This story has been beta by Steven Bodner and TheReader2011. Enjoy!
Shinpaku Main Base
All fighting members of the Shinpaku Alliance were present at the main base, where Niijima had called them all to gather.
"Damn, Niijima is going all out," commented Takeda as he piled his plate with food, "I wonder why?"
Niijima had taken the liberty of ordering a buffet for them all, much to their surprise. All they knew was that it was an important meeting, and that nobody was allowed to miss it. Not only that, but Niijima had invited all the masters who had been present to counter Yami when they announced their plans.
"Must be because of Yami," replied Freya, "They've publicly announced themselves to the world, so Niijima is probably making up plans to counter them."
"Whatever it is, he's got a sweet spread!" grinned Ukita as he ripped a piece of meat off a chicken leg.
"Don't act so barbaric, chew your food before you talk," scolded Kisara, kicking Ukita in the knee.
Not only were the Shinpaku members in attendance, but even a few others not officially a part of the Shinpaku Alliance had made it in, such as Renka's uncle, Hakubei, along with his two disciples and the Santoryu team, the Tanaka family, the Yamamoto family, Jennifer Gray and her charges.
Renka frowned as she ate her food. While she knew Natsu was a part of Yomi, and thus a part of Yami, and so currently at the hidden Yami base, it didn't stop her from thinking about him.
'Why am I thinking about him?' thought Renka as she savagely bit into her food, 'He's nothing but a weakling pervert! It must be the atmosphere around me!'
Renka looked around to see that somehow she had seated herself where she could see all the couples that had formed. Ukita and Kisara were sharing a table with Freya and Takeda, and it was obvious that each pair was dating each other despite their arguments. Kenichi and Miu were sharing a table with the Tanaka couple, playing with Kairi. Even the logistics team of Shinpaku, aka the non-fighters, were mingling with the Valkyries, and Renka swore she could see flowers blooming there.
'Gah! Why are there so many couples here! I need Natsu here to balance it out!' thought Renka before realizing what her thought process had taken her through.
Her fellow disciples, Ryu Genson and Shokatsu Koan, along with her father and uncle, looked at her with concern when she started slamming her head into the table, screaming muffled obscenities.
"Gahaha, looks like our disciples have gotten quite close to each other!" laughed Shiba as he sat at another table with Danki. Joining them were Bearman and Tsuji, who looked elated to have his pseudo-master down in the city with him.
"Indeed," laughed Danki as he slurped on some noodles, "Especially from what I was told that happened at the water park. The two of them were together the whole time!"
While the two masters were gossiping about their respective disciples, at another table, Sakaki was quietly sweating in nervousness. The main reason was that Shigure was sitting next to him on the right, holding a spoon full of rice to feed him. On his left was Jennifer Gray, holding a fork full of spaghetti to feed him.
Jennifer had been invited, and had brought all members of team Pankration with her. Of course, upon seeing Sakaki sitting next to Shigure, she abruptly left her charges to wander about while seating herself next to Sakaki, giving Shigure a burning look.
The ex-children of Fortuna ended up mingling with the logistics team and the Valkyries.
"So, which one are you dating?" asked Chisato, vice-leader of the Valkyries, to Iris and Octavia, the girls of the Pankration team, "Those three boys of yours look quite nice."
The two teenagers glanced at each other before shrugging.
"None," replied Iris, "It's hard to see them as boyfriend material at all since we were all raised together, with Spartacus being the eldest brother, when we were kids. We trusted each other, looked out for each other, and have already bathed with each other."
"Nakedly?" gasped the members of Valkyrie.
"It was to conserve water and time," replied Octavia, "We really didn't have any thoughts about procreation during our time with Fortuna. We've had a crash course about it since then, but none of us can really think of our brothers anything but brothers, and vice-versa."
"So does that mean they're free?" asked Yoko with a blush.
"Our two brothers, Alec and Crixus, are," nodded Iris, "But Spartacus may be romantically involved with someone, from what our foster aunt Jennifer has told us during their trip to Tidat."
"Ooh, tell us more!" grinned Reo.
Despite being raised in a very Spartan environment, Iris and Octavia couldn't help joining in gossiping with the other members of Valkyrie.
"Ahem, may I have your attention please?" announced Niijima when the banquet had gone for about an hour, with everyone having eaten their fill. He looked around and grinned at all his… 'minio… Cough cough friends'. Having Jennifer and her charges invited was easy enough, as they had connections to Ryozanpaku, with the US also having a national interest in combating Yami. He had tried to get to the Brazilian team via Silvio, but weaving through that territory proved harder than he thought, and so he forewent that option.
Niijima looked over to Siegfried, who nodded before pressing a button that he had been standing next to. At once, the windows in the room were sealed to prevent anyone from viewing inside. The various gadgets that were placed on the wall that looked to be a tasteful designs began to vibrate to prevent people from spying on them via hearing equipment. And finally, the Zanshin Taisha-ryu members surrounded the base, preventing anyone from coming close to base.
As another safety precaution, Niijima had everyone place any electronic devices in a lead box that was swiftly placed in another room, and as an added measure, had the most annoying songs playing in the background, including the famous American song from Rick Astley.
"Now then, you all might be wondering why you're here," said Niijima, "Yes, this meeting is in regards to repelling Yami, but there is more to it."
"What's more to add?" asked Thor curiously, "Have you found their secret hidden base?"
"Yes," replied Niijima, causing several people in the room to spit out their drinks.
"What!? How!" shouted Jennifer, slamming her hands onto the table, "The US Intelligence group still hasn't triangulated their location!"
"It's in relation to how we knew other things," said Niijima calmly, "Sit down, and everything will be explained."
Jennifer gave Niijima a glare before Spartacus and Sakaki managed to pull Jennifer back down.
"As we all know, Yami has a secret base where they will launch their attacks against the world. From what I've gathered from my intelligence team, their first target is Japan," said Niijima.
Everyone's eyes seemed to narrow at that thought.
"They plan to use a nuclear missile to strike at the heart of Japan," declared Niijima.
That caused several uprisings and shouts of rage. Not only would innocent civilians would die, but the fact was Japan had been already been hit by two atom bombs before certainly caused outrage about the fact they might be hit a third time.
