Intro: I do now know how the Samurai Troopers got their armor, as well as the fact that Ryo's father is alive, Touma's parents split up peacefully, and that Seiji's mother is Japanese, though I have to say I still am not sure of his father(yes, I did get an email critiqueing me on this ^_^) - plus I am sure that there are many theories as to how the Troopers received their armor from others' viewpoints. But when I was watching the show, this is what I figured had happened, plus I added a few twists here and there. ^_^ This story takes place when they are about six to seven years old, and at certain turning points in their lives. There may be other stories to come... Samurai Troopers and corresponding characters are copyrighted by their respective (and certainly respected!) owners. Thanks to Kajite, Shin-chan (Ruth), Mrs. Strata and anyone else that contributed.

"Gifts"

by Toma-chan

The crying child lifted his head. At first, he thought he was imagining it, but then the voice came a bit louder, calling his name. It seemed to be coming from a bunch of bushes. He got up and went to see who was bothering him in his grief. He saw no one, just a red something dully glowing underneath the densest part. He touched it, and as he did, there was a bright flash of red and everything went dark.

When he woke up, he was shocked to find himself in a lava flow and not burning up. He looked down at his clothes and they weren't there, just a metal-like suit. He looked up and saw a man in a blue robe with a white triangular hat on his head.

"I am really sorry for you," the man said. "I know it was hard to see your father die. "

At these words, the boy started to cry again. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he was on the ledge standing next to the man.

"I'm sorry," the man said again, and hugged the boy. "I know I can't bring back your father, but I can give you a pet ." He opened a pouch and took out a white tiger cub. "His name is Byakuen and he will be loyal to you always." Then he knelt and looked in the boy's eyes. "I'm going to need your help, since you were chosen because you have skills unknown to you. Will you help me and the world as well?"

The boy's face grew determined. "I will help you."

"Good, I know you would be right," the man smiled then. He took up his staff, which the boy hadn't noticed til then, and pressed it against the boy's forehead. He gasped as knowledge and intuition flowed in. He saw four other boys and knew he would consider them teammates. He saw a castle in the sky above a city and a big demon. The city was deserted except for an older woman and a boy his age. Then red flashed, and he saw a figure in red armor with two swords and a wave of fire flaming out towards him. He held up his arms but nothing happened. The boy gazed at the man, only remembering the faces of the four boys and blurs of the other images.

"I will call you when the time comes, but I may visit you occasionally, if you would like,"the man said gratefully.

The boy nodded, and everything went dark again. When he woke up this time, he was at his father's side in a truck. The tears started anew, but then he felt a furry thing butt against his face and a rough tongue lapping up his tears. A ghost of a smile lit on the face of the boy, and he hugged the young tiger. Then he remembered the faces and the blurs,and the last thing the man, no, Kaosu had said. "Thank you and good luck to you always, Rekka no Ryo."

*****

Another boy at the summer fair in Yokahama. His parents were holding a food table, and for the moment he wandered away, unwatched. He was drawn by the music and the clowns of a parade that was winding down a road, and when it was done, he found himself in a part of the fair that he wasn't familiar with and no idea how to find his way back. With a coin his mother had given him, he bought a stick of cotton candy, and wandered around, looking for the unusual colors of his parents' tent. He walked by a fun house, but got pushed unwillingly into it by a sudden crowd of teenagers. Eventually, he gave up trying to force his way out and walked through. He saw a orange light suddenly flash from an unused room, so he left the crowd and parted the curtains to find a room full of discarded props. When one lit up, he reached to touch it and was knocked unconscious.

When he opened his eyes, he was standing next to a big rock. Then a man with a staff appeared next to the boulder.

"Who are you, and where's my candy?" the boy asked suspiciously.

The man smiled. "My name isn't important right now. I can give you a candy bar , however." He took one out of a pouch. Then he gazed at the boy, now solemn. "I will need to ask of you something when you are older, but it may take all your strength and confidence. Both will be sorely tested; however, you are one of the few able to save this world. "

"Sure!" the boy grinned lopsidedly.

"I knew you would help me," the man smiled back. He pressed his staff against the boy's forehead, and the boys' eyes widened as information and intuition rushed in. He saw four other boys(one that looked familiar, in fact). He also saw an abandoned city and a big demon that had control of the city. Then orange light flashed, and he saw a figure in orange armor with a staff raise whole slabs of rock. Then there was a click, and he found himself looking at the man again. All he could remember were the faces of the four other boys.

