His life wasn't anything special or unusual.
He was just a normal boy in a normal world.
Fifteen-year-old Nick Kelly looked up at the sky on his way to school. This was his life. Nothing really exciting to it, but nothing that would make him wish he had something better.
All in all, he was okay with the life he had now.
"Hey, Kelly!"
Except for maybe that.
Nick spun around and came face-to-face with what was quite literally the bane of his existence: the local bully, Kaitou.
"So, what's your game today?" Nick growled, obviously not in the mood to be dealing with Kaitou today.
"The usual," Kaitou sneered. "Hand over your lunch money and maybe I'll go easy on you."
"In case you haven't noticed, buddy, I brought my own lunch today," Nick shot back, gesturing towards the lunch box in his right hand, emblazoned with the five main heroes of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. It was known throughout the school that he was a big Super Sentai fan.
"Oh, holding out on me, huh?" Kaitou quipped. "Okay, I guess I'll have to wring it out of you, then!"
"Kaitou-san, knock it off!"
Kaitou stopped upon hearing those words.
"Eh, I'll let you off easy this time," Kaitou growled, his voice wavering as he rushed away.
Nick breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to the one who'd saved him from Burt's wrath.
"Thanks, Satsuki-chan. He's unnaturally persistent today."
Nick's childhood friend Satsuki Yukino was standing by a nearby bench. She was about the same age as Nick, with waist-length blue hair and piercing green eyes. She was the student council president and quite popular with the boys here at Future Star High School. Satsuki was normally quite calm and collected, but when she got angry, she would seemingly shift personalities and become an extremely dangerous yandere-type character. She had very little tolerance for bullies like Kaitou.
"Ah, he's just feeling like he's in his zone today," Satsuki giggled. "Now I think you'd better hurry if you don't wanna be late for history class."
"ACK, I forgot about history class!" Nick exclaimed, slinging his backpack over his back and zipping into the school, completely unaware of the strange figure watching him from the rooftops.
"What spunk. Could he be the one?"
The strange, golden-haired figure scoffed before leaping into the sky and out of sight.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
(Does one believe in destiny? One's belief can shape their destiny into anything they wish.)
S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents...
Steel Angel Kurumi: Mystery of the Purifiers
Story Created: March 7th, 2012
Rated: T for Teen (for intimate scenes, sometimes intense violence, some harsh language, and Kurumi's general "bounciness")
Summary: They say third time's the charm. In the modern world, circa year 2012, the powerful Steel Angel Kurumi is awakened once more. Unlike the time when Nako Kagura had been Kurumi's master, the world now desperately needs the Steel Angels to prevent a disaster of unbelievable proportions. Nick Kelly, Kurumi's new master, is unwittingly dragged into a plot by the mysterious Neo Academia to use the Steel Angels to rule the world. The Mayans' prediction of 2012 being the end of the world may have been false, but Neo Academia's plot will indeed bring about a disastrous end to the world if left unchecked. Now, Nick and the Angels must get to the bottom of the mystery and save the world they hold dear...
Author's Note: Ah, Steel Angel Kurumi. One of my favorite anime series EVER, yet I've never actually written anything for it. That's going to change now. Considering there's only three Kurumi fics on the site (two of which are in SPANISH, which I can't read), I figured I needed to rectify that. I'm gonna try to make this like an actual season of the show, but mind you, it's been a long time since I've seen the whole series, and I only fully remember the first half of season one and the whole second season. So bear with me. Also, can someone tell me if anyone ever translated the manga into English?
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Steel Angel Kurumi or its numerous spinoffs-slash-sidestories. That belongs to Pony Canyon and its subsidiaries. My character Nick Kelly IS mine, so no using him unless you have my permission.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Episode 1: Once More She Stands on Solid Ground! The Steel Angel Kurumi's Modern Day Awakening!
"ONII-CHAN!" two younger girls exclaimed as they jumped on Nick the instant he'd arrived back at his home. Nick was infinitely glad that today had been the last day of the school year.
"Okay, so you're happy to see me," Nick gasped, trying to breathe under the crushing weight of both his sisters hugging him to death. "Can you please not hug me so hard?"
"Sorry," they both quipped in unison.
