a nice view of the campus, but high enough that he had privacy. He tossed his folder onto the desk and sat on his bed, folding his hands together and resting his chin on them. Something was up, that much was obvious. But what did his brother have to do with it, that was the big question. Wait, Kento… He bit his lip. Wasn't that one of the guys from Africa? He wore an armor too, didn't he? He frowned, trying to remember if that name had come up anywhere else. No wait, I'm getting things mixed up. Kento was Rowen's friend as a kid. So they now both lived in Kyoto, instead of Osaka. Maybe they attend college together, and it's some project they have to finish.

He shrugged. There was no way to tell what was going on until Rowen returned from…wherever he'd gone. How'll he find me? Of course, his number was listed in the directory, so Rowen could just call the dorm office and get in contact that way. I thought he was at Tokyo U, though. That was something he had forgotten to ask about. It had been a big deal when Rowen got accepted there, and now he was here. And it wasn't because of me. He was as surprised as I was to see him. Yet another mystery he'd ask Rowen to solve.

Getting up, he straddled his desk chair and pulled out a pencil and opened one of his notebooks. Alright, books. I need to get these sorted out and buy them by next week. Come Winter Break everything'll be closed. He began writing, but a minute later he felt a pounding in his head, and his hand automatically raised to rub his forehead. What the…

It couldn't have been a sinus headache, it was a clear day. It wasn't lack of sleep, either, as he'd been getting plenty of rest. That just leaves…non-medical reasons. He growled softly. His empathy was acting up, probably reacting to something, and it was trying to get his attention. He tried to ignore it, but the pounding got more intense. He squeezed the head, trying to push the pain away, it didn't help.

"Alright! God damn! What?! What the hell do you want me to see?!" The pounding in his head went away, but with it came a vast darkness, and he wondered if he'd passed out. Only…I never passed out when I was still awake, not like this. He turned around. "Hello?" He hesitated, then took a step forward.

As his foot landed, the blackness before him swarmed around, and he found himself looking at a man, slightly older than him, wrestling with some other darkness. He didn't know how he could distinguish the two, he only knew that the darkness that was smothering the man before him was different than the darkness he was standing in. And it's killing him.

He couldn't see much of the man, other than a pale hand and a bit of blond hair, but he could see a green outline of the man, an aura, if what his Wiccan friends had told him was true. "Hey! Can you hear me?" The man gave no response, but his back was arched as if he was in pain. Okay, he can't hear me, but I have to help him somehow! He looked around, trying to find a weapon, a tool, anything that he could use to try and free the man from his prison. Nadda. Okay, plan B. He moved forward and grasped the man's hand, pulling on it. "Let go of him go you suffocating cloud of…of…oh just go away!"

Richard felt something in him grow then, and his forehead felt warm. A ball of light formed around his hand, the one he was holding, and exploded, hurtling him back into his own world of darkness. He didn't let go, though, and he felt the other man come with him. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was back in his room, slumped over the back of his chair. What…what just happened? He looked at his hand, surprised to realize he could actually feel where the other man's fingers had gripped him.

He sat up and looked around, trying to see if there was anyone in the room with him. Nothing. I'm alone. Then he felt someone looking at him, searching for him, and his head snapped towards the window. It was coming from the sky, but he couldn't see anything, or anyone. The feeling vanished, and once again his world seemed back to normal.

He got up from the chair and moved back to the bed, pulling a pillow out and hugging it. His world wasn't normal, though. What had just happened wasn't normal, and it terrified him. He'd never experienced anything like that, and for a moment he found himself wishing for the blackouts and nausea, things he could handle. He didn't want…whatever had just happened. He didn't want his powers to evolve, to experience that again. But he knew something was changing, something inside of him, and he hugged the pillow even tighter. What's happening to me?

~*()*~

"What about the Snow Maiden?"

Cye shook his head. "Whoever I saw was definitely a guy."

"But it fits. He lived in a mountain, awakened by winter, and controls the snow."

"First off, it was a hill. Second, a Nether spirit awakened him. And third, he controls ice, not snow. Cale controls snow."

Mia rubbed her temples and turned away from the computer. "Cye, we've been through every snow legend to look for a literal demon. What if it's metaphorical? What if, I don't know, the writer wrote that it was a mountain because that's more dramatic? Or wrote that it's a snow woman because that made for a better story?"

"It's not!" Cye slammed the book he was looking through closed. "This is a Dynasty minion! He's evil, he's vile, and he's got to be here somewhere! It was the one damn thing your grandfather was good at so he's got to be in here somewhere!"

Mia stared at Cye, then shoved her chair back and left the room.

Cye sighed and hung his head, using the heels of his hands to massage his eyes. God, that was a low blow. He didn't really believe that about her grandfather. In fact, he had never met the man, but he had heard the stories from Ryo, Mia, even Yulie. He had no right to say something so harsh. Why did I?

He knew why. He was worried, really worried, about this new evil. First the vision, then Ryo had been unable to contact Kayura, and now there was no reference whatsoever to this guy. He was also fairly tired, but that was expected. Between the emotional upheaval and the lack of sleep, he was getting upset, and frustrated.

I should apologize. He got up from his own seat and left of the library, trying to decide which way his wife had gone. He stepped into the hall and walked towards the kitchen, listening for any sounds that indicated his wife was there. I hope I didn't make her cry. He would feel awful about that, especially since he hadn't meant to lash out.

