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 65 - A Night of Rest
"I'm so sorry, Miyuki," Kenshin mumbled, facing her pod. "I shouldn't have cut it so close…"
As expected, he received no response, for she lay in a deep state of sleep in the comfort of the pod. The spore plant continued to massage her body with its warm ooze, which penetrated her bloodstream and reached every cell, cleansing her and making her complete. The girl's eyes remained closed as she unconsciously enjoyed her state of slumber, and all she could hear were the voices in her dream…
"The sunset has never been so beautiful," she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Watching it with you is what truly brings out its splendor," he replied gently, wrapping his hand around her waist. The two of them breathed the fresh air that came with the soft breeze, and they leaned one each other in comfort. The smell was sweet, and the serenity was sacrosanct. Miyuki kept her eyes open as she felt the smoothness of his shoulder against the side of her head. It was over… finally over…
"The Earth…" she started but could not finish.
"Let's not even think about that now," he said gently. "It's the sun we want to watch… together."
"Kenshin," she whispered, watching as the orange disc in the sky made its descent into the horizon. "I never want to lose you… I always want to be with you…"
The boy smiled and closed his eyes, kissing her on her forehead.
Miyuki, resting in her pod, continued to dream…
"I never want to lose you again, Miyuki," Kenshin whispered, looking longingly at her pod. "I always want to be with you… because I… because I deeply care for you…"
The pod jittered ever so slightly as it pulsed with pink light. Kenshin smiled softly, raising his eyes to the sky and observing the sun begin its disappearance into the Earth's surface in the distance. He smiled, wishing that she could sit with him and gaze together at one of nature's most beautiful moments. Yet, he knew that it was only a dream… But perhaps it would come true one evening in the future…
She watched them approach, and words were not necessary to make an appropriate greeting to the young man she loved. Goku looked into her eyes, seeing the pain behind them, and gave her a warm hug.
"I was worried about you," he said. "I felt a battle going on here, and I came as fast as I could."
"Bezel and Saber attacked," she nodded, explaining everything. She kept staring into his eyes, and returned the gaze as both became silent. Shinjo, standing nearby, coughed, and they snapped out of it.
Becoming serious, Shinjo narrowed his eyes at Alena, not forgetting what she did to his men. On the way there, Goku had told him how she'd been freed from control, but he couldn't shake his resentment.
"Shinjo…" Alena figured out why he was glaring at her, and the smile vanished from her face.
"So, Takaya, how are you feeling?" Goku asked suddenly, breaking the tension. Soon, the three walked towards Takaya, who had ceased to care that he was bare as he lay trying to recover his strength.
Shinjo smirked, recalling that he'd been in the same clothes-less predicament not too long ago.
"Food… and clothes…" muttered an embarrassed Takaya. "I feel a little weird without them."
"No problem," Goku said, turning towards Alena. "Let's go and get the provisions. The sun will set soon, and we should just rest tonight. Besides, I think the Tekkamen are starting to do the same."
"Yeah, it's been a busy day," she mumbled, realizing that she had been liberated just hours earlier.
"After getting Takaya the goods, we should head back to base," Goku suggested. "All of us."
While Shinjo stayed with Takaya, Goku and Alena journeyed to a small, comely town that hadn't been attacked, fortunately. In fact, almost no spore trees were present since the population was low. Yet, the streets remained deserted, and people stayed in their homes. The Saiya-jin lowered to the ground and walked quietly down the avenue, not wishing to attract attention. They approached a bakery and peered inside, only to see dozens of delicious breads and pastries. Goku's stomach growled, and Alena laughed.
"All that work today made you have quite an appetite, didn't it? How many of 'em did you kill?"
"Only about thirty," he shrugged. "We couldn't go that fast because we were also looking out for Aki. Don't worry, though, Vegita must've got a higher count since he decided to forget searching for her."
As they looked at each other, the dark thoughts returned to her mind, and she lowered her eyes.
"I feel terrible, Goku…" she whispered, remembering the scowl Shinjo had given her. "I've killed so many people… hundreds… maybe even thousands… and they were all innocent… What am I… Goku?"