These two little ten-year-old bundles of energy were Nick's siblings, fraternal twin sisters Hisako and Sayoko. They both had blonde hair and blue eyes and were cute beyond words. Hisako had her hair tied up into ponytails while Sayoko's hair was put up in twin drills.
"We didn't hurt your feelings, did we, onii-chan?" Sayoko quickly asked. Both Hisako and Sayoko extremely adored Nick, and any time they thought something had gone wrong, they would often get very emotional.
"Of course not," Nick immediately responded. "Just be careful with how hard you hug me. I kinda overexerted myself in gym class today."
"Aw! Onii-chan needs a hug!" Hisako exclaimed, rushing back to hug her brother again, making sure to limit herself.
"How was your day, Nick?" another voice lilted through the room. Nick looked up and saw his mother, 32-year-old Atsuko Kelly. She looked a lot like Nick did, only Atsuko had long dark blue hair that reached down her back and she shared Nick's tree-brown eyes.
"Oh, it was fine enough," Nick answered. "I had a row with Kaitou-san today, but Satsuki-chan saved me again."
"That girl must really like you," Atsuko wondered. "Are you two... you know... going together?"
"Oh, no, not at all," Nick replied. "She's just a close friend of mine. Besides, I think she's got her eyes on that new senior boy that just transferred in."
"Are you looking for someone?" Atsuko asked.
"Probably soon," Nick continued. "I would like at least one girlfriend before I graduate."
Nick looked down at his sisters, who were still hugging him. He knew from personal experience that they were jealous of any other girl that showed interest in Nick. One memorable case had involved the then seven-year-old girls dying Satsuki's hair a bright shade of yellow and green.
No one in the family noticed the strange figure gazing upon them from far away.
"Hmmm... not what I expected. Not at all."
Later that night...
"Say, Nick? Could you grab those glasses from the basement?"
"Sure, okaa-san. What's the occasion?"
"I've got a guest coming over tomorrow."
Nick looked somberly at his mother before smiling and rubbing Atsuko's shoulder lightly. "Hey, mom, I'm glad you're seeing some people. Dad would have wanted you to move on with your life."
Nick's father Jonathan was no longer a part of this world, having been killed at his workstation when the Tohoku and Sendai earthquakes had struck. Jonathan had been working at a technology company when the earthquakes had struck, completely destroying the building. Jonathan had been killed instantly by falling rubble. When they had heard the news, Atsuko had been devastated. She had only been able to move on with the help of her very supportive family.
"It's still hard for me, Nick. Jonathan was my first love. I don't think I'll ever get over it..."
Nick smiled, leaning forward to give his mother a kiss on the cheek. "Just remember that we're all here for you."
Atsuko smiled brightly, suddenly hearing a cute-sounding anime theme song coming from the twins' room.
"They're still up?" Atsuko wondered.
"I think I know why," Nick replied, instantly recognizing the song.
Making his way up to Hisako and Sayoko's room, Nick opened the door, and just as he'd expected, the twins were parked on their beds, their gaze fixed on the television that rested on their dresser. On the television screen, an episode of the new anime series Smile Pretty Cure was playing.
"Isn't it kinda late for you two to still be up?" Nick asked.
"Onii-chan, please! This is a new episode!" Hisako exclaimed.
"Please let us watch it!" Sayoko shouted.
Nick couldn't help but grin. Just like he was a huge fan of Super Sentai, his sisters were big fans of the Pretty Cure franchise.
"Okay. Once it's over, hit the sack, okay?" Nick conceded. "You've got a big day tomorrow."
"Thank you, onii-chan!" the twins exclaimed in unison.
"Those two..." Nick laughed, finding himself walking down to the basement to pick up the 'special glasses'.
Though once he'd retrieved the glasses, Nick noticed something he'd never noticed before: there were indents in the wall in front of him, almost as if there was a door there.
Out of sheer curiosity, Nick reached around the indented area in hopes of finding a switch. After a few seconds, a brick he'd touched pulled away from him, and the indented area moved away, revealing a pathway for him to follow.
Moving the tables out of the way, Nick started down the tunnel, wondering what was going on. This place seemed to resemble a bomb shelter, only without as many pathways.
