Meira Evenstar: Thank you for always reviewing after each chapter! It's great to know that someone appreciated this story!

Nothing Much: I know that you like Kayura, so I hope you didn't stop reading it after the last chapter. Please continue to the end, you'll be glad you did!

Now, without further ado, the final chapter to "The Consequences of Fallibility".


Part XII: Left Unsaid

Emperor Kubi stepped into the throne room of the Dynasty castle. A fire formed before him. He paused before the throne, inhaling the air around him, and taking everything in. Then he sat down in the oversized throne, immensely pleased. "Enter my warriors!" he called. A group of upper level Warlords entered the throne room. Katie and Sarah stood on either side of the throne, facing their subordinates.

"This is a momentous day. The day that I, Kubi have taken the throne that once belonged to Talpa. I am now supreme ruler of the Demon Realm." The warriors cheered. "As such, I must decide what my first course of action shall be. I believe that there are five warriors who need to be taught a lesson." Kubi grinned, an evil smirk that every warlord shared with him. "The Dynasty must regain its reputation throughout the realms as being the most powerful. Five little boys tarnished our reputation under Talpa. Those five boys, known as the Ronin Warriors: Ryo of Wildfire, Sage of Halo, Sai of Torrent, Kento of Hardrock, and Rowen of Strata must be destroyed once and for all." The warriors screeched in approval. Kubi smiled, genuinely pleased. "The Dynasty will once again reign supreme!"

‮O

Sarah walked through the Dynasty realm, and sat down by a pond filled with gold water. She was shaking. "What's wrong with me? Kubi's the emperor, this is a good thing. And I'm going to get to show my dominance by destroying the Ronin, what is wrong with me?" she whispered to herself. She shook the feeling aside.

"Sarah…" a man's voice called her name. She turned and found herself staring at Kale, Dais, and Seckhmet, all in their undergear. She leapt to her feet and brandished her staff. "What do you want?" she asked.

"To re-join the Dynasty," Kale said.

"What?" Sarah asked, her stance not faltering.

"Now that Kayura is gone and Kubi is the dominant power, we wish to swear our allegiance to him," Kale answered.

"Wow, you boys sure are loyal aren't you?" Sarah laughed, easing her stance just a little. "But you've been friends with Kayura, and allied yourselves with the Ronin against Talpa."

"That was only to defeat Talpa, who betrayed us, we were never really allies of the Ronin. We only wish to destroy them," Kale responded, his anger and hatred evident in his eyes.

"Very well, I'm all for second chances," she said, lowering her staff. "I'll take you up to Emperor Kubi, there you can swear your allegiance, and then re-join the Warlords."

"Thank you," the three responded.

O

Rowen decided to not tell the other Ronin what he had experienced in the night. They would all assume he had been dreaming, no one would take him seriously. However, he did try to give Kayura a chance to explain. Alone in his apartment; Rowen called her name. He called for her again and again but she did not appear. That was when he knew he was right. "Kayura really has broken herself off from us. I was right, I can't believe I was right…" He sat down, thinking over everything that had happened. He once again decided to keep this news to himself, until the timing was right.

‮O

The other Ronin Warriors, with the exception of Ryo, met to discuss the issue with Kayura again. "So, he didn't say anything to you about what happened at that café?" Sai asked Sage.

"No, he said he didn't want to talk about it, and left it at that," Sage responded earnestly.

"Dude though, she was so angry when he ran out on her. What if she tries something?" Kento asked, worried.

"Rowen can take care of himself," Sai responded. "And if it gets that bad, he'll call us. Besides, people in love with someone very rarely try to kill that person," he added. The others nodded, they would just wait it out.

‮O

Much later, Warlady Sarah, and Empress Katie approached Kubi's throne. He stared down at them excitedly. "The entire Nether Realm is buzzing with the news of your authority in the Dynasty. Everyone wishes to know when you plan to attack the Ronin and reinstate the Dynasty's powerful reputation," Sarah said.

"Ah yes, the Ronin… I think I'll wait a while, give them some time to relax, to let their guard down. When they least expect it I will strike. And they will not escape this time," Kubi responded, a sadistic glow in his demonic eyes. Before him, Warlady Sarah and Empress Katie respectfully bowed.

‮O

Rowen meant to tell the Ronin about Kayura, and his speculations on what happened to her, but he never did. First, with his decision to stay in Toyama, he settled into a routine of studying in anticipation of the return of school, spending time with his friends, and healing the wounds of fighting. Though they knew they should, the Ronin spend relatively little time discussing the Dynasty, their pain, their fears. Then, August came, carrying Ryo's birthday. And with it terrorizing events; first the disappearance of Sage, which created the necessity to take a trip to New York, which led into the battles with the Armor of Halo, and the altercation between Rowen and Luna, making Luna a new ally to the Ronin. Then the battle with Shikaisen created its own problems, as Sage's mental torture left him weak, and the death of Luna left Ryo emotionally scarred.

With everything that happened, Kayura slipped from Rowen's mind, and things that should have been said were left unsaid.

‮O

However, as September arrived, there was someone who had not forgotten. In the furthest reaches of the Dynasty existed a field of wisteria. And within that field, a young woman with blue hair giggled, while staring into the Mortal World.

The End

…or is it really just the beginning?


Can you all guess who that young woman in the field of wisteria is? I bet you can. Anyway, this story may have ended, but it is not over. Join me now, in "Changing Series: A New Foe" to see what happens when Kubi launches his attack, and also, how the Ronin deal with school after everything that happened.

Thank you for reading this story, I loved the feedback I received!

Thank you,

Sarah Shima