Khyros
06-27-2003, 10:58 AM
He walked the residental area of Pioneer 2, his steps quick and measured. He was getting...well, old. Not old as in aged and decrepit. No, he was more...obsolete. Zangetsu was one of the oldest HUCasts on Pioneer 2, and the only one still an active hunter. His parts and design had been outdated for years, not to mention the fact that his maker had...eccentric tastes. His body was crafted sleek and slender, but was now faded with age and wear. His head and face were constructed in the style of a samurai helmet, his face the snarling, fang bearing demon of the traditional mempo. His programming was even more abnormal, compared to the normal HUCast. He was programmed with complete knowledge of Bushido, as well as mastery of Ken-Jutsu, and it's follower, Kendo.
In his time, Zangetsu was a legendary hunter, famed far and wide across Coral. But that time came to an end when the Pioneer mission set out. Hearing about the mission, hundreds of fresh young hunters joined the game, and Zangetsu stepped aside, to allow the new generation a chance at the spotlight. He never expected to nearly be pushed entirely out of business by the newcomers. His jobs had become increasingly few and far between, as new hotshots came forward and seized the attention of the clients. Few people even knew who he was any more. It was a sad state of affairs...
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft pressure on his leg and a low, barely audible noise. Snapping back to reality, he looked down and saw a small dog had run right into his leg. He leaned down, and picked up the animal. Lifting it to his face, he examined it closely. Upon seeing him, the dog tucked it's tail between it's legs and stopped it's incessant yipping.
"My puppy! My puppy!" A shrill squeal came from behind him. He pivoted on his heel, always at guard. What he saw wasn't what he expected. A small girl, about 11 or so, he would guess, stood before him. Her dirt smudged face grinned widely, exposing gapped teeth. Her pigtails were so long as to drag on the ground behind her. Zangetsu simply handed the dog to her, then turned and continued on his path.
"Thank you, mister!" She yelled as she ran up and clutched herself to his leg. Glancing at her, he shook his leg free and walked away. Turning his head back, he spoke to her for the first time.
"You should be more careful." He turned the corner and was lost from her sight. A half an hour later, he reached his destination. He opened the door to his squalid apartment, light barely filtering in through the grime encrusted windows. He sat in the center of the floor, as the apartment lacked any kind of furniture, and saw his reflection in the cracked mirror mounted on the wall. With as much of a sigh as a machine can make, he looked himself over. He could remember what he used to look like...resplendent and glorious. And now, what was he? An outdated machine, overlooked and ignored. But he was still vital, still capable. If only people could see...
He put aside his ponderings and assumed a lotus position, setting his sword on the floor in front of him, and entered diagnostic mode, to make sure his body was in working order, and to meditate on the day. Almost immediately, shock came to his system. The girl he had seen earlier was in his data files...
Silae Ahrenius, daughter of Algos Ahrenius, one of the most successful of the new wave of hunters. His name was known far and wide, and knowledge of his vast fortune was common. He was one of the first to go missing on Ragol, leaving his motherless daughter orphaned and the sole inheritor to all of his fortune.
No wonder Zangetsu didn't recognize her at once - her face was covered with grime, and her clothes and hair were so disheveled. No matter, though, it was of no real importance to him. He sat for the rest of the night, thinking in a semi-conscious meditative state.
Morning was only apparent because of Zangetsu's internal clock, rather than any show of light through the windows. What need has an android of a cleanly home? He sighed and stood, attaching his sheathed sword to his waist. He began his daily routine with his blade practice, and for several hours, he was quite thankful that his apartment had no furniture. Otherwise, it would all be in countless pieces by now. Checking the time, he saw that his alloted time was up, and the next part of his daily practices would commence. He would go to the Hunter's guild and wait for a job. And wait. And wait. And then come home and spend another night in solitude.
He set out, much as every other day began, but shortly into his travel, something caught his attention. A small, barely apparent noise reached his ears. Something familiar. Suddenly, he remembered. The dog! That sound was Silae's dog...but why did it sound so distressed? He broke into a quick trot, closing in on the location of the noise. Entering a narrow alleyway, he stopped at what he saw. Silae, huddled and unconscious in the corner, a livid bruise spreading over her face. Her small dog barking at the seven men surrounding her. The men laughing amongst themselves, passing weapons from hand to hand, except for one who stood impassively to the rear, unarmed and aloof.
