I have spent most of my week playing three video games: Skyrim, Resident Evil, and Halo…and got addicted to all of them. I would probably write one of each of these games and more when I'm done with my second story that is going to be decided by you. I forget to add these in every chapter but I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto, just Gakuto Minamoto, Rin Higurashi, Karakuto Karyo, and Serikuna Aneway. Naming a chapter will be a new thing too so maybe when I'm done I'll go back and change chapter names. Oh and hopefully longer chapters such as this one may become a regular occurrence. Maybe…
Chapter 26- Serikuna's Dark Past Part One
"The town is still full of noise, even at this hour…" Kagome thought as she looked at the wooden ceiling that was lighted by the lights outside. The group of nine went to a restaurant, ate with a couple soldiers that would accompany them to the mysterious village and rescue the M.I.A. soldiers and villagers after they left the hot springs. They had a great time and even started to play a card game…more like a lot of them after most of them had gotten a little more than tipsy after drinking sake that Tsunade had mentioned was "top of the line." Sasaku, two soldiers, Kagome, Rin, and Marina had decided to play a card game with men versus women. Everyone else just watched as the game's bets leaned towards the men and briefly to the women. One of the soldiers, Lieutenant Bamako, had amazing skills at playing as house but wasn't as good when he was not dealing the cards for some reason. Then there was Ensign Hashibo who was winning at the moment with most of everyone's hard earned money in his military issued bag. Most of the men had slurred speech, watery eyes, and had a sway in their movement. The women that were playing had a hint of a blush on their faces, hidden by their masks. Kagome had been against Rin drinking sake but realized that Rin was already of drinking age and was basically an adult who could make her own decisions. A small number of them had been able to hold their liquor, Kagome and Rin not being among them because of being new to the substance. They were pointed to their rooms by the doorman before the game was over. They were half way towards their room, leaning on each other and laughing at each other for no apparent reason at all. They reached their door and tried to grab the doorknob, failing a couple times and laughing at their incomprehension of a simple turning of a door knob. The amusing sight was interrupted when someone made an audible cough to get the two women's attention. Kagome and Rin turned to see a member of the hotel staff. The staff member made a slight motioned with his hand and politely moved the two women away from the door. He opened the door and went in to turn on the lights. He came out and nodded at the two who thanked him and moved on to the next floor up. That was almost three hours ago and it was now around 2:32 in the morning.
Now Kagome was looking up at the ceiling trying to still her vision. She sighed and turned to her right when it did not change its haziness. She gave an audible gasp when she looked at Rin's ocean blue eyes as she looked back at her. Kagome stared at Rin for awhile and watched Rin as intently as she had. Their staring competition had gone for more than three minutes and soon ended when Rin blew air in Kagome's face and made her blink. Kagome smelled the sake in Rin's breath and began to get watery eyes. She wiped her eyes and giggled. "No fair." Kagome said as Rin giggled as well. "I-I was already blowing air in your face before but I guess you thought it was just the wind right?" Rin asked. Kagome stared at her and smiled. "What are you doing up? And weren't you drunk a few hours ago?" Rin stared at Kagome and shook her head. "I don't have the same kind of metabolism as you remember? And why are you up?" Rin asked and watched as Kagome looked at her and then turned to her left, her back to Rin. "I don't know…" she said. Kagome heard Rin get off her bed and move around the room. She heard a drawer open then the rummaging of items in said drawer. Finally Rin had found what she was looking for and walked towards her bed, turning on the light before sitting on the soft mattress. Kagome turned around to see Rin with a hair brush in hand.
"I don't want you to brush my hair right now Rin…" Kagome weakly stated from the throbbing headache she started to feel as the light started to grab her attention. "Who said I was brushing your hair?" Rin stated with a grin and placed the brush in her hand. Kagome smiled and started to brush Rin's medium length black hair. She thought that the conversation was over and was glad that her mind was being used for something else. "Is it the mission to the village or Gakuto?" Rin asked, catching Kagome off guard and making Kagome pull the brush harder then she meant to. Rin yelped and covered her mouth quickly. The two sat silently and heard footsteps approaching. The door was slammed open and their friends had all their weapons out and looking frantically around the room. The two women stared doe eyed at the group and laughed. After their friends had returned back to their rooms and the door was repaired Rin had looked at Kagome intently. Kagome sighed and looked at her hands and then at the object on her right arm. She briefly saw Gakuto's face but instead of blinking the image away, she stared at the image as long as she could. As if the image sensed her eyes on it, it smiled at her sadly, turned away, and disappeared. Another image appeared and it showed a single eye staring at her with murderous intent. The red eye looked intently at her and a cruel and evil laugh came from the image. Kagome shook her head and looked at the gauntlet once more. The image of the malevolent being disappeared and was replaced with an image of a village. She looked at Rin who was also looking at the gauntlet as intently as she was. "So...So I'm not the only one seeing this? Good…that means I'm not crazy." Kagome thought as she looked back at the village. She felt the gauntlet give a slight tug and removed itself from her arm. It went towards the wall and stopped. Then it used certain parts of itself to climb up the wall and got to the center of the ceiling, almost like a spider. But unlike a spider the gauntlet had a light at the center of it and lighted the entire room in what looked like a model of a village. The image zoomed the two in the room into the village itself and showed them a curious sight, with sounds, color and smells to go with it, as if they were really there in the village. The gauntlet was showing an image of someone walking with the gauntlet on their arm. The wearer walked through the village and stopped briefly at an eerie clicking sound off in the distance. The wearer started to walk again and headed toward where the sound had come from. It went through the village, passing by some villagers and heavily armed soldiers, and stopped at the edge of the forest. The wearer walked into the forest and the image had stopped. A few seconds later the gauntlet turned on again and started to show the image of the wearer running. Trees, vegetation, and a white substance appeared briskly and quickly as the wearer kept running. The gauntlet turned on and was aimed at a most fearful image. A large snake hissed at the wearer and lunged at them, causing Kagome and Rin to scream and fall off the bed. They got up and stared at the image again. The gauntlet was at the wearer's side and showed that the large snake had a gash on the top of its head. The wearer was looking at something else and the women watched as a black miasma went into the gash and a few seconds later the snake's eyes turned white, giving it the ability to move again. It was at this time that their friends had come in once again with weapons out but lowered them and stared at the same image they were looking at. No one said a word as the gauntlet was turned and slashed at the snake, severing its head from its large body. During that action the other thing that the wearer was looking at before had appeared above the wearer, another figure next to the other, falling towards the wearer, weapons in hand.
