"Allright, now repeat after me: 'Hey babe, wanna go for a drink?'" Black Hawk said carefully and drew her hands through the air, enunciating each word.

"Hey babe, wanna go for a drink?" Balthazar said slowly, as if speaking a foreign language.

"Excellent! Now, say it again, only this time make it sound like you're half asleep."

"…Heyyy babe, wanna go for a drink?" Balthazar said and half-lidded his eyes and grinned, trying to look charming.

"Perfect! I told you guys I could help you on this," Black Hawk gloated. Scar snorted disdainfully and flipped through one of Black Hawk's magazines, pinching each page gingerly by the corner as he flipped them. He looked up when he heard fast footfalls.

"Everyone! I have wonderful news!" Chaizar proclaimed and stopped to catch his breath. "I just found out that the Guardian is going to throw…a party." Scar and Balthazar blinked uncertainly. "And it is going…to totally…rock the house."

"So?" Scar sniffed and stood up.

"So?! This will be the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the Ronin's inner circle and take out that troublesome Guardian…and get in on some righteous snacks."

"Lemme guess: O'Connor's Annual Halloween Hootenanny?" Black Hawk asked.

"How'd you know?"

"She used to host it every year in high school back in the States. She'd invite all her friends, pretty much anyone could go."

"That particular night will provide an added advantage. All mortals do on Halloween is dress up in lavish costumes and eat candy and listen to loud music. They'll have no idea who we really are until it's too late!" Balthazar added.

"The Ronin will be especially cautious of doing battle in a civilian area. They will restrain themselves, but we can strike with impunity," Scar added. Chaizar looked at Black Hawk.

"You should come with us. Scar can fashion an illusion for you as a disguise," he said softly. Black Hawk shook her head.

"Nah. As much as I'd relish the thought of spoiling Shannon's little party," Black Hawk narrowed her eyes and frowned. "She knows me too well. She'd recognize me, disguise or not, and I wouldn't want to blow your cover. Besides, I got my own plans for Halloween. I'll keep myself occupied." Chaizar looked dismayed but nodded understandingly. He scratched the back of his head.

"Um...Black Hawk...you know...Pharaohn's formula worked wonders for us...maybe you can regain your true form so you can walk among humans freely..." Chaizar suggested. Black Hawk flicked a glance at him and scowled.

"This is my 'true form' now." Black Hawk stated icily. Chaizar frowned sympathetically. "Just don't forget the things I've taught you. If all else fails, just talk like that dolt Hardrock. There'll be a lot of boys and girls there, so you'll have to know how to socially interact properly. It's a B.Y.O.B."

"What's B.Y.O.B. stand for?" Balthazar asked and blinked.

*****

"It means Bring Your Own Boyfriend!" Shannon said proudly and pulled Sage close and hugged him tightly. Sage grunted softly and blushed.

"I thought that meant 'Bring Your Own Beer'," Anubis asked and glanced at the small orange card printed with Shannon's address and embossed with black spiders and bats.

"It does, but I don't do alcohol at my parties. It puts a damper on the fun," Shannon explained and squeezed Sage again. Sage "oofed" and grimaced awkwardly.

"Why do you let her lord over you like that?" Anubis raised an eyebrow.

"I can handle it," Sage wheezed.

"It's because he's so polite," Shannon giggled and hugged him again. For a girl of her size she had quite a bit of strength. "Anywho, I'm inviting all of you guys. I asked Brianna and Roxi to come too. I know Tanya's not a people person, but she's more than welcome to come. Hey Sage, where's Ryo and the others?"

"They should be back from practice any time now," Sage replied and glanced at the door. Sure enough they heard the voices and footsteps of the other Ronin.

"Hey Shannon, what's up?" Ryo greeted as he powered down into casual wear.

"Shannon's hosting a Halloween party and she's inviting all of us," Sage explained.

"Do you guys even celebrate Halloween over here?" Shannon asked.

"Not the same way you do in the States," Rowen answered.

"Well, you can come in costume or plain clothes, your choice. There'll be lots of food-" Shannon shot a glance at Kento when she saw him almost salivate at the idea. "Music, old monster movies, no alcohol of course…"

"What about a karaoke machine? You can't have a party in Japan without one!" Kento suggested.

"Oh jeez," Cye smacked his hand against his face.

"Hrm…I never thought about that…I suppose I could rent one," Shannon muttered and tapped a finger on her lip. Anubis huffed and flung the card onto the table.

"Count me out. Parties aren't my thing," he said and headed for the stairs.

"Whoa, wait Anubis! You should come. It'll be fun," Shannon argued.

"Yeah, just because you're over four-hundred years old doesn't mean you have to act your age. This is a chance for you to feel young and enjoy yourself," Ryo added.

"I had plenty of that when I fought the Mutant Warlords. I'm just not a partying person, Ryo. I appreciate the offer, Shannon, but I'll stay at home for the night," Anubis said firmly and continued up the stairs and disappeared into the den. Ryo sighed in exasperation and Shannon bit her lip before looking at the others.

"Well I suppose I can count on the rest of you to go. I can't imagine you get many chances to cut loose and enjoy yourselves."

"We've been to parties lots of times!" Rowen said defensively.

"Oh yeah? When was the last one you've been to?" Shannon queried. Rowen turned his gaze skyward and muttered to himself, trying to recall. Sage scratched behind his ear and Cye averted his gaze. Ryo crossed his arms over his chest.

"I went to one last month!" Kento piped up.

"I suppose that had nothing to do with the fact that you have an extended family the size of a small city," Ryo teased. The others had a good laugh about that while Kento grumbled that a party was a party regardless.

"So when does it start?" Rowen asked.

"October 31st, eight o'clock at night. My parents are going to a benefit dinner for the hospital, so I pretty much have the house to myself."

"Awesome! I know what I'm dressing up as!" Kento cheered and threw his arms into the air. He blinked when he suddenly found himself staring at Shannon's finger close to his nose, wondering how she got to here from where she stood by Sage so fast.

"Snack table is off limits to you. I'm on a budget; I don't want you to clean me out in five seconds," Shannon warned.

"That's no fair! I don't eat that much!" Kento protested.

"Kento, a small nation eats less than you," Sage snorted derisively.

"You're just exaggerating-!"

"No, he's right. See, I made this nifty chart the other day just to prove it," Everyone looked at Cye as he pulled a large white cardboard sheet from under the table and a thin baton from nowhere and held up the colorful pie chart for display. "This shows the daily food intake of each of us Ronin. This is Kento with 52 percent," he began and pointed to the large orange area. "Rowen's second with a…frightening 25," Cye grimaced awkwardly before continuing. "Followed by Ryo with 6, Sage and Anubis at 5, myself at 4 and lastly Tanya with 3, but she's petite so she naturally doesn't eat much," Cye explained and shrugged dismissively.

"He's got you there," Rowen said to Kento, who huffed angrily.

*****

The evening of the 31st, those that wanted to attend made their final preparations. Ryo secured the plastic sword of his ancient warrior costume to his worn leather belt and tucked his wild black hair under the metal studded leather helmet he wore. Rowen set the long leather bullwhip in its hook on his belt and ran a finger along the brim of his dusty brown fedora. He looked up and saw Sage coming down stairs dressed as a desert knight. Sage finished securing the clasp to his flowing white cape.

"Well, aren't we the ladies magnet?" Ryo teased.

"Hey, you know what they say about opposites," Sage replied.

"RARAAAAAGH!" The three of them looked up when they saw a large green beast leap towards them. "I am the Scourge of Tokyo!" Kento growled through the "mouth" of the bulky dinosaur costume. Then he grinned at them. "So, how do I look?"

"You look….fat," Ryo commented and grimaced.

"Scourge of the Fridge is more like it. Remember what Shannon said," Rowen reminded and poked Kento in the stomach. "No gorging for you tonight."

"Jeez Rowen, you're such a party pooper," Kento complained. "Hey Cye, where's your costume?" he asked as he saw Cye coming downstairs to join them.

"I'm wearing it," Cye answered, yet he only wore his beige jacket and green pants.

"You're going as a lawyer?" Ryo asked and raised an eyebrow. Cye rolled his eyes.

"NO! I'm a vampire, see?" Cye bared his teeth, displaying the glistening plastic fangs.

"I thought vampires wore tuxedos and capes," Kento commented.

"That's an old fashioned vampire. I'm a more modern one, you know, the kind of guy a lonely girl meets at the bar. He looks charming at first, offers her a drink, then takes her out to a dark area," Cye began calmly and closed his eyes. "Then he shows her what he's really like!" Cye opened his eyes and grinned nastily, baring his fangs.

