Kitty-chan: OMG! I finally got this chapter up! This chapter has taken me forever to type up, mainly because I hadn't written the battle sequences yet, and the battles in this chapter are key. So... it took a while perfecting them and making sure all the different elements worked together. Thank you for all your reviews! I'll do the thanks to each individually again. I like doing that. XD
Rogue Ronin: I have to say that I am also a major Shu fan. That was one thing that did bug me about the story was that Shu didn't get as big of a role as, say, Shin. But that's okay. I love him to death. Cute, and knows how to stay light-hearted. I'm glad you like the story. I have worked very hard on it and I'm actually very pleased with how it all turned out.
Inda: Thank you. I really enjoy it when certain people review several times. It means that they are following the story, and that's the kind of stories I want to write, ones that hold people's intrest so much that they come back again and again to see what I've written.
JJ: Thank you so much! I've written many Ronin Warriors stories, but this one is the best, and my first Samurai Troopers fic. I'm really excited. Thank you for your support!
Lena17: Thanks . I am so glad that this holds your intrest. Yeah. About Naste, when I was writing the section where she's talking to Ania, I noticed how much of a counselor she was being in this story. And now that I think of it, I kind of always thought of her as kind of the support that the guys needed to keep fighting, and one of the jobs she had as that support was the role of a counselor of sorts. I think that came across really well here.
Rukia Yukishiro: Oh don't worry. The Epilogue is where you see RyoxNaste. You see, there were so many elements in the main chapters that adding one more element would be a bit too much, and it seemed that aside from offering Ryo a bit more support than the others, there didn't seem to be much time for the two of them to move their relationship foreward amidst all the battling and things. Once everything calms down, they'll be able to focus on other things... like each other! Awww...
Thank you so much for the support! And again, I apologize for taking so long to post this chappy. I hope you haven't given up one me. lol. Really fast, I don't own the Samurai Troopers. They are property of Sunrise Inc. And... 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.
"Remember to set your sight along the arrow, Ryo." Toma instructed as Ryo fitted an arrow to his white Kikoutei bow, and aimed for the target. "Now when Shu throws it, remember to follow the target until you can get a good shot. Don't aim and wait for the target to come to you, since that is often a tendency. Aim for the target as it flies. Alright?"
"Hai." Ryo nodded, concentrating fully on the block of wood in Shu's hand.
"Ready, set… go!" Toma cried, throwing his hand into the air.
Shu launched the block of wood into the air and Ryo let the arrow fly. The arrow impaled the block, causing it to explode in a white flash. Toma clapped Ryo on the back. "Great job, Ryo!" Ryo smiled and loaded another arrow.
Meanwhile, Seiji and Shin were working on agility exercises under the eyes of Shin's family, Naste, and Toma's parents. They began a super speed run around the house, tossing a ball back and forth, and becoming nothing more than blue and green streaks to the witnesses. "Keep your focus, Shin!" Seiji yelled as he jumped over Toma and Ryo, who didn't even blink.
There was a feeling of unease about the whole house. The Troopers had a feeling. Today was the day. They would either kill Takai, or be killed trying. Ryo had proved to be a master of all five weapons, and they were now simply getting him comfortable with each one.
The five on the porch were dimly aware of the Troopers' unease, but were ignorant to the reason. There was almost a sense of grief about them, a suffocating haze that was seemingly without source, but glaringly obvious.
Shu launched another block of wood into the air. Ryo followed it, but stopped halfway to aim the arrow at a place in the bushes. He released the arrow and vanished with a groan from its victim. The Samurai Troopers tensed violently as a black-clad ninja dropped from the bush and vanished into black dust.
"A spy!" Seiji cried as Shin and himself tossed the ball aside and halted their run. Ryo quickly drew another arrow into his bow as Toma's bow and a few arrows appeared in his hand. They shot two arrows into the bushes, and two more ninjas fell. A silver flash erupted from the brush, speeding toward Ryo. He had no time to react before the silver object shot across his hand, causing him to grunt loudly and drop his bow, clutching his right hand. He looked down to see that a ninja's dagger had carved a deep slice on the side of his hand, right below his thumb. Toma flew backwards into the center of the yard, his bow leaving his hand and a yelp of surprise escaping his throat.
Ania stood. "Toma!"
"I'm alright!" Toma grunted, sitting up and glaring at the youja that had slammed its shoulder into Toma's chest. "They're here!"
Five more ninjas appeared from behind the trees, taunting the Troopers with their presence. The Troopers lined up for a fight, their clothes being replaced by their under gear. There was a brief and tense pause between the enemies before the ninjas turned on their heels and took off into the forest. "After them! Let's go!" Ryo commanded. The five of them disappeared into the trees, keeping the enemy in sight. They were headed for the city.
Naste stood, putting her hand on Ania's shoulder. "I'm going after them."
"I'm coming too!" Sayako insisted, helping her mother out of her chair. "And so is Mum." Suki nodded firmly.
"Well, Narai and I aren't just going to sit here, either." Ania added as she and her husband stood. Naste smiled.
"Alright. They're headed for downtown. Let's go." The five of them hopped into Naste's jeep and sped down the road.
"They'll be alright, won't they?" Sayako inquired as they left the Yagyu estate.
Naste nodded. "I hope so."
"Well, they have that really strong white yoroi, don't they?" Suki pointed out hopefully.
"Yes, but that yoroi is so dangerous, they won't use it unless they have no other choice." Naste sighed, then gasped as she screeched the car to a halt.
"What's wrong, Naste-sama?" Ania inquired gently.
Naste leapt out of the car and ran toward the large approaching figure. The four passengers vacated the jeep in time to see a large white tiger tackle Naste to the ground, and attack her face with its tongue. "Naste-san!" Sayako screamed.
Naste laughed and the spectators seemed to relax a bit, the realization dawning on them that the animal was not going to harm her. She pushed the tiger back far enough to embrace it. "Byakuen! What are you doing here?" Byakuen stared at her with his all-too-intelligent brown eyes.
"Ane-san(1)!" cried a young voice, though older than Naste had last heard it. Naste looked up at the dark-haired young man that was quickly running at her and her feline companion. "Ane-san!
"Jun-chan!" Naste smiled and stood. The fourteen-year old boy reached Naste and bowed respectfully before rushing to give her a hug.
"It's so great to see you, Ane-san! I haven't seen anyone in a long time!" Jun cried into her shirt.
"It's great to see you, too, but why are you out here? Don't you and your parents live on the opposite side of Shinjuku?" Naste inquired, and Jun pulled away.
Jun nodded. "Yeah, we do. But we came here following Byakuen. I don't know what's wrong with him. He suddenly started roaring, and when I let him into the back, he took off. My parents are coming in the car." Jun pointed at the van coming straight at them. "I don't know what's going on. Heck, I don't even know why Byakuen is here. I'm glad to have him, but wouldn't he be of more use to Ryo? I mean, Ryo is a park ranger and all…" Jun trailed off, looking around.
"Ryo's about to get into a battle. Byakuen probably senses danger." Naste informed him.
Jun's van pulled up and his parents stepped out. "You got him, Jun-chan?" His father called.