He found her in the kitchen, but she wasn't crying, simply standing there, waiting for the tea kettle to whistle. She was leaning against the counter, staring at the floor, and Cye saw a cross between worry and angry lines marring her forehead. He took a few steps towards her and stopped by the fridge, waiting to see if she gave any indication that she didn't want to hear from him. She didn't say anything, though, so he closed the distance, and carefully put his arms around her waist. She didn't uncross her arms, but she didn't pull away, either.

It's a start. "I'm sorry. I just…I didn't mean what I said. It's just…I'm afraid, and you know how much I hate to fight, especially with what we've been trying to do." He hadn't told any of the other guys yet, but after the Suzunagi incident, he and Mia had agreed they should try to have a baby. They hoped the wars were finally over, and with Mia's steady income and his free time, it seemed like a good time. Another war meant putting off their plans. They couldn't risk bringing a child into a war torn world, or a world of darkness. And he couldn't in good conscious leave to fight this new evil while his wife was with child. "I just…I took out my emotions on you when I had no right to. I'm sorry."

"I won't say I'm not hurt, Cye, but I understand." She leaned against him. "I felt that way a lot during the first war, and it was hard to keep it under control."

"Me too, which just means I should've been able to control myself better."

"Yes." She turned around and rested a hand on his cheek. "But then, out of the blue, you have this vision so terrible you wake up with no control. In one night your world of stability is gone, and you're back to fighting." She tilted her head, meeting his eyes. "We both know how you feel about that. You had just come to accept that maybe there would be no more battles, and now you've been thrust into yet another one." She pulled away as the kettle began whistling and grabbed a hot pad. "I think you, I, we all have a right to lose our control, a little."

"Still, what I said-"

"You didn't mean it, Cye. Forget about it." She poured the steaming water into two mugs and grabbed two tea bags from a nearby cupboard.

Cye watched her work, crossing his arms across his chest in a bit of a self-hug. "You're too good to me."

"I figure there's going to be some hard days ahead, and there's going to be a lot we, not just you and I, but the other Ronins as well, will say that we'll regret. It's pressure, it's fear, it's a lot of stuff. We dealt with it in the first two wars, and in every other challenge since then. We'll be fine." She pushed one mug towards him and lifted her own.

Cye accepted his, but merely re-dipped his tea bag. "You sure you didn't get Sage's kanji of wisdom?"

Mia chuckled and shook her head. "I doubt it. I'm just more used to the waiting and researching part of the fights. This is a first for you."

"Huh. Guess you're right." He finally picked up his tea and sipped it, though he didn't really taste it. As soon as I can I'm getting her a bouquet of flowers. Lilies of the Valley. They were her favorite type of flower. She preferred roses only on romantic occasions, not for little gestures of love, or apologies.

"You know, darling…"

"Hmm?"

"We haven't checked the book Kayura gave us."

Cye froze, his mouth hanging open. "I…never even thought…" The book she was referring to was a gift from Anubis, once he had finally recovered from the near death experience of giving both his armor and the Ancient's power to Kayura. It was a unique tome that contained every legend of the Nether World, but with one word the legends that were based in truth would vanish, and the actual history that the legend stemmed from would appear. They hadn't asked how it worked, because it was obviously a spell. "Where is it?"

"I placed it in the antique room, with the other relics grandfather left me." She quickly put her mug down and hurried out of the room, Cye on her heels.

Why didn't we think of this earlier? No Earth-based legend held the story of an ice demon, but that didn't mean there wasn't one in the Nether World legends. It'll take longer to look through one book, but I have a feeling we'll find something. The problem was, he was fairly sure they wouldn't like what they found.

~*()*~

Ryo looked up from his game of checkers with Yulie as Sage walked out of the bedroom, swaying ever so slightly. "How is he?"

"Healed, but asleep. I tried nudging his mind, but…" Sage shook his head and stumbled over to the couch, collapsing on it and throwing an arm over his eyes. "He's entered a healing sleep, a deep one. He's not waking up anytime soon."

"Hi, Sage."

Sage waggled his fingers in Yulie's general direction.

Kento took a seat on the other end of the couch. "Man, you look wasted. Are you okay?"

"The damage internally was worse than I thought. You can thank Sehkmet's poison for that. It was degrading his organs." He let out a quick yawn. "It took a lot more energy than I had anticipated. I'll be fine once I get a few hours sleep."

Rowen finally walked into the room and dropped a bag by the door. "So that just leaves who's going with who."
Ryo glanced at the bag, then to Rowen. "You travel light."

"I can come back if I forgot anything." He shifted his weight a bit nervously. "I figured we would drive. I don't think I can teleport all of you, not without you wearing your armors."

"Anubis shouldn't," Sage let out another yawn, "shouldn't go through that anyways. Not right now."

"You're welcome to stay the night, guys. My place isn't really set up for a lot of company, but a few sleeping bags and you should be set."

Yulie jumped two of Ryo's pieces as the Ronin of Wildfire stood up. "No, we get moving tonight. Sage, you and Rowen take the jeep with Anubis. Yulie and I will ride with Kento. We have to get to Mia's. Who knows when this new guy will attack, and if the Warlords have been turned evil already, we probably don't have much time." He looked to Kento. "Can you get Anubis into my car?"

"No sweat." Kento stood and went to his bedroom.

