The Return of Vega

Chapter one: Nightmares

Tetsuya stood in the middle of a battle field strewn with parts of mechas and monsters. He himself was cut and bleeding from a terrible fight. His legs trembled, as if they were about to give up at any moment. Ignoring his injuries, he glared as a 7 foot tall alien who greatly resembled a Frankenstein monster held an unconscious and badly injured Koji by the front of his suit.

"Koji!" He called out. "Let him go, you reject from a horror movie!"

The alien laughed. "Your brother has fallen to the might of Gandal of Vega. YOU are next!" He laughed harder as he slowly disappeared with Koji's unconscious form.

"No! NO! KOJI!" He tried to run forward, only to fall over from exhaustion. "KOJI! KOJII!"

Tetsuya sat straight up in bed, gasping and shaking from the nightmare.

"Tetsuya? Honey, what's wrong?" Jun asked worriedly, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder. "I thought I heard you screaming. "

He nodded, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. "It was a nightmare, a bad one."

"I'll say! What was it about? It must have something to do with Koji, from the way you were yelling."

He nodded. "It was. We were in a big fight with...something called Vegans. Anyway, we both fought hard with our mechas, but…we lost somehow. Then their leader grabbed Koji and took him away," he looked down. "And I was too damned weak to save him."

Jun sighed. "For the millionth time, you're not weak." She smirked. "Knowing you, you were badly hurt yourself but you were too stubborn to fall down or ask for help." She gave him a playful nudge.

He chuckled. "I hate when you're right." He looked at the phone beside their bed. "Still, I wonder if I should call and check on him."

She raised an eyebrow. "At 3 in the morning? He'll have your butt!"

"Sweetie, it's 3 in the afternoon where he is, he'll be fine." He replied, then started dialing.

Koji shook his head in slight irritation as he went to shower before heading to bed. Tetsuya, you big dummy, he thought to himself. Calling me in the middle of your nighttime just because of a nightmare! Dude, relax. "Tetsuya, I'm fine," he recalled telling his brother. "Now go back to bed and make love to your wife or something." He chuckled to himself as he also remembered the earful he got from Tetsuya in reply. Hey, he deserved it. He finished his shower and went to bed.

Koji strained to get his battered, bloodied, bruised body up from where he laid in agony. Come on, Koji, he thought to himself. You got this, now get-huh? He looked over as he felt two strong arms helping him to his feet.

"Easy there, Koji, I got you." said the Great Mazinger pilot as he helped his injured brother to his feet.

"You got me? But who's got YOU?" he asked with a slight grin, noticing how his brother was equally injured.

"Never mind that-AAHH!" They both found themselves on the ground as they were hit with what felt to Koji like a laser cannon.

The Mazinger pilot moaned painfully. "That didn't feel good…" He looked at his brother. "Tetsuya? Tetsuya, you okay?" He turned him over, then went pale as he noticed a gaping hole where Tetsuya's chest should've been, not to mention the whitish look on his face.

"Tetsuya? Tetsuya, answer me. Tetsuya!?" He shook his brother's shoulders. "TESUYA!" he yelled out. "TETSUYA TSURUGI KABUTO, YOU'VE NEVER GIVEN UP ON ANYTHING IN YOUR DAMNED LIFE, SO DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP ON ME NOW! YOU HEAR ME!? DON'T YOU DARE FREAKING DIE ON ME!" he screamed, ignoring the voice of their attacker telling him to hold his brother close because he'll soon be joining him. "TETSUYA! TETSUYA! TETSUYA!"

"Tetsuya!" he called out as he sat bolt upright in his bed, shaking. "Oh my gosh, he was right. It DID feel real!" He looked down on his hands, fully expecting to see Tetsuya's blood on them, like in the nightmare.

He got up and decided to make himself some tea to calm his nerves. Just as he was about to fill the teakettle, there was the sound of loud banging on his door, mixed with a female voice calling out his name. "COMING!" He went to the door, feeling grateful that he went to bed in his sleep pants. He opened the door, only to find himself hugged tightly by his girlfriend.

Sayaka cried on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Oh Koji! Thank God you're alright!"

Koji smiled at her. "Of course I'm alright, babe…wait," his smile disappeared. "You had a nightmare, didn't you? And it felt real?"

She looked up at him and nodded.

"Broken mechas, torn monsters, blood everywhere?"

She nodded again. "You were…being torn apart…tortured… and I was too hurt to help you.." she sobbed.

He nodded. "I had a nightmare like that too, except Tetsuya…" he shook his head. "Alright, here, sit down." He led her to a couch. "I'm going to make some phone calls. Here," he gave her a glass of water, then went to the phone and dialed. "Tetsuya, it's Koji. Man, am I ever glad to hear your voice! Yeah, I had a bad one, too. Look, I'll be over in a few hours." He hung up, then called NASA to tell them he had to go home due to an urgent family emergency. Thankfully the American government is understanding when it comes to family. He then turned to Sayaka. "I'm going home, see what's going on. You can stay if you-"

"I'll meet you at the front door," she replied, then left his apartment for her own to pack.

