Okay, basic disclaimer: the Samurai Troopers, Warlords, Kayura, Nasté, Jun, White Blaze, and Kaos do not belong to me; they belong to some Japanese company that makes a lot of money off of me. Anything that ain't from the show or credited to something else that appears in my stories belongs to me, that's all.
As to the story, I do hope you enjoy it. Just don't expect any answers as to what exactly is going on, until around chapter six. At the earliest. You'll notice in the story that I use (POV Shift) and (Time Skip) to signal such things. This is due to this site not allowing me to make use of the publishing industry standard of a line with three asterisks to signal a change in POV and a skipped line to signal a time skip. I put those things in, and it takes them out. So, I had to resort to the above, instead of following standard practice within the publishing industry. I apologize for that. Thanks for taking the time to read my story, by the way.
Mind, Soul, and Body:
Book One: Shadows of the Past
Chapter Three: Broken
By Corlock Striker
January 25, 2001 Rye, NY -
Black faded, twisted, and morphed into brilliant color. There was Sad, only there were two of him. One stood there with shoulders drooped, a defeated, frustrated look upon his face. That was the Sad she saw in school every day. The other stood tall, in a heroic pose, a broad and confidant smile upon his face. This must be the Sad that had helped her today. The one Mike claimed to know, the "real" Sad. She began to circle the two figures, inspecting them. The first one wore baggy clothing that seemed to have seen better days, what Sad wore to school every day. The second one wore well fitting clothes, and was surprisingly trim. He was rather handsome. If only Sad really did look like this. There was one question that kept nagging her though. Which of these two was the real Sad? He always looked like the first one to her eyes, even when he was standing up to Paul. But his friend, who claimed to know him so well, said that the second one was who he truly was. Which one was real, and which one the facade?
She kept staring at the two, trying to find the one detail that would answer her question once and for all. Then she noticed the eyes. They both had the same shade of slate blue eyes, yet they were different. The first one's eyes seemed to be those of a confused and sad little boy who had lost his way, and was desperately trying to find it once again. She felt sorry for this Sad. The second one's eyes though, they were confidant, full of purpose, and burning brightly with an unconquerable will. They were striking eyes, and terrifying in their own way, should you ever stand in the way of what this man wanted. And yet in both eyes she saw great kindness and empathy. The first figure's eyes made her want to keep him safe from those that would harm him. The second figure's eyes gave her a feeling of safety and comfort. This man would shield her from any storm. There was something about the two sets of eyes. They were the key.
Her mind drifted back of its own accord. Back over all the times she had seen Sad around school. For the most part he had always looked like the first figure, and so her inclination was to think that Mike was full of crap. He didn't know who Sad was. Sad was exactly who she thought he was. Then her mind latched on to Sad's confrontation with Evan. The scene replayed itself. Only it came to a stop just as Sad was turning away from Evan. She hadn't realized she had seen this. She must not have registered it, but he was staring right at her, or perhaps through her. With the luxury of this freeze frame image she began to carefully inspect Sad. His shoulders were squared, much like the second figure's, and he seemed full of the same intimidating presence she had sensed in his father. In fact, she could almost see a figure of the man she had momentarily glimpsed in the hospital room in Sad. Then she focused in on the eyes. She couldn't believe it.
Before she had time to react, the scene shifted. This time the freeze frame was of Sad leaning against her car in the parking lot, as Paul pinned her against it. Once more his shoulders were squared. There seemed to be a confident air about him. Her attention darted up to his eyes. There they were. Just like when he had confronted Evan. The second figure's eyes. It was crazy, but she thought it must be true. It was the only possible explanation. Both of these figures were Sad, "How can he be both of them?"
"Maybe I can help with that." Who the hell was that? Why did the voice seem vaguely familiar?
