Disclaimer: FoR belongs to Anzai-sama. Trampled Under Foot is by Led Zeppelin. I know, shocker. Hee.

Author's Notes: I've gotten excited again with writing ESILY. So much thanks to obsessed dreamer for nightly plotting chats!

Thanks also to those who reviewed! You inspire me to continue writing! Anne Raven (that's really part of Yanagi's journey, her character is interesting for me because she is so flawed and she needs so much growing up. Her storylines are fun to map out) Eirist (Thanks! And I love Kurei, I plan to explore his story further along with his relationship with Raiha) kyLaaa (ahahahah, yes I have plans for Tokiya discovering about RecFuu) crystaliz (aww, sweetie thank you. Even just an update soon is very much appreciated, all authors love to know that readers are, well, reading. It makes us feel that we are entertaining people with our hard work.) aki reinhart (You and everyone else! I so have plans to bring that up in the future…in detail. LOL!) SnowCharms (Thank you! Yuzura was a bitch, but purpose of the next generation is to make right the mistakes of the previous generation and that plays a big part in this fic) TuckingFypo (I hate horror movies too and had fun torturing Fuuko with it! Hee! Thanks so much!) khay (BB UPDATE COMEDY OF ERRORS NOW! Sorry, I am very demanding. And that second favorite of yours was my personal favorite, haha) thepinkmartini (I will be writing more of Kurei because he is AWESOME!) kyusetsuki satsuki (A lot of hot things, hee. You just wait!)

HOPE YOU HAVE FUN READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!

Chapter Eight: Trampled Under Foot

"I don't get this at all," Fuuko muttered as she put another popcorn in her mouth.

Tokiya patted her thigh. He loved the fact that his girlfriend seemed to only own shorts. He was currently reclining on his couch while Fuuko sat on his lap sideways while they watched a game of football featuring his favorite team on the telly. "It's a difficult sport. It requires a lot of stamina, strength and agility."

"But it's so lame. All they do is run back and forth. We've been watching this game for two hours now and the score is still 1-0," she complained. "Can we watch something else?"

He pulled her back against his chest and tucked her head under his chin. "Let me just please finish this one game," he said tiredly.

Fuuko buried her head in his neck. "I'm being such a whiny girlfriend, aren't I?" Her face was red with embarrassment.

She could feel his chuckles coming out of his diaphragm. "A tiny bit. It's a good thing you're hot."

She retaliated by pinching his stomach. "Just watch the game."

…

Fuuko had a giddy smile on her face for the duration of her short walk back to her house. It wasn't like they did anything special. Their relationship was still under wraps and that limited the things they could do together. They just stayed at his apartment, talked some, watched shows on the telly, ate dinner and shared kisses here and there. But discovering mundane things about him, how he liked his eggs, his love for football, how anal he can get about laundry, was oddly satisfying. It made her feel like they were normal. Just two teenagers exploring their attraction, getting to know one another and slowly falling for each other. In those moments she was able to pretend that he was just a handsome boy from school that made her heart flutter and her knees weak. He wasn't the boy who was once betrothed to her cousin, and subsequently broke her cousin's heart to be with her.

Fuuko opened the front door to her home just in time to see her father descending down the marble staircase. He regarded her with a light scowl after he checked the time on his watch.

"Where have you been young lady? It's late."

She couldn't help the slight trembling of her hands. Her father was very intimidating.

"I was just out with some friends," she said meekly.

Fujimaro raised an eyebrow at her. "What friends? Recca just called here earlier asking for you. Says he couldn't contact your cellphone."

Fuuko rolled her eyes despite herself. "I do have other friends, Dad," she answered, a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"Do you mind telling me the names of these friends?" he persisted.

She bit her lip. She knew she couldn't get away with lying to her father; he wasn't a decorated general for nothing. "I was studying with Tokiya Mikagami. We're partners in Madogou theory class. And then we just grabbed a bite after; I didn't realize it was so late. My phone was on vibrate the entire time. I didn't say anything because of the entire issue with Yanagi and Aunt Jun and the Mikagamis." It's not that she was lying; she was just holding back some truths.

Bless her father but he did turn a blind eye when it came to his children's words. He walked up to her and gently kissed her on the temple. "I do trust your judgment, princess. You know very well I would never dictate who you can be friends with. Next time make sure to tell me where you are and come home early. We're in a very delicate situation right now, and you need to be very careful. You're not only my daughter, you're also a Madogou master."

Fuuko swallowed the guilt she felt. "I know, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Fujimaro patted her purple head. "Go on to bed. You have school tomorrow."

She hugged her father. "Good night, Daddy."

"Good night, princess."

