At sunset she strikes. Swift. Deadly. They call her Twilight Suzuka.
This is the story of one of her most legendary foes, a story which until now has never been told. A story Suzuka has kept to herself.
This story takes place sometime before Outlaw Star.
Outcast Legends: An Outlaw Star fic
The Tale of DawnSword
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the original Outlaw Star TV anime. I'll make a list of those characters and concepts I do own at the end of the fic, if there are any.
The sun had slowly set upon the mining town of Blackthorn on planet Sorox, a dismal little place known for it's hangouts and roaming fugitives. The town was little more than a collection of mining shafts, radiation-proof shelters, and a bar which was the only real hangout in the town, the whole town surrounded in a force field bubble to keep out the poisonous fumes of the planet's natural atmosphere. Yet despite the thick clouds that covered the planet from pole to pole, the sun was clearly visible most days, at sunset spreading intense hues of red, orange, and yellow throughout the gas in such a way as to look like free-floating liquid fire. Thus, sunset had become known as 'fire hour' on Sorox, and it was always the time when everyone on the mining colony made their way to the bar for a drink and to pull a few underhanded deals, or maybe swindle some unfortunate fool out of their life savings in a game of blackjack or poker.
But this would prove to be no ordinary sunset 'fire hour'.
She entered the bar shrouded by a long, dark brown cloak that reached all the way to her feet. Scanning the establishment for a moment, she decided the best word to describe the place was 'sewer'; the air wreaked of alcoholic beverages, vomit, and cheap cigarets, all typical bar smells. The large building was rather crowded, every table at least having five or six occupants and usually two or three people looking over the sitters' shoulders at card games. She looked about slowly, scanning the room. It didn't take her long to spot him. 'Death card' Faulkner stood at the bar, arguing with one of the two bartenders about some issue or another, likely unpaid 'protection' money. He wore scruffy dark grey armor and had holstered at his side a deck of cards and a pair of laser pistols, upgraded for optional wide-range blasts by use of an illegal spread-fire emitter. One hand on her sword, Suzuka made her way over behind Faulkner noiselessly. It took him about two minutes to realize someone was standing behind him, and when he turned around all Suzuka had to say were two words that cut him to the quick like a bullet between the eyes.
"It's sunset."
Apparently either everyone in the bar had heard about the legendary Twilight Suzuka, or they were very good at reading the look of fear on Faulkner's face, because in less than four minutes the room was totally and completely empty, cards and drinks left lying about on tables. Faulkner, panic stricken, cringed and reached suddenly for his guns, but in a flurry of motion Suzuka's cloak fell off, her sword was pointed at Faulkner's neck, and both laser pistols were halfway across the room in two pieces each.
"...S-Suzuka!" He studdered in fear. "What a pleasant surprise. What's the occasion?"
"Two counts of murder, one a high ranking official." She returned. "Someone seems to be very angry at you for that."
"S-S-S-Suzuka, c'mon, gimme a break! We're both bounty hunters; it was an assignment-"
"Newly elected president Akir doesn't care. You're times over, 'Death Card'."
With a sudden leap backwards, Faulkner sent a group of four aces flying at Suzuka, which she dodged with razor-perfect accuracy. The cards hit the ground and exploded, and when the dust cleared Faulkner was on the bar, throwing glasses at Suzuka by the handfuls. A blur of swift sword strikes sent each item flying away harmlessly, in shards, to the floor. In one desperate, last-ditch maneuver, Faulkner grabbed a blaster from below the barkeeper's side of the bar, just below the finance computer, and shot off a barrage of blasts at Suzuka, which moments later struck nothing but bare wall. As a blur of wood struck him in the chest, Faulkner was thrown into the far wall of the room, colliding with the wall so hard he left a dent.
"Too easy. I didn't even have to try." Suzuka thought out loud, then walked over and confiscated the pack of exploding cards from Faulkner's body's belt. Looking down at the lifeless body, she shook her head in thought. "How did a weakling like him get through Vonnean security?"
