Disclaimer: See Chapter One. I'm too lazy to write another. It's too troublesome.
All my other stories are up for adoption. Take them if you want to. Just give credit where it is due is all I ask. This one is not. I'm back after who the hell knows how long. I'm active duty in the U.S. Air Force, so I don't have much time to write as I'm exhausted most days. HOWEVER, I will finish this one after I start.
This story will take place after the events of the Valley of the End battle, and proceed from there. If you don't like that, then why the hell are you reading this?
I HATE my job. I usually pass out after work. If you are still reading this story, thank you for waiting on my dumb ass. For your infinite patience, you will receive a genetically altered super-fox that will attack anyone you order it to. Please allow 2-5 weeks for delivery. Thanks.
WTF?! It's official. Kishimoto is killing the series. Giving Sasuke the Eternal Mangekyo! What The Hell?! The entire series has become Sasuke-centric. He is insanely powerful in canon now, and Naruto can't even use Rasenshuriken without getting his arm royally fucked unless he's in sage mode...but to use that, he has to stay still as a statue! I mean, why not just rename the series "Sasuke" instead of "Naruto"? The way the series is headed, Naruto is going to become the major antagonist, because he keeps trying to get Sasuke to go back to Konoha. Sasuke needs to just die, plain and simple.
I mean, why not just kill Naruto off already? He's gotten nothing, the training he went through with Jiraiya did nothing to Naruto's character, or his power. All that changed was his height, and his goddamn clothes! True, he did need to lower the amount of orange, but then his clothes weren't even changed completely. Sasuke got a complete overhaul on everything, and Naruto didn't get shit. If I wanted to know about Sasuke, I'd read a manga called "Sasuke", not "Naruto!!!" Seriously, "Naruto" should be about the title character but Masashi Kishimoto CAN'T UNDERSTAND THAT ABOUT SOMETHING HE CREATED HIMSELF!
He's made Naruto into nothing but a filler-character, Heck, the ONLY part of the recent stuff in the manga that DIDN'T revolve around someone with "Uchiha" as they're last name was Pain's invasion. Seriously, why not just change the name of the anime and the manga to "Sasuke" for how much it follows Naruto's exploits as opposed to Sasuke's? Its annoying as hell! Masashi Kishimoto really is a fanboy, I think he even has WET DREAMS about Sasuke!
...On the other hand, Naruto meeting Killer Bee. That will be interesting. Yes, I am anti-Sasuke. If you have a problem, there is a PM button.
Flamers will be torched by a flamethrower, as your flames will just give me ammunition.
I have a beta for this story. (FINALLY!) The lucky volunteer is Dylan Millwood. Please give him your regards. MWHAHAHAHAHAHA….*cough* I gotta work on my maniacal laughter.
Anyway, just an FYI: Sol's "Infernal Torment" is an Original Technique, so don't whine about how its not cannon for his attacks or whatever, I can't give Naruto/Ky ALL the good stuff. Who do you think I am? Kishimoto?!
Remember this is an AU of Guilty Gear, so I won't be going word for word by the games.
On with the story!
Types of font used:
Normal
Thoughts
DEMONS/GODS/ATTACKS/JUTSU
Chapter Five: Tourniquet
Location Unknown……
Ky woke up, and yawned. The Knights of the Holy Order were camped in what was dubbed "The Sacred Land". Somewhere out here, in what was once a country called Italy, Justice was holed up, weakened from her retreat at London, ten days prior.
As he got dressed, he began to reflect on the war.
"Has it really been 100 years since this all began?"
He shook his head, before walking out of his tent into the early dawn. He passed by soldiers gearing up and packing for the march south. Grasping the Thunderseal, he heads for his horse.
"COMMANDER!!! JUSTICE HAS BEEN SIGHTED!" someone roared.
Ky's head snapped to him.
"Where?!" he asked. The soldier shook at the anger in Ky's eyes.
"Rome. Or what's left of it." another soldier said.