"I will let you know when I need you" the man smiled again and a curtain appeared on the rock. The boy pushed through to find himself outside the fun house, with a familiar smell wafting in the air. He followed it back to the tent, where his mother was relieved to find him. Later, he was helping his mother serve customers, when just for an instant he locked eyes with a black-haired boy. The other boy was led away by a old woman, but the man's last words came rushing back to the boy's memory "Thank you and good luck, Kongo no Shu."

* * * *

Few months later, there was a boy trying to get home from school. The usual gang of bullies had followed him, and trapped him in an alley. So now, he had a multiple number of bruises and scratches on his pale face and arms where he'd tried to protect himself. His blond hair was messed up with half of it hanging over one eye. His father tried to teach him, but he just didn't have the control and disipline of martial arts. His mother, being from America, had gone to the police, but the boys always swore it was someone else. As he walked past another alley, he saw something move. Expecting another fight, he took a step back. But it was just a green light. He moved closer to investigate, when a beam of light shot out towards him.

When he came to, it was dark. He held out his hand to feel around for objects, and it began to glow a light green color. He saw that he was in a cave and it also revealed a man partially hidden in the shadows. The boy shrank back against the wall, but the man had a caring smile.

"They have no right to do this just because one of your parents was from another country," the man said. "Ignorant people always treat others that are different very badly."

The boy nodded soberly, but still stared at the man warily.

"You are such a cautious child, looking for the good in things, "the man said thoughtfully. "It will aid you when the time comes to battle for the world. I will need your help, because you are one of the few suited to this task. Will you help me?"

The boy's face softened somewhat, and he nodded again. The man smiled again, and started to approach him. The boy tried to back away further, but the man said "Relax, I will not hurt you". He pressed his staff against the boy's forehead,and his violet eyes closed. He saw four other boys that would never hate him. He also saw an abandoned city, and a big demon that had control of the city. Then green light flashed, and he saw a figure in green armor with a no-datchi blade that light was streaming out of. Then the pictures faded, and he opened his eyes. The man was still smiling as he said, "Now you can learn martial arts; the reason before was that you weren't ready yet."

Then the light grew dim, except for light at a tunnel he had not seen before. He walked carefully towards it, and found out it was the alley that exited opposite his house. His mother started crying when she saw him, but he pushed her away and asked determinedly where his father was. After using the Spring Break to train, he went back to school confident. The bullies only bothered him once more. After he had bloodied the leader's nose, the rest took off. As he looked at the crowd that had gathered, he caught the deep-blue eyes of a kid his age. The black-haired boy moved away with the other children, but the man's last word came back to him "Thank you and good luck to you always, Korin no Seiji."

*****

A house stood alone in the dense woods outside of Tokyo. A man, a woman, and their son lived in the richly-decorated house, but they did not act like a family, ever since the fights had started. Once they had been happy, but now those times were far in between now. The son now cowered in the corner partially behind a chair, unnoticed, as the mother and father yelled and sometimes slapped each other. They accused the other of not properly taking care of their child. Then for one minute, they realized their son was in the same room with them. They came to him, apoligizing and telling him that they loved him very much but not each other anymore. He raised his head, tears falling down his face. They explained that they were going to seperate 'for a while, to see if it gets better'. He pushed them away and ran out of the house. The parents called after him, but then started to argue over whose fault it was.

The boy ran into the woods, crying, with the argument haunting him. When he could not run anymore, he sat under a tree to catch his breath. Then he just stayed there, watching the stars move in the sky and wishing he was far away from everything, when he saw a blue light streaming towards him. Insticntively, he held out his hand and caught the blue ball that was now glowing so brightly----

He shook off the daze after a short time and found himself in the clouds. He gasped and looked around, trying to figure out what to do, when there was a jangling sound. Then a man appeared. He held up his hand in greeting, but the child mistook the gesture and shrank back.

"Relax," the man said soothingly. "I will not hurt you. In fact, the reason why you are here is because I will need your help in the years to come."

"What could I do to help you?" the child asked. "I can't even keep my parents together."

