8/22/13

My first fanfic, Yay!

This is how I take my selfies:

The Nightmare's Blossom

The battlefield… where nightmares are born. Smoke slowly drifted up from the smoldering ruins of the now silent warzone. A few hours ago, the surrounding area had been alight with countless explosions and the heavy rain of gunfire. Sounds of combat rang out from the conflict and echoed into the soot-filled sky. Surrender was not an option; neither was defeat—for the two battling races were mortal enemies.

The fight began when a unit of Keronians—a frog-like species of aliens from the planet Keron—was ambushed by a squad of Vipers—a race of snake-headed humanoids with naturally occurring arm-cannons. The battle was taking place on a small planetoid that was home to one of Keron's invasion colonies. The Keronians were called there on a mission to investigate suspicious activity that had been reported by those based on planet. The Keron forces, much to their dismay, found themselves going toe to toe with the cause of the disturbance—a group of rogue Vipers encroaching on their territory.

The strike was quick and brutal. The Keronians were put on the defensive, but swiftly implemented their counterstrike. Neither side was backing down. What the combatants thought would be a brief skirmish quickly escalated to a fight to the death. Although the Vipers were finally forced to retreat, both sides took heavy losses. The resulting scene of blood and death was a horror to behold. It was as if the apocalypse had come early.

It was to this tragic scene that the Garuru Platoon had been summoned.

Lance Corporal Zoruru stood on the ridge overlooking the ravaged strip of field along with the rest of his platoon. The cyborg had seen much bloodshed during his time as an assassin for the Keron army, but this level of destruction was beyond anything he had yet seen. The platoon had received a desperate S.O.S. signal as they were passing through the quadrant and had immediately responded. When they landed at the source of the signal, they had expected to arrive in the middle of a raging battle. The eerie silence was far from what they expected.

"What the HECK happened here?!" blurted Taruru. The platoon leader, Garuru, shot him a withering glare immediately silencing the young private. Taruru flicked his gaze to the ground struggling to contain the surge of emotions that was now flooding his heart. "It's probably his first time seeing such carnage" Zoruru thought to himself.

The corpses of both Keronians and Vipers littered the ground. Not a single person was left standing. The only signs of life to be seen were the occasional shuffles of injured soldiers attempting to crawl away from this nightmare. Agonized moans drifted through air along with the stink of blood and sulfur. The disturbing sight was clearly affecting the second youngest of the team.

"And how is the youngest member of the team faring?" Zoruru silently wondered. He stole a quick glance at Tororo. The mischievous glint had left the tadpole's eyes only to be replaced by bewilderment. He stood rigid; his gaze slowly shifting left to right. The cyborg watched the two young soldiers for a moment as they nervously shuffled their feet, trying to come to grips with what they were now witnessing.

"They should have realized what they were getting into when they joined the army. Tch, rookies." Zoruru muttered aloud earning himself a disapproving glare from Pururu. Taruru and Tororo didn't seem to notice his comment and continued to stare ahead, only snapping out of their reverie when Garuru stepped forward and turned to face his platoon.

"Alright, enough standing around." said Garuru sounding official as ever. "I realize that we were responding to a support mission, but now our mission objective has been changed to search and rescue. Everyone spread out and search for survivors; also, salvage any machinery and weapons that are still functional."

Taruru twitched in surprise, "W-w-wait a minute! You're making us go out there by ourselves?!" he stuttered in disbelief. "Pu pu." Tororo interjected. "Let's have a vote. All those in favor of staying together." Tororo and Taruru's hands shot into the air, but Pururu's hands remained by her sides while Zoruru crossed his arms and sighed. "H-hey! Help us out you guys! Scraps! Old lady! Little support, please?" Tororo pleaded.

"First of all," growled Zoruru "Stop calling me 'Scraps'. Second of all, how do you except us to get anything done with us having to hold your hand?"

"Pu pu. What did you say, you stupid tin can?" Tororo squeaked, the heat rising in his face. Zoruru turned to face the tadpole "You heard me."

Taruru whipped his gaze back and forth between the assassin and the buck private sensing the energy crackle between the two of them. He started to wonder if there was going to be a fight. "Hey, cut it out you guys!" He glanced at Pururu desperate for some back up, but she was busy considering the state of her youth since Tororo had called her an 'old lady' again.

