Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction / Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ Tragic Heroes ❯ The Gathering ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Grey Fox 
The mission is now underway. Snake and Hikaru have been brought together and now must work together.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction / Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.31.2003 | Updated On: 04.08.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.8K | Visits: 389 | Status: Completed
The mission is now underway. Snake and Hikaru have been brought together and now must work together.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction / Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.31.2003 | Updated On: 04.08.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.8K | Visits: 389 | Status: Completed
Tragic Heroes
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover
Chapter 3: The Gathering
3-27-2003
by Grey Fox
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.
*****
For a long time, the only sound Snake had been hearing was that of the thick Alaskan snow crunching underneath his feet. The powerful, biting winds from the previous night could no longer be heard, as they had finally subsided. This gave Snake the opportunity to venture outdoors and chop down a small tree for some firewood. And even with his heavy winter clothes on, the reason why he needed that firewood so badly was painfully apparent; it was FRIGGIN' COLD.
It had taken about half an hour to find a good, suitable tree to cut down. Snake tended to only cut down the small, sickly trees that had no hope of surviving the harsh Alaskan winter, rather than cut down a healthy tree. Still, he had qualms about having to chop down a tree for his own needs. "Hell, I can't even kill a tree without feeling some degree of guilt," he thought aloud.
After chopping down the tree with a hatchet, Snake began dragging it back to his home, the log cabin he had built for himself when he came to Alaska. Wasting no time, he dragged it over to the side of his house and began to chop up the downed tree into pieces small enough for his fireplace. Not only was this getting him the firewood he needed, it was also physical work, which always helped him get his mind off of things. And right now, there was a lot on his mind; specifically, the whacked-out dream from the night before.
*Ridiculous,* thought Snake as he continued to vigorously hack away at the tree. *Some old lady called Future who watches over time? Give me a friggin' break. What's next, psychokinetic soldiers and mystical Inuit shaman?* he thought bitterly. *Me being the destined hero to save the day once again? Ha! What a load of bull.* But as Snake carried on with his work, he couldn't help but think that the woman in his dream was right about one thing: he always seemed to be the one who had to fight Metal Gear. Three times now, it was he, David, who had to play the part of the proverbial David that slew Goliath. In this case, Goliath was that damned nuclear-armed, bipedal death machine.
*That stupid dream must've been my subconscious trying to make sense of how it was always me who had to fight that damn machine, or something,* Snake figured. *Heh, Sigmund Freud would have one hell of a field day psychoanalyzing me, that's for sure,* he thought, a wry smile forming on his face.
Eventually, Snake had finished his task. Tucking four logs under each arm, he made his way to the front door, and, with some difficulty, opened it. *Finally,* he thought, *I can start a fire and get some decent heat in my house.* But once he stepped inside, he dropped the logs out of shock, seeing something that most definitely should not have been there.
It was Future, the mysterious old woman from his dream. She was standing there in the middle of the room, as if she had been waiting for him.
For a moment, the two of them stood there, neither uterring a word. Snake just stared at Future, refusing to believe what his eyes were telling him, refusing to believe the person he had seen in a dream was now standing inside his house. A thought came to him: *Damnit, this is just another dream. It has to be.*
As if she had just read his thoughts, Future spoke. "This is not another dream, David. I told you I would meet you again, in person, face-to-face. And here I am."
Snake shook his head violently, and then buried his face in his hands. *Oh God, I'm must be going crazy,* he thought bitterly to himself. But again, as if she had read Snake's turbulent thoughts, she walked right up to him and spoke.
"Does this feel like the touch of a hallucination, a manifestation of a mind gone mad?" she asked him, reaching out with one tiny, frail hand and grasping his arm. Snake looked at her. Despite the thick winter clothing he had on, he could feel Future's touch through them.
"Alright, so this isn't a dream, and you're not a hallucination," Snake finally admitted. "So why are you here? What do you want from me?"
Taking a deep breath, Future began to explain. "As I told you before, the world needs you again. Metal Gear still remains, and if you don't do something about it and soon..." She let the sentence dangle, knowing full well Snake had a pretty good idea what she would have said if she had continued.