Ky's eyes widened. the Thunderseal shook in his hand, as sparks coursed up and down the blade.
"The Holy City? Is it…?"
"It's gone sir. Justice destroyed it with the remnants of her army." the soldier said.
"That's it! Today, the Crusades end, one way or another!"
"MEN! For 100 years, we have fought a bloody war against The Scourge of Humanity.
Today, we end it, ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!" Ky bellowed. The men cheered.
"Move out and make way for Rome! Come nightfall, we will fight one last time and this time, WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS!!!" he yelled.
The men cheered once more at their commanders words. The army packed up and prepared to march. Eventually, the army began its march, Ky leading the way.
Rome, Italy, 5p.m…..
"Ahhhhh. I love the smell of carnage." Justice exclaimed, as the sun began to fall. All around her, Rome lie in ruins. Her army rested around her, preparing for battle.
KABOOOOOM!!!
A huge explosion occurred to the east, a huge dust cloud obscuring the view. Justice snapped her amber eyes to the sight. Geysers of flame shot into the sky, as the screams of Gears filled the air.
"The Holy Knights here already!? It can't be!"
Explosions occurred in a path that kept getting closer to her. Eventually, her gaze came to rest on a brown haired man in red and white. Her eyes widened at the sword in the man's hands.
"Fireseal!! An Outrage here!?"
The man smirked. He cracked his neck, before setting his sights on Justice. His crimson eyes bore into hers, sending chills down the Gear Commander's spine.
He struck out, with a kick to her face. Justice brought her tail up to block, lashing out with a claw. The man ducked, before slashing her with Fireseal. Justice grasped the sword, barely holding it off.
"His strength is inhuman. It's comparable to Ken Kiske and Kliff Undersyn."
She pushed the blade away, making the man stumble back. She thrust a claw forward towards his heart. He regained his footing and sidestepped the claw.
"VOLCANIC VIPER!!!"
Pain was all Justice felt, as she was launched up into the air, engulfed in flame. The man jumped up after her and launched a flurry of punches on her body, before he heel kicked her to earth. Justice groaned, as she got up. She glared at the man, fury coursing in her veins.
"HOW DARE YOU!!! IMPUDENT HUMAN!!! I WILL CRUSH YOU LIKE THE INSECT YOU ARE!!!" she bellowed, dashing at the man. Her right claw turned into a sword. She brought it to bear. The two blades locked, sparks flying as they ground against one another.
Hatred was seen in Justice's eyes. Hatred for this human. Hatred for what he represented. Hatred for what his kind has done. Hatred for enslaving her kind.
"Well no more! All of humanity will be cleansed from this Earth!!!"
As for the man, his eyes were filled with glee. A psychotic smile graced his face.
"This is getting good. However you're holding back." the man said.
"I DON'T NEED MY FULL POWER TO KILL YOU!" Justice roared.
"Fine. Then you die." the man said, as he stabbed Fireseal into the rubble.
"DRAGON INSTALL!!!"
The man was enveloped in crimson energy as he grasped Fireseal.
"INFERNAL TORMENT!!!!"
The man grinned evilly, before the area erupted in fire and, to Justice's surprise, magma.
"COME ON!!!" he roared. In the blink of an eye, he was upon her.
Justice blocked, only to be engulfed in flames. She growled.
"ENOUGH!!!" she roared, swatting him away with her tail. He went flying into a half collapsed building. Her shoulder pads opened up, and white energy gathered. It crackled like lightning.
The man stumbled out, dusting himself off. When he looked at Justice, only two words rang in his head.
"Hell yeah!"
"YOU WANTED FULL POWER!? THEN TAKE IT ALLLLLL!!!! GAMMA RAY, FIRE!!!" Justice roared, launching a massive blast of energy.
The man ran full speed ahead at the blast. He was engulfed in flame.
"GRAND VIPER!!!" he bellowed, as he flew at the blast.
