Kitty-chan: Wow! I'm really moving with this stroy! Woo! Pretty fun! I know things are moving pretty slowly, but things will start to speed up in the next chapter. I know... I hate parts where there's nothing but plot and character development too... they're really a drag to write. But, here's the last of the plot and character development only chapters! Hope you like it! Oh, one thing... I know that it might seem really a long chapter to read, but it is vital to the storyline, so if you want to understand the story to the end, you need this chappy. I'm sorry! TT. Anyway, I dun own Samurai Troopers... blah blah... copyright of Sunrise... yeah yeah. Anyway! Name translations real fast!

Character Names
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba
Date Seiji: Sage Date
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun
Yagyu Naste: Mia Koji

Armor Names
Rekka: Wildfire
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo
Suiko: Torrent
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock

Enjoy! The stuffwith () next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.

Shin's running a fever. Naste noted to herself as she decended the steps into the livingroom. I hope the others can find out what Takai wants with him soon. If he actually wants him at all.

Naste stopped at the bottom of the stairs and gave a gentle smile. The four Troopers were spread out all over the livingroom, enjoying a common nap. Seiji sat in an armchair, arms crossed and head bowed foreward. It seemed so like him to sleep in this manner. His graceful dignity was displayed even then. Toma was slouched back on a couch, his head tipped up to face the ceiling, and his elbows resting on the top of the couch. Shu lay on the floor on his back, his arms and legs spread slightly, snoring quietly. Ryo lay on his side on the love seat, his feet hanging over the arm, and his own arm hanging over the side to dangle just above the floor.

Normal. She found herself thinking. Her own knowledge of their armors normally eliminated any chances of allowing her mind to visualize them as normal boys, but right then, as she looked at then, they looked so… normal. They eat, they sleep, they laugh, they cry…they are more normal than anyone would give them credit for. The fact that they are so normal should be painfully obvious because I live with them. Yet, I never seem to comprehend it. Because what they carried made them so far from average, it was not difficult to forget that they were human being born from human parents.

The Empire and the Emporers of the Netherworld will never be destroyed. The work of the Samurai Troopers will never be done.

Naste's face drooped as Shin's words from a few days ago came to mind. Will they really be Troopers until they die? Will the Netherworld constantly come after them? How can they live like that? The armors have been such a burden for the few years they've been weilding them already. How are they going to survive if they have to do this all their lives?

Ryo suddenly sucked in a deep breath and sat up, pushing his arms above his head and yawning. He sighed and blinked drowsily about the room a few times before spotting Naste. He cocked his head slightly when she stared back at him, a concerned expression on her face. "Naste? Something wrong?"

Naste managed to smile and shake her head. "No, Ryo."

Ryo gave her a look, then shrugged it off, standing and stretching his legs. "How's Shin?" He wondered, seeing the bowl of water and rag in her hands.

Naste shook her head again. "He's running a pretty high fever. The draining obvioualy did a number on his immune system. He'll apparently be okay, but he's really sick."

"Oh." Ryo reclaimed his seat and sighed. Naste stared at him for a long moment before setting her bowl and rag down and heading to sit next to him. Ryo stared at her, concern written all over his face. "Naste, are you sure there's nothing you want to say?"

"Ryo… I'm… not quite sure I understand the whole relationship between the armors, the netherworld, and you guys. Do you think you can explain it to me?"

"Sure. What do you want to know?"

Naste paused for a moment, searching for her first question. "Shin and I were talking about who Takai is, but I still don't wuite understand the whole idea of the netherworld. Shin said that there is an unlimited number of Empires and Emporers. Is that true/" Ryo nodded, not making eye contact, but casting his gaze to the carpet. "Then how are you five expected to fight all of them off?"

"We're not." Ryo stated simply.

"Huh? Then who else is helping you?"

"No one in this world. There are only five Trooper armors, after all." Ryo almost laughed.

"Well, then… how are you supposed to deal with all the Empires and Emporers?"

