Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Sailor Moon, Trigun, Evangelion, Lupin the Third, Outlaw Star, Rurouni Kenshin, G-Gundam, any other Gundam Series, Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, any movies, books, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

Notice to Readers: To understand certain parts of this story, you'll have to read the other stories before this one. It is recommended by not required.

The DarkTower:

Anime's Unite

Chapter 4: The Southern Group

Thieves and Outlaws

In the Penthouse Suite of a luxurious hotel/casino in Paris France, Fujiko Mine was showering in the very spacious bathroom after the theft of a large sum of money from three casinos in Monte Carlo.  While Jigen was playing darts while lying back in a recliner, Lupin was having a nice glass of beer at the bar, and of course Goemon was sitting on the couch, cross-legged, with his sword always at his side.
            They hear the running water of the shower, and Lupin having a little bit of alcohol in his system decides to have a peek. He tip toes his way to the bathroom and tries to be very quiet about it. Yet, something is very different about this, this time. There was something in the air that was very, very different. But Lupin didn't care; his libido took over his common sense…as it always did...and so he carefully opened the door to the bathroom, feeling the steam pass him.  

He saw Fujiko's gorgeous figure there standing in the running water through the frosty glass of the shower door. He was in heaven as he continued to watch her silhouette. His heart raced as the libido flowed through his body in ecstasy. Of course all good things had to come to an end when the situation changed.  As Lupin continued to watch Fujiko in the shower he watched as something happened to her. Her silhouette fell. It fell downward as if there was a trapdoor in that shower, like the kinds that are used in farce theatre comedies as well as magic shows.  She fell through the bottom of the shower screaming.

Lupin's heart took a leap into his chest as he watch the woman that he lusted for fall in a way he never thought possible.  The scream was so loud, that even the gunman Jigen and the swordsman Goemon came rushing in.

"What the hell just happened?" Jigen asked

"I don't know." Lupin answered grimly as he went to the shower door and opened it.  His first instinct told him to look down and there he saw it. A square opening in the floor of the shower that led into nothingness…only darkness was there.  In all the times that Lupin had had his run-in's with things that were strange, this was the strangest of them all.  Something else seemed to take over Lupin...a feeling of preparedness, or a need to be prepared.  He went over to the elaborate sink of the bathroom where Fujiko's favorite dress, as well as her undergarments and weapon of choice lay.  It was her bright pink dress, with the U-cut neck, that hugged her figure when she wore it, as well as the thigh holster for her gun.  Lupin gathered all of them up into his arms.

"Now what are you doing?" Jigen asked

"I have a feeling that we need to follow her." Lupin answered

His answer was strange, unlike anything he had ever done in his whole criminal career.  As if Lupin had seen the future and the things that were held within it.  And he knew that wherever Fujiko was, she was wet and naked. Lupin being a self-proclaimed gentleman knew that he had to bring Fujiko her clothes.  Thinking about how wet she would be Lupin also took a towel from the hotels rack.  He went to the shower and looked down into it.  He closed his eyes, holding onto Fujiko's belongings, and jumped down into the hole.  The one's left behind, Jigen and Goemon looked at each other.  Though the two had worked together quite a lot, they knew that the bond they had was Lupin himself.

So, Jigen went first.  He held onto his hat and went down into the hole.

Goemon always the confident one just went head first as if he was diving off of a high board.  All four of them had fallen into the darkness within the shower.  None of them could understand why this was happening.  At least that's what only three of them thought.  But, it wasn't too long until that all three of them had seen a light, much like the light that was spoken about from people who had experienced death.  A few of them had wondered if they had died by falling into the hole.  Thinking about death was terrible to them. Even Fujiko and Lupin.  That was when the light had consumed them.  It grew over them just like diving into a pool of water.  The light had overtaken them and that was when they felt solid ground.

            In the Toward Star System, a red ship was making its way across the galaxy to make its delivery.  This red starship was a part of a very special class of ships called "grappler ships", duly named for the set of hands and arms that are built into their design.  It is that which made this particular red ship its uniqueness, built with the brains of the pirates and the resources of the space forces.  This ship was named the Outlaw Star (at least that's what its captain called it, when its development name was XGP-15A2) and its captain was an outlaw named Gene Starwind or Lucky Star Gene as he has been called, mostly because of his enormous luck to get out of the direst of situations.  There were rumors that had spread that Gene had gone up against the most ruthless of the Kei Pirates called "the Anten Seven"…and won, but he didn't do it alone.  He had help.

