Author's Notes: Well, here it is. The final entry for the YST 20 Themefic Challenge in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of YST. It's been a long road, to say the least. I wasn't quite sure this would ever see the light of FFNet (considering I began this challenge some, I don't know, YEARS ago), but I persevered and completed the set. I can honestly say that what I've compiled here is easily the BEST of what I've ever written for YST...period. I have splatterings of other YST material, but I think they all pale in comparison to what's presented in these prompts, and I chalk that up to age, experience, and the help of several wonderfully talented writers and YST aficionados over at my personal LiveJournal account, who both edited and helped to correct any canonical inconsistencies along the way. My deepest thanks and appreciation to those folks for their knowledge, encouragement, and support. Again, they know who they are.

This is the final prompt in every sense of the word. It's number twenty yes, but also the very LAST piece I tackled for the challenge. I purposely put this off till the end, for reasons that should be obvious/reveal itself to you as you read. Though it probably didn't seem as such when I was composing these stories—seeing as I wrote them out of order and updated sporadically, at best—each of these promptings fall within the same "timeline" of events. Which is to say, they are all part of the same story universe, but posted out of order, due to the nature of the themefic listings. As such, Prompt 20 can be viewed as the "The End" for the entirety of my YST portfolio. (In the sense that any future fic I write for YST will never exceed the events of this one prompt.) In essence, Prompt 1 and Prompt 20 are "bookends" for the challenge, with the stories in-between a collection of all that it is that defines the series. I am rather proud of this collection.

I do hope you enjoy what I've written. I know those of us who grew up watching "Ronin Warriors"—and later, YST—remember the series fondly. It was a fun part of my younger years, and I imagine most still reading YST/RW fanfiction feel exactly the same. The series is now approaching its 30th Anniversary (OMG!), so it's both ironic and somewhat poetic that I post this completed challenge now. Please feel free to leave comments and questions in your review, should you have any. (I do check, read, and respond to all critiques.) And above all, thank you for sticking it out with me to the end. I can only pray I've done the series—and your memories—justice.

Love, respect, and MANY blessings.

Kimberly 3

Disclaimer: Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers is © to Sunrise, Nagoya TV, and Sony Music Entertainment.

YST 20 Prompt 20:
Wildcard

"Me next! Me next!"

"Can you believe it? This is so exciting!"

"Dude. This is so a photo-op moment."

"I don't think Nasuti's quite in the mood for 'smiling at the camera.'"

"Me neither." A pause. "She sure picked the coldest damn day of the year to do this."

"God you're an ass, Touma."

"Uh, guys? Let's keep it cool, okay?"

"Seriously. Seiji looked about five seconds from slugging everybody."

Just moments before, at Nasuti's insistence, Seiji had frazzledly excused himself from the room. It had been a rather...long night, and Seiji more than anyone looked to be needing a break. The circumstances were in fact rather ideal, all things considered. But after hours in a waiting room and months of bubbling anticipation, the bearer of Korin was more than a little "out of sorts."

On the opposite end of the stick was Nasuti who, despite the unflattering hospital garb and a mildly ragged appearance, looked no worse for wear. The birth was, well, not so much easy, but about as routine and "by the book" as you could get for a first-time mother. She'd been admitted to the hospital mid-afternoon the day before, and by the early morning hours of Saturday, December 17th, delivered a healthy, seven and one-half pounds baby girl.

The weeks leading up to the birth had been...busy. Seiji's family had been equal parts "excited" and "stressed," as the child marked the first-born of the newest generation of Dates—and a half-breed to boot. The five-month ultrasound had revealed the baby's sex, but both Seiji and Nasuti had requested the doctors keep the information to themselves. It made preparing the nursery tricky, but Seiji and Nasuti agreed that the mystery of it was half the fun. Nasuti had been indifferent to the gender of the baby; Seiji had rooted unwaveringly for a girl.

The family, of course, had their own ideas.

Seiji's grandfather and mother had had high hopes for a son...which came as no surprise to anyone. Traditional families favored sons, as it meant an heir to pass along inheritance and family names. Though she bore three children, Seiji had been his mother's only son. (The grandfather laid the blame of this entirely on the inadequacy of his son-in-law.) A boy would ensure a continuation of the heritage of the Dates, and an opportunity for the grandfather to influence yet another generation of "Bushido elite."

Seiji's sisters, interestingly enough, shared their mother and grandfather's enthusiasm for a boy. During the pregnancy, Yayoi had confided in Nasuti that she'd "preferred brothers," though assured the expectant mother that she "hadn't loved Satsuki any less." Satsuki, the least severe of her siblings, admitted to wanting a "new brother," as a replacement for Seiji who'd been "in and out of reality" since she was twelve (understandable, given he'd been chosen bearer of the Korin Yoroi). Feeling a bit "left behind" by her older and much more "accomplished" siblings, a new baby was an opportunity for the oddball and mildly ostracized Satsuki. "Yayoi had Seiji," she'd confessed. A baby boy meant she could "have somebody" too.

