13Disclaimer: I don't own Ronin Warriors. If I did Ryo would have fought with the Inferno more because, let's face it, that armor is way too awesome to be used so little.
RME: before I begin, I want to make something clear: Rowen is just as much a part of the story as the other Ronins. Also, River is a supporting character, similar to Mia and Yuli. I don't like OCs who take over the story.
When All Seemed Lost
By RedMoonEclipse
Chapter 1
Drinking Strength from Immortal Fire
River sat on the couch. In his hand was a folder which he sat on the coffee table. The 23 year old took out some papers inside the folder and began reading them. He had found some interesting research of a woman named Mia and it had interested him. There was a paper that had a single poem with handwritten words and arrows next to 5 of the 7 lines. River knew that the words were names of the Ronin Warriors that River's ancestor, Yuli, had talked about. The stories of those 5 had been passed from generation to generation.
River read the poem then the other papers. Those papers were the places that the 5 people – the ones that Mia kept referring to as the Ronin Warriors – had been sent to by Talpa. The research was detailed and yet the Ronins had never been rescued. River didn't know how the woman could find the places and yet none of the Ronin Warriors had ever been found.
River stood and walked into the dining room where his friends were finishing eating their lunches. The young man wanted to share what he had found upstairs in an unused room.
"I found something I want to show you guys," River said. He sat the closed folder on the table and opened it. He handed the nearest person the poem and his friend started reading it.
"What is this?" His friend asked.
"It's a poem about the 5 Ronin Warriors my grandfather had told me about," River answered as he sat in the only empty chair.
His friend looked at the poem. He passed it to the next person and looked at River questioningly. "You're saying that this poem is where to find people? You're crazy!"
River shook his head. "My grandfather had told me stories about the 5 Ronin Warriors when I was little. It was unbelievable, the fight that my ancestor Yuli had witnessed against a single Dynasty Soldier."
"You mean those fictional stories? No one could have that easy of a time fighting those things. We can barely even destroy them!"
River's hand went to the sword's sheath that was hanging at his side. It was true that every person had a difficult time fighting a single Dynasty Soldier.
"Guys, I believe those Ronin Warriors are real people," River confessed. "I don't really understand why but it had always felt as if those Ronin Warriors in my grandfather's stories were real. He once told me that the stories had been told to each generation since my ancestor's time."
One of River's friends shook his head. "If the stories are true then why are there so little of them?"
"I don't think that Yuli had been with them for long before Talpa had scattered-"
"That's if the stories are true," another of his friends reminded River.
River sighed. He should have known that his friends wouldn't believe him. But how do I convince them? That was the single question that River had running through this mind. I have a feeling I'm going to need their help if I want to find them.
"Can't you at least come with me? If the first one, the one named Ryo, isn't where the research says he is, I won't look for the rest." River hoped that his friends would come. If the stories were true Ryo would most likely be heavy since he would be wearing armor.
His friends looked at each other. They had been friends with River for a long time and knew that he wouldn't lead them on a wild goose chase without a reason. The thing that made them hesitate was the first sentence. How can someone be alive inside a volcano?
"A volcano would have burned him alive," one pointed out. "I don't think that we'll even find bones inside the volcano."
In the 400 years since Talpa had come, man had invented a way to go inside a volcano. It wasn't impossible to do now but it was very dangerous to do so. If a single drop of lava touched either a person or the vehicle that would take them down inside one, they would melt from the heat.
River sighed again and stood. He muttered something that sounded like 'thanks a lot'. He took the papers back and returned them to the folder he had found. When he turned to leave, one of his friends grabbed his wrist.
"I never said that we won't," the young man pointed out to River. "We're just skeptical that you can find someone inside a live volcano." River's friend turned to the others. "Let's humor him. It can't hurt, right?"
There was silence as each of River's friends looked at each other, then to River. The one who was holding his wrist spoke for the others. "We'll go for the first one – Ryo right? – but if he isn't there we will not look for the rest."
River smiled. He'd forgotten that he had become friends with them for a reason. Each were loyal and would help one another if needed.
"Let's leave tomorrow," River suggested. "The volcano is far away and it's already past noon."
The young man left the others and went to his room. He flopped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. How were they going to get the vehicle and suits needed to enter a live volcano? River would have go around Koji Village asking if anyone had the things he needed.
But what if Ryo isn't there? A voice nagged him. What if you don't take them to the right volcano?
Early into the morning saw River and the others packing 4 suits in a van. River oversaw a trailer being hitched to it after they were done The vehicle that River and the others were going to use was on the trailer.
By the time it reached 10 am, the van was already on the road heading for the volcano that Mia had written as Ryo's resting place.
River spent the drive worrying that Mia had chosen the wrong volcano. It was possible, right? She was just as human as River and the others.
"This it?" River's friend asked as he drove towards an exit. River's eyes focused on the scenery that was passing by. For the last 30 minutes River hadn't really been paying attention as he stared out the window.
River looked down at the piece of paper on his lap. The name matched the one for the exit. He answered his friend's question then returned to watching the scenery. It was as if the young man was in a daze. His mind kept wandering as if it couldn't stay on track. If anyone asked him later what he had seen, River wouldn't have been able to answer the question.
The van was driven as close to the volcano as the driver dared. The people in the van, including River, got out. As the young man stretched, his green eyes traveled to the volcano ahead of them.
"Should we eat first?" One of his friends asked.
River shook his head. "I think we should wait to eat until after we rescue Ryo. If he wakes up before we reach home I'm sure he will be hungry."
