A/N: Let me say that it's been a while since I wrote a fanfiction story. But... After playing a lot of a certain game that is made by the Yakuza devs (Ryu ga Gotoku Studio)… And another, I had to go and make a fanfiction!

As always...

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise/Hokuto ga Gotoku: (c) SEGA
Fist of the North Star/Hokuto no Ken: (c) Buronson & Tetsuo Hara/NSP 1983, Approved No. GA-217
Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed: (c) ACQUIRE/XSeed Games/Marvelous USA, Inc.

In the not-so-distant future…

The world has been scoured by nuclear flame!

The seas have dried. The land has split.

And all life has been wiped from the barren Earth.

But…

The human race lives on!

And for the most part, it is all true. Most of the world has crumbled into a deserted wasteland, with no food, no water and no greens to sustain life. That is… except in one city near a mountainous region.

Known in legends as "The City of Miracles", this place has everything one can ask for. Food, water, and while there is no plant life, there are seeds in which the plants can be grown into fruits… This city is known as Eden.

At the centre near the doors of a cathedral, with its backdrop being a giant glass dome, stands a man tall enough to contend with similarly larger man. He was listening to a speech from a woman, wearing a white dress which is similar in style to the man's armour. She is standing at the centre of the steps where the cathedral can be entered.

She began to speak to a large crowd.

"Citizens of Eden! It is time for this city to change. We have protected the blessings of Sphere City by building walls and limiting the population… We maintained order by turning away those in need, so that only a select few could live in bliss."

"This, however, was not the path of justice. In a perfect city, the strong must safeguard the weak – society can only rise as high as its lowest members. From this day forth, the gifts of Eden are no longer a treasure to be protected, but to be shared."

"Therefore, today, I declare that Eden's gates shall be open to all! We will open the gates, release any prisoners, and welcome all newcomers with open arms!"

A citizen cried out, with a bit of concern on his face, "Wouldn't that be inviting the Holy Imperial Army or the Army of Ruin?"

The woman responded by saying, "That is a danger we cannot ignore. But, if we all work together, we can protect each other and live without fear! Eden is going to become greater than ever… by the hands of our people!"

The crowd began to cheer and clap. The spiky black-haired man, donning a blue leather jacket, matching pants, black boots and silver shoulder pads, stood on, watching. Another man with a similar height and build, but wore a light blue shirt with black shoulder pads, stood right beside him. He said, "Xsana is shaping up to be a remarkable leader."

"Yeah." The first man said, "This world needs a hero brave enough to make their ideals a reality."

"You're right." The second man replied,

He turned and said, "By the way, Ken… I heard some young kids showed up at Eden's gates today."

"What do you mean?" The second man asked,

"They don't look threatening, but based on what I heard from Jagre, they are not from around here." The first man replied, "I think they got here by mistake… I think you should see them, Kenshiro."

"Rei…" Kenshiro said, "Where do I find these kids? Do you know if they are still in town?"

"I believe so." Rei responded, "For the moment, they are with Jagre near the gate. I think you should head down there."

"Good idea." Kenshiro replied, "I'll see you soon." And he ran all the way down stairs to the main courtyard, ran past the Colosseum on the west side, through the bazaar and finally… he saw them.

A young black-haired boy, wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt with a darker blue undershirt, returned his gaze…

Chapter 1: The Successor and the Synthister

Kenshiro remained speechless, albeit stoic. The boy stared back and he was speechless as well. The man Rei mentioned, named Jagre, asked Kenshiro, "Hey, Ken… Do you know those kids?"

Kenshiro remained silent. Jagre scratched his nearly bald head, not going near his orange mohawk haircut and goggles, and said, "They said that they know you somehow… But… how is that possible?"

Jagre continued, "Listen, normally I'm not supposed to do this, but you did hear Lady Xsana decree that we should not turn away anyone."

"I agree." Kenshiro concurred, "I'll hear their story and figure out where we go from here."

"Yeah…" Jagre replied, "That sounds like a good idea." He then turned to the boy and his group. "Hey, guys. This is Kenshiro. He'll guide you around Eden and show you around town. Please be courteous towards him."

The boy finally spoke. "Pleasure to meet you… Kenshiro, 64th Successor of the Hokuto Shinken." He bowed as he spoke.

Kenshiro gave a slightly shocked expression. "How does he know my fighting style?!" He thought,

In a room at the southwest end of the Chimney District, Kenshiro gathered with the boy and his group. However, it was no ordinary group the boy is with. The boy's group consisted of young women!

