Chapter 3

Somewhere in the forests of Japan, a teenage girl mediates about her future. As she sits thinking of nothing, something came to her, showing her the past, present, and her destiny. A rough voice addressed her as Malaca.

"Malaca, of the Dragon Armor, you have many questions, I'm sure. The dragon, as you know me, has given you the armor, that armor I've created. You are to be a protector of Earth Realm. You must help the Ronin Warriors all you can. The power you feel with in you is not a side effect of the armor; it is your own power. You are strong, but you must learn the true meaning of your power. Will you go to the side of evil, or will you help the side of good?"

Another voice intervened the Dragon. A vision of a redheaded man with a long golden staff beside him. The man spoke to her.

"As the Eternal Dragon has told you, you must decide which side you wish to go to. Trust the Ronin's, some of them will not trust you, but you must trust them! You know of their battle against Talpa, but now he is back. You do not know of the Ronin's past, you must learn this and befriend them! Only the united powers of the armor can save the world from Talpa's destruction. Good luck to you, Malaca of the Armor Dragon."

The Dragon silent through the man's speech, cleared his throat and continued, "Trust the Earth, she will not let you down. Learn how to handle your powers, Malaca, time is growing short..."

And with that, both voices left Malaca alone. She opened her hazel eyes and sighed.

"Now if I can only figure out what they both meant, by the time is growing short," she muttered to herself, wishing they both had given her more clearer messages.

"Oh well-no time like the present to learn my new powers," the girl now named Malaca stated as she stood up to begin her training.

"Hey Mia, what are you up to?" questioned Sage as he watched her type away furiously at her computer.

The Ronin's were stationed at Mia's house ever since they had discovered Talpa was still alive. Here they hoped they could learn the true meaning of the attack the Dynasty had begun.

"I'm just researching about the new armor you said you saw, Sage," she answered not taking her eyes off her computer.

Ulie ran over to Mia, cowering behind her as Kento ran over to attack him. Sage held Kento off of Ulie.

"What are you doing, Kento?" Mia asked diverted from her quest.

"He stole my hamburger!" Kento whined.

"I did not, Rowen made it for me," Ulie answered.

Sage wrinkled his nose and Kento dropped his charge.

"Rowen made it for you?" they said in unison.

"Ya' so what?" Ulie said.

"Well you can have it, then," Kento said mumbling to himself as he walked away.

"Kento refused food?" Mia said with her mouth hanging to the floor, "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing," Sage said smothering a grin.

Ulie took one bite of the hamburger and ran away towards the bathroom.

"Hey Ulie, where are you going?" Mia yelled down the hall.

The only thing that answered her was a flush a toilet.

"I think he went to throw up Rowen's burger," Sage laughed.

"I'm never going to eat Rowen's burgers then," Mia answered with a chuckle.

"Mia?" Ryo said quietly from his perch on the countertop.

"Yeah, Ryo?" she replied still trying to hold down her laughter.

"Have you found anything on that armor?"

"No, Ryo, I haven't why?"

"Because I think we should find out as much as we can on that armor," he said solemnly.

Mia turned her full attention upon Ryo, "Ryo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Mia. Well, actually, I feel like I should be somewhere else."

This caught Sage's and Sai's attention from across the room.

"You mean like how we felt when we needed to go to America?" Sage questioned.

"Exactly."

"But I don't feel like I have to go anywhere," Sai said hoping to dismiss Ryo's feeling as coincidence.

"Either do I," Sage added.

"Maybe only Ryo has to go," Mia suggested.

Ryo caught her eye, "That's exactly what I've got to do."

"Well, you can't go alone," Sai reasoned.

"I have to," Ryo remarked.

"Well, I think he should go," Rowen said joining in their conversation.

"So do I," Kento said with a mouth full of food.

"I've got to go then," Ryo said out loud.

The rest of the Ronin's nodded.

"Go do what you've got to do, just keep in touch with us Ryo," Rowen told his friend.

Soon Ryo left, going to where his destiny called. Ryo walked for many days, occasionally hitchhiking his way to the beautiful wilderness surrounding a massive mountain.

"Well, I guess this is the place," Ryo muttered to himself.

The air was quiet as Ryo moved deeper and deeper into the woods. The animals, usually loud and boisterous, were silent and hidden away.

"This is unusual," Ryo said loudly.

An echoing laugh startled Ryo out of his quest. The laugh bounced off the surrounding mountains.

"Who's there?" Ryo shouted.

"Why, Wildfire don't you recognize me?"

"Who are you?"

A tree fell down almost hitting Ryo. Ryo dodged the falling tree that was now on fire.

