ITS NOT DEAD, i promise, i'm working just...slowly. But Ryuu's story will be finished, for now though, this chapter was a bit of a favorite of mine, i hope you all enjoy it and thanks for all the love this story has gotten it makes me want to finish it. As always enjoy

BRL

Crona shot forward, Ragnarok clutched in his hand. "Ryuu!" he cried.

Kid appeared at his side, helping the pink haired boy up. "You both fell unconscious, are you alright?"

Crona nodded as he stumbled over to Seiryū, who was still unconscious. He collapsed next to his former partner. "Ryuu, Ryuu!" Kid stepped back, confused as Crona kept trying to wake the teen up. Then his eyes widened as he reaper senses figured out what was happening.

Ragnarok switched to his demon form. "Hey Crazy Eyes wake up damn it!"

Kid watched all of this, arms crossed, a contemplative look on his face. "He's not going to wake up yet Crona."

Crona's head snapped to his boyfriend. "Why!?"

Kid sighed as he knelt down next to Crona. "Because, right now he's figuring out who he is going to be. We can't help him now." Both turned back to Seiryū who shivered and twitched on the ground, his eyes darting behind his eye lids.

When he came too, the pounding in his head had lessened. It was the first time in what felt like forever he could think clearly. He was floating in…something. Water? Maybe. He couldn't remember his name, but that wasn't too frightening. This place was…nice. Peaceful. The pounding had been going on for so long, it was nice to just sit and relax. Or was it lay? He couldn't tell. "Awaken" that voice. He turned to it, or thought he did. "Awaken Ryuu, you have work to do." Ryuu, yes, that was his name. Memories, unbidden, sprang to his mind.

"You will not leave me" growled a different voice, deeper than the first. Ryuu's eyes twitched despite being closed. That voice, he knew that voice too.

"You will not have him!" hissed the first voice. Ryuu struggled to open his eyes as he listened to what sounded like a massive fight.

"He is Mine!" roared the second voice. Ryuu struggled to open his eyes, to understand what was happening.

"What do you think he's doing?" asked Crona.

Kid stroked his chin as Liz and Patty looked around for Suzaku. "He's fighting himself I think, or at least his madness. I don't know though."

Crona's head shot up as he realized something. "Where's Suzaku?"

Kid shrugged. "After you and Ryuu fell unconscious she fled, we tried to catch her, but that girl lived up to her name, she flew into the clouds and disappeared."

"And Kiddo was too worried about you to chase her!" cried Patty as she danced around. Liz looked like she was ready to strangle her sister.

Kid coughed as he fixed his suit. "Yes well, it wouldn't have mattered anyway, without Ryuu she wasn't much of a fighter, for now we sit and wait for Ryuu to, hopefully, wake up."

Ryuu tried to think, tried to will his body to respond. Around he could hear fighting, how many fought he couldn't tell, but he knew they were around him.

"Look he's struggling, even now, your hold on him isn't as strong as you thought!" cried the first voice. Ryuu needed to move, needed to free himself. Whatever peace he felt before was shattered and now all Ryuu could feel was darkness.

"He will not leave me a second time! He was lucky the first time, but he is mine, forever!" shouted the second.

Ryuu thrashed, and finally, as if they were lead, he forced his eyes open. "I am No One's PUPPET!" roared the teenager. With his eyes open he could finally see. He was in the Pythius soul plane, but it was different. And the things fighting over him, a massive blue dragon, serpentine like, with a smaller red one. Both were covered in cuts and were bleeding, but the blue dragon seemed to be winning.

The blue dragon turned to the awaken teen, and a laugh rumbled from it. "You are mine, do I not offer you power? Power to destroy your enemies? You were meant to be mine, the universe made you to be my avatar."

The red dragon appeared between Ryuu and the blue one. "He doesn't need that power, you offer only death, we will be free!"

"No! He is mine!" bellowed the blue dragon. It shot forward, fangs glinting as it attacked.

