Prelude to Battle

Time Remaining: Three Days, Fifteen Hours, Forty Five Minutes, Twenty Seconds

'Thwam!' a kick landed against the side of a large oak tree. It's branches shuddered as the blow was retracted, Shinko stood wrapped in his Kamui though it did not activate. Sweat dribbled down his face to the grass below in a twinkle. His body throbbed from the exertion but his muscles had grown so much over the past week of practically none stop action.

"Life Fiber Fusion!" the stud was pressed in and a large burst of stars came out around the teenager. His frame was covered in the skin tight red garb with the two large green eyes over the chest and black portions along the sides down to the middle of the its thighs. Two large sleeves reached up from the gloves while the arms of top retracted the Kamui had changed.

His shoulders remained bare while his arms had extended gloves that were connected with a lone mesh of Life Fibers to the main Kamui. His eyes opened a moment later the fused voice with his Kamui rising up." Kamui Sentokitsu!" both hands clenched proving that they had indeed united again.

'Interesting, I have changed,' Sentokitsu remarked looking down at its slightly modified form. Shinko noticed all the changes as well namely because his frame glowed with power from the transformation.

"Yeah, and our bond is stronger. I feel like you and I are resonating like one," Shinko commented black messy hair draping over his eyes for a moment while he clenched his hands. The strength was almost overwhelming, it felt twice as great from their last combination." Maybe we can actually get some training done now," he went to draw the katana but instead he felt two handles.

'The Murasama split. The Broad Sword and the Katana forms are present,' Sentokitsu stated with shock feeling the difference in weight.

"Great then. We'll train for the rest of today and then make our way back to Honno Town. I have a feeling there are a few dozen students that need to be put into their place," Shinko smiled.

The two weapons came blurring in and out against the side of the building the sandstone providing a surprisingly supportive resistance to the weapons. Shinko however knew that there was a good two feet of granite behind it so that added to its durability. Both weapons came slashing down in an crossing pattern, it slammed into the wall and released a huge gust of wind that threw leaves from the rose bushes and trees around them filling the air with plenty of debris.

"Think we could hit all of them?" the black haired teen asked in rhetoric before bouncing off of the houses side, with a subsonic clap.

A green slash reached out across the sky followed by a vertical one to follow it. Every leaf exploding in a gust of air before being blasted by another. The strikes were precise but also wild, it was quite the display if anyone would have paid attention to it. Shinko landed in a fall of leafy confetti both blades sliding back within their casings and the winds finally stopping.

'This is our new power? It is incredible,' the Kamui commented. Their rushing movements were so well rehearsed after only a few hours of no-active practice from several of the books. It was astounding to believe that they were ever on the receiving end of anything related to a beating.

"The scary part is that I'm not sure it is even all of it. I feel like we could fight Satsuki now just from seeing this," the sole son of the Kurosaki legacy remarked. His blue eyes looked towards the sky, it was something of a feat to even move as fast as they had been.' Defensive and offensive with those two swords we shouldn't lose to anyone unless they are wearing a Kamui,' he assured himself.

'That is too ambitious. I agree we have gotten stronger but the only member of the Elite Four who had a Goku Uniform active that we saw could have embarrassed us. I do not doubt Sanageyama would lose to us but what of Gamagori? of Jakuzure?' the point brought up was very relevant considering that their encounter with the Elite Four had been solely based on Uzu's capability as a fighter.

"Maybe you are right. Let's keep training," Shinko agreed dropping to the ground. He was ready to do push-ups, only to build up the usage of the stress the Kamui was causing on himself.' The only way to get used to getting beat up in a Kamui fight is to use a Kamui to fight yourself. I'll drain all of my reserves to keep going here,' he started quickly.

'Using my stress to build up his pain tolerance. His father did not even do that,' the Kamui separated its thoughts. It simply watched as Shinko pushed against the ground first with both arms.

After forty or so he switched to one handed variant. His right arm tensed as it support the weight of his body all the while veins throbbed beneath the Kamui's power flooding in. He kept a calm look taking glances down at the grassy terrain below focusing solely on stress and strength management and nothing else, like what possibly awaiting in Honnoji Academy. The teenager did fifty on his right hand before switching hands a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

Time Remaining: Twenty Three Hours, Fifty Nine Minutes

Shinko was training in a very strange manner. He was free-handing both weapons throwing one in the air to switch to the other, all of this before striking down the thrown sword with a combination. He had trained like this since about a day and a half ago. He and Sentokitsu had taken only a few hours breaks between training sessions.

