Kitty-chan: Yay! I'm so happy with how fast I'm getting this story up! I'm on spring break now, so I hope to post the entire thing before it's over. I'm going to aim for a chapter a day, but a few of the chapters are insanely long, like... chapter eight is foutry one pages long written, so when it comes to that chapter it might take a while. Plus, another problem is, I can't write battle sequences. All the battle sequences you see were planned out on paper, but written on the compy... so... it might take longer even for some of the shorter ones. But enough of my ramblings. I don't own Samurai Troopers, by the way. They are property of Sunrise Inc. The only characters I own are Takai, Lai and Kuri. Uh... real fast, I want to say thanks to the reviewers who have given me feedback.
Rogue Ronin: Thanks a lot! I am feeling a lot better, thanks. Thanks for your kind words. It's really nice to hear feedback to certain parts of the story like that. And I'm really glad you're getting into the story. Thank you!
Inda: Yah! Power to the Ryo and Naste fans! Woot! I remember when I first saw the series, I thought Ryo and Naste together was kinda rediculous, but then I saw some of the earlier episodes and I thought... Oh yeah. There's somethin' going on there. lol. Thank you!
Faith Healer: I'm glad it's holding your interest. I've been kinda worried if people are finding it interesting up until this point simply because it's been a lot of character and plot development mixed in with lots of talking. I'm glad to hear it's not too boring so far. Lol.
Thank you! I don't have too many reviews, but I love feedback, so I treasure the ones I have. Thank you and continue to review! Oh! 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
Byakuen: White Blaze
Yamano Jun: Yuli Yamano
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.
"Ryo, can you hear me?" A feminine voice penetrated the wounded warrior's sleep, arousing him and allowing his eyes to open.
"Huh?" Ryo grunted and focused on the woman's face before him.
"Ryo? How are you feeling?" it continued.
"Naste?" Ryo garbled, managing to force her face into focus.
"It's me." Naste smiled. "How are you feeling?" She asked again.
"Better." Ryo sat up to face her. She sat on the couch next to where he lay. She placed a hand to his forehead, then his cheek. "Well, you're temperature has dropped back down to normal." She commented, standing. "You hungry?"
"Very." Ryo sighed and swung his legs over the side of the couch. "What time is it?"
"Eight o'clock." She answered disappearing into the kitchen.
"At night? Wow. I could've sworn that I'd slept longer than that." He placed his chin in his right palm.
"You did." Naste giggled. "It's eight o'clock in the morning. You slept through yesterday afternoon and last night. We were beginning to wonder when you were going to come around."
"Wow." Ryo stood and stretched. "Hey, wait. Shouldn't you be at work?"
"Nah. I've decided that I'm not going to work again until this Takai ordeal is over." The quiet banging of pans floated from the kitchen as she began making breakfast for six. "The others told me what happened yesterday. The battle."
"Oh. So… back to your job thing, what made you change your mind about working?" Ryo asked, entering and putting the teakettle on before seating himself at the table.
"Well, one contributing factor was that the students didn't really want to talk about history at all. They all only wanted to talk about you guys and my experiences with you." Naste sighed, putting the pans down momentarily to start the coffee maker.
"I'm surprised that they were so interested. And that they even thought it worthy of discussing. Most of the city sees this whole thing as a hoax." Ryo shrugged.
Naste sighed heavily. "Yeah, but this is a college course, you know. Most of them are in there because they want to be. In other words, these people love these myths and legends, like the Samurai Troopers. Even if they don't believe that reporter, they still would be interested because anyone can see that I'm learned in the matter."
"Naste." Ryo stood and put a hand on her shoulder. "If it gets too hard, just tell the city about us. We don't want you getting involved with the press and media because of us. That could destroy your reputation."
"Well, for one, I promised that I would keep your secret, and that's just what I'm going to do." Naste huffed. "But there's another reason why I decided to stop working for a while. It's just that, while I'm there, I don't really feel quite focused enough. The whole deal is really mind-consuming, and it's kinda pointless for me to try and teach while being that distracted."
Ryo sighed as a voice interrupted their conversation. "Oi! Naste, what are you doing making breakfast?"
