New Blood
by Saber Alexander McConnell
Rated PG13

CHAPTER 41: We'll Be Ready

After the meeting, The Ronin were shown to a hallway lined with doors that led into elaborate guest room suites. Each suite consisted of five bedrooms, all branching off from a central sitting room. There were bathrooms in each chamber, as well as the most comfortable bed Nohano had ever seen.

Yasuo helped the enervated youths stow what few belongings they'd managed to get back out of the Nether Realm, and assured them that the things they had left in the San Francisco shelter and what belongings that could be salvaged from their apartments would also be shipped there. "Go ahead and bathe, if that's what you would like," said Yasuo. "We are as safe here as we can be. The medic will visit you here, so you won't need to worry about a change of clothing just now. There are robes and pajamas in the bureaus, as well."

Nohano thought that was the best idea he'd heard in a long time. A few of them had to take turns, as there were only five bathrooms, and no one wanted to separate in order to make use of any others. Nohano was very careful as he scrubbed his bloodstained, dirt-streaked body clean. His remaining wounds were not severe, but they still hurt like hell, and even bled a little as he washed.

Feeling slightly more energetic after his shower, Nohano located the robe and wrapped it around himself, waiting in the sitting room for the others to finish.

A medic was brought in to tend the group, seeming a little taken aback by their strangeness, but obviously knowing better than to ask questions. The group was served a dinner in a sort of sitting room that sat in the middle of their connected sleeping quarters, and Nohano though he'd never had anything that tasted so good. After a week of travel rations, then the huge battle, he was hungry enough to eat the whole kitchen.

And then they were alone, able at last to exchange stories.

The eight Ronin and Yasuo all sat in the sitting room, relaxing on chairs and sofas, enjoying the warmth of an artificial fireplace. (Nohano had a comment or two to make about fake fire.) Nohano's arm was around Killian, who sort of curled up beside him, and Xander slumped back against the couch on Killian's other side. Suisei sat in a plush armchair with a very sleepy Tarun on his lap. Demetrius, Amaya, and Rashida all shared a small couch, not minding at all that they had to sit sort of squished together. Everyone was taking comfort in being together.

Yasuo sat in a straight-backed chair, sort of looking over the lot of them, his expression both fond and proud.

Nohano began first, telling of his battle with Kale and then Dais, of how he had driven them off, and how Dais had gotten hit by his own comrade's attack. (There were several grim cheers at this.) He told them how he'd collapsed, only to wake at the shelter. Suisei described his battle with Venom at the bottom of San Francisco Bay, and Demetrius told of his frightening trip into orbit. (Suisei exclaimed enviously that he would have gladly traded places with him.). Xan and Rashida told of their battles, and of how Amaya had gone after them, discovering her armor's power.

"That's great!" Tarun exclaimed, stifling a yawn. "Teleporting—that's cool!"

Amaya smiled. "I thought so. I was certainly glad when I was able to find Nohano. I don't know what I would have done if he'd died." Nohano smiled at her, pleased she had said so. He wondered if she would have felt the same that spring, when they really didn't like each other much. Would Nohano have felt that way then? It wasn't a question he could answer.

He turned his attention to Killian as he began to tell his story, and all trace of good humor was gone from Nohano's mind.

He had not thought he could possibly feel angrier than he had felt while fighting Talpa and his warlords, but he managed it. He listened to Killian talk, heard the slight tremor in his voice, felt the despair and horror through the mind link as he struggled through the desert, only confronted by the enemy when he'd been there a whole day without water. He put his arm around Killian and held him as he talked of being forced to watch his friends being hurt.

He began to shake as Tarun told what had happened to him, his voice small and almost timid; he clenched his fists in fury as Demetrius described the venom Sekhmet had subjected him to. Nohano wished more than ever that he could kill the beast, the heartless wretch who could commit the atrocities he had, and ordered his warlords to do the same. And the next time he got his hands on Sekhmet or Jin Tanaka—he felt a sudden, furious indignation that her name was the same as his virtue.

