Warning:
This story contains shounen ai, which implies male/male love, graphic violence,
and angst.
Please do not read if such ideas upset you. Please use your good
judgment. This fiction also contains character death.
Rated R for violence, strong language and sexual situations.
Disclaimer: "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers" does not belong to me.
I am but a lowly slug.
Any comments or suggestions are welcome as long as they are constructive.
Heck, if you just want to chat samurai troopers, feel free to drop me a
line.
Comments can be made at: Li_bell_ule@yahoo.com
Chapter Three
Revelations
Pale light filtered in through the dingy windows,
falling soundlessly on the sleeping forms. Curled in the large chair, his
legs drawn up onto the seat cushion, Seiji opened his eyes tentatively, letting
them adjust to the morning light.
He had been awake
for some times now, listening silently to the rhythm of Ryo's steady
breathing. Glancing down at him, a slight smile upturning his lips, Seiji
gently tousled Ryo's black hair. Ryo had turned in his sleep, resting his
head against Seiji's legs.
Of all the places to
fall asleep-- Ryo could have opted for any one of the other chairs in the room,
even the couch. Instead, Ryo had chosen to sleep on the hard floor by his
chair. It was almost as if Ryo wanted
to be near him.
Why did Ryo's closeness bring a great deal of comfort
to him?
Seiji shook his
head, not allowing himself to entertain such a thought-- such thoughts led to
trouble.
Carefully, he slipped his legs over the arm, gently
guiding Ryo's head to the seat cushion, trying not to disturb him as he rose
from the chair.
Not more than three
steps away, he heard Ryo groan softly, shifting his position on the
floor. Drowsily, he asked, "What time's it?"
"It's early still,
Ryo." Seiji answered with an amused smile. "Go back to
sleep."
Ryo moved again,
trying to find a comfortable position on the hard wooden planks, mumbling,
"Mmm, hmm," before drifting back to sleep.
Stepping into
the bright morning light, Seiji smirked, relieved that Ryo was not awake to see
the grin spreading across his face. How is it that Ryo made such a smile
spring to his lips?
*****
After dozing in and
out for about an hour, Ryo finally forced himself to get up. Groaning, he massaged the tender muscles of
his aching back. The floor did not make for an ideal bed.
Stretching his arms behind his back until he felt a satisfying pop in his
spine, Ryo walked through the back door to find where Seiji had gone. He wasn't entirely sure if Seiji's
unexpected presence was anything more than a dream.
Seiji was sitting on
the steps, staring blankly off into the distance, his violet eyes
transfixed. Ryo watched him for a moment, waiting for him to move from
the stock stillness he sat in. But Seiji didn't move, he was like a
statue of living stone.
Frowning, Ryo
came up behind him, "Seiji, you okay?"
He noticed Seiji
flinch as he looked up at him sharply.
It was evident that Ryo had startled him, though Seiji tried his best to
hide it. Sinking down, Ryo sat beside
him on the top step, concern creasing his brow.
"I'm fine,
Ryo," Seiji said. Ryo was
unconvinced, prompting Seiji to add, "Sometimes my mind wanders, that's
all."
Ryo knew he wouldn't get Seiji to admit to anything
else, so he let it drop.
"I don't think I've
ever been able to sneak up on you." Ryo grinned, obviously pleased with
himself.
Seiji smiled wryly,
"Let's not make it a habit."
They sat in
companionable silence, until Seiji, whispered, "Something's not right."
He spoke quietly, as if someone were lurking nearby, his words reserved only
for Ryo's ear. "Do you feel it, Ryo? Something has drawn us here and
I fear it's not Nasuti..." He paused before voicing his unease. "Ryo, you
don't think that--."
"I don't know," he
interrupted. "I never found him, you know, not even a trace of that
monster who came through the sky."
The two were quiet,
both reflecting on all that they had been robbed of that day.
"I missed you,
Seiji," Ryo spoke softly, looking straight ahead, his blue eyes scanning the
horizon. "Maybe, more than the others..."
Seeing Seiji again had stirred something deep within
him that had been dormant since the swordsman had disappeared five years
ago. It was with difficulty that he
tried to express it.
Turning his
violet eyes on him, Seiji studied Ryo's profile, taken aback by his
admission. "I always thought you were glad to be rid of me," he murmured.
