Opening

Tenkai's eyes slowly opened and closed. Strength is gradually returning to him. He is slowly regaining his consciousness.

The Spirit cannon is now one-third percent charged. Ichiro contacted Akagi and ordered him to continue charging the cannon and fire it no matter what happens.

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Chapter 6: Broken promises

Ichiro went to the bow and looked at the part Tenkai destroyed. He studied it and smiled at what he saw. He then went to the first mate and asked about the status of the ship's engines.

The first mate was wrapped in bandages as to help him heal from the injuries he took from the blast. "Sir, our engines are a bit damaged but I think we can pump some more juice out of it."

"Good. get on with it. I want it working at its maximum efficiency."

Kayama then realized what Ichiro was about to do "Shinguuji-taichou! Are we going to..."

"Kayama, we have to stop Tenkai. We must do anything to stop him. I hope you understand."

"I do demo, we might break our promises if we do that!"

"Kayama, as much as I hate to do this, we have to. Some promises have to be broken for the benefit of something much greater." Ichiro's tears started to form in his eyes.

"Okay, As long as you think it's fine. I won't stop you because I know how much you want to protect them and Teito. I also have that same feeling. I'm with you all the way." Kayama smiled and comforted Ichiro.

The two watched as a few men ran to the engine room carrying their tools.

"So much death..." Ichiro thought as he looked around the ship. There are blood stains on the walls and floor. Bodies lay cold on the floor. Medics rushed as sailors helped each other. Lots of men were moaning in pain. "...in just a few hours." Dead bodies lay on the deck, covered with pools of blood. Body parts and chunks of meat littered the deck. He walked around the deck, looking at his dead men. He came across a dead, young man probably in his late teenage years. His eyes were wide open with horror as blood slowly flowed from his back. Ichiro knelt down beside the corpse. "So young..." he thought. "...he didn't deserve to die!" Ichiro closed the man's eyes with the palm of his hand. Just then, he heard someone vomit. Ichiro turned around and saw Kayama vomit on the ocean.

Kayama looked at him, his face greenish in color. "Gomen, Shinguuji demo those body parts upset my stomach." Kayama covered his mouth and faced the ocean, throwing up.

Ichiro stared at him in disgust and smiled, walking towards the bridge.

Ichiro looked at the short-circuiting controls. Sparks continued to burst out of the controls at random intervals but what bothered Ichiro is the action going on on the floor. A medic and two sailors are trying to bandage an officer's eyes. He was the same man who got blinded with glass shards a while ago. He was screaming about being blind and could not see.

After a few minutes of throwing up, Kayama looked at Tenkai and studied him as he slowly woke up to reality. He looked at the engine room but the men haven't come out yet. "Come on, we gotta hurry! He's getting up!"

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Akagi contacted the Harusame and told them the cannon isn't fully charged. The last blast caused it to malfunction, making the crystals generate energy at a lesser amount of time. He went to one of the engineers "How much longer!?" The loud noise the cannon is creating as the crystals gather energy forced the men to speak with each other on the tip of their voices.

"At this rate, thirty minutes!"

"Nani!?"

"Thirty minutes!"

"What seemed to be the problem!? What caused it to take that much time!?"

"The blast caused a feedback on the supply line between the generator and the crystals! Our estimation was wrong compared to the parameter of the force it was going to be used to! It was too high! We managed to keep the pressure at a safe level at the sacrifice of charging time!"

"Great! Just great! Except that, we don't have thirty minutes! There must be something you guys can do! You're the geniuses here!"

"As long as you won't mind having it overload and destroying your ship, we'll be able to fix it!"

"Aheheheh," nervousness started to creep on him "Never mind."

"Pardon me taichou, I didn't hear that last part clearly!"

"I said never mind!"

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Kanna is resting at the roof of the Teigeki. It had been a day since Ichiro left. Everyone had calmed down and they are now continuing to rehearse for their next play. They just had lunch so Kanna decided to go to the roof and rest there.

At the second floor, a door opened. Iris came out, a smile spread across her face. She went out looking for Kanna, clutching an envelope in her hand. Finally, she found her on the roof, resting.

"Kanna! Kanna! Can we send letters to Oniichan?"

