Legend of the Kokoro

Episode #1: The Search Begins
By Dreamcatcher

(Note: I used this ~ to indicate the start and end of a dream sequence.)

"Kento, over here! I'm open!" Cye shouted to his friend, who was being guarded by both Ryo and Sage. Kento threw the ball over their heads to Cye, and before Ryo or Sage could stop him, he leapt toward the basketball hoop and slam-dunked the basketball through the net. "All right! Way to go, Cye!" Kento cheered, slapping his partner on the back. Ryo retrieved the ball from the side of the paved driveway and joined Sage, Cye, and Kento at the edge of the driveway. "Okay," he said to them, "the score is tied 9 to 9. Next team to score a basket wins, agreed?" "Agreed."

Ryo started to dribble the ball with Kento guarding him, and Sage and Cye heading to the basket hanging over the garage door. Ryo tried to get past Kento, but he was unsuccessful. Seeing no other option, he passed the ball to Sage. He caught it and threw the ball up toward the net, but it bounced off the hoop. Cye caught the ball on the rebound and threw it to Kento. Kento dribbled the ball up the half-court, with Ryo on his heels. He threw the ball toward the hoop. The basketball hit the backboard and spun around the edge of the hoop before it went through the net. "ALL RIGHT!" Kento and Cye yelled as they gave each other hi-fives while Ryo and Sage stood by and watched the celebration, totally exhausted.

"Hey, guys, what's going on?" The four boys looked up at Rowen, who just came outside and joined them in the front lawn. "Oh, nothing much," Kento said, grinning mischievously. "Cye and I just kicked Ryo and Sage's butts in basketball, that's all." "Yeah, right, Kento," Sage said as he grabbed his jacket, which was hanging on a nearby tree. "You two only won by one point!" Ryo shook his head and turned to Rowen. "Well, what did she say?" he asked Rowen. "Well, my mom said that it's okay for you guys to spend the night." The five boys start heading to the front porch when the front door opened.

A woman in her mid-thirties stepped out the door and closed it behind her. She had lovely features, chestnut hair, and blue eyes that sparkled like sapphires. She looked very becoming in a two-piece navy blue business suit and black high heels. "Hey, mom," Rowen said while his friends chorused, "Hello, Mrs. Hashiba." She smiled at her son and his four friends. "Nice to see you all, again. I'd love to chat, but I've got to be going," Mrs. Hashiba said as she made her way to the garage. "Where are you going this time?" Rowen asked as he lifted the garage door for his mother. "Tokyo," she replied. "I have a big business meeting there tomorrow morning, so I'm staying in a hotel tonight in order to avoid the heavy traffic in the morning."

"Good plan, mom," Rowen said as he mother slipped into the driver's seat of the bright blue car. As she sat there, she opened her purse, pulled out a couple of twenties, and handed them to Rowen. "Here, you can order pizza for dinner tonight." "Gee, thanks, mom," Rowen exclaimed as his mother shut the door and started up the car. She rolled down the window, gave her son a kiss on the cheek, and said, "Goodbye, Rowen. I should be back tomorrow afternoon." "Goodbye, mom. " Rowen stood by and watched as his mother rolled up the window and pulled out of the garage, down the driveway, and onto the street. He waved to her as he pulled down the garage door.

Rowen walked back to the front porch, where his friends were waiting for him. When he reached them, Kento, Cye, and Sage started to snicker. "What's so funny?" Rowen asked, puzzled over what his friends were snickering at. "Umm, Rowen," Ryo started, "you have something on your cheek." Not being able to hold it in anymore, the threesome burst out laughing. Rowen turned red in the face as he wiped off the lipstick that was on his cheek. Kento was laughing so hard; he was already on the floor of the porch, with his hands on his stomach. "Man, Rowen! You are such a mama's boy!" he barely got out between his spurts of laughter. Rowen stood over him with a crossed look on his face.

"Be careful with what you're saying, Kento," he retorted, "because this 'mama's boy' has money for pizza." That remark quiet down Kento, and everybody else. Rowen went inside to order the pizza, followed by Kento and Cye. Sage walked up to the door and was about to step inside when he noticed Ryo leaning against the rail, looking at the sunset. "Ryo, you coming?" Ryo turned around and looked at Sage. "You go ahead," Ryo said. "I just need a few minutes to myself, that's all."

Sage stood there for a while, then he went inside, leaving Ryo alone on the porch. He entered the kitchen, where Rowen was on the phone, and Cye and Kento were leaning against the counter. "The name's Hashiba," Rowen said to the person on the other line. "H-A-S-H-I-B-A. All right. Thank you. Goodbye." He hung up the phone and said to the others, "Pizza will be here in half an hour." "Hey, I got an idea to save us some money," Kento replied, grinning mischievously. "Let's time the delivery guy, and if he's not here in thirty minutes, we'll get the pizza for free." "Geez, Kento," Cye said, "Is food all you think about?" "And what do you mean by that, Cye?" Kento yelled at him.

