Chapter 7
By LirinStar

The poor guys were squashed in the backseat of Mia’s Jeep, with Mia driving and Lirin in the passenger seat giving directions. Ryo had given White Blaze, whom Lirin still had not met, specific instructions to stay and guard the house. He didn’t want White Blaze to scare the animals at Lirin’s ranch.

        "I’m starving! Can we stop and grab something to eat?" Kento asked.

        "NO!" everyone yelled for what seemed to be the fiftieth time.

        "Hey, how much farther is it to your ranch, Lirin?" Ryo asked.

        "Only a few more minutes now, Ryo. Just hang tight guys, we’re almost there. I know you can’t wait to get out of that back seat and stretch. This is all our property here and the house and main barn is not too far. If you look around, you might see some of the horse in the fields."

        Sure enough there where some horses romping in the fields. Some were playing tag while others were resting or eating grass.

        When they got the driveway of the ranch, Mia stopped the car at the gate. Lirin pressed in the combination and it opened. Mia proceeded to slowly drive through the driveway, not wanting to frighten any of the horses. Soon they reached the house and everyone climbed out of the Jeep. The guys in particular were very enthusiastic about getting out so they could stretch their legs.

Just then they heard dogs barking. Lirin froze. "Oh NO!" she yelled as she saw her two HUGE lovable Saint Bernards running to greet her. "Stop! Stay! DESIST! COME NO FURTHER!" They paid no heed to her and ran on as fast as their legs could carry them. "HELP!" she yelled as they pounced on her, knocking her to the ground with a thud and licking her face with their big slobbery tongues. "Get OFF me you two morons!" She yelled and laughed at the same time, trying to push them off.

        The guys and Mia where laughing hysterically at the site of these two 200 pound dogs acting like Dino, with Lirin as Fred Flintstone.

        Chad heard the dogs barking, someone yelling, and others laughing and came out of the house. "Baby! Highlander! What’s the matter with you two?!" They ran back over to him with tails a waggin’, just as happy as could be.

        He looked to see what they were so happy about. He saw a young girl stand up and brush herself off. "LIRIN!" he called and ran to her.

        "Chad!" She started running to him. They collided in the middle and embraced each other and held each other close.

        Rowen’s heart sunk as he stared at them, not knowing that they were brother and sister, for Chad looked nothing like Lirin. It rose again though when she introduced everyone.

        "Everyone, this is my big brother, Chad." she said, ruffling his hair. "Chad this is Mia, Ryo, Sage, Kento, Sai, and Rowen." She pointed to everyone as she said their names. He shook hands with everyone.

        "Nice to meet you all." he said sincerely. "Are they the ones?" he asked Lirin.

        "Yes, Chad, these are the other Ronin Warriors, with the exception of Mia of course, but I have a feeling that the battle would have been over before it really started without her help." she grinned at Mia.

        "You’ve got a very amazing sister here, Chad." Rowen complimented.

        "Yeah, she even saved my life." said Ryo seriously.

        "And, she can COOK!" Kento added and everyone laughed.

        "Why don’t you all come inside and have some tea?" Chad invited.

        "With cookies?" asked a hopeful Kento.

        Chad chuckled. "I’m sure we can find something for yah, Kento."

        When they had just got inside the front door, a little dog came running over to them, whining happily. "Merlin! Hi there, Fuzzy!" Lirin greeted her friendly little King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. Merlin jumped up, putting one of his front paws on each of her knees. She laughed. "I’m happy to see you too!" She picked him up and cradled him, burying her face in his thick fuzz. He proceeded to give her little puppy kisses.

        Lirin and Chad led them inside to the living room. Lirin sensed that her brother wished to speak with her alone. "Make yourselves comfortable guys, I’m gonna help Chad in the kitchen." Lirin said. "Feel free to wonder around the house if you’d like to look at anything. My home is your home!" She disappeared into the kitchen with Merlin still in her arms.

        The living room was rustically decorated. It had very comfortable furniture in it: a gray-brown oversized couch along one wall, a matching chair by it that was perpendicular to it, and a dark green oversized chair with a foxhunt pattern on it that was by the other chair, parallel to it with a table in between the two. The pillows on the couch and matching chair either were plaid or had a foxhunt seen to match the green chair. There was another table in between the couch and it’s matching chair and one on the other end of the couch; all where made of a dark rich wood. There was a large coffee table in the middle of the furniture that was also made of the dark wood and it had a glass top. Inside the coffee table were plaques and ribbons from horse shows. There was a large TV in the corner across from the couch and chairs, and a very large moss rock fireplace with a flat stone mantle that was in the middle of the wall next to the foxhunt chair. There were bronze horses dancing on the mantle and the tables. There where rod iron lamps on the end tables as well. Some of the end tables also had pictures or pots of popery. Beautifully painted pictures of horses graced the walls, which where faux finished. By the TV, there was a cabinet that had lots of pictures on it. The room smelled of apples and cinnamon and other spices. The overall effect was warm, comfortable, and cozy.

