Disclaimer: I don't own the Ronin Warriors. This is where things get interesting for those who have waited so patiently.
It grew late in the afternoon. The distant and faint sounds of fighting had faded and grown silent. Hannah and Rowen waited on the back porch for the others to return. When the sky began to lose the slightest hint of blue Hannah started to really get worried.
'No. Where are they?' Her hands tightened on the dagger in her hands. 'Please let them be alright, even Sage.' A white snake-like form appeared coiled around her body. Only she and Rowen took no notice of it.
Rowen noticed something in the forest moving. It was White Blaze with Sage's unconscious form on his back. Behind him the other Ronins were nearly dragging themselves just to keep up.
Hannah gasped and her grip only tightened. Rowen took Sage from the tiger's back. "What happened out there?"
Ryo leaned against a tree. "Those demons were easy to destroy, but afterwards this girl appeared and knocked us all down with one wave of her hand." He panted and held his side.
"I'll bet the same thing…happened with Sage." Kento groaned and put a hand to his head. Hannah felt so bad, they were all hurt because of her. Her heart felt heavy as lead as it sank.
Mia saw to the guys' wounds and served tea to them in the living room. Hannah helped, feeling responsible. Rowen sat on the stairs looking at a picture from when he was young. He was unaware of the outside world until, "Rowen?"
Rowen looked up to see Hannah in the doorway to the living room. "You okay?"
"Fine. How are the guys?" Rowen asked.
"Kento and Sage are arguing, Cye is trying to resolve it, and Ryo is laughing his head off. What do you think?" she smirked and sat next to him. She noticed the picture. "What's this?"
Rowen smiled. "This is a picture of us when you were only 6 weeks old."
Hannah wrinkled her nose at the picture. "I can't believe I was ever that small."
Rowen laughed. "Nah, that's my sister." He pointed to a baby in the picture. "That's you."
Hannah looked at the newborn on the lap of a small boy with blue hair in the picture. "Oh, my mistake." Something clinked.
"What was that?"
Hannah undid a leather belt around her waist and slipped off her dagger. "It was just this." She held it out for him.
Rowen felt a great power from the weapon. He reached out for it and touched it. He drew his hand back with a loud groan. Hannah dropped the dagger and took his hand. "What's wrong? What happened?"
Rowen looked at his hand. A burn mark was on his palm. "I don't know. My hand burned as soon as I touched it." He looked at the dagger resting at the foot of the stairs halfway out of its sheath. He saw something on the blade. "Bring that up here."
Hannah picked up her family treasure and saw what he saw. She sat down and completely unsheathed the blade. "It's some kind of writing."
"It ain't the demon language." Rowen looked closely at it. "Take this up to Mia's study and set it on the desk." He stood. "I'll be up in a sec." Hannah nodded and went upstairs.
"What do you think he's doing?" Cye asked after Rowen headed upstairs.
"Probably taking care of whatever was burning." Sage said. The others looked at him. "You didn't smell anything?" Everyone else shook their heads.
"He said he wanted to study something up there. I heard Hannah go up before hand." Mia said. "He must be curious about that family treasure of hers."
Ryo chuckled. "Nah, I think he's curious about her." Mia hit his good shoulder as he chuckled again.
"You're awful." Mia scolded. The phone rang and she picked it up. "Hello?" A strange look overcame her face. "Yes, they're all here." She looked at the guys. "Would it help if I put you on speakerphone? That way everyone can hear you. Okay, hold on."
"Who is it?" Kento asked.
"You won't believe it. It's Kayura." Mia put on the speakerphone as the guys all mouthed What? to each other. "Okay, go on Kayura."
"I know this is unexpected." The guys all nodded. "I thought you should know that the Warlords and I found this scroll in Talpa's castle. It talks about twin Dragons who are buried right beneath your city."
Cye thought of what Hannah's pendant said. 'The Dragon sleeps beneath the twin peaks. Where would that be in the city? Wait a minute! Twin Dragons?'
"Dragons? Are you sure?" Sage asked.
"Very." Kayura said. "The scroll says that the last of the White Dragon's cursed family will awaken the both of them at the cost of the power that protects the Mortal Realm. Each piece creates a part of a living being and will resurrect only one in a physical body."
"That's why it said only one Dragon." Cye looked at the others and realized he had spoken out loud.
"What said that?" Kayura asked.
Cye wet his lips. "A pendant that a friend of ours wears. It also spoke of twin peaks."
"Twin peaks?" Kento asked.
Kayura was silent for while. "Cye, is this pendant made of gold with a diamond in the middle?"
"Yeah…" Cye said slowly.
"There's a picture of it on the scroll. It has the demon language on it. It's the symbol of the Ancient One's heritage." Kayura told them.
"Whoa! Hold up!" Kento got attention. "The Ancient One had kids?"
"He was human just like the rest of you." Mia pointed out.
Ignoring Kento's outburst, Kayura went on. "The pendant was given to him by Chaos herself, the Dragons' mother." Everyone was stunned into silence. "The pendant is given to the oldest daughter to make sure that the family treasure, guarded by the oldest son, was never to be opened; except in the most dire situation where a demon was involved."
"Why a demon?" Mia asked remembering what Sage had said about a burnt smell around Rowen.
"The family treasure is a dagger made from the scales of the White Dragon. She was the source of all light in the world. One touch from the dagger purifies a demon. It changes their bodies into something else, something that is seen as a sign from her in the world." She was answered with quiet gasps. "What's the matter?"
The computer beeped. Again there were no results on the writing engraved in the blade of Hannah's dagger. Rowen sat back and groaned. From the open window Hannah watched, she dared not to venture near him. For almost half an hour he was really upset. "Do you know anyone who can help?" She asked.
Rowen turned to her. "Not really, but I can asked some people who might know this language." He sighed. "Let's call it a night and get to bed." He shut down the computer.
"Alright." Hannah stood and heard White Blaze growl in the back yard. "Hmm?" She looked out to see the tiger's ears flat against his skull and fangs bared. "Rowen, someone's out back." Rowen joined her at the window.
"I'll take a look, stay here." He jumped out the window into the back yard. "What is it boy?" He asked White Blaze.
Blaze just continued to growl fiercely. Rowen followed his glare into the woods. A low chuckled reached his ears. "Been years since she showed signs of power." A woman's voice cooed to him.
Rowen's muscles tensed. "Who's there?" He growled.
A woman in a black trench coat with black hair floating about her head stepped into the dim starlight. "You wouldn't know me, Prince. I've had my eye on her power for a long time. She's completely unaware of her abilities. Well, except for her fighting skills."
"What are you talking about?" Rowen interrupted angrily.
The woman chuckled. "Temper, temper. I'm not here to cause trouble." She smiled in the shadows that hid her face. "I'm here to take what rightfully belongs to my master. What you stole from him over 18 years ago."
Rowen only knew one guy who claimed that he had stolen from him, and he knew just what he wanted. "Leave now, while you still have your life." His eyes narrowed and his irises turned golden.
A/N: There we go. More suspense and more danger, for Hannah anyways. More to come!