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! ❯ Promise ( Chapter 76 )

[ 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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- OPENING SONG [1]: READY STEADY GO - L'ARC~EN~CIEL -

READY STEADY CAN'T HOLD ME BACK
READY STEADY GIVE ME GOOD LUCK
READY STEADY NEVER LOOK BACK
LET'S GET STARTED READY STEADY GO

fukitonde yuku fukei korugaru you ni mae e
kurushi magure demo hyouteki wa mou minogasanai

ate ni naranai chizu yakute shimaeba ii sa
uzumoreta shinjitsu kono tenohira de tsukami torou

muchuu de (hayaku) kake nukete kita
urusai kurai ni harisake sou na kodou no takanari
hibite (yonde) iru kimi no koe
koko de tachidomaru you na jikan wa nai sa
READY STEADY GO

---- Recap ----

[Chibi characters of the Crew minus Davis 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: Last time on GINGA GIRI GIRI!

Amiko: Atma tells his story, starting with Izanagi's fall from the Gods.

Kensou: Atma's anger and loneliness pushed him to fight against the Gods.

TM: And there near Lunar, he meets Anya and Shinsuke, just in time to feel the Omega Flare.

Cindy: Wow... How pleasant. Anyway, on with the show!

---- Chapter 76: Promise ----

The sounds of rustling cloth signaled the beginning of the day. The sun had not yet risen,
yet already TM was up and about in his room. He stood before a mirror, putting on new
clothes and checking how it looked. His left arm was bandaged all the way, covering the red
bruises he received from the Rantmon battle. He wore a new black T-shirt; his original blue
one had torn apart from the damage it had received. Over his shirt, he placed a chest plate
covering the right side of his chest, bringing the straps around him and buckling it in
place.

He slipped into new dark blue pants, baggy and held up with a black leather belt. He put on
a piece of armor protecting the side of his left leg. He tucked the ends of his pants into
new leather red boots, shining armor protecting the front of it. He was done, then. He
looked at himself in a mirror and grinned. He looked good in the new clothes that the
government let him buy. He stepped towards the door and quietly turned the knob and pulled
it open.

Across the hall was SSJ, leaning upon the wall. TM noticed and smirked. "Looks like we know
each other better than anyone else," TM muttered. SSJ smirked as well and nodded.

"Heading off to get this Izanagi sword, huh?" SSJ asked. TM nodded. SSJ sighed and pushed
off the wall, standing on his feet. "Better get back soon. Kino is already searching for
where Virus is."

"Heh, don't worry," TM replied as he made a serious face, eyes set in a determined look.
"I'll come back after I find it."

SSJ stood there in the hall as he watched TM step away. SSJ heard the silencing steps,
slowly drifting towards the end of the hall. He watched TM disappear behind the corner and
then returned to his room. By then, the sun finally appeared in the horizon.

***

When it was time for breakfast, the hall where the Crew was in was unusually quiet. They
all were gathered on the same table, yet no one felt like making conversation. SSJ made no
sound as he quietly dined on his scrambled eggs and pancakes, staring off into space. Momo
similarly kept quiet, nervously eating her own meal in the silent hall. Kensou wasn't
eating, just silently thinking to himself. Amiko ate her food slowly, watching Tenpi peck
away at a small portion of her dish. Cindy, too, wasn't energetic, even with the candy that
she slowly unwrapped.

The events of the days had worn them out. Between the parade and learning of the world's
history, everything seemed to weigh heavily upon them. Even after they finished, they just
emptily sat in place and contemplate on their own. There was nothing more for them to do.
They didn't need to go and fight Rantmon. There was no long journey. The most they could do
was waiting for Kino to find Virus. And even that might take a long time.

Amiko looked upon her watch. The date was then tenth of April. It had been seven months
since they came, and it felt like they had been there forever. She got to thinking of how
far they came. They went from three kids against the government, alone and confused, to
seven people who had the support of the world when they faced Rantmon.

She heard the chair beside her being shoved back. Kensou got to his feet and said nothing
as he walked away. Amiko figured he was going to meditate.