"Hey, where's Ryo?" Rowen asked Sage. "He's still out on the porch," Sage replied. "Said he needed a few minutes to himself." "Do you have any idea when he'll be finished?" "I am finished." The others looked up at Ryo, who was standing in the kitchen doorway. There was silence for a couple of minutes, until Rowen broke the silence. "You know," he started, "we should make some plans for tomorrow. I mean, tomorrow is our last day of summer vacation, then it's back to school for us." Kento groaned at what Rowen said and put his head down on the counter. "Hey, it's okay, Kento," Cye said reassuringly, patting his friend on the back. "Think of it this way: we only have two more years of high school before it's all done and over with."

Ryo just stood there in the doorway, staring up at the ceiling, lost in his own thoughts. Sage interrupted his train of thought. "Hey, Ryo. Are you all right? Is there something bothering you?" "No, nothing's wrong with me," Ryo said. "I was just thinking about Mia, that's all." Rowen stepped up to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Hey, we all miss her. However, she is an adult. It was her decision." "Yeah, I know," Ryo responded, "but selling the house and moving all the way to California?" He broke out of Rowen's grasp and walked further into the kitchen. "Don't forget, Ryo," Sage said, "Mia had good reasons. First, she lost her grandfather. Second, she probably could not stand living in that huge place by herself. And third, she needed a fresh start." "You know," Cye said slowly, "there is a slight problem about Mia moving that we should consider. What if the Ronin Warriors are needed once again to protect the mortal world?" "Get real, Cye," Kento retorted. "We defeated Talpa and the evil Dynasty less than a year ago. They're not coming back." "I know that, but there could be other evil forces out there. If that happens, we'll need the info Mia's grandfather left behind. " "Well, you don't need to worry about that, Cye." The four boys looked at Rowen, who had a smug look on his face. "What do you mean, Rowen?" Ryo asked.

"Remember the day when Mia left?" Rowen started. "We all came over to say goodbye to her and she gave me those disks? Well, in case you're wondering, those disks contained hard copies on the entire research Mia's grandfather gathered. I downloaded all of Dr. Coji's research in my laptop. If we need to know anything about our armors or anything connected to them, I can just look up the information." Just then, the front doorbell rang. "All right! Pizza's here!" Kento shouted. "Gee, you think so?" Cye asked sarcastically as Rowen got up and walked to the front door. "Hey, guys," he shouted back to them, "could you get out some paper plates and cups? They're in the cabinet next to the refrigerator." "Sure thing, Rowen," Sage said as he opened the cabinet door and pulled out the plates and cups, while Kento grabbed a bottle of soda from the refrigerator.

Rowen reentered the kitchen a few minutes later, with two pizza boxes in his hands. He laid them on the counter, opened them up, and grabbed himself a plate. Each boy took two slices of pizza, except for Kento, who grabbed three slices. After taking a cup of soda, the five boys headed toward the living room. Ryo, Sage, and Rowen sat down on the sofa and placed their food on the coffee table in front of them, while Cye and Kento took their seats on the floor. Rowen picked up a TV guide from the table started to flip through it. "Anything good on?" Sage asked him. "Nothing so far," Rowen responded slowly as he skimmed through the pages. "Wait! Batman is starting in a few minutes on Channel 5."

"Aww, man," Kento groaned. "I hope it's not the one based on that stupid old TV series!" "Don't worry, Kento," Rowen said. "This Batman movie is the one 'starring Jack Nicholson as the villainous Joker, and featuring Michael Keaton's dual role as the millionaire-playboy Bruce Wayne and Batman.' " He picked up the remote control, turned on the TV, and changed the channel to Channel 5. Just then, the famous Warner Brothers symbol appeared on the screen. As the opening credits started, Kento said, "Why don't we make some popcorn?" "Kento, not now," Cye whispered to him. "We still have this pizza to eat first." "Yeah," Rowen whispered. "If you still want popcorn later, then make some. Now, be quiet." Everyone quieted down as the movie started…

About two hours later, the segment of Batman standing on top of the building with the Bat signal shining in the dark night sky ended, and the movie credits started to roll. Rowen turned off the TV, stretched his arms out, and yawned. He looked at the digital clock on the VCR, which read 11:00 PM. "Oh, man, it's late," Rowen muttered to himself. He looked down at the floor, where Kento and Cye were already sprawled out, fast asleep. "Hey, Sage, Ryo," he whispered loudly to his friends, who were still half-awake, at least. "What is it, Rowen?" Sage asked.

