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! ❯ Showdown in Century City ( Chapter 78 )

[ 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: HEAVEN'S DRIVE - L'ARC~EN~CIEL -

Akitari naindane
Tsugi ha nani ga hoshii ?
Tsumi no nai ueta kuchimoto ni
Hone made kuware sousa
leave me alone

Kizuguchi wo nazotte aegu koe ga suki nanda
Sonna lense gosi no hebi ni asobarete
Torawareta kibun sa

Koware souna speed agete tsuresatte kure
Sekai ni hi wo tsukeru nosa
ride on heaven's drive
Asu wo ubatte warai akasou ze
Atarashii sono hakobune ni notte

---- 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: Okay, last time on GINGA GIRI GIRI!

TM: It was MY chapter! I had it all to myself!

Amiko: And Jallopsi... Ehr, Van.

Kensou: Who? Another of his friends that he introduced?

SSJ: That was planned... Back in chapter 14...

Cindy: Well, we get the picture. Anyway, on with the show!

---- Chapter 78: Showdown in Century City ----

Somewhere in the world, there was a grand cathedral in the midst of a ruined city. All
around it were comparatively small buildings, which sprawled across the land. The buildings
wrapped around a gigantic sphere of land. Someone stepped across its surface.

The person was Suzaku, who shoved open the gigantic, brilliantly adorned doors of the grand
cathedral. Inside, shining chandeliers filled the room with bright light, revealing all of
the fine ornaments and decorations. The balconies high upon the wall overlooked the many,
many marble pews, all of them empty and silent.

At the end of the cathedral, there upon a fine stage, there was a throbbing wall. Suzaku
gave it a passing glance before turning into a side door. He unlocked it and opened it. He
stepped inside.

Inside the door was a room only lit by a few candles. There in the center of the small room
was a single person, chained and tied together. Various paper seals hung off of the heavy
balls of steel resting upon the floor. The prisoner spoke, "Is that you, Suzaku?"

Suzaku nodded. He spoke to the man, "My men are heading out on our mission. Shall you come
along, too, Susanou?"

The man, Susanou, simply replied, "I have no interest in this petty quarrel."

"You might meet your student," Suzaku added. "Kensou Mishima is waiting for you."

There was a silence. The old man's breathing was suddenly slower and silent. Finally, he
answered, "He will come to me, anyway." Suzaku nodded. He turned away and shut the door
firmly.

***

The crumpled papers and dirty waste ruffled within the slums of Century City. The various
men looked up to see the passing person and were surprised indeed to see a young girl. They
lost interest in her soon after, searching instead for their breakfast amongst the waste.

The girl, Momo, stepped through a puddle, careful not to splash any of the disgusting
liquid upon herself. She made her way past groups of old, decrepit men, all of them eyeing
her closely. She paid no heed, carefully stepping over an unconscious body clutching a beer
bottle.

She reached one man sitting with his back to a pillar. He was fast asleep, almost
completely buried in whatever one could imagine. Decaying fruits which any of the other men
would have gladly ate, old newspapers from decades past, or human waste products lay all
around him.

As the moon brought its glow into Century City, the buried man stirred. Under the moon so
far away and barely visible, the man pulled himself from the trash and opened his eyes.
They glowed red in the darkness. He saw the stains all upon him and his clothes. He saw
Momo standing before him.

"You have finally come, Momo," said the man. He took off his bandage and scratched his
head, putting it on again afterwards.

Momoko Yamatani nodded, noticing the tattoo on the man's left arm. The man noticed the
familiar streaks in her hair, the way that the bangs were combed to one side, and the
waviness of the rest. Momo couldn't smile as she replied weakly, "Ee, Niichan." ("Yes,
Brother.")

Nataku smiled. "So, is it time?" he asked.

Momo nodded. Nataku got to his feet. The skin all around his body began to move. It bulged
and widened around any place were a stain was evident, and the stains disappeared, broken
down by the nanomachines. Some crawled into his clothes and made the rest of the stains
disappear before crawling back into his body. Momo looked away, staring at the ground.

Nataku stepped past her, not caring about the waste all around. He suddenly inquired, "Does
that kid mean anything to you?"

Momo looked up at him. Nataku turned one eye towards her, looking over his shoulder. Momo
looked away, turning her eyes to see out of the corners. She quietly answered, "No." Nataku
was silent. He stepped away. Momo stood there in silence. She looked up at the sky above,
then back at Nataku. She turned and took a different route.