"Enough" said Garuru. With that simple command the platoon snapped back to attention, not wanting to upset their leader. He wasn't pleasant when angry.

"We are here on a mission. I expect each of you to behave as a soldier of Keron is expected to conduct himself." He cast a stern gaze on Taruru and Tororo. "I realize this is your first 'cleanup' mission, but that is no reason not to perform the duties that are expected of you. These soldiers died protecting what was precious to them: their friends and allies back on Keron. Don't disgrace their name by hesitating where action is necessary. They can no longer serve, having given their lives in battle, therefore you must use the life that you have to its absolute fullest. Push forward to the task ahead of you without any doubts. That's what it means to be a soldier Keron." He turned his back to them. "It's also the best way to honor our comrades who have fallen." He added in a gentle tone, then he whipped back around to face his platoon and shouted, "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

In unison the platoon snapped to a salute with a resounding, "SIR YES SIR!"

Zoruru marveled at how the atmosphere had changed. The aura of dreaded apprehension had lifted only to be replaced by an air of quiet determination. Taruru stood at attention, tears streaming down his face, profoundly inspired by his leader's words. Tororo cackled his trademark 'pu pu pu' while looking half-impressed by the lieutenant's speech and half-annoyed at having his attitude corrected. Pururu merely stood up straight, a knowing smile on her lips and steely determination in her eyes, ready to accomplish the job she was trained for.

"He really knows what to say in any situation." Zoruru thought to himself, impressed by how Garuru had diffused the tension among the soldiers. He too felt more at ease after Garuru's address; he also felt a twinge of shame when he thought back to the fight he nearly started a few moments ago. His words only succeeded in stirring up strife. "Well, I suppose that's why he's leader and I'm not." The assassin simply thought. But he knew that he was deluding himself. There were many reasons going beyond his speaking ability that made Garuru a much better leader, his unflinching composure and superior skills in battle, for example. Garuru is the best leader any Keronian can hope for. Zoruru held great respect for him and would follow him into the most dark and unyielding corners of space without hesitation.

"A Keronian worthy of my loyalty." Zoruru whispered to himself, thinking of how much he fell short by comparison. The cyborg was definitely not cut out for leadership due to his lack of people skills and reclusive personality. He was much better at stabbing things. Stabbing is good. Fun actually.

Speaking of stabbing. It was time to get to work.

While Zoruru was having his inner monologue, Garuru had been rattling off a list of instructions to his platoon. Zoruru had only been half-listening, but he got the gist of it. He, Taruru, and Garuru were to go out into the wreckage on a search and rescue mission: picking up and survivors and picking off any remaining enemies. Pururu and Tororo were to stay at the ship and set up base camp—the mission would probably take a couple days to complete.

The platoon broke apart and immediately began their tasks. Pururu bustled off to gather her medic kits while Tororo muttered something about surveillance cameras. Garuru marched off to the west end of the battlefield, Taruru quickly trotting behind him. The rookie still looked quite frightened and stuck close to his leader; he even tried to hold his hand (XD). Garuru slapped him away, but allowed the young private to follow him.

By this time, Zoruru was already at the farthest reaches of the warzone. He was eager to get away from his platoon mates for a little while. He always worked best solo.

He sensed something. He spun around seeking the source of the disturbance. A space cruiser zoomed past at low altitude. He allowed himself a small sigh of relief when he recognized the symbol on the hull of the ship: the Keron star. "Suppose we weren't the only who got the S.O.S." Zoruru pondered, half-grateful that it wasn't an enemy ship, half-disappointed that he didn't get to slice anything. It's been so long since he has had a good workout. "Hmph…" the cyborg grunted and darted off in the opposite direction. Garuru would deal with the newcomers.

He traversed the rugged terrain with no issues, gracefully jumping freshly formed craters—the result of rogue bazooka blasts, no doubt. He slid to a halt in a remote corner of the battlefield. The whole area was engulfed in a heavy silence, as if nature itself was mourning the dead fallen here. Amidst the rubble of a makeshift fort (probably thrown up in a futile effort to hold a defensive position), five Keronians lie dead. At least, he thought there were five. It was hard to tell with numerous, stray body parts strewn across the still-smoldering ground. "It's probably a good thing Taruru went with Garuru." Zoruru murmured. "He probably couldn't stomach this mess." The assassin forced himself not to shiver with revulsion. This level of carnage was horrible even by his standards, and his standards were pretty low due to the fact that he was a cyborg assassin equipped with razor blades and a bad attitude.