"Shin! Ohayo!" Naste smiled.
"Shin! How are you? When did you wake up? Are you sure you should be out of bed?" Ryo cried.
"Chill out, Ryo. I'm fine. I woke up yesterday and Seiji declared me cured of 'life drainage'." He laughed. "And Naste is taking over my job." Shin huffed and placed his hands on his hips.
"Nah, Shin. It's my house. I might as well cook for you." Naste smiled as Ryo poured himself a cup of tea and sat down.
"Iie, Naste." Shin shook his head. "You're providing for us. It's only fair that I cook!" Shin snatched the pan she held from her hands and set it on the counter. He placed his hands on her back, pushed her into the living room and sat her down on the couch. "Now. You sit here… watch TV… and if I see you in the kitchen again this morning, you're grounded, young lady." Shin laughed and returned to the kitchen. Naste giggled along and turned to TV on, flipping to the news. Shin motioned to the living room with his thumb as he re-entered the kitchen. "Outta here, Ryo. Go get the others up or something."
Ryo chuckled. "You're back to yourself. Lord of Water and the kitchen." Shin rolled his eyes and pulled rice from the cabinet. Ryo sighed and evacuated, making his way into the living room and toward the stairs.
"I remember the first time I entered this whole netherworld fray." Naste commented out of the blue as Ryo passed.
"Eh?" Ryo paused in mid-sip and looked at her.
"I saw you and Byakuen on the news. You were causing quite a ruckus. That was when the Youja appeared for the very first time." She smiled reminiscently. She paused, then turned in her seat to look at Ryo on the stairs. "Ryo?"
He turned and looked down at her again. "Huh?"
"Where is Byakuen, by the way? I haven't seen him the whole time you've been here."
"It's kind of a long story." Ryo shrugged.
"Well…" Naste blinked, then made a gesture to him. "Tell, please. It's not like we're short on time."
Ryo sat down on the fourth stair and regarded his tea for a moment before speaking. "Well, currently he's over at Jun's house. You see, when the youja first attacked me at my house in Sendai a few weeks ago, I knew that since they knew who I was, they'd know who you and Jun were too. The thing is, the five of us knew we needed to stick together if we wanted any hope of defeating Takai, but we also needed to keep an eye on you and Jun. But, of course, we couldn't be in two places at once."
"So you sent Byakuen over to Jun's to keep an eye on him." Naste finished.
"Ah. We knew that we, ourselves needed to keep a closer eye on you, since you have the data files from your grandfather.Takai probablyknows how important you are to our team and would probably go after you if he had to choose between you and Jun. That's why we were staying at the apartment complex. It's only a few miles away and it was easy to tell if something was happening here. But we never intended on staying here again." Ryo sighed.
"Well, you should know that my home is always open to you five. Especially during the wars." Naste smiled.
"Domo arigitou." Ryo smiled and headed upstairs to wake his comrades.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Lai!" The master bellowed. The ninja appeared, kneeling.
"Ho! Did you enjoy the show yesterday, Master?"
"Yes, I did, Lai. Good job." He smiled faintly, the set his mouth straight again. He cleared his throat. "Are your troops prepared to leave?"
"Ho."
"Good. You have briefed them on our target and strategies?"
"Ho… but… Master… wouldn't it be wise to go after Rekka no Ryo with-!"
"Silence, Lai!" He cried, shifting his weight on the throne to bear down on his servant. "You have no place to question my tactics!"
"Gomen nasai, Master!"
"Go! Launch the troops!"
"Ho!"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Ryo-tachi!" The scream pierced the air in the house and brought everyone from the kitchen, running into the living room and crowding around the TV where Naste sat, staring wide-eyed at the screen.
"What the…?" Seiji trailed off, studying the screen. "What on earth does Takai think he's pulling, here?"
"The ninjas are swarming downtown! Let's go!" Ryo commanded, dashing to the front door. The other four rushed ahead, but Ryo paused before shutting the front door. "Naste!"
Naste turned to look at him. "Huh?"
"Lock the doors and don't answer for anyone, understand?"
Naste seemed slightly taken back by his tone. "But… why do I-!"
