Kitty-chan: Whoo! Long chapter! It's 12 typed pages on Microsoft word. O.O Anyways, here's the next chappy. Ch7 should get put up soon. It's not too long. But, I hope you like this chapter. This one is one of my personal faves, next to the last one, of course. Oh! I don't own any of the Samurai Troopers. I only own Takai, Lai and Kuri. But anyway, here are the name translations!
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
Kikoutei: Inferno
Go Retsu Ken: Soul Swords of Fervor
Enjoy! The stuff with ( ) next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.
"Seiji!" Naste cried happily as Seiji appeared on the steps. "Ohayo!"
"Ohayo, everyone." Seiji waved sluggishly to Naste, Ryo, Toma, and Shu who were sitting on the couches of the living room, sipping at tea. Naste immediately got up to pour him a cup. Seiji did a double take when he caught sight of Toma. "Toma? What are you doing up so early?"
"Early? I've been up for an hour." Toma said proudly, as if waking up before someone else in the house was a major event. "It's one in the afternoon."
"Eh? It's one o'clock?" Seiji cried, walking into the room to seat himself beside Shu. "Wow. I was really tired." Naste returned and placed a mug before him. "Thanks."
"Yeah. Getting at Shin must've been really draining for you. But at least it worked, and you're okay." Shu shrugged.
Naste polished off her tea and clapped her hands. "Alright. I'm going to the store to pick up some food for lunch and some other groceries. I'll be back in about an hour, okay?" She quickly took her mug to the kitchen and then hustled out the door.
"What happened last night, anyway?" Toma asked after Naste had left. Having slept through the whole ordeal, he was a bit confused to the happenings.
Shu explained what happened according to his own point of view. As soon as he was finished, Seiji began his side of the story. "When I first tried to go into his mind, it threw me out. His head was completely infested with that nightmare. It was a strong nightmare, too. Probably about something close to his heart. But it took all I had just to calm him down. Even if it was a nightmare about something close to his heart, it shouldn't have taken that much force to get him to calm down. That, and the fact that we were completely unable to wake him up suggests that it was not a natural nightmare."
"You think it was nethergoon-induced?" Shu asked, looking around for the others' reactions.
"It could've been. Where is he now?"
"Still sleeping. We haven't been able to wake him up. His breathing's fine and his temperature's fine, and he hasn't had any nightmares since the bad one. He just won't wake up." Shu answered.
"Well, we should check on him periodically." Seiji nodded.
"Yeah." Ryo agreed. "Toma was the last one down and he checked on him about an hour ago. We should proably check on him again soon."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Get up, now."
"Please. Stop it." A weak voice protested the gruff one, but it did nothing to alter the command.
"Get downstairs. You have a job to do."
"No. I can't. I won't. He's my-"
"-your what? Your friend? You have no friends, and you have no family. You only have me. I am your past, present, and future. Now move!"
"Stop it! Get out of my head! Please!"
"Go now!"
"Please, stop it! Somebody help me!"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Shu stood. "I'll go check on Shin." He offered. He began heading up the stairs but only made it halfway when his face brightened. "Shin!"
"Shu?" Shin had a dazed look on his face, and his eyes were glassy. "Hey. Good morning."
"It's one in the afternoon, sleepyhead." Shu smiled. "You feeling better?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Shin inquired, cocking his head.
"You had a nightmare last night, didn't you?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"Well, I woke up and you were screaming, but we couldn't wake you up, no matter how hard we tried." Shu explained as they began their descent down the stairs.
"Shin!" The others stood when Shin became visible.
Ryo smiled as Shin smiled down at them. But his smile vanished as Shin's eyes locked with his. There was a spark, a fire there and he couldn't define. The spark seemed to burn with an anger he had never known Shin to possess before. Of course, then again, this was Shin we were talking about. Hateful Shin was like an oxymoron.
Shin headed to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat as Shu rejoined the others and Ryo shook Shin's eyes from his mind. Shu sighed happily. "Well, at least things are back to normal."
"Sh!" Ryo hissed. "You'll jinx it!"
"It's not over, Shu. Not by a long shot. Takai is still out there. He's not going to be easy to bring down even with our new armors. You saw how little they did against him when we fought him last. He deflected us like we were children." Seiji pointed out wisely.
"I know." Shu sighed, his spirits dampened.
"What about Kikoutei?" Toma suggested quietly.
There was a pause where Seiji stared Toma down, an odd look in his eyes. After the pause, Seiji shrugged. "What about it?"
"Can we still create it? I'm sure it would be enough to stand against Takai." Toma explained, shrugging as well.
"We probably can create it, but it would be risky." Seiji answered slowly.
"Risky? How so?" Shu inquired.
"The power comeing from these armors in incredible, and times, difficult to control. Imagine what all five of them combined would do to Ryo. Could he handle that much power? And that's only the first problem we hit when we suggest Kikoutei." Seiji explained, folding his hands.
"What other problems are there?" Shu asked.
"You do realize how Suzanagi made the armors, don't you?" Seiji began. Shu shrugged. "They were born from her hate. That means that a hateful influence has been built into the armors as well. It's just the nature of these weapons. Now, normally, we don't notice the hate in them because our wills and our minds are strong enough to conquer the armors and we are able to dominate it. But what would happen if Ryo received not only five times the power, but five times the hate? It could consume him or drive him mad in a short period of time if something goes wrong."
