Kage is Kira
I will soon move this fic to M-rate. A precursor for future chapters.
NOTE:
"Doryaaaaaaaaaa!": normal talking
"Charge!": special case
'Darn!': thoughts
GWA HA HA HA! : Giant creature speech
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!
Please… read and review
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A child with a familiar messy dark brown hair was playing with a little bird in his hands.
"Kira! Kiraaaa-!"
The boy, the 5 year old Kira Yamato turned and looked at a raven haired boy calling him from the distance. "Mama ruft! Beeilen Sie sich und erhalten Sie hier!"
"Beeilen Sie sic… urgh, slow down, Athrun! I can't understand you!"
In annoyance, 5 year old Athrun repeated in stuttering Japanese: "I… said: Mom's… calling! Hurry up… and get here!"
Kira smiled and quickly ran together with his best friend, Torii trailing behind them. They arrived at a gazebo in the middle of a garden, where a woman, with a short raven hair, the same hair color with Athrun was waiting for them, sitting patiently in front of a chalkboard. Kira and Athrun quickly sat on a chair with small desks in front of them.
"Gutten morgen. (Good Morning – German)"
"Gutten Morgen!" Both children replied happily.
Lennore Zala smiled kindly. "Now. Have you two finished your homework?"
"Yes." Athrun answered readily.
"No." Kira answered sadly.
Lenore kindly looked questioningly at the brown haired boy, asking why.
"It's in French. I don't know French…" Kira mournfully looked at Lenore. "It's very difficult…"
"That's something we have to remedy. Supplementary lessons for you, Kira." Lennore clasped her hand and giggled. "And that's why you have to study and do your homework. So that you'll become smarter and it won't be difficult anymore!"
Kira smiled and nodded. Lennore smiled back and turned to her son. "Now, Athrun, let me see your homework."
Athrun smugly smiled to a groaning Kira in triumph as if saying: 'I win!' and handed his completed homework proudly to his mother. Lennore took it and start checking his answers. Her smile quickly turned to frown. "Um… Athrun dear… why is there so many grammatical mistakes?" Athrun's mouth gasped, while Kira smiled mischievously. 'Serves you right!'
And thus, the two kids ended up with supplementary extra lessons from Lennore.
After the lessons ended, now it's Athrun's turn to play around with Torii. Kira spend some time with Lennore in a tea time. "I truly appreciate this, Kira."
"Lady Lennore?" Kira looked at the lady.
"You, spending time with Athrun. There are times when I can't be around… and Patrick is often too busy to be with him." As she said this, Lennore seem very tired and very… sad.
Her sad expression made Kira sad as well. "Lady Lennore? I should've made my homework didn't I? I've made you sad…"
Lennore was slightly bewildered but quickly smiled again. "Well, of course you have to do your homework, but… my point is… you're a good boy, Kira-dear. You're always there when I and Patrick weren't around. So Athrun will be alright. He's in good hands."
Now Kira was more confused than sad. But then, he thought a little and suddenly caught on. "Are you going somewhere?"
Lennore smiled sadly and patted Kira's messy hair. "Yes. I'll be going somewhere, again. And it'll be quite a long trip. I won't be able to see him and you… for long."
"Will you come back?" Kira looked hopefully at Lennore.
The Lady looked with great uncertainty to the sky. "Saa na?" But then she looked back to Kira and smiled. "But, considering I managed to come back the first time, I might be able to do so again."
Kira frowned as he tried to understand Lennore's statement. "Does that mean we'll see you again?"
Lennore giggled. "Of course Kira-dear. But, you have to promise me three things."
Eager to please Lennore and ensure she returned from whatever it is that she needed to attend to, Kira frantically nodded. "Anything! Anything!"
"First, you must always do your homework and study diligently…" Kira nodded. "Two, you must always be a good boy and live true to yourself…" Kira nodded less eagerly as he tried to fully understand what it means. "And finally…" Lennore looked at her son at the distance. "Look after Athrun." Kira nodded, but then, he was somewhat puzzled at the request. Lennore quickly explained: "While I'm away, Athrun will have a LOT of homework on his hands, taking care of the Zala Family while I'm away and when his father wasn't around. I can only rely on you-" Lennore gleefully pointed at Kira's nose. "-to look after Athrun and make sure he do all his homework. Can you promise me all this?"
Kira contemplated the three promises. "If I keep these three promises… will we see you again?"
Lennore nodded with a smile.
"Okay then! I promise I will do those three things!" Kira stretched out his pinky. "Pinky promise! If one does not keep his promise one will have to swallow 1000 needles!"
"Haaai. Contract complete." Lennore gleefully hooked her own pinky to Kira's. The two smiled as their promise is sealed.
"Oooi! Kiraaaa!" Athrun called.
"Coming!" Kira hopped into the field and ran towards Athrun.
But no matter how much he ran, Athrun remain so far away. Confused, he turned around to ask Lady Lennore what's happening, but to his horror, she disappeared, and so is the gazebo, the garden, and so is everything else. Replacing the beautifully dreamy scenery was utter darkness. Distraught and panicked, Kira frantically looked around, looking for his best friend and his beloved lady. Alas, all he saw is darkness. And then, multiple strong arms made of darkness slither around him and grabbed him everywhere. His arms, his legs, his chest, his waist, all were bound. The little Kira had never been more frightened all his life. He screamed and cried, but his mouth was gagged by some of those arms. And then those arms began to pull him back to parts unknown.
And suddenly, an adult 17 years old Kira frantically struggled to break free, and he managed to remove some of the arms, but the more he tried to break free, more and more of those arms emerged: from his back, from the floor, and even from the inexistent ceiling. In his struggle, the arms tore his clothes apart, until only bare skin left. The arms of darkness seem intent to complete their deed to pull him away, one piece at a time if they must. The bare naked Kira continue to struggle, but the arms simply multiplied and dragged him back. Until at last, the arms had completely wrapped most of Kira's figure and the boy was rendered immobile, and slowly, the arms pulled Kira into darkness. Kira tried to scream, but his mouth was bound and gagged. His eyes widened in horror and despair. He looked back and saw the source of these arms.
Monstrous.
"AAAAAAAAARGGHH!" Kage went wide awake from his nightmare ridden slumber. He was bathed in his own cold sweat, his eyes, still slightly blurred from having just wake up, looked around the surrounding. And then he saw, to his shock and rage, was Balsam Arendo, his arms outstretched towards him. Apparently he just sneaked in and was reaching for his mask, trying to see his face. Judging by the slight displacement of his mask, he nearly succeeded. Kage's eyes quickly went ballistic with rage and bloodlust.
"Erh… eh… anooo…"
The sound of Kage cracking his knuckles was the only precursor to the subsequent series of events in which-CCRASH! (Balsam's CENSORED-face was smashed through Ajwriter's monitor, knocking the writer's head unconscious- Error! 1000000111110111111010101001001111-error…system shutdown
Reboot…
WARNING-Fourth Wall broken-WARNING
The wonton brutality and the sheer sadistic nature of the next series of events were at such monstrous level, that the writer just doesn't have the stomach to write it. Therefore to preserve the sanity of the readers, and to show humanity still had hope of redemption when judgment day comes despite their history of many brutalities, the writer saw it fit to censor these events and decided to skip forward to the next 20 minutes.
Fourth Wall erected
Balsam sank his nails to the floor while Kage dragged him back in. "NOT THE SPOON! NOT THE SPOOOON!"
Fourth Wall broken again – but a curtain with flowery decoration fell in… which was quickly marred with blood splatter from the other side
Err… make that another 20 minutes… or… so?
– add various horrible background sound of bone breaking, blood gushing, flesh tearing, scrotum crunching and -
Bah, let's just skip straight to dawn.
Fourth Wall erected and reinforced.
Dawn…
Every one of the still half asleep soldier of the Alliance aboard the Archangel was forced to gather in the mess hall under Kage's orders. Yet none of them dare to be sleepy, ignore this call, or even gave so much as a yawn. They all wide awake, giving the black clad captain their undivided attention. Reason:
Their Captain is pissed - as in the massacre-an-entire-Bladebane-infiltration-team-in-rage-kind of pissed. (AN: Please read chapter 13 & 14 for reference)
"So I'll make this clear one more time: I'll do this-" Kage raised the () that was Balsam Arendo. "-to EVERYONE who dare to sneak up on me when I'm sleeping – especially when it's without my authorization. Is THAT. IN ANY WAY. UN-CLEAR?" The way he looks, glaring with bloodshot murderous eyes, screaming hysterically with foaming mouth, and bathed in Balsam's blood as he swing the () around, Kage looked like a mass murdering freak of Psychopath recently escaped from Hell's asylum for the incurably insane.
"SIR, NO SIR!" In genuine, pure terror, everyone, other captains, Shadowguards, Juppongatana, all heard and wholeheartedly obeyed.
Chapter 25:
Boy Devil meet Girl Witch
It's been 5 days now after the end of the Siege of Archangel Crisis. The Dreadnought Archangel, or just Archangel, has currently dropped anchor and remained stationary somewhere in the middle of the South China Sea. The Alliance forces had left in such a hurry, the Archangel was constructed rather poorly, only enough so that the ship can float and sail. With that said, the Dreadnought was far from battle ready, thought its current combat capability, as demonstrated when it bust its way through the Zaft naval blockade, is formidable. Many parts of the ship are still incomplete – such as soldier's quarters, infirmary, weapons and ammo storeroom, provision storeroom and etc, etc. All three available ships: Achilles, Daigurrenzan, and the Odysseus (whom they picked up earlier) were currently using every able bodied man they can spare into completing this ship. But quite frankly, and to Murdoch's delight, they are in no danger of running out of space. The Archangel, even though it has been converted as a Dreadnought, is still a fortress, albeit a floating one. As such, it has a very large amount space, equivalent to a fortress. It was still huge enough to house and maintain 6 battle cruisers and its escorting fleet in a built in mobile dock, located in the spacious gap situated right beneath its suspended center superstructure.
"You see, that's why the ship has two parallel hulls. Underneath the superstructure, there's a cavernous room, big enough to complement the equipment for an entire shipyard, enough for six battleships, lined in two. This ship is more like a mobile dockyard. The idea is that during heavy combat, the other ships can quickly take cover here, in the docks beneath the center superstructure, walled by these two armor plated hulls." From the Bridge tower, Murdoch pointed at the Archangel's Starboard and Portside hulls as he explained the workings of the Dreadnought to Kage, Canard, Mwu, Murrue and Natarle. The Bridge Tower also served a crow's nest, allowing the commanding officers to see everything that's going on in the battlefield. "Our Battle cruisers can then refit or getting repairs as needed, and then sail out, two at the time, from the front or rear opening while the batteries from both sides dish out punishment to all surrounding units."
Natarle nodded in understanding but he quickly noted the lack of protection of the center superstructure. Namely: the lack of any weapons and the fact the Bridge Tower is facing directly to the open sea without any protection whatsoever, completely exposed to enemy fire at the center. Not to mention the fact that the giant paddler is completely exposed. "But there are no weapons or any sort of protection on this Bridge tower. Won't this be a grave weakness? And we have no other chaser guns besides Lohengrin. That monster weren't meant to be fired often."
"Sure I get that. But ma'am, see those curving rib-like steel frames jutting out of the sides that stopped midway?" Murdoch was pointing at a series of thick frame ribs structures that partially protruded out of the superstructure. The steel frames protruded on both sides, and it seems it was intended to join at the front, creating a large wedge structure pointing forward, which would've partially covered the Bridge Tower.
"Looks like an incomplete understructure…" Canard noted.
Murdoch nodded. "They don't look like an incomplete understructure. They ARE an incomplete understructure. I think the creator noticed the weakness you just noted, and he had planned to create this covering to protect at least the base of the Bridge Tower. And judging by how big it'll be, I think he also intend to add a few more space for additional chaser guns. My men and I have been discovering multiple hard points here and there. I think they never tested the ship in real life combat."
"What do you mean?"
"Those hard points were meant to be upgrades." Murrue caught up. "Other than the basic equipment of any normal ships: side batteries, forward guns… they intend to add additional equipments and upgrades based on how the situation in the future dictates. Only… seeing this thing had never even set sailed…"
Everyone nodded in understanding. Putting aside the Archangel's already significant firepower, the Dreadnought is still, basically, a blank slate. They can still add whatever equipment they want on it.
"We can worry about that later." Kage concluded. "How's our current condition?"
"Well… we're practically out of ammo. And most of our resources are being used on completing this ship up… but…"
"Prioritize on defense and necessary infrastructure first. Give the existing bunks to the refugees that came with us, particularly the children and the elderly. The soldiers and I can sleep anywhere. We can deal about comfort later." Kage concluded. The other officers agreed and nodded.
"And the ammos?"
"We'll manage without somehow. Besides, haven't I told you the point is NOT to rely on those cannons?" Kage remarked.
Natarle frowned. "But Captain Kage… in a ship to ship battle…"
"Archangel is STILL a fortress, albeit a floating one. But even better, it's a MOBILE fortress. If the enemy did come, we'll deal with them as they come. Heck, we'll ram through them one at a time if we have to." Kage cut the argument short. "Or do I have to do something like the Archangel Siege Crisis again to hammer this point in?"
Everyone gulped and quickly shook their heads. "No… that won't be necessary." Canard sighed. "We'll figure something out."
"Good." Thus Kage concluded the meeting.
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Lunch time…
"Kage!"
Kira's heart practically stopped when one Fllay Allister declared it before him right in front of everyone in the mess hall during lunch.
"I'm sorry?"
"What exactly is your relationship with Kage?" Fllay completed her question, and Kira breathes again.
"Why… we're siblings." Kira explained plainly. "He was like… my long lost brother. We didn't even know about each other until recently."
Fllay glared at Kira. "I just find it odd you know." She inched closer to the chef's face. Kira nervously gulped and blushed as he can smell the scent of her perfume emanating from the girl. "You claimed that you two are siblings, but I almost never see you two together. I've never even seen him in the mess hall."
Kira gulped even more nervously. "Well… he's kinda shy you see… I used to bring him his food to his-"
"Shy? A guy with a 300,000,000 bounty who did… all the things he's done… is kinda shy?" Fllay cuts in and inched even closer, Kira uncomfortably took another step back.
"That's just how he is. Why do you think he put on that mask? Eheheheh…" Kira nervously looked the other way, searching for some help. But seeing Kira averted his eyes from hers, Fllay grew even more suspicious.
"Where were you when Kage was away?" Fllay continued her interrogation. "I didn't see you in the bunkers, and I didn't see you during the great meeting either." Fllay was referring to that time when Sai was reading Kage's third letter.
But Kira quickly answered. "I was with… the raiding team… I was with… err…" Fllay grew even more suspicious and would've inched closer, but she was stopped by the counter desk, so she leaned forward.
"You're with the raiding team? But you don't look like a fighter…" Now Kira is sweating buckets.
"Kira-kun was assigned to Kage's raider team. The ones who quelled the Bladebane attack." Senba finally intervened and came to the ailing Kira's rescue. "If you need proof, Toudou-dono there can testify. Kira-kun was there, right, Toudou-dono?"
On one of the table in the mess hall, Toudou nodded. "Indeed. He was there. He was part of the Shadow Team."
Fllay frowned, still somewhat unconvinced. But Senba will have none of it. "Now, my fair lady, will you be so kind and move? The other customers are waiting."
The red head blinked and then scoffed lightly, took her food and left. Kira sigh a breath of relief. "Thank you Senba-san. For a moment there I thought I was done for." Kira whispered to the elder Shiseiken.
"Anytime. But you really need to learn to lie better when your mask's off." The fat elder tapped at the young chef several times as he grinned widely. "Hey, that broth is just about done." Senba pointed at a pot full of slightly bubbling soup.
"I tried… but people say I'm a terrible liar…" Kira mourned as he picked up the pot and pull out noodles from another pot.
As fellow chefs, Kira and Senba quickly get along and became fast friends. Senba aided as the bridge to heal the tensions that was formed between Kira and the other Shiseiken due to the previous ordeal. The elder soldier also taught Kira in other menus other than Ramen, particularly Japanese food menu. Kira turns out have a knack for this, and learned everything pretty quick having been given the basics by Pore during his time as a waiter. But the Shiseikens were particularly surprised when they heard from Mwu of how Kira was Wan Pore AKA Paul Wong's protégé… as far as cooking goes.
"The Zaft knew him as Typhoon King Paul. He was renowned as the only person who had ever faced every existing Hakutenkun at least once, and survived each encounter. Becoming an increasingly painful thorn with every battle." Senba remarked. "He was a captain and a chef of his division. That's how the two of us get to know each other."
"He was damn good Captain too… made it to a blacklist, with a bounty of 650,000,000." Asahina followed. "It would've gone higher, but an accident claimed his right leg and he was forced to retire for good. And so the blacklist was redacted."
Kira nodded. But he knew the accident must've been a lie. He had known his boss for quite some time, and during those times, he saw that both of Pore's legs were intact. He must've lied about the condition of his leg so that he can resign from captaincy. Kira wasn't sure as to the reason of why Wan Pore had to lie, but he decided to keep quiet and play along. "Yeah. I noticed. He's good at hiding the fact that he was limping though."
"Uh… Waiter?"
Kira perked as he felt the word was directed to him. His ire grew further when he saw the one who called him were the (censored) Balsam Arendo. Sighing, Kira excuse himself and attend to this… 'customer'. "What?"
"Just asking… but… why do I feel like our rations seem to be diminishing?"
"Well, for your information, they're not seems to be diminishing, we are cutting the soldier's ration. I suggested that most of it should go to the refugees. Kage doesn't mind." Kira crossed his arms. The refugees have been working together with the soldiers around the clock to help them finish the dreadnought, back during the siege, and until now. Plus, they're still a bit angry at Kage over the fact they were about to be used as bait… even though it's just a lie. So, Kira thought it would be better if they get more food if to calm them down. After all… "If I had my way, you guys will have the usual portion… but Kage had also been complaining. He said I made the food tasted too well. And since I can't make it bad even if it kills me… he told me to cut off the portion. You guys are soldiers. Soldiers shouldn't mind hardship, should they?"
"Ya know… normally, we gave you soldiers shitty food to keep you guys in a nasty mood." Senba further supported this fact.
"Please don't! Kira's food is pretty much the only edible thing in this joint!" One of the soldiers whined.
Kira shook his head. "Now you see why Kage complained that the ration should be cut off?" The chef pointed his thumb at the whining soldiers. "Plus, we kinda owe it to the refugees for helping us to get this far."
"You realized what you're doing right? Feeding over 2000 soldiers, and then feeding them too." Balsam glared meaningfully at Kira.
Kira's eyes turned cold and glared back to the (censored) soldier.
"I even heard there's been some thieving afoot-"
"Shut the fuck up and get straight to the point." Kira cut him short.
"We're running out of FOOD." Balsam was more than happy to oblige. "That's our food. Army's food! You've been pampering the refugees too much when we're still not out of the nets yet. Out of ammos, out of most weaponries, if the Zaft attacked us, the only resistance they get will be from half starved soldiers!"
Kira still remain unmoved. "Your point being?"
"It's army's food. Our food! It's not your choice to make about how to distribute the food! Even though you're the chef!"
"No. It wasn't. But it's not their choice to starve either. It's not their choice to come with us, it's not their choice to become refugees, and it's certainly not their choice to be in one ship with the biggest jerk of an asshole within 30 mile radius." Now, unlike before, Kira didn't even bother being humble anymore. This guy just doesn't deserve it. "People don't get the liberty to make a lot of choices these days. And if you think I'm being wasteful… answer this, which one is more wasteful: an idiot dressed up in bandages or a proper cook? So shut the fuck up and use your mouth for something a lot more useful." And Kira's done.
"You… dare…" If it weren't for the (CENSOR) one can see Balsam's face is reddening with anger. Everyone held their breath as a fight is afoot.
"DARE what? You think I need Kage to look after myself?" Kira glared back. "I can deal with you without lifting a finger." Everyone tensed at this statement. Everyone except the Shadowguards.
Balsam gritted his teeth and rose to his feet. He began reaching to Kira, intending to do harm.
Kira simply whistled. "Torii."
And like a green feathery bullet, Torii angrily fly straight to Balsam's head and slapped him but good with his beak. His prey still disoriented, Torii grabbed hold to Balsam's hair and mercilessly and rapidly pecked at his head and face over and over with his surprisingly sharp beak. "Ow! OW! Hey… (Ouch) I'm (Yeow) still (Yeouch) injured! Ow!" Torii ended with a slap with his tail feathers, leaving his opponent staggering, but he wasn't finished. He fly ahead into the kitchen and Senba backed away, wondering what the bird intend to do. First, he positioned the spoon on the boiling broth pot, and took a small bean. He dropped the bean, and then, in a domino effect, it hit a small spoon, the small spoon fell and hit the small glass, the small glass hit a small pot, the small pot hit a bigger pot, the bigger pot hit the biggest pot, and the biggest pot finally fell on top of the spoon. The spoon flipped, catapulting a spoonful of boiling broth right to Balsam's face.