Ryo pulled his keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Rowen, who brought his hand up reflexively and caught them. "Get there as fast as you can. The more Ronins we have around Anubis, the more we can protect him."

"Right."

"I am not getting into a car driven by Rowen."

Rowen snorted and picked up his bag. "Yeah, you're in a condition to drive."

Sage defiantly crossed his arms. "No. You drive like a maniac."

"That was almost a year ago. Would you drop it?"

"Guys! Get going! Rowen, don't give Sage a heart attack. Sage, don't be a backseat driver and get some sleep. Clear?" Ryo looked between the two friends, not getting any vocal agreement, but both teens nodded. "Good. Get going."

Rowen walked over and grabbed Sage by his arm, helping to get him to his feet. "Come on, sleepy. I'll even keep the radio off so you won't complain about it invading your dreams."

Sage grumbled. "If you make me sick again…"

"This is the thanks I get for stopping by your house to pick up some clothes for you? You know you brought nothing with you on the train."

Ryo raised an eyebrow as Sage's ears turned red. "I just had to get out quickly."

"Yeah, yeah." Rowen stepped aside as Kento, carrying Anubis, cut in front of them and headed downstairs. "And for your information, I haven't driven like a maniac since I entered college."

"Yeah. Other than when he moved to Kyoto, he hasn't driven at all."

Sage shot Ryo a desperate look before Rowen tugged the blond out of sight.

"It's nice to see those two are still friends."

Ryo chuckled and patted Yulie's shoulder. "Yeah, it is." He tugged on the oversized sweat shirt the boy was wearing. "Kento couldn't find anything close to your size?"

"Nope. Mom and dad are sending some clothes to Mia's, though."

Ryo took his seat again, glancing at the board, but not really wanting to continue the game. "Your parents agreed to let you go, knowing the danger?" Yulie squirmed a bit, and Ryo narrowed his eyes. "Yulie, what did you tell them?"

"I told them it was a reunion of all of us."

"Yulie!"

"I don't want them to worry! They think it's just a little get together. If an attack happens, it's coincidence." Yulie hunched his shoulders and averted his eyes from Ryo's gaze.

Ryo grabbed the boy by the scruff of his neck. "You are in so much trouble, kid." He led the boy downstairs. "On the way to Mia's you are calling them and telling them the truth."

A whiny tone wormed its way into Yulie's voice. "But then they won't want me to go."

"And if they want you to come home, you'll tell them once we reach the Koji resident that Rowen will bring you home." Ryo shook his head. "Yulie, this is a serious matter."

"And I have every right to be a part of this war as you do."

"And I won't have you on the front line where you could get hurt. How many close calls did you have during the first Dynasty war? During our ordeal in Africa?"

Yulie shrugged. "I dunno. Some?"

"More than some, Yulie." He squatted down and put his hands on Yulie's shoulders, looking the boy in his eyes. "Yulie, with the amount of injuries Anubis got, he was probably attacked by one, or maybe all three Warlords. If they could attack their friend, imagine what they could do to you."

Yulie winced at Ryo's words and hung his head. "I know. I know the risks, Ryo. I've been through this before. And I'm ready to be a part of it again."

"But I'm not. If something happens to you-"

"Then something happens to me and there's not much you or anyone can do about it. I can handle it, Ryo. I'm not a kid anymore."

Ryo took a deep breath through his nose, then pulled Yulie forward into a hug. "No, you're not. But you're still a friend, and someone we all care deeply about."

"I know…"

"And you're still too young to make this decision on your own. Your parents would worry, and they worried enough during the first war."

Yulie nodded, recalling how his mother had started weeping at seeing him. Since he hadn't been captured, they had thought he had been killed in the initial invasion. His father hadn't been in a much better condition, though he had simply cried silently. "Alright. But I'm going to tell them I want to stay."

"It's their decision, though, and whatever they decide, you agree to, without a fuss. Agreed?"

Yulie finally pulled away from Ryo's hug and glanced down the stairs, where Kento was watching them from the front door.

"Agreed?"

"Agreed, Ryo. But I'm not happy about it."

Ryo ruffled Yulie's hair and continued down the stairs, seeing that his jeep was already gone. "It's not about your happiness, Yulie."

"I know."

"Hey you two, what's with the serious faces?"

Ryo walked out and headed for Kento's car. "Just talking about what Yulie should tell his parents when he phones them."

"You mean you didn't already, squirt?" Kento waved his finger at Yulie before locking his shop and heading for the driver's seat. "I have a cell phone in the car."

"I have one, too. I'll use it to call them."

"Cool." Kento unlocked the doors and climbed in.

Ryo ran a hand through his hair, looking into the sky, before climbing in as well. Already taking on the role of leader. Some habits die hard. Kento started the car and Ryo turned to watch Yulie as he dialed home.

~*()*~

Cale flinched internally when their new master, Touryuki, sent Sehkmet hurtling into the wall. He, along with Dais, had been summoned to the throne room to witness Sehkmet's dressing down, because he had lost Anubis. It's not his fault he slipped. The fist over his heart tightened. He was loyal to Touryuki, but Dais and Sehkmet were still his friends.

"Let this be a lesson. I don't tolerate failure." The Ice Warlord narrowed his eyes on the two standing Warlords. "This time, you get a warning. Next time, you will be executed." He turned and stormed up to his throne of ice, sitting down and closing his eyes, rubbing his forehead.

