Hi, everyone! Guess who's back!
Well, it's been a very long time ever since I've been to Fanfic. In case if you haven't heard, I was barely at fanfic and quit writing for the time being because I'm very VERY busy with my dream project, developing Rakenzarn Tales for the RPG Maker XP engine. For those who don't know the game, it's basically a huge crossover involving Kyuu (from Detective School Q) who finds himself in the world of Rakenzarn after finding the mysterious, titular book in his home. In Rakenzarn, all fictional characters from the real world are much alive and live in this world. Kyuu soon finds himself joining a party consists of…
- Kite (.hack)
- Dark Magician Girl (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
- Sakura (Street Fighter)
- Kanata (Daa! Daa! Daa!)
- Nina (Ultra Maniac)
- Noel (Blazblue)
- Kanon (Umineko
Let me tell you, it was no easy job. I've been working on the game for years (that I almost lost count and improving every aspect of it. The latest version is Version 3 with a lot of changes and release episodically per arc. Thanks to some of the newer games I've played such as Bravely Second, I like to think I'm improving by a lot!
Anyway, I've been giving some thoughts about my place in Fanfiction and how I start to miss writing around the site. After some thoughts, I decide to come back as a writer with Rakenzarn Tales. This is going to be a bit of a retelling of the previous version, but with a bit of Version 3 and some new elements.
During my time as a game developer and storywriter, there are a lot of things I have to scrap out from the game such as a few story arcs. So here, I may be using some of the unused story arcs.
So in the fiction version of Rakenzarn Tales, it will be divided into different fanfic titles, starting with the beginning, The First Journey arc.
Hope you enjoy the read!
DISCLAIMER: As usual, I do not own any canon characters in the story as they are owned by their respective owners.
…
Darkness shrouded the surrounding vicinity…
Blanketed the world that one could not see anything…
Amidst the darkness was a particular boy. He had slightly tanned skin, greenish-gold eyes, and an oddly-shaped black hair with a distinct white curl on the middle. He wasn't that tall but wasn't small either; you could guess his height is about 161 cm. His outfit was a black jacket with a gray t-shirt underneath it. He also wore a pair of black trousers and white shoes. He was dazed.
"Hmm…?"
The boy muttered when he realized his surroundings. His eyes were widened as soon as he regained his conscious. Shocked and confused…
"Reality… Fantasy…"
An ominous voice suddenly called out.
The boy was caught by surprise. From that very moment, a glimmer of light shined in front of him.
Without much of a choice, he walked through the darkness toward the light.
"What is Reality?"
"What is Fantasy?"
The voice was getting louder the closer the boy approached the light.
"Fantasy becomes Reality..."
The boy had gotten very close to the light. As he took another step forward, the light in front of him suddenly flashed into a blinding radiance. There was no longer darkness, but pure light. The sudden flash forced the boy to shut his eyes.
"And all we know about Reality soon come to…
an end..."
-/-
The boy opened his eyes when the light died. He found himself in a mysterious chamber, sitting on a chair. It appeared to be a study room and it was a mess. Numerous ragged books were scattered across the ground and scraps of papers were placed on the wall. The papers had crude, undistinguishable drawings on them. On the right side of the boy's view, there were shelves filled with old records and, strangely enough, CD cases.
In front of the boy was a desk with notes scattered around the table. It only took seconds for the boy to realize he wasn't alone. There was silhouette of a woman sitting in the opposite side of the desk.
The boy flinched out of shock. The silhouette merely stared.
"So you've returned," the figure chuckled. Her voice was distorted but her tone sounded rather friendly. However, the boy remained alert.
"You're…" the figure paused before she spoke the boy's name.
"Kyuu! Your name is Kyuu, isn't it?"
The boy, Kyuu, was surprised upon hearing the woman calling his name.
"Do you still remember?" the woman then asked.
There was a short pause. The silhouette stared and noticed Kyuu's appalled expression. She chuckled.
"I see, but that's fine. Considering your age, it's understandable," the silhouette leaned her back on the chair in a relaxing position.
"But know this," she continued, "It will start anew soon. The journey ahead is cruel, full of hardships and despair. The weak-willed cannot hope to survive long. Now, here's my question…"
"Do you truly think you have what it takes? Can you grasp the cruelty of reality? And the poison of fantasy?"
Kyuu was befuddled. Speechless, nonetheless.
The silhouette continued.
"I suppose we'll see your answer in due time. Go ahead and see what's beyond this point. But remember…"
"The choices you make will determine the
fate of those around you."
…
-/-
Kyuu's eyes were opened widely. He found himself back in his old room. It was pitch black with sunlight shone through his window's curtains.