Finally, there came other footsteps. The four turned their heads. They saw that it was
Black Amiko, who had entered the dining hall from the large double doors that lead into the
hallways. Amiko was taken aback, immediately sitting up in her chair. Black Amiko smiled,
"Nice to see you."

Amiko felt strange then, addressing Black Amiko in a friendly tone and all. She replied,
"Yeah... What's going on?"

Black Amiko's face suddenly became serious. "I met with a couple of...interesting persons
recently," explained Black Amiko. "A clan called the Nishiten is moving. It seems they have
allied with Virus and Daedalus for some reason."

Amiko and her shadow looked each other in the eye. "Nishiten?" she asked, not knowing who
they were.

"The Nishiten is a powerful clan consisting of six elite fighters. You saw two of them at
Rantmon's island, the leader Suzaku and the mysterious Genbu. If we are going to face them,
we need better equipment." Black Amiko then turned towards the door, which opened again. "I
brought some help."

Everyone looked and through the door came Hayden, his hair in its normal red shade. He no
longer wore his casual shirt and shorts, but wore the blue long-sleeved shirt and blue
slacks of the military. He came in and greeted everyone with a wave, "Hi, everyone."

SSJ and company exhaustedly got to their feet and trudged over to Hayden. "What's with the
clothes?" asked Cindy, impressed by the formal attire.

"I have an official mission to find Virus," explained Hayden. He looked upon each of the
Crew. He saw Kensou's tired face, quite so after meditating over his family's affairs in
the history of the world. Amiko was less than cheery, but she was still the cheeriest of
the group, hugging Tenpi close to her. Cindy was weary and showing it, but Mokona sitting
upon her shoulder drew out her light side.

Hayden then noticed SSJ, eyes narrow as he saw something past Hayden's line of vision.
Hayden looked back towards the door after he heard a loud bark. There was a black dog
happily wagging its tail just inside the room. Hayden slapped his forehead. Amiko and SSJ
recognized the dog, though SSJ still wasn't sure about it.

"Black Hayate, Hayden told you to wait," a feminine voice called beyond the door. A
blond-haired woman appeared through the door, wearing similar blue clothes as Hayden.
Through the door came Riza Hawkeye of Full Metal Alchemist fame, following after the dog,
Black Hayate. Following Riza was Roy Mustang, wearily yawning as he scratched his black
hair. SSJ instantly had his stopwatch out, but before he could even begin timing, Amiko was
hanging off of Roy.

SSJ stopped short, and he muttered to himself, "Damn, she's only faster than me if a bishie
is before her." SSJ put away the stopwatch as Hayden cleared his throat. Amiko looked up
from Roy. She immediately let go and returned to her spot, Roy quite taken by the show of
love. Riza stood in place, but gave Mustang disapproving glances as Mustang introduced
himself, "I am Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. Nice to meet you."

He smiled at Amiko, and Amiko nearly fainted back in joy. Black Amiko held her steady as
she sweatdropped.

Riza then introduced herself, "Nice to meet you all. I am Riza Hawkeye, the one who keeps
him in line." She pointed to Roy, and everyone nodded.

Hayden then spoke as everyone regained their energy, "Right now, we are charged with
finding Virus' whereabouts. This ties in with the search for Daedalus and the Nishiten, and
President Tsumuji is working full time on that. We desire Amiko's help in finding the place
where Virus is hidden."

"Me?" asked Amiko.

Roy nodded. "We heard of the... Army that you are in control of," he told them. "Their help
will also be greatly appreciated."

Black Amiko suddenly cut in, "I'm sorry, but we are in need of searching for something
else." The three alchemists sunk in their places. "We can't do this...unless your
investigation takes place in the Millennium Sands."

Hayden and company paused. There was a brief silence before the three relaxed and chuckled.
"There is no problem, then!" Hayden happily said. Amiko and Black Amiko were quite stunned.

Roy pulled a picture from his pocket and handed it to the two girls. "This picture was
taken off of the Solarice-1 geosynchronous satellite."

Amiko took the picture and examined it. Black Amiko looked over her shoulder. The Crew
gathered around to see. They were suddenly taken aback.