'Ready for the next step?' Sentokitsu questioned while cans from the gutters and the sort were gathered upon iron fence. Shinko had lined them up in size making sure they were equally spaced apart and kept from falling too soon.

"Of course," he spun both swords around. The twin blades sparkled along their green tinted edges made to perfectly cut Life Fibers among other things. Hi eyes narrowed upon the cans this was the final test for their next Finishing Move. It was risky for sure considering each weapon had to be held in one hand each a feat of no meager person.' If it doesn't work here it won't work anywhere else,' he thought calmly the weapons weighing down his hands.

The teenager ran down the pathway weapons drawn back at his side. They shone with a myriad of stars of green that popped and buzzed as he charged. The cans were stoically placed ready to embrace any blow that came their way. The twin swords were spun forward as the Kamui bearer shot upwards ready to strike down with the full brunt of his power.

"Finishing Move: Dual Wield Cross!" the came down in an 'x' shape. The gate was blown off of its hinges and the cans were shredded to foil that fell to the concrete like confetti. Shinko's face looked awestruck as the carnage as the shape continued on off into the distance as if thrown like a projectile.

'That is our power?' the Kamui was shocked. The attack had created a temporary vacuum that tore through everything in its path as if made of tissue or paper mache.

"No way. Its incredible the wind is still so strong from it," Shinko crossed both arms. Dust was being kicked up from the pathway as the attack died down several dozen yards away in the clearing across the hill from the home.' For sure that is a last ditch though. If we don't get back to town soon we'll miss the fireworks,' he assured himself placing both weapons back in their sheaths.

'I presume before we leave we'll have to fix the fence,' Sentokitsu joked as Shinko lifted it from the ground.

"Think about now will do. We'll leave after noon," he laughed placing it back on its moorings which were surprisingly untouched. The barbs that had been placed in to keep it there were utterly destroyed the attack more than enough to shatter them." Of course finding iron barbs to fit this hole will probably not be very easy," he commented scratching the back of his head. Sentokitsu de-transformed as it seemed that his use was limited in mending fences.

'You'll have to make them I suppose,' the Kamui remarked calmly as they walked away from the cast iron grating that had been built to surround the home.

"Outta that spare rebar we used for training right?" the teenager said confidently. He had used an eight or nine foot piece of iron barring as a barbel to lift up totes filled with bags of sand, not a lot, but enough to train.

'Of course. The Murasama should be able to cut it pretty easily,' the Kamui commented as they walked into the garage where the piece of metal was still lined up with the totes that had been filled with sand.

"Yeah I know that much," he took the prop from its homemade weight. The human laid it out over the two cutting tables that had once been used for wood and metal, things that made the house itself and the fence out front. He swung out the green blade its edge sharp enough to bisect something the side of a small car without trouble.

'Cling!' the bar split in two with one light swing.

He carried the bar itself down to the fence the pieces heavy in his hands. Shinko lifted the first piece and loaded in through the slot that had been opened so freely by one of his swings. It was too long and needed to be trimmed to actually fit the three hinges rather than one channel. He sighed and sliced it as needed albeit leaving a rather gnarly pointed edge on the top, extra detraction value.

The other side however was far more manageable. Seeing what he did wrong the first time it was easier to make up for those mistakes by the simply doing the steps over the right way. The spare metal from it however was laid out on the ground a solid two feet of iron reinforcement barring. Shinko moved it back to the garage placing it calmly upon the work bench.

"I guess this'll be the last time we're here for a while," Shinko commented allowing the garage door to shut down. It locked in place as well it was not going to be used for a while after this day.

'What are we going to do for the next few hours?' the Kamui questioned. Sentokitsu had been used rapidly on and off the past few days, stress had built-up on his wearer's body.

"Rest up for sure. I'm going to put you back in the press while I get a nice shower," the teenager laughed walking towards the washroom. His black spiky mess of hair was sticking in places because of the sweat so a shower would be good.' We've really been working these past few days I just hope that Satsuki hasn't been,' he commented internally.

'I see. So make sure that the steam press it set right. I want to the be very comfortable,' Sentokitsu commented. Steam and pressure seemed to be the key to almost any Kamui's heart.

"Relax I will. Its not like I'll burn you or something sheesh," Shinko commented as they walked through the long marble floored corridors of the home. He loved this home, it was the sanctum that always was there for him even though the man that had helped him through so much was no longer there.