Cale risked a quick glance over his shoulder, and saw Sehkmet pulling himself up from the rubble, struggling to regain his footing and mimic the respectful stances he and Dais were in. His armor will heal any real damage. He wasn't too worried. Sehkmet had a hard head.

"Alright. Status report, Cale?"

Cale snapped to attention and bowed slightly. "My lord, the clouds have nearly covered all of the Nether World. Your powers should encompass it entirely by nightfall."

"Any resistance?"

"A few small patches, but most of the spirits have submitted to your authority." He paused. "I sensed Halo's spirit earlier."

Touryuki paused in his rubbing and nodded at Cale to continue.

"I tried to extinguish him, but some…thing…freed him from my hold. Even with your power dampening the Ancient's Staff, it can still aid them."

He heard Touryuki grind his teeth. "It wasn't the Ancient that freed him." The new ruler sat back, growling softly. "I thought I had more time before it awakened."

Dais stepped forward. "Lord Touryuki?"

The ice warrior shifted his gaze to the Warlord of Illusion. "When the Nether Spirit freed me from my prison and infused its power into me, it awakened my counterpart."

Cale exchanged a confused look with the now standing Sehkmet. "Counterpart, sir?"

Touryuki stood up again and paced in front of his throne. "When Talpa created me, he didn't realize how powerful I'd be. That's why I was sealed away, I was a threat."

All three Warlords nodded. Cale knew the legend of the Ice Warlord the best, having the armor that controlled winter. It was said that Talpa created Touryuki to combat the threat of Inferno, an armor a mystic warned him of. Unfortunately, Talpa made him too powerful, and banished Touryuki to spend eternity in a prison of his power. Until now, Cale had thought it was just a legend.

"The Ancient," Touryuki spit the word as an epithet, "learned of me, and created an armor to counter my power. It would have the same power as Inferno, but it would be built so it couldn't be canceled by my power." He stopped walking and crossed his arms. "Like my armor, it was designed to be built from its element."

Cale's brow furrowed, and he knew Dais was trying to figure out who it was as well. "An armor made of fire?"

Touryuki did growl this time. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I just said that!" Cale ducked his head as Touryuki's icy gaze seared him. "Only the Ancient knew what it was, and he never recorded it." His eyes took on a purple glow momentarily. "The Nether Spirits say Talpa found a way to tap into its power, but never discovered the armor itself, or who its bearer was."

Cale saw Dais mouth 'Starlight,' and wondered if the strategist was right. It would explain how the armor was so powerful, even against all three of them. If that was just tapping into the power, how strong would the full armor be?

"Enough of this. You must rest as must I. In sleep the Nether Spirit energies will finish reinforcing your power, and allow me to regain what I've lost in taking over this realm."

"Shall we prepare the troops for battle? Revive the armors for them to inhabit?"

"Yes. Sehkmet, you shall handle that." Touryuki frowned, his eyes moving back and forth. "Cale, send a message to the outskirts of the Dynasty. I want every demon on Earth and in the Nether Realm brought forth."

Cale's eyes widened. "Demons?" Not even Talpa had resorted to using them more than a couple times. They could be unpredictable, and often had their own agendas.

Touryuki glared at Cale again. "Yes, demons. And tell them if they fail to appear, we shall dispense with them before we strike Earth."

Cale bowed once more. "Yes my lord." His confidence in this new master wavered slightly. Demons, of all things.

"Dais. Dispose of Kayura and the Staff. It will greatly weaken the Ronins." He paused. "And search for the Armor of Cruelty. I have not been able to sense it, and it was not with the woman when I attacked. If Anubis managed to grab the armor before he left…" He gave Sehkmet a dirty look and the room got colder, which Cale didn't think was possible.

"Consider it done, my Lord."

Touryuki nodded, then walked behind the throne and vanished into a private chamber.

All three Warlords exited the throne room, ice crystals already extending from the ruined wall to cover the gap. Sehkmet was the first to break the silence when they turned the corner. "Demons! He's bringing demons!"

Dais, of course, pointed out the obvious. "You're half demon yourself, Sehkmet."

"Half demon. My human half is dominant. These are full-blooded demons. Is he insane?"

"It's not our place to question him."

Cale shot Dais a look. He was right, of course, but even he was questioning this move. "Talpa tried to use demons to take out the Ronins. Remember Saranbo? He tried to get the power of the Inferno for himself, to make himself lord of the Dynasty." Cale rubbed the back of his head. "How the hell will he keep control of not just one or two, but all demons? Especially when he invites them into the Castle?"

"Perhaps you should send word to have the demon classes send a representative."

Cale stopped walking and his brow furrowed as Dais kept walking. "How can you be okay with this?"

"Because I trust Touryuki. He is a formidable leader. He has some way to deal with the demons, or he wouldn't risk inviting them here, not when he's so weak." Dais finally paused in his steps and looked over his shoulder. "You both have jobs to do, so get going."

Sehkmet let out a hiss of discontent, but vanished, undoubtedly going to the dungeon, where Kayura had stored all the soldier armor accumulated over Talpa's reign. Cale met Dais' eye and growled. "I will follow him for now. But if he-" He choked and clawed at his neck. Dais had rushed him into a wall and had his hand around his throat.

