Right, back on schedule. I think the next chapter I'll try to reveal my planned schedule too, since I wanna get back into some of my other fics soon. But I'm gonna try to get up to a certain point in this one before cutting it off for a bit.
This chapter, and the next few, will be back to MC for the most part. Godzilla finally has a presence in this story that isn't just 'big ol' scary eye'. So that makes things more interesting, I think.
Disclaimer: Godzilla and all related trademarks are owned and licensed by Toho Co., Ltd, Legendary Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Pictures. High School DxD is owned and licensed by Ichiei Ishibumi and Fujimi Shobo. I own neither series, please support official releases.
So…the next few days, I basically did everything on autopilot.
I ate, I slept, I exercised, I trained-okay, my training was half-hearted the entire time. I think that's when people started to notice. My brother would give me a worried look, our two friends would turn their heads in confusion.
Maybe I could've put on a brave face, a fake smile and a laugh. It would've probably saved me the trouble when it finally happened. But…I couldn't.
I felt like I was in hell. There's no other way to describe that. How do I even explain this?
It's like if you'd left a terrible situation, only to have that follow you even when you thought you'd escaped to the ends of the earth. Like an awful memory that you try your hardest to bury and forget, but always comes back and makes things worse for you.
"I left alone~!"
"My mind was blank!"
"I needed time to think! To get the memories from my mind~!"
"Oi? Are you okay?"
I pulled one of my earbuds out as I regarded Aichi. "Eh? What do you mean?"
"First, you said that like a damn robot," the dopey boy frowned at my noncommittal response. "And you've been moping for days now. The hell happened?"
"What did I see? Can I believe~?!"
"That what I saw that night was real and not just fantasy?"
"I…okay, look, it's complicated," I said tiredly while rolling my neck.
"Can you maybe un-complicate it?" Kazuto asked from next to me.
"Just what I saw! In my old dreams!"
"Were they reflections of my warped mind staring back at me?"
"...Have you ever been through something terrible in your life?" I asked the two of them, an annoyed grunt escaping me when they gave me bewildered looks. "Like, something awful. Something that deeply, personally broke you. And even when you think you've left it behind, even when you've gotten far away from it, it somehow finds its way into your life and fuck things up for you all over again."
"'Cause in my dreams! It's always there!"
"The evil face that twists my mind and brings me to despair~!"
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh~!"
Aichi let out a small 'meep' as I paused the music on my phone. "Dude, that's…what the fuck do I even say to that?!"
"What was it?" Kazuto asked nervously. When I turned to him, he had a worried look. "What happened to you that was so bad?"
I inclined my head tiredly while letting out a sigh. "You know, it's really better if you don't know…"
"I do not like that answer!" Kazuto wheezed nervously.
I huffed while turning away from the two boys and walking off. "I have to go. See you later."
"Wait, weren't you gonna challenge the Martial Arts Club again today?" the dopey boy asked weakly.
"I don't feel like it," I called back. "Besides, I'm visiting my grandparents in a few weeks. Jiji isn't doing well, so I've gotta get him some gifts."
"Wait, are you even gonna go to the dojo?" Kazuto asked worriedly.
"Too tired. Just gonna exercise," I replied offhandedly.
One click of a button on my phone, and music was playing again. No more rock, just 'feel-good' music.
…Except nothing was making me 'feel good'. I felt sick to my stomach, like I was gonna vomit, and I just wanted to curl on the ground and cry. There was this pressure weighing down on me like a giant foot trying to crush me.
"Why'd it have to be you? Why couldn't it have been some freaky squid thing from space that made funny noises?" I whispered as I tried to fight back sobs. "And why'd it have to be me? Why couldn't somebody else suffer through this?"
"And that's my plan," Andora finished gravely. "I'm really sorry about this, Rias, but I feel like I should at least take a chance. I'm not cutting in on you, I promise, it's just-"
"Andora, I'm not worried~!" the redhead teased the other girl playfully. "If anything, I'm glad you're giving me one more chance. I plan on taking it, but the world won't end if he says no again."
The disguised albino nodded as she walked alongside the girl. "So, what were you planning? You're not just gonna go up to him, are you?"
"Well, either myself or Akeno. Considering his predilections, perhaps that'll work better than sending Kiba," Rias mused gleefully.
"I think I should tell you right now, but that might not work. If you remember what I told you-"
"Yes, he knows about the supernatural. Or at least he knows about the yokai," the Gremory heiress hummed curiously as she tilted her head. "I can understand why you'd want to hide us, then. This little field around us is impressive~!"
Andora smirked as she eyed her cloaking spell. "The benefits of working with yokai and spirits is that they can be very generous with sharing their techniques. I managed to reverse-engineer this in only a few months."
"You'll have to teach it to me. Perhaps as a consolation prize if I fail to reel him in." Rias cocked her head to the side curiously. "By the way…Tamane? Is it true that you're into him?"
"MEEP!"
