Changing Series Episode 25

Seven Ronin Warriors

Narrator:  Rowen of the Strata fought hard to free Katie of Redoak, who was once Empress Katie of the Dynasty from her tree prison.   Will she prove to be an ally or an adversary?

   "Rowen wake up!" Sage yelled at Rowen who was on his side asleep.  Sage pushed him and yelled again.  "Wake up!"  Finally he shrugged and then yelled.  "KATIE'S ATTACKING US!  HELP!"  Rowen jumped out of bed and turned in a defensive stance.

    "Where is she?" he asked.

    Sage laughed, "Sleeping I think.  She's not attacking us.  I just made that up so you would get out of bed.  Come on, get dressed for school."

    Sarah yelled from her room, "Be quiet!  Some people are trying to sleep!"

    Rowen made a face at Sage, but opened his closet to get out his uniform.  Sage was satisfied, and walked down to the kitchen.

    "Wow how'd you wake him up so quickly?" Sai asked, surprised as Sage walked in.

    "I told him Katie was attacking us," Sage laughed.

    "That's not really that funny," Ryo said.  "Especially considering Rowen's hostility toward her."

    "Well I had to do something," Sage shrugged.

    Rowen stomped down the stairs.  "I can't believe I don't even have time for a shower."

    "You don't stink any more than usual," Ryo commented.

    "You took one last night.  Now eat something so we can go," Sage said.

    At School:  Sai and Sage walked in together.  "I think I'll go to my locker then stop over at Rowen's homeroom to talk to him," Sai said.  "I'll see you later Sage."

    Rowen pulled out his Physics book and started reading it as a group of guys walked in behind him.  "Oh so what's super nerd studying today?" the black haired one laughed.

    "That's a good question Matsu, let's look," a brunette said.  He grabbed the book out of Rowen's hands.

    "Hey, give that back!" Rowen said. 

    "What're you gonna do about it?" Matsu asked.  The four others laughed.  "Take us all on at once?  Yeah right, nerd vs. five tough guys.  That's a funny one!"   The guys laughed again.  Rowen stood up and looked coldly at Matsu.

    "Give. My. Book. Back." he said slowly and calmly.  Sai walked over and then stopped at the doorway to the room and watched.  Matsu grapped a clump of pages and pulled at them.  They ripped out of the book.  He laughed and rolled the papers into a ball and threw them at Rowen.  Rowen's eyes flashed with rage.  He pushed the desk next to Matsu into him.  Matsu jumped back.

    "Alright then geek, let's take this out in the hallway.  All of us," Matsu said, motioning at the four behind him.  Rowen stood still and stared at him.  Matsu quickly pulled Rowen's headband off his head and ran out into the hall, Rowen followed.  Sai ducked so Rowen wouldn't see him but still watched. 

    "GIVE IT BACK!" Rowen screamed.  When Matsu wouldn't, Rowen jumped at him.  A small crowd had already started to form around them.  Rowen punched Matsu in the face, and Matsu laughed because the short member of his group came up behind Rowen and hit him in the head with a book.  Rowen elbowed the short one in the gut, and he fell.  Matsu punched Rowen in the eye, and then hit him hard in the stomach.  Rowen fell onto his hand, but then fell back and kicked Matsu in the knee. 

    The crowd started screaming "Fight!  Fight!"  And Sai ran down a connecting hallway. 

    The brunette friend of Matsu, who they called Joja knocked Rowen onto his back, and sat on top of him to hit him repeatedly in the face, until Rowen pushed him back off, knocking him into Matsu.

    "What, are you cowards taking turns now?  I can take all of you at once!" Rowen yelled.

    "Sage!" Sai yelled as he approached Sage who was standing at his locker talking to a pretty girl with long black hair up in a bun.

    "Yeah Sai?" Sage asked nonchalantly.

    "Rowen's in a fight!"  Sage tensed up and looked worried, thinking of when Rowen fought Sarah in the courtyard, but then Sai said, "With five guys from his homeroom."

