Shulato #2

"The Great Conspiracy"

Synopsis by Arcadia

Reiga takes Shulato to Tenkuujo to see Vishnu. Shulato isn't too happy with the idea. He's more concerned with finding Gai than with the affairs of some unknown land. Lakshu says he shouldn't be rude about Vishnu, but he doesn't care. He and Reiga argue all the way to Vishnu's throne, much to the embarrassment of the troops gathered there. Reiga makes him kneel, and he argues some more.

Reiga announces their presence to Vishnu, and she welcomes them. Once Shulato sees Vishnu, he stops arguing. He comments on how beautiful she is, and Lakshu pinces him, calling him a pervert.

Vishnu notices the wound on Shulato's arm and heals it with her magic. He's surprised that it completely healed, and says so to Indrah, calling him "Otchan" (sort of like calling someone "Mister"). Reiga yells at him, saying that Indrah is the general of the Deva army, and Shulato shouldn't be so rude to him.

Indrah asks about YashaOh (Gai) and Lakshu volunteers to explain. Vishnu knows who Lakshu is, and Lakshu is quite surprised that someone like Vishnu would know her. Lakshu starts out by saying she's Shulato's girlfriend, which Shulato protests. She tells how Gai tried to kill Shulato, and that she thinks Gai has gone rogue. This surprises everyone.

Meanwhile, Gai is waiting in another room of Tenkuuden...

Vishnu welcomes Shulato (calling him ShuraOh) back to Tenkuukai, and Shulato asks what she means by "back". Vishnu explains that she reincarnated him in Tenkuukai. Shulato asks if that means he died. Vishnu continues to say that nothing in Tenkuukai dies. Even if the body dies, the spirit can still be brought back. Only Vishnu has the power to reincarnate things. Vishnu says that he and Gai were reincarnated in the human world for a special purpose, but even though they were born human, they are still Deva gods.

Deva gods are the ones who keep Tenkuukai peacful and happy. However, if there are peackeepers, there are people who want to destroy that peace. Those are the Asura gods. There was a great war between the Deva and the Asura gods 10,000 years ago, and the Asura gods were banished from Tenkuukai. The Asura gods are now trying to enter Tenkuukai again.

Lakshu asks of Shulato understands and he can only reply "She's so pretty...".

Vishnu explains that because of the Asura gods, it was necessary to have the Hachibushu gathered again. Shulato asks if he's one of the Hachibushu. Annoyed, Reiga offers to explain things in simpler terms, which pisses Shulato off.

The Hachibushu are the eight most powerful warriors of the Deva army. They all introduce themselves- TenOh Hyuga, RyuOh Ryouma, NahraOh Renge, DappaOh Kuuya, HibaOh Dan, and finally KarulaOh Reiga. Shulato finally gets it. Maybe.

Shulato asks why Gai would attack him if they're both Hachibushu. No one knows, but Indrah promises to look into it. Vishnu explains that if anything happens to Tenkuukai, it will be mirrored in the human world, and asks him to once again be ShuraOh. Shulato is too besotted with Vishnu's beauty to say anything but yes.

Indrah comes into the room where Gai was waiting, and tells him to be sure to kill Shulato this time.

In Shulato's room, he finds a large table of food waiting for him. Lakshu tries to explain what each fruit is, but she barely has time to before Shulato shoves it into his mouth. Shulato is in heaven, but Lakshu is disgusted by his gluttony. She eventually quits trying to explain, and just start stuffing her face, too.

Night falls, and they're both too full to move. Later, Shulato is running around Tenkuuden in obvious discomfort, looking for a bathroom. He wonders if they even have bathrooms in Tenkuukai. Kuuya sees him and follows. In desperation, Shulato just goes off the balcony. Kuuya sees it and obviously doesn't approve, but doesn't do anything.

Back in his room, Shulato wonders about Gai. Before the match, they'd never fought about anything. He was gentle and strong.

Flashback. Shulato and Gai are jogging through a park, when Gai stops. He saw a bird that had fallen and gotten hurt, and had stopped to help it. Shulato wonders why he didn't see it, even though they were running together. Gai takes the bird home and nurses it back to health, before releasing it at the park.

Back to the present. Shulato wonders where Gai is. He gets his answer- "I'm right here," says a voice behind him. Shulato is glad to see that Gai is alright, but Gai attacks him again. Shulato tries to reason with him, telling him to remember how kind-hearted he used to be, but it's no use.

Meanwhile, Indrah comes to see Vishnu. Vishnu asks if anything happened. Indrah says that an Asura spy has gotten into the palace, and gives her a crystal ball in which she supposedly can see the whole story. She see Gai in the ball. As she's looking, Indrah begins a spell. Vishnu drops the ball and it shatters. She realizes the spy is actually Indrah! Indrah continues the chant, and Vishnu starts to turn to stone. She calls to Hyuga telepathically.

Hyuga hears her and comes running.

As Vishnu turns to stone, so does the palace around her. By the time Hyuga gets there, the entire room is stone. He sees that Vishnu has been turned to stone and asks Indrah what happened. "You shouldn't have seen this, Hyuga," says Indrah, "Since Vishnu is stone now, she won't be able to reincarnate you."

Hyuga dodges Indrah's first attack and calls his Valuda. Indrah still manages to knock him down the stairs.

Gai is still trying to kill Shulato, and Shulato is still trying to reason with him. Shulato tries to use his Shakti, but can't remember the chant to transform! Finally, Lakshu runs in and reminds him. He transforms and fights back, knocking Gai through a wall. Lakshu runs to congradulate him. Shulato goes to find Gai, thinking that if he took him to Vishnu, she could turn him back to normal.

Gai is waiting for him. He casts a Shippu Marouken, knocking Shulato through not one, but two walls.

Indrah and Hyuga are still fighting. Hyuga transforms, but even with his Shakti, he can't even get close to Indrah. Indrah knocks Hyuga down the stairs again.

Shulato and Gai's fight reaches Vishnu's chamber, with Lakshu still running after them. Shulato lands right next to Hyuga. Lakshu recognizes Hyuga, and Hyuga starts to tell her about Indrah. Lakshu asks Indrah what happened, but he knocks her down. Gai insists on killing Shulato himself. Shulato again asks him to remember, but it's no use. Gai raises his sword for one last strike, and Indrah starts to chant another spell. Lakshu screams for them to stop.

Shulato, Hyuga and Lakshu are engulfed in a sphere of light and disappear at the last second. Indrah realizes that Vishnu must have teleported them away. However, she used the last of her power to do so, and she can no longer resist Indrah's spell.

Shulato, Hyuga and Lakshu find themselves in a strange place, not like the Tenkuukai they know at all. The skies are dark, and the rivers flow lava instead of clear water. Hyuga relates what he saw, and that Indrah must have gone rogue, just like Gai.

Back at Tenkuuden, Indrah shows the rest of the army what happened to Vishnu. He tells everyone that Shulato and Hyuga and Asura spies, and that they turned Vishnu to stone. Reiga doesn't believe it, but Renge stops him, saying that she will not tolerate anyone calling Indrah a liar. Kuuya tells about what he saw Shulato do the night before. Ryouma nods, but doesn't want to believe it. Dan asks what they should do. Indrah says that the only way to turn Vishnu back to normal is to kill the people who turned her to stone. He appoints Gai and commander in his place. Reiga starts to say that Gai had gone rogue, but Indrah says that he tried to kill Shulato because he knew Shulato was a spy. Gai promises to hunt down the "traitors".