The sound of a door opening with enough force to knock it off of its hinges was enough to pull him away from the window as two pairs of feet slapping on the floor brought him full force to reality. His two grandchildren ran forward, pausing only long enough to see him standing there, a look of bewilderment on his face. The ronin was not with them, and why was Makoto still here?

      “Grandpa!” Makoto called out as she darted forward past his desk and nearly knocking him over with the force of the hug she caught him in. Professor Koji looked down to her as he returned her hug gently and then looked up to Mia. He did not bother to hide his surprise as she too hugged him, though from a different angle as to not squish her younger cousin.

      “Grandfather…” the older girl spoke with slightly more dignity. He transferred one of his arms from his younger granddaughter to the older one and tried to stay calm, knowing that both of them must have been frightened to rush him like this. They were both fiercely independent, despite their ages.

      “Grandpa, it’s awful!” Makoto spoke, pulling away from him to wipe her eyes. He had noticed that she had been crying, but for the sake of her pride he said nothing, and simply waited for an explanation. “Mia’s stupid ol’ prophecy or whatever is coming true! The ronin warriors are fighting some warlord people or something…” The girl continued to ramble at a speed that made words hard to enunciate and even harder to distinguish. For a girl that was always clear in making her words known, it was unsettling to see her speaking in such a befuddled voice.

      He looked to Mia as Makoto finished speaking and his eyes pleaded for a slower explanation. The taller girl placed a hand on Makoto’s shoulder and one on her grandfather’s.

      “Grandfather, Makoto said that the prophecy is coming true and she’s right. We were moving through the outskirts of town and there was a bad traffic jam. The jeep’s engine just went dead and after we got out we saw that boy that we had seen on television along with his tiger…” Mia continued to relay the rest of the story, excluding the parts about her and Makoto’s near death experiences. He did not seem surprised by the development until Makoto interjected a statement about White Blaze waiting outside of Professor’s Koji in the hallway. “Finally a tornado came out of no where and blew the five of them in different directions. By the time the tornado dissipated, they were gone. White Blaze took us back to the jeep and Talpa’s power seemed to have relaxed a little bit because the engine turned…”

      “Mia drove on the sidewalk, Grandpa,” Makoto added with a grin, causing Mia to scowl at her briefly. Then the taller of the two girls turned back to the eldest Koji and continued.

      “Grandfather, I have no idea where to begin looking for any of them…”

      Despair was written clearly in her eyes, and the only small glimmer of hope she felt was emanating from the fact that her grandfather was so much more educated in lore than she was.

      “Mia…” he said, and placed both hands on her shoulders while she dropped her hands to her sides. He smiled lightly to her, trying to lighten the tension in the room and said, “Remember the poem I used to recite to you when you were a young girl?”

      “Grandfather! Grandfather!” Mia Koji, age eight, cried as she ran to her grandfather who was quietly sitting across the room in a rocking chair, reading from a book. That was quickly forgotten, though, as she jumped into his lap and smiled up at him with big blue eyes.

      “Mia?” he asked with an expression mixed of surprise and curiosity.

      “Grandfather, tell me a story, please!” she begged while grasping at the front of his shirt. He looked away with a thoughtful expression on his face before peeking back down to her. Mia watched him silently, her expression almost pained as she waited for his answer.

      Beneath his mustache his lips quirked into a wry questioning grin and he asked, “A story, hmm?” He could not contain his laughter any longer and began to chuckle at her pleading expression. Mia grinned when he began to laugh and nodded quickly.

      “Please!”

      “Well, since you said please,” the professor began slowly and then reached a hand up to rub his chin. A moment later his hand raised into the air with the index finger pointed upward, as a thought came to mind. “All right, I know,” he said and pulled Mia into a better position on his lap.”

      She listened with nothing less than rapt attention. “Torch of spirit, sought through five, drinking strength from immortal fire…” he spoke gently, his eyes locking with hers. “The darkest prison sheds the light, churning beneath a swirl of salt, burning within a throne of rock, floating amongst the eyes of the ages, unmourned in the stream of the sky.” When he finished he took note of the outright curious expression on her face and he smiled lightly.

      “But, Grandfather, what does it mean?”

      The question was simple. What was the meaning of the poem? He knew the answer. It was on the tip of his tongue, waiting to be spoken, yet he refrained.

     Instead he sighed gently and spoke, “Mia, my dear, I hope you never have to know…”

      “That poem?” Mia asked as the memory vanished, almost in the same instant that it had appeared.

     Her grandfather nodded, and with the action the memory of his smiling face disappeared. He was not happy now.

      “That poem is the secret to finding the ronin warriors…”

      “Immortal fire…” Mia spoke, glancing away from him in thought. Her face twisted into a curious expression as she broke away from him. “An immortal fire, an eternal flame?”

      “A volcano, perhaps,” Professor Koji spoke from behind her as she stepped away from him.

      “Volcano? Mount Fuji is still active… Could Ryo be at Mount Fuji?” Mia thought aloud, her eyes wide.

      “So we’re going to find Ryo, right?” Makoto asked with her own subtle hint of desperation.

      “Of course we are, Makoto,” Mia replied with a strained smile for the girl.

      “We?” Professor Koji asked with an undeniable tone of disapproval.

     At the tone Makoto grimaced and sighed, only to finish with, “I’m going to get something to drink.” Mia nodded and watched the girl step out of the office before she met White Blaze and took the tiger with her.

     Then she turned to her grandfather and spoke, “Grandfather, are you suggesting that I go by myself?”

      “No,” he spoke and began to grab for his coat. “You and Makoto are both going to stay here, and I will go and find the ronin warriors. It’s too dangerous for you to be going out there at your age.”

      “And your age is any different?” Mia asked hotly before she could stop herself. She knew the words had been a mistake with the expression that he gave her, but it was too late to take them back now. So with a sigh, she continued, “Grandfather, I have already been thrown into the fray with these monsters. I know more of what to expect from them than you do. Besides, I know the ronin warriors now as well, and Makoto does too. After we-“

      “No, Makoto is not going out into that war zone under any circumstances,” the old man spoke vehemently and continued pulling the jacket on.

      “She’s not helpless, Grandfather. You know she’s not. If anything she has more right to be out there than I do.”

     Professor Koji slammed an open palm against his desktop and spoke, “You two are my only grandchildren. If anything were to happen…”

      “We’ll be all right, I promise,” Mia spoke and lifted a hand to his shoulder. “Famous last words…” She thought to herself as she watched him. He glanced up to her with a pained expression and before she could anticipate his next move she found herself swept into a strong hug. Despite her earlier comment about his age, he was a strong man.

      “Mia, please be careful…”

      “We will, Grandfather,” she replied and returned his hug. “I’m going to pick Makoto up on the way out and we’ll be on our way. We’ll be back soon. Please be careful, yourself, won’t you?” she asked and stepped out of the office, closing the door behind her.

     Professor Koji watched as his elder granddaughter stepped out of his office to stare danger in the eye, all for the sake of five young men that could have very well been dead. With a sigh he took a seat at his desk and rested his chin on two hands.

      “If it’s not too late, then the world may yet be saved…” he murmured aloud.

     Upon stepping outside she saw White Blaze lying next to the jeep against one of its tires, and her eyebrow perked again.

      “That answers that question,” she thought silently as she strode toward the jeep.

     Once inside, she heard the rustling of cloth, but she said nothing. She simply glanced into the rear view mirror and saw the quilt that she had had folded neatly now a lumpy mess. With a loud sigh she spoke aloud, “It’s too bad that Grandpa said that Makoto can come along, since she’s still inside there at the vending machines… I know she would have wanted to come…”

     Her eyes spared a glance to the rearview mirror again as she reached for the ignition key. The quilt in the back had become decidedly excited over something and was moving furiously.

     The engine turned with the flick of the key and Mia was quickly shifting gears from park into drive. “Yes, too bad.”