"Naste, do you understand me?" Ryo urged, looking after his friends.
Naste sighed and nodded. "Yes. I promise." With that, Ryo vanished and the front door fell shut. Naste locked it and then ran into the living room to pull a blank tape from the video cabinet. She shoved it into the VCR and began to record the newsreel.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Oi! Suiko!" Ryo cried, casting a look over his armored shoulder. "Should you be coming?"
"Ah, Rekka. I feel fine. Don't worry about me!" Shin assured him.
"Masks, everyone, now!" Ryo ordered. All five faces were immediately concealed by the metal plates as they, at last, made it to the city. "Dang. Where's the fight?" Ryo growled, looking around.
"I dunno." Seiji shrugged, but then his face lit up. "Wait! I remember seeing that one skateboard place that Jun likes on the news report. So it's down in the area where we first fought the youja."
"Alright. Tenku, can you confirm that? Fly up there and see if you can find the battle." Ryo suggested. Toma nodded and his feet left the ground.
"Oi!" screamed a voice from behind them. They turned to see a small Honda car, a man's head and torso sticking out the driver's-side window. "Get outta the street, you freaks!" The boys sighed and moved off to the side, filling up and area of the sidewalk.
"Guys, we gotta find that area, now!" Shu cried, watching a woman across the street whip out her cell phone. "I have a feeling we're gonna get some company soon."
"Tenku! You see it?" Ryo called up to the blue hovering figure.
"Ah! Follow me!" Tenku flew off to the right and the boys soon followed him, launching themselves off the sides of buildings to reach the roofs, and then jumping along the skyline, following Tenku toward the battle. It only took them about five minutes to find the street that was being attacked by swarms of Takai's ninjas "What the hell is this all about?" Tenku demanded, staring at the way the ninjas were simply running around. Every once in a while, they would touch an interfering person and the person would scream, dropping lifelessly to the ground.
"What are they doing to those people?" Shu asked, jumping from the top of the building and flying toward the ground.
"They're just destroying any resistance." Seiji guessed.
Ryo landed next to a ninja about to grab a hold of a man's neck for attempting to protect his wife. Ryo pushed the ninja away and drew out his katanas. "What do you think you're doing?" The ninja made no attempt to respond, but rather rushed at him, calling forth a group of others to help him. Ryo gulped. He hadn't been expecting fifteen of them to come at him at once. He held his swords up and began slicing away any who got close enough. Ryo, not paying much attention to his surroundings, suddenly became aware of the large crowd that had encircled the battlefield, which stretched across the width of the street. After a few seconds one ninja managed to wrap itself around his legs and hold him in place while two more grabbed his arms. One last ninja jumped onto his shoulders and knelt down to grab his helmet, particularly, the metal face plates. Takai's trying to expose us! He violently jerked his head around, attempting to fling the ninja off, but the creature held fast. After a few seconds of struggling, the ninja threw a powdery substance into his face and leapt back again. Ryo coughed and backed away as the other three released him. He felt the faceplates slide part, completely revealing his face. Those idiots found some kind of magic that reacts with the armor to undo the facemask! He turned to Shin and saw him in the same predicament he had been in just moments ago. "Shin! Watch out for the-!" Ryo was cut off as three ninjas slammed into his side and sent him flying off to the left. Four more ninjas piled on top of him, holing him to the ground. Ryo watched as the ninja on Shin's shoulders threw the powder into Shin's face and jumped away. But they did not leave Shin alone as they had done Ryo. Instead, they threw another powder at him, causing him to begin coughing heavily. The ninjas then slammed him in the chest, sending him flying back into the crowd that had gathered around to watch the battle.
Shin slowly remembered himself. He opened his eyes and a bright flash blinded him, right before he found himself looking into the face of a young woman, wondering if he was okay. He waved his hand in front of his face to block the sunlight and the woman's eyes, then leapt to his feet. He rushed back into battle to face off against the ninjas who had attacked him. What had they done to him? He suddenly felt… unsure of himself. There was something in his mind that he didn't like. The second powder they had thrown at him had done something. He didn't know what. But it had done something. And the light he saw right when he woke up scared him, too. But he didn't have time for doubts, now. He had to have all his concentration. After all, he had gotten beat when his concentration split in the last battle he participated in.