"I say you need a cape. You still look like a lawyer."

"Guys, come on! I'm supposed to be a vile, blood-sucking creature of the night!" Cye argued and clenched his fists at his sides. Ryo and Kento exchanged glances.

"There a difference?" Ryo asked before he and Kento broke out laughing. Rowen chuckled and slapped his knee and Sage snickered quietly. Cye frowned and narrowed his eyes. He looked up when he saw Tanya approaching the group from behind, oddly enough wearing full Typhoon armor. She stopped close to Ryo.

"Hey Tanya, ready for tonight?" Cye asked and bared his fangs. Tanya took one look at him, squealed, and pounced onto Ryo, nearly causing him to collapse.

"Easy Tanya! You can't possibly be scared of him!" Ryo struggled to steady himself as Tanya clutched onto him for security, shuddering slightly.

"It's a lawyer," she whimpered. This time everyone else but Cye broke out guffawing heartily. Cye looked quite grumpy and folded his arms over his chest.

"Keep it up guys, you'll see me turn into a real monster," he growled threateningly. Ryo stopped laughing and looked at his sister, just now noticing she wore full Armor.

"We're going to the party in a few minutes, you know..."

"I know. This is what I'm gonna wear," Tanya stated calmly. Ryo all but dropped her but Tanya landed on her feet neatly.

"What?! NO! No way you're wearing that out in public!"

"Hardly anyone knows what the Lady Ronin looks like. No one will notice."

"I'll notice! You're not going in Armor," Ryo said firmly.

"You gonna stop me?" Tanya said warningly and placed her knuckles on her hips, meeting Ryo's angry blue gaze with her own bronze-brown glare. The others watched the silent standoff for a few moments. Ryo nodded to the table.

"Leave your weapons."

"Whaaat?"

"Leave…your weapons. If you show up with real swords people will get suspicious."

"Oh fine! Jackass…" Tanya grumbled and began removing her arsenal; first the long scabbards that held the Swirlwind Swords, then the sheaths holding her Windblade Daggers. She disengaged both blade and grapple line launcher and tossed them on top of what looked like a huge pile of weapons that he other guys gawked at. Tanya pointed at them then put her hands on her hips again. Ryo gestured to her midsection.

"Your chakaram."

"It's on my back! No one'll see it!"

"Tanya-"

"Oh *censored* you!" Tanya shouted and flipped Ryo off to the face before whirling around and storming out the door angrily to wait by the car. Ryo watched her leave.

"Her attitude's gonna get her in trouble one of these days," he muttered, looking over his shoulder sharply when he heard Kento snicker. Kento stopped quickly and averted his gaze. Ryo looked around the dining room and frowned. "Where's Mia?"

"I'm here!" Mia jogged downstairs, dressed for work and carrying her book bag.

"Aren't you coming to the party with us?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I can't. I got called in for some late night work at the university. I'm too old for that kind of party anyway. You all enjoy yourselves, it's your night," Mia said and patted Ryo on the arm before going out the door. Ryo sighed in disappointment.

"Well…guess it's just us going," he muttered and walked outside with the others. They'd be taking Sage's car, and while Kento argued with Rowen who'd have shotgun, Ryo looked towards the doorstep at Anubis, who leaned against the doorframe.

"You sure you don't wanna come? We won't be back for about five hours."

"I'll be fine," Anubis waved dismissively. "I'll have Whiteblaze to keep me company," Anubis nodded at the tiger beside him.

"Your call," Ryo shrugged and took his seat. Anubis waved and closed the door.

"Man, this is gonna be a night we'll never forget!" Kento cheered.

*****

"This is going to be a night the Ronin will never forget!" Chaizar proclaimed as he fastened the gold bracers of his Egyptian-style armor on his wrists.

"You sure there was no alternative?" Scar complained and flexed his leather-gloved hands, splaying the long metallic-painted plastic claws on the tips.

"That's the best way to disguise yourself," Balthazar shrugged. He also wore his Egyptian armor. "I'm told that character is a vicious murderer who preys on his victims' dreams, so it fits. At least people won't ask questions. It's a shame Black Hawk isn't coming with us, though. She'd relish seeing the Guardian draw her last breath."

"She said something about having 'family business' to take care of."

"You do realize if we fail in this, Dygra will punish us for going out without her approval," Scar warned.

"How can we possibly fail? The plan is simple; lure the Ronin and their companions into a false sense of security. When their guard is down, then we move in for the kill," Chaizar said and bared his teeth, the canines growing into fangs briefly.

*****

Anubis sat on the sofa with his legs stretched over the cushions and back against the arm. He thumbed through the pages of a large novel. Whiteblaze lay curled up on his favorite mat and napped quietly. Anubis paused in reading and looked up at the huge grandfather clock. It only read 8:30. He tried to refocus on his book but the estate seemed so quiet, and the clicking of the pendulum and clock hands so loud. He sighed and slapped the book shut and set it on the coffee table.

"I'm bored," Anubis muttered and swung his legs off the sofa. Whiteblaze roused in time to see Anubis leave the den. He rose to all fours and followed him downstairs into the kitchen. Anubis plucked a small note off the fridge door and picked up the phone and punched in a number. He leaned against the counter and played with the cord while he waited for someone to answer.

"Hello? Dais, is that you? …This is Anubis, you moron!...You sound awful…You go to bed that early? And you say the modern world's made me soft…Can you wake the others? I want the four of you to come to the estate…No, there isn't a Dynasty attack! Just haul your four-hundred year-old ass down here!" Anubis jerked the phone away as Dais hung up abruptly after screaming several obscenities. He growled and set the phone back in its cradle. "I just hope they show up," Anubis grumbled and looked at where Whiteblaze stood, watching him. "What? It's not like I'm inviting a pack of cheerleaders over, for Heaven's sake!" he reasoned then scratched his chin. "Although…I could…" he mused. Whiteblaze hummed deeply in concern.

*****

"You could have at least had the presence of mind to pack your costume in the trunk then put it on at the party instead of wearing that ghastly, bulky thing in the car!" Cye argued as he staggered out of the car and onto the sidewalk.

"Lay off! I didn't see you fussing at Tanya for wearing that pointy helmet of hers."

"I can stab you with it, you know," Tanya threatened as the six of them walked towards the door. Ryo reached out and rapped it with his knuckle.

"Hey-eey! You guys made it!" Shannon greeted enthusiastically and opened the door wide and stepped to the side. She wore light filmy robes and a gold crown on her head.

"Wow…this is a lot of people," Ryo remarked as he and the others stepped inside. More than twenty other young men and women occupied Shannon's house, either watching TV in one room or enjoying snacks and dancing in another.

"Yup. Mostly interns and nurses I know from the hospital, but this is a party, not the ER, so feel free to have fun! WOO" Shannon pumped her fist into the air and called to the rest of the guests, who responded loudly in kind. Rowen's face lit up when he spotted Roxi among the crowd and sauntered over to her.

"Why hello there, Miss Oakley," he drawled and tipped his hat.

"Aww, you should have come as Wild Bill…but I do say, you make a damn sexy Indiana Jones," Roxi remarked and reached up and twirled Rowen's forelock with her finger. "You look so cute with your hair between your eyes," she giggled.

Cye spotted Brianna hanging by the punch bowl and walked over to greet her. She wore a genie costume, with shiny charms and silky cloth over her legs and upper torso, leaving her slim tummy exposed. She blinked at Cye. "You dressed as a lawyer?"

"No, a vampire. See?" Cye brandished his fangs again.

"Oh, so you're a 90's vamp. That's cool!"

"Glad someone thinks so," Cye muttered gratefully.

"So who are you dressed as?" Sage asked Shannon.

"I am an ancient priestess," Shannon said grandly and held her chin up high. "I am a warden of the future, oracle to kings and emperors and teller of omens. What about you? You supposed to be Lawrence of Arabia or something?"

"I never did see that movie…" Sage shrugged and scratched the back of his head.

"I might have it here, my Dad's got a pretty extensive movie library," Shannon jerked her thumb at the den where a few guests watched old B-movie monster flicks.

"Some other time…" Sage waved and picked up a paper cup filled with punch.

Instead of joining the guests, Tanya stationed herself close to the stairs and braced one foot against the wall and leaned back and folded her arms over her chest. She looked like a sentinel, silent and brooding. Kento saw her and lumbered over.

