WEAPON OF WAR

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Tenjho Tenge or Battle Vixens/Ikki Tosen

Summary: Masataka is captured by a band of toushi warriors who want to use him as a weapon. But Maya wants her second-in-command back!

Author's Notes: This story starts basically in Volume 12 of the Battle Vixens manga.

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It was an early morning at the Natsume Dojo and Masataka Takayanagi, Bob Makihara, Souichiro Nagi and Aya Natsume were in the middle of their morning practice. Maya Natsume was at Todo Academy for a student council meeting.

Bob was sparring with Masataka, actually being trained by the boy, while Souichiro worked hard to train Aya, who wouldn't stop ogling him with her eyes.

Bob leaped into the air to kick at Masataka in the face, only to have the young fighter duck down and kick up, knocking the African-American Capoeria fighter onto his backside again.

"Are you alright?" Masataka asked.

"Yeah, yeah, Sempai." Bob said as he stood up. "Just... I'm good. I can take a punch. Remember?"

"It was a kick, not a punch." Masataka corrected.

"Pff! Whatever. Let's go."

Masataka suddenly froze, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as he turned towards the door. Bob followed his gaze and saw a dozen guys he had never seen before standing in the entrance.

"Who are you?" Masataka asked, getting an eerie aura from them. He was sure they were not there to talk or be civil.

"Which one of you is Masataka Takayanagi?" one of the thugs asked.

"I am!" Masataka stated.

"Would you please come with us?"

"What for?"

"This is taking too long." a second thug spat.

"Shut up! We just got here."

"Again I ask, who are you?" Masataka asked.

"We're Toushi from Kyosho." the first thug said.

"You're who from where?" he asked.

"We've answered enough of your questions! You gonna come with us or not?!" the second thug shouted.

"I see no reason to." Masataka said.

"Fine. Then we're just gonna hafta carry ya!"

Eight of the thugs charge towards him, fists and feet flying towards him. Masataka leaped into the air and ki-punched him backwards into one of his comrades, knocking them down hard. Two more attacked from the sides, only to have Masataka step back to avoid their punches, their fists striking each other as Masataka added his own to the mix. The four other thugs surrounded him and attacked in tandem, only to have the young fighter spin rapidly like a corkscrew, his own feet flying out and striking each of them multiple times before they flew back, sporting various bruises on their bodies.

"Anyone else?" Masataka asked as he leaped back to his feet.

"Yeah." another thug said from behind him.

Masataka turned around and noticed that the other four thugs had taken Aya, Bob and Souichiro hostage, all of them pointed knives at their throats.

What? He gasped as he saw the trio unconscious and at the mercy of the thugs. Who are these guys? They're as tough as the Executive Committee thugs we faced at the bowling alley.

"I'll ask you one more time: come with us, or they die!" the apparent leader said.

Masataka glared at the thugs, his friends and teammates at the mercy of these armed assailants. He looked for a way to get to them, trying to figure out a way to save them. But from across the room, with no weapon or any object to throw, he was out of luck. Even if he could summon a burst of ki energy, he wouldn't have the necessary speed and range to take them out. At least, not all of them.

"Why do you want me?" he asked.

"That's for our bosses to tell you. We just had orders to bring you to Kyosho." the leader said. "By any means... they said.

"...fine. I'll come with you... but they go free right now!" he decided.

"You'll keep your word? Won't give us any trouble?"

"I'll come without a fight." Masataka said, his body relaxing as a show of complacence.

"Good." the thug said as Aya and the others were released.

As they left, they didn't notice Aya regain momentary consciousness as Masataka left with the toushi.

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Two hours later Maya Natsume returned to the dojo, finding her teammates slightly thrashed and just now fully recovering.

"Aya! Bob! Souichiro! What happened?" the short, lilac-haired child asked the group.

"We were attacked." Bob said.

"Really? I thought you guys were having a slumber party." she said sarcastically. "What happened? And where's Masataka?"

"They took him." Aya said.

"They took him? What do you mean 'took him'? Who did?"

"They said they were toushi from Kyosho." Aya replied.

"Kyosho? Kyosho Academy?" Maya asked.

"I don't know. That's all they said."

"When was this?"

"About two hours ago I think."

