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

Lady Catelyn walked silently down the torch-lit hall. All around her, soldiers bowed to her and a few had greetings, but she ignored them all. Only one thing was on her mind - revenge. Wearing her dark, bronzed and metallic gray subarmor of the Crescent Sun, she walked straight for her quarters, where her injured companion Sapphire was resting.

She kept going back to that first battle with the Ronins and tried to find a way that she could have dodged that staff, instead of having her lioness thrown into it. I will get you, Strata. Just wait and see. You like to hurt animals, don't you? Let's see how you deal with your friends, she thought to herself.

Anger nearly engulfed her as Cat entered her room. Laying among many soft pillows was Sapphire, who lifted her head slightly before resting it on a pillow and closing her eyes. "How is she?" She tried to keep the hard, stern tone that she always had but the mixture of the child within and her genuine worry came through instead.

Her servant, Adalise, stood up, her short yellow hair falling into her face. "Sapphire will heal, Princess. However, she needs at least one day of rest before entering battle again."

"Then go, healer. I have no need for you now. I will take care of her."

"Yes, Lady Catelyn." Adalise left the room quickly, not wanting to feel the fury of the Dynasty's princess.

Cat watched the door close before she walked over to Sapphire. She then sat next to the lioness and pet her soothingly. Humming a tune from a childhood all but forgotten, Cat thought about what her punishment would be from Master Talpa. But Mandilyn was going first. A small, sour smile came to her lips.

"Aww, did the pussy cat lose her pet?" asked the ever-annoying Lapin.

Cat's eyes were full of rage as she glanced up to the ceiling and saw that all the Warlords - Candra, Venom and Azrael (who was still recovering from his nearly-fatal injuries at Strata's hands) along with Lapin - were there. Her hand went to the ever-present ring at her hips. "Try it. See if I don't kill you first, Warlords."

"Cat... Is that any way to speak to your allies?" Candra said, her voice dripping with caramel syrup as she dropped from the ceiling and approached Catelyn.

"I was very impressed by your little battle with the Ronins," she said sarcastically.

Venom and Lapin cackled lightly in the background, mocking her.

"Don't patronzie me, Candra. Or have you already forgotten your own battle with Rowen of Strata? Three fully-armored Warlords versus one young, heavily-injured boy and you couldn't defeat him? Not to mention Azrael's disgraceful display."

Azrael almost leaped on Catelyn, but Venom and Lapin held him back. For now.

Candra's eyes glinted with anger and bloodlust. "You would do well to keep that tongue in your mouth, child. You wouldn't want to lose it, would you?"

Cat laughed quietly, her eyes alive with dangerous amusement. "I'd be more than happy to see you attempt to take it," she challenged.

Candra's smile became a wild, bloodthirsty grin. "I'd be glad to." Her three companions moved in closer around the pair, preparing for a slaughter.

Time seemed to stand still for those gathered on the lawn of the Ronin household in the long moments after the demonic spirit, Azuren, was vaporized by a single arrow from Rowen's endless quiver. The suspended animation was broken by Kayura's cries.

"Don't give up on me, Dais! Hold on!"

Half the group crowded around the fallen warrior while the other half stood by dumbly. Rowen crouched next to Sage, who was trying his hardest to keep Dais alive.

"It's not working," Sage nearly whispered to Rowen with dread, a tight knot clenching his stomach muscles to the breaking point. His latent ability for healing with the power of his armor had picked a hell of a time to fail him.

"Give him some room," Rowen ordered them quietly. Puzzled but trusting friends cooperated without resistance, backing away from Dais and Rowen a little. Rowen placed two fingers against Dais' neck, feeling for the strength of his pulse.

Dais remained almost completely motionless, his being consumed with the delirium caused by the pain from his wound. His one good eye rolled back in his head as Rowen gingerly removed the blood-soaked cloth over the wound. His body trembled and grew colder while blood continued to pour over his stomach profusely.

Rowen examined the wound. It was so deep that the bronze ring embedded in it was almost hidden in his flesh, and the blood pouring out so dark that he knew several vital organs had been punctured.

Closing his eyes, Rowen summoned all the strength and focus he could muster and ripped the ring from Dais' stomach with sheer thought, never touching the ring by physical means.

Without opening his eyes, he held one hand on the very surface of the crimson wound and snatched Sage's wrist with the other. The Halo armor glowed an iridescent green hue as he did so. Sage's back arched widely and his head was thrown back, mouth open in a big 'O', as an electric current swept from Rowen's hand to his body and then back into Rowen, who passed it into the deep lasceration that was quickly killing Dais. Every atom in Sage's body felt like it was boiling over for the long moments that followed.

Sage and Rowen both felt the blood loss lessening and the organs and tissues suddenly repairing and healing, as though it were their own bodies being snatched from Death's doors.

The wound was almost one hundred percent healed not a minute later when Rowen let go of Sage's wrist, removed his hand from Dais' stomach, and teetered on his heels for a few seconds before fainting. People rushed to their sides immediately and checked to see if they were all right.

Sage stared at Rowen. He seemed to be in nothing more than a deep sleep...

The midnight blue and silver samurai armor vanished in a soft blue glow around his body as Rowen lay there, almost as if it sunk into his skin for safe-keeping. The silver orb captured around his wrist shone like living mercury as it did, unnoticed except for by Sage's watchful eyes.

"What?" Sage's gaze shifted to the young girl who was staring at him with worry in her unique blue eyes.

"I asked if you were all right," Randi repeated sincerely. She explained, "That was some healing job you two just pulled, and you look like you could faint yourself. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sage watched as Cale and Sekhmet helped Dais walk to the house while Kento carried Rowen inside.

"He'll be okay," Randi stated matter-of-factly.

"How do you know?" Sage's intense eyes watched her curiously.

