Disclaimer: Yoroiden Samurai Troopers is the property of Sunrise. Ronin Warriors is the property of Bandai Entertainment.

Author's Note: Once you've read this chapter, I think you'll understand why I changed the update schedule. There's quite a bit of setup for this story, and I didn't like the idea of posting these two chapters so far apart. I was worried what some readers would think. Actually, I nearly posted Chapters 2 and 3 back-to-back because of it. Ultimately, I decided this would be the better option.

Another new character introduced here, and once again, she's an OC. Hope you find her as interesting as Aviva. Next chapter, you'll meet the rest of the villains, and one of the other Ronins will start to realize that something's wrong.

Enjoy the chapter and please review!

The Wicked Knights
by Jake the Fearless Leader

Chapter Two
"Enter the Miasma"

It was still fairly early when Cye started walking back to the hospital. He'd wanted to stay the night before, but Sayoko had insisted that he needed rest and a decent breakfast (despite the fact that she intended to survive on whatever the vending machine had to offer). It was only when Kamiko asked that he listen to his sister that Cye finally caved. He didn't want his mom to worry.

He decided to take a little detour before heading over to the hospital, which was how he ended up by the docks. Besides for the fishermen preparing their boats, the place was pretty much abandoned at this time of the morning, though that wouldn't last much longer. It had been a while since he'd come down here, but Cye still remembered when the crowds would start to appear. The fishermen never bothered him, seeing as they were used to people coming down to the docks (both citizens and tourists). It was the perfect place to stop and think.

Cye took a deep breath and stared out at the ocean. He hated hospitals. Between his mom's heart condition and his ADHD, he'd spent most of his life in one. But that wasn't what was bothering him at the moment. No, he could handle being stuck visiting yet another hospital room as long as it meant Kamiko would recover.

Instead, his mind kept wandering back to the little boy, Hiroshi.

The kid was just playing pretend. That's why he said Cye had been glowing with a silvery-blue aura. And sure, his mom thought she saw his eyes glowing the same color, but they'd all agreed that was a trick of the light. It didn't mean anything.

So why did he have a strong feeling of déjà vu?

Cye suddenly realized he was shaking and wrapped his arms around himself. He was just being stupid. He was hadn't slept well the night before, so his tired brain was playing tricks on him. That was all it was. Nothing like this had ever happened before. He would have remembered something like that.

It was time to get himself out of this funk and head back to the hospital. His family was waiting for him. No need to give Sayoko another reason to nag him.

As he turned to leave the docks, he felt a sudden warmth in his pocket — one that had him quickly changing his mind. He recognized the pull from the Torrent Armor, alerting him to the presence of danger. He stopped and tried to focus on where it was coming from.

Above him.

Cye jumped out of the way as something teal streaked passed him. He watched as the nearest fishing boat began to bubble and melt right before his eyes.

Everything had gone silent. The Ronin glanced around him, taking in the unmoving fishermen and seagulls. It was as thought time itself had frozen in place. That didn't bode well, though it would make it easier for him to spot whoever had decided to attack him.

Of course, the black winged woman decked out in teal and coral armor standing right next to the bait shop didn't exactly make it much of a challenge.

"How-do, sugar. It's an honor to make your acquaintance."

Torrent's eyes widened as he listened to the southern drawl. "Who… who are you?" he asked her.

"Oh, pardon me. My name is Melaina. I'm the Sinister Fae of Miasma," the woman introduced herself with a slight curtsy.

"Sinister… Fae?" Cye wondered aloud in confusion.

"That's right, and I've been instructed by my lord to take you into custody, so I'd appreciate it if you just came with me nice and quiet-like," said Melaina, her glossy red lips spread in a mockingly sweet smile.

"I see," said Cye as he glanced back over at what remained of the boat. The Sinister Fae of Miasma. That explained how she was able to melt it. "And what does your lord want with me?"

Melaina giggled. "Well, I wouldn't fret none, if I was you. Provided, of course, you ain't fixing to fight me, now."

