The melding was complete. Internally he smiled, impressed at how well the transfer had gone. His creation stood behind him, exalting praises upon his genius. Granted they were more than necessary, but he did enjoy them. However, what brought him more joy was the feel of the youth's mind, trapped within the same body as his. With a malicious tone he taunted the boy.
'Do you feel weak? Useless? You are unable to stop me, I will destroy the rest of your friends as I have done to the first two. The question is only posed, which shall die first.'
Shin was unresponsive. He had since given up humoring Shikaisen by responding to his taunts. All he was able to do now was sit back and watch. No longer in control of himself, or Suiko, he did feel weak and useless.
'I do not need your help, though,' the ruthless voice continued, 'I already know who my first target shall be. That bastard child who destroyed my first body, he is the one who will suffer the most! I will enjoy every moment of the agony you will inflict upon him.'
Ryo, that was who his target was. Unable to warn him, or stop his friend's imminent destruction, Shin slipped back into the only part of his mind that was under his control. He'd tried every method of escape from this internal prison to no avail. There was no way out, and he was sure that Shikaisen would force him to watch every death caused by the monster's hands, his hands.
~~~~~
It was late at night when the massacre started. The two remaining Samurai Troopers were spending leisure time, as leisurely as it could be with three of their closest friends missing or dead, in their houses. However, the yoroi would not allow them to rest. Once again the Ningenkai was threatened, and Kongo and Rekka answered the call. When they arrived at Shinjuku it was total chaos.
Suiko, or what appeared to be Suiko, was on a rampage, destroying everything in sight. For a moment both warriors stood dumbfounded before they found their wits and responded. Both had faced Korin no yoroi once before in battle. Suspecting it to be a confrontation of a similar nature they advanced. However, as they did a flicker of sound, so small it could not be understood, flitted at the backs of their minds. They could almost swear it sounded like their missing friend, Shin.
Ryo was the first to engage the monstrosity. He charged at it with his katanas ready. The monster turned to face him. His blow fell upon the metallic blue chest plate. There was a crash that split the air as both Rekka Ken shattered, their useless fragments falling to the ground.
Tiger blue eyes went wide with shock. It was not the destruction of his mystical weapons that surprised him, though. The face behind Suiko no yoroi's facemask was that of Shin. It had been contorted to combine with the magic substance that the yoroi was composed of but it still held Shin's calm sea green eyes.
However, now they were anything but calm. They shone with a flame of rage and hatred. Not unlike Shin's anger they were focused. The eyes bore through Ryo, looking into his very soul. Those eyes wanted revenge, and Ryo was the one who would perish.
Unable to respond to the shock Rekka stood motionless as the yari was lifted and smashed down onto his chestplate. The debris went everywhere, covering the ground with their crimson stained shards. A pool of liquid red gathered on the ground as Ryo's knees grew weak. He shuddered, heaved, and collapsed into his own blood, dead.
"Ryo!" moments later Shu's scream broke the silence.
He could hear the sinister laughter of the long dead Shikaisen echoing in his hand. Even though Kongo was at times a slow one, it all made sense now. His blue eyes narrowed as a glare that could shoot daggers was focused on the monster of Suiko.
"You bastard! You're the one that killed Touma and Shin!"
The laughter continued in his mind as Shikaisen responded, 'I believe you're missing one, boy.'
It was then that the familiar shape of Korin emerged from the shadows. Unlike Suiko its bearer was within it, completely normal. Seiji smiled with the same sinister intent that had tinged Shikaisen's voice.
"Hello Shu."
"Seiji? You mean..."
"Yes, I'm not really the one you call 'Seiji.' That boy is most likely dead by now. One can only survive so long without proper nourishment. It's a shame he didn't agree to my master's plan though. He could have ruled the world, but he insisted that you and all the rest of your pathetic friends would save him. What a sorry case," a mirthless chuckle passed through his lips as he shook his head, blonde hair falling from under the helmet to its natural position in front of his eye.
Shu's grip on his tetsubo tightened. Rage flooded through his mind. Reason wiped away as he gathered Kongo's power. With a look of calm determination on his face he lifted the spinning bo over his head. His entire body glowed a brilliant orange with the gathering power.
A look of mild shock showed on the faces of Suiko and Seiji. It was Shikaisen who spoke first, 'What do you think you're doing boy? If you kill me then all that remains of your friend shall die as well. You would not want that, now would you?'
Though his voice was strained from the power that he was focusing, Shu replied, "Shin would want it that way. He would want me to make the sacrifice of his life for the safety of the people." As the power reached its peak a grin played on his lips, "Enjoy your stay in hell Shikaisen, don't count on making any more visits this time!"
With the last of his power he brought the bo down. The call of his sure-kill echoed through the city as the orange light exploded from his body, surging towards the two who stood before him.
~~~~~
There were four graves, though there were not bodies for three of them. Every day the ashen gray-haired man visited, leaving flowers in memory of the lives lost. He never cried while at the cemetery, but his blue eyes were always heavy with sorrow.
No one but he knew what had happened that day. Tokyo was being rebuilt, slowly but surely. Many lives were lost as sacrifices for the greater cause that no one knew of. Of those lives only few remembered the four which had made the difference, and of those few only one knew what had happened. He was the one who left flowers in memory of the Yoroiden Samurai Troopers.
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