Yet another ST fic. Yeah.

by RiKa1

Introducing my creations, the Shikigumi and the Shingumi. The first part of the fic is pretty serious, but I won't say so for the second part. Although there's no line drawn, it's obvious to see where the parts are...

6. Chp. 5 - A Stage in Time (Pt. 1)

Yet another ST fic. Yeah.

(alternate titles: "Sequel to: ''Just another ST fic. Yeah."' or 'The Return of Kouran's Time Machine.' or 'A New Enemy from the Past.')

~All Sakura Taisen characters belong to Red, Sega and Bandai. Anybody I've left out?

Author's note: This was actually redone, cuz my computer got a virus and everything was erased. I would've had to retype the previous chapter as well, if not for my backup disc. But as for this chapter, I really had to retype it... What a pity, ne, minna? Anyway, this chapter will have 3 parts, but part 2 is terribly short. Hee... Dozo~

Translation: Asahi - (apparently,) the name of a mountain Minna-san/Minna - Everybody Onegai shimasu - (in this case, it means) "I'm waiting for your guidance" Ittekimasu - I'm going Matte - Wait

Chapter 5 - A Stage in Time

The arrived at the foot of Asahi Mountain at about 6 in the morning. Very early. "This is it, minna! Asahi Mountain!" Hanae said somewhat too cheerfully. The other 2 Shingumi and 5 Hanagumi gulped as they looked higher and higher. Maria frowned. "A very strong aura...Of evil." This made the group gulp even more. "Are we in Sapporo?" Kouran asked. Hanae shook her head. "No, we are in Asahigawa, another part of Hokkaido. This is where the demons first surfaced. They went all the way to Sapporo... I wonder why." Then Shinta briefed them on the paths they were to take.

"There will be 4 pairs, 1, 2, 3 and 4. 1 will take the East of the mountain, 2 the West, 3 the North and 4 the South and Central. The Shingumi shall draw lots, as it is vital to have at least one Hanagumi member in a pair. Um... I don't know why, you have to ask Kouran." Rose got Sakura ("That's not TOO bad"), Hanae was with Kanna ("Hey, partner!") and Shinta got...Maria. At this Kanna and Hanae looked at each other knowingly. Kouran and Leni were together ("A very...um...Unique combination," *By Maria*). Then Kouran explained the reason for every pair to have a Hanagumi member.

"I have installed a new feature in the Koubu, and it will give a signal as soon as you press it. It's the button marked 'emergency'. Please feel free to press it ONLY when you have found the enemy, or when the enemy has found you. Or when you feel that you're in a very dangerous situation. I have also added a latch that only you can open, to prevent the demon from reaching in to scratch you. Na, Maria-san? So, don't be worried, ya?"

"Thank you, Kouran. Shinta, can we know our positions now?" Maria asked. Shinta said, "Rose and Sakura, you guys are 3, so, unfortunately for Rose, you are doing the North." Rose said, "What did you mean by that???!" She flicked her long auburn hair. "I can climb any mountain I wish to!" Kanna mused, "She sorta seems like Sumire, doncha think?" Sakura giggled and bowed, "Rose-san, onegai shimasu!" Rose took out her weapon from Tokirou-chan (She was lazy to carry it with her and therefore used the time machine to transport it) and the Hanagumi gasped. Rose casually asked Sakura, "Shall we go?" Sakura exclaimed, "Even her weapon LOOKS like Sumire-san's!" Rose looked at her steadily and stated, "Notice you said LOOKS. This is something which cannot be compared to other weapons...Can we go NOW?" "What is it?" Kanna asked. Hanae explained for her. "It's 1.8 metres long, and it's called the Sakibara-Naginata. It's actually a naginata *literally, Sumire's weapon* with two blades on each end, facing in opposite directions, as you can see. Rose refuses to admit it's a naginata, however." Hanae sweatdropped. Rose crossed her arms and 'hmphed'. Then she picked up her weapon, which she had set on the floor, and announced, "Ittekimasu." "*stuttering* Ma-matte!" Sakura rushed after her in her Koubu.

