23rd Changing Series episode

The Search for Sarah

Narrator:  Sarah and Katie armored and then disappeared during the Ronins last battle with the Dynasty.  Will they be able to find them?

    "They had ARMOR!" Ryo exclaimed.  "How is that possible?!"

    "A better question would be, where are they now?" Sage said.

    "Maybe where their armor was made..." Kento suggested.  "Rowen and Mia went upstairs to look through her grandpa's database."

    "Sarah said, "Ice frost barrier" and Katie said, "Spiral leaf shine"," Rowen said.

    "Katie's armor had an oak leaf on it," Mia said.  "But, I'm not finding anything.

    "Hey check this out!" Sage yelled as he ran into the computer room, holding a newspaper to his green button down shirt.  "There was some disturbance at Mt. Usu.  The ground shook like there was an earthquake, a bunch of rocks fell down the mountain and it started snowing.  It says here that some witnesses noticed a purple glow coming from the northeast side of the mountain!  I bet you that's where Sarah is!"

    "Mt. Usu?" Kento said as he walked in.  "That'll be a long drive."

    "Then we better get going," Mia said.

    "No offense Mia, but man if I have to sit for hours squashed in the back of that Suzuki Samurai I might just kill someone," Kento said.

    "Alright then, me, Rowen, and Sai will take my car.  That sound good?" Sage asked.

    "Yes," everyone said.  Rowen, Kento, and Sai packed some food for the trip while Mia and Sage grabbed some books and Cds to keep their passengers occupied during the long drive to Hokkaido.   They packed into the cars and set off.  Rowen sat in the passenger seat, and Sai ended up in the back.

    "It was a lot nicer to do these sort of trips when there was no one on the road.  Like when I went to get Kento with Mia," Sage sighed. 

    "I've never done this before," Rowen said.  "Everyone was already found by the time I got down to Earth." 

    "Well, she'll probably be "in a state of suspended animation" maybe in some ice?  Break the ice, and she'll wake up," Sage said.  "Then we'll have to look for Katie."

    "Eh, why bother?" Rowen said nonchalantly. 

    "Because, this could prove that she's our ally.  Either way, we need to give her the benefit of the doubt since we've never seen her doing anything "evil" since she left the Dynasty," Sai said.

    "This from the guy who didn't want to find Rowen," Sage laughed.

    "Well Rowen's not nearly as pretty as Katie," Sai laughed.

    "I'll take that as a compliment," Rowen said.

    "Hey look, Mia's pulling off the highway," Sai said.

    "Oh great, Kento probably wants something to eat," Rowen responded. 

    After three more stops, the Ronins stopped at a motel for the night.  Then bright and early the next morning they set off again.

    Hours and hours and hours and hours later they finally arrived at the base of Mt. Usu.  They all put on heavy coats and started the climb up the northeastern side.  "Lots of people here," Ryo sighed.  "So we can't put our armor on yet."

    "Let's just hope they haven't found her," Kento said.

    "Wait!  You cannot go up that way!" a man yelled to the six.  "That is a very dangerous side of the mountain, that's also where all the rocks fell from.  It's not safe."

    "Oh don't worry, we'll be fine," Mia said.

    "You realize you're taking your lives into your own hands?"

    "Yes," she said.

    "Well, even so, I can't let you go up that way.  It's been closed by the government.  This whole area is actually."

    The Ronins looked at each other and then nodded.  They all jumped, and started climbing the mountain at a good clip.  They put their undergear on and continued.  "Be careful!" Mia called up to them, then she pushed past the man to run to her car.

    "Look at all the snow," Sage said.  They had been climbing for an hour, and it wasn't getting any easier.  The ominous mountain loomed over their heads.  They reached a totally flat, straight wall of mountain. 

    "What now?" Kento asked.

    "Wait..." Rowen said.  He reached his hand out and carefully pushed it through the wall.   "The wall's not really here, it's an illusion."  The Ronins walked through the wall and looked around them.  Their was no illusionary cieling, but the area was pretty much protected.  The remains of buildings surrounded them. 

    "Looks like there was a town here before," Sage said.  They walked around the snow covered village.   Some of the buildings were up on stilts, and the others had fallen. 

    "Like a ghost town," Ryo said.  "And it was so well hidden too." 

    "Hey, this building looks pretty much intact," Sai said.  "It looks like a temple."   The building in front of him was built in traditional temple-style, only it was on a tall rock foundation.  Sai climbed the ladder and slid the door open to get into it.  "Check this out!"  The others climbed in, Rowen last and saw what Sai was pointing to.  In the middle of the temple was a rock statue of the armor Sarah had been wearing.  A girl was in it and she was standing in a pose of victory.     

