Ryo sighed as the mob of people pushed past him, threatening to separate him from his friends. What was it about today that made everyone decide to go to the mall? What on earth was he doing there, for that matter? He hated shopping and had no fashion sense whatsoever, exactly as Sage kept telling him.

Suddenly, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and got the eerie feeling someone was watching him. He slowly turned around, eyes scanning the crowd. He thought he saw a glimpse of ebony hair, but then again, there were quite a few people in the crowd, so Ryo shrugged and turned around, only then realizing that his friends had been speaking to him.

"Hey, were you even listening to me Ryo?" Sage asked, sounding annoyed.

"Uh not really." He confessed. "So, tell me again just what we’re doing here." He requested. Four pairs of eyes rolled in sync at their friend’s complete and utter hopelessness.

"We’re looking for a present, for Mia, for her birthday next week." Sai sighed in exasperation.

"And you have got to find something for her." Rowen pointed out. "You’ve been dating her for about a year now, you can’t just blow this off."

"Rats." Ryo grinned at the stressed look on his friend’s faces, he knew they hated shopping with him; he was impossible.

"Why don’t you just take her out to dinner?" Kento suggested.

"Just because food is your perfect idea of gift, Kento, doesn’t mean it is Mia’s." Sage said, his voice strained.

"Jewelry?" Sai put in.

"Too expensive." Ryo replied with a shudder.

"Chocolate?"

"Too…impersonal."

"Clothes?"

"Wouldn’t know what to get."

"Well make up your mind!" It wasn’t like Sai to shout, but Ryo was trying even his patience.

"Let’s take a break, maybe Ryo will figure something out." Rowen suggested, laying a hand on Sai’s shoulder.

"Can we go to the food court?" Kento asked plaintively.

Ryo felt that sensation again, and this time he jerked his head around as quickly as possible. He caught a brief flash of a girl, with long raven hair, she was staring directly at him, but once she noticed that he’d seen her, she backed away into the crowd before he could actually see what she’d looked like. The only thing he’d noticed was her hair.

"So, can we eat or not?"

"Uh yeah, sure thing Kento." Ryo shook his head to clear it; he felt a sense of foreboding.

"Hey, you okay man?" Sage asked, frowning in concern at his friend.

"Yeah, I’m fine. Now let’s go get something to eat before Kento resorts to cannibalism."

"Hey!!"

Later on, the five managed to grab a table at the food court. The amount of people eating was unbelievable.

"Geez, there sure are a lot of people shopping today, aren’t there?" Sai remarked as he set his tray down with a soft clank.

"I haven’t seen it this crowded in along time." Sage remarked.

"You would know," Rowen cracked. "Since you’re here every week with a different girlfriend."

"Oh ha ha ha Rowen, your wit is absolutely astounding."

"Why thank you Sage." The blue haired boy grinned. Then the grin melted off of his face as he noted to distracted look on his friend’s face. "Sage?"

"Don’t look now guys, but we’re being watched." Sage murmured. When the other four began to look around in alarm, he hissed, "I said don’t look!"

"Where?" Kento questioned. "Is it the Dynasty?"

"No, look over there, about three tables down and to the right." The blonde warrior instructed. As one, the others turned and looked.

Sitting at the indicated table was a girl with long, raven hair that poured past her waist. Her eyes were such a startling blue color that they had to have been contact lenses, there was no other way for them to be that shocking a sapphire. Sure enough, she was watching them out of the corner of her eye, sipping at a soda distractedly. She made a face and pulled away, as if the taste surprised her.

"Her again?" Ryo wondered aloud.

"What?!" His friends gaped at him.

"You know that girl?" Rowen frowned.

"No, but I swear she’s been following us around all day."

"Oh no." Sai shook his head dejectedly. "Sage has snared another one."

Sage flashed them a devilish grin and stood up. The girl saw him approach and her eyes widened in panic, a group of teens passed in front of her table, blocking off their view. When they’d finally passed out of the way, the girl was gone, leaving only a still mostly full cup of soda.

"Well, that’s strange." Ryo frowned. "I wonder what that was all about."

"Something tells me we’re going to find out." Rowen muttered.

The guys returned home around dusk empty handed. Mighty Ronin Warriors they might be, but mall rats they were not. The only one of them who knew anything at all about shopping was Sage and he simply wasn’t good enough to instruct the others.

Home for them was the Koji estate, a huge mansion far too large for Mia Koji to live in by herself, and since all five of the guys were attending colleges nearby, she was letting them stay with her, free of charge, with one small exception. They all had to pitch in for the food bills. A reasonable enough request, considering how much five teenage boys ate.

Rowen and Sai were both enrolled in Mia’s university, Shinsha U, and the other three were attending a smaller school not too far away.

"Guess we'll have to try again before next Wednesday." Kento shrugged.

"Too bad we're all still absolutely clueless about what to get her." Rowen sighed, shaking his head ruefully.

"Let's go sit down inside." Sai suggested. "I lost count of how many times my feet were stepped on today."

"Ditto." Ryo agreed.

Before they opened the door, they were greeted by a deep rumble, and a huge weight bore Ryo to the ground.

"Ugh, hello White Blaze." He managed to choke out around the barrage of tiger breath. "Um, you can let me up now." The huge White tiger backed off, looking slightly guilty.

"Good boy, just keep standing guard." Ryo patted the tiger's head, as the other four crept inside around the big cat.

"Don't you think he's taking the whole 'guard' thing a bit too far?" Kento asked.

"No, it keeps him busy, now that the Dynasty's gone and there's nothing for him to fight anymore. He's getting bored."

"I can sympathize. Things are just too quiet around here anymore." Rowen nodded.

"That's the sort of thing I'd expect to hear from Kento." Sai smiled slightly.

"It's no problem for you Sai, you never liked fighting anyway, but the rest of us..." Sage let his voice trail off. He didn't have to finish, the others understood. They'd grown so used to fighting off threats to the mortal world that life just seemed rather, empty now that they didn't have to do that anymore.

"Guys?" Mia's voice echoed from the living room. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, we're back!" Kento hollered back.