The three conversing teens looked to Ryo, who was staring at what was left of his tea. He let out a breath and closed his eyes briefly before openeing them again and focusing on Seiji. "Then we'd better not let anything go wrong. You know as well as I do that we won't be able to take Takai down unless we have Kikoutei's power. Our armors separately didn't do squat against him last time. You know that Kikoutei is really the only way we'll be able to take Takai down."
"But Ryo, there might not even be a Kikoutei armor to go with these new armors. And even if there is, this thing could cost you your life." Seiji argued.
"Seiji, the whole reason Suzanagi created the armors was to create the Kikoutei. Of course there is a Kikoutei to go with them. Secondly, it is better that I lose my life than the millions of people in Japan and the billions in the world. It's not moral, or right, for me to not do anything when my one, insignificant, life could save billions of others. We're going to summon Kikoutei, and Takai's going to test its power for us."
"Ryo!" Seiji cried, staring wide-eyed as Ryo hit the floor, staring timidly up at him.
Ryo's head whipped around to stare at the reason he had dove off the couch. A knife, Ryo recognized it to be one of Naste's good ones, was imbedded in the wall where Ryo's head had been just seconds before. The hilt was the only thing visible, as the entire blade had disappeared into the wall, betraying the force with which it had been thrown. Whoever had thrown that knife was attempting to kill him. All eyes turned to the doorway, to see Shin standing, a dagger in his left hand, which they recognized to be the one from Suiko's boot. In his right hand, he held his Suiko yari. "Shin!" Ryo called. "What's going on?"
"Nothing, Rekka no Ryo." He answered lifelessly.
"Rekka no Ryo?" Ryo repeated, standing and brushing himself off. "Since when do you call me that?" Ryo suddenly jumped to the side as Suiko's knife was thrown at him. "Shin!" He cried as he regained his feet. "What in the hell are you doing?"
"Come at me, Rekka no Ryo!" Shin cried, holding his yari out and striking a fighting stance.
"Shin, are you crazy? What has gotten into you!" Shu yelled, taking a step toward him. Shin's yari twitched and Shu reeled back, holding his shoulder, which had been grazed by the point of Shin's weapon. "Shin! What's wrong with you?"
Seiji put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't go near him. He's not himself." Seiji's eyes narrowed. Im sensing that same dark presence. But why is it surrounding Shin like that? It doesn't make any sense. What's happened to him?
"Come on, Rekka! Are you afraid of me?" Shin taunted, brandishing his spear around.
"Shin! Snap out of it!" Toma yelled.
"Shut up!" Shin yelled back. "This has only to do with Rekka no Ryo and I." Suddenly, Shin was gone and stood behind Ryo. He pulled the dagger from the wall and pressed the handle of the yari across Ryo's shoulders, holding him in place. The blade of the dagger went to Ryo's neck and Shin gave a smile. "Not so tough now, eh Rekka?"
"Shin…" Ryo said quietly, looking down at the dagger pressed to his throat.
"Shin! Please… why are you doing this?" Shu demanded.
"It's really none of your business, is it?" Shin grumbled angrily. "But if you insist, it's really quite simple. I was weak, and Takai gave me power."
"No, Shin…" Ryo whispered.
Takai no boku!… Shu! Takai no boku!
Shu's eyebrows came to a point. "Of course… Takai. So that's what Shin was trying to tell me." He pointed an accusing finger at Shin. "No! You're not Shin at all! You're Takai!"
"Huh? Shu, what are you talking about?" Toma looked at Shu, then at Shin.
"Duh!" Seiji cried suddenly. "Isn't it obvious? That explains the odd presence I sensed around him… the nightmares… the water in the lake… everything! Takai's taken control of Shin's mind and body. Takai is the Emperor of Corruption. Controlling and influencing people is what Takai is all about!" The three looked to Shin, who now had tears streaming down his face.
"What? Takai has possessed him?" Toma cried.
"Yes. Those nightmares he was having weren't normal nightmares, remember? That black shroud around his mind… that was Takai's influence trying to take control!" Seiji explained.
"So, now you realize what's happening." Shin smirked, his tears continuing to flow. "But really, it doesn't matter. You can't do anything about it. I've got your leader here, and Shin is no longer able to hear you."
"If he can't hear us… why is he crying?" Toma demanded, pointing at Shin's tears. Shin didn't answer as Seiji, Shu and Toma dawned their under gear.
Don't hurt him, guys. He can't control himself now. Seiji thought to the other two. Shu nodded subtly and Toma grunted in approval. Toma held out his left hand and the bow from Tenku materialized. He grabbed the string, and as he drew it taught, a golden arrow appeared pinched between his fingers, resting on top of his left hand. He set his sight and aimed the tip at Shin.
"Let him go, Takai." He growled.
"Go ahead, Tenku no Toma. Rekka will beglad to accept your arrow." Shin snarled. His face was contorted with evil bloodshed, but tears continued to stream down his face, his eyes betraying his desire to stop.
