Chapter One:

It was eerily silent; save for the noise of the house's sleeping inhabitants. Rain still clung to the windows, and gray clouds lingered in the morning sky. There was a sense of calm about everything, something that had been missing during the past few months. Things had been nothing short of hectic, and just past the limit of being unbearable.

So being able to get away from all of that for a few weeks, had done them all some good. It had permitted each warrior the time to face the normal aspects of their life, while at the same time remind them why they were still fighting. Granted, when you were destined with the fate of saving the world…Nothing was ever quite normal.

These thoughts, however, were not on the young man's mind as he descended the staircase. Reaching the bottom step he paused to run a hand through his auburn hair, before proceeding to the kitchen.

A small amount of light filtered into the window as he moved across the living room, illuminating the blue-gray shirt he was wearing. The slightly tight-fitting clothing clearly showed the muscling underneath, though it did hide a good deal of it. The dark jeans he wore, fit just well enough…But, despite of the physical signs…It was the raw spiritual power he had that made him, and those he knew so noticeable.

His thoughts were slightly jumbled, not having been awake long enough to rationally think; so it was not unusual for him to be going from one topic to another.

He had most certainly appreciated the time away to be with his family, it had certainly helped to put him in a better mood. Even if his mother had almost lectured him to death about not saying something was wrong sooner. Here the Torrent Ronin had to smile; the woman looked as fragile as a piece of china but was as tough as nails.

He was aware though, that he had not been the only Ronin to suffer at the end of an annoyed parent, or immediate family relative. It just couldn't be helped when certain families knew about the armors, had all assumed something was up, and had to wait several months before they were officially told.

Yeah that was bit dumb on their parts, but they really hadn't been able to help it. They had not wanted to risk certain things, for fear of…Cye stopped that thought right there. There was no point in getting himself worked up over this any longer; he would just take what came to him, when it came. Right now all he wanted to worry about was feeding the masses.

Cye chuckled low in his throat, as he began to pull out pots and pans having reached the kitchen. The house he was currently living in, he shared with about thirty others…Impossible for a house in Japan? Not quite, especially when you were dealing with things of a magical and almost supernatural nature.

The Ronin of Torrent had long ago stopped placing things as impossible, and just accepted that they were there and real…And anytime a coincidence appeared it wasn't one, at all.

He was living with his four friends, whom he'd grown up with saving the world…And a bunch of women who ran around in mini-skirts when they did their fighting. Yes, the Ronin Warriors and Sailor Senshi working together, and to make for more chaos…All under the same roof. It was definitely an amusing combination, if nothing else.

Oh, and not to be left out were the pets…One giant-sized housecat mistakenly referred to as a tiger, Cye didn't consider Blaze a tiger anymore, he was a very large, very-fat housecat…There were two adults talking cats from a planet and time that no longer existed, and their kitten…Who technically wasn't even born yet.

Confused yet? Well Cye had most certainly been spinning that day, when he found out that the Ronins fight wasn't over, there were other warriors (them being female did not bother him that much), talking cats, and the future could very much interfere with the past. He'd needed a very strong drink after all that.

It all boiled down to the fact, they were fighting a battle that they had been continuously losing, mainly because the wrong people were fighting the demon. So, now they had one last chance to get it right…And this time, it would be the Ronins battle.

So far this fight was turning out to be exceedingly difficult, so much so that the former Warlords and the Lady Kayura had become involved. What made the fact even worse was they had yet to even meet this Akemliek character yet; well, they had not met him in that lifetime at any rate.

He was sealed away, under a shield the Ronin armor had set up after their bearers' deaths. It was to be a while before he got free, until then they had the pleasure of dealing with Raikken, and his two underlings…Kali and Thanos.

No one had ever really seen that much of Thanos, accept for Ryo who had…Here a scowl crossed Cye's face, it was still a sore wound…Almost died at the ice demon's hands. He'd managed to survive, though Cye still felt that something was wrong…Even though almost two months had passed.

