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 V: The Destiny Saga)
Chapter 61 - Life's Fragile Nature
'This is so unnatural for me,' Goku thought, ramming a sharp lance straight through a Tekkaman's torso and making sure it was dead. Goku contorted his face in disgust and approached another warrior. Shinjo and he were in a city not too far from the base; so far, they had found no information regarding Aki.
'This is so frustrating,' Shinjo muttered, slicing another Tekkaman in half with a long sword he had stolen from the previous Radam he had killed. 'One of these bastards has to know where she is!'
The two Saiya-jin men continued their bloody mission.
Kenshin slowly swung Akoutari downwards upon Blade, who evaded by moving to the right. Takaya then weakly thrust the tip of his lance towards Kenshin. The boy placed the body of his sword in front of it, blocking the strike. He then proceeded to take another swing at Blade, who lowered in elevation and avoided getting slashed. Their fight went on like this for several minutes, and neither of them suffered from a single injury. The only reason they had accepted Bezel's proposal was that they would be buying time in order to think of a solution that would save everybody.
"I thought I told you to fight your hardest!" Bezel barked. He could tell that the two were hardly fighting seriously and that they were putting mediocre strength behind their attacks. Bezel grumbled to himself. Although he was holding their loved ones captive, it was rather he who was at Kenshin's and Blade's mercy. His primary objective was to get one of them to kill the other and no less. If they suddenly decided to halt their battle, then the most Bezel could achieve is the execution of the two girls.
"Stop slacking off!" Plague yelled at them, startling them. "I know you're screwing around!"
Blade cursed. Kenshin blocked with Akoutari and swung with more power, praying that Blade would be able to counter. Indeed, Takaya did protect himself, and he returned a blow even more viciously.
'If this keeps up, Bezel is eventually going to make us fight our best. And that would be extremely dangerous,' Kenshin thought. 'What if I turn the sword around in my hand and fight with its dull edge? Then Blade would never get hurt. On the flip side, he doesn't have much of a dull edge to his lance—'
"Don't even think about inverting the edge!" Psychos yelled. "Remember, don't pull any tricks!"
"What the hell?" Kenshin blurted, wondering how in the world Psychos knew that, for he hadn't even done it physically! Blade struck Kenshin again, and the boy felt Blade's extra power when he parried.
'Think, Takaya, think,' Blade scolded himself mentally. 'You've bought time now… if I fire a Voltekker blast into the dirt, it may create a smoke screen and allow Kenshin to attack without their noti—'
"My liege," Psychos said, turning towards Bezel. "They've only agreed to fight in order to buy time to think of a solution. Secondly, Blade is considering using his Voltekker to create a smoke screen that will mask any attack Kenshin has planned for us. That way, he can strike us and free these two girls."
"What!" Takaya blurted, snapping his face towards a chuckling Psychos. "You can read…"
"… Our thoughts," Kenshin completed the sentence, and both warriors stood shocked. 'If he can read our minds, he will learn about any plan we come up with. Damn, how the hell are we going to win?'
"It's plain and simple," Psychos replied, chuckling. "You're aren't going to, Kenshin."
"Bastards, I didn't say you could take a breather!" Plague hollered at the two, for he was getting extremely impatient. "You better resume your battle, unless you want two deaths on your hands. And if I catch you jerking around again, they will die without any delay. Read my lips… this is your last warning!"
"Then… we have to fight our best… shit," Kenshin cursed to himself, pointing Akoutari at Blade.
"I'm sorry, Kenshin," Blade said, his voice wavering. "Hopefully we'll think of something."
"Please think hard," the boy whispered. "Harder than you ever have in your entire life."
The warriors clashed again, except this time, with ferocity.
The young woman slowly walked down the corridor, taking note of any surveillance equipment lying around. From the ceilings hung small sphere like masses that were colored pink and white. Mieko stopped to look at one carefully, attempting to examine the strange object. Occasionally, a streak of pink energy pulsed through it, causing it to contract slightly and expand. Her thoughts were soon distracted.
'Who the…' she thought, glancing at the short man who floated towards her. He couldn't have been taller than three feet, and he hovered two feet above the floor. His complexion was of a stark white, and he wore a tight black brim-less hat. On each cheek was a large red dot, making him look like a mime.
'I didn't know that Radam owned a circus,' Mieko chuckled to herself, staring the short man.
"Is there something funny around here?" he frowned. She shook her head, but he continued to examine her. Soon, she turned to look back up towards the spherical masses hanging from the ceilings.
"What are these things?" she asked, glancing at the stern-faced puppet-man.
