Gamer wars
The day that Krad choose to spend with Kari was on a school day when Satoshi wouldn't be home for hours. After Kari finished the dishes, she turned to Krad and said, "What do you want to do first Krad-kun?"
"Um…is your XBOX hooked up?"
"I think so. It was the last time I checked."
"That's a relief…"
"Krad, what're you…?"
"It's a little embarrassing to admit this…but I've…kinda become addicted to your Mech Assault game. It's very amusing!"
"I bet I know why you like it so much. You enjoy stepping on the humans with the Mechs and watching them be squished like bugs."
"How did you…?"
"It's one of MY favorite things about that game," laughed Kari.
"…"
"Which controller do you want?"
"I'll take the blue one. Which one are you gonna use?"
"The one that even Sato-kun doesn't know about…" grinned Kari. She left the room and came back with a device that looked very similar to the DVD player attachment needed to use DVDs on the XBOX. She took out the DVD piece and put in the one in her hand. She then sat down and slid the part into place which lit the controller in her other hand up.
"Ready?"
"Whenever you are," replied Krad. She put in the disc and waited for the console to start the game. Much to her amusement, Krad was a pro at the video game. They played on the two player mode for about three hours before testing each other's skills in normal mode.
Krad was very skilled at the game. Kari had a hunch that this wasn't the first time he'd played each level. She gave him a look that made him say, "What?"
"How many times have you played this game?"
"A few times. Why?"
"How many times have you cleared the entire game?"
"At least twice…I think."
"You've been very bored without us around, haven't you."
"You have no idea."
"You'd be surprised. I know there's rarely anything worth watching on TV during the day, and that's why I usually spend my days writing fanfics. So I know exactly what you're talking about."
"What kind of fanfics…?"
"Always anime and manga. If you want, I can show you the website I post them on," said Kari.
"That…would be interesting. What're they like?"
"You'll have to read them and find out first," laughed Kari.
Once Krad read a few of her fanfics, he was very surprised. Most of them were quite amusing in his opinion; he could tell she really put thought into each of her chapters. Then he noticed something interesting. She seemed to be starting an entirely new fanfic titled Of Darkness and Light. He saw she wasn't looking and he decided to check it out. His eyes went up in shock as he read the beginning. Kari noticed this and grinned.
"Krad-kun, haven't you ever heard of the saying 'curiosity killed the cat'?"
"Kari, what is…?!"
"If I had known you liked fanfics as much as I do, then I would have let you read the first chapter right after I finished it!" she laughed.
"Who are Yami and Sato? And why are the opposing clans named Hikawa and Niri?!"
"They're based off of people I know. I dare you to guess who Sato is based after."
"Master Satoshi?"
"If Sato is really Satoshi, then who would be Yami?"
"Me?"
"Yup…Dai is made after Daisuke and Hikari is after Dark."
"Shouldn't Dark be Yami and vice-versa?"
"That would make it too obvious. You wouldn't expect someone who resembles an angel to be named 'darkness' and another who looks like a fallen angel to be named 'light' now would you?"
"Then why would Satoshi-sama be Sato and Daisuke Dai?"
"It would be waaay too obvious who I was basing the characters off of, now wouldn't it? Besides, you should see what I turn the Harada twins into!"
"What?"
"They'll still be called Riku and Risa, only they won't be humans. Both the twins are half tanuki and half kitsune. Risa's more tanuki than kitsune and vice-versa."
"You're turning the Harada twins into half raccoon-dog, half fox-spirit?! And Risa will look more like a tanuki than fox? Now that is funny!" laughed Krad. (He could very easily picture Risa as a raccoon dog and Riku as a fox-spirit.)
"Risa is a lot more like a tanuki, don't you think? She behaves and acts a lot like one," Kari pointed out.
"She is mischievous and jolly…and most definitely gullible and absentminded."
"I'd say that her closest match to a Japanese spirit would be the tanuki, wouldn't you?"
"But Riku isn't very fox-like."