Kali? Oh everyone had dealt with her; perhaps the most annoying, most obnoxious female placed on the face of the planet…Well, next to Lindsay at any rate. But at least Lindsay was on the side of good, and not trying to kill you every other minute. Perhaps the Sailor of the Galaxy's only redeeming quality while she was outside of Scout form.

Cye had just finished putting on the bacon when Lita Kino entered the room, giving a small wave to him in acknowledgement as she bit down a yawn.

The Warrior of Trust gave a nod to her, motioning to the counter next to him where a hot cup of tea sat waiting; next to the teapot, and another glass set out.

Lita took the cup, and drank, "Thank-you. I swear I'd marry you in a heartbeat, you'd be a perfect husband."

Cye chuckled at the statement, "I thank-you for the compliment."

"Anytime," the Sailor of Jupiter beamed, brunette hair pulled back into a pony-tail; she set about cooking the eggs.

All chores in the house were divided amongst the warriors, and then rotated out so everyone would have a chance to do the chore…The only exception would be when it came to cooking. Some of the warriors could not cook period and it was for the safety of the planet that they were not permitted to cook. After all, it's rather difficult to fight when you're suffering the effects of food poisoning.

Yes, Cye had personal experience there, and one he would avoid going through again at all costs.

It was not that bad though, breakfast was probably the only meal everyone attended…For the most part everyone had a job, which started after nine so breakfast at eight worked out well. Lunch and diner, everyone was left to fend for themselves…Unless it happened to be someone's birthday or a holiday.

Breakfast also happened to be the time when most of the plotting, reviewing and planning went on, since all of them were present.

The Sailor of Jupiter happened to be the tallest of the Inner Senshi, a rank she had not lost, even though the other girls had grown a little. It was easy to tell what her favorite colors were; sugar pink, and green, as it often showed in her choice of clothing (like right that minute). On the more formal occasions she wore traditional Japanese style clothing, but when kicking back with the others, slacks, and a well-fitting top suited her just fine.

She was a tad boy crazy, okay all the Inner Senshi were boy crazy to a degree…But the young woman had more or less gotten over her crushes on the Ronins. Though every now and then she was prone to making smart and flirtatious comments to the guys; Cye didn't mind that either, because Sage and Ryo tended to react in rather amusing ways to the flirting.

Lita cracked her neck, "Mmm, who else do we have on cooking duty today?"

"Ah, Aurora, I think," Cye answered, turning down the burner.

"Yup," the platinum blonde poked her head into the kitchen; before entering completely. Her emerald-eyes went immediately to the tea, "Cye, you'd make a-"

"Perfect husband, I know," the Ronin of Torrent shook his head and bit down a laugh; he was more or less always getting that comment from the women in the household…With one noted exception.

The owner of the place they resided in…Well she said she technically didn't own it as the house was still in her grandmother's name…In any case, Elayne told him he'd make an excellent mother. But, what did you expect from someone who thought of you as an overprotective older brother? Well, maybe it didn't help that he did have a slight tendency to act the part.

Aurora Wimund stretched slightly, before downing her cup of tea. She then began to start working on whatever Cye and Lita had left her to do…It was just the way they worked. One would start one thing, the other would start something else, and the third person would do the remaining job.

The Leader of the Elemental Senshi, had a tendency to be shy…She had been the first month or so, and then her loud and quick-witted personality had shown through completely. She was thoughtful and resourceful, most likely why her teammates had chosen her to lead.

However, Cye was aware that she had a temper not unlike that of the Sailor of Mars; which meant if she lost it, the world was in danger. As per usual Aurora was wearing a green camisole and capris; Rowen had once asked her if she had a green thumb…

Aurora had proceeded to hit the Ronin of Strata in the head with whatever book he'd been reading that time…Which meant, it had been a pretty thick book.

The kitchen was quiet, save for the sound of the food cooking, and pots and pans being turned.

Aurora noticed no one was down yet, and inquired, "Who's-"

"I'm setting it today," a cheery voice announced, as Vanessa Eytinge entered the kitchen, "Morning all."

"Morning," was the chorused response.

Vanessa grinned and pulled out the eating utensils and napkins, before going about and setting the table. Her red-hair was pulled back behind her, and her amethyst eyes quickly scanned around the dining room.

