FicWad

A/n: Merry Christmas everyone! This is the chapter that most of my admirers like you have been waiting for... for THREE YEARS nearly. Oh, and I finally got my 600 reviews or over, all thanks to the contributions of my new friend, RayxJade, especially Hannah (FindahappyplaceFindahappyplace), who was my official 600th reviewer. I hope everyone gets a lot of gifts this year, though I might not. Enjoy.









Chapter 35: The final confrontation in Mordor, the Journey ends







The Orcs had finished marching out of Mordor from the Black Gate, surrounding the smaller hosts of the West... and both sides were standing in place, waiting for either one to make the first move... which would be the last for Kenshin and Aragorn, if they decide to attack first...



Okina, Radagast, Megumi, and the rest of the watching warriors, both Elf and Man alike stood solemnly and somberly in Kyoto as the opposing forces of Middle-Earth stood apart from each other for long moments... as they awaited the final showdown to begin, deciding the future of both worlds. The people knew, that this would be the last move in a great jeopardy and for one side or the other... it will bring the end of the game...







Aragorn raised Andúril high in his hand, while Kenshin gripped upon Hope... as the fiery evil Eye of Sauron called out silently... like it was a cry throughout the night...



"Aragorn..."



Aragorn heard the Lord's quiet-like call to him...



/"Kenshin..."/ Sauron added, feeling Kenshin's presence...





The cross-scarred wanderer widened his eyes but a little after hearing Sauron's silent whisper to him... as both he and Aragorn began stepping a slow few paces away from their friends, as they observed with great concern and worry written on their faces...





Ayame, Suzume, Hiko, Sojiro, and the others in Kyoto watched in bemused, bewildered apprehension as Sauron called for Kenshin and Aragorn, as they had called him...





Kenshin released his grip upon Hope and Aragorn lowered Andúril, hearing the continuous eerie mutterings of the Dark Lord... as if he was summoning them both...







"...Battousai... Elessar..." Sauron called out again, hissing...







And a frightening, spooky silence fell upon the Black Gate... as well as in Kyoto as everyone stood motionless, with his or her gazes fixed upon Mordor, in either world concerned...



The Fellowship began to worry of Kenshin and Aragorn, as if they were feeling that Sauron had them under his power. The two comrades turned back to the uncertain expressions of the Fellowship, as Gandalf raised a hand in concern, as was the look on his face. Aragorn and Kenshin stared at their friends a moment... then turned to face one another, staring directly hard into their eyes...





"Kenshin," Aragorn said to his comrade.

"...Aragorn," replied Kenshin.

"We've come a long way, you and I," Aragorn began, "we have led similar, yet different lives of hardship... as we have had difficult pasts and curses to deal with, and bear swords that were broken... but were remade, stronger than before."

Kenshin nodded, as he began sharing his peace, "...someone once told me... a manslayer was a manslayer until the day he dies... and that I will die as one myself. At one time... I nearly made myself believe it...

"And now," Kenshin added, gloomily, glancing at the Orcs near the Black Gate, from the corners of his eye, "...here I am, about to go into battle as all manslayers do. Perhaps it is my fate... that I should die as a manslayer. And that I should die... fighting in a battle that's actually worth fighting for."

"...No Kenshin," said Aragorn, assuredly, "you need not die killing others... but as who you are now... a wanderer who stands by his oath of forsaking bloodshed. A vow I too shall undertake if we survive this struggle."

"...Of course," replied Kenshin, nodding fervently.





Moments passed, as everyone patiently watched Kenshin and Aragorn exchange their last thoughts and words with each other...





"...Théoden once said to me at Helm's Deep," intoned Aragorn, as he raised his sword, "...let this be the hour when we draw swords together. So, in Théoden's memory... let us do the same, Kenshin, as we draw and cross our swords."

"I agree," responded Kenshin solemnly.

"...Andúril," said Aragorn as he raised his sword in salute, "...Andúril for Middle-Earth."

"Hope... Hope for all Japan," answered Kenshin as he slowly drew his sakabato sword... and laid the blade across the sword of the king, crossing both swords, sealing their comradeship... as well as eternal brotherhood between Kenshin and Aragorn...





Gandalf and the Fellowship began to lighten a bit, seeing this exchange between the old soldiers. It was now almost clear as to what was happening... Kenshin and Aragorn weren't affected at all by the Eye's call, and they were to be the ones who would make the last move. But they had to share some last words as everyone else had...





"...May the flame of the west and the hope of your world... stand united in this fight," Aragorn said, ceremoniously.

"...For Sir Frodo," Kenshin added solemnly...



Aragorn turned to the others, who stood firm and proud, with Gandalf's face the proudest of them all. The Heir of Isildur's eyes turned bleak, sympathizing with his friends... then turned back to Kenshin...



"...For Frodo," Aragorn replied hoarsely...





And both fighters, wielding symbols of hope for each world... charged swiftly, with cloaks flying in the air, towards the ranks of Orcs in front of the Gates...





"Go Uncle Ken!" cried Ayame and Suzume in unison, watching Kenshin go into battle.

"Himura!" Yamagata added his cry...





Pippin... then Merry roared out as they followed behind Aragorn and Kenshin. Misao brandished her kunais and sword... as she gave a loud yell, charging forward, with her friends.

And soon after...





Sanosuke...



Saito...



Éomer...



Aoshi...



Gandalf...



Legolas...



Gimli...





And the rest of the army of the West began charging, roaring and screaming their cries of battle... towards certain death...





"...Go Saito!" cried Kawaji, cheering to Saito, who charged with a Gatotsu...



"...Don't mess up, you idiot!" Megumi cried contemptuously to Sanosuke, who roared, raising his fists to pound the Orcs into the ground...


"...Misao! Lord Aoshi!" Kuro, Ochika, Omasu, and Shiro cried in unison, lending their support to their fellow Oniwaban members...







The soldiers of Rohan and Gondor, led by the Fellowship of both worlds continued to charge forward, towards the much larger forces of Mordor, shouting out their cries of battle...



As Kenshin and Aragorn were the first to clash with the Orcs, roaring with all their hearts, swinging their weapons about. Sanosuke, Gandalf, the Hobbits... and the Hosts of the West soon clashed with the hosts of Mordor afterwards...





The spectators in Kyoto would now have to watch and wait as the final battle at the Black Gate began with the odds against their saviors.

'Good luck, Kenshin,' thought Hiko, with a hardened expression.











Sam, Kaoru, and Yahiko continued to carry Frodo up to the top of Orodruin, with its fires, shining even greater than before...



"...Over there," Yahiko said, pointing ahead...