"Hey Tanya, shouldn't be a wallflower. You'll miss all the fun," he teased. Tanya stared straight ahead from under the rim of her helmet. Kento bit his lip and leaned against the stair railing. "Um….you wanna watch a movie? They're showing some in the other room, if you're interested…" Tanya didn't even blink. Kento cautiously reached over and waved his hand infront of her face. Tanya still didn't move. Kento pulled his hand back and drummed his fingers on his stomach. "How bout a deal: I'll stop bugging you if you help me sneak some stuff from the snack table. I'll split it with ya, 50/50!" No answer. "Okay…since you're doing that whole 'I'm not here' thing, I guess I'll just stop talking to you…um…later," Kento mumbled sadly and walked off into the crowd.

Ryo stood apart from the other guests. Everyone else had taken off and found something to enjoy, but he didn't really have anyone else to spend the night with, and Tanya didn't look like she wanted any company at the moment. He regretted Mia not coming. She'd been the epitome of patience during all of their adventures, and he appreciated her intelligence and calm spirit. Ryo sighed heavily and looked around the room. He remembered Shannon had said something about movies and saw people seated on the sofa in the den. Ryo raised an eyebrow and walked towards the den.

*****

Anubis recoiled when he opened the door and saw Dais standing on the doorstep, Cale, Sehkmet, and Kayura behind him. "Wow…you look awful," Anubis commented upon seeing Dais' bloodshot eye.

"Cut the crap, Anubis. Why'd you drag us over here?" Dais demanded gruffly.

"I invited you over because I could use the company," Anubis explained and stepped to the side and gestured inside. Kayura entered first, followed by the other three.

"You woke us from sleep after a 10 hour work shift just because you were lonely?" Cale sneered as he walked past.

"The other Ronin are at a party at Shannon's house, so it was either invite you, or spend five hours alone with the tiger," Anubis reasoned and pointed at Whiteblaze, who snorted sullenly. "And even I get tired of reading."

"I pity you," Dais muttered sarcastically.

"You didn't accompany the others?" Kayura asked and frowned. Anubis waved.

"Loud music and wild dancing isn't my idea of a party. Besides, here we can have our own party. I'll go pop some corn. Help yourselves to the TV upstairs."

"They have cable here? We don't," Sehkmet piped up. Anubis nodded and went into the kitchen while Sehkmet scampered upstairs quickly.

"Try not to blow up the microwave like Rowen!" Cale called.

"Hah! You heard that story too?" Anubis answered back and set the small packet on the glass plate and shut the door. He punched in the time and stood by the counter while the plate turned and the packet heated up, the buttered kernels inside exploding into fluffy white pieces. The timer beeped and Anubis opened the door and pulled out the bulging sack. "OW! Hothothothot!" Anubis hissed and bounced the bag up and down on his hands before flinging it onto the counter top.

"Use the damn potholders, idiot!" Dais shouted from the other room. Anubis scowled and glanced at the doorway before fetching a large plastic bowl.

"I knew that…" he grumbled as he peeled the sack open and poured the popcorn into the bowl, pulling the still-hot corners with the cushioned squares. He opened the fridge and pulled out a six-pack of soda and started towards the dining room. He paused, remembering a very cunning trick Tanya had played on Cye a few days prior. He grinned and cradled the popcorn bowl in his arm and held the six-pack by the rings with his fingers while he used his other hand to pull a can out and shook it as he walked upstairs. "I come bearing gifts," he said grandly and walked over to the coffee table and set the bowl and six-pack down. He handed Dais the can he held in his hand.

"Thanks…" Dais grumbled and accepted the can. Anubis remained a fair distance away…

*****

"So I haven't seen you before. You work at Shinasha Memorial?" Shannon asked the young man in the Egyptian armor.

"Nah, my friend does. He told me about the party and asked if I wanted to tag along," Chaizar replied and sipped something called "soda". It tasted sweet if sipped but tickled the throat if gulped. So far Shannon didn't give any indication she recognized him.

"That's cool. You been to medical school?"

"I only did two years, just enough for an entry-level position."

"Really? Where'd you go? Baylor or Rice?"

"Err…Baylor."

"That's awesome. You might wanna check out job postings at the complex sometime. We might have an opening later this year," Shannon offered cheerfully. Chaizar nodded and set his drink down. He moved his hand under the table and flexed his fingers, focusing on summoning his claws. Shannon stood up abruptly and looked over her shoulder and scowled. "Sorry, I gotta go. Just a sec," she said and stalked off to the other side of the room. Chaizar swore and his claws receded.

"HEY! Didn't I tell you-!" Shannon scolded when she saw Kento hunched over the large plastic tub full of water and apples. Kento stood up and turned towards her. "GEEEYAAAG!" Shannon threw up her arm to shield her eyes and turned away when she saw Kento holding three huge red apples in his jaws.

"*Ph-thoo*" Kento spat the apples into his hands and rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand. "You said the snack table. You didn't say anything about the apple bob…"

"Oh, that was disgusting…" Shannon moaned and clamped a hand on her forehead.

"Yeah…I know… I used to be able to fit four but I guess I'm out of practice…"

"That wasn't what I meant! OOH! I warned you!"

"Well if you're that upset," Kento muttered and held out two apples over the basin. "I could just…put them back…"

"NO! NO! NO NO! GO! SHOO!" Shannon shrieked and got behind Kento and shoved him by the shoulders, batting him with her fists. "Get away from here!" Kento walked off with his prizes, grinning, leaving a frustrated Shannon by the apple bob.

"I don't know whether to be impressed or sickened," Sage commented.

"Hey, you know what they say about apples and doctors," Kento chuckled and took almost the entire half of one apple in a single bite and munched heartily. Sage grimaced and shook his head but glanced at Kento when he heard him sneeze loudly. "Wow, someone's talking about me," Kento muttered and his body heaved as he sneezed again.

"It could have something to do with having your face in cold water. Besides, that's an old superstition."

"Hey, Anubis says all superstitions have a grain of truth to them." Kento paused in taking a bite and sneezed again. "Damn...they're talking up a storm…"

"Who on earth would be talking about you?"

"Lots of people could," Kento argued matter-of-factly and closed his eyes.

"….Like?" Sage prodded and raised an eyebrow.

*****

"Kento's stomach is so big, when it rumbles it shows up in California as a 5.5 quake!" Cale said and broke out laughing. Sehkmet guffawed and slapped his knee.

"I got a better one! Kento's stomach is so big it holds an entire universe in its depths!" Sehkmet crowed. Anubis snickered and shook his head in amusement.

"Or how about this: Kento's stomach is so big, it's home to two warring factions, and whenever it rumbles it means the nations are attacking each other!"

"Good one!" The three elder Ronin had fun with their little game while Kayura tried to focus on the television. She looked up when she saw Dais return from taking a shower. He had a towel wrapped around his neck.

"Oh welcome back, Dais. Care to join our little competition?" Cale asked. Dais ignored him and glared at Anubis.

"You're a sick bastard, you know that?" he pointed at the former warlord.

"Says you," Anubis snorted. "And I wouldn't sit down just yet. Mia's very particular about getting her furniture wet," he said just as Dais attempted to seat himself. Dais swore under his breath and walked back to the doorway and rubbed his hair with the towel. The five of them looked up when they heard the doorbell ring. "While you're up, could you answer that?" Dais glared at Anubis icily. "The night air will help you dry faster."

Dais headed downstairs uttering several curses and slung the towel over his shoulder as he opened the door. He blinked when he saw three children in strange clothes standing on the doorstep holding colorful bags. "Trick or Treat!" the children said in unison.

"Um….why are there kids here?" Dais called upstairs.

"Give them candy!" Anubis answered back.

"From where?!"

"The bowl on the cabinet right there!" Dais looked behind the door and saw a small bowl full of wrapped treats. He picked it up and held it infront of him while he studied the children's costumes.

"Okay…so…what do we have here…I see a…space ranger…and a super hero…and a…oni?..."

"I'm a Pokemon!" the youngest child piped up matter-of-factly. Dais smirked uneasily.

"Okay….well, here you go." Dais tossed a handful of candy in each child's sack.

"Wow! Thanks!" The children ran off and Dais shut the door. He'd barely taken five steps when the doorbell rang again.

"Dais, answer that!" Anubis yelled. Dais clenched his teeth and snatched up the bowl and opened the door. He saw two kids on the stoop this time.