The two attacks collided in a massive explosion which could be seen for miles.
Five miles from Rome, Ky gaped as he saw the massive explosion in the distance.
"MEN, HURRY!! THE FIGHTING HAS BEGUN!!!" he yelled, as the army double-timed it.
Something in Ky's mind had everything Justice had caused flashed through his mind and his appearance began changing and he moved faster then the rest of his men. Soon leaving them in the dust.
The Battlefield…..
Sol raised his sword and leapt into the air. Fire encircled him as he came at the commander gear.
"GRAND VIPER!!"
Justice watched the ball of fire coming straight at her. But rather than move, Justice remained right where she was. When Sol got close enough, Justice released a thick ball of energy that exploded on the fiery warrior. Sol was blown back, but somehow rolled up to his feet. However, Justice decided to attack and slashed out with her razor-sharp claws. Sol ducked back, avoiding it completely, but Justice slashed again and with this one, he wasn't as lucky. The blow slashed at his arm. Enraged, Sol quickly stabbed his sword into the ground.
"GUN FLAME!!!"
Justice was caught in the flame and howled.
Sol simply grumbled as Justice let out an electrified slash and got him along the back. Sol was blown away by the force of power and Justice took advantage by slashing Sol across the chest. Screaming in agony, Sol slid down to the ground. Justice then leapt again, ready to finish Sol when a blade blocked his attack.
"I...didn't ask...for your help...boy."
Ky had moved over Sol and blocked the attack. Sol managed to look up at his savior, only to be disgusted by whom it was.
Ky continued to hold Justice back. He now sported what looked like claws on both his hands. his canines had also lengthened and turned into fangs while his whisker-marks grew more pronounced. His eyes had been the greatest change as his once soulful blue eyes had changed becoming blood red with an animalistic black slit for the pupil and black rings formed around his eyes and his lips turned pitch black. Ky turned his head and gave Sol a one-eyed death glare as he pushed against Justice with his sword.
"Sol...I don't care. This scourge is an enemy to us both and escaped both of us last time due to a petty disagreement. If we truly want to end this, it'd be better if we fought our common enemy then it would if we aimed our swords at one another."
Sol looked at the knight strangely.
'Hmph, perhaps you're not the spoiled brat, I thought you were.'
He then looked at Justice and knew it would take power beyond what the two possessed individually to stand a chance against the Gear.
Ky must have been thinking along the same lines because he and Sol leaped up into the air together, energies swirling around.
"DRAGON INSTALL!! GRAND VIPER!!!"
"RIDE THE LIGHTNING!!!"
The two energies smashed into Justice and exploded, causing her to plummet back to the Earth. All four bodies hit the ground, Ky and Sol didn't fall as hard and were able to rise. Unfortunately, so was Justice and she was really ticked off.
"Infidels! You are both dead!"
Ky faced her once again and Sol did likewise. Ky took a brief look at Sol.
'I never thought I would be teamed up with him. But there isn't any other choice.'
Sol noticed his glance.
"Don't even think about getting the wrong idea."
Ky looked back, as the lightning around his Thunderseal sword crackled to life. "Don't worry. The thought is far from my mind."
Sol looked at Justice, his own Fireseal brimming with flames. "Let's get this over with."
Justice merely beckoned the two warriors and they charged, lightning and fire as one.
Both warriors leaped at the Commander-Gear. Sol was in the lead, so he took the first shot, bearing his Fireseal down. Justice merely blocked the strike and brushed him aside in order to confront Ky. However, Ky didn't strike down and stopped in mid-air.
"STUN EDGE!!"
Justice chuckled as she deflected the thunderbolt, but Sol was already moving into his next attack, rebounding off the floor, jumping back into a boulder and flying at full speed with his leg stretched out. Justice caught the boot in the face and stumbled back. Taking advantage, Sol landed and spin in the air with another kick, landing him again and causing him to back away further. Sol was ready for another attack, but Justice recovered too quickly.
"You trash!"
