Tsune sat on a hillside, looking down at the ruined tapestry of former glory that was once a city in Japan. Now, the buildings crumbled and old relics that could once be called cars or human bodies littered the landscape. Tsune sighed, idly wondering if the rest of the world looked like this.
Kento joined him, looking up at the sky. "Today's weather is partly cloudy, winds from the north at ten miles per hour, highs expected to go into the mid to upper sixties." He nodded. "A good day to go to war."
Tsune looked over at him, unsure of whether he was joking or not. Kento looked serious. "It is indeed."
Kento gestured over his shoulder. "The Council of War beckons."
"All right, I'm coming." Tsune offered a quick mental prayer. ~Yuli-sensei, are you watching? Today, either you will be avenged or I'll die trying.~

Last night, Cale had called a meeting of the 'ringleaders', as the small resistance referred to Cye, Kento, Cale, Aeris, Tsune, Torie, and Jino. "Take a look at this," he said, putting a charred stick on the table.
"It's a stick. So?" Jino voiced the opinion everyone was thinking.
Cale shrugged. "By itself, it's nothing. The importance is that it came from the Nether Realm."
He had everyone's instant attention. "I raised a gate yesterday afternoon. I took time to scout around a bit."
"And?" Tsune pressed.
Cale looked down. "It's much worse than it was. With the exception of a small patch of crops, everything's burned and dead. I can't imagine more than a dozen people living there. Not counting the tin cans, of course. I didn't do any close snooping cause I didn't want to blow my cover."
"Great job, Cale!" Kento exclaimed. "Let's make a plan-"
Cye fell out of his seat. "Kento Rei Fuan, I thought you would never say that in your entire life!"
"Oh, shut up," Kento mock sulked before turning solemn. "Seriously, we know how to get there, now we have to decide what to do when we get there. Too much rides on this."
Cye nodded. "Cale, do you think you could sketch an approximate layout of the area around the castle?"
"Sure thing."
"Then let's get to work."

Now it was day. The day they were going to attack this new Dynasty, or die trying. Torie was giving a pep talk while Jino wouldn't stop singing "One More Time" offkey. Torie debated the satisfaction she would get out of throwing something at him.
"This way, everyone," Cale said seriously. The group migrated to where a tall red door seemingly rose out of the ground.
"By the gods, it's huge," one kid gasped.
Cale looked over at Kento. "Care to do the honors?"
"All right!" Kento cracked his knuckles with a grin before stepping up to the door. The small group stared in awe as the door moved easily under his grip.
"Everyone, let's go!" Tsune ordered. The group filed in.
Cale watched them pass. Most of them he'd trained himself. "There's not even a hundred here. Do they stand a chance against over ten times their number?"
"If you did your job right, they will."
"That's not very reassuring," Cale said worriedly.
Jino popped up. "Have some faith in yourself, man! Anyway, Torie's setting up the archers. We're ready to charge anytime."
"Give us ten minutes to get around to the back," Cye said. "Then make sure one of your archers 'misfires' into the air so we know the battle's begun."
"Right ho. Good luck, you guys!"
"You too."
"Should I shut the door?" Kento asked.
Cale shook his head. "Leave it in case they need a quick retreat. Let's go."
"Kento," Cye said as Cale lead them around the back, "we may have to kill them today."
"I know."
"How do you feel?"
"We'll do everything we can for them, Cye. But if we have to, we will."
"All right."
Cale looked up as an arrow whistled through the air. The tin soldiers guarding the top wall turned away for a crucial moment as the battle started. Cale reacted like lightning, the other two right behind. Slipping next to the wall out of sight, he quietly forced a side door open.
The Ronin Warriors were in the Dynasty's stronghold.

Setsuna was unaware of the battle going on outside. She hummed merrily to herself as she watered a set of pitiful-looking plants that sat on her windowsill. She idly wondered when Haruka would bring Ryoko up. The blonde woman had taken the three year old to play with Hitako, who was a little over nine. It was hard to say for certain how old she was, considering no one knew when her real birthday occured.
There was a knock at the door. "Yes? Come in," Setsuna said cheerfully.
The door opened. Ryo stood there, a look of calm, cold fury on his face. Setsuna felt the prickles of fear run down her spine. "Ryo?"
"I've found you, Strata Warrior." His voice was calm. "The stink of holy magic in your room gives you away!"
Setsuna grabbed for the armor orb as she fled the room through a side door. Ryo was right behind her, throwing flame. Setsuna switched into her subarmor before slamming the door shut in his face and putting a table against it. He burnt it all to a crisp in an intense flame and gave chase. "I'll kill you!"
A single thought ran through Setsuna's mind. Ryoko. She had to save Ryoko! Was the child already dead? Haruka had her. She had to find Haruka. Fear for her daughter spurred Setsuna to even greater speeds, putting distance between her and Ryo. She continued running.