    Sage calmed down, and then yelled, "FIVE guys!  Oh Jeez!"  He turned to the girl.  "Sorry Rana, but I have to go."  He followed Sai back to the hallway.  The principal was already there, but she couldn't get through the crowds.  By this time, three of Matsu's friends were on the ground in their own blood.  Only Matsu and Joja were still standing.  Rowen knocked their heads together and laughed.  Sage burst into the crowd, gently pushing people and saying "excuse me"  He got to a section that was all girls and they gladly accepted the opportunity to move out of his way.  Matsu and Joja fell down and Rowen just looked down at them with a smiled on his face.  Sage put his hand on Rowen's shoulder.  Rowen spun around, and then noticing that it was Sage just looked at him.

    "Rowen, calm down," Sage said.  Rowen looked up at Sage and then looked at the five thugs with disgust, then strangely.  Ms. Tonka, the principal finally pushed through the crowd. 

    "Date!  I should've known you were involved!" she yelled.

    Matsu stood up and said, "Sage wasn't in the fight.  He's only here because he was trying to get his psycho nerd friend our of harm's way," he laughed.  Rowen made a face at him.

    "Fine then, everyone back to class, but Rowen, Matsu, Joja, Toko, Naine, and Davi come to my office now!"   The crowd dispersed, and the six followed Ms. Tonka.  Sage stood in the emptying hallway and then turned and went to class.

    "Rowen, I want to talk to you first," Ms. Tonka said.  Rowen walked into her office and sat down at the chair across from her desk.  She opened a filing cabinet.  "Hashiba... H.   Aha."  She pulled out a file and set it down on the desk.   "Rowen Hashiba.  You've never gotten into this kind of trouble before.  Your file is excellent.  Why would you get into a fight?"

    "I'm sick of those guys trying to push me around.  Anyway, I'm having a bad day," he said.

    "Yeah well it's only going to get worse.  Sometimes I wonder if Sage isn't rubbing off on you, I sure hope not anyway."  Rowen rolled his eyes.  "I'm going to have to call your parents."

    "I don't live with them.  Just call Mia."

    "I can't do that.  I have to call a parent Rowen.  Now who should I call... oh wait, it says here that you live with your dad, so I'll just call him."

    "I told you, I live with Mia."

    "She's not your guardian."  Ms. Tonka picked up the phone and dialed.  "Yes this is Ms. Tonka, I'm the principal at Han'a High.  I'm calling about your son Rowen.  Well, he got into a fight.  Yes.  Yes you need to pick him up now.  Alright.  Thank you Mr. Hashiba."  She hung up the phone and looked at Rowen.

    "I left my books in my homeroom."

    "You can go get them, but if you don't come right back I'll suspend you for a week.  I'm going easy on you by just sending you home for today, so don't anger me."  Rowen nodded and walked out.  The bell rang as he walked down the hallway, and then he went into the room and picked up his physics book, the ripped pages, and his bookbag.  He walked back to the principal's office to wait for his father.

    A tall man with a pointed devil like beard and a moustache walked into the principal's office.  His eyes were narrowed and he looked angry in his suit.  Rowen looked down, and then felt a twitch in his eye and realized that it was probably swollen.  He hadn't even thought about what bruises he might have, having become so accustomed to the protection of armor.   "And you are...?" the secretary asked, addressing the man.

    "Genichirou Hashiba," he snorted.  The woman nodded.  "Let's go Rowen."   Rowen got up slowly and his father grabbed his left arm right over a bruise from the fight and pulled him behind him.  Rowen bit his lip so he wouldn't admit that his arm hurt.  His father half-dragged him by his arm all the way to the car. 

    Sage looked out of his second story classroom window at Rowen and his father.  So that's what his Dad looks like, Sage thought.

    "If your mother wasn't in Africa, I would've been able to let her deal with you.  Do you understand that you interrupted my research?  How many times have I told you to not interrupt my research!" he yelled.  Rowen silently got into his car, and then Genichirou got in and the drove away.

    "There's nothing on," Sarah sighed as she turned off the TV.  Katie was on the couch next to Sarah drawing.  "So, have you decided to act normal around the Ronins now?"

    "What do you mean "normal"?  I act the way I want to around them."

    "Fine, uhh when are they coming home anyway?"

    "Probably in four hours," Katie said.  Sarah sighed again and turned the TV back on.

   "You could smile a little."

    "And you could shut up." Katie stood to leave.  "You don't know anything."

    "Of course," Sarah sighed, staring off into space.

    "What are you thinking about?" Katie asked.

    "A guy, a guy I kind of like," Sarah responded.

