Rainbow Dash cringed as her brand burned, sending sharp waves of pain up her arm. The brand seemed to burn the further she and Masami explored the old soldier barracks on level four. This floor had different sub-levels and was designed like a city square. The plaza in the center had many trees and park benches; whispers of old soldiers seemed to gather there, remnants of the once bustling miniature-metropolis. It was quite serene in fact; time had not withered the segregated world around them like it did for other areas of the complex, and an artificial moonlight was cast down upon the plaza, focusing the light into the center, where the towering statue of a seraph stood. The demeanour of the statue was harsh and bold like it was almost threatening; holding a sword in its right hand and a broad shield in the other. It looked towards the light as if it was some kind of prophetic soul, a being to guide the ghosts of old soldiers. However, an angel of war was not suited to guide spirits, as the tales say. Thus, the invisible souls that dwelled within the nooks and crannies could not find respite. They were frozen forever in time, like the dead trees and shrubs that surrounded the angel.

"Pretty haunting..." Rainbow Dash muttered, wary of the ghostly atmosphere around her.

"Yeah, but it's kind of pretty in a way too," Masami added, looking up at the artificial moon above her head as she walked towards the angel in the center. It was then that she heard growling, low and ominous. "Hold up. I think Ichirou is in here somewhere..."

"You think?" Rainbow Dash wondered, listening in to hear the looming figure out of her sight.

"Most definitely," Masami nodded slowly as she placed a hand on Rainbow Dash's shoulder and gave her a peck on the cheek. "No matter what happens, I want you to stay close, okay?"

"Alright." Rainbow Dash agreed as she felt her brand burn once more, pulsing off and on as danger drew closer. She grabbed her "Ah, damn..."

"Is it your brand again?" Masami whispered to her as she watched the brand on Rainbow Dash's hand begin to glow.

"Yeah, it's on the fritz right now." Rainbow Dash replied quietly as she wrapped it in her handkerchief again. "I think it's trying to warn me or something..." A loud rumble echoed in the distance on the other side of the plaza, something dark and threatening. "Over there. It's coming from over there."

A shadow began to inch its way across the ground, around a tree, eventually snaking its way up the angel statue, manifesting at the top, right on the seraph's head. The shadows gathered, forming a being, the same one from Masami's nightmares. Ichirou.

"What fascinations the Friedenstruppen had with angels..." Ichirou snickered as his Oni mask began to emerge from the black mass of shadow. "They believed the seraphim watched over them in battle, guided them to their destiny. I suppose in a way, it did lead them to their destiny..." Ichirou was lost in thought for a moment, then motioned to Masami. "Did you know that Leere was an angel once?"

"It's nice to see you too, Ichirou." Masami scowled as she clenched her fists. It was clear to Rainbow Dash that Masami was holding back immeasurable anger.

Ichirou's eyes glazed over Rainbow Dash's wings for a moment, then spoke to her. "You there. Are you some sort of descendant of the seraphim?"

"No, I'm-..." Rainbow Dash felt his words bore into her ears like daggers, momentarily halting her speech. "I'm a pegasus."

"Ah, the one from Equestria?" Ichirou grinned as he once again melted into a shadow, rematerializing a few meters away from them. "Yes, Kaiser has told me about you."

"Would you quit stalling, Ichirou?" Masami said as she reached for her katana, slowly unsheathing it. The quiet 'ching' echoing throughout the plaza.

"Ah, Angreifer... Ausrüstung's fearsome warrior-maiden– or should I say, warrior-harlot..." Ichirou snarled as he taunted Masami.

"At least I have a little fun, right? When's the last time you got laid, huh?" Masami snapped back at him, trying to cut through her own rage with humour.

"I need no such pleasures anymore, Masami. I have Gek to guide me, to comfort me..." Ichirou answered, lost in a delusion.

"You know, you never were the best at banter, Ichirou..." Masami shook her head in disappointment.

