Beitrik presents

An original fanfiction

GODZILLA: ARROGANCE OF MANN

ゴジラ：マツンの傲慢

A Godzilla x Team Fortress 2 crossover

"Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." - J. Robert Oppenheimer

Tokyo, Japan, 1954

They ran.

They knew not how long they were running for, or where they were going. It didn't matter. Surrounding them were the crumbling remains of once proud buildings, consumed by radioactive orange fire. Ashes littered the scorched ground. The corpses of men, women and children were strewn around the streets, flesh burned beyond recognition and clothes painted a deep, dark red. The stench was overwhelming, a mix of smoke and toxic fumes, assaulting their lungs mercilessly.

The survivors kept running.

Among them was young Ruka Takamachi, a boy at the tender age of 9. Panting heavily as sweat rolling down his chubby cheeks, he struggled to keep pace with his mother, who wasn't doing much better either, as she was visibly starting to slow down from exhaustion. Perched on her shoulder was Ruka's baby sister, Momo, bawling in fear and confusion.

Like the other survivors, Ruka and his family had abruptly evacuated their home upon receiving news of the disaster on the radio. The broadcast was short yet bone-chilling news of a massive fire-breathing dragon that was making its way towards the city. If not for the distant tremors and the eerie orange glow that permeated the midnight sky, most people would have laughed it off as a prank.

Sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him, Ruka briefly turned around and instantly wished that he hadn't. For at that moment, he came face-to-face with the very creature responsible for the city s destruction and the loss of countless lives. Towering above a row of battered skyscrapers, the monster s sheer size was a sight to behold. Its hide was a dark gray, rough and mottled with tiny reptilian knobs and spikes. Rows of jagged, maple leaf-shaped dorsal spines ran down its back, resembling the sharp teeth of a saw. What struck Ruka the most, however, was its face. The dinosaurian shape of its head, sporting amber eyes that glinted malevolently. Its flaring nostrils released puffs of steam into the atmosphere, while its mouth twisted into a vicious snarl. He could almost feel the malice emanating from the monster; it chilled him to the core.

The monster observed the scampering humans, its gargantuan shadow looming over them. They were like ants compared to it, tiny and pathetic. Raising its head to the darkness above and opening its gaping maw, it let out a ferocious cry with every fibre of its being -

"SHREEEEEEOOONNNKKKKK!"

It was a sound that will remain etched in Ruka's mind forever. It will continue to play in his nightmares forever, memories of an otherwise happy childhood falling apart and disintegrating into dust.

Noticing his mother running towards one side of the street with a crying Momo in her arms, he followed suit. Terribly exhausted and terrified from the ordeal, she collapsed onto the pavement, clutching the baby to her heaving chest.

"Mama!"

Ruka hurried towards the visibly traumatised woman. She was a mess; her hair was unkempt, strewing down her tear-streaked face. Her puffy eyes were the colour of blood, and her trembling arms struggled to maintain a firm grip on baby Momo. Turning to her son, her mouth managed to form a tiny smile.

"Ruka-kun... Everything will be ok. We'll meet Papa soon, very very soon..."

"Mama..." Tears welled up within Ruka's eyes as he kneeled down helplessly. His father, a member of the Japan Self-Defence Forces, was called into action in the fight against the invading monster. Alas, he never came back. At this rate, the Takamachi family was forced to accept the inevitable.

Rocking baby Momo in her arms, she patted the wailing child's back. Ruka's heart broke upon seeing his mother, clearly as terrified as he and Momo were, struggling to stay strong for them in these bleak moments. Slowly striding towards her, he clasped a tiny hand on her shoulder. She glanced at him gratefully.

"We'll be ok, Ruka-kun. We'll be together again. You, me, Papa, and Momo-chan..."

"No, Mama! I don't want to die! I don't want..."

Ruka collapsed, a sobbing and choking mess as he covered his face with shaking hands. Why was this happening? What had they done to deserve such a cruel fate? Just mere weeks ago, they were a typical happy Japanese family. Papa would ruffle his hair and tell him what a strong man he was growing into, while Mama would praise him every time he finished his homework early or did well for a test. And now, it seemed like these would never happen again.

A sudden tremor, stronger than those that had passed, shook him out of his thoughts. As darkness enveloped him, he realised that he was standing in the middle of a massive shadow...

His worst fears had come true. Standing less than 15 metres away from the cowering family was the leviathan beast itself. Ruka froze in terror. He caught a good look at the monster's thick tree trunk legs, covered in the same patterns as the rest of its body. The legs ended in flat elephant-like feet that left deep imprints on the devastated soil.

He couldn't think. He couldn't move, or even breathe. All he could do was stand and gawk at the creature before him. It seemed to be looking down at the family, a look of morbid curiosity on its reptilian face.

Then suddenly he was being pushed around violently, the tiny form of his sister shoved into his arms. His mother was yelling things at him, her voice cracked and strained. It took his blurry and hazed mind a few seconds to recognize her words.

"Ruka-kun, run!"

Shaking his head wildly, his teary eyes met his mother's.

"But Mama..."

"JUST RUN!"

As if on cue, the monster made a series of deep, guttural rumbling noises from its throat. Straining to muster as much courage as he could, he turned from the scene and took off down the road. Momo was clutched tight in his arms, continuing to wail at the top of her lungs.

Ruka never looked back. He never looked back when the explosion set off behind him, an overwhelming blast of heat, light and colour. He never looked back as he realised his parents would be reunited in death, and he would not see them ever again. He never looked back as the tremors continued, signalling the monster resuming its journey. He never looked back as the tears flowed endlessly.

He just continued running while the dancing flames surrounded his path.

A/N:

Okay everyone, I have two things I need to apologize for.

Firstly, I'm really, really sorry to have to make you all wait so long. I realise it's been over a year since I've teased this story, and up till now there has been no news regarding this.

Truth is that over time, other matters started to take over my life. School work, extra curricular activities, other plans... eventually, I began to forget about this story.

If there's anything I've learnt, it's that you shouldn't announce anything until you're actually ready to carry it out.

However, I do not wish to abandon this story any longer. I've made a commitment by posting the teaser a year ago, and I will see to it that the story will be completed. I don't know how long it will take, but it will be finished.

The second thing is that, at this moment, please don't expect regular updates to this story. Even though I'm currently having my holidays, I'm still buried in school work and other important matters. I'll try my best to plan and update as soon as possible, but unfortunately there isn't much I can do at the moment. I sincerely apologize and hope you guys can understand.

I'll see you for the next chapter. Till then, farewell.

- Beitrik