Author: Nadz
Email: vegitto02 at yahoo dot com

Disclaimer:
The title "DragonTek" is owned by the author.
Any characters owned by the producers of Tekkaman, Dragonball Z, Dragonball GT, or Rurouni Kenshin are, of course, the property of those respective individuals or companies. Any original characters are strictly owned by the author of this fan fiction.
The story line of the entire DragonTek series is also owned strictly by me.
This story may not be distributed to anybody without the author's permission. However, the author does encourage you to welcome your friends to read DragonTek on FanFiction dot net. Much thanks...

DragonTek (Part II: The Blood Saga)

Chapter 21 – Childhood Memories

Alena walked through the hallway. It was so nice to be back, back at her house. But where was everybody? She looked in all the rooms, but Vegita and her mother were not around. Perhaps they had gone out to get something. Alena laid herself out on the couch and closed her eyes in order to relax.

"Alena," a voice called out, and she quickly sat upright.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Alena… Alena…" the voice persisted. Alena got up and walked towards the kitchen, where the voice became louder. She went into the den, and the loudness increased. Finally, she opened the back door and gasped to see the sky completely red. In the distance, a volcano exploded, spraying lava and ashes around it. The lava slowly trickled down the volcano's slope, burning anything in its path.

"Alena… Alena…" The voice came from behind the thick tree several feet away. Alena walked cautiously towards it and confronted the person behind it. Turning the person around, she saw a carbon copy of herself, except that this clone's irises were scarlet.

"What are you?" Alena gasped.

"I am you… we are the same… same… same…" the girl echoed.

"Get out of here!"

"I cannot… I am you…"

"Then leave me alone!" Alena screamed at her clone.

"I can't… I want your body… I want your mind…"

"No…"

"And I want… your soul…"

"No!" Alena screamed as her clone smiled. She felt the pressure in her head and the extreme fire that was burning through it. She clutched her head in agony, only to see the clone grin evilly in response. It stuck its finger through Alena's skull and laughed gently as its own skin began to melt.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Alena screamed as she closed her eyes.

"You are mine once again…" the clone responded, fading away. The pain was getting greater; it hurt her more and more. And then… it suddenly stopped. Alena opened her eyes, only to see the silhouette of Tekkaman Blood in front of her, and she shrieked.

The girl jerked her eyes open from her sleep, her breathing frantic from her nightmare.

"Alena, it wasn't real," she whispered to herself, placing her hands over her teary eyes.

"You really have a death wish, don't you?" Saber asked as he approached Saki. He had generated another lance, leaving his old one embedded in Rapier's left arm. Fortunately, for Miyuki, the bleeding had slowed down significantly, but she laid on the ground, unable to help this girl that had interfered.

"Stop it… Your battle… is with me… not her…" pleaded Rapier, struggling to keep awake. Yet, the loss of blood was too much for her, and blackness soon covered her eyes.

"No, she chose to interfere, so will take good care of this distraction," chuckled Saber. Blade stayed beside Miyuki and remained silent. Saber and Spear flashed their red eyes at Saki, who crouched into a stance. Saber swung down with his lance, and Saki jumped out of its path. She delivered a strong kick to Saber's head, but Spear slammed his fist on her head again, and she fell down to the ground.

'I was too slow, but they're really fast,' Saki thought, rising. "All right, time to get serious now."

Concentrating, she surrounded herself with a white aura and backed up. Raising her right arm, she gathered energy in her hand and smirked upon generating a paper-thin energy disk just above her palm.

"Catch this if you can. Kien-zan!" she shouted as she threw the attack at Saber. The Tekkaman dodged to his left, but the attack hit his lance, severing off its upper portion. Saki frowned, for they had just seen the secret of the attack; they would be ready for it next time.

"Fool!" Saber fired his Voltekker at her. She tried to dodge, but the attack followed her. Turning around, she released a blast of her own. She was struggling trying to block his attack, for it was definitely stronger than hers. Saber continued his assault, and Saki put everything she had into her defense.