"Is it possible for them to be able to amass that much power?" asked Yamamoto.
"Certainly, since they've been working in the shadows ever since World War II," growled Jennifer, biting into her thumb.
"How accurate is this information?" asked Tsutomu.
"Very," replied a voice from another room.
The others looked over to the room, wondering who was there before Furinji Saiga revealed himself without his disguise.
Saiga had been in the other room the whole time, waiting for Niijima's signal to reveal himself.
"One Shadow!" roared Shiba as he charged at Saiga, his left arm cocked back, "I've been waiting to get revenge for my leg and eye that you took!"
Saiga calmly looked at Shiba, dodging Shiba's punches but never retaliating.
"Wait, isn't he the leader of Yami!? What's he doing here?" shouted Jennifer.
That caused Shiba to stop as he realized that indeed, the 'leader' of Yami was currently at the Shinpaku Alliance, surrounded by all his 'enemies'. There was muttering of Niijima possibly having defected to Yami, but that was instantly dismissed. They all knew Niijima was an ambitious alien who would never capitulate to following others, always wanting to lead. Not only that, but his 'best' friends were a part of Ryozanpaku, the enemy of Yami.
"I'm sure you all realize the peculiarity of this situation," said Saiga calmly, "But everything can be explained today. To get this off the table, James Shiba, I was not the one who fought you. Senzui has been using my identity to commit these acts in my name, including taking your eye and leg. And yes, I was a part of the One Shadow Nine Fist, but the hidden secret is that the One Shadow title was shared between two people. Senzui and I were the One Shadow until his betrayal of my family. I was forced to hide as he had taken my identity to commit all those crimes. Using an alias, I have been working with the Japanese government to take Yami down."
"While that may be, how are you sure that you know where Yami is?" accused Jennifer.
"My original plan was to never reveal my identity until the last moment," confessed Saiga, "Using my alias as Mr. Okamoto to help lead as I knew you wouldn't trust me so easily. However, that all changed."
"And what was that catalyst?" growled Shiba.
Saiga merely grinned as he took a step back, flourishing a bow while pointing back to the center of the stage. Everyone couldn't help but draw their attention back to the middle to see Kenichi, Miu, and Niijima standing in the spotlight.
"Everyone… I have a confession to make," said Kenichi nervously.
"We have a confession to make," corrected Miu.
Everyone glanced at each other, trying to figure out what it was. They looked over to the masters of Ryozanpaku, only to see their faces set with determination, meaning they knew what they were about to say. They were surprised to see the Tanaka family seemingly looking away as if they knew what was going on.
They each began to whisper, making conspiracy theories such as Miu being a double agent, Kenichi being a double agent, etc.
"We're time travelers from the year 2002. We came back in time to the year 1992," said all three time travelers.
Choju Giga animals trotted through the area for a good minute before the animals themselves acted shocked at what the audience did.
There were a lot of rainbows that formed simultaneously despite minimal light being shown through the room.
"What?" said a deadtoned Kisara as everyone managed to slowly take in the information dump they had been given.
Kenichi had just described everything that had happened in the past timeline they had been at, with Niijima highlighting differences between the old timeline and the new timeline with several large whiteboards. Miu added commentary to some events, and sometimes took over for some of the events Kenichi hadn't been there to witness.
"Well… That explains why your disciple is so overpowered, Akisami-chi!" shouted Shiba, "He's older than my disciple in terms of mental age! That means my disciple is the better one! You cheated! That means I win, my disciple is the stronger one!"
"That's what you're hung over about!?" shouted Jennifer in disbelief.
"That's my master for you," laughed Takeda before looking over to Freya, noticing her bangs shadowing her eyes, "Freya, what's wrong?"
Freya suddenly stood up, her chair clattering onto the floor, drawing attention to her.
"You knew," said Freya with a low tone, "You knew that Ikki was betrayed by his friend before it happened, and forced to suffer the loss of his left arm, and yet you did nothing! Isn't he one of your friends!? How could you let him suffer when you could've changed it!"
Kenichi was forced to look away, but Niijima quickly covered for him, stating that Kenichi did want to do so, but that he dissuaded Kenichi from doing so.
"Why would you do that!?" cried Freya, "If-"
Suddenly, she felt Takeda grab her wrist, causing her to stop her rant.
"If I didn't get my left arm paralyzed," said Takeda, "If I went down that path, I would've never been in Ragnarok. I would have never met Kenichi and others. I would've never met my master. I wouldn't have gotten as strong as I am now. And finally, I would've never met you, Kugatachi Kaname."
Freya froze before shivering at the thought of Takeda not being in the Shinpaku Alliance.
"I told you once that despite everything that happened, if I had to go through it again, I wouldn't change anything. I've met real friends thanks to my suffering, and gotten stronger than I could ever possibly imagine before. I wouldn't be surprised if I told Kenichi and Niijima the same statement in the past timeline," said Takeda, "Although it was a little hurtful that they could've changed the future but didn't, I'm glad they didn't do so. No doubt that if that ambush failed, then Akeshita would've resorted to other tactics that might have done even more harm."
"Ikki," whispered Freya before sighing, tensions leaving her shoulder.
"Come on, take a seat, there's probably more they need to tell us," said Takeda, pulling up her seat.
"Or maybe you two want to get a room?" teased Shiba, suddenly appearing behind the two, causing them to jump in shock, "Don't think I didn't notice you two call each other by your given names instead of family names. Getting close to each other, aren't you? You two can go have a little private time, and we'll give you the summary when you come back."
The two flushed red and pushed Shiba back while Danki was in the background laughing.
"Geez, he's annoying, isn't he?" said Kisara, looking over Ukita before noticing his face was quite tense.
"Kenichi," said Ukita, suddenly standing up, "Master Yamamoto never came down the mountains in your past timeline, correct?"
"Yes," nodded Kenichi.
"... Tell me, how weak was I in the past timeline?" asked Ukita bluntly.
"Ukita!" said Takeda, but only for Ukita to hold his hand up.