Randi shrugged. "I dunno, but I do. He just pushed himself too far. He'll sleep for a few hours and be as good as new."

Sage watched her, even as they walked back to the house. Sage walked just a little way behind the others. The horse that had appeared out of nowhere and come to Rowen's rescue was snuggling up to the stranger. Randi pet the beauty's muzzle and talked to it like they were old friends.

Sage frowned. There was something more to this girl than met the eyes, and he wasn't sure yet just what that something was. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to wait long to find out.

"Wow," Randi breathed as she surmised the damage inflicted upon the house. The large black horse still walked along her left side, Mia, Yuli and Cye on her right.

"You can say that again," Cye replied. He hadn't realized what had caused the fire yet, but would be feeling guilty for weeks after he figured out that his rice pilaf was the culprit.

"The damage is repairable, at least," Randi said. "Only a small section of the house was actually burned. I doubt you'll even have to stay somewhere else tonight as long as the smoky smell isn't too unbearable inside."

Mia remained silent, teetering somewhere between a boiling rage and a tearful breakdown over the damage done to her beautiful home and lawn.

Kento popped out the front door, yelling to the last few of them still outside. "Ryo's calling for you guys. He wants to assemble a 'group meeting' or somethin'."

"We'll be right there," Cye told him.

Kento shrugged an "okay be me" and disappeared.

Yuli and Cye went back inside the house, trailed by Sage, but Randi lingered on with Mia.

"Question?"

"Yes?" Mia responded to Randi.

"One: where are we? And two: where does Legacy go?"

"Legacy?"

"Yeah, Legacy. The horse," Randi said, acting as if Mia should have known that already.

Legacy wandered around Mia's front lawn, grazing on small patches of green grass, but never straying more than a few yards from the house. Mia had suggested tethering him to the front porch until they figured out who the owner was, but Randi said she'd rather let the creature run away than see him tied up like that. A barn was one thing, that another, she'd said.

Inside the crisp - but still standing - house, a truckload of people crammed into the living room to discuss past and future events. The scene might have been humorous if someone had the energy or particularly high spirits to notice it. Dais, who refused to "be put to bed", was hogging the couch. Mia, Yuli and Ryo sat together on the plush sofa, and Kayura, Cye and Cale took up the armchairs. That left Kento sitting on the floor near Cye, Sage leaning against the wall just inside the doorframe, and White Blaze acting as Yuli's foot rest. Randi just stood inside the door on the opposite side of Sage, looking a bit lost and uncertain.

Dais looked her over for the first time, thoughtful and curious. Her armor was gone, but she still clung to the kanji ball in her hand like a lifeline. Instead of the heavy blue and white metal, her slender body was clothed in light blue, denim shorts and a white spaghetti-strapped tank. A button-down baseball jersey with blue pinstripes was worn unbuttoned over the tank top, the name Kamakura in bold cursive lettering across the front. Her clear blue eyes were studying the room as if to lock it away in her mind for later use. Golden blond hair, slightly curled by a fading perm and heavily layered, curved just under her chin and brushed over her shoulders.

"So tell us about yourself, girl," he addressed her. "Your name was Randi, right?"

"Still is, unless I missed a note," she retorted with a fraction of a grin that lasted only a brief moment in time.

"You're an American, right? How did you get here?"

"Some magickal faeries sucked me through a portal and dropped me off with Rowen in the land of Nod, apparrently."

Dais frowned. If he didn't know any better, he might have thought her serious.

Sekhmet walked in, and they looked at him expectantly.

"How is he?" Sage was the first to ask.

Sekhmet sighed and rubbed the desired sleep from his eyes. "He'll be fine. He's exhausted and physically strained, but I don't think he did any serious injury to himself. I'd let him sleep it off before you try to get anything out of him, though."

He walked into the room farther and sat on the carpet, his legs crossed and back against the arm of Kayura's chair.

"So, what did I miss?"

"Randi was just telling us how she ended up in our house," Ryo said pointedly.

Randi met Sekhmet's eyes levelly.

"And how was that?" he asked calmly.

Randi stayed silent for a minute as every person present watched her, waiting for her response. "I really don't know, for sure. I do know that unless Rowen and I shared a joint hallucination, this isn't my dimension and I'm supposed to be here to help him fight some horrible evil that's threatening all of existence."

Many blank stares greeted her.

"Did the faeries tell you that?" Yuli asked, naive to a fault.

Sage almost broke out laughing, but didn't. "I doubt that one, Yuli."

Randi stared at Sage, bordering on indignation. "Actually, they did. In a cryptic, faery sort of way."

"So when, exactly, did all of this happen? Rowen's been here all day, but you haven't," Ryo said. Randi was beginning to get the impression that she was being interrogated.

"Well," she drawled, letting her Minnesotan accent show through, "He may have been here physically, but astral projections of he and myself were fighting for our lives in some sort of a dream world not a minute before Kento found us in his bedroom. When Rowen used those kick-ass powers of his seems to be when my body transported to this dimension, 'cause I'm pretty sure I'm not an astral projection anymore."

"Cute story," Cale commented. "But what's the truth?"

"That's it, as well as I know it," Randi said simply.

"So, then," Kayura broke in, trying to determine the truth of her words. "If it is as you say, what was the purpose of the astral projections you spoke of?"

Randi shrugged, feeling very tired. "I guess it was like the faeries said: Rowen needed my help, so he called out to me and - poof! - there I was. They kept rambling on, but the one thing I know they said was that Rowen and I are connected on a spiritual level, and I'm supposed to be able to help him win this little war you guys have going on. I guess that sort of explains the armor thing."

No one said anything, so she explained. "Y'see, if I'm from another dimension, I may be the Ronin Warrior of Strata there at the same time as Rowen is the Ronin Warrior of Strata here, and that may account for some kind of deep spiritual connection, even across universes. The armors are extremely powerful, and I don't even think something like alternate worlds could break their connection."

