Author's Note: This is revised as of November 9th, 2009. Please check my profile for other comments. Writing this has seriously given me some concerns, but I truly want to give the impression that the original warriors are in a Japan that is vastly different from the one they left with as much detail as possible. I am a history major in college, and it is amazing to learn and hear about how different my own country was fifty years ago and seventy years ago on topics from race relations to opium to technology, games, and communication to soda cans and carbonated beverages. Social interaction, acceptable behavior and family life was so completely different even within the same ethnicity during the 1950s and the 1930s.

**********

"You know, I'm looking forward to the next several weeks," Kento told his friends while the new generation discussed identification and transportation among themselves. "This is our chance to actually get to know our great-grandsons. I've always wanted to know my mine. I never imagined we'd be four years younger than them, though."

His friends chuckled and smiled, somber as well as happy. Aside from a few vague impressions between the spiritual and physical world, most of what they knew about their heirs came from the interactions with the armors. The new warriors had encountered more dangerous obstacles than their predecessors did in their first mission. Shortly after Kento's namesake inherited the armor, something jeopardized his life. Kento was only able to save him because of the recent connection with Hardrock. Had whatever happened occurred a year earlier, his great-grandson would have died. Nevertheless, the unknown event injured his namesake's sense of Justice and rendered him vulnerable to corruption. Somehow, the demon general that threatened the mortal world at the time reached Aiden before Ryo could and twisted Aiden's sense of Virtue, keeping the new warriors at each other's throats. If Ryo hadn't finally reached him near the final battle, the new warriors would have perished.

Then, Anil, the human-turned-demon who brought about the end of the original warriors, began to revive. Anil existed in a state between the mortal and nether worlds. Because of that, Kayura and the former warlords could watch over his stasis, but if he revived, they couldn't prevent him from entering the mortal world. Anil was powerful enough to hurt even Ryo's sense of Virtue, and the bond between the new warriors was still young; the other new warriors wouldn't have been able to help Aiden the way Rowen, Kento, Sai, and Sage had helped Ryo. Unfortunately, when the bond needed to be at its strongest, it faltered. Something happened which caused Seito to doubt his guiding virtue. He felt like a traitor and cast away Torrent. Unable to reach Seito, Sai managed to communicate with the former warlords and convinced them to help his heir. Whatever Sekhmet did to bring Seito back to his senses – it worked. The new warriors and the former warlords combined their powers and resealed Anil before he could revive completely.

There had been numerous battles in addition to those two, but the bond among the new warriors had never faltered during the other battles as in battles against the demon general and Anil. Although Kento's namesake and Tori could be considered friends, the bond between all five new warriors never went beyond comradeship into friendship.

Rowen frowned, surveying the train platform and listening to Sai and Sage. He didn't realize the train cars had been segregated according to ethnicity during his lifetime. 'Well,' he thought, 'that's what I get for not watching the news during my last few years. I was more interested in my grandson's education anyway. I wonder how Hajime's career is going. I bet he's the best in his field. I should ask Toriyama later what his college major is.'

"I had hoped the cars wouldn't be so divided by now," said Sai.

Sage replied, "It is for everyone's protection." Segregation was not new to Japanese society, anyway. In the 1990s and 2000s, the train cars had been segregated somewhat according to gender to protect women from sexual harassment. Indians, Middle Easterners, Europeans, North and South Americans from all the major religions immigrated and disbursed throughout the world. When they settled in Japan, they also brought over their old prejudices and grudges. This resulted in immigrant VS immigrant violence, which resulted in the Japanese hatefully resenting the foreigners, which resulted in segregated cars.

"I know, but –" Sai glanced at Kento's namesake. He would clearly have problems in this new Japan. Sai forced his eyes away. Over twenty years ago, he had demanded his son and grandson not to have the television on in his presence because the news always talked about the increasing violence.

"Hey, Aiden's coming," Ryo said, getting everyone's attention.

Aiden came and told them, "One of the security guards happens to be a Chikyuko worshipper. He said he will let us into the train cars without identification."

"What's Chikyuko?" Ryo asked as they followed his great-grandson to the ticket booth.

Sai answered, "It's a new age religion, although I don't quite see what's so new about their beliefs."

Seito added, "Chikyuko worshippers are big fans of the Sanada family. Aiden can ask them questions without their becoming suspicious."