As the group climbed a set of rocks into a corner... and stood where they were, gazing upon the dark, glowing, gothic, arched cathedral-like entranceway in the mountain's side, delved by Sauron... the door into the Chambers of fire itself... Sammath Naur.



"Look, Mr. Frodo... a doorway," Sam said to Frodo, as he and the others were in great relief, staring upon the entrance into the Cracks of Doom, "...we're almost there."

'And nothing's gonna stop us this time,' thought Yahiko, with such confidence as he and Sam and Kaoru began setting toward the doorway, with Frodo in tow...





"Clever Travelers!" a hissing, hateful voice called out from the rocks, startling the travelers, as they looked up, with incredulous, shocked faces...





And saw Gollum, perching on the rocks just above them, with an abhorrent, maddened look on his face, staring wildly at his foes.

"To climb so high!" Gollum acrimoniously added...





As he launched himself from the rock... onto Frodo, who was being carried by Kaoru, Sam, and Yahiko. Yahiko reached at Gollum, trying to throw him aside... but the creature kicked Yahiko, knocking him away from Frodo... and bumped into Kaoru as they both tumbled down upon the rocks below. Yet, Yahiko tumbled down a lot further than Kaoru, pounding his head hard upon the rough rocky edges, and hit a level piece of ground, flat on his face. Only Sam was left alone with Frodo and Gollum slung over his back. However... Gollum's vicious strength was too much for Sam...



And they all toppled backwards, with Sam unable to hold the extra weight, falling roughly onto the ground. Gollum and Frodo were locked together, as they tumbled further away from Sam. Frodo tried to crawl his way back up the path, but Gollum grabbed him aggressively, rolled him over, and gripped his throat in both hands, as he hissed and snarled murderously. Kaoru gasped as she saw Gollum trying to kill Frodo and quickly crawled up to them.





"Sméagol!" Kaoru yelled out pleadingly to Gollum, who snapped his head to face her, while still gripping Frodo, "you can't do this, you have to let him go!"

"Mustn't go that way!" ranted Gollum, gesturing his eyes towards the entrance up ahead, "mustn't hurt the precious!"

"But he has to," returned Kaoru desperately, "can't you see? There's no other way!"

"You swore," Frodo choked out to Gollum, "you swore on the precious!"



Gollum then began to whimper very mockingly at Frodo, as he and Kaoru looked on the creature with forlorn faces...



"Smeagol promised!" Frodo briskly blurted out.

"That's right, you did," reasoned Kaoru, "you said you'd never hurt Frodo... that the precious made you do it, remember?"

Gollum suddenly stopped whimpering, turning her head to Kaoru, and replied with a sinister expression, "...Sméagol lied."





Kaoru became crestfallen after hearing that. To her, it was more like... Sméagol was gone, and sadly... he was...





As the creature immediate turned back to Frodo, and resumed to strangle him to death, hissing with a wild light flaming within his eyes, as the bitter parting at Cirith Ungol had left grievous marks on him. The creature had completely become Gollum... in mind, body and soul. Kaoru grimaced, as she growled within her breath and went to grab at the starved, savage creature, fiercely trying to pry him off Frodo...



But Gollum reached out with his mouth, biting Kaoru deeply into the arm. She let out a painful yell as it forced her to release the creature and held her arm with her other hand in writhing agony. Angered by the creature's act, Sam grabbed a rock... and threw it at Gollum, clobbering him hard upon the head, knocking him off of Frodo, tumbling down a little down the slope.

Frodo caught his breath, trying to recover from Gollum's attack. Kaoru, still in a little agony with her bite from Gollum went over to Frodo, nudging him with her hands.



"Frodo, are you okay?" she asked in concern as Frodo continued panting...



But Gollum slowly crawled back towards Frodo, with his hand over the spot where Sam hit him, wailing agonizingly loud, from the injury he received. The creature removed his hand from his head, revealing a small, but deep bloody gash on his forehead... as he charged once again, on all fours, growling with murderous insanity.

Then, something grabbed Gollum from behind, lifting and tearing him away from the ground...





It was Yahiko, with a gash of blood on his left side of the head, and blood seeping out of his jaw. The creature turned around, and grabbed the hairs on Yahiko's head. Yahiko, in turn, grabbed Gollum's lank hair, pulling it fiercely, as both adversaries roared fiercely at each other, inciting their hatred for each other.



Sam then charged with an enraged yell... and jumped, diving and tackling Gollum, along with Yahiko. The battling three plunged completely down the slope away from Frodo and Kaoru, and landed upon the level ground below, where Yahiko and Sam began beating Gollum with all their hate directed towards the creature.



Kaoru looked upon Sam and Yahiko, as the evil light of Mt. Doom darkly reflected on them, symbolizing their hatred for Gollum, when they persisted further to kill the treacherous creature. She knew that nothing could stop them from killing each other, for Mordor was a land of hate, and they were at the very center of that pure, unadulterated malice that Sauron had made of the land. Their minds were hot with wrath and their anger thundered along with the tremors of Mt. Doom...





"NOW WE CAN FINALLY DEAL WITH YOU!" Sam roared out hatefully, using all his strength to kill Gollum, with his fists.

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN THIS TIME!" Yahiko bellowed along with Sam, with all his animosity in full force, aiming to kill the creature for his treachery at Cirith Ungol.





With Sam and Yahiko trying to hold back Gollum, Kaoru knew that it was the time she and Frodo needed to reach Sammath Naur... and throw the ring back into the abhorrent fires from which it was made.



"Frodo, there's no time to lose," Kaoru said to Frodo, picking him up from the ground, "we have to go on."

Frodo nodded and began to run up the mountain, with Kaoru alongside him...









The warriors, all about the hills, before the Black Gate fiercely proceeded to fight the Orcs, whose minds were also filled with the hatred and cruelty of their master Sauron. The hosts of the West were foundering in a gathering sea, their battle utterly hopeless. Éomer used both his shield and fist to beat down the Orcs in his corner. Sanosuke clobbered the many Orcs he fought with. Saito, with his great Gatotsu attack, stabbed and sliced into the creatures he struggled against...



Merry, armed with Théoden's sword and Misao's kunais, and Pippin, armed with Faramir's sword and one of Aoshi's kodachis, both fought their opponents skillfully. Merry threw one of the kunais, hitting one of the Orcs in the neck, as Pippin used both swords to smite the beastly brood of Mordor.



Aoshi and Misao's ninja skills had aided them favorably as they used powerful punches, kicks, and slices from their swords, to strike down their enemies.





"Kansatsu Tobikunai!" Misao cried out, throwing her kunais at the Orcs.

"Do Ryu Sen!" Kenshin yelled, using his sword to send the Orcs flying into the air.