      “Mia,” a muffled voice came from the back. “You can stop your stupid game. You know I’m here. I know you know I’m here…”

     Mia grinned and chuckled then asked, “Then why don’t you crawl up here and put your seatbelt on?”

      “I would… but…” There was a grunt and Mia felt something hit the back of her seat, causing her face to twist into a confused expression. “I’m stuck! Mia, help!”

     Before they reached the end of the University’s short driveway, Mia pulled over and reached behind to grab at the quilt. Makoto wasn’t lying. Somehow she had nearly gotten the thing tied around her… A few minutes later, though, Makoto was strapping into the front seat and sitting comfortably.

      “Thanks, Mia,” she mumbled, causing Mia to give a surprised sidelong glance to her younger cousin.

      “You’re welcome,” she replied cautiously, still somewhat surprised.

     The trip to Fuji was a quiet one. Mia kept her eyes on the road and Makoto stared out of the window, watching the passing countryside. It was getting cooler as the elevation rose and the quickly setting sun was not helping the temperature.

      “Talpa probably likes it that way,” Mia thought and cast a glance to Makoto. Her right arm was resting against the windowsill. Her head was lolled over against her arm, but her eyes were open, at least the eye that Mia could see was open. She appeared thoughtful.

     From habit Mia cast a glance to her mirrors; the side mirror next to her, the rearview mirror. Nothing out of the ordinary was in either of those. Then she looked to the mirror that Makoto was sitting closest to. After a moment her eyes widened and a laugh erupted from her throat, causing Makoto to look up.

      “What is it?” the girl asked, somewhat sleepily.

      “Look behind us,” Mia said before she turned her eyes back to the road, the smile never leaving her lips. Makoto yawned and did as she was told, only to echo the laughter that Mia had just given.

      “White Blaze!” the younger of the two called out. She reached for the window’s handle and began to roll it down furiously blinking back the biting wind that entered the jeep. Then she stuck her entire upper body out and turned back to him, waving madly. “Hey, White Blaze!” she called out and then slowly pulled back into the jeep, with the wind impeding her progress.

      “He’s been following us all this way,” Mia said, surprised and at the time shaking her head. Makoto grinned at her cousin.

      “Do you think that when this is all over Grandpa will let us keep him?” the younger of the two asked, a mischievous glint in her eye. Mia sighed and cast a final glance into the rearview mirror before placing her eyes on the road for good.

      “He’s Ryo’s tiger, remember?”

      “Stealing is nothing new to me, remember?” Makoto retorted smartly and then looked over her shoulder back to the tiger in time to avoid Mia’s sharp scowl to her.

     Mia simply sighed, not knowing how Grandfather had ever gotten to her when he seemed to never punish her at all. The thoughts were pushed away as she reminded herself that she had more important things to think about.

      “Mount Fuji is where Ryo is located, or so we think, but where else will there be an immortal fire? Can we find the others, as well? It will take all five of them to beat the Dynasty…”

      “Mia,” Makoto spoke as she dropped back into the seat and faced forward. “Are we going to be able to find all of the ronin warriors? I mean, if Ryo’s already out this far, then what about the others? Wouldn’t they be pretty far from that sky scraper too?”

      “Yes, Makoto,” Mia spoke and nodded. “But don’t worry, I’m sure that we’ll find all of them.”

      “Good,” Makoto replied and then resumed staring out of the window at the scenery. “Is that it?” she asked a few moments later, pointing to a clearing from the constant greenery.

     Mia took a glance to the direction Makoto was pointing in and was able to see the monstrous form of Mount Fuji towering over them. She took a deep breath and focused her eyes back on the road, wondering what would be ahead. In her thoughts she completely forgot to answer Makoto’s question.

     They came to a semi-level place closer to the top of Fuji and Mia pulled the jeep over, switching it off quickly.

      “Why are we stopping? Do you have to pee?” Makoto asked openly, causing Mia to sigh.

      “No. We’re going to have to walk the rest of the way. The jeep can’t take the rough terrain, despite the fact that it’s supposed to be a SUV!” She slammed her hand down on the steering wheel in frustration, causing a loud honk from the horn. With a sigh she sat up, rubbed her forehead a moment and then reached over to unbuckle herself.

      “I don’t want to walk all the way up there, though!” Makoto cried as she began to climb out of the jeep, herself. Mia’s bad mood was growing, and she did not want to have to put up with Makoto’s whining.

     Resisting the urge to snap at the girl, Mia asked, “Well don’t you want to save Ryo?”

      “Of course I do!” Makoto replied, and she did not hesitate to snap. The two began moving up, climbing over large rocks that were not quite boulders. “I am just wondering,” she spoke and was interrupted as she slid off of a rock to the ground, landing in a crouch, “if he is worth this long walk…”

      “Please, Makoto. This must be a piece of cake. I mean, you probably had to do a lot more running around than this when you were a hoodlum, right?” Mia teased with a light laugh. The comment had been meant to lighten the situation and maybe put Makoto in a better mood, but it didn’t work as well as planned.

      “It was harder than you might think, Mia,” Makoto said and then fell silent.

     Mia watched her for a moment before she looked upward back toward the top of the mountain hopefully where they would find Ryo of the Wildfire.

      “I don’t see how White Blaze does it… Look at him, he’s still going strong,” Makoto said and pulled her hands behind her head while she leaned against a boulder. The girl swallowed roughly and took a deep breath, exertion noticeable in her voice.

      “A tiger’s body is made for the terrain and to absorb the shock from bouncing around like that…” Mia answered as White Blaze came back and approached Makoto.

      “Yeah well, let me be a cat until we reach the top…” she replied and reached forward to scratch behind the cat’s large ears. She grinned as his head butted against her hand, then he licked her palm, causing her to laugh and say, “If you want food I don’t have any… I’m a little hungry myself… ”

      “After we get Ryo we’ll eat, all right?” Mia replied, though Makoto hadn’t been speaking to her. Makoto just nodded and then laughed again as White Blaze stood over her, beginning to lick her face as she held onto his neck, trying not to topple over.

      “What?” she cried, stretching the word so that it lasted a few seconds longer than normal. White Blaze continued to nudge her until she chose to stand up, rather than be pinned beneath the animal.

     A soft chuckle followed by, “He likes you,” made its way into her ears. It was Ryo that had spoken she thought after a moment and a small grin crept onto her face.

      “Duh,” she mumbled and she was surprised when White Blaze quickly trotted off of the bench to her level and began to nuzzle her hip with his face. Makoto glanced back to Ryo, a confused expression on her face, and watched as the bearer of Wildfire motioned for her to climb onto the tiger’s back.

     Makoto placed both hands on the tiger’s back quickly and then climbed onto his back, wondering if all tiger’s came as large as this one. Her fists grabbed handfuls of fur in each and she looked at Mia.

      “I think he’s offering a free ride for both us. Want to get on so we can hurry up and get this over with? It’s really cold out here…”

     Mia threw a leg over the tiger’s back and wrapped her arms around her cousin’s waist. She, herself, was beginning to get warmer as they came closer to the summit of the mountain, causing her to wonder if she might be getting sick, and if she was getting sick, would Makoto be getting sick, too?

      “Great,” Mia thought with a mental sigh. “That’s all we need right now; Makoto to be getting sick on me… Grandfather was right. I shouldn’t have brought her…”

     White Blaze gave no warning that he was taking off and before they knew it the girls were bouncing on his back as he took to the rocks, leaping to one only long enough to get enough momentum to jump to another. It didn’t take long. After a moment, Mia pushed Makoto forward and told her to get a better grasp, while she herself lay over her cousin and wrapped one arm around her, the other grabbing a fist full of fur.

     The bounding white tiger finally came to a stop later than Mia would have like, but sooner than she expected. She sat up quickly slid off, wondering why on Earth Makoto liked the creature. Makoto sat up a moment later, but remained sitting on the tiger.