"Rias?!" the Paimon heiress gasped.
"Relax~! I'm just teasing her!" the redhead chuckled. "Besides, even if I did take him in, that wouldn't prevent her from making a move. What would you think about setting up their dates?"
At the fox-girl's nervous wheeze, Andora sighed. "Gosh, you're making it sound like we're their parents~! What, do we pack them sandwiches and juice-boxes?"
"...Do we actually get juice-boxes?" Koneko chimed in as she popped her head between the two devils.
Rias shook her head good-naturedly. "I'll get you a juice-box later, Koneko-chan~!"
Behind the four girls, Sashiro silently glided across the ground, leaving small patches of ice as she floated forward. A small huff passed her lips as she eyed her master curiously, a worried look barely passing her face.
"Is something wrong?" a voice chimed in.
The snow-girl tilted her head towards the other girl tiredly. "Nothing of the sort."
"Ara ara~! No need to be so curt!"
"Now Akeno, there's no need to be confrontational!" the redhead chided.
"Ah, of course not! I'm simply wondering why there's some trepidation, that's all," the dark-haired girl giggled playfully. "Say, what would you think if I approached Isashi?"
"W-What?!"
"Excuse you?!"
The hidden nephilim chuckled at the reactions from the fox-girl and the ice-woman. "It was just a suggestion! No need to act so hostile~!"
"Akeno! What have I told you?" The Gremory heiress deadpanned.
"...B-Behave?"
"No, the other thing."
"Don't rile people up?"
"No, the other other thing."
"...NTR is trash?"
"That! That's what I wanted you to remember!" Rias sighed.
"Seriously, like we have enough of that. It's absolute cringe," Andora sighed tiredly as she scanned the surrounding courtyard. "Hmm? Aha! There! That would be our man of the hour!"
"Perfect!" the redhead cheered once she'd spotted Isashi. "Let's just find a safe spot to hide, and then Akeno and I will leave the cloak. Then we'll approach him. With this many people watching, he's more likely to accept."
Tamane frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Something's wrong…"
"Oh? What do you mean by that?" the redhead asked.
"Just…l-look at him! There's something wrong with him," the fox-girl said worriedly. "He doesn't look like himself."
The assembled devils regarded the kitsune for several seconds before turning towards the boy. True to her words, they could see that something was very wrong.
His eyes looked sunken in, likely from lack of sleep, and there was a haunted expression in them. The veins on his skin were prominent and dark, and his skin had an unhealthy pallor. The way he was breathing showed just how tired he was.
More than that, gone was the confident smile he normally had. Unlike his normal, laid-back posture, the boy was visibly tense, his shoulders raised like the hackles of a frightened animal. At his side, his free hand was balled into a strained fist.
"...Rias, I think you need to schedule this another day," the disguised albino said darkly.
The Gremory heiress eyed her friend suspiciously. "You think something happened? A yokai attack, perhaps?"
"I…I don't want to discount it," Andora said after a pregnant pause. "But something about this seems beyond that. He's never looked like that before, let alone acted frightened by any yokai."
"...His chi is wrong."
The group of devils blinked at Koneko's words. The small girl was staring at Isashi intensely, a nervous look across her features.
"It's stronger. But it's…" the small girl let out a noise akin to a whimper. "Poison. It's like an infection spreading through him."
The Paimon heiress narrowed her eyes at Isashi as the girl spoke. Her fists clenched as she stepped forward.
"There's…something else there," Tamane chimed in worriedly. "It's like…rage. I can feel this pure hatred a-and disgust. It's like it's a flood that's washing just over your feet."
Andora held out her hand and closed her eyes. For a single moment, the layers of magical disguises laid upon her fell away, revealing an arm dotted with ash-white scales and a fin running down her forearm from her wrist. Her clawed and webbed fingers curled as she mentally reached towards Isashi-
The waves crashed loudly; the seas convulsing and foaming. Water boiled and bubbled around her, the frothy sea spray passing her by. All around her, a low growl echoed, shaking her very core.
When she opened her eyes, a nightmarish sight greeted her. Before her was a monstrous face shrouded in darkness, a single lidded eye shifting from a fiery orange to an incandescent blue. A set of nightmarish fangs flashed as the great beast peeled its lips back.
The low growl that echoed from the beast belied the full breadth of its pure hate. An endless amount of disdain and malice stared at her, even from within a mind barely awake. But she could feel it regardless.
Andora closed her eyes again with a shudder, a haggard breath escaping her when they reopened. Everything was back to normal-no ocean, no monstrous creature hidden in the dark. Just a courtyard filled with oblivious students.
"...He's not going to be receptive today," the albino said as she reapplied her disguise. "And even if you do wait, try to temper your expectations. Don't panic if he says no."
"I don't think I'll be bothered. If anything, I'm…I'm genuinely worried about him now," Rias said solemnly.
"I think I am too," the Paimon heiress admitted.