Toma closed his right eye and aimed carefully. Shu! Go! Now! He released the arrow, Shin's eyes widening considerably. Ryo braced himself, logic telling him that Toma's arrow wouldn't hit him, but his instinct screaming in panic. The arrow struck the tip of the hilt of Suiko's knife, sending it flying out of Shin's hand and across the room (Seiji caught it before it dashed one of Naste's vases). Shu was infront of Shin in a heartbeat. He grabbed Ryo's wrist and yanked him away from Shin to stand over by Toma. Shu then grabbed Shin's yari and flipped it over, hoping to twist it from his grasp, but Shin held tight, crossing his right arm over his left to retain his hold on the spear.
"It's no use, Kongo no Shu. I've got complete and total control over Shin."
"Shin! I know you are in there, and I know you can hear me!" Shu yelled at the boy.
"Don't you understand this?" Shin laughed. His tears continued to come. "I've planned this from the very beginning. During our first encounter, I nearly drained the life from poor little water boy. That weakened him enough to make his willpower almost non-existant. I took that chance to infest his mind with my influence." Shin smiled proudly. "I could only work on taking over when he was asleep, and not completely aware of my presence, but still, I had to work slowly. If I worked too hastily, Shin's mind might have detected a disturbance and alert him to my presence through a dream. That was when the little wretch decided to try and contact you, calling out, 'Takai no boku'. It didn't work. By that time, I already had control over most of his mind. I even tested him out that day when my youja began to light the forest afire. The manipulation of the water from the lake was done completely by Shin's yoroi. And when he woke up, he had no memory whatsoever of what I had done to him." He laughed a bit and Shu's face contorted with rage. "Then I realized that by planting a nightmare in his mind, I could work more efficiently because his mind would be distracted. So, I gave him a nightmare he couldn't wake up from."
"You did all that, just to control Shin? Why?" Shu demanded.
"What better way to get my revenge than to destroy Rekka no Ryo with one of your own?" Shin smiled.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
-Takai! Master Takai!
Takai looked up and snarled at Lai. "What is it? I'm in the middle of something."
"Forgive my forewordness, Master, but the spirits that are keeping an eye on the battle have reported a problem with Suiko no Shin." Lai commented quietly.
"Well? What's the problem? My control is absolutely complete."
"Yes, of course Master, but we have found that Suiko's yoroi is not accessible at it's full strength." Lai answered hastily, bowing low.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Takai growled.
Lai fumbled a bit for a moment before screwing up his courage and speaking. "You see, Shin's will, as you know, is very strong. He is not permitting us to access the power of the armor. He is withholding its power from us and Shin alone, even with your power boost is not going to be enough to kill any of the Troopers. He is the weakest of all five."
"Then I shall consume his soul as well. If I control his soul, I can take the armor." Takai conceded.
"But, sir, consuming his soul would not only kill him, but Suiko's armor is far too weak to take down the likes of Rekka no Ryo. It would be pointless." Lai answered, standing.
The master huffed before yelling, "Kuri!"
The situation was explained and Takai requested her advice. Kuri thought for a long moment before smirking. "Well, you could consider re-investing your abilities. It wouldn't be as complete as it is now, but it certainly would have the element of surprise, so more power would be available to us." She suggested, stroking her chin.
Takai considered this for a long moment before smiling and nodding. "Good. I shall. Now go." Takai waved them away and began to concentrate again.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Shin suddenly went completely motionless. He stopped moving altogether and the suffocating aura of evil seemed to relent. Seiji stepped foreword a bit. "Guys… Takai's released him for some reason."
"He has?" Shu looked into Shin's lifeless eyes.
"Yeah. He's still got control of Shin's body, but his mind has been released, if only a little bit." Seiji continued.
"Shu, help me!" Shin suddenly screamed, causing Shu to jump.
"Shin? Is that you?" Shu asked slowly.
"Yes, it's me. You've gotta help me! Takai's going to use me to kill Ryo and then you guys!" Shin yelled, panicked.
"No, he's not. Now let go of the spear." Shu nodded at the yari, which neither had released.
"I can't! Takai's locked my body in place. I sense that something's distracted him. You gotta stop him! All you have to do is kill me!" Shin cried, his tears coming faster and thicker.
"Are you crazy? Kill you? I don't think so! I'd never do something like that!" Shu protested.
"I'm weak, Shu! I'm not much help you guy guys in the first place! I'm just a burden!" Shin argued. "I got us exposed, and I was too weak to resist Takai's influence! Just do it!"
"Shut up, you idiot!" Shu yelled, shoving at the spear. "How could you say things like that? You're not weak! You're Suiko! You complete the circle of five! If you didn't notice, my picture was on that report too. Are you telling me that I'm weak?"
"Of course not, Shu! I'm just-!"
"Then stop it! The fact that both our pictures appeared on that screen proves that we are on the same level! Takai was able to take control of you because he nearly drained your life away! I'm sure that any one of us would be in the exact same position were we in your shoes."
"Listen! Takai makes me more powerful when he controls me! I've been able to withhold my aromor's power from him, but he's going to boost my strength and use the fact that you don't want to hurt me to kill you all! If you die, there's no hope for this world! If I die, that'll spoil another one of Takai's plans!" Shin begged.
"No, Shin! I'm not going to sacrifice your life!" Shu shook his head.
"Shu!" Shin screamed suddenly. His eyes rolled back into his head and closed. After a few minutes, they opened, but with the evil spark returning.
"Shin? Shin?" Shu cried.
"Sorry, he's unavailable. Can I take a message?" Shin growled, giving a smirk.
"Takai." Shu clenched his teeth. "Yarou(1)! Let him go!"