     It was now just slightly warmer than it had been while they were in the city, but the humidity was strong and Mia wished for an air conditioner. She moved toward the very peak of the summit where an opened mouth volcano was sitting, steam rising from it every now and then. Leaning over it just so she could peak in, her face was greeted with a blast of hot, dry air that caused her to inhale sharply. She could see the red tinting the sides of the volcano but from here she could only see smoke billowing out from the center.

      “Torch of spirit sought through five, drinking strength from immortal fire…” Mia slowly murmured as she stared down into the darkness. Her eyes widened and she let lose a low moan, slowly backing away from the volcano. “He can’t be in there… Ryo…” she murmured again, her right hand coming to her mouth.

      “Oh but he is, young lady,” a masculine voice spoke close from behind her, causing her to turn around in a whir of motion. Her eyes widened even more so, causing the man to grin. “And you are going to join him very shortly.”

      “You…” Mia spoke, finding that her voice almost escaped her. “You’re Anubis… You’re with the Dynasty!” Mia’s eyes began searching the area frantically, though her body was frozen. White Blaze was no where to be found and that meant that he had Makoto as well. A very brief wave of relief ran through her body before Anubis’ footsteps woke her from her reverie, reminding her that she was very in very imminent danger.

      “I am,” he spoke in regards to her earlier statement.

     He grew closer so that she took a step back and shouted, “Stay back!” At the command, she saw his eyes widen beneath his mask. And a grin form as well. He was strangely human for the apparition that filled his shell of armor. He was also not listening to her.

     A whimper escaped her throat in protest and she seemed like she was going to say something else, when he spoke, “Going to run away, are you? Where? Into the volcano?”

     Mia took another step back, only to find that she had no footing and she quickly jerked forward into the chest plate of the very man she was trying to escape. His eyes were no longer showing any humor in the situation. Her arm came between them to separate them, but she quickly realized that it was futile as he snatched her arm by the wrist, the power center of the forearm.

     He picked her up with as much effort as if he were picking up a feather and held her suspended over the mouth of the volcano, causing her to shriek and grab hold of his arm with her free hand. Anubis grinned and released an amused chuckle at her terrified reaction.

     “If Wildfire is truly a Ronin Warrior, he’ll save you, won’t he?” Anubis shouted, and pulled his arm back slowly so that Mia’s feet brushed the ground of Mount Fuji. A shaky sigh released her mouth, but it was short lived as Anubis threw her forward again into the open mouth of the volcano where she began to plummet. Her shrill scream pierced the air before a stream of black smoke shot upward, blocking all noise.

     Anubis’ eyes locked on the cloud of smoke until it dissipated when another shrill scream caught his ear. He turned slowly and nonchalantly to view the origin of the scream and as he saw it, a grin broke out on his face.

     Makoto was forcefully trying to escape from the bite that White Blaze had on the back of her shirt, causing her to stay in place while she tried to attack Anubis. She finally threw both arms forward and with the extra force, the sweater she was wearing began to rip, causing it to slip from the tiger’s hold. Makoto fell to the ground with a grunt, amusing Anubis even further. She was not down for long, though and ran at him with without restraint.

      “I HATE YOU!” she screamed as she pounded on his hip with tightly balled fists. He regarded her with slight amusement. He made no move to stop her, wondering how long she could keep this up before she realized how powerless she really was. She didn’t seem like she was going to tire anytime soon.

     It was only when she reluctantly fell back to the ground trembling with anger that she even looked at his face. Tears fell down her cheeks openly and she seemed as if she was going to break down sobbing at any minute. She stared at him with hate-filled green eyes and set her jaw against her quivering bottom lip.

      “So you’re the brave one, are you?” Anubis asked, leaning forward and resting his forearm on his knee. Her eyes widened at his proximity and her mouth began to work as if she was going to say something. He grinned, wondering what it would be, when all of a sudden her lips pursed and she spit on him.

     The few drops of saliva rolled down the face mask of his helmet before Anubis frowned outright and lifted a fist, preparing to strike the girl.

     Her eyes widened again as the armored fist nearly hit him before a voice cried out, “STOP!” causing both the warlord and the child to turn to its origin.

     There at the edge of the volcano’s mouth Ryo and Mia were standing, he in his full armor and her in his protective grasp. Ryo’s expression was not a pleasant one. In fact, it seemed to Makoto that he was down right pissed off. Mia had a startled expression, but she seemed to be recovering.

      “Mia! Ryo!” Makoto called out, drawing all attention back to her. Ryo and Mia stared at her with wide surprised eyes, causing her to grin at them. Then she turned back to Anubis and saw he was staring at her as well.

     From next to Ryo, Mia stepped out of his hold and moved forward, her eyes wide as she saw the same green symbol for Jupiter on her cousin’s forehead that had been present during Anubis’ first attack.

     The light had already faded, making Mia wondered what had happened to trigger it, as the appearance of the staff seemed to trigger it the first time. Then for a moment Mia wondered if she had remembered to get the staff out of the jeep how much of this problem could have been avoided. After all, it had freed the ronin from Anubis’ grasp the first time. There was no telling what else it could do.

      “What is that?” Ryo murmured in regards to the symbol he could also clearly see on Makoto’s forehead. Anubis was also staring at the symbol on the girl’s forehead. The only one that didn’t seem enraptured by the symbol was Makoto herself.

     She quickly turned and began to scramble from the Warlord of Cruelty, only to have herself snatched up by him when the spell she had unknowingly cast suddenly vanished. He held her up with one arm, so that both arms were pinned to her sides.

      “Let her go, Anubis!” Ryo cried, unsheathing both katana from their scabbards on his back. He took a step forward only to have Anubis’ pull out his kusari-gama and hold the bladed end to Makoto’s throat. All three could hear her sharp intake of breath as the metal, warmed by the heat of the volcano, came into contact with her skin.

     Despite the look on her face, Makoto seemed strangely calm. She didn’t thrash and scream and cry and kick, and Mia was strangely glad for that. She and Ryo had come out of the volcano just in time to see Makoto spit in Anubis’ face, and while Mia felt a morbid pride in the action, she didn’t want to see harm come to her cousin.

      “If you want this child, Wildfire, you’ll have to fetch her…” With that the Warlord grinned, withdrew his sword from Makoto’s neck and leapt into the air, clear over Ryo and Mia’s head toward the mouth of the volcano. Makoto screamed as she had when Sai had grabbed her and leapt upward toward the roof of the building in the city. Mia screamed out for her cousin and moved as if to try and intercept them, though she would never have been able to. Ryo held her back, though as she protested. Above them as Makoto and Anubis sailed over the head of the volcano, he threw her downward violently toward the open pit. Her suddenly thrashing body would have screamed had the smoke not pervaded her lungs, momentarily blocking any noise.

     Anubis landed on the other side of the volcano’s mouth, a good distance away from his original target and the woman with him, but even distance could not lessen the emotion in Mia’s scream. She lurched forward toward the mouth of the volcano as Makoto’s cries were swallowed, causing Ryo to firm his hold on her as he looked away from his armor’s power source.

     He had saved Mia, but he hadn’t known that Anubis was present, but now that he had Mia he needed to get Makoto. He couldn’t, though, leave Mia in Anubis’ presence while he went into the volcano to catch Makoto, but he also couldn’t take Mia, or she would burn to death. He looked back toward the mouth of the volcano, feeling the resonating power of his primary characteristic; virtue. From his leg White Blaze growled before looking over into the mouth of the volcano, his white fur tinted red, even at this distance.

      “White Blaze,” Ryo spoke while holding the sobbing Mia. He gently lowered her to the ground and then looked to his tiger, speaking, “Stay with Mia. Don’t let anything hurt her, all right?” The tiger growled lowly in response, leaving Ryo to stand. Ryo reached for his right-handed katana before he leapt into the air, unsheathing it in mid-leap. White Blaze watched his master for a moment before curling around Mia’s body and acting as a protective shield, as well as a pillow.