"As much as we want to, we can't. Taichou is on a ship, Iris. There is no way any letter can reach him."

"Then, why not another ship take it to him?"

"No Iris because taichou is fighting Tenkai, other ships would not want to get involved. That's why we can't send letters to him."

Iris frowned and gloomily headed back inside the theatre.

"Ah, taichou. Iris misses you already. No, we all do." Kanna then notices Sakura calling her.

"Kanna-san! We got to go! The rehearsal is about to start!"

"Okay! I'll be down in a moment!"

Kanna took a few more gulps of air before lazily going backstage were all the others are.

"Rehearsal will begin in five minutes." Maria announced as she placed her towel on one of the seats.

"Minna-san! Let's do our best! Let's do it for Ichiro!" Sakura exclaimed while the others were getting ready.

"Hai!" They all replied.

"We'll show chuu'i the best play which he will never be able to compare with with any other plays in his life!"

The rehearsal then started. Everyone rehearsed with the best of their abilities and performed well.

"Taichou, please come back and watch us now. This play is dedicated to you." Maria thought as she rehearsed with the others on stage.

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"Engines, up and running!" the men who went to the engine room now came out.

"Finally!" Kayama went to the bridge and told Ichiro the news.

"Good. We will continue the operation. Can you please hand me the radio?"

Kayama went over to the controls and gave him the radio.

Ichiro then spoke to it. His voice was heard by all the men. He made a speech telling his men about what they are about to do. Luckily for him, they agreed and even wanted to start it right away.

"That did it. Kayama, open a channel to the Maya."

"Yes, this is Akagi-taichou. What do you need?"

Ichiro hesitated a little then finally spoke. "Akagi-taichou, may we ask you some questions?"

"Why, certainly Shinguuji-taichou."

"Will you promise us that no matter what happens, you will charge and fire the cannon at Tenkai?"

"We would love to."

"Are you sure?"

"Hai. Don't worry, you can trust us."

"Arigatou gozaimas. Shinguuji-taichou, over and out." Ichiro returned the radio on the control panel. "It is done... Start the operation! Port side, ninety degrees! Full speed ahead!"

"This is it!" Kayama added. "There is no turning back!" The ship's propellers started spinning with a sudden burst of energy. They spun even faster until they are strong enough to move the ship.

The ensign spun the wheel to the left. Despite the heavy damage and explosions the control panel absorbed, it somehow managed to respond to the ensign's order. The ship slowly turned left, bringing the men to their final offensive.

The men cocked their sidearms and prepared for what's about to come next.

Tenkai finally regained consciousness and saw the ship moving towards him. "The fools!" he charged his energy and fired at the Harusame.

"Hold on, men! Don't let his attacks wear us down! We must do this no matter what!" Ichiro screamed, urging his men to push on as the ship continued to gain speed and advance on Tenkai.

Tenkai charged his energy and focused his fire on the ship's hull. The ship instantly took in water as a big hole ripped open on the ship. The ship still continued to move as water unnoticeably continue to pull it down.

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"WHAT ARE THEY DOING!!?" Akagi asked as he saw the Harusame going to Tenkai. "Open a channel to Shinguuji-taichou now!"

"Hai, this is Shinguuji-taichou."

"What in Kami-sama's name are you doing!?"

"Akagi-taichou, we are going to make Tenkai an easier target for you. Now you promised us that you will charge and fire the cannon no matter what happens. We trust that you will fulfill that promise."

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"Hey, Jean-Paul, do you think oniichan will come back?" Iris stared at the plush toy, holding it tenderly in her tiny little arms. "Heh, Iris thought so. Iris is glad you think that oniichan will come back." Iris brought her friend closer, "but she's feeling a bit worried. It's already four o' clock and he hasn't come back yet. He should have beaten Tenkai by now."

The teddy bear just stared back at her.

"Iris can't feel him. She can only feel great evil near him. Iris hopes he's okay." Iris stared at the letter on the desk. Since she can't send it to him, she planned on giving it to him when he comes back.

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The Harusame came ever closer to Tenkai than before. "Ensign! Ramming speed! Men, brace for impact!" Ichiro quickly held on the guard rail and waited as the ship continued to move.