"Well, first off, I had a little talk with Kayura and she gave be a brief history, by the way." Naste smiled and Ryo continued. "Second, the Emporers usually have enough fun wreaking havoc in the Netherworld. They have no reason to come to earth, where they would be destroying the things that give them power; humans. And even if some do become stupid enough to attmept to come after earth, Kayura and the Sanmasho will take care of them. But even they can't stop everyone." Ryo paused for a breath. "Arago was the Emporer of power lust, so he wasn't satisfied with conquering even the whole of the Netherworld. He wanted earth, too. And, since the San Masho were actually working with him, there was no one to stop him from doing so. He thought that he would get more power if he came to earth and actually controlled the humans which feed him."

"Well, what about Takai? Why's he here?"

"Arago was the Emporer of power lust and Takai is the Emporer of Corruption. Power lust and corruption are closely interwoven. Takai, I'm guessing, came to get revenge on us for wiping out one of his allies." Ryo shrugged. "Dunno."

"Really?" Naste sighed. "So… with so many emporers, do you ever expect to live normally?"

Ryo's face saddened considerably. "No."

"Is there something you can do to get rid of the armors?" She urged.

Ryo shook his head. "Rekka no Yoroi(1) is bonded to my soul. I can't part with it until I die. My death will coincide with Rekka's. And besides," Ryo looked her square in the eye. "No matter how much I want to get rid of it, I have an obligation to keep it."

"Why? Why should you spend your whole life fighting for a world that will never know who you are?" Naste cried.

"Because, Naste." Ryo sighed again. "It's a job that someone has to do, and why shouldn't it be me? I have no family. I am unattatched to any other obligations in life. So, technically, I'm a good person for the job."

"But you're still a human being." Naste looked down.

Ryo shrugged. "Yeah, but if you think about it, it should be that way. People create the problem by giving into the evil in their hearts. If human beings create the problem, shouldn't human beings fix the problem?" He smiled and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "But I want you to know this. Your concern does not go unnoticed. It helps us deal with the war just by having you around." Naste looked up and smiled gently in return. She looked at his own smile and could see behind it a sadness that premeated all five Samurai Troopers. There was a sadness, a sacrifical air about all of them. It was nothing that their countanances conveyed, of course. In fact, she thought the way they made themselves appear was the thing keeping them as they were. But the sadness was there, subtle and heavy. Naste frowned and placed her own hand over Ryo's.

"Thank you, Ryo." She closed her eyes and savored the feeling of his hand upon her shoulder.

"Naste?" Ryo voiced, noticing her dazed expression.

It was in this moment that Shu rolled over in his sleep, laying his weight on the remote for the tv. The news began blasting from the tv, turned up extremely high. The outburst caused Seiji, Toma and Shu to be jerked roughly from their slumber and look with bleary eyes at the screen, as well as draw a yelp from Naste. "Turn it down!" Ryo yelled over the noise of the tv, pressing his palms to his ears.

Shu sleepily fumbled with the remote for a few minutes before finally slamming his finger down on the volume control. Eventually, the volume decreased to a tolerable level. The five heaved a shared sigh of relief. "Gomen, guys." Shu smiled and sweatdropped, scratching the back of his head.

"Why was the tv up so loud?" Seiji inquired of no one in particular, sticking his pinki into his ear and wiggling it, hoping to get his ears to stop ringing.

Naste shrugged. "Weren't you guys watching a movie last night?"

Toma shrugged. "Oh. I didn't realize we had left the volume so high."

Naste shook her head, smiling, but then did a double-take as her eyes caught the news on the television. "Guys! Look at the tv!" All their eyes glued themselves to the screen.

Two women sat in chairs in Naste's house, conversing quietly. "Where are they coming from?" asked the woman on the left.

"It seems to be coming from outside." Naste, the woman on the right, answered

Suddenly, the wall to the upper left of the two women exploded in a flurry of bricks, plaster, and glass, allowing three colored figures entrance to the room. The woman on the left stood, shouting, "What the hell?"

"Guys!" Naste exclaimed, standing. "That's what happened when you guys first got here a few days ago!"