"How did you know my fighting style?" Kenshiro asked, quizzical about the young boy's knowledge

"You see…" The boy responded, "I read much of your stories, watched your shows and played your video games. We are, what we called, otaku or… anime and manga geeks."

"Although, I'm not sure if those things are around in this time frame…" He said with his head down.

"I'm sorry," Kenshiro replied, "But I am not familiar with those things."

"It's OK." The boy said sadly, "I heard that the district we lived in, Akihabara, was wiped out during the nuclear war. The seven of us are thankful that we are still alive."

"Pardon me. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Nanashi." The boy then bows, "I'm sorry… it's not an interesting name or anything."

A girl with whitish-purplish hair and a white and blue dress bowed and said in a polite yet stoic voice, "My name is Shizuku Tokikaze. Pleased to meet you."

Another girl with light brown hair with a ponytail, in a green cyclist's jacket bowed and said in a slightly excited voice, "My name is Tohko Sagisaka. Pleased to meet you!"

Another girl with grey hair with pigtails and wearing a white dress, and red and black leggings, bowed and said, "My name is Rin Tokikaze. As you can see, I'm Shizuku's sister! Nice to meet you."

A young woman with long purple hair in a grey suit bowed and said in a seductive voice, "My name is Shion Kasugai. It is nice to meet someone who is a practitioner of Hokuto Shinken like yourself."

Another girl with blonde hair, wearing a blue maid's outfit bowed and said in a happy voice, "My name is Kati Räikkönen! Greased to meet you!"

Nanashi chuckles and said, "Forgive me, Mr. Kenshiro. Kati has a habit of messing up English words. I'm sure she said 'Pleased to meet you'. And now…" He turned to look around, "Uh… guys? Where's my sister?"

"Brotato…" a quiet, yet slightly scared voice cried, "I don't want to come out yet… That big guy looks scary!"

Nanashi managed to catch his sister, hiding behind a couch, next to a table, in which a chicken is on top of the table. She is wearing a white sweater, with the hoodie covering her black hair. "Her name is Nana." He said, "My sister is what you call… a shut-in. I would suggest hanging out with her often."

"Hm… I see." Kenshiro said,

"My name is Kenshiro. I'm exactly what your tales said. The 64th Successor of the Hokuto Shinken. It's my pleasure to meet you all." He then bows.

Both Kenshiro and Nanashi then exchanged stories about how they came to be.

In Kenshiro's case, he explained that he is indeed the Successor of the deadly assassination martial art known as Hokuto Shinken. The way it is taught is that the energy of the user is channeled into a single blow and striking 708 points in the body. The pressure points that were inflicted by the blows will almost always kill the enemy, either from within or make them explode. The art is also used to heal wounds, both physically and psychologically. But the main use of the martial art is for killing people.

He came to Eden after learning that his fiancée, Yuria, is there. She is currently sleeping in the Chamber of Miracles, inside the glass dome called Sphere City. He was initially told that she died, killing herself, by his rival, Shin, who is a practitioner of the Nanto Koshuken fighting style, during a raid at Southern Cross. He also showed Nanashi and company the scars of the Big Dipper constellation on his chest, received from Shin after he kidnapped Yuria. The reason Yuria is sleeping inside the Chamber of Miracles is that she is attempting to cure herself of the radiation sickness she has. He also learned from a mysterious man that the moment she wakes up, the nuclear warheads inside Sphere City will activate and destroy Eden. Kenshiro, despite this, has committed to not only protect Eden, but also save Yuria from any danger.

In Nanashi's case, he is part of a neighbourhood watch team known as the "Akihabara Freedom Fighters". But what sets him apart from everyone else, is that he is a Synthister, a man-made vampire where his skin has zero protection from the sun. If he has no clothing on, he will burn and die. Shizuku managed to save him by a kiss and strengthened Nanashi as a result. In essence, he became a Nighteater, like Shizuku and Rin, who hunts down and eliminates Synthisters, but since he is one himself, he formed a contract with Shizuku to become her familiar. Until Akihabara's final days, Nanashi and his team kept watch over the district for any supernatural beings.

"I see…" Kenshiro replied, "So where will you go?"

"For the moment, we do not really know." Nanashi answered, "We thought this is a good pit stop in our travels to find a better town, city or village. From what I heard from the Watch, Eden had just dealt with a major threat, right?"

"Ah, right…" Kenshiro replied, thinking back how he drove Thouzer and the Imperial Army out of Eden a day earlier.

"I think we should set up shop here, at least for a few days." Nanashi said, "What do you guys think?"

"I agree with Nanashi." Shizuku said, "It can give us a few days to recharge. Plus, I am curious to see what this place has to offer."

"But… shouldn't we talk to the ruler first?" Tohko asked, "I mean, there might be paperwork involved and…"

"I don't think it should be a problem." Kenshiro replied, "Lady Xsana did allow people, from all walks of life, to come to Eden. If anything, I'll have a chat with her."

"Why didn't you think of this before we came, minion?!" Rin cried to Nanashi,

"Rin…" Nanashi cried,

"Don't blame Nanashi." Shion said, "He couldn't have known about any way to set up our group in town like Eden, if there were rules in place. Luckily, we're free to do that, thanks to Mr. Kenshiro."

Rin moaned sheepishly, while Kenshiro said nothing. "Well… I'm thirsty and our journey was quite long, so I'm going to the bar." Shion said, "But… which bar is nicer? Do you know one, Mr. Kenshiro?"

Kenshiro replied, "The Rusty Nail Bar is a very good place on the east part of Eden. I mix drinks there. Maybe I'll stop by."

"Is that a date you're asking me on?" Shion said, seductively, "I think I may take you up on that offer…" She then got up from her seat and left the room.

"Remind me why we brought her along, minion!" Rin cried,

"She was a useful ally!" Nanashi cried back, "Yes, you may have had suspicions about her, being once the CEO of Daishihon Pharmaceuticals, but she was never implicated of anything back at our old home!"

"Rin still has that grudge, huh?" Tohko said, "Anyways, I heard there's a big Colosseum in town! Maybe I'll watch a few matches and get inspired…" She got up and left the room.

Kati said, "I'm off to the Casino!"

Kenshiro grew a bit wide-eyed at the response and then asked, "Are you sure it's OK for your age?"

"With this outfit I have on, I can certainly pass for a worker there!" Kati replied, "Wish me luck, Mr. Genshiro!"

"It's Kenshiro." He corrected,

"Ah, right!" Kati replied, "Mr. Kenshiro! See you there!" And she left.

"Right." Rin said, "I'm going to the front square to sing in front of my new sheeplings. Maybe they can appreciate the music we have back at our old home… Hopefully, you can stop by, Kenshiro." She got up, took her keyboard and left

"I think I'll explore Eden for a bit." Shizuku said, "Maybe there is something for me here…"

"Just be careful." Kenshiro warned, "There are a handful of people who may try something on you…"

"Thank you, Mr. Kenshiro." Shizuku acknowledged, "I'll see you later, Nanashi?"

"Yes." Nanashi replied. He then hugged Shizuku and gave her a kiss. "See you soon."

Shizuku waved and left the room. "Brofist…" Nana said, "My head hurts… I think I need to go to a hospital."

"Are you sure you can reach the clinic on the northeast side of town?" Kenshiro asked,

"I think I can…" Nana replied, "Hopefully, you can come, Broshiro." She then left the room.

"OK… It's just us." Nanashi said, "I guess let's go and talk to Lady Xsana."

"Right." Kenshiro acknowledged.

A few minutes later, Kenshiro and Nanashi are inside the cathedral, with the back window overlooking Sphere City. They stood in front of a desk, with Xsana being on the other side. Xsana asked, "What can I do for you, Kenshiro? Nanashi?"

"Go ahead, Nanashi." Kenshiro said,

"Right." Nanashi replied and bowed to Xsana.

"I'm part and in charge of a neighbourhood watch group in our old town. We have been traveling from place to place, looking to set up shop. The idea that you have welcomed us here is a blessing and we thank you for it. Is there any steps we need to take in order for our group to stay in Eden and be that neighbourhood watch?"

"It's nice that you want to help the Watch." Xsana said, "And I'm gracious for your offer. I do need some time to think about it, since I do not know you or your group that well."

"I understand, Lady Xsana." Nanashi responded, "The fact that Eden was just reeling from yesterday's incident with the Imperial Army made you very cautious and wary. If anything, we can await your decision whenever you are ready. We are not in a rush or anything."

"Thank you, Nanashi." Xsana replied, "I'm sure you would make a fine, upstanding citizen of Eden, if I have the power to grant you that wish. Your friends also seem like the type that can be a good refresher to Eden as well. As I said, I do need to come to a decision and will let you know in a few days."

"Thank you, Lady Xsana." Nanashi replied and bowed

Kenshiro looked at Nanashi and thought, "This kid… He has the same compassion as me… I'm wondering… Is he well suited for the dangers that lie ahead?"