"Here, creepy head jerk," Kento muttered as the three moved through the hall.
"Sorry, he's not in right now." Cale jerked his head at the sound of the voice. "Perhaps we can take your message?"
Cye took a steadying breath. This was the moment he hadn't wanted to face. The possibility that he might be forced to kill one of his friends. "Where's Ryo?"
"Don't know, don't care," Rowen said calmly. "We'll finish you off."
Kento readied his tetsubo. "Cale, leave them to us. This is personal."
"But-" Cale began.
"Go!" Kento urged. "Find Kayura."
"Right..."
"You'll regret that," Sage said as he drew his no datchi.
"This time, no one backs down," Cye said seriously. "Either we'll die or you will."
"Too bad for you, then," Rowen said as he attacked.

Cale ran down the hall. In the old days, this had been a dungeon for keeping people that Talpa used for power. Now, it was overgrown with moss, damp and dark. "Kayura? Kayura, are you down here?"
A slight noise caught his attention. He looked in one of the cells. The bright black eyes of a large rat peered back at him. Cale was about to turn away when something else in the cell moved, a sodden pile of rags. Cale tried to open the door, then ripped the lock out in frustration and stepped in the room. "Kayura?"
The seemingly young girl rolled over in a restless sleep. The exposed skin was covered with numerous scars, and she was a pale, thin shadow of her former self.
~This is all my fault...~ Cale gently picked the girl up and carried her out of the cell and the dim hallway, into light and purer air. "Kayura, are you all right? Say something, please!"
She mummered something. "Never tell you where they are...just kill me..."
Cale switched out of his armor, cradling Kayura's frail body to his chest. Tears dropped into her hair. "I'm sorry, Kayura...this is all my fault. If I hadn't run away...if I hadn't been such a coward, you could have been spared this...Please, find it in your heart to forgive me..."
Kayura's eyes fluttered open. "Cale...? But you're dead..."
"I'm not dead, Kayura. And neither are you. You're gonna be all right now. Today, this creep dies." Cale's eyes were hardened with a furious determination. "I will not back down."
Kayura's hand slipped into her bodice. She pulled forth two small round objects. "I kept them safe. They never found them."
Cale kissed her forehead. "You're a wonderful person, Kayura. You're much stronger than me."
She nodded in acknowledgement. "I'll help if I can, Cale. Let's go find this..." Kayura trailed off with a list of colorful words describing the Master Cale hadn't even known she knew.
"Kayura!" he said in mild surprise.
She blushed slightly and Cale laughed. "It's okay. We're going now."

Haruka looked up in surprise as Setsuna burst into the room in her subarmor. "Setsuna, what the heck-"
"Get Ryoko out of here!" she gasped. "Ryo knows, he's after me! Save Ryoko!"
Haruka grabbed the child without wasting a breath. She moved for the other door only to scream as Ryo burst through, flinging Setsuna into the far wall.
~Setsuna! No, gotta think of Ryoko!~ Haruka made a sprint for the door. Ryo caught her and slammed her into the floor. Haruka cried out as her head hit the floor, knocking her senseless. Ryoko fell from her arms.
Ryo looked down at the black haired toddler. ~A child? Where did she come from?~ Ryo dismissed the thought. She could die with the two women traitors.
Ryoko shook her head, then looked up. A bright, childlike smile broke across her face. "Daddy!"
~Daughter?~
Ryo's world froze.
A thousand different thoughts and emotions raced through his head. It was impossible. No, Setsuna had a child, and it was a girl fathered by him, but she had died, could it have been faked? How did this child know who he was, they'd never seen each other! It didn't matter, she had to die! No, I won't kill my own daughter!
Ryo clutched his head in pain as he fought against himself. HIs face was contorted with pain as the small spark that had once been a person named Ryo Sanada struggled, heedless to the consequences, to keep his daughter alive.
"Daddy!" Ryoko raised her arms, asking for a hug. Something around her neck began to glow. The bead Ryoko had discovered in a back passage, her only childhood toy. The Jewel of Life.
Ryo let out a yell that turned into a sigh as the light from the comma-shaped bead engulfed him. He dropped to his knees, then fell to the floor, his long battle over at last.
Ryoko blinked curiously, then did what seemed to her young mind as the most sensible thing to do. Getting on her feet, she toddled over to her mother and shook her shoulder. "Mama? Mama, wake up!"

