Flames... Smoke... Dust... Flesh... Blood... A strange feeling of nostalgia washed through Justice's senses as he took in this sight. So familiar to his old life. His true purpose in this world. The laboratory at which Justice had been resurrected was in ruins. Once it was proud and strong, filled with computers and machinery, bio-experiments and soulless data. Now it lay in shattered pieces. All the machines had been mercilessly crushed. Tall flames danced along the charred floor. The corpses of all the scientists were strewn across the ground in pools of their own fermenting blood. Yes...this gave Justice a striking sense of nostalgia. The King of Gears walked over to the test tube that had resurrected him, taking a keen look at it. It was in pieces, leaking of a strange liquid, probably used to incubate and restrain Justice. He let out a small chuckle, and clasped a small computer chip under the broken glass. "How...interesting. Technology of this sort was banned from this world many, many years ago. I was a life form that was designed to destroy humans. My Crusade brought this world to what it is today. Yet humans are willing to utilise something they are forbidden to use, to resurrect the thing they hate the most...the human mind is the most fascinating thing in existence." In one powerful grip, Justice crushed the computer chip within his hand. And as he looked around the smoking lab...his mental agenda returned to his true goal. The destruction of mankind. But before that, he would purify this twisted sanctuary of madness. This laboratory was a distinct emblem of human foolishness. A simple but correct representation the human instinct's desire to play God. "God created man in his image." Justice mused. "And as man developed into what he is today, his sense of discovery enveloped him. He desired to know what lay beyond the skies. Humans sought to reach heaven. And in man's desire to become one with his creator, he fashioned a organism that was on par with God himself." The massive twin hubcaps over his shoulder blasters unlocked and shifted backwards, gathering energy inside for his ultimate attack. "That organism..." Justice said quietly. "Was known as the Gear." Instantly a chain reaction triggered something in Justice's body, and a furious blast of destructively powerful energy was released from his shoulder blasters. It took on the form of an energy beam. And that potent discharge of energy shot through the far walls of the laboratory, blasting through it with sheer ease. The beam cut through wall after wall after wall, until it reached its final epoch. An energy generator. Justice's attack nailed this generator with pinpoint accuracy, accuracy only the King of all Gears could attain. The generator reached a critical overcharge of energy from this blast, and started to overload. In a short few seconds, it was going to explode. Just as he predicted. Somehow, those human scientists had actually enhanced Justice's powers. Now he had a very clear feel of his surroundings. Anything that was even a short distance away from him was wholly detectable in the vast network of Justice's brain. The sentient Gear took one last look around the laboratory before it was blown to eternity. What a pitiful sight. Satiated with this, Justice crossed his arms and a mystical chain of translucent runic symbols surrounded his body. In a short instance, a vaporous energy shifted Justice through time and space, and repositioned him outside the lab, in the quiet streets of Fuzhou. As Justice looked on at the building, the generator finally attained critical level, and exploded in a furious tornado of rubble, glass and flame. Singed and blackened chunks of debris rained over the skies of Fuzhou, smashing into shop windows and injuring random people. But the uproar did not end there. A large fire sprung up from the ruins of the laboratory, accompanying the black clouds of smoke rising into the starry night sky. And the few passers by who happened to witness this unfolding event, gasped in terror at the figure standing proudly amongst the flames of destruction. The nightmare of six years ago...would begin again. ********** "Hmm...I missed this..." May sighed delicately as she and Dizzy held each other on Dizzy's bed. This was all May really wanted now. It was weird. May never really know how much she loved spending time with Dizzy until the sapphire haired girl started to avoid her. It holds firm to the saying, 'you never know what you've got until you lose it'. But now...Dizzy was with her. May never had to feel like that again. May looked at Dizzy for a second, just enough to partake of her beauty once more. With a bashful smile she tucked on of Dizzy's stray strands of hair back into place. Dizzy said nothing, she just smiled back at her love. After it finished its task, May's hand came to rest on Dizzy's faint cheek. {Man...Dizzy's so pretty. I don't know how I never noticed it before...but now she's mine...she's mine...