Talpa felt the shudder that ran through the palace, it was as if the entire

realm was groaning under some sort of pressure. It passed as quickly as it

came, and was followed by a deadly silence. Something about the shudder

worried Talpa, and worry was not an emotion he was used to. It angered him,

and he cleared it from his find quickly. But it returned with Shymal, who

appeared in a flash of smoke in the center of the room. Her face was covered

as always, and her grey eyes were narrowed with hatred and cunning. She eyes

Talpa, who waited to hear what she had to say.

"It has begun," Shymal said. "The child will be born is one week,

Earth-Realm time. The world within which Ryo and the girl have escaped moves

both faster and slower than the Earth. Faster in the fact that months there

count only as hours on Earth. The child will grow within two days and it

will be as if she has aged five years. But then she will not age at all

until she truly does turn five, and then it will be a normal aging growth.

Neither Ryo nor the girl will age, but their powers will grow."

"Are you sure, witch? I will make no moves hastily."

"Yes, I am sure. You felt that shudder as I did. So did the Ronin Warriors,

and that blasted Ancient, Kayura. Power has shifted against us, we must

shift it back."

"Very well. Dais! Prepare the Army for invasion. We attack in one week. The

minute this brat is born we will attack the earth."

Shymal's eyes widened with surprise. Talpa was daring to risk his Empire by

moving against the earth so close to this child's birth. Did he really think

that she was lying? This child would have the power to destroy everything,

and he was taking it as if it didn't matter! Well, when he was destroyed she

would be left to pick up the pieces. She would see just how long Talpa

lasted this time. Shymal vanished once again, this time without Talpa

noticing.

If Kye-Ren was nervous about giving birth to this child, Ryo was more so.

She had never seen his act so protective in the past ten months that she had

known him. Ten months...it felt like ten years to Kye-Ren, waiting for this

baby to come. Thæn had told them about the time differences in his realm,

and how only one week had passed on Earth. That eased up Kye-Ren's mind a

bit when she worried that her brother might think her dead. Thæn was very

helpful as well, he had traded places with Ryo and Kye-Ren, letting them

have his room and moving to the loft when it became to difficult for her to

get up the latter. And Ryo was careful not to let her do to much, and that

included her fighting exercises. She protested, but Ryo was firm. So she

gave in, especially when Thæn took Ryo's side for once.

Ryo had regained much of his strength in the past ten months, and he was

learning some fighting skills from Thæn, and remembering ones that he knew

himself, though he still couldn't remember where he learned them from. He

hadn't remembered too much more in the time in this Realm, just a few images

of a large house and a lake, which could have been anyplace in Japan. Not

that they worried much about it. They had their own life here to worry

about.

When Kye-Ren went into labor that evening, Ryo was by her side until the

other Khsenu (that was what Thæn's people were called) came. They were the

people who lived around the mountain and river, just as Thæn do, and Ryo and

Kye-Ren knew most of them well. One of them was a Healer, just as Kye-Ren

was, and it was her who made Ryo leave the room, much to his detestment . But

there was no arguing with her, or any of the other women that had come to

help. It was clear that birthings were a woman thing, and they would not

allow Ryo to break that tradition. So he was forced to wait outside with the

other men, who were laughing at him in a friendly fashion. They teased him,

but he had no heart to listen. He was waiting for Kye-Ren, and the minute he

could rejoin her.

The hours seemed to go on forever, and he could hear nothing from outside,

where they were waiting. Whenever he tried to go into the cabin either on of

the other Khsenu men held him back, or the women refused to let him enter.

It wasn't until the dawn that he heard the first tiny wail, and felt the

wave of energy that shook the entire ground! He didn't wait to see what had

caused the shaking, he just ran into the house, and this time no one stopped

him. He ran into the bedroom to find Kye-Ren holding a tiny child that was

the source of the wailing. The tiny child was wrapped in a blanket that

Kye-Ren had made, waving her tiny fists in the air as she cried. Ryo could

see from the door that she had a head full of thick black hair, just like

both his parents.

"Come say hello to your daughter," Kye-Ren said.

