Author's Note

Phew! These past few weeks have been completely packed, and I am exhausted! I'm glad I had time to finish up this chapter though. Spirits is quickly coming to an end, and I'd just like to thank everyone for keeping up with me this long! Thank you for all of your continued support, and I hope that you continue to enjoy the story as it comes to its conclusion. See you next time!

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis does not belong to me. Reads and reviews appreciated!

Chapter 37

Cruel laughter resounded through the darkened skies. Kageirou sneered down upon the travelers, his face glowing with twisted triumph as he looked upon the fallen body. "You? Defeat me?" He roared with laughter once more. "What can you puny mortals do against me, one who cannot be slain? But by all means… I welcome you to try."

"Raishu!" Ryoma leapt, and the spirit of Air quickly came to his assistance, following him into the skies. "Trap him!" The otter chirruped, racing off ahead of his master.

"Ah, that won't work a second time, boy!" The mass of darkness spread wide before inverting itself upon the quickly approaching spirit, surrounding Raishu in its clouds instead. The otter shrieked as it was contained.

"Raishu! Hold on!" Ryoma raised his sword to swing at the darkness, but the gaseous substance only molded to evade his strike. The prince grit his teeth, calling to his other spirits. "Iyi, Kanna, help him out!"

The bat and the firebird lifted from the ground with mighty screeches, wings propelling them towards their trapped brother. With a shriek of her own, Kanna sent forth bursts of red hot fire, Iyi bending them into streamers that wrapped around the cloud. 'We are coming, brother Air!' Kanna trilled, pouring more fire into her attack.

Kageirou hissed at the burning cage, momentarily distracted by the fire, and Ryoma saw his chance to strike again. He swung his sword down, and this time, he managed to part the clouds, the fallen uncle crying out in pain as Raishu slipped free from his grasp. "Are you alright?" The Guardian asked the otter, and the creature nodded wearily, curling itself around the princeling. Ryoma smiled at the spirit in relief, before turning to the darkness still within its fiery cage. He held his blade before him, preparing to strike again.

"Fools, all of you!" The darkness roared as it contracted away from the walls of fire. The air seemed to change, as though the atmosphere had suddenly been charged with tension. 'Master!' Kanna shrieked, diving upon the princeling to shield him, bringing him away from the glowing ball of darkness just as Kageirou released his attack. Bursts of dark energy exploded from Kageirou's form, disintegrating his confines and striking those in its immediate vicinity. With strangled cries, Iyi, Kanna, and Raishu fell to the earth, writing in pain.

"You… you guys!" Ryoma gasped, running to Kanna's side. The firebird had taken the brunt of Kageirou's attack, having shielded the prince. 'Wait, Master, let me!' Sanis galloped to the three fallen spirits, a glowing energy surrounding her and spreading to the others.

"Oh no, no cheating now, little brat! Here comes another!" The voice above them chided, contracting once again. Ryoma watched, eyes widened. He had to do something, or all of them would be slain. But what could he do? The man was so powerful, and none of his attacks seemed to weaken him. "I..."

"Brat!" Ryoma jolted as a barrier of ice suddenly grew between those down below and the threat above. The proud king of Hyoutei stood beside the prince of Seishun, his arms thrust upwards as he poured all of his strength into the barrier. Suzu hissed, opening her jaws wide to add her own strength into the shield. The ice cracked and splintered as bursts of dark energy struck, but the pair was quick to repair the shield as it did. "Don't you give up now, brat prince! We still need to have a rematch… Don't you dare lose to anyone but me!"

Thunder pounded in the skies above them, and an ear-splitting shriek split the air as lightning struck him. "Don't you forget me, little prince!" Sanada shouted, his face furious as he commanded his element. "I won't be losing to you again! Tarundarou!"

"The attacks have stopped," Yukimura announced, with a soft smile to Ryoma though his eyes were serious. "Isn't that right, Tezuka?"

"Ah." The stoic captain agreed, his eyes also turned upwards. "But let us not get careless."

