The Shattered Blade
Chapter IV: An Interruption
Zero stretched his arms and legs. After eating as much as he did, a good stretch was required. He gathered his thoughts and turned to his audience.
"As you know…the name I go by is Zero. I've been chosen by the Dark Dragon herself to find fourteen shards of the Dark Dragon Blade, scattered when the blade was destroyed two and a half years ago…"
He made to continue when a rather loud ringing noise sounded through his mind. His left hand shot to his forehead as he winced in pain. His eyes closed…but rather than the darkness that permeates all vision in such moments…images flashed through his mind.
A girl, held by a much larger man.
A woman, being pulled aside, clothing being torn off.
A little boy, slipping out of the grasp of his captive and fleeing.
A man, familiar, stopping the other from giving chase.
Zero dropped to his knees.
"Zero-san!" Kasumi hopped to her feet, approaching the youth…when the ring around his right arm began glowing.
Fear…Tiamat? Fear…sorrow…desperation…and lots of it…Tia what are you talking about? Something…familiar…is coming. Balcony…go to the balcony.
Not saying anything, but still holding his forehead, Zero shuffled over to the balcony…his vision flashed and suddenly he was seeing multiple colors, along with strange black lines covering the multitude of people walking by.
The Eyes of the Death God…Tia, why did this suddenly happen? Look down…
He did so, and saw something unusual. Where most people had glowing blue, red, or grey bodies, one, a small figure, glowed purple.
I feel…myself…Zero, someone down there has a shard…it's small, and weak, but it's feeding off of their negative feelings…but the strange thing is…those feelings are MUCH stronger than they should be…
Should we go see? I mean, the Ring is acting weird as well…It might be a resonance reaction…if it is…it might be able to help us track the other pieces…
Yeah, but for now, we have to find out what's causing this…it's not much of a drop…You can make it.
Zero nodded and hopped onto the railing.
"O-Oi! What are you doing?!"
He looked back, a strange, blank look on his face.
"I don't know…but something is calling me…us…it feels…important. I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait for your answers…"
Before anyone could react, he slipped off the railing. Kasumi reached out but missed him. He dropped a few feet and then flipped. He landed softly. His eyes, still enhanced, tracked the purple glow. Ryu and Hayate leapt after him, taking to the rooftops. The others took the doorway.
Suddenly his eyes dropped out of their enhanced state. He saw the one that the purple glow belonged to.
"Kenji?"
The little boy with dark brown hair turned. "Z-Zero-nii?"
"Kenji…what's-
The boy ran into Zero's legs, clutching him. "Zero-nii! Mama, Mikoto-neechan!"
"Whoa, hold on, what's wrong?"
"Papa…he…he's going to do something bad to Nee-chan and Mama!"
Tch, figures…I knew I didn't like that guy for a reason. The shard…it's become empowered…
(BGM: Wild Arms Complete Soundtrack – World of Loudening Screams)
"Kenji, listen to me…I need you to tell me, was Mikoto still wearing her pendant?"
"Y-yes. I've still got mine too! But…but how is that going to help?"
Tia, can you? They are siblings…and if her shard has become active as well…theoretically, I SHOULD be able to use that as a conduit and enter her mind…though I would no longer be in yours…
It doesn't matter. I need you to keep her calm for now. Go to her, Kenji will lead me to you. It shall be done.
The ring flared with light for a moment…and then Zero felt an empty space.
"Kenji, Tiamat's gone to your sister. I need you to take me as close as possible to them; can you do that for me?"
"You're going to save Mama and Mikoto-neechan?"
"Yes…yes I am." Dammit, why does shit like this keep popping up?
"Zero-san!"
Zero looked back and saw Kasumi and the others racing to him. He stood up solemnly as Kenji slid behind his legs.
"Kasumi…something important has come up…I might need your help."
He used my name…
"H-hai! What is it you need of me, Zero-san?"
"Come with me for now…I'll explain when we reach our destination."
She nodded and Zero turned back to the little boy. "Lead the way Kenji."
