(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 Eighteen: THE FIRST VICTORY
A flash of red light surprised the three remaining in the hall. They covered their eyes (except for the mysterious archer who was wearing shades, what a wise way...) for protection. As soon as they used themselves in the light, they finally managed to open itbut what they saw in the painting made Byakkouen meowed with glee, Toshitada furious, and the archer a bit emotionless.
"REKKA!"
Finally, after minutes of his tension, Phantom Rekka managed to get out of the first oni's realm--together with the three men who were lost for weeks! But because of too much exposure to terror and unexplainable phenomena, these three were unconcious the moment they had reached the exit.
...Three men?
Byakkouen ran to him with excitement, "Rekka!" he called, "I thought you were dead!"
"DEAD???" Rekka exclaimed unbelievably, "C'mon, Kitty! If I'm dead, you'll never touch me like this! Of course, man, I AM alive! See that? I'm still ALIVE, thank heavens..."
"But STILL you must not do that ever again! You made me worry!"
"So YOU miss me!"
"DUH???"
Then looking at his surrounding, he tried to get up, "Hey, Kitty... can you tell me what happen'd here?"
Then seeing at the two mysterious people: Toshitada and the young archer, he came with a puzzled look, "Um... Kitty, who ARE these people?"
Unknown to them, the evil priest was holding his scythe at his back, clenching while emitting a high dose of dark red energy, preparing to attack him in secret.
Toshitada grinned. "What an honor to meet Byakkouen's new master! A pleasure to meet you..."
Rekka couldn't get what he was trying to say. But the cat felt that the priest will surely get his hands on him.
And Toshitada DID show his scythe filled with evil energy ready to attack him!
"H-hey..." Rekka tried to cool him down, "I-I-I did... I didn't do anythin' wrong here... I'm just..."
"Nothing to worry about, little boy..." he smiled a bit.
"Wha... What do you mean...?"
"Let's say... it's just my way to greet a comrade... Phantom Rekka..."
"REKKA, WATCH OUT!" the cat growled.
"WHAT???" Rekka, unaware of what Toshitada will do to him, panicked a bit and cannot avoid his future attack anymore. For this, Toshitada made this opportunity to finish his colleague by...
"RED...LIGHTNING!"
He threw his energy ball against the poor, bewildered Phantom of Wildfire while he cannot avoid this 'inevitable' night of his life!
"RYO! GET OUT OF THERE!!!"
But then the young archer prepared his attack as well to Toshitada's Red Lightning--using his golden bow aiming unthinkably on the approaching energy ball...
And it became a success!
The energy arrow skewed itself on the energy ball, creating a special barrier to trap the opposing energy. As soon as it went inside the blue sphere created by the archer's arrow, it created an anti-spilling effect that will prevent the energy ball from getting out, as well as sucking its energy from it until it dies out.
It can't be... Toshitada turned cross.
While it was happening, Rekka noticed the three unconcious men, he smiled a bit for finally these men will be able to be with their families once again. But to his surprise, he wondered...
"Hey... why is it that they're only THREE of 'em left?"
He looked closely at the three. He peeked at their faces to recognize them (surely though they were only together for minutes, at least he had already recognized a little of their faces...). He was stunned as he found out that the missing man is the last victim on the Oni of Art!
"DAMN IT!" he spitted off.
"Something's wrong?" Byakkouen asked.
"One of the men's still MISSIN'! Dunno how'd that happen'd!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY???"
"Darn it! I still hafta go back to save him! Damn! I told him to hold tight!"
"Hey-hey-hey! Don't blame him! It's not his fault why he's not here!"
"If it's not his fault, then whose is it?"
"HEEEEEEEELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
It's the voice of the last man screaming for help!
Oh, no... Rekka thought with worry, so he went to the painting to see if there's still something wrong.
-----
Toshitada, seen with his kanji of loyalty glowing on his forehead, is already furious, like 'no more Mr. Nice Guy' so he poured his energy once more on his scythe with a promise... this time, to finish all who had blocked his way.
Meanwhile half of the body of the last man was already outside but still struggling for freedom until Rekka came back. "What's wrong, sir?" he asked.
"Help!!!" he cried, "Someone's trying to pull me back!"
Damn! Rekka's heart cursed, That monster's still alive??? And without hesitation, he lend his hand to the man to be able for hill to be pulled out of the painted nightmare.
And he guessed it right. Seeing the clawed hands holding the man's limbs tight, the fight is not yet over.
