Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing from the material used in this story, as it and Greg Kinezono are among the only things I owe in this fic.
ShardclawK: Welcome back to another update of the story. Thanks to those who reviewed the last update, I was surprised to see the good responses as always, especially to those who reacted to the hint of Kill Bill in this fic. Yes, I have decided to include some reference to that movie, since it's one of my favourites among most of the people who have read this fic, and I had also got one particular surprise as to why that movie is important in this story.
Ran: I wonder what that could be, Shardclaw?
Ken: I'm sure he will show us what it is about sooner or later, but we should also advice the audience that there's not much going to have any action for this chapter, as most of it is a recap of the events that have occurred in this story so far.
Omi: Not to mention, more focus on the aspects of Flame of Recca characters and references, as more of them will show up later in this fic. Just think of this chapter as a 'story reference' chapter of sorts, as it still has several other surprises to come along the way.
ShardclawK: That's just about right. And an important note, as of this chapter, future music references used in battle scenes or anything else important will be marked in bold italics. I will be making this change in future COE chapters as well. Like I said some time ago, I'm taking my fiction to new heights, to make it totally different than what some what people would think of them. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this update; it's going to be good.
Before anything else happens, Rowdy Reiko, Sgt. Clements, Judgement, Mistress Spencer, Rebecca Welsh, Killer Kahn, Showbiz, Noble Rose, BBQ and Dr. Cutter, the alter egos of the girls from Rumble Roses stepped in, wearing their normal, yet sexy and revealing outfits. Also with them was the cute NPC, Ellie from La Pucelle Tactics, wearing a tight tank top and very short and loose miniskirt. Rowdy Reiko, Ellie, Mistress Spencer and Noble Rose started to gang up on me, while Mistress Spencer licked her whip and passed it along the way of my thigh.
Mistress Spencer: Kusanagi, how dare you ignore us this time? Are you in need for another spanking for being such a…bad boy?
ShardclawK: Um, no Queen. I'm really behaving like you instructed before. Please, don't have Miyabi, Tsuande, Nancy, Morrigan and Seras gang up on me and 'discipline' me for not keeping up with the updates often.
Sgt. Clements as twirls a pair of handcuffs: Well, there's only one way we can be certain of that…a little game of 'Tie Shardclaw-sama to the Bedpost' is in order.
Ellie: And then, we will take turns in groups of four or more to satisfy our voracious appetites for…'meat'. Worry not, Shardclaw-sama…we promise we won't bite…too hard. And not at the same time at once either. Eri!
ShardclawK: Aw, crap…I'm done for. Hope they spare me by the time this chapter is done. Anyway, I'm leaving the rest of this in your hands, fellas!
As always when I get carried off to the master bedroom, the Weiss boys only shook their heads in shock.
Ran: He has to start locking those women of his if he wants to run this thing right. Let's just get on with the show, everyone. The audience must be getting tired of the suspense. Enjoy as always.
ShardclawKusanagi presents:
Metal Gear Solid: Soldier X
Chapter 24: The Hunted, 6
Somewhere in the rural, busy streets of old Tokyo, at an apartment settlement, Shade walked out through one of the doors. He was wearing a trench coat that covered his tall and muscular built body and had already put on his hat. He had a satisfying, yet twisted and lecherous smile on his face as if he had done something to enjoy himself at.
From the distance where he walked, the sounds of a woman, heavily sobbing and wailing inside the room he just came from was heard. Shade simply shook his head as he smiled.
"As always, these women of the streets are always the best to torment and satisfy 'my needs.'" Shade said to himself as he left the building. "Even down to the prostitutes, but they lose worth over time as well."
Shade started to trek to his location, thinking that he is confident in defeating and killing Greg Kinezono. He also has plans to do the same to Riku, Nagi, and Tot, as well as anyone who has associated with them in this fight. But he has to consider why Solidus had done in allying with Schwartz.
"Schwartz…what a bunch of fools." Shade spoke to himself as he walked. "What purpose will you gain if you ally yourselves with Dead Cell? I can easily smite Kinezono without anyone's help…and I'll prove it soon, once I find him. Yes…you are very close, Kinezono, I can sense you. Let's see if you be able to brag over me the next time we meet."
Shade also remembered he still had to deal with Reese for making him face Greg unprepared. He has attempted many tries to gain information of his whereabouts, but to of no avail. He will eventually get to deal with Reese soon, but his priority is taking care of Greg and his group of close friends first.
(Soon, Kinezono…you days are numbered once I find you and your friends.) Shade thought as he suddenly stepped into the shadows of a nearby wall and into thin air.
Unknown to him, a shadowy figure that seemed to have a cloak over its head stood nearby on one of the buildings rooftops, watching Shade's every move.
"Yes, sir. It is confirmed…that level of ninjitsu certainly fits him alright." The figure spoke to a small mic next to its mouth. "I still don't understand why our intervention is needed at the appointed time…are you sure this will work?"
"We are doing this for Greg as well as his comrades sake." Another voice said from the other end. "You do know we should be on standby until that time."
"I still wish I can go and see him again, sir…"
"I know how much you want to, but the shock will be too much for him." The male voice said. "Until that time, do not allow Shade or any of our enemies suspect you are tailing him. We still have to set the timing of the events that will happen to Greg soon."
With a sigh, the cloaked figure nodded. "Understood…Zero. I'm returning to base to await further orders."
After the figure turned off the radio, it nodded its head as it watched to the horizon of the city as it was meditating in deep thought.
(Soon, my student…we'll see if you've become more than just the child I brought up all those years ago…) the figure spoke, as it stepped back. While it did, the cloak simply blew over, leaving a space of nothingness where it formerly stood.
Later on that evening, back at the Uruha mansion,
Mireille Bouquet and Kirika Yuumura were seated on the beds in their own rooms, while Neon, Kurei, Recca, Yanagi and Kagero explained to them about the members of the Uruha ninja clan. Riku, Yuina, Seraph, Team Warrior and Weiss were also sharing their stories as well, about FOXHOUND and Philanthropy, as well as the own teams who had been allied with them. Riku and Yuina took turns explaining the events of what happened to Greg up to this point.
"I see…so that's what happened." Kirika nodded after understanding most of the situation.
"Yeah, so that' why Greg is doing what he does now." Riku replied. "He's pretty pissed off after all that's happened to him, Yuina and mostly Mantis."
"Well, I won't argue with that, but as you said before, there are other people who will want to come after Greg, aren't they?" Mireille spoke.
"That's right…all of them brought up trouble for my Greggie at some point in time before." Rio said. "Now we got to deal with monsters sent by mad scientists. The thought of that really makes me steam."
"It's highly possible there are more than just the Patriots are behind this…" Kurei spoke.
"Probably, but we can't be sure of how much." Maki answered. "Greg's got himself a handful of enemies, and I don't mean just within or outside FOXHOUND while he was part of it either."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Ran Fujimiya asked.
"Greg did spend some serious time with Geese, so it's natural he may have drawn some enemies from KOF." Maki explained. "One of those on his list happens to be Wolfgang Krauser, Geese's own stepbrother. Then we got those from the NESTS cartel, but from last we heard, Kula, Foxy and Diana are hiding under the protection of K', Maxima and Whip. K9999 and Angel are probably around somewhere together, causing havoc to someone…"
"Ugghh…K9999." Rio shook her head. "That Tetsuo reject better think twice before trying to start something with my Greggie the next time he runs into him…the thought that NESTS is even after Greg is scary though. They are as powerful as the Patriots and some of the other creeps we've ran before that wanted Greg."