} "What are you thinking about?" Dizzy asked inquisitively. May only smiled. "I was...thinking about how pretty you are." "Stop, May..." Dizzy said bashfully. "You are too much of a flatterer." May snuggled herself into Dizzy's shoulder, tracing patterns with her finger along the outside of Dizzy's leg. "It's not my fault! I can't help how I feel when I see someone as sexy as you are." Dizzy blushed again. She never felt as safe or as special then when she was with May. The hybrid Gear had always felt that. Nothing on this earth could console her as well as May could. In fact, Dizzy had been at her happiest when she was with May and the rest of the crew. From the moment she left her adoptive parents, the forest was her only form of happiness. But it was only that Dizzy realized...that she wasn't happy back there. Sure, she felt safe being defended by Testament, and she loved playing with and taking care of all the animals at the Devils Living Place...but that was not happiness. That was isolation. Only by living with other people...could Dizzy have enjoyed her life. The delight of living was a sacred gift. A gift that would no longer be denied to Dizzy. Being with May and all her friends on the May ship. Those were simple but important treasures that Dizzy valued and would never relinquish. "Thank you, May..." Tears formed in Dizzy's eyes. She really meant that. She was deeply in May's debt. The moment she saw Dizzy's tears, May became worried. "Hey, hey, hey. What's this?" May wiped a solitary tear from Dizzy's eye. "Why are you crying?" Dizzy smiled a bit, even though her eyes were filled with tears. "Am I crying? I'm sorry...I am happy. Happy to have met you. I was so alone...In my old life. I never knew what it was...to have a true friend...and now I...I have you and all of the crew. I am so thankful to have met you all." May sighed happily. Dizzy was okay. Without a second thought, May tightened her arms around Dizzy's body, giving the girl a reassuring hug. Nothing like that mattered anymore. They had each other. "Forget about those times. You're with me now, Dizzy. You're a Jellyfish Pirate. No more tears now, okay?" Dizzy nodded. "Uh huh." May thought for a second. "Hey, wait a minute. The ship is coming to pick us up tomorrow isn't it? That means we'll have to get some sleep. I don't feel like traipsing around without a little shuteye." Dizzy was confused. "Okay...so..." Then May grinned deviously at her girlfriend. "I was thinking that...before we go to sleep...we could spend some time together..." Dizzy was still very much confused. "But we are spending time together..." Another sneaky smile crossed May's lips, and slowly, she nuzzled closer to Dizzy, placing the tiniest and sweetest of butterfly kisses along Dizzy's neck. The Gear breathed in, a fierce blush across her cheeks. "May..." May snickered maniacally. "You're my girlfriend now...I'm free to have my way with you..." Dizzy said nothing more as May's lips sought out her own. Dizzy sighed gently with this tender display of affection, May's soft lips kissing her with all their worth. Dizzy was unfamiliar with this, but even she couldn't ignore the butterflies churning in her stomach. May had so much power over her... Then, a knock came at the door. Dizzy's scarlet eyes shot open, but May either didn't notice or didn't care, because her devouring of Dizzy suffered no relent. Dizzy gently pulled away from May's advances, gasping for breath. "...May..." May was also drained. "...What's wrong?" Dizzy pointed over to the door. "Someone is knocking." The orange clad pirate girl scowled and waved whoever it was off. "Forget them..." By now, Dizzy was lying back first on the bed, with May strapped over her. And she couldn't in good conscience deny May her wishes. It was like she wanted to. Then, just as May was about to press her lips against Dizzy's again, the door creaked open. It was June. And the incredulous chef sweatdropped as she took in this...sight... "Um...did I come at a bad time?" Both May and Dizzy turned beet red and reluctantly, May peeled herself off the lovable Gear with an irritated scowl on her face. "Geez, June, you really know how to pick your moments, don't you?" May said mock angrily. June couldn't believe it. Dizzy and May were together. Somehow, Dizzy understood what June was thinking, and nodded in confirmation of it. June pointed to the two of them. "You guys are a couple now?" The two smitten girls smiled at each other earnestly. But May was the one who answered the question. "Yep. We