"That… that dream again," Kyuu groaned. He rubbed his forehead, still dazed from his dream. "That's like the 10th time this month. That felt almost too real…"
Kyuu had gotten out of bed and opened the curtains, allowing sunlight to shine his room. Recollecting the strange dream, he grabbed his clock on the desk near his bed.
As soon as he looked at the time, he yelled "Oh crap!"
It was 8:30 in the morning.
"Crap, crap, I'm late!" he yelled again in a much louder tone. He ran out of the room.
-/-
Elsewhere in the big city, a particular girl was leaning against the wall in front of a small café. She had light skin and light pink eyes with pink, pigtails hairstyle. Her casual outfit consisted of a white and blue colored dress completed with a miniskirt.
The girl looked at her wristwatch with an annoyed look on her face, noting the time. Not soon after, she found Kyuu by the sidewalk nearby. However, it was nothing she expected to see. "S-Sorry, I'm late!" Kyuu apologetically said as he approached the girl.
"I forgot to turn on my alarm clock so I overslept," Kyuu explained. The girl looked at him funny.
"Er, is something wrong, Megumi?"
"Kyuu," the girl, Megumi, called out, "I don't mind you being late. What I do mind is…"
Megumi pointed her finger at Kyuu. The latter was still wearing his nightwear.
Kyuu yelped upon realizing his get-up as the bystanders looked at him funny, there were even some people chuckling.
"Kyuu… you're hopeless," Megumi sighed.
Rakenzarn Tales
The First Journey
-Chapter 1-
Untold Prologue
Kyuu and Megumi were now in a small, yet fashionable café. The foods were good and the price was right.
There were fewer customers. Most of the tables were empty though half of the tables were reserved for either later or tonight. Just like any other restaurants, there was a TV placed above the counter.
Kyuu wore his casual outfits, a red jacket (with the words 'USA' written on the upper left side) and a white t-shirt underneath it. The trouser he's wearing is grey.
"Sheesh, Kyuu. You really made a fool out of yourself, you know that?" Megumi chuckled.
"Oh, come on! Just forget about that, okay?" Kyuu pleaded. Much to his chagrin, he heard a couple of teenagers chuckling from behind. "In front of the whole crowd, I don't think so," Megumi pointed out.
"I ain't gonna live this down," Kyuu thought to himself, annoyed.
"But really, what happen to you? You looked so tired," Megumi pointed at Kyuu's eyes. "I can even see the swellings on your eyes. What time did you sleep?"
"Well," Kyuu stuttered. He paused for a brief moment until he answered. "I didn't get enough sleep lately. Just had a really weird dream last night."
"A nightmare? Again?" Megumi raised an eyebrow.
"Kind of… If you put it that way. I guess a lot of things happened so fast that I got a little stressed out," Kyuu talked while scratching the back of his head.
"My mother has to leave on a business trip and I have to live on my own for at least a couple of weeks then we have midterms next week… yeah, a lot to take in," Kyuu chuckled, trying to act as if it was a joke.
"Is everything okay at your place? Do you need help with the housework?" Megumi asked.
"Hey, I'm not a kid. I can take care of myself," Kyuu reassured his friend. However, Megumi wasn't convinced. Not after that display from earlier in his pajamas.
"Okay, then let me ask you. What did you eat for dinner?" Megumi asked again.
"Instant noodles," Kyuu replied almost immediately and confidently. Megumi had a look of disbelief written all over her face. Was he serious? Then again, she had her answer right in front of her.
"You're hopeless sometimes," Megumi sighed.
From that moment, their meals had arrived: Tonkatsu curry.
"Itadakimasu!" Kyuu started to eat his food cheerfully. Megumi watched him, finding his optimistic antiques rather amusing.
Eating halfway, Kyuu suddenly stopped. He turned his head around and looked behind. He merely found people coming in and out of the restaurant. What's the reason for this? It's simple. Kyuu had a feeling that he was being watched.
While it was clear that there was nothing out of the ordinary, he still had the unpleasant feeling. Megumi soon noticed Kyuu's uneasiness from the look of his face.
"Kyuu? Is something wrong?" Megumi called out, catching Kyuu's attention. He turned his head back around.
"Is… Everything alright?" Megumi asked with a concerned look.
"S-Sorry, I'm okay," Kyuu replied in a gentle tone. "I'm… Just a bit tired, that's all. Nothing to worry about."
"Okay then, if you say so," Megumi said but still concerned.
Megumi then turned her attention to the window looking outside the café. She could see many people by the sidewalk. There were even couples passing by.
"It's been a year since we've been in DDS, isn't it?" Megumi spoke.
"Yeah," Kyuu nodded in response. "Is something up?"
"Well, it's just my parents."
"What's wrong with them?"