"So, you see why Greg has to stay here with us. We are doing our job to help and protect a good friend who's been through enough already." Recca spoke. "It's rather natural of us ninja to do this, and we will do the same for you guys as well."
"All we want is to get Chloe back safe and sound." Mireille spoke. "We don't want to get involved in your problems if it's this complicated."
"It's not a problem for us…we have enough resources and trusted ninja here, they'd be happy to help you get your friend back." Kagero spoke.
Just then, Greg simply entered the room, wearing simply a black long sleeve shirt with a white, large crucifix in the middle.
"She's right, you know." Greg said to the two female assassins. "They have no qualms of going out all the way to help someone who's gotten mixed up with Solidus's cause, just like they are doing with me now."
"We need to think about what's going to happen at first." Kurei spoke. "Solidus is most certainly after something before he makes any move against NERV…something that he sees in Chloe that we don't…"
"It's only a matter of time before he could fully utilize Chloe's skills for his goals." Ran spoke. "And I'm sure it's not stopping there too…"
Greg simply looked at everyone in silence, before lowering his head a bit to look at the women of Noir. It was then Riku began to speak.
"Look…I'm not sure myself why this is exactly happening…what I do know that this concern has brought all of us here together for a good reason." Riku spoke. "We should to what we can to help Noir out, dad."
"That's right…we're not certain if either the Patriots or Dead Cell will come after them again or we can't sit around while their friend is being used against her will by Solidus and Schwartz." Recca said.
"It's best you two stay here with us and rest. We will make sure to take care of everything." Kurei said, giving Noir some assurance.
"By the way, Greg…you never exactly mentioned just how we were able to find Noir in time." Youji Kudou asked Greg all of a sudden.
"He's right…no one on the planet would have known about where we hid, not to mention what was happening to us." Kirika said.
"Care to do some explaining for us, Greg?" Riku asked, folding his arms, as well as everyone else in the room did, staring at him.
"Nani? What's this all of a sudden?" Greg asked, with a nervous glare. "Look, as I said before…I was informed that these two were in some kind of trouble from a source, that's all. There was nothing strange in how I got it, so there's no reason for all of you to gang up on me with your curiosity."
(Nothing strange, eh…? What about that mysterious caller the other night who was referred as Zero?) Greg thought to himself.
Riku only looked at Greg for a moment, before he spoke. "Well…the most important thing we are overlooking is that we managed to save Noir from getting killed by a group of Tengus. That's all that matters."
"Yeah, I guess that's true." Tot nodded. "You shouldn't worry too much about it. I'm sure the people at the Uruha here can take good care of your needs."
"Okay, if you say so…we'll might as well stay here and learn more of this place and of you people." Mireille spoke.
"We've all have a long day, so I think its best you two better get something to eat and then relax yourselves, leave the handiwork to me and my friends." Greg said, beginning to leave the room. The other people in the room also followed suit and left Noir to themselves.
"It's getting pretty late…we should go back to the shop and report to Manx and Birman about today." Ran spoke to Riku.
"I wonder how they will take this news…" Riku spoke.
"It will probably surprise them both, but I'm sure they will think of a way to let us help Noir as well." Ken said.
"Well, you guys do what you can. I'm sure Greg himself will find a way to help Noir as well, but for now, we'd better focus on keeping them safe from the likes of Solidus and Schwartz." Riku said.
"I agree." Ran nodded, before he headed out of the door. "Well, then…we'll make sure to keep each other informed. See you guys again soon, Riku and Greg."
"It was fun, fellas." Greg simply remarked to the Weiss boys as they left the mansion. Greg then turned to Riku.
"Okay…seems we have to take this one step at a time from now on." Greg said to Riku.
"Yeah…now assassins are become targets by our enemies." Riku said. "Greg…something tells me that this conspiracy which brewed up doesn't exactly look like an average mission we've come up in the past."
"I guess it's natural for a ninja like you to sense these things." Greg simply remarked. "I already knew from day after the whole ordeal with Mantis, there's more than it seems here. How little did we know it would involve the famous Noir?"
"No one could, Greg. I'm sure Crawford must have guessed that this would have happened." Riku said.
"Hmmm…well, it's not like we could do anything about it now for the time being. We can't just charge into SEELE headquarters and tear everything up to rescue Chloe…it's not going to be easy as the time we went to rescue Lilica and Yuina."
"Yeah…" Riku said, before he started to yawn. "Anyway, we might as well sleep on it…we'll figure out our next move tomorrow bright and early."
"Okay, then…wait, just a moment, Riku. "By chance it's true you know of a Sayoko Tachikawa?" Greg called out to his friend before he left the living room, but he wasn't expecting the reaction from Riku when he said this.
Riku was silent, but his eyes were lowered in a saddened expression that was a rare sight for him. Greg could immediately sense a feeling of sorrow, mixed with anger coming from his friend too.
"I guess this is a sensitive subject for you too, huh?" Greg asked. "I asked Nagi and his response was the same as yours. Is it the same with Tot too?"
"Yeah, on both counts." Riku answered, avoiding Greg's gaze. "It's not something any of us like to talk about. I will say this though, Sayoko is a very good friend of ours and the three of us have sworn to make Shade pay dearly for what he did to her."
(Man…I'd never thought I was to see that kind of expression from Riku in a long time. He was serious as hell when he talked about this Sayoko character.) Greg thought to himself solemnly. (No use asking Tot about it as well, she may as well show the same kind of expression as Nagi and Riku did. Now that I think of it…just what kind of harm Shade had done to Sayoko to have Riku react like this? Maybe its best I don't ever find out for my power's sake…)
"Sorry if I struck something up, Riku." Greg said in an apologetic tone, rubbing his forehead. "You three seem to care a lot about this Sayoko, huh?"
Riku nodded his head sadly, trying to grin a bit. "Yeah, more than anyone else who knows her?"
"Who else does know Sayoko?" Greg asked Riku.
"There those from FOXHOUND, Michael, Garland and Maggie." Riku explained. "The same goes for everyone from Weiss, Manx and Birman included and my grandma, Kagero."
"I see...well, since you know much of where she lives, when you get the chance, I want to meet her." Greg said to Riku sternly. "You think that's possible, Riku?"
"I'm sure you have reasons to why you want to do that, and I won't ask why. We can do that once we get the chance, since we're busy now protecting Noir at the moment." Riku replied.
"Thanks a lot, Riku." Greg nodded his head, before looking at his watch. "Hmm…look, Riku, there are some calls I got to make and stuff to check on, so I better might as well turn in for the night at this time."
Before Greg walked off to his room, Riku called out to him. "Hey, Greg…can I ask you something now?"
"Sure, Riku…what is it about?"
"You wanted Nagi earlier for something important, right?" Riku asked, gaining Greg's nod.
"Yeah….you can say that." Greg replied. "I just wanted him to find some Intel relating to some of the famous Delta Squads from the past. One of the particular ones I want happens to be of James' late father, Victor Masterson."
"Greg…I can't believe you would even go that low." Riku shook his head. "Are you certain that info Nagi will find will be of any help?"
"Well…I'm actually looking for a particular someone whose good enough to temper a reverse edge for my spear. I think it's beginning to lose it's effectiveness since I last used it…" Greg stopped midway. (Damn…Riku's right about it. All I really needed is to get the information for Hanzo Hatori's location…)
"Hey, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to." Riku spoke. "But does this plan for a reverse blade for your Ascension have anything to do with what happened with Shiju?"
