New Blood
by Saber Alexander McConnell
Rated PG13

CHAPTER 19: Calling the Armor

The next day was highly interesting. Nohano was scared to death, but he managed to get through it. It wasn't a Dynasty attack, it was the process of getting his own apartment. He, Killian, and Xan had decided that he should go alone, because Killian didn't have his immigration papers yet, and Xander was certain that his parents had reported him as a runaway.

Gregory dropped Nohano off at an inexpensive, decent place that welcomed walk-in clients, and when Nohano went in, he felt he would rather have been fighting the Dynasty than doing this. But once he got there, his fear eased a little bit.

The woman in charge was nice enough. At first she thought he was some renter's son, come to deliver his mother's rent check. Nohano fully expected that, and had his identification ready. "Oh, I don't live here yet, ma'am," he said. "I'm actually here to see about renting an apartment." When the woman blinked, he went on quickly. "I'm fifteen, yes, but I'm an emancipated minor; I have my identification and papers all with me."

"Oh." She was taken aback, but Nohano gave her credit for a quick recovery. "Well then, as long as that's all in order, sir, I don't foresee any problems. If you'll follow me back here, please."

He'd followed her back, looking over a copy of the lease, working through the more confusing terms. He wasn't afraid to ask if he didn't know what something meant.

"This is an unusual case, Mr..."

"Oh! Sorry, ma'am." Nohano stood from his seat and offered his hand to the woman. "Kalama Nohano."

"Ah, nice to meet you, Mr. Nohano." And did that sound strange! "As I said, this being an unusual case, even if your credit checks out even, I'll have to check with the upper managers before having you sign a lease. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

That was not something Nohano had expected, but he only nodded and finished his reading. He figured he'd have to fill out several applications before finding one that would suit him that would accept him, so he wasn't all too put out.

The whole affair had ended with a handshake and polite good-byes, and then it was over. Breathing a little more easily, Nohano went back out to the van, laughing with relief. "Damn, that's scary shit," he said.

"Hey, ya got through it though!" said Killian encouragingly. "What'd they say?"

"It'll be a couple of days before I find out," said Nohano, as Gregory went in for his own application. By applying at the same places, they were hoping to find lodging in the same complex. It was far more convenient for rehearsals.

They went to several more places that day, and the novelty of doing it by himself and the ritual of explaining that yes, he had the legal right in California to sign a lease, were growing thin. Still, Nohano felt he'd gotten a lot done as he, Gregory, and Killian all headed back towards the hotel.

By the end of the weekend, the tedium had paid off well. The members of No Quarter managed to get accepted in the same apartment complex, an inexpensive, clean one in the area near the bay. Nohano wasn't entirely happy about being so close to the water, though Killian was thrilled, and said he intended to go swimming every day. Still the place wasn't cramped, filthy, or noisy, so Nohano wasn't going to protest too much.

Gregory shared the new apartment with Manny and Aaron, and lived was two buildings over from Nohano. Nohano, to his delight, had gotten a third-floor apartment, which was the highest level. That meant no one above, tromping around all day, and a fairly safe height above sea level.

Nohano stepped into the apartment and looked around, still in awe that he had done this on his own. The apartment was carpeted, unlike the studio they'd shared back in Irwindale, and was rented by the month. This was also a studio apartment, since they were the least expensive, and plenty big enough for three teenaged boys.

The bathroom was a little bigger than the one in Irwindale had been, though the kitchen was just as small. Electric for the heating and kitchen, but it wasn't a big deal. Nohano didn't intend to use all that much electricity.

The boys' belongings were in the corner, and once they'd checked out their new apartment, they began setting it all up. Nohano assembled his stand-alone hammock, and Killian unrolled his sleeping bag. Xan had two blankets he'd salvaged from a Dumpster and cleaned up, and he said that was fine.

Most of the stuff just went onto the floor as usual, only in a somewhat orderly manner. Nohano's stuff he lined along one wall, and Killian kept his few belongings in the suitcase he'd found at the secondhand shop. Xander didn't have anything with him, and Nohano thought they would be making another trip to the secondhand shops soon.

"This is pretty cool," said Killian wonderingly. "Kinda scary, though."

Nohano laughed, nodding his head. It was definitely scary! But he was proud of himself. "Tomorrow's Monday, we can get you to the immigration offices. Like Gregory said, we should be able to get you refugee status...I mean if you end up staying here."

Killian's smile faded. "I honestly don't know, mate," he said. "I need to find out about my parents. Once...once I know either way...I can decide."

"Understood." Nohano smiled briefly, then looked around once more. "What about you, Xan? You think you're gonna try for emancipation, or..."

Xan frowned grimly and shook his head. "No. My parents'd never go for it. They have to agree, don't they?"

Oh yeah. Nohano had been on his own so long, he forgot about the things involved in getting the emancipation. "That's true," he said. "Too bad we can't get you some kind of identification, using a different name or something. Still, they'd never look for you here, would they?"

"I hope not."