"Ah, Papa." Jun answered. His parents approached and listened in on the conversation. "Ryo's in a battle? But they already killed Arago. What's going on? And how do you know he's in a battle?"
"It's a long story. Ryo and the others are staying at my house until this war is over. Haven't you been watching the news lately?" Naste placed her hands on her hips. "It's been covered on the news for the past… I dunno, week!"
Jun shook his head. "I didn't see any of that. We've been on vacation in Izumo. We haven't so much as turned a TV on in the past two weeks!" He paused. "Chotto(2)… Onisan-tachi(3) have been staying with you and the most I get is a visit from Byakuen? What's up with that?"
Naste sighed. "They've been kind of busy. Ryo sent Byakuen over to your house to keep an eye on you. They ended up staying at my place again by mistake. It's no big deal, but I'm guessing Ryo-kun's going to be in trouble soon. They seemed really tense today. All five of them. It was as if there was a feeling of doom around the house."
Jun scratched his head. "Well, you said Ryo acted like that right before the deal with Mukala, right?" Naste nodded. "Something big's happening today, then. There's no mistake about it." Naste nodded.
Suddenly, Byakuen let out a haunting roar and took off down the street again, but not at top speed, as if he knew the group was going to follow him. The father grabbed Jun's hand. "Listen, I don't have a clue what you're talking about, but let's follow Byakuen. We can all ride in our van."
Naste nodded and pulled her jeep off to the shoulder of the road and locked it before hopping into the Yamano van and following after Byakuen.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Frantic whispered spread like a wave over the street of Shinjuku as the fully armored Samurai Troopers walked down the streets, searching for the enemies. They had followed them to the city's edge, but they had then been lost in the crowded streets. As they continued their walk, they received looks from all over the scale of feelings Shinjuku had developed for them. Multiple girls stared at them and seemed to melt if a Trooper made eye contact. They received death glares and thumbs up from a few young men off to the side, while many mothers pulled their children close, apprehension in their eyes. Some mothers forced their children to look away and sent scowls at them, while others simply stared with blank expressions. The Troopers couldn't have felt more alien.
It wasn't long before they found themselves near the exact street where Lai, Shu, and Kuri had attacked mere days ago. Technically, it was a few days ago, but to the Troopers, it seemed like a lifetime. Time seemed so irrelevant of late. The days in which there were battles flew by, but then, time seemed to move at a snail's pace as Ryo trained with Kikoutei. Whether it moved slowly or quickly, overall, it seemed to have little importance in their lives.
Time sped up once again as something flashed in Toma's peripheral vision. "Ryo!" He yelled, grabbing the attention of everyone that heard him. The flash struck Ryo's already sliced hand. Ryo yelped and grabbed his hand, spinning around. All the people on the streets had gathered around, anticipating yet another exciting fight. Kuri was standing right behind Ryo suddenly, and allowed a smirk to curve her lips.
"Hey, Sweetie, how're you?"
Ryo's bloodied left hand lashed out, striking her in the face, drawing a coo from the audience, and causing Kuri to reel back. "Get away from me, freak!" Ryo cried angrily.
"Ah, don't be that way." She purred, acting as if nothing had happened. "I give you an expression of my love, and you hit me?" She feigned offense. "And you know you aren't supposed to hit a lady." She wagged her finger at him. "I suppose I'll have to punish you." She held up her right hand and snapped her fingers loudly.
Ryo froze and grunted before dropping to his knees, feeling something in his body respond to her snap. There was a warm sting that began to fester in his hand, before shooting through his body like icy fire. His entire body trembled and he could feel his face flush with an instant fever. "What did you… do to me?" He demanded hesitantly.
"Dammit!" He heard Seiji yell from back where the knife had landed. "Ryo! That was one of those dark knives the ninjas use! It's poisoned!"
Kuri giggled and pulled out her two long daggers. "How am I supposed to show my love for you," Her tongue tapped the blade's edge. "If you don't hold still long enough for me to demonstrate?" She launched herself at him, daggers held out in front of her. She screamed suddenly as Shin plowed into her side and sent her flying into a nearby building.
"We're not interested in playing with you, woman! We want Takai!" Shin yelled, pointing his spear at her. The four had created a semi-circle, forming a blockade between the nether spirit and their injured leader.
"Oh, so sorry, Hun, but you'll have to deal with me first." She crossed her daggers at the bases and began to run the edges along one another slowly, creating a high-pitched wail. Shin and the others yelped and held their helmets, which did little to stop the sound from rattling his eardrums. The surrounding crowd also groaned loudly and held their palms over their ears at the sound. Shin was suddenly thrown backward as a faceless ninja rammed into him. The screeching stopped, and Shin shook his head and stood. The ninja jumped up and threw himself down at Shin, his daggers held out to strike. Shin held up his spear, catching the ninja and its daggers on his arms. The ninja quickly wrapped its legs around Shin's arms and tightened their grip on them firmly. Shin swore he saw the creature smile. His arms were locked in place,
And he was stuck.
He growled at the head of the enemy. Nothing but red eyes glared back at him from beneath the hood. He looked around to see that the other three had also become trapped by the ninjas in the same fashion. He growled again.
They were stuck too.
Ryo managed to look up at Kuri. He was pleased to discover that he was nowhere near passing out, but his body refused to move. It was as if his knees had sprouted roots, holding him firmly in place. His armor could heal him. There was no doubt in his mind about that, but it could only do so much. And it would take a few minutes for the yoroi to purge his bloodstream. But… he really didn't think he had a few minutes. Kuri smirked and began to fondle her blade. "Humans are strange creatures, indeed. Your reflexes are so slow, and you let just about anything influence you. Wouldn't you agree?" She gave a wicked smirk at Ryo. Ryo growled and looked down. He wasn't going to argue. His will was indeed weak. How else would one explain the ease with which the Kikoutei had overpowered him?
Kuri shifted her gaze to Shin. The warrior found himself burning with pure hatred. He knew his armor was enhancing the anger, but he didn't care. How dare she use that to mock him? He was powerless to strike, however, due to the ninja's trap.
Kuri finally looked to Shu. Shu's eyes narrowed dangerously and fought ever harder to get past the ninja. At last, her gaze returned to Ryo. "But I must say that I'm impressed with your strength, Ryo. Your strength could make you great you know. I mean, how many of the humans around you can manipulate fire like you can? You could take over the entire mortal world with your kind of power. But you'll never become the great man you could be playing this savior role." She knelt and placed the edge of her knife behind his jawbone, right behind his ear, then softly drew the blade down his jaw, careful not to break the skin. When the point reached his chin, she put pressure on the knife to force him to look up. "Takai can help you become truly great, you know. He could make you ruler over the entire mortal realm. He's a very forgiving Lord."
"If you're gonna kill me, hurry and do it. You're beginning to bore me." Ryo gritted his teeth.
Kuri stood, a careless look on her face. "What about my generous offer?"
"If I could pretend to care about it, I assure you, I would. But to be honest, I can't even do that. That good enough for you? I'll die a thousand deaths before I join Takai." He spat.