Konoha, same time...
The old retired Hokage Sarutobi stared out the window with a pipe in hand. He had been staring out of the window for awhile now until he heard a strange noise come from his kitchen. He inhaled his pipe one more time and placed the pipe on the window sill. He walked towards the kitchen and saw a slight shadow move under the door, lighted by the moonlight. He prepared a hand jutsu, slammed the door and was prepared to use his jutsu with the smoke in his lungs when a white gloved hand placed the tips of its fingers on his mouth. He stared dumbly at the fingers and released the smoke in his lungs through his nose. He followed the white glove all the way to the person's elbow, where it ended, and then up to the owner of the slender arm. Sarutobi motioned with his eyes and the hand was removed. Sarutobi watched as they moved around his kitchen, turned on the lights, and stuck their head in his fridge. He stared at them as they grabbed a jug of milk and tried to unscrew the cork on the jug. They tried their best but to no avail. They finally gave up and looked at the retired Hokage who had his hand out. They placed the jug on the Hokage's hand and watched as he popped the cork and got a cup for each of them. "I loosened it up for you…" the feminine voice stated with a slight smug in their voice. Sarutobi chuckled and went into the fridge, placing the milk back into the fridge. When he turned back to the other being in the kitchen they had already drank their milk and placed the mask back on their face. He started to drink his milk, which was handed to him, and watched the other intently. Once he was done drinking he placed the cup in the sink and turned towards the woman in his kitchen. "What do I owe for the pleasure of this early morning meeting this time Ms. Aneway?" Serikuna smiled underneath her mask.
Back at the hotel room…
"Is that who I think it is?" someone in the room stated. No one answered and watched as the image on its own zoomed in on the faces of the unknown duo, as if hearing the voice as a command. "It's him alright…Orochimaru." Another stated. "Who's that next to him?" "How the hell should I know?" Kagome stood up and walked towards the face of the other man on the image. She turned pale and started to shake slightly. She had seen this person before but that was a long time ago, in a completely different universe. Someone came behind her and placed their hand on hers and gripped it, giving it a firm squeeze. Her shaking had stopped and some color returned to her face as she looked back at Rin who was smiling reassuringly with a hint of worry. "I know who that is…" Kagome stated to which everyone in the room looked at her as she turned around and held a gloved hand out towards the unknown man's face. "It's a powerful demon named Naraku."
Unknown location…
"Karakuto…that was a foolish idea. Your actions may have caused you to lose half, maybe even more, of your life years. Do you understand?" the booming yet calm voice said to the tall man in the middle of the room. Not much could describe the room; everything was a pitch black except the light that came from the moon high above Karakuto's head, illuminating him in a circle of light. Karakuto nodded and thought to the event that led to this.
A few hours before…
"So what is this thing you wanted to show me Karakuto?" Serikuna asked as they walked through a park. Blossom trees and a stream were seen and small lanterns lighted the path. The sky had darkened slightly to give the affect of night but darkness could never truly penetrate this place. Karakuto stopped and looked at his sister. He pulled out his sword and motioned for her to pull out her weapon. She pulled out her two sai but Karakuto shook his head. "Your actual mystic weapon Serikuna…" Serikuna looked at her brother as if he had grown a second head. "Are you serious?" Karakuto didn't make a move to indicate otherwise and put away her sai. She slowly started to lift her hands in a motion as if she was holding a spear or rifle to her chest. On the outside she looked totally calm and normal but behind her mask she had her eyes shut as hard as she could and thought of her unique weapon. In a few minutes her weapon started to materialize in her hands, one hand holding the hilt and the other the blade itself. When the weapon was sort-of-solid enough to hold, she slashed her weapon in an arc in the sky, ice flowing behind the deadly point of the rapier. The rapier's hilt was silvery blue steel in color, and glowed in the moonlight a strange icy blue color on the blade itself. What most didn't know was the weapon itself had the ability to change its elemental attack, hence the moonlight on the icy blade of the weapon. As soon as the weapon had fully materialized, Serikuna felt the air in her lungs leave her and a jolt of pain in her abdomen. She stared wide eyed at her brother who was standing over her, soon darkness took her.
Karakuto P.O.V.
