I don't own Ronin Warriors, but OCs are mine.

Chapter 5

Ryo, Rowen, and Sage just got back from their classes while Kento and Cye went to go work at their jobs. Rowen and Sage started to do homework they received for today but Ryo went to go check on Tiffany. He could tell she was still upset this morning but didn't want to bother her so he just let her rest. Thinking that Tiffany was in the gazebo, Ryo walked outside but he heard splashing and was surprised to see Tiffany in the pool instead of the gazebo.

Tiffany had just finished her tenth lap to the end of the pool and back when she saw Ryo walking up to the pool deck. She laid her arms on the edge of the pool and smiled at him. "Hey, how were classes?"

"They were fine, a little boring at times." Ryo sat down on the deck next to Tiffany. "How are you?"

"I'm feeling better. A few laps around the pool helped me to relax and put my mind at ease for a while."

"That's good." Ryo stood up as Tiffany got out of the pool. He grabbed her beach towel hanging over the railing and wrapped it around Tiffany. She thanked him then proceeded to dry herself off, squeezing as much water out of her hair as she can. "You look tense," Ryo commented, seeing how strained Tiffany seemed when drying herself off.

Tiffany grimaced. "This whole week threw me off I guess. I think I might take a bubble bath tonight to relax myself."

"How about I give you a massage tonight before bed?"

"That would be great," Tiffany sighed, smiling at him. She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you." Ryo smiled back at her then lead her inside the house. Rowen and Sage looked up from their homework when Ryo and Tiffany walked in and the two gave the couple a smile. "Hi, Tiffany," greeted Rowen. "How are you?"

"I'm doing better. How are you two?"

"We're fine."

Tiffany nodded. "Are Cye and Kento home?"

"No, they're at work," answered Sage. "They won't be home until around dinner."

"Ok, when they get home, I'll explain what happened yesterday. But for now, I'm going to take a shower." Tiffany left the kitchen and walked upstairs, leaving the guys to do their homework.

Kai walked up the side of a mountain, starring overhead at the skyline before him, then turned to Asami. "You sure this is the place you put it?" Kai burned his gaze into her eyes. "You're not just leading me astray?"

"No, it's here." Asami walked ahead of him. "I told you, I buried it so no one could find it." She walked up to a wall and moved her hand back, revealing a cave. She walked in to the end of the cave and, against a wall, a green jar with a cork in it sat on a pedestal of rocks. The closer Asami got, the more she could feel the dark magic and when she grabbed it, a chill ran down her spine. She brought it back out and held it out to Kai who grabbed it and unscrewed the cork. The black magic shot out of the jar and circled around it, almost as if it was trying to decide what to do.

"Here, my Master," Kai said, lowering a bag he carried with him on the ground. Armored pieces fell out of the bag, clanging against each other and the magic flew into the armored pieces, connecting them together until it formed into an armored warrior. The eyes glowed red as it looked at itself. "How do you feel, Master?"

"This is suitable for now," a deep voice called from the armor. "But I'll feel better when I get my body back."

"Of course, Master."

Asami glared at the armored, her gaze burning with hatred. "Sephiran."

The armor looked at Kai but his gaze settled on Asami. "Well, if it isn't my dear little wife. My, how little you've changed over…?"

"Twenty years," said Asami.

"Twenty years? I see time flies in exile." The armored laugh, "I find it ironic that you'll be helping me get free."

"I had no choice."

Sephiran hummed then turned to the world around him. "Look at this world. Soon it'll be mine, but first, we need to make a stop."

In the newly redone Neither World, Kayura snapped her gaze up from the book she was reading. She could tell something wasn't right but she didn't know what. Grabbing the Ancient's staff, Kayura walked into the main hall where Anubis and Dais were sitting, playing a game of chess. They both turned to her when she entered. "Is something wrong, Kayura?" Anubis asked, noticing the worried look on Kayura's face.

"I sense something is wrong in the human world," stated Kayura.

"Do we need to alert the Ronin Warriors?" Dais asked, starting to stand but sat back down at Kayura's raised hand. "No, I will go down. I just want to know if they sensed anything and, if not, I will keep them on alert. Just watch over the Neither World while I'm gone."

"Ok."

Kayura raised her staff and it glowed, transporting her down to the human world and Dais and Anubis continued their chess game. Sekhmet came into the room then, worry and stress apart on his face.