"If you insist, Kongo no Shu!" Shin suddenly released the spear, grabbed Shu's shirt, pulled him close and sank his teeth into the side of Shu's neck.
"Shu!" Ryo, Seiji, and Toma yelled.
Shu screamed as he felt not only the pain of Shin's teeth, but also a dark sting that festered in his neck and began to spread into his head and wrack his body like electrocution. He gripped his head as a voice began chanting, echoing into every fiber of his being. Shin's teeth suddenly left his neck and the boy dropped limply to the floor, but the stng did not leave. He could feel a pounding in his mind. A deep rumble that threatened to steal his consciousness. Something was trying to take over.
Just give in and the pain will stop, I promise. A comforting voice called to him.
"No! Get out of my head!" Shu yelled, writhing around, his hands pulling at his hair a bit.
"Seiji, what's happening?" Ryo demanded, watching the struggle between Shu and the unseen enemy.
"Takai has entered Shu! He's transferred his spirit out of Shin and into Shu! He's trying to posess him!" Seiji explained quickly.
"What? What can we do?" Toma inquired, his body screaming for him to take action.
"We can't do anything. Shu has to repel him on his own simply because the battle has moved to Takai versus Shu's mind." Seiji growled. "We can do nothing but give him our support."
You know I'll win in the end, so why bother resisting?
"Shut up! Get out of my head!" Shu repeated.
You know I'll win. The voice repeated. Now be a good little slave and do what I tell you!
Shu gave a long yell of effort and anger before going silent, his hands dropping to hang by his sides. Hi eyes slipped closed and his breathing quickened. Ryo took a few cautious steps foreword, holding his hand out. "Shu?" Shu didn't respond. "Shu?"
Shu's hand traveled up to his neck to brush away the small trickle of blood that was slowly running down his neck. Then, that same hand lashed out to strike Ryo across the face. Ryo stumbled back sneering, "Takai!"
"You rang?" Shu looked up, smirking.
"What's this all about?" Seiji demanded.
"Well, it's about all of you. Mainly you, Rekka. With the use of Shu's body, I'll finally have the revenge I've waited for." Shu smirked, his eyes flashing with bloodlust.
"Explain yourself, demon! Why are you now possessing Shu?" Ryo shouted, his katanas materializing into his hands.
"You see, when I drained Shin's life that first day, I figured he'd be easy to take over. After all, he is the weakest of you five." Shu began, stooping to pick up Suiko's yari. He swung it behind his back and struck a fighting stance. Toma's bow appeared in his hand as well.
Seiji called his no-datchi to him and held it out. "But he wasn't. Your influence depends on not only the person's will, but the state of the person's heart. An evil person would be easier to posess than a pure-hearted person. Shin has the purest heart of anyone I've ever met. You weren't able to easily control him at all!" Seiji realized, preparing for a fight.
"Very astute of you, Korin. Shin was still no match for me, but his will was annoyingly strong. It took me a while to gain complete control. Once I realized how difficult it would be to take him, I had an army of ninjas distract you outside while one of them ran into the house and slashed his shoulder with a knife laced with netherworld poison." Shu continued, running at Ryo. A small sword fight began until Seiji and Toma joined the fray and a larger fight ensued, Shu continuing to explain the whole time.
"That was that cut we found on Shin's shoulder when he woke up!" Toma pointed out, blocking Shu's spear at it came down at his head.
"You're not a slow as you look. Like I said, I tested him out by pouring the water of the lake on Ryo earlier, and then my spell was finished when the ninjas in downtown yesterday threw a special powder into his face that would make him more suceptible to my control when he was sleeping." He jumped away and stood up staright next to where Shin was. The other three stopped chasing him, fearing for Shin's life. Shu batted Shin's head with the blunt end of the yari. "This little weakling wasn't worth the amount of effort that had to go into posessing him. But I couldn't abandon the posession simply because that would mean I would have to grab one of you." Shu then motined to himself with his thumb. "I knew I needed a strong Trooper, like Shu, to take you down, Rekka. So, I merely needed to posess Shin and get him to transfer my spirit to one of you. All one of you had to do was get close enough."
"Close enough? I was the first one Shin grabbed!" Ryo protested, motioning toward himself. "Why didn't you just use me instead of going out of your way to possess Shu?"
Shu shrugged. "I don't want to posess you, I want to kill you. And I want to do it with one of your friends. Youre little noble act took Arago down and you're going to pay for it!."
"I'm back with lunch, minna! Come on!" Called Naste as she made her way through to foyer and into the livingroom. She froze and dropped her groceries when she saw the commotion. "What on earth is going on here! If you guys are going to spar, do it outside!" She cried angrily, though part of her mind told her that this was a serious matter. After all, why would Shin be unconscious, and Shu brandishing the Suiko yari around?
"Shhh, Naste!" Toma hissed, waving an armored hand at her.
Shu suddenly raced at Ryo, spear set foreword to strike, eyes red with blood-lust. Ryo side-stepped the weapon and grabbed the handle. He held it in place with his right hand, while backhanding Shu across the face with his left. "Wake up, Shu!" Ryo yelled.