Nohano felt a surge of sympathy for him; both he and Killian had been through a lot! "Well they won't hear it from me," he said with an encouraging sort of grin, and Xan returned it with a faint smile. "So, cool. So anyway, tomorrow I'm gonna call Comet, see how they've done finding their own places. Then we can meet up again. I guess Amaya's probably gonna be teaching us all fighting, right?"

"I guess," said Killian. "She didn't say. But I think Rashida knows martial arts, too."

"We really need to learn. Hell, you know we could practice here. Not up here I mean, the downstairs neighbors would kill us."

"Do we even have downstairs neighbors?"

Nohano nodded. "A family, got a couple of kids, and all. But there's the compound outside, and a park nearby. We've got places to fight. What we need, though, is a place we can fight in armor, and not be seen. I really need to learn to use those swords on my back, at least well enough to keep from getting killed."

"Hey," said Killian suddenly. "What was the weapon with mine? Did I even have one?"

Blinking, Nohano tried to remember what it had been, but had been too surprised to really notice. "I dunno. Once we find out how to call the armor when we want it, we can find out."

Both boys looked at each other and laughed; it really was pathetic!

"At least you have weapons," said Xan, grinning a little more brightly than he had a moment ago. "I don't!"

"That's odd," said Ryo. "Do they all have weapons?"

"I have no clue."

"All right," said Killian, sticking out a finger. "First order of business; find out where everyone's settled. Second order of business, get me some immigration papers. Third order of business, learn to call our armor. Fourth order of business, learn to fight so we don't look like a bunch of monkeys in samurai suits."

Killian's list had Xan looking at him in mild wonder, and Nohano sinking down onto his hammock, laughing, for nearly a minute. "Did I look that bad?"

"Crikey, how should I know? I was busy trying not to get killed. I was referring to myself lookin' like that!"

Nohano laughed some more. It was good they could find some humor in the whole thing. He had the idea that was going to be needed a whole lot in the future.

---

Killian's mental list of things to do, as odd as it was, was not difficult to accomplish. Things were quiet for a good, long time, which at once relieved Nohano and worried him. Surely they'd not dissuaded the Dynasty from their conquests, but why were they taking so long? He decided he didn't want to know.

The next day, they found that everyone except for Amaya had found a place to stay, and that she likely was going to be moving in with Demetrius and Rashida. Rashida was an adult by the laws of her country, and as she was a citizen there, those laws applied to her in the United States as well. Amaya, who had been lucky in bluffing her way through renting the house in Irwindale, was not having that kind of luck here.

Manny drove Nohano and his roommates to the immigration office, and it was not a huge deal to get Killian started on getting his citizenship papers. It'd take about a week, and he was given a temporary visa so he would be legal in the meantime. He wasn't of age yet, but as he was with Nohano, he was allowed to go without adult escort. Nohano was not old enough to be a legal guardian, but with Killian being the same age as Nohano, it was reluctantly allowed. Xan had decided it was best to stay in the van.

No Quarter began rehearsals again, in preparation for the upcoming San Francisco faire, and Killian learned their songs quickly enough. Xan would either watch them or work at a part time job he'd gotten at a local grocery, stocking the shelves. In the afternoons, the boys met with the other Ronin.

Killian had been right in that Amaya intended to teach them all she knew about fighting and weapons work. Rashida knew nothing of swordsmanship, but knew a great deal about martial arts, and often helped in the teaching.

Nohano, Killian, and Xan, the only native English speakers, had begun teaching the language to Demetrius and Rashida, and even some to Amaya, who still had a little trouble with it. They were learning some things in the others' languages, also, though often the learning consisted of cuss words and other amusing terms.

They spent a good deal of time learning about their armor, and helping Rashida to research what its abilities might be. They realized they didn't need to call the armor in Japanese after all, and that English would work just as well. Nohano was the first to try it, exasperated by trying to find his armor's name one day while visiting Suisei and Tarun in their basement apartment. He finally asked Rashida how the phrase she used translated into English.

"Armor of Halo," she said.

In his sub-armor, Nohano had scowled, stepped back, and called out loudly, "Armor of Wildfire!", and focused as hard as he could on gathering the extra pieces of armor, of feeling it entwine around him body and soul.

For just a moment, he thought that it had failed, before he staggered slightly against the extra weight that adhered to him, laughing delightedly as he felt the helmet form over his head, the whole suit of armor leaving only a small part of his face uncovered.

Killian cheered, laughing and jumping into the air. Nohano stared for a moment before grinning ear to ear and also jumping in the air. He jumped rather higher than normal, using the extra burst of strength the armor gave him. "Killian, try it!"

Killian laughed, shrugged, and cried out, "Armor of Torrent!"

Nohano watched, fascinated, as the armor seemed to flicker, ghost-like, around him, then solidify. His eye went to the odd weapon on his back, but he couldn't have said exactly what it was. "You've got a weird trident-thing," he said, shaking his head.

"It is a yari," said Amaya with a smile. "The words are nearly the same."

While Nohano helped Killian get the yari off his back, Rashida laughed. "I did not need to learn the Japanese words, then," she said. "I wonder if it would work if I used my own language."

"I think it would," said Suisei, laughing. "It's probably more the mind and spirit than the words. The words are just a focus."

