Probably the fic's darkest chapter so far, if you want to listen to the same music playing on a loop and with which I wrote said parts, just search of youtube for evangelion's 3.33 "long slow pain"...
A relieved sigh escaped Kisha's lips as she rose from the dirt, for even if the scary green one had beat her in this race, her lord appeared safe and sound.
"What do you mean it's gone?" the short terrifying woman growled, hands on hips as she closed the distance between her king, raising a hand and poking at the man's chest with a finger, heedless of the silent woman held in Yuha's grasp. "Do you have any idea what a pain it was to find and pull up such a pure piece of silver?"
"Ehehehe…"
The soft thump of two pairs of petite feet landing on the ground nearby, caused Kisha to glance to the side, and towards the sibling of the scary one, the brunette clad in a dress just as dark as that of the scary green one, and just as form fitting, if, less revealing. While by the woman's side, her loyal young subject stood, dressed in that unusual 'suit' so many of the surface dwellers seemed to have a fondness for.
"Mistress…" young Lily hissed. "Competition! The list grows!" the girl said, hints of despair in her voice.
And Kisha blinked, brows furrowing as she turned her head.
What are you talking about, young one—oh. Oh, no… for paying a little more attention revealed that Lily's eyesight to be as keen as her instincts.
For the woman whom Kisha had dismissed as someone that her lord had probably saved, and thus, her silence to be but the result of shock…
The gray-haired woman's atomic blush coupled with the red-eyed beauty bitting on her lip as she stared at Kisha's king…
"Well, do you?"
"Sorry, Tatsumaki. My bad," the man said, rubbing the back of his neck and aiming a brilliant smile at the scary green one.
Kisha squirmed as she noticed something.
Has…has my King always been this strong?!
For even if she couldn't sense her lord's special power, this…Ki, directly, the man's raw strength, smashed into her like the weight of the earth itself. Her instincts screaming at her in a similar manner the few times she'd angered her mother. Said instincts all but demanding she prostate herself and beg for forgiveness.
"But! In my defense," the man said, his smooth baritone voice caused Kisha to gnaw on her lip.
Stupid dense King!
"In the heat of the battle and with how exhausted I was there by the end it was kinda hard to think straight, and so, I might have miscalculated when the kamehameha blew me up as well…err, pretend you didn't hear that?"
Her king…had been in a fight? And, by the panicked widening of his eyes, had probably came close to dying?!
Kisha's breaths started coming in quick succession.
Both for the fact that her people could've lost another king in so sort an order, and with no potential replacement in sight…and for the simple fact that the man's strength could rival that of Kisha's mother…that is, before he somehow grew even stronger in a single day.
A nervous giggle escaped her lips, drawing the concerned eyes of the sister of the scary one and young Lily.
What manner of creature could've proved to be a threat so big to someone as strong as my lord?
"No, I don't think I will," the scary one said, the woman's voice turning sickeningly sweet. "Yuha."
"Y-yes, Tatsumommy?"
"Do you mean to tell me that in the brief span where Atomic Samurai and Queen Shivara both let you out of their sight, you managed to somehow stumble into another deadly fight?!"
Were circumstances not so dire, Kisha would've giggled at Zero's petulant, pouting expression as the man stared to the side.
"It was two fights."
"What."
"I-I mean, that's in the past, the boring, boring past. Instead, we should focus on the much more exciting present!" The man said with a sweating grin. "Everyone, let me introduce you to Grayfia, a young and most promising hero!"
"S-sir Yuha…" said girl's eyes shone, the woman still in his grasp and making no move to stand on her own two feet.
"We've met, I believe," Fubuki said, with Lily nodding.
"Mmh, yes, charmed," Tatsumaki drolled. "But, don't try to change the subject, you Idiot! So, spill. What happened! And for that matter, why are you so much stronger and while you're at it, the light show a few minutes earlier, was that you?"
Yuha's eyes darted left and right as he carefully helped Grayfia to her feet, and took a deep breath, nodding.
"You're right, and there's a simple explanation for all that, Tatsummomy."
Kisha, seeing the man's relaxed posture, begun to do so as well. Perhaps…perhaps they'd all misjudged the situation. Her mother's and the association's panicked back and forth and their decisions to start searching for the man proving to be but a silly misunderstanding.
"Look! It's King!" Yuha said, pointing with wide eyes behind Kisha.
"Eep!"
Making her turn, only to find—
"Nigerundayoooo—oof!"