"Oh my…such interesting costumes you have," he began in a deadpan tone. "I wonder what you're supposed to be…wait, don't tell me. Here let me get a better look at you," Dais leaned down and reached up to his eye patch and flipped it up, exposing the empty socket. The children squealed in terror and ran down the walkway hysterically. Dais put the patch back down and chuckled to himself as he shut the door. No sooner did he set the bowl back on the cabinet did he hear furious knocking at the door. "Ugh…." He opened it and looked outside. "Now what?-"

*POW!*

Cale looked up and blinked when he saw Dais stagger into the den, one hand clamped over his eye and the other extended and waving about, trying to feel his surroundings. His hand found the arm of the sofa and he reached out and felt for an empty space, inadvertently groping Sehkmet, who protested loudly. Dais crawled over to the empty space between Sehkmet and Kayura and seated himself awkwardly.

"Not…one….word…." he growled and reached out for the last soda can, pressing it against his purpling eye.

*****

"Hey Ryo, havin' fun?" Kento asked as he leaned against the sofa Ryo shared with three other guys, who each took turns exchanging movie trivia and errors.

"I actually am, for once! We've been fighting so much lately I almost forgot what fun was like," the Ronin Leader admitted and sipped his soda.

"That's good to hear. Hey, can you tell me where Rowen went? I've been all over the house and can't find him. Then Shannon told me to check the utility closet but it's locked and when I knock all I hear are these weird sounds," Kento rattled off, oblivious as Ryo suddenly choked on his soda and pitched forward, gagging.

"GYAAGH!" Ryo complained and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt soda go up the wrong way. He squeezed his eyes shut to try and alleviate the chilling pain.

"You allright there, Ryo?" Kento asked belatedly.

"Yeah…I'm fine…" Ryo blinked several times and rubbed the sides of his nose. "Just had some soda go into my brain…"

"That sounds painful…so what do you think Rowen's doing?"

"In the closet with Roxi," Ryo said solemnly and sipped his soda again.

Kento blinked, taking awhile to process what Ryo said. "Ohhhh….ohh hooo! Hee hee, man, I gotta tell Cye this," he giggled to himself and stepped away from the sofa.

"Cye's upstairs in the linen closet…with Brit," Ryo added.

"Damnit!"

Chaizar surveyed the scene in the main room. Scar had gotten himself snarled up with a pair of young, beautiful girls who fawned over him, blissfully ignorant of the fact that he didn't wear makeup… Balthazar looked like he immersed himself too much in the playful atmosphere of the party, belting out the lyrics to a pop ballad to raucous applause. Chaizar debated taking him to one side and reminding him of the mission but spotted Shannon by the punchbowl filling new cups. No one else stood nearby, all either in the movie room or dancing. Chaizar felt his fangs grow in anticipation and took a step towards Shannon.

He stopped when he found himself staring down into two angry bronze brown eyes. He blinked and tried to look innocent. "Uhh…Heeey sweetie! What's up?" he said drunkenly, trying to hide his nervousness. He'd seen the Lady Ronin in full armor, almost as if she knew of his plan, but she'd spent the past hour stationed by the bottom of the stairs against the wall and hadn't so much as looked his way.

"I know you," Tanya said stiffly. Chaizar drew his lips into a thin line then smiled.

"Ahh I dun know what you're talking about, lady. I'm jus' here with my buddy-" Chaizar had his eyes closed and didn't see what hit him when he felt a searing pain in his crotch as something hit him with such force it actually lifted him off the floor an inch before he landed on his feet and staggered to one side. Tanya set her leg back down after kneeing him then reached up and grabbed his face by the cheeks, pushing his lips shut.

"It took me awhile to make sure, but I know you're Chaizar!"

"How'd ya know?" Chaizar managed. Tanya released him and he rubbed his cheeks.

"I remember what your face looked like from the first time I fought you, when I chopped your face plate off! I'm guessing the Freddy Krueger over there trying to get some is Scar, and the hyper-active bozo working the karaoke machine is Balthazar. Trying to get Shannon again? Or make things miserable for my brother? You know, I started to think I was overreacting, but I had a feeling you Dynasty assholes would pull some crap like this. Well guess what; I was right! So why don't we cut the shit chat and I beat the solid crap out of you?" Tanya grabbed Chaizar's tunic and pulled back a fist.

Chaizar regarded the Lady Ronin with a mixture of irritation and admiration that she'd sniffed him out. He closed his eyes and started chuckling. Tanya tensed, ready to make a jack-o-lantern out of Chaizar's face. When Chaizar opened his eyes, they appeared yellow with slit-shaped pupils. "By all means, 'Lady Ronin': let us dispense with the formalities!" he gloated in a deep voice. His canines lengthened into deadly sharp fangs and his nails grew and thickened into sickle-shaped claws. Tanya took a step back as she watched fur sprout from Chaizar's flesh, his muscles swelling and pulling the loose Egyptian outfit taut over his body. A long tufted tail grew from his lower back and lashed back and forth.

Shannon heard strange scuffling sounds from behind and turned around. She gasped and dropped a newly-filled cup, sending punch splattering over her slippers and the floor. Tanya stood between her and a towering lion-like beast in strange armor. The creature looked her way and snarled, taking a step towards her. Tanya back-flipped suddenly, bashing the beast in the chin with her feet. She landed neatly and slipped into a defensive crouch. The lion-man rubbed its chin and growled at the Lady Ronin.

"What?" Ryo turned around in his seat when he heard surprised shouts from the main room. His eyes widened when he saw Tanya facing off against a fully transformed Chaizar. "Mutant Warlords! Kento! Kento! Go find Cye and Sage! I'll get Rowen!" Ryo ordered and sprang off the sofa, skirting the crowd and making for the stairs ahead of Kento. Kento ran past him for the main bedrooms and Ryo stopped infront of the utility closet and rapped his knuckles against the door quickly. "Rowen! Rowen, come out, we got trouble out here! The Mutant Warlords are literally trying to crash the party!"

Ryo paused mid-knock when the door opened suddenly. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, not from seeing Rowen and Roxi close together, but rather from seeing their hats switched around and Rowen's shirt unbuttoned half way. Ryo glanced from Roxi to Rowen several times then placed his fingers on his brow.

"I'm not gonna ask…" Rowen and Roxi glanced at each other then hurriedly switched their hats. "We need you out here. Chaizar's fixin' to huff and puff and blow the whole house down," Ryo looked at Rowen and jerked a thumb towards the stairs.

"I gotta go," Rowen told Roxi and slipped out into the hall.

"Be careful!" Roxi warned as Rowen and Ryo dashed downstairs and headed for the door to the back yard. Cye tried to follow but something smacked him in the side and against a cabinet.

"Where do you think you're going, Torrent!" a transformed Balthazar hissed and reached for Cye's neck. Cye regained focus in time to see the cobra-like warlord looming over him. He narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth, letting out the angriest growl he could muster. "EEE! He's turned into a monster!" Balthazar yelped girlishly and ran into the main room. Cye smirked in triumph. "He's become a lawyer!" Cye scowled and pouted, annoyed.

"Wow! Cool costumes! Dig the realistic prosthetics!" an ignorant guest complemented Scar. The crocodilian warlord glanced at him out the corner of his eye and sent the hapless zombie crashing into the wall with a flick of his thick, scaled tail. Now all three warlords surrounded the Lady Ronin. Balthazar hissed and displayed his thin, sharp fangs, dripping with caustic venom. His hood rippled with excitement. Chaizar took another step towards Tanya, purring with delight and fingers wiggling.

"Party's over for you three!" Chaizar paused and looked behind him and gasped when he saw Ryo and the other Ronin Warriors, in full Armor, weapons drawn and ready. Rowen put an arrow to the string and Sage's blade glowed faintly. Tanya grinned and reached behind her to fetch her own weapons.

"Whoa, time out!" Shannon hollered from the side. "My Dad would flip if a brawl broke out indoors. If you're gonna fight, take it outside!" she ordered and pointed to the door. Scar and Balthazar exchanged confused glances.

"Why should we listen to you, puny mortal!" Chaizar rumbled. Shannon raised an eyebrow in challenge and pulled the Ronin Cross out from under her robes. She closed her fist around it and bright blue light erupted from between her fingers. In an instant, the three warlords and five Ronin were out on the street.

"Yeah, you don't want to mess with an O'Connor," Sage advised. Back inside the house, though, Tanya pawed the empty air behind her back several moments. She'd forgotten in the hour or so she'd been doing watch duty, but her face twisted into a mask of rage when she at last remembered why she didn't have her weapons. She let out a furious growl and stalked towards the door.

"Are you such big jerks that you can't let us enjoy a good night out?" Ryo demanded.

