"Shiro. Take these." Shiro looked up and carefully took the pair of sheathed katanas. "They were your father's. They belong to you now." Shiro looked down at the covered katanas. Their sheaths delicately crafted with the sign of Wildfire designed in them. "They belong to you know Shiro. Ryo said to give them to you...once he was gone..." Shiro looked up for a moment, a guestioning look in his eyes. He stared up at her for a moment, then, placing one of the swords on the ground, carefully unsheathed one of the katanas. He blinked his eyes as the sunlight reflected off the blade and into his eyes.
"So beautiful..." He murmured, lost in his reflection. He stared down into his father's blade...no...HIS blade. His blades..his swords... he had dreamed for this since the moment he first saw the blades. The light glistening off their blades as his father crossed them with a No-Datchi. The No-Datchi (longsword) had been beautiful...the light glistening off of it so bright and intense...it had seemed to sear through his soul... as if the light it reflected was searching for some dark secret that was yet to be told. But even then...the attraction to his father's katana's had been greater. He had turned away from the sight of the tall blond who'd been sparring with his father and back to the katana's...his father's beautiful katana's. He ran his fingers down the cold steel. There was something missing... father. You were going to give me these... I worked so hard so that I could earn YOUR respect... so that YOU would be the one to give me these... Shiro stared into the blade and, if only for a second, saw his destiny. "..I will make my father proud. I will earn these swords."
"You already have Shiro."
"No. Not yet." Shiro said quietly as his mother left the room. "I will not accept this gift..I will earn it."

Shiro woke with a start, his eyes flying open just as a small shout escaped his mouth. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was. The room was poorly lit, the only light source coming
from a small ball of light that hovered just above him. One of Krystal's trademark lightcast spells. He looked at the rest of the room. The walls were smooth stone with a dirt floor. the ceiling
consisted of the wooden walls of the building that had been destroyed. 'This must have been some forgotten trap...' He stood up, almost immedialy falling right back down. 'M-my legs!They gave
out?!' He looked down at them. He hadn't noticed before, but his legs were bare. He sat there in only a pair of boxers and his undershirt. His forelegs were bandaged up to his knees, splints
visible through the cloth. Both bandages were stained with blood and dirt, making sharp pains whenever he put weight on them. He found the rest of his clothes next to him, his katanas propped up against the walls."Oh man...why me?" he muttered, throwing on his jacket. "Krystal? Yo Krys...where'd ya go?!" He looked around, trying to see in the dark room. "Great...now I lost HER too!"
"You say something?" Krystal asked, popping out of the wall.
"WHA?!? WHERE'D YOU COME FROM?!?!" Shiro cried, backing up a bit in surpirise.
"Glad to see you too." She said dryly.
"Y-you..." Shiro shook his head, collecting his thoughts. "You look like shit." He said
noticing the scratches and and tangled hair. She was wearing her forest green cloak which was torn in places.
"Well you ain't to pleasant to look at either." She answred, pulling her cloak off to reveal her outfit. Her dress was torn in two to make a miniskirt and she had ripped her shirt into a tank top, revealing a flat stomach. Shiro gluped at the sight. She looks great!
That's when he realized it. The bandages...they're made of HER clothes?! But...why?
"Hey Shiro...are you alright?" Krystal asked, looking at Shiro with abit of worry.That cave in...he nearly died...for me... as to WHY he did it... I never really noticed how cute he is an-- WHAT AM I THINKING?! Get a grip girl...this is SHIRO. She blushed slightly. "So how are your legs?"
"I can't move them, I can't feel them, I'm mainly gonna slow you down when you get outta here so you're gonna have to leave me behind." She turned up in surprise at Shiro. Leave him behind? No way...he saved me...I can't just abandon him!
"Well that's a pity..." She said calmly , looking at Shiro. He had his face towards the ground and his hands in his lap. "...cause I ain't abandoning you no matter what you say. So how about you give me a hand on making a plan to get outta here." She replied, smiling.

"Dead." Taro said, standing up. "All dead." He turned to look over the battlefield. Soldiers were strewn over the ground, buildings, and lakes. 'By the gods...it looks as desolate as Toyama after the first impact...' He turned and walked away from Cale's charred corpse, clearly Shiro's work, and back towards the old building Kei was waiting by. The sky was dark, night had fallen. He
loved this time of day...the peace of the stars, the deep blue tone of the sky... it was so peaceful. So different from daytime, when everyone fought. When everyone died. He sighed, knowing that this
might be the last time he might have to admire the night sky.
"Kei? How's your head feeling?" He asked, smiling slightly at the smaller boy. Kei was crouched down inside the empty building, wrapped in the light blue cloak. He'd been crying again, having just
begun to remember the earlier incident.
"I-I'm o-okay..I guess.My headaches gone to say the least.." he sobbed, wiping a few tears away from his eyes.
"That's good."Taro smiled slightly.He sat down next to the young boy, looking at him sorrowfully. "It's okay Kei..." Taro whispered. He watched as the younger boy turned and looked at him. Kei choked back a sob before grabbing onto Taro and burying his face into the older boy's shirt. Taro's eyes looked down at the boy for a moment, a little surprised by the action. He closed his eyes and began to stroke Kei's hair. An instinct. Mother used to do this...whenever I was sad... I guess...I guess I am as Arren says...the adult of the group."Go ahead and cry Kei...cry as much as you want to...as much as you need to." Taro whispered as the small boy clutched the older boy's shirt and cried.

