We do not own Koihime Musou or Kamen Rider Gaim. They belong to their respective creators. We just thought this idea would be fun and decided to give it a try. If you like it then that's great. If you don't then we tried. Anyway, come along and let's see what you think.
One might call it a beautiful night. The moon was full and the stars were shining. However, the full moon's glow was a bright blood red. To most people, a blood red moon was an ominous sign and considered a terrible omen. But to Karasu, it was a magnificent sight. It was like one huge ruby shining in the black sky.
Karasu gazed up into the night's sky with Nagata standing beside her. He was wearing the custom black and purple outfit she had made for him. The hood was up, obscuring his face with the shadow it cast. Strapped around his waist was his SengokuDriver, with the currently closed Darkness Lockseed locked in the Drive Bay.
Together, they appreciated the sight of the blood red moon.
"It's a beautiful night, isn't it, Naga-kun?" Karasu asked as she hugged Nagata's arm.
He gave her a nod.
"You like spending time with me, don't you?"
He nodded again.
"That's good. I thought you weren't enjoying yourself," Karasu said as her smile turned into a frown. "Unfortunately, we still have a problem. Those girls are still alive and won't rest until they steal you away from me again." Her grin reappeared as she got a wicked idea. "I think I know what we should do for our next date. Come on, Naga-kun."
He gave her a nod.
Karasu felt a cold chill but instead of showing discomfort, there was a sense of familiarity. She spotted a blood red figure emerging from the darkness and he stopped a few feet away from the pair.
"You seem geared up for some fun," the Rider in blood red armor said.
"Saver," Karasu greeted.
"So, you're finally making your move. With how long you were taking, I almost thought you were having second thoughts."
"I could say the same to you."
"A perfect plan takes time and preparation, Shinigami. Rome wasn't built in a day. When the time comes, I want to see him fall into true despair as he watches his fantasy life crumble before his eyes."
"I wish you luck then," said Karasu sincerely.
"And same to you," Saver returned before he vanished like a ghost.
Smiling, Karasu turned her loving attention towards her beloved cousin.
"Let's make history and create an empire of our own together," Karasu declared and she put on her mask.
The dark insect swarm surrounded Karasu and Nagata before it morphed into the shape of a giant crow. The giant crow-like gestalt spread its wings and took off, carrying its passengers.
The pitch black wings of the Shinigami shall spread only death and despair.
Shoku would fall.
And the earth will be dyed red with blood.
Sangokuden Armored War Gods Saga: End of the Armored War Gods
Co-Written By: Kamen Rider Chrome & Ten-Faced Paladin
Beta Reader/Editor: Busterleader92
Chapter 19-1: Judas (Part 1)
The sun rose and a new day greeted the inhabitants of Ancient China. However, it would not be a good morning for some.
Inside Touka Village itself, specifically the castle, the Shoku Warriors were searching through the halls for their leader and his fellow Armored War Gods.
All three of them had not been seen since the day started and now they were getting worried. It wasn't like any of them to shirk their responsibilities.
If Nagata did not wake up to make breakfast, Kanu would normally go to wake him up. When she saw that his bed was empty, she thought he had gone out to do his normal morning meditation in the garden.
Kochu woke up to find the space her husband occupied next to her on the bed to be empty as well. They would always wake up together.
As for Karasu, she was missing too.
Something was definitely wrong.
After searching the many wings, the ladies reconvened to see if any of the others had found anything. So far, they were met with disappointment and more worry.
"Aisha, I can't find Nagata-sama anywhere," Ryuubi said worriedly.
"Have you tried his office?"
"Yes."
"The garden?"
"Yes."
"The courtyard? How about the marketplace? Maybe the training grounds?"
"Yes, I've checked all those places, and before you ask I've also checked the kitchen."
"I can't find Onii-chan either," said Chouhi. She had literally gone sniffing around for her big brother. Like a game of Hide and Seek, she had looked for him under his bed, in his closet, and even down in the basement. She even lifted a huge rock to see if he was hiding underneath it.
"I haven't found him either," said Ryofu. She had sent her dogs to pick up Nagata's scent. Unfortunately, none of them were able to locate him.
"Are you all still looking for Nagata-sama?" Kochu asked as she arrived with Riri in tow.
"Yes," Kanu, Chouhi, and Ryuubi answered in unison.
"Have you found Iori-sama, Shion?" Chou'un asked.
"I can't find him anywhere. I don't think he came home last night," Kochu answered worriedly.
"Daddy's gone," Riri added as she worriedly clutched her Ryugen doll.
"Don't worry, Riri. Daddy will be back," Kochu said as she patted Riri's head comfortingly. She could only hope Iori returned.
"And Idunn-sama's not here either," said Kanu.
"We're definitely vulnerable without any of them here," said Ryuubi.
If their enemies ever found out that Touka Village was without their Armored War Gods, they would attack en masse and crush them. It had happened before when Nagata was in a coma.
"Where on Earth could they have gone...?" Ryuubi pondered aloud.
Had they returned to Heaven last night? Were they called away elsewhere and did not have time to tell them?
For whatever reason, all their Armored War Gods were missing.
This was bad.
As the older girls were meeting up after they searched for their resident Armored War Gods, their resident strategist was on a mission of her own. When Karasu, Nagata, and Iori went missing, Komei took it upon herself to investigate.
With the Shinigami absent, there was little chance of her getting caught. With so much suspicion abound, Komei plucked up her courage and decided to search in one of the few places no one would dare pry.
Karasu's room.
Komei wasn't alone, though. Hoto was with her. Komei might have found the courage to search Karasu's room, but she was not foolish enough to do it alone.
"Are you sure we should be snooping around in her room?" Hoto asked as Komei produced a key. Hoto had reason to be nervous. When she first met Karasu, she realized how scary Nagata's cousin was. It was like she was always looking to kill someone.
"I just need to check for something," said Komei as she unlocked the padlock.
"Something?" Hoto blinked.
"Yes, something."
Recent events had brought clouds of suspicion to her mind and the current situation made it so that she was no longer able to just wait and observe.
It all started some time ago when Iori had come to her.
"Hey, Shuri. I need to talk to you about something."
"What is it, Iori-sama?"
"Do you think Nagata's cousin is hiding something?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Just a gut feeling. It just seems like she's not being completely honest with us."
"We all have our secrets."
"I know that, but I just have this feeling that whatever she's hiding is dangerous. Look, if I were you, I'd be careful around her. I also wouldn't recommend being in the same room alone with her."
"Thank you for your advice, Iori-sama."
"No problem. Just be careful, OK?"
Iori wouldn't have told Komei that if he didn't suspect something. To be honest, Komei always felt there was something off about Karasu. The only reason she didn't mention it to Nagata was that he trusted his cousin, and they trusted Nagata's judgment.
Now, Nagata, Karasu, and Iori were missing under suspicious circumstances. Before this, Nagata had confided in her and told her there might be a traitor in their midst.
This could not be a coincidence.