She whipped around to confront this intruder. As she did, her surroundings morphed. The scene of Sad leaning against the car faded, and was replaced by an endless expanse of white. What was this cliche all about? Her head rotated wildly, searching for the source of the voice. Abruptly she spotted it. It was that kid Mike from earlier. Only he was dressed all in white. Dear lord, was she going crazy or did he look eerily Christ-like? It wasn't just the white clothing, it was his facial features too. How had she not noticed that before?
Mike smirked, "I told you, Sad was teased a lot in Elementary school. Watch."
The two Sads were there again, only this time they were little children. The two seemed to merge together, and for the moment only the second figure stood before her. A group of faceless children formed a semi-circle around Sad. They began to point and laugh at him. Before her eyes, his shoulders began to hunch, that defeated look formed on his face, it didn't last long, just a passing phase. Time passed, Sad and the children aged. The phases of the hunched shoulders and defeated look lasted longer and longer. Eventually, that was all she saw. Except not quite. The second figure remained. A ghostly image that stood and moved in concert with the solid image of the first figure she had seen.
It all made perfect sense. Sad wasn't just one of the figures. He was, in fact, both of them. One had been who he was, the other who he became. Who he was still managed to remain. Guess he was stubborn like that. He was two people in one body, and yet still one person in the end. All of the images faded, and darkness filled her mind. Her puzzled mind at peace.
(POV Shift)
March 27, 2001 Odawara, Japan -
"So, you looking forward to seeing Nasté, again Seiji?" He ran a hand through blue hair, as he asked the question, a teasing tone in his voice. He'd long ago given up wearing a headband. Honestly, what had he been thinking? Even if it was the style of the times, it still looked rather ridiculous. White Blaze gave an amused snort from his sprawled out position in the backseat with his head in Ryo's lap. Ryo echoed the tiger. Seiji's hands clenched around the steering wheel, his only response to the question. He wasn't being very fun, was he? Toma sighed, "So, you think we'll find anything?"
Ryo sighed, "I hope we do. Not that we have much to go on. Still, I'd prefer to know something, rather than nothing. Wouldn't you?"
"Yeah, it'd be nice." The car slowed to a stop as they pulled up in front of Nasté's house. Toma stepped out of the car, stretching his legs as he did. It'd been a long drive. He shut the car door, and heard Seiji do the same. The back door opened, and White Blaze bounded out of the car, followed by Ryo. The tiger rushed off into the woods, obviously, White Blaze was pleased to be in a wooded area, and more importantly out of the car. Toma leaned against the car for a moment, looking over the house. "Wow, this brings back memories."
Seiji stood next to him, looking at the house. He kept adjusting the cuffs of his blazer, "It does."
The front door to the house swung open, Nasté sweeping out of it, in a long skirt and a simple top. She seemed to be holding herself back from running to greet them, attempting to put on a stately pace. Another car pulled into the driveway. Shu and Shin stepped out of it, Shin had driven. Upon seeing Nasté, Shu let out a rumble of joy and rushed over to her, pulling her into a giant bear hug and spinning around as he lifted her into the air. Seiji stepped forward slightly, half raising an arm in an attempt to stop him, before he realized that Nasté was giggling at the action.
The woman looked at all of them from over Shu's shoulder. Her eyes seemed to rest on Seiji for just a bit longer than the rest of them. That was probably just Toma's mind playing tricks on him. "It's good to see all of you again. Shu, can you put me down now, please?"
Shu chuckled and set Nasté down, a hand going behind his head to scratch at it. He hadn't really changed much had he? "Sorry, about that, I was just so happy to see you."
"It's okay, you big lug," she replied, swatting playfully at his chest and giving him a peck on the cheek. She walked over to Toma, giving him a brief hug, and a peck on the cheek as well. Seiji got the same, as did Ryo and Shin. "It's nice to see all of you again. Come on, let's get inside. I made lunch. And I made enough for ten." Nasté eyed Shu. Everyone laughed making their way inside. It was amazing how little had seemed to change. Toma wondered how long that would last.