"Listen, since you two are the only ones still awake, you get to choose," Rowen whispered. "Who wants to sleep on the rollaway bed in my room? The other choice would be the sofa." "Sage can have the rollaway," Ryo whispered. "I'll take the sofa." "Okay, then. Good night, Ryo." "Good night, Rowen, Sage." As Ryo settled down on the sofa, he heard Sage whisper to Rowen, "That Kim Basinger, she's quite a knockout. Don't you think so?" "Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Rowen muttered, talking as though he was half-asleep. Ryo chuckled quietly to himself as he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

~Ryo was inside Mt. Fuji, wearing his full Wildfire armor. He was meditating on a jagged ledge, overlooking the massive pool of lava. Suddenly, he heard a strange noise coming from the lava. He opened his eyes and stood up. Ryo cautiously drew out his twin katanas from their holsters and stood ready to battle whatever demon would emerge from the lava pool. He put his katanas away and watched carefully as a series of bubbles led toward the edge of the lava pool. Slowly, but surely, a massive ball of fire emerged from the molten rock, followed by a pair of legs. Ryo realized that the fire was in reality the creature's hair.

Just then, the creature slowly turned its head toward Ryo. Ryo gasped at what he saw. The creature was a female, wearing a red dress with the skirt ending below her knees and the sleeves ending at her elbows. The edges of the sleeves and the skirt were all jagged. Her pale white skin glowed from the heat of the volcano. What caught Ryo's attention the most were the creature's eyes. They were the most beautiful shade of red he ever seen, and they shined like two pieces of burning coal. The creature's eyes also appeared to be pleading, asking Ryo for help. That's when he heard the voice call out to him. "Help me," a haunting feminine voice pleaded to him. Ryo noticed that the creature's lips did not move, yet there was no one else inside the volcano.

"Help me, please," the voice called to him again. Ryo looked down at the creature, which looked up at him with her pleading red eyes. He slowly and cautiously made his way down to where the creature stood. As Ryo got closer to her, he felt more attracted toward the fire creature. When he was only about ten feet away from the creature, he stopped for a minute. "Wait a minute," he thought to himself. "How do I know that I'm not walking into a trap?" As though the creature read his mind, the voice responded, "Please help me, Ryo of Wildfire. You're the only one who can."

Ryo looked up at the creature, into her pleading ruby-red eyes, and realized that she was being truthful. He continued walking toward her until they were about a foot apart from each other. The creature extended her pale, delicate hand to Ryo. He tried to take her hand, but before he could, her hand faded away. He looked into the creature's eyes: they were no longer pleading for help, but were replaced by a bewildered, frightened look. Ryo tried to touch the creature's face, but the creature completely faded away. He looked around the volcano, but she was nowhere in sight. "NOOO!!"~

Ryo sprung up from the sofa in a cold sweat. He realized that what he experienced was just a dream, but it felt so real to him. He looked down at the floor, where Kento was still sleeping. Ryo got up and went into the bathroom, where he changed into a red sweater and jeans. He walked through the living room and into the kitchen, where Cye was preparing breakfast. "Good morning, Ryo." He looked at Sage, fully dressed and sitting at the edge of the counter. "Hey, Sage," Ryo said as he took a seat next to him. "Where's Rowen?" "Still asleep," Sage responded. "Figured I'd let him sleep late, since this is going to be one of the last times he gets to sleep in late before school starts."

Ryo chuckled as he turned toward Cye, who was at the stove. "So, what's our chef preparing for breakfast today?" "Scrambled eggs, toast, ham, and orange juice," he answered as he removed a pot from the stove and emptied the contents into a small bowl. He placed the bowl, which contained scrambled eggs, on the counter, next to the plate of golden brown toast and the pitcher of fresh-squeezed orange juice. "I strongly suggest that you eat your fill now," Cye told them, "before you-know-who wakes up." Sage and Ryo laughed as they grabbed some paper plates and filled them up with food. As they poured themselves some orange juice, Cye returned his attention to the stove, where several pieces of ham were sizzling in a frying pan.

Sage was eating some of his eggs when he looked up at Ryo, who was just picking at his food with his fork. "Hey, Ryo, what's eating you?" he asked Ryo. "Nothing," he answered. "It's just that, well…I had this strange dream last night. It was so bizarre, yet it felt so real." "Care to tell us about it?" Sage said as Cye set a plate of cooked ham on the counter and sat down. "Well, I was inside Mt. Fuji, wearing the armor of Wildfire," Ryo started. "I heard a strange noise and I saw this strange-looking creature emerge from the lava. She was wearing a red dress, had fire for hair, and these burning red eyes. She was asking me to help her, but when I approached her, she disappeared into thin air. But the strangest part was that, for some strange reason, I felt…attracted toward her."