The friend who had asked shrugged his shoulders and turned to the trailer. Already others of River's friends were unlatching the trailer's door to bring the vehicle out. Once it had been set on the ground, River retrieved the 4 protective suits.
"Who wants to help me?" River asked as he sat the suits on the now-empty trailer. His friends looked at each other as if to say I dare you to go inside the volcano to one another. River glanced at his friends and sighed. "I'm going to need help if Ryo's inside," he admitted. "I can't bring a fully armored person back here on my own."
Hesitantly 3 of River's friends grabbed a protective suit and started putting it over their clothes. River put on the fourth suit. After each person had locked their helmet in place, all stepped onto the vehicle. With a nod to the others waiting, River drove the now-flying vehicle to the volcano a short distance away.
When they reached it, River silently lowered it inside. The heat from the lava would have almost instantly set them on fire but the suits only became warm.
River looked around the inside of the volcano searching for anyone. The smoke from the volcano made it had to find the person that River was looking for.
River spoke through the speaker in each suit "Be careful to not let the lava touch you," he reminded. "The suits protect us from the heat but the lava will burn us alive."
As they got close to the lava, River saw a person wearing red armor lying on actual ground. The bottom half of the person's legs were submerged in the lava. The 23 year old became worried that the legs had already been burned off.
River pointed to the person in red armor. "I think that's him," he told the others.
"Does he still have his legs?" One of his friends asked.
River shrugged. "None of the research said anything about this type of situation," he admitted.
The vehicle stopped above the ground near the person. River couldn't see the person's face.
Talpa, now in his actual body, laughed to himself as he watched the futile efforts of those humans who were trying to bring one of the Ronins out of his resting place. He knew that no matter what those humans did the Ronin would never wake up. In the last 400 years, the boy had never moved from where he had landed when Talpa had scattered the Ronins.
River brought the vehicle onto the ground and stepped off it. He reached the person and looked thoughtfully at him. The only question that River couldn't answer was how to get someone with his legs submerged in the lava onto the vehicle without setting either the vehicle or someone on fire.
"Any ideas?" He finally asked. "We need to get him onto the vehicle to bring him out of the volcano."
One of River's friends walked to River's side. "Is he even alive?" He asked. River couldn't answer so he just ignored the question. Mia had said that the Ronins would have been put into a deep sleep but had said nothing about them still being alive years later.
Thankfully another one of his friends answered the question. "Why don't we move him over to the vehicle and lay the guy in the middle with his legs hanging off the edge so that nothing will catch on fire?"
"That's if he still has his legs," another pointed out.
River shook his head inside the helmet. "Let's worry about that once we get him off the ground and onto the vehicle," he told the others.
Almost as if they were a single person each of them walked to the person lying on the ground. River and one of his friends bent to grab one of his arms to carry him to the waiting vehicle.
"Ready?" River asked his friend. When the other gave his conformation, River told him to get ready to move.
When they began dragging the person between them, he didn't even move. River almost fell when he met the heavy resistance. He looked at the others and said only 2 words: "What now?"
River didn't know what to do. The armor was heavier than it looked. River couldn't understand how someone could fight in it like the stories that his grandfather had told him as a child. His ancestor Yuli had made it seem as if the armors hardly weighed anything. Did his ancestor even know how heavy the Ronin armors were?
"I guess it'll take all 4 of us," the other person holding onto the unconscious person's arm said.
River nodded. "I guess that's the only way to get him out of here," he agreed. He motioned for the other two to grab onto the person's shoulders. When all were holding onto a part of the person, they started to slowly drag him to the vehicle.
It was extremely difficult moving someone in full armor. When River looked back to see if the person's legs were still there he was surprised to see them unharmed. Does the armor even burn? He wondered. He had never heard of something that could withstand the fire-y destruction that lava always caused.
When they reached the vehicle the two who were holding onto the person's armored shoulders let go and stepped onto it. Both knelt and leaned over the side from the middle. They grabbed the armored shoulders again and started heaving the heavy body onto the vehicle. River and the one who was holding onto the other arm struggled to pick him up high enough for the other 2 to drag him on board.
"Don't let the legs touch you," River reminded. "They might set the suit on fire from being so hot."
They were eventually able to drag the person onto the vehicle and lay him down in the middle with his legs hanging over the side, away from any part of the vehicle or those who were standing on it. The legs gave off steam as the vehicle left the volcano. It was as if they were on fire and water had been thrown on them.
River stopped the vehicle near the van and the conscious riders stepped off it. River took off his helmet and sighed in relief when he felt the cool breeze. The volcano was hot even though they had been wearing protective suits.
"This is him? This Ryo person?" One asked as River ran his hand through his black hair.
"Yeah, I'm sure it's him," River responded. He took off the protective suit and laid it on the trailer to cool down. "We need to get him off the vehicle," River told everyone. "I'm dead if any part of it is melted from the armor."
One of River friends shook his head as he finished taking off his own protective suit. "How do we do that?" He asked as he set the suit beside River's. "It was difficult enough to even get that heavy person onto it when we were inside the volcano," he pointed out.
Another shrugged. "Might as well push him off," he stated. "I doubt he'll be waking up soon – that's if he's even alive."
River didn't like the idea of just pushing a person off the vehicle but didn't really see any other choice that they had. He sighed and nodded his head. "Just try to be gentle," he said.
Someone muttered under their breath "can't guarantee anything" as some stepped onto the vehicle and pushed the armored body off. There was a thump and the person in the armor just lay there as if he was dead.
