A/N If you're here to read the non-porny version of this story, you've come to the right place! If you've already read the other version and would just like to skip to the different bit please go to the first scene change marker "o0o0o".)

Feeling his way up the stairs in the dark Shuu cursed quietly as he stubbed his toe on the top step. He leaned on the wall to hold his aching foot and grumble for a moment. This was what he got for staying up to watch a movie marathon in the middle of the night. As his eyes adjusted to the dark he noticed that the door to Seiji's room was open. 'That's odd,' he thought and stuck his head through.

The first thing he noticed was the bright moonlight shining through the window and illuminating the room in shades of gray. On the floor by the bed was a heaping pile of covers and pillows that had obviously been thrown off at some point. Sprawled on the bed was Seiji and—he had four feet? Shuu counted limbs again and moved closer. Aha! There was the rest of Shin, hidden in Seiji's shadow.

Instinctually Shuu stuck his hand in his pocket and grasped his armor orb. Something was not right. A single glance took in the uncomfortable positions, the fingers clutching the bed sheet, the beads of sweat on the other Trooper's foreheads, and eyes squeezed tight. 'Nightmare,' he thought. 'Shin, you idiot.'

Shuu grabbed a pillow and lay down on the discarded covers. Holding fiercely onto his armor orb he closed his eyes. He concentrated on the part of his mind where Kongo resided: a dark place, a deep place, a place of great stillness and purpose. He sent his consciousness deeper into Kongo and together they dove through the earth: through the depth of the mountains and deserts of the continents, and deeper still through the bottom of the oceans, down, down to where the rock was hot with energy and nearly liquid with it. The pressure of all the rocks of earth bore down on them until he could bear it no longer.

Shuu laughed wildly as he rocketed through back the earth. He was pumped full of energy, nearly bursting at the seams with it. He was the stress of the earthquake and the pressure of the mountains distilled into human form. "Journey to the Center of the Earth—hah!" he cried. "Take that Captain Nemo!"(1)

At the level of his own mind, Shuu left Kongo and rode the remaining energy through the mental link to Korin and Suiko. Only here, in the nightmare reconstruction of Arago's palace did his euphoria fade. "Damn Arago," he snarled and stomped through the dark passageways to the chamber. He strode into the chamber and glared at the Youja hovering in their bubbles. "Damn Youja."

Shuu forced himself to stare at Seiji and Shin. Wrists in chains, they hung in the mouths of giant gargoyles, faces in a rictus of agony. The gargoyle where his own body had once hung was empty but for an orange glow and he shook his head. "Damnit guys! Snap out of it! It's all in your own heads!"

"No golden arrows this time," he muttered and summoned his naginata. "Shin!" he called and walloped his friend in the chest with a blast of his stored energy. Fortunately the Suiko Trooper woke up with the first hit.

"What the hell was that for Shuu?" he demanded. Then he took a look around. "What on earth is going on?"

"Earth is exactly what's going on," snapped Shuu. "What the hell were you thinking trying to pull one of us out of a nightmare without using your armor power?"

"What?" Shin was still chained inside the gargoyle and appeared disoriented and groggy.

"Oh for crying out loud, how come the brawn of this operation is the only one with a brain?" Shuu grumbled to himself. Whirling his naginata he unleashed another bolt of bright orange energy. This time he held onto the other end and when it hit Shin he pulled. Like a rubber band the orange energy beam snapped back, carrying Shin with it. Shuu allowed the leash to pull the other Trooper past him, back to where Kongo anchored him. Shuu paused for a moment to catch his breath. Now there was only Seiji left to get out of this mess.

"Seiji!" he bellowed. He began to channel his armor power into Seiji's limp form. "Seiji, you were the one who told us not to give up hope because they would come for us! And they did. It's all in your own mind Seiji. Wake Up!" Suddenly Seiji's head lifted and he stared straight at Shuu.

"What? Armor power? But Arago…"

"Damn it, Seiji!" Shuu grit his teeth and channeled another burst of energy into the other Trooper. "It's all a dream, an illusion. C'mon Seiji this is me talking! If I can see it, you can too."