What I was about to do to my adoptive sister, to anyone for that matter, had never crossed my mind. I watched intently as she started to concentrate on bringing her weapon from where ever she kept it. She had grown much from the time she was chosen to become a Mystic. She wasn't a full blooded Mystic; one must be born into one. She and Gakuto would eventually become Mystics but through training and constant practice of Mystic arts. I was the one and truly last full-blooded Mystic left and it brought some sadness to me. I had watched as my fellow brothers and sisters had died of old age or had died during battle. Both cases of death were different. When a Mystic died of old age calming and peaceful blue flames enveloped them and every trace of them was completely erased, only other Mystics and Kami where able to know that one of their own had died. The death of a Mystic during battle was much more eventful…and deadly. Because it was so rare that a Mystic would die during battle no one but the oldest Mystics knew how one died. I had the not so pleasurable experience to see the death of a Mystic in battle. Before the Mystic had fully been enveloped in flames and disappear into the void, a telepathic message from the Mystic was sent to all nearby beings to get as far as possible. Mostly everything nearby had gone far from the dieing Mystic only to be deafened, blinded, and pushed by the force of a massive explosion. When the dust had cleared the area had transformed from a lush jungle to a wasteland. No living thing was seen in the blast radius and everything near the blast was starting to die. The sky had darkened and soon what seemed like thunder clouds unleashed an unrelenting pour of water and lightning. I realized that this was no ordinary water and that it was actually acid. I had created a barrier around myself and noticed animals around me were starting to get sick. I opened the barrier and let as many animals as I could. (A/N: If you want, I found a song perfect for this moment: A Growing Feeling from Two Steps from Hell.) The acid and thunder had not stopped for an entire day and soon snow started to fall. I stepped out of the barrier and saw figures on the horizon. As they approached I realized it was my fellow brothers and sisters. We all looked at the death and disease around us as we walked around and tried to heal the land and its inhabitants as much as we could. Much of my brothers and sisters were worried of my wellness, not many non-Mystic beings had survived the blast and many more had died of sickness and acid exposure. As we continued to walk around the land we came to a stop at the edge of what seemed to be the end of the world. A gaping hole that seemed to go on forever downward had stopped our advance. We looked at the other side to see more of our brothers and sisters on the other side. Many Mystics had seen the death and destruction that day and realized that they could no longer fight if it causes so much death. The hole itself was never able to be healed or filled by Mystic or natural ways respectively. A few brave Mystics had ventured down into the hole and had not been heard of for almost a century. When they had come back up they brought with them a single object: a gold lotus. This was not the first Mystic to die in battle and I knew because a shrine was made for those who died. And on that shrine, hundreds of golden lotuses adorned its walls, floating with a magic placed on them and moving with the wind silently giving an almost ominous song of ever looming death. Later on, it was revealed that the Mystic that had died was the last to die in that manner, and the Mystic's enemy: Orochimaru, or at least a reincarnation of him, was doing some sort of experiment on them. I had trained the closest to me, Serikuna and Gakuto to survive and live as long as they can so I wouldn't have the heartbreaking moment of placing their golden lotuses on the shrine. Even though not full blooded, they shared characteristics of one. They had surpassed me even though I would never acknowledge it. Their lives and stories will continue where mine ends. I just hope that they pass in a peaceful way. (End music, I guess.) I watched as Serikuna had completed her task and was standing in front of me with a smile that I could sense. I smiled sadly and punched her in her stomach. She bent over in pain and looked at me with wide eyes. The sight was so painful that it brought water to my eyes. I grabbed her before she fell back and held her in my arms. I started to chant the same words that the Kami had taught me and saw the affects of the chant first hand. I started to glow a sea blue and Serikuna a golden yellow, our weapons followed suit. I watched as she started to disappear.
Normal P.O.V.
"It was the only way to get you to Earth and rescue our brother from himself…I'm sorry." He stood in the park by himself as Serikuna had finally phased out of Kami's realm and into Earth. Soon, he also disappeared.
Present Time…
"Karakuto…I know that they both mean the universe to you but was such a price worth not waiting a year?" at this Karakuto rose his voice at the other voice. "We four are the only ones that know damn well that a year in this place is actually 50 years on Earth! By then there wouldn't be anywhere for us to stand on let alone save anything. If we wanted to save our friends and my brother, than you would have let us gone through the portal without any hidden deals to go as payment. You know damn well that Serikuna wouldn't give up her immortality willingly and that I wouldn't give up my ties with them. I would give up the rest of my life years to teleport another brave soul to save the humans. Though I am that much closer to death I know that my actions may have saved humanity. You forget that we are not like you, we can meddle in the humans' affairs all we want. We are not Gods!" Karakuto stood silently as he looked at the vast emptiness in front of him. "That is not true. You know both of them have a destiny that could destroy the human race, isn't that why you chose them in the first place to follow you? Besides, even if they could change anything, your actions or the reasons of your actions does not excuse you of what you did in order to teleport Ms. Serikuna Aneway, Mr. Karakuto. Either you are very foolish for using up half of your life years to teleport your sister or you very connected to revenge." Another voice stated. "I'll take a little of both and a dash of stubbornness." Karakuto countered. "The humans have changed you much in such little time…" the first voice stated. Karakuto started to get restless and started to feel his Inner Beast rise. "You should try it some time…its very inspirational." Karakuto growled. "That's enough you two. Karakuto you will no longer be allowed to go to the universe your friends currently reside. There can be no other option unless I see fit otherwise, I'm sorry old friend." Karakuto hung his head in defeat. It was at this point that he had noticed something changing within himself. His small beard had grown almost to the center of his chest and his long hair had started to get longer. His bones had become more brittle but stood firm. He grew wrinkles and his eyes were starting to show fatigue. The spell was taking its affect; he was becoming older. He thought back at the question the first voice asked. "…they both mean the universe to you…but was such a price worth not waiting…" he smiled sadly. "It was worth it, at least to me…Good luck you two. I hope you make it to Gakuto in time." The light in the room started to darken and Karakuto disappeared and was taken into the darkness.
Leaf Village…
Serikuna stared at her tea as she finished telling the former Hokage her story, what she knew up to the point of her being knocked out by her brother and materializing outside the village. She didn't know were else to go and headed to his house. She held the tea and stared at her reflection. The snake mask had covered her face since she was inducted into the Mystics, and a mask hid her face even before that. No one ever had really seen her face except her father and for a few minutes, her mother. Tears formed on her eyes as she thought back at her past. (Warning long history ahead, and when I mean long, I do mean long.)
Serikuna P.O.V.
When I was born, according to my father, joy had filled the household like any other time when a child was born but maybe even more. It must have been because I was the only girl that my mother gave birth to, three brothers came before me. They were off in a war, so were unable to come see me. My entire family, even my mother during pregnancy, was a military family since they can recall. I don't remember much but according to my father, mother had died a few minutes after giving birth to me. He was heartbroken and his cries could be heard through out the entire home that night. Time passed and my father took care of me and raised me as best he could. I was five years old when life had started to get a little better for the family; father got a promotion in the military and was now a colonel for the army branch. My brothers had all participated in a major battle that won them honors and commendations on heroism. I was, like all girls until the age of 16 or the lucky rich ones, was not allowed out of the home because of the war and backwards social thinking. Tutoring and schoolwork was all done through a machine and anything else one needed was brought to them by family members. I had always wondered what the outside was like and always took time off when father was away to look up what the outside looked like. Holograms and pictures, glimpses and figments of my imagination could never stop my curiosity of the outside world. I had planned on convincing father if we could walk, even if it was briefly, to something called a park and then go leave flowers on my mother's grave; which I had not yet visited. My hopes, too soon I may add, had been crushed before they fully even surfaced to the outside world though.
