Amaya had arrived in Kento's room shortly after Josephine had entered Cye's. The Ronin of Hardrock had been so happy to see her that he had cried. Amaya had been taken aback by his outburst, but comforted the one she loved. They had been doing nothing but cuddling for the past ten minutes when Amaya finally decided to bring up the subject that had been eating away at her mind, but she couldn't get it out.

"What's wrong, 'Mya?" Kento asked as he nuzzled your neck, "You have something on your mind."

The Guardian of Torrent sat up and stretched, "Yes, I do," She whispered quietly in her beautiful French accent, "I've been meaning to tell you something for a couple of weeks, but it's been so busy lately."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure I'll be happy."

Amaya took in a deep breath and looked into her boyfriend's blue/granite eyes, "Kento, I'm three and a half months pregnant."

The air in the room grew stale. Neither of them moved a muscle. Kento just kept staring into Amaya's eyes before he finally got the words out, "I'm sorry? What did you say?"

"I said I was three and a half months pregnant, Kento," Amaya repeated herself.

He blinked once. Blinked again. Ran a hand through his hair. Blinked again. Lowered his head. Inhaled and exhaled before he finally spoke, "I…can't…believe this."

Amaya's face fell, "So, you're not happy?"

"Oh no! Baby, it's not like that. I'm ecstatic, not to mention shocked, that I'm going to be a father!" Kento said as he cradled Amaya's face in his hands.

"Then why do you sound so sad?" She asked.

"One name. Two words. Rekino Sanada."

Amaya's eyes widened before she finally realized what Kento had just said. Rekino wasn't going to be very happy, "Oh, I see your point."

Just then, there was a knock at the door and Cye let himself in. Amaya and Kento stared at the young British man, "Did she tell you?"

Kento nodded his head, "Yeah."

Cye smiled, "Good. I just got off the phone with a JCP Life Insurance agent who's going to cut us a deal."

"Dude, you're awesome!" Kento exclaimed, "Let's hurry and make the deal before Rekino gets home and has our hides," He got off the bed, but not before giving Amaya a kiss, "I love you."

Cye tapped his foot, "We don't have all the time in the world!"

"Okay! Sheesh, can't let a man say bye to the woman he loves," Kento exclaimed as he gave Amaya another quick kiss and left with Cye out of the room. After the two Ronin Warriors left, Josephine came in the door.

"Hey chicko!" Josephine exclaimed, "I take it Ken went with Cye, huh?"

"Yep," Amaya sighed and switched her sitting position to Indian style, "So, am I going to tell Rekino or are you?"

Josephine gave her deer in the headlights look and shook her head, "I ain't telling her by myself!" She pointed at herself and at Amaya, "We'll do it together."

"When?" The French woman asked as she rose a single eyebrow.

"In a couple of minutes when I gather my nerve and get something to eat," Josephine said, "Wanna come?"

Amaya shrugged, "Sure, better than sitting around doing nothing," She threw her legs over the bed and followed Josephine down into the kitchen were they would eat and think of a way to tell their hot-headed leader.

Ryo raised an eyebrow, "What do you have to ask him, bud?"

"You'll see when we get to the castle," Thunder said and looked towards Hana and smiled.

Out of nowhere, Rekino started bouncing up and down, humming the wedding march, "OOO! I WANNA PICK OUT THE WEDDING DRESS AND FLOWERS!"

Everyone in the room sweatdropped at the Lady of Wildfire's excitement. Hana clinched her fists as a nerve started popping out of her head. She had to think of a way to get Rekino back for what she had done earlier. She smiled and wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders, "Hey oh bouncy one, did you know that Rowen has a girlfriend?"

All eyes in the room turned towards Hana when she spoke those words. Ryo's mouth fell, Shades dropped her book, Scorpio's glass fell out of his hands, Flash raised an eyebrow, Lila gasped, and Sage and Thunder shared the same expression, shock. Rekino's eyes turned to small little slits and she looked at Rowen and back at Hana, "You're lying to me."

"No, I'm not," Hana said in a voice that would make Osama bin Laden sound convincing.

That Lady of Wildfire turned towards Rowen, and, in a split second, she charged him, "So that's why you wanted to take me?! So you could go and see your little slut, huh?! Well I've got news for you buddy, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Rowen held up his hands in defense, "She's lying Rekino! I haven't been seeing anyone! I swear!" He felt a hard, loud slap across his face, "Dammit!"