"They're called Watchers," he replied, maintaining a stolid expression. "Almost like cameras."
"Oh, I see," Mieko replied, noting that this corridor contained three Watchers. "I'm so rude for not introducing myself. I am Murakami Mieko, or Tekkaman Shuriken, estimated Level G5 Radam."
"Shuriken… yes, I've heard of you," the man replied, relaxing his features. "I am a Level G6 Radam. My true name is Chao-zu, but my other form is Tekkaman Guise. You know, I don't know who gave you permission to freely walk around in this ship. Besides, most of our occupants are on Earth now."
"But I'm so excited to be here," she replied, bringing her voice up a notch higher. "Ever since Warlord Omega gave me powers, I've desired to see his ship. Can you give me a tour? I love exploring."
"I will first have to get permission from the Admiral," Chao-zu replied. "Come with me."
'Come on, I've got to think of something, damn it,' Kenshin thought, wracking his brain. 'If I can get Blade to push me straight towards them, I will be close enough to stab them with Akoutari and free—'
"That's a pretty stupid idea," Psychos called, explaining what Kenshin had thought to Bezel.
"Yes, it is a dumb plan," Bezel shouted back. "If you stab either Saber or myself, the other will quickly end the life of his captive, and you will have accomplished nothing. In that case, you could have avoided this battle and just chosen for one of them to die."
'It's no use! He can read any word that forms in my mind… wait… that's it! Could it be that he can only pick up my words? Hey Psychos, I know you can hear me, you lousy bag of shit-laden urine!'
"What did you call me, punk?" Psychos yelled out, feeling somewhat slighted.
'You heard me, and here's how I will destroy you. I'm going to appear behind you and take you hostage, you weak garbage,' Kenshin spoke in his mind, saying no other words in his thoughts as he continued to battle Blade. The two warriors remained relentless in their strikes, fighting very seriously.
"You really think you can take me hostage?" Psychos shot back. 'You punk kid, I'm not helpless trash like your woman friend and your sister here, both of whom are relying on you two to save them.'
'You fell for it, idiot,' Kenshin chuckled in his mind. 'While I was thinking about that strategy of taking you hostage in words, I was picturing a totally different scenario. In this mental picture, I was firing an energy blast at you. But… you didn't pick it up at all. You only managed to hear my thoughts, but you don't have the ability to see mental pictures that I draw. This must be your weak point. Am I right?'
Psychos refused to provide an answer. Instead, he silently seethed to himself.
'Your silence speaks volumes, Tekkaman Psychos,' Kenshin smirked.
"He has figured out the vulnerability in my ability, Lord Plague," Psychos reported, his voice containing traces of shame. "Nobody else has done that except for Lord Omega and G7 Admiral Stake."
'Oh, yes, that Namek,' Bezel thought, turning towards Psychos. "I don't think it makes that much of a difference, Psychos. If he takes unfair advantage of the mobility I've granted him, the girls will pay."
'Oniisan…' Nio whispered in her mind, her eyes glued to the battle.
'Kenshin…' Miyuki thought, softly smiling. 'I know you can do it… I know you can save us…'
The pale, short man led her down a twist of corridors until they came to a large sliding door that blocked their path. Pressing his hand on an adjacent panel, the door opened quickly. Mieko marveled as she walked inside. This must have been the commanding bridge of the ship, for the room was cavernous.
At the very front lay an entire row of thick windows from which she could view the Earth. At the center raised a large, circular dais with a radius of thirty feet. On it stood a figure, which turned to them.
"Admiral Stake," Chao-zu said, kneeling before the powerful Namek warrior. Stake was in his normal Namek form, wearing a black outfit. He put his hand on Chao-zu's head, and the human rose up.
"I am honored to be in your presence," Mieko said, quickly kneeling as well. Stake took a hard look at the girl, but his expression softened as he recognized her.
"Please rise, Tekkaman Shuriken, and stand at ease," he smiled, boring his irises into her as she stood up, and she relaxed. "I understand that you brought in a prisoner a little while ago, did you not?"
"That is correct, my lord," she replied humbly.
"And for what reason did you bring her to this craft when there are plenty of prisons on Earth?"
"I did it so that she would be separated from Tekkaman Blade," Mieko responded, hoping that he would buy it. "They have a strong relation, and he'd come here to rescue her. Then, we can ambush him."
"I see," Stake responded, chuckling. "I'm glad that you put some thought into your actions."
"Thank you, Admiral," she responded, happy that she duped him. "I always think before I act."
"Perhaps we need more warriors who behave like you do. So why did you come here to see me?"
"Admiral," Chao-zu said. "She requested a tour. So I'm seeking permission to show her around."
