SailorStar9: You guys wanted this chapter so here goes. This is Chapter 4. Read and review.

Disclaimers: Nothing here are mine, well, except the plot.

Chapter 4: The Search Begins


"That was a pathetic retreat for a braggart such as yourself, Anubis." Dais mocked the defeated Warlord.

"It's one thing that Anubis managed to disgrace himself but I'd hate to think the same for the rest of us." Cale belittled.

"You sure brought shame on us." Sekhmet accused.

"Warlords!" Talpa appeared before them, breaking up the argument.

"Yes Master." the four bowed.

"This is not the time to quarrel amongst yourselves." Talpa rebuked. "Even though we have millions of human souls in our possession, our goals have not yet been realized. That should be clear to you."

"I understand what you're saying Master." Cale remarked.

"And to repay your grudge of a thousand years." Sekhmet added.

"Let this be a warning, Anubis. Do not underestimate the power of the armor." Talpa advised.

"Yes." Anubis bowed.

"The armor of Wildfire is strengthened by the extreme heat of the volcano's lava. We must not be careless." Talpa warned.

"My apologies Master Talpa." Anubis replied.

"But the odds are still in our favor." Talpa remarked. "Though we have to move swiftly."

"What do you mean, Master?" Dais asked.

"They can't realize their full potential of their armors." Talpa replied.

"I see." Sekhmet smirked. "We'll bury them before all five are reunited."

"Correct Sekhmet." Talpa commented. "But we do not know where they lie dormant and hidden from us. We do not even know how they'll be re-awakened. Come forth Sekhmet."

"I am to, Master?" Sekhmet inquired.

"I want you to use all your abilities to find them." Talpa instructed. "And destroy that armor."

"I will be sure to deal with that armor." Sekhmet promised.


Back on Earth, Whiteblaze was running behind Mia's jeep.

"He's fast asleep." Ryo commented, looking at Yuli who was napping on Athena's lap.

"Ryo." Mia begun. "Let's go to Sengoku University to see my grandfather."

"Why? Ryo asked.

He knows more about this than I do." Mia answered. "He told me that the potential of the armor can't be realized unless they're all together."

"I agree." Ryo replied. "I was thinking along those lines as well. I was trying to think back to the instant I was blown away to Mt Fuji. I try but I can't remember a thing. The next thing I know, I was covered in lava."

"I'm sure grandfather can help us." Mia assured him.


"Stop!" Yuli called out as Mia drove past a row of houses.

"What's wrong?" Ryo asked.

"My house is near here." Yuli informed him.

"Yuli, your parents were captured by Talpa." Mia told him.

"No, that's not true!" Yuli protested. "I'm sure they're home. They're really fast runners."

"No matter how fast, they couldn't have gotten away." Ryo added.

"You liar! Don't talk about them like that!" Yuli rebuked.

"All right." Mia sighed. "Let's do it for Yuli's sake."

Stopping outside Yuli's house, the young boy ran to the gate.

"I'm home!" he announced. Finding the door locked, he took out the key in his pocket and opened the door.

"Dad? Mom? I'm home!" he declared, flinging the door open, only to find the house deserted. Not believing his eyes, he ran into the house and opened every door. Finally, he ran to the greenhouse and was stunned to find all the potted plants have wilted. Picking up a pot, he recalled what his mother had told him. At that, his tears flowed.

He looked up when Mia placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yuli, your parents will return." she assured him.

"I'm going to fight too. We'll beat them and rescue my parents." Yuli promised, wiping his tears away.

"That's the attitude." Ryo smiled.

"It's pointless to water plants that are almost dead." he pointed out, noticing Yuli had picked up a watering can.

Mia gave him a look to which Ryo blinked in confusion.


Later, the four arrived at Sengoku University, Whiteblaze close behind.

"What a creepy place." Ryo commented., looking around.

Something's not right. Mia frowned.

"These plants..." Athena remarked, kneeling down to touch the dead greenery. "Something's wrong. Someone had been here."

"Why are you working in the dark, grandfather?" Mia asked once they entered the research room.

"Just leave it." Doctor Koji stopped her when Mia was about to reach for the light switch.

Mia frowned and she walked forward.

"Do you know where the other Ronin Warriors are?" she asked. "We realized that Ryo alone isn't capable of fighting the Dynasty."