Though, that did make some sense to Nick, as Atsuko had once told him that this house had been built on top of a bomb shelter that had been used during World War II.
After a good while of exploring, Nick came across a wide-open room containing a statue of some ancient Buddha-like figure. Nick never considered himself religious, though he did believe there was someone "up there", as he had often said that whoever was "up there" had better be taking good care of his father.
"Whoa," Nick gasped. "What the heck is this?"
Taking slow, cautious steps forward, Nick walked up to the statue, his hand reaching towards it. The instant he made contact, Nick was enveloped in a bright flash of light.
When Nick trusted himself enough to open his eyes again, he could only see himself and the statue among nothing but white light.
"What in the living..." Nick started, only to be interrupted by a deep male voice.
"Hail to the successor..."
"What?"
"Within this statue is my greatest masterpiece ever. The most powerful Steel Angel in existence. Codenamed Kurumi, Mark 3."
"Hey, crazy man, what are you talking about?"
"I now entrust her to you."
"Um, can you maybe explain a few things to me?!" Nick growled, beginning to lose his always-short patience.
"Kurumi's power is the only way to stop the coming darkness. If we do not do something, this world will be annihilated. Please, take good care of her."
The statue lifted up and started to crack in places, eventually shattering into many pieces and revealing a girl.
Nick barely had time to react as the girl fell towards him...
...and his lips connected with hers as she fell.
Nick stumbled back a few steps, but made sure he could still catch the girl as the white light faded, leaving them back in the statue room.
Now that things were calm again, Nick could actively examine this strange girl. Her beautiful face was framed by long pink hair in a high ponytail. The girl was dressed in a maid uniform of an unusual design. She was wearing a one-piece blue dress with puffed up short sleeves, with the hem of the skirt ending at the upper thighs. Her legs were encased in long socks reaching past the knee and ending in the lower thighs. Her feet had white and blue buckled shoes. Over the dress was a maid's apron and a vest with frilly shoulders, kept in place by a buckled wide blue belt. She wore elbow length blue gloves, with white fingerless gloves worn over them. Nick could also see a red bowtie at her throat, a maid's cap at the crown of her head and a red bow, which tied her hair. The overall impression was a uniform that allowed for great freedom of movement.
Nick cast a few curious glances around him, making sure that no one else was watching him as he picked up the girl and cradled her in his arms.
"I've gotta get out of here," Nick noted. "This day is already weird enough."
Before he could take a step, however, he felt the girl in his arms stirring. Nick looked down at her and saw that her eyes were open. Two deep sapphire orbs stared back at his own tree-brown eyes.
"Master?" the girl asked in a sleepy voice.
"What?" Nick replied, now officially confused.
Suddenly, the girl squealed loudly and glomped Nick much like his sisters would do. But then, she squeezed him close enough so that his head was stuck in between her ample breasts, causing a huge blush to rise up in his cheeks.
"Ooh, I'm so excited! I finally have a new master!" the girl exclaimed, still squeezing Nick against her breasts.
"Wha...? 'Master'?" Nick repeated.
"Of course!" the girl giggled. "You're my master. Isn't that just wonderful, master?"
The girl gazed lovingly at Nick. "Might I ask the name of my wonderful master?"
Nick recovered enough from his blush to finally respond. "My... my name's Nick Kelly. Might I ask yours?"
The girl nodded, still vibrant and upbeat. "My name is Kurumi."
Nick gasped in realization when he heard that name.
"Within this statue is my greatest masterpiece ever. The most powerful Steel Angel in existence. Codenamed Kurumi, Mark 3."
"So your name is Nick, huh?" Kurumi noted. "Such a cute name!"
Kurumi didn't waste any time in hugging Nick tightly again, clearly excited.
"Let's get out of this place, Kurumi-chan," Nick stated. "This tunnel thing creeps me right the hell out."
"Right away, master!" Kurumi giggled, picking Nick up in her arms and dashing back to the entrance of the secret tunnel and back to the main house.
This is weird, Nick thought as Kurumi carried him up the basement steps. What was that thing that Mr. Crazy Voice was telling me about? That this Kurumi girl's power would be able to stop a disaster? I'll believe that when I see it. Though I have to admit, Kurumi-chan's pretty cute...