Gimli growled and roared as he aggressively hacked into the Orcs with his axes. And with his white knives... Legolas swiftly and surgically cut down the horrid creatures. Aragorn struggled and fought his hardest, cutting into the Orcs with Andúril.

But... for all their valor...







The Nazgûl flew above, swooping in from out of the gathering mirk, with their cold voices crying words of death. The observers in Kyoto began despairing at the arrival of the Ringwraiths, for under their wings... the shadows of death fell dark upon the earth...









Gollum, while being assailed, by Sam and Yahiko... suddenly grabbed Sam's fist, tightening his vice-like grip, holding him... as he swiftly bumped his head against Yahiko's head. Gollum jumped away from Sam, and crouched on all fours. Sam and Yahiko prepared themselves for another attack... as the vile, haggard creature pounced upon Sam, grabbing him by the hair, and fiercely knocked his head in a few times before the Hobbit collapsed, wincing from the blows.



Yahiko drew his elven wooden sword and hit Gollum behind the shoulder, knocking him away from Sam. Gollum growled ferociously as he gazed at the hardened, snarling Yahiko, ready to kill the deceitful thing. Yahiko took another swipe... but Gollum dodged... and jumped onto Yahiko, clambering on top of his head, using his weight to make him topple to the ground.

Gollum had subdued Yahiko as he grabbed his hairs, and crushed his head into the ground three or four times.



"Impulsive brat needs to be taught manners!" Gollum snarled wildly as he uncovered Yahiko's right shoulder... and bit into it, like a wild, carnivorous beast, feasting on a fresh piece of meat.

"Aa-ah...ah, AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Yahiko screamed and wailed loudly in anguished terror, writhing from the bite Gollum gave him...





Yahiko's hands and feet shook violently, as Gollum bit even deeper into him, intending to take a really big mouthful out of his shoulder...





Sam rushed to Yahiko's defense as he grabbed Gollum from behind, and pulled him away from Yahiko. The young swordsman recoiled and cringed in great agony, as he used both his hands to cover the massive, bleeding wound, whimpering frantically.



Sam and Gollum now struggled with each other, locking each other in fierce combat. In the struggle... Gollum tossed Sam into the rocks, knocking the wind out of him. Gollum then bashed Sam's head into the rocks, reached out with his mouth... and bit Sam in the left shoulder. Sam let out an agonizing scream, but not as bad as Yahiko had when Gollum bit him in the shoulder.

Sam quickly obtained the upper hand and bashed Gollum's head into the rocks and fell backwards. Angered and maddened... Gollum went in for the kill...



SLASH!



And Sam quickly drew Sting at the creature, slicing him in the belly. Gollum whined in his suffering from the wound that Sam gave him. Sam, filled with the desire to slay Gollum, gritted his teeth furiously as he went to plunge the steel into the murderous wretch...





"No, don't kill us!" Gollum cried out his plea to Sam, who was still ready to put an end to his misery, ".../Gollum! Gollum! /Let us live a bit longer!"





Sam struggled with himself. He believed that slaying this treacherous foe would be just, and would be the safest thing to do. But in his heart... Sam was restraining himself, as he could not strike the final blow to the pitiful and cringing abomination that was Gollum...



"...Precious knows we'll die," Gollum added in his torment, "Gollum! /Yes, all of us will die, into the dust--die into the dust! /Gollum! Gollum! Gollum...!"

Sam, taking deep breaths to calm himself... listened a moment, against his better judgment... and calmly lowered Sting, believing that Gollum would die, as the rest of them would, when the ring is destroyed.



"Oh... curse you, you stinking thing!" Sam muttered contemptuously to himself.

Then Gollum became wild again and lunged for Sam...





WHACK!





But something hit Gollum right where Sam had wounded him. It was Yahiko, maddened with the desire to finish off Gollum, unwilling to be merciful as Sam...



"Oh no creepy," growled Yahiko, "...you're not getting away with it this time!"

Yahiko used his strength, while still suffering from his shoulder wound, to hit Gollum again in the shoulder... and again on his cranium. Sam stood as he watched Yahiko beat the creature relentlessly with his wooden Elven blade...





"IT ENDS NOW!" shouted Yahiko as he roared with all his might in the swing...



BASH!





And clobbered Gollum upside the chin, tossing him to the ground, knocking the creature senseless. Yahiko smirked with great pleasure, as he took advantage of the opportunity for revenge. The young fighter then staggered, as the last swing took a lot out of him.



Sam went to Yahiko and said, worriedly, "your shoulder, Mr. Yahiko! It's gravely injured."

Sam then tore one of his shirtsleeves... and wrapped it around Yahiko's injured shoulder.



"I would've given you my own shoulder, if it would've been a great comfort," Sam heartily added.

"Never mind about me, Sam," said Yahiko, wincing a little from his injury, "where's Frodo?"



Sam gasped as he also realized that Frodo was nowhere to be found.

"Frodo!" cried Sam...







But Frodo went on ahead, with Kaoru guiding him up the mountain to the entrance into the fiery chamber.

"Come on, Frodo!" Kaoru called to Frodo...



As he continued to race up the hill endlessly, sometimes clutching his hand onto the ring, in case it should fall from his neck. Kaoru, as she dashed her hardest, looked up at the arched opening, with her eyes narrowed earnestly hard upon it, intending to enter into the heart of the mountain with Frodo...











Gandalf and Kenshin fought together, with their backs turned on each other, as the battle at the Black Gate raged on. The wizard sliced Glamdring into the Orcs, while Kenshin stressed defense, blocking and parrying the blows from the Orcs. And on occasions, Kenshin would hit the creatures, with either sword or sheath...





SCCRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



The cries of the Ringwraiths were heard, as Kenshin and Gandalf looked up... to see one of the wraiths diving towards them on a fell beast...



But then...





A moth fluttered gently, yet gracefully in front of Gandalf and Kenshin. The two fighters looked upon the flying insect with brightened, relieved eyes... and the moth flew away as they glanced upwards towards the wraith...





And the figure of a giant eagle crashed fiercely into the fell beast that the wraith rode upon. Saito, Sanosuke and the rest looked at this revelation, with shock written over their faces.

"What in the?" Saito said, incredulously...







The spectators in Kyoto became filled with awe and amazement as they saw the sudden arrival of these flying giant birds of the sky.

"Look, big birds!" cried Ayame and Suzume, pointing at the eagle that clashed with the fell beast...







"...Eagles!" Pippin cried out, hearing more of the eagle screeching and bellows approaching, as his face brightened gladly and excitedly, "...the Eagles are coming!"

Misao gasped in delight, when she glanced upon the sky...







"What are those?" Yamagata asked, full of apprehension to what he saw.

"The great Eagles of the North," answered Radagast in exclamation, "...and Gwaihir the Windlord...!"