He stepped over the prone body of a Viper soldier. "Makes sense." muttered Zoruru glancing around at the five motionless forms of his fallen comrades. "It takes five Keronians to take down a Viper."

An ominous aura suddenly gripped his senses. He turned his gaze to the source and found himself staring into the entrance to a narrow gulley squeezed between two rocky outcroppings. "The struggle stretched out this far? For a small unit, they covered a lot of ground." Zoruru peered into the murky darkness. One perk of being a cyborg was the ability to pick up heat signatures with his artificial eye. Using the power of both Keronian technology and his keen assassin senses, he scanned the gulley for signs of life…..Nothing….

Had he imaged it? That ominous aura? He stood in silence a few moments. "Screw it." He muttered as he entered the tiny canyon.

The little gulley was dark, damp, and a bit narrow. There was just enough space for a Pekoponian SUV to drive through. The walls were also very steep; at least ten feet tall (pretty tall for a two-foot Keronian). Small puddles of rainwater collected here and there on the floor along with stones of various sizes making the valley quite uneven. The shadows covering the walls and floor gave the place and eerie atmosphere; however, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Why am I even in here?" Zoruru questioned himself as he accidentally stepped in a puddle for the second time. All this moisture wasn't good for his metallic side. He looked up at the sky still visible above the canyon's jagged walls. The sky was growing dim, wisps of purplish clouds drifted across a blood-red sky. "This is a waste of time." Zoruru grumbled. After all, what did he expect to find in here? More bodies?

He turned to leave, but before Zoruru could start the trek back, he once again sensed that aura. Slightly bewildered, the assassin turned again to stare down the gulley. "What could that possibly be coming from?" With a growl, he once again began journey towards his unknown destination.

"This is stupid." He grumbled for the fifth time since resuming his walk. He wanted nothing more than to turn back,—he didn't like being in this stupid canyon—but he couldn't ignore his assassin instincts. He was getting farther and farther away from the battlefield and his platoon mates. "Will Garuru come looking for me?" he wondered. Nah, Garuru and the rest of the platoon probably forgot all about him. They always did. Zoruru quickly beat back a twinge of sorrow that threatened to grip his soul. It seemed he and Zeroro shared the same curse…

Wait….. Why was he thinking about Zeroro, his arch-enemy? "Grr…" Zoruru growled. "Zeroro" he nearly spat. His most hated enemy. Why was he thinking about him here? Was it because of this place? The cyborg shook off the thought and stomped down the gorge, (*stomp, clank, stomp, clank, stomp, clank* =D) all his efforts of stealth forgotten.

He occupied himself by running through a list of things that he hated: Zeroro, this place, rust, Taruru on UNO night, Zeroro, this place, Zeroro, freakin' cereal commercials, this place… this place. Zoruru paused from his hate fest. He really did hate this place. It made him remember something the assassin desperately tried to keep buried beneath his memories. The damp smell of the earth, the steady 'drip-drop' of the water sliding down the walls, the lonely, gripping darkness—not a soul to be seen. He allowed his mind to wander as he recalled that time…

'Where am I? What's going on? Where is everyone?' *throb*

The forest was silent, as if holding its breath. An early-winter chill crept across the ground and glided through the air. All was still.

'What's wrong with me? I can't move! I can't see!' *throb*

The calamity ended a while ago. The peaceful forest clearing was altered by the presence of massive boulders and rivers of drying sludge. The scene of a recent flood.

'Oh frog, am I dead? Oh no oh no! I can't feel my left side at all!' *throb*

The ground was still soaked. Some trees have fallen over due to the loosened soil, their exposed roots suspended in the air. The land itself was hurting.

'So cold… What is this feeling? Pain? Make it stop!' *throb*

The earth was marred by debris that was carried down the mountain by the force of the water, scarring everything in its path. The wind gently hushed the mountain as a mother would her sleeping child.

'So much pain. It's unbearable. Someone, help!' *throb*

Shadow blanketed the forest as night fell. The moon hid its face as dark clouds covered the night sky. Time moved on.

