Rise of Morning Star

By Akuma-chan

It was a quiet, lazy summer day--one of many the former Ronin Warriors had shared of late. They were in the city today, wandering aimlessly. The shared time was more important than the goals.

"Whew! It's hot!" Ryo wiped at his brow. He wore a white tee shirt with red sleeves and logo, along with jeans and red-and-white high-tops. "Hey, guys, anybody want to stop for ice cream or somethin'?"

"Yeah!" Kento cheered. He wore an over-sized tee shirt and cut-offs with laceless dirty high-tops, plus a pair of dark sunglasses.

"You should know any suggestion of food will get Kento's approval," Sai teased. He wore a blue Hawaiian-print shirt and white canvas shorts with sandals. Kento sneered at him.

"C'mon, you guys, don't start. It's too hot," Rowen admonished. He wore a plain dark blue tee shirt and jean shorts with tennis shoes. He absently blew his forelock out of his eyes.

"And so are they!" Sage said, jerking his chin. He wore jean shorts and a white mock-oxford shirt with sandals. His friends turned to look.

There were three of them, and they were beautiful. All three wore hip-hugger shorts--one had white, another pink, and the third black--and very tight, very low-cut sleeveless half-vests, all of them black. The girl with matching shorts had short, close-cropped black hair, deep burgundy lipstick, and ridiculous little circle-lensed sunglasses. Her friend with the pink shorts had bright golden-brown curls and chewed pink bubblegum. The third merited even closer attention than her friends.

She had a stunning figure, abundantly revealed. Her long, luxuriant hair was burnished chestnut, streaked with gold and copper. Her aqua eyes were gorgeous even from a distance, and she, unlike the others, smiled.

The black-haired girl noticed the guys watching and sneered at them. She turned to her friends and made some obviously scathing comment. The one in pink tossed her head and rolled her eyes. They started to walk away, dragging the other with them. She, however, smiled tolerantly over her shoulder at them. She tugged her wrists free and started walking.

Sage frowned. "Isn't that the new girl? The one who transferred into our school the very end of the year?"

"I think so," Ryo responded. "And those other two . . . " He suddenly snapped his fingers. "They're Morning Glories!"

"Morning Glories? You mean the girls who hang with the Black Demons?" Kento looked shocked. "They got to the new girl? That's rotten! She didn't look like the type."

"They probably played on her loneliness," Rowen pointed out. "It's tought moving to a new school."

"Poor thing," Sai said sympathetically.

"Ah, forget it. There's plenty of other girls," Sage commented callously. He grinned. "And since it's been so quiet, there's plenty of time to go after 'em, too!"

"Yeah, but remember what happened the last time we thought that," Rowen replied. "The Dynasty came back stronger than ever."

"Jeeze, Rowen, ruin the day, why don't you?" Ryo said, disgusted. The heat made his temper more uncertain than usual. Rowen spread his hands apologetically.

"All I'm saying is that we shouldn't get complacent."

"Yeah, but we shouldn't jump at shadows, either," Sai pointed out.

"Uh, guys, are we gonna get that ice cream, or not?" Kento asked, changing the subject smoothly. His friends laughed and agreed.

Rowen's warning proved apt. Not two days later, they were attacked. They repelled it easily, but they were not happy. They gathered in the living room to discuss the event that night.

"Aw, man, this sucks! Wasn't it bad enough to spend all winter and half the spring fighting? Do we have to spend summer break fighting, too?" Kento whined.

"Something's not right," Ryo mumbled, frowning.

"What, you mean because there were so few of them?" Sage asked. Ryo nodded.

"It's probably because there's a new ruler in the Dynasty--one who doesn't know just what we can do," Rowen pointed out reasonably.

"In other words, it's going to get worse," Sai said dryly.

"I'd say it just did!" Miya cried, pointing out the window. A huge demon, easily eight feet tall, prowled around the edge of the house, its black skin greasy-looking, its eyes glowing mindless red, its claws and fangs wickedly sharp. It sent chills through them all just to see it.

"We'd better go take care of that thing," Ryo said finally, squaring his shoulders. His friends agreed reluctantly. They went out to fight, armoring up as the went.

The demon was very powerful--more powerful than anything they'd ever encountered. The Warlords had been tough, but they were still human, with certain human weaknesses this creature obviously lacked. All their best techniques did nothing.

