Warrior Call Part Seventeen
Ronin Warriors

Warrior Call

By Janime

Part Seventeen - Warriors Fall To Let Warriors Rise
**********

Twyla and Joana were by Cye's tunnel, alternating between talking and meditation. The others were milling about the room.
"Kayura's still thinking of a way to get them out of the crystals," said Twyla, looking at Cye.
"Don't worry, Twy," Joana said, "they'll be okay."
Twyla looked at Joana's sub-armor. "Hey, at least Cye liked you."
Joana gaped at her friend. "Twyla! What makes you think that Rowen doesn't?"
The look on Twyla's face made Joana think that she was going to cry. Before Joana could say anything, a chill went through them. Twyla put her hand on Joana's arm, and the rest of the group stood ready.
Jessie ran in. "Don't go anywhere near the-"
She didn't have a chance to finish. An enormous power surged through the room, knocking everyone unconscious.

Kayura looked at the other Warlords. "Where are we?"
"Where the living fear to tread," a voice answered her.
They turned and saw the speaker.
"Anubis…" whispered Cale.
Their former comrade looked badly beaten, as if he had been in a horrible fight.
"What happened?" Sekhmet asked.
Silent tears ran down Anubis' cheeks. "We failed…"
"Anubis! Look out!" shouted Dayus.
Talpa's foot came down upon Anubis. The four jumped back and looked at Talpa - in his left hand he held Ryo, in his right hand he held Jessie.
"They belong to me now," Talpa said and laughed. "They're mine!"

The four Warlords jolted awake. Kayura let out a small scream. "Talpa!"
"Anubis," said Dayus.
"Talpa had Ryo in his left hand," said Cale.
"And Jessie in his right..." Sekhmet looked at them. "We had the same dream?"
"It appears that we did," said Kayura

"Okay, this is starting to get freaky," said Casey, watching the strange balls of light fly around her, Joana, Gwen, and Twyla.
The four Ronins whose Armors they wore appeared before them.
"Please understand," said Cye. "You must!"
"Understand what?" Joana asked.
"Where's Jessie?" asked Gwen.
The four Ronins disappeared, leaving a battered girl lying on the ground.
"JESSIE!" Twyla screamed.

The four girls woke up screaming.
"Calm down!" Kayura said. "I take it you four had your own dream."
"We saw the Ronins," said Twyla, "and these lights were flying around us. Then they disappeared and Jessie was on the floor. She looked like she'd been beaten to hell and back."
Everyone looked at the remaining unconscious girl.

"Ryo," Jessie said, "I'm sorry. You're the Ronin leader, not me. I can't do this."
"Yes, you can, Jessie," said Ryo, "you're my-"
A portal opened and lines shot out, wrapping around Ryo. Jessie grabbed his hands as the lines started to pull him towards the portal. One of the lines struck Jessie, and Ryo's hands slipped from hers.
"RYO! NO!" Jessie screamed.
"Jessie! I believe in you!" Ryo struggled to break free. "You can do this! I believe-" His words were cut off as he went through the portal.
"Oh no… Ryo…" Tears ran down Jessie's face. She looked at the portal and five large spheres, the colors of the Ronins' Armors, flew towards her. The red sphere hit Jessie and the Wildfire sub-armor appeared on her. It started to change color to navy-blue as the other spheres circled around her.

