Gundam W: The Lords of the Wings
Chapter 3: Awakening! Chosen Ones found at last?!
Disclaimer: As you all know, Mobile Suit Gundam, X/1999, Love Hina, Inuyasha, Final Fantasy and all others belong to their respective authors and companies and I don't own them, though I wish hard. n_nU Anyway, I apologize for taking sooooo long here, but my disks wouldn't work well on the PCs and it was hard enough in school, sniff, sniff. T_T But though I have very few reviews, I appreciate if you have time to read this story, since it's my first project and I hope to make this a great saga, as I will span it in three episodes as I progress it! Well, enough about this, time to read!!
Various meters away from the raid, there were a group of giant humanoid robots called Mobile Suits that stood in their position, watching and waiting for the time to swoop down for the harvest that was just beginning.
"Sir, how long are we going to reach that city?" asked a soldier mounted inside a Leo unit. It was an assault type MS that looked like a giant soldier, armed with a machine gun, a shield along with a beam sword concealed just inside the backside of the shield and a bazooka out behind its back. "I know about the information that these so-called Chosen Ones are on a city like the one we're heading, but don't you think we feel like garbage disposal? We should be the ones attacking, not to be carrion eaters."
The commanding officer inside a purple Leo, indicating that he was leader, replies. "It's true about what you said, but it was the Lieutenant's idea to use the black soldiers to commence the raid and our squadron is the backup. I don't like it as much as any of you, but if this plan is successful, we'll be able to be in good graces with our leaders."
Just then, one of the suits that looked like some kind of tank was making a call to the officer and his cockpit was blinking yellow. The Tragus suit was like a tank with arms, with two 105 mm cannons sticking out of its shoulders with enough power to bring down a side of a fortress. However, it lacked other weapons and needed support to protect it while firing, which is why the Leo units were assigned to give them protection in this endeavor. The transmission was:
"Sir, we've received a signal from the Lieutenant. He said that we must get to Hinata City in five minutes to start firing with the Tragus units. I guess this will go smoothly, sir."
"Okay then, let's get a move-on, gentlemen!" ordered the officer.
"About time we got the signal." Spoke the first soldier. "At least we'll get some action and." He got caught short as various shots impaled his Leo thoroughly, destroying him in an explosion and took the squadron by surprise. The leader saw what happened and gave immediate orders to protect the Tragus and watch their backs, for it was only the first attack. However, another attack caught them blindsided as three Tragus were blasted away to pieces by a concentrated heavy fire attack from the sky by aerial MS and a squad of Jump Jet Troopers flew above the helpless Tragus, softening them up with their Vulcan cannons while the flying MS finished them off with missiles as soon as the troopers got out of danger. It was a difficult time for the invaders.
"Everyone fall back and regroup! We must protect the Tragus and counterattack rapidly! The enemy is onto us!" No sooner that he gave the order, other Leo units belonging to the attackers began to pop out of their surroundings and are showering them with their machine guns, giving them a good shooting. It seems that the raid team on Hinata may have unexpected news should they ever find out that their backup group was moments away from being routed and destroyed.
One of the attacking Leos made a transmission while striking down two opponents. "This is Eagle Reaver. Wind Sparrow, please respond. Confirm position, over."
A young man who has a scar a bit across his face and deep blue eyes responded. "Go ahead, Eagle Reaver. We're now just near one of the city's entrances and we're ready to go, over."
"Good. We'll stop their reinforcements here, as planned. You guys search the city and try to save the survivors you find. But remember, don't deviate from the main objective; the people are important, but finding the Chosen Ones is also just as much. Be careful."
"Roger, Eagle Reaver. We'll proceed, over and out." He then turns to see his comrades at their faces. Knowing that this is an important mission, they all need all the help and the luck they can get, for their enemy is not an easy one. "So then, the plan is now decided. We'll split up in two groups and try to find them on various parts of the city. Zell, Irvine and I will go to the eastern part of the city. Rinoa, go with Selphie and Quistis to the north. We must do whatever we can to sweep out the enemy and rescue the civilians, but be careful. The enemies can be try to attack us at every turn and don't forget to find the Chosen Ones. After we execute the recon, we'll meet at the city's center on the fountain in approximately 20 minutes. Are there any questions?"
Zell, a boy with blond hair that stood up and had a mark of a black dragon on a side of his face raised his hand. "So, Squall, how do we know who the Chosen Ones are? Do we have a description of how do they look like?"
Quistis, a beautiful young woman who had the look of a calm, mature woman with sky blue eyes and long, gold hair with a tail on each side of her, framing her face, replied. "It shouldn't be too hard. They are a boy with glasses with short brown hair and a girl who has long, fox like hair. They may be the ones living here, as Master Auron suspected."
"Not to mention some kind of symbol that appears on their foreheads should they have these strange powers." Selphie, a spunky, happy go-lucky girl said. She had green eyes and her hair was combed and split on its sides, giving her the appearance of a little girl. "But do we feel them when they use them?"
"We will feel their presence when it happens, Selphie." Squall spoke. "Let's get to work now. We have a city to save and people to find. Good luck to all of you."
"Squall, please be careful." Rinoa spoke out to him. She was a pretty girl with black hair and a few bangs colored in gold in front of her face. Her brown eyes shone with compassion and determination. "Whatever happens, let's make it back alive together."
"Don't worry, Rinoa. We will." Squall reassured her.
Several meters away..
Naru and Keitaro were running back to Hinata rather desperately after hearing the explosion from the oak tree hill. Despair was on their features as they feared that something bad would happen to the place they called home.
"In all times, why did this have to happen?" Naru asked, very distraught with the explosion they just saw in the distance from the old cherry tree hill in which they were just now. What could possibly be happening in such a night like this, she wondered.