"And they came here for Masa-kun?"

"Yeah. No idea why." Souichiro grumbled.

"Gee! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that HE DIDN'T GO DOWN WITH ONLY ONE PUNCH!!" Bob roared at the spiky blond brawler.

"That... might have something to do with it." the blonde grinned sheepishly.

Maya said nothing, her body glowing as she spiked and began to fill out, growing from her child-like four-year old body to her athletic and shapely 17 year-old body. She went down the hall to her room and began sorting through her clothes.

"Sister! Where are you going?" Aya asked, standing at the doorway to her room.

"I'm gonna go out and find Masa-kun!" Maya shouted as she tore off her current outfit and pulled her jeans and jacket out of the closet.

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"Where am I?" Masataka asked as soon as they arrived at their destination.

"Kyosho Academy!" one of the thugs said as he removed Masataka's blindfold.

Masataka gasped as he looked around the large chamber that they were in. It actually looked like a very large church or Catholic cathedral.

He was surrounded by the dozen thugs who had brought him, but noticed several other people there as well.

He saw a guy with short hair in a red tracksuit, a man and a woman wearing black monk outfits, the man holding a staff, and a young woman with long bluish hair and an extremely torn school uniform tied to a stone pillar. The largest article of clothing she still had on were her long socks, she had no skirt, though her panties were still on, and her shirt had been practically shredded. As a result of this Masataka noticed how athletic and shapely the woman was, a lot like Maya when she changed into her voluptuous 17-year old body, with nicely tanned skin. She was tied to the pillar by ropes and shackles, looking like she had been tortured and possibly raped.

Masataka growled at the sight before him.

"Ch-Chouryo? Wh-What brings you here?" the interrogating monk asked.

"A little something called 'Operation Seito Attack'. Oh, and to retrieve the Hyakuhekito, too. Needless to say, both missions failed miserably." he said. He then looked over and saw Masataka.

"But at least one of our jobs didn't fail. So this is the great Masataka I've heard so much about."

The great Masataka? The young Juken Club member wondered. How do they know me?

Chouryo looked the young man up and down. "Doesn't look very impressive."

Like I don't get that enough. Masataka thought.

"Oh, he is, sir. He beat eight of us down without breaking a sweat." the lead thug said.

"And yet, he's here. How is that?" Chouryo asked, noticing the groups bruises.

"We used his friends as leverage." another thug said.

"I see." he said, lighting up another cigarette. "That makes sense. Oh, and speaking of which, Ryubi Gentoku is still alive and well at Seito."

"Ha! You hear that, Kanu? Looks like you're here as a hostage for no reason." the interrogating monk, called Chokou, said. "That makes this all the more fun!"

"Hehehe! So what... does that make you then?" the tied and bound girl asked.

"Your point?"

"If I'm useless to you... all this was for nothing." She lifted her head up and smiled as tears flowed down her eyes. "I've never been... so happy."

Masataka blushed at the rather attractive expression she was making with her smile.

Just then another voice echoed through the cavernous halls of the church like structure.

"I commend you, Kanu Unchou." the voice said as all eyes turned towards it. "You are truly devoted. No wonder Moutoku-sama wants you to himself."

Masataka looked over and noticed another attractive woman in a wheelchair with long hair rolling towards them. He tried not to stare at the fact that she had no feet.

She paused as she looked over at Masataka.

"Is this the boy?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am." the lead thug said.

"Interesting. I'm not sure what Moutoku wants him for, but he will be pleased. And for more than one reason." she said, holding up a strange looking object.

To Masataka it looked like a stone cube with a carved dragon figure on the top of it.

"Greetings Kanu Unchou. Greetings Masataka Takayanagi. You may call me Shibai." she said. "I am pleased to meet two such strong warriors. And to add more good news to today's events... as of this morning... Seito High... has given in to the demands of Kyosho High."

"WHAT?!" Kanu gasped finally seeing the object Shibai was holding.

Masataka was naturally confused at all this, but kept quiet and kept watching.

"And if that wasn't pathetic enough--they also gave us this... in exchange for your freedom." she said with a laugh. "Clearly you're of some value to them... although I can't fathom why. It's quite a nice offer really."

No Way! They're not serious! The Gyokuji! Ryubi...Koumei...What were you thinking?!

