This is a story about a group of people forced to come together to continue the fight that their fathers started. Along the way they have to over come obstacles such as ill health, past mistakes, prejudice, pride, etc to do it. I mean no offense especially when it may come to some of the exchanges between Rachel and Takeo-none of those beliefs are my own they just make for good drama in the story. I didn't set out to stereotype anyone certain characters just evolved the way they are and I hope that no one will take offense from anything that I write.
***Chapter 2***
June 8, 2029
Its the night of the third day since the armors drew five teens to what the rest of the world think is their deaths. Black Blaze who has been hanging out with White Blaze at Nasuti's suddenly gets up and walks into a eerie looking mist that forms.
Jun watches from the window as White Blaze gets up and stretches before following Black Blaze. He turns to Nasuti. "They're leaving now."
"Then perhaps we should leave as well.'
"You're going to drive to all those places and pick the kids up? That took days last time."
"I know where they are going to take the children. We'll meet them all there. Lets just hope we won't have interference from the bad guys this time...or anyone else for that matter."
*2*
Rachel awakens to find herself resting on the ocean floor. She sits up looking around-not able to believe that she survived the plunge into the water. She begins to think that maybe she really didn't survive-that for some reason her soul maybe forever doomed to wander the oceans for committing suicide. That's not such a bad thing she thinks. She has always been happiest near the water. At that thought the currents kick up around her-some glowing object that only now catches her eye is almost buried by swirling sands. She tries to pick it up but the currents drag her away from it. Some sort of aqua blue bubble forms around her protecting her from the pounding currents. Rachel touches the bubble wondering just what is going on here. She expects it to burst but it doesn't. She drags her hand along it to the ocean floor. The roar of the currents raging outside the bubble are deafening as her hand comes near the glowing orb. She brushes the sand away from it-just staring at it for a few moments. Whatever it is the churning ocean outside doesn't want her to have it-yet something within demands she pick it up. "Stop it!" Water that pummels the bubble around her ceases as she finally picks up the glowing orb. There is no time for her to puzzle over why the ocean heeded her command as there is a blinding flash of light in the bubble. She shields her eyes against it-only to find when it fades that she is wearing something entirely different than before. She remembers seeing something like this in an old picture she found in some of her papa's stuff. He was in that picture she remembers now-with four other guys-all dressed similar-only each had a different color. This is a more feminine version of what her papa was wearing in that picture. Only where his was white-hers is now black. "What in the bloody hell is going on here?" She looks up as the bubble surrounding her seems to float up to the surface carrying her along with it. Only when she breaks the surface of the water-does she realize that she was somehow breathing below the water. She looks around as the bubble disappears-she was brought up close to a rocky shoreline. Rachel looks back to see boats and divers in the water-she wonders if they are looking for her as her vision is blocked by a dense mist that seems to roll in from out of nowhere. She looks back at the shore as large black armored tiger emerges from the mist. She knows there was a black tiger like this in those stories her papa used to tell her-but for some reason she feels that she should know this real life version. She swims to shore realizing that she isn't even wet as climbs out of the water. Is it just her she wonders or is the tiger eying her disapprovingly because she isn't dripping wet with water? She walks over to the tiger with out fear. "Kokuen?" Where the name had came from she can't remember.
Black Blaze looks up at the girl standing in front of him. Its like she stepped right out of the past. Kenbukyo was right about her he thinks. She remembered his name and she doesn't speak Japanese any longer. He wonders just how much she does remember. He nuzzles her hand with his nose as she reaches out to pet him.
Rachel feels there is so much she should know about what is happening right now-but its as if a mental block has been placed in her mind. She turns looking back at the water that again seems to be beckoning her.
The tiger turns around and walks back the way he came. He turns to look at Rachel who stands gazing at the ocean and roars softly to get her attention.
She looks up realizing the tiger wants her to follow him. Rachel turns back taking one last look at the ocean.
Its clear now to the tiger that she may not remember much-but she feels quite a lot. He roars more sternly now.
Rachel turns back to the tiger and follows him this time as he ventures into the mist. They emerge into a meadow-all around are signs that a violent battle once took place here. It is the five markers that catch her attention. She walks over to the one that bears the Japanese symbol for 'Trust'. She falls to her knees in front of it as she runs her fingers across the symbol. "Papa."