(POV Shift)
February 19, 2001 Rye, NY –
The faculty told them that Sad was coming back to school today. They told everyone to leave him alone and return to business as usual. No one was supposed to ask him about what happened. There was going to be a trial, and he wasn't allowed to talk about it. In addition, Sad probably wouldn't want to talk about it, Trish agreed with them on that front. Of course, just because the student body had been told to leave Sad alone, didn't mean they would. Most likely, Sad would be mobbed by students as soon as he walked in, everyone asking him a million questions about what happened.
The majority of the student body had shown up early today, just to catch Sad as he walked in, even Trish. What had gone down between Sad and Paul was a rare event for RCDS, as such the entire student body was enthralled with it. Trish had shown up early more to see how Sad would react to the attention, and because she surprisingly wanted to see him again, than to question him. She had her answers. She had kept them to herself though. She sort of liked being in on such a well kept secret, telling would spoil that. She camped herself at the far end of the hallway on the first floor of the Pinkham building, she had a fairly clear view of the main doors. Probably because the student body didn't want the faculty to realize they were intent on bum rushing Sad the moment he stepped off the stairs.
7:45, House started at 8:00, Sad would be showing up soon. The dull roar of the whispering voices of students passing secrets amongst each other suddenly enveloped the building. Someone must have spotted Sad. Clop, thud, clop, thud. She could hear that sound coming up the main path. Clop, thunk, clop, thunk. She saw Sad's head clear the top of the stairs. The halls started to flood with students. Clop, thunk, clop, thud. He was off the stairs, trying to cross the hall, for the back stairs. His house was on the second floor, in the back of the building. This hallway provided a straight shot to the back stairs, the second floor one didn't. For a moment, she saw Sad clearly. She thought he may have seen her as well, from the slight widening of his eyes. Then she saw them go as wide as possible, as he was swarmed by the student body. Did a grimace cross his face? She couldn't tell, she hadn't gotten a long enough view.
People started asking questions, some farther away, practically shouting them at Sad; most of them asking the same question she had asked him in the hospital. Clop, thud, clop, thud. The crowd started to move with him. Clop, thud, clop, thud. The headmaster came out of his office. He tried to clear the crowd, yelling at students to get to their Houses. No one seemed to listen. Clop, thud, clop, thud. Sad kept making his way across the hallway, she didn't think she heard him speaking to anyone, just silently moving on his crutches. As the crowd approached her, she noticed people staring at her. The dull roar of whispers overtook the building again. The crowd between her and Sad thinned out. Obviously, they wanted to see what would happen between the two of them.
Sad swung his legs forward, left leg landing. He brought his crutches forward, leaning upon them, next to her. He took a deep breath, noticing the small bubble of clear space he finally had. His face seemed blank, he twisted his head to the side, looking at her. He seemed to know why he had been granted this unexpected bubble of personal space as he saw her. He spoke for the first time that morning, she thought, and it was to her, "Walk with me."
That dull roar erupted once more, frantic and shocked. They all wanted to know what this meant, but she knew. Sad just wanted to be able to breath. She stepped away from the wall and stood next to him. Clop, thud, clop, thud. He started towards the back stairs, students clearing out of the way as she and he made slow progress. "So, how're you doing?"
A small smirk tugged at the corners of Sad's lips, "About as well as can be expected, considering this corn on my toe."
Trish looked at him baffled, and Sad tossed his head back and started to laugh. A wince crossed his face and he stopped almost immediately, one arm clutching his ribs. Then they were moving again. They made it to the stairs. Clop, thunk. Sad was up the first one. "You need any help?"
Sad chuckled, another smaller wince. Clop, thunk. The next step. Suddenly his back pack was sliding from his right shoulder. He tried to shrug his shoulder to set it back into place, but it was too late. Trish reached out and grabbed it, before it fell down his crutch. "Thanks."
"I'll carry it for you."
"It's alright, just put it back where it was."
