Snarling in rage, Kokuen-Oh unleashed the giant boomerang and sent it spiraling towards Byakuen and the Chibi Troopers. He watched in utter disappointment as Byakuen, who was still holding the Troopers, lunged aside just as the boomerang reached them. The weapon smashed through a couple of full grown trees, shattering their bark into thousands of tiny pieces.

Byakuen landed roughly on his knees, his back facing the impact of the boomerang. The sharp pieces of bark flew all over the place and he lowered his body over the children so they wouldn't be hurt.

I have to get them into a safe place, he thought in a panic. Kokuen-Oh is mad with power, but why? Why so suddenly? It doesn't make sense? Could Kuroi Kikoutei be the one making him do all of this? Just like it did with Mukara...?

"Yaku-chan, I'm scared," Chibi Rekka whispered, his face resting against Byakuen's shoulder. "What're we gonna do? Kokuen-Oh-san wants to hurt us."

"Well he won't," Byakuen reassured the child. As soon as the tiny shards of bark stopped flying, he stood up and released the Chibi Troopers. He eyed them wearily, seeing how each of them were looking up to him. They needed him. They needed his protection, his friendship, and his love... They needed HIM. If they were to fall against either Kokuen-Oh or Sachiriku... dear god. He couldn't stand seeing anymore of them cry.

Turning on his heels, Byakuen glared at Kokuen-Oh, who still remained afloat in the atmosphere. He stared at him for long moments, calmly and silently, as if nothing was going on. The Chibi Troopers were puzzled but they knew not to question his actions.

Byakuen frowned and narrowed his eyes. "It... It can't be," he murmured under his breath. He used his good arm to raise his hand and run his fingers along his dirty white hair. "Kokuen-Oh... this is not you. I knew it!"

Chibi Rekka made his way over to him, his little face covered in dirt and small cuts. He tugged on Byakuen's hand and asked, "What're you doing?"

"Someone is controlling Kokuen-Oh," Byakuen replied, saying this more to himself than to Chibi Rekka no Ryo. He had a look of determination set on his handsome yet bruised face. "And it's not Kuroi Kikoutei. In fact... the full power of that armor is not all there!"

"Huh?!" The child was obviously confused.

Meanwhile Kokuen-Oh threw his head back and laughed. He lifted his hand into the air and caught the giant black boomerang with ease. Lowering his head, he glowered at the Chibi Troopers and Byakuen.

He said softly, "Fool, I DO have power. The power of Kuroi Kikuotei will make me invincible. I went to Sachiriku for the power of revenge. She gave me this power in which I shall use to release the suffering I feel upon the entire world!"

"Why?" Byakuen cried, taking a step forward. He opened his arms out and cried out, "WHY?! Why are you doing this?! Why did you turn against us?!"

"I have held such hatred in my heart towards you, Rekka no Ryo, Kaosu - everyone. You took Kenboukyou-sama away from me. He was the only person I was ever with and together we won countless victories against our enemies. I was in power as well as he. We overcame all odds! But ever since Rekka defeated him for the Korestsu Ken, you became a thorn at my side. Over the years I helped you but secretly, I plotted against you. Who was the one who helped the Troopers in battle? Me. Who was the one who saved your life, Byakuen? Me. Who was the one who gave the yoroi gem of Suiko to Mukara? Me. It's all about me!!!"

Byakuen's eyes were wide in shock. He admitted that he and Kokuen-Oh hadn't always gotten along but when together as one, they were a force to be reckoned with. But ever since they had been separated, the two of them were each other's perfect rivals.

"Kokuen-Oh," Byakuen said in a quiet tone. "I... I'm sorry..."

Howling in fury, Kokuen-Oh gripped the boomerang, almost to the point where it began to snap in the middle. He barked, "Sorry? You're sorry?! How DARE you apologize now! How DARE you even think of doing something as stupid as that! Byakuen, I swear to you that I will kill you for what you've made me go through!!!"

A blaze of red and white light surrounded the Kuroi Kikoutei. It flowed about him like a fiery ball of pure energy, protecting Kokuen-Oh like a shield. He bared his teeth and suddenly began to plummet towards the earth, making his way straight to Byakuen. He was like a shooting star, at once beautiful to see but only to realize that this star had mutated into an apocalyptic terror.