If Nick or Kurumi had decided to look back, they would have noticed a figure watching them, obscured completely by the shadows.
"God damn it, she's already established a contract with him," the figure growled.
"Is everything okay, Nick?" Atsuko called from nearby. "You were down there a long time..."
"I don't know if you'd believe me, mom..." Nick noted.
Atsuko was about to ask what was up when she saw Kurumi carrying her son. "Oh... oh my gosh..."
"Yeah, I know it looks weird, okaa-san..." Nick replied, hoping that his mother wouldn't freak out.
"That's... not it," Atsuko gasped as she took a good look at the girl that was cuddling with Nick as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Nick, that girl is a Steel Angel."
"You know about that, too, mom?" Nick asked. "This statue thing that was carrying Kurumi trapped me in some light thing, and I heard a voice telling me that this girl was a Steel Angel whose power would be enough to prevent a disaster."
"I was right, then," Atsuko noted. "My grandmother used to tell me stories about these Steel Angels. You see, they're basically androids with powerful fighting abilities. They were created a long time ago by an organization called the Academy."
"Do you know why she's calling me 'Master'?" Nick asked.
"It's part of their program," Atsuko explained. "A Steel Angel will treat the person who awakened them as the most important person in their world."
Hey, how does mom know so much about these Steel Angels? Nick thought. And how exactly did I 'awaken' Kurumi-chan? I didn't hit any switch, since I don't think someone like her is like that. So what did I...
Suddenly, it rushed back to him. The kiss. When Kurumi's lips brushed against his after she'd been freed from the statue.
"Look, I know this may be a lot to absorb, but why don't the two of you relax for a while?" Atsuko stated. "Give yourself some time to think about things."
"Good, because I'm still pretty confused..." Nick admitted, blushing as Kurumi giggled and rubbed her face against his.
Up in Nick's room a few hours later, he was laying on his bed while Kurumi rifled around in his closet, looking for something.
"Everything okay, master?" Kurumi asked. "You haven't talked much since we came up here."
"I'm just thinking about stuff," Nick answered. "Wondering what Mr. Crazy Voice was talking about..."
Kurumi quickly rushed out of the closet, making it a point to pounce on Nick with nothing but love in her eyes.
"Don't worry about the stupid voices, master!" Kurumi exclaimed. "They're just trying to drive us apart. All they need to do is look into our eyes and see that we're madly in love!"
Nick immediately stuttered at this proclamation. "Um... well, let's not go overboard here..."
Nick immediately regretted saying that, as Kurumi's eyes clouded over.
"You don't... love me?"
Ah, damn it. If there was one thing Nick hated doing, it was making girls cry.
"I'm sorry, Kurumi-chan. I didn't mean to make you cry," Nick stated. "I've never really had a girlfriend, so I'm not entirely sure how to go about it..."
His tirade was interrupted when Kurumi hugged him again. "Oh, master, you are such a kidder! God, you're so cute!"
Nick couldn't help but blush at the affectionate treatment.
"Kurumi-chan, I can't promise anything, but let's start from where we are and see where that goes, okay?"
Kurumi just nodded in response, the smile never leaving her face.
At that moment, a piercing scream erupted from downstairs, effectively shattering the tranquil scene.
"What the hell was that?!" Nick exclaimed.
"That came from downstairs, master!" Kurumi shouted. "Come on, let's hurry!"
Nick wasted no time in kicking his door open so he and Kurumi could hightail it downstairs.
Once they reached the living room, Nick saw that everything in the room was in complete shambles.
"Kurumi-chan, go upstairs and make sure my sisters are all right," Nick stated to Kurumi. "I don't like the looks of this."
"Roger!" Kurumi exclaimed, zipping right back upstairs.
"MOM?!" Nick exclaimed, trying to find his mother in the midst of whatever chaos was being wrought inside their house. "Mom, where are you?"
The kitchen was in even worse shape than the living room. But Nick didn't care about that when he saw Atsuko, apparently in a panic.
"Mom, what's going on?!" Nick shouted. "Are we being robbed?!"