"Uh, there's someone to see you." Mia's voice sounded shaky, like she was frightened, or unnerved. The Ronins exchanged a glance and tore into the room where Mia's voice had come from.

It was hard for all five of them to fit through the entrance, but after a little bit of struggling, they made it, and instead of the wreckage they'd expected, they saw something completely different.

Mia was seated on one of the three couches, which furnished the room, and there was another person sitting across from her. Ryo felt his eyes go wide when he realized who it was.

"What are you doing here?!" Rowen exclaimed.

The girl who'd been trailing them at the mall sat on one of the couches, gazing at the teens with those piercing blue eyes.

"I apologize, Rowen of the Strata." She said in a low voice. "I did not mean to alarm you."

"H-how did you...?" Rowen stammered.

"Know about our armors?" Kento finished. He peered closer at the girl, she looked extremely familiar somehow. "Do I know you?"

"Not yet, but I've known you my entire life." She replied, looking straight at him.

"This is getting weird." Sai murmured. Then, in a louder voice he asked, "Just who are you?"

"My name is Reika, I've lived in Toyama my whole life, and I was born in the year 5357, and I need your help, Ronin Warriors." She stated as calmly as if discussing the weather.

"WHAT!" Six voices demanded.

"Y-you're from the future?" Rowen gasped, stammering again.

"When did you develop a stutter?" Reika frowned.

"I DON'T HAVE ONE!" He shouted.

"That's not the point now Rowen, what we need to know is what she wants with the Ronin Warriors." Sage said.

"And what did you mean when you said you were born in 5357?" Mia asked, "That's just not possible, not if you claim to know the guys as well."

"Why not?"

"Because that's over three thousand years in the future! They'd have died long before that."

"No lady, I'm afraid not." The girl shook unruly bangs out of her eyes. "You see, the armor they wear prolongs life, and that is how they are still alive in my time, and how I know them."

"How did you get here? It's only 2000, nowhere near your time." Sai pointed out.

"Lady Kayura used Staff of the Ancients to send me back to seek you out for help."

"How do we know this isn't some Dynasty trick?" Ryo asked, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest.

Reika's eyes met his and for a moment there was a flash of pain, gone so fast he wasn't so sure it had really been there. "I understand your caution, and I can prove that the Lady sent me." She fumbled at the collar of her shirt, before pulling coming up with a golden chain.

"Here!" She thrust out a charm on the end of the chain.

"Th-that's!" Rowen said.

"You're stuttering again." Reika pointed out. He gave her a dirty look, but turned his attention back to the emblem. It appeared to be a small globe, with wings protruding from either wide.

"It's the top of the Ancient's staff!" Kento exclaimed.

"Yes, it is, and until I use it to return, the Staff is 'out of order' so to speak."

"Kayura's still alive as well?" Mia inquired.

"Yes, she is, and was quite well the last time I saw her."

"When was that?" Ryo asked.

"Ummm," Reika's face screwed up in thought. "About two weeks ago, I think."

"You've been searching for us all that time?" Sai frowned.

"Yes."

"But why?"

"Because we need your help." She took a deep breath and focused on her feet. "You see, two months ago, our home was invaded by the Dynasty."

"What!" Expressions of shock registered on both Mia's face and those of the Ronins.

"How is that possible?" Ryo gasped. "We killed Talpa, the Dynasty was cleaned up by Kayura and the Warlords. How could they return?"

"We don't know, Kayura said that it had something do with weakening barriers." The girl heaved a sigh and looked at them again. "Do you still think I'm from the Dynasty?"

"No." Five heads shook, accepting her story.

"Okay, so far we know you're from the future, that Kayura sent you, and that you need our help to kick Dynasty butt again." Kento summed it all up. "But what I don't get is why you want our help, you've already said that there are Ronins in your time, so what's up?"

"Well, there are two reasons actually," Reika confessed. "The first is that about a month before the Dynasty reared its ugly head, the armors mysteriously lost their powers!"

"WHAT!" Six voices gasped in shock.

"How is that possible?" Sage demanded.

"We don't know." She shook her head, "But don't worry, it's nothing serious, they can still summon and use their armor's special techniques, the bearers suddenly began to age!"

"I thought you said that they, we, whatever, couldn't do that." Rowen frowned.

"That's what we thought as well, it seems that something has prevented the armors from maintaining the Ronin's age, and now they appear to be men at the far end of middle age, maybe in their early fifties."

"Ugh, we're practically ancient." Kento shuddered.

"Okay, so now we know the future Ronins are suffering from achy joints and are incapable of long battles right now, but what's the other reason?"
Sai asked, a slight frown creasing his forehead.

Reika clenched her hands together and looked back at the floor. "Well," She said in a small voice. "During the first surprise attack by the Dynasty, the
Ronins were caught unaware, and...and..."

Her voice trailed off into a sob, and her shoulders started to shake. The five teens exchanged looks of surprise and concern. What was the deal with her?

Mia sat down next to the girl. "You can tell us Reika, it's all right."

She turned a tear-stained face up at the guys. "Ryo of Wildfire, he, well, the Dynasty warrior..." She took a deep breath and fresh tears poured down her face. "HE WAS KILLED!" Her voice came out in a wail.

"WHAT?!" How many times had they said that lately?

"I'm dead?" Ryo gasped, feeling shock wash over him like a tidal wave.

"And White Blaze too." Reika added glumly.

The Ronins stared at Ryo, who was gazing off into space, eyes wide.

"But that's not the end of it." Again she shook her hair out of her face. "When Ryo died, we lost track of the armor of Wildfire, and without that armor..."

"Without the armor of Wildfire, you can't create the Inferno Armor." Mia finished.

"And our armors all work together." Sai put in. "Without the fifth, we won't be able to complete the power circle.

"So you see why we need your help so badly?" Those electric blue eyes pleaded with them. "We won't be able to defeat the Dynasty without your help. Please come back with me, please?"

They all exchanged a glance, and an unspoken thought went between them.

"Can we talk about this in private first?" Sage asked.

