Thanks for the reviews.
Beans were not something Shu was expecting for breakfast. The five troopers were in the hotel restaurant trying to enjoy their breakfast. Shu had instantly said something about the beans which made Shin laugh.
"Shu, just eat them with the muffin and eggs."
Shu continued to look at them with disgust, "Beans are not breakfast food. Shin, give me your muffin."
"No way, I've already suffered through the beans to get to the muffin."
Shu turned to Ryo, "Hey, I'll give you these wonderful beans for your muffin?"
"Eh, no thanks Shu."
Touma sat back in his chair, "Hmm, beans…"
"Touma beat you Shu." Seiji quietly commented drinking the tea.
Shu growled, and in a few bites finished his plate.
"So since we're waiting on some spirit to contact us, why don't we act like tourists?" Ryo said.
"Science Museum." Touma said quickly, "My science professor said I should go there."
"We always go to the science museums." Shu complained, "Can't go somewhere else?"
Ryo, Touma and Shu agreed on going to Stonehenge for the day, while Seiji and Shin stayed to keep Lir's plan going.
"Theater tonight?" Seiji asked, look at a pamphlet.
"Yeah. We can go see one." Shin nodded.
"What did Yayoi write?"
Shin looked down, "Something I don't feel like repeating."
"I had thought it was something like that." He said, "She was upset when you didn't come back that night. Yayoi likes lilies and sushi."
Shin looked at his friend, "Are you asking me to apologize to her?"
"Yes, like you have not apologized to someone before; practically beg her to forgive you would work." Seiji spoke softly, "Besides work, you make her smile. And she leaves me alone."
"She hasn't found someone else yet?"
"No, not that I'm aware of. She's been ignoring people for a while." Seiji looked at the small map as they arrived at their destination, "Buckingham Palace. Looks like a queen lives there."
"Yup."
As Shin was looking around the area, Seiji noticed men with tattoos on their faces watching them. He picked out five from the crowd of people, all wearing black hoodies to cover their faces. The people around them would also move away, fearing for their belongings.
"Shin, we have trouble." He said when the warrior of water was closer.
"Where?"
"All around, I counted five."
Shin started to notice them as well. They were moving in quickly.
"We have to leave." Shin said, "There are a lot of people here."
"I agree."
They both started down a road. There was a park nearby that would give them plenty of room if a fight broke out. The men with the tattoos broke out in a run after them. Following suit, the two warriors started to run towards the park. Jumping over the fence, they continued to gain space. That was, until they ran into more of them. People had started to clear the park.
"Great, now we're surrounded." Shin said.
"Yes we are." Seiji said.
"Give up Lir." One said in English, "You and your friend are completely surrounded."
"And if we say no?" Shin asked, also in English.
Smiling, the men pulled out knives, "We'll find out how immortal you really are."
"Thirteen to two Shin. We don't have really good odds." Seiji spoke softly.
"No kidding." Shin said.
The leader charged forward with his knife. Shin reacted by kick the man's hand up. The knife was tossed in the air. The man then threw his other hand out towards Shin's face. He found himself on the ground, with the knife falling in between his neck and right shoulder. Letting out his breath, Shin got back up.
"Shin, Suiko." Seiji said, noticing that it fell out of his pocket.
"He's not Lir." One of the men said, also seeing the orb, "He's the armored freak."
Shin grabbed the orb and quickly put on the under armor. So much for playing decoy he thought.
"Well then. We'll show our secrets." The leader laughed.
Seiji noticed the men's' eyes change into those of reptiles.
"Oh no. This isn't going to be good." He spoke. Apparently Shin noticed too.
"Kill them both." The leader said.
Looking at Seiji, they mentally agreed to put the armors on.
"Well that was a waste of time." Shu said, walking back onto the bus.
"Yeah, I was hoping to walk around the stones, and get a close picture of them." Touma said, playing with his camera.
The trio soon found the ground shaking and two giant snakes appeared.
"That's not part of the attraction." Ryo said.
"No." Touma agreed, "Shin's plan with Lir must have gone wrong."
"Yes, a fight." Shu said, calling his under armor, "This will be the best part of this country."
One of the serpents turned to the attraction and spat something out. It caused the rocks to melt.
"Great acid." Ryo commented, "At least no one will be able to complain about seeing the rocks up close."
Touma looked like he was about to cry after seeing the rocks melt, "No… historical place…"
The trio called their armors out. Using his bow, Touma started to aim for the eyes of the two serpents as Ryo and Shu took to trying to beat them to the ground. After blinding one, Touma ran towards the bus to rush the people out of the area. Shu then put the thrashing serpent in the ground.
"Ryo, we have to get back to Shin and Seiji." Touma called out.
"Help me fry this thing then." Ryo said, avoided being bit by the serpent.
Taking his weapon, Shu stabbing the remaining serpent in the tail, only to jump out of the way as Ryo and Touma blasted it with the armors' power.
"Okay, how are we getting back now?" Ryo asked.
He and Shu looked at Touma.
"What, it's like you guys are wanting me to use my brain or something."
"More like fly us back."
"Dude, I'm not an airplane."
"But your armor flies." Ryo argued.
"Fine," Touma said, "Get on board Tenku airlines. It's going to be a bumpy ride."
After seeing the helicopters in the sky, it didn't take the trio long to find the other two. Finding a place to land, Touma dropped the other two on top of a few remaining serpents.
"Looks like you two needed back up." Touma said.