***

Within the capitol building of Century City, everything was quiet. Amiko and TM had not yet
returned, and to the best of SSJ's knowledge, Momo wanted to be alone that night. He lay
upon his soft bed, staring up at the ceiling. 'It's only a matter of time,' he thought.
'Hayden will find Virus soon... And we'll go and kill it. And then... We'll go home.'

He turned his head and looked upon the clock hanging on the wall. It was a few minutes from
midnight. He didn't feel in the least bit tired at all. Even after training with the Atma,
he felt more excited than ever. He couldn't wait to kill Virus. Just thinking about it made
him well with anger, sitting up and shaking in anticipation.

At that time, he no longer felt like lying alone. He wanted to talk with someone. It was
then that he wished Davis hadn't been killed. He wanted to learn more about the world,
especially after Atma's story. His curiosity had been tapped, and the person who knew the
most about the world was gone. He felt immense hatred for Jallopsimon. He shook with anger,
nearly taking his Atma weapon and slicing a nearby chair.

He checked himself. It couldn't be helped now. He stepped towards the door, feeling heavy
in his heart. He opened it and walked through the hallway. He came upon the door of the
next person knowledgeable in the world: Kensou.

He knocked upon the door. There was no answer. He waited a bit, thinking Kensou was busy.
He knocked the door thrice more. Still no answer. 'Asleep, huh?' thought SSJ. He stepped
away, and he headed over the Cindy's door.

He knocked three times. Cindy came and opened the door. She saw him and smiled. "Couldn't
sleep, either?" she asked.

"Yeah," SSJ answered. SSJ glanced down the hall as Cindy pulled the door open. He was alone
in the hall, seeming to be the only person, other than Cindy, who was awake in the place.
He stepped inside Cindy's room.

Cindy led him inside, and she collapsed upon her bed, staring up at the ceiling. SSJ took a
chair and sat in it, resting his legs up on a table. It was silent then, the two of them
thinking amongst themselves. Finally, Cindy broke the ice, "It seems like the end is almost
coming."

"Yeah," SSJ replied, not knowing what to say. He looked around the room. Mokona rested upon
the desk, snoozing soundly. Cindy stirred in her bed, hugging her pillow tightly. He saw
her pistols in their holsters, hanging off another chair. There was an uncomfortable
silence.

Cindy broke the uncomfortable silence. She sighed, "Do you miss home as well?"

SSJ glanced at Cindy, but then turned his gaze at the ceiling. He remembered all of the
events that shaped his life before they came to Terra. He remembered his home and his
family, people no doubt who were worried about him. He knew it was the same for everyone
else. "I guess it would be a welcome change," he answered. "I'm nearly spent on this
adventure."

Cindy smiled. "Yeah," she replied. "But I guess it'd be hard to return to normal after
this."

"It would be if you were gone for nearly nine months." SSJ sighed as he looked away from
the ceiling. He got up from his seat and paced about the room. "It'd be strange, after all
this technology, to go back to our relatively primitive world."

Cindy nodded. She, too, got to her feet. She let Mokona alone and stepped to SSJ. "Hey, you
thirsty?" she asked. SSJ nodded. "Let's go up to the dining hall," she suggested. She led
him out the door, and he followed.

They made their way through the halls, talking about various topics. They spoke of how the
each other was holding up after the battle, and of how they hoped the others would return
soon. They reached a vending machine by the large dining hall. Cindy inserted a card given
to her by Kino in thanks for her and her friends' help. The console of the vending machine
flashed, and Cindy pressed a button for cola. SSJ pressed a button for orange soda.

Their drinks came, and they leaned upon the wall, sipping their drinks. They looked at the
many tables within the hall, all empty for it was the dead of night. Suddenly, there was a
sound of dashing. SSJ and Cindy turned look at the other side of the dining hall, where
Kino Tsumuji appeared from out of the darkness. "Kino?" SSJ uttered.

"Damn it, you're fine after all," muttered Kino more to himself. "I call, and no one is in
any of the rooms."

"No one?" Cindy repeated. "Wouldn't Kensou have woken up...?"

Cindy became silent. She exchanged a glance with SSJ. They dropped their drinks and dashed
down the hall to Kensou's door, where they found that it was unlocked. They shoved it open
and looked inside.

The room was empty. Kensou was gone as well. Cindy and SSJ were taken aback. "Where the
Hell did he go?!" SSJ screamed.

Kino came from the hall. "Forget that!" he called. "We brought in a kid from a nearby
island. He claims to be a friend of yours, Jallopsimon."