    "Oh really?" Katie asked.  She pulled her legs onto the couch and turned to face her younger sister.  "Who is this guy?"

    "You don't know him very well," Sarah responded.

    "Fine, what's he like?"

    "Well, he's funny, tall, and handsome.  He's very intelligent, has strong morals, he's strong, and he's also very mature and serious."  Katie nodded. 

    "What else, what does he look like?" she asked.

    "Well, his hair is very dark, and his eyes are beautiful, and filled with so much emotion.  I feel like I could fall into them and never hit bottom," Sarah sighed.  "He's also built nicely, muscles and all.  I can tell that his life hasn't been easy, but he makes the most of things the way they are now.  He's also fiercely protective of the people he cares about."

    "Sounds perfect," Katie said.  "So, come on, who is he?  Is it that Jake guy from Boston, because he is hott..."

    "No, it's not Jake, it's..." Sarah paused.  Katie watched her expectantly.  "Rowen Hashiba," Sarah said quickly.  Katie's mouth dropped open.

    "You're kidding," Katie said.  "This is just a joke."

    "No," Sarah responded.  "You said he sounded perfect!"

    "Yeah sounded, but he isn't!  It's Rowen Hashiba!  How could you like someone who hates your sister?!" Katie shouted.

    "Because I do!  I feel like we've always known each other, and I can tell that he feels the same way!" Sarah exclaimed.

    "He doesn't Sarah," Katie responded.  "You shouldn't be liking any of the guys here anyway.  Once we fry Kubi we are going back to Boston.  You won't see them again, end of story."

    "I expected you of all people to understand Katie," Sarah said quietly.  "You know nothing about him.  Mia thinks there's a spark," Sarah added.

    "You talked to Mia about this?!" Katie shouted.

    "YES, and she was supportive, and she listened," Sarah said, exasperated.  Katie shook her head and stormed out of the room.

    "Why are you taking me to your place?  I live at Mia's now," Rowen complained, idly pushing up his sleeves.

    "Not now you don't.  You've never fought before, and I think those other boys are having a bad influence.  I knew you shouldn't have hung around with them."

    "What, the only friends I have?  Oh yeah, why don't you just close me off from the only people who talk to me," Rowen sighed.

    "Sounds good."  Genichirou drove into the parking garage.  Then Rowen and him walked up the stairs to the apartment.

    "Weren't you doing your research?"

    "I've decided to spend today with my son instead.  Later I'll take you by Mia's to get your stuff.  You're definitely moving out of there."

    "Why?  It's not like you're ever around here anyway.  At least at Mia's I'm not alone," Rowen said bitterly.  

    "Because I said so.  I don't like those boys you live with."

    "You've never met them."

    "You've never brought them over to meet me."  Rowen sat down on the couch and pulled a book out of his bag.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Reading my trigonometry book so I don't fall behind because I missed school today," Rowen said.

    "Well you missed a whole week of school earlier in the year, did you read trig everyday then too?"

    Rowen bit his lip, he wanted to scream out that he was captured trying to save rude people like him and the whole world from evil, and that's also why he has to live with Mia, but he just kept his mouth closed and read.

    "Oh my God this is boring," Sarah said as she flipped channels.  Katie walked down the stairs.

    "Are you not angry anymore?" Sarah asked as Katie walked into the living room with a sketchbook in her hand. 

    "Eventually you'll realize who Rowen really is and it won't matter what I think.  So I suppose I'm not," Katie responded.  "You've been watching TV for like all day, of course it's boring.  Do something else."

    "Like what?  There's nothing to do in this house.  I'm so bored that I'd rather be fighting the Dynasty." 

    "Well little sis, looks like you got your wish"  Sarah looked out and saw dark clouds gathering across the raining sky.  Then with an explosive force the glass in the windows of the living room exploded.  Sarah flicked the TV off and jumped up with her crystal in her hand.  Katie put down her drawing and stood next to her sister.  They saw a Dynasty gate appear on the lawn.  The gate opened and a strong wind began to blow.  Katie and Sarah's hair blew backward against the wind as they saw Nether Spirits flying around them. 

    Sarah and Katie nodded at each other.  Sarah threw her glasses off as her undergear appeared and the visor went over her eyes.  Katie flicked her long blonde hair off her shoulders as her dark green undergear appeared.  They ran out onto the lawn.

