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Burning of a Phoenix	By : AnonymousTigress Category: +M to R > Ronin Warriors Views: 1882 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Ronin Warriors. I gain no profit or benefits from writing the story.

Chapter List
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Disclaimer: I do not own Ronin Warriors. I only own my original character and other original minor characters. I get no profit or money from writing this story.
AngelofBeauty88: Oh, I already knew I was an evil genius. I have the evil little cackle to go along with it. Hehehehehe When I did that scene with Sage and Rowen, I was figuring that the warlords as a whole would not feel dragged down by societal norms and would be more “free.” So it’s safe to assume that you’ll get more.
Relmara: Sage has many talents. Glad you liked the scene with Ryo and Tom. Nice to know you’re a puddle of goo on the ground. If you think it’s distracting as reader, just imagine how distracting it is for the writer.
CHAPTER FOUR
The call came five days later. Mia had a very high fever and was immediately hospitalized. Ryo had promised Tom he would be back. The ever-sweet Tom had kissed him softly and told him, “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
Ryo had jumped on the quickest plane out to the city Mia and the Ancient One were living in. Soon as he landed, he jumped into a taxi and had it drive him straight to Judy Ann’s Memorial Hospital. It was one of the biggest hospitals in the county.
The Ancient One must have sensed his presence; the elderly man met him in the lobby. It was surreal to him to see the old man with his ghost-like blue eyes and wearing mortal clothing. The man greeted him with a hug.
“It is good to see you, Ryo,” he said, holding his head gently.
“It’s good to see you, too,” Ryo murmured into his chest.
When they stepped back, the Ancient One turned and led him down the hall. Ryo told him of his recent travels.
“I was in a city for just a night. Something told me not to stay any longer,” Ryo said.
“I suspect it was Wildfire. It might be in tune with the other armors. It could sense them and warn you before they get too close,” the Ancient One advised.
Ryo had to wonder if it would work in the Mortal Realm, too. They spoke in quiet whispers as they traveled down the halls and up a few flights of stairs. They entered a small, private room on the fourth floor. The Ancient One stayed back in the doorway while Ryo stepped in.
It seemed like a lifetime ago that he had seen Mia and the image before him was certainly not the same. Mia’s long brown hair was gone, her skin was pale, and her normally vibrant green eyes were a duller shade. Mia wore a woolly, rainbow-colored, handmade hat on top of her head. She had a breathing tube in her nose and an IV in her arm. She was propped up by a big fluffy white pillow.
She smiled when her eyes fell on Ryo.
“Ryo,” she murmured, holding her hand out.
Ryo went to her side and sat down on the side of the bed. He sniffed to hold back a sob, but he broke down when he saw the knowing light in Mia’s eyes. He fell forward into her arms and cried. Even in her frail state, Mia held him and patted him on the back.
He apologized over and over again. It took a while for him to calm down enough to sit up. Mia held his hand in her lap.
“Ryo, this isn’t your fault. You can’t control diseases,” Mia told him, gently.
Ryo shook his head.
“I know. But I should have been here. For you. For the Ancient One,” Ryo argued.
Mia squeezed his hand with a small sigh.
“I know you wanted to be here, Ryo. But you’re trying to keep yourself alive and the armor safe. Whether you believe me or not, that is more important,” she argued back.
Ryo smiled. Mia always seemed to know what to say to ease his worries.
“What are the doctors saying?” Ryo asked.
The Ancient One came into the room to sit in a chair on the other side of Mia’s hospital bed. Mia sighed as she squeezed his hand again.
“It’s severe and they want to do a stem cell transplant. They’ve tried using my own stem cells, but it didn’t work. So they’re looking for a donor right now,” Mia explained.
Ryo glanced at the Ancient One who shook his head.
“I’ve been tested. I’m not a match,” he replied.
“Who’s the doctor? We’ll see if I’m a match,” Ryo suggested.
“Oh, Ryo. You don’t have to do that,” Mia told him.
Ryo squeezed her hand as he turned back to her.
“I don’t have to. But I want to,” Ryo told her.