…

It was a dark day. Heavy clouds loomed over the sky. Fuuko couldn't help but feel there was something ominous in the air but she tried to ignore it. Instead she focused on the uneaten baked potato in front of her. On any given day she would've wolfed the food down by now, but her appetite was off.

"Have you seen Recca?"

Domon looked up from his plate, a piece of fried chicken still hanging from his lips. He shook his head. "He didn't come to school today."

Fuuko didn't hide the worry in her face.

"There's a lot of things going on with him right now. School's the last thing on his mind," Domon said, trying to reassure her.

Just then Fuuko spied Tokiya coming inside the lunchroom from her peripheral vision. He seemed so lost, standing there with his brown paper bag and looking for a place to sit in the crowded canteen. She really wanted to invite him to sit with them but didn't want to raise suspicions.

"Yo, Mikagami! Over here!"

Fuuko stared blankly at Domon who was waving over her secret boyfriend. She turned to Tokiya once more, relief washed over his face and he headed over their table without a moment's hesitation. He sat on the plastic chair in front of her and Domon and placed the brown bag containing his lunch on the tabletop.

"You two are friends?" Fuuko asked with a bewildered look on her face. She knew of course that they knew each other but Domon had never expressed any interest in the senior, much less invite him to eat lunch with them.

"Yeah, we had a bit of a talk and came to an understanding." Domon winked conspiratorially at Tokiya.

"That sounds like you're having an affair," Fuuko said with a straight face.

Tokiya snorted the soda he was drinking. "Bad mental image."

Somehow her appetite had returned once Tokiya joined them. She had barely talked to him during lunch though. It turned out that the Ensui wielder and her bulky friend share the same passion for football and were both rabid fans of the same team. They might as well have conversed in gibberish, she could barely understand any of the terms they used. But she was glad though that her boyfriend and one of her best and oldest friends got along exceedingly well. That just might change though once Domon learned that she and Tokiya were involved.

The two were in the middle of arranging a viewing of the next game at Tokiya's house, he had regaled that he had ordered it on pay per view, when the sharp bleep coming from the school's PA system interrupted them.

A throaty voice they all recognized as the stern lady who manned the registrar's office swept over the room. "All students are required to proceed to the Aiko Hanabishi Gymnasium. Please follow the protocols for an emergency evacuation. Uniformed army men are currently within the premises of the school to assist and guide students, faculty and employee."

The announcement was repeated over and over. The three students watched as six Nashikiri soldiers entered the lunchroom and gave quick instructions to everyone inside. They were told to leave all bags in the room and line up in two files. Fuuko quickly recognized her brother Eisen in full fatigue gear. She stood up and quickly approached her brother and Tokiya and Domon followed her.

"Eisen, what's going on?" Fuuko asked fretfully.

Eisen turned to her, not shocked to see his sister in the school. He took her to the side to make sure they would not be overheard. He was about to speak when he spied the two boys eagerly listening behind his sister. He recognized Domon of course but the one with the steel grey eyes was foreign to him.

"Don't worry about him, he can be trusted," she said, reading Eisen's thoughts.

Eisen took a moment to hesitate but knew that Fuuko wouldn't vouch for just anyone. What he was about to say wasn't classified information anyhow, they were just keeping it under wraps as to prevent panic among the younger students, especially those without any preliminary military training.

"There's a situation at the borders," Eisen began gravely, "The perpetrators of the bombing have made themselves known. They are poised to attack from what it seems. Father is already there and Shuichi went with him."

"Is Recca there?" she quickly asked. Her face was contorted with worry.

"Yes."

"How many?"

"More than a seventy, less than a hundred."

Fuuko nodded, going over the numbers in her head. "It shouldn't be a problem, our army can crush that number easily."

Eisen's lips thinned, wondering if he was right to tell her. "They were all armed with psychic devices, Fuuko."

Her eyes widened and her skin turned a pallid white. She didn't doubt the Nashikiri army's competence and strength. But even the most skilled soldier going up against a Madogou master would be like a mortal going up against a god. There have been one or two psychic device holders who have defected against Nashikiri before and they were dealt with swiftly. But they moved alone. Seventy to a hundred Madogou wielders in a unified front would be like taking on a ten thousand strong army. Maybe more, depending on the power of the psychic device they hold and the experience and skill of its owner.

"Take me there, Eisen," she said decisively. Her eyes flared with determination.

Eisen sighed with resignation. "I knew you'd say that. Dad won't be happy."

"Dad knew this day would come when Fuujin chose me," she said.

"I'm coming with you," Tokiya spoke up suddenly. "Ensui," he supplied as explanation when Fuuko's brother eyed him curiously.

"Ooohh, you're the one who dumped Yanagi," the purple-haired man said tactlessly.

