Fighting Spirits
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It always starts off as a proposal, a proposal to try something out. Then another chance, a need to do better, to try harder. And you try again. You get better. And you begin to wonder just how far you can take it. It becomes a hobby, and you train yourself everyday, to push further, to become better. Other things start to fade away, your mind focuses itself on this new, singular goal. It becomes a necessity, a drug to vent your troubles, an obsession. Pretty soon, your life fades away, this new thing becomes your life. Your friends turn their backs because you no longer have time for them, your family sadly watches you fade away into another world. And suddenly, one day, you turn around, and nobody’s there. They’ve all left you to your personal fantasy, they’ve gone off to tend to their own dreams. You are alone. But you look ahead, continuing to pursue that dream that you started so long ago. You have nowhere else to go now. Such is the case of someone who dedicates themselves to the ‘Art of War,’ the fighter’s dream...
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The spear rattled against its chain on his back. He sat silently, solemnly, on top of the ancient skeleton of a skyscraper. His long bangs tossed lightly in the breeze, a soft wind which felt cool on the nape of his neck. His aura lightly flowed through the air, catching the rising winds, seeking out someone new for his blade to taste. His eyes slowly opened, and he stood up. He stared out across the wasteland as the sun slowly rose in the distance, turning the sky into a sea of purple and orange. A voice called out to Kazuki Tenjiko, the traveling warrior. His dark eyes steeled themselves as his aura felt the air about him, felt the living things in the world, felt their heartbeats of life.
Within the massive sea of creatures, one called out to him, a light that penetrated the darkest of illusions. One with true power and true spirit, the desire to fight and the will to die.
“So sad,” mused Kazuki to himself. Almost pitiful, for they were destined to slain by his hand.
Kazuki Tenjiko, product of over three hundred generations of the legendary Hikoken blood, the rage of the Phoenix. His power was that of the ‘Chikara no Ishi,’ infused within his bloodline back during the final battle of the Legendary Hashira thousands of years ago. And what has that left him with? A pure and simple hunger, something that could never be satiated by human material pleasures. This was a need to fight, to find strength within himself and his opponent. Nobody had ever understood him, but he only expected as much.
Kazuki looked out over the landscape, the sun rising higher now, casting long shadows behind the warrior. The air barely moved about him, but he was gone in an instant. Kazuki was elsewhere, already accepting the informal challenge of another warrior...
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“There was once a kid who wanted to be the best at everything. But no matter what he did, there was always someone better, someone better than him in everything. And even if he beat that person, there was someone better, someone better than that person. So he decided he just wanted to be happy. And so he searched and searched for happiness. But the more he searched, the more unhappy he became.”
---- Susan Ching, “The Color Purple”
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“WAI! HAHAHA! This is so fun!”
“KORA!!! Don’t move so---ACK~!!!”
Double found his feet falling out from beneath his body, and quickly shifted his mass to stay upright. However, it hardly kept him from calming his fiery anger. Zero skidded to a halt in the underground training hall of the rebels, a wide smile spreading out upon her face. A trail of afterimages caught up with her as Double’s body burst full of sharp objects, all while Yoshime stood nearby taking down notes in her computer about their new guest.
“Hmm,” she mused as she typed in new information based on the encounter that had just occurred. “Enhanced speed? No, that’s not it...” She typed furiously as Zero resumed her frenzied attack. “That’s it! It’s a type of time manipulation, something in her system that’s allowing her to slow down the intervals at which we normally move at, thus making her appear to have super speed!”
Double’s blades proved to help him little as he simultaneously took blows to face, gut, and crotch. Yoshime smiled triumphantly as she closed her computer.
“That’s why we see all those ‘shadows’ of Zero. They’re simply displacements of her body in time!”
Double just stalked angrily off the training grounds as Zero happily flashed a ‘victory’ sign to Edge and Kouryuu on the other side of the room.
“It’s times like this I’m happy that I’m not a human,” he mumbled as he dusted off the part of his crotch plate where Zero had kicked him. “Even though she’s a robot like the rest of us, you’d think she could develop a little respect for a male’s pride.” Yoshime frowned at him in annoyance.
“And what are you talking about?” she said. “You’re a robot too. It’s not like you have anything down there anyways!”
Double turned his head to the side and grumbled angrily as Yoshime laughed. Meanwhile, Pent and Iesu joined the group on the sidelines as Kouryuu and Edge took their turns for daily training.
“Oi, Iesu!” said Yoshime, and Iesu waved shyly in response. Inside, Yoshime secretly wished he would be a bit more social with the group. Yet, he had only been with them for a couple of weeks now. She couldn’t expect too much out of him at that point. She had to be reasonable. He would open up to them eventually. As long as he didn’t act as crass as Double, they would all get along quite well. The mere thought of the assassin, was enough to ignite her dormant anger, ferocious thoughts quick to rise to the surface of her boiling temperament...