"They've been calling nee-chan and I for weeks, asking us how we've been doing. They're quite worried about me, especially that they're away from Japan. They know I've wanted to enroll to DDS, but… At times, they just feel uneasy about it," Megumi explained.
"Couldn't blame them, since a detective's job can be dangerous most of the time. Same like my mom. When I first told her that I wanted to enroll to DDS, she wouldn't let me. She changed her mind over the time, though she's still worried about me at times," Kyuu told her.
"But hey, at least they actually care for us. More importantly, it's the fact that we can pull it through. Maybe in another year, they'll get used to it."
Megumi smiled, having felt more relieved than ever.
"You know, Your food's gonna be cold if you don't start eating," Kyuu pointed at Megumi's dish.
Megumi chuckled timidly knowing that she hadn't even touch her meal.
-/-
Later that day, Kyuu returned home after his date with Megumi Minami. It was already late too since their date seemed longer than he thought.
His home was entirely empty though clean. Ever since his mother left, he had been taking care of the house. It may be dimmed, but there still was a faint glitter of light shining through the glass window.
After leaving his shoes by the entrance and locking the door, Kyuu made his way into the living room where he would switch the lights on. As he stepped into the lit room, he would always shout, "Mom, I'm home!" but sadly, his mother wasn't around. He did feel a bit lonely and even began to miss her.
The house's interior was like other residences in Japan.
The floor had the traditional tatami, a mat type composed of compressed wood chipboards. Tables were placed throughout the living room, both the dining table and a small table. The house wasn't complete without the modern Shōji doors, the type of door that slides left and right. In front of the small table, there was the television.
The atmosphere felt empty, mostly because Kyuu was all alone at home.
Having been out for nearly a day, Kyuu felt very exhausted. With that said, he decided to take a long, warm bath.
Minutes had passed, the boy felt much more relaxed right after taking a bath.
He was now at the hall in his casual clothes while drying his hair with a towel. He walked his way back to the living room until he arrived at the door.
As soon as he reached out for the doorknob, he suddenly stopped midway.
There it was again… The same feeling from the café.
Someone was watching Kyuu…
a sudden presence, to be exact.
He would want to turn around and see his watcher, but he wouldn't dare. In fact, he was very afraid thinking whoever, or whatever, was watching him might attack him by the time he turned his head around. He could enter the living room and quickly closed the door behind him, but the result may be the same.
Kyuu stood there frozen in fear. He dropped a single sweat from his forehead.
…
He gulped.
…
Kyuu immediately slid the door open and entered the living room quickly, dropping his towel in the process. Without even looking back, Kyuu turned his arm around his back reaching the Shōji door and closed it.
He turned around.
Strangely enough, the strange presence was gone all the sudden.
Coated in his cold sweats, Kyuu cleared them from his forehead and started to feel calm again. He opened the door and discovered that the hall was completely empty.
"What… What was that just now?" Kyuu wondered. He entered the hall and looked around. There was nothing at all…
Kyuu began to feel even more anxious as he closed the door slowly. As he leaned his back on the door, Kyuu had a fearful look.
"What the hell's wrong with me?" Kyuu clutched his hands on his head. "Am I going mad? Paranoid?"
…
Suddenly, the telephone rang.
The sudden ringing caused Kyuu to jump out of surprise. As soon as he finally calmed down, Kyuu moved toward the phone placed exactly at the dining table.
Kyuu picked up the telephone and uttered, "Hello."
"Kyuu, are you okay? How have you been doing?" a feminine voice called out through the phone.
To his surprise and relief, it was his mother. Kyuu let out a deep sigh, very glad that he could hear his mother's voice once again.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, Mom. I've just got back," he said on the phone.
"Have you locked all the doors?"
"Yeah, I've already locked the doors…"
"Oh, good. Are you okay? You don't sound so good."
"No, no, I'm fine… I'm just a little tired, that's all."
"What time did you sleep last night, Kyuu? Don't tell me you've been watching that detective marathon the entire night while I'm away!" His mother suddenly yelled.
"Oh, no, no, no, I'm not, Mom. I'd never stayed up that late," Kyuu chuckled with his eyes closed. In addition, he had a rather sheepish smile. A single sweat was dropped from the back of his head.
"Good, I'm glad to hear that. Listen, I'm sorry that I had to go all the sudden," his mother said in an apologetic tone.
"It's okay, I know it's urgent, I understand. It's only for two weeks, right?" Kyuu reassured her.
"Just take care yourself, okay?"
Kyuu responded by nodding and saying, "Yes."
"Oh, I almost forgot! Kyuu, I forgot to bring this old portfolio with me. Can you take it to Hideo-san?"
"Oh, sure. I'll get it deliver to him first in the morning. So where is it?"
