Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Warrior Children ❯ Zero System ( Chapter 26 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Cousin D 
Quatre and the Zero System.
Anime/Manga: Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Fantasy / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.05.2005 | Updated On: 05.23.2006 | Pages: 6 | Words: 6.6K | Visits: 411 | Status: Completed
Quatre and the Zero System.
Anime/Manga: Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Fantasy / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.05.2005 | Updated On: 05.23.2006 | Pages: 6 | Words: 6.6K | Visits: 411 | Status: Completed
Chapter 25: Zero System
In the city-
Noin-
It was night when Noin reached her destination. The neighborhood was like another, but Noin watched the apartment complex warily with her gun held ready. She waited in the shadows of a building on the opposite side of the street. The alley was dark enough that she was sure she wasn’t seen, but empty enough she knew there was no one else lurking there. The last thing she needed was for someone to ambush her from behind.
She’d waited for hours. It was only because of Anubisu’s help that she’d been able to come this far. Without his description of the mysterious ‘doctor’ Noin wouldn’t have been able to locate him or the apartment building he’d bought. Frankly, it was an anticlimax. The evil kidnapper was hiding out, not on some suspicious foggy wharf, but a very common building in the middle of a respectable neighborhood.
When a single car, long and black, pulled up to the curb in front of the building, Noin instinctively stepped backwards for better concealment. The first man who stepped out of the car fit Anubisu’s description perfectly.
He was short with one mechanical arm that was primitive yet apparently it worked well enough. His eyes were hidden behind small goggles that seemed glued to his face. His hair was long, combed away from his face, and hanging down his back. He also had a sharp mustache and beard.
Noin felt her heart speed up while she tried to decide what she should do next. The smart, logical thing would be to contact Trieze and ask for some help. He could easily have the building searched and anyone inside detained for questioning.
Four more men stepped out of the car with one younger boy, but Noin had to squint in the twilight to be able to see them properly. The boy was the least remarkable one of the group, though he was rather pretty. Noin was surprised when the boy stepped into the light of a streetlight that it was Quatre Winner. He looked well enough, far from the tortured boy they'd seen on the computer.
The three other older men had odd hair and strangely distorted features. One had the longest nose Noin had ever seen on a human and evil eyes peering out from under his wiry, gray hair. Another man was immensely tall and completely bald. The third had a mustache that was so long and pointed, it looked like it belonged in a cartoon. The forth man seemed to have a fake nose.
Noin knew these were the people she'd been searching for. Her grip on her gun tightened when she saw one of the men put an arm around Quatre's shoulders as they walked up the steps to the apartment and, by the way Quatre stiffened under the man's touch, she knew he didn't like it. Perhaps Quatre was just another experiment.
'I will NOT let this happen!'
Noin pulled out the communicator she kept in her pocket. Trieze could be there in minutes with one little call. "Noin calling Trieze, please respond." Noin waited a few minutes, but there was no answer. She repeated herself, "Noin calling Trieze, please respond. This is urgent." Again, no answer. 'Damn,' Noin thought. 'If he's STILL with Millardo, I swear..."
Kushranada estate-
Trieze-
Trieze rolled over, snuggling against Millardo's broad chest and sighed happily. Millardo was hairy. He had a wonderful rug of thick hair on his chest, the same pale blonde as the hair on his head, and Trieze took a good deal of pleasure resting the side of his face on that hair. The whole situation was made more pleasant when Millardo began petting Trieze’s hair.
“You’re purring.” Millardo’s voice throbbed inside Trieze’s head. “We have to think about getting up.”
"Yes, I suppose so." Trieze stretched and arched his back, trying to wake up. With a yawn, Trieze rolled over and grabbed Millardo's helmet from the side table where it had been left. As he did, though, Trieze unwittingly knocked the communicator he kept for business. It fell to the floor behind the side table and when it did, the mute switched was accidentally hit. He wouldn't find out he had any calls until he found the thing hours later.
Outside the apartment-
Noin-
Noin looked at her communicator in disgust. Trieze never let his communicator out of his sight, which meant hers had to be broken. 'Damned thing! I just bought that, too!' Noin threw the communicator down hard, hating the thing for breaking just when she needed it. 'Not that it's going to stop me, of course.'
Noin wasn't about to just leave, not when she'd finally found that maniac. Poor little, innocent Quatre inside with and he needed to be rescued. The poor kid had a rough life, he had to be rescued so often.
It wasn't difficult to sneak into the building, but Noin was grateful for the training she'd received about bypassing alarms. Inside the apartment building was quite different from the outside. It was all shining white and steel with masses of computers everywhere.
Noin carefully avoided being seen and crept from room to room, until she found what must surely be the main operations center. The room was lined with machines and computers and in the center of the room was a very strange, ominous looking thing. It was shaped vaguely like a chair, with a place to sit and armrests, but it was connected to the computers by dozens of wires and thick cables. There was also a helmet, looking somewhat like a motorcycle helmet, attached to the top of the seat.
Noin walked around the seat several times. 'What on Earth is this thing?' She thought. The room was completely silent, save for the occasional blips and beeps coming from the computers. Noin went to one of the computers and tried to make sense of the reading, but what she found was almost unbelievable. It was the work of a genius or a madman. Most likely, both. 'This isn't right...' Noin could understand everything the computers were telling her, but Noin didn't want to believe someone had the audacity to...no. There was no way this thing could actually work.
"Is this really necessary?"
Noin started when she heard the voice and quickly went to find herself a hiding place. These people were ruthless and she wanted to catch them by surprise, not the other way around. The only hiding place in the entire room was between two computers, one of which was wide enough to hide her unless someone deliberately looked into the space, but it would be easy enough for her to see what was going on.
Into the room walked the six people Noin had seen outside, getting out of the car. The young man, Quatre, was now dressed in a skintight black suit instead of what he'd arrived in. It was frighteningly similar to the flight suit Seiji had come home in. There were small round patches sewn into the suit that were likely monitors to watch his vital signs.
Noin tightened the grip on her gun when her eyes landed on doctor J, but she didn't shoot. She needed more information. Quatre could be a pawn in whatever doctor J was doing, just as Seiji had been. Her heart was thudding in her chest, demanding that she do something, but her mind warned her to wait, not to rush in.
"Of course it's necessary." Doctor J answered Quatre's question. "Zero System could be what decides the outcome of this war, when it begins. Zero System may even allow us to finish without to many casualties."
Quatre looked at the machine doubtfully, before he agreed. "I suppose whatever saves more lives. What do I do?"
"Just sit there." Doctor J indicated the chair Noin had been examining earlier and Quatre obediently did as he was told. "Now, relax. This will only take a few minutes."
'Damn!' Noin carefully kept her cursing to herself, but, 'Shit! They're going to hook the kid up to that thing!' Noin raised her gun, ready to use it, if that machine looked like it might actually work.
Quatre sat in the chair doctor J indicated and allowed himself to be strapped in, his wrists being buckled to the arm rests by thick leather straps while the same thing was done to his ankles. One of the men, the one with a long, black mustache held out a thick piece of rubber. "Open your mouth." He told Quatre.
Quatre looked at the thing, doubtfully. "What is it?"
"It's to keep you from biting your tongue off should you have a seizure." The man told him coolly.
"Is that likely?"
"It's possible. Isn't that reason enough?"
Quatre did as he was told and let the man put the rubber in his mouth, biting down on it. The men then moved away from Quatre, going to the computers, all except for the long nosed one who stood slightly behind the chair where Quatre couldn't see him. Noin almost gasped when she saw the man pull out a gun at a signal from doctor J. She lowered her own gun.
