Creation began on 06-14-24

Creation ended on 09-13-24

Godzilla Minus One

Minus What If

A/N: Because we all like to wonder about the possibilities and impossibilities of what we wish could have been.

Time was such a fickle thing. It only moves in two directions, forward and backwards. It was elastic, fluid, flexible, unpredictable, and for some…it was reversible. For some, it could be manipulated to a certain degree, to defy a certain fate and move on from there. To those who would ponder the questions that roam throughout eternity, the questions that would always begin with the two words that could and would enspell all with curiosity: What if?

This was such a case for Koichi Shikishima in such a way. Even as he slept, his memory of that horrible night on Odo Island, and the sight of Godzilla's rampage caused him grief to no end for his hesitation when the opportunity came to shoot it with his plane's gun. The question that haunted him for days since: What if he had just fired instead of doing nothing? Sometimes, he would wonder if anything would have changed if he had pulled the trigger and opened fire on Godzilla. Would his parents be alive, would he have still met Noriko and Akiko, and would life in Japan be any different in its aftermath of losing the war?

While he didn't know the answers to such questions, it didn't stop those that were curious to see what could have been if the opportunity presented itself. Such was Brother Correction, who watched as the traumatized man was reliving the night all over again.

"It's not just the question of what could have been had he shot at Godzilla," he utters as he stands outside the ruins of the man's home, "it's the question of whether or not he can forgive himself for his failure. Can he atone for his hesitation? As one who sought redemption for his own mistakes, I want to believe that he can. So, let's see if we can change the outcome of that night. Every choice you make affects the choices made by others. A man cannot touch the petal of the nearest flower without influencing the course of the farthest star. Go back, Shikishima. Go back to that night…and find out for yourself if you could have made a difference. If you can, then you will know more than you could ever hope to. Go back to that night."

-x-

Shikishima found himself back in the cockpit of his Zero, looking at Godzilla as it walked towards the trenches where the mechanics were in hiding. It felt like he was really here, not just dreaming of this night; the rapid beating of his heart, the dread his eyes had upon seeing the creature that resembled a dinosaur that was worse because it was real, and the feeling of failure if he didn't do anything to stop this creature.

If you can stop Godzilla, he hears a voice say to him in his head, can you forgive yourself?

What? Shikishima responds.

This is the potential for redemption, the voice states. If you can change the outcome, can you forgive yourself for failing? If you stop can Godzilla, right here and now…could you move on? This…is your chance to know for sure. Don't squander it by making the same mistake twice.

Someone was giving him a second chance to make the wrongs right of this night. He couldn't let this all happen a second time. As Godzilla advances toward the trenches, Shikishima waits for the monster to get in front of his Zero. A twenty-millimeter gun was hopefully powerful enough to kill it, provided its hide wasn't too thick to penetrate. Now, it was just five more steps away from being close enough to shoot. He would right his wrong and stop this monster.

"Grrr," Godzilla growls as it was two steps away from the front of the Zero. "Grrrr."

Shikishima would not hesitate to shoot this time.

Godzilla was now in front of the Zero, giving Shikishima the opportunity to change the outcome.

"Die, you monster!" He yells as he pulls the trigger, unleashing the barrage of bullets against the creature, inflicting as much damage as he could. "Aaaaauurgh!"

Godzilla, reeling from the hail of bullets hitting him on his left side, turns to face the fighter and approaches it while still being riddled with bullets.

"Rrrrrraaaurgh!" It roars as it then falls over.

Shikishima could've stopped then, but he didn't. Until he ran out of bullets to shoot with, he kept firing, making sure that Godzilla wouldn't get up. By the time he did run out of bullets, two minutes had passed…and Godzilla had been immobile for quite some time.

Did I do it? He wonders, still cautious. Is it dead?

Tachibana and the other mechanics climbed out of the trench and slowly approached the fallen creature, their weapons at the ready in case it was still alive. One of the men pressed the end of his rifle against the side of the monster, not getting a reaction from it. He then kicks it, but it still doesn't move. When Tachibana looks at the creature's head, he sees that the eyes are glazed over, indicating that it was dead.

"It's dead," he utters as Shikishima vacates the Zero. "You did it."

"Are you sure it's dead?" Shikishima asks him, looking at the down creature.

"It's not moving or breathing or anything," said one of the other mechanics, kicking the monster's tail, and not getting any reaction from it. "It has to be dead."

"It has to be dead," the words reverberate in Shikishima's head as he continues to look at Godzilla's still head, at its lifeless eyes. "It has to be dead."

Please, be dead, he thinks as he suggests taking the bomb from his Zero and using it to detonate the carcass, just to be sure. Please, be dead.

From a distance, in the shadows of the trees, Brother Correction watches with interest. He observes as the mechanics take out the bomb the fighter plane has and place it against the pre-irradiated beast that continues to lay where it fell.

I can't say I blame them for doing this, he thinks as he watches one them shoot at the bomb. I'd want to make absolutely sure that it was dead myself. This way, everyone can have a clear conscience and not have to worry about what might have been if it was left alone without making sure it was truly dead.

In three seconds, the massive, dinosaur-like creature was immolated in flames like a giant bonfire, burning as much as what could be burnt while the people just watched for signs of any reaction. All they could do was wait now. Wait for it to confirm their hopes that it was dead. Wait for it to show them that it was still alive. They were left waiting for an absolution that only the gods could grant them.

-x-

Shikishima awakens to the new day, having no memory of ever falling asleep the previous night after Godzilla was set ablaze. He quickly gets up off the ground and looks around. The wreckage from last night was still present, but instead of a pile of dead mechanics, he found that they were alive and well, either asleep or awake, watching after the smoldering remains of Godzilla, reduced to charred bones with little flesh hanging on them. He smiles at the new thought of what he feels as elation spread across his consciousness. The beast was dead…and everyone left alive from the night before were spared the grim fate of what had occurred the first time around when he hesitated.

"You did it, Shikishima," Tachibana tells him. "You stopped it."

-x-

It was a miracle the ship that came for them could fit them all. Most of the men aboard had looks of despair and defeat on their faces, just wanting to return to Japan as soon as possible and forget this war ever happened. But the mechanics and Shikishima, while they were also among the despair-feeling few, they were just grateful to be alive after encountering Godzilla, a creature they had never believed to exist before. To have just killed it and live to tell about it to whoever was willing to believe them, it was a story that might've gotten them notoriety…or a trip to the shrink.

I hope they're alive this time around, Shikishima hopes as he sits beside the left of the ship, praying that his parents had survived the air raids. Please, be alive.

What do you think?

A/N: We all believe in the power of deviation from time to time, so what do you think is possible in this scenario? Do you think Shikishima's parents survived the raids? Will he still meet with Noriko and Akiko? Will he meet everyone else after the end of the war and everything? You gotta tell me.