Reika nodded and stood. "Sure thing. I'll wait outside." She walk silently down the hall and the only sound she made was the soft click of the door closing.

"What do you guys think?" Rowen asked his friends. "Can she be trusted? Or is this just a trick?"

"It's not trick." Sai spoke up. Five heads turned to look at him and he flushed shyly. "I can tell, my Kanji is Trust, after all."

"What makes you think she's telling the truth?" Ryo asked, still visibly shaken up from the news of his own death.

"She's wearing the emblem of the Staff, and unless I'm greatly mistaken, nether Spirits can't even touch the symbol, let alone wear the original staff globe around their neck."

"How d'you know that Sai?" Mia asked, a curios look on her face.

He flushed again. "Well, I was looking around those files of your Grandfather's once, just to make sure it didn't mention anything about
Talpa coming back again, and I found that little bit of info."

"I see." Mia seemed to go off into her own world, contemplating the new data her friend had dug out of her Grandfather's encrypted files.

"So, do we go, or not?" Rowen dove straight to the point.

Kento spoke up. "I think we should go." When the others turned to look at him, he continued. "Look, our job is to fight the Dynasty, and life is extremely dull around here these days, we need some action."

"I'm with Kento." Sai agreed. The other four shot him extremely surprised looks; Sai avoided fights if possible. "We have to help, it's just not right to leave those people to struggle on their own."

Sage nodded. "You're right, it really ticks me off to think that those Dynasty jerks have found a way back again, we've got to stop it."

Rowen agreed with his best friend. "Of course we'll go, and if it is somehow a trap, we'll deal with it, the way we always do. If we take care of this now, then when Reika's future becomes our reality, the Dynasty won't be there, and they won't be able to kill Ryo."

The other three nodded and then all four turned to glance at Ryo, he was the unofficial leader, after all. If he vetoed the decision, they wouldn't go.

"Ryo?" Sai asked.

Ryo looked up from his study of the carpet. "When we accepted our armors," he began slowly, "we swore we'd crush the Dynasty, where ever we found it. Where ever, not whenever, but I think we should go anyway; it would be a violation of our oath if we didn't. Kayura and the Warlords have pretty much taken care of things in the Dynasty so far, they can keep doing it until we get back."

Mia spoke up. "I'm going with you." She said in a determined voice. When the guys all looked at her, she raised her chin defiantly. "Look, you're not leaving me behind this time. What if someone captures me and brings me to the future to use as bait? If the Staff can be used to travel through time, why couldn't the Dynasty's minions do it too? You can't afford that kind of distraction."

The five teens all exchanged a glance. Mia had a good point, they couldn't just leave her there, it wasn't right. Besides, they'd taught her a few basic self-defense maneuvers, enough to keep her out of trouble until help arrived, so maybe she could be a help instead of a hindrance for once.

"Okay Mia, you can come, but you have to stay with White Blaze at all times, got it?" Ryo asked.

Mia nodded. "Got it, but who said White Blaze was going anyway? He's not here."

They all looked shocked at the thought that Ryo's tiger companion wouldn't be joining them. Then they shook it off, of course White Blaze would come, he'd never let them go off to a battle alone, it was unthinkable.

"In that case, I'll go get Reika so you can tell her the good news." Mia stood and smoothed down her skirt. "I'm sure she'll be relieved."

Reika sat on the front step, staring up at the sky. Night had fallen, and the stars we were winking down at her like old friends. It was reassuring how familiar they were, even after three thousand years, most of them were right where she'd left them.

The soft creaking noise of the door opening alerted her to someone's presence. She didn't turn around though. A soft whish of cloth on stone indicated that whoever it was had taken a seat beside her.

"What are you looking at?" The young women's voice came. Reika didn't know her name, but was reassured by the fact that the Ronins apparently trusted her with the truth about their armors.

"The stars." She answered, never once looking the woman's way. "They're so beautiful, and I haven't seen them since the Dynasty descended. Probably because of those horrible clouds they bring with them. I could look at them forever."

A soft chuckle could be heard. "Don't ever let Rowen hear you say that!" She smiled. "He'd probably take you at face value and try to make an astrologer out of you."

"Who do you think got me so interested in the Heavens in the first place?" Reika asked wryly. "When I was a little girl, we used to lie on our backs on the balcony and watch the stars come out. He taught me all the constellations, most of which are still here. I even saw a Super Nova once!"

Mia glanced at the raven-haired girl out of the corner of her eye. "Who are you that you know the Ronins so well?"

"Let's just say they're friends of my family." She replied. Then her voice took on a questioning tone. "I'm sorry, but I didn't quite catch your name."

"Oh, I'm Mia, Mia Koji." The two girls looked at each other and smiled.

"You already know I'm Reika, so it would be useless to repeat myself. I'm sorry to say the guys have never mentioned you before."

A look of sadness swept over Mia's face. "Oh, well, I guess three thousand years would be enough to forget about anyone, they're immortal, right?"

Reika nodded. "They are, but I don't think they forgot about you, you seem to be really good friends with them, especially Ryo." Her voice took on a sly tone.

Mia's eyes widened in shock. "Is it that obvious?" She asked quietly, turning her head to look at the ground.

"Not really, I'm just really good at reading people." The other girl responded. "Anyway, what I was getting at is that maybe, since you aren't immortal, and they all seem to care about you so much, perhaps after you died it just became to painful for them to speak of you, so it became a taboo subject."

Mia considered that. "Maybe you're right. I hope so, at any rate." Then she stood and extended a hand to help Reika to her feet. "They've come to a decision, and they want to speak with you."

The five teens rose to their feet as the two young women re-entered the living room. Ryo gestured for Reika to take a seat, which she did, those huge blue eyes sweeping over all of them. Each of the Ronins shuddered a little as that gaze swept over them, getting the uncanny feeling that she knew a lot more than she was letting on.

"We've decided." Ryo stated simply.

"And?" Reika could scarcely allow herself to hope that they might agree to come with her, even though they were her people's last hope.

"We'll go the future, the fight the Dynasty again." He finished. He was totally unprepared when Reika threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Oh thank you Ryo!" She laughed, tears of relief running down her cheeks. She pulled away and her eyes scanned them all once again. "Thank you, all of you."

