Disclaimer: I think you can guess.
Note: This story takes place about one year after Talpa's defeat. Due to instances of violence, language, and sexual innuendos, this story is rated PG13, so don't say I didn't warn ya.

Ryo sighed heavily as he trudged dejectedly up the stairs of Mia's home and walked down the hall, like a man being led to the firing squad: resigned and awaiting his fate.

It was his turn to wake up Rowen.

"Fer God's sake! Why can't he just keep regular hours like the rest a the freakin' human race? But no! He stays up later than anyone else in the house, then sleeps like a corpse until 2 in the afternoon EVERY SINGLE DAY!!" he grumbled as he made his way down the hall to the sleeping Ronins' room which he, Cye, Sage and Kento shared.

Throwing open the door, Ryo yelled as loud as he could, "HEY ROWEN! TIME TA WAKE UP!!!" He screamed loud enough to be heard in the Nether Realm, but still, there was no response. Unsurprised, Ryo walked over to one of the four beds, where all that existed to stand for person was a large bundle entwined and wrapped up in a mess of blankets, tendrils of electric blue hair peeking from one end.

Ryo leaned down close to the end of the bundle where the hair protruded from, and again yelled, "Rowen? Rowen! HEY ROWEN!!!"

"Whadda ya wan'?" came the muffled, groggy reply.

"Time to get up. It's almost 2:30!" Ryo responded testily. He waited for a minute for some sign of life from within the blankets, but none came.

Deciding he'd had enough of this, Ryo stalked off into the bathroom which connected his own room to the other Ronins'. "I'll show him......lazy.....would sleep through the Dynasty takeover if it wasn't for us!" he grumbled from within the bathroom. Moments later, he emerged into the room carrying with him a large plastic pail. He walked back over to Rowen's bed, poising the pail at shoulder-height infront of him. "Rowen, you've got to the count of 3 to get yer lazy ass out of bed!"

No response.

"One..."

Nothing.

"...Two..."

Still nothing.

"Two and a half...THREE!" Ryo heaved the loaded bucket's contents onto the unsuspecting victim. Drenched, the young Ronin sat up in a jolt. "What the He-Ryo! You're gonna pay for that!" the blue-haired youth screamed threats, while fighting his bedcovers to be released. Twisting and turning and jerking and flailing, he struggled, while Ryo watched with overwhelming amusement as the end result was a thud that could be heard throughout the house.

Grinning wickedly, Ryo leaned over the mess on the floor, barely able to keep from laughing. "Good to see you're up already! Mia and Cye are taking Yuli and going grocery shopping; me and Kento are gonna catch a movie. Sage's out meditating in the woods. Be back in a few hours!" he rattled off before Rowen had the chance to say anything more. Then, still looking smug and amused and grinning with glee, Ryo fled from the room, leaving behind a very wet, very agitated - and very awake - Rowen of Strata.

With an exasperated sigh, Rowen threw himself down into a chair around the kitchen table. "That settles it! There's absolutely nothing to eat in this entire house! Even Kento's snack stash is gone!" he cried in desperation, his stomach echoing the sentiment with a loud, drawn-out rumble. "About a 5.6 on the Ronin Scale..." he thought aloud. Longingly, Rowen looked over to see White Blaze purring contentedly as he lay near Rowen's feet, licking his paws after a successful hunting trip in the woods. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he asked the large white tiger. White Blaze just purred and ignored the question with a look that read, "Who, me?"

Giving up, he went outside onto the porch. It was truly a gorgeous day. The sun shone brightly upon everything, making the bright green grass glisten wonderously from late morning showers. A light, cool breeze swept through the air, playing in the tree branches and in his hair, causing an unruly blue strand to repeatedly fall into his eyes. Birds and other wildlife could be heard flying and playing joyously and if one strained just so they could hear the river gushing along its way through the nearby woods.

Rowen stood in front of the porch steps, his eyes closed, a heavenly smile playing at the corners of his lips, for what felt an eternity.

"My, my, my. Beautiful weather we're having today, hmmm?" a deep, raspy voice boomed from next to him.

Rowen jumped, his eyes snapped open, head jerked to the side, where he found a tall, thickly-built young man leaning on the side of the porch - wearing Cale's Armor of Darkness!

