-Clorox- -1- -Past Connections-

Loud footsteps are heard, a running silhouette is seen through the inside of an abandoned building, the sunlight brimming through the windows, the man gasps for air as he runs, running towards the light.

He steps out and puts his arm to cover his eyes from the blinding light, he looks onto a torn battlefield through this abandoned city, loud sounds of gunfire, and smoke permeating from shots fired from the artillery from all over, dead corpses litter the broken city as their scent lingers on, He is just one man belonging to a bigger war.

He quickly snaps to another nearby building, checking his sides for any enemies.

He responds to his allies' radio comms; "You know I can't stay here for long, right Himura?"

"I know! but "he's" here, we've been searching for months now and we can't let go of this lead! We can't distract him for long!" A female voice responded.

"Alright, but I can't hold him for more than 5 minutes, he's too strong.." the young man replied.

"You'll have backup, just distract him and "he'll" be there before then, just trust me.." She said.

"Copy that, I'll get his attention!" He quickly says.

He sprints forward and outside from the building, he spots hostiles near a cinema and aims for the kills, he throws in a flashbang as he hits two of them and slides into the right to stabs the other in the chest.

"Damn, guess I gotta ditch the stealth, well I got their attention atleast.. its time go in guns blazing!" He shouts as he runs faster, as his little skirmish getting the attention of more enemies, he runs inside the theater and towards its hallways.

"This city must've been great in its prime, too bad it doesn't exist anymore.." He says as he reloads his empty magazine.

His remarks are interrupted as he is shot from many directions inside, he ducks and runs to the bathroom.

He sees two men taking a leak....

feeling the awkwardness of the situation he responds with:

"Huh"

While they notice him, they start to grab their pistols from their holsters, he quickly grabs his rifle and shoots the first enemy's head while snapping to the other.

He sighs "Jeez I gotta hurry, before he'll escape" He says this while opening the door throwing in a grenade to the left, before rushing out as he runs towards the right to the other exits, his body emanating light as he sprints faster and faster, punching and grabbing the enemy's head and slamming him onto another enemy; breaking the glass doors and shattering them.

He breathes in for air, grabbing his knees as he checks his mags and equipment, he's got only one left for his rifle and two grenades, and no flashbangs.

"Alright, I'm here.. the abandoned Ferris wheel, where are you "Kurai no ken"? He says

A blade is suddenly near his neck, he quickly sweats and gulps as the enemy's aura overwhelms him, His palms getting sweatier and his body feeling heavier.

"I thought I was ready for this, oh god... "he's" even stronger up close, His aura is so refined, he's getting closer to becoming an omega grade! but still, I have to face him!" He speaks inside his mind, as he gulps from his overwhelming fear.

He looks up and he sees a tall black-haired samurai with an emanating red aura swelling around him, his staring eyes looking deep unto his soul, he quickly looks downwards.

"Hirotsu.. I finally found you.." the samurai states as he strongly throws him towards the tree, the boy powers up his body using the tree as he kicks unto it and lands onto the grass, sliding with his knife in his fist.

"Kuroke-san.." He mutters as he breathes in and out, drawing his fighting stance with his arm protecting him with his knife sticking out of his hand, the samurai draws more blades one by one until six of them appear in his hands, he draws his stance with both of his hands wielding his swords as he steps onto his left side, his blades getting brighter, as he slouches and bends his knees, ready for the blow.

Their distance just a few meters from one another, the wind getting stronger, the grass and leaves blowing everywhere, the sound of guns and screaming getting louder, their eyes intensifying.

"You know.. after all this time, Suzushii still hasn't taught you any of his signature techniques? you're still the same kid from back then..." He asks as he powers up his blades, the light around him nothing compared to the energy building upon his blades, as they burn up and get hotter and fiercer.

"I want to know how you've changed after all these years, show me.. your power! Rushiko!!" He shouts and uses the ground to propel himself upwards to strike Hirotsu.