"But only on one condition." Sage said sternly. "We leave in the morning, after we get a good night's rest."

"Condition accepted." The girl flashed a white smile.

"Well." Mia said briskly, trying to help Ryo out, he looked so embarrassed. "Anybody for dinner?"

"Ooh Ooh!" Kento waved his hand in the air. "I am!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Mia asked rhetorically.

Reika grinned. "Well, at least Hardrock's appetite hasn't changed much."

Sai rolled his eyes. "He hasn't eaten since the food court, so I'm guessing he could strip the pantries bare." He shook his head. "I shudder to think of cooking."

"I'll handle it Sai." Mia reassured her friend. "Don't worry about it."

"I'll help too." Reika piped up. Six pairs of surprised eyes turned to look at her. "Well, it's the least I can do." She shrugged.

Later, as everyone sat around the table, Kento leaned back, groaned and patted his stomach.

"Man, where did you learn to cook like that?" He managed to say.

Reika jerked her thumb at Sai. "He taught me." She answered.

Kento winced. "I wish you'd stop talking like that." He pleaded. Reika just shrugged.

"Seriously though, in my time, there are two people with your bottomless stomach." She said.

"Whoa!" Rowen's eyes bugged out. "Two?! How is that possible? Obviously one of them is Kento, but the who's other?" All six glanced at Reika for an explanation.

She smirked evilly. "His son." She replied.

There was a violent fit of coughing that seemed to spread around the table as shock gripped them all. Sage, who had been taking a sip of milk, ended up spraying it all over the table. Ryo had to reach across and pound on his friend's back,

"H-his what?" Sai managed to gasp.

"His son." At their blank looks she continued on. "You didn't honestly think that after three thousand years you didn't have any descendants, did you?"

"I guess we never thought about it." Rowen admitted.

Kento still seemed to be in a state of shock. "I have kids?" He managed to squeak out.

Reika nodded. "Yup, two sons. One who's about a year and a half older than me, and a three year old."

"What about us?" Sage asked, having recovered from the milk incident.

She seemed to think about the question. "I guess I could tell you, as long as I don't tell you who your future spouses are, the information won't affect the future at all."

A little puzzled by what she meant by that, they nevertheless waited for her to sort out her thoughts.

"Okay, starting to my right and working my way around, Rowen, you have three kids, a son, about a year my senior, and twins, boy and a girl, they're six." Rowen's eyes looked a little glazed over and he blinked rapidly to shake off the stupor. Had he honestly wanted to know that much about his future? Not really.

"Kento, you already know, so we won't have to go there. Sai, you have two kids, a son six months older than me, and a daughter who's only nine months old." Sai looked pleasantly surprised by that information.

Sage, realizing he was sitting next to Sai; he steeled himself for the worst. Reika noticed the wary look on his face and grinned. "Oh come on, it's not that bad. Your son's two years older than me, and you've got a daughter my age." A look of relief replaced the wince. Sage had been prepared to hear that he had never settled down and was by himself in his old age. Though none of the others knew, that was of the things that sometimes gave him nightmares.

"For future reference," Rowen cut in, "just how old are you anyway?"

"Sixteen and a half." She replied promptly.

"What about Ryo?" Mia asked, her head cocked to one side. Something dark and secretive flashed through Reika's eyes. She replied in a flat tone.

"None. None he'd want to claim, anyway."

"What?" Not one of the Ronins understood that little comment at all.

"What do you mean?" Kento frowned, totally baffled.

Reika looked down at her plate and began to push the food around half-heartedly. "I'm afraid I haven't been entirely truthful with you." She admitted. At the confused looks she received, the girl continued. "You see, we do know where the armor of Wildfire is, we just can't use it."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Rowen asked. "For that matter, what does that have to do with what you just said?"

She started fiddling with the tablecloth. Then she looked up and smiled sheepishly. "Another half-truth, I'm afraid." She admitted. "You see, my real name is Reika Sanada." She stared at the floor.

That fit of coughing returned again, only this time, Ryo was the one who began to spray milk all over. Sage began to pound his friend's back in earnest.

"You..." Mia pointed at her. "You're Ryo's..."

"Yes, I am." She looked up at all of them.

"That's why you look so familiar!" Kento exclaimed, leveling a finger at her. "You even look like him!"

It was true too. Though her eyes were a brighter blue color, they were the same size and shape, tiger-eyes. If her hair had been any shorter, it would have looked like his as well. They could have passed for twins.

"And why you seem to know the Ronins of the future so well, what you meant when you said they were 'friends of your family'." Mia put in.

"B-but why did you say he didn't have any kids then?" Sai asked.

She looked like she was caught midway between rage and anguish. She balled her hands into fists and clenched her teeth. "Because I'm a disgrace to my family."

Skeptical eyebrows rose on five faces. Ryo was still a little too stunned to reply.

Reika seemed to get control over her emotions, and she took a deep breath. "Please try to understand what I am about to say. I was there when my father was killed. He died right in front of me He willed the armor of Wildfire to me, but I can't use it because, because..." She looked like it was taking all her will to spit the next words out. "Because I'm a girl!"

"But why should that change anything?" Rowen wondered aloud. "Anubis willed his armor to Kayura, and she can use it just fine." He reminded them.

"I don't know." Reika admitted. "But I've tried, and I can't even summon the sub-armor."

"You're sure you even have the armor?" Sage asked her, eye(s) narrowing.

"You want proof?" At the nods, she shrugged. "Fine then." He eyes fell closed and her brow creased for a moment, as she began to concentrate. The kanji of virtue flickered on her forehead for a second, and then began to glow brightly, casting a red tint across the room.

"Well, I guess that clears that up." Mia remarked caustically.

"No kidding." Kento nodded emphatically.

"Why didn't you just tell us in the first place though?" Ryo asked, appearing to come out of that daze.

"I didn't want to freak you out." She told them. "Maybe I should have said something about the armor, but I saw how you reacted when I told you who I was. We need you help so badly that I didn't want to do anything that might make you refuse." Her voice took on a pleading tone. "You will still come with me, won't you?"

