United
By Steph O'Dell
Based on the fanfiction "United We Stand" by Anime Master Zero Chapter 3: Leaf It to Me…Kai stared glumly into his porridge, his chin propped up on one hand. He lifted his spoon, and let the goop drip slowly off and fall back into the bowl. He grimaced.
"This porridge has the consistency of Tasty Wheat," Ryo grumbled unhappily, echoing Kai's thoughts.
Rei snored gently. He sat, leaning on Kai's shoulder, deep asleep. Kai smiled ruefully, although the smile was so faint, one wouldn't have noticed it even if they'd been looking for it.
"Ever wonder why Tasty Wheat doesn't taste like anything?" Ritchie piped up, suddenly.
Everyone groaned. "Here we go again…" Ryo grumbled.
"It's because the Manufacturers couldn't decide what to make it taste like. So they made it taste like cardboard." He smiled. "That's kind of why everything tastes like chicken."
Takuya stared, wide-eyed, at Ritchie. "Really?" he asked.
Ryo and Kai exchanged glances. They knew what was coming. Ritchie pulled this spiel with every newbie. He'd even pulled it on them.
"Yeup. You see, when the Higher Beings were trying to decide what things should taste like, they got bored. Finding new tastes for everything was hard. And they loved chicken so much, they made everything taste like it." Ritchie finished up with a smirk.
Takuya stared. "Wow! That's cool!"
Ryo and Kai stifled laughs. Takuya had fallen for it--hook, line and sinker.
Rei stirred, and sat up, looking very groggy. He moaned in sleepiness, blinking and smacking his lips. He rubbed his eyes with his finger, and yawned. Kai stared at Rei's sharp incisor teeth and felt a shiver.
G-od…I miss those teeth…"Good morning, Rei-chan," Ryo said, smiling. "And how did you sleep?"
Rei smiled sleepily. "…Well, thank you…"
Takuya noted that Rei's voice, even though it was still quiet and tired, was growing stronger. It seemed every passing day made him stronger.
Kai, meanwhile, seemed to grow more and more tired. He was paler than usual, and dark rings floated under his eyes. His appetite had decreased, and his hair had lost its sheen.
Takuya would have asked if something was wrong, but he was sure Kai would give him the typical response of, "Get lost, you little pest," and shoot him a dirty look. So he didn't try.
Rei stood up shakily. Kai instinctively leapt up, and supported Rei. He looked concerned, but Rei just smiled at Kai weakly.
"…I just…wanted to go lie down for a little while…that's all…Kai…" Rei said. Kai relaxed.
"I'll help you to your room," he insisted, his grip more firm on Rei's slender arm. Rei stared at Kai's hand, then back into Kai's face and smiled.
"…Okay…" He allowed himself to be led away by Kai.
Ryo watched them leave, smirking. He knew something the others didn't.
Rei sat down heavily on the bed, sighing tiredly. Kai turned the light off.
He and Rei were sharing a room (at Kai's request, of course), and now Kai stared at the wall as Rei slipped out of his clothes, and into his sleepwear. He smoothed the cool mint-colored clothes, and sighed.
Kai glanced over his shoulder at Rei. Rei yawned sleepily, and pulled his hair wrap off. He then gathered his ponytail up in his red hair ribbon, and tied it with a small knot. Kai shivered again, at the sight of Rei's flowing ebony tresses.
Like black silk…God, I love running my hands through that…Kai walked over to Rei, and sat beside the boy on the bed. He slid his hand up Rei's cheek, and gently rubbed the milky skin behind Rei's pointed ear.
Rei was surprised, at first. Then he sighed happily, and laid his head on Kai's lap.
And purred.
Kai felt another shiver up his spine. He'd done this so long ago, and it drove him crazy, knowing he couldn't have his koibito yet. He smelled Rei's hair, and the jasmine shampoo he used. Kai felt a tightening in his stomach.
Rei yawned again, but suddenly gave a yelp of pain. One of his eyeteeth had pierced his lip, and he was bleeding.
Kai lifted Rei's face, worried. Rei whimpered in pain, and Kai cooed soothingly. But then, the blood began to run down Rei's lip.
Kai stared in shock. The sharp teeth…the blood…the lips…those…LIPS… Kai's eyes rolled to the back of his head as erotic memories flashed through his lust-crazed mind. Memories of Rei's resisting. Rei growling savagely. The sweet and sour sauce. Those lips.
That…BLOOD…
Kai couldn't hold himself back any longer. It was too much. He longed for a taste of that blood again…it forced him to thrust his lips vigorously against Rei's.