Ryoma's eyes were wide as he regarded his friends. There were people willing to fight with him, to face the darkness by his side. A cool hand slipped into his, and the prince turned his face to the side, startled. Blue eyes glowed with light as they stared past the barrier of ice. "He will strike again soon, Ryoma." Fuji's voice was soft as he spoke to his loved one. He squeezed the prince's hand, having missed holding it. "Tell us, what do we do?"

We. The word was simple, one that the prince heard nearly every day, but in this moment, it stuck in his mind and blossomed within his chest like a flower. He was not facing the darkness on his own, and he would never have to face anything alone. He had made that mistake back in Seishun, taking on the role of Masquerade without relying on anyone else or even trusting his lover to help him. He returned the gentle pressure around his hand, realizing that perhaps the solution had been right before his eyes all this time.

'Only the unity of the spirits will bind the Darkness once more.' That was what the Creator had said. They all had to face the darkness together, not as individuals but as a team, in order to bring down their foe. "Thank you, Syuusuke," Ryoma said softly, having finally understood what had to be done. Fuji smiled down at the little prince, briefly wrapping him in a tight embrace before stepping back, allowing the Guardian to do his work. The prince turned around, eyes seeking his spirits. "Karupin," he called. The maiden drifted over to her master's side, waiting for his command. "We all need to strike together. That's what the Creator said, only a unity between all the spirits can defeat the darkness."

Karupin nodded, but then her bright blue eyes trailed to where Sanis was still working on healing the defeated Raishu, Iyi, and Kanna. 'Ryoma, some of us are not ready to fi—'

'Don't underestimate us, Sister!' Kanna lifted her head, fire burning in her dark eyes. Sanis stepped back as the phoenix rose to her feet. Iyi and Raishu struggled to do the same. Naiyo and Royal trotted forwards, supporting their brethren. 'We can still fight!'

Illuse bound towards Karupin, Mada in tow. 'Karupin, he will be coming soon,' the silver fox reminded. 'We must make our move.'

Mada whined, his ears flattened against his head bashfully. He had caused trouble amongst the spirits in the past, and he still felt as though he were largely an outsider, but the collar around his neck proved that he belonged. 'I… I think we can do it, Karupin,' he chimed in quietly. The spirits all murmured in agreement. Karupin glanced at Ryoma, waiting for his verdict.

The prince, released from Fuji's embrace, walked to his most recently tamed spirit, laying a hand upon her head. "Are you sure you're alright, Kanna?" he asked quietly, stroking her head tenderly. The firebird had taken Kageirou's blow in his place; surely, it was not something so easily shaken off. The phoenix cooed quietly, closing her eyes as she leaned into her master's hand. She was weary, but she understood that she could not hold off from the battle. Ryoma nodded, understanding her will. "Be careful then," he said, stepping back and looking at the collected group. "All of you."

Suzu hissed, baring her fangs as she slithered over to join the spirits. 'Let us bring down his foe who dares strike our master!' The other spirits cried out in agreement. The ten spirits lifted from the earth, charging straight for the darkness in the sky.

'Suzu, Kanna, contain him where he is!' Royal whinnied in mid-air, co-ordinating their attack. The firebird and the serpent immediately leapt into action, burning infernos and torrential twisters forming around them. The elements formed contrasting bands of power, wrapping around the mass of darkness before shrinking upon him.

"This didn't work the last time, and it won't work now!" Kageirou sneered, as his clouds of darkness began to disperse once more. Raishu growled as he leapt into action, his long body spinning to send gusts of wind upwards, keeping the darkness from spreading.

'He will be attacking once more to break the boundaries,' Illuse announced, the fox's eyes glowing bright. Royal nodded, before calling out his next command. 'Iyi, Naiyo!'

'Right away, sir!' The raccoon dog shouted gleefully, though his eyes were trained upon the glowing sphere of fire and water. 'You can't think you'll get away, you just can't—'

'Oh, stop your barking and fight already!' Iyi interrupted Naiyo's rambling, and the tanuki laughed as the bat took off. He howled, slabs of earth rising from around him. Like before, the bat quickly manipulated the earth to form a box around the contained enemy, sealing him inside a chamber of rock.