A six-way glance was exchanged. "Of course we will." Rowen spoke up. "We gave our word, and we won't go back on it." His friends all nodded in agreement."

A look of pure relief spread over Reika's face. "Thank you." She sighed. Then she stood and grabbed up her plate and glass. "I'll go put these in the sink."

The Ronins blinked. "Well Ryo," Sage said. "You could do worse."

"Oh be quiet." Ryo was about to start an argument with his blonde friend, when a sudden screech from the kitchen startled them all.

"Reika!" Everyone exclaimed.

A strange sight met their eyes upon reaching the kitchen. Reika was on her knees, her arms thrown around White Blaze's neck. How the tiger had made it into the house unnoticed was a mystery to all. But then again, White Blaze was a mysterious creature.

The tiger's big brown eyes were wide in surprise, for he'd missed all the introductions and had no idea who this strange girl was.

"Uh, Reika?" Sai asked.

"Oh!" She unwound her arms from the thick white fur. "Sorry, but like I said, we lost White Blaze too, and it was just a surprise to see him again." She
ruffled the fur on the tiger's head. White Blaze licked her hand, apparently deciding that he liked the girl.

An hour and a half later, all seven teens were gathered in the living room. The lights were off, and so was the TV, for a change; the only illumination in the
room came from the fire Mia had lit in the fireplace.

Sai and Kento were engaged in a quiet game of Jin around the coffee table, and from the growls coming from Kento's direction, Sai was winning.

Rowen was deeply immersed in a novel of some sort, figuring he probably wouldn't get a chance to read it again for a couple of days. Every thirty seconds or so, the soft rustle of a page turning broke the relative silence.

Sage was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the couch. From the peaceful expression on his face, he was meditating again. That was a good thing,
the more focused he was for the upcoming battle, the sooner they could get back to their own time frame.

Ryo was sitting on the carpet as well, serving as his backrest was White Blaze. The fire's glow cast a tint of orange to the cat's fur, making him look more like a common tiger, instead of his normal white self.

Mia was seated on a loveseat, stretching out the full length. She was watching Reika out of the corner of her eye.

Reika was sitting Indian-style not five feet from the fire’s flames. The light danced across her face in ever-changing patterns. Mia wondered what she was thinking about…

In fact, Reika was wondering whether or not it had been wise to tell the Ronins of the past of her true identity. She’d seen the look on Ryo’s face, and knew that he’d probably be a little uptight around her from now on. Oh well, just wait until the others met their children.  She allowed herself a slight smirk at the thought of their faces.

Then her thoughts flickered to what she’d told them about the armor of Wildfire. She hadn’t been lying when she’d said she couldn’t use it, she really had tried! Mesmerized by intricate weave of the flames, her mind flashed back to a time barely a year before…looking into a fire just like this one…

Reika’ attention was broken from the heat of the campfire by a shriek from the other side of it. Alera, Uncle Sage’ only daughter, had been crept up upon by Touma, Uncle Rowen’s eldest son. She had been on edge all evening, ever since Uncle Cale had told those scary stories of his days under the service of Talpa, they all had been, especially the littles. Touma had snuck up behind her and run his finger up her back. She whirled around and decked him upside the head.

"You idiot!!" She squealed, as the blue haired teen jumped laughingly away. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"That’s nothing new." He replied, "You’re a chicken ‘Lera."

"Come back here and say that to my face you little rat!" The ice blonde screeched at the top of he r lungs, pelting after him.

"Get ‘er Touma!" Shu, Uncle Kento’s oldest child rooted his friend on, even as the boy ran circles around the campfire, fleeing Alera’s wrath.

Chuckles came from all around the fire, from every one except for the little kids, who didn’t really understand what was going on. The twins were roasting marshmallows nearby, huddling in the light of the fire, safe from imaginary bogeymen. The other little child, Graham, was curled up against White Blaze’s heaving side, snoring gently.

All of Reika’s uncles and aunts were situated around the flame as well, talking idly in low voices about unimportant things. Aunt Kayura had declared this weekend as a vacation from the pressure of life in the palace, and they’d all gone on this camping trip. Every one agreed that it had been a great idea, all except Alera, who hated the great outdoors.

Another shriek, higher in pitch, but not as loud, echoed from two spots down, where the twins had been roasting marshmallows. Little Kina’s had caught fire and she was blowing on it frantically, but to no avail. The flame simply wouldn’t go out.

"Eeek!" She squealed, waving the blazing candy around helplessly. "Put it out! Somebody put it out!"

Father had chuckled and reached over. His fingers had lightly brushed the mallow, and the flames flickered and died. Not only that, but instead of the charred husk they’d all anticipated, it had been perfectly roasted.

"Whoa!" Reika had felt her eyes go wide. "How’ d you do that Dad?" She asked incredulously.

He’d smiled roguishly and winked. "It’s a Ronin secret." He said in an easily overheard stage whisper, prompting chuckles from her uncles. "Someday you’ll have the power to be able to do that too." Unspoken between them was the fervent wish that she’d never have to.
She’d heard the stories of the battle against the Dynasty, and she dreaded the responsibility that came with that kind of power. Besides, she knew that if she ever did inherit the armor, it would mean her father’s death, something she never wanted to happen, ever. Reika knew as well that her father didn’t want her to have to deal with the burden of the Wildfire armor.

"The power to extinguish marshmallows in a single blow?" Uncle Sai suggested innocently, obviously fighting back a grin.

Peals of laughter had erupted from everyone within hearing distance, including Touma, who was only just now creeping back from the surrounding darkness, one eye blackened and his hair full of leaves and twigs.

"Ooh! Big bad ‘Lera strikes again!" Shu managed to gasp between giggling fits.

Alera strode back into the ring of light calm and composed. She seated herself regally and gave them all a condescending look, eliciting even more giggles.

There were more pyro comments, which both Reika and Ryo had blatantly ignored. Only when Touma called her ‘hot stuff’ did she finally crack, laughing so hard her father had to hold her up.

