Warrior Call Part Fourteen
Ronin Warriors

Warrior Call

By Janime

Part Fourteen - Judgment Error
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Cale had never in his four hundred fifty years of life ever felt so much pain. Every single part of his body hurt, from his scalp to the soles of his feet.
What the hell happened? Cale thought, slowly opening his eyes. We were in the Stream… Gwen was screaming. What was that thing that attacked us?
Slowly, trying to avoid any sudden pain shots, Cale turned onto his left side and found himself looking at Casey. He was shocked to see her there, but admitted that he would rather find himself next to Casey than the other blonde Halo wearer.
As Cale looked at her, he felt a rush of anger go through him as he realized that whatever had attacked him in the Stream had also attacked Casey. He lightly brushed away the wisps of hair from Casey's forehead. Her hair was a few shades darker than Sage's. If people saw the two walking down the street, they would probably think that maybe Sage and Casey were related.
Cale smiled, remembering that Ryo had said that Sage and Casey were treating each other like cousins, and also how big of a relief it was to Jessie - that part had slipped.
What does she see in him? Cale chuckled a little and shook his head.
Casey's eyes fluttered and she turned her head. As quickly as his pain-wracked body would permit him, Cale moved away from Casey, lying down a little farther from his original spot.
"…Cale…" Casey's voice sounded so weak. He turned his head to look at her. "What happened?"
"Something was in the Stream," he answered.
"Gwen was screaming," Casey said, "Kayura told me to watch out… and something hit me." She took a slow deep breath. "I'm tired."
"I know," Cale said quietly. "Go back to sleep. Get some more rest."
Casey smiled as she nodded. Her eyes closed and she fell back into the blissful state.
That was too close, Cale let out a big sigh and he too fell asleep again.
Or so he thought, for Sekhmet had been listening to their little conversation - not intentionally, though. Kayura had asked Sekhmet to check on the two. Gwen was awake and was doing just fine. Joana, even though she hadn't been poisoned, was still asleep but not in any danger.
Dayus was everyone's concern. Although the poison had been sent out of his body, Dayus had died. Jessie was able to bring him back by using CPR. Kayura never left her husband's side, occasionally using her healing power on him with Twyla's help.
After Gwen had woken up and was declared out of danger, Kayura sent Sekhmet to go look on Cale and Casey in the next passage. He arrived and saw his friend brushing away the hair on Casey's forehead. Cale didn't notice the other Warlord and Sekhmet remained hidden in the shadows. He stayed there until he was certain that they had fallen asleep. Sekhmet walked in and checked their pulses. Both were strong, meaning that they would awaken soon.
Ironic, Sekhmet thought as he walked returned to the others. Halo's former enemy falling for Halo's replacement, and Wildfire's replacement has fallen for Halo.
"How are they?" Jessie asked when Sekhmet returned.
"They're going to be all right," he answered. "How's Dayus? Any better?"
"A little," said Kayura, "thank the Ancients."
"How long do you think it'll be before they can start walking?" Twyla asked.
"Soon, I hope, but I don't want them to push it." Kayura sighed. "We might have to carry them if we have to move."
Jessie leaned against White Blaze. "I hope Joana wakes up soon," she said with worry.
"Are you sure that she wasn't poisoned?" Sekhmet asked.
"Joana and Twyla left the Stream before the rest of us were attacked," said Gwen.
"We did," Twyla looked at Joana. "But still…" She turned to Jessie. "Do you think that maybe Joana went back into the Stream after we split up?"
"Would you?" Jessie asked.
"I'll check her," Sekhmet volunteered. He knelt beside Joana and placed his hand on her forehead. "She's not poisoned," he said and thought, But what's wrong with her?

Cye jumped out of the water, holding Ryo under his right arm.
"It's Cye!" Yuli exclaimed. "And he's got Ryo!" Cye landed on the bridge and laid Ryo down on the sidewalk. Yuli and White Blaze rushed over to them. "Ryo's gonna be okay, isn't he Cye?" Yuli asked.
"Any longer underwater and it might have been tough," said Cye, "but I think I got him out in time. He just needs some rest now, that's all." Cye stood up and walked over to the bridge's edge. "Yuli, White Blaze, stay here and take care of Ryo."
"Hey," said Yuli, "where you going, Cye?"
"I'm going to get rid of Sekhmet." The faceplate came down and Cye jumped over the side of the bridge, diving into the water.
Sekhmet looked up. "What?" he couldn't believe it, but he saw the revived Ronin swimming towards him at an incredible speed. "It must be his Armor that makes him resist my venom this way," Sekhmet said to himself.
Cye thrust his spear at him, and Sekhmet blocked it with his katanas.
But how powerful is this one? Sekhmet thought. Can he survive against my venom for very long? I think not. Fool. He summoned his power. "SNAKE FANG STRIKE!"
Cye went flying backwards and hit a sand pile. The impact disturbed the sand and blocked him from the Warlord's sight.
Sekhmet laughed. "How do you like the taste of my poison?" he asked, and blinked in surprise as the sand settled again and he saw the Ronin on his feet.
"Uh, Sekhmet," said Cye, "I wouldn't put it on the menu. It's a little bland for me."
"I see," Sekhmet narrowed his eyes. "Your Armor is the Torrent. Does this mean I cannot hurt you in the water?"
"Yeah, but I can hurt you!" Cye thrust his spear at the Warlord and it was blocked again, but this time the outer blades of the trident closed over Sekhmet's katanas before the Warlord could make any move.
Cye flipped Sekhmet over and slammed him into the sand floor. Sekhmet quickly recovered and did the same to him. Then he jumped out of the water, taking Cye with him and they landed on the very top of the bridge towers, one on each side.
"Hey!" Cye yelled. "What did you do that for?!"
"Don't you know, boy?" Sekhmet asked. "On land your Armor won't protect you. Now I have the advantage in this battle!"
"Go for it!" Cye challenged, not believing the Warlord.
"Say goodbye to this world then." Sekhmet released his swords and they hovered in the air as he pulled out the next four blades. He pushed them together and pulled one away, the others following as Sekhmet swung the blades above his head. "SNAKE FANG STRIKE!"
The special attack hit Cye with such force, it knocked him off the tower and he fell.