“What are you doing, Yoshime?”
Iesu’s voice abruptly knocked Yoshime out of her daydreaming, and she realized that she had furrowed her expression into an ugly-looking frown at the thoughts of various profanities upon Double. She blushed, and quickly put a smile on her face in a vain effort to cover herself up.
“M--me?” she stuttered. She then broke out into a high-pitched laughter before Iesu’s confused eyes. “Me? I’m not doing anything! Really!” She sighed heavily and allowed herself to stare at him somewhat adoringly…
“HEY! Why are you staring at me like that? Do all human girls get this ditzy?”
Yoshime opened her drooping eyes at the sound of the mocking voice to find Double’s head filling her field of vision, Iesu having already wandered away to watch Edge’s training session while she drifted off in her own thoughts. Her eyebrows furrowed angrily and her right fist was already cocked back by the time the assassin realized his mistake.
“You pervert!!!”
Double didn’t have any time to duck and felt the punch hit home, caving in his left cheek with a thundering blow. His body slowly lurched backwards as inertia increased the speed of his decent, his computer brain temporarily stalled by Yoshime’s sudden attack. The pigtailed girl was already upon him before he realized what had happened, and there wasn’t a thing he could do.
“WAI!!! DIE DIE DIE!!!” shouted out Zero. Double, already too distracted by the previous assault on his person, had no time to do dodge as she barreled straight over him, laughing all the way. Double immediately shot up from the ground and glared furiously in her direction, the girl already dashing across the other side of the hall. Pointing an accusing finger, he tried desperately to say something, but finally gave up in mass frustration and stomped off helplessly.
“Lousy...” muttered Double to himself as he marched off into the interior complex. Zero skidded to a stop beside Yoshime.
“Hey,” she started. “He doesn’t take jokes very well, does he?”
Yoshime nodded with a wide grin on her face.
“Nope, he doesn’t,” she said.
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Yashiro watched solemnly as the rebels packed every movable thing into the few vehicles that they had. Ever since Yujin’s attack, he had been especially wary about the enemy. If the government knew where they were hiding, then it was time to move yet again. It was always so much work to mobilize their entire operation so frequently, and yet the rebels never argued, never complained. Why? Why didn’t they ever protest his decisions, try to offer a different solution to the problem at hand?
He had never asked for this kind of leadership. He didn’t want it ... or did he ever have a choice? These people, already broken by the power of the government, only wanted another chance to make their lives better. By wanting to exert vengeance on them for what they had done, even if it was only a personal vendetta that he wanted to settle himself, did he give the people a leader to look up to? Just because he had been one in the sea of millions trampled upon who was willing to risk his life for his beliefs, the others revered him as some sort of god...?
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“COMMANDER!!!”
Yashiro snapped out of his daze at the voice of a fellow rebel. A siren was wailing, one of the few things they must not have dismantled yet. The young man who had come before him was fully armed, and Yashiro quickly put on the mask he kept ready to face the real world. The alert signal meant an intruder, and as the rebel leader, Yashiro was expected to lead the forces into battle, as any brave general would.
“What’s the problem?” said Yashiro impassively as he marched over to the remaining control consoles. He looked at the flashing monitor and kept his mouth shut. Never before had he ever faced a problem such as the one he saw in the screen.
“What the...” trailed off Yashiro, unable to finish the sentence. A thin trickle of sweat ran down his cheek and off his chin, falling onto the console. As static began to cross over the image, a towering, dark shadow bellowed angrily, and its skeletal arm reached out towards the rebels. The image turned into a cross-mesh of white and black as the receiving end was terminated.
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“What was that?!” shouted Double. The whole training hall shook wildly, then settled back into its foundations. Pent was already running towards the front gates, Kouryuu pushing the others in the same direction.
“An attack?” shouted out the assassin as another shock rocked the complex. Kouryuu nodded. She tried to hide her nervousness, but not even Yujin’s attack had caused this much commotion. Did the government finally have them cornered? Had they decided to press on while the tremors of their last assault still lingered? She pushed her negative thoughts out of the way as she reached the entrance.
“Kouryuu!”
The rebel whirled around to find herself staring at Yashiro. The others kept on running, past the open gates and into the dim sunlight. She stared at him, uncertain of what her orders would be. The man looked ragged, almost totally worn out. He looked up slowly with a wry grin on his face.
“Be careful out there,” he said.
Kouryuu stared for a minute, then returned the smile. It would be all right, just as long as Yashiro still had the power to push them on, the rebels would survive. She never had any reason to worry as long as that one thing remained to give them strength.
She unsheathed both blades, letting her internal engine pump plasma into their metal. They glowed brightly, each like a piece of sun reflecting off of water. A curt nod, and she dashed out the door to join her fellow warriors.
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“Fuu...” hummed Kazuki Tenjiko, watching the scene develop from a rooftop high above. Fools, simple human fools. That was what they were. How could they never see the ultimate challenge, the ultimate game that was presented before their measly little lives? A game respected by all, and never taken lightly...and yet, they did not wish to participate. That was why humans could never ascend past their primordial status, why they would continue to remain nothing more than base, disgusting creatures who wallowed in their own waste.
Seven small dots appeared on the ground below, stepping forward to meet their challenger. Kazuki pulled back a small latch on his back harness, letting free his long spear to glide in his hand in preparation for the ceremony that was about to take place.
"If they will not take control, then I certainly shall. If they do not want to play, then I will take their place. I will not waste the gifts given to me by my generations, by God. I will prove my strength, my valor, my honor. I will make this kill in a holy sacrifice to my ancestors, who have given birth to me in hopes of creating perfection so that I may carry on the eternal fight for glory..."
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“What the hell is this?!”
For once, Double did not verbally retaliate to what Yoshime had said, for it had been exactly what he had been thinking. He couldn’t even if he had wanted to, for he was instantly captivated by the sheer scale of the huge monstrosity that stood before him. It was a giant of a monster, at least forty feet tall. A dark hue of green colored skin covered an emancipated body that still managed to ripple with knotted muscles, bony projections sticking out all over as claws and horns, its head a small triangle skull of white ivory placed in the middle of its upper torso. From its back sprung two more arms with claws just as sharp as those attached to its other limbs. Perhaps the huge creature would have not seem quite as intimidating if it were not so silent. As it was, the silence penetrated their numbers like a knife, cutting straight through to the building fear deep inside as it quietly stalked its prey.
Iesu looked up at the giant that stood before them and gripped his cross tightly. Two holes in the ‘skull’ of the creature narrowed, staring at the young boy. Without warning, one huge arm cocked back with amazing speed and it leapt forward towards its prey with accuracy betraying a giant of its size. Iesu barely jumped out of the way as the sharp nails tore up the earth like butter.
“Damn kid,” said Double as he rushed forward. “Get Iesu and Yoshime out of the way! We can’t afford to have them sticking around---”
The creature’s massive claws were suddenly sticking in through his belly and out of his back, the sharp ends pinning him to the ground. His words cut off all at once as he looked up in fear and wonder at the grand beast, and the young boy could do little more than watch as his companion was run through.
“Double!” called out Edge in vain, suddenly finding the monster’s other hand aiming its sharp appendages for himself.
“Damn!” he shouted as he brought down hands in front of him, the air wavering at his command. The bony needle stopped inches from his face as an invisible force sucked the claw in the opposite direction, but the creature resisted Edge’s power with its unearthly strength. As much as he tried to hold his ground, he felt the monster’s incredible power begin to move forward, away from his pull and straight for his skull.
“MOVE!!!”
Edge turned his head towards the voice just as Kouryuu collided with his body and tackled him out of the way. Concentration broken, the huge nail sprang forward and tore up the ground. The rebel simply pulled Edge up quickly, pulling him along as their enemy pulled his claws free from the earth.
“You can’t be slow like that,” she said. “This thing is way stronger than all of us put together, so don’t try to play the hero!”
Edge hung his head a bit under her punishing words, but quickly refocused himself on the situation at hand. The creature had turned to Iesu again and moved to attack. Iesu adamantly brandished his cross before him like a staff, but the scene resembled a young David versus Goliath more than any sort of heroism. However, Double, never even bothering to fill the hole in his body, dashed towards the arm that the monster now brought down on Iesu, feeting pounding across the ground as he struggled to reach the boy before their foe did.
“You stupid child!” he shouted, bringing both arms above his head, fists together like a sledgehammer. Timing his blow perfectly, he brought them down upon the monster’s flying limb just as it was about to drive Iesu into the ground, knocking the fierce attack aside just in time. The monster turned its misshapen head glared at him with its narrow eyes. The assassin had no choice but to turn and face it, beckoning the beast to meet its doom.
“Come on!!!” he shouted. “I’m not afraid of a---” He didn’t anticipate such a fast recovery. The monster’s palm was suddenly in his face, shooting forward with incredible speed as a powerful blast of searing red energy tested how well he was able to hold his molecular structure together. Double’s cry was drowned out by the noise as his body grew limp from the blast, his shield batteries draining from his body. The burning core dying out in the palm of its hand, the monster dropping its now limp adversary, again moving towards Iesu. This time a new crimson blur met its eyes, weaving across the grounds at speeds it could barely follow.
“Hehheh!” laughed Zero as she spun around the monster. Despite her opponent’s incredible agility, it couldn’t follow her flickering form, its eyes straining at afterimages by the time she had already swung about to its rear. Meanwhile, Kouryuu lashed her energy wires about her opponent’s legs and tugged as hard as she could. A sudden gravitational increase in the area that the monster was standing upon helped bring it crashing down to the ground. Edge smiled proudly at his work. At first, neither the giant nor the combatants noticed Yoshime trying to help a limping Iesu out of the way, but the monstrosity was quick to take in what was going on in its surroundings. It suddenly erupted in a flaming power aura, creating tremors that tripped up Yoshime and Iesu, forcing Edge and the others to divert their attention balance rather than their assault. It took advantage of the situation as it quickly pushed up from the ground and crawled towards the boy once again with every intention of making no mistakes on this final pass. Yoshime’s eyes opened wide with horror as a huge hand came crashing down...
“NO!!!”
The monster stopped its assault at the sound of the shout, having come from a man who had suddenly appeared in the middle of its path of attack. The arm retracted slowly, allowing Edge to see that it was Pent who now stood in Iesu and Yoshime’s defense. He walked forward slowly, a hard and unyielding mask upon his face as he came to an abrupt stop in front of the creature. Raising his left hand almost gracefully, he gestured to the giant.
“You’ve played with children,” he said. “Now face a real warrior.”
Pent’s body suddenly erupted in a violent haze of swirling wind...
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Ah, here was an interesting situation. It had been a long time since he had seen this one, the poor fool. He wonder if he’s grown any stronger? Maybe the green monster won’t be my only challenge after all. Of course, it all depends on how strong Pent really is...
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Edge watched in awe and horror as powerful gusts of wind suddenly swept through the battlegrounds, huge tornados of force swirling about Pent’s arms and thrusting forward, causing the creature to fall back. Double’s mouth was agape. Kouryuu simply stared, cold-heartedly and uncaring.
“That idiot,” she whispered under her breath, too softly for the others to hear.
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Pent’s blood burned. His wind gusts where holding the monster back, but only barely. If only the others didn’t get in the way. Kouryuu and the androids could have taken care of the situation by themselves. He didn’t want to have to reawaken this power, but he had had no choice. He could not let innocents die, not again.
Swirling, invisible blades surrounded Pent, and he prepared to finish the battle.
Iesu is still a child, and so is Yoshime. They will live on. He would make sure of it.
Pent stepped forward, feeling the painful heat of accelerated adrenaline accelerating through his body. As the gusts increased in intensity, he raised his arms high above his head and gathered the contained energies into a small, concentrated sphere centered in the middle of his palm. With this, he would strike the final blow upon this hideous creature. With this, he would make good on the promise that he had made years ago.
And suddenly, as abruptly as the attack had started, the huge creature came to a grinding halt, and its aura faded dimly into the colorless air. Concentration broken, Pent’s aura broke and he looked up in surprise.
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^WE WANT THE BOY^
Edge jumped at the sudden voice that echoed in his head.
^GIVE US IESU^
Who was this? Was this monster, this huge monstrosity that stood before them?
Edge looked at Double with worry. The assassin was just as surprised as the young boy, and was trying to adjust his internal communications to find the source of the voice. Kouryuu and Zero were just as astonished, but Yoshime, Iesu , and Pent were still staring at the creature with the same blank curiosity as when they had first seen it.
^THEY CANNOT HEAR US. YOU ARE THE GUARDIANS^
Edge tried to gather his thoughts and opened his communication lines, thinking the words he wanted to say.
***Iesu? Why do you want Iesu? He’s harmless!***
^THAT IS NOT YOUR BUSINESS^
Kouryuu stared wide-eyed at Edge, and he suddenly felt very cold. Was this fear?
He clenched his hands tightly, hoping that carrying on the conversation would prevent the monster from attacking any further.
***Who are you? ***
^WE ARE SHIKEN^
***We? ***
He made a slight pause as he adjusted himself to dealing with a collective entity.
***You are this manifestation that stands before us? ***
^YES. WE HAVE COME FOR IESU^
Edge glanced worriedly at the young boy, who was limping away towards the entrance to the rebel base with Yoshime’s help. If he could just stall a little longer, they would be able to get to safety.
***He has done nothing wrong.***
^WE HAVE INFORMATION IN EXCHANGE FOR HIM^
***Nothing is worth the exchange of a life. Iesu is Yoshime’s friend, and our companion. We shall protect him.***
^YOU WANT THE TEMPLE OF ORDEAL…^
Kouryuu’s eyes widened in surprise. The Temple of Ordeal…but that was only a legend, wasn’t it? What was this ‘Shiken’ that had come for Iesu…?
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The fools. Why did they not fight the monster now, especially when it was dormant? Were they trying to reason with it? Humans could often be foolish in that way. But it was of little consequence. It simply meant that there would be more enjoyment for himself.
Kazuki’s staff tightened in his grip. A small smile cracked the hard mask of his face as he tipped himself over the edge of the roof, descending to the scene below. No use waiting any longer. It was time to join the fray himself.
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Pent felt him even as the silent scene unfolded before his eyes. He looked up in surprise and shock to see a man in a jean jacket and black pants descend upon him, a long, fearsome spear gripped tightly in one hand with others strapped across his back.
“Damnit!!!” shouted out Pent, fueling his aura once again. He leapt straight up to meet his opponent. “What are you doing here, Kazuki?!”
Kazuki only smiled, and put the blunt end of his spear forward.
“Why, senpai, I would have thought you kicked the bucket by now,” he laughed. Pent’s wind built up in a fury about him. “I never did find wind to be a particularly useful weapon, but then, you always had your preferences, didn’t you?” Kazuki’s spear end whirled about and hurtled him straight through Pent’s tornado, impaling itself in Pent’s gut. Pent gawked with the pain as Kazuki levitated, holding him up by the collar.
“Poor senpai,” he said. “You should have died when I fought you last. Just be lucky that today my battle is not with you.” Kazuki’s mouth widened in a sinister smile. “You never were the lucky one, were you?”
Pent fell from Kazuki’s grip, a flying sensation. He never heard the crack of his own spine as the staff end came down heavily on his back.
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“PENT!!!” screamed Kouryuu. His limp form crashed into the ground, stirring up huge clouds of dirt. Edge quickly looked around. Iesu and Yoshime were nowhere in sight, probably safe in the base. With this safely in the back of his head, he finally let loose all restrictions on his power as he prepared to fight.
***We will protect our own!!!*** he voiced violently to the Shiken.
^IT WAS NOT US^
Edge blinked in confusion as the Shiken came to life once more. His gaze suddenly caught a figure that was descending from above towards the monster, a man in a blue jean jacket, long blond bangs flying in the wind, and a long spear held tightly in his left hand.
Kouryuu looked at the man in horror.
"It can’t be…" she whispered silently. "The legends…no…"
The vision was distinct, instantly recognizable. Kazuki Tenjiko, the legend of the immortal warrior. A man who was supposed to exist only in storybooks, a man who was supposed to be as old as the Legendary Hero Hashira and the ages of Light's Resurrection, defeated by Megumi Urushikidama and Tsukiko Hikoken. But that was supposed to be thousands of years ago, right? Right…?
but…
There had been rumors even at that time, for Megumi had been a master of the spear as well, a technique passed down through the ages. Kazuki had come from the future originally...didn’t he… her own future…? No, it couldn't be. That was impossible. First the Temple of Ordeal, and now this.
Had the whole world gone mad?
Have she gone mad?
Or…
"God… Pent…"
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The Shiken lashed out angrily at Kazuki with flashing bursts of light, shafts of blazing energy erupting from its palms like swords, but Kazuki merely welcomed their warmth.
“Ch,” snickered the man. “I thought you would have been made of better stuff, being one with the divine power and all. But like everybody else who has had the honor to fight me, you will simply die.”
The man flew up into the air, cocking back his spear arm back to launch it. A thick chain that was attached to the javelin coiled backwards as the man’s body erupted into a violent inferno of red flame, just before the mighty harpoon left his fingers covered in glowing energy and rocketed towards the Shiken below.
“Playtime’s over,” whispered the man.
The Shiken never had a chance to dodge. The red inferno engulfed him and exploded violently upon contact with the ground. Edge tried to balance the gravity about him and his teammates as they felt the powerful shockwave.
“Damn!”cursed Edge as he strained against the power. It took a while for the red glow to fade, and the man stood in the middle of it, spear in hand, and totally calm.
Kouryuu stepped forward with anger in her eyes.
“Kazuki Tenjiko.” She slurred the words as though she were spitting blood. “The legend of the immortal fighter…” Edge’s mind rushed in confusion with the name, for he knew nothing of it. But everybody else
turned with wide eyes of fear to stare at the man named Kazuki, even Zero.
“Kazuki,” muttered Double unconsciously. “The man who defeated the Legendary Hero, Hashira...” Edge felt himself shiver at the words. He knew little enough of his world’s legends and lore, but EVERYBODY knew of the Legendary Hero Hashira. The man who had saved the universe once, whose son carried on his legend by preventing the breaking and rebirth of all existance. And the man who stood before him now was the man who had taken Hashira’s life.
Kazuki simply turned to Kouryuu and shrugged uncaringly.
“I didn’t know I was that famous,” he said. “Then again, I try to keep a low profile, and most people I meet end up dying.” He grinned with a flash of cruelty and stuck the butt end of his spear into the ground. Kouryuu looked as though she were going to explode.
“Years beyond your legend,” she said. “That’s what we are. I guess you wouldn’t understand yet.” She looked up with fire in her eyes, her hands clenching tightly on her sword hilts. “Damnit... why? WHY?! Pent did nothing to you!!!”
Kazuki laughed long and hard. Edge slowly and silently moved away towards Pent’s crumpled body to check his injuries.
“Nothing?” he asked mockingly. “None of you know anything of Pent’s past, the man he was ten years ago! The fool. He was nothing then, nothing. He was only a mere student in that crap-place that they called a training hall, a kingdom of idiots. I could have killed them all! And when the old master passed away, who did they pick as a successionor... not me... they picked a worthless little bastard named Pent, one unworthy of even realizing the power bestowed upon him.”
Kouryuu’s body began to emit a soft blue glow right before it exploded in a sapphire aura of energy. Kazuki barely seemed to notice, shrugging his shoulders as he turned rolled his head about.
“Pent was nothing, unfit, unworthy of the title given to him by an ignorant fool. And so I left--” Kazuki suddenly paused in the middle of his rant and smiled. “-- but not before I left him a little present. Of course, I never expected him to actually survive.”
Kazuki burst out into a cruel laughter, and Kouryuu set her jaw angrily.
“Pent is a rebel soldier,” she said firmly. “He’s fought many a battle with enough valor for an army, and has never betrayed his fellow warrior.” Her aura sent tremors through the ground now, and small plasma waves sprayed off her metallic armor like lightning. The spearman no longer smiled. His face had long since grown cold, a frown of disdain replacing his mocking features. “I don’t care what kind of past he had,” said Kouryuu fiercely, and her hands gripped her blades tightly and she dashed forward to fight. “YOU HAD NO RIGHT!!!”
“Fuu...” hummed Kazuki, raising his spear to point the metallic blade at the enraged Kouryuu. Zero took a step forward.
“Kou-chan!!!,” she shouted, but the air suddenly absorbed all noise as Kazuki released his own aura. He appeared to be a rose in the center of a burning flare. His other hand reached up to touch his spear, fully extended from the shoulder.
“All fools,” he said, and his free hand made a quick and abrupt motion. Just as Kouryuu was about to bring her blades down on his head, an invisible wall smashed into her, throwing her back. Zero was already in motion to catch her body while Double moved in to attack. Kazuki’s staff flashed sharply downward, launching himself into the air.
“The human race and their creations,” he slurred, letting his aura build into a red rose of fire. “Always ignorant in their actions, never quite sure of what they are talking about.”
Zero leapt high into the air, aiming a punch straight for Kazuki’s face. She suddenly changed direction to fake, but Kazuki’s spear shot out, smashing into her face as she tried to move. Kazuki smiled softly.
“Why can’t you open your eyes to the truth?” Zero’s eyes widened violently as she took a blow to the stomach, and began her descent to the ground. "It would be much easier to accept that rather than fight in the name of something that does not exist." Kazuki scanned the field and spied Edge tending to Pent’s broken body. Gradually, the boy’s aura began to pulse to life with fierce and untamed spirit, and he smiled widely.
“Hmm,” he hummed in amusement. “There’s always the greatest potential in the ones that hide in the shadows...”
Kazuki’s hold on the air around him died out, and then he fell toward Edge’s crouching body, a soft smile coming onto his face once more.
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Edge turned his head towards the sky, noticing his attacker even before the man appeared on the sensors. The bloodstains on his armor suddenly became unimportant in the shadow of danger. He had to protect Pent. Nothing else mattered.
The young boy let his anger burn brightly and felt his internal generators fill his metal frame with power. He heard Kazuki’s voice in his head, a psychic message.
“You have a strong aura,” he said. “You noticed me before your scanners did, didn’t you? You’re certainly better than many other warriors I’ve fought. I’m surprised to see that a robot would attain such a skill. I wonder who your teacher could be... Edge, is it? Yes, my powers allow me to read your data banks, a minor skill.” Kazuki grinned and clenched his weapon tightly “Let’s see how you fare against something much stronger.”
Edge felt himself falter a little. Fear, that was what Kouryuu called it in her lessons. She told him that it was the warrior’s greatest enemy, capable of turning an entire fight in seconds. The two most important things to remember in battle; One, fight so as to build fear in your opponent, give him a reason to be afraid. Two, never, NEVER be afraid yourself. The true warrior does not give in to such petty feelings, it his duty to stand his ground and fight.
Edge set his jaw with determination and allowed his generators to run at full burn.
“I won’t give up!” he whispered vehemently to himself. Blue lightning crackled in the air around him as the magnetic gravitation around him began to disperse. Huge chunks of dirt and rock began floating into the air as the local gravitational field began to waver, the air began to distorting in upon itself as his hands gently began to mold the atmosphere around him. Kazuki simply smiled as he began to increase his descent under his own power since the force of the earth no longer carried him to the ground under the normal laws of physics.
Kazuki’s spear flashed out sideways as his aura suddenly began to bleed with crimson. Edge let out a shout as he threw his palms upward towards his opponent. He could not be heard above the roar of flying energy.
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Kouryuu’s black out subsided as her systems suddenly popped back up. Double stood over her, retracting a short wire from her circuitry.
“I thought you were a goner there for a minute,” he said, returning the wires beneath his armor. “A little jolt was all it took to reboot, but you should still rest befor---”
Kouryuu wasn’t listening. All she could see was the massive cataclysm that was occurring before her, a sight that also mesmerized the others who were watching. A huge swirling ball of energy encased Edge and Kazuki, glowing powerful hues of red and blue. The young boy lashed out with waves of pure pressured force, and the spearman deflected them without a thought, their internal battle occurring at the speed of light as a thousand different energy threads were exchanged in a second. And below them all, Edge took every blow that would have otherwise touched Pent’s limp body, stubbornly refusing to move as he faced his powerful opponent with determination in his eyes.
Despite the appearance that the two were evenly matched, Kouryuu knew Kazuki was only toying with Edge, testing him for power, only to break him later on. That was the immortal warrior’s way, that was the way that he had played with Hashira in his youth, and later in before his death.
Her scanners suddenly flashed a danger warning, energy low, Edge’s energy. She flashed a look ahead of her and caught Edge fighting back an energy blast from above, Kazuki simply floating in the air nearby, taunting him, laughing at him. Edge was fighting desperately, but his blue aura was already beginning to fade into the dominating red. He spent his reserves too fast in the scuffle. There was nothing left for him to fall back on.
She had told him that it was the warrior’s greatest enemy, capable of turning an entire fight in seconds. The two most important things to remember in battle. One, fight so as to build fear in your opponent, give him a reason to be afraid. Two, never be afraid yourself. The true warrior does not give in to such petty feelings, it his duty to stand his ground and fight. Edge never faltered, did he? Always the fierce spirited beneath his quiet demeanor, always the moral follower. How could he have ever been a soldier of the government? How...?
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'...you did good Edge, your fight will not be in vain...’
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“---and, DAMNIT KOURYUU! Listen to me!!!” shouted Double, but Kouryuu wasn’t listening. She stood up without a word, still watching Edge pour every bit of energy into his attack to hold back Kazuki’s huge fireball. Her blades whipped into her hands.
“Kou-chan...” whispered Zero to the side. “What....”
Kouryuu was already dashing into the heart of the scene, blades bared with ferocious energy.
“KOURYUU!!!” shouted out Double. “Goddamnit!!!”
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“Eh?”
Kazuki didn’t notice the dashing figure until it was too late. Kouryuu’s flying shoulder tackle took them both through the crumbling concrete of a skyscraper while far below Edge fell to one knee in exhaustion as his aura died out. Kazuki’s spear twirled in defense as Kouryuu’s blades flashed wildly, but it didn’t help from keeping some of her blows from puncturing his gut. His blood flew freely, but he only smiled.
“What do you hope to accomplish by this?” he asked, amused. “I will regenerate faster than you can hurt me. You cannot win. You know the legends better than any of the others.” Kouryuu winced at his comment as his spear sliced open her side, but refused to stop her offensive. “So why do you continue? Why do you fight when you know you cannot and will not win?”
Kouryuu suddenly flipped backwards, bounding off steel girders and concrete walls until she landed on the roof of a skyscraper, and looked up at her foe’s flying figure with a smile on her face.
“A soldier does not abandon her duty,” was all she simply said. Plasma energy sparkled on her metal armor as she built up her energy for a final attack. Kazuki let the crimson tide overtake his being as he charged up as well. The rebel sheathed both blades, charging the power to her right fist, already cocked back. This would be her final attack, but she would make sure that it was not in vain. Perhaps simply knowing that she could not win was reality, but her fight was always far beyond those simple bounds. She fought for something far more than that, something that nobody but herself could understand. And that was a good enough reason for her to die.
Kazuki laughed as he fell from the sky in a blazing inferno.
“Soldiers,” he muttered, pointing his spear outwards as he fell, a red arrow of light. Kouryuu never heard. Her blazing fist launched itself forward just as Kazuki’s face descended into range.
“TAIMEN- NO- BUSHI!!”
Kouryuu’s battle cry faded into the noise of the exploding building as its debris began its fall to the ground.
The rebel felt the overwhelming blackness overcome her, and her sensors suddenly felt nothing but the warmth of darkness.
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“Kouryuu...” whispered Edge as he watched the fiery roar fill the sky. Then louder, booming in his head.
“KOURYUU!!!” he cried out. He suddenly became conscious of the falling rocks, and moved to protect Pent’s frame. Pent was slowly awakening from his beating.
“Hrmmmm...” growled Pent angrily. “Just give me another shot at that bastard, right after my coffee...”
Edge’s eyes were suddenly fixated on something else, a descending figure from the sky whose spear was now attached to his back harness, a figure who held Kouryuu limply in his arms. Edge watched as Kazuki touched down, holding the rebel. He set her down silently, and looked at Edge.
“You fight well,” he said. He looked down at Kouryuu’s beaten body. “Your friend cares for you very much, willing to sacrifice her own existence in return to have your own spared.” He looked up once again, this time, a mysterious smile on his face. “She will live, just give her a good tune up.” Kazuki gave a small two-fingered salute as he turned to leave.
“Later.”
Pent was already on his feet, looking with eyes of hatred at Kazuki.
“You bastard,” he muttered. “You’re just going to leave?! You beat her half to death and then spared her. Why?”
Kazuki slowly turned around, the smile still on his face.
“I may not regard you very highly,” he said. "But even I know respect. Why do you think I spared even your life?" He walked on without glancing back again.
Edge suddenly turned his attention to the beaten Kouryuu, lifting her body with the help of a little de gravitation. Meanwhile, Double watched Pent as he limped back toward the gates of the rebel establishment.
“Let’s go,” said Double, pulling Pent’s arm around his shoulder to support him. Pent glared at him angrily for a moment, still too proud to accept the help he was offered. But his face softened and he sighed.
“I’m getting too old for this, aren’t I?” he said wearily. Double laughed heartily.
“You’re never too old to be a warrior,” said Double. “I’ve was in 34 years of commission before I got beaten by Edge, a newcomer. It just means we have to train more.”
Pent smiled as he allowed some of his burden to be taken by the android beside him.
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“Where is this...?”
Kouryuu’s power weakly ran through her circuits, but just enough to keep her computer running. Her visual sensors picked up two figures beside her operating table, a green-haired kid, Edge, a black-haired girl, Yoshime. Edge smiled down on her.
“Um...” he began, unsure of himself. “You didn’t have to go and do that, sacrificing yourself and all...but thanks.”
Kouryuu smiled and took his hand in hers.
“You’re stronger than I’ve ever imaged,” she said. “In time, you’ll make a fine warrior.” Edge beamed, and at his side Yoshime did as well. Yoshime suddenly started and broke away from the table.
“I forgot about Iesu’s drink!” she exclaimed as she dashed off. Kouryuu laughed softly while Edge’s face suddenly became grave. Once he was sure Yoshime was out of hearing range, he addressed Kouryuu once again.
“Could you hear it?” he asked. Kouryuu glanced up in surprise at his sudden question, and Edge looked down at her. “The Shiken, did you hear its words?”
Kouryuu’s face set itself in a solemn austerity as she nodded.
“I heard it,” she said. There was nothing more she could say anyways. A monster, the likes of which nobody had seen or reported of in hundreds years, suddenly addressing the legends as if they were fact. And perhaps they were. Ironically, they probably had Kazuki to thank for being alive.
“Edge,” said Kouryuu, a slow hesitation in her voice. “I’ll go with you.” Edge’s eyes opened in surprise and puzzlement. The rebel smiled up at him. “The Temple, we’ll find the Temple of Ordeal together. You can become as human as you want to be.” Edge smiled happily, but not the way he had before, like that of a child. Now, his smile was more like that of a grown man. It reminded Kouryuu of somebody all too familiar, but who? She suddenly felt her systems on the verge of another blackout, and Edge soothed her with calming words.
“Rest for a while, you’re not fully recharged yet,” he said. “We’ll have a long journey ahead of us.” Kouryuu smiled as she felt herself lapse into a state of unconsciousness...
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Kazuki sat upon the skeleton of the skyscraper, thinking, watching the sun set. He felt the presence beckon to him, and a ghostly figure materialized in front of his very eyes. A figure in the garb of a samurai warrior, a sleeveless kimono and baggy pataloons. His long blue hair flowed in waves with the invisible wind and the sunlight glinted off the sword belt of his long no-dachi katana sword. This was the man who haunted his dreams. And only recently, the man who had begun to haunt his reality as well.
“Soleiyu,” muttered Kazuki. “Leave me, now is not the time to preach about your need for vengeance.” The ghostly figure of Soleiyu shook its head sadly.
“Young fool,” he said. “You do not understand the honor of your ancestors, do you? Your predecessor from over 300 generations past, Tsukiyo Hikoken, my brother, still seeks retribution for his death. The evil
god, Shogi, must pay for the incriminations he has done to your ancestor.”
Kazuki shook his head ruefully.
“Now is not the time...” he said.
Soleiyu’s frown slowly turned upward into a smirk.
“Or so you say,” he said. “You say you want the ultimate battle, do you not? Then try your hand at the legends of great lore. Have you even considered such a feat? Try your hand against the Legendary Hero Hashira!”
Kazuki looked up at the ghost with interest.
“Oh, really?” said the spearman, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “And you will tell me how to travel to the past to find this great fight?” Soleiyu’s phantasm smiled.
“Of course I will,” he said. “You just have to follow my directions...”
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End “Fighting Spirits”