"Chodando(1)!" Shu shouted, raising his Bo above his head. He was silenced as Seiji threw his no-datchi into the path of Shu's spinning Bo, catching it and sending it flying off to the side.
"No, Kongo!" He yelled as Shu reclaimed his Bo. "Do you realize how many people are around us? Your attack could kill some of them!"
Shu looked around and begrudgingly conceded. He then took off to the side, parting with Seiji, and running toward a group of ninjas closing in on a group of kids in school uniforms, apparently on a field trip. The kids were huddled in a circle, some whimpering and others crying. "Hey, freak, get away from them!" Shu yelled, swinging his Bo along the line of ninjas and sweeping them all away. Some hit the ground and vanished in a puff of smoke, while others managed to regain their footing. He began to deal with the ninjas as they came at him, thrusting foreword legs, fists, and even, every once in a while, a dagger. Shu noticed, soon after, he was being pushed back toward the kids. Are they trying to get the public involved? Suddenly, he felt something large and solid come into contact with his chest, pushing him backward. He tried to regain his footing, but it was lost on the leg of another ninja, waiting for him to step back. He fell to the ground with a loud thud, a murmur coming from the surrounding crowd. Ninjas held down his arms and legs, completely immobilizing him. One of them jumped up and landed on his torso, straddling his stomach. He grunted at the impact, then began coughing heavily as one shoved a fistful of reddish powder into his face. They immediately retreated as Shu attempted to rub the powder out of his eyes enough to open them. When he finally did, he gasped at the fact that his facemask was no longer covering him. What the…?
Toma leapt into the air and pulled a single arrow from his quivver and drew it back. As he released it, it turned to ten arrows, raining down on the ninjas. He drew out another arrow and aimed at a ninja jumping into the air straight at him. The ninja threw a small object of some kind right before he shot it. The object exploded, mere inches from his face, sending reddish powder into his eyes, nose, and mouth. He coughed and then opened his eyes wide as the facemask, which covered his countenance, was sliding apart. He growled. Stupid… He once again began letting loose a torrent of arrows on the ninjas below.
Seiji cut down the last of the ninjas in his area and looked around. The others had already retreated, and now the whole crowd was staring solely at him. He waved timidly and sheathed his sword. "Yo… konnichiwa.(2)"
The crowd was silent for a long time, simply staring at Seiji and the bodies of the ninjas that had yet to disappear. After a long minute, one man emerged from the crowd, and attempting to be brave, began to speak. "Who are you… what are you? What do you want with us?" There was a rumble of ascent around the crowd, but no real confidence was shown. Not quite sure how to answer, Seiji said nothing and took off to the top of the nearest building to follow his friends.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ryo slumped onto the couch and heaved a sigh. "Well, that was an adventure." He grumbled. "I don't want to ever do that again."
"Too many people… too many ninjas." Shin finished for him.
"No kidding." Seiji nodded and took a seat next to Ryo. "But, again. That strategy was odd. They didn't seem to be out to hurt us. And Takai should know that it would take even more than them to take us down, even if we were surrounded by people."
"I think they were trying to expose us." Ryo stated quietly. "Those ninjas brought a special powder with them that undid our facemasks when we breathed it in. I'm not sure why Takai would want to expose us, but…"
"Maybe he was hoping he could use the city's fright to his advantage." Seiji shrugged. "You know that if the city were to find out who we were, they'd freak out." The others nodded in agreement.
Shin wrung his hands a bit before speaking. "Uhhh… minna?"
"Ryo-tachi!" Naste cried, running in. "Thank goodness you're all alright!"
"Of course!" Toma cried, feigning offense. "We can't be taken down by a mob like that!"
Naste's face was solemn. "Ryo… did you… prechance see any news reporters in the city?"
Ryo shrugged. "Yeah. I spotted one or two, but they never got near me."
Shin cleared his throat. "Minna… about that reporter thing."
"What's up, Shin?" Shu wondered, the attention in the room shifting to the Suiko master.