"Need light in here," she paused in her task, and turned on the lights.

Cye looked up from what he was doing to see that his elemental partner was wearing an almost sky-blue top today, and blue-jeans…Here the young man shook his head, it was amusing that the Elementals had their chosen favorite color and would wear a top only that color.

It was very odd for them not to be wearing said preferred colors, though one day they had switched out, confusing everyone in the house. Cye, however, knew much better than that, it was highly likely Elayne had dared them to do it.

A dark colored cat now entered the kitchen, hopping up onto the vacant counter that she normally used as a perch. It was the only counter space in the entire kitchen that the cooks did not use.

"Morning Luna," the Water Ronin said in acknowledgment.

The cat gave a nod in acknowledgement, washing at her paw, "Good morning Cye. Minna."

"Heya Luna," the Senshi of Jupiter greeted back, spooning out the eggs.

The cat's ears suddenly perked forward as she heard muttering…Very extremely annoyed muttering at that.

"Artemis?" Luna asked, being able to discern his mumbling quite clearly.

The white cat halted in his rant to White Blaze, and offered a slight smile, "Uh, morning gang."

"What's the matter?" Aurora inquired, having paused from her normal breakfast routine.

"Oh not much," Artemis commented, White Blaze gave a loud huff to this, "Just going over why we think that girl, is crazy."

He gracefully leapt to the counter-top, seating himself next to Luna. White Blaze gave a nod as if agreeing with the comment, before retreating to the living room.

"Okay why are you peeved at Elayne this time?" Lita asked, placing a hand on her hip. She knew all too well that Artemis only ever referred to one person like that; and that person would be Elayne.

"No particular reason, aside from the fact she didn't come in till two last night," the white cat gave a huff in annoyance, "They have her on outrageous shifts to start, but she always stays out later than that."

"She's an adult ya know Artemis," Cye pointed out with a small grin, "She has a life that doesn't involve us."

"Oh I wouldn't bet your armor on that," A familiar voice brought in, Kirstin Blair, Kirs to her closest friends, was about as tall as her best friend Vanessa. A young woman with plenty going for her, Kirstin was undoubtedly the most laid-back of her group.

Her teal eyes, stood out even with her midnight-blue hair streaked with sky-blue. As Cye had come to learn, the other girls had dared her to dye it that way. Kirstin had never been one to wimp-out in the face of the challenge, and she was the one who pulled the craziest stunts as it was. She also dressed in stark contrast with Vanessa. Her favorite color was burnt orange, and she favored tank-tops, and spaghetti straps to regular t-shirts; as well as slacks.

The young woman was physical and mentally the strongest out of the Elementals, and often set herself up as the protective 'big sister' of all her friends, regardless if they could handle themselves in a fight or not.

"Why's that Kirs?" Vanessa queried tilting her head.

The Senshi of Earth gave a loose shrug, "While we were away she was here by herself the entire time, unless she was off harassing one of us that was nearby. Seems to me that she just makes herself scarce when we're here; I guess she doesn't want to intrude."

"It's her house," Luna dryly pointed out, "We're the ones intruding."

"Maybe you ought to tell her that," Kirstin chuckled grabbing a plate, "Thanks for breakfast again, all."

Slowly, the other warriors started to filter in, the Outer Senshi being first. Being the oldest out of all the Sailor Senshi, the noted exception Hotaru Tomoe who was two years younger than the Inner Scouts, they normally were the first ones down the steps.

Trista Meiou was the official leader of the group, in scout form she was the ominous Sailor Pluto, keeper of time. Though at first she seemed like a cold and blunt person, once you got to know her, it was easy to see that Trista was much deeper than that. Her dark green hair was easy to mistake for black at times, and it was difficult to tell just what color her eyes were.

Amara Ten'ou, Sailor Uranus, often was mistaken for a guy. Her blonde hair cut-short, and clothing style often indiscernible from that of a man's, she had the personality to boot. Loving nothing more than to race cars and motorcycles

That was all right though, Michelle Kaiou more than made up for Amara's lack of feminine qualities. With a sometimes soft-spoken personality, but calculating wit it made her quite a formidable opponent, especially as Sailor Neptune. Sometimes her hair appeared as sea-green, others as navy; it depended on the lighting you caught a glimpse of her in.