"You shouldn't have interfered; now we just can't let you go," said Spear, who opened the blaster cannons on his own shoulders. 'It is time to end this little distraction...'

"What!" Spear roared, suddenly unable to feel one of his blaster cannons. He turned his head and realized the one on his right shoulder was completely gone. Behind him was a sound… a sneering one too.

"Oy! Don't you think two on one was a little unfair, not to mention three on one before?" a boy asked. The boy was wearing a blue shirt with black warm-ups. In his right hand was a sword of some kind; its sharp edge glinted with the sunlight. Spear saw his golden hair, yellow eyes, and golden aura.

"I don't remember ever seeing you. What's your name, boy?" Spear demanded.

"Himura Kenshin," the boy snickered. "I'm just playing with you. My name is Son Kenshin."

"Kenshin, I think you would be the most fitting guinea pig for my latest ability."

"What? Your ability to fuck up?" Kenshin retorted. Spear chuckled in response as he activated several lights on his chest plate. Kenshin watched as Spear just stood still, not making a move.

"Yeah, you're sure doing a lot there!" Kenshin taunted, but Spear didn't bother to respond. The boy stood patiently for several seconds, but he soon decided that he had waited long enough – he lunged towards the Tekkaman. Yet, as he got closer, his vision became blurred. He swung his sword downwards, but all he hit was the ground below. Now everything had become blurry, and he felt extremely lightheaded.

"What… what did you do to me?" demanded Kenshin as he fell from dizziness. His stomach also felt very sick; Spear was really toying with his body somehow. Kenshin tried to stand but quickly fell back down, unable to maintain his balance. He was completely disoriented, and he was easy prey for his enemy.

"Do you like that, boy?" Spear sneered as he walked towards Kenshin.

'Damn, I can't even tell where he is; he has no chi that I can detect,' Kenshin thought in frustration. Even if he tried to move, it would be useless. Kenshin tried to push himself up and look around; all he could see were greenish blurs. Now Spear hovered just above him and charged his remaining blaster cannon. Within moments, he fired it point blank at Kenshin, who roared in pain.

'I can't believe he could do this to me! What did he do?' Kenshin wondered to himself as he used all his power to protect himself against Spear's blast. Spear continued his assault, and soon Kenshin felt his power completely drain away due to his inability to focus his disarrayed mind. His hair and eyes reverted back to their normal color, and his muscles reduced back to their normal size.

Spear laughed as he halted his blast. There, on the ground, lay Kenshin, helplessly smoking from the attack. The boy felt the burns all over his body and even felt bones bruised by the power of the point-blank blast. Worst of all, he still couldn't move, for he was completely disoriented.

Saki watched in fear as the boy fell to the Tekkaman. The last of her energy gave out, and Saber's blast overcame her as well. She collapsed to the dirt, hurt badly as Saber continued to burn her with his Voltekker. He soon halted his assault and observed her damaged body lying before him. Saber walked towards her and gave her a kick in the gut. He bent over, picked her up, and dropped her next to Kenshin.

"Is that the best you three could do?" Saber taunted as he looked at Saki, Kenshin, and Miyuki. "Perhaps Spear and I are just too strong for you. Blade over there didn't even raise a finger. "

Saber turned and walked towards Miyuki. Spear watched over Kenshin, making sure he didn't make a move. Even Saki felt the effects of Spear's mysterious technique, and she passed out quickly.

"Well, I guess we better take… this… to Lord Omega," Saber said as he bent over to pick up an unconscious Rapier. With his strength, Saber pulverized the boulder below her arm, freeing her pinned arm. He picked up his sister and wrapped her around his shoulder. The Blue Earth approached quickly.

"Blade, Spear – it's time to depart," Saber said, blasting upwards into the sky, and his brothers followed suit. Spear looked below, observing the after-effects of his technique. Smiling at their success, the three Tekkaman left Earth's atmosphere with possession of their prisoner.

Noal landed the Blue Earth, and Aki ran out towards Saki and Kenshin. She checked for their vital signs; they were alive but badly hurt. She moved them to more comfortable positions and gripped Saki's hand. The girl was having trouble breathing, and Aki began to administer CPR.