"I left it in the basement. It's on the shelf in the left corner."
"The basement? Sure, I'll go get it."
From that moment, Kyuu looked at the door leading to the hall. He stared at it for a while until his mother spoke.
"I'm really sorry I have to go now, but I promise you, I'll call you again tomorrow night. You take care yourself, okay?"
Kyuu was silent for a moment. He would like to talk with his mother a bit longer, but he decided not to. Especially the fact he understood her situation.
"Okay, Mom. Take care too," he said on the phone with a smile.
With that done, Kyuu's mother hanged the phone up.
Now Kyuu felt much calmer. Unfortunately, he couldn't get the strange occurrence he had just experienced off his back. It didn't take long for him to decide to shrug it off, dismissing it as an imagination playing tricks on his head.
"Well, better get that portfolio now," Kyuu picked up his towel quickly and placed it on the chair at the dining table. He then made his way out of the living room and through the hall. From there, he would reach a lone door at the end. That would be the basement door.
Standing in front of it, Kyuu began to recall his past when he was very young. He remembered that he went into the basement before but not for long. Now he was very curious to see the basement after all these years.
The teenager opened the door and saw the set of descending staircases beyond it. He then walked through the stairs.
-/-
Kyuu soon arrived at the basement.
It hadn't changed that much from years ago although there were a few changes. It's dustier than ever as if this place has not been used for years. The cardboard boxes were still in their places albeit covered in dusts. The old furniture was there as well, covered in white sheets to keep the dusts away.
Kyuu made his way around the old basement to the left corner. He found three identical shelves there. Luckily, he stumbled at the right shelf where the portfolio was.
"Huh, what's Mom doing here in this basement? And why did she leave it here?" Kyuu wondered as he picked up the portfolio. It was still clean, fortunately.
When he walked his way back, he suddenly halted when he heard a noise. The noise was quite vague; it sounded like a bell ringing. It was for a brief moment and the boy couldn't hear it anymore. He turned to his left and discovered a lone, dusty cardboard box in front of a bookshelf.
As he stared blankly at the old box, he became curious to see inside it, especially whatever was making the noise.
He approached the cardboard box and bending down closer to it. When he was finally close to the cardboard box, he placed the portfolio on the floor next to him.
Thankfully, he had a handkerchief in his pocket. He brushed off the dusts from the box before opening it. Inside, there were tons of old things such as some old books and portable devices that weren't useful anymore. The very thing that caught the boy's attention was a certain book at the top of those antiques. Other than that, Kyuu noticed that the book seemed somehow familiar by its cover.
As he picked it up, he cleaned the book from the dust. He looked closer to the cover noting the details.
"…Hey, wait a sec…" Kyuu's eyes were widened. He finally remembered this book.
The book's cover showed a symbol of a long rod and a shield with some sort of angelic wings. Atop of the symbol, there was the book's title.
'Rakenzarn Tales'
This was the book that he had found when he was very young; the very last time he explored the basement.
Unfortunately, he did not have the time to open the book during that time.
Now older and had more free time, he decided to see inside the book.
"Is this supposed to be a storybook?"
Kyuu opened the book. Much to his surprise, he found most of the pages blank. He flipped the pages and found nothing, except for the first page. There were texts, but not in the language Kyuu thought. The texts were more of a strange language that Kyuu hadn't seen before. The language seemed to be some sort of combination of Latin and Dutch.
Nevertheless, Kyuu decided to read them.
"Altu, saro na oron… Ko ze W'ro Küé ot saro lê
mue G'or Yúnz…"
…
" Fantasy becomes Reality… And all we know about reality soon come to an end…"
Kyuu was shocked when he realized that he could read the strange language. Not only that, the words he read were eerily familiar. He recalled the strange dream from last night.
However, Kyuu decided to read a bit more.
"R'tz saro na oron êfrú f'dz yu koi saro wüe oé
enzu d'ro"
…
"Where Fantasy becomes Reality lies the world where every fictional character you've known live."
Kyuu was even more disturbed. The texts, the meaning, and the fact that he can read an alien language… It was enough to drive Kyuu to a state of shock.
There was only one word left in the page.
"Kyoúzén'raku."
As Kyuu soon as read the text while saying it, the book suddenly gave out a bright light and strange marks around it began to illuminate.
A shocked Kyuu could only watch as the light engulfed the entire room…
"And so it begins…" a familiar feminine voice called.
…
-/-/-
…
"Hey, look out, kid!"
Kyuu opened his eyes wide when he heard a loud, rowdy voice. To his surprise, he saw a group of large turtles in football gear running toward him. As quickly as his body could move, he leaped to the left in time to evade the charging footballers.
As he stood, he couldn't help but wonder… were those really turtles… walking in two legs?