"This…this isn't right," the fox-girl shook her head anxiously. "He's not supposed to be like this. S-Somebody should help him!"
Andora frowned as the boy walked away. "I'm not one to disagree. But I think it'd be a bad idea to try right now…"
'Does he know about that thing?' the disguised albino frowned to herself. 'For how long? And does he even know what it is?'
Isashi tilted his head in their general direction, an exasperated look across his face. He said something-something she couldn't catch. There was a terrified, almost desperate look in his eyes, one she barely noticed as he turned away.
'Hyoudou Isashi…just what is going on with you?'
Around me, Kuoh was burning.
I hadn't even remembered seeing the fires start. I think I was walking home, and suddenly I was here, in a very populated part of the town, surrounded by flames and rubble. I think there was a gap in my memory, because this didn't make sense.
…Everything looked like…like a bomb had gone off. The buildings were completely devastated, strewn around, and crumbled to debris and dust. Anything that was still intact was consumed by wicked-looking flames that seemed to glow brighter with every second. Ash fell from above, like fresh snow, coating the ground in a thick black cloak.
There were bodies all over the place. Some of them were charred, blackened-and not simply by flames, the skin had gone red and black in places, covered in blisters and thick keloid scars. But other bodies were crushed, shredded, or even seemingly chewed on. And more worryingly, not all the bodies were human.
There were living people too. Or, rather, a mix of people and not-people. I'd have thought yokai would be gleefully indulging themselves in all this chaos, taking their sweet time to pick off survivors or lure first responders and good samaritans into traps. Instead, they were…running.
Dozens of monstrous creatures and spirits that I knew had violent tendencies were running in terror. Some of them were passing up delicious, juicy humans in favor of fleeing in terror, screaming and crying as they went.
"Nii-san?!"
"...I-Issei?" I asked dumbly.
"Issei! Cut it out! We have to get going!"
"Motohama?!" I shook my head while running towards the voices.
"I'm not leaving without my brother, damn it!" I heard Issei crying out. "That thing-that thing has him trapped somehow-"
"Issei, it's not worth it!" I heard Motohama sobbing out from behind a chunk of fallen building. "He's too far gone! We have to get to safety!"
"Fuck you! I'm getting my brother back, damn it-"
*SMACK*
I rounded the corner just in time to see Matsuda slapping my brother harshly across the face. I felt an indignant rage welling within me at that, and I stomped towards the bald boy.
"Oi! What the fuck is your problem, Matsuda?!" I growled, only growing angrier when he ignored me. "Hey?! Listen to me when I'm talking to you, dipshit! What the fuck are you hitting my brother for-"
I blinked as I went straight through Matsuda. I turned to see my brother and our two friends not even reacting. I waved my hands in front of their faces, and there was no response.
"Your brother is dead," the bald boy said flatly. "That…that freaky monster, it killed him, laughed as it did it. And…and you remember? He was stabbed in the gut! And all he could say was…"
"Run," Motohama chimed in. "He screamed out for everybody to run. And then…then the explosion happened…oh god! That nightmare…it came out of him!"
"No! No, you're lying! It j-just has him trapped!" my brother said desperately. "He's not dead. He's not dead, damn it! Stop fucking giving me that look!"
"Issei…I'm sorry. He's gone," Matsuda said solemnly. "He…he tried to warn us. He…he knew. He was keeping that thing prisoner, and then that freak attacked and…fuck! Fuck, this is all fucked up!"
Overhead, I heard planes soaring, loud screeches drowning out what was said next. Nearby, I could hear the blades of a helicopter slicing into the air. But the sky was so suffused with ash and smoke that I could barely see any clouds.
"-And we need to get going, fast! That thing, it's not gonna stop until it's destroyed everything. I…I could fucking see it in its eyes," the bald boy shuddered as he helped Issei to his feet. "Issei, please! I know he was your brother! Trust me, I get it. But…you need to keep living!"
My brother let out a wracked sob at Matsuda's words. Before he could say anything else, his voice caught in his throat.
Beneath us, the ground shook. It was a loud, rhythmic shaking that echoed across the entire town. Every time it resounded, screams rang out, and the cries of horrified demons echoed from far away.
"It's coming!" Motohama giggled madly. "It's coming, it's coming! We're not gonna get away in time, hahahaha!"
"Come on, we gotta get out of here!" Matsuda yelled.
The three of them ran as fast as they could, and I followed. They ran past dead bodies; they ran past random yokai huddling in fear, they even ran past people slowly dying and reaching out. They reached a crowd of people and joined them in trying to get to safety.
Then something big slammed in front of the crowd. A massive, clawed foot blocked the path. An enormous and monstrously long tail whipped back and forth, slamming into buildings and breaking them apart. Everybody screamed in horror and desperately tried to scramble.
I stared in horror as a familiar, dark shaped loomed overhead, rising to over five-hundred feet above. The nightmare hunched forward, fiery eyes glaring with pure, undiluted hate. Behind him, the massive rows of maple-leaf shaped spines flashed, brightening our surroundings.