"I… Shuu!" Realization spread over Seiji's face. "Oh I'm so sorry. I'm an idiot." The chains released and he started to fall.

Shuu leapt into the muddy yellow water and caught him. "Hah, gotcha! Nah, you're only an idiot if the rest of us are—and you're not calling Touma dumb are you?" He winked and both of them started to chuckle. Shuu tightened his grip on Seiji and said, "C'mon man, let's go home."

He reached once more for the orange energy that was Kongo and wrapping it around them, allowed it to carry them from the nightmare landscape back to his own mind.

o0o0o

A tree.

Above, the bright sunlight filters greenly through the branches and casts patterns on the ground. Below, the roots dig deep, searching for the water that means life. And in between the tree grows and the ground holds the tree: anchoring and nurturing: simple, steadfast, and strong.

Shuu came back to himself with a yawn and a stretch. For a moment there he'd almost thought he was—a tree? Nah, he thought and sat up as he absently scratched his arm. "The hell is this?" he asked aloud as he brushed at the dust he appeared to be covered in. Great. His subconscious self was laying in the dirt—grass, whatever—wearing sweats and covered in dust. He could already imagine the ribbing from the guys. At that moment, something shadowed the sun.

"Hey," said Shin. "Want a hand?"

"Sure buddy, hey why are you covered in water?" The other Trooper's skin was covered in crystalline drops and his clothing was damp. Shin pulled him up and laughed.

"I have no idea, woke up here like that. Nice place you got by the way."

Shuu looked around the smooth grassy field—aha over there was the tree—and nodded, "Not bad, even if I do say so myself." Already the brown earth filled body shape where he'd woken up was being filled in with fresh grass. He thumped the side of his head, "Nice going unconscious me!"

"Thanks for getting me out of there by the way. You were right; it was stupid of me to try without the armor's help."

Shuu mock punched him and grinned, "No problem! Hey, where's Blondie anyhow?"

Shin raised his eyebrows, "I thought he was with you?"

"He was but then—" I was a tree. Right, not mentioning that part.

"But then you were a tree?" asked Seiji as he came around the front of the tree and leaned on it. "I never realized you were so poetic Shuu."

"You got the tree thing too?" "Wait, you were also a tree?" Shuu and Shin spoke over each other. They walked over toward Seiji as he explained.

"I think what happened is your brain tried to 'see' all three of our armors and came up with a unique method of visualizing them. It was really quite lovely Shuu."

Shuu crossed his arms and looked down. "All right then, why am I covered in dust and Shin in water?"

Seiji smiled. "It's the way you see our armor power. We're all dressed in everyday clothes but covered in our elemental power. Your dust is rock, Shin in water, and me in well, something like light." He stepped out from the shadow of the tree trunk and the others could see his skin was coated in what appeared to be—

"Glitter?" asked Shin, starting to snicker.

"No." Seiji rubbed his fingers together. "It's almost, liquid?"

"Huh." Shin brushed his fingers along Seiji's arm and stared at the sparkly golden substance on his fingers. "Weird."

Now Shuu also reached forward and brushed the back of Seiji's hand. "You think it's our armor power right?"

"Your subconscious interpretation of it, yes," replied Seiji.

"It's liquid sunshine?" asked Shin suddenly.

"Probably, yeah," said Shuu, staring at his hand. He brought his hand closer and closer to his face to stare at it and finally licked his fingers. When he looked up the other two were staring at him. He grinned, "What do you know, it even tastes sparkly!"

"Shuu! Now is not the time to—argh!" Shin gave a muffled shout as Shuu pounced on him.

"Let's see what Suiko tastes like!"

"Shuu!" Shin's wild flailing and laughter did little to dislodge the other Trooper who held him down and licked his cheek contemplatively. "Seiji help me!" Behind them Seiji only laughed.

"Hmm, I'd say nice fresh water, with a hint of lemon?"