"Oh, how noble." She rolled her eyes. "Come now, Ryo. I don't want to have to kill you. You really are a cutie." She struck a subtle pose, confident that no harm would come to her at the moment. "And so am I. We'd make the perfect couple."
Ryo smiled. "If I were you, I'd kill me fast. Because once the others blow up those ninja dudes, your cutie ass is toast."
"You asked for it." Kuri sighed and made a face.
"Three times, actually." Ryo laughed ruefully. Kuri took a few steps foreword, and drew her dagger back. Sayonara, Naste. The dagger suddenly hit the ground before him and the other soon followed. He looked up to see Kuri pinned to the ground beneath Byakuen's large paws. She had on an absolutely terrified expression. "Byakuen!" Ryo cried, feeling relief flood his poisoned veins.
"Ryoni-san!(4)" a young voice called.
Ryo turned as best as he could to the teen shove his way through the crowd, Naste, Shin's family, Toma's parents, and Jun's parents shove their way into the clearing. "Jun! What are you doing here?"
"I brought Byakuen. He knew something was going on with you!"
"Ryo-kun." Naste whispered, drawing his attention.
Ryo slowly stood, his body aching. Kun? Since when does she call me that? He shook his head. "You shouldn't be here."
"Has that ever worked on me before?" Naste put a hand on her hip.
Ryo smiled. He could feel his armor returning strength to his body, but his right hand was going to be absolutely useless for a while. He couldn't even feel it anymore. He supposed the daggers had severed the nerves in his hand. He also supposed that it was fortunate. At least he wouldn't have to deal with pain. He used his left hand to draw out a katana. With one wild motion, he cleaved all four ninjas that held the four Samurai captive in half. The four Troopers smiled and moved foreword. "Ready minna?" Ryo inquired. Kuri's attention drew over to the Troopers and she tensed even more, if that was indeed possible. "Samurai Troopers… to arms!" The five rushed foreword, completely surrounding Kuri and Byakuen. Kuri growled and her arm lashed out, swiping her dagger across Byakuen's chest. The tiger roared painfully and stumbled backward. Jun and Ryo dashed to his side as Kuri stood.
"Byakuen!" Ryo cried, sheathing his katana and kneeling beside his feline companion. "Byakuen, are you alright?"
The tiger looked up at him, his brown eyes strong. Jun waved at Ryo. "I'll watch over him, Ryoni-san. You go take care of that girl." Ryo sighed and nodded. He stood and ran over to where a standoff had begun between the four Troopers and Kuri. He redrew his katana and aimed it at Kuri. "Ready guys?"
"Anytime, Ryo." Shu answered eagerly.
"Now, who said you could start without me?" A male voice inquired from behind Shu. Shu turned and was met with a powerful strike to the gut. Shu fell onto his back, gasping for breath. Lai smirked and raised his staff a second time, this time, to plow it into Shu's head. Shin met him halfway, catching the staff and throwing it off, adding in a kick to Lai's jaw in the process. Lai stumbled back as Shu leapt to his feet and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. He growled at Lai and ran up to stand about five feet from him. Shin ran up behind him, ready to join the brawl.
Shu grunted. "Stand away, Shin. Lai's mine."
"Huh? But Shu-!"
"No, Shin. It's payback time for all you guys have put us through, and I've got a score to settle with you." Shu insisted, growling at Lai.
"Score?" Shin inquired, straightening and relaxing his battle position.
"Just a little something that went on in Takai's castle when the moron took control of me." Shu answered evenly, rage filling each word.
Lai smirked and twirled his staff around. "You're not still mad about that are you?" He chuckled. "It was just a bit of fun. And besides, Kuri helped me out."
"Shu, what happened?" Ryo inquired quietly, catching the gist of the conversation, but not taking his eyes off of Kuri.
"It's not important. All you need to know is that Lai is mine!" He rushed foreword to lock his bo against Lai's weapon. The two struggled like that for a long moment before Shu shoved one end of his bo into Lai's side, sending the enemy flying off to the side. He laughed, but then yelped as a whip wrapped around his middle and gave him a dose of negative energy. He ripped the chord off and plowed his fist into the ninja that held it. He tensed as he looked around. They had been completely surrounded by ninjas.
Shin stepped up to stand back-to-back with Shu. "You take care of Lai. I'll watch your back!"
"Thanks, Shin." Shu smirked and charged at Lai again.
Kuri raced foreword and sliced her daggers down at Ryo, who blocked with his single katana. She smiled at him and winked a bit. "Aw, come on, Ryo. Why do we have to do this?"
Ryo growled. "Because you can't get it through your head that I have no interest in a pawn of Takai like you."
Kuri screamed as Seiji slammed his shoulder into her side and ran at her, no-datchi drawn. She smirked at Seiji. "You should mind your own business, Korin. This really has nothing to do with you."
Toma lined up beside Seiji. "Get used to it, Kuri. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us." He fitted an arrow to his bow and let it fly. Kuri vanished and reappeared behind him. A swipe of her dagger left a deep crevice in the back of Toma's armor. Toma yelled and dropped to his knees. Kuri raised a second dagger, poised and aimed at the back of his helmet.
"I've got one for you, now. Mess with me and you die." She threw her dagger down at the blue armor, but was met halfway by a large sword. She glared up at Seiji. "You're really starting to annoy me, you know that?"
"The feeling's mutual." Seiji countered, throwing her away. Kuri growled and held up one of her daggers. Black energy swirled around it before she launched it at Seiji. Seiji dodged to the side, avoiding it for the most part, reducing the damage it could've cause to a slice in his side. He grunted, but plowed ahead, his sword's tip aimed directly at her. Kuri's face lost its sharpness and a fearful look took hold of her black eyes.
Toma stood and placed a hand gingerly on his back. Dang… that hurt. He looked around and noticed a few straggling ninjas that Shin had not managed to deal with. He ran foreword and sliced the tip of his bow through the nearest ninja, then loaded up a few arrows. As he let them fly he pondered their current situation. It looks to me like we might take Kuri and Lai down. But all that unease this morning wasn't the feeling of us killing those two? Are we in over our heads here?
Kuri wound up to throw the second dagger at Seiji, but something caught her wrist. She looked back to see Ryo smiling down at her, her wrist caught firmly in his left hand. She pulled on it a few times, but to no avail. Even Ryo's left hand had ample power in it. Kuri looked back and forth between Ryo and Seiji's sword, desperately trying to find a way to escape. None seemed to come to mind at the moment.
Shin sliced through a ninja as Shu countered strike after strike. "Shu!" He called as Shu slammed Lai off to the side. Shu grunted, telling Shin that he had his attention. "What did Lai do to you that was so horrible?"
Shu growled and rushed at Lai again. "In Takai's realm, he allowed me to have my mind back. I was completely conscious, but I had no control over my body's movements. Takai walked me into a cell and locked me away for a few hours. Shortly after I was put in there, Lai came in. Kuri was with him. They beat me. For absolutely no reason, they beat me. It wasn't all that bad, but the fact that they did it without reason really burns me up." Shu countered a strike aimed for his head and struck again, gaining no more result than the previous strikes. Lai landed gracefully about ten feet away.