Ryo looked up at his friends. Both Sage and Cye were staring at him oddly, with their eyes wide open. "What's wrong, guys? Sage? Cye?" Ryo asked them. "Ryo," Sage started, "both Cye and I had strange dreams similar to what you just described. In my dream, I was in the forest, and the creature I saw was wearing a green dress, had green hair with several wildflowers in it, and these sparkling emerald green eyes." "And in my dream," Cye added, "I was at the beach, and the creature I saw was wearing a light blue dress, had long ocean blue hair, and these brilliant aquamarine blue eyes." The three boys sat in silence for a minute, each taking in the information they shared. "I wonder," Ryo thought aloud, "if Kento and Rowen had strange dreams like ours?"

"You bet we did," Rowen answered. Ryo, Sage, and Cye looked at Rowen standing in the doorway, with Kento standing behind him. As they entered the kitchen, Ryo said, "Let me guess. In both of your dreams, you were near the element that powers up your armor. Am I right?" "Yeah," Rowen said as he took a seat at the end of the counter. "In my dream, I was standing up in the clouds, and Kento told me that he was out in the desert." "And I'll bet that in your dream," Sage addressed to Rowen, "the creature you saw wore a dark blue dress, and had the same color hair and eyes." "Yeah, and she also had these massive white wings, kind of like an angel would," Rowen added.

"And in your case," Cye said to Kento as he was fixing himself a plate of food, "the creature wore an orange dress, and had orange hair and eyes." "Well, not exactly," Kento said as he took a seat next to Cye. "She wasn't wearing a dress; it was more like a top and pants with a wrap, and her hair was up in an Afro." They were all silent for a moment, until Cye wondered aloud, "Do you suppose that maybe these dreams we had were a sign of some sort? Maybe they mean that the Ronin Warriors will be needed once again to protect the mortal world." "That could be possible," Rowen responded, "but if so, what about those strange creatures? How would they play a role into this?"

Before anyone could answer, there was a knock at the front door. "Must be your mom," Ryo said to Rowen. "I don't think so," Rowen replied as he got up. "She's not supposed to be home until this afternoon." He went to the door as the others finished eating breakfast and threw away the paper plates. A few minutes later, Rowen came back in the kitchen with a brown package in his hands. "What is it?" Sage asked Rowen as he placed the package on the counter. "I don't know," he said as he glanced at the return address, "but I do know who sent the package: Mia Coji." The others crowded around Rowen while he ripped off the brown wrapping paper and opened the box.

Inside were a small antique chest and a small white envelope with all of the boys' names written on it. Rowen picked up the envelope, ripped it open, and pulled out a letter. "Well, what does it say?" Ryo asked, growing a bit impatient. "Hold on," Rowen said. "I'm getting to it. 'Hi, guys! Sorry I took so long to write to you, but I just finished unpacking my stuff today. I like my new house. It's kind of small, compared to my grandfather's house, but I don't necessarily need a lot of space. Anyway, I've enclosed a small chest that belonged to my grandfather. I found something inside the chest that I feel is somehow connected to the Ronin armors. You'll see what I mean when you look inside. So long, and take care of yourselves. Best wishes to you all, Mia Coji.' "

Rowen laid the letter down on the counter and pulled the chest out of the box. The box was made from cherry-wood, and exquisitely carved with delicate vines and strange-looking symbols. Rowen cautiously lifted the lid and placed it next to the open chest. The five boys looked inside the chest and gasped at what they saw. Resting in five out of six separate carved inserts were five small gold rings. Each ring was set with a different color stone and had a different Japanese symbol etched into the stone. The first ring had a ruby, and etched into the stone was the symbol for "Virtue." The second ring had an emerald, and etched into the stone was the symbol for "Wisdom." The third ring had an aquamarine, and etched into the stone was the symbol for "Trust." The fourth ring had a topaz, and etched into the stone was the symbol for "Justice." The fifth ring had a sapphire, and etched into the stone was the symbol for "Life."

Ryo, Sage, Cye, Kento and Rowen each removed their ring in order to examine them more closely. "I can't believe this," Ryo muttered, "these rings match up to each of us perfectly." "Only one problem, Ryo," Kento said. Ryo, Sage and Cye looked at him as Kento demonstrated by attempting to place the ring on his little finger. The ring would only go halfway down his finger before it got stuck. As Kento struggled to remove the ring, the three boys tried to put the rings on and also discovered the same thing: they were too small. They were able the remove the rings much easier than Kento did. As he finally pried the ring off, the foursome noticed that someone was missing. "Hey, where's Rowen?" Sage asked.

"Right here," he answered. The others watched as Rowen reentered the kitchen with his laptop in one hand. He opened up the laptop and turned it on. As he pulled out a small drawer from the side of the laptop, Cye asked, "What are you doing, Rowen?" "I'm going to check out the info that I downloaded from those disks Mia gave me, and see if I can find anything on these rings," Rowen answered as he removed a small mouse from the drawer and plugged it in. He sat down at the counter and began to type furiously on the laptop. "Okay, I brought up the files," he explained, "and I'm now cross-referencing 'Ronin Warriors' with 'rings.' In a few moments, we should see some results."