Again, Ryo felt lost and confused. Why would anyone, especially a religious group, be a fan of his family? His family was strictly middle-class. His wife, Sayoko, would have been the most famous as a local reporter. His stepson Hikaru Hideo-Sanada had been working toward a law degree, wanting to become a prosecutor, but his entire family had been unimportant in Japanese society. His oldest child hadn't even graduated college, and his youngest hadn't graduated high school. Why would his family be significant enough for a religious group to take notice? He didn't know his family anymore.

Then, Ryo thought about his friends. He had listened to Sai and Sage talk about the foreigners and the train cars. He had seen their reactions toward their new environment. They did not display the shock that he felt. They were more accustomed and at-ease with their surroundings. They explained many things that he was ignorant of. Ryo didn't know his friends anymore, either.

Ryo took a deep breath and smiled. At least now, he would have an entire lifetime to get to know everyone all over again.

"Well, the space in these things haven't changed!" Kento gasped out as he and everyone else were sardined into the train car. "Geez… you'd think with all the improvements in technology by now, there'd be more room to move around."

Aiden replied, "wait until afternoon. A lot of the passengers will leave for work."

"Thanks. I don't know if I can handle the ride to Tori's house crammed in like this the whole time."

Once the train departed, they waited in friendly silence for several minutes. Suddenly, they heard someone yelling from among the crowd, "Gaijin, go home! Gaijin, go home!"

"What the –" Kento surveyed the crowd. Those remarks were directed at his great-grandson who the new warriors surrounded protectively. To let out anger, he sighed irritably. The new warriors were fine. "How can you guys handle living like this?"

"Hm? What?" asked Seito, the closest.

"How can you tolerate this?" If the car wasn't so crowded, Kento would have searched for the man and given him a strong lecture if not a good beating.

Seito replied, "Well, I usually take my motorcycle."

"What –" Then, he and Rowen noticed each other's expressions, realizing they had the same horrific thought. Kento's family, his wife and children, wouldn't have been able to survive in modern Japan. All but one of his children had been adopted, a few outside of Asia. They were raised in a time when foreigners were not as stigmatized as in today. The new warriors were accustomed to hearing racial slurs and remarks, so they no longer noticed those.

Rowen wondered if the new warriors were aware that they had surrounded Kento's namesake as though to protect him.

Sometime between an hour and two later, the passengers following their usual work commute got off the train car. Finally, both sets of warriors relaxed and stretched on the benches rather than standing. More passengers began to board the car, but fortunately, there were only a few.

Without warning, one of the new passengers threw a softdrink at Kento-kun. The cup was a type of paper or plastic, having come from a fastfood place, but it hit Kento-kun square in the face and the drink splashed over him.

Kento-sama immediately sprang up and approached the man. The new warriors urged him to sit down. Sai felt a complete sense of dread. He couldn't remember how much Kento's temper had cooled down during middle-age, and the new passenger might not be reasonable.

"Why did you throw that at him?" Kento asked, keeping his voice level.

"At who?" the man's curious reply sounded genuine.

"You know."

The man glanced at Kento-kun. "Oh, he's a gaijin."

"That doesn't matter."

The man, in a rather nice and polite manner, repeated, "He is a gaijin."

Reiji and Aiden lifted their voices, urging Kento-sama to return.

"That doesn't matter!" Kento almost screamed out. His shoulders tensed as though ready to grab the man and hit him. "Don't you think he deserves some dignity and respect as a human being? He is not a gaijin! He was born and raised in Japan, -"

The confused man began to back away, "Um, I don't have a problem with you."

Finally, Aiden and Reiji grabbed Kento-sama's attention. Kento-sama glanced at them and, frustrated, returned.

"How come you don't stand up for him?" Kento-sama demanded. "How come you didn't defend him?"

Sitting between Kento-kun and Aiden, Seito was helping Kento-kun to wipe off the spilled drink and to prevent a stain with the handkerchief Aiden gave him. "If he was in any danger, we would've defended him." Seito handed the handkerchief back to Aiden. "As it is, you're overreacting. None of those people who offended you were threatening. Maybe annoying, but certainly not threatening."

Kento noticed his namesake's withdrawn expression, seeming to cringe inwardly. Kento couldn't imagine what he had endured during his young life. "Are you alright?"