Greg's eyes widened in a slight show of surprise as Riku said this. (How did he know about…? Sure, he, Rio and even Tessa were there when I was doing battle, but how accurately would Riku know about what I want to do with the Ascension?)
"Hey, it's not like that." Greg nervously rubbed the back of his head. "But since when were you able to guess what I was planning?"
"I may not be a psychic, but as a ninja I'm able to read people almost as well." Riku answered. "I noticed that your not wanting to take part in the fight with those Tengus earlier had more to do than just wanting to see Nagi and Yuina's skills."
Once again, Greg was at a loss for words for a moment. He tried to hide his innocent, naivety by laughing a bit, though he was rather bad at it.
"My, my…you actually saw why I let them do that, Riku?" Greg said, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, you see….I was…I was feeling under the weather at the time, you see. I didn't want to look bad in front of my apprentices if some sign that's something's wrong with me gets to them, you know. But, I'm fine now, so you shouldn't worry too much about me."
Riku simply sighed and shrugged his shoulders, deciding he won't press on the subject any further.
"I'm not going to pry into your business, don't worry about that." Riku assured him. "But I just want you to know that if whatever problem you're having is too much, my friends and I are ready to step in to help you at anytime."
"Oh, yeah…sure. Thanks a lot, Riku." Greg simply said, smiling a bit. As he saw Riku walk off to his direction, Greg started to think to himself. (At least you're one of the people most concerned of helping me out in this mess, second to Nagi and Tot…but I have a feeling that won't be enough later on. I may need a bit more than that if you guys can do something about my powers…)
Greg didn't want to ponder too much on the bad thoughts, especially with his powers are concerned. He had to take his mind of off these things for the time being.
(Might as well cancel training with Nagi and Yuina for this evening only, with all that's going on, I'm sure they are probably tired.) Greg thought to himself. (I'd better start making final preparations regarding everything that has happened to me so far and piece as much clues together about who and why so many people are after me. Maybe I can get some answers and hopefully, a link to where Reese and the Patriots are hiding.)
Greg got into his room and immediately locked the door of the mansion room. Taking a glance around, he can see his room had been tided up since he left earlier in the day with Riku, Nagi, Tot, Yuina, Seraph and the rest of Weiss to find Noir.
(Can't blame the lovely maids in this mansion, it is part of their job anyway.) Greg thought to himself as he sat down on the posture bed. The maids respected Greg's privacy, as well as his secret documents. He has yet to see the profiles of those he had to confront in his upcoming Virtuous Mission. But before he did that, he had to make a list of those who would want him and draw out a possible plan for most susceptible person who would want Greg to himself. He wanted to thin out the numbers before things got out of hand.
"Let's get things started off with Matthew Reese…" Greg said to himself, looking at the picture and profile of FOXHOUND's most hated Lieutenant. Greg simply gritted his teeth and activated his Codec 2 MP3 player. He selected 50 Cents and G-Unit's, 'Many Men.' Greg happened to be a hardcore fan of pre Second Impact rap. Ever since Greg could remember, Reese has been in one of the leader's of the group long before he joined. It was surprise to Greg that since then, Reese was quite an asshole and why Campbell was too naïve to see that Reese was bad news from the start. Reese has true intolerance towards the new generation of FOXHOUND recruits, especially to those who gained powerful skills and abilities, or had complicated pasts. He went as far as to put his own recruits' lives on danger on several occasions just to satisfy his perverted view of command.
It was because of Reese that Yuina's life has been for the worst; Psycho Mantis was disturbed and corrupted by the Patriots, having him do things against his will. Greg will never rest easily until this man has been put to sleep PERMANENTLY for all the evil he has done.
"That's number one…your time of judgement will soon come, I can assure you, Reese." Greg said to himself, sorting his profile. The next to appear was the mercenary known as Shade. Greg remembered running into him just before he faced off with Mantis. The two faced off in a heated battle, and thanks to Greg's augmented strength, he was able to even his chance with Shade, giving him the shot to send him running.
From what he had gathered thus far, Shade is actually an experienced high level ninja that has been around for half a millennium, to be exact, over 400 years old. He has been in involved in a majority of the World Wars, killed, maimed and even raped most of his female victims and is quite a sadist who can't seem to get enough of his twisted actions. He was also responsible for killing Michael Hansen's unit, as well as his fiancée a few years back. Andy Bogard also happened to be one of the countless victims under Shade's list.
"How come someone so evil, be so powerful?" Greg said to himself, now sipping out of a beer can he took out from the small refrigerator he had in the room. "I'm sure he has more surprises that he didn't get the chance to show me as yet…I'd better be ready for them if I run into him again soon, which I'm sure of it. I'm looking forward to pounding you into the ground for all the sins you've committed, Mid-boss."
Greg puts aside Shade's profile and ended up looking at the files of Brad Crawford, Schuldich and Farfarello, the three remaining members of Schwartz, an assassin group. Nagi Naoe was formerly of this group, as well as being Crawford's own apprentice. But now, Nagi is part of FOXHOUND and is now, second to Yuina, happens to be Greg's apprentice of using his psychic gifts.
Schwartz wasn't involved entirely in Greg's situation…it was Farfarello who was sent to kill Seraph and Greg managed to rescue her sometime before he went off to rescue Lilica and Yuina from Mantis. Farfarello happens to be an Irish knife thrower who has the ability to ignore psychical pain. The only injuries that seem to affect him seem are to be the self inflicted wounds he has about from his body.
Schuldich was a strong German telepath who could very fast in battle. Schuldich loves to manipulate and toy with people's minds.
Brad Crawford is an American businessman who is a skilled boxer and could read the future by mere moments. He is used to deceiving his enemies for his and Schwartz's own pursuits.
"Farfie, Carrot-top and shorty…what do you think you can gain by allying yourselves with Dead Cell?" Greg asked himself, mentioning the pet names for his enemies for this group.
Greg thought back to a possible connection. Schwartz wanted Yuina to become their newest member, but Greg got in the way of that twice in the past. In the end, they tried to recruit him, but he flat out refused the offer and offered to beat the living hell out of them instead for trying to harm Yuina. This was just some time after he recovered from fighting Mantis. However, as mighty Schwartz would seem, they couldn't quite match up to Greg's skills. This encounter also caused Greg to encounter Weiss, who happened to be Schwartz's enemies, with the exception of Nagi. Greg wants to know more of Crawford's motive as to why he wants to work with Solidus and more especially, what they have in mind for Chloe.
"The sooner I find the answer to that, the better. I have to intercept now before one of the psychics does something to mentally damage Chloe." Greg said to himself, putting the files of the Schwartz group into a separate case. He will have to keep these as he goes on…any added intel he can use against his enemies, he can certainly put to use against them later on.
"Evil can't be one step ahead in this game…that's not fair, I tell you." Greg said, now looking at Robert Thorn's profile.
Thorn happens to be a brilliant, yet twisted man of genetic manipulation and splicing, capable of creating human and monster hybrids with his research. He too wanted Greg for his own uses. He had sent a chimera named Shiju to test Greg's skills. Greg managed to kill Shiju, but was overwhelmed by Thorn's psychic powers later on. It was true that Thorn has used his own experiments to increase his own strength. Greg is sure that Thorn is not done pursuing him just yet.
(He did say he have more than chimeras in store for me…) Greg thought to himself, placing the file aside. (I'd better be prepared for any surprises he will throw at me as well.)