(Nasuti later relayed this to Seiji in private, who all but burst into tears at the sincerity of his normally high-spirited and unaffected baby sister. Seiji would seek to repair the rift between them almost immediately.)

As was always the case, the father's only concern was the happiness and well-being of the people around him. In particular Nasuti, who he had effortlessly accepted as his "third daughter" and was, in his opinion, a kindred spirit. "The health of the mother and child," he'd insisted, "was what mattered most." It was the sort of "socially acceptable" sentiment that might have seemed borderline ingenuine out of the mouth of anyone else. But Seiji's father spoke with such care and kindness, there could be found in him nothing false. He'd smiled then, assuring Nasuti that either way, things would work out the way they were intended.

And come December 17th, it had "worked out" that Nasuti gave birth to a daughter, pale and beautiful with a head full of wispy yellow hair. It gleamed with a reddish tint in the light, to which Yayoi suggested the child would most likely end up a strawberry-blonde. She was of average weight and size, at just a half over seven pounds, with ten fingers, ten toes, and a sharpness to her eyes, their icy coloring unusual for a newborn babe.

"My God. She's Seiji all over."

There really was no mistaking it was Seiji's child. Her face was all but a mirror of her father's, and even at a few hours old, there were already shades of Seiji's behaviors peeking through. Her demanding cries and indignance at being held by anyone other than her immediate family foreshadowed a very interesting stretch of growing years to come.

But to the Dates' credit, if there was any disappointment over the birth of a girl, they didn't show it. The baby looked to be healthy and strong, and for all intents and purposes, women had greater power and were of higher rank within the family anyway. This simply added one more to their numbers. Perhaps it was Seiji's relief at the safe delivery and later elation at the "perfect princess" he'd not-so-secretly hoped for all along. Maybe it was just the good feeling all around at the sight of new life being ushered into the world. Whatever the reason, the often steel-tempered outfit looked upon their snow-kissed new arrival with joy.

"I'd let you hold her," Nasuti smiled, apology in her voice, "but she's just now settling down." She laid ever-so-gently a manicured nail against the baby's nose. "Besides, the nurse is coming right back."

"She's exquisite," Ryo gushed, eyes fixed on the tiny bundle in Nasuti's arms. "Just wait till Byakuen sees her. He'll probably try to adopt her as his own cub."

"There will be no tiger-handling of my child, at any time, for any reason."

The Troopers turned their attention then to their light-wielding friend, Seiji, who loomed darkly in the doorway of the room. He approached his wife and child, placing a hand gingerly on Nasuti's gowned shoulder as she nestled the babe. He looked improved over his previously emotionally overwhelmed state, but not enough that any of the guys were willing to test his nerves.

"Overprotective already," Nasuti sighed.

Shuu placed a hand at either hip and grinned. "I love it. Just give it a couple years. This will make for one hell of a show."

Shin laughed, elbowing his muscled friend before turning to face the young parents. He bowed low in respect.

"Congratulations again. No two people are more deserving."

The entire room nodded in agreement.

"We should say as much to your family," Ryo added, finger against his chin. "Where did they go, anyway?"

Seiji crossed his arms, leaning softly against the guardrails of the bed. "Stepped out for a moment. Father took Yayoi and Satsuki for a bite to eat. Mother left to freshen up. And Grandfather is probably 'informing' the entirety of our extended family of the good news."

"He's a funny old coot," Touma said flatly.

The bearer of Korin stole a second to ponder whether he should rebuke the insult...but cast it aside as a not-entirely-offbase remark.

Shuu leaned forward, eyeballing the mother and babe. "What about a name?"

"We haven't decided."

"It's exciting though, isn't it?"

Shuu pried his eyes from mother and child to look questioningly upon their raven-haired "chief." "What is?"

"New life," Ryo said matter-of-factly. "New paths. New opportunities." He closed his eyes, holding his hands to his chest as if clutching something precious. "Who knows what the child will be? What the child will choose? Life holds so many possibilities. Life can go in so many different directions."

"And it's only the beginning," Touma chimed in, his voice carrying an undertone of uncharacteristic optimism.

"What a good life it will be," Nasuti beamed, voice full of smiles, "with such wonderful uncles to help steer her well." She craned her neck to stare lovingly at her husband. "And a father to chase away the dark."

Reciprocating her gaze, Seiji chanced a glance at their daughter, staring up at him with clear and unpredictable eyes.

"No worries, love. She will chase it away herself one day. With an armor and brightness all her own."

And for all the fighting and pain, for all the trials and testings they had endured, not one would have traded a single second of any of it. Their little group huddled together, five young men, a woman—a tiger and boy elsewhere yet no less present in heart—welcoming the fruits of their hard-earned battle into the world.

Nasuti cried a little, hormones dancing. The guys exchanged looks, misty-eyed all around.

A good life it was, indeed. And a good life it would continue to be.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. - John 1:5 (NIV)