"Then what about other alternate universes?" Cye asked.

"Huh?"

"If your link, the reason you've come to our world, is through the armor, then why haven't any other Ronins of the Strata shown up? If the armors exist in two realms, why not all? Why are you the only one who's been pulled through some portal or something?"

Randi thought hard about that. "I don't know. Maybe there are no others."

"Why? Why wouldn't there be others?" Cye pushed, his mind whirling like a dervish.

"Because she isn't who she says she is," Ryo stated, rising from his seat.

"You think she's Dynasty? A spy?" Kento asked, incredulously.

"Why not? They'd do anything to trick us, so why couldn't she be one of them?"

Randi stepped out into the middle of the room, her anger flaring up. "What are you talking about? You think I'm on the other side? Look, I don't know if you've noticed, but I didn't want to get into this mess in the first place! My life was fine before all of this! I'd go back to that hospital in my world where I was in a coma in a heartbeat, but I promised I'd help Rowen! If you want me to leave that's fine, but you can't stop me from helping him!"

"What the hell is going on in here?" Rowen growled from the doorway, abandoned sleep still heavy in his limbs.

"Rowen, you should be in bed!" Mia jumped up to fuss over him. He pulled away as she tried to touch him.

"Listen to me now, or I'll walk out with her," he threatened.

"Rowen," Sage tried to calm him.

"No, Sage! Listen to me! Randi is who and what she says she is. I know it. Whatever tricks Talpa might pull, this isn't one of them. She's going to stay right here and we're all going to talk about this like god-damned civilized human beings. Got it?"

No one argued.

"Now, I think we're missing the big picture here," Rowen said, calming considerably.

"I heard what you were saying, and I think Cye and Randi were on to something. I think there is a reason why only Randi came through, and it isn't because we're the only ones who have the Armor of Strata."

"What are you thinking, Ro?" Sage asked quietly.

"Randi's armor isn't the same as mine. Or, how it was," he added almost inaudibly. "It's a copy. I could tell when she used it in battle. Not different, but not the same. Like a replica. Randi, are there others in your world with armors like ours?"

Randi almost looked fearful. "Some of my friends. At least, I'm pretty sure. I started having visions of all nine armors shortly after I found mine, and they were in some of them. I also felt it around them. I'm sorry I can't explain it better, but that's it."

"So you have visions?" Kayura asked.

"Yeah. I started getting them a couple years ago. So far just about every prophetic one has come true now."

"What kind of things do you...see?" Ryo asked.

"I dunno," Randi shrugged. "Just things. All sorts of them."

"Prove it," Ryo challenged.

She eyed him levelly, and confidently stated, "You and Mia have been romantically involved for the past six months. Both of you believe that the others haven't the slightest idea, but they've all suspected it since before it even began."

Ryo and Mia blushed a bright crimson as some of their friends began to giggle.

"Wow," Kento grinned. "Guess she has you pegged."

"How did you know that?" Mia asked. "We haven't told anyone!"

"Like I said..." Randi smiled, knowing she had won them over, for now.

"Anyway," Rowen drew their attention back. "I think that may prove my point."

"What's that, Ro?" Kento asked.

"I think that my armor - in fact, all of our armors - have been copied, and Randi and her friends are the ones who ended up with them."

"But why?" Dais asked.

"Who would do that?" Mia said.

"Talpa, of course!" Kento exclaimed.

"Yes, Kento. I think he did it. I'm not sure why. Maybe he wanted to use them to fight against us, or maybe he thought he could manipulate us through them, but in any case there's still a larger concern here that I think you're not seeing," Rowen explained.

"Of course!" Randi slapped herself across the forehead. "How could I have been so idiotic?"

Everyone watched, unsure where this was going.

Randi began to ramble rapidly to herself, voicing the revelations that were suddenly filling her brain. "I can't believe it didn't occur to me sooner. If this Talpa guy you're fighting created our armors, he probably knows who has them. In fact, he probably even controlled that much. He might be able to control all of my friends and make them fight you. And if he can do that much, I'm certain he knows that I'm here. He could be dragging them into this realm to fight us as we speak!"

"Gods, you're right! We have to do something immediately!" Kayura said.

"Can you bring them here?" Randi asked Kayura urgently.

"Yes, I think I can. I will need some time, though - an hour or so, to prepare the ritual. I'll need all of you there, Ronins and Warlords," she stressed.

"But will they really be safe here?" Sage asked. Looking to Randi he said, "I mean, if he can control you through your armors, you and your friends could turn out to be a threat to us!"

"No way," Rowen said. "We won't let that happen. As soon as they're here Kayura can put a protection spell on them so he won't be able to control them."

"It's settled then," Ryo stood and proclaimed. "We'll bring the other eight Ronins here from Randi's world."

I just hope you're right about this, Rowen, he thought to himself.

Talpa's fury knew no ends. He had set forth a simple task for his sorcoress: use the distraction provided by Catelyn and the soldiers to drag Rowen of the Strata back to the Dynasty. It should have been a very simple order to fulfill, but Mandilyn's laziness and carelessness had led to the downfall of a very important and useful demonic ally.

"Mandilyn!" he bellowed as the mage entered his throne room.

"Lord!" she cried, bowing down to the ground immediately. Sweatdrops trailed down her temples and wetted her hairline. Her face was drawn back in poorly concealed terror. "Lord Talpa, I-I apologize for-"

"For your incompetence? For your lack of ability in retrieving one young boy when I provided you with the perfect opportunity? I should kill you where you stand for such failure!" Talpa's deep, ominous voice shook the room and rang in Mandilyn's ears painfully.

"S-s-sire, I...offer no excuses. I was a fool to send Azuren. I should have acted myself."