The last possible one of Greg's list happened to be of General Drake, a man also very capable of toying with people and their emotions just to get what he needs. He is quite able in terms of strategy and using it to conquer those he desires to do his bidding. Greg had been noted by Drake to consider working for him, but Greg didn't consider it right away, as he was more focused on the prelude to the Virtuous Mission before and the safety of his friends over everything else at the moment.
Greg is sure since he's been alive for long enough, that people like Drake would easily get to him if he plays with his head for a bit longer and continues to refuse him. But Greg is more of a people person…his life experience has taught him to how to deal with people otherwise. He won't have to worry too much about Drake, but he will still have to be careful.
"It's not like Drake has anything I want that he can help me with…" Greg said, placing his profile on the 'Possible Enemy' list, being marked as number one. The psychic stood up, stretched himself and gathered the information he collected so far. He started to do a little reminiscing.
"At first…Reese and the Patriots had to make arrangements for me to be their so called by-product of the S3." Greg said to himself as he paced in the room. "Mantis, Yuina and I could be as well being part of that plan, but it doesn't end there. Ocelot and Solidus also have expectations of me in this…but didn't bother to interfere with what the Patriots did when I rescued Lilica and Yuina. They stood on the sidelines, while people like Schwartz, Thorn and Drake show up."
Greg took out another beer and started to sip it, while he thought some more. "If that's the case…are the Patriots allowing these things to happen in a way to test my capabilities? No…that's what Dead Cell would expect. Something bigger is involved…something that probably connects me to this thing about Third Impact. But at the moment, I don't have any idea if it's a good thing or a bad one…"
All in all, Greg has guessed since his the time when Lilica was kidnapped, he was being tested for something grand. Reese, Shade, Thorn, Schwartz…these are the faces of evil Greg knows that will not give up coming after him. Greg knows there are probably more evil ones that are after him soon.
"If this keeps up, I will never get to deal with the Virtuous Mission…" Greg said to himself, finishing the can of beer and opening another. "In conclusion, it seems that I got quite a fight ahead of me before I can consider dealing with the Virtuous Mission…."
Just then, Greg heard a soft knock at the door. He went to open it and saw his surrogate mother, Rio standing there, wearing a large robe.
"Mom?" Greg simply asked a bit surprised to see her. "What's the matter?"
"It's nothing…I was just wondering…are you okay?" Rio's tone in her voice was different than usual, it's as if she knew the hurting Greg was going through and it could get worse soon. Greg simply raised an eyebrow while looking at her, even though he picked up a sense of sadness and great pity from Rio. "I'm sure you must be hungry, why don't you come on down and eat with the rest of us?"
"That's nice, mom…but not tonight." Greg simply replied. "I'm still trying to figure out what's Solidus plotting with this thing with Chloe…it just doesn't add up one bit."
"Yeah…he must really have something planned for her, but I'm sure we'll stop him before he tries anything." Rio said, reaching for Greg's nanoarm. She then started to hold his artificial hand. "Greggie…I'm just worried about you, that's' all. If you think something is going to happen beyond your control, let me know. Everyone in Warrior cares for you like family, you know."
"Thanks, mom…I'd really appreciate it." Greg said. "Look, I'll come down and eat for a bit, but if the dinner is good as always, leave extras for later when I start to do some more research on our enemies."
Rio suddenly tightened her grip on his hand. Greg sensed something wasn't up with her.
"Oh, Greg…how much you've changed…" Rio spoke, as the sadness in her voice grew. "Even before joining FOXHOUND, you've never cared about these things like power and strength. All you ever wanted was the perfect peace."
Greg suddenly watched Rio with widened eyes as he slowly and gently pulled his arm from Rio, then turning his back away from her.
"My ideals DO NOT contradict that goal!" Greg replied simply, before sighing. Rio stepped back a bit, covering her mouth. "I…I'm sorry, mom…I just can't relax until I see to it that everyone I care about is safe from people like Reese, Shade, Thorn and whoever else does work with the side of evil. I could never forgive people like them if they messed up my and Yuina's lives like this."
Rio stood silent for awhile, before she nodded her head. "I understand, Greg. I won't pressure you to take it easy. But, at least put a little faith in us more often, huh?"
"I'll…I'll try." Greg replied, opening the door. "Let me get changed first, I'll be down there in a few. "
As Greg stepped inside his room to get changed for dinner, a trickle of tears ran down Rio's left eye.
(So…it's going to happen like that. He is already showing the signs, just as he did twelve years ago. He just doesn't see it coming…it's as if he has forgotten that time completely.) Rio thought to herself sadly. (Am I too late to help Greg now? He's almost out of time…I don't Greg will be able to contain his powers the next time he fights…I have to do something NOW!)
From the other side of the door, Greg was clutching his chest and had already broken into a cold sweat. He clearly heard Rio's thoughts…something was going wrong with his powers. It won't be long until the next battle fully brings them out on the most dangerous levels.
(She's right…I've never in my life reacted that way to Rio before.) Greg thought, falling on one knee. (This can't be happening…are the limits for the barrier for people's resonating emotions starting to weaken after all this time? What should I do…?)
Greg could feel his inner muscles begin to burn with pain, and his head began to throb with pain. He reached for his Ascension at once before the pain got even worse. Twirling out the spear, he grabbed the sharpened edge of the spear and raised it over his head. He then brought it down with a strong, intended force and it ended up stabbing his right thigh, causing Greg to grimace most of the pain in a muffled shout. As a hint of blood started to run out, Greg started to pant heavily as the pain began to subside a little over time.
(Damn…this is…getting too serious…) Greg thought, breathing heavily. (Can't let the others know that my powers are getting a bit out of hand…I have to play it safe until I can find a way to put things back to normal soon…)
Greg simply stood up and went over to the bathroom to threat the cut he made. The nanomachines should be able to take care of the rest of it.
"Maybe I'll eat enough just to forget what just happened…what's really going on with me?" Greg thought to himself as he left the room after refreshing himself.
The next morning, Greg had decided to sleep in a little more late than usual, while everyone else was about in their daily routine activities. Riku, Nagi, Tot and Yuina had the job of touring Noir around the Uruha mansion. They were getting to know one another quite well thanks to this opportunity.
"This is quite an intriguing place, Riku." Kirika spoke. "I've never knew Kurei was so resourceful in both maintaining a fortune and a base this like this."
"Also makes for a good cover to deceive our enemies as well." Riku said. As he walked on further, he then ran into Kagero, who was with Lilica, Nastasha, Yuji and Maya.
"Riku? Can you and Yuina come over here for a moment?" Kagero called him over, as the two youngsters met him.
"What is it, grandma?" Riku asked.
"I was thinking that you and your friends needed an extra boost courtesy of some of the madogu I have kept here." Kagero spoke, showing Riku a sphere, which he instantly recognized.
"Grandma this is..." Riku said as he looked at the sphere Kagero had handed to him. "This is the Eikai Gyoku! Why are...?"
"You will probably need it more than I do." Kagero replied. "You've seen me use it enough to know how to use it yourself, so I'm not worried about your making any mistakes. Just remember to return it when you come back."
"Of course, grandma." Riku said.
"Oh one more thing, Riku." Kagero said seriously. "If you in anyway misuse the madogu, I will know."
"Whatever makes you think I'd do that?" Riku asked innocently. (Damn...)
(I think I have idea why Kagero advised him not to use that for any wrong purpose.) Nagi jokingly told Yuina telepathically.