"Stop thinking about that. You'll only drive yourself crazy," he said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder and lifting her chin up. "It's Radam's fault. You were under their control, and you couldn't—"
"You don't understand…" she said, her voice cracking. "They still died by my hands… the looks on their faces… the screams from their mouths… they keep haunting me, Goku… I keep seeing them…"
Unable to control herself, she fell into his opened arms and began to weep. Goku gently stroked her back and her hair – this was not the firm Alena he was used to seeing. She had cracked, and there was nothing to stop the torrent of pain and guilt that poured out of her tormented mind. Alena began to tremble.
"I don't know… what to do…" her voice choked.
"Be strong, Alena…" he whispered, holding her close. "We'll pull through this together…"
After Alena had gathered her bearings, she smiled at Goku. Even though she had taken the only surviving relative he had, he still loved her for who she was. Alena felt some of her guilt wash away, and she realized how fortunate she was to have such a caring person in her life. He was with her, regardless.
"Now, they must be waiting for us," Goku said, his voice gentle. "Let's get him what he wanted."
Alena watched amusedly as Goku, Shinjo, and Takaya wolfed down their food. She bit into an apple, only to receive a communication from Saki, who said that she and Vegita were heading back. Upon finishing their meals, an exhausted Takaya transformed into Blade, and the four made their way towards the facility. Blade reminded himself to bring Pegas along next time in order to have a personal taxi service.
"And that brings us to the end of the tour, Tekkaman Shuriken," Chao-zu squeaked as he brought her to an unknown hallway. The little white man thinly smiled, and Mieko narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"You know, I don't like to give services for free. There is a … price … for this," he said.
"What exactly do you want?" she asked, making not the cleanest guess.
"You certainly are an attractive woman…" he trailed off, staring at her chest. "Well, actually, a large group of us are having a dinner party in the eatery in an hour. You're very pretty, and we'll need you to help serve food. But that shouldn't be too hard for you – you must be used to it since you are a woman."
'You backwards little piece of…!' Mieko yelled in her head. 'What era do you live in?'
"Yes," she replied, presenting an affected smile. "I would be delighted to do it."
"Excellent," Chao-zu shrugged, rubbing his stomach. "Then come this way."
"I won't have to do any other favors for you, will I?" Mieko asked, making sure. Chao-zu shook his head. 'Good, so I won't get any surprises later on. But this dinner party is going to delay our escape.'
"Charles…" Levin whimpered. He had cried all day long, only seeing images of death. Of all people, why his best friend? It made him realize the harsh truth about war – that anyone could die anytime.
"It will be okay, lad," Honda tried to reassure him, although he knew that his words wouldn't even come close. The two of them were hiding in the protected underground levels of the secondary base, sitting next to the lying, injured Milly. The doctors had stabilized her skull, which had suffered a hairline fracture.
"He's watching down on you and smiling," gently said Milly. "I know he was brought to God…"
"But it was a devil that sent him there," Levin cried even more. "Oh, Charles…"
"… In Charge," Noal sang as he entered the room. Levin broke down, and Honda glared harder.
"Noal! How can you even think of cracking a joke about this?" Honda said irately, startling him.
"Huh? What are you talking about? I was just telling the head of security that 'I'm in charge.'"
"Hmph," Honda replied, not bothering to apologize to the blond man. 'I guess it was my mistake.'
"How are you feeling?" Noal asked, turning towards Milly. The girl smiled.
"Better, I think," she shrugged. "They gave me painkillers, so my head isn't hurting much, but the doctors say I should be fine in a few days. I just have to make sure I don't hit my head anywhere hard."
"Good to hear, Milly," Noal nodded. "Just keep getting some rest, and you can command again."
"Speaking of that – any word on Aki?" Milly asked, genuinely worried. Noal shook his head.
"I've been in touch with both Goku and Vegita, but they found nothing," he sighed. "Although they have been finishing off a handful of those Tekkamen. Apparently, Vegita took out sixty just today!"
"This is the most destructive war ever in history," Honda said. "If he keeps that up, it'll end fast."
'Even if it ends… with all these lives lost…' Noal thought. 'Would we even feel like celebrating?'
'It seems as if I've been here for days, but it's only really been hours,' she thought, lying bored in her cell. Yet, she wasn't scared, for death had clawed at her so much now she was desensitized to its fear.
'What's taking you so long, Mieko?' thought Aki, sighing and worrying about how the others were doing, especially her brother and Takaya. She started thinking about Shinjo, recalling that he was a Saiya-jin, which meant that she was one as well. Despite this fact, she didn't have the power to break out herself.
