Disclaimer: I do not own the Ronin Warriors.

Chapter Six

Lea landed lighting on her feet in the middle of a clearing. She reached up to her helmet and pulled it off, letting her hair fall down her back again. As she walked carefully through the woods, Lea touched the cut along the side of her head and followed it up into her hair.

Cale had hesitated in his swing…the Spirit had been bent on killing her.

Lea pulled her hand back and looked at her redden fingers.

But the man Ryo claimed to be an ally had managed to hit her with the flat of his sword. Lea knew she wasn't going to recover in time to fight him off. With a sigh, she determined that this was going to need a trip to a hospital and a very good cover story.

She was just breaking the hill onto the main trail when she heard a startled gasp.

Lea looked up the wooden steps to the parking area, seeing a woman with bright red hair looking down at her. Lea froze at the sight of blood covering the woman's shirt.

"Oh my god." Lea whispered. "Are you alright?" She demanded, rushing over, forgetting she was still dressed in full Ronin armor.

The woman lurched back, only to be stopped by a red jeep behind her. The rear door was opened just enough to reveal a young man leaning in the seats covered in a rough blanket. Lea dropped her helmet on the ground and held her hands out to the woman to show she was unarmed.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked. "Listen, my name is Lea. Do you need me to call the cops? Is your friend alright?"

"You're…you're the Guardian they've been looking for aren't you!" The woman whispered. "Are the guys alright? Where is Ryo? He must be here if you're here!"

Lea blinked in confusion and surprise when she saw the man in the back seat stir and look over in the direction of their voices. Only then did she realize that under the blanket he was wearing dark blue sub armor.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Hey…you're…that Lea girl…"

Lea lurched back.

"Wait! Listen to me!" The red head yelped. "My name is Mia Koji! I'm a professor of the regional college for Mythology and History! I know about the Ronin Warriors! And I have information about the origins of the Guardians!"

Lea froze, looking over in surprise. "You're kidding right?"

Mia shook her head as she pulled a book off the hood of the jeep and held it open to a marked page. "It's all here! I swear. We're very surprised that there is another set of armors. We've been looking for more information when we got attacked this morning."

The Guardian looked to the warrior sitting in the back of the jeep. He was trying to get up and moving again. "He is the Ronin Warrior of Strata, I take it?" Lea said.

The warrior nodded. "I'm Rowen…from Homeroom A. You're in class with my friend Sage." He hobbled out of the jeep and leaned on the opened door. "I take it you either got in a huge fight with Ryo or a warlord jumped in to land that nasty blow."

Lea looked at his arm. "Guess we have something in common then." She said hotly. "Look, if you guys are alright…then I'm leaving."

"Wait!" Mia protested. "Won't you stay? You could help us understand all this data if you are really one of the Guardians."

"Sorry, Mss Koji, but I'm not allying myself to those losers." Lea informed as she went to pick up her helmet. She froze just shy of grabbing one of the horns.

"MIA!" Rowen yelled.

Lea whipped around, snatching a sword from its sheath and burying it into a soldier's chest. The animated armor crumbled to the ground in front of her. Rowen jumped in front of the professor, shielding her as another drew back his scythe for a killing blow.

With a scrape of steel on steel, Lea lurched in and cut the soldier down through the waist.

"Jesus Christ!" Lea barked. "Who's bright idea was it to leave an injured Ronin to defend a teacher?" She demanded, wondering if these guys could be any dumber when her breath caught in her chest.

She turned back to Rowen. "Vallen is here!"

"Val—who?" Rowen winced.

Lea pointed back towards the beach. "The new Shogun of the Dynasty! He's here!"

Rowen woke up then. "What! A new Shogun?"

Ryo hit the ground, hard. He couldn't get back up with all the beating he had taken in the last few hours from just about everyone. He could hear the others struggling to stay up and keep fighting the warlords, which wasn't proving to be so hard.

"What a shame." The warlord, Vallen, muttered. "You know, it really is sad when a Guardian stands a better chance of survival than the Ronin Warrior."

Ryo winced as he forced himself onto his feet. "What the hell do you want with her?"

"Lea?" The Shogun laughed under his breath. "I really could care less about that bitch if it wasn't for the fact she has a white armor like you."

Wildfire growled a little. "What have you done to the Dynasty?"