"Lord Touryuki is not to be questioned, and if I hear any more of this doubt…" Dais' grip got firmer, and Cale struggled to get any air into him. "If I hear any more of this, you will no longer be available to wear that armor." He released Cale, who fell to the floor coughing. Dais then vanished to presumably complete his own task.

Cale simply sat there glowering, but unwilling to do anything other than catch his breath at the moment. Dais's loyalty was admirable, but Cale had learned the first time around that blinding loyalty could lead to defeat. Should he fail, Dais, or bring this place under siege by demons, I will kill him and take his place as Lord of the Dynasty. It was ambitious, but he'd rather betray his master than fall into the hands of the monsters Touryuki wished him to summon.

Getting up, he closed his eyes and reached out with his power, touching the minds of the wolves of the Dynasty. With Talpa gone, the natural ecology of the Nether Realm had reasserted itself, including an animal kingdom. The wolves would get the messages to the demons the fastest. Send your best representative, each class, each demon, and come to the castle. You are to meet the new master of the Dynasty, and if you fail to appear, you will be slaughtered. He felt the canines take off to every corner of this world and the one of the Ronins. Now, to get some rest.

~*()*~

"Ben Affleck was in 'Good Will Hunting' with Matt Damon, who was in 'The Rainmaker' with Claire Danes, who was in 'Romeo and Juliet' with Leonardo DiCaprio, who was in 'Titanic' with Kate Winslet, who was in 'Sense and Sensibility' with Kenneth Branaugh."

Rowen raised his eyebrows as he turned off the main road that would lead to the Koji residence. "For someone who claims to dislike American culture, you certainly know who's in their movies."

"Satsuki enjoys them, for some reason. And she likes me to watch with her."

Rowen snickered. "Your younger sister can talk you into watching movies you hate?"

"Oh shut up."

Rowen grinned and kept driving. Sage had slept most of the trip to Mia's. The instant he was buckled up and Rowen had the car going, Sage's head had rolled back and he'd fallen dead asleep. It wasn't until an hour ago, just as they got on the turnoff for Toyama, that Sage finally awakened from his slumber. It was nearly midnight, and he was sure with Kento's conservative driving the others would arrive even later, but he wasn't too tired. Of course, he was used to late nights thanks to his schoolwork. It also helped that he had brought a mug of coffee with him, which was almost empty at this point.

So, after Sage checked on their other sleeping passenger in the back, they had started talking, doing some quick catch up, and somehow they had gotten on a game of Six Degrees. He wasn't sure how, but he suspected it was due to hanging out with Kento. "Alright, I'm ready for the next one."

"Maybe later." Sage waved his hand towards the window. "We're almost there."

"Alright." Rowen parked the jeep next to the van that had become Cye and Mia's mode of transportation. Cye had said it was because Mia brought a lot of papers and research to and from the college, but Rowen was a genius. They were planning ahead, for when they had children.

Despite the late hour, Cye was obviously still awake, as he walked out of the house and gave them both a strained smile. Rowen glanced at Sage. He's had a hard day. "Hey Cye. Can you give Sage and I a hand?"

"With luggage?"

Rowen pulled the bag strap over his shoulder and shook his head. He jerked his thumb to the jeep. "With sleeping beauty."

Cye closed his eyes. "Rowen, I've had a long day…"

"He means Anubis, Cye." Sage pulled the man in question from the back seat, and Cye was by his side immediately, helping to hold the ex-Warlord up. "You okay?"

"It's just been a really long day. First the nightmare, then calling you guys, Mia and I have been doing research all day…"

Rowen held open the front door for them and heard a car coming up the drive. Guess Kento finally learned how to drive decently. He left the door unlocked for them and spotted his friends helping Anubis upstairs, probably to lay him one of the many bedrooms. He dropped the duffle bag by the couch and took a quick tour around the room. It had changed a bit, the most obvious change was the large tank that held an assortment of tropical fish. Guess Cye couldn't put them in the lake.

There were some newer pictures hanging on the walls as well. Some from Ryo's party in America, a couple from Africa, and one of the guys in their new armors. He smirked as he recalled how giddy Mia was after she got over the shock and worry about what had happened to them. There were others as well, mostly just pictures of Cye and Mia. There was one from their honeymoon at Tokyo Disney. He had never pegged Cye as a Disney fan, but apparently the water Ronin had loved the Mouse from the beginning.

"Hey Ro, buddy. I caught you driving on the freeway. Still a bat out of hell, huh?"

Rowen laughed and put his hands on his waist, turning to face them. "I see you finally stopped driving like an old lady."

"Hey! I'll have you kno-"

"Kento, shh." Ryo stepped in carrying a sleeping Yulie. "He fell asleep a few hours ago, and let's not wake him."

Cye had returned from upstairs, and waved in the direction of the rooms. "Go ahead and put him in his old room. And keep it down. I didn't get Mia down until an hour ago."

Ryo nodded and slipped past the older boy. "Thanks."

Kento waited until Ryo was upstairs. "Get her down?"

"You know how she gets when she delves into research. We finally hit a possibility of who this Ice Warlord I saw in my dream was, and she just refused to stop. I eventually just put some sleeping herbs in her tea." He sighed and sat back on the couch.

"You look like you could use some of those herbs yourself." Rowen grabbed a chair from the adjoining dining room and turned it around so he could straddle it, resting his arms on its back. "You didn't have to wait up."

"I wanted to."