"I have no idea, Naru. I truly want to know this as much as you.", replied Keitaro as he followed her. "I just hope nothing bad happens before it's too late; but I can't stop wondering why such a terrible thing happened here. Who or what could have caused this?"
"I don't know, but we are certainly not going to waste time just thinking, aren't we? We must help everyone before anything else happens." Naru stated. If there was something that characterized her, it was that no matter what thing happens in her life; she would always press forward, counting on the support of those who care for her. And since Keitaro is with her, she felt like nothing could stand in her way in doing what she should. Keitaro nodded in agreement and so they both went as fast as they could towards Hinata city, hoping that nothing horrible will happen once they arrive. Meanwhile.
"Shinmei-ryu, Zantetsuken!!"
"ARRRRGGHH!!"
Motoko had executed one of her family's special techniques to blow the enemy soldiers away in an effort to keep them away from the rest of the girls as the raid continued at an alarming rate. Though the citizens tried their best to evacuate from the city with the assistance of the soldiers from the Crusaders, the Harbingers' men were giving them a hard time, attacking them at every available conjuncture. The girls are very worried about how it would turn out.
"Where are Urashima-sempai and Naru-sempai? We haven't found them yet. I hope they're alright!" Shinobu spoke while holding Kitsune's arm. She was very scared of the black and red soldiers and their intentions, which weren't exactly pleasant ones.
"No worries, Shinobu." Kitsune replied. "Remember that they were going to meet at the old Sakura tree hill tonight, so I think they're a safe distance from here. All we gotta do is get out of here and try to find them outside."
"Easier said than done." Motoko said, looking at the surroundings attentively and listening for any movement with her sword ready in her hands. "They might try to block the exits and get some of the townspeople to use them as hostages. I suspect they will try to do the same thing to us as well, but as long as I hold my sword and have the Shinmei-Ryu on my side, they won't even lay on us a single finger."
"And I'll use my Mecha-Tama to provide assistance to Motoko-chan!" Suu happily announced. "I managed to include some artillery cannons and they're guaranteed to stop all bad guys in their tracks!"
"Uhhhmmm, haven't you tried to give them a test run, Suu?" Kitsune asked with a bit of doubt. Sometimes, Suu's inventions would blow up at the worst of times.
"Well, I wanted to use'em on Keitaro, but he hasn't come back yet." n_ñ Suu had answered while scratching the back of her head, prompting everyone to fall head first and feet straight up. Soon they got up with a big sweat drop on their heads and Shinobu spoke for them all: "I guess we'll have to be careful everyone."
Suddenly, a sound of men grinning and a laugh was heard and it looks like it wasn't going to be pretty.
"So, we found our prizes at last, guys." Said one soldier.
"Yeah, but you know what the lieutenant said about the hostages." Another soldier spoke his opinion.
"But there's nothing wrong if we all have a little fun before tying them up, don't you all think?" A third soldier grinned at the thought.
"I agree. Four and four put together means a lot of fun for all of us." The fourth soldier agreed.
"Well, I suppose you're right. What say we now start? I'll take the sword girl." Their leader said.
"Before someone get her, I take the foxy lady!" The third soldier announced with an evil grin.
"I guess we'll have the other ones then, my friend."
"So we will." The fourth one said to his comrades. As soon as they were done with words, the soldiers approached the girls with the intention of having their way with. However, Motoko was disinclined to let them.
"Come one step further and you will regret your own actions." She spoke seriously.
"Saucy, aren't we? I like that from women." The leader said, still grinning evilly at Motoko.
"Unfortunately, you won't be able to enjoy it." Motoko closed her eyes, put herself in her fighting stance and just as quickly acted, opening her eyes.
"Shinmei-Ryu, Hiken Fuujin Rambu!!"
A powerful gust of air came out from her sword by concentrating her ki and directed it straight at the soldiers. They were too shocked by the sword girl's action and found themselves blown away by the technique; finally landing impacted to a wall and lost consciousness. All the girls cheered their friend on as she taught them a lesson, but as she was going to sheathe her sword, another soldier appeared from behind them and was going to shoot Motoko. However, he was stopped short as he fell to the ground, wounded by a distant bullet. All of the girls looked around and they saw a familiar figure a few centimeters on their left. It was Haruka!
"Hmmm, been a while since I had used this gun for a long time." She calmly spoke while taking the cigarette with her free hand and looked at the group.
"Haruka-san! We're glad you're alright!" Shinobu exclaimed; they were all happy to see her at the right time, but then she responded. "What are you all still doing here? You're supposed to have evacuated from here and join the civilians."
"We should ask you the same thing, Haruka-san" Motoko replied. "Let's just say I used to be a soldier for the Crusaders. I guess I'm not as rusty as I had thought once; I kept my gun as a reminder." Putting her cigarette aside, she gestured the girls to get out of the area as she spoke. "In any case, we should get out of here as soon as possible. We won't find Naru and Keitaro if we're dead." But just so it happens, a group of the black soldiers, possibly ranging from 12-16 was a few meters in front of them and had them outnumbered. Their squad leader spoke out as he held gun pointed at the girls.
"If you wish to stay alive, all of you shall come with us. You don't want to resist us and get things ugly, do you?"
"Not anymore than you actually want." Haruka coolly responded, gun ready in her hand while Motoko unsheathed her sword.
"Since you decided to be this way, I'll be happy to oblige!" Said the leader. "Ok, men, get ready to fire on my count!" It would appear that their lives would end then and there when something stuck the soldiers from behind; it looked like some kind of fireball that made an explosion that had the enemy soldiers dropped like dominos. The leader gets up along with some of his men and was raising his eyes as he spoke in a rasped voice: "Who dares to attack the 34th. Hunter Squadron unannounced?!"