River sat on the ground and looked at the sky. "Might as well have lunch while we wait for his armor to cool," he suggested. His stomach growled to back up his words.
Lunch was taken from the van and set on the ground a ways from where the armored person was cooling off. As they ate every one of River's friends kept looking at the unconscious person as steam continued to come off him.
"You were right, River," one commented. "There was someone inside the volcano."
"How old do you think he is?" Another asked.
River shrugged. "Don't know," he admitted. "The woman called Mia never actually said anything about their ages. The stories my grandfather used to tell me never did either."
"I bet he's around our age," one matter-of-factly said. "There's no way a teenager or child could fight the Dynasty like you said."
"He's pretty short to be in his 20's," another rebutted. "I doubt he's even 19. He's got to be 18."
River stood and took out his cell phone. He walked a little ways away from the others to make the call to Koji mansion to tell them Ryo had been rescued. The green-eyed man wanted to make sure that his friends knew so that they wouldn't be surprised when Ryo was brought home. He also wanted to ask them a favor.
The phone rang a few times before a "hello?" came through.
"Hey, it's me, River. I wanted to let you know I found Ryo," River began. "We're going to bring him home once he cools down enough to move him easier."
"I'm surprised that someone was inside." The voice sounded shocked as those words were said. "What do you mean 'cool down' though?"
River explained what had happened in the volcano in detail. He told them about Ryo's armor and how the boy's legs had been submerged in the lava. The person on the phone whistled when told that Ryo's legs hadn't been burned when they left the lava.
"Can you do me a favor, though?" the young man asked. "Can you get a room ready for him so when we bring him home he'll have a place to sleep if he still hasn't woken up by then?"
"Sure," the voice said. "How long do you think you'll be?"
River couldn't honestly answer the question as he had never dealt with this type of situation – heck he hadn't ever seen someone in armor like Ryo's!
"Don't know," River admitted. "It'd probably be best if you started now. Since we are a long ways away from home, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to get a room ready."
"Will do," the voice said. "I guess I'll see you when you bring him home. Just be careful, though. Dynasty Soldiers could be nearby."
River agreed to the request and hung up the phone. He returned to the others. "I just called home," he said as he walked to Ryo. His green eyes looked at the unconscious person lying on the ground thoughtfully. By now the armor had stopped giving off steam. He bent to get a closer look. The mask on the person's helmet hid most of his face so River couldn't see much of it.
River's hand reached out. His hand hesitantly got closer to the boy's arm as if to see if it was still hot. As it got closer, wonder bloomed inside him. It was if Ryo had never been inside the volcano. His hand kept getting closer and closer but he never felt the expectant heat. Even when he finally touched Ryo's arm, there was no heat coming from it.
It was amazing and River almost couldn't believe what he had felt – or rather, not felt – when he had touched it. It hadn't been long and already the armor had cooled enough to be touched.
"Let's bring him home," he told the others.
"Already?! It hasn't even been two hours yet!" Someone protested. "There's no way we can move him without being burnt!"
In answer, River just held out his hand with his palm facing the sky. "I wasn't burned when I touched his arm," he stated as everyone looked at his hand in wonder. "I don't think we'll get burned now if we carry him to the car."
His friends silently stood. One took the now-empty basket back to the car while the others joined River beside Ryo. River directed for them to pick up Ryo together and carry him to the van. The green-eyed man grabbed below Ryo's shoulder and the others found places to hold onto where they wouldn't get poked by the spikes that were on his body. Even though they had more people to help carry the heavy person it still wasn't an easy task. Their movement was slow and their handles on him weren't the best. River and the others were panting by the time they were able to lay the unconscious person across the back seat.
This time River drove home. The ride back was as silent as when they drove to the volcano. Like on the way to Ryo, the drive back was long but, to River, it seemed to pass quickly. He was excited that they had found the first Ronin Warrior that had been in the poem.
River parked the car near the front door of Koji mansion and got out. All of the others, minus Ryo, also got out. River stretched his back then went inside the house. He wanted to let the others know that River and the others had come back with Ryo.
"Is the bedroom ready?" He asked when he found someone. When given the confirmation that it was ready, River went back out to the others. "We're going to take him inside now," he informed everyone. "They're ready for him."
River reached inside the van to help carry Ryo. He was still unconscious but his helmet drew the green-eyed man's attention. Where the helmet had obscured his face was now visible – it was if whatever had been over Ryo's face had never been there. That's weird, River thought as he got inside the van. I could have sworn it was there before.
"You ready?" He called when he had positioned himself. "I'm going to try to push him closer to the edge of the seat. Once you can reach, grab him and we'll carry him into the house. His bedroom is ready so we don't have to pick him up again after this."
There was a groan. "We have to carry him upstairs?"
River smiled slightly. "You know that all the bedrooms are on the second story," he reminded his friend. "There's not much we can do about that."
When there was no response, River put his hands on top of Ryo's shoulder guards and pushed him closer to the edge of the van. Soon after River began, he felt someone helping him move the heavy body.
"You can get out now," one said. "We can take him out by ourselves now."
River got out of the van and walked inside the mansion again. He went upstairs to find Ryo's new bedroom. It wasn't hard to find as a few people were in the doorway as well as inside the actual room.
"They're bringing him up now," he informed his other friends. "You'll need to move out of the way before they arrive."
Almost as if they didn't want to miss the scene of a stranger being carried to the bedroom, they moved down the hall. They watched as Ryo was brought upstairs and put on the bed on the left side of the room. Once Ryo was laid down, the ones carrying him stood back with some rubbing their tired arms.