Probably the quietest and shyest out of this group of characters, was Hotaru. She was rather pale, and had short-black hair. Her best friend was Rini. However, as Sailor Saturn, she was potential the most dangerous of all the Sailor Scouts. Her powers were enough to take out an entire planet, and if it came to making such a choice, she would without a doubt use them.

'And,' White Blaze watched with a slight flick of his tail, having found a very comfortable spot in the living room, 'There is the least desirable character in the entire house, now.'

Lindsay Catarino, last member of the Outer Senshi. Staggering silver eyes, and pastel green hair; she was often snide, and over-bearing. As Sailor Galaxy, her demeanor was quite different; she was less an obnoxious woman, and more a caring compassionate ally.

White Blaze did his best not to yawn, slightly annoyed at Elayne for having come in so late. She had woken him up, and he did not like getting up that early unless there was some sort of attack or something of that nature.

He watched as the remaining Inner Senshi came to the table, ears slightly perking forward.

Serena Tsukino was Sailor Moon, and Princess of the Moon Kingdom, as well as future queen of Crystal Tokyo. At nineteen years old she had lost much of her fourteen-year-old qualities, acting more like a respectable young woman, and less like a cry-baby. Though, some things had not changed, for one, her trademark hair style, having her blonde hair in pigtails…for others? Her enormous appetite, which almost rivaled Kento's…well…almost.

Amy Mizuno was next, the most respected geek of the group. Amy was definitely as brainy as Rowen… White Blaze nodded to himself as he saw that the Sailor of Mercury had her blue-head buried in a book…Most definitely as brainy as the Ronin of Strata. Calm, and quiet, the young woman always thought through her problems. And if he had heard correctly, she was still studying for her medical degree.

He looked up as he saw Rei Hino sit down at the table, next to Amy, and across from Serena.

Now here the great tiger had to chuckle, the Fire Senshi of Mars, reminded him far too much of his master for his own liking. Stubborn, and a one of a kind temper, she almost made Ryo look meek and mild when he blew his. The raven-haired woman all-too-easily clashed with her scatter-brained leader; but that was then, and this was now. Rei had certainly refined her temper in the past few months, stunning every one of her friends. Though, every now and then, she would get into it with Serena just for fun, and to annoy the household.

Mina Aino, well White Blaze had yet to figure out how on earth she managed to fit in so well. It seemed that whatever left-over personality traits there were, the vibrant blonde had received. Having lived in England for a year at one point in her life, she had used her abilities as Sailor Venus. Sometimes she was considered to be the first Sailor Scout, having even a game and movie fashioned after her. Mina was sometimes over-bubbly in personality, but she could be serious and grave when the time came for it.

A young child with pink-hair, done in the same likeness as Serena's, ran over and gave White Blaze a hug.

He gave a low rumble in his throat, acknowledging Rini, and the lilac kitten perched on her head, Diana.

The pair were from 30th Century Crystal Tokyo, having come back to the past on a handful of occasions…but, those were other tales all in their own. Their reason for being here this time, was not all that clear. Rei had explained, with a smirk, that Neo-Queen Serenity had forgotten to send a letter this time. Thus permitting another famed Serena-Rei bickering match to occur.

Rini and Diana wouldn't say, either, just answering such inquires with smiles.

White Blaze diverted his gaze to the stair case as Kento Rein Faun, and his 'cub', Ryo Sanada descended the stairs. Both took their seats with smiles, acknowledging their fellow warriors with a slight wave.

Kayura, Anubis, and Sekhmet, former Warlords re-named the Ronin Seasonals had followed behind them.

Cye finally seated himself at the table, and queried, "All right, what did I miss?"

"Oh not that much," Kento said with a small snigger, "Sage is having trouble with the 'comatose one' again."

