A/N: Special thanks to my beta-reader LWKitty and also to Yesterday's Tonic.

Chapter Three:

A long drawn-out sigh escaped from his lips as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans. Kento casually descended the staircase, allowing his self to become lost in thought.

Another day had gone by without an attack? No, try another three, and anytime the negative energy so much as showed up, it was gone as fast as it had come. It was making it impossible to trace and keep track of. Vaguely the Ronin of Hardrock wondered if Universe might have something to do with it, but he dismissed that thought as a greater one came up.

Ryo was ill, everyone knew it and it seemed like nothing more than the flu…But, Kento couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than that; something they weren't being told. Wildfire's bearer wouldn't talk about it, anytime his illness was mentioned he seemed to shy away from the topic.

Not directly, if he'd done it directly Sage would have known in an instant and forced the issue…One thing Kento had learned was that you didn't play games with Sage when it concerned serious things. It was truly a hazard to one's health. Plus, the Ronin of Halo always knew when there was more to something…Cye saw the truth and Sage could tell when half-truths were being spoken.

The Warrior of Strength knew just as well as anyone else, that Ryo did not like being a burden to others. It was impossible to convince the man he wasn't a burden at all, because of that stubborn determination of his.

Oh well, there was little Kento could do right now, when Ryo felt ready to talk about it, he would. For now, they would just have to be patient, and only force the issue if something bad happened.

The Hardrock Ronin had reached the landing, pausing to notice that the entire house was empty.

"Wonder where those girls got to this time," He mumbled to himself, as he headed towards the kitchen. For some odd reason or another, even with the vast space available, someone had decided the extra kitchen counter was the perfect spot to leave the mail.

Kento idly wondered why he bothered to check it, it's not like anyone ever sent him anything…Mostly all he got was bills. However, his eye caught a letter that held familiar handwriting, and it was addressed to him.

He eagerly opened the letter, and read it.

Dear Gege,

You're not still sore about the surprise An helped us devise, are you? I hope you are! I relive the moment over in my mind, and burst into laughter each time. I am still slightly in shock over seeing such emotion in Sage-san's face. Who would have thought it possible?

I am sure you are still pondering over the fact of my moving out, but really how am I to learn to stand on my own two feet? I can't stay with the family forever; I need to be able to do things for myself. I came to get the last of my things the other day, and one of my photo albums fell out. This picture slipped from the binding, and I wanted you to have it.

Remember Gege, we're routing for you…I'm proud to have such a special brother. Kick a couple for me!

Love always,

Rifni

A smile was on his lips now, and it widened to a full grin when he took out the picture and studied it. He was all of thirteen a beaming grin in place, Rifni had her arms around his neck smiling happily. There was one other person in the picture; laughter was in her face, her eyes full of mirth as she had latched onto his arm.

Kento became thoughtful after a moment or two, when was the last time he had seen Elayne happy like that? Before she left for the States, maybe…Where had the joy gone? She rarely smiled now, and whenever she laughed it wasn't filled with the same happiness it used to hold.

He found it hard to believe, even harder to accept that she could have grown so old so fast…It just seemed wrong to him. Even though, he had always heard his grandfather remark as to how An was an old soul…Had been here before, and only returned to bless those she knew.

"I want to talk to her," Kento grumbled to himself, "But she's staying so far out of the way, because she doesn't want to intrude."

He wanted nothing more than for her to intrude; he still considered her his 'mei mei,' just one more younger sister that he adored having, and missed talking to. As of late, she had really been avoiding all of them…He would love to know the reason for that.

Well, pretty soon, he'd know more than what he wanted to.

Kayura had only finished putting her hair back into the clasp, most of it having come loose while she practiced. The minute she put the finishing touches on tightening it, she became aware of something and her eyes went immediately to the porch.

'Sage?' She almost pursed her lips in thought, but refrained.

The Lady Ancient had never had too many one-on-one interactions with the Ronin of Halo. Whenever they spoke because they had to, he was nothing but courteous and respectful. Neither one went out of the way to make conversation with the other though.

Sage, well who knew his reasons for being so reserved? Kayura doubted very much that anyone accurately understood the blonde swordsman. As for her, well perhaps a lingering fear of being rejected because of what she was prevented her from making such a move.

The bond between the armor bearers of Light and Air were not hard to miss, she knew that Sage and Rowen were good friends and had been for a long time. So, wasn't it natural to expect Halo to be holding a grudge?

