dis-claim'er, noun: a denial or disavowal of legal claim: relinquishment of or formal refusal to accept an interest or estate; b: a writing that embodies a legal disclaimer; c: a statement made to save one's on ass.

Chapter One

The air was heavy with the scent of blood. The ground had been destroyed by the clash of attacks. The forest surrounding Mt. Fuji had been decimated by the battle.

Ryo Sanada turned around in circles. He was confused as to where he was. He didn't remember fighting, but he could see the ramifications of one all around him. He saw his brother's in arms all standing and shaking debris off their respective armor.

Suddenly, Ryo felt the virtue of 'righteousness' burn on his forehead. He heard a whisper and turned around sharply. Standing about half a mile from him was a silhouette of a petite young woman with back to him. Her onyx colored hair was tied up in a bun. She slowly turned around.

Ryo gasped in shock as he met her glowing, amethyst eyes. She lifted her hand and reached out to him.

"Ryo."

He started running. Air pumped through his lungs so hard it was even difficult to breathe even with his armor on. The faster he ran the further she got. He didn't care. The further she got the faster he ran.

"Ryo!"

He panicked. Fire started to surround her. He couldn't run any faster. His legs started to burn from the strain he was putting on his muscles. His eyes stung with unshed tears. She was screaming. He did so in return.

"Hold on!"

"It's hot! So hot!" She started to flail her hands frantically as if trying to make the flames go away. A burst of fire came out of nowhere and engulfed her.

"Rekino!"

"ONIISAN!"

Mia Koji was jostled awake by the loud, painful scream ripping through her fiancé's throat. She sat up to find Ryo flailing his arms and legs wildly. She pinned him down and called out to him several times before his bright blue eyes opened.

"Ryo. Ryo," Mia said softly. She cupped his face and massaged his cheeks with her thumbs. His skin was hot and coated in sweat She soothed him with quiets whispers before his eyes settled and were staring into her green ones.

"Mi-Mia?" Ryo sat up slowly and grasped onto her upper arms.

She smiled back at him softly, "What happened?"

Ryo buried his head in Mia's chest and sobbed quietly. She didn't need an answer. She knew what this had all been about. She let him cry as she rocked his body

Across the city, Sage Date woke up from the same startling dream. He saw the young woman being burned alive, but he also saw four other young women. He couldn't make out their faces, but only the colors of their hair and some height. The strange part about it was that they were all clad in the same undergear that he and the other Ronin Warriors had.

There was a quiet knock on his bedroom door. He got out of bed and quickly put his clothes on before answering the door.

It was his roommate, Rowen Hashiba. The master of the armor of air looked as if had just rolled out of bed. His blue hair was standing all over the place. He had his dark blue rob wrapped around him.

"You okay, bro?"

Sage rubbed his eyes tiredly, "Yeah. Just a rather nasty and confusing dream."

Rowen's face contorted in confusion and then sadness. He cleared his throat slowly, "What are we looking at here?"

The light element armor bearer shook his head, "Nothing. You don't have to worry."

He let out the breath he had been holding, "Great. I'm only two years away from my masters, ya know. I would really like to finish my plans."

Of course, Rowen Hashiba was going to get his master's degree by the age of twenty-two. That was only the beginning, however, as the Strata Warrior would have two master 's and a doctorate by thirty. That was the plan, anyway.

"Since you're good, I'm going back to bed," Rowen knocked twice on the doorframe. "Are we still meeting up with the others tomorrow?"

"I haven't heard otherwise."

The blue haired teen nodded and made his way back to his room.

Sage quietly closed his door and leaned against it. Did he just lie to one of his best friends?

Maybe it's for the best. He's so happy these days. So are the others. Ryo and Mia will be getting married soon. I would hate to be the bearer of bad news and make them push their wedding date back further.

Sage removed his clothes and climbed into bed. As he was drifting off to sleep, he wondered if everything was really going to be okay.

One week later…

"You can't possibly expect me to be able to make this 'meeting'," Mia said into the phone. "You know I have class until six and Ryo and I have our anniversary dinner tonight. It's impossible."

"Then do your damndest to make it possible. Hana said it was urgent and I damn sure don't know what goes on in her pretty blonde head."

