Summary:  Set directly after the events in A Stitch In Time.  Ryo pleads for Seiji's life, but is it too late?

Ryo/Seiji shounen ai drama R

Warning: This story contains shounen ai, which implies male/male love. Please do not read if such ideas upset you. Please use your good judgment. This fiction also contains violence, death, and scary little creatures that hide under your bed at night.  *grrr*

Rated R for violence, strong language and sexual situations.

Disclaimer: "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers" does not belong to me. I am but a lowly slug.

Plea:  Please read and review, oh wise and generous readers! 

*Any* comments or suggestions are welcome.


Comments are happily received at: Li_bell_ule@yahoo.com



Reciprocal Motion

Chapter 7:

Falling Pieces



It should have been over. He should have been dead, he wanted to be dead, but the fact that he could still feel the warmth locked in the earth, burning his cold limbs, informed him that he was still among the living.

Seiji's eyes opened more from curiosity than will, for he would have been content to lie there until his body turned to dust. A nagging persistence, like water splattering from a leaky faucet, scraped the back of his mind. He could feel it infecting his brain with hope. To have hope was to become a victim and Seiji would not be a victim.

And suddenly, despite his best efforts, he wanted to get up. Seiji wanted to live just a few moments more, enough time to tell Ryo that he knew he was a liar.

How dare Ryo do this to him-- making him feel sorry for himself? Did Ryo have any idea how treacherous he had been? How, without his consent, he had managed to impose his way into his heart and then burn it to ash?

Ryo was not an innocent-- he knew what he was doing-- a lingering touch there, a whispered affection here. A sob, an embrace, a brush of lips against his cheek... a deception.

Anger flushed his face and it was anger that forced Seiji to rise to his feet. But he was more angry with himself than with Ryo. The truth was, Seiji loved him, and would die loving him. He was angry because his own heart had betrayed him. Allowing him to fall in love-- how stupid of him.

Seiji glanced around at his surroundings. He'd been taken far enough away from the pentagram for its power of protection to be useless, but he knew the others were close. He just couldn't see them-- in fact he suddenly couldn't see anything.

Seiji held his breath as blackness swirled around him. Death materialized into a form that nearly made his heart cease to beat. It was the final torment.

A black-eyed Ryo manifested before him, his slight smile chilling. He stood in front of Seiji looking down at him coolly.

"It's time."

Seiji stared at him, his darkening eyes intense. So cruel... It would have to end like this. A question burned at his lips that he couldn't keep silenced. "Why?"

Death caressed the side of Seiji's face. "I take on the form of those you love." As if Seiji had any doubt about his feelings for Ryo.

In a slow, meticulous manner, he trailed his hand up Seiji's torso, tracing his fingertips along his chest leisurely before resting his lingering hand at the base of Seiji's neck.

"Such a finely made thing, you are." He whispered.

Seiji steeled himself against his warring emotions. This was not Ryo, no matter how much he looked like him.

"You're not afraid." He stated, bemused. "I chose you well."

His fingers laced through the golden strands of Seiji's hair and pulled his head back sharply.

Seiji stared up at his death... at Ryo. He looked into his eyes and wished they could be the blue he loved so dearly, but they weren't-- they were black instead.
He couldn't help it-- what held him close looked too much like Ryo.

Seiji was going to die and Ryo had never kissed him. How fitting that his life should end like this.

Kiss of death... Seiji thought as Ryo leaned down to place his mouth over his own to steal his life away.

Lips so close that Seiji could feel the coldness of death radiating from them, hovering cruelly, just shy of brushing against his mouth--

 "NO! Take your hands off him!"

Seiji jerked back, startled out of his trance by Ryo's desperate scream. Oh, Ryo, you can't even let me have this much, Seiji thought.

Ryo, breathless, yet defiant, stood firmly beside them. And then, he saw the form death had chosen to usher Seiji from this life. His blue eyes widened as he stared at a darker, colder version of himself.

Black-eyed death yanked Seiji's head back violently, crushed an arm against his chest, asserting his ownership. A forced cry of pain came from his captive.