The onlookers winced as Balsam cried in pain, holding his burning (censored) face. But, just like his master, Torii seem to have developed a rather ruthless streak as well - he's far from finished. He waited patiently on top of the hanging kitchen utensils hanging about the kitchen counter, and as Balsam rolling over just beneath him; one by one Torii dropped several utensils. Two kitchen knives and one big two pointed fork. The kitchen knives fell accurately on Balsam's sleeves, nailing his arms in an outstretched position. The fork fell on his collar, nailing it, and by extension, his head, in place. As for the grand finale: Torii undo a rope knot, and a sack of 20 kg worth of flour suddenly fell out of nowhere and landed straight to Balsam's pinned face-bleaching it white in a cloud of flour.
Having completed the deed, Torii calmly and gracefully landed on Kira's welcoming arm. Kira smiled and gave his clever feathery friend a few more crumbs as a reward.
Everyone who saw all this silently concluded. 'Seriously… either that guy is even weaker than a bird… or the bird is as powerful as the master…'
"Grrrrghh…" Balsam, down but not out, grabbed a chef knife and began to rose up again, still wanting to do the boy some harm. Kira, pretending he didn't know what's happening, continue to play around with Torii and let him come. When Balsam is just a few steps from him…
"Oh, Fuji-!"
And Fuji's giant arm suddenly shoved in from the door and grabbed the (still-censored) Balsam and dragged him out screaming. Balsam, in Fuji's giant arm, looked with pure terror at Fuji's scarred face. "You know… I've been looking for the guy's who's responsible for shooting me at the back of my head the other day. The soldiers told me it was you."
"I… was… under… order…" His entire body being squeezed hard, the (censored) Balsam had to choke the word one by one. "Serve… Kage… too… he's… our… boss… wouldn't… happy… you… kill me…"
Fuji looked at Kira down below and snorted. "Oh, I think he'll reward me when he was rid of you. Besides, even if that was not the case, whoever said I worked for Kage?"
"Erh…?"
"I was on loan to Kage… from Kira." Fuji grinned as Balsam looked horrifyingly at Kira down below, seeing the whole scene with glee together with his laughing and cheering friends. Fuji asked. "What do you want me to do with this guy?"
"Do whatever you like… just… don't hurt him… much." Kira replied in a rather bored tone.
"Oookay." Fuji singsongly concurred.
Balsam, looked at Kira and realized he was right: he didn't even had to lift a finger to beat the crap out of him. Feeling completely humiliated, he angrily barked a challenge. "So you're relying on your pets? What? Afraid to dirty your pretty little hand, you STUPID GIRLFACED OF AN OKAMA?"
It was at this juncture, Kira's friends stood aghast with horror and Kira Yamato himself stopped dead on his track with his ears twitching uncontrollably. The spoon on his hand dented as his fist suddenly clenched, instantly bending the spoon with sheer force, to the shock of everyone present. Balsam smirked as he realize his taunt illicit an unpleasant response from the receiving end.
Fuji growled upon the insult and intent to do some real pain in retaliation, but Kira suddenly roared down below. "FUJI! PUT HIM DOWN!" Fuji looked bewilderedly at the little chef down below, but he finally did so and reluctantly dropped the (censored) Balsam roughly to the ground. Balsam was still wondering what the deal is when he saw Kira approached him slowly. DANGEROUSLY slowly.
Balsam saw Kira was looking at him and he barked rudely. "What?"
"Nee… what did you call me earlier?"
Maybe because he's just plain stupid or he just got hit in the head one time to many, Balsam Arendo fail to recognize DEATH staring at him by the face. "What? You have problem hearing princess? You Girl-FACED TRANSVESTITE!"
Tolle looked at Kira's dangerously paling balled fist. Milly took a few steps back, while Sai instinctively back away to cover for his fiancée behind him. The fearless Shadowguards who fought against 45,000 knights suddenly wished they were back facing that army again. THAT… would've been much better than this… That word is a big ass taboo to Kira… Especially the current Kira…
Kira continue to walk towards Balsam, his every step left a crack on the steel floor.
"What you gonna do to me, princess? Cook me? Why don't put off that apron and wear bra instead, she-male!"
The spoon in Kira's hand had long since been pulverized to useless contoured piece of metal. Veins appeared all over his body, bar his still calm looking face. But one more word and he's ready to fly off the handle and unleash the very forces of Hell. "Hey… call me GIRL-FACED… one more time." Every sane person translates that request as a confirmation for one way ticket to Hades if obliged.
Fllay, having never seen the situation, fail to understand what the fuss is all about whilst Tolle, Milly, and Sai, who had PERSONAL experience, looked at Balsam with pleading eyes, begging the Gods to give this idiot a little bit of intelligence so that he can discern what sort of catastrophe he would invite upon them all. A wishful thinking though…
"GIRLFACED! GIRLY-GIRLY-GIRLY PRETTY GIRLFACED OF AN OKAMA! PUT ON SOME MAKE UP AND DRESS UP PRINCESS! AND YOU CAN MAKE A CAREER IN A BORDELLO!" Balsam shouted at the top of his lungs before the Shadowguards can stop the blithering idiot.
Moments later…
Kira was forced into a seiza position with some weight placed on his thigh by a frowning Senba as punishment, while all the terrified crews of the Alliance 7th division in the mess hall looked at the angry chef in pure horror. The Shadowguards volunteered on a cleaning detail as they have to clean up the whole mess hall from the worst case of mass-throw-up in the history of mass-throw-ups while Fllay had long ran away, horrified at the horror her virgin eyes had just witnessed. After that day, Kira's ramen never tasted the same again for the soldiers of the Alliance aboard the Archangel.
"So… what have we learned today?" Senba asked.
Kira is still angry and refused to answer.
Senba sighed and said again: "Okay, repeat after me: No matter how angry I am… I will not-"
In the infirmary…
"-give the man a yoga crash course?" Mikhail Coast angrily referred to his most recent, and by far, the most bizarre, addition to his list of unique patients. "I don't care how much of a yoga-nut the culprit is: you don't shove a MAN'S HEAD into his OWN ASS-"
Back to the mess hall…
"-in front of people dining. It sends the wrong message. I get it already! Can I go?" Kira groaned angrily.
Senba sighed and finally let the boy go after he calmed down a little bit.
The Juppongatana looked as if they just got 10 years drained off their lifespan… everyone bar Canard, who just disappeared in the hallway, his howls of laughter can be heard echoing all the way. "He was a cook and normally he was so quiet that I thought he was the more peaceful (and saner) of the two…" Initially, Karren did find it hard to believe that Kira and Kage were siblings. Now…
"Well… you know what they say: watch out for the quiet ones…" Neil caressed his still nauseating stomach.
On that day two ironclad rules in the mess hall are set: Rule no. 1: Do not question Kira Yamato-sama the chef. Rule no. 2: do not call the said person with the forbidden G-word.
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In a secluded room, a secret meeting took place featuring a certain group of people all crouching on the dark floor, talking in whispers…
"I… didn't expect that one from him… And you said he had the generosity and patience of a Buddha…" Prayer gulped, his stomach still felt queasy. "What's with him and the… the G-word?"
"For as long as we can remember, Kira's been very sensitive about his face." Tolle shook his head. "With a face like his… people will often say such word as praise… but… Kira didn't like it. He HATES it. Mentioning the fact that his face is kinda girl-like is a surefire way to make him go berserk."
"Didn't like it?" Mwu stated incredulously. "Dude, with a face like that, he can attract all the girls in the world!" Indeed, Kira's face was… handsome… almost to the point one would say girl-like. Such word would normally constitute as praise and many guys envy that sort of look. But after today…
"Kira has no interest in romance. And… as you can see… he went ballistic every time someone dares to mention that fact about his face." Milly noted from personal experience. "So normally he acted with total ignorance about his face, not caring one jot about its welfare. Hoping that… with enough ignorance… that face will just wither away."
"Well… Advanced do have a better looking face than most people… so it's a not a surprise that they greatly cherished it, some even went overboard-like not wanting one sliver of scar on it…" Murrue scratched her head in bewilderment. "But I've never heard the case where someone hates his own face to such extent, even amongst naturals."
"He's kinda like the total opposite of Narcist." Sai finally sum it up. "He HATES his face. With passion. He never showed that hatred until someone mentions it. Like today. We don't know why. He used to say if he had his way he'd rather be faceless. We never brought that up again and he expected people to just ignore it. Mostly don't, at least on the first encounter… but they learned. Plenty quickly too… unlike some idiot I can mention…"
"Learn… what… by having their heads (gulp) shoved into their asses?" Mwu began imagining an outbreak of people with accidental yoga crash course.
"Remember the last time Kira was this angry?" Sai looked at Tolle.
"Don't remind me… that local bully never got it over and I heard he develop a severe fright to anything that is cute… with acute vertigo and eating disorder to boot…" Tolle shivered. "…and that was before Kira was THIS strong!"
"This won't affect him in combat will it? Imagine the chaos that ensues if he went berserk just because someone called him cute!" Natarle pointed out.
"No, I don't think so. In normal circumstances, even when he went into rage, it's in Kira's nature to always be kind and far more merciful… And as angry as he was, he can always get his priority sorted out. This time it was different… he's a bit… cranky… from the morning… partly thanks to that idiot Balsam sneak up on him, and partly… say, Prayer… what month is this?" After all that has been happening, Sai felt the days are just blurring altogether.
"It's the beginning of February I think. Why?"
"February? Figures. That's the other reason of why he's cranky." Tolle sighed. "Three years knowing him, and he's always in a bad mood came February. Especially approaching Valentine. That one… we uh… we kinda… well… we kinda understand that one. It's the one month where Kira is in an easily irritable temper. You don't want to do anything that will piss him off during this period."
Mwu, Prayer, Murrue, and Natarle looked at each other, and they suddenly realized they understand the reason too. No matter what, Kira IS an Advanced. When Valentine was used to be seen as the day of love and joy, for Kira… and the Advanced race in general, the Valentine is a day of sorrow, and to some, anger. That was the month of the Bloody Valentine, the most disastrous massacre in history that sparked the current war.
"I guess it only makes sense…" Mwu sighed. "The kid is still an advanced… He's done so much for us I kinda forget about that fact…"
"Compound all that with everything that has been happening thus far: the loss of his hometown, the stress of surviving a series of life and death battles, the pressure of leading his men, the weight of responsibility to ensure the safety of the refugees, the many death tolls that has been mounting, the fact that he's now a world wanted mass murderer… and above all… the guilt stemming from the butchery of his own kind… Kira-kun is just about ready to EXPLODE." Murrue nodded understandingly. There's only so much a 16 year old can take.
"…should we place him in momentary seclusion? A… well provided isolation room at least until the period passed?"
Before everyone can protest to Natarle's suggestion, a trapdoor was banged open from above, revealing a bewildered Kage's head popped out, the rest of the Juppongatana were waiting behind him. "What are you guys doing here in the cellar?" he peered down at the crouching officers on the floor.
The members of the secret meeting shut their lips tight. As if they can tell the person in discussion that they were just talking about a certain unexpected side of his eccentricities when the cost is their lives. They still value it, thank you very much. "Nothing… really…" Mwu smirked nervously.
For a moment, Kage looked at each of their nervous faces with great suspicion. But in the end, he decided to let it go. "Well, fine. Good timing actually, I just thought of calling everyone in a meeting anyway. Get up. We have a serious problem."
In a short order, a grand meeting was once again put to order… the topic:
"We're short on supplies." Kage started right off the bat. "The supplies we get from pirating the Zaft ships are nearly depleted. The thievery that Balsam spoke of earlier, I've been aware of it for quite some time. And that thievery was done by children, and they stem from hunger. We've begin to ration our food, but it won't last. Not to mention that we're out of ammo. Is there any place where we can resupply and refit?" Now Kage looked at the Alliance officers for some advice.
Murrue shook her head. "No. I'm afraid not. In the last few days, I've been getting report that the waters around Archangel Bay have been declared a dangerous area. No merchants or anything alike would be crazy enough to get close."
"Can't we just land on one of Orb's ports in Japan?" Prayer raised an opinion.
"Terrible idea." Asahina blurted out. "After the whole fiasco in the Archangel siege Crisis, I imagine the Orb Government would double the security forces in every port-town in Japan. They will adopt an isolation policy that's even tighter than before-forbidding any foreign military forces from doing any trade with us."
And silence reigned again as every person in the room is trying to come up with some solution.
"There's… one… option." Mwu raised a finger. But judging by his tone, he seems a bit reluctant. But everyone looked at him, waiting for his grand idea, and so Mwu decided to fire away with just one word: "…Junius."
Just that one word, everyone understood, and their faces visibly paled.
"Not in a million years, not even if that's the last place on earth!" Toudou roared in protest.
"Yeah… but I've done this before." Mwu lifted a finger. "The heart area of the continent is obviously off limits, but its shore areas and outer parts are relatively clean. There are much less… disturbances."
"But what are you suggesting is tomb raiding!" The Rounin argued again. "Forget the risk and the danger; it's just… wrong!"
"We have little choices left." Natarle nodded. "And it does constitute a viable option, given our current condition."
Murrue frowned at her lieutenant's cold hard logic. "Our situation is grim. But I think we really shouldn't rush to decisions. It's not like it's the only option. We can still wait out for some luck or maybe some other alliance ships will come by. The Archangel is currently waving the flag of the Alliance, yes?"
"And by the time they get here, our supplies had run dry. And you have to realize there's also the risk of Zaft fuckers' ships attacking us too." Canard commented.
Everyone looked at Kage, who has yet to voice his opinion. He looked at Mwu. "You REALLY have been there before?"
Mwu made a swearing sign. "Ask Murdoch, ask my boys. I got witnesses and proof this time. I told you… I'm the guy who can make the impossible possible."
Kage rubbed his chin. Toudou paled. He's really considering it. And finally, Kage dropped the verdict: "I guess that's the only thing we can do. But Mwu, I'll be coming with you. Is that okay?"
"Is that okay? You ask that of me?" Mwu's tone of surprise earned the look from everyone who was unaware of the captain's racial status. Kira's an advanced. And he's about to tomb-raid the place that held a great significance to his own race. And there's the fact that this is February, and the place they're about to visit is the source of the problem: Junius, the place where Bloody Valentine occurred. "That's my line. Will you be okay?" Mwu looked deeply to Kage's purple eyes.
Kage tilted his head at the question, but quickly replied. "Yeah. I'm quite sure that I'll be okay. What say you all?" He was referring to the Juppongatana.
"You realize of course, that going there could be suicide, kiddo?" Canard looked at the young captain.
"Nothing new there." Neil pointed out a cosmic truth. The agreement comes from a guy who had considered the odd of 1 vs 40,000 to be no biggie. What do you expect? "Though I'll be honest with you, Captain, tomb raiding isn't exactly my style."
"But you can't be seriously thinking of marching this monster all the way to Zaft waters, do you?" Prayer raised his hand.
"Of course not. The Archangel stays here. We'll use the Zaft merchant ships again to pass through the patrols. With any luck, we'll be in and out of that Hellhole without accident." Kage was quite glad that they did not dismantle those six ships. They turned out to be quite useful in surprising ways.
Karren raised her hand this time. "You do realize… the kind of things one will face there?"
At this juncture, Kage turned to Mwu, referring to his personal experience. Mwu raised three fingers to make his point. "I survived for three months in that Hell. THREE MONTHS! And I didn't lose a single man."
"How many men did you bring at that time?" Toudou asked.
"8 people." Mwu stated proudly.
"You sure you can do the same with 6 ships?" Urabe commented nervously.
"Don't worry. More men simply mean we can finish our work a lot faster." Mwu replied confidently. Everyone certainly can't argue with that logic.
"Fine. So here's how it's going to be: we have six ships, each ship will be crewed by 30 people so we need six officers to commandeer them. I take one, Mwu-san take one." Kage thought for a moment and stated. "Any volunteers?"
"Volunteers? Hegh, why should you fucking bother? Just give us a fucking order!" Canard snarled.
Kage shook his head. "This time it's different since we're going to Junius… even though it's quite a… 'simple'… errand, there's still a possibility that not all of us will return. So I'm giving you all a choice this time."
"I volunteer." Everyone turned to Setsuna who had raised his bandaged hand. "This sounds pretty interesting."
"We have no room for thrill seekers here." Kage warned.
"Of course not. I do not take lightly the danger of the place where we'll be going." Setsuna smiled confidently. "I'm just… eager to 'see' as in… learn on how things will go."
Kage looked at Setsuna's bandaged eyes, trying to see through this weird guy. But in the end, Kage relented and nodded. "Anybody else?"
Eventually, Bushido and Sven volunteered. But for the last officer… "I'll volunteer-" Canard had just about to volunteered, but Kage cuts him off.
"No. Canard, you'll be in charge while I'm away. For the sixth officer… Sai. I want you in the team." Kage pointed at the bespectacled Shadowguard.
Everyone looked at Kage and then to Sai. Everyone, bar Kage and Mwu, was somewhat confused at this choice, including the Shadowguard in question. "Ermm… me? You want me? Why me?" Sai asked nervously.
"I've heard the report from the soldiers during the Archangel Siege crisis. You have the skills needed in this particular operation." Kage stated confidently.
Mwu agreed wholeheartedly. "I concur. With your help, our chance will increase from slim to nice."
Sai was wondering what sort of quality that he have that made Kira and Mwu placed such a high value on him. Sai looked at Tolle and Milly, asking for some help. The two remaining Shadowguards, although bewildered, were also pleased by the trust placed on one of their friends. Though they too were concerned over what danger one will face in that island. They've only heard stories and tall-tales… and none of them are pleasant. The stories were of the scary sort-ones that mothers used to scare their children to sleep. Kira and particularly Mwu seem to be quite familiar with the said place though. With that in mind, Tolle and Milly gave a look of encouragement to Sai. The bespectacled boy finally nodded. "Alright then. I'll come along."
"Okay. Is there any other questions?" Kage looked at members of the meeting.
"How long will we be gone?" Bushido asked.
Mwu answered. "I daresay no longer than a few days. The Archangel must remain here on standby during the period, so that we can find our way back."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Anything else?" No one stood up. And so Kage concluded the meeting. But before that… "Alright. This meeting is adjourned. All of you are dismissed. But Canard, Prayer, Karren, and Neil. All four of you stay. There's something I need to discuss." And the meeting was over, all but the aforementioned 4 people stayed. Out of the four, two still didn't know about Kage's true identity, and so Kira decided to play along. "I heard what happened in the mess hall. On behalf of my brother I'm sorry if he put any of you off your appetite."
"Please. Don't remind us." Already Neil looked like he's going to vomit again.
"What's with your brother getting all berserk after being called girlface?" Karren frowned in disgust.
The Kira inside twitched, but quickly calmed himself. Instead, Kage sighed exasperatedly. "I'll tell you all someday… it's a long story. Besides, it's not Kira I'm concerned about… it's Balsam."
The four Juppongatana quickly switched from being nauseous to being annoyed. "Ah, fuck yeah… well, he get what he fucking deserve." Canard smiled sadistically.
"Sure he is. But what I'm concerned about is the fact that he's quite close and popular amongst the soldiers. I've read your report, Karren. And as much as I hate to admit it, the guy does have a talent to endear himself to the people. The way he was able to sway people to do what he wants… quite easily too." Kage shivered every time he was reminded of how Balsam's few choice words convinced the refugees to fight with them to the death. He did not expect the refugees to found out about the fake third plan, but it was because of Balsam things nearly escalated to uncontrollable levels. Fortunately his third test quickly yielded results so that he can intervene and ended it immediately. "He has a gift of a silver tongue, I give him that. His timing, his tone, and his choice of words… it was perfect… and he knows it. In different circumstances he would make a good propagandist."
The four senior officers frowned. So this captain considered Balsam a big threat. And since he put it in such a way, now they realized they should've too. The question is: what should they do about it?
"Too bad we can't use Assassination." Karren suggested outright. "Killing him would only make him a martyr. You said it yourself; he's quite popular amongst the men."
"The fucker is also many things… but he'll never surrender to Zaft even if it kills him. That's the only thing I'll give him credit for." Canard spit in annoyance. "And that's kinda of a public secret. So we can't exactly frame him."
"Or maybe we can just suicide him…" Prayer added rather nonchalantly.
"Wowow… hold on. How did you guys went straight to assassination all the sudden?" Neil gulped. Sure. All Juppongatana hate that guy's guts. Especially Canard. He's been looking for an excuse to just be done with him for ages. But Harlbarton forbid it. Still, who knows what their new captain think?
"Well he sneaked up on me in my sleep, he insulted and beat up my brother… not including his attempt to pilfer my office for effects of personal importance, insulting me in front of my men, the stupid Punishment Logue that nearly got me killed…" And for a moment, Canard looked hopefully at Kage, as if asking for permission to do it. Quick and clean. No one will know. Please? But Kage shook his head in reluctant disapproval. "But as the guy who had endured all that… I say no. We can't do away with him just because he's closer to our men and can sway them easily. No."
