Tutock stood there, a cold expression on his face. He was watching his Guardians train for the upcoming war with the Warriors. They were training hard, sweat pouring off their brows. They were strong fighters, that he knew, but they had not been strong enough to defeat the Warriors.

Tutock clenched a fist at his side. Those blasted Warriors! Every time he came up with a great plan to rule the world, there they were, standing in his way. And no matter how many times he had dealt them a powerful blow they always came back. All because of…..

"Firestarter!" he growled softly to himself. He lifted his eyes as they burned with fire and stared a picture of Flash hanging on the far back wall. He picked up a dagger, and with great force, hurled the dagger. It struck between the eyes.

Ryo let out a sigh as he stuffed his duffle bag into the compartment above his seat. He then turned and put Flash’s up. As luck would have it, their seats side by side. Ryo couldn’t be happier.

"How long do you think it’ll take us to get to your home?" Ryo asked as he sat down and buckled up. Rowen and Kento were across the aisle from them, and Sage and Cye were behind them. Both Blaze and White Blaze were down below.

"Thirty hours at the most," she replied, tapping her fingernails against the arm of her seat.

"Thirty hours?" Kento said. "Sheesh! That seems like a long time!"

"Thirty hours ain’t that long, Kento," Rowen said as he opened up a book.

Kento muttered something and leaned back.

The announcement came on not long after as the captain told everyone to be buckled up, where they were at right now, where their destination was, and how long it would take for them to get there. And then he went through the safety instructions. Finally the plane started up and taxied down the runway.

Sage was pale as a ghost, and he was leaning forward in his seat.

"Sage, are you OK?" Cye asked worriedly.

"I’m gonna be `ulp!` sick!"

The others looked over at him. Flash stared for a moment with worry. "Is he OK?" she asked.

"He’s afraid of flying," Rowen explained as Cye handed Sage a paper brown bag he found.

"Breath in and out of this, Sage. It’ll calm you down."

Sage complied, but he wasn’t feeling any better. He was starting to tremble really bad. Flash was frowning, and then she narrowed her eyes.

"Sage, could you move your head? I can’t see out the window, and there’s an eagle out there!"

Sage was a little shocked to say none the lease. He glanced up. "How can I move my head, when I’m freaking sick?!" he snapped back.

"It ain’t my fault you got on this plane, now is it?" Flash retorted. "You should have told us you got airsick, then we would have taken the train!"

"That would have taken too long, and you know it!" Sage hollered back. What was she doing? Was this the same Flash they knew a few minutes before? The others were just staring back and forth at the two. Rowen afterwards chose to stay out it and went back to reading, drawing out their argument. Cye sank down in his seat. He hated it when people argued. Ryo and Kento were watching the whole thing, wondering which of them would win, while some other passengers glanced up at the commotion. One man cleared his throat and went back to reading his newspaper.

"It’s not my fault I get airsick!" Sage hollered angrily. "I only came on this flight, because I care about you and the world!"

"Sage," Flash said calmly.

"What?!"

"Look." She pointed at the window beside him.

Sage did and did a double take. He could see a sheet of clouds. The beauty enraptured him. It was like a field of cotton had been laid out before it, only the cotton was not still on the plant. It was beautiful up here. No wonder why Rowen always watched the sky.

And then realization hit him. He turned to Flash and glared at her. "You did that on purpose!" he accused.

Flash grinned as she leaned back. "Yep!" she said proudly, pure straight white teeth showing. Sage suddenly smiled, his eye twinkling.

"Thank you," he said as he turned to gaze out the window again.

"Anytime!" Flash said with a smile.

Ryo smiled a little, then leaned toward her. "How did you do that?" he asked her quietly.

"I distracted him. I figured nothing else would work, so I had to get him to fight with me. And it worked."

"Smart," Ryo commented as he straightened up in his seat.

Flash beamed again, then took out her walkman, stuck in her favorite tape, and put the headphones over her ears. She was going to try to relax before battling her mortal enemy once again.