Kanna told Maria, "She really seems a lot like Sumire, don't you think?" Maria nodded, then smiled. "The only difference is, Rose can cook." "Doesn't look like it." Suddenly Rose appeared beside Kanna. She told Kanna snobbishly, "I HEARD that." Then she disappeared. As she looked at Sakura slowly climbing up the mountain (or rather 'steaming' up), Kanna said, "I guess teleportation's really cool."

Kanna and Hanae were assigned to the east, while Leni and Kouran did the west and Shinta and Maria did the south and central. They were to meet at wherever area the enemy was going to be found. So, they set off. Shinta suddenly remembered something. "It's 6.45 a.m. now, if everything is smooth, we'll meet here at noon!" he shouted.

* * *

6:47 a.m., January 21, 1732, Peak of Asahi Mountain, Asahigawa, Hokkaido

"It's hard to breathe in here, Rose-san, and it's cold," Sakura struggled. Rose, took a deep breath, nodded, and held up her hand. Sakura asked, "You want me to wait?" Rose, nodded, then disappeared.

* * *

6:48 a.m., January 21, 1732, East of Asahi Mountain, Asahigawa, Hokkaido

"Hanae, what's that?" Kanna pointed to a silver coloured patch. They moved closer. Hanae said, "Looks like metal to me." Kanna pushed it, and it gave way. It was too small for the Koubu to get through, so Kanna suggested getting out of the Koubu. Hanae stopped her. "No, don't leave the Koubu alone. I'll go alone, my Kaijin is with me." "Kaijin?" "My sword." "Oh. What should I do then?" "Stay here. If I don't come out within 20 minutes, hit the button. All right?" "Okay. Be careful." Hanae nodded, then went into the hole. Kanna shivered. "Man, it's damn cold in Hokkaido..."

* * *

6:50 a.m., January 21, 1732, West of Asahi Mountain, Asahigawa, Hokkaido

"Leni, see anything?" Kouran asked. They had already combed the whole area.

"Negative."

"So, we should wait for orders, ya?"

"Affirmative."

Kouran sighed and said, "I want to go home... And I set Tokirou-chan to 24 hour-mode!"

Leni smiled. She said, "We'll wait for orders. Hm, it's cold here..."

Kouran grinned. "Finally you're speaking a bit more than usual. Of course, it's cold, Leni, I thought it's always cold in Hokkaido."

"True..."

* * *

6:50 a.m., January 21, 1732, South of Asahi Mountain, Asahigawa, Hokkaido

"I've circled the foot of this mountain, Shinta. There doesn't seem to be anything lurking here."

"All right then. We'll go to the centre."

"Fine by me. Um... Need a ride?"

"I guess I do."

Shinta held on to the Koubu as it sprang upward.

6:54 a.m., January 21, 1732, Central Asahi Mountain, Asahigawa, Hokkaido

"*getting out of Koubu* Goodness... There's a very strong aura here."

"You're right, Maria. I think it's in the heart of this place... But we can't blast it open, can we?"

"No... We have to find a way to get in."

"But it's not our area... We'll just wait here until somebody finds something."

Maria nodded. Shinta looked up towards the area Rose and Sakura were covering. I hope they're okay up there..., he thought. He noticed Maria shiver. "Cold?" he asked with concern. Maria just smiled and said, "I'm fine."

* * *

9:23 a.m., August 16 1926, Daiteikoku Gekijou, Hanagumi HQ

"Rose!" Ryuue exclaimed. "Ryuue, please get us some supply of oxygen. SOMEHOW! It's impossible to breathe on that mountain!" Ryuue went to Kaede for help. Kaede immediately got some coats. Komugi came up to Rose. "It's my latest creation, Put it on and breathe normally. It'll go bad in 3 hours, so here's some extra." Komugi handed Rose something which looked like a small bowl with a few holes at the bottom and one elastic band around it. There was a long tube connected to it and it led to a packet of something. Komugi explained to Rose, "That's oxygen." Rose nodded and teleported back.