I saw his teeth flashing as he glared down at the crowd. I could hear the sound of air being sucked in, a low growl shaking the ground. His bony chest puffed up as he reared his head back.
*SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKKKKKGGGGGG~!*
The God of Destruction cried out with a voice that shattered the world.
And I let out a scream.
"Fuck! Fuck, fucking shit, fuck! Why?! Why me?!" I sobbed into the bathroom sink. "For fuck's sake, this isn't fair!"
Why'd the nightmares have to start again? Every fucking time I'd hear his fucking name on the news, every time I'd hear about him outside of an old news report or a textbook, this shit would start up again. I thought desensitizing myself would fix this. Hell, nearly a decade without worrying about it was supposed to make it easier.
But he…he was here. Why the fuck was this happening to me?!
*KNOCK**KNOCK**KNOCK*
"Oi?! Nii-san?! You alright?!"
"...I-Issei? Yeah, I'm…I'm good, man," I called back. "Uh...I'm mostly decent."
The door cracked open, and he popped in slightly. "You sure you're alright? Did you stub your toe or something?"
"No, no, it's not that! I'm just having trouble sleeping, that's all." I shook my head tiredly. "Are Kaa-san and Tou-san-"
"They're out, remember? Kaa-san is with a friend at the hospital, and Tou-san is on a business trip for a few days," my brother shrugged, a worried look tugging at his lips. "I'm surprised you forgot that. Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yes, Ise, I'm fine!"
"...Are you on drugs?"
"What?!"
"Because this feels like a drug thing, Nii-san," Issei deadpanned.
"Issei, if I were on anything other than over-the-counter painkillers and cold medicine, you'd know. I'm not on fucking drugs, okay?!" I growled in annoyance while cracking my neck. "Look, I'm just…I've started getting a bit stressed with training, and with trying to challenge the Martial Arts Club. I guess I couldn't stop it from getting to me."
"...Are you sure that's it?" my brother asked nervously. "B-Because you've been like the walking dead for a few days now. Is there anything you wanna tell me?"
"...Issei, I'm fine. I'm just out of sorts, okay?" I sighed tiredly.
Issei was silent for several moments, which told me he didn't believe me. After a few moments, he let out a worried huff.
"Hey, this…this isn't about Ojiisan, is it?"
"...I think? I…I was planning on grabbing a gift for him, but a bunch of the stores aren't stocked with what he'd like." I shrugged tiredly. "I also wanted to grab something for Obaachan, 'cause I know she's not doing alright."
"Obaachan's a lot tougher than she looks. This isn't…t-things will turn out alright!" my brother said nervously. "Ojiisan will get better, I know it. You don't need to stress out about it."
I laughed slightly, if only to keep myself from crying. "Yeah, you're right! I'm…I'm just freaking out over nothing…" I trailed off while holding back tears. "I'm not being logical right now, I think. I mean, I really think I'm just stressed."
"Nii-san, when Kaa-san comes back, you should tell her. Maybe she can get you a day off?"
I let out a small sigh at that. "Yeah, maybe. Wouldn't bet on it though," I shook my head while moving towards the door. "I'm gonna try to get back to sleep, alright. Try not to stay up too late with Pamela, 'kay?"
"P-Pamera? Who-"
"Pamela Handerson~!" I teased him.
"Oi! Fuck you!"
I dreaded going to sleep again. I was terrified I'd see that guy again, that this time I wouldn't be able to escape. I'd been so tense I almost wondered if I could sleep at all.
I didn't think I was asleep, seeing as I felt wide awake. But I 'awoke' in a place that I'd seen before. But I hadn't been here in a long while.
"...What the hell?" I breathed out as I turned to the golden room around me.
Sitting at the desk at the center of the room was that guy in the gray robes. He was busily running through stacks of papers and jotting things down.
"You!" I said wildly.
"Hmm? Oh, hey, you're here!" the man said cheerfully. "Man, this is, uh, a real surprise. You weren't supposed to show up for a while, dude~!"
I felt my right eye twitch at the dark-haired man's casual demeanor. Like, he was just leaning back with a bright grin, saying shit like 'dude'. Acting like he hadn't screwed me over. I had this feeling in my stomach that made me tense up.
"...I am going to break your face," I said darkly after several seconds of silence.
The man blinked at that and tilted his head. "Eh? W-What was that?"
"I am going to break your fucking face!" I growled angrily while slowly stalking forward. "I am going to slam my fists into your skull until every bone within is pulverized! And I'm not gonna stop!"
"...Neat!" the dark-haired man said cheerfully, one of his hands trailing under his desk. "That's, uh, pretty interesting. You mind giving me, like, five or ten seconds before you start?"
"...You're pressing a panic button." I pointed at his hidden hand.
"What?! Me?! Naaaaaaaaah~! I'm not pressing anything-"
"I can hear you fucking pressing it! It's making a tapping sound!"