He quickly parries and powers his knife to withstand the impact of his attack, he shouts as he increases the aura contained in his small blade, he throws the body of the samurai, Kuroke slides on the grass as his boots clash with the dirt as he stops his momentum with his 6 blades, he quickly jumps from multiple trees and creates slash attacks at Hirotsu, he gasps as Rushiko ducks and slides from Kuroke's increasing slashes, he jumps and kicks from multiple trees to move in from different directions, cutting leaves and creating illusions of himself, increasing the impact of his feet to increase his speed to distract the samurai, but the samurai sees his through all of this and jumps in and grabs his whole body to slam him towards multiple trees and finally kicking him towards a wall of a cafeteria, breaking in and crashing towards many shelves.

Rushiko all covered in food, wounded and battered, he coughs up blood from the huge counter from his enemy, he quickly gets up and grabs his second blade as he stabilizes his body's status from the attack, his aura flowing in him. He breathes in and out as he runs from the cafeteria as it is completely destroyed from the samurai's burning blades, the burning debris raining down from the obliteration of the building as Hirotsu slides on the grass, and charges his blades, their aura shining a bright white light, the samurai jumps in from his position and throws his burning blades at him, each of them landing all at once creating an emanating white smoke, Rushiko quickly dodges this and gets in behind his position.

He slashes Kuroke's back, he quickly grunts as he swiftly moves to Rushiko's right, the samurai creates a large bastard sword that quickly chips and creates a large straight open rift of burning fire at the ground, Rushiko is directly hit by this. Rushiko falls towards the huge crevice as he creates a metal wire between his blades and chips them in on the wall. He lifts his body upwards and falls downwards away from the huge crevice while sliding, Kuroke flashing towards him and slashes the wire between his blades.

He desperately sprints away as the samurai quickly attacks him, Rushiko parrying the bastard sword with his blades, he spins his blade on his hand as he continues to run and throws it against Kuroke, the blade spinning faster and faster as it flashes and continues to spark until it is infused with fast lightning, the samurai tries to hold the spinning blade with his sword, it electrocuting his body; his hands tightening around his hilt, he destroys it with a hint of blackness in his sword coating it with his fiery aura, Rushiko flashes to his position and charges his last remaining blade and goes all out, with his body flashing a whitish blue, his blade with the most concentrated electricity, he slashes Kuroke with all of his aura, Kuroke quickly blocks this with his blade burning black, his aura overwhelming Rushiko's. He throws away Rushiko towards the abandoned Ferris wheel, as he powers and squats his legs to jump an enormous height, as he charges and holds his black burning blade's aura, he completely slices the Ferris wheel in half, its debris hitting Rushiko's body as the samurai flashes on his position mid-air deconstructing his blade, he punches Rushiko with his black burning fist towards the ground, Rushiko struggling to survive from the burning impact. He uses his remaining aura to cover his body, as he is sent hurtling towards the burning debris-filled grass, he coughs out more blood, his body weak and battered, his state on the verge of death.

A flash is seen, a step is heard; the samurai walks up to him as he creates and augments his blades into one long bastard sword, standing directly in front of him menacingly.

"Looks like you're no match for me, Rushiko.. guess Senpai got rusty at teaching, your skills are shaky at best and weak at worse, your movements are slow and your attacks have no impact, tell me why did Senpai take in such a weak little brat after all of this time?!" He rants.

Rushiko struggling to speak; coughs more blood as he shouts out: "How could you know anything, especially when you're with them!!"

"I should be asking you the same thing since you don't anything of what Senpai's done and is capable of doing, why do you think I left?" He coldly states.

"What do you mean by that???" Hirotsu asks confused.

"I don't have time for you and your pathetic attempts at distracting me, I know why you came here-" He states.

"Senpai" He quickly turns around as he sees his former mentor and comrade.

A brown-haired officer wearing a heavy-duty jacket stands in front of him stepping closer, his eyes determined.

"Mutsu-kun" his concerned voice replies, as he quickly looks at Hirotsu his eyes widen as he rushes to his battered and bloodied student.

