"Hey, Mitsubishi Kawasaki!" Itchuna squealed, running up to her boyfriend. He'd just finished doing a rock concert. Mitsubishi, more commonly known by his friends as Mitsu, was the drummer for the metal band Biotonic. He preferred rap, but his true talent was playing the drums. He could play any guitar solo on the drums and it would actually sound good. "Mitsu! You played great tonight."
"Hey there." He said as he greeted her with a hug. Itchuna was one of three sisters that was dating him and his two friends. Mitsu and Itchuna proceeded to kiss French-style, ya know, tongue wrestle. "If you're good this evening, I might let you play with my sticks."
"Yo! Lovebird Mush Pots!" Duo shouted from about five feet away. Duo Masahari was Biotonic's lead singer/guitarist. He ran up to Mitsu and Itchuna, Followed by Negami, the bands bass guitarist. "Get a room."
"Shut up, bro. You know that If Mai was here, you'd be in the 'ol lip lock yourself." He snapped. Mai, Itchuna's older sister was Duo's girl friend. Not only that, but she and her sister where supposed to have been there after the concert with Itchuna. "So Don't talk."
"Itai. You got me there bro." Duo replied, scratching the back of his head. "Speaking of which, where is she?"
"She and Aiya had to go to some private class where everyone had to go in pairs. I think it had something to do with CPR or something." Itchuna replied, brushing her long green hair out of her face.
"If I know Aiya as well as I think I do, then I know what's talking them so long," Negami cut in, "All you have to do is translate CPR as something other than what it really means."
"Probably." the others replied in unison, then laughed. Aiya and Mai had a twisted history, even though they were sisters. "Definitely."
" Guess who?" A sweet female voice said from behind Duo as two hands covered his eyes.
"I dunno. Who?" He replied, playing dumb. He knew exactly who it was.
"Here's a hint." She said, and kissed him, still covering his eyes. She slid her tongue into his mouth after the first two seconds.
"Mai Ketsura?" he said as she broke off the kiss. She took her hands off his eyes, and he saw her standing there with a big grin. He noticed something glistening on the corner of her mouth. He kissed her again, making sure he licked the corner of her mouth. He broke it off after about two seconds. "So, you've been eating Aiya's sushi again eh?"
"How did U know?" she asked, blushing. She could've sworn she used enough mouthwash.
"You had some of her 'Special Sauce' on the corner of your mouth. I licked it off when I kissed you just now." He answered, smirking. She blushed even more when he said this, and so did Aiya, who was clinging to Negami.
"Hey, man, that's friggin' gross. I can't believe I just Kissed you, Aiya." Negami said, looking completely disgusted. He knew that whenever Mai ate Aiya's 'Sushi', that Aiya ate Mai's, and they shared each others 'Special Sauce'.
At that moment four guys in suits walked up to them. One of them had a metal briefcase. They were all wearing sunglasses, even though it was night out. In fact, it was the night of a new moon, and the only light source was a dim street lamp that they were standing under.
"Biotonic. Nice performance tonight. I'm Nigaima Atsuhiko." the man with the Briefcase said, stepping forward. There was something ominous about him and the others. "I have a question for you."
"Well, what is it?" Duo said, suspicious of the other three. He put one hand behind his back and signaled Negami and Mitsu to get ready for a fight, just in case.
"We would like to enter you in the Tetaiko Robotics Corporation's battle of the bands. The winning Band gets an all expense paid trip to Techworld City." Nigaima said. He grinned darkly. "Are you interested?"
Duo looked at Mitsu and Negami, who both nodded. Duo himself wasn't sure, but he decided that it might do them some good as a band if they entered, because Scouts for record labels went to these sort of things. He took a step forward and extended his hand.
"Yeah, we'll go." He said. Nigaima shook his hand. Duo still had a feeling that he couldn't trust these guys. Something just didn't seem right. "And we'll win, too."
"Good." Nigaima muttered, opening his briefcase and handing them their passes. He also gave their girlfriends V.I.P. stadium passes. He then gave Duo a card for the Anananga hotel in Kyoto. Finally, he gave them their train tickets. "Be there at eleven a.m., sharp, or you won't be able to get in."