Vallen twirled his swords in each hand separately, bringing them back around and lowering again into a battle stance. "Reformation. I personally don't like Kayura. And, I don't like her leadership even more…so I decided I would take over and turn things back to Talpa's era! The way it should be!" He lunged forward, swinging his blades around to catch Ryo off his guard. The Ronin managed to evade the blows with ease.

"We defeated Talpa! We can defeat a lowly warlord too!" Ryo countered. "You are way out of your league."

Vallen laughed. "Look around you boy! Does it look like I'm a mere push over!" He locked weapons with the Ronin leader and shoved him to his knees on the ground. "Last time I check, I single handily defeated all three Warlords and took out four of the leading Guardian armors!"

Ryo blinked in surprise. "What! There are more Guardians?"

Vallen smirked. "And they are all dead…along with your friends…"

Ryo heard the explosions in the distance. They were sure-kills…which sounded unnaturally powerful. He wrenched his swords away from Vallen and looked just in time to see all three warlords pin down his comrades at arms and let loose super powered attacks. Ryo lurched forward, running into the wake of the explosion as Sage, Cye, and Kento were hurtled through the air and collided with the ground.

"Guys!" Ryo yelled as he rushed in, only to be cut off by Vallen.

"Surrender your armor, and I will spare their lives!" He hissed.

Ryo watched in horror as the three possessed Warlords approached his down friends and beat their weapons from their hands. They were completely defenseless as arms were drawn against them.

"I'm not in the mood to wait." Vallen said coolly as he tested the swings of his swords. If he timed it just right he could quickly kill the Ronin leader as he dropped arms.

Ryo stood there, considering the idea. All the while he was watching as Cale knocked Sage's helmet from his head and rammed his sword under the blonde warrior's throat. Cye craned his neck away from a venom covered blade and Kento was completely pinned down. Mists all this, Whiteblaze was warded off by a horde of soldiers, waiting to slay the tiger at any chance as they held him back.

"LOWER YOUR ARMS OR THEY DIE!" Vallen roared.

Ryo's swords dropped a hair.

There was the moment of opportunity. Vallen watched ad the katanas lowered just enough to kill the Ronin Warrior of Wildfire. Apparently from behind him, Sage of Halo could see the opening that the Shogun was going to take.

"RYO! NO!" Sage yelled, only get his head wrenched back with a fist full of hair and Cale's sword rammed harder against his neck.

Ryo went to block, only to late to raise his guard again when out of the blue golden arrows showered down on them and a fury of red shot between him and Vallen. Ryo ducked out of the way as Lea's knee collided with the Shogun's head, knocking him away from the Ronin leader.

The beach seemed to explode with golden arrows. Ryo looked up to the tree line as Rowen stood perched in a branch and let loose on the Warlords below, chasing them off of their friends. Lea was standing careful watch as Vallen kept testing the swing of his blades as they rolled is his hands.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite Guardian." Vallen spat.

Lea tightened her grip and let out this most vicious growl Ryo had heard yet. She was starting to shake with unguarded rage.

The Shogun reached down to his waist as he sheathed one sword and pulled the coil of leather from his belt. It was a full length whip. "Something told me you were going to be here."

Lea flinched as the whip snapped at the air. The others came rushing in as they fought off the warlords to stand behind Ryo and Lea. The Ronin leader watched in wonder as Vallen lashed out with the whip again, just mindlessly snapping at the air. Each snap made the Guardian in front of him madder. Her eyes had widen slightly and were getting more and more distant.

Rowen jumped down beside his leader. "Ryo, stop her!" He hissed.

Ryo looked over, confused when he head the whip snapped the air again. At that moment, Lea's eyes had gone completely blank.

She had been possessed by pure and unguarded rage.

"ARMOR OF PHOENIX!" Lea screamed, startling the other Ronin Warriors back. The power up engulfed the air around her, shattering her armor. Her sub armor turned black and blue and the shards formed over her arms as gauntlets. Where as Ryo seemed always amazed by the Inferno power up, Lea felt this action to be completely natural to as the flames exploded from the gauntlets and formed the chest plate, helmet, and skirt. As soon as the boots finished their transformation from shards and light, Lea snatched her Wildfire swords from their sheaths and charged at the Shogun in full tilt.