Suddenly, a rough voice called out again. Kyuu turned to his right and found a heavily armored man in a crimson cape. Said man carried a pair of sharp blades sheathed beneath his waist. The man's armor had an insignia of a large grey seal. In the middle of the seal insignia, three swords were placed together with a mysterious mark above it.
Four other men in similar armor but without capes soon arrived.
The armored man inspected the boy. To his relief, the young boy wasn't hurt badly.
"Men, catch those Charging Chucks before they run over another civilian!" The armored man yelled. The four men immediately gave chase to the odd footballers.
"Charging… Chucks?" Kyuu muttered to himself. He thought the name sounded familiar.
"Son," the armored man suddenly called. Kyuu turned his attention to the man. "You should go back to town. It's not safe here," the armored man told Kyuu before he left.
Kyuu was left befuddled after seeing the whole scene. He then noticed that the book he found was lying nearby. He immediately picked it up and saw that the contents inside were still the same.
Just as Kyuu closed the book, he noticed something different about his left hand… there was a hexagonal-shaped symbol with a strange symbol that resembled the sign of infinity in the middle.
"Huh? What's this?" Kyuu brought his left hand closer to his face, inspecting the symbol's detail. When he got it, he wondered.
Kyuu turned around and found a large town. It wasn't any ordinary town; it had a medieval fashion, completed with its old-fashioned structures and interiors. Large walls surrounded the town, separating it from the outside field.
"W-What the…!" Kyuu stammered.
-/-
The thing surprised Kyuu the most was the residents in town. Some of them were humans dressed in fantasy getup (mostly Medieval style) while some of them were dressed in a more modern style. There were even some teenagers in Japanese high school uniforms.
Not all of them are humans. Some of them were little folks with multi-colored mushrooms on their heads. Others were winged anthropomorphic penguins with small pouches attached around their waist. There were even some anthropomorphic turtles walking around in town too.
Strangely enough, a lot of the residents were using mobile phones and IPod touch.
Patrolling the town were the armored men from earlier. Their weapons were varied, ranging from a simple sword to rifles.
Kyuu couldn't help but stared at the sight in awe… or in utter… let's say that even Kyuu was unable to decide what he should react right now. It wasn't because the bizarre nature of the town, but the fact that he recognized some of the people in town.
"Toads… Koopas… Prinnies…?" Kyuu muttered.
"The heck's going on here?!" Kyuu wondered. He continued to walk across the town while staring at the passing-by civilians.
"What the heck did you say, buster?!"
"I said your fishes stink!"
Kyuu stumbled across a scene between two men by the fish market. One was a large, blonde-haired chubby man while the other was a red-haired muscular man. Their argument escalated into a full brawl, but not the bloody way one would expect. Instead, they both began to slap each other with fishes.
"A fight! A fight, fellas!"
Suddenly, a group of men suddenly joined in the brawl and began to smack each other for no good reason.
It didn't take long for the patrol to notice the fight as they surround the brawlers and stop the fight.
"That… was… weird…" Kyuu thought to himself, still in shock.
Kyuu continued to walk, but his eyes were fixed at the patrolmen breaking up the fight. Since he wasn't looking carefully, Kyuu accidentally bumped into someone's back. Opening his eyes, he saw a large, fat man with yellow skin and short brown hair. He also noticed that the guy was holding a beer bottle.
"Hey! Watch where you goin', kid!" The yellow-skinned man yelled angrily, glaring at Kyuu. The teen nodded, nervously. The odd-looking man then turned around and walked away, but not before he drank the beer. Even this character Kyuu could recognize.
"Isn't that the guy from the Simpsons? Even foreign characters are here too!"
As Kyuu continued to walk throughout town, he stumbled a small, white being that looked like a plush toy walked by and stood next to the DDS boy.
The being had stubby hands and feet that lacked distinct digits. It also had large, spherical heads, and small ears sprouting out of the sides of their heads. Its eyes were narrowed into brown slits. Its nose was bulbous and pink-colored. The little creature also sported tiny purple wings that resembled bats' on their backs. Its most notable trait is its large, red, sphere-shaped 'pom-poms' attached on the top of its head by a thin, brown antenna.
Even this being, Kyuu recognized it in an instant.
"A-A Moogle? F-Final Fantasy?" Kyuu uttered quietly until he noticed the Moogle was holding three posters.
The Moogle suddenly flew into the air and stamped the posters onto the wall. It then landed on the ground. The Moogle turned around and looked at Kyuu directly at the eyes. It stared at the teen for a moment until it walked away.
Kyuu turned his attention to the posters; he discovered that those were actually wanted posters. He was even more surprised when he saw the faces on those posters…
The first poster had the face portrait of a bald man wearing sunglasses that completely cover his eyes and goggles on his forehead. The man's notable trait was his red, oddly shaped, mustache.