"Rowen, am I gonna have to beat you son off with a stick or what?" Ryo glared balefully at his friend.

"I lost control of the kid a long time ago." Strata replied, shrugging innocently, but ruffling his son’s hair affectionately. "You’ll have to protect Reika yourself, Ryo."

"Of course I will." He hugged his daughter tight. "Always."

Always. Reika thought, her lips moving to mouth the word.

Mia was surprised to notice a tear work its way out of Reika’s eye and slide down her cheek. The stark illumination of the fire brutally picked up the glimmer of the tear track, and the shine in her eyes from even more tears unshed. Mia didn’t like seeing the poor girl so unhappy, so she decided to break her out of her self imposed trance.

"Reika?" She asked, her voice causing not only the girl, but also all the guys to jump as the silence broke.

"Y-yes?" Reika hurriedly wiped her eyes on her sleeve, embarrassed at having been caught so open.

"Tell us about the future." Mia requested.

"The..the future?" Reika stammered, caught off guard by the question.

"When did you develop a stutter?" Rowen teased gently from behind his book.

Mia shot him a glare. "Yes, you know, your world."

"Hmm." Her expression turned thoughtful. "I have to think about that, gotta decide what is safe to tell you."

"What do you mean by that?" Sage frowned.

"Well, if I tell you everything that’s going to happen, you might respond differently, and change the future." She replied.

"You mean if something happened to, oh say, Kento for instance, his kids would never exist and the armor of Hardrock would have gone to someone else entirely?" Sai wondered aloud.

"Hey!" Kento glared at his best friend. "Since when do you want me to croak, huh fish-boy?"

"Cut it out you two, Sai’s got a point." Rowen cut in. "If she told us about the outcome of a certain battle, then we might get overconfident, and then lose as a result. Traveling through time’s dangerous, if one tampers with the past, one could then alter one’s own future."

"Thank you Einstein." Ryo rolled his eyes.

"So? Go ahead, tell us whatever you think is safe." Mia prompted.

Reika nodded and everyone leaned forward, eager to hear about the future of their world.

"Well, about a thousand years ago, mankind’s mistakes finally caught up with them, and their technology became too advanced."

"Nuclear Armageddon, you mean." Rowen stated.

"Precisely." Reika nodded. "About a fifth of Earth’s population escaped to the stars, to colonies they’d set up in distant galaxies."

Kento started whistling the theme to Star Wars and was immediately silenced as Sai snatched a pillow off the couch and slammed it into his friend’s face.

"Go on." Mia urged, her eyes wide in wonder. She’d always loved history, and in a way, that’s what she was hearing.

"Like I was saying, those left on earth were doomed to die, but using the power of all nine armors, the Ronins and Warlords were able to save about a seventh of the remaining people. Many died, but those who survived counted their blessings and set about creating a new world order. Many things had changed, making it possible to live lives without damaging the earth itself."

"Like what?" Sage asked. He was still leaning back against the couch, but the others had changed their positions. Sai and Kento had lay down on their stomachs, propping their chins up on their hands. Rowen had set his book aside after marking his page, and had sat up so as to listen better. Ryo and Mia remained in their original positions. Reika had since turned around to face her audience.

"Um," the girl considered the things that were a part of her life, things, which she hadn’t seen since coming back to the past. "Well, a lot of technology was abandoned, things like cars, airplanes, TV…"

"There’s no TV!" Kento yelped jerking upright. "How do you people live?"

"I didn’t know what it was until I came here; you can’t miss what you never knew." She shrugged it off. "The people decided that machines like cars and planes were far too dangerous to the now delicate ecosystem, besides, there was no longer any need for them."

"What?!" Sage frowned. "Why is that?"

A small smile played across Reika’s face. "Due to the amount of nuclear radiation the people were exposed to, they developed certain…abilities." The hesitation before she said the final word was clear to them all

"What do you mean by that?" Sai asked quietly.

"You’ve seen the powers that Lady Kayura has, because of her lineage as an Ancient. She can move things with her mind, teleport from place to place, even to speak into other’s minds." She chuckled slightly. "I know that you also have that ability, but it comes from your armor. The people of that time realized that they now had those powers as well, those and so much more."

"You’re saying that mankind now has the abilities to do the things our armors let us do?" Ryo gaped. "Even control certain elements?"

Reika nodded. "Indeed, but not on such a great scale as your armors. Human’s life spans were increased as well. Normal people who survived the holocaust have begun to live a little longer each generation. Some people are in their fifth century already, though no one has lived as long as the Ronins of my time. But because of this, people began to have fewer children, so we don’t suffer from overpopulation."

"So what you’re saying," Mia drawled slowly, "Is that people have mystical powers now, and are near immortals?"

Again with the nod. "Yep."

"So what’s you’re ability?" Sage grinned wryly.

Reika flushed, "Ah, well." She hesitated a little, "I don’t know, really, because most powers don’t manifest until later in life. Currently, I’ve only got a few."

"Like what?" The grin became evil.

"Um, well, I’ll just show you." She moved over to Sage and lightly touched his cheek before he could jerk away. His friend’s watched in amazement as Sage’s eyes clouded over and he seemed to stare into space for a moment. It almost looked like he was meditating again.

"What did you do?" Sai asked, eyes bugging out at his friend’s stupor.

"Don’t worry, he’ll be fine." She assured him, removing her hand and waiting for a moment. Sage’s eyes cleared and he began to blink rapidly.

"Wh-What…was that?" He gasped, eyes boring into Reika’s.

"What did you see?" She grinned, waiting for a reply before she explained.

"I saw, well I think I saw, a palace, almost like Talpa’s. You know, the traditional Japanese fairytale kind. Except that it wasn’t as foreboding. There was a lake behind it, with a dock running down into it, and a stable, with horses and other animals. There were several people running around the courtyard, but it was no one I recognize." He answered, looking more than a little confused.

"That’s my talent, I can put images into people’s minds. I can also take images out of minds. The only drawback is that I have to be in physical contact with that person in order to use my talent. What you saw is the palace we live in, my home."