T-boz stood silently in the school yard, deep in thought. She was alone, waiting for the others to come out. Today had been a hectic day. The students and teachers could hardly concentrate on their work. All day everyone had been glancing nervously out the windows, at the deep red sky. The teachers had asked the students what they thought it might be. Some students had said it was probably red because there was a meteor storm directly above the planet itself. Others thought it was simply Mars shifting around on its axis, its color hitting off the sun’s rays and hitting Earth’s ozone layer. And some believed it was the end of the world. How true that statement seemed, she thought as she adjusted her white headband around her forehead, her dark brown eyes taking in full view of the red covered sky.

"Just what are you plans, Tutock?" she murmured.

"T-boz!" came a voice. She turned and smiled as Chilie ran toward her, her long red hair flying behind her.

"Where’re the others?" T-boz asked.

"They’re coming," Chilie said. She didn’t look at the sky. She already knew that she going to partake in the battle of her life, but that did not mean she wasn’t going to enjoy life right now. She had every intention of enjoying life before and after the war.

"Here come the others," T-boz said. Sure enough, Thunder, Shades, the twins, and Scorpio were all making their way over to them. The teenagers quickly began making their way home.

"There they are, Master Tutock!" a Guardian with red and green spiked hair said as he gazed through the Mystical Mirror. "Let us attack them!"

Tutock laughed, the sound deep and echoing. "You are so impatient, Savage! Look at them! They are agitated and nervous. They know we might attack them at any time. They are on guard. Do you realize what would happen if we were to attack them now together?"

That had them all thinking. The last time they had attacked the Warriors, they had nearly beaten them, until the Warriors had learned of their hidden powers, and until Flash had defeated them all. That brought painful memories, especially for Karma, Guardian of Deception.

Malice, the Guardian of Suffering, cracked an evil smile. "Master, you said ‘together’. Does this mean, what I am thinking you mean?"

Tutock grinned back and nodded his head. "Why, yes, Malice it does. I want the Warriors captured, one by one."

"So how was school today?" Chinook asked as the Warriors settled in to do homework.

"Boring," Ice said as he opened his English book up.

"It was okay," Scorpio said as he took out a Geography book.

"Fine," T-boz said.

"It was interesting actually," Snow said as he began his Advanced Chemistry homework.

"I thought it was kind of fun myself," Chilie said as she opened up her History book.

"It was great!" Shades exclaimed as she got started on her Math homework. The others kept a silent groan to themselves. Only she would like school that much. But Thunder was awfully quiet, his light blue eye (oops! sorry!) eye, was staring down at the table, there was a frown on his handsome face.

Chinook stared at him for a moment. "Thunder?" he called gently, getting the teen’s attention. "Are you all right, Thunder?"

Thunder hesitated, then slowly shook his head. "I feel that there is something wrong,

Sensei, but I can’t place it because of the headache I have."

Chinook and the other Warriors frowned. Thunder was always getting headaches when

he had a vision. So what did he see? It could not be anything good that was for sure.

Thunder was frowning. The urge to go for a walk increased. He looked up. "Master

Chinook, would I be able to go for a walk? Please?"

The elderly man regarded the young boy carefully. He could see how much he needed

get out. Finally he nodded. "Go, my child, and be careful!"

Thunder climbed out of his seat and politely bowed. "I will, sensei." He left the house

quickly, determined to sort this all out, what was plaguing his mind.

Chinook watched him go as the other Warriors got started on their homework. He

frowned. He hoped Thunder was going to be okay.

Thunder walked slowly down Morrison Street, deep in thought. He passed people

walking on all sides of him. He paid them no mind, but he moved around them gracefully as if he could see them without looking directly at him. A couple of teenager girls giggled in his direction. He paid them no mind. For some reason he’d always been rather shy around girls, except for Flash, Chilie, T-boz, and Shades. He had no choice but to get to know them. Any other time a girl walked up to him, he wanted nothing more than turn and flee the other way. Perhaps the reason was because he had been locked up in a military school after his parents had sent him to one because he had grown too big for the small ship they had been living on.