The war had gone on for almost twenty five years and it had reached a stand still for the first time. Our military had encircled the other nation's capital and cut off its supplies but they still stood strong. Most of the reserves and officers, including my father and brothers, were being called to the front to end the standstill and allow the military to enter the capital. The last time I saw my father was when I was only tall enough to reach his knee. He was an incredibly tall man and hard to miss. His black facial hair was itchy and yet soft and ticklish at the same time. His dark hair waved around in the winter wind and his white and blue military uniform was akin to those of his escort waiting outside the house. His electric blue eyes looked back at my teary, innocent violet ones. He cupped my small cheek in one of his massive hands and used his thumb to wipe away the tears. "Do not worry Seri. I will be back soon and then you can finally meet your brothers, I promise. Do not worry princess." He walked away into the snowy night with his escort, never to come back and breaking his promise to me that I had really cared about. During the wait for my father to return from the battle that would surely ensue, I had stayed alone at the home. I was not scared of being alone in the house; I had become used to it and was perfectly able to do my own things for a six year old. For friends and playmates, I was able to access a sort of device that let me interact with my friends in a virtual world. I was able to run in fields, play hide and seek, and talk to other people for the first time in a long time. I had to admit I was a little nervous at first but realized that everyone in the virtual world was also a girl of varying ages. Well, most of them were girls. Automatons represented overseers and would intervene if a problem had arisen in a moments notice. We were able to talk to them and they would talk back in a monotone voice. Time had passed and days of waiting turned into months of worry. After much waiting the truth had been sent to the people. Our forces had been progressing closer and closer to the opposing capital when, in a final act of desperation, the opposing forces used weapons on their own city and its surrounding, killing and obliterating our forces. A few weeks passed and the enemy forces had regrouped faster than we could mobilize our remaining reserves. In months the Magna forces had pushed back the United Federation to its borders and were closing in on the capital of the Federation, Aegis. Many people were unable to escape because news of the failed siege of Magna's capital, Entro, hadn't reached the people until fighting had reached our borders. Many people wondered why the news was kept from them, to which the military responded that it was necessary to keep moral up and enlist as many people, even if we were secretly losing. They were hiding the fact that we would lose a 25 year long war in less than one and were trying to enlist as many people as they could before news of defeat ever reached the people. I didn't care about anything either side was arguing for; I was more heartbroken that everyone, including father and my brothers who I never met and now would never meet, were killed in the blast that obliterated not only our forces but half the capital of the opposing force, some of which weren't even in the fight and were civilians of the capital. Many argue that this is why a third party in the war rose from the ashes that day. The People's Freedom Force was created, to stop the bloody conflict that both nations were in. The PFF was comprised of people of all backgrounds from both nations that wished for peace; hence they received the namesake Freedom Fighters or Peace Fighters. NeosPort, my home town was a few miles away from the capital and would become a strategic location for both forces. NeosPort airport and port gave it much value to both sides. What I would later come to realize is that the third party, the People's Freedom Force stationed in NeosPort was actually the headquarters of the United Federation Branch and would fight just as much as the other opposing forces. Magna's Freedom Fighters Branch was stationed in its capital, or what was left of it. When I was 10 years old I left the safety of my home and disguised myself as a boy in order to hide who I really was. I took what I thought was important; food, water, and a military uniform that belonged to my mother along with a blue scarf that belonged to my father. I was so worked up to look at the outside world that when I finally was able to see it I had wished I ran back home into my father's warm and safe embrace. But I couldn't. I couldn't return to my father because he no longer was their in physical form but always with me in a spiritual sense. And I couldn't return home because the Federation had evacuated the military civilians to Aegis and used the homes as barracks or command posts. The outside world was nothing compared to what the holograms and pictures described. Everything was dark, grey, and burning. War had torn the land of its beauty and I wished to bring it back. A few days later in an alley, I used my father's scarf to hide my lower face and cut my hair to shoulder length. That day I joined the Freedom Fighters.
It wasn't that hard to find them as living on the street gives you the ears for such information. I was not the only child or vagabond there that day but I can say I was the youngest. The youngest besides me was a 16 year old, 6 years older. Most were men or teenage boys but I saw women and girls way older than me also joining the PFF or was already. Most people the ages of 20 and up, if they passed certain tests, were selected to become a Frontline soldier, a privileged position in any army even though ours wasn't near that large. These lucky few were the people that protected civilians during much of the conflict in NeosPort. When fighting had reached NeosPort and people were being killed indiscriminately, the PFF tried its best to keep Magna and Federation Forces from killing innocent civilians in the crossfire. Those that didn't pass, almost 3/4th's of the entire group were given other professions. When everyone had their profession given out I stepped up to the table and dragged the suitcase that had my stuff to where the general was with two other commanders at his side. They had to peer over the table to see me and one commander snickered while the other commander fell off his chair and laughed. I was about to run away and cry but when I turned around to walk away a hand gently but firmly turned me around. I looked up at the old general as he smiled down at me in the way my father used to, smiling and eyes closed in a way that made you want to smile back. "I think that you should have a chance…" At the general's words both men at his side stop laughing and looked at their general. "Are you serious? But he's just a boy, what good would he do on the battlefield?" one commander asked. "Even if he did turn out to be a good shot, we wouldn't be setting an example to the other governments if we started to use children as soldiers." The other commander mentioned. "SHE won't be fighting, not yet anyways." Everyone within earshot gasped, including me. He knew I was a girl yet made no intention of refusing me into the PFF.
Normal P.O.V.
"Besides I think someone as small and adorable as her can get away with a lot of things even posing as a boy don't you?" the general asked as he walked around the table and crouched down next to her. "She bears a Federation Military Officer Scarf and no doubt on how much she is holding onto it means she is attached to it somehow. Tell me my girl, what is your name and whose scarf is that?" Serikuna smiled sadly. "My name is Serikuna Aneway and this is my father's scarf." Her voice was muffled because of the scarf but clear as day to the general. He nodded. "How did you find about us Ms. Aneway? And more importantly where are your parents?" Serikuna looked at her small shoes. "It wasn't hard to find you. Many people just have to stay long enough on the street to know were you recruit soldiers around NeosPort. As for my parents…" She kept looking down at the floor and looked at the tears that fell on her shoes and scarf. She felt the ageing man embrace her and made circles on her back. She dropped her suitcase and flung her arms around his neck crying on his shoulder like no tomorrow. "Shh…Shh…It's alright princess it's alright." Later that day she was given her job as the general's personal squad of Thieves. Thieves were people that took things that both Magna and the Federation needed; maps, weapons, anything of importance. She was an excellent Thief, able to weave in and out of most checkpoints and was able to feign innocence if caught. She started to compete with a boy 6 years older than her, Alexander Siegfried, when they each vied for the best things to bring back. Alexander had once brought back a cache of weapons that the Freedom Fighters desperately needed. The competition ended when Serikuna went a little overboard. She had used a radio to broadcast a signal to one of the enemy military camps and was able to hijack, with the help of two female soldiers she had become close friends with, a heavily armored tank. When the Freedom Fighter that was patrolling the hidden entrance to the base saw the tank and a little girl on top he laughed hysterically and went inside to alert the others. Everyone would have sent him to med bay because they thought he was crazy had it not been for a knock on the hidden entrance to the motor pool. They opened the door and were met by the very same tank and girl the sentry had mentioned. When Alexander saw this he laughed and said he gave up.