/……/

Sage was sitting on the edge of Rowen and Anubis’ bed reading a book when Rowen let out a sound of exclamation. Sage’s head snapped up as he threw himself to his feet and jogged over to his best friend’s side.
Three days ago, after searching through hundreds of profiles for three days straight, Rowen had found the right Mia. Mia Koji. There had been no records of activity for Mia since the attack on Toyama. Rowen had opened a program he had designed and put a “bug” tag on Mia. The tag was attached to every database hooked to a computer and/or internet; department of motor vehicles, law enforcement, etc.
Sage placed a hand on Rowen’s shoulder as his gaze fell on the computer screen. There was a window that had popped up on the screen that was flashing red. Rowen typed a few things. An image of Mia appeared on the screen.
“Seems our little mouse isn’t well. She’s been admitted to a hospital in the States. There is a database searching for a stem cell donor for her,” Rowen said.
Sage smirked.
“That sounds serious.” The smirk grew. “Serious enough for close friends and family to visit.”
Rowen glanced up at him from his computer seat.
“It’s a guarantee. The records say she was admitted yesterday to the hospital. If Ryo’s in contact with them, then I have no doubt he’ll be there,” Rowen explained.
Sage squeezed his shoulder.
“I’ll tell the others. I owe you dinner later, Ro.”
Rowen chuckled as his friend disappeared with the low glow of the light in the room.
“Oh, I plan to cash in more than dinner for this.”

/……/

Ryo was down the hall getting coffee from a machine when the lights started flickering. He didn’t realize at the time that it was a warm-up for things to come.
Later that morning, around the time that the nurse brought breakfast for Mia, all water supply into the building had shut off. The nurse explained that it wasn’t the norm, but it wasn’t unusual. At this point, the Ancient One and Ryo were a little concerned, but figured it was nothing big if the hospital staff wasn’t freaking out.
However, they did go on alert when the electricity went off and Mia almost had an attack of sorts with her oxygen cut off. The electricity was back on now and the nurse was helping Mia. Ryo pulled the Ancient One aside.
“There’s something going on. All of this can’t be coincidental,” Ryo whispered.
The Ancient One shook his head.
“We have no reason to believe it’s anything unnatural. These are all natural causes, Ryo,” the Ancient One assured him.
The nurse, who had been on her way past them, paused in the doorway.
“Did he say your name was Ryo?” the nurse asked.
Ryo nodded his head.
“Yes, mam,” he answered.
The nurse looked relieved as her hand went to one of the low pockets on her scrubs top. She pulled out a small envelope that had his name written neatly on the outside.
“One of the orderlies found this outside the ER doors. He assumed a patient had dropped it so he handed it to me. I’m glad I could find you,” the nurse said, handing it to him.
Ryo took it with an open frown on his face. The nurse walked away as Ryo turned the envelope around, popped the back open, and pulled out a small card. The Ancient One watched in silence as Ryo’s eyes darted across the writing in the card. When done, Ryo lowered the card and looked away.
The Ancient One noticed Ryo’s hand tighten on the card and his breathing get heavier. When his eyes locked back to the older man, the Ancient One could see a certain light in his eyes. He held out the card to him. The Ancient One accepted it and opened it to read for himself.
Hope that got your attention. The next time it might be something in her oxygen or her food. Two hours. That’s how long you have to say your goodbyes and surrender. We’ll be waiting.
The Ancient One looked up at Ryo with a surprised look on his face. Ryo smiled weakly.
“You still think it’s natural causes, Ancient?”

/……/

“Ryo, no.”
Ryo looked up from his perch by the window. Mia appeared more tired than ever as she lay back in her bed. The Ancient One was standing by her side with his hand holding hers.
“I don’t have a choice, Mia. The warlords are out there somewhere. It’s only a matter of time before they come in,” Ryo said.
“You’re wrong, Ryo. The hospital is hallowed ground. Like schools and churches, they cannot enter the building. It’s not possible,” the Ancient One explained.
Ryo still shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter. They can’t come in, but they can still do something to the building. They’ve already proven that with the water and electricity. If I don’t go, they’re going to do quickly what the leukemia is slowly doing.” Ryo stood up. “I’m not going to let them.”
Ryo watched as the Ancient One and Mia shared a look. Mia nodded up to the Ancient One who nodded back. The Ancient One turned to smile at Ryo.
“There may be a way to get us all of this without you having to give yourself up. I think it’s time you met Sky.”