'If I attack, they'll kill Quatre. If they think they've been found out, I'm sure their first priority will be to kill witnesses, and their main witness is Quatre.' Noin couldn't risk the boy's life. She would just have to wait until he was out of the line of fire.
"All set." Doctor J said, not giving Quatre the slightest clue that there was a gun trained on the back of his head. "Lower the system. From this point on, Quatre, you are going to be connected to Zero System. Don't fight it, just let the system show you what to do."
Quatre nodded his understanding and doctor J pushed a few buttons on the keyboard in front of him. The helmet, attached to an arm behind the chair, lowered at the command from the computer. It settled over Quatre's head, covering his eyes completely, but leaving his nose and mouth exposed. As soon as this was done, the rest of the scientists pulled out guns also and aimed at Quatre.
Quatre-
It was terribly dark for a long moment, but the helmet prevented sight and hearing. Like a sort of sensory deprivation device. If it weren't for the feeling of the leather straps on Quatre’s wrists he might have been worried. As it was, he simply sat and waited.
"Zero System can defeat any enemy." Doctor J had told him while the scientists had driven to the doctor's hidden lab. So far, it didn't seem to be doing anything at all. Quatre was actually starting to think that this time the doctor's genius had run out when he saw something in the pitch darkness.
0
'What was that?' Quatre tried to speak, but realized that even if he had, he wouldn't have heard any response while in the machine.
1
There it was again. Another number flashing in front of Quatre’s eyes, or was it in his own mind?
010
"Just let Zero System work." Doctor J had advised. Quatre tried to relax and do as the doctor had told him, but considering all he’d learned from Wufei about doctor J’s duplicity, it was hard.
101010010111
It seemed to be a type of computer language used long ago - binary. It was a language of just zero's and one's. Perhaps the computer itself was trying to talk to Quatre in a way. Quatre focused on the numbers a little harder, but it didn't make any difference, the numbers started to flash across his mind at increasingly fast speeds.
010100010010100100111100...Hello, Quatre...101100010110110
Quatre gasped. ‘This thing just spoken to me? It knows my name? This must be part of it's programming and…’
No, Quatre. I am not a program. I am programming you. 11010001111110011110
'Programming me to do what?'
1010001010100111100...Win. Do not be concerned, we will be one soon.
'Be one? I don't understand.'
You will. Very, very soon.
Quatre started to struggle against his bonds, wanting desperately to be freed. It was just getting too strange. Computers were not supposed to talk, not like that!
I am not a computer, Quatre. I am Zero. I am Quatre. 010111101001001001
'No! I'm Quatre, you're just a machine those loony doctor's made!' Quatre spit out the rubber mouthpiece they'd given him. He had to get their attention, they had to let him out!
"Let me out! This thing is crazy!" Quatre screamed, but he had no way to get the helmet off and couldn't hear it if they said anything. Hands suddenly grabbed his arms and held him still. "No! Let me out! Let me…010..." Was that his voice? Why did he say that? "1110"
We are one, you and I.
'No, I am not a machine! I'm Quatre!' Quatre tried to fight off the voice. He struggled to keep himself from drifting too close to what sounded inviting and safe. The voice of Zero System sounded strong and sure. Quatre wanted to be with it. He wanted someone to take care of him instead of him having to take care of everyone else. 'I will not lose myself to you! I have to go home, I have to find Touma, he needs me.'
You are already lost.
'Rashid needs me! He loves me.'
You are lost.
'Trowa! I want to be with Trowa! I love him and I haven't told him, yet.'
Lost.
'The war!'
You will fight with me at your side. We will win and I will show you how to win. 01001
'01001.' Quatre could feel himself being drawn into the system, it's will was overpowering. 'I want to go home.'
01101101111
'01101101111.'
Noin-
Quatre was chanting under his breath and if they hadn't been holding him at gun point, Noin would have killed them all here and now. Unfortunately, she couldn't endanger Quatre, which left her helpless as the boy screamed at first, terrified of whatever was happening to him. 'I can't even break him out of that machine without knowing what it'll do to his brain!'
They'd almost shot him when he screamed, but doctor J grabbed the boy and encouraged his associates to do the same, holding him down on the chair while he thrashed to get free. Gradually, Quatre's struggles eased and they were able to back away from him cautiously, as if they were afraid of him.
"Will he survive?"
Doctor J answered, "Who knows. Someone had to test the prototype, though. Winner here is the best candidate. If he can't handle the system, no one can, I expect. Remember, shoot if he shows the least sign of attacking you."
"We'll lose a valuable pilot." The bald one told doctor J.
"Better we lose him than one of us. We can always create a new pilot for Sandrock."
It was at that point that Quatre froze. "01101101111." He said out loud and quite clearly.
"Is that Quatre or the Zero System?"
Noin didn't know who spoke, she was to busy watching the boy. The voice was his, yet somehow, not. It was too cold and impassive to be Quatre.
"1101010101111100101." Quatre said.
Noin turned her attention to doctor J as he suddenly moved away from the other doctors and slid his own gun back inside his lab coat. The others, still kept their guns trained on Quatre, watching him intently. Suddenly, Quatre went quiet and the helmet lifted off his head, as if by it's own will. Quatre's eyes were closed. The restraints on his wrists snap open, freeing him and the doctor's, wary of doctor J's warning, back slightly away.
Quatre stood and his eyes slowly opened, revealing a glassy gaze. He looked around the room, taking in the doctor's with their guns and doctor J who was standing quietly in a corner of the room, both empty hands held in front of him. Noin's breath caught when his sharp blue eyes focused on her for a brief second before moving back to the doctor's in front of him.
'He saw me!' His gaze was terrifying. That was not the same boy who'd been put into the Zero System. His eyes were blank - lifeless. 'The program worked.' Noin felt like throwing up. 'They've linked a human to a computer. Dear God…let it be reversible.'
"All threats must be eliminated." Quatre launched himself at the armed doctors. As he danced around the room, Quatre's arms and legs swung this way and that, avoiding the badly aimed bullets. He was able to disarm one of them and scooped up the fallen weapon. Coldly, Quatre shot each of them in the head. One shot each and they were dead. Quatre then turned his eyes and gun on doctor J.
"Come now," Doctor J said calmly. "I have no weapon. Do you think me a threat?" He held up his empty hands and Noin realized Quatre hadn't seen doctor J with the gun. "However, you do have another enemy in the room."
Noin felt her blood go cold.
"Come out, miss. We've known you were here the whole time." Doctor J said out loud, though he didn't look at her hiding place, instead, keeping his eyes on Quatre. "It's rather fortunate that you came to pay a visit to us. I was hoping to have someone to test Quatre on. Someone who actually knows how to fight." Doctor J stepped over one of the bodies of his fallen associates, and went to one of the computers. "You managed to disarm most of our security alarms, but I'm afraid you missed on. Pity for you."
Noin broke into a sweat when Quatre slowly turned and, once again, looked right at her. His eyes flickered down to the gun that was in her hands and Noin knew she was in trouble. Quatre raised his gun.
Youja-Kai-
Kenbukyou-
On the battlefield, Kenbukyou watched the children celebrate their victory, though he was more interested in the battlefield itself. Such vast devastation. The grasses were still burning from Rekka's fire, sending plumes of black smoke into the air. Parts of the battlefield were flooded from Suiko's torrents, turning it into a marsh. The land was a of mass destruction and bodies lay everywhere. In short, it was one of the greatest changes the Youja-Kai had ever seen.
