Same disclaimer as before, everyone: I do not own anything related to the Onimusha series, or to DC (Detective Comics) in any way, except for my own OC. Just getting this out of my head, and having a load of fun doing it.

(''): Mental thoughts

(""): Oni Council thoughts

Onimusha: The Return

2. Preparations

Summer of the year 1800, the islands of Japan...

Deep within a hidden series of caverns, far beneath the isles of Japan, a group of meticulous demi-human beings worked diligently upon three sizable ships of unearthly origin. The vessels had been built by an alien race known as the Reach, a devious race of cybernetically-augmented beings who, in the late 21st century, would attempt to invade and conquer the Earth.

Failing that due to the intervention of the world's superhumans - the Justice League and their covert 'Team' of younger heroes, - the Reach then attempted to destroy the Earth, only for that act to fail as well, the heroes again defeating the aliens. Now, though, the three alien ships in question - secretly conscripted by the ancient Oni and taken back in time over two hundred years, - had been heavily studied and adapted by the well-hidden Oni race's mystical scientists, all in preparation for the return of the Black Oni, the mortal reincarnation of the Oni God of Darkness.

Already, one of the two smaller cruiser-type vessels had been completely repurposed and rebuilt into a formidable outpost base, now fully functional and waiting temporal deployment to a secondary site. Also, after breaking down the dormant minds of the remaining Reach soldiers on board the three ships - done with powerful illusions and temporal manipulations - the Oni scientists had little trouble fully understanding and operating the advanced alien machinery.

They had even been able to manufacture new and powerful weapons that were fusions of the alien technology and their arcane knowledge, and of use only to the Oni people in all its forms. The Oni planned to be fully prepared for anything, whatever future events may come their way.

XXXXXX

Presently, a portal opened inside the cavern, and into the underground space stepped Marcellus, the reborn Oni warrior and General, as he escorted one of the Oni's newest, and most talented, arcane scientists. Lady Tenmara had been the first to decipher and repurpose any part of the advanced alien technology, and her team had quickly spread their findings to the other research teams.

In those findings, Lady Tenmara had been able to carry out two important goals in her studies: first, she had designed and developed an arcane crossbow, fueled by the cleansed and repurposed Reach technology, and enhanced armor designs for the Oni derived from the remaining cybernetic armors left unused in the alien ships.

By utilizing their ancient magics, most of the hidden enslaving commands left in the databases of the alien armors had been completely erased, preserving its function, but allowing the will and purpose of the Oni to drive them now. Lady Tenmara was a true credit to her people, so much so that the Oni Council decreed that Marcellus himself, when he was not in the field, would be both her guard and her watcher from time to time in her work.

This was one of those days, when the Oni General came to check up on his charge, and made sure she was well-rested and not overdoing things, as well as taking time to simply enjoy the wonders of the world.

"Thank you for the walk, General; I did not realize how much fresh air and a delicious bit of sustenance would revive my spirits." The Oni General's hearty chuckle answered Tenmara's appreciation.

"You are most welcome, Lady Tenmara." Marcellus said as he looked around the busy cavern. "It is a simple task to remind ourselves that one must appreciate the planet around us, as we all work to safeguard humanity, our people, and the future."

Lady Tenmara nodded at Marcellus' words as he bowed to her, before the Oni General and his charge walked back to the portal linking the entrance of the largest alien ship to the hidden caverns. By understanding and applying the advanced technology of the Reach to their needs - after thorough cleansing and repurposing, of course, - the Oni had been able to not only improve their own arcane inventions, but also secured them against usurpers and thefts with arcane wards of impressive strength.

Even the arcane mechanical stallion and the special transport vehicle used by Sougen, the second brave Onimusha (later known as Jubei Yagyu), had been improved. The mechanical steed could now alter its form into another form beyond its protective orb shape: a two-wheeled carriage, called a 'motorcycle' in the 21st century. Meanwhile, the transport vehicle could now traverse the air currents just as well as it did underwater to the hidden Oni Temple.

