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 IV: The Justice Saga)

Chapter 42 - The Blood of Noon

"Be careful with him," Aki said softly as two soldiers wheeled Shinjo onto the Blue Earth. The man had fallen asleep while waiting for them. Noal and Aki had just arrived several minutes prior, and the medical team had him ready for departure. Upon seeing him, Aki had felt a huge rush of relief; Shinjo was alive and in front of her. Yet, her mind was still stressed, for she worried about how Saki and Takaya were faring. What an inopportune moment for a Tekkaman to attack.

'Takaya, please stay alive,' she prayed in her mind. 'And you too, Saki…'

"What are you going to do now, Tekkaman Blade?" Blood taunted, hovering in the air. Scimitar approached her side and began to laugh, celebrating his victory. Blade only seethed with frustration; Saki was unconscious and lying in his hands. There was no way he would be able to defend himself, let alone lead an offensive. He glared at the two Radam Tekkamen standing before him, searching for a solution.

"Scimitar, one of the weaker Tekkamen, has taken care of your friend," Blood continued. "So what do you think she would be able to do to the rest of us? And how are you going to attack us when she is lying so helplessly in your hands?"

"I'd say you're quite fucked up the ass right now!" Scimitar laughed but stopped as Blood flashed a red eye at him. There was no way he would get on the bad side of such a psychotic and vicious warrior.

"You know, Tekkaman Blade, you are nothing but a diversion to me," she said caustically. "The person I really want is Kenshin. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, do you?"

"I have no idea," he replied seriously. "He ran from us suddenly; we had no idea where he went."

"Then I suppose I am the last person to see him," she replied. "So maybe I really did kill him…"

"You," he gasped, "killed Kenshin?"

"I thought I did, but there's a possibility the bastard is still alive."

"Tekkaman Blood," he seethed, hoping to buy time. "What in the name of god are you?"

"What kind of question is that?" she asked, taken aback.

"You slaughter the defenseless for your own enjoyment… Why do you do it? What do you gain?"

"Just like you said – mere amusement," she responded. Twirling her jagged lance, she continued, "I like seeing the fear on people's faces, and I love hearing their squeals of terror – it's music to my ears. The best is when people know they're being tortured, just as when the humans were being engulfed by the spore plants days ago. Those feeble people tried to run as hard as they could, but they were just too slow."

"I hate to tell you, Blade, but we have already won," she continued. "There is nothing you can do now. It really is a pity that you won't be part of the celebration… our celebration."

"You will not win!" he growled. Blood lunged towards him and attacked with her lance; Blade managed to dodge just in time. She continued her assault, and he continued to evade while holding Saki in his hands. Blade realized that Blood was simply toying with him; she was pursuing him out of enjoyment. Above all, she simply wanted to torture him.

"Soon, Saber, you will emerge from the pod with powers beyond imagination for a Tekkaman," Bezel whispered to the man silently curled in the pod. "You will do my very bidding and will be the best Tekkaman soldier at my side. Nobody would be able to stop us…"

In front of him lay a vast field, a field filled with the sick sight of Radam spore plants. Each stalk of a plant housed approximately five bulbs, and each bulb housed a solitary person waiting to undergo the transformation into a Radam warrior. Kenshin stood at the edge of the cliff sadly and gazed at the scene not too far below. The sun was bright as it shone upon the metropolis, covered by a thin layer of smog. Part of that smog was a result of the mist exhumed by the plants; the rest of it was the fault of the humans' lack of respect for nature. Even with the technology they had developed out of that lack of respect, they could not effectively defend themselves from the Radam plague that had swept the world – the plague of being taken captive by the spore plants.

'It is time for me to fulfill my promise,' the boy thought as he slowly unsheathed his sword and held it vertically in the sunlight. He narrowed his eyes upon witnessing the beams from the sun illuminate the blade and bounce off its deadly edge. Kenshin slowly brought it down and leveled it perfectly horizontally. He paused for several seconds, contemplating for the final time.