Fuuko rolled her eyes and socked Eisen's side. "Now's not the time for that."

Domon, who had been quiet the whole time as he absorbed the information, tentatively spoke up. "I want to go too."

She looked to Eisen for permission. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Domon. I can't let you come. You're by all respects still a civilian. You're going to have to stay here."

Fuuko, in a rare display of affection for the friend who she often regarded as a pervert, held his hand close to her heart. "Recca would want you safe. This is a bit more dangerous than our usual exploits."

Domon pulled her into a hug. He had always been the clown, the putz, the weakest. There was nothing special about him, no powerful psychic device, no magical flame. He was just Domon. He had never minded before, satisfied with the card he was dealt with, but now it pained him more than anything in the world. "You two come back safe, okay?"

Fuuko hugged him tightly. "I promise. You stay here and watch over Yanagi, alright?"

He smiled back at her and nodded, knowing the request was for both her and Recca.

Eisen uneasily broke the tender moment between the two friends. "Come on, Fuuko. We gotta move."

Fuuko let Domon go and let him join the students filing out of the cafeteria. She turned to Tokiya and grabbed his hand, ignoring the questioning eyes of her brother. They ran after Eisen outside where a military jeep awaited them.

…

Fujimaro had been a soldier and a ninja since he was sixteen. He became a father when he was eighteen. He only knew how to do two things, being a family man and serving his country. Right now it seemed that he couldn't even do those two things.

His eldest son (Eisen made sure that everyone acknowledged the fact that he was two minutes older than Shuichi) had arrived mere moments ago with her daughter in tow and another man who he immediately recognized as Tokiya Mikagami. The military of course kept tabs on all owners of Hokage's most invaluable weapons. The boy, good-looking as he was, was difficult to forget. Female staff members who handled his files often gushed about his latest pictures for profiling. His information folder was infamous for being the thickest because whoever was cataloguing the Madogou wielders' files somehow thought it necessary to keep his photos regularly updated.

"General Kirisawa, reporting for duty, Sir!" Eisen gave him a formal salute. Fujimaro had instilled in his sons to address him as General when they were on the field.

"Daddy," Fuuko greeted casually as if she wasn't barreling head on to a deadly battle.

"Sir," Tokiya said cordially.

"At ease, soldier," he returned. He turned to his only daughter, his princess. "What are you doing here?"

"Eisen advised me of the situation. As the current master of Fuujin, I have a responsibility to be here," she said, choosing her words to make her sound as adult as possible.

Fujimaro's heart clenched at the truth in her words. He had always been a loyal servant of his country, but he was her father first. "You are not a member of the army. You have no business being here. Take her to the evacuation center, Eisen," he commanded.

Her face scrunched up with frustration and annoyance at her father. "You and I both know that my army tenure would just be a formality. The moment I held onto the Fuujin I stopped being your daughter and became a ninja for our country," she argued stubbornly.

The chief general whipped an angry finger on his daughter's face. "I am still your father, young lady and I am telling you to go back."

Fuuko had opened her mouth to contest his judgment but someone beat her to it.

"Fuuko is right, General." The oily voice of Saitou, their finance chief, cut into their exchange. He walked up to the group; he had shed his usual coat and tie and pulled out his old ninja uniform. "Your judgment in this matter is understandably clouded, but we all know that we would need all capable Madogou masters at this point. She may be your daughter, but she is also the Fuujin's master. We have already assembled other elemental masters that are much younger than her, if you force her to stay back your decision can be called into question."

Fujimaro despised the fact that there was nothing he could do. Saitou was right; they needed the most powerful weapons in their arsenal against Kurei's army. Nashikiri had lived in peace for more than a decade and they had perhaps made the mistake of passing on Madogou's while the next generation was still too young. No one had expected that they would be robbed of their luxury of time to train and further master their weapons. They still had the tenured and experienced masters, such as those under Kuukai's team, but many were as young, if not younger, than Fuuko. All had been educated well but have yet to be tried in a real battle. It would be a baptism of fire.

"Daddy, don't worry," Fuuko whispered.

He smiled ruefully at his daughter. "You can't ask me that," he said resignedly, "Fuuko, those people out there, they're not out to just hurt you or disarm you. They will kill."

She nodded her head, understanding the weight of his words. "I know. I'll be careful."

"If you think you would be unable to overcome your opponent, it would not be cowardice to renege." He looked up to the boy standing stalwartly behind Fuuko. "That goes for you too."

Tokiya acknowledged the elder general's words with respect.

Fujimaro instructed Eisen to go back to the school and take the second battalion and half the members of Team Kuukai with him. They needed to make sure that civilians remain protected should the army's defenses be breached. He then turned to the two teenagers and told them to follow him to the war room they had set up near the borders.