Speaking of Sage Date, he was coming down the stairs now, a slightly annoyed look on his face. He had more or less given up on trying to get the archer to stir any time within this lifetime. Now Rowen Hashiba could hardly be blamed for having low-blood pressure, but it certainly didn't help that he liked to stay up till two in the morning. Yes, even at twenty-three-years of age, his best friend's sleeping habits hadn't changed in the slightest.

White Blaze gave a slight snort as he rolled onto his side, it seemed to be a common thing among 'air' warriors to sleep in late and be impossible to wake-up. Callista Griffith also suffered from liking to sleep way too much and way too late, as any of her teammates could attest. The tiger was sure it had something to do with the air element, why else the same trait in the two warriors?

As for Dais and Cale, the two Seasonals? Well Cale it was understandable, being so closely tied to darkness he had a slight aversion to daylight hours…But what Dais's excuse might be, was anybody's guess.

In any case, the four would most likely sleep all day unless something was done…The majestic animal's ears perked forward and a smug grin crossed his face, something had just been done.

Elayne An Catarina Mogami, yeah her parents had most likely made her name that long on purpose, descended the stairs, rubbing at her eyes slightly, and innocently glancing at her watch. Several months ago, she'd been the unfortunate one to bring the warriors together, having been placed into the timeline for that purpose alone. She'd known most; if not all the warriors since she was young…Those meetings had a little more than fate intervening.

At any rate, she had more or less provided her 'friends' with shelter, and food until they'd been able to provide for themselves. She still let them use the house, heavens knew she wasn't, but now they were paying for the expenses themselves.

"Morning minna-san," Elayne commented biting down a yawn. She then checked her watch, and said, "In three…Two…Annnd…One!" She immediately pointed to the upstairs rooms, and as if on cue loud shrieking commenced, as well as a good deal of swearing.

All of this happened in order, and then four voices hollered in total unison, "ELAYNE!"

A good deal of laughter sprang up from the table at this, as the girl merely grinned and blew at her nails as if drying them off.

She then popped Sage in the forehead, having moved over to the swordsman, "Your welcome."

Sage sent her a slight glare for having laid a hand on him, before chuckling low in his throat, "One day, you're going to tell me how you do that."

"Mmm," She seemed to ponder it for a brief moment, and then smirked, "It'll cost ya."

The previously mentioned 'late sleepers' of the house came down, all looking rather annoyed and for good reason…It was not like she had woken them up in a kind way.

The Ronin of Strata sat down next to the Halo swordsman, shooting the girl a nasty look, "You….Ima gonna kill you one of these days!"

"Not if I get to it first," Callista declared crisp coffee brown eyes locked onto Elayne, as she patted down her azure-blue cerulean-streaked hair.

"In the words of my generation? Whatever," Elayne tossed out, making sure to place the correct emphasis on the last word. This garnered more sniggering from the occupants at the table.

"How is it that you're even awake?" Cale asked in a rather sharp tone, "You didn't come in till two, and didn't go to bed till two-thirty."

Surprise might have shown in her face for an instant, before it was squelched completely. The girl was quick to come up with a sarcastic reason, "Even I can't sleep through all the snoring that goes on in this place. A miracle I haven't gotten complaints from the Estate residents."

This comment caused quite a few red faces, as well as more hate-filled glares being tossed in her direction.

"Ugh, would you all grow up already? Geez!" She threw her hands up into the air and walked into the kitchen, "Sometimes I wonder why we still have a planet with all your behaviors. I'm also amazed this house still exists. Thankful, but amazed nevertheless."

"Ya know, you get awfully sarcastic when you're sleep-deprived?" Ryo tauntingly called out to her.

"Shove it Pyro," came the response to that.

Ryo sniggered a little, and went back to eating his meal. That was one thing he very much enjoyed about being here, getting the chance to press a few of her buttons, and she definitely pushed his right back.

While some might consider her attitude slightly disrespectful, the warriors were used to it. Whenever something bad happened, her feathers got ruffled, and if you said or did something at the wrong time, her response was to get sarcastic.

It was almost like being sarcastic was her defense, the wall she chose to hide behind, instead of coming out and talking about her problems. Ryo knew just as well as any of the others…Well, okay most of the others were aware…She didn't feel like she could come to them with her 'normal' life problems, just because theirs were so much more important and difficult.