His hands holding his face, "I'm sorry, I knew it was too early for you to fight Mutsu-kun at his current level! I'm s-so sorry!!" his voice breaking down.

"Suzu-senpai, I'm alright! Don't worry about me! Just finish what he started! I won't die on y--" Rushiko faints from his weak state, Suzushii's eyes widen even more, his hate building up, his fist's grip tightening. Another flash is seen, a female soldier wearing a military cap her long green hair flowing out by the wind, she quickly gets Rushiko's body, Suzushii quickly nods with his eyes warming with trust in her, she sees this and nods back; as she quickly sprints and flashes out.

Suzushii walks up to the samurai, Kuroke's eyes widening, facing his past mentor and his past memories he left behind.

"Why would you join them, after all of what we've been through!? After I've taken care of you, loved you, protected you.. why would join those murdering bastards!!" Suzushii shouting at his former student.

"Like you were any different from them!! I know what you've done! And I can't forgive you anymore, all of the lies, you spit out all of that filth just for me to believe it all, just so you can hide your mistakes from me!! Suzushii!!" Kuroke shouted back, his fist clenched.

"Then why did you join them!? Did you think joining the enemies we've been fighting all this time, could actually stop any of this!!" Suzushii said, as he raised both of his hands to the sky, where multiple fighting jets and missiles flew by, all of the smoke covering the battlefield, and the tanks' fire, screaming, gunfire and death all around them.

"You think what we did was any different?! Killing, being told to save what you can, and abandoning what lives you can't save, to face the enemy while everyone around you dies. To protect the weak that can't adapt? To be belittled and treated like trash in return? I found meaning in "their" vision; their "future" and none in yours!"

"What future?" Suzushii asks as he puts downs his hands.

"I've thought of you as my dad, I loved you and looked up to you!! And all of my trust and adoration for you was thrown like crap, just because you couldn't handle me knowing.. you think what you did that day was for anyone's sake!? You didn't save anyone, you killed them all!! Just because you were told to..." Kuroke bluntly stated as he stared deeper into Suzushii's eyes, his cold gaze never-ending.

"I had to, or else they would've lived to kill even more.. I did this for our sakes!!" Suzushii defended back, Kuroke's aura getting stronger and hotter.

"Don't lie to me.. don't spit even more bullcrap to convince me to love you again, I'm tired of you..." Kuroke coldly says as he looks down, his face obscured, his hate intensifying.

"That day.. I didn't know what to do.. my life was over, my family dead, my old self gone. The destruction and the death all around me, that cold gaze staring at me, those eyes filled with desperation.. over what he's done, I begged you to not sacrifice everyone, including my family.." Kuroke coldly mutters as he grips his bastard sword, emanating so much aura his body started to blow out smoke from his overflowing burning aura, Suzushii ready for the blow, his hands glowing blue, charging and concentrated.

Suzushii shouts as he arches his body, stretching both hands glowing blue aura downwards, overflowing and ready for the large attack.

"You killed my old life.. and killed my family.." Kuroke quietly states as his aura melts and chips through the ground around him, his grip stronger, the fire around turning black, his eyes devoid of emotion, as he faces his former friend.

"Senpai.. I will never forgive you.." His face intensifying, as the aura around him is covered with a deeper blackness, the fire burning hotter than it ever did before, as it caught the surrounding shrubbery on fire, destroying the structures around them with his burning black fire, creating a clear environment for their eventual fight.

Suzushii arches his back, his hands both glowing an intense but extremely refined darkish blue aura, as he holds his arms and stretches them out. His hands generating more aura as closes them while energy surges from his fists, many elements contained in his fist.

" 元素サージ!! Elemental Surge!!" Suzushii shouts out the name of his technique, with him in his stance. Kuroke reaches out and splits his bastard sword into two katanas, fused with the same black burning aura all around him, as he sharpens both of them. Their flames burning with the same hatred for Suzushii.

"黒ボイド Black Void!!" Kuroke does the same as he bends his knees, applying the aura all around his body, the grip on his hilt almost breaking the sword, he assesses his situation, then strikes the air to create an intense blackish smoke surrounding them.