"Yes, Mandilyn, you should have! You had a chance. You knew what your failure would mean and yet your effort to capture Strata was equivalent to that of a child playing at witchcraft! You will be punished most severely for your actions."

The droning of the Nether Spirits, who were under her control but ultimately under Talpa's, began to grow in the room. The sounds rose, mixing in with the shrieks of all those they had damned forever.

"No! Master, I beg of you! Let me make it up to you! I will deliver Strata next time, I will!"

"The time for negotiations is past. Accept your punishment or lose your honor!"

Mandilyn screamed in sheer terror as a black glowing light surrounded her body in a large sphere and raised her above the ground. The chanting of the Nether Spirits was unrelenting. She racked her terror-stricken mind for some way - any way - to make it stop.

"M-master! There is one thing you are not aware of! A girl, the Strata girl from the other world, is here!"

The room suddenly went silent and Mandilyn fell from the air like a rock.

"Speak!" Talpa commanded.

"She was there at the battle, with the other Ronin Warriors! She was the reason Rowen of the Strata escaped our traps in the dream realm."

"How? How did she get there?" Talpa demanded.

"That meddling Hashiba brat must have brought her through a dimensional portal," Mandilyn concluded.

"Yes..." Talpa hissed, deep in thought.

"Mandilyn, you will bring forth the remaining eight Ronin Warriors from the alternate universe immediately. I must not lose control of their powers as well! Go now, and do not return until it is done!"

"Yes, Master," Mandilyn bowed as deeply as her decrepit body would allow, quickly exiting.

Talpa ignored the witch and opened a portal of his own, projecting his voice into it.  

Candra's eyes widened as she narrowly escaped the well-sharpened edge of the bronze ring Catelyn had aimed at her head. She retaliated with a broad leg sweep and a low kick. She was lucky enough to make contact, and Cat fell for an instant.

The expertly-trained Warlord never even hit the floor. She arched her back widely in midair, placed her hands on the ground over her head and backflipped to her feet in the time it took Candra to blink. In another second, she had reclaimed her ring and darted out of the room. The four Dark Warlords gave chase and ran after her.

"Catelyn, you coward!" Candra yelled as she followed her opponent.

Sapphire howled longingly, but remained too weak to follow and protect her master.

Out in the hallway, the fight between Candra and Catelyn escalated. Both girls were suited in their subarmor, which deflected most of the blows to their bodies and seemed to give them an extra boost of strength. They fought without the aid of weapons for the time being. But that wasn't to say that it was any less dangerous or any less intense.

Lapin, Azrael and Venom watched intently, waiting for the winner to take the lead. Their heads were spinning as they tried to keep up with the dueling pair. Venom was licking his lips hungrily, as if he expected Candra to throw him some scraps at any time now.

Candra threw a pair of strong punches, which Cat easily dodged and remarked, "You might as well give up now if you expect to beat me with those swings."

"You wish!" Candra snarled angrily as she lunged forward again.

Cat dodged the attack by darting gracefully out a window and onto the steeply-sloped Japanese rooftop. Candra jumped out after her and landed on the roof so hard it shook momentarily. Cat leaped into the air and telescoped her bo staff out. As she landed, she sweeped at Candra's legs with the stick. That swing missed, but was immediately proceeded by a gut shot that sent the warrior flying backwards. She smacked the outside wall of the castle hard and stumbled slightly as she rose, narrowly missing another of the princess' rings.

They launched and parried every attack the other made, years of training serving them well, but it was beginning to seem that they were an even match.

The three Warlords watching on the sidelines - actually from the safety of the windowsill - were just about to help settle the match for good when a loud, booming voice bellowed in their minds.

"Warlords!"

Candra was so startled she hesitated in mid-attack, as did Cat in mid-parry, and Candra ended up slamming into her. Both warriors went flying off the edge of the roof, screaming as they plummeted five stories to the ground. ~Author's note: Think SD right about here. *lol*~

Randi leaned back into the soft, warm sofa, her head beginning to fall forward with the pull of gravity, her eyes unfocusing and finally closing. The little boy sitting somewhere nearby said something and her head jerked back up.

"Wha'?" she said blankly as her head jerked up.

"Are you okay, Randi?" Rowen frowned next to her.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just kinda sleepy, that's all," she assured him.

"Anyway..." Cale said.

"Why don't you get some sleep upstairs?" Rowen whispered in her ear.

"Why don't you?" Randi retorted.

Cale continued like he hadn't noticed them. "I don't want to pry, but I'd really appreciate a little bit of info., here. I mean, I think between everybody here, not a single person has a clue as to just what's been going on lately."

Randi noticed Rowen tense up immediately.

"You have a point there," Cye piped up. "There are a lot of holes in this story that I think we would all like to have filled just a little more."

Randi's senses had returned fully by this point. She remembered now what had been going on before she had begun to doze off. Kayura and Ryo had gone off to prepare the ritual that would bring Randi's friends to Ronin Manor in this dimension. Kento was on his way to a Chinese place in town to get take-out for everyone since the kitchen was pretty much off-limits. Of those remaining in the living room, conversations had remained limited to the fire (they had discussed that shortly after deciding to perform the ritual and decided that, yes, it smelled like a smoky pile of dung, but they didn't have any other choices that sounded too appealing at the moment, so they were staying there for now), everyone's injuries from the fight (Mia had again tried to send both Rowen and Dais off to bed, but hadn't succeeded with either of them, leaving Randi wondering why everyone was so concerned about Rowen - he seemed fine to her, just edgy and tired), repairing the damage (Mia was going to the insurance company's office in the morning. She didn't have a clue yet what she was going to tell them...), and where everyone was going to sleep tonight (still being debated for the moment, just in case they had eight more people in the house by then).