"As long as you draw breath, you will never know a moment of peace!" Chaizar declared.

"Yeah! You don't get to go to a hot party with snacks and cute chicks and happenin' music!" Balthazar hissed. Scar looked at him, toothy jaw hanging open in confusion.

"Man, what a way to ruin a perfectly good party. Things were going just fine until the Mutant Warlords showed up," Kento grumbled under his breath. Chaizar's ears went up upon hearing that.

"What? Where do you get off calling us 'Mutant'! That's offensive!"

"Well what else are we supposed to call you?"

"We're still the Night Warlords!"

"No…that's too nice a name for you all," Sage disagreed and shook his head.

"How about Face-Only-A-Mum-Could-Love Warlords?" Cye suggested.

"Visually Un-appealing Warlords?" Sage stroked his chin.

"We can call them Butt-Ugly Warlords!" Kento piped up.

"Beast Warlords?" Rowen added.

"Failed-Football Mascot Warlords?" Chaizar and the other two transformed warlords watched mouths agape as the Ronin continued experimenting with different, increasingly unflattering titles for the three. Ryo shook his head and shrugged.

"Face it. You're the Mutant Warlords now. It sticks."

"Why you!" Chaizar growled and took a step towards Ryo. Ryo readied himself as the warlords moved out to attack. This time the Ronin wore full Armor, but being in such a densely populated neighborhood severely complicated the situation…

"RYOOOOOOO!" Ryo looked up when he heard the high-pitched shriek. Even Chaizar stopped stalking towards him and turned to the side, surprised to see the Lady Ronin walking down the path to the sidewalk. She walked right past Chaizar and stopped infront of Ryo and pointed a finger at his chest. "RYO YOU-"

Ryo's eyes popped wide open upon hearing the stream of words coming out of his sister's mouth. Balthazar stood frozen in place, mouth wide and fangs bared, and glanced at the Lady Ronin. Cye, also stock still with his trident raised and braced against the fangs, looked over his shoulder, mouth in a tight "o" of shock. Rowen had paused in drawing back on the bowstring and the arrow started to slip out of his fingers. Sage had pounced onto Scar's back and slipped his sword between the crocodile's jaws and started to pull up mightily. He stopped when he heard Tanya shrieking at the top of her lungs. Scar had begun hissing in anger but went quiet and raised a thick eyebrow. Kento stood close to Rowen and watched wide eyed at the sight of Tanya jabbing her finger at Ryo's chest repeatedly, other hand clenched tight at her side and shaking.

Tanya continued her stream of profanities. Ryo blinked stupidly, no longer sure if he heard actual words. He glanced to the side at Rowen, raised an eyebrow and slowly pointed a finger at Tanya. "YOU LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!" Tanya grabbed him by the mouth and pulled his face back forward then let go. Tanya continued raging. By now the party guests had crowded around the windows and watched the goings on excitedly.

"Man! She is really opening up both barrels on him," Roxi commented.

"I'll say…" Shannon muttered.

"Hey Rowen, what's she saying?" Kento asked. Rowen's mouth hung open and he grimaced and shrugged awkwardly.

Ryo stared at his sister, completely flabbergasted. Chaizar shifted in place behind her then reached towards her.

"Hey, Lady Ronin? Do you mind-" he tapped her on the shoulder plate but recoiled when Tanya whirled on him.

"STAY OUT OF THIS YOU WALKING *censored* *censored* HAIRBALL! AND YOU! I'M NOT THROUGH WITH YOU YET YOU-," Tanya turned back to Ryo and continued screaming and pointing.

"What's going on?" Brianna squeezed through the crowd and stood beside Shannon.

"Oh…nothing much…just Tanya giving Ryo a Wildfire-sized reaming…"

"We need to get a hold of Anubis, he's back at the estate," Roxi said.

"I'll call him!" Brit chirped and wormed back through the crowd and into the kitchen. Roxi and Shannon turned their attention back to outside.

"I'd sure hate to be on the receiving end of that," Roxi drawled.

Ryo came to his senses when he realized A: Tanya gave no indication of tiring anytime soon, and B: he seriously doubted she said any actual curse words.

"WHOA! Whoa! Tanya! Stop! Stop!" Ryo shouted and held up his hands. Tanya paused and seethed at him. "Look, you can chew me out as much as you want after this, but right now?" he pointed at Chaizar and the other Mutant Warlords. Tanya looked at them and growled, reaching behind her back and drawing out her chakaram halves.

"Oooh you *censored* petting zoo rejects! They'll be debating whether to send you to the hospital or the *censored* vet after I'm through with you!" Tanya snarled and joined the halves and hurled the weapon. With that, the fight resumed.

"We gotta buy time for Anubis to come. Roxi, you got a gun with you?"

"Uhh…no," Roxi said quietly. Shannon blinked.

"What do you mean 'no'? Roxi, you carry an elephant rifle to the mall, you sleep with a .22 on your nightstand and you keep a BB gun by your shower, and right now you're telling me you don't have a gun?!" Shannon exclaimed.

"I didn't think I'd need it!" Roxi shrugged helplessly. Shannon rolled her eyes then noticed the accessory one guest wore.

"Hey Roxi…they don't have to know its real, do they?" she asked and looked at the markswoman. Roxi grinned mischievously and wiggled her eyebrows.

*****

"When is that blasted pizza gonna show up?" Cale whined.

"It hasn't even been twenty minutes, much less thirty. Give them time," Dais said.

"I don't see why you couldn't let me order," Sehkmet complained.

"Not everyone likes anchovies, Sehk."

"And no way I was gonna let Anubis order. He'd sneak firecrackers in the crust so it'd explode on us," Dais accused.

"You know…I'm kind of surprised Whiteblaze was able to lick all the soda off the sofa," Kayura commented idly and looked at the tiger, who napped contentedly.

"If that's what happens, then I don't ever want to be resurrected and end up like Anubis," Cale commented.

"I wasn't the only one laughing at Dais," Anubis brought up and smirked at Cale, who glared at him darkly.

"Hmm?" Sehkmet raised an eyebrow when he heard a loud ringing. He looked to the side and saw the green light on the phone blinking. He hadn't even noticed it there but shrugged and reached over and picked it up. "Yello?" he listened patiently to the hysterical girl from the other end. "I'm sorry, he's not here right now," he replied and began to set the phone back in its cradle.

"WHAT? What do you mean he's not there! He has to be! The guys are in trouble! HEY! You answer me you-" *click*

"Who was that?" Anubis asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Eh, some girl asking for you," Sehkmet shrugged and turned his attention back to the TV. Anubis shook his head and shrugged too, but looked up when he heard the doorbell.

"Pizza's here," Dais announced and leapt to his feet and ran out the room with his usual litheness. When he opened the door he found a young man standing on the doorstep holding a pizza box. "Well it's about freaking time!" Dais snatched the box away and opened it slightly to check the condition of the pizza. "I'm surprised it's not cold. You took so long getting here," Dais snapped and all but flung the delivery boy's payment in his face. He turned to the side but paused when he noticed the boy still standing there with his hand held up expectantly. "What do you want?" Dais sneered.

"Well, Ryo always gives me a tip, sir," the delivery boy hinted.

"Well, get a hint, brat! I'm not Ryo! Now get lost!" Dais shouted and slammed the door shut. The boy still stood there on the doorstep with his hand extended.

"Sir, I hope you choke!" the boy squeaked. Dais opened the door again, grabbed the boy's wrist, and slapped the boy in the face with his own hand, sending him sprawling onto the lawn. Dais shut the door again, leaving the boy on his back. "Ow…"

*****

"Ooh the nerve," Brit swore and slammed the phone back on the hook and ran out to the main room. By now some of the guests had dared to venture outside and watch the action up close from the walls of Shannon's house.

"Is he coming?" Shannon asked when she saw a frustrated Brit.

"No, he didn't answer. Some other guy did and he sounded so rude! I thought I heard the TV on in the background too, but he just said Anubis wasn't there."

"Anubis has company over?"

"YAAAAH!" Tanya cried and hurled her chakaram. Scar ducked in time to avoid it, and the weapon continued whistling through the air until it ricocheted off a lamp post, going on to strike cars, satellite dishes, mailboxes and nearly hitting some of the guys. Sage managed to deflect it off his sword and the disc-like weapon spun towards the house. It sliced through the tall rubber horns of a guest's alien costume and stuck in the wood with a shuddering thud. "Oh shit! Shit! *censored* Sorry!" Tanya called and raised her arm to fire her grapple line to retrieve the weapon. Then she remembered she'd disengaged it and left it at the estate. "Ooh! RYO! Did I mention you're a *censored* ?"