Of all the things he saw, the one thing he wanted to see was not there. Kenbukyou felt a wave of irritation. The demon lord himself was nowhere to be seen.
"Perhaps he's gone back to Arago." Rajura, garbed in full yoroi, moved to stand near Kenbukyou. He looked older in the yoroi, not like the boy he was. Such a young boy despite his many battles and despite his great power. Thanks to his blood and thanks to Kenbukyou, Rajura would always be a boy. Never a man. But that was all in the past. “Saranbo will not have died so easily.”
"I agree. This is not the end." Kenbukyou said. "Arago will have already been told of this. What are your plans, Gen Ma-Sho?"
Rajura didn't have to think about it. "We will attack the city palace. There is little else we can do." He slung his weapon, a six bladed scythe, onto its holster on his back.
"Arago will be prepared for your attack."
"So be it. I would have preferred more secrecy, but fate works how it will. I will not hide for eternity from that monster. I will live or die as a warrior!" Rajura turned and stalked away to where his family was waiting for him.
Kenbukyou felt what was left of his heart swell with pride at Rajura's declaration. 'After all, he's my...' Kenbukyou's thoughts were interrupted by a commotion from within Rajura's group of people. 'Why must children always bicker?'
Anubisu slammed his fist down on top of the unsuspecting Duo's head. Duo fell forward, limply, into Naaza's waiting arms while Heero tackled Anubisu in a futile gesture to protect Duo.
Kenbukyou shook his head. 'Children.'
Rajura-
Shin gently put Kay on Kokuen-Oh's back. Since he'd taken Kay away from the battle, he hadn't put her down for an instant and held her close to his chest to protect her. It seemed odd to find a warrior who was both gentle and fierce in battle. Shin was a rare find and, Rajura thought, a great asset to the family.
"Take her to Byakuen." Anubisu told the tiger. "It won't be safe for her here."
Kokuen-Oh nodded.
"Will she be alright?" Duo asked, looking at his little sister.
After waving his hand to get rid of the illusion armor he'd given Duo and Heero, Rajura answered, "Yes. I think she'll be fine." ANUBISU, DO IT. Rajura looked at Anubisu who stood slightly behind Duo.
As fast as he could, Anubisu brought down his heavy fist on top of Duo's head. Duo fell forward and slumped into Naaza waiting arms. Naaza then promptly put Duo on Kokuen-Oh's back.
Heero tackled Anubisu. Though Heero was unexpectedly strong and very fast, he was no match for Anubisu. "Don't be stupid." Anubisu said, easily holding the boy at arm's length. "Neither you nor Duo will survive a head on battle with Arago. He would have been too stubborn to admit it, but you both must go back to the Ningen-Sekai. There's no other way. It's completely likely that none of us will survive this battle."
Heero considered the argument for a moment and then he nodded, agreeing, and easily got onto Kokuen-Oh's back behind Duo.
Rajura looked at Ryou and the other children. "You don't have to do this, either. We won't force you to." He gestured to his brothers. "We are facing Arago, a very powerful demon. We will fight him and we will probably die."
Xiu burst out, "What? If you think you're going to die, then why...?"
"He killed Sh'ten." Naaza told him bleakly. "We will kill him for that alone. This is your last chance. If any of you want to go, then go with Kokuen-Oh. You'll be relatively safe in the Ningen-Sekai."
"What do you mean, relatively?" Touma asked.
"If we lose, Arago will come after you next, there is no question about that. He may be satisfied turning you into his servants, as he did with us, but if he believes you to be threats, he will kill you."
Xiu's eyes narrowed. "Our families. They'll be in danger, won't they?"
Rajura nodded. "Most likely. It is Arago's preference to attack your weaknesses."
Seiji spoke, "I will fight with you. I don't want to live without my sister."
Ryou agreed enthusiastically. "I'm with you, too. I'll fight for mama Shs’ten." Then he turned to Duo's limp form. Heero had put his hands on Duo's braid, just holding it and looked at Ryou challengingly, as if to assert his right to touch Duo. Ryou only smiled, though. "Take care of my brother. I know he cares for you a lot.”
Heero nodded his understanding.
In the end, they all agreed. Xiu wouldn't let his remaining family be put in danger and Touma didn't want his brother or his foster father to be threatened in anyway. Shin had Catherine and Trowa to worry about.
"Then we all go in together." Rajura said, privately thankful that they would fight together. He was also proud of their courage. "Heero, when Duo wakes up, tell him what happened. He'll probably have a tantrum, but he'll live."
Heero put one hand on Duo's back and held Kay on his lap to holding them both securely in place. He gave Seiji one last glance. "Come back. We have things to discuss."
Seiji nodded before Kenbukyou raised one hand to open the gateway. Kokuen-Oh leapt through without a second thought.
Later-
They went into battle, marching with Kenbukyou's army with the demon lord on his horse. It was unavoidable. Arago wouldn’t let any of them live, now that they've betrayed him. If Rajura thought they could win without the children, he would have sent them back to the Ningen-Sekai. He knew that wouldn’t happen. They needed to be as strong as possible. Even as it was, Rajura wasn’t sure that they would survive.
‘If we had all nine, if only we had the nine.‘ He thought, watching the city palace grow with each step closer they got. ‘Sh’ten believed there was great power in the nine combined. I wish he’d found out for certain. I wish he’d been able to finish his research.’
Although Kenbukyou had done as he’d promised and brought his army, his people couldn't be expected to go into battle against Arago. The demon emperor was simply too powerful, but they were useful in getting the foot soldiers out of the way.
'This is it,' Rajura thought, as they drew closer and closer. The foot soldiers were coming more and more readily. 'We're finally going to be free!'
-Here we are
Born to be kings
We're the princes of the universe-
They marched, there was no real hurry. Kenbukyou's army surrounded them, effectively giving them an escort. The children were all nervous, but they’d had been waiting for this chance for so long. Naaza could think of nothing but killing Arago. Anubisu was in hunt mode, focusing on nothing but his prey - Arago. ‘I...I will destroy Arago if it costs me my life. At least my soul will be free.’
-Here we belong
Fighting to survive
In a world with the darkest powers-
With all their power, it was too easy to think of themselves as invincible. ‘Perhaps we could have been, with Sh’ten.’ Rajura thought. ‘Sh’ten always said that legends hinted at great power when the nine yoroi were combined. But now there’s no chance of having all nine. Not without Sh’ten and the Oni yoroi.’
-And here we are
We're the princes of the universe
And here we belong
Fighting for survival
We've come to be the rulers of you all-
When they finally entered the city palace, it didn’t take long to realize something was wrong. While the foot soldiers did attack Kenbukyou’s people, not one of them tried to fight the Ma-Sho or the young Ronins. They didn’t even make the slightest effort to attack.
SOMETHING'S WRONG. Naaza said. THE FOOT SOLDIERS AREN'T FIGHTING PROPERLY.
ARAGO ISN'T AFRAID OF US. Anubisu growled, his eyes narrowing as they entered the main part of the palace. THIS DOESN'T LOOK GOOD.
I DON'T CARE! HE KILLED 'TEN-CHAN! I'LL DIE IF I HAVE TO, BUT I WON'T LET ARAGO WIN! Naaza answered, two of his swords already in hand.
Kenbukyou followed them into the main palace, keeping a distance behind, seeming determined to be there at the end.