"What do we do about his armor?" A person asked. "It's got to be uncomfortable sleeping in it."
One of River's friends tried to find a way to undo whatever was keeping the armor on but couldn't find anything. He sighed and looked at the others. "I don't think we can," he admitted as he looked back at the person. "It's as if there's no way for it to be removed."
"That's impossible," another scoffed. "There's no way a person could wear armor that couldn't come off."
River shrugged. "Mia referred to it as 'mystical armor'. I guess that means that the armor isn't of the normal kind."
River went to Ryo and took off the helmet. He put it on the nightstand and turned to his friends. "Help me roll him over. I doubt those sheathes are very comfortable to lie on."
"Sheathes? Don't you mean just one?"
The 23 year old sighed and pointed above Ryo's shoulder. "I can see 2 of them," he stated. "I think I found the second sword when I came across Mia's research. I'll grab it from my room once we leave."
One of the people inside the room went to River and helped him roll Ryo over. Ryo's head just lolled to the side and his black bangs went into his closed eyes. After River struggled for a minute to get Ryo's sheathes off, he sighed and muttered "stupid sheathes won't come off." Instead of trying to remove things that had no intention of moving, River just took the only sword out and set it against the nightstand. He moved back and his friend gently rolled Ryo back onto his back. Ryo's bangs were moved out of his eyes and both River and his friend stepped back from the bed. The person never woke up even though he had been manhandled so much.
"I think we should try to wake him up," one of the people in the room suggested. "If he's been sleeping for 400 years like River said, I think it's time he woke up."
After several futile attempts at waking him, everyone just gave up. He hadn't even moved. Instead, they just watched him sleep.
"How old do you think he is?" Someone asked behind River.
No one had really noticed just how young Ryo looked until now. Before they had been too busy trying to get Ryo comfortable that no one really took the time to actually look at his face. To their surprise, Ryo didn't even look like he was 18. He didn't even look like an adult.
"I wonder if he's only 15," someone commented. Others agreed with him, including River.
"But how could a 15 year old be wearing armor powerful enough to even fight a Dynasty Soldier like in the story that River's told us?"
River turned and walked to the door. He stopped walking and put his hand on the doorframe. He turned and said "we should let him wake on his own. I think all we can do now is wait for him to wake up on his own."
The others agreed with the green-eyed man. After looking at the Ronin lying on the bed, they left one by one. When everyone had left River shut the door. He walked to his room and retrieved Ryo's second sword. He went back to the boy's room and leaned the sword against the wall next to the door. The door was quietly shut.
River never saw Ryo's hand twitch when the sword was placed in the room.
Days went by but each time River and his friends checked on Ryo, the boy was still unconscious. Worry began to grow in them as they watched the boy sleep. The sword that had been placed by the door was never moved closer to him. No one seemed to put together the importance of the connection Ryo had to that single sword.
One day, a single child went to see the topic of the many discussions she had overheard each time she had come to visit. She was curious why the grown-ups were so worried when all the stranger seemed to do was sleep.
It was that single child who saw the movement that day. She went to River and his friends and tugged on the young man's arm. It took a couple of times before he looked down at her.
"What is it?" He asked.
"That funny man is moving," she stated.
River looked at his friends then at the child holding his arm. He knelt in front of her and tried to smile. "I don't think that he will start moving after being still for so many days."
"But it's true!" She insisted. "Don't you believe me?" There was a hint of begging in her voice as if she wanted them to believe her.
River looked up at his friends. Hope blossomed inside him and he quickly stood. He ran to Ryo's room. The others seemed to have the same thought. They were curious if the seemingly-immobile boy had started to finally move after lying still for so long. River almost visibly sagged when he saw Ryo moving.
Talpa watched as a black-haired, green-eyed young man talked to the others in Wildfire's room. He watched as they looked at the sword by the door then to the sleeping boy. The green-eyed man placed the sword on the bed next to Ryo. Talpa continued to watch as the young man continued to talk to the people in the room before all left the Ronin alone.
Talpa turned from the mirror that he had been watching them through. He walked to his throne and sat down. He called for his Warlords to come to him. As one all 4 appeared in front of their master. They saluted and waited for him to speak.
"Ryo of Wildfire has been rescued," he began. "He is showing signs of starting to wake up."
A rush of joy swept through Talpa's Warlords. After 400 years someone had been found who would be able to put up a fight. The Warlords had grown bored by now as no one could stand up to the power of their own mystical armors.
They waited for further instructions, hoping to be given the command to fight Ryo. They couldn't wait to fight someone who could put up a slight challenge. However Talpa disappointed his Warlords.
"I will call you when you are needed," he told them.
The 4 Warlords left and returned to the room that they had been in earlier.
"Do you think we'll be given the chance to fight him again?" Sekhmet asked.
Kale smiled. "I hope so," he admitted. "It is boring fighting those who cannot fight back."
"I agree," Anubis said. "It is dishonorable fighting a battle that is not glorious."
"I will slowly kill Wildfire with my venom," Sekhmet stated. "That will stave off my boredom for a little while."
After a while, River went to check on his charge. He wanted to see if his idea was a possibility. It would have explained why the Ronin was taking so long to wake after days of sleeping.
When the young man opened the door he saw that Ryo had moved closer to his sword which was lying on the bed beside his arm. River smiled and quietly shut the door. He returned downstairs to give his friends the news that Ryo had once again moved. River felt as if Wildfire would wake soon.