Nigaima and the other three suits walked away after that. The members of Biotonic and their girlfriends waited until they couldn't see them anymore. Then they started walking home. They all lived in the same apartment building, on the same floor. With the exception of the sisters, they had their own apartments. Itchuna yelled at her sisters the whole way for missing the concert. She didn't buy the CPR class excuse for one second.
The next morning, Duo woke up abruptly. He ran his fingers through his spiky dark brown hair. The bright sunlight blinded him as he looked outside. He quickly got up and rubbed is eyes while he yawned loudly. He walked into the kitchen to find Mai cooking breakfast.
"Hey there cutie. I'm glad your finally awake." she said, smiling widely. Duo just stared at her, admiring her beauty. Her blue hair and green eyes were part of the surface beauty. But she had inner beauty as well, a wonderful personality that no one else seemed to have. "Hungry?"
"Ohayo Gozaimasu, Mai." he muttered as he stretched. Then he cracked his neck. He noticed she had cooked Tempura shrimp and Teriyaki chicken. There was also Miso soup and some Sushi. He grinned. "Yeah, I could go for some sushi with some of your 'Special Sauce'."
"Hmmm, I'll think about giving you that after breakfast." she giggled, giving Duo that certain look. Then she remembered the battle of the bands. "Hey, we don't have time for that right now...We need to eat and get ready for the Battle of the bands. We do have to be there by eleven, remember?"
"Oh, crap, you're right. What time is it?" He asked, then glanced at his watch. Eight thirty. He still had to eat and take a shower. Not only that but he and the others needed to get down to the auditorium where they played the night before and get their equipment. "We have plenty of time."
Just as they sat down to eat, the phone rang. Luckily, it was a cordless phone and was already on the table. Duo looked at the caller I.D. It read Kempo Auditorium, which was where the band had played last night, so he answered it.
"Hello?" He said, expecting it to be the manager. Instead, it was the last person he expected to be calling from there so early in the morning.
"Hey, Duo! Negami, here. Just thought I'd let you know that me and Mitsu already have most of the equipment packed and ready to go." Came the voice from the other end. Negami was never up this early, no matter what. Not only that, but he was extremely lazy. So Duo had a hard time believing him. "Yeah, so we're gonna get going, and we'll meet you at the train station."
"Ok, whatever. We'll be there in an hour." Duo agreed, and hung up. Then he quickly ate his breakfast. "That was good Mai, thanks. I'm gettin' in the shower."
"Hey, it was the least I could do after last night." Mai said, then winked. She puckered her ruby lips and blew him a kiss before he left the kitchen. She then proceeded to clear the table. She grinned to herself as she got an idea.
Duo stepped into the shower and lathered up. He started singing as he washed, and he didn't notice the bathroom door open. Then the shower door opened, and Mai stepped in. He still hadn't noticed she was there. Then he felt a sharp pain in his right buttock. He turned around to find that Mai had pinched him. Hard. "Mai! Can't get I some privacy in my own apartment?" Duo shouted, highly annoyed at his girlfriend. Although this wasn't the first time she'd surprised him in the shower, he figured they didn't have time for the reason she usually did it. "What's the big Idea anyways? We've got to get going soon." "Well, I figured if we take a shower together, we'd save time." She replied, grinning slyly. She new what he was thinking, but this time she meant exactly what she had just said. "And I mean that. Just a shower. Then we'll get ready and go." "Fine," Duo growled. He really didn't want company this time. "But we've got to hurry up and go."
"Hey, Duo! Mai! You guys are ten Minutes late!" Negami and Mitsu both Shouted. They had started thinking about going home. "What took you guys?"
"There was an accident on the way over here. It took eight minutes to go through the Detour." Duo replied, running toward the platform. The train was getting ready to leave. Mitsu and the others followed, and took the luggage that hadn't been sent to the baggage car as carry-ons. They all got seats right by each other. Mitsu and Itchuna were all over each other the whole trip and Duo and Mai were together in the bathroom for half of it.