Komei removed the padlock and pushed open the door of Karasu's bedroom. Both girls felt an uncomfortable chill. It felt unnaturally cold.
That was definitely a sign that something was amiss.
"What are you going to do?" Hoto asked.
"I'm going to check her drawers. You check her closet," Komei instructed. The table's drawers didn't have locks so Komei didn't have any trouble opening them.
When she opened the top drawer, Komei came across something that might give her some answers.
She had found Karasu's journal.
Suddenly, Hoto screamed.
Gasping, Komei turned around and saw Hoto buried under a pile of dolls, dolls that resembled their friends, dolls that looked like they had been torn apart and sewn back together, over and over. That alone raised some flags. It was like they had been used for some kind of wicked ritual, as a proxy for the actual people while the practitioner mutilated the dolls.
"This...this is just...unsettling," said Hoto as she examined the Ryuubi doll with stitches covering its body. She saw the book Komei was holding. "What is that?"
"I think it's her journal, and I might get some clues from it," Komei nodded, opening the journal. Hoto joined her to read it together.
The journal started off rather odd. It spoke mainly about Nagata and observations Karasu made about him. Things she considered cute, sexy, or downright manly. It was quickly obvious that Karasu was deeply infatuated with her cousin. Not that Komei saw anything wrong with that, as cousins wed plenty of times in their world. Although the depictions of weddings and honeymoons did make her blush and Hoto to break out in embarrassed mumblings.
The erotic content of the journal was extremely steamy and graphic.
After it reached a certain point though, the writings grew darker and more unsettling.
The lines showed pure rage and jealousy at all the women that surrounded Nagata. At first, this was mostly aimed at Kanu, but after the time the other girls decided they wished to share, the writings grew even more violent and hateful.
More warning flags were raised.
There was definitely something wrong with Karasu, and it wasn't just her apparent bloodlust. She was obsessed with Nagata to the point of insanity and she was apparently taking steps to try and isolate him from them so she could take him for herself.
Komei grew increasingly more and more unsettled and alarmed with each entry she read. There was one entry about how she killed Zhong while he was in prison:
'I can't believe Naga-kun would let him live. The man is a scum and he doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as Naga-kun. Fortunately, I am here to correct Naga-kun's mistake. So, I gave the piece of scum the death he deserved. I don't feel too bad about it. I was just giving him his just desserts.'
Then there was another entry of when Karasu tried to murder Kanu:
'While Naga-kun was busy with that imposter Zangetsu, I had my chance to kill Kanu. However, the weakling wasn't able to buy me more time. In order to get away, I had to scare Naga-kun. Fortunately, none of them suspect a thing and I would soon have my chance to accomplish my goal.'
'Naga-kun will be MINE!'
Komei paled in horror as she found that particular entry. She recalled when Nagata told her of how Jam had tried to kill Kanu. But from the writing, Karasu was claiming credit for Jam's deed.
It quickly dawned on Komei that Karasu and Jam were, in fact, one and the same. She had adopted a dual identity to remain close to Nagata, but also try to destroy the Shoku Warriors from within.
Komei wasn't one to jump to conclusions, but all the evidence was stacking up.
Karasu was the traitor.
"W-W-What?" Hoto squeaked.
"I can't believe this…Idunn-sama why?" Komei asked in disbelief. They did not want to believe it was true, but the evidence was there.
How had she kept all this hidden from them?
The two could not stop as they continued from one terrible entry to the next. Each entry was more horrific than the last.
As they reached the end of the last entry, Komei turned downright terrified. The final pages of Karasu's journal were filled with all her plans. This included what she planned for everyone living in the castle, and it wasn't anything good.
She even included illustrations.
Very vivid illustration.
While each entry was already filled with pretty disturbing content, it was the drawings Karasu added in the pages that truly revealed how truly horrific their lord's cousin's thoughts were.
The horrible things she wanted to do to them, the terrible things she dreamt about, it was all there in her journal. All of her plans seemed pretty well thought out and neatly designed from the very start, leaving little to no room for error.
She left absolutely nothing out.
Komei slammed the journal shut, horrified by its contents. Her face was pale and she broke out in cold sweat. Hoto did not fare any better.
"W-We have to tell the others about this!" Komei cried urgently.
Hoto silently agreed.
Komei and Hoto burst from Karasu's room, bringing the journal with them and running through the halls with great urgency. They had to tell the others and quickly! Fortunately, they knew that the others were going to discuss what to do in the meeting room. Likely everyone would be there.
Neither of them saw the pile of dolls beginning to move.
Fortunately, their guess was proven right as they stormed into the room.
"Aisha! Everyone!" Komei cried out as she and Hoto ran towards them.
"What is it?" Aisha asked.
"Yeah, what's with you, Shuri?" Bacho asked as the two little girls caught their breath.
"This!" Komei held up Karasu's journal. "You need to read it!"
"Why?" Chouhi asked confused.
"Just read it!" Komei insisted like it was a matter of life or death.
"Calm down. Give it here," Chou'un said, as she took the journal and the girls gathered around to read it.
And almost instantly, the girls reacted horribly to what they read.
They reacted exactly like Komei and Hoto had when they read the journal.
"Weeks ago, Nagata-sama told me that we might have a traitor in our midst, but we never found any clues until now. Based on the contents of this journal and the dolls we found, I think Idunn-sama…is the traitor..." Komei explained.
"What?!" Chouhi squeaked in surprise.
"That's…" Kanu said in disbelief.
"It can't be…" Ryuubi gasped.
"What dolls?" Chou'un asked.
"I knew she was weird, but…oh gods, I'm gonna hurl," Bacho gagged, covering her mouth before backing off. As a warrior, she was accustomed to a certain level of violence. But Karasu's vividly horrific descriptions of the 'punishment' she had planned for them were just too much for her.
Many of the entries describing Karasu's intentions toward them were particularly gruesome, especially on days she knew Nagata had been intimate with them.
How did she even know what they did during sex?!
"So, you mentioned dolls," Chou'un prompted.
"Idunn-sama made dolls of you all," Hoto trembled. "They looked like they had been torn apart then put back together, repeatedly. It was like she was using them to vent out her anger and frustration. She despised you all."
"How could we not have realized it?" Ryuubi wondered, horrified.
"She was good at deceiving us," Kanu growled angrily, Karasu's betrayal had opened up familiar wounds. Nise had earned their trust too, only to stab them in the back in the end. Now it was happening again.
"And now Nagata-sama and Iori-sama are gone," Ryuubi said quietly.
"I don't think we have to guess what happened to them in light of this," said Chou'un.
It was pretty obvious that Karasu had done something to Nagata and Iori.
All of a sudden, Hoto screamed and everyone turned their gazes towards the entrance of the Round Table room.
Standing in the doorway was a monster. It had a humanoid shape, but it looked like it was made from numerous dolls being piled together. They were the dolls that Karasu had made as a form of stress relief.
The humanoid shambled into the room. Komei and Hoto quickly went under the table to hide as the Shoku Warriors raised their weapons.
"What manner of monstrosity is this!?" Kanu cried.