Inside the bedroom Ryo finally opened his eyes.
Where am I?
The boy sat up. His hand went to his helmetless head as he muttered "that was an odd dream."
The Ronin's hand hit the hilt of his sword beside him when he moved to stand. Much to his surprise, the boy heard his armor move with him. He looked at his hands with the single thought of why am I sleeping in my armor?. He had never slept in his full armor before – he hadn't ever needed to.
Ryo grabbed his sword and stood. He looked and found his other sword leaning on the nightstand with his helmet waiting for him on top of it. The boy returned both swords to their sheathes then picked up his helmet.
He walked out of the bedroom into a deserted hall. He was in a place that he had no recollection of ever coming to. He remembered passing out when he and his friends had fought Anubis above that subway where-
Mia! Yuli!
Wildfire had forgotten about the Ronins' charges. The two of them were defenseless if the Dynasty attacked them. He had to find them and his friends before the Dynasty did.
The worry that had started inside him continued to grow with each door he opened. The rooms were deserted. He needed to find the others before something happened. As Ryo continued to search he began to wonder if he was the only one inside the building. He had never come across anyone since he had left the bedroom where he had woken up.
When he came to stairs going down to the floor below, he unsheathed his swords. He could hear voices down below him. He knew it must be the Dynasty as everyone who had lived in Toyama had been captured by Talpa.
The Ronin walked down the stairs and into the living room. When he saw people sitting around one another his first thought was that humans had also joined the Dynasty. It was the only reasonable explanation. He didn't want to fight his own people but he felt that he had no choice.
He took a defensive stance, ready to attack or defend if they noticed him. Much to his surprise, the people in the room looked at him but did nothing else. Instead of attacking the Ronin it was if they were surprised he was even awake.
One of the people – the one with black hair and green eyes – who were in the room stood. Ryo almost fell onto the stairs as he backed up when the young man came to him. Is he going to attack me? Ryo thought.
The young man had a sword on his right hip but his hand never moved towards it.
"Stay away," Ryo warned.
The green-eyed man stopped and somehow looked helpless, almost as if he didn't know what to do. He slowly lifted his hands in the air as if to say I'm not going to attack you.
"My name is River Yamano," the unknown young man began. "I'm not going hurt you. Neither are the others here."
Ryo's swords lowered slightly. Yamano? That last name sounded familiar to him, as if he had heard it before. But I don't know anyone with that last name.
"Are you with Talpa?" Ryo asked.
River gave his friends a confused look. It as if he was asking the others a question. When the others in the room didn't say anything the green-eyed young man turned back to the Ronin. "We're not with Talpa" – the word was said with venom – "we are some of the people who are still free."
Free from Talpa? Ryo was becoming confused.
"You're safe with us, Ryo," River gently said. "We won't hurt you."
Ryo lowered his swords. "What is going on?" He asked.
River lowered his hands. He beckoned Ryo to come closer. "You should probably sit down," he said. "There are things that I need to tell you."
Ryo put his swords back in their sheathes. He walked to one of the couches and sat down. As he got comfortable, River also sat by him.
"It's been 400 years since you disappeared," River began. "In those 400 years Talpa has taken control of three-fourths of Japan."
"I don't understand," Ryo said. "How can it be 400 years since Talpa had come? It can't have been that long."
River looked at his hands. "You've been sleeping inside a volcano for 400 years. The woman named Mia wasn't able to find you before she disappeared. After that happened her research on the whereabouts of you and the other Ronin Warriors became lost. It wasn't till recently that I came across them."
"Mia never found us?" Ryo echoed. "That can't be true."
River smiled sadly. "I guess it took her a long time. Not everything can be done within a matter of minutes, hours or days. It's not possible."
Ryo remembered something that River had told him. "How can Talpa only control three-fourths of Japan in the last 400 years?"
"There are people who fight," River explained. "It's because there is resistance to Talpa's reign that Japan hasn't been completely taken over."
"What about Toyama?" Ryo asked.
"It's become a ghost city. It's been abandoned ever since everyone had disappeared."
River continued to tell Ryo about the military's multiple failed attacks on Talpa's castle and how the people had found a way to fight the Dynasty Soldiers after Ryo and the other Ronins had gone to sleep.
Ryo just sat even after River finished explaining. The boy looked as if he was having a hard time taking in everything that River had told him. Even though he was sitting among others, Wildfire felt as if he was completely alone.
"Are you okay?" River asked.
Ryo nodded in response even though he wasn't for sure what 'okay' was. How could anyone be fine when they found out that they had been sleeping for 400 years? The only thing that had changed was that Talpa was here but regular people had found a way to fight him.
Ryo stood. Because there was no immediate threat, he changed into his subarmor. He felt it was safe enough to return to it since he was with his own people.
One of the young men in the living room whistled. "Nice armor," he commented. "You can even downgrade it."
Wildfire saw that everyone was impressed with Ryo's armor. He smiled. "It's so I can fight the Dynasty," he explained.
River stood. "I'll get you some clothes," he told Ryo. "I'm sure you will need some new ones since it's been 400 years. You can't always wear your subarmor for the rest of your life." The young man left.
Ryo stood. He looked at the front door. "I'd like to explore a little," Ryo told them. He walked out of the mansion before anyone else could say anything.
The Ronin found himself on a dirt road which was part of what looked like a small town. People were walking or talking to others while children played on the roads. There were even some dogs and cats among those people.
Ryo walked through the town. He felt like a tourist who was just sight-seeing with no real destination in mind. I don't really have one, he reminded himself.