Amaya told the others of how they had found their way into the Nether Realm, and the irritations they'd dealt with on the way; the earthquake, the landslides, the Dynasty soldiers and their battles with Kale and the others. Nohano told of his adventures beneath Talpa's palace, and smiled gratefully when Killian expressed his sincere pride at Nohano handling the water.

"I can't say I handled it too well," admitted Nohano. "I was screaming like a baby."

"Maybe," said Killian. "But you handled it."

And then he told the others of the Inferno armor—and of how he had learned how to use it. "I dunno exactly what it was," he said. "Somehow, Ryo—that's what he said to call him—was able to help me. I talked to him, even saw him."

Amaya gasped, sitting straight up, disturbing Rashida, who'd been using her as a pillow. "You spoke to him?"

Smiling at the memory, Nohano nodded. "Yes," he said. "He said our armors have the ability to speak with the people who last bore it—he said the others were talking to you guys."

"Is that who that was!" Suisei exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement. "I wasn't exactly thinking the straightest then, I guess. But he was telling me how to help with the Inferno armor." He laughed suddenly, shaking his head. "He was Rowen—he had blue hair. That was interesting."

Blue hair! Now that was interesting. And people thought Nohano's group looked odd! Rashida said that her predecessor had also spoken to her, and that she had felt the connection he had with her armor.

"I saw something," said Demetrius, frowning. "But I—the—the Nether Spirit still had me. I could not see."

"Me too," said Killian, his tone quiet and awestruck. "I could feel his presence, though--"

Amaya bit her lip, looking very upset, and Nohano frowned in confusion.

"What's wrong?" asked Suisei softly.

Color tinged Amaya's dark cheeks, and she did not answer for a moment. Finally she made her self admit, "I...envy a little. I have always wanted to meet my honored ancestor."

Nohano felt sudden sympathy for her; he knew how he would feel if someone else was able to talk to his own ancestor, but he was not! In fact he noticed Xander and Tarun seemed a little left out as well. He wondered if their armor, as well, could connect with someone. It seemed odd for them to be without guidance. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Perhaps it is time for me to tell a story or two."

Nohano blinked, slightly startled by the quiet statement from Yasuo—he had almost forgotten the man was there. Yasuo's serene voice held power, easily capturing the attention of everyone in the room. Killian curled back up at Nohano's side, and Xander moved one of the couch cushions onto Killian, leaning against it despite Killian's mild protest. Amaya's group settled back onto their sofa, and Tarun sat still—storytelling was about the only thing that could do that.

No one was very surprised when Yasuo's tale began with a dream—a dream about his own ancestor, a man who had been born more than five-hundred years before. "His name was Shuten," said Yasuo. "A strange man in Japan, his long, red hair a great rarity. But he was a powerful warrior. I imagine that is why Talpa wanted him. He managed to sway Shuten into his service, where he became the Warlord of Cruelty...the title Jin Tanaka now holds."

Gasps and exclamations of astonishment came from the Ronin, and Tarun made a noise that seemed to be part fear and part anger. He certainly had reason to loathe Jin Tanaka, and presumably the man who had embraced the same Cruelty.

"Yes," said Yasuo, his tone low, intense. "Yes, my ancestor was swayed by Talpa's words, his promises of power. Many decades later, he fought the five youths who held the original Ronin armors. He was injured in his fights, saved by the Ancient One, a powerful member of a clan of mystics. He managed to turn Shuten's loyalty, to make him realize Talpa was using him, to help him realize his true potential, and the heart that was at his core. Shuten was not an evil man, nor was he a stupid man. He understood the lessons taught, and rued his past cruelties. He was killed fighting Talpa's minions."

'Weird,' Nohano thought in amazement. It was almost disconcerting to think of warlords other than those he had fought. Could any of them ever turn to the side of good? Anubis must have been just as evil—his affiliation was cruelty, after all—and he had turned. It was almost impossible to fathom.