Momo began, "That..." She couldn't say anymore.

"The Millennium Sands!" Kensou said with surprise.

Upon the photograph was a single circular hole in the middle of desert. Clouds were visible
over the sand, where small sandstorms could be distinguished. The hole was completely dark,
seeming to have no end. "That is a very deep hole," explained Riza. "We know not of its
true depth, so we must go and investigate."

"We will travel via in an aircraft outfitted with a nuclear engine," stated Roy. "We are
not responsible for any cancerous tumors that form in your body during this trip."

Amiko suddenly froze. So did Black Amiko. They stood in place, staring at Roy. Riza slapped
the back of Roy's head and said, "He's kidding. The engine is perfectly safe." The two
relaxed, quite relieved.

With the information said and done, Hayden, Riza, and Roy headed for the door. Amiko and
Black Amiko stepped after them. "Wait!" suddenly came from SSJ. The two turned around. SSJ
looked narrowly at them, "You can't just go, now! First Davis, then TM, and now... We'll
all go, too."

Amiko and Black Amiko exchanged glances. Amiko looked at SSJ with narrow eyes. "And what
about the times you have gone off on your own?" SSJ was stunned. Amiko proceeded, "I
suppose because it was you, then the rationale is good?"

"Huh?! Wait-" But SSJ was cut off. Amiko stuck a finger at him and thrusted it at his chest.

"Look, I can take care of myself," Amiko continue to rebuke as she stepped towards the
door. "You know what your problem is? Your ego makes you think you have to be the focus of
everything. You can't stand it when other people do things without you. You have to be the
center of attention, raking up the glory as we all are in trouble. Just because you're a
genius doesn't make you infallible. That ego you have from it doesn't make you special. I'm
smart and can handle myself as well." SSJ just stared blankly at Amiko as she finished,
"I'm going. No matter what, I need to get stronger as well. Virus beat me rather easily,
but I won't let him do it again. I'm going to find whatever I can use."

With that, she turned and left. Black Amiko followed. Momo, Cindy, and Kensou looked at
SSJ, who just stared ahead with a look of surprise. "Burned!" Cindy whispered to SSJ. SSJ
glared at her as she giggled.

"Seriously, though," he heard Kensou speak, "She's right. You are the drama king, what
leaving us all of a sudden inside the Red Mountains. We all are suffering as well, and not
one of us is so melodramatic as you." Kensou scratched his head as SSJ glared at him.

SSJ looked towards the ceiling. "Yeah, I know," he quietly muttered before leaving for his
room. He retrieved his Atma weapon and began practicing.

***

The earth passed underneath the large aircraft upon which Amiko rode. She looked out the
window, watching Century City disappear behind her. Over the plains they went towards the
largest desert in the world. They sped forward, racing over the grass and towards the Red
Mountains, small points far ahead in the distance.

Amiko, of course, sat beside Roy and the two happily chatted as Riza and Black Amiko looked
on with disapproval. Hayden sat beside Riza, making him across from Amiko and by one
window, with Roy across from Black Amiko by the opposite window.

The time passed and the sun rose higher into the sky. It was eight o' clock when they were
past the Red Mountains. No longer did the group of giant mountains stretch before them, but
now the sandy dunes quickly approached. "That desert..." Amiko began.

"That's the one of the most dangerous places on Terra, just under the Red Mountains and the
Graveborn Marshes," said Hayden. "You just don't know what's out there."

Under the aircraft, the sand began to move. Suddenly, something shot up from the desert,
aimed right at the ship. Amiko saw a blur sped at them. Roy snapped his fingers. An
explosion occurred under the plane. Fire tore apart the blur, a giant sandworm that had
sprung from the ground. Amiko was white with surprise. "Yep, you just don't know what's out
there," Hayden repeated. He then sweatdropped to see Amiko hugging Roy tightly, overjoyed
of his rescue.

Black Amiko looked out the window briefly, and then from her shirt she pulled out a piece
of paper. Amiko turned and looked at it. It was a map of the desert, showing oases and
various towns. There was a large circle around the biggest oasis. Black Amiko handed the
map to Riza. "We need to go here first," Black Amiko told her.