"But why ME?!" Snake bellowed, his loud voice echoing throughout his home. "Why is it me who always has to go through all that?! All that pain and suffering?!"
"I can offer you no concrete answer, David," replied Future, turning from Snake and walking back to where she had previously stood. "All I am in an overseer of history, and an interpreter of what fate and destiny dictate. All I know is that you're the only one who can do this."
Snake then got an ugly, hateful look on his face. "And what if I decide I don't want to go through all that again? What if I just say "Screw destiny" and refuse to take part in this little war game? What then?" he cried vehemently, the anger, and the hurt, apparent in his voice.
"And go back on the words you uttered almost a year ago?" said Future sharply.
"What do you mean?" asked a confused Snake.
"Didn't you yourself agree that instead of running from one's past, one should turn and face it head-on? Didn't you say that you wanted nothing less than the complete destruction of the demons that have haunted you?" replied Future in a biting tone. Snake hung his head low, knowing that Future had pinned him; he indeed had said those things before. Future continued. "Besides, I know you live with a great deal of pain. But how would you feel if disaster strikes the world, and you had to live with the knowledge that you stood by and let it happen? As the old saying goes: 'Evil thrives when good men do nothing.' "
"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT! You win, you win!" Snake screamed, throwing up his arms in defeat. But even though he had admitted Future was right didn't mean he was going to like it. Pyro Bison couldn't have been more wrong about him; just because he was almost unbeatable in battle didn't mean that he relished the chance to re-enter the battlefield once again. "But before I agree to do this for you, I need for you to tell me about some of the finer points about this mission."
"Well, at least I've finally convinced you," said Future, a smile forming on her aged, sagely face. "But what exactly do you mean by the 'finer points' ?" she asked.
"For one thing, you talk about me as if I'm some superhero who's always ready to charge blindly into battle. I've got news for you lady, things don't work out that way in real life. The other three times I did this, at least I was briefed about where I was going and what the situation was," Snake explained, not bothering to mention how a lot of information was withheld from him during his past missions, especially during his return trip to Outer Heaven. "Not only that, I didn't exactly work alone. I had backup support, people I stayed in contact with, provided me with information..."
"I will tell you all about the place where the remaining Metal Gear is housed right before you go," spoke up Future, cutting Snake off. "As for the backup support you speak of, I'm afraid you will not have that luxury this time." Seeing the vexed look on Snake's face, she went on. "However, you will be provided with a suitable replacement for that backup."
"And what, exactly, is that?" said Snake queurously, curious as to what Future would say.
"You will have an ally in the field. And she will fight side-by-side with you," she explained to him.
Snake couldn't believe this. This woman was supposed to know all about him, but she must have known he would never agree to this. His mind flashed back to Holly White and Chris Jenner, and how they had been captured by the enemy and almost killed because they had sided with him. And Future had said this ally was a 'she'. "Forget it lady! There was no way I'd allow another woman's life to be put at risk because of me!!" Snake hollered angrily.
"Just trust me on this one, David," said Future, smiling again, "this girl will be perfect for you."
"Why do you say that?" asked Snake bitterly.
"Because, throughout all of history, she is possibly the only one who has suffered like you have," explained Future. "That is why she is meant to fight alongside you in this upcoming battle." Snake was about to protest again, still not convinced, but before he could, Future spoke again. "You're not going just yet. I'll give you about an hour to prepare your mind and body for the task at hand. I've provided you with the necessary items to begin with," she said, pointing to a box at her right Snake hadn't noticed until now. "Until that time comes, I bid you farewell David." And with that, she vanished into thin air.
For a while, Snake stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at where Future had previously stood, his mind trying to register what he had just witnessed. Then his gaze turned to the box Future had pointed out. It was a cardboard box. *Well, it looks like this old lady has a bit of a sense of humor,* thought Snake grimly.
********
Snake paced impatiently around the room, waiting for Future to return. Not that he was exactly eager to get on with what Future planned to have him do, but rather just to get this over with as soon as possible.
His thoughts drifted back to what Big Boss had told him during their second and final battle, about how he said he would never be able to stay away from the battlefields. Snake had to agree it looked like Big Boss was right, but not because he wanted to, but because he really had no choice. Future was right. He would never really be at peace with himself if he knew any trace of Metal Gear still remained. He had to face his destiny.