Lai shook his head. "Not true, Kongo. There was a reason behind your beating. Two, actually."
Shu tensed and aimed the knifed end of his bo at Lai. "Oh? Do tell."
Lai shrugged and spun his bo around to poise it behind his back. "One, people are easier to control when they are weak. Their will is not as impressive. Second… well… it was fun." He smiled wickedly.
Shin felt rage build up inside him and aimed his yari at the man. "Chodando!" He could feel his body naturally gather energy at the tip of the middle blade. With a cry, he released the torrent on the nether spirit. "Cho ryu ha!"
Lai gasped suddenly as the water crashed down on his body, completely crippling him. He sat one the ground, coughing up water, and looking for his fallen bo. His eyes had not yet spotted it when he heard a second cry. "Chodando!" Shu jumped into the air, twirling his bo above his head.
Shin's face grew worrisome. "Shu! Your attack is too powerful! The crowd-!"
Lai chuckled weakly. "Ha! Attack me and a group of these humans come with me!"
Shu's eyes flashed orange for a moment before he hurled the bo down at the nether spirit's head, the energy at the tip exploding into his sure-kill. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Lai? Gan Tessai!"
The energy unleashed on Lai, sending dust flying into the air around them. The sound of the concrete crumbling was almost deafening, and bits and pieces of cement were seen falling to earth. As the dust settled, Shin looked around. The ninjas had retreated for the moment. Their sure-kills were far too risky to attempt to withstand. He stared at Shu's handiwork. There was a huge crater in the ground, as if caused by a falling space-rock. Not a single civilian had been touched.
Shin dropped to his knees, supporting himself by his yari. How had he not noticed his strength waning so much that he could barely stand? It must have been those ninjas. They were so numerous they wore me out, then that sure-kill took the last of my strength. He looked up at Shu. "Shu… what happened? How did you…?" He moved foreword a bit as Shu also dropped to the ground, but he lay fully on his side, panting. "Shu…? Are you alright?"
Shu nodded, smiling weakly. "I'm fine, Shin. Just tired."
"What happened?" Shin requested quietly. "How did you do your attack without hurting the people?"
Shu chuckled proudly, but without strength. "I was able to strike Lai close enough that I could use the remainder of my power that wasn't going into the sure-kill to create a small force field that would surround the attack. That way, the attack would only strike a certain area, and no damage would come near the people."
Shin slowly made his way over to Shu and placed an armored hand on his shoulder. "Good job, my friend. That's using your head for once."
Shu laughed a bit. "Hey, now." Shin smiled as well. As soon as Toma, Seiji and Ryo were finished dealing with Kuri, they'd be able to go home hopefully. They needed the rest.
He looked up as Toma sliced through the last of the ninjas and shifted his attention as Kuri's left hand flashed out at Seiji. A small device, no bigger than a fist, attached to Seiji's chest, and electricity curled out of the center, coiling about Seiji's body. Seiji cried out and dropped to his knees, attempting to pry the gadget off. But by the time he managed to do it, it was a bit later than needed. Kuri laughed as Seiji kneeled on the ground, panting heavily, a light sweat covering his body.
"That's a little something Takai gave me today. It drains the life energy of anything it attaches to. If you leave it on too long, it could actually kill you." Kuri smirked, but her insides were writhing. Great. I've saved myself for now. But what about Ryo? He's still got me, and as soon as Toma's attention comes this way, I have a feeling I'll be out of tricks. She watches as a second set of ninjas dropped onto the pavement, completely surrounding Toma. She smirked again. Thank you, Takai-sama. Toma growled and immediately jumped into the air, firing arrow after arrow down at the enemies, careful to aim close enough to avoid striking any bystander.
Ryo's eyes narrowed as Toma busied himself with the ninjas. His glance wandered over to Seiji, who was still unable to get up due to his energy drain. Shu was lying on his back, his eyes only half open, and Shin was kneeling next to him, supporting himself by his yari. Ryo looked down at his useless right hand. This certainly was a fix. They had gotten out of worse, but that didn't stop Ryo's mind from asking the simple question, "what now?" He suddenly yelled as he felt something clamp onto his chest. He looked down to see the energy-zapping device attached to his chest plate, the electricity already emerging. Ryo immediately released Kuri to throw the device away, dropping to sit on the ground. He looked up, panting. Kuri was standing right above him, her daggers held in her hands.
"Looks like the tables have-!" She didn't even finish her sentence. Ryo stared at the golden top protruding from the woman's chest and smiled. Her body fell foreword, dissolving into black dust before it even hit the ground. Toma drew another arrow to his string and looked around, expecting another enemy to pop out from behind a building. When none came, he relaxed the string and dropped to his knees.
"Toma! You alright?" Ryo cried anxiously, staggering over to his comrade.
"I'll be alright. Let's just get home." Toma answered, laughing ruefully.
"I second that motion." Seiji quipped humorously. There was a subtle and gentle chuckle from the surrounding crowd and the Troopers were once again reminded of the presence of the civilians. They looked about at the smiling and frowning face. The eyes that portrayed fear, disgust, admiration, and thankfulness all in one unified stare at the five warriors.
Shin stood, attempting to support Shu, but failing miserably since the water lord could barely support himself. "Let's go home, Minna."
"Home? You want to go home? Sorry, but you'll have to stay and play a while longer." Came a deep booming voice that seemed to echo from nowhere and everywhere at once.
Ryo froze and tensed. "No…"
"Oh yes, Rekka. It's not your imagination. Takai has come at the worst possible time." A lurking figure seemed to suddenly appear off to the right, peeking out from behind the corner of a building. Slowly, almost torturously, the figure moved into the center of the clearing. A constant hiss seemed to come from him, and his red eyes flashed with bloodlust.
Ryo drew out his left katana and aimed at Takai. "What do you want, Takai?"
Takai shrugged and drew out a katana of his own. "I am here to collect what I have worked for from the beginning. I am here to get revenge on you for the defeat of Arago! Now is the time that we will test the strength of the Samurai Troopers against all the power Takai has to offer!"
Ryo growled, casting his glance about. He was certainly in no condition to fight, and the others were in even worse condition. This was possibly the worst time Takai could've chosen. He looked down at his right hand and glared at it as if blaming it for the fix he was in. After a few seconds, he began to notice a weak and faint aura glowing around it. A pale green aura. Korin. Ryo looked up at Seiji, whose eyes were closed tight in concentration, his hand stretched toward his.
Suddenly, three tentacles wound themselves around Seiji's waist and arms, drawing an immediate scream from his throat. "Seiji!" Ryo sliced through one of the three tentacles with his single katana. The other two squirmed a bit and released their captive. The one injured seemed to regenerate, regaining the length lost. Seiji was dropped to the pavement like a limp load with a slight yelp from him and a murmur from the surrounding crowd. Toma was at his side as soon as he could be with a body weak as his was.
"Seiji! Seiji, can you hear me?" Toma shook the man, but it rendered no result. The man was fast asleep, his body attempting to heal itself.
"How is he?" Shu grunted, moving away from Shin and gripping his Bo tight.