Joana groaned and covered her closed eyes with her hands.
"So you're still with us," said a deep voice.
Joana's eyes flew open and she peeked between her fingers. Sekhmet was towering over her. Joana let out a high-pitched scream and scrambled away. Gwen quickly went to her friend's side.
"What did I do?" Sekhmet asked.
"Besides water," Gwen said, "her other biggest fear is snakes." She looked at him. "So if you don't mind putting a little distance from her."
"Gwen!" Jessie said.
"It's all right," said Sekhmet.
Like hell it is! Jessie thought.
"It's nothing against you, Sekhmet," said Joana when she calmed down. "But could you just stay away for a little while?"
Sekhmet nodded as he stood and walked down a passage.
Jessie got to her feet and walked over to Joana. "Care to enlighten us what that was about?"
"Give her a break, Jess," said Gwen.
"No," said Joana, "I'll explain. I saw Cye fighting against Sekhmet under the bridge."
"Yeah, that would do it," Jessie said, "I saw that one from Ryo's view a couple days ago."
"So how come you didn't freak out like you did when Dayus woke you up and you punched him?" Twyla asked.
"Maybe I've realized that they're just dreams." Jessie left the passage and followed after Sekhmet. She found him sitting on a rock, elbows on his knees, chin resting in his hands. His expression was blank, but his eyes betrayed him, revealing the sadness he was trying to hide.
"Sekhmet?" Jessie said quietly.
For a moment he didn't answer. Finally, Sekhmet lowered his hands and looked at her. "Over six years ago, I wouldn't have cared," he said, "nothing bothered me then." Sekhmet closed his eyes and sighed. "But the look on Joana's face when she saw me…"
"She saw one of Cye's memories," Jessie explained, "when you were fighting against Ryo and Cye under the bridge."
Sekhmet looked up. "They really did kick my ass that day, I'll admit it." He laughed a little.
"Yeah, they did." Jessie smiled and sat next to him. "But Cye hasn't forgiven you like Ryo has."
"No," the Warlord shook his head. "I'm hoping that there can be some come of peace between us - so do the other Warlords. For Ryo's sake at least."
"I'm sure there will be." Jessie placed her hand on his shoulder. "Ryo's been the barrier line between the eight of you."
"He is," Sekhmet nodded. "It's like a big strain to be civil to each other. We try to be acquaintances, but we end up fighting and Ryo has to break us up." He looked at Jessie. "And now you're getting pushed between us with Ryo."
"I like you guys," she said, "you're all on the same side now and we're with you." Jessie grinned. "I worry about you."
"Believe me, we do worry about you and your friends."
"I'm not surprised. Look at the place we're in."
"Especially you, Jess."
"I know. Lucky me."
"I'll tell you something," said Sekhmet, "I was an only child, but I wish I had a sister like you."
Jessie smiled. "I'm honored." She stood up. "Let's go check on Cale and Casey."
Sekhmet nodded and followed Jessie. He decided to keep quiet about what he had seen earlier, choosing to save it for a later time. They entered, seeing Casey awake and sitting up.
"How do you feel, Case?" Jessie asked and knelt beside her friend.
"Very tired," Casey responded. "What happened?"
"There was poison in the Stream," said Sekhmet. "It attacked you, Gwen, Cale, Dayus died and-"
"What?!" gasped Casey.
"He's all right," Jessie said. "We brought him back." She looked at Casey. "And you guys wondered why I took that CPR course."
"Because your license expired two years ago?"
"That was for infant/child CPR. I never took the adult CPR before."
Sekhmet just watched the two girls. Cale groaned and opened his eyes.
"Welcome back to the land of the living," Sekhmet grinned at him. "How do you feel?"
"Better to feel pain then feel dead," Cale sat up. "How's everybody else?"
"Alive," said Jessie, "Dayus is still unconscious, though." She helped Casey stand up as Sekhmet helped Cale. The four walked back to join the rest of the group.