"Awww…" Canard moaned.
"And why can't we assassinate him?" Everyone's hair stood on end at the cold tone and looked at their Captain. That eyes of his… Canard recognized that eye… it's the same look he had when he regaled him of his grand plan that leads to the Archangel Crisis, back in Konoha. He has a plan hatching in that head of his. "I'm just saying that you should all be aware of the danger that man possess – do not underestimate him just because he's a former Juppongatana or that because of our strength we can humiliate him at a whim. His strength lies beyond the battle of brawns. With the Archangel Siege Crisis, I'm beginning to reshape the 7th division into something of my preference and I'm barely beginning. I'll be DAMNED to Hell if I let that guy distort and corrupt everything I've done from phase one. No. This guy is a disease that we must quickly be rid off. Otherwise we'll fester and rot from the inside."
Canard pondered. "Then why don't we just-"
"Because I think he can still serve some purpose. Few as they may." Kage's eyes narrowed. "But that's why he didn't defect. He realized he had some value, and he wanted me to know that too. The fact that there are still some men who are willing to listen to him is evidence of that. Well then… if we want to do away with him… first we must devalue him. And that's where you guys came in." Kage pointed at the four of them. "This is why I assigned him as your errand boys. Keep an eye on him. If you already have on eye on him, put the other one on him as well as long as you can spare them. Find out what make this guy tick. And then see if you guys can do better. Render him obsolete." Kage summed up. "And try to minimize the damage he can inflict upon our men."
"Hooo…" Canard smiled enthusiastically. He waited for years for a chance to do away with Balsam. What hardship a few more weeks or month? "Keep your friends close… but keep your enemies… closer."
"And when we do render him… obsolete?" Prayer looked at the Captain.
"That's why I ask: why can't we assassinate him?" Kage concluded. His now ruthless amethyst eyes shone coldly beneath his mask as if he already had Balsam at the edge of his sword. "I'm an assassin, remember?"
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The assigned troops boarded the six Zaft merchant ships. After being told that they're going to Junius, they took their time to prepare. Kage took Torii with him. Mwu, in particular, brought a large package, earning a questioning look from Kage. "What is that?"
"A few necessities." Mwu answered short.
Sai too was preparing for this trip when Fllay came. "I don't like this."
"Neither do I, judging by the way everybody reacted to that island."
"I've heard many stories about that place."
"None of them are pleasant I guess?"
Fllay looked really frightened now. "Sai… please don't go. I'm scared. Don't leave me alone."
Sai looked at the red headed girl, her pleading puppy-dog-eyes made her quite adorable. He sighed with a chuckle. "I can't. Kage's orders. I… I had to go. I'm his Shadowguard."
Fllay quickly pouted in annoyance. "I don't like that Kage! What is it with him? Hiding his face in that mask of his… doing all those terrible things! He's… he's terrible! I'm scared of him, Sai."
"(Chuckle) Fllay. You can say that because you didn't know him."
"How am I supposed to know him if I never even saw his face?" Fllay barked back in annoyance. She was further annoyed when his fiancée replied her bark with yet another chuckle. She pouted and rushed out in a hurry, she accidentally bumped onto someone. "EEP!"
Sai rushed out upon hearing her shriek. There she saw Fllay had bumped with Kage, who seem had been standing there for some time. The ninja was holding one of her hands, apparently to prevent her from falling after bumping with him. "Kage?"
"Sai." Kage nodded.
Fllay take one look at the masked man and squealed in horror as she yanked her hand away from the ninja and then run. Kage and Sai looked at each other. Sai merely raised his shoulder. Silence between the two for the longest period of time, and the atmosphere grew somewhat uncomfortably tense. Lightening things up, Kage removed his mask. "Hey, Sai… you… you've been engaged with Fllay… for how long?" Kira felt he needed to change the subject.
"Well, about 6 months."
"Got any plans? Before… all this?"
"Yeah. I plan to take up medical school, became a surgeon, get some stable income, save up… and then tie the knot proper." Sai explained in one breath.
Kira chuckled. But then his chuckle vanished into frown of sorrow. "You really shouldn't have come…" Now he regretted his choice. Maybe he should've picked someone else.
"Don't give me that crap! Even if you hadn't picked me, we would've volunteered anyway!" Sai gave Kira a gentle knock on his head. "We've been friends and look after each other! 3 years, and we have never let each other down. Ain't gonna start now!" Sai smiled. But his smile made Kira even more uncomfortable, erasing Sai's smile. "Something wrong?"
Kira answered in silence. He finally put back his mask and told him: "Finish your preparation. We'll be leaving soon."
Sai frowned at Kage, but not in deviance, but with concern. Regardless, he nodded and saluted anyway. "Sir, yes, sir."
Come noon, the ships had all their sails opened, and with a favorable wind they quickly sail away.
"From here, we head south." Mwu pointed at a continent down below, at the lower right side of the Australian continent. He pointed at a small continent down below, near the South Pole. "This is Junius."
"Kinda small ain't it?" Sai pondered. The whole continent looked like an island that is falling apart. It's even much, much smaller than Australia, barely half.
"It's all that's left of Junius, after the Bloody Valentine." Kage explained. "One of 12 continents created by the power of the Regalia."
"One of 12… where's the other eleven then?"
"In here." Kage pointed at the entirety of the Pacific Ocean. "Somewhere in here. The continents were spread allover the Pacific Ocean, hidden by a massive fog, artificially created. Only Zaft naval fleet can get in and out of that water easily. Any others who get there… either the patrol, the rock formation, the freakish weather… or Boaz and Jachin Due will get them."
"Boaz? Jachin Due?" More unfamiliar names for Sai.
"Zaft's island fortresses and the center of the majority of their military activity." Bushido explained. "'Tis a pair of relatively small islands, when one compare them with the colossal Plant Continents, but most of Zaft military forces was conducted and assembled there. It is to our belief that the two islands were some sort of Regalia. Probably the largest to date."
"An island… is a Regalia?" Sai have a hard time believing the concept.
"The two are mobile fortresses, Sai. A pair of island sized ones too, with all the firepower proportionate to that size. So as you can imagine… even Archangel is practically outsized, outgunned, and outnumbered." Kage followed to Sai's further shock. "They circle around the perimeters of the Pacific Ocean, guarding the Empire's borders, generating the fog which obscured the continents from view. The Emerald Knights, Onyx Assassins, and the Forge Corps headquarters are located there. But these two mobile islands are the staging ground for every invasion to the mainland. Herein, lay the entire bulk of Zaft military forces from every military branch in Zaft."
"That's why we've never been able to mount a single successful invasion to their country. The damn fog rendered everything in that area virtually invisible. And in there, the Zaft naval fleet had a home field advantage… they can butcher any invasion force we sent at them. Even with Archangel, I'm not even sure if we can break through." Mwu may be reckless… but he knew his limits. "But… that's not of our concern now. Our target… is here." Mwu redirected their attention back to that one small continent down below: Junius.
Everyone looked at Mwu, the one who claimed have been there… and back. "Now… there are many things that you need to pay attention, but above all, as we venture this continent, there are 4 basic rules:
Rule no. 1: Don't get lost. You get lost, you're most likely dead.
Rule no. 2: Don't be noisy. Unless you can't help it.
Rule no. 3: There is no corpse. Even though you'll see a LOT of them, but there aren't. So stay away from them at all cost.
Rule no. 4; and the most important: Above all: DON'T GET KILLED – you don't stay dead for long.
And that is all." Mwu finished his briefing. All but Sai nodded in understanding.
"I… don't understand… what kind of monster is Genma anyway?"
"You'll see when we get there." Mwu answered.
Meeting adjourned.
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The voyage lasted for 3 days. There's hardly any Zaft patrol around. Not even when they crossed the Gulf of Carpentaria where Fortress Gamoff were stationed. Apparently, they really did a number on their naval fleet. Plus, they're in Zaft merchant ships. No one will suspect them… except maybe overzealous Alliance patrols. But they are entering Zaft waters. Only the most foolhardy Alliance ship would dare these waters. It was, fortunately, uneventful.
Uneventful… except for a certain young captain…who is currently being hounded by nightmares.
Kira moaned and growled tensely in his sleep. Sweat continues to pour from his brows, until finally… "RAAARGH!" Kira jerked back awake. Shivering head to toe, Kira placed his hand over his drenched face. His chest pump up and down at a rapid rate, as was his breathing and his heart was pounding like crazy. As he quickly calmed himself, and observed his surroundings: it's still nightfall… and the moon's out, but there are no stars. It was then he also noticed someone at the door. Kira called: "Sai? You there?"
Sai had caught the sound of Kira's moaning in his sleep, and he was a bit shocked when he saw Kira went wide awake screaming like that. But upon seeing Kira's horribly disheveled hair (more than usual anyway), his perpetual stressed out expression, Sai quickly concluded: "…so is this why you're always in a bad mood in February?" Sai now knew it wasn't just today.
Kira gave a slightly shocked look to his bespectacled friend, but that widened eyes eventually mellowed to resignation. "…it wasn't always like this. I'm already used to have nightmares… but… these days… ever since the Amaterasu… it's been way worse than before."
Sai shook his head in sympathy. No wonder he was always in bad mood in February. Imagine waking up out of nightmare every night for a month. But the nightmare is the symptom, not the disease. If Kira has nightmares which invade his mind almost exclusively on February, where did these nightmares comes from? And why is it only in February? This goes beyond an Advanced race's sheer aversion to February. Again Sai was troubled about what Prayer said: they don't know anything about Kira's past. Something happened to him… enough to leave a scar… a serious mental trauma deep enough to hound his nights with nightmares. Sai contemplated to ask, but he decided to stay his tongue for now.
Kira, as if reading his mind, followed. "It's not that I don't trust you guys… it's me who isn't… I just… I still haven't…" Kira gritted his teeth as he continued to shiver in fear. He just couldn't bring himself to tell anyone.
"You know… I have some drug for you to sleep peaceful-"
"NO!" Kira barked. "No… no more drugs… never again. The last time I fell asleep because of a drug I…" Even now, the Shadowguards still haven't gotten over Kuzzey's death, but most especially are Kira and Sai who took it the hardest: they never could stop blaming themselves for the things they have done… and haven't done – Kira for sleeping during the whole conflict, Sai, who gave the drug that caused it. Silence again between the two.
"Kira-" Sai was about to say something before Kira cut him off.
"I… I was trying to run away… all this time." Kira mourned. "I tried to run away from my responsibility… run away from… from… I lied to myself, lied to you guys… Kuzzey paid for it."
"Lied to us?" Sai looked again to Kira. He was gritting his teeth in anger and remorse, his expression is a mixture between guilt, sorrow and… horror. He appeared as if he wanted so badly to tell them something, but he just couldn't bring himself to even say the word. So terrified… so disgusted he was of whatever it is that nagged him… it physically prevented him from saying anything.
"Take your time Kira." Kira blinked and looked at Sai, who was smiling. "Every one of us has a few tales we don't want other people to know. Just tell us when you're ready. I just want you to know, that we are here… and we will always be here."
The brunette nin smiled sadly. 'But at this rate… will you guys live long enough? Will you guys die first then I go insane… or will I go insane first, and then I managed to somehow kill you guys…?' A horrifying thought. But it's the truth. If any one of his friends dies in front of his eyes again… he wasn't sure if his mind can take it. But the way he is right now, speaking of murder and slaughter so easily… he couldn't even trust himself to keep his friends safe. Kira turned his gaze to the horizon and gasped. "Sai… warn the men… we're here." Kira quickly put on his disguise just as Sai looked to the same direction and saw what Kage saw.
Shores. Belonging to a large mass of land, a continent. But just one look at the island was enough to bring frowns to Sai's brows. Whereas normal beaches would usually show some vegetations that could inform them of the lushness of the said country, what he saw is a dark, lifeless, barren, volcanic wasteland, its soils were diseased and dying. It's dawn, and the sun was rising, coupled with the brightening sky. But it was as if the continent was so damned, it was forsaken by even sunlight. The skies were charred black, and the island remained in darkness. The nearby waters around the shores are murky and dirty. Instead of gulls or albatrosses cawing, crows and ravens and carrions flew around. And if one to look further, one can even see patches of earth in the distance with cracks of fiery red lava glowing from inside. Earthen spines protruding out of cracked earth, fields of razor sharp black rocks here and there, cracked earth spilling forth ominous-potentially dangerous fumes, and floral life forms that are as bizarre as they are monstrous. The only source of illumination apparently came from seven pillars of bright blue light, rising out from seven points in the continent, reaching all the way up and pierced the heavens. Regardless, just one look and everyone would arrive to the same conclusion: it's Hell on earth.
"How in the world are we supposed to get provisions in there?" Sai just couldn't see how anything in that hellish place is capable of sustaining life.
"Junius was an agricultural continent producing enough food to feed a whole army for over 5 years at a monthly basis. Most of the excess provisions were kept inside a specially built insulated granaries, set up deep underground, safe and sterile from any sort of catastrophe… plague, earthquake, tidal waves, even Genmas. Basically these bunkers were built to withstand anything short of apocalypse." Mwu who had just woken up joined them and began explaining. "These bunkers are scattered here and there, virtually untouched."
"How can you be so sure the Genmas won't just be waiting inside these bunkers?"
"Oh, simple as pie: they're too stupid to use doors."
"Huh?" Sai jaw dropped.
"We're landing soon."
And not a moment later, the six ships had landed on the devilish island's shores.
Upon landing, many soldiers instantly reached for their nose, for the heavenly affronting stench of the rotting ground is so gross that some soldiers even went out of their way and vomited. "Ungh, Damn, this place stinks!" Mwu groaned. "I'll never get used to this smell."
"What is this smell?" Sai moaned.
"Look below you." The frown in Kage's brows was the sign that even his ninja mask was no help.
Sai looked below and gasped. What he thought was ground was really… corpses… or what's left of them anyway. And his feet… were stepping on a person's face. Jerking in surprise, Sai back away, but again his steps create an unnerving squishy sound… And now that he got a better look at things, he suddenly realized they're standing on top of a field of intermingled corpses and bones, partially buried in ashes. Rotten, misshapen, maggot ridden, charred, diseased… and still very much alive. "OH MY-HMRGH…!" Sai was about to scream in horror but Kage quickly closed his mouth as soon as a syllable escaped his lips.
Keep quiet. Kage spoke the word with his eyes. He placed his fingers over his lips. I'm scared shitless too.
"B… B-b-b-but… it's… it's… it's alive? The ground is alive?" Sai retorted in a terrified whisper.
"If you can call that living…their bodies were mutilated so horribly, they couldn't get back up and they don't even looked like human anymore… piling on top of the other… becoming part of each other… partially decomposed, the blighted soil and the fused bodies formed the very ground we're standing on…" Kage muttered back also in whispers. "They were all corpses… They died. Violently. Peacefully. Whatever the manner they died, it makes no difference. They still know no rest. Their bodies were inhabited by demons, their souls forcibly bound to their desecrated flesh… they're the damned living dead." Kage merely jerked his thumb to the blight ground. "You ask what Genma is? Well… this IS Genma."
Hearing the explanation from Kage made Sai's stomach churned and he finally vomited uncontrollably.
"Kid? You've been here before?" Mwu took note of Kage's detailed explanation.
"Advanced parents used to tell stories of this place as a way to scare naughty children to sleep. The Sunday school version. Like… if you don't behave I'll throw you to Junius… stuff like that." Kage rubbed his aching head. "But I had the privilege of having listened to a more detailed and more accurate source… but now I realize even that was fabled too."
"Not what you expected huh?" Setsuna ever cheerful atmosphere also dampened to a great extent. He may not be able to see, but the moaning sound of pain and the horrifying stench was enough to tell him everything. Truth be told, anyone who see this scene and feel any bit of positive emotion can no longer be called member of a human race.
"No." Kage frowned as he shook his head. "This is WAY worse." Now he kinda understood why the Advanced race were so enraged about the Bloody Valentine.
"Let's just go. The sooner we're done, the sooner we leave." Mwu motioned everyone to follow him. "And in the mean time remember the four basic rules. At all times."
The Alliance soldiers quickly unpacked. There are six ships, and each ship carry two carriages to transport food and supplies. The soldiers had difficulty of putting the horses to the carriage. They're not surprised. Even the humans wouldn't want to spend one more second in this God forsaken place, much less the beasts. But in the end, the deed is done, and the small convoy began to move slowly away from the ships, with Mwu at the lead.
As they walk deeper and deeper, the convoy was welcomed with a scenery coming straight from Hell. The demonic deformities of the volcanic wasteland of an island became more and more prevalent, with tree growths that looked like fused corpses – complete with eerie moaning sound every now and then, twitching eyes, and gaping misshapen expressions with none are pleasant. Giant organic tendrils with black spikes along its surface bursting out of the fleshy ground here and there, with pool of boiling fresh blood seeping out of the cracks, and volcanic veins littered the spikes' surface. The heat is searing them. A lawn of razor sharp eerie black crystals and ichors growths, emanating a nauseating gas sprout out around decaying ground – in a bizarrely similar fashion of how blades of grass growing on the garden. All this was made worse by the fact that they are walking atop a soil made of intermingled living corpses. The eerie sound coming from each step they take in that god forsaken land is now identifiable to not only the sound of flesh and blood gushing (with the occasional bone cracking) but also that of the sound of people moaning in pain, yet muffled. Each step they take is literally breaking the limbs of the living dead buried deep somewhere beneath layers after layers of corpses, and they probably screamed in pain, but it reached their ears as muffled moans.
The soldiers don't know what's worse: the smell, the sight, or the sound. Some contemplated to close their eyes and just walk blind, but upon seeing the various soundless hazards that awaits them, they dare not. Closing their ears was no help as the unnerving silence is even more terrifying. Some soldiers who didn't vomit earlier couldn't stand the increasingly foul smell and vomited in successions. Others who couldn't vomit anymore paled with fright and cold sweat kept glistening on their figure. The only ones who can keep their cool were the Captains. Or so it seems.
"You sure you know where you're heading in this Hell?" Kage asked in an angry, skeptic, and yet stern tone. But his stern part was breaking. Kage may not be vomiting or shivering in fear like the rest of his men, but it was obvious that even the Black Devil is not unaffected by this horrifying atmosphere. This comment was made as a way for him to distract his horror.
"Worry not. We're following a trail that I used back then. If we keep up this pace we should be arriving at our destination in just a few hours. We're going towards this granary located near here. I used that place to bunker down for 3 months when I was here the last time."
The news didn't make their mood all the better, and Kage also felt annoyed by something else. Upon landing on this island, he couldn't help to feel that they are being followed. And… something else. Something about this island had done a magnificent job worsening his mood. He can hold it just okay, but… why is it that, at the present, while mostly all he felt was sympathy, mourning, and sadness to the damned dead, a small growing part of him… is swelling with disgust and rage. 'No… not exactly rage… but… more akin to…'
"Hey! Who's that?"
Kage's train of thought was stopped when one of his men pointed at a figure kneeling on the floor. The figure looked like a person, crouching, doing something, judging by his movements. One look at the figure though, and all of Kage's instinct blared up like Christmas tree. He quickly reached for his katana and gripped it tightly. This gesture alone was enough for everyone to reach their weapons. Mwu in particular was extremely vigilant. "Be careful. I'm not sure that's a 'person'."
The soldier slowly approached the figure slowly, his spear at the ready… suddenly, something snapped and the figure stopped moving, alerted of the fact that there are people coming from behind him. The soldier stopped, everyone held their breath.
The figure rose up and turned around. First glance… a normal people. Dirty, beat up, and blood bathed… but otherwise… normal. He looked at them with blank eyes. Mwu, greatly alarmed, quickly exclaimed. "GET BACK!"
"Huh?" The soldier, bewildered, looked questioningly at Mwu.
The 'man' suddenly opened his mouth wide and screamed. His jaw extended to unbelievable length, rows and rows of teeth bursting out of both upper and lower jaws. Fleshy and blood red tendrils burst out of its skin, his arm slightly enlarged and finally his fingers turned to enlarged misshapen bony claws. The monster roared again and quickly charged towards the stunned soldier on all fours. Mwu dashed towards the monster, furiously create a series of handseals.
The said soldier could only screamed in horror and fell on his back as the monstrosity lunged towards him.
"Katon, Endan (Fire element, Fire Bullet)!" A stream of fire from Mwu saved the soldier's life by the inches. The creature squealed and shrieked as Mwu continue to push forward while blowing out a stream of fire, incinerating the monster. The creature rolled and screamed, and it finally rushed away in fear, screaming and howling in pain as its body was ablaze. Once the creature was out of sight, Mwu quickly rushed back and helped the man up. "Are you alright? Did he touch or bit you anywhere?"
The soldier is still a bit rattled by the shock and looked at Mwu and to the creature, over and over.
"HEY!" Mwu snapped a finger to gain the man's attention. "Answer me: did he touch or bit you anywhere?"
"N… No?"