"黒煙 Black Smoke!!"

"A distraction?" Suzushii asks as he punches and creates momentarily stopped aura surges all around him to protect him.

The smoke clears up as Suzushii sees Kuroke chipping away and moving swiftly to not be caught in the surge's effects, his fire isn't as strong to combat his surges, so his charged up black fire aura is wasted, as he decides to use less powerful but faster-charging aura.

Kuroke spins with his blades to meet with the defenseless Suzushii who counters with his aura filled arms against his face, the surges intensifying and nullifying Kuroke's Black Void.

Kuroke slides backwards, and propels himself in the air to a tremendous height, and creates many slashes that are suspended in air and embedded them with his Black Void, while he charges his blades with a stronger aura, he finally launches them to attack Suzushii's position.

"黒砲撃 Black Bombardment!!" Kuroke shouts out as he falls in the opposite direction of Suzushii's to avoid "his" upcoming attack, he slides on the ash-filled dirt, his katanas powered up and ready for their target.

Suzushii creates a large filled ball of surged energy, and surrounds his position with it, creating an aura barrier on himself, as he runs away from the effects of his technique.

"エレメンタルクラスター Elemental Cluster!!" He shouts out while he runs from Kuroke's attacks, he clashes with Kuroke's swords, his barrier breaking as his left arm is burned from the black fire, he builds up aura into his foot and kicks Kuroke in the face, the surged energy directly hitting him as he is hurled up against the both of their techniques going off, all of it affecting Kuroke as he is both burned up and his energy nullified from Suzushii's Elemental Cluster, as he drops and rolls against the ashes of the burnt shrubbery.

His body is burned, electrified, bruised, and battered. He coughs out blood as he tries to get up on his knee with his right arm, he staggers while standing, his figure weakened, Suzushii is suddenly near him, Kuroke looks behind him and sees a dome of surged energy forming and surrounding them.

"Senpai.. it's like you've never changed, you're still as strong as you were back then..." Kuroke mutters as he coughs out more blood, his hands holding out forming his 6 blades.

"You know why I'm here right? I'm here to exterminate and destroy you, to right my wrongs; I never wanted it to be this way. But you are clearly a threat, after all these years, all of my worrying for you. I'm here to bury you and your memory once and for all.." Suzushii states as he flashes out of the dome and leaves Kuroke to fend off his dome's surged energy.

Suzushii walks away from the dome as it finally finishes forming, his hands on the pockets of his military jacket.

"急増したドメイン Surged Domain.." Suzushii murmurs as he continues to walk away, while Kuroke slashes away at the surges of the dome, his black fire being nullified, he resorts to his innate aura clashing away while he screams from the pain of the continuous surged filled blasts, burning him; electrifying him; drowning him and crushing him.

Suzushii's eyes open up as he notices his dome's sudden destruction, and pulls out his fists and instinctively powers them up, noticing Kuroke's burning body, his black eyes staring deep into his soul, forming the largest sword Suzushii's seen Kuroke form.

"You think that would've killed me?! Senpai, you really haven't changed!! you're still as arrogant as you were in the past!!" Kuroke shouts as Suzushii creates a dome barrier around him, his fists showing an uncontrollable amount of surged energy, his teeth gritting, he puts his fists up and releases his energy, and collects them inside an ever-expanding ball of clustered, surged aura.

"I'm sorry, but ever since you knew the truth; you've changed. And even left to join those Insurgent insects! Once I'm done with you, I'll hunt down every single one of your allies and mush them into an unrecognizable pulp!!" Suzushii coldly remarks as his surged cluster ball gets bigger and bigger, Kuroke charges his huge blade for the strongest attack he's ever conceived of, the most aura in his blade ever formed.

"燃える黒い虚空 Burning Black Void!!"

"破壊的なクラスターの急増 Surging Destructive Cluster!!"