"Ryo!" Jessie screamed, sitting upright.
Twyla and Joana ran to her. "Sis, what happened?" Joana asked.
"Ryo," said Jessie, "I saw him… but I couldn't…"
"Do you want me to go into the Steam?" Twyla asked.
"You do, you die!"
"But, Jessie-"
"No!" Jessie snapped. "And if you tell me to breathe…" She stood up and walked over to the end of the tunnel, leaving everyone bewildered by her actions.
White Blaze walked over to Jessie and rubbed against her leg. She scratched the tiger's ears. Jessie frowned as she realized where they were.
"We're in the third tunnel," Jessie said. But we were in the Ronins' tunnel, she thought, how did we… Jessie took off and White Blaze followed. "NOOOOOOOOO!"
Everyone jumped to their feet, summoning their Armors as they ran to the pentagon room. Jessie was on her knees, crying uncontrollably. White Blaze groaned mournfully at the arrivals.
"Jessie," Kayura walked next to her, "what-" She looked at Ryo's tunnel. It was empty. Frantic, Kayura looked at the other four tunnels, only to see that they were the same as Ryo's.
The Ronin Warriors were gone.
"And we just found them!" Cale yelled.
"Why is it that whenever something good goes our way," said Casey, "we get screwed!"
Jessie slammed her fist into the ground, creating a small hole. "We've come this far," she said, getting to her feet, "and they've been taken from us again!" She punched the wall.
"Bit of a temper, eh?" Dayus murmured.
"Is it hers or is it Ryo's?" Sekhmet asked quietly.
They tensed as Jessie pulled out one katana, and stabbed it into the ground. She drew a five-pointed star, and then dropped to her knees, running her fingers along the lines. "It was reversed," she said.
"What do mean 'reversed'?" Kayura asked.
"The Circle of Light," Jessie said, "was reversed. When the Ronins use the Circle of Light, it starts with Wildfire." She touched one of the points. "Then it goes to Hardrock, to Torrent, to Halo, to Strata, and then back to Wildfire."
"We know that," said Dayus. "What does this have to do with the Ronins disappearing again?"
"I don't know. It could mean nothing, it could mean everything." Jessie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "When the Ronins gave us the Armors, it started with Ryo giving me Wildfire, Rowen giving Twyla Strata, Sage giving Casey Halo, Cye giving Joana Torrent, and Kento giving Hardrock to Gwen." She ran her fingers in the reversed order.
"And then you had a mental breakdown," said Gwen.
"It started with me," said Jessie, "it will end with me."
"So what you're saying is that to get the Ronins out of the crystals," said Cale, "would be to use the same order that you received the Armors."
"Possibly," Jessie stood up and looked at them. "I'm not entirely sure, though."
"But we have to find them again," said Sekhmet.
"The Armors," said Twyla. "They're still connected to the guys, right? Maybe if we focus on the Ronins through the Armors we can find them."
"Let's do it," said Gwen, holding out her hand and her friends placed theirs on top of hers, standing in the order of the Circle of Light.
Please, Ancient One, Kayura begged silently, let them find the Ronins.
It seemed as if it was taking the girls forever, even though I had only been a few minutes. Suddenly, Jessie gasped and ran out of the passage.
"Sis! Wait!" Joana shouted, and they ran after her
Jessie ran all the way back to where the tunnel had divided into two, and ran down the other passage. She heard her friends calling her name, and White Blaze's growl told Jessie that he was just behind her. She entered a room that was twice the size of the one she just left, skidding to a halt and looked up.
The crystallized Ronins were up near the ceiling on a ledge, as if they were ornaments for display. The rest of the group entered, stopping behind Jessie and looked up.
"How the hell did they get up there?" Sekhmet asked no one in particular.
Suddenly, four large purplish colored spheres engulfed the Warlords and lifted them up to the ceiling. The Staff fell from Kayura's fingers and landed on the ground. The five Ronin girls watched in horror as the Warlords desperately tried to free themselves.
Joana stepped back and felt something go around her neck, lifting her into the air, cutting off her oxygen.
"Sis!" Jessie screamed.
Joana's body convulsed one last time and she dropped to the ground. Gwen ran over to her and panicky checked for a pulse. Tears fell as Gwen shook her head. "No…" she cried.
A shadow flew past her, and Gwen's body jerked, blood flying from her mouth and from the wound in her throat. She staggered away from Joana and collapsed to the ground.
Twyla ran to them, only to be lifted into the air by an invisible force and slammed into the wall headfirst. She fell to the ground and her head was at an odd angle, indicating that her neck had been broken.
Casey and Jessie stood back to back, their eyes scanning the room for any sign of their friends' murderer. "Jessie…" Casey whispered.
"Stay with me, Case," Jessie said quietly. Suddenly, she was pushed and fell to the ground. A blast of heat came from behind her, and she heard something hit the ground with a thud. Jessie turned.
"Casey!" she screamed and ran over to her friend. The Halo Armor was extremely hot to the touch as Jessie turned Casey onto her back. She gasped at the horrible burn on the left side of Casey's face. Jessie pressed her fingers against Casey's throat, and felt nothing.
Oh, please dear God, no… Jessie thought, tears falling. She looked up at the Warlords, seeing the grief in their eyes. How can this be happening? Jessie asked silently.
Laughter echoed in the room, and Jessie froze. White Blaze moved closer to her and the Warlords looked around, trying to see who it was.
"Was this the best that you could do?" asked the laughing voice.
Jessie frowned; she could've sworn that she had heard that voice before.
"Son-of-a…" Sekhmet gritted.
From the far end of the room, a dark robed figure stepped from the shadows, holding a sword stained with Gwen's blood in his hand.
"Kuriyami," hissed Cale.
"Greetings, Dark Warlords," Kuriyami bowed mockingly, "Lady Kayura, and especially you, dear Dragon Child."
Jessie looked at him with hate. He was from the Nether Realm, no doubt there. The outfit Kuriyami wore was that of a Nether Realm General – the mask, the armor, and the weapon.
"How did you get out of the Nether Realm?" demanded Kayura.
Kuriyami looked at her. "Now don't tell me that you have forgotten that I was Badamon's disciple," he said. "It took me from the day Ryo of Wildfire destroyed my teacher to a month before the Dragon Child arrived here to gain enough power to control the Nether Spirits."
Kuriyami… Jessie thought. His name sounds familiar. She looked at him. "Why?"
"You know the answer, Dragon Child," Kuriyami said. "I'm so sorry about your friends. They were, after all, expendable. Unlike you, the Ronins and the Warlords, all of you are valuable to our needs."
Jessie growled as she stood up, gripping her katana with both hands. "Do you think that you're going to get away with what you've done?" Jessie hissed through her teeth.
"I don't think, Dragon Child," Kuriyami walked towards her, "I know." He ran at Jessie and she quickly moved out of the way. The time spent training with the Warlords coming back to her.
As for the Warlords themselves, all they could do was watch Jessie and Kuriyami battle each other, and feared the outcome.
Kuriyami hit Jessie with an energy wave, and she slid across the ground. He attacked, but was knocked down by White Blaze.
"Meddlesome beast!" Kuriyami shouted. He put White Blaze into a sphere, and the tiger floated up next to the Warlords. "You've already done enough the last time you interfered!"
"What did you say?" Jessie blurted.
Kuriyami looked at her. "It's me you should be thanking, Dragon Child," he said, "for wearing the Armor of Wildfire."
Jessie looked at him, and then she saw the whip. Slowly, Jessie rose to her feet, glaring darkly at Kuriyami. "You!" she hissed, pulling out the other katana. "You bastard! It's because of you that I broke my vow to Ryo!"
"What?" Dayus whispered.
"Jessie," said Kayura.
"I remember…"