"I did." Replied a cool, collected voice and all the people involved saw the individual before them. He was a tall, good looking young man, blue eyes, he had his bangs of his hair a bit tousled from the sides while his back side was straight and he has a scar that was located a bit across his face, which gave him a rather distinguished look of a true warrior. He had some kind of sword and a revolver gun in his hip hoister. His hand once flared with fire quickly dissipated the flame as he had just used a spell. He looked at the group of young women with Haruka on their side and spoke to the soldiers again with a bit more stern tone in his voice. "So, do you find honor in attacking women that only want to get out of here and you have them outnumbered with not much of a chance? I guess the Harbingers' standards are not exactly very high, now aren't they?"
"You shouldn't interfere in matters which you're not wanted, boy." The soldier threatens the young man. "Get out of our way or you'll be dead on the spot."
The man replied. "I would, but I should let you know that I'm not alone here." He then smiled a bit and made a signal with his hand, making the soldiers wonder what he meant with his smile while the girls looked at him quizzically; only Haruka knew what he meant as a sudden burst of the wind comes shooting out of the ground in force, blasting the soldiers off and they fell completely knocked out by the attack as a young, beautiful woman with a short, straight black hair and a few bangs colored in gold dressed in blue came up as if she flew from the sky like an angel to give the others a helping hand. The man smiled as he saw his partner and girlfriend land squarely on her feet.
"You always arrive on time, Rinoa."
"It's not in me to keep you waiting, Squall." She answered while smiling. "So are they the last group that had to be evacuated?"
"Yeah. They are safe now, so I don't think we should worry about these guys for a while." He replied, turning to see Haruka and bowed. "It's been a while, Haruka-san. I guess you still know how to make the shot at the right time."
"You've grown up, Squall. And you're good with the usage of spells to boot." Haruka replied while keeping her gun back in her hoister. "So then, you certainly didn't come to sightsee, did you?"
"We're are looking for two people that may hold the key for something very important." Rinoa spoke as she showed the group a crystal ball, which held the images of the pair. "Have you seen them somewhere from here?"
All of the girls see the image and they turn wide-eyed as they recognized who they were! Shinobu, as if she's seen a ghost, yelped. "T-that's Naru- sempai and Urashima-sempai! How do you know them??"
Rinoa explains. "Well, the truth is, we don't know them. We've only seen them in the image you see before you, and we've been assigned to find them here in Hinata and take them to the Capital city of Sanc to have them meet with Princess Relena and talk with the Council of the Crusaders of Light. As they have told us, we need them to corroborate a story we heard recently."
Squall then continued. "We were planning to get here at this time, but somehow the Harbingers of Darkness have managed to get here, although they haven't seen what they look like, which is good so that we'll be able to get ahead of them this time around. Fortunately, our forces are keeping the rest of the raiding party at bay and this city is far from destroyed. Also, my comrades and I are helping with the evacuation and defense of the city and try to facilitate our efforts to find the pair and take them to Sanc. I hope you've understood the reason why we're here and why are the Harbingers attacking your city."
Kitsune puts a finger on her chin, thinks about the matter a little and then grins at Squall, answering. "So, let us get this straight, handsome. You mean to say those bad guys are here 'cause they are looking for Naru and Keitaro, right?"
"Whatever reason it may be, we won't allow them to take them by force." Motoko followed. "We are their friends and familiy and as such, we will be there for them when they need us; that makes this our concern as much as yours."
"Yeah. It's really fun when everyone's around. That's why we're family!" Said Suu, hopping as she usually does.
"As long as we're all together, we will never truly be apart at heart. That's what matters the most." Shinobu said.
"Well, you've heard them, Squall. That's why we're looking for them in order to get out of here safely." Haruka spoke. "Are you sure you'll keep them safe when you find them?"
Squall answered. "I assure you all that there will be no problem with that. We'll be able to drive the enemy out and at the same time, we'll secure them both and everything will work out all right. Now, you should concentrate on getting out alive at the moment. When we see your friends, they'll be ok with us, so don't worry."
"Yeah. Besides, we're the good guys and we have to stick together always." Rinoa followed with a sincere smile, and the response would be heard from Haruka. "We'll hold you both on that promise, Squall. Make sure that Naru and Keitaro are alight."
"No need to worry. We'll do our task."
"Then we will leave this to you. I trust Naru-sempai and Urashma-san's lives to you." Motoko said.
"You can be sure they'll be fine." Rinoa replied. With this, everyone gave a bow and soon they followed Rinoa and Squall towards safety where the other citizens are evacuated. Squall then receives a sudden transmission and answers it just as quickly.
"Yeah, it's me. What's up?"
The voice replied. It was Zell. "Yo, Squall! Everything's all right on the merchants' shops and the residence zone. Quistis and I ran into the black soldiers, but we've kicked their butts, but no signs of the Chosen Ones here."
Quistis also talked on the transmission, revealing an astounding fact. "We've also managed to see the leader of this raid. It's Lieutenant Sauzer. It would appear he has been designated to this area to monitor Hinata City to search for the Chosen Ones and decided to attack tonight. Shall we engage him?"
"So Sauzer resurfaced after he escaped from the siege of Bethla Garrison 3 months ago. That doesn't sound good." Squall thought at this; he was just remembering about Sauzer's ruthlessness and his ways to get at his target, no matter what was the cost or how he would carry it out. Afterwards, he replied. "Not right now. I want you and Zell to make sure that the area is completely clear, but stay out of Sauzer's sight. At this rate, we may not know exactly what he might do to accomplish his mission, understood?"