"She's not struggling…good, that means Tiamat was able to calm her down…" Zero activated his second sight again. "But they've got your mother pinned…we'll have to act swiftly, and without incident…"
He blinked, and turned to those gathered behind him on the roof near the alleyway. "I don't, however, like the way her captor's hands keep sneaking towards Mikoto's sensitive spots…"
I'm sorry Zero, there's not much I can do right now…She still kept up her Karate lessons right? "Yes…why?" Gimme a sec…I think I got something…
"Alright, here's the plan…we'll need a distraction. Something completely unexpected, and something that wont put either Mikoto or Yuki-san in danger…"
Smoke bombs… What? Ask the ninjas if they have any smoke bombs… That could work…
"Anyone have any smoke bombs on them?"
Kasumi shook her head sadly, Ayane cursed at her forgetfulness; Hayate looked down, but Ryu…
"How many would you need?"
Thinking quickly, Zero responded.
"Three. Two for the plan, one for insurance."
"Insurance?"
"It's simple. I launch a smoke bomb near Mikoto's captor. Tiamat takes her over for a little bit and breaks her free. As Mikoto is leaving I toss the second near Yuki-san and stun her attacker…Kasumi."
"Hai!"
"I've seen a few of your matches. What's the range of that little teleporting trick of yours?"
"Ten feet…twenty if I push myself."
"How many times can you do it?"
"About five, before I have to rest. I haven't had the chance to increase my stamina or else…"
"Five will be fine…alright, when that second bomb goes off, I need you to 'port in, grab Yuki, and get out."
"What about you?!" I'll be fine, just worry about your part.
Ayane piped up. "Why don't we just kill the bastards and get it over with?"
(BGM: Shin Onimusha Dawn of Dreams – Hideyoshi's Decisive Battle)
"Because if their bodies are found, the authorities will know it to be ninjas, and will start hunting. Shikato is part of a very influential company…not DOATEC level, but close. No…we should avoid deaths if possible…"
"Zero! They've cut off mother's shirt!"
"Fuck…we're out of time. Hayabusa!"
Ryu handed him the three smoke bombs. "Gods above and Gods below…guide my hand…"
He hurled the first smoke bomb. It made a loud banging noise and a grey cloud engulfed the alley.
"What the hell?!"
Now! Mikoto let her mind go, and Tiamat took over. However, unlike the possession of Zero, since Tiamat wasn't bonded to the black haired girl, she could only do what Mikoto's natural abilities allowed for. Thus, using the surprise of the smoke bomb's detonation, she slammed her right heel onto Mikoto's captive's foot. The man released the girl, and Tiamat whirled Mikoto's body around and delivered a palm strike to his nose, followed by a low kick to his left leg, and then a spin kick to his chest, knocking him down.
Clear! Go for it Zero!
Zero hurled the second smoke bomb. Seconds after, both he and Kasumi took off from their positions. Zero, using his second sight, locked on to his target, a man maybe a foot taller than him, on the verge of violating Yuki. He grabbed the man by the back of his shirt, surprising the target. Zero quickly slammed his foot into the back of the taller man's leg. With that maneuver, his target fell backwards, stunned by the follow-up; a heel to his chest.
While Zero was handling the thug, Kasumi slipped in, grabbed Yuki, and the two of them made short hops out. Kasumi and her charge safely made it back to the rooftop, where Hitomi gave the older woman her jacket, which was gratefully put on.
The smoke cleared.
"Damn…I should have known you would find some way to interfere…"
Zero spoke in a tone none present save the Dark Dragon had heard.
"But of course. When such actions are taken…I cannot just stand idly by…"
"Tch…you cost me a good deal of money brat."
"Oh really? And how, pray tell, did you plan on getting money out of having your wife and daughter raped?"
The elder man laughed.
"Oh that was just some fun for the boys. You see, Yuki is quite well off…it's why I married her. The whole plan was to get to her, have her meet some…unfortunate accident…and claim her money for myself. It's a pity you had to screw up my first plan however."
First plan…wait…
"So you were the one behind their kidnapping."
"Yeah. And it would have worked perfectly too if you didn't stick your nose into shit. The brats would have been gotten rid of, the bitch would have 'died of grief' and I'd be a lot richer."
The way the elder man so casually talked about it struck a cord in Zero's mind.
"Akira Yamaguchi…wanted in five different provinces for the murder of upwards of twenty different women…"
The man's eyes narrowed. "How the hell did you figure that out?"