"Please let me be doing the right thing," Kenshin whispered to himself, bursting downwards from the edge of the cliff. He focused on the bulb closest to him and approached it with dazzling speed. As he got closer, he noticed that there was a woman curled up in it. She seemed to be so peaceful; what harm could she possibly inflict?

He was getting closer and closer. What purpose did this woman's life serve? She may have been a mother, but she was definitely somebody's daughter. Yet, did her past matter once she finished her transformation process? Would she be an empty soul that would blindly obey the Radam leaders? Who would she affect? Who would she hurt? Kenshin was only ten feet away now, and as he saw her full face, he imagined it becoming that of Alena's.

'Alena… the witch… the murder… the devil… my cousin,' he thought, only one foot away now. His eyes closed as the blade pierced through the pod, and his throat tightened upon hearing the sound of the sword digging itself into the woman's person. Kenshin stopped in the air and opened his eyes, almost vomiting at what he saw. He quickly retracted the bloodied sword, and the female's body went limp.

'I… I just killed… again… I just…' he began to stammer, but soon his voice hardened. 'Yes, I killed. I killed a Radam, just as I was supposed to. This is the way to defeat them, finally.'

With a soft jump, Kenshin moved to a neighboring pod, which contained a young boy inside. He widened his eyes – he couldn't bring himself to harm this child, could he? Yet, it had to be done. Kenshin whispered a prayer for the boy and raised his arm… only to deliver the fatal strike. He retracted, trembling.

'No, I am not killing…' Kenshin whispered in his mind. 'I am liberating the dead.'

Kenshin went to another pod and drilled his sword into the man lying inside. After that, he went to another, and another, and another. Moments later, he looked behind him and realized he had ended the lives of twenty-five people – twenty-five people, who once were filled with life… life that had been taken away by the Radam. Kenshin whipped his sword in the air, shaking off the blood that coated its body.

'People who had hopes, dreams, and lives – these things have been taken away from them mercilessly. To the enemy, the happiness that was so important to these people is useless. For the enemy, death, destruction, and the shattering of dreams is the only goal, the only achievement, and the only purpose,' the boy rasped in his mind as he began to lose control. The anger flared through him.

'The enemy's only purpose is to annihilate, never to create. The things in life that are held to be precious… they don't exist anymore in this Radam occupied world. The aliens have taken our lives from us, and there is nothing that will give them back… my aunts and uncles… my mother… my father… my sister… nothing will bring them back to me… they are all gone, forever,' the words effused through his mind, and the golden aura of a Super Saiya-jin exploded around his body. Kenshin's face contorted in furious rage upon remembering those that he had lost, and he began to slash wildly at the fresh set of pods pulsing before him. In anger and spite, he fatally speared dozens of those lying inside their organic jails.

"They're all gone forever… because of you, Alena! BECAUSE OF YOU!" the boy boomed as the disease of revenge flooded his mind. His anger surged with every stroke, and his thirst for Alena's blood grew with every fatal stab. After centuries, Akoutari bathed itself in the blood of many.

"Blade, you truly are a pathetic opponent!" Blood yelled in glee as she continued to strike and stab at the Tekkaman. Takaya was feeling the energy leave him; he had never fought somebody so difficult. And yet, he wasn't even fighting; he was merely dodging her persistent barrage of assaults. With no place to put Saki, there was no other choice but to be in the state he was in currently.

"Blood, I told you, I want to kick his ass!" Scimitar yelled.

"Do you enjoy this game?" she purred, completely ignoring Scimitar. However, the loudmouthed brown Tekkaman would not remain unheeded. Before Blood reached out for another strike, Scimitar appeared between them and swung his sword out at Blade, thus infuriating Blood. Takaya dodged, but Scimitar felt extreme pain through his left shoulder, for Blood had drilled her own lance right through it.

"Blood…" he moaned as Blood retracted her weapon. "How could you?"