Well, that was all irrelevant now, Kayura needed to see what was so important. It had to be something for him to be standing there, practically waiting for her.

If someone didn't know any better, they would think the blonde swordsman was actually sleeping, leaned up against the wall like he was. Kayura happened to know better, actually anyone that had dealt with Sage for more than a year knew better.

The minute her feet finished coming up the two small steps so that she was on the porch he looked up. For just one brief moment worry was in his face, but by the time she blinked and re-focused it was gone.

"Kayura," Sage gave a nod to her by way of greeting, "I need to talk with you."

"About?" the Lady Ancient quirked an eyebrow and waited.

"Two things," the Ronin of Halo had never been someone that beat around the bush, "First one, what is the matter with Ryo?"

She bit her lip, oh she had known that one was coming, "I can't Sage, I don't wish to betray his trust. It is up to him whether or not he tells you," her voice was soft, yet kind, "However, if it becomes imperative for you and the others to know, and he still will not divulge the information…I will tell you then."

The young man allowed himself a grin, "Looks like you've figured Ryo out."

Kayura waved him off, "He's easy to comprehend after you've hung around him for about two weeks for almost all your waking hours. Next question."

Sage chuckled for a moment, before it died in his throat. The worry and concern was back in his face now, and it looked as if he were trying to decide on something. The silence continued for several minutes before he finally made up his mind.

"Do you know," He paused a minute, then sighed, he might as well, "What's wrong with Elayne?" Finally, for the first time during the conversation he actually looked up at her.

Kayura drew in a sharp breath; she had seen that look before. His eye-color was a shade lighter, but the look was the same. It was the same as the one she had seen in Universe's eyes. For a moment, she wondered…And vigorously shook her head to keep herself on track.

Now a memory played over in her head, a conversation that she had with the girl, about her unwillingness to tell the Ronins…

"I can't Kay, I just can't," the tone of helplessness in her voice was hard to mistake for anything else. "I'm afraid. I can't bear the thought of bringing them harm."

"Elayne," Kayura was bewildered, "How--?"

"I give them all the credit in the world and more, Kayura. They became very important to me over the years, and still are. But, that doesn't change the fact that I was placed here with the sole purpose of bringing them and the Senshi together. I've done them wrong, without trying to. They'd have every right to feel used and betrayed, and they don't deserve that…Least of all from me."

"Kayura?" the Ronin of Halo queried, watching her face closely…He could tell she was reflecting on something that had happened, there was a faraway look in her eyes.

The voice roughly jerked her back to reality, and she studied him as much as Sage had been studying her. The little voice in the back of her head was going on about how cute it was to see Halo act the role of a big brother, since it made him more human. The more important voice was ridiculing the lesser and telling her to make up her mind on whether or not to tell him.

Again the Lady Ancient bit her lip, she then spoke tentatively, "I don't suppose there is someone else you can ask?"

"The Senshi know something, but I'd have better luck trying to coax an answer out of Blaze. Even the Elementals won't talk," He paused his brows were furrowed, "You do know, don't you?"

"Unfortunately yes," Kayura rubbed at her temples, "Looks like I'll have to put you on the same page as well. Go find the other Ronins, because I don't care to have to repeat this." Again, her mind darkly added.

The swordsman gave a nod, and slight bow of his head, before going off in search of the other four. They were going to get an answer, but there was no way they'd be happy with it.

It had probably taken all of fifteen minutes for the other four Ronin to arrive. Sage hadn't bothered to go very far, taking full advantage of the convenient mental-link in order to page them.

Now, it wasn't like any of them had a clue as to what the swordsman wanted…One thing that had not changed was Sage and his natural evasiveness.

Rowen raised an eyebrow in question, but Sage merely gave a shrug not willing to answer. The archer sighed through his nose and sat down in one of the wicker chairs.

Kento merely sat down on the floor; he had never cared much for those outside chairs anyway. He looked to Ryo who could only offer a helpless shake of his head; no he had no idea either.

Cye opted to stand up for whatever this was supposed to be, his eyes were on Kayura…She didn't look too thrilled.

The Lady Ancient was leaning against the porch railing, her lips drawn into a thin line, eyes far away. Oh her mind was trying to devise ways to get out of this one, but really what choice did she have? Everyone else knew about it, and apparently no one was willing to share with the Ronins.