Rowen sat back from the laptop for a moment while the program searched through its files. A page appeared on the screen, covered with strange writings. "Can you actually read that stuff?" Kento asked Rowen as he leaned back forward to read the text. "Of course, Kento," he said as he read the writings. "Hey, guys. Listen to this!" he exclaimed as he began to read out loud. " 'Over a thousand years ago, when Talpa was defeated, the Ancient called upon the kokoro to assist him with the five Ronin armors.' " "What are the kokoro?" Sage asked. "I've heard about them before," Ryo answered. "The kokoro are spiritual beings that control the basic elements: fire, earth, air, water, spirit, and even death."

"That's absolutely correct, Ryo," Rowen said. "There's more. 'The call was answered by five kokoro, each containing the power of fire, earth, air, water, and spirit. They assisted the Ancient in creating the five Ronin armors, and even molded the weapons for the five armors.' " "I can't believe it," Kento blurted out. "I thought our weapons originally came with our armor."
"Quiet, Kento," Cye said.
" 'In order for the Ronin armors to absorb energy from the elements,' " Rowen continued, " 'the kokoro had to sacrifice themselves. Until the ones chosen to wear the Ronin armors were born, the spirits of the kokoro would rest inside the armors. When the chosen ones are born, their corresponding kokoro would be released from the armor and be reborn as a mortal.' "

"Okay," Ryo said, "but what about these rings?" "I was getting to that part," Rowen replied. " 'According to legend, when the kokoro bonded with the five Ronin armors, they left behind five rings. Each ring bore a kokoro's corresponding kanji: Virtue, Wisdom, Trust, Justice, and Life.' " "Is that it?" Sage asked.
"That's all," Rowen said, "but I could check to see if I can find any more info on these kokoro." He started to type quickly for a few minutes, then he stopped. "I can't find any more info on the kokoro. Perhaps Dr. Coji didn't do much research on this link." "Are you sure about that, Rowen?" Kento said in an annoyed tone. "Well, if Dr. Coji did any more research on the kokoro, the answers we're looking for could be at the university."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ryo exclaimed. "Let's go!" "All right, then," Rowen said, closing his laptop. "Just give me a minute to put this away." He left the kitchen while the others put on their shoes. A couple of minutes later, Rowen returned to the kitchen. Together, the five boys left the house. Rowen, the last one to leave, locked the door and placed the key back in his pocket. He joined the others and, together, they walked down the street. For a few minutes, they were all silent, each going over the information on the kokoro. Cye broke the silence by saying what was on everyone's mind: "Hey, guys, do you suppose that those creatures we saw in our dreams are, in actuality, the kokoro?"

Before anyone could respond, a massive beam of violet light shone down on the five young men. "What's going on!" Ryo yelled as he struggled to get out of the light's path. "I can barely move!" Cye cried out as he kneeled down on the ground. "Come on, guys! Don't give in!" Ryo shouted at his friends, although he knew that they couldn't get out. "Ryo!" Rowen shouted at him. "Let's try using the armor! With it on, we may be able to withstand this pressure!" "All right! Ronins to arms!" Ryo yelled as the five of them transformed into their sub-armor. Unfortunately, it didn't help them out since the light beam had too strong of a hold on them. One by one, the Ronin Warriors collapsed from the intense pressure to the ground. When the last warrior passed out, the massive beam of light disappeared, along with the Ronin Warriors…

In a dark, spacious room, which appeared to be some sort of elaborate fighting arena, the massive violet light appeared again, depositing the unconscious Ronin Warriors on the floor before disappearing. From the shadows emerged quite an unusual creature. He resembled a troll dressed in black clothes with a black trench coat, with hideous features, slimy gray skin, stringy white hair, and piercing yellow cat's eyes looking over a bulbous nose. He quickly walked hunchbacked to the five warriors. As the creature approached Ryo, he knelt down and removed a small jar from his coat. He plucked a strand of hair off of Ryo's head, placed it in the jar, and put it back in his coat. He did the same thing with Sage, Cye, Kento, and Rowen until he had a strand of hair from each Ronin Warrior.

As he carefully placed the last jar, containing a strand of Rowen's hair, into his jacket, a deep female voice from the other side of the room said, "Devaki!" The creature nearly jumped as he got up and said nervously, "Y-yes, Lady Dulcea?" "Do you have the necessary specimens?" "Yes, my lady," Devaki answered as he opened his jacket to reveal the five small jars. The voice chuckled evilly as she said, "Excellent. Now, get to work! Leave the Ronin Warriors to me."
"Yes, I'll get on it right away," Devaki said as he quickly bowed and hurried out of the room. Shortly after that, the Ronin Warriors started to come out of it. Ryo slowly got up and held his head. "Oh, man," he muttered. "What happened?" He watched as the others got up. "Man, did anyone get the license off the truck that hit us?" Kento asked.

"I've got a better question," Rowen said as he looked around. "Where are we?" The others looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. From the walls hung tapestries and ancient Japanese swords and weapons. Four sconces were attached to either wall, each containing three unlit candles. The floor was designed like some sort of fighting arena, with strange lines painted on it. All the way on the other side of the room was a large throne. There was a figure sitting there, whom the Ronin Warriors didn't notice right away. The Ronins heard an evil chuckle, and they turned toward the throne and saw the figure sitting there. "So… the Ronin Warriors, I presume." "Yeah, that's us," Ryo admitted. "And who are you?"

Suddenly, all the candles on the sconces mysteriously lit up. Two torches on either side of the throne also lit up, along with the sconces. The throne was exquisitely carved from ebony, with small gargoyles and other demoniac figures. The Ronins gasped at what they saw sitting in the throne. Although the figure was obviously a beautiful young lady, she didn't appear to be human in origin. She was wearing a black dress with transparent sleeves, and a long skirt with slits going halfway up both sides. Her ghastly pale face was framed by her straight orchid hair, which fell down to her waist. Her dark violet eyes stared at the Ronin Warriors, filled with anger and hatred.

Ryo repeated his original question: "Who are you?" The mysterious young lady continued staring at the Ronins as she responded, "I am Dulcea, Princess of Darkness." "What are you doing here, Dulcea?" Rowen asked. She chuckled evilly as she said, "I was sent here to conquer your world." "And who sent you?" Sage asked. "That information is nothing for the likes for you be concerned with," Dulcea responded coldly. "If you're going to conquer this world," Kento said boldly, "you'll have to go through us first." "Very well, then, if you insist," Dulcea stated as she closed her eyes. A radiating violet glow engulfed her body as she levitated off her throne and landed a few feet away. The glow disappeared and Dulcea opened her eyes and stared at the Ronins, who were shocked at what they just witnessed.

"Did you guys see that!" Cye gasped, still in shock. "She possesses some sort of telekinetic powers," Rowen said. "We better be careful around her. We don't know how powerful she is." "It doesn't matter," Ryo said. "The odds are in our favor. There's five of us and only one of her." "Are you sure of that, Ryo of Wildfire?" The Ronins looked at Dulcea and realized that there were at least ten 'Dulceas' surrounding them. "How did she do that?" Sage asked dreadfully. "It's an illusion," Ryo reminded his friends, "just like Dais' 'Web of Deception.' " "How are we going to fight this?" Cye asked Ryo. "By using the Ronin armors, that's how," he answered. "Armor of Wildfire! DAO JIN!" "Armor of Halo! DAO CHI!" "Armor of Torrent! DAO SHIN!" "Armor of Hardrock! DAO GI!" "Armor of Strata! DAO INOCHI!"

After the Ronin Warriors finished transforming into their armor, the images of Dulcea disappeared until only the real Dulcea remained. "I must say," she admitted, "your armor is more impressive than what I expected. Still, it won't help you. Remember, you're on my turf now." Her eyes glowed as she smiled evilly at the Ronin Warriors. "We're not afraid of you, Dulcea!" Ryo yelled as he brought his twin katanas together and raised them above his head. "FLARE UP NOW!" Ryo cried out as he brought down his weapons and sent a massive beam of blazing white light at Dulcea. Her eyes glowed, and the beam stopped a few feet from her, as though it struck an invisible force field. "I can't believe it," Ryo said in disbelief. "She deflected my attack!"

"Chill, Ryo, I got her!" Kento said, stepping forward. "IRON ROCK CRUSHER!" He twirled around his naginata and brought it down to the ground, sending tremendous jagged slabs of rock straight at her. Dulcea's eyes glowed, and like before, the rocks stopped a few feet away from her. "Aww, man!" Kento groaned. "Let me try," Sage said. "She might have been able to deflect two attacks, but as they say, third time's the charm." He lifted up his sword over his head and cried out, "THUNDER BOLT CUT!" A gigantic bolt of lightning emerged from Sage's sword and headed straight toward Dulcea. She snickered evilly as she put up her hand and sent the bolt of lightning back at Sage. The blast from his own attack knocked Sage against the back wall hard.

"Sage!" Ryo yelled as they watched him fall to the ground. "You're gonna pay for that, Dulcea!" Rowen shouted at Dulcea. "Yeah, let's see if you can handle two Ronin Warriors at once," Cye boldly shouted as he steadied his trident and Rowen set an arrow on his bow. "ARROW SHOCK WAVE!" "SUPER WAVE SMASHER!" The blazing arrow, combined with the blast of water, headed straight for Dulcea. She put up her hand, and like before, sent the attacks right back at Cye and Rowen. Like Sage before, they were both knocked hard against the back wall from the force of their attacks. As they fell to the ground, Kento and Sage ran to them, and helped them up. "Rowen! Cye! Are you two all right?" a concerned Kento asked.

"We're just fine, Kento," Rowen said as he slowly got up with Sage's help. "She's pretty powerful," Cye said as Kento helped him up. "I don't know if we can defeat her." "It's about time you realized the truth, Ronin Warriors." They looked up at Dulcea, who was slowly walking toward them. "There's no way you could possibly defeat me, so I'm willing to make a proposition with you. I will spare your lives if you all agree to join forces with me in the conquest of Earth." "No way!" Ryo said loudly. "Have it your way," Dulcea said coldly as she stretched her hand out and slowly closed it into a fist. As she did this, the Ronin Warriors felt as though invisible hands were trying to strangle them. Dulcea smiled evilly as she slowly continued to strangle the Ronins.

Suddenly, a massive beam of white light engulfed the Ronin Warriors. Dulcea stepped back and shielded her eyes from the blinding white light. The Ronin Warriors completely exhausted from lack of air, collapsed to the ground as the white light vanished, taking the Ronins along with it. Dulcea placed her arm back down and looked at the spot where the warriors once stood. "You might have saved them this time, old man," she muttered, "but you won't be able to save them the next time we meet." She chuckled wickedly as she turned around and headed back toward her throne…

Meanwhile, in a small clearing out in the forest, the massive white light reappeared, deposited the Ronin Warriors, who were back in their normal clothes, on the ground, and disappeared. Ryo was the first to wake up. He stood up and looked around at his surroundings as he tried to piece together all that had happened. He heard some moans and realized that the others were waking up. "Man, what happened," Sage asked, "and why aren't we still wearing our armor?" "That's strange," Rowen replied as he got up. "I don't remember any of us removing our armor." "The last thing I remember," Cye said as Kento helped him to his feet, "was that we were fighting Dulcea, and she nearly killed us all." "Yeah, but the important question is: Who saved us, and why?" Ryo said, looking up at the sky.

"I can answer that for you, Ryo of Wildfire," an unfamiliar man's voice replied. The five boys turned around and looked in the direction the strange voice came from. From the edge of the woods emerged a tall figure wearing a white cloak and hood, which concealed his face. He carried a long wooden staff in his right hand. The staff was coiled like a serpent, with a clear crystal ball resting on the top. "Who are you?" Ryo demanded to know from the figure. He pulled back the hood, revealing his face to the five boys. His long white hair rested on his broad shoulders. A pair of bright cerulean blue eyes glanced at them from a youthful face. In a way, the young man reminded the boys of the Ancient. He stepped forward, bowed to them, and said, "I am Shuno, ruler of the kokoro."

"So, you're the one responsible for saving us?" Rowen asked. "Yes. It was necessary for me to remove you from Dulcea's domain," Shuno answered. "She's much more powerful there." "So, that why she brought us there," Sage said. "That is correct, Sage of Halo," Shuno responded. "Shuno, could you tell us about the kokoro and how they're connected to our armor?" Ryo asked. "There are some things that we're not exactly sure of." "Of course, I will." Shuno held his staff above his head, and the crystal started to glow. The light illuminating from the crystal continued to grow brighter and brighter until the five boys were nearly blinded. They held up their arms in order to shield their eyes from the light.

As soon as the light appeared, it disappeared just as quickly. The five boys opened their eyes and were shocked at their surroundings. The forest was gone; there was nothing but packed, dried up, caked earth as far as the eye could see. Not far from where they were standing was the ocean, but it was dark, almost black, in color. Although the sun was up, the sky was dark and tinted with a red haze. Ryo noticed several distant figures heading in their direction. "Hey, guys," he said to the others. "Look over there!" Sage, Cye, Kento, and Rowen looked in the direction he was pointing and recognized the army of soldiers and flying spirits. "The Dynasty!" they cried out simultaneously. "All right! It's party time!" Kento shouted out enthusiastically.

"Stop!" The five warriors looked at Shuno, who was watching the army of Dynasty soldiers and Nether spirits. "Stop? What do you mean, stop?" Kento asked. "What you are witnessing are events that have occurred nearly a thousand years ago," Shuno explained. "Even if you were to try, you would not be able to change the past." The guys stood by and watched as Talpa's army advanced toward them. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came down and struck one of the Dynasty soldiers. He fell off his horse onto the ground, but it didn't slow down the army. More Dynasty soldiers were struck down by lightning. The wind picked up to a howling gust and literally blew away the Nether spirits. The earth split in many different places and swallowed several Dynasty soldiers, horses and all.

"What we're witnessing," Cye asked, "is that the powers of the kokoro at work?" Shuno nodded yes as the earth spewed up pockets of red-hot magma. This unexpected occurrence startled the horses and knocked their riders into the boiling pools of lava, and as a result, they melted. Suddenly, a fifty-foot tsunami rose from the ocean and crashed down on top of the remaining army, sweeping dozens of Dynasty soldiers to the murky depths of the ocean. The few soldiers that remained retreated from the battlefield. "Wait a minute," Ryo said. "Why didn't we see any of the kokoro?" "The kokoro are spirits," Shuno replied, "and are not frequently seen by mortals. We only reveal ourselves in times of dire need."

The crystal on his staff glowed again, and the battlefield disappeared to reveal a small temple out in the woods. "This is a few weeks after the final battle with Talpa," Shuno explained to the five warriors. The boys then noticed a familiar figure kneeling just outside the temple, praying in Japanese. "It's the Ancient!" Ryo exclaimed. Suddenly, wisps of six different colored smokes rolled in at the Ancient's feet. He stood up as the smoke took the shape of six figures. When the figures were whole, the five boys were in shock. Five them were recognized from their dreams, but what shocked them the most was that the kokoro of death was Dulcea! "What is Dulcea doing there?" Sage asked, still in shock. "Dulcea is, or was, one of us," Shuno said slowly.

The kokoro that Ryo recognized stepped up to the Ancient and said, "What do you wish of us, o Ancient one?" "Come inside, and I will explain everything." He walked into the temple, with the six kokoro following close behind. Shuno stepped up to the temple entrance and indicated for the others to join him. They approached the door and looked inside. Propped up against the wall were the five Ronin armors. "I wish for these five armors to possess the powers of nature," the Ancient explained to the kokoro, "but in order for that to happen…" "You would need assistance from us," finished the kokoro from Kento's dream. The kokoro from Rowen's dream stepped closer to better examine the Ronin armors.

"These armors," she started, "they are… incomplete. They have no weapons." "That's not a problem," claimed the kokoro from Sage's dream. The kokoro held their hands forward, and weapons mysteriously appeared into their hands. "The swords of Wildfire," the kokoro of fire said, holding up the twin katanas, "forged from the eternal flame of the mighty volcano." "The sword of Halo," the kokoro of spirit said, "forged from lightning and purified with the rays of the sun." "The trident of Torrent, forged from the swirling salt waters of the great whirlpools," the kokoro of water said. "The naginata of Hardrock, forged from the sands of the deserts," the kokoro of earth said. "The bow and arrows of Strata," the kokoro of air said, holding a bow in one hand and a quiver full of arrows in the other, "forged from the clouds in the sky."

The kokoro placed the new weapons with the corresponding Ronin armor. The kokoro of fire turned toward the Ancient and said, "We know these weapons are not enough. In order to imbue these armors with the powers of the elements, we must allow our spirits to rest inside the armors, but only until the chosen ones are born." "Yes, I understand," the Ancient said, looking at the kokoro of death, "but what about her?" "Her spirit will rest in this urn," the kokoro of water said, holding up a large and decorative oriental urn. "It is necessary not to disrupt the cosmic balance." She placed the urn at Dulcea's feet and opened the lid. Dulcea's body took the form of a small glowing violet sphere, and the sphere went inside the urn. After she was inside, the kokoro of water sealed the urn with the lid.

The remaining kokoro approached the Ronin armor, placed a hand on the helmets, closed their eyes, and concentrated. One by one, a strange glow emerged from underneath their hands, and one by one, they removed their hands from the helmets. For a few moments, the five boys saw the kanjis of Virtue, Wisdom, Trust, Justice, and Life shining on the helmets of the Ronin armors before they disappeared. Like Dulcea before them, the remaining kokoro took the forms of five small glowing spheres (red, green, light-blue, orange, and dark blue). The glowing spheres slowly rose up into the air and entered the Ronin armors. What were left behind, where the kokoro once stood, were six rings. The Ancient picked up the rings and carefully placed them inside a small wooden chest.

The crystal on Shuno's staff glowed once again, and the five boys were back in the wooded area, where they first encountered Shuno. "I'm sure that you have many questions to ask me," Shuno said as he took a seat on an old tree trunk, "and I will answer them all." "If Dulcea is a kokoro," Sage asked, "then why is she fighting against us?" "Unfortunately, Dulcea's mind has been manipulated by a great evil, Sage of Halo." "I'm curious," Rowen said, "about those rings. What's their purpose?" "The rings were formed to be used as a temporary power source, Rowen of Strata, until their true power from within is awakened." He stood up and said, "I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly, but I must be going."

As Shuno started to leave, Ryo shouted, "Shuno, wait! How are we going to find the kokoro?" Shuno turned around and looked at Ryo as he responded, "Do not worry, Ryo of Wildfire. The kokoro will come to you. The rings you have will indicate their presence to you, and also, their mortal identities. For now, farewell." The five boys watched as Shuno walked through the forest and disappeared from sight…

TO BE CONTINUED.

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