"Just shut up!"

Ryo softly asked Kento to sit down. He did.

Kento told his friends, "I just wanted to help."

Ryo nodded. "We know."

Kento sighed and looked at the new warriors. They were silent, ignoring his namesake. Perhaps that was best. Maybe his great-grandson needed solitude. Reiji glared at him. He hated how Reiji's eyes looked exactly like Sage's. "What's your problem?"

"I was merely thinking about you."

"And? Your thoughts?"

"You seem to have no respect or appreciation for modern Japanese culture."

Irritable and tired, Kento leaned his head back on the cushioned bench. "I just got here, you know."

"There are many things you have to learn about Japanese culture."

"Like what?"

"For example, in certain subcultures, the use of certain weapons which seem torturous and inhumane according to other standards are perfectly acceptable."

"And you approve of that?"

"Who are we to disapprove of another's culture?"

They arrived at Toriyama Hashiba's house, which was situated in the suburbs, at 1:00 PM. It was a nice small house with brown roofing and pretty yellow siding. A window signified each room.

"I love being home," Tori said as he unlocked the door. "Lena won't be here until 7 since she works tonight. Relax, and I'll have to pick Zaji up from the neighbors in a few minutes."

"It looks nice," said Sai. They entered through the living room. Right in front of them, there was a couch with chairs at each side in a semi-circular fashion and facing the television on the wall. There were several tables along the living room, decorated with a variety of knick-knacks. On the walls hung domestic pictures – Tori's and Lena's wedding, the wedding of probably Lena's parents, and the wedding of Tori's parents. There was also a picture of a giggling one-year-old with purple hair and green eyes.

"Is this your son?" Sai said.

"Yup. That's Zaji Hashiba."

Kento walked up to look at the picture. "Hey, this is cool. Rowen's a great-great-grandfather."

'It's strange,' thought Sai, 'to witness so many generations. I see a strong resemblance between Zaji and his father, and I see a slight resemblance between Tori and Rowen, but Zaji doesn't look anything like Rowen. In fact, Tori looks more like his grandfather, but we all said that Mateo definitely took after Rowen.' He remembered his friend's parents, another generation among many.

He left to explore more of the house. A bar separated the kitchen and dining room from the living room. Those rooms were devoid of decoration and held the typical kitchen appliances, which hadn't changed much.

Adjoining the kitchen was a long hallway which connected all of the personal rooms. "The first two are library rooms where Lena and I work," Tori told him. "You can go in all of them if you want."

Sai entered the one on the left. He immediately noticed the giant shelves with books along the wall and the rotating shelves also filled with books. Then, he noticed the writing desk and computer on the wall with the door. A few pictures of Tori and Kento-kun, of Zaji, and of Lena, were on the desk. Finally, Sai saw on the other walls dozens of pictures of Rowen. Sai counted them. Twenty-five.

In Zaji's room, Ryo found several colorful geographic maps. The political geography had changed drastically since his last memories in 2021. Ryo had known the USA economy was suffering, as was Japan's in 2021, but he didn't expect America's contribution to the world to become non-existent. Canada, on the other hand, surpassed the USA. India appeared to be a major super power in Asia, rivaling China. Where North and South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, and Cambodia once were was a large country named Unity Dragon Corporation. Europe was also similarly solidified in a why that surprised Ryo so much that he read it aloud, "The Swedish Coalition." Did the U.N no longer exist?

"That's where I came from."

Ryo jumped and turned around to face his great-grandson.

Aiden nodded, "I was born and raised in Scotland. My mother is Scottish. Beautiful countryside."

Rowen frowned, listening to Seito, Reiji, and Kento-kun argue about when to inform the old warriors about their families. Having prided himself on his independence for most of his life, Rowen felt sick at having them be in control of his life, no matter how logical and well-intentioned or temporary. They mentioned the horrific shock the knowledge would be to them. Rowen suspected their families had encountered a huge disaster. They mentioned that Lena would have class tomorrow, so tomorrow might be a good day, and would give the old warriors another day to adjust. Kento-kun threw a fit about all the classes he was missing; he wanted to inform them and get it over with, but he also seemed reluctant. To be honest, Rowen considered the idea of a Rei Faun as fervent about education a bit unnerving.