Masataka seemed to sense the urgency in Kanu's eyes as she beheld the object.

"Ryubi surrendered, that's all there is to it." Chouryo said, flicking his spent cigarette across the room.

"Shows you... just how much they think of you, doesn't it? Either you're too precious to Ryubi.. Or she thought you were just not strong enough to last. Either way, this is over." Shibai said, motioning to Chokou to release her.

"Awww! Man, do I have to let her go?" Chokou asked.

Kanu looked at Masataka as Chokou moved to unshackle her. Masataka caught her eyes, the message she was sending to him.

It said one thing: help me.

While not having any idea what was going on, Masataka did realize that they were both in the same situation: prisoners. His mind made up, he nodded very subtly to the girl.

"Y-You're right. This is over..." Kanu said as she glared at Chokou. "In MORE WAYS THAN ONE!!" she shouted as she brought her legs up and forcefully kicked the 'monk' hard in the stomach.

The impact of the kick sent Chokou flying backwards towards the far end of the large chamber, slamming into the hard marble like a missile hitting a wall.

The distraction was enough, in a split second Masataka spun around with hurricane force, throwing his leg out and struck at the thugs that were surrounding him. The group was sent flying in multiple directions as Masataka stopped and flew towards Shibai with uncanny speed.

"What is..." she gasped, only to see the boy become a blur as the Gyokuji was plucked from her hands, the boy flying over her.

While Masataka had grabbed the ancient stone seal from the girl, Kanu was straining against her bonds, muscles and veins pulsing as all of them snapped and shattered at the girls incredible strength. The ropes snapped easily, but the shackle's that were bolted to the stone pillar took longer. Yet they broke free within seconds.

Chouryo raced over to stop Masataka, only to get slapped by the chains that were still attached to Kanu's wrists. The girl used them like whips, striking at his thigh.

"AH!" he shouted, the distraction enough to allow Masataka to fly through the air and kick him in the head. "OOFFF!"

Masataka quickly ran back to Kanu and handed her the Gyokuji before scooping her up in his arms and exploding into a dead run out of the cathedral-like building.

"Ohhhhh." Chokou groaned as he tried to sit up.

"What happened?" Chouryo asked, rubbing his thigh and face.

"If I didn't know any better... I'd say they planned that." Shibai exclaimed as the female monk, called Gakushin, was checking on the fallen thugs they called guards.

"But how? Those two have never met before!" Chouryo exclaimed. "Have they? I mean... they couldn't have had all of that planned out! Her getting captured, him getting captured. And all to get back the Gyokuji?"

"They couldn't have known that we'd have it!" Gakushin said.

"So... what? This was a spur of the moment action? Completely last minute and improvised?" Chokou asked.

"Doesn't matter. They have it now." Chouryo said.

"But Seito High still surrendered! Doesn't that count for..." Gakushin started to ask.

"It Counts For Shit!" Shibai spat.

The group looked at her.

"Pardon my language, but I think you agree, that we just lost the Gyokuji and a valuable hostage to use against Ryubi Gentoku. Not to mention our wild card." Shibai said.

"Wild Card?" Gakushin asked.

"That Masataka guy couldn't be that valuable. He isn't even a toushi." Chokou said.

"That's Why He's Valuable!" Chouryo spat.

"What?"

"Think about it, moron! The ranks of the toushi are already established. A very specific number. Having someone like Masataka would be like having extra muscle that no one else knew existed."

"And now they have Kanu, Masataka and the Gyokuji." Gakushin said.

"The balance of power has changed... in a second!" Shibai said.

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Out past the Kyosho grounds, the energized Masataka was going all out, cradling the shapely and mostly naked young woman in his arms, who was in turn cradling the Gyokuji protectively.

"Okay, since I have no idea what's really going on here, can you at least tell me where the hell we're going?" Masataka asked the girl.

"Chichibu Seito." she said, looking up to get a real good and close look at the young man who had just helped and liberated her.

"And that is..."

"I'll guide you." she said, keeping her hands on the Gyokuji and her eyes on the young fighter.