'I don't even know what it means to be a Saiya-jin… And yet, I'm one of the last of their kind.'
That night…
Vegita, Shinjo, Noal, Goku, Takaya, Saki, and Alena relaxed in a room, sharing any news. They were all tired, and they wanted their much-needed sleep. However, Shinjo was restless, pacing the room, and Takaya was also deeply worried about Aki. In fact, both of them did not want to rest at all that night.
"We still have to find her," Takaya said, his voice heavy. "She must be so scared."
"I agree," Shinjo responded sharply. "Being surrounded by all those Tekkamen…"
"Guys," Goku sighed. "We've searched as much as we could today. Let's just do it tomorrow."
"Why waste these hours in the night?" Takaya said. "When we can invade their ship?"
"You want to attack them head on right now?" Alena returned. "After all that happened today?"
"After all that's happened today, I couldn't feel more ready."
"You do realize that your body is exhausted?" she replied. "Your mind may be ready to attack them, but your body will give out before you know it. That transformation you did today sapped a lot of your stamina and energy. You'll need a good night's sleep before you can do something like that again."
"I won't need to do that transformation!" he protested, only to feel a blow to his neck. The man soon fell unconscious to the floor, and so did Shinjo. Vegita smirked, satisfied while standing above them.
"What the hell, Vegita!" yelled Saki, bolting up. "Hitting them both so sneakily from behind!"
"I had enough of their yapping," he said tiredly. "Besides, if I didn't, they'd sneak out later."
"I think we should all go to sleep," Goku yawned. "But I think I'll wait for Kenshin…"
'Yes, he hasn't been back yet,' Alena thought, narrowing her eyes. 'Is Miyuki still not finished?'
'You know, it's been a long time since I've looked at the stars like this. The moon is beautiful tonight, Miyuki. Just look at its light, shimmering down. It looks fantastic. Oh! … And there's Mars over there… and Venus over here… and the North Star…' the boy described silently, his eyes moving around the black blanket above. 'Just think about those stars, Miyuki… They're so amazing… Their light can be seen even if they exploded billions of years ago… It's almost as if a star's light represents… its legacy…'
Kenshin took in a deep breath, only to let it out as he glanced back at her pod and back.
'The battle for Earth is on its last legs. We can be the victors… or the losers,' he thought. 'If we don't survive, what legacy would we leave? If the Radam are victorious… what light will remain behind?'
Miyuki's pod began to pulse softly with pink light, almost as if it was signaling it was finished.
Kenshin stood from his resting position and hovered patiently in front of the bulb's aperture. He waited, and his heartbeat was slow, yet strong. Then, the moment of hope arrived. The pod contracted and gently pushed out her partially naked body. He tenderly caught her in his arms, his left arm under her back and his right one resting under her knees. His heart began to beat faster as he looked at her sleeping, serene face. All traces of injury had vanished – her arm was totally repaired, and the cuts on her face were gone.
She continued to rest soundly, undisturbed. Tears of joy and relief welled in Kenshin's eyes, and he gave a soft kiss on her forehead. Miyuki slowly opened her eyes, looking at his enthused, ecstatic face.
"It's finished," she said softly, smiling. "I will never leave you again… Ken… shin."
"I won't either," he whispered back, and she closed her eyes again and returned to sleep. "You survived against all odds, Miyuki. And you've given me hope… We will win this war… I promise it…"
Saying a thankful prayer, Kenshin rose into the air and carried her back to the base.
'Those voices… those faces… they won't even let me sleep… how can I bring myself to ignore them?' Alena thought, sitting upright on her bed and against the wall. The group had finally decided to call it a night, except for Goku, who decided to stay awake for Kenshin. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to rest.
'Why do they haunt me so much? Faces of fathers, mothers, and even children… I can't even remember what I did to each… they hate me for it… so many innocent people… Why am I alive? When I should not be… But I've been given a second chance to live… Because Kenshin saved me… Kenshin… who couldn't bring himself to kill me that night… who couldn't bring himself to end my life on the battlefield… why did he spare me? It was his humanity… his humanity that did not allow him… to take my life when he knew… that I had a chance to be good again… as I used to be… With all that's happened… there's only one way for me… to show my humanity… and that is through my death… in the form… of a sacrifice…'
'He's here,' Goku thought, feeling the familiar chi approach as he meditated in the Mission Room.