"Maybe she doesn't fit the fox-spirit criteria perfectly, but if you recall, kitsune have a tendency to transform into humans, usually females. And she tends to keep promises and repay debts, as well as having a very mischievous side. She also happens to be a voice of reason whenever her twin is concerned."
"She still isn't very fox-like," Krad pointed out.
"Both tanuki and kitsune are known for being shape-shifters, yes? And both are woodland creatures who have a tendency to shape-shift into girls. So a half tanuki, half kitsune isn't too ridiculous," Kari countered. (Even Krad had to admit she had a valid point.)
"So is there any part that they play other than being minor characters?"
"Actually there is. Both the twins are Shrine Maidens in one of the two temples. Naturally Dai will have a crush on the fox-like twin, aka Riku, as well as the raccoon dog twin, aka Risa, will have a crush on Hikari. And to make things interesting, they both enjoy confusing the brothers by switching traits!"
"Meaning…?"
"Meaning Risa can switch from round tanuki ears to cat-like fox ears, as well as the tail. Same goes for Riku, though she doesn't do it very often," said Kari.
"And what about that fool Hiwatari?"
"Same name, same motive for adopting Satoshi. And naturally you will be portrayed as an evil monster until the true villain is revealed. The only ones who will even speak to you willingly will be the oracle sisters, Harada twins, Sato and the two Niri brothers."
"Why do I get the feeling that you're leaving one of the best parts out?"
"The main plotline won't be revealed until deeper into the story when things start to get too peaceful in the kingdom. The truth about the oracle sisters, as well as the reason why they oppose the king is going to surprise everyone."
"Any other plot twists?"
"Yup…one of the oracle sisters will have a crush with one of the older brothers from either Niri or Hikawa clans. Though I'm not telling you which sister or which brother it is…not without a fight," laughed Kari.
"Think you're ready to lose on the XBOX again?" asked Krad, changing the subject.
"This time we're gonna play Digimon World 4!" said Kari.
"Fair enough," said Krad.
When Satoshi returned, he was greeted with a shock. Krad was playing video games against Kari! He stared at the two for about three seconds before he burst out laughing.
"Welcome back, Sato-kun!"
"I can't believe this! Krad is actually playing video games?!" Satoshi said laughing.
"What's so…hard to believe…about that? DAMN! Stupid droid killed me again!" griped Krad. (He was playing 'Star Wars Battlefront' with Kari. They were on the 'Rebel' side.)
"It's just that I never expected in my wildest dreams that you'd actually want to play modern virtual games! Now 'Go' or Shogi or even Chess I can believe, but video games? That is something even Dark wouldn't believe," answered Satoshi.
"Wanna take my spot and play with Krad? I'll make some snacks for you two," said Kari.
"Sure, why not. It's not like I'm in the mood to try and capture Dark tonight. Oh, wait…I forgot that we weren't allowed to help catch him."
"So I think that qualifies as a reason to stay here and have some fun, don't you?"
"Yup. So how do you play this game?"
"I think it would be easier if you pilot the vehicles and I shoot, wouldn't you agree?" said Krad, setting the controller down.
(Satoshi went through the practice parts on the main screen before he and Krad began to play seriously.)
Kari made some popcorn, cookies and drinks and brought them out along with some dark chocolate. As it turned out, Krad and Satoshi made a very good tag-team. Satoshi drove the vehicles that they could pilot while Krad shot at the enemy. They were actually getting along and working together for once. (Kari was secretly surprised at this development.) When it was time for bed, Kari fell asleep and was very surprised to wake up in the middle of the night with Krad curled up next to her like a cat! She snuggled up against him and fell back asleep.
A week later, Kari did something that caught both Krad and Satoshi off-guard. She took Krad out in public to a Gamer's Convention! Satoshi had a bad feeling about the idea, but Kari wouldn't hear it. Krad was a bit…edgy...about going to a public place along Kari and not killing people. Kari had made Krad retract his wings and (much to his horror,) gave him a very overdue hair cut. (Mostly she just shortened his ponytail in the back to avoid comments.)