"Hold it!" Kento halted her. "Palace?"

"Uh huh, like I said, humanity was saved using the power of the nine armors, so people discovered the existence of the Mystical armor. Kayura’s been using the power of the staff to keep things under control, so the Ronins are sort of the unofficial rulers. Not of earth, more like of the people who live under that sphere of influence."

"Wild." Mia commented. She cast a critical eye over the gathered teenage boys. "Why am I having trouble seeing these clowns handling any kind of responsibility?"

"They’re pretty bad at it actually. Lady Kayura pretty much takes care of that stuff, she says she had plenty of practice after governing the Dynasty for an eon before the apocalypse." Reika admitted. "Dad was really horrible at those politic decisions." Realizing what she’d said, she gasped and began to apologize.

"I’m sorry Ryo, I didn’t mean…"

"No, that’s okay." He raised a hand. "Why don’t we just pretend you never told us who you are, just so things don’t get any stranger." He suggested.

"I think that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day." Reika smiled in satisfaction.

A thought occurred to Mia just then. "Reika, who’s your mother?" She asked. The black haired girl turned to stare at her. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry, but I was just wondering. We were all so stunned to find out about Ryo that we forgot about your mother."

The younger girl’s face went blank. "She’s dead." She said flatly. "I don’t even know what her name was, she died when I was two." Her eyes fell to her hands, clenched as they were in her lap. "Dad was so upset he forbid anyone to speak of her, so I never found anything out about her. I guess I’m an orphan now" She added in a quieter voice.

Sage, whom she was still sitting next to, reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "I’m sorry." He said softly. The others were vaguely surprised, Sage rarely ever showed emotion, except for anger, and even that was a rare occurrence. Reika blinked and managed a wavering smile.

"Don’t mention it. No one else ever does." She climbed to her feet and stretched, yawning widely.

Mia, a little embarrassed at having brought up such a delicate subject, quickly spoke up. "I’m sorry Reika, but I’m afraid you’ll have to sleep on the couch tonight." She sounded genuinely regretful. "There was a cot in my room, but the last time Kayura and the Warlords visited Kento ended up smashing in upside Dais’ head."

The girl giggled. "What did he do?"

Kento looked slightly offended. "He said he could’ve easily beat my arse in battle now that he’d found the true soul of his armor. How could I let him get away with such an outright lie?"

"So you broke a cot over his head?" Reika was laughing so hard she’d fallen back to the ground, holding her ribs as she gasped for breath.

"It was either that or a vase, I sorta figured that would have ticked Mia off a lot more than the loss of a cot." He shrugged.

Mia laughed. "For once you actually used your head." She grinned and stood up. "I’ll go get some spare blankets, you guys head to bed.  We’ve gotta get up early tomorrow."

Rowen looked wary. "Just how early are we talking here?" He asked cautiously.

"Oh, I dunno, eight thirty?"

"Ack!" His eyes widened. "That’s the middle of the night!"

The others exchanged long-suffering glances and Kento grabbed Rowen’s leg, yanking him off the couch.

"Ah, quit yer whinin’ already. Sheesh!"

Grinning, all five guys made their way up the stairs to their rooms. Mia returned a few moments later laden down with two blankets and a pillow.

"Here you go." She said, depositing the comforters in Reika’s outstretched arms. "Make yourself comfy." Reika turned and spread one blanket out on the couch, then lay down and pulled the quilt over shoulders. She snuggled into the pillow and closed her eyes with a sigh.

Mia moved to douse the fire, but a small murmur from the couch stopped her.

"Please leave it on Mia." Reika requested in a sleepy voice. "I like to watch the flames while I go to sleep."

"Um, I would, but I don’t want to wake up only to find out that the house has burned down around me." Mia commented.

"It won’t. I’ll tell the fire not to." The voice seemed to be growing even fainter.

"Oookaaay." Mia drawled, a little alarmed by the comment. But she is Ryo’s daughter, so I suppose that claim makes sense. She thought.

As she climbed the stairs and made her way to her own room, Mia wondered if they were truly doing the right thing by traveling to the future. She only hoped that Kayura and the Warlords could handle whatever came up while the Ronins were gone.

Sai came awake to the sound of a thunderstorm in the next bed. The combination of Kento’s snores and stomach was truly deafening. Groaning, he resolutely climbed out of bed, even though all he really wanted to do was roll back over and get some more shut-eye. But breakfast had to be made before they left, and he was the best one for the job.

He ran into Mia out in the hallway. She was yawning and rubbing sleep from her eyes as she made her way towards the stairs.

"Ugh, g’morning." She mumbled sleepily. She was wearing a faded peach-colored robe and white slippers.

"Sleep well?" Sai inquired, smothering a grin.

"As well as expected, I guess." Mia answered, seeming to be a little more awake. "Are you going to make breakfast?"

"Do I have a choice?" He chuckled.

"I suppose not." She shook her head, picturing all the guys at the table. "Want some help?" Came the offer.

"Sure thing."

Treading as silently as possible, so as not to wake those still sleeping, (not that they had to worry about Rowen) the two friends made their way out into the hallway.

It was a good thing the stairs were carpeted; otherwise they probably would have creaked loudly. As it was, things were a little too quiet. Sai watched Mia out of the corner of his eye.

"Mia? Is something wrong?"

Mia turned to face him, leaning against the railing. She knew anything she said would be kept in complete confidence; after all, his kanji was trust.

"I’m just trying to figure out how the Dynasty could have returned, and why Reika’s time. For that matter, why would she choose the Ronins of this time period? There must have been other periods of peace, after all." Her brow was furrowed and she chewed anxiously at her lower lip as she searched for the elusive answers.

Sai grabbed Mia’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Hey, don’t worry about it. The only person with those answers is sleeping on the couch downstairs. Reika will tell us when she’s ready, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, ‘kay?"

Mia smiled tiredly. "You’re right. Come on, we’d better start cookin’ if we want to get out of here before noon."

Upon reaching the ground floor, both paused in the entrance to the living room. Reika was still out cold on the couch. She was laying on her stomach, left arm pillowing her head, her right arm dangling over the edge. Her unruly hair had draped over her back, and obscured part of her face.