Byakuen closed his eyes and gently pushed Chibi Rekka back. "Go."

"What?!" Chibi Rekka exclaimed, his voice trembling. Kokuen-Oh was coming towards them rapidly. "I can't leave you, Yaku-chan!"

"I said go!"

"But--!"

"YAKU-CHAN!" The other Chibi Troopers raced over and made a circle around him. Chibi Rekka quickly joined their circle and together, the five boys held hands. All of them closed their eyes.

Byakuen screamed, "NO! Get out of the way!"

Suddenly a gentle, colorful aura was seen encircling the Chibi Troopers and Byakuen. From this, an energy burst was unleashed, like a transparent pillar. Each Chibi Troopers' symbol glowed on his forehead.

:JIN:

:CHI:

:GI:

:CHI:

:REI:

Byakuen also closed his eyes, feeling a surge renewed strength flow within his body. His arm, once broken and managed, was now fixed. His shoulder too, was back in its place. All of this wounds were healed as well as the Chibi Troopers' as the energy swirled about them.

"What is this?!" Kokuen-Oh shrieked. Just as he reached his victims, the tall beam of energy forced him back and sent him crashing to the ground.

Landing on his knees, Kokuen-Oh struggled to get up. He used the boomerang to pull himself to his feet but gasped as it suddenly snapped in half and vanished. "I don't understand!"

Out of the blue, a tiny cry was heard. "SHIN KUU HAA!"

Kokuen-Oh was caught off guard as Chibi Tenku's attack power overwhelmed him. The pain trickled about his body but he forced himself to stay on his feet.

"GAN TES SAI!" He was now sent tumbling back, his body striking the ground and each time he went down, a piece of the black armor would break apart.

"CHOR YUU HAA!" Without warning, he reared back in pain as a vast water attack was unleashed and slammed into his chest. The chest plate of Kuroi Kikoutei was cracking rapidly.

"RAI KO ZAN!" The blast forced Kokuen-Oh down onto one knee. He raised his arm and held it in front of his forehead.

"W-What now...?" he whimpered in pain.

Not a moment too soon was yet another attack power: "SO EN ZAN!"

~*~

"This can't be!" Kaijin cried in frustration.

He took a few steps back away from his crystal ball. He watched in astonishment as the power of the Chibi Troopers overwhelmed Kokuen-Oh. A pure white light filled the view from Kaijin and without warning, the crystal ball exploded. The energy that once swirled aimlessly in the room had dissipated. The room was now cold and forbidding as it was when Kaijin first stepped foot into it.

Fists shaking at his side and eyes glowing with furor, Kaijin screamed, "NO! My spell! They broke the spell over that man-tiger! Argh!"

He lowered his head and frowned underneath his golden mask. "Now I'll have to face Sachiriku-sama in shame. Damn you, Samurai Troopers. I will get you if it's the last thing I do!"

~*~

"Kokuen-Oh?"

"Kokuen-Oh, are you okay?"

"Maybe he's dead."

"Dead people don't breathe, stupid."

"Shut up, Shin no baka!"

He groaned miserably as he opened his eyes. He found himself lying flat on the ground. Hovering over him were five little boys in armors and without helmets. Each of them smiled as they saw him wake up.

"He's okay!" Chibi Rekka cheered. He threw his hands up happily. "I'm so glad!"

"What's going on...?" Kokuen-Oh frowned; ever so slowly did he sit up. He sat back on his hands and found himself wearing his dark colored subarmor. The Kuroi Kikoutei was no where to be seen. The forest flourished around him and overhead, the sun began to set into the horizon.

Kneeling beside him, Byakuen gave Kokuen-Oh a small smile. "We're glad you're okay."

"You idiots!" Kokuen-Oh shoved Byakuen away and turned his head aside in disgust. "Why are you being so nice to me?! I tried to kill you, for god's sake! And here you are treating me as if I were your friend!"

"You ARE our friend," Chibi Tenku said softly. His round blue eyes sparkled with a sense of reason.