Kayura lightly stroked Dayus's cheek, silently wishing that he would wake up. Oh Dayus… she sighed, blinking back the tears. He groaned and turned his head into her hand. "Dayus?" said Kayura softly.
His eye opened. "Kayura," he whispered, "my angel."
Kayura smiled and leaned over, lightly kissing her husband.
"You two will never listen to me," Sekhmet's voice entered the room, followed by the Warlord himself along with Cale, Jessie, and Casey.
"Leave us alone," Dayus said.
"I hate to know what would happen if we did," Cale grinned as he sat down. "I pray that-"
"Can we get off this subject?" Jessie suggested.
"Jessie, Casey, come on," Gwen said.
"What for?" Casey asked.
"We six women need to talk," said Joana.
Dayus looked at his wife. "You do?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered, "but we won't be long." Kayura kissed him again, and left with the five Ronin girls. White Blaze snorted.
"I agree," Cale said, patting the tiger's back, and then looked at Sekhmet. "So what happened in the Stream?"
"There was poison," said Sekhmet, leaning against the wall. "Out of the eight of us that went into the Stream, Kayura, Twyla, and Joana weren't affected."
"I remember Twyla and Joana leaving," said Dayus. "Did you adjust to it?"
Sekhmet nodded. "I did. According to Jessie and Twyla, Joana started to act strangely like she and Gwen had before Cye and Kento gave them their Armors. Joana said that Twyla had to go back into the Stream to fix it. Kayura and I went with her and we got rid of the poison. We came back and sent the poison in you to me…" He paused, debating to tell everything. Hell, he might as well know, Sekhmet thought. "Dayus, you died and -"
"I what?" the Warlord of Illusion said.
"You died from the poison, and Jessie brought you back. She used-"
"Jessie brought him back to life?" Cale asked, irritating Sekhmet at being interrupted again. "She must have a lot of power to reincarnate a person." Kayura hasn't even mastered that, he didn't say out loud, but it was there.
"She didn't use her power!" Sekhmet gritted through his teeth.
Dayus looked at him. "But how did she-"
"Stop interrupting me and I'll tell you." Sekhmet let his two friends know of his annoyance from the tone in his voice. They nodded and he continued, "Jessie used CPR. It's a technique used today to save a person's life."
It saved mine, Dayus thought. "What exactly is it?" he asked.
"Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation," Sekhmet carefully repeated the words Jessie had told him earlier. "You press down on the victim's chest over the heart, and you breathe air into them."
"Jessie… breathed air into me?" Dayus asked with a rather odd look on his face.
"Yes."
"So she kissed him," Cale said.
"She did not kiss him," Sekhmet groaned. "It's not even considered a kiss by today's definition of standards."
"When someone puts their mouth over someone else's," said Cale, "I call that a kiss." He looked at Dayus. "What do you think?"
Dayus managed to sit up and looked at Sekhmet. "Is Kayura mad?"
"No, she isn't," the Venom Warlord said. "To tell you the truth, I think she's very grateful that Jessie did what she did."
"Then it wasn't a kiss," Dayus said.
"All right," Cale shrugged. "If that's how it works today, it wasn't a kiss."
"Kayura asked Jesse when we get out of here to show us how to do CPR," Sekhmet grinned. "Of course, Dayus, your wife wants to use you as her victim."
"Why does this not surprise me?" Dayus threw his hands up in exasperation.
Cale laughed and his mind traveled to the way Sekhmet had described CPR. A light smile crossed his face as he thought about tasting Casey's sweet lips. He closed his eyes and let his thoughts journey farther.
"Never in my immortal life!" Dayus said, bringing Cale back from his pleasant musing.
Sekhmet laughed. "If it happens and you're the only one there, you'll have to do it."
"Then I'll make sure there's someone of the female gender around."
"That may be a little difficult, unless you plan to have Kayura with you constantly."
Cale frowned, silently wishing that he hadn't picked that moment to daydream and not miss out on what was said.
"CPR to a woman I can live with," said Dayus, "Kayura might forgive me; most likely she will. But CPR to a man - no."
Cale began to chuckle lightly. So that was the reason for Dayus' outburst. He could see the other Warlord's point of view, but also agreed with Sekhmet; regardless of gender, if you're the only one there and you know what to do - do it.
Cale stood up. "I'll be right back," he said and started down a tunnel.
"Where are you going?" Dayus asked.
Cale turned around. "I believe Jessie put it as, 'Nature is calling'." He turned back and continued down the passage.

"Focus harder, Jessie," Kayura said, watching the girl's closed eyes shut tighter in concentration.
Jessie and Kayura were in one passage, while the other four girls were patiently waiting in another passage not far away from them. Kayura had a feeling that if she left Casey, Joana, Gwen, and Twyla with the other three Warlords, something would happen while she was helping Jessie.
A good thing they're not with us, either, Kayura thought. Twyla had become so bitter to her, though Kayura couldn't blame the other girl. Jessie had become a target for the Nether Realm. It was natural for someone's friends to worry, and lashing out sometimes relieved some of the stress.
Sweat dotted Jessie's forehead as she continued to separate Wildfire from her power. "I unwrapped all of it," she said, "but just one little problem."
"What?" Kayura asked.
"One end of Wildfire's thread is stuck in the sphere." In Jessie's mind, she tried to gently tug the red shimmery thread from the golden sphere, but no such luck. "I don't think it wants to let go, either."
Kayura sighed. "But the rest of it is separated from your power?" she asked and Jessie nodded. "All right, that's enough for now."
Jessie opened her eyes and wiped the sweat off her face. "Why couldn't I get it apart?"
"Either you're not strong enough to separate Wildfire from your power," said Kayura, "or you're just going to have to wait until we get Ryo back. I have a feeling it's the latter."
"I just wish I knew where he was," Jessie sighed, looking away. "I'm such an idiot for not keeping up my Tracking practice. We could've found the Ronins and been out of here by now." If only I could remember what happened… she thought.
The brief glimpses of when Ryo gave Jessie the Wildfire Armor were coming more and more, but she couldn't make much sense of them. The memory flashes mainly consisted of Ryo yelling something at Jessie that she couldn't make out, the dark robed figure with the electric whip, and White Blaze roaring.
Kayura looked at Jessie. The distressed look in the girl's eyes told her that Jessie was blaming herself for the Ronins' disappearance and everything else that had led them to their present situation.
"Jessie," Kayura said, "I can't thank you enough for giving Dayus back to me."
Jessie smiled a little. "You're welcome. You, Dayus, Cale, and Sekhmet have done a lot for me."
"I know," Kayura said and smiled. "If you knew what I had to go through to get him."
"Never will I doubt a word from you on that," Jessie laughed.