"You're sure?" Mwu glared.
The soldier looked at his own being and nodded. "Yeah… Yeah. I'm pretty sure."
"Good. Now get your ass up and move it. We're attracting too much attention!" Mwu barked.
"W… Wait the sec! The hell was that?" Sai exclaimed back.
"I'll explain along the way! But we gotta move! That sound can be heard from miles away!" Mwu impatiently remarked as the caravan began to move again. The blond nin start checking his weapons and get ready for heavy combat ahead. The convoy continued their journey with increased pace. The usually calm Mwu seem quite frantic to get away from that location as soon as possible.
"Mwu-san… what was that?" Sai asked again in a calmer manner, but still maintain his pace to keep up with Mwu's.
"That… was an average Genma Hunter." Mwu explained. "A human who died, and then resurrected as a Genma. An undead monstrosity – mutated."
"Undead?" Sai was somewhat alarmed.
"In short they cannot die, because technically they're already dead. I just burned him, yes. But, he's not 'dead' per se. And he'll be back… with reinforcements."
Kage frowned in horror beneath his mask. "Reinforcements? Wha… that thing is a scout? So these Genma are quite capable of military maneuvers and tactics? They have military structures… a body of hierarchy?"
"In a way…" Mwu nodded. "Do not mistake these Genma undead with your run on the mill-brainless zombies. These Genmas are demon infested as you have explained. But they're still part human part demon. The only thing that primarily guides them… is their instinct to feed and kill (not necessarily in that order) anything that is alive. That takes precedence above all, greatly reducing their capability to think. So they're quite stupid by normal standards. But their mind is still intact… somewhat, hence they can think and formulate plans-albeit crudely."
"But… but you send them away… I mean… you burnt that thing!" Sai followed.
"They're still instinctively afraid of fire, like any undead. But the damage is practically cosmetic." Mwu explained further. "Being undead, they're at least 10 times stronger than when they were alive, and they can regenerate, which is quite a pain. They're quite slow, unless they are agitated, like now. They have poor visions at day, but at dark, they can see farther than humans could. They have terrifying sense of smell… and above all, they got hell's ears like you won't believe. They're incredibly sensitive to sound. That's why, like I said: don't be noisy."
"The Zaft… formed a special military branch… trained specifically to counter the Genma… at least to a degree." Kage took over explaining things to Sai. He looked at the bespectacled boy to make his point: "The Ruby Exorcists."
A wave of realization hit Sai. He's beginning to understand why Kage picked him out of the three Shadowguards.
"You understand right?" Mwu nodded at the Shadowguard's realization. "There are only two ways to counter the Genma: first, we burn them down… but it won't kill them. Not unless if you can burn them all down to cinders and ash."
"Based on the reports I get from the other soldiers, out of all Shadowguards, you're the one who has the strongest fire jutsu aptitude." Kage revealed his reason at last. "Plus, you're a spear user. Thus you had better chance of surviving against one of them."
Mwu continued his frantic pace as he explained. "The second method… if you're crazy enough to try it… is dismemberment. Cut them apart to pieces-the smaller the better."
"Dismemberment…" Bushido commented. "Why not just behead them?"
"Hah. Traditional text-book zombie counter. Tried that before. But it won't work on these guys. See… their bodies are no longer controlled by their brain." Mwu tapped his head. "Their whole body is possessed by demons. Note the plural form. Think of it like a marionette being controlled from the inside by hundreds of puppeteers working in concert. The body is the puppet and the demons inside is the puppeteers. Though yeah, damaging their head will only greatly disorient the Genmas. But it won't stop them from tracking and finding you through various unholy means. And let me remind you one more time-" At this, Mwu stopped his frantic pace and turn around to face Kage and all the soldiers.
"These guys… are already dead. And you can't kill something that's already dead now, can you?"
Everyone silently agreed. "Just stick together and we'll be fine." Kage instructed. "And don't get lost!"
After a few more minutes of walking in silence, Mwu stopped for a moment and looked around, looking for familiar landmarks. "We're here." He declared as he pointed towards their destination.
Everyone looked at the direction pointed by Mwu. Their destination is circular complex, with great wall encircling a series of 4 structures. The 4 structures are composed of one giant dome at the center, encircled by 3 similar looking domes, albeit smaller in size. These 4 domes were connected to each other by a series of corridors. The main building, the center dome, is directly connected to the one gate visible, making it the only way in. There are no other openings. The entire structure is completely sealed shut and the only way in or out of the building is through the front gate.
"Yosh! Let's get this job done and get the hell out of here quick!" A soldier rushed forward rashly before Mwu can stop him.
"Wait!" Setsuna's ears caught something moving… underground.
"There's nothing here but corpses and bones!" The soldier whined.
"Remember the third rule…!" Mwu reminded everyone. But it was too late.
As if on cue, a maggot ridden knight burst out of his grave, roaring just right next to the careless soldier. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" The soldier, caught off guard, was knocked off his feet and before he can scream, the knight's demonic black sword had found its way to his gut, earning even louder scream.
The knight's attire was that of an Emerald Knight distinctive teal color, it even comes with the shield and the sword. But they were all thoroughly demonized. For starters, the armor was completely littered with black, pulsating, living demonic veins. The metallic plates of the said armor has been partially transfigured to organic and bony substances, with black ichors spikes sprouted out of the said armor from the inside, as well as tendrils and tentacles bursting out of the seams and chinks of the said armor. The helmet has also been completely demonized; the narrow visor opening for the eyes has been transformed into an actual mouth, complete with rows and rows of razor sharp teeth-there are no eyes, but they can feel the monstrosity is looking at them. The shield also suffered the same fate, but it was mutated even further to the point that it merged with the Knight's left arm, becoming the said arm. The blade remained handheld, but it was also encapsulated with the said black veins, and it's dripping with foul smelling black liquid. The ground rots wherever the liquid fell, and so is the unfortunate victim it currently stabbed.
Everyone could only stare in horror as the said soldier screamed and wailed while the Genma Knight's sword is rapidly rotting him inside out, killing the man in pain. However, hideously, while it was obvious that the soldier's wound is mortal and should've killed him outright, the soldier is still screaming in pain-albeit a different kind of pain. That was the pain of a human being turned into a genma. Already changes became apparent: his hand turned to claws, teeth fell off ceremoniously, replaced with unearthly fangs, blood slowly rot and turned black, the soldier scream louder and louder, until his cheek were ripped apart and his jaw opened to impossible levels.
Mwu quickly made a series of hand seals. The other two shinobis is still dumbfounded by the sight and remain as they were. Mwu finished with a tiger seal and roared: "Katon Goukyaku no jutsu!" Mwu spit a fireball that quickly burn the knight… and the soldier. The fireball set the soldier on fire, but he's still screaming, whereas the Genma knight merely screeched as his body caught fire.
Kage was visibly perplexed while Sai looked horrified at the scene. "Oi! Wait a sec! You kill your own man too!"
"Yes." Mwu answered in a heartbeat. "That… thing is no longer my man. If you die at the hands of a genma, you'll soon turn into one of them. There's no cure, no counter to that. There's nothing you can do."
"But…"
"It's not their choice, I KNOW!" Mwu roared. "But if there's another way to help these poor souls, believe me, I would do it, but there's no other way." Mwu take a look at the poor soldier. The fire began to die down, but still the damned soul still moving, gargling about, even though he had been charred halfway to hell. Worse, the Genma Knight from before had just recovered and is coming their way again. "Kage, Sai!"
The two shinobis looked at Mwu.
"You wanna help them? Release them from their misery." Mwu had already began making a series of handseals. Kage and Sai looked at each other, and they too finally, with a heavy heart, began making a series of handseals. And then…
"Katon, Goukyaku no Jutsu!" All three of them roared in unison and sent three streams of flames, merging together and formed an extremely hot and large ball of inferno. The combined Fireball that engulfed the Genma Knight and his victim was so searing, the soon-to-be undead soldier was instantly incinerated to ashes whilst the demonic knight howled and screamed in pain as even his armor began to melt through the flesh beneath it. The three shinobi maintain the barrage and pushed forward, maintaining a constant stream of fire from their lips. Soon, Mwu signaled them to stop, and so they stopped. All that's left of the said demon knight was a lump of ash black glob of metal blanketing and fusing with the barely recognizable, still twitching-still alive, misshapen remains of the person inside the armor.
Mwu calmed himself quickly, but noticed the other two shinobi was far from good. Hell, they were completely shaken. Especially Sai. "Come on. Let's go. The bunker is just ahead. This time we stick together, and move slowly. No one play hero or tough guy. Is that clear?"
Everyone nodded silently.
Soon, without trouble, the convoy finally managed to get into the gates to the bunker. It was sealed shut. But Mwu knew just the trick to get in. "Just give me a few minutes. All of you stand on guard. Kage help me up, Sai, you're on watch."
Sai nodded in silence. But he was still pale after that accident.
Kage fare only slightly better, but he couldn't help feel regret for being unable to help the soldier.
"Feels different, doesn't it?"
"Pardon?" Kage looked at Mwu.
Mwu decided this is the best time to talk a few things to his student. "See… there's a difference between indirectly killing your subordinates through your plots and schemes as opposed to killing them directly with your own two hands." Kage didn't answer. Mwu take that as a sign to keep talking. "When you're a planner that saw everything from the statistic point of view… everything you see is numbers. You can kill a hundred and you won't bat an eye… but… you kill just one… right in front of you, with your own hands…" Mwu glanced meaningfully at Kage, who caught the message. "There's a… feeling… a scar… that was transmitted directly to you. And it worries me."
"Mwu-san? You… are you inferring that one day I'll become a butcher that will kill my own men for victory?"
"No. It's not that what I'm worried about." Mwu took a deep breath. "I honestly think it is way too soon for you to wear that coat."
Kira cringed in slight surprise. "You know… before today, I've been trying to convince a LOT of people of that fact."
"I'm not talking about ability, kid. I'm talking about responsibility." Mwu stood up and looked directly at Kira. "You had enough of ability. The problem is… you still need to learn more about responsibility."
"I'm not sure I follow."
"You won't just be responsible for making good decisions; you'll also be responsible at making bad ones. Shitty decisions… that have be to be done. Judging by the way you react just now to that Genma incident… you're not ready for that."
Kira tilted his head. "You mean… making cruel decisions? I've done that, haven't I?"
"No, no, no. After everything you've done during the Archangel Siege crisis, I'd say you've made cruel decisions because you know everything will end well-and when things don't go according to plan, you made sure to beat things back on track. The question is: are you ready to make shitty decisions which you don't even know of how it'll end? Or, to put it even more bluntly-to make decisions that you know won't end well… like killing your own men for the greater good. It worries me because I believe you're not very ready for that. The reason is simple: you're too damn good." Mwu pointed at Kira's shocked face. "You haven't found anything you cannot beat. Hell, you outsmarted Raww, killed Veia, made me and a lot of officers looked like an ass. But that's just it. You've never been in a really bad situation where you have very limited decisions. And with the kind of brain you have, it'll be difficult to find that sort of situation. You're not really a leader until you've lost."
Kira was about to retort that statement, but then, he stopped midway and try to think better of what Mwu was trying to explain to him. While the boy is pondering his words, Mwu had finished his work. Now it is shown that he's picking up the lock on the bunker gate… with a bent needle. Soon, there's a sound of gear grinding, and a moment later, the gates slowly opened up, and the soldiers quickly rushed in.
Mwu and Kage quickly closed the gate back while the soldiers try to get a better look of their surroundings. Unfortunately, it was dark, and they couldn't see anything… but it's cold. A stark contrast with the searing temperature from the outside, the insides of the bunker is freezing. When Kage and Mwu finally sealed the bunker gate shut, and torches light up automatically, slightly warming up the place and reveal the surroundings. There really isn't much to see. The insides were pretty normal and straightforward reception hall, no furniture but another big gate.
"Come on." Mwu led them out of the room, through the door into a large hallway that connected to the main grand dome. It was large enough to even allow the caravan to enter along with their carts. The rest of the trip went on in an eerie silence. They finally the end of the corridor and faced another locked door. Again Mwu worked his magic, and viola, the gate was opened, revealing a spiral of large stairs, encircling a massive cylinder, going upward. This time they left their carts behind along with a few of them to guard the cart, the soldiers began the climb. After five minutes, they reached the top, and saw another door. A little trick from Mwu, and the door was opened. Everyone huddled together when a freezing wind blows through them and Torii scurried in to his master's pocket for warmth.
Everyone, except Mwu, and Kage, gasped in shock.
The room is made up of patches of square openings. Each square has pillars jutting out from the opening stretching up to a height as tall as a full grown man, and they were all made of ice, which explains the extreme chilling temperature of the place. But what's even more surprising, is that inside these ice pillars… there are objects. And upon closer observation, they finally realized what these objects are.
"Hey… is that beef?" One of the soldier's gaped when they saw an entire beef (which means the entire meat of a cow, not the animal itself) held suspended as it was frozen solid inside the ice pillar.
"I got chickens in here!" One soldier took a peek on the pillars situated on a different patch.
"This one got fishes!"
Everyone was amazed. So each patch of these pillars held a different kind of meat. The food was kept frozen in order to preserve them, keeping them fresh for decades. This is the same mechanism found on Zaft's merchant ships, albeit at a far larger scale. "This dome holds meat, the one of the left holds vegetables, the one on the right holds fruit, and the one on the far end holds grains." Mwu explained. "The grain side is not as freezing, since ice could destroy grains." Mwu chuckled as he tapped the ice pillar holding beef. "This is our food. We'll take them by the columns and then we dropped the columns into that." Mwu pointed at the pillar being encircled by the stairs they climbed up before hand. There's an opening there. The size clearly matched the size of the ice columns. "After which we load them to the ice columns below, bring them to the ship, and then we'll thaw them off when we need to have a bite."
Sai whistled in admiration. The Advanced sure know how to make things. This dome itself stood as a testament to their superior technological capability. Mwu began unloading the large package he had been carrying. It's a set of large saw. "We cut them up with this. Let's get to work everyone!"
The soldiers cheered and quickly get to work. They picked up the saw and began cutting down the pillar, carefully as to not cut the precious supply inside. And then, they carried the ice pillar into the opening as Mwu instructed and drop them down, 6 at the time. Down below, the soldiers who stood on watch of the carts were shocked when 6 ice columns filled with food just dropped right in front of them. Fortunately the soldiers from above quickly climbed down and explained the situation. And then, they began loading the ice pillars to the cart. As Kage contemplated to go to work as well, he found other objects in the package. "Mwu-san? What's this?"
"That's our ticket home." Mwu answered. "See… after we loaded up these ice pillars to the cart, we'll be considerably slower. Now, I'm not worried that the searing temperature will melt the ice too quick. Don't worry. We'll arrive at our ship long before that happened I assure you. The problem is… well… you know how noisy we were when we get here, right? Well… that's going to attract a lot of 'attention'."
"Huh." Kage groaned in understanding. Looking at the shape of these items, he quickly understands their use… and the consequences that follows. 'I hate knowing everything.'
A few hours later, their work is done, and the carts were fully loaded with enough food (in form of ice pillars) to feed more than 2000 people -Sai counted- for a month. The soldiers happily led their fully loaded cart, talking about making a banquet and stuff. But when they get to the front gate, the chatting stopped. Mwu pressed his ears to the gate and groaned.
"What is it?" Kage had a good guess as to why though.
"Well…" Mwu opened the gate just a ti-iiny bit…
A peek at an army of undead at the front door and then close.
Five minutes later…
Everyone is still contemplating on how they should get out of this mess.
"Well then… what's your bright idea of getting out of this mess?" Kage looked at Mwu. The elder shinobi decided to pull out his trump card. A set of forked blunt spears.
"What is this?" Bushido frowned.
Mwu answered with a demonstration. He picked up two spears and then hit the spears together. The fork spear reverberated and created a loud ringing sound that echoed over and over across the hallway. The sound made Setsuna grunted and grasped his ears in pain. "Ow! My ears!"
"Sorry about that. I had Simon made this. As you guys can see, this is a giant tuning fork." Mwu showed them the fork. "I won't go into details, but basically, this thing can produce a lot of high frequency noise… one that will attract a lot of attention."
Now everyone see where this is going. But there's still another problem. "But that means we need someone who will carry them and attract their attention… someone who's crazy enough to have an thousand of those sons of bitches bearing down on them." Kage gulped. Everyone's faces paled.
"I'm not going to say that there's a chance that the guy who's going to do it will survive. This might well be a one way trip." Mwu explained. "Either we stay here… or we draw straws."
"I'll draw." Sai nodded exasperated. "Let's draw."
"Nobody draw straws." Kage interrupted. "I'll do it."
"Now wait a second, Kage!" Sai protested. "Why does it have to be you?"
"I say let's draw straws." Setsuna agreed. "But you guys better be honest if I hit a miss or hit."
"Technically… this one believes that every senior officer in here can do it." Bushido referred to every Juppongatana, elite soldiers and seated officers in this room. Any six of them can do it. "It's just the question of how much the fate favors."
"Luck." Sven uttered a single word, and that was all it took.
Kage looked at everyone. 5 to 1 says, draw straws. Kage sighed in frustration. "Alright." He gave up. "Alright. Let's draw straws."
Mwu prepared six strands of straws with different colors. Kage took one, Bushido took one, Sven took one, Sai took one, Setsuna took one, and Mwu gets what's left. Everyone looked at the length of their straws.
"Is this good or bad?" Setsuna showed his to a soldier.
Everyone's eyes turned to the one with the shortest straw. Kage, in particular, was devastated and despaired. 'No… No… not you…'
"Oh… damn."
Sai looked at the shortest straw in his hand. Everyone mourned. Sai resigned himself to fate and smiled nervously. "Oh well… everybody gotta die anyway. Might as well die for something right?" He laughed nervously, but also in fear. "So… how are we going to do this?"
Mwu exhaled in sorrow. "Alright. This is how it's going to be done. When I open that door, Kage and I will unleash a barrage of destruction: explosive tags, fire jutsu, even superweapon blast (Shiki). That'll open up a clearing. You use that chance to create a safe distance. And then plant the fork." Mwu explained how it's going to work. "After you plant the fork, you hit it twice as hard as you can, and then you ran. The sound will be heard for at least 10 miles. You got less than 15 minutes to rush out of the 2 km radius from that fork. Because by that time, that area will be swarming with undeads. You'll plant two of these forks. And then, if you're lucky and survive both encounters, you go back to where we first landed. We've planted a flag on the shores where we land as a landmark and we'll give you a compass and a marked map. One ship will stay at the outskirts of the island for a week. We WILL NOT go anywhere. So you take your time, as long as needed, we WILL wait for you-not a day short… but not a day more. Once you've arrived at the shore, you throw this to the sky, and we will come to pick you up." Mwu handed a supply of weapons and ration enough for a week to Sai.
"I can hear you." Setsuna added. Everyone looked at the blind soldier. "I may not be able to see. But I can hear you. Me and those monsters had a little similarity… we both got hell's ears like you won't believe it. I can keep track of anything that's moving within 15 km radius." One of the soldier's went jaw hung in awe, mouthing a silent wow.
"This one wonders if you can differentiate the movements of these accursed Genmas and the living?" Bushido asked with interest.
"Easy. The heartbeat. Living human's heart beats." Setsuna tapped Sai's chest. He can hear the bespectacled boy's heart beating like a woodpecker. He was so nervous. The poor boy. "So if you sneeze, I can even tell who handed you the hankie."
Sai continue to nod nervously throughout the explanation, while Kage remained eerily silent. "So… I ran out, plant the fork, ring it, ran, plant it again, ring it… and then run back home. Easy. I think even I can't screw this up." Sai chuckled again nervously. But everyone remained in the gloom mood.
"Well then… let's go." Sai readied his spear.
"I'll go with the opening salvo." Kage declared quietly.
The two shinobis walked towards the gate. Bushido and Sven stand ready at the gates, ready to open it up. Sai breath grew heavy. "Hey… Kage… if… if I don't make it back… break it up to Fllay slowly okay? You know how she is. Every bit of a drama queen."
Kage didn't answer.
"You do that for me?" Sai looked at his best friend through his shoulder.
Kage nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay."
Sven and Bushidou pushed the gates opened. As expected, a swarm of Genma began to pour through. Before they can take another step…
"TETSUGA TENSHOU!" Kage roared and sent a massive white shockwave of destruction that engulf every Genma in front of the gate. In a single blast, nearly half of the swarm of undead in front of the gate was completely taken out. Kage walked out first. Sai followed behind him. But Kage stopped midway, slightly barring Sai's way out.
"Right. I guess this is the part where I… uh… rush out? Right?" Sai began walking out.
"…right." And with that, Kage suddenly turned around and punched Sai by the gut, hard.
"HEGH! KI…" Before anyone can say anything, Kage took Sai's supplies and the forks before throwing him back in. He also took Torii and threw him to Sai. Shocked by this, everyone was caught unprepared and Kage used that chance to shut the door tight and locked it from outside.