Randi realized she was missing the answers to some of her questions and tried to listen better.

"...I'm pretty sure we all know how the Warlords were ambushed when this first started, " Mia was saying.

"Except Randi," Sekhmet added as he was rebandaging a very whiny Dais' wound.

"Hey, watch it!" Dais objected when it stung a bit. His thoughts turned to the young girl who had caused him his current agony. "When I get my hands on that brat-"

"What? You'll punch her?" said Cale mockingly. "She'll just gut you again."

"It looks like we have our hands full now," Sage commented, thinking about that himself. "It doesn't look like Catelyn can be stopped."

"Oh, yeah? Who says?" asked Kento. His thoughts kept trailing back to his first meeting with Lady Catelyn. Her curves, voice and graceful movements were etched in his mind. Not to mention her beauty and her mesmerizing eyes. I'd let her feel on me anytime! he thought as he remembered how her hand moved on Rowen. But his mind was drooling so much that he didn't hear anyone's answer. "Huh?"

"I said, we do," answered Sekhmet, annoyed.

"So where did she come from?" asked Sage.

"We don't know," said Dais. He winced as he tried to sit up.

"Don't tell me she came out of the blue," snapped Sage.

"She didn't." All eyes went to Rowen, who was sitting next to Randi. "She's Talpa's ace. He decided he wants me bad enough to send her."

"Rowen?" asked Cye, confused. "Are you going to tell us?" He hoped Rowen wasn't going to leave them in the dark about what had happened to him.

"I... She wasn't one of...the ones I saw," Rowen began, the lack of emotion forced. "Cat was the one giving orders. I heard her voice sometimes, when they thought I was unconscious." Rowen looked at the carpeted floor. "I...I thought I heard her voice guiding me to the Warlords...helping me slip down the halls... I don't know! It's like I should know her...like she belongs with us or something. And her armor...it was altered, like mine. I could feel it."

"Dais...tell us about Lady Catelyn."

The former Warlord stared at Mia oddly. "There's not much to tell. She's been in the Dynasty since she was a child. Only Talpa and Mandilyn were allowed to train her. We rarely ever saw her-"

"And when we did, Cat was a pain in the ass," Cale spat out.

"As I was saying, she was kept a secret from us. We thought the armor she was wearing was just a legend. I don't know how she got it or if Talpa always had it and just didn't say anything."

"One thing I do remember, though," Cale said, almost hesitantly, "was the fact that Talpa named her heir to his empire. Just in case he was ever defeated and she survived."

Silence rang throughout the room for a few long seconds as everyone meditated on that.

"Before you go into battle against her again, maybe if I had the name of the armor, I could look it up. Maybe my grandfather found something on it," Mia said meekly.

"It's Crescent Sun...Armor of the Crescent Sun," Randi spoke up, uncharacteristicly shyly. Everyone stared at her, shocked. "I've seen the only picture on it, in a mythology book at my friend's house. It was written in tiny letters in a corner," she added.

Mia rushed into the den, hoping to find the answers they so desperately needed.

"But with a name like Crescent Sun, shouldn't it be brighter somehow?" asked Sage.

"What are you getting at?" asked Dais.

"Well...call it crazy but she's familiar somehow. And I bet that whatever happened to Rowen happened to her." Everyone glanced at Rowen. "Right Ro?"

Rowen was afraid to answer. His voice came out huskier than usual. "Maybe," he said quietly. He knew he couldn't bring himself to say anything more without breaking apart entirely.

Sage looked at his best friend with worry, as they all did. "And Rowen said that her armor was altered like his-"

"Yes, I've been thinking about that," Dais broke in. "The powers of your new armor seem to surpass that of your original by proverbial leaps and bounds. Do you know anything about what they did?"

Rowen stared into the silver orb around his wrist as if it was his only escape. "No... If I did, I don't remember..."

"Well, do you know how much has been changed? It sure seemed like a lot," he pressed.

Rowen looked up briefly, still forcing himself to repress his raging inferno of emotions. "Not really. I only know as much about it as you guys."

"Anyway," Sage continued testily. "My point here is that Lady Catelyn may not be one hundred percent evil. If her armor has been altered like Rowen's and she may have been helping him escape from the Dynasty, it only stands to reason that he's having trouble controlling her. And if she had the same things happen to her as Rowen, that must mean it's possible to break through to her. Since Rowen's still good, I mean."

Rowen could have burst right then. Everyone in the room was watching him for his reaction, to see if he'd say anything. They didn't think he noticed all of the quick glances out of the corners of their eyes, but he did.

His eyes shot up in a flash when he felt a warm hand squeeze around his. Randi looked at him dead-on, her eyes filled with warmth and comfort. He could almost hear her thoughts entering his mind. It's going to be alright. I'm here for you.

Rowen swallowed a hard lump in his throat and looked away, but didn't remove his hand. It felt good to touch someone without fear of being hurt for a change. And just how was it that this complete stranger had suddenly become such a trusted ally, anyway? He couldn't place it but he just didn't feel any threat from her. There was a bond between them...

"So how do you think we should approach her?" Cye asked Sage.

"I'm not sure. She's obviously powerful. I don't think that we saw anything near to her full power today, either. But if she's not totally evil we should try to talk some sense into her. We'll just have to be careful while we're doing it."

"What about the other Dark Warlords?" Cale spoke up.

"What do you mean, Cale?" Dais inquired.

"Candra, Venom and Lapin-"

"And Azrael and Syria," Rowen added absently.

"Right," Cale agreed. "They have our armors, right? But the last time around they were all just a bunch of lowly servants. Not even soldiers. But now they're good enough for the Warlord armors? Well, except for Syria. She was Mandilyn's apprentice before, but it seems as if Talpa was using her for other means as well."

"Was?" Randi asked innocently.