SSJ and Cindy were stunned yet again. "Jallopsimon?!" Cindy blurted out. Kino weakly
nodded. Cindy and SSJ exchanged glances again. The two were suddenly filled with anger.
Cindy dashed to her room and wore the holsters of guns, forming a sort of vest and belt.
SSJ picked up the Atma weapon.

Kino was stunned to see them being armed. "He's at a nearby hospital," said Kino. "Come,
we'll take a pipeline." He stepped down the hall. Cindy and SSJ ran after him.

***

SSJ and Cindy dashed through the dark halls of the Century City Trauma Center. SSJ had his
Atma on his side, ready to be drawn and used. Cindy kept her hands ready to draw her guns
and shoot. The two were up to the brim in anger, ready to tear Jallopsimon apart. They felt
nothing but anger towards the one who killed one of their best friends.

They reached Jallopsimon's room, which was protected by two armed guards. There was not a
nurse or doctor in sight, but the armed guards let them pass. SSJ gave the door a powerful
kick, and the two were in the room like in a flash, much to the surprise of the soldiers.
Cindy kneeled by the door, gun raised. SSJ dropped into his battoujutsu stance.

Van was turning a back to them, looking out the window at the bright night sky. "Hey guys,"
he said casually.

"Cut the crap, Jallopsimon!" screamed Cindy from the door. "You must pay for what you did!"

Van was silent for a bit. He began to turn around. Cindy cocked her gun and SSJ reached for
his hilt. "Hmph," said Van as he faced them. "Yeah, I've got to pay, huh, SSJ? But I don't
think you should be so hasty. I am your friend after all."

SSJ snapped back, "FRIEND?! You killed Davis!"

Van looked at them with utmost seriousness. SSJ and Cindy were stunned by his calm, serious
expression. "Indeed, I did," said Van. "What are you going to do? Kill me? It won't solve
anything. Moreover, I have come to my senses."

"Cut the bullshit," SSJ interrupted. "You can't say you were just being manipulated by
Rantmon, not after what you did!"

Van sighed. "I can't say that," Van replied. "It was my own choice to join Rantmon back
then, and it is my choice to break away now. I have regained something he had taken away
back then. I know who I am. So put away your weapons. It is me, Van."

SSJ and Cindy nearly choked at the utterance of the name. They had been caught completely
off guard. SSJ drew his sword and screamed, "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!"

SSJ dashed at Van, anger at its brim. He wouldn't believe it. It couldn't be Van. Van was
their friend. He wouldn't have killed Davis. He had to have found out the name somehow
else! Perhaps Virus extracted it from their minds one of their encounters with Rantmon, he
didn't know for sure. He drew his blade in one clean motion, aiming a slash at Van.

Van was quick to block, catching the Atma with his two kodachi. SSJ was stunned to see his
weapon blocked by Van. "I know that thing's strength," Van muttered. "Catching it by the
sides work." He quickly wrested the sword out of SSJ's hands and threw it to the other side
of the room. Cindy raised her guns again.

"Quit this," commanded Van, sheathing his kodachi. Cindy hesitated. "I am Van Toh. I know
who I am." With that, Van ran his hands through his hair, messing it up and rearranging it.
SSJ and Cindy were stunned to finally recognize their friend.

Indeed, they weren't very close to Van, so the hair fooled them, but now that he had a
familiar hairstyle, they were frozen in place, like stone statues thousands of years old.
Van rearranged his hair back to its original style as SSJ and Cindy crumbled to the floor,
cracked from all the surprise.

"No way..." Cindy could only groan. Van stood their, waiting for them to get to their feet.
They eventually did so after learning to cope with the revelation.

They found seats within the room as Van said, "Right now, we should focus on getting to
Virus and not on Davis. There's nothing we can do about that."

SSJ fumed. "Nothing?! He's dead, damn it! Is that all you can say when you killed your
friend?"

Van sighed. "Yes, he's dead. So what? It's not like it's entirely impossible to return."

SSJ and Cindy were silent. "...Return?" inquired Cindy.

"Yeah," answered Van. "He's down in the Underworld right now. If he wants to get out and
live, he'd have to do that on his own. We can only worry about Virus for now."

Suddenly, a voice screamed through the halls, "Everyone!" SSJ and Cindy were taken aback.
It was Momo.

SSJ dashed out of the room and peered down the hall. Momo emerged from the darkness. SSJ
dashed into the hall, Cindy and Van stepping after him. "What's wrong?!" SSJ called.

"You need to get away, now!" Momo yelled as she ran to SSJ, grabbing his shirt. "Right now,
he's-"

There was a gigantic crash from Van's room. Van and Cindy turned, seeing a man with a huge
shuriken, reaching from ceiling to floor. "Yo," said the man, Nataku, who had arrived from
the darkness.