"Are you sure that it's safe for me to try it?" Casey asked, standing in full Halo Armor.
Cale and Jessie, also in full Armors, were with Casey in a tunnel, trying to get her to do the Thunder Bolt Cut.
"I mean," Casey went on, "after what happened with Jessie and the Wildfire Flare, don't you think that-"
"That was an accident," Jessie hissed through her teeth. "You've been taught how to hold back some amount of energy. As for me, I have another power that I didn't know about, and it likes to make itself known."
"Casey, all you'll cut is that boulder," said Cale, "that's all. I know I said that we only use the special attacks when it's necessary, but you need to practice it if you're ever in a situation that is more than basic combat."
Casey sighed and faced the boulder. "All right," she said, "but I don't want you screaming at me if this hits everyone."
Jessie looked at Cale and both stepped back as Casey started summoning power for Halo's special attack. Casey raised the sword up and a glowing light surrounded her.
"THUNDER BOLT CUT!" Casey shouted and ran towards the boulder. She jumped into the air and brought the sword down, slicing halfway through the rock before stopping.
"Very good, Casey," said Cale, "you did-" He was cut off by a growl from Casey and frowned as he watched her body jerk.
"What are you doing?" Jessie asked.
"It's stuck!" Casey hissed and continued to yank on the blade. "Look!" she yelled at it, "I am not King Arthur or Lady Guinevere! So either you let go right this minute or-"
Jessie bit her tongue to hold back the laughter, and Cale sighed, rolling his eyes. They walked over to Casey, still sputtering at the Halo Sword.
"Allow me," Jessie offered. Casey moved away and Jessie tapped the sword near the stone. She pulled the sword out with ease and handed it to Casey. "There you go."
"Show off," Casey gritted and walked away.
Jessie started giggling. Cale just shook his head.

"So which one of us gets to train Twyla?" asked Dayus.
"Unfortunately," said Kayura and she looked at him, "you do."
Cale patted Dayus' shoulder. "It's been nice knowing you, Dayus," he said.
Dayus looked at his wife in distress. "…No…"
"You three have to help them," Kayura said, "and so do I. But from what's been happening the past three months…" she sighed, "I have to figure out what the Ancients have said, and why the girls have been dragged into this as well. Jessie can help. She's more at ease with us than her friends are." With that said, Kayura walked down a passage.
"Wonderful," Dayus grumbled, "I get to train the aimless archer."
I don't think CPR works for loss of blood, Sekhmet thought.

Casey dropped to the ground to avoid Sekhmet's blade.
"An interesting way to avoid a strike," he said, "but that won't work very well during battle."
"Give me a break!" said Casey as she got to her feet. "I'm new at this."
Sekhmet rolled his eyes. He did, however, consider himself fortunate that Casey was his student for the time being. Cale was training Jessie this time and hopefully Dayus would survive his session with Twyla. Gwen and Joana were practicing together.
All in all, the training ground was a place of utter chaos. How Kayura was able to stay focused - not to mention alive - during the mayhem was unbelievable.
Sekhmet placed his katanas in their sheaths. "Why don't you go relax for a few minutes," he suggested to Casey.
"You mean it?" she asked, unable to hide the happy relief.
"Yes, I'll call for you." Sekhmet watched Casey bolt from the passage. He shook his head, sent away his Armor, and walked down another passage.

Gwen and Joana managed to get by Twyla's direction deprived arrows.
"You're getting much better, Twyla," they heard Dayus, "feel the Armor aiding you."
"Is it just me or is he lying through his teeth?" asked Gwen.
"If it'll help Twyla's aim improve and boost her confidence," said Joana, "I'd lie, too. Come on, we need to practice."
They walked on, seeing Jessie, Casey, and Cale in one passage talking. Kayura was still meditating and White Blaze was sleeping by the sorceress.
"Wasn't Sekhmet training Casey?" Joana asked.
"Maybe she finally got on his nerves," Gwen said.
"Hey!" Casey ran up to them. "What's up?"
"We're going to practice the special attacks," said Gwen. "Wasn't Sekhmet training you?"
"Yeah, but he gave me a break," Casey grinned. "I'm watching Cale teach Jessie. He wants her to do the Flare and she's not too happy about the idea."
"After what happened the last two times she used it," said Joana, "I can't blame her."
The trio talked for a little while, and then Casey went back to Cale and Jessie. Gwen and Joana turned to a passage, not knowing that someone had already gone down into it.
"Shall you go first," said Joana, "or I?"
"You go," said Gwen, "you need to get in tune with the water."
"If you insist." Joana pointed the spear down the tunnel.

After answering the call of Nature, Sekhmet started walking out of the tunnel. Once back, he would most likely have to pry Casey away from Cale.
Sekhmet heard a shout and thought it sounded like Joana. Then he heard a thundering rumble echo down the tunnel and Sekhmet was very glad that he had just gone to the bathroom.
"Wait! Stop!" he cried and was knocked over by the water from Torrent's special attack; his cries were quickly replaced with, "Gurgle! Gasp!"
The waves dissipated, leaving the now waterlogged Warlord facedown in mud. Sekhmet, coughing and gagging, raised his head and stared at the tunnel's exit.
Of all the attacks to get the backlash of, he thought, why did it have to be this one? Sekhmet hauled himself into a standing position along the wall, pressing himself against it to determine the safest escape.
That was when he heard Gwen.
Sekhmet looked up and had just enough time to release a much-outdated expletive, and cover his head before the ceiling cracked in half as he screamed.