"I would really rather not have news of an invasion or any sort of new threat," the brunette sad down behind her desk. "You know our wedding is in December. Close to your birthday, actually."

"Were you high when you decided to get married in winter? It's too cold and shit."

"We are going to get married at the base of Mt. Fuji. The snow will be a wonderful addition to our wedding pictures. Maybe you and the other girls could come."

Mia heard the person on the other end of the phone laugh in an almost sarcastic tone.

"Wooo. You're funny. Maybe them, but not me."

"He had another dream about you last week. It's getting harder and harder for me to keep this charade going. I don't like to see him suffer. He's suffered enough."

"Like it or not it has to keep going. I don't know what to do yet. Believe me, I would like nothing more than to tell him."

"He's your older brother, Rekino. You can't keep hiding. Keeping secrets will eventually destroy you…and possibly this whole circle."

"Just be here tonight and we can talk about this later."

Mia opened her mouth to speak, but the door to her office opened. Ryo peeked his head in and smiled at her affectionately. She collected herself quickly.

"I'll do my best, 'Candace'. I'll talk to you later."

"Bitch, what-"

The history teacher hung up her cell phone and placed it on the desk just as Ryo walked in her office. She stood up. They exchanged a quick kiss.

"Hey, you," Mia rested a hand on his upper arm. "I didn't expect to see you so soon."

The Wildfire bearer smiled at his lady, "Kind of a spur of the moment thing. I just wanted to drop by and let you know, Miss Koji, that I am looking forward to our date tonight."

"You could have sent me a text to tell me that."

Ryo shrugged, "Call me old fashioned, then."

"Well, Mr. Sanada, I am to tell you that I am more than excited to spend the evening with you. I do, however, have to tell you that I have class in about fifteen minutes and I have to prepare."

The black haired male seemed like he had trouble processing that information, but smiled affectionately. He leaned down to kiss her, but looked shocked when Mia pulled away and sneezed.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Mia reached for a tissue on her desk. "That came out of nowhere."

"Someone must be talking about you."

Mia looked at her cell phone as if she was cursing it, "I couldn't imagine who."

"That bitch hung up on me!"

"Who?" came a voice from the kitchen.

"Mia!" The black haired girl smacked her lips annoyingly. "That hoe-heffer!"

"Now, now," a girl with waist length wavy, golden blonde hair came into the room. She handed her roommate the unopened Pepsi, "don't say that. She probably had a good reason."

"Psh," the cola made a hissing sound as it opened. "Always making excuses for people, Hana. Some people are just assholes."

Hana Utano tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her triple pierced ear. Her midnight blue eyes looked at her best friend unamused.

"Some people aren't all assholes, Rekino."

She shrugged her shoulders. Rekino Sanada crossed her legs and flipped through the channels. Nothing was on. Everything was boring.

"I miss American television."

"TV will rot your brain."

"So will that cell phone."

Hana shrugged nonchalantly, "The radiation theories haven't been proven. My brain is fine. Sharp as ever."

Rekino made a small noise and turned off the television. She took a sip of her drink while looking at the other occupant who was rather interested with something on her phone.

"You gonna tell me what this meeting is about?"

"Yep," the blonde smacked on her chewing gum, "when everyone gets here tonight."

The youngest of the house made a horrible choking sound, "You know I have anxiety and I can't deal with that cryptic shit. It makes me restless."

The sound of footsteps approaching made them both look up. Their third roommate, Josephine Rei Faun, burst into the room. She had a towel around her neck, drying her short hair, and looked as if she had been running.

"Yo, Rekino," the tallest of the group said. "You up for a spar? I just got done working out, but I totes don't feel satisfied."

She responded quickly, "Hell yeah I do. Some people just like to put my nerves on edge." The petite woman shot a nasty look at Hana who shrugged in return.

"You up for it too, blondie?"

"Hmm," the voluptuous woman seemed to ponder the question.

"It's okay, Jo. You know she doesn't wanna mess up those nails she just had done."

Hana looked as if she had been shot, "Bitch. It's on."

Josephine clapped her hands excitedly. Rekino jumped up with a smile on her face. The three walked into the kitchen and outside into the spacious backyard.

Rekino rolled her armor orb between her fingers, "Let's gear up!"