Five spirits suddenly find themselves drawn to the place where they lost their lives against an evil that just refuses to die. They face each other as one by one they all appear.
Seiji looks around at the others. "I can't believe this is happening again.
"As long as mankind remains power hungry and filled with greed the Empire of Doom will never go away." Touma looks around at the last place they saw while still alive. "Someone new will have take up the fight now."
"Then we will do what we can to guide those who now possess the armors." Ryo looks around at the others who nod agreeably.
Shu looks at the person he spots by the markers. "Speaking of which...is that a girl? Not that there is anything wrong with that. I kind of just assumed that they would all be guys since we were."
The others turn to look at her. Shin recognizes her instantly. "Rachel?"
Ryo looks from the girl to Shin. "Is that you're daughter?"
"She is all grown up now. She was barely seven when...I promised her I would come back."
Seiji turns to Shin. "You couldn't have known what was going to happen."
"You're here now."
Shin glances back at Shu-nodding at the comment before turning back to his daughter. "That's sub-armor. Its different from ours...we should have been able to stop this."
"I don't think we were meant to...or maybe the original armor didn't want us to."
Ryo turns to Touma. "Are you saying that the armor enacted some sort of payback for us abandoning it to wield Suzanagi's armor instead?"
"That's a scarey thought." Everyone looks at Shu.
Shin looks back at Rachel-in a different yet similar version of the first sub armor. "And now it wants our children to wield it?"
Rachel stands up and looks around suddenly-sure that she hears someone.
Black Blaze moves closer to her watching her intently as she hones in on where the spirits of those before her are.
Seiji spots the tiger. "That's Black Blaze."
"What's he doing here?" Shin looks at Black Blaze-then follows the tigers gaze to his daughter.
"Papa? Are you there?"
Everyone turns to look at Rachel-shocked as she speaks to her father.
-2-
Daisuke awakens in the volcano. He finds it hard to believe that he survived the fall into the broiling caldera. He sees the bubble surrounding him-protecting him from the lava in which he floats. He is sure that this has something to do with the armors as he spots the glowing red crystal in front of him. He picks it up only to be transformed into the sub-armor after a burst of bright light. He notices that this time it is red and black. He looks around expecting some words of wisdom or an explanation of what's happening from the spirit of Kaos, Shiten, or even his father-but the bubble merely draws in him up out of the lava and carries him out of the volcano. He looks around at the landscape-it looks like the volcano didn't erupt after all. He laughs as he can only imagine the headlines. "Teen Sacrifices himself to stop an impending eruption." He turns around suddenly when he hears the roar of a tiger. "White Blaze! What are you doing up here?" He is sure that he already knows the answer to that question. "The Empire of Doom is back isn't it?"
White Blaze merely nods as he walks over to Daisuke.
"And I get stuck being Wildfire...Dad was sort of the leader before wasn't he?"
The tiger nods at that-he knows his young friend has always been content to stand back and let someone else take the lead. He is going to have to step up and do that himself now. White Blaze knows that none of the others are aware that the armors were more than just fanciful bedtime tales invented by their fathers. They are going to need someone aware of what is coming. He looks up as Daisuke starts to make his way down the mountain. He roars to call him back.
"What is it White Blaze?" Daisuke looks up as a thick mist blankets the top of the mountain.
White Blaze walks back the way he came-pausing only to look back and make sure that Daisuke is following him.
As they exit the mist Daisuke instantly recognizes the meadow. The official shrine of the unknown warriors was erected several miles away-this the place where they were actually found after the battle had been left undisturbed. He spots the girl-in sub-armor like him-only a more feminine version. Torrent he guesses from the color of it.
Black Blaze stands in front of Rachel as if to calm her when she seems to panic at the arrival of the guy that White Blaze just brought in.
White Blaze looks up at Daisuke for a moment just a glance to warn the boy to be careful before he wanders away and picks some wildflowers in his mouth-from the edge of the forest. He lays on each marker out of respect to his old friends.
Daisuke watches White Blaze for a moment then turns back to the girl. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle...wait don't I know you?" He takes a good look at her. "I think we met at a marital arts tournament as kids."
"That was ages ago. No offense mate-but wouldn't you have been a bit young to remember that?"
"That accent...I remember you. I was in a higher age division because of my ranking at the time-no one else of my age was at the same skill level."
"Were you the kid that all the others kept teasing?"