Ryo looked at him
then, shaking his head, "Never."
Bringing his
hand up slowly, Ryo dared to brush Seiji's hair away from his face, running his
fingers through the golden strands. He wanted to see Seiji's eyes, hoping
to catch any play of emotion that might sweep through them.
They were wide,
attentive to anything that might happen.
Light danced in his violet eyes.
Gently, Ryo held his face, caressing Seiji's cheek
with his thumb, "...so many things I wanted to say." He leaned forward,
hot lips hovering above pale flesh, "...so many regrets."
Pressing towards
him, Ryo's lips ghosted across Seiji's neck. At such closeness, he could
feel Seiji's every move, feel his heart pounding in his chest, and feel his
throat tremble as his breath caught there.
Hand against his
chest, Ryo's fingers deftly released the buttons of Seiji's shirt, and he
pulled the material back, exposing Seiji's shoulder. Ryo kissed the white
scar that marred the soft skin, wishing he could take back the mark of his
affliction.
Suddenly, Seiji
tensed, his body becoming rigid against Ryo. A pained cry escaped him,
and Ryo instantly drew away.
"I-I'm sorry."
Ryo stammered, feeling rejected. "I didn't mean..." He began, moving
to get up.
"No!" Seiji's
hand shot out, snagging his wrist. "…something's wrong."
His grip became lax,
and Seiji unexpectedly fell forward from the steps, only barely managing to
catch himself on his hands and knees on the grass.
"Seiji!" Ryo
shouted, jumping down from the porch, immediately dropping by his side.
Heaving, he
coughed up a small amount of blood. As the red liquid dripped from his
lips, Seiji sputtered, "...it's not me-- not my pain."
"What?"
Ryo asked, as he laid a hand on Seiji's back, gently rubbing comfort to his
trembling form. "I don't understand."
"After all this
time," Seiji gasped. "It's Anubis..."
"He's doing
this to you?"
"No, Ryo. He's
hurt... he's calling for help."
"That's one hell of
a call."
Pushing himself
up, sitting back on his heels, Seiji closed his eyes for a moment,
concentrating on the pain.
Ryo slipped an arm
around his shoulders to steady him when he began to sway. "I don't
understand what's going on, Seiji."
"This has never
happened before, not once in all those battles we fought." Seiji
disclosed. "I don't know what's going to happen... but I do know where
Anubis is, and I must go to him."
Ryo helped Seiji to
his feet, and did not let his grip loosen as the warrior of light led him to a
place he never wanted to see again.
The clearing was at
the edge of the forest, in the field-- in that field. It was
the very place where Nasuti had been killed.
And there on the
ground, lay Anubis-- or what was left of him. He had been slit from
sternum to navel and could only lie there in his own life's blood and
wait.
Ryo hesitated going
near Anubis, but Seiji slipped from his grasp and knelt beside the body, on the
blood-soaked earth, checking for signs of life.
Eyes opened slowly
and lips parted, laboring for air. "...knew you'd come..." Anubis
rasped.
"Shhh...
Don't try to talk, just breathe." Seiji admonished.
Anubis and he were
connected through their armors-- the only two warriors to have such a
connection. The pain he had experienced before was the shift in balance
of the scales of light and darkness.
Closing his
eyes, Seiji tried to direct his life force to Anubis, but was stopped by his
gentle touch.
"...too late
fo'me..." His speech was starting to slur.
"No, I won't let you
die, Anubis." Seiji said, although it was fairly obvious that there was
very little he could do for him.
With wavering
strength, Anubis reached up and roughly clasped Seiji's face in his hands, so
as to have his full attention. "Listen to me... you know what will happen
to you when I...?"
Seiji shook his head
in affirmation, never taking his focus off the dying warrior.
"Then you must take
it... now, before he gets it."
"Before who gets
it Anubis?" Seiji asked gently, "Who did this to you?"
It was sheer will
that kept him alive now, his desperation to let them know what was
happening.
"...Arago...
he's killed the others... all of them... my comrades are dead..."
"No!" Ryo shouted.
"No, it can't be!"
"Arago..."
Anubis continued, barely breathing. "...took their armors..."
Struggling against the inevitable, he looked up at Seiji. "...don't let
it take you with me... you will bear the weight alone... you have to...
Seiji..."
The jagged rise and
fall of his chest stopped.