'Mada!' This time, it was Karupin who cried out, and the little dog looked up at the maiden in confusion. The glowing golden entity nodded at the tenth spirit. 'Let us strike.'

Royal nodded his approval, and Mada wagged his tail, understanding this to be an acceptance from the rest of the spirits. 'Yes, Sister!' he barked gleefully, before a light surrounded him and he grew larger. The light dispersed, leaving behind a great, black dragon who roared at the heavens. 'Let's go!'

Karupin leapt onto Mada's back as the dragon took off, the two spirits soaring towards the darkness. 'He's going to try and break free, Royal,' Illuse informed the spirit of Truth, and the horse watched as the Ninth and Tenth spirits ascended. 'They won't make it in time.'

'Allow me.' Sanis stepped forward elegantly before rearing onto her hind legs, eyes focused on the darkness within their cage. Stealing time from within, Kageirou's actions were slowed, almost to the point of freezing.

'Karupin, Mada, strike now!' Royal commanded. The maiden leapt from the dragon's back, daggers of light forming around her as Mada opened his jaws, black fire gathering within. As though through co-ordination, the two spirits struck at once, their attacks piercing through the walls of earth and striking deep into the clouds of darkness. A sickening shriek was heard within the confines and for a moment, Ryoma felt as though they had been triumphant in subduing Kageirou. But soon, quiet laughter replaced the screams, and the prince felt his heart sink.

"I told you, fools… You cannot kill me." Kageirou's voice rang loud and true from behind the walls of the earthly cage. There was a great rumbling, and the box began to crumble. "You cannot kill something that is already dead!" With a tortured scream, the cage split open, and Kageirou's darkness spilled forth once more. The spirits roared in disbelief as the clouds began to reform.

"What happened?" Atobe demanded from where he had been watching. "Why didn't it work?"

"The spirits weren't unified…" Yukimura realized. "They attacked together, but they aren't unified!"

"How do we unify them then?" Sanada roared above the commotion. "What is the answer?"

All eyes turned to Ryoma, who was just as lost as the rest of them. His eyes were wide and lost as he realized he did not have an answer. "I… I don't—"

"The bells." Fuji's voice was calming in the midst of the chaos, the seer's blue eyes fixed upon the little prince. "The bells, and you, Ryoma."

The bells… The more Ryoma thought about it, the more he realized that all of his spirits were indeed different from each other. The only thing they had in common was the bells that they all wore, a symbol that they had all been tamed by the enchantment of the bells. Golden eyes lit up as an idea struck the prince, and he quickly reached for the first bell. "Sanada." Withdrawing the bell of fire, he handed it to the emperor of Rikkai, who accepted it with a questioning gaze. Ignoring him for the moment, Ryoma unclasped the second bell of water, his eyes darting to Atobe. "This one's yours, Monkey king."

"What… are you doing, Ryoma?" Yukimura asked as the bell of Time was handed to Oishi, the bell of Space to Inui. The prince ignored the Child of God's question, glancing to all those around him. To Tezuka, he handed the bell of Truth. To Fuji, the bell of Vision. He grit his teeth; the bells of Air, Earth, Life, and Chaos remained. He himself would wield the last two, but without users of the first two elements, he did not know who would wield the others.

"Chibisuke." Ryoma whirled around to see Ryoga standing by him, both hands extended towards the younger brother. The elder gave him a wolfish grin. "Come on. I might not have been Guardian material, but dad did teach me a few things."

Ryoma nodded, drawing the bells of Air and Earth to hand them to his brother with a grin. "Don't mess up, Aniki," he teased, before drawing the bells of Life and Chaos to wield himself. The smile faded from his face as he turned to face the spirits. "We don't have much time. We all need to strike once more."

'But it didn't work last time!' Naiyo whimpered. 'Why do you think it'll work now?'

"Because we will unify you." Ryoma held up the bells of Life and Chaos, which began to glow with golden light. The bells around Mada and Karupin's neck lit up in reaction, and Mada gasped.

