Futuristic Warrior from the Past
By: Patriot1776 and Gwydon
Chapter IX
Galahad awoke to find that he was completely numb. His vision was slightly blurred, and his movements were a little sluggish. He was sitting in a white bed in the middle of a white room. Sunlight flooded the room from a window to his right. He was wearing a light colored and thin gown on his body, his chest wrapped up heavily in gauze and tape, while a fiberglass cast covered his left arm from the elbow to the knuckles. There was two hoses attached to him, an IV to his right forearm and a blood bag connected to his left bicep. 'I feel very strange, my eyesight is out of focus, and I cannot feel my body.' Galahad thought. He started to sit upright when a nurse walked in.
"Good lord! How are you even conscious!" She said, pushing him back down.
"What… have you… done to me?" Galahad said, rather slowly.
"We figured you would be in a lot of pain after we did surgery on your puncture wound, so we gave you sedatives so you would sleep longer. Apparently it didn't work."
"Yes… it did. I can't… feel anything." Galahad managed to say.
"Obviously you don't need anything right now, so I leave you alone." She walked out of the room, stopping to look him over again just to make sure.
Galahad slowly sat back up and looked out the window. The large skyscrapers of the city loomed everywhere, shining in the bright noon sunlight. A glint of light caught Galahad in the eyes, and he suddenly went into a flashback.
"He is a strange looking specimen, agree?" A voice said.
"His pigmentation flaw has nothing to do with his ability. From what the bio scans say, he is the most physically perfect of all of our specimens yet." Another voice replied.
"Yes, but what of his spirit? Could he turn like a few of the others? His skill could mean nothing if it is in the hands of Lucifer." The original voice said.
"Do not worry, I will see to it that he will become the best yet. Get him out, awaken him." A new voice said.
All of a sudden the seals to Galahad's dream world split apart, revealing a bright light. Galahad fell out of the open holding tube and into the padded arms of a machine. As Galahad opened his eyes, the clarity of the world was revealed.
He was in a chair of some sort, naked, and covered in a strange red fluid. There were scanners and beams passing over his pale skinned body, checking again for any malfunctions. A man with bright blonde hair and deep green eyes stood next to him, garbed in an armor suit of gold.
"Get up Galahad, your time of service has begun." The man said, reaching out for Galahad's hand. Galahad cautiously grabbed it and was yanked out of the chair to his feet.
"Galahad? Is that my given name?" Galahad said.
"Yes, for you are now a soldier of Yahweh, and you will serve Him until death and beyond. Follow me, we need to suit you up and begin your training." The man turned and started walking, Galahad following. He issued Galahad a suit of silver armor with a bare topped helmet. He showed Galahad how to put it on then gave him his weapons. "Now, report to the training center. Follow the signs, I will be along shortly."
"Sir?" The man stopped. "May I know the name of the man I follow?" Galahad asked.
"I am called Saladin." The man stepped up to a door, opened it, revealing golden sunshine and the green fields of Eden, and then disappeared. As the door shut, Galahad seemed to fade out and back to reality.
As Galahad came out of his dream state, he noticed that InuYasha, wearing a baseball cap, Kagome, Souta, and Mrs. Higurashi all standing around his bed.
"Hello? Earth to Galahad? Are you there?" Kagome said, waving the palm of her hand in front of his still glazed eyes. Galahad blinked once and looked up at her.
"Kagome, what the hell did they do to him?" InuYasha asked her.
"They must have loaded him up with painkillers. That's why he seems so out of it." she replied.
"Now, wait a minute. I'm not that far out of it. They've wore off some." Galahad said.
"What the heck was that massive explosion about?" InuYasha then asked.
"Hmm, straight to the point. That was Romulus' fusion cannon detonating."
"Its good to see you awake Galahad. So that's the maniac's name? Romulus?" Kagome said.
"Yes, but I failed in trying to eliminate him. I did put him out of commission for a time however. I left him in even worse shape than I am."
"And that explosion, it wasn't an atomic bomb, right? Please say it wasn't." Kagome continued.
"We haven't used such crude atomic weaponry since the development of the fusion cannon. It fires a projectile of seething hot hydrogen, which within a certain time frame it fuses and detonates. It leaves no radioactive residue, even when set to overcharge. That's what Romulus had set that particular one to do. He tried blowing up his HQ in an attempt to kill me, but it didn't work."
"How the heck did Romulus get out in time himself? It looks like you barely even made it." InuYasha asked.
"He used a strange, demonic teleportation device. It does not matter right now anyway. He will not re-surface for awhile."
"Guess this means maybe we can get back to hunting Naraku then." InuYasha said, rubbing his chin a little.