"What you did wasn't entirely your fault," Byakuen implied as he got back to a kneeling position. He stared at Kokuen-Oh hard and steadily. "I figured out what happened. You see... Yes, you really were angry towards us, but it wasn't you who was causing all of the damage, it was the left over power of Kuroi Kikoutei and Kaijin. He was using you the whole time like a puppet. Using his dark magic, he was dominating your emotions and twisting them until they were truly evil." He quickly added, “That and I’m a tiger. Animals can sense certain feelings better than humans, so go figure.”

The dark haired man frowned in discontent. "I was being used? But... But I joined Sachiriku willingly! She promised me that I would..."

His voice trailed off. He should've realized this sooner. Sachiriku was not a sane woman. She could've been lying the whole time - well, she DID lie to him. She only used him for her psychotic purposes. And for her minion, Kaijin, to control him the way he did so easily... Here he was, following them like a stupid little lamb, in hopes to gain their trust. What a fool he was.

"Kaijin somehow brought back what was left of Kuroi Kikoutei and used you to wear it," Byakuen continued. "In a way, the armor was revived but only for a short period of time. But now it’s destroyed for good and you are free."

An uncomfortable silence filled the area. The Chibi Troopers were unruffled and unusually quiet. Kokuen-Oh was staring at the sky as if it were stained in blood. All the while Byakuen had his eyes fixed upon his twin. He refrained himself from saying anything as he saw what he thought were tears in Kokuen-Oh's eyes. Tears of passion and yearning.

Rising to his feet, Byakuen rubbed the back of his neck. "Come on boys, let's go home,” he said to them. “Nasuti-san must be very worried about us."

The Chibi Troopers quietly did as they were told. The sound of metal creaking was heard (from their subarmors) as the little boys got to their feet, but Kokuen-Oh didn't seem to notice. One by one the Chibi Troopers filed out from the clearing until it was only Byakuen. The white-haired man slowly gazed over his shoulder.

"Kokuen-Oh," he said, "you can do what you want. But I'm going to help my friends." As he turned around, he heard his name being called out.

"Byakuen."

He froze in his spot and listened to the sound of footsteps approaching. He closed his eyes as he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. The hand gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"You were nice to me." Kokuen-Oh's statement was rather mused. "I don't understand..."

"You learn a lot from humans," Byakuen replied softly, his amiable brown eyes gazing out at the darkening forest. "They have so much compassion that they express everyday in their lives. I was fortunate to have Kaosu teach me these things. Even as a tiger, I understood the emotions that humans go through: happiness, sadness, guilt, anger... With Ryo, it's so much more. I understand him as he understands me. He is my best friend as I am his."

"You are lucky to have such a friend."

"Didn't Kenboukyou teach you...?"

"He was a noble warrior with little time to explain to a tiger about emotion. All there was, was honor and defiance. You needn't be sad or happy. You needed to battle in order to survive. I... I envy you."

Gradually, Byakuen turned around until he was facing Kokuen-Oh. Grinning, he said, "You can start over. Let me... I mean let us be your friends. It doesn't hurt at all."

"Don't go soft on me," Kokuen-Oh growled with a hint of laughter. "Just... Just let me fight alongside you once more. I want to get revenge for what Sachiriku and Kaijin did to me. They will pay for humiliating me."

The two gazed at one another for a few moments, absorbing what one said to the other. A soft breeze blew and ruffled their fine hairs. Finally Byakuen turned around and yelled, "Race you!"

With that, he took off, leaving the dark haired man behind. Kokuen-Oh chuckled and shook his head. "What a child you are... WAIT UP!"

Snickering, he took off after Byakuen, leaving behind the empty battle field. The sounds of the shakujo's rings was heard, gently clattering in the breeze like a wind chime playing a smooth melody of peace.

~*~

Chibi Ryo: Kaosu's staff follows us to Nasuti-san's house! But that's just one of the many problems that erupt! Seoul-san reveals secrets that should help us in our adventures! What can these secrets be? See you in the next episode of Choroiden-Chamurai Troopers: “Haunting Memories! Sachiriku’s Threat!” BUSO!