-XX-
Eggman
Reward: 15,000,000 Gs
-XX-
Next, the second wanted poster was a tanned, mustachioed man with dark brown hair in dreadlocks decorated with numerous beads. His beard was similarly styled into two smaller dreads, each with two very small beads near the tips. He wore a faded red bandana on his head, on which was another small beaded ornament ending in a silver coin.
-XX-
Jack Sparrow
Reward: 20,000,000 Gs
-XX-
Lastly, the third poster was very unusual for a 'criminal.' It was a man covered with toilet tissues and toilet armor.
-XX-
Toilenator
Reward: 5 Gs
-XX-
Seeing the faces on the posters had completely surprised Kyuu even more. Ranging from meeting Sailor Moon and a Moogle, Kyuu finally realized that he was in some kind of a world where fictional characters were real.
"This is… This is just…" Kyuu rubbed his stomach.
"I think I'm gonna faint!"
When Kyuu turned around to leave, he accidentally bumped into another, large person from his back. He leaned backward quickly.
"S-Sorry!" Kyuu apologetically said as he bowed his head. Once he lifted his head, the big individual turned around revealing to be a black, humanoid cat in black armor. Like the rest of the people he met, the anthropomorphic cat was also a fictional character.
"P-Pete?!" Kyuu had his jaws dropped.
"HEY!" The anthropomorphic cat, Pete, suddenly grabbed Kyuu by his hair. In the process, Kyuu dropped the book.
"Watch it, ya little runt! What's the big idea bumping with a big guy like me, huh? You lookin' for trouble, kid?!" Pete yelled angrily at Kyuu.
"W-Wait, I can explain! Just let go!" Kyuu nervously yelped. He struggled to break free from Pete's grasp, but the latter was a lot stronger. He couldn't do it.
"Oh, so you are lookin' for trouble! Weeell, guess what?" Pete raised a fist and gestured closer to Kyuu's face. "You just got one right here!"
Suddenly, a slightly feminine voice yelled out, "HOLD IT!"
Pete, while still holding Kyuu by his hair, noticed a certain boy in red approaching them.
The boy was slightly smaller than Kyuu. He had blue hair. He also had wave markings engraved on his cheeks and his pants, sporting a red hat with a strange symbol on it. In addition, the boy in red sported a pair of blades, which were sheathed in scabbards around his waist.
"There you are," the stranger said at Kyuu.
"Huh? This 'ere runt's with you?" Pete asked as he put Kyuu down on the ground.
"Yes, he is. He's just come in from Sivurd Town, you see," the boy quickly approached Kyuu, who quickly picked up the mysterious book lying on the ground.
The boy in red then grabbed Kyuu by his arm. "Please excuse him, he's not used to be in a big town before, let alone a crowded one. Thanks for finding him," the boy then dragged Kyuu away from Pete.
The stranger suddenly whispered at Kyuu, "Listen. Just play along and I'll get you out of this mess."
Kyuu stared at his rescuer with a befuddled look until he began to recognize him…
"Excuse me," Kyuu whispered back, "But are you… Kite?"
"Huh?" The boy in red, Kite, suddenly halted in his track. He faced quickly toward Kyuu. They were already far from Pete.
"How… Did you know my name? I don't think we've ever met," Kite asked with a slightly surprised look on his face.
Before they could even talk a bit longer, Pete suddenly appeared behind the two boys.
"Now just a minute, you two," Pete said, gaining the boys' attention. The anthropomorphic cat pointed his index at Kyuu.
"You there! You're an Arxus Rogue, aren'tcha?"
"A what?" Kyuu raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I recognize them symbol on your left hand!" Pete pointed at Kyuu's left hand. The latter's hand was exposed, revealing the strange symbol.
"Anyone can tell you're one of them Arxus Rogues! They're pretty rare too."
Pete chuckled sinisterly while clenching both his fists. He also had a big grin on his face. "Mind if we have a little round?"
"Huh? W-What's going on?" Kyuu nervously asked. Kite suddenly drew out his weapons, the sharp blades.
"He's challenging you to a fight," Kite told Kyuu. The boy in red poses an offensive stance, holding his right blade in a reverse grip and his left blade in a normal grip. Upon hearing that, Kyuu was in utter shock. "W-Wait, I can't fight!"
"Don't worry, I'll back you up."
"Oh, having backup, eh?" Pete chuckled again. "Then I'll call mine!"
Pete whistled loudly.
Three anthropomorphic dogs suddenly appeared behind Pete. They appeared to be to be beagles with grayish skin and each wore a dark brown hood. Two of the anthropomorphic dogs were tall (probably taller than Kyuu) while the third one was rather short.