"That name no longer has any meaning to me! I, Kanakirigoe, will kill you both and assimilate your souls into my shadow!" Ichirou growled at her as a katana arose from a shadow he cast on the ground, his cursed blade. "Are you prepared to face your demise?"

"Cut the honourable warrior crap and fight us, alright?" Masami loosened up, letting go of her rage as she prepared her blade.

"As you wish." Ichirou held his breath, then melted into a shadow once more, scattering himself amongst the surrounding blackness in the plaza.

"Where'd he go?!" Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as she heard Ichirou's laughter in all directions.

"He became a shadow," Masami said as she raised her katana above her head, preparing a counter. She then reacted, and deflected a thin slash of dark energy that clashed with her blade for a moment before dissipating. A second, unexpected attack then sliced her arm from behind, gouging a moderately deep wound into her left shoulder. "Ah!" She grimaced in pain, stumbling forward a bit.

"You're slow, Masami. You've gotten rusty." Ichirou laughed in the distance.

"And you've gotten cheap." Masami retorted as she raised her katana out in front of her body. "Stay wary, Rainbow Dash."

It was then that Ichirou sprung out of the shadows and attacked Rainbow Dash from behind. To his surprise, however, he was much faster than most opponents he had fought before, and she easily dodged a wide sweep from his katana, jumping over him. She cocked her legs back and delivered a penetrating kick to his back as she landed on the other side of him, launching him forwards. As he fell, he transformed into a shadow once more, laughing.

"Most impressive..." Ichirou snickered as he praised Rainbow Dash. "Is this your latest one-night-stand, Masami?"

"Like hell I'd dump a mare who can kick your ass, bastard," Masami grinned over at Rainbow Dash, who nodded and winked back at her.

"Amusing..." Ichirou sighed as he sat in the shadows. "Tell me, pegasus... do you know how many mares Masami has gone through?"

"Don't listen to him, Kitten. I haven't met anypony like you before..." Masami insisted, confessing her feelings to Rainbow Dash in that very moment. "I've only got eyes for you."

"Kitten? Hmm... interesting." Ichirou cackled again as he emerged from the shadows, letting loose a harrowing cry that shook the concrete foundation of the barracks. "Kuroko's Scream!"

"Rainbow Dash, plug your ears!" Masami tried to warn her, but it was too late. Rainbow Dash was blown back by the immense wave of power, and flew into a tree with great force, incapacitating her for a moment. Thankfully she recovered, but before she could come to Masami's aid, Ichirou shrouded her in a veil of shadows, entrapping her a dome of darkness. "Rainbow Dash!" Masami shouted over to her companion, then looked to Ichirou, who was readying his katana. "Bastard..."

"I'll deal with her after I've killed you..." Ichirou said as he approached her menacingly, raising his blade.

"Fuck you!" Masami reached for her assault rifle and open-fired, sheathing her katana to aim down her sights. Ichirou dodged the bullets swiftly, fading in and out of shadows as he got closer and closer to Masami. After emptying her clip, Ichirou appeared before her, grabbing her assault rifle and crushing it in his grip. He then struck her in the chest with a palm strike, fracturing two ribs, and sending her tumbling back, out of breath. "Shit!"

"This ends now." Ichirou's Oni mask contorted into a wide, jagged grin as he raised his blade again.

Within her dome, Rainbow Dash felt her exposed brand glow and burn brighter than ever, much to Rainbow Dash's frustration; her impatience got the better of her. "Would you quit whining and tell me what you want, you stupid thing?!"

The brand's glow faded for a moment, then pulsed one more time. However, it did not seem to burn that time. It spoke to her once again. "Metal..."

Rainbow Dash's branded hand launched forward automatically, grabbing a random piece of steel within the dome that had been sitting on the ground. As she gripped it in her hand, her fingers began to darken and harden into a firm, yet supernaturally flexible metal. Her hand became encased in a steel membrane, then her arm, then her entire body. She became entirely composed of steel within seconds, save for her hair and eyes.

"Woah..." Rainbow Dash lightly chuckled as she crouched down, loading up her legs. "Let's see what I can do!"