"Kari, I seriously doubt the wisdom in doing this…" said Krad nervously. (She also got him to change his voice as not to arouse suspicion.)
"Chill. I wouldn't have considered doing this if I didn't believe you could handle being out in public and not killing people. Besides, from what I hear, the convention has an exclusive version of Mech Assault 2. There's even a tournament to see who the best Mech Warrior is."
"Still…"
"And there's even a rumor that the winner of the tournament will be given the new version before it's released in stores!"
"No way!"
"That's what the others said when I heard it from them!" laughed Kari, amused by his sudden enthusiasm to go.
As the entered the convention center, they went straight to a reservation desk to get their passes. Krad was a bit taken aback by how long Kari's screen name was! (He also tried not to laugh at the name she picked for him!)
"Do you have reservations?" asked the clerk.
"We should be on the list."
"User name please," said the clerk.
"My screen name should be under 'sakurademonalchemist'."
"Let's see…sakurademonalchemist…ah, yes here you are. And what about your guest here?"
"His screen name is 'PsychoHikariBlond'."
The clerk found the name and handed them both their passes. They entered and right after they found their rooms Krad turned and said "PsychoHikariBlond?"
"You're psychotic, made by the Hikari clan, and happen to be blond. It was the first thing I could think of at the time!" said Kari amused.
"So when does this tournament start?" asked Krad, changing the subject.
"In an hour. You better get registered or they won't let you play. And I completely forgot to tell you this earlier, but the controllers for the tournament are completely different than what you're used to. They actually have these Mech suits that you'll use to play. You'll almost be literally in the game itself!"
"Sweet…I can't wait to play!" said Krad happily.
Krad registered early and was allowed to have a short trial run of the suits that would be used in the tournament, so he could get a feel for it. Kari wasn't joking when she said it would almost quite literally be in the game.
"Alright gamers! Welcome to the Japan Gaming Convention! In five minutes the Mech Assault Tournament will be underway, so if you haven't registered, then you better hurry!" said the announcement over the loudspeakers.
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Krad walked to the arena and waited until he got to the desk and was permitted to chose his Mech. He took his usual Mech suit, which had an invisibility feature as well as jet packs. It may have been a lighter Mech, but it had more maneuverability than the heavier and sturdier ones. He took his seat and waited for the game to start.
"All right Mech warriors, since this is the first round, their will be no outside assistance from your teammates. When the elimination round has completed, then you will be allowed to have a teammate help you win with your opponents until the final round. Mech Warriors prepare for battle!" said the judge as the tournament began.
Krad was having a blast as he blew away both the competition and (in the process) squashed many of the helpless humans that were in the way. He actually went out of his way to squish them; as a result, the others couldn't land a shot on him. He knew each of the Mechs venerable spots, having played the game twice and taking note of which place took the most damage by a single hit. The heavier Mechs took more damage from the pivot that supported the torso and moved them from side to side, while the lighter ones took more hits from the heavier weapons.
In the end, Krad and another were the only two left standing; he shot at the pivot with both light and heavy ammunition while simultaneously avoided blasts. Eventually he managed to land a critical blow and destroyed his competition. The judge came back on and said, "Winner of the first round, Kreg aka PsychoHikariBlond!"
Krad got out and grinned. Kari shot him a telepathic message… 'I had to think of a normal-sounding name so I went with Kreg. Sorry!'
At the end of the tournament, Krad was the overall winner with the most kills, the highest number of human-deaths-by-Mech, and the best strategy. He was given the new Mech Assault game and a trophy. He went home a very happy camper!
(In the final chapter of Master of Angels, Krad, Dark and the two Tamers will return to the beginning and try to rewrite the past. Will they succeed without destroying their future? Find out in 'Master of Angels 2: Rebirth'. And I will be posting "Of Darkness and Light" right after I finish off this one first!)