"The human era is over now." Doctor Koji commented. "There's no point in denying reality."

"I can't believe you're saying that. How could you give up?" Mia rebuked.

"This means that the Ronin Warriors are no match for the Dynasty." Doctor Koji replied. "Unfortunately no one knows where they may be lying dormant."

"Then I'll just have to find them myself." Mia retorted and started working on the other computer.

Meanwhile, Yuli had found a Polaroid camera and had started shotting photos.

He focused the camera on the armor display case and was shocked t o see the red glowing eyes in the empty armor. He focused the camera again and this time, the armor moved.

"Ryo, the armor just moved." he cried out.

Ryo laughed, "Armor can't move on its own."

His sentence was immediately silenced when Whiteblaze growled a warning.

"Mia!" he warned, jumping in front of Yuli. "The Dynasty, they're here."

that said, the armors in the display cases shifted and they burst out of the glass to attack. Whiteblaze and Ryo teamed up and dispatched the wraiths easily.

Then Mia screamed when the possessed Doctor caught her in a choke hold.

Ryo quickly tackled the Doctor away.

"A demon soldier has possessed the Doctor." Ryo realized when the elderly man picked up a sword to attack him.

"Stop it Ryo! You'll hurt him!" Mia screamed.

"But what am I supposed to do?" Ryo asked as he dodged every sword slice the Doctor threw at him.

Finally, the Doctor had Ryo cornered.

"This is it for you." the Doctor grinned as he prepared to finish Ryo off.

Just then, Athena intervened, parrying the blade with her staff. The symbol of her bird-shaped staff glowed golden as she turned the stick to the Doctor. At the flare of her holy Cosmo, the demon soldier was dispelled from the Doctor's body.

"Grandfather!" Mia ran to support her grandfather. "Grandfather, hang in there."

"Mia..." the Doctor smiled weakly at her granddaughter.

"Grandfather, you're going to be alright." Mia assured him.

"I know it's too late for me." Doctor Koji told her. "I've been possessed by the Dynasty's evil for too long."

Turning to the worried Goddess of Wisdom, he smiled weakly, recognizing her holy Cosmo, "Now that you've found not only the Ronin Warriors, you've also found Athena. This world may indeed be saved after all."

"No, grandfather. No!" Mia wailed.

"The Ronin Warriors are..." Doctor Koji gasped, reaching out to the computer. "lying dormant..."

Mia quickly took him over to the computer. Doctor Koji erased what Mia had typed in and replaced them with his typings.

"This is where they are." he informed her. "The password for the system is..."

The old doctor did not manage to complete his sentence before he passed away in Mia's arms.

"Grandfather!" Mia cried

"Doctor!" Ryo gasped.

"Grandfather!" Mia wailed, hugging her dead grandfather.

Just then, Whiteblaze growled when he sensed Sekhmet and ran out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Ryo called out to the white tiger. Then, he turned upon hearing Mia's furious typing.

"It's no good." Mia hook her head as the screen came up blank.

"Mia." Ryo came up to her. "You must be grieve-stricken."

He was cut short by Mia's determined face.

"I feel bad for her." Yuli remarked sadly.


"I'll have to crush them before the other Ronin Warriors are found." Sekhmet remarked, as he watched from the top of a building.

Then he turned at the sound of Whiteblaze's roar.

"Annoying white tiger." the Warlord seethed. "Must've sniffed me out."


"I can't find it." Mia slammed her hands on the computer in frustration. "I can't find the password. Oh grandfather, please help me."

"Calm down Mia." Ryo advised.

"But you don't understand. Right now Talpa could be going after the others." Mia told him.

"If worse comes to worse, I'll fight him alone." Ryo told her.

"I'll fight too." Yuli added.

"Yeah and we've got Yuli." Ryo agreed.

A blood red light caught their attention.

"What the..." Ryo gasped when he turned to the building top.


"You offensive creature." Sekhmet hissed as Whiteblaze pounced at him.

Striking his sword at the tiger, he sent Whiteblaze to the ground with his poison.

"This is the end of you. Die!" Sekhmet declared, raising his sword to strike the fallen tiger.

"Hold it!" Ryo called out, arriving just on time.

"So you've appeared." Sekhmet grinned. "I, Sekhmet, Warlord of Venom, am not the same with Anubis."

"I'll finish you off quickly." he added, drawing another sword.