     Ryo’s face hardened as he flew over the thickest part of the sulfuric cloud, landing on the other side of Fuji’s summit, where he had last seen Anubis. The Dark Warlord of Cruelty was no where to be seen, though, causing Ryo’s senses to come to full alert.

     All at once his blue eyes widened and he turned full pivot, lifting his sword to parry the curved blade of the kusari-gama. As the two metals clashed sparks flew, and it was only a split-second before the combatants broke apart to move down the mountain a bit. Ryo smirked at that thought. “So Anubis can throw a somewhat-innocent child into the inferno, but God forbid that he stand the flames himself.” The thought sobered the warrior and he charged after the Warlord again, this time drawing the second of his katana.

     At the same time in the belly of the volcano, lava covered with ash and charred rocks sat in patient wait, anticipating the next time the mountain would erupt, spurting forth the contents of its belly. Not far away from the pool of molten rock was a less than sturdy ledge, jutting away from the side of the wide crevice. On the very top of the darkened, but very hot rock a small figure lay motionlessly. She lay on her side with her limbs sprawled erratically. Her brown ponytail had fallen across her face, obscuring her cheek, nose and mouth. Despite the suffocating heat that was a threat to her own life, she lay without stirring, the heat of no consequence.

     This close to the lava of the volcano, very few shadows found places to live and yet when a shadow fell over the face of this girl she still did not move. A hand loomed over the shadow and reached forward to brush the ponytail away from the girl’s face. He rolled her over onto her back gently and studied her face. A roughened hand reached out toward the middle of her brow, but before he could bridge the gap between their flesh green light shimmered forward, illuminating the symbol of Jupiter on her forehead. A small smile found its way onto his lips before he patted her forehead gently, causing the symbol to shine even more brightly.

      “You’re going to cause problems for us all, aren’t you?” he asked in a rich and ageless voice. Beneath him the girl stirred, releasing a small groan before her eyes began to open. The light on her forehead dimmed until only a faint outline of the symbol was present. Then as her eyes fully opened it vanished, leaving her prey to the heat and smoke of the volcano. She coughed and began to sit up, only to find that most of the room on the small ledge was already being taken up by another form.

     Propped on her elbows, Makoto swallowed and closed her mouth as she stared up at the figure half-shrouded in smoke. His hand reached out to her silently, showing only the long white sleeve of his garment, whatever he was wearing. For a stunned moment, Makoto stared at the hand, then she took it quickly and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet and quickly into the protective embrace of this savior.

     She buried her face against what she felt was his shoulder and took a deep breath, all at once feeling a cooler air and smelling the spring breeze that was permanently nestled next to her home. Tears sprung to her eyes as she caught sight of the brewing lava and she slowly lifted her arms around his neck. Then her eyes were caught on the color of hair that carelessly shrouded her vision. It was a pale color, appearing platinum blond in the light of the lava. Then again, her own hair appeared to be a fiery red…

      “All’s well. We’re leaving now…” he spoke gently and she closed her eyes before she nodded. She went lax against his cool form, wondering how he could be so comfortable in the center of this volcano, but not presently caring. Despite her brash and somewhat ignorant personality, she knew a blessing when she saw one.

     When she braved to open her eyes she saw she was lying comfortably in Mia’s sleeping embrace. Makoto took a deep breath of the air before she began to cough wickedly. When she pulled away from her cousin and spat it was black, causing her to swallow roughly. She turned to look at the young woman that was beginning to move beneath her. Tear stains were evident on Mia’s soot-stained face, making Makoto wondered if she was dirty as her cousin. White Blaze stared at Makoto benevolently with cherry-colored eyes before he rested his maw atop his paws again.

      “Mia…” Makoto spoke gently, her small hands moving to shake Mia’s shoulders. She took a deep breath as Mia’s eyes opened, focusing in on her.

      “Makoto, is it really you?” Mia asked, her brow furrowed in confusion while her eyes were wide with surprise. All at once Makoto found herself once more in the embrace of her older cousin, though this time it was of her own device. She cried as she buried her face against Mia’s neck, her entire body trembling with fear.

      “Mia!” Makoto cried, burying a hand within her younger cousin’s dark tresses as she held her tightly.

     Mia returned the hug tightly, grateful that her younger cousin was still alive and relatively well. She noted that Makoto’s hair felt weighed down with the weight of soot and dirt, and that her skin was slightly darker, stained from the smoke and flying ash.

     On the exact opposite side of the mountain, Ryo had propelled Anubis back to the mouth of the volcano, pressing his anger into his attack. The Warlord would not admit it, but he was on the ropes, while the heat of the volcano empowered Ryo and began to stifle him.

      “This is for Makoto!” Ryo shouted angrily as he gave a direct hit to Anubis’ armored belly. Sparks flashed but Ryo pressed on. The first of Ryo’s katana was sheathed before he shouted again, “This is for Mia!” A roundhouse kick found its way into the Warlord of Cruelty’s chin, causing him to stumble even farther backwards. They were at the mouth of the volcano once more and Ryo panted before he shouted, “And this… is for my FRIENDS!” he drove his fist into Anubis’ armored belly, enough to send the man stumbling backwards and into the boiling lava so far below.

     There was a strangled cry from the warlord as he fell while Ryo swallowed before resuming a panting breath. He had fought like a demon, himself, to keep Anubis from hurting Mia anymore, but he was barely tired. He frowned and closed his eyes a moment, remembering the hot-headed girl that Anubis had sacrificed to the pit.

     Ryo stepped towards the side of the volcano, tears brimming at the corners of his eyes.

      “Makoto, I’m so-“

     The weapon was upon him so quickly that the apology he had been offering was lost. A long, black chain wrapped around his neck and while his armor protected him enough to breathe. “Anubis?!” he shouted in angered surprise. The sheer surprise of the attack, however, was enough to send him back into the volcano. He tumbled through the dark smoke and held his breath as he did so. The chain no longer pulled at him and he quickly pulled at it. It wouldn’t budge.

     He was still falling and it was getting hotter, but the smoke was beginning to clear. The tears that stung his eyes only moments earlier were used to clear the acidic sting left by the smoke. His opened in time to see an air bubble in the churning lava pop. He heard and felt the chain release from his neck before the lava embraced him, covering his entire body in a fell swoop, and Anubis watched the entire scenario with a grin.

     Several meters higher than the lava, the Warlord of Cruelty retracted the chain of his weapon and watched as the lava absorbed Ryo of the Wildfire. Anubis knew he was taking a chance on the boy being able to regenerate within the fiery depths, but the fall was against him. He had fallen nearly half a kilometer before slapping into the wet surface. That and pure lava was something no ordinary human could withstand.

     He waited a few more moments before looking upward to where Ryo had left the woman and the tiger. With a quick jump he threw his feet out toward the opposite wall of the volcano and kicked off from it. Then using the momentum of the kick he jumped toward the opposite wall and used this technique to reach the mouth of the mountain, coming to stand a few meters away from Mia and White Blaze. They were not alone, though. The child was with them, hugging the slightly older woman.

      “How on earth did she survive the volcano? I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

     A feral grin came to his mouth and he stalked toward the two, not bothering to hide the loud clanking sounds of his armor.

     From where Mia sat against White Blaze she heard the distinct sounds of the armor clanking on the bear ground. Her ears perked up and she looked down to Makoto’s where she was still holding the girl.

      ‘Ryo?’ she wondered quietly, sitting up enough to peek over the tiger’s back. Her eyes widened and she slunk back down quickly, her grasp on Makoto tightening by measures. Makoto seemed ready to protest when she turned around and saw the same sight as Mia.

      “Anubis…” she whimpered and drew back as White Blaze jumped to his feet, coming to stand between the warlord and the cowering females. Makoto broke away from Mia upon inspecting the newcomer, but as soon as she had identified him as the Warlord of Cruelty she promptly dropped back onto the blackened dirt, pebbles biting into her hands as she tried to back away.