Snake looked down at himself, inspecting the suit that had been in the cardboard box Future had left behind. It looked suspiciously like the suit Campbell had provided for him a year ago during the mission to Galuade, except that suit had a bit of a blueish-purplish shade to it; this one was solid grey and black. Other than that, it looked and felt the same. Then he reached down to the suit's gun holster and pulled out the gun Future had provided as well; again, very similar to the last handgun he used, and already had a silencer connected to it. At least he wouldn't have to worry about have to procure a silencer on-site, or a gun to attach it with for that matter. Lastly, he reached into one of the suit's many pouches, and pulled out solid proof that Future probably knew all there was to know about him; a pack of Lucky Strikes cigarettes. He put the pack back in his pouch, deeply unnerved of the thought that Future knew so much about him and that all he knew about her was what she had decided to tell him. After being lied to and double-crossed so often, Snake found it extremely difficult to trust anyone. Yet he had already resolved to go along with it anyway, just like he always did. He knew he was very foolish in that respect.
Snake walked into his bedroom to get the one last item that was missing. Reaching into his nightstand drawer, he pulled out his bandana - the same one he had worn during all his previous missions - and promptly fastened it around his head. If he had to fight again, then he'd definitely take one of his most prized possessions with him.
"I see you are prepared to depart," came that now-too-familiar voice from behind him. Snake spun around to see Future standing in the doorway, eyeing him with an expectant look.
"You really have a nasty habit of showing up out of nowhere, you know that? But yeah, I'm ready," replied Snake curtly. "But first, I have some more questions for you," he said, the distrust still evident in his deep voice.
"Very well then, you may ask whatever questions you wish, and I will do my best to answer them," said Future.
Snake still wasn't entirely confident she was telling him everything, but went ahead with the questions he had for her. "First off, tell me about this 'ally' you said you were providing me."
Future smiled and said, "For that, you'll have to wait until you meet her."
"Still being cryptic about her, huh?" asked Snake irritably. "Can you at least tell me if this girl is going to be able to fight? She won't be much help if I constantly have to watch her back."
"Trust me on this, David: her combat skills are every bit up to par with your own, and she has powers the likes of which you have never seen," explained Future.
"Powers?" Snake repeated dubiously. "Care to tell me what you mean by 'powers'?"
"You'll see..." Future began, but Snake cut her off.
"When I meet her," Snake finished for her. "It's pretty obvious you won't tell me anything else about her. So why not tell me about just where the hell you're sending me to do history's dirty work?"
"As I've told you already, there is a secret base Parker had where he and those loyal to him had constructed another Metal Gear," stated Future. Snake wasn't surprised to hear that Parker did something like this, judging from what Weasel told him about the corrupt, unscrupulous tactics that both Parker and Gardner used in their private little war - the private little war he got stuck in the middle of a year ago. "The base is located in the Philippines," continued Future, "within the Sierra Madre mountain range of Luzon, the northernmost island of the nation. You'll have to find your way in there and neutralize Metal Gear, like you've done before."
"Secret base in the Philippines, huh? Anything else I should know about this place?" asked Snake impatiently.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you any more. It's beyond my jurisdiction to do so," replied Future.
"Yeah, whatever," snapped Snake, seeing he wasn't going to get any more out of Future about the base either. "Next, how am I supposed to get to this damn base? You got a plane I can use to skydive down into the mountain range? Or did you have something else in mind?"
"We have no need to undergo such an elaborate procedure," said Future with a gleam in her eye. "I shall take you there. Directly." With that, she walked toward Snake and reached out with her hand, taking Snake's in hers.
All of a sudden, a cold, clammy sensation swept over Snake, causing him to involuntarily shut his eyes tightly and grit his teeth. But as quickly as it took hold of him, that clammy feeling left him. Snake opened his eyes, at once noticing he was no longer in his Alaskan home, but instead, he now stood on a worn path in some mountainous, forested area. There was no hint of the fierce, wintry air of Alaska; rather, the air was quite warm. Snake had a hunch that this was the Sierra Madre, the mountain range in the Philippines where Future had told him his objective lay.