"Ick, that's just gross!" Shuu pouted and looked hurt.

"The lemon?"

"No, not the lemon! The licking—you just licked me!"

"It wasn't sexy licking?"

"No it wasn't sexy licking! You just tasted me! Like food! And not sexy food either."

"Suiko tastes like water? Now why am not surprised," drawled Seiji.

"With lemon apparently," muttered Shin and crossed his arms. He was still partially pinned under Shuu who was still pouting.

"Aw c'mon Shin, you know you're sexy food." A pause. "Er, sort of—ok no, no you're not."

Without warning Seiji lunged and bit Shuu's bicep. "Hey what the hell man?" Shuu yelled.

"Hah see how you like it!" Shin took the opportunity to shove Shuu off of him.

"But I only licked you!"

"And that's better?"

"Seiji bites!"

Seiji ignored their byplay in favor of tasting Shuu's dust again. Shuu swatted at him, "Stop it will ya!"

Paying no attention to him, Seiji closed his eyes and contemplated for a moment. "I'd have to say truffles. Apparently Kongo's rock dust tastes like truffles."

Shin suddenly looked interested. "Really? Fine, let me try. But I'm not licking you." He swiped his hand down Shuu's arm and eyed the brown dust suspiciously. He sniffed it. "Doesn't smell like anything." Finally, he cautiously licked his fingers. "Huh, it really does taste like truffles." Now emboldened he tasted the back of his own hand then brushed his fingers on Seiji again. "Yep, water and—"

"—sparkles," finished Seiji who had conducted a similar experiment.

"Told you," said Shuu looking smug.

All three of them stared at each other for a moment, and then burst out laughing. They laughed until they fell over and tears ran down their cheeks. Every so often one of them would recover enough to stutter out, "Sparkles!", "Truffles!" or "Water with lemon!" and it would set them off all over again. Eventually they lay there gasping and holding their sides.

"From Arago's dungeon to a place where armor powers have a flavor," Seiji shook his head.

"Food flavored too!" said Shin.

"My brain is so awesome," announced Shuu, patting the side of his head. "I love you brain!" he shouted. Then he laughed again briefly before shaking his head.

"Welcome to the life of a Trooper," said Seiji.

"No kidding," Shin agreed.

Shuu sat up and looked at them. "So, everyone good? Nightmares over?"

"Yes."

"As long as I don't dream about you tasting me!"

"But what if you were sexy food?" Shuu teased as the world faded away.

o0o0o

Shuu woke up laying on his back on a hard surface. Again. As he lay there letting his eyes adjust to the dark, he heard muffled thumps and chuckles. When he sat up a hand was thrust in front of his face.

"Hey," said Shin. "Want a hand?"

"Thanks," said Shuu and pulled himself to his feet. He yawned and cracked his neck. "Ugh, I feel like I went about ten rounds with a Masho. You guys all right?"

"Sure." "Fine."

"Okay, night then Seiji."

"Thank you Shuu. Goodnight Truffle-man and Water-man."

"Water-with-lemon-man," corrected Shin. "G'night Seiji."

Shuu and Shin went into the hallway and shut the door.

"Armors tasting like food," Shin chuckled under his breath.

"Hey, it's as good a concept as any!" protested Shuu in a whisper.

"Yeah, yeah. Seriously though, thanks Shuu."

"No problem. Night."

"Night," said Shin. "Armors as food!" he muttered to himself.

"Sexy food!" hissed Shuu.

Shin shut the door to his room with a click. Shuu only chuckled and went down the hall to his room. "Another day saved by Kongo, oh yeah!" he whisper-shouted and pumped his fist in the air. Then he (finally) went into his room and shut the door. Now if only he hadn't stubbed his sore toe on the threshold!

(1) Jules Verne wrote the book in 1864 and a popular movie was made in 1959. There is also a ride by this name at Tokyo Disneyland which was opened in 1983 (although the ride Journey to the Center of the Earth is located at DisneySea which didn't open until 2001).