"I was kind of a walking disaster when I wasn't working on my martial arts-and sometimes I was even then." We faced off in one of the later rounds. You kicked my butt." He notices that she becomes even more uneasy after his comment. "You were good, why didn't you come back the next year?"
"Moved back to Australia."
"Australia-I remember now. You're the one won that big surfing contest a few months ago...Mouri Rachel isn't?"
"I reckon that here it is. Back in the lucky country I go by Rachel Mouri."
"I'm Sanada Daisuke. Or Daisuke Sanada if you prefer." He thinks that if she suddenly didn't seem so afraid of turning her back on him that she might run. He decides to change the subject. "Your father was one of the unknown Samurai?"
"Unknown...is it me or was that just some clever name to create a new legend?"
Shu looks at the flower for a moment-recalling the request he once made that White Blaze someday visit his grave-before he turns to Ryo. "Is that your son?"
"Daisuke. He was barely five...its hard to believe that its been so long." Ryo turns to look as White Blaze disappears into the mist again.
-2-
Luigi awakens suddenly-the last thing he remembers was falling when the tremor struck. He looks around to find himself surrounded by glowing crystals-all illuminated by a small glowing green orb. He's in a tight space but he manages to reach out and pick it up. As he does-he finds his clothes replaced by green and black sub-armor. He wonders what is going on as some sort of bubble draws him out of the crystals. As he is set down he remembers that the cave told him all the stories that his dad told him were true. He stops when he realizes the cave was talking to him earlier. "I must be going crazy." Before he can locate a way out a thick mist floats in. He steps back startled as a large white tiger emerges from it. A real tiger not like the ghostly visage he saw before. "White Blaze?...the one from all the stories..." He cringes slightly expecting the cave to start talking to him again.
White Blaze can tell right away that this one is going to be trouble. Black Blaze sticking around suddenly doesn't seem to bother him as much.
"I don't care what's real and what isn't, I have a race to get back to before its too late."
The tiger groans and shakes his head. He knows this kid is worried about some career that he is too young to have. He looks at one of the nearby crystals sprouting out of the rock and concentrates. "ItistimetogoyoungNimbus."
Luigi looks around as a voice seems to come from out of nowhere again. It takes him a few moments to realize he heard it in his head this time. "I've had enough of these games. I'm going home."
"Youareapartofsomethingmuchbiggernow."
"I didn't agree to be a part of anything."
"Youansweredthecalltoseekoutthisplacedidyounot?"
Luigi looks at the tiger as he suddenly realizes that is where the voice is coming from.
"Timeisshort-Nimbus-wemustleavenow."
"I'm not-"
"-Yourfatherriskedhislifetosavethisworldmanytimes.Hedidn'talwayslikeithimself-buthedidit.Ifyoucouldspeaktohimnowwhatdoyouthinkhewouldhetellyoutodo?" White Blaze stares at Luigi for several moments before walking back the way he came. "Thecavewassealedoffaftertheearthquake.Ifyouwantoutyoushouldfollowme."
Luigi stands there a few moments before he follows the tiger. He soon finds himself in a meadow with two other people.
White Blaze plops down beside Black Blaze-who rests now watching the other two.
Black Blaze looks over at White Blaze seeming to smirk. Things aren't going to be so easy with this group of kids.
"Luigi?" Seiji looks at his son-who looks none too thrilled to be here.
Touma looks from the boy to Seiji. "He looks almost exactly like you."
Daisuke looks back at the new arrival-he recognizes him instantly. "Date Luigi? You're a big time racer back in Italy."
"I'm impressed. Very few people pronounce the family name right." He looks from Daisuke to Rachel. "So I take it the two of you got dragged into this too?"
Daisuke looks from Rachel to Luigi-clearly getting the impression that neither of them know what's going on here. "The Empire of Doom is back. We're supposed to stop it."
"First a cave is talking to me-then a tiger-and now you tell me that I'm supposed to stop some sort of Empire of Doom? This is real life not some video game."
Rachel looks up at Luigi suddenly. "Your father told you all about it. He just never told you that it was real. You-neither of you may not remember much else about about your fathers or anything else from that age but the stories have always stuck with you...and the others yet to come."
Luigi looks at Rachel. "How do you know what my father told me?"
"I-I don't know it just came to me. That happens...sometimes." Rachel looks away when she realizes the new guy is staring at her. She backs farther away from both of the guys.