"Yeah, in the green! See ya at the meeting point, Squall! Zell and Quistis out!" Zell signed off. Squall then decides to contact Selphie and Irvine to check the other side of the city and makes his transmission and soon enough, he receives their answer. "This is Irvine. What's up, Squall?"
"Have you already cleared the pathway to the hot springs and on the way to the center?"
Selphie's cheerful voice was heard. "Yep, everything's A-O.K, Squall. Of course, Irvine and me had to knock out the black soldiers, though. Other than that, it's all right now."
"Anything on the Chosen Ones yet, Squall?"
"Not yet, Irvine, but I'm guessing they might come back here to look for their friends, which we're evacuating just now. Soon, we wil." He got interrupted as Rinoa spoke out suddenly, holding a shining object on her hand.
"Squall, look! The Light Stone is shining! They must be nearby!"
"Really?! Where does it shine brighter, Rinoa?"
It didn't take long for Rinoa to determine the direction to find where did the energy was emanating from as Squall remembered that the Light Stone would be helpful in finding the Chosen Ones and unlocking their latent powers tat were surging from within in order to awake them. Could it be possible that they will be found in this night? If so, are the gears of Fate beginning to turn already? Just then, Rinoa confirms the fact. "The Stone is pointing towards the center, where the fountain is. They must be going there!"
"All right. Then let's get there before Sauzer even realizes they're here." Squall then turns towards the group and asked Haruka. "Are you sure you'll be able to make it from here? You're now close to the exit."
Haruka replied calmly as always. "We'll be fine, Squall. You do what you have to do."
"Ok. We'll be careful. Rinoa, let's go!"
"Ok, Squall." With this, they both dash towards the fountain as Squall looks at the Light Stone that Rinoa had just given him to see its light. As they inched closer, the Stone shone even brighter to the point that it looked like a miniature sun that was on the palm of his hand. Everything looks like it's coming together, he thinks. Now is the time to act fast.
On the fountain, Naru and Keitaro had just arrived to look for their friends, but so far their efforts are to no avail. It looked deserted and there were various signs of fire throughout their hometown; Naru was getting worried by each passing moment.
"Is everyone alright.? I wonder if they got out of here?"
Keitaro took her hand to try and comfort her as he responded. "I have a feeling they should be all right, Naru. There must be a few places we haven't looked yet and the city is still standing. We'll be able to find them in no time." Naru squeezed his hand, smiling a little and said. "I hope you're right. I really do." Her face was slowly sinking into a frown as the fires were giving her a grim reminder of something that had happened in her past, something she had put behind and forgotten.
"It was just like this. In that time, when I was little."
The memory quickly fades as Keitaro and Naru heard nearby footsteps that were approaching to them quickly. They gasped a little and could muster to say while getting scared. "Who. who is it.??"
"Don't worry, everything's alright. We found you at last." The couple thought that the voice was calm and reassuring, but it was different at the same time, as if a different person spoke to them. Either fearing the worst or hoping for the best, they turn around and they see before their eyes another couple, which was actually Squall and Rinoa.
"Who. who are you?" Naru asked as the tension of the moment was getting to them.
"I'm Rinoa, and this is Squall. We're friends; we've just saw your friends a short while ago." ^.^ She replied.
"Really?! Are they all right? Did something happen?? Where are they?!" Naru got anxious as she asked those questions. She was alone once, and she would not bear it if something bad happened to her friends. Keitaro was trying to calm her down and Squall then spoke. "They all right. They have just evacuated, so don't get too anxious."
"Thank goodness!" Keitaro relaxed himself and Naru did the same. "If you did help them, we thank you so much for saving them. Naru and I were worried about them, so we came back to the city and tried to find them, but they weren't around."
Naru followed. "Soon we began looking for them in many places we knew of, but some areas were either filled with fire or some of those nasty soldiers that were marching around! Are those guys responsible for what happened here??"
"Yeah, they did." Rinoa confirmed. "But don't worry, I don't think they plan to destroy this place until they find you, but we managed the second part first."
"Now it's our turn to see if everything we heard about you two is true." Squall spoke, showing them the Light Stone. "I want you to relax, open your minds and trust us. We will soon explain why we're going to do this demostration."
"Are you sure no harm will come for us?" Naru asked, a bit nervous and scared for the sudden proposal. "What makes you think who were are who you think we may be anyway? I hope it's not a trick or anything nasty." To this, Keitaro put her hand on her shoulder and she looked at him, blushing a little. "Keitaro."
"I'm here, Naru. As long as I'm here, you'll always be safe. Besides, they had helped Haruka and all the others. I'm sure something good may happen for us; I can't stand by and see our home destroyed, so I'm willing to do anything to help. Will you do the same, Naru?"
"As long as you're with me, I'll do the same. We're in this together, now and always." She showed him her best smile and held hands together and closed their eyes. Squall raises the Stone just above their foreheads and it started to shine brightly, like a grand star. Two symbols appear on each of Naru and Keitaro's foreheads, a mystic energy was now awakening and a big flash of the sights of the universe was now seen. After the light dissipates, their bodies shone with energy for a short while and their eyes emitted a singular glow which showed them proof of their new sides of themselves. Their surprise was summed in this sentence.
"What happened?!?"
Author's note: This was a cliffhanger now, or what?! XD It took me forever to get this chappie out here like hot bread, but it's finally here!! Hurray!! ^o^ What new power has been bestowed to Naru and Keitaro? Are they the Chosen Ones that were professed to be? And how will they respond to their first challenge as the threat of Lieutenant Sauzer approaches to them? You don't want to miss this out on the next chapter titled "First challenge of the Chosen Ones!! A new journey begins!" And I'll also tell you why it took me so long to get this chapter uploaded. See ya there!!