"It all makes sense. The problem with people like you is that there's always a trail. Your scheme was to create an identity, capture the heart of a successful woman, lead her to her demise, and reap the rewards…"
"There's one flaw in your theory…where would all the money go?"
"The company you work for. They have their hands in the underground, so why not use your channels through your own company to find a secure area to hold multiple funds? Stage your own death after it gets too hazy…then take another identity and start all over again."
"You're pretty smart for a kid…too smart for your own good. I don't know how you managed to get the brats away, but you're not leaving here alive."
Flanked by his two cohorts, Shikato, or rather, Akira, pulled out a pocket knife.
Shit, Zero! Stay with Mikoto! I can handle this!
Unfortunately, things wouldn't go so easily.
"You bastard!"
From behind Zero, Mikoto charged her step-father. Gah! What the fuck?! Tiamat what are you doing?! It's not me! She's wrenched control away from me, I can't hold her back!
The man sidestepped her initial strike, only to fall prey to the follow up attack. The other two ran at Zero. The one that was once holding Mikoto swung his left fist, which was deflected to the side by Zero. He countered with a solid punch to the man's stomach, followed by a knee to his face, which was turned into a spinning jump kick to his head.
Dammit…looks like my fears were just…I've relied too much on the presence of the Dark Dragon to enhance my abilities…Tiamat! Stop trying to hold her back; you'll just get her hurt or worse! Focus on helping her!
I'll try, but there's not much I can do. At the most I can give her a few bursts of energy…but…her body isn't trained to resist the side effects of my power, she won't hold out very long.
Zero ducked under the other man's swing, retaliating with an uppercut to the chin, followed by ten rapid alternating punches to his chest, ending with a spin kick to the face.
What's her limit? Fifteen, no Twenty. Twenty-one max. Fine, when she's about to get hit, or when there's a definite opening, boost her. When you hit twenty, I don't care if you have to knock her unconscious, use the last boost to get her out of there! Alright, I'll try.
The others were watching the fight.
"Dammit why aren't we helping?!"
"Because we cannot be seen. His intention to keep from killing complicates matters. If we are spotted, and our observers not silenced, we might become hunted for attacking a supposedly upstanding citizen."
Ayane scoffed. "Fucking politics…"
Kenji was holding onto his mothers hand tightly. Come on nee-chan, Zero-niisan…you can do it!
SHIT!
Zero dropped his guard for a moment too long and was being held in a strangle hold from behind. He struggled, trying to get free. Dammit! That's it, when I'm done with this shit; I'm going back to training!
His mind flashed back to one of the lessons his 'sister' gave him.
"Manly or not, when you're fighting for your life you use whatever you have to in order to survive!"
Whatever it takes…tch…well, the upside is I have a cool reason to do this…instincts of the Dark Dragon and all…
Zero nudged his head forward slightly…and slammed his teeth down on his captor's arm. The man yelled out in pain and Zero swung his head back, releasing the man's arm, but slamming the back of his head into his captor's nose. Whirling around, he smashed his fist into the left side of the thug's face, following with his right fist directly into the man's nose.
However, his focus on the one made him loose track of the other. A swift punch to the back of Zero's head disoriented him greatly, which was capitalized on by him being lifted and thrown into a far wall.
FUCK! Ahaaa…god that sucked…
"Wait...shit…"
Zero got a view of what was happening with Mikoto's fight. Akira looked quite bruised, while Mikoto's dress was in tatters from near hits and wide swings…however…she was at her limits. The fourteen-year-old girl was felled by a backhand to the face, followed by the elder grabbing her by the hair and throwing her into a wall as well.
"Damn little bitch…looks like I'll get to have you dead anyway!"
He flicked out the knife and started towards her.
Everything seemed to slow down…
(BGM: Chrono Trigger Back 2 Skala OC Remix)
Kasumi made to move, but Ayane was faster. She leapt off the roof.
Zero's eyes widened. Mikoto…dammit…I need…I need to stop him… He didn't see Ayane…Tiamat did…but knew the purple haired girl wouldn't make it in time.
Zero's mind once again flashed back to a lesson from his 'sister.'