As time went by Serikuna had changed occupation from time to time. After being a thief she was made a saboteur at the age of 14 and after that a medical officer at age 16. Not to mention all the other occupations she held between those years: Technician, Medic, Nurse, Tank Commander, etc. During that time she became aware of the constant stares men gave her even though they could not see her face. She didn't mind the stares but put those that had the courage to ask her out down gently. She thought as them as family, not as potential relationships who fought along side her. By her 18th birthday she had become what she always had wanted: the captain of her own squad of Frontline Soldiers. It was either a practical joke or a strange sign that Alexander was put under her command. She was, by far, the youngest soldier the Freedom Fighters had given a command to, let alone let her into battle. The Frontline Troops wore gray uniforms and a full face mask to hide their identities from enemy forces so they would not worry about walking in the streets without them. Serikuna preferred something else of course. She had shown her commanding officer, the general that inducted her in the Freedom Fighters, her mother's Federation uniform. The general looked at it in curiosity and asked her if her family was filled with military officers. It turned out her mother was a Brigade General for the Federation military according to the uniform. He let her use the uniform as long as she wore the PFF's insignia somewhere on it. She accepted and was allowed to wear the uniform and scarf instead of the regular outfit. The insignia was simple. It was a shield and the words People's Freedom Force written in bold. Under the shield was the words To Protect and Serve, a phrase said by what some people called a police force back in the past. The uniform on the other hand was much more…unique. It consisted of three parts, not including the boots. The jacket was made of a soft leather pure white in color that had the collars popped up, the ends a little ways away from the face and if one was available, like now, a scarf was worn. The jacket reached the top of the ankles and could be worn with a Federation blue sash under a woman's chest that kept the jacket closed up to the bottom of the neck and leave the collar and bottom half below the waist open. Two pockets on the sides were seen only by a blue button underneath the opening. The arms were completely open to the weather and a Brigade General's rank was seen on the shoulders of the jacket. The clothing that went underneath was simpler. A blue turtle neck made of cotton or wool, depending on weather conditions. It reached the hips and was also sleeveless like the jacket. The last piece of clothing was a pair of blue short that was half way between the knee and hips (A/N: No idea what their called and if my sense in fashion sucks than all I have to say is too bad, I'm a guy and don't give a damn about fashion. And if it's good than you put a smile on my face but I still know I suck haha.) Her standard military black boots and fingerless gloves were the only thing that was not part of the uniform but fit all the same. She tied her long purple hair in a ponytail to finish the look. The uniform was meant more for comfort than battle but it served to lighten ones steps to the point of reaching faster speeds than those who wore the heavy trench coats and body armor. Serikuna didn't neglect the fact that she was an easy target, her uniform clashing with the dark surrounding and was given a long range rifle instead. She became an excellent markswoman in months, quicker than most people could believe and she and her squad of six were given the namesake Viper Squad, because of their deadliness and swiftness on the field.
Serikuna P.O.V.
It was one snowy and cold day when news from the Magna Freedom Fighters Branch was heard. It turned out the Freedom Fighters in Magna's capital were taking control of the government and would soon recall the army. This brought smiles and cheers to the people in the base as the war seemed to come to an end. But everyone knew that we had to keep fighting in order to make the plan succeed as soon as possible. Days turned into weeks and the final day of the war was the bloodiest of it. All three military forces converged into the city's center and tried to take City Hall. Whoever controlled City Hall controlled the city's power and water supply. At the moment The PFF had control but would soon lose control if enemy communications were not taken care of soon. The very same day the war ended was the same day I felt as much pain as when I learned of my father and brothers death and was rescued by an angel, or at least what I thought was an angel. I was 19.
Somewhere in NeosPort…
A lone figure stopped on hill and overlooked at broken buildings that once used to be homes and shops. The figure walked briskly down the hill and ran across the street that separated the hill and buildings. The sky above was a dark grey color and the sounds of energy blasts and explosions were heard off in the distance. The figure jumped through the already broken window of a building that not surprisingly had half of its roof blown off. As soon as they landed on the hard earth, the figure turned around and aimed their long range rifle out towards the hill. Serikuna sighed in relief as she saw no one following her. She lay next to the window and thought on the events that lead up to this. She was given a joint mission that involved her team and a team of saboteurs. It was a fairly easy mission destroy communications tower, kill pursuers, go back home and celebrate another day of victory. Up to the point of destroying a phony communications tower and into an ambush that took out her squad and the saboteur team. Serikuna cursed out loud as she tried to take as many of the bastards that had killed her friends. She had run from her sniping point when a tank was sent to take her out. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of rocks falling on the hill. Serikuna aimed her rifle out the window and looked through her scope. The hill was mostly barren like the rest of the area except for a lone figure. She smiled in relief when she saw the familiar insignia shield and uniform. She waved at her comrade and they started the run towards her position. She kept aiming at the hill just incase someone was following them and hid behind the wall when her comrade jumped through the window as well.
