~~~Yagyu residence~~~

I looked around this bright room, the sunlight streaming in through the windows. The knowledge that the yoroi bearers will be returning to their den thrilled me as I could taste the magic in their yoroi on my tongue. Sharp and poignant, the virtue taste of heavenly ambrosia to my kind. I am a hunter of magic. A seeker of the old and arcane arts and powers. I was created by Master only to serve him until I was to die. I turned away from the blinking box. The girl who's body I had copied vanished through the portal Master created where she would be held until her spirit will be drank like the Kaos's descendent and the three Masho. Their fight was grand, the game was long and tiring but they lost. And they paid for it dearly.

"Prepare for their arrival."

"Hai."

"Make this game a better one than the Masho's."

"Hai."

"Let the show begin then, my dear."

"Hai."

I waited for the link between Master and I to die away. Yes, this game will be better than the ones Master has seen in the past. To own the Trooper yorois has been his desire even before the great battle between Arago and Kaos. His wish was to own the once whole armor of the demon Arago but it had evaded Master's grasp. But now, split into nine pieces the yorois had even greater powers than before. Perfect for Master.

All now I have to wait for the yoroi bearers to return home. Patience. Patience. The prey will return to their den soon enough. I reveled in the swirling clouds of their magical auras. It was all around me and only visible to me. Their scent. I narrowed my eyes at the blinking screen. Light. I hate that light. So artificial and cold. Human made like everything in this room. This den even. I clenched my right hand and punched through the glass all the way through to the other side. Ugly fake light. The sharp glass and metal scraped and slashed through the tender skin. Human skin. I yanked my hand back out and studied it. Beads of red blood welled up and then trickled down my hands. Red blood. Not the color of my kind. My blood, from the last time I had bled in my true form was silver. So long ago. No prey had made me bleed. It was Master. He was the only one who was able to hurt me. Hurt me and make me feel pain. Such delicious pain that tore at my body and mind, bringing me closer to him in body and soul. Only pain brought on by punishment could be so perfect. So incredibly perfect. I watched the broken pieces of skin curl down and touch. Then the skin melded together with a glowing dark energy. Yes. It was almost time. They are returning.

~~~En route to Yagyu residence~~~

The school bell rang awhile ago and the Troopers finally gathered together to return home. They all decided not to attend their club meetings, the need to be around other people was deadened. All five piled into Nasuti's red jeep. Even though the sun was shining, a dark gloomy atmosphere was cast upon the five boys once they entered their vehicle. The chattering and laughing of their fellow students died down immediately when the last door was slammed shut, shutting them into the metal cage. It was a whole another world outside the car. None of the joy, laughter and cheeriness reached inside once the doors were closed. The locking of the doors echoed in their heads. They were locked in from human contact. They were alone. Seiji gazed out the window and it seemed that the outside world was shut off from him especially. Visions of this morning was never far from his mind as Touma started the car beside him. The group began to drive home.

"Daijobu desu ka?" Touma asked Seiji. His boyfriend was always silent but this was too much. Touma was worried. He had noticed that Seiji hadn't looked him straight in the eye since this morning. He assumed it was something he had said or did but he could think of nothing that he might have commited. His talks with the others revealed nothing about Seiji's moody silence.

"Hai..." Seiji replied distractedly. He concentrated on dispelling the fear in his heart. "Daijobu desu." {It was only a nightmare. Just a nightmare and it's not real. It's about Touma...being dead...} Seiji felt a cool strong hand over his and it squeezed his own reassuringly.

"You sure?" Touma asked, holding onto Seiji's still hand. Seiji turned around and gave Touma a faint smile, still not meeting his eyes completely.

"It's nothing." Seiji lied. The lie was so damn apparent in his expressive distant blue eyes. Touma frowned at the answer and kept his hand on Seiji's as he continued driving, driving onto the highway back towards Nasuti's house. He wanted to say something to make whatever was bothering Seiji go away. But what to say? What to do? Touma's serious and worried expression caught Seiji's eyes and he tightened his own hand around Touma's. {He's worried about me.}

"It's ok." Seiji said. {It's stupid. I can't believe I'm getting so worked up over a nightmare.} "I'm over it." Seiji smiled. Touma smiled and raised his hand to stroke Seiji's cheek tenderly before returning his hand to Seiji's.

From the back, Ryo was muttering and complaining, ignoring his two friends in the front.

"God, I failed..." Ryo slumped in down in the backseat. "And I want everyone to know, I blame everyone in this car except for Seiji." Seiji didn't look at at the sound of his name, he was too engrossed in watching his boyfriend.

