Title: Lonely Heart (Chapter 8)
Fandom: Ronin Warriors
Characters/Pairing: All five Ronins, Cye/Kento, Ryo/Luna, Sayoko Mouri
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine
Warnings: Canon typical violence
Notes: More slice-of-life/remake AU!

Kento grabbed Rowen in a hold. Realizing that he had to move fast or Kento would throw him again, Rowen used his speed to his advantage by employing an ouchi-gari. He braced himself even as he attacked because surely Kento would find a way around that and flip him over—but no, Kento was flat on his back, eyes closed.

Rowen inhaled sharply. “I did it. I beat Kento! Wow, I wish I had a camera.” When Kento groaned, he quickly added, “Not to embarrass you, but rather as a reminder that I am making progress.”

“Sure, dude,” Kento managed, giving him a weak thumbs up. “That makes me feel so much better.”

“Fear not, Rowen,” Sage said, polaroid camera in hand. He took two shots of Kento on the ground, then shook one picture in each hand until it fully developed. “This is to help you develop self-esteem,” he said as he handed one to Rowen. Rowen thanked Sage quietly. Sage smiled as he held the remaining photo to the heavens. “As for this one, I shall frame it.”

“I don’t even mind that you’re immortalizing my suffering,” Kento grumbled, not quite yet ready to get back up. “I just wanna know why you brought one of those bulky cameras to school. You taking photography up as a hobby?”

Sage scoffed. “I have better things to do with my free time.” He ignored Kento’s grousing about how for someone with better things to do, he sure seemed to enjoy documenting Kento getting his butt kicked. “This is actually for my job.”

“Yeah, about that.” From the ground, Kento eyed Sage critically. “What do you do for a living, anyway? Is it paying for your rent?” He frowned in concern. “Do you have a safe place to live? I mean, why do you even need all those swords?”

“You’ll never know, it pays for my rent and utilities, and yes,” Sage assured Kento. “As for your last question, my family runs a kendo dojo. I’d feel off-center if I wasn’t surrounded by swords.”

Rowen sat down on one of the school’s benches, taking a sip from his water bottle. “It makes perfect sense to me. I’d feel weird if my bookcases were empty.”

“Thank you, Rowen,” Sage replied. “I appreciate your support.”

“Hi, everyone!” Cye bounded up to them, Ryo and Luna close behind. “I made way too many cookies last night, so I thought I’d share with everyone for lunch.” He glanced down at Kento. “What happened to you? Did Sage finally get fed up with your antics and kill you?”

“Nah. This was all Rowen.” Kento propped himself up on his elbows, grinning at Rowen. “Someone is improving when it comes to fighting.”

“Thanks to you,” Rowen reminded Kento as he hovered over Cye, waiting patiently for a chance at the cookies. “I wish you’d been my sensei growing up. I might have actually stuck with martial arts that don’t require a bow and arrows then.”

Kento’s expression shifted to something more contemplative. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Rowen said while stuffing a cookie into his face. “You explain the concepts clearly and have been nothing but patient with me. You’re a good teacher.”

Cye crouched next to Kento, feeding him a cookie. “Well. That’s something to consider as adulthood approaches, isn’t it?” Kento chewed silently and nodded.

Ryo breathed a soft sigh of relief as Cye beamed at his not-boyfriend. For the first time this school week, they were acting like themselves. Ryo wasn’t sure what had happened and he wasn’t brave enough to ask, but Kento had been so withdrawn this week. No goofy comments, no anime speeches during lunch, just… so quiet and obedient that most of his teachers had praised him for it. Ms. Akagi, who knew Kento a little better, was only partly joking when she demanded to know what he had done with the real Kento Rei Fang.

Kento had spoken to Cye this week, a lot, but Ryo suspected that was because they were so close that it would hurt not to speak to Cye. Their conversations over the past couple of days had looked so intense that Ryo knew he’d be intruding if he asked what was wrong. Thankfully Cye, sparring with Rowen, and the passage of time seemed to have put him mostly back in his rightful spirits. Still, he wished there was something he could do about whatever happened over the weekend that had upset his friend.

“Ryo.” Sage rested a hand on his shoulder, voice a whisper. “Are you ready for tonight?”

He nodded, then motioned to a tree that was far away enough that they’d have privacy, but none of their friends would think that they were leaving. “I am,” he whispered back to Sage. “I’m looking forward to showing those magic stones to Professor Koji.” He hadn’t known the professor for a long time, but Ryo respected him. He also really appreciated the paychecks that made bills and groceries less of a source of stress in his life. His grandfather’s mission didn’t pay anything. His father provided money when he had it, but that wasn’t very often. But Ryo supposed when you traveled so much, money was always going to be tight. Dad always sent enough for him to live on, so he didn’t mind.