"I hope you burn in hell!" Lea screamed at Vallen as they locked weapons.

Rowen lurched forward, preparing to stop this. "Damnit! She's out of control!" He barked.

"Rowen!" Ryo grabbed his arm as he started to by, disregarding the fact that he was still covered in the residue of gold dust.

The reaction was instant.

Rowen buckled, yelling as all his power was taken out. He felt Ryo try to release, though it was already too late. Sage lunged in as fast as he could to break the connection, getting zapped at through the power surge as he took Strata's bow in one hand and nearly broke his leader's hand free of Rowen's arm. The three lurched back.

Rowen looked up from the ground were he was on one knee. "Jesus Christ!" He panted, looking back to see what the hell has just happened. It was then that he could make out the smear of gold dust across Ryo's face and the gleam of it over his chest plate. He let out a resounding curse as he got back up.

Ryo winced, the pain coming back from the power surge. His armor wanted more power. It wanted the powers of the other four. It wanted to become the Inferno! He gritted his teeth against screaming and tried to focus in on the sound of Lea and Vallen's weapons clashing in the distance.

"This isn't good." Cye whispered as he watched the battle carefully. "He is really the new Shogun?"

Rowen hissed as he nursed his wounded arm, which had also been the one Ryo and grabbed. "Forget that. Lea is gonna get herself killed!" He informed. "And the only way to stop this asshole is to let him have it!"

Sage nodded as he handed back Rowen's bow. "She is in a blind rage. If she isn't careful, recklessness will get her killed."

Kento scoffed. "Kill two birds with one stone."

Cye's hand connected with the back of his head with a resounding smack of armor against armor.

Ryo straightened up, fighting off the surge of his armor. He was going to have to give in to it. He saw the look in Rowen's eyes, demanding a logical decision before someone got killed…but there didn't look to be one at all.

Wildfire sighed a little as he made up his mind. They had to do it.

"I need the Inferno." Ryo said calmly.

"No." Sage said quickly. "You haven't worn that armor in almost a year! You're not ready for the surge!"

Rowen stood silent as Cye cut in. "Who knows what will happen? You could be down for days—"

"Ryo…man….think it over." Kento warned. "And I mean…think it over!"

Wildfire sheathed his swords behind his back and stepped away from the other four Ronin Warriors. "I have. This is our only way."

Rowen nodded as he clasped his bow in each hand and took a deep breath. "To Arms!" He commanded, knowing Sage wouldn't dare do it now over his protest. The other Ronins willing followed suit, there armors creating spheres and draining their power.

Ryo took a deep breath, bracing himself for what he knew was going to hurt just as much as having his powers stripped away. He let it go, feeling the power spike as the four armors around him submitted their powers. The Wildfire armor shatters into a million pieces and flecks of gold dust. At once the smear of it across his face started to sting…and did the power up. And the pain only built itself up.

Ryo gritted his teeth against it and donned the Inferno armor as it created itself over his body. As soon as this was over, he could have complete control and the effects of the gold dust would wear off. He heard a roar in the distance as Whiteblaze powered up with the armor and turned into Blackblaze. The blast shattered the soldiers around the tiger, freeing him. The animal ran at full speed towards his charge with the Soul Swords of Fever clanking as his side.

Ryo snatched the swords from their sheaths and took off in Lea and Vallen's wake.

Lea lunged forward, swinging with all the power she could muster from her slight form into each blow. Her offense was furious with no defense what so ever…but it was enough to keep Vallen back, since he had handicapped himself with one blade. The whip in his hand swung around in the air as they moved, just snapping harmlessly around them.

Vallen darted clear as a Wildfire blade nicked his shoulder guard and spun the whip through the air. He tried in vain to catch the Guardian in the swirl of leather. He twisted his wrist back to close in on her, which resulted in Lea reversing the twist and charging back at him.

He growled and blocked again.

"Should have used both swords!" Lea barked. "You don't stand a chance!"

Vallen snarled a her. "Really. I think the blind rage is working in my favor!" He snapped, the whip in his hand pulling back and swinging. Lea leaned clear, leaving herself completely open as the end of the rope went around her neck and under her helmet, catching perfect hold around her throat.