"Whatever it is, we have to kill it, Onee-chan!" shouted Chouhi.
The living doll pile then lunged toward the closest target. It happened to be Ryuubi and she screamed. Suddenly, Ryofu stepped forward and she made the humanoid doll pile burst into pieces with a single punch.
"Wow, that's one strong punch," Bacho complimented.
But it was not over. The dolls stood up and began to stagger toward the Shoku Warriors. One doll jumped and latched onto Kanu's chest.
Kanu was normally fearless and composed. However, she was also afraid of ghosts and these living dolls looked like they were haunted.
She screamed and tore the doll off her chest and stomped on it. The other dolls began attacking the other Shoku Warriors. They were just so many of them.
Hoto and Komei screamed as one of the dolls was coming for them and they crawled out from under the table.
"Hawawawawawa!"
"Awawawawawa!"
The Shoku Warriors fought off the dolls the best they could, but they still struggled.
What kind of dark magic could bring these dolls to life?
"Shuri! Hinari! Get Kada!" Kanu shouted as another doll leaped at her face but was knocked into the wall by Chouhi.
"No need! I got this!" Komei swiftly took out a talisman. "Let's hope this works!" She recited the chant and the writing on the talisman glowed before releasing a flash of light. The dolls were exposed to the light and dropped to the ground, completely still.
They were normal, albeit disturbing looking, dolls again.
Kanu and Chouhi's hearts were racing. That had to be one of the scariest things they had ever experienced.
"Why couldn't you do that earlier?" Chouhi demanded.
"Hawawawa! I'm sorry! I panicked!" Komei answered.
"What the hell just happened!?" Bacho cried out.
"I'm guessing now that we know the truth, Idunn-sama wants us dead," said Chou'un as she kicked a doll aside.
"Don't call her that," Kanu spat. "She no longer deserves the honor."
A panicked guard suddenly ran into the meeting room.
"Kanu-dono! Everyone! An army of monsters is marching towards us!"
As the Shoku Warriors went to deal with this matter, they left the dolls behind.
A locust crawled out from one of the dolls before it died and turned to dust.
There was a storm coming. A huge and black cloud hovered above Touka Village, blocking the sun and casting a dark shade over the village. This cloud was alive. It was made up of a massive swarm of insects.
A legion of insectoid creatures was headed towards Touka Village. They crossed the wide fields, marching on foot or gliding in the air.
These insectoid beings-these hordes of Locust Kaijin-did not look friendly. Their blood red eyes gleamed as if they were eager to spill blood.
Leading the march of the Locust Kaijin was none other than Nagata and Karasu.
They soon stopped as they spotted Touka Village in the distance.
The insectoid army did not storm the village. Karasu did not want that, at least not yet. There would be no point in starting an empire for her Naga-kun if they slaughtered all of the people indiscriminately. Besides, it would upset Naga-kun if she did that. Plus, they needed subjects to worship and serve them.
Instead, she called upon her swarm to gather under their feet, forming a cloud. The insect cloud lifted both Karasu and Nagata into the air, followed by a unit of her insectoid monsters.
They would show mercy to those who surrendered to the new order and kill those who resisted.
But there were those who would have to die regardless.
Villagers screamed and soldiers moved to defend, but Karasu did not give them much attention. The Locust Kaijin would deal with them if they attacked. What was drawing Karasu's attention stood at the forefront of the soldiers.
The Shoku Warriors had come together to lead the fight. They were gathered in front of the castle, ready to defend it and the village with their lives. They weren't just in their usual battle attire though, but something new altogether. It was something Karasu had only base information on.
In the weeks prior, Nagata had given the members of his court their own magatama, allowing them to summon their own armor as well.
Kanu was in her Ogre Warrior Armor.
Ryuubi was in her Dragon Fighter Armor.
Chouhi was in her Lightning Viper Armor.
These were the armor he had given to them on the night Bujin Gaim came. The rest were new, though.
Ryofu's armor was black and gold with a phoenix on the front and pauldrons that resembled bird wings. A black helmet with a green visor covered her head. The helmet's head crest resembled a gold phoenix with its wings spread.
Ryofu had transformed into Black Phoenix Ryofu Hosen.
Bacho wore a black bodysuit with blue armor. The armor included a skirt hanging from a gold belt. The helmet she wore was modeled after a Roman Galea with a black crest on top. A round black spaulder was mounted on her right shoulder while a golden Qilin's head was mounted on her left shoulder.
Bacho had become Splendid Flash Bacho Moki.
Like her cousin, Batai wore a similar suit of armor. The helmet was the same as Bacho's, but it had a black visor to cover her eyes. The Qilin's head was mounted on her right shoulder instead and her bodysuit was orange. Her armor was black with orange trim. It also had a booster pack on the back for speed.
Batai had become Swift Shadow Batai.
Kochu's armor was white with pink trim and worn over her dress. Under her dress was a bodysuit with pink boots that reached up to her thigh and matching elbow-length gloves. She wore a gauntlet shield on her left arm and in her right hand was her Hurricane Peng bow. Over her head, she wore a black and silver helmet that was modeled after a hawk with a mechanical targeting monocle over her right eye.
Kochu had become Hurricane Archer Kochu Kansho.
Chou'un's armor seemed lightweight and form-fitting. The bodysuit was blue and the body armor was a darker shade. She had golden butterfly wings on her back and her helmet had a butterfly-shaped head crest on the brow. Her Kachou Kamen mask covered her face.
Chou'un had become Blue Butterfly Mask Chou'un Shiryuu.
Gien's own suit of armor was black with a bear's face on the chest. The protective bodysuit was orange. She was equipped with a pair of gauntlets that resembled bear paws. She also gained black steel boots and a pair of boosters on her back to help increase her speed. She wore a black helmet that looked like a bear's head with a white stripe in the middle.
Gien had become Bone Shattering Beast Brawler Gien Buncho.
The insect cloud slowly descended to drop off Nagata and Karasu. Nagata stepped off the cloud first before he took Karasu's hand to help her down.
"Thank you, Naga-kun. You are such a sweet gentleman."
Nagata silently nodded in response.
Karasu gave the group of armored warrior women a cordial smile.
"I see you've decided to honor us with a welcome. You even got dressed for the occasion. We're honored, thank you," said Karasu warmly. Inside though, she was seething because Nagata had given all of those girls their own special suits of armor.
What did they do to deserve such gifts?! No doubt they used his hormones to leech power for themselves! Well, once she killed them all she would take those powers back and give them to more deserving minions.
"So, did you girls like my gifts?" Karasu asked.
"You mean those creepy dolls you left for us? Yeah, we took care of them," said Bacho.
Kanu noticed that Nagata was standing silently beside Karasu. He did not seem to be resisting her, but the Black-Haired Bandit Hunter knew there was something wrong with him.
"What have you done to Nagata-sama, Karasu!?" Kanu snarled. Any ounce of respect she once had for Karasu was now gone.
"I've only shown him the truth," Karasu answered.