Four hours later…

"Alright, I'm here. Let's make this as quick as possible," Mia appeared on the back porch from the living room. She sat down at the round table. Rekino was feeding the fire more wood as Josephine brought more over from the shed. Hana reached over and gave their comrade a hug.

Amaya Blanchet stood up quietly. She was mid-height with chin length light brown hair. She kissed Mia gently on the cheek as the two exchanged light conversation in French. Amaya had been born and raised in a small town in France. Mia being part French brought a small joy to her life as she could converse in the language of her homeland.

"Why are you in such a hurry, Teach?" Josephine jumped up on the back porch. She was the tallest of the five which Rekino being the shortest.

"Ryo and I have our anniversary dinner tonight," the brunette started, "and I let my aid lecture my evening class. Also, Ryo and the guys are apparently having the same sort of 'meeting'."

Hana cleared her throat, "I'll get straight to the point. I've had several visions while in meditation the past couple of days. At first they were nothing. Just the images of some sort of stone, but then the stone was surrounded by some sort of energy. Then I started seeing human and humanoid creatures around it. They were fighting, tearing each other apart. In the middle of the fray was us – Ronin's, Warlord's, and Guardian's alike – protecting the stone and its bearer."

Rekino twirled the stick around that she had been using to poke at the fire, "Who?"

"I-I'm not sure. He had white hair. I couldn't see his face."

Mia covered her face with her hands, "Lovely."

Josephine started pacing, "Does this mean we have to fight? We haven't seen actual combat yet."

"I cannot say that I am not upset by this," Amaya's light brown eyes reflected sadness. "I had hoped the day would come where we would never have to use the armor."

Josephine slammed her fist into her palm, "There is no point in having them unless we use them."

"Honestly," the mistress of the armor of air looked at her comrades, "the armors are more a curse than a blessing. It has caused the guys so much pain."

"That's another issue."

Everyone looked at Hana. The statement hung in the air. They all knew what she had meant.

"How do we go about introducing ourselves to them?"

All five girls were sitting outside on the back patio. The autumn sunset illuminated the sky in an array of colors. The fire pit took the chill out of the air for the quintet. Mia pondered Amaya's question. The four Lady Guardians had been moved to Toriyama for several months. It was now March. Their existence as armor bearers was still unknown to the Ronin Warriors.

"We could just pop up outta nowhere and be like, 'What's happenin', cappin'?'."

"This is serious, Rekino," Amaya chastised her friend.

"Psh," the guardian of Wildfire poked at the embers with a stick, "I know that. I'm just trying to lighten the mood. I don't like stressful situations."

Hana took a sip of her Pina Colada, "Josephine could always call up Kento and plan a meeting."

The guardian of Hardrock shook her head frantically, the small wisps of blue hair appeared to be animated as she did so, "No. I haven't talked to him in forever. I mean, last time I saw him was at the family reunion about two years ago."

Mia looked up at the darkening sky. The stars were coming out.

"I don't know what we can do to solve this," the Strata bearer's eyes shifted, "but, Rekino, you need to come out."

Amethyst eyes sparked with amusement, "Yes. I do. I'm here to tell you all that I sexually identify as a worn out left shoe."

"Rekino!"

"She never gets old," Josephine giggled.

Hana ran a hand down her face. Her midnight blue eyes held a small amount of amusement, "Yes, she does."

Rekino twirled the stick around expertly, "You haven't been around me in years, Hana. We've only been living together for a few months. I'm just getting warmed up."

The eldest of the five snapped her fingers are the young kunoichi, "Guardian business or not, I'm tired of seeing Ryo cry. There are nights it doesn't bother him, but sometimes he wakes up screaming, crying out for you. He's tormented by his memories. I'm going to be your sister by the end of the year. I'm asking you not just as a friend or a comrade, but as family."

Silence. Everyone's attention was focused on Rekino. She wasn't moving, her eyes locked on the flames as they licked the burning wood.

"Rekino," Amaya's French accent was soft and caring. "I know it must be painful, but what Mia asks isn't just for Ryo. It's for you, too."

Anger. She let out a short, powerful scream. In her rage, Rekino turned around and punched the porch leaving a hole in the aftermath.