Rei felt the force on his lips, and he liked the feeling. He seemed to recall a feeling like it, one that he felt he'd felt a looong time ago…
A pain in his chest made him squirm uncomfortably, and then the memory came flooding back. The restaurant. The sweet and sour sauce. The sex…
Kai made love to me! he realized. He moaned happily, and his eyes fluttered open.
Kai released Rei from the kiss, licking the blood off his and Rei's lips. "Feel better, Rei-chan?" he whispered.
Rei rolled his eyes back in his head and moaned blissfully. "…Oh Kai…oh…"
Kai smiled, and prepared to kiss Rei again. But at that moment, he felt his strength give way, and he fell onto his koibito, totally exhausted. Rei yelped in surprise. He stared at Kai, and poked him nervously.
"…Kai?" he asked, tentatively.
Kai snored gently. Rei smiled.
Rei settled into bed, pulling Kai in beside him. He pulled the covers over them, and curled up to Kai's chest. Purring softly, Rei fell asleep.
Yuko dashed through the halls of the AMGDI later that afternoon. She seemed rushed, and people leapt to get out of her way.
Watanuki dashed behind her, trying to keep up. He had armfuls of scrolls and other pieces of writing. Mokona perched on his shoulder, chirping excitedly.
"Hurry! Hurry!" it chirped. "Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
"Shut up!" Watanuki blasted back. "I don't need you telling me what to do!"
"Watanuki!" Yuko yelled at him over her shoulder. "Hurry up! I need to see Umi right away, so I can't have you dawdling!" She turned and continued down the hallway.
Watanuki groaned, and ran after his employer.
Umi arched an eyebrow, interested. "Is that so?"
Yuko nodded, excitedly. "You see, the idea came to me in the bath. All my best ideas seem to come to me in the bath."
Umi smiled. "Me too!"
Yuko squealed in delight. "Anyway, I thought it would help everyone if we did that."
Umi nodded. "I see no reason the others wouldn't think so as well."
"Think what?" a gruff voice spoke up from behind Umi. She turned to see Hien standing there.
"Oh, Hien…Yuko was just discussing an idea with me. She feels it would be a good idea if some clients of hers come here until this whole issue with the SoulHunters is resolved." Umi flicked her hair, and smirked.
Hien wrinkled his nose and gave a lopsided frown. "I don't know…Every time one of you gets a brilliant idea, I end up getting into trouble…" He crossed his arms. "Remember the incident on Terra Prime?"
Umi avoided his gaze nervously. "I didn't think the lava would harden that fast, or quite so violently! Don't blame me! It wasn't all my fault!"
Hien got very upset. "Oh, so what? It's my fault?" He put his hands on his hips, and got in Umi's face. "Don't even try that!"
Umi pushed back. "Screw you! I'm not scared of you! Yes, it's your fault! You're the one who made the shoddy lava in the first place!"
The two went nose-to-nose, growling and hissing. Mokona jumped in between the two.
"No fighting now! We're all friends here!" it chirped happily, giggling and bouncing up and down. "Friends don't fight!"
"Friends with her? Yeah, right!" Hien turned his nose up, and turned away.
Umi did the same. "As if! I'd never be friends with him!" She huffed angrily.
Watanuki sighed, and shifted under the mound of scrolls. "Why exactly did you ask me to bring these if you're not going to use them?" he asked his employer.
Yuko giggled. "You needed the exercise!"
Watanuki shot to his feet. "WHY YOU--!!" he exploded. Yuko raised her hands, defensively, laughing even harder.
"Relax, Watanuki! I was kidding! I need these to try and pinpoint Syaoran-kun's exact location!" Yuko explained.
Yuko took one of the scrolls, and spread it out on the table, revealing a map of one of the many worlds. Umi pulled out a pendant from the folds of her kimono, and held it over the map. At first, there was no movement from either Umi or the pendant. Then, the pendant began to move in a slow circle. Umi sighed.
"Not this one," she said. Yuko replaced the map with another, and the process repeated itself.
"Why don't you just use Mokona to contact him?" Watanuki asked sensibly.
Yuko shook her head. "Contact doesn't work like that. And besides, even if I did, they wouldn't be able to tell me which world they're on for sure."
Watanuki sighed. "We're going to be here for a while, aren't we?"
Kai slowly pried his heavy eyelids open, and groaned. He sat up slowly, realizing where he was. He looked down, and saw Rei clinging to his shirt, sound asleep. Kai smiled wistfully, and gently pried Rei's hands off his top. He rolled out of bed, stretched and yawned. A good sleep had been just what he needed.