Sai quickly get back up with some difficulty before desperately screamed and banged the gates multiple times. "KAGE! KAGE! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? OPEN UP! IT'S MY JOB! KAGEEE!"
"That crazy stubborn son of a…" Mwu growled in disbelief at just how suicidal his student can be.
"Captain Mwu? Work your magic, open this door!" Already Setsuna can hear the sound of Genma coming… hundreds… if not thousands of them from outside.
"Yeah I can open it… but it's gonna take a while!"
"KAGEEE!"
Outside, Kage chuckled and sighed in relief as he rested his back to the gates. He can hear Sai muffled screams of his name from beyond the door. 'If I had to see any one of my friends die in front of me again, I might just gonna lose it…' Meanwhile, the Genmas are approaching him from every direction. "Alright you monsters…Let's see who's the bigger monster here?" Kage rapidly create a series of handseals. "Katon… Karyuu Endan!" The shinobi quickly sent the fireball forward into a rampaging fire dragon, incinerate every rising undead caught in its path. At the same time, he hurled a hail of explosive tagged kunais to every direction, creating carnage of explosions. Once the dust settled, Kage was nowhere in sight.
"COME ON! YOU WANNA PIECE OF ME? COME ON!" Kage had climbed a cliff with his shunshin no jutsu and yelled at the top of his lungs, attracting more and more undead his way. He also removed his mask so that his scream became even louder.
The Genma who survived the barrage of fire roared and screeched. They run and rushed towards the black clad enemy pasted the leftovers of what's left of their fellow undead-blasted to pieces by the barrage. Kage vanished again in a puff of smoke as the Genma approached. Soon, all Genma was gone from the front gate.
Behind the gate, Setsuna sorrowfully tucked his head. "All Genmas are gone… The Captain managed to draw them all away."
"Kage…" Sai fell to his knees in despair.
Mwu finally managed to open the gate, and as Setsuna had said, no Genmas are in sight. Thanks to their captain. Mwu and Bushido take lead and checked the surroundings, just in case there some leftovers. But apart from patches of charred ground-which smells like burnt flesh- there's no Genma in sight. "Alright then." With a heavy heart, Mwu took the lead. "From here we go straight to our ships. And then we wait." Mwu gave everyone a moment for pity's sake as he approached the kneeling Sai.
"Mwu-san… he…" Sai miserably looked at Mwu.
"Get back up. Come on. We have to get to the shores." Mwu helped the bespectacled boy up. "He'll come back. I know he will… cause if there's anything I learned, he just doesn't know how to die. Setsuna, keep track of his every progress. If he sneezed, I wanna know who wiped his nose."
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Kira ran as fast as he could, alternating with a couple of shunshin once in a while. Soon he reached a clearing, no Genma in sight. But it's a good spot to plant the first fork. "Okay. Let's plant the first one." Kira pulled the first fork and planted it to the ground. He looked left and right several more times before hitting the Fork with Shiki's blunt side. A high pitched ringing sound reverberated and echoed for miles. Every Genma within that radius turned and moved towards the source of the sound. An arm burst out right next to where Kira was standing. And another, and another. Roars and screech can be heard from the distance. "Oh hell, that was fast!" Kira hit the fork one more time, creating an even louder sound before he quickly escaped the perimeter.
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"URGH!" Setsuna grasped his ears again. "He's done it."
Everyone looked at the bandaged boy.
"He ringed the first fork."
"Alright. By now, every Genma within 10 mile radius will be flocking towards that fork. The coast should be clear. Let's go!" Mwu instructed.
The soldiers hastened their pace, while Sai looked with concern to the direction where the sound came from.
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'Get out of the 2 km radius within 15 minutes after the fork sounded… well… I should've known that is not gonna be that easy…' Kira was ready to run like a bat out of hell… but within a few seconds after the fork was ringed, his escape path has been blocked by rows and rows of Genma Hunters. Kira lifted Shiki and quickly brought it down, sending forth another full power Tetsuga that tear through the hordes of undead down the middle. Kira quickly run as fast as he could through the opening. Before he can clear away, a Genma Emerald Knight emerged and rushed to meet him.
Kira gritted his teeth. 'I can't use full power Tetsuga Tenshou over and over now can I? Let's try that other method Mwu-san mentioned.' The method being: bisection. Red feathers began to form around Kira, and the next instant, he was clad in Kurenai Shiki form. A katana made of red light emerged from his right arm. Kira roared and swing at the knight as soon as he came within range. As expected, Shiki's immaterial blade cut through the Knight's sword. Before the knight can do anything else, Kira rolled back and cut through the knight by the chest in a flash. The Knight staggered for one moment. Kira brandished his sword again, ready to cut the knight again, but stopped midway when he saw what becomes of the Genma knight.
The knight's dismembered left shield arm fell off from its stump and turned to ashes as it touched the ground. The knight looked confused and touched the stump with his right arm. The part where Kira cut him is quickly turning to ashes and fell apart. The knight looked dumbly to himself and then to Kira. He raised his clawed hand, trying to reach Kira, but as he took a step forward, his body turned completely to ashes as the upper portion of his chest finally fell off, and his entire being crumble to dust, leaving a broken empty suit of Emerald Knight armor filled with cinders and ashes.
Kira stare dumbly at this. '…Shiki?'
'Nope. Turning Undead into ashes wasn't part of my skill tree.'
Not Shiki? Then… Kira turned around and saw hundreds more of Undead coming his way. Funny thing is, when he saw how the Genma turned to ashes, he suddenly no longer feel afraid. Rather, he began to embrace a thought… an idea. Another group of three Genma came at him, and he let them close the distance. Kira intend to use these three as a test. The first one walk within range, and Kira instantly flickered behind him and cut his head off. The second one arrived, and Kira ducked beneath its clumsy swing and slit its leg, causing it to fell on one knee, and then slashed his chest up from behind before pausing in front of the last Genma, with Shiki at the ready on top of his head.
The Genma growled and whined. Kira suddenly deactivated the Kurenai Shiki and it assumed normal form. He had a feeling that it won't be necessary. To human opponent, this directly translates as a frontal challenge. The Genma roared and answered the challenge. Their swords clashed for one instant, and the Genma knight surprisingly was thrown off balance. Kira used the chance to quickly land a horizontal cut that rip the Genma's throat. A burst of ashes erupted from the cut instead of blood, and Kira quickly finished with a vertical bisection, cleaving the undead knight to two in one stroke.
Pause for a moment, all four warriors-three undead, and one alive- stood motionless. And then one by one, in the order that they were 'killed', the Genma crumbled to ashes.
Standing atop a pile of ashes and empty armors, a new feeling began to rise at Kira's chest. It's not anger, it's not hatred, and it's not even sorrow. His throat dried up, his blood boiled. It was… and Kira could hardly believe it… excitement. "Well… all the trouble we went through when we could just rip them to ashes? Literally?" Indeed. Kira may not fully understand the why and how. But if simply cutting them part will turn them to ashes… then things has just become easier.
A Genma hunter suddenly burst out of the ground and jumped towards Kira from above. The boy merely sidestepped and slashed him easily. The Genma hunter turned to ash midair and break apart as it landed.
Yes. It has become… sooo much easier.
Kira gave Shiki a strong jerk, sprinkling the ashes from the blade. Perhaps enraged upon seeing how easily the ninja could kill their warriors, the Genma that was flocking towards the tuning fork roared and growled. Dozens of them, Hunters and Knights had arrived at the scene and focus their attention to Kira. And yet, all thoughts of escaping had long since abandoned Kira's mind. Putting back his mask on, suddenly he no longer found the Genma to be THAT scary at all.
The mask made it impossible to see but…
…If only Kira could see just how terrifying his smile is…
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Setsuna frowned as he stopped moving for one moment. His ears twitching, catching up an eerie sound.
"Setsuna? Something wrong?" Sai nervously looked at the blind boy, fearing the time when Setsuna will announce their captain dead. But that was not what Setsuna's eras had caught.
"That's… weird…" Setsuna frowned and placed his hand behind his ears, as if to make sure he didn't misheard.
"Weird?"
"Just… ever since the ringing of the first fork, I've been hearing the sound of battle…"
"You mean Kage…" Sai feared the worst: Kage was overrun by the Genma before he can make his escape.
"Yes. I suspect so." But before the horrified Sai can make a dash towards wherever Kage had gone to, Setsuna stopped him. "But it's awkward… He's overrun… but he's winning."
Sai and Mwu looked at Setsuna, dumbstruck. "…w…winning?"
"I… I'm not sure how to describe it… errh… I hear the sound of Genma's growls and roars were being silenced. Sometimes one by one, sometimes en masse. I don't know how the Captain did it, but he's beating them. And he's doing an exceedingly bloody damn good job at it."
Sai and Mwu looked at each other, confusion evident.
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The ground around the Fork had long since turned into a land of massacre, covered in cinders and ashes, and empty suits of armor piling atop another: all that's left of any Genma who dared to attack Kira. The brunette barely broke a sweat himself. Besides, when one compare with the kind of enemy he had faced thus far, the Genma's movements are ridiculously predictable and relatively slow. They are powerful yes. But Kira had long since learnt not to face brute force head on. Kira had just finished with one knight, and another suddenly lunged from his back. Fully expecting this, Kira turned around and shoved Shiki down the Knight's throat, 'killing' him, and turned the inside to ashes whereas the empty armor fell with clattering sound around Kira.
And then, it was over.
Kira looked around at a small field of ashes around him. His excitement had finally settled as the last Genma fall, and so is his adrenaline rush. And then, with the dawning rationality that followed, that's when Kira realized: '…did I just kill every Genma that was coming here?' He looked around again and saw no more Genma in sight. Silence for a few seconds… Kira looked dumbly at the last tuning fork in his hand, realizing what he had done.
…I'm supposed to 'only' draw their attention, not butchering them outright… right?
Silence for a few more minutes as Kira tried to process the sheer ludicrousness of what he just did. His genius brain started to smoke due to the stress. POM-thought process cancelled. 'Oh well whatever. Plant the next fork, ring it, and then go home. Easy as pie.' Kira concluded his internal discussion as he knocked his fist to his palm lightly. But first, he needs know which way he should be heading, and so he drew out the map and the compass.
…to be more precise… what's left of them.
Kira's eyes twitched uncontrollably as he looked at the small X mark on a little shred of paper depicting some shores-all that's left of what was once a larger map that has been accidently torn to shreds during the chaos of the battle. And then, his compass has been smashed apart-apparently when he dodged an attack from one of the Genma's, he dodged them too narrowly.
Instead of panicking, Kira took a deep-deep breath. "Okay… let's stay calm. Let's just retrace back my steps and try to find my way back to the bunker. Yeah."
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A few hours later…
The caravan had arrived at the shores, where their ships are waiting for them. Their trip is strangely quiet and calm. The soldiers began unloading their cart and put them into the ships. It was during the process Setsuna's ears once again caught a disturbing sound. "Heh?" Setsuna perked again for the second time today.
"What is it this time, Setsuna?"
"…erm… Sai-san… the Captain took the map and the compass with him… yes?"
Sai looked at his being to check the items he currently have with him. "Yes. Including my ration and some weapons supply."
Setsuna scratched his hair. "Ermm… then why is he moving further in?"
Mwu and Sai gaped again. "Sorry? Run that by me again?"
"…well… he's alive and well… but… his footsteps indicated that he had been walking in circles over the last few hours after the ringing of the first fork… he hasn't ringed the second fork, and I can still hear his heartbeat, meaning he's still alive, thank God. But he keeps moving further and further in. At this rate, it won't be long before he moved beyond my hearing range."
Sai and Mwu looked dumbly at each other. And then they suddenly realized one long forgotten fact…
Kira is a genius. That is a fact. An incredible prodigy. The best there is in military strategy and combat. Amazing in every way if not… for one glaring flaw:
For the love of him… even when his life depends on it-as in the case right now…
Even with the aid of compass and a map… (which, unknown to them, had both been blasted to kingdom come…)
…Kira's sense of direction is still the worst there is.
"Oh shit! He's gone deeper. That's it. I can't hear him anymore at this point." Setsuna cursed.
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Kira looked around his surroundings. And he quickly noted: "Oh… shit… I'm lost."
At least, that's what Kira surmised when he arrived at an unfamiliar landscape for the nth time.
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"We have to do something, anything. Send a search party or something!" Sai is in total panic now.
Mwu remain silent in deep thought. But he finally concluded: "No. We stick to the plan."
"WHAT?"
"Setsuna, you said you can no longer follow where he's going?"
"I'm sorry." Setsuna bent his head down in shame.
"Which means he could be anywhere. If we form a search party that'll take days, not to mention the fact that they might endanger themselves and get killed. I will not risk my men turning into monsters and jeopardize this operation just to find one guy with directional problem."
Sai became enraged at the cold and heartless statement. "How could you! Kage is-"
"COME TO YOUR SENSES!" Mwu roared. Every soldier looked at the blond captain. "Kage sacrificed himself to save you! To save all of us! How would he feel if we ended up sending more of us to their deaths just to find him?" It was also difficult for Mwu to say this, judging by the way he clenched his fist tightly that all the blood was drained from his balled fist.
Sai gritted his teeth in anger… and resignation. Mwu's right. If they recklessly send search and rescue squad to scour this island, they risked the squad of getting butchered and turned into undead. Kira wouldn't want that.
Sensing the Shadowguard had calmed down, Mwu continued, this time in a more relaxed tone. "Now, I'm not saying that we should all just forget about Kage and leave him to his fate… but let's not forget: one, we all know he get lost often. Almost like it's in his second nature to always get lost. But, he always came back whenever we needed him the most. That fact, I think, is an iron clad law of all creation, when it comes to him. So if he gets lost… that's a sign that there won't be any trouble in the foreseeable future."
Everyone had to fight back a snicker, even Sai, who knew this to be a cosmic truth.
Seeing he managed to partially defuse the tense atmosphere, Mwu delivered his coup de grace: "And point no 2: Setsuna you said… Kage fought a whole bunch of those Genma SOB… and he WON? He actually WON?"
Setsuna nodded confidently.
"Well… I don't know what sort of miracle our captain pulled out. But I believe we all know that he specialized in the ridiculous and the impossible. So maybe he was protected by some angel saint or whatever… but one thing is clear, is that he's doing his duty, so that we can do ours. The best way to help him right now is to do our duty, and do it right. We've promised that we will wait for him." Mwu planted a flag on the ground. "And so we will wait."
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For as long as he can remember, Kira always knew he had a terrible sense of direction. No matter how hard he tried to remember every detail of every road, every pathway he had taken, he always managed to get himself lost. It was all thanks to Torii guiding him from time to time that he managed to get his way around. And even then he would still pick the wrong turn every now and then. Unfortunately, he handed the bird to Sai when he knocked him out. But then again, he doubt Torii will be of much help here, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by Zombies. Funnily, the only time he DID find his way on his own was when his life is at the prelude to some disaster.
"But getting lost in the continent of the Undead? If that's not a disaster I don't know what is." But then again, with the way he's been able to easily slaughter his way through the scores of undead, this is no longer resemble a struggle for survival. If anything… it's more like a walk in the park, for the lack of better term.
Just then, his stomach grumbled. Kira rubbed his belly. Come to think of it, he hadn't eaten anything since this morning. And he's been venturing on this hellish island for God Knows how long, the eternally black sky made it impossible for one to tell the time. He unpacked his meal bag. Mwu had rationed them properly for 7 days. Kira pick a beef jerkie and took a bite. Everything does taste good when one is hungry. Kira chewed his meal quietly while continuing his trip to parts unknown, all the while; he began thinking about his current predicament. Calmly… quietly…
And then he realized, his situation wasn't exactly bad. As he understands it, this is a rather small Continent. The biggest obstacle in this continent is to survive the onslaught of the undeads. And he had proven that he was more than capable surviving a couple of Undead raids. And it's not like this is the first time he ever get lost. He did get lost, but never to the point where he disappeared for days and then ended up half alive in some parts unknown. 'That's right. Just relax. Without Torii, it will be difficult to find my way back but… I'm probably just gonna end up having to walk a few extra hours before reaching my destination. Other than that, I got food, I got supplies, I can handle whatever these Undeads will throw at me, and everything is peachy. Yeah." Kira surmised his situation optimistically in one breath, reassuring himself that he can survive this. He can go home. With that in mind, Kira slightly relaxed his guard and was about to take another bite of his jerkie…
…and then something landed right next to him before exploding full force.
Kira and his beef jerkie were sent flying a few shades darker than before, parts of his clothes were on fire. He landed on his head, but Kira quickly get back up, put out any fire on his being, wear his mask and looked at his surroundings. Alas, he was still a bit shaken by the explosion, and his sight was blurred by the smoke rising from the explosion. "The hell was that?"
"Orya? Bloody Hell… yer no Undead? Yer alive!"
"Huh?" Kira blinked in surprise. Either Mwu forgot/didn't know that these Genmas can speak… or there is someone else on this island. As the dust settles, Kira began to get a clearer view of the surroundings. He quickly put on his mask. Kage narrowed his eyes and could barely make out a head. A person.
The man had a spiky bright reddish brown hair, wearing a blue headband. Like Kage, he wore a ninja vest over black body suit, but the said vest is colored in yellow. He's carrying a katana on his one hand; whereas the other he was shown carrying what looked like a short-fused cannonball, a primitive grenade. That's what exploded on Kage's face earlier.
"I'm alive… not Genma… alive here." Kage explained quickly.
The man was relieved. "A living human? Thank god. Finally. A break. Sorry about the bomb, pal. I mean, you're all dressed up scary and black and all… I thought you were one of them poor souls…"
"No hard feelings." Kage nodded in understanding. "But please, don't throw another one of those things at me again."
"You got it." The man smiled and put away his grenade into his utility belt. "Name's Lowe. Lowe Guele. Junk guild. My friends call me Lowe." The red haired man introduced himself at last.
"Junker's… Junk Guild? What is that?" Kage never heard of the name.
"WHAT? You never heard of it? Awww… and I thought we were quite popular…" Lowe sulked. "In Orb, there's not a single person who did not know our name."
'Orb…' Kage frowned. 'So he's from Orb too?'
"Speaking of names… didn't catch your name?"
"Nice to meet you. My name is… Ka…" Kira almost gave the usual Kage name, but then he remembered Toudou once said that the real Kage is in the Orb military. "Name is… name is Shadow."
Okay… that was stupid. Using the same name with different language. Kira almost slapped his head silly. 'I know 11 languages and I can't figure out a better cover name! Some genius you are Kira.'
"Shadow? Nice codename… you do look like one."
"Yeah. Get that all the time, Lowe-san."
"Please. I'm young enough to be called your brother. Just call me Lowe. Still, fancy meeting a shinobi here though. What are you doing here, Shadow? You're on a mission or something?"
"Mission?" Right. Shinobis are used by Orb military all the time as scouts, recon, information gathering, and often, black ops-missions that cannot see the light of the day. Their missions can take them to the ends of the earth, anywhere under the heavens, wherever, whatever, whenever the Orb government may need them. "Yes. You can say that. Can't say what mission… but I got separated from my crew."
"I see. Well… welcome to the club. I'm in the same boat too. I'm in a mission, and we got some disturbances… and I got separated. You… wouldn't happen to have a map or compass with you?"
"Actually…" Kira chuckled exasperatedly. "That's the reason I got separated." He lifted the broken compass and the torn shred of the map with x mark on it.
"Oh. Tough luck, buddy." Lowe sighed. "I got a compass… but no map. My pals got them."
"I see." Then again, a compass won't be much help if he doesn't know where he needs to be going. "I guess I don't see any chance to borrow your crews' map."
Lowe rubbed his chin. "Well… not really. Liam Garfield… one of my pals… is good with mapping. He's a cartographer, so he usually brought a few extra scrolls of map with him. Maybe if we can find him, he can spare you some."
Kira nodded in approval. "Where did you last see your friend?"
Lowe began walking with Kira followed him closely from behind. Lowe recounted his story. "We didn't get separated that far really. A few hours ago we were attacked… and we were trapped. I volunteered to draw their attention. It partially worked, peeled off a pack of them. I managed to outrun and tricked them, but then I got cornered. And then something weird happened. Something attracted their attention. Something a lot more interesting to them than us. We saw a lot of them running, rushing to a single direction."
Kira cringed as his fingers grabbed the tuning fork in his hand tighter. So they were attracted by the sound of the fork. "So… what kind a guild is Junker's Guild anyway?"
"Short and clean version? We're scavengers. We scour the battlefield, picking up things others won't pick. But we also had a sidejob as mercenaries." Kira frowned at the explanation. Lowe chuckled. "It's not as bad as it sounds. We did it with permission. We only gathered what we're allowed to take, draw out a formal contract, with rules cleanly laid out in ink, agreed and signed by both parties. And as for the mercenary work… it's just to cover other expenses… and it also worked together with our jobs."
"How long have you been here Lowe?"
"Urh? About well over a month and a half I think. It's hard to say, with this damn weather like this. And you? How long have you been here?"