"I'm not a genius fighter like you all. Despite having a master, I'm barely on the same level as all the captains of the Shinpaku Alliance. I can imagine that if I didn't have that training, I wouldn't be on par with you guys. I've seen them look at me every now and then, looking as if making sure I was alright compared to the others," said Ukita, "Not to mention the timeline difference they pointed out. You got your master earlier than before, and so I could witness your improvement before it was too late. Knowing me, I would've gone to my old judo dojo and thought it was enough before realizing you all left me in the dust."
"... You had enough power to be a vice-captain," said Niijima.
"So you guys convinced master Yamamoto to come down and then staged a meeting?" asked Ukita, "And the video games too?"
"No," said Kenichi firmly, "Akisame-sensei was the one who convinced them to come down from the mountains in preparations against Yami. Your meeting with the Yamamoto family was a lucky coincidence."
"Or a butterfly effect, to be more accurate," summarized Niijima, "You were the one to take the step forward to delve deeper into this world. We had no active hand in helping you, only when you asked for help. As for the video games, while they were the source of inspiration for your moveset that I pulled on a whim, you were the one who managed to put it into practice."
"So it was all me? Not you guys pulling strings on me like a puppet to get stronger?" asked Ukita, glaring at Niijima. It made him feel a lot better, to be honest, that he had taken the first step to becoming stronger, and not manipulated into becoming a pawn.
"Ukita, I've told you before, talent is not everything. In the world of martial arts, hard work will always overcome talent," said Taiki, "As your master, I've seen you put all your work into not only learning, but other supplementing styles to form your own Judo style. A path far more complicated than your peers. At your core, you are like steel being tempered from everything you are experiencing. Once the final temper has finished, I look forward to seeing you walk among us."
Ukita had to hold back his tears as his friends and master looked at him with complete faith. In the back of his mind, there were whispers of him being weak, being an annoyance, not being able to help, always nagging him. After hearing that the trio had time traveled and made changes, they helped everyone become stronger. Now, after hearing that he had taken his path all by himself made those whispers fade away.
"Hehe, I admit that you're pretty strong for someone like you, but don't think that you're above me! I'm still winning in our spars!" boasted Naoki with a pointed nose.
"Hmph, no wonder the disciples of Ryozanpaku were freakishly strong. They're living their second lives," huffed Kaku before glancing over to Renka, blinking as he saw Renka's eyes somehow burning as she glared at Miu and Kenichi.
"Umm, are you alright?" asked Ryu tentatively as the others noticed her glare.
"Just fine," gritted Renka before standing up, "I'll be right back. Just need to talk to them in private."
Stomping forward, Renka waved at Miu and Kenichi to talk in private, to which they obliged, leaving Niijima to explain and expand more about their plans to combat Yami.
"So you two have been making some changes," accused Renka, to which Miu and Kenichi nodded, unsure where she was going with this.
"And in the last timeline, I was chasing after Kenichi, right?" asked Renka, to which she got nods.
"Is that why you pushed me to Natsu?" drolled Renka with a heated voice, "Because you two thought I would look cute with him together?"
Kenichi looked confused at this before Miu gently pushed Kenichi out the door.
"Let the girls talk about this one," advised Miu, "You go help Niijima out a little."
Mystified but obeying, Kenichi did so.
As soon as Kenichi left, Miu eagerly turned to Renka, stars shining in her eyes.
"Are you dating Tanimoto? When did this happen? How?" asked Miu eagerly.
"Whoa, whoa, I didn't say anything about dating him!" hissed Renka, "I said you two were responsible for pushing us together, weren't you!"
Miu tilted her head in confusion, "No? The only thing I did was make sure that you knew Kenichi was mine."
"So you didn't jumpstart any relationships?" asked Renka insistently.
"No? Besides a few changes, we didn't manipulate anyone into doing anything," said Miu, "The only real active changes were having some people survive, and perhaps pushing Takeda's master to him earlier."
"Then that relationship with Takeda and Freya…," Renka trailed off.
"Surprising to see, but yes, we didn't do anything," nodded Miu, "The same with Shigure and Sakaki, and with Ukita and Kisara. None of us did anything. We would never manipulate our friendships with you all to ship one another. Especially Kenichi."
"Then that means… means… means," stuttered Renka as her voice began to fail her. Her thought process began to connect that her attraction to Natsu was all on her. She couldn't blame them at all, as their only action was to deter her from Kenichi, and that was it.
Renka grabbed a pillow from somewhere and screamed into it for a good minute before she finally looked back up to Miu.
"You saw nothing," hissed Renka before looking around, "And where is Natsu? With Yami?"
Miu nodded in reply, causing Renka to sigh.
"Does Natsu already know about you three being time travelers?" asked Renka curiously.
"Yes," answered Miu with complete honesty.
"What!? Doesn't that mean that Yami could possibly know about you three being time travelers?" shouted Renka in a panic, "And how does he know? Who else knows!?"
"Besides all of Ryozanpaku, my father and the Tanaka family are aware of the situation. While we told my father due to a chance meeting, the Tanaka family and Taninmoto-kun managed to guess their way by circumstantial evidence," explained Miu.
"And you're not worried about Natsu spilling the beans?" asked Renka.
"He promised he wouldn't due to how we helped his family," said Miu.
"Helped his family? How?" asked Renka.
"We sent him a letter that warned him about his sister's health," said Miu, "We didn't know about it in the last timeline."
Renka was easily able to piece up what Miu meant before collapsing onto a couch.
"That means Kaede…" stammered Renka before stopping herself, "No, she's well now. That's all that matters right now."
Though Renka didn't want to admit it, she really adored Kaede as a little sister. Kaede had both Ma Sogetsu and Natsu wrapped around her pinky just by being her adorable and cunning self. Renka could barely imagine how Natsu's life would be without Kaede's warmth.
"I couldn't help but notice that you seem to be calling Tanimoto by his given name now. Are you two getting closer now?" asked Miu, her eyes shining while her hands formed a heart.
Choju Giga bunnies hopped across above Renka's head as she processed that statement before diving into a pillow again to scream in embarrassment.
"So we died at the DFOD?" asked Spartacus.