"Here's the proof you asked for." Suzuka stated, handing the pack of cards over to her employer. The elderly man opened the deck, pulled out one of the aces that composed the whole deck, and put it in his pocket.
"Those are his alright. The micro-explosive bionic fibers are just visible in the corner. Here's your payment, Suzuka."
She put the money in her pocket and began to walk away, when suddenly the old man called back to her.
"Uh,... Ms. Suzuka?"
"Yes?" She asked, hopeful of another job.
" . . . Um, I think there's something on your back."
"What?" She exclaimed, then reached behind her. After a few seconds of searching, she pulled off a small note written on plain white paper that had been attached to her back by a piece of simplistic, almost laughable transparent adhesive tape. "What in the world..." She thought aloud as she looked it over. On it was written only this:
'My name is Dawn Sword'.
Not in all her time as a bounty hunter had Suzuka ever been truly snuck up upon, much less been the victim of a practical joke like that. She didn't even know when it had happened exactly, all she knew was that whoever had done it to her had been impossibly swift, skillful, and silent to have gotten away with it without her even knowing. Yet, it seemed as if either this 'Dawn Sword' meant to tease her, or it was a challenge.
She was determined to find this 'Dawn Sword'.
It took her months before any information surfaced. At first all she knew was this Dawn Sword was supposedly a loner, neither under the jurisdiction of any government, nor employed by pirates, not even an outlaw. More like a phantom. A ghost. Which was almost how Suzuka began to think of him or her, whoever. It was almost as if she became obsessed about finding and defeating this individuals, even turning down several high paying assignments so she could have an opportunity to track down what sparse information existed.
Two things that quickly became evident by the lack of evidences about this personage: they never failed to eliminate their target, and what's more is that they left no sign that they'd ever worked for anyone or been seen ever at all. Suzuka was, to use the most accurate word, fascinated; it was like as if this Dawn Sword was the incarnation of what the legendary ninja warriors and the like throughout the histories of many different civilizations and races had all sought to be: the untraceable warrior.
But nobody was untraceable for Twilight Suzuka.
In fact, a strange encounter brought her one very big step closer to uncovering the mystery behind Dawn Sword. It had happened after she'd eliminated a fugitive worth 600,000 , bringing back his headband as proof to her employer. She was on her way to collect her money when suddenly an old man standing in the shadows along the sidewalk shouted over to her.
"Hey, you. You're Twilight Suzuka, right?" He said, voice shaky and hoarse with age. She looked at him with a gaze of inquiry, then walked over and addressed him.
"Perhaps. Why do you ask?"
"Ah, I thought I recognized you!" The old man exclaimed. "I've heard through the grapevine about your search for Dawn Sword. Maybe I can help you."
"How did you hear about that?" She inquired, surprised that her search had become known, and also surprised by this old geyser's offer. "And what exactly do you mean that you can help me?"
"Young lady, this might surprise you, but I'm one of the few people who actually know him." His voice hinted at long-distant memories. "As rumor has it, he caught you with some form of practical joke, am I right?"
"Yes; and he's the first and only person who has." She stated, almost seeming to defend herself despite the fact that she had nothing to prove to this aging pedestrian. "How exactly do you know him? Can you arrange with him for us to meet in combat?"
"... Well, I guess so. You might be surprised to know that he's actually staying temporarily here on Helios-2 right now. As for how I know him, I'd rather not say because he prefers to remain anonymous for the most part, as I'm sure you know." He paused for a minute. "Tell you what,... I'll go talk to him for you, OK? I think I remember where he's staying at, but it's probably under an alias."
"If you can talk to him for me, ask him to meet me..." She searched her mind for a nearby landmark that had caught her attention, but came up empty. So she improvised. "...at the highest place in the city, tomorrow at dusk."
"Dusk?" The old man seemed to laugh a little. "Young lady, you have your style and he has his, He prefers to battle only at dawn's first light, thus how he got his nickname. If you really want to meet him, it will have to be at dawn."
Suzuka was willing to be flexible.
"Alright. At dawn then."
"OK. Good luck." The old man said, walking away. For a moment under the light of a street lamp, Suzuka got a good look at whom she'd been speaking to: he wore a dark brown trench coat, wide-brimmed dark brown hat, and had a well-trimmed white beard and moustache. His eyes were hidden under the shadow of his hat.
"Hold on a minute." Suzuka suddenly stated, causing the man to turn around. "Just who are you? What's your name?"
"Like Dawn Sword, I prefer to be anonymous." The old man stated. "But if you want,... call me Kai."
With that, he walked out from under the light of the street lamp, vanishing into the shadows. Suzuka waited a few moments, then tried to silently follow him, but found no trace of the man who called himself Kai.
To find any answers at all, she'd have to wait for dawn's first light.
Suzuka had done some quick research as she awaited the dawn hours. As it turned out, the city's highest point was a giant hill that ended in a cliff, overlooking the city. The natives of the city had dubbed it Dead Man's Sheer, possibly for some unfortunate fool long ago who had fallen off it to his death. She downloaded and printed out a map of the city, marked the location, and then went to bed. Seeing as how the days on Helios-2 were 32 hours long, 14 of them belonging to nighttime, Suzuka was able to get all the rest she needed and get to Dead Man's Sheer half an hour before sunrise.
As she stood on the very edge of the cliff, looking out at the city beyond with the first glows of dawn coming over the horizon through the meager buildings and factories, she laid one hand warily on her sword. It was nearly dawn. Nearly time to meet the mysterious stranger who had baffled her and inspired her since she first realized of his existence.
He appeared on the scene without a sound. Not even Suzuka knew he was there until-
"It's sunrise, Suzuka." Stated a strong, confident masculine voice from behind her.
She spun to identify the person who had spoken. Long waves of brown hair that reached to his shoulder were an interesting contrast to his sapphire-blue eyes. In one hand he held a long, sharp, double-edged sword, it's hand guard a strange metallic blue metal in the form of a large, muscular humanoid without a face, a pair of long elegant wings arched out from behind the figure's back and the strange humanoid figure holding it's arms out at perfect horizontal 90 degree angles and it's feet together. 'Similar to an angel,' Suzuka thought to herself. 'The sword handle, anyway.' Dawn sword himself seemed to, in some way, resemble the figure crafted onto his sword handle, wearing from the neck down smooth, well-crafted body armor of the same blue metal as the sword's hand guard, the armor almost seeming as if it contoured to the form of his muscular body. His strong jaw showed confidence and his eyes were disciplined not to give away his thoughts, Suzuka could tell.
"So, we meet at last, face to face." Suzuka said, drawing her sword into a battle position. "I couldn't help but admire your sword, for all the good it'll do you. No one has ever seen more than two of my secret techniques, and I never lose my fights."
"As I have heard." He stated, drawing his sword into a ready position. "But enough talk; let us begin."
"Agreed." Suzuka stated, then dashed forward in a blur of speed straight at Dawn Sword.
The battle was fast and furious, Suzuka's sword weaving it's way evasively past Dawn Sword's weapon whenever possible, and Dawn Sword strangely preferring to attack with his fists and feet and let his sword do the blocking. Suzuka leapt over his head into the air, sending a bolt of nearly invisible energy into the ground below her. Dawn Sword was able to leap out of the way just as the ground below where he'd been standing exploded upwards in a rush of dust and rock. In a blur of motion he was on the offensive again, throwing barely-dodged punches and kicks at Suzuka, forcing her to block and parry sometimes even with the use of her sword. Suddenly, he somehow managed to catch the weapon in one hand and, eyes glowing with strange white power, sent a surge of electricity through it and into Suzuka. Suzuka reacted swiftly, cutting her injuries by activating a light shield that instantly sent the electricity surging through her sword straight back to sender, throwing Dawn Sword to the ground. Taking a deep breath to catch her second wind, Suzuka unleashed another secret technique, sending a whirlwind of energy headed towards the fallen Dawn Sword. But before the attack could hit and before Suzuka barely knew what was happening, he was attacking again, leaping forward at her with a jump kick.
Dodging the kick and then using his momentum to throw him, resulting only in Dawn Sword landing effortlessly on his feet about a few meters away, Suzuka quickly decided she was getting tired of being on the defensive. Rushing forward at her opponent and then at the last second front flipping over his head, she unleashed in mid-air a third, nearly desperate secret technique: a long, thin line of energy aimed not at Dawn Sword but the ground several feet ahead of him. The razor-thin line of energy sliced cleanly through the cliff side, and for a long moment after she landed there was total silence. Dawn Sword stood there, seconds from when the ground below him would inevitably fall out, . . . and almost seemed to be smiling. A warrior's smile, Suzuka could tell, for it was not the wide-mouthed grin of laughter or scorn, just a simple slight look of approval like a warrior uses when he or she has won a battle or secured a victory. It puzzled Suzuka,. . . it was almost as if Dawn Sword was telling her that she had somehow... proven herself.
Then the side of Dead Man's Sheer fell out as one giant piece, gravity reasserting it's control as a dominant force in the universe. He stood still even as the shattered edge dropped downwards towards the long drop below, his gaze never ceasing to be straightforward even as he dropped out of sight below the cliff's new horizon. Suzuka quickly rushed to the edge and was just in time to hear the amputated ledge shatter as it's foremost side crashed downwards against the underside of the still-solid cliff. Minutes later, sounds like explosions shattered the early dawn silence, the sun now barely over the horizon and flooding Helios-2 with it's light.
After waiting for some kind of retaliatory strike, for him to somehow reappear upon the cliff as if by magic, Suzuka turned and went down the hill's path, back towards the city it overlooked.
"How did it go, my friend?" Kai asked as the twosome stood high upon what was left of Dead Man's sheer. It was now two hours later, and now Kai had returned to his true form. His armor was similar in many ways to his companion's, only golden. A gold headband with a pair of outstretched wings arched on the front of it encircled his forehead, and in his hand he held a long double-edged sword with a U shaped hand guard. Attached to his armor flowed a long white cape, the sign that identified him as a commander, as well as the headband.
"You can see for yourself." Cameron, who had two hours earlier fought Suzuka under the alias of Dawn Sword, stated, pointing to the clean-cut drop in the hillside. "She had to use three secret techniques, but she has proved that she is ready for the adventure ahead of her. I must admit, taking human form while still having my abilities and armor was indeed an interesting experience."
"It probably won't be the last time, Cameron. After all, I have a new assignment for you?"
"Yes?" Cameron asked, intrigued.
"You are to guard and protect Suzuka at a distance, but only use physical intervention when and if I get approval from the Throne." He stated. "There will be many forces of darkness that will want to eliminate her and the friends she will soon have. You are to be their guardian ArchAngel, Cameron."
"Understood. I will not fail, Kai."
Half a year later, Suzuka encountered Jean Starwind during what had begun as a routine mission. Not long after, she began traveling with the crew of the Outlaw Star, all the while never knowing of her spiritual protector or of the true identity of the warrior Dawn Sword. Neither would she ever learn of him, or of the spiritual forces of darkness seeking to destroy her and her friends. Nonetheless, Cameron guarded her invisibly for a long time. The day is still yet to come when the two would meet face to face yet again.
And that is the tale of Dawn Sword, a mysterious warrior with impressive powers who, as the legend goes, once even rivaled Twilight Suzuka, but after that battle was never seen or heard from again.
CREDITS!
The character I own:
'Death Card' Faulkner
The characters Eternal Studios owns:
The ArchAngel Cameron
The ArchAngel Kai
At the moment I don't remember the company name, but Suzuka, Jean Starwind, and the Outlaw Star are all copy writes of the TV anime Outlaw Star.
I'd also like to thank Jesus Christ, the one who inspired me to write this fanfic, and saved my soul from hell through His sacrificial death on the cross and then rising back to life three days later to prove His power over death. I honestly know I'd be nothing without Him. Literally nothing. If you enjoyed this fanfic, please e-mail me at MysteriousVoiceGuy@juno.com and tell me so. If I get enough support, I might just write another Outcast Legends story. Until then, this is Ryan 'Da Edge', signing off!