"Let go of him... you MAGGOTS!!!" still trying to pull the poor man harder, with all of his strength, but life is at stake.
While Toshitada swung his scythe with doubling energy ready to finish Rekka off without his knowledge! "It will be YOU who must let his hand go!!! RED... LIGHT..."
But before he finally throw his energy against him, the young archer was alerted and froze the intruder in just a stare of his shaded eyes!
"What..." he froze, he cannot move even his lips to curse the mysterious boy who did it to him. But his heart did on behalf of his lips, "You... troublemaker... let go of me..."
And the cat sighed with contentment. He went to Rekka to check out what is happening now in the painting.
-----
"Hold on tight!!!" Rekka told the man. The man, then, tried to hold tight despite of the hands holding on his feet. While struggling to escape, due to pulling that he have to move back, his right feet felt something on the floor that gave a metallic sound. Rekka turned back and was surprise to see...
"My other sword!" and he tried to pick it by his free hand. But the oni turned out to be too strong to be avoided. It pulled the man harder and his body slowly dragged away from the hall. At that time Byakkouen went to him and...
"Listen, Rekka!" he called, "This is it! With your swords, use your firepower to decrease the oni's offense and defense!"
"But how 'bout the man? I cannot leave him like this!"
"Let him go first!"
"ARE YA NUTS??? The oni will pull him back before I could do that!"
"USE YOUR COMMON SENSE, RYO! Just do it FAST!"
"But if I do that, both the paintin' and the man will be ROAST'D!"
"DON'T SAY YOU DON'T TRUST YOUR OWN POWER!"
The painting is turning into chaos. When the archer found out about Byakkouen's plan, he immediately left the psycho-stucked Toshitada to STOP them. On what puropse?
Rekka, still thinking about the man and the painting, finally agreed, "Yeah, right..." although he was still worrying about what will happen.
So he let go of the man's hand first. "Don't worry, sir..." he told the man, "This might get ya outta there..."
The man agreed yet scared of what he will do.
Seeing the Phantom of Wildfire wielding his twin katanas ready, the archer immediately aimed his arrow towards him. Whatever the reason, it's in the archer's business.
Unluckilly for him, Byakkouen saw him starting to hit Rekka with his arrow! What's he doing this time? I don't get it! What is his purpose that he helped Rekka but in the end he will just stop him? Is he really a ally or an enemy? What does Toshitada mean that he 'betrayed' them? I'm so confused...
Then, "REKKA! Do it NOW!!!"
"Alright, alright!" he replied, "Don't hurry too much, man!"
Now having his katanas with him, their blades were shown brightly red as he concentrated his powers over the katanas, and his heart and mind focused on the oni only and being careful not to burn the man. While the man is still begging for help and theclawed hands were still there grasping him tight. As soon as he is ready, the blades' aura changed into bursting fire!
"Let him go..." and with one full blow...
"SOU... EN... ZAN!!!"
He made a double strike to the oni, and created two fiery lines and aimed at the dark tunnel. Successfully, the oni shrieked with intense heat. The hands once grasping the man strongly were slowly withdrew and pulled back to the tunnel, that gives the man a chance to get out at last. The tunnel was still left open, only that it was already burning.
Toshitada, still frozen, saw what happened and ground his teeth with rage, "No..." it seems that he had failed his first mission.
The archer, too, was not happy about the situation. So he decided to keep his golden bow first to make another tactic to stop him, before he will finally put the oni to it's slumber in the silver box.
The oni inside continued to burn and Rekka started to panic again! "It's no good, man!" he cried, "The paintin' will be son turn into dust! See, Kitty! I told ya! I..."
"THE PAINTING'S STILL SAFE, MORON!"
He went calm.
"Now, listen before youpanic: Conjoin your swords tomake a single medium to seal the oni and put itimmediately in the silver box! Clear enough?"
"C-clear!"
The mysterious young archer caught Rekka who is about to seal the oni and attempted to go near them. Meanwhile, by means of sorcery, Phantom Rekka joined the ends on the katanas' handles together, creating a single weapon as a special medium or a sealer against the oni. He had the silver box readily open. Now he is ready to seal it.
Seeing the silver box, the archer attempted to get it, but it seems that it's too late for him.
"I'm ready to burn!" and wielded his special weapon now emitting a shining white light enough to seal the oni. And had his incantation...
"The museum's closed, oni... RETURN TO WHERE YOU MUST BELONG... NOW!!!"