Facing forward again, cheeks flaming, Kisha could at least find comfort in the fact that this Grayfia had also followed her King's gesture.
As for her idiot of a King?
Tatsumaki, hands on her hips and with green energy surrounding her, hovered and so did Yuha. A few dozen meters or so from where he'd been but an instant prior, the dirt he'd kicked up falling back down.
"Did you really think that was going to work?"
Yuha, hovering and facing the woman, slowly rotating clockwise as he did, shrugged. "Eh, worth a try,"
"Spill. Now!"
"I plead the fifth!"
The scary green one threw her hands in the air. "What does that even mean you idiot?"
Yuha sighed.
"Grayfia." The woman turned with a blink. "You don't have to be here for this. Me and Tatsumaki alone are more than up to the task," he said, inclining his head towards the door of the rectangular concrete structure.
The woman shook her head. "No, I…I have to be here, to be the one to end that man's madness, besides, I—"
Sighing, he raised an arm, gently squeezing Grayfia's shoulder.
"And, despite what you might think you're probably still not at 100%, so, no reason to push yourself, just…just let me carry you back to Fubuki and Kisha and they'll accompany you back to my Master's Dojo and then—"
"No," the woman shook her head again, and reached up with her left arm, gently pushing away his with her soft fingers. "I have to do this. Please," she said, voice tiny and hugging her midsection, eyes downcast.
To his right, Tatsumaki continued to hover, silent.
He let out a tired exhale.
"You do, of course, realize that we wouldn't indiscriminately kill any innocents we might find in here, no matter their appearance, yes?" he asked and could feel Tatsumaki's gaze snap towards him.
"O-of course," the reformed villain said, her tone affronted. Probably, if he had to guess, for even daring to insinuate that Grayfia would doubt the mighty virtuous Zero or somesuch.
This too, is but a result of my bullshit…
The wind blew, bringing within it the scent of freshly cut grass and wet dirt, but, mixed within it also—
Grayfia frowned as she sniffed. "Wait, what's that—"
"Very well."
"E-eh?"
"You may come," he said, and the woman's eyes shone with gratitude.
"Y-you mean—"
"Yes." He nodded. "But Grayfia?"
"Y-yes?"
"Prepare yourself," he said and once again glanced at the rising structure, the structure lined with moss, dirt and whose rectangular windows were arranged in small, haphazardly seeming patterns, but, a more careful look revealed a symmetry to it all.
But Yuha's wariness with Mosquito Girl accompanying him and Tatsumaki had little to do with the structure's seeming lack of cleanliness, or any fear of betrayal from Grayfia. The girl, having proved with her actions where her loyalties lay.
Nor did he fear anything that they might encounter in the depths of the structure.
For with his increased strength, what could possibly hurt him? Even now he maintained his Roshi variant and a, by this point, positively relaxing stage-five kaio-ken, making him stronger than Nappa!
And with Tatsumaki by his side?
No. He had little to fear.
Still.
"Yuha."
"This is Yuha, yes."
"Not now, you Idiot!" Tatsumaki sent, her irritation fading as quickly as it'd come. "You can sense it too, can you not?"
Indeed, he could.
Not just with his growing telekinetic and telepathic abilities, but also with his Ki sense.
Within the structure, nothing living remained.
…Well, almost nothing. A faint, fading candle rested somewhere deep within.
And beyond that, on some of the windows above, a careful look, revealed their fogginess to not be merely properties of the glass or the dirt themselves, for a distinctive red could be seen splashed in places.
"What do you mean, Y-yuha?"
He sighed and stepped towards the doors, blowing them apart with a casual punch, almost a love tap really, just as Grayfia let out a horrified gasp at her first glimpse inside.
"Just…just steel yourself…" he offered with a helpless shrug and continued inside.
His usual goofy grin nowhere in sight as he took stock of their surroundings.
Blood.
Blood as far as her eyes could see.
Blood, organs, guts and body parts littering near every inch of the silent corridors. Painting the walls.
The silence almost enough to make her shudder.
Grayfia trembled as the revolting stench of freshly spilled blood and body parts invaded her nostrils.
Trembled, and did her best to hold back her urge to puke.
'Squelch'
She stepped on a long, thin piece or tube…only, tubes did not make such sounds nor release such putrid smells and—
"Hrk!"
Raising a hand to her mouth, she stopped and took a few quick breaths as she stared at the scene of carnage around her. The carnage and the scent of blood. The horrified, panicked visages of some of her fellow brothers and sisters. Faces…faces, some of which she knew and which, now that she had little to do with that arrogant little girl she'd been, could feel nothing but regret over the fact she didn't get to know them better when she had the chance.
