"Konohamaru! KONOHAMARU!" screamed Naruto at the top of his lungs.
He was running around in the back forest blindly, trying to find his surrogate little brother as soon as he could. Although he had calmed down a bit during his run here, it was still not enough. That panicking feeling remained with him, and he knew it wouldn't leave until he managed to find him.
He hopped over a tree rot, gritting his teeth in pain as his arm smashed against a tree trunk carelessly, leaving blood stains on the bark. The blood flow was pretty bad, although apparently it simply seemed worse than it actually was. Medical attention could wait, right now he had something more important to worry about.
He nearly tripped over the quivering figure.
"Konohamaru?"
"Naruto… Naruto-nichan?" the boy asked, looking upwards. Naruto felt a sense of relief flow through him; everything was alright now. "Wh-What's going on? I heard gunfire, and screaming… I was too scared to go back!"
Naruto looked at the younger boy, who was at the moment in a state of almost hysteria, not unlike what he was several moments ago. Crouching low, he gave the black-haired boy a hug, trying to reassure him.
"Naruto-nichan!" cried Konohamaru, his eyes widening. "Your arm! It's—It's…!"
"Don't worry about it, it looks a lot worse than it actually is," smiled Naruto, although his pale complexion told the real story to anybody who knew where to look. Konohamaru was young, however, and took his nichan's words at face value. "It's stopped hurting already. Okay, listen to me. Right now it's too dangerous to go back into the city, alright? Shizu-nee and the matron will be a little worried about us, but we're going to have to stay in the forest until it all blows over. Don't worry, the orphanage will be fine."
"O—Okay."
"Now come on, we've got to move deeper," said Naruto, once again calm. The kids at the orphanage were fine, and Konohamaru was fine. Tenten lived on the other side of the city (the wealthier side), so that meant there'd be plenty of time for her to evacuate before the Gears got there.
He looked at his arm, which he hadn't looked at before. Ripping his sleeve off as he moved deeper into the forest with Konohamaru, he saw the true extent of the damage he had taken as a result of collapsing from that tree.
There were several gashes on his arm, and several bruises that he was sure had come from smashing into the branches on his way down. There was a particularly bad cut on his bicep, which bled like a geyser; that was probably the biggest source of his positive blood flow problem.
Taking the sleeve that he had ripped out of its place, he took one end into his mouth and bound the wound as tight as he could, before letting go. Konohamaru watched in fascination as he did so; it was something that he had learnt during first-aid class, although applied in a slightly different way. It stung, but he did his best to fight the tears; now was not the time to be weak.
Taking one last look behind him, Naruto threw a silent prayer out into the wind for the safety of his friends and family, before taking Konohamaru by the shoulder and leading him deeper into the forest.
A woman, lying on the ground, her baby at her breast.
He grit his teeth, trying to fight back the tears and the memory. If only he was stronger… He'd be able to help. If only he had something to fight back with… A weapon of some sort, something to help with…
Something like a Gear of his own.
---
木ノ葉戦記
KONOHA SENKI
Spyral 9
Chapter 2: Danger
---
ACTIVATION
"He's finally here."
The man set down the playing cards that he was holding, as he looked upwards. He was sitting on a small raft which was floating down a tunnel that resembled a rather large sewer system.
His head was a mane of orange and yellow, and his eyes were of a most peculiar red. Around his torso was a stylish jacket with what seemed to be real fur about the collars, and his jeans were obviously of the highest quality. However, his attention was currently turned towards the ceiling of the tunnel, his eyes apparently seeing something that was not there.
He grinned.
It had been a long wait, for sure.
For more than sixteen years, he had been trapped in this place, with nothing to do and nobody to converse to. For sixteen years he had been locked down here in this endless dungeon, confined onboard this cursed raft, damned to drifting down this strange tunnel for eternity.
But now he could see the end of the tunnel, the light at the edge of darkness. Like a prisoner who had been confined to prison and could see the end of his term, he really, honestly couldn't wait anymore. Breathing deep, he forced himself to calm down.
Licking his lips, he bided his time. Soon, he would be out of this place and allowed to breathe the fresh air outside. The chains that currently bound him would be cut, and he would be allowed to go where he pleased, do what he wanted. Although his new master might give him limits, it was something he was willing to risk.
If the price to pay for freedom was to be himself, then so be it. A change of pace would be nice, at any rate, and freedom without memory would be so much better than imprisonment without anything.
He swiped his hands, and watched as the cards flew through the air and landed in the water, bubbling into nothing as they did so. Standing up, he looked far off into the distance, where he could swear a glimpse of light was lighting up the sewers, and that he was drifting towards it.
He spread his arms out.
It was time for a new beginning.
---
More gunfire ripped through the air as Naruto and Konohamaru ran deeper into the forest. It was a good thing that Naruto was so knowledgeable about the layout of the woods, otherwise it was a good chance that they wouldn't be making it out of there at all.
40 meters.
"Huh? Konohamaru, did you say something?" asked Naruto.
"Nope, why?"