"You're not Cale! Who are you? What do you want?" Rowen demanded, shaken by the man's presence. He hadn't even felt his arrival! And if he was here in Cale's armor, where was Cale?

"Cale? Cale! Do I LOOK like Cale? That blubbering idiot is no longer a problem. I am Azrael, Talpa's new Dark Warlord of Corruption! And you, Strata, have earned yourself a one-way ticket to the Nether Realm!" the man gloated menacingly.

TALPA!?!? Rowen took on a fighting stance, his sub-armor already on, and retorted, "I don't think so! Come and get me, Nether Scum!" Even as he said it, Azrael was charging Rowen, who took it in the gut, and the two went flying into the porch, sending wood flying everywhere. As soon as his hand reached something solid, Rowen used it for leverage to flip the Warlord over and off of him, straight through a window into the house.

Rowen rolled to his feet and scrambled back onto the grass as an explosion marked Azrael's return. The wall he'd smashed sent millions of pieces of wood flying in all directions, like chunks of shrapnel. One particularly large piece flew with such force that it imbedded itself in Rowen's side, throwing him stumbling back a few paces.

"Enjoy this moment of sunlight, Rowen of Strata, it will be your last!" Azrael declared as he sent clouds of darkness through the area, enveloping Rowen in utter blackness.

His adrenaline level soaring and heart pounding, Rowen tried his best to discern his enemy's location, but to no avail. His kanji of Life flared to life on his forehead as he took hold of the wood in his sub-armor, yanking it out with a scream of agony. Great! Now he'll know exactly where I am! he thought, Assuming he didn't already!

Deep in the forest, Sage's eyes snapped open from his meditative state. His kanji of wisdom glowed brightly on his forehead. Suddenly, he heard a scream, Rowen's scream. Without a thought otherwise, he leapt off of the rock he'd been sitting on and sprinted back in the direction of the house, his sub-armor already on.

In Toyama City, three more Ronins felt the disturbance as well.

Cye's kanji appeared, causing Mia to nearly drop the cans she'd been loading into the cart. "Mia?" Cye asked in worry.

"Y-your kanji, Cye! It's glowing!"

"C'mon," he stated, grabbing her's and Yuli's wrists, abandoning their shopping cart as they rushed out of the store.

Not three minutes later, Mia's jeep screeched to a halt in front of the movie theater, where Kento and Ryo were already waiting. As they jumped in, their kanji's glowing as well, the jeep sped off down the road.

Menacing laughter sounded all around him as Rowen tried furiously to locate Azrael. His side was now bleeding profusely and he knew that soon he'd be too weak to put up a fight. "Azrael, you coward! Why don't you come out and face me!" he challenged loudly, trying not to let his fear seep into his voice.

"So ready to die, young Ronin? Very well, then!" he heard the inhumanly deep voice.

Suddenly the darkness began to lift, only to reveal Azrael standing a short ways ahead of him, executing his sure-kill. "BLACK LIGHTNING STRIKE!!!!!" he screamed, unleashing his sure-kill, which deftly knocked Rowen off of his feet. Walking up to the fallen Ronin gloatingly, he lifted the unconsious boy off of the ground and, opening a portal, stepped through with Rowen in his arms.

Moments later, Sage, decked out in his sub-armor, sprinted out of the woods and up to the house. Surveying the damage, his panic soared. Rowen and White Blaze were supposed to be the only ones here, but no signs of life were evident. "Rowen? Rowen!" he called.

Stepping through the mess of debris on the lawn, Sage came up to the porch steps, which had been ripped apart along with most of the wall beyond. Catching sight of a piece of cloth, Sage stooped down and picked it up. Rowen's headband. Clutching it tightly in his hand, Sage fell to his knees "ROWEN!" he screamed for his best friend. His answer was the sound of screeching tires as Mia's jeep stopped in front of the house. Three Ronins, Mia and Yuli jumped out of the jeep, their fears escalating immeasurably at the sight of the damaged property and Sage sitting like so in his sub-armor.

"Sage! Sage! What happened?" Ryo yelled as he ran up to his friend.

Sage looked up at Ryo, tears threatening to fall from his one visible, glistening eye. "I-I don't know. I heard him scream this awful scream, and I ran back here as fast as I could, but he isn't here...I can't find him!" Sage nearly cried, his voice hoarse with the weight of concern. His head dropped back to the dark blue cloth in his hand.