"Virtue," Ryo said.
A warm feeling began inside Jessie and spread throughout her body. When it ebbed, she opened her eyes and was now looking at a naked Ryo. Jessie yelped and quickly jumped to her feet, turning her back to Ryo, keeping her eyes shut tight.
"Sorry, Jess," Ryo said, "I didn't know that this would happen."
"It's… okay…" Jessie said and thought, I think Mia would be very upset if she ever found out that I… saw you. She felt her cheeks turn red and touched her face, feeling metal instead of flesh. Jessie looked at her hand, which was covered by the red on white Armor of Wildfire.
"WHAT DID YOU-" Jessie spun around without thinking, but luckily White Blaze had moved in front of Ryo, saving both humans form any more embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, Jessie. Listen, I don't have much time. The other Ronins…" Ryo looked at her with beseeching eyes. "Don't let them do what I did."
"But Ryo-"
"Promise me!"
Jessie looked at his face and nodded. "I promise."
Ryo smiled sadly. "Please, forgive me, Jess. I didn't want to do this to you." He closed his eyes as his Virtue kanji started to glow. Then Ryo faded into a red outline and disappeared.
"Ryo…" Jessie whispered. She walked over to the spot where he had been and went to her knees, checking for any trace or sign in hope of finding him. Her heart sank as she came up empty-handed.
"Now what am I going to do?" Jessie looked at White Blaze.
"You can start by giving me the Armor."
Jessie looked around nervously and saw a dark figure step out of the shadows. From the way the Ronins and Warlords had described Saranbo, Saber Stryke, and the others like them, Jessie immediately knew that he was from the Nether Realm.
White Blaze growled and Jessie slowly rose to her feet. "Who are you?" she asked.
"My name is Kuriyami," he said, "servant of the Nether Realm and loyal follower to our great Emperor Talpa. But it doesn't matter if you know my name. Very soon, you won't even remember your own."
He pulled out a whip and swung it at Jessie. She held up her arms in defense and the whip wrapped around her wrists. The feeling of thousands of electric volts surged through her body, causing her to scream.
White Blaze jumped at Kuriyami, biting his arm. The whip released Jessie and she collapsed. Kuriyami managed to free himself from White Blaze's teeth. He looked at Jessie, doubting that he had erased all of her memory, yet believed that some of it was gone. Kuriyami stepped back into the shadows and vanished.
White Blaze sniffed around for a few moments and then trotted over to Jessie, licking her face.
Jessie groaned and pushed the tiger away. "White Blaze, " she said, "stop that." Jessie sat up, looked down at herself and screamed. "Ryo! What did you do to me?!"
White Blaze nuzzled her face and she calmed down a little.
Okay… Jessie took a deep breath. I helped Ryo sit up, we were facing each other, hands together, Ryo said 'Virtue', and… Oh God, what happened? I don't remember!
Jessie started to cry. White Blaze rubbed his head against her shoulder to comfort her. Jessie wiped her tears and stood up, looking at White Blaze. "Come on," she said, "we've got to find the others."
They walked down the tunnel. After some time, voices floated to them: Jessie's friends, the Ronins, and the Warlords.
Jessie took the helmet off and sank to the ground. I can't do it, she thought, I can't go…
White Blaze nuzzled her face and ran into the room.