Ryo darted across the room to the bedside and knelt down next to Kye-Ren and

his daughter. She opened her eyes, the color of them a bright blue, brighter

than any blue ever seen. Again Ryo felt that strange wave of power, and the

ground shaking beneath him. But it wasn't a dangerous shaking, nor was the

power anything bad. Instead, it seemed as if the earth itself was welcoming

the tiny child. Ryo's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the screams

from outside! Both Kye-Ren and Ryo looked to the window, and saw the cause

of the screams. It looked at if the entire sky was on fire! Sure, the sun

was rising, but there were literally flames dancing in the sky! Then, just

as abruptly as they had come they vanished, and the sky was normal again.

"Thæn! What just happened?" Ryo shouted across the yard.

"I don't know, Ryo. It would seem the Great Mother was telling us

something."

"Yes, and I know what it is," Kye-Ren said, getting out of the bed, her baby

in her arms. She moved to the window to stand next to Ryo, and also so that

everyone could see their daughter. "She was giving our child her name. And

her name is DawnFire."

DawnFire grew quickly, as Thæn had told them she would. It was only a matter

of days in Thæn's time before DawnFire looked - and acted - like a five year

old. She learned quickly, and it was clear that she had a great deal of

power in her, what Thæn called Gifts. She had quite a few of them, too. She

could mimic anything, from attacks to building things. All she had to do was

watch it being done a few times, and she was able to learn it. She didn't

speak much, instead she chose to use her hands to speak, or spoke

telepathically. Ryo and Kye-Ren could hear her mind-speak quite clearly, and

could talk to her that way as well, and Thæn could hear her sometimes, but

not always. So DawnFire made it a point to try and talk out loud around him.

In short, DawnFire was a very special child.

And not three days after she was born (though she looked like she'd been

born 5 years before) Ryo woke up from a bad dream, suddenly able to remember

his past. Kye-Ren was glad, because it meant he had finally healed, and now

he was able to tell her about the names, and why the Realm of the Dead had

sounded so familiar. But that part wasn't very comforting. He had indeed

been one of those warriors that Thæn and his people had seen, the Ronin

Warriors, and they had defeated the Great Demon, Talpa, but Ryo had a

feeling that Talpa wasn't gone. And he had to return to the Earth to make

sure it remained safe.

They explained this to Thæn, who agreed with Ryo. They packed their

belongings and saddled up Naaki and Big Black before waking DawnFire up. She

wasn't please with that, and said so very loudly until Ryo was certain the

entire Khsenu population would hear her. But Thæn, as usual, had a remedy

for this in the way of a peppermint stick, which DawnFire took happily from

his hands. She was placed up on Big Black in front of Ryo, who mounted next.

Kye-Ren road on Naaki once again.

"If ever you need my help, you need only shout my name," Thæn told them. "No

matter where you are, I will hear it, and I will come."

"We'll remember that," Ryo said, then kicked Big Black into a run. Kye-Ren

followed close behind, until the cabin was out of sight. Then Kye-Ren used

her magic to open a gate to the Earth-realm, which they quickly rode

through. Then the gate closed, leaving behind the world they had come to

know and love so well, and Thæn vanished with it.

The four Ronin Warriors had felt the wave of energy clearly, and it alerted

them to Talpa's attempt pf an attack on the Earth. They had spotted the gate

as it had opened, and had attacked with all of their strength. Talpa's

soldiers came pouring out, despite their best attempts, only to retreat

again when Lady Kayura showed up with the Ancient's Staff, forcing them all

back. Now they were at a stale mate. Talpa was planning what to do next, and

the Ronins were waiting to fight against him.

Kayura was now waiting with them, and Rowen quickly told her about Ryo.

Kayura shook her head in despair. "Without him we cannot defeat Talpa. And I

fear he is much stronger than before."

"So what do we do?" Kento asked. "We can't just sit here!"

"Calm down, Kento," Sage said. "We have no choice but to wait."

"Wait for what?" called out a familiar voice.

Everyone spun around to see Ryo on top of a giant excuse of a horse, with a

tiny child riding in front of him, and another horse behind him with a young

woman on it. Both Ryo and the woman had swords with them, and the child, to

everyone's surprise, had a dagger on her belt, well within easy reach, and

from the way the child was looking at them, she had been trained as a

warrior. But no one was paying any attention to that right then. They were

all too happy to see Ryo again.