Lady Tenmara's contributions to the Oni were well-received; it was indeed wise of the Oni Council to place her under protective guard, if any remaining enemies of the Oni rose up to try and harm her. As she and Marcellus used the portal once more, they reappeared a moment later on the bridge of the largest alien ship; Marcellus kept his thoughts well guarded as Lady Tenmara conversed with her team about what they had discovered since her respite.

The Oni General could not let on to any other Oni of what the Oni Council had informed him in private: Lady Tenmara was to be the bearer of the child of (Kaijin no Soki), the 'Oni of the Ash', better known to all the Oni people as Soki, the noble warrior who had defeated Fortinbras, the Genma God of Light.

Soki had been able to accomplish this with the aid of his allies, and by seizing his destiny as the Black Oni, the reincarnation of the Oni God of Darkness. Knowing this, Marcellus had gladly accepted the task set before him: to safeguard not just the Oni's most valuable arcane scientist, but the mother to be of the next brave soul to again be chosen as the champion of their people and humanity... the Onimusha.

"So, Lady Tenmara, what did you want to show me, now that we are back aboard this alien ship?" Marcellus inquired as he followed the Oni noblewoman to her personal work console on the ship.

"Just these, General." Tenmara commented, waving her hands over the panels on her workstation, powering it up, and bringing up some images from the projects she was working on.

The first images Tenmara showed Marcellus were rudimentary blueprints, combining the alien technology with the arcane knowledge of the Oni to build a formidable combat vessel capable of operating on a planet, or in space, and armed to the teeth in all aspects. Its temporary file listing had the title 'Myst Dragon' as its name.

The next image Tenmara brought up had pictures of several inactive Reach Scarab armor units, traveling through temporal pocket to gather the mystical genetic remains of past fallen Oni warriors from ancient battles, and then returning with those remains to allow the repurposed alien technology - along with obvious temporal manipulations - to regenerate enough of these fallen Oni to begin to repopulate their people.

It had been a fervent wish given to Tenmara in one of the last visits she had enjoyed with her late older sister: Takajo herself, the mother of Jubei, and the one who awoken in him the will to avenge humanity, and stop the Genma.

"Most impressive, Lady Tenmara." Marcellus commented. Tenmara smiled, the scales on her back shimmering with pride.

"Thank you very much, General Marcellus." Tenmara replied. "I sincerely hope that all of my efforts pay off in the long run, and aid our people in many ways." Marcellus nodded at Tenmara's response, but his own thoughts were still elsewhere, even though he did manage to keep them from showing on his face.

('You have no idea what wonders you will give our people, Lady Tenmara. One day, before too long, it will be (all of us) who will thank you.') The Oni General mentally said to himself.

XXXXXX

Later on, after a pair of Oni guardsmen escorted Lady Tenmara to her personal quarters on board the ship to get some well-deserved rest, Marcellus was again summoned before the Oni Council to give them a status report. It did not take long for Marcellus to confirm to them that all things were on schedule, but what they told him after that, a new aspect of the future that they had divined for the coming of the Black Oni, surprised even his senses away from the moment.

"My brethren, honored Oni... you wish for me to make sure that, when the time comes, the Black Oni begins to form a clan house of his own in the new cities of humankind across the great seas? In these... 'Americas?' " The words did not seem real as the Oni General spoke them, only until the Council confirmed them with a unanimous hum.

("Yes, General; the Black Oni WILL begin a new clan of the Oni in these 'United States of America.' It has been foreseen by us all.") The entire Council sounded back to Marcellus, who smirked.

"Well, then, my brethren,... just how MANY wives are we looking at here for our future Onimusha?" The Council hummed in unison, and then replied.

("As far as we have seen, General... at LEAST, THREE. But, as we all well know, for the Oni people, that number can easily change.") Marcellus' eyes blinked.

"Well, he will be a very busy clan leader, then." Marcellus mused. "What was the largest number of spouses taken in our history?" The Council hummed again.

("Twenty, General.") Marcellus could barely believe what the Council had just said to him.

"TWENTY!? That's... amazing...!" Marcellus exclaimed. The Council then hummed again before speaking, and again, Marcellus was shocked by what he heard.

("That record, General, is also held, in the utmost secrecy, by the first of us to be known as the Black Oni.") The Council then hummed in a warning tone. ("Keep that information to yourself, General.")

"Of course." Marcellus replied.

A short while later, Marcellus returned to Lady Tenmara's quarters, and was soon greeted by the Oni noblewoman, whose scales were flashing in joy.

She had just discovered a new method of activating the alien Reach technology with micro-sized bursts of Oni magical energy, literally creating arcane nanotechnology that was completely loyal to the goals of the Oni! It would be able to enhance the natural healing abilities of all the Oni people, and within a generation, the new mystical class of nanotechnology would be completely organic and in all their people, with no possible way to use it against them.

With this latest piece of knowledge, Lady Tenmara had found yet another way to repopulate the dwindling Oni people, after so many millenia of wars against evil, and most prominently, against the Genma.

"Can this new discovery be used against us in any way, Lady Tenmara?" Marcellus warily inquired, glad for her hard work, but carefully analyzing the information that she had just given him. Tenmara vigorously shook her head.

"No, General. We have already succeeded at completely removing any programming within the alien machines that would compel them to obey those Reach invaders, and turn anyone with it inside of them against their own." Tenmara firmly stated. "We have also rebuilt the hardware within all their systems with pure Oni mystical rituals that act in the same fashion. From their very molecular structure, they are no longer Reach-born technology." Marcellus nodded, then spoke again.

"It will serve our needs, then?" Tenmara nodded at the General.

"They are completely loyal to the Oni, and we will test them all thoroughly to be certain, and before any Oni will be asked to make use of it." She replied, still smiling as her hands danced across her personal work-console. Marcellus could only smile and watch her work.

('You have chosen well, Lord Soki.') Marcellus mused to himself. ('I wonder how the Black Oni's next incarnation will receive the decree from the Oni Council that he will need to begin creating his own Oni clan in the Americas,... AND with as many wives as he is able to handle.) The Oni General silently chuckled to himself.

XXXXXX

Back in the Oni Council's hidden meeting hall, the twelve 'lights' of the Council once more appeared to one another, each one humming in greeting to each of their brethren in kind. Moments after the Council had convened, the first voice among them spoke up to its members.

("Have we seen whom the new Black Oni shall eventually choose as the first of the lovely souls to become part of his new clan?") A second voice calmly answered the first's inquiry.

("Yes; in fact, it shall be the younger of two sisters, born of the alien race from the planet Tamaran, who shall be his first bride. They are both of royal blood, and have been to Earth in the past.") The first voice hummed, then spoke up again.

("Have they, now? We assume that they have met the world's heroes before during that time?") A third voice chimed in.

("Yes. In fact, the younger sister is a friend and former member of the Teen Titans, which now has been reformed into the covert 'Team' that follows the lead of the Justice League in their endeavors.") The third voice stated. ("The older sister, however, still retains a slight bit of a 'bad girl' attitude, as her childhood was difficult, and her actions then were against her own people. Still, over time, she has repaired her relations with both her sister and her family, as well as her royal standing.")

("Both she and the younger sister who will be his bride, should be fine allies to the Black Oni and his future clan.") A fourth voice spoke up as well. ("Seeing as their strengths and abilities can rival young Kryptonians, they should keep him on his toes in sparring matches... and in his private chambers, at least for the younger sister.")

For the first time in many centuries of war and preparation, all twelve of the Oni Council hummed and 'chuckled' together at that response. Once calm had been restored, the Council's deliberations continued on. The second voice resumed their dialogue as soon as everyone was ready.

("Two other likely choices for the next ones to be chosen as spouses for the Black Oni's new clan were mentioned when we last debriefed General Marcellus. Do we have any conclusive proof yet of either one?") The first voice answered the second one's question moments later.

("It has been hotly debated, my brethren, but the majority of us agrees that a particular sorceress - one whom the former Teen Titans all know and respect, - even when she will one day be revealed to be one like US,... will be the next one to be chosen as a wife of the Black Oni.") A fifth voice sounded out in a grumbling tone.

("I still do not see how they will be able to redeem her completely, nor how they can defuse the dark prophecy around this one. Misfortune will follow her if steps are not taken to prevent its completion.") The first voice quickly responded.

("If the MAJORITY of the Council has seen fit NOT to name her as a threat yet, then we WILL NOT do so.") The first voice's tone brooked no defiance. ("She may indeed be a child of an elder demon lord, but she was raised to defy her inner darkness, and the Black Oni himself will stand with her. So, we SHALL believe that she CAN succeed, and defeat the prophecy. Agreed?") The Council hummed and murmured before all their tones sounded out again in agreement.

("That being said, my brethren, we shall keep a close eye on her, just to be sure of her intentions, and to see just how much she will grow before that time comes. Then, we all shall know just how the intervention of the Black Oni will aid her the most.") The first voice's firm statement quickly garnered a hum of approval from the Council.

("And, what of the third person? Do we have information on her?") The second voice answered the third voice's question.

("The next foreseen choice for the Black Oni, amazingly enough, is one born of the same race as the mighty Kryptonian, but from another time, place,... and dimension.") The first voice replied in amazement.

("The fates have seen fit to allow a FEMALE Kryptonian to become one of the Black Oni's brides? Very intriguing...") As the first voice finished speaking, the fifth voice chimed in once more.

("Well, it does go without saying that the new Black Oni shall have quite entertaining moments in his personal chambers... as well as raising his descendants.") The first voice quickly recognized something in its brethren's tones, and called 'him' on it.

("To what are you implying, my brethren?") The fifth voice 'chuckled' before answering his counterpart back.

("My fellow divine Oni, do you not think that the Black Oni is more than capable of granting his future wives the opportunity of bearing him MORE THAN ONE descendant at a single time?") The entire Council 'gasped' at that, and the second voice chimed in once more.

("You have FORESEEN this? His future brides will ALL bear him MORE than one child when the moment presents itself?") The fifth voice 'nodded.'

("Such is the gift of the Black Oni. As his own family grows, in time, an intermediary voice shall be born to hear our guidance, to walk side by side with us all, and to justly govern the return of the Oni people back from the brink of extinction.") The Council hummed in unison.

("A young alien princess from Tamaran... a half-human, half-demon sorceress... and a time-displaced female relative of the Kryptonian...") The second voice trailed off, only to be answered by the first voice once more.

("Our noble Black Oni shall indeed have a strong family to guide and lead our people into this new millenia.") The fourth voice replied.

("He shall learn to use his natural Oni gifts wisely and skillfully, as well as discussing new ways to use both our imparted weapons and the resources he shall be able to use when the time is right.") The second voice spoke up again.

("Even our treasured gift, our ancient pact with humanity - the Oni Gauntlet itself - shall grow in strength and knowledge alongside him, and will mark him truly worthy as both the Onimusha, and our ancient benefactor: the Black Oni, reborn again to drive out evil from wherever it rears its stench before him.") The first voice called in firm tones to bring the joyous Council back to order, and then, closed up their conversations.

("We have seen much that we must all prepare for, my brethren. Let us adjourn for now, for when next we gather, we shall choose which options are best to use... and just how many measures will be implemented to prepare for when Lady Tenmara's projects bear fruit, all in time to bear witness to her acceptance as the mother to be of the next Black Oni. Council, adjourned.")

XXXXXX

The following day, General Marcellus, as well as Gogandantess and Gargant, were summoned by Lady Tenmara to the nearly completed outpost base. Created from one of the smaller, confiscated Reach cruisers and Oni mystic rituals, it was to be brought fully online in the coming weeks, but in an undisclosed location. However, still the hard worker she was, Lady Tenmara's inspection of the altered vessel's secured database had found something of great value, yet again.

The trio arrived via portal to the staging area as soon as they were able. The reborn Genma-turned-Oni, as intrigued with her work as Marcellus, Gogandantess greeted her very warmly.

"Ah, Lady Tenmara! Fair greetings to you this fine day." Tenmara half-smirked to the former enemy of her people.

"Good day, Gogandantess... and my answer is still 'no,' my eager friend." Tenmara's reply quickly wiped the smile off Gogandantess' face, and a half-frown replaced it as she continued to speak. "My future mate has yet to be shown to me, as I have already explained to you." Gogandantess bowed his head in mock defeat.

"Ah! My poor heart is broken yet again! Whatever shall I do!?" Marcellus let out a brief chuckle, while Gargant merely snorted.

"As amusing as you are, Goga, Lady Tenmara called us here to show us something that she found in the ship's data banks, not to turn down your advances... again." Gargant grunted at Marcellus' response, but in reality, he had already turned away to hide the small grin on his face.

"Marcellus speaks truth. So, hush, Goga, and allow Lady Tenmara to show us what she has found." Goga shrugged in response.

"Ah, well; better luck next time, I guess. So, our good Lady Tenmara, what have you found this time?" Goga asked, prompting Tenmara to smile.

The Oni noblewoman beamed as she walked over to a nearby console and brought up a series of holographic screens before them all, and began to explain what she had found to the three Oni Generals.

"When the Reach planned their invasion, they made concessions on the chance that it would fail, and how they would destroy the Earth in that instance, my friends." Lady Tenmara spoke, manipulating the screens to show the failed infiltration of Earth's society, the rescue of the humans they experimented on, and the thwarted attempt to use Earth's own magnetic fields to tear the planet to pieces.

"Diabolical." Gogandantess stated. Marcellus and Gargant rolled their eyes.

"Moving on..." Lady Tenmara continued on. "... in the perceived moment of victory, the Reach would deploy supply transports, which were left hidden in four equidistant points from the planet, and cloaked from view." Gargant grinned as he heard that.

"The retreating fools had no time to reclaim those hidden transports, and more than likely, they were all on an automated mode..." Gargant began.

"... waiting for an all-clear signal to rejoin their fleet and descend to Earth." Marcellus finished with a smile of his own.

"More resources for us, then, eh, my bold comrades, seeing as I suspect that our good Lady Tenmara now knows the exact locations of those transports, correct?" Goga spoke up, his eyes sparkling.

"I have already found and isolated the designated recall signal, General Marcellus, and within the week, we shall have portals ready to take you all to claim them all for the Oni people." Tenmara said, her hands still dancing over the console.

"Well done, Lady Tenmara; yet again, your skills benefit the future of the Oni. We will await your call to arms." Marcellus replied.

XXXXXX

Two days later, the insertion of the three teams of Oni warriors - led by Marcellus, Gargant, and Gogandantess, went off without a hitch. The temporal gateways returned them to the same time period, but only a few days after the three Oni Generals had forcibly confiscated the three Reach vessels now in their keeping.

First off, Marcellus' team hit the largest of the four transports, and within minutes, it was under their control. No active Reach warriors were found in the transport; in fact, no live warriors were there at all. The entire transport was on automatic, and it was also the main communications link for all the transports.

The infiltration magics used by the Oni team quickly shut down communications, and disengaged any and all protocols that could be used to cause a reactor overlord on any of the transports. Marcellus and his team made sure that there were no hidden defenses or hibernating Reach warriors on board, before they locked down any and all areas of the first transport.

Marcellus and his team then teleported away to another of the three remaining transport ships, while Gogandantess and Gargant led their own teams in assaulting the last two Reach transports. Within three hours' time, three outposts were firmly in Oni hands. With the primary transport's communications off-line, Oni science teams were able to board the ships and find out each ship's purpose.

The main ship, of course, had been designated as the communications hub, allowing for precise disbursement of Reach forces aboard - their barracks, no doubt, - while the second vessel, taken over by Gargant and his squad, was their vehicle depot. The third vessel, assaulted by Gogandantess and his squad, turned out to be their armory, which left Goga smiling pretty as only the fourth transport now remained.

With three of the four transports locked down tight, and under Oni control, the three Oni Generals and all their teams attacked the last one; they soon discovered that the last ship happened to be their research and development transport. Marcellus, Gargant, and Gogandantess all thought the same thing, a single word that 21st century humans used for success. ('JACKPOT!')

All of the Reach's accumulated research data, their efforts to awaken metahuman genes in human to better counter them, and every secret to their weapons, technology, and ships that the Oni did not have: it was all here. Gogandantess quickly reasoned that this transport, like the main one, were back-up sites for all the data that had been collected by the Reach in their galactic travels, and in all their sadistic experiments conducted along the way. The other two Oni Generals quickly agreed.

Marcellus looked over their find after it was fully secured, and once all four reported in under the control of the Oni, the booming Oni General contacted Lady Tenmara and her teams.

('My Lady, the four transports have been secured and cleared of enemy forces and all their defenses. The long-range early warning system is fully operational and under our control as well.') Marcellus spoke through the special psychic comm unit on his head.

('Wondrous!') Lady Tenmara answered. ('The Oni Council and our people thank you all for your hard work, Generals.)

('We shall soon be making great strides in rebuilding both our race and our society, Lady Tenmara. In doing that, our noble choice to fight evil shall continue on.') Marcellus replied, before telling his troops to prepare for the journey home.

XXXXXX

For nearly two hundred years after that, with the Oni now in full control of the four Reach reserve transports, as well as the three ships they had taken previously through their temporal magics, the Oni made gigantic strides in further increasing their resources, and truly strengthening their defenses. As for Lady Tenmara's research, it soon led to the dwindling Oni people's birth rate TRIPLING, and the recovery of many of their fallen warriors far easier than ever before.

Where once the Oni people had been keeping their population at a paltry seven hundred and fifty thousand - relying on their time and dimensional magics as much as their chosen human champions to aid them in all their wars over the millenia, - they finally began to flourish once more. By the equivalent year of 1990, the Oni people numbered over three and a half million inhabitants in their dimensional realm.

Additionally, thanks again to Lady Tenmara and her diligent research teams, the technology of the Reach and all the resources taken from the would-be alien conquerors was used to further the Oni's war efforts. It allowed them to create many more of the special Oni Army Orbs, engineering them all to function without the need of the Oni Gauntlet, and distributed them to the capable Oni warriors in the field. This decision gave each Oni warrior the back-up of a massive battalion.

With the express permission of the recreated Oni souls within them, and the Oni Council's blessing, these new Army Orbs would be able to take the initial charge against their enemies that sought to destroy the peace and justice the Oni wished to protect, while the reborn and rearmed Oni people would bring up the middle and rear guard with their new arsenal.

Lady Tenmara was hailed as a true blessing to the Oni people for her efforts. She had no idea that within the next two years, fate would grant her a truly wonderful reward for her service to her people.

XXXXXX

Meanwhile...

On the island of Honshu, in the nation of Japan, a long, half-paved desert road stretched from the nearest city of Kyoto to Mt. Hiei, a well-secluded holy shrine of the Oni, and several other noble faiths.

Presently, at the halfway marking point, a glowing blue portal opened, and out jumped a young man! Landing on the ground evenly as the portal closed behind him, the man pulled his hooded traveling cloak tight to his body, not minding that it only hid his head and face from view. The cloak did nothing to hide the twin sword pommels rising up from over his broad shoulders.

Holding up one of his armored hands, he held it up before himself, eyes closed, and swept it slowly in front of his body, and over the road. A moment later, his eyes glowed with blue light, and he smiled.

"Arin, keep the light on; I'm coming to visit, my dear friend." The man spoke to the air before beginning to walk toward the mountain in the distance. As he walked, the strange man hummed a tune to himself as he enjoyed the evening air. He was heading off to rejoin an old friend of his... and the ones who had foretold his return.

Whew! Got that one out of the way! Hope you all enjoyed how I portrayed the Oni taking a strong stance for the future, as well as them quickly snatching up any and all Reach tech that was left behind when the heroes of Earth drove them all away. Hopefully, when I get the next one done, that one will be a bit more on the action side. Comments are welcome, and see ya next time!