The Warlords looked at Jessie. Her mouth was a grim line and she closed her eyes momentarily.
"I promised Ryo that I wouldn't let the other Ronins give their Armors to my friends," Jessie glared at Kuriyami. "Because of you, I broke it and couldn't stop them."
"There are prices that have to be paid," Kuriyami said, "regardless of what they are."
"Such are the costs of war," Jessie quoted Saber Stryke when Ryo battled him for the Swords of Fervor. "You've taken your price, Kuriyami. I intend to take mine as well!"
Jessie charged at Kuriyami, lashing out in a full rage. Kuriyami deflected her strikes, surprised that her fighting abilities were this strong; the Warlords had trained her well.
Kuriyami brought his sword down and Jessie blocked it with her katanas. Using his power along with his strength, Kuriyami forced Jessie to her knees.
"Emperor Talpa will return to us," said Kuriyami. "The nine Armors will be his to control again, and the Mortal and Nether Realm will be joined together in darkness forever."
"Over my dead body!" Jessie shouted.
"As you request." Kuriyami moved back quickly, making Jessie lose her balance. Catching her off guard, Kuriyami stabbed Jessie near her heart. Slowly, Kuriyami pulled the blade out of her chest.
Jessie gasped and blood trickled from her mouth. She closed her eyes, the katanas falling from her hands as she fell to the ground and lay still.
The Warlords stared at Jessie in shock – to come so far and end like this…
"No…" Kayura whispered. "JESSIE!" The kama-giri appeared in her hand and she slashed at the sphere prison.
Kuriyami looked up and saw that the Warlords and the tiger were attempting to free themselves. "Amusing," he said, raising his hand and the spheres began to glow making the captives cry out from pain.
"STOP IT!"
The Warlords collapsed and looked down. Jessie was pulling herself to her knees. She was still alive!
"Impossible!" said Kuriyami.
Jessie picked up her katanas and stood up. "I'm not dead yet," she coughed.
"You soon will be. The Armor can't heal a wound like that."
"I have no doubt that I'll die, but before I do, I'll make sure you'll never get the Armors!" Jessie ran at him, but Kuriyami knocked her to the ground.
"Such valiance," Kuriyami said. "It's such a shame you're dying. Oh well, we'll just have to wait until your rebirth."
"It took you over…twenty years to find me…in this lifetime…" Jessie said. "What makes…you think you can…find me again?"
"That's my secret, but it doesn't have to be like this, Dragon Child. Help us obtain our goals and you will live."
"Me…serve you…? There's…a laugh…"
"You're wrong, Dragon Child," said Kuriyami, "I would serve you. The power you have combined with the Nether Realm's power will resurrect Emperor Talpa. Combine together your realm and ours, and you will be by Talpa's side, ruling as queen."
Jessie remained quiet and the Warlords became worried. She wasn't thinking about accepting Kuriyami's offer – to become what they once were – was she?
Jessie sat on her knees and looked at Kuriyami. "You…can take your offer," she said, "and shove it!" Jessie spit at him, a mixture of saliva and blood landing on Kuriyami's chest.
"Pity," he said, wiping off the spot. "You had such a promising future." He kicked Jessie right in her face; blood flew from her mouth as she fell backwards. "I'll enjoy watching you die then."
At least I won't have to listen to you, Jessie thought. It was getting hard to breathe and her head began to feel fuzzy. Rolling onto her front, Jessie's hand brushed against something.
It was the Ancient Staff.
Call them, a soothing voice whispered.
Ancient One? Jessie thought.
You have the power, my child, the voice said. Call them.
Jessie tightened her hand on the Staff and used all her strength to rise to her feet. Leaning against the Staff for support, Jessie looked at the Warlords and White Blaze.
"Goodbye," she whispered to them and turned around, staggering over to where her friends lay. "I do…have one…last request…Kuriyami…" she said.
"Do you, now?" Kuriyami asked with fake interest. "And what would that be?"
Jessie looked at her friends. I'll be with you soon, she thought.
"I'm waiting, Dragon Child," Kuriyami said. "What is your request?"
"For…the Ronin Warriors," Jessie raised the Staff above her, "to take back their Armors! Ryo! Rowen! Sage! Cye! Kento! Wake up! Break free from your prison! Don't let this world fall to the Nether Realm! Take back your Armors! WAKE UP!"
She brought the Ancient Staff down, stabbing it into the ground, and the rings clanged loudly.
Kuriyami put his hands against the side of his head. "Stop this infernal racket!" he shouted and disappeared, the ringing too much for him to bear.