Rowen caught a bit of a haunted expression in Cye's eyes, and was glad he wasn't the only one as Kento took the lead.

"What's wrong, man? You're obviously tired. We're here. We can all get some rest and talk tomorrow."

Cye rubbed his hands together. "I'm fine, Kento. Really."
Sage's soft voice floated into the room. "You're not fine, not when you're afraid to go to sleep."

Cye shot Sage a nasty look as the blond leaned against the fire mantle. "I'm not afraid."

"You are." Sage tapped his forehead. "I can sense it, remember?"

Cye continued to glare, but turned away as Ryo returned to the room. "So maybe I am, a little."

Ryo rested a hand on Cye's shoulder. "Go upstairs and relax, Cye. We're here. If you have another dream, we'll be here for you."

Rowen rested his chin on his arms. Ryo was already falling back into the role as leader. We've changed, Ryo. He was, and would always be the leader, but life was different from how it was. Rowen had obligations he couldn't ignore, at least over the next week. "We'll be here for tonight, at least." That brought everyone's gaze onto him. He was a little uncomfortable being the source of such scrutiny, but he didn't let it show.

"Rowen, we're staying here for the war."

Rowen bobbed his head. "I agree, Ryo. But I have to be back at school tomorrow."

"What?" Ryo frowned and crossed his arms. "Rowen-"

"I'm sorry, Ryo. Some of us have lives that can't be put on hold. I nearly lost one semester this year, I'm not losing another."

"Rowen, man, I think you're not quite on the same page as us."

"Actually, Kento," Sage's eyes bore into Rowen's head, "he's exactly on the same page. He knows what he's saying."

"Once this year is out, I'll go on hiatus and focus full time. It's a week."

"The Dynasty doesn't acknowledge weeks, or lives, or any of that crap! This new guy could order an attack at any second!"

"So call me on my cell phone. I can teleport, remember?"

"That's not the point!" Ryo stormed over to Rowen and planted his hands on the younger man's shoulders. "You have a duty as a Ronin that you can't ignore!"

Rowen tried to keep his voice calm. "I'm not ignoring it, I'm saying you can reach me at any time, even during class, though I'll be despised for it. But unlike you, I can't just pick up and leave. If I don't finish my tests and reports and projects, I could lose a whole semester of credit."

"Hey, Rowen, I didn't want to just pick up and leave. I have paying clients."

Sage spoke up a well. "And I have students."

"All of which can be covered by family members! All of you can get someone to cover for you or you don't need to be covered!" He looked at Ryo as he made his last statement. "I don't! I can't just call up my mom and say, 'Oh, hi, I need you to finish off my classes cause I'm saving the world' or tell the school administrator I'm leaving because some mystical evil is invading our realm! I don't have that luxury!"

"You are a Ronin Warrior!"

"And I'm a student, a damned good one! I promise to put my life on hold, but not right now! One week, that's all I'm asking for. I'll even stay here. Teleport to and from school each day, would that make you happy? I'll be right here every morning and every evening."

Ryo stood back and crossed his arms. "The Dynasty won't respect school hours."

"And you should respect my decision. I know the risks, Ryo. I know I'm possibly setting up my college for an attack, or that I could be ambushed, but frankly I'm willing to take that risk."

"We're not. We need you, Rowen."

Rowen sighed and shook his head. "Fine, I'll take Kento with me every day. It's not usual for him to hang around waiting for me."

Sage coughed. "With his stomach, that might not be such a good idea. Those teleports can be bumpy."

Rowen stuck his tongue out at Sage, then looked back at Ryo. "The fact is, I'm doing this. I'm not going to let the Dynasty ruin my life. Not this time." He got up from the chair and went into the kitchen, effectively ending the conversation. You guys have it easy, but I don't. He knew his duty as a Ronin, but he meant what he said. He finally had his life in order, and he was not going to let the Dynasty just interrupt it. Sorry, Ryo. You can be as pissed as you want, but I'm only asking for one week. You can live with one week. He just hoped the Dynasty would be busy for his last week.

~*()*~

"Can you believe him? He just…he can't…"

Kento watched Rowen leave the room, trying to gauge what he should do. On one hand, he wanted to go after Rowen and find out what that was about. On the other, though, someone needed to get Ryo to calm down, and Sage wasn't having much luck with it. He couldn't count on Cye, either, as the eldest Ronin seemed to be drifting off to sleep where he sat.

Guess it's up to me. He got up from his seat and patted Ryo's back. "Calm down, man. Rowen's got a point."

"What do you mean he's got a point?"

"He doesn't have anyone to cover for him. Cye works at home, you wander around and do odd jobs, and Sage and I have family to cover for our jobs. Who does Rowen have?" Kento did briefly recall the teen that Rowen was talking to when he found him, but he didn't know what the relation was between them. "If he's here every night, and we keep in contact with him, it should minimize the risk, right?"

"What about the Dynasty attacking Rowen at school? His being there endangers all of the students!"

Kento frowned. He hadn't really thought about that. Ryo's got a point there. "Well, um, as long as one of us is with him, we could probably get the enemy away from campus, right?"

"Maybe, and maybe the Warlord will simply kill the students!"

Sage rubbed his temples. "Ryo, calm down."

"I won't! Where does he get off making decisions like that!"

"He has a right to live his life, especially him. He's the youngest of us, and he was just finding his path in life when this came up."

