Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ The Guardian Chronicles: Book 1 ❯ Ronin Warriors ( Chapter 9 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

The small group pressed on. It puzzled Starfire, as they drew closer to the inner chambers, why the Warlords weren't attacking. The longer they waited, the more of her strength that returned, and the harder she would be to beat. She got her answer as she rounded a corner and found herself face to face with the Warlords, Gabriel, and Osiris. The senshi immediately braced themselves for a fight. The Warlords and Dark Knights took up fighting stances as well, and waited. Anubis walked forward, alone. Starfire understood the gesture and came forward as well, meeting him halfway.

"Well?" Starfire asked.

"We want a truce," Anubis answered calmly.

"Just the six of you?" Starfire inquired.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"We know why Arago wants the Inferno Armor. We also know that once he gets it, he'll destroy us and take our armor as well. We don't want to die."

"And you'd side with us?"

"I'd have sided with you four hundred years ago, if you'd've let me."

She just stood there, surprised. Was it possible? Was the man she'd known back then the same one that was staring back at her now? He offered his hand…

…and she took it, accepting his truce. He smiled, and for the first time in four hundred years she really could see the young man she'd cared so much for. She flung her arms around his neck and sobbed. He wrapped his arms around her and let her. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I never meant to hurt you."

Warren felt a prick of jealousy, which he quickly forced down. These two had known each other for four hundred years. He had no right. A quick movement suddenly caught his eye and he looked up to see Kayura aiming at Starfire and Anubis. "Look out!" He forced them both against the wall just in time to avoid the blast, although it clipped his already injured wings. He bit his lip to keep from crying out. But Starfire could see the pain he was in. And she was mad.

"Kokuenoh!" she called, pulling herself away from Anubis and Warren and pursuing the retreating figure.

Kayura ran as fast as she could. She knew her death was hot on her heels. Betrayed! They betrayed us. Anubis was on her side all along! And now he's got the others siding with him! Even Dais! I can't trust anyone. Damn Anubis! Damn him to Hell! She turned a corner and skidded to a halt. In her haste to escape, she'd run down a dead end. She whirled around and drew her swords. Starfire was there, Kokuenoh next to her. He growled, and Starfire's hands and eyes began to glow a fiery orange-red. Kayura's eyes widened. So it was true. Starfire wasn't human!

Starfire could hear the others behind her, looking for them, but she didn't care. "You tried to kill me and my best friends. You hurt the person I…" her eyes narrowed as she finally admitted a truth she'd been avoiding, "…the person I love." She raised her hands above her head. "For that, you will die."

Kayura stood there, braced for an attack that never came. Something slammed into Starfire from behind. She rolled over and found herself staring up at White Blaze. "Byakuen!"

Byakeun licked her on the face and brushed noses with Kokuenoh before trotting over to Kayura and looking up at the frightened girl. Starfire looked at Byakuen, then Kayura, and understood. She got up and walked towards Kayura. Kayura raised her swords to defend herself. "Put those away. I'm not going to hurt you," Starfire said flatly.

Kayura was really confused now. One minute Starfire was threatening to kill her, the next she's treating White Blaze like an old friend and telling her she won't hurt her? Was this woman crazy?

Starfire knelt down by Byakuen. "You sure she's the one?" Byakuen's soft growl was answer enough. Starfire stood face to face with Kayura now. Kayura peered into the other woman's eyes, and came to a sudden realization.

"You're eyes…they look like…like her's…" she gasped.

Starfire frowned. "Like who's?" She was suddenly cut off by the remainder of the warriors coming around the corner and Dais's cold voice.

"If you've hurt her, Inferno…"

"Relax, lover boy, she's just fine. Just a little shaken, that's all. Besides, if I kill her, we are all in serious trouble," Starfire stated calmly. She rested a hand on the shoulders of each tiger.

"What do you mean?" asked Anubis.

"Everybody," Starfire took a deep breath, "I'd like you to meet Byakuen," she motioned to the white tiger, "and Wildfire," she finished, smiling back at Kayura.

"What?!"

"What…what do you mean, Wildfire? What's a Wildfire?" Kayura asked, leaning against Dais for support.

"Wildfire, bound by the kanji Virtue. You are the leader of the Ronins," Starfire answered.