            The first mate of the Outlaw Star was a young boy by the name Jim Hawking (thus the name of his and Gene's company, Starwind and Hawking Enterprises, their slogan that they can fix anything from tractors to relationships).  Of course, since Gene was such a care-free individual, Jim was his anchor to bring him back to the reality of life, so he's his partner.  But what that really means is that Jim tries to keep Gene out of as much trouble as he inflicts. 

            Next was the ships navigator, a young beautiful woman named Melphina, the only person who could even navigate the Outlaw Star.  The reason for this was because Melphina was a bio-android, specifically created to navigate the Outlaw Star.  Despite this, Melphina was her own person. 

            Then there were the other crew members of the Outlaw Star.  First there was a woman who was a great swordsman with a bokudo (a sword made of wood).  Before meeting Gene Starwind, she was a deadly assassin who went by the name of Twilight Sazuka.  She was named this because she always had the style of killing her targets directly at sunset.  Of course if she missed it, which rarely happens, the target would have one full day before the next sunset.  This very thing happened to her when she met Gene Starwind.  She was to kill one of Gene's Investors, a broker named Fred Lowe.  Since it was Gene that made Sazuka miss the target, she has since followed Gene, perhaps it was an interest she had in him, or just curiosity of how he made such a deadly assassin miss the mark. 

            Next was a Ktarl-Ktarl named Asia Clan-Clan, her race were a people who were said to be very cat-like or to be more specific a tiger.  After all, Asia really was an animal when it came to certain things.  Such as food, she has been known to eat a meal intended for at least eight people in one sitting.  She also had unique lycanthrope abilities, meaning that she could change into a great white tiger when the moon was full.  She had met Gene on an accidental meeting between her race and the outlaw named Hilda (or Hot Ice Hilda), who was the one that brought the Outlaw Star to Gene. 

            Last of all was the actual ship, the computer of the Outlaw Star named Gilliam 2, who would see most of the Outlaw Star's operations, and his main facet of his speaking voice was a circle above the cockpit chair.  It was divided into three sections, red, gold, and blue.  The red section would bounce up and down with his voice like a speedometer.

            "Gene" He called. "We are approaching Heyfong."

            "Good" Gene said coming out of his relaxed position of having his hands behind his head, "I was starting to get bored."

            He wasn't the only one.  He wasn't the only one.  Asia Clan-Clan, was sitting in her chair just sleeping with her hands and feet tucked in just like a cat. 

Though Sazuka was only dealing with the boredom by sipping back green tea.

Ironically enough the cargo that they were transporting was actually a few packages for Fred Lowe, the very an that Gene had gotten into some serious debt a while back. Though miraculously, he did find a way to get out of it quite quickly.  It was by capturing the bounty of the Kei Pirate named Hotana, who had made a gate into a different universe.  In that Universe Gene Starwind and his crew had encountered a very special group of people called the Preventers.  It was thanks to them and the capture of Hotana that Gene Starwing had achieved his nick name "Lucky Star Gene", and his crew "The Outlaw Six".  Bringing Hotana back, they got a bounty so huge that they paid back all the debts that they had to Fred Lowe and had lived quite comfortably.  Though with repairs to the ship and all a lot of the money went away quite quickly.

Visiting Fred Lowe was a little like visiting a grandmother that Gene didn't like very much.  Mostly because Fred was a little…too friendly…feminine would be a better word in his case.  After all, Fred always did get pretty "chummy" around Gene, hugging him a lot as well as smiling as if he had never been happier.  Of course, Gene had his suspicions about Fred, but like the overly kind grandmother, Gene knew that he had to get out and fast.

"Bye-bye Gene."  Fred said as Gene walked out of his office, "Come again soon."

"Sure."  Gene said feigning his sincerity. 

Going back to Sentinel 3, Gene thought to himself that putting up with Fred's extreme kindness was worth it…especially with the 10,000 Wong that was paid for transporting the cargo; even though Gene never looked in the crate.

He set the ship on autopilot for Sentinel 3 as he laid back and rested.  He didn't dream because he was awakened sharply by the sound of Gilliam's and Jim's voice. 