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Within less than a hour of Masataka going all out running, the pair made it to the temple shrine where both the tough-looking stone-faced Kouchu Kansho, who looked like a Buddhist Curly Joe, and the close-eyed Choun Shiryu, an attractive silver-haired woman who held a katana in her hand, were standing at the top of the steps of the temple, guarding it.

"Some one's here." Choun said.

"Who is it?" Kouchu asked.

"What the... is that?"

"It's Kanu!"

"But who's carrying her?" the girl asked, still not opening her eyes.

"Are we here?" Masataka asked the young woman in his arms.

"Yes." Kanu said. "Just up the steps to the temple."

"Of course it is." he huffed.

"Tired already?" she teased slightly.

"I skipped breakfast today." he replied.

Within seconds, Masataka had reached the top steps with Kanu in his arms. The second he did, a busty red-haired girl with glasses burst out onto the lawn.

"KANU! I can't believe you're here!" Ryubi shouted as the still mostly naked Kanu walked up to her, handing the Gyokuji to Kouchu. "Are you alright?! Did they do anything to..."

SLAP!

The group winced at what Kanu had just done.

"OWE! K-Kanu?" Ryubi gasped, slightly holding the side of her head.

"What the hell were you thinking, Ryubi!! You gave control of Seito to Kyosho? And what's more, you gave them the Gyokuji as well?" Kanu shouted. "And for what? For me? I'm not worth it!"

"YES YOU ARE! You're my friend, and if I have to sacrifice something so unimportant to get you back..."

"Unimportant?" Kanu gasped. "The Gyokuji is more important than you know!"

"It's a stupid paperweight for all I care!" the girl whined.

"It Is A Symbol, Ryubi! A Symbol Of Power! YOUR POWER!" Kanu stated.

"I Don't Care About Power! I Care About My Friends!" Ryubi shouted.

"The Gyokuji is essential for the defeat of Sousou!" Kanu stated. "It's more important than I am!"

"It can't protect me or comfort me when I need it! There's nothing warm or soft about it! It's not a living being! It's a ROCK!"

"Oh, jeez! What the hell... keep it down will you? A girl can't get any sleep around here without you screaming to the sky!" Chouhi snapped as she stumbled out of the temple where she was sleeping, and recovering.

"CHOUHI! You're Awake!" Ryubi shouted.

"Yeah! Now can I get some sleep here?"

It was then that she noticed the newcomer.

"Who's the new guy?"

"This is Masataka Takayanagi. He rescued me from Kyosho and helped me get back the Gyokuji." Kanu said.

"Cool." she said without a hint of interest. "Just keep him away from my snacks." she muttered.

"We can't thank you enough for brining Kanu back to us!" Ryubi said to the boy.

"You're welcome." Masataka said with a bow.

"Yes, Thank you, Masa-kun." Kanu smiled. "Without your help I wouldn't have been able to get the Gyokuji back and make it here before getting caught." Kanu said. "For a non-toushi, you are amazingly powerful."

The group looked at Kanu in shock, then to Masataka, realizing that he didn't have a magatama.

"He's NOT a toushi?" Chouhi gasped.

"How is that possible?" Kouchu asked.

"That explanation can wait for now. Because right now, young lady!" Kanu said, grabbing Ryubi by the collar and dragging her away. "You and I need to have a little talk."

"But Kanu..." the girl whined.

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In the darkened cathedral halls of Kyosho, an attractive young woman wearing a bikini-like top, a black leather jacket, a pair of jeans, and a pair of hiking boots, walked in and looked around at the injured thugs and damaged architecture that surrounded her.

"Yeah, Masa-kun's definitely been here." she said to herself.

"Who the hell are you?" Chouryo asked, noticing the attractive lilac haired woman.

"I am Maya Natsume! And I've Come For My Second-In-Command!" she declared to the man.

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Authors Notes:

Also, just so everyone knows, I want this story to be a reviewers-choice-pairing. Who should I pair Masataka up with? I'm leaning towards Kanu, but I'm also considering a Maya pairing.

Also, this first chapter was done very quickly as I wanted to upload in on the site today. Why? Because it's sequential. 06-07-08, right? Therefore it's meaningful. I don't know when I'll be able to update this story, as I have a bunch of Eva stories to update too, so... please be patient with me.

If I missed anything, or made some errors, please let me know.

Let me know what you think with an ever-helpful review.