"What do you two think you're doing?"
Gwen and Joana turned around and looked at Jessie. "We're practicing the special attacks," said Joana.
"Without one of the Warlords watching?" Jessie crossed her arms.
"Oh, come on, Jess," Casey walked up next to her.
"We don't need them supervising us like we're little kids," said Gwen.
"They know a lot more about the Armors than we do," Jessie said.
"Yeah, we know," Gwen narrowed her eyes, "and whose side were the on before?"
"Hold it!" Casey intervened. "Don't you thing you're acting just a little…" her voice trailed off as she and Jessie stared at the figure crawling out of the tunnel behind Gwen and Joana.
"Should I try the Arrow Shock Wave?" they heard Twyla ask.
"You do, you die!" Jessie shouted.
Dayus dropped the target he had attempted to create for Twyla and looked at Cale, who had left Jessie and Casey to ask the Illusion Warlord where Sekhmet was.
Cale looked at Dayus with concern, and then scanned the group. "Sekhmet?" he called.
"What?" came a battered reply. Two horrified shrieks soon followed.
Dayus, Twyla, and Cale quickly ran over to the other girls. Jessie and Casey had shocked looks on their faces; Gwen and Joana were babbling.
"Oh my God!" the two girls were saying. "We're so sorry! We didn't mean to! Oh!"
A black and blue, rather damp, and quite dusty Warlord of Venom was dragging himself out of the passage. Twyla reached out to heal him, bow in the other hand.
Cale and Dayus laughed as he shrank back. "Uh, Twyla," Dayus chuckled.
Twyla looked confused, then dropped the weapon, glared at the two standing Warlords, and knelt next to Sekhmet. "Anything broken?" she asked. "Anything I can do?"
All I wanted to do was release some waste, Sekhmet thought miserably to himself. "I think I'll be fine," he said hoarsely, and pointed to his attackers, both of whom looked stricken. "Help them, please."
At this order, Joana burst into tears. "You aren't supposed to be that nice!" she garbled through her sobs as Gwen patted her back and gave their victim an apologetic glance.
"The Armors do nasty things to our senses of perception," Gwen explained, looking at another certain Warlord. "…I'm sure she doesn't mean it."
Casey looked oddly at Cale. "I wouldn't have said that," she murmured, "I'm sort of, of… neutral," she continued babbling to herself, tailing off as she went.
In the center of another passage, as she had all day - regardless of the hazards - sat Kayura, legs crossed, with the Staff across her knees. On the ground, she had drawn a circle with a nine-pointed star. She meditated, drew something else in the dirt, and meditated again, seeming oblivious to the rest of the group. Looking up, she was surprised to find everyone in the corner.
White Blaze opened his eyes. He looked at the group and then to Kayura. Both Ancient Clan member and tiger stood up and stretched.
"I don't think," Kayura said slowly, "that a nine-pointed star is the key anymore." She and White Blaze walked over to the others. "What happened?" Kayura asked upon seeing Jessie and Twyla help Sekhmet to his feet.
"He was drowned and buried alive," said Jessie.
"We didn't know he was down there!" Gwen hissed and Joana looked as though she would cry.
"Sekhmet," Cale said, "why were you-" he stopped and began to laugh.
"What's so funny?" asked Dayus.
"Think about it for a moment," Cale chuckled.
Dayus pondered, and then looked at Sekhmet. "That has got to be the worst time to be caught off guard."
"Shut up," growled Sekhmet.
"Jessie, Twyla," Kayura spoke, "would you please help Sekhmet over to the next passage."
"Sure," said Jessie, "no problem."
The two Ronin girls helped the Warlord as they followed Kayura. Sekhmet sat on the ground and leaned against the wall, letting out a huge sigh. I'll never hear the end of it, he thought.
Twyla and Kayura used their healing powers while Jessie attempted to get as much dirt as she could out of Sekhmet's hair.
"Before or after?" Kayura asked when they finished.
"After," Sekhmet answered.
"Look on the bright side," said Jessie, "at least you got your pants back up."
"Jessie," scolded Kayura and Twyla started to snicker.
"Oh, she's right," Sekhmet said.
"I think, Jessie," said Twyla, "we should tell Casey that her teacher has cancelled the rest of her lesson for today."
"Agreed." Jessie nodded at Sekhmet and went with Twyla back to the others.