     He stood stock-still and looked from Makoto to Mia. To Makoto, Mia seemed frozen in place her eyes wide with well-expressed fear. Before the two, White Blaze growled menacingly, for what good it would do. Makoto took an unsure step back on her hands before she began to scramble back to her feet.

      “Save your dignity child and stop trying to run,” Anubis spoke calmly. When he wasn’t mocking them or laughing like he was insane he sounded almost normal… regal, even. “Ryo of the Wildfire is dead and there is no one else to protect you from what fate has planned for you…”

      “Ryo is not dead!” Makoto cried out sharply so that even Mia glanced to her. The older of the two girls absently noted that while on most occasions she might try to stop her cousin from saying something like this in the face of death, death was pretty much a done deal. Thus she allowed the young girl to get whatever venting she needed to do, done. “Ryo is a Ronin Warrior and if you didn’t notice, the first time you guys fought he kicked your ass! He wouldn’t lose to someone like you!” A deep grin came on her face while she clenched her fists at her sides.

      “You speak brave words for someone that is about to die,” he spoke and crossed his arms over his chest, causing his weapon to disappear in some way that she did not know of.

      “Yeah, well you’d talk like me if you knew you weren’t going to die too!” she said, but her eyes were no longer focused on him.

     Anubis only waited as her dark green eyes flickered from whatever apparition she viewed then back to him, a grin on her face. He heard a gasp from Mia and cast his glance to the taller and older of the two before glancing back to Makoto again.

      “Ryo…” Mia breathed in amazement and relief, her eyes wide and sincere.

     Makoto, herself, was overjoyed. She wasn’t going to die! She grinned over at Mia, tears blurring her vision and then reached forward and hugged White Blaze, not caring that Anubis was still very much between her and her would-be savior. Everything was going to be all right now. Under her body White Blaze purred and Makoto nuzzled his fur with her cheek, glancing to Anubis as she did so. The warlord did not spin around in surprise, though she was surprised that the he had not.

     Anubis remained where he was standing, his eyes at their farthest peripheral reach, waiting for a movement from Ryo. All at once the kusari-gama was back in his hand, called from where it was kept when not in use, and Anubis’ hand clenched on the handle.

      “Ryo, look out!” Makoto screamed, her head lifting from White Blaze’s side so her voice would be clearer.

     With the first sound of Makoto’s voice, Anubis launched around, swinging the blade of the weapon with him. There was a fierce clash of metal upon metal as, the newly appeared, Ryo’s sword was lifted to block the kusari-gama’s blade. Makoto watched with fear filled eyes, her breath coming in short spurts. It was hot near the mouth of the volcano, but it seemed to be getting hotter. It was almost hard to breathe.

     The two stood stock-still, locked in a battle of wills, but Anubis was groaning. Ryo pressed his growing advantage and pushed harder, forcing Anubis to use both hands to hold the one handle of the weapon. Even with both, he was having a hard time holding his own.

      “My God…” Mia whispered from behind Makoto, and the younger could hear the labor in the elder’s breathing. Mia’s cerulean eyes eyed Ryo and Anubis as they struggled against one another. More specifically her eyes were focused on the rock beneath Ryo’s feet. With every step he took, pushing Anubis back, the rock beneath his feet would bubble upward like mud and then reform as he moved away from it, leaving the footprint of his armor in his wake.

      “Cool,” Makoto whispered in awe. Then she shook her head slightly and said, “I mean- hot…”

     Ryo raised his right katana once more, giving Anubis only the briefest respite before cutting back down against the Warlord. The handle of his kusari-gama split in two with the fierce swing and even the young women could see the surprise in his eyes as he took another step back. Ryo sheathed his swords in the scabbards on his back quickly and then charged Anubis. Both arms wrapped around the waist of the Warlord, catching him off guard with the force of the fiery blow.

     Makoto screamed joyfully, “Kill him, Ryo! Kill him!” while Mia watched with wide and apprehensive eyes.

     As the two warriors toppled back into the mouth of the volcano, Makoto grabbed a fistful of White Blaze’s fur in her hands and lurched forward calling out Ryo’s name.

     Beneath their very feet, the ground began to quake and Mia stumbled for a moment before catching herself by propping on White Blaze’s back. “Mia, get on!” Makoto urged her and pulled her closer to the tiger. The older girl nodded gently, but as she began to climb upward, the shaking stopped and both girls turned to look toward the mouth of the volcano.

     Standing at the mouth, was master of all of the flames that had nearly scorched both women.

      “Ryo,” Mia spoke gently, her face curving into a smile. The faceplate was over his face, hiding whatever emotion he might have been trying to express. He walked toward them slowly, almost wearily and they watched in awe as his armor disappeared with his footsteps. Still in his sub-armor he stepped toward all of them and gave a very faint smile to them.

      “We have to find the others,” he spoke gently, as if his voice could give out at any moment. Despite the tremendous power he had displayed in defeating Anubis, he seemed very weary. As White Blaze began to approach his master, Makoto slid from the tiger’s back, making room for Ryo. He simply smiled at her as she stood next to White Blaze, then reached over and ruffled her hair. For a moment she scowled at him as she smoothed the chocolate tresses, then she smirked and eventually smiled gently to him before looking back to Mia.

      “Can we go home now?” the youngest of the human trio asked with a weary expression of her own. “I’m still really hungry…”

     Mia smiled for both of them, sparing only one more glance back to the mouth of the volcano before she nodded.

     As she brushed a single lose strand of hair out of her eyes, she spoke, “Let’s go.”

     The trip back to the university was uneventful, which pleased all party members present. Ryo and Mia rode in the front of the jeep while Makoto and White Blaze were crammed into the back.

     The girl did not seem to mind very much, for after curling against the tiger she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep without so much as a word.

      “Where’s my camera when I need it?” Mia wondered aloud as she spared a glance to the rear-view mirror. Ryo spared a glance over his shoulder and then smiled gently.

     As he turned back around, his sub-armor rattling gently, he said, “From what little I know of you two, I think she would try and strangle you…” Mia sighed in response and nodded with a wry smirk on her face.

      “You’re probably right… I hope she doesn’t get too attached to him, though. When this is all over, and if we’re still alive we’ll eventually go our separate ways…” Ryo watched her as she spoke the words, realizing their truth, but finding nothing adequate to respond with. He chose to say nothing and then looked away from her, toward the scenery outside.

     Traffic was nonexistent, but Mia still drove on the slow side, her fatigue showing through her driving habits. Ryo wondered if it was something she did naturally, and then decided that they weren’t really in a hurry. The other ronin, if their conditions were similar to his, wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while.

      “My grandfather will know where we can find the others… I could find them by myself if I had the time to sit down and think about it, but he can be more helpful than I can,” Mia added a few minutes later. Ryo turned to watch her again while she kept her eyes on the road. He wasn’t sure if she was scared, though he couldn’t very well blame her, or if she was telling the truth, but he was willing to bet on both.

      “I think you’ve done a great job so far,” he spoke reassuringly, and it was the truth.

     He was gratified by the smile she gave him and he returned it openly, but was caught off when an expression of pure relief graced her face. She lifted one hand from the steering wheel and pointed to the left side of the windshield, directing his attention to the sight that caught her eyes.

      “That’s our destination,” she spoke for emphasis.

     He glanced in the direction she was point, leaning forward for a better view and nodded. It was a higher education campus, he could see, that was set far from the road with a long drive, but from this distance it appeared small.

     The jeep turned off quickly and wound down the drive more speedily than Mia had driven during the entire trip, causing Ryo to smile inwardly.

     When they reached the parking lot, Mia zoomed past it and pulled straight up to the front doors. There was only one other vehicle that he had spotted, but it was somewhat older than the jeep and it looked more like a family vehicle, so he didn’t question her. Parking violations seemed of little importance as it was, he told himself silently.