"That is it!" Ryo cried finally, his uncertain temper igniting. "Flare . . . up . . . N--" The demon caught him in the midriff, throwing him back through a couple of trees and knocking the wind out of him.

The demon roared hideously and slashed around with its great arms. It caught Sage's helmet, driving Halo to his knees. Cye tried to help him and was knocked unconscious by a flying Kento. Rowen, who had prudently remained out of reach, suddenly found himself facing the thing alone. {Oh, shit!}

A woman's laugh floated to him on the breeze. {What the . . . ?} Footsteps sounded, walking steadily closer. They stopped and did a little dance step before continuing. Rowen blinked, utterly bewildered. The laugh sounded again.

"Hi, there, Handsome." A woman appeared out of the shadows beneath the trees, walking towards the demon. Rowen gaped at her, stunned.

She was tall and lithe, with a perfectly stunning figure. Her hair was drawn up out of the way, though Rowen couldn't see how, and her serene face held an impish smile. The most incredible thing, however, was her armor.

She wasn't a Ronin, though. The armor was far too different for that. She wore a burnished silver cuirass that revealed more than it protected, plus a stiff white-and-silver kirtle short against her long, smooth legs. Around her shins and her wrists were slender silver guards, and a simple silver helm encircled her brow and protected the sides of her face. She wore with this a pair of slender white boots and a tiny white crystal on a silver chain.

"Who . . . you?" the demon growled horribly. Rowen shuddered at the effort the creature had obviously put into forming the words--even in what passed for its mind.

"I am Morning Star, Defender of the Mortal World, Champion of the Light, and Priestess of the Moon! Prepare yourself for oblivion, demon!" the girl proclaimed arrogantly, posing and gesturing dramatically. Rowen grimaced at such juvenile behavior.

{Well, it's obvious she has watched too much Sailor Moon,} he thought. The demon seemed to have a different opinion. It charged.

"It's about time," Morning Star murmured, smiling. She drew from nowhere a gleaming mace and a burnished shield. In a matter of seconds, the demon had been pounded into nothingness. The shield and mace vanished. "Well, that takes care of that," she said, dusting her dainty hands together.

"Uh, excuse me, but . . . what the hell is going on!?" Rowen demanded. Morning Star turned to him, surprised.

"Oh, you're still active? I'd thought all of you were out of it!" she exclaimed.

"Well, you were wrong." Rowen knew he was behaving childishly, but he couldn't seem to help it. His head was whirling, echoing question after question until he couldn't even think straight.

"Sorry," Morning Star said, shrugging. "Nobody's perfect. See you!"

"Hold on a sec--!" Morning Star vanished. Rowen sighed and let his hand drop helplessly. Then, Ryo groaned, and he hurried to see what he could do to help.

"Rowen, how'd you drive that thing off all by yourself? I don't understand," Ryo said, flinching away from Miya's ministrations. "Ow!"

"Hold still then!" Miya exclaimed, exasperated. Ryo sighed and obeyed reluctantly.

Rowen sipped his tea before speaking. "I didn't," he admitted, sighing.

"What!?" his friends chorused. Rowen continued to stare at his teacup, tracing the pattern absently. He quietly described what had happened after they'd all been knocked out. Including his thoughts about Morning Star and Sailor Moon.

"Morning Star, huh?" Ryo said, frowning. "Ow!"

"I told you to hold still!" Miya growled. Ryo was cowed into obedience just long enough for her to finish. Then she turned to Sage. Ryo smirked, and Sage shot him an evil glare.

"Is she a Ronin?" Sage asked, letting Miya turn his head whichever way she wanted. He rolled his eyes as he was inspected like a prize cow.

"I don't think so," Rowen denied. "Her armor was too . . . too different. It--well, if you'd seen it, you'd understand. It's really kinda more the feel of it than anything else."

"And then she pounded this thing into the ground? Rowen, I think you're making this up," Kento accused.

"Either that, or she's setting up a trap," Sai agreed.

"I am not making it up!" Rowen cried, offended.

"There is an old myth about someone very much like that," Miya offered.

"What, is everything in your grandfather's data?" Ryo asked, half-disgusted. Miya shook her head, rising to clean up her medical kit.