Tenkai stared at the figure. He raised a claw and pointed at it, purple energy crackling at his fingertips. "If these imbeciles think they can kill me by colliding their pathetic machine at me, they have another thing coming. I'll show them." Tenkai stayed in his place and waited for the ship to smash into him and get destroyed as he thought it would happen.

Beams of energy continue to come straight at them as Tenkai continued firing. Some christian sailors took their rosaries and started to repent for their sins. "Hold on just a while longer! This will be over soon!" Ichiro spoke, giving confidence to his frightened men.

Tenkai laughed evily and continued his onslaught.

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The Maya's crew couldn't do anything as the Harusame came within a few feet near Tenkai.

"Sir, incoming transmission from Shinguuji-taichou" Akagi looked at his first mate and took the radio.

"Shinguuji-taichou"

"Ah, how is the cannon going?" Akagi almost forgot about the cannon and checked on it. A few moments later, he came back.

"Seventeen minutes remaining. Shinguuji-taichou, we strongly demand that you reconsider this action!"

"Akagi-taichou, you know we can't do that. We will protect Teito and the ones we love... with our lives! Gomen. Shinguuji-taichou, over and out."

"Shinguuji!... Damn it!"

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Kohran stared at Ichiro's white Kobu. "Ichiro-han" she thought. She took her toolbox and proceeded to check-up his Kobu. She checked the steam engines and repaired anything which is out of hand. After that, she opened the cockpit to check the circuitry of the controls if they are still functioning. As she went inside, she could still smell Ichiro's masculine scent. It was still strong as if Ichiro just used it a day ago. "It loves you, Ichiro-han. Your Kobu still cares for you." and Kohran opened her toolbox and proceeded to check on its controls.

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"Nani!? Is that true!?" Yoneda clutched the radio tighter and waited for a reply.

"That's right shirei. They are commiting suicide."

"Can you stop them?"

"We tried but they wouldn't listen. They're reckless, I tell you!"

"Okay. Arigatou. Yoneda out." Yoneda returned the radio back to its holder. "Oh boy, Ichiro. Wonder what's going on in that spiky lil' head of yours."

Ayame finally spoke to Yoneda "Is Ichiro-kun and Kayama-kun going to be alright?"

"Not to worry Ayame. Ichiro is such a daredevil. He does so much things that are risky and somehow, he pulls it off. We gotta believe in him. He'll pull out of this one as he always does before." He then reached for a glass. "Now where did I put it?"

"Ichiro-kun."

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"Yeah! Now come to me, muwahahahaha!" Tenkai laughed as he fired more shots of energy.

"Sir, report from Akagi-taichou. He says ten minutes to fire." The first mate called out to Ichiro as he clutched the guard rail ever tightly.

"Good." Ichiro replied and he looked at the deck where sailors braced themselves for impact. "Men! Hang in there, we're gonna make it!"

The ship, determined to finish this, conquered the odds of water breaching the hull, the waves' currents going against it and Tenkai's onslaught.

Tenkai stopped laughing as he saw something protruding from the Harusame's bow. It's a metal beam which protruded when Tenkai dealt a devastating blow at it. He muttered a curse and tried to avoid it but the ship was pretty fast. The beam impaled him. It buckled to the right as it penetrated through the Kouma's body and went out at the lower back, somewhere on the left side thus making it harder for it to pull itself out. "Damn... dirty... cheaters!" The ship continued to push Tenkai, and he started to panic, frantically trying to pull away from it.

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Akagi watched as the spirit cannon is almost done charging. The Kanzaki engineers turned the dials and pushed some buttons. At the corner of his eye, he could see Tenkai and the Harusame stuck to each other, a metal beam came out Tenkai's pet's back. He saw Tenkai fire continuously at the ship, frantically trying to get it away. The problem Akagi is currently facing is if he will have the guts to fire the cannon once it's ready.

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Tenkai charged another round of energy. Ichiro's eyes grew wide as Tenkai placed his claws on the bow.

"KAYAMA!! KAYAMA!!" Ichiro called his friend's attention until he finally looked at him. "GET THOSE MEN OFF THE BOW, NOW!!!"