"I know what you're all getting at. Trust me. You think Ryo is plagued with nightmares? I am too! I dream of that night every time I close my eyes. I remember that fire. I can still feel the intense heat of those flames. I can hear Ryo shouting for me. I can still hear the sounds of the boards creaking and the house falling apart. I remember pushing him out of the way. I remember pretty much dying that night.

"Do you guys not fucking think I'm haunted, too? Yeah, I want to see my brother. It's been ten years, but how do I do it? It's not that easy. I don't even know what to do. I don't know what to say! I have so many questions about that night. Why did the damn house set on fire? Who the fuck saved my life? Was it the Ancient One? Oh, we don't know 'cause he's dead! And they only one who could probably answer my question is a bitch who won't even show her face!"

Tears were spilling from her eyes. Heat was radiating from her body. The other four girls watched as Rekino stumbled back and crumbled onto the soft dirt.

"What is our purpose? Why do we have armors? Where did they come from? Why was I separated from my family? For fuck's sake, someone give me some answers to my questions!"

Hana and Mia quickly left their seats. They embraced their friend like she was a small child. Jo and Amaya joined the others on the ground. The Hardrock bearer embraced Rekino from behind as Amaya sat in front of her and took her hands.

"I've got your back if you need someone strong to lean on," Josephine said softly.

The guardian of Wildfire gave a sniffling laugh. She looked into a pair of soft, brown eyes.

"Sorry about my language, Amaya."

The French woman smiled softly, "I'll ignore it. You are upset and angry."

The guardian of Halo kissed the top of her friend's soft, ebony hair, "We are all here for you, Rekka-chan."

Mia poked Rekino on her cheek, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to make your pain less than Ryo's. I love you both so much. Tell me what I can do."

"I don't know."

Amaya cleared her throat, "Let us pray together."

"'Mya," Rekino coughed, "you know I'm not really religious."

"Religion doesn't matter as long as our hearts are one."

A moment of silence. The others nodded and lowered their heads. Amaya's grip on Rekino's hands tightened.

"Heavenly Father, we come before you humbled, but not defeated…"

"So, you think that this is some precursor to battle?"

Sage's elbows were propped up on the table, his fingers threaded together in front of him. He looked around and met the concerned eyes of all of his friends, "The first vision I had didn't faze me, but the dreams have been continuous for the past week. Each one is more vivid than the other."

Rowen crossed his legs, leaning back into the chair. He stroked his chin in thought, "And you say this man's name is 'The Balance'?"

"That is all I heard."

Cye Mouri appeared like he was already half defeated. The thought of having to fight again wasn't something he wanted to do or relished in; regardless, he looked at his friend.

"What about the other armors you saw?"

"Yeah!" Kento Rei Faun stomped his foot. "That's what I want to know!"

Ryo patted Kento on his back, "Calm down. We're all a little on-edge."

Sage sighed, "I didn't get a good look at them, but I can definitely tell you that they were something I've never seen."

"Has anyone contacted or heard from Kayura?" Rowen asked.

"No, but not for lack of trying."

Ryo chewed on his bottom lip in thought. He didn't know what was going on, but his gut was telling him to not ignore this. His tiger blue eyes looked to the wall on his right at a picture of himself and Mia during the past New Year's Eve. They were dressed in traditional kimonos. The mask of a cat rested on the side of her head and her brunette hair had been braided. Looking at that picture tugged on his heart.

He wasn't going to let anything happen to her. He knew it would break her heart if she heard the news of a new possible threat. He determined he would have to keep this a secret. Their wedding was the most important thing in his life.

He just hoped that whatever this new enemy was they would be taken down swiftly.

The full moon hung high in the sky shining light down onto the city. The fog hung low in the crisp autumn air. The streets of Toriyama weren't busy at this early hour of the morning.

Three figures appeared atop of the high building in the city. A man of exceptional height stood in the middle flanked by a woman on each side. His eyes scanned over the buildings in the city.

"We must find the crystal before anyone else. The power must come back to us."

"Yes, sire!"

"My lord."

The three disappeared by a blanket of fog.