"You will have to be on the lookout for his oni however. Even though his Summoning Circle is gone for now, I saw evidence that he had brought many more through before I found it. InuYasha, what is the greatest enemy you have ever defeated?" Galahad asked seriously.
"A giant dragon youkai named Ryuukotsusei. My old man had sealed him at the cost of his own life. I had to kill him to make my sword easier to wield again after it had to be repaired, and had to lean a new technique, the Bakuryuuha, to finally destroy him." InuYasha then briefly described the Bakuryuuha.
"You will be sufficient for the Puppet Masters and Keepers of Secrets, but not for the Bloodthirsters and the Cyberdemon Lords. But be wary of the Puppet Masters. They can control your friends up until the point of the demon's death." Galahad said sternly.
"How do I tell the difference then?"
"It is difficult with the Puppet Masters, they take many forms, most commonly a black robed wraith. The Keepers of Secrets also take different forms, but their trademarks are pinkish skin and dark blue horns. If you ever see a Bloodthirster, it will have the appearance of a Baron of Hell, but quintupled in size. They have giant wings to fly, and wield either a whip and an axe, or two swords. I doubt that your techniques would even harm the Bloodthirsters."
"Wow, Galahad, you've seen all these things?" Souta then spoke up.
"Yes, but I was not alone. The only reason we brought them down was by the combined might of many Soul Cubes. Before that, a Bloodthirster could take a direct hit in the chest from a fusion cannon and fight on." Everybody else's eyes bugged out.
"Okay, I think I've heard enough of this. I don't want to hear anymore." Mrs. Higurashi then said, starting to pale in the face, then continued. "Galahad, have they told you yet how long they expect you to be in here?"
"I expect to leave today, whether they allow it or not."
"I don't think that's a good idea. They may just call the police and have them try to drag you back here. If you try to resist, they may just shoot you. You don't need to be causing trouble with the authorities in this era." Kagome then said.
"What makes you think they'll even be able to see me? To them, I'll just 'disappear'. Believe me, I may just be sitting in a hospital bed, but I still have plenty of abilities. I will say though, I need clothing first." Galahad said.
"We'll handle that. Come, I think we need to leave." Mrs. Higurashi then said, and she motioned for the others to follow her as they exited the room and began to make their way to the lobby. After they left, Galahad then got up out of bed, and, pulling the IV stand with him, he stood in front of the bed, directly across from the door. He was waiting for the doctor to talk to him about when he was going to leave.
-
During the ride back to the shrine, Kagome was in deep thought.
'Well, what now? Maybe InuYasha has some idea of where to look for Naraku next.' she thought. 'Might as well ask.'
"InuYasha, where are we going to go look for Naraku next?"
"Actually, Kagome, we're not going after Naraku again yet. We need to do something about your lack of weaponry other than your arrows. Remember when I said I want to go see Totosai about making you a weapon infused with your miko powers? That's what I want to do next. If he can't do that, then maybe he can modify the Tetsusaiga to where you can charge it up with your miko energy without it hurting me and causing it to transform back. Keh, think I'll ask him to do that anyway, whether he can make you a weapon or not. Those oni Galahad described tell me I've got to be able to charge up my sword easily with your powers like you did when I killed the shield-using Baron that last time. If I use the Bakuryuuha powered up like that, I might just be able to prove Galahad wrong." InuYasha then said with a smug grin.
"InuYasha, why do you think Kagome needs another weapon? She's showed me how good she is with a bow and how powered up her arrows are. She's become a reasonably good shot." Mrs. Higurashi said from the driver's seat of the car, not taking her eyes off the road.
"She's become a good shot, yeah. But what is she going to do when she runs out of arrows for that bow, huh? That's what happened in the last battle we were in. We got surrounded by a bunch of undead soldiers. Her arrows disintegrated them, but there were more undead than she had arrows. Only when she pumped some of her miko energy into my sword were we able to finish them all off. Giving her a backup weapon will allow her to defend herself when her arrows run out." InuYasha explained.
"Oh, now I see. When are you two planning to leave to see this Totosai? And who is he anyway?"
"He's the old smith who originally forged the Tetsusaiga. We're leaving after Kagome gets her stuff together."
"Hey sis. After you come back with your new weapons, could you teach me how to use them too?" Souta asked excitedly.
"No. You can forget about that." Kagome said sternly. Souta then let out a depressed sigh.
The rest of the trip back was uneventful. Kagome, much to InuYasha's agitation, spent two hours getting her pack ready to go. It was late afternoon when her and InuYasha finally jumped back down into the well.