"This one is worth quite a bit of meseta, ya know? We're rich! We're goddamn rich!" The man closest to Silae crowed. Zangetsu stepped forward and made a noise as if clearing his throat, and all of the men jerked around to face him.
"You men have no honor if you can prey upon a child...and men without honor do not deserve to live." With that simple statement, Zangetsu unsheathed his katana of the same name. He looked at the shimmering blade, as non-photon weapons were rare these days. He remembered, that the sword was forged by a master smith at the same time he was made, and that was why they shared a name. They were as one.
With a long stride, Zangetsu moved his blade in a quick back and forth motion, and one of the men fell to the ground, blood pouring out from beneath his fingers as he tried to hold himself together. Zangetsu moved forward again, hoping to capitalize on the men's surprise, but their leader surprised him. The man raised his hands, and streaking lightning burst forth. He knew Zonde techniques! The power coursed through him, locking his limbs, immobilizing him, and he fell to the ground. The men circled him, grinning, with terrible vengeance in their eyes.
Zangetsu couldn't defend himself as blow after blow rained down and cut into his body. The pain blinded him for what seemed like an eternity, until he realized that the blows had stopped and he could move. Turning his head, he could barely see through the haze of his own fluids that spilled over his eyes, but he could tell that the men had returned their attentions to the girl.
"No...." He whispered so lowly the men could not hear. He reached for his blade with his closer hand, the left, only then realizing that his left arm was severed mid-bicep. Sparks and fluids sprayed from the ruined limb whenever he tried to move it. Steeling himself, he rolled over and grasped his blade with his right hand. Staggering to his feet, he began to sway and almost fell. Raising his hand to his head, he felt his mempo split in two, his circuits and wires laid bare.
He held his blade in front of his face, saluting his opponent's backs. He then hunched his body and launched himself at them with a screaming kiai shout, making them spin around to face the foe they thought defeated. His blade was a blur, and Zangetsu was the wind of death. The screams of the men echoed out of the alley for a few minutes more, and then all was silent. The walls were splashed with blood and android fluids, and Zangetsu sank to his knees in the middle of the carnage.
His systems were blaring warnings, he had entered critical status. He was critically wounded, and would most likely not survive, but he accepted it. For a samurai, life was simply finding the right place and time to die, after all. He assumed the lotus position once more, and prepared to be at peace, when at the edge of his vision, the girl, Silae, stirred. She sat up, her eyes wide and shocked at the carnage, and then she saw him. Zangetsu turned his head and looked sidelong at the girl.
"You really should be more careful." He said. Then, his vision dimmed as his systems began to shut down one by one, and he lost sight of the girl as the darkness closed in.
His vision came online and he looked around in utter shock. He gazed at his surroundings, unsure of what to think. He would have said this was his apartment, but it was too...clean. The floor and walls were cleaned, the windows clear...and the mirror was no longer cracked. Wait - the mirror...something was odd about it. Gazing in the mirror, he saw himself and would have gaped had it been possible. He was whole, new. His arm was back in it's place, but his skin, his armor, was new. No longer pitted and worn, it was bright and strong. His mempo had been replaced by one that seemd to have even better quality than the original. Quickly running an internal diagnostic, he saw that many of his components had been replaced. And each and every one that was, was replaced with something top of the line.
Stunned, he turned to his surroundings once more, he saw something else. A note was pinned to the door, obviously for him. Walking over and taking it in his hand, he read the note.
"Dear Mister Zangetsu,
Please take this new body, and consider it a gift, or a thanks, for saving my life last week. But besides that, I believe I have a business proposition that you may find interesting. If you decide to take it up, you can find me at the following address.
S. Ahrenius"
Following that, an address was written on the note. It seemed that there was more to that little girl than was readily apparent. But now he was offered work, and he was never one to turn it down, especially with circumstances the way they were. He would meet the girl.