Rowen wondered how many classes Tori was taking. His great-grandson had left to take Zaji from the neighbors. 'Something seems odd about Tori. He is not as quiet and reserved as I expected. Of course, I shouldn't expect him to be just like myself.' When Tori returned, the father and toddler were hugging each other and telling each other in cooing voices about how the other was missed. Rowen became alarmed. He had expected Tori to behave in a manner similar to his father, Hajime Hashiba, but his behavior was the total opposite.

Rowen spoke up, "Perhaps tonight would be best to tell us everything that's happened since our departure."

Seito suggested, "After dinner?" Everyone agreed. As soon as Zaji was settled, Tori began cooking.

Since Tori and Lena didn't have enough food for so many visitors, he cooked a variety of things – microwaveable rice balls and gyoza, pasta, fish strips, etc. The warriors seated themselves wherever they could find a place. The table seated six. Kento and his namesake facing the other, next to them, Rowen and Tori facing the other, and then Sai and Seito facing the other. Aiden, Ryo, and Sage sat at the bar. Reiji pulled up a chair between the bar and table.

Tori casually gave Kento's namesake a jar of pizza sauce, one-third empty, and a large spoon. His namesake began spooning the sauce over his rice balls.

Kento smiled, "You know, your grandfather always used to do the same thing. Kousei an' me always bought pizza sauce just for him. It's no wonder Jari wanted his own pizzeria."

His namesake barely glanced at him.

Kento sighed and grabbed the soda that Tori set on the table for him. It felt not quite grainy, almost like clay. He couldn't see where to open it. "It's not aluminum?" He saw Sai drinking out of a newfangled can just fine.

Ryo asked, "Um, what is this?"

Aiden replied, "It's Earthen Foam. I don't remember the scientific name for it. We got rid of a lot of aluminum, Styrofoam, and plastics a long time ago."

Kento muttered, "Not long enough."

Wondering how Sai was able to drink out of such a thing, the other old warriors stared at him.

Sai replied to his friends, "Um, this is the first time I've actually opened one. These cans came out a year or two before, um – there's a little tab thing that you pull off along the rim. You pull it off, and the can opens."

The old warriors did that.

Tori offered them some chocolate milk. "It's the only thing still in plastic. Cow milk doesn't react well to Earthen Foam." Kento-sama and Rowen accepted a glass. Tori spoke as he poured the milk, "But it's completely safe for humans and nature. We've been drinking out of Earthen cans as far as we can remember, and no one has had any problems. It's biodegradable and helps fertilize the Earth." He quit, hearing someone choke.

Sage had spit up all over his can when he heard Tori mention fertilizer. Ryo was sniffing his own can.

"It's not gonna degrade anytime soon. It still has a few weeks. Would you like some chocolate milk, anyway?"

Sage replied, "Yes, please. I would greatly appreciate that."

Once everyone was eating and drinking comfortably, Ryo wondered, "What other differences in technology are there?"

Aiden said, "Well, cars are now biomechanical. They now rely upon a combination of solar energy and gentle fuels, similar to the way plants work."

"You mean, they're alive?"

Aiden shook his head, "cars are the least biological of all the biomechanical technologies. The artificial hearts and lungs, for example, are the most biological. A few years after the harmful gases quit being emitted, the cancer rate dropped by 55%."

Tori spoke up, more to get Rowen's interest, "I visited a hospital once to learn all about artificial hearts. It's so cool. The hearts are put in this iron and carbon-mixed solution that's kinda like blood, and the hearts are kept warm. I had thought they were frozen, like in old times, but if you freeze a heart or take it out of the solution for too long, it'll die. And the blood solution registers as O negative, 'cause it's the most adaptable for human systems. The doctors and nurses were really nice. They let me wear gloves and reach out to squeeze a –"

Kento-kun growled, "Toriyama, that's not a very good dinner conversation . . ."

Rowen was not impressed with his great-grandson's childish demeanor. He seemed immature. "So, Tori, how goes your college education?"

"Um . . ."

Kento-kun promptly boasted, "Did you know that Tori clepped out of the entire freshman year and several sophomore level classes?"

Rowen smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a Hashiba. I also took the clep exams and avoided most of the freshman courses."

Tori blushed.

Kento-kun continued, "and Tori joined the science club, the literary club…" He stopped to let Tori ramble about all the fun he had there.