    "Wow," Sage said.   He walked around the temple, and saw large paintings on the back wall.  They were all of the same girl, she was either wearing the armor, the undergear, or in an elaborate kimono.  She looked exactly like Sarah except her hair was a little darker and straighter.  One painting was hidden in the back.  It was of the same Sarah-like girl, and a man.  They were holding each others hands and staring into each other's eyes.  The man looked almost exactly like Rowen.  Sage turned to look at Rowen who seemed like he was in a daze.  Sage thought of what Sarah had said, how she felt like she knew Rowen, then he put the painting back and walked to the door of the temple.  "We should probably get going."  The others agreed and they all jumped out of the temple.

    On another flat rock wall there was a wall painting of the girl in the armor, she was looking up.  "I think this means we go up," Sage said.  He looked over at Rowen who was straggling behind dazed still.  "You okay?" he asked him.  Rowen looked at him blankly, and then nodded.  The five ronins jumped up, and then Rowen put his hand through the wall.  The all grabbed on at the same spot, and then pulled themselves onto the ledge.  The first part had no roof, but then they walked toward a large cave.  Inside was Sarah, in the armor, and surrounded by ice.  Sage started to walk into the cave, but some unseen force pushed him back.  A roof appeared over the village, and Sage stepped on it but didn't fall through.

    "What was that?" Ryo asked. 

    Sage shrugged, and then a flood of Dynasty soldiers fell from the sky, along with Seckmet.  Sage punched down the first five soldiers, and Rowen side-kick-flipped down three more.  Ryo jumped up and punched two.  Kento just plwed into them and knocked some off the cliff.   Seckmet jumped at Ryo, and as he pushed him toward the cave Ryo flipped around, so Seckmet ran into the invisible barrier.  Seckmet flew off the cliff.  "That takes care of them," Ryo said. 

    The five approached the barrier.  Sage reached out his hand again.  Before he could touch it two faces appeared transparent in front of them.  "Only one is allowed here," the boy said.

    "The prophecy will be fullfilled," the girl added.  The ronins looked at each other, and then the faces turned to Rowen with a smile.  Rowen looked overwhelmed, and then touched the barrier.  The faces disappeared and his hand went right through.  The others followed him in.

    "We need to break this ice," Sage said. 

    "Kento punched it, but nothing happened.  Sarah's arms were crossed with the scythe in one hand, and her eyes were closed.  The ice went from the floor of the cave to the top.

    "It's weird," Sai said quietly.

    "Well let's armor up then," Ryo suggested.  "Armor of Wildfire Tao Jin!"

    "Armor of Halo!   Tou-Chi!"

    "Armor of Torrent!   Tou-Shin!"

    "Armor of Strata!   Tou-Inochi!"

    "Thunder Bolt Cut!"  Sage cut one side of the ice, and then Sai held out his spear.

    "Super Wave Smasher!"  He broke the other side, and then Sarah's arm moved.  She whipped her scythe around and it smashed the rest of the ice to bits.  She held out her scythe and purple light flooded interior of the cave.  The light revealed words and pictures.

    Sarah read the words out loud to them.  "In the blast to create the nine armors extra power was formed into two more armors.  These armors will help to protect the mortal world from the Dynasty as ronin warriors, united with the other five armors.  Glacier, and Redoak hold many secrets for the future."  The Ronins had gathered around her and were stunned by what they heard.  Then a group of shadowy people appeared at the entrance.   "Spirits," she whispered.  "You are now free."  The spirits bowed and disappeared, but the faces that the Ronins had seen earlier lingered for a few moments before they left too.  Sarah blinked.    

    "How did I get here?" she asked.

    "We were hoping you could tell us," Sai said.  Before they could say anymore Seckmet jumped in front of the cave. 

    "Care for a rematch?" he asked.  "Snake Fang Strike!"  The ronins, and Sarah the sixth ronin dodged. 

    Then Sarah started spinning her scythe, she bent down spinning it and stood back up with it still spinning.   "ARMOR OF GLACIER!  ICE FROST BARRIER!" she yelled.  Purple light smashed into the unexpecting Seckmet, and he screamed, and disappeared back into the Dynasty.

    The six ronins stood together in their undergear, looking up at the sky.  "We have to find Katie now," Sai said.  "And that will make seven Ronin Warriors."  They all waited for Rowen to make a remark about Katie not being one of them, but he just stared off at the sky, standing next to Sarah.

Narrator:  Now with Sarah of Glacier as the sixth Ronin Warrior, there is only one left to find, Katie.  But will she be a Ronin Warrior, or will she join the Dynasty with her new armor?