'Someone! Anyone! Help me! Save me!' *throb*

All was still.

'Don't leave me alone…'

*clack*

Zoruru spun around, his sickle blade appearing with a metallic 'shing'. He slowly scanned the canyon for the source of the sound… The gulley was once again wrapped in silence.

With a hiss of frustration, Zoruru retracted his blade. How could he be daydreaming right in the middle of hostile territory? He could have walked into an ambush like some stupid amateur! Enough messing around. Zoruru slipped into full-out stealth mode, becoming one with the shadow. He crept noiselessly down the earthen corridor.

*plink* *clack*

What was that?

Zoruru froze. He stretched out his senses. No one was there. Had a stone merely fallen by itself from the canyon wall?

No… Something was up. The assassin put his right hand to the wall, ignoring the chill that crept into his bones. After a few seconds, he felt it… tremors.

Zoruru took off down the gulley, effortlessly leaping boulders and dodging around puddles. The tremors grew more powerful and more frequent the farther he went. A section of the wall crumbled with the vibrations sending gravel into a puddle with a loud 'sploosh'. Zoruru sped on, moving like a shadow. The tremors were now accompanied by a loud noise. A noise Zoruru knew all too well. A loud whine echoed down the gulley followed by a concussive blast of heated air. The unmistakable sound of a Viper's arm cannon. He had sensed something after all.

The power of the tremors intensified as Zoruru approached his target. Signs of battle were now apparent. The canyon now bore multiple scorch marks and craters. Huge chunks of rock separated from the walls and crashed to the floor, the ground trembled from the multiple impacts. "Must be an intense fight," Zoruru thought, "but why so far away?" It had taken him forever to get here, and he was ready to sink his claws into something.

Maniacal laughter pierced the air, as the explosions ceased. Zoruru had finally arrived; the source of that ominous aura was now obvious. Unseen and unheard he slipped forward through the growing darkness—this planet's sun was close to setting.

The cyborg reached a bend and peered around; his suspicions were confirmed. A Viper was haughtily perched on top a large boulder, his head thrown back and arms spread wide, laughing a sinister yet obnoxious laugh at the top of his lungs like a villain out of some corny kid's show (Zoruru fought the urge to roll his eyes). "Ha ha ha! In the end, I am victorious!" gloated the Viper from his perch. The Viper looked worn and injured, but that wasn't stopping him from basking in his own glory. "Foolish Keronian! If you had turned tail and ran you might be still alive! But, nooo. You chose to be the stupid and pathetic creature you really are! You thought you could defeat me? Ha! Your brain must be filled with stardust! Vipers are truly the superior species! Bwa ha ha ha ha!"

Zoruru has had about enough of this. The blood feud between Keronians and Vipers had been going on for centuries. No one was even sure how the feud started anymore, but none of this meant anything to the assassin. As far as he was concerned, any annoying braggart dumb enough to stand there as an open target deserved to die.

Zoruru leaped from his hiding place, soaring through the air toward the Viper who was too busy laughing his head off to notice that he was under attack. With a flick of the wrist, the Viper's arm cannon was sliced to pieces (finally some action! =D).

"Argh!" the Viper screeched, "What in the-? Who dares-?" the Viper hadn't the chance to finish his inquiry as he quickly dodged a rain of shuriken. The Viper was battle-weary but still mobile. Glancing around in confusion, the Viper tried to spot his attacker.

"Just one question for you." Zoruru rasped as he emerged from the shadows, his red eye glowing menacingly. Viper spun around. "What are you and your kind doing on Keronian territory?"

The Viper smirked; it was just another stupid frog. "Whatever we please." The Viper responded, already forgetting the close brush with death he experienced moments ago. "You Keronians have no right to claim anything as 'your territory.' We Vipers are the superior species! The entire universe should bow down to us. Bwa ha ha!"

"I see." Zoruru sighed, hearing all that he needed to hear. It was just another pointless raid the Vipers initiated in an effort to impose their superiority—or serious lack thereof. These raids had been occurring frequently over the past few months resulting in many casualties. The Vipers were the physically stronger, but the Keronians outnumbered them; plus, the Keronians were more skilled and more organized. The Vipers lost every time, but always came back for more. "My fellow Keronians died for this idiocy?" thought Zoruru in disgust, growing more infuriated by the second. The Vipers were really starting to tick him off.