Justice grabbed Sol's head as he was coming and prepared to smash it down when a slash caused him to drop him. Ky had come to Sol's aid and slashed Vengeance in the side. Sol took to the advantage once again and Ky drove in as well.
"VOLCANIC VIPER!!!"
"VAPOR THRUST!!!"
The two rising attacks slashed Justice across. For safe measure, Sol kicked her downward after initiating the attack. Justice slammed into the ground with Ky and Sol landed softly nearby.
"Is that all? You two have really no idea what you're up against."
In an instant, Justice swooped upward, arms folded and no damage what-so-ever. Ky half gasped while Sol merely gritted his teeth. Justice then gave a sudden charge of energy and she bent down. Before they could figure out what she was doing, another surge erupted and the bio-mechanical plates on Justice's shoulders opened up and filled with incredible energy.
"YYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
The energy came in the form of a massive wave of pure energy, engulfing both warriors and shredding much of the landscape. The plates closed and Justice reveled in the damage. A giant cinder marked it way across the ground and there was no sign of the two combatants she was fighting. But before she could believe them dead, two forms arose from out of the rubble, both extremely wounded and battered. Sol glared at the gear as trails of fire began to surround and encircle him.
"So it's like that. Well then..."
Sol crossed his arms and a surge of energy filled him, making him glow in red. He then shot his arms out and the flames surrounding him erupted and shimmered around him. Without warning, Sol charged, faster than before and slammed the butt of the Fireseal in Justice's face. Landing on the ground, Sol gave her a sharp kick and sent her straight into the air. Sol followed and began to barrage him with a series of brutal attacks. But before Sol could do any more, Justice grab his arm as he went for the finishing strike.
"As I said. You are trash!"
Justice smashed her knee into Sol's gut, causing him to gasp in pain. Then Justice whipped her tail around his body and plummeted down, smashing flame-using swordsmen straight into the ground. Justice looked on as the red glow around Sol faded away and blood was oozing out of the wound caused by the knee strike.
"And then there was one." she taunted as she looked over to Ky. Ky raised his blade in anticipation.
Ky lowered his arms and a brief swirl of red energy surrounded him. Ky knew he had to work fast for this to work. He jumped up and raised his sword to look as though he was going to slice downward. However, he suddenly dash in mid-air and wound up behind the gear. Ky landed on the ground and jumped again as Vengeance turned around, blade charged with lightning again.
"GREED SERVER!!!"
Justice however, sidestepped the attack and slashed out with her claws. Ky was slashed right in the shoulder and sent rolling back. However, he quickly made his way to his feet and Justice stalked closer to him.
'My energy is draining fast. It's now or never.'
As soon as Justice came in range, Ky lent out a powerful slash, lighting ripping across Justice's face and causing her to reel back. Ky saw she was stunned and quickly grasped the Thunderseal with both hands.
"Now I'll show you the way of the lightning! RISING…..FORCE!!!!"
The incredible power struck out with such power and speed that the floor ripped apart at its use. But Justice, somehow, awoke from her stun and quickly blocked the attack. The power hit her back hard, but she was still intact. Ky saw this and gasped.
'How...did she...do...that...?'
Ky began to drop to his knees. The Rising Force has taken all of his power and even some of his vitality. As he struggled to remain upright, Justice loomed over him.
"You tried..."
Ky was kicked backward by the metallic foot and slid on the ground.
"...And now you will die."
Ky's mouth was trickling with blood, but that didn't stop the monstrous gear as she approached again and again, repeatedly beating Ky over the landscape. Justice then grinned beneath her armored face.
"You're fond of lightning, aren't you knight? Well, then you'll love this!"
Justice grabbed Ky's head and began charging it was dark lightning. Ky screamed in sheer agony as the volts surged through his system like a freight train. Justice laughed at Ky's screaming...until a beam of flames cut off her arm.