"Nothing, I guess. I just heard a voice, but it's probably just my imagination," said the blonde boy, looking around. He was sure that he had heard something… But what was it? Strange. "We still need to get a little deeper, but I think we'll be fine soon. C'mon."
"'Kay."
They tread further, but not very much until it happened again.
30 meters.
Naruto spun his head around, looking for the source. He was sure, a hundred percent, that he had heard it clearly this time. Gripping Konohamaru tightly on the shoulder with his hand, he looked about the trees, trying to see what was going on.
"Naruto-nichan, what's going on?"
"You mean you didn't hear that voice?" asked Naruto, slightly surprised. The voice had been as clear as day, and reverberated throughout his skull this time, a lot stronger than it had been before.
How come Konohamaru didn't hear it?
Maybe he couldn't hear it?
30 meters.
"There it is again!" cried Naruto. "Konohamaru, are you sure you didn't hear it?"
"I'm sure! The only things I hear are guns, and that's it!" said the boy, huffing and puffing as he crossed his arms. Konohamaru did not like being taken as a liar. "Are you okay? Nichan, you've taken a lot of hits, haven't you? Maybe you should lie down and take a break…"
"No, no time," said Naruto, forcing a smile. Although his wound was throbbing, now was not the time to take a break just yet. He had to go deeper into the woods… They needed to…
Wait.
Wait a second.
Why?
Why was he so focused on getting deeper into the forest?
He furrowed his brow as he realized it. There was no point in going further; deeper into the forest. It wasn't going to be like the center of the place was going to safer, it simply made it harder to get out. To tell the truth, the Gears, although horrifying and lacking humanity of any kind, were dangers that had already passed them.
Hiding at the edge of the forest, or at least near the edge, would be just the same as hiding deep within the forest after all. Right now they were nearly at the center, so why did he feel that strange urge to go even deeper?
He wracked his brain, yet found no answer.
30 meters.
The voice was getting clearer now, and Naruto knew better than to announce it to Konohamaru. The boy was obviously starting to think the guy he thought of as his older brother was starting to hallucinate, and he didn't want him to lost faith in him now; that would be counter-productive.
The center of the forest… For some reason that felt like a great place for him to go, but he couldn't rid himself of logic. Maybe he was just panicking, but that voice in his head…
Voice in his head?
30 meters.
It really was coming from his head, Naruto realized with a start. That explained the reason Konohamaru couldn't hear it… The voice resounded within his core, moving throughout his body in a strange way, like an alien parasite.
Suddenly, once again, gunfire erupted. Explosions erupted around them and they both fell to the round as the earth rumbled and quaked beneath them. Naruto struggled to grab a hold of something, and gripped a tree root that was nearby with his uninjured hand, and wrapped his bleeding arm around Konohamaru, locking both of them firmly into place.
'What's going on!?'
Naruto looked up just in time to see another couple flashes of light quickly making their way, arching through the sky and coming down, their target being… them.
With a forceful wrench that left Konohamaru gasping for air and his own arm hurting like a bomb had just gone off inside it, Naruto dug his feet deep into the earth for a quick boost and dashed, ripping through the trees as the projectiles made their way closer to the ground.
20 meters.
He had seen those lights before… but only on TV.
15 meters.
Although he wasn't an expert, the way that the light flashed through the air and left a burning mirage in the midst of the sky told the complete tale. They were Anti-Gear missiles, weapons designed specifically for fights against other Gears. Designed to destroy the heavy outer armor of the mobile suits, Anti-Gear weaponry were powerful beyond imagination.
10 meters.
Naruto gasped, his condition challenged by all the sprints that he had done this day. In his fevered mind, trapped within the agonizing cycle of lifting his legs up and putting them down again, he wondered where it had all gone so wrong.
5 meters.
The lights were reaching the ground…
4 meters.
Konohamaru had gone silent, and his body felt limp…
3 meters.
He gathered the boy within his arms, his blood flying free…
2 meters.
The pain in his arms had become a dull ache in the back of his mind…
1 meter.
He leapt, and was consumed by white.
He felt the flames of agony fly over him as he was consumed by the blast, felt the life slipping from his veins as he failed in his scramble for safety. He felt Konohamaru slip away from his arms, and he felt the pain in his arm that screeched at him, returning in full force from the dull ache that it had been in his head.
And then, all of the sudden, he woke up.
---
The attack had come out of nowhere for the three black Gears, the rays of light coming down on the black Gears with frenzy. The Anti-Gear weaponry fell from the sky like meteors, crashing down on the city and blowing up, leaving nothing but debris in their path.
"What was that?!"
"Unknown," replied Subject Delta. "We're under fire? Open your radars, search the parameters! Find our attacker and take care of him!"
"Could it be that white Gear that was pursuing us?"
"Impossible, a scan of the Gears systems had revealed no weaponry like this to us. Anti-Gear weaponry may not be packed by Gears due to their immense size, so whatever it is, it's most probably a heavy mobile weaponry unit of some kind. Perhaps the white Gear's backup!"