(What's that suppose to mean, Nagi?) Yuina replied.
(Come on, Yuina…with something like that to take you places that you'd imagined, the only limits are your imagination.) Nagi replied. This caused Yuina to open her eyes as she realized this.
(Oh…I think I get it now…) Yuina replied nervously, as she saw Kagero approach her now.
"Yuina…I was told much about your integration powers with Seraph and I think having this with you will mostly give you a chance whenever you're in flight in battle." Kagero handed Yuina the madogu. The madogu looked like a small pair of wings that looked attachable to the person's back area.
"This is known to us Uruha as the Hizangu. This will allow you to fly at supersonic speeds. Also, the feathers can also be used to throw at the enemy like daggers." Kagero explained.
"Awesome!" Yuina exclaimed happily. "I know this can help me greatly."
"Oh, can you give this to Greg as well?" Kagero spoke. She showed another unique madougu. "This one is called Sekichu; it's a defensive type madougu. It attracts stone to one's body, acting as a sort of armour. I think Greg may need this since he has a tendency to go into battle unprotected these days."
"Riku, it seems you know about the madougu you have, it seems important." Nagi said.
"This madougu is also called the Shadow Sphere, as it allows both teleportation through shadows and the viewing of distant events." Riku explained. "In other words, the madogu can teleport the user anyplace where a shadow is. There's a downside to it though...the Eikai Ball does not allow the user to hear what is going on, so if were to use it to spy on Solidus and Dead Cell, or the Patriots, I'll be able to see them, but I won't hear what they're saying."
"Well, nevertheless, it will still be useful later on." Tot spoke, only to hear a loud yawning from behind them. Greg entered the area and looked at his friends with a tired look. There were even some bags under his eyes.
"Sempai, are you okay?" Yuina walked over to him and asked.
"Hardly got any sleep last night for some reason…" Greg said, rubbing his head. He then looked at the group after stretching himself a bit. "Anyway….don't worry about me, I'm sure it's some combat fatigue that's catching up to me. What's going on?"
"Kagero was just offering us some madougu we can use later on." Riku said. "Greg, Yuina has this for you."
After Greg is handed the madougu and was told what it could do, Riku and Kagero walked off to a certain part of the mansion's yard which seems more like a restricted point for non ninja occupants of the mansion like Greg, Yuina, Nagi, Tot and Noir.
"Wait here." Riku instructed. "Only I can enter this point."
"What do you mean?" Kirika asked.
"Take a look." Riku answered, pointing at the ground in front of him.
Greg and co. looked and saw a circle made entirely of a series of strange symbols surrounding the two pedestals ahead of them.
"Only those with the blood of the Hokage clan leaders may safely walk into this circle." Riku said. "This is to prevent theft by enemies."
"What would happen if one of us walked in?" Tot asked nervously.
"The seals would instantly suck away the life of whomever or whatever entered that didn't pass the requirements." Riku answered. "The life force of the victim or victims would add more power to the seal."
"Really?" Greg said, in an intrigued tone, while everyone else gaped. "Does this automatically mean that you got yourself some powerful magic relics?"
"Well, here you are two of the Hokage clans most powerful and dangerous madogu ever created." Riku said as he stepped out of the circle and showed them the two items.
"A stick and a glowing crystal ball?" Greg asked.
"This stick just so happens to be the more dangerous of the two." Riku replied seriously. "The Koukai Gyouku. A madogu that can cause anything physical; people, mountains, buildings, anything like that, to cease to exist."
"You mean it instantly kills right?" Nagi asked.
Riku shook his head. "No. Nothing is destroyed or killed, it just vanishes from existence, like it had never been born or made. The only things excluded are things like memories or diseases."
Everyone who listened to Riku, excepting Kagero looked on in surprise at Riku's comment. It was then Riku then looked at Greg.
"Before you ask me to use this on Shade or the Patriots, or you decide to use this thing yourself, let me tell you something very important." Riku warned Greg. "This madogu has a cost in order for it to be wielded. The wielder must forfeit something of himself, of equal value to whatever it is they wish to erase from existence."
"Like what?" Yuina asked.
"The last wielder of this thing gave up his voice, emotions, sight, and hearing." Riku answered. "The one before him gave up the life of a close friend. That was hundreds of years ago and the Koukai Gyouku haven't been used since."
"And this one?" Greg asked, looking at the glowing orb nervously.
"That is the Tendou Jigoku, the Heaven and Hell, madogu." Riku answered. "This madogu has the power to grant and take away eternal life. This is the madogu my Dad and Uncle Kurei used to remove Grandma's immortality."
"Riku's right about that." Kagero spoke, causing Greg to look at her inquisitively.
"So that's why you look around an average thirty, when it's true you're around for four hundred years…" Greg said sullenly.
"I'm not sure if using this to grant anyone, even you Greg, immortality is a good idea." Riku said. "This might just work once per person and I don't think you want to live forever. Eternal life is a curse; far from a blessing, just ask my grandmother about that."
Kagero only looked on in silence as Greg sensed a great sadness emitted from her. He had to do something and try and cheer her and everyone else up, so he looked at Nagi.
"Hey, Nagi. Since we started to know each other, I did never get your age, didn't I?" Greg asked him. "You must be around Riku's age, am I right?"
Nagi shook his head suddenly. "Nope, I'm actually 17 now. Now that I look at it, you can say that I was underage when you took us to that nightclub a couple of days ago. The people that are older than me are Riku and Tot. She is about the same age as he is."
"Nani!" Greg exclaimed, glaring at Riku. "How come you never told me this, Riku?"
"Actually, you never really asked." Riku spoke with a grin. "And since your reputation got us in without those guys having to check our IDs, no harm done."
"So that means I probably could have come along after all." Yuina said with a miffed look at Greg. Greg simply rubbed his head nervously as his apprentice stared at him.
"Ah, come on, Yuina. It's not like you would have wanted to hang around a place like that." Greg put up his hands. "That place is really not for kids, especially during the karaoke sessions. I am a fan of hardcore, gangster rap after all."
"That's not the point!" Yuina said to him, causing the people around him to laugh. Greg was feeling so embarrassed, but he was enjoying the moment as well.
"Still, you could have mentioned that to me before." Greg said to Riku.
"Actually, it wouldn't have really mattered." Nagi spoke. "I have a fake ID for those kinds of things which I use on missions, I made it myself actually."
"It probably would have worked too, since Nagi worked on it until even the best in FOXHOUND had a hard time telling it was a fake." Riku commented.
"Remind me to get several of those made for our mission in the States soon. We would probably make good use of them to cover our true identities." Greg said, approving of Nagi's skill.
"Hey, Greg…just why is it that you had to see Kyo and Iori anyway?" Riku asked. "I'm sure it's not about your powers, am I right?"
"That's right. I also wanted to see Chizuru Kagura on how KOF was going." Greg explained. "You see, since we won't be in Japan for awhile soon, there's no way anyone of us can rest easy while our friends in FOXHOUND over in Tokyo-3 are under siege by the enemy. My plan is to have another KOF tourney there, as a cover to prevent Solidus and his men, or anyone else who wants to give NERV problems."
"Hey, that sounds like a good plan, Greg." Nagi said. "I'm sure with all those fighters in the city, Dead Cell will think twice of attacking NERV head on."
"Yeah, all I'm doing is trying to delay their movements until we get back. It seems that if I do go back now, a big war could start because of me." Greg spoke. "Hey, maybe that could give you three a shot in a fight against some of the popular fighters you met at the club sometime back."