Fuuko and Tokiya entered the crowded tent and discovered that some of their schoolmates were present as well. Recca was in the middle of the room, looking over a map that was spread over the table. Fujimaro joined him shortly and said something to Recca that Fuuko couldn't hear.

Recca turned around and immediately walked up to Fuuko. He flung an arm around her and kissed her on her forehead, something that didn't go over well with Tokiya.

"Domon?" he asked.

"He's okay. He's back at school, probably been relocated to a safer area now," Fuuko said.

Recca sighed with relief. "Good, good."

Tokiya looked around the room and observed the people present. That man wasn't kidding earlier when he said they had recruited young people. He spotted a boy with spiky brown hair, wearing baggy blue pants and an orange hoodie, carrying what seemed to be a heavy scythe like device that sparkled with gold. He couldn't have been older than twelve.

Fujimaro began addressing his army of Madogou masters. His imposing voice reverberated around the room and demanded everyone's attention. "From what we have gathered, the enemy's army is situated in the South and Eastern gates. It will only be a while before they finally break down the barriers we have placed. We have already deployed a team of soldiers and medics in the area. I will only say this once; I do not want any of you trying to act like a hero. You get wounded badly, pull back, if your enemy runs, do not chase them. Stay within the gates and let them come to you. If they fight within our territory, it will be an advantage for us since we are familiar with the terrain. I will deploy you in teams of two. Take care of yourself and take care of your partner. I will not have any casualties today."

Tokiya was not surprised that Fuuko was paired up with Recca, Fujimaro may not have gotten his way earlier but he would do his damned best to keep her as safe as possible by making sure she stay by the side of those he perceived to be the strongest.

"Mikagami, go with Koganei." Fujimaro cocked his head towards the boy Tokiya had observed earlier. "He's your superior, boy, follow his lead," he said to the younger of the two.

The elemental masters headed out the tent, adrenaline pumping through their veins. Fuuko conspicuously tapped Tokiya's wrist.

"I'll follow you outside," she said to Recca, "I'm going to grab some sweats in here, I'm not going to fight out there in a skirt."

Recca rolled his eyes a muttered 'Girls' under his breath before leaving the tent. Fuuko turned to Tokiya, those left inside the tent barely paid attention to them.

"Be careful," she muttered softly.

"I'll see you after this." Tokiya could tell she was trying hard to smile but could only muster a wince.

"I will," she returned, hoping they could both keep their promise. She looked around the room to make sure that everyone was still busy before standing on her tiptoes and kissing him lightly. He didn't care at this point who saw so he held on to the back of her head and returned her kiss thoroughly.

Neither wanted to say goodbye so Fuuko just left wordlessly, forgetting all about her sweats.

"That your girlfriend?"

Tokiya turned around. The boy, Koganei he believed, was standing behind him, the weapon that spanned his height leaning against his shoulder.

"You could say that," he said with a non-committal shrug.

Koganei seemed to be assessing his memory of Fuuko before speaking up once again. "A little on the butch side but she's got a great rack."

Tokiya had to remind himself that the boy was probably just twelve and resisted the urge to smack him upside the head. "Do not call her butch. And aren't you a little too young to be speaking like that? It's disrespectful."

Koganei snorted. "What are you eighty?"

Tokiya scowled at him and grabbed him by the hoodie. "Let's just move out of here."

…

Recca stood under the blistering heat; the sun's scorching rays energized the blood in his body. He faced the eastern gate that seemed to have come to life at the force being pushed against it on the other end. Around him stood some thirty Madogou masters, all pumped up for battle. It was a majestic sight, seeing all of the most powerful Hokage ninjas standing together as one.

He heard the painful crackle of the invisible electric shield before a rain of lightning burst out of the metal and copper posts standing around the gates, signaling its final hoorah.

"You ready, Fuuko," he said to the girl beside him.

She flexed the fingers on her right hand, feeling the familiar weight of her Fuujin that was strapped on her arm. "I was born ready."

Recca watched the hard metal gates fall; a deafening clapping of thunder attacked his ears. In the far horizon his eyes zoned in on the color of saffron red moving violently with the wind.

His lips thinned into a line and his eyes narrowed with dread and anticipation. "We meet again, brother."

To be continued…

End Notes: Love Domon, poor bb. I have so much in store for this fic, we're not even close to hitting the climax. Hope you stay on that journey with me :D

Next Chapter: The battle, some Domon and Yanagi (NOT ROMANCE!), Tokiya discovers a nasty surprise. Someone may or may not die.

Promotion: I finished Crouching Fuuko, Hidden Tokiya, a three parter of the porn inclination. LOL. Hope you can take the time to read it for some fun. :D

THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND HOPE YOU WOULD TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW!