I got rythym

Chapter 1 by Sibo [click to read]

Ay, iyaiyai,
Ay, iyaiyai,
Aaay iyaiyai
Where's my samurai?

As the song played, the Dance Dance Revolution machine showed arrows indicating which pads had to be stepped on at what time--karaoke for the feet some called it. Front, right, front, left, front, right. Right, right-and-left, left, and so on. Taishiro's mom, however, likened the music and stomping sounds to the noise of a daycare center for hyperactive youth. That's why Taishiro was now practicing at the arcade.

Taishiro closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and quieted his mind. It was just him and his flying feet. He didn't need to see the directional cues on the screen. Right, down, right, down, left, down, left, down. Last week, spending seven hours and one-hundred dollars worth of tokens, Taishiro had memorized all the steps to all the songs at the beginner level. Piece of cake for a classically trained musician such as himself.

The song ended. Taishiro opened his eyes, briefly making sure he got a perfect score, then looked at his watch to check the time. Half an hour til 9. It was time to leave. He threw on his backpack and started walking to the park as he took out his iPod and fit the earphones in. Select. Play.

Ayiyaiyai, ayiyaiyai, aaayiyaiyai, where's-my-samurai?
I've-been-searching-for-a-man, all-across-Japan, just-to-find-to-find-my-samurai

Taishiro stepped along with the song as it played in double time, as he made his way to the park. He ignored the strange looks people threw at him. However, despite his strict discipline, Taishiro allowed a thought to creep into his mind.

I hope this works. The timing has to be perfect....

By Sibo.

Chapter 2 by Phuc [click to read]

Taishiro tuned down his iPod and shot red flares into the night sky. This is the order to initate "Operation Muse Cats." Sherakia, Nefflight, and Zennith arrived down with their model suite Aries. This team of four is known as "Samurais by the Night." They are the last standing Super Aries model suite division of Earth Alliance to combat against the super powers of Gundamiom Gudam Model Suites. Taishiro is however stuck in between two worlds. He owes his alliance to Earth's Empire but his love is a Gundam pilot. Her name: Soul Fol. If Taishiro destroys the Gundams, Soul Fol and he will never be soul mates as they once were in their days of schooling. Fate played a mean cruel joke. "Sherakia, Nefflight, and Zennith," called out Taishiro, "I just received words from Central Intelligence. There seems to be a GUndam flying to Zimbabwe. Team we must take down this Gundam NOW! Destroy it and leave no chances for survival. My brothers and sister, we must not show mercy as they did not show mercy upon our brothens!" Taishiro cried out, "ROOARRRRRR No gundam bood, no returning home."

"Taishiro, I am picking up a Gundam flying within 200 miles ahead of us," Sherakie called over her cell phone,"it seems to be a girl Gundam. The paint job is pink with heart shapes and she seems to be carrying a giant indestructible titanium armored purse. I believe this girl is on a secret mission Taishiro. Do you know who the pilot may be? Should I shoot her down?"
"NO. Wait for my instruction!" said Taishiro.
"Hi is Taishiro there?" called Soul Fol.
"This is he. Soul Fol :-( why did you go on a mission? The other Samuaris by the Night have spotted you. Will you be mad at me if I shot you down?" said Taishiro over the phone.
"UHHH Taishiro you are ridiculous! Would I be mad if you shot me down??!! Retard! Of course! I would be MAD! Hell would freeze over if I ever forgave you. Tell your aries to back off," said Soul Fol.
"Are you sure?" said Taishiro.
"If you let me go I will take you DDR-ing next week. Okay?" said Soul Fol.
"OHHH fine!" said Taishiro. "Alright team cease your weapons and stop pursuing." Taishiro announced to the other Aries.

By Phuc.

Chapter 3 by Jade [click to read]

What a long day this is turning out to be, thought Taishiro to himself.

He dropped his pack and iPod on the bed as he walked into his apartment at the Earth Alliance military base. The unexpected appearance of Soul Fol's Gundamiom had roused the EA. The damage she had caused their organization in the war had been significant, and they were now taking extra precautions against the possibility of any future attacks.

For Taishiro, the commanding officer of the EA's main defense force, that meant his vacation was over. Without bothering to wait for the military's Return Order, he had accepted the inevitable and changed course the second he re-pocketed his cell.

A few minutes spent on the computer, a touch of a button, and his report of Soul Fol's appearance was sent. Grabbing a towel, he headed for the shower to wash the DDR sweat from his body.

Nobody knew about his relationship with Soul. Considering the current circumstances, it was for the best.