Cye winced in annoyance. He did wish his shoulder would stop bleeding already. The rest of his wounds had stopped dripping, but blood continued to pour out of his shoulder down the side of his armor. He backed up against Kento. "How you doing, buddy?"
Kento spat out a bit of blood. "Not bad. Think they're getting tired yet?"
"You lost before you ever began," Sage said. "You can't-" He broke off with a cry, as if his soul was being torn asunder.
"Sage!" Kento put a hand on Cye's uninjured shoulder. "Hold on. It could be a trick." Cye looked over and saw that Rowen was having a similar reaction.
As suddenly as it had started, the invisible attack ended, and both former Ronins fell to the floor. Regardless of the fact that it could be a trick, Cye ran over to Sage and felt for a pulse. "Sage! Sage, are you okay?"
Kento dragged Rowen over to Cye and Sage. "What's going on here?"
"I don't know," Cye said as Sage began to stir.
His violet eyes opened, the sight Cye and Kento had longed to see seven years ago. "Kento, Cye...you're here..."
"Sage, buddy, that you?" Kento said softly, grasping his hand.
"It's over," Sage said quietly. "Something's broken the heart of darkness. We're all free."
Rowen also opened his eyes. "Cye? You came for me, pal..."
"Of course I did," Cye said, holding back happy tears. "We're friends, aren't we?"
"I'm sorry I haven't been such a good friend these past few years."
"It's not your fault. It's all okay now."
Sage tightened his grip on Kento's hand. "Kento...we can't stay. We'll leave soon..."
"What are you talking about, Sage? You're free now. We're gonna beat this guy and go home, and it'll be just like it was before. We're together again."
"Kento, we're already dead," Rowen said quietly, closing his eyes. "This end has already happened. We've been in this world far too long after our deaths. It's time we moved on."
"No, you guys can't leave!" Cye began to sob, clutching Rowen to his chest.
"Kento." He looked over at Sage at the mention of his name. "You have to do something for us."
"Anything. Name it."
"Ryo, he's still alive. Take care of him for us."
"Of course. You don't even have to ask."
"Thanks, Kento." Sage's eyes were dim, his voice a mere whisper. "You're a good friend." His eyes shut as he breathed his last for the second time. His figure shimmered, then faded as his soul went to the well-deserved rest it had been denied so long, leaving only a small armor orb behind.
"Cye, Kento." Rowen's voice was soft. "You guys...all of you, you were the world to me...Please, don't ever forget me..."
"We won't, Rowen. I promise." Cye slipped his pinky finger around Rowen's. A promise for all time. Rowen smiled as he, too, faded from his mortal existence.
A few tears fell onto the wooden floor. "Sleep in peace, old friends," Kento whispered softly.

Jino let out a hoarse cry as a spear took him in the side. He dropped his gun and fell, trying to fend off the soldier with his pipe.
BLAM!
The soldier dropped. Torie ran over to him, gun still smoking. "Jino, you okay?"
He grimaced as he put a hand to his side. "I think my luck ran out this time, gal...I think..."
"Don't talk like that," she said harshly, slamming her pipe through a nearby tin can. "You'll be fine, you always are."
He shook his head. "I guess...think of me when you watch a race, okay? I always wanted..."
"Jino!" Torie's eyes went from fear and hurt to fury. She turned that fury on the Dynasty soldiers.
Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Reload. Fire again. The soldiers approaching her began to fall in droves, and yet they still pressed towards her. She fired until she ran out of ammo; throwing her gun at one, she began fighting with her pipe until she fell.