"You honestly think I'm just gonna come with you?" the Ronin asked her incredulously.

"Well, I was hopin'. You certainly seem reasonable enough," shrugged Melaina. "I reckoned I could sweet talk you into accompanying me back to the Nether Realm."

"So, you are from the Dynasty?"

"Oops! There I go, running my mouth off again!" She let out another giggle. "I always did have a tendency to talk too much."

"I never would've guessed," said Cye dryly.

"Don't you sass me now, Torrent. I may be a lady, but I'll still crush you like the little rodent you are."

"Prove it, then." Cye reached into his pocket, pulled out his armor orb, and tossed it into the air to activate it. He felt the familiar sensation as his street clothes seemingly melted away and his sub-armor covered his body.

Melaina let out an appreciative whistle. "Well, my, my, my! Maybe this won't be a waste of time, after all," she purred, a lustful gleam in her Egyptian blue eyes.

Cye could feel his face burn as he prepared to take her on. He wasn't used to a girl flirting with him, let alone an enemy. She chuckled at his embarrassment, which distracted her just long enough for him to make the first move. He charged at her quickly, leaping up into the air at the last minute and landing a kick on her shoulder. Melaina screeched as she recoiled in pain.

"Ow! Why, you little brat!" she growled.

Her wings lifted her up into the air as she grabbed him by the arm and threw him through the glass window of the bait shop. Before he had time to do more than make his way out of the building, Melaina had landed on the ground in front of him and swiftly slapped him hard across the face. The Fae seemed to realize that wouldn't do anything, though, because she followed it up with a strong kick to the groin before flying away again.

It was times like these when the Ronins found they were grateful that the armors were as protective as they were. Cye could still feel the hit he'd taken, but the pain wasn't enough to cripple him. As soon as he was back on his feet, he took a more defensive position and readied himself for whatever she was gonna throw at him next.

Melaina flew at him, but Cye was quick to dodge, rolling away from the damaged store. The Fae kept up with him, reaching out to grab the Ronin. Torrent saw her coming, though, and acted on pure instinct. Not only did he manage to avoid her, he used her flailing to his advantage, leaping over her and nailing her in the side with his foot. She hit the ground with a groan and immediately started to whine.

"Didn't your mama ever tell you it's rude to treat a lady like that?" she demanded, pushing herself back up. "Or perhaps you were raised in a barn?"

Sea green eyes narrowed fiercely. "Don't you dare bring her into this."

"Aw, touched a nerve, did I? Figures you'd be a mama's boy," teased Melaina.

The Ronin countered her snark with a furious strike, moving faster than he ever had before. Melaina barely had time to fly out of his range. He aimed several punches at her, each one only just missing the mark as she flitted back and forth.

"Oopsie! Seems I ruffled your feathers a bit too much, didn't I, sugar? I'm terribly sorry. That wasn't my intention, honest."

"I doubt it," Cye snapped, continuing his assault with a low kick to her legs.

Melaina lifted both her legs up and out of range. "There's no need to be so snippy," she said with a pout.

"You're not much of a fighter, huh?" Cye questioned as he stepped back into a fighting stance.

She shrugged. "Depends on who you ask, I suppose. It's true I may not know much about hand-to-hand, but I'm pretty good with toxins, if I do say so myself."

He was afraid of that. And after seeing what had become of the boat, he knew she wasn't bragging. If he was going to have any chance of going up against that kind of power, he needed to step it up.

"Armor of Torrent!"

His armor formed in a combination of silk ribbons and cherry blossoms. Gripping his Torrent Spear tightly, Cye readied himself for combat once more. He couldn't let his guard down for a minute.

"Oh, dear. I didn't spook ya, did I?" asked Melaina with a seductive smile.

"I don't scare that easy," he told her.

"Oh, goody!" Melaina chuckled, clapping her hands together. "I'd absolutely hate it if you weren't giving it your best effort."

"You want my best, huh? Alright, then, you asked for it! Wave Crusher!"