The two soldiers who had been guarding the room dashed inside to see Nataku. They raised
their guns. But before they could pull the trigger, Nataku formed kunais from beneath his
skin and tossed it at them. They were dead in seconds, blood spilling all over the room.

"Run away!" screamed Momo as she held onto SSJ. SSJ glanced at her, but couldn't pull away
to see who was in the room.

Nataku was silent, facing Cindy and Van, who were still in sight from the room. Through his
red eyes, he saw the heat beyond the walls. He saw SSJ and Momo behind the wall. "Good job,
Momo," Nataku stated. Cindy and SSJ were taken aback. "We can finally get revenge on what
they did to Father thanks to him."

SSJ and Cindy glanced at Momo, sweat forming upon their faces. Momo lost her breath,
pulling away from SSJ. SSJ's eyes were wide open, the skin of his forehead filled with many
folds. He stared at her in surprise. "You couldn't have..." He trailed off.

Momo stared back, feeling great sadness form within her. That was when there was a clashing
of metal. Van, with his two kodachi blocked attacks from Nataku. Nataku dashed forward,
ready to slice through Van with his gigantic shuriken. Van blocked with precision. "No time
for drama!" screamed Van. "Just run!"

Cindy and SSJ hesitated. Finally, Cindy dashed into the room and pulled the rifle from the
grip of one of the dead soldiers. SSJ dashed down the hall towards SSJ. SSJ didn't have
time to worry, then. He grabbed Momo by the wrist and lifted her up. He dashed after Cindy,
holding Momo close to him.

They left Van alone to face Nataku. Nataku glared at Van, his red eyes glowing in the
darkness. Van noted it. 'What freaky eyes,' he thought.

"Get out of my way," Nataku ordered. "You are none of my concern." Nataku saw Van not
moving out of the way. Van only raised his kodachi.

"He is my friend," said Van. "I will do this to atone for my mistakes."

Nataku sighed, lifting his giant shuriken and pulling it back. He swung his shuriken at
Van, cutting through the weak walls of the hospital. Van quickly ducked as the blades of
the shuriken tore through the wall, making a scar throughout the room.

The room collapsed, throwing dust and smoke into the hall. SSJ and Cindy stopped and turned
back, seeing Van and Nataku fight, hidden in the smoke. Cindy crouched down low and aimed
the sniper rifle into the smoke. She saw two shining red dots in the smoke. She pulled the
trigger.

There was a powerful boom in the hall, and a single bullet flew through the air and into
the smoke. Nataku saw it, and he was struck right in the forehead by the bullet, thanks to
Cindy's precision. "Come on!" she yelled as she continued dashing down the hall. SSJ
followed.

They made their way to the fire exit. They kicked down the door and began dashing up the
stairs, heading towards the roof. From there, they could escape.

They dashed up the stairs, hearing distant crashes and booms through the walls. They
finally made it to the top, and the door was quickly shoved open. There was open rooftop
before them, fenced standing all around the edges. Cindy dashed forward, followed by SSJ,
still holding Momo.

It was then that Momo finally shoved SSJ away and leapt away. SSJ and Cindy stopped, facing
Momo as she stood apart from them. "Why are you helping me?!" Momo demanded. "You know what
I did, don't you?! I only met with you again because my brother wanted me to find your
weakness. How can you still try to protect me?"

SSJ and Cindy looked at each other, feeling the chilling night breeze pass across the roof.
The moon was dim in comparison to the many lights of the streets of Century City. The
clouds drifted through the air as there was a silence. Finally, SSJ replied, "I don't know
why. I just can't suddenly start hating you. You helped me even though I ruined your life.
I guess I can't stop helping you now-"

Suddenly, the roof tore apart, the giant shuriken flying through it and into the sky.
Everyone turned and saw Nataku appearing out of the collapsing roof. Smoke rose into the
sky. All around, lights appeared as the police raced towards the place.

"Nataku!" cried a voice from the darkness. The three looked around, but could not figure
out where the voice came from. "Do not forget your mission! Your personal vendetta does not
matter now!"

Nataku grunted, "Tch. Damn it." He was silent, glaring at SSJ and Cindy. "Fine. I'll
continue the mission."

From his skin came a kunai, which he grasped in his right hand. He dashed forward, past
Momo and at SSJ. SSJ drew his Atma in a flash and dashed at Nataku, screaming as he slashed
at Nataku's neck.