     The gear switched down to park and Mia cut the engine off, all the while looking over at the large building before them. She looked back to Ryo and spoke with a wan smile, “Here we are.” Then the young woman looked over her shoulder with the same smile to wake Makoto gently, and after a moment’s protesting the girl rose. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and the white fur from her clothes. Before Ryo had gotten out of his seat, or Mia could lift hers out of the way, Makoto had already begun to climb over the ronin. He grunted as she crawled over him, grateful that he was wearing his armor as she moved carelessly through the passenger door.

     Makoto hopped down to the ground and stared up at the building only for a moment before taking off the for the doors with the cry of, “Grandpa!”

     Mia gave Ryo an expression of apology and then turned to look toward the door, walking at a more subdued pace. The two walked side by side as Makoto pulled open one of the double glass doors and ran inside, vanishing from vision. At this Ryo chuckled and Mia cast him a wary glanced.

      “She must really love your grandfather,” Ryo said in explanation, upon feeling Mia’s confused gaze. Mia nodded, happy with the explanation and then nodded once more in agreement.

      “He’s the first one that ever really took care of her after her parents died in a plane crash,” Mia explained calmly and without tension. Ryo nodded as they reached the double doors and Mia grabbed one, pulling it back and then stepping through.

      “I guess that explains why she was so afraid of heights when we had to get to the top of the building.”

      “Yes, but if Sai had told her what he was going to do, she would have never gone through with it, so it was better to just not tell her…” Mia explained, trying not to become too distracted by the conversation. Had the Dynasty really left this place so empty? It was always bustling with life, and was only this quiet on the weekends.

     As they walked Mia and Ryo both kept their eyes wandering. The halls were silent and unoccupied and it left both feeling uneasy. Mia stopped for a moment and looked toward her grandfather’s classroom door that was slightly ajar.

      “Is something wrong?” Ryo asked, only a pace before her. After a moment, Mia shook her head and stepped forward, falling back in step with him.

     She stepped to the door first and opened it gently, calling out, “Makoto? Grandfather? Are you here?” Stepping in, she allowed room for Ryo as she moved toward the door of her grandfather’s office. One of the windows in the actual classroom was open, but her attention was quickly drawn from it as she heard the loud sound of cracking glass followed by a strangled gurgling. It sounded as if someone was choking…

     Mia and Ryo’s attention snapped toward to Professor Koji’s closed office door where the glass was splintered outward from the center. Behind the glass, the mini-blinds were splayed erratically against the cracks so that Mia’s stomach churned just by looking at it. The gurgling sound continued and Mia took a single step forward, fearing something horrible had happened.

     By the time that she reached the door, she faintly realized that she had spanned the distance of the lecture room by running. She twisted the door handle and pushed inward, instantly feeling resistance against the movement. For a moment she pushed harder, but the gurgling sound erupted again.

      “Grandfather!” she called out quickly.

     A flash of movement caught her eye and she turned to look to her right where Ryo was holding up a chair in front of another window that spied into the classroom from her grandfather’s office. Ryo threw it before she could protest, not that she found herself wanting to. Her hands covered her eyes and she looked away quickly as the glass shattered. Mia was grateful for the action as she felt a few shards hit her back lightly.

     She turned back quickly, dropping her hands as she watched Ryo jump through the window with ease, crying out something that sounded garbled on her ears. Not bothering to shake the glass from her hair, she followed Ryo’s lead, trying to avoid glass as she crawled through the broken window. She did not land in the office gracefully, but she landed well enough to turn quickly and see Ryo holding her grandfather over his desk with a sword held close to his throat. At the same time, Makoto was slumped before the door, half-sitting while her head was rolled forward.

     Mia cast a quick glance back to the door and quickly realized that Makoto had been the thing holding the door shut, and it was her head that had splintered the glass. Turning back to Ryo and her grandfather, she realized that it was her grandfather that had held Makoto there.

     Fear was too prevalent for other emotions to have any control over her. Ryo was dealing with her grandfather well enough, it seemed, and she lost no time in moving to Makoto’s side, inspecting her injuries gently.

      “M-Makoto?” she asked as she pulled the girl forward to examine the back of her head. She could see a tangled knot of hair in the girl’s head that was glittered with glass and a sticky red substance. The glass had cut her a little, but her ponytail had diverted most of the glass. Mia spared a glance up to the windowpane and saw that a few of Makoto’s hairs were sticking to the glass. There was no trace of blood. “It must have not cut her too badly…” she thought silently and then looked over her shoulder to where Ryo was still restraining her grandfather. The sight was beyond confusing. If her grandfather loved Makoto and her, why would he have hurt Makoto like this?

     There was a gentle moan from beneath her and Mia looked back to Makoto quickly to see the girl stirring. She lifted her head from the neck, though her shoulders were rising as well.

      “Makoto are you all right?” Mia asked, helping to lift her. The older girl was glad that the younger did not force her away, but she was still cautious with her movements. In response to the question Makoto nodded slowly, but she was still moving. Her eyes opened and brought about a pained expression on her face as she looked toward Ryo and her grandfather.

      “Grandpa?” she wondered. Her voice was wrought with pain and she gazed at Ryo and her grandfather as if Mia had never been present at all.

     Mia stared at Makoto for a moment, glancing between her grandfather and her cousin. As her cerulean eyes flickered back to the younger of the two, she fancied that she caught a faint flash of green on the girl’s brow, but when she took a closer look all she saw was pale skin marred by ash and soot. She knew, however, that something had been there. When she had more time she would definitely have to delve into the mysteries of that small green character and what secrets it held.

     Makoto’s head lolled about as if she didn’t quite have control of it as she turned to face her cousin and look away from her grandfather. Mia helped the girl stand slowly and did not rush her. Holding hands, the two turned to face Ryo and their grandfather.

      “What’s wrong with him?” Makoto asked as her hand went to her neck, caressing it gently. Mia glanced down to her as she lowered her hand. She could already see the skin turning a darker color, bruising thanks to the brutal treatment Makoto had undergone. The girl was strangely quiet, despite the pain that she seemed to be in.

      “I don’t know Makoto,” Mia finally answered as she turned to face their grandfather. “But that man is not our grandfather.” Makoto looked away from them, releasing Mia’s hand as she did so. Mia looked down, able to see a better view of the back of Makoto’s head, and she saw the torn and frayed hair as well as the glass splinters that were sprinkled within the ponytail. When Makoto looked up, though, Mia looked away, despite the fact that they were now facing different directions.

     Ryo had been listening to the quiet conversation while his katana kept the old man at bay. If this was their grandfather then something must have happened to them in their absence. He did not seem kind or loving as Mia had explained, and the only thing that could have tainted him so was-

      “The Dynasty…” Mia spoke, taking the words from his mouth.

      “What have you done to him?” Ryo demanded, bearing the sword down slightly harder so that the cold metal was pressed even more so against the man’s neck. A drop of blood welled up from beneath the sword, faint but present.

     With the touch the old man’s eyes closed. The feral look left his face, and he was calm for a moment. He no longer seemed demonic or possessed. Ryo watched as faint wisps of a dark smoky substance began to filter out of the Professor Koji’s nose and slightly parted lips. It dissipated as it left him, but it left Ryo wondering if this was some sort of trick or not…

     When Koji’s eyes opened again, they were clear and a pale, bright blue. The change surprised Ryo so much that he nearly lost the grip on his sword. He maintained though as the man fixed those eyes on him.

      “Wildfire,” he murmured. Then his eyes were searching and not entirely focusing on anything around him. “Mia? Makoto?” he spoke. He gave a low groan and then with movement not of his accord he began to slip from the desk, legs no longer supporting him. Ryo was forced to drop his sword as he caught the man, lowering him to the floor gently.

      “Mia!” the ronin called out, unsure of what else to do. Mia and Makoto both ran over to see what had happened, though they were unsure if they could do anything about it. Mia knelt down quickly while Makoto stood over all three of them.