"This isn't from my grandfather's data. In fact, he always ridiculed that particular legend, saying it was no more than a fairy tale created from thin air." She snapped the case shut and left the room. A few minutes later, she returned with a large and obviously ancient book. She opened it to a certain page. "Here it is. The legend of Shining Star, Priestess of the Moon."

"She said that!" Rowen exclaimed. "When she was posing and showing off. She had this whole list of tittles, and that was one of them."

"It says," Miya said, reading the book. "'Shining Star was Priestess of the Moon and was given great power to destroy demons and keep the mortal world safe from Evil. In times of dire emergency, she was given the power to summon forth the Star Armor and its shield and mace, or sometimes a morning star.' That's just the synopsis, of course."

"Well, this Morning Star makes it pretty sure that it's not a myth made up from thin air," Sage said dryly.

"She definitely fits that description," Rowen said. He folded his arms and frowned. "She's probably a descendent or something. But why did she show up just at the last second? What would draw her here?"

"Good question, Rowen," Ryo said, frowning as well.

"Ryo!" Miya's scream shattered the early-morning calm. Ryo groaned and pressed his face into his pillow.

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it," he groaned.

"Ryo! Help!" The panic finally registered, and Ryo bolted out the door, barely stopping for his armor crystal. He was in his lower armor before he'd taken three steps. The others were right behind him.

"Hey, Ugly! Get your hands off the lady!" Kento shouted, pushing past Ryo to attack. The demon dropped Miya and grappled with Kento. Kento managed to drive it onto the balcony before he was slammed into the wall.

"It's a different kind from last night," Sage noticed. This demon had brilliant blue skin, was somewhat smaller, and there was far more intelligence in its glowing red eyes.

"Fight!" the demon demanded.

"You got it!" Ryo snarled back, calling up the Armor of Wildfire. The others followed suit.

"Why don't you let me handle this, Wildfire?" a woman's rich voice said. They all looked around, including the demon. Morning Star appeared from nowhere. She tossed her head and smiled. "It is what I'm paid to do, after all."

"Ladies first," Ryo said, stepping back.

"You? Morning Star?" the demon growled.

"You aren't sure of that by now? I'm hurt!" Morning Star said, raising a hand to her breast and fluttering her lashes. The demon snarled wordlessly. "Honestly, if it weren't for the contract, I'd leave! This is so insulting!" The demon attacked. There was a repetition of the previous night.

"Told you I wasn't making it up," Rowen muttered. No one paid any attention to him. They just stared, mesmerized. Morning Star laughed and banished her weaponry. She walked gracefully inside and knelt by Miya's still form.

"Is Miya . . . going to be okay?" Ryo asked, suddenly worried. Morning Star put her fingers on Miya's temples and closed her eyes. There was a brief glow about them, and Miya moaned and blinked her eyes open.

"Wha . . . ?"

"Take it easy for a few days, and you'll be fine. Now, I really must be off. See you, guys!" Morning Star smiled pertly and vanished like a mirage in the desert.

"Ryo?" Miya said weakly. Ryo immediately fell to one knee beside her.

"It's okay, Miya," he said soothingly. "Just rest." He picked her up and headed for the door. Only Sage noticed the slight smile on her lips as she rested her head on Ryo's shoulder.

Rowen browsed the "New Books" shelf, looking for one in particular. He scanned the tittles quickly. He made a small, pleased noise upon finding the tittle.

A hand drew the book from the shelf--and there was only one copy. Rowen frowned and turned to see who had taken his book. He noticed the tattoo of blooming morning glories circling her wrist first. Then he saw the long, wavy chestnut hair and the luscious figure. He blinked.

"Yes?" the girl said, her face indignant. "You have a problem?"

"Uh, no . . . just surprised, that's all," Rowen said hastily. He recognized her, of course, but he couldn't for the life of him remember her name. She narrowed her aqua eyes at him.

"You think I don't read?" she spat. "You think I'm stupid!?" Her voice rose, attracting attention from others. She spun and stalked up to the counter. Rowen followed.

"Uh, look, I'm sorry. I just--"

"Why don't you just shut up, kisama!" she yelled. She slammed the book down on the counter, slapped her money on top, and glared at the clerk. The clerk hastily rung up the sale and gave her the change. She jerked the book away from him and shot a furious glare at Rowen before storming out of the store.