"...Well, you just threatened to physically assault me. I feel like I get to press the panic button," the gray-robed man said nervously.
"Well, I get to physically assault you! You fucked me!"
"Eh? Buddy, that's not how I swing. Also, you're physically 15, so that wouldn't be okay," the man tilted his head in confusion. "Plus, I think I'd remember doing that-"
"You put Gojira in my soul!" I cried out angrily.
"...Oh? Oh, you found that out?"
"You-you son of a bitch! The fuck do you mean I 'found it out'? You weren't gonna fucking tell me?!"
The gray-robed man blinked in confusion. "Why are you shouting? I thought you'd be stoked about this?"
"Stoked?! Stoked?! The fuck makes you think I'd ever have wanted this?!" I screamed.
*FWOOOOOSH*
"Alright! What seems to be the problem here?"
I swung my fist without thinking. I felt my fist connecting to something hard, and there was a small burst of light and heat. When I pulled my hand back in pain, my knuckles were red, almost like they were sunburned.
"I'd advise you not to do that again," the green-haired man said while adjusting his glasses, a frown tugging at his lips. "Now, is there a problem?"
"You fucking coward! Come out of your damn shield and fight me!" I growled.
"I'm not going to do that," the bespectacled man sighed.
"You fucked me! You bastards! You fucked me over!"
"I was…unaware that you were displeased with your new life. I imagined there would be very little to object to-"
"You shoved Gojira in my soul, you sick fuck!"
"...Ah, you found out about that?" the green-haired man inclined his head in amusement. "I understand it's a rather daunting prospect, but you shouldn't worry. We made sure everything was safe-from what I understand, you won't have to worry about cancer, or sterilization, or irradiating your potential partners-"
"Eat my ass!" I growled at the man. "You didn't fucking tell me! And you gave me no choice! You fucked me over! Don't give me useless consolations!"
The bespectacled man sighed tiredly at my words. "When we sought out somebody for this, one of the criteria that was considered was the individual's knowledge of the creature itself. You were the candidate that knew about Gojira the most." the man steepled his fingers as an apologetic look spread across his face. "I can tell this is frightening to you, but you were the best person for the job. Since you've likely seen all the films, you'll have more than enough time to prepare yourself."
"Films? Films?! What fucking films?!"
"You know, the movies?" the gray-robed man chimed in. "All the, uh, movies about Godzilla? Why are you acting like you haven't seen those?"
"You mean the documentaries?!" I retorted.
"Did they make documentaries about those movies? The making of those movies?" the dark-haired man muttered.
"They made a few documentaries, I think?" the green-haired man offered.
"You-what the fuck are you talking about?!" I growled.
"The…Godzilla movies? Where you first saw Godzilla?" the gray-robed man supplied nervously.
"The first time I saw Gojira was when I was six, and he turned my entire city into a pile of smoldering rubble!"
"...In the movies, right?"
"No! No, not in a fucking movie! He showed up, he destroyed the entire city! My childhood home was literally crushed!" I cried out in rage. "I was literally a city block away from him! I still remember…r-remember that fucking look he gave me and the rest of the crowd that night. I can't ever shake that memory…"
"Like…actually?" the dark-haired man asked weakly. At my dark glare, he quickly broke out into a cold sweat. "L-Like, actually?!"
"Oh, shit!" the green-haired man hissed. "This is not what we fucking meant! How did we miss this?!"
"What are you talking about?!" I growled.
"Uh…I need to consult with our higher ups!" the bespectacled man said quickly. "I'll be right back!"
*FWOOOOOOSH*
"Wait, Sasaki, don't leave me! I don't-fuck!" the gray-robed man flinched when my gaze shifted back to him. "Uh…so…Godzilla was real in your world? That sounds pretty cool, eh?"
"The second time I saw him, he killed a large portion of my extended family by causing molten rubble to crush them," I deadpanned, while leveling a cold glare at him. "It was decidedly the opposite of 'pretty cool'."
"Ah~! That's…neat," the dark-haired man squeaked.
"I swear I'm going to start throwing hands," I said darkly. "I don't care if you have fucking forcefields. I'm going to keep punching until something finally lands."
"Please don't do that! Look, why don't you just take a seat?" the gray-robed man offered. "No need to resort to violence. We can work this out civilly."
"God, fuck you!" I hissed while turning away from him and sitting down in a nearby chair. "I'm in hell!"
"Listen, I know you're worried, but…l-look on the bright side?"
"...What 'bright side'? How is there any fucking bright side?!" I growled angrily.
"W-Well, you're on the road to become the strongest living thing on the planet. At least, not counting Godzilla," the dark-haired man pointed at my chest nervously. "Uh, he'd still be stronger, obviously, but you'd be right behind him. I mean, what else would you expect from getting his powers?"
I felt a vein on my temple threatening to pop as I glared at him. "So you're saying that, no matter how strong I'll get, it won't be enough? That if he gets out, I'm still fucked?"