Sumire looked at the 3 other remaining Shingumi. She went over and asked Ryuue, "Why are you helping us?" Ryuue was taken aback.

"Well... The Powers That Be asked us to assist you..."

Orihime butted in. "Who are the 'Powers that Be'?"

"Shousa and Taichou's bosses..."

"Oh..." the two were satisfied with Ryuue's answer.

Iris got curious too. She asked, "The Shingumi live in Tokyo, right?" Ryuue nodded.

"Then why don't they help us protect Teito?"

"That's because it's the duty of the Hanagumi to do that, Iris. Just like it's our duty to protect Shikoku and Honshu, the two of four main islands of Japan."

At this enlightenment, the 3 Hanagumi exclaimed, "WHAT?!"

"Shikoku," Iris began.

"And," Orihime continued.

"Honshu?!" the three of them exclaimed.

Chiyone hopped into the room. Within a second she took all that had happened within the past few minutes (courtesy of her sister's brain, she could mind-read too, you know ~_~) and shouted, "RYUUE! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TOLD THEM! NOW WE HAVE TO EXPLAIN..." Everybody sweatdropped.

* * *

6:57 a.m., 21 January, 1732, Peak of Asahi Mountain, Asahigawa, Hokkaido

Sakura opened the latch of the Koubu. Rose threw the 'oxygen bowl' in. Rose put it on, so Sakura could see how to use it. Rose put on her coat and gave one to Sakura.

"What do we do now?" Sakura's muffled voice came out from inside the Koubu. The top of the Koubu was open. Rose suddenly teleported on top of the Koubu, her legs hanging down into it. Sakura was looking as Rose's feet. Rose told Sakura, "We'll just wait here until we're tired of it, then we'll just walk around the mountain. I guess. I don't care."

"Rose-san, do you know you're a lot like Sumire-san?"

"I guess."

"Then..."

"You know, I can read your mind."

"Oh...Sorry."

"There's nothing to apologise about. In fact I want to apologise to you..."

Looking up, Sakura asked, "Why?"

"I behave like a snob. However... I'm no spoilt brat. Believe it or not, I was orphaned at 1, then I grew up in an orphanage. I guess if I didn't get adopted I would never have had today."

"Who were you adopted by?"

"A nice couple. An old couple. They taught me manners, all those thing, you know, all those etiquettes... But then when they died I believed that I could only be true to myself, and I disguised my true self behind a mask. Acting that I was rich... That sort of thing. And I was only 15! But I felt terrible. Well, thanks to all that socialising I did in America, I managed to find some contacts and found the orphanage in which I stayed for 6 years. I discovered that my father was Japanese, my mother American. They were killed in an accident."

"Then what happened? How did you come to Japan?"

"Why should I tell you?" Rose asked sharply.

"Sumimasen! I shouldn't have asked so much."

Rose's expression softened. "It's okay, I guess I'm too sensitive. But then nevertheless, I'll tell you. I went to my father's hometown, Hakodate, which is also in Hokkaido. When his relatives learnt that I was his child, they were suspicious. My father was apparently from a rich family. So they tested me on the Sakibara-Naginata. Amazingly, I was a natural! So they gave me the weapon...Said I had to preserve the family name... Sad to say, I thought it was all a load of rubbish. I didn't think there was any point in mastering a weapon. Then I met Taichou..."

"Hanae-san?"

"Yes. She was orphaned at a young age, but unlike me, she grew up in the military. I was a few months older than her at that time. Yes, I was 16. About 3 years ago. Then I joined the military too... I was the last pioneering member of the Shingumi to join the military. Almost immediately, the military trained me, and within two years, I had risen to the rank of Shoui. So...It's been 3 years. 1923, I joined the army. Then in 1924 I finished my training. Later that year, 30th of August, the Shingumi was formed, with just Shinta, Taichou and I. It was Taichou's birthday present, it was her birthday that day. Another member, Yule Carlton was added in late December that year. In the middle of last year, the twins joined. That's basically the history of the Shingumi."