Ryuu instinctively raised his arms, and a bright flash appeared in front of them. When it died a massive black tortoise and a brilliant white tiger stood between him and the blue dragon. "You will not have him Seiryū, this boy has shown us the better path, and you will not drag him back into your madness" growled the tortoise, its snake tail hissed in agreement. The two creatures charged at the blue dragon, fangs and claws flashing as they attacked.

"Come we must get you away while they distract him," said the red dragon. "Climb on, quickly now!" Ryuu floated over to the red dragon and wrapped his arms around its neck. Behind him, the blue dragon howled and thundered as it fought off the white tiger and black tortoise.

Great wings spread from the red dragon's back but Ryuu loosened his grip. "No," he whispered. He pushed himself away from the beast. "Running from it doesn't fix the problem, I need to defeat it."

"Do you think you can, do you really think you are able to?" asked the dragon.

Ryuu could only shrug. "Only one way to find out."

The dragon, if possible, smirked slightly. "A worthy successor to the Erelim soul indeed. You will need a weapon against him." The dragon's eyes shown a brilliant ruby, then it transformed, in its place was a shimmering crimson sword. Ryuu took the hilt and memories flooded into his mind.

The shifting plane solidified into a grassy plain, the three Saintly Beasts dueling in the air. Ryuu took a firm grip on his sword and roared for all his worth. "Seiryū! I'm here! Come get me!" The sapphire dragon answered with its own thundering cry. It smashed aside Genbu with its tail, while its claws raked the sides of Byakko. The dragon sprang away and charged right for Ryuu, who, for his part, stood his ground, sword in hand.

"You are mine boy! Do you hear me!? MINE!" declared Seiryū.

Ryuu brought his sword back as he took a fighting stance. "I belong to no one!" He stormed forward, his scarlet blade met fang as the two clashed. Ryuu flew back from the hit, bouncing along the ground before finally skidding to a halt.

Seriyū floated in front of the teenager, chuckling. "Foolish boy, you will always belong to me."

Ryuu twirled his sword around him as he stood up. "Not anymore!" He shot forward and attacked Seiryū, his sword a scarlet flash as it sliced through dragon skin. Seriyū roared in pain as it batted aside Ryuu again.

Back and forth human and beast fought, neither willing to yield. "This is foolish, you've tried fighting before, I always win, always!" shouted the dragon as it unleashed a gout of cerulean flame.

Ryuu covered up, but it wasn't necessary. The flame danced along the shell of the black tortoise while the white tiger nuzzled Ryuu and helped him up. "You freed us of our madness and gave our souls peace," rumbled the tortoise. "It's only fair we do the same for you." It launched itself forward, its snake tail snapping at the retreating dragon.

"Have faith Ryuu, Seiryū is not invincible," whispered the white tiger as she sprinted towards the dragon.

Ryuu hung back as he watched the fight. "Are you scared?" Ryuu looked down and saw an eye in the center of his sword.

Ryuu nodded as he stared at the dragon. "Yes, I might be able to beat him, but I'm afraid his words are true, that no matter what, I will always be his puppet."

A chuckle rose from the sword. "It's true, the lure of madness will always be there, pressing against the back of your mind."

Ryuu glanced back down at his sword. "So you're saying it's hopeless?"

"Never, it is merely difficult. Seiryū is quite powerful, but he is not unbeatable. You said you thought you could win, do you still think you can?" countered the red blade.

Ryuu took a tighter grip on the sword. "Yea, yea I do." With a wild cry he charged. The black tortoise and white tiger answered the cry with roars of their own, while Seiryū bellowed his rage. Ryuu threw himself into the air and came down with a massive slash that gouged a deep gash in the blue dragon's sinuous body. He landed and rolled away, then sprang up in a crouch. "I will be Free!"

"Never!" thundered the dragon as it attacked. Ryuu dodged back, avoiding the monster's snake like attacks as he tried to think of a plan of attack.

"Stop fighting like a human, you have more power at your fingertips, use it," said Ryuu's weapon. The teenager glared down at it as he ducked another attack.

"Easy to say, how exactly do I do that!?" demanded the teenager as he ducked under a stream of blue flame.

"You must figure that out yourself, but remember, you have more power than you think," responded the sword.

Ryuu glared at his weapon as he attacked again. "Thanks!" He blocked a flailing claw and countered with a two handed chop. A flick of Seiryū's tail sent Ryuu flying…again. The teen picked himself up. "Getting really fucking sick of this," he murmured.

Seiryū chuckled as he swatted aside the two beasts. "This show of resistance is humorous but ultimately futile. You need me Ryuu, you need my power, without the Erelim fire you are nothing, weak and useless. Submit, join me, together we are strong, together we can change the world!"

Ryuu felt his own resolve weaken at those words, because, deep down, a small part of him wondered if those words were true. He was shaken, his eyes glazed and unfocused, unfocused enough he didn't see the blast of cerulean flame.

Only it never hit him. The black tortoise stepped in front of him. "Focus Ryuu! Seiryū feeds on your insecurity, your hesitancy. The Erelim power responds to the one without fear, whose confidence in itself is concrete. To wield it is to know you are right, without question!" The tortoise turned back and unleashed a massive wave of black energy. Seiryū hissed as it retreated. Genbu looked back at Ryuu. "The real question you have to ask yourself, do you wield the Erelim power, or does he?" Genbu turned back to the fight with renewed ferocity.

Ryuu watched, Genbu's words echoing in his head. "He makes a fine point," commented Ryuu's weapon.

The teenager nodded. "Yea, yea he does." Ryuu looked down at his hand and concentrated. It hurt, but a small blue flame appeared. It was weak, and its call weakened Ryuu's defenses. He could feel Seiryū's calls in his head now. He extinguished the flame. "How am I supposed to use the Erelim power when it means giving in to Seiryū!?"

"Does it?" asked the sword. "The Champions of the Pythius and Israfil fight with you, they have not given in to their madness have they? Perhaps you should learn from their example."

Ryuu glared at the sword. "Make sense damn it! Genbu and Byakko regained their sanity because…because," his eyes widened. If the sword could, it would smirk. "Their wielders accepted their failings and sought redemption, thus purifying their souls. But, Fei and Sierra died to redeem themselves?! I cant do that!" Ryuu stopped analyzing when Byakko flew by. Unthinking, Ryuu shot his arm forward and whip chain links burst from his skin. They wrapped around Byakko's leg and helped slow the tiger's fall. Ryuu bounded over as the tiger picked itself back up.

The great white cat nuzzled Ryuu as he helped it up. "Thank you my love." She turned back to the raging Seiryū. "He won't be stopped by Genbu and myself, we don't have the power." The cat looked back at Ryuu and prodded him in the chest with her nose. "The Israfil soul has powers you have not even dreamed of, use them, bring harmony to us." With that, Byakko thundered back into combat.

Ryuu looked down at his sword. "Israfil, that was how…Sierra cured herself, yea." He whirled the blade around him. "Israfil Light!" A brilliant white light surrounded Ryuu. His eyes closed and a look of peace spread across his face.

Seiryū roared in rage as he saw what his would be host was doing. Byakko grinned as she felt her essence fade back into Ryuu. Ryuu sculpted the light into a massive bolt of energy and planted his sword in the ground. "Pythius wave!" Genbu's own smirk mocked Seiryū's rage as the tortoise disappeared. Black and white energy danced across the blade of Ryuu's sword. Ryuu's eyes shot open, one black one white.

Sieryū bayed in defiance. "You are mine! You are Mine!" A blast of mixed energy hit Seiryū, actually knocking the dragon back.

Ryuu grinned as he focused on Seiryū. "No, you belong to me. Erelim flame!" boomed Ryuu. Lightning split the sky and thunder rumbled across the field. Sapphire and crimson flame danced across the blade of Ryuu's sword.

"NO!" cried Seiryū as it attacked. Ryuu rushed forward to meet it.

Kid and Crona stumbled back as a shocking light surrounded Ryuu. Both were blinded and when the light dimmed, Ryuu was standing. He looked down at his meister and a small smile appeared. "Hey Crona."