He sighed as he paused by a pet shop store and glanced through the windows at some

puppies. It all seemed like yesterday. He remembered being on the small ship with them in Germany when he was about eight years old. And then his parents told him he had to go away because they could no longer afford to take care of him. He had been sent to an all boy’s military school, where he was trained to be an officer. When he hit thirteen, he had learned that his parents had been lost at the sea due to a vicious storm. When he had turned fourteen, he had a dream about eight teenaged Warriors battling a great evil. It took him several days to convince the officers to allow him to come to America. It was a good thing he had grandparents living here!

Thunder smiled softly as one pup came up to the glass and began licking it. Of course

he hadn’t seen his grandparents for a month now. He would have to take the time and go and visit them as soon as possible. He looked toward the sky. Perhaps when this was all over.

He moved along, coming toward St. Adams Park and Playground. The wind picked up

and he quickly glanced around. He remained still. If there was a enemy nearby, he couldn’t let them know he could see them or know the fact he knew they were there. He would get the drop on them, before they got the drop on him.

And then suddenly something from above slammed down onto his head, and he fell to

the ground like a stone dropping from the sky, completely unconscious.

A figured dropped down from out of the tree, wearing a blue and yellow striped armor.

"That was easy!" he grinned triumphantly.

Another one appeared, dressed in black and purple armor. "Very good, Cain! You

managed to defeat him without even lifting your finger!"

Cain sneered at the other as he bound up the boy’s arms and legs. "Well, I didn’t see

you doing anything to help me, Malice!"

Malice glared at him. "I was keeping him distracted for you information!"

Cain waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get him back to Master Tutock!" He lifted the unconscious boy up and over his shoulder as he cast another glare at his

comrade. A swirling black vortex appeared, and the two Guardians disappeared through it, taking Thunder with them.

The plane continued a steady course onto America. The passengers were just finally starting to relax and enjoy the long flight. The stewardesses went through the plane, offering beverages and food to them, which made Kento more than happy. As long as there was food he didn’t care how long the flight lasted.

Flash was agitated though. For the past half hour she kept having a bad feeling, and she couldn’t place it. All she knew was that something had happened. If only the pilot would fly faster! she thought. Usually she was patient, but now patience didn’t matter.

Ryo glanced at her worriedly. He could sense she was upset about something but what? He watched her warily as she tried in vain to open a bag of salted roasted beans, something she should have been able to do with ease.

"Here, let me," he offered. She handed it over to him, and he opened the bag and gave it back.

"Thanks," she said, without bothering to eat one.

"Is there anything wrong, Flash?"

Flash let out a silent sigh. "Actually there is, but I can’t place it. I feel like one of my friends is in trouble. No doubt the others do themselves."

"What do you think it is?" Ryo asked.

Flash’s eyes narrowed angrily. By now the other Ronins, were staring at her. "Tutock," she whispered. Just the way she said it was enough to send a chill straight through the backbone.

Thunder’s eyes fluttered a few times, and he let out a soft moan. The sound echoed off the walls, which caused him to open his eyes. He found himself staring at the floor that was at least thirty feet below him. He recoiled back in shock, and received pain in his wrists. He bit his lip to keep from crying out, and discovered that he was chained by his wrists in the mouth of a large dragon whose sharp teeth were slightly brushing against his hair.

He let out a sigh. He did not need anyone to tell him where he was. He already knew. And so far this day was the worst he had woken up to.

"So you’re awake are you?"

Thunder’s head snapped up a bit to find his number 1 enemy there in the cell with him. His eyes narrowed angrily. "Tutock!" he hissed with a growl.

Tutock’s mouth cracked into a wicked smile. He stared at the chained Warrior with hatred. "Good to see you again, Storm," he said, staring the boy right into his eye. "I trust you’re not too comfortable."

Thunder’s reply was a cold glare. It didn’t affect the emperor one bit. Instead his mouth twisted into a cruel sneer. "Oh and yes, I do know that Firestarter is on her way back to this country. Well, I’ll take care of that little problem right away."