"Hello, Goku," Kenshin said, his voice clear and calm. The boy lowered himself through the big hole in the ceiling and landed on the floor. Goku noticed the slumbering girl in his arms, and he nodded.
"It's done, and she'll be alright," Kenshin smiled. He had covered Miyuki with some clothes.
'So this girl that Vegita and I had risked our lives to save is finally okay,' Goku sighed. 'I never knew they used to be best friends; Kenshin never told. At least she's fine now. Our efforts weren't in vain.'
"We set aside rooms for the both of you," Goku said. "Why don't you tuck her in and get some rest yourself? You've had a long, long day. It's hard to imagine that you'd saved Alena just this morning."
"Yeah, sounds good," Kenshin yawned. The two cousins chatted for a bit longer before Goku headed off. Kenshin brought Miyuki to her room and laid her gently on her bed. Kissing her softly on the forehead, he pulled the covers over her and closed the light, shutting the door behind him as he left quietly.
'All those damn Radam,' Mieko sighed as she laid herself out on the nearest bed. Serving all that food and helping clean up had really taken a lot out of her. The only thing she wanted to do was pass out.
Closing her eyes, she thought about the dinner party. About forty warriors had come, all in their natural states. They were a varied mix, for Radam had conquered many races from many planets. They were a jolly bunch when it came to food; one would hardly believe they were planet-plundering murderers celebrating a successful, major assault. Mieko had to run countless rounds in and out of the kitchen in order to fill their plates. One thing was certain – she now possessed a newfound respect for waitresses.
Shifting her thoughts, she wracked her tired brain to conjure a plan for tomorrow's great escape. Having seen the corridors and potential security hindrances, she had to devise a way to break Aki free and take her through all those obstacles without having to run into any strong Tekkamen. It was Yamucha who had made her most concerned, for his piercing eyes and his stern face sent chills down her slim back.
'As I told Aki, this is going to be very dangerous,' she thought as she continued to plan her exit.
'I cannot live with this shame…' he thought, resting in healing pod. 'I was beaten by a Saiya-jin… that good for nothing bitch… But I will have my final revenge… for all stops will be pulled… The fate of the war will be decided tomorrow… We will not hold back any longer… and then we will truly see… in whose destiny lies victory… tomorrow will be the day it all ends… I promise you that… you Saiya-jin bastards…'
Those were the last words to enter Bezel's mind before he drifted off to sleep…
Slowly opening her eyes, she discovered that the room was pitch black. Nothing could be seen, and nothing could be heard. The silence of darkness pervaded the area, and the stillness of the air brushed against her hair. The girl saw the cloud of air as she exhaled; it was frighteningly cold. She darted her eyes to her left, but all she could see was infinite nothingness. Yet, a soft glow appeared to her right. Turning her body, she faced the direction of the dim yellow light.
It was a candle, but its flame did little to provide luminescence to the dark chamber. However, it began to move. The girl slowly slid back on the hard metal floor on which she was sitting. It continued to approach, and she continued to retract. Yet, she soon had nowhere to go, for her back had touched the cold metal wall behind her. She continued to shudder as she sat still, her shoulders wrapped around her raised knees as she struggled to stay warm. The candle kept approaching, until it stopped two meters away.
The girl looked desperately at it, yearning that it would offer a sanctuary of warmth. Like magic, its glow intensified, and the face of its holder faded into view. The soft candlelight illuminated his features, and the light of the flame reflected off his scarlet irises. A sinister smile spread thinly across his lips as he looked down at his younger sister, who felt as if droplets of frozen water trickled down her tender backside.
'No…' she begged in her mind as she looked at his terrifying face. The young man gently placed the candle on the floor, and his evil eyes bore into hers. Ever so slowly, he went on his knees and crawled towards the frightened girl; his expression was one of insanity, and it was a look of desire. The girl pushed her back against the wall, praying for an escape. Yet, in this cold chamber, there was none to be found.
'Please god… no…' she whispered in her mind. The young man slowly reached out with both of his hands and took a firm grasp of the girl's ankles. With a soft tug, he pulled her towards him. She tried to pull away, but there was nothing she could do. It was so cold that she didn't have the power to resist his strength, and she felt her back slide down the wall and onto the floor as he pulled her towards his body.