'This… I feel power like I've never felt before,' the dragon hissed in astonishment. The other spirits, seeing their newest brother's reaction, quickly nodded, agreeing to their master's plan.

'We follow you, master,' Royal neighed, his head dipping in respect before he turned to the spirits. 'On my mark!'

"Wait, Ryoma, what are we doing?" Syuusuke asked frantically. It felt as though a plan had been formed just now, and he was not quite following. He clutched the bell of Vision in his hands, one hand muffling the clapper.

Ryoma turned to view his bell wielders. They each were masters of their own elements, and he would grant them the power to wield the bells, just this once. "The bells will unite the spirits," he explained quickly as the spirits prepared to take off. "But I cannot ring all of them at once. So please… I need your help."

Several people gasped as the proud prince deigned himself to asking for other people's help, but Sanada quickly shushed them with a glare. "All we have to do is ring them, right, little prince?"

Ryoma nodded, and Atobe barked out a laugh, flipping his hair. "Sounds easy enough, brat!" The king announced, though he sent a smile in the prince's direction. "Just let us know when."

The other wielders nodded, waiting for Ryoma's signal. "Alright then… Spirits, go!" At his command, the ten spirits leapt from the ground, each gathering power to strike at the gathering clouds of darkness.

"It won't work! It'll never work, you'll never defeat me!" Kageirou taunted, though his words were cut off by another voice.

"Now!" Ten bells swung at once, and the chimes of the instruments seemed to dance together joyfully. The spirits cried out at the sense of power filling them, power drawn from the masters of the elements they commanded, and they unleashed their attacks all at once.

"No… No! What is this?" The bursts of power struck through the heart of the darkness, and Kageirou shrieked in pain. "No, this cannot be…!"

Where the combined strikes met, something seemed to be happening. A hole in the sky opened up, revealing a dimension unknown, and the crowd watched in awe as the darkened clouds were drawn into the break. Kageirou screamed as he was sucked in. "No… I will have my revenge! I will be back, little prince… I… Ahhh!" With one final cry, the darkness disappeared through the rip in space, and spirits and humans alike cheered.

"Ryoma!" The celebrations were halted suddenly as Yukimura cried out, and all eyes flew to the little prince. The Guardian's face was contorted in pain, his hand clutched to his chest. Oishi started towards the prince, fearing the worst, when a beam of darkness fell from the sky, striking the Guardian. All eyes watched in fear as Ryoma was jerked upwards into the sky, heading straight for the portal to another dimension. He opened his mouth in a silent scream as pain tore through his body, hands releasing the bells he held, allowing them to fall to the ground.

"Ryoma, no!" Fuji cried out, running forth to try and grab the prince, but the darkness burned at his hands and the seer was thrown back upon the ground. "No, no!"

'Master!'

"Chibisuke!"

Two shapes raced past Fuji, diving into the beam of darkness. Dark wings enveloped the older brother, shielding him as Ryoga grasped Ryoma's waist, and the two tore the prince from the darkness.

"Nooooo!" A cry resounded from overhead as Kageirou's final attempt at Ryoma's life was defeated. The last of the darkness disappeared into the hole, which sealed itself as its purpose was completed. Up above, the skies began to clear and beams of early morning light broke through the horizon. The lost men down below gazed at the sky in wonder; how long had it been since they'd seen the beauty of daylight through clear eyes? Many fell to their knees in exhaustion, while others silently wept for joy. But the battle did not go without loss.

Shiraishi, still holding Kintarou's lifeless body, made his way to where Ryoga had placed Ryoma upon the ground. "Chibisuke… Chibisuke, wake up," Ryoga urged, trying to keep his voice light though tears streamed down his face. The prince's body was beginning to go cold, the colour draining from his skin. "No… Ryoma, come back. There are still people here that need you."

Hearing Ryoga's words, Fuji ran over to collapse by Ryoma's side. "No, Ryo-chan," he gasped, taking one of Ryoma's hands. Dark energy still crackled through his small body, and he winced at the pain, but he held onto the cold hand as tightly as he could. "Ryoma, please open your eyes. Please, you can't leave me…! Not again!"