"You're Rachel Mouri aren't you?"
"That's what everyone keeps telling me."
"Not used to all the attention yet? It just takes some getting used to. Celebrity status does come with lots of perks."
"Not always..." Rachel pauses as she catches sight of the tigers. She points to them before speaking again "...have a go at this."
Luigi and Daisuke turn to see the two tigers seemingly playing a round of rock-paper-scissors. After a couple of ties Black Blaze's paper wraps White Blaze's rock. Black Blaze stays were he is as White Blaze gets up and disappears into the mist. Black Blaze looks up and appears to shrug as if asking the kids what they think is so strange.
-2-
Seamus wakes up slowly-it takes him awhile to realize that he is surrounded by rock as he rests inside an orange bubble. At first he thinks that he had too much to drink-that this can't real. But he remembers he hasn't had a drink since he left Ireland. He picks up a glowing crystal that he finds in front of him. He's sure that he must've found booze somewhere when his clothes are changed after a bright flash of light. Of all the hallucinations he has had from drinking way too much alcohol-being trapped in some kind of bubble in a rock with a magic orb that changes his clothes has to got to be the strangest-especially when he is stone cold sober. As the bubble draws him out of the rock-Seamus tries to stand up-only to fall down in it.
White Blaze looks up at the young man. He honestly just considers leaving this new team entirely to Black Blaze.
The bubble floats Seamus over to the tiger and drops him on its back. "What ever I drank this time...remind me never to try it again." He looks up as the tiger carries him into a mist. "Are we going somewhere?"
If this one is sober right now-then White Blaze never wants to see him drunk. White Blaze carries the disoriented young man into the meadow where the other three are waiting.
Seamus looks around as the tiger stops. "Is the ride over? What is this some sort of waiting room for heaven? Last thing I remember was getting clobbered by some big boulder." He tries to stand up only to fall to the ground. "What hit me?"
Rachel keeps her distance from the newcomer. "You hit the ground."
"This feels like the time I fell off the wagon-only minus the hangover."
Daisuke helps Seamus up. "I think you're just a little disoriented."
"Disoriented I could handle-lad." He takes a good look at Rachel. "If I'm dreaming then I hope I never wake up."
For good measure Rachel backs even further away from all the guys. "I think you're just blotto."
Luigi turns to look at Rachel. "Blotto?"
"I haven't had a belt since the last time I was in me Uncle's pub." Seamus takes a good look around now. "What is this place?"
"The battle site of the five Unknown Samurai warriors."
Seamus looks at Daisuke. "Don't tell me you're going to give me re-tellings of all those old yarns me dad used to spin too. I had enough of that from the old monk at Mount Daisetu."
"They aren't just stories. The caves of Autumn said they were real."
Rachel shakes her head as she realizes that like it or not all of this real. "Caves of Autumn...that was in Akiyoshido right?"
Luigi looks back at Rachel. "Yes."
She turns to Daisuke. "And you were in Mount Fuji?"
"Yeah." Daisuke turns to look at Rachel.
"Since I woke up at the bottom of the Naruto Straits I'm going to go out on limb here and say that-for whatever reason it was talking to you that-the cave was right."
Seamus scratches his head. "But what does that have to do with us being here in matching pajamas?"
"That means like it or not the world is in trouble and someone has to save it...Bob's your Uncle."
"How do you know me Uncle Bob-lass?"
Rachel shakes her head as she looks at Seamus. "I don't. It's just an expression."
Shu turns away from his son-clearly embarrassed. "I knew I should have made Katey promise to move away from her brother if anything ever happened to me. I bet Bob lets Seamus booze it up like I used to scarf down food."
Luigi looks at Rachel. "So assuming you're correct there should be one more person-right?"
Rachel shakes her head wondering if she is the only here with common sense. "The stories were about five armored warriors. I was never what you would call a whiz in school but the last time I checked four plus one makes five."
Seamus stands there looking up at the sky. "If we came from all those places in the stories-then how did someone get all the way up into space?"
This time Black Blaze gets up and disappears into the mist. If Torrent is any indication as to what to watch out for then it might be a good idea to keep an eye on Heavens-who comes from the same bloodline too.