"What should we do?! What would be the proper course of action?!" cried Subject Alpha, uncharacteristically. Subject Delta frowned as he heard his comrade's voice, realizing that perhaps the mental conditioning was starting to undo itself.
"Calm yourself, Subject Alpha," said Subject Phi. "Panicking is unsightly, and will do nothing for us other than endanger the mission. Subject Delta, what are the current courses of action?"
"First, we must locate our enemy—"
Another shower of light rained down from the sky, and the black Gears once again dodge, hiding behind buildings and such as the rays rained down upon the city, destroying everything in their way. Subject Delta looked out the side of the building, determined to find his foe.
His eyes narrowed.
"Comrades, we may have a problem. This calls for a plan."
---
- On the bridge of the Daybreak -
"Kurenai-senchou!" cried one of the technicians on board as they looked at their leader, slightly worried. "We've fired two salvos of the Gen Cannon already, and it's not proving very effective! Out of the three targets, none of them have fallen so far, and we're causing excessive damage to the city! If this keeps up, then there is a chance that civilians may be injured--!"
The red-eyed woman who sat on the commander's seat dismissed the technician with a wave of her hand, her crimson eyes piercing into the boy's face with a powerful and hard glare.
"That doesn't matter. Chances are there are no civilians left on the surface of the place anyway… Lock-down procedures should have taken place by now, and all the civilians with half a brain should be down underground."
"But… senchou! What about any civilians still above…?!"
"Not our concern," said Yuuhi Kurenai with a tone of finality in her voice. "It is not our problem if they failed to evacuate."
A voice beeped in from one of the holographic screens.
"Still cold as ever, Kurenai-senchou. Out of all the senchous I know of in the KAM, there are only a few as dangerously beautiful as you are, Miss Crimson," drawled the lazy voice over the communicator. "However, are you sure of that? One of your subordinates is down there, is she not? Are you sure you want to risk her life?"
"Kakashi-senchou, that is the precise reason for my attack," acknowledged Kurenai with nothing more than a nod of her head, something that she was sure Kakashi was unable to see. "Hinata is down there, and her signal is inactive. Either she's down there unable to reply, or she's been killed by the black Gears."
"Cold… You don't feel anything for a subordinate in danger?"
"Emotions cloud judgment on the field, Kakashi-senchou. I will not let feelings take the place of logic, something that you used to understand," said the crimson-eyed commander with a slightly accusing voice. "Anyway… The armor of the Gears docked in my ship are fit with special signals that the Gen Cannon is designed specifically to avoid. I will take out those Gears and find Hinata, alive or dead. If she really is deceased, then that means I would have taken revenge for her."
"Maa, maa… No need to make it so personal," said Kakashi. "I see that you have everything under control here. Coincidentally, the Yggdrasil is on its way to your position. We will reinforce you, although by the time we arrive we might only be able to help with the clean up."
"Your help is appreciated, even if your questioning of myself is not. Try to make it here quickly; there is still a chance that these men have some sort of back-up plan, and my two other pilots are out dealing with the other remnants of the Devil Brigade squad we intercepted," said Kurenai. "I believe that you have two Gears and pilots… Is that correct?"
"Yes, the Thunderbird, Red Cherry, and their pilots," confirmed Kakashi. "We'll try to make it there as fast as we can. Although it was indeed a stroke of luck to find you on the radar like this. I must address my ship now… You know our frequency. Contact us if you need to. Hatake Kakashi, over."
Kurenai nodded as a burst of static reached her ears and fizzled away, a signal that the transmission had ended. Sighing to herself, she looked upwards at the screen in front of her, which showed a direct view of the battle below.
Her eyes widened as she recognized the immobile white Gear that the Devil Brigadiers had dragged out from behind a building.
Shit.
----------------------------------------
ANSWER!
----------------------------------------
The pilot of Hermes Sol
Is…
NAMIKAZE MINATO!
That's right! Although Minato had piloted a lot of Gears during his lifetimes, the Hermes Sol is the one that most people relate him to. With its striking yellow sheen, which matched the hair of the Fourth Kagunou, it made for quite the impact in the field. It was found in storage after his death and was brought into the Fire Capital Museum of War's most famous hanger, where it is displayed along with the existing Gears of previous KAM heroes.
----------------------------------------
NAME THE PILOT!
----------------------------------------
NAME: Byakuya
Classification: BYAKU-067
A Byaku Gear, made by the best of Hyuuga Gear Doctors. Although powerful in its own right, the Byakuya, being a Branch Family Gear, has been outfitted with limiters that can only be taken off by the DNA of the clan head which also cause self-destruction of several key systems upon being disabled. However, even then, the Byakuya is still a force to be reckoned with, favouring power and endurance over speed. Its Jyuuken daggers which cause constant paralysis of an opposing Gear's Neural-Net systems can tear an unprepared opponent to pieces with ease. As with all Byaku Gears, it has highly advanced sensor technology kept secret within the clan, which always make the opponent feel as though they are being watched from everywhere. The Byakuya's original pilot has passed away, although the Byakuya has been passed down since then. Also one of the few Gears to be able to fly freely in the air.