She looked at her comrade and his mask gave her all the information she needed and her smile widened, spirits rising once again. It was a simple steel color like the rest of the masks of the PFF but every mask had a different depiction according to squad. This one had a small snake with a red number 6 on it. She hugged her friend tightly. The other man froze and nervously patted her on the back. "You ok Cap'?" he asked. Serikuna looked up at him. "I thought you were all dead Alexander!" Alexander Siegfried smiled behind his mask and shook his head. "Lexi and her partner Sam made it with one of the saboteurs. Last I saw they were headed back to base. The…the others weren't so lucky." Silence took his voice for awhile, his brown eyes downcast and his equally brown hair in an equally sad manner: wet with sweat, blood, and some soot and ash. Serikuna thought about what he said. "Why didn't you go with them, Lexi and Sam?" Serikuna asked and saw Alexander tense up. "When the ambush started most of us ran including me. I saw you run from your position and tried to follow without being pursued." Serikuna nodded but had a smirk on her face behind the blue scarf. "You were worried about little old me?" She laughed when she saw him tense up and could sense the blush behind the full face mask he wore. "I wouldn't call you old but you sure as hell are little ma'am." Alexander smirked behind his mask. Serikuna crossed her slender arms across her chest and looked like she was pouting, causing Alexander to chuckle. "So what brings you to my little haven Alexander, besides, you know, your attempt to rescue me from nothing and all?" Serikuna asked as she watched him load another clip into his plasma rifle. "If this is your haven than I highly recommend a change in scenery and…some major air freshener for that area of the home." They laughed and looked around the house or at their weapons. Serikuna felt Alexander's eyes on her and she turned to face him. "Is that the only weapon you got ma'am?" Alexander asked as he pointed at her long range rifle. Serikuna shook her head and pulled out a knife from her right arm from its holster. She then showed him what was on her right hip. A long Rapier hung on her hip without a sheath. Alexander reached for something on his hip and a hiss could be heard for a slight moment. He pulled out his sidearm and handed it to her. "You won't be getting many people that are close to you with a rifle like that and people know to stay away from someone with a knife if they hold a gun at a safe distance from you. Not to mention the sword on your hip has limited range as well." Serikuna nodded her thanks and placed the handgun on a high-tech holster on her right thigh. It was a metal square the size of small picture frame that would not let go of a handgun unless pulled in a certain way. A hiss confirmed the handgun was firmly in place. "So what's the plan Cap'? We going home or sitting here all day on our ass 'till one of the other armies finds us?" Serikuna smirked and was about to answer when the sound of a large vehicle was heard nearby. Serikuna stuck her head out the window and immediately stuck it back in. "It's one of those stupid prototype armored Magna tanks! And I'm sure the tank commander saw me!" Serikuna hissed. "Are you sure?!" Alexander asked nervously. "Of course I'm fuck'en sure!" He shook his head. "Shit! We got to find somewhere to hide!" Siegfried looked around the house and rubble as did Serikuna. It was at this point that Serikuna realized the house was actually hers. She grabbed Alexander's arm and pulled him towards her father's study. "Whoa, whoa! Slow down Captain, where are we going?" Serikuna frantically looked around the study and saw the burnt coffee table and two chairs beside it. She was about to kick the table over when a silvery object caught her eye. "What's that?" she heard behind her. She ignored her friend and opened the locket. The face of her father and a woman that no doubt was her mother were plastered inside. She stared at it for awhile until the sounds of the tank going through the living room alerted her of the current danger. She flipped the coffee table aside and pulled on the latch that was secretly hidden. "What the hell?" Alexander said. "No time to explain get inside!" Serikuna almost pushed him in the dark hole that led underneath the house. He jumped in, Serikuna just behind him and closing the trap door behind her just as the tank reached her father's study.
Serikuna landed next to Alexander who was currently holding a light that was usually on his body armor. He gave her a hand up and they started to walk through the tunnel. A few seconds later the place they were just standing filled with earth. "Guess we're not going that way…" Serikuna said and looked back at the tunnel. It was a large tunnel; 7 feet tall and 6 feet wide. There were no bugs or insects but that must be because the cool earth kept most things near below zero, warmer in summer probably. The tunnel had no light and that worried Serikuna. She looked at the walls, floor, and ceiling and only saw wet earth. "Soo…anyone gonna tell me why we in a tunnel under a house that you no doubt know about?" Alexander asked. Serikuna smirked. "It was my home and this tunnel was built by my father just in case something like this would happen." Alexander said nothing for awhile and they kept walking. "So your father predicted a war of this size and knew his underground tunnel would lead you to where ever this tunnel heads to?" Serikuna punched him playfully on the arm and Alexander feigned hurt. "Baby…" "Man beater…" they laughed and continued to walk. "He built it incase of anything. It led to the clearing behind our neighborhood and we would be looking at city hall in the distance. And it wouldn't kill you to thank him for taking the time to build this." They stopped when they came to an end of the tunnel. "I think it could…" Alexander tried to keep a light mood but Serikuna knew he was nervous. Serikuna walked up to the end of the tunnel slammed her fist when she realized what must have happened. "The tunnel must've collapse during all the fighting…" Serikuna sighed in defeat and leaned on the wall, sliding down, and sitting on the cool earth. Alexander lodged the light on the ground and pointed it toward the collapsed tunnel. He sat down next to Serikuna and looked at the other end of the wall. He smirked and closed his eyes. "Guess we wait for the general to pull our ass out of another mess…" She smirked as well. "At least this time you're not covered in lama shit…" He laughed. "And you in its spit." She thought back to the mission years ago. "How the hell did that happen again?" They laughed and continued to look at the other wall. "Don't you just love that wet earth smell? It smells like…" Alexander took a big whiff of air through his nose and coughed. Serikuna laughed and leaned onto her friend for support. She felt him immediately tense up but soon relax. "Like…Like wet earth?" Serikuna asked through laughs as she laid her head on her friend's chest. Alexander looked down at his friend and relaxed. She was very beautiful, even if she never took off that scarf of hers. Her violet eyes were all that one were able to see but they themselves were captivating and beautiful. The soldiers old enough that were in the PFF when she had joined remember her as a cute and adorable little ankle biter and an irresistible, compassionate, and mysterious woman later on. He remembered when she was a medical officer, nurse, and medic, that whenever she entered the area of wounded everyone would soon perk up and be happy to see her. No one had continued to ask her out and took her message of kinship. All accepted kinship except him. He wanted to be more than friends or brother and sister in arms. Unknown to him, she was also starting to get the same feeling in her stomach (or where ever women get it.) "Fuel actually…" He looked at her unique color of hair and smiled. As if sensing his smile she looked up at him and looked at him as if he had said something stupid.