Atobe stumbled over towards the fallen prince, Sanada and Yukimura drawing close behind him. "The brat… He's not…" he whispered in disbelief as he, too, fell to his knees beside Ryoma. The boy was cold and still, and the king could not believe his eyes.

"Ryoma, please…" Fuji whispered, his voice breaking as he lifted Ryoma's hand to his lips. "Please don't go…"

Returned to her feline form, Karupin made her way towards her fallen master. She touched her nose to Ryoma's cheek before closing her eyes. A golden glow filled her body, spreading from her to the prince. 'Ryoma, have you gotten lost?' she asked as the light grew stronger. 'Then I will show you the way back…'

With a shuddering gasp, Ryoma's eyes flew open. "I found him," he sputtered as he struggled to sit up. Ryoga was quick to help him up, arms wrapping around his brother as he realized the little prince had not left this world after all.

"Ryoma! Chibisuke, don't you do that again!" Ryoga shouted, and Ryoma winced at the noise his brother made. Ryoga lightly knocked his fist against his younger brother's head. "You had us all worried, you idiot!"

Ryoma frowned at the elder brother. "I didn't say I was dead, did I?" he retorted, trying to struggle out of Ryoga's embrace. He did not have to though, as gentler arms took him from the brother. He glanced up and was met by watering blue eyes. "Fu… Syuusuke."

The seer stared at the prince in disbelief. "You… you're alright…" He ran his hands through Ryoma's hair, touching his cheeks as though he could not believe the prince was still alive.

Ryoma smiled softly at his lover. "Yeah… I'm still here." Grasping Ryoma's face in his hands, Fuji leaned forward, sealing his lips over his lover's, kissing him as though he needed the reassurance he was still alive. Ryoma closed his eyes, his arms wrapping around Fuji's neck. It had been so long since they had first been separated. He did not want to let go ever again. "Syuusuke…"

"Kintarou!" Another shout rang through the crowd, and the couple broke apart to see what had caused Shiraishi to shout.

"Ryoma, when you said you found him…" Fuji said suspiciously, though a light danced in his azure orbs. The cheeky prince merely smirked, nodding his head in Shiraishi's direction. A redhead was sitting up, rubbing his eyes as though awakening from a long sleep.

"Ah… Shi-chan!" Kintarou shouted, turning to face the lord. "I had this really weird dream that I had turned into a fish, and I was swimming in the coldest waters ever!" Tears of relief rolled down Shiraishi's cheeks as the wild child spoke to him. The boy he thought had perished had been brought back. "Then there was this glowing warm thing, and it brought me back here, and then I woke up, and… Hey, why are you crying?"

All eyes turned to Ryoma as Shiraishi smiled gratefully. "You… You brought him back?" Ryoma shrugged his shoulders, but nodded. He had traversed the boundaries between this world and the next multiple times, and though it had taken him some time to find Kintarou's soul, he had done so. Karupin's light had guided the two of them back to life, and he pet the kitten's head fondly, knowing how she had helped. Shiraishi turned to face Ryoma, before folding himself into a bow. "I cannot thank you enough, Prince of Seishun," he said before rising again. Kintarou pouted, not understanding what had happened, and began to loudly question the lord of Shitenhouji.

The crowd chuckled, watching the pair of them, and several of the lost men came forth, apologizing to their monarchs for abandoning them. Ryoma smiled, watching the lively reunions, before he caught himself yawning. The morning sun had already begun to rise, but they had fought long and hard through the night. He blinked his sleepy eyes, and began to sway where he sat, but loving arms wrapped around him once more, pulling him against a warm chest.

"Perhaps it's time to get some sleep, hmm?" Ryoma smiled softly as he leaned against Fuji's warmth, nodding in agreement to the seer's suggestion. Fuji chuckled, lifting the prince up in his arms to return inside. The others were quick to follow his lead, weary from the night. They would return home soon enough, but only after they rested. Each called goodnight as they disappeared into separate rooms, though one prince had dozed off long before he reached his bed. Having fallen asleep in Fuji's arms, Ryoma smiled softly as he slept, feeling that he had finally come home to his loved one.