"Nick... run... get out of here... take the girls and go..." Atsuko gasped, clearly exhausted.
Nick was about to respond when he saw something that absolutely horrified him.
A long, thick, and extremely razor-sharp spike had broken through Atsuko's chest, sending blood flying every which way.
Before Nick could react to this, the spike retracted and stabbed Atsuko through the chest again. This time, however, another smaller spike broke through Atsuko's neck, effortlessly severing her windpipe. Whoever was holding the weapon retracted it harshly, sending Atsuko's mangled body falling to the ground in a twitching mess.
"MOM!" Nick screamed before getting a good look at whoever had just killed Atsuko; it was a young woman with impossibly long golden hair and piercing purple eyes. She was carrying the murder weapon, a large double broadsword with two incredibly curved blades. She was wearing a pink-and-white jumpsuit that hugged her surprisingly huge breasts.
"Where is she?" the woman growled.
"What?!" Nick exclaimed. "You up and murder my mother right in front of me, and now you ask me stupid, idiotic questions? Who the fuck do you think you are?!"
"I'll ask again: where is she?" the woman snarled, clutching her weapon threateningly.
"I'm not talking until you answer my question, you stupid bitch!" Nick shot back, tears falling from his eyes.
The woman just growled menacingly before rushing forward, slamming Nick against the nearby wall and pointing her weapon threateningly at Nick's windpipe.
"I will only ask you one more time," the woman snarled. "Where is the prototype Angel?!"
"MASTER!" Kurumi exclaimed. Nick cast his gaze upwards and saw Kurumi standing on the stairway railing. Hisako and Sayoko were behind Kurumi, looking incredibly confused as to what was going on.
"You get away from my master, you psycho woman!" Kurumi growled as she leapt off the railing and towards the woman, using her momentum to slam her fist into the attacker's face. The sheer force of this strike sent the strange woman tumbling back.
"Clever little skank," the woman growled, picking up her weapon. "My name is Amano. I am a Steel Angel, and I'm here to retrieve the Kurumi prototype. By any means necessary."
"So that means you have to resort to cold-blooded murder?!" Nick shouted, his voice growing hoarse. "You must be out of your mind!"
"Oh, don't force your tired ideals on me," Amano answered. "I will only ask you this one more time. Hand over the Kurumi prototype before I get angry."
"Hey, I'm not a silly prototype, lady!" Kurumi shot back.
"You're serious," Nick growled. "You're really frickin' serious. You murder my mother, then you want me to hand over Kurumi-chan?! Over my dead body!"
Amano smiled wickedly, brandishing her insane-looking weapon. "That can easily be arranged."
Amano rushed forward, aiming for Nick with every intent of skewering him on the blades of her strange weapon.
It would have had Kurumi not leapt in at the last second to catch the blade in her hands.
"Look, freak lady, I don't know why you're messing with me," Kurumi growled, pushing the weapon back. "You and I are both Steel Angels! You shouldn't be trying to kill people, ESPECIALLY not my master!"
"Your Mark II Angel Heart," Amano responded. "You've grown soft, Kurumi. You shouldn't be laying with these pathetic humans when you KNOW what your true duties are!"
"The only duty I have is being there for my master when he needs me the most!" Kurumi shot back. "Now if you don't stop trying to hurt my master, I'll kill you, fellow Steel Angel or not!"
"So, you'd rather do the bidding of this human boy than be with the ones who are going to change the world?" Amano growled. "Let me ask you this before I kill you. Why?"
Kurumi started smiling. "Because I love him. That's something you'd never understand."
Kurumi's left leg lashed out with the force of a runaway freight train, slamming into Amano's stomach and knocking her to the ground. Her odd weapon clattered to the ground in front of Kurumi.
Just as Amano was attempting to recover, Nick spotted a perfect opportunity to finish this fight. He rushed towards the weapon, grabbing it by the handle and reversing it in his hands.
Amano immediately hopped to her feet, going to retrieve her weapon.
Big mistake, Nick thought as he spun a bit to give him enough momentum to lift the gargantuan weapon over his head and slam it straight down, spiking the pronged blade straight through Amano's chest. Hisako and Sayoko gasped loudly at this.
"Checkmate," Nick growled.