Snake looked down at Future, who had let go of his hand and backed away slightly from him. "So you teleported me here, huh? Mind giving me a little warning next time?" said Snake irritably.
"My apologies, David," said Future calmly. "But now, I'm afraid you must begin your difficult task."
"One more question though," said Snake quickly before Future had a chance to teleport away. "Why can't YOU do this yourself? You obviously have the power to. Why not use it to destroy Metal Gear yourself and spare me all this trouble?"
"That too, unfortunately, is beyond my jurisdiction," replied Future sadly. "I cannot affect events directly in such a manner, only guide those whose duty it is to affect history when there is need to, such as in this instance. Now David, you must begin, and I must depart, to fetch the ally who shall fight beside you." And with that, Future vanished again, leaving Snake alone.
"Damn!" yelled Snake, his shout echoing around him and scaring a few birds that were perched in a nearby tree. Snake chided himself as he watched the birds fly away; if he was going to get rid of this Metal Gear, he'd have to work silently and unseen like he always had before.
And the reason why made itself apparent relatively quickly. Snake could hear the sound of noisy footsteps approaching, as well as voices. Acting on instincts honed by years of experience in the battlefield, Snake deftly ducked behind a large tree along the footpath, where he would be out of sight of anyone who walked by.
As Snake patiently waited in that spot, he could hear the footsteps getting nearer, and the voices soon became intelligible. Snake listened attentively to what they were saying, hoping to possibly acquire some useful information.
"I'm tellin' ya, I heard SOMETHING around here!!" boomed a voice with a thick redneck accent.
"I agree. I'm certain I heard something too," came a second voice, this one with some sort of Asian accent Snake couldn't quite put his finger on. Snake's heartrate and breathing involuntarily picked up, fearing that he may be discovered already.
"Oh please, you two. Give me a break," came a third voice, this one with a heavy French accent. "Like anyone is going to come here. Hardly anyone knows about this place."
*Well now, so there IS something here someone doesn't want the world to know about,* thought Snake acidly as he heard the disgruntled groans of the other two people. Snake peered out from behind the tree, seeing three people in camouflage uniforms armed with M-16s, and they all had pouches at their sides filled with what Snake was certain were fragmentation grenades. Obviously, these three heavily armed men were here patrolling the area, fiercely guarding something. And thanks to Future, Snake had a good idea what it was.
The sound of an exploding rush of air pierced the silence Snake was trying to stealthily maintain. Once again, he heard the man with the southern accent speak. "Damnit, there's that sound again!"
"Fine, I'll go back and check it out," came the voice of the French-accented guard who had been skeptical before. "You two keep looking around here," the guard ordered before Snake heard footsteps going back in direction they came from earlier.
Once Snake heard the remaining two guards walk away in the opposite direction of their comrade, he breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for whatever sound had distracted them. But that relief was short-lived, as Snake's mind quickly registered the significance of what one of the guards had said: the second sound that had just alerted the guards was THE SAME as the one that had brought them to his location. And Future said she had gone to get this girl who was supposed to accompany him. That sound was probably her being teleported here. *DAMN!* thought Snake furiously as he ventured into the forest, heading to where he had heard the strange whooshing sound.
----------------------------------------------------------- -----
Hikaru stepped out of her house, gazing at the beautiful sunrise. She haad decided to get up early so she could get to school quickly to study for that algebra exam she had today, since she still wasn't confident she was prepared enough, even with Fuu's extensive tutoring. Forcing herself to calm down, she breathed in a lungful of fresh air and basked in the morning sunlight.
She was distracted by the barking of her beloved dog, Hikari. Hikaru looked down to see her good friend staring up at her with those adorable eyes that always managed to cheer her up. And that was something Hikaru still desperately needed, especially after that strange dream from three days ago that had really shaken her up. She knew that what was said in that dream probably wasn't true, but it still bothered her for some reason.
Hikaru bent down and began to pet Hikari, who then came closer to Hikaru's face to lick her cheek, like she always did whenever she felt Hikaru was in need of comforting. "Good morning Hikari," mumbled Hikaru, hugging her dog closer to her.