"Please, tell us why Idunn-sama?" Ryuubi pleaded. "We were comrades, friends even!"
"I do not make friends with whores!" Karasu snarled. "And I freed Naga-kun from your damn manipulations! Now he will be what an Oda is always meant to be! A supreme ruler! A foundation for our empire will be set with your corpses as the base!"
"Where's my husband then?" Kochu demanded.
"Probably freezing to death in the mountains right now," Karasu answered with a shrug, causing Kochu to gasp. "If you swear loyalty to me, I'll have my minions bring him back here and you can live. I see no point in Riri becoming an orphan."
She was actually fond of the little girl.
"We don't bargain with traitors!" Kanu spat.
"Traitors?" Karasu huffed. "I'm the only one who was truly loyal to Naga-kun! It was I who worried about him! It was I who worked to ensure his future, not you! Have you any idea what I had to give up to be with him? Of course not! You're so busy throwing yourselves at him so you can leech off his power and turn him into your puppet!"
"If you care about Nagata-sama at all, you would care about his happiness, not how happy he can make you!" Bacho frowned, still sickened by what she read in Karasu's journal.
"He is happy with me! He always will be!" Karasu shrieked before turning to Nagata. "Right, Naga-kun?"
Nagata nodded silently.
"You see? He agrees!"
"All we see is the mindless doll you've turned him into," Chou'un frowned. "It's funny how you accuse us of turning him into a puppet when that's what you've turned him into. But then again, a lunatic like you can only have a relationship with dolls."
Karasu scowled as her blood boiled. Any pretense of compassion instantly evaporated.
"Naga-kun, do it," Karasu prompted.
Nagata pulled back his hood, showing the Shoku Warriors his blank, expressionless face. His silver eyes were dull, no longer bright and full of life.
He reached down to his SengokuDriver and hit the Cutting Blade.
"Henshin," he spoke in a monotone as he pushed the Cutting Blade down, splitting the Darkness Lockseed open.
[SOIYA!]
Dark energy wrapped around Nagata's body and materialized into his Ride Wear suit. Unlike his usual blue suit, this suit was black with a sleeveless purple trench coat. Then pieces of the Darkness Arms Armor materialized and fused with Nagata's body. Finally, the darkness enveloped Nagata's head, forming his helmet. The visor flashed purple before the glow faded and left it pitch black.
[DARKNESS ARMS! ANKOKU NO KAJITSU!]
In a splash of darkness, the Dark Daidaimaru appeared in his right hand.
The Shoku Warriors gasped, stunned by this dark transformation of their lord.
"Naga-kun, please destroy them so we can build our new empire. Don't forget to eliminate anything that stands in our way," Karasu ordered.
Gaim-Darkness nodded and broke into a run as he charged at the Shoku Warriors. The Locust Kaijin hung back to guard Karasu as she watched. She smiled. This was going to become a massacre.
The battle was fierce from the onset. The Shoku Warriors had no choice but to fight their leader. Despite outnumbering him, he certainly had them outmatched. He also made sure they couldn't get close to Karasu.
He was swift and merciless, strong and agile, and none of them could match his ferocity. Their strikes didn't even seem to faze him, and he didn't hesitate to retaliate with brutal strikes of his own.
"Onii-chan, please! It's me! It's Rinrin!"
Gaim-Darkness ignored her pleas as he knocked her painfully to the ground with a kick.
An arrow came flying but Gaim-Darkness caught it. Looking up, he saw that it was Kochu. She loaded more arrows to her bow and fired, but he deflected them and charged right at her. He was intercepted by Bacho and Chou'un but he shoved them aside.
Ryofu later came in and blocked his charge.
She pushed him back and drove him back even further with her Heaven-Piercer. He retaliated with his Dark Daidaimaru, sparks blasting off as their weapons clashed violently. Ryofu drove her weapon into his chest, but he grabbed its shaft and pulled her in so he could strike her with his own blade.
Karasu watched the spectacle with barely hidden glee. Her focus was more on killing the Shoku Warriors and breaking their hold on her Naga-kun. However, there was no rule against her enjoying it.
The Locust Kaijin monsters were just there to put down resistance since Karasu knew she would need armies to build a new empire with her Naga-kun. Like Gaim-Darkness, they also made sure none of her enemies could get to her.
It was not long until Karasu grew bored of being a spectator. Not satisfied with just watching, Karasu scanned the battlefield and zeroed in on a familiar rosette. Smiling menacingly, Karasu approached her prey, calling upon her armor.
[TAOWU!]
"Henshin."
[TAOWU ARMS!]
Ryuubi groaned as she rose to her feet but let out a shriek as she was struck across the chest. Looking up, she saw that it was Jam, wielding her Musou Saber. She saw that Jam was wearing a new demonic suit of armor that left the rosette stunned.
"Let's start with you, Ryuubi Gentoku," Jam started.
"Idunn..." murmured Ryuubi as she clenched her sword and yelled.
Sparks flew as their weapons connected. The Dragon Claw broke through Jam's guard and him her in the chest. Jam was stunned as she was sent staggering back. Ryuubi followed up her initial strike with a series of stabs that Jam parried with her sword. One jab made it through and hit Jam in the chest. Instantly, Jam struck Ryuubi across the chest in retaliation, stunning her. Another slash knocked Ryuubi to the ground.
"Ryuubi Gentoku, a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan? All I see is a weak girl who can't do anything without her precious Armored War Gods," Jam sneered. Ryuubi scrambled backward in terror as Jam strode towards her. "I remember how he took your sword and your name but was unable to take your life. Looks like I'll be the one to finish the job he should've done a long time ago."
"LEAVE TOUKA-SAMA ALONE!" Gien screamed as she struck Jam across the back with her kanabo, knocking her away from Ryuubi. Grunting, Jam glared at Ryuubi's bodyguard.
"Enya!" Ryuubi cried out.
"Do not worry, Touka-sama! I'll handle this!"
Gien swung at Jam, in the hopes of putting her down. Sadly, Jam was agiler as she ducked and dodged, evading and pretty much avoiding all of Gien's swings. She bobbed and weaved, making sure to keep her distance until an opening presented itself.
Jam raised her sword, catching the Blunt Shattered Bone on the blade. She then pushed it away and slashed Gien across the chest. She then swung her weapon into Gien's arm, disarming her.
"Trying to be a hero? How noble. But the funny thing about heroes is..."
Jam hit her Cutting Blade.
[TAOWU SQUASH!]
Jam rapidly slashed Gien across the chest over and over with her energized Musou Saber, heaping damage upon the Beast Brawler armor before it finally vanished.
"Heroes die," Jam finished as she slashed Gien across the chest, spilling her blood.
"ENYA!" Ryuubi screamed as Gien fell to the ground, a growing stain of blood on her chest.
Batai heard Ryuubi scream Gien's name and turned to see her best friend lying injured on the ground. Leaving the fight with Gaim-Darkness, Batai angrily charged at Jam to attack her from behind. Lunging toward Jam, Batai thrust her Shadow Flash at the traitor's unprotected back.