"Well, it looks like we're going to get our wish after all." Riku said with a grin and then turned to Nagi and Tot. "Since the next King of Fighters tournament is going to be in Tokyo-3, why don't we enter?"
"We definitely will." Nagi said with a confident nod, while Tot nodded as well.
"There's one problem though." Tot spoke. "Since we're going to be going to America soon for who knows how long, there's a chance we might not make it."
"Heh…you kids worry too much." Greg said with a smirk. "I specifically told Chizuru that since she's doing a favour for us, the next KOF tourney won't take place UNTIL I get back to Tokyo-3. I do need a chance to participate this year anyway, not to mention finalise my training with Kyo and Iori."
"Is that so? Wow, Greg…you're really thinking ahead of this thing, I'm amazed you're going through this amount of lengths before going on your mission." Nagi said.
"You know, I just thought of something." Riku spoke and turned to Greg. "Hey Greg, did Kyo ever mention having any relatives around our age?"
"None that I know of." Greg answered. "Why?"
"There was a classmate of ours in high school named Shizuma Kusanagi, who also had the power to control flames." Riku replied. "I was just curious to see if they were related or not."
"Kyo never really mentioned a Shizuma before, but chances are he's probably a distant cousin he doesn't know of." Greg answered. "If the chances are high that your friend Shizuma can manipulate flames as well, it could be possible it's also hereditary as well."
"Hey, Greg…since you're having KOF go into Tokyo-3 soon, we should have the Hokage clan team up with the ninja clans from those participating in the tourney there to ease things a whole lot better." Kagero spoke.
"You know what they say, Kagero…'Great minds think alike.' I like your idea." Greg approved of her plan. "This could be useful for Mai to check up on Michael as well, she can even bring along her own clan as well."
"Well, the Shiranui clan will probably agree to the alliance so we've already sent a messenger." Riku said. "What I need to know is about the other clans. I need to know whether they'll be allies we can rely on later on."
"Alright, which ones do you want to know about?" Greg asked.
"First let's start with the Hizoku clan." Riku answered. "I'm afraid our info on them isn't much since it's a Chinese ninja clan. So, since you know one of their members, can you vouch for them?"
"Not a problem…I'm sure Lin is aware of my situation, so he'll probably go along with the plan. He is an honourable and decent guy, despite his looks." Greg spoke.
"And the Kisaragi clan?" Riku asked.
"What? Didn't I tell you about Reiji?" Greg spoke. "It's been years since he has dissociated with Iori, and not on friendly terms I must add. Not only that, things will seriously get too hot if people from the Sakazaki and the Kisaragi's are in the same room."
"I've heard of the clan's feud with the Sakurazaki." Riku admitted. "But if we're going to fight the Patriots and Dead Cell, I don't think it would be a good idea to be picky with allies. I just need to know two things about these guys, one, if they can be trusted not to run away or stab us in the back when things get rough, and two, whether or not to bother sending messengers to the Kisaragis. I really don't want to send some of our own clan members into danger."
"The Kisaragi clan is a pretty old ninja clan, Riku, shouldn't your grandmother knows something about them?" Greg asked.
"She told me that the relations between the Hokage and the Kisaragis were neither hostile nor friendly." Riku answered. "It was a simple 'you don't bother us, we don't bother you' arrangement, so the clans didn't interact very much."
"Well, we can only cross our fingers that something works out somehow. It would be useful if Reiji was among those helping the ninjas from KOF in this…" Greg said.
"Sempai, the next time you go partying and meet people from KOF, you're going to take me and Seraph with you!" Yuina sternly told him.
"Not happening! I'm not going to spoil or corrupt someone as innocent and pure like you, Yuina." Greg said, backing off a bit.
"I don't mind listening to you sing to some explicit rap song, but it would make me feel better if I can get to be with you more often." Yuina said.
(I have to lose her somehow…no way I'm capable of holding my own against a teenager like Yuina.) Greg thought to himself, trying to devise a way to evade Yuina, though he admired her curiosity about him. Then an idea came to mind. Greg looked at the distance behind Yuina and the rest of the group and began to panic.
"Oh my God! It's a berserk, Evangelion Unit 01! It's come all the way here to attack us!" Greg said, pointing over to the distance. "Run for your lives!"
"Huh? What did you mean by that, Greg?" Riku said, while everyone looked behind their back. As soon as they did, they only saw the normal environment behind them and by the time they turned back, they saw Greg sneaking off away from them from a good distance.
"Sempai! Don't run from the subject!" Yuina called out to Greg as he started to run off. The group started to laugh as Greg was already far from them.
"Too late!" Greg shouted, already turning in the corner wall of the mansion. While everyone collected their senses together after seeing Greg run off from Yuina, it was Yuina herself who came to Riku.
"Hey, Riku…I just want to know something." She said. "Why is it that you want to help Greg so much, no matter how much he may seem to refuse it?"
"Don't tell Greg I said this, but after knowing him for years, I know that if you leave him alone, Greg always finds something to blame himself for." Riku answered. "I wouldn't be surprised if one day he doesn't think that his 'lack of effort' is the reason there isn't any world peace or something like that."
"Is that so?" Yuina asked. "I guess that's why he tries extra hard nowadays to make up for that…"
"Yeah…" Riku nodded his head sadly, just then Greg came back outside. He had a somewhat serious, yet focused look on his face from before.
"Hey, guys…mom wants me to go back to the city for some supplies." Greg said. "As usual, you five have to take me there."
"Another errand to run, Greg?" Riku asked.
"You can say that." Greg replied, while staring at Nagi. (So, any luck yet, Nagi? Have you found Hanzo Hatori's locale?)
(I'm getting warmer, Greg. Just give me some more time on it again.) He spoke telepathically. (But I can tell you one thing…)
(That is?)
(It may be coincidence, but there's a chance he's related to Yuina.) Nagi thought, as he looked at her.
(Just as I thought…) Greg thought back. (I don't want to ask her at the moment if she knows about him, but we'll just wait until we get the intel of his location. For now, let's keep this a secret from her, okay?)
(Got it.) Nagi nodded in silence.
"Well, then…where are we heading today, Greg?" Riku asked his friend.
"Ahh…if I knew mom wanted so much stuff, I would have never opted to go for her. If she wants to get stuff she needed, she should have come herself." Greg said, resting a set of new clothing into her van. Thanks to Greg's large money accounts, he was able to get enough clothing for Rio at a half price sale at on of Rio's favourite clothing stores for twenty people. Greg could have put the shop out of business if he didn't decide to stop buying stuff after going on a spree for an hour.
"Well, you are doing what you can to satisfy her, aren't you?" Riku said, resting his bag.
"She's tormenting me for something…I can sense it. If that's not the case, then she is trying to set me up with the rest of Umi, Inuko and Tatsuko's referee, cosplaying friends." Greg said feeling bushed. (Does this have to do with last night?)
"Anyway, after this, we should grab a bite somewhere and eat." Yuina said.
"Not a bad idea…I'm buying as usual, your threat." Greg spoke. We'll take a walk and we should bounce up a restaurant or eatery somewhere."
"I'll make sure to lock the van." Riku said as he secured the van and joined Greg and co. as whey walked down the street. It was nearly getting late, and only a few people can be seen about on the streets. It was then during the walk, Greg sensed something wrong, which caused him to stop.