"That doesn't give him the right to brush this off!"

"He hasn't brushed his duties off, he just wants to complete one normal thing." Sage ran a hand through his hair. "The events with Suzunagi already screwed up his year, a year he really wanted to go smoothly. It's not what we would do, but we can't fight him on this. You know how stubborn he is. If we cause a division among us now, before a new war…"

Kento knew what Sage meant. The powers of their armors were strengthened by the bonds of mutual friendship they had. Even these new armors seemed to grow stronger when they fought as a team, with unity. "It's one week, Ryo. It's not like he's asking for maternity leave or something." Cye let out a snort as his head slipped down and he looked around. "Besides, we can kick Dynasty ass without him. The four of us can take care of any tin cans they throw at us."

"And what about the college, huh? What if the Dynasty attacks there, or worse, one of the Warlords attacks there? Do you know how many people could die or get captured? We let the population of Toyama become prisoners, we can't let that happened to anyone else, anywhere else!"

"And we won't. As long as one of us always goes with Rowen, we'll be able to thwart them."

Sage stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'll go. I don't like the ride, but I can at least sense darkness when it approaches. That should give us plenty of time to get together, maybe even teleport back and get the rest of you."

"There, see Ryo? We can cover him for a week."

Ryo scowled and grumbled, but nodded.

"What was just decided?"

Kento chuckled and helped Cye off the couch. "I'll explain in the morning. You need to get some sleep."

"Sleep…right."

"Hey, Cye," Cye glanced over to Sage, "I'll put up some wards and keep a mental eye on you. If you start to have a nightmare again, we'll get you out of it."

Cye gave Sage a weak smile. "Thanks."

Kento led Cye up the stairs, catching Ryo asking Sage about wards before they hit the second story. He grew up near a temple. He should know something or two.

"I can make it from here, thanks."

"No prob." He patted Cye's back, waiting at the landing of the stairs until Cye safely made it to his room. Poor guy. He wondered if Cye would be up to cooking tomorrow, or if he and Rowen would have to take that duty. Rowen. He backtracked down the stairs and walked through the living room, Sage and Ryo too busy discussing something to notice him, and into the kitchen. He spotted Rowen immediately. He had pulled a chair from the table over by the window and was staring at the stars. "Good view?"

"It's better than when I'm in the city, yeah."

Kento took a seat at a chair still at the table. "You want to look at me? Or just stare out the window?" He heard Rowen sigh, and for a good few minutes Rowen made no effort to move. Then, finally, he turned his own seat around and faced Kento.

"I'm not changing my mind. I do know my duty as a Ronin, but I won't, I can't just leave my life. Not this time."

"It's alright, Ro. We convinced Ryo it'd be fine. Sage will accompany you every day since he can sense evil, and you can finish up the week." The tension from Rowen's posture flowed away in an instant, but Kento could still see some worry in his friend's face. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"Is this about that kid you were talking with earlier?"

Rowen looked at him, then groaned and hung his head. "Damn. I meant to call him, tell him everything was okay."

"Who was it? He looked like your twin." Rowen's gaze shifted away from Kento, and he went silent. Kento recognized Rowen's thinking style. Whoever this guy is, Rowen's not sure whether we should know of him. That was a bit worrisome. Rowen tended not to keep secrets from him. From the other guys, yeah, but from him, never. They grew up together, and they had never kept secrets from each other.

"It…it's someone I care about, and haven't seen in a while. But if I tell you," Rowen rubbed his hands together, "I don't want him to be a part of this, and I'm afraid he'll be sucked in. By me…or by his own effort."

"Okay, but you didn't tell me who he was."

"He," Rowen's eyes flitted towards Kento before returning their gaze to the ground, "he's my brother. My younger brother."

Kento's brow furrowed. "You mean like your step-brother because of the divorce?"

"No, I mean…my brother. He was born about fourteen months after me."

Kento bristled, but tried not to show it. If Rowen was telling the truth, that meant he had lied for years, and not about some small thing. "You never told me about him."

"He left with mom in the divorce. I…kept in contact with him until the first war."

"But why didn't you tell me? Any of us?"

"He's…I didn't want to risk his life during the war."

"And me? We were friends for years before the war started!"

Rowen offered Kento a small shrug. "Dad didn't like me to talk about him, I guess I just got used to…not mentioning him."

"Geeze, Rowen! This is big! I'm your friend, you didn't have to-"

Rowen interrupted him in a low voice. "He's different, Kento."

Kento stopped and blinked at the younger Ronin. "Different?"
"Different." Rowen didn't expand on the term, just let it hang there. "And I love him, I do, but I didn't want his…difference to be known, even among friends." He glanced at Kento. "There would've been questions I couldn't answer, things you'd want to know that I couldn't tell you. It was…easier to keep him a secret."

Kento watched Rowen fiddle with his hands, obviously uncomfortable telling him this. But…a baby brother. Kento could've kept the secret. He would've been proud to help the kid with any disability he had. "Rowen, I'm your friend, your best friend. You could've told me."

"I know. It…just never seemed like a good time to bring it up."

Kento reached over and squeezed Rowen's shoulder. "I'm still upset, but I can understand you not wanting to talk about someone who's…different." He gave Rowen's shy glance a grin. "Why don't you tell me about him now? We're going to be living in the same city when this whole mess is over."