"They killed her," Rowen explained. "She helped me escape. Turned good at the last minute or something."

"You see, child," Sekhmet explained to her patiently. "Talpa rules the Nether Realm or the realm of demons, and he tried once to take over this world, about one year ago. Kayura, Cale, Dais, our departed friend, Anubis, and-"

"You mean that red-headed guy?"

"Randi, how did you know that?" Rowen asked.

"Well, he's standing right there!" she pointed. Sure enough, a formerly empty space near the window materialized into the ghostly form of Anubis, the former Warlord of Cruelty.

"Anubis!" Yuli yelled out, waking from his boredom and jumping up to greet him.

Anubis didn't smile. "Hello, Ronins. I'm sorry to interrupt, but I thought it might be neccesary under the circumstances."

"What do you mean, Anubis? What's up?" Cale asked.

"I see you've already realized the gravity of the situation presented by Randi's arrival, but I'm afraid you're going to have to speed up the cross-dimensional ritual if you want to rescue those children. Mandilyn is already about to perform one herself. I believe I can interfere enough to buy you some time, but it won't be much. I suggest you gather everyone here and prepare to begin immediately."

Sage didn't have to be told twice. He ran out immediately and retrieved Kayura and Ryo, who had been busy gathering candles and chalk for the ritual. On their way back they caught Kento, who was just walking in with his arms full of Chinese take-out boxes, and pulled him with them.

"Hey, what's going on?" he demanded as they dragged him away.

"We've got to start the ritual right away. Anubis says we're almost out of time," Sage explained in a rush.

By the time they had all gathered back in the living room, the furniture had been shoved aside to clear a large space on the floor. Anubis left to stall Mandilyn as Kayura nodded the okay.

"Ronin Warriors and Warlords, I want you to suit up and gather in a circle. Mia, Yuli, and White Blaze have to stay off to the sides. Randi...just hold tight for a minute," Kayura ordered authoritatively. Everyone quickly obeyed, and soon they were set.

Kayura and Ryo handed every person a lit candle, closed the curtains and turned the lights off. They placed the remaining candles aside for the moment so Kayura could prepare the circle for the summoning. She took a large piece of white chalk and entered the center of the circle. A large star-like figure with nine points and various ancient symbols scattered over it was drawn in the center, about four feet in diameter. She then moved all eight of the remaining candles to the center, one each in the open spaces of a point on the star. Only the point facing Rowen was without a candle.

"Guys, I want you all to place the candle you were given on the floor before you and kneel toward your respective points of the star drawn in the middle of the circle," Kayura said as she took her place in the circle, a candle in one hand and the Staff of the Ancients in the other.

"Now Randi, I want you to enter the circle. Hold your candle out in front of you, and stand between Rowen's candle and the point of the star in front of him, facing Rowen. Only move when I tell you to."

Randi did as Kayura instructed. Her eyes were locked with Rowen's, exploring their silvery-blue depths as the firelight danced in them and lit up his face with a warm glow. The bracelet around his wrist captured the light and reflected it back at her. It shined in her golden blond tresses and lit up her grey-blue eyes flatteringly as he gazed back at her solemnly.

The rings of the Staff began to stir and chime as Kayura called out. "Gatekeepers, here our pleas! Through the dawn of existence and the dusk of man will you prevail, forever gaurding the gates of Heaven and Hell. Without your premission have lines been crossed, oaths been broken, sacred promises forgotten. Hear us now and make things right, with your everpresent wisdom, grace and light. Your children of the One True Right kneel before you in prayer and ask that you aid us in our quest for peace once more.

"Your daughter Randi has come to us from afar and for reasons that only the Eternal Ones now know. Left behind are others, friends who also hold the positions of peacekeepers. With your blessings, we wish to reunite these friends in our own realm, so that the balance may yet be restored. Look kindly upon our plight and let us make the wrong things right!

"May every candle in this room - which stands for our eternal souls - burn most brightly for the ones they are meant. May it be so!"

The flames of the candles leapt several inches in the air, their hues changing to match their corresponding armors. Mia's, Yuli's and White Blazes' turned pure white. The eight placed within the star remained a yellow-orange.

"Okay, Randi. You must always move to the right, and never turn. Move so that you are standing in front of Cye," Kayura instructed. Randi did. "Now as I pray, I want you to concentrate on your friends. Tell us about the Bearer of Torrent from your world, and visualize him or her standing in front of you. Cye, I want you to listen carefully to what she says and picture the Bearer of Torrent in your mind as well. Everyone must concentrate as hard as they can, before and after they are pulled through. If anything goes wrong, we might lose them in the stream of Time-Space. And whatever happens, the circle must not be broken. Are you ready?"

Randi and Cye nodded, locking eyes filled with determination.

Kayura bent her head in prayer and began to chant. The rhythmic chime of the Staff echoed her words as she spoke.

"Jin-gi-rei-chi-shin," she chanted. Then, "Chu-nin-tei-ko," and all over again. Her voice seemed to regain the mystical echo it used to bear in darkness, but now stronger in benevolence.

Randi's mind suddenly became clear, save for the image of a young teenage girl in pale blue armor against a black background.

"Rhianne..." Randi said. Concentrating on the image, she began to speak, slowly, deep in thought. "Rhianne has long, dark brown hair. It's straight and reaches about halfway down her back. She's thin, but not very tall. Maybe...5'4"? Yeah, about 5'3" or 5'4". And...she has brown eyes. She's very intelligent and spirited, and pretty athletic. She's really sensitive and can be very kind and compassionate."