They got off at Kyoto and noticed they were running out of time. They traded a set of their Autographed CD's for a supped up S.U.V. and sped to Hitoma Stadium.
"Ah. You must be Biotonic. I'll need to see your passes." Said a man at a fold up table just outside the stadium. Duo, Mitsu, and Negami showed them to him. "Ok, sign here."
He handed them a clipboard with a registration form attached to it. They each signed it, although, they were kind of reluctant when they got to the part about what weapons they had brought and what weapons they were specialized with. They handed it back and were given the clear to go backstage. When the girls tried to follow them, they were directed to the Main entrance. They Showed their passes and were admitted. They were lucky enough to get front row tickets.
The Schedule that showed the order in which the band would be playing was posted on the wall. Biotonic was the second band on the list. The third band on the list was their Rival band, Toxica Acidae .
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Blows On It." Said a voice from behind them. They turned around to find themselves face-to-face with their rivals. They had made second place at the Tokyo Grand Fighting Tournament, while Biotonic won the championship. "I figured you'd have been Chosen as one of the bands, but to beat us out for second appearance was unexpected."
"Kento, you punk moron. What was unexpected is that anyone would even like your performances enough to invite you to something like this." Duo snapped, signaling the others to get ready for a fight. Duo knew Kento's moves inside and out. He had beaten him so many times that he was surprised Kento kept stepping up. "If you wanna start something, do it. Otherwise turn around and walk away."
"Heh. What, and make fools out of you in front of the other bands?" Kento smirked. He did a good job of hiding his fear. He knew that he would lose the fight, and even he wouldn't fight dirty. "We'll just beat you with our music."
Two hours later, the concert started. The first band up got high marks from the audience, and even did an encore. Then Biotonic was introduced. they decided to perform Darkness Within. The song started with a drum beat, then Negami Started playing bass, then finally Duo got goin' on guitar. They played like that for about two minutes before Duo finally started singing.
Feelin' the torture inside of your empty head Wishin' that you could be freed by death If you'd come to terms with your twisted past You could embrace a smooth future You feel it burn when they look at you You're a mess, a disgrace to humanity The sickness rises inside as they scoff at you Full of hatred as you lash out, answering the call from the inside Darkness Within You choose it again Violence is your answer You lose when you win Choose the darkest answer Through your violent insanity The Darkness Within
At this point Duo went into a killer guitar solo, and the entire audience was cheering them on. Even Kento's girlfriend was cheering for them. Most of the audience had heard their stuff, and were singing along. Duo riffed some more and resumed singing as the music returned to the way it had been.
You've dug your own grave a thousand times Searching inside yourself you'll always find A thousand demons staring back at you Clawing at your mind trying to get out You drop to your knees as they scream and shout Violence explodes right through your form Ripping through your scalp as you let it loose Even when you're calm you're a raging storm
Darkness Within You choose it again Violence is your answer You lose when you win Choose the darkest answer Through your violent insanity The Darkness Within
They played for a few more minutes then stopped. Mitsu threw his drumsticks, which he'd autographed before they came out on stage, out into the audience. The crowd went wild, shouting, screaming, begging for more.
The band played a couple more songs and then introduced the members. The audience voted, and Mai and her sisters threw their Bras at the stage.
"Man, did you hear that crowd? I swear I saw Kento's girlfriend and even she was cheering for us. Dude!" Negami said, excited at the reaction they had gotten. They had only played small time stuff. Now that he'd gotten a taste of the big time, he couldn't wait until he could do it again. "Man, we got high marks out there for sure, man!"
Duo and Mitsu just looked at each other and shook their heads, disappointed at Negami's reaction. They'd seen it before and knew that the adoration wouldn't last forever. They put their stuff into designated lockers and went to meet the girls.