"You'll do better next time, Ryo." Touma brushed away that strand of blue hair in front of his eyes and concentrated on the road. "There's another test on Friday and you can make up for it."

"I hope so." Ryo said, sitting back up. "Hey, Seiji." Ryo nudged his friend in the front passenger seat.

"What?" Seiji turned around and Ryo stiffened. Another face looked out from Seiji's own. One more pale, withdrawn and emaciated. His cheeks were sunk in, eye sockets empty. "What is it, Ryo?" the figure asked him.

"Seiji!" Ryo nearly shouted, grabbing him. The empty eyes seem to be endless as the black pits went on forever in the shrunken head. Ryo reeled back in fright when the broken mouth opened and gave him a ghastly grin.

"Nani?" Seiji's voice snapped out in surprise, breaking the image in Ryo's mind.

"Boku...boku..." Ryo stuttered as Seiji's blue eyes were clearly looking at him. "I saw something strange just now."

"What are you talking Ryo?" Shuu asked, leaning forward.

"What do you mean strange?" Shin asked as well. "You're starting to freak me out with all your post-test ranting."

As to answer him, Shin's vision of Ryo became warped. Ryo's mouth opened in reply and his blackened twisted tongue flopped out. His eyes began to glow red and then they exploded with a small sickening pop. The messy white pus began to run down his smoking face. His creamy skin began to shrivel up and char from an invisible fire. Shin threw himself against the seat in terror as Ryo's head fell away as his body spasmed.

"Ryo!" Shin shrieked in terror as Ryo was being cooked by the invisible fire. Shin whimpered and held his hand over his mouth as the stench of cooked human flesh began to fill the car.

"Minna! Ryo..." coughed Shin as the invisible fire created visible black smoke all around him. "RYO!" Shin shouted and turned around. No one was in the car. No one and yet the car was still driving.

"WHAT?" Ryo shouted, knocking Shin's mind back to reality. Shin looked around rapidly in terror at everyone but continued to cough as the Troopers looked at him in concern. Shin felt like someone was squeezing his lungs from the inside, wrapping their long thin bloodless fingers around his heart and just tightening their hold on him. His lungs burned and he convulsed with the attack, unable to say anything more.

"Shin..." Shuu reached over to pat him on the back. The high whir of seat belts being pulled filled the air as all the seat belts in the car began to fly around. Shuu gasped out in pain as he was stuck across the face by the metal ends, knocking him away from Shin. A seat belt had wrapped itself around Shuu's mouth, cutting his voiced cries off. More wrapped themselves around his arms and legs, pulling hard to cocoon him in gray cloth bands efficiently. Shuu's struggles only made the seat belts tighter against his muscular body. The metal ends began to morph in Shuu's vision to become blades with curved teeth. Shuu struggled as the metal teeth began to bite and rake across his skin and face, digging into his flesh and tearing bloody chunks out from his body.

The panicked cries and coughing forced Touma to decide to pull off the road to check on Shin's condition. He pulled his hand away from Seiji's hand to use the turn signals but Seiji's hand flew up to lock Touma's in his steel grip.

"Seiji, what?" Touma turned to look at Seiji. He jerked backwards as the hand that held his was bleeding from numerous deep slashes. Blood covered Seiji's pale face as Seiji's face was scarred and pitted from disease and decay.

"It has begun." the figure whispered hoarsely. "You can only die now."

Touma couldn't reply as Seiji's hand went up and grabbed him around his mouth, cutting off his scream. It squeezed hard into his face, the sharp jagged nails scratching and burying themselves into his face. Tears came to Touma's eyes as he began to claw at Seiji's hand. His eyes widened as Seiji's other hand came up towards his eyes. His vision was then blocked and he felt a force began to strangle him. The pressure was constant and then it increased steadily, breaking into Touma's windpipe. Touma began to gag as screams of terror filled the car. Touma fought the demon on him, kicking and pushing him away. Shin continued to convulse as the hold around his lung and heart became like hot iron, burning him internally. Smoke filled the car as Ryo burned, his carcass falling to pieces and then ashes as Shuu could only watch in silence. Pain and fear filled Shuu's world.

The Jeep continued driving. Driving them home where their deaths awaited to be dealt to them by a creature of no remorse and conscience.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Japanese Phrases I Used:
Hai-Yes
Daijobu desu ka-Are you ok
Daijobu desu-I'm alright
Nani-What
Boku-I
Minna-Everyone

Symbols:
<> Flashbacks
[ ] Visions/Dreams
{}Thoughts
" " speech
~~~ ~~~Time/Scene changes
* * Actions/Sound Effects