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

Author's Note: Whew, didn't think I'd get this up on time. This chapter is longer than the last two, and I didn't get a chance to start uploading sooner. Still, I guess it wouldn't have been that delayed getting it out, but I hate missing deadlines.

Anyway, in this chapter, you'll meet the rest of the Sinister Fae and their boss. Enjoy the chapter, and please review!

Beta's Note: Just wanted to update everyone on my part of this process. Yes, JakeFL informed me that she wanted to change the schedule for updates, and we talked about what that would mean for the editing and proofreading. I said it was fine, though it could prove challenging for longer chapters (anything over ten pages, for instance). We both agreed that we'd take it one chapter at a time. But don't worry, we'll keep you updated on when we're about to hit any big chapters that could delay the schedule.

And with that, onto the chapter!

The Wicked Knights
by Jake the Fearless Leader

Chapter Four
"Lord Zankoku"

Sage fell to the ground with a dazed groan. For quite some time, he just lay where he was, unable to do much else. It took a long time for his brain to form even one coherent thought. Where… am I?

He looked around him, but he didn't recognize his surroundings. There wasn't much light, and from what little he could see, he could tell that he was alone. He turned his head and felt his cheek touch the stone surface beneath him. His eyes began to drift shut of their own accord, but he didn't let them close. Yes, he was tired, but something kept telling him that he couldn't go to sleep.

To keep himself awake, Sage tried to sit up. It didn't go very well. He couldn't seem to get his hands to work. He had to use his elbows instead to push himself up and even that took great effort. What was going on?

Ice. He remembered something about ice. And darkness, but somehow the ice was the more important of the two.

It was getting a bit easier to see, but he wasn't sure why he would be having trouble in the first place. Why was it so dark, anyway? And why was he wearing his armor? Had he been in a fight? Actually, that was probably why he was having trouble sitting up. Sage allowed his eyes to close as he tried to focus on returning to his sub-armor.

A suddenly loud and resonant sound had him opening his eyes again with a start. It was brighter now, though there was no obvious light source, allowing him to get a good look of what was clearly a dungeon cell. He was laying flat on his back, his eyes gazing up at the ceiling. He must have fallen asleep. Or maybe he'd just passed out. Sage pushed himself up and finally managed to get on his knees. His entire body was shaking from the cold. He wrapped his arms around himself to attempt to quell the shivering, noting as he did so that he was wearing his sub-armor.

Aviva. He had been fighting a winged warrior who called herself Aviva. And… he'd lost? Darkness. He remembered the dark energy that surrounded him, followed by an intense cold, and then nothing. She'd trapped him somehow, captured him. But he was free now. How long had he been here? Probably not long, considering he could still feel the chill of the ice. Why couldn't his armor have been the Wildfire?

Sage looked around the cell. There wasn't a lot of room, and it certainly wasn't about to win any awards for cleanliness. He was laying on top of a thin and scratchy blanket covering what felt like a sleeping pad, though he didn't remember it being there before. On the stone walls behind him were two pairs of shackles. In front of him was a row of bars with a door located slightly left of center. But it was the figure sprawled in the center of the cell that held his attention - the figure in very familiar light blue sub-armor.

"C-Cye?" whispered Sage hoarsely. He tried to stand, but his legs still weren't willing to support his weight. Huffing in frustration, he instead struggled to push himself up on his hands and knees. "C-come on, Date. You can d-do this." He was able to crawl, but he was still having a lot of trouble moving. It was only his determination to reach his friend that kept him from giving up.

One look was enough to see that Cye had been badly hurt. His sub-armor was worse for wear, and there was an angry burn mark on his cheek.

"Cye, c-can you hear me? Wake up," he murmured, gently shaking the older Ronin.