are." June couldn't help but smile. "I'm happy for you guys." ********** "We are here." Baiken and Millia's slow, scenic journey to the town of Fuzhou came to an abrupt end. After travelling along for the last day non-stop, they had finally reached this quiet but significant municipality. Millia had to admit, since they separated ways with Venom, she and Baiken had been able to move a lot faster. Now the time was right. Not specifically for Millia, but for Baiken. This proud woman had put her quest on hold for the past few months to satisfy Millia's desire to end the life of Zato-ONE. Now it was up to Millia to repay that debt by helping Baiken with her own quest. To eliminate 'That Man'. The Russian blonde felt that she owed it to Baiken. She had helped Millia in more ways than anyone could imagine. Behind her furious behaviour and arrogant segregation, Baiken was kind woman. Needless to say, she had put these feelings aside. Femininity was something Baiken had discarded a long time ago. But some of it was starting to shine through again. Millia could see this, even if Baiken could not. As the two warriors walked through the silent streets of late night Fuzhou, Baiken studied their surroundings. Something was...off. Millia noticed Baiken's anxiety. "Is there a problem?" Baiken's eye dotted from side to side. "Something just doesn't...feel quite right...it's too quiet, even for a small town like this." Millia was about to say something to that, until she smelt some very distinct. It was the scent of...burning. Baiken realized it too. She knew that aroma far too well. Baiken looked around. "Something is on fire...what is it?" Whatever was happening was happening very close, Millia could feel that. Then her sky blue eyes saw something over at her right. Millia pointed to it. "Baiken, look." Baiken observed what Millia was pointing to. A towering pillar of smoke climbing into the midnight sky. And the flames below the large clouds of smoke were growing larger and larger. Millia's eyes narrowed. "Something is going on." "Let's go!" Baiken yelled feverishly. The two women made a dash towards the rising smoke. Something was going down, they had to at least know what it was. They couldn't directly get to the centre of this raging fire, they had dodge through certain alleyways fairly randomly. After a prolonged search, Baiken and Millia stumbled along to the site of this fiery chaos. Fire was stripped along the streets, burning brightly, contrasting the feel of the night. Black pieces of rubble littered across the pavement like grass. Black clouds of smoke enveloped the street, surrounding Millia and Baiken. Millia had to cover her eyes to keep them from watering with the dust, whereas Baiken was accustomed to this. It was one of the few resilient powers that she regretted acquiring. And unsurprisingly, the street was sprinkled with the broken and burnt carcasses of innocent people. Baiken's fist clutched with anger. She wasn't stupid. This was no mere accident. It was done intentionally. And a morbid feeling of familiarity touched Baiken's heart through seeing this. Just like her home...her institution... Her friends and family, ripped apart by the bastard war machines called Gears. Everything she had ever known or loved had been razed to the ground. All for nothing. Baiken shut her eye and fell to one knee. This was...bringing back too much for her. Millia was still flabbergasted by this raw burning carnage, until she saw Baiken literally on her knees. Millia held out a hand for Baiken to pull herself up with. "Baiken, are you..." Baiken sharply batted Millia's hand away. "Don't! I don't need anyone's help..." The cerise haired samurai stood up under her own power, and her eye searched along the flames. Something or someone had to be around... Then both Millia and Baiken froze in place after hearing an eye piercingly loud and shrill battle cry. Suddenly the silhouette of a powerful figure materialised in the tongues of thrashing fire. Both the samurai and the assassin looked on in astonishment as they identified this bizarre apparition. Baiken was near speechless. "J...Justice...?" Even Millia was knocked for six by this. "That is the commander of all Gears? But...I thought that..." Suddenly the only sound Millia concentrated on was the slithering unsheathing of Baiken's fierce blade. "How dare you!?" Baiken rushed forwards, charging mindlessly through the scathing flames and smoke. Millia ran after her, wondering why Baiken was acting so strangely, but she could not get past the fire. It was far too violent to protect herself. Baiken gritted her teeth hard as she passed through the walls of this blaze. She could tell that she had sustained some minor damage, but Baiken didn't care enough about it to pay it any mind. All that mattered now was revenge. Revenge for the bloody ancestry left by that demon. Baiken's dash slowed to a stop. "I'll destroy you!!" Justice looked back at Baiken with his arms crossed and his tail thrashing around. He had...no idea how someone had survived all of this anarchy, so this human woman had to be...fairly significant. "You survived through all this." Said Justice's synthetic voice. "I am impressed at your resilience to the power of natural forces. It is beautiful, is it not? To be able to feel so much splendor within the flames of destruction." Baiken grimaced at her enemy. "You...enough of your garbage! I'll kill you!" Justice chuckled. "Death shouldn't be rushed. One should savour it and enjoy the release it brings to us all. If logic would serve you as it has me, then you would understand this." "Arrgh!!" Baiken's sheer anger erupted from Justice's remarks, and instantaneously she darted at the leader of the Gears. This Gear was twice her height and many levels above her power, but Baiken would not let that stop her. The last of the Japanese swung her blade at solely sentient Gear, however it did next to no damage to him. Justice raised his dark talon to protect himself from Baiken's attack, nullifying any possible damage. Baiken did not let that affect her, and slashed again at Justice. This time Justice made no attempt to dodge or block this attack. Baiken's mighty blade slashed along Justice's metallic chest plate, leaving a trail of static in its wake. But no damage. Justice created a sound that resembled a sigh. "How can you expect to win? Your body reeks of untold battles, but is far too withered to stand any chance. Stand aside, human." Baiken tightened her grip on her sword. "Never!" Instead of directly attacking Justice, Baiken thrust her foot into the ground, creating a large mat of a green Tatami variety to smash into Justice's body. Justice dropped his guard as an insult to Baiken, then brutally knocked the Tatami mat back at Baiken with the back of his iron fist. Naturally Baiken was not prepared for such a skilful counter, and dove out of the way to avoid the wrath of her own attack. Baiken came to a crash on the dusty pavement. Justice was juts as powerful as she had heard, maybe even more so. But no matter how strong this Gear may have been, Baiken would not rest until...it was destroyed. The spirits of all her people were demanding it. Baiken managed to pull herself on her feet, and stood off against her Gear commander nemesis. "...I'll slash you...apart." Justice said nothing in response; he only waited for Baiken's next attack. And Baiken was pushed over the edge by his arrogance. Yelling out a heartfelt and sheering cry of anger, Baiken lunged at Justice once again, losing all feeling of concern for her life. But no matter how much emotion one could summon into an attack, it held no match of absolute power. Pulling his arm back for a pure motion, Justice viciously swung his arm around his body creating a sleek wave of bright azure energy. And this lethal attack smashed into Baiken's ribcage, sparing no relief. The last swordswomen of Japan was knocked back, metres away from Justice, smashing to the hard stone pavement. Baiken tried desperately to pinpoint Justice's location, but the smoke was too thick, and her own senses were becoming blurry. Baiken threw up a portion of blood, and dropped her sword. Now she realized that she was completely out of her depth. And her people... were going un-avenged. "I'll...I'll..." Baiken could barely hang on to consciousness long enough to complete a sentence. "I...will..." That was it. Baiken had no more. With a desperate gasp, Baiken passed out from the damage she had sustained. Damage done even though Type 01 had only landed one attack. Justice looked down at Baiken's mangled body. "Intriguing. I thought that all those of Japanese blood had been destroyed during the Crusades. It is strange that someone of Japanese descent is still living. I wonder what other secrets lie in this world." At that point, Justice decided to employ some of his new powers. He had always possessed to ability to sense Gears around him, the only person to ever contradict that was Type 00, Sol Badguy. But with the enhancements given to him by the Project J2 scientists, he felt that he could magnify this ability to new heights. He just might be able to assert his command over any Gear within China in mere seconds. Despite the sender, Justice was thankful for these gifts. Justice quickly began the process, all of his latent focus directed on this one task. But... "Gaaah!" Justice clutched his head in shock. "What...is this? I can feel a powerful...powerful force...someone is out there...someone who has an enormous amount of power...so be it." Justice steadied his body, and once again, a chain of shining runic symbols surrounded him. If there were someone out there who wielded this kind of power...Justice would be there. ********** "So...you're leaving..." Jam looked away from Ky harshly. Despite all of her efforts, Ky still wanted to move on. But Jam couldn't understand why? Why did he need to go? They did have some fun and a bit of a laugh while they were living together. Ky could always stay. There was a place for him at Jam's restaurant no matter what, so money wouldn't be an issue. Yet he was still leaving... Ky sighed. He thought this might get a little difficult. The two were just outside Jam's apartment building, unaware of the events that were revolving on the other side of town. "...Yes...I am afraid I must leave." Ky said. It may not have seemed like it, but Ky was really thankful for all that Jam had done for him. Jam didn't have to let Ky stay with her. It was a choice she made as a good friend and a decent person. It made the situation easier knowing that Ky had a friend to rely on. "Where will you go from here?" Jam asked. In truth... Ky flapped a piece of paper. "I met someone yesterday. He issued me with an entry pass to a tournament. I usually do not enter such things unless they have any real significance or merit, but I do feel that I need to sharpen my skills. Then...I will leave China to continue my journey." Jam sighed. Ky *did* say that he was not planning on saying anywhere for a long period of time. Maybe it was meant to be this way. Jam's father had always told her that things happened for a reason. "So I guess there is nothing I can say that'll keep you here, huh, Ky? Well...I did enjoy spending time with you..." Ky smiled. "I also enjoyed it. Thank you, my friend." Jam couldn't help but blush. As abrasive as she was, Jam was struck by Ky in ways she really didn't understand. She had always thought that Ky was cute but...more was there. He possessed a kind of substance that many men lacked, no matter how naïve Ky could be. But Jam only seemed to realize this now that he was leaving. Well, no sense in going out without a bang. The Chinese master chef stepped in front of Ky, leaning forwards on the tips of her toes. Jam caught her knight in shining armour off guard as she gently kissed his cheek. "I know you're gonna come back one day. Just make sure you come back in one piece, okay?" Jam looked deeply into Ky's eyes, expressing the point. Ky was still surprised by Jam's action. But could not stay. Not even if he wanted to. If he were ever to discover himself...then he would need to face new challenges and new experiences. Ky nodded. "I will. I am certain that we will meet again. Until then, please take care of yourself." Then, with Thunderseal in his gloved fist, Ky slowly walked away to continue his journey of self-discovery. {Damn.} Jam thought. {I never thought I'd find myself missing a guy this much.} Jam was about to go back inside and train for a while, until an unusual man came running up to her. Jam looked the guy up and down. She had seen him before, but from where. The man rested his hands on his knees and breathed in deeply, wheezing from what was one hell of a run. Jam was not in the mood for any games today though. "Do you need something?" Jam asked absently. The panting man leaned up and looked at Jam, tapping his dual kusari game on his shoulder. "Are you by any chance, Jam Kuradoberi?" Jam's eyes rolled. "Yes, you have the great honor of being in her presence. What do you want? And what's your name?" The man smiled. "The name's Axl Low. And I think we need to talk..." ********** Sol stepped through charred rubble and cinders of ruined buildings. Whatever happened here was really big. Something tore through this place like a rabid wind. And in Sol's opinion, this place had the divergent stink of a Gear. Namely Justice. But what Sol was going now was searching for clues to his possible whereabouts. Justice wasn't a fool. He instigated a war against all of mankind. Although Sol had defeated Justice before, he was no longer willing to underestimate Justice's ability. There was something about this whole situation that seemed...too convenient. Maybe it was paranoia or nerves, but Sol knew the feel of marionette strings when he saw them. Whatever was going on here was being authored by a higher power. {Who's pulling the strings here?} Sol thought. {Why is it that the deeper I get into this...the more I feel like...my moves have been predicted three steps earlier?} While thrashing through more of the rubble of this chaotic event, Sol caught sight of two women. One of them he had seen before, the other was near enough a stranger. Still, if they knew something... Sol walked over to the two women. One of them was lying lifeless on the ground, while the other was tending to her damages. Sol stood before the two women, catching the attentions of the woman who was awake. "You there." Sol said indignantly. "Can you tell me who did this?" The woman sitting beside her fallen friend laughed scathingly. "You would not believe me if I told you." Steam leaked from the Fireseal. {Bang. He's been here.} Sol turned to walk away, until the woman called out to him. Sol halted in place as the woman spoke. "Hey! I know you. I saw you at the tournament. Are you involved in this?" Sol smirked. "I am now." "Well...if you are chasing that creature...tell it that my hair is baying for its blood." ********** May, Dizzy and Johnny were at the leisure room of the Inn they were staying at. June was upstairs, getting some sleep. The ship would be landing tomorrow, June was the only on that felt like sleeping in. There wasn't any Karaoke tonight so the three pirates just decided to talk over things. May would have preferred to spend some 'alone' time with Dizzy upstairs, but suspected that being too close might let on something to Johnny. Dizzy wasn't ready to tell people about her newfound relationship with May. Not just yet. "Well anyway guys," Johnny said. "We'll leave tomorrow with the money we got from the gold. We may as well stock up on supplies before we leave, you got it?" May nodded. "Sure Johnny. We understand. Me and Dizzy will...Dizzy?" Both May and Johnny stared at Dizzy concerned, when the young girl grasped her head in pain. May put her arms around Dizzy reassuringly. "What's up, Dizzy?" May asked quietly. "Are you okay?" Dizzy struggled to form words. "...My head...something...calling..." Johnny was about to say something to Dizzy also, until a loud crash rattled the walls of the Inn. Johnny stood up abruptly. Something was not right here. Placing his hand by his sword, Johnny's eyes darted from side to side. Something was here and whatever it could be, was trying to hurt Dizzy...or... "May." Johnny said quickly. "Grab Dizzy and get her upstairs." By now, pain of Dizzy's headache was too much for her. She was close to passing out if May didn't do something for her. The pirate girl nodded in acceptance of Johnny's request and tried to shift Dizzy onto her feet. But attempts were cut short by the implosion of the further wall. Johnny covered his face as stray pieces of brick were thrown across the room, smashing up furniture and delicate Chinese ornaments. Then both May and Johnny gasped in shock, as a figure stepped through the large hole created through the wall. Johnny was incredulous. "...Justice...?! It...it can't be!" Justice pointed directly at Dizzy, who was half-unconscious. "I want that child." Johnny drew his sword. "Then you'll have to cut through me to get to her." Normally Justice would have allowed these humans to enjoy their little attempt to stop him, but right now he was too concerned about Dizzy's power. A power that was so strong Justice could feel it burning within his own mind. It had to be within his possession. With a mere flash of his hand, both Johnny and May were blasted across the room, away from Dizzy. The cerulean haired girl was stable enough to see Justice walking towards her methodically, with an aura of stern intent. "Now, my child." Justice said calmly. "Show me the power I sensed." ********** May slowly shook her head, trying desperately to remember what happened. All she could remember was...something just smashing in and...wrecking the place. "Whoa...what happened?" May said. The pirate girl looked to her side. Johnny was lying down, obviously he had taken a bad hit from whatever busted through the wall. "Johnny?" May said concerned. "Are you okay?" Johnny managed to nod. That was all he felt he had the power to at the moment. Then May looked around again. But couldn't find her... "Dizzy...where is she? Dizzy...Dizzy!!" ********** Kaiser's Afterthoughts ---------------------- * Blast that Kaiser! Dizzy and May are finally together, but now Dizzy's been kidnapped by Justice! The scenarios are starting to intersect! What will happen next? Wait for my next chapter to find out! * I just got GGX2 last week. I love the game. Bridget and Slayer kick all kinds of ass. * Hey Chibi Chan. If you still wanna write a Guilty Gear fic with me, e-mail me and we can talk over the details. * This chapter was only 12 pages. But I swear Zeronova, the battle ain't over yet. Not by a long shot! * Once again, sorry for any errors. I really was too tired to check this chapter, but I felt guilty about making everyone wait so long for the next chapter. Chapter 18 should be finished by next Sunday.
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