"I am Salee, of the Armor Tundra. You, Wildfire cannot hope to succeed."

"Oh, yeah?" Ryo said instantly changed into his sub armor.

"Show yourself to me Salee!"

An armored warrior came in to view. His armor was dark blue and black. Pronged horns reached out of his helmet.

"That's better," Ryo said with a smirk.

"ARMOR OF THE WILDFIRE, TAO JIN!"

Ryo saw the familiar silk fly up around his body, changing him into his armor. As soon as he was wearing it he unsheathed his katanas and stood ready to fight.

The warlord chucked, "So happy to die are you?"

"Not in this lifetime," Ryo answered

"Fine then, I'll see you in the next."

Ryo's anger flared as he called upon the power of his armor, "FLARE UP NOW!"

The energy sparked as it raced towards Salee. Salee yawned as his weapon, a whip, turned in to two connecting katanas similar to Ryo's. He then did a similar attack shouting, "OPPOSITE FLARE NOW!"

Ryo's and Salee's attacks hit each other, and flared shortly. Ryo's power was pushed back. He was rammed into several trees as his body flared in pain from Salee's attack.

"Ahhh-!" Ryo screamed in pain.

Malaca's eyes snapped open from her meditation. Malaca looked in one direction and began to run.

"You came here foolishly, Ronin. You were probably attracted here to recruit the new armor. Too bad, she has already joined our side," the Warlord said cruelly.

"Noo-" Ryo groaned in pain, he was too late.

"Now," the Warlord said as he attacked the fallen Ronin," Where were we?"

"Oh, yes. Time to use my attack."

Salee's whip began to glow blue energy as he called out, "TUNDRA ICE BLIZZARD!"

Ryo's body jerked as the energy slammed into it. The opposite power of fire drained Ryo completely as he fell unconscious.

"Time to end this, Wildfire," he said as he started to suffocate Ryo.

"Not today, Warlord," a female voice said from behind.

"Drat, she's found me," Salee muttered. "Better go," Salee said as he disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Malaca questioned out loud. She stopped thinking about Salee as soon as she saw Ryo's tattered body.

"Oh no, I'm too late," she breathed as she ran over to his side.

She felt for a pulse and found one, even though it was incredibly shallow as was his breathing. She gently picked Ryo up and carried him over to her campsite.

"Don't worry, Wildfire, you're safe now," she said softly for more her benefit than his.

Several days passed by and Ryo remained in the same condition. His body was propped up against her sleeping roll, Malaca's own blanket covered him as a fever rolled in. Ryo burnt up with fever and was incredibly weak. He still had not awakened from his last battle. Malaca was changing his head cloth when Ryo began to wake up.

Ryo groaned as he tried to get up. "Where am I," he thought.

Ryo slowly opened his eyes to see a golden haired teen bending over him. Her hazel eyes sparked and her white teeth shone as she gave him a broad smile.

"Sorry to wake you. I was just changing your head cloth," she said softly.

Ryo grunted as he tried to speak. The girl covered his mouth with a hand.

"Don't speak, save your energy. I know who you are Ryo of the Wildfire. Do not worry, for you are safe here. Salee won't attack while I'm around, he's too cowardly," the girl told him.

Ryo looked at her with regard, almost as though to judge her character. Malaca stood still as to help Ryo. He looked away and mumbled something.

"My name is Malaca, if that's what you want to know. And don't listen to anything Salee tells you, I'm not that easy to persuade to the side of evil."

Ryo's eyes widened as he realized who she was. He again tried to talk, but was hushed my Malaca again.

"Can you call your armor off? It's hard to heal your wounds with your armor covering them."

Ryo nodded and closed his eyes. He imagined his armor coming off and fainted from his efforts as the Wildfire Armor removed itself. Malaca sighed and went to the business of cleaning and bandaging Ryo's many wounds. Her eyes widened as she realized how many injuries he really had.

"Wildfire, Ryo, you are one lucky fighter," she chuckled.

Ryo drifted in and out of consciousness. He saw Malaca frequently, always changing bandages or checking his temperature. While Ryo enjoyed seeing her when he awoke from unconsiousness, his dreams were plagued with fights he had never seen. He saw Sage and Sai fighting Salee and he saw Kento charging Malaca. Ryo was disturbed to see his friends in trouble, but their was nothing he could do. he couldn't even move to his side, nether the less try to get back to Mia's. Ryo debated it for a while, but finally made up his mind to ask Malaca for help.

Ryo awoke from another dream to see Malaca not to far away warming her hands in the fire's wake. As if she sensed him awake she turned her head and saw him staring at her from across the fire.

"Malaca?" he called weakly.

She was immediately at his side wrapping her blanket higher up on his body.