Jessie was still training with Cale - the other girls' lessons done for the day. Jessie had just finished using the Flare and smiled as it hit the wall, making a deep mark.
"Do it again," said Cale, "you girls have to learn how use the Armors if we're ever going to get out of here."
Jessie looked at him tiredly. "I don't think that's such a good-"
"Again!" Cale yelled at her.
Jessie braced herself and sighed in exhaustion, frustration, and to attempt to find her center. "Armor of Wildfire," she whispered and took a deep breath. "FLARE UP NOW!" Jessie gritted her teeth against the energy that wanted to surge from her body, willing it, to have at least some level of control.
"Better," Cale said from behind her. The Flare hit the wall in front of them, then spilt and continued with less force along the wall in both directions. "What the…?" Cale asked.
"Shit!" Jessie cursed and ran after one of the streams as it headed down the passage towards the others. "MOVE!" Jessie screamed down the hall of stone. "NOW!"
Cale stood beside her and they waited a few moments for the Flare to burn itself out. "Let's go," he said and they ran down the tunnel.
"Jessie," Twyla hissed through her teeth when they arrived, "if you ever do that again without warning us ahead of time-"
"I didn't know it was going to split in half!" Jessie yelled.
"What?" Kayura asked.
"I told her to do the Flare again," said Cale. "She was aiming at the wall. But when the Flare hit the wall, it kept going. It's not her fault."
"Wait a minute," said Casey, "where's Gwen and Joana?"
White Blaze growled at them and looked down the passage.
"Oh no!" Jessie bolted pass everyone. She gasped in horror as she came upon the still forms of her friends.

"Joana, wake up."
"Gwen, is that you?" Joana asked, rubbing her eyes. She sat up and looked at the scenery before her. "Wha...?"
The lush green meadow was dotted with large trees and bushes. There was a large pool of water in front of a grand stone building. Several statues lined the steps leading to the magnificent doors.
Joana couldn't believe what she was seeing. The last thing she remembered was discussing with Gwen which event had dragged them into this - their double date at Crystal Blue. They heard Jessie's warning too late and managed to lean forward...
And now they were in this place.
"Where are we?" Joana couldn't help asking.
"It's definitely not the caves," said Gwen, "and I doubt that we're in the Stream." She stood up and looked at herself. "This isn't exactly my taste." She was wearing a less fancier silver-colored dress than she wore in the Stream, and Joana had on a pink dress with a similar design to Gwen's.
Joana got to her feet and looked at the building. "Do you think it's safe to go in there?" she asked.
"Only one way to find out," said Gwen.
I was afraid you'd say that, Joana thought and followed Gwen to the building. They pushed the doors open and walked inside.
"Nice," Gwen said, looking around. "Does this place seem a little..."
"Familiar?" Joana finished. She stopped at a large mirror and looked at her reflection. "Well, we look like ourselves. Should we take this as a good sign?"
"I would," Gwen said.
"Ah, there you are," a voice startled them. "I have been looking everywhere for you."
Joana and Gwen turned to the speaker - a young woman wearing a similar outfit like theirs, with a strange pendant hanging around her neck. But what scared the two girls was that she looked exactly like Jessie!
"Is there something wrong?" she asked.
"Um… not really," said Gwen.
The young woman frowned a little and walked closer to them. "Oh, for pity sake!" she sighed in exasperation. "First our Guardians and now the two of you!"
"Guardians?" Gwen and Joana asked together.
"Yes," said the Jessie-look-alike, "our Guardians."
"So you aren't the only one that has a Guardian," Joana said.
The young woman sighed again. "I believe that starting from the beginning would be best. What so you wish to know?"
Joana and Gwen looked at each other, and then returned their gaze to the girl. "Well, for starters," said Joana, "what's your name? Because you look exactly like our friend Jessie."
"I still say that is sounds rebellious, but I do like it. My name is Maria."
"Nice to meet you," said Gwen and she squeezed Joana's hand a little. The pressure was returned; understanding the significance - Jessie's middle name was Marie. "I'm Gwen and this is Joana."
"Very close to their names," Maria said, "I mean my two friends - well, and you are my friends, too, even if you are from the future. I am guessing that we are still friends if I am Jessie."
"Yes," said Joana. "Maria, what is this place?"
"The Temple of Callisto. It was built in her memory after she died near the end of the Great War - that was centuries ago. I am a priestess here as my mother was before me." A sad look came across Maria's face. "She died at childbirth. My father sent me away to keep me away from Zalinoa, my grandmother. She does not care that we are kin. All she cares about is that I am Callisto's Chosen."
"That's what the Nether Soldiers have been calling Jessie," said Gwen.
Maria nodded. "So Ryo has told me."
"Ryo is here?!" Joana gasped.
"Yes, he is in the body of my Guardian."
This is a long shot… Gwen thought and asked, "What about Kento, Cye, Sage, and Rowen?"
"They are in the bodies of the other Guardians," Maria confirmed. "Two of them are yours. They have told us what has happened in the caves that you are trapped in," she frowned a little, "may I ask why - more appropriately - how did you get here?"
"Kind of an accident, really," said Gwen.
"You- I mean Jessie was practicing with Cale," said Joana, "I guess he had her do the Flare again and she yelled for us to look out, but we didn't move in time."
"I see," Maria nodded. "So my power is still giving the Wildfire Armor, as Kento said, an extra umph?"
"You could say that," Gwen smiled.
"Can we see them?" Joana asked hopefully.
"I am unfortunate to say that they are not here," Maria smiled sadly. "We are trying to keep them away from Andrashi and the others."
"Who's Andrashi?" Gwen asked.
"My cousin."
"Why couldn't I help thinking about Anubis when you said 'Andrashi'?"
"Maybe Andrashi is Anubis," shrugged Maria.
Then I'll keep quiet about him being a spirit, Gwen thought, but it does explain why Jessie can see him. "Who else are you trying to hide them from?"
"Steven, Kyle, David, and Katrina."
"Sekhmet, Cale, Dayus, and Kayura," said Joana.
"I beg your pardon?" Maria raised an eyebrow.
"Their names just popped into my head."
"Mine too," said Gwen.
"So all of us have met up again," Maria smiled brightly. "I would love to know what your time is like; I have so many questions to ask. But I think it would be best if I send you back to your bodies."
"You can do that?" Joana asked.
"I can," said Maria, "with Jessie's help."
"How can Jessie help you?" Gwen asked.
"I am certain that her automatic will begin to function." Maria raised her hands. "Ready?" Both girls nodded. "I will tell them that you were here," said Maria, "but all I ask is that you do not tell the others what happened. You may tell them that I am a priestess, that is all."
"You got it, sis," Joana said.
"Sis?"
"Jessie and I call each other that."
"Cute," Maria smiled and started to chant.