"Well, Seiji's armor may be able to heal him, but it's gonna take some time." Toma called back. "He didn't drain him nearly as badly as Shin."
"Toma!" Shu yelled. They watched as a powerful burst of energy from Takai sent Ryo flying. "Time is something we don't have a lot of!"
Ryo picked himself off the ground and glanced at his hand. "Why doesn't it stop bleeding?" he demanded of no one. He pointed his katana at Takai's face. It must be the poison.
"Come now, Rekka no Ryo. It's an insult to Arago that you lose this easily." Takai laughed.
Ryo grunted. What could he do now? His right hand was far from healed, so he was stuck with a single katana in his untalented left hand. Plus, he was currently the only one in fighting condition. And even he had not the energy to match Takai's movements.
Toma's eyes narrowed. They were really in a fix. Takai had gone to great lengths to make sure Ryo as the only one able to fight. If they didn't think of something soon, Takai would have his revenge, and the entire mortal world with it.
This is hopeless. Ryo narrowed his eyes at Takai. He could feel his will to fight fleeing his body. There was one way to end this war. He knew it. This solution had always been there, but even Rekka no Ryo, Lord of Fire, feared the sacrifice it would required on his part, which is why he had not resorted to this sooner. But, at the same time, mingled with his fear, he felt a great deal of satisfaction and peace. The others would go back to normal lives, and his mission would finally be complete. He knew the explosive power of his yoroi could easily take Takai down, without the hindrances of a human body, of course. But still… he was afraid. It doesn't matter anymore. The whole thing is because of me. If I started it… I'll fix it. On my own if I must. Whatever the cost, this war has to end!
"Seiji…" Toma whispered, relieved as Seiji grunted and slowly opened his eyes. "You alright?"
"Ah." He nodded a bit then froze. "Eh?" He looked up at Ryo, lavender eyes wide.
"What's wrong, Seiji?" Shin inquired quietly.
"Something's happening in Ryo's will."
"It couldn't be Kikoutei!" Shu growled.
"No… it's not. I can't tell for sure, but his will is… different somehow. As if… it's weaker or something. Something is really wrong."
Ryo's left hand tightened around the hilt of his katana, and he raised the sword above his head. Takai tensed, but then let his stance relax a small amount as Ryo shoved the blade into the pavement. He then unsheathed his other weapon, and it joined its partner in the concrete. Ryo bowed his head and removed his helmet to place it under his arm. His eyes submissively slipped closed.
"Ryo-kun…" Naste felt a jolt in her chest. She didn't like the look on his face. There was only one time that she could remember that he had disarmed himself in front of an enemy. And that was when he first met her. Back when… "Ryo-kun!" fear turned to hot tears brimming in her eyes.
"Takai!" Ryo's words held hate fierce enough to rival Kikoutei's.
Takai's face assumed a blank look behind his golden mask. "You finally lost your mind, boy?" Ryo looked up at him, the hatred in his eyes rivaling with the hatred in his voice. "You have something to say to me?"
"As a matter of fact I do. The first of which is; you go to hell." Takai ignored him and he continued. "The second is that I acknowledge the Samurai Trooper's defeat in this war." He closed his eyes and he could immediately hear yells from all sides.
"Ryo, no!" Toma yelled angrily.
"You can't do that!" cam Shu's objection.
"How can we call ourselves Troopers if-?" Shin's voice was drowned out by Takai's infuriated exclamation.
"No! You can't surrender! I want to kill you in a fair fight! I don't want you to walk into my hand!"
Ryo motioned around with his left arm. "There's no point in continuing to fight!" He seemed to be talking more to his allies than to his enemy. "I'm the only one in fighting condition and my right arm, my dominant arm, is useless! It wouldn't be a fair fight even if we could continue!"
"Then I will return when you are ready." Takai snorted.
"Don't disgrace me! We finish this now!" Ryo yelled louder than ever.
The yelling began again, Takai's voice rising above them all. "I cannot have a fair fight with you now! I want my revenge!"
"There will be reparations!" Ryo yelled, quieting everyone and piquing Takai's attention. "We will form a compromise."
"Ryo! You can't really…? Don't stoop to his level!" Seiji yelled angrily.
Ryo turned his angry eyes on Seiji. The sweat on his face mingled with the tears that were now streaming down his cheeks. The tears, however, seemed out of place, compared to the look of hatred in his eyes. Seiji was taken aback by his appearance. The look in his eyes displayed two emotions. Ryo hated Takai with more intensity that he had ever hated anyone. And…
Ryo was terrified.
Seiji understood a small bit more than he did before. Ryo had made some kind of decision to end the war, but he was terrified to do it. But what was it that he had decided to do? Ryo finally spoke, and Seiji looked like he had been struck. "At least I know when enough is enough!"
Seiji paused. Is he talking about how I pushed him in training with Kikoutei? But… he got through it. What Seiji had done had been for the best to get Kikoutei under control, at least partially. Did Ryo feel embittered toward Seiji for the training?
"Don't make this any more humiliating than it already is!" Ryo continued, turning his back on Seiji and Toma.
"But Ryo… how can you form a compromise with a Yami no Sekai Lord?" Shin begged timidly.
"Yeah. How can you trust him not to invade earth again?" Shu added.
"Because I'm going to take away his incentive to invade again." Ryo said, quiet enough so the others could not hear. He turned falsely confident eyes on Takai. "Here's my proposal; you must go back to the Yami no Sekai and never attack earth again."
"And what do I get?" Takai crossed his arms and grunted.
"You get me." Ryo bowed his head. Rather than yells thrown at him from all angles, Ryo heard nothing but silence. It was an awkward and uncomfortable silence as the other four gaped at him, asking themselves if their leader was actually serious and not making some bad joke. "You came here to get back at me for killing Arago. If I go with you to the Yami no Sekai, there's no reason for you to come back here."
"Ryo! He'll kill you!" Toma objected.
"Don't you think I know that?" Ryo's voice held no emotion whatsoever. "I know what I'm doing, and I know full well what I will face. Takai will kill me when we get to the Yami no Sekai, but wouldn't it be foolish for me to die fighting and make my own death in vain?"
"In vain? How would it be in vain if you were to die fighting? At least you would have given it a shot." Seiji voiced weakly.
"I have given it a shot, the best shot that I have in my condition. You guys are, no offense, in no condition to fight. If Takai killed me in battle, knowing him, he'd kill you all next. Better for me to lose my one life than to sacrifice all of your lives because I was too stubborn to admit when I was down. That is why my death would be in vain."
"Ryo! You have no obligation to protect us!" Shu screamed.
Ryo turned to them again, this time a fierce urgency in his eyes. "Yes I do! You guys are my only family! I lost my family once. I'll be damned if I lose it again!"
"Will you…" Shu slowly worked himself onto his feet and began inching his way over to Ryo, using his Bo as a cane.
"Shu! Don't move! You're too-!" Ryo was cut off as Shu slammed his hand into the side of Ryo's face.