"He can't get out!" the gray-robed man said quickly. "At least, I think he can't get out? Uh, I'm pretty sure he can't get out."
"Are you-you don't even fucking know? You don't even know if it's safe or not?!" I cried out.
"Okay, how do I explain this? Um…aha!" the man quickly grabbed a knife, and then two boxes from under his desk. "Okay, so, you see this knife, right?"
"..." I gripped the edge of my seats with barely restrained agitation.
"Look, stay with me, alright? We put this knife in this box!" the man plopped the blade into one box and began shutting it. "Then we seal the box to keep the knife from being removed or getting out. And then we put this box, with the knife in it, into the bigger box!" he threw the now sealed box in the larger box. "And then we make sure that box is holding tight. That's, uh, basically what we did with you. It's like a Jinchūriki-actually, that's basically what it is, just with a few differences."
"Oh, so I'm a fucking sacrifice, huh? Or what, am I a weapon?" the dark-haired man went deathly quiet at my retort, and I felt my blood grow cold. "What? What, are you saying that I'm-"
"I'm gonna stop talking now!" the man said nervously.
"Give me a fucking answer, damn it!"
*FWOOOOOOSH*
I took a deep breath and turned to the flashing pillar of light. When it dissipated, a green-haired man was there, along with another person.
He was a pale guy with short brown hair and a short beard, and he was dressed in a bright silver robe that had a tie and buttons around the collar. He had a small, solemn smile on his face, but the look in his eyes was worrying. It was a bit of a-I don't know how to describe it, hungry? It was almost covetous, like he wanted me in some strange way.
I had to fight back a shudder as he took a step forward. He eyed the gray-robed man curiously before turning back to me with another fake smile.
"What seems to be the problem here?"
"You maniacs shoved Gojira into my soul without giving me a choice!" I screamed angrily.
"Ah, that? Well, it seems our program had a little hiccup and grabbed…w-well, you, of course," the bearded man motioned towards me.
"Oh, what? Not impressed?" I said, while clicking my teeth.
"No, we weren't expecting somebody who lived in a world where Godzilla existed," the man shrugged while turning to the green-haired man, Sasaki, with a curious expression. "He's normally a fictional being. He, uh, has his own film series. Hell, in a lot of worlds, one of his movies recently got an oscar."
"Well, whoop-de-fucking-doo for him! He still traumatized me by destroying three of the cities I lived in!" I growled angrily. "Sorry I'm not a giant nerd who likes some weird film series. No, you just got the guy with PTSD and shit. Must totally suck, huh?!"
The bearded man let out a nervous chuckle. "You're being rather caustic about this, aren't you?"
"You just heard my every fucking reason for that! Why shouldn't I be pissed?!" I growled spitefully. "How would you feel if you were traumatized by some asshole, and then you were forced to give him a free house? That might as well be what this shit is!"
"W-Well, you're blowing this out of proportion. It's not like it's your Godzilla."
I balked at the silver-robed man's words. "The fuck are you talking about?!"
The green-haired man walked forward and stretched a hand out. An orb of energy flashed for a second as some sort of holographic tech-terminal-thing came to life in front of him. Then the terminal began projecting large images forward.
I felt tense when I saw Gojira on those images. Only…w-well, that guy was right. These weren't my Gojira.
Oh, sure, some of them were similar. The one fighting a giant, red crab-demon-thing looked a lot like my Gojira-the only difference was he looked a bit smaller and covered in glowing red sores and rashes, with his spines also visibly melting and having a different overall look. Still a fairly close match, but not quite a match-and that was discounting the other monster, which never existed in my old world.
The second one I looked at was smaller than the first-maybe he was about as big as my Gojira was when he first appeared after Castle Bravo. He looked somewhat similar to the previous version, but…his scales were darker, more crocodilian and somewhat flaky, there were a lot of spikes jutting out from his scales, and his spines looked more thorn-like. The way his upper body moved made him look constrained, though that did little to prevent him from destroying the city around him.
The third was the most confusing. My first thought was 'this is Gojira?', because I couldn't believe it was at first. The thing looked like a giant iguana-like dinosaur with huge blue spikes jutting from its back. Its scales were completely black save for its belly, which was light brown and purple. More importantly, it was just…chilling. Like, it was chilling out like a lazy pet. There were multiple people around it, and instead of acting hostile towards them, it looked more like it was a content housecat hanging around its chosen humans. But the look in its eyes, the way its jaw curled, it left no doubt that this creature wasn't some simple lizard.
And it continued just like that. More and more versions of Gojira, none of them being the one I knew, flashed across the screen. Some were far less terrifying than my Gojira-some looked even worse. But they were all, regardless of how deviant they were, variations of the same creature.