The spheres holding the Warlords and White Blaze started to dwindle and their strength returned. The spheres vanished and they landed on their feet. Then they turned their eyes to Jessie and the Staff.
Five beams of light shot from the Staff and went to each of the girls. The Armors disappeared, leaving them in their earlier outfits.
Jessie started to fall; without Wildfire she barely had any strength. The Warlords caught her and carried Jessie a little bit away from the Staff.
Kayura placed one hand on Jessie's blood-soaked shirt over the wound and her other hand over the same spot on her back. Kayura focused all of her power to heal Jessie, but it was no use. "It's not working!" Kayura cried.
"Don't…worry…Kayura…" Jessie said and struggled to sit up.
"Jessie, lie still," said Dayus.
"I want…to see…them…"
A dying request – the Warlords couldn't deny. They helped Jessie stand and she leaned against Cale, holding one hand over her heart.
The light beams went to the Ronins. Their kanji glowed and the sub-armors appeared. Slowly they started to move and the crystals began to crack. Jessie smiled as the crystals finally shattered and heard the battle cries from the Ronin Warriors as they landed on their feet.
"We made it!" Ryo shouted happily and the other Ronins laughed with him.
It was short lived. Their eyes landed on the still forms of four girls.
"Twyla!" Rowen shouted, running to her and dropped to his knees. "No…"
"Casey," Sage whispered, looking at the burn mark on her face.
"Joana," Cye lightly brushed a lock of hair from her face, tears welling in his eyes. "Little one…"
"Gwen…" Kento touched her cheek. "You can't be…"
"…Ryo…"
The Ronins looked and gasped at the horrible sight.
No… Ryo thought numbly. Please, dear God, no… His nightmare had turned into a reality.
Jessie moved away from Cale, staggering a little. He reached out, but she held up her hand letting him know that she wanted to move by herself. Slowly and with great effort, Jessie walked towards Ryo, tripping on a rock. Ryo caught her and both sank to their knees. This can't be happening… Ryo thought, holding Jessie tight.
"You're alive…" Jessie whispered. "You…alive…"
Ryo held Jessie so that he could see her face. The other Ronins, the Warlords, and White Blaze moved closer to them.
"I'm sorry…" Jessie gasped, "that…I broke my…promise…"
"It's okay," said Ryo, "Kuriyami's to blame."
Jessie smiled. "You would know…wouldn't you…"
"Just hold on, Jess, you'll be all right."
"Ryo," said Kayura. "I tried…"
"Not…your fault…Kayura…" Jessie coughed. "My…time…"
"Jessie, don't talk like that," Sage said. "Stay with us, please." Stay with me, he wanted to say.
"Take…and obey orders…" Jessie's eyes closed. "That's one…order I wish…I could…" She opened her eyes and smiled at them. "At least…I got to see…all of you…to…gether…again…" A coughing fit wracked her body.
Ryo tightened his arms around Jessie, as if he was trying to keep her spirit from leaving. The coughs ebbed and Jessie opened her eyes. She lightly touched Ryo's cheek with cold fingers, leaving bloody lines on his face.
"I'll…be…w-watching…o-ver…all…you…" she gasped. "Ronin…Honor…" Jessie's eyes closed, her hand fell, and her breath ceased to be.
Ryo looked at Jessie's still form, feeling as though his soul had been ripped in half. His sister was gone. Ryo lightly brushed away the hair from Jessie's forehead. Tears forming in his eyes, Ryo threw back his head and screamed, "JESSIE! NOOOOOOOOO!" He pulled her close, crying uncontrollably.
Sage knelt beside them and touched Jessie's hair. You can't be gone… he thought.
Ryo's tears slowed and he looked at the Warlords. They had taken their helmets off and the Ronin leader could see the grief on their faces. He looked over his shoulder at the Staff.
Ancient One, Ryo thought, it can't end like this! It's not fair to them!
As an answer to his silent prayer, an image of the Ancient One appeared before the Staff. He held out his hands and a ball of light appeared, which split in half, and the image vanished.
"But I couldn't do anything!" Kayura sobbed against Dayus' chest.
"Maybe not you, Kayura," Ryo said and looked at Jessie. "But maybe we can." He picked Jessie up and carried her over to the Warlords. "They wore our Armors. They haven't been dead that long. The five of us can split our life force in half and give it to them. We can bring them back!"
"Ryo, something like that has never been done," Kayura said.
"It will work."
"There's only a twenty-five percent chance that it will." Kayura was right – if it worked they would all live, or it wouldn't work and the girls would still be dead, or the girls would live but the Ronins would die, or the Ronins would die with the girls.
"It will work," Ryo said again. "I'm willing to take that chance." He looked at the other four Ronins and they nodded. "It's settled then."