Ryo, who had been mad the whole time, jumped in on the fight and was helping his sister beat up on Rowen while the Strata warrior was trying his best to defend himself against the two Wildfires’ attack. Thunder and Sage looked at one another and nodded, having had the same thoughts. Sage grabbed Rekino by the arms and pulled her back and Thunder put Ryo in a headlock, holding him down, while Rowen was struggling to get up. Hana had her arms crossed over her chest wearing a humorous and triumphant smirk.

Rowen wiped the blood from his lip and stared daggers at Hana, "Why did you say that?!"

Hana could resist the urge any longer and started howling with laughter at the site of Rekino struggling against Sage and Rowen looking like he'd just been ran over by a bunch of crazy hillbillies, "IDIOTS! Rowen, you do have one! Rekino is your girlfriend!"

All mouths in the room fell. Rekino stopped her assault and so did Ryo. Shades soon started laughing along with Hana. Lila was amused by the girl's humor a little bit. Scorpio was just blinking. Sage and Thunder let go of their two prisoners and looked at Hana.

"That was cruel, Hana," Sage managed to get out before, he too, started laughing.

Rekino stood up and gave Hana her oh so famous evil eye, "Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you?"

Hana only smirked, "Payback’s a bitch," She announced as her smile grew wider.

Rekino glared at Hana, but kept her mouth shut. She should have known that the Halo Guardian would pull a stunt like that. And even though she hated to admit it, it was a good prank. Though Rowen didn’t look too happy about it. Rekino knew she would have to apologize to him later for beating up on him. But first she’d have to get through her pride. Ryo on the other hand did apologize to him.

They caught a taxi and the driver was so happy to be driving the queen and her son back to their castle, that he allowed them to ride free of charge.

Once back at the castle, they excited the doors, and got through the doors, with guards suddenly flanking the queen and prince. Hana was bustling with excitement as she walked beside Thunder. Behind them were Rekino and Rowen, then Flash and Sage, then Ryo, Shades, and Scorpio. They entered through the great hall chamber, their complexions shadowed by various bright lights. They passed through the great hall, and entered into the throne room. At once, guards everywhere immediately saluted the queen and the prince.

King Thaitus stood up from his throne and came toward them. He immediately hugged his wife and gave her a tender kiss. “Welcome home, dear.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Lila said as she returned his kiss. Thaitus turned and looked at the Warriors, the Ronins, and Lady Guardians. He approached them and spoke loudly enough for the court to hear.

“I must thank all of you for saving my kingdom. If not for you, I would have lost my wife, my son, and my kingdom. I owe you a great debt.”

They remained silent as they waited for him to finish speaking. “So, I am hosting another ball which will be held within two days, and you are all invited to attend. You may also stay in the castle and leave as you choose to. Also,” he looked toward Thunder now, “I am granting my son permission to be allowed to go and visit his grandparents and friends during certain times of the year.” Everyone held their breath as they waited for him to continue. And he did. “These will be during the spring break which will be for ten days, then during summer break which is for 6 weeks, during the Thanksgiving break which is for five days, and during Christmas break which is for two weeks and a half. He’ll stay here for half of Christmas day, then will be allowed to fly to any place he chooses after he opens presents.” He paused and looked at Thunder. “Do you agree to these terms?”

Thunder thought about it.. He was amazed, but what his father had just said was almost what he wanted to ask. Though he wanted to be able to go on weekends as well to visit his grandparents. He spoke up. “I agree, father, but I’d also like to request of going to visit my grandparents every weekend.”

Thaitus thought about it, then nodded his head. “You may, and if you want to, sometimes, your friends can come here and stay with you as well, provided there is no school for you.”

Thunder nodded his head, smiling.. Then with a sudden impulse he suddenly leaped forward and hugged his father. “Thank you, dad,” he said in a whisper.

Thaitus was shocked, but overcame it quickly. He hugged his son back, and told him he was welcomed. The two departed from each other, and Thaitus clapped his hands. “Now, I suggest we all eat. I’m sure we’re all very hungry.”

“Famished,” Flash said who hadn’t eaten almost all day.

Sage nodded his head. So everyone was led toward the dining hall. When they saw the table, their mouths dropped and their eyes got big. Food upon food was covering the table.

‘Man, if Kento and Josephine saw this, they’d jump on the table by now,’ Ryo thought to himself.