He turned back to Rei and the bed. Kai was actually half-tempted just to jump back into bed, and say "screw it' to his duties. But then, what kind of example was he setting then? Plus, Rei would get mad, and the others might get suspicious, and figure it out. He shuttered.
Man, my life sucks. I have a perfectly good opportunity to play hooky, and everything's against me, he thought. I have to baby-sit a bunch of little brats. Great.
He licked his lips, and sighed. He still tasted Rei's sweet blood. If there was one thing Rei did to Kai, it was bring out the animal in him. Rei was just so…wild…and untamed…unlike neat and tidy Takao. Takao had had a rhythm. Rei had a pulse. A pulse that changed like a heartbeat, getting faster as he got more excited. Kai sighed.
Okay, no more dirty thoughts…Kai told himself. You have to go baby-sit the idiots now, so be professional.
Kai cast one last longing look over his shoulder at Rei, and sighed happily. At least he still had Rei. That's more than most of the refugees could say.
The door opened with a hiss, and Kai stepped out into the hallway. It was time to go to work.
A job…Rei felt it again; that pain in his chest. This time it was stronger, and lasted longer. He gasped in his sleep.
A job…The echo grew louder. Had Rei had a job once?
The more he tried to remember, the more it hurt. But he couldn't stop the thought process. The memory started clicking along like a freight train.
Wasn't it Hong Kong, Rei?Rei looked around for the voice. It was dark, and cold. He was alone, with nothing to protect him, not even his pyjamas. He was naked. He shivered, and huddled under his hair. Where was he?
This is your heart, Rei.
"…My…heart?" Rei's voice seemed hollow, and echoed loudly in the cold, empty space.
Yes…the voice answered. Think, Rei…you had a job once…
Rei clutched his chest. The pain was intense.
"Ahh…!" Rei's eyes flew open. He remembered.
It had been a small room. A group of boys had sat around a table. He had been serving them tea and food. They had all been talking loudly, and laughing. An older gentleman had been telling them something…something about a tournament…Rei had been listening.
"The Hong Kong Tournament will be quite a challenge for all of you," the man had said. "There are a lot of good bladers here."
"We can take 'em!" a brash young brunette had said.
"That's telling them!" a freckled blond had replied, excitedly, toasting the brunette. The two had laughed.
"Cut that out," a younger Kai had said curtly from the other end of the table. Rei was surprised, but in the memory, he had been unfazed. Did Kai know these people?
"Kai, they're only having a little fun," the gentleman had said. "You'd do well to have a little fun yourself."
Kai had snorted, and stood up. "Yeah, well, if you'll all excuse me, I'm off to practice. Alone." And with that, Kai had left.
The gentleman had watched him leave with worry. The blond had called after Kai.
"Kai! Wait! Come back!" He had looked sad.
", you can't just let him leave!" the brunette had said to the older gentleman. The man had sighed.
"I'm sorry, that's his choice. However, he will in time learn that people, like rice balls, are better in groups." He had demonstrated with the rice balls on his plate, making groups and then breaking the groups up to prove his point.
The brunette had sighed, and sat back in his chair. "Still…hey, have you seen Rei around? I haven't seen him since the preliminaries."
The blond had blinked, surprised. "Yeah, me neither!"
Rei had laughed. ", you need to pay more attention to your waiter!"
Both boys had looked up, surprised. "REI!" they had yelped. The gentleman had laughed.
"Rei's been serving you all night!" The man had laughed a little more. The brunette had blushed.
"Yeah, pay attention. Sheesh, I hope you pay more attention during the tournament, or you're in big trouble!" Rei had laughed. "You'd better leave me a big tip!"
Rei clutched his head. "Why can't I remember their names? I seem to know them? …"
Try harder… the voice replied.
Rei felt a horrendous pain in his heart. "OWW!" he screamed in pain. "Make it stop!" He started crying. "It hurts!"
Try HARDER…the voice insisted.
Kai turned a corner, and was surprised to see Yuko standing in the Commons Room, dressed to the hilt in a fancy kimono, and focusing very hard. The room was silent. He stood still, and waited.
It came to his attention, suddenly, that there was a twinge of pain in his chest. He grimaced. There it goes again…it did that when I kissed Rei…
Yuko started to glow. A wind picked up, and a bright circle appeared underneath her. She chanted loudly; Wanderers across time-space, come home. Follow the trail of light! SPIRITS! RELEASE!