/……/

Ryo stared. He blinked. And stared some more. Sky looked almost identical to him. She had short, black hair that swept sideways across her forehead and partially into her face. Her eyes were a bright blue, very close in color to his own blue, but standing close to her revealed a slight difference. She had a light yellow-orange ring around the pupil.
One physical trait that stood out was some old scarring. There were two thin lines that came down diagonally across her throat. The top line started just under her jaw and ended almost all the way across the front of her throat. It was certainly a scar with a story.
“Hello. You must be Ryo. I’m Sky,” Sky said, holding out her hand.
Ryo shook it with a smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sky. How do you know Mia and the Anci-,…uh, William?” Ryo stuttered, trying to cover up his slip.
The Ancient One was known as William here in the Mortal Realm and Ryo had almost forgotten that. Sky chuckled.
“You can call him the Ancient One. I only met Mia a few months ago. The Ancient One…is my father.”
Ryo’s jaw dropped open, eliciting a chuckle from Sky. It took him several seconds to register the shocking piece of information.
“By father, you mean…”
Sky nodded.
“Yes. He’s my biological father. I’m Sky Nicolette McCoy, daughter of the Ancient One. And I’m going to help you all get out of here safely,” Sky told him.
Ryo asked her how she was planning to complete such a difficult task. As she talked to him, he watched her pull a red hoodie from her bag and yank it down over her head. Once her head was free, she smoothed down her hair.
“How tall are you?” Sky asked.
“Five foot, four,” Ryo answered.
“I’m five foot, three. Our skin colors match. My hoodie is red, which is the color of your armor. And, unless someone is standing precariously close to me, our eyes are the same color,” Sky told him.
Ryo shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t know where you’re going with this,” Ryo replied.
Sky flashed him a smirk.
“We’re going to make the warlords think I’m you and I’m going to lead them away from the hospital. They’ll think you are leading them away, but they won’t care, because they are after you and the armor. They’re only using Mia as the dangling worm on the hook,” Sky explained.
Ryo nodded in mild-agreement. He still had a few concerns. Thankfully, Sky seemed to be good at reading him as she continued on.
“I know this city a Hell of a lot better than them and I’m quick. They could keep up with me if they were in their subarmor, but they won’t risk that type of exposure…” Sky grinned. “So they’re going to have a Hell of a time trying to catch me.”
Ryo frowned.
“Didn’t they see you in come in?” Ryo asked.
Sky winked. “We Ancients have our ways.”
“They’ve already sensed me here. Won’t they still sense me here?”
“That brings me to my next question. Can I borrow your armor orb?”
Ryo found this very confusing, but retrieved his bag to hand her his armor orb. He watched as she pulled a necklace out from under her shirt and hoodie. It was a beautiful silver chain with a dragon curled up into a ball with its tail looped through the connector to the chain.
“Let’s go to work,” Sky said.
The ronin jumped back as the dragon’s eye snapped open to reveal a bright blue orb. It stretched out its scaly wings and its body like an upside-down bat. Sky held the orb up to the dragon. Ryo watched in fascination as the dragon took it gently into its sharp claws. The dragon curled its body and wings safely around the orb, resting its head where its tail was. The orb was almost completely hidden from view now.
“Whoa.”
Sky chuckled while tucking the necklace back under her hoodie.
“Now they won’t sense you you. They’ll sense me you. The warlords won’t know what hit them,” Sky declared with a wink.

/……/

Once everything was in place, Sky drew up her hood and ducked her head down. She pulled up a deep red bandana to cover her mouth and nose. Of course, the only reason this was able to work was because it was cold out enough for her to be dressed this way.
With ten minutes left in the deadline, Sky exited the building using the doors to the front lobby. She walked with a group whom were heading for the bus stop just outside the hospital. She could feel eyes on her instantly as the group crossed the short two lane street to stand at the bus stop. The group gathered on the benches and under the covering of the bus stop.
While they were all facing towards the hospital, Sky faced the map on the back of the large bus stop overhang. Both she and the eyes on her knew she wasn’t really looking at the map.
“Come on. Take the bait,” Sky murmured.
She waited and then sensed two warlords coming down from their hiding spot. A careful look in the map’s reflection showed her Cale and a blonde she didn’t recognize walking towards the group. She wasn’t surprised they were dressed in mortal clothes.
“I’m surprised he’s not making a fuss about this,” Sage commented.
Cale shrugged. “He knows it’s not worth it. There’s eight of us and one of him. He’s not going anywhere.”
They were a few feet back from the curb when a large semi-truck drove down the street in front of the bus stop. After the truck successfully passed the bus stop, the group was still standing there, but Ryo was nowhere in sight.
“What the…” Sage murmured.
“Shit.” [He’s making a run for it! Find him!]