"Gene!"  They called, "Gene!  Wake up!"

Gene opened his eyes trying to block out the bright lights of the cockpit and rubbing the sand out of his eyes.

"Are we already there?"  He asked groggily, "That was longer than I thought."

"That's not it, Gene."  Gilliam answered, "There seems to be something up ahead."

Gene looked ahead, and his eyes were already drawn to a bright object that was dead ahead.  It was a diamond shaped object floating in space.  Inside it, Gene could see blue, like the blue skies over Sentinel 3 as well as clouds as if it was a window on an airplane.  Gene's eyes then made a quick look around and noticed that the Outlaw Star had stopped completely.  It seemed as if his entire crew were like travelers at the gates of an unknown city. 

"What the hell is it?"  Gene asked

"From what my memories tell me, it is exactly the same type of space-time hole as we encountered when we faced the Kei Pirate Hotana."

"A space-time hole?"  Jim asked, "You mean like a wormhole?"

"Yes, but unlike that incident with the pirate, this hole seems to be appearing with no external force.  My sensors can't pick up anything beyond it."

Gene suddenly felt a wash of certainty over him, like going to someplace unknown and having the feeling of making a left instead of a right.  Never really knowing that place very well, only knowing by maybe intuition or pure luck that it would be the right turn. 

"Gilliam" Gene ordered, "Set course for the hole, we're going in."

"Are you crazy!?"  Jim screamed, "We have no idea what's in there!  For all we know it could be a dimension of pure chaos!"

"Calm down, Jim."  Gene said with a smile.  He always seemed to smile whenever the situation was its direst.  Like a man who treats the Grim Reaper as a favorite relative and simply smiles when he visits.  "I have a pretty good feeling that we'll be alright." 

"I have to agree with Jim."  Sazuka spoke out, "This thing just came out of nowhere and now we're supposed to go through it like invited guests?"

Asia Clan-Clan jumped out of her seat and wrapped her arms around Sazuka's neck, "You're still just such a worry wart Su-zu."

"Please, don't call me that, Asia."  Sazuka uttered in her vigilant protest. 

"I say we go through it, it appeals so much to a Ktarl-Ktarl's sense of adventure!"

"Now you're talkin'!"  Gene agreed

"What about you, Melphina?" Jim asked

Melphina who was floating suspended in the navigator's tank spoke her own opinion, "I feel the same way as Gene.  I can't exactly explain it, but I feel like we have to go through it.  After all, I don't think its coincidence that it opened randomly."

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying."  Gene agreed, "It's like someone is opening the door to us like guests or something."  

"Fine, but I still say that there's something not right about this."  Jim sat back and accepted the inevitable; then again he always went off of the facts of the situation.  One would say that he was the kind of person who was all-brain and no-heart. 

"Very well then."  Gilliam stated, "Setting course." 

Gene took the controls and passed through the tear, leaving behind the familiar universe of the Toward Star System. 

All of the Lupin Crew had felt as if they had taken a plunge out of the hotel room and fell onto the hard ground, each of them feeling the prickly sensation against their exposed parts.  At first they were trying to recover from what happened.  Then their eyes had adjusted to the new light.  The first to stand up was Lupin.  He looked up and around him, and found that he was in the middle of the country. But what country?  He didn't know.  He had been over nearly every square inch of the world and never had he seen a place like it.  There were rolling grasslands all around him.

He looked to the sun which was already going into late afternoon in the west.  And in the west he saw an enormous forest that stretched for miles from north to south.  To the east, he saw a mountain range that extended northward, like the back of a great demon upon the land.  He looked underneath him and he was standing in the grassland.  That was when he remembered Fujiko.  He looked around and found her belongings, her clothes, her undergarments (which he smiled greedily as he picked them up), her gun and holster.

He then looked around closer to him.  There he found Jigen lying down on his stomach.  Next to him was Goemon who had fallen onto his back.  Then just to Lupin's right towards the direction of the mountains he saw Fujiko.  She was lying in the grasslands, naked, and wet...just as much as he expected.  A smile stretched across his face as he looked at her.  But then the smile vanished when he saw how helpless she was lying there in the middle of pure grass.  He went to her with her belongings in his hands, as well as the towel that he picked up.