Setsuna was first aware of her back hurting, of somehow being alive still. Her eyes opened blearily to peer into a pair of bright blue ones.
"Mama!"
"Ryoko?" Setsuna clutched a hand to her head as she sat up, pulling her daughter into her lap. "Ryoko, my darling, you're all right...Where's Haruka?"
The toddler resisted her mother's pull, tugging insistently on her hand. "Mama, come. Daddy need help."
"'Daddy'...?" Setsuna followed the child's line of sight and froze. Ryo lay on the ground a few feet away. She could see the dust stir around his mouth as he breathed in and out. ~How did she know?~
"Ryoko, we have to leave," Setsuna said hurriedly, pulling Ryoko into her arms.
The girl resisted. "Daddy!"
Setsuna drew in a sharp breath as Ryo stirred, eyes opening. She stayed still in fear, but Ryoko wriggled out of her arms and toddled over to him. "Ryoko...!"
With a groan, Ryo forced himself into a sitting position. He looked down at the girl in surprise, then up at the woman. "Setsuna?"
The voice might as well have been a different person; it was soft and gentle, not the harsh warrior's voice she'd always heard. She couldn't force her voice to work as she stared at him mutely. Ryoko crawled into his lap with a child's soft giggle. Ryo spoke again. "A daughter...You didn't tell me she lived."
"You would have killed her," Setsuna said quietly.
He nodded in reluctant agreement. Setsuna managed to make her way over and sit next to Ryo. She put a timid hand on his shoulder. "The darkness...It's gone."
He nodded, long hair partially concealing his face. He turned to face her. For the first time ever, she saw him smile. "I'm free." He placed a hand, still in subarmor, on hers. "Thank you, Setsuna..."
She looked away. "I...I'm just glad you're all right."
He let Ryoko off his lap. "A daughter."
"Yes."
"What's her name?"
"Ryoko."
"Like mine?"
"She resembles you."
Ryo forced himself to his feet. "Setsuna, take care of Ryoko, please."
"Where are you going?" She stood, helping him up.
His eyes were hard. "I have friends I need to reconcile with...and enemies to settle scores with."
"Let me help you." Setsuna turned as Haruka sat up, clutching her head. "Did anyone get the number of that demon?" Her eyes widened as she saw Ryo. "Setsuna, watch out! He's right behind-"
"Haruka, it's okay," she assured the woman.
Haruka looked at her, confused as Setsuna picked up Ryoko and placed her in Haruka's lap. "Watch Ryoko for me."
"But-she-and-oh, forget it," Haruka snorted.
Setsuna slipped an arm around Ryo, helping support his weight. "Let's go."

Cale managed to find Cye and Kento. "Are you guys all right? What happened?"
"We don't need to worry about Rowen and Sage anymore," Cye said quietly.
"Why, where are they?"
Cye looked up. "They've returned to their graves."
"I see. Where's Ryo?"
"I'm here," a voice came from one of the hallways. Kento's eyes widened. He hadn't heard that voice in five years. Ryo appeared, still partially leaning on Setsuna.
"Ryo..." The dark haired man smiled. Kento ran to him, almost crushing the other man in a bear hug, tears falling from his eyes. "Ryo, you're all right!"
Cye joined them, squeezing Ryo almost as tightly. Setsuna backed up a bit, watching the reunion with a smile. "Ryo..."
"Sorry for all the trouble I've caused you guys," Ryo managed between happy tears of his own.
"Well."
The single word, spoken from lips that had never produced kindness to anyone living, had everyone's attention in a moment. Cale tightened his grip on Kayura and drew his no datchi with the other. Setsuna tensed. Kento and Cye moved protectively in front of Ryo, who watched the emerging figure with a mixture of emotions.
The Master of World's Darkness.
"Guys." Kento and Cye looked back at Ryo. The man's eyes were narrowed, fixed on the Master. "This is my fight. Let me handle this."
"You can't do this alone," Kento said firmly. "This is our fight, too."
"You don't understand. I know how to defeat him. Only I can do this, Kento. You'll just get in my way. Please, let me do this. For our friends."
"..." Kento bit his lip until blood flowed.
Ryo turned and looked at Setsuna. "Setsuna..."
"Yes?" she said softly, approaching him.
He touched her cheek gently, then leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you," he whispered quietly in her ear.
Her eyes widened as tears welled up. "I've always loved you."
The armored hand ran down her cheek before Ryo turned to his nemesis. He willed the full armor to him before charging. Fire flared up everywhere, turning the hall into an inferno. Kento erected a wall of earth to protect everyone.
"What do we do now?" Setsuna asked.
"All we can do is hope," Cye said quietly.

Two figures stood in the middle of the inferno, both watching the other. Finally, one spoke.
"So, the game ends today."
Ryo took a step forward. "It does. You'll play with lives no longer." The Master offered an amused smile as Ryo narrowed his eyes. "I know how to defeat you."
"I'm sure you do," the man replied. "As I'm sure you know the price."
"You've killed practically everyone I ever knew or loved, you've made me kill so many...I'll hear their dying screams for all eternity. I'll never be able to rest. I have nothing to lose."
He charged. Ryo charged. And for an instant, the entire world seemed to hang in the balance.

Then, time restarted. The Master of World's Darkness fell to the ground, a flaming datchi thrust through his stomach. Ryo, too, fell, not daring to touch the charred hole in his chest.
"Any regrets?"
"None. I told you I have nothing left to lose."
"Not even love?"
"What would you know of love?"
"You'd be surprised, Ryo Sanada."
Then all was quiet.