Cye's face twitched, but otherwise, he didn't respond. Sage tried once more before giving up, acknowledging that his friend was too deeply unconscious. Instinct took over as Halo held his hands over the wounded teen's chest. A soothing warmth filled him as his hands began to emanate the white-green glow of his healing powers. It took some time, as Sage was still suffering from what he was beginning to suspect was hypothermia, but he could feel Cye was recovering through the link that their armors shared.

Sage was forced to stop when his vision blurred and the room started to spin around him. He shut his eyes tight, breathing deeply and waiting out the wave of vertigo. He turned his attention back to Cye once it had past. The older Ronin was still out cold, but Sage could sense that his condition had somewhat improved. It wasn't much, but it would have to do for now.

Slowly, he tried once more to push himself to his feet. He more or less succeeded this time, but his legs were wobbly. Still, it was an improvement. Sage bent over and grabbed Cye around the chest, carefully lifting him as much as possible. He ended up half carrying, half dragging his friend over to the cell's pathetic excuse for a bed. He laid Cye down gently, removing the blanket before he did so. But instead of draping it over the other Ronin, Sage wrapped it around himself, hoping it would help warm him. Despite knowing Cye would be okay, there was just no telling when exactly he would wake up. In Sage's condition, he wouldn't be able to fend off their kidnappers, should either Aviva or whoever she was working for appear.

Sage settled himself down against the stone wall close to his comrade. He closed his pale purple eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

Lunch was just ending, and somehow, Mia had roped all three Ronins into helping clean up. Well, she knew how she'd managed it (a shrewd combination of skill and, to put it bluntly, guilt), but the guys didn't need to know her secret. The table was almost completely cleared off when the phone rang.

"Rowen, could you get that?" Mia called over her shoulder.

"Yeah, sure," he answered. He made his way into the living room, grabbed the cordless, and pressed the button to answer the call. "Koji Residence."

"Rowen? It's Sayoko."

"Hi, Say. How's your mom doing?" asked Rowen conversationally.

"Eh, she's trying to hide it, but I can tell she's in pain," Sayoko told him. "Listen, have you talked to Cye at all today?"

"Yeah, early this morning," said Rowen.

"Did he say when he'd be coming by the hospital?" she asked.

"He said he'd be heading over right away. Why, what's going on?"

He could hear Sayoko groan in frustration on the other end. "What's going on is I have no clue where the hell my brother is. He's not picking up his cell or answering any of my texts."

"Maybe he went to see Faith?" suggested Rowen.

"I thought of that, but she's not picking up her phone, either, so I have no way of knowing," she explained.

"That's strange," said Rowen, trying to ignore the sudden feeling of unease. "I'm sure he'll be there soon."

"Hope so. I told my mom that we convinced him to stay home, but I hate lying to her," sighed Sayoko. "If you hear from him, can you tell him to call me?"

"Sure, no problem," Rowen agreed.

"Thanks. Bye."

"Bye." He heard her hang up on the other end.

He clicked the phone off with a slight frown. That wasn't like Cye. He'd never have just taken off while his mother was still in the hospital. And even if he hadn't gone straight over, he would've called his sister to let her know he'd be late. That he hadn't done so… Well, it wasn't a good sign.

Before really thinking about what he was doing, Rowen turned the phone on again and dialed. Four rings later, someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Rowen. Is Sage there?" he asked. They'd spoken earlier, so he already knew the answer. Still, he could't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"No, not at the moment," answered the feminine voice, sounding a bit annoyed.

Rowen gripped the phone tightly. "Do you know when he'll be back?"

"No. He left early this morning without telling anyone, not even Grandfather."

"Oh…" Rowen did his best to keep the concern out of is voice, even as he mentally deduced which the member of the Date family he was talking to. "Can you tell him to call me when he gets back?"

"Of course, Rowen," she said. "Have a good day."

"You, too, Yayoi. Bye," he said, hanging up the phone once more.