"Fujiko." He called

"Fujiko?"

Fujiko flinched and then awakened. Her beautiful blue eyes underneath her wet brunet hair looked up at Lupin.

"There you go."   Lupin said.

That was when the reality of the situation hit Fujiko, she was naked!  She quickly rolled up into a ball and tried to cover herself up from the perverted Lupin.  She wanted to slap him so hard, but she couldn't for the state she was in. So she could only yell.

"You pervert!" She screamed, it echoed across the land, "How dare you drag me out here and see me like this!"

"It's not my fault, Fujiko." Lupin tried to explain in a gentle voice, "You fell through a hole in the shower."

"A hole?" Fujiko asked

"Yeah" Lupin nodded, "So we followed you. Here I have your clothes as well as a towel."

Fujiko brought her hands together and to her face, "My hero." She cooed.

That was when Lupin ruined the moment by being himself, his face smiled and Fujiko realized her breasts were exposed so she quickly covered herself back up again.

"PERVERT!" She screamed

"Here." Lupin said very sultry. He looked up to the sky as Fujiko grabbed her towel as well as her clothes.  Lupin tried not to ruin everything else, so he turned around and squatted with a very disappointed look on his face.  Everything about the land he was in was so peculiar.  The sky seemed to be a deeper blue than anything he had ever seen.  It wasn't clouded by anything. The only clouds were the natural ones that rolled across it.

"Hey, where in the hell are we?" Jigen asked as he got up, brushing the dirt off of his suit.

Goemon got up and dusted himself off and looked at the landscape, "That is a very apt question." he said.

"That doesn't exactly give me an answer." Jigen replied
"Hey, I don't know where we are either." Lupin joined in

"You know it's her fault." Jigen pointed his finger at Fujiko who had just gotten her dress on and was getting her gun holster

"My fault?" She asked

"Yeah, you were the one in the shower." Jigen spat

"Hey, it's not my fault that something opened up under me!" Fujiko spat back getting her gun holster on

"ENOUGH!" Lupin shouted so loud that it echoed even further across the land.  "Look, we're in this very strange place. It's no one's fault that we got here. The only thing we can do now is try to figure out as much as we can."

"He is right." Goemon nodded, "We can't point fingers at each other otherwise we'll be in worse off shape then we were before."

"Ok." Jigen calmed down with still a little fire under his collar, "What do you suggest we do."

Lupin couldn't figure out an answer to that question.  He looked around in all four directions.  To the south were the forests as well as to the West, and the mountains of the East met each other like two great hands coming together for a handshake. 

He then looked North, where the path was very clear before him.

"Let's go that way." He said

"Why that way?" Fujiko asked

"I don't know." Lupin answered, "It just looks better."

He couldn't tell anyone the truth.  That he was feeling a very odd pull to the north. As if someone was calling him or rather pulling him there.  He walked across the grasslands to the North while Jigen, Goemon and Fujiko (who was struggling to get her high heels on) followed.  One thing Fujiko had to remind herself to use boots in terrain like this.  It seemed like hours and hours until Lupin and his crew came to a river.  It too was like the rest of the landscape.  It was larger and so much clearer than any river on Earth.  That was when it occurred to all of them what was so different about this world.  Everything was so much clearer, so much brighter than anything.  Even though they would never admit it in the future, they were actually enjoying the scenery.  Lupin looked to the west and saw the sun was starting to roll over the forest of the west.As he looked to the west, he saw a bridge there. He dashed along side of the river, with his crew following him.

Though, Fujiko had to take off her high heels as she learned that running in high heels is never, ever the best thing to do.  As they came to the bridge, only Jigen and Fujiko were a little out of breath, they looked to the stone made bridge and a sign near it.  Lupin read it out loud.

"River Midas.

Derry: 30 Miles"

"Derry?" Jigen asked, "I've never heard of such a place."

"Neither have I." Lupin agreed, "But it's the best change we got of finding a place to stay. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Goemon, Jigen, and Fujiko said in unison.

The four of them continued their trek across the grassy plains of this strange land.

            "Gene!"  Gilliam shouted, "My sensors are detecting a massive gravitational pull from below!"