"Hmmm?" Greg suddenly turned to an open alleyway to his left.
"Greg? Is something wrong?" Nagi looked at Greg in curiosity.
"You sense that?" he asked everyone. There was some silence from the group until Yuina spoke.
"Now that you say it, sempai…I feel a sudden chill coming from that direction." She spoke, clutching her sides. "And it's not like it's a cold that you can feel with your body….this chill goes all the way through your body."
"I'm getting a similar feeling." Nagi spoke, stepping up. "I knew I sensed an aura like this before…a feeling of deepened dread and malice."
Before Greg said anything, he started to sprint down the alleyway before anyone stopped him.
"Hey, Greg! Wait up!" Riku called out, as he, Nagi, Tot, Yuina and Seraph followed suit after him.
After managing to catch up to him, they found themselves in a rundown, partially destroyed apartment building near one of the sunken settlements of old Tokyo, where only the tops of some of the tall buildings could be seen. The group stopped behind Greg, as he himself stopped when he saw a young homeless girl who appeared to be eight years old front of him. She was covered in cardboard box which provided as a blanket over her soiled body.
(That was weird…were my powers giving off a false alarm of sorts?) Greg thought getting closer to the girl and examines her. He can sense her heart was beating, which meant she was still alive. "She's still alive, but her temperature's high. Probably from the air in this region of the city…"
"Oh, no…" Tot muttered sadly. "Greg, we should take her somewhere safe and have her taken care of."
"Yeah…I guess that's the right thing to do." Nagi spoke, stepping closer to her. Just then, the girl mumbled as she woke up. Now seeing the people in front of her, she huddled back towards the wall behind her.
"Uaahh! Please, I beg you…don't hurt me…" the girl cried out. She had long, straight, dirty black hair, and had a strange coloured, yet mysterious and innocent pair of crystal blue eyes. Greg extended his right nano arm as he tried to console the girl.
"Hey, take it easy…we're not here to hurt you." Greg simply said. The girl then looked at Greg with a concerned look in her eyes.
"You're…not going to anything bad to me?" she asked.
"Who in the right mind would do such a thing to a precious thing like you?" Greg simply shook his head. "Anyway, you have a name?"
"It's…its Ambrosia." The girl cried. "Ambrosia Melrose."
"So, you're not from around here, huh?" Nagi asked.
"I…I come all the way from England…" Ambrosia said between sobs.
"Why would you be here, Amber?" Tot asked.
"I got separated from my daddy and mommy…I really can't remember when…" Amber said, clutching her head in grief. "Ahhh! Please…leave them alone…! Don't come near me…!"
(What the fu…? Is she a psychic as well? At this age to add?) Greg thought to himself, as he tried to console her. "Hey, who's going to hurt you? Tell me, it's alright…me and three of my friends are just like you."
"You can trust us to help and take care of you." Nagi spoke. "What is it that you see, Amber?"
"I…I see…a man…a very, evil and bad man…he wants…he wants to kill…" Amber stopped before pointing her finger specifically at Greg himself. "You."
Everyone, excepting Greg, was in utter shock at this. Greg simply looked at the girl and held her by her shoulders, while Riku talked.
"Greg, I think I'm getting to sense what's going on." Riku spoke.
(Just who really are you, Amber?) Greg thought to the girl telepathically.
(I can't tell you that just yet…oh, no! He's here!) Amber thought in horror. (He's somewhere, hiding within one of the shadows.)
(I…I can sense him as well…his presence is stronger than before.) Greg thought seriously, letting go of Amber. Greg stood up and glanced further into the darkness.
"Of all the places I'd least expect to sense someone as evil as some wanksters I've run into before…I'm sure you was going to go after this girl as well?" Greg spoke to the darkness.
A small, malicious laughter from it was then heard as a reply to Greg's question.
"Oh, please…don't fool yourself into thinking I was paedophile, Kinezono. Besides, I just got here after finally tailing you and your friends at last." The voice spoke as the figure stepped out. It just happened to be Shade himself. "It's been a while, Kinezono. Last I heard of you, the Patriots were making your life a complete hell after you failed to save Mantis from them, am I right?"
"You're one to talk…you're the one who got his ass handed over when you know damn well you shouldn't have pissed me off in the first place, making comments about my younger sister if you ever got to her." Greg replied in a bitter tone.
Yuina stood closer to Greg and clutched the back of his jacket tightly.
"Sempai…this…this man is the source of all that malice we've felt from before. There's something…inhumane within him." Yuina spoke in a near frightened tone. "I'm scared…"
"It's alright, Yuina. We will make sure this creep doesn't come near you, Seraph and Amber." Greg said to her with a confident grin.
The rest of the group came forward and watched Shade with some rather confident looking grins on their faces.
"Hey, it's Mid-Boss." Riku said. "So, why are you here? Didn't Greg pound your ass into the ground enough not too long ago, or are you thirsty for more?"
Shade simply scoffed at Riku's comment. "Make as much fun as you young punks want, but it won't be the same from this point on. You all have yet to feel the real, true meaning of fear."
"Dammit, Mid-Boss…can't you at least come up with something better than that?" Greg simply stared at him with a glare of hatred. "I just don't understand it…when you run into certain bad guys who are supposed to be lethal, they should come up with a bad-ass lecture with ACTUAL meaning. And from all your years living as a near five hundred year old antique, you can't come up with a dialogue that will make you go, 'Oh, crap…this guy's serious as hell, I guess that makes him waaay cool.' How shameful of you, Mid Boss. The most you should do is show some flair when you're making entrances."
Shade got infuriated by Greg's comment as he simply waved an arm and got into a stance.
"Enough of your insolence! I won't stand to be humiliated any further by the likes of you!" Shade said. "Prepare yourselves, you'll soon find that I'm far from an ordinary mid boss."
"Hey! You just admitted that you're a mid boss." Tot spoke.
"Shut up!" Shade shouted angrily. "This time I'll kill you all so that I never hear the name 'Mid-Boss' again!"
"A man with guts and honour…I like that." Greg cracked his knuckles. "But I must say you're at a big disadvantage. It's a five to one situation, and my skills have improved since we last fought. I must add that Yuina here is capable of wiping the floor with you as well, and Nagi has gained some experience from me to put on some good use against the likes of you. Start doing the math."
Shade only showed a frightening grin as he crossed his arms together, then performing a ninjitsu seal with his hands, he then pressed them against the ground. Just then, a bright, white light started to emanate from the ground surrounding Shade. The light started to become raw energy and it began to envelope his entire body with a small swirling, energy tornado.
Greg and the others stepped back in shock to see Shade releasing this kind of power as the cry he emitted began to change into something even more horrifying.
"What…what the hell?" Riku muttered in shock, shielding his eyes from the bright, yet malicious looking flame that Shade was engulfed in. "What kind of seal is that?"
(This power he's emitting…is this…true evil at its purest?) Greg thought to himself, as he realized something. (This is just like Garland in his Berserker state…no, something even darker, more…powerful than 'D' itself. I swore I've felt this resonance somewhere before…)
"Uaaah! Sempai!" Yuina cried out. "This…terror…he's…his entire soul is corrupted enough that he's totally…"
Just after a few seconds of hearing Shade scream, the tornado died down and Shade stood up, but with some shocking changes to his body and appearance. He was a few meters tall than before, his skin colour had changed to a dark brown, as his hair had been shifted to a grim, white colour. There was a large tattoo imprinted across his chest, as it looked a bit of a circle with lines strewn from it. His eyes had become white, and his muscles had developed slightly. There was also a strong emanating, dark aura surrounding his body as well.