Riza looked at the map, and suddenly, her eyes shot wide open. Roy and Hayden looked at the
map and too, were taken aback. "No way!" Roy blurted out.

"Going to the center of the ancient June Civilization?!" Hayden almost screamed. Amiko was
puzzled but Black Amiko nodded.

Black Amiko explained, "You may know that the June Civilization was nearly wiped out when
something fell from the sky. Your textbooks and records say it was a meteor as predicted by
the Gods. However, those records are false." The three alchemists were silent as Black
Amiko spoke of the history of the world. She told of Izanagi's exile and his reincarnation
as Atma, Atma's war and his subsequent destruction by the Omega Flare. "This is the place
where Izanagi fell, and the Junes left us with ancient weapons."

Roy, Hayden, and Riza were silent, absorbing what they just heard. There was an
uncomfortable silence as the dunes slid out of sight from the window. Finally, Roy spoke,
"Even if all that is true, it's still impossible to find anything out there. Only a few
artifacts from the Junes were ever recovered."

"Then we just have to search deeper," replied Black Amiko. "They were master craftsmen of
magical weapons, and we need one right now. The hole in the desert should be near the Great
Oasis, and the sand may have sunk a bit. That is where we shall search for anything of
value."

Riza rubbed her forehead, feeling pain in her forehead from the revelation of the truth.
Her country had deceived her, history had been completely rewritten, and so many secrets
had been kept until then. She looked up and asked Black Amiko, "How can you be so sure that
you'll find something?"

Black Amiko just turned and looked out the window, leaning on the wall. "I can feel it,"
she answered.

It took some time for the giant opening in the desert to come into view, but when it did,
the plane lowered and almost landed and the door on the side of it slid open. Amiko and her
shadow leapt off the plane as Roy, Hayden, and Riza stayed aboard. They still had a mission
and all. "We'll be back soon!" Hayden yelled. The two nodded as the door was pulled shut.

The aircraft headed over the hole and slowly descended, steadily being swallowed by the
planet. Amiko was about to cry, as she saw Roy disappear in the darkness, but Black Amiko
slapped the back of her head. "Let's search for a bow," Black advised. Amiko glared at her,
but obliged.

Black Amiko bit her finger, letting blood trickle out of it. Amiko watched as Black Amiko
let one drop fall to the ground. Amiko realized what she was going to do. Black Amiko
clapped her hands together and chanted a spell, her brown aura welling out of her. She
released her hands and slammed them into the sand.

Suddenly, the entire area around them seemed to be covered with a Rood Inverse. Black Amiko
certainly was gifted with magic. A red Rood lay upon the sand, lines seemingly drawn with
blood. The lines soon moved on their own. Sweeping curves broke as the lines moved on their
own, draining towards several points. Many smaller Roods were left, and Black Amiko spoke,
"Each Rood is an artifact from the June Civilization. We must search each one. One of them
may have a bow."

Amiko nodded. She put her hands to her mouth and let out a high whistle. Red light filled
the desert, and her bishounen were out and quite annoyed at the Mustang guy. Amiko
sweatdropped and meekly smiled. "Okay guys, help me, please!" she pleaded to them all.

Smiles formed on her bishounen's faces. "I'll find a bow, first!" Tidus proudly shouted,
dashing towards the nearest Rood.

The other bishounen screamed at each other. "That's the wrong one, idiot!" Amiko heard
Cloud shout.

"A bow must be over there!" came from Sora.

Time passed as her bishounen dashed all over the place, digging up the sand- often into
each other's pits- in search of a weapon. They were all energetic, all glad to be out of
the bishie balls for once. Harry and Ron searched for a bow using their charms, and Sasuke
was quickly digging through the sand with his bare hands. Amiko felt an arm on her
shoulder, and there was Sorata of X fame. "Ah, look at them work," Sorata began. "They
forget where the real treasure is-"

And Sorata was kicked away by Inuyasha. "I won't allow you to do nothing!" growled Inuyasha
as he dragged Sorata away by the ankle. Amiko smiled widely, seeing her bishounen compete
amongst each other.

