Yoroiden Samurai Troopers: Another Story
Author's Notes and Prologue

This story is going to take place after the second Yoroiden Samurai Troopers movie, where they no longer have their armors (if you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, read the OAV summaries somewhere). This story will also have spoilers if you don't know what happened after the series and in the movies.

I'll be trying my hardest to keep in touch with the original storyline (armor names, character names, etc.) and if there's anyone who'll help me with the Japanese spelling, grammar, spelling, or anything like that, that would be great. :-) I'll be gradually adding chapters because I'm a slow writer and I want to make sure everything's absolutely perfect before letting anyone read my material. Then again there always seems to be something wrong even after it's checked...

Oh yeah. Before I forget, Yoroiden Samurai Troopers is not my creation (don't I wish though) but is property of Sunrise/Nagoya TV. Well, I'll stop babbling now and let you go. If you have any questions or comments (believe me, I'd love to hear from you guys but no huge flames please--it's my first time displaying my writing), email me at penance65@aol.com and I'll respond as soon as I can.

Thank you and I hope you enjoy my story!

Rekka-chan

P.S. PLEEEEAAAASE email me! Love to hear from you all! Really! And if you don't, I'll just have to take your favorite Trooper or Masho hostage then! You won't know which one until it's too late! Bwahaha! Er, um, sorry about that... You get the message. :-) penance65@aol.com--can't go wrong here! Bye bye!

Prologue

A woman knelt before the throne, garbed in ice-blue armor. Her white hair fell just past her shoulders, ruffled by the cool winds blowing from behind. Her blue eyes were cast upon the ruler who sits before her, the master. She was frightened dearly but she dared not show any hint of emotion on her face -- that would be a fatal mistake.

"You summoned me, Arago-sama?"

Arago regarded the woman cooly. Death was all around him and that made him a fierce and not to mention feared ruler. "Yes. I have heard many stories about you and your ideas lately."

The woman swallowed nervously. "I-Ideas, my lord?"

"About you wanting to become more powerful, to become a warrior of great strength, to have power itself -- is that right?" Arago's tone was flat, and this made her a bit startled. "Is this true, Sachiriku?"

She nodded. "Hai, Arago-sama. I was... thinking. Thinking that maybe if I was granted m-more power than I have now, p-perhaps we can get rid of the human vermin who side with Kaos much more sufficiently...?"

True, the woman known as Sachiriku wasn't really just thinking of herself; with a bit more energy, she could wipe out Kaos and his clan with just one sweep of her sword. Surely her master would understand this.

Wouldn't he?

Well, after all, she was only human herself, and did want to prove to the others that she was capable of bringing victory to a land that she did not "belong" in.

Arago just sat there, not moving. Sachiriku couldn't tell if he was angry, upset, or what. She lowered her gaze onto the red carpet and thought, I should not have done this. This is suicide for even me to be here... or to even ask Arago-sama for anything!

A tall shadow fell over the woman's body. Sachiriku slowly lifted her head to find Arago standing before her. She didn't even hear him get up, and she had the sharpest sense of hearing -- for a human being, of course.

Arago knelt down and with one hand, grabbed Sachiriku by the neck and hauled her off of the ground. She dared not fight back but instead tried to not lose consciousness. Arago's grip was that of iron, literally squeezing the life out of her.

"So, you want power, do you?" the tyrant ruler asked, his tone dripping with acid. A strange, eerie glow came from the eyeholes of his red mask. "Do you, my dear Sachiriku? Do you want it? The power?"

With every ounce of her will, the woman kept her arms at her sides. She nodded. "Hai, Arago-sama. I want it. The power. I want it, please..." Arago laughed viciously as he held her in the air. Sachiriku felt her heart thump about wildly in her chest and she quickly explained, "It's for the good of the empire, my lord, I swear it! I remember you saying that I was truly one of your most loyal warriors, and so I-I figured..."

"You figured nothing," Arago said with a growl. "How dare you ask me of such a favor! Can't you see that we have the humans right where we want them, and you are only thinking of yourself? Foolish, foolish woman. It is because of me that you are a warrior and that you have a place in the Youjakai. No, you decided that this was not enough, did you?"

"M-Master, please!" Sachiriku cried. "I-I-I didn't mean for you to--"

"Power is what you want?" Arago inquired. His grip around her neck loosened a bit. "How would you like to have a power level equal to all four of the Demon Generals? Or of Badamon's? Or even... mine?"

Sachiriku nodded without even thinking about it, her greed washing over her mind. "Yes! I want it! I want to be all-powerful so I can please you, Arago-sama! I--?!" She stopped and covered her mouth with her hands. What in the world had she done? She shook her head feverously and cursed herself inwardly. "N-No! I didn't mean it! Honestly!"

Arago laughed and still holding her with one hand, he brought his other hand up and hovered it over Sachiriku's face. "You power-hungry little fool, so easily confused. You want to know what kind of power I dwell upon? Well, then if it is power you want, then you will get it." He clamped his hand over her face and she gasped.

At Arago's touch, Sachiriku's mind expanded at the speed of thought, racing instantly from one side of reality to the other, through all the infinite reaches of space and time. In the blink of an eye, she fouind herself in touch with the universe -- her brain flooded with all the myriad, absolute, contradictory truths of existence.

She screamed. Unable to cope, she ran. Unable to escape, she drowned.

She was, after all, only human -- a woman with limited awareness, limited power, limited ability, transformed into a goddess. Some people can handle the experience. Some people can't.

She can't.

Arago dropped Sachiriku onto the ground and watched as her now grotesque body curled up into a ball, raw energy sizzling out from her. It looked as though she had been burnt for nearly hours from the sun's eternal flames. Nothing seemed quite human about her anymore.

A couple of youja-soldiers entered the throne room and halted when they saw their lord standing before them. Arago took one glance at the body and kicked it over to their feet.

"Dispose of the body," he ordered as he turned around to return to his seat.

The soldiers stared at the body in horror. Arago, sensing the fear they were emitting, turned around and told them, "This is a warning to all of those who want more than I am generously offering. Display it to the others and then get rid of it."

Immediately, the soldiers carried the shriveled body out of the throne room and out of Arago's sight. He simply watched them vanish into the darkness before laughing maniacally at nothing in particular.

Centuries pass... a new life crawls out of the darkness. What will await the slayers of the demon ruler? They think the fighting is over and that the world no longer needs them.

They are wrong.

**End of Prologue