That feeling of unease? It had just morphed into dread. What were the chances of both Cye and Sage disappearing on the same day? Okay, so they could've just been out on walks, but he seriously doubted it. Cye at least would have told his mother so she wouldn't worry about him, and Sage would've definitely gotten permission from his grandfather before leaving the dojo. Any way he looked at it, Rowen didn't like the scenario.

With a deep sigh, he walked back into the kitchen to tell the others what was going on.

"Get up, Ronins!"

Sage and Cye jolted sharply, their eyes wide open. It took a moment for them to adjust to what was once again poor lighting. But once they did, the two teens found themselves looking up at four strange young women with translucent black wings and long, pointed ears.

The first woman appeared to be in her early twenties. Her frizzy mud brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her eyes were brown. She had a slightly tanned complexion and wasn't wearing any makeup, in comparison to her companions. Spread across the center of her face, from her hairline to the bridge of her nose, was a decorative olive green triskele tattoo. She wore olive green sub-armor with copper accents and carried a leather whip.

To her right was a teenager with long, wavy burgundy hair. Her bangs completely covered the right side of her face. She had Egyptian blue eyes accented with purple and teal eyeshadow. She had a medium complexion, and her lips were painted a particularly vibrant shade of red. She was wearing teal sub-armor with coral accents.

Next to the redhead was a woman who also seemed to be in her early twenties with short, spiky navy blue hair and dark red eyes. Her complexion was pale, only making her dark lips appear more ghoulish. She wore black sub-armor with burgundy accents.

Finally, on the left side of the brunette woman was a girl who couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen years old. She had bright pink hair streaked with electric blue strands, and her roots were jet black. Her uniquely colored locks curled around her shoulders. With her emerald green eyes, fair complexion, and pink lips, this girl was the natural beauty of the four. Unlike the others, her ears were the size of a humans and only slightly pointed. She was clad in violet sub-armor with pink accents.

"Who are you?" Sage demanded.

The brunette laughed. "We are the Sinister Fae. I am Rochelle, Fae of Sadism. This is Clara, Fae of Disaster." She indicated the pink and blue haired teen. "And you've already met Aviva and Melaina."

The redhead giggled and winked in Sage's direction. "Hey there, sugar."

Aviva gave a cruel smirk. "Looks like Torrent's still pretty battered. What in the name of Nocturne did you do to him, anyway?"

"It's not like I planned on having to fight him," Melaina said with a pout.

Cye glanced over at his friend in confusion. "Sage, what's going on? Where are we?" he asked.

"Best guess? Somewhere in the Dynasty. We've been captured," explained Sage, not taking his eyes off the armored women.

"Again?"

"Enough chatter," growled Rochelle. "Our lord declares an audience with the two of you. And he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

The two Ronins glared at her. There was no way they were going anywhere, not until they knew for sure what they were dealing with. But Rochelle was clearly not to be denied. She brandished her whip and quickly slashed the boys across the cheek, causing them both to cry out in pain.

"Get up!" Rochelle snarled darkly.

"Better do what she says. You don't want to make her mad. Believe me." Clara's voice was surprisingly silvery and melodic, which made the smirk that graced her pretty face all the more wicked.

Sage and Cye slowly stood up as Rochelle turned to exit the cell, quickly followed by Aviva. Melaina and Clara brought up the rear, creating a barrier between the Ronins and any chance of escape. At the end of the dungeon corridor was a long staircase that lead up to a large hall. The tiled floor was purplish-blue while the walls and ceiling were the color of charcoal. The Fae marched their prisoners across the hall over to an ornate staircase and up to a long corridor.

"Any idea how we're getting out of this?" whispered Cye.

"Not yet," admitted Sage. "I'm not even sure how long we've been here."

"That means the guys could already know we're missing," Cye said hopefully.

"Right, and if they do, then they're probably on their way to bust us out," agreed Sage. "For now, just see what this lord of theirs wants with us."