After all, weaklings like them consorting with the mighty Mosquito Girl?
What a fool she'd been…
Traces of that arrogant brat tried to whisper to her from somewhere deep in her mind. To remind her of how nice it felt to relish in the blood and the screams.
She gritted her teeth and remembered the kind old woman she'd failed to save, the young twins she did save and whose smiles had made her day, followed by more. Both those she helped, and those she failed.
The withered remnants faded.
But the all-encompassing silence and the scent of blood remained.
Her hands on her knees, she lifted her head, her eyes falling on the face of—
"Butterfly girl—"
And memories of another time flashed through her mind.
Of a young girl, excited and bounding up to her, ecstatic to learn from and hang out with her 'big-sis' only for Grayfia to brush her off.
The dead girl's panicked face, the frozen pleading eyes coupled with the state of the body…
"Bleugh!"
She wiped her mouth with a trembling hand.
"I'm…I'm sorry—"
Only for a rough, strong hand to land on her shoulder.
Causing her to startle and scream, her whole body tensing as the strong arms picked her up and captured her in an unyielding vice grip.
"Let me go—"
"Easy, Grayfia, easy…" a familiar voice soothed, and with a blink, she realized that the hands were not crushing her or holding her hostage. Merely…hugging.
"Y-yuha?" she asked with a tiny voice."
"Yes, Grayfia."
"I told you we shouldn't have let her come," the strongest esper said, voice tired from somewhere nearby.
She tried to shake herself free, but Zero's strong hands were akin to iron, refusing to yield, despite her efforts. And, as she tried to turn her head, Yuha's palm rose, grasping the back of her head, and, gently but firmly, guiding her head to the crook of his neck.
"It's alright," Yuha said, hand caressing her hair, and after a few seconds spent squirming, Grayfia settled in place. Hugging the man back and burying her head and nose in the man's neck, her cascading hair obscuring her view of their surroundings. "I'll carry her."
Tatsumaki sighed. "As you wish."
A brief instant of weightlessness and then they were moving.
Grayfia, eyes squeezed shut, knew not how much time passed, but, at least, no more revolting sounds reached her, for clearly Yuha stepped carefully. She buried her nose deeper in the man's neck. Focusing her senses only on the man's steady heartbeat and the heat of his limbs and body.
Focusing on nothing else.
Until—
"Grayfia…" he said, his deep voice soft and gentle.
"Mmh?"
"I think you need to see this," the man said and, reluctantly, she pushed away with a tiny whimper, gazing around, but, aside from all the walls haphazardly painted red, no parts of belonging to her late comrades could be seen.
She glanced behind her and—
'Clack'
Startled, as Yuha landed back on the ground.
Ah…so he was floating…
But, she could ponder that later, for lying with his back against the wall, drawing swallow, tired breaths—
"Armored Gorilla!" she cried, letting go of Yuha, and kneeling by the wounded cyborg's massive side.
The cyborg turning a tired eye towards her, his other gouged out. Oil and blood seeping out from the gaping hole as well as the multitude of wounds on the cyborg's front and back.
"Ah…sister," the man said, his lips forming into a smile. "You…survived. I'm…I'm glad."
"Gorilla! W-what happened?"
The ape-man managed to snort despite his many wounds. "The Doctor happened, that's what."
"W-what? What do you mean?"
But the first still living sibling of hers did not answer, turning his gaze towards Yuha, nodding. "Ah…you're here as well, then I take it that that monster is dead?"
"You mean Kabuto?"
"Yes…"
"Then yes."
"Hah! Good riddance to bad rubbish then!" the ape-man said, starting to chuckle, only to break into a cough.
"Gorilla!" she cried, reaching out with an arm, trying to help, trying to stabilize the man only for her hand to be coated in a warm mix of blood and oil. "S-sir Yuha!" she said, turning desperate eyes to the man. "Please…"
Only for her hero's shoulders to slump. "I…I'm sorry, Grayfia. I would if I could, but I possess no healing powers, otherwise I wouldn't have resorted to using my blood to heal you. I'm…I'm sorry."
Tatsumaki, floating by the man's side, scowled and a dozen expressions flashed through her face in quick succession.
"Tsk."
Before she glared at a nearby wall and floated closer.
"I could try and stabilize him if—"
"No."
Only for Armored Gorilla to shake his head.
"What do you mean, no!" Grayfia cried.