"Ugh... this... may be... the end for me... but you will never elude us for long..." Amano gasped, clutching at her weapon even as Nick wrenched it out of her. "We... are... unstoppable..."
With that, Amano had spoken her last and collapsed to the ground. Kurumi walked up to the fallen Steel Angel and put two of her fingers to Amano's chest.
"Her Angel Heart's completely destroyed," Kurumi concluded. "Wow, master, you did a number on her."
"She deserved it for what she did," Nick replied.
Nick suddenly realized something. He looked towards the stairs and noticed Hisako and Sayoko were standing there, having seen everything that had just occurred.
"Did... did onii-chan just kill somebody?" Sayoko gasped.
"Hey, at least he killed the jerk that killed mommy!" Hisako exclaimed, tears falling from her eyes.
"What?" Sayoko asked, her voice breaking. "O-okaa-san's... dead?"
"Oh, this is gonna be hard to explain..." Nick noted to nobody in particular.
Before he could think of something to say, Hisako and Sayoko started screaming. Nick immediately sprung to action, racing to the stairs with Kurumi in hot pursuit. When they got there, they saw two new figures holding the twins captive.
"Hey, let them go!" Nick shouted.
"You're even dumber than I thought you were," the first figure taunted. "Did you really think we'd be intimidated by you?"
"If we were here to fight you, both you AND the Kurumi prototype would be destroyed in the blink of an eye," the second figure proclaimed. "But consider yourselves lucky that destroying you is not our orders."
"Defeating Steel Angel Amano was pure luck on your part," the first figure sneered. "Don't even think of picking a fight with us, because you'll be obliterated before you can take a step."
"But now we must take our leave," the second figure continued. "Business before pleasure, after all."
And with that, the two figures leapt through a hole in the ceiling before Nick could protest, taking the twins with them.
Nick stood there for a few seconds, replaying the events through his mind.
I couldn't do anything... Nick thought. Taking care of that blonde bitch was a lucky shot... I...
"Master?" Kurumi asked.
Before he could stop himself, Nick turned towards Kurumi and threw his arms around her waist, finally allowing himself to cry.
Kurumi smiled softly, returning Nick's hug and rubbing his back.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Inside a secret laboratory, hidden deep in the shadows, two scientists looked over the mission reports.
"Unbelievable. Steel Angel Amano was destroyed?!" the first scientist growled. "It seems that the new Kurumi prototype is more powerful than we had anticipated."
"Um, Doctor Bristow?" the second scientist answered. "The Kurumi prototype wasn't the one who destroyed Amano."
"What?!" Bristow shot back. "Then who did, Griffith?!"
"I wish I knew," Griffith replied. "I just got the reports from Kogasa and Yutaka, so I don't know much about the information as of this moment. What we do know is that it was a young boy. Possibly the Kurumi prototype's new master."
Bristow leaned back in his chair, his features still unrecognizable due to the shadows. "Hmm. Interesting. Still, we cannot allow the Kurumi prototype to run wild like this. The new power that Ayanakouji's successor implemented into the Kurumi prototype's Mark II Angel Heart is not something to be trifled with. We need that power if we are to proceed with our plan."
"What should we do next, Doctor Bristow?" Griffith asked.
"Simple. For now, we send more of our angels after them no matter where they go," Bristow answered. "We have far more than enough angels to keep them at bay until we can attend to more... pressing matters."
Griffith gasped in surprise at this. "You're still planning on going through with Operation Sinkhole?"
Bristow nodded. Griffith hadn't been part of this organization for too long, so obviously he didn't know the full details on Operation Sinkhole, their greatest plan yet.
"Relax, Griffith," Bristow continued. "We have all the time in the world."
"Doctor Griffith! Doctor Bristow!" an agent exclaimed, rushing through the double doors of the office. "Steel Angels Kogasa and Yutaka have returned with the goods!"
"Excellent," Bristow sneered maliciously. "Let's go pay them a visit."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Nick looked out the window; the sun was beginning to set.
With no one left in the house but himself and Kurumi, he was feeling pretty lonely. His siblings had been kidnapped and his mother was dead, so now what was he going to do?