"With all due respect, my lord," another voice piped up. "I wouldn't trust her completely."
"Why do you say that, Vice Admiral Yamucha?" Stake asked calmly, looking at the human that entered the room. Yamucha was now wearing a black uniform as well, and he walked up straight next to the Admiral and stood close to him. In fact, he stood a little too close; Stake moved away several steps. Mieko blinked, and Stake's green Namek face changed to a slightly darker shade. He cleared his throat.
"Admiral Stake," Yamucha started, standing rigidly. "Not too long ago, this Tekkaman Shuriken had also requested for the removal of the very prisoner that she had brought. I find it strange that she would bring her captive all the way here and have the nerve to ask for her release within such a short time."
"What you say is indeed valid, Yamucha," Stake nodded. "Shuriken, why the capricious actions?"
"I…" she replied, her mind racing. "I had changed my mind and thought it would be better to convert her to a Tekkaman, so I wanted to bring her to the pods on Earth for the conversion process."
"Shuriken, are you aware that the pods below have been rendered ineffective?"
"What do you mean?" she swallowed hard, puzzled. 'Oh no… he's going to get me for sure.'
"Lord Plague has notified us," he paused, "that all of the mind critters in the pods on Earth have been destroyed. I'm not clear as to how that happened, but it is not my position to question Lord Plague."
"I had no idea," Mieko said, her heartbeat slowing down at having escaped major trouble.
"Neither had we until Lord Plague informed us about it," Stake said, narrowing his eyes as he continued to examine the young woman. "Is there anything else that you request, Tekkaman Shuriken?"
"Nothing, my lord," she replied, bowing her head. 'That Yamucha freak…'
"Very well, then, I have other business to attend," he said tersely, turning around and walking back to the central platform. "You may have a tour of this vessel if you please. Chao-zu will guide you."
"Thank you," she replied sweetly as a smile appeared on her face. 'Now I can check out the corridors of this place. Discovering an escape route after freeing Aki won't be so hard to do anymore.'
With those words, Chao-zu escorted Mieko outside of the bridge room.
'Hey, Tekkaman Psychos, what am I picturing in my head now?' Kenshin said, blocking a strike. As expected, Psychos didn't return a response but rather remained silent from the shame of being taunted.
"Lord Plague, Kenshin finds my vulnerability to be rather amusing," Psychos complained.
"Not to worry, my loyal pet," Bezel chuckled, thinking. "Trust that I will take care of him. Keep listening to his thoughts, and when he's about to make a critical move, let me know. I'll then act swiftly."
'Yes… I know… I know what I'm going to do,' Kenshin thought, not hearing what Bezel had just told Psychos. The boy quickly backed one hundred yards and crouched into a Battou-jutsu stance. Blade paused for an instant and adopted his own stance. Blade prayed that Kenshin knew what he was doing.
"Come, Blade!" Kenshin yelled. "I challenge you to attack!"
"K… Kenshin," Takaya stammered, recognizing that stance at once. 'That's the stance he used when he was about to defeat Blood! Even if he uses the dull edge, my body wouldn't be able to handle it!'
"COME NOW!" Kenshin yelled. In his mind, he kept repeating the words, 'Attack, attack.'
"He's definitely planning something, Lord Plague," Psychos said excitedly, reporting everything. "My guess is that Kenshin's winning tactic will occur at the last second, when Blade is about to get him."
"Then I will take action just before Blade reaches within striking distance," Bezel said, ready to deliver his secret attack. He would much rather have Kenshin dead than Blade, and so he lit up several powerful cells on his chest plate. Blade hovered frozen in the air, and so did the youth. Tension filled the air as the two warriors faced each other, and nervous sweat appeared and trickled on both of their faces.
"NOW!" Blade yelled, blasting forward at Kenshin, who remained still in his Battou-jutsu stance. Kenshin swallowed hard, tightening his jaw upon seeing Blade's razor sharp lance aimed right for his body.
'Zelda, Link, Gannon, Zelda, Link, Gannon…' the boy repeated in his head, intending to litter his mind with useless information that Psychos could not utilize and decipher. Blade was only one hundred fifty feet away now… one hundred forty feet… one hundred thirty feet… one hundred twenty…
"DIE!" Bezel yelled, releasing the power of the Wave Distorter cells embedded in his chest.
'No!' Kenshin screamed, feeling a wave of dizziness slam hard into him. 'No, I got to focus! I can't die… I must not die… I can't die! I can't die! I will NOT lose to that damn Wave shit…!'
'Kenshin…' Miyuki whispered, shutting her eyes tightly, unable to watch anymore.