What had Elayne said, that their lack of communication with each other, was going to hurt them? Well, Kayura hated to agree with the statement simply because there was so much truth in it.

From what she had been able to gather, these five young men had always been the closest ones to Elayne, and in some ways it seemed she was still important to them. They should have been the first to know, not the last. It just didn't strike her as being very fair.

Ugh, why did she have to do this though? Someone should have forewarned her that following the will of her clan wasn't exactly an upbeat job; she would have found something else to do.

The whole bearer of bad news thing was really starting to irritate her, and even more so was the fact that there was plenty she had to tell her charges and simply couldn't, because she wasn't "allowed." For crying out loud, Kaosu was dead, if he still wanted to be in charge so badly, the monk could come back to life and run the show.

Otherwise, the next time she saw him, she was pulling that pointy hat down around his throat and telling him where he could put his version of the staff. Now feeling slightly better, Kayura looked up noticing for the first time that all five Ronin Warriors were present.

"So, dare I ask?" Cye queried looking from the swordsman to Kayura.

The Halo Ronin opted to be the first to explain, "I wanted to know what was going on with An, and Kayura said she was willing to answer. But…"

"I felt it would be best to tell all five of you at once," Kayura let out a sigh from the back of her throat, "Everyone else seems to know, except for you guys. I don't quite get the point of keeping you in the dark on this; I just know you're not going to like it."

"Well?" There was a slight narrowness in Rowen's eyes, it was hardly noticeable, but she knew it was there. Out of all the others, she and the Ronin of Strata had never really reconciled their differences…Well, she had put it behind her, but the more this went on the more it appeared he had not.

"Back when the four of you weren't quite acting like yourselves," She for the most part ignored the winces, but took a little bit of satisfaction with Rowen's…It'd teach him not to be such a snot with her. "I had gone to the elders, they had asked for my presence. It's normal for them to do so, more often though I go to them for guidance and get a migraine in return."

Kento snorted down a laugh at the comment, he really did feel for Kayura. It had to be beyond aggravating being unable to get straight answers, or any sort of answer to a question from those spirits.

"There's no easy way to say this, so I guess I'll just say it," She let out a sigh, "According to what the elders know, what Pluto has told them, and what the little ones from the future have said…Elayne isn't from this time."

Sage sharply looked up, his eyes having widened slightly before they returned to their normal size. His face betrayed emotion for the briefest of moments, before he squelched it. Some habits were hard to break, and acting calm while in the face of adversity was one he just hadn't been able to overcome.

"What?" Ryo could only gape at that bit of information. How was that even possible?

The Lady Ancient moaned low in her throat, this was exactly why she didn't want to have this talk with the five of them. They were never going to willingly believe this without her explaining everything in explicit detail.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, "I didn't believe it much at first either. However, Rini and Diana confirmed the fact that Elayne was not involved in their past or their future. In fact, the events that led up to their future are actually occurring at a more rapid pace in this time. Everything has been changed, from our first meeting to the battle prior to December."

"That's fine, but I don't see where you're going," the Halo Ronin broke in, "Just because she's involved this time, doesn't make her a plant."

Kayura shook her head, saying in a calm tone, "She has absolutely no memory prior to meeting Sanada-san and Ryo. She was young true, but even small children retain memory of places and things, and she has none. The only memory she has is of her grandmother…Elayne also told me that she had no idea Lindsay was her actual cousin, until Daiki told her."

There was a severe frown on Kento's face, "I really can't believe this. It doesn't mean…It couldn't…" But the look on Kayura's face told him it was the truth, no matter how much he would have liked to protest it.

"Think about it this way," the Last of the Ancient's Clan spoke in a soft tone, knowing how upset they were. "She knew the five of you, individually, prior to the war with Talpa. During that war, she had come into contact with a number of the Senshi, and by the time the elders needed a link Elayne had become the perfect candidate. It's too much to be simply coincidence."

Kayura had slipped off the railing now, her agitation was growing and she had a desire to pace, but she refrained, "This place, it's just another convenience. Who would have a spare house lying around that all of us could use so we wouldn't be detected by outsiders?"

"When you point out all the obvious absurdities," the Strata Ronin gently broke in, "It makes it appear that it was planned. There's no way something like this would happen of its own accord."