It was the great Gwaihir the Eagle, with his brother Landroval bringing forth all their vassals from the northern mountains, speeding and swooping on a gathering wind, lending their aid to the forces of Gondor and Rohan. Straight down upon the Nazgûl they bore, stooping suddenly out of the high airs, engaging them in aerial combat, and the rush of their wide wings as they passed over was like a gale.



The people in Kyoto cheered gaily, as their last hope had received some support from the giant Eagles of Middle-Earth.











Sam and Yahiko climbed up the mountain slope, trying to find and reach Frodo. But then they saw, from where they were... that Kaoru was with Frodo... and that they've made it to Sammath Naur. Kaoru helped Frodo up the rocks, and ran with him into the fiery tunnels.

Yahiko and Sam quickened their paces, aiming to reach the doorway, intending to see the quest completed. Once they entered...





The chambers were reeking hot, as the scorching heat blasted their faces and could see little, due to the steam billowing around. Sam and Yahiko saw that there was a walkway, open on either side to a drop into the glowing red lava below, and a deep rumbling shook the air as of great engines throbbing and laboring.

"Kaoru! Frodo!" Yahiko called out from the fiery mists...



The mists cleared... but there was only Kaoru standing on the walkway ahead of them. Yahiko and Sam quickly went up to her.



"Miss Kaoru," Yahiko asked of her, "where's Frodo?"

"He went up ahead," answered Kaoru, "...but he told me to get back. It was like... that he got so intense all of a sudden, the moment we entered."



Sam and Yahiko widened their eyes with concern, as if they thought... or knew that something bad was going to happen. Fearful of this, Sam and the others went up ahead taking tentative steps forward, with him up front and Yahiko and Kaoru behind him. The ground shook once more, with the mountain throbbing in its turmoil.

"Frodo!" Sam called out amongst the heated winds of the mountain as the steam parted...





And there, at the very end of the walkway, at its very edge to the Crack of Doom... they all saw Frodo standing silently and somberly, over the pit of the bubbling, boiling, molten lava below...





Frodo heard Sam's call and turned his head over his shoulder, with sad, weary eyes, as he responded, in a clear calm voice, "...I'm here, Sam."

Sam's eyes widened in worry once more, as he, along with Kaoru and Yahiko, noticed that Frodo was holding the ring protectively in his hand, as he looked down on the violence of the lava...



"...Behold the Crack of Doom, my friends," he called out to Kaoru, Sam, and Yahiko, "we've made it... and I have come."

Yahiko became bewildered as he thought to himself, '...what the heck is he saying?'

"You're right, Frodo," said Kaoru, with growing concern, "we have made it here. And if it is the Crack of Doom... then you know what you... what we've all come this way to do, don't you? To throw the ring back into its fire."

"...Yes, Miss Kaoru," responded Frodo, with an uncertain nod, "...I know it very well."

"Then let's get this overwith!" cried Yahiko, impatiently.



Frodo again nodded slowly in response.



"Destroy it!" Sam encouragingly added loudly, above the roar of the mountain.

Frodo, after a few brief moments... turned towards the pit... and held the ring, suspended by the chain, over the burning, scolding lava, with his eyes fixed on it...





'This is it,' thought Yahiko, with narrowed eyes.

"Go on, now!" Sam yelled further, "throw it in the fire...!"





Frodo had the ring over the lava... but long, long moments passed, as he just stood there, holding the chain aloft, unable and unwilling to drop the ring into the fiery cracks...





'What's he doing?' thought Yahiko in exasperation, as his eyes hardened, 'don't tell me you're giving up now, Frodo... we're all counting on you...!'





The ringbearing Hobbit still maintained his grip on the chain, with the ring suspended upon it, hanging over the fires in which it was created. Kaoru, Yahiko, and Sam became filled with worry over this long wait, after traveling so great a grueling distance. Frodo appeared to be losing his motivation once more as he just stood there--struggling internally with himself, trying to do what he knows he must... and complete his mission...





"What are you waiting for?" Sam called, with despair filling him... even greater than before, "...just let it go!"

"Drop it already!" Yahiko added his irritable cries for the ring to be dropped.

"The ring's right over the lava, Frodo," said Kaoru, encouraging Frodo one last time, "all you have to do is release your hold on the chain...

"Release the chain Frodo... and it will all be over," ended Kaoru.





Frodo then began to do what Kaoru said... and started loosening his grip on the chain...



But...





The call of the ring whispered at Frodo... and the Hobbit immediately stopped loosening his fingers...



The ring's speech made Frodo stare at the ring... until his eyes were completely glued upon it...



The ring's power of seduction had throbbed and resonated with each pulsating moment... inside the chambers where it was made, where its power was the strongest... and where all other powers were subdued. This was the very heart of Sauron's realm, and the forges of his great might, greatest in Middle-Earth...



Sam... Kaoru... and Yahiko watched with widened eyes... as they gazed upon Frodo, who was no longer swaying or trembling in the slightest... but tense and erect... as if he had been turned to stone...



Frodo's eyes hardened darkly... as a devouring desire overtook him... and turned away finally from the pit, gazing upon the others... his face firm and resolute...



"...Frodo!" gasped Kaoru as she, Sam and Yahiko looked incredulously at Frodo... as if they felt somehow... that Frodo wasn't now going to do what he came to do...







"...The ring is mine," declared Frodo in a clear, powerful voice...







And snapped the ring from the chain, tossing it aside. Frodo held the ring over his left index finger, preparing to put it on, as his eyes held their gaze on the others...



"Have you lost your mind!" yelled Yahiko contemptuously, as Kaoru and Sam gasped despairingly, knowing that the ring had corrupted Frodo.

"...No," whimpered Sam, in the deepest despair, "...no...!"



Yahiko growled angrily at Frodo, who let himself, be taken over by the ring, as was Isildur when he was in this abhorrent chamber of smoke and haze...



Frodo slowly smiled evilly at his companions, as he moved to put the ring on...



Yahiko couldn't take anymore... and began to run aggressively towards Frodo, feeling that he had to throw the ring in the fires himself.

"No, Yahiko!" Kaoru cried out as she tried to stop him, fearing a fierce struggle that could be dangerous, seeing as they could fall into the lava together at any point...



Sam stayed where he was as Kaoru and Yahiko persisted to run, passing ahead of him... but Frodo was too quick as he finished putting on the ring... and vanished from their sight...





"FRODOOOOO!!!!!!" roared Yahiko angrily.

"NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sam... then Kaoru screamed out in their despair, sending a resounding cry of loss and defeat within Sammath Naur...









The power of Barad-dûr was shaken... and the tower trembled from its foundations to its proud and bitter crown, as the Eye of Sauron felt the ring's power... and turned its gaze from the Black Gate... to Sammath Naur.