"Stay with me," begged Aki as she continued the procedure.

"Saki!" a voice roared. Aki looked up and saw a man fly over the trees and land next to her. The man gave a quick look at Aki and put his hand on Saki's head. Aki soon saw small glow around his hand and realized that he was transferring some of his energy to her. The man had dark, bluish-black hair that parted down the middle and had spiky bangs that symmetrically hung over his eyes. He wore a dark blue-black jacket and wore pants that resembled warm-ups. He tightened his jaw as he concentrated hard on the energy transfer. Soon, Saki coughed, and her breathing improved.

"Will she be alright?" asked Aki, eyeing the strange man carefully and surprised at his power.

"Only for some time," came the reply. "We have to get her medical attention quickly."

"It will be done," Aki nodded her head. "What is your name?"

"Shinjo," he replied. "Kawahashi Shinjo."

"Shinjo…"

"And what's your name?"

"Kisaragi Aki," she replied, returning her focus to the situation at hand. "We'll take her on the Blue Earth. We can help her at the Command Center."

"Then I'll come with you," stated the man.

Saber tossed Rapier's figure onto the platform in the central chamber. He looked around and saw the dark room illuminated by the soft light of the surrounding pods. He noticed three pods glowing with an infinitesimal pulse; three more Tekkamen were reaching maturity for hatching. Soon, they would emerge.

"Lord Omega," Saber greeted, "we have brought you what you have desired. Tekkaman Rapier."

"Excellent work," Omega materialized on the raised platform at the head of the chamber. "Did you encounter much difficulty accomplishing this task?"

"No, sir," replied Spear. "The new weapon integrated into my system worked perfectly. Two enhanced humans attempted to interfere, but this took care of them quite nicely."

"Good, so you have made up for one of your failures. Blade, why the silence?"

"What will happen to Rapier, my lord?" Blade responded, a hint of worry in his voice. Omega picked up on this and narrowed his eye. He hoped that this ex-renegade wouldn't prove to be any trouble.

"I have not yet decided. What punishment would you suggest to be most appropriate, Blade?"

"Perhaps if you put her back into a pod and…"

"Is that all you can think of?" Lord Omega interrupted. "I find that to be all too simple. In fact, there is a far more interesting use that I have planned for this turncoat. Yet, that will come in due time."

"Then what do we do now?" asked Saber. "I do not like idling the time away."

"Yes, now is our chance to strike again!" said Spear enthusiastically.

"I see you are eager for combat. Perhaps you would like to test your weapon again, Spear?"

"Yes, Lord Omega," replied Kengo. "I would like that."

"Very well, you will have your combat soon enough. Now listen to me very carefully."

"They'll be okay," said Aki as she checked the monitor. Saki and Kenshin had been placed in the intensive care unit of the Space Knight Command Center. Both had been badly burned and hurt. The boy's mind was still unbalanced from his encounter with Spear. He periodically awoke for mere seconds before closing his eyes thereafter.

"Saki, hang in there," wished Shinjo as he sat by her bedside. He looked over to Kenshin and added. "You too, tough guy."

"I have faith in him," said Goku, standing next to Aki. "He will survive and return stronger."

"And so will she," hoped Shinjo, sighing. "You know, she's the last person dear to me."

"I'll be back quickly – got to get something," Aki said as she opened the door and left.

"You love your sister very much," observed Goku. "Love is what helps us survive in this world."

"Yes, it truly does. I can't imagine how I would have lived if I didn't find her."

"Find her?"

"Yes, Saki is not my true sister. You see, I live in the colony settled on Io, one of Jupiter's moons. My father and I had moved there when I was young, about eight years old. He was well off; we lived in a reasonable house there. Yet he was so busy in his work; I didn't see him often. I guess I never really knew much about my father. But I knew that he had a good heart."

Goku nodded in response, and Shinjo continued his story.