Yasuo's tale cleared up a few things Nohano had wondered about, though. Yasuo had dreamt Shuten, who lived now in the Spirit Realm, and Shuten had told Yasuo of his destiny. He was to gather a new group of Ronin, as Sanada Ryo's Ronin Warriors had since died—the last one only five years previous. He was to ensure that those who would bear the original armor found them, and moreover, he was to create three new sets.

"Shuten knew that Talpa was recruiting," said Yasuo. "And he knew we would need more than five warriors. And so I created the three new armors." Yasuo chuckled. "You've done wonderfully, finding out all that you know—you not only met, but exceeded my expectations. And there is yet more to discover. Each discovery you make strengthens your bond with your armor. You three--" He looked now to Tarun, Xan, and Amaya, "—your armor had no previous bearer. But you may yet discover a similar gift as Nohano experienced when he learned how to contact your great grandfather, Amaya. But you must discover it for yourselves."

Amaya sat back, looking a little troubled, and Xan grumbled good-naturedly about evil enigmas. But Tarun asked a question. "What's the names of the armors in Japanese? We just know Nohano's and Rashida and Demetrius's, too."

Yasuo smiled. "That I can tell you. Demetrius and Rashida have already discovered theirs—kongou and kourin—diamond and halo. Wildfire is rekka. The Torrent armor is called suiko, and the Strata armor is tenku."

"And ours?" asked Xander curiously.

"Twilight is hakumei, and Daybreak is zenjitsu, which means 'all days'." Tarun laughed delightedly at the name. "Night is shinkou--" Amaya's expression lit in recognition, as Yasuo finished, "which means 'dead of night', but can also mean fellowship—the virtue of her armor."

Suddenly Nohano yawned, covering his mouth with his hand, a little embarrassed at his rudeness. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Guess I'm more tired than I thought."

Yasuo smiled in a surprisingly fatherly way. "You are all weary. You should rest, soon."

"What happened to the armor that Shuten guy wore, anyway?" asked Xan. "His is the only one not really accounted for."

Nohano looked at Yasuo also, very interested in the answer. Who could bear the armor of an evil warlord, except the warlord himself? He had never thought, all that time, that one armor was missing. It was always the nine original armors—the first five Ronin armors, and the warlord armors. But there were only three of the first warlords. That made eight, not nine.

His expression was thoughtful and grave, Yasuo regarded the group for nearly a full minute before speaking, seeming to be wrestling with some kind of decision. "The Cruelty armor, no longer corrupted, has become the armor of Loyalty," he finally said. "It is in my possession. It is safe. I can let Talpa possess it no more than you all can allow him to possess yours--they are his keys to invincibility."

Nohano didn't know about anyone else, but he felt like his jaw dropped down onto the floor. "Does that mean you're a Ronin, too?" he asked.

"In a way. My armor aligns differently than yours—if the other warlords were to walk the path of wisdom, our four armors would be as one—they align with the seasons, and it is from them the power comes. As the armors are linked, we are all Ronin in a way. But they have chosen a different path, becoming Talpa's warlords."

"My head hurts," said Xander with a sigh, slumping back in the couch.

Nohano knew how he felt; his own head was beginning to pound, though he suspected it was fatigue more than confusion.

"You are weary," said Yasuo gently, standing up. "We will have time to talk later. For now, sleep, and recover from your battles. You have done well, my young ones. I'm proud of you." Yasuo favored him with his serene smile before opening the door, stepping out of the room and leaving the Ronin to themselves.

No one had much energy left for discussion. Deciding they did not want to be separated for that night, the eight of them dragged the bedding in from the rooms, camping out in the sitting room itself. They turned off the electric fire, and Nohano joined Killian on the floor in front of the fireplace. The rest lay on the sofas or the floor, and Suisei reached up to turn out the lights.

'Talpa's gonna come back,' Nohano thought grimly as he lay down on the still-warm hearth next to the breathing bundle that was Killian. 'He's not going to take this one lying down.' His desire to control the mortal realm would be as great as ever, and he would want revenge for his defeat. But Nohano felt the Ronin would be more prepared when that happened 'Bring it on, Talpa,' he thought as he closed his eyes. 'We'll be ready for you.'