"Are you okay?" she asked concerned about his welfare.

"How long had it been since you found me," he questioned.

She sat back on her heels as she tried to remember how long it had been.

"Four, no, six days. Why?"

Ryo silently added his time getting here with the days he had been recovering. Malaca waited, knowing full well he would tell her when he figured it out for himself.

"Than it's been almost two weeks since I left Mia's house. They must be worried about me," Ryo stated his eyes pleading for her to understand what he was saying.

"Ryo, you're not strong enough for such a journey," she said hopping to make him see the light in such foolishness.

"I can't but you can," he answered pleadingly.

Malaca was silent for many minutes searching his face before she answered, "I can't leave you alone out here. What if Salee comes back?"

"We have to take that chance. My friends have got to know where I am," Ryo said sensibly.

"You won't stand a chance out here if I leave," Malaca continued.

"Go," was all Ryo said in reply.

"Where is it I must go?" Malaca said giving in. Ryo smiled and explained the way to Mia's house.

"I hope this is the place," Malaca said nervously as she eyed the large mansion before her.

It had been a full day since she had left Ryo. She had traveled nonstop to her destination, using her looks to catch as many rides as she could and spent the rest of the time using a new skill of her armor to teleport to other Truck stops.

"I just hope Ryo is all right," she muttered to herself as she knocked on the door.

"All right, pizza's here," a loud voice shouted.

Several loud noises confirmed that several boys lived in this house who were most likely fighting to open the door. The large door was pulled open to reveal a large, boisterous boy drooling all over himself.

He looked at Malaca and groaned, "Man that pizza's never going to get here!"

"Who is it Kento?" a voice questioned from far away.

"It's just some girl," Kento said as he walked away from the door leaving it wide open so that the other boys could trample their way out.

The house seemed to echo his word, "GIRL?"

The stairway was filled with several guys running down the stairs barely managing to stand up. The blonde haired boy in front reached the door first. He eyed Malaca from beneath his blonde bangs. Malaca blushed from all of the attention but her face quickly hardened as she remembered her reason for being there.

"May I help you," the boy said politely.

Malaca began to answer but was interrupted yet again by another boy. "No, you don't, Sage. You always get the good ones, let us have a turn," a blue haired boy voiced his opinion.

"Get over yourself, Rowen. I just asked her what she wanted," the one called Sage answered.

Malaca watched with doubt, are these really the legendary Ronin warriors? She then giggled to herself as she realized that she had a few quirks herself. But, I have to get back soon she said to herself as a feeling that Ryo was in danger rolled over her body. I have to get their attention she thought.

"Hump hum. Excuse me?" Malaca began but quickly stopped realizing she would never be heard over the boys wrestling.

"I'M NOT HERE ON A SOCIAL CALL!" she yelled with all of her strength.

Rowen and Sage stopped their wrestling in surprise. That had never happened before.

"Then why are you here?" a small teen questioned as he picked himself from the Rowen and Sage's fighting.

"I'm here with a message for a Sage, Rowen, Kento, and Sai."

This caught their attention and even Kento emerged from what seemed to be the kitchen.

"From who?" questioned Sai.

Malaca looked around, "Perhaps, It will be better if we discuss this in private."

"We can discuss it right here, Mia hides nothing from her neighbors," Sage said know untangled from Rowen.

Malaca shrugged, "Ryo was injured in a fight against one of Talpa's warlords named Salee."

"What-!" Kento said spitting food across the room.

Malaca looked at him with distaste, not noticing how rigid the others had become.

"How do we know, you're telling the truth?" Sai asked quietly.

Malaca sighed, "That's the problem, you don't. I told Ryo the same thing, but insisted that I'd come. I didn't want to leave him!"

Something in her voice made Sai believe her and he said so.

"Is something wrong with you, Sai? You can't believe anyone who comes in here saying she knows where Ryo is," Kento screamed enraged.

Kento promptly charged Malaca, trying to release his anger in some way. Malaca saw this coming and did several back handsprings to get out of his way.

"I don't want to hurt you Hardrock," Malaca warned.

"Your the only one whose going to get hurt," Kento answered changing into his sub armor.

He struck out with his fist and Malaca easily dodged. He struck again with his foot and Malca grabbed on to his foot.

"Again, I repeat, I do not wish to hurt you. Ryo can be dying while you waste time attacking me."

"Liar!"

"Whatever you say," Malaca stated as she flipped him over backwards easily.

She drew a knife from he boot and placed it on his throat, "Yield."

Kento nodded and Malaca released him, then helped him up. She then returned her dagger back to its hiding place.

"Where is he?" Kento questioned Malaca.

To be continued..