"… Stop being so selfish!" Shu dropped to his knees, his legs still unable to support him. Ryo fell onto his back with a grunt, dropping his helmet and sending Shu a surprised stare. He placed a hand to the struck area, finding a small cut in his temple, caused by Shu's armored hand.
"Shu… I thought…!"
"Shut up." Shu growled. "Have you ever thought that maybe your life is more important than a pawn is to a chess player!"
"Shu, I'm just-!"
"Stop being such a coward! You should know better than to try and compromise with an emperor of the Yami no Sekai! He has no intention of keeping to the Netherworld once he's killed you! It's obvious! We have no reason to trust him. Even if he does intend to keep his promise, we can't take that risk! We can't risk him going back on his word to have him attack the world and not having you to defend it! You're the strongest out of all of us when it comes to power, and you're the only one who can even wear Kikoutei, much less actually use it!" Shu continued to glare at him, but his tone sharpened. "I know you're afraid of failure, but we all are, really. If you go through with this, you'll be giving Takai everything he needs to conquer the entirety of the Yami no Sekai, and then the mortal world.
"Shu…" Ryo bowed his head, somewhat ashamed. "Gomen. But I can't think of any other way to end the war and keep everyone alive."
Shu smirked. "I can."
Ryo looked up and his eyes widened as he realized what Shu was hinting at. "You can't seriously mean…?" Shu shrugged. "No, Shu! I can't! I'm not strong enough in my condition!"
"You are strong enough, Baka! And we don't really have much of a choice, do we?"
"I accept!" cried a deep voice. Shu was sent flying as Takai's tentacles slammed into his side. He rammed into Ryo, sending him crashing into a building, creating a large crater in the wall. Ryo dropped from the crater to his hands and knees, then looked up at his enemy.
"W-What!"
"I accept your proposal. You gave me an offer, didn't you?" Takai grinned. He held out his hand and a large datchi appeared. "Now, come. This will be fun indeed."
Ryo looked around. Now what? What would his friends say if he actually went through with it? And now that he thought about it, what would happen to the mortal world? Takai growled and ordered him to get up. Ryo didn't move. His mind was frantically trying to add all the factors together to come up with a logical action, but his mind was too frantic to make the decision. Takai growled again in disapproval and brought his datchi up, whistling through the air, and carving a large slice in Ryo's chest plate.
Ryo yelped and stood, staggering backwards into the crater again. Takai struck him again, bringing the back of the blade this time down on Ryo's shoulder. Takai tapped his empty hand with the datchi. "Now do as I say! Come with me!"
Ryo shifted his eyes to Seiji, who stared back at him with concerned urgency. Ryo nodded at him and stood up straight. "The offer, as you put it, has been, sadly, repealed. It seems that four of the five Samurai Troopers don't think we've lost. And you know how majority rules, and all." He smirked and jumped past Takai, running low along the ground before gripping his helmet and putting it back on his head. He then grabbed one of the katanas and held it out. "If you think I'd hand over the mortal world to you, you're dead wrong!"
Takai sighed in exasperation. "But I have no desire to conquer the mortal world."
"Not according to Kuri, you octopus. You wanted a fair fight? I'll give you one!" Ryo tensed and Takai shrugged.
"It's your funeral boy." Takai launched himself at Ryo and the two locked blades. Ryo grunted. He was this side of powerless without the use of his right hand. His left arm was weak and easily overtaken by Takai's large datchi. His eyes widened as a second weapon appeared in Takai's free hand. This time, it was a large steel bo, very plain. He gripped it and swung it around to slam it into Ryo's side. Ryo yelled as he was thrown to the ground, feeling at least three of his ribs snap at the impact of the bow, and one or two more as he hit the pavement. He lay still on the ground, gasping for breath, and barely able to move. A pulsing red light began to shoot from his armor and Ryo's eyes shot open as a loud yell was heard.
"Ryo!" Shu called, dropping fully to the ground. His armor glowed orange before sending the burst of orange light into Ryo's body. Toma followed suit, groaning and falling onto his side, his armor also giving up its phosphorescence to Ryo. Seiji, already heavily drained, screamed loudest of all as his power retreated to feed Ryo's armor. Shin made no sound, but gave a sad gentle smile as his heavy body hit the ground.
Take him down, Ryo.
"Toma!" Ania yelled as she watched her son collapse. She rounded on Naste. "What's happening?"
Naste looked down at Ania, as well as Shin's family, who all had the same question in their eyes. She took a deep breath, her eyes dazed. "If Ryo dies, the armor will also die. The armor is protecting itself by absorbing the power of the other four to create Kikoutei."
Ryo's eye's widened and he shot to his feet. All pain left his body and feeling and mobility returned to his right hand. He threw his arms above his head. "Busso… Kikoutei!" White lightning struck his Rekka armor, sending sakura blossoms flying in all directions. Takai was thrown back several paces, kept a safe distance away by the aura of the yoroi. Large flames grew upward from his feet, consuming his body. The flames were suddenly vanquished, leaving Ryo in the pearly armor. Ryo's eyes looked glazed, but Naste felt relief fall over her as she recognized their deep tiger blue. "Takai…" he began, his Kikoutei katanas materializing into his hands. "I've had enough of you."
Ryo rushed at Takai, throwing both his katanas down at him. Takai held his own sword up, blocking, before throwing Ryo away. Ryo landed and immediately threw himself foreword, straight at Takai, his swords outstretched. Takai caught the blades and pushed Ryo away, only to block another strike from the Kikoutei wielder. Takai shoved energy into his datchi, shocking Ryo and causing him to retreat a few steps. The retreat gave Takai the opportunity to jump away, dropping his datchi and calling forth the bo again. The datchi shattered into black dust as soon as it hit the concrete, and Takai landed from his jump seconds later. Ryo recovered quickly from the shock of dark energy and looked up at Takai. He growled and dismissed his katanas, summoning his Kikoutei Bo. This time, it was Takai who charged, swinging his bo at Ryo's side. Ryo swung the Bo over his forearm and blocked the attack, throwing his foot into Takai's gut. Takai grunted and stumbled back a bit. He held his bo up to catch the attack thrown at him and his back hit the pavement. He quickly shot his foot out, catching Ryo in the stomach and sending him up into the air. Ryo did a simple flip and righted himself, releasing the bo and calling the pearly bow into his hands. He quickly drew the string back and summoned three arrows to his fingers. He released the arrows and they streaked toward Takai, who still had not gotten up. Takai quickly spun the bo around and around, blocking all of the arrows. He shot to his feet and dodged the next two arrows that attacked, throwing his bo away and calling a cursi-gama and chain into his hands. He threw the chain at Ryo, causing the end to coil around his weapon. Ryo yanked on the chain, but Takai was too heavy to move. Takai smirked and yanked the chain foreword, pulling Ryo to the ground. Ryo released his bow and willed it to vanish, leaving the empty chain on the ground. He stood and pulled out the yari. He aimed the tip of it at Takai and the end shot foreword, the handle extending until the head reached Takai's chest plate. The tip shot through Takai's chest plate, but Takai didn't seem to be phased. Ryo paused.
Is Takai impenetrable?