As Randi spoke and Kayura continued to chant, the smoke from Cye's and Randi's candles thickened and became darker. The trails of smoke rose and intertwined, mixed until they were one. The one main trail wafted over their heads and behind Randi to the corresponding candle resting in the star. As the strange, blue-black smoke touched its flame the fire turned colors until it matched Cye's light blue flame. Then a large cloud of fire and smoke puffed out over the candle and reached toward the Ronin of Torrent. It retracted before it touched Randi, leaving behind a young girl with long, dark brown hair and creamy white skin. Her unconscious body hung horizontally in the air above the circle, clothed in a light blue t-shirt and dark denim jeans that hung off of her thin frame.

"Move again, Randi," Kayura instructed urgently. "Don't look back."

Is that it? Randi thought.

Randi did as Kayura said, stopping when she stood directly between Kento and his corresponding candle. Kayura continued to chant, and Randi and Kento both concentrated with all their might.

"Amy," Randi said confidently after only a few seconds. "She's tall and athletic, her height measuring about 5'7", with greenish-blue eyes and shoulder length yellow-blond hair that's straight but rarely worn plain. She's outgoing, funny and confident. Very athletic and active. She can liven up anyone's day just by being in the room, and she'd stick up for her friends and what she thinks is right no matter what."

By the time she had finished, a young, unconscious girl who seemed to fit Amy's description was floating in the air behind Randi. She wore an orange t-shirt under a large grey hoodie with loose blue jeans and an orange scarf over her hair.

"Again," Kayura commanded, her chanting becoming more intense by the minute as she struggled to keep the gates open.

Randi stood in front of Ryo, straining to remain calm. Her optimism and joy was rising to the point where it was difficult to not smile. She closed her eyes and refocused her attention.

"Manda," she proclaimed. "She's like the little sister I never wanted, but I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. She's sort of a pipsqueak, but she has a very fiesty attitude and passion drives her in everything she does. She's short and thin - I think she's about 5'2" - with chocolate brown hair and green-brown eyes. She's very strong-willed and outgoing, and she always speaks out against things she doesn't agree with. Sometimes she's too impulsive or a little over the top, though," Randi added with a smile as the smoke trail receded and revealed a short, brown-haired girl who was floating in a peaceful slumber.

Randi didn't wait for Kayura's signal. She moved to the next person, who happened to be Dais. He winked at her, but to Randi it looked more like a blink. They closed their eyes and concentrated their efforts once more, reaching out across the depths of time and space to attain their goal.

"Chris," Randi grinned. "One of the cruelest, most annoying people I've ever known...and one of the best friends. I'm pretty convinced that we dated in a past life... His intelligence and incredibly dry sense of humor are both amusing and hurtful, depending on his target and motive. He's a terrible flirt, but an honest friend and a blast to hang out with, which accounts for his popularity. He's built like a beanpole. I bet he's about 5'8" or 5'9" now, and very thin. His hair is dark blonde, and always caked with so much gel to make it stay in those short, wavy spikes that I've seriously considered investing my savings account in TextureLine. And he has these funny light blue eyes that always look guilty of something, like a mischievous five-year-old's."

Randi smiled lightly and moved on, feeling the presence of the teenage boy clothed in faded blue jeans and a Jimi Hendrix t-shirt levitating behind her. She stood in front of Cale, who was busy concentrating already.

In her mind's eye was the image of a girl who wore the brown and red Armor of Corruption.

A shadow of a grin lit her lips before she spoke. "Samantha is the Bearer of Corruption. She looks a lot like me, and people even say we should be cousins or something. We're about the same height and similar builds, but her hair is longer and a light brown with blond highlights. We used to be in karate together, so she's my choice of people to beat up on. Purely as friends, y'know," Randi grinned. "Sam is almost always either hyper and ditzy or depressed and pessimistic, and a lot of people seem to think that she's dumb, but she's not. She's really a very good listener and a close friend of mine, but I think she has some self-image issues."

Randi smelt the thick smoke come and go, knew her friend had arrived, and moved on.

She was now standing in front of Sekhmet. The Warlord of Venom looked a bit fidgety, sensing the shortening amount of time they had left, but stayed silent and obediently tried to focus on their objective.

It took Randi a little longer to 'find' the next image, which was of a darker-skinned girl with thick black hair that wore the green Armor of Venom.

"Maria is one of the weirdest individuals I know...other than myself. And Manda," Randi added. "Personality-wise she's got a lot in common with Samantha. They're both naturally hyper people who don't like to be serious a lot and have a strong leaning to being scatter-brained. Her dad is from Mexico, so she has dark tan skin and pitch black hair. It's a little longer than shoulder length, really thick and wavy, but she almost always wears it in a ponytail. She's thin and looks pretty tall, but she's only about my height. Definitely not a 'girly girl'. She dresses mostly in track pants and t-shirts of the Nike variety and refuses to wear anything dressy more than twice a year. I always know I can trust her and depend on her to help me out."

Randi's spirits were high and her mind was filled with memories of pleasant times spent with her comrades as she silently moved to the right again. She was standing in front of Kayura this time, who didn't even pause in her chanting. The rings of the staff continued to chime in an echo of her words.

In her mind, Randi saw a young man wearing Kayura's armor. His clear blue eyes sparkled with unvoiced laughter.

"Adriano..." Randi whispered, smiling widely. "He's one of the biggest class clowns in history, easily. Always upbeat and completely at ease, always smiling and partying. He and Chris are best friends, and they're always getting into trouble. He likes to tease people, but he's usually not that mean about it. He's a bigger flirt than Chris too, with a date every week but no lasting relationships to speak of. His dad lives in France, so he spends a lot of time overseas, when he can. He's a little taller than me, and stocky, but not really muscluar or chubby. He's just...Adriano. His hair is dark brown, but it's almost always in some stage of growing out a recent bleach job. The only thing is that he almost never sits still and he's almost never serious."

The smoke dissipated into the air and left Adriano hanging in the air. Ironically, he looked very natural at rest, wearing a Hawaiian floral print shirt that was mostly red and blue, with baggy cargo pants.