They both shout out their technique's names as release their insane amount of build-up aura, Kuroke swings and throws his large bastard sword caught up with the hottest black fire (enough to burn a human down in seconds), at Suzushii; who releases the huge surging cluster ball, releasing a smaller barrage of attacks at Kuroke's position who shrugs it off with his burning aura.

Their attacks both collide as it builds up in a matter of milliseconds as it completely explodes, with its effects and its impact surrounding them the huge sword trying to dig its way unto the surging cluster. The sword trying to suck the overwhelming and expanding energy from Suzushii's technique, it completely gets destroyed by the ball as it combines the fire aura from the huge blade unto its huge circular mass as Suzushii holds his left burnt arm upwards, the cluster ball following his movement.

He launches it towards Kuroke whose eyes widen, Suzushii closes his hand, the cluster swallowing and clashing unto Kuroke, his hits not even hacking away at any aura from the surging ball, Kuroke screams, his body taking a direct hit, his barrier destroyed at an instant, his body struck by not only all of the cluster's building energy but also his own aura put against him.

"You've underestimated me!! Mutsu-kun!!"Suzushii screams as his barrier begins to crack from the uncontrollable surges.

Suzushii's barrier about to break, Suzushii releases it as he flashes away with his aura spread around his body, he stops far away from the cluster ball as it finally is released by Suzushii's as he charges his fist and opens it, all of that aura raining down upon Kuroke's position, a blue flash with multiple elements being spread and raining down. Suzushii grabs a military cap on the insides of his jacket and wears it as he adjusts it downwards.

"Goodbye Mutsu-kun..." Suzushii clearly hurt from the ordeal throws his cap towards the raining surges, the cap easily destroyed by the clusters; the cap of their memories, the one given by young Kuroke to him. He cries and grasps his fist, he walks away broken.

The ash-filled battleground is cleared up as its desolate remnants are shown, Kuroke's body is the only thing left, its battered and weak broken down state. A breath is made, Kuroke coughs, he opens his eyes to see a girl wearing military overalls with a chest plate, as her open coat flows with the wind, her hand holding her gas mask-like helmet, her purple hair flowing and her eyes meeting his.

"You've been through hell, huh Kurokun?" She says as Kuroke barely alive tries to hear her remarks.

"Well I'm surprised you even lived through all of that, no wonder Suzushii Kakomi is so well regarded by the Ishiins! but you survived all of that aura being rained on you, as it nullified your aura; You must really want to kill him? Don'tcha?" She grabs him and carries him with her arm, his weak voice barely hearable whispers unto her ear.

"Thanks Tei-san.." He softly murmurs (He's barely able to talk right now btw)

"Sheesh that doesn't answer my question! agh, whatever; our mission here is done, time to close my "dimension" let's get you some aid Kurokun.." She says this as she is gone in a flash, the dimension closes as the buildings, the tanks, the jets, and the artillery stopped. The so-called abandoned city fading away as the dead Ishiin and Insurgent agents dropping into the "real" ground.

-A few minutes ago-

Shouting, screaming and gunfire is heard; Familiar voices shouting at one another, Rushiko slightly opens his eyes, all he sees is the speed of the person who's carrying him, but he can't make up the figure, his ears slightly hear the screaming voices.

"You didn't save anyone, you killed them all!!"

"I did this for our sakes!"

His mind trying to make up the voices and what else they had said, but his body refused as his eyes struggling to open, he closed his eyes as he slept, the girl slightly noticing his movements.

"Hirotsu-san?"

Rushiko's eyes slowly open up to see a ceiling, as he quickly gets up and shouts "Suzu-Sensei!!" he sees that he is in an abandoned hotel lobby, he tries to get up; and struggles to stand up, he sees a shadow getting closer, he charges what little aura he has left to his fists and gets ready to sprint and attack the shadow.

"Don't hit me sheesh! Rushiko-kun!" a female soldier shows up with short and bangs of hair on her right, her hand holding a canteen of water, she gets close and hands him the water-filled canteen, his face confused as he grabs it.