Lea's eyes widen in horror when the Shogun wrenched his arm back with the most vicious twist and drag the woman down. The Guardian hit the dirt, all the air cutting off to her lungs.

"You are lucky I didn't feel like adding acid to the rope." He hissed, annoyed that he hadn't thought this could have possibly happened. He pulled the Guardian up to her knees and shorted the slack in the whip, hosting her up and closer to look him in the face.

"It is a real shame, honestly." Vallen muttered. "You truly had a great deal of potential as a Guardian. Much more that those that followed you blindly to their deaths."

Lea's eyes widen, the glint of rage vanishing as he kept talking. She managed to suck in one painful breath through her teeth before the rope tightened again.

"I don't think you full comprehend the events that lead to this moment." The Shogun leaned in, boring holes into her eyes. It had been the first time he had ever gotten this close to this young woman before. "You honestly thought a group of girls, younger than the original Ronin Warriors, stood a chance in hell of taking down the Dynasty in the wake of the revolt.

"It was your leadership that killed the Guardians of Halo, Strata, Hardrock, and Torrent. Your decisions brought you here, where it was easy to locate all five of the Ronin Warriors...who will be promptly dealt with in due time…and your actions that has lead to this moment…you death!"

The slack came back and Vallen's foot connected with her chest, ramming her down to the ground and pinning her there. Lea looked back in horror as the blade of his sword came down between the lip of her helmet and the collar of her armor, right against her exposed throat. She closed her eyes against the steel blade and gritted her teeth.

Vallen smirked a little. He had managed to crush the girl's fighting spirit.

"Call me a godsend, Lea of Wildfire." The Shogun whispered. "Because you are going to repent for the rest of eternity in hell for the deaths of your friends because of your lack of leadership!"

Lea's eyes snapped open, her voice lost as Vallen moved to drive the blade down when Ryo Sanada charged into the man's side and sent him flying off the Guardian and into the water.

"Lea!" Ryo shouted, hoping he had been fast enough.

Lea sat up, her hand coming down on a sword. She was shaking as she got back to her feet and drawing up her weapons. Vallen raised himself out of the water and glared at the two warriors in contempt. Had he not spent all that time twisting the woman's mind into a mess, he could have killed one of them.

He knew he couldn't take both…yet.

"I hope we meet again, Ryo of Wildfire." Vallen smirked. "Don't let that Guardian of your get you killed." And with that, he vanished…along with the three warlords who had been waiting for the command to retreat.

Ryo sighed in relief as he watched the Shogun leave. It was about time the Dynasty finally took their defeat and left. He heard Blazeblaze run up behind him, taking back the swords in his hands. In his wake came the other Ronin Warriors, coming to investigate the battle field.

Wildfire looked over to the Guardian who was standing silently behind him. Her armor washed away from the Phoenix Inferno, to Wildfire, and then into sub armor. Lea reached to her neck absently and felt the touch of blood against her skin…and it didn't have an effect on her as she pulled back her hand and looked at it.

As Ryo walked over, his own armor powered down…but he was starting to stagger as he moved. He started to reach for her bloody temple when Lea took a step back out of his reach.

"Let…Sage heal that." Ryo said calmly.

Lea shook her head and lowered her hand to her side. She stood there, staring at him as the yells of the other Ronin Warriors drew closer. They had gone a far distance down the beach in the middle of battle.

Ryo started to say more when words failed him. He swayed on his feet as his vision started to darken. The last thing he saw as he fell over was Lea rushing in to grab him as he went to the ground…

And letting go as she took off into the forest…

AN: At long last, a three chapter update from X-mas break. I had these chapters finished some time ago. I dropped the conclusion piece that ended this battle...with everyone going home. Vallen is no longer a campy villian. he is one bad ass dude now I think. Some of his uglier traits are getting pulled over to some other characters in my squeal story, Whispers. That one is starting to get a little nasty itself. I think I'm talking all of ROCN (Return of Childhood Nightmares) and moving it over into Whispers since it appears to bean interesting cocept to mess with the Ronins. I am not carrying over Sage's sickness from that fic. That is it's own story.

If you want to discuss this story in more detial with other readers and myself, I have a forum on the site in the RW section with my screen name in the title. Topics are going to be set up by story and other larger issues to discuss.

Anyway, enjoy. Thanks for Reading and reviewing.

-Stargazer86