"The Gojira sealed inside of you is not just one Gojira. When he was trapped and dying in that wormhole, he absorbed the energy and biological material from…well, them," Sasaki motioned towards the flashing images of Gojira's various alternate counterparts. "He was able to prevent his own death, recreate his own body, and grow more powerful. The original creature that was trapped was a simple destroyer of cities…and now, he has the potential to destroy planets, solar systems even. And he could, in theory, travel across the entire multiverse, which would allow him to cause untold destruction."
"That is, if he were free…" the silver-robed man mused while eyeing me.
I felt rage boiling in me as I turned to glare at the three of them. "And what, you weren't willing to give me a choice? You didn't even tell me it was him! Did you not want me to say no?!"
"Have you ever heard of the phrase 'the needs of the many'?"
"Don't give me that bullshit!" I growled at the bearded man. "If you ask some guy to give up the woman he loves-if you ask a mother to sacrifice her beloved, do you know what they'd say? It'd be a big, fat, fucking NO!"
"That is a remarkably selfish thought process," he started, visibly growing less amused. "Rulers and generals have often sacrificed hundreds of troops, or even thousands of civilians, to save the greater whole. It's a harsh reality, but sometimes we must do what is necessary to protect everything!"
"...You ever read Discworld?"
The silver-robed man sputtered at that. "B-Beg your pardon?!"
"Discworld! You know, the famous book series by that cool western author? I mean, I guess it must've actually happened somewhere, all things considered…" I trailed off while inclining my head. "Terry Pratchet, that's the guy! Yeah, he, uh, he passed earlier in my world-Varan and Baragon were having another spat in the isles around 2012, and he was one of the casualties. Sucks, but what're ya gonna do?"
"I don't-"
"Book 34, 'Thud!'. Sam Vimes goes through all sorts of shit just to get back home in time to read to his son. He does everything he can to get to the exact time no matter what. Do you wanna know what the reason he gave for that was?" I clicked my teeth at the confused looks of the three men. "No excuses. No excuses at all. Once you had a good excuse, you opened the door to bad excuses."
"Oh~!" the gray-robed man nervously sank into his seat as the other two stared blankly. "Yeah, I ain't touchin' that…"
"Tell me, how many bad excuses have you opened the door to?" I asked darkly, a snarl tugging at my lips when the three men looked between each other tensely. "Yeah, see, I didn't willingly sign up to become a fucking messiah or some shit. I didn't ask for this. So…we're done!"
"Done?!" the green-haired man gasped.
"Done?!" the bearded man growled.
"Well, that asshole!" I motioned to the dark-haired man behind the desk. "Didn't convincingly dodge my questions when I asked him if I was a weapon. So, I definitely know that you wanted me for more than just some basic Jinchūriki bullshit. Fuck that! I'm not playing ball."
"That's not what we-"
"And I know for a fact that you can't just shove him into anybody else. You want me to be a fucking cage? Fine! But leave me the fuck alone!" I glared at the three of them flatly while standing to my feet. "I don't care if I'm literally dying! Don't interfere with my life! Don't bother me! Don't ask me for shit! Whatever bullshit you had planned, leave me out of it!"
The silver-robed man tilted his head as a frown tugged on his lips. "You're getting rather cocky, aren't you? What makes you think you can just be 'done'?"
"I was done the moment you forced this shit on me!" I motioned to myself, then to the alternating images of various versions of Gojira. "I had no choice! Nobody explained that it was that thing! Nobody gave me the courtesy! So, yeah, I'm done! Piss of!"
The bearded man took a deep, furious breath as his eyes narrowed into a dark glare. Then he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
I was suddenly dragged off the ground and flung into the ceiling. I could barely breathe. I felt like something was choking me. When I tried to move, no matter how I did it, my senses were assaulted by a blinding white-hot pain that threatened to overtake my thoughts.
"Akua, wait!"
"Shut up! You two were being too soft on him!" I heard the silver-robed man growl. "He needs to learn!"
And then he was in my face, a spiteful scowl only a couple feet away. The look in his eyes was of pure disgust.
"You don't seem to get it, do you?! We own you!" he hissed into my face. "We own your soul, we own your body, we own your life! Get that through your skull! You are nothing! Nothing but a damn tool for us!"
"Akua! Akua, stop!"
"We could just lock you up, bring you out only when we need you, collar you even! It would be so easy!" the silver-robed man slammed a palm into my chest, knocking the wind out of me and nearly causing me to black out. "You're lucky we even let you have a 'life'! You might as well be out on leave, you shit!"
I let out a grunt as I tried to glare at him. "You…y-you piece of-"
"You don't get to be done. You do what we say, or else-" the man tilted his head thoughtfully, a disdainful sneer tugging at his lips. "Or else…well, you have people you care about, correct? Parents, siblings? Maybe there's a girl? Either way, if you don't follow the plot, we can do with them as we wish, until you step back in line!"
"F-Fucker!" I ground out.
"Akua, that's enough!" the green-haired man cried out.
"How dare you-"
*THWAP*
I felt my breathing return, and the weight pressing against me disappeared. Suddenly I was falling face first. I let out a cough as I lifted myself off the ground, a frustrated growl passing from my lips.