"Ro! You can't be serious," the Ronin of Trust broke in, "The only absurdity is this utter rubbish."

"It's not rubbish," a small voice broke in, "It's the truth Cye. You know that better than any of the others."

Rini had her arms crossed in front of her chest, eyes slightly narrowed. It was times like these when she acted more like the teenager she was soon to become, than the innocent nine-year-old she had been once. How long she had been standing there it would have been hard to guess, but it was enough for her to know what to say.

"What's the face for kiddo?" the Warrior of Strength queried, he had always been good with kids…Coming from a gigantic family certainly helped.

"Serena-tachi couldn't take this seriously either, thought it was a joke," the disgust in the twelve-year-old's voice was not hard to miss. "It isn't a joke, a lie, or a mistake. Didn't you say she was like one of your siblings, or another of your best friends? Then don't treat this like it's not real, because it's exceedingly real, especially to An."

The Ronin of Halo turned his head to look at Kayura, something clicking into place, "That's why…When I said what I did about her not belonging here, why she took it so heavily?"

"Yes, she's known since then, but she won't speak of it," Kayura said quietly, "I have no idea how the Senshi found out, probably through Universe. I'm the one who told Anubis and the others, but I had thought she might at least tell one of you."

"No, not a chance," Rini gave a snort, "You know how important her family is to her, she feels like she betrayed them. That's why she's avoiding all of you, she feels guilty for doing this, even though it wasn't intentional on her part. She thinks simply because she agreed to help, that makes her evil in some way."

"I think something is going to have to be done to correct that way of thinking," the Hardrock Ronin announced, trying not to grin when Rini's face lit-up.

"Agreed," the blond swordsman nodded, "Of course, it's a matter of getting a hold of her."

Rini couldn't help but giggle, she had known all along she could count on the Ronin, "Good luck, I'm sure you guys will think of something. After all, it can't be as hard as taking down a demon emperor."

"No," the Ronin Leader spoke, rolling his blue-eyes, "It's harder."

The young girl let out a laugh and then skipped off to leave them alone, she felt better now that someone was going to hound Elayne about this. Granted the warriors were all busy, but if at least one person paid attention, it was better than none at all.

"Thank-you Kayura," Cye finally spoke, having turned his attention back to the Lady Ancient, "its one less question I have now." His eyes seemed to fall on Ryo, who didn't miss the look and scowled.

"I keep telling you guys-" the bearer of Wildfire irately began, only to be cut off by Strata,

"We know, we know…Just don't wait too long Ryo, or we'll find out some other way," the archer smirked, "Because, you know we're quite capable."

"I'm getting out of here before you five start one of your brawls," Kayura announced with a shake of her head.

Kento grinned widely as he grabbed Rowen, "Hey now, come on, join us. I know Rowen here wouldn't mind catching you again!"

"KENTO!" The Strata Ronin bellowed in irritation; struggling in the headlock he was more or less forced into.

Not missing a beat, the Lady Ancient slightly turned her head and raised an elegant-eyebrow. She seemed to be almost contemplating it, or merely leading them on. Without a moment's hesitation, she gave the one finger salute, and casually walked off the porch.

There were quite a few jaws left on the floor after that action, and Cye sputtered in bewilderment, "Can she actually do that?"

Ryo burst out laughing, "She just did!"

Sage permitted himself an amused chuckle, he may not speak to her often, but he had to admit that he liked Kayura very much. It might have had something to do with the fact she could all too easily turn heads, and not care that she had done it. Of course, now he in a way owed her, for she had managed to answer a question that had been plaguing him for quite some time.

The smallest of frowns formed on his face, well at least Elayne's situation was clear to him now…But, how much more was there that he didn't know about?

Well, things always had this way of falling into place…A domino effect had begun, with some answers, more were bound to follow…All too soon, everything would be out in the open. Though, would it leave some of them wishing that the information had never come to light?

A/N: First note, Kayura is made of teh awesome, enough said (and I am sure I've mentioned it before, but it is worth repeating). And the rest: Ya you guys get an update, isn't that awesome? Only one chapter this time though. You may get another chapter later in the month, after my mid-terms and before NaNoWriMo. :-)

1) Gege Chinese for Older brother

2) For the sake of this story, the last of the Senshi's battles took place in 1993; Rini was 9 back then. It is now 1997, since her b-day falls on June 30th, she is currently 12, going on 13.