Ok. I've done a lot to this story. I'm not actually as happy as I thought I'd be with the updates, but I've finally drawn even with where I left off. Apologies for typos that I've missed. I'm sort of working at both ends, so I'll try to get back through and track down mistakes for correction. The story has changed a bit. I've taken some things out, and tried to make other things more coherent. Hopefully, it's still a good story. Thanks for your patience, if you're still reading this. Hopefully, you're still enjoying it. Thankfully, I should be moving forward now instead of going back.

Onward.

Chapter 73

By far, this was one of the best dreams he could remember having.

Shuu's tongue stuck out from the corner of his mouth as he focused on the 8-bit graphics displayed across the large screen in front of him. He was almost there.

Almost. There.

He let out a roar of triumph as the game sang the song of his victory.

"Oh yeah! That's right! I'm the best there is!" he hooted, using the joystick and buttons to knock his initials into the first place on the high scoreboard. Flying high, Shuu tossed on his coat and flipped on a pair of aviators as he strutted out the door, wondering what else he could do in this dream.

He was feeling pretty hungry after all that hard work, so he reached out a hand, gesturing toward a yakitori stand and was pleased when his dream allowed him the power of telekinesis. He floated several skewers into his hands and returned the friendly wave the stand owner sent his way.

Definitely the best dream.

He finished his snack and headed to the park, ready for a game of soccer or whatever else might be going on.

Things were going so well for him, he was understandably confused when he tripped and fell into the lap of…..a giant orange empty suit of armor.

Just….sitting in the middle of the road.

Shuu looked around, but suddenly, all the people in his dream were gone. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and Shuu jumped from the armor, taking up a defensive stance and looking for danger.

The dream might be pleasant, but the memory of waking up in a world full of vicious, nightmarish monsters was all too real.

"Shuu Li-Huang. Will you once again become the bearer of Kongo and renew your vow to protect the Earth?" a woman's voice called out.

She was there suddenly, as if she'd always been standing there, right next to the armor, and had just now become visible. Shuu jerked in surprise, shifting his stance so he was facing her head on.

"Who're you? Kongo? What the hell are you talking about?" he growled.

"I am Suzunagi. I created this armor for you when last we parted ways," she explained.

The word Kongo was resonating inside of him now, echoing through his mind, and coupled with the sight of the armor in front of him, he was starting to get a feeling that maybe he did recognize it. Just a little. It made his head hurt if he thought about it too much, so he shook himself, drawing himself up into a less defensive posture.

He hesitated, reaching out, surprised when his fingers brushed through the armor instead of touching it.

"I….I wore this?" he asked, swallowing around the lump in his throat. The woman nodded.

"You did," was all she said in response.

Shuu smiled, feeling emotional for some strange reason he couldn't place. "Sounds like something I'd probably do," he said, trying to brush the feeling off. "Sounds like something maybe I should keep doing," he added.

The woman nodded at him, respect in her gaze.

As soon as he'd agreed to renew the vow he couldn't ever remember taking, the words were there on his tongue, ready to explode from his throat. Shuu saw no reason to hold them back. Crossing his hands in front of him, he gestured. "Busso, Kongo!"

And then he was wearing the Kongo armor. Steady. Strong. Deeply rooted in the Earth beneath his feet. It would never let him down. And Shuu would never let it be used for the wrong ends. His memories blossomed forth then, like shoots rising from soil in a field full of grain all at once. Some beautiful, some dark. Some happy, some unbearably sorrowful. Some elating, some terrifying.

All of them his.

The time, and more importantly the people he'd been missing came back to him. The Troopers. He needed to find his brothers. Needed to make sure they were ok. Needed to stand with them against whatever might be happening right now.

Shuu recalled the demons he'd been facing until he'd fallen through…the…floor…

The memory of her smiling face hit him like a dump truck full of rocks. The easy way she'd fit into his life. The way she always seemed to have exactly what he needed. The way she'd cried her heart out in his arms when she'd told him how much she loved him but how unworthy she felt. Her sadness. Her determination.

She was out there, right now. Probably using the Silver Crystal, bleeding herself dry, trying to keep them all safe. He whipped his head around then, facing Suzunagi.

"I need to get out of here," he snarled. She bobbed her head at him and reached out to touch his forehead.

Shuu came roaring awake in an unfamiliar room but didn't bother to pay attention to his surroundings. He leaped out of the bed, calling his armor, and threw open the door to the sound of heavily armored feet pounding towards him. Shuu jumped out into the hall just in time to greet Ryo and Touma, both fully armored, faces battle-ready. They barely slowed as they approached him, and behind him he could hear the sounds of other bodies stirring.

They greeted each other quickly, back slaps and sideways hugs, and then scrambled to keep going, needing to be reunited with the rest of the Troopers before they moved out.

They were going to need everything they had, because Shuu wasn't going to allow anything but a happy ending from here.