However, her attack did not meet its mark as her Locust Kaijin immediately barred Batai. They attacked her, deliberately keeping her away from Jam.
"Let me through, you stupid bugs!" Batai shouted.
Jam walked over to Ryuubi, her sword still thirsty for blood.
"Idunn..."
"Nobody is coming to save you now, Ryuubi Gentoku. Not Naga-kun, not Ryugen, and certainly not your friends. Accept your fate and just die," Jam said as she raised her sword to finish Ryuubi off.
Kanu and Chouhi saw that Ryuubi was in a tight spot and broke away from Gaim-Darkness. He tried to stop them, but the other Shoku Warriors barred him.
"BLAZING OGRE STRIKE!"
"LIGHTNING VIPER SLASH!"
Jam was hit and engulfed in an explosion.
"Aneue!" Kanu shouted as she ran over to Ryuubi.
"Aisha, Enya's hurt!" Ryuubi cried.
Kanu looked at Gien. She really was hurt and slowly getting worse.
"Aisha-neechan! Touka-neechan!" Chouhi shouted in panic. "Look!"
As the cloud of smoke cleared, a swarm of insects gathered on the spot and reformed into Jam. She rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck from side-to-side.
"Congratulations, you almost got me," Jam remarked. She then broke into a run and swung her Musou Saber at Kanu, but she swiftly caught her attack with her Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
"Karasu Oda..." Kanu growled.
"Kanu Unchou..." Jam growled back.
Their eyes locked with mutual glares before they began to furiously exchange blows.
"How could you betray us like this?" Kanu demanded.
"It was rather easy! None of you suspected a thing!" Jam shot back.
"We trusted you!"
"That was your mistake, you fool!"
Jam knocked Kanu back with a brutal kick, sending her reeling.
"I am going to enjoy killing you," Jam said as her lips spread into a bloodthirsty grin. She reached down to her SengokuDriver, preparing to execute Kanu with a powerful finishing move. But then, all of a sudden, a flower-shaped Helheim portal opened up. Cherry blossom petals blasted out, distracting Jam.
"What now!?" Jam yelled in annoyance.
A Sakura Hurricane with Ryugen riding on it burst out of the portal. The bike sped by, knocking Jam down before it made a turn and came to a halt.
"Tokugawa!?" Jam exclaimed as she saw Ryugen. The last time she saw him, she left him to freeze on a mountain. He could not have possibly survived, so how was he even here?
Ryugen instantly recognized Jam's voice. He also took a moment to observe his surroundings. He spotted Gaim-Darkness fighting the other Shoku Warriors and a group of Locust Kaijin forming a perimeter.
"Iori-sama! It's Karasu! She's the traitor!" Kanu shouted, pointing at Jam.
Ryugen turned his gaze towards Jam as she got back up.
Bujin Gaim had told Ryugen about this before. At first, he brushed it off. But then he started to suspect that there was something not quite right about Karasu.
And now his suspicions were confirmed.
"So, it is you, Oda-san. There really is a traitor and it's you," Ryugen said.
"Yes, I'm the traitor. What are you going to do about it?" Jam challenged.
"What have you done to Nagata?"
"I've simply opened his eyes to the truth."
That was a lie. From the looks of it, Nagata was under some kind of mind control. The armor he wore and how he was fighting the Shoku Warriors supported that.
There was no way Nagata would ever raise his sword with lethal intent against the Shoku Warriors. Not unless he was forced to or being controlled.
Ryugen saw Ryuubi kneeling beside Gien who was lying in a pool of her own blood.
"Touka, get out of here!" Ryugen shouted to Ryuubi who was still in shock. Her frozen gaze was on Gien's injured body. "Touka! Get out of here, now! This place has no future without you!"
Ryuubi was snapped awake by Ryugen's yell. Hearing his words, she nodded and picked Gien while she retreated. Jam watched Ryuubi flee then turned to look at Ryugen.
"I'm surprised you managed to get off that mountain," Jam said with a scoff.
"I've lived here and dealt with the trials much longer than a prissy, sheltered, little heiress like you have," Ryugen taunted back. "Even a beating like that won't put me down for long. And Helheim is so handy for long-range travel."
"How convenient," snarked Jam, although she bristled at being called 'sheltered' and 'prissy'.
"So, tell me, Oda-san. Why have you decided to show your true colors now?"
"It just seems like the perfect time. Although, I could've killed all of you in your sleep anytime I wanted."
"So why didn't you?" Ryugen asked.
"It would be too impersonal. I wanted to be the one that took their lives with my own hands. I wanted to savor every moment. That's why I waited, and now there's nothing stopping me now."
Ryugen dismounted and aimed his Budou Ryuhou at Jam.
"We'll see about that."
"Ryugen-sama, do you need our assistance?" Kanu offered.
"Aisha, you and Chouhi go and help the others," Ryugen ordered. "Leave this traitor to me."
Jam smirked as Kanu and Chouhi returned to aid their comrades. As if their help would change anything. Her Naga-kun would destroy them.
"I see you've chosen to fight me alone, Tokugawa. I guess I should hold back a little so that I can savor this."
"Don't do me any favors, you traitor."
Ryugen took the Budou Lockseed out of his SengokuDriver and closed it. Concentrating, he poured his dark Ki into the trinket and changed it into a new Yomotsuheguri Lockseed.
If he defeated Jam here, then that might break whatever spell she put on Nagata.
[YOMOTSUHEGURI!]
[LOCK ON! HAI~! YOMOTSUHEGURI ARMS! MEI, KAI, YOMI, YOMI, YOMI!]
"You're going down!" shouted Ryugen-Yomi.
Their confrontation soon erupted into a furious exchange of blows. They clashed like antagonistic partners in the middle of a dance of death in the midst of an orgy of violence.
Ryuubi took Gien straight to Kada. When the reports of a monster army came in, Kada was quick to open up a medic station to help anyone who was injured in the attack.
Gien urgently needed treatment for her injury. It was an emergency.
Ryuubi carried Gien in her arms. It looked like the girl with two-toned hair was slipping.
"Just hang on, Enya. Just hang on," Ryuubi pleaded desperately to her friend.
The injured girl didn't look too good and her injury was severe. She would only get worse without treatment.
"Kada-sensei! Kada-sensei, I need your help!" Ryuubi shouted.
Kada saw the state Gien was in. A large gash stretched across her chest, losing copious amounts of blood. She was fading fast and Kada knew he would have to work quickly in order to save her life.
"Quick, lay her down there," Kada instructed, pointing to a nearby cot. Ryuubi quickly obliged, gently putting Gien down.
"Enya, can you hear me? Kada-sensei is going to take care of you," said Ryuubi.
Gien was in too much pain to respond properly.
"Let me take care of her," Kada said to Ryuubi. "You should return to help your friends."
"Thank you. Please, save her," Ryuubi pleaded.
"I'll do all I can for her."
Reassured, Ryuubi went to rejoin the battle. Kada looked at Gien and grimaced. He did not have the heart to tell Ryuubi that Gien's chances of survival were slim. But Kada was a doctor, and he would try to save Gien's life.