He thrusted the tip of the sword to the burning oni and created a somewhat vacuum to suck the oni out. After it was sucked, he transferred the oni into the silver box with the medium. The first balde end served as atube to get the oni and the second blade end is where he will thrust it in the silver box until the last drop of it and sealed it immediately with the spiritual paper.
At first the box was moving wildly. It seems that the oni inside is still struggling itself to be free. But the holy aura from the kanji paper prevented it from escaping again. Tired from moving hysterically, the box ceased its movement at last.
This means...
"We've... done it?" Rekka still cannot believe himself. He looked at the painting: it wasn't destroyed at all, looked like nothing was happened in it. The spell was broken!
And the man, who just became unconscious after that unbelievable struggle is already safe.
"WE REALLY DID IT!" and he jumped with joy! Amidst the silence of the hall... and his wounds that he had gotten during his encounter with the oni.
But someone joined in.
"Shout till you can, Phantom Rekka..." Toshitada was still there, standing. The freezing effect on him was no more. So was the mysterious archer, who just left unnoticeably after Rekka's first sucess.
For this, Rekka became pissed off. Realizing the one tho attempted to attack him by surprise (but interfered by the power of the mysterious archer), he wielded his conjoined katanas and aimed against him, seemed that he wanted to challenge him to a fight. "So you're the one who wanted to kill me. Man, how rude! Ya even attempt to kick a poor cat out! I won't allow it! In the name of Wildfire, fight me!"
But, "I decline."
Though surprised, "Frightened, eh?"
"Not really" Toshitada answered frankly, "It's just that I'm concerned of your wounds, that's all. It seems that you almost lost much blood and yet you still have the strength to challenge me? What a daring young man you are..."
"What???" upon hearing his refusal and explanation, he suddenly felt intense pain on his whole body. So intense that he almost collapsed!
"Ryo!" Byakkouen called him by his real name and rushed towards him, "Ryo, are you okay?"
Toshitada gave an insulting smile on the two, "I admit that he has the guts. But it will be a very long way to use his powers that implated on him perfectly. I would suggest, Byakkouen, that you give him proper training so the next time that we meet again, he won't be that careless..."
Byakkouen snorted, "Rekka chose Ryo because it believed that he can handle it! And surely he will be greater than you thought! Yes, I will train him as hard as I could and I'll assure you that he can already do it without messing up!"
"We'll see about that, then..." as he about to leave with dignity, Byakkouen picked up another question on him.
"By the way... how did you manage to have the diffusion of Cruelty?"
Rekka, recovering from his still-fresh wounds, was surprised at the cat's question. "Hey, Kitty..." he called, "Ya mean THIS man also has a diffusion?"
The cat lowered his head, "...Yes..."
"AndTHAT isan advantage to my part" Toshitada said with a snort, "You see, evenme I don't know how and why, but that's not my problem anymore. As long as I have this unlimited source, I can still hone it to make it stronger. And of course, in order for me NOT to fail again..."
And his kanji glowed on his forehead. Rekka went blank.
"His kanji is the first Bushido virtue", Byakkouen explained, "Chu, or Loyalty, holding the spirit of Oni, or Cruelty. He now has the power to destroy any lifeforms and everything on his way. His mental ability is hypnosis, an ability to control one's mind, body and spirit against the victim's will..."
"...That makes him quite dangerous..." Rekka concluded.
Toshitada was now ready to leave. "I believe it's not yet over. Listen to what I will say to you, Phantom Rekka: There are still more onis to be sealed. Don't be easy on your victory tonight. And who knows, that mysterious chancetaker might never come back to save you again as he did tonight..."
"Heh! I know 'bout that! Ya don't hafta remind me!"
"And Byakkouen... just a little reminder: My name is not Koma Toshitada anymore. I'm not already the one you once knew and played with you..."
The cat just looked at him expressionless.
He turned back, "I am already working for the Dynasty's Oni-Retrieving Force... I am... Masho Phantom, Shuten Doji."
"Shuten... Doji..." Rekka repeated Toshitada's new name to remember it.
"This is what I called fate..." and as a final greeting, "See you around... Kitty..."
As he disappeared in the darkness, the cat's wildly brown eyes suddenly became cloudy and a tear fell off to his slowy cheeks.
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(AAAAGGHH!!! I didn't notice the typographical errors I made in some episodes! If you noticed it, I'm really-really-really (100x) to the max SORRY!!! I was in a hurry, then... Anyway, watch out for the final episode, I repeat, FINAL EPISODE to this chapter! The Epilogue is up next! So please continue to R&R! Thanks a lot!!! And I'M SORRY again!!!)