Don't own Ronin Warrior. All OCs are mine.

Chapter 4

Tiffany was lying on the bench in the gazebo with a blanket wrapped around her. Kalana was curled up beside her and White Blaze was laying on the floor.

When Tiffany had got home with Kalana, she grabbed a blanket and went to the gazebo with the animals following her. Tiffany sat on the bench, wrapping the blanket around her. Tears weld up in her eyes and she squeezed them shut to keep herself from crying but the tears escaped and Tiffany laid down on the bench. The tears rolled silently down her cheeks and Tiffany made no movement to wipe them away.

Footsteps were heard and White Blaze opened his eyes. He got up and headed over to Ryo, nuzzling his leg. Ryo smiled at his friend and then scratched him behind the ear. Afterwards, Ryo walked into the gazebo, stopping at the entrance.

Tiffany paid no mind to Ryo, not even looking at him as Ryo walked over and knelt in front of her. He reached out his hand and rested it on the side of her face, using his thumb to wipe away stray tears that escaped from her eyes. Ryo didn't have to ask; he could tell that the woman Tiffany met today was her actual mother. Neither talked, embracing in the silence, when Ryo broke it, asking: "What can I do to help?"

"I just want to be alone," Tiffany answered, her voice cracking.

Ryo sighed then kissed her forehead. "Don't stay out too long; it's going to get cold out."

Tiffany nodded. Ryo walked out of the gazebo and back toward the house, with White Blaze in tow. They walked inside and Rowen walked into the room. "Hey." He stopped when he saw a worried look on his friend's face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm worried about Tiffany."

"Why? What happened?"

Before Ryo could reply, a knock sounded at the door.

"I got it!" Cye called, heading to the door. He opened it to see a woman with long blonde hair on the other side. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Tiffany," she answered, stepping in. "I was told she lives here."

Ryo and Rowen walked into the entranceway to see the woman. Ryo crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm guessing your Tiffany's actual mom." Rowen and Cye turned to Ryo with a shocked look on their faces.

"Yes, I'm Asami. And you are?"

"I'm Ryo…Tiffany's boyfriend."

Asami widen her eyes then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out afterwards. She then smiled at him. "It's…nice to meet you. Is Tiffany home?"

"Yes, but she wants to be alone."

"Can you let her know I'm here? If she doesn't want to see me, I'll leave."

"No, stay." Everyone turned around to see Tiffany standing in the kitchen. "I want to know the truth." Asami nodded and Tiffany lead her into the backyard. Out of earshot, Rowen turned to Ryo. "Actual mother?"

"It's not my story to tell," Ryo explained. "Apparently, Asami came into the store and told Tiffany she was her mother. I don't know the full story but Tiffany wanted to tell you guys herself."

"I'm sure she wouldn't want to talk after everything that happened to her today," said Cye. "We should probably leave her alone unless she wants to talk."

Ryo and Rowen nodded in agreement. "We'll relay this to Sage and Kento when they get home."

Outside, Tiffany was sitting in the gazebo across from Asami. Kalana was on her lap and Tiffany stroked her fur, trying to keep herself steady.

"So…you have a boyfriend," Asami started, trying to break the awkward silence between them.

"No, we're not talking about my personal life," stated Tiffany. "I want to know what happened. Why did you give me away?"

"I didn't give you away. I was only protecting you from…"

"Protecting me from what?"

Asami sighed, casting her eyes downward at her hands clasped on her lap. "Your father." The wind whistled through the trees, blowing the women's hair. Tiffany was stunned, frozen in place that she only snapped out of it when Kalana nudged her hand to move again. "I'm going to need a little bit more than that."

"For you to understand, I need to explain the place you were born in." Asami looked up at Tiffany. "As you know, Mizuki and I are sisters and we were born in the same clan and each person born has a gift, a special power that is unlocked at a certain time. These powers could be elemental, mental, or physical and whatever power was unlocked could change the color of their hair."

"What do you mean?"

"Each person is born with blue hair but depending on what power you could get, it changed color. Mizuki's hair turned a darker, almost midnight, blue because her ability is telepathy, which is a mental power. People with mental powers have dark blue hair. That is how she was able to tell me where you lived and how I found you so fast. If the power was physical, the hair would change to brown. Elemental powers reflect whatever element it is. Fire is red, earth is green, air is white, and water is a lighter shade of blue, almost like a sky blue."

"What about my hair color?" Tiffany touched her hair. "I always remember being it blonde."

"You were born special. Instead of having blue hair, you were born with blonde hair. The elders were shocked for they had never seen anything like it before. It was later revealed, by a monk named Kaos, that you would become a Warrior Priestess, purifing demons and having incredible power." Asami smiled at her. "That's why I named you Tiffany, because you were unique and needed a unique name."

Tiffany smiled back at her. "But then…what does this have to do with father."

Asami's smile faded. "Your father was a troubled man. His hair color stayed the same throughout his life and he wondered why his powers hadn't come yet. I tried to tell him that mine haven't come either but he wouldn't listen. Then, when you were born and he heard what you would become, something changed inside him. He kept sneaking away at night and wouldn't tell me what he was doing or where he was going. All he ever said was he was going to change the world.