-2-
Takeo is only vaguely aware of his surroundings as he begins to come to. When he finally does awaken fully he is sure that this can't be real. He's floating in a blue bubble in what looks to him to be the outskirts of the Oort Cloud. He knows it can't be the asteroid belt-because the sun would be more prominent. From here it just looks like another star in the night sky. This has to be some sort of hallucination due to trauma from whatever happened during the space walk. He is sure that all he has to do is wake up and he will be safely back on board the space station. Takeo picks up a mysterious glowing orb that he finds floating in the bubble. As his space suit is replaced by the blue and black sub-armor he is sure that isn't real. He gets his own fast paced personal tour of the outer solar system as the blue bubble suddenly starts moving very fast toward the inner planets. A trip like this should take decades. He thinks suddenly of the stories his father used to tell him. Specifically of the one where Wildfire rode a fireball in space to revive the slumbering Heavens. He looks down at the sub-armor he now wears-for a brief moment he wonders if this has something to do with the armors in those stories-but he quickly dismisses it as the bubble nears Earth. If this were real he knows he would burn up during the entry into Earth's atmosphere. The question of why he hasn't woken up yet strikes him now as he sees Japan coming up fast below him. Takeo begins to wonder if perhaps he is in a coma as the bubble deposits him on the shore of a lake. He has never heard of anyone coming out of a coma and describing anything like this. As he stands up he spies a black tiger wearing armor emerge from a mist that rolls in. "Houston-we are in the twilight zone." Normally he isn't one for humor-but this isn't any normal situation.
Black Blaze stops in front of the purple haired kid and roars before turning around. He starts to walk away but stops when he realizes that the kid isn't following him. He roars again but the guy just stands there. For one that is supposed to be so smart-this one clearly doesn't act like it. When the kid just stands there Black Blazes looses his patience and circles around him then roars menacingly this time before rushing at him.
For a split second Takeo doesn't think this is a coma at all as the tiger makes a run at him. He runs into the mist only to find himself in a meadow now. The tiger is left forgotten as he wonders of all things-why his brain has to piece together some non-sense like this.
Black Blaze rolls his eyes as he lays down beside White Blaze. Out of the entire group he is sure now that Heavens is going to be the most trouble.
Touma can't help but laugh. "Takeo isn't going to believe any of this."
Ryo looks over at Touma. "Right now, I don't think many of them do."
Shu looks at the rest of the group. "We had issues from time to time...but I think they're all going to have some serious work to do before they're ready to face the bad guys."
Takeo looks around-finally catching sight of the others dressed similarly to him. "I am ready to wake up anytime now."
"Another one that doesn't believe what's happening. This is going to work out great." Daisuke has never been one for sarcasm-but the situation with the other four called to take their father's place as Samurai Troopers is really starting to get to him.
"I think the blokes got a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock."
The fact that Shin's daughter is half Australian only now hits Touma. "Oh no."
Takeo turns to the girl with a look of disgust. "An Australian...why not? Stupid England shipping off bloody criminals to-"
Rachel tries to keep her cool. "-Pull ya head in."
Takeo continues on ignoring her. "That was a stupid thing for England to have done-"
"-Ya reckon?" Rachel can't stop herself from talking back. "You blokes give up a whole continent and only keep a tiny little island for yourselves. Good on ya though."
Seamus falls to the ground-rolling around as he breaks out in laughter. "This is hilarious."
Touma shakes his head as he looks at his son.
Shin looks away clearly embarrassed by Rachel's behavior.
Shu smacks himself in the forehead as his son continues to laugh. "Okay...for being a spirit that hurt."
Finally Seamus calms down enough to get back up. He claps Rachel on the back. "The lass does have a point.
Rachel quickly backs away. Her voice is more than a bit strained as she speaks. "Rack off."
Seamus looks at Rachel dumbfounded for a moment as he tries to figure out what she means. "That's no fun without a girl."
Shu is bowled over by his son's comment. "As soon as this is over, I'm paying my brother-in-law a visit. He will have a reason to believe in ghosts by the time I get through with him."
Ryo, Touma, and Seiji stare dumbfounded at Rachel along with most of the others as she tries very hard not to laugh.
Shu looks over at her. "What's so funny?"
"Did I miss something lass?"
Takeo speaks up. "It is her not oh so quaint way of telling you to back off. It has nothing to do with intercourse at all." The rest of the guys have a laugh at that-but Takeo fails to see the humor in it-not that he would dare admit it to these strangers if he did.