    Rowen was reading his physics book when he noticed a blue glow coming from his pocket.  He pulled his crystal out and saw that it was glowing.  It glowed dark blue, then violet, then dark green, then dark blue again, and continued that cycle of colors.  "Dark blue is me, violet is Sarah, and dark green is Katie.  But what does this mean?" he said quietly to himself.  "Could this mean that they're armoring?  But it never happened when the rest of us armored.  But then again, these are new armors..."   Rowen clutched the crystal in his hand and quietly got up.  His father had closed himself in his room.  Rowen quietly slipped by his room and very quietly left the apartment.  He ran out into the rain, the water rushing down his face, to the subway station.

    Sage, Ryo, Sai, and Kento all noticed their crystals glowing their respective color then Sarah's and then Katie's.  They were all puzzled.  Sage looked up at the clock in his classroom.  Only ten minutes left, then I can go home and see what's up with this crystal.

  A hoard of soldiers led by Dala (the guy who talked funny from the second season of RW when Ryo and Rowen were trying to free the others).  He towered over the two girls, and laughed as they fought the soldiers.  Sarah jumped up, did a flip and kicked the soldiers from above.  Katie jumped and punched them.  Sarah jumped on top of a group of soldiers, and kicked them down while running along their heads.  Then she jumped down next to Katie who had taken to shoving the soldiers into each other.  This all took about fifteen minutes to do.   Then they faced only Dala.  The Nether Spirits were still flying around above them, but they weren't doing anything.

    "I think we'll need Redoak and Glacier for this," Sarah said.  Katie nodded.

    "Armor of Glacier!   Tou Ketsui!"

   "Armor of Redoak!  Tou Yuu!

    The bolts of silk surrounded them, and then they stood armored.  Sarah held her scythe in front of her with both hands, and Katie held her short sword up over her face.  Dala pulled a large sword out and started attacking them with it.  Sarah's scythe held up well under his strength, but she had to jump out from underneath it when he started to overpower her.  He shot raw power at Sarah and she went through the wall into Mia's house.  Katie held out her sword and yelled, "Spiral Leaf Shine!"  He didn't even flinch when hit with her attack.  Dala hit her through the house too.   Sarah got up and spun her scythe.

    "Ice Frost Barrier!" Sarah shouted.  

    "You think that will stop me?"  Dala laughed.  He knocked her down and hit her with his sword, and then tried to hit her again, but Rowen's golden arrow surrounded with blue light knocked into his hand.  "What's this?"  Rowen ran up red-faced and stood off to the side.  Dala ran at Rowen.  "I've fought you before boy!  You ran away and left your friend!  Coward!" 

    "What?" Sage said as he walked out of the school, bowing his head against the rain.  "Now my crystal's glowing dark blue too!"  Sai, Kento, and Ryo caught up with him.

     "Our crystals are going nuts!" Sai said. 

    "Yeah so is mine, let's go," Sage said, getting worried.

    "Wait... don't we need to wait for Rowen?" Ryo asked. 

    "He was suspended today, they sent him home... with his dad," Sage explained.  Ryo looked puzzled, but Sai promised to fill him in on the whole thing.

    Dala smashed Rowen with his sword, and Rowen knocked down two trees that he ran into.  Dala threw Katie into Rowen, her sword stabbed into his left leg.  Then Dala threw Sarah into the trees behind them.  The three got up slowly, Rowen put his weight on his right leg.  "Ryo and I used the Inferno armor to beat him, but obviously we can't use it now.  So, we're pretty much dead," Rowen said.

    "How very optimistic," Sarah muttered.  They ran, Rowen on one leg, to the open area in front of Dala.  He laughed and the Nether Spirits started flying around them.

    "My job was to capture these two, I didn't know that I'd be able to take you in too, what a treat!" Dala yelled to Rowen.  The Nether Spirits wrapped their power around the three, holding their arms straight out from their bodies, and lifting them slightly off the ground.  Sarah clenched her teeth against the pain of the power wrapping around her, and Katie and Rowen yelled a few times.  Rowen's head dropped and he closed his eyes.  Katie looked at him and fought to get away from the spirits, but they neutralized their attempts. 