Kayura touched Jessie's arm. "I can't help you, Ryo. The five of you have to do this on your own."
"I know," Ryo said. He turned and walked towards the Staff, laying Jessie on the ground as the other Ronins moved her friends closer to the Staff; they stood in the order of the Circle of Light, looking at the girl who had worn his Armor.
"Go," Ryo said, and they started running in the counter-clockwise direction.
"Circle of Light!" the Ronin Warriors shouted as one.
"Virtue!"
"Justice!'
"Trust!"
"Wisdom!"
"Life!"
They crossed their arms over their chests as the translucent Armors appeared on them. They held their arms out, fists pointing upwards. The Armors left their wearers and floated a few feet away. The Ronins turned around and looked at the girls. Ryo held out his hands and the other Ronins did the same.
"Jessie," said Ryo, "you wore my Armor of Wildfire, I share my life force with you."
"Twyla," said Rowen, "you wore my Armor of Strata, I share my life force with you."
"Casey," said Sage, "you wore my Armor of Halo, I share my life force with you."
"Joana," said Cye, "you wore my Armor of Torrent, I share my life force with you."
"Gwen," said Kento, "you wore my Armor of Hardrock, I share my life force with you."
An orb, the same color as their Armors, appeared in their hands. The orbs split in half – one entered the Ronins as the other flew to the Staff. The rings clanged loudly and the orbs changed color. The dark blue turned to lavender and went to Twyla. The green turned to amber and went to Casey. The light blue turned to pink and went to Joana. The orange turned to silver and went to Gwen. The red turned to gold and went to Jessie.
The rings on the Staff became silent and the Armors returned to the Ronins. No one moved. So far half had gone well, now to see if…
Come on, Ryo thought at the girls. Please wake up! He walked over to Jessie, kneeling beside her and touched her cheek.
Jessie flinched, groaned, and rubbed her eyes. One by one, the others stirred to life, their wounds healed - barely a mark left on them.
"Ryo?" Jessie blinked and sat up. She looked at Ryo, happy tears running down his face. "But I…" Jessie slipped her fingers inside the hole in her shirt to find the wound Kuriyami inflicted upon her, but it was gone. Jessie looked at the Warlords who also had looks of happiness, and then she returned her eyes to Ryo. "I'll ask later," Jessie said and hugged him.
It worked! Ryo thought happily. He looked at the Warlords and stood up, making Jessie stand as well.
"Jessie!" Kayura hugged her.
"Well," Jessie looked at the other Warlords. "It looks like you guys can still torture me." And she hugged them too.
"Rowen," said Twyla, "what happened? How did-" she was cut off as Rowen hugged her close. Ah, why not? Twyla thought and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Boy, am I glad to see you," Casey gave Sage a quick hug. She touched her face, feeling that the burn mark was gone.
"Cye!" Joana hugged him tightly.
"Hey, little one," Cye whispered and kissed the top of her head.
"Gwen, are you okay?" Kento asked.
"Kento!" Gwen caught his face in her hands and kissed him. Kento's eyes widened and the shocked look on his face remained even after Gwen separated her lips from his. "Are you all right?" she asked.
"I-I-I…" Kento stuttered.
"That's a 'yes' if you ask me," Jessie said.
"Sis! What happened to you?!" cried Joana when she saw the blood on Jessie's shirt.
"I died," Jessie said. She pulled on the neckline and looked down, seeing a small scar near her left breast. "Hell, I was skewered."
"We know," said Sekhmet. "Don't remind us."
"Okay," said Casey, "we're alive, the Ronins are back with us – now can we go home?"
"Sounds like a great idea," Cale said.
"Leaving so soon, are you?" Kuriyami reappeared.
{Doesn't this guy learn?} Jessie asked mentally.
{Apparently not,} Ryo answered.
"I was hoping that you could stay a little while longer," Kuriyami went on. "We've been having so much fun."
"Maybe you have, Kuriyami," said Kayura, taking the Staff into her hands.
"But we have to take our leave," Dayus said.
"Sorry to desert your little party," said Cale.
"You'll get over it," said Sekhmet.
"Don't think that you're getting out of here so easily." Kuriyami pulled out his whip and swung it at Ryo. Jessie pushed him out of the way and the whip wrapped around her. Kuriyami yanked the whip and slammed Jessie into the wall beside him. Her eyes rolled up and she blacked out.
"JESS!" Ryo screamed.
Kuriyami grabbed Jessie's hair and pulled her head up. "If you want the Dragon Child," he said, "surrender the Armors, the Staff, and the Jewel of Life." Kuriyami vanished, taking Jessie with him.