Shu smirked and Ryo suddenly screamed as huge surges of dark energy flowed through the spear and into Ryo's body. Ryo was forced to let go and dropped to his knees as Shu then pointed his weapon at Seiji. Seiji made a lightning fast spin kick to Shu's hand, hitting the spear away to land by Shin. Shu shrugged and held out his right hand. Orange energy glowed there for a moment before stretching to become his Kongo Bo. He snapped the ends open and gripped the chains that linked them together to swing the ends around like nun-chaku. He raced foreward, swiping at Toma and Seiji again and again. The boys were able to dodge the attacks, but they were in no way able to counterattack. And even if they could attack back, how could they attack one of their closest friends? Suddenly, the two jumped up into the air In unison, Toma landing behind Shu and Seiji landing back in front of him. Toma dropped his bow and wrapped his arms under Shu's and placed his hands on the back of Shu's head, holding his arms in place. Seiji took the opportunity to retrieve his no-datchi. It began glowing a faint green as he threw it down at Shu. "Come out of him, demon!" He yelled.
Shu smirked. "You honestly think a simple exorcism can work on the likes of me?" Shu yanked his arms foreward, forcing Toma to release him. He then grabbed Toma's wrist and swung him around himself to slam him into Seiji. The two tumbled to the ground, rolling on the floor from the force of Shu's throw, Seiji dropping his sword to keep from injuring Toma. Satisfied with his handiwork for the moment, Shu turned his attention, once more, on Ryo. Ryo was still unable to get off his knees due to the immense amount of power that had electrified his body. Ryo looked up when Shu stood in front of him, and immediately began to try and get up. Before he could get to his feet, Shu let out an arrogant chuckle and smashed his Bo into Ryo's back, forcing him back to the floor with a loud yelp of pain.
"Ryo!" Naste dashed in and threw herself over Ryo's back, clutching his shirt and bracing herself for a hit. "Stop Shu! Stop this!"
"It's a little late for that, lady." Shu growled, raising his weapon to attack.
Naste cringed and awaited the strike, clutching Ryo's shirt firmly, but the hit never landed. After a few seconds pause, wondering what was keeping Shu from making the blow, she looked up to see Suiko's yari crossed with the Bo. She looked to the owner of the yari. "Shin!"
Shu looked at the younger boy, an enraged look in his eyes. "What do you think you're doing, you pathetic pipsqueak?"
"What does it look like?" Shin panted, a drop of sweat trickling down his temple.
"Shin!" Toma cried, untangling himself from Seiji and jumping to his feet. "Are you alright?"
Shin didn't answer. He simply narrowed his eyes at Shu. Takai's in there. And he's in me, too. He hasn't left me alone yet. I don't think he can take control anymore, but I have to get rid of him. He's still in my mind. He growled and forced Shu's Bo up and away from Naste and Ryo before slamming his foot into Shu's middle, kicking him farther away. "Forgive me, Shu."
Shu stumbled back from the blow, but quickly recovered and stood up straight. "How dare you strike me!"
"You tried to use me to attack my friends. You'll pay for it." Shin sneered.
"Will I now? I'd have to say that you will be the one to pay, you troublesome little worm. Who do you think you are, resisting Emporer Takai!" Shu huffed.
Shin jumped at him, spear first. "I will drill you out of Shu if I must, Takai!"
Shu chuckled. "You know as well as I do that you won't." He planted his feet and smirked at Shin. "You wouldn't hurt Shu if your life depended on it." He laughed and moved slightly to dodge the spear and grabbed Shin by the neck. "And come to think of it…" He pulled Shin close. "It just might." He threw Shin across the room allowing him to slam into the far wall and drop limply to the floor.
Ryo! Toma thought to that man who was still trying to get up.
Eh?
Do you think Kikoutei would have enough power to exorcise Takai? He inquired, looking over at him
Seiji interrupted. No, Toma. We only try and form a Kikouteiif it's a last resort. Remember what I said about its power.It could be extremely dangerous for both Ryo and Shu. Besides, we would need Kongo to form it.
You can channel Kongo, can't you, Seiji? Toma reasoned.
Yes, but once again, it's a last resort.
"Ryo, are you alright?" Naste whispered, helping the wounded man to his feet.
"Yeah. I think so." Ryo answered, nodding. Seiji, Toma, Shin… whenever you guys think it necessary, send me your power and I'll create Kikoutei. I'm ready anytime.
"Ryo, what on earth is going on here!" Naste demanded of him as Seiji and Toma began a small fistfight with Shu.
"Long story short; Takai has posessed Shu." He answered hastily. He froze, then looked around. He could sense them, but they hadn't shown themselves yet. "Minna! Youja!"
The group paused in their activities to cast their glances about the room. Even the fistfight between Shu, Toma, and Seiji had paused. Suddenly, Shu backed away to stand in a smaller corner of the room as back creatures swarmed the room. They filled every inch of the living room, some sitting in the rafters of the ceiling, others just outside the living room door. Shin growled and swung his yari around and held out his free hand, almost as a goad to the enemies. Ryo suddenly threw his hands into the air, yelling, "Samurai Troopers to arms! Busso… Rekka!"
Three more cries followed as they answered the call of their leader. "Busso… Korin!"
"Busso… Tenku!"
"Busso… Suiko!"