Sai paused for a moment to lean against the frame of the door. "How could we have possibly missed the resemblance?" He asked no one in particular. "It was right there in front of us the whole time."

Mia chuckled quietly. She noticed that the fire had died down to ashes, and, as Reika had promised, nothing was even remotely scorched.

"All right, let her sleep. We have to get into the kitchen."

Fifteen minutes later, the table was set, and waffles were being cooked. The smell alerted both Ryo and Sage, who drifted down the stairs, blinking groggily.

"Is that food?" Ryo mumbled, sniffing the air.

"Sure is, come and get it while it’s hot." Mia smiled brightly.

"Is Kento up yet?" He asked.

"If he was, would there be any food at all?" Sage pointed out logically.

They both stopped and peeked in on Reika.

"Geez Ryo!" Sage whispered in surprise. "If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’d fallen asleep on the couch."

"Can we just eat already?"

It didn’t take long for the general clatter and noise in the kitchen to alert the remaining warriors. Surprisingly, Rowen stumbled down the stairs before Kento. Nobody made any smart cracks though, since Rowen was notoriously cranky early in the morning.

"Well," Sai said, pitching his voice so it would carry up to the second floor. "Kento had better get down here soon, or he won’t get any waffles!"

"WAFFLES!!!" Someone bellowed from upstairs. The sound of hundreds of stampeding elephants reached their ears as the walking stomach smelled food.

The whole house seemed to shake as Kento ran down the stairs and screeched to a halt before the living room.

"Ryo!" He shouted. "What are you doing down here? Don’t you have your own room?"

Those in the kitchen winced and Ryo leaned out the door. "I’m in here, now shut up before you wake Reika."

"Too late." Came a sleepy voice. Reika pushed back the quilt , stood, and stretched. "Did somebody say ‘waffles’?"

"Are there any left?" Kento asked plaintively.

"Of course there are." Sai rolled his eyes. "I made enough for three Kentos, so there’s still plenty left."

"All right!"

"Hey! Save me some!" Reika gasped, dashing into the kitchen before Kento. "Your waffles are famous even in our time!"

The stack of breakfast was diminished quickly, Sage snagged the last waffle and gulped it down before Kento could do as much as grunt in protest.

"I just hope I’ve got enough energy left to pull this off." Reika muttered around a mouthful of food.

"Huh?" Sage blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well, traveling back through time is extremely tiring, it takes a lot of energy. It took me the whole two weeks to find a period of time it was safe to take you from." She chuckled quietly. "I even showed up halfway through a battle between you and some Dynasty creep; the looks on your faces were priceless."

Mia smiled. "I can just see you popping in, saying ‘oops, sorry’ and popping out again."

She blushed and decided it was time to change the subject, not to mention getting a move on. "Ready to go?" She asked, standing.

"Um, I guess." Mia looked around at the gathered teens, they all appeared more or less awake, and presentable at least. Reika, on the other hand, was a different story.

The black haired girl caught the look Mia threw at her. "What? Is there waffle in my teeth or something?"

"No, I was just wondering when you last changed clothes." She answered. The other girl blushed and looked self consciously back down at her wrinkled attire. It consisted of a pair of battered cut-offs, and a dirty gray T-shirt, both of which were worn and rumpled.

"Uh, I’m not sure, really. I washed them the day before yesterday, but they’re the only pair I’ve got." She sounded embarrassed.

"Come with me." Mia stood and extended a hand. Reika looked a little wary, but accepted. The two girls went up the stairs and the sound of closets banging open was heard. The guys all exchanged shrugs and settled back to wait. No telling how long this was gonna take.

"Ah hah!" Came a triumphant shout. "All right guys, we can go now!" Mia called down the hall.

"’Bout time!" Ryo yelled back.

"I found some old clothes of mine I outgrew last summer." Mia explained, gesturing towards Reika. The younger girl was wearing a red tank top and rather short cut-offs. She flushed at the raised eyebrows she received and shrugged.

"Hey! I happen to like being able to dress like this." She said defensively. "I don’t have to act like a lady." She made a face.

"Lady?" Mia giggled. "What did they make you wear?"

"Dresses, kimonos, just about anything uncomfortable, and you should just see the stuff I have to wear during formal occasions." She rolled her eyes expansively. "But then again, I got off pretty easy since I’m usually training."

"We’ll be able to see for ourselves, once we get there." Rowen said pointedly.

"Right, let’s get this over with."

"Wait a minute!" Mia raised her hands in objection. "NOT in my living room!"

"She’s right, let’s take this outside guys." Sai gestured for the door.

Reika stood outside in the center of a circle formed from people. Next to her was Mia, and the Ronins had formed the Circle of Power around the two.  She’d instructed them to do so, saying that if their armors were linked, it would be easier to get everyone to the armors of her time.

"Any questions before we go?" She asked those assembled.

"Just one." Kento raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Are those contacts, or what?" He squinted at her. Her eyes were far too bright a blue in his opinion.

"Huh? What are contacts?"

"I guess not." He shrugged. Sai elbowed him in the side and motioned for Reika to continue.

She fumbled for the amulet around her neck, and pulled it out on a chain. Mia noticed that there was also a heart-shaped locket on the necklace as well, but didn’t say anything at that point, as Reika seemed to be concentrating very hard.

Reika clenched her fist around the winged-globe. The kanji of virtue appeared on her forehead. She took a deep breath and began to chant.

                                           Oh ye who guards the Gate of Time,

                                             Unlock the door and let us pass.

                                          We from both the present and the future

                                            I bring these warriors from the past!

"WILDFIRE!!" She cried, lifting her hand into the air. "I NEED YOUR POWER!!!" The kanji flared impossibly bright on her forehead and a column of roaring flames sprang up out of virtually nowhere to engulf Reika. The others gasped in shock, but found they could not tear away from the circle, and Mia couldn’t move her feet at all. The flames spread out from the pillar and consumed all of them, the heat and light becoming blinding. The intense light was followed by deep blackness…