"What did you just say?" Serikuna asked. Alexander shrugged his shoulders. "I said fue-…" Before he finished his statement the tunnel started to shake and loose dirt fell from the ceiling. Something large and metallic started to move and sunlight burst into the tunnel. Serikuna and Alexander waited awhile for their eyes to adjust. When their eyes finally adjusted they saw an armored Magna tank move away from them. They looked at each other dumbly.
A few minutes ago…
The tank moved through the house until the occupants realized the person that they had seen was no longer in the house. The tank's service top opened and the tank commander looked around the home. He looked around a little bit longer and rapped his hand on the top of the tank. "Where to commander?" he heard inside. "Let's head towards City Hall. Make your way through the house. It will take less time." The tank started to move and destroy anything in its way as it went through the back wall. A few minutes into the clearing in the back of the house they were on and suddenly the tank lurched forward. "What the hell was that?!" the commander asked. Before anyone inside answered, the tank started to fall through the earth. "Shit!" Everyone yelled as they hit the bottom. "Get us out of here driver!" The tank commander ordered. "We're stuck…sir." The commander slammed his gloved hand on the roof of the tank and heard inside, "Less time my ass…" He kicked his foot and heard a satisfying thump. "Fuck…wrong guy sir!"
Present Time…
Serikuna and Alexander looked out to the tank and widen their eyes when they noticed the tank stop and start to turn around. They separated and ran in opposite directions and then towards the tank. They started to shoot their weapons and watched as the blue discharge hit the tank's strong armor, which took the punishment with slight damage. The tank's main gun turn towards Alexander and the service top opened, revealing the tank commander. Serikuna looked at the tank commander closely. He was middle aged, perhaps 10-15 years older than her. An anxious, nervous, and yet battle hardened face was behind a clear full face respiration mask. Serikuna came to the conclusion that he could not breathe in this kind of air, smoke and all. His brown and orange trim military hat sat on his black hair and his equally brown uniform with orange trim as well, hugged his toned chest that signified his rank and his allegiance to the Magna forces. He was pulling on something on his hip and was finally able to pull the object free when Serikuna was halfway to the tank. The object turned out to be a service sidearm. He aimed the handgun towards her and started to shoot. Blue discharge was seen and the plasma blasts hit where Serikuna used to be seconds before, an advantage over heavy body armor and all the equipment one used to carry. Serikuna ran up to the tank, jumped up to the tank commander, and slammed her rifle on the side of the commander's head, hitting him with enough force to knock him out. She grabbed a plasma grenade from her service belt and slammed it into the service hole. She jumped off the tank and started to run. Before the tank exploded, Serikuna heard the main gun try to discharge and turned around in time to see the tank explode. Serikuna's opened her eyes and immediately felt pain in her head. Her hearing was impaired and she slowly rose to her feet. She stumbled on her feet a couple times and angrily grunted in frustration as she tried to stand up straight and get her hearing back. The first thing she saw was the many images of the same object: the burning tank that she destroyed. She closed her eyes for a moment and placed her gloved hand on her head. She waited for a few minutes and had somewhat felt like she was about to throw up. She looked around the clearing and spotted her friend and three other forms next to him, dragging one closer to the other two. She looked around the tank and noticed three ejection seats. "Lucky bastards…" Serikuna smirked. She walked slowly and groggily towards her friend and wounded tank occupants.
Serikuna sat down next to Alexander and looked at his dirty face. She smiled weakly at him and patted him on the chest. He smiled back up at her and pointed at the trio next to him. "Yeah, yeah, I'll check on them after I'm done with you…" she checked his wounds and noticed nothing major, just some healing agent and he'll be back to normal in an hour's rest. She looked through her small medical bag and pulled out something that looked like a glue gun with a blue cylinder on the end of it. Serikuna placed the object on Alexander's wounds and squeezed the blue liquid onto his wounds, a burning hiss filling the air. Alexander grunted and looked for something to bite or squeeze. Serikuna saw this and let him grab her hand. "Baby…" "Man…Abuser…" Alexander laughed out. When Serikuna finished she looked at her gloved hand, Alexander still holding onto it. She blushed and coughed. "Alexander…I need to help the others…I-I need my hand back." Alexander's eyes widen and blushed behind his mask. "Yeah sorry…" Alexander said as he turned his face away from her. She smirked and went onto the next person on her makeshift field hospital on what used to be her backyard. Even though they were her enemy they were just following orders. If the conflict had not started, they may have met and become great friends. Life works in mysterious ways. Even if life didn't turn out like that, she still had the skills of healing and was her obligation to heal those that needed it. She first checked if he was breathing by placing an ungloved hand under his nose and her head over his heart. The first person she treated was a man around his mid twenties. His brown hair was a unique color of sand. He was medium built and when she checked his eyes she noticed they were brown as well. He had a young face but even though his eyes were unresponsive, they showed a battle hardened soldier. He had even more minor wounds than Alexander and slight burns on the back of his neck. She used the same healing liquid she used on Alexander and was thankful that her patient was knocked out. She pulled out a gauss bandage from her bag and placed it around his neck. She had done the same procedure she did with her first patient to her next. Her next patient was a woman that looked to be in her mid twenties as well. She had shoulder length black hair. She was a bit more built than Serikuna but less than the man next to her, but not by much. "Guess being in a steel coffin makes you work in difficult situations…" Serikuna thought back to her years as a Tank Commander. The PFF only had the one tank Serikuna had stolen but she was pretty good at handing out orders on top of the tank. She smiled at her memories and lifted the woman's eyelids. "Green and still functioning well." Serikuna thought as she looked at the woman's face. It was relatively clean of scars and Serikuna thought it must have been because she was newer to war but not conflict. She had slender cheeks and small lips. Her forehead was normal height and her eyebrows…singed. Serikuna snickered at that and moved onto her next and last patient after about an hour of wait. Her last patient was the Tank Commander himself. Serikuna placed her left hand near his nose and placed her head on his heart. She found it odd that she heard nothing for awhile and then it started. Serikuna was about to lift her head when she heard his heart race and she looked up at the Tank Commander's gray and blood shot