'Oniisan…' Nio squeaked, doing the same. She did not want to witness her brother's end.
Blade was now only sixty feet away… now forty feet… twenty…
"TAIYO-KEN!" Kenshin yelled, dodging Takaya's attack with lighting speed as a super brilliant white light flashed in the sky and saturated the air. Blade, Psychos, Saber, and Plague all shrieked in pain as the ultra white light blinded them instantly. Both Plague and Saber released their knives and female captives from their hands, and they instinctively brought their hands upwards in order to rub their eyes. The two girls began to plummet towards ground forty feet below. Kenshin, immune to the light since he was its summoner, brushed past Blade and caught his falling sister, but Miyuki continued to plunge.
Suddenly, a beam of golden light flashed right by him and headed down, straight towards the falling girl. Within a second, Miyuki slowed and then stopped. The boy followed, gasping at who he saw.
"Alena?" Kenshin whispered in disbelief, seeing her hold the injured girl gently in her arms. The Saiya-jin girl looked up and nodded at him before lowering to the ground. Placing Miyuki on the dirt, she shot upwards towards her new targets – the three Radam beings hovering in the air, still blinded with pain.
An amazed Kenshin hovered frozen as his eyes followed her flight path. She unsheathed Kotukari and blazed towards the Tekkaman closest to her. Raising her blade, Alena dealt a deathly diagonal swing to Tekkaman Psychos. The aura-covered, razor-sharp edge of Kotukari sliced right through the victim's right arm, only to dig through his torso and emerge from his left side. Psychos' green blood spewed out as he screamed, and Alena snorted as the two pieces of his carcasses fell towards the ground. Bezel cried out.
"We're going to get killed here!" Plague hollered, now worried. "Escape!"
Alena lunged for the remaining two, but before she could reach, they fired their thrusters and flew away in fright. Instead of following, she stuck her hand out and released a potent blast in their direction.
"NO!" Saber yelled, feeling the attack knock right into his back and burn into his skin. Bezel detected Saber's location and grabbed the injured warrior. Alena watched in pure satisfaction; she had intended to kill them, but the mere sight of their craven departure sufficed her vengeful desires for the moment. The luminescence from the powerful Taiyo-ken attack soon faded, and light returned to normal.
"Alena," whispered a shocked Kenshin, watching her. 'My family's murderer… now helping me.'
Alena hovered patiently until Bezel and Plague appeared as two distant sparks in the afternoon sky. She then whipped off the green blood on Kotukari and sheathed the item before heading for Kenshin.
"You… helped me…" Kenshin said, gawking at her. 'She used to fight me, not fight for me…'
"I shouldn't be expected to do anything less," she replied. "Let's go see if your friend is alright."
Holding Nio, Kenshin lowered next to the prostrate Miyuki, who gave him a soft smile, and he couldn't help but return it. Before he knew it, Alena turned him around smacked him hard on his cheek.
"Oy!" she barked. "You pervert! Smiling while looking down at her naked body!"
"Oro?" he blurted, noticing the fire in her eyes. "No! No! It's not like that…"
"Hmph," Alena muttered under her breath, stepping past him. She reached for Nio to peeled off the ooze covering the girl's mouth, and she cut off the energy ropes binding her hands and feet. Alena turned her head to make sure that Kenshin hadn't turned around to face their direction.
'Good,' she thought. 'Doesn't Miyuki realize that she's bare? Or does she not even care?'
Alena looked back at Nio and noticed she was wearing two large tee shirts. Before the child could protest, Alena pulled off the girl's first shirt and wrapped it around Miyuki's lower private region. Nio refused to part with the second one, but Alena took it off anyway and used it to cover Miyuki's upper body.
"Alena, why'd you do that?" Nio whined.
Kenshin turned to check what was the matter, only to get another slap in the face.
"Ow!" he yelled, grabbing his cheek. "I was just trying to see what Nio was complaining…"
"I didn't say you could look!" Alena scolded. Kenshin sullenly turned back around. "Now, Nio, it's okay for a four year old girl like you to not have a shirt on. But tell me, why two shirts? It's summer!"
"I was staying some time up at Kami-sama's palace," Nio explained. "It was cold up there."
"Strange, Goku, Vegita, and I were up there, but we didn't see you…" Alena trailed off.
"Kami-sama and Popo-san are dead," Nio wailed, suddenly remembering it all. She ran towards her brother and hugged his leg as she released tears. Kenshin turned, knelt down, and gave her a loving hug, and Alena decided not to smack him this time. Kissing her on the cheek, Kenshin lifted her in his arms, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Alena smiled softly, her features relaxing as she saw them.