Mokona opened its mouth wide, and with a burst of smoke, a group of people spilled out and onto the floor in a large dog-pile.
Yuko jumped up and down, holding Mokona's little arms. "Yay! It worked! Hurray!"
The pain in Kai's chest grew in intensity. He tried to ignore it.
The dog-pile untangled itself, revealing four travelers…and another Mokona. Kai's eye twitched. Not ANOTHER one. One was hard enough to deal with…
Yuko was introducing the travelers to the AMGDI members. "…And this is Fai, and this is Kurogane, and THIS is Syaoran, and THIS is Sakura! Oh!" Yuko held up the white Mokona. "This is Mokona!"
"Mokona Modoka, at your service!" it chirped, bowing.
Sakura shyly peeked out around Syaoran. Syaoran smiled wryly. He seemed tired, and worn out. Kai felt something, possibly pity; he was in the same boat as Syaoran, it seemed. Yes, probably pity.
Or…it could be this NASTY heartburn! he thought, annoyed.
As if to retaliate, the pain got worse. Kai tried hard not to keel over. It was so intense! …Kai could barely stand. He winced.
Ryo shot Kai a concerned look. Kai was about to mouth 'it's nothing', when the pain got to be too much. The intensity tripled, and he cried out in pain as he toppled to the floor, clutching his chest.
"Kai!" Ryo cried, concerned. He dashed to catch Kai.
Yuko turned as well, and her face was hard. "So…it's begun, has it?" she whispered.
Kai writhed in Ryo's arms, gasping. He couldn't make the pain stop.
Everyone tried to help. Yuko pushed through the crowd, and cradled Kai protectively. She bent over him, and placed her hand over his chest.
Rei clutched his head, desperately. "STOP! I don't want to remember! It hurts to remember!"
Rei looked up, and through tear-stained eyes, he saw a distant figure. He gasped.
"KAI!" he cried, reaching out for him.
But the figure turned, and began to walk away. Rei panicked.
"KAI! COME BACK!" Rei screamed, sobbing. "I'm so scared!"
The figure never even looked back. Rei sobbed, and buried his face in his hands.
Suddenly, he felt a pair of warm arms wrap around him, comforting him, calming him.
"Rei," a familiar voice said. "I'm here."
"Kai!" Rei gasped happily, turning to hug Kai back. Kai's spirit smiled a little.
The two spirits sat, wrapped in each other. Slowly, oh so slowly, their heartbeats returned to normal. The pain eased.
Yuko lifted her hand from Kai's chest. "He'll be okay now," she stated.
Ryo looked scared and bewildered. "What happened?" he asked.
Yuko shook her head. "I can't say."
Ryo looked upset. "You don't know, or you won't say!"
Yuko looked at Ryo coolly. "I realize he's your friend, but I can't say. That's all I can tell you. Yelling won't help."
Ryo balked. He apologized to Yuko, and stood up. He busied himself with showing Syaoran and the others around.
Kai moaned, and woke up. He stood up shakily, but refused everyone's attempts to help him, even when Chii insisted she examine him to see if he was all right.
"I'm fine," he snapped at the Persicom. "Now everyone just leave me alone!"
A sound at the door attracted everyone's attention. Everyone turned to see Rei standing in the door, panting heavily. He was clinging to the doorframe to hold himself up, and his pyjamas stuck to his wet skin. His tear-stained face was one of fear. He stumbled over to Kai, who caught him, and held him close.
"It…it hurt, Kai…I tried…" Rei's voice was muffled, his face buried in Kai's shoulder. Kai cooed, and smoothed Rei's hair.
"It's okay…don't cry, I'm here." Kai kissed Rei's hair gently. "I'll always be here."
Syaoran stared at Kai and Rei, understanding. He subconsciously pulled Sakura a bit closer to him. Sakura was surprised, but she smiled happily, and leaned against his shoulder.
Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the complex. Everyone shrieked, and ducked, trying to find someplace safe. Luckily, it was a quick tremor, as if something large had exploded. Ryo looked around; there didn't seem to be any structural damage.
Ryo ran down the hall to try to find the cause of the explosion, with Kai, carrying Rei on his back, in close pursuit. The three boys came to the Transporter Room, and found Ritchie, up against the opposite wall of the hall across from the door, upside down, embedded in the wall. Sparky looked a little dizzy itself.
Ryo pried Ritchie out of the wall. "Ritchie! What happened?" he asked, concerned. Kai tried to see past the smoke coming from the Transporter Room.