    Sarah closed her eyes, and prepared to submit to the pain when they heard yells.  Sarah flicked her eyes open in time to see Sage, Ryo, Kento, and Sai running over fully armored.  They each stood in a line and used their attacks.  The powers crushed the spirits and freed the three.  They crumpled to the ground, and Sai helped Sarah and Katie up while Sage helped Rowen. 

    "This guy!" Ryo exclaimed.

    "Who is he?" Kento asked.

    "When I shot the arrow to you three in the Dynasty, and you powered Inferno, we were fighting him," Rowen said slowly.

    "If you beat him with Inferno then..." Sai said slowly.

    "We should form a power star, with Ryo at the apex, flood our power to him, and he can throw the power at Dala," Sage said.  Everyone nodded.  They formed a circle around Ryo and then started running in their circle.  Dala watched with interest.  A six point star outline appeared on the ground.  Each ronin stood on their respective point.  Then, Ryo lifted into the air, on power strands from the other six.  They released their power up to Ryo, and it channeled to his swords.  He crossed his swords and a power ball formed.  The ball glowed dark blue, light blue, violet, dark green, light green, and orange.  Ryo held his swords up, filled them up with his power and released the ball of energy.  Dala yelled as the power smashed into him, and he and the Dynasty gate disappeared.  The seven sighed with relief that such a plan had actually worked.

    Mia's Jeep pulled in as the seven unarmored.  Rowen hopped over to the others, and put his hand on Sage's shoulder.  "The psycho Dynasty chick Katie stabbed me," Rowen growled.

    "Hey, it was an accident!  Dala tossed me onto you, and my sword fell, it just happened to fall into your leg," Katie retorted.

    "Either way, my leg is bleeding.  That's one sharp sword you have."

    "Your eye is swollen," Sarah said as Sage helped Rowen into the house.  "What happened."

    "I got into a fight at school," he responded as Mia walked in.  "Shoot, I have to get back to my dad's right now, when I saw my crystal glowing I just took off."

    "I'll heal your wound first," Sage said.  Then, there was a loud pounding on the door.  Sage looked up, startled, and didn't start healing yet.

    Mia opened the door and a hoarse voice yelled.  "Rowen Hashiba!  I know you're in here!"   Mia moved out of the way as Genichirou stormed in.

    "Hey everyone, this is my Dad," Rowen said.  The six drenched warriors and Mia all looked up with interest at the man standing before them.  Mia slipped out of the room.

    "What's the meaning of this?  I told you not to leave!" Genichirou yelled.

    "You said you'd take me by here later, so I decided to save you the trip and come by myself," Rowen retorted.

    "Then get your stuff and let's go."  Mia came back in with a bandage.

    "Here, for your leg," she said quietly.

   "What happened to your leg?" Genichirou asked as Sage started wrapping the cut.  Before Rowen could respond his father's cell phone rang. 

    "Sage, let's go upstairs while we have the chance," Rowen whispered to him.  Sage nodded.   He helped Rowen up and then helped him up the stairs.

    Rowen sat down on his bed, and Sage sat across from him.  He put his hand over Rowen's leg, and his hand started to glow, then he put his hand over Rowen's eye and the swelling started to go down.   "There, I didn't want to send you away with that," Sage said.   "I'll help you grab some stuff."

    Rowen got up and opened his closet.  "Sage, I'm really sorry about getting in that fight today, and messing up everything.  I mean, now I can't stay here anymore, which is dangerous for everybody.  I don't even know why I did it I just..."

    "Rowen, when was the last time we easily won a battle.  A time when we won and didn't think we were going to die?"

    "I don't know, I don't remember it happening too often," Rowen responded.

    "That's why you got into that fight today.  And I can't say I blame you.  I get into fights all the time, and it's nice fighting humans, its almost as if you're guaranteed to win, but you just can't.  We're all too powerful now, it's just not fair to them."

    "Yeah, I guess, well, I'll just give my dad some time to cool off, then I'll be back.  We barely see each other, he'll forget about all this eventually."

    As Rowen and his father walked out to the car a demon watched from above.  "So that Ronin is alone now, this should be fun," the demon laughed.

Narrator: Now that Rowen is not living with the other Ronin Warriors he is more vulnerable to the Dynasty's evil forces.  Will they still be able to defeat the Dynasty separated?  And what of the glowing crystals?   What more surprises await the Ronin Warriors?