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! ❯ Union and Declaration ( Chapter 60 )

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

Amiko: Uh... Last time! On GINGA GIRI GIRI!

(Amiko coughs, scratching the back of her head. She feels strange for taking SSJ's spot.)

Amiko: So, we have the Terran Council meeting to discuss the crisis.

Kensou: Kino Tsumuji gives a call to good old Hayden, employing him for help.

TM: Meanwhile, we reach the center of the Red Mountains, where there's an Asura.

Davis: We are forced to fight it, and in the middle the stone it was protecting shattered.

Cindy: A mystical sword appeared and left, and the Asura committed suicide for her failure.

Amiko: And afterwards, SSJ finds Dark's glove, and broke from the group in search of him.

All: And so! On with the show!

---- Chapter 60: Union and Declaration ----

The River of Hope rushed faster than ever. A small boat creaked, shook, and trembled from
the awesome power of the river, churning water faster to the East. Five people sat within
the boat, watching, waiting, wishing for a good sign. None came. A forest loomed in the
distance. "The Naydis Forest," muttered Davis. "It was never fully explored. The creatures
in there are abominations. Worse than the Krosan Forest." No one replied.

Indeed, with their spirits so low, it was impossible to be interested in anything. They
passed other boats filled with muscular people, heading too towards the Rift. On land, many
more appeared and disappeared as they passed by the rushing River. Everyone was trekking
for the Rift. No one would be left behind in this war.

TM sat within the rocking boat, holding his sheathed sword in both hands. He thought of
everything that took place up to that point. Their first real battle with Kurosawa Eiji;
their venture into space; their travels to the Planet; the Akuno Tsubasa; the Council of
Rantmon; the Enders; Black Amiko and Shadow TM... They had always been together after they
met, afraid to leave each other. Indeed, when one was in a completely different world, one
tends to stick to his friends.

SSJ left. He still couldn't get why SSJ left. What was strong enough to pull SSJ away from
the love he felt for his friends? His pride? His ego? TM, upon thinking about it, realized
that he knew nothing about SSJ. Who SSJ really was, what SSJ cares about, SSJ's feelings
were all unknown. He had always kept to himself, even with the importance of staying
together. TM just glared at the sword before him and thought about what he told SSJ back at
Kyoto. 'I thought he learned to let it all go,' he spoke to himself. 'My way wasn't enough
for him? He didn't think my way was good enough for him? It failed him?!' He then muttered,
"That moron..."

Everyone turned to him. He felt their eyes; green, blue, and brown. He continued muttering,
not caring, "He hasn't changed since he came. He kept to himself all this time, and now he
leaves us all behind for his selfish reasons."

"It's not that," Cindy said back. TM kept quiet as Cindy tried to say, "I think he's just
lost. None of us saw what happened to him in Barad Dur- it may have been much worse than a
simple defeat-"

"It doesn't matter!" TM yelled. "That doesn't change to fact that, at the most important
time, he goes off on his own!"

There was a flash of red light. The boat rocked, and TM felt a sharp pain on the top of his
head. He glared up, seeing Hiko Seijuurou sitting there, leering back at him. Hiko spoke,
"You may have been my best student, but that's simply because you are the strongest and
most gifted in the art of improvisation. You flow like water, and only needed basic
concepts and techniques to succeed as a swordsman. And like water, you can go with the flow
and accept your situation.

"SSJ is different. He has no real strengths or weaknesses, and his speed is only a little
bit above decent. He is a gifted genius, but with a terribly average body. So, he runs on
logical reasoning, and needs a concrete answer. That is what he's searching for. He needs
to use his light to shine upon an answer- he needs to find it for himself. He can't just
improvise like you. He needs to rationalize and reflect on events. That is who he is."

TM kept silent. The boat moved on in the water, speeding forward, past the many gangs and
groups. He bowed his head down. "That still doesn't change the fact that we're one person
less on our war. After all, we are the only ones Rantmon has feared. We can't afford to
lose anyone of us at this point."

Hiko looked away. TM was right. With another flash of red, Hiko was gone, and the boat
rocked once more. They sat there in silence, thinking about what to do. Kensou then said,
"On top of everything, we need a miracle in order to defeat Rantmon. How tough was it to
handle that copy back in South City?"

"Impossible," TM replied. "He just wouldn't die, no matter how much we threw at it."

"And if that was only a puny fraction of Rantmon's power, and now Rantmon has all Six Gods,
sealing your auras, there will be trouble. There is simply no easy way to defeat Rantmon
unless we drastically increase our strength."

"What will you do then?" Amiko asked from beside Kensou. They exchanged glances, and Amiko
saw Kensou's earnest. He really was serious about this- he had warmed up from when they
first met.

Kensou looked up at the sky. "I'll meet my master in Century City. There, I'll learn the
succession technique of the Nidachi Nitou Ryuu. That combined with my stained blade should
be enough to kill Rantmon."

Amiko looked at him in amazement. Her gaze fell to the floor of the boat. She thought and
thought. And finally, she said, "What can we do to get stronger?"

Everyone was quiet again. Kensou couldn't think of any other way for them to get stronger.
Davis then recalled something. Davis turned to them all and said, "Frank and Siria foresaw
this. That is why they gave us mana. We'll have to learn to unlock it and use our own
power. We can't rely on the Gods any more. We'll have to fight on our own. That means,
you'll have to unlock the Blood Sin, TM."

TM turned to Davis. "Unlock it?"

Davis nodded. "Right now, you're the strongest person on the planet, well, perhaps under
Shadow. We need to use every bit of power we can get. You need to break the seal on the
Blood Sin and start using its true power.

"I remember SSJ telling me what it was for: 'The Blood Sin is a symbol given to heretics in
Vagrant Story,' so he said. 'It later became the key to the ultimate source of power, the
Dark, which is basically majick in the game. It allowed Sydney Lasstarot immortality, among
other things.' I think it's clear that with that, we have higher chances of winning."

TM nodded. He understood. All of the gifts given to him would have to be employed.
Ninjutsu, Sharingan, the Blood Sin... All of the abilities and strengths that he possessed
would have to be used at their maximum in order to have the highest chance of beating
Rantmon. "And for the rest of us," Davis continued, "We'll have to get a grip on our
strengths. Amiko has her magic. Cindy's got two of those bullets left. I've got the Meteor
Gloves... I know what I need to do."

"What's that?" Cindy asked.

Davis looked down at his gloves, almost with disdain. "The gloves I hold are still not in
their complete forms. They are gloves made to seal certain elemental incarnations. The
Incarnation of Fire, Ifrit, and the Incarnation of Darkness, Devimon, have already been
sealed in it. I need to seek out the Incarnation of Earth, and get it to join us. Once I
get it, my gloves will change into one of its most powerful forms, the Dark Trinity Gloves."

"You have any idea what it is?" Amiko asked. Davis shook his head. The others sighed.

"As for me," muttered Cindy, "I need much more strength. My only reliable weapons are the
two bullets, and I doubt those are enough to defeat Rantmon." She recalled her right with
Knives, who was powerful enough to deflect them, and Sauron, who survived the blast head
on. "I'll need an even more powerful weapon."

"Puu?" something suddenly called. Everyone turned to Mokona, sitting upon Cindy's head.
"PuuuUU?" Everyone stared at it, getting an idea. Mokona began to sweat. He was about to
flap his ears and sail away through the sky before Cindy caught him.

"Mokona-chan!" Cindy said. "We're going to train you night and day to get you into peak
condition. Not only that, you're gonna help me get more strength." It struggled to get
free, trying to wrest itself from Cindy's grasp. No use. Finally, he gave up and just
nodded. "Thanks, Mokona-chan!" And she hugged him.

Amiko looked down at her bag, remembering Tenpi. Tenpi's head poked out of her bag, and he
went, "Kweh!" He pulled himself out and leapt upon Amiko's shoulder, chirping and rubbing
its head on his owner's cheek. Amiko smiled.

Amiko looked down on Tenpi, picked it up off her shoulder and set it on her lap. She looked
down on it, smiling. Tenpi looked back up at her. Amiko began, "I need the strength to
protect the things important to me." She patted Tenpi. He sort of purred. "I need powerful
magic like Black had."

Suddenly, a voice called out, "You'll need the 'Fall of the Sky'."

Everyone was taken aback and turned to beside the boat, where a large charm acting as a
boat floated beside them. There was the Hokuten, smiling at them with another meeting.
"Hokuten!" they all said in surprise.

Anya waved. "Nice to see you still heading there," Anya muttered. She then noticed someone
was missing. "Where's your leader?"

"Tch," Kensou spat back. "When was he our leader? In any case, SSJ left to seek his own
agenda."

"Oh? How disappointing," Anya muttered.

Amiko then spoke, "What did you mean by the 'Fall of the Sky'?"

The one who spoke was Orion. The other Hokuten looked at him, surprised that he was
actually conversing when not in battle. "It is the most powerful Sky magic I know."

"That's okay, Orion," said Anya with a serious look. "I'll explain. Rest now." Orion nodded
and lowered his head. He was out then and there. Anya turned to the Crew, smiling. "The
Fall of the Sky is an incredible magic spell. It compresses the air in a set volume to
immense levels, making it seem like the entire weight of the sky came upon the unlucky
opponent. And with physics, if the pressure of a gas rises, the temperature rises as well
to compensate." Amiko gasped at the realization. "Yes, it not only crushes the opponent,
but also burns them as well without fire."

"Where can I learn it?!" demanded Amiko. She wanted to be powerful. She wanted to be
helpful. She wanted to be useful. She never did face a mana clone of Rantmon, and she never
did face a truly powerful opponent. This one spell could make up for all that.

Anya looked her in the eye. She coldly replied, "You can't. It is a forbidden magic due to
its immense power."

"Please! I need to know!" Amiko begged Anya.

Anya looked upon Amiko. "Give me your hand," Anya commanded. Amiko did so. Anya examined
it, and saw them. Amiko had calluses on her hand, no doubt coming from using archery. They
weren't particularly large, but they were prominent enough. She put a great amount of her
soul into her work. Anya turned and looked at the others. Amiko was the most stable. Anya
sighed and said, "The 'Fall of the Sky' is only learned through surviving it. You must take
the full strength of the 'Fall of the Sky'." Everyone froze. In order to learn such a
terrifying technique, one must feel it?! "Yes, I survived the attack," she explained. "Only
in the boiling, crushing Hell could one ever learn how to inflict it upon others. It is the
ultimate deterrent to weed out those too unbalanced to use it. One must be emotionally
stable to endure that torment, and only those who truly have the need for it would bother.
I believe, then, you qualify for both."

Amiko smiled. "When will I learn it?"

Anya put her hand on Amiko's shoulder, stretching across the gap between the two's boats.
"We must reach Century City first," Anya explained. "Right now, there are others out to get
us. They care not for Rantmon. They have their own agendas." TM and Davis suddenly
remembered the mysterious fighters from Komachi. Those powerful guys came out of nowhere
and left just as suddenly. "We must get to safety first." Amiko nodded. They shook hands.
"We will join forces then, Clan Outlaws!"

Amiko nodded. "We must in order to defeat Rantmon. This is for everyone!" They nodded and
let go. They returned to their own parties as the two boats- well, one boat and one giant
strip of paper- floated down the river.

***

Meanwhile, footsteps sounded along a hallway made of metal, lit with long fluorescent
lights. A rather young man stepped along the hallway, not caring about the racket he made
in the otherwise silent place. All around, the metal shone on doors with little signs next
to them; he passed one that had the kanji for "Byakko" on it. It was Daedalus, heading
through the Minotaur- his own aerial fortress to rival Rantmon's. He pushed up his glasses
on the bridge of his nose and continued on.

He passed the hall belonging to Byakko and entered the winding, twisting halls of the
Minotaur. He went on, showered by the light from the ceiling. He heard someone rushing to
him. "Daedalus!" he heard a deep voice yell. He turned and saw Suzaku there.

"What is it, Suzaku?" Daedalus asked. "What can you say to justify bothering me now?"

Suzaku just replied despite Daedalus' attitude, "What shall we do about Rantmon?"

Daedalus said nothing. He turned back and stepped away. Suzaku followed as Daedalus
silently made his way along the hall. "So what? This makes it even easier for us. Right
now, I'll need to prepare for the capture."

Suzaku stopped following Daedalus. Daedalus kept on going, not a care in the world. "What
is the point, then? Rantmon will defeat Terra, and there will be no point to a capture."

"That is the word of a follower, not a leader. I will handle Rantmon. He is nothing." He
disappeared behind a corner.

Suzaku stood in his place, alone in the dull hall. A chill followed as the air conditioning
of the Minotaur turned on. Suzaku could only think, 'He was really serious...' He turned
and returned to his room.

***

Meanwhile still, a bright flash of blue came from atop the capitol building of Solarice.
Blue thunderbolts and bright sparks came forth and disappeared. There was Hayden, hands
clapped together with a smile on his face. He looked at his work as the winds whistled
along the rooftop.

There was the Gemini, the two machines, shielded by celesium and not by titanium. It shone
brilliantly in the light, a metallic orange color glowing from the metal. Hayden stared at
the towering machine, and felt a sense of amazement at the president. He truly was a
genius, creating the thing on his own after the government cut his funding.

Kino was there as well, staring in amazement at the improved machine. He snapped his
fingers, and an attendant came and handed over his tachi. Hayden turned to Kino and stepped
back. "Time to test it," Kino muttered as he unsheathed his blade, made out of
comparatively weak steel.

Kino flew forward with amazing speed at the frozen Gemini. Everyone was taken aback at
Kino's speed- even after the heavy burden of presidency was taken up, Kino still trained
his body and kept it in peak shape. Kino thrusted his blade forward, straight at the
Fourth's head.

CRACK! Like glass, shards of metal flew across the area. Kino's tachi shattered to pieces
from the immense impact, and there was not even a scratch on the android. It was as if
nothing had happened to it at all. Kino looked upon the jagged part of his blade still
connected to the hilt. That was a very good tachi, too! It was no cheap sword! Kino
breathed a sigh of relief; the Gemini was at maximum ability.

Kino turned to Hayden. "Now, replace the steel with celesium." Kino brought the hilt to
Hayden, who had a chunk of the dark gray metal sitting on the ground beside him. Kino
nodded to the same assistant, who took up a broom and swept away the shrapnel. Kino placed
the hilt before Hayden, who took out his chisel and hammer from his bag that he brought
with him.

He etched a small, fine circle, adorned with triangles and lines into the side of the
blade. Hayden wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and placed the utilities back into
his bag. He stood up and exchanged glances with Kino. They looked at each other for a long
time, feeling a trust brew between the two. Hayden clapped his hands together.

Another bright flash filled the room as a dark blade formed where the gray one had been.
The flash disappeared, leaving a single sword floating in the air. Kino saw his tachi
there, blade dimmer more menacing. He grabbed the hilt, and felt the heavy metal- much
heavier than steel. Kino could still manage the weight, holding it up and appraising it
with one hand.

Kino inspected the blade, turning it this way and that to see its strength. He smiled and
turned to Hayden. "You even made it correctly, folding the metal instead of making it one
large lump," he praised Hayden.

"I do enjoy swords," Hayden explained. "I have a large collection at home."

"Oh? A collector, not a user?"

"Yes, sir."

Kino nodded and motioned to the attendant again. He brought forth Kino's sheath, and in one
swift motion, Kino withdrew his sword into his scabbard. "I thank you for your aide," said
Kino. "For now, I will work on getting used to his new sword, and I will upgrade the Gemini
to handle its new weight as well.

Kino bowed, and Hayden returned the favor. Kino lifted his head and said, "You are one of
the most gifted persons I have seen. A skilled alchemist and a creative fighter, you shall
be rewarded for your work."

Hayden stiffened. He just shook his hands and said, "I don't deserve it. I just did what
was asked."

"And what was asked couldn't have been done by many people. To go with me into the Red
Mountains and seek out the celesium mines is a task few people are crazy enough to take. We
were only lucky that the Asura was already dead." Hayden nodded. "Anyway, you deserve a
reward. It is equivalent trade for the improvements you have given."

Hayden and Kino looked at each other. Finally, Hayden smiled and nodded. Kino reached into
the pocket of his trench coat, and when he pulled his hand out, there was a small, wrapped
weapon in his hand. Hayden realized what it was- sheathed sais. "What is this?" asked
Hayden as Kino handed it over.

"Last time your father worked for Mishima some ten years ago," Kino began as he looked up
at the sky, "he completed a weapon for Mishima's young son. After that, he was never seen
again, leaving his items: his sais, his photographs, and his past. We still haven't been
able to find him. I thought it'd be best to give the only thing that hadn't been discarded."

Hayden looked down upon the sai in his hands. Kino didn't know what had happened...
Hayden's father sold his soul for immortality. His father had defected to Rantmon's
guarantee of power and life. Kino didn't know of Hayden killing his own father. Hayden just
said, "It's a tough mystery, huh...?" He turned around and stepped towards the stairway.

Hayden then turned back to Kino. "Thank you, Mister Tsumuji," said Hayden. "But I think I
need to think about things on my own now." Kino nodded. "Farewell."

"Same to you."

Hayden stepped down a couple of steps before he stopped. "Good luck on your speech," said
Hayden as he disappeared under the roof. He left Kino smiling there.

'That's right,' thought Kino. 'I've got to present it today...'

Hayden stepped into the nearest elevator and took it down to the bottom, thinking along the
way. 'No one knows except us about the face of my father... Even after he ceased to exist,
I still am in his shadow... What have I got to do to have everyone see me?' He approached
the ground, lost in his thoughts.

He then got a funny idea. Upon reaching the ground floor, the elevator pinged and opened,
and Hayden searched for the nearest pay phone. He called Hinata Sou, and heard Shinobu
answer. "Shinobu?"

"Ah! Hayden-san! The soup is ready, but just a little salty-"

"Don't bother making a third serving. I'm going to Century City."

"What?!" he heard Shinobu yell from the other side. "Hayden-san, why?! It's already lonely
enough already, so why are you leaving?!"

"I need to clear my head. There has been a lot bothering me since I used the Soul Alchemy.
Sorry, Shinobu, but just tell Kitsune I said 'Hi.'" Click! Hayden had hung up the phone. He
stepped out of the capitol building towards the docks.

***

Hours passed. Televisions all around the world flickered and suddenly had nothing on but
static. It wasn't much of a loss, anyway, for every channel displayed continuing news about
Rantmon's movements and what the people thought of Rantmon's declaration. Suddenly, the
static broke, and the clear image of Kino Tsumuji, standing behind a podium, appeared on
every station on the planet.

For the first time in his career, Kino would address the citizens of the world. There was
Kino, not wearing the trench coat at all, but in a formal suit. Since it was his first
speech, it would do good to make a good first impression. There he was, microphone put to
his mouth as he stared straight into the camera. His green eyes reflected power; raw power,
not elegant, economic power. He was most unfitting in the suit, tie, and collared shirt,
but he still greeted the citizens, "Greetings, citizens of Terra."

And so, he gave his declaration to the world, "A great crisis has fallen upon our hands. As
we all know, Rantmon has indeed sealed the Six Gods in his palace, and his heading for the
Rift. The flow of energy in this world has all but stopped. The mages can no longer use
magic. The shinobi no longer have chakra. The world is at a stand still during this
important time.

"Rantmon has made his declaration: a one man war against all of Terra. With a hefty
reputation as our Creator and Six Gods as his wellspring of power, he is terrifying,
indeed. We have seen his atrocious acts throughout the months- all in search for the
traveling Outlaws.

"For months since their arrival, we have treated the Outlaws as a scourge. They have
brought destruction to the places they visit: Osseke, South City, and Komachi. We have
shunned them, left them to themselves, and often tried to take vengeance upon them. No
longer.

"In this dire time, our hope has thinned. Rantmon stands on the pedestal of life, making
his gamble on the fate of our home. The odds seemed stacked against us. How can mere humans
ever hope to stand up to God? If Icarus fell to his death from approaching the sun, how can
we succeed? It is all a hopeless, dark world that befalls us, indeed.

"And that is exactly why I will go and fight Rantmon. This world is important to me. This
battle is impossible; I have no delusions over my strength. No doubt, Rantmon is legions
and legions above me, and almost everyone on this planet.

"But, even with the odds, can we escape? Is this battle we can run from? Do we have a
choice in whether we want to fight or not? The answer is NO!

"Life has existed on this planet for billions of years, evolved in a hellish wasteland of
magma and carbon dioxide. Rantmon has no right to just reverse all of it on a whim. We must
fight to protect this planet. The people we must turn to for inspiration are the people we
have shunned- the Outlaws.

"These kids have shown their strengths through their travels. Rantmon's Enders, his elite
underlings, have fallen to them and their partners. It is foolish to disregard them now, as
they have continually faced Rantmon and survived. These are the people who shall fight in
the war, and I will follow.

"Whoever is a human being, capable of any kind of fighting, it is your duty to protect your
home. I am not forcing anyone to fight, but the world is truly in danger. This is our home.
This is our planet. This is our life that Rantmon threatens to take. We must take up our
arms and defend it, if it still means failure in the end. I will take up my sword and enter
battle, and possibly leave battle, with a clean heart. Whoever wishes to protect their
important people, join me."

Kino bowed towards the screen. He paused, and static filled the televisions once more. The
news programs returned, with their anchors frozen with their mouths open. They couldn't
believe the speech just given. No other... No other president had ever so openly
volunteered his life.

Finally, it all sunk in. The world would have to fight. There was no escaping it, and
Kino's words had pushed it on. There came a tremendous wave of cheers and claps across the
planet. Kino's words were taken and digested. He was right. This was their home. They would
have to protect it.

And then, at that exact moment, billions of people prepared for war. They brought out their
weapons and strengthened their attacks. The coming battle will be the greatest the world
had seen yet...

---- To Be Continued ----

- ENDING SONG: DREAM X DREAM - Aiuchi Rina -

Shine afuredashita kono sora no shita
sukoshi mabushii hizashi futari suikonda

watashi wo utsushite ichizu ni hikaru kimi no hitomi no kagayaki ni michibikare
mirai wa kawatteku

kore kara saki konna kirameku konna mune ga takanaru
omoi wo ikutsu kanjite iku to omou?
nanka chotto tanoshii nanka sugoku ureshii
kimi to kansei shiteku Dream x Dream

---- Preview ----

["Last Wolf Suite" from the Kenshin soundtrack plays in background. The five appear as
chibi style, and random scenes from the next episode play, though you can't see because
this is text. Haha!]

Amiko: (*ahem*) Next time! On GINGA GIRI GIRI! We arrive in Century City.

Kensou: We split up to strengthen ourselves on our own, meeting our own challenges.

Cindy: Amiko goes with the Hokuten as Kensou leaves to meet his master.

TM: I follow Hiko for the succession technique, and Cindy and Mokona train.

Davis: All this next on GINGA GIRI GIRI! "Students and Masters"

----