'I… I can't…' the girl continued to silently protest. Now her back was on the floor, and she was lying horizontally. The tip of her head touched the wall, and she felt her hair spread out as her eyes looked upwards, too frightened to face his eyes. The man continued to stare at his motionless prey, and he slowly removed his only shirt. Keeping himself in a crouching position, he patiently lowered himself towards the girl. He placed his hands on the floor next to her breasts, and he lowered his face close enough to directly face hers. Only two inches separated their lips.
'No… Shinya… no…' she thought, unable to move. He brought his lips closer and closer…
"My sister," he whispered, looking sinfully into her eyes. "Just as you said… nobody should leave this world… without a first kiss… and I know… that you wanted yours… to be with that boy…"
'Please… Shinya… stop…' she begged silently, and a tear rolled down the side of her face.
"But… my dear…" he whispered coldly. "In this world… wishes… don't always come true…"
'No… NO!' she screamed in her mind, but nobody was there to hear her. She could not resist, for her body would not move. She had to give in. She had to give in unwillingly to sin… his sin. The young man brought his lips down upon hers, and he enjoyed her soft mouth thoroughly as his forcefully brought his tongue onto hers. He sucked in her saliva, and he gave the girl his own. The girl continued to cry in humiliation, but for her, the agony was only about to begin. Within seconds, he reached for her below…
… And soon made her lose her innocence forever…
'NO!' she screamed in her mind, snapping her eyes open and suddenly sitting upright on her bed. Her breathing was heavy, and she felt the moistness in her eyes and the streams that had run down her cheeks. Her heart was beat furiously, and her entire body was warm. She reached down and felt the nakedness of her body; yet, she was untouched. It was a dream. No; rather, it was a hellish nightmare… … And it tortured her very soul. Her brother had truly traumatized her, and it terrified her to her limits. When she had been recovering in the pod, it had not let her have such dreams, for it feared that she would become unstable. But now, back in a bed in an isolated room, there was nothing to stop her torture.
Little did she realize she was shivering; the drops of sweat that drenched her body and her covers had begun to lose their heat and absorb the coolness of the air. Her heartbeat only started to slow down, and she dug her face in her hands, weeping. Her menacing brother was nowhere near; yet, he was making her suffer. Although he had failed to violate her earlier that day, he did it successfully in her nightmare…
The gravity of his sin would be engraved in her mind forever, and she would never forget the moment at which she almost lost that which had kept her pure. Shinya had almost taken it away, and she could do nothing about it. Miyuki collapsed backwards on her bed and continued to cry. She held her hands on her eyes, but the tears would not stop flowing.
'I will never…' she whispered in her mind. 'I will never let you haunt me again, Shinya…'
Author Notes: Disturbed by that last scene? Was the "Charles in Charge" joke just cruel or what, haha?
This marks the half-way point of Destiny Saga. Only ten more chapters to go until the end of DragonTek! Never thought it would arrive, did you? ;) Things are going to start coming to a close pretty soon, and I hope you enjoy it.
KyLewin: Sadly, the worst baddies are saved for last. Then again, that's how it usually is, or else the story would end sooner, wouldn't it? Whether the bad guys get what they deserve, you'll have to wait and see :)
Rejhan: Glad you liked the battles! Yeah, they're three packed battles that turn out well for the good guys (finally). Replic tried to play cheap, and he paid for it. Though they got hit hard, Saber and Bezel won't be out of commission for long...
DynastyDrummer: About those Tekkaman pictures... did you type in the URL correctly? You have to remove the spaces around the dots in order for the page to show up.
ssjkakarot: Oo, a new reader! Thanks for your reviews... as far as canon Goku and Vegita are concerned, all I'll say is that you'll have to wait and see :)
clarence: Since you've only read up to chapter 35 or so while I'm currently writing this, it may be a while until you read my reply to you (since you didn't post an e-mail address). When Alena turned Super Saiya-jin, I don't believe she had spiky hair (at least I hope I didn't write that). I think it became slightly spikier but remained normal for the most part (except that it turned golden). Yep, and a lot of Kenshin's moves are lifted directly from the Rurouni Kenshin anime, since Kenshin in DragonTek views the anime Himura Kenshin as a role model. Thanks for your feedback as well!
Thanks again to everyone, and I hope you enjoy the final stretch of DragonTek!