Kayama looked at what Tenkai is doing and he shouted at the men, waving his hands while doing so. "GET OUTTA THERE, NOW! DAMN IT GET YOUR LAZY BUTTS OUTTA THERE!"

The men started to run as the energy Tenkai released on the bow made the metal plates on the deck fly off, crashing in every direction. Kayama pushed a man aside as a plate came crashing down on them. The loss of the metal plate resulted in a loss of support. This sentence proved true when the remaining deck gun lost its support and came crashing down to boiler room two. The gun exploded, causing the flames to rise out to the place it was before.

"This is not enough." Tenkai thought. He is too weak to pull away from the ship's impaling beam. The gateway in his pet's belly started to swirl.

"Uh-oh. This aint good." Kayama spoke, readying his sidearm. The other sailors did so too.

A group of four Koumas came out and the men opened fire at them. "Not again." Ichiro pouted and fired at a Kouma. He loaded his last clip and emptied it on the Kouma. He then took out his two katanas and charged at the Kouma, slashing it as he ran past.

The Koumas killed seven more sailors before they were destroyed. Kayama then ran to Ichiro. "Shinguuji-taichou, I suggest we contact Akagi-taichou and have them fire the cannon now."

Ichiro nodded in reply and took the radio.

"Yes, Shinguuji-taichou. What do you need?"

"Akagi-taichou, I would just like to know how long before the Spirit cannon is fully charged?"

"Three minutes."

"Arigatou, over and out." Ichiro went back to the deck. He immediately hid behind a slanted metal plate as Tenkai's blasts came raining upon the Harusame.

Kayama ran to him, "What did he say?"

"Three minutes! We gotta hold on 'till then!" Ichiro ducked just as a blast came over his head.

Kayama then settled down beside him muttering, "He's a god damn firing squad."

"He sure is."

Infuriated, Tenkai charged a beam and fired at the deck, killing three more men.

Ichiro pulled up his sleeve to check his watch but it is destroyed from the explosion which tossed him. Frustrated, he looked at Kayama "Kayama, time check?"

Kayama glanced at his watch and replied "Three minutes and fourty-two, wait. Fourty-three seconds. Make that Fourty-four."

"Thanks, Kayama." he looked at the Maya. From the energy emitting at the tip of the cannon, one would say it is ready to fire.

Tenkai was too preoccupied on pulling away from the ship that he didn't notice it.

"What's wrong with them?" Kayama asked as he looked at the Maya. It wasn't firing the Soul Beam.

Ichiro got up and ran to the bridge, fumbling for the radio.



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"Taichou, transmission from Shinguuji-taichou." The first mate spoke and Akagi took the radio and spoke.



"Akagi-taichou, what's the hold-up? Isn't the cannon ready yet?"

"Actually, it is. I just can't give the order to fire."

"Why!?"

"I can't. It'll kill you guys!"

"You got to do it!"

"I don't want you guys to die!"

"Damn it, Akagi! Fire that cannon now! Don't mind us! If we have to die, then we die! There's nothing you can do about it! It's fate!"

"Shinguuji, listen. Think about the Hanagumi! Think about your wife! Your child! Think about your men's families! Aren't they enough reasons why you guys have to live!?"

"Yeah? Aren't they the reasons why we have to defeat Tenkai no matter what!?"

"Yes, I know demo they love you guys so much! It'd break their heart if they see you guys brought in a body bag instead of seeing you walking!"

"Akagi, I have seen so much death for the past twenty-four hours. What about those poor men!? They have families too! They knew the risks of this mission yet they accepted it! It is because they love their families so much! They would not have anyone harm their families! That is why they took part in this mission! They love their families so much that they would risk their own lives for theirs! I know you would do the same thing!"

"Yes I know! There must be some other way to beat Tenkai without sacrificing yourselves!"

"This is Teito and our families we are talking about! They are what we are fighting for! We are here to defend them with our own lives!"

Akagi continued to listen to Ichiro's lectures until a Kanzaki engineer came up to him. "Sir, the cannon will overload. It's either you fire it, or we abort."