-
Galahad was still standing and waiting when the doctor stepped in. He was looking down at a clipboard and almost bumped into Galahad, looking up into his face from about a foot away.
"Oh! Kami you scared me!" The doctor lurched backwards. "How are you awake, much less standing? Considering the amount of morphine I gave you, you should be like a zombie right now."
"I'm different than most people. Now, I want to leave. Where are my clothes?" Galahad asked.
"Wait a minute, what makes you think you are leaving? In your current condition, you shouldn't even be standing, you are taking huge risks." The doctor said.
"Mind you that I had to walk many miles in a worse condition than this. Now that you have sealed up my stab wound, I think I can leave."
"Do you have any idea how easily you could reopen that wound?"
"Yes, I do."
"I doubt that. Besides, you lost some 40-50 percent of your blood. If you went out now, you would get about fifty paces out and pass out."
"That's why you gave me an infusion while I slept."
"Considering how long you've had that, I'd say you got maybe 10-20 percent back. I don't think that's enough." Just as the doctor finished the words Galahad swiftly moved up and picked him up by the throat. The doctor gave out a mangled gasp as Galahad held him.
"Doubt me now? I have the strength to heave you out the window if I wanted to. So you better be glad I won't." Then Galahad slowly lowered him to the floor. The doctor stood and gasped for air, but managed to speak.
"All right, you can leave, just be careful. Your clothes are in a cabinet over there." Galahad stepped past him and went to the closet. As he opened it, he felt something sharp prick him in the shoulder. He whipped around. The doctor held a strange looking gun.
"You! I should… h.u.r..t... y..o..u…" Galahad went numb again and began to collapse. The doctor caught him.
"Nurse! I got him under control, now help me get him back into the bed. He may be able to withstand sedatives, but not tranquilizers. He's crazy to think he can just walk out after four hours of patching his insides back together." The nurse and the doctor began to carry the unconscious Galahad back to his bed. "But I'll check him over tomorrow, and if he's in good condition, we'll let him go, but I want him under careful watch all day and tonight just in case he tries this again. If you have to, strap him to the bed."
-
"So we're going to take Galahad shopping today?" Souta asked. They were in Mrs. Higurashi's car, headed to the hospital.
"Yes, Souta, if the doctors let us. I need you to help him out though, you know, get him in style." Mrs. Higurashi said. Souta's face split in a wide grin, he would enjoy this. They parked at the hospital and made their way up to Galahad's room, where once again, they found him awake, but standing and wearing his trademark black shorts. He looked funny, shirtless, his chest wrapped in gauze and wearing that thick cast around his left arm, but that same rock hard, defiant look was on his face. The doctor was just stepping away from him.
"So, I guess that the doctors said that you could go today." Mrs. Higurashi said.
"Yes, but I had to prove it to them." Galahad said, the doctor walked in.
"Yeah, by snapping the industrial grade belts we used to tie him down with. I said 'If he can do that, while injured, then I see no harm in letting him go.' But I managed to convince him to wait until you showed up." Both Mrs. Higurashi's and Souta's eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
"So it's true about what Kagome said about you." Mrs. Higurashi said. Galahad eyed the doctor carefully before speaking.
"And what would that be?" Galahad asked.
"She said that you once flung InuYasha across a fifty foot room. Now I believe her when she said you were strong." Mrs. Higurashi said.
"Now I'm leaving, right?" Galahad said, looking at the doctor.
"Yes, but come back in a week. I might have to pull those staples out then. You might want to wear this shirt, I don't think walking around in Tokyo bare-chested is a good idea." The doctor said, flinging a plain white T-shirt at Galahad, who caught it and pulled it on. After Galahad, Souta, and Mrs. Higurashi walked out the door, the doctor looked back at his notes.
"This man is very interesting. He has blood type O, the rarest blood type, then he's albino, which is extremely rare. The fact that he looks like someone from Germany or Great Britain means nothing. But the more interesting facts are that his eyesight is 20/10, and he has the strength of about five people, not to mention that he can resist sedatives and other drugs rather well. Could this be the next step in human evolution, or is he someone special, a genetic rarity, or is he different somehow. My guess is he is the sad aftermath of a illegal genetic engineering experiment, and his aggressive nature is from being abused at a young age. Either way, I have to know more about this man called Galahad." The doctor read to himself.
Galahad was once again reminded of the cities of his past time as he made his way onto the parking lot. He was surprised when he found the blacktop on which the cars sat was really, REALLY HOT, and he literally sprinted from one shadow to another, mumbling curses to himself in his native tongue.