A horizontal pillar of water erupted from the tip of the Torrent Spear, aimed directly at Melaina. She took the hit and went down hard. Swiftly getting back up on her feet, the Fae raised her hands into the air. Teal bubbles formed in her palms, which she started tossing at him. Torrent backflipped out of the way just in time. The acidic bubbles hit the dock and sizzled upon contact, eating away at the wooden planks.

This was getting really dangerous. He couldn't risk her throwing more acid. If it hit the fishermen, they wouldn't survive.

Cye jumped up and over her, landing a double kick to her lower back. She fell to her hands and knees with a shrill cry of pain. It didn't keep her down for long, though, as she lifted herself back into the air with her wings, which were apparently not affected by water at all. Melaina summoned another teal acid bubble to her hand, throwing it with incredible accuracy and striking the Ronin on his right shoulder. Cye gasped audibly and cringed. It felt like his entire arm was suddenly on fire, not just his shoulder.

Melaina giggled gleefully. "There. That evens things up, now, don't it? Still, I can't help but wonder how much more you can handle." She raised her hands up, showing off the teal liquid that surrounded them completely. "Let's find out."

The Fae charged forward, fists flying. Cye barely got out of the way in time. Unfortunately, she didn't stop coming at him this time. He did what he could, but he could only dodge a few times before she eventually hit some part of his body. The pain was becoming unbearable. And as the Ronin slowed down, Melaina got faster, which increased the frequency and accuracy of her strikes.

"What's wrong, sugar? You ain't looking too good. Why don't you sit a spell?" She thrust her knee into his armored stomach.

Cye fell to the ground with an agonized cry. He groaned as the Sinister Fae chuckled, obviously pleased with herself.

"This is the most fun I've had in quite some time," said Melaina with a wide smile.

"You haven't… won yet," Cye reminded her as he struggled to get back on his feet. Holding his spear defensively in front of him, the Ronin rushed back into the fray.

Melaina was more than ready for him. She threw another toxic fist at him, but he used his spear to block it. Cye quickly spun his weapon around and slashed at her. It forced her to back off a little, but it didn't stop her. The Fae flew around and grabbed him from behind, the poison burning him where it made contact with his torso. Despite his weakened state, he managed to break her grip and tossed her off, though it was a bit of a struggle. She flew at him, clearly aiming to retaliate from the air. Cye used his spear to ward her off.

The Sinister Fae of Miasma decided to change her tactics. Flying up high where Torrent couldn't reach her, she focused her power. Hundreds of teal bubbles formed around her. Melaina giggled wickedly as she thrusted her arms out and towards the Warrior of Water. The acidic bubbles reacted to her will and started firing down on Cye like miniature missiles. He wasn't able to dodge them all in time. Cye fell to his knees and tasted blood.

"Looks like I win, sugar," declared Melaina, holding her right arm up above her head as her gauntlet began to glow. "Noxious Haze!"

A strange teal cloud surrounded the Fae's now outstretched hand. She was able to directed it towards her intended target with a simple flick of her wrist. The fog drifted downward and completely surrounded the Ronin. Cye started choking as soon as he breathed in the poisonous mist.

"What… is this?" he gasped, his lungs and throat burning. "C-can't breath…" He gripped his chest as he continued trying to pull clean air into his lungs. His vision was growing dark. A moment later, he collapsed.

Melaina quickly clapped her hands together twice, then flicked both hands apart. The toxic smog dissipated just as suddenly as it had appeared. She flew down to the docks to confirm what she already knew. The young Ronin was alive, but his eyes were closed. And he wasn't going to be waking up any time soon.

"Well, that certainly got the job done," she muttered to herself. "Shame I had to damage that fine packaging, but orders are orders."

Swiftly, Melaina grabbed the armored teen by his wrist just as a gate to the Nether Realm appeared out of the water behind her. She took to the sky once more and, dragging a deeply unconscious Cye of the Torrent behind her, travelled through the huge doors. As soon as they were through, the gate closed and vanished. Moments later, time resumed in the Mortal Realm. The fishermen went about their business, none the wiser of the abduction that had just taken place.