SSJ blinked. Nataku was no longer before him, but Momo. SSJ was taken aback as he saw the
face of Momo dash at him, kunai in hand. SSJ was stunned as he saw standing far behind. The
new Momo dashed past, and SSJ saw in a fleeting moment the face contorting back into
Nataku's. SSJ hesitated for a brief moment, but dashed after him.

Nataku glanced back. Suddenly, there was a gigantic roar from the distance. Momo covered
her ears in the pain as an object flew past her. SSJ saw it in time to move.

Blood flew into the air, followed by a loud crash. Momo opened her eyes when the noise
stopped. She gasped to see blood all over SSJ. He had a gigantic hole in his shoulder, and
a huge arrow had crashed into the roof. SSJ collapsed to the floor, and Momo dashed at him.

Nataku grabbed Cindy as she was caught off guard. He threw a hand over her mouth and swept
her away, leaping off of the building and falling into the bridges and pipelines below.

Nothing more stirred in the night, except for the sounds of quickly arriving police and
Momo's sobs. SSJ lay there on her lap, blood flowing from his huge wound. Momo muttered
between sobs, "Why... Why do you have to be so kind?"

Van dashed through the threshold of the doorway between the fire exit and the roof. He was
covered in dust, for he had just crawled out of debris of a collapsed roof. He saw SSJ's
gaping wound. He stood there, frozen in place. He then noticed the arrow and turned to look
at the direction from where it came. There was a building opposite the hospital, and there
was no sign of movement over there. The archer had already left.

It was then that the police reached the roof to see the bloody SSJ. He was quickly taken
away from Momo and put into intensive care. Momo stayed on her knees upon the roof of the
Trauma Center. Tears fell from her eyes like it was raining.

***

Amiko, who was with Roy, Riza, and Hayden, suddenly heard a voice call in her head, "Guys!"
She suddenly looked up towards the sky. The alchemists were surprised at her sudden change
in mood.

"Frank?" she asked.

Frank Miguel called in her head, "You must come now! A Gate to Mauzel's plane just opened!"

Amiko was caught off guard. There was no reason for her friends to go there. Was it...
Virus?! She immediately got to her feet and turned to Roy. "Mauzel was just invaded! Roy,
will you come with me?"

There was no moment of hesitation or careful consideration. Roy immediately got to his feet
and nodded. Riza and Hayden exchanged stunned glances.

It was then that a Gate opened in the air within the plane. All but Amiko were taken aback
to see the blue, black, and white colors inside the tunnel. Amiko grabbed Roy's hand and
leapt inside, and the Gate closed before Hayden and Riza.

***

TM heard Frank's voice as he was riding the train back to Century City. "Guys! You must
come now! A Gate to Mauzel's plane just opened!" Frank had yelled in his mind. He saw the
Gate appear before him as he stood up from his seat on the train.

He was taken aback by the sudden turn of events, but nevertheless, he leapt into the Gate
and sped through the tunnel of blue, black, and white. There came a light from the other
side, which slowly engulfed him.

When he could see again he stood upon the hexagonal platform in Mauzel's plane. The white
all around didn't change. He saw Amiko and Roy there. "Amiko!" he called in surprise.

Amiko threw him a surprised glance. "TM..." She couldn't say anymore. Amiko and Roy stood
over a tassel that lay in the middle of the platform. It was part of Mauzel's intricate
clothing.

TM's eyes widened in surprise. He looked up at the white space all around. "SIRIA!" he
shouted. There came no answer. Siria had been taken.

---- To Be Continued ----

- ENDING SONG: FINAL DISTANCE - UTADA HIKARU -

Aetai noni ienai nami ni osarete
Mata sukoshi tooku naru

Tokirenai you ni keep it going baby
Onaji kimochi janai nara tell me
Muri wa shinai shuugi demo
Sukoshi nara shite mite mo ii yo

I wanna be with you now
Futari de distance shijimete
Ima nara maniau kara
We can start over
Hitotsu ni wa narenai

I wanna be with you now
Itsu no hi ka distance mo
Dakishimerareru you ni nareru yo
We can start sooner
Yappari I wanna be with you

---- Preview ----

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

SSJ: Oh shi... We're losing more and more people.

TM: Wow, SSJ, you really suck.

SSJ: Shut up.

Amiko: Anyway, next on GINGA GIRI GIRI!

Kensou: Somewhere in the world, Davis awakens to see the world around him.

Van: And the world before him is nothing short of terrifying.

All: Next on GINGA GIRI GIRI! "The Never-ending Nightmare"

----