Rowen and the clerk exchanged bewildered looks. Rowen shook his head and changed the subject. "Uh, you wouldn't happen to have another copy of 'Black Holes, Dwarf Stars, and the Missing Mass,' would you?"

"Sorry, Mr. Hashiba," the clerk said, grimacing and shaking his head. He spread his hands helplessly. "That was the last copy. I can order one for you, though."

"Thanks," Rowen said.

"What's this!? What's this!?" Kento cried gleefully as Rowen entered the house. "Rowen coming back from the book store without any books!?"

"Ah, knock it off, Kento," Rowen said tiredly. "Somebody got the book I wanted, that's all."

"Some geek with glasses and buck teeth, I bet," Kento teased as the others appeared on the balcony.

"Nah. Actually, it was a Morning Glory."

"What!?" Rowen hid a grin at his friends' disbelieving reactions. He shrugged one shoulder.

"That new girl. What is her name?" he muttered to himself. Then, he shook his head. "She had a real attitude problem, too."

"Oh? Why am I not surprised, Rowen?" Sage said facetiously. "She's a Morning Glory. They all have attitude problems."

"Yeah, but I've never had a total stranger call me 'kisama' before," Rowen said.

"She what!?" Sai burst out.

"What'd you do, Rowen, knock her over with a huge stack of books? Drop an entire encyclopedia on her foot?" Ryo asked. Rowen shot him an annoyed look.

"No!" he protested. "All I did was say she caught me by surprise, and she went off at me. I dunno what I did, but when I tried to apologize, she screamed at me and called me a kisama."

"Who's this?" Miya asked, appearing from her den. "Rowen, I didn't expect you back for another couple of hours. Did you pick up the groceries I asked you to?"

"Uh . . . " Rowen looked guilty. "I'll be back," he said hurriedly.

"What's the matter with him?" Sage asked. "He never acts like this. Forgetting the groceries? Obsessing over some . . . girl's . . . " Sage stopped suddenly and looked thoughtful.

"What is it, Sage?" Ryo asked, frowning.

"Nah. Couldn't be . . . could it?"

"What?"

"Rowen's actually interested in this girl?"

"Rowen?" Sai, Kento, and Ryo chorused in disbelief.

"Yeah, you're right," Sage said. "But then . . . what's wrong?" They had no answer for him.

Rowen wondered the same thing. {Jeeze, what's wrong with me? How could I forget the groceries? I never forget to pick stuff up for Miya!} He shook his head, as if to clear it. {Man, my concentration is shot today. Ever since I ran into . . . wassername.} Rowen groaned, still unable to remember the girl's name.

He parked the jeep and headed for the grocery store, his hands buried in his pockets, head down. It took a moment for the screaming and panicked running to register in his mind. he brought his head up sharply and started to run.

A demon like the first one they'd fought--eight foot tall, greasy black skin, glowing red eyes--stood in the middle of the street, roaring and destroying things. It picked up a car and threw it at someone.

Rowen blinked to realize it was Morning Star. The girl leapt clear barely in the nick of time. :Guys! Get here fast!: he screamed through the mind-link. He rushed forward, flashing into his lower armor.

"Can these things . . . get any uglier?" Morning Star gasped to him, dodging yet another blow. Rowen glanced at her as he picked up a convenient length of street lamp pole and moved to attack.

"Rowen!" his friends shouted, appearing just in time to see him bounce across the street several times and slam into a building.

"Strata, if I can't get close to him, nobody can!" Morning Star yelled. She raised her shield just in time to block the demon's claws.

"Maybe one person can't . . . " Ryo said.

" . . . so let's try all of us!" Sage finished. They tried distracting it so whoever could get to it would be able to take the thing out.

"It's too fast!" Morning Star told them. She was right.

"Ow." Ryo whimpered, rubbing the back of his head. He pushed himself to his feet and summoned up his full armor. He saw his friends doing the same.

"Super . . . Wave . . . Smasher!"

"Iron . . . Rock . . . Crusher!" The combined attack ripped up most of the surrounding block. The demon remained unfazed. It glared malevolently at them. Kento and Sai shrank back, wide- eyed.

"Arrow . . . Shock . . . Wave!" Rowen maxed his powers. The demon screamed as a wound opened in its shoulder, leaking a sickening blue-black ooze.

"You wounded it!" Morning Star cried. "Shit!"