"I don't even know what that means!" Ryo protested from the other side of the street.

"You don't have to know what it means to know that's what you are!"

"Oh yeah! Well…well…you're…uh…" Ryo struggled to come up with a good retort but had to skip back when Chaizar pounced. He swept a sword in the lion-man's direction. Chaizar bounded out of the path, not so much as getting his tail tuft singed.

"RYO! Be careful!" Sage yelled. Ryo glanced at him then back forward and saw the burning remains of a car.

"Crap!" Ryo glanced from side to side then back at the car. "Uh…I hope that guy's insured," he muttered and winced.

"Yeah, I don't think insurance covers 'Ronin Warrior' damage," Rowen commented.

"Hey dude, isn't that your car?" a skeleton asked. The mummy beside him reached into his pockets and pulled out his car keys, pressing the button for the car unlock. The slagging wreck beeped feebly once before the sound died.

"The guys aren't doing so well," Shannon muttered.

"Can't they teleport them away?" Brianna asked. Outside, Ryo leapt onto Chaizar's back and gripped onto the warlord's mane tightly. Above him, the red energy rings appeared and swept down once.

"Not so fast, Ronin Leader!" Chaizar reached up and grabbed Ryo by the wrist and flung him against another car, shattering the teleport rings. "The party is just getting started! We have yet to have our fill of fun!" Chaizar growled sinisterly.

"Yeah, that's not working as intended," Roxi said.

"If Tanya had her swords, at least, she could send these guys packing…" Shannon began.

"I can go get them. It's a fifteen minute drive to the estate," Brit suggested.

"Can you drive stick?" Roxi asked and held out her keys. Brit shook her head.

"Take my mom's car. She left it here tonight," Shannon tossed the car keys to Brit, who caught them neatly and headed for the door.

"I'll cover you," Roxi went with her.

Balthazar paused in bashing Cye against a fire hydrant when he saw Brianna running outside towards the sidewalk further down the street. He dropped Cye and turned to chase her down before she could leave.

"Hey you filthy varmint!" Roxi barked. Balthazar glanced at her and saw the blue-haired markswoman raise a huge gun with a barrel as thick as a lamppost. "You feelin' lucky, pardner?" she drawled and raised an eyebrow. Balthazar "eeped" and took off pelting down the opposite side of the street. Cye looked up and shook his head, surprised when he saw the cobra-man run past hysterically, leaving a trail of dust in his path. Roxi frowned, not expecting that kind of reaction, and inadvertently pulled the trigger. A spongy yellow rod popped out of the barrel and landed on the grass. Brit didn't waste any time pulling out of the driveway and taking off down the street.

Balthazar came to a skidding halt by an intersection and panted for breath. "That was a toy gun, wasn't it?" he said to himself and turned around and headed back to the battle, swearing under his breath.

"Uh oh," Roxi frowned when she saw Balthazar coming for her. She looked around then spotted the expelled foam dart. She shrugged and picked it up and reloaded it in the toy rifle and took aim, as if she held her competition rifle. Balthazar closed in quickly, scaled feet pounding against the pavement. Roxi squeezed the trigger and the dart flew out and into Balthazar's mouth, going into his throat and the rubber fins on the end lodging behind his teeth. Balthazar staggered to the side and clutched at his throat, gagging. Roxi smirked, pleased with herself. While not quite her Sharps, it did the trick.

"It's too bad your 'Elder Ronin' friends aren't here to save your sorry tails! I wonder what they're up to right now, in fact!" Chaizar taunted.

Where the hell is Anubis, anyway? Ryo scowled.

*****

Kayura flipped idly through channels. She saw glimpses of big muscular men shooting automatic weapons, old ladies showing how to fix a gourmet dinner, a news report about six people wearing armor fighting three monsters in a wide neighborhood street, skinny models turning colorful, numbered wheels, and middle aged men playing golf. She finally spotted an intriguing drama about a scorned wife and had settled in to watch when something struck her cheek.

Cale sat on the second sofa next to Anubis and leaned over the arm in an offensive crouch. He'd snatched the supply caddy off Mia's desk and had it tucked under his chest and pulled out rubber bands and quietly fired them in Kayura's direction.

"How long are you going to keep doing that?" Anubis queried.

"Until I run out of rubber bands, or she forks over the remote, or she goes back on her Ancient's vow of non-violence…whichever comes first," Cale shrugged and fired again.

"And if you run out of rubber bands?"

"I start on the paper clips," Cale grinned like a kid and flipped another one at Kayura's face. He he could tell it took all of her discipline to maintain her composure, despite the growing pile of rubber bands tumbling into her lap. Sehkmet and Dais remained quiet and kept looking from Cale to Kayura, who bit her lip, silently fuming.

Suddenly Kayura reached for the Staff of Ancients, turned it sideways, and jabbed the gold sphere at Cale, striking him in the head like hitting an 8-ball with a pool cue. Cale cried out and fell back in his seat. Anubis guffawed in delight and slapped his thigh.

Anubis turned his attention back to the television. He thought nothing of it at first when he heard the sound of a balloon being inflated but furrowed his brow when he heard the tinny whine of air being released ever so slightly. He arched an eyebrow and glanced to the side where he saw Sehkmet with a single fully-inflated balloon in hand, but instead of tying it off immediately, he pinched the mouth tightly. The second Anubis turned his attention back to the TV he heard another shrill squeak and glared at Sehkmet sharply. Sehkmet blinked back innocently and Anubis growled softly in warning before looking away once more. After the third such occurrence, Anubis gave Sehkmet such a withering, warning glare Sehkmet promptly released his grip on the balloon, letting it zip about the room chaotically, making rude sounds as it expended itself. Cale yelped and ducked out of the way as it came dangerously close to his head. The balloon continued on its obnoxiously loud way until it finally came to a stop-on Kayura's face.

"Hey!!" the Staff-Bearer complained. Dais chuckled merrily from where he sat.

Sehkmet looked to the doorway when he heard the doorbell and held up a hand to halt Dais, who'd started to rise. "I'll get it. You deserve a break anyway," he offered. Dais nodded gratefully and settled back into his seat while Sehkmet jogged downstairs.

He'd barely opened the door when a young girl wearing a genie costume dashed past him towards the main dining room. She ran over to the end where a large pile of weapons lay on the dining table. She glanced over the pile nervously then gingerly nudged a few pieces aside and grabbed the two long scabbards that held the Swirlwind Swords and ran back out the door carrying them under her arm. Sehkmet watched her jump into a car and drive off, eyebrow raised.

Dais looked up when he heard Sehkmet return. "Who was it?"

"Some girl. Came and picked up Tanya's swords," Sehkmet explained and sat down.

"Really? Wonder what for," Anubis thought aloud then slung an arm over the back of the sofa lazily and munched on some popcorn.

*****

Kento cried out in protest when Scar picked him up, turned him upside down, and slammed him head-first into the pavement. He reached down to pick Kento up and give him another piledriver but heard Balthazar still gagging from that thing lodged in his throat. Scar swished his tail and whacked Balthazar in the back hard enough to cause him to cough it up. Balthazar gasped for breath a few moments and whirled around, trying to find that devious blue-haired girl. He settled for the nearest person, Cye, and bared his fangs, ready to spray acid at him.

Sage pounced on him from behind and hooked his sword into Balthazar's mouth and jerked up and to the side, forcing Balthazar to spit venom at Chaizar. Cye took the opportunity to jam his trident down and pin Balthazar's thrashing tail securely to the street. Balthazar tried to tug free, but Cye pushed the blades down further. Then Balthazar threw himself backward, taking Sage with him and causing Sage to crash into Cye, dislodging the trident and freeing his tail.

Scar gave a deep hiss and headed towards the recovering Sage and Cye, ready to join Balthazar. He grunted in surprise when something jumped on top of his head. "HAH! Crocodiles can't open their mouths as good as they can close them," Kento gloated and wrapped his arms tightly around Scar's muzzle. Scar reached up, grabbed him by the collar, and threw him forward.

"Crocodiles don't have opposable thumbs!" Scar hissed angrily and brought his tail down hard on Kento's back repeatedly.

Shannon shook her head. When someone as strong as Kento started to show signs of fatigue, it meant things had taken a turn for the worst. She pulled the Ronin Cross out from under her robes by its chain and ran for the door.

"They deliberately attacked us tonight! They know we can't go all-out here without hurting civilians and drawing attention to ourselves!" Ryo growled.