Android K'
Chapter 3: Awakening! Chosen Ones found at last?!
Disclaimer: As you all know, Mobile Suit Gundam, X/1999, Love Hina, Inuyasha, Final Fantasy and all others belong to their respective authors and companies and I don't own them, though I wish hard. n_nU Anyway, I apologize for taking sooooo long here, but my disks wouldn't work well on the PCs and it was hard enough in school, sniff, sniff. T_T But though I have very few reviews, I appreciate if you have time to read this story, since it's my first project and I hope to make this a great saga, as I will span it in three episodes as I progress it! Well, enough about this, time to read!!
Various meters away from the raid, there were a group of giant humanoid robots called Mobile Suits that stood in their position, watching and waiting for the time to swoop down for the harvest that was just beginning.
"Sir, how long are we going to reach that city?" asked a soldier mounted inside a Leo unit. It was an assault type MS that looked like a giant soldier, armed with a machine gun, a shield along with a beam sword concealed just inside the backside of the shield and a bazooka out behind its back. "I know about the information that these so-called Chosen Ones are on a city like the one we're heading, but don't you think we feel like garbage disposal? We should be the ones attacking, not to be carrion eaters."
The commanding officer inside a purple Leo, indicating that he was leader, replies. "It's true about what you said, but it was the Lieutenant's idea to use the black soldiers to commence the raid and our squadron is the backup. I don't like it as much as any of you, but if this plan is successful, we'll be able to be in good graces with our leaders."
Just then, one of the suits that looked like some kind of tank was making a call to the officer and his cockpit was blinking yellow. The Tragus suit was like a tank with arms, with two 105 mm cannons sticking out of its shoulders with enough power to bring down a side of a fortress. However, it lacked other weapons and needed support to protect it while firing, which is why the Leo units were assigned to give them protection in this endeavor. The transmission was:
"Sir, we've received a signal from the Lieutenant. He said that we must get to Hinata City in five minutes to start firing with the Tragus units. I guess this will go smoothly, sir."
"Okay then, let's get a move-on, gentlemen!" ordered the officer.
"About time we got the signal." Spoke the first soldier. "At least we'll get some action and." He got caught short as various shots impaled his Leo thoroughly, destroying him in an explosion and took the squadron by surprise. The leader saw what happened and gave immediate orders to protect the Tragus and watch their backs, for it was only the first attack. However, another attack caught them blindsided as three Tragus were blasted away to pieces by a concentrated heavy fire attack from the sky by aerial MS and a squad of Jump Jet Troopers flew above the helpless Tragus, softening them up with their Vulcan cannons while the flying MS finished them off with missiles as soon as the troopers got out of danger. It was a difficult time for the invaders.
"Everyone fall back and regroup! We must protect the Tragus and counterattack rapidly! The enemy is onto us!" No sooner that he gave the order, other Leo units belonging to the attackers began to pop out of their surroundings and are showering them with their machine guns, giving them a good shooting. It seems that the raid team on Hinata may have unexpected news should they ever find out that their backup group was moments away from being routed and destroyed.
One of the attacking Leos made a transmission while striking down two opponents. "This is Eagle Reaver. Wind Sparrow, please respond. Confirm position, over."
A young man who has a scar a bit across his face and deep blue eyes responded. "Go ahead, Eagle Reaver. We're now just near one of the city's entrances and we're ready to go, over."
"Good. We'll stop their reinforcements here, as planned. You guys search the city and try to save the survivors you find. But remember, don't deviate from the main objective; the people are important, but finding the Chosen Ones is also just as much. Be careful."
"Roger, Eagle Reaver. We'll proceed, over and out." He then turns to see his comrades at their faces. Knowing that this is an important mission, they all need all the help and the luck they can get, for their enemy is not an easy one. "So then, the plan is now decided. We'll split up in two groups and try to find them on various parts of the city. Zell, Irvine and I will go to the eastern part of the city. Rinoa, go with Selphie and Quistis to the north. We must do whatever we can to sweep out the enemy and rescue the civilians, but be careful. The enemies can be try to attack us at every turn and don't forget to find the Chosen Ones. After we execute the recon, we'll meet at the city's center on the fountain in approximately 20 minutes. Are there any questions?"
Zell, a boy with blond hair that stood up and had a mark of a black dragon on a side of his face raised his hand. "So, Squall, how do we know who the Chosen Ones are? Do we have a description of how do they look like?"
Quistis, a beautiful young woman who had the look of a calm, mature woman with sky blue eyes and long, gold hair with a tail on each side of her, framing her face, replied. "It shouldn't be too hard. They are a boy with glasses with short brown hair and a girl who has long, fox like hair. They may be the ones living here, as Master Auron suspected."
"Not to mention some kind of symbol that appears on their foreheads should they have these strange powers." Selphie, a spunky, happy go-lucky girl said. She had green eyes and her hair was combed and split on its sides, giving her the appearance of a little girl. "But do we feel them when they use them?"
"We will feel their presence when it happens, Selphie." Squall spoke. "Let's get to work now. We have a city to save and people to find. Good luck to all of you."
"Squall, please be careful." Rinoa spoke out to him. She was a pretty girl with black hair and a few bangs colored in gold in front of her face. Her brown eyes shone with compassion and determination. "Whatever happens, let's make it back alive together."
"Don't worry, Rinoa. We will." Squall reassured her.
Several meters away..
Naru and Keitaro were running back to Hinata rather desperately after hearing the explosion from the oak tree hill. Despair was on their features as they feared that something bad would happen to the place they called home.
"In all times, why did this have to happen?" Naru asked, very distraught with the explosion they just saw in the distance from the old cherry tree hill in which they were just now. What could possibly be happening in such a night like this, she wondered.