Finally, she moved to her right again and stood before Sage. His unique grey-violet eyes were serious and a bit curious as they met hers, though one was forever hidden behind a blond curtain. He nodded slightly, signalling that he was ready.

"Hurry!" Kayura interjected urgently. Randi hadn't even noticed in her state of concentration, but the former Warlord of Cruelty was drenched in sweat, her voice nearly a scream as she belted out the words that kept the passages between the two worlds open. Apparently, their time was running out.

Randi tried to clear the pressure and urgency from her mind, but found it much more difficult than before. She knew instinctively that Tai was the only one left, but she couldn't seem to isolate the image like with the others. She squeezed her eyes shut and poured all her conecntration into it, but still no Tai. She sensed the almost tangible tension in the room, much of which was coming from Sage just now. Randi didn't know what else she could do, so she grabbed Sage's hands in her own and squeezed tight, joining her will with his.

Sage could see the girl in the deep recesses of his mind when Randi touched him. Randi saw her too, donning the Armor of the Halo, her long, wavy black hair falling all around her.

"Tai," Randi said, her voice filled with worry. Something was wrong, something that was almost cutting off their hold on her.

"Randi, it has to happen now!" Kayura yelled.

Randi began to speak directly to Sage, both kneeling over the candles between them, one with a green flame and one with a rich blue, their hands tightly clasped and fear-filled eyes fixated on each other. "She was adopted from Korea when she was just a baby, and she's only 5' tall, with hair that reaches past her waist and pale, golden-white skin. Her eyes are a brown so dark they look pure black, and the same with her hair, but she refuses to let people say that it is black. She's very intelligent and introverted, with a very solitary nature and a deep desire to know everything that she can. She comes off as cold and egotistical to most people, and she can be conceited, but she's really not like that. She represses a lot of her emotions to keep a cool exterior so people don't see how much things affect her, but it always comes out in the end. And she can be so strong-willed."

The smoke from the two candles rose and intertwined, growing thicker, darker. It floated through the air behind Randi and made contact with the last yellow flame of the bunch, quickly filling a large pocket of air. The outline of a compact, feminine physique could be recognized in the smoke, but it still remained. A small electric current danced in the cloud briefly, but still no one appeared.

Kayura was screaming the chants over and over again now, her voice straining over the wind that was building velocity as it circled over the room and the clanging of the Staff's rings. Her exhaustion was almost too unbearable, but she kept going.

Anubis materialized behind her and placed his immaterial hands on her shoulders in a comforting gesture. "I've done all I can, Kayura. It's up to you now."

Sweat beaded on Randi's brow and dripped down her forehead and temples. Her face was contorted in a struggle for her friend's life that almost seemed to be producing physical pain to her. Tears began to slip down her cheeks, but she didn't cry out. Instead, she forced her voice to remain steady as she continued to describe Tai to Sage, who just stared at her in awe.

"She's my best friend. I don't know where I'd be without her. For five years there's been no one closer to me, no one who knew or understood as much about me as her. Even our differences don't matter, because we know that what's most important is that we stay together. She's always there to cover my back, and I'll always be there to cover hers. That's the way it will always be, because losing her is like losing myself."

Randi spoke until her voice couldn't be heard over the howling wind and Kayura's cries. Finally, the figure in the smoke cloud solidified and the cloud dissipated, leaving behind a young Asian girl who hung in the air just like the others.

The wind that moments ago could have nearly pushed Yuli over suddenly ceased, and the Ancient's Staff stopped clanging. Kayura's voice lowered to little above a hoarse whisper, calling out, "Thanks be to the gatekeepers whose slumber never comes. Harmony and serenity be restored in your name." With that, she made a gesture with the Staff and all of the candles went out, leaving the room in blackness.

Mia flicked on the lights and stared over the eighteen warriors laying on the floor, every one of them in a deep slumber.

"Mia?" Yuli said, awestruck, looking up at her.

"It's okay, Yuli. At least, I think it is..."

"Everything will be fine for the time being," Anubis assured them, walking over to them and White Blaze, who was sniffing Ryo's head curiously. "They should awaken soon. Try to let them rest. There will be much explaining to do, and I have a feeling that sleep will be short tonight."

Anubis looked down on the two Warriors of Strata and the two Warriors of Halo, sleeping in close proximity to one another on the carpeted floor. Yes, there will be much to explain to them. There is so much going on here, so much that they will not understand... But rest for now... All will come in time.

Whew! I think I got a bit carried away. Over fourteen pages! Is it just me or have the chapters been getting longer as the story continues? Oh, well.

One thing you might not know, the two strings of Japanese that Kayura were chanting (jin-gi-rei-chi-shin and chu-nin-tei-ko) were the five Buddhist virtues that the Ronin armors are based on and the four Bushido virtues that the Warlord armors are based on (from the Japanese version (YST)). Just thought y'might wanna know...

I just have to say a million thanks to everyone out there who has taken the time to send me fanmail and tell me what they think of this and my other stories; it's *very* appreciated, let me tell you! You guys are half the reason I continue to write this! And extra special thanks to the website owners, who had so much patience while I fixed some bugs in chapter 12, and to Janine and Malaur, who've helped me hash out some great ideas and continue to support me. Malaur also gets credit for co-writing a couple scenes in this chapter, which I'm much obliged to her for. THANKS MINNA!

Just so everyone's aware, I probably won't get the next chapter out quite as quickly as this one. With Christmas here already and everything, I might be a bit too busy to spend the time writing that I have been recently. I'll still be writing, but please be patient with me, okay? Look! I even cut back on the cliffhanger this time! ^_^;

Pues, hasta luego, mis amigos! Don't forget to email me, k?

Aleksa ~~~<~~@