Seiji sighed, his left hand hanging limp, "Yeah, Shin's right shoulder was pulled out of socket. He's not doing so well. I was hit in the hand pretty good. They have acid breath."
"We know."
Shu was now by the warrior of water, getting him out of trouble. Shin had his weapon in his left hand, trying to defend from being bit. The ground was muddy from using his attacks, causing him and Shu to slip a bit.
Soon the remaining five serpents retreated.
"Dammit," Shin said, holding his shoulder that hadn't completely healed before being ripped out of socket, "It's like they knew where I was hurt before."
"You held your weapon differently than before." Seiji said, "I think they just saw that and went for it."
"Poor cyborg Shin." Shu said.
"Shu, he would be a cyborg if he had computer chips in his body." Touma stated.
"But cyborg sounds better than nuts and bolts holding a shoulder bone together."
"You two are not helping." Shin growled.
"Hey Shin, there's a red bus coming this way," Seiji said nonchalantly.
"Where?" then a pop was heard and he cried out.
"Works every time." Seiji said, after pulling on Shin's arm.
It didn't take long for the police to show up and the troopers to run away. Last thing they wanted was to be shot at again. At their hotel, Lir and his three sons were waiting for them.
"Ah Shin," the spirit of water said, "Just in time. I see you have friends."
"Yes, they're my fellow warriors." Shin answered, still feeling the pain.
"I also see you ran into Donn's pawns."
"We did. They were not very nice." Ryo answered.
"Well then, we have a plan to hurry and decide on how to fix our problems." Lir said.
He went on about an island off the coast of Ireland that was now under water. The entrance was to Donn's world. He explained that the serpents would not be there, but the dead could become jealous of the living coming into the Otherworld.
"Do not follow them; not even dead relatives. They will only have you killed if you do." Lir warned, "My sons, Aed, Conn, and Fiachra will help us seal Donn away so he cannot harm your world."
"Can't we just kill him?" Shu asked.
"What kill the Lord of Death himself?" Lir laughed, "Nay, we are to seal him within his world so that he may not leave but can continue to do his evil work of letting the dead enter. Now, I understand that you all have a debt to pay for staying here in this hotel. Go pay it off and meet us by the river Thames. Do not worry about your belongings. I will make sure they get to your homes safely."
"And our wounds?" Seiji spoke up.
"Ah, all will be taken cared of at the river Thames."
He and his sons left the room in a flash.
"You know what I think is odd?" Touma started.
"What do you think is odd?" Seiji asked.
"Thames. English grammar rules state to pronounce 'th' as 'thh' but Thames ignores that rule all together."
"Touma, that's it. You need to stop with your Mary Jane dates." Seiji responded irately, "You're constantly questioning the things that don't need to be questioned at this time."
Touma got red, "I had a date with Mary Jane once. After eating all of the food in the house and passing out without doing homework, I decided not to try it again. I'm just over thinking again."
"No you do this every night since going to California. Do you know what it's like waking up at 3 a.m. to listen to your random thoughts?"
"Who's Mary Jane?" Ryo whispered to Shu.
"Don't know."
The five eventually found themselves at the river. Using the water, Lir healed any wounds the troopers received from the serpents. They were instructed, much to Shu's disapproval, to dive into the water. Swimming downwards, the troopers soon surfaced.
"Diving down into the water, only to come back up doesn't make sense." Ryo said, after getting his breath.
Shin laughed, "That's because Lir somehow transported us off the coast of Ireland."
"How do you know?" Ryo asked.
Shin pointed to the coastline. There was a town with a flag flying.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of." Ryo yelled.
Lir and his sons were seen walking on the water. The spirit of the water spoke, and divided the water, revealing a mound with a door.
"Remember," Lir was yelling over the sound of the water crashing upon itself, "Do not follow the dead; even if they were family."
As they entered, their under armors came on.
The walls of the place were not dark and gloomy as the troopers had thought. It was well lighted with torches. Statues aligned both of the walls. Each one was different in clothing styles from different eras.
"Who are they?" Seiji asked the spirit leading them.
"Heroes and villains throughout man's history. There may be a few you all can recognize from Japan." He answered.
Ryo stopped at one. It was the old armor of Rekka from a previous owner.
"Our former armor bearers are here." He soon said.
"Were they not heroes or villains at one time?" Lir asked.
"It's just odd."
"That's ok. I suppose we'll end up here too," Shu said, "Being a statue on a wall."
The hallway seemed to never end. It kept snaking around further into the earth. Touma started a game of naming what era each statue's clothing came from, but soon stopped as there were too many to keep going. Shin stopped at one statue.
"Suzunagi." He whispered, "This place is creeping me out."
Shin, I fought to protect your future.
He took a step back. Rubbing his forehead, he left to catch up with the others.
Shin, son, why are you not at home with your mother. As the Mori heir, you are supposed to watch the family.
Shin stopped again, and turned. No one was there.
"Man, I'm hearing things. I think I even heard from a dead cat I once had." Shu started.
"Shu, we're all hearing things." Seiji said.
Lir soon spoke, "Come now, we are almost to the end of the hallway."
The long hallway opened up to a large room. There was a platform in the middle of the room with a figure in robes.
"So Lir, you tried to trick me so you could get your sons, and then you bring the ones in the magical armor to hide me away." The figure said.
"You were pushing your boundaries of what you could do with the living. Be glad it is just me you are dealing with." Lir answered.
"Ha. You make me laugh." The lights went out.
Crashing sounds could be heard. Seiji lit the room up, and the nine were surrounded by those statues from the hall.
"We're dead." Shu commented.