Emry secured her backpack as she raced to the scene. She had heard it on the news. Godzilla was in New York again. Apparently fighting off another weird kaiju on the outskirts of Manhattan, her home. He had been on the news a lot lately.
With all the new power plants being built a few miles offshore, he seemed to be hanging around the area more. That and the fact that, for whatever reason, they had been attacked by a few kaiju recently.
Em picked up her pace, the sounds of the sirens and booms bringing her closer to the action.
Godzilla and the humans had a weird relationship. The king of the kaiju kept earth clear of other dangerous kaiju and the humans mostly didn't interfere. Sometimes Godzilla's rampages, as he fought other creatures, got sort of destructive but that really couldn't be helped.
And sometimes Godzilla decided to take shortcuts through cities on his way to the ocean or recharge at various power plants leaving a bit of destruction in his wake then too. The humans had tried to subdue him but had failed miserably. So now, they mainly monitored his movements and left him alone. Mostly.
Godzilla was pretty indifferent to the humans. He seemed to be fiercely territorial and protective of his turf though. Of course, he considered his "turf" all of earth, but hey, he was the king of the kaiju after all. In Em's estimation he had rightfully won those rights. And the fact that he was hanging around near her home city lately was a win for her.
For years she had been absolutely fascinated by the kaiju. Following him on the news, collecting newspaper clippings and articles about his latest sightings and monster fights. Her roommate, Paula, thought it was a ridiculous obsession and had warned Em to stay away from the action in town, but she just couldn't help herself. The chance to see the king of the kaiju in person, even if from far away, was just too tempting to pass up.
The police had blockaded several streets and had told everyone to stay inside so she had to do some creative maneuvering to get around. But once she got past the barricades, it was easy.
She followed the sounds of the roars and booms. Em picked a particularly high building and took the fire escape stairs all the way to the top. When she reached the top and looked over toward her left, she gasped in awe.
There he was. Godzilla!
He was busy fighting off some arachnid looking kaiju and still a decent distance away. One she considered fairly safe. She got out her camera and took a few photos of the action. Then she let it hang around her neck and just watched in fascination as Godzilla kicked the crap out of this kaiju.
Godzilla narrowed his glowing eyes as he swatted the arachnid kaiju aside like it was a pesky bug. The thing screeched, scrambling to regain its footing, but Godzilla wasn't about to let it get comfortable again. A low growl rumbled from his throat, vibrating the surrounding air.
He could feel the energy of Manhattan buzzing around him—his stomping grounds now, thanks to those offshore power plants. Not a bad setup if he said so himself, but these constant interruptions?
Annoying as hell.
The arachnid thing shot some sticky webbing at him. Rookie mistake. Godzilla barely flinched as it hit his armored hide and burned away in a puff of steam.
"That the best you got?" he growled before launching his infamous atomic breath straight at the creature. The resulting blast lit up the area like a blue inferno, the spider-kaiju screeching as it went airborne, landing in a heap of crushed cars and asphalt.
From his vantage, Godzilla's sharp gaze swept the skyline, catching movement on a rooftop. A human. Watching. Again.
His massive tail flicked, smashing a chunk of debris in irritation. Humans were always poking their little noses into his business. What was it with them? He wasn't some celebrity signing autographs. He was here to defend his turf, not to be a sideshow for thrill-seekers.
But... something about this one felt different. She wasn't panicked, didn't look like one of those military fools trying to figure out how to take him down. Just watching. Admiring.
"Tch," Godzilla muttered to himself, turning back to the fight. The spider was getting up again, but slower this time. Good. Another hit or two and it'd be done.
Godzilla's scales lit up blue again as he powered up, then sent another powerful atomic blast straight for the spider. This time it shriveled up and didn't get up again. "There, all done. That was easy enough. I'll let the humans clean up this mess."
Turning his attention toward the building again, he could see the human was still over there watching. He grunted, knowing he would have to pass by that way since it was on his path back to the ocean. Maybe he'd give that pesky little human a close encounter and she'd learn her lesson about gawking at kaijus at close proximity.
Godzilla rumbled low in his chest, his massive frame shifting as he turned toward his destination. His spiked tail swished behind him, smashing a lamppost into scrap metal as he started his heavy march back to the water.
He approached the building where that bold little human was still standing, watching him like he was some kind of show.
"Persistent, aren't you?" he muttered under his breath. With each thunderous step, the earth trembled, sending ripples through the streets and windows of the surrounding buildings.
He could already see the humans on the ground scrambling to clean up the spider-kaiju's mess, but this one? She just stood there, unflinching. Curious.
Fine. If she wanted a show, he'd give her one.
As he drew closer, his colossal form towered over the building, casting a shadow that seemed to swallow it whole. He stopped just short of the rooftop, his glowing dorsal plates humming faintly with residual energy. Lowering his head slightly, his fiery amber eyes locked onto hers.
Up close, he could see her face clearly now—awestruck and frightened. Her dark brown eyes widened when she saw him get close. But she wasn't running, wasn't even backing away. Just staring, wide-eyed and breathless. Godzilla let out a deep, rumbling snort.
"Brave little thing," he growled, not loud enough for her to hear his words, but loud enough for her to feel the vibrations in the air.
For a moment, he lingered, his massive, reptilian head tilting slightly, studying her. Then, with a dismissive grunt, he turned and resumed his march toward the ocean. His tail swiped deliberately close to the building, rattling the fire escape and sending a gust of wind her way, strong enough to make her stagger.
"That oughta teach her," he muttered. But deep down, he couldn't help but respect her nerve. Few humans had the guts to face him like that. This one was definitely a little different. Maybe her sense of self preservation is broken. he thought with an amused smirk.
Em stared after the enormous king of the kaiju as he walked away. She had been so awestruck that he had stopped directly in front of her, that her mind had gone completely blank. Godzilla had been merely a couple of feet away and had just stared at her. She should have screamed, should have run for her life, but all she could do was stand there frozen in place.
Now that the moment passed, she collapsed to her knees, the fear and adrenaline finally catching up to her. Her heart thundered in her chest. "Holy crap! He was so close!"
She put her hand over her heart and took a moment to calm her breaths. If he really was as monstrous as some said, he could have easily eaten her or killed her.
But he hadn't. And he had most definitely seen her.
He had even lightly growled and rattled the fire escape with his tail. The way he looked at her out of the corner of his eye as he walked away made her think his little tail flick wasn't accidental. Maybe he was trying to scare her. "Huh, he could have done a lot more if that's what he was going for."
Em remained on the rooftop for a while, her legs shaky and her mind racing. The sheer size of Godzilla had been overwhelming, but what truly stuck with her was the way he looked at her. His eyes had burned with intelligence, a sharp contrast to the mindless destruction she had seen from other kaiju.
He'd paused, stared, and had made it a point to remind her of what he could do with that tail swipe. It was calculated, not random.
The thought sent a shiver down her spine. What had she seen in his gaze? Curiosity? Amusement? Annoyance? Whatever it was, she knew it wasn't just animalistic. Godzilla was thinking, processing, and he'd chosen to spare her.
"Lucky doesn't even cover it," she muttered, brushing her long hair back with trembling fingers. The scene replayed in her head over and over—the moment he turned toward her, the way his glowing spines hummed with residual energy, the subtle growl she swore she felt in her bones. Despite herself, a small, breathless laugh escaped her. "I can't believe I didn't pass out."
But more than fear, she felt exhilaration. She had seen the King of the Monsters up close, closer than anyone probably ever had without getting crushed, blasted, or outright eaten. And while it should have terrified her into never venturing near a kaiju battle again, it only fueled her obsession.
There was something about Godzilla—his presence, his power, the way he seemed to tolerate humans as long as they didn't step too far out of line. She needed to understand him, to know what made him tick.
Standing up, she steadied herself and looked toward the horizon, where the faint glow of his dorsal plates were disappearing into the ocean. A plan was already forming in her mind. If he was hanging around Manhattan because of the offshore power plants, that was her best bet. She'd start researching the areas he frequented, monitoring sightings and patterns.
Her roommate Paula was going to think she was insane—again—but Em didn't care. Godzilla had seen her, and she had seen him. There was something unspoken in that moment, and she wasn't about to let it slip away.
With renewed determination, she climbed back down the fire escape, her heart still pounding but her mind focused.
She had to see him again.
A/N: Thanks for reading! It's my first time writing a fanfic! I'm a huge fan of Godzilla so here we go! So far this story is around 130k words long and counting. Subsequent chapters will be published on an ongoing basis. Enjoy and feel free to leave comment! *Some parts of this story were written with the help of a customized Godzilla AI chatbot that's been trained to capture Godzilla's fierce and loyal personality.