Vincent Valentine was the first to return, carrying a box made of fine stone. Inside was
not a bow, but a small dagger. "This isn't what you are searching for, but it will help,"
said Vincent. Amiko smiled and took the dagger, placing it on her belt by her fan.

"AMIKO!" she heard from a unison of voices. Irvine and Zell dashed forward, Squall trotting
behind with a large box. Irvine and Zell reached her and proceeded to tell her different
things. Zell went on about how they found what felt like a bow as Irvine spoke over him,
saying how it was his genius that found it.

Zell and Irvine struggled to get attention, yelling over each other until finally, Squall
stepped up to Amiko and said, "It's a piece of armor." Amiko looked inside the box of stone
and saw a chest plate a bit too large for her. Still, Amiko took off her jacket and put on
the piece of armor over her blue T-shirt. She firmly tied the thick, strong straps of the
armor, and it felt surprisingly comfortable. She felt all the more safer with the piece of
armor.

Black Amiko caught sight of it. She nearly gasped. "Aegis armor!" Black Amiko exclaimed.
Amiko and the nearby bishounen looked at Black Amiko.

"Aegis?" they repeated.

Black Amiko stepped up to her other self and poked the armor, which was very firm and
strong. It shone with little scales of powerful metal. "Aegis is the material of the armor
of the Gods," explained Black Amiko. "It is not invincible, since the Gods lost to Rantmon,
but it is one of the strongest metals ever created. This must have been synthesized after
Izanagi's fall. The Junes probably found the his broken shards of his armor and learned how
to create Aegis." Amiko nodded in comprehension.

Black Amiko caught notice of Tenpi and Draco, furiously digging through the sand. And the
two struck gold. "Amiko!" yelled Draco, quite reformed from having to live with the
lunatics- ehr, bishounen. "We found something!" he shouted as Tenpi chirped loudly. The
other bishounen stopped in their tracks and looked at Draco.

Draco lifted up the stone box and handed it to Amiko. She opened it. The most brilliant bow
she had ever seen glittered before her eyes. The curved shaft was made of the same Aegis
metal, quite powerful, yet flexible. The string was at once fine and very powerful, seeming
to be made of diamonds. Black Amiko saw it. "The hair of Izanagi," she said. Amiko nearly
gasped. Even after all these years, the weapon did not decay. It had stayed in perfect form.

"The Junes were really something," said Black Amiko. "Their magic was the most powerful
ever known. But magic had faded over the years in humans, and they can only rely on their
science. Only those perfectly synchronized with the flows of the mana pool could have made
this."

"The fall of Izanagi caused their destruction?" asked Amiko, looking up at her shadow.

Black Amiko nodded. "The impact killed many of them, and the few that survived could not
have lasted any longer. They used what time they had left to seal away their artifacts and
their comrades' tombs."

"And Virus opened it?" Amiko said, looking towards the giant hole in the ground. Black
Amiko nodded. Amiko felt something form in her heart. A certain kind of determination, one
that wouldn't let her give up. She had to go on and stop Virus. The forgotten civilization
had been destroyed directly because of it. Amiko's face became serious and determined.

Amiko put on her jacket over her armor. She took the bow and put her arm through it,
letting it rest on her shoulder. She looked at each of her bishounen. "Mission
accomplished, guys! Thanks!" she shouted. All her bishounen cheered and laughed. Amiko felt
refreshed. Her mission was reassured. She had to beat Virus and let the world rest. Only
she and her friends could do it.

She turned to her bishounen. "Okay guys, this'll be it," she began. "All of our adventures,
all of our arguments, all of our chapters all converge here. Virus must be stopped at all
cost, otherwise the world can't be safe. It'll get even more dangerous from here, and I'm
not sure if I'll make it to the end. However, I can't die here. I have people waiting for
me, here... And at home... When this is done, I'm sure I'll have to go home and leave you
all..."

Amiko's bishounen looked directly at her as tears formed in her eyes. "Soon, all the fun we
had will only be memories," Amiko continued. "We'll be so far apart, but I can't stay here.
I have another dimension waiting for me, so please, promise me that you'll support me in
the end, okay? Even if we all will be sad, promise me that you'll see me until the end."
Amiko looked at all of her bishounen, tears in her eyes. They stared right back at her.