"Energy is all around us. Where it comes from…how it's made…why it exists, nobody knows. But I can tell you this…it surrounds us. It's in the food we eat, the liquids we drink…the air we breathe. You can do this. All you have to do is feel the energy within you, around you…once you do, it's simple to manipulate it."
"But I've tried everything! Dammit it's just not working."
"Come on, when have you been the type to give up?! If I can do this you can! You keep forgetting…you've got a greater output than even I do. You have massive potential; you just have to work for it."
All around us…if Lynn was right…if energy is indeed everywhere…then it collects…it gathers and saturates. And a saturated object can be manipulated…and if an object exists…it can be destroyed. And destruction is basically the same thing as death…
Unconsciously his second sight activated. Only this time was different.
Tiamat said the second level of the Eyes of the Death God can see the 'deaths' of inanimate objects…if there really is a bunch of energy gathered in the air…then its basically become an intangible inanimate object…and if that's the case…
His eyes, now silver, flashed. A jagged spiked looking ring appeared within the silver irises. The world changed color. His mind, focused on seeing the energy within the air, making it heavy and semi-solid, creating an inanimate object, made his eyes see the currents of the winds. He raised his left arm to his right shoulder, grasping the air as if holding something. Unknown to him, he had subconsciously summoned the Kitetsu from its resting place.
The energy in the wind merges with the particles that create air, making it visible to those with trained senses. If I can just see this fusion…
A flicker of black crossed his vision. A black streak flashed in the air. Ayane grew closer to the two, her hand reaching into her outfit for the shuriken she always held there…but she was too late.
"DIE!"
Mikoto, paralyzed by fear and fatigue stared horrified as her step-father pulled his arm back. The two thugs eyes widened in horror as the demonic blade in Zero's hands flared red.
Zero slashed his arm, holding the Kitetsu, down along the direction where he saw the black line. The energy around the blade cut through the random amounts of energy within the air and dissipated it. However, that caused a vacuum of wind to surge forth. The Kitetsu's own energy permeated the vacuum, forming the displaced air into a crescent shaped wave of light that rocketed away from Zero's position.
Ayane saw the flare of red light and rolled to the side, after a moment of shock.
The wave sliced through the two thugs like they were nothing, tossing them back from the force of the displaced air surrounding the wave and then moments later segmenting their bodies in two. Their blood sprayed along the alleyway's ground.
Akira froze in mid step, noticing the flare of red light out of the corner of his eyes. He immediately jumped back, narrowly evading the crescent wave itself, but still being hit by the vacuum created from its passing. The wave slammed into a wall and dissipated, but the winds fanned out and kicked up a great deal of dust, along with shredding the metal trash bins nearby.
Dear…gods!
Everyone stared at the destruction made by the new attack. The point of impact was splintered horribly and everything nearby was ripped to shreds. It wasn't until a solid smacking noise did everyone snap back to their senses.
Zero, gaining his second wind, slammed the hilt of the Kitetsu into Akira's face. He swung his blade, creating another crescent wave, only this one much weaker, that slammed into Akira and smashed him into a wall where this time EVERYONE saw something shatter around him.
"I already lost one sister…I'm NOT losing another!"
The ring of shards around his wrist flared to life and quickly made the claw. The claw reached for Akira, and then fired its gathered power impacting and ripping the man to atoms instantly, not even giving him time to scream.
Tiamat flowed through the links back to Zero's mind. Zero turned around, sheathed his blade, and then banished it back into the sub-space pocket Tiamat created for it. Not moments after that, Mikoto ran to him and pulled him into a tight hug, which he happily returned. Ayane pulled back, watching. The others hopped down from their observation spots. Kenji ran to his sister and grabbed on to her as Yuki slowly approached, helped by Kasumi and Hitomi.
Lei Fang placed her hand on Zero's shoulder. "Nice moves."
Zero shook his head. "I'm too weak…I should be stronger than that…my stupidity almost cost Mikoto her life…"
Mikoto blinked at that. "What are you talking about? You saved my life! A second time I might add."
Zero looked away. "I had a feeling…and it turns out I was correct…I've been relying too much on the Dark Dragon for her support. True, I can handle myself rather well in a fight without her, but to have to provide support for others…I'm still too weak…"
Ryu clasped Zero's shoulder as well. "Which is what makes you the perfect wielder of the Dark Dragon."