"Kano Sho said that he killed you as you were trying to escape," nodded Kenichi, "He had a lock of your hair as proof. But considering who he is, I'm not too sure. I was convinced that he did back then, but looking back now, I'm not too sure."
"After the invasion in the old timeline for the DFOD, the military reviewed the ship logs and found one missing. However, all drug lords and guests were found and arrested during the raid. My theory is that he let you go on a ship that he stole," theorized Niijima.
"For some reason, it does sound like something he would do," hummed Kenichi, "One thing he's always hated are cages. Maybe he thought your situation was like a caged bird, and so he stole a ship to free you while claiming he killed you all in front of Fortuna."
"I see," hummed Spartacus, "In which case, because we escaped in such a manner in your old timeline, we had no such contact. However, I am unsure if we did survive after escaping. As it was pointed out to me, I had no plans beyond escaping Fortuna grasps. We are lucky that in this timeline, we were adopted by Jennifer Gray, and so all of our living expenses and such are covered. We originally wanted to work immediately after the adoption, but she was adamant that we finish our education first while trying to have a social life."
"For that, we are grateful," bowed Alex and the rest of the Pankration team.
Niijima stood back up in the front with a microphone, clearing his throat for a second.
"As you know, we already have the coordinates to Yami's base. Miu's father has already informed the Japanese government, and is preparing to raid their base. The government has most likely spread the news of its plans to other nations. However, it will be difficult for a united nations response as Yami has sown its seeds across all nations. Ultimately, it will be up to us to launch the first strike. Ryozanpaku has already volunteered to lead the first strike team, which will be a distraction to lure all of Yami's masters into the field. Saiga will be leading a hidden fireteam while they are distracted, composed of his trusted soldiers, along with Miu, Kenichi, and me. I didn't want to say anything, but Kenichi insisted that you all know what happened in the previous timeline and how we came here. The first time, we almost succeeded until Senzui hit the manual override. There was some sort of malfunction, which caused the nuke to detonate right there and then. I won't lie, but considering the type of nuclear missile it was and its intended purpose, everyone on the island perished. So consider this a warning. We have stacked the deck as much as we can in our favor, but in the end, Yami still holds an advantage over us. There is no guarantee that this mission will be a success, and it will be risky. If you choose to back out now, there is no shame."
Silence reigned upon the younger generation for a good moment. Hearing how they had failed the first time, and were about to embark on the same mission that might end up in failure again was difficult to bear.
"You can rely on us for the upcoming raid," declared Spartacus, standing up to voice his own thoughts as well as his brothers and sisters "Though we desired to be free from war and violence, we cannot turn our eyes against such a thing, especially if it will bring war to our front door!"
"Heh, don't think you can scare us off that easily!" grinned Takeda, "If we don't go, Japan will still end up taking the brunt from Yami. I've got plans for the future, and I'm not letting Yami ruin it! I won't turn away from such acts!"
"Here, here!" shouted Thor.
"Wherever my demon lord goes, I will always be right behind him!" sang Siegfried.
"You guys ain't leaving me out of this manly fight!" shouted Tsuji.
"As long as evil proliferates, we cannot turn a blind eye against it," said Freya, with Kisara and the Valkyries nodding in agreement.
Ukita sucked his breath, taking a second to breathe before firmly nodding in agreement to come.
Kenichi couldn't help but smile at all their courage to take the step in despite knowing that it had failed once in the past timeline. While smiling, he was sure to give Niijima a good whack on the head, knowing he was thinking some evil overlord thoughts about his minions.
Hidden Yami Base, Several days later
Natsu was busy practicing his moves on a sandbag before looking around for a bit. All of Yomi had been recalled back, including Boris, who had been MIA for quite a while. There was a clear split as the Unarmed Division of Yomi was on one side while the Armed Division was on the other, each practicing their forms. Even Berserker, who would've opted to just stand and wait, was practicing. Then again, he was actually sparring against Sho, who was enjoying fighting such a unique opponent.
'If it wasn't for Kenichi and the others, Suparna wouldn't have been here,' thought Natsu, remembering that the trio had told him Sho had died at the DFOD.
Now, he was actually alive and kicking. Well, as much as he could be. Sho hadn't taken the fact he had to leave Izumi too well, especially since his 'rival' would certainly be mooning over Izumi. In fact, Sho had tried to discreetly get Izumi out of Japan by asking Natsu to make some sort of excuse. Incidentally, Izumi's father did work in his company, but he wasn't high up in the chain of command to get any sort of promotion or an excuse for a business trip that included family. Instead, Natsu had to make it a company training trip to Ryukyu islands that allowed family members to come.
There, he left one of the few people he could trust (as far as he could throw at least), to oversee everything. While slightly annoyed he had to be the one to arrange it, he understood why Sho couldn't do so himself. It would be too easy for the Kuremisago to trace what Sho did, and they would kill Izumi if it would help 'cut' Sho from any attachments, especially since Izumi's family history had no martial artists in it. The only wife they would allow Sho to have was either a holy lady from the Kuremisago or any of those with 'fine' breeding. Miu was probably one contender if the Kuremisago could successfully kidnap her and brainwash her. As one of the only 'real' friends in Yomi, Natsu didn't mind using his powers to help Sho out a little.
From above, Ogata and Edeltaft were watching over the disciples from the balcony.
"What are your impressions of the disciples?" asked Ogata curiously.
"They are reminiscent of the aromatic heliotrope at twilight," replied Edeltaft, causing Ogata to pause and try to mentally translate what he was talking about.
'Dammit, if Alexander was here, he'd probably understand what this man was talking about,' thought Ogata, slightly cursing the fact the man was at Big Lock.
Sigmaringen slashed the wooden pole in half, sending the top half flying towards Lugh, who ducked under it.
"Apologies, that one got away from me, Mr. Unarmed disciple," apologized Sigmaringen sarcastically, "Without a weapon in your possession, if that were to happen in battle, it would have dire consequences, no?"
"Oi, quit picking on him," said Hyogo, the male kodachi disciple.
"It's not my fault they're trying to let out a creepy aura even though they don't have any weapons, trying to be all intimidating," mocked Sigmaringen.