The livingroom exploded with action as the youja rushed in to attack. Immediately, Ryo's arm went around Naste's waist and he jumped toward the stairs. Several youja met them halfway and knocked him back to the ground. Ryo pulled himself under Naste to keep from crushing her under his armor, but when they hit the floor, Ryo still saw a red gash in Naste's temple. She sat up, holding her head. "Ow…"
"Naste, you alright?" Ryo inquired, jumping to his feet and slicing the approaching youja in half, then bracing himself as more came to take its place.
"I'm okay." She answered, her words slurring only slightly. "Just a bit… dizzy. I think one of them caught me on our way down."
Ryo sent a burst of energy from his blades, throwing the next bunch back several feet. He then scooped Naste up again and immediately jumped back toward the stairs to set her on the top step. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't move from this spot, no matter what, alright?" Naste nodded uncertainly and he rushed back into battle.
Toma unleashed one arrow at a time, carefully aiming, hoping to keep Naste's house in one piece by the time the battle was over. He eventually resorted to simply battling the youja head on, using his bow as a weapon. Seiji was not too far away, slicing through any youja foolish enough to get close to him. But what worried him was Shu. Currently he was not attacking. He was just waiting. That wasn't good. That meant that the youja they were currently fighting were just a diversion. They were simply a way to wear the Samurai out so that it would be easier to cut them down once they were done… if they got done at all. And unfortunately, there was no way they could do anything about it. If they didn't fight off the ninjas, they'd bee killing. No sure-kills were to be released, that was understaood, because of their surroundings. They'd destroy Naste's house if one of them attacked. We're sure in a fix this time. Seiji observed dryly.
Shin shoved his spear throught the middle of one youja, then used that youja's body as a ram to hit away another few. He bent his upper body back and swung his weapon over his torso to destroy all the youja surrounding him. When he straightened, he let out a yelp and dropped his yari, holding his right hand. A dagger had grazed the top, carving a large slice across the palm of his hand. He swore and picked his yari up with his left hand. Of course he could use this one, but it wasn't nearly as able.
The number of youja began to dwindle, but so did the energy of the Troopers. The confined space they had, and the sheer numbers of enemies sucked their energy dry. Finally, there were a mere fifteen youja left surrounding the Troopers. Shin let out a yell and sliced through the three that had surrounded him before dropping to his knees, panting. Seiji and Toma quickly disposed of their by letting bursts of energy come from their weapons. Ryo was not as lucky. The five that had remained around him had launched a joint attack, hitting him from all sides. Ryo felt a sharp edge run across his chest, then his forehead. He suddenly flung his arms out to the side the rid his body of the enemies, but they were not beaten. They rushed at him again, but Ryo swung his swords in a horizontal line, beheading three. He paused for a moment, feeling dread fill him, then relief. He had feared that the sharp edges he had felt on his body had been those of the dark knives, charged with Takai's netherworld poison, but when he sensed no evil coming from the injuries, he wiped blood away from his eyes and delivered fatal slices to the remaining two.
Shu straightened and began to slowly clap his hands, wandering over to Ryo. Ryo growled, but did nothing. What could he do? This was one of his best friends, after all. "Well done, everyone. But I'm afraid I have to cut my visit short." He grabbed Ryo by the neck and lifted him off the ground. Ryo gagged, his airway restricted. Shu chuckled as the other three called for their leader. "You're not as strong as I thought you would be. Not even willing to make sacrifices."
Ryo sighed and closed his eyes. He understood what Takai was saying. He was willing to make sacrifices, but he had barred himself from making one sacrifice, and that was losing his friends. He'd rather die. He felt Shu's hand tighten.
Shu growled. Ryo wasn't cringing, or yelping in pain, nor making any sound or inication that he was in pain. "You know I can snap your neck, don't you? Do you not fear death?"
Ryo moved his eyes to look at Shu. "I don't… fear death… at all… Takai." He managed through what little air he could get. "And one thing… I fear even less… is you!"
"Why you little insect!" Shu cried, gripping tighter still.
Ryo's body stiffened. He felt a familiar urgency bubbling inside him. There was a fire in there. A fire to live. But it was not a feeling that came from his body. Rather, it was coming from the armor. Oh no…
He heard three loud yelps come from behind him, and Shu suddenly released him, dropping him to the floor, the backing away, doubled over. "No… you cannot have… Kongo!" Shu grumbled. Ryo hit the floor on his hands and knees, sucking in huge amounts of air to fill his parched lungs. He stiffened again as he felt three shocks of power slam into his body then sink in, putting it into the same part of his mind that dwelt on Rekka. But now there was a problem. There were only three yoroi powers that had entered him. Where was Kongo?
"Ryo! Go!" Seiji urged him, his voice firm, but weak. "Create Kikoutei!"
"I can't!" Ryo grunted. His entire body felt like it was being electrocuted. There was so much power, but without Kongo, there was no release. It had nowhere to go. So, it remained bottled up withing Ryo's limited body, churning and waiting to be let loose.
"What's going on? Why didn't Rekka grab Kongo when it summoned the yoroi powers?" Toma inquired hastily, pulling himself to his feet by his bow.
Seiji growled. "Rekka did grab Kongo. But Takai has control of Kongo now. He's withholding its power and won't allow it to enter Ryo!"
"Seiji! You've got to channel Kongo!" Shin cried, nodding at Shu. "You can forcefully grab it from him! If we don't…!"
Seiji nodded and, yanking himself to his feet, ran at Shu, saying, "Shu! Try and fight him off for a few seconds!"