With Rekka's power absent, having left his armor behind to release Arago, Ryo was devoid of a way to battle. Even so, he held his ground.

 "We made a deal!" Death snarled. "And you didn't succeed and so I have come for the price we agreed upon."

His fingers firmly gripped in Seiji's hair, Death forced him back. "I was going to be merciful on him! End it quickly, but now, because of your insolence, he's going to suffer."

Suddenly, a red stain emerged at Seiji's abdomen, maroon blood spilling down his body from the same place where he'd been run through.

Seiji inhaled sharply before sagging to the ground, soaked in his own blood. Death let him fall forward, as if discarding an old coat.
"Arago or Seiji-- that was the deal you made."

"Stop it!" Ryo screamed, rushing towards him with an outstretched hand. Before he could reach Seiji, he was repelled off his balance by Death's unseen force.
Ryo's head struck the ground with skull splitting impact. His unaided mortal form was no match for his inhuman adversary.

This couldn't be happening, Ryo reasoned. They hadn't lived through five years of separation-- years of hate, pain and sorrow-- overthrown the time continuum, and sacrificed everything, only to be stopped now...

"Please..." Ryo begged, his head reeling. "Please, not like this. I love him."

"Isn't it sad that he will never know?" Death hissed.

Ryo wouldn't give up-- there was still a chance. There had to be.

 "Why are you doing this?" Ryo glared up at his black-eyed self. "I may have promised Seiji to you, but you sought after him long before I did so. Why him-- why did you go after Seiji?"

"You mortals are so foolish-- you think it matters? You think that you are so important? Your miserable, little lives are nothing more than a rain drop to the ocean. My existance has spanned the ages, and I am tired. But I will have to continue until the end of time. And now he will too."

Death smiled, an icy, terrifying smile. "He came into my graces for merely a fleeting instant, but it was enough to capture my attention."

Ryo remembered that moment of pain with frightening clarity.

"A creature such as he-- a perfect blend of beauty, and apathy-- comes along once in a great while. And I knew from that moment that I must acquire him for my legion, to be my companion." Death continued. "A loophole in time provided my chance to gain him now, instead of waiting for his life to run out. Only he had to choose death, or he would have been useless to me. I cannot just take whomever I wish, there are rules against that type of thing. You were foolish, Rekka no Ryo, to challenge me."

While diverting Death with his questions, Ryo tentatively whispered along the armor link, Fight Seiji... the others are in place, we only need Kourin and Arago is released...

But Seiji's body remained inert.

Death snarled, "Mindless boy, he is too weak to withstand!"

"Please, I beg you..." Ryo's vision distorted with tears. "Don't leave me, Seiji..."

A stream of green light-- burning a green so bright with power-- it streaked from Seiji's still form, over Ryo's head like a shot, to where the others were waiting to release Arago.

Seiji had released Kourin to the pentagram.



********************

The ground trembled as the earth itself seemed to cry. From the center of the pentagram a burst of illumination rushed skyward, a portal opening.

Rekka, Suiko, Kongo, Tenku, Kourin-- fire, water, earth, firmament, light-- smeared together in a stain of power.

Four senses were lost, only touch remaining and it hurt, god how it hurt-- the knowledge that they had done something completely and utterly irreversible-- in that terrible moment, when the light was searing hot and the armor took from them until blessed unconsciousness was on the brink--

The five armors did not hold. Without Ryo to control them, the five split apart returning to their respective masters.

Lacking even the energy to stand, the warriors collapsed as each armor reverted.

The loud roar of the keening earth nearly drowned out the terrifying laughter. Touma cringed as he heard the familiar taunt of their nemesis. He felt a weight reassert itself on his shoulders. All those years of war had been for nothing-- to save one of their own-- they had undone all their tedious efforts in one night.

Arago was free.


In a gust of cold air, Death plowed past them, whispering, "Your debt has been paid."