Crumpling the note in his hand, he stepped out of his apartment into the crowded streets of Pioneer 2, finally with a purpose.
----------------------
This is my first attempt at fanfiction, so I don't know if it's any good, but I plan to continue the story of Zangetsu none the less, so expect more.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Khyros on 2003-06-28 19:25 ]</font>
In his time, Zangetsu was a legendary hunter, famed far and wide across Coral. But that time came to an end when the Pioneer mission set out. Hearing about the mission, hundreds of fresh young hunters joined the game, and Zangetsu stepped aside, to allow the new generation a chance at the spotlight. He never expected to nearly be pushed entirely out of business by the newcomers. His jobs had become increasingly few and far between, as new hotshots came forward and seized the attention of the clients. Few people even knew who he was any more. It was a sad state of affairs...
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft pressure on his leg and a low, barely audible noise. Snapping back to reality, he looked down and saw a small dog had run right into his leg. He leaned down, and picked up the animal. Lifting it to his face, he examined it closely. Upon seeing him, the dog tucked it's tail between it's legs and stopped it's incessant yipping.
"My puppy! My puppy!" A shrill squeal came from behind him. He pivoted on his heel, always at guard. What he saw wasn't what he expected. A small girl, about 11 or so, he would guess, stood before him. Her dirt smudged face grinned widely, exposing gapped teeth. Her pigtails were so long as to drag on the ground behind her. Zangetsu simply handed the dog to her, then turned and continued on his path.
"Thank you, mister!" She yelled as she ran up and clutched herself to his leg. Glancing at her, he shook his leg free and walked away. Turning his head back, he spoke to her for the first time.
"You should be more careful." He turned the corner and was lost from her sight. A half an hour later, he reached his destination. He opened the door to his squalid apartment, light barely filtering in through the grime encrusted windows. He sat in the center of the floor, as the apartment lacked any kind of furniture, and saw his reflection in the cracked mirror mounted on the wall. With as much of a sigh as a machine can make, he looked himself over. He could remember what he used to look like...resplendent and glorious. And now, what was he? An outdated machine, overlooked and ignored. But he was still vital, still capable. If only people could see...
He put aside his ponderings and assumed a lotus position, setting his sword on the floor in front of him, and entered diagnostic mode, to make sure his body was in working order, and to meditate on the day. Almost immediately, shock came to his system. The girl he had seen earlier was in his data files...
Silae Ahrenius, daughter of Algos Ahrenius, one of the most successful of the new wave of hunters. His name was known far and wide, and knowledge of his vast fortune was common. He was one of the first to go missing on Ragol, leaving his motherless daughter orphaned and the sole inheritor to all of his fortune.
No wonder Zangetsu didn't recognize her at once - her face was covered with grime, and her clothes and hair were so disheveled. No matter, though, it was of no real importance to him. He sat for the rest of the night, thinking in a semi-conscious meditative state.
Morning was only apparent because of Zangetsu's internal clock, rather than any show of light through the windows. What need has an android of a cleanly home? He sighed and stood, attaching his sheathed sword to his waist. He began his daily routine with his blade practice, and for several hours, he was quite thankful that his apartment had no furniture. Otherwise, it would all be in countless pieces by now. Checking the time, he saw that his alloted time was up, and the next part of his daily practices would commence. He would go to the Hunter's guild and wait for a job. And wait. And wait. And then come home and spend another night in solitude.
He set out, much as every other day began, but shortly into his travel, something caught his attention. A small, barely apparent noise reached his ears. Something familiar. Suddenly, he remembered. The dog! That sound was Silae's dog...but why did it sound so distressed? He broke into a quick trot, closing in on the location of the noise. Entering a narrow alleyway, he stopped at what he saw. Silae, huddled and unconscious in the corner, a livid bruise spreading over her face. Her small dog barking at the seven men surrounding her. The men laughing amongst themselves, passing weapons from hand to hand, except for one who stood impassively to the rear, unarmed and aloof.