Ichiro heard what the engineer said, "Akagi, I will give you three choices. Choice one: You don't fire, you die, Tenkai kills us then he destroys Teito. Choice two: You abort, Tenkai kills us, he then kills you then he destroys Teito. Choice three: You fire, you kill us, likewise destroy Tenkai, you go back to Yokohama and Teito gets its peace back. Hmmm, decisions, decisions."

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Back at the Harusame, Tenkai saw a man clutching a radio in the bridge. "This guy looks so familiar." Then, it struck him. "Well, well if it isn't that pesky taichou of the Hanagumi. I never thought I would see him here. Vengeance is sweet." Tenkai pointed a finger at Ichiro who was still arguing with Akagi and it started to spark with energy.

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Akagi continued to listen to all of the things Ichiro was telling him when he heard a voice at the background. No doubt it was Kayama. "Hey Akagi-taichou! Tenkai is charging up and he's gonna kill us right away! We won't get another frickin' chance and that aint fair! Do it now!"

Ichiro then spoke, "Please, Akagi-taichou! Do it now! Fire th- agh!" followed by a loud thud.

Akagi gasped, "Shinguuji-taichou! Do you read! Shinguuji-taichou! Please respond!" but all he could hear are Kayama's voices shouting for a medic and Ichiro's faint moans and ragged breathing.



"Damn it Tenkai you bastard!" Akagi mumbled. "This is for you, Shinguuji Ichiro and your men." He then looked at the engineers. "Aim it at the gateway on Tenkai's pet's chest. On my signal, fire."

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Tenkai laughed at what he saw. He was satisfied and happy at what he did. His actions kept replaying itself in his mind. He aimed at Ichiro and fired a beam at him. The beam hit Ichiro's chest and went out his back, bringing along some of his blood and spraying it on the wall behind him. These visions kept him happy whenever he remembered it.

Now, Kayama took out his handkerchief and tore it in two. He placed one at Ichiro's front and another at the back in an effort to stop the bleeding. The medic came and he immediately inspected Ichiro. "What can we do medic?"

The medic looked at Kayama and replied, "The beam hit his left lung. It stopped funtioning due to the shock."

Ichiro stared at the two with pitiful eyes. He was clutching his chest and he could feel blood continually rush up his air passage in an uncontrollable manner and out to his mouth. He is already starting to choke with his own blood. With his free hand, he clutched his throat, feeling more blood come out.

Kayama looked at his friend worriedly and comforted him. "Don't die on me, pal. We need you even in these last moments. Please, hang-on! Teito needs us, it needs you!"

The medic then added, "He is already choking! We have to control the bleeding on his throat!"

"What can we do then?" Kayama asked

"We just have to wait for the blood to stop coming out. The beam almost hit his heart, near a blood vessel. His body will shut it down so we'll have to wait." The medic patted Ichiro's back while Kayama gave him words of encouragement as more blood spilled on the already bloody floor.

"Let's bring him to sick bay. I'll go ahead and prepare the equipment." then, the medic ran off.

After a few agonizing minutes, the blood stopped and Ichiro regained his strength and started to speak a little better.

Ichirou calmed and look at his friend, "Kayama,... I'm feeling a little... better... now." and he coughed out some blood.

"Don't speak much. You have to save your energy. Here, I'll help you walk. We better go to sick bay."

Tenkai watched as the two men wobbly walked towards the sick bay. Tenkai fired a few shots at them, causing them to fall. Ichiro held his side while Kayama coughed, holding his chest.

Ichiro crawled over to Kayama "Kayama!... Kayama!... Are you... okay?"

Kayama looked at him after a while. "Go...men...nasai...Shing...guuji...I...broke...my...pro...mise."

"It's okay Kayama." Ichiro found it harder to speak. "You tried,... and did... your best." he then patted Kayama. "Some promises have to be... broken."

Kayama just smiled and closed his eyes. "A...ari...gatou...I'm...glad...I...became...y...your...friend." and he lapsed into heaven.

Ichiro's tears started to fall. "I will see you later,... Kayama."

Tenkai laughed harder when he saw what had just happened. "That was touching."

Ichiro held on the railing on the ship and stood up, his eyes burning with rage. "You sick, obnoxious bastard!"

"Oh, so you're gonna kill me? Hahaha! Before you can kill someone as powerful as me, you have to practice first." the gateway in his pet's belly swirled and a growl was heard. This growl is much different from a Kouma's growl. It sounded bigger, fiercer and more powerful.

The sailors stared in awe at the belly and prepared for what is about to come out.

Ichiro started to pray, "Akagi, please!... You're our only... hope!"

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"Sir! It's overloading! We're gonna die if we don't fire or abort!" The engineer spoke, nervously looking at the dials.

"Hai, just a while longer!" Akagi replied, calm and patiently.

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Ichiro aimed his sidearm at the gateway. Just then, two huge arms came out, followed by a skull shaped head as big as a deck gun with dark blue eyes burning in blue flame, sharper teeth than a regular Kouma and a long tongue which kept on moving about.

"AKAGI!!!"

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"FIRE!!!"

The engineers turned the key which opened up a panel. All three of them flipped some switches and together, they pressed three buttons. The cannon fired, releasing a tremendous amount of energy. The Soul beam moved as if it was freed from captivity for a long time. The bright white beam caused such force that the water gave way to its movement.

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The noise the Soul beam made as it made its way to its target forced Tenkai and the other men to look at it as it came straight at them. Straight at the gateway to be more specific. The creature shrieked as the beam hit it, pushing it back inside the gateway. the beam then followed it and went inside the gateway. Tenkai screamed as small spots of white light started to form on different parts of his body. "NO! NO! I can't be beaten by you wretched humans and your pathetic machines! I-impossible!" He looked at Ichiro and the other sailors. "Fools! Don't you know you're all going to die too? Hahahahahaha!"

Ichiro sternly spoke his best, letting Tenkai hear every bit of word clearly, "If it means that we'll be protecting the smiles, happiness and peace of Teito and its citizens,..." he closed his eyes and remembered the happiness in people's faces as he walked with Sakura, those times when Sakura would smile at him, those times when the whole Hanagumi would have fun during their vacations, the times when he would do all sorts of silly stuff to make someone happy, the smiles on the audience's faces when he clipped their tickets and the smiles they had when watching the Hanagumi perform on stage. He remembered everyone's smiles during his and Sakura's wedding day, he remembered the feeling of goodness and peace which flowed into him when he sees smiling people, living their lives in peace and happiness. Lastly, he remembered before he left that Sakura will bear their child whom he wants to live peacefully and happily. "...so be it." Ichiro looked at the Soul beam "Angels on our shoulders." he thought.

The sailors started to smile even if they too, are about to die. They just saved Teito from a great evil which is almost invincible.

Ichiro took out the picture of his family. Aside from the blood, there is a hole on it caused by Tenkai's beam which pierced him earlier. The hole is on Ichiro's face on the picture. He kissed the picture for as long as he could, thinking "Minna-san, Sakura, gomen nasai for breaking my promise. I love you all. I wish I could see you guys one last time." Tears started to fall from his eyes and he quietly sobbed. "Kayama, I'm coming. Wait for me." he thought. He watched Tenkai as his breathing became harder and harder, his heartbeat beating slower and slower and all his senses started to fade away. "So this is how it feels like to die. It's not that bad at all." then, the pain started to go away.

Ichiro forced his body some more. He wanted to stay alive for as long as he could to make sure that Tenkai is destroyed. His eyesight started to blur even more as he tried to stay alive longer. When he saw Tenkai's form fading to white, Ichiro smiled, satisfied that his job on earth is done. "Now,..." he thought, "...minna-san, Sakura, you'll all live in peace now." He returned the picture back into his pocket and with one last breath, he exhaled, taking his breath of life along with it. His eyes closed and his lifeless body tumbled off the railing and into the ocean, making a quiet splash as he hit it.

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(Song playing in the background: Saving private Ryan Omaha beach)

Akagi and everyone aboard the Maya watched as the Soul beam forced its way out of Tenkai, disintegrating him and spreading half a mile apart. The power disintegrated half of the Harusame, and completely destroyed some of its systems. The remaining sailors on board knelt down as the beam passed them.