Ryo swung down off Big Black and ran over to greet his friends, and was

promptly knocked down by White Blaze. No one noticed Kye-Ren or DawnFire

until DawnFire spoke, and it was telepathically. She hadn't thought that the

other Ronins would hear, as in all her so far short life, only her parents

could hear her.

::Mother, who are all these people? They know Father?::

It was a simple question, and one that brought everyone's heads swinging

around to look at DawnFire. She saw everyone's gaze upon her and stared back

just as firmly, her blue eyes looking as though they were made of liquid

fire. There was a challenge in her eyes, daring for anyone of them to deny

that Ryo was indeed her father.

"Uh, guys, meet my wife Kye-Ren and my daughter, DawnFire. I have a lot of

explaining to do."

"Yeah, well it will have to wait," Rowen said, still looking at DawnFire.

"Talpa's back."

As if to prove that statement, a large force of Dynasty soldiers, lead by

Sekhmet. The now reunited Ronins called up their armors and stood ready to

fight. Much to Kayura's and the other four Ronins' surprise, so did Kye-Ren

and DawnFire. DawnFire stood up on Big Black's saddle and took out her

dagger, aiming very carefully at Sekhmet. Just as he got close to the Ronin

Warriors she through the blade screaming, "Flame Dart!" The knife came close to Sekhmet's face, making him loose his balance. The Ronins were caught in

battle against the Dynasty soldiers, and didn't see it happen. But Sekhmet

did.

"So that is the brat Talpa wants us to destroy! Well, get ready to die,

child!"

"I think not!" Kye-Ren shouted, charging straight at the Warlord!

Sekhmet dodged and pushed her aside, but she spun back around, hitting him

with her sword. It shattered into pieces when it struck his armor. Sekhmet

laughed at her as he drew his own swords.

"So, you want to play rough, do you? Well try dodging this! Snake Fang

Strike!"

The swords shot out at Kye-Ren, and she could smell the poison on each on as

she jumped into the air out of harms way. This was a dangerous foe, more

dangerous than anything she had faced before. She had to protect DawnFire

from him. Kye-Ren Landed in a tree and jumped down in front of DawnFire, who

had watched the entire scene from Big Black's back. Sekhmet's swords

returned to his hands, and he got ready for a second attack, only to be

stopped by the Ancient's Staff. Kayura stepped in front of Kye-Ren and her

daughter, a determined look on her face.

"Stand down, Sekhmet," Kayura said, her voice ringing through the air. The

Ronins ran to help her, having beat the Dynasty soldiers.

"I think not," Sekhmet hissed at them. "The child must die."

"You can't beat all of us!" Ryo shouted.

"Want to bet!"

DawnFire watched the adults fight, and noticed her dagger on the ground near

her feet. Making sure that no one was watching, especially the snake-man,

she bent down and picked it up. She stepped away from her mother so that she

could see the snake-man clearly. She held the dagger out in front of her,

mimicking the move he had used a few minutes ago. Her voice rang out small

and clear, silencing the fight going on.

"Snake...Fang...Strike!" DawnFire shouted!

The tiny dagger became about six long swords, each one filled with energy,

not poison. It was a burning energy, and the swords shot through the air,

burning everything they touched! She heard her father shout "Duck!" as the

swords shot over their heads, then heard the snake-man scream as he was

burned. But she saw nothing of it. Only a bright light. Then that faded, and

she was sitting on the ground, a dazed look on her face. Ryo was getting up

off the ground and scooped her up in his arms, and she wrapped her own tiny

arms around his neck, trembling slightly. That was the first time DawnFire

had actually used a mimic attack in a real battle, and it scared her. But

her father's reassuring voice was all she needed to calm down, and the

stares pf amazement that the other warriors were giving her didn't bother

her in the least now. All she knew was that the snake-man would be back, and

she had to be ready. They all had to be ready.

Sekhmet stood before Talpa and Shymal, trembling with fear as Talpa shouted

dire threats at the warlord. He had lost a battle to a child, one of the

Ronin Warrior's children at that. But Talpa had no idea the power this

child held. The burn mark from her dagger still stung on his cheek where

the flesh had been hit. Shymal, on the other hand, seemed to have expected

this outcome. But like Sekhmet, the spirit was staying quiet for the time

being. Only when Talpa was done did Shymal speak.

"Great Lord, I think I know of a way we could use the child instead of

destroying her," Shymal said.