With substantial effort, Rainbow Dash burst out of her shadowy prison, launching herself high into the air. She then spread her metal wings and lunged at Ichirou, slamming into him with the full force of a rapidly swinging girder. The blow knocked Ichirou back, smashing him through the metal statue of the angel and onto a sub-level.

Masami gawked at the steel mare before her, utterly speechless for what seemed like forever. "Rainbow Dash... how the hell did you do that?!"

"It was the brand!" Rainbow Dash pointed at the mark on her hand, not noticing Ichirou preparing another attack.

"Rainbow Dash, look out!" Masami tried warning her, but Rainbow Dash was hit with another scream.

"Kuroko's Scream!" Ichirou wailed as he sheathed his katana. However, it did not have the desired effect.

Rainbow Dash was barely affected by the force, and the vibrations passed through her steel body with ease. "Holy crap!"

"Hmm... I'm not sure how you were able to pull that off without magic, pegasus, but this little trick won't help you against this!" Ichirou snarled as he grabbed the handle of his katana, readying a sword technique. He then unsheathed the blade, a demonic snarl escaping the blade as it became enveloped in darkness. "Cursed Blade Technique: Kuroko's Ink!"

Streams of shadow began to melt off of the blade like a quill coated in too much ink, dripping onto the ground. As they did so, they whipped forward, travelling along the ground until they met with Rainbow Dash. The tendrils then sprung upwards, slashing Rainbow Dash in rapid succession, battering her metal armor until it shattered completely.

"No metal can withstand the strength of spirit blades, pegasus. No matter how strong it is, my spirit blade shall always cut through it because I will it to do so!" Ichirou snarled again as he grabbed Rainbow Dash by the neck and tossed her aside into another tree. As she impacted it, it snapped in two, and Rainbow Dash tumbled down, the tree slamming down upon her as she fell to the ground. "There's one down..."

"You bastard! I'm going to kill you if you hurt her anymore, Ichirou!" Masami screamed as she furiously swung at him, putting all of her strength into her upward strike.

"Pathetic!" Ichirou cackled as he effortlessly blocked the two-handed swing with a simple, one-handed parry. He then grabbed Masami by her hair and pulled her in close, slamming her chest into his hard knee. She was winded by the blow, and Ichirou slashed her across the leg within this timeframe. She stumbled back, grabbing a grenade off of her belt. Masami tossed it at him, but Ichirou simply waved his hand, ordering the shadows to consume the device. They did as they were told, and they absorbed the blast like it was nothing but a flimsy firecracker. "It's hopeless, Masami! I am the superior fighter! Perhaps you would've been a worthy adversary if you spent less time with your disgusting lifestyle of sleeping around with other mares and more time focusing on Hiro's teachings!"

"Homophobic asshole-..." Masami was cut off by Ichirou, who gave her a firm roundhouse kick to her groin, stunning her. "Bastard-!"

Ichirou then grabbed the back of her neck and quickly tore his mask off to reveal his face. He looked just like Hiro when he was younger; his hazel eyes, his thin brows, his pronounced cheekbones. He was the spinning image of his father, and it shook Masami to her core when Ichirou brought her closer, greedily shoving his tongue down her throat. She resisted to the best of her ability, trying to hit pressure points on his neck, but with her injuries, she was not able to break free. Ichirou began to grope her rear with his free hand, asserting his dominance over her, bringing her to tears as she continued to resist the sexual assault. Ichirou moved his hand around and up, caressing her ample chest as he lightly bit down on her tongue. She screamed into his mouth as Ichirou moved his hand up again, digging his armored fingertips into her left shoulder.

"Simply exquisite..." Ichirou licked his lips like a wolf that had just dug into its fresh kill as he pushed her back onto the ground. "That was something I've been wanting to collect from you for a very long time, Masami... thank you." Ichirou sighed as he watched Masami stand up once again, steadfast as ever. "Ah, the spinning image of your mother; a bitch who doesn't know when to just give up. You know, I think you should be thanking me. The world could use less worthless dykes like you-!"