"I told you not to interfere, you worthless fuck," she said bitingly. "Blade is my opponent, and I could easily destroy him. I resent it when an inferior fighter like you fights my battles for me."

"It was my battle…" Satoru protested, but Blood only snorted. Alena turned towards Blade, ready this time to end the battle for real. She had been horsing around with him enough, and he surely must have been terrified by now. She also didn't want to be shamed by having Scimitar interrupt again. Flashing her eye, she aimed the tip of her lance towards Takaya, standing one hundred feet in front of her person.

"You probably know that I've been toying with you," she said, her voice chilling. She stood still, preparing herself to attack, but a sudden, strong sensation unexpectedly disturbed her thoughts. Blood turned her head towards the direction it was coming from, trying to ascertain the identity of its source.

"Kenshin…" Blood whispered to herself, glad that she had finally found him.

'What is she doing?' Blade thought to himself upon noticing her blatantly distracted state.

'You are alive, Kenshin. I can feel your aura,' Alena thought before she blasted towards the boy.

"Wait, where are you going?" Scimitar yelled after her, but she was already gone. He turned towards Blade and gulped; he had used a lot of energy in that last Voltekker blast. It would take him some time to recharge. He saw Blade grunt and growl at his person, and he brandished his scimitar. Scimitar was suddenly distracted as he saw a speck of light approach from the distance, and he soon recognized it.

"Blade, we're back, and we've got Shinjo," Noal's voice boomed out of the ship.

"Take Saki from me. She's hurt, but it looks like she is alright," Blade replied, keeping an eye on Scimitar. The Radam warrior stood still. Aki opened a hatch, and Blade handed her the injured girl. When Saki was secured in, Noal hovered the ship out of harm's way. Finally, Blade could fight Scimitar freely.

"You won't let me save you, will you?" Blade asked. "This is your last chance."

"Fuck you," Scimitar growled. "It will be me who will save you… from the burden of life!"

"Then we will fight to the end, Satoru," Takaya squinted, "Life support Technician on the Argos."

"Die!" Scimitar yelled as he burst towards Blade.

'The dreams of the future will not disappear, regardless of what the Radam do to us… regardless of what you do to me, Alena. Come and fight me, Blood! Let us finish our battle… one of our souls will be freed during its culmination. It will be decided by our strength, our destiny… and our fate!' Kenshin tore through the plants with speed and rage, for he had superimposed Alena's face on every one of his victims.

'Alena, you are here, finally!' he thought as he turned around, recognizing her approaching chi as a speck of red light approached at a dazzling speed. Kenshin smirked, for his revenge would be decided soon. Whether he was to succeed or not, he would get another chance at the girl who murdered his family.

"I'm coming for you, Alena!" he yelled at the top of his lungs while his Super Saiya-jin aura exploded around him. He aimed Akoutari directly in front of him and blasted himself towards her figure.

'I will prove myself to Bezel-sama,' Blood thought as she saw him approach. "KENSHIN!"

"ALENA!" Kenshin boomed as the two smashed their weapons into each other's head on. In Kenshin's outstretched hands lay Akoutari, and in Alena's right hand was Kotukari, while her jagged lance remained in her left. Alena noticed the tears that dripped from his eyes… tears that only served to fuel his anger and his power. They remained locked in that position, their Super Saiya-jin auras flaring about them.

"Saki, can you hear me?" Aki asked as she knelt over the girl. Noal continued to keep the ship hovering as Aki pleaded with the girl to awaken. Saki slowly opened her eyes and struggled to sit up.

"My body… feels like it's on fire, Aki," she whimpered.

"Don't get up!" Aki ordered gently. "The painkillers should kick in soon; everything'll be fine."

"What about Blade?" she asked weakly. "Are they still fighting?"

"Yes," Aki said as she looked at the monitor. Blade and Scimitar were fighting each other very seriously; sometimes Aki could see nothing but the brilliant trails that marked their paths. Suddenly, the ship rocked as the two Tekkamen flew close by the ship. Noal worked frantically to stabilize the craft.