"You leave her alone!" Thunder hollered angrily.

"How about, no?" Tutock smiled evilly. "She will be captured, and her power will be mine. And you and the other Warriors shall live to see her suffer! Just as you will suffer now. Hahahahahahaha!"

He raised one hand, centering it on the jewel within the dragon’s forehead. The jewel lit up, and several electrical currents shot down, and right through the chains holding the Warrior. And Thunder screamed in pain.

The Warriors were all uneasy. Thunder had been gone for awhile now, and even Chinook was worried. And now all of them had headaches. Something was wrong, very wrong. They had to look for him, knowing of the possible danger they would face. And yet they were reluctant to leave Chinook. What were they going to do? Finally it was decided that Scorpio, Chilie, and Snow would go and search while Ice, T-boz, and Shades stayed behind to guard their sensei.

As the three Warriors ran down the street, Snow glanced up at the sky. Hurry, Flash!

Sage’s eyes widened as he felt the plane bounce. Cye looked over at him. "It’s okay, Sage. We’re just hitting some turbulence, that’s all." Sage nodded, but he still felt uneasy. He heard another plane in the distant, and looked out the window. It was a charter plane, black in color, and it looked almost evil. He closed his eyes, then reopened them. The plane was gone. He shook his head. I have to get more sleep, he told himself.

That was when everyone felt something hit the roof of the plane.

"What was that?" Kento wondered as he looked up toward the ceiling.

"I don’t know," Rowen said, trying to formulate an explanation. The passengers were whispering excitedly, wondering what could be on top of the big jet plane they were flying in.

And then they heard voices, gruff voices coming from the front of the plane. Ryo glanced up, then slid out of his seat and tiptoed to the front of their cabin. He peeked through the curtain, and his eyes widened. Quickly, he returned to the others.

"We’ve got trouble."

"Ryo, what is it?" Cye asked.

"There’s soldiers out front," he explained quietly. He looked at Flash. "They have to be soldiers you know. I have never seen soldiers this size before."

"Were they huge wearing silver color armored with very large spikes?" she asked. Ryo nodded, and she clenched her fists angrily. "Soldierknights!" She leapt out of her seat. The other Ronins followed suit. The passengers were glancing up at them curiously, and then curiosity turned to complete shock when the five boys changed into their subarmor.

And not a moment too soon. Six soldierknights suddenly rushed into the cabin with very large weapons. Some screamed. Rowen’s fist suddenly went into one soldierknight’s mouth, causing it to stagger back. He finished it with a flying kick. Ryo grabbed one soldierknight and flung it over his shoulder. It landed on the floor with a loud crack, and Sage’s foot finished it off.

Flash was between two soldierknights, eyeing them warily. They held their weapons above their heads and charged. Flash suddenly went down into a headstand, and her legs struck out either way, kicking both into opposite sides of the plane. She somersaulted over and watched as Cye sent a soldierknight crashing into another that had been thrown by Kento. The impact destroyed both soldierknights. The plane suddenly bounced, then began to descend. The people screamed.

Rowen looked out the window and gasped. "We’re losing altitude!"

"What?" Kento asked.

"He means we’re going to crash!" Ryo cried. Sage’s eyes grew wide with fear. No, this could not be happening!

"What are we going to do?" Cye asked worriedly. "There are other people on this plane. We can’t desert them!"

Flash immediately took action. "Talk to the passengers and keep them calm! I’m going to handle this problem!" She took off toward the cockpit, with Ryo right behind her. He wondered what she was up to.

It was there, that they discovered that the pilot and his co pilot were both dead, their life sucked out of them like juice sucked out of an orange.

Ryo’s eyes widened with surprise. Flash did not wait around. She grabbed the pilot and let his lifeless body lay on the floor as she hopped into the seat.

"What are you doing?" Ryo asked as he noticed that they were closer to the ground. They were probably up about 5000 feet. Not good.

"Send out a mayday to the Tower," she replied. "I’m gonna land this thing."