Sage nodded in approval. “Excellent. How are things progressing with Luna?”

Ryo stared at Sage, shocked. “Since when are you interested in anything vaguely romantic?”

“I’m not, but I’m getting tired of watching you pine over her. You two are worse than Cye and Kento before they got together.”

Ryo rubbed the back of his neck. Luna and Cye were laughing as they took turns poking Kento to encourage him to get back on his feet. Kento pretended to growl at them. She wasn’t just pretty. She was warm and smart and for whatever reason liked hanging out with a bunch of weird guys like them. He probably would have worked up the nerve to ask her out at this point, except…

“Look, Sage. Luna’s really smart. If she and I were dating, I can pretty much guarantee you that she’d figure out… what my part-time job is.” She had also never said why her brother was killed, but he had a gut feeling the Dynasty was involved. And that she would want to fight with him. And she was strong, but still one human with no magical abilities. She could get killed, and Ryo would never permit that.

Sage gave him a piercing look. “I understand your hesitation. However, don’t forget that Luna is a skilled martial artist. I finally got the chance to spar with her recently; she beat me the two times out three we fought.”

“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure you weren’t actively trying to kill her.”

“Even if I had wanted to, I never would have had a chance. She’s fast. And awfully skilled for someone who’s had no experience with the supernatural. Well, as far as we know.” He smiled slightly. “I think she could hold her own. Or at least have the sense not to get into fights she could not win.”

“Maybe,” Ryo murmured to himself. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to introduce her to White Blaze (he was sure that White Blaze would love her) and show her all the weird/wonderful magical things he’d collected and protected in his life. Sage and Mia were terrific, and he wouldn’t trade their friendship for anything. But Luna understood him in a way they didn’t. He wished he could share this side of himself with her. “Well, I’m supposed to model for her in a few days. Maybe I could see if she’s a cat person.”

Sage patted him on the shoulder just once. “That’s all I request of you.”

--

It was the end of the school day, and Rowen was packed up and ready to go. At least, he was until he spotted Cye blocking the exit. “Hi, Cye,” he said with a wave. “I have that errand to run again, so I’m not going home with Kento.”

Cye gazed at him coolly. “Really. So, what does this errand involve?”

Rowen opened his mouth, fully prepared to lie about going to the library… but then remembered that he was talking to a psychic. “You’d see through any fib I told you.”

Cye nodded. “Yes. I would. And I’d be furious with you for having the nerve to lie to me.” He gripped Rowen’s shoulder tightly. “But wherever you’re going, I can feel that it’s important to you… and that you would tell me if you could.”

He managed a smile. “You’re every bit as perceptive as your sister said.”

“For what good it does me,” Cye huffed unhappily. “Please, Rowen. I know you can’t tell me what’s going on, but at least promise me you’ll be careful. And tell Luna and Sayoko to be careful as well.” The grip on Rowen’s shoulder tightened… but then he let go.

Rowen saluted Cye as he walked out the door. “Don’t worry, big bro. We’ll make it home. I promise.”

“Hm.” Cye watched Rowen’s retreating form. “I’m letting you run off into what is almost definitely danger while I go home and wait to find out if you emerge from whatever it is you’re doing unscathed. Yes. I am definitely a good surrogate brother to you, Rowen.”

Everyone had secrets that they could not share. His family and friends’ trust in him was invaluable, so he would never find out without their permission.

It didn’t make him feel any less helpless, however.

--

“So, how is Rowen of the Strata feeling on his first mission?” Sayoko inquired as she made a sharp left turn.

Rowen flinched as they hit a bumpy part of the road. “I may regret saying this later, but currently? It’s a little anti-climactic.”

“I feel that,” Luna told him as Sayoko groaned in disappointment. “You go through this whole epic origin story and next thing you know? You’re in a Scooby-Doo episode.”

“I loved Scooby-Doo when I was a kid! Hey, does that make me Fred?” Sayoko said hopefully, making one more turn. “Fred was my fave.”

“Fred was competent,” Luna shot back. Sayoko mumbled something about kids these days as she parked. The dilapidated mansion they were supposed to visit was still a decent walk away, but it was within eyesight now.

Rowen frowned slightly at the building. This was significantly more sinister than a backdrop in Scooby-Doo. This looked more like those horror films that Cye was obsessed with. The difference was that Sayoko or Luna could get hurt if he let his more irrational fears get the better of him, so he took a deep breath to steady himself. “Let me make sure I understand the mission. Luna and I go in, we find the stones, and leave.”

“Exactly.” Sayoko unbuckled her seatbelt, stepping out of the car. “Let’s do a quick rundown. My research says it should be on the second story somewhere. Now, keep in mind that while this area has been oddly quiet after the Dynasty killed the creep torturing a psychic to make magic stones. I don’t predict this is important enough for a Warlord, but be prepared for jobbers.”