"Ohohoho, and I suppose playing with those little toys is the only way for you to feel like a real man? How disgusting," drawled Rachel.
"You got it all wrong," stated Albrecht, the executioner sword disciple, "What we are about to dive in headfirst isn't a simple skirmish, but a full out war!"
"... You say that, but in the end, it's the same thing," commented Boris.
"You armed people sure like to talk big," mocked Chikage.
"Watch your mouth, brat!" growled Sigmaringen, "You should be worried about shitting yourself in the battlefield!"
"At least she's more useful than you," commented Sho as he parried a punch from Berserker.
"What was that!?" roared Sigmaringen.
"Oh, I'm sorry, was I too not clear enough?" asked Sho as he quickly formed a time out with his hand, to which Berserker obliged as he was curious to see what Sho would do, "Here, let me help you."
Sho suddenly pulled out a speakerphone from somewhere, clearing his throat before shouting into it, "I said she's more useful than a cowardly weakling who has a shitty master! Should I smack your ears some more so you can hear better like I did last time!? Best part is that I don't have to watch my language because my teacher agrees with me on that statement!"
Several of the unarmed disciples had to turn around to hide their facial expressions, though one could see their shoulders shaking. While the armed disciples were supposed to have a more united front, a small frown could be seen painted on Yui's face as well as Shera.
Sigmarigen was almost frothing in the mouth as he readied his scythe to slash at Sho when someone jumped over his head, stomping onto the scythe and pinning it to the ground.
"Now, now. Let's not fight against each other," ordered Satomi with a smile as he gently lifted his foot, allowing Sigmarigen to reclaim his weapon, "Our mutual enemy will soon reveal themselves. And it is in that fight we will show them that our path as martial artists is just! Remember, there is no honor in senseless murder or a meaningless death!"
"Tell that to him," muttered Sho, gesturing to Sigmarigen while also slightly breaking the tone of Satomi's speech.
Satomi gave Sho a small glare, though unable to deny the truth of his words as Sigmarigen did in fact kidnap a civilian to threaten Kenichi into submission, a 'dishonorable and senseless murder'.
Satomi's bodyguards, Natsuki and Hatsuki, gave Sho a twin glare, but Sho merely scoffed it off.
'And soon, we will meet, Shirahama Kenichi,' thought Satomi to himself, his hands clenching into a tight fist, 'And you will see that despite all your talent, I will defeat you just as I defeated my destiny to die before 20.'
"Aufheben. At dawn, when the eastern sky is dyed in red, the shadows will nestle close to the dance of death of the hazelwoods. That is their Aufheben," recited Edeltaft, leaving Ogata confused at what he was saying before deducing that fighting a mutual enemy would unify the disciples. When asking to see if he had interpreted it right, Ogata found himself being ignored as Edltaft wandered off.
"Cultural gaps are difficult to overcome," commented Kushinada as the rest of the One Shadow Nine Fist appeared.
"While that is true, it wouldn't hurt to show to our students that we masters can get along as well," hummed Ogata, "Especially when the moment comes."
Yami's naval fleet had launched from the bay area, ready to invade. While other countries had formed a grand alliance to fight Yami, they were left scrambling to find where they were located, as Yami had taken over all the satellites, denying them visual information. Yami's plan was to incite doubt in every government, to lead them into panic and confusion before total warfare gave way, leading to their ultimate goal, the Eternal Sunset.
"Sir!" shouted one of the operators, "A fleet of bogeys are approaching our position! They've already penetrated through our defensive net and are getting closer and closer!"
Senzui was slightly surprised that their island home base had been discovered, but ultimately chose to ignore it. In the end, it wouldn't even matter.
"So they've arrived," hummed Senzui.
Several airlifters were flying towards the island, staying low to the water so they could avoid being detected by the radar until the last possible second.
Upon visual confirmation, the Yami soldiers began firing upon the airlifters, trying to shoot them down. Soon, they managed to land some hits, crippling their wings. The airlifters, though shot, managed to descend and crash into the shallow waters, allowing the passengers to safely get out before rescuing the pilots to ensure they were safe, too.
"Though warfare has changed throughout the years, it is still men who start it, and it will be men who will determine its outcome," declared Senzui.
Walking out of the airlifts were all of Ryoznapaku's masters, Shiba, Danki, Taiki, and Kagero, wading through the shallow waters. They knew they were the major distraction, but it didn't mean that the distraction could become the main strike force if given the chance.
Under the sea, in a stealth submarine, was the black ops strike force, getting ready to surface once the vanguard sufficiently distracted the enemy. Within the submarine were the majority of the Shinpaku Alliance force, Saiga currently in his Mr. Okamoto disguise, the Pankration team, Renka, Naoki, Bearman, Genson, Koan, and the Tanaka couple, who were to be the first wave. Tsutomu and Maya had sent their daughter Kairi to live with Tsutomu's aunt, who was currently residing in the countryside, far from the major city. Though it pained them to do so, they knew they couldn't turn away from their duty when they had the ability to do so. And despite asking to be in the vanguard force for the chance to fight Ogata, they understood the reasoning why they were denied, though it didn't stop them from grumbling.
The Valkyries and the logistics force of the Shinpaku Alliance, of course, did not come. While the Valkyries argued they were willing to go, but an order from Freya, Niijima, and Kenichi shut them down.
In the reserve force that would follow them was Ryuto, Rimi, and to the surprise of quite a few, the Capoeira team. Silvio, aka Shinobi, had been able to convince Lucas and the others to come to aid the Shinpaku Alliance.
"Yo, I never got to thank you for your advice," whispered Shinobi as he met up with Kenichi, "Thanks to your advice, I'm actually dating Aisha!"
"Congratulations," smiled Kenichi.
"Yea," smiled Shinobi dreamily before shaking his head, "Turns out, Lucas already knew I liked her and wasn't interested in her in the first place. So he helped out by making sure when we had to do some tasks that I ended up teaming up with Aisha more often. Bastard isn't as much of a heartless jerk as I thought. Still a bastard, though."
While Kenichi could only cough, their conversation would have to be put on hold as it was time for sparring practice once more.
Ryuto was in the back, meditating for a bit with Rimi eagerly looking over him in silence.