Zero looked up, confused.
"You realize the consequences of using its power too much. You've also come to understand that without its power, you are not as strong. You have proven yourself to be far more worthy of wielding the Dark Dragon than others, for you have understood these truths, and not become a slave to the power."
As much as I hate to admit it, Hayabusa is correct. Everyone else who wielded my power was consumed by it, believing that they were invincible, a god even. They lusted for more of it, thus they created more chaos and carnage for me to draw from…but you…you understand the difference between you with my power and you without. You willingly use my power, but you do not overuse it. And you also realize that you have your limits when I'm not around. Those who lost access to my power before you, they were unprepared for their weakened states…while you anticipated it slightly. Your sister was right…you do have massive potential.
"I guess…still, I need more training before I feel ready to do something like that again…"
Yuki approached. "Zero-sama…"
"Yuki-san…how many times have I told you not to call me that? I'm not that special."
"You've saved my family twice now; I shall call you as I wish."
"Guh…well…shit…I can't…really argue with that…"
"Please…if there is any way I can thank you…"
"Seeing you three alive and relatively unharmed is thanks enough for me…"
She shook her head. "I still feel that I owe you…"
Annoyed, Ayane cut in.
"You still owe us those answers."
"Oh yeah…I was about to explain when this started wasn't I…"
"Hey! You can use our house!"
"Wha-huh?"
"Mikoto is right…our garden is more than big enough for you and your friends Zero-sama. Please…it is not very far from here…it is the least I can do for interrupting your business."
Zero sighed in defeat. "Alright…as long as they don't mind waiting a bit longer."
The others agreed to the deal. Yuki smiled.
"Good, now with that settled, lets leave this place…"
Again, everyone agreed. Hayate and Ryu 'ported up to the rooftops after stating they would follow from afar to make sure nobody suspicious trails them. Everyone else followed Yuki.
Lynn…thank you…
Alright, originally this chapter was to be longer, but…well…now I gotta think of how the Garden is gonna look… If the chapter looks a bit…choppy and uncoordinated at points, that's due to me waiting too damn long to start writing it and all the information slipping out of my head.
DoA Fan: Go watch a few anime with tomboyish girls in it. That's how I view Ayane. She sounds like she speaks like an American highschool student, but that's only because your reading English. It would basically be the same thing in Japanese just…different sounding.
You'd be right. This is an original storyline taking place in the DoA universe, so if it looks a bit strange, that's why. As such, it will include mentions of, objects and ideals from other media (not too much though). Mostly though, I'm aiming to keep it in universe. Meaning if I throw something in that's far out there, there will be a massive logical explanation for it.
As for the clone thing, it's all based in realism. For a gameplay mechanic, they didn't give her projectiles or anything like that, but in realism, she'd be much faster and stronger than both Ayane and Kasumi. Remember, I only showed the point where they showed up where Zero was. Nothing was stopping them from having the upper hand during that entire fight up until it knocked them into that part of the tower. This whole story, along with many of my others, will include moments where you have to think outside of what's shown.
As for GS class…it depends on how you view things. He WILL become insanely powerful, more so than the DoA characters, I mean he DOES have the Dark Dragon backing him. However he's not a ninja, he was a normal kid who had a few interesting moments in life before he got the first shard and started his "quest". Most of his enhanced abilities, as shown in this chapter, stem from the Dark Dragon. Without it he's only as strong as his training leads. He's not gonna go around WTFPWNING everything he comes across though, even when more shards are acquired. The ninjas do their thing, the other characters do their thing, and Zero does his thing. His ultimate goal has very little to do with the main characters of DoA, so when it comes down to his consistant allies being only a few people, you'll understand why.
He can't do everything…though I AM planning on giving him the ability to fly eventually…I kinda have to, it's my greatest wish in reality, and I reflect it upon all of my characters. But it's not like he'll be the only one getting stronger. There have been hints and openings for the current cast to grow more powerful, most specifically the wonder twins as you called them. Trust me when I say you'll find reasons to keep reading.
By the way, you got an e-mail address or something? You'd get your answers a lot faster, and it'd shorten my author's notes considerably. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but I don't want someone to bitch about my chapters containing too much AN and not enough story…
Darkness in light54: Oh? And what is it that you figured out?