Disclaimer: Hmm… Just in case, I'm stating that I do not own the Trooper/ Ronin Universe®, though any characters/ villainous beings that don't exist in the show or OVA's are MINE!!! Use only with permission, SVP.

Ryo's eyes flew open, and for a moment, he didn't know where he was. He felt tangled, and slightly suffocated, as his eyes searched for any source of light. There was a trace amount, for he could see a faded hint of color surrounding him, but he could not find its source. He took a deep breath, and inhaled a faintly musty, yet familiar smell. His pillow.

He struggled to roll over, and instead landed on the floor, his legs still wrapped in the sweaty cocoon of his sheets. Irritatedly, he kicked the sheets off and away. One arm beneath him for support, he placed a shaky hand on his forehead.

Why? he thought, squeezing his eyes shut tightly, letting the left over tears pour out and trickle down the smeared paths on his cheeks. Why do I keep having these nightmares?

He choked down a sob, folding his legs and pulling them against his chest. He felt the heat radiating from his body, and the hand on his forehead balled into a fist.

"Damn it," he whispered through clenched teeth. "Why?"

He glared at the yoroi sphere on his nightstand, lightly reflecting the fading evening light like a kaleidoscope onto his walls.

"Why do you torment me like this?" he asked it, gesturing widely with a hand. "You're supposed to help…" His voice trailed meekly off.

He knew the answer. They'd all realized the burden they'd shouldered when they'd accept their fates as armor bearers. They could not escape it; they'd had no choice but to accept.

He sighed deeply, resting his chin on his knees, letting his eyes slide closed again. Instantly, visions of the nightmare he'd just awoken from flooded his senses. Not just the sights, but the sounds, the smell. That awful, stomach turning smell…

He opened his eyes. He didn't want these dreams. It gnawed at him, the things he saw happening in them; so vivid, as if it were real. As if it were happening, or would be soon.

Sometimes the armor did give off an almost precognitive sense; small glimpses of battle, or tiny images of events that seemed almost de ja vu when they happened later. And sometimes it was hard to tell if it was a glimpse of the future, or of the past


Kento sat slouched in an armchair, arms folded defiantly. Sai sat across the room on the couch, staring off at nothing, seemingly lost in thought.

Whiteblaze, napping peacefully on the floor, gave a sudden low growl. Sai and Kento both looked to him, then in the direction he was growling.

"Uh oh…" Sai whispered under his breath, shooting a quick glance at Kento. Whiteblaze was now bristling at the portals, fangs bared.

Kento let loose a barrage of colorful words. "Something must've happened! We've gotta do something!"

"Like what? We can't get through there!" He looked over to see his friend already in his subarmor, fists clenched. Thinking that, for once, it might be a wise idea, he summoned his as well.

"I'm gonna call my armor. Whether we should or not, I'm gonna go see—"

"No, Kento," Sai stood between him and the portals. "We can't risk it. If they are in trouble, the first thing they'll do is make their way back here. If we go through—"

"But they could be hurt! What if—"

Sai continued. "If we go through, we risk it not only collapsing on us, but on them. We could trap them there."

Kento started to say something, then stopped. Whiteblaze continued snarling.

"You hear that?"

Sai turned. "Sounds like… yelling?"

As if on cue, the noise became incredibly loud, as if someone had sent the volume from 1 to 42. Another portal sprang into being behind them, and the two immediately took defensive, back-to-back stances, ready to face whatever came through


Ryo looked up, wiping his cheeks on his arm. What the heck was going on downstairs?

He got up and walked over to the door, hesitating when his fingers touched the handle. Then he heard an incredibly sharp screeching, and Whiteblaze's angry roar, and he threw the door open.

His subarmor formed instantly and he tore down the stairs, coming to a shocked halt as he saw what was happening.

"Close them! Kayura, hurry!"

"Look out! Behind you!"

"Ryo, you idiot, move! Get your armor on!"

"Holy f—"

The scene was utter chaos. The portals finally disappeared into the air, but now it didn't seem to be much of a relief. Five had followed them through. Or was it six? It was impossible to tell. The entire living room was a battlefield, armored bodies dodging and trying to attack shadows while not hitting each other.

"Get it off!"

"Ow!"

"Ko Rei Ha!"

The blast of cold filled the room, and for a moment, seemed to stun the dark, ethereal figures. Then they shook it off, and once again plunged into the fray.

"Keep them inside! Don't let them out of this house!"

Kayura held up the Ancient's Staff. The tip began to glow, and suddenly, five bright beams shot out and plunged straight into the chests of the beasts. They stood still, some frozen in mid-air, even. Their edges, which had been hazy already, began to lose what little form they had, and they began to slowly dissipate into dark clouds.

"Now!" Anubis shouted. "Before they leave!"

The warriors didn't need to be told twice. Kento plunged the tip of his naginata straight through the face of one. Rowen swiftly shot one in the chest as Sage cleft another in half. Kale impaled one on his no-datchi, and Sekhmet neatly ran one through on a katana.

The creatures vanished with a screech and a brief puff of thick, dark smoke. Several around the room coughed, and Sai had to try not to throw up.

"Ugh, that stinks!" Kento exclaimed, closing the faceplate of his helmet and fanning the air in front of him.

Anubis collapsed to his knees, and Kayura went to comfort him. He looked up at her meekly. "I can't pull off what I used to…" With that, he slumped over onto the floor.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Kento asked.

Kayura nodded. "He just used up a lot of his strength. With the other warlords, we had to summon another gate to come back here. He did it."

Kale bent over and pulled Anubis up onto his shoulders. "Is there someplace he can sleep for now?"

"Uh, yeah…" Ryo motioned for Kale to follow him. The two left the room, and everyone else sat down on the floor or any furniture that was still upright.

Sai looked around, and noticed the girls looked particularly pale. He realized that this was really their first experience with battle. His face saddened a little. This was never going to end, was it?

RANTING: Bwahaha!Finally, a new chapter! And within at least, uh… well, hmm… ok, so I can't remember exactly the last time I posted. But it was in 2004! So within 6 months!

… Ok, yes, that's sad. I'm so sorry! I keep MEANING to write… But it's hard to think of things sometimes. And especially with this story, since it was originally written differently, and I've changed some major points, so I have to rethink whole situations while still going in the same direction… sweatdrop

Also, you may or may not have noticed the phrase "Ko Rei Ha" back during the battle. This is an example of me being lazy and unoriginal. For those who have heard Suikoden, Sai's drama album, this is the name of the attack the little ice warlord guy uses. And since one of my characters happens to have an ice armor… shrug It works for me. Don't know what it means though, so don't ask…

Anyways, I hope it's good, and I hope you'll leave me feedback either way! It's more inspiring than you'd think! (In fact, this chapter was written because I read some today)