Flash was thinking the same thing about Ice, just imagining him grabbing everything and shoving into his mouth as fast as he could.

Thaitus and Lila took their places at the head of the table, and Thunder sat near them. Hana sat beside him, and Flash and Sage sat across from them, with Rekino and Rowen opposite of them, and with Ryo and Scorpio next to them, and with Shades opposite from Scorpio. Servants stood nearby ready to attend, and another servant kindly pointed at what the Ronins, Lady Guardians, or Warriors did not recognize. Though Scorpio and Thunder did not need to be told, because Thunder’s grandmother was famous for her German style cooking.

The meal began when everyone had a plate of food, and talk resumed. Everyone told the king and queen where they were from, and when asked about the armors, it was explained to them. During dinner though, Thunder was formulating a plan in the back of his mind. He was going to get even with Rekino one way or another. He just needed to think of a good plan, and the right moment to initiate that plan.

After dinner was over, everyone was escorted to the rooms they would be staying in while here. Though they had wanted to leave right away, they had chosen to stay. Besides they were all tired and needed the rest. However, Ryo was leaving first thing in the morning.

“You’ll be coming to attend the ball though?” Thunder asked him as the two stood in the hall alone, save for a couple of guards nearby.

Ryo nodded. “Yes, I’m sure Mia will want to come as well, but I’ll have to ask her. I’m not quite sure about the others though.” He let out a sigh. Everyone else had gone into their rooms to rest, except Flash and Rekino who had gone out into the backyard of the palace to fence. He raised his tiger blue eyes toward the taller boy. “I’m gonna get some rest now. I’ll see you later.”

Thunder nodded and watched as the leader of the Ronins entered his room and shut the door behind him. He frowned a bit. Something seemed to be troubling Ryo, but what? That was a mystery itself.

The two leaders of their groups stood facing each other in the back courtyard, their weapons held out before them. Rekino was in her subarmor, while Flash remained in her regular clothes. Guards stood about, but far enough away to give them room as they were ready to begin their training.

“Hey, Flash, one question before we start,” Rekino suddenly said.

“What?” Flash asked.

“Why don’t you have a subarmor?”

“That’s a good question,” Flash said. “I never actually understood that either.” She scratched her head, then said. “Now you’ve got me wondering!”

Rekino nodded and flipped her sword up. “So none of you Warriors have one then?”

“No, we don’t,” Flash replied with a nod.

“Okay, then,” Rekino said. “Let’s begin then.”

They faced each other off. Flash attacked first, and Rekino quickly blocked it, then reacted with an attack of her own. Flash somersaulted backwards, then stood up one hand, and used her sword to try and trip Rekino. Rekino saw it just in time and quickly dodged it by doing a quick handspring.

They continued to practice this way, getting a little more and more furious with it, as they began to move faster and faster. Though Flash was quicker, she maintained her speed to Rekino’s level to be fair. Rekino also maintained her grip and temper to keep fair as well, and they both practiced with harmony and yet with stamina. By the time they had finished, both were exhausted and lying flat on their backs, head to head, staring at the blue sky, resting. They had been practicing for two hours straight nonstop.

“Hey, Rekino, I was thinking, why the question earlier?” Flash asked.

Rekino was silent for a moment before she answered. “Because whenever we were getting ready to fight the weak pathetic excuses for soldiers, I never once saw you have a subarmor. I used to think if there were any other warriors with mystical armors like ours, out there fighting to save the world, they would have subarmors like ours, but different in a way.”

“I see,” Flash said with a nod of her head.

Rekino smiled at her, and Flash smiled back, and the two continued to watch the sky overhead, letting a peaceful silence take them over.

Thunder stood by a large upstairs window, watching Rekino and Flash. Hana was still sleeping as she had been exhausted out. He had explained to his father and mother ten minutes before that although he knew they wanted him to marry, he didn’t feel ready, and he was sure Hana didn’t feel ready yet either. He wanted to finish school and graduate and go to college afterward. His parents understood his decision, and even offered to pay to have his lessons sent to him from his very own school in the Americas as long as he promised to have German tutoring lessons for four hours a day, five days a week. He had agreed to it, and the matter had been settled. Now here he was staring at the two girls, or more particularly Rekino. His lips curled into a strange smile. It was time.

He turned away from the window and went to find Rowen. He checked several rooms, but found them to be empty, or filled with workers. He asked a few people if they had seen the blue haired archer. They all replied, “No, sire.”