"Hate to burst your bubble, Ryo, but it's kinda late for that," Rowen commented and pointed first at the lawn where guests rooted for the combatants, then up at the sky at a news helicopter circling the scene.

"And some of them are placing money on the Mutant Warlords," Sage snarled in disgust. Ryo surveyed the area.

I know our Armors have the ability to focus and direct their attacks, but we can't risk it while it's so crowded. And Shannon's guests look like they're enjoying the fight too much to leave, Ryo glowered at the "audience". He went over his options again. His, Rowen, and Sage's attacks posed significant risk, being energy-based. Kento could turn the street into a canyon, even with focusing. Cye's Super Wave Smasher and Tanya's Typhoon Blast might work being relatively "low risk". Could water and wind beat the Mutant Warlords? Ryo squeezed his eyes shut. If Tanya had her swords, maybe…

Scar laughed deeply as he thwacked Kento in the back again and again. Every time Kento struggled to raise himself on hands and knees, another blow drove him face-first into the pavement. "Even with your Armor, you are no match for me!" Scar rumbled and swung again. Suddenly Kento's hand shot up and grabbed the tail. Scar cried out in surprise when Kento lifted him up and swung him by his tail, smacking him face first into the ground. Scar looked over his shoulder and saw Kento's armor glow briefly.

"I'm gonna make croc-skin boots outta you!" Kento snarled and grabbed Scar's tail with both hands.

Chaizar noticed Kento's sudden resurgence and looked at the other Ronin. All of their armors, with the exception of Typhoon, glowed. Then he looked towards the house and saw Shannon. "The Guardian! Kill her!" Chaizar ordered and abandoned his battle with Ryo and Rowen and bounded towards Shannon. Rowen shot a salvo of energy-charged arrows at the ground infront of Chaizar, sending sprays of dirt and asphalt into the lion-man's face and sending him stumbling backwards. Sage and Cye teleported infront of Balthazar and jabbed at him with their weapons, forcing him back to the street. Just when it seemed Scar went unopposed, a thick black cable looped around him and held him fast. Scar looked back at Kento and tried to lurch forward and yank Kento off-balance.

Tanya raised her arm and tried to fire her grapple line, only to be reminded of its absence. She swore under her breath then leapt over to Kento, surprisingly enough grabbing his cable and pulling back, adding her strength to his once more. Their efforts brought enough time for Shannon to slip back into the house.

One of the guests had to run out of the way of a car as it skidded onto the lawn, coming to a stop just short of the wall. Brianna stepped out with a Swirlwind Sword in either hand. "TANYA! CATCH!" she shrieked and tossed the scabbards high into the air. Tanya let go of Kento's cable and ran to catch them. Balthazar saw this and stretched out his tail to trip her, but Tanya sliced off a section of the scaly tail with her chakaram, sending the severed tip flopping onto the pavement. She leapt up and caught the scabbards, clicked them onto her back then drew out the swords with a dramatic flair.

"Now we're talking business!" she declared and turned to Balthazar. Balthazar looked surprised at first then narrowed his eyes. Tanya's eyes widened when she saw his tail regenerate suddenly. "Ew!" she whined and recoiled.

"Cye, Tanya! Listen up, I got a plan. You have to use your attacks together. Cye, create a water tunnel with your Wave. Tanya, have your Typhoon Blast go through it," Rowen began.

"But I can't focus my attack like you guys can. I'll blow the neighborhood off the map if I use my Typhoon Blast here!" Tanya protested.

"That's why Cye's gonna help you channel your attack. We need to get the warlords into the middle of the street and keep them there. Get everyone inside and out of the street!" Rowen shouted. Shannon stayed inside but Roxi and Brit herded the stubborn guests back indoors. Kento easily dragged Scar out onto the street, while Sage slashed at Balthazar, driving him away from the sidewalk. Rowen used charged arrow shots to stop Chaizar in his tracks and Ryo shot fire blasts to keep him from escaping again.

"This is it. You two ready?" Ryo asked.

"Ready and willing," Cye answered and raised his trident. Tanya began spinning her swords. Chaizar and the others looked for ways to escape, but the other Ronin had them securely corralled in the middle of the street. The ground started shuddering and fire hydrants along the street burst, sending geysers into the air simultaneously in a spectacular symphony. Tanya let the swords spin freely over her outstretched palm and dust and debris drew into the nascent vortex.

"SUPER WAVE SMASHER!"

"TYPHOON BLAST!" At the same moment the powerful winds surged forth, water wrapped around them and flowed forth. The Mutant Warlords tried to brace themselves as the tunnel wrapped around them. They cried out in shock when they saw the powerful winds coming, heralded by the grass and gravel picked up from outside. The tunnel plowed along the top of the street for several blocks before arcing up towards the sky. The water dispersed, hanging in the air briefly as the winds expelled the warlords into the distance, wailing in defeat and flailing helplessly.

"YEAH! WOO!" Kento cheered and patted Cye on the back. Ryo looked at Tanya and smiled in pride. Sage sheathed his sword and grinned.

"What'ya think'll hurt most: the landing, or the earful they'll get from Dygra for failing?" Rowen asked.

"Who cares! They're gone! Now we can get back to the party!" Tanya said cheerfully and went as far as to drape an arm around Cye's shoulders and hug him.

"While there's still a party to get back to," Ryo muttered. The guests had filtered back outside, despite Roxi and Brianna's efforts, and cheered wildly at the Ronin.

"Whoa! I know Shannon's dad is loaded, but I had no idea she sprang for professional cosplayers!" a bystander crowed.

"I think this calls for a discreet exit," Kento suggested. Sage nodded and drew his sword back out and raised it into the air. A bright green orb of light shot up into the sky then exploded in a brilliant, blinding display that forced the onlookers to hide their eyes. When the light faded, the six armored people had vanished.

The back door to the kitchen opened and six people entered. Five of them wore costumes: an ancient warrior, a dashing adventurer, a charming Arabian knight, Godzilla, and a lawyer. The sixth person wore jeans, a pink shirt and a gray windbreaker.

"Did we miss anything?" Cye asked and flashed his plastic fangs.

"Only the biggest fight ever!" Brit winked.

"You guys were terrific! And that was so clever of you thinking of that water tunnel attack," Roxi hugged Rowen. Ryo turned his gaze to Tanya.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

"The Ancient taught me to always be prepared. Nights like this are far and few between for you guys. You should enjoy them," Tanya simply shrugged and snatched up one of the few remaining cups of punch, leaving Ryo bewildered and impressed.

While Shannon talked smoothly to dispel any speculations and misunderstandings about the party's surprise "show", the party resumed, considerably quieter than before as guests spent more time discussing the "performance" than listening to music or watching movies. Tanya returned to her spot by the stairs while the guys chatted, trying to unwind from all the excitement.

"HAAAYYAAA!" Sage howled and swung down with the wooden stick, splitting the colorful donkey in half, sending chunks of the wood frame and newspaper flying all over the patio while candy spilled onto the planks.

"Easy there, Sage! It's a piñata, not a Dynasty Soldier," Roxi scolded.

"Oh, sorry…Hey! Kento, back off!" Sage turned his attention to Kento, who tried to snatch up lollipops and wrapped gumballs with the stubby fingers of his costume.

"You broke it open. They're fair game for anyone!" Kento protested.

*****

"You know…given everything that's happened, I'll admit this was pretty fun. And I used to think fun was beating Hardrock senseless, but I think this is way better," Dais commented and clasped his hands behind his head.

"Camaraderie has its advantages," Kayura stated. Sehkmet nodded in agreement and Anubis smirked. Cale seemed deep in thought then shifted in his seat.

"Let's go egging," he said suddenly. Anubis raised an eyebrow.

"Egging?"

"I saw it on TV once. Basically, you take lots of rolls of toilet paper and dozens of cartons of eggs and throw them at stuff. Trees, houses, cars, small animals…" Cale explained. Anubis folded his arms over his chest and raised a knuckle to his lips.

"Throwing eggs at cars…you know what, that does sound fun!" He stood up, followed by Sehkmet, Dais, and Cale.

"A house this big should be well-stocked with eggs. Mia needs them to feed that bottomless pit, Hardrock," Sehkmet said.

"If you're going to do that, count me out. I'm not doing anything so reprehensible," Kayura argued and remained in her seat.

"Fine, you can stay here with Whiteblaze," Dais hollered from the hallway as the four of them ran downstairs. Kayura glanced at Whiteblaze, who opened one eye a crack and glanced back, twitching his ears and tail.