She kept her grip on the bag, even as Sad's right hand let go of the crutch, to try and tug it back onto his shoulder. It didn't budge, and he just let out a sigh. "Fine. Thank you," a slightly defeated tone in his voice. He held his right arm out so she could slide the bag off.
"It's the least I can do."
Clop, thunk, clop, thunk. "Whatever you say." Sad continued to focus on the stairs, taking them one step at a time. Clop, thunk, clop, thunk. They reached the landing, and he made his way around to the next flight. Clop, thunk, clop, thunk. They made it to the top of the stairs. For the moment there were no students lurking about, they had probably realized they had to get to their various Houses, and made their way to them. Sad paused at the top of the stairs, seeming to revel in the solitude.
"I'll meet up with you after House, and walk you to your next class."
Sad's body went rigid, "Why?"
"At least that way, they'll leave you alone a bit."
His reply was a barely audible whisper, "Thank you."
She was fairly certain he was being sincere. She didn't reply, it seemed the best idea. Clop, thud. Sad started on the short distance to his House. Trish walked him in, the eyes of everyone in the room on the two of them. A dumpy looking senior, got up out of his seat and offered it to Sad. Sad nodded in thanks, sitting down. Trish set his bag down on the table. The senior then sort of started shooting dirty looks at everyone in the room, warning them to back off. Sad set his right arm down on the table in front of him, and laid his head on it. Trish went off to her own House. She was probably going to be late.
(Time Skip)
She met up with Sad after House, and walked him to his next class. She walked him to all of his classes, actually. After second period, the faculty caught on to what she was doing and the effect it had on the rest of the student body. They started letting her out of classes early, so she could meet Sad. They also didn't say anything when she showed up to class late. As the day went on, Sad warmed up to her, relaxing a bit. Conversation came easier, he told some jokes, though most of them were only funny to him. During her free periods, her friends tried to get information out of her. They wanted to know what Sad was like, what she and he were talking about, all the normal gossip. Any other time she would have answered their questions, but she suddenly realized that if she shared, Sad would clam up again. Mike had given her some insight into him, and she was starting to understand it. Instead of answering their questions, she changed the topic, or at least tried to.
Finally, the day came to an end. She met up with Sad after his last class, AP Chem. It was in the same room his House was in. She snatched up his backpack, and he just gave a halfhearted defeated sigh. "I took the bus today, considering I can't really drive myself. The stop is just in front of the Field House. It's always the last bus. You don't need to wait."
Trish stopped, and gave Sad an odd look, "Actually, I kinda want to talk with you. Want to walk into town with me?"
"I'd miss my bus."
"I'll give you a ride home."
"Nah, I wouldn't want to trouble you. Already did enough of that today. Thanks, by the way."
"It's no trouble at all." A large grin spread across her face then, "Besides, if you want your bag back, you'll follow me into town." Trish carefully brushed past him, and made her way down the stairs, Sad's backpack in hand.
Sad rolled his eyes, and let out a bit of a frustrated growl, "Fine." Clop, thud, clop, thud, clop, thunk, clop, thunk. He was following after her. She walked to the entrance under the library underpass. Clop, thud, clop, thud. Sad was still following her. She went out the door, the sound of Sad's crutches following her. She waited for him on one of the stone benches under the library.
He stopped next to her, giving her an annoyed glare, "So, where are we going?"
"Well, Sad-sack, you're not going anywhere. Not until we talk."
Sad turned slowly, straightening up. He wasn't leaning on his crutches as much, his shoulders squaring. She watched the transformation, fascinated. Those fierce eyes of his flaring to life. John McCullen came down the stone stairs. He was Trish's ex-boyfriend, and one of Paul's friends. A few other members of that crew followed after John. John was in very good shape, Paul on the other hand, was sort of overweight. John stepped up in front of Sad, staring him down. Sad stared right back, refusing to budge.
"So, I hear you're going to be testifying against Paul. I suggest you watch what you say."
Sad laughed, fighting back a wince, and tossing his head back, before starring right back at John. Sad suddenly closed the distance between them, his nose nearly touching John's. As Sad's eyes burned into John's, John pulled away slightly. There was something terrifying in Sad's eyes. "Paul didn't scare me when he was beating the shit out of me. You think you're going to scare me now? You've got to be fucking kidding me. Get out of my sight, before I kick your ass."
John seemed nervous all of a sudden, "Like you could."
"You'd be surprised. Of course, I doubt I'd have to. There's probably a teacher watching us right now. You really want to get suspended?"
John glared at Sad, before breaking eye contact, and backing away. He and his goons walked off, most likely up to their cars in the Junior Lot. Trish stared at Sad, amazed and confused.
Sad collapsed back onto his crutches, and turned to her, "So, where are we going?"
She shook herself out of her daze, standing, "You'll see." She started walking, taking Sad into town with her. As they walked down past the train station and I-95, she asked him, "Where'd you learn that thing you just did?"
"What thing?"
"This thing." She tried to imitate him as best she could, squaring her shoulders and straightening up to her full height. She turned on her heels, trying to put a fire into her eyes, as she stared into Sad's, leaning into his face so that their noses barely touched. It was like she turned a switch on in him. In reaction, Sad did the exact same thing, leaning into her stare, those blue eyes of his burning with a rage that could destroy someone. She couldn't look away, even though she felt herself shrinking away from that gaze.
Sad broke the eye contact, pulling away, "Oh, you mean eyeball-to-eyeball contact. I learned that from my dad."
"Why'd he teach you that?"
Sad chuckled wincing once more, as he continued to swing his way down the sidewalk. "Uh, it's not so much that he taught me to do that, as he taught me how to react to it. He uses it on me all the time."
"Um, why?"
A slow smirk crossed Sad's lips, "I'm a baaaaaaaaad boy."
Trish laughed, "Yeah, right."
"No, I do do some shit that pisses my parents off though. Just like everyone else. It's just my dad is an ex-captain in the U. S. Army and was a Green Beret. So, he does discipline a little differently. See, back in the army, when he chewed someone out, he used eyeball-to-eyeball contact while yelling at them at the top of his lungs." Sad shook his head, "And the army has a way of teaching you to be intimidating. Add that to the fact that my dad was already a bad ass before he joined the army, and well, it's just sort of a bad combination." He shrugged, "So, yeah, when my dad is pissed at me, and wants to straighten me out, he pulls out the eyeball-to-eyeball contact, and yells at me at the top of his lungs, ala U. S. Army training. I've learned how to stare it down over the years." Sad smirked as he shared the secret, "The trick is that you gotta lean into it, and take it full force. You back away and he'll just keep coming after you." He frowned before resuming, "You sort of have to assert your own existence."
"So, basically, you've faced down a Captain in the Special Forces, screaming at you in anger, with hardly any space between your face and his on a regular basis?"
"Yeah, pretty much. John really doesn't hold a candle to that. Too bad he doesn't realize it."
"I think he does."
Sad gave her a puzzled look, "Huh?"
"I'm pretty sure, you just gave him the same look your father gives you. That's why he backed down."
"Oh, please, I don't have that kind of presence." Sad snorted, wincing, "Oh, god, stop making me laugh. It's excruciating. My ribs."
"Whatever you say."
They turned onto Purchase Street, Sad was silent.
"So, I met your friend Mike the other day. He seems like a nice guy."
"Yeah, he is." Sad sighed as he continued to swing along beside her. "So, you want a real answer to why I helped you, right?"
Trish smiled, "Nah, it's alright, Mike told me. It's just your nature."
Sad shook his head, "Then what is this all about?"
"How was your day?"
Sad shrugged, "Eh, bearable. Mostly thanks to you. It was pretty funny in classes though. I don't think I've ever gotten that much attention from girls."
Trish laughed, "Well, that's because they all know you're a knight in shining armor now."
Sad gave her a wry grin, "More like a knight in dented armor who can't fight his way out of a paper bag. They'd do better looking for someone else."
Trish nudged him with her elbow, "Yeah, well, I kinda like my knight in the dented armor. He's rather dashing."
"Oh, please, I'm an overweight slob."
"That's just what you want everyone to think. Besides, you lost a lot of weight in the hospital." She gave his a sideways glance, "I noticed you didn't eat much at lunch. You must be starving. Let's get something."
"Um, alright. So, I miss anything interesting while I was out of school?
Trish tapped her chin in thought, and replied with a smirk, "Valentine's Day."
Sad stopped mid swing, "Huh?"
Trish put on an innocent face, "Oh, that's right. We never did stop by your locker today, or the message board. Huh, silly me. Did you notice all those grocery bags by the message board?"
"Yeah, we doing a food drive or something?"
"Nope, those are all your candy grams. The S square got so full, they had to take them down. Your locker door is also plastered with Valentines."
Sad shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably, "Well, that's a first. Glad we avoided both locations then. That's going to be really awkward."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure it's just a phase. I think they'll get over you pretty fast."
Sad responded in mock offense "Gee, thanks. Just completely shatter my ego, why don't you?"
"I think you'll be alright."
"Most likely."
She stopped in front of Hunan Garden. She looked over her shoulder, "Come on, we're eating in here."
Sad looked down the street, avoiding eye contact, "I don't really have the money to cover myself here. How about we try Cosi or Sunrise or something?"
Trish giggled lightly, "Don't worry about it." She walked into the restaurant, holding the door. Reluctantly, he followed.
(POV Shift)
March 27, 2001 Odawara, Japan -
Toma set down his napkin. The rest of the group had already finished, except for Shu. He was still stuffing his face. What a surprise. Ryo looked at Shu before directing his attention to the rest of the Troopers, then on Toma. "Alright, so we're going to try and do some research. Where do we start?"
"Let's start with what we know, and work from there."
Shu exploded, he had expected it to be Ryo. It seemed Shu was faster on the draw today, "What we know?! We know jack! How're we supposed to start with what we know, when that's nothing?"
He shook his head, so did Seiji, Shin, and Ryo, a bit of a surprise there. He sighed, then spoke, "We have our dream Shu. That's our starting point, and we can figure out a few things from it. That will give us a direction to go in."
Shu shot an indignant look his way, "Oh, really, and what can we figure out from that dream? It was a damn dream. It could mean anything."
Toma rubbed his temples, a slight frustrated tone in his voice, "The fact that we all had the exact same dream, down to the last detail, and that Kayura and the Mashou did too, means it wasn't just a dream. It was a warning. We need to interpret the warning and decode it. It should tell us something about what we're dealing with. That's the point of warnings."
Shu blushed, "Oh."
Toma sighed and set his hands down on the table, pushing his plate aside, and straightening the table cloth. He wiped his place free of crumbs and stood. A moment later, he returned with a pad and a pen. He looked over the troopers, "Alright, let's go over the dream one last time. I want the details fresh in everyone's minds before we try searching for meanings in it. Also, Nasté isn't familiar with it, and she needs to be, if she's going to be helping us. And we are going to need her help in our research, we all know that."
"It starts off with Arago," Shin started slowly, in a quiet voice. Shu stopped eating, watching his friend. Shin shuddered, "Then he turns into a Viking longboat. That longboat begins to multiply, and I see the whole world, covered by them. They start moving, coming together, taking shape. They turn into a giant. He holds the world in his palm, and digs his fingertips into the earth. Everything dies." Shin paused to catch his breath. "The scene changes, and I know this is happening before the other one. Fifteen figures stand before me. I know nine of them. There's myself in my armor, and the four of you in yours. The three Mashou and Kayura in theirs." His eyebrows knit together,"There are six other figures, in pairs, male and female. One pair has demon wings, another with angel wings, the last look like a normal man and woman. All six were blurry. The male with demon wings fills my sight." Another breath,"The scene changes again, and all fifteen of the figures stand in a circle. They blend together to become a giant green dragon. It lunges for the man made of Viking longboats, everything goes dark. Then I see a clear image of the Staff of the Ancients. That's the end of it."
They all nodded. Toma finished taking notes a little after Shin. Nasté looking at Shin with worried eyes. Toma broke the silence, "So, we all agree that was the same exact dream we each had?" Once more everyone nodded, Nasté looked at each of them now, concern plain in her eyes. "Good, then let's get down to it."
Toma set his notepad down and looked at the rest of the Troopers, "Well, the start is easy enough, yes? Arago has something to do with this."
Everyone rolled their eyes.
"Yeah, that tells us so much about the new threat, doesn't it? It's the next part that gives us something to go on though. He becomes a Viking longboat. Means this new attack has its roots somewhere in Norse culture. So, when doing our research, we need to look for anything that relates to that. And whatever it is that Arago's found, it has the power to destroy all life on earth. Not that that's really all that much different from before, but still."
Ryo stared flatly at Toma, "We get it. Now, what are some good subjects and keywords to use when doing our search for information related to Norse culture?"
"Well, Norse, of course. Viking, longboat, probably the names of some of the more important Norse gods and mythological figures..."
Seiji chimed in, "Such as?"
Toma shook himself out of his daze, "Hmm? Oh, right. Odin, Thor, Loki, Balder, Sif, Heimdallr, Hel, Frigg, Fenrir, Tyr. Um, maybe the World Serpent, given some of the imagery. That's about all I can think of from that pantheon."
Ryo nodded, "Anything else you've figured out for us, Toma?"
Toma scratched his head, still thinking about the Norse gods, and if he forgot anything, "Oh, also try Valhalla, Asgard, and Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge. Oh, yeah, I'm guessing there are six more armors."
Shu looked at him incredulously, "What?"
Seiji gave him a curious look, "Why do you say that?"
"Well, the fifteen figures. There were nine armor bearers in that group. Then there's the other six figures. Additionally, all fifteen figures joined together to form something else. Sort of like we do when we make Inferno. If they can join with us, in that sense, then they've got to be armors. And there's six of them, so that makes six new armors."
Shin asked, "But what are they armors of?"
"I don't know, we'll have to figure that out. We need to find those armors and their potential bearers before Arago does. I think particularly the male demon winged armor bearer. Our dream singled him out. He's probably important." Toma shrugged,"Search for the fifteen armors, additional armors, something like that. Try Kaos, he had to have had a hand in making them, and there's the image of the staff at the end of the dream too." He tossed his hand to the side,"Also, Arago, maybe there's a clue to them somewhere in his past. Run searches on demons, angels, humans, man, woman, women, men, dragon, dragons, armor, and armors, maybe, I don't know."Toma frowned, thinking, "I think that's about it for the dream and what it can tell us. Anybody else?"
Everyone shook their heads. Toma clapped his hands together, looking over his friends, "Good, shall we get started then?" He looked to Ryo.
Ryo nodded, "Yeah, let's."
They all stood, Shu gathering up the dishes. He had offered to wash them before they made the trip up. As he had put it, he wasn't that good at research. Instead, he'd free everybody else up. Toma and the rest followed Nasté to her grandfather's collection. Nasté looking over her shoulder at Shu, surprised that he was doing the dishes, most likely. Toma rubbed his hands together, it was time to get to work.
Author's Note:
I'd appreciate any feedback anyone is willing to give. Just contact me by e-mail or through the site. My only request is that you put something in the subject line about your e-mail being in response to my Ronin fanfic. I get a lot of spam, and I tend to delete mail from SNs I do not recognize. If you put something about your e-mail being about my writing, I won't delete it and then I will respond to you; if you don't do that I can't guarantee anything. My e-mail address is in my profile.
Thanks for reading.
-Corlock Striker