He nodded, giving her a slight smile, then made one more phone call. "Hal? It's Koji. Listen, how fast can you get the jet ready for a flight to Tokyo?...Great, see you in 20." He hung up, then went to a safe, where he took out a box with a note that read: Pray that you never have to use this! He removed the note, then looked at the jewel on the front clasp. "Actarus," he said, using the code word. With a small chime, the box opened.

Jun crawled out of the cockpit of her destroyed mecha. She refused to listen to her injured body that screamed at her to rest. "No. I have to check on the others…" she told herself. She walked shakily, looking for her allies and her family. She then gasped as she recognized Tetsuya lying on the ground, unconscious.

"TETSUYA!" she yelled and tried to run to him, only to fall over herself. She tried to get up, only to feel a foot stomp onto her back, preventing her from moving further. She looked up and saw Gandal lifting her husband up by the back of his suit.

"Sorry, but I have need of him," Gandal told her, then he left, taking her beloved with him.

"No! NO! GIVE HIM BACK!" she screamed as she struggled under the foot that pinned her to the ground. "GIVE HIM BAACK!"

"Jun."

She continued to struggle as she screamed for her husband.

"Jun!"

She felt a pair of hands grabbing her shoulders, which made her struggle harder. Wait, is that…

"JUN!"

Her eyes opened wide, then gasped as she found herself face- to-face with a worried Tetsuya. "Oh thank God!" She held onto him tightly. "It was just so real…"

"I know, baby, I know," Tetsuya held her close. "You were screaming pretty loud, and I was trying to wake

you up." He gently rubbed her back. "But it's alright now, you're safe. We both are."

She looked at him. "Honey, I think these nightmares must mean something. I mean, first you, then Koji, and now me."

"I think you're right. Come on." He stood up, then held his hand out to her. "Let's go get some tea and talk about it. I don't think either of us are gonna be able to sleep tonight anyway."

She nodded, smiling as she took his hand and stood up. "Lead the way, my love."

The couple of mecha pilots were just sitting down with their teacups when the door slammed open, then shut. Tetsuya jumped to his feet, just in time to be glomped by his kid brother. "Shiro?! You too?"

Shiro looked up tearfully. "Tetsuya please!" he begged, "Please tell me that Koji's alright! Tell me that it was only a nightmare!"

Tetsuya hugged him, then gently patted his head. "It was just a nightmare, little guy." He replied, knowing that the youngest Kabuto had basically the same dream. "Hey, I spoke to Koji yesterday afternoon, and he's on his way."

"I'm already here." Said the young man in question.

"Koji!" Tetsuya ran over and hugged him tightly. "You ARE safe!"

He chuckled as he hugged him back just as tightly. "Dumbass. I told you I was. And I'm glad to see you are, too." He smiled at Jun. "Hey Sis."

"Don't forget me!" Shiro added as he ran over and hugged his middle brother tightly. "Oh Koji, it was awful! There was a big fight, and you…you were.."

"No need to go further, Shiro. I get it." Koji replied as he returned the hug.

Sayaka stood in the doorway, panting. "I run fast, but Koji runs faster! He took off as soon as we stopped!"

Shiro went over to her. "Here, come in, I'll get your bags-OOF!" He was knocked aside by a very large man who fell to his knees in front of Tetsuya and Koji and started crying. "I'm so sorry! I'm so so sorry!" he sobbed.

"Boss?" Tetsuya asked as he and Koji helped him up and over to the couch. "Actually you should be apologizing to Shiro for knocking him down."

Koji frowned. "Tell us what happened, Boss." He said while Jun handed him a glass of water.

Boss nodded as he took the glass. "Thanks Jun. And I'm sorry, Shiro. It was awful, man! The guys and I were in Boss Borot, and we were trying to help you guys fight off this army of monsters! We kicked some butt, but it wasn't enough. Borot got trashed, and you guys…" He looked at the two older brothers, "You guys were...were…" he lowered his head, unable to continue.

Koji patted his shoulder. "It's ok, Boss, you don't need to continue."

Shiro came over after getting the luggage. "I had the same dream, kinda." He looked around the room. "I think we all have."

Tetsuya nodded. "The outcomes are different, but yeah, basically the same. That's why we need to talk about it." He looked over as he heard something loud landing near the house. He tensed. "Who …?"

Koji grinned . "I think I know." He looked at Tetsuya. "I've invited an old friend." There was then a knock at the door.

Tetsuya went and opened the door. A pilot dressed in red and blue walked in and took off his helmet, revealing Koji's aforementioned friend.

"We need to talk," said Duke Fleed.