"One day, I noticed his hair had changed color but it was pitch black; it was the color of one who would fester in dark magic and evil spirits. I saw his plans of using your powers to unleash a demon army upon the world. Fearing your safety, I took you to Mizuki's, who was living in a different clan with her husband and new born daughter. I asked her to take care of you while I dealt with your father. When I went back, your father was furious. He demanded that I tell him where you were but I refused, telling him I wouldn't allow him to use you as a weapon. That's when…" Asami stopped, closing her eyes and looking away.

"That's when what?" Tiffany urged.

"Your father used his powers to attack the clan. He called forth spirits and demons to attack and kill the villagers. I found my power that day too; the same as yours. I managed to kill most of the spirits and demons while some ran away. I managed to subdue your father but I couldn't bring myself to kill him. He was my husband and your father but I think some part of me still did see him as my loving husband. I tried to think of a way to secure him without killing him or giving him a chance to escape.

"That's when Kaos came back and revealed that I could seal him away in an ancient realm where I would have to take away his powers so that he couldn't escape and he would be trapped there forever. I agreed and I used my powers to take all the dark magic out of his body and seal that magic in a scared jar. With Kaos and the elders, we performed a ceremony to send your father to the ancient realm and seal him there. I then went on a quest to find the perfect place to hide your father's sealed magic in case he somehow escaped. It took a while but I did find a place and used my power to hide it and make sure it would never be found by anyone except for me."

"I understand now why you did all this but why wait till now to come and get me?"

"I waited a few years to see if anyone would to come and set your father free or if he would to escape somehow. When I was sure that you would be safe, I came to get you but was stopped by Kaos. He said an evil emperor named Talpa knew of you and wanted to use you to set your father free. I knew if that happened, I had to protect the seal if Talpa decided to try anything?"

"Wait? The nine armors and myself are the key to setting father free?"

"How do you know?"

"Talpa did try to perform a ceremony when we fought but I didn't know it was that one."

"You fought Talpa?!"

"Long story, but is that the key?"

"Yes, it is, and I'm glad Talpa never got to complete the ceremony."

"He never started it. We killed him before he had a chance."

Asami nodded. "It's good that he's dead though."

"There is one thing I still need to know. It's been two years since Talpa died so why didn't you come get me afterwards?"

"That doesn't matter," Asami lied, smiling at her. "The important thing now is we can start again. Everyone is waiting for you to come home and I already have a suitor picked out for you and-"

"What?"

"Tiffany, we can be together again."

"You think I'll leave everything I have made here. I have friends and a boyfriend. I'm not going to drop everything and go to a place I don't know about, especially when you have picked out my 'suitor.'"

"You can make new friends. And the man I've picked out for you is a much better fit than Ryo."

"And how would you know? You just met Ryo and you assume this man is better than Ryo." Tiffany scoffed. "I've known Ryo for two years now." She stood up. "I think we've talked long enough and I'm sure you need to get going. Tell this suitor I'm not interested." Tiffany walked out of the gazebo.

"Don't you dare walk away from your mother!" Asami grabbed hold of Tiffany's hand and Kalana transformed, growling at her. Asami took a step back then turned to glare at Tiffany. "This demon attacked your home and you let it lived."

"If you haven't noticed, Kalana is my friend and I purified her."

"She could turn on you!"

"I purified her when I was thirteen." Tiffany turned to her mother. "I also saved another demon, helped the Ronin Warriors fight and kill Talpa, and purified my cousin, Kayura, and saved her soul from his dark magic. But you want to know the best part?" Tiffany raised her hand and the elements danced around her body. "I have the powers of the elements." She smirked at Asami's shocked expression. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Tiffany lowered her hand and then turned back around. "Please leave."

Asami stared at Tiffany's back then walked around her, leaving the backyard. Tiffany waited till she was gone then ran back in the house. She ran up the stairs, ignoring the questions from the guys, and into her bedroom, slamming the door shut. She fell on the bed, burying her face in the pillow. Kalana scratched the door from the other side, meowing so she could go in to comfort her mistress.

Ryo walked up and opened their door, letting Kalana in first before walking in and closing the door. He slowly walked over to the bed and got on, wrapping his arms around Tiffany. He pulled her close to him so her back was resting against his chest and didn't say anything. Tiffany placed her arms on his, gripping them as she cried. She needed this; no comforting words or anything, just being held was enough for her. They stayed like that for the rest of the night.

Asami walked back to the village, a frown on her face. This wasn't the plan that was supposed to happen. She needed to get Tiffany back to the village but she wasn't able to. As she walked in, Asami looked around at the statues surrounding the courtyard. Faces of terror greeted her and Asami looked away, shutting her eyes. I'm sorry, I wasn't strong enough. She walked into her house where a man was sitting on the couch, waiting for her return. "I see that you have failed," the man said, his back still to Asami.

"What do you expect? She hasn't seen me in twenty years, did you think she was just going to come willingly?" Asami spat.

The man tsked. "Careful, Asami. We wouldn't want to hurt these people, would we? Or better yet, your sister?"

Asami cast her eyes downward. "I'm...sorry. Forgive me, Kai."

"Apology accepted." The man, Kai, got up and turned to her. "I guess we're going to have to go with our second plan then. But we're going to need the location of Sephiran's magic first."

A new enemy? Wait to find out. Please review.