Rashida looked a little sheepish. "I guess sometimes I look right past the obvious answer."

"That's all right," said Killian, gazing at his weapon, a long staff that came apart at the middle, one end taken up by three blades in a trident shape. "Nohano's good at stating the obvious, so you balance each other out."

Everyone laughed, though Nohano first smacked Killian on the arm, making a dull clanking sound.

Everyone tried it then, using the name for their armor, in their own languages. Demetrius spent a few moments finding the appropriate word in Russian (translating more in Russian and in English to "hardrock" than "diamond"), and Tarun had to try a few different things before realizing his was Armor of Daybreak.

Suisei was the only one who had a problem. He had managed to figure out that air was his element, but he could not hit on the right name for his armor. Suisei got out his laptop computer and the group of them crowded around it, trying to figure out what kind of armor his could be. An online thesaurus finally gave them their answer: strata. "That's not even singular," said Rashida, frowning and shaking her head. "Maybe it's just an odd translation...'stratum' usually refers to rock."

"Stratosphere, I guess," said Suisei, chuckling. His armor was the oddest of the lot; the main part of the helmet rose up into a sort of cone shape, with blade-horns sticking out of the sides and his shoulder pieced were square and bulky. Nohano was tempted to make a smart-alecky reference to him being a conehead, but held it back, knowing it would offend Amaya. The rest of his armor was sleek and streamlined, and a powerful-looking longbow was his weapon.

All in all, their armors were Wildfire, Strata, Halo, Torrent, Hardrock, Daybreak, Twilight, and Night. Amaya's was not much different from her sub-gear. There was a little more protection, and had a sleek look about it all. Her helmet had a spike pointing backwards from the head, and a pair of nunchaku completed it.

Rashida's armor was a little bulky, her helmet broad and adorned with a strange, gold, pronged bit of metal. The weapon on her back was a cool looking longsword. The Hardrock armor was bulkiest of all, and Nohano didn't think he'd even be able to move in it, no matter how easy it seemed for Demetrius.

"I just realized something," said Nohano. "Those warlords, they weren't speaking English. Well, some of them were. But I still understood what they said, at least sometimes. How could that be? Hell, I think they were speaking Japanese!"

"I don't know," said Amaya, frowning. "It's possible it has something to do with the armors. The original five Ronin armors were once a part of the same set of armor as the masho—the warlord armors."

Nohano stared at her for a moment before looking down at the bright red covering his body, feeling a sudden loathing. "This armor, Wildfire—the one you said was pure virtue—was once part of what they wear?"

"Yes." Amaya sighed. "It is complicated. It was all one armor. Talpa's." Nohano nearly fell down in shock.

"I'm wearing demon armor. Perfect!"

"Not quite. You see, it was split into nine different armors by the Ancient One, when he defeat Talpa a thousand years ago. The Ancient was mystic. The mystic put virtues into the armors, to help make less the evil of the armors. But Talpa got four of them back. He gave these to the warlords, who corrupted them."

"There were a whole lot more than four warlords," said Xan.

"Yes. Which worries me. He has more, and made or found more armor. But the five original of the Ronin, and the four of the first warlords, will be very powerful. Ancient. If he could get them all, he would be unstoppable. With all nine of them, the five we have and the warlords' four, he will make our world and his into one. He will control everything."

Nohano did sit down then, scowling in irritation as he had to be a little creative in order to sit on a flat floor with the strange protective pieces that extended down from his waist. "Yeah, let's try not to let that happen," he said a little faintly.

"Definitely," said Suisei, looking a little pale. "He's powerful enough as it is!"

Nohano frowned. "Hold on, why can't I understand Rashida and Demetrius, then? Don't they have the original armor, too?"

Amaya blinked, and looked over to the Hardrock and Halo Ronin, who also looked surprised by the question. "Perhaps we have not tried to be understood," said Demetrius slowly through his translator, which was badly muffled from his armor. He banished the armor and looked at it thoughtfully. "We've not needed to. But Rashida and I—we've traveled with one another for several weeks, and grown to be close friends. And we seem to be able to understand one another without using this."

"You know," said Nohano thoughtfully, "Killian and I sorta formed a mental link like that. Telepathy. Is it like that?"

"Not quite," said Rashida. "We never tried actually sending thoughts, but they seem to drift along with our words, anyway."

"Well...why don't we try it?" said Killian, standing up and looking excited. "All get into our armor and try linking!"

The Ronin took Killian's suggestion, and from then on, their communication problems were solved. It didn't happen right away, but there was something, a connection, the vague feeling of the others in Nohano's mind. It was frightening and empowering all at once. And the best part was, there was no language with this kind of communication. It was silent, and transcended the language differences. He wasn't sure how far this newfound power could reach from one to another, but it certainly was convenient!

"Don't think this lets you guys off the hook for learning English," said Nohano suddenly to Rashida and Demetrius.

They both laughed, taken aback at the sudden teasing, but amused all the same. "Wouldn't dream of thinking that," said Demetrius though the translator, and then repeated it through the tenebrous link he had with Nohano. Nohano understood it as clearly as if it were spoken English.

Night Armor:

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