"Master? Is everything okay?" Kurumi asked. "You haven't said a word all night."
Nick didn't respond. He was in too much pain right now.
Kurumi walked up to him and let her hand rest on his shoulder. It was then she saw that he was actually praying.
"Hey, can I join in?" Kurumi asked.
"S-sure," Nick responded.
Kurumi sat down by Nick, sitting on her knees, put her hands together, and closed her eyes. "Supreme Gods, bless us so that calamities do not befall us... may there be peace and happiness, and long life, and may our descendants prosper and become notable, not through fortune or fame, but through love and deed. May our rice fields flourish and our silkworm cultures thrive. May our work be blessed in your eyes. May evil spirits be banished, and ghostly auras destroyed. Divine talismans hold something unfathomable. They settle eternally in the courtyard. Their tally, miraculous. Numerous in the past, blessings impossible to put into words. May the Gods protect us all of our days. May Heaven, Earth and Water guard all living things. May all constellations sustain and protect us. May all the seasons of the year, all hours of our days be free of disaster, innocent of harm. May the stars of good come, and the stars of evil disperse... please grant the people we have lost happiness in the next world..."
Nick was quite surprised by such a powerful prayer. "That... that was pretty nice, Kurumi-chan."
Kurumi giggled. "It's something one of my former masters taught me."
"Kurumi-chan... just what exactly am I supposed to do?" Nick asked his new companion. "I'm not a mystic like my grandparents were. I'm just a normal boy without any powers of any kind. I only got lucky when I took down that other Steel Angel, and those other two that took my sisters likely aren't going to show us any mercy if we run into them again. Seriously, what are we going to do?"
Nick's tirade was interrupted when Kurumi wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close enough so that his head was being squeezed between her breasts. This time, however, Kurumi was being completely calm about it and wasn't going gaga and swooning over him.
"Hey, don't talk like that, master," Kurumi stated. "You're forgetting one key fact here: you've got me on your side. And I don't take lightly to someone messing with my master in ANY way. We're gonna go look for those jerks who took your sisters first thing in the morning, and we're going to make them pay. That's a promise."
Nick nodded, smiling for the first time since the attack. He felt lucky to have someone like Kurumi by his side.
"I just realized something, though: how are we going to find where they went?" Nick asked. "They could probably be halfway to Nagasaki by now for all we know."
Kurumi released Nick, then closed her eyes and put her hands over her heart for a few seconds. After a bit, her eyes pinged open.
"I've got a lock on the two who took your sisters!" Kurumi exclaimed. "They're somewhere in Aomori."
"Are you serious?" Nick shouted. "They're already halfway across Japan? Jeez, how fast can they go? ...wait, how'd you figure that out?"
Kurumi giggled proudly. "One of the benefits of my Mark 3 programming. Whenever I've at least come into contact with another Steel Angel, I can track the energy signature of their Angel Heart. Hey, being a Steel Angel like me has its advantages."
"And you're sure you're willing to go all the way across Japan just to find these freakos?" Nick asked, only to be pulled into another hug by Kurumi.
"Oh, I'd go anywhere as long as it's with you, master!" Kurumi exclaimed.
"Then let's get some rest, Kurumi-chan," Nick responded. "Tomorrow, we're setting off for Aomori."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
On the next episode:
Kurumi: Oh, master, it's so awesome to be back on the scene again! YAY!
Nick: Settle down, Kurumi-chan. We've gotta give our viewers a preview of the next episode!
Kurumi: Oh, right! Thanks for telling me, master! Next time, master and I are off on a cross-country journey! Oh, it's so romantic...
Nick: We're on our way to Aomori to find the rogue Steel Angels who kidnapped my sisters. But who is this weirdo that keeps getting in our way?
Kurumi: She says her name is "Amagi". Tell me something, lady, who are you and why should I care?
Nick: Kurumi-chan, be nice.
Kurumi: Sorry.
Nick: Hey, she knows a lot more than I do about this stuff and that's good enough for me. Next time on Steel Angel Kurumi: Mystery of the Purifiers, "From Train Station to Lost on the Tracks! A Quest to Aomori Begins!"
Kurumi: Oh, being all alone in the wilderness with my master... ooh, I can't wait!