“We are,” Rowen assured her. “And in case we’re not, I’ll shoot a flare arrow so you know to provide help.”

“Excellent. Luna, you got the monitoring device?”

“Yep.” Luna was already in her armor as she strode out of the car. Rowen joined her in his sub-armor a moment later. She patted a small metallic device behind her right ear. “If we get in trouble, Mama Bear Sayoko can find us right away.”

Sayoko’s expression darkened. “Some Mama Bear, letting two teenagers do her dirty work for her. I should at least be going with you.”

“It makes sense for someone to stay behind and helm the computer,” Rowen reminded her.

“Not to mention you don’t have armor,” Luna also reminded her, although her tone was sterner than Rowen’s.

“Hey!” Sayoko glared at Luna. “I’ve been doing this for my entire adult life without armor. I think I’m doing pretty bloody well, thanks.”

“Sure, sure,” Luna dismissed her with a wave of her hand. “See you later, Boss.”

--

“We should have taken Himiko.” Sage stepped out of Mia’s van, clad in his sub-armor.

“Who? Oh, your car.” Ryo walked in step with Sage, his red and white sub-armor a marked contrast to the dark forest and mansion engulfing them. “Dude, there’s no way that we could have stored all our stuff in there.” He glanced at Mia. “Speaking of stuff, I don’t suppose you can tell us where the stones might be?”

Mia frowned at the printouts she made before they had to leave her desktop computer. “I was never able to get a full reading, but they should be located on the second story.”

Sage tapped his right temple. “That’s all I need to know. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He turned to the mansion. Ryo followed him.

“Guys, wait!” Mia took a breath. “I think I should go with you two.”

“No way,” Ryo said immediately. “Mia, you don’t have armor. You don’t have any martial skills.”

“I took fencing!” Mia insisted.

“Which would be helpful, but you don’t have a sword with you.” Despite the situation, Ryo smiled. “Although I wouldn’t be surprised if Sage stored some back up swords in the back.”

“I did, but I do not give her permission to use them,” Sage said curtly. “She’d only slow me down. Just like you are right now, Ryo.” Sage then ran off into the night.

“Sage, wait!” Ryo facepalmed, but then remembered that Mia was still here and tried to put on a cheerful face for her. “He's just trying to make you feel better about us heading off for our mission.” He grimaced. “In his own way. Don’t worry, Mia. If there’s trouble, we’ll get out of there. I promise.” Ryo ran off after Sage.

“You better,” she whispered after Ryo’s retreating form. It was unlike the Dynasty to neglect such a prize for so long, especially after they had killed the man keeping the prize from them. She wasn’t a fighter, but she couldn’t tolerate just sitting here and doing nothing.

She studied the printouts again, hoping there was some info she had missed that would ensure the boys’ safety in case things got bad.

--

“Wait,” Luna said as she and Rowen approached the front door. “I have a small explosive that will take out the lock.”

Rowen held up a hand. “Good to know, but let’s see if we can keep you from having to use up your resources. Do you have a small screw in your tool kit?” Luna did. After a few moments, Rowen was able to pick the lock.

Luna gave Rowen an appreciative glance as he held open the door for her. “Where did you learn to do that?”

“Locks are just puzzles, and I’ve always been good with puzzles,” he explained. “The fact that the former owner apparently didn’t have a computerized security system made it even easier for me.”

“Okay—” Her voice died off as they were both hit by the smell of mold and rotting wood and something she couldn’t place. She was thankful for her mask as it filtered out the mold and most of the smell. Rowen coughed violently until he finally summoned his full Armor with the face plating. “We should watch our step,” she told him. “If the floors are this rotten, there’s a decent chance we could find ourselves crashing into the basement.”

“Hmm.” Rowen eyed the rotting staircase—the only way to the second floor—warily. “Now would be a good time to learn how to fly.”

“Tell me about it,” Luna admitted as she carefully tested the first step. “I know the previous owner wasn’t the most upstanding individual of all time, but I doubt he’d let things get this bad in his own home.” Which meant either he managed some supernatural booby trap for anyone investigating or the Dynasty had already visited. Possibly both. She turned to face Rowen. “You want to try going back to the sub-armor for the stairs?”

He shook his head. “Not unless I absolutely have to.” She couldn’t blame him. Even with her mask, the stench was still pungent. “I’ll stay behind you, to be safe.”

“Okay. Be careful.” Warily, Luna made her way up the stairs. They creaked heavily in protest, but she and Rowen made their way up in relative safety. In an attempt to lighten the mood, she said, “So, back to our earlier conversation. I know how you taught yourself to be a lockpick. Now all I need to know is why.”

“Oh, I like to sneak into school so I can study and practice kyudo while it’s quiet.”

Luna smiled wryly as the stairs kept creaking. “Rowen, you’re probably the one person I know that would want to sneak into school.” She frowned behind her ninja mask as Rowen remained silent. “Aw, you’re not gonna rise to my bait?”

“That wasn’t what I was thinking about. I’m worried about Cye. He doesn’t know the specifics, but he has a pretty good idea of what we’re up to. I don’t like keeping this much of the truth from him.”

“He always seems to know, doesn’t he,” Luna said more to herself than Rowen. Honestly, Cye reminded her a little bit of Rita, the sharp-witted but warm-hearted psychic in Pixie Bunnie. Except Rita and her powers were fictional. And yet she knew Rowen never would have said anything about this mission to Cye… “I don’t like keeping the full truth from him, either. But if he did know, he’d want to help. And I love him, but he’s way too gentle for fighting.” She smiled behind her mask. “Then again, he’d be less obnoxious than Ms. Sayoko.”

“Ms. Sayoko isn’t obnoxious. She’s just very passionate about protecting everyone.” Rowen paused in mid-defense of his new boss. “You know, for someone who’s both your employer and your mother’s employer, you are unusually informal with Ms. Sayoko.”

“Enh. I’ve known her as long as I’ve known Cye. She’s more like a big sister than a boss to me.” Luna felt a wave of relief as they made it to the second story. Not that the floor here seemed much safer. “Hey, Rowen, you’re looking a little queasy. Do we need to leave?”

“No, I don’t feel ill,” Rowen assured her. “I’m not really sure how to explain it, but I think someone else is here.”

Luna got a knife ready. “Boss?” She whispered, hoping that the comm was working. “Can you tell me if you detect any life signs?” Whatever Sayoko said, it was lost in the static. “Fantastic,” she grumbled. She made the mistake of wondering what else could go wrong. The universe rewarded her with the sounds of a window breaking and muffled voices in a nearby room. “C’mon, Rowen.” She kicked the door open, fully prepared to kill some grunts.

Instead, she was greeted by two young men clad in Armor that was too similar to Rowen’s for her own liking.

“You are Strata,” the green guy (Halo, Luna reminded herself) said tersely, voice warped by his face plating. His sword was drawn. “Such a shame that a fellow Ronin Warrior is fighting for the wrong side.”

“Wait, Halo.” Wildfire’s katanas were also drawn, but he sounded much more reasonable. “We haven’t even had a chance to speak to them yet. It could be that our goals are the same. Can you read them?”

Halo shook his head. His face was hidden by plating and his voice was otherworldly, but his body language screamed frustration. “No. There’s something in the air clouding my abilities, even with the Armor.”

“Let’s talk it out then.” Rowen held up his hands. “We’re not here for a battle. We just need to collect some magic-infused stones for our employer. Isn’t that right, um, Selene?”

Luna would have gone with a cooler code name, but right now she didn’t have time to be choosy. “Right, Strata. The guy who made them is dead, so it’s not like we’re stealing.”

“Yeah, here’s the thing,” Wildfire said, voice guilty but determined. “We’re also looking for the stones.”

“And before you ask, we’re not willing to share them,” Halo added. “Our employer needs them for his research.”

“Well, our employer needs them to protect her friends and family,” Rowen shot back, his bow at the ready. “Apologies, but we were never willing to share.”

Halo was about to attack them, but Wildfire stopped him. “Halo, no!” He turned his attention back to the two of them. “Look, I get it. Right now, it seems like we’re at the point where words don’t matter. But I refuse to believe that you two would rather fight than talk this out. If we all just calm down,” he emphasized the last two words to Halo, “we can figure out some compromise.”

Luna took in Wildfire. It was hard to get a read on him, but if he had wanted to attack them, he would have by now. Heck, he had held Halo back. And after her own research, she refused to believe a Ronin Warrior could be malicious at heart. “Okay. Let’s talk.”

“Yes, let’s have a lovely conversation about the pleasure I’ll gain in slowly killing all of these fools in front of me,” a ghostly voice said before dying in a wicked laugh.

“Strata,” Luna said.

“On it.” Rowen shot an arrow through the ceiling. They watched as it soared through the sky, only to fade to nothing as it hit a dark cloud similar to what they had seen when Luna met him and Kento in New York.

“Oh,” Rowen said as the voice kept laughing. “That’s not good at all.”

--

“I knew it,” Mia breathed as a pitch-black dome engulfed the mansion and much of the land surrounding it. “I-I have to do something.” She wasn’t quite sure what that would involve, but she couldn’t just sit and watch while Sage and Ryo were in trouble. Mia took a deep breath, grabbed one of Sage’s swords from the back (he’d packed four), and was grateful that she’d worn her running shoes as she dashed to the dome.

She mentally reviewed what her grandfather had taught her about these domes. You could usually enter them with no problem. Exiting was the issue—this was how the Dynasty captured people. It wasn’t impossible to escape, but you had to avoid any enemies and ideally stop whatever was causing the dome. So, once she rescued the boys, they could flee together. Not the best plan ever, but it would suffice.

She blinked when she saw someone running with her. She blinked again when she realized it was the head of the Mouri foundation/Cye’s older sister, with a war mallet firmly in grasp.

“Sayoko Mouri? What are you doing here?!”

“Follow me and find out,” Sayoko shouted over her shoulder, running straight to the dome. Mia was only a few steps behind her.

--

“Careful down the stairs; they’re this close to rotting away,” Luna shouted as they tried to at least escape to where they’d have more room for a fight. The foyer was large enough, but fighting on solid ground outside would be preferable. She made a dash for the front entrance—but an armored figure stood in her way.

“I am Sekhmet, Warlord of Venom,” he bellowed, arms wide. “And all of you are but stepping stones to the glorious future I will pave for myself!” Luna was this close to getting in a quip about how she hoped the other Warlords weren’t this hammy, but he stuck her hard enough to send her flying across the room. The floor underneath her protested (to say nothing of her nerve endings), but Luna got up and threw a knife at this Sekhmet. It wasn’t enough to fell him, but he grunted and staggered in pain. That allowed Halo and Wildfire to charge him.

Rowen crouched next to her, one hand on her back. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She glanced at Rowen, then at Wildfire and Halo. An unspoken strategy was formed between the four of them. Halo and Wildfire would keep him distracted, while they could land a final shot. Luna couldn’t do that; her armor was decently strong but not mystical. Rowen, on the other hand…

Rowen stood up and readied an arrow, eyes steely as he waited for an opening. As Halo and Wildfire pushed Sekhmet toward the door, he followed them, preparing for his strike. It probably would’ve worked, if Sekhmet hadn’t noticed him.

“How droll! Strata thinks he can save his newfound friends!” He punched Halo, then Wildfire. That gave him enough time to raise his blade, angry red mist radiating around the weapon. “However, he can’t even save himself!” He pointed his sword at Rowen, channeling the energy to strike Rowen. It moved so fast, that there was no way he could dodge it in time.

“No!” Wildfire shoved Rowen out of the way at the last moment, which meant he was hit by Sekhmet’s venom.

Sage was screaming something about thunder as Sekhmet disappeared into white light and furious declarations of later revenge, but all Luna was really aware of at this point was Wildfire doubled over, screaming in agony.

Rowen tried to grab him, but Wildfire shook him off, hands covering his face as he stumbled off further into the house—and then stepped firmly where the floor was at its weakest, crying out as he fell into the basement.

The next thing Luna knew, she was jumping down after him.

--

“Wildfire!” Luna looked around the basement frantically, trying not to think too much about how she was ankle-deep in water and whatever else was down there. What was that silly code name Rowen had given her again? “It’s Selene!” It was pitch-black, and the small flashlight embedded in her armor’s left arm guard wasn’t much help. “Where are you?”

There was a pained sound. She swung her light in that direction and glimpsed Wildfire crumpled on the ground, hands covering his face. “Hey,” she said gently, crouching in front of him. “That can’t be a comfortable place to sit.” Luna reached into her toolkit. “That guy kept screaming about venom, so I’m guessing that’s what he fired at you. I have an antivenin that should work, but I’m going to have to see your face.”

“I can’t,” Wildfire gasped. “If—If you knew—”

“Then the Dynasty would target me,” Luna finished for him. “Well, I’m already actively trying to destroy them after they killed my brother, so don’t worry about that.” Wildfire stilled at that. Her fingers hovered over his helmet tentatively. “May I? I promise I won’t tell anyone who’s under the helmet.”

Wildfire bowed his head silently, which Luna took as permission. As carefully as she could, she removed Wildfire’s helm.

She was a professional, so she didn’t immediately react to seeing Ryo Sanada in Wildfire’s Armor. She administered the antivenin first and waited for him to be able to open his eyes again with no pain. After quickly testing his vision, she finally allowed herself to say what she’d wanted to say from the beginning.

“Ryo, what are you even doing here?!” This was the second guy who was way too kind-hearted to be fighting demons, and yet, here he was. “And how—how did you get the Wildfire Armor in the first place—”

He held up a held, smiling wearily. “It’s a long story. Once we’re out of here, I’ll tell you. By the way, I think the air’s cleared up since that creep vanished.” He blinked at her. “My eyesight is still a little blurry, but between your brother and knowing my name, I’m guessing that you’re Luna.”

She huffed, pulling down her mask. “Yeah, it’s me. Strata’s Rowen, by the way.”

“Seriously?” Ryo blinked again, this time in surprise. “But he’s so gentle.”