            Gene and the crew of the Outlaw Star watched through the windows as the scenery changed from the landscape of clouds and blue sky change.  It all went downward as if they were making a nose dive.  They also felt the push upward like the very first drop of a roller coaster that shoves everyone in the cart back against their seat.  As they all felt the tumbling and downward spiral, Gene grabbed the controls. 

            "What's going on!?"

            "It's as if we've come into a planetary atmosphere!"  Melphina shouted as she tried to remain composed in the navigation tank. 

            "Then I'll land!"  Gene shouted as he took the controls and made the same standard procedures in making a landing.  As he did he never felt such a rush to hurry since the first time he landed the Outlaw Star on Sentinel 3 on the very day he received it.  He deployed the landing gear and made the adjustments for the Outlaw Star to tip upward.  He knew that all he could do was hold onto the controls and pray to God that they don't crash. 

            He looked out the windows and saw that they were coming out of the clouds, but since the Outlaw Star was already turned upward they couldn't see what exactly or where exactly they were landing.  So that much in itself was also in God's hands.  As he looked to see the clouds getting further and further away from the cockpit windows there was a great crash.  Gene, Jim, Asia, and Sazuka were all thrown about in the cockpit cabin like loose toys in some kids' lunchbox.  Some of them actually hitting their heads on the steel inner walls and all was black and quiet.

            The first to awaken was Asia, of course she was always the strongest one of the group, but then again she was also the most hard-headed one as well.  She got up and straightened herself off as is she had landed in the dirt.  She looked around the cabin and saw that the lights were still on, she concluded that there was still power.  She looked around for the others.

            The first one she found was just a foot away from her, it was Jim.

            "Hey, wake up."  She said gently hoping that he wasn't dead

            Jim opened his eyes and sat up, "Oh, damn it."  He uttered, "What the hell happened?"

            "I have no idea."  Gene's voice came out as he too stood up from where he was at, and shortly Sazuka followed. 

            "Melphina.  Are you alright?"  Gene asked as he looked into the Navigation tank to see Melhpina's eyes were closed

            Melphina had awakened inside the tank, "I'm alright."  Then the navigation tank sunk into the floor and out came a fully clothed Melhpina who wanted to assess the situation just as much as everyone else on the bridge.

            "Gilliam."  Gene called, "Can you give a damage report?"

            "Certainly, Gene."  Gilliam said, "It appears that the landing gear has been severely damaged.  Everything else is nominal." 

            "Hmm."  Gene cupped his chin, "If the landing gear is damaged then that means that we can't take off.  Gilliam, can you tell us about the outside?"

            "Yes.  From what my sensors are telling me, the atmosphere is oxygen-rich much like any habitable planet.  My long-range sensors are also detecting settlements."

            "How far and in what direction?"

            "Approximately, 60 kilometers northeast."

            "60 kilometers!?"  Jim screamed, "Oh man!  Why does this always happen to us!?"

            "Calm down, kid."  Asia tried to comfort the boy, "At least there are settlements instead of none."

            "She's right, Jim."  Gene backed up the Ktarl-ktarl, "In that case, we're going to have to prepare for a very long hike." 

            Everyone made the preparations that were needed, but of course they could only take what they could carry.  So therefore it wasn't very much, just some food packs, and some camping equipment.  Though, never wanting to loose contact with the ship, Jim had brought along one of the Gilliam pods.  These were little cylinder-like objects with eyes that had little arms that came out of them.  Yet, Jim had only chosen one, his favorite one.  It was the one that he colored bubble-gum pink.  Of course, Gilliam did protest to the color change of that particular one, but after a while it did grow on him.  These pods had a com-link with the Outlaw Star itself and Jim felt that he should take Gilliam along with him on this unknown trip. 

Then came the time to see what it was like on the outside, they came to the door that would normally be used when docked either in space or at a spaceport.  With a nervous hand, Gene reached out and pressed the button as it opened to the outside.  As it did, a gust of cool air came over them as they stepped outside.

They saw that they had landed in a forest.  A forest with such thick growth that it was unlike any other planet that they had been to.  Each tree trunk was thick from their great age as well as covered with moss all the way up their branches and their leaves thick and green.  Every one of them had felt as if they had landed on a primordial world where civilized hands had never touched this place.

In awe of everything that they were seeing, Gene only said one thing before making the first step:

"Let's get going."       

To be continued…