"That's amazing," said Kayura to no one in particular. "Their Armors seem to have absorbed part of the blast. I wonder if it's because all of you are like elements, or if it's because earth and water can be used to extinguish fire, or-"
"Either help me or shut up!" hissed Twyla, who was having trouble getting her friends to regain conscious even thought the Armors appeared to be healing them.
Jessie was shaking violently; Cale and Casey were doing their best to calm her down. She broke away from them and went to her knees in front of Gwen and Joana. Reaching out her hand between them, Jessie mumbled something and gold lightning sprung from her hand, entering each of her friends.
As Kayura managed to catch Jessie before she collapsed, the two girls groaned and opened their eyes.
"Are you okay?" Twyla asked.
"Yeah," said Joana quietly, "we went someplace again."
"A temple where Jessie was a priestess," added Gwen, as Jessie shook her head and got up, pushing away help.
Joana looked as though a great idea had suddenly hit her. "The two Jessies must have incanted at the same time to send us back!"
"But she doesn't incant!" said Casey. "That's Twy's thing!"
"Oh, she did, all right," said Twyla, "I heard her, but it wasn't in any language I've ever heard before!"
"Then how did she…" Dayus left his question unfinished as all eyes went to Jessie, sitting against the wall with her head resting on her drawn up knees.
Sekhmet walked over to Jessie and crouched next to her. He lightly touched Jessie's shoulder and she lifted her pale face up. "Would you like to borrow my helmet?" Sekhmet asked with a light grin.
Jessie smiled and shook her head. "No," she said, "I think I already emptied out my stomach."
"Jessie," said Cale, "let's call it a day."
"Won't get any argument from me," Jessie said, standing up. She turned to Gwen and Joana. "What happened?"
"We didn't hear you in time," said Gwen.
"And you incanted, Jess," Twyla said.
"No," said Jessie, "I do not incant. That's your department, Twyla."
"Well, you did, Jessie," Kayura said. "Twyla heard you and so did I."
"The priestess-Jessie said that she needed Jessie's help," Joana said. "She knew that Jessie's automatic would start-"
"Did anyone else just feel a chill?" asked Twyla, looking around nervously. "Or is it just me?"
"It's you," said Casey.
"No," Dayus said, "there is something wrong."
"Oh, come on," said Kayura, "I don't feel anything."
"Then would you mind telling the three of us what we're feeling?" Jessie asked.
"Make it five," said Cale and Sekhmet nodded.
"You're imagining things," said Gwen.
"We're not," said Jessie, "but why just the five of us?"
They looked at each other nervously. White Blaze started growling as he looked down a tunnel that had not yet been traveled.
"Nether Soldiers?" Twyla asked.
"No," answered Sekhmet, "something else…"
A low hum echoed around them, and Nether Spirits flew into the room.
"Run!" shouted Dayus, and everyone scattered in terror.
Jessie ran for the passage that the others were heading to, and a Nether Spirit appeared in front of her. Jessie stopped short and stared at the deathly blue face and colorless eyes. She looked around and saw that four more were floating around her. She was trapped.
"Help!" Jessie cried, and screamed as the Nether Spirits struck her with their power.
"Get away from her!" Kayura shouted. The Staff appeared in her and she threw it. The Staff sailed through the air and landed next to Jessie. The rings clanged loudly and several small beams of light shot out, striking all Nether Spirits. The demonic entities flew aimlessly around the room, and then disappeared.
"Jessie?" Kayura looked at her with extreme worry, but Jessie didn't answer.
"Sis?" Joana asked as fear spread through the group.
Jessie was shaking and looked very pale. One hand went to her mouth and her other arm wrapped around her stomach. Jessie fell to her knees, leaned over, and vomited.
Everyone gasped as they realized that the red liquid that had erupted from Jessie's mouth was pure blood. Jessie's eyes rolled up and she collapsed to the ground; her breathing had turned to uneven gasps.
Sekhmet reached her first and held Jessie in his arms. Sekhmet put his hand on her forehead. "She's burning up!" he said.
Kayura put her hands on the sides of Jessie's head and closed her eyes. They snapped open quickly and she looked at Jessie in alarmed disbelief. "Her power is rejecting Wildfire!"
"What do you mean 'rejecting'?!" Casey exclaimed. "They liked each other so much, it almost killed us!"
I don't understand, Kayura thought, why is reacting like this?
"Can't you take Wildfire off her?" Joana asked.
"No."
"But it'll kill her!" Gwen cried.
Kayura shook her head. "Take it off or leave it on - either way…" she didn't dare finish. It was the last thing they needed to hear, let alone think.
"She was fine before the Nether Spirits got here!" cried Twyla.
"The Nether Spirits," said Cale, and he looked at the other Warlords. "That's it! Six years ago, remember?"
Dayus nodded. "The dust. It was used on us three, Ryo, Rowen, and White Blaze."
"Some of the dust must still be on our Armors," said Sekhmet. "That's why only the five of us felt the chill."
"And why Jessie's power is acting this way," said Kayura. "It must have been tricked into believing that Wildfire is evil, and Wildfire doesn't want to separate from Jessie's power."
"Forgive the pun," said Gwen, "but we're caught between a rock and a hard place, aren't we?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Kayura said. She thought for a moment and said, "Sekhmet lay her down. Dayus, Cale, Twyla, I'll need your help."
"What are you going to do?" Sekhmet asked, gently laying Jessie on the ground.
"I remember the words Badamon used when he created the dust," Kayura said, "I have to get the dust off Wildfire and your Armors, too."
"What about us?" Casey asked.
"The dust was just used on us," said Cale, "Kento, Sage, and Cye were in the dungeons." He knelt next to Sekhmet, and Dayus and Twyla knelt across from them. White Blaze stood by Jessie's feet, his paws on her shins.
"Hold her down," said Kayura and the four did as they were told. Kayura put her hands on Jessie's shoulders, closed her eyes, and started to chant. She repeated the words Badamon had used first then changed them, calling the dust away from the Armors.
Jessie's body convulsed and she screamed, stopping when Kayura finished chanting. Kayura opened her eyes and saw a sparkling ball floating before her, and amazed looks on the others.
Kayura held her hands just a few inches away from the ball, being careful not to touch it, and used her power to move the dust away from them. She brought it over to the Staff and eliminated the dust.
Kayura walked back to the dust victims and checked them, starting with Jessie whose breathing had returned to normal. "The dust is gone," Kayura said when she finished.
Everyone sighed. "What about Jessie?" Joana asked.
"Let her sleep," said Kayura.
"Why don't we do the same?" Twyla suggested. "Hey, follow the leader."