“I could say the same for you.” She leaned in. Ryo looked better, but those moments when he had been screaming in agony had chilled her to her core. She just wanted sure that he really was okay. “Rowen’s fighting to protect his friends and family. Is that what you and Halo are doing?” She wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it, so she settled for being blunt. “Or is it about your mother?

“Both, actually.” Ryo leaned against the basement wall. “I know vengeance eats away at you, but for a long time, it was all I had. Then I met my friends. And you.” He smiled at her. “But I know what the Dynasty’s capable of. If they took any of you, I couldn’t live with myself.” Ryo exhaled softly like he’d gotten something off his chest. “What about you? Were you always fighting with Rowen, or did you have to go it alone at first?”

“This is Rowen’s first mission, actually. I’ve been Selene for a few months. My Mom…” There was no point in hiding anything at this point. “My Mom is helping her employer build armor that can let a normal person combat supernatural menaces.” When Ryo frowned at that, she said, “Mom’s fully aware of the moral ramifications. The suit is just for one person—I guess two now—and they’re DNA-locked so no one else can use them. What I’m wearing is the prototype. I kind of stole it from her.”

Ryo whistled. “I bet she was mad.”

“I thought she was going to kill me when she found out! But… she doesn’t get it. She had a purpose and a goal to help her keep it together. All I had was that final image of Billy’s body.” She gazed up at the hole in the ceiling. “As you said, vengeance eats at you. But it’s all I had to keep me going.”

“Not anymore.” Ryo placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m here. So’s everyone else. Let’s work together to make sure vengeance doesn’t eat at us too much, okay?”

“Yeah,” she said roughly, placing her hand over Ryo’s. “Let’s also make sure our friends are safe. And on that note,” she said as she helped him upright, “We probably need to rejoin them. I guess we need to look for the door or something.”

“Thanks, but no. I do not want to try my luck with any stairs or any floors again.” Ryo tucked his helmet under his left arm. Then he walked to a wall and punched it with his right fist until there was a hole large enough for them to walk through. “Ready to go? Hey, by the way, how do you feel about cats?”

She smiled as she followed him. “I love them.”

“Well, I have a big kitty named White Blaze and he loves pets…”

--

“We have to go in after them, right now,” Rowen said as he got ready to jump in after Luna—but Halo held him back.

“No,” Halo said.

Rowen bristled. “But your friend is down there.”

“Both of them will be fine. Trust me.” There was a warm (and oddly familiar) note to Halo’s tone. “It’ll give them some time to talk.”

Rowen pulled away. “You have an odd definition of the word ‘fine,’ Halo.”

“Don’t worry. I can see the future sometimes. Nothing beyond than a few minutes, however, so I hope you weren’t planning to play the lottery or whatever non-psychics think we do,” Halo’s face plating pulled away, revealing…

“Sage?!” Rowen squeaked. “Wait, actually this explains so much about you.”

Sage nodded. “Just as this explains your newfound confidence, Rowen.”

“I guess shouting your name might have given me away,” Rowen admitted guiltily. “Are you okay, Sage? When I first entered this mansion, the air was so toxic I had to put on my face plating.”

“Now that I’ve defeated Sekhmet, the substance that was polluting the air—and clouding my perception—is gone. Although I shall warn you, it still smells gross.”

“Duly noted,” Rowen replied as he removed his face plating. He grimaced at the aroma, but that was it. “Hey, if you’re Halo…”

“Ryo’s Wildfire. And Luna is apparently Selene.” He smirked at Rowen. “Very creative code name for her, by the way.”

Rowen frowned. “I was pressed for time. Speaking of time, I know that you said that Ryo and Luna are okay, but I would feel better if we looked for them.”

“Or we could deal with the two ladies with weapons charging us,” Sage pointed to the front lawn, where Sayoko and Mia were rapidly approaching. “Mia, don’t steal my swords. That’s an incredibly unwise thing to do.”

Mia gave him a long-suffering look. “Well, at least you’re okay. Where’s Ryo?”

“Probably getting patched up and then confessing his feelings to Luna. Then they will eventually get married.”

Now Sayoko gave him a long-suffering look. “You have got to stop passively watching romance films with your sisters, Sage.” She turned her attention to Rowen. “Are you okay? What about Luna?”

Rowen nodded. “I’m fine. Luna went to save Ryo. Sage says they’re fine, but seeing how there was at least one Warlord wandering around a few minutes ago, I’m going to search for them. We haven’t been able to find the stones, however.”

“And you never will,” Sage said, pointing his sword at Sayoko. “Those stones are coming with me.”

“Excuse me?” Mia grabbed Sage’s shoulder, but he shoved her away gently. “I mean, sure, we came for the stones, but they’re not worth threatening someone for.”

“Don’t worry, Mia. I’m sure Ms. Sayoko will talk sense into him.” Rowen turned to his employer for confirmation.