"In my day, we used materials that were more 'user friendly' than you people. I wish you'd come up with something that does not scorch so bad as this material." Galahad said as he climbed into the passenger seat of Mrs. Higurashi's car.
"All right. Souta, where are we headed?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.
"To the mall on the east side. There's stores there that have stuff that would suit Galahad perfectly!" Souta said, barely able to contain his excitement.
"What about shoes, I can't fight oni if my feet are burned badly in this time." Galahad said.
"We must get Galahad shoes first, there might be some places he can't go without them." Mrs. Higurashi added. Galahad looked around to see all the sights of so many cars and people roaming the streets, weaving around amongst the tall buildings. It reminded him so much of past days, that it filled his heart with remorse for ever being awakened and dragged into the modern world. Souta was looking at him as Galahad seemed to drift off, his eyes wandering from one building to another.
"Hey, why the long face? You're out of the hospital, and were going to spice you up for the chicks! What more could you want?" Souta said, trying to be optimistic.
"What? Oh, just thinking of past days. In the few Eden cities that I saw that were not destroyed there was unparalleled beauty. All the buildings were taller, and glistening white. The people moved about with smiles and with a grace that these modern people do not have. Is it that they do not live in the light of Yahweh? All I see is sadness and sullen faces. Can you explain why these people don't see the good in life?" Galahad said, still staring. Souta just stared at Galahad, at a loss for words.
"Galahad, it sounds very pleasant to live in your times. But these are our times, and people are so caught up in their daily life that they worry over things that I know would not matter to you. They commit suicide because they lose their job, when they should worry about where their soul goes after they fling themselves off a skyscraper. I don't understand it very well either Galahad, but try to look for people who enjoy life, there out there. You just got to look hard." Mrs. Higurashi said. Galahad looked over at her. She had spat out that amazing explanation without taking her eyes off the road. He then looked down at his feet.
"You're right, I guess I worry over something I have no control over." His expression suddenly brightened. "All right, Souta, you ready to prepare me for my greatest challenge yet?"
"Yeah! I'll turn you into a chick magnet!" Galahad looked confused over the term, but grinned anyway.
Not long after Galahad had his remedy of the past, they pulled into the parking lot to the mall. Once again Galahad had to move quickly from shadow to shadow as he crossed the parking lot, once inside, the group discreetly hid the fact that Galahad had no shoes. They made their way to the shoe store, and started figuring out what Galahad's size was. He chose a pair of black tennis shoes.
"Why something so drab? We could get something that looks a lot cooler." Souta said.
"How often do you even take notice of someone's feet? Not very often. So why does it matter?" Galahad replied.
"Never thought of it that way." Souta said, looking down at his own feet in wonder.
After Galahad's feet were properly shod, they moved on to a designer clothes store. Where Mrs. Higurashi and Souta had the difficult task of making Galahad try on some twenty different styles of clothing. They came to the conclusion that Galahad looked best dressed simply, appearing as an average Joe, though the white hair and massive cast on his left arm made it seem a little odd.
"Well, what do you think?" Souta said.
"It's going to take time to used to these clothes, they feel baggy on me."
"That's the way they are supposed to be!"
"But going from a skin tight, one piece when assembled, total body covering armored suit to these 'blue jeans' is quite a change." Galahad said.
"Well you look great Galahad. You look just like someone from America or Europe." Mrs. Higurashi said. Galahad's brow furrowed.
"America? Europe? Never mind, I just need to catch up on about 6,000 years after cryogenic slumber. Well, is that everything? Or is there something we missed?" Galahad said.
"No, but there is some things we need to get. Come on, lets go somewhere else." Mrs. Higurashi said. They left the store, carrying bags of clothes, when Mrs. Higurashi suddenly smiled and called out to a group of three girls. "Yuki! Eri! Ayumi! Hi!" The three girls turned and looked over at them, their eyes falling to rest on Galahad.
"Mrs. Higurashi? Who are these people?" Galahad asked as the girls walked up to them. Souta gave a slight sigh.
"They are Kagome's friends. They don't know about InuYasha, so don't reveal a lot." Souta said.
"Hi Mrs. Higurashi, who's this with you?" Eri asked.
"This is one of Kagome's other friends, Galahad." She motioned to Galahad, who gave a low bow.
"Wait a minute, is he Kagome's boyfriend? I've never met him." Yuki said, eyeing Galahad over.
"No, I am just a friend. I moved here from America." Galahad said, lying coolly.
"Really? I knew you were a foreigner. What part of America?" Eri said. Her and Yuki continued to eye him with disbelief while the third that had not spoken yet, Ayumi, goggled at him.
"The eastern part. Hot, and full of low mountains." Galahad said, not really knowing what he was talking about.