      “Grandpa!” she cried out, but she made no move to go nearer to him.

     He smiled gently to her, despite her haggard appearance and his own and he gently lifted a hand up to her face. She caught it with both of her hands and held it there.

      “I guess I was a little rough on you, Makoto… I’m sorry that demon got the better of me…” he spoke softly. His voice did not waver, but there was no strength in it. He knew that if he tried to speak any louder it would go out. Koji looked from the younger of his grandchildren to the older and his face took on a grave expression. Swallowing, he spoke, “Mia… The secrets of the poem are within my computer… I can’t explain them all to you now. There’s not enough time… Look after Makoto, won’t you?” Mia nodded as Professor Koji’s free hand moved to his chest and a pained expression overcame his face.

      “Grandpa, you can beat this! Fight it!” Makoto screamed. “Fight it!” she screamed again as she sank to her knees, her voice becoming raw.

     Koji sighed, almost as if he didn’t hear her screaming and very quickly his body went lax. His hand slipped through Makoto’s back to his lap and his eyelids fell over his eyes, their blue brightness being hidden from the world forevermore.

     Mia’s breath caught in her throat and she bent her head over her grandfather’s body, unable to look at anyone. She grasped the hand he held over his heart and squeezed it tightly. It was warm and heavy as her fingers inconspicuously sought out a pulse. As her slender fingers landed on the edge of his wrist she set her jaw. His body was completely still, and blood did not flow through him.

     Mia felt a single tremor run through her body before she shut the pain out, taking a quick lesson from Makoto. There was no time to mourn, not now. She could release this pain later, but right now she had to find the other ronin.

     She stood quickly and moved to the computer, grateful it was on so she didn’t have to try and bypass his security codes.

     Makoto stared at her grandfather, watching and waiting for him to open his eyes. Mia had left him. So it must have meant that he was just resting. If he was just resting it would mean that he wouldn’t want to be disturbed.

      “Makoto, let’s go…” Ryo said, reaching for her hand. She did not look at him, but snatched her hand away just the same.

      “I’m not leaving him, Ryo,” she replied steadfastly clasping her hands together firmly as she stared at Koji’s prone form before her. Ryo noted that her face was calm and void of pain, but her eyes were tearing. She knew that Koji was not just resting.

      “Makoto,” Ryo spoke again and this time took her hand without her consent, pulling her to her feet. As soon as she found her footing, the girl snatched her hand away from him and stared at him angrily.

      “I’m not leaving him! He never left me and I’m not leaving him!” Makoto screamed at Ryo. He was taken aback, of course, unsure of how to approach this situation. He knew for certain that it wouldn’t be healthy to let Makoto digress into convincing herself that her grandfather was still alive. He took her hand again and when she struggled against him, he gently pulled her into a hug in which she finally went lax, crying and mumbling incoherently against his shoulder.

     Her sobs soon degenerated into completely unintelligible gibberish and Ryo picked her up, allowing her to cling to his shoulder as he looked back at Mia. Mia sighed, tear tracks on her face, though neither said anything of them. Instead she jerked her head toward the classroom outside of the office and then looked back to the computer, resuming her typing. Ryo released a deep breath and walked toward the door, pulling it open slowly. He did not look at the prone body of Professor Koji as he stepped through the door.

     Instead he walked back into the lecture room where White Blaze was sitting on the floor. The tiger was calm and quiet, but he did not seem entirely oblivious to the pain and tension that now filled the atmosphere around them.

     Ryo took one of the folding theater-like seats and pulled Makoto into his lap. She had quieted but tremors still ran through her body and she made no motion to move away from him.

     They sat there quietly for a time, with only the faint sound of Mia’s typing to fill the silence. After a while White Blaze moved to Ryo’s side and began to nudge Makoto gently with his head. After a moment of deliberation, she looked up and to the tiger. Then she reached out slowly, almost as if she were cautioning herself like the first time. But before she could pet the tiger’s head, he moved to meet her and her hand was buried within the soft white tufts of fur on his head.

     Makoto sniffled and continued to pet the tiger, but she did not smile.

      “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Makoto asked at length as White Blaze settled back onto his haunches. Ryo waited for a moment, testing to see if her question was rhetorical, and when she glanced to him, he saw that it wasn’t.

     With a sigh he spoke, “Bad people hurt good people because they can, and because they want to, but other than that I don’t know why.” Makoto swallowed roughly and then nodded, looking away from him. “But there are good people here, too, to stop the bad people. People like the Ronin Warriors are here to stop people like The Dynasty.”

     Makoto nodded again, but still she said nothing. She just laid her head on Ryo’s shoulder and seemed to curl in on herself for a moment. She watched White Blaze’s steady breathing and watched the door to her grandfather’s office, wondering if he would ever, by some miracle, walk out of the room of his own power. She wasn’t holding onto hope for it.

      “You’ll make them pay, won’t you?” she asked gently, once more after a period of silence.

     Ryo gave a monosyllable reply, but it was enough to satiate the girl.

     A moment later Mia appeared. Her face was clear, but pale and she had taken the time to change clothes, though where they had been stored Ryo was not too sure of. She had traded her cardigan and shorts for a pair of jeans and a Tokyo University sweatshirt. Beneath one arm she carried a thin, folded laptop.

     Casting a quick glance to the seated pair she took a moment to look over them and then spoke solemnly, “I’ve found Sage, but we need to go quickly. If they Dynasty has already been here they might have found a way to-“

     At that moment the lights above their heads flickered, cutting off Mia’s speaking. The four glanced up to the fluorescent lights as they flickered once more. There was a sudden hum as if a whirring engine had just been cut off, and the lights went out altogether.

     The four were silent and still as if motion might bring forth some disaster for them all. It nearly did.

     Ryo stood and in the dim lighting he could see Mia’s head snap toward him, her eyes wide. Her could not hear her breath, but when she finally spoke, her breath sounded as if she had been holding it.

      “Run! Run for the car, now!” she hissed, still afraid to break the silence with words. To illustrate her point, she herself began to run toward the door, while Ryo held Makoto and ran after her. The door slammed into the wall as Mia threw it open and then they leapt into the hallway.

     Mia led the way, arms pumping at her sides. Adrenaline and fear raced through her veins. It was dark in the hallway, too. It was too dark, but she knew the ways by heart. The right distance, the right exits. That knowledge wouldn’t fail her now.

     All around her the only sound that reached her ears was her wheezing breath that entered her lungs only to leave too soon. She could hear heavy footfalls, a loud clank-clank that she assumed to be Ryo. Then as her ears strained and her brain took auto-pilot she could faintly hear White Blaze’s padded feet beating on the floor behind her. She could not hear Makoto, and she spared a quick glance over her shoulder, but there was not enough time to really see anything.

     It was too dark.

     She realized as she faced forward once more, trying to discern whether she could see her cousin and something very quickly found its way into her path. It was hard and cold with a faint smell of a sickly sweetness that caused her to swallow roughly as she ricocheted off of the obstacle.

     Later she realized she had been incoherent in her fall, for the only thing that she could think as she hit the floor and skid back was, “That’s going to leave a mark.”

     Ryo quickly placed Makoto down as he heard Mia’s grunt of her surprise and then saw her land on the floor before them only dimly outlined in the fading light. A gasp escaped Makoto’s throat as she was half-set on the floor while the rest of her struggled toward her cousin.

     Ryo no longer paid attention to either girl. His bright blue eyes were focused on the obstacle before them and he clenched his fist as he saw it. There was just enough light left to see the faint outline of body shogun armor and the body it was molded to.

      “So we finally meet face to face…” a snake-like voice spoke, hissing over the ‘s’ sounds and sending a chill down Ryo’s spine. “The Ronin, the brain, and the annoying child…”

     White Blazed growled, though Makoto was sure it wasn’t because he had been left out of the list. The figure before them let lose a soft breath that sounded like a hiss and filled the hallway with the same sickly sweet smell that Mia had found earlier.