"I don't think so, Korin no Seiji." Shu laughed, stadning straight, and pulling out his bow. He charged it with black energy and just as Seiji was reaching him, he slammed the bow into his middle, sending all of Seiji's momentum back into the boy's stomach. Seiji yelled and coughed up a bit of blood before flying back across the rom to slam into the wall and drop to lay next to where Toma was standing.
"Seiji!" Toma cried, dropping to his friend's side. "Are you alright?"
Seiji grunted and coughed a bit more blood up before slowly nodding. "I'll be fine, Toma. I'm more worried about Ryo."
"Toma!" Naste yelled, decending the steps and kneeling next to Ryo. Ryo was on his knees, his body flashing red, two shades of blue, and green. His breaths came in short gasps and his whole body shook vigorously. "Ryo can't handle this much longer! You need to take your power back if you can't get Kongo!" Her voice dripped with worry.
Toma shook his head. "No. We can't take our power from him without hurting him more! Ripping our power from him would be worse than giving him too much. Our powers have meshed together in his body, and it would be next to impossible to pick out our individual powers to pull them away! We could accidentally pull away all of his power kill him!"
Shin cursed himself and looked down at his slashed hand. Why couldn't he be more useful? Shin!
Shin'e eyes darted to where Seiji lay. Seiji?
Shin, you need to channel Kongo. I can't do it in this condition.
Shin shook his head. No, Seiji! I can't! You're the real expert with the psyche and stuf! I can't do it!
Yes, you can, Shin. Your abilities aren't as experienced as mine, but you do have them. You have plenty of ability to do this! You just need to do it!
Please, don't make me, Seiji. I'll just… mess it up! I'm not-!
Shut up! Stop barating yourself! You are just as strong as the rest of us! But you are strong in your own way! If you were weak, why would Suiko have chosen you? Shin was silent. You are strong, Shin. You have to do this! Ryo is counting on you!
Shin looked over at Ryo, his body flashing, his breathing getting shallower and shallower by the minute. He then looked at Shu. The man had not moved and was staring warily at Ryo, but Shin could feel his energy reaching out to him. Shin, you have to help me!. Shin narrowed his eyes and dashed off to the side and into the kitchen. He ran through the kitchen and back into the living room, where he appeared right next to Shu. He made a strong leap, his good hand extended, hand reaching out to touch Shu's forehead. He didn't have a clue as to how he was supposed to hold Shu still long enough to channel Kongo's energy through himself and into Ryo, but Seiji was right. Ryo was counting on him. He'd figure something out. After like what seemed like an eternity, Shin's fingers touched Shu's temple. Immdeiately, he grabbed hold of Shu's yoroi power and began to pull ift from him and into his own body. Shu grunted, and swung his Bo over his head, catching Shin in the chest and sending him flying into the front door. Shin dropped limply to the floor, holding his hands to his chest.
"Shin!" Toma yelled. He looked down at Seiji, who only looked half alive. "Now what?"
"Pray." Seiji stated weakly. "Pray that Shu exorcies Takai, or that Ryo survives Shu."
Suddenly, Shu froze. He stood still, a mere five feet from Ryo and Naste. His entire body began to glow an orange light, and his face took on a scowl. "You worhtless oaf! How dare you challenge me!" He screamed. The orange light that had consumed his body, now formed into a sphere that floated in front of him shortly before shooting into Ryo.
Ryo stood and cried out as the power was releaed, creating a brilliant white light. Naste jumped back a few paces. "Busso!…" Ryo began, throwing his hands up to face the heavens. "Kikoutei!" White lightning seemed to appear out of nowhere and struck his body, shattering his wildfire armor. The earth seemed to tremble and fire sprouted from his feet, and soon completely surrounded him, dancing in a circle about his body.
"Kikoutei." Seiji called quietly. He looked over at Shin, who looked just as confused as Seiji did. "Shin! How did you…?"
Shin shook his head. "It wasn't me! I grazed his forehead, but I wasn't able to channel the power."
"Shu!" Toma cried, a smile spreading across his countanance. "Shu broke through! He sent his power on his own! Shin must've given him the boost he needed to break through long enough to send Ryo his power."
"Yes." Seiji sighed. "Kikoutei must have the power to drive Takai out."
The flames died down, and Ryo stood in the new armor. It looked a lot like the wildfire armor, but had certain differences. Rather than having red flames crawling up the shin guards, black liquid seemed to be sloshing around at the bottom of the guards. This trend continued on the hip guards, the forearm guards, and even the helmet. There was a shimmer about the armor that reminded them all of Toma's lightning bolts, and the helmet strongly resembled the Kongo's. On the shoulder guards were new symbols. These symbols represented neither the Rekka, nor the Tenku, nor the Korin, nor the Suiko, nor the Kongo. These were new representations. There was a black background in the small circle, and in front of the blackness, danced white fire. Ryo stood completely still, his legs shaking. It's so… heavy! Ryo's mind cried. Indeed, it was taking every ounce of Ryo's physical strength to remain standing. He looked up at Shu, who now looked nervous. His arms had snapped to his sides, and he was completely still. Ryo stood up straight, wavering only a little. Now what? He inquired more of the armor than of anyone else. There's no weapon with this thing, and Byakuen has the Go Retsu Ken with him at Jun's house. He sighed. Never mind. I'll have to use Rekka's sword for now. The Rekka katanas might not be able to stand this much power for very long, but they should at least get me through the battle. He held his hands out to the sides and willed the swords to him. He paused as nothing happened. Dammit. This armor has so much power, it's blocking my contact with the Rekka armor.