"This one is worth quite a bit of meseta, ya know? We're rich! We're goddamn rich!" The man closest to Silae crowed. Zangetsu stepped forward and made a noise as if clearing his throat, and all of the men jerked around to face him.
"You men have no honor if you can prey upon a child...and men without honor do not deserve to live." With that simple statement, Zangetsu unsheathed his katana of the same name. He looked at the shimmering blade, as non-photon weapons were rare these days. He remembered, that the sword was forged by a master smith at the same time he was made, and that was why they shared a name. They were as one.
With a long stride, Zangetsu moved his blade in a quick back and forth motion, and one of the men fell to the ground, blood pouring out from beneath his fingers as he tried to hold himself together. Zangetsu moved forward again, hoping to capitalize on the men's surprise, but their leader surprised him. The man raised his hands, and streaking lightning burst forth. He knew Zonde techniques! The power coursed through him, locking his limbs, immobilizing him, and he fell to the ground. The men circled him, grinning, with terrible vengeance in their eyes.
Zangetsu couldn't defend himself as blow after blow rained down and cut into his body. The pain blinded him for what seemed like an eternity, until he realized that the blows had stopped and he could move. Turning his head, he could barely see through the haze of his own fluids that spilled over his eyes, but he could tell that the men had returned their attentions to the girl.
"No...." He whispered so lowly the men could not hear. He reached for his blade with his closer hand, the left, only then realizing that his left arm was severed mid-bicep. Sparks and fluids sprayed from the ruined limb whenever he tried to move it. Steeling himself, he rolled over and grasped his blade with his right hand. Staggering to his feet, he began to sway and almost fell. Raising his hand to his head, he felt his mempo split in two, his circuits and wires laid bare.
He held his blade in front of his face, saluting his opponent's backs. He then hunched his body and launched himself at them with a screaming kiai shout, making them spin around to face the foe they thought defeated. His blade was a blur, and Zangetsu was the wind of death. The screams of the men echoed out of the alley for a few minutes more, and then all was silent. The walls were splashed with blood and android fluids, and Zangetsu sank to his knees in the middle of the carnage.
His systems were blaring warnings, he had entered critical status. He was critically wounded, and would most likely not survive, but he accepted it. For a samurai, life was simply finding the right place and time to die, after all. He assumed the lotus position once more, and prepared to be at peace, when at the edge of his vision, the girl, Silae, stirred. She sat up, her eyes wide and shocked at the carnage, and then she saw him. Zangetsu turned his head and looked sidelong at the girl.
"You really should be more careful." He said. Then, his vision dimmed as his systems began to shut down one by one, and he lost sight of the girl as the darkness closed in.
His vision came online and he looked around in utter shock. He gazed at his surroundings, unsure of what to think. He would have said this was his apartment, but it was too...clean. The floor and walls were cleaned, the windows clear...and the mirror was no longer cracked. Wait - the mirror...something was odd about it. Gazing in the mirror, he saw himself and would have gaped had it been possible. He was whole, new. His arm was back in it's place, but his skin, his armor, was new. No longer pitted and worn, it was bright and strong. His mempo had been replaced by one that seemd to have even better quality than the original. Quickly running an internal diagnostic, he saw that many of his components had been replaced. And each and every one that was, was replaced with something top of the line.
Stunned, he turned to his surroundings once more, he saw something else. A note was pinned to the door, obviously for him. Walking over and taking it in his hand, he read the note.
"Dear Mister Zangetsu,
Please take this new body, and consider it a gift, or a thanks, for saving my life last week. But besides that, I believe I have a business proposition that you may find interesting. If you decide to take it up, you can find me at the following address.
S. Ahrenius"
Following that, an address was written on the note. It seemed that there was more to that little girl than was readily apparent. But now he was offered work, and he was never one to turn it down, especially with circumstances the way they were. He would meet the girl.
Crumpling the note in his hand, he stepped out of his apartment into the crowded streets of Pioneer 2, finally with a purpose.
----------------------
This is my first attempt at fanfiction, so I don't know if it's any good, but I plan to continue the story of Zangetsu none the less, so expect more.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Khyros on 2003-06-28 19:25 ]</font>