'My hair… my eyes…. my body,' hummed Ryuto as he used his mental eye to inspect himself, 'All of this could've been different if Kenichi hadn't intervened.'
A day prior to getting into the submarine, Kenichi had pulled Ryuto aside, and against the advice of Niijima, told him the truth.
So Ryuto spent the whole trip meditating, ignoring Rimi small pouts and prodding as he used this time to gather his mind.
'If I did indeed get stuck with white hair and one of the sclera of my eyes permanently changed… that would've been very awkward to explain to my parents,' thought Ryuto with a sweatdrop, before taking a peek over to Rimi, 'She wouldn't have been here if it wasn't for Kenichi's intervention. From what they told me, even though Rimi recovered from the past timeline, she was forbidden from doing any extraneous activities as well as using her Ki in case of a backlash, so she couldn't come last time.'
That was another point, Rimi had come because she wanted to help him. He was aware her actions were far from selfless like saving Japan, but the fact the girl's goal was to be useful to him was heartwarming… while also worrying for the girl's future.
'I guess I should reward her a little,' thought Ryuto as he opened his eyes.
"Ne, Ryuto-sama, what wi-," began Rimi before Ryuto suddenly pulled her forward by her blouse and kissed her lips. It wasn't a full-on kiss, but merely a peck to the lips.
However, that was enough for Rimi's whole body to turn red before fainting.
'Rimi is content now. Rimi can die knowing her first kiss was Ryuto-sama,' thought Rimi before she lost consciousness.
"Well, at least I have some more time to meditate peacefully now," said Ryuto before closing his eyes once more.
Hours later
"Everyone, it's time," ordered Saiga, "Once we hit the surface, we'll quickly embark on the boat. Are you all ready?"
Everyone resolutely stepped forward, prepared for war.
"Into the fray we go," whispered Miu as she held onto Kenichi's hand.
"I promise, I'll protect you," whispered Kenichi.
"I know you will," said Miu as she kissed Kenichi on the cheek, "After all, you have so much more to look forward to now, don't you?"
Miu had said this statement with a rather sultry tone, causing Kenichi to stiffen slightly as he recalled back a few days prior.
Flashback, hours after Shinpaku Alliance meeting.
Kenichi laid back in his own room back at his own house. His whole family was currently in Hawaii with Kaede, curtsy of Natsu, so he was alone for the night.
"It's been awhile since I've even slept in my own bed," murmured Kenichi.
Despite sleeping over at Ryozanpaku most of the time, Saori never slacked off and cleaned Kenichi's room in case he ever wanted to come back.
"Your mom really does clean up your room well," commented Miu from the window, causing Kenichi to freak out, falling off his bed.
"Miu! When and where did you come from?" asked Kenichi as he tried to slow down his heartbeat.
"Just then and from the window," replied Miu as she leaped into the room, "I told you to leave the window unlocked for a reason, didn't I?"
"Oh yea," blinked Kenichi as he bopped his hands together, "I usually don't leave it unlocked until you said to. Why did you want me to do that?"
Miu didn't reply, but rather closed the curtain to the window before walking over to the door.
"Did you already take a shower?" asked Miu as she shut the door.
"Yes… why?" asked Kenichi in confusion as Miu locked the door before dimming the lights.
"Kenichi… How long have we been dating, including time travel?" asked Miu.
"About…. 12 years now," hummed Kenichi.
"Exactly. Even if we have to discount the fact we were kids for half of it, it's much longer than most people," nodded Miu, "Not only that, but we had to go through puberty twice, and we are much more aware of each other's body. And we've already seen each other naked from more than one incident."
Kenichi had to hold back a rocket nosebleed as he vividly remembered that scene. Though he had seen Miu's bare breast several times on different occasions, it was seeing the flower petal down below that was almost never revealed in her life that fueled his imagination.
Miu seemed to be blushing as she remembered seeing Kenichi's manhood during the wormhole incident as well as feeling it on her thighs back at the DFOD.
"And in a few days, we'll be heading back into danger once more, the place where we almost died, and where everybody else didn't make it," continued Miu, "So before we go… I want to affirm our lives and love."
With that statement, Miu, who had been secretly unzipping the back of her spandex, let it go and allowed it to drop onto the floor, revealing her nude self once more.
"Miu!" shouted Kenichi as he witnessed those amazing sights once more.
"This may be our only chance," said Miu, blushing but never hesitating as she stepped closer to Kenichi, "I don't want to go forward without regrets."
Kenichi's will held strong… for a few seconds before the string snapped, courtesy of a chibi Miu wielding a scythe. Not that he could be blamed for losing his self-control. The love of his life appeared before him naked and asked him to ravish her.
"Don't worry about anything. I took birth control pills that Mayu got me," whispered Miu.
That statement threw Kenichi's last tiny bit of self-control over the cliff as he grabbed Miu and hugged her tightly before the two began to make out. As the few moonlight beams gleamed through the window and curtains, Kenichi's clothes could be seen being tossed onto the floor.
Flashback ends
Kenichi held down a blush as well as a rising rebellion in his pants, especially when Saiga gave him a questioning look.
'Please don't let them know. Please don't let them know. Please don't let them know,' chanted Kenichi in his mind. Although that night was his best night that would long fuel him, it wouldn't be much of a life if he was killed and buried by Miu's family.
Saiga looked away before chuckling, noticing the look and glow Miu was giving off. It was almost identical to one his wife Shizuha gave when they did it the first time.
'Although I don't deserve the privilege, I can certainly still play the part of an angry father whose daughter's flower was just plucked,' chuckled Saiga, 'I'll just have to do it after this whole mission.'
"Shoot them! Shoot them!"
"They're too quick!"
"Arggh!"
"Quick, don't let them surround us!"
"Stop firing, you're hit your own soldiers!"
Dozens of squads of Yami troops tried to fire at the invaders, only to be brutally beaten back. The battalion of soldiers found themselves retreating in fear.
"Hmm, now I can hear myself think," smiled Kii Kagero as he hefted his hoe onto his shoulders, "Mic-chan, why do I hear the echoes of my beloved Setsunmaru?"