Honnoji Academy...

"I would have been sure Kurosaki would have attempted to fight. I wonder what exactly he is planning," Satsuki said to no one in particular. She was monitoring the breakdown of her own system down in the town below as she had for the past several days now.

"Perhaps you are overthinking this my lady. He could be leaving it in that other young woman's hands," Soroi commented carrying a fresh pot of tea across the room on a silver platter. The aging butler had a broad smile on his face, he knew how to read Satsuki so this was just something to further that.

"Perhaps," she commented back. The tea was poured within her porcelain cup which sparkled like a polished pearl as more fires and violence raged in the town down below.' Or he is simply waiting for the vast congregation of the weak ones to gather to gain a massive tally,' the educated dictator thought staring as the Sumo Club leader was toppled by an army of One Stars.

The showers water was heated to a fine misty steam that fluttered up around his naked frame within the walk-in shower. His blue eyes were reflected in the tiles, the runny water dripping down to his feet. His black hair was no longer spiky but curled and clinging to his head. Shinko was directly under the nozzle.

'Dad, I've strayed a long way off of the path you told me to follow getting caught in all this stuff with Matoi,' the teenager said internally as the warm water trickled down the curvature of his body. It was chilling even though the water was practically steaming hot, thinking about his deceased father was a pain.

'That was the path you told me on your death bed,' he whipped the spikes of damped onyx away from his eyes and stared up just behind the shower head. The tales and entries wrote within the journals were coming to his mind. Shinko knew that his first statement. was not entirely the case.' You actually wanted me to be Ryuko's sword and shield her guard and scout. My job was to beat REVOCs with help,' he looked away from the nozzle focusing on the wall that he had once painted with his father, its tiles chipping only slightly.

The steam stopped as he turned the faucet off. Water still steamed up as he exited the shiny, sterile lights of the bathroom more like that of an insane asylum. His blue eyes glowed even through the mist on the mirror. Focus went to the scar just across his chest from an incident at the beginning of the journey.

'Feels like that was years ago,' he sighed looking back at that day.

"What are you doing?" Shinko came rushing from the male dormitory of the boarding school. His eyes were less trained and his clothing definitely not the deactivated form the Sentokitsu, no that was still in his bag.

He was yelling at a group of male students. They were kicking around a young girl, someone that had talked to Ryuko for only a few seconds earlier that day. Her uniform was torn to bits and her face was marked up with scruffs and blood.

"Having a little fun that's all. We are seventeen after all, someone like this is kinda attractive," the leader a rather large seventeen year old laughed. He stood a solid six inches over Shinko and was near one hundred pounds heavier, the leader of a group of misfits.

Shinko spit on the ground reaching back for the dagger he had been left by his father. Its hilt a fine silver glowed out for a brief moment before he clenched it tightly. Box cutters quickly filled the other boys hands as if they were intending on fighting him right for the start.

"You're disgusting! Get away from her!" he spun the dagger out pointing it towards the big one in the middle. The others, who looked like humanoid rats, circled in box cutters raised towards the youth. Each edge gleamed with the sharpness to ruin flesh if they so desired.

"You gonna make us punk? You're that Matoi's little puppy dog," the big brute laughed as his minions more or less circled closer in. All the while the teen struggling on the ground was kicked along the way.

'Tham!' the heel of the dagger was bashed into the nearest goon's face. He stumbled back and was wrapped around the wrist and thrown into another one of the savages that so happened to be people.

Another charged box cutter raised ready to slash him across the black cloth on his chest. Shinko sidestepped and the klutz fell quickly forming a gash along the inside of their hand. He grabbed him and flipped him up throwing him into the next oncoming one until it was only him and the leader left. The minions dispersed quickly after being shown a thing or two.

"Now get away from her!" the dagger was drawn and ready to slash or poke or stab the goon. That was until a gash opened up through his black nylon shirt. Blood seeped through and down the front. The lead goon smiled the edge of his box cutter draped in blood that was none other than Shinko.' Ow this really hurts,' he cried as kick to the ribs dropped him to both knees.

'Sheen!' a silver guitar case threw the box cutter high into the air. A right hand then cracked against the goon's face knocking him clean unconscious. Ryuko stood there over both of the down kids holding the strap of her case as the six foot plus man writhed on the ground with a welt.

"Come on let me help you up," Ryuko remarked lifting the beaten teen up from the dirt and leading her away first.