"Such a practical child, looking for the wisdom in things," the man said thoughtfully. "Good, it will help you in the battle for the world. Will you help me?"

The boy nodded slightly, and the man approached. He pressed his staff against the boy's forehead, but was suprised when the boy began to glow.

"He has magic abilities," the man realized, shocked. The boy, meanwhile, saw four other boys who would be friends. Then the sky darkened, and took the shape of a demon that had control of an abandoned city. That cleared also, and the sky lit up as a figure in dark blue armor released an arrow that brought up a fierce gust of wind. Then the images cleared,and he was looking at the man. "Will this help keep my parents together?" he asked hopefully.

"No, I'm afraid not, "the man sighed. "It cannot change people's hearts."

"So what's the use of having it?" The boy turned away as tears streamed from his eyes. The man was afraid that the unknown abilities would activate at that moment, so he laid a block on the crystal ball. He then put his arm around the boy's shoulder, and rustled his blue hair. "Don't worry, things will get better for you, although there will be rough times ahead." They watched a meteor fall out of the sky, its multi-colored tail glaring til he could not look anymore----

He opened his eyes to find it was morning, and his name being called by his worried mother. He ran to her and was swept up in her arms. "I'll never let anything happen to you," she promised. She took him to a car that was waiting for them. He recognized an old friend of his mother's, but there was a boy his age with black hair sleeping in the back. He woke up to look sleepily at the blue-haired newcomer with sapphire eyes that closed as he went back to sleep, but the other remembered the words of the man, "Thank you and good luck to you always, Tenku no Touma."

*****

Down by the seashore near Kobe, there was a boy staring at the ocean waves breaking on the rocks. It was his birthday, and no one seemed to remember it. He didn't have any friends, since his house was isolated, except one who came with his parents from Yokahama only for a month in summer. His mother and sister had been gone when he'd gotten up, and left no note as to where they'd gone. So he fixed a bit of breakfast and brought it down to the dock. He had been giving pieces of toast to the fish and laughing as they tickled his feet as they swam to feed on the bread, when suddenly the fish had disappeared. He was sitting on the dock forlornly now, watching the waves roll closer as the tide came in. Then a wave suddenly reared up over him, and the last thing he remembered before blacking out was that it was a weird blue color.

He felt himself floating as he came to. He was in a bubble of air surrounded by the blue-green of the ocean. The fish he had been feeding before trickled by, and he had the feeling of words coming to his mind. Then a man appeared, wearing a dark blue robe and a traditional hat that hid his eyes.

"Yes, they are talking to you, "the man smiled. "You could talk to them too, if you wanted. You see, you have been chosen to help save the world. Your name is significant, since you seem to trust everyone you see. Do not let that diminish, for many things could happen good or evil. Will you help me?"

The boy nodded, and the man touched the tip of the staff to the boy's forehead. He saw four other boys, including someone familiar, but he couldn't remember for some reason. Then the sea darkened, and he saw a poison spreading through the water that turned into a demon plaguing a city. A speck of blue drove away the poison, and the speck turned into an armored figure that was the color of the sea around him. The trident the person was carrying raised a wave of water that washed away the last of the poison. Then the person took off his helmet, and it was himself!

The man took his staff away as he realized the boy was seeing too much when the images continued. "This boy has strong mental abilities," he thought worriedly. "He might see the wrong things now and be overwhelmed enough that he will not use his powers when they're needed the most."

He put a block in the boy's mind to hold the powers back til the boy could handle them. Then he unmezmorized the boy and sent him back up to the dock.

The next thing the boy remembered, he was sitting on the dock again. All he could remember of his strange dream were four boys, including his friend, he remembered now. His older sister was calling his name as she was running towards him. She told him that their mother was looking for him, and that they had lunch ready for him, and why was he sleeping on the dock when he could fall in ... But he was already running towards the house, his auburn hair being blown by the sea wind. He opened the door and was suprised by his mother, grandparents, and his blue-grey haired friend, who hugged him, shouting 'Happy Birthday!'. He was opening his presents, when he came upon a small crystal ball in one of them. He looked up at his friend, and noticed a weird look on his face. The man's last words whispered in his mind, "Thank you and good luck to you always, Suiko no Shin. "

Email me for any comments you might have. And you can copy my story if you would like, but please email me first. The Ronin Scouts are watching! ;)