"Maybe later." Rowen sat back and looked out the window once more. "Right now I'm worried he'll put two and two together and realize we have another fight."

"He saw the Africa thing, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Well, just tell him to keep his head down and you'll be back by next year."

"If I have to, but he may get swamped by school and forget about me."

Kento had to agree with the doubtful tone in Rowen's voice. "He may."

"Look, um, Kento. Could you not tell the others? At least…not until this war ends."

"Sure, no prob. But you and I," he jabbed his finger between the two of them, "are going to talk about this."

"Alright. I owe you that much, at least."

"Well, yeah." Both Ronins remained silent for a few minutes, Kento's ears picking up Sage and Ryo talking in the other room. "So, Cye will probably be wiped tomorrow. Think you and I can handle breakfast?"

Rowen offered Kento a lopsided grin. "Better than Ryo can."

Kento turned a little green. Ryo's one, and only, cooking attempt that sent all four Ronins to the hospital was a very potent memory. "Thanks for reminding me."

Rowen nodded, took one last look out the window, and stood up. "I'd better get some sleep. I still have class tomorrow. Goodnight, Kento. And thanks."

"Sleep well." Kento observed Rowen leave, then got up and put Rowen's chair back at the table. A little brother. Wonder what other secrets are floating about.

~*()*~

He didn't have much time, he never would, not if he wanted to keep his presence a secret from the man known as Touryuki. He could only stay for ten minutes, maybe fifteen, but no longer. He wouldn't need to stay that long. He only had two things to do, but one chore took precedence over the other. He had to make sure she was okay, that she wasn't dead.

Kayura.

She was still encased in the unholy ice, a crystal so strong and alien that not even the desert heat had melted it. He'd done everything short of tossing her into a volcano, which he wouldn't do. That would put her life in danger, and with the Warlords on the side of evil, her life was in enough danger as it was. Despite her frozen state, he could feel a faint heartbeat through the icy casing. It was weak, and very slow, but it was there. All he had to do was make sure she stayed alive until he could free her.

The Staff didn't even acknowledge him, which was a bit of a blessing and a curse. If it had, he'd be exposed to Touryuki, and all his work would be for naught. But the fact that it hadn't responded to him meant that its power was also encased in the ice. The Ronins wouldn't be able to reach it for help, and without an Ancient, they might have problems defeating this new Warlord.

But Anubis was free. Injured, and probably dying, but free. There was a slim chance the Ronins would find him, a possibility of being saved. A depressing thought, but it was their only hope, the only one who could tell the Ronins what they needed to know. To warn them of Touryuki, to tap into the Ancient's knowledge buried in his subconscious and reveal to them the way to destroy the new Dynasty master.

But first he had to survive, and there was one way to increase his chance of survival. Turning away, he searched around the room. The Armor of Cruelty, it was the only thing that could not just save him, but protect him from any further attacks by Touryuki. If the Ice Warlord managed to subvert the demons tomorrow, then there would be no place safe for Anubis. Or the Ronins, but they at least had their armor to protect them.

The big question was where Kayura hid it. She rarely wore the armor, preferring to wear the robes of her people, but its power was always a her fingertips. This room, this small temple, was isolated away from the palace. Outside it was iced over, like the rest of the lands. Inside, though, the Ancient power and wards placed up by Kayura had kept everything normal, untouched by the darkness beyond the single doorway. With luck she would remain safe here, where the Warlords wouldn't find her.

But where was the armor. It was in this sanctuary of hers, obviously, but its location remained a mystery. There were so many hiding places, so many possibilities. It could take hours to find that one small marble. Kayura wouldn't do that, though. In case of an emergency, she would put it only where someone who knew her would find it, someone like him, who knew her almost as well as she knew herself.

With that in mind, It only took him a minute to find the marble resting atop a cushion in a small, hidden away shrine. It was innocuous, out of sight. Unless one knew she prayed to it, the area would be overlooked. Now all he had to do was send the armor to Earth, to Anubis' hand. It would be difficult, even life threatening, but if there was a chance it would help, he would do it. He had to. For all their sakes.

~*()*~

Anubis rolled over in his bed, exhausted, unconscious, unaware of where he was or what was going on around him. His mind was taking him on a journey through his subconscious, to find what the truths he needed to defeat this new enemy. Images, dates, events, all of it flashed before him in his dreams, and it took all of his concentration to filter through them, to make sense of them. He was so engrossed in the mindscape, that he never noticed a dull golden sphere materialize by his hand…

~*()*~

~*()*~

~*()*~

Author's Prattle: And here's chapter two. Didn't take at all long for me to get out, surprisingly enough, especially considering the length. So, for those faithful readers of mine, with luck they'll be coming out pretty fast. I've already got chapter three started, but with Spring Break coming up, it may be a while before I actually get time to finish it. I'm doing a complete overhaul of certain aspects of my life, and that week off is probably the only time I'll have to do it in.

Disclaimers. I don't own Yoroiden Samurai Troopers/Ronin Warriors. They belong to Sunrise, Nagoya TV, and Sony Music Entertainment. The art book and CD info belong to their respective artists (which I believe is still Sunrise and Sony). Richard IS mine, though, as is this plot.

Well, that's it for this chapter. I updated two other of my fics with this, so feel free to check those out too. Otherwise, constructive criticism is always welcome (in emails or reviews), but most importantly, I hope you enjoyed reading!