Ritchie shook his head, trying to clear it. "Uhh…I'm not sure, sir. One moment, I was doing a test of the systems, which was going just fine, and the next, I'm out here."
A loud, angry scream echoed out from the Transporter Room, and Ryo winced. Ritchie looked afraid, and Sparky ducked behind Ritchie. Ryo pulled Ritchie into the room, and stopped short.
The transporter was a smoking mass of twisted metal and singed wires.
"You…BLEW UP…the transporter?!" Kai blasted angrily at Ritchie. Ritchie stared in total shock.
"Oh…my god…I…didn't mean…! I mean, it wasn't…!" Ritchie started to back up. Kai's eyes blazed. Kai put Rei down quickly, and grabbed Ritchie by the neck.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!!" Kai screamed. "HOW COULD YOU?!" He throttled the young trainer with all of his strength. "Do you REALIZE what you've DONE?!"
"Kai, stop!" Ryo yelled. Both he and Rei pried Kai off of Ritchie, who retreated, gasping for air. Kai struggled to break free. "LET ME GO! Let me AT 'IM!"
"Kai, we can fix the transporter easily. We can't fix a broken transporter operator quite as easily! So back off!" Ryo tried to calm the enraged 'blader. "It was an accident!" Ryo turned to Ritchie. "What were you doing when this happened?"
Ritchie squirmed. "Well, uhh, you see…I was trying to fix the issue with the power levels…we don't have enough power to transport large numbers of people at a time, or large items. So I felt that by adding more power, I could expand the transporters capture net by 81. I was testing my theory, and it seemed to be working fine. But then, without warning—" he emphasised with his hands. "—Boom."
"YOU FUCKED WITH MY TRANSPORTER!" Kai hollered. He lunged at Ritchie again, but Ryo held fast.
"Who fucked with what?" a voice asked. Everyone turned to see Chaud. And he wasn't happy.
"Ritchie fucked with the transporter," Kai explained. "And now—" He waved at the transporter…or what was left of it.
Chaud's face went through many changes, all at once—from shock to glazed-over eyes to I'm-going-to-kill-someone. He lunged at Ritchie.
"WHY YOU –" Chaud yelled angrily, but Ryo held him back. Ritchie cowered.
Hien dashed into the room, and cringed when he saw the damage. "God, what happened? No, don't tell me – I don't want to know!" He clenched his eyes shut. "Just…FIX IT!" Hien started to sob. "Oh God, why me? Why NOW?!" He turned, and staggered out of the room, totally defeated.
While Ritchie was trying to get away from the very upset technicians after him, Ryo was inspecting the transporter. The damage wasn't bad, but the electrical was fried. But as he lifted some wire aside, he noticed something—a small, clean cut in a major wire. Not enough to sever it, but enough to damage it. He sucked in his breath.
The transporter had been sabotaged…"Chaud! Come look at this!" Ryo called. Chaud grumbled irritably, but came over to the transporter.
"What?" he asked.
"Take a look at this," Ryo responded, showing him the cut wire.
Chaud examined the cut. "This was no accident…this cut was made with a clean, sharp-edged weapon…most likely a small one, like a knife…" His eyes glazed and grew hard. "Someone's going to die now. NO one, and I do mean NO ONE, messes with MY transporter."
"I'll report this…" Ryo said, turning to leave. "Will you be needing help?"
Chaud snorted. "No. This is my baby, and I'LL fix her. Alone."
Ryo held up his hands, submitting. "Alright then…"
Umi turned the wire over in her hands, clucking her tongue.
"Who…would DO this?" Susanou asked, falling back in his chair, defeated.
Ryo shook his head. "I don't know, sir. Thankfully, no one was hurt."
Hien rocked back and forth on his desk, his head in his hands. "Ohh…but my TRANSPORTER…" He sobbed.
Gaia looked at Hien, both confused and reproachfully. "Why does every boy around here refer to the transporter as THEIR transporter?"
Umi snorted. "Men are dicks…as a GENERAL rule." She looked up. "This was cut by a shuriken," she announced, firmly.
Susanou was confused. "A sharp, metal, star-shaped ninja weapon that originated in the far east?"
Umi looked annoyed. "You sound like Sifl and Ollie's teacher! Yes! A shuriken!" She sighed. "Obviously, a ninja cut this."
"There ARE no ninjas around here," Susanou replied. "Well, unless you count Kurogane, but he just showed up."
Umi rolled her eyes. "Nitwit! This OBVIOUSLY has to do with the information you keep getting on your desk! There is a ninja SPY among us, hiding in our air ducts! Sneaking through our halls! Hiding under our beds!" She buried her head in her arms. "And I have a feeling I KNOW who it is!" She groaned.