"You must respect Hanae-san a lot then."

"Yes..."

* * *

7:00 a.m., 21 January, 1732, East of Asahi Mountain, Asahigawa, Hokkaido

"Kanna...!" Hanae scrambled out of the hole in fright. Kanna got out of her Koubu. "You look terrible, what happened?" Kanna asked. Hanae sat down on the ground. "The demon... I saw it eating... a pregnant lady." Kanna looked horrified. "What?! Beasts..." "Then... I killed it. Moving deeper in, I saw a man chanting something. So I guess it's a curse after all. The room the man was in had such an evil aura, it completely repelled my pure aura and I got thrown back. But I had to go and see what the man was doing, so I kept my distance. Sometimes, without knowing it, I got too near and got thrown back again. I understood some of the words, because it was in some unknown language and a certain Hokkaido dialect people often use in Asahigawa," Hanae reported. "Then are you going to forward this information to Tokyo?" "Yes. I'll give them an extract of my memory as well, they can see it with this invention of Komugi's... I received a report from Rose too, but it seems she has already told the people at the HQ as she went there herself. It's too cold up there, so she went back for some oxygen..."

"So I guess we're the lucky ones today?" Kanna quizzed.

Hanae smiled weakly, then brightened up. "Can I press the button?"

Kanna facefaulted.

* * *

9:30 a.m., August 16 1926, Daiteikoku Gekijou, Hanagumi HQ

"A new report is coming up, please attach me to the Mind-Viewer, Onee-chan," Komugi quietly ordered her sister. Chiyone nodded happily and said, "Hai!" She put a visor on Komugi's head. This visor was attached to a screen. It could play memories. Komugi played out Hanae's memory on the demon consuming the pregnant woman.

"Iris hates the monster!"

"That's cruel de~su! Unforgivable de~su!"

"I will never let that demon off! If I do, my name is not Kanzaki Sumire! Oh-hohohohoho!"

"*this is said in Chinese* Heavens! What kind of demon is this?"

* * *

7:06 a.m., 21 January, 1732, West of Asahi Mountain, Asahigawa, Hokkaido

"Kouran! Fireworks!" Leni exclaimed.

Kouran laughed. "East side, ya? I think Hanae and Kanna have found the enemy... Yossha! Let's go, na?"

Leni nodded.

* * *

7:07 a.m., 21 January, 1732, Peak of Asahi Mountain, Asahigawa, Hokkaido

"Yay! FINALLY somebody has found the enemy! Let's go, Sakura!" Rose jumped up happily. She added, "Finally we can get these things off... Come on, I'll teleport you there, it's faster." Rose touched the Koubu and told Sakura to sit tight. Then in a flash of light, they were on their way to the east side of the mountain...

* * *

7:07 a.m., 21 January, 1732, Central Asahi Mountain, Asahigawa, Hokkaido

Maria touched Shinta's arm lightly. "Shinta, I think they've found the enemy." Shinta awoke. "Oops, I fell asleep?" he asked Maria sheepishly. Maria smiled and he almost fainted. He managed to compose himself and said, "Let's go, then." Maria got into her Koubu and Shinta held on to it. "Hold tight, Shinta!" she shouted. Then they blasted off with a trail of steam behind them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iris: Iris hates the monster!

Orihime: I agree, it was too cruel, ne~e!

Sumire: But isn't it very dangerous for them to be there? Maybe the demons of that time ATE people instead of scratching them!

Chiyone: Isn't that more dangerous for the Shingumi? They don't have the Ryoushi Kachuu to protect them!

Ryuue: Taichou will ensure everything's fine.

Komugi: I think the battle is ending soon, win or lose, we do not know.

Ryuue: Let's just hope Taichou is still here after the battle, I'm afraid she won't be born...

Sumire: JIKAI! A Stage In Time, PART 2! What will happen? The mystery of the Tsukigawa clan's fate remains: Will history change too?