'I never let them check it out I just patched it up with a lot of gauze pads and cleaned it daily. Probably not my brightest move,' he smiled reaching for a towel to dry off. He noticed that the room was identical as to how it always had been.

'Nothings changed for the past six months except for me. I've grown another two inches, gotten stronger, and I can actually protect Matoi and anyone else I care about,' Shinko felt a warmth fill his cheeks before strolling across the room to grab his boxer briefs.

'And that is why it's time to head back. After today I don't think there'll be a lot of time to rest so I'm steeling myself for that,' he wiped the fog from the mirror to see himself now after a week of practical relaxation. Both hands clenched it was time to run the gambit and get things done the right way.

As Sentokitsu was being pressed in the steam press Shinko began packing up the motorcycle for the trip back. Nuts, bolts, extra gasoline, things that were logical for returning a stolen motorcycle. In the other side pouch he brought a set of bolas home-made out of Life Fibers, which he had found in the garage; a knife that was green edged like Sentokitsu's swords; and a set of needles that made the Life Fibers holding the bolas together weak.

'Heading back to Honno Town and Honnoji Academy will probably leave me with no choice but to fight. This stuff will help a lot in holding down the masses while we go on to face Satsuki,' he smiled sealing the pouch. Its silver stud locked into place and he grabbed the keys from the ignition before heading back inside.

On the wall as he walked in he turned to see the picture he and his father had taken years ago in front of Tokyo Bay. He had forgotten how nice it had been before that massive lump of concrete and steel of Honnoji Academy was dropped in the water.

'Well, there is another place I should go first don't you think dad?' he smiled at the picture, the youth in his father's face, the strength in the man's muscles, the will to live in his eyes it was something beautiful.

Noon of that day after re-donning his Kamui, Shinko grabbed a black cloak from the closet. He tied it around his shoulders, the bind locked under his chin, he walked through the front door grabbing the keys and spinning them around on his index finger. The door was shut and locked the lights dying within the house behind them.

The motorcycle revved and sputtered a cloud of black puffing from the back of it. It hummed calmly now, the days of not being used taking its effective start-up away. He smiled riding it down the driveway to the gate. The iron slid open and closed back up as the bike swerved through it.

Instead of heading back towards Tokyo and by extension Honnoji Academy they blew away in the opposite direction. The road buzzed as the tires left their mark along it, there was only one place that he was going at the moment, even if it would stall his Honnoji trip.

The ride was in silence the solemn feeling in the blood keeping the refreshed Kamui calm. Shinko was reflecting on everything that had happened and replaying Satsuki's fighting against Ryuko in his mind. This drive though away from the hordes of One Stars was totally focusing on his inevitable return to that locale.

They appeared after an hour of riding upon a small cemetery surrounded by cheery trees that had blossomed earlier in the spring. On the hill there was a lone grave marked with a small bench presented before it. The motorcycle slid up that hill calmly parking on the pathway before the tombstone.

In large letters filled with black paint was the name: Atticus F. Kurosaki. Underneath it an American Flag and a Japanese flag, signs that his father was a result of a solider choosing to stay in the land of the rising sun. Then of course there were the dates of his birth and death days.

Atop in Latin? Greek? Shinko did not know were the words: Vinctus per Coccinum. He knew what it meant his father had always said it." Bound by a red thread. I couldn't have said it better dad," he said aloud smiling down at the grave. His eyes noticed a bundle of flowers in the urn presented for the such, he had not been there for several months they were not the ones he put there.

'You're father was a botanist as well. He would have known what these flowers meant,' Sentokitsu added. His memory of Atticus Kurosaki was still kind of blurry but it was definitely spot on.

"Yeah, its a morning glory bushel. Peace and happiness, someone else was here that knew dad," Shinko stood up patting the top of the gravestone with respect.

"Okay pop. Back to Honnoji for me," he commented walked and hopping back on the motorcycle.

'Wearing a black cape and carrying a broadsword I feel as if I saw that somewhere else,' the Kamui commented as the motorcycle sparked up ready to go.

"Somewhere for sure. Funny he hunted demons too," with that they blurred off in a huge roar of the engine.

Entrance of Honno Town...

One Stars were lined up fighting one another towards the entrance. They were all blown away their uniforms shredding away and their frames smashing into the sides of the slums.

In their path nothing changed it was as if the strikes came out of no where.

There you have it. The next chapter is the meat-y first fight of the Natural Elections! Yeah, no more bs-ing.

Thanks everyone for keeping up with this story for so much inconsistency,

~Herodan3