Even the anthropomorphic dogs, Kyuu recognized them as well.
"The Beagle Boys?" Kyuu uttered quietly.
"What's up, boss?" one of the tall Beagle Boys spoke in a British accent while saluting.
"I want you guys to help me take care of these li'l punks, that's all!" Pete pointed at the two boys, Kyuu and Kite. "And I promise ya, I'll pay you handsomely!"
"Honestly, I was hoping for the Duck Tales version, but that'll work."
The Beagle Boys immediately withdrew their weapons. Each of the anthropomorphic dogs was armed with a 17th century France rapier.
"Boys! Get 'em!"
"Yes, boss!"
The three Beagle Boys charged toward Kyuu and an armed Kite.
Kyuu yelped as he leaned backward until he tipped his legs over the ground.
Thankfully, Kite was there with him. The boy in red dashed forward and blocked the Beagle Boys' rapiers with his blades. Said blades were locking their respective weapons against each other. Kite successfully pushed the three thugs away, knocking them to the rear.
"W-What're you doing?" Kite turned at Kyuu, who was kneeling on the ground. "Come on and help me out!"
"But… I-I don't know how to fight. Heck, I can't even fight!" Kyuu yelped nervously. Kite was very surprised upon hearing it.
"Well, lucky for us! That makes three against one," one of the taller Beagle Boys said merrily. Kite turned and found that the three Beagle Boys were already up on their feet. They point their respective rapiers at Kite gleefully. "Let's have a bit fun with this kid, eh?"
Kite faced at the Beagle Boys with a very determined look. He had gotten into his offensive stance and said, "I wouldn't be too sure if I were you."
"OI!" The Beagle Boys lunged at Kite.
The boy in red blocked their rapiers with his twin blades, locking against each other once again.
Kite successfully pushed the anthropomorphic dogs away, knocking their balance off again. As a result, they fell to the ground. However, one of the taller Beagle Boys had gotten up much quicker than the rest and he rolled to the left. The thug then charged straight at Kite. The .hack protagonist blocked the Beagle Boy's rapier with one of his blades and countered with an upward kick, striking directly on the face.
"Yeowh! My face!" the tall Beagle Boy cried in pain. Kite executed another upward kick. This time, he stroke directly on the Beagle Boy's chin, hurling the anthropomorphic dog into the air. The Beagle Boy fell to the ground by the back.
As Kite turned around to confront the other two, the smaller Beagle Boy was already close in, charging at the boy in red. The short one threw a head-butt charge precisely on Kite's abdomen.
The impact had sent Kite backward and in pain. He managed to stop on track while holding his stomach in pain.
The smaller Beagle Boy laughed loudly while pointing at Kite while the other tall Beagle Boy lunged forth, ready for an attack. Surprisingly, Kite blocked the tall thug's attack with only one blade while his other arm was holding his stomach. Kite dashed backward to get some distance.
The tall Beagle Boy decided to pursue Kite as he charged forth again. By the time the anthropomorphic dog was halfway, Kite suddenly dashed forward as well despite the pain he was suffering. The boy in red then executed a butterfly kick, striking the tall Beagle Boy on the head. The impact had slammed the Beagle Boy to the ground, painfully.
Kite turned around quickly, facing the last remaining Beagle Boy. He was recovering slowly from the pain as he moved his arm away from his stomach.
The short Beagle Boy jumped into the air while rolling toward Kite, attempting to slice him with a downward slash. Fortunately, Kite leaned to the right, evading the assault easily. Once the short goon was on the ground, he turned at Kite and executed another head-butt charge. Fortunately, Kite timed his movement accurately as he darted toward the goon. The timing was right on, the boy in red executed an upward kick at the Beagle Boy, sending the latter flying into the air.
When the short Beagle Boy crashed to the ground, Kite quickly noticed that the other two Beagle Boys had recovered and they were both standing in his front.
The short Beagle Boy rose as well, joining with his comrades.
Kyuu, from the sideline, had watched the entire fight and was amazed to see the way Kite fought the Beagle Boys; noted his speed, reaction, and strength.
"Aha! An opening!"
Pete suddenly appeared behind Kyuu and threw an uppercut. The impact sent Kyuu hurled backward and crashed.
Kite immediately noticed that Kyuu was in big trouble, seeing the latter hurt and lying on the ground. "Hold on!" Kite cried. He was about to rush over to Kyuu's side, but the Beagle Boys attacked once again. Fortunately, he managed to block the thugs' rapiers on time.
Pete leaped forward and attempted to punch Kyuu again while the latter was down. Quick to react, Kyuu rolled to the left evading the punch on time. A close call, that was.