"And what would that be?"

"Make her our fourth warlord, Great Talpa. Flood her with negative energy,

the same way you did with the others. Then we can use her to destroy the

Ronin Warriors. It will be something they do not expect."

Talpa pondered this suggestion for a moment, then gave a wicked laugh. It

made both Sekhmet and Shymal shudder.

"This idea pleases me, Shymal. I shall send Dais to bring the child to me.

Then we shall see how the Ronins fair against one of their own."

Ryo and Kye-Ren had spent most of the night explaining abut what had

happened during the time Ryo had been missing, as well as telling them about

DawnFire's unique gifts. It was DawnFire that the Dynasty was after, and

that concerned everyone. DawnFire, on the other hand, was more concerned

about how she was going to climb onto WhiteBlaze's back when the tiger kept

walking around in circles around her. Kayura watched them both while the

Ronins talked with each other.

She was very worried about what Talpa would try to do to the little girl.

This child was so different from everyone else, even her. Had the Ancient

One still been around he would have found this little child a mystery. Such

great power resided in her, and yet she went around as if she didn't notice

it, or, if she did, she acted like it was nothing. But Talpa... He would

either try to destroy her or try to use that power against the Ronin

Warriors. And Kayura feared he would try the latter of the two first. She

couldn't allow that to happen.

DawnFire, noticing Kayura for the first time, smiled and waved to the tall

woman. Kayura smiled back, hiding a laugh as WhiteBlaze knocked DawnFire

over. The little child made no sound, but instead hugged the tiger, her

blue eyes sparkling with laughter. That was another thing Kayura didn't

understand. DawnFire didn't talk, not out loud anyway, unless she was

mimicking some sort of sound or attack. When she did speak it was with

telepathy. That in itself was strange, for although both Ryo and Kye-Ren

could do the same, it wasn't how they normally talked. It was as if this

child was the opposite of them in some aspects, but more like them in

others. Or, more like Ryo anyway. Already Kayura was sensing that this

child had Ryo's personality, and that would get her into trouble later if

Talpa did catch her.

'No,' Kayura thought to herself. 'I mustn't think like that. Talpa will

not catch her.'

::Who is Talpa?:: DawnFire asked Kayura, shielding herself from everyone

else so that they wouldn't hear.

::Talpa is a demon,:: Kayura replied in the same manner. ::A very powerful

one. We fear he may try to use you to hurt others.::

::No! I won't hurt others. Only hurt those who hurt us. Protect other

people!::

::I am glad you feel that way, little one. You are very much like your

father.::

DawnFire beamed at this statement and gave WhiteBlaze another hug. The

giant tiger licked DawnFire's face, causing the little girl to giggle. A

minute later she was chasing WhiteBlaze around in a large circle, this time

laughing out loud. Ryo looked over at them briefly, a smile flashing across

his worried face before turning back to his friends. Kayura prayed for both

their sakes that whatever Talpa was planning didn't succeed.

Dais stood in a tree on the other side of the yard, watching the Ronins as

the talked. He could see the little brat that Talpa was after standing near

the window, with Kayura and WhiteBlaze nearby. This wasn't going to be an

easy attack, but he had it perfectly planned. On his signal a troop of

Dynasty soldiers attacked the house, startling everyone. To his delight

only Kayura and WhiteBlaze stayed with the brat, as did the annoying woman

named Mia. This would be easier than he had thought. Shymal had given him

something that would knock that trio of protectors out for hours, and there

would be no way the Ronin brats could stop him.

With the speed of lightning Dais crashed through the window, easily knocking

Mia out of the way. DawnFire, faced with this new warrior, ran and hid

behind Kayura. Both WhiteBlaze and Kayura stood ready to fight, both ready

to attack.

"There's no way I am letting you take this child, Dais," Kayura growled.

"You already know what happened to Sekhmet."

"I don't plan on using an attack the brat can mimic, Kayura. This time,

she is coming with us."

Dais tossed the little ball onto the floor, covering his mouth as the

green-grey smoke began to pour out of it. Within seconds the three were

coughing and gagging, then fell to the floor. DawnFire began kicking as

Dais picked her up, but WhiteBlaze and Kayura were already unconscious.

::DADDY! HELP!:: DawnFire shouted as Dais carried her out the window.