Late that night, Kayura woke Dayus, and nodded towards the other two Warlords. Sighing a little, Dayus woke Sekhmet and Cale. The four Warlords went into a nearby passage and sat down in a circle.
Kayura rubbed at her neck in exhaustion and surveyed her companions. She waved Dayus away before he could continue her activity. "There is a reason why I called you together without the five of them awake," she said, "and it isn't just to talk about their progress."
"So?" asked Sekhmet. "What is this all-important and sleep depriving reason?"
"You're still cranky because of that tunnel-" Cale began, but was hushed by the looks sent his way by Sekhmet and Kayura.
"Well," Kayura changed the subject, "we can't sense any evil in the girls, right?" The others nodded and Cale reddened slightly. Kayura went on, "Did it ever make you stop and think… these girls are psychic. They aren't normal. They knew that they weren't normal and they sought each other out. They must have had… had clandestine slumber parties to learn how to use their frightening powers..."
"We get the point, love," said Dayus. "They aren't average, but what are you getting at?"
"I want to know who they are. And I want to know where they are from."
"Didn't Anubis trace their lines for you already?" asked Cale.
Kayura shook her head. "I don't mean where their families are from," she said, "I mean their spirits. Just because they are mortals from the Mortal Realm now, doesn't mean that they always were."
The Warlords exchanged looks. Dayus spoke up, "What are you suggesting?"
Kayura sighed in frustration. "I don't know," she said, "but the connection between Jessie and Ryo still can't be explained. And as far as I know, none of the other girls had any connections like that with any of the other Ronins."
The four remained quiet for a long time. It was true - they couldn't figure out how Ryo and Jessie could hear the other's thoughts. What was even more confusing, as well as frightening, was how strong their mental link had become in such a short period of time.
"Despite how things turned out," Cale said. "If their link started after all this, I'd say it's because of Wildfire."
"But it's not because of Wildfire," said Sekhmet. "Ever since Jessie arrived in Japan, she and Ryo could sense if there was something wrong with each other."
"And the day after moving into Mia's house," said Dayus, "Jessie and Ryo started hearing each other's thoughts, and she'd been only in Japan for a month."
"I know," Cale nodded. "Now they can have conversations with just their minds and they can feel each other's pain."
"When we get out of here," said Kayura, "we have to find out the reason why they have that link as soon as possible."
Dayus looked at his wife. "Don't you think that'll be dangerous, concerning Ryo?"
"I know it will," Kayura looked at the other Warlords. "It's desperate… but we don't have much of a choice. Jessie's willing to help, and she's positive that Ryo will, too."
"Even though his condition?" Sekhmet asked.
"But won't that make him vulnerable?" asked Cale.
"Most likely it will," Kayura said. "That's why we can't let our guard down when we do this."
"Do you think she knows?" Dayus asked.
"I don't know," said Kayura. "She hasn't said anything, yet. But for both of their sakes, we cannot fail."
Three heads nodded in agreement.

July 8, 2000

Arigato, Kaos! I've finally got this done and I hope all you readers out there forgive me - I have a lack of typing skills. Not to mention I'm working close to 40hrs weekly now that school is out. I know I told someone that I'd have this out after May 20… I didn't think it'd be this late.
I know there's a few holes in this fic, the main is - where are the Ronins? Squeaky is taking care of that. She has most of it typed, but has yet to post it. So, when she does post it, I recommend reading it after reading this part.
Now before any Sekhmet fans (you know who you are) decide to flame me because of what he went through in this part, my partner in writing, Squeaky, made that scenario up along with a few others in here (and I hope she's forgiven me for not mentioning her in Part 13).
So if you want to flame me for putting that event in here, be my guest. As long as you remember to flame the creator of that idea: SqueakyJ79@yahoo.com

~Janime

She's gonna kill me…