"Umm… remember when I took a hit to the chest?"
"Yeah." Ryo voiced for the group. "I was watching until right after they hit you."
"I slid over… and I think a reporter in the sidelines got… I think she got a picture of my face." Shin sighed, remembering the panic that had quickly come and gone when he saw the young woman leaning over to look at him. The bright flash, come to think of it had been incredibly similar to that of a camera. The click of the shutter probably had not been heard due to the noise of the battle. He dropped his head and waited for a reprimanding tone from his comrades. None came, however. Naste's gentle and quiet voice was the next heard.
"Guys, Shin thinks correctly." Slowly, she raised her right hand, the TV remote within, and pressed her thumb down on a button. The VCR made a slight whirring sound as the VHS inside began to play. The five made a slight jump at the sight of their own forms jumping around in a small window to the right of the male anchor.
"What's this, Naste? We were expecting them to get this much of us. This isn't anything to get freaked out over." Toma commented, waving his hand around, confident and relaxed.
"No, Toma. This is a recording of the news report that came on earlier. I can tell you that it gets worse." She quieted herself and placed herself beside Ryo, on the opposite side of Seiji.
The male reporter looked grave. "Live in Shinjuku, five creatures, apparently dressed in armor-like apparel are facing off against what looks like an army of Chinese Ninjas. There are no confirmed identities of the ninjas or the armored creatures, and their humanity has been questioned. The police of Shinjuku have been trying to get into the center of the crowd to try and resolve the matter, but the crowd of civilians and the scattered attacks of the ninjas on the police trying to get through have halted any efforts made. A serious warning has been issued urging all families to stay inside. We will be back with more updates as more information becomes available." There was a long string of commercials, which Naste fastforworded through, and finally, the anchor reappeared on the screen. He did not speak for a long moment, then gathered his thoughts, folded his hands and stared squarely at the camera. "New evidence and tragedy has been discovered at the fight in Shinjuku. Naia Takata is live from a police helicopter at the scene. Takata-san, can you see anything?"
An older woman appeared on the screen, a microphone held firmly in her hand and the strong wind of the helpicopter whipping her hair around. "No, actually. I can't see much of anything at all. There seems to be some kind of barrier around the fight zone that is preventing the helicpoter from getting any closer. But new information, gathered from our reporters and civilians down in the crowd, has reached us.
"We have confirmed that the armored creatures are, in fact human. Small amounts of blood are sometimes seen falling from the armored creatures, however, we have not been able to figure out much about the ninjas. The fight is rather bloody, and many of the ninjas are dying, but not a drop of their blood has touched the ground. It's a tough call right now. Up until now, we had absolutely no way to identify these armored people, but we have now confirmed the identity of three of them."
A large picture of Shin's face appeared on the screen, his eyes open only a tiny bit. "This is Mouri Shin. He has been confirmed at twenty years old, before today, he was last seen in Shinjuku on August 5, 1990. Currently, there is no record of his residence."
The second picture was a three quarters shot of Toma's face, his mouth open in a battle cry as he unleashed his rain of arrows on the enemy. "This is Hashiba Toma. He is twenty-one years old, and before today, he was also last seen in Shinjuku on August 5, 1990. His residence is also unknown."
The last picture showed a head on shot of Shu's pain-stricken face, the reddish powder also setting around his face. "This is Rei Faun Shu. He is also twenty years old, and the rest of his information is the same as with the other two. Last seen in Shinjuku was August 5, 1990, and his residence is unknown."
The male anchor appeared on the screen again. "Arigitou, Takata-san. Reports continue to come in, and the latest ones say that the fight has ended and the armored creatures have retreated. The bodies of the countless ninjas that the public saw cut down today are nowhere to be seen, raising even more questions about the mysterious creatures. The boys who have been identified are not currently listed as citizens of Shinjuku, but efforts are being made to find out more about the boys and their whereabouts." He turned a bit to face another camera at a different angle. "The people of the city are both shocked and afraid at the same time. The witnesses to the fight in downtown have seen the kind of abilities these creatures have and worry for their safety. The city is now pushing for the arrest and confinement of both the armored creatures and the ninjas. The police have responded, and while they attempt to get the public to calm down, others are filing for a warrant to arrest the creatures involved in today's events."