"I have no idea, Naru. I truly want to know this as much as you.", replied Keitaro as he followed her. "I just hope nothing bad happens before it's too late; but I can't stop wondering why such a terrible thing happened here. Who or what could have caused this?"
"I don't know, but we are certainly not going to waste time just thinking, aren't we? We must help everyone before anything else happens." Naru stated. If there was something that characterized her, it was that no matter what thing happens in her life; she would always press forward, counting on the support of those who care for her. And since Keitaro is with her, she felt like nothing could stand in her way in doing what she should. Keitaro nodded in agreement and so they both went as fast as they could towards Hinata city, hoping that nothing horrible will happen once they arrive. Meanwhile.
"Shinmei-ryu, Zantetsuken!!"
"ARRRRGGHH!!"
Motoko had executed one of her family's special techniques to blow the enemy soldiers away in an effort to keep them away from the rest of the girls as the raid continued at an alarming rate. Though the citizens tried their best to evacuate from the city with the assistance of the soldiers from the Crusaders, the Harbingers' men were giving them a hard time, attacking them at every available conjuncture. The girls are very worried about how it would turn out.
"Where are Urashima-sempai and Naru-sempai? We haven't found them yet. I hope they're alright!" Shinobu spoke while holding Kitsune's arm. She was very scared of the black and red soldiers and their intentions, which weren't exactly pleasant ones.
"No worries, Shinobu." Kitsune replied. "Remember that they were going to meet at the old Sakura tree hill tonight, so I think they're a safe distance from here. All we gotta do is get out of here and try to find them outside."
"Easier said than done." Motoko said, looking at the surroundings attentively and listening for any movement with her sword ready in her hands. "They might try to block the exits and get some of the townspeople to use them as hostages. I suspect they will try to do the same thing to us as well, but as long as I hold my sword and have the Shinmei-Ryu on my side, they won't even lay on us a single finger."
"And I'll use my Mecha-Tama to provide assistance to Motoko-chan!" Suu happily announced. "I managed to include some artillery cannons and they're guaranteed to stop all bad guys in their tracks!"
"Uhhhmmm, haven't you tried to give them a test run, Suu?" Kitsune asked with a bit of doubt. Sometimes, Suu's inventions would blow up at the worst of times.
"Well, I wanted to use'em on Keitaro, but he hasn't come back yet." n_ñ Suu had answered while scratching the back of her head, prompting everyone to fall head first and feet straight up. Soon they got up with a big sweat drop on their heads and Shinobu spoke for them all: "I guess we'll have to be careful everyone."
Suddenly, a sound of men grinning and a laugh was heard and it looks like it wasn't going to be pretty.
"So, we found our prizes at last, guys." Said one soldier.
"Yeah, but you know what the lieutenant said about the hostages." Another soldier spoke his opinion.
"But there's nothing wrong if we all have a little fun before tying them up, don't you all think?" A third soldier grinned at the thought.
"I agree. Four and four put together means a lot of fun for all of us." The fourth soldier agreed.
"Well, I suppose you're right. What say we now start? I'll take the sword girl." Their leader said.
"Before someone get her, I take the foxy lady!" The third soldier announced with an evil grin.
"I guess we'll have the other ones then, my friend."
"So we will." The fourth one said to his comrades. As soon as they were done with words, the soldiers approached the girls with the intention of having their way with. However, Motoko was disinclined to let them.
"Come one step further and you will regret your own actions." She spoke seriously.
"Saucy, aren't we? I like that from women." The leader said, still grinning evilly at Motoko.
"Unfortunately, you won't be able to enjoy it." Motoko closed her eyes, put herself in her fighting stance and just as quickly acted, opening her eyes.
"Shinmei-Ryu, Hiken Fuujin Rambu!!"
A powerful gust of air came out from her sword by concentrating her ki and directed it straight at the soldiers. They were too shocked by the sword girl's action and found themselves blown away by the technique; finally landing impacted to a wall and lost consciousness. All the girls cheered their friend on as she taught them a lesson, but as she was going to sheathe her sword, another soldier appeared from behind them and was going to shoot Motoko. However, he was stopped short as he fell to the ground, wounded by a distant bullet. All of the girls looked around and they saw a familiar figure a few centimeters on their left. It was Haruka!
"Hmmm, been a while since I had used this gun for a long time." She calmly spoke while taking the cigarette with her free hand and looked at the group.
"Haruka-san! We're glad you're alright!" Shinobu exclaimed; they were all happy to see her at the right time, but then she responded. "What are you all still doing here? You're supposed to have evacuated from here and join the civilians."
"We should ask you the same thing, Haruka-san" Motoko replied. "Let's just say I used to be a soldier for the Crusaders. I guess I'm not as rusty as I had thought once; I kept my gun as a reminder." Putting her cigarette aside, she gestured the girls to get out of the area as she spoke. "In any case, we should get out of here as soon as possible. We won't find Naru and Keitaro if we're dead." But just so it happens, a group of the black soldiers, possibly ranging from 12-16 was a few meters in front of them and had them outnumbered. Their squad leader spoke out as he held gun pointed at the girls.
"If you wish to stay alive, all of you shall come with us. You don't want to resist us and get things ugly, do you?"
"Not anymore than you actually want." Haruka coolly responded, gun ready in her hand while Motoko unsheathed her sword.
"Since you decided to be this way, I'll be happy to oblige!" Said the leader. "Ok, men, get ready to fire on my count!" It would appear that their lives would end then and there when something stuck the soldiers from behind; it looked like some kind of fireball that made an explosion that had the enemy soldiers dropped like dominos. The leader gets up along with some of his men and was raising his eyes as he spoke in a rasped voice: "Who dares to attack the 34th. Hunter Squadron unannounced?!"