He turned away, rubbing his chin as he tried to think of where he could be. Then he saw a servant come near him, carrying a basket of freshly washed clothes. He recognized her as Wendi.

“Sire, I believe that the Rowen you are looking for is in the Library of Solar Arts.”

“Where is that at?” he asked. He had forgotten he hadn’t explored much of this castle, so he had clue where most of anything was.

She told him the way, and he thanked her and headed off. And Wendi returned to her work.

Rowen was reading a book on Astrological Stars Unforeseen, Fact or Fiction. He had already read about thirty pages of it within fifteen minutes as he was so into the book. Other people reading around didn’t bother him, and he wasn’t even aware of when they had suddenly begun to either bow or salute.

Thunder had entered the room. When he signaled to the small group to stop, he headed over to Rowen and stood behind him watching him quietly for a few minutes. Finally he tapped his shoulder.

“GAHH!” Rowen jumped, throwing his arms back, completely startled. Thunder ducked to avoid a swinging arm which would have broken his nose had he hadn’t.

Rowen sank back into his chair, his arms limp at his sides, his mouth slightly open as he turned his head to look at Thunder ducking there. Everyone was watching now. Finally Rowen relaxed.

“Thunder..”

“Can I stand up now?” Thunder asked.

“Yeah.. Err…sorry about that,” he apologized, nervously running a hand through his hair.

Thunder straightened up and grinned. “Don’t worry about it. It’s good practice. Anyway, I need to talk to you.”

“What about?”

Thunder glanced toward the other people and cleared his throat. They quickly turned back to what they were doing. However, he wasn’t sure if he even wanted them to hear at all, even if they weren’t watching.

“Not here,” he told Rowen.

Rowen looked at him and saw how serious his expression was. He nodded and stood up, and glanced at the book. Thunder saw his look.

“It’ll be fine.” He looked at the others, and held up the book for all to see once he regained their attention again. “This book stays here.”

“Yes, sire,” they replied. With that, he put the book down, and walked out of the library, with Rowen following along.

They walked a good few blocks in the castle before Thunder felt safe enough to speak. Rowen was wondering why he wanted to speak with him, why he was being so secretive. Finally, Thunder whirled around.

“Okay, Rowen, I need a huge favor from you,” Thunder said.

Rowen blinked. That was it? This huge act of looking highly secretive, was just to ask for a favor? Okay, this was just getting weirder and weirder. “What kind of favor?” he asked.

“The kind that pays Rekino back for taking pictures of me and Hana,” he said.

“Oh that,” Rowen said.

“Do you realize what would happen if someone were to steal the pictures somehow, what the media might do?” Thunder asked.

Rowen thought about it for a few moments, and then he frowned. “The rumors would spread like wildfire.”

“Exactly.”

“So what did you need me to do?”

Thunder suddenly grinned and whispered into his ear.

Later that day after everyone had their rest and had eaten, Rowen went to Rekino who was curled up a recliner, reading a book by a windowsill. Shades was sitting on a couch, talking with Scorpio about something, Flash was sitting on the floor on a thick rug, drawing on a pad, while Sage massaged her shoulders. Ryo was sitting on the other recliner, while Thunder and Hana shared the love seat. All of them were in a private room, which Thunder had been able to get prepared to be a type of living room for them. There was a large screen TV, with many kinds of game consoles and games, a DVD player, a surround stereo system, and a few other things.

Rowen stood by Rekino, and was silent for a few moments before he cleared his throat. Rekino looked up at him. “What is it, Rowen?” she asked, then frowned when she saw his serious expression.

“Um, Rekino, there’s something I have to tell you,” Rowen began, nervously running a hand through his hair.

Rekino frowned. Oh no, he was going to break up with her, or tell her he decided to stay to become a guard for Thunder, but that she wasn’t allowed. This was almost too horrible to bear. She swallowed a lump in her throat. “What is it, Rowen?” she asked forcibly.

“Rekino.. I’ve been giving this a lot of thinking,” Rowen said softly as he looked down at the floor. Then he suddenly looked up. “And after thinking about it, I’ve come to a decision to get a sex change.”

Rekino’s mouth dropped open, and everyone stopped what they were doing and stared in disbelief at Rowen.

“Followed by a hysterectomy,” he finished.

“WHAT?!!!!”