"Speaking of which…" Susanou said, oblivious of the last part of Umi's rant. "I got this just this morning!" He opened up the folder in his hands. In it was full data on Syaoran and his group. "See? Obviously someone's a little slow. We already HAVE Syaoran here!"
Umi looked up slowly, glaring. "More like someone WE know is slow…you said you got this just this morning?"
"Yes," Susanou answered, not seeing where the questioning was going.
Umi hit Susanou. "Dummy! Yuko didn't have her idea until AFTERNOON! Someone isn't BEHIND us! Someone's AHEAD of us!"
Susanou clued in suddenly. "Ohh…OHHH…OH! OH MY GOD!" He dropped the folder on the floor. "You are so right! There IS someone who's one step ahead of us!"
Umi stood up, and glared at Ryo. "I want a FULL sweep of the complex. Leave no duct unchecked, no rock unturned. Our li'l ninja friend is still here, and I intend to find him!"
Ryo saluted. "Yes ma'am!" He quickly exited.
Unfortunately for Umi and the others, their "li'l ninja friend" HAD actually left the complex via his own handheld transporter. The ninja stepped into a dark complex in the Negative Zone, chuckling softly.
A familiar figure intercepted the ninja, who stopped short.
"Back? So soon?" Rikku asked coolly.
The ninja snorted. "It was a breeze. I don't know why you and the others have so much trouble; their security is so lax."
Rikku shot the ninja an annoyed look. "Don't get cocky. Anyway, we're moving out. With their transporter down, they won't be able to intercept us on this next task."
Rikku turned to leave, and the ninja grabbed the boy's arm.
"Don't get cocky yourself. They'll have that transporter running again, just you wait. They're not stupid, you know." The ninja's eyes sparkled coyly.
Rikku's brows furrowed over his bandana. "Know your place, you!" He yanked his arm free.
A soft chuckle from the shadows attracted both figures' attention. A tall form, partially shrouded by the shadows, appeared. Both figures bowed respectfully.
"Lord Reficul," Rikku said. "Everything is in order."
"Excellent," Reficul chortled. "Mobilize the SoulHunters immediately. I want this world to be a complete conquest. Leave no Heart Crystal ungathered." He waved them off with his hand. "Go, now." Both bowed again, and turned to leave, but Reficul held Rikku back.
"That one…I don't trust him. Watch that one closely for me," he murmured in the boy's ear. Rikku nodded, obediently.
Rikku left, and Reficul chuckled again. "Controlling these fools is so easy," he commented to the figure behind him. The figure with flowing platinum hair nodded.
Reficul turned. "Soon…I promise your turn will be soon. Until then, I need more information. The other Stones must be close. Have you sensed any nearby?"
The figure shook their head 'No'. Reficul nodded, satisfied. "Keep me informed."
The figure nodded again, then bowed. As they turn to leave, their sword, Murasame, glinted in the low light, eager for the opportunity to draw blood once again.
Chaud soldered like crazy, trying desperately to fix the damage the explosion had caused. Nearly ten minutes ago, Ritchie had informed everyone that the SoulHunters were moving out, and this had thrown everyone into a panic. Despite Chaud's complaints, Kai had started working on the transporter, and now, they were almost done.
Ryo looked over Ritchie's shoulder. "Where is this hit, exactly?" he asked.
Ritchie pointed it out on the screen. "Right here, sir; Quadrant 004, World 3444666-238368873-02. It's in the Hongo Universe System."
Ryo's eyes got very wide. That's close to where I'm from! The thought pounded in his head like a pulse. This does not bode well…
Syaoran stepped into the room, and surveyed the damage. He was now wearing a clean AMGDI uniform, and his sword, ironically named Hien, was strapped to his side. He seemed to rub the back of his left hand nervously, even with his gloves on. Ryo walked over to the young man, smiling warmly, trying to cover his own insecurities.
"Syaoran-kun," he greeted. "It's good to see you. Gaia tells me you'll be coming with us."
Syaoran nodded. "Yes sir. I look forward to it."
Ryo cracked a weak smile. He found it humorous when n00bs called him "sir". Still, he was glad to have Syaoran with them on this mission. That is, if and when the transporter was fixed.
"Done," Chaud announced, lifting his visor. "Let's rock."
"Kai-san," Rei grabbed Kai's (Joe) scarf as he spoke. "I want to go this time. I want to go with you."