"Half a day." Kira chuckled at the huge gap.
The two continued their trip across the hellish landscape. Their trip, as Lowe noted, was eerily quiet - no attack in the hours that took them to their destination. When then they finally did arrive at what was once a campsite. But it was abandoned and the whole place is a mess. A small patch of charcoal can be seen at the center of the campsite. Lowe and Kira approached it and find it was still piping hot. Kira looked around at the surrounding. Multiple holes can be seen near trampled tents. Footprints. Unearthly crevices. Several trails extending all the way to the darkness. Arrows, patches of fire, scorched earth. No dead bodies.
"This was the campsite… my team was here. Not too long ago." Lowe looked with concern at the destroyed campsite. "What the hell happened here?"
"Genma burrowed underground." Kira pointed at the holes behind the trampled tent. "They burst out right inside these tents." He pointed at the smaller holes around the bigger crude holes – the spot where one would hammer the nail in to tie down the tent. "The tents were stomped upon on the insides. It was also marred with blood. The blood of the poor soul who were got killed when Genma drilled out of the ground right beneath them. These guys were killed instantly. And then the Genmas start attacking everything in sight. It was chaos… And then…" Kira took note of a giant deep footstep and a long crevice. "And then… some guy… probably around 5-6 feet tall… weigh about… 300 pounds or more… created… this crevice… don't ask me how." The crevice looked like they were mauled by a big-ass tiger. "Anyway… the guy managed to drive the undead away somehow, and bought some momentum. Calming everybody down. And then the survivors formed ranks." Now Kira pointed at a series of footprints all lined up in a formation. The ground in front of the lined footprints was charred ash black. "These guys lined up rather quickly… and they unleash a concentrated burst of fire, burning everything, driving the Genmas back while the other survivors ran… and the Genma retreated as they dragged away their victims." Kira ended his explanation at the long trail before pointing towards the thorny forest of the dead. "I'd say… the survivors go thataway. They were scattered though."
"Wow… you can tell all that just by looking at all this?"
"I… well… it's complicated. But… Lowe… who are you working for?"
"Shadow, we're on the same page?" Lowe looked questioningly at Kira.
Kira pointed at the charred ground. "These guys lined up, and then unleashed a concentrated fireblast. That's… pro stuff… that's…" Kira is starting to get a good idea on who are Lowe's clients. "That's Ruby Exorcists stuff."
Lowe nodded and finally revealed his mission. "Yeah. My team is on escort duty. High end security detail. Some VIP from Zaft."
"VIP? From Zaft?" Alarmed upon hearing the word Zaft, Kira hissed in horror.
Noticing the tone of fear, Lowe quickly nodded in understanding. "Relax. I won't tell them who you are. Just gonna tell them you're part of my crew too."
"You know who I am?"
"No. But I do know you're in a mission. And for some reason you can't explain to me… you don't want anyone from Zaft to know about it. Heard that story before. Black ops stuff and shit. Don't worry. We're both from Orb. Consider it a professional courtesy to fellow countrymen. Okay, Aibou? (partner)" Lowe grinned widely.
"Thanks." Regardless, Kira remained alert. If any one of the Zaft warriors recognized him, he's gonna have a lot of a fight coming his way.
"Right… you know, you said they haven't gone far. What do you say we split up and check nearby perimeter? Here!" Lowe picked up a spare compass left lying on the ground, probably belonged to one of the people who ran from the campsite, and gave it to Kira. "If any of us find anything, we fire a flashbang to the sky. See you later partner!"
"Okay."
Kira and Lowe split up and they checked the surrounding area. But Kira was no longer calm. This is bad. It's barely more than a week after the Archangel Siege crisis. He can bet that things had yet to calm down in Zaft Empire. The way things going, he's looking at another major crisis in the making. Just his luck to run into another possibly hostile Zaft forces, here in the middle of the continent of the dead. His mind began to race, thinking of any possible reason of why Zaft forces would want to come here. He can think of a few reasons. And there's one reason… in particular, which also seems to be the most likely reason. But when he think of this reason… he couldn't help to also think of one woman.
As Kira take another gaze to this landscape of Hell, the young nin couldn't help to feel another wave of sorrow. 'Lady Lennore. Why? Why did you leave me and Athrun for this?' And for a moment, Kira downed his guard again to wallow in sadness. But then, his instinct quickly took over when he noticed a movement from behind him. Someone's watching him. Out of reflex, Kira quickly flickered away to a nearby hiding spot at a higher ground and observe the spot where he was standing a little earlier and its surroundings.
As expected, a knight burst out of his hiding place and moved towards the spot where he disappeared just now. Apparently he was wondering where could the shinobi had gone to. Kira quickly take note of the Knight's armor. It's completely different with the armor of the other knights. The design looked… draconic, with a very dark purple and golden color. The shoulder plate on the right bears a dragon, the left one bears a lion. His arms were also armored with gauntlet, but the left one had additional multi layered armguards to act as a shield. The armor is skin tight, with his chest plate covering the entirety of the knight's upper chest area. The Knight also wears a helmet, with two long golden horns protruding from the helmet's side. The Helmet covered only the upper portion of the knight's head, without any mouthguard, revealing the knight's mouth and ears. The knight is armed with a sword on the right and a lance on the left.
The knight was looking at his surroundings, looking for his enemy. Meanwhile, Kira continue to observe the knight, trying to discern the knight's identity. 'Lowe did say he was escorting VIP. Could it be…' But before Kira finished his train of thought, the Knight suddenly turned to Kira's direction, much to the boy's alarm. 'Wait the minute… was he looking at me?'
The knight took a deep breath and opened his mouth, revealing it to be glowing dangerously.
That was all the confirmation that Kira needs. 'He saw me.'
"I SEE YOU!" The knight 'shouted'. But his voice was booming directly in Kira's head. And the next second, the spot where Kira was standing instantly blew up. Kira barely managed to escape.
'Okay. The hell is that? His voice can blow shit up?' Kira fell upon landing and ended up rolling around before finally stopping. As soon as he managed to gather his wits and his breath, the said knight had already come charging down upon him. He brought his sword down and Kira answered the attack by raising his own sword. The two weapons clashed and grinded upon each other. The knight raised his lance and quickly tried to stab him. Kira quickly flipped back and somersault kicked the lance as he pull back. Before the knight can charge again, Kira suddenly dropped a smoke pellets right in front of knight and shunshined away. The Knight swung his sword furiously, wading through the smoke only to find his enemy had vanished into thin air. Again.
Again the Knight shook his head around furiously, searching for his enemy. This time Kira hid somewhere further away, at the top of the tree, standing on a branch. 'That thing just now… it came out of his mouth right? So… it's a bloodline limit…' Drat his luck, before Kira could finish his assessment, the knight looked straight at him again and already he can see the glowing mouth.
"GET DOWN!" Again the Knight shouted, and this time, Kira felt the air around him became a deadweight that just got heavier by a hundredfold. Taken by surprise, Kira fell off the branch but quickly nailed his feet with chakra to the tree, grinding his descent to a halt before quickly flickered away again, much to the Knight's confusion and anger.
The same can be said to Kira, who was quite fed up of being flushed out so easily, and he was nearly killed each time as well. 'That's twice that SOB had done this to me. I swear to God there won't be a third time.' This time, instead of hiding, Kira began moving around from tree to tree. Stopping for a few seconds at the longest, and then jumped away again. The Knight was aware that the enemy is still around, but he was frustrated at the fact that he couldn't get a good look at his exact location. He could barely manage to get a glimpse of the enemy, and it was nothing more than a black blur.
Meanwhile, Kira had just finished his preparation, took a deep breath, and then flicked a string.
In an instant, kunais and shurikens were launched from every direction and headed straight towards the knight at the center. The knight's eyes widened with shock, realizing he cannot block them all with his sword or lance. With that in mind, he took a deep, deep breath and screamed: "DISPERSE!"
A shockwave exploded from the knight's being that engulf and disintegrate everything within a large radius around the said knight. The kunais and shuriken was no exception. In an instant, everything was destroyed and leveled to the ground. And then, the Knight stood silently at the epicenter of destruction, panting. Before he can catch his breath, he felt a movement coming from his back. He quickly turned around only to see Kira face to face. Quite literally too, as Kira quickly gave him a head butt. The attack staggered the Knight, but he still managed to wildly swing his sword at Kira. The shinobi growled and easily smashed the sword away and then kicked the Knight's left arm, forcing him to let go of his lance too. With a roar, Kira swing his sword hard and smashed the Knight's helmet away.
But what he sees next put a stop to his move.
A short pink hair over a feminine face, bearing a ferocious expression. He is a she. A girl. A woman.
Kira's move was paused for one second to digest the fact that he was fighting an opposite sex. But the girl quickly struggled to get back up and Kira quickly reacted and pointed his sword at her neck. "Don't move. I'm NOT one of them."
The pink haired girl's eyes widened in shock upon the realization that she was fighting a living creature. "You are alive?"
But unfortunately, before Kira can elaborate further, he felt a sharp cold object pointed at the back of his neck. He can also feel a shadow loom over them.
"Put away your sword from Lady Lamia, stranger." A deep and stern voice boomed from Kira's back.
Slowly and carefully, Kira put down Shiki while he turned around to see the speaker over his shoulder.
A large overbearing man stood right behind him. He's about… 6-7 feet tall, his age ranged around 25-30… with light brown hair which extends to sideburns on his cheek. He wears a yellow armor, caped with a coat bearing an enormous tiger's pelt. His armor is also adorned with various spikes, seemingly taken from animal fangs – presumably, most of them are carnivorous. The armor has no shoulder plate, and it was sleeveless, but the man wears a pair of gauntlets to cover his forearm. His weapon, which he's pointing on Kira's neck, is an enormous battle axe. The axe is unique in that, if one were to look carefully, one can see what appears to be a fossilized spine of an animal inside the orange and transparent amber colored axe blade. Kira sniffed the air several times, and noted this big guy is reek of coffee.
Kira slowly get back up as the pink haired girl, now identified as Lamia, also get back on her feet as she picked up her sword. But before she can do anything hostile, Kira raised his sword and pointed it at her throat. Lamia also pointed her sword at Kira's chest. And the man from behind now pressed his axe on the back Kira's neck. Everyone glared fiercely at the opposition. "Drop your weapon." The man ordered.
"In case you're wondering… I'm alive." Kira spat back.
"So I noticed. Which is why I'm asking nicely."
"Putting an axe on my neck isn't exactly what I would consider nice."
"Touche." The man chuckled. "You do realize your situation?"
"My situation is that I can still kill you both." Kira twirled his katana menacingly beneath Lamia's neck, while he lifted his other hand to form a seal. The girl, Lamia, seem recognized the handseal. Apparently she was quite familiar with Shinobi's jutsu.
She furiously looked around and gasped when she saw hundreds of kunais are being set up all around them. The ropes were tied to a small explosive tag. When set off, at a moments' notice, the kunais will rain down upon them. Worse, each and every one of those kunai was plastered with explosive tags. When they set off, they'll blow up everything they pierced and touched. "Wha… I thought I blew them all up."
"I blew up the first round, lady. I take no chances." Kira growled in defiance. "Just in case your… shouts… had no cooldown time… I was ready to send a second salvo and try again."
Lamia grasped her throat in shock.
"Oh yes. I knew that ability of yours has about 10 second cooldown. But rule of a thumb, the louder the scream, the more exhausting, the longer the cooldown. After that full blown scream of yours… can you afford a second scream again?" That was a bluff, but Lamia's angry and terrified look further convinced Kira that he had won the gamble. "And even if Mr. Gorilla here helped you to block some of the attacks, I doubt he had enough time to kill me and block the attack."
"Heh. Some of us can do two things all at once, boy." The so called Mr. Gorilla chuckled and pulled another one of his Amber axe. "And I can cut your neck off with a speed of the sound. You will die before you can utter a word."
"And I'm ready right now to blow you all sky high with a speed of a thought." Kira barked again. It's true, all he had to do is just think it, and the whole deathtrap will set off.
"So what are you suggesting boy?"
"Put down your weapons and I'll put down mine. Do that, and we'll live… do it not… and we're all gonna die, right here, right now."
"That's not going to happen." The man growled. "I'm giving you 10 seconds to withdraw your threats, put down your weapon, disarm your trap, and submit."
"I'm giving you 5 seconds to shut the hell up – then I'll make you kill me. I will submit only before God and that's where the list ends."
At this rate, both parties refused to yield, and tension was high and rising rapidly. Both sides are just about ready to pop and neither are willing to yield… cold sweat drenched their entire figure as their eyes bulged intensely. Their heartbeats quickened the longer this standoff goes on. The grip on their weapons tightened and their muscles tensed… any moment now…
"Ara? Arararara?" A beautiful feminine voice flew through the air.
"Haro! Haro! Teyandee!"
The three people momentarily forget their current situation and turned towards the source of that voice. Another person came to view, tip toeing around the edge cliff above them. The person was covered in a purple hood, but it was obvious to Kira that she was a girl. The girl is dressed up in a white sleeveless miko cloth, with gaudy purple skirt. The cloth has no sleeves, leaving her shoulder bare, but her arms were wrapped in fluttery detached white sleeves. Kira couyld barely make out the girl's face as it was covered by the purple hood. Only her chin, and chest-length strands of her pink colored hair extending down her hood. A pink transparent orb like thingy is bouncing up and down behind her.
Upon seeing the awkward Mexican-standoff situation, the girl leaned dangerously forward at the edge of the said cliff, pointing her chin in curiosity as she smiled and asked ever so innocently. "Ararara! Lamia-chan. What are you doing?"
''What are you doing?' What kind of question is that?' Kira almost fell off upon hearing that ridiculous question. They're pointing weapons at each other's throat! What part of this situation that one couldn't understand?
"Onee-sama! Please stand back! That's dangerous!" Lamia shrieked in horror.
Kira perked. 'Onee-sama?'
"Ara? I know! You're playing something right?" The 'onee-sama' concluded ever so naively.
"Playing?" That was it. That was too ridiculous even for Kira. "Excuse me, I'm POINTING a blade at your sister's neck, while her partner in crime here… urh…"
"Andy." The axe man quickly introduced himself, allowing Kira to continue.
"Right, Mr. Andy here is pointing a pair of axes on my neck! And on top of that we're standing on a deathtrap ready to blow up any second. What part of this is playing at the moment?"
"Damn straight!" Even Lamia and Andy nodded in agreement.
"Ara?" The hooded girl perked and entered a short thought before concluded innocently. "Arara. I guess you're right. That does sound dangerous."
The three listeners sweatdropped in disbelief.
"But… how did you guys end up in this sort of situation?" The hooded girl pointed a finger.
"Well…" The three looked at each other dumbly.
Andy started. "I saw this man was threatening Lady Lamia under his blade, and so I decided to intervene." The hooded girl turned to the black hooded ninja that is Kira.
"Your sister tried to kill me. Twice!" Kira explained short. The hooded girl turned to her sister.
"You were stalking me!" Lamia barked. Everyone turned to Kira.
"With all due respect, you stalked me first!" Everyone turned again to Lamia.
"I thought you were a Genma! What's with that getup? Anyone would think you're an assassin!" Turned to Kira again.
"My getup is none of your damn business." The hooded assassin retorted. "And for your information, I am an assassin."
"Anoo…" The girl interrupted again before Andy and Lamia can act on that information. "In other words… it's just a big misunderstanding. Right?"
"Right." The three of them replied and, seeing the logic, downed their weapons. And suddenly, everyone but the hooded, cheerfully smiling, pink haired girl felt like an idiot. That lasted for only an instant as they quickly placed their weapon again on each other's necks again.
"Regardless… I must ask what are you doing here, Mr. Assassin? Did the Order send you?" Lamia growled.
"I don't know about any order. But if I wanted you dead… we won't even be having this conversation. You would be dead." Kira hissed back. "Now let's all of us disarm and talk like a civilized person. Then I'll make you cut my head off."
"I don't think so. What's the guarantee that if we put down our weapons you will put down yours? How can we trust you?"
"You can't."
Again tension began to mount. Until…
"Ano-sa!"Again, it's the overly cheerful, happy go lucky, hooded girl to the rescue. "Basically, if I am to understand it, you're asking everyone to disarm. Yes?"
The three warriors looked at the hooded priestess and then dumbly answered: "Yes…?"
"Haroha Haroha, Roharo…" the girl chanted as her figure swayed left and right.
"Eh?" The three combatants jaw dropped.
"Haro-Haro BOOM!" She finished with a smile and swished both of her hands forward.
A gigantic pillar of pink mushroom cloud nuclear explosion instantly rose up and engulfed the entire area. Its mushroom cloud formed the shape of a flapping Haro, bursting out of the halo of the explosion.
At the area, Lamia's back was plastered through a tree before she finally fell off to the ground. Andy fare no better as he was sent plummeting through several Genma trees before he landed on a rock. Kira was sent flying the farthest, being the lightest of the three and he almost landed on a lawn of razor sharp black ichors, but he was stopped by a tree and now he hung upside down by its larger branch. Thank God. "What… on earth… was… that?" Kira tried to move but he could barely move his lips. And then he realized the other two combatants couldn't move either. Something prevented them all from moving, and their weapons were removed from their hands, as they were all chained and locked up with layers after layers of pink chains, stabbed deeply into the ground, rendering them inaccessible. And… well… their hair… and his… are all stuck in afro. "What… on earth… are you?" Kira asked weakly.
"Ara? I'm a Mahou Shoujou-desu-yo." The pink haired priestess smiled mischievously.
"Mah… mahou shoujo… Witch…?" Kira gasped. In summary: they're paralyzed, disarmed, and got afro'ed. That was all that Kira could conclude before his head tucked down, seemingly fell unconscious.
"Ara? Ararara… I guess it was too powerful for a disarmament spell." The hooded girl noted innocently.
"Haro! Haro! I WON'T ACCEPT THIS!" the pink colored ball continued to bounce up and down.
"Onee… sa… ma…" Lamia groaned and growled.
"M… My… L… Lady…" Even a man as large as Andy is struggling to get up.
"YOU OVERDID IT!" The two roared angrily in unison.
"Ara… Arara?" The girl tilted her head to the side innocently, still with that (god-damn) innocent cheerful smile of hers and continued tip toeing the edge of the cliff again. And then suddenly, she missed a step and seemingly lost her balance. "Ara?" And she starts falling from the cliff. "Arararara?"
"O… ONEE-SAMA!" Lamia could only screamed in horror as her beloved sister is falling to her death.
In that moment, Kira's eyes blared open. Before anyone can react, Kira turned into a black blur that zoomed past Andy and Lamia and went straight to the falling girl. The black blur slither around the falling girl and caught her mid fall. The blur quickly stick to the cliff's walls and grinded to a halt and finally stopped, revealing the black blur to be Kira, standing upright on the surface of the rock with the fallen hooded priestess in his arms. The shock of the sudden deceleration caused their respective hoods to fell off, revealing each other's faces.
Kira looked at the girl. She was, by far, the most beautiful woman Kira had ever seen in his life. Her skin is white, with her cheek slightly red, due to her slight blush. Her waist long wavy pink hair fell beautifully on the back of her shoulders, draping Kira's arm wrapped around her slender figure beneath it. Her baby blue eyes, widened in shock, were staring directly at his dark purple ones, but they quickly eased up into a gentle look. Her lips parted slightly and then quickly turned into a sweet smile as she recovered from her shock. A beautiful, kind, and innocent face. Almost like a child's.
"Thank you. I'm Lacus." She introduced herself. "Lacus Clyne. What may be your name?"
Kira was so entranced by Lacus' beauty, he almost forget he was in disguise. "Kir… I mean… Ka… I mean… Shadow. I'm… Shadow." He flabbergasted and embarrassed out of his skull. Already he began to feel his mask heating up from the inside.
"Kage."
For the second time in his life, Kira's heart practically stopped when another red haired girl (as in pink this time) declared it right in front of his face.
"I'm sorry?"
"That's your name in Japanese. Right? Kage." She chuckled innocently.
"Erm… Yes… That's… right… By the way, we're not too far from the ground now, so… would you please hurry up and get down?"
"Eh? Why?" She moaned cutely as she seemingly enjoyed her time in the masked man's arms.
"Because I'm still partially paralyzed and I'm about to fall off in 3 seconds." Exactly 3 seconds after Kira said that, the two fell off the cliff and landed with a thud and a cloud of pink smoke rose up-leftovers from Lacus' Haro-Haro Boom spell. Fortunately, since the distance to the ground is no longer as high as before, both survived the fall. Unfortunately, the two ended up in an extremely compromising situation with Kira's partially paralyzed body is right on top of Lacus', and even worse: his masked face is lying right on top of Lacus' face, with his mouth (masked) glued on hers. When the dust settled, Lamia and Andy was welcomed with an eyeful.
"ONEE-SAMAAAAAA!" Lamia shrieked in horror.
A few moments later, Kira disarmed and repacked his deathtrap while Lacus dispelled her stunning jinx, as well as removing everyone's afro, but she kept her disarmament spell. And so the weapons are still locked in place.