Jessie opened her eyes. She felt pain all over her body, which she took as a good sign – it meant that she was still alive. And after being brought back to life, she preferred to stay that way for a very long time.
Looking at her new surroundings, Jessie brought herself to a sitting position. In front of her was a large pool that bubbled slightly, making Jessie think of lava. But she knew wasn't lava; there was no heat. What was radiating from the strange pool was-
"Evil," Jessie said quietly. "Pure evil…"
"That's right, Dragon Child," Kuriyami's voice reached her ears. Jessie looked up and saw the Nether Realm lackey floating close to the ceiling. "The Warlords have been in a place like this before," he said, "Anubis spent more time in one than the other three. Ryo of Wildfire also had a taste of the power from here when he was inside the Matrix. And you, dear Dragon Child, will be an essential addition to our great power."
Jessie's heart slammed in her chest and her blood turned to ice as she realized where she was.
A Nether Moat.
Jessie was literally in a pit from hell.
"I'll let you have some privacy," Kuriyami said, "since you'll be spending a good majority of time here. Oh, and welcome to your new home, Dragon Child." Then he was gone.

12/12/2000

Uh-oh! Jessie seems to be in a bit of a pickle, wouldn't you say? HAHAHAHA!
Okay, returning to normal here. I got tired (and I'm sure that all of you have too) of having people unconscious at the end. As you have noticed, I ended on leaving Jessie awake. Unfortunately for her, I'm leaving her awake in one of the worst places. What's going to happen to her? You must wait and see. I'm sorry to say, you'll see after I come back from Spain - around January 22nd or somewhere close.
Once again, arigato Squeaky for your help! (I hope that you're reading her fic.) And also to Kyanite, who lets me chew her ear off while talking to her on the phone. They get to know what happens in Warrior Call before anybody else. Both are my critics and help me reword sentences that need editing.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all Ronin Warrior/Yoroiden Samurai Trooper fans everywhere!

~Janime

P.S. If you follow up on birthdays, today is Kayura's birthday. She's 441.