-I am immortal
I have inside me blood of kings
I have no rival
No man can be my equal-
They found Arago, of course, in the throne room, with Sh'ten's body cold on the floor. Face down in front of Arago with his beautiful hair spread out, covering his face. He had obviously been there for quite some time, probably since his death.
'TEN-CHAN! Naaza wailed in their mind, though outwardly he showed no sign of any change at all. He only took a brief look at Sh'ten's body before refocusing on Arago.
STAY FOCUSED. Anubisu said. SH'TEN WANTED THIS AS MUCH AS WE DO. WE HAVE TO DO THIS FOR HIM. FOR THE CHILDREN. The younger ones still stood bravely, ready to fight. It was a battle that no child should have to face.
-Take me to the future of you all-
"You can't win with only eight of the yoroi." Arago laughed. "Sh'ten is dead and you are powerless before me. Fools! I created the yoroi, do you think I do not understand how it works?"
Sh'ten-
"You will all die here and you will be with your loved brother again." Arago's voice was mocking as he laughed at them. "I will send your bodies to the Ningen-Sekai so you may all rot together. The yoroi will go to others and I will reclaim them later."
Sh'ten watched the scene before him with a sinking feeling in his stomach. 'Please,' He thought desperately. 'Anyone who's listening, grant me the power to help my family. Don't let them die.' He didn't care about the yoroi or even if the Ningen-Sekai survived, but he couldn't just stand by and watch his family be hurt. ‘I had to watch my daughter die. Don’t make me watch them die!’
With that simple prayer, Sh'ten felt himself being pulled towards his corpse. Something pulled him into his own dead body and Sh'ten opened his eyes. How odd it felt to look out of his eyes again.
Sh'ten stood and everyone looked at him, shocked and amazed. Even Arago was surprised.
"You are dead, how is this possible?!" The demon emperor demanded to know.
Then, a familiar sensation. His heart warmed as the Oni yoroi surrounded him, once again. This time, without being called.
Anubisu-
It was a dream, or a nightmare.
Everyone froze when Sh'ten rose and stood. ‘It...he...this can't be! Sh'ten is just as dead now as he was while he was laying on the floor.’ Anubisu took a look at Seiji, and saw the usually unflappable young man with his mouth hanging open. Seiji shot a look back at Anubisu and they both understood. They, moreso than their brothers, had certain knowledge of the workings of life and death and they both knew Sh'ten was dead. This couldn't be happening. The yoroi solidified around Sh'ten and he slowly started walking toward Arago with the kusari gama held tightly in his hands. He was followed by the Ma-Sho and the Ronins.
Anubisu reached out for Sh'ten's mind, but it wasn't there. He couldn't find anything of him to hold onto.
Sh'ten offered no reasons for what was going on. He stopped in front of Arago's throne and remained motionless until all nine warriors stood together.
Anubisu looked at the raised faceplate Sh'ten wore and took a close look at his face. His skin was white, not pale, but white. Sh'ten's expression was the same Anubisu remembered him wearing. But there was no sense of him being alive. He was still dead. Sh'ten didn't look at anyone, but Arago. His eyes were burning with undisguised hatred.
Arago attacked, using all of his power. He was afraid, Anubisu knew. He was afraid now that they were together and he knew he had to kill them before it was too late.
Sh'ten raised his weapon and charged, screaming furiously while he attacked, but before he could do anything, Arago's ghostly face vanished.
"Get out!" Xiu shouted, his eyes going wide. "There's something wrong with the ground. I can feel it!" When Xiu started running, everyone followed him. They moved as quickly as possible out of the palace and made it to an open area where Xiu declared the ground to be safer. Xiu looked around, his eyes wild and his hands clenching and unclenching around the shaft of his weapon. "I can feel the ground starting to shake."
As if to prove him right, at that moment, an earthquake shook the ground and nearly put everyone to their knees. The palace crumbled like dust, the great stones fell and disintegrated before they even hit the ground.
"What's happening?" Shin shouted over the noise.
None of the Ma-Sho knew. It had never happened before.
The ground cracked, just under the palace, opening huge rips through which strange fog drifted out and the hissing of steam as it hit the air. Arago stood up. Like a god of long ago, birthed by the earth herself, Arago stood. What a terrible sight! No longer just a ghostly head, but a giant. He must have been almost a mile tall and wielded swords.
Touma paled, holding an arrow ready in his bow. "How? How we can kill that thing?" He let the arrow fly and didn’t look surprised when it just bounced off Arago.
It was a long battle. They attacked with everything they had. Still, in the end, it looked as if they would die, anyway. The children were on the ground, for the most part, and Ryou wasn't getting up. He'd taken a blow to the head and lay on the ground, almost peacefully. Seiji stood over him to protect him, but it wouldn't last long. This was the end.
"How dare you think you can possess my armor?" Arago thundered.
Anubisu felt a twitch in his heart and hoped he didn‘t die of a heart attack. That would be a pitiful way to die in the middle of a battlefield. Anubisu happened to see Naaza grab his chest and he frowned. Shin gasped and went down on one knee, holding his heart.
All at once, everyone fell. Anubisu hit the ground hard and though he tried as hard as he could, he couldn’t get up. He could barely hold his eyes open. Everyone else had fallen with him. Everyone, but Ryou. Ryou stood up and looked at Arago with fiery eyes. Literally. His eyes were on fire.
The world burst into pain and fire and Ryou exploded in white light. "I am Kikoutei!"
Rajura-
Rajura, while he couldn't move on the ground, stared up at the yoroi Ryou was wearing. White. The White yoroi Rajura’s father had worn so long ago. Yes, Rajura remembered seeing his father, Hariel, wearing the yoroi just as he remembered the monk stealing the yoroi after his father had vanished.
After the pain had vanished, Rajura found that the rest of them had basically no power left and were helpless at Ryou's feet. Now, the yoroi was on Ryou and Ryou stared at Arago with a deadly serious expression. There was no stopping Ryou. He walked through the attacks Arago threw at him as if it were nothing at all.
"You are mine, Kikoutei! My creation." Arago thundered. "You can not fight me."
Ryou smiled and answered in a voice that wasn't entirely his. "You underestimate me and your own power. You created me well, but you never understood me." Ryou raised both swords. "I am not some puppet for you to control. I am Kikoutei! I am power!" The swords unleashed fire so great, Rajura had to shield his eyes. The fire sliced through Arago's leg and he fell, causing another earthquake when his huge body crashed. "I am greater than you, Arago." Another burst of flame and Arago lost an arm. "I am the potential contained within all of them," Ryou looked around at the fallen bodies of his friends and family. "How can you alone match the power of nine lives? Each of them has the power to bear me, and combined I am made all the more powerful." Ryou threw back his head and laughed.
It was the laugh that made Rajura realized what was going on. The laugh was not Ryou's. Whoever, whatever, Kikoutei was, it was using Ryou's body.
Kikoutei didn't bother to say another word as it raised its swords over its head. "Sen Kou Zan! (Super shot heavy flash bright cut!)"
Arago vanished in the firestorm unleashed by Kikoutei's blades.
Kenbukyou approached slowly, his swords now at his sides and Rajura could only watch silently as the demon went to stand in front of Kikoutei. There was silence for a moment, but neither moved to attack.
"You have changed much." Kikoutei said softly, his voice strangely gentle.