"I sense the ring," Sauron proclaimed to the observers in Kyoto...





Okina, Radagast, Sojiro, Megumi, and the children gasped in shock and horror as they saw the Eye deviate away from the battle... fixing it firmly upon the Mountain of fire...



"Oh no!" gasped Omasu despairingly

"The Eye's turned back to Mt. Doom!" cried Elladan.

"It won't be long now," Sauron said, maliciously, "soon now... you will all witness... my victory!"





The fact was made clear... as the Ringwraiths, at their master's summons, wheeling with a rending cry, also felt the ring's power being used... and immediately, with a storm of wings... they hurtled southwards towards Mt. Doom. The Eagles followed the ghostly wretches, hoping to delay them, just a bit more. However, Gandalf and Kenshin observed gravely as the Eye had turned its gaze to where Frodo was, unaware of the events that were unfolding...









Frodo had claimed the ring for himself and disappeared, his footprints appearing and leaving a trail over the dusty rock. Kaoru had whimpered to herself... as the quest had really failed this time, the moment Frodo made his claim, ending in madness, not triumph. But then she turned around...



And saw an ominous figure with crazed, ferocious eyes appearing quietly over Sam, who was standing in helplessness to the fact that Frodo had fallen to the power of the ring...





"Sam look out!" Kaoru called her warning to Sam...



CLONK!





But he was hit over the head with a rock before he could respond. Gollum had returned, his eyes filled with livid insanity. Yahiko's rage erupted as he charged with a loud piercing scream, intending to finish off the creature for good. Yet, Gollum threw the rock he had at Yahiko, clobbering him on the head, and the young Samurai fell to the floor senseless. With Yahiko and Sam out cold, Gollum then charged... and jumped on Kaoru.



Kaoru now struggled with Gollum, as he was clawing at her face endlessly, grunting and grumbling. Suddenly, they both fell onto the walkway, with Kaoru gaining the advantage and rolled on top of Gollum. But Gollum was able to reach the rock that he threw at Yahiko... and bashed it over Kaoru's head, knocking her out as well. With all these obstacles out of his way, Gollum picked himself off the ground, and crouched forward, fixing his wild eyes over the ground, intently where the invisible Frodo was leaving his footprints, and stopped at a particular spot.



In a most horrid face... the creature growled and snarled venomously with the vilest, deranged, raging hatred for Frodo... and charged hatefully at his invisible adversary, springing on top of him, wrapping his legs around the Hobbit's middle and grappling with Frodo's unseen arms. Frodo cried out angrily as he was now struggling with Gollum...









Aragorn battled on, during a lull in his fighting he heard a noise behind him... something large approached. Slowly, Aragorn turned around...



And a mighty, monstrous, armored mountain troll, possessed by Sauron's hate for the Dunedain, bore down upon him raising an enormous sword, which it used to attack Aragorn. Aragorn persisted though, blocking and parrying the blows made by the Troll's sword...









Gollum, on the edge of the abyss fought madly with his unseen foe. To and fro they moved, now so near the brink that they almost tumbled in, now stumbling back. Sam briefly regained consciousness and lifted his head to witness the odd sight of Gollum struggling with what appeared to be nothing, then his eyes rolled back, and his head thumped back to the rocky ground.



Kaoru had also regained consciousness as she looked up to see Gollum struggling with the invisible Frodo... as the creature's long hands drew something up... and into his mouth. Gollum's fangs gleamed with malice as they caught hold, tearing away at whatever he had in his mouth-- SNAP...!





"AAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!" Frodo screamed and shrieked in agony as he suddenly reappeared, while Gollum had bit off something from him.

Gollum spit out the object he took from Frodo into his hand and hit it over the ground. Kaoru watched Frodo in surprise as she saw him reappear suddenly with his right hand holding his left, which was bleeding freely...







Kenshin, as he knocked down a few more Orcs, turned to the side... to see Aragorn up against a heavily armored Mountain Troll. The wanderer went to aid the Ranger... but he heard the snarls and roars of a fierce dog...



And turned to see a Warg with no rider, wearing a spiked metal helmet the same as the Troll had on, charging towards him, barring its slobbering fangs at Kenshin, ready to pounce...







Frodo collapsed further with whole body lying on the rocky floor, moaning from his injury to his hand, which the blood flowed freely from. Kaoru then looked at Frodo, and gasped in horror... to see that Frodo was suffering from a missing finger, bitten off to the second knuckle, the one that Gollum bit off... to take back the ring...



Kaoru turned to the creature, after his cannibalistic act, as he removed the discarded finger from the ring...



And held it up high in the air, gazing and gloating at it, with the greatest delight and merriment on his face. Gollum had at long, long last... had reclaimed the ring for himself... after it was taken from him for too long...







The mountain troll suddenly gained the upper hand and knocked Aragorn, tossing him a long ways aside, landing hard onto the ground. Legolas saw the danger his friend was in... and tried to battle his way to Aragorn's aid...



Kenshin, now faced with a wild Warg, dodged its first attack, nearly being taken by surprise. The Wanderer struck the wolf-beast in the neck, but to no avail, as it only made the Warg mad. Kenshin dodged its next swipes, as he tried to use his iron sheath to attack the Warg...



Sanosuke then noticed Kenshin's fight with the Warg amongst the crowd of Orcs and Men and gasped despairingly...







Kaoru, seeing that Gollum has the ring, in his hand... called out softly to him, "Sméagol...! Sméagol...!"

Gollum heard Kaoru's call, and turned with a contemptuous look.



"If you're still in there somewhere, Sméagol, please listen!" Kaoru called again, earnestly pleading, "...you have to throw the ring away. It's tormented you for so long. You don't deserve that... you need to have a life that's worth living. Don't you want that life for yourself?"



Gollum hardened his expressions, as if he wasn't listening... but lightened a bit, as he had remembered at one point, that she told him that his past wasn't important.

"Just throw the ring away... into the fires below," Kaoru urged Gollum once more, "...please..."







The battle at the Black Gate began taking casualties as many of the men were killed, maimed, or otherwise injured by the enemy fighters...



Sanosuke, while he was rushing to Kenshin's aid... was overtaken by a pair of Orcs... as they jumped on him and used their clubs to beat the street fighter down. Megumi and Katsu gasped frighteningly seeing Sanosuke being overrun...



Kawaji gritted in despair... as he watched Saito being wounded in the back, and upon the side of his right leg. The lone wolf of Mibu fell down, recoiling from his wounds, but they weren't anything new as he has had these wounds before...



Aoshi was struck in the front left leg, and moaned from the wound as he cut off the Orc's head with his other Kodachi. Misao rushed immediately to Aoshi's aid as more Orcs were coming towards him...

Misao threw her kunais at them... and sliced the rest, with her sword. She went down to Aoshi, giving him a morsel of comfort...



As did Pippin, when Merry was cradled in his lap, suffering and wailing from his injuries, worse than he had at Pelennor fields....



Aragorn tried to recover himself after being thrown by the troll... but not much time was left for him, as the beast came at him... stepping closer and closer, armed with its massive sword.

"ARAGORN!!!" Legolas screamed out, as many Orcs constantly blocked his path...









"Smeagol please... throw away the ring," Kaoru desperately implored Gollum one last time, as if she was on her last leg...



Gollum looked at her for a moment... then turned his gaze back to the ring, hearing its calls... and delighted once more. He did not listen to Kaoru... as he had the one thing that he wanted the most... the One Ring back in his possession...



"...Heh, heh, heh... YYYEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!" Gollum cried out in celebration, as he jumped and danced wildly in his joy, "...YEESSSSS!!!"

Kaoru whimpered and cried in tears, shaking her head miserably and mouthing out, 'no... no, no!'



"Precious! Precious! Precious!" Gollum repeated gaily in his jovial merriment.

Frodo became angered by Gollum's shouts of joy, as he stood up, with a snarling, feral face... and proceeded toward Gollum...



'You have betrayed me for the last time, scum,' thought Frodo, viciously, 'I will get the ring back, then you shall be cast yourself... into the Fire of Doom.'

"Heeehhaaaa!!!! Precious!!!!" Gollum continued dancing and hopping happily.



Intending to carry out his act of revenge... Frodo walked up further towards Gollum, glaring at the creature in growing hatred... and tackled him with his hands, trying to wrestle the ring away from him... then toss him into the lava...









The battle at the Gate went more ill as the Orcs began to overrun the soldiers, bottoming out the number of fighters that were locked in tight in battle. There was no way out, even if they wanted to retreat. The Eagles continued struggling with the wraiths, trying to stall them... in hopes that the ring may finally be destroyed...









Ash Nazg Durbatulûk! Ash Nazg Gimbatul! Ash Nazg Gimbatul! Ash Nazg Gimbatul...!



The resounding speech of the ring filled the smoke and haze within Sammath Naur, with Frodo and Gollum battling for the ring. Kaoru turned her expression from despair... to pure anger, watching them both, trying to claim the ring for themselves, and not caring whether they live or die. As the two opponents continued fighting...



The ring flew from their hands, landing many paces away, towards the other side of the edge of the chasm. Kaoru noticed the ring as Gollum went for it... but was stopped by Frodo. While they were struggling...

Kaoru fixed her eyes upon the ring... and immediately went for it, picking the band from the ground, intending to throw it in herself...



Then the ring's speech called to her as it did Frodo, resonating within the walls...

Kaoru's gaze fixed upon the ring, using all her will to resist and throw it away...



But Frodo and Gollum grabbed Kaoru from behind, pulling her away from the chasm, letting Kaoru drop the ring back onto the ground. Now involved in the struggle, Kaoru, also reached for the ring, with Frodo and Gollum in tow. All their hands were reaching toward the ring, as the ring's call echoed in the chamber...


Frodo and Gollum were intending to take the ring back... as Kaoru fixed her eyes on the ring...



"The precious is mine!" cried Gollum.

"It is mine!" cried Frodo...



Kaoru's eyes hardened as the ring's call began affecting her further, hissing wildly...



"No," said Kaoru, listening to the ring...



"...No, its mine... ITS MIIINNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!" Kaoru screamed wildly, as her hand tried to grab at the ring.

Now, Kaoru wanted the ring for herself. Sam regained consciousness, as he saw not only Frodo and Gollum... but also Kaoru reaching out for the ring, and his eyes widened in shock.



Frodo nearly reached for the ring... but Kaoru knocked him upside the head, knocking him out. Gollum and Kaoru each grabbed the ring, with their hands tearing away, aiming to get the ring.



"Wicked Mistress!" cursed Gollum, "give the precious to Sméagol! Give it to usss!"



Kaoru then used her hand to smash into Gollum's face. Gollum wailed loudly, as he remembered when Déagol did the same to him when they first found the ring. Becoming wild and angered, Gollum wanted to bite her finger off...

But Kaoru took that pleasure as she reached out and used her mouth to bite Gollum's thumb.



"AAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHH!" Gollum shrieked as Kaoru bit deeper into it... and turned her head fiercely, breaking the creature's thumb, but it wasn't bit off clean, nearly broken viciously.



Kaoru stood up tall as she watched the creature wail in its own agony. She held the ring in her hand, as the call of the ring was like a lullaby to her. Sam looked up at Kaoru, looking despairingly, as if he knew... that the ring was about to claim another...



"...Its mine," Kaoru said happily, with a hint of wickedness, "...my own... my... precious."

"Miss Kaoru," Sam said speechlessly in a forlorn voice, seeing the ring claim Kaoru, "no, Miss Kaoru."

Kaoru went to put the ring on her finger...





But Frodo came in and wrenched at it. Frodo and Kaoru were now locked together as they tumbled to the floor. Frodo grabbed hold of Kaoru's hair... and smashed her head into the ground many times... provoking Kaoru to hit the Hobbit fiercely in the face... and went over, with one hand over his throat...





"I'll kill you!" Kaoru gritted with murderous intent, "I'LL KILL YOOOOUUUUU!!!!!!"



Then... Yahiko began regaining consciousness, as he turned his head, opening his eyes, and watched with a bewildered expression, seeing Kaoru throttle Frodo onto the ground. Frodo was losing his breath, as Kaoru poured all her strength to kill him...





Gollum suddenly came in... and bit into Kaoru's right arm, making her scream and shriek in pain... as Gollum used all his violent strength... and tore off a piece of her flesh from her arm. Kaoru's arm now bled freely as Frodo's wounded finger had. Gollum wailed and bellowed in his insanity, as he was more cannibalistic than before with Frodo's finger... completely changed into a wild animal.

Kaoru released the ring from her grasp, and it lay upon the dusty ground. Gollum then spotted the ring and grabbed at it. Kaoru grabbed at the creature's hand, as did Frodo. It was now a struggle between the three of them, as they were approaching dangerously towards the edge.



Yahiko went to try and stop them... but Sam grabbed him.



"No, Mr. Yahiko," said Sam, "we can't do anything now."

"But they'll fall, Sam," said Yahiko.

"Its no use," Sam reasoned with Yahiko, "look at them... they want the ring for themselves now. If we try to get in... we'll be taken by the ring too."