Setsuna attempted to take a peek past the earth wall into the raging inferno. "Something's wrong, I just know it..."
"Ryo wanted us to stay-" Cye began.
She turned to him, eyes tearful. "He could be dying! And you'll just let him? I'm a healer, I can help him..."
"I promised Sage," Kento said quietly. "Cye..."
Cale peered out. "Something's happening. The fire's dying down."
"Oh, no..." Setsuna stepped out from behind the barrier, and was almost slammed back by the mere force of the fires. A hand touched her arm and Cye stepped in front of her, diverting the fire with a water shield. "C'mon, let's go!"
The two managed to break through to the eye of the inferno. The first thing Setsuna saw was the Master lying dead with one of Ryo's weapons through him. She couldn't help but feel a little relieved. The second horrified her.
"Ryo!"
The warrior was lying face down, tragically still. Setsuna ran to him, turning him over, praying silently for some sign of life. Something had punched through his armor to his chest, leaving a blackened hole. She desperately tried to heal him, tried to force life back into him, even though part of her knew it was far too late. She began to sob, the tears falling onto his face, which strangely held a faint smile. Cye, too, began to cry, silent rivers running down his face.
The fires finished dying down. Kento ran out, anxious to see what had happened. He found Setsuna clutching Ryo's still body and crying, and Cye kneeling nearby. He knew what had happened. ~I'm sorry, Sage...I broke my promise.~
Cye turned to Kento, his face drenched. "Kento...Ryo, he..."
He held up a hand to stop Cye, then placed it on the other man's shoulder comfortingly. When he spoke, his voice was full of emotion and hard-put to keep from breaking. "Let's take him away from here, Cye. He's earned his rest." He gently took the body from Setsuna. The armor vanished off Ryo's form, the orb dropping to the floor with an amazingly loud clatter in the silent room. Cye quietly picked it up.
Setsuna stood, meeting Kento's eyes. "Please, take me with you. I have nothing left here."
He nodded.

Outside, the battle had been hard won. Not a single one of the animated armors had escaped the wrath of the small group. Now, those still living were running around, helping the wounded. Tsune carefully bound Jino's wound as the boy came to. "What, now I didn't die. Good show..."
"Just hold still," Tsune said quietly as he tied the bandage.
"Wait..." Jino tried to sit up and look around. "Where's Torie? She was here..."
"She's badly injured, but I think she'll make it if she gets some help," Tsune said quietly. Besides a bad gash above his eye, he was uninjured.
"Tsune, someone's coming out of the castle," someone told him.
The boy stood and looked. He could make out the distinctive figures of Kento and Cye. A couple more people seemed to be with them, a dark haired woman holding a child and another leading a nine year old by the hand. Kento was carrying a still form in his arms.
Tsune met him. "It's over?"
Kento nodded. "We're going home."
~It's over.~ The words didn't seem real. ~Were you watching, Yuli-sensei?~

Kento stared into the funeral pyre. Somehow, he thought it appropriate, that Ryo would want to be cremated here, in the house they had all, for a short time, lived happily in together. He could still make out the slight outline of Ryo's body as he finally joined the fire he'd been connected to for so long.
Cye wiped at his face. He couldn't stop the tears. His heart ached, feeling abnormally empty. He'd never felt so alone. his hand slid along his other hand, rubbing around his pinky finger. ~We won't ever forget, Rowen. I promise.~
Setsuna had managed to keep her composure until the pyre had been lit. Then she'd lost it, crying uncontrollably. All she could think about was Ryo, his soft, gentle voice in those final hours, the caress of his hand. It wasn't fair. How could fate be so cruel as to leave them such a short time together? She felt a soft hand on her shoulder. Haruka, her friend through all of this. "He'll always be with you," the blonde whispered, strangely serious.
"Thank you, Haruka." She clutched Ryoko to her. Her child, the only thing she had left of Ryo. He and his kind spirit would live on still. The toddler stared into the fire, fascinated. Around her neck, the Jewel of Life reflected the fire's glows.
"Rest in peace, Ryo, old friend," Cye said softly. "Your long journey is finally over."
Kento nodded. Neither of them would leave the pyre until after it had burned out. Even as it burned, down the hill and through the country, life was starting over again. People were rebuilding, remaking. Perhaps, one day, they'd be able to as well. Life often leaves a bittersweet lesson. The only way to learn and recover is to move on with life. The graves resting on the hillside would eventually crumble and fall, but the people that rested in their final sleep beneath them would not be forgotten, as it was promised. Life is painful, life is short, but it's all we have.