"You can try." Ryo challenged. "I'm going to avenge the death of the Doctor."

"Armor of Wildfire, Tao Jin!" Ryo droned on his armor.

"Your armor means nothing. You're not a worthy opponent." Sekhmet scoffed.

"Snake Fang Strike!" he unleashed his attack.

"What?" Ryo gasped, seeing Sekhmet grow six arms.

Sekhmet laughed as he dashed forward with his swords, "Die."

Ryo was thrown back by Sekhmet's poison. He looked at his armor where Sekhmet's swords had grazed him to find the area had melted.

"What's the matter? Is that the most you can handle?" Sekhmet mocked. "You thought you can win huh? Don't make me laugh."

Ryo muttered a curse.


Back in the research room. Mia was still typing on the computer.

"This isn't it." she shook her head furiously.

"Calm your mind Mia." Athena advised. "Something will come up."

Mia looked at the younger girl and nodded.

"Grandfather, what should I do?" she begged. Then, a memory came to her.


Flashback

"What a beautiful day." Doctor Koji remarked, looking out of the window. "Mia, did you know that 'Fuji' also means 'immortal'?"

End of flashback


"I get it." Mia gasped in realization. "Fuji is immortal. So Ryo lying dormant on the volcano means... Ryo's armor is Wildfire, so 'fire is summer'."

"I've got it!" she beamed when the password was confirmed to be right.

"Really?" Yuli asked in joy.


Meanwhile, Ryo and Sekhmet were sill fighting.

Sekhmet began raining his poison on Ryo. The Warrior of Fire fell to the ground when the area his was standing on dissolved under Sekhmet's poison.

Sekhmet jumped in after him and chuckled, "I suppose we should end this."


Back in the research room, Mia was cracking the next line.

"The password is 'autumn'" she recited as she typed. Then, she smiled as she solved the second line. The three occupants screamed as Sekhmet's attack reached their floor.

Darn, if we keep fighting here, the three of them will get hurt. Ryo thought worriedly.

"We have to get out of here." Mia cautioned, shutting the portable computer down and taking it with her.

"Hurry!" she grabbed Yuli just as he finished snapping another photo. The trio escaped just in time as Sekhmet's poison leveled the entire building.

"Oh no!" Ryo gasped, and jumped to avoid Sekhmet's attack.

"How can I defeat him?" Ryo wondered as Sekhmet pressed forward.

"Ryo!" Yuli's voice came from behind.

"They're alright." Ryo was relieved when he saw the three had made it out safe.

"Just two of them are his real arms." Yuli informed the Warrior of Fire as he brandished the photo he had just taken. "He's just moving them really fast. Look!"

"I see. Now I get it." Ryo realized. "His slight of arms just made it look like he had six arms."

Jumping up, Ryo removed his armor.

"Are you ready to die kid?" Sekhmet mocked.

"I'm not going to be fooled by your tricks." Ryo retorted.

"Don't think you can avoid just just because you know my trick." Sekhmet mocked.

The Warlord of Venom dashed forward, brandishing his six swords at Ryo who effortlessly dodged all of them when the timing was just right, Ryo grabbed one of Sekhmet's swords and leapt behind the Warlord. Before he knew what had happened, Sekhmet was sliced by his own weapon when Ryo struck him from behind and Warlord lost grip of the rest of his five swords.

The five swords landed on the ground around him, unleashing their poison back on its master.

"You may have beaten me but it's too early to celebrate." Sekhmet warned as he was bathed in the pillar of his own attack. Ryo managed to get out of the way as the building they were fighting on collapsed.


"Yuli, you really helped me back there. Thanks a lot." Ryo praised the young boy.

"Ryo, I've solved the riddle." Mia told him. "We have to get to Akidoshi Plateau immediately."

"Akidoshi?" Ryo echoed. "Who do you think will be there?"


Back in the demolished University, Sekhmet climbed out of the rumble.

"So, they've fallen into my trap." the Warlord smirked. "I'll destroy all of you there."


Mia stopped the jeep by the beach as the five basked in the sunset.

"Let's go Mia." Yuli said after some time.

"Let's wait a little longer." Mia replied.

Yuli shook his head, "But it must be tougher on you than for me."

Ryo turned to them, "We have to hurry and find the other four to defeat Talpa."

The three nodded.


SailorStar9: Well, this chapter is done. Read and review.