"Shit!?" Sage cried, disbelieving. Then he realized why. The sight of its own blood--if that was what it was--sent the demon into a frenzy. It attacked anything that moved, including tree branches and flags.

They barely managed to keep out of its way. Then there was a scream, but they didn't have time to spare to see who it was. "Guys! The Inferno!" Rowen called, sending his power to Ryo.

"But--!"

"Shut up, Ryo!" Sage, Sai, and Kento chorused, also sending their power to Ryo. The Armor of Inferno formed around him. Black Blaze appeared with the Soul Swords.

"Rage . . . of . . . Inferno!" Ryo cried, slicing out. The demon, confused by the light the armor gave off as it formed, didn't manage to duck in time. It was demolished.

"Way to go, Ryo!" Kento cheered.

"Morning Star?" Sai questioned, glancing around. He saw the girl lying on her back in the middle of the street, her knee oozing blood. He went to her side. The others followed. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"No," Morning Star gasped. "The demon got in a lucky hit. I don't think I can walk."

"I got you," Rowen said quickly, kneeling. He swept her up and started back towards the jeep.

Miya blinked. Then she blinked again. She didn't seem to know what to say. "Did . . . did you get the groceries?" she finally asked, saying the first thing that popped into her head.

"Aw, man!" Kento whined. "Stupid demon!"

"I am not going back a third time," Rowen said flatly. He set Morning Star gently on the couch. "You gonna be all right?" he asked.

"I don't know. The blood loss might be too much," Morning Star said sarcastically. Rowen looked startled, and she sighed. "Sorry. It's just . . . it hurts!"

"Let me see," Miya commanded. She inspected the cut closely. "Sai, get me some water, please, and my medical kit."

"Right, Miya," Sai agreed, hurrying to obey. He brought back the required items a few moments later. Miya started to clean the wound as gently as she could.

Morning Star bit her lip, and tears sprung into her eyes. She tried her best not to move her leg, but it was obviously very difficult. Rowen patted her hand gently, and she grabbed his and clung to it. Rowen winced.

Miya peered closely at the cut and frowned, concerned. "How long ago did this happen?" she asked. "It's infected already!"

"It's the venom on a demon's claws," Morning Star explained. She whimpered as Miya returned to her cleaning. "It . . . it's loaded with germs and stuff. Infection can take a person's life in hours if it's not cleaned up."

"This is the strongest antibiotic cream I have," Miya said. "It will just have to do." She smeared on a thick white cream liberally, then wrapped Morning Star's leg in a bandage. Morning Star closed her eyes and sighed.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Morning Star, do you mind if we ask you a few questions?" Ryo asked.

"Ask away," Morning Star said, waving her hand airily. "I can't guarantee answers, though."

"Uh . . . " Ryo decided to let that pass. "Who are you, exactly? Where do you come from, that sort of thing?"

"Good question. I'm glad I didn't guarantee delivery," Morning Star said, smirking. "I honestly have no idea. I find myself wherever there's a demon, I destroy it, and then I leave. Then, it starts over again."

"How do you know who we are?" Sage asked, frowning.

"Oh, I remember watching you guys when the Dynasty of Evil was in this world. Something held me back from helping you, though." Morning Star frowned, as if irritated by that. Then, she shrugged. "Amazing what you can pick up by eavesdropping."

"You know about the Dynasty!?" Kento demanded, surprised.

"Demon soldiers, giant floating head, really stupid guys working for the giant floating head . . . " Morning Star said, summing it up quite nicely. Sai snickered at her description of the ex-Warlords.

"Morning Star, in that first battle out back," Rowen said. "You were posing and showing off like . . . like some fourteen-year-old blonde--"

"You watch Sailor Moon, hmm?" Morning Star said slyly. Rowen jerked in surprise. He eyed her dubiously, but let it pass.

"Why?" he asked simply.

"Black demons are monumentally stupid, but being made fun of pisses them off big time," Morning Star explained. "And an enraged demon is easier to destroy."

"We'll have to remember that," Ryo said.

"Blue demons, on the other hand, are smart enough to shrug it off. It takes more to set them off. Insults work if you use enough. Especially if you imply they're anything like a black demon." Morning Star moved her leg off the footrest and stood. "Well, I have to be going. Bye!" She limped off, vanishing by the time she reached the door.

"Strange girl," Sage murmured.

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