Even at that, if they were abnormal ones, they figured she wouldn't go to them about it anyway. Bah, all in all it was a confusing and awkward place to be in, just because no matter what he did, she wouldn't accept the help offered to her.

One day, he really WAS going to strangle her.

Elayne walked back into the dining room and raised an eyebrow, "Wow, you all are quiet this morning. Normally one of you is yapping about something."

"We're just trying to figure out what your problem is this time," Amara dryly commented, though there was a smile and mirth behind the words.

"Bite me," she snorted out rolling her eyes, saying, "On second thought, you probably would. Cancel that."

"Sorry babe, you're just not my type," the Sailor of Uranus sniggered at the next set of eye-rolls she got.

Elayne let out a low moan, "I swear, the next time they offer to transfer me, I'm taking it!"

"Amara's got a point, you're awfully moody this morning," Rowen commented with a slight smirk.

"You would be too if you had to a pull a double-shift last night," Elayne stated in a cool tone, "To top it off, head psycho nurse asked me before I left to be there in an hour to work this shift too."

Sage let out a moan himself, knowing exactly what happened next, "And instead of declining the proper-Japanese way, you were tired, cranky and answered true-Elayne fashion."

She let out a snort, "I wish I had, I was two seconds away from laying her out." She popped Sage in the head again, "Unfortunately Nii-chan, you've influenced me way too much. I merely told off Miyamoto-san; giri my ass."

Kento chuckled at this and shook his head, "Hey, come on mei mei, at least one of us left a good impression on you."

Elayne seemed to think it over, looked at all the warriors, and then burst out laughing, "Yeah, RIGHT!" She walked out into the living room all the while chortling at the comment the Hardrock Ronin had made.

"Somehow, I think that was an insult," Rei remarked, sighing through her nose.

Kirstin snorted down a laugh, what had been the Senshi of Mar's first clue? She had to admit though; it was kind of odd to hear Elayne laughing. The girl had not laughed so freely in weeks…Maybe not since they all met…In any case; it had been a while since she had heard Elayne laugh.

"What are you doing here anyway? Wouldn't it have been easier for you to stay over at the apartment?" The Ronin of Torrent queried having finished his own breakfast, "And, do you want anything to eat?"

"The 'genius r us club' wanted me to look at something," the girl answered, running her hands through White Blaze's fur, "No thank you, Mother Cye, I'm not hungry."

The Warrior of Trust merely chuckled at the term she used for him, having clearly caught the teasing tone in her voice. He did have a tendency to mother her a little, but nowhere near as much as certain others.

Cye made his way back to the kitchen, cheekily commenting, "What does that make Sage and Kento then?"

"Smothering Old Grandmas?" She offered shrugging her shoulders, to signify she didn't know what to call them.

"Oh ha ha, very cute," the Halo Ronin said with a snort, rolling his eyes heavenward.

"I thought so too," the girl quipped back.

Sage did not bother to grace that with a retort; he couldn't help but wonder at her though. Ever since they'd come back from their vacations, she'd been acting slightly different. She was acting more like the girl he remembered growing up around, and he was hardly disappointed to see that.

Friends, who had not seen each other in a long time, rarely went back to being best-friends right away. It took time to adjust to being around that person again, but once enough time had passed things went back to normal. Perhaps, it was getting that way for them…For all of them, actually.

It wasn't so large that you'd notice right away, but there were those little changes in everyone's personality, signifying they were more at ease being where they were. Also, it indicated that they were more comfortable in their dealings with one another…And that, perhaps, was a miracle in itself.

A/N: Giri: Obligation. More or less, it's similar to peer pressure. It's a common theme in Japan, that if you are asked to do something you are to do it without complaint, regardless of the constraints on your own time. Meaning, it would have been proper etiquette for Elayne to agree to work the shift, not refuse it like she did…And certainly improper for her to go to the man in charge and complain. sweatdrops Further proof, she has a mind of her own, and at times really doesn't care about her country's culture.