He swore by the WAY OF THE FIVE GRAINS!
As Gien lay on the cot, she murmured, "Oneesan..."
Meanwhile, Gaim-Darkness was still in the middle of his battle with the Shoku Warriors. He was dual-wielding with the Musou Saber and Dark Daidaimaru. The two-sword style was his forte after all.
Despite being a puppet under Jam's control, his fighting skills had not dulled. He still fought fiercely against his officers.
As they fought, Kanu came to realize something. As a puppet, Gaim-Darkness was a slave to his master's will. However, it looked like Nagata may not be completely under Karasu's control.
They had seen the way he fought countless times before, and how he crushed his enemies with his incredible might and skill.
The way he fought the Shoku Warriors right now lacked any of that significant force. It was like the way he fought during their sparring matches. When they sparred, even in his armor, he was always careful not to perform any lethal moves.
And not once did Gaim-Darkness use any of his finishers on them when he had the chance.
"I think Nagata-sama's holding back," theorized Kanu, getting some distance to speak with her sisters-in-arms.
"How do you figure that?" Chou'un asked.
"We all know how strong Nagata-sama is in his armor. He could've killed us in an instant if he wanted to, but he hasn't even tried to use his most powerful attacks. I think he's trying to resist whatever control Karasu has over him," Kanu explained.
"So how do we snap him out of it?" Bacho asked.
"Hopefully, Ryugen-sama can defeat Jam. That should do it. If not, we may need to somehow break the spell ourselves."
"So, the plan is to stay alive and hope for a miracle," Chou'un summarized. "We seem to be good at getting those, so why not?"
"We just need to remind him," Kanu said as she stared down at Gaim-Darkness. She prayed that her plan worked.
During the fight between Jam and Ryugen-Yomi, the Demon Dragon of the Underworld slashed her with his Kiwi Gekirin, but she parried with her sword as sparks blasted off around them.
"What's the matter, Tokugawa? Why are you holding back? This can't be all you've got!" Jam taunted.
Ryugen-Yomi gritted his teeth as she taunted him. It was not like he was weak. It was that she was now stronger than him. She had put him at a disadvantage, but he was not going to let her realize that. At least, he could buy the Shoku Warriors some time to break his best friend free from her control.
He also prayed that the girls could save Nagata. Once they got Nagata back on their side, they could take Jam down together.
It was a gamble, and chances seemed slim, so all they could do was hope for the best but prepared for the worst.
That was all they could do now as they fought.
[HAI~! YOMOTSUHEGURI SQUASH!]
Ryugen-Yomi spun in place and hurled the Kiwi Gekirin. Jam quickly defended herself as she deflected the Kiwi Gekirin. They bounced off her sword and returned again, only to bounce off repeatedly. Jam flung the Kiwi Gekirin back to Ryugen-Yomi, knocking him back.
"I think I'll regret killing you. The last thing I want is for Riri to lose a good father," Jam told Ryugen-Yomi honestly. It was truly unfortunate that things turned out this way.
An arrow hit her in the chest and exploded, knocking her back. Ryugen-Yomi blinked and saw Kochu in the distance with her bow leveled at Jam.
"Thank you, Koi!" Ryugen-Yomi said gratefully to his wife as he got up to engage Jam again.
At the same time, Gaim-Darkness continued to block and parry every blow aimed at him. No matter what they threw at him, none of their strikes would land.
"He's unbeatable!" Bacho cried out in frustration.
"No, he isn't," Kanu argued. "He's holding back, but that does not mean we have to."
"What are you saying, Aisha?" Chou'un asked.
"Girls, I think if we want to save Nagata-sama right now, we'll need to get him out of that armor," Kanu said. "If it takes too much damage..."
"He'll be defenseless," Chou'un finished, smiling. Experience taught them that the Armored War Gods' armor was not completely invincible. It had limits. Once it took too many hits or one powerful blow, the armor would vanish.
An armored Nagata was powerful. Though, without his armor, he was just as vulnerable as a mortal man.
Kanu looked to her sisters-in-arms and they all nodded as they agreed to the plan. Chouhi seemed reluctant, as she did not want to hurt her big brother, but she did not want him to remain Jam's slave either.
"Let's do this!" Chouhi announced.
"On my mark," Kanu prepared as a green aura flared from her body. "NOW!" She broke into a run, her Green Dragon Crescent Blade shining with green energy.
"BLAZING OGRE STRIKE!"
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade ignited with green flames as Kanu struck. Gaim-Darkness quickly raised his swords to block, but she broke through and struck him violently with her guandao, sending him staggering back.
"LIGHTNING VIPER SLASH!"
Chouhi leaped over Kanu and struck Gaim across the chest, sending him reeling back. The electrical charge of the slash caused him to convulse.
"Tanpopo! Sui!" Kanu prompted.
"DOUBLE FLASH!"
Bacho and Batai ran past Chouhi and Kanu to land their attacks. The Silver Flash and Shadow Flash spears glowed with power as the cousins thrust their weapons at Gaim-Darkness. Multiple lightning fast jabs hit the Armored War God.
They came too fast for him to block and he was hit all over.
When they stopped, Gaim-Darkness fell to his knees. His armor had taken damage, but it still wasn't enough.
Rising to his feet, Gaim-Darkness sent Bacho and Batai skidding back with twin swipes. As he approached them, he was hit by an explosive arrow shot.
He turned his head to look at Kochu who was charging up an arrow on her Hurricane Peng.
"FALCON ARROW!"
Kochu released the arrow which turned into a bird of flame. It struck Gaim-Darkness with explosive force, sending him tumbling. He lay still for a few moments before flipping back to his feet.
Just a little more.
"Sei!" Kanu called and Chou'un dove down with her butterfly wings.
"AZURE DANCE!"
Chou'un struck Gaim-Darkness with her Dragon Fang bident. He tried to block it, but she broke through his guard to land several successful strikes before she landed a kick to his face, knocking him down.
And now it was Ryofu's turn. A purple glow surrounded her Heaven-Piercer as she twirled it around.
"HEAVEN'S WRATH!"
Ryofu struck the ground and summoned a tornado that sucked up Gaim-Darkness. She then jumped into the tornado and allowed the violent winds to carry her. Gaim-Darkness was powerless in the tornado.
"Forgive me," she whispered before she hammered him with her Heaven-Piercer. Sparks blasted off his chest violently like water from a geyser.
The tornado died and Gaim-Darkness crashed to the ground as Ryofu landed on her feet.
Kanu looked at Gaim-Darkness as he lay still on the ground. She hoped their plan worked. When his armor turned into darkness and evacuated his body, she felt relieved.
But her relief only lasted for a second.
The Darkness Lockseed flashed, calling the darkness back to engulf Nagata.
[SOIYA! DARKNESS ARMS! ANKOKU NO KAJITSU!]
The darkness swarmed Nagata, reforming the dark armor Karasu had forced him into. He quickly rose to his feet, much to their shock.