"Secret," replied Shigure as she slashed a few guns into pieces. She was carrying her whole armory for this fight, including a mysteriously wrapped item behind her back.
"The tide is in our favor! Everyone, forward march!" shouted Danki.
Suddenly, an arrow came flying towards Danki, only for Kagero to block it. A scythe cleaved through the dust, but Danki easily blocked it with his stick, smashing it right at the junction where the tang of the scythe was.
"Piss off!" roared Shiba as he launched an uppercut, only for Mihai to quickly retreat.
"Bastards, show yourselves!" shouted Sakaki as he used brute strength to clear the dust away, revealing almost all active members of the One Shadow Nine Fist and the Eight Executioner Blades. Senzui was still at the base, overseeing the whole operation.
"A frontal assault in hopes of taking us all out in one go," commented Kushinda, "How foolish of you to do so. Though you may have added numbers to your assault, it makes no difference. Not a single one of you will be going back."
"Hahaha, those sound like fighting words to me!" grinned Sakaki as his Ki began to flow through his body. In response, the four other masters of Ryozanpaku began to raise their own Ki levels to match.
"Hmph, we have you outnumbered," scoffed Mihai, "What hopes could you wish to accomplish?"
"It would be best if you didn't underestimate them," warned Kushinada, "The power of Katsujinken can increase several-fold when they combine their powers. Numerically, you are correct, but their power is an unknown variable when they work together… The possibilities are endless."
"Heh, endless? I'd like to see that!" grinned Mihai.
Mildred pulled her bow back just as the Ryozanpaku members rushed forward. Keeping cool, Mildred fired her arrow at Sakaki, thinking he would be the easiest target. That drastically changed when Sakaki and the others split off in midair by kicking off each other's foot. The four males masters of Ryozanpaku split off while Shigure leaped back, grabbing the arrow and turning to lessen its momentum.
At that split second, Apachai launched Kensei forward with a kick. Kensei passed by Mihai and a few others, as if aiming for the satellite dish antenna that Mildred had been perched on.
"Idiots! Do you really think a head on assault will-" shouted Mildred before realizing that Kensei wasn't coming at her directly. Instead, he flipped over onto the satellite dish and began dashing around, forcing her to turn to try to hit him while trying to avoid giving him a blind spot. However, she was too slow as Kensei rushed up to her. In an instant, a great clash blurred through before Mildred ended up landing on her back, unable to control her fall as Kensei landed gently onto his feet.
"Urg, what did you do!?" shouted Mildred in confusion. She could still move, she didn't feel any sort of pain, which confused her as well as the rest of Yomi. They knew Katsujinken wouldn't kill, but they would inflict damage to render their opponents immobile when they had an opening.
"Wrong! I did more than just nothing!" bragged Kensei as he finally turned around to face them to reveal Mildred's armored panties fluttering about in the grips of Kensei's teeth.
It was then that Mildred realized that a cold wind was blowing on her private parts, exposing her flower to the world.
All the masters who saw it were both impressed and rather embarrassed at this man for taking a perfectly good chance at disabling a fighter and instead of aiming for her panties and committing perverted acts.
Kensei ignored the looks of shame as he folded the armored panties onto the floor while Mildred quickly pushed her belt down to act as cover for her exposed parts. Just because she was a minimalist when it came to clothing didn't mean she likes exposing herself to everyone… especially Mihai. She didn't mind nudity, but she'd rather not have people use her already almost nude body as more fuel for lonely nights.
While it didn't block the draft that touched those petals, at least she wasn't completely exposed now.
"What was that supposed to accomplish pervert!?" shouted Mildred as she quickly nocked another arrow, aiming at Kensei.
Suddenly, her bow snapped into several pieces, much to her surprise. Almost at that same moment, Rin felt an impact slam into his shoulder, as did Agaard. Mihai felt his teeth rattling as the delayed impact slammed into his face.
'Again with the face!? What's with these assholes!' thought Mihai. What was the point of wearing the latest shock absorption pads if all his enemies just aimed for his face?
A few were impressed that Kensei was able to launch attacks all while delicately stripping off Mildred's panties, but the damage was done. Mildred was unable to use her bow as it had been shattered beyond repair.
"I simply wanted to live a simple ero life," declared Kensei, "I'll show no mercy to any evil that attempts to hinder that!"
At once, all of them began to rush into battle, with Kushinada advising the others to separate them so as to not to allow them to use their combination technique.
While Yomi managed to separate them to prevent them from utilizing their combination technique, it wasn't as bad as the last timeline. Thanks to the increased numbers, Yami wasn't overwhelming the Katsujinken alliance from the previous timeline.
Of course, when Kensei tried to 'choose' Raki as his opponent, he was quickly blocked by Mildred. And since Mildred's armor blocked her true figure, Kensei's 'pervert' power didn't activate.
Other side of the island
Saiga had gone ahead first while the others were slowly approaching the island via inflatable raft boats. Saiga quickly took out the lookouts with knockout darts before heading into the forest.
"I hope this isn't uncomfortable for you," murmured Freya.
"Nope. Totally fine," said Takeda with a grin as he tried to push a blush down as Freya was pushing onto his back to better hide herself.
Kenichi was handling it better when Miu was pushing herself on his back. After all… the two had a bit of a romantic moment a few days prior without anyone noticing.
Saiga appeared back once more, waiving the all-clear sign that allowed the soldiers to pull the vanguard force forward.
As they all disembarked the rafts, the Bearman immediately took up to the trees. Having lived in the wilderness for almost all his life, he was one with his nature.
As they got further into the woods, they all noticed the tension in the air change. The soldiers accompanying them were unaware, but seeing them all tense up, they figured out that they were being watched.
Just as Saiga was about to warn them all that the enemy was coming from above, Tsuji laughed before charging forward.
"Hahaha! Victory to the one who attacks first!" laughed Tsuji as he recklessly went forward before smashing his fist into a tree.
Whether by luck or not, the tree he had smashed had a Yami soldier perched on the branches, ready to ambush the group.
