(Disclaimer: I do not own YST nor RW, they are owned by Sunrise. Neither do I own the characters of the original series.)

(Author's Notes: Please, DON'T BLAME ME if some of the details are insufficient, since I had never seen the entire series before. I'm just fascinated over the series, that's why. Some of the characters added are of my own and not related to other anime, in short, ORIGINAL. So please, enjoy reading and review it! This is my first taste of writing fanfiction, and I'm not too good at English, so please BEAR WITH ME...)

SAMURAI PHANTOM REKKA: CHAPTER ONE

Episode Nine: THE CALL FOR HELP

The school physician who looked after Ryo told his adviser about what happened during History class. He quoted that he has some sort of fatigue resulted from too much stress and thinking plus his house is so distant from school and he doesn't have enough money for a taxi ride so he have to walk nine kilometers from it. He was even advised to go home and rest for a while as soon as he could cope up from stress.

On the hospital bed where his uniform was hanged in the steel bar, Ryo tried to sleep but he couldn't close his eyes. Staring at the ceiling, Luna came in with his bag.

"Mr. Kuboka knew it already," she said, putting his bag on the table provided, "He's advisin' ya to go home..."

"Yeah, I know..." and he tried to get up and sit down, "I heard it from Doc on the phone..."

"Ya ok now?"

"Yeah, thanks... In fact I can stand up now..."

"Ah-ah-ah! Don't force yerself, Sanada. The doct'r just advis'd ya..."

"I know, I know... Don't worry, I'll just sit here..."

The mellow music on the radio silenced the two conversing young people. Luna just sat beside Ryo without looking at him, while he is so quiet and not even have the courage to look at her face.

"Ei by the way," she looked at him, "Good job, Sanada!"

Upon hearing that praise again, Ryo blushed and lowered his head. "...D-don't say that! In fact, I don't really have the intention to insult her..."

"But ya diddit, silly!"

"Nah..."

"To tell ya, no one had ev'r have th' courage to confront her. She's maybe a good teacher but no one could defeat her in a debate. Ev'n the toughest in this school will find a hard time to defeat her..."

"...Did you mean that I'm the first and only one who did that?"

"Ya bet!"

"...But..."

Their conversation was cut short when the music, too, was interrupted to give way to a flash report:

(We temporarilly interrupt this program to give you this breaking news: The Toyama Museum has once again been attacked by a ghost who believed that it came from the celebrated last masterpiece of the late Tsukabashi Kohei, entitled "The Goddess Of The River". Since it was brought to the museum a week ago for the fourthcoming exhibit, the said painting, according to the curator, had mysteriously undergone changes in the appearance. As of yesterday only three gloomy faces can be seen on the painting which was MYSTERIOUSLY appeared since its arrival. But today another face appeared. One of the guards recognized the latest face to appear on the painting, by the name of Takano Matsuhiko. Rumors believe that the new face was none other than Takano himself, and the others were the missing personnel since last week...)

The two went silent.

"That's odd," commented Luna, "I also saw that rumor on TV 'tis mornin'... Wow, that's now SCARY..."

But Ryo didn't say anything. Luna saw him not in himself again: Speechless and emotionless. "Sanada?" she called him, "Sanada? Ya ok?"

But in fact Ryo started to hear someone's mind...again.

He was just standing in the middle of nowhere. An man in his forties with a white uniform of a guard was there with an anxious face, trying to get close to him, begging...

"Help me... Please... I don't want here..."

Ryo turned to the man. He gulped at himself, thinking that something was wrong. Until he looked around and with a surprise: he was surrounded by beautiful paintings and relics in a velvet cultain of heavy satin. He didn't understand how in the world he got there, but he was sure...

He's in the Toyama Museum!

He looked at the man. In his uniform he can tell that he's the guard in thie museum. But he simmply cannot get why the man was asking for help. Meanwhile the man continued to approach him as he beg once more...

"Help me... I'm begging you... Get me out of here!"

Ryo wanted to respond, but no voice came out of his mouth!

"Help me... please... I'm so scared..."

He thought of another strategy, but as he was about to move his legs to aid him, it turned numb!

"I'm begging you... please... Spare my life!"

The poor man was helpless! Even him! Both his voice and legs was perhaps controlled by some sort of a magic spell. His whole body become numb!

"Help me!!!"

A gush of wave suddenly came in, swallowing the man slowly while crying for help!

Ryo cannot do nothing but to watch the man being eaten up by the big wave.

Thus the scenario whirled up with lots of WATER. He was almost drawned but luckilly he managed to get out. He then remenbered the scene a while ago. He wondered why when he was trying to help the man he cannot move even a little, but when the big wave came he even managed to get out of it.

Later an image of a beautiful woman appeared on the scene now turned into a riverbank, about to take a bath on its clean, clear waters. So beautiful he almost set his eyes on her, almost emotionless.

But then he remembered the news a while ago. He couldn't forget the title of Tsukabashi's last painting turned the talk of the town: The Goddess of the River. He noticed the bathing woman. He looked around the scenario. He went shocked when he realized...

The woman was the goddess in the painting, itself! And the whole scenario is the painting itself!

Worse, when he saw the man from a while ago who was begging for help. He saw only his SHOCKED face: a face with mixed emotions of fright, anxiety, deep sadness... Plus the three others who were already ahead of the man to be victimized by the woman!

He is inside the painting itself!

He became totally numb, especially when the woman turned her eyes on him and smiled with a frightening meaning...

"...It's your turn..."

And instantly the woman transformed into a river hag and about to devour him body and soul! He tried to run but once again fate made his body number than usual! Sweat rolled down constatly on his face, wishing that someone will wake him up from this nightmare before she will finally eat him ALIVE.

Luckilly, his wish came true.

"Sanada?"

At last Ryo woke up from that accidental mind-reading. "Hey, Sanada... ya ok?"

But his shocked face just determined that HE IS NOT OK. Perspired and panting, he was still able to speak, though not that clear.

"That man...that man... He's... He's cryin'... cryin' for help..."

"Whatta ya sayin'?"

"The paintin'..."

"How about the paintin'?"

"The paintin'... it's... it's alive..."

"Alive?'

"And the man... he's... he's in the paintin'..."

"Whatta..."

"He's in the paintin'! I swear it!"

"Sanada..."

"I swear it, man! I saw it!"

"Calm down, Sanada..." Luna tried to calm him as soon as possible, "I think that news just cause ya mo' stress..."

Panting, "But... But..."

"Stay here. I'll get the taxi. Ma' treat!"

"But..."

"No mo' buts, classmate! You've suffer'd enough already. I think ya should go home now..."

"...But... you don't have to do this..."

"Well, I hafta, an' that's ma' job!" and she got up As she was about to leave, "As yer class presid'nt, it's ma' duty to look afta ma' classmates!" and she winked.

Unnoticed, Ryo just blushed in shyness, letting Luna do her job.

As soon as she got a taxi, Ryo was immediately took there to be sent home. Puzzles at the incidents happened today, he held his head and sighed, "Oh, man... not again..."

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(The names Tsukabashi Kohei and Takano Matsuhiko are just my original characters and does not related to YST nor RW. Okay, people! It's been uploaded! Wait for episode ten and this is gonna be exciting! Please R&R! Thanks in advance!)