"True." Kenbukyou answered. He reached out a hesitant hand to Kikoutei and Kikoutei reached out also. Their fingertips brushed briefly before Kikoutei flared slightly and vanished. Rajura felt his strength return very suddenly and around him the others were starting to get up also. Ryou was left in his light armor, arm still outstretched and touching Kenbukyou's fingers.
Then, without warning, Ryou's eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out, right into Kenbukyou's arms.
To be continued...
In the city-
Noin-
It was night when Noin reached her destination. The neighborhood was like another, but Noin watched the apartment complex warily with her gun held ready. She waited in the shadows of a building on the opposite side of the street. The alley was dark enough that she was sure she wasn’t seen, but empty enough she knew there was no one else lurking there. The last thing she needed was for someone to ambush her from behind.
She’d waited for hours. It was only because of Anubisu’s help that she’d been able to come this far. Without his description of the mysterious ‘doctor’ Noin wouldn’t have been able to locate him or the apartment building he’d bought. Frankly, it was an anticlimax. The evil kidnapper was hiding out, not on some suspicious foggy wharf, but a very common building in the middle of a respectable neighborhood.
When a single car, long and black, pulled up to the curb in front of the building, Noin instinctively stepped backwards for better concealment. The first man who stepped out of the car fit Anubisu’s description perfectly.
He was short with one mechanical arm that was primitive yet apparently it worked well enough. His eyes were hidden behind small goggles that seemed glued to his face. His hair was long, combed away from his face, and hanging down his back. He also had a sharp mustache and beard.
Noin felt her heart speed up while she tried to decide what she should do next. The smart, logical thing would be to contact Trieze and ask for some help. He could easily have the building searched and anyone inside detained for questioning.
Four more men stepped out of the car with one younger boy, but Noin had to squint in the twilight to be able to see them properly. The boy was the least remarkable one of the group, though he was rather pretty. Noin was surprised when the boy stepped into the light of a streetlight that it was Quatre Winner. He looked well enough, far from the tortured boy they'd seen on the computer.
The three other older men had odd hair and strangely distorted features. One had the longest nose Noin had ever seen on a human and evil eyes peering out from under his wiry, gray hair. Another man was immensely tall and completely bald. The third had a mustache that was so long and pointed, it looked like it belonged in a cartoon. The forth man seemed to have a fake nose.
Noin knew these were the people she'd been searching for. Her grip on her gun tightened when she saw one of the men put an arm around Quatre's shoulders as they walked up the steps to the apartment and, by the way Quatre stiffened under the man's touch, she knew he didn't like it. Perhaps Quatre was just another experiment.
'I will NOT let this happen!'
Noin pulled out the communicator she kept in her pocket. Trieze could be there in minutes with one little call. "Noin calling Trieze, please respond." Noin waited a few minutes, but there was no answer. She repeated herself, "Noin calling Trieze, please respond. This is urgent." Again, no answer. 'Damn,' Noin thought. 'If he's STILL with Millardo, I swear..."
Kushranada estate-
Trieze-
Trieze rolled over, snuggling against Millardo's broad chest and sighed happily. Millardo was hairy. He had a wonderful rug of thick hair on his chest, the same pale blonde as the hair on his head, and Trieze took a good deal of pleasure resting the side of his face on that hair. The whole situation was made more pleasant when Millardo began petting Trieze’s hair.
“You’re purring.” Millardo’s voice throbbed inside Trieze’s head. “We have to think about getting up.”
"Yes, I suppose so." Trieze stretched and arched his back, trying to wake up. With a yawn, Trieze rolled over and grabbed Millardo's helmet from the side table where it had been left. As he did, though, Trieze unwittingly knocked the communicator he kept for business. It fell to the floor behind the side table and when it did, the mute switched was accidentally hit. He wouldn't find out he had any calls until he found the thing hours later.
Outside the apartment-
Noin-
Noin looked at her communicator in disgust. Trieze never let his communicator out of his sight, which meant hers had to be broken. 'Damned thing! I just bought that, too!' Noin threw the communicator down hard, hating the thing for breaking just when she needed it. 'Not that it's going to stop me, of course.'
Noin wasn't about to just leave, not when she'd finally found that maniac. Poor little, innocent Quatre inside with and he needed to be rescued. The poor kid had a rough life, he had to be rescued so often.
It wasn't difficult to sneak into the building, but Noin was grateful for the training she'd received about bypassing alarms. Inside the apartment building was quite different from the outside. It was all shining white and steel with masses of computers everywhere.
Noin carefully avoided being seen and crept from room to room, until she found what must surely be the main operations center. The room was lined with machines and computers and in the center of the room was a very strange, ominous looking thing. It was shaped vaguely like a chair, with a place to sit and armrests, but it was connected to the computers by dozens of wires and thick cables. There was also a helmet, looking somewhat like a motorcycle helmet, attached to the top of the seat.
Noin walked around the seat several times. 'What on Earth is this thing?' She thought. The room was completely silent, save for the occasional blips and beeps coming from the computers. Noin went to one of the computers and tried to make sense of the reading, but what she found was almost unbelievable. It was the work of a genius or a madman. Most likely, both. 'This isn't right...' Noin could understand everything the computers were telling her, but Noin didn't want to believe someone had the audacity to...no. There was no way this thing could actually work.
"Is this really necessary?"
Noin started when she heard the voice and quickly went to find herself a hiding place. These people were ruthless and she wanted to catch them by surprise, not the other way around. The only hiding place in the entire room was between two computers, one of which was wide enough to hide her unless someone deliberately looked into the space, but it would be easy enough for her to see what was going on.
Into the room walked the six people Noin had seen outside, getting out of the car. The young man, Quatre, was now dressed in a skintight black suit instead of what he'd arrived in. It was frighteningly similar to the flight suit Seiji had come home in. There were small round patches sewn into the suit that were likely monitors to watch his vital signs.
Noin tightened the grip on her gun when her eyes landed on doctor J, but she didn't shoot. She needed more information. Quatre could be a pawn in whatever doctor J was doing, just as Seiji had been. Her heart was thudding in her chest, demanding that she do something, but her mind warned her to wait, not to rush in.
"Of course it's necessary." Doctor J answered Quatre's question. "Zero System could be what decides the outcome of this war, when it begins. Zero System may even allow us to finish without to many casualties."
Quatre looked at the machine doubtfully, before he agreed. "I suppose whatever saves more lives. What do I do?"
"Just sit there." Doctor J indicated the chair Noin had been examining earlier and Quatre obediently did as he was told. "Now, relax. This will only take a few minutes."
'Damn!' Noin carefully kept her cursing to herself, but, 'Shit! They're going to hook the kid up to that thing!' Noin raised her gun, ready to use it, if that machine looked like it might actually work.
Quatre sat in the chair doctor J indicated and allowed himself to be strapped in, his wrists being buckled to the arm rests by thick leather straps while the same thing was done to his ankles. One of the men, the one with a long, black mustache held out a thick piece of rubber. "Open your mouth." He told Quatre.
Quatre looked at the thing, doubtfully. "What is it?"
"It's to keep you from biting your tongue off should you have a seizure." The man told him coolly.
"Is that likely?"
"It's possible. Isn't that reason enough?"
Quatre did as he was told and let the man put the rubber in his mouth, biting down on it. The men then moved away from Quatre, going to the computers, all except for the long nosed one who stood slightly behind the chair where Quatre couldn't see him. Noin almost gasped when she saw the man pull out a gun at a signal from doctor J. She lowered her own gun.
'If I attack, they'll kill Quatre. If they think they've been found out, I'm sure their first priority will be to kill witnesses, and their main witness is Quatre.' Noin couldn't risk the boy's life. She would just have to wait until he was out of the line of fire.