Rainbow Dash's metal-covered fist collided into Ichirou's face with untold speed, shattering the left side of his face entirely and launching him into the ground with earth-shattering strength. He impacted the floor, creating a sizeable crater and launching dust high into the air. Rainbow Dash's eyes burned with incomprehensible rage, so much that it seemed as if her pupils became red. "Don't you ever shut the fuck up?!"

Ichirou recovered, but with great difficulty. The savage blow certainly damaged him greatly, and he felt waves of pain across his body as he stood. "You fucking-!" Rainbow Dash kicked him in the gut, which blew him back again, winding him. However, he regained his strength much faster that time."Rrrraagghh! That's it! You die first! Become one with my shadow! Cursed Blade Technique: Kuroko's Dark Judgement!"

A massive tower of shadows escaped Ichirou's sword and barrelled towards Rainbow Dash, blowing apart the benches and trees, and growing wider until it left no avenue for Rainbow Dash to escape. She could only watch as the shadow consumed her. Rainbow Dash shielded her face with her steel-covered arms, but she knew that such a defence against the giant shadow would be nothing. Just before she lost hope, however, she saw a blue light in the corner of her eye. Then, she heard Masami's voice, stronger and bolder than ever.

"Sacred Blade Technique: Byakko's Shrine!" Masami shouted as she stood in front of Rainbow Dash, raising her blade high into the air, enveloping it in a pure, blue aura.

A wall of blue light surrounded Masami and Rainbow Dash, absorbing and deflecting the shadows. And in that moment, Rainbow Dash saw Masami look back at her with a peaceful, serene expression, like a benevolent guardian spirit. As the shadows retreated, Masami kept her blade at the ready, the blue light still clinging to it, shining like a bright lantern. Dozens of tiny speckles of light spawned off of the sword, dancing in the air like fireflies for a brief moment before rising into the air and fading away.

Masami's wounds didn't seem to bother her anymore, and strangest of all, nine blue, spectral fox tails replaced her usual black one. Her breathing was calm, steady, as if her mind had entered into another realm, much quieter than their own. She stared down Ichirou, who seemed gobsmacked by the whole thing. "You're wrong Ichirou, I have been training. I just never use what I've learned... because it reminds me of Sato Island, you, Hiro. I suppose it was my way of coping with all that happened to us. I slept around because my spirit constantly has been wandering, searching for somepony..." Masami said to him as she looked back at Rainbow Dash, giving her a wink and a smile. "And now... Hiro's spirit has somepony to protect."

"Masami..." Rainbow Dash was left speechless, and her heart beat faster as she watched the blue light surround them. The blue aura of the blade manifested into the spirit of a nine-tailed, giant white fox with glowing blue eyes, almost three meters tall. Rainbow Dash felt an immediate sense of security as it coiled its tails around them both, shielding them from supernatural harm. "Woah."

"So... this is Hiro's guardian spirit, Byakko," Ichirou grinned as his eyes turned into his usual dark pools, with a minuscule purple dot standing for his pupils. "I once dreamed of wielding that power. But now, I have a power even greater than his precious White Fox!" Another translucent, black fox spirit manifested around Ichirou, but its presence was disturbing, and its cries made it seem as if it were in pain. Its eyes were empty, with demonic pupils like Ichirou's, and it was not well kempt and graceful like the white fox. It was emaciated and mangy, with patches of hair missing all over. "Behold! This is Kuroko, the guardian spirit given to me by The Shadouītā Scrolls!"

"Rainbow Dash... you ready?" Masami asked her beloved companion as she gave her a comforting smile.

"Yeah, let's do this!" Rainbow Dash said with determination as she grabbed another scrap of metal off of the concrete floor, using the power of her brand to coat herself in metal once again.

"How poetic, Masami! The White Kitsune versus The Black Kitsune! The dark versus the light!" Ichirou grinned maliciously as the two fox spirits began to snarl at one another.

Author's Notes:

Sorry kids, fox spirits don't have boobs like they do in those Sakura games. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!