Crazed, damning laughter--


Slowly everything ceased, the portal closed as if never opened, the wind hushed and the ground settled, the earth returned to normal.


They lay there stunned-- disbelieving what they'd not only allowed, but aided to happen.

"We've been played for fools." Touma vented, collapsing back on the ground. "God, damn idiots!"

"We did what we had to." Shin replied as he crouched beside him.

"We released Arago, that's what we've done."

Joining the conversation as he sat up, Shuu asked, "Didn't we trade? Seiji's life for Arago?"

 "That's what we agreed upon, but that's not what happened." Touma returned. "Arago's free in this world now-- can't you feel the burden?"

Shin and Shuu nodded, understanding the heaviness that Touma was referring to.

"I just don't understand why..." Shin said softly.

"Well, who knows for sure, but think about this-- What would Death gain by freeing Arago?" Touma asked him.

 "I don't know."

"The end of this world-- the end of our miserable existances. Isn't that what death is in one way or another-- the end of something? In the grand scheme of time, our existance is miniscule, but death has been there since the beginning of time. She wants it to end-- she is the end for all things, and yet she will never end. It will never be over for her."

"That's almost sad," Shuu remarked wryly, not feeling any sympathy.

"Perhaps she was lonely." Shin added. "But why chose Arago?"

"Because, " Touma said, "He also brings the end. If Arago gets his way, then she will get hers for it will be the end of this world. And she will get to be at rest."


Nasuti ran to the three sprawled on the ground. She'd watched the whole thing from the safety of the house, just as Ryo had asked her.

 "What happened-- Are you guys all right?" She asked.

"We're okay for now." Touma answered. "But the future is anybody's guess."

Nasuti sighed, frustrated. "None of this makes any sense."

"It's a paradox-- by definition it doesn't make sense." Touma whispered. "None of this should exist. This universe probably isn't even the real one. Playing around with history and magic has messed everything up."

"Kinda like a cosmic catch twenty-two?" Shuu asked.

"Yeah, sort of." Touma smirked.

"Where's Ryo?" Nasuti asked, looking around suddenly.

"He's with Seiji." Shin said. "I just hope that Seiji is with him."



******************


Ryo had hit the ground hard and his world was still spinning. Death had not intended him to get up.

"Seiji..." He choked as blood welled in his mouth. Hardly able to move, he forced himself onto his side, willing his eyes to focus.

Seiji laid on his side, drawing his knees up to his chest, slowly curling in on himself. His antagonized form writhed in spilled blood as he trembled in the darkness. Then he stopped shaking, lying still in his recoiled position on the earth.

Cold horror coursed through Ryo. It was too much like before.

"No." Ryo uttered, pushing himself to his knees, crawling to Seiji. "Not again. Please, no..." Ryo slumped to the ground, resting his head on the crimson earth. He reached out hesitantly, almost afraid to touch him, but as he moved the blond hair from Seiji's face, Ryo saw tears silently weeping from his eyes.

Seiji was struggling to expel the panic he felt, trying desperately to regain his want for life. Death had exploited him, perhaps a far crueler fate than taking his life.

Ryo saw how emotion changed him, playing across his features in a plaintive sweep, and how it hurt him to feel it. Seiji was vulnerable at this moment, unable to shield himself from the desolation that was setting in. A state of such fierce emotion-- it was cruel to an intense degree.

Seiji began to cough, he gasped for breath as his body racked. Ryo forced himself into a sitting position, watching Seiji wake in confusion.

Seiji's lips moved, but the words were inaudible.

"What?" Ryo asked, leaning in close.

"...bastard..." Seiji rasped. "...how could you? Should have let me go..."

Ryo shook his head. "No, I never will."

He helped Seiji to sit up, holding him firmly.

Seiji laughed mirthlessly. "I thought I knew what he-- what she wanted. I thought I was doing the right thing. What a fool I am... a victim after all..."

"Stop it," Ryo said. "She tricked all of us, Seiji. She was going to win no matter what happened. Whether she had taken you for his prize or Arago, she stood to gain."

Seiji looked unconvinced. "What have we done? Letting Arago into the world again... and for what? My god, Ryo, what have we done?"

"Shh." Ryo murmured, soothing Seiji's outburst. "Don't worry about him."

Feeling weakened, Seiji rested his head against Ryo's shoulder.

"I feel so used..." Seiji whispered. "...so empty... Expelled from life, rejected by death... nothing wants me..."

Ryo's breath caught in his throat and his heartbeat increased.

"I'm not nothing, Seiji." Ryo said softly, brushing the hair from Seiji's face. "And I want you."

The corners of Seiji's lips upturned, betraying a slight smile. Ryo, seizing his chance, inclined forward and kissed him.

**********

"Did you see which way Ryo went?" Nasuti asked as she followed Touma's lead.

"I'm fairly certain he ran in this direction." He replied. "Besides, the armor is leading me this way."

"I just hope everything's all right." Shin said quickening his pace.

"We would know right away," Shuu began, "if something bad had happened to either one of them."

"I think I see them over there." Shin said, pointing over Touma's shoulder.

"Where?" Nasuti asked.

"On the ground there..." Shin's voice trailed off.

The four stopped in their tracks, staring.

"Wh-what are they doing?" Nasuti asked after a moment of stupefied silence.

"They... they're..." Touma stuttered, shocked.

Shin's face brightened with a grin. "They're kissing."

Shuu stood stunned, mouth agape, for the first time in his life without comment.

"No, that can't be what they're doing..." Nasuti whispered. "It just can't be..."

But it was obvious to all that it was exactly what they were doing.


*********

Seiji pulled away from him first, studying Ryo's face.

Ryo raised his hand to Seiji's cheek and opened his mouth to speak.

"Don't." Seiji jerked back from his touch. "Don't you dare say it now."

Ryo was silent, but stared at him imploringly.

"How could you let me think it was all for nothing-- that all those- those moments meant nothing to you? How could you deceive me like that?"

Ryo, about to protest, said instead, "I'm sorry-- I was... afraid." He paused, unable to elaborate further. "I never meant to hurt you."

Seiji gave him an intent, fixed look. "Well, you did." He admitted softly.

With glistening eyes, Ryo asked, "Please, it's not too late...?"

Seiji said nothing.

Ryo broke his gaze, ashamed. "But, I love you..." He whispered. Seiji's coldness hurt him deeply.

A pang of regret suddenly welled up inside him. Seiji's blackened eyes shifted and he murmured, "You're bleeding."

Gently, he wiped away the trail of blood seeping down from Ryo's hairline with his thumb. With his armor restored, Seiji's healing touch stopped the bleeding and the ache behind it. He traced his fingers along Ryo's face and lifted his chin so that their eyes would meet.

"No, Ryo," he began. "It's not too late."

Seiji kissed his mouth as Ryo pulled him into a tight embrace. Finally, finally, they had gotten something right.

Ryo desperately wanted to be gentle, but his eagerness made his kiss rough and his movements foolish and clumsy. Hot and breathless, he forced himself to stop. This was neither the time nor the place.

Ryo felt Seiji's body trembling against him and in the distance, he saw the others approaching them.

"Can you stand?" Ryo asked him, rising from the ground.

Accepting Ryo's offered hand, Seiji nodded and said, "I think so."

His balance was off and he swayed dangerously.

Ryo's arm shot out to steady him, "Easy there."

"I-I can't really see..." Seiji said. His eyes were still black and distorting his vision.

"That's okay." Ryo replied, slipping his arm around Seiji's waist. "I've got you."


To be concluded in the Epilogue…

*****************************************************

Thanks so much for all the wonderful e-mails-- it really means a lot to me.  I decided to cut the last part of the story into chapter 7 and an epilogue, which will be posted later, hopefully next week.  Keep your eyes peeled for a "teaser" for the next story arc-- the first chapter is not quite ready.  Also, it needs a title! 

Please keep those e-mails coming; it really does help :)

Comments can be sent to: Li_bell_ule@yahoo.com