But then, Hikari's head shot up and looked around, and she emitted a low growl. For a moment, Hikaru wondered if she was mad at her about something, but she knew that couldn't be the case; the two loved each other far too much to ever be mad at each other. Evidently, it was something nearby that was disturbing Hikari, for she dashed away from Hikaru and into the nearby woods, barking at something. "Hikari, what is it?" Hikaru asked curiously, taking off after her dog.
Despite being in such good athletic shape, Hikaru had trouble following Hikari as she darted through the forest. When she finally caught up to her, it was because she had stopped. She was sitting, wagging her tail and looking up at someone. Hikaru almost had a heart attack when she saw who it was: the mysterious woman from her dream that had called herself Future. The old woman reached down and stracthed behind Hikari's ears, who growled in appreciation. "You have a very loyal friend here, Hikaru," said Future solemnly.
Hikaru stared blankly at the elderly woman, unable to believe what her own eyes were telling her. "A-Are... are you..." she stammered, barely able to form the words, "are you r-really... the person I saw in my dream?"
"I most certainly am," said Future in a very matter-of-fact way, turning from Hikari to face her.
"And are you really going to take me to the future, like you said before?" Hikaru asked.
"Again, you are correct, my dear child," replied the elderly woman. "Like I said before, your future is in serious jeopardy, and you will be needed to save it."
"Listen, I don't want to be rude or anything," said Hikaru hastily, still not fully accepting what Future was telling her, "but I can't just rush into a battle I know nothing about. A fight I'm not prepared for."
"You are afraid you'll regret your actions, just like you regret what happened in Cephiro," Future responded earnestly. "I won't lie to you; what you have to go through will be difficult. But you will have to perservere; millions of lives depend on it. And I can prepare you. For one thing, I can return to you the powers you had while in Cephiro."
"Y-you can give me back my magic?" asked a confused Hikaru.
"Yes, my dear child, I can make it so you can use your magic here on Earth," said Future. "You will be able to use the two magic spells you wielded before, and you'll have the armor and sword you had before. And I'm allowed to tell you that you'll even develop a third magical power you didn't have before, and this new power will become crucial to completing your quest. I can also prepare you in subtler ways that'll become apparent the further you progress in your mission. But unfortunately, the one thing I cannot do for you is give you the ability to re-summon your Mashin, Rayearth. It would be so fitting if a robot that is the embodiment of everything that is dark and evil in the human heart was destroyed by a robot-like entity controlled by one of the purest hearts ever to exist," stated Future with a smile.
"Robot?" repeated Hikaru. "You mean that wrecked thing you showed me in my dream?"
"Precisely. It's a bipedal, armored tank capable of launching a nuclear weapon from anywhere on the planet." Hikaru shuddered upon hearing this, vividly recalling history classes that taught how her own country was once the victim of a nuclear attack. "There is another one that needs to be destroyed," Future continued, "and you have to help make sure that happens."
Hikaru then voiced another concern she had. "What about Umi and Fuu? It's their future at stake too. Can't they come with me?"
"They cannot accompany you this time," Future said, shaking her head. "However, you won't have to fight this battle alone. You will have an ally in the field, someone who I'm sure you'll be able to trust and work with effectively."
"What makes you say that?" asked Hikaru, wondering just who this 'ally' could be.
"Because he is probably the only other soul in all of history who has suffered as you have," stated Future in a sad tone. "Plus, he is the one that has faced this threat before - or rather from your point of view, WILL face this threat, since in your present time, none of the incidents involving Metal Gear have happened yet. But on this specific occasion, he'll need help, and fate has decreed you will be the one to provide it."
"Who is he?" asked Hikaru queurolously. "What's his name?"
A sad smile formed on Future's face. "I don't need to tell you his name. Trust me, with your gift of empathy, you'll know it's him from the moment you first see him," said Future. "Now come, my dear child, it is time to depart." Future then reached out with her hand and grabbed Hikaru's. All of a sudden, a cold chill shot down Hikaru's spine, and felt as if icy cold air was enveloping her, forcing her to painfully screw her eyes shut. Soon enough, however, the Hikaru felt the sensation fade away, and she opened here eyes, immediately noticing her surroundings had changed. She still