That evening, Mitsu unpacked his bags. Itchuna sprawled out on the bed, thinking back to the great concert earlier. They could hear the other bands playing, even though the hotel was five miles away from the stadium. Mitsu sighed as he finished unpacking. He walked over to the bed and took off his belts. He then flopped down backwards. "Mitsu, why did you bring that?" Itchuna said sternly, pointing at the second belt. It was a black belt with slots for weapons. Only these weren't your regular weapons. They were drumsticks, metal ones. The first pair looked normal. The second set had larger balls at the ends with spikes protruding from them. The third and final pair were more like metal stakes than drumsticks, with extremely sharp points. "I thought you weren't going to use those ever again." "I had a gut feeling. Besides, Duo brought his Katanas and Negami brought his Razor disks." Mitsu replied, running his fingers through his black spiky hair. He knew he was going to need them, and the belt had extra slots for spare drumsticks. "Something about this whole thing doesn't quite feel right." Itchuna started to massage Mitsu's muscles. The both knew that the second and third day would be the hardest parts of the battle of the bands, but they had no idea how tough things were going to get.
The next morning, they all met in front of the main entrance of the stadium. Negami looked like he needed more sleep, and so did Aiya. The others knew exactly why, too.
"Man, you two couldn't have kept it down last night, could you? Just had to be loud." Duo said somewhat irritated. He could use some more sleep himself. He felt like smashing his guitar over Negami's head when they got backstage. Negami didn't say a word.
They left their girlfriends and went backstage. They were the first band up today, which meant they were the highest scoring band so far. A lot of bands had already been eliminated. They got out on stage, and were greeted by an entire audience of screaming, cheering fans, fans that were the friends and family of every other band that was performing. They played a few songs with some pyrotechnics in the background. After their fourth number, they retreated to the locker room.
After they put away their stuff, they went to the rec. room to relax.
They stayed there and watched the other performances. About five performances later, Negami went over to the vending machines and got come chips and a soda. Some of the other bands were really good, while others couldn't play at all. Around five o'clock in the evening the announcement came directly from the Tetaiko Robotics Corporation's CEO, Hiroshu Hakagana.
"Attention all band members. You are now going to learn the true reason you are all here." His cold voice came over the intercom with a hint of dark satisfaction at the weight he was about to drop on the bands that were there. "I know that all of you were top five contenders in various fighting tournaments worldwide. This is now officially a fighting tournament."
"What! No way! I didn't come here for that!" shouted a shocked and disbelieving Duo. He motioned to Negami and Mitsu, who both got up. they all started to walk out of the room. "Lets jet."
"For those who refuse to participate, We have kidnapped all the friends and family members that came here with you. If you leave we will kill them. With the exception of the top twenty bands here, the rest are allowed to leave, and your family and friends are being released." Hiroshu continued. "The top two bands standing will fight my Four Champions. The last fighters alive will be taken to our labs and turned into cyborgs for use as military prototypes."
Duo and the others stopped outside the locker room. Duo looked at Mitsu and Negami. They all nodded and went to get their weapons. They then went out toward the main part of the stadium, along with many other bands.
"We also have knowledge of the weapons that you all use, and for those who don't have theirs with them, we will provide you with them. The bands will fight from lowest ranking to highest." Hiroshu went on, enjoying every moment of his unfolding plans. "Bands that are here but not fighting at any given moment will provide background music for those who are."
Biotonic's members looked up at the large screen that had Hiroshu's image on it. His face was blocked by shadows except for a grin that displayed a cold-hearted satisfaction. He was wearing a navy blue tux. They had to jump back as a ring rose from the floor. It was round and constructed from huge concrete blocks. They decided to return to the rec. room.
Three days had passed and Biotonic finally got their chance to fight. They were up against a band call Toad Trip. It was the final fight of the elimination rounds. An attractive young woman in a thong bikini walked out to the center of the ring holding a microphone.
"Ok, here we go, final round!" she announced to an audience comprised mainly of the prisoners watching on monitors in there cells and secondly by the remaining bands in the stadium, many of whom had lost members to death in battle. "First up, Negami VS. Kitome in a battle of the bass players!"
Negami entered the blood-stained ring, blade discs in hand. Kitome stood three feet away from him with sickles. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. They stood there, sizing each other up, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Neither wanted to fight, but both wanted to hurt somebody. Minutes passed, then it happened.