"Can't say I'm fond of saving him, but I like torture even less. Besides, if the boy scout is putting everything aside to take you down, I can't let him beat me in being mature...that'd just be embarrassing." Sol said as Ky stood, his body twitching and from the electrocution.
"That hurt...but let me show you what lightning can REALLY do Justice!" Ky shouted.
The Thunderseal crackled, before gathering lightning. The sound of birds chirping filled the air. Ky rushed forward, his weapon enveloped in red and black electricity.
Justice seemed to pale. That look just like...
"CHIDORI DAIBAKUHA!!!"
"Ah hell, not again!" Justice shouted before the attack hit her, sending untold voltages through her body. Justice howled in pain, before the roof explosion of a huge orb of lightning. When the blast faded, Ky stood, his clothes in tatters. Justice on the other hand, had lost her armored form and lay battered and broken on her knees.
"I can't believe it... I've been defeated again. And I SO HATE THAT GODDAMED TECHNIQUE!!!!"
"That's right! Evil has no place in this world!" Ky snapped, remembering all the death and destruction this Gear had caused.
"Evil...? How dare you call me evil?! ... I fight for my own existence. No more, and no less...!" Justice screamed at him.
"That can't be your reason for waging war on humans... !" Ky said, taken aback by the sheer bite in her tone.
"Fool... Look at my body. I was created by humans to kill humans. ... I'm a weapon. Yet, the same humans that created me never thought about my mind, or soul. I've been used as a tool... and if I refused, I'd have been dismantled!"
"... I..."
"Ask yourself... Can you truly blame me? I was born into this world as a slave... And now you're here to destroy me. I know humans loathe me violently... and always will. I could do nothing but live on, if for no other reason than to scorn my creators! But what do you think I've been living for?
My duty. My assigned role! I was created to kill, and so I do. It's justice! I didn't have a choice in what I am! I wasn't even originally a Gear! I was a human named Aria! I was abducted by That man and turned into this! Yet all because I was different now, it didn't matter to anyone that I was still me, all they saw was a monster!
I knew the truth of who and what I was, but who would believe me? It opened my eyes to the way humanity is. I exist, if that was the case then don't I have the right to continue to do so? I don't have a choice but to be what I am, if I did, it was too long ago to matter anymore!
I was forced to turn my heart to ice in the name of being able to survive! All the hate aimed at me simply for what I was now didn't help at all, in fact, it drove me mad! You think I wanted to be this...thing? I'm a pawn of That Man!
He turned me into this, created the Gears, pulled the strings...everything! The only thing he didn't do was encourage the hostile feelings between the humans and the Gears! Humans did that on their own! Its basic human nature to hate something before understanding it and humanity destroys what it hates without bothering to question or care about anything!
Humans only see what they want to about things, and what they see is always going to be what makes things different...what makes things easy to hate! How could you ever understand my suffering? How could you ever understand how it feels to be hated for nothing but being alive all because of something I didn't choose to have done to me?
Because of what another person did and made you the sacrifice for their actions?! I had to become the monster the rest of the world saw me as, a self-fulfilling prophecy, the very justification of their hate of me...all to simply stay alive! How could you ever know what that kind of life is like?! " Justice screamed at him, tears running down her face.
She'd clearly wanted to vent everything she'd said for a long time, and now she just allowed herself to break down.
Ky grabbed the side of his head as images flooded into his mind at the Command-Gear's words. Images of people and places flashed before his eyes in a kaleidoscope of faces, lands, and voices that left his head throbbing.
What was wrong with him?!
While Ky had his guard down, Justice had noticed the tail of her armor had just enough life in it for one last swing before it fell to pieces. Well, a last act of defiance never hurt and Ky had REALLY pissed her off by bringing up all pain. She lashed out in a wide diagonal arc and made the tail slam into Ky so hard that he crashed head-first into a building, making his, for lack of better term, demonic traits recede. changing his appearance back to normal as he felt consciousness begin to leave him. The tail's momentum carried it a little further then intended and the tip of it cut the headband Sol was wearing and the cloth fell away.