Translations:

Rekka – Wildfire

Tenku – Strata

Korin – Halo

Suiko – Torrent

Kongo – Hardrock

Oniisan – Older brother

Rekka-chan - Little Wildfire

Name: Rekino Sanada (Rek-Kee-no Sah-nah-dah)
Alias: Candace Renée Askea
Category: Chaotic good
Age: 18
Height: 4'11"
Weight: 120lbs
Hair color: Black, ankle length
Eye color: Amethyst purple
Ethnicity: Japanese
Birthdate: December 18
Birthplace: Yamanashi
Astrological sign: Sagittarius
Blood Type: O-
Favorite Sport: Track, Volleyball
Martial Art: Ninjutsu (Taijutsu and Hensojutsu master), Twin Dragons Fist, American Boxing, Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Southern Praying Mantis
Interests: Martial arts, reading, early morning jogs
Dislikes: Bugs (mostly spiders), being woken up
Language: English, Japanese, Spanish, some Chinese
Armor: Lady Wildfire/Lady Rekka
Virtue: Righteousness
Weapon: Two katanas, Rekka Ken

Family:
Father: professional wildlife photographer.
Mother: Died when Rekino was very young.
Ryo: Older brother. She has been separated from him since she was eight.
Renée: Adopted mother
Keith: Adopted father
Brad: Adopted brother
Brian: Adopted brother
Kitty: Her six-year-old, Scottish Fold Munchkin cat.

Rekino's family, the Sanada, was a famous ninja clan. Rekino has never met them since her father, the heir, left the family because he disliked the strict conventions the family kept. Since the age of eight, Rekino has been separated from her family when her home caught on fire. She was rescued by an unknown entity and suffered memory loss until she was thirteen. She was placed in foster care, but only for a short time. She was adopted by an American couple and given the name "Candace" due to her amnesia. While in the system she was referred to as "fiery girl" because of her explosive temper and violent behavior.

Rekino received her yoroi when she was almost fourteen years old. She was on her way home from school when she saw some street kids set a small building on fire and throw some stray animals inside. When she ran inside to save the animals, that is when the kanji 'JIN' appeared on her forehead and absorbed the fire, forming her undergear. The acquisition of the yoroi caused her memories to return.

Rekino's red yoroi is Lady Rekka, Wildfire, and draws power from any fire source. She has two katanas, Rekka Ken, that are sheathed on her side. His special attack is "Tornado Fire Flare". She crosses her katanas across her chest, swipes out to the left and right of both sides, and the two beams criss-cross towards the target like a sine wave.

When she was seventeen she returned home one night and she was greeted by an old childhood friend, Hana Rai-Utano, bearer of the yoroi Lady Korin (Halo), who told her it was time to gather her things and return to her true home. Hesitant, Rekino talked to her adoptive parents and Hana and agreed to leave and return to Japan, but only after she graduated high school.

She practices several martial arts with her main concentration in ninjutsu, which is the style of her family. She started practicing when she was twelve years old. Rekino is very nimble and lithe. Because of her extensive background in martial arts, she is able to accomplish things most people cannot. She is also a master of disguise.

Armor of the Lady Wildfire: Can absorb fire and heat and use it as an energy source. Can raise her body temperature up to 1800 degrees fahrenheit but only for about ten minutes. If she holds that temp any longer her cells will start to liquify. Once she uses the energy she stored she is handicapped for a short amount of time and is rendered defenseless.

Rekino's Closet: Her favorite colors are shades of red. At home, Rekino can be found in overly large shirts paired with leggings and socks. When she is out, she wears very loose or form fitting clothes (i.e. jeggings, leggings, large shirts, flowy shirts). When she goes out, Rekino will wear tight pants and form fitting shirts with flats or heels. She wears pajamas that have tops and bottoms with cute animals on them (sloths, pandas, etc) or in the nude. Training attire is usually leggings and a tank top. Her shoe collection is two pairs of tennis shoes and then shoes she can slip on ("slippers"). Rekino is a ninja so her closet also consists of attire she would need to blend into any environment.

Notable facts:

1. She is addicted to caffeine – coffee, soda, etc.

2. She hates being so short, but uses it to her advantage.

3. She can use anything as a weapon.

4. She is much stronger than she looks.

5. She is extremely loveable until she opens her mouth.

6. She likes to put on headphones and lose herself in music.

7. She has an IQ of 128 and graduated top 15 in her class.

8. Her least favorite subject is history; her favorite subject is English.

9. She wants to be a doctor.

10. Her favorite desserts are banana pudding and coconut cream pie.