"Ryo!" Mia yelled somewhere behind him. Ryo laid a hand on Sage's shoulder in a reassuring gesture, then turned back toward Mia's call, leaving Cye and Kento with Sage. "What is it?" he asked as he went to where Mia was standing, her arms around Yuli, who's head was buried in her stomach. Mia's fear-filled gaze gestured, and Ryo looked down at the large, sharp chunk of wood at his feet. Blood was soaking into the wood and was also splattered all over the surrounding grass, turning it a horrid red-black. There was just so much of it....where was Rowen??

Rowen awoke with an agonized groan, pain emanating from the very core of his being, though the worst of it was concentrated at his side where he'd been stabbed. He attempted to move only to find himself trapped where he was. He opened his eyes despite the waves of dizziness the act caused to wash over him. When the blur in his vision subsided, Rowen found himself to be in a large, circular room, with walls of thick black bricks. All around the circle of the room were tall white candles which seemed to give no heat to the room. He shuddered as he realized that not only did they give off no heat, but they cast no shadows and appeared to forever be a newly lit candle, never dripping or becoming shorter. From his limited point of view, Rowen could see no ceiling nor windows nor doors anywhere, but he assumed the door, at least, was behind him.

Rowen himself was chained in the center of his prison, at least 20 feet from the walls, his feet being chained where he stood, and could only be moved several inches in any direction. His arms were spread far out and above his head slightly, where cuffs around his wrists bit into his skin and continued on in chains to the wall where they ended. He had been stripped of his sub-armor and was now clad only in his boxers.

Why'm I still alive? Where am I? The Dynasty? Could Talpa really still be alive? Rowen thought as his memory returned. But how-

"Has anyone ever told you that you think too much?" a high, teasing voice said from behind him.

"Who's there?" Rowen demanded, his voice hoarse with unuse.
"I am Lapin, bearer of the Armor of Illusions and Talpa's replacement for that pitiful excuse for a Warlord Dais," the voice stated.

"Th-then Talpa's still alive?"

"Oooh, more than you know, Strata," the man said, mocking him as he stepped into view. Lapin's voice matched his appearance perfectly. He was a small, slightly built man, giving him the illusion of vulnerability, but Rowen saw him for what he was. Quick, cunning, agile, with a strength that all but betrayed his small form. Not at all unlike Cye's, but the likeness stopped there. As he'd said, he wore Dais's sub-armor, it's dominantly purple coloring melded to his form as if it were a second skin. He had a thin, long face with two slits which glowed a dull red for eyes and a short crop of dark grey hair. His skin was pa ler than death in the dimly lit room, causing his high cheekbones and thin, long nose to jump out involuntarily. An evil, twisted smile mocked him from thin lips in his dilema. "And, he has chosen me to inform you that you've earned a place as one of his Warlords."

"No thanks."

"It wasn't an offer," Lapin growled. Then, back to his teasing voice, "Anyways, it looks as if you'll be staying for quite some time. Talpa would like to give you a personal welcome, but seeing how that isn't possible at the moment, I'm to extend you the customary greetings," he said, the last words marked with a sinister smile.
"And those would be?"

"This!" he yelled, sending a hard, fast kick to Rowen's face, rendering the Ronin unconsious. His head hung low, and Lapin watched as blood flowed from the newly-opened wound. Leaning in close to him, Lapin took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of fresh blood. "Have a pleasant stay."

Hey, all! Well, whadda ya think? Let me know at [email protected]! Anyways, please be kind. This is my first RW Fanfic and I'm very enthusiastic about it, so be warned that anyone who makes me feel bad about writing this WILL get a taste of their own medicine!!!

On another, less homicidal, note: Personally, I LOVED writing that first scene! Believe it or not, my sleeping habits are EXACTLY the same as our favorite blue-haired Ronin's, and I found it really neat to see things from the other side! (BTW, my brother actually DID do that to get me up once! And boy, did he regret it later!!!)

Just a warning of what's in store for the Ronin master of Air in this story: following chapters won't be too kind to the Blue One. I'll be putting him through a heck of a lot, and it won't be pretty. But, hey! Every story has a happy ending, right? Right?

And remember, Chapter Two is only a click away...

Over and out,

Aleksa ~~~<~~@
Hey, insanity's not all that bad!