"Goddamnit you bitch! Look what you did!" Sol shouted.
Justice gazed at the man, before her eyes widened. On the man's forehead was the mark of a Gear.
"It can't be…. You are a Gear." she wheezed.
The man stood before her, the Fireseal in his grasp. He raised it, poised to decapitate her.
"I COMMAND YOU! STOP!" she said. The man began to chuckle.
"You command me?! Tch. Blow your orders out your ass." he said.
"How? No Gear can disobey me. I am the first. The perfect Gear. How are you resisting my commands?" she asked.
"I'm the Prototype. I came before you. Gear Designation G000. I am the only Gear outside your control. Besides, I take orders from no one. Not even HIM." he said.
Justice sighed. Her time had come.
"Your name Gear?" she asked.
"Sol. Sol Badguy." he said. Justice laughed.
"A fitting name for the one to end me. I will see you again, in hell." she said.
With that said, Sol decapitated her, Fireseal cutting through her like a hot knife through butter. Her body crumpled.
It was then, Sol heard noise.
"The army. Better get out of here."
He turned to Ky as the blond slid in and out of consciousness.
"Don't tell them I was here or what I am." With that said, the hightailed it out of there as Ky finally blacked out. Had he stayed, he would of noticed a garbed man appear out of thin air. The figure picked up Justice's corpse and head.
"Such a shame. It seems that Justice could not awaken the Dragon within Frederick. No matter. Everything is going according to plan." the figure mused to himself. Then looked at Ky.
"I hate that I can't deal with you right now, or at the very least strip you of that wretched Thunderseal...however if I did, it would make the game far too dull for what I have in mind for you...Mister Uzumaki."
He disappeared, taking Justice with him.
A couple of minutes later, the army arrived at the spot. Seeing the Gear army was destroyed and Justice gone. When they noticed Their leader's prone form, they assumed the worst, but as they moved to gather their commander's "dead body", they saw that he was still breathing. They quickly set about to revive their leader.
"What happened here, Sir?" asked one of the soldiers.
"What happened is simply this: MEN! JUSTICE HAS FALLEN AND THE GEARS DESTROYED!!! THE CRUSADES HAVE ENDED!!!" Ky yelled.
A huge cheer echoed across Rome. The soldiers began to celebrate and as they did, Ky mused on the war. As well as Justice's final words to him. For as far back as he could remember, it was suppose to be simple. Humans were good while Gears were evil...but was it wrong to think of things that way? Ky shook his head. being raised in war gave one a rather black-and-white view of things, it would be hard to look for the grey.
But who was "That Man" who Justice had said was the prime mover while using her as his puppet? A threat clearly, and what bothered Ky most was one simple thing...he was still out there somewhere. The Human/Gear wars were going to be without end unless he was stopped...the thought made rage well up in Ky's heart.
And then there were those images that had gone through his head...what were they?
"Father...Master Kliff... It has ended. God has granted humanity our victory. If only you were here to see it."
He gazed at the sun, which was now setting on a hill. On the hill, he spotted a figure looking back, before walking off.
Sol...Thank you...
Sol sneezed. "I swear next time I see that lightning-using boy scout, I'm gonna kick his ass, for making me sneeze."
Sol kept on walking, wondering where he would end up next.
July 4, 2172 would go down in history as "The Final Crusade". The day Justice fell and humanity won. No one, but Ky would know how Justice fell. For the next couple of years, humanity would prosper and rebuild in peace. But as history shows, peace does not last forever……
Chapter End.
"Tourniquet" is by Evanescence.
Like it? Hate it?
Review please!
Give a big thanks to my beta, Dylan Millwood, for not only betaing this story, but getting me off my ass to continue this story.
Original Techniques:
Infernal Torment- A wide area version of the Gun Flame. Instead of the flames moving in a line, they burst up all over. Good for distraction or a setting up a follow up attack.