"I did." Replied a cool, collected voice and all the people involved saw the individual before them. He was a tall, good looking young man, blue eyes, he had his bangs of his hair a bit tousled from the sides while his back side was straight and he has a scar that was located a bit across his face, which gave him a rather distinguished look of a true warrior. He had some kind of sword and a revolver gun in his hip hoister. His hand once flared with fire quickly dissipated the flame as he had just used a spell. He looked at the group of young women with Haruka on their side and spoke to the soldiers again with a bit more stern tone in his voice. "So, do you find honor in attacking women that only want to get out of here and you have them outnumbered with not much of a chance? I guess the Harbingers' standards are not exactly very high, now aren't they?"
"You shouldn't interfere in matters which you're not wanted, boy." The soldier threatens the young man. "Get out of our way or you'll be dead on the spot."
The man replied. "I would, but I should let you know that I'm not alone here." He then smiled a bit and made a signal with his hand, making the soldiers wonder what he meant with his smile while the girls looked at him quizzically; only Haruka knew what he meant as a sudden burst of the wind comes shooting out of the ground in force, blasting the soldiers off and they fell completely knocked out by the attack as a young, beautiful woman with a short, straight black hair and a few bangs colored in gold dressed in blue came up as if she flew from the sky like an angel to give the others a helping hand. The man smiled as he saw his partner and girlfriend land squarely on her feet.
"You always arrive on time, Rinoa."
"It's not in me to keep you waiting, Squall." She answered while smiling. "So are they the last group that had to be evacuated?"
"Yeah. They are safe now, so I don't think we should worry about these guys for a while." He replied, turning to see Haruka and bowed. "It's been a while, Haruka-san. I guess you still know how to make the shot at the right time."
"You've grown up, Squall. And you're good with the usage of spells to boot." Haruka replied while keeping her gun back in her hoister. "So then, you certainly didn't come to sightsee, did you?"
"We're are looking for two people that may hold the key for something very important." Rinoa spoke as she showed the group a crystal ball, which held the images of the pair. "Have you seen them somewhere from here?"
All of the girls see the image and they turn wide-eyed as they recognized who they were! Shinobu, as if she's seen a ghost, yelped. "T-that's Naru- sempai and Urashima-sempai! How do you know them??"
Rinoa explains. "Well, the truth is, we don't know them. We've only seen them in the image you see before you, and we've been assigned to find them here in Hinata and take them to the Capital city of Sanc to have them meet with Princess Relena and talk with the Council of the Crusaders of Light. As they have told us, we need them to corroborate a story we heard recently."
Squall then continued. "We were planning to get here at this time, but somehow the Harbingers of Darkness have managed to get here, although they haven't seen what they look like, which is good so that we'll be able to get ahead of them this time around. Fortunately, our forces are keeping the rest of the raiding party at bay and this city is far from destroyed. Also, my comrades and I are helping with the evacuation and defense of the city and try to facilitate our efforts to find the pair and take them to Sanc. I hope you've understood the reason why we're here and why are the Harbingers attacking your city."
Kitsune puts a finger on her chin, thinks about the matter a little and then grins at Squall, answering. "So, let us get this straight, handsome. You mean to say those bad guys are here 'cause they are looking for Naru and Keitaro, right?"
"Whatever reason it may be, we won't allow them to take them by force." Motoko followed. "We are their friends and familiy and as such, we will be there for them when they need us; that makes this our concern as much as yours."
"Yeah. It's really fun when everyone's around. That's why we're family!" Said Suu, hopping as she usually does.
"As long as we're all together, we will never truly be apart at heart. That's what matters the most." Shinobu said.
"Well, you've heard them, Squall. That's why we're looking for them in order to get out of here safely." Haruka spoke. "Are you sure you'll keep them safe when you find them?"
Squall answered. "I assure you all that there will be no problem with that. We'll be able to drive the enemy out and at the same time, we'll secure them both and everything will work out all right. Now, you should concentrate on getting out alive at the moment. When we see your friends, they'll be ok with us, so don't worry."
"Yeah. Besides, we're the good guys and we have to stick together always." Rinoa followed with a sincere smile, and the response would be heard from Haruka. "We'll hold you both on that promise, Squall. Make sure that Naru and Keitaro are alight."
"No need to worry. We'll do our task."
"Then we will leave this to you. I trust Naru-sempai and Urashma-san's lives to you." Motoko said.
"You can be sure they'll be fine." Rinoa replied. With this, everyone gave a bow and soon they followed Rinoa and Squall towards safety where the other citizens are evacuated. Squall then receives a sudden transmission and answers it just as quickly.
"Yeah, it's me. What's up?"
The voice replied. It was Zell. "Yo, Squall! Everything's all right on the merchants' shops and the residence zone. Quistis and I ran into the black soldiers, but we've kicked their butts, but no signs of the Chosen Ones here."
Quistis also talked on the transmission, revealing an astounding fact. "We've also managed to see the leader of this raid. It's Lieutenant Sauzer. It would appear he has been designated to this area to monitor Hinata City to search for the Chosen Ones and decided to attack tonight. Shall we engage him?"
"So Sauzer resurfaced after he escaped from the siege of Bethla Garrison 3 months ago. That doesn't sound good." Squall thought at this; he was just remembering about Sauzer's ruthlessness and his ways to get at his target, no matter what was the cost or how he would carry it out. Afterwards, he replied. "Not right now. I want you and Zell to make sure that the area is completely clear, but stay out of Sauzer's sight. At this rate, we may not know exactly what he might do to accomplish his mission, understood?"