/……/

When the semi-truck came by a few blocks away, Sky leapt off and blended in with a rally for red ribbon awareness. Everyone was dressed in red. Red shirts; red scarves; red jackets; red hats. She ducked down to “tie her shoes” and survey what she had to deal with.
She spotted four warlords, two for whom she recognized, wandering into the crowd. She smirked as she stood but kept her head ducked low. Sky weaved in and out through the people carefully before jumping up on a light pole. She caught a hang down from the light with one hand and leaned on the pole.
Looking across the crowd, she locked gazes with Cale. The two stared for a few seconds before the sides of Sky’s eyes squinted at the side with her smirk. She winked and was off. Darting through the crowd, they gave chase after him (her).
They all split up with Rowen taking to the roof, trying to keep an eye on the red hoodie.
[Marketplace. He’s heading for the marketplace.]
Sky ran down the street, darting and ducking around people. She slid to a sudden stop through a puddle when warlords appeared at each end of the market alley. Sky spun around and bolted through an open door to an inside market.
She sensed some of the warlords give chase after her. She ran out of view and spotted a lifting hinge door. Sky ran for it and jumped to go sliding feet first under the piece of wood. Once on the other side, she rolled and hid behind the counter.
“Unless you’re gonna grab an apron and serve up some chicken, you can’t be back here.”
Sky’s head shot up. A robust, dark-skinned woman was standing at a food window. Her gaze was down at her. Sky lowered the bandana and tilted her hood back.
“Do you see a guy with a scar over his eye? Has a few buddies with him?” Sky asked.
The woman glanced over her shoulder. She spotted him and two others. They were glancing all around them. She turned her head back around to finish what she was writing down.
“Yeah. I see him. What about him gives you the right to think you can be back here?” the woman asked.
“Ex-fiancé. Bastard left me for my older sister. Guys with him are my former best friend and my jackal of a brother,” Sky lied.
She knew she had hit the money when the woman’s eyes lit up.
“Oh, honey, you let ‘ol Iris take care of them. You can get out through the kitchen this way,” the woman said.
Pulling the bandana up and hood down, Sky kept low to the ground as she ducked through the open kitchen door. Iris shielded her with her large body from being seen. Iris motioned for all her servers to come in. She had a big grin on her face as she pulled a large chocolate cake out from the display case.
“Come on, boys. We got a special happy birthday to…‘celebrate,’” Iris told them.
Sky carefully traveled through the kitchen to the back door. She cracked it open to look down the alley before pushing herself out. Once in the alley, she ran to the end and peeked around the corner. Sky recognized the back of a familiar green-haired warlord at the other end of the cross alley.
Keeping as quiet as possible, Sky snuck up behind him. Recalling a past injury, Sky aimed a hard stomp to the back of his right knee. Sekhmet grunted as his body lowered from the sudden jolt of pain. Sky wrapped an arm around his neck and under his chin while holding the back with the other arm.
Sekhmet fought for a few seconds but quickly lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen. Sky knew he was out when she felt his body drop heavier into her arms. She released him and laid him down behind some boxes in the street. She pulled a small smoke ball out of her pocket and popped it into his face.
That should keep him out for a little while, Sky thought.
Sky almost let out a loud yelp as a strong pair of arms shot around her middle from behind. Acting on instinct, she threw her head back. Her head collided hard with a face. The grip let go and the body stumbled back.
Without looking behind her, Sky lifted her leg and jumped up into the air while straightening her leg out. She did a spiral turn in the air and kicked the attacker in the head with her opposite leg when she swung around. When she landed on the ground with her fists raised and her feet planted firmly on the ground, Sky saw who her attacker was.
She hadn’t seen him before, but from her father’s description, she knew he must one of the ronins. With his dark hair color and more slender build, Sky knew him as the archer.
Good. That means I can go high now, Sky thought.
Sky ran towards him and jumped up into the air. Using his bowed back as a stepping stool, Sky pushed herself up into the air and landed on the railing side of a fire escape. She swung her legs up onto the railing, crouched down, and jumped. She did this upwards frog hopping until she reached the last railing.
Bending her knees, Sky propelled herself up into the air and did an in-air somersault with her legs tucked. She landed on the roof easily. With that executed, Sky rushed forward and started running across the roof.
She leapt across to the next roof top and kept running. She ran and leapt across many roofs. She could sense the others somewhere below, but they were crossing everywhere.