"Wait for me! Don't leave me here with this frumpy feline!" Kayura whined and ran after them. Whiteblaze seemed to grin and reached up with his huge paw, swiping the remote off the sofa and onto the floor, where he extended a curved claw and pressed the channel-up button, switching the TV to a show on a wildlife channel.

*****

The five guys sat together, either on the arms, or the back of a sofa. The party went on around them.

"This goes down in history as the best night ever for us all," Ryo said suddenly.

"I concur," Sage nodded.

"I hear Shannon does this every year too," Rowen grinned mischievously.

"Then lets hope the Mutant Warlords steer clear next time," Cye said. Kento looked like he wanted to speak up but looked to the huge stereo system.

"Ooh! I love this song! I saw the video to it, it was pretty cool!"

"It has a pretty interesting dance sequence…I think I remember some of it," Sage muttered and moved out onto the dancing area. He flipped his cape over his shoulders and tucked the corners into his belt then shook his arms to relax and spaced his feet apart. The other guys watched interested as he began rolling his shoulders and stepping from side to side in tune with the music.

"Wow…I haven't seen Sage dance like that since….ever!" Kento commented.

"You know what…I think I'll join him," Rowen said and slipped off his seat.

"Yeah, I definitely feel like getting my groove on." Ryo surprised them by moving onto the dance floor with Rowen. Kento and Cye exchanged glances, grinned, and rose from their seats. The other guests made space and watched as the four guys followed Sage's lead, moving almost in synch. Shannon smiled at the sight and soon she and Roxi and Brit joined in. Not long after that, a few other guests joined the loosely choreographed dance.

Tanya's eyes went wide when she saw Ryo take to the dance floor, grinning like a kid and moving freely in tune with the song. When she saw the girls and half a dozen other guests join in, she broke down laughing, tears streaming out of her eyes. "OOH HEE HEE HEE-Oh! My ribs," Tanya half-moaned, half-giggled as she sank to the floor.

*****

Mia waved goodbye to co-workers and fished around in her jacket pocket for her keys. She walked down the lot towards where she'd parked and raised her car key but paused. Her eyes widened and she let her book bag slip out of her grasp when she saw sticky clear and yellow fluid dripping down the sides of her car windows and doors. Wet strips of paper draped over the rear-view mirrors. And in the shiny dripping slick, someone had scrawled "Warlords were here".

Further down the street, five people stopped by a street corner, each cradling a bundle of toilet paper and a carton of eggs.

"Hah hahaha! Those nerds won't know what hit them!" Sehkmet crowed. Cale laughed so much, tears ran down his cheeks.

"Yeah. I feel sorry for the person who owns that red jeep though. We pelted that car good," Dais snickered and wiped tears from his own eye.

"Hah hah….red jeep…heh" Anubis snickered a few moments before his eyes widened "….red jeep?...ohhhh noooooo," he moaned and his shoulders sagged.

*****

"Man, I'm gonna be feeling that in the mornin'," Rowen complained and rubbed his shoulder. Sage nodded in agreement and moved his legs up and down to stretch.

"Shame Tanya didn't join us when we were out there bustin' a move," Ryo said.

"Yeah, the only thing she busted was a gut. Did you see her laughing while we were dancing? I've never seen her laugh that hard before," Kento remarked and jerked a thumb to the side.

"I hope the party helped her open up a little," Cye commented.

"I'm sure it did," Ryo whispered and glanced at his sister, who still sat on the floor, recovering from her laughing fit. He looked up when he heard the beeping of a phone. Sage pulled his hat off his head and retrieved his phone. Ryo didn't think anymore of it and went back to munching some chips but looked up when he heard angry cries from the speaker. Sage flinched and held the phone out at arms length at Ryo.

"It's Mia," Sage whispered grimly. Ryo raised an eyebrow and took the phone.

"Hi Mia! How was-" Ryo held the phone away from his ear, blushing Wildfire-red. The guys could hear Mia's angry voice even from where they sat, and Ryo pinched the phone between his fingers and held as if it burned. He looked to either side then cautiously held the phone to his ear again. "Okay…okay-okay, I'll tell them…" Ryo held his hand over the receiver and sighed.

"Mia sounds kinda pissed…What happened?" Cye asked.

"It seems our warlord friends have reverted to their evil ways," Ryo said solemnly.

"What'd they do? Attack the city?" Rowen raised an eyebrow.

"Torment innocent civilians?" Sage asked in concern.

"Kidnap a bus full of nuns?" Kento frowned and sat up straight.

"They. Egged. Mia's. Car," Ryo said slowly. The guys blinked and exchanged glances, silent for several seconds. Then they burst out laughing and keeled over, guffawing loudly. Ryo joined in the humor and his hand slipped off of the phone. He stopped and flinched when he heard Mia yelling through the phone and waved a hand at the guys to quiet down and held the phone to his ear again. "NO! No, we weren't laughing at you! It's just someone else in the room told a….really funny joke…" Ryo clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle a snicker and let the phone slip out of his grasp and onto the sofa cushions. Mia continued yelling from her end while the guys laughed uncontrollably, drowning out any angry cries she made.

*****

Talons clacked against the sidewalk as Black Hawk landed gracefully. She folded her wings and gazed at the aging house. She saw lights through the curtains, and heard two people screaming at each other, one pointing accusingly at the other. The taller figure picked up something and threw it at the wall before storming out of the room, followed by the cries of the shorter person.

In the shadows cast on her face from her crown, Black Hawk's eyelids drooped. She bowed her head and placed a hand on her arm. The wind pressed against the mailbox marked with black letters: "Carole". Black Hawk squeezed her eyes shut and a single tear trickled out from under the lashes and down her cheek. She reached up suddenly and flicked it away then reached for her belt.

Her fingers closed around the handle of her whip and drew it out, lashing it to one side. Her face twisted in a sneer and she tensed her shoulder. "WHIP LASH THRASH!" Black Hawk cried and lashed the whip towards the house. The shattering of wood and cracking of the foundation completely masked any sounds from within, whether the crunching of bone or the gurgling screams of anguish. She waited until the debris started to settle before coiling her whip and setting it in its hook.

"Now…I am truly no longer Jennifer Carole!" Black Hawk gave a jubilant shout and rose into the air, laughing maniacally. She soared higher and higher into the air, leaving behind the shattered ruin. Avian screams echoed through the night.

When the last particle of dust settled onto the wreck, a shadowy form stepped out from behind a tree. Moonlight shone upon the spiky black crown and leathery cape and bright green hair. Red lips turned up at the corners in an approving smile.

*****

"It was a most unfortunate misjudgment and I am most terribly sorry. I beg your forgiveness and humbly ask that you accept my apologies and that of the others," Anubis said and clasped his hands together infront of him and bowed. When he didn't hear anything he dared to open an eye a crack and glance up at the person who stood before him.

Mia's left eye kept twitching and her fingers splayed and flexed, nails scraping her palm. Her jaw clenched and lips pulled taut over her teeth in a snarl. Ryo stood by the counter and watched from the sidelines, glancing from Anubis to the plainly enraged Mia. After years of being the epitome of cool under pressure, she looked ready to certifiably blow a gasket.

Anubis fidgeted nervously and took a step back, still bowing. "Uh…I guess I'll start cleaning the car," he chuckled weakly and scooted back out of the kitchen. Ryo waited a few moments then carefully lifted a hand and with the tip of his finger, nudged a stainless steel skillet towards Mia. Mia promptly snatched it up by the handle and went after Anubis, and shortly after Ryo heard Anubis' cries of protest. Rowen walked into the room and leaned against the pantry.

"He must not know you can't just wash egg off," Rowen commented. Ryo shook his head and chuckled.

"Hey, is Kento still upstairs in the bathroom? He's been up there for half an hour."

"Yah. I think all those apples are coming back to haunt him."

"Jeez, how many did he eat?" Ryo wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Uh…I think he cleaned out the entire basin." At that, Ryo broke out laughing and fell face first onto the counter.

*****

Betrayed…humans called us demons, abominations…I was but a mere whelp when humans murdered my sire and dam in the name of "justice"… They had no reason! They had no RIGHT!... I had all but lost faith in humanity, but I did not lose my will to live, or to fight…. This old man…this…."Ancient One" has promised me long life and redemption in exchange for service. He speaks of a powerful evil which threatens not only humanity but those few left of my kind. I was to remain in sleep for centuries….the time has passed, and the others have awakened. I have heard the battle's call…and I AM AWAKENED!

Next on Ronin Warriors: Aftermath

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