The Harusame tilted forward while the waves slowly bury it to the ocean floor. The blood of all the men who died stained on the spot where the Harusame met its glorious end. As the sun sets on the horizon, its yellowish color radiated the sea of crimson blood and turned it somewhat yellow. Objects started to float on top followed shortly afterwards by the bodies of the sailors. The water stopped pulling down the Harusame until the stern was left above water, showing the four propellers and the two rudders. Its propellers continued to spin as if it was still full of life even at its death. With one last push, the waves pulled down the ship, bringing it to the depths of the sea. The torn and worn out naval ensign flag, which used to hang proudly on the mast of the ship, floated down and it lay gently on top of the sea of blood.

(End the song)

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The girls once again practiced for the rehearsal. As Iris said her lines fluently, clearly and as she acted gracefully, her eyes popped wide open and she ran to the room crying really hard. "ONIICHAN!! ONIICHAN!! WHY!? WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN!!? WHY!?" Iris banged the door of her room and flopped down to the bed, drenching the sheets with tears. "ITS ALL IRIS' FAULT!! IF SHE HAD STOPPED HIM, THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED!!! ONIICHAN, WHY DID YOU LEAVE US!!! You promised!" Iris clenched her bedsheet and felt something warm. She looked at it and saw Jean-Paul. She hugged her only companion and soaked the teddy bear in tears, "Oh, Jean-Paul, oniichan's gone! He's gone!" her voice became weaker, "He left us."

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Akagi and his crew stared at the open sea where the Harusame last stood. If his first officer didn't go to him, he would've stared at it forever.

The first officer calmly asked "What now, taichou?"

Akagi slowly turned to face him. "Well, the least we can do here is to pick up those men and bring their bodies back to Japan."

"Yes sir." The first officer left, immediately replaced by the first mate who just received a transmission.

"Who is it?" Akagi asked still looking blankly at the bloody sea in front of him.

"It's the Admiral sir."

Akagi quickly went to the bridge and picked up the radio "Yes, Admiral?"

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"I've been looking at our radar system. A few moments ago, the Harusame disappeared and we could not find their location. We were wondering if you know anything and if Tenkai is destroyed since we can't find him either." Akagi spoke as he shuffled some papers.

"Admiral, we have beaten Tenkai. Rest assured, he won't be bothering us anymore." The room then was filled with cheers, applauses, handshakes and hugs.

"demo," Akagi continued. "We payed dearly for that." their happiness began to fade when they realized what Akagi meant.

"Did you find any survivors?"

"We found one. He is in the medical room. We are currently looking for other survivors. We are also collecting the dead bodies to be buried there in Japan in honor of their self-sacrifice to protect it."

"Can you get his name? The only survivor you found, I mean."

"I'll ask him." Admiral Sato then heard some murmurs and after that, Akagi returned to the radio. "Gomen, Admiral. I have been informed that he just died."

"Have you found the officers?"

"We found their ensign, Seiiko Chokai, their Chief, Tehiko Inuyasha. We also found their first officer, Kayama Yuichi..." Admiral Sato listened as Akagi's voice grew softer and a murmur was heard. "My men have just found their Captain, Shinguuji Ichiro."

"Shinguuji, Kayama..." He murmured. His voice then grew clearer as he asked, "And they're dead?"

"Hai."

"Are there still men there?"

"We don't know. We will stay longer to look for the other men. Sir, we would like to have your permission to dispatch more ships to help in the search."

"Permission granted." Admiral Sato then turned to his dispatcher, "Contact every ship within range and tell them to go to the Maya's location. Their orders will be told by Akagi-taichou."

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I'm sorry if you felt bad about Ichiro and Kayama dying but it's part of the story. I don't really know much about the officers in a ship so if you can correct me, I will appreciate it.

Saving Private Ryan is the award-winning film of 1998. Many of you might know it. It is pretty popular. The music I picked to be played in this fanfic is pretty dramatic. You can download it in KaZaA. If you have a tape, vcd or dvd of the movie, the song is played after the landing at omaha beach in the scene where they show the dead soldiers lying on the sand and showing one of private Ryan's brothers. I recommend that you watch it though it is pretty gruesome. If you don't want to see a guy's guts then don't watch it.

There will be a chapter 7. It is the last chapter.

Please R&R and let me know what you think :)