Rachel slips off into the surrounding forest as the other guys laugh. Being alone with one guy who clearly dislikes her and three laughing guys-one of whom she's sure is drunk freaks her out. She's sure its nerves getting the better of her as she gets sick.
Black Blaze gets up and follows Rachel. He senses that she clearly has some issues with being the lone girl in this group.
Rachel jumps startled as the armored tiger nuzzles her hand with its face. "Hey there Kokuen." She kneels down beside the tiger. "Were you worried about me?"
Black Blaze nods as she pets him.
"I bet you think we're all a piece of work." She's sure the look on the tiger's face says that is clearly an understatement.
Daisuke notices that Rachel is gone when Nasuti and Jun arrive. He wanders off to find her alone with the tiger. "Are you okay?"
Rachel looks up at Daisuke. "Just a bit of a liquid laugh...I'm fine."
"Are you sure? You look really pale."
"I'm sure."
"Nasuti and Jun are here. They were with our fathers for a lot of the first battles. Maybe we should go with them and talk all this stuff over."
"Honestly I don't think talking is going to help. I get it...somehow-but I don't like it. You got one bloke who thinks he's dreaming-another who doesn't want to believe this is real and I think the other one is too blotto to know what's going on."
"If we can't work it out that means the bad guys are going to win."
Black Blaze looks up at Rachel and roars softly as if to tell her to give it a try.
"Right then." She follows Daisuke and the tiger back to the others.
"Sorry if I scared you before lass."
Rachel looks up at Seamus-who towers over her-its times like this that she hates being short. "No worries mate."
"Mate?" Given his earlier mistake he is a bit wary of that term.
"Aussie lingo for friend."
"Oh-well then. Glad to meet you mate. The name's Seamus Shu."
"Rachel Mouri."
Daisuke calls over to them. "We're going back to Nasuti's."
Rachel follows the guys over to Jun's van. Its a good sized van-but it is still going to be cramped with all of them inside.
Jun looks down at White Blaze who gazes at Rachel. "Something wrong?" After all these years Jun knows exactly what the tiger is thinking when he looks up. Nasuti-will you drive? I could use some fresh air." He turns to Rachel. Want to come? I'm sure Black Blaze won't mind."
Shin watches Rachel. "Why does she seem so scared of the others?"
Rachel looks around as if she just heard her papa speak again. "You mean ride the tigers back?"
"Yeah. I used to do it all the time as a kid. White Blaze and I still get out and ride through the back woods sometimes. It gives you plenty of time to clear your head."
Black Blaze walks over to Rachel as Jun sits down on White Blaze.
Rachel looks down at the tiger-who nods at her-for a few moments. "Okay." Rachel climbs on Black Blaze's back.
-2-
Nearly half a world away a secret U. N. meeting convenes. With reps from all the member nations where the kids lived present. They have very extensive files on all their fathers. If this turns out to be another global threat they do not intend to leave the fate of the world in the hands of children should they turn out to be alive and merely hiding out somewhere in Japan waiting to pick up where their fathers left off.
Chapter 2 Play List:
Rachel: Breaktown-Hanson
Daisuke: Standing Outside the Fire-Garth Brooks
Luigi: House of the Rising Sun-Animals
Seamus: A Horse with No Name-America
Takeo: Major Tom (Coming Home) Graham Blvd
Black Blaze & White Blaze: The Cat Came Back
Shin, Ryo, Shu, Touma, Seiji: Teach Your Children-Hanson (Cover)
I'm pretty sure that I got the spelling of Black Blaze's name right, but I'm not 100% on it. At least the way I spelled it was as close to it as I could get. I figured it had to be similar to the spelling of White Blaze's name since the Japanese versions of the names sound so similar. If anyone knows the actual phonetic Japanese spelling of Black Blaze's name please feel free to correct me. I had a cousin try to tell me it was actually Kokuyoen but after a little research I found out that was the name of the demon (Sun Devil in the English version) that Ryo faced right after he got his Wildfire swords fixed in the volcano.
And on further note-Seamus line about falling of the wagon while he was hung over—that's a play on words. To fall off the wagon meaning one starts drinking again after trying to sober up. In this instance Seamus fell asleep on a wagon while he was drunk and fell off it with a hangover after he woke up. Sometimes I'm a dork that can't resist those types of plays on words.