Takai smiled and gripped the yari by the handle near him. With a quick flick of the wrist, Takai forced the end of the yari up toward Ryo's face. The end of it caught him under the chin, and sent him onto his back on the pavement. Ryo banished the yari, not wanting Takai to have it at his disposal. The chain from the cursi-gama coiled about his legs, and Takai loomed over him, the blade in his large hands, ready to throw down at Ryo's body. Ryo grunted and willed his no-datchi into his hands. He twisted his wrist, sending the blade toward Takai's body. The blade whistled through the air, but struck nothing. Takai had jumped away at the last second, taking his cursi-gama with him, which now vanished. Ryo stood, his breaths coming in short gasps. I can't do this forever. We're evenly matched, but how do I beat him? There's got to be some difference between us!
Ryo's thought was not completed as Takai was suddenly in front of him, throwing two daggers down at his head. Ryo moved away just in time to dodge, and held up his no-datchi to block. This sword is too bulky! I can't move it fast enough! Ryo grunted and forced wave after wave of energy through the blade, electrocuting Takai. Takai screamed and leapt away to shake it off. Ryo dismissed the no-datchi and summoned his katanas once more. Takai growled at Ryo's weapon choice and summoned his datchi once again. Ryo ran at him, summoning all of the physical strength he could muster to force his legs to move. There comes a time during battle, where the mind loses awareness, and focus completely surrounds the object of the attacker's aggression. The pain of the body, and even the limitations fall away, leaving nothing but the strength the body does not have giving the attacker a certain edge. For when the body gives strength it does not have, the attacker has no limitations.
"Shu… Shu… You alright?"
Shu slowly opened his eyes to stare up at Toma. "Toma?" Shu rasped. His voice was hoarse and his throat felt like it was being clawed at.
Toma smiled. "Glad you've decided to join us." He sat back, grabbing Shu's hand and pulling him into a sitting position. Shu looked around to see the other three weakly smiling at him. "Ryo's doing it." Toma said suddenly, his gaze pulled to the battle between Takai and Ryo. Shu gave him an odd look. "He hasn't lost control of Kikoutei once."
Seiji nodded. "That's because his own hatred for Takai overtakes that of Kikoutei. Kikoutei has no reason to bend his will because Ryo hates Takai so much."
"It's not over yet." Shin growled. Shu nodded.
Ryo's swords clashed hard against Takai's datchi, and Takai pushed back against him. Avoiding risking falling back into vulnerability, Ryo flipped over Takai's head to land behind him. In one swift motion, he brought his left katana up through the air, slicing a deep gash in Takai's back. Takai grunted, and spun around to face Ryo. Ryo's eyes narrowed as Takai's invulnerability shocked him once again. Takai chuckled. "Can't you understand that physically attacking me does nothing? I am not human, so my body of armor is not subject to the pain of a flesh wound."
Ryo stared up at Takai, glaring the worst glare he could force onto his face at him. His breaths were getting shallower and shallower by the minute, his exhausted body craving both energy and oxygen. He couldn't hold out much longer. He needed to end this battle now. "Takai… you've terrorized… the mortal world… long enough!" he growled dangerously, his voice broken by his panting. He stood up straight and began swinging his swords about. "Chodando!" Red fire swirled around the blade, turning the metal bright red.
Shu smirked expectantly. "Oh… Takai's in for it now."
Shi shook his head. No… He's too calm. Ryo's about to send the most powerful sure-kill of the most powerful armor in existence straight at him, and he's not worried at all. Something's not right. He worked his way onto his feet and tossed his spear aside. Takai wouldn't risk acting too overconfident with that attack coming at him. He'd at least do something. He's gonna escape! He's got some kind of plan to get away! Shin began staggering over to where Takai was standing.
"Shin! Where are you going!" Shu sluggishly attempted to stand.
He's gonna try and get away!
"Sen… ko… Zan!" Ryo unleashed the immense power build-up with one final cry.
Not while I'm alive!
"Nice try, Rekka no Ryo! But you can't defeat me so easily! After all, I am a Yami no Sekai Lord." Takai laughed, crouching down to jump.
"Takai!" Shin screamed at him. Takai tensed. "For five days and nights you've… infested my mind… haunted every breath I take!" Shin was stumbling, but he clearly saw his enemy. "You've used me… and used my own subconscious to torture me!" He ran faster and faster, his determination growing with every word. "You plagued me with nightmares… and soiled my armor by using it… to try and make me kill… my friends!" Shin launched himself foreword and took hold of Takai's eight tentacles, four in each hand. Just by touching them, Shin could feel his strength wane. "Unforgivable!" With a violent jerk, Shin twisted Takai's tentacles around the enemy held him tight, locking him in place.
"SHIN!" A chorus of voices rang out as the attack hit and exploded with an ear-shattering boom, accompanied by two blood-curdling screams. There was a deafening silence that followed the explosion as the light dimmed, revealing the two bodies that lay on the ground. The larger one began to instantly turn to black dust, blowing away with the gentle breeze. Disregarding the vanishing form, Ryo dashed over to where Shin lay and stared at his blank face.
"Shin!" he yelled, dropping to his knees beside his fallen friend. "You moron!"
Shin's armors began to ripple and wave, as if it were less than solid, until the entire thing seemed to turn to water and slide off of his body, slinking into the cracks in the pavement. "SHIN!" a woman screamed. Shu was immediately on his feet, holding Shin's sister away.
"Seiji how is he? Can you heal him?" Shu demanded, though one could tell he was close to tears.
Seiji crawled over to Shin's limp form and flattened his palms against Shin's chest, his armor pulsing. After a few minutes, he sat back and punched Shin's chest. "Dammit!"
"What, Seiji?" Toma inquired urgently. He felt a nauseating feeling of terror swirl in his gut as the possibilities drifted into his mind. "Can you… heal him?"
Seiji shook his head, removing his helmet and gritting his teeth, allowing tears to stream down his face. "No… He's already dead. That attack was instantly fatal."
Sayako and Suki let out wails and Sayako raced to her brother's side, pulling his head into her arms and hugging it tight. "Ototo-sama!"
Shu put his fist through a tree, causing several people around the tree to take several steps backward. Shu leaned on the stump and dropped to his knees. A few people surrounded him, as if to offer their comfort, but Shu barely noticed them. "Shin!"
Seiji sat completely still, his fist still lying on the Trooper's frozen body. His eyes were glazed and unfocused, as if he were in another world. However, tears continued to make their way down his cheeks, as if he had no idea why he was crying. Toma sat behind him, motionless and staring into space, that same lack of emotion in his eyes as in Seiji's. His face was, too, streaked with salty tears.
Ryo cried out and pulled his helmet off to slam it into the ground. His armor burst into sakura blossoms, then formed back into his Rekka armor. He dropped to his knees and placed his hands on the pavement. He watched as tears splashed around his fingers. "No… Shin… if anyone was gonna die, it was supposed to be me, you… you… DAMMIT!"
"Ryo!" Naste knelt before him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Ryo… please." Ryo ignored her and continued to swear quietly to himself.
Toma felt his mother's delicate hands on his shoulder protectors. "Toma… you all right?" she whispered.