"All set." Doctor J said, not giving Quatre the slightest clue that there was a gun trained on the back of his head. "Lower the system. From this point on, Quatre, you are going to be connected to Zero System. Don't fight it, just let the system show you what to do."
Quatre nodded his understanding and doctor J pushed a few buttons on the keyboard in front of him. The helmet, attached to an arm behind the chair, lowered at the command from the computer. It settled over Quatre's head, covering his eyes completely, but leaving his nose and mouth exposed. As soon as this was done, the rest of the scientists pulled out guns also and aimed at Quatre.
Quatre-
It was terribly dark for a long moment, but the helmet prevented sight and hearing. Like a sort of sensory deprivation device. If it weren't for the feeling of the leather straps on Quatre’s wrists he might have been worried. As it was, he simply sat and waited.
"Zero System can defeat any enemy." Doctor J had told him while the scientists had driven to the doctor's hidden lab. So far, it didn't seem to be doing anything at all. Quatre was actually starting to think that this time the doctor's genius had run out when he saw something in the pitch darkness.
0
'What was that?' Quatre tried to speak, but realized that even if he had, he wouldn't have heard any response while in the machine.
1
There it was again. Another number flashing in front of Quatre’s eyes, or was it in his own mind?
010
"Just let Zero System work." Doctor J had advised. Quatre tried to relax and do as the doctor had told him, but considering all he’d learned from Wufei about doctor J’s duplicity, it was hard.
101010010111
It seemed to be a type of computer language used long ago - binary. It was a language of just zero's and one's. Perhaps the computer itself was trying to talk to Quatre in a way. Quatre focused on the numbers a little harder, but it didn't make any difference, the numbers started to flash across his mind at increasingly fast speeds.
010100010010100100111100...Hello, Quatre...101100010110110
Quatre gasped. ‘This thing just spoken to me? It knows my name? This must be part of it's programming and…’
No, Quatre. I am not a program. I am programming you. 11010001111110011110
'Programming me to do what?'
1010001010100111100...Win. Do not be concerned, we will be one soon.
'Be one? I don't understand.'
You will. Very, very soon.
Quatre started to struggle against his bonds, wanting desperately to be freed. It was just getting too strange. Computers were not supposed to talk, not like that!
I am not a computer, Quatre. I am Zero. I am Quatre. 010111101001001001
'No! I'm Quatre, you're just a machine those loony doctor's made!' Quatre spit out the rubber mouthpiece they'd given him. He had to get their attention, they had to let him out!
"Let me out! This thing is crazy!" Quatre screamed, but he had no way to get the helmet off and couldn't hear it if they said anything. Hands suddenly grabbed his arms and held him still. "No! Let me out! Let me…010..." Was that his voice? Why did he say that? "1110"
We are one, you and I.
'No, I am not a machine! I'm Quatre!' Quatre tried to fight off the voice. He struggled to keep himself from drifting too close to what sounded inviting and safe. The voice of Zero System sounded strong and sure. Quatre wanted to be with it. He wanted someone to take care of him instead of him having to take care of everyone else. 'I will not lose myself to you! I have to go home, I have to find Touma, he needs me.'
You are already lost.
'Rashid needs me! He loves me.'
You are lost.
'Trowa! I want to be with Trowa! I love him and I haven't told him, yet.'
Lost.
'The war!'
You will fight with me at your side. We will win and I will show you how to win. 01001
'01001.' Quatre could feel himself being drawn into the system, it's will was overpowering. 'I want to go home.'
01101101111
'01101101111.'
Noin-
Quatre was chanting under his breath and if they hadn't been holding him at gun point, Noin would have killed them all here and now. Unfortunately, she couldn't endanger Quatre, which left her helpless as the boy screamed at first, terrified of whatever was happening to him. 'I can't even break him out of that machine without knowing what it'll do to his brain!'
They'd almost shot him when he screamed, but doctor J grabbed the boy and encouraged his associates to do the same, holding him down on the chair while he thrashed to get free. Gradually, Quatre's struggles eased and they were able to back away from him cautiously, as if they were afraid of him.
"Will he survive?"
Doctor J answered, "Who knows. Someone had to test the prototype, though. Winner here is the best candidate. If he can't handle the system, no one can, I expect. Remember, shoot if he shows the least sign of attacking you."
"We'll lose a valuable pilot." The bald one told doctor J.
"Better we lose him than one of us. We can always create a new pilot for Sandrock."
It was at that point that Quatre froze. "01101101111." He said out loud and quite clearly.
"Is that Quatre or the Zero System?"
Noin didn't know who spoke, she was to busy watching the boy. The voice was his, yet somehow, not. It was too cold and impassive to be Quatre.
"1101010101111100101." Quatre said.
Noin turned her attention to doctor J as he suddenly moved away from the other doctors and slid his own gun back inside his lab coat. The others, still kept their guns trained on Quatre, watching him intently. Suddenly, Quatre went quiet and the helmet lifted off his head, as if by it's own will. Quatre's eyes were closed. The restraints on his wrists snap open, freeing him and the doctor's, wary of doctor J's warning, back slightly away.
Quatre stood and his eyes slowly opened, revealing a glassy gaze. He looked around the room, taking in the doctor's with their guns and doctor J who was standing quietly in a corner of the room, both empty hands held in front of him. Noin's breath caught when his sharp blue eyes focused on her for a brief second before moving back to the doctor's in front of him.
'He saw me!' His gaze was terrifying. That was not the same boy who'd been put into the Zero System. His eyes were blank - lifeless. 'The program worked.' Noin felt like throwing up. 'They've linked a human to a computer. Dear God…let it be reversible.'
"All threats must be eliminated." Quatre launched himself at the armed doctors. As he danced around the room, Quatre's arms and legs swung this way and that, avoiding the badly aimed bullets. He was able to disarm one of them and scooped up the fallen weapon. Coldly, Quatre shot each of them in the head. One shot each and they were dead. Quatre then turned his eyes and gun on doctor J.
"Come now," Doctor J said calmly. "I have no weapon. Do you think me a threat?" He held up his empty hands and Noin realized Quatre hadn't seen doctor J with the gun. "However, you do have another enemy in the room."
Noin felt her blood go cold.
"Come out, miss. We've known you were here the whole time." Doctor J said out loud, though he didn't look at her hiding place, instead, keeping his eyes on Quatre. "It's rather fortunate that you came to pay a visit to us. I was hoping to have someone to test Quatre on. Someone who actually knows how to fight." Doctor J stepped over one of the bodies of his fallen associates, and went to one of the computers. "You managed to disarm most of our security alarms, but I'm afraid you missed on. Pity for you."
Noin broke into a sweat when Quatre slowly turned and, once again, looked right at her. His eyes flickered down to the gun that was in her hands and Noin knew she was in trouble. Quatre raised his gun.
Youja-Kai-
Kenbukyou-
On the battlefield, Kenbukyou watched the children celebrate their victory, though he was more interested in the battlefield itself. Such vast devastation. The grasses were still burning from Rekka's fire, sending plumes of black smoke into the air. Parts of the battlefield were flooded from Suiko's torrents, turning it into a marsh. The land was a of mass destruction and bodies lay everywhere. In short, it was one of the greatest changes the Youja-Kai had ever seen.
Of all the things he saw, the one thing he wanted to see was not there. Kenbukyou felt a wave of irritation. The demon lord himself was nowhere to be seen.