The screen shifted to a man sitting across from a female reporter, obviously the woman oposite Naste in the clip. "Wow. So… you were interviewing Yagyu-san on this very topic, weren't you?"

"Well, I had actually gone for an interview on her new job at Reikishii University, but when we began to talk about the start of her career, she spoke on the first legend she ever heard about, which was the legend of the Samurai Troopers."

"Really? So, do you believe that the creatures you encountered were the Samurai Troopers?" The interviewer leaned his chin on his palm, placing his elbow on the arm of his chair.

The reporter paused, considering her words carefully before voicing her opinion. "I won't go so far as saying that they were, in fact, the Samurai Troopers, but they were deffinately something special. They did match Yagyu-san's description of the Troopers."

"Do you think the creatures you saw were robots… or human… or what? What do you think they were?"

The woman shrugged a bit. "I couldn't really say, but I'd have to say they look like robots. But their voices were very much human. Plus, they had eyes and mouths. They looked mechanical, but they acted human."

Shu turned the tv off and plopped the controler onto the floor. "This is perfect, eh?"

"Gomen nasai, minna. You were exposed because that reporter was interviewing me." Naste sighed sadly.

"Iie, Naste!" Ryo cried, grabbing her shoulder again. "You did nothing to provoke this. You cannot blame yourself.

"Ah. If anyone deserves the blame, it's Takai himself." Seiji pointed out wisely.

"In fact, we should be apologizing." Toma added. "We've dragged you into yet another war with the netherworld."

"No, Toma. I want to help. I am your friend, and I can't sit by and watch you do this on your own. Besides," she stuck her tongue out playfully. "I'm the one with the fridge."

Shu's face brightened. "Ccan't live without one of those!"

"Well, at least you can't." Seiji shrugged. Shu sent him a light glare.

"So, what's the call, Ryo?" Toma inquired, shifting the room's attention back on the black-haired man.

Ryo closed his eyes and sighed. "Well…" He then reopened his eyes and fixated them on a spot on the opposite wall. "So far, all Takai has done is come after us a few times. Though he plays out some interesting strategies, he doesn't seem interested in harming anyone in the city. So if we stay away from the general people and the press, we should be alright. I suggest we lay low and wait for this to take a few more steps foreward. However, Naste… I would prefer it if you didn't leave the property."

"Why?" Naste cocked her head.

"Ryo turned to look at her, finally taking his eyes from his spot on the wall. "With all the publicity you're getting over us, if you went out in public, you could get swamped by the people or the media. No one knows us yet, so we can run any errands you may have."

"What about my classes? I have to teach tomorrow."

Ryo paused. "Your call then."

Naste sighed, considering her options. She finally set her shoulders and nodded. "I can't let the press get to me." She looked around at her friends. "Will you guys be able to keep the house in one piece while I work.?"

"Shouldn't be a problem, as long as Ryo and Toma stay out of the kitchen." Shu motioned to the two as they gave him some minor glares.

"Sure you'll all be alright? I have to leave here at 6:45 tomorrow morning to get there by 7:00. So you're on your own for breakfast. What will you do?"

Shu wagged a finger at her. "Naste, you disappoint me." Naste blinked. "Have your forgotten that my family owns a chain of restaraunts? You don't think I've learned nothing about cooking, do you?"

"Alright, so you're set for meals, but what if… you need something that we don't have at the house?" Ryo chuckled. He noticed that Naste was beginning to act like a mother, panicking over leaving her kids home for the first time.

Seiji laughed also. "You know how fast we run. We can get to the store and back faster than any car could get us."

Naste looked to the ground again. "You're sure you'll be alright?"

"Ah, Naste." Ryo gave her a smile, which she returned after a short pause.

Kitty-chan: Movin' right along. Review! Oh! Translations! Just one this time.

1 Rekka no Yoroi: Armor of Wildfire

And now, preview.

"Are you drunk?"
"He is not our target, Lai. I just want to see him writhe in agony for now."
"What is it, Shin?"
"Shu... Takai no boku!"
Yay! I can't wait for y'all to read the next chapter! Stay tuned and Review!