"Anubis..."
Seiji whispered, searching his eyes for any spark of life. Finding them
devoid, he whispered, "Oyasumi, Anubis." Good night.
Ryo crouched beside
him, reaching across to gently shut his unseeing eyes. He sat back,
stunned. "I can't accept this..." Shock kept him in disbelief-- such
a horrible thing could not be true.
Glancing at
Seiji he asked him, "Are you okay?"
"I'm so
cold..." Seiji murmured sullenly as he wrapped his arms around
himself. Ryo could see his breath rebounding in traces of white.
His eyes narrowing,
Ryo surveyed around them. A thick fog was forming in response to the
drastic change in temperature.
"Seiji, it is
cold," Ryo replied. "Unnaturally cold."
They watched in
horror as Anubis' corpse began to move.
Seiji looked up quickly, realization dawning.
"Ryo, get back!" He shouted, "It's Arago!"
Laughter erupted
from Anubis, but it was not Anubis' voice that roared through his lips-- Arago
now possessed Anubis.
The body was wrecked
beyond any repair, but Arago pushed it to rise anyway. Blood streamed
down the torso as he stood, one arm wrapping around the body protectively, as
if to keep the entrails within. Arago soon found that the amount of
damage done was too great for him to survive long in this body. He had
miscalculated once again how fragile the human form was.
The troopers
reflexively backed away from Arago, ready to armor up at a moments notice.
"Poor Anubis!
Thinking he was warning you when all he did was lead you straight to me."
Arago hissed.
Seething with a
collected rage, Seiji barely kept his indignation in check-- how dare Arago
defile Anubis so.
Not as restrained,
his fury evident, Ryo screamed, "Give it up, Arago! You will answer for
those murders!"
"Not before you've
joined them in death!" He snarled. It was obvious that Arago's
newly acquired body was failing.
"I don't know how
you got free, but you're going back." Ryo's sense of virtue was stoking
his anger.
"And you two think
you can defeat me?" Arago's deprecating cackle set Ryo off in a
rage. Foolishly about to charge forward, Ryo wasn't able take more than a
step before Seiji snatched him by the waist.
"What do you think
you're doing?" Seiji demanded. "He's trying to goad you.
Arago won't last long in that body-- we may be able to wait him out."
"You think you have
any chance against me? I possess the power of four armors!" Arago
sneered. "Soon, it will be six!"
Winds swirled around
him as Arago chanted, summoning the four stolen yoroi to him. Tortured
cries resonated in the violent gust-- Lady Kayura, Rajura, Naaza, and Anubis
screamed out from death against the violation of their lives.
Wearing
the mixed mass of armors, Arago stepped forward, challenging them to
attack. "I'll enjoy beating the life out of you Rekka no
Ryo."
The temperature was
steadily dropping, and resulting mist billowed thickly across the ground,
producing eerie forms and shapes in the darkened morning.
Ryo's defiant temper
could not hold out any longer. "Dao Jin!" He shouted, the
unbridled power of Rekka coursing through him as he transformed.
Seiji followed suit,
taking his cue from Ryo, though he feared his impetuous actions might get him
killed. He didn't always think things through before acting on his
judgments. While he stood at Ryo's
shoulder, prepared to defend him to the death, Seiji readied himself to take
extra caution watching against Ryo's impulsiveness.
Though his
helmet obscured his face, it was obvious that Arago was amused by their
defiance. Swiftly, he charged forward, clashing swords against Ryo's.
Counteracting
the strike with both his katana blades, Ryo felt the surge of four yoroi
powered against him. Despite all his courage and skill, he had to
fallback. Ryo blocked Arago's brutal strikes, sparks flying, but lost his
footing on the last. He smashed harshly against a tree, splintering the
trunk with a loud crack. The breath knocked out of him, Ryo
struggled to get his disobedient body to stand. Stunned by the combined
strength Arago possessed, Ryo braced himself for a shocking blow.
In a flash of light,
Seiji darted in front of him, impeding the attack with his no-datchi.
"Ryo, get up!"
He shouted, matching each strike, as if he could beat Arago out of Anubis'
body. Making only defensive maneuvers, Seiji coerced Arago to expend his
energy and managed to lure him away from Ryo, giving the fire warrior time to
recoup.