"Yeah, in the green! See ya at the meeting point, Squall! Zell and Quistis out!" Zell signed off. Squall then decides to contact Selphie and Irvine to check the other side of the city and makes his transmission and soon enough, he receives their answer. "This is Irvine. What's up, Squall?"
"Have you already cleared the pathway to the hot springs and on the way to the center?"
Selphie's cheerful voice was heard. "Yep, everything's A-O.K, Squall. Of course, Irvine and me had to knock out the black soldiers, though. Other than that, it's all right now."
"Anything on the Chosen Ones yet, Squall?"
"Not yet, Irvine, but I'm guessing they might come back here to look for their friends, which we're evacuating just now. Soon, we wil." He got interrupted as Rinoa spoke out suddenly, holding a shining object on her hand.
"Squall, look! The Light Stone is shining! They must be nearby!"
"Really?! Where does it shine brighter, Rinoa?"
It didn't take long for Rinoa to determine the direction to find where did the energy was emanating from as Squall remembered that the Light Stone would be helpful in finding the Chosen Ones and unlocking their latent powers tat were surging from within in order to awake them. Could it be possible that they will be found in this night? If so, are the gears of Fate beginning to turn already? Just then, Rinoa confirms the fact. "The Stone is pointing towards the center, where the fountain is. They must be going there!"
"All right. Then let's get there before Sauzer even realizes they're here." Squall then turns towards the group and asked Haruka. "Are you sure you'll be able to make it from here? You're now close to the exit."
Haruka replied calmly as always. "We'll be fine, Squall. You do what you have to do."
"Ok. We'll be careful. Rinoa, let's go!"
"Ok, Squall." With this, they both dash towards the fountain as Squall looks at the Light Stone that Rinoa had just given him to see its light. As they inched closer, the Stone shone even brighter to the point that it looked like a miniature sun that was on the palm of his hand. Everything looks like it's coming together, he thinks. Now is the time to act fast.
On the fountain, Naru and Keitaro had just arrived to look for their friends, but so far their efforts are to no avail. It looked deserted and there were various signs of fire throughout their hometown; Naru was getting worried by each passing moment.
"Is everyone alright.? I wonder if they got out of here?"
Keitaro took her hand to try and comfort her as he responded. "I have a feeling they should be all right, Naru. There must be a few places we haven't looked yet and the city is still standing. We'll be able to find them in no time." Naru squeezed his hand, smiling a little and said. "I hope you're right. I really do." Her face was slowly sinking into a frown as the fires were giving her a grim reminder of something that had happened in her past, something she had put behind and forgotten.
"It was just like this. In that time, when I was little."
The memory quickly fades as Keitaro and Naru heard nearby footsteps that were approaching to them quickly. They gasped a little and could muster to say while getting scared. "Who. who is it.??"
"Don't worry, everything's alright. We found you at last." The couple thought that the voice was calm and reassuring, but it was different at the same time, as if a different person spoke to them. Either fearing the worst or hoping for the best, they turn around and they see before their eyes another couple, which was actually Squall and Rinoa.
"Who. who are you?" Naru asked as the tension of the moment was getting to them.
"I'm Rinoa, and this is Squall. We're friends; we've just saw your friends a short while ago." ^.^ She replied.
"Really?! Are they all right? Did something happen?? Where are they?!" Naru got anxious as she asked those questions. She was alone once, and she would not bear it if something bad happened to her friends. Keitaro was trying to calm her down and Squall then spoke. "They all right. They have just evacuated, so don't get too anxious."
"Thank goodness!" Keitaro relaxed himself and Naru did the same. "If you did help them, we thank you so much for saving them. Naru and I were worried about them, so we came back to the city and tried to find them, but they weren't around."
Naru followed. "Soon we began looking for them in many places we knew of, but some areas were either filled with fire or some of those nasty soldiers that were marching around! Are those guys responsible for what happened here??"
"Yeah, they did." Rinoa confirmed. "But don't worry, I don't think they plan to destroy this place until they find you, but we managed the second part first."
"Now it's our turn to see if everything we heard about you two is true." Squall spoke, showing them the Light Stone. "I want you to relax, open your minds and trust us. We will soon explain why we're going to do this demostration."
"Are you sure no harm will come for us?" Naru asked, a bit nervous and scared for the sudden proposal. "What makes you think who were are who you think we may be anyway? I hope it's not a trick or anything nasty." To this, Keitaro put her hand on her shoulder and she looked at him, blushing a little. "Keitaro."
"I'm here, Naru. As long as I'm here, you'll always be safe. Besides, they had helped Haruka and all the others. I'm sure something good may happen for us; I can't stand by and see our home destroyed, so I'm willing to do anything to help. Will you do the same, Naru?"
"As long as you're with me, I'll do the same. We're in this together, now and always." She showed him her best smile and held hands together and closed their eyes. Squall raises the Stone just above their foreheads and it started to shine brightly, like a grand star. Two symbols appear on each of Naru and Keitaro's foreheads, a mystic energy was now awakening and a big flash of the sights of the universe was now seen. After the light dissipates, their bodies shone with energy for a short while and their eyes emitted a singular glow which showed them proof of their new sides of themselves. Their surprise was summed in this sentence.
"What happened?!?"
Author's note: This was a cliffhanger now, or what?! XD It took me forever to get this chappie out here like hot bread, but it's finally here!! Hurray!! ^o^ What new power has been bestowed to Naru and Keitaro? Are they the Chosen Ones that were professed to be? And how will they respond to their first challenge as the threat of Lieutenant Sauzer approaches to them? You don't want to miss this out on the next chapter titled "First challenge of the Chosen Ones!! A new journey begins!" And I'll also tell you why it took me so long to get this chapter uploaded. See ya there!!
Android K'