The Sinister Fae and their captives continued to the end of the corridor, where huge, black wood double doors stood tall. Aviva pushed the two doors open, revealing the throne room. It was a grand space with a domed ceiling and a lavish, but dimly lit chandelier that gave the room a dreary feel. A sickly green carpet lead all the way from the double doors to a rectangular stone dais upon which sat the throne. The throne appeared as though it was made of tree bark, covered in branches and thorns to match the chandelier. A demonic man was sitting on it. His skin was a pale green shade, and his long hair was platinum. He wore an ivory and maroon outfit straight out of the Renaissance. The demon watched with oil black eyes as the Fae escorted the Ronins forward. The two were forced to their knees before the dais.

"Lord Zankoku, we have brought the Ronins, as you requested."

"Excellent, Rochelle. Thank you, ladies." Lord Zankoku stood up as his Fae lined up to the right of the dais. He bowed his head towards his prisoners in respect. "Welcome, Sage of the Aurora and Cye of the Cascade, to my humble abode. I trust you will find your stay most comfortable."

"Yeah, I'm sure you really care about our - wait, what did you call us?" Sage asked, just registering the names.

"Oh, beg your pardon. I believe it's Sage of the Halo and Cye of the Torrent, correct? My apologies. I've been getting mixed up all day," said Zankoku with a mysterious grin.

Sage and Cye shared a look, acknowledging that they both knew something was amiss.

"What do you want with us? Why are we here?" Cye asked, turning back to their captor.

But Zankoku didn't answer his question. He just stared at him, almost as if he was confused. Sage followed his gaze to Cye. The burn was still visible on his cheek, as Sage hadn't been gotten a chance to heal it before nearly passing out.

"Cye of the Torrent… you've been hurt," he stated. "Why was he hurt?" Lord Zankoku glared at his Fae, three of whom looked at the redhead among them.

Melaina shrugged. "You said you wanted us to capture them."

"Yes, but I wanted them UNHARMED, YOU TWIT!" roared Zankoku, making Melaina and the two Ronins jump in alarm.

"Forgive me, my Lord. I did not mean to upset you," said Melaina, quickly getting down on one knee and bowing her head.

The demon sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Well, no real harm done, I suppose. But learn from your mistake, girl. I won't be so forgiving next time," warned Zankoku. He then turned back to the Ronins. "Now, to answer your question. Well, call it what you will, but I prefer to think of it as… killing two birds with one stone."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Sage.

Zankoku chuckled jovially, a sly grin forming. "It's quite a long tale, and I'm afraid there's no time to tell it in full detail," he explained. "Suffice it to say, you and your little friends are a threat. I'm simply eliminating the complication. And since you two have the potential to sense a person's thoughts and emotions, I've decided to start with you."

"What? But… Sage and I can't do anything like that," said Cye, sharing a bewildered look with the blonde Ronin.

"Maybe not yet, but you will soon enough, which is why I cannot allow you to leave here. Consider yourselves permanent residents of my domain." He turned to address the four Fae. "Rochelle, would you and Melaina please escort Halo here back to the dungeon. In the meantime, Aviva, you and Clara bring Torrent up to the north tower. I believe there's a storm brewing tonight, and this will be the perfect opportunity to test the new Lightning Rod."

"As you command, my Lord," said Rochelle, bowing to Zankoku before turning back to sneer at the teenagers. "Let's go, Ronins!" She grabbed Sage while Aviva snagged Cye, dragging them out of the throne room as Melaina and Clara once more followed along behind them.

The group stopped about halfway down the main corridor, where a wooden door was located to their left. Clara went to the door and opened it, revealing another long corridor.

"All right, Torrent, move it," snapped Aviva, shoving him ahead of her.

Sage struggled to break free of Rochelle's grip. He didn't like the idea that they were about to be separated. However, he was still too weak to put up much of a fight. The Fae of Sadism had no trouble pulling him back the way they came, towards the dungeon and away from his friend, as Clara allowed the door to slam shut behind her.