"It didn't work!" Bacho cried out.
Gaim-Darkness joined his Musou Saber and Dark Daidaimaru together to form the Dark Musou Naginata. As he twirled the combined weapon around, he hit the Cutting Blade of his SengokuDriver.
[SOIYA! DARKNESS SQUASH!]
The blades glowed and he swung, sending a powerful energy slash that struck the Shoku Warriors, knocking them to the ground.
The Shoku Warriors quickly regrouped as Gaim-Darkness approached them threateningly.
"He's taken everything we've got!" Bacho shouted. "Now what?"
"No, not everything," Kanu watched as Gaim-Darkness advanced on them.
Gaim-Darkness was suddenly hit in the back and sparks ripped off on impact. He stopped and turned to see Ryuubi holding her Dragon Claw Sword.
"Nagata-sama..." Ryuubi uttered as she clenched her sword. "Please, stop. We're your friends. Your family."
Gaim-Darkness' answer was to swing at her. Ryuubi raised her sword to block and was sent skidding back. He advanced on her, swinging his Dark Musou Naginata. Remembering her lessons, Ryuubi blocked each of the strikes. When she saw an opening, she retaliated, landing a slash across his chest. Gaim-Darkness stood his ground and swung at her.
"BLAZING OGRE STRIKE!"
"LIGHTNING VIPER SLASH!"
Both Kanu and Chouhi's attacks landed, engulfing Gaim-Darkness in an explosion.
"Aneue!" Kanu called and Ryuubi immediately ran to Kanu's side.
"What's the plan?" Ryuubi asked, still feeling the rush of adrenaline.
"We're trying to get Nagata-sama out of that armor," Kanu said. "It's the only way we can get a chance to save him."
"We tried that before, but the armor came back," Chou'un added.
"Then we just need to try harder! We can't give up!"
Jam, overhearing this, scoffed, "Seriously? Their plan is to 'try harder'? Do they even know the definition of 'insanity'?"
"You're the definition of 'insanity'!" Ryugen-Yomi snapped, only to be punched in the face.
"That was rhetorical. Please, don't interrupt. Anyway, the definition of 'insanity' is to do the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result."
Ryuubi watched as the others surrounded Gaim-Darkness and attacked him. It broke her heart to see them all fighting like this. Just a day ago, they were all sharing a meal together. Now, not only was Karasu their enemy, but Nagata had fallen under her control. They had no choice but to fight him.
She did not want this to continue.
"Rinrin! Aisha!" Ryuubi raised her glowing sword. Chouhi and Kanu quickly crossed their blades with Ryuubi. Their weapons charged up. "TRINITY ATTACK!"
Their bodies glowed in their respective armor colors. They then swung their weapons, throwing the attack at Darkness-Gaim. The combined red, blue and green blasts took the shape of a dragon and smashed into Gaim-Darkness. An explosion followed.
When the smoke cleared, Gaim-Darkness staggered on his feet. Ryofu got behind Gaim-Darkness, putting him in a headlock. He tried to break free, with Ryofu struggling to keep him in place. Chouhi assisted her, wrapping her arms around Gaim-Darkness' waist.
Chouhi grabbed the Darkness Lockseed, hoping that by removing it that they would be able to free Nagata. Unfortunately, it was not coming off. The button to release it was not working. Obviously, it was Karasu's doing. Only she would be able to remove the Darkness Lockseed.
"Nagata-sama, please stop," pleaded Ryofu.
"Nagata-niichan! Listen! It's us! Please, don't fight us!" begged Chouhi.
Chouhi was one of the strongest warriors despite her young age and Ryofu was known as the only warrior that could match an Armored War God in battle. However, even with their combined strength, they still found it difficult to hold Gaim-Darkness in place. He was trying to break free from their grip, ignoring their pleas.
"Nagata-sama!" Ryofu cried.
"Onii-chan, please remember us!" Chouhi pleaded.
"Come on, they need help!" Kanu ordered as she went and embraced Gaim-Darkness. Bacho and Batai each took a leg while Ryuubi held onto his right arm as Chou'un held onto the left arm. He struggled further, trying to throw them off.
"Nagata-sama, please wake up!"
"Please, hear our voices! Come back to us!"
"We're comrades!"
"We're your friends! Your family!"
"Nagata-sama!"
"Nagata-sama!"
"Nagata-sama!"
"Onii-chan!"
Gaim-Darkness ignored their pleas and roared as he threw them off him, one by one, sending them sprawling to the ground.
Kanu got back to her feet to face him.
She remembered the day they met, how they became traveling companions and bonded as comrades.
She remembered how she developed feelings for him, feelings which were reciprocated.
She remembered how he tried so hard, even when things became difficult and challenging.
She remembered when he was on the verge of breaking down, but rose back up again because of his sense of justice, honor, and duty.
She was not giving up on him.
"Nagata-sama, we're not giving up on you! But if this...if this is truly what you want..." Kanu dropped her weapon and spread her arms as she willed her armor away. "Then kill me."
The others were shocked by this.
"Aisha, what are you doing!?" Ryuubi yelled.
Kanu ignored her sworn sister and said to Gaim-Darkness, "I'm not going to fight you, Nagata-sama. Not anymore. So you might as well just kill me. I can't live in a world where we're enemies."
Jam watched with a grin. Finally, one of those girls would get what she deserved. Best of all, it would be Kanu Unchou who would lose her life first. Karasu blamed her for seducing her Naga-kun away from her. If it was not for her, he would not be in this mess in the first place.
"Yes, Naga-kun! Do it!" Jam encouraged.
And soon the others would follow her example and perish.
They would all die today.
"Aisha, what are you doing!?" Ryugen-Yomi yelled. "He'll kill you!"
Despite all the warnings and knowing how risky it was, Kanu stood her ground and braced herself. She put her faith to her beloved one regardless of what he would do to her.
Gaim-Darkness raised his Musou Naginata. She was completely defenseless as she surrendered herself, so it would be easy to kill her. He stood only a few inches away from her, ready to take her life.
But suddenly, Kanu threw her arms around Gaim-Darkness.
"Nagata-sama, I believe in you."
Gaim-Darkness suddenly froze.
Jam was shocked by this, and then her shock turned to anger.
"What are you doing, Naga-kun!? Kill her now!"
Kanu looked into his darkened visor, knowing that her beloved was still in there, still fighting for control. She had absolute faith that no matter what was done to him, whoever tried to enslave him, he was still there to fight and protect his loved ones.
"Nagata-sama, please come back to me. I love you."
Gaim-Darkness shook and trembled. He let his weapon slip from his hand so he could return the embrace.
"Nagata-sama..."
"Aisha..."
He pulled away from Kanu. He jerked forward and back like a puppet being pulled in two different directions.
His visor flashed, shifting between black and silver.
"Obey...Kara-chan..."
His visor turned silver.
"No, I can't...it's Aisha..."
His visor turned black.
"Kara-chan...Must obey..."
Silver.
"I can't hurt her. Can't hurt any of them..."