Kai looked at Rei, shocked. "Wha—? Are you sure?"
Rei nodded. Chaud cleared his throat.
"The transporter has a quick fix on it, nothing permanent. If it craps out again, I need to be here to fix it." Chaud was serious, and gave Kai a look. "And don't even say, 'I can fix it.' I'll slap you."
Ryo laid a hand on Kai's shoulder. "It'll be good experience for Rei."
Kai sighed. He seemed to think for a long time. Finally, he spoke.
"All right, fine," he said finally. "But I don't want him to leave my side, got it?"
Rei hugged Kai. Kai made a face, but kissed Rei's head when he thought no one was looking.
"What a haul," Bass said to Treble, surveying the mound of Heart Crystals he had. Treble barked in response. (NOTE: This Bass and Treble are from the original Megaman, BTW.)
Suddenly, Treble perked up. His radio crackled on, and Rikku's voice came through, loud and clear.
"Bass? Rikku. We have trouble; the AMGDI has mobilized finally. They're headed your way, so stop them at all costs. I'm going to be a little busy."
"Doing what?" the Dark Android asked, irritated.
"…I think I found one of them. I need to go pick her up. Rikku out." The radio crackled off.
Bass sighed, still irritated. "Well, boy, looks like we have some visitors to scrap. You ready to do some more damage?"
Treble growled in delight.
Ryo looked around, feeling his heart sink. He DID know this place…
Takuya, Syaoran, Rei and Kai looked around, and Kai immediately began setting out a search pattern. "Takuya, take Syaoran and head to the northeast, circling around towards the city centre. Me, Rei and Ryo will take the northwest, circling around to meet you. Take out any and all SoulHunters you find. And call for backup if anything comes up. Alright, let's go."
Ryo felt his stomach come up his throat, but followed Kai anyway, desperately hoping that they were still alive, still all right.
Takuya and Syaoran ran through the congested streets, searching for survivors, or SoulHunters, or something. But they found nothing. At least, not at first.
Coming into the city square, they found Bass and Treble waiting for them. The two boys stopped short as Bass transformed his arm into a Phase Cannon, and aimed it at the two boys.
"Well then," Bass snickered. "Let's dance."
Takuya gasped sharply, and shoved Syaoran out of the way, just in time. The plasma blast nicked Takuya's calf as he dove for cover. The young Stoneholder stifled a cry of pain, and clutched his injury, cursing silently.
Syaoran lifted his head, and saw Treble coming at them from above, fangs barred. Syaoran drew his sword quickly, and deflected the attack. Treble landed, and set up quickly for another attack. Syaoran blocked this one too, and kicked Treble away. Yelping in surprise, Treble flew into Bass, and both crashed into a nearby pile of rubble.
Syaoran helped Takuya to his feet. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. Takuya shook his head.
"Not really…but we don't have time to be worried about it. Let's get going." Takuya turned to run, but collapsed, yelling in pain. Syaoran caught him, and scooped Takuya onto his back.
"Not so fast!" Bass yelled, shooting out of the rubble. He flew straight at Syaoran and Takuya, but Takuya was ready. He held his hand out, and unleashed a fire blast.
Unable to dodge, Bass took the blast head-on. He grunted, and stumbled backwards, smoking. Takuya followed up with another blast, this one powered up. The fireball engulfed Bass and Treble, and Takuya was satisfied to hear yells of pain and anger. Syaoran stared, amazed.
"How…did you do that?" he asked.
"No talking! More running!" Takuya urged, and Syaoran ran off. Once they were a safe distance away, Takuya began explaining. "I'm a Stoneholder. The Stone of Fire I have lets me summon fire at will. I'm still trying to master it. It's a lot of work to use all that mana at once. That's why we have to keep running."
Syaoran nodded. "I see…"
A blast of air in front of them confirmed Takuya's worst fears—Bass had caught up, and was blocking off their escape.
Syaoran let Takuya dismount, and took a better grip on his sword. Takuya grabbed his D-Tector, and prepared to Spirit Evolve.
Bass chuckled. "So…you're the Stoneholder of Fire, huh? Not much to you. I could take you in my sleep." He stepped forward and Takuya used it as an opportunity to Spirit Evolve.
EXECUTE! SPIRIT EVOLUTION! AGUNIMON!!The Warrior of Fire stood tall, ready to take on Bass. Bass simply snorted, unimpressed.
"I have no idea why Rikku fell to you," he said. "I am far superior to him, anyway. No one has ever matched me. No one HUMAN, anyway." He levelled his Phase Cannon again.
Syaoran gripped his sword, waiting. He needed the right opportunity. Agunimon silently read Syaoran, and launched an attack.
"BURNING SALAMANDER!" he cried, unleashing a huge blast of fire. Bass turned, dodging the attack, but also leaving himself open. Syaoran attacked.
"PHOENIX SLASH!" His flaming sword cut through the Phase Cannon like it was made of butter. Bass cried out, angrily, and backhanded Syaoran. Syaoran grunted in pain as he impacted the asphalt. His sword flew out of his hand, and landed, blade down, in the road some 30 feet away.
Agunimon continued his attacks, but Bass blocked them all with one hand. He grabbed the Digimon's hand, and threw him into a pile of rubble, almost as if he was a rag doll.
Syaoran pulled himself to his feet, painfully. He saw his sword, and made a mad dash for it. But Bass landed in front of him, cutting him off. Syaoran gasped sharply, and braced himself. Bass punched the boy in the gut, and then slammed his elbow into the boy's shoulder blades. Syaoran hit the pavement, coughing up blood.
Agunimon ran to Syaoran, furious. "PYRO TORNADO!" he cried, unleashing a large twister of fire at Bass. Bass merely closed his eyes, and stopped the fire with one hand. The flames died without even touching the android.
Both Syaoran and Agunimon gasped, shocked. Bass was so strong!
Syaoran's hand trembled. He felt a power welling up inside of him, fuelled by his rage. His sword began to glow faintly.
"Pathetic," Bass spat, slamming Agunimon to the ground. Unable to withstand much more, Takuya De-evolved, and lay on the ground, gasping. Bass stood on Takuya's chest, laughing.
Syaoran had had enough. He rose to his feet, and ripped off his gloves. He didn't even notice the dark green stone embedded in his hand. He snatched his sword, and suddenly, the blade glowed bright green. Syaoran stared, amazed.
Bass turned, shocked. "What?!" he yelled angrily.
Syaoran dashed at Bass, and slashed at him. Bass leapt back, grinning in an almost deranged manor.
"Missed!" he cried. But then, he realized that Syaoran had, indeed, hit him. A huge gash tore open in his chest, and split wires sparked angrily. Bass gasped, landing unsteadily.
Syaoran closed his eyes. The green battle aura around him grew stronger. He slammed the blade of his sword into the ground, and yelled his attack.
"ARBOUR OVERGROTH!" he cried. At first, there was nothing. Bass laughed harshly.
"Is that it?" he asked. But suddenly, the ground under him began to collapse. He gasped, and tried to get away, but the growth of many trees stopped him, tangling him in their unbreakable grasp.
Syaoran took his stance, and his aura morphed into the form of a large bear. He rushed Bass, calling Bass' death call.
"JADE BEAR CLAW!" Syaoran cried, slashing. He almost seemed to go right through Bass. Landing on the other side, he sheathed his sword, and waited.
Bass' eyes got very wide, and he suddenly broke in half along the cut Syaoran had made. Wires sparked violently, and oil splattered across the trees that held him. Bass' eyes ceased to glow, and he slumped forward, permanently offline.
Syaoran fell over, utterly exhausted. Takuya pulled himself over to Syaoran, and leaned against him heavily.
"That was…intense." Takuya smiled. "Welcome to the team, Syaoran," he said, holding out his hand.
Syaoran stared, amazed, and then took his hand, gratefully. The two boys smiled.
"Say," Takuya said suddenly. "Didn't he have a dog?"
Treble suddenly leapt at the boys, teeth barred, ready to tear them apart for the death of his master. The two boys screamed, unable to help themselves.
Without warning, Treble was slammed from the side with a bass guitar, and flew into the side of a nearby building. Looking up, Takuya was greeted by the sight of a tall boy with blond hair, holding his guitar in the position it had been in when it hit Treble. The boy's cerulean eyes blazed, and his black shirt billowed in the wind.
"Back off, mutt. You and your owner did enough damage already."
Takuya stared, wide-eyed at his savoir. "Who…who are you?" he stammered, stunned.
The boy lowered his guitar, and smiled.
"Yamato. But everyone calls me Matt."
NEXT CHAPTER: Ryo races to save his old friends. But is he too late? And who is Rikku looking for? And when Rikku pulls his idea of a joke on Matt, is he able to cope? Plus, will the mysterious ninja ever be identified? With the SoulHunters attacks growing in frequency, will the AMGDI even be able to keep up? Or will someone break down? All in Chapter 4: "Friendship Burns! Daijob!"