'Please, Blade, please defeat him quickly,' Aki silently begged. 'Defeat him now.'

"How is Takaya doing?" Saki asked, unable to watch the monitor that Aki had been watching.

"I don't know," came the reply. "But if both are fighting that hard, then Blade's okay… I hope."

"W… Where am I?" the injured man's voice asked. The jarring of the ship had awakened Shinjo, and he opened his eyes, only to see strange lights above. Feeling a different bed underneath, he tried to remember the last thing he could. He had been in the hospital with the nurse before he had fallen asleep.

"Shinjo!" Saki gasped in happiness at hearing his voice.

"Saki, is that… is that you?" he asked deliriously. The hospital had heavily drugged him in order for him not to feel pain. "Saki… tell me… is that you? Where are… where are you?"

"Yes, Shinjo, I'm here," she said, her throat tight but her voice happy. "I'm here with you."

"Shinjo, we're here to take you back," Aki said gently as she stood by his side, holding his hand.

"Saki," Shinjo's voice began to waver. "I failed… I failed miserably…"

"What do you mean, brother?" Saki asked worriedly. "What do you mean you failed?"

"Tekkaman Blood… has all the Dragonballs…" he stammered, and his eyes began to water as he remembered his crewmembers. "The Radam have them all now… even the ones we collected."

"Shinjo…" Saki's voice choked. 'If the Radam have the Dragonballs, then we've lost.'

"Saki…" Shinjo's voice cracked as he began to cry. "I failed… I failed… Remember why we came, Saki? Remember? We came so… we came so that I could wish that my sister is safe… that if she was still alive… I came to wish… that my sister is safe… my sister… Shiori."

'Shiori…' Aki frowned upon hearing the name. It sounded so familiar… and then it hit her.

"Shinjo, how… how could this Shiori have died?" Aki asked, her mind buzzing desperately.

"When she was very young… four years old… she fell down… a cliff near a waterfall… with my mother… my mother held her in her arms," Shinjo managed to answer through the effects of the morphine.

'Shiori…' the name echoed in Aki's mind. Instantaneously, the dream that had haunted her for so many years suddenly became clear. 'In my dream, I was falling. Somebody was holding me… that somebody was my mother. Oh my god… When I landed, the ground became soft… I really landed at the base of the waterfall… the thundering noise that carried me away… that was the rage of the rapids… and finally, that voice screaming… it was screaming ioyi and ino… that was my mother screaming… ioyi… Shiori… ino… Shinjo…ioyi… iori… Shiori… ino… injo… Shinjo… dear God, then that must mean…'

"Shinjo…" Aki whispered in disbelief. "… I am your Shiori…"

'Oh god…' Noal rolled his eyes. 'So cliché…'

Author Notes: Hehe, I had Noal say the "So cliche..." bit because it's another "long-lost brother/sister" storyline. I guess I thought it was a cool storyline when I first wrote DragonTek (in 2001), but I found it humorous during this 2004 revision.

KyLewin: Hey man, greatly appreciate your comments. I did think about upping the rating to R, but I figured that most of the swearing is centered around one character (Scimitar) because that's just his personality. About the violence - I also figured that since PG and PG-13 rated movies like Star Wars (Eps 1,2,4-6) and Lord of the Rings Trilogy contain horribly violent acts (impalings, beheadings, limb severing, burnings, chokings, electrocutions, and even a head speared on a pole), DragonTek's violence falls within their category. I guess studios are pressing the MPAA to be more liberal with their PG-13 rating in order to have wider audiences (and thus, more money) - to the point that the line between R and PG-13 is now blurred. So, I guess a PG-13 rating for this story should be fine. But thanks for the heads up!

Rejhan: Thanks for your comments as well! I'm really glad you like how the characters are progressing; there's even more to come :) Kenshin as a character had really grown on me during writing this story. He's probably the most developed protagonist in DragonTek. Again, thanks!

Thanks to the rest of you for your feedback :)