eyes. He tried to breathe and clawed at his neck. Serikuna realized what was wrong and looked around and spotted what she was looking for, the Tank Commander's Respiration Mask. But it was too far for her to run and get it and she looked at Alexander, who heard the commotion. Alexander got the hint and unsteadily got up. He ran for the mask while Serikuna tried to keep the Tank Commander down and calm. The Magna soldiers next to her were starting to awaken and if that wasn't bad Serikuna heard the sound of incoming vehicles. The Tank Commander stopped breathing and Serikuna started to panic. She looked at where Alexander was and noticed that he was carrying back the mask but would take at least five more minutes. She would have to do something until he came back with the mask. She cursed as she saw troop vehicles and two other tanks drive by them in the distance, Federation by their color. She smirked when a Magna force equal to the Federation force appeared and started to shoot at each other. She looked back at the Tank Commander and slammed her fist on the Tank Commander's chest and placed her head on his heart, hearing it start for awhile then go silent once more. She heard an explosion near her and noticed a Federation tank had shot its main gun at Alexander, who was now only feet away but unmoving on the ground. A few seconds later the Federation tank exploded in blue flame and Serikuna looked at the two Magna soldiers next to her. "Get the damn mask woman!" The man yelled as he started to reload another rocket into the launcher he had. "Where did that come from?" Serikuna asked as she ran for the mask. She turned back only to see the other Magna soldier start CPR on the Tank Commander. She kept running and felt the Federation's plasma blasts all around her. She looked to her right and noticed the Magna forces were pinned down by the last remaining Federation tank and had lost their own in the battle. Now the Federation troops were heading towards her and the wounded Magna soldiers. She slid to the mask, checked on Alexander, and sighed in relief. He turned around and laughed. "Now that did hurt…" Serikuna smiled and looked at the approaching Federation forces. "Think you can give me cover while I save the Tank Commander's life?" She grinned when Alexander loaded a plasma grenade under the barrel of his rifle. "Of coarse, why not?" She got up and started to run back through the gunfire. She heard the explosion of a plasma grenade and saw less plasma fire near her. She got back and almost slammed the mask on the Tank Commander. He started to breath again and he fell into a deep sleep. Serikuna sighed as she looked at his wounds and saw none. "Luckier than most…" she stated as she looked at the battlefield. The Magna Forces had destroyed the final tank and were now on equal footing. Serikuna started to run back to her friend when a firm hand grabbed her arm. She turned around and saw the female soldier. "Thank you…" Serikuna nodded and felt the woman let her arm go. Serikuna ran to her friend and made it with less trouble than a few minutes ago. She looked him over and noticed a metal bar in his right leg about a foot long. "How the hell did that happen?" Serikuna asked. Alexander shot another clip over the convenient rock they hid behind and looked at the metal bar. "When the Federation Tank shot, the shockwave sent me on the metal bar and…well that's all I got really. Its fine, I can still crawl." Alexander said as he loaded another plasma clip into his rifle. Serikuna looked over the rock when he started to shoot and noticed that more of both Magna and Federation forces started to converge in this area, including those blasted Federation X-5's, a type of hovering jet that could destroy a city block in one pass and R.E.D.'s, a Magna personnel machine that walked on two legs and could destroy a skyscraper, all 100+ stories. "Crawling won't do you good here. We need to get out of here before-" an explosion nearby cut her off. "That?" Alexander finished as he pointed at the N.O.D. that started to rise up from the hole it was in. Serikuna nodded and started to shoot at the Non-Organic Device. They were created by a genius but mad scientist named Orochimaru, who currently was working for both the Magna forces and United Federation and had been rumored to have started the war for unknown reasons. All N.O.D.'s looked the same except for color, which only came in two: Black and Blue. They were meant to be deployed in hairy situations, such as this one and the one in City Hall, and destroy anything organic, mostly human targets. When deployed, it took the shape of a ball and was fired from orbit from a large aircraft. It was large, maybe 12 feet tall, human in stature in order to blend in its surroundings until too late, and had a deadly plasma cannon that destroyed all living things in its path. It would not stop killing, being friend or foe, and that was why they are currently banned by both sides. There was only one way to stop the N.O.D. and that was by shooting it a lot of times with anti-material weapons, mostly a laser, but no one in the area had that. Serikuna heard the Magna and Federation forces stop shooting each other and shoot at the N.O.D. The plasma blasts bounced off and the N.O.D. started powering up its cannon. The cannon shot a green plasma blast and everything in front of it, Federation and Magna forces, disappeared into ash. X-5's crashed to earth and R.E.D.'s fell silent. The firing stopped and the N.O.D. had stopped. An explosion rocked the earth and Serikuna looked at the wounded Magna soldiers she had treated. "Stupid idiot is going to get his team killed!" Serikuna thought as she watched the dust clear and the N.O.D. turning towards them. She looked at Alexander. "I'll be right back and if you so as much move that leg I'll amputate it myself! That's a threat and an order soldier!" Serikuna yelled as she ran around the rock and ran straight to the N.O.D. Serikuna started to climb up the large machine, it not noticing a couple extra pounds on its back, and started to shoot at were its neck would have been. Plasma went into the N.O.D. but it did not stop. It aimed its cannon at the trio and started to power it up. Serikuna looked frantically on the N.O.D. for any weakness. She saw what she was looking for and pulled on a service module she found hidden in its neck. The piece of metal went flying and Serikuna started to shoot her handgun at the things exposed circuits. The N.O.D. stopped and started to power down and before it fell Serikuna slammed her last grenade into the circuits and jumped off. The N.O.D.'s head exploded in blue flames and Serikuna could hear cheers from those still alive. Serikuna smiled and looked up at the sky as she lay on her back. "What a day…" Serikuna got up and started to walk towards Alexander. She saw the remaining Magna and Federation forces regroup and the trio she had helped went with their comrades as well. When she reached Alexander she saw another Federation tank approach the battlefield. "Son of a…" The tank kept heading toward them but did not fire. It stopped in front of Serikuna and Alexander and it was only at this point they realized the insignia of the Federation was being covered by a sticker of a shield and the words Freedom Fighters Tank: Hands off! Serikuna and Alexander laughed as they saw their two squad mates appear on the top of the tank. "There you are!" "You're late!" Alexander laughed out.
Next Chapter- Serikuna's Dark Past Part 2!