Yahiko incredulously looked at the struggling trio at the edge of the cracks of Doom. Sam was right... they were mad for the ring and would kill each other to have it....









Hiko, Sojiro, Yamagata, Okina, and the rest continued to watch helplessly as their only hope was slowly beginning to diminish...



The Troll that attacked Aragorn, after knocking him down... used its foot to slam the Ranger onto the ground. Aragorn drew his dagger and plunged it into the Troll's foot, but it didn't have any effect on the beast, as it continued to hold down Aragorn with its massive weight...



Kenshin was pinned to the ground by the Warg, with his iron sheath gripped tightly upon the Warg's mouth, as he tried to fend back the creature, beating it with the butt of his sword...



Gandalf was almost out of breath, with Orc blood stained on him...









Frodo, Kaoru, and Gollum were dangling very close to the edge of the pit, fighting endlessly to take the ring. Suddenly... Kaoru slipped her foot over the edge, and lost her balance, taking Frodo and Gollum to tumble with her... and the ring flew away from their hands.

Gollum instantly noticed it as he jumped out, reaching for the ring...



And caught the ring in mid air. Gollum was now in free fall, with his back turned to the lava. The creature gazed at the ring in great satisfaction... then cupped it to his chest, curling his body protectively around the ring, unaware of what he was falling into...





SPLASH!





Gollum landed with a splash in the molten lava... then began to sink and melt into the fiery liquid rock... with his hand that held the ring raised above him, looking at it with an incredulous expression...



Then Gollum's hand went under... and the ring began to sit and float upon the surface of the lava...







Frodo and Kaoru also went over the edge...





...But luckily, they held on, clinging onto the rocks, a little below the edge. Sam and Yahiko were glad to see them holding on, after seeing them go over with Gollum. They both lay flat on the rocky edge of the walkway... and reached down their hands to their companions, but Frodo and Kaoru were a bit out of reach for them to be pulled up.

"Give us your hands!" cried Sam... but Frodo and Kaoru still hung there, frozen in shock...







The fiery inscription lighted upon the One Ring... as it began to absorb the intense heat of the lava, in which it floated upon, sensing its danger...







"Take our hands!" Sam implored Frodo and Kaoru.

"Come on!" added Yahiko.



Frodo and Kaoru tried to reach up. Frodo used his wounded hand, as Kaoru reached out her wounded arm... but Frodo slipped from Sam's grasp and Kaoru recoiled from her wound, slipping from Yahiko's grasp.



"No!" Sam and Yahiko cried despairingly.



Frodo relaxed without a sound... then looked up with such hopeless despair and anguish written within his face, while Kaoru muttered and shivered miserably with her eyes closed, as she was frightened to try and climb up. Both of them felt... that they just wanted jump down to fall into the lava, after being corrupted by the ring... and end it all.



Seeing this, Sam implored to Frodo, passionately, "don't you let go..."

Frodo stared up at Sam, with just one hand grasping onto the rocks, keeping them from falling.



"...Don't let go," pleaded Sam in a lowered voice.

"...The same goes to you too, Kaoru," Yahiko said to Kaoru, "remember... you have to go back to Kenshin. You promised him you would."



Kaoru then stopped her quivering as she glanced slowly at Yahiko, reminding her of her promise to be reunited with Kenshin...



"Do you hear me, ugly?" added Yahiko.

After hearing his usual nickname for her... she grimaced slightly, remembering how she hated being called that...



"Who are you calling ugly?" responded Kaoru firmly.

"That's more like it," said Yahiko brightly, "...now come on!"

"...REEEAAAAAACH!" called out Sam with a loud, resounding voice...



Then Kaoru and Frodo reached out and grabbed a firm hold upon their companions' hands, as Sam and Yahiko pulled them up from over the edge...







The ring, lighted with the elvish script, continued absorbing the heat of the lava... until it finally melted... and disappeared beneath the surface...











FLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



The Great Eye cried out in horror and pain, as it began blazing in consuming flame. And soon after...





The Eye within the skies of Kyoto began flaring up as well. Okina, Hiko, Radagast, Katsu, Megumi, the Oniwaban Group, the Red Samurai, Elladan, Elrohir, Glorfindel, Yamagata, Sojiro, Kawaji, Chou, and the rest of the people gasped in shock... to see the Eye flashing out of control...







As the troll was ready to deliver the killing blow to Aragorn... it stopped suddenly and turned its attention elsewhere. Aragorn felt the creature's grip loosen up, and scrambled quickly from the ground. The Warg that was clawing at Kenshin... inexplicably ceased its mauling, then immediately released its hold on him, and ran off in a panic, leaving Kenshin bemused with relief....



The rest of Sauron's other troops, for almost no reason at all, stopped their fighting as they turned back to Mordor... to look upon the blazing Eye of Sauron, which now filled their hearts with dread... and began to flee...



Sanosuke and Saito looked up, also noticing that the Eye was flaming wildly...



"W... w-what's going on?" asked Sanosuke, "...what the hell's happening?"

"It looks like the Eye's blazing fiercely... like a flickering wildfire in the night," gasped Saito.

"Lord Aoshi, look!" cried Misao, pointing towards Barad-dûr...





Legolas turned towards Mordor and Barad-dûr, as well as Gandalf. Kenshin and Aragorn stood up slowly, as they observed the uncontrolled inferno of the great eye. The sight was too familiar to Kenshin... as he remembered when Shishio burned like this, unable to control his body temperature...







"Noooo!!!" cried Sauron, "...this can't beeee! The ring... I can no longer sense it!!!!"

Everyone in Kyoto just stared at the flashing eye like it was babbling or something. But to Okina, Radagast, and the others... it wasn't just babble or gibberish...



"Radagast," Okina inquired solemnly, "...does this mean?"

Radagast paused in his standing, watching the flickering, blazing eye upon the sky... and atop Barad-dûr as the mantling dark clouds swirled above the tower...







"...It is done," Radagast answered fatefully in a hushed voice...









CRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCKKKKKKKKKKLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





Barad-dûr began to fall, slowly crumbling from its foundations. The Eye continued flashing furiously... as it fell down with its tower, tumbling down into the ground...



Omasu, Ochika, Kuro, Shiro, Ayame, Suzume, and Megumi's expressions brightened as hope filled them, in the midst of darkness. More of the spectators began to smile, others were still uncertain, as they were seeing an end to their vicious foe, that was Sauron, watching his tower of adamant, topple and decompose... like a grain of dust in their sight...







Saito lit a cigarette, as he smirked at the breaking tower of Barad-dûr...



Gandalf, giving off a happy, victorious sigh... Aragorn, with relieved eyes... and Kenshin, with a sympathetic face... sternly stood, gazing upon the destruction of Sauron and his dark tower, knowing that Frodo had succeeded...







Falling further upon Barad-dûr...



The great dark fire of Mordor... then started to shrivel up... and snuff out like a candle...



Until...







Pooof!!!!!



A bursting shock wave came in a small, quiet explosion, blowing away Barad-dûr, like it was a pile of sand, and Sauron's presence scattered like dust in the wind...







"...OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sanosuke roared out triumphantly, throwing a victorious fist high into the air.

"Frodo!" Merry shouted jubilantly, joining along Sanosuke, raising his sword in the air, knowing that they've won over Sauron and Mordor, "...FRODOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"



Misao also cried victoriously... and jumped on Aoshi in celebration... while Gimli resounded his roars of joy, celebrating the victory of Middle-Earth over the evil of Mordor.

The shock wave then began to spread over Mordor after Sauron was vanquished. The earth rocked, groaned, and quaked, as the Orcs continued to flee out of Mordor... but alas...



The ground collapsed and crumbled beneath their feet, taking them into a deep abyss. And with it...



The towers of Narchost and Carchost swayed, tottered, and fell down, taking the rest of the Black Gate with them, hurled in ruin. Many of the Orcs had escaped the crumbling abyss... but their minds were mindless as they kept running... until they plunged themselves into the Dead Marshes at Dagorlad...









The Kyoto observers also saw Barad-dûr destroyed, and the Black Gate thrown into the abyss of Mordor. Then... the image dissipated, as the Eye in their world was still present, but flickering like its counterpart, could no longer obtain the image. The blazing fiend writhed in its defeat, knowing that his dreams of conquest were thwarted.



"Well, well," Hiko smirked at Sauron's flickering counterpart, "...it looks like that you intended to show us your victory... but only showed us your inevitable defeat instead."

"This is... impossible!!!!!!!!!!!" Sauron's counterpart replied, wailing contemptuously.

"Only for you," said Okina proudly, "there's a lesson you should learn, Sauron... good always triumphs over evil."

"You are finished!" Elladan cried vehemently, "you shall not ever arise again, in any world that you may have planned to conquer!"

"Go away, you bad ball of fire!" Ayame and Suzume demanded firmly at the flashing eye... that was also about to snuff out.

"You heard them," said Radagast, firmly commanding Sauron, "...begone! Leave our sight... never to return to this world, or any other!"




The Eye's counterpart then began to fade... and burst in a shock wave, that filled the earth beneath Kyoto, as well as the rest of Japan. The dark clouds then slowly began to dissipate, as Sauron's darkness was, at long last... casted away from this world. One of the officers trembled in uncertainty to what just happened...



"...I-I... it's... over?" wondered the officer, "...does this mean that it's over?"

Okina nodded, as he answered for him, " ...I think it is."



Radagast nodded fervently in agreement. Ayame, Suzume, and Megumi brightened with smiles, knowing that victory was theirs. The Red Samurai, though he was masked, was filled with the same awe and astonishment, seeing the destruction of Mordor... it was though he'd seen the downfall of Hell itself.

"...It's over!" the police officer cried gladly, as he went to run out into the city to pass it on... with others following alongside him...







The rest of the people who were hiding within the buildings began to hear the joyful cries from some of the officers that saw the final outcome...





"The enemy's gone! Its over, we won!" one of the officers cried out.

One of the Men who were hiding came at the officer and asked, "what's all the commotion about? What's happened?"

"We're safe!" the officer joyfully replied, "the enemy has been vanquished!"

"What are you talking about?" asked the Man incredulously.

"We won over the enemy," elaborated the officer, "his tower has been thrown down, crumbled into the dust. His land, his gates, and all of his monster soldiers have fallen--sucked down into a great darkness. And even the fiery eye that watched over us, has been blown away from the sky."

The Man gasped in bewildered disbelief, "...are you sure?" He inquired earnestly.

"Yes, I saw it with mine own eyes!" the officer answered with a triumphant cry, "the threat has passed away from us! Heaven has smiled on us this day! Its over!"





The Man who had heard the great news lightened greatly, hearing that Sauron was no more...



The Officers, along with some Samurai, began to climb up the buildings in the city, including the towers, to spread the word with a glad shout...







"KYOTO...! IT'S OVER, KYOTO! THE THREAT OF THE ENEMY IS NO MORE! HE HAS PASSED AWAY FROM US! JAPAN IS SAFE! WE WON...!





"WE WON...!





"WE WOONNN...!





"WE WOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN...!!!!!!!!!!!!!"







The cry of victory resounded throughout Kyoto like a thunderous call of triumph for their land... as well as their time of peace that they had fought for, over 10 years ago. The people cheered gladly at the top of their lungs, greatly celebrating their ultimate triumph. The Red Samurai and his company sounded out their loud, victorious battle cries whenever a great enemy had been conquered... which sounded harmoniously with the cheering of the Army and Police...





Elladan and Omasu hugged each other as Ochika and Elrohir also embraced heartily, feeling relieved of the great evil of Mordor that threatened the peace of Japan...



Kuro and Shiro grasped each other by the arms, sharing a bright, victorious smirk, to know that Frodo had completed the task of saving their worlds...



Ayame and Suzume lovingly snuggled Megumi as she held them tight with great relief to know that their world had been saved...



Hiko, Okina, Sojiro, showing his great smiles, and Radagast had faces firm with relief, as they looked upon the roaring cheers of the people who deserved to have their moment of total victory...





Glorfindel also glanced, with gladness, upon the cheering people as he thought proudly to himself, 'rejoice, people of Japan. For the Realm of Sauron... is ended forever.'













Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or Lord of the Rings. RK is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and Lord of the Rings is the property of Professor J. R. R. Tolkien

A/n: quite a massive chapter, isn't it? I intended it to be so. The word count, is over 9000, can you believe that? I'm still glad nonetheless. Tolkien while writing the scene in Sammath Naur, he was motivated strongly in the saying: no matter how dark, bad, and terrible things seem to be... there will always be a moment of turning, when dark is turned to light, when dawn dispels night.

He called it the 'eucatastrophe', an opposite of catastrophe. And for him, it meant the sudden unpredictable turn from bad to good. Tolkien even referred that term to the tragic Crucifixion of Christ, of how his death and resurrection was salvation for mankind.



Well, one of my favorite eucatastrophes, is the scene in the Crack of Doom, though it scared the heck out of me when I first saw it.



I hope this will be the greatest Christmas present for all of you, my readers and admirers. Although there have been some that are not altogether happy about how I do things. But anyway, Christmas isn't about holding grudges, its about caring and sharing, and being with those you love most... mostly its about celebrating the birth of Christ.



Well, three more chapters to go before this fic's finished.

Please read and review, and Merry Christmas!