The Yami soldier didn't have time to react due to his shock that a teenager would do such a thing, and so almost tumbled off, though he managed to regain his wits and tried to stab the boy. Suddenly, he felt something softly pat his back before immense pain wracked his body, sending him flying through the woods. His last thought before he lost consciousness was how they somehow missed a giant Bearman wandering through the woods.
Bearman turned as he sighed at his… 'disciple' for a lack of a better word. Sure, he had taught the child the essence of Koppou, but he had done so as to drive Tsuji off the mountain so he could return to his peaceful hermit lifestyle. He never imagined the boy coming back once more, demanding to be taught some more.
So he gave in, otherwise, the boy would annoy him even further. Never did he think that he would descend down from the mountains, but here he was. He blamed the weird alien kid Tsuji brought with him one day. Then again, if Japan was in danger of being nuked, that would mean his home and nature itself would be harmed. He couldn't let that go.
The other Yami soldiers began their ambush, only to be soundly defeated by the others. With the Tanaka couple helping out, the Yami soldiers were easily rebuffed.
"You lot go ahead," suggested Saiga as he stopped a blade from cutting into one of the soldiers with two fingers, "I'll take care of this with Bearman. The Tanaka couple will back you up. This diversion will be perfect for you all to sneak in."
The others acknowledged as they began to run further into the jungle, with a soldier leading the way. The Bearman was perfect for working in this environment, having lived his whole life with trees, and began ambushing even more Yami soldiers trying to hide themselves in the trees.
As the Shinpaku Alliance, Renka, Naoki, and the Pankration team charged forward with the lone soldier acting as their guide, they soon arrived at a waterfall. Taking this chance for a small break, Freya looked up before asking, "Are we almost there yet?"
"We're not far from it now," said the soldier as he wiped some sweat off his chin.
The soldier looked surprised when all everybody else suddenly changed behaviors, looking ready to fight than their relaxed state earlier. It was only by following their gaze he saw why they had gotten ready to fight.
Standing on top of the waterfall were all of Yomi, both armed and unarmed members. What surprised Kenichi, Miu, and Niijima was that standing with them were Satomi and his two Kuremisago bodyguards, Natsuki and Hatsuki, along with a few more people the time travelers had never met.
Judging by their clothes, they were descendants of the Kuremisago. That, and Sho was giving them uneasy looks.
'Why are they here?' wondered Kenichi before looking over to Miu, realizing their objective.
This was their last chance to kidnap the only Kuremisago member outside their clan that was born of the previous holy lady, with a talent that far outmatched anyone in her generation for her age. If they could take her, then she could be raised as a new symbol for the Kuremisago. If not, then they would eliminate her.
The soldier raised his rifle, only to find himself under fire from not only Elfreda's arrow, but also from several throwing knives from the Kuremisago. Kenichi quickly grabbed the arrow, using it to deflect the kunais while Miu quickly pulled him back. Everybody else quickly took cover behind some boulders, forcing the enemy to drop down from the waterfall to fight them.
"Niijima, go!" shouted Kenichi, knowing that they couldn't follow the old timeline group anymore with the Kuremisago clearly aiming for Miu, "We'll take care of this!"
Niijima nodded, ordering the Pankration team to follow him. The Tanaka couple looked over at the opponents before seeing that there were no master class opponents there. A few were Expert Class, but nothing higher.
"Go," motioned Miu, "We can handle this."
The couple hesitated for a second before nodding, rushing off to follow Niijima and the Pankration team.
"Genson, Koan, follow them," ordered Renka.
"But, my lady-" started Genson, only for Renka to silence him with her hand.
"I said go. This is far more important," ordered Renka once more, "I have something to take care of."
Seeing Renka talking with a serious tone, the two nodded before following the others.
"Stop them!" shouted one of the Kuremisago as they tried to follow, only for Kenichi and Miu to suddenly stand in front of them.
"I won't let you pass!" declared Kenichi as his eyes began glowing with his Zen Ki.
The members stopped as they felt his Ki rise, far surpassing any of their abilities to control Ki, and with such a unique and potent combination.
"He won't hit girls from what we know! Use that against him!" ordered one of the Kuremisago.
Two female disciples went forward, only for Miu to kick them away.
"Any girl who wants to fight him has to go through me first!" declared Miu, her Dou Ki rocketing up at the same moment.
"Enough," ordered Satomi as he stepped forward, "It'd be dishonorable and embarrassing if we had all the female members try to fight Kenichi. I'll face him with a few others. Remember, he's an anomaly, a talented individual that most of Yami's One Shadow Nine Fist have recognized him to be Ryozanpaku's strongest disciple. All other members, remember your secondary mission. If she won't come with us, then it must be ensured she won't stand against us."
Kenichi could only do his best to push down a blush from that compliment but focused as he saw three experts surrounding him with Satomi facing him up front. Natsuki and Hatsuki quickly faced Miu, who was also surrounded by two other female experts.
Satomi stared at Kenichi for a moment before frowning.
'This kid is one of those supremely talented youths, like Chikage and Sho. The one who had the blessings to become a martial artist so easily while I struggled and defied my destiny. I should dislike him. So why is it that when I'm finally meeting him face-to-face, I feel like I'm meeting someone like me, who had to struggle through life? Someone who's untalented, but made it here through hard work and effort?' thought Satomi in confusion before pushing those thoughts away. Now wasn't the time to have his heart shaken.
"Mind if I join in?" asked Hyogo as he drew out his kodachi, "After all, he's a threat to the mission."
"... Fine," muttered Satomi, "It is a cooperation mission between the two divisions."
While the rest of the Shinpaku Alliance engaged against the Yomi Armed Division, most of the Unarmed Division stayed back.
Most being that Renka automatically went for Natsu, who responded in kind by charging toward her, forcing her slightly away from the others.
"You! How could you?" hissed Renka, "What about your sister?"
Natsu chose to remain quiet as he parried her strikes.
"Fine, then I'll beat you up so bad that I'll have to drag you back and bring you to your sister to apologize!" shouted Renka as she increased her ferocity.
And so we come close to the end! Ryozanpaku vanguard strike force isn't as outnumbered as before now, but in return, Kenichi is stuck at the waterfall area! What will happen next!? Is the next chapter truly the last chapter?