Lamia quickly checked on her beloved sister's well being, whereas Andy dragged Kira far away from the two girls, with their sealed weapon lying at the center. Andy began checking on Kira's well being. An act that Kira found awkward. But at the same time, Kira couldn't help to feel incredibly tense. Andy was eying every inch of him, and he was very thorough. If he saw the kanji seven on his collar…
"Nice coat." Andy commented upon seeing the back of Kira's black coat.
Kira silently gasped.
"You even lined its insides with chain-mail. That's a nice trick."
"Eh? How did you-?" Kira grasped the back of his collar where the number seven should've been weaved. Instead he felt the steely surface of the chainmail. That's when Kira realized that parts of his coat have been burned out, courtesy of Lowe's Grenade a little earlier. And, as luck would have it, the part at the back of his collar, where the kanji seven was supposed to be, had also been burned out, leaving the insides exposed and his identity as the Captain of the 7th division secret. Kira silently sighed in relief. "Yeah. Just in case someone try to stab from the back."
"Nice. I think I'll take a few pointers from that." Andy chuckled. "You and I looked like the kind of person who had enemies here and there."
"A few minutes ago you were trying to cut my head off, Mr. Andy."
"Just playin' with you. You got guts, kid. I like that." The large man smiled and gently slapped Kira's back, earning a gasp. "You feel anything?"
"What am I supposed to feel?"
"Ehh… dying?"
Kira glared back at Andy as if saying what kind of question is that? "If you want to kill me, it won't be so easy, Mr. Andy."
"No, no, no. You misunderstood me. I don't want to kill you. I'm just asking if you're feeling unwell. Unwell to the point you seem to be dying. That's all I'm asking." Andy raised his hands.
Kira frowned. In other words, he really is just asking about his health? To answer that Kira flexed his fingers multiple times. He felt fine. Perfect. Kira showed the answer with his look. An answer that seems got Andy taken by a great surprise.
"You're okay? You were in such a close proximity to the princess and you even kissed her…" At this, Andy and Kira could feel a great surge of murderous aura emanating from one enraged Lamia. "And you're still alive?" Ignoring the murderous aura, Andy finished his sentence.
"If you mean I'm supposed to get myself killed by that overprotective little sister because I accidentally kissed her older sister that I saved; then dream on. I have no plan to die any time soon." Like hell he will.
Again they can feel the murderous oppressive aura emanating from Lamia.
And again the two male warriors ignored it. "By the way… we haven't been properly introduced." Andy bowed down. "Andrew Waltfeld. The White Heavenly Noble of Zaft. Also known as the Desert Tiger in certain circles."
"White Heavenly… HAKUTENKUN? YOU?" Kira gasped and Andrew 'Andy' merely smiled and nodded. It's just unbelievable: as Kage, Kira had fought and killed a Hakutenkun a few weeks back, and barely a few days ago he outsmarted another one. How many Hakutenkuns one can run into in one lifetime?
"Yes." Andrew smiled as he shoved his massive hand, offering a shake.
"My name is…"
"Kage!" Lacus squealed innocently from her spot. Kira felt like he almost had a heart attack. His trump weapon was sealed; a Hakutenkun is standing right in front of him… and that girl, squealing his world-infamous – most wanted name for everyone to hear. And, of all the people who would be gunning for his head: Headhunters, bounty hunters, a whole armies… a Hakutenkun had to stand right in front of him! Kira began seeing a phantasmagoria of his past again. He really is going to die… if he didn't die out of sheer terror first.
"Pardon, milady?" Andrew turned to look at Lacus from his shoulder, unaware of just how terrified the person in front of him.
"He said his name is Shadow. But in Japanese it's Kage. Right? Kage-sama?" Lacus tilted her head innocently, unaware of Kira's deathly pale expression-well hidden beneath his mask.
Andrew turned to Kira, who was shivering from head to toe. "R… Right."
"Ahahah… I'm sorry if I scared you. Nice to meet you, Kage." Andrew grinned widely. No sign of hostility or whatever.
Kira placed his trembling hands to Andrew's open palm and they shake. Kira fully expected the Desert Tiger to do something or say anything, but to his confusion, the man merely shook his hand and smiled, and then it was over. That's when Kira suddenly realized a fact: 'Wait a minute… they really don't know who I am?'
"And now, as for the fine ladies over there; Ladies, if you be so kind?" Andrew waved his large hand to the girls far ahead.
"I'm Lacus Clyne." Lacus happily reintroduced herself. And then she showed the transparent pink ball cupped in both of her hands. "This is Ms. Pink. My Shikigami and my best friend. And this is my little sister…"
"Lamia Clyne." Lamia growled angrily.
Kira felt a bit awkward. This would've been a very normal introduction… if only the said girls weren't standing a few miles away. But Kira didn't bring this up. Maybe they're kinda scared of him. He didn't blame them. But then, the names: Lacus Clyne and Lamia Clyne. Their surname sound strangely familiar…
"Kage-sama! Are you okay?" Lacus called from the distance.
"Yes. I'm fine." Kira answered as he began to calm down and stop shivering.
"Really?" Lacus was taken by surprise at this, and so is Lamia. "Reallyreallyreally? You really are okay?"
"Yes. He's okay my lady. Apart from a slight shivering and all that… he's as healthy as a horse." Andrew also declared.
"R… Ree-ally?" Lacus looked as if she still in disbelief of the fact that Kira is still alive right in front of her.
"If you need more confirmation, why don't you come here and see for yourself?" Kira was now more confused than afraid. So they don't know that he's a world famous mass murderer, and instead of wishing him dead, they were in disbelief of the fact that he's still alive. And they're not scared or angry… just… surprised. 'What's all this about?'
Lamia looked at Lacus and, in place of her sister, Lamia approached Kira. The nin was slightly unnerved and prepare himself, just in case she tried anything funny.
"Don't worry. If she tries to murder you, I'll hold her down." Waltfeld whispered in assurance to Kira's ears.
'Right.' Kira nodded nervously. But that whisper also served as another proof that they really weren't trying to kill him. They didn't even know his status as a Blacklist. If they did, they wouldn't be protecting him. But Lowe did say that… his job was an escort job. Some VIP from Zaft… well… these guys are definitely the VIP package. And they've been here for over a month and a half. His bounty had just been issued barely two weeks ago. If so, it only makes sense if they've been out of touch with the current development during those times.
By that time, Lamia was already right in front of Kira, eying him suspiciously. In the mean time, Kira get a good chance to better observe her face. That's when he realized that Lacus and Lamia are: "You two are twins?"
"Yeah." Lamia answered in an annoyed tone. "By 5 seconds." She continued to observe Kira's face, his figure, anything. Kira could even say that she was almost hopeful that something was wrong with him. Clearly she was still pissed about what happened earlier.
"In my defense…" Lamia glared at Kira's calm eyes. "…that was an accidental indirect kiss." Kira pointed at the fact that his mask was on when it happened.
The next second, Waltfeld was busy restraining the outraged Lamia, preventing her from murdering the black clad nin, who seemingly had calmed down well enough to the point where Lamia's angry taunt and death threats didn't even faze him. Now that the situation had been cleared, Kira decided to get straight to the reason why he's here. "I take it you guys are the VIPs Lowe spoke of."
Lamia stopped struggling and Andrew looked at Kira with dawning realization. "So… Lowe Guele sent you?"
"Yes." Kira nodded.
"Ah… I see. Why didn't we see you before?" Andrew asked with a slight suspicion.
"Let's just say I belonged to a different assignment until I get reassigned." Kira explained. "I'm afraid I'm under orders to not go any more specific than that."
"I'm sorry. It's just that… I need to know if I can trust you."
"And I'm here to tell you… you can't." Kira really didn't want to get their hopes high or get too friendly with him. He's still the Captain of 7th division. He may act as their friend… for now… But he's more than capable of turning into their enemy in a heartbeat.
"Honesty… that's… comforting." Andrew smiled and chuckled at such a blatant answer. "Fair enough. Well, our job… yours and mine… is to protect the sisters."
Kira looked at Lacus and Lamia. Upon seeing Lacus' priestess garments, he quickly understood what's happening and piece things up together. No wonder they assigned a Hakutenkun for the job. "Yeah. Thought as much. Seeing Lacus-san' getup… I think I get the gist of what's going on."
"Oh? Do you now?"
"Yes. I do. I knew more than I let on. Now come on. We gotta move away from here." Kira looked around. "Where are the other survivors?"
"We were scattered into the forest after that Genma attack." Lamia finally calmed down. "We were also looking for them when we ran into you."
"Then let's go. We've made a lot of noises. The Genma be swarming this place within moments." Kira motioned them all to move out. He turned to Lacus. "Can I have my weapon back?"
"Ha-aai!" Lacus nodded cheerfully. She flicked her finger, and the chains binding Shiki and the other weapons vanished into thin air.
Kira whistled. He plucked Shiki out and sheathed it back while muttering absent mindedly: "Arigatou." And when Kira get his head back up, Lacus is right in front of him by the inches, shocking him. Her face looked even more enamored than before with sparkles twinkling in her eyes, which only made her cuter. It kinda freaked Kira out… in a way. "…yes?"
"You just said… Arigatou?"
"…yes… it's… courtesy."
"No. I mean… you just said… Arigatou! In Japanese! You're Japanese?"
Kira blinked. "…yes?"'
"Wow!" Lacus clapped her hands together and jumped happily up and down, like a child who just got her Christmas present.
"Oh Lord, no." Lamia slapped her head in horror. Whereas Waltfeld merely laughed. "Here we go again."
"Is it true that Japanese eat their fishes raw? Did they wear topknots? Did you eat with chopsticks? Did you end all your sentences with gozaru?" Within seconds, Lacus quickly launched a tirade of questions while closing her distance to Kira. The boy glanced to Andrew and Lamia, asking for some explanation and help.
Lamia and Andrew was more amazed of the fact that the said Princess was standing so close to someone else not related by blood, and the said person was doing just fine. Upon seeing the panicked ninja and the fact that her sister is too close for comfort to the black clad nin, Lamia quickly explained. "My sister is a… what was the word…? A Nippon Otaku."
"Nippon Otaku?"
"She likes everything related to Japan."
"Oh." Kira nodded.
"Did you sleep on the floor? Is there really a mixed open onsen? Did you guys do tea ceremony?"
"Alright Lady. That's close enough." Kira grabbed hold of Lacus' shoulders and pushed her back as well as stopping her onslaught of questions. "We really don't have time for your hobby, missy. We should be going. NOW."
Lacus pouted but she nodded in agreement. A quick rearrangement and Kira and Andrew walked at the far front, Lacus and Lamia followed far behind. But even then Kira could feel Lacus' longing eyes were transfixed at him. Like a butterfly looking at a flower, eager to suck in all its nectars. Regardless, this travelling arrangement confused Kira to no end. Unable to contain his curiosity anymore, Kira asked Andrew straight on. "Waltfeld-san why…"
"…are we walking at such a great distance with the Clyne sisters?" The Hakutenkun guessed correctly. "It's Lacus. You see… no male has been able to stand within 10 feet radius around her. Those who dare to enter that range will start to weaken rapidly, lose consciousness in 3 minutes, and they'll be dead in 2."
"Wha…?" Kira looked incredulously at the pink haired princess.
"You're confused, I can tell. So did we. No one, not even I, a Hakutenkun, was exempt to that rule. We believe it was something about her powers. Such it was, it adversely affect anyone around her. Lady Lamia was able to withstand that harmful effect because she was her sister and family. They have blood ties, and thus they are protected. Other than that, Females can handle being around 4 feet from her, but any deeper and they start suffering the same fate. That's why we had to guard her like this. At a distance. You… Are the first and only male I've known who had been that close to her personal space… and still alive to tell the tale."
"Why? I mean… what caused her to develop that sort of affliction?"
"Well… I've heard several rumors… chief among them, because she possessed a sacred power… so holy, so powerful, so immaculate, no one is allowed to get close to her. The fainting and all is some sort of a… defense mechanism set up by herself to protect her powers from dissipating." Andrew shook his head and smiled at the sheer ridiculousness of the said rumor. "What do you think of that?"
Kira chuckled sarcastically. "I think that's just about the most ridiculous thing I have ever-"
"Aibou!" Kira's comment was cut off when he heard a familiar voice yelled to him. The group looked forward and saw it was Lowe… and company.
…both friendly… and hostile ones.
Kira held his breath.
Lowe apparently had discovered his crew, as well as the other survivors of the group, consisting of members of his Junk Guild, and a sizeable contingent of Ruby Exorcists. But they were currently under heavy attack as Genma Hunters and Knights came pouring down upon them from every direction. "Aibou! (Partner) We could use some help here!" The small army of the living is currently being hardpressed by the army of undead.
"Waltfeld-san, watch over the sisters." Kira grabbed Shiki and quickly rushed forward to give aid.
"You got it." Andrew pulled out his axes, maintaining vigilance.
Kira quickly rushed to Lowe's side. "You're okay?"
"I see you found the VIPs." Lowe grinned nervously. Things looked bad after all. "Hiken, HOMURA DAMA!" Lowe roared and sliced a genma with his katana. The Undead instantly combust inside out soon after and was running away screaming and growling.
"They're really swell girls." Kira commented sarcastically.
"We'll hold them off. You hurry up and get them away from here."
"What? I'm not leaving you behind!"
Lowe grinned. "You better. Just look at our sorry state." Kira looked and realized things really go badly. The Ruby Exorcists held their line, but no matter how much fire they throw at the Genma, they just keep coming back up. Lowe's Junk guild warriors fare no better either. Each one of them that fell quickly got back up and bolstered the enemy's ranks! A Ruby Exorcists had just finished sending a fireball when a knight burst through the flame and stabbed him, killing him instantly. "Gah…!" Within seconds, the Exorcists began turning into Genma as well, with his armor mutated properly. Another soldier, a Junk Guild spearman, futilely stabbed a Genma knight repeatedly to no avail, as the Undead continue to march forward. "Just go, partner. We'll buy some time for you with our lives." Even worse from them, Kira can make out in the distance, where another horde of Genma was coming.
Kira gritted his teeth. "Like hell you will." Before anyone could stop him, Kira marched forward straight to the front line.
"Oi! Aibou! What do you think you're doing?"
Waltfeld and the sisters who saw this were also bewildered at the shinobi's actions.
The Exorcists at the front had to stop sending fire when they saw the lone black warrior marched fearlessly towards an incoming horde of undead. Kira draw out his katana and glared fiercely at the undead army and declared: "Kage. Shinobi of Orb. Stand forth."
Six Genma rushed towards Kira. The boy growled, and in an instant, Kira unleashed a wide slash that cut all six opponents in one go and then he continued his pace past the stunned Genmas. After the shinobi walked past them, the zombies instantly crumbled to ashes, much to everyone's shock.
"W… What… just… happened?" Everyone alive who saw this gaped in disbelief.
Andrew had his jaw hung open in shock. Lamia's eyes widened. And Lacus… even her ever present smile vanished.
Kira growled and he didn't even wait for them to come to him, he rushed right into their midst, plowed through them like a lawnmower and cut them apart, leaving nothing but a trail of ashes and cinders behind him. A knight was cleaved into two. A hunter was beheaded and then bisected. Another knight was ripped apart by the chest, his sword was caught mid air by Kira who quickly used it to slash a few more Genmas. Dual wielding, Kira swirled around on the battlefield, slicing and dicing every Genma that came his way. After a few kills, the salvaged ancient blade was broken due to overuse and age. Kira tossed the useless sword and nailed it to a Genma's head, staggering it slightly before Kira finished it with bisection. Kira grabbed another sword littering around the now ash covered battlefield and repeat the process. Wherever his blade goes, the Undeads were instantly turned to ashes. Within moments, the Shinobi had cut a swath of carnage and used up dozens of salvaged swords. Only Shiki remained strong throughout the battle, nay, its glow grew brighter amidst the carnage, as if showing that the blade gets even stronger and stronger with every swing.
"YEEEEEEEHAAWWW!" Lowe cheered Kage on. "Keep it up, Pardner!"
Until at last, only a handful of Genma remained. Three Genma Knights were now charging towards Kira, and upon reaching striking range, they swing their swords at Kira. The boy waited until the blade was just millimeters away from him and he suddenly ducked and spin around, kicking the knights and sent them flying off the ground. Before they touched the ground, Kira swing Shiki in a circular motion and cut them all clean before they even touched the ground. When they did, they crumbled to dust, just like the others. Kira picked up a sword and rushed towards the remaining Genma. He blocked the first one's attack and the quickly disembowel its stomach. Kicked the second one's leg until its bone cracked and the undead fell, After which Kira split him by the chest with Shiki. And the last one, a knight carrying a mace roared. Kira simply threw the sword to his chest, nailing it before he ran up to him and landed a flying kick, hammering the blade further in before he ended it with a head split upon landing with Shiki.
And with that, all that's left is ashes and silence.
Kira swished Shiki away to throw away the ashes from his blade and then sheathed it back. He turned around to see the shocked visage of his audiences. "What?"
Later, the survivors regrouped, and led by Lowe, Waltfeld, and Kira, returned to the abandoned campsite. Throughout the trip, the Exorcists continue to chatter non-stop about how Kira, a single man; a single solitary man had just butchered a whole army of Genma, creating theories and presumption, ranging from rational to outright ridiculous… in Kira's opinion. Lacus and Lamia was inexplicably quiet throughout the trip.
"Hey, partner… how did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You beat down those Genmas so easily."
"A little something my teacher told me: if you're crazy enough to try it, dissect them. The smaller the pieces the better. I just followed his advice and cut them apart. I had no idea they'll turn to ashes as the result." Kira explained nonchalantly. "I mean… I thought it was pretty natural thing to do… right?"
But upon seeing the gloom expressions on Lowe and the others, Kira knew right away that it's not normal.
"Partner, the reason the Genmas are so hard to deal with, is that because not only they're powerful; even when you cut them apart to pieces, they still won't die. Not the way you do them." Lowe explained.
"Fact is…" Waltfeld concluded. "I think you just 'killed' more Genma today than anyone ever did in the last 72 years. You're full of surprises mister Shinobi. Who's your teacher anyway?"
"Sorry. If I tell you, I had to kill you."
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Soon, the group arrived at the abandoned encampment. The Knights and the Junk Guild quickly rebuild their messed up encampment and relight the fires. The knights quickly took their time and have the much needed rest. Kira also joined together with Lowe and his team, gathering around the fire, roasting their food. The red haired man was quick to introduce Kira to his crew. "Okay partner, meet the crew: this is Liam Garfield…"
"Pleasure to meet you, Shadow-san." A middle aged man with long straight hair bowed.
"And I'm Kisato Yamabuki." A hyper looking girl wearing a shirt that only covered the upper portion of her chest while exposing her waist area bare answered. "Yoroshku!"
"Pleasure to meet you all." Kira nodded. And then the Shinobi turned to Liam, whom Lowe referred earlier. "Garfield-san, I heard you have some extra map of the area? May I borrow some of them for my use, if you don't mind?"
"Why of course. I had plenty. Where are you heading really?"
"Ah, well…" Kira nervously pulled out that one shred piece of paper and gave it to Liam.
The man chuckled. "Oh dearrie. Right. I can cross check this location with my map and accurately pinpoint this location, and then I can give you a new marked map."
"Thank you very much, Garfield-san."
"You're very much welcome."
Just then, an Exorcist came and bowed, first to Lowe, and then, with more reverence, to Kira before delivering his message. "Master Guele, Lord Genma Slayer… lady Clyne had asked for you."
Kira and Lowe looked at each other. "Which Clyne is this?"
"Both of them, my Lord."
'My lord?' Kira perked at the calling. Regardless, Kira and Lowe followed the Exorcist to the main tent. Throughout the trip, Kira can see the Exorcists and the Knights were looking at him with some sort of… admiration and adoration in their eyes. Almost as if they're looking at a messiah or something. That look made Kira felt somewhat uncomfortable.
The guards to the main tent opened the door for them, and they entered, while the Exorcist bowed one last time to Kira before he left as well.
Inside, Lacus, Lamia, and Andrew was waiting for them inside. And then there's an unknown woman, with a short orange hair, wearing an eyepatch as well as adorning a ridiculously thick but sleek armor standing guard near Lacus, carrying a massive spear. Lacus, in particular, sit in the pedestal, giving out a serene and sacred aura. She's still smiling as usual, but her smile is more solemn and calm, instead of childish or mischievous. She doesn't look like that girl who was squealing so incessantly earlier. And yet, even without her childish aura, she remained stunningly beautiful.
Even Kira was unnerved at this. He quickly cleared his throat to regain his bearings. "You sent for us?"