Negami threw a single disc at Kitome, who dodged it. Negami never intended for it to hit him, only put distance between them. His plan worked, and he took a step back. The disc ricocheted off the far wall and headed back at Kitome. Kitome heard it and turned his head. Before he could move, Negami kicked him in the head, which sent him skidding along the ground. Negami caught the disc and rushed Kitome. Kitome slashed at Negami with his right sickle just as Negami slashed at him with his left blade disc. Negami jumped back and Kitome back-flipped until he could stand up. They stood there, already breathing quite heavily. Unexpectedly, Kitome's right sickle fell apart. He looked down at it, shocked that Negami had cut clean through the tempered wood...Wood? But I always use sickles with a metal handle...This is what I get for not bringing my own...Damn! His train of thought was derailed when Negami's knee connected with his jaw. Kitome fell to the floor, unconscious. Negami was Declared the winner and the next fighters entered the ring.
The Next match was a battle of the drummers. Mitsu stepped to the center of the ring, confident that he would win. He reached toward his belt and pulled out his steel drumsticks. The other drummer, Kurt Paine, entered the ring with his Naginata. Kurt rushed Mitsu with the tip of his Blade as the signal to begin was given.
Mitsu barely dodged, and, with little time to recover, managed to grab the shaft. He quickly brought his knee up and slammed it into Kurt's stomach, causing Kurt to cough out a mouthful of spit. Kurt fell to his knees, clenching his gut in pain, trying to get his wind back. Mitsu took a step back, and waited for his opponent to get back up.
"Why are you...just...standing there?" Kurt managed to choke out. He just wanted it to end, so he could leave, go home, and be reunited with his family.
"I fight clean." Mitsu replied, smirking. He wanted it to be over as much as everybody else did, but he wasn't about to hit some one when they were down.
Kurt was now irritated, and, as he got up, he smashed the shaft of his naginata into Mitsu's ribs. Mitsu retaliated by smacking him in the face with one of his sticks. Kurt tried to kick Mitsu's right side, but Mitsu quickly moved away from the attack. Kurt then attempted to jab the blade into Mitsu's face. Mitsu dropped to the floor at the last second, then kicked Kurt in the jaw. The naginata clattered noisily to the floor as Kurt collapsed, unconscious. Mitsu strolled off the ring clenching his left side.
Duo rushed over to him as he hopped down to the ground. There was a possibility that Mitsu had broken some ribs. "You okay man?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine...just need to rest for a while..." Mitsu answered weakly as he hobbled over to the bench.
Duo knew he was up next. He strapped his Katanas to his back and jumped onto the ring. Because the other band had a guitarist and a lead singer, Duo had to fight them both. Nasasho Miragani and Genki Sukubura, both of which used broad swords. The announcer declared an intermission, and the fighters groaned. To them, the intermission was just prolonging the nightmare. The nightmare from which they could not awaken. The torment of knowing they may never see their family or friends again was too much to bear, and those fighters still alive were weary of the whole thing.
"I can't stand this anymore," Said Duo drowsily "Why can't they just have us face the champions and get it over with." He sat back on the bench and sighed. The pressure was starting to get to him. He could also see it was getting to everybody else. It was written on their faces.
"Neither can the rest of us. This better be over soon..." Negami said, gripping his ribs. "I know you can take this next guy easy."
Ten Minutes later, the fight was on. Duo defeated his opponents by sheer speed. Neither of them could keep up with him. The day was over, and they were sent to the rec. room to sleep. Not many people were left. Just the members of their rival band. They were even too tired to give Biotonic grief. It was like they understood something now.
The Next morning they were called to battle. This was it. This was the moment of truth for all of the brave young fighters. None of them knew what awaited them. The four champions were waiting in another locker room at the other side of the stadium. Once again, Negami was fighting first. He was on a team with Mokotsu, Toad Trip's bass player. They Still had no Clue what the first champion would looked like. They stepped out into the center of the ring, waiting for the first challenger to appear.