Unfortunately, Pete grabbed Kyuu by his leg and slammed him around the grounds. Pete then threw Kyuu across the street and crashed against the wall.
Kyuu cried painfully as he landed on the ground. The pain from the beatings was too much for him to handle. He couldn't move but his left arm.
"Wow, this is almost too easy!" Pete laughed as he approached Kyuu. He clenched both his fists and swung his right arm in circle. "What's the matter? Afraid to take on the Big Bad Pete?"
Pete raised his right fist, preparing for another punch. A horrified Kyuu saw the huge anthropomorphic cat stood in front of him. He struggled to move, but the result remained the same.
"C-Crap…!"
As Pete threw another punch, Kyuu could only cover his face with his left arm, hoping for a miracle to happen. His eyes were closed, embracing for impact.
From that very moment, the symbol on his left hand began to glow dimly until the rest of hand was engulfed by a purple light.
Pete's fist landed a hit on Kyuu, but what he felt wasn't flesh. Instead, it was something hard and made of steel; very hard that his fist had turned red. Pete yelped out loud as he turned his fist away and blew at it. The loud sound had attracted Kite and the Beagle Boys as they turned their attention to the scene.
"Huh?" Kyuu opened his eyes and found a large, majestic shield on his left hand.
"W-What the hell…" Kyuu uttered in utter shock as he leaned the shield closer.
"Did… that kid just summon a shield out of thin air?" One of the taller Beagle Boys asked his fellow comrades.
"He really is an Arxus Rogue!" the smaller Beagle Boy yelped.
Kite, in turn, was also amazed to see that the boy he just met was an Arxus Rogue.
All the sudden, a gruff voice called out. "Hey, what in Palutena's name is going on here?!"
Everyone in the area noticed a large, muscular man in a heavy set of armor in crimson cape. The man had short black hair with a matching black mustache. The armored man was accompanied by other armored men, wielding rifles.
The Beagle Boys were quick to point at the insignia embedded on the men's plate.
"I-It's them Knights!" one of the three beagles shouted.
"The Knights?!" Pete yelled as well, exactly after his fist was recovered.
"What're we waitin' for? Let's scram!" Pete frantically yelled. He and the Beagle Boys made a run for it before the patrol arrived at the spot.
"Drat, it's those criminal scums again," their captain snarled. He commanded his men to pursue the four thugs and apprehend them.
Kyuu sighed in relief, knowing that the fight was over. Unfortunately, he was still injured. The boy in red, Kite, approached the injured Kyuu and gave him a small vial of green liquid. "Here, drink it," Kite told Kyuu.
Kyuu took the moment to look at the vial and then at Kite. The latter merely smiled back at him and encouraged him to drink. At last, the former drank the vial. When he drank to the last drop, his body flashed in green light. It was brief.
As soon as the green light disappeared, Kyuu could move his body again. The pain was gone.
"W-Whoa… thanks!" Kyuu got up and shook hands with Kite.
"No problem. You should've been more careful, though. There have been a lot of outlaws hanging around town lately and that big cat was one of them," Kite told Kyuu.
"Sorry, I was… Well, a lot of weird things happened to me recently and…" Kyuu blankly looked down while talking to Kite. He still couldn't believe what – or who – he was seeing right now. His eyes were fixed on Kite, noting his appearance and the weapons he wielded during the fight earlier.
Kyuu tried to remember the events and explained them to Kite. However, he soon noticed something was missing from him…
-/-
Elsewhere, there was a young girl walking around the street while reading a book labeled 'Runic Magic'. She appeared to be wearing a dress that resembled a magician's outfit with the colors blue and pink. She had blonde hair, green eyes, and carrying a wand that matched her outfit.
As she continued to walk, she soon stumbled upon something. It was a book lying on the ground.
"Huh? Did someone lose this?" the girl wondered as she picked the book.
"Rakenzarn Tales…"
Chapter end.
-XXXXXX-
A/N:
And so, here you have it.
The first part of the prologue, but there's one more part before we continue to the real story. I know, I reuse some of the parts from the older fic but there will be some new parts too.
For the next chapters, we'll be introducing to the Main Eight. We've seen Kyuu and Kite, now the next one is a certain magician girl.
For the characters that make their debut in this chapter:
- Kyuu, the main character from Detective School Q.
- Kite, the main character from the original .hack games.
- Megumi Minami, one of the main characters and Kyuu's best friend from Detective School Q.
- Pete, the big, brutish cat who is Mickey Mouse's archenemy in the Disney cartoon.
- Beagle Boys, the villainous anthropomorphic dogs and one of the main villains of Scrooge McDuck in Duck Tales. The Beagle Boys in this chapter are from the direct-to-video film, Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers.