Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction / Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Ginga GIRI GIRI! The Universe is in Danger! ❯ Overture of Betrayal ( Chapter 45 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

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Ginga GIRI GIRI! The Universe is in Danger!
By SSJ Heero (http://animenext.knorf.net)
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---- Recap ----

[Chibi characters of the six appear in the foreground as scenes from the last episode play
in the background. Though, you can't see 'cause this is text. Haha!]

SSJ: Hey, loyal reader! (That being only me, the author, at the moment.) Anyway, LAST TIME!

Amiko: Nothing happened. Except I mysteriously got Link for some reason.

Kensou: Well, we seemed to have been suffering from deja vu.

Davis: And that ends the recap.

TM: Since we have extra time, call me, ladies! Just dial '0' and ask for TM. They'll know.

(Everyone then sweatdrops as a long call of rings filled the area, turning to a giant group
of operators taking thousands of calls and rerouting them to TM one by one.)

Cindy: ...Anyway! On with the show!

---- Chapter 45: Overture of Betrayal ----

The sky seemed paler than usual as daybreak dawned upon a sleepy city along a small river.
It was silent, save for the first rumblings of cars and trains. The day was fine and dandy,
with no problems to be had upon the city. The morning was cold and damp from a slight rain,
waving a mist of liquid upon the inhabitants. The sky was overall gray, blocking out the
brightness of the sun as the river flowed on, providing the city with a great deal of its
electricity.

There was a troupe of four chocobos tramping along then; two of them being carrying
disgruntled mascots of a certain anime starring a card captor. They were wet and miserable.
Well, maybe not Amiko, Kensou, or Davis, who were riding with umbrellas, and Cindy rode
while wearing a raincoat that most likely will never be seen again after this chapter. As
they were constantly assaulted by the cold air, the light rain, and the splashes from the
nearby cars, and neither SSJ nor TM were happy about it.

"DAMN IT!" screamed SSJ, standing atop his chocobo. "I'm tired of suddenly losing five feet
of my height every time I get splashed by the most abundant natural resource!"

And TM was sitting on the chocobos head, for he didn't have enough strength in that body
to steer a giant bird, and turned to SSJ, who relied on Tenpi to steer his chocobo for him.
He added, "Hell, yeah! We both need to get rid of this-"

But then Amiko interrupted, pointing a blue finger at TM, "Hell, no! This form is not only
cute, but it's useful!"

SSJ and TM shot narrow glares at the threatening Amiko, but simply turned back to the road
and discussed amongst themselves. "How we live with her, I still can not believe," muttered
TM.

SSJ whisperred back, "Yeah, it's a miracle we're still alive today."

They both were soon after filled with bumps and bruises, and Amiko teleported back to
behind the sweatdropping Kensou, clapping her hands clean. It was then that they all felt
the rain weaken, and the clouds were waning. Sunlight broke through, filling certain places
with sunlight. There was a rainbow in the sky at the very moment, which Kero-SSJ caught
sight of. It wasn't the normal rainbow that we're so used to seeing. It was particularly
unique, for it was a halo that wrapped about the sun. SSJ suddenly was pulled back into a
memory of his.

...He was in his parents' car, a minivan, sadly, with his brothers and sister, down the
road through the mountains and past rivers. As the car solemnly passed the few other cars
on the road, he got to thinking again that his father wasn't much of a safe driver at all.
It was hard to sleep for him, especially in the car awaiting their destination. Up to Reno,
Nevada. That was where they were going, and he always simply stared out the window instead
of trying to sleep. He looked up, and caught sight of the peculiar rainbow formation,
silent and thoughtful. His father spoke there, but he didn't remember what was said. His
father's lips moved, without a sound coming out...

SSJ was then pulled back to his current situation, as he was suddenly drenched in near
boiling water, leaping about and screaming as he reverted to his normal self. He screamed
into the sky, "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"

He then caught sight of everyone, for the chocobo troupe had stopped, with the Crew
silent. Davis then presented his question, for he was unnerved by SSJ's sudden silence
then. "Were you thinking of something?" asked Davis.

SSJ grew silent again, thinking to himself. As he got to his chocobo, he leapt on and gave
Tenpi back to Amiko, who huggled the cute little bird. He answered as he looked away, "My
family... I suddenly remembered them. It's been a while since we got here, and they're
probably waiting for us."

TM then smirked. "I thought you hated your family," TM commented.

SSJ sighed, "After all this, I guess their mediocrity will be good enough for me... That
is, if we can get out."

Davis then interrupted, pulling his golden chocobo forward through the puddles on the
poorly built sidewalk, "We can. I've been coming here for a while. But until we settle
problems here, let's not think about it. I'm not sure we want to be reminded at this time."

Everyone was then silent, with Kensou looking about from person to person. Though younger
than him, he perceived, they certainly were stronger. Maybe not physically, for most of
them, but they all had the mental determination to still live in this strange world. He
never did believe they were from another world, as they have claimed to him multiple times,
but with everyone's silent, serious faces, he smiled and realized how wrong he had been.
And it was then that Davis stopped his chocobo in front of everyone. He called, "We're
here. Hayden lives here."

Everyone looked up from the ground. They saw it. The place was huge! Even if it was mostly
covered by the large hill it was on, stairs leading all the way up to the plateau, there
was an air of richness. Trees were everywhere, presenting the beautiful array of cherry
blossoms blooming. SSJ, TM, and Cindy weren't much amazed as they were surprised, pointing
in indignation at the gigantic house. "NANJA KORYA?!" shouted TM. [Subtitles: "WHAT THE
FUCK?!"]

SSJ yelled, "HE LIVES-"

And Cindy finished, "IN HINATA-SOU?!"

And as the three pointed, a silence passed over them for a bit. Their surprised gasps
softened. Their twisted eyes returned to normal, skin no longer folded. They then sighed.
"Figured a plot twist like this would happen," muttered TM.

SSJ sighed, "It's so like me to write this in."

"You two will forget the quest, probably, with the girls and hot springs here," Cindy noted.

TM and SSJ exchanged glances, and shrugged, for she hit it on the mark. Now, the stairs
were not wide enough for normal chocobo feet to keep balance on, so the three normal
chocobos leapt through the trees and bushes beside the stairs as the gold one stepped
through the stairs (since golden chocobos can walk anywhere, as demonstrated in FFVII).

The giant inn became even larger as they all reached the height overlooking most of the
town, sighing with relief upon reaching their long sought destination. Their chocobos
tramped forward, along the stone steps leading to the inn, and there on the very steps was
a young girl, blue hair and all, sweeping the floor. She caught sight of the group, quite
surprised at the large party. Then she recognized them.

It seemed like everyone did those days. Eyes wide, she wheeled about and dashed back
towards the inn, running straight into the tall, proud figure of one of the boarders. His
clean hair was long enough to reach his chin, shining with a tint of silver not from old
age, but from his own doing. He was an alchemist after all, Davis thought. He had strong
features, with his strong jaw, hard cheekbones, and piercing blue eyes, quite contrasting
with his simple red t-shirt, gray shorts, and bare feet. Still he smiled upon catching
sight of Davis. "Using your skill for simple hair dye, huh?" Davis sarcastically greeted.

Hayden grinned as he stepped onto the sandy ground off of the path and started etching
into the ground as he replied with a carefree voice, "Well, better silver than a regular
color."

He pulled his finger from the sand at that point, clapped his hands together, and then a
flash erupted from him. His red shirt were replaced with a red, long sleeved shirt with a
collar that reached up to his chin, circling around it. Boots reaching to halfway up his
foreleg appeared as bandages wrapped about both his legs. Shinobu then appeared again and
presented Hayden with a belt carrying many packs, which he put on then and there. He then
smiled at his amazed crowd, who were clapping at what they had just seen.

"Incredible!" TM yelled.

Kensou rubbed his chin thoughtfully and muttered, "Alchemy did that, huh?"

Amiko then turned to SSJ. "Much more impressive seeing this in reality, ne?" she asked.

SSJ nodded. "Yeah, better than in Full Metal Alchemist," he replied.

Then they were all brought into Hinata-sou, where a group of male appeasing, attractive
girls between 15 and 22 years of age greeted them, much to the TM and SSJ's excitement.
There was Narusegawa Naru, as Davis struggled in vain to hold back his excitement and keep
a serious face as she greeted him rather casually.

TM noticed, slapping Davis on the back of his head and laughing, "Haha! Go ahead, player!"

And, quite expectedly, Davis landed with his face right on Naru's cleavage. Needless to
say, he was flying away in pain as Naru's common reaction took place. "Pervert!" she cried.
As the others shaded their eyes to see Davis flying through the sky, Naru continued,
"That's the last time I greet you!"

When Davis landed, rather painfully at that, the meeting began. Hayden sat across from the
Six, arms resting on his chair. The Six all sat on two separate sofas, resting their weary
legs upon the table separating the two parties. The inhabitants of Hinata-sou had retreated
from the main hall, where Hayden then spoke, "You have gotten quite famous, you know."

Davis grinned. "Yeah," he returned. "We are kinda building up a reputation, huh?"

"You didn't seem to want one, and yet you drive all this attention to yourself." Davis
glared at Hayden, only replying by pointing to TM as if to say "It's his fault". TM caught
the gesture and was about to smack Davis, but then Hayden continued, "What do you need?"

SSJ cut in there, unwrapping his Hellfire sword and revealing it to Hayden. "A sheathe for
this," he answered.

Hayden looked upon the sword for a bit. Without saying another word, he got up, leaving
the group alone in the room. A silence passed. The Crew sat unmoving. Finally, TM screamed,
"Hey! Did he just ditch us?!"

All of a sudden, Kitsune came into the room, speaking with her accent, "Now, now, don't say
such things 'bout Hayden, 'kay? He'll be back. In the meantime, I hope you've got all that
money I heard rumors about!"

TM, Cindy, and Davis suddenly turned white. TM exchanged glances with the other two. He
sighed and shrugged, "We lost it."

Kitsune's mouth dropped to the floor. Not only Kitsune, but Amiko, SSJ, and Kensou as
well. Amiko dashed to TM and shook him by the collar, screaming, "WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR
QUADRILLION DOLLARS?!"

Cindy then cut in, separating Amiko from TM, "Amiko, calm down! Your black self forced us
to hand it over for these books, you see. That Naraku demanded back there."

Amiko was silent upon hearing about Black Amiko. She soon swore, "Damn... She got the books
back in the end, anyway."

Cindy plopped back into her seat, as did Amiko. She sighed, "Yeah... That damn Sesshoumaru
couldn't be trusted."

But Kitsune fluttered about, still flabbergasted over the breaking image she had of the
glorious Trunks Maxwell. TM shot her a glance. He started, "Well, I've got no money, but
hey, I'm still here! How about it?"

"What's the point...?" Kitsune returned. "We can't gamble and I can't take all that for
myself..."

TM's eyes narrowed as SSJ and Davis slapped their knees in laughter. Upon Kitsune leaving,
in came Hayden, carrying some metal plates, and Shinobu was following along, carrying a
pile of wood. She set it down and sat down by the Crew, turning to the nearest one, SSJ.
"It's always amazing when he transmutes something," said she.

"No kidding," SSJ returned, seeing Hayden set up.

Hayden took out a chisel and began etching into the metal plates. Soon enough, a fine
circle was carved into hard metal, and with a clap of his hands, the pile of wood and metal
glowed brightly. "Give me the sword," he commanded.

So SSJ did, and Hayden put it in with the glowing pile. The room flashed white, and as the
light disappeared, SSJ saw that the Hellfire sword was surrounded by a hard layer of metal
and wood. Its sheath was complete. Amazed, he took up the sword, placing it on his belt,
feeling the polished wood that shone in the light. And quickly and suddenly, he drew the
sword and slashed into the air. It worked great. He turned to Hayden and genuinely smiled.
"Thanks," said SSJ.

Hayden returned the smile. "No problem."

And as SSJ stepped back to the six, Davis stood up and muttered, "Well, I think that was
all we came for."

Hayden frowned, as well as Shinobu. Hayden pleaded, "Oh, come on. You've been here a couple
minutes and won't stay for the day. When's the last time we've met?"

Shinobu begged as well, "Yes! Stay for tonight, at least! I'm already preparing a large
lunch for you all."

The Crew exchanged glances. SSJ wasn't one to let a little girl be saddened (even if she
was his age). TM wasn't one to pass up a meal with several fine ladies. Amiko needed much
rest. Cindy was getting mighty hungry. Kensou wasn't minding anything much, anyway. Davis
looked at his friend, and then sighed, "Okay, we'll stay for today. Could you get a boat
ready for tomorrow morning? We'll ride the river onward."

Hayden nodded, and TM declared a trip to the hot springs compulsory. Everyone sighed and
left the area. That is, except for Hayden, who notived something shining on the table. He
found a rather peculiar item. He held up the Shikkon jewel before him, examining it in the
light. "Heh," he muttered to himself. "How did they get this, I wonder..."

At that time, he also observed one of Cindy's guns. He got an idea. He opened a revolver
and took a bullet from the barrel. He placed the gun down again and took the bullet with
him to his workshop.

***

Amiko, Cindy, and a few of the gals from Love Hina rested in the hot springs soon after,
all thankful for Shinobu's marvelous meal of rice, chicken, and eggs (otherwise called
'oyakodonburi'). Tenpi was flittering about the hot springs water, since it was a blue
chocobo, after all.

The gals, being Naru, Kitsune, Shinobu, and Mutsumi were quite amused watching the young
chocobo dash and leap about, chirping rather cutely before them. Mokona was there as well,
relaxing in an inflated bed that floated on the water. Mutsumi put a hand to her cheek and
muttered, "Ara, ara..."

"How'd you get a sea chocobo?" asked Shinobu, petting the bird. "They're quite rare, you
know."

Amiko turned the thought in her head, trying to remember. She recalled, "It was abandoned.
Last we know, someone took his mother, and we first found it newly hatched."

The Love Hina girls all let out a sound of surprise. Kitsune then presented her idea, "Send
it in to those chocobo races! You'll make a fine deal of money, looking at how fast it is."

Cindy and Amiko chuckled. "Sounds more like something TM would do," Cindy joked.

And Amiko said stiffly, "And he's not going anywhere near Tenpi."

***

The boys, TM, Davis, Kensou, and Keitarou, were also relaxing in their own baths. TM,
traditional to his wacky character, waited by the bamboo wall separating the two baths,
listening in on the girls' conversation, smiling with glee. He then felt a rock hit him
right on the back of his head. It hurt greatly, and he turned about to glare at Kensou.
"What was that for?!" he demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kensou said back. "Stop that."

TM continued glaring, but then stepped back to the bath and muttered, "As if you wouldn't
do it."

Kensou looked away, not quite keeping a serious face, and TM observed a slight blush. What
a closet pervert! TM then looked around, not finding SSJ. "Where is that guy?" he asked.

"He just got his sheathe, so he's probably practicing battoujutsu," Davis replied, relaxing
in the bath.

TM turned and looked up to a platform on the roof, seeing Aoyama Motoko in the distance,
practicing her swings. TM stared for a bit before returning his attention to the nice feel
of the springs.

***

SSJ was practicing upon the platform on the roof of the dormitory, with Motoko nearby,
ignoring him and practicing herself. A bunch of cleanly sliced leaves lay at SSJ's feet as
he continually drew his sword, wiped it with the cloth that once covered the blade, and
sheathed it again. It was tiring, to say the least, drawing as fast as he could every time
and aiming his slash at a fluttering leaf. He was drenched in sweat by the time a pile of
cut leaves rested neatly on his feet. He noticed Motoko was tired as well, seeing her drop
down and rest on the wood platform. He sighed and fell to the floor. He had enough training.

He looked up at the sky, panting as leaves still rained upon the area. He saw Motoko get up
and leave without saying a thing, and he was left there on the platform, alone. He then
sighed. So much of a player he was.

He looked over the platform and at the wide, rough terrain just before Hinata-sou. He then
got an idea for practice, again.

Later, when Motoko came out from the front door, walking with her eyes closed away from the
dormitory. She wasn't much excited about her high-profile guests. They made too much noise,
and that TM was too much of a pervert. As she stepped forward, she thought about how
annoying they were, but her thoughts were cut short as she tumbled forward, throwing sand
into the air. She rolled and scraped along, finally hitting someone's feet. She thought she
heard that SSJ speak, "Hey, you okay?"

She opened her eyes, looking about and seeing why she tripped. SSJ stood in the middle of
a small crater. A crater! It couldn't have been there before! She looked up at the curious
SSJ, but was quick to get up, dust herself, and walk quickly away from it. "I don't need
your concern," she said coldly.

SSJ cocked an eye at Motoko, silently standing there in the crater as she stepped away.

***

The day passed quickly, and soon, night arrived. The six members of the Outlaws were
resting in their own rooms in the gigantic dormitory, for night had come upon the land,
with the moon hanging in the sky. Similarly, the Hinata girls dozed off in their rooms,
tired from the commotion that arrived on their doorsteps.

Everyone was overall tired and needed much sleep. Everyone except for Hayden Morningwood,
who sat awake in his own room, the light on. He closed his eyes and simply breathed,
ignoring everything else.

He felt something in his mind. With his eyes closed, still, he turned his head towards
where he felt it. He sighed, "Cell... That's right, he wants them."

So he got up, and opened his eyes. They were pure white. His brilliant blue eyes were
gone. He then turned towards the direction of the Crew. He muttered more to himself, "I
must..."

He slid open the door of his room. He stepped out of the room and into the hall. The first
room he came to was his own friend's. It slid open easily, and he stepped towards Davis. He
looked upon Davis, visibly saddened with his white eyes. He reached a hand out. He
whisperred, "Sorry, Davis..."

His hand came closer and closer to Davis. It reached around the slumbering boy's neck.
There was a tense second of waiting. He finally resolved finished his job.

He brought Davis to his feet and shook him awake. "Sorry, Davis, but you can't sleep now,"
he called.

Davis awakened slowly in the deep of the night, seeing Hayden and feeling his arm on his
shoulder. He yawned and muttered, "Hayden...? What's wrong?"

"Wake everyone up. We have company." And as Hayden stepped away, Davis finally realized
that Hayden lacked the color and pupils in his eyes. His breath stopped for a bit.

"No way- Those eyes again?!" he uttered.

Davis then dashed from the room, grabbing the Meteor Gloves and covering his hands with
them. He came to SSJ, then TM, then Cindy, then Amiko, and finally Kensou. When he slid
open Kensou's door with a fully dressed, yet tired Crew, he shook Kensou awake. The older
boy opened his eyes and caught sight of Davis. He sighed, "Eh? Nanda?" [Subtitles: "What
the...?"]

"Remember when we were confused about Hayden's age?" Davis interrupted. "Here's the
explanation."

Davis threw open the window and leapt out. The rest of the Crew were caught by surprise,
and dashed to the window. They saw Davis standing besides Hayden. Then they saw them
standing across from someone else. Even in the moonlight, he seemed to radiate. His skin
was completely pale, and his hair was white and clashed with the dark area. They saw the
long sleeves reaching long below the end of his arms. They saw the black hakama, with
sandals separating his feet from the rough sand.

The boys leapt out and landed upon the floor as Cindy and Amiko carefully climbed down,
keeping an eye on the new comer. Then they all heard Hayden speak in a shaky voice,
"Father..."

The Crew minus Davis were taken aback. Why is his father here? And not only that, why do
they both have the same creepy eyes? Davis turned to Kensou. "You're looking at the forger
of your weapon, Kensou," said Davis. "Hayden Morningwood Senior."

Hayden spoke in the midst of the night, "He always was such a narcissist, naming me after
him with pride."

The senior Hayden spoke, his voice not quite as natural as a living man, "Son... I'm sorry,
but it has come to this."

Davis heard a tear drop onto the ground. He turned and saw Hayden, tears streaming from
his eyes. Hayden never cried before, not to Davis' knowledge. "No, you're not," Hayden
angrily said back.

But then there came a wind. That was funny, because there wasn't one a moment before.
Everyone turned to TM, who was once again struggling to concentrate his chakra into his
palm. The winds quickly formed into a ball. Perfect!

TM dashed at Hayden's father, reaching out with his arm and aiming straight for the man's
gut. But the man was quick, grabbing TM's right arm with his left. "Cell hasn't risked
anything by sending me," Morningwood said with pride. "You lose today."

Suddenly, TM's ball of wind lost concentration. It tore free from the confines of the ball
and streaks of sharp wind cut through the surrounding area. Lines were torn through the
ground, and one particular wind severed the man's left arm clean off. The clothes were torn
and flung about as TM flew back, the man's left hand falling to the ground. TM grinned and
muttered, "Heh... Only one hand left, now!"

Hayden's father looked down upon the hand, lying there on the ground. Without saying
anything, the hand quickly flew off the ground, and with unimaginable speed, smacked its
backhand straight into TM's cheek. He was flying away soon after, into the arms of Yanagi,
who had broken free from her bishie ball. TM looked at Morningwood Senior in surprise and
yelled, "What the... Your hand?!"

Morningwood stood proudly above TM. He held up the stump of his arm to show TM. TM saw that
the inside was a black mess. "I have sold my soul for this ability. I can control every
cell of mine, and create many more from the atoms in the air. It borders on creation of
life, itself. When I was living, I was called... The Creation Alchemist."

The man looked upon the two, TM and Yanagi, where a bright light healed TM's wound. The
man then ducked as SSJ's leg flew right over his hair. SSJ skidded on the ground, turned
about, and threw a fist straight at the face. From behind, SSJ heard the left hand come
back again, aiming its fingernails at his back. He was taken aback as the Crew gasped.

Suddenly, the hand stopped before it pierced through SSJ, who was emitting a white aura,
flooding the area with light. Quickly, though, he spun about in a circle, yelling his
defense maneuver, "Hakkeshou Kaiten!"

The hand was instantly dissolved into a mess of broken skin and bones, and Hayden's father
flew a distance away, skidding along the sand as SSJ was left in a crater. Everyone looked
on, surprised. Amiko began with surprise, "When did he..."

Davis finished, "...Learn Neji's technique?"

SSJ grinned as he glared at the form of a man slowly get up. "You've lost your left hand
now," SSJ proudly gloated. "So I'll show you another thing I've learned."

SSJ quickly dropped down into the stance of the Hakke. He put his left leg forward,
reaching it for it with his left hand, as he put his right arm back, palm facing up. He
imagined the circles and lines that signaled the range of the Hakke. Good, that bastard was
in range! He yelled his attack name, "Jyuukenpo - Hakke Rokujuuyonshou!" ("Gentle Fist
Style - 64 Palms of the Divination!")

He smirked as he quickly dashed forward, twirling about and dodging the fist of Hayden's
father. He spun and skidded to a halt, bringing two of his hands to Hayden's torso. The
hands struck as SSJ yelled, "Hakke, Nishou!" ("Divination, Two hands!")

Everyone gasped as the man skidded back, visibly in pain. SSJ continued again, striking
more and more times with every successive wave. Upon each wave, he announced the constantly
doubling number of strikes, shoving the man further back, "Yonshou! Hasshou! Juurokushou!
Sanjuunishou! Rokujuuyonshou!" ("Four hands! Eight hands! Sixteen hands! Thirty-two hands!
Sixty-four hands!")

With that, Hayden's father flew back, gasping in pain. He fell to the ground in a heap of
pain, gasping and coughing blood. SSJ smirked with a clear victory as Hayden Morningwood
Sr. died there. Another wind passed.

The body was suddenly blown away, a trail of particles pushed away in the wind. SSJ's eyes
widened in shock. He heard it behind him. He wheeled around, and there was the man again,
still alive with his body. SSJ didn't have time to think as again, he braced his legs and
swung around, drawing his sword in a powerful battoujutsu attack. That body, too,
disappeared with the wind after that impact. A silence seemed to have passed after that.

Two arms tore from the ground, surprising the Hell out of SSJ, who was then dragged into
the ground, so that only his head stuck out. He looked about him. The sand seemed to not
have been disturbed, despite his whole self minus his head being buried! He looked up at
the impossible man, who was coming together out of nowhere, the cells from the previous
bodies in the wind floating back and reforming his limbs and clothing. SSJ uttered,
"Impossible..."

Morningwood's voice called through the night again, "As I said... I am the Creation
Alchemist. I will never die, for I can create a body from nothing and bind my soul to it.
This is immortality. I have died, and was gifted with this."

Bullets and arrows flew straight at Hayden from behind, and the man dodged them quickly as
the two volleys came dangerously close to SSJ's head, making him sweat with terror. Amiko
and Cindy sweatdropped and bowed. "Gomen, ne!" Amiko apologized.

Cindy added, "We'll try to be more careful!"

SSJ was silent for a bit. Finally, he repeated with narrow eyes, "...'Try?!'"

And then they all saw Hayden land upon the roof of Hinata-sou, outlined in the moon. They
prepared their weapons and fired. Hayden dodged quickly, leaping down from the roof. As an
arrow speeded by him, he reached out a hand and it tore through, stopping straight in the
middle of his wounded hand. The man messily tore out the arrow, to Amiko's shock, and threw
it back as his hand healed.

Amiko and Cindy barely dodged the arrow as it came within a millimeter of cutting SSJ's
skin. "Will you two be careful, please?!" SSJ screamed.

"Oh, shut up and let us handle this," Amiko angrily returned.

"Yeah, we'll deal with it," Cindy coldly muttered.

Cindy launched volley after volley of bullets at the man, who gracefully moved limb and
body barely out of harm's way with each attack, then dashed towards Cindy, finally
revealing his weapon. From his arms tore out two sai weapons, also surprising the Hell out
of Cindy. The Senior Hayden threw his arms forward and impaled Cindy straight through the
neck.

Amiko was quick to react and leap forward, launching arrow after arrow, disturbed over
Cindy's injury, to say the least. But his other sai was fast, and tore straight through
Amiko's heart. Hayden, with his white eyes, smiled at accomplishing his mission. His two
sais disappeared into many particles, and he turned to Davis, Kensou, and Hayden. He could
heal the two later.

But he failed to look behind him, and only noticed something was wrong when TM grinned. A
familiar bang filled the air, and Amiko and Cindy split into smoke. Kage Bunshin! TM had
used it again! Hayden barely whirled around and saw Amiko and Cindy in the air, their
weapons hidden. Instead, they were in their chibi forms. "Take this!" Amiko screamed.

Cindy shouted, "Dual Chibi Storm!"

But no, the insanely powerful attack failed upon Hayden punting the two back, one for each
leg, and they skidded to a stop right by SSJ. Amiko swore, "Damn that guy!"

"Is it... Those eyes?" Cindy pondered, looking at the white eyes that seemed to glow in the
darkness.

Hayden Junior froze in terror as his father turned about and faced him and the two people
before him. Everyone then heard the senior Hayden speak, "These eyes... They are a cursed
passed down from our generation. The men get an incurable curse upon their eyes, which
allows them to see the invisible. Energy, wind, and even gathering chakra are all seen with
these Oblivion Eyes. We have all been alchemists for this very reason, to see the invisible
and chose what to make of it."

And before everyone, right before the senior Hayden, a particularly dense drift of sand
came upon him. Only when it started coming together did they realize it wasn't sand. They
were cells again. Morningwood continued, "I have chosen to see the cells in the air. All
the cells shed by you, all your dropped blood, all the hair around here. Even the seeds of
the grass and the leaves of the trees. They all can be broken down and used for this
ultimate act of creation."

Hayden, the junior, fell back upon realization on what his father was doing. Dear God, he
would see them again. The dreaded things of his nightmares. The reason he hated his father
forever. He saw two gigantic, demonic sais form before his father, who grabbed them both
and aimed straight for him, the man's own son!

Hayden grit his teeth and glared at his father. He explained, "They're... The Cursed Sais.
Once they cuts you, he will control the cells of the sais to flow through your blood and
poison you, tormenting you forever. They don't kill, sadly, and you suffer for eternity,
which is what makes them truly terrifying."

He then turned to Davis and Kensou. "No offense, but neither of you stand any more of a
chance against him than me," said Hayden. "I'll take him on."

Davis wheeled around, facing Hayden. "What, are you crazy?!" he shouted. "You'll never beat
him alone!"

Hayden shouted angrily back, "And you'll never beat him, ever! This is something only I can
do!"

"Tch!" Davis spat back. "You forget I have these gloves now! I'll crush him-"

Davis then raised a hand towards the senior Hayden, only suddenly, Hayden's voice rang out
in the night, "STOP."

That caught Davis' attention, but at the same time, awoke the whole residence of
Hinata-sou, who came to observe the commotion. They rushed out, fearing for Hayden, as he
continued, "Don't worry. I have an ace."

Davis was silent, gaze falling to the ground. Suddenly, it lifted, and he was filled with
a new revelation. He said with surprise, "You... Mastered it?"

"Yeah. That's why only I can bring him to rest."

Davis shuddered at the thought. But finally, he consented, "I'll clear the way."

Davis directed Kensou to SSJ, and together, they dragged him out from the Earth and away
from the scene with everyone else following. They all watched closely as Hayden readied for
battle, putting a hand in one of his packets on his belt. Davis recalled words he heard
before from Hayden. There are two types of battles: a fight for life, and a fight for pride.

This was a fight for pride.

Cindy saw Hayden with his hands in his pouches then. "What are in there?" she asked Shinoby.

Shinobu answered, never taking her eyes off of Hayden, "You'll see."

He and his father faced each other, the climax of the chapter arriving. Quickly, Hayden
threw his hands from his pocket and aimed a shot of something at his father. The father was
to slow to dodge a whole fluttering cluster of sand that flew about his area. Amiko and SSJ
were surprised, to say the least. "What the-?" she uttered.

"How does he fight like that?!" screamed SSJ.

But Hayden proved them just how quickly, using his finger and quickly etching a midair
circle in the floating sand. He clapped his hands together just as the sand quickly formed
into spikes, tearing into his father. TM was totally stunned and shouted, "What kind of
alchemy is THAT?!"

Davis looked ahead with narrow eyes. His muscles were tense at watching his friend fight. He
explained, "Particle alchemy... He won't speak now since he's busy, so I'll say it. He
can control any particle around here. He'd be able to etch in the sand and have giant
stalactites rise up, if he wanted to. Whatever is in particles, he can combine into other
things, and his favorite substance is sand. That's why they call him the Sand Alchemist."

Every one of the Crew found amazement in Hayden, who kept on throwing sand and forming
weapons with them, throwing volleys of new weapons wherever his father was to go. It must
have been the Oblivion Eyes that allowed him to see the flow of the particles and the
transmutation circle quickly etched in the floating particles. Hayden then said, "Father...
I still can not understand why you turned to Rantmon."

The senior Morningwood sighed, blocking the volleys of sand from Hayden. Both father and
son came to a stop, glaring at each other with white eyes. Tears came from the junior
Hayden. Morningwood narrowed his eyes and spoke, "You are weak." Hayden's eyes shot open as
Morningwood continued, "You are weak, just like I was. I have sought power, the power to
fight for myself and to defend my honor."

"YOU LIE!" Hayden screamed, his voice cutting through the night. Everyone was chilled as
Hayden screamed, "You made up that excuse after Mother die-"

"AND WHO WAS THE ONE THAT KILLED HER?!" screamed Morningwood. Hayden suddenly turned white.
Morningwood's shouts continued, "In birth, you took the life of my love, and I can not
forgive you for that! Have you ever thought of others your whole life?! You have selfishly
taken whatever you wanted up to this time!"

Hayden shook in fear as Morningwood continued, "Your title, your skill, your reputation,
your life, YOU HAVE TAKEN IT ALL FROM OTHERS." Hayden shook even more violently. "Just
being related to you, a murderer, has destroyed my pride! This is the power I have recieved
in my travels! The power that doesn't come from fighting death, but by completely ignoring
it! Death has no effect on me!"

"But," Hayden suddenly interrupted. Morningwood was silent. "But then, don't you want to
see Mother?" asked Hayden.

"Don't be foolish," said Morningwood. "Once you die, that is it. There is no life after
death; your story ends when you die."

Hayden's eyes fell on the ground, tears streaming down his face. Finally, he wiped his eyes
and glared at his father. "I'm sorry Father," said Hayden, "But your story is long overdue
for a finale."

He once again clapped his hands together, and immediately, all the sand that had fallen
about on the ground rose up. And rather unluckily, the senior Hayden was in the very center
of it all. The sand rose, forming needles in the air, aimed straight at the man.

They all pierced through the man in a split second, filling him with holes and sand without
much time to feel it. The two sais fell to the ground, never to have touched anyone. But
Hayden knew it wasn't over. He knew that his father was just behind him, seeing the flow of
cells directly to the point behind him. Hayden quickly spun around and tore his hand into
his father's chest, surprising the Hell out of his father, to say the least. His father
suddenly realized something. He stopped regenerating! He couldn't move! He asked, "Son...
What did you...?!"

Hayden explained, "Right now, your cells are still particles, and I can control them from
rebuilding your body."

His father saw it clearly. Hayden bit his finger, causing blood to trickle out, and etched
a red circle upon his father's forehead. He realized what was happening. "No!" he screamed.
"You didn't!"

"I did," said Hayden coldly. "I mastered the Soul Alchemy. From now on, your soul will fuse
with mine."

Morningwood became struck with fear. That was impossible! His son had surpassed him! He had
mastered the impossible alchemy! Blood came from the senior's mouth as he continued
yelling, "Fool! We'll only end up sharing this body and fighting to control it! This won't
extinguish me! I'll win in the end and have your body instead!"

But then he saw Hayden grin, making him surprised at the very least. "I said I mastered it,
father. This is no simple bonding. I will break down your soul and transmute it so I can
gain your knowledge! There will be no heaven or hell for you, because you will just cease
to exist!"

His father was visibly terrified. Completely surprised at his son's capabilities. There
came a light from within the man. It ran along Hayden's arm, straight to his heart. Soon,
Hayden himself was emitting a bright light. Hayden's screams cut through the area, "SCUM
LIKE YOU DON'T DESERVE TO SEE MOTHER!" Suddenly, Hayden tore his arm out of his father's
body. The area flashed with a painful whiteness, and the body of the senior Hayden
Morningwood split apart and flew away with a new wind. It never reformed again.

Hayden fainted to the floor, completely exhausted from his night. Davis dashed to his
friend, worried about his fate. He felt his pulse, saw his breathing, and heard his voice,
"Just take me to my room... There's something for you all there..."

So Davis did, silently dragging Hayden back to his room and laying him in his bed. He then
saw the light on, with a box and note on the table. The note read, "This is all I could do
to help you on your quest. These are five bullets I have made to help you against the
Enders. You'll need it. Don't worry if you all can't find the Shikkon Jewel, a shard is in
every bullet. - P.S. The boat is waiting at dock 5."

Davis smiled, opening up the box and finding five single bullets on a bed of foam. He saw
that they were .45 caliber, fitting with Cindy's guns. The guy really thought ahead...

So, Davis left Hayden there to rest. The guy deserved it after that. He took the box and
note, smiling with pride. Rantmon won't know what hit him.

***

The next day came, and Crew were readying to leave, but Hayden couldn't be bothered to wake
up that day. The Crew were being wished off by the majority of the Hinata-sou residence.
There was Shinobu, assuring Davis of Hayden's health, "He'll be fine, really. He just needs
some sleep."

Davis nodded. "I'll count on you to take care of him," said Davis.

Shinobu bowed, and Davis turned to Naru, who was smiling. "I suppose I'll give you the
power you need, right?" Naru said with a grin. She balled her hand into a fist and
continued, "After all I do to Keitarou, I'd be a help!"

Davis looked at her in surprise. He then smiled and nodded. "Yeah! Welcome aboard!"

With that, he tossed a bishie ball and caught Naru. The scene shifted to SSJ, walking out
of Hinata-sou after a general bonding with the toilet. He ran into Motoko on the way out,
quite literally, because he couldn't be bothered to pay attention so early in the morning.
They both fell to the ground, but SSJ was quick to get up and offer a hand. "Hey, maybe you
should be careful," he said as he turned to leave.

Motoko snapped. She flew up in rage and raised her sword in preparation to kill. SSJ
turned white in fear, but then Motoko slipped on a banana peel and slammed into SSJ,
causing a bishie ball to fall from his belt and capture her. SSJ was sprawled on the floor,
confused, as her bishie ball fell on his head. SSJ picked it up. He said rather weakly,
"Um... Yes! I caught Motoko!"

So he got from his feet and laughed while Amiko, Cindy, and Kensou sweatdropped in the
background. TM then was quite popular, for there he was with both Mutsumi and Koala Su,
eating bananas and watermelons galore with them. SSJ slipped onto the screen, waving a
hand. "Oi, oi, TM," called SSJ. "We need to get going."

TM turned to SSJ, almost finishing another banana and throwing it to the floor. TM groaned,
"Ara, ara..."

Little needs to be said that TM caught Mutsumi and Su, for he had the wooing capabilities
of a thousand men, or so he claimed. In any case, the Crew was off. They reached the docks,
finding number five waiting with a boat large enough to hold them all. Kensou examined it,
and then came to the same conclusion as everyone else, "We'll have to leave our chocobos."

So they took their burdensome bags off the chocobos and placed them in the boat. Davis
patted his golden chocobo and sent it off, hoping it would lead the others to safety. Amiko
thought Tenpi was saddened by the loss of its foster brothers. She patted her chocobo
lovingly. Then they were off on their large boat, and sailing down the Great River, the
River of Hope that virtually stretched across the continent.

Davis turned to the others and said, "We'll ride to Middle Earth and walk through the Red
Mountains. It's too dangerous to float through Middle Earth, especially with Sauron
watching for us. We have to be careful now. We're gonna settle this feud with Rantmon."

And everyone sighed. TM groaned, "Gah, I thought you said we'd boat the rest of the way..."

SSJ complained, "Bah, this extra work..."

And as they disappeared on the river, sitting tensely as they were pushed onward, Hayden's
gift within his bags slipped out of Davis' memory as he looked this way and that. The boat
drifted onward with the current. They couldn't rest now. They were too far into this mess
to relax. They couldn't rest until they freed the world from Rantmon and Rantmon from
himself.

---- To Be Continued ----

- ENDING SONG: KIMI SAE IREBA -

I'M A DREAMER
yoake no hikari sosogu ka no chi wa doko?

I'M A DREAMER
Honojiroi sono hohoemi, douka sawarasete

koko wa hi no ataranai basho
hitorikiri de naku toki no himitsu no basho
sakebu youni namae yobunda
kimi ga inakerya, kimi sae ireba

---- Preview ----

[The Naruto Main Theme plays in background. The six appear as chibi style, and random
scenes from the next episode play, though you can't see because this is text. Haha!]

SSJ: Holy, that was a long chapter. Anyway, NEXT! On GINGA GIRI GIRI!

Amiko: Things get even more serious as Cell declares it's the last draw and faces us on the
river with the rapids coming on.

Kensou: A speeding battle ensues as Cindy is the only one who can help in this situation.

Cindy: Wait, WHY AM I SUDDENLY DOING ALL THE WORK?!

Davis: Now, now, SSJ thought you needed some action every now and then.

Cindy: Yeah, but I'm doing all the work here! Why should I-

(And before chibi Cindy could spoil the chapter, chibi TM interrupted.)

TM: Next! On GINGA GIRI GIRI! "The Five Bullets"

----