"Perhaps he's gone back to Arago." Rajura, garbed in full yoroi, moved to stand near Kenbukyou. He looked older in the yoroi, not like the boy he was. Such a young boy despite his many battles and despite his great power. Thanks to his blood and thanks to Kenbukyou, Rajura would always be a boy. Never a man. But that was all in the past. “Saranbo will not have died so easily.”
"I agree. This is not the end." Kenbukyou said. "Arago will have already been told of this. What are your plans, Gen Ma-Sho?"
Rajura didn't have to think about it. "We will attack the city palace. There is little else we can do." He slung his weapon, a six bladed scythe, onto its holster on his back.
"Arago will be prepared for your attack."
"So be it. I would have preferred more secrecy, but fate works how it will. I will not hide for eternity from that monster. I will live or die as a warrior!" Rajura turned and stalked away to where his family was waiting for him.
Kenbukyou felt what was left of his heart swell with pride at Rajura's declaration. 'After all, he's my...' Kenbukyou's thoughts were interrupted by a commotion from within Rajura's group of people. 'Why must children always bicker?'
Anubisu slammed his fist down on top of the unsuspecting Duo's head. Duo fell forward, limply, into Naaza's waiting arms while Heero tackled Anubisu in a futile gesture to protect Duo.
Kenbukyou shook his head. 'Children.'
Rajura-
Shin gently put Kay on Kokuen-Oh's back. Since he'd taken Kay away from the battle, he hadn't put her down for an instant and held her close to his chest to protect her. It seemed odd to find a warrior who was both gentle and fierce in battle. Shin was a rare find and, Rajura thought, a great asset to the family.
"Take her to Byakuen." Anubisu told the tiger. "It won't be safe for her here."
Kokuen-Oh nodded.
"Will she be alright?" Duo asked, looking at his little sister.
After waving his hand to get rid of the illusion armor he'd given Duo and Heero, Rajura answered, "Yes. I think she'll be fine." ANUBISU, DO IT. Rajura looked at Anubisu who stood slightly behind Duo.
As fast as he could, Anubisu brought down his heavy fist on top of Duo's head. Duo fell forward and slumped into Naaza waiting arms. Naaza then promptly put Duo on Kokuen-Oh's back.
Heero tackled Anubisu. Though Heero was unexpectedly strong and very fast, he was no match for Anubisu. "Don't be stupid." Anubisu said, easily holding the boy at arm's length. "Neither you nor Duo will survive a head on battle with Arago. He would have been too stubborn to admit it, but you both must go back to the Ningen-Sekai. There's no other way. It's completely likely that none of us will survive this battle."
Heero considered the argument for a moment and then he nodded, agreeing, and easily got onto Kokuen-Oh's back behind Duo.
Rajura looked at Ryou and the other children. "You don't have to do this, either. We won't force you to." He gestured to his brothers. "We are facing Arago, a very powerful demon. We will fight him and we will probably die."
Xiu burst out, "What? If you think you're going to die, then why...?"
"He killed Sh'ten." Naaza told him bleakly. "We will kill him for that alone. This is your last chance. If any of you want to go, then go with Kokuen-Oh. You'll be relatively safe in the Ningen-Sekai."
"What do you mean, relatively?" Touma asked.
"If we lose, Arago will come after you next, there is no question about that. He may be satisfied turning you into his servants, as he did with us, but if he believes you to be threats, he will kill you."
Xiu's eyes narrowed. "Our families. They'll be in danger, won't they?"
Rajura nodded. "Most likely. It is Arago's preference to attack your weaknesses."
Seiji spoke, "I will fight with you. I don't want to live without my sister."
Ryou agreed enthusiastically. "I'm with you, too. I'll fight for mama Shs’ten." Then he turned to Duo's limp form. Heero had put his hands on Duo's braid, just holding it and looked at Ryou challengingly, as if to assert his right to touch Duo. Ryou only smiled, though. "Take care of my brother. I know he cares for you a lot.”
Heero nodded his understanding.
In the end, they all agreed. Xiu wouldn't let his remaining family be put in danger and Touma didn't want his brother or his foster father to be threatened in anyway. Shin had Catherine and Trowa to worry about.
"Then we all go in together." Rajura said, privately thankful that they would fight together. He was also proud of their courage. "Heero, when Duo wakes up, tell him what happened. He'll probably have a tantrum, but he'll live."
Heero put one hand on Duo's back and held Kay on his lap to holding them both securely in place. He gave Seiji one last glance. "Come back. We have things to discuss."
Seiji nodded before Kenbukyou raised one hand to open the gateway. Kokuen-Oh leapt through without a second thought.
Later-
They went into battle, marching with Kenbukyou's army with the demon lord on his horse. It was unavoidable. Arago wouldn’t let any of them live, now that they've betrayed him. If Rajura thought they could win without the children, he would have sent them back to the Ningen-Sekai. He knew that wouldn’t happen. They needed to be as strong as possible. Even as it was, Rajura wasn’t sure that they would survive.
‘If we had all nine, if only we had the nine.‘ He thought, watching the city palace grow with each step closer they got. ‘Sh’ten believed there was great power in the nine combined. I wish he’d found out for certain. I wish he’d been able to finish his research.’
Although Kenbukyou had done as he’d promised and brought his army, his people couldn't be expected to go into battle against Arago. The demon emperor was simply too powerful, but they were useful in getting the foot soldiers out of the way.
'This is it,' Rajura thought, as they drew closer and closer. The foot soldiers were coming more and more readily. 'We're finally going to be free!'
-Here we are
Born to be kings
We're the princes of the universe-
They marched, there was no real hurry. Kenbukyou's army surrounded them, effectively giving them an escort. The children were all nervous, but they’d had been waiting for this chance for so long. Naaza could think of nothing but killing Arago. Anubisu was in hunt mode, focusing on nothing but his prey - Arago. ‘I...I will destroy Arago if it costs me my life. At least my soul will be free.’
-Here we belong
Fighting to survive
In a world with the darkest powers-
With all their power, it was too easy to think of themselves as invincible. ‘Perhaps we could have been, with Sh’ten.’ Rajura thought. ‘Sh’ten always said that legends hinted at great power when the nine yoroi were combined. But now there’s no chance of having all nine. Not without Sh’ten and the Oni yoroi.’
-And here we are
We're the princes of the universe
And here we belong
Fighting for survival
We've come to be the rulers of you all-
When they finally entered the city palace, it didn’t take long to realize something was wrong. While the foot soldiers did attack Kenbukyou’s people, not one of them tried to fight the Ma-Sho or the young Ronins. They didn’t even make the slightest effort to attack.
SOMETHING'S WRONG. Naaza said. THE FOOT SOLDIERS AREN'T FIGHTING PROPERLY.
ARAGO ISN'T AFRAID OF US. Anubisu growled, his eyes narrowing as they entered the main part of the palace. THIS DOESN'T LOOK GOOD.
I DON'T CARE! HE KILLED 'TEN-CHAN! I'LL DIE IF I HAVE TO, BUT I WON'T LET ARAGO WIN! Naaza answered, two of his swords already in hand.
Kenbukyou followed them into the main palace, keeping a distance behind, seeming determined to be there at the end.
-I am immortal
I have inside me blood of kings
I have no rival
No man can be my equal-
They found Arago, of course, in the throne room, with Sh'ten's body cold on the floor. Face down in front of Arago with his beautiful hair spread out, covering his face. He had obviously been there for quite some time, probably since his death.
'TEN-CHAN! Naaza wailed in their mind, though outwardly he showed no sign of any change at all. He only took a brief look at Sh'ten's body before refocusing on Arago.
STAY FOCUSED. Anubisu said. SH'TEN WANTED THIS AS MUCH AS WE DO. WE HAVE TO DO THIS FOR HIM. FOR THE CHILDREN. The younger ones still stood bravely, ready to fight. It was a battle that no child should have to face.
-Take me to the future of you all-
"You can't win with only eight of the yoroi." Arago laughed. "Sh'ten is dead and you are powerless before me. Fools! I created the yoroi, do you think I do not understand how it works?"
Sh'ten-
"You will all die here and you will be with your loved brother again." Arago's voice was mocking as he laughed at them. "I will send your bodies to the Ningen-Sekai so you may all rot together. The yoroi will go to others and I will reclaim them later."
Sh'ten watched the scene before him with a sinking feeling in his stomach. 'Please,' He thought desperately. 'Anyone who's listening, grant me the power to help my family. Don't let them die.' He didn't care about the yoroi or even if the Ningen-Sekai survived, but he couldn't just stand by and watch his family be hurt. ‘I had to watch my daughter die. Don’t make me watch them die!’
With that simple prayer, Sh'ten felt himself being pulled towards his corpse. Something pulled him into his own dead body and Sh'ten opened his eyes. How odd it felt to look out of his eyes again.
Sh'ten stood and everyone looked at him, shocked and amazed. Even Arago was surprised.
"You are dead, how is this possible?!" The demon emperor demanded to know.
Then, a familiar sensation. His heart warmed as the Oni yoroi surrounded him, once again. This time, without being called.
Anubisu-
It was a dream, or a nightmare.
Everyone froze when Sh'ten rose and stood. ‘It...he...this can't be! Sh'ten is just as dead now as he was while he was laying on the floor.’ Anubisu took a look at Seiji, and saw the usually unflappable young man with his mouth hanging open. Seiji shot a look back at Anubisu and they both understood. They, moreso than their brothers, had certain knowledge of the workings of life and death and they both knew Sh'ten was dead. This couldn't be happening. The yoroi solidified around Sh'ten and he slowly started walking toward Arago with the kusari gama held tightly in his hands. He was followed by the Ma-Sho and the Ronins.
Anubisu reached out for Sh'ten's mind, but it wasn't there. He couldn't find anything of him to hold onto.
Sh'ten offered no reasons for what was going on. He stopped in front of Arago's throne and remained motionless until all nine warriors stood together.
Anubisu looked at the raised faceplate Sh'ten wore and took a close look at his face. His skin was white, not pale, but white. Sh'ten's expression was the same Anubisu remembered him wearing. But there was no sense of him being alive. He was still dead. Sh'ten didn't look at anyone, but Arago. His eyes were burning with undisguised hatred.
Arago attacked, using all of his power. He was afraid, Anubisu knew. He was afraid now that they were together and he knew he had to kill them before it was too late.
Sh'ten raised his weapon and charged, screaming furiously while he attacked, but before he could do anything, Arago's ghostly face vanished.
"Get out!" Xiu shouted, his eyes going wide. "There's something wrong with the ground. I can feel it!" When Xiu started running, everyone followed him. They moved as quickly as possible out of the palace and made it to an open area where Xiu declared the ground to be safer. Xiu looked around, his eyes wild and his hands clenching and unclenching around the shaft of his weapon. "I can feel the ground starting to shake."
As if to prove him right, at that moment, an earthquake shook the ground and nearly put everyone to their knees. The palace crumbled like dust, the great stones fell and disintegrated before they even hit the ground.
"What's happening?" Shin shouted over the noise.
None of the Ma-Sho knew. It had never happened before.
The ground cracked, just under the palace, opening huge rips through which strange fog drifted out and the hissing of steam as it hit the air. Arago stood up. Like a god of long ago, birthed by the earth herself, Arago stood. What a terrible sight! No longer just a ghostly head, but a giant. He must have been almost a mile tall and wielded swords.
Touma paled, holding an arrow ready in his bow. "How? How we can kill that thing?" He let the arrow fly and didn’t look surprised when it just bounced off Arago.
It was a long battle. They attacked with everything they had. Still, in the end, it looked as if they would die, anyway. The children were on the ground, for the most part, and Ryou wasn't getting up. He'd taken a blow to the head and lay on the ground, almost peacefully. Seiji stood over him to protect him, but it wouldn't last long. This was the end.
"How dare you think you can possess my armor?" Arago thundered.
Anubisu felt a twitch in his heart and hoped he didn‘t die of a heart attack. That would be a pitiful way to die in the middle of a battlefield. Anubisu happened to see Naaza grab his chest and he frowned. Shin gasped and went down on one knee, holding his heart.
All at once, everyone fell. Anubisu hit the ground hard and though he tried as hard as he could, he couldn’t get up. He could barely hold his eyes open. Everyone else had fallen with him. Everyone, but Ryou. Ryou stood up and looked at Arago with fiery eyes. Literally. His eyes were on fire.
The world burst into pain and fire and Ryou exploded in white light. "I am Kikoutei!"
Rajura-
Rajura, while he couldn't move on the ground, stared up at the yoroi Ryou was wearing. White. The White yoroi Rajura’s father had worn so long ago. Yes, Rajura remembered seeing his father, Hariel, wearing the yoroi just as he remembered the monk stealing the yoroi after his father had vanished.
After the pain had vanished, Rajura found that the rest of them had basically no power left and were helpless at Ryou's feet. Now, the yoroi was on Ryou and Ryou stared at Arago with a deadly serious expression. There was no stopping Ryou. He walked through the attacks Arago threw at him as if it were nothing at all.
"You are mine, Kikoutei! My creation." Arago thundered. "You can not fight me."
Ryou smiled and answered in a voice that wasn't entirely his. "You underestimate me and your own power. You created me well, but you never understood me." Ryou raised both swords. "I am not some puppet for you to control. I am Kikoutei! I am power!" The swords unleashed fire so great, Rajura had to shield his eyes. The fire sliced through Arago's leg and he fell, causing another earthquake when his huge body crashed. "I am greater than you, Arago." Another burst of flame and Arago lost an arm. "I am the potential contained within all of them," Ryou looked around at the fallen bodies of his friends and family. "How can you alone match the power of nine lives? Each of them has the power to bear me, and combined I am made all the more powerful." Ryou threw back his head and laughed.
It was the laugh that made Rajura realized what was going on. The laugh was not Ryou's. Whoever, whatever, Kikoutei was, it was using Ryou's body.
Kikoutei didn't bother to say another word as it raised its swords over its head. "Sen Kou Zan! (Super shot heavy flash bright cut!)"
Arago vanished in the firestorm unleashed by Kikoutei's blades.
Kenbukyou approached slowly, his swords now at his sides and Rajura could only watch silently as the demon went to stand in front of Kikoutei. There was silence for a moment, but neither moved to attack.
"You have changed much." Kikoutei said softly, his voice strangely gentle.
"True." Kenbukyou answered. He reached out a hesitant hand to Kikoutei and Kikoutei reached out also. Their fingertips brushed briefly before Kikoutei flared slightly and vanished. Rajura felt his strength return very suddenly and around him the others were starting to get up also. Ryou was left in his light armor, arm still outstretched and touching Kenbukyou's fingers.
Then, without warning, Ryou's eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out, right into Kenbukyou's arms.
To be continued...