Use Tenku's bow.
Ryo looked over at Toma, whose attention was on the still unmoving Shu. Are you crazy? I'm no archer! He thought to him.
Huh? Toma looked over at Ryo, an eyebrow raised. What are you talking about?
You just suggested that I use Tenku's bow, didn't you?
No, of course not. How would you use it? You've never worked with archery before, have you?
Ryo looked down at his hands, staring at the black subarmor beneath the white outer armor. Kikoutei… is that you?
Use Tenku's bow. The unfamiliar mind voice repeated.
Ryo sucked in a sharp breath. Suddenly, he knew it was the right thing to do. All he had to do to win the battle was use the bow and arrows. He wouldn't even have to get close to Shu. He held his hand out to the side, and a white form appeared in it. When the light dimmed, Ryo held a pure white bow in his hands. He pinched the string with the middle knuckle of his index finger and thumb, and an arrow appeared as he drew back the string. His eye looked down the shaft, the tip aimed right at Shu. "Leave, him, Takai." Shu made no response.
"Ryo! No!" Toma shouted, running at the leader. His cries did no good, however, as the arrow was released, flying at top speed at Shu.
Shu yelped as the arrow grazed his shoulder. He slowly put a shaking hand to the grazed spot, but still made no move to attack. Seiji's eyes narrowed. Shu's holding himself in place so that Ryo can hit him. But like this… Ryo will…
Use the swords.
What swords? Ryo inquired, letting the bow fall to the ground and burst in a flurry of snow. He was suddenly aware that the armor was a lot lighter than when he first put it on. He hadn't noticed it before, but the armor was slowly getting easier to manage. And, he calculated, now he could move swiftly enough to use the katanas as the armor suggested. However, there was just one problem. What swords? He repeated.
Call them to you. Not Rekka's sword, Kikoutei's sword.
Ryo once again held out his hands and the white glow became two long double-edged swords, pearly handles glittering in Ryo's hands. The weight of the armor seemed to lift itself away as he rushed at Shu, swiping the swords at him. "Ryo, No!" Toma cried again. "Stop! You'll hurt him!" He snatched up his bow and dashed to Ryo's side. Ryo's swords flew down at Shu's head, until the golden of Toma's bow halted their decent. "Stop, Ryo! We don't want to hurt him!" Suddenly, the edge of the swords retreated away from Shu's head, and turned their deadly gleam on Toma. Toma held his bow up as both of Ryo's swords came down at him. "Ryo! Stop! Why are you doing this!"
"Seiji! Has Takai posessed Ryo now?" Shin called, getting to his feet.
"No. I told you. The Kikoutei could overpower him, and it has." Seiji answered, eerily calm.
"So… Kikoueti's posessed him?" Shin corrected himself.
"No. He is not a slave of its will, as he would be if it was a simple posession. Rather, the armor has seduced his will to match its own. It's kind of like a rush of adrenaline. He will return to his senses as soon as he takes the armor off." Seiji explained, using the wall for support as he worked himself on to his feet.
"Naste!" Toma yelled as Nate appeared behind Ryo and managed to haul the unbelievably heavy helmet off his head. The armor and the swords disappeared in a flurry of sakura blossoms and Ryo, dressed normally, dropped to his hands and knees, staring at the floor. There were tears welling in his eyes, and a few made their ways down his cheeks. "Ryo?" Toma whispered as Naste knelt beside the Trooper's leader and put a hand on his head.
"Are you alright?" She wondered gently.
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?"
"Kikoutei took over." Shin answered quietly, walking up to stand next to Toma. "Or something like that. Ask Seiji."
Seiji began to make his way over to the rest of them as he spoke. "Technically, Ryo, everything you do when you wear Kikoutei, you do of your own free will. Because instead of controlling you and making you do things you don't want to do, it makes you want to do its will. I suppose you could say that Kikoutei's hold on you is even more complete than Takai's possessions because you don't resist its commands."
"Speaking of which, where's Shu?" Naste inquired, looking around and pulling Ryo close. Ryo didn't seem terribly aware of his surroundings at the moment, but didn't object to being pulled against Naste. He needed the comfort now. He wrapped his arms around her and held on for dear life, almost as if the Kikoutei would return if he let go.
"Where'd he go?" Toma inquired of no one in particular. Shu had, indeed, vacated the room.
"Takai's taken him!" Shin cried. "He's taken Shu!"
Kitty-chan: OMFG! Long chapter. I know... crazy huh? I told you things were gonna get crazy in this chapter. Anyways, here's the translation. Just one this time, as well.
1 Yarou: Bastard (Bad Shu! LOL I think it's actually slang for bastard)
Alright! Now for the preview!
"That armor's dangerous." Toma stated simply. "Maybe even evil."
"I can't control it.I wanted to kill Toma, Naste. I wanted to kill him!"
"Hashiba Toma! You were identified as one of the killers that are becomeing known as the Samurai Troopers. Do you have anything to say in your own defense?"
"We are not things for you to examine under a microscope! Now get out!"
Yeah. The next chapter should be up soon. It's not all that long. Love ya all! Review!