As he walked people began to stare at him. It was the first time that anyone had seen a person who was covered from head to foot in armor. Even the children stopped to stare openly at Ryo as he walked by. They were curious because he looked so strange compared to everyone else.
The black-haired boy turned the corner between 2 dirt streets. He saw a ball flying towards him.
"Watch out!" A child's voice called out. Everyone knew that the ball was going to hit Wildfire.
They didn't expect the boy wearing armor to grab the ball before it hit his face. The child who had been chasing it stopped in front of Ryo. The black-haired boy gave the ball to the child who smiled. "You're amazing!" The child exclaimed. "You didn't even fumble the ball!"
Ryo smiled. "Guess I got lucky," he responded.
The child ran off with the ball still in his hands.
Wildfire resumed his exploration of the small town. As he walked he began counting the houses that he passed. When he reached the edge of the town the number hadn't grown very big.
A hand grabbed Ryo's arm before he could leave the village. Ryo turned to see an old man who had a serious expression on his face. "Do not leave Koji Village," he warned. "It is dangerous outside the town."
The boy didn't say anything. He turned back and followed the person back into Koji Village. He knew that he could fight any Dynasty Soldier that came but the old man who was leading him back didn't.
"Boy, where are you from?" The old man asked. The man had never seen such strange 'clothes' before and was curious.
"This is my subarmor," Ryo corrected as if he could read the old man's mind but he could tell the old man didn't believe him. That man had never seen armor that looked like Ryo's subarmor.
Ryo eventually returned to Koji mansion. After sitting on one of the couches his mind wandered to his friends. The boy didn't know where they were and, even though he wanted to find them, he didn't even know where to start. The more he thought about his wish the more frustrated he became.
River came and sat beside Ryo. In his hands was the folder that held Mia's research. "I want to show you something," he told Ryo. The poem about the Ronin Warriors' locations was taken out and handed to Ryo. The boy read the poem as River began explaining. "This is part of Mia's research. It has the names and locations of the other Ronin Warriors."
"Mia," Ryo breathed. To River it sounded as if the Ronin sitting beside him had personally known the woman.
The 23 year old had been curious about this Mia woman. He wanted to know more about the woman who had figured out where each Ronin Warrior had been taken after Talpa had separated them. "Who is this Mia?" River asked Ryo.
The Ronin looked away from the poem he was holding and saw that River was waiting for him to speak.
"I don't really know her," he admitted. "We weren't with her for very long. All I know is that she was an assistant at the college."
The boy handed the poem back to River. "Can we find Sage?" He asked. Halo was the next on the list and Ryo wanted to find his friends as soon as possible. He was sure that they were still alive from the fact that he was alive.
"Please be patient," River responded. "We have to wait for your clothes to be finished. We can leave once you are given them."
Ryo did not want to wait. He was anxious to be reunited with the other Ronins.
"Please, just stay here until your clothes are ready," River gently said.
Ryo didn't want to stay there but, since River had already asked for them, Wildfire wouldn't leave until he received his clothes. Once he was given them, however, that was a different story. After he had them he was going to find Sage.
Ryo spent the rest of the day alone. He wanted time to think and he couldn't do that if he was around others. He didn't go outside because of all the stares. He had noticed them as the old man had taken him away from the edge of Koji Village. Those stares had made him uncomfortable; he had never liked being the center of attention.
Ryo returned to the bedroom he had woken up in that night. The clothes he wore underneath his armor had mostly likely rotted by now so all he could was sleep in his subarmor. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before – the night he had spent with the other Ronins, Mia, Yuli and White Blaze, all the Ronins had slept in their subarmor.
I miss White Blaze, Ryo thought. White Blaze had been with him since he was little. The tiger had become a constant in his life and now that the tiger was gone Ryo felt more alone. He wanted White Blaze with him.
Ryo fell asleep thinking about the Ronins, Mia, Yuli and White Blaze. He dreamed of the fight with Anubis that had ended when the Ronin Warriors had been sent to their resting places.
Ryo sat eating breakfast with River and the others a few days later. He was silent as River and his friends talked about what would happen today. When breakfast was done Ryo just sat as if waiting for something.
"Ryo, I want to take you somewhere today," River told him.
Ryo looked at River, curiosity coursing through him. The boy had already seen the village the day he had woken up. He wondered if there was somewhere he hadn't been – somewhere secret.
He followed River out of the mansion and they walked in silence as the young man led him to a building towards the edge of the town. They walked inside and Ryo noticed that it was a clothing store. I didn't think that they'd still have these, the boy thought.
"We're here!" River called out in the empty room.
A woman walked out of the back. She smiled when she saw who had come inside. "River!" She exclaimed. She walked to the green-eyed man and gave him a hug. She turned to Ryo and sized him up. "I assume this is the boy you were talking about?"
River stepped away and waved his hand towards the Ronin who was silently watching them. "Cecelia, this is Ryo," he told her. "He's the one I told you about a few days ago."
Ryo smiled at the woman. He could see that she was one of those who were easily likeable.
"I see," Cecelia said. "Come into the back. Your clothes are waiting for you." She led them through the doorway and into the back. Ryo was given his new clothes. "There are some dressing rooms, Hon," she gently said. "You can try them on in one of those."
Ryo thanked the woman and went looking for the dressing rooms. They weren't hard to find and Ryo went in one to change. He dismissed his subarmor. Underneath his clothes almost hung in rags. The boy took them off and threw them to the side. He put on the new clothes that he had been given. He looked at his bare feet and wondered if he would be given any sneakers.