"If that is all, I will have to end this now." Zoruru once again drew his scythe blade from its resting place in his left arm. "Any last words?" the assassin growled as he readied his battle stance.

"Ha ha ha!" The Viper bellowed. "Give it your best shot robo-boy! Everyone knows it takes exactly five Keronians to take down a Viper! There's no way you can win one-on-one!" He threw his head back and continued to guffaw in that crazed laugh of his.

"Indeed," Zoruru responded, "but I'm sure you will find that I am much stronger than your average Keronian." He allowed himself a small smirk under the bandages that concealed his face.

"Ha! We'll see about that!" (Ugh. This guy is so corny.) The Viper shouted as he drew a laser pistol from his belt. "DIE FROG!" The Viper screamed as he sent a barrage of laser bullets zooming toward the cyborg-assassin, each blast punctuated by more fits of hysterical laughter.

This was too easy.

Using his Super Assassin Magic: levitation skill, Zoruru bobbed and weaved his way through the wall of laser bullets like a ghost. In a heartbeat, the assassin was floating inches away from the Viper's face.

All foolish pride left the Viper's face as panic overtook his features. His arm cannon was now useless and he just ran out of laser bullets. Could it be over for the mighty Viper?

In the split-second he hung suspended in midair, Zoruru considered his options. He could take the enemy alive and bring him back to camp for further questioning… Naw. He doubted another villainous monologue would reveal much. With a swift swing of his arm that was impossible to follow, Zoruru deftly separated the Viper's head from his body. (Look away kids!).

Viper's body crumpled to the ground. Zoruru fell to the valley floor with a soft 'tmp.' One more was added to today's body count.

Zoruru sighed. He travelled all the way down here for this? Such a disappointment.

Zoruru turned to go. "I should report back to Garuru." He thought. However, as the cyborg was about to start making his way down the gorge; a quiet voice broke the post-battle silence.

"Ro…..mo…"

What now?

Zoruru looked again into the ravaged canyon. The voice came again.

"R-Romo…."

Over by the decimated canyon wall, the final rays of daylight fell on a figure. Zoruru approached cautiously, readying himself to strike in the event of an ambush. The figure remained motionless.

It was a Keronian. A female. She had midnight-black skin and forest-green headgear. She was full-grown judging by the fact that she no longer had a tadpole tail, but the white pigment on her face (a typical characteristic of a Keronian tadpole) had only receded halfway.

The girl lay half-buried in a small pile rubble. A thick layer of dust coated her features, as well as large blotches of fresh blood. Her left arm jutted out at a crooked angle; her chest was a burnt and bloody crisp. Most would have presumed the girl dead if it weren't for the muttering that occasionally escaped her lips.

Zoruru approached the girl and stopped at her side. The girl, as if sensing his presence, twitched and again whispered.

"R-Romomo…"

"I'm not Romomo." The assassin rasped, half wondering who it was she thought she was talking to. "What's your name, soldier?"

"….."

It was no use she couldn't hear him.

For a few tense moments, Zoruru just stood and stared at the girl. The memories he repressed earlier threatened to break again to the surface.

"…"

"…"

"…."

Slowly and gently Zoruru began to lift the girl from the rubble. He was going to pry her right arm loose from a cluster of boulders when he realized with a jolt that she no longer had a right arm—most likely torn off in an explosion. Her heartbeat barely registered and her breathing was sparse.

After he had settled her in his arms, Zoruru sped off toward the battlefield, silently questioning himself all the while.

Why had he picked up this dying soldier? She wouldn't even last the night; so why bother? Did he see himself in her? Abandoned in a foreign place, desperately calling out to a comrade who was no longer there while his lifeblood dyed the ground crimson? Or did he merely pity her. Dying alone on the cold, hard ground on a planet that wasn't home?

Zoruru glanced down at the girl hanging limply in his arms, shook himself mentally, and raced back towards his platoon.

The battlefield… where nightmares are born. Yet in this dark tragedy some hope can be found scattered among the ashes of despair. Lay all doubts aside and push forward. There on the cold, broken ground, sweet dreams can still blossom.