        "Nice place she’s got here. Definitely rustic American style." said Sage.

        "Yeah." Agreed Kento.

        "Hey look! There’s a lake and a water garden out back!" exclaimed Sai with glee. "Think she’s got any fish in the pond?"

        "Why don’t you go and find out, Sai?" Ryo asked him, smiling at his excitement.

        "I think I will!" Sai slipped out the backdoor to talk with his fish buds.

        Rowen was looking at the family pictures on the cabinet.

 

Meanwhile, in the kitchen…

       

        "Chad, what’s wrong?" Lirin asked as soon as she shut the kitchen door (It was one of those doors that swung either way you pushed it). She set down Merlin.

        He sighed. "I never could get anything past you."

        "You know I can feel things, and I sensed that you wanted to speak to me alone." she said. "Now, tell me, what’s wrong."

        "You know very well what’s wrong." he snapped angrily at her, while putting water in a pot for it to boil. "What was I supposed to think when all of the sudden I wake up to see Mom and Dad dead along with the armored shells of Dynasty soldiers out in our front yard with you no where to be found. You have no idea how worried I was." he accused.

        At the mention of her mother and father, Lirin’s eyes took on the grieved and pained look again. Her eyes started to water and tears started to form on her cheeks.

        "I’m sorry, Lirin. I know you’ve been through a rough time. But tell me, what happened that morning?"

        Lirin squared her shoulders and wiped the few tears away. She was NOT gonna cry she promised herself. She was strong; she could handle this. She told him of her dream, how Miriam had come into her room that night and stolen her kanji orb, how she saw her dream come true when she woke up, and how she had gone with the Ancient. Through her story, she did not shed one tear, although she had a hard time in not doing so.

        Lirin then decided to tell her brother of Mia’s offer to come and live with her and the guys. Her brother looked at her, and knew that she had already made her decision. "You are, aren’t you?"

        She sighed. "Yes, Chad. I am. I can sense that more evil will threaten us soon and the Ronin Warriors will be needed again. I must be with them from the beginning this time."

        "I understand." he said simply.

        "Thank you." she said and gave him a big hug.

        They finished making the tea in companionable silence with Lirin patting Merlin every once and a while. When it was finished they loaded the cups and pots of tea onto a tray and brought it out into the living room and set it on the coffee table. Lirin brought out a box of cookies that she found in the pantry for Kento and anyone else who wanted any.

        "Tea’s ready!" Lirin announced. Then she looked around and noticed that Sai was missing. "Where’s Sai?"

        Mia smiled. "He saw your water garden out the window and went to get a better look and maybe chat with your fish.

        Lirin chuckled. "Chad would you go call him in for me please?"

        "Sure." he said and walked outside to get Sai.

        Lirin poured the tea and handed a cup to everyone, who were now seated on the furniture. She handed Rowen’s his last because he was still looking at the pictures on the cabinet. When she came up next to him he pointed to a picture of a happy Miriam and Darien sitting on a stone fence, holding each other, and asked her, "Are these your parents?"

        Lirin was still upset from her chat with her brother so she just nodded.

        Kento asked her then, "Hey, where are they anyway? We’d all like to meet ‘em."

        Poor Lirin just couldn’t take it any more, and, despite her promise that she wasn’t gonna cry, all her resolve crumbled and she burst into tears. Needing to be held, she threw her arms around the nearest person, who just happened to be Rowen and used him as a human handkerchief.

        It was then that Chad came through the door with Sai. Chad saw Lirin bawling in Rowen’s arms. He looked up at Rowen for an answer and saw utter confusion and the beginning signs of panic there. "Lirin?" he asked, deeply concerned. He came and put a hand on her shoulder.

        She turned and threw herself into her brother’s arms and he tried to comfort her. "Shhh. Shhh. It’s okay." He turned the others who also had looks of utter confusion. "What happened?"

        Rowen snapped out of it and told him that he had asked if the couple in the picture was their parents. Then he told him that Kento had asked where they were and after that Lirin just started crying hysterically.

        Chad sighed and led Lirin over to the fireplace mantle. He sat down and started rocking her back and forth. He then proceeded to explain what the matter was to the rest of the group. "You’ll have to forgive her." he started. "You see, our parents just died right before she left to help you all fight Talpa." He told them all about Lirin’s vision and how it had come true and how she had witnessed it all.

Understanding dawned on all of them. They all looked at Lirin with compassion and sympathy. Lirin had been trying to get some control over herself as Chad told them the story and was finally able to stop her crying to only a few sniffles. Then trying to lighten the mood, she asked everyone, "Okay, so who wants to go riding?"

        "You sure you’re up for it?" Sai asked, concerned.

        "Yeah, we can always go another time." Ryo added.

        "I’m always up for riding. It relaxes me." She responded, standing up. She smiled as to reassure everyone that she was okay, and then headed toward the door. Everyone just starred at her. She stopped at the door and turned to face them, putting her hands on her hips. "Well, you all coming, or what?"

        They were up in a heartbeat and stampeding towards the door.