They had been dating for a little over a year before the war started. Their friendship had blossomed from their similar love for music and dance, a love for life and its peaceful days. Every other night they would dance to some new tune at the local dance hall. Sometimes it was a party night, and they would simply blend in with the crowd; sometimes it was quiet, with only the two of their shadows and each other for company.

But all good things have a tendency to come to an end.

He, caught up with his own family at the Earth Empire, had been unable to reach Soul, who had vanished not long after school ended. From then on, the escalation of the arms race between the Earth Empire and Orb had turned into all-out war. The EA passed a law requiring compulsory enlistment into the military for all able-bodied citizens between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five.

The next thing he knew, he had found himself wearing the badge of Commander of the elite Super Aries mobile suit division, Samurais by the Night. Every other commander before him had fallen during some battle with Orb forces, leaving Taishiro as the senior officer of his division. During one of those battles, he had recognized Soul in her Gundamiom almost the moment it took off from the opposite side of the field.

He knew that color, that design, and, especially, that voice when he demanded her surrender.

Soul had simply smiled through the communications screen, glorious in her all her pinkness, and told him that she was fighting to end the war.

As if that were so easy, sighed Taishiro as his exhausted mind sifted through his memories. What was Soul thinking? Showing up like that today..and what was that about DDR? It had been years since he had last seen her--not to mention that the next time he did see her was from opposite sides of a battlefield--and now she wanted to go out on a date?

Soul wasn't a stupid girl. It was because of this fact that Taishiro was so confused by her demonstration of uncharacteristic recklessness.

Was she trying to tell him something?

There were so many questions setting off in his head. He had been thinking about what to do since the beginning of his Leave, and had finally come upon the perfect plan on how to meet secretly with Soul. To his surprise, the focus of his headache had suddenly shown up and invited him to a Friday DDR date.

Dressed in one of his freshly-laundered red Commander's uniforms and feeling rather rattled from the mind-war session during his shower, Taishiro headed out to report to Headquarters. Some rebellious streak in him had prompted him to pocket his beloved iPod again. Soul's last gift to him before her disappearance.

This war may force me to fight, he thought, but it can't take my music.

Chapter 4 by Sibo Taishiro Rain. We started meeting last Earth-year. I thought he was just another pilot suffering from battle shock. However, Mr. Rain quickly proved to be different from the rest of the pilots under my treatment. Our first session, we discussed his latest recurring dream. Nightmares were nothing new to Mr. Rain. He'd been blown up, stranded in vaccuum, shot down, electrified, etc. in his dreams before, waking up, as he put it, drenched in icey sweat. But his latest dream...well, I'll let you listen to his explaination on the tape. --eam...this dream...I woke up, and there was a sharp pain in my chest-- Mr. Rain...Taishiro, I'm not qualified to handle medical probl-- I already had the combat medics check me out. There's nothing wrong with me physically. In fact, the medics referred me to you. Oh, okay. Sorry for interrupting. Go on then. What was this latest dream about? I see something that looks like a primitive gundam, only it's human-sized. It's floating by itself in space...floating without propulsion fuel. Then all of the sudden, it starts convulsing--if machines can convulse. You know what I mean? It looks like it's having a heart attack. I want to help it, but I can't. Then the gundam pulls out a long blade, and stabs itself--like this. It screams my name, and then...then, that's when I wake up. It wa-- We talked a little bit more about his dream. My opinion was that the gundam represented his feminine side, so wrought with the vaccuum of war that it tore out its own heart. When I proposed this to Mr. Rain, he just smirked. We've grown more comfortable with each other, but our sessions since then have been--had been more or less the same. Until yesterday, of course. He started acting a little strangely. Here's yesterday's tape. Doc, have you ever been in love? Yes. I'm happily married and still in love with my husband. When was the first time you told him that you loved him? Haha, well...let's see...that must have been at the Academy, right after the graduation and commencement ceremony. And...how did your husband respond to that? He was a little shocked at first, I think. Then he said that he loved me too. He's told me that he felt both scared and deriliously happy at that moment, haha. Why the sudden interest in my love life, Taishiro? Doc...how do you think you would have felt if...he never responded?...How do you think...he would feel now? Doc, I think I understand what that human-sized gundam in my dreams really stands for! It was a samurai! ...I'm not sur-- After our session, I believe he went straight to the arcade. I always knew he spent a lot of time playing that dancing game. I had no idea it would make him fall ill..Taishiro Rain is an interesting patient. I hope these disclosures can help your investigation into his mysterious collapse in the arcade yesterday. Please take these tapes with you. If I can be of any more help, let me know.