Grins formed on her bishounen's faces. "We won't let you down!" yelled Duo from the crowd.

"We'll definitely support you!" Van shouted.

Heero stood up from the crowd, yelling, "Mission accepted!"

All of her bishounen agreed. Amiko smiled widely. She then felt a hand on her shoulder, and
she turned and saw Black Amiko. Black Amiko spoke, "You are still a dreamer, always looking
towards the future. But, I saw a bit of my logical reasoning within that speech. We finally
understand each other." Black Amiko looked Amiko directly in the eye. "We must combine, and
you must be complete."

Amiko looked deeply into Black Amiko's eyes, seeing all of the nuances of herself. All of
her traits that she had buried within herself. All of the unpleasantness she had shrugged
off had landed upon her. Amiko knew it was time to face reality. Amiko nodded. "Yes, let's
join together," she asserted.

The two clasped their hands together, smiling at each other. After everything, they
understood each other. With this realization, they pulled close to each other and clasped
one another in an embrace. Black Amiko felt her body becoming warm. Amiko felt it, too.
Black Amiko got lighter and lighter. And suddenly, Amiko was grasping air. Black Amiko
disappeared, as did her clothes and her staff.

Amiko stepped back, feeling Black Amiko within her. Their two auras, Earth and Sky, had
mixed and left her with a bright yellow aura. She was of the Hybrid of Thunder, the same
was Cindy, yet different. Cindy was restricted to Thunder, but Amiko felt the Sky and the
Earth just as easy to control. She and Black Amiko had been masters of their elements, and
that only strengthened them when they joined. Tenpi leapt up from the sand and into her
arms. She gave him a tight hug and turned to her bishounen. She smiled. They did, too.

***

Hayden, Roy, and Riza gasped. The breath escaped from them as they looked out the windows.
Even the pilot couldn't help but look around. What lay before them was something they had
never expected. The hole was deep, alright. They were about five hundred kilometers down
the whole, and there still was no end in sight. That didn't surprise them as much as what
surrounded them.

All around their tiny aircraft, giant pillars made of solid stone rose from the darkness.
Sweeping arcs of stone were rigidly held in place, and many branches connected giant pillar
to another giant pillar far away in the darkness. Gigantic, complex webs of stone stood all
around, supporting the circular crust of Terra. Indeed, there seemed to be a ceiling all
around them, supported by the giant pillars that dwarfed their miniscule plane.

"My God," Hayden began, "Terra... Terra is hollow."

---- To Be Continued ----

- ENDING SONG: TOBIRA NO MUKOU E - YELLOW GENERATION -

Bokura wa ima demo sakenderu

Tashikameru you ni Nigirishimeta migite
Uzattai housoku wo Buchikowashiteike
Kizutsuita ashi wo Yasumaseru gurai nara
Tatta ippo demo Koko kara susume

Yuganda kaze wo kakiwakete
Tsumetai sora wo oikoshite
Soredemo mada samayoi-tsuzuketeru

Bokura wa itsudemo sakenderu
Shinji-tsuzukeru dake ga kotae ja nai
Yowasa mo kizu mo sarakedashite
Mogaki-tsuzukenakereba hajimaranai
Tsukiyabure tobira no mukou e

Tobira no mukou e

---- Preview ----

[The instrumental version of "Eternal Blue" from the Lunar 2: Eternal Blue soundtrack plays
in background. The Crew minus Davis appear as chibi style, and random scenes from the next
episode play, though you can't see because this is text. Haha!]

SSJ: Next time on GINGA GIRI GIRI!

Amiko: TM seeks out the sword of Izanagi, and he runs into Shadow.

Kensou: Their differences are settled, but Shadow still wants one more bout.

TM: Meanwhile, Jallopsimon, lost in his thoughts, finally finds his reality.

Cindy: Next time on GINGA GIRI GIRI! "Phantoms of the Past"

----

Author's Note:

[1] Haven't seen too many of those, huh?