"Yes." Lamia nodded. "As… you might well aware… we're not just here for the fun of it. We're here for…"
"The Pilgrimage." Kira cuts her off and quickly unveiled his not so inconsiderable knowledge. "Yes. I know why you're all here. I can already tell judging by Lacus-san's garment. You're here for the Pilgrimage. Year after year, Zaft sent a priestess with heavy escort to visit each and every one of seven sacred spots on Junius, which you all called the Sanctuary." Kira explained his understanding as he pointed at the pillars of blue light emanating in the distance. "The places where those pillars of light came from, those are the so called Sanctuary, right?"
Everyone nodded. "Yes. You're absolutely right, Kage-sama." Lacus smiled kindly. Amazing. Her tone also changed from childish to dignified and elegant. "As the priestess of the current pilgrimage, it is my duty to visit each and every sanctuary on Junius and pray there, purifying it. It is said that, once we've purified all seven Sanctuary, we can restore this continent back to its former glory."
"However… no one has been able to do that." The one eyed woman spoke. "Forgive me. Hilda Harken. Lacus-sama Royal Guard." She bowed as she introduced herself.
Kira nodded. "Yes. I know that. No one has been able to complete the deed. Mostly died during the way, others gave up halfway and then get killed on the return trip. There's been only ONE woman, who's been here… and back. Although she cannot finished the deed either." Kira's tone grew heavier with sorrow as this statement brought back the memory of the said woman to his mind.
"Yes. The venerable Lady Lennore Zala, the legendary High Priestess." Lacus nodded again.
"You're well informed master Kage." More and more, Waltfeld became even more impressed with the shinobi's vast knowledge.
"Not informed. I just know. To a disgusting extent." Kira murmured the last part in low tune. But his mood suddenly worsened again. "In case you're wondering, I'm Japanese, but there was a time when I used to live in the Plant continents. So I've learnt all I need to know."
It is then, Lamia suddenly choose to stand right in front of Kira, and to Lowe's shock, she fell on her knees and knelt down before Kira. "Kage… no, Lord Kage… I humbly beg you for your assistance. I've been informed by Lowe Guele of your arrangements, and that you have very limited time. But please… allow me to beseech you for a little of your time and your aid. Please… help us. Our lives are in your hands. You… who had the gift of defeating that which cannot be defeated. We will make it worth your while I promise you."
Kira looked at Lamia and then to Lacus. "Unfortunately… you have nothing with you that I need."
Lamia gasped. "I… I can offer you title-"
"Like I said…" Kira quickly cut her off again. "You have nothing that you can offer me. And titles are practically the most worthless thing to me. But… let me ask you this. Why did you do this?" Kira stared at Lamia. "Why did you come here? Why did you beg my help? Why do you need it?" Kira eyed Lacus, as if trying to say that this question was meant for her, not to Lamia.
Regardless, Lamia answered. "Because… we wish to see this continent restored to the way it was… to make it once again our pride and glory."
"Not good enough." Kira snorted and was about to turn and leave.
"WAIT!" Lamia panicked and rose up. "Please… listen to me… Let me appeal to your better nature. Our people had suffered greatly. Every year, we tried and tried. But every time it simply get worse. The casualties had since reached hundreds and thousands if not millions. We… we're really desperate, lord Kage."
"And yet you keep repeating this tradition. Sending more and more people to their deaths, and for what? Pride? Glory? Or perhaps there's greed at work here?"
"No! Of course not!" Lamia retorted.
"Then tell me why you desperately need my help! And tell me the truth this time. Because if you keep answering that you wish to return this continent to its glory, then you're answering what your country told you to answer. And I tell you right I don't give a rat's ass about what your country think. So I'll ask you one more time. Why did you need my help?"
"For Lacus." Lamia admitted. "I just want her to return home safely, that's all. Year after year, the priestess who entered this pilgrimage died and then suffered a fate worse than death. I will not have my sister share that fate."
"Lamia-chan." Lacus frowned at her sister's admission.
"Please." Lamia knelt once again before Kira. "I'm begging you. Please protect Lacus."
And then, to the shock of everyone, Lacus too descended from her pedestal and knelt right next to her sister. "I too asked that you do the same to my sister. Please, Kage-sama."
Kira sighed and turned around as he began to walk away, seemingly ignoring the sister's heartfelt request. Until… "I'll do it." Kira declared.
Everyone gasped in pleasant surprise.
"I'll do it. For as long as I can afford to. But make no mistake… I'm not doing this for you girls. It's just…" Kira remembered again of how the Genma kept their victims alive even when they're supposed to be dead. That was too cruel. Even by his standards. And Lady Lennore is probably suffering the same fate out here, somewhere. "…no human deserves that kind of fate. No human. As evil as people can get… better those people… than these Genmas."
Lacus and Lamia smiled in relief. Lacus in particular was so happy that Kira will stay a little longer. She quickly rushed towards the brunette. Lowe, who saw this, quickly ran away from Lacus, conforming with the 10 feet radius rule. He quickly warned Kira to do the same. But before Kira can do so, Lacus had glomped on him from behind, much to the shock of everyone in the room.
"Arigatou-gozaimasu! Kage-samaaa!" Lacus singsongly cheered and tightly hugged the nin from behind.
"O… OI!" Kira blushed furiously beneath his mask. "What's the big idea?"
"Ano ne! I also would like to ask more questions about your country, Kage-sama!" Lacus had reverted back to her usual childish and ridiculously naïve Nippon Otaku persona.
"My country? Ri-ight…" Kira chuckled kindly. What harm is there to tell her a few stories about his home country? "Alright, alright. Sit down. And I'll tell you whatever you needed to know."
"Yay! I'm so happy!" Lacus let go of Kira and eagerly sat on the floor.
"Well, if that be the case, then I suppose that's it for today's meeting. I shall leave you all for tonight." Andrew bowed before the two sisters and made his way through the door.
"Ditto." Lowe followed suit. But before the two man leave they bent down next to Kira and whispered to his ears.
"Good luck." Andrew whispered.
"God be with you." Lowe followed.
"Guys? I'm just gonna tell her a few stories and answer some of her questions about my own home country until she feel sleepy. How hard can it be?"
"See, that's the problem." Lowe smiled nervously. "Her sister is okay… but… Lacus-chan is… well…"
"Once Lacus-sama start asking questions about this particular subject… she'll NEVER get sleepy."
"Get ready yourself to go on without sleep for three days." Lowe remembered his own experience with the pink haired princess. What a nightmare.
"At least." Andrews added.
And already some color drained from Kira's face. The nin looked at the smiling Lacus. It's just difficult to say anything that might hurt her feelings when she looked so cute like that. Kira gulped. 'Why I do get the feeling that this girl might become the death of me?'
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Kira wasn't sure how long he and Lacus stayed awake. Lamia and Hilda had long since fallen asleep. But Lacus continue to tirelessly ask literally hundreds of questions. The girl must've been holding it out for ages.
"So, see, honorifics is used based on not only age… but also the level intimacy or respect. For example: -sama is used usually to refer to someone of higher rank, or someone you respected. It's markedly more respectful version of san. It is used mainly to refer to people much higher in rank than oneself, toward one's customers, and sometimes toward people one greatly admires. In some cases they serve the same purpose with Dono or danna."
"I see… So I've been calling you Kage-sama. I guess it's a good calling."
"But my rank isn't that high, Milady. Maybe you should just call me with –San."
"Kage…-san?"
Kira nodded. "Yes. Kinda like that."
"Thank you very much, Kage-sam… erm… Kage-san!" Lacus chuckled.
It was then Lamia choose that time snorted in her sleep while mumbling something about dango and kitchen knife. Kira and Lacus looked at the said girl and they had to fight back a laugh. Lacus smiled and moved to her sister, covering her sleeping figure with a blanket and combed her hair gently.
Kira looked at Lacus' facial features. She's a European, of Scandinavian descent. Yet she showed such a great interest in a country half a world away. "May I ask you a question?"
"Yes, of course?"
"Where is this fondness of my country came from anyway?"
"Oh!" Lacus chuckled and was slightly flustered. "My sensei."
"Your… sensei?"
"I'm a shinobi too you know." Lacus announced happily.
"A witch, a priestess, and a shinobi altogether?" Kira whistled quietly. "That's a handful."
"I bet." Lacus smile grew wider. "My sensei was a travelling Shinobi. I met him by accident, and he took an interest to teach me about the art of ninjutsu. He often told me stories of his home country far in the east… And I was bit. I was bit real bad… I woke up one day and all I can think of is Japanese this, Japanese that…" Lacus blushed even further in embarrassment. "…frustrating my sister and my father to no end. But… I like it. Though I've… never been there myself. You know what I want to see the most?"
"Yes?"
"Sakura. I want to see Sakura tree blooming. They say it's beautiful. I'd bet it's breathtaking." Lacus dreamily imagine the shape and appearance of the Sakura tree.
Kira smiled kindly. "Yes. It is beautiful."
Lacus chuckled happily… but also sadly. "But… I may not be able to see them though."
At this, Kira frowned. "Clyne-hime."
"Yes?"
"Would you mind stepping outside for a moment?"
Lacus obliged and followed Kira outside. They found a private spot where no one can see them.
"What aren't you telling me?"
"Sorry?" Lacus' smile slightly faded.
Kira glared at Lacus. "Why didn't you answer my question back then? I know you know… that question wasn't meant for your sister. It was meant for you. So why didn't you answer it?"
Lacus smile vanished completely this time. "Kage-san, I'm not sure I follow. I answered your question. I asked you to protect my sister."
"That was your sister's answer. You merely copying her answer the same way she's copying the answer given to her by her country. So I'll ask again. Why did you come here?"
"…to do what I can do. In this age and era, people are dying… every day. I want to do something. Anything. I had no right to do any less than them." Lacus mourned.
And yet, for some reason, Kira still feel something amiss. "You're lying. Not to me, that doesn't matter. The worst part is you're lying to yourself, Clyne-hime." Lacus glared angrily at Kira, but the shinobi was unfazed. "I'm not interested in your personal shit. I don't care if you have some… underlying goal or motive or whatever. And quite frankly, if you want to continue lying, be my guest. But you better know some limits. Know that these people… they loved you. They revere you, they walked through the gates of Hell for you. They'd die for you. Especially your sister. You keep this up… and then one day you'll find the blood of your loved ones in your pretty little hands."
Lacus now appear to be visibly uncomfortable being around this shinobi. But not because she disliked everything he said. But because she kept hearing nothing but truth flowing out of that masked mouth, heavily loaded with personal experience.
"I'm not trying to scare you princess. I'm telling you because it had happened to me." Kira was referring to his experience with Kuzzey. "I don't want that to happen to you. Or anyone else. Not if I can help it. So here's my advice: if you truly loved your sister as you've professed… then you better be honest." Kira saw at the distance, the sun was rising from the east; morning has come, even though it's still dark. "And you better do it real quick."
And with that, Kira left the pink princess alone, her mind is filled with thoughts and conflict.
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Came morning, the Knights and the Junk Guild had break camp.
The Exorcists were all lined up in a disciplined formation. While in stark contrast, the Junk guild soldiers were massed up wherever and disorderly band.
They all waited outside the main tent, where the sisters were still inside. Other than the other priestesses, the sisters' royal guards, and Hakutenkun, no one else is allowed to enter. So they were quite surprised when the first person to walk out of the tent was Kira, followed closely by Waltfeld. Waltfeld quickly took his position at the head of the army, whereas Kira remained in waiting, near the door. The Knights murmured among each other at the shinobi's audacity.
But then, Lacus and Lamia walked out of the tent right next to Kira, in such close proximity with the Princess, and the shinobi lived still, to the shock and surprise of everyone.
"Wow. He's male and he's still alive? At such a close distance with the Princess?"
"How did he do that?"
"Who is that guy?"
Waltfeld cleared his throat to silence the chattering. And then he made his report to Lamia. "We're ready to move, Milady."
Lamia nodded and turned to Lacus, who also nodded. And then, they looked at Kira, who's been waiting for them.
Waltfeld smiled. "Kage-san… may we press you for… an anecdote… or two? Just some words of encouragement, if you have them?"
Kira's eyes widened. "I'm not sure I'm qualified."
"I think that's a good idea too!" Lacus chortled. "I can vouch. You have quite a gift of gab! What you did last night to me was proof of that."
"WHAT YOU DID LAST NIGHT?" Lowe screeched in horror. But he's practically voicing the horror of every male present with a crush on the Pink Princess. Which is another way of saying everyone suddenly gave the shinobi their undivided attention and deathglare. Waltfeld gulped nervously, Lamia and Hilda, who fell asleep last night, quickly put a double chokehold on Kira. "You're going to tell me… what exactly happened last night… in every detail!" Lamia hissed dangerously while Hilda menacingly placed her spear on Kira's head.
Kira glared at Lacus, who smirked mischievously in retaliation. The shinobi finally take a deep breath and walk up front. He looked at the army of Exorcists and the Junk guild soldiers before him. And to think, a few days ago, he was slaughtering them, and today he's leading them. He took a deep breath, and began. "First of all… I'm not sure if I'm the right person to speak of this. I don't know about you people… but this is truly my first time here. Whatever knowledge I have of this place was based solely from bits and pieces. This is to say I dare not believe that I'm more knowledgeable about this place than any of you."
The exorcists listened on.
"My sensei… laid down 4 basic rules about this place:
Rule no. 1: Don't get lost. You get lost, you're most likely dead. I am, fortunately, an exception to this rule – but it's a bad example that you must not follow.
Rule no. 2: Don't be noisy. Unless you can't help it. That means no cheers (everyone looked at Lowe, the loudest mouth in vicinity), no roars, no nothing.
Rule no. 3: There is no corpse. Even though you'll see a LOT of them, but there aren't. So stay away from them at all cost.
Rule no. 4; and the most important of all: DON'T GET KILLED – you don't stay dead for long.
And that was the 4 basic rules." Kira recited the rules Mwu spoke to them yesterday. "But I think… I can add one more: We stay as one. We're standing right now, in front of the Gates of Hell. And I'm a weapon. A weapon that happens to be able to kill these Undeads. But even with that fact… I've learned to know that there are limits to even what I can do. And I know not what they'll throw at us. But whatever comes out of these gates, we'll have more chance for survival only if we work together." Everyone murmured an agreement. "Do you understand? We stay together, we'll survive."
Everyone nodded. Kira glanced at Lamia and Waltfeld, signing that was the end of the speech. Lamia also nodded, and Waltfeld gave the sign for the army to begin marching in a layered defensive formation. Lacus was placed at the center, with Hilda and some other knights, which appeared to be female knights, guarded the circle within 4 feet radius of Lacus, forming the first circle of defense. The rest of the other knights stay well clear out of 10 feet radius, forming the secondary outer circle of defense, managed by Waltfeld and Lowe. Kira and Lamia had the honor of forming the final circle of defense at the core and personally guarded the said Priestess in close proximity, standing right next to her.
Lamia in particular, looked happier than yesterday. With Kira, the one man capable of killing Genma-permanently, their chances of surviving this Pilgrimage looks better than ever. Lowe was still a bit rattled over the fact that Kira had spent a whole night with Lacus Clyne… and he even made an impression! To say he was jealous out of his skull will be an understatement.
"You can't help it, Lowe! You can't even get within barely 12 feet of her." Kisato barked.
"I know…! But I'm still extremely jealous!" In frustration, Lowe kicked a pebble. The pebble hit a small rock, the small rock hit a larger rock. The troops stopped to see the event unfolding. The larger rock hit several medium sized rock, and they each hit a larger rock, and so on and so forth… until finally they came down as a rampaging landslide of rocks down the cliff, whose noise can be heard for miles.
Everyone stopped. Lowe suddenly felt really… really nervous.
"The natives are getting restless." Kira exasperatedly pointed at an incoming stampede of the rampaging dead who was drawn by that noise, and they're coming their way, fast.
"Ah… Oopsie?" Lowe remarked innocently while everyone glared angrily at him.
But what's done is done. Waltfeld quickly take command and assemble the army. "Lancers form up for advance, sabers lock your shields, archers ready, Exorcists prepare for suppressive fire."
Kira pulled out Shiki and prepared to charge forward. But before he can do so…
"Kage-san!" Lacus called.
"Yes?" Kira turned around and looked at the girl smiling innocently.
And then, all the sudden, she leaned forward, cupped his cheek with her hands, and brought her lips to his masked mouth.
Everyone gasped in horror, including Kira.
"Wh… What was that for?" Kira gasped.
"Tee-hee. I'm returning that little favor you did to me back in the cliff." Lacus smiled innocently.
"W… Wha…" Already Kira can feel every jealous young male knight in vicinity is itching to hack him to pieces.
"…And one more thing…" Lacus leaned closer to Kira's ears, hugging him, much Kira's further shock.
She whispered quietly in a cold tone:
"I HATE you."
Kira's surprise gasp turned into a dark look. And he whispered a quiet reply:
"The feeling's MUTUAL."
Lacus let go and returned to her spot, smiling coldly in satisfaction to Kira, which many fail to understand its true meaning: she really, really hate him.
Kira, likewise, returned the cold smile with a murderous angry glare before he turned that look towards the incoming Genma army.
The Shinobi pulled out his Shiki and charged forward.
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On that day, a bond was forged between these two souls.
But neither of them had yet to realize of just how much deeper their bond will go.
…Of the love and hatred that will entail in it…
…And just how much this bond will cause them to break and destroy one another, in more ways than one.
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The Miracle of Junius
On 14th February, 72 years before the current timeline, a pocket terrorist cell of the Order of Blue Cosmos secretly performed a successful Demon Summoning ritual, right in the center of Junius' capital city, summoning the Genmas into the mortal world. The effect was instantaneous, and catastrophic. The performers of the said rituals were killed in the act. Torn apart and made into sacrifices for the coming demons. Inability to get an accurate numbering of the victims caused the records to greatly undercount the numbers of its victims by hundreds and thousands. In truth, a million died on the first week. Another 2 million followed at the end of the month. The Genma spread uncontrollably: killing, ravaging, corrupting, and converting everyone and everything into another one of their diabolical kind. It was a massacre. Worse, the Genmas had begun to assimilate nautical capabilities. And their spread of destruction would've ravaged another continent across the oceans as well.
It was prevented… by nothing sort of miracle. When the threat of the Demons was at its direst, a freak tidal storm, unearthly powerful, miraculously appeared out of nowhere and literally ripped the entire continent off its foundations while ripping its surface to pieces at the same time. The Tidal Storm pushed Junius away from the other continents. For months, the said continent was left adrift, before it finally settles down on a spot right beneath Australia. The continent itself has been ripped asunder and almost beyond recognition, to say nothing of its currently warped and otherworldly ecology. Soon, a research team was sent to investigate the condition of the said continent. As expected it was swarming with Genmas. Former inhabitants of the said lands, now warped into monstrosities of demonic sort. And yet, beneath the ashes of destruction, a miracle was found.
Seven pillars of light were found shining out from seven locations in that dark lands. The light was not unholy. It was sacred and pure. The Genmas were terrified by it, to say the least. One of the research team, who happened to be a Priest, performed Purification… a holy prayer. The act amplified the holy powers of these sacred lights a thousand times over, purifying and effectively banishing every demon within vicinity. Though unfortunately it was not enough to permanently heal the damned continent, it was enough to fill the Advanced Race with hope and conviction. Hope that one day; they may be able to restore these damned Continent to its former glory… and conviction that the Gods were watching over them. How else would one explain these series of miracles? These discoveries also further solidify Zaft Empire's will to wage open war, being convinced that not only they're waging war against the enemies of their race; they're waging a war against the enemy of their Gods.
The research team attempted to continue to the second sacred ground, now dubbed as the Sanctuary, but alas, they cannot pierce through an onslaught of demons barring their way. The research team had to abandon their mission and returned home. But unfortunately, everyone died of their injuries on their way back. But the priest who performed the first purification had lived long enough to pass on his experience to future generations. The Research team was forevermore deemed as the First Pilgrims. And ever since that day, year after year, the Zaft Empire assembled her best warriors to participate in the Pilgrimage. The Pilgrimage goal is but one: to perform purification in all seven Sanctuaries, thereby purifying the continent from its corruption, forever. A few years later, Zaft also established the Ruby Exorcists. Knights specifically trained to combat demonic threats with faith and fire.
Despite this effort, in 72 years, no Pilgrim has been able to finish their Pilgrimage and purify all seven sanctuaries. They were either killed upon arrival or on their way home when they failed to go on. There's been only one known relative success: the Grand Priestess Lennore Zala, who managed to get to all the way to perform the Purification on the fifth Sanctuary ground, and returned home. Though she was unable to complete her pilgrimage, Lennore Zala's success was referred by all Pilgrims as the best shining example, and she was considered their best hope to finally purify Junius. Unfortunately, 3 years after her safe return, Lennore Zala embarked on a second Pilgrimage… of which she did not survive.
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And there you go. They finally meet. For all of you guys who had been patiently waiting for this chapter for-like-forever… congrats.
The 25th chapter, submitted right before 25th of December. Hehe. Consider this my Christmas Present to you loyal readers.
And I need some break. My mind is in a total mess when making this. And my fingers ache… oh… swell…
Well, Merry Christmas guys. And a happy new year.