"It's too late for me sister," the man said, meeting her eyes and, struggling, raising a furry paw, grasping her forearm weakly. "My systems are too damaged. I'm running on reserve power, on 'battery' if you will. My organs and my cores are gone. I have perhaps minutes left in me."
"But then—"
He nodded. "You are the last, sister. And I'm glad my decision to try to hang on as long as I could did not prove as foolish and pointless as I feared, for someone made it after all. You made it."
"Gorilla…"
"No, listen," he said, shaking his head. The motion clearly taxing. "We might not have been that close you and I—"
His words bit deep, and she winced. What a fool she'd been. What a vain, prideful fool…
"But that no longer matters. You are here, he is here," Gorilla said, nodding towards Yuha. "And that's good…good…" the man-ape's eyes seemed to glaze before with a growl focus returned. "For the Doctor seemed to be wary of you both for some reason. Or, at least, dislike you," he said, glancing at her. "So…now, it falls to you, sister. Avenge us, and stop Genus' madness."
"I will," she promised and Gorilla smiled.
"Good…good…Sister."
"Yes?"
"Be cautious, he…he made some kind of serum, did something to himself…he's the one who killed us all."
Grayfia's hand's shook. She took a deep breath.
"Ok…Ok, t-then, we'll find one of his clones and we'll beat his whereabouts out of—"
"No. You misunderstand, sister, there are no clones, only Genus. Only the angel remains…"
"Gorilla?"
"Avenge us…avenge us and live for us all…" the man mumbled, and life faded from his eye.
"Gorilla!"
She shook the man, but the cyborg did not stir.
"Aaagh!" she cried and her power went haywire, rage, grief, sorrow and everything overwhelming her as she could feel her ki rising like a swelling tide, the sensation somewhat familiar and then sweet oblivion claimed her.
Her last sensation being that of warm, strong hands catching her.
This is horrible.
Granted, his time spent in basic coupled with his own prior experiences and mindset meant the sights, smells and everything affected him little on an emotional level.
Still, he could acknowledge, even if merely through the eyes of cold logic that—
This is horrible…
"Yuha."
He followed Tatsumaki's voice, and, cradling the unconscious Grayfia in a bridal carry, floated past the bodies and the airlock like door and into the giant open room. A room curiously lacking in blood splatters and body parts. Finding his frowning girlfriend, on guard, aura up, hovering above a hole leading deep underground.
A hole surrounded by the ruined remains of a medical incline chair, an empty syringe haphazardly discarded nearby.
"I guess we found where the good doctor made his escape from…" he said with a frown as Tatsumaki picked up the syringe with a finger gesture, the oversized item hovering but a few feet from the girl before she removed the plunger and gagged.
"That bad, huh?"
"You have no idea!" she said, gagging still.
"And I'd prefer it to remain that way. Still, was it smart to sniff a mad scientist's—"
Tatsumaki smirked.
"Hmf! Who do you take me for?" the girl asked with a grin and her hands on her hips. "I merely created a psychic simulacrum of my sense of smell and linked it to my actual sense, transferring the sensations over. I'm not as foolish as you to actually go and sniff it!"
Yuha, couldn't help but goggle.
To be able to do something that complex in an instant…Sasuga Tatsumommy!
"H-hmf!"
The woman's smirk faded just as quickly as his good cheer.
He stared at the syringe. "Still—"
"I know," the girl said and in less than a tenth of a second and a flash of green, Tatsumaki compressed the syringe into something smaller than an grain of sand.
Transforming the syringe and its remaining contents into something less than dust and hotter than the surface of the sun, before she thrust the tiny bubble of deadly energy deep into the gapping hole.
"You think that hit him?"
She snorted.
"Were it so easy… we both know that if the madman is as smart as his creations think he is? He'll be long gone," Tatsumaki let out a tired sigh. "Yuha, I don't think we're gonna find him nor find any other survivors, so, let's leave, yes?"
He nodded.
"Yeah…I guess you're right." Rising back into the air, he headed in the direction of the exit before pausing and casting one last glance towards the ruined chair.
"Yuha?"
He blinked and shook his head.
"It's nothing, Tatsumaki, let's go," he said floating after the girl.
Still, his mind remained fixed on the few black feathers that had fallen upon and around the chair.
This wasn't the end of Dr Genus. But…for now, they had bigger things to worry about and prepare for.
Besides, despite whatever the madman had done to himself how strong could he be?
And I'm sure nothing bad will come from that, no sir...