Suddenly a loudspeaker activated. "And now, it gives me great pleasure to introduce Kaishiro, the slayer." it was Hiroshu. " He's our first Prototype Military cyborg unit. His unique features are intense speed and Electrified steel cables, launched from the wrists. Have fun, rockers."
The Locker room doors swung open, and a dark gray smog wafted out slowly. For a moment, there was nothing but darkness. Then, a small red glow shattered it. Slowly, an average sized figure walked out. As it stepped into the light, they saw it was a man, in his early twenties. The red glow was coming from his left eye, which seemed to be fitted with some kind of targeting system. His muscles were built just enough to put a good force behind a hit.
Kaishiro stepped into the center of the ring, then looked both Negami and Mokotsu in the eye. There seemed to be no signs of remorse, or sorrow, or fear. Kaishiro was a cold hearted killing machine. This was going to be a hard fight, and both Negami and Mokotsu knew it. They knew that Kaishiro was going to try to kill them, and there was a high chance he would.
Negami and Mokotsu looked at each other and nodded, since they knew each others moves inside and out. The fight was started, and Kaishiro rushed in on them. The two human fighters barely dodged his fists, which left dents in the concrete. Negami threw one of his blade discs at Kaishiro, who dodged it with enough speed to put a few feet between it and himself. Kaishiro quickly attacked Mokotsu, who used his Daitos to counter. One of the blades broke on Kaishiro's forearm. Mokotsu was shocked just long enough for Kaishiro to get a grip on him arm. This distracted the cyborg long enough for Negami to plant a blade disc into Kaishiro's spine. Kaishiro dropped Mokotsu and pulled it out. He looked at it for a moment, smirked, and threw it back. There seemed to be no effect at all, because a normal human would have been paralyzed. The rate of rotation was too fast for Negami to catch it, and he could barely dodge it.
A small drop of blood hit the floor as a small cut opened on his shoulder. He ignored the wound and went for Kaishiro's stomach. Kaishiro caught his foot, picked him up, and slammed him to the ground. Pain surged through Negami's body as the wind rushed out of him. Momentary paralysis gripped him, and he panicked. Mokotsu jump-kicked Kaishiro in the back of the head, which gave Negami time to recover. He slowly got to his feet, then ran to the far side of the ring. But Kaishiro beat him to it. Negami got there to find a fist going for his head. He ducked and went for Kaishiro's knees. This weak-point worked, and Kaishiro fell to the ground. Mokotsu rushed in to take advantage of the situation. The two human fighters tried to hold him down, but got thrown off. Kaishiro Rose and rushed around behind Negami. He grabbed Negami by the back of the neck and picked him up. He slammed his fist into Negami's kidney. Negami Gasped in pain. Kaishiro was so occupied with Negami that he hadn't noticed Mokotsu sneaking up behind him. Using his remaining daito, he slashed through the tendons of Kaishiro's knees.
Kaishiro fell to all fours. He was now unable to move. Negami and Mokotsu looked each other in the eye and nodded to each other. Negami picked up his blade discs and rushed in as Mokotsu burst forwards, his daito ready to decapitate the cyborg. Kaishiro rolled onto his back and held out his arms. Steel cables shot out from his wrists towards the two humans. Negami dodged but Mokotsu wasn't fast enough. The cable wrapped around his leg and sent ten thousand volts surging through his body. His body convulsed as the electricity crackled over his flesh. Kaishiro was too busy laughing to notice that Negami was bringing his blade discs down towards his throat. The blades cut through to his spine and hit metal. It was enough, however, because blood was shooting out of the cut. It splattered all over Negami, who kicked Kaishiro in the jaw. His neck snapped and the red light in his left eye faded away. The Slayer had been slain. Negami walked over to Mokotsu, who was unconscious. He picked Mokotsu up and carried him out of the ring.
"Congratulations, you're going to be our next Cyborgs." Hiroshu's voice came over the intercom. Everyone looked up at the enormous stadium screen to see Hiroshu grinning. "The next Cyborg will be much more deadly. Good luck, Drummers."