Silver.
Black.
Silver.
Black.
His visor continued to flicker between the two colors as he went back and forth with himself.
To kill or not to kill?
To obey or disobey?
These thoughts opposed each other painfully in his mind.
His mind was deadlocked between Karasu and the Shoku Warriors.
Suddenly, his memories flash before his eyes.
*FLASH!*
Nagata looked up and saw the girl looking at him and blushed.
'Wow...'
He couldn't help but admire her. She was gorgeous! She had a great figure, smooth skin without blemishes, and long black hair that looked smooth and silky.
The girl looked almost shy or timid as she managed to get her senses back. Holding her weapon in a manner that showed she wasn't going to threaten him, she approached him. She opened her mouth several times but instead kneeled in front of Nagata in order to look him in the eye.
Finally, she got the nerve to speak.
"Are...are you the Messenger of Heaven?" she asked, almost quiet as if she feared that another was listening from someplace hidden.
"Huh? Messenger of Heaven? Ah...no. I don't think so. Sorry."
"What? But, your armor, your strange devices! No one else can do that! You must be the Messenger!" Kanu insisted.
"News to me," Nagata sighed. "If I'm a Messenger then no one told me the message. I just ended up here trying to stop a thief! I don't know what's going on or where I am!"
"W-well, you are in the Kei Province," the girl answered.
"Kei Province?" Nagata blinked. "That sounds like a Chinese province…"
"Well, we are in China so of course it would," the girl nodded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Nagata blinked…
And blinked…
And blinked.
"EHHHHHHHH?!" he cried out. "I'M IN CHINA?!"
"Ah! Um, y-yes!" The girl nodded, shocked at the outburst. "Um...is something the matter, Goshujin-sama?"
"I got transported thousands of miles into China!" Nagata cried. "And I don't even know how!"
"Is it not obvious?" asked the girl. "The gods must have sent you here as their messenger! The one who will end these turbulent times!"
"Huh?" Nagata blinked. "Turbulent times? Like with what, the government or something?"
"Which government do you speak? There are many in these times," the girl sighed. "With the Gi and the Go factions conquering lands by the day, and other minor factions and provinces scrambling to amass what power and territory they can, it is not the safest of times."
Nagata blinked.
"Gi and Go? You mean the kingdoms led by Sousou Motoku and Sonsaku Hakufu? Two of the three great kings of the Three Kingdoms era?"
"Well, that is them," Kanu nodded, "But I would not call this era one of Three Kingdoms since there are only two."
"Uh…" Nagata frowned, now thinking he may have just hit his head and everything he witnessed this far was just a dream. "Excuse me for not asking sooner, but just who exactly are you?"
"Oh! Forgive my rudeness!" The girl bowed deeply. "I am Kanu, followed by Unchou. A mere humble woman doing what she can to protect people from the viciousness of the bandits."
"Oh, nice to meet you, Kanu...Unchou..." His eyes widened. "Wait, did you say your name was 'Kanu Unchou'? The Kanu Unchou?"
*FLASH!*
Kanu was forcefully relieved of her weapon when a Rinshi kicked away her Green Dragon Crescent Blade and prepared to impale her with its spear. However, the Rinshi recoiled from a shot fired by Gaim who then tossed her his Daidaimaru. She caught the weapon and slashed at the Rinshi coming at her, decapitating them before their bodies dissolved into dust.
At the same time, Gaim dove towards her fallen Green Dragon Crescent Blade and picked it up. He swung it, decapitating the Rinshi with the blade. Seeing that Kanu may need an extra hand, or in this case a blade, he decided to lend her his side weapon.
"Aisha, heads up!" shouted Gaim as he tossed her his Musou Saber. As she spun and slashed the Rinshi, she caught the Musou Saber. Seeing Gaim do it many times before, she connected both weapons to form their combined Naginata Mode. Smiling, she slashed with both blades as Gaim nodded before using her Green Dragon Crescent Blade to put down the enemy foot soldiers.
"Now switch!" Gaim ordered and Kanu tossed the naginata back to Gaim who tossed back her weapon. They caught their weapons and ended up standing back-to-back, facing the enemy. They both glared at the enemy before the two attacked the Rinshi furiously, landing lethal blows with each strike which sent the undead warriors back to where they belonged.
*FLASH!*
Back at Touka Village as the celebration continued, Kanu and Nagata were alone together. With their friends gabbing together and the children distracted with play, they stole off to have a relaxing stroll through the woods, surrounded by the soft pink petals and gentle sunlight. Both were silent, unsure of really what to say at first.
A lot had happened during the last few days and some emotional extremes were touched. After several moments of insecurity, Kanu decided to say what she felt needed to be said for some time.
"When Ryuubi told me that you had returned to Heaven, I was heartbroken. There was so much I wanted to tell you, Gaim-sama," Kanu said with a blush on her face.
"Aisha, I could never leave you. Not without saying goodbye at least," he told her honestly. When Ryuubi said he would tell Kanu that Nagata had abandoned her, it made his heart clench. He didn't want to make Kanu ever think he would just abandon her like that.
"I know that. That is why I knew he was lying. You would never be so uncaring as to leave without a word," she agreed. "I know one day you may need to return to your home. Is it selfish of me to ask you to always stay...with me?"
"Aisha..."
"I...I..." Kanu wasn't sure what to say in this situation as she had never been put in one like this. She had thought she had cast away her identity as a woman for the sake of defeating bandits, but ever since meeting Nagata, she found it returning with a vengeance. However, she decided to be direct and show him what she wanted to say. With that thought in mind, the Beautiful Black-Haired Bandit Hunter leaned up to the Armored War God of the Ultimate Sword and kissed him on the lips. It was a sweet and tender kiss, one that both sides got into despite their mutual lack of experience. As it ended, Kanu found her arms wrapped behind Nagata's neck and Nagata's own wrapped around her waist. Among the cherry blossoms, the two found each other almost hypnotic.
"Aisha."
"Yes...?"
"Call me by my real name."
"Yes...Nagata-sama."
The two leaned in and shared another kiss...
*FLASH!*
"I love you."
"I love you too, Nagata-sama..."
*FLASH!*
Memory after memory flashed in Gaim-Darkness' mind and stirred around. It was becoming too much for him as he gripped his head and fell to his knees as he screamed in agony.
"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Nagata-sama!"
"Onii-chan!"
"Naga-kun!"
To Be Continued in Part 2…
KRC: OK, so by the time I finished this 1/2 chapter, I realize I was rehashing the end of the "Return of Bujin Gaim" arc. I mean, I used the "I know you are in there" and "Power of Love" trope there too. I was almost considering killing Kanu off to shock Nagata awake.
Thankfully, I decided against it. But the way Kanu reached Nagata is based on a scene from "Power Rangers Zeo". I know it has been years, but it is the one where Tommy is brainwashed but Kat reached out to him and brought him back to his senses.
(BL92: From "King for a Day")
I included flashbacks from previous seasons. Seems good for this sort of thing.
As usual, please read and review.