"Aw man! This is freakin IT?! That's ALL?! This is worse then death!!!" Joe cried, looking at the two food rations that remained.
"Makes me wish I'd taken Taro's advice and reserved a few...aw man...that's not freakin right! It makes wish I'd taken freakin more o' these things!!!" Joe cried as he grabbed his last one and
threw one to Kento. "What I would do for some of Kei's trademark cinnamon buns..."
"Or some of Cye's deluxe waffles..."
"Waffles..." Joe repeated, drooling at the thought.
"But instead.all we get is ...is...DRIED FRUIT!" Kento cried, near tears.
"HOW FREAKING CRUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!!!!" Joe cried as him and Kento grabbed on to each others shoulders and cried. "THIS MIGHT BE OUR LAST FREAKIN MEAL TOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE SUCH A FATE?!?!"
Kento sobbed. "Um...Joe? You gonna eat that?"Kento asked, pointing to Joe's half of the food ration.
"OF COURSE I FREAKIN' AM!!!! You gonna eat yours?" Joe asked, looking hungrily at Kento's EMPTY WRAPPER?!? "YOU ALREADY ATE IT?!"
"WELL I WAS HUNGRY!!! and since I'm your father...YOU SHOULD GIMME YOURS!!!"
"Now why the freakin hell would I freakin' do something so freakin' stuuuu-pid like that?!?!?Joe shouted. The loud banging of the two of them fighting over the food ration would have given them
away...or scared soldiers away. That is...if there were any left to scare away.

"Kayura?" Rowen asked, walking down the dirt covered street. He looked around. I know that's kayura.. "Kayura?" Rowen asked again, putting a hand on her shoulder. He jumped back as she spun around with her staff, barely missing him.
"STRATA?!" She cried, surprised.
"WHOA! Chill Kayura! Are you okay?" Rowen asked, looking at her face. She was exhausted her eyes were bloodshot and bits of blood and dirt clung to her face.
"I...am sorry Strata... I have seen no one for the past few days. I thought you to be another Dynasty trap."
"It's okay.." Rowen said, smiling at her. "How about we stick togethor from now on?" Rowen said, winking at Kayura and offering his hand.
"I ...believe that is a good idea." Kayura answered, returning the smile and accepting his hand as they walked done the dirt paths of the Dynasty.

"GIVE IT FREAKIN BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!" Joe cried as he chased Kento around the court. He stopped as he watched Kento dangle the food ration above his mouth "IF YOU FREAKIN' EAT THAT, THE GODS'LL...THE GODS'LL..."
"THEY'LL DO WHAT?" Kento asked, throwing the discarded wrapper on the ground.
"THEY'LL FREAKIN' DO SOMETHING THAT AIN'T FREAKIN NICE TO YA!!!"
Joe yelled, trying to think up some good threat.
"Haha! Some threat!" Kento replied as he dropped the food ration into his mouth, swallowing it whole.
" AAAAAAAW MAN!!!" Joe cried, staring at the discarded wrapper.
"Aw...poor widdle..*cough*..*hak*..*choke*.." Joe turned as he saw Kento topple over a fall to the ground shuddering spasmodically. Joe ran over to him but it was too late...yet
ANOTHER ronin was dead. (Don't ya just love me? =Þ)
"Ma always did say he was gonna eat himself to his grave..." Joe muttered, standing up and picking up his naginta."I guess I better go find the others before I get myself into even deeper freakin' shit." Joe muttered, kicking a few dead soldiers out of his path as he made his way towards the palace.

"Halo. The stupid fool." Cale muttered as he watched the night fall from the palace windows. "So easily controlled too...yet..why is it I feel so..." Cale stopped, his face clouding over as a long
forgotten memory came to surface. Father...FATHER NO!!! FATHER! STOP!!! STOP THIS NOW! FATHER! Cale fell to his knees, clutching his head. "What...is this?!" He cried as waves of pain shot through his body. "WHO ARE YOU?!"
"Lord Cale?" Cale jumped, turning to find a servant in the doorway. "Lord Cale, our master requests your presence in his chamber." Cale turned up to see the small pheasant.
"Tell me boy...where is Halo at this moment?"
"Halo is in his cell my Lord. They were forced to sedue him when he returned to the castle."
"I...see... inform the guards I will be visiting Halo when I am finished."
"Yes...my Lord."

"Taro? Why does everyone hate one another? How did this bloody war get started in the first place?" Kei asked, his voice hoarse from crying.
"It's because no one can exist without hate. Do you remember, how our parents destroyed Talpa all those years ago?" Taro asked, walking towards the palace. He looked done at kei's messed hair and saw a slight nod of yes. "Well...in time, the Dynasty reguvinated itself. So much pain and hatred was caused by the first impact... you remember, the meteor that crashed in the north pole and caused violent ecological disasters for the next five years. Earhtquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis....those disasters killed hundreds of people. Making fears high and tongue's quick. So much hate and pain was spurned by these disasters that the dynasty was able to reform. The Dynasty returned only this time they weren't as leniant as with Talpa. Instead of taking people hostage, the massacred them, and thought to have killed our parents, the past Ronin Warriors. But in reality our parents still live, within the chanbers of silence. So until the day that they might awaken, we must try and stop the Dynasty as much as we can."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By the GODS this thing took long!! Sorry for keeping all you loyal fans waiting! You have no IDEA how much Minako hogs the computer...it's unimaginable!! All that time just to kill Cye, revive cye, kill Cye, revive Cye... you get the idea! As for all you loyal Kento fans? At least he went out in a way he would be proud of!!! BWA-HAHAHAHA!!!! Boy Do I love killing these guys... Okay! DEDICATION TIME! this chapter is dedicating to none other then my Big Sister, my grande soeur (NO!! Not Minako!!!) My dear friend, KYONE!!! Now Kyone-chan...you'll be kind enough to forget that...incident... in Canada, now won't you?