"That purple robot… that grabbed me…" Nio whimpered. "… He hurt them…"
"If Bezel killed Kami-sama," Kenshin whispered, shaking his head. "Then what happens to…"
"… Son Goku of Legend?" Alena completed, looking lost. They were all distracted as they heard a moaning sound nearby. Turning their heads, they noticed Blade crouching on the ground several meters away, complaining about the attack that continued to bother his eyes.
"Kenshin, at least… you… should have told me!" Blade yelled. "I can't even rub my eyes!"
"It's okay, you can de-transform now," Kenshin replied, smiling. "They're gone for now."
Blade immediately reverted back to his human form and smashed his fists into his eye sockets, rubbing violently in desperation. Kenshin walked over to examine the young man, who recovered within minutes. Opening his eyes, the blurry world soon shifted back into focus, and his eyes ceased to hurt. The two young men then headed towards Miyuki's partially covered body and knelt by her side.
"Kenshin… Takaya-oniisan…" she whispered. "You shouldn't have done that for me…"
"Miyuki, what are you saying?" Takaya replied, his heart beating fast. "Saber… that devil…"
"I don't want to talk about him… please… These are my last minutes," she replied, smiling softly while trying to hide her anguish and humiliation. "I'm so happy… to see you… before I leave you all…"
"You aren't going to leave us," Takaya swallowed hard. "You're going to live."
"We both know… that I'm not," Miyuki whispered back, sadness in her eyes. "When I escaped prematurely… from the pod, I knew I wouldn't have much time left. My own powers are devouring me… from the inside, oniisan…"
"No, Miyuki…" her brother whispered, his hands trembling.
"Be happy for me," she said gently. "I would rather for it to be this way… than have never escaped at all… I would rather die like this… than be a slave of the Radam for the rest of my life…"
"Sister…" he choked, his face contorted in grief as he looked into her irises.
"Kenshin…" she said, turning her eyes towards him. "I have one last wish…"
"Miyuki…" he choked, his eyes moistening.
"Please kiss me…" she smiled, her eyes sparking. "Nobody should leave this world… without a first kiss… I want it to be with you… Kenshin…"
"I… I…" he stammered, blood rushing into his face as he turned his eyes away.
"Please… let me experience… this joy so many others have shared…" she whispered, closing her eyes. Kenshin hesitated, but Takaya nodded for him to fulfill his sister's last wish. The boy stared hard at Miyuki's face and felt emptiness wash through his body. The air was silent, and the dust stood still as Kenshin brought his head over hers. Ever so slowly, he lowered his face, and the distance between their lips decreased every so gradually. They were only four inches apart… two inches apart… only one…
And Kenshin snapped his eyes open, startling everyone. Miyuki followed suit, staring at him.
"No, Miyuki… I'm not going to give you this last kiss…" he whispered, his voice full of hope. "… Because you're not going to die… I know how to save you…"
Author Notes: Heh, hope that last bit with the kiss wasn't too cheesy. Like the occasional references to Zelda? Also, to those readers who didn't view the Tekkaman pictures page I linked from the last chapter (because you've already seen Tekkaman), still check out that page since the bottom contains my visual depiction of certain Saiya-jin DragonTek characters.
KyLewin: Haha, I agree, that 'showing the photo of Aki' is pretty silly and hokey, but it was I guess the only first step they could come up with. Wow, that's pretty cool you envisioned the characters pretty closely (save for Miyuki and Honda). I'm curious, how did you envision them? Glad you liked the scene with Vegita and Saki. They would make a pretty cool couple. About Milly - hm, I guess I did push her into the background. I forget if she appears in the later chapters, but her role won't be significant. She was hurt pretty badly, so she's kind of out of the picture. But you can assume that someone told her that Aki was innocent in a scene that wasn't written.
DynastyDrummer: I promise you'll eventually find out how and why Yamucha, Tenshinhan, and Chao-zu became Radam (and are still young)...
Rejhan: That's great, I'm glad you liked the pictures! Yeah, the Tekkamen just look plain awesome. Their armor isn't boring - they have lots of notches, parts, sharp shapes, and a glint-like metallic feel to them. Saber/Evil's armor looks the best (and the most ferocious). Yep, Kenshin just fits too well, doesn't he? When I saw the picture of this Junta character, I immediately thought "That's Kenshin. That's it." Another good fit I believe is Alena (with Lulu's picture from Final Fantasy X). Also, about Yamucha, Tenshinhan, and Chao-zu, I promise you'll eventually find out why and how they became Radam Tekkamen.