Everyone who stood before him stood in utter shock at the transformed Shade, as he simply breathed a deep breath before smiling at the people before him.
"Kinezono…" The change in his twisted and warped voice sent ice cold daggers down everyone's backs. He had become a true, living nightmare. "I know you take part in the King of Fighters…I'm certain you may have heard of the Orochi, hmm?"
"What the fuck! It can't be…you're part of that clan!" Greg's eyes widened in shock at the comment.
"Precisely, Kinezono." Shade simply commented. "It's been too long since I tested my powers as an Orochi against someone as practice, I might as well use all of you to see if I gotten any…rusty."
"Houston…we have a problem…" Greg muttered as spoke to Yuina and Seraph without looking at them. "Seraph, get yourself, Yuina and Amber far away from here as possible. This WILL get nasty."
"But, sempai…" Yuina cried out, wanting to help Greg, but he stared at her with and a look on his face that meant this was getting more serious than it looks.
"Dammit, Yuina! Now is not the time to disobey your teacher!" Greg shouted. "I don't want you or Seraph involved in this fight, just run…run and don't look back!"
"I'm not leaving my friends behind!" Yuina cried out. "I want to help you and everyone else, and whatever you say, I'm not going to use this as an excuse for running away from my problems anymore!"
Greg only stared at her and glanced back at Shade who was calling over someone to challenge him. Clenching his fists, he simply shook his head.
"Yuina…you're a brave girl, and I admire that." Greg assured her. "You're free to fight with the rest of us, but the main priority is getting Amber away from here. You think you can run fast enough and get back in time to help out?"
Some tears began to run down her eyes, as she began to nod. "Yes, I can certainly do that. The madougu can help us to a safe place and get back here in time."
"Okay, I'm counting on you to come back soon." Greg said. "Seraph, go with her and when you get Amber out of here, integrate with Yuina and meet back here."
"Be careful, everyone…" Seraph said, taking Yuina and Amber with her out of the building. As Greg watched them leave, he heard Shade talk.
"I was actually being courteous to allow those girls to leave, so I can properly deal with you children my way." Orochi Shade spoke. "Now, then...on with business then. Who's ready to die first?"
(Looks like this could be big trouble…and I don't even have my Ascension with me!) Greg thought. (I'd better focus on protecting Riku and his partners more than handling Shade like this…)
Meanwhile, in the middle of one of Japan's busy highways…
"You sure this is the right address?" A blonde Japanese girl, with short cut and bouncy hair spoke while looking at her Global Positional Satellite portable computer. She was wearing rounded spectacles, a short yellow shirt and a green miniskirt. "I'm sure Greg is still the type to move about all the time."
"He should be…he must." Another woman with long, red hair, her eyes that gave off a mysterious and conspicuous glance spoke. "If he's not at the appointed location, we're screwed."
"And it makes things worst if we don't get to him in time before he totally loses his powers." Aika Sumeragi spoke, as she drove a rental car at a quick speed. "Rion, Maypia…I'm starting to doubt we could get to him in time."
"Hey, don't say that!" Rion Aida shouted, clutching unto Aika's shoulder. "I won't accept the fact that Greg is at the end of the rope with this, and now you feel like giving up!"
"I'd never say that…as long we get to him whether the effects of his powers changed him for the worst or not, I'm certain there is a way that he can be brought some time." Aika said. (The only question is…who will do it and how?)
"We can worry about that when we get to him; let's just get through this traffic." Maypia Alexiametlia answered, as the car they travelled sped through the less than busy traffic.
ShardclawK: Oh, boy…things doesn't look too good for Greg and friends, as they have to deal with a powered up version of Shade, not to mention that Greg's losing control of his powers! This is a bad omen to befall our heroes, and things just seem to get worst by the minute.
Ran: Are you saying that even Greg and everyone else with him won't stand a chance against this version of Shade? That's almost scary to believe, Shardclaw.
Omi: Oh, I certainly hope the next chapter can show some kind of hope…as it will be an all-out, no holds barred fight with Greg, Nagi, Riku, and Tot against Orochi Shade! And what's with Amber knowing about Greg, not to mention the mysterious individuals that want a piece of the action, and not just Aika alone? You will have to wait for a special 25 anniversary chapter of Soldier X to find out, as it will prelude the beginning of another new arc of the story.
ShardclawK: Right, this is the last chapter of the Hunted series. I hoped everyone liked the arc and where it's going, but be warned for the following set of chapters, things will get so bad for Greg; it's going to be so dark it may bring tears to your eyes.
Ken: And now, for some Easter Eggs. In case for those who didn't notice before, Shardclaw based most of Yuina's abilities and attacks mostly from Dizzy and a few from Millia Rage of the Guilty Gear X series.
ShardclawK: I can't help it…whenever I see Yuina, I see that cute and delectable humanoid commander Gear, and it's vice versa for Dizzy as well, so I think her attacks for Yuina will fit her just nicely. So, think of Yuina as something Guilty Gear fans like I can relate to.
Youji: Also, the scene which Greg talks to Rio before leaving her was part of a conversation quote Rolento used on Sodom after beating him in the Arcade Mode version of Street Fighter Alpha 3, one of Shardclaw's all time favourite games as well. And the scene with Shade transforming into the Orochi version was a mix of Naruto, (whenever a character makes a jutsu animation) Devil May Cry 1, (when Greg comments on Shade being a man with 'Guts and Honour, and up to the point Nelo Angelo transforms) and the finalised look for Shade in his Orochi appearance was inspired by the image of Omega Rugal from Capcom vs. SNK 2.
ShardclawK: That reminds me…Devil May Cry 3 is out already, right? If DarkFusion is reading this by the he gets it before I do by this weekend, God willing, please tell me in you usual mail after the update, (and sending of shipments) if it's better than what people hyped it up to be, as I know the anticipation surrounding the game to surpass the lame sequel in more ways than one. I'm certain that game will give me enough ideas for completing End of Evangelion May Cry, since I know it will have an actual, good story that will make it worthwhile. I'll be sure to look out for Shin Megami Tensi: Nocturne as well, I'm sure that too will give me ideas, but the real problem is that now I got my PS2 back, I have so many unfinished games right now, it's hard to concentrate on just one, since there are plenty of others along the way. If that's not enough, I have to pursue in my anime hunt as well…
Just as I said that, the girls from the ecchi anime Hand Maid May entered, in human sized forms. Mami, May, Sara, Kei, Rena and Kasumi Tani began to huddle against me, wearing sexy, revealing and slinky nurses outfits.
May: Shardclaw-sama, you may have more time with games, but what about our needs?
Kei: Yes, we need attention with your…'hand to hand coordination' as well, if you know what we mean.
ShardclawK: Let me guess…Tempest sent you guys as well, huh?
Sara: Not only that…he also sent an experimental ONMI-2 pill. Use it with care, it's not yet tested.
ShardclawK: Aw, snap! Well, there's only way to find out if it's effective enough…on to the bedroom, girls.
As the maids carry me off to the bedroom, the Weiss boys look on, shaking their heads.
Ran: Anyway, we might as well close off the chapter. On a note forgotten by Shardclaw, he's going to update both SX and COE at the same time (if he can) on the anniversary date for COE. Be expecting some changes for the better then, this chapter were just a sneak preview of things to come. See you in the next update.
Collis aka ShardclawKusanagi.