"What's wrong?" Anubis demanded, getting up from his seat along with Dais.

"A group of people are in the Nether World and I sense powerful energy from one of them," explained Sekhmet.

They ran outside of the castle to stand next to Cale, who had saw the group arrive and reported it to Sekhmet. The four looked at Sephiran, Kai, and Asami as they walked closer to them.

"Whoever you are, leave this place now," warned Anubis.

Sephiran huffed, looking around the beautiful landscape and living scenery. "What a dump this place has become. This world used to be surrounded in darkness but now, light has come through."

"Did you not hear us? We said leave!" Cale exclaimed, donning his armor.

Sephiran turned to him, his eyes glowing red. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Warlords. Excuse me, ex-Warlords." Sephiran laughed. "But you'll do for what I have in mind."

"If you won't leave, I'll make you!" Cale charged at Sephiran, his nodaci raised but as he swiped his sword, Sephiran expelled from the armor and surrounded Cale in dark energy. During which, Kai chanted a spell and when the spell was done, a man with short, dark brown hair and brown eyes stood in Cale's spot, wearing his armor. The man smiled at Sephiran, who had transferred back to his armor, and knelt before him. "My Lord, you have returned."

"It's good to see you again, Karver."

"Cale, what the hell is wrong with you?!" exclaimed Dais.

Karver turned to the three. "I'm not this Cale. My name is Karver and I'm one of Sephiran's four generals." He pointed the nodaci at them. "With the same power as that of the armor of Corruption." He then charged at the three.

Tiffany had just finished explaining the events of yesterday to the guys. Ryo had an arm draped across her shoulder, slowly moving his hand up and down her arm to comfort her.

"Man, that's rough," Kento started. "I can't believe your mother wanted you to leave and start a life at that village."

"Why would your mother want to take you away?" Cye questioned. "You've never seen this village before and your mother is just expecting you to go there as if nothing happened?"

"I don't know the reasoning either," said Tiffany. "But after what she said about you guys, I couldn't leave."

"What did she say?" asked Rowen and then responded quickly with, "if you don't mind me asking."

"She was basically saying I could replace you with new friends and that she had found a suitor for me."

"What?" Ryo exclaimed, looking down at her.

"I know, I didn't believe it either. I even told her she didn't know you guys as long as I did so I told her not to assume anything. That's when I told her to leave and she did."

"Do you think she's going to come back?" asked Sage.

Tiffany shrugged. "I don't know."

A knock sounded at the door then and Rowen got up to answer it. He opened the door and was a little bit shocked by the person standing behind it. "Kayura, hi."

"Hello, Rowen," Kayura greeted, smiling at him. "May I come in?"

"Of course." Rowen stepped inside to let Kayura walk in and she immediately spotted everyone in the lounge. "Good, you're all here." She walked into the area.

"Kayura, what a pleasant surprise," Tiffany commented, smiling at her.

"Unfortunately, I'm not here on pleasantries." Kayura sat down on the recliner Rowen had occupied earlier, leaving him to lean against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "I'm here to check on something with all of you."

"What is it?"

"Have either of you felt a…disturbance in your world?"

"A disturbance? What do you mean?" demanded Kento.

"Like an evil presence?" confirmed Cye.

"Yes. I felt something earlier today and I wanted to confirm with all of you if you felt anything recently."

"We haven't, Kayura," answered Ryo. "But we will let you know when we do."

Kayura nodded, her face looking grim. "Ok, but I can't shake this feeling that something is wrong."

Sephiran sat on the throne inside the castle, looking down at the four figures kneeling before him. "I welcome you all back to this world, my top generals," welcomed Sephiran.

"It is good to be back," agreed Malice, a man with short black hair and black eyes, wearing the armor of Cruelty.

"I look forward to serving you again," stated Fuzen, a man with shoulder-length red hair and red eyes, donning the armor of Illusion.

"We will make this world yours as you wanted all those years ago," promised Naga, a man with shoulder-length green hair and green eyes, wearing the armor of Venom.

Karver smirked. "Where should we start, Master?"

"First things first, we need to get my daughter. I'm sure she'll be surprised to see us." Sephiran turned to Asami. "Isn't that right, my dear?"

Asami nodded, not saying anything. She was dying on the inside right now. Sephiran had four armors needed to release himself and she only hoped Tiffany would be safe from Sephiran's attacks.

The situation is looking tense. Found out in the next chapter what happens. Review.