Unfortunately for him, Sayoko’s grin mirrored that of a shark’s as she hoisted her war mallet. “Hey, if you wanna fight for them, don’t let me stop you.”

“No one is fighting anyone!” Rowen jumped between the two of him, facing Sage. Mia joined him, glaring at Sayoko.

“Ms. Mouri, I’ve always respected your technological prowess. I know you have issues with my grandfather, but surely you must realize that fighting your allies is no way to beat the Dynasty.”

Sayoko sighed heavily but put away her mallet. “I suppose you have a point.”

“Rowen, I know that you want believe in Ms. Sayoko,” Sage said tersely, not quite ready to put away his blade. “And I concede she’s no supervillain. However, she does have a personal stake in this. Maybe too much of one. Can you still trust her, knowing that?”

“I trust her because she has a personal stake in this,” Rowen said without missing a beat. “In my experience, people who claim to be selfless and only wish to help others eventually prove to be anything but that. But Sayoko isn’t doing this for some abstract ideal. She’s doing this to avenge her father and protect her brother. She held out her hand to me when I was at my lowest. I’ll always put my trust in actions like that over empty rhetoric.”

Sage did the thing where it seemed like he was staring into your soul, but then shrugged. “Well, if my best friend trusts her, I guess I should as well.” Sage lowered his sword. “And frankly, I’m just like those people you hate, Rowen. I claim to be fighting for justice and wisdom, but I was actually planning on betraying Professor Koji tonight.”

Mia had every right to be furious at those words. However, she simply stroked her chin. “I’m sure you have a good reason for what you said, Sage.” Her tone was neutral. “I would like to hear it.”

“I have no wish to betray his or your trust, but there’s no other option,” Sage said sorrowfully. “I cannot in good conscience give those stones to the Professor.”

“Okay,” Mia replied carefully. “I trust your judgment. As for Grandfather, why don’t you explain it to him? He’ll understand.”

“I. I cannot. It’s too personal.”

“Explain it to me, then,” Mia whispered gently. “I’ll tell him.”

“Very well,” Sage sighed. “I understand that magical items such as these stones are beneficial when dealing with the supernatural, but I cannot ignore that these particular items were made from someone’s suffering. I will not accept someone, even my allies, using something made in such a terrible way.” He gazed at Sayoko. “I understand and can appreciate your reasons for what you do, Ms. Sayoko, but I don’t believe that you can accept this, either.”

“You’re right,” Sayoko said after a long pause. “It’s going to make things a pain, but you’re right. I justified it by telling myself that we freed the psychic woman he was using as a living battery, but this is a line even I can’t cross.” She grinned. “Thanks for reminding me of that.”

“Any time.” Sage turned to enter the mansion. “I’m relieved, but not surprised that you relented. After all, if it had been Cye… oops.”

Sayoko stood between Sage and the door. “So. Care to tell me how you found out that information?”

Sage looked startled, but only for a moment. Then he glowered at her. “You know what? I am through with you and your brother’s melodrama. I always knew because I’m psychic. Cye sought me out because he’s worried about you and your dangerous adventures that you’re not hiding from him nearly as well as you thought. He asked me to train him to be stronger, and I have. But for a family that supposedly values trust, both of you are engaged in this weird subterfuge because both of you are convinced that the only way to protect each other is to never just talk to each other!” Sage huffed. “Apologies for my bluntness, but I am exhausted from having to keep so many secrets.” He started to move past her, but she grabbed his arm.

“Wait.” Her voice was soft. “Are you why he’s healthier now?”

“He’s the one who’s working to become stronger. I’m just guiding him.”

“Thanks.” Sayoko’s fingers tightened around his arm. “I mean, I tried finding someone to help him with his abilities when his powers first manifested, but he hated them too much to learn, and I didn’t know how to help him with that. He just kept muddling through, like Mum does, and I was so scared...” Sage blinked when she sniffled.

He smiled as gently as he could. “I was a difficult student myself. Sometimes you just need to find the right teacher for things like this. I’m glad that it seems like I was the right one for Cye. Now, Ms. Sayoko. If you really want to help me, talk to your brother. I’m not expecting you to divulge everything right away.” He wished she would, but he was not expecting someone who devoted her life to secrecy to change overnight. “But surely you can trust him with more of what’s going on. Also, I’d appreciate it if you used that war mallet of yours to break the stones once I retrieve them.”

“Sure.” She brightened, clapping her hands. “By the way, if Professor Koji doesn’t understand, there’s always an opening for psychic swordsmen at the Mouri Foundation, Sage!”

“Grandfather will understand,” Mia told her firmly. “And we need to find the others.”

“Hey,” Ryo said, Luna close behind him.

“Oh, thank goodness.” Mia breathed a sigh of relief as she approached them. “I was worried.” She smiled at Luna. “You look good in yellow.”