Naste flipped the TV off and looked guiltily at the five boys, who had not moved. She knew she had nothing to do with their discovery, but being the messenger sure had an effect on her. The first movement made was Shin falling limply into the seat next to Toma. He looked like he was about to scream or cry. Which one, Naste couldn't tell. But there were quite a few emotions playing across his face. Shin clenched his fists on his knees. "I'm sorry, everyone." He growled more at himself than anyone else. "It's my fault."
"No, Shin. I screwed up, too." Shu pointed out, pulling at his orange headband.
"Same here." Toma sighed.
"At least they don't know where you live." Naste pointed out hesitantly, hoping to lift the room's spirits a bit. It didn't work. The boy's made no response. After a long tense moment, Shin grunted quietly and stood.
"Good night everyone. I'm going to bed." He mumbled, disappearing up the stairs.
"Shin…" Ryo began. Seiji put a hand on his shoulder as he started to get up and shook his head slowly.
"I think he just wants to be alone right now." He sighed.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Papa?" The small boy whispered, peering into the living room and watching the lumbering form of his father work with something he was bent over. "Papa?" He whispered again, rubbing some sleep from his eyes. "What are you doing?"
The man suddenly sat up straight and turned around to glare at the boy. "What are you doing up? You should be in bed."
"I couldn't sleep." The boy defended. "What are you doing?"
"Get back to bed, Shin." He grumbled.
Shin hesitated and then peered around his father's body and his small eyes grew wide at the sight of a very full suitcase. "Papa… what are you doing?" he asked for the third time.
"Shut up, and go to bed." The man growled. "This is none of your business."
"Papa… you aren't leaving, are you?" Shin demanded, raising his voice. The man suddenly and roughly clapped his large hand over Shin's mouth.
"Shut up, Shin! You want to wake your mother?" he hissed. "Now go back to bed!"
"No, Papa!" Shin cried, his voice muffled by his father's hand. "Please don't leave!"
The man sqeezed the small child's face a bit. "You shut up. Now!" Shin continued to wriggle until his father finally released him.
"No, please, Papa! Why are you leaving?" he demended. His father had talked but a few times of leaving the family, but he had never expected him to actually do it.
The man snorted and stood to his full heigth, grabbing his suitcase and towering over the child. "It's because I can't stand any of this! You're such a disobedient child, we can't do a thing with you! It's your fault I'm leaving!"
The child took a step back as if he had been struck. "Papa… what?" He didn't know this. He never knew his father was so displeased with him. "I'm sorry, Papa! Please don't leave! I promise I'll be good!" he screamed.
"Shut up!" The man yelled again.
"Shin?" A female voice cried. A young woman in her mid-teens appeared and kneeled next to Shin. She then looked up at her father. "Papa, what's going on?"
"Nevermind, Sayako." He growled. "Just keep ahold of your brother."
Sayako didn't know what he was talking about, but wrapped her arms around her six-year-old brother's waist, holding him in place as he surged after the man. The man turned and began stalking toward the door. "Papa, what are you doing?" Sayako yelled.
Without answering, the man picked up his suitcase, threw his coat over his shoulder and ran out the door. "Papa! Papa!" Shin screamed, tears streaming down his face as his sister held him back. "Papa! Come back! Please! I'll be good! Please, Papa!"
"Papa! Papa!"
"Shin?" Shu shot upright in bed and looked over at his childhood friend's bed. "Shin?" He called to him as he saw him writhing around in his bed. He leapt up and turned to lights on before dashing back to his firend's side. "Shin!" He yelled again, grabbing his friend's shoulders and shaking them vigorously. The man's yelling continued, but he did not wake. "Shin! Wake up!" The man did not respond, but rather continued to writhe around, yelling over and over again.
"Shu? What's going on in here?" Ryo stood at the door, squinting at the light and scratching his head.
"Shin'e having a nightmare, but he's not waking up." Shu's voice was beginning to sound a bit panicked. "Shin!" He shook him again, but this rendered the same result as before.