Toma didn't even look up at her. He did notice her presence, however, and took some comfort in knowing that she was there for him. One thing that surprised him was his father's presence behind his mother. He too was there for him. "Shin…" Toma breathed, his voice holding no emotion.
The crowd seemed to close in on the grouping around the body. There was an undeniable sense of grief about that, even those who never knew Shin, couldn't ignore. There was a silence as complete as the grave that unnerved those not associated. After a long tense silence, a small voice spoke, her voice sounding loud, though she had barely spoken above a whisper. "Toma… your armor…"
Toma looked at his mother, then down at his chest to see that indeed, his armor was weakly pulsing a warm blue. He looked around to find that likewise was true for the rest of the Samurai Troopers. All four gazes shifted among one another, bewildered looks on each face. "What's…?" Ryo trailed off, sitting back.
"Your armors are reacting to your tears." Naste observed slowly.
Shu scrubbed at the water on his face, then stared at the water on his finger as if it were alien. "Our armors react according to how we feel."
The four Troopers yelped as they felt a large amount of energy leave each of them. The sudden appearance of a sphere of white light in the center of the street caused each spectator to shield their eyes. The light was followed by a huge wind, almost as if something in the center of the street had burst.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I'm cold. What is this place? It's so dark.
Shin…
Did I do it? Is Takai dead?
Shin…
What's that voice? It's warm.
Shin!
Shin's eyes snapped open and he looked around, rendering no knowledge of his location, due to the lack of light. He curled himself into a ball, attempting to keep his naked body warm, but there was no warmth to offer in the place. Not even his body heat leant any help. Where am I?
Shin…
There's that voice again. Shin found himself longing for the voice's touch. It was like a gentle caress at his soul, warming it and giving it energy. Who are you? Where am I?
The voice seemed to ignore his questions. Calm down, Shin. I am here to tell you that you need to come back.
Come back? As in… come back to life? But… I'm dead! Don't dead people usually stay dead?
Yes, but you are not a usual man, are you? The voice inquired good-naturedly.
I guess not. But why? I'm happy just to sleep, knowing that Takai is dead.
We still have things to do, Young Master.
We? Young Master? Suiko? Is that you?
Calm down, Shin. It repeated with gentleness. Just wake up. Wake up…
No. I don't want to. I'm so tired. Just let me sleep, please. I'm done now.
Come on, Master. Wake up. Your friends need you, your sister needs you, and the mortal realm needs you.
But why? The Samurai Troopers are always saving others. I know this may sound selfish, but why can't I even die in peace? Can't we think of ourselves at any point?
It is a cruel destiny, this is true. But it is a job that someone has to do. Human being are corrupt creatures, and someone has to keep their sorry butts safe. I could not spot anyone else in this entire world better suited for the job than you, Shin. Your pure heart and mind have gone unrivaled for years, and your heart and mind are exactly what this world needs more of. Now, come back. You've got your whole life ahead of you. Wake up, Young Master. Wake up.
No. I'm too tired. I don't wake to ever wake up.
Shin…
No. Just let me die in peace. Please…
Shin…
"Shin!"
I hear voices.
"Seiji how is he? Can you heal him?"
Who is that?
He felt a quick pressure on his chest. "Dammit!
Who are those voices?
"What, Seiji? Can you… heal him?"
I know these voices. They're my friends.
"No… he's already dead. That attack was instantly fatal."
Oh yeah. Shin now remembered, as more conversation and yelled went on around him. The attack Ryo sent at Takai… he was going to escape, and I held him in place, and his attack killed me, too. But… what happened after that? He searched his mind for the memory, but it seemed absent. I was… in darkness, and… I was talking to someone. But… who was it?
He suddenly gasped as he felt white-hot energy suddenly flooded him, forcing his lungs to fill with air, and jolt his heart into rhythm. My heart… my breath... But how…?
"MINNA!" he heard Seiji yell. "Shin's heart is beating! He's breathing!"
Shin suddenly felt the presence of his four friends and his sister as they closely examined his face. But… I'm still so tired. His body was alive, but his spirit lacked the motivation to spring to life once more.
Come back, Shin.
He didn't know how he knew, but this voice was not like the voice he had been speaking to earlier. This voice wasn't much like a voice at all. It was almost like two ghostly hands reaching out to him, inviting him. That's Rekka's energy.
Come on, Shin.
And there's Korin. Two more hands appeared.
Make the circle complete again.
Tenku! There were now six hands offering themselves to him.
Please, my friend. We need you.
And Kongo! The final two hands appeared and Shin reached out to accept their assistance.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Shin! Wake up!" Shu cried, shaking his friend back and forth. "Shin! Can you hear me?" He stopped as Shin's hand appeared on his and a wince broke out on Shin's face.
"Shu…?" His eyes squeezed tight for a moment before they sluggishly opened.
"SHIN!" the five others yelled.
Shu leaned down and pulled Shin into a sitting position, then wrapped him in a strong embrace. "God, we thought we'd lost you."
Shin smiled gently, and would've returned to hug if his body had not felt so incredibly heavy. "You almost did. I was ready to die. But I got some encouragement."
"Really? From who?" Toma requested, scrubbing his tears away.
"You guys." He held out his palm and his armor orb materialized. "And from Suiko."
"Suiko? Suiko helped you?" Seiji asked immediately as Shin was grabbed by his sister and nearly crushed in her embrace. "But how?"
Shin smiled. "The armor has power other than that with which to fight."
"Yeah." Shu sighed. "Welcome back, Buddy."
"Thanks." Shin smiled at his friends and allowed his eyes to close. "I'm just gonna… rest a bit."
Shu nodded and scooped Shin into his arms. He stood and had to smile when he looked down at Ryo. The man had collapsed against Naste, who held him close, her hands closed tightly about his right hand. "Looks like Ryo's a bit worn out, huh?"
Naste stared up at him with concern. "Guys, Kikoutei didn't heal him. His hand is still sliced up. He's lost so much blood."
Seiji looked up and around, staring at the buildings and the pavement. All of it was covered with splatters and splashes of bright red blood. Ryo's blood. "Kikoutei is like a rush of adrenaline. Even while he didn't feel any pain, his hand was still bleeding."
Naste sighed and held Ryo tighter. "Will he be alright?"
Seiji knelt next to her and pulled Ryo away. "Sure. I can help heal him. He'll be a bit tired for a while after that battle, but after a few days rest, he should be fine."
"You're sure?" Naste inquired, looking at her own bloodied hands.
"Yeah. Now come on. Let's go home, Minna." Toma suggested. The others disappeared to the top of the nearest building as Naste wrapped her arms around Toma's neck, and he turned to his mom. "See you back at the house?"
"Sure, Toma." His mother nodded proudly.
Toma was about to jump, but first turned to Naste. "Hold on, don't throttle." Naste laughed and nodded.
As the Troopers jumped away from the city and toward the Yagyu estate, the sound of cheering and clapping echoed in the street at the citizens of Shinjuku celebrated the victory of a battle they knew nothing about.
Kitty-chan: And that's it for the last chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for the Epilogue! Coming soon! Woo! Review!