“She does,” Ryo said appreciatively, blushing. “Your code name is cool, by the way.”

Luna was just about to ‘jokingly’ ask if Ryo was flirting, but Sayoko barged between them, grabbing Ryo’s face in her hands. “Sheesh, poor kid! Good job giving him the antivenin, Luna. We should get you to my home base to make sure you’re going to be okay. If you trust me, that is.”

“I trust you, Mama Bear.” Luna and Rowen worked for her, after all. “But you have a home base?”

“First off: hi, Ryo. I’m glad that you’re safe and that we’ll be Ronin Warriors alongside Sage. Second, yes, she does,” Rowen smirked. “It’s basically a Bat Cave. Just wait until you see her computer.”

“Yeah, don’t listen to him. It’s not nearly as impressive as Rowen’s making it out to be. But c’mon, I have some stones to smush and some kids to take home. It is a school night, after all.”

--

Mia waved the three of them off (and rolled her eyes as Sayoko offered Sage a job again). She wondered what had happened between Sayoko and Grandfather to discourage working together despite their common goal, but she supposed it didn’t really matter. It was clear that everyone else worked together quite well.

“So,” she began, hands behind her back, hoping she didn’t appear too nosy. “Cye’s a psychic, like you?”

“Yes. I won’t go too much into what he can do, however, since he asked me to keep it a secret.”

“Really? Because you seemed more than willing to share all the details concerning Mouri melodrama earlier.” She did her best not to laugh when Sage cleared his throat. “Sorry. Well, can you tell me what it’s like training him at least?”

“Let’s just say I’m not surprised that Ms. Sayoko struggled to find someone to train him in managing his abilities. He’s kind of a brat about it.”

Now Mia did laugh. “Cye? The one who literally bakes for all of you almost every day?”

“He’s also the one who made Kento give him his soul for a burger,” Sage reminded her archly. He also ignored Mia’s snarky comment about how Kento immediately gave away said soul once promised a burger. “He is working hard and improving. But he gets frustrated when he can’t do everything he wants to do right away. Sometimes I wonder if he’s unfairly comparing himself to his father. That’s the person he inherited his abilities from. But also…”

Mia pushed her hair out of her eyes. “But also what?”

The car was within eyesight now. Sage paused, closing his eyes. “There’s this… murkiness in his spirit when he talks about his powers and father. I haven’t pressed. But I wouldn’t be too surprised if there’s more to this than even Cye knows.”

“Hmm.” Mia moved toward the car, getting her keys out. “Well, if we need to know, someone will tell us. It feels weird not having Ryo with us on the ride home. It’s a shame: I have this gut feeling that the Ronin Warriors should be a team. Not splitting off as soon as the fight is over.”

“It takes time to form a team. After all, we’ve only known each other for a few months. Not to mention we’re still searching for Torrent and Hardrock,” Sage reminded her. “Although at the risk of hubris, I feel like we have become much friendlier than when we first met.”

“This is very true,” Mia acknowledged. She remembered all too well the wild young man her grandfather had brought home one day. For the longest time, it was a struggle to get him to discuss anything that didn’t involve sword-fighting demons. “Your new friends have helped you come out of your shell. I’m glad you met them.”

“I am as well. However, I was speaking about you, Mia.” He looked away. “I am… admittedly difficult. Frankly, sometimes I’m proud of that. But other times it’s been painful that no one else understands me. You were the first person that was patient enough to try. Thank you.”

“Thank you for trying to understand me,” Mia said in reply. “I’m the girl who finds legends and the supernatural so fascinating I’ve dedicated my life to studying it all. That’s never going to make me popular.” She nudged Sage’s shoulder. “But your friendship and our mission are far more valuable than being liked in high school.” She got behind the wheel. “Although sometimes I wish we were all the same age. It’d be nice if we could all go to school together and just relax sometimes, you know?”

“It would. But nothing is stopping us from spending time together outside of school and missions.” Sage slid into the passenger seat. “Which reminds me, Cye’s birthday is on March 14. He asked me to ask you if you can attend a gathering that evening at his apartment.”

“I’d love to.” She started the car. “I’ll drive us, though.”

--

Final Notes: If anyone is wondering why Sayoko and Prof Koji are hiring teenagers well under the minimum age for employment: the kids are getting paid under the table. Everyone is breaking the law, much to Sage's sword collecting delight. -_- Both Sayoko and Prof Koji are very much of the "you're putting your life on the line, you deserve some money for it" mentality.

Luna unmasking Ryo was based on the John/Shayera scene in Justice League, because that's true romance right there. ;_; I was going to end with Ryo introducing Luna to White Blaze, but if I had kept it, this chapter probably would have been over 8k words. I'm HOPING to put it in a later chapter, because who doesn't want more White Blaze.