"Papa!" Shin screamed, his forehead breaking out into a light sweat.
"Who's yelling?" Naste inquired as she filled Ryo's spot in the doorway. The latter had run to stand by Shin's bedside as Naste appeared, dressed in a frilly green robe. "Shu, what's wrong?"
"It's Shin! He's having a nightmare and he won't wake up!" Shu waved his hands around, feeling helpless now that it had been determined that waking Shin up was not going to happen.
"Seiji!' Ryo yelled.
Seiji soon appeared in the doorway, completely out of breath. "What's going on in here?"
"Seiji!" Shu cried, then motioned to Shin.
Seiji's eyes widened and he raced to Shin's side to grip his shoulders. He began to shake him hard. "Shin! Shin!"
"We tried waking him up! He won't!" Shu commented, shakily.
Seiji squeezed Shin's shoulders a bit, trying to force his way into Shin's mind. If he could make it in and dislodge the nightmare, he might be able to force Shin to calm down. He felt a pressure in his head right before two hands pressed against his back. Shu caught him as Shin's mind threw him away, physically pushing Seiji backwards. Seiji raised an eyebrow. Why was Shin's mind so incrediably resistant? Seiji shook it off and forced his way back into Shin's mind. As his senses explored, he became more and more confused. Shin's mind was dark and more resistant than most of the minds he had entered before. He began to tug at the dark shroud of the nightmare that had surrounded Shin's thoughts. After a few minutes he began to realize how difficult it was going to be to free the suffering boy. The nightmare had completely enveloped every part of his mind as if his had consciousness of its own. But he couldn't stop now. If he let Shin continue to wallow in the nightmare, he might never wake up. Something was not right with this nightmare. Shin couldn't be awoken, and if they left him, he might never awaken. What had caused this much trouble?
He suddenly felt Shin's mind begin to reject him and push him away like some kind of mental immune system. Just before he was roughly driven out, he grabbed the remainder of the nightmare and pulled it away, then fell into darkness.
"Seiji!" Naste cried as the man released Shin and leaned back fully on Shu's hands. "Seiji!" She cried again.
A hand hit her shoulder. " Calm down, Naste. Seiji has just exhausted his abilities. But he did the job. Look. Shin has calmed down."
Naste looked to see that Shin was now quieted. He no longer twistewd and turned in bed, but rather, he lay still, a grimace remaining on his face. "So, what now?"
"We should let them both rest. Let's get back to bed." Ryo suggested, ushering Naste out the door and pointing her in her bedroom's direction. He turned to Shu as soon as Naste was on her way. "Shu, you wanna take Seiji back to bed?"
Shu nodded and pulled Seiji into his arms, standing. He pushed his way into Toma and Seiji's room and couldn't help but smile at Toma. The man was still fast asleep. Very few things could disturb this Trooper's sleep, that was clearly expressed each morning as the others took turns waking him up in the morning. Shu shook his head and put Seiji back into bed. He then headed back into his own room. He entered and made his way over to where Shin was to check on him. He froze as Shin whispered, "Takai no… boku." He was silent for a long time after that, and so Shu figured he would be all right. He turned off the lights and climbed into bed. But just before he fell completely to sleep, he could've sworn he heard Shin's soft quiet voice.
"Sayonara(3)… Shu."
Kitty-chan: Whoo! That was a long chapter. Crazy, huh? A few of the Samurai have been exposed. What next? (dramatic moment) Lol. I can tell you, things really start to heat up in this next chapter. I hope you stay tuned! Translation time!
1 Chodando: Ultra ballistic (beginning of a sure-kill)
2 konnichiwa: Good afternoon
3 Sayonara: Good-bye
Cool! Preview time!
"It could consume him or drive him mad in a short period of time if something goes wrong."
"Shu, help me!"
You have to do this! Ryo is counting on you!
Ryo leaned back, putting his weight fully on his knees. His arms went around his torso and he began shivering. "It's cold... so cold." he whispered. He then looked timidly up at Toma. "What happened to me back there?"
Woo! I told ya things were gonna go crazy in the next chapter! Come back and review!