You weren’t expecting this, were you, boys? Sky chuckled quietly to herself.
Sky finally reached a dead end roof. She stepped up onto the ledge and looked down. It was a long drop down and there was nothing to help her get down. There were no windows or fire escape and the ground below was solid asphalt.
“Going somewhere?”
Sky froze. She knew that voice. She knew it all too well. Slowly, she turned around with her head slightly lowered.
Cale stood a few feet from her. She was pleased to see the remains of a chocolate cake spread over parts of his face and shirt. The blonde that had been with him earlier was still with him. The blonde was smirking, but Cale wasn’t.
His dark gaze was narrowed and calculating. She could see him looking her over carefully. Because of her baggy hoodie (and her significantly small breasts), Sky couldn’t be easily identified as a female. When she saw an angry light filter across his eyes, Sky knew that Cale had figured it out.
“You gave us a good run, Ryo. But there’s nowhere left to run,” Sage chuckled.
Cale chuckled, too. But for a whole different reason.
“We don’t have to worry about him running, Sage,” Cale said.
Sage shot his dark love a look. Cale took a few steps forward with another chuckle.
“You gave us a good chase. I’d forgotten how quick you are,” Cale commented.
As he spoke, the others appeared on the roof, too. All of them except Sekhmet. Now, Sage was thoroughly confused. The others didn’t seem to understand, either.
Sky lifted her head slightly. This allowed only Cale to be able to see her eyes.
“Son of a bitch,” Cale said.
She grinned.
[Cale, what’s going on?]
Sage’s voice wasn’t the only one he heard along the armor mental link. The former ronins were downright confused, but the other original three warlords were starting to grow suspicious. Sky could tell confusion was all about. She knew she was a good long distance from the hospital by now so it was safe to reveal herself.
“What a shame, Cale. It seems you haven’t told your newest allies everything,” Sky said.
The ex-ronins were now clearly confused while the warlords looked fit to kill. Sky reached her hands up to pull her bandana off and her hood down. Sky put her hands into her pullover pouch and nodded her head in greeting.
“Hello, Cale. It’s been what? Half a century?” Sky said, chuckling lightly.
Cale shot her an annoyed look.
“Hello, Sky. It hasn’t been long enough since you’ve last graced us with your presence,” Cale answered, sarcasm dripping from his words.
“Cale?” Sage murmured.
The scarred warlord looked over his shoulder at his lover. Sky whistled, making his head snap back around.
“Over a year together and still keeping secrets? Shame, shame, Cale. Will you introduce me or shall I introduce myself to the ex-ronins?” Sky asked, tilting her head to the side with a playful smile.
Cale’s eyes flashed. A small smirk appeared on his face as he turned so he was half-facing Sky, half-facing the other warriors.
“Sage, guys…it is my displeasure to introduce you to the biggest pain in my ass. Sky McCoy.”
Sky shook her head as she walked a few steps left along the left and then stopped. The three warlords kept their gazes locked on to her every move. She pushed her hands down in the pouch, showing some of the scar below her jaw.
“I’ve missed you too, you great big buffoon,” Sky said.
“How do you two know each other?” Sage inquired, his gaze shooting from his lover to the mysterious girl.
Surprisingly, Anubis was the one who answered that question.
“Sky is the only blood descendant of the Ancient One,” Anubis said.
All eyes fell back on her.
“Yes. And Cale and I are the best of friends,” Sky added with a smile.
The dark look Cale burned into her was evidence to the contrary. Sage seemed to add two and two together as his eyes focused on Sky’s scar. The two lines were about the same length as the claws from Cale’s armor.
“Your scar,” Sage pointed out.
Sky nodded her head at Cale.
“His claw. Caught me good, too. Hurt like a sonofagun,” Sky commented.
Cale chuckled. Then Sky wiped the smirk right off his face. She raised one hand with palm facing her. She held it up in front of one of her eyes. Sky nodded her head at Cale.
“My doing.”
That apparently broke Cale’s restrain. He lunged at her to which Sky did a backflip along the ledge. She caught him hard with her foot, making him smack hard to the roof floor. She landed smoothly on her feet in a crouched position. She smirked at him.
“You chased the wrong mouse. By now, Ryo’s long gone and Mia and my father are safe where you won’t be able to find them.”
Sky winked.
“Catch ya on the flip.”
The ex-ronins visibly started when Sky leaned over and let herself fall off the side of the building. When they made it to the ledge, Sky was nowhere to be seen.
END OF CHAPTER FOUR
Author’s Note: I borrowed that scene with the waitress from National Treasure. I gain no profit from it. I altered the scene just a smidge.
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Burning of a Phoenix