"So, that's how it is, huh?"
"We…we aren't cruel about it," Sasaki said quickly while glaring at the other man. "At least, we aren't supposed to be cruel about it."
"Cool! Still don't like being a slave," I deadpanned. "Gonna try to find a way out of it ASAP. You brought that on yourselves~!"
"You have no way out!" Akua growled.
"Yeah, I mean, it's not like you can sell your soul to somebody else~!" the gray-robed man mused.
I spat at the floor near each of the three before glaring at the bearded man. "You don't scare me!"
"Oh? How bold-"
"No, I mean, you really don't scare me. I'm scared of what you can do, but you're so fucking pathetic. Too pathetic for me to actually be afraid of," I tilted my head towards the alternating images. "He's one of the only things I've ever been afraid of. You ain't him. And you'll never get to that level."
The silver-robed man's face warped into a mask of pure rage. "You despicable little-"
"Enough!" the green-haired man hissed. "You're leaving now, Akua. You've overstepped!"
"I haven't-"
Before the bearded man could finish, the bespectacled man grabbed him by the shoulder and gripped it hard. Then the two of them were surrounded by a pillar of light. When it dissipated, they were gone.
"...How the fuck do I leave?" I asked the gray-robed man without even looking at him.
"U-Uh, well, you just learned that you don't, so-"
"I mean, how do I leave this space?" I said, while turning to glare at him. "I'm asleep right now, right? How do I wake up?"
"Well, it's not simply that. You're being projected here through-ah, you wouldn't actually understand it," the dark-haired man shook his head tiredly. "I'll set it up so that you can head out. But you're…well, you'll still be-"
"I'm pretty fucking aware now, yeah," I deadpanned while turning away.
"...Look, I'm gonna be honest, I didn't want it to go this way. I mean, we could've come to an agreement instead, gently pulled you in. This just…w-well, it wasn't the usual kind of situation we'd deal with for this," I heard him pressing some buttons on something and making weird energy noises. "Plus, well, we weren't expecting you to be from, uh…from that kind of world."
"Yeah, neat. Doesn't change anything."
"I…I'm sorry that it had to be you," he said after a pregnant pause.
"...Yeah, sure, I buy that," I huffed angrily as my vision slowly went dark. "And I'm sure everybody else does, too."
So yeah, Isashi knows about Godzilla, and he's suffering because of it. Everybody is starting to notice, but he can't talk to anybody about it because they might think he's crazy (and that's if he's even allowed). You know how it is, angst, angst, angst-not 'oW, tHe EdGe' angst, but sad and depressing angst. He'll start getting it out of his system by the beginning of next chapter, and be back to his usual cringey (hopefully less-so) self...mostly.
The stuff the Agency is pulling probably doesn't help. Definitely gonna make his decisions look crazy from here on out.
Godzilla isn't really gonna have much of a character until after he wakes up. It's a bit of a reference to the OG Godzilla, who didn't really have a personality-the ensuing series of Godzilla movies developed a personality for the new Godzilla, and every version onward. But once he awakens, he'll start showing a personality. Right now he's more like the Bijuu in early Naruto, being more of a plot device rather than a character.
I also have an Informational Threadmark up on SB that gives statistics on Godzilla and how many Godzillas are in him-27 btw-and how big he is, so I'd suggest checking it out, just to see if anybody's interested in posting. Funny thing, but I accidentally forgot to mention the roar in that Threadmark, so I'll have to make a separate one. For here, I'll just say that it's a mix between Minus One's, Monsterverse's, and Heisei's, with a bit of Millenium's and '98 Jr's growls.
Now then, onto the reviews.
TheJSmooth: Yeh~! Godzilla is fucking scary, just on his own, you don't need to add much to make the big lizard that blows up cities terrifying. It's why I think Godzilla Analog Horror only has a few gems, since you need to work hard to make Godzilla genuinely more terrifying than he already is.
Saurian96: Yeah, Isashi is suffering. And Godzilla isn't gonna be pleased either. The big guy's past track record with being confined and/or controlled have not made him thrilled with the prospects.
Theeelderman5: Heh, yeah I was trying to do a lot of worldbuilding and some character construction. Could've done the last one better-actually, I'm still doing it. I'm not good at 'jumping straight to it' when it comes to getting the plot out, mostly because...I just don't like those kinds of stories. The character just gets into the plot out of nowhere? If it's done well, I'm hooked in, but it just doesn't look good imo. I really don't care if it seems 'slow', I just have it as how I write. Besides, even in OG Godzilla movies he usually doesn't show up until a quarter or a third of the way into the movie itself.
For anybody whose interested, you can check out my P a treon. Unfortunately, FF. Net doesn't do the links well, so you'll have to close the spaces below/rewrite it slightly on your browser.
P a treon. com(slash) Locksoli
As always, please leave any thoughts, questions, and constructive criticism in your reviews. And thank you for reading.