"Himura-san? I thought you were at the portal, holding it in for our exit?" Rushiko says as he lies down towards the coach near the reception desk as he arches his back towards its cushion, he opens the lid of the canteen as he drinks the water, she gets closer and sits near him.

"Somebody else is holding it open, they said I should help you up. Since Suzushii-senpai is dealing with one of the Insurgent agents anyways, you at least distracted him enough for Suzushii-san to catch up" She points out.

"You do know I got my ass kicked right? I almost died.." He remarks.

"Well still, you still did your best; he's just too strong for any of us here. Only Suzushii-san can deal with him, well anyways I suspect the user is one of the insurgent agents as well" She says.

"Since they were able to create a dimension with this much space in such a small amount of an actual area; in reality, controlling this many troops and making this many weapons and vehicles. This is easily comparable to the Insurgent agents' abilities of our records, they must be one of the old Insurgent leaders... the gas mask-wearing calamity" she states all of this, as Rushiko finishes drinking, he drops the canteen as his eyes see-

The whole city vanishing in front of him, Buildings fading away, Insurgent agents on vehicles dropping down, the ones on jets falling to their deaths; the gun, and artillery fire stopping. Many Insurgent agents easily overwhelmed by the Ishiins, the screaming stopping and the hotel around them disappearing.

Rushiko puts his head down and clenches his fist.

"I wasn't able to do anything, but distract him! even finding the culprit of this whole dimension, the one who killed our brothers and sisters! they just ran away just like that! after all these years I can't even compare my abilities to his! I'm still too weak!! I'm too pathetic..." Rushiko says frustratingly.

"That isn't true! You were able to distract the strongest opponent here! and even fend him off and fight him! you saved a lot of lives by keeping that Insurgent at bay! even if things didn't work out.. you still did your part, you fought and lived!" Himura shouts back with conviction at Rushiko's abilities.

"Shihei-san...." He softly replied, clearly calmed down by her confident response, their eyes meeting. She pats his back, as he sighs.

While the dimension fades out, Suzushii walks out his head down; his eyes still sore from his sobbing from losing the closest one to being a son for him "Kuroke Mutsu"... he lifts his head up and finds the both of them laughing, his warm smile slowly forming as he sees what he still has left.

"Oi! What's so funny?" Suzushii asks as he chuckles while he gets closer.

"Nothing!" They both respond with the same phrase as they look at each other, laughing again.

"Umm... hey let's get outta here and get some food; I'll do my report of our mission later... I need a drink!" He states while walking away, both Rushiko and Himura follow as they all chat with one another, Suzushii's face slowly tensing up as his mind started to wander.... "What if his hatred for me was so immeasurable, that he survived? did he use that "technique"?" he shakes his head at this thought and walked away with the remnants of what "family" he has left.

The dimension they were in, was at a local abandoned old school, the Ishiin agents gather together as they assess the situation, and gather the dead corpses of their own people, and separating them from the dead Insurgent agents, the surrendering Insurgent agents captured and arrested for questioning later, other Ishiin agents crying over their lost comrades.

"That samurai really is a showoff huh? Including that gas mask-wearing accomplice of his, pulling off a stunt like this; causing more damage than we thought and killing a lot of our own men" A man with bangs in black says as he sighs, while another figure walks up to him, a woman with lightish red hair wearing a white dress, her heels clicking with each step.

"Don't worry! including those two, we've identified seven of their leaders. Even if we let them get away it won't be long until we fight them in the real war." She states while walking away.

"Even if they've entered Tokyo, their numbers are small and their power weakened, they won't last long, these Insurgents; since we've weeded out their strongest already... ufufu~ I can't wait to finally end their puny little existences~" She giggles as she leaves the scene, her laughter echoing through the twilight of the night.

A boy stands outside of a balcony, his hands rubbing against one another as he puts them against his mouth and breathes to warm himself up from the cold, he stares at the beautiful moon its light shining over the cold dark night, as he asks himself.

"Who am I.. actually?" He softly murmurs.

-TO BE CONTINUED-