Arago had to quickly rethink his attack, for his
ruined human body was declining and soon he would be unable to control
it.
"You failed him,
Seiji," Arago taunted. "You failed Anubis-- Darkness is mine."
"Not until I've
taken my last breath," Seiji retorted.
"That can be
arranged!"
Arago
leapt high in the air, raising his sword to the sky. Calling upon the
fused attacks of the seasonal armors, he cast a wave of energy rushing towards
him.
Seiji knew he could
not overcome such an assault, but Kourin might buy him some time at
least.
"Raikouzan!"
He shouted, jumping up to meet the ancient warrior, unleashing a power of his
own.
The two opposing
forces impacted with a deafening bang, causing a wave of absolute
confusion to clash over the earth. Ryo was knocked to the ground as it
shook from the collision. Seiji was thrown from the force, slammed hard
into the ground and grazed back, into the haze and out of Ryo's view.
Ryo struggled to his
feet, glancing back in the direction Seiji had been projected. It had
gotten so cold, that he felt the chill even through his armor of wildfire.
Through the mist
he saw Arago on the ground, lying trapped, helpless in Anubis' destroyed
body. He had depleted more energy than the body could handle and was
paying the price.
Ryo stood over him,
looking down on his mortal enemy, his swords drawn.
"If I die..." Arago
struggled with the words-- the body was fading fast. "If I die, Seiji
will die too."
"What?"
Ryo asked venturing closer. "You expect me to believe that?"
"...darkness and
light are weights on a balance. When the bearer of darkness dies, he tips
the scale-- he drags the bearer of light with him, unless he gives the
armor to someone else... There can be no light without the contrast of
darkness, and since I now bear darkness..."
Arago smiled as he watched Ryo's face contort with
ire.
"Liar," Ryo
seethed. This must be a trick, he thought. Right?
"Are you willing
to take that chance with his life? I never thought you were that
reckless..."
Now Ryo wasn't
sure... what had Anubis meant when he asked Seiji if he knew what would happen
to him when he died? Ryo thought back to earlier that morning-- Seiji had
thrown up blood as Anubis was dying-- the Yami Masho's final words replayed
through his head, Don't let it take you with me... Seiji...
Oh God. It
could be true. This wicked, horrible lie could be a terrible, awful
truth.
Arago gasped,
choking on his breath. "I guess Seiji dies too..."
"No! Give
darkness to me, Arago." Ryo demanded, sword at this throat. "Now."
He clenched his
hands into fists by his side.
"...you'll have to take it before I give it to you..."
Ryo reached forward,
mere inches from Arago.
The world swayed a
bit, as Seiji stood. It hurt to breathe and Seiji suspected he might have
broken a rib in the fall. Peering through the fog, he saw Ryo hesitate
before Arago's prone form.
What is he doing?
Seiji thought. Then he gasped in understanding-- he knew exactly
what Ryo was doing.
"Ryo, no!"
Seiji shouted, running towards him with an outstretched hand. "Don't
touch him!"
He was too far-- he
would never reach Ryo in time.
Exerting the
last measure of his strength, Arago clenched a small dagger from his many
armaments and thrust the weapon into Ryo's side. Surprised that the
narrow blade could even puncture his armor, Ryo staggered forward, collapsing
under the mist. Laughing, Arago slid
his hand through the blood, and Ryo screamed in pain as the transfer
began.
Ryo's hoarse cries stopped abruptly as Arago rose
from the ground in his new form.
Stopping short
in his tracks, Seiji uttered, "Oh my God..."
The warrior that
stood before him was the very same that had killed Nasuti all those years
ago. It was Arago in possession of Ryo. The black and red armor was
a combination of all those he had stolen, merged together in
brutality.
"In this body-- in this
armor-- I can do anything." Arago snarled, the words coming through Ryo's
mouth. He leered at Seiji, "I'll deal with you in a moment. But
first, I must ensure my future!"
With a slash of his
sword Arago split the sky open-- a seemingly impossible act. But Seiji
knew exactly where the portal led.
"This is where it
all begins, Seiji," Arago hissed, and stepped through the sky.
Continued in Chapter Four: Aria
Author's note: Don't worry! More to come soon I promise ^_^
Thanks to everyone who responded to my story. Keep on reading it gets even more twisted… er, I mean better, it gets much better :P
~ Li