"When I was nine, an accident occurred. The protective casing that surrounded the colony developed a large breach. If it were to break, the vacuum from space would raze the artificial atmosphere sheltered underneath. My father, a scientist, was part of the team that attempted to fix it. However, during the operation, a pressure valve exploded, spewing metal shards everywhere. My father was unhurt, but two of his colleagues were deeply struck by several pieces. They passed away several days later.

Those two colleagues were husband and wife. They had a five-year-old girl at the time, who was too small to understand the fate of her parents, and she had nowhere to go. One option was to send her back to Earth for her to live with her father's sister, but that was an option the colony could not financially afford. So my father took her in to live with us. I don't know how much she remembers her true parents, but she considers me her brother. I only hope we cared for her just as much as her parents would have."

"What your father did was extremely noble," replied Goku, knowing all too well the feeling of not knowing one's own parents. He lowered his moistened eyes but the brought them back up and looked at Saki. Due to his own experience, he had always been sensitive to hardships that children had to endure.

"Thank you," replied Shinjo. "Saki and I are very close; I love her just as much as I did…"

Goku looked curiously as Shinjo stopped himself in mid-sentence.

"… As much as I did… my real sister," whispered the man, biting his lip.

"Real sister?" wondered Goku in surprise.

"Yes…" responded Shinjo. "I had a real sister."

"Why do you use her name in the past tense?" inquired Goku.

"Because she died when I was young," replied Shinjo. Goku let out a small breath.

"Her name was Shiori. Kawahashi Shiori. She was born just three years after me. When I was seven, our parents took us on a vacation to a country far away. There, we visited a natural park, filled with cliffs, huge trees and waterfalls. I remember that day very clearly, for it was the last day I was to see them both… my sister… and my mother."

Goku felt the small lump in his throat as Shinjo continued his story.

"During part of a tour of the waterfalls in the area, my sister became particularly excited when we came to one. Shiori ran towards it, and we realized that there was no safety rail in the direction she was running. My parents raced after her, and my mother finally caught her just before she ran off the edge. However, it had rained that morning, and the ground was slippery. My mother lost her footing and fell, along with Shiori in her arms, over a hundred feet down into the water below. The strong currents washed Shiori and my mother away from our sight.

A search party was organized soon thereafter. They found my mother's body a week later. But there was no trace of Shiori. Instead, they found her torn shirt floating in the river. But surely, would a toddler survive a fall like that as well as a journey in a raging stream? Seeing my mother fall with Shiori in her arms is the last memory I have of them," Shinjo said as he felt his throat tighten, trying to keep control.

"I am not going to lose Saki," Shinjo's voice wavered as he squeezed her hand, but he continued his story. "After that, my father had nothing left here on Earth besides me. He decided to leave this place of sad memories, and soon he joined a group of scientists that wanted to settle on Io. Of course, I went with him. You know what happened after that."

"Thank you for telling me this," said Goku softly. "It must hurt every time you tell this story."

"I've only told it to Saki," replied Shinjo, frowning. "Surprising that I would tell this to a total stranger, right? I suppose it was seeing Saki hurt so badly that made me bathe in my memories and pour my heart out. But don't get the wrong idea; I don't want you to feel sorry for me."

"In this time of crisis," Goku replied softly, "we feel nothing but compassion for others."

"… Thank you," Shinjo nodded his head, and several seconds passed.

"Shinjo," Goku decided to break the silence. "Would you mind if I asked you some questions?"

"Go ahead."

"Shinjo, how old are you now?" asked Goku.

"I'm twenty-two in Earth years. Shiori would have been nineteen now had she lived."

"Why did you return to Earth, especially now that it is dangerous?" asked Goku with genuine curiosity. "And where did you and Saki get your powers from?"

"Those are good questions, but I'm afraid—" his answer was interrupted as Aki entered the room.

"Anything happen while I was away?" she asked with a concerned look on her face. The two boys looked blankly at her and shook their heads. "Alright, then I suggest we move out of here and let these two rest. Besides, Chief Freeman is in the Mission Room, and he says that something urgent has come up."

'Recover well, Saki,' wished Shinjo before leaving the room. 'And the same to you, Kenshin.'