"No…that's…not possible. My parents, I can't turn on them," Kayura whispered hoarsely.

"Kayura, love, your loyalty is admirable, but not well founded. Your parents care nothing for each other, and even less for you. If you weren't useful, they'd've killed you long ago," Dais said softly.

"no…" Kayura whispered again, but she knew Dais was telling the truth. She sank to the floor, not sure what to do. Dais knelt down next to her, also unsure. Starfire crouched down in front of her.

"Kayura. You said-," Starfire paused, "you said I have eyes `like her's.' What did you mean?"

Kayura looked up at her and managed a shakey reply, "Like mother's. Your eyes, look like my mother's."

"How?"

"I don't know. They just-don't look human. They look, like they belong on a fairy-"

"Or an elf," Starfire stated.

"What are you getting at, Inferno?" Cale asked.

"Just that I've finally put two and two together, and I think I know why Raenafel wants me dead. Come on, get up Wildfire." Starfire offered Kayura a hand up. Kayura looked at her hand for a moment as if she were afraid it would bite her, then took it and stood up. Starfire made a motion with her hand and a smooth round crystal materialized in it. "Look at this, Kayura. Have you ever seen a crystal like this before?"

Kayura's eyes lit up in recognition and she fished in a pouch on her belt before pulling out a red crystal similar to the clear one in Starfire's hand. Starfire's had the kanji Hope carved on it. Kayura's had Virtue.

"Good. Hold it against you and reach inside. You'll know what to do." Starfire's words were soft, soothing. Kayura shut her eyes and reached for…for what. She frowned after a long moment and opened her eyes.

"Nothing happened-" She trailed off when she realized the others were staring at her. Starfire smiled and gently reached forward, drawing one of Kayura's swords and turning it so she could see her reflection in the blade. She was startled to see a warrior in red armor staring back at her. She looked up at Starfire, who was smiling at her.

"You have the power you always wanted, Kayura," Starfire said softly. "What will you do with it?"

Kayura hesitated, feeling the full burden of the power at her command. "Stop…stop Arago. Stop Raenafel. We can't let this go on any longer. Will you help me?" She looked at the other warriors. An odd look suddenly crossed her face. Four of the warriors' appearances had changed.

"What's wrong?" Starfire asked, noticing the look on her face.

"I don't know," she answered, but through this mask, some of the warriors that came here with you look different."

"Different. How?"

"They're-well, they're glowing."

The senshi looked at each other, confused. No one here was glowing, as far as they could tell.

Starfire came to a sudden realization. "Glowing? What colors?"

"Light blue, dark blue, green, and orange. Why does it matter?"

"Reach into that pouch on your belt and pull out the crystals inside and tell me what colors they are."

Kayura did so, and gasped. The crystals matched the colors that four of the senshi were glowing. "They-they're-!"

"They're your new teammates."

The senshi looked at her now, dumbfounded. What did she mean, they were her new teammates? Kayura stepped towards them, offering the crystals to each of the ones she'd seen glowing. Light blue to Jean, dark blue to Remy, Orange to Angela, and Green to Scott. Each of them cried out as the crystals glowed, and they were suddenly wearing armors similar to Kayura's, and their injuries were healed. Warren smiled at his friends, happy for them. They'd wanted to use their powers to protect their world, now they could.

Starfire smiled, too. She'd been confused, at first, why she'd been sent to them even though she'd been sent to find Wildfire. Now she understood. She saw the wistful look on Warren's face and realized of everyone here, he'd suffered the most, and gained the least. Wildfire turned, leading the way towards Arago's throne room. Starfire caught Warren's shoulder as he turned to follow. The two of them stood there alone. "I'm sorry," she said.

"About the armor? Don't be. I'm happy for them. Don't change that by being sorry for me," he responded.

"That's not what I meant. I'm sorry, for everything. For everything you've been through here, for-for everything I put you through. I-I don't really know how to say this-"

"Say what?"

"I-I lo-I-Oh, gods! Stupid, idiot human word for a stupid emotion," she cried finally, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He was only startled for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.

"Come on," she stammered as she pulled away from him, "the others are waiting for us."

He followed, still in a daze from her kiss.