The boy looked in the mirror that was hanging on the wall. He felt slightly uncomfortable in the clothes even though they were modeled after the 1980's look; they weren't the type that he usually wore. I'll have to get used to them, he told himself. He walked out of the room and saw that Cecelia was now holding a pair of sneakers. She handed them to him with the explanation that they were his shoes. These sneakers were similar to the ones that Ryo usually wore. He thanked the woman and put them on. It surprised him that all of his clothes, as well as the sneakers, fit him.
Wildfire looked different in his regular clothes; it was as if his subarmor had added years to his life. Ryo looked like a normal teenage boy without it. It was the first time that River realized that the Ronin wasn't any different than everyone else.
River walked to Ryo and said "let's go. I'll explain more about the future after we leave here."
The green-eyed man led Ryo out the door. As they began to walk, River started talking. "Life probably didn't advance as the people in your time thought it would. After Talpa came, life changed for everyone in Japan. We were so busy fighting for our freedom that the rest of the world's technology left us behind – even the ties we had created with other countries. Over the years we basically became a smaller nation because of the Dynasty.
There are some things that had advanced significantly since your time. Our vehicles – like trucks and such – began to have greater gas mileage. It's not uncommon for a tank of gas to last a truck weeks with constant driving.
We developed spaceships over time. As technology improved we were able to send a spaceship into outer space without needing an airport of some kind. We even developed space suits which gave us the ability to go out into space.
About 100 years ago someone invented protective suits that could stand extremely hot temperatures as long as something like lava does not touch it. After that a vehicle was invented to give us the ability to go to very cold places or even inside hot places like a volcano even if that volcano is still active. That was how we were able to rescue you a while ago.
Over time computers became small, light laptops which could be navigated with a finger. The CPUs of those laptops became extremely powerful. The floppy disks were replaced by CDs which were eventually replaced by USBs. Even our kitchen appliances went to electric.
The only digress that happened was the weapons which are used to fight the Dynasty. Modern weapons did not work on them but we had found that only swords gave us the ability to at least defend ourselves. We found that the only way to destroy a Dynasty Soldier is literally opening a hole in them so that their souls escape. Once that happens the Dynasty Soldiers could not fight. The only problem that we faced is that it's not easy to fight the Dynasty Soldiers. The Warlords are the only ones that we cannot fight – each time one comes everyone is slaughtered because we have no defense against them."
Ryo and River reached Koji mansion. The green-eyed man stopped and turned to the Ronin beside him. "I'm going to start on the preparations so that we can leave to find Sage," he told the boy.
Ryo nodded. "Can I continue walking through the village? I'm interested in the changes that have happened since I had fallen asleep."
River gave Ryo a nod and the Ronin left to continue his sight-seeing. It was like the boy couldn't get enough of the sights that had greeted him the first time he had walked outside of the mansion.
As Wildfire walked through the town for the third time, his mind returned to his friends. He wanted them with him in this weird place. He even wished that they had been able to destroy Talpa before life had become like this. They could have prevented the changes that Talpa had forced onto Ryo's nation.
There was a scream a ways away.
Ryo ran as if to answer it because he could feel the Dynasty's presence nearby.
Ryo ran as fast as he could. He had to get to where the scream had come from. River had said that people had a difficult time fighting just the Dynasty Soldiers. The boy knew that if he didn't get to where the fight was innocent people were going to be killed. He didn't think about his subarmor. All he could think about were the possible lives that could have already been lost.
A hand grabbed Ryo's arm and forced the Ronin to stop.
"You should not go there," the person said. "You will get killed if you do because you are too weak to fight. You must hide instead."
Ryo turned to tell the man holding onto his arm that Ryo needed to get there.
"Father!" A feminine voice called from behind them. When the woman reached the two she bent over, gasping for breath. "Grandfather is calling for you," she said when she was able to speak.
The man holding onto Ryo looked at his daughter. He took her hand and placed Ryo's in it. "Take him to safety," he gently told her. "He's too weak to help fight the Dynasty Soldiers that have come."
She nodded even as Ryo was about to protest. They need me! His mind screamed.
The woman urgently tugged on Ryo's hand to get him running. They were going in the opposite direction and Ryo was not happy. He tried to free his hand but the grip only became tighter.
"I need to help," Ryo protested as she took him farther and farther from where the fighting had broken out.
"You can't help," the woman pointed out. "River said that you have been in suspended animation for the last 400 years. There is no way you will be able to even defend yourself."
"But I've already fought the Dynasty before," Ryo protested.
The woman didn't believe him. "You couldn't have fought them – it's not possible if you've been asleep for the last 400 years."
The woman ignored Ryo's protests as she continued to drag him towards the safest place in Koji Village. When they reached her destination Ryo saw many children gathered with adults to defend them. Ryo was sat at the edge of the circle of children and the woman sat next to him. Wildfire wanted to leave to fight the Dynasty Soldiers but the woman's hand never let his go.
As Wildfire sat, he noticed that her hand was trembling. When he looked at her, he saw that she was shaking. She must be terrified, he realized. He looked down at their connected hands then back at the woman sitting next to him.
"I promise that I will kill any Dynasty Soldiers that find us," he told her. "You don't have to be afraid."
The woman gave him a shaky smile. "Thank you," she said. Ryo could tell that the woman wasn't convinced that he could even fight.
Ryo realized then that he was still wearing his regular clothes. He had forgotten that River had just given him some so that he wouldn't have to continue wearing his subarmor. No wonder she doesn't believe me, he realized. I look like everyone else wearing these clothes.
Ryo sat beside the woman who was still holding his hand, wishing that he had changed into his subarmor. If he had been wearing it when the man had found him, wouldn't he have let Ryo fight the Dynasty? The boy felt so helpless doing nothing but sitting while people protected him.
There were sounds of heavy footsteps. They reminded Ryo of something he had heard before but could not place where. It wasn't till it came into view that the Ronin remembered what it was. Those heavy footsteps were the sound that the Dynasty Soldiers made when walking.
"They're here!" came the cry. The air around Ryo became tense and the people guarding the children readied their weapons.
I can't take anymore of this, Ryo decided as he stood.
The woman tried to pull Ryo back down. "Let those who have fought before protect you," she begged.
Ryo forcefully pulled his hand out of hers. He grabbed his kanji ball and threw it in the air. He jumped over it and his subarmor went over his clothes. There were gasps from behind him but the boy ignored them, keeping an eye on the enemy instead. By this time multiple Dynasty Soldiers had gathered to slaughter them.
The Dynasty Soldiers ran towards the helpless children. Ryo ran towards the nearest Soldier. His goal? Take down the Soldiers` nearest to the children so they would not be killed.
Ryo did a roundhouse kick on a Soldier. It stopped moving to defend itself. Wildfire wasn't swayed when it attacked him. His right arm protected his head and the spear was pushed back. The boy jumped to attack the Soldier. There was a loud crunch as his fist went through its chest. The empty shell fell at Ryo's feet.
Wildfire jumped and he grabbed his legs. His body flipped multiple times and his leg went through the top of a Soldier's helmet. He landed and another empty shell fell at his feet.
Ryo wanted to keep the Dynasty Soldiers away from the children. He wouldn't let them be hurt – or worse killed.
Another Soldier's helmet was split in two by his crashing foot. Wildfire landed crouching on the ground. His right hand shot out and he punched the empty shell to the other side.
Ryo fought beside those guarding the children and woman. He was the only one who was having an easy time fighting the Soldiers.
"Watch out!" A voice cried from behind him. The boy turned in time for the attack to hit his left arm. The ax was pushed back and Ryo's fist punched a hole in the Soldier's helmet.
Ryo went for another Soldier's knees. His leg hit its knees and it came crashing down. Ryo's fist went to meet the chest. The chest caved in from the force behind his fist.
The next 3 were destroyed quickly. When the last of them fell, Ryo saw that the others were already dead.
Ryo looked around to make sure that there were no other Dynasty Soldiers coming. Wildfire wasn't even panting while the others were trying to get their breath back. When Ryo finally looked at the Dynasty Soldiers that had attacked them he quickly noticed that most had been destroyed by himself. The next thing that caught his attention was the looks he was being given.
Why are they looking at me like that? He uneasily thought. The children's amazed expressions and the adults shocked faces were making him uncomfortable. River's words from when Ryo had just woken came back to him. Not everyone had an easy time fighting the Dynasty, Ryo remembered him saying, but through the 400 years that Wildfire had slept man had been able to find a way to fight the Dynasty Soldiers.
"You're amazing!" A child about yelled.
Some of the children ran to Ryo. The boy's arms were tugged on as they asked how Ryo had been able to destroy the Dynasty Soldiers with no weapon when the adults always had a difficult time fighting with swords.
"It's my armor," Ryo admitted to them, "it's made to fight the Dynasty."
The children clinging to him smiled brightly. "You're like a hero in a story," one said with excitement exuding from him. The others nodded in agreement.
For the adults, the realization that Ryo could be much stronger than everyone living in Koji Village came to them. Maybe, some thought, maybe the people would have a chance.
Ryo disentangled himself from the small arms. He quickly went back to the mansion, trying to not look as if he was running away. When he reached the place he went inside. He walked from the living room to the dining room to find River and the young man's friends. When he saw them he noticed that bandages and a first-aid kit were on the kitchen table. They were bandaging each other's few small wounds
"Are you okay?" The boy asked as he walked to them and the table. River and the others paused what they were doing, opting instead to look Ryo over. At this point he had returned to his regular clothes. To their surprise and amazement, the Ronin looked completely unharmed. Ryo wasn't injured while many were to a small degree.
"How is it that you aren't hurt when we are?" One of River's friends asked.
Ryo repeated what he had told the children earlier. "It's my armor," he explained, "it's made for fighting the Dynasty."
River shook his head in wonder. "That's amazing," he softly said. "Mia had written that in her research but to actually see it is something else."
The black-haired boy wanted to point out River hadn't been there – just the children, that woman and the adults who were there. He didn't say anything as he didn't want to remind River that the green-eyed man had been fighting somewhere else.
River stood after he finished bandaging one of his friends' arm. He stretched his back and yawned. "I think we should leave to find Sage tomorrow," he decided. "I'm too tired to go and I'm sure everyone else is."
Ryo wasn't tired. It surprised Wildfire as the time he had met his friends and they had fought that Dynasty Soldier he had been tired afterwards.
River walked out of the dining room. "You also should rest, Ryo," he suggested. "I have a feeling you are going to need it for tomorrow."
Wildfire followed the young man out of the room. He knew that River had a point. Ryo had a feeling he would have to fight tomorrow when they went to wake Sage.
Just wait, Ryo thought, I'm coming, my friend.
RME: so, yeah. I don't know if this idea has been done before. It's just something that I've been curious about for a while.