"Interesting. So why are you with Kagome's mom and Souta instead of Kagome?" Yuki asked.
"I'm going to be staying with them for a while. There was an accident where I used to live, leaving me like this." Galahad said, motioning to his arm. At the sight of the white cast on his arm, belief seemed to come to their eyes.
"Yes, and he's very smart too. He plans to tutor Kagome and Souta to try to improve their grades." Mrs. Higurashi, her face reflecting pride.
"Hey, my grades aren't bad!" Souta protested.
"But Galahad is going to turn you into a genius, so you can make a name for the Higurashi family." Mrs. Higurashi said, causing Galahad's head to sink.
"So you know Kagome. How is her and her boyfriend doing? Good I hope." Ayumi asked.
"It is rather funny, actually." The three girl's expressions took one of shock. "No really, they argue a lot over things that don't really matter. But how it usually ends is the best. Kagome can subdue her boyfriend with one word. He always gets mad, but there is nothing he can do." Galahad said, a smile formed on his face.
"So they argue a lot. But Kagome always wins. This could run into trouble." Eri said.
"Not always, he can convince her of some things, if he uses the right means. They get along fine, other than that."
"What about your hair, did you dye it?" Ayumi said, looking at Galahad's silvery white hair.
"No, it is actually natural. I am albino." Their eyes widened at that.
"What? Why don't you have pink eyes?" Yuki said.
"Well it is more of a birth defect, not a inherited gene. So I would look more normal if there was not so many complications in my birth. That's why my eyes are blue, instead of pink." Galahad said.
"We'll we'd better go, I have to get some shampoo and other things for back at the house." Mrs. Higurashi said.
"What do you know! We have to go there too!" Eri said. The others looked at her funny, but seemed to play along.
"Good, then you and Galahad can get to know each other more." Mrs. Higurashi said. Her and Souta walked ahead, while Galahad and Eri, Yuki, and Ayumi followed. First thing they started interrogating him.
'I have been betrayed. Why must I deal with these girls? Why did you let them come with us, Mrs. Higurashi ?' Galahad thought.
"So tell us more about you. You look older than Hojo." Yuki said.
"I am 21 years old, and I used to live alone, till the place kinda set on fire and fell apart. I used to be a military officer, but that life was very harsh."
"Military? What branch?" Ayumi asked.
"Special forces, otherwise top secret." They all looked at him with surprise.
"Okay. How did you meet Kagome?" Eri asked.
"Well, it started when her boyfriend attacked me." Eri and Yuki seemed to expect something like that. "But I beat him into submission and he has not touched me since."
"What do you think of Kagome?" Eri asked, her eyes cold and searching.
"She's nice, and gets along with me well. But in the subject I know you are getting to, no. I am quite a bit older than her, but I will stand up for her and defend her. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go back to the car, I seemed to have forgotten something." Galahad said. He did an about face and started back toward the other end of the mall. To his despair, they followed. He did not want to charge his equilibrium, but in a crowd of black hair and his white there was no way for him to sneak away.
'I hate doing this.' Galahad thought as he charged up his equilibrium. He worked quickly with everything slowed down, going as far as he thought safe before slowing himself down. He actually went out to the car and put away his things, and made his way secretly to the place that Mrs. Higurashi had said she needed to go. He found her and Souta there, Souta obviously bored and Mrs. Higurashi seeming to look at everything there was.
"You gotta help me Galahad. Mom won't get out of here and Kagome's friends are somewhere nearby, looking for you. They asked me where you went and I gave them and I just named a place. They also bugged me about what I knew about you." Souta said, tiredness in his voice.
"You didn't tell anything about me, did you?" Galahad said.
"No, I did say you were a martial arts expert. One of them seems to like you." Souta said, a grin coming to his face.
"Great. Next thing they'll be calling your house asking for me, wanting to talk more. I ain't looking for a girlfriend either, and I don't think I ever will." Galahad said, turning his attention to the outside of the store.
"What do you mean? You don't wanna get married or anything?" Souta said.
"Souta, I have seen horrors that do not need to be spoken of again. Not to mention that I pledged to serve Yahweh until death. I don't think that anyone would be able to fully understand me." Galahad said.
"Kagome understands you, don't she?" Souta asked.
"That's because she has seen strange things, and is used to it. But she doesn't know everything, and I plan to see to it that no one will." Galahad said.
"You want to live alone until the day you die?"
"Yes, that is my wish. I am a servant until I fall, there is no room for a family." Galahad turned from the child and went to his mother. He persuaded her into leaving, and they made their escape. Galahad did not rest easy until they pulled into the Temple Grounds.