      “Oh yes, how could I forget the equally annoying pet…” the Warlord spoke and stepped forward, his footstep falling heavily on the tiled floor. Makoto began to pull at Mia’s shoulders, silently urging her to stand and begin moving while Ryo quickly rounded in front of them to face the Warlord, though he was unsure of the demon’s true identity. Was it Anubis?

     Makoto found her voice quick enough and she screamed, “Get up, Mia! Get up! They got Grandpa, do you want ‘em to get you too!” It didn’t do wonders for Mia’s ability to get up, but she did finally manage to get to her feet and she and Makoto took a few steps back for precaution while Ryo stayed his ground, White Blaze at his side.

      “Get out of here!” Ryo yelled, and just as abruptly they were greeted with the sound of metal being drawn from a scabbard and then loosed across his sub-armor, causing him to cry out as he stumbled backwards. “I said get out of here!” Ryo cried out angrily, though through gritted teeth. He could not see the others, but he could sense that they were there. Otherwise, he could imagine that the Warlord before him would have already really tried to kill him to go after them. Right now, though, he was teasing him, taunting him…

     Mia took another step backwards, clutching the computer to her chest before she turned, reaching out to Makoto. The girl was busy reaching out for the fire extinguisher on the wall, trying to pull it from its perch. Mia watched as she succeeded, but the weight overcame her, and it crashed back down to the floor on her right, causing her to loose a string of swears. Mia cast a glance back to Ryo as he unleashed another scream before dropping to the floor. She could almost feel the Warlord’s eyes searching her, waiting for her to make a move.

     Quickly, the young woman turned back to help her cousin. She drug the red extinguisher off of Makoto’s foot and took the nozzle in her hand before turning to face the Warlord once more.

      “White Blaze,” she spoke urgently, never taking her eyes off the silhouetted figure before her. “Get Ryo out of here.” At his name, the Ronin elicited a soft groan, but the tiger moved quickly anyway.

      “What’s this?” the Warlord before her hissed, and the sound of a blade being drawn reached her ears again. The, now barely discernible, light filtered in and caught the metal of two swords before her. Fear rose within her, but she pushed it away before reaching with a free hand and pulling the safety pin from the extinguisher. “What small toy can withstand the poison of the Sehkmet; Warlord of Venom?”

     Mia’s hand was itching on the handle of the extinguisher. She was hoping that maybe a demon general wouldn’t recognize what exactly a fire extinguisher was or what it was capable of…

     It only took a single forward step from Sehkmet for Mia to loose a shrill scream, venting her fear and anger and pain on the handle of the fire extinguisher. Even in the dark she could see the thick jet of white liquid, foam upon hitting the air, shoot from the nozzle, spraying the Warlord of Venom. He let loose a shrill cry of rage and took several steps back.

     Mia released the handle, breathing hard and hefted the extinguisher into the air before throwing it at the general, only to watch it bounce of him. He only gave a grunt as he proceeded to wipe the foam from everything, including his eyes. She gave a silent prayer of thanks for that much and then turned swiftly, looking back to find Makoto and the others were already gone.

      “Thank God Makoto knows the other way out… It’s longer, but maybe we can make it while Sehkmet is busy…” Mia thought and she clasped the laptop more swiftly than ever before rushing around a corner.

     She swallowed roughly to moisten her mouth, dry from breathing so heavily, yet she continued. Tears began to pool in her eyes as she raced forward, the memory of what had just happened coming back to her. There still wasn’t time to mourn, though. She was not out of danger yet, and neither were Ryo or Makoto, for that matter. Mia was rewarded when she reached to double doors, paned with large sheets of glass that she pushed open with her shoulder. Outside, she realized she was some distance from her jeep, but she continued running. There was no time to think of anything. She just had to run.

     There was more light outside, but not much more.

     Still, she could see the spear that embedded itself in the sidewalk directly before her, despite the lack of light. With a justified gasp, she dodged around the spear, just as she heard a Dynasty Soldier thud against the walk behind her.

      “Oh God!” she screamed, looking ahead where Makoto was finishing shoving White Blaze and Ryo into the jeep. The girl ran around to the driver’s side, leaving Mia to take the passenger seat. There was no time for argument.

     Makoto turned the key in the ignition, grateful that Mia had left the keys. Once in drive she stomped on the gas, causing everyone, even herself, to lurch forward at the rough take off.

      “Do you know what you’re doing?!” Mia shouted as a spearhead embedded itself within the door of the passenger side, grazing her leg.

      “Do you have a better a idea?!” Makoto responded hotly, for once thankful for her height so she could reach the pedals. With a gasp, Mia scooted closer toward the middle and gently pushed the spear out with her foot, giving a sigh of relief as she heard its dull thud on the road below them.

     Just as the air left Mia’s lungs she turned to face forward again and screamed out, “STAY ON THE ROAD!”

     Makoto jerked the wheel with a squeal of the tires, back into the main road, only to swerve once more out of the university and onto the main road, where she punched the gas once more. Her hands were as white as sheets as she held to the steering wheel and she found that she and Mia were both gasping for breath as if they had just finished running a marathon.

      “Do not- yell at me- while I’m driving,” Makoto forced between gritted teeth. Mia did not respond verbally. Instead, she turned back to look at Ryo. He was lying in the back seat, while White Blaze was not far behind him. On the front of Ryo’s sub-armor, a long pinkish line was fading, but there were no scratches of any kind on his armor. He even seemed to be coming round, she noted as he licked his lips and then slowly his eyes.

     Casting her eyes away from him, she looked back to White Blaze and asked, “You okay back there, White Blaze?”

      “He’s fine…” Ryo groaned as he began to sit up. “I, however, feel like I was hit by a transfer truck.” Mia watched as he began to sit up, noticing how the line across his chest seemed even angrier than before, even though it was lessening.

      “If you don’t feel well, you should try lying down…” she spoke and then turned around, pulling her laptop into her lap. She stared at it for a moment before glancing to the new cut in the door next to her. For a moment she closed her eyes, letting a pained expression come over her. Then she pushed the laptop down and into the floorboard before looking away and out of the passenger window, content to allow Makoto to drive.

      “Torch of spirit, sought through five, drinking strength from immortal fire…” Dark eyes locking on hers… “The darkest prison sheds the light, churning beneath a swirl of salt, burning within a throne of rock, floating amongst the eyes of the ages, unmourned in the stream of the sky.” When he finished he digested her curiosity and simply smiled to her.

      “I’ll never hear your voice again,” she thought and allowed her head to drop against the glass window, eyes darting quickly for some sign of black armor peeking around somewhere in the shadows… “Makoto turn the lights on…” Mia spoke gently.

      “Where are they?” Makoto asked.

     Mia wasn’t aware until she turned and faced her cousin that tears had been welling in her eyes. They slipped down her face, unnoticed in the dark and she wiped them away soundlessly.

      “There they are…” Makoto spoke, after Mia guided her to them. The lights shined onto the road, illuminating their path, causing the darkness to shy away. It all seemed very symbolic, as Mia thought about it and she sighed, casting a glance back down to her laptop.

      “We have to stop somewhere for the night. We can’t go on like this without sleep. Maybe the Dynasty can, but we’re only human and we need to rest. We won’t be doing the others any good if we’re dead…” Mia murmured, in a soft tone but loud enough to be heard.

      “Where are we going to go?” Makoto asked. The idea was not appealing to her, but she was too worn out physically and emotionally to argue. Realizing that fact made her see the wisdom in Mia’s words.

      “Pull off somewhere up here on the road, and we’ll sleep in the car. White Blaze will have to sleep outside, sorry boy…” Mia spoke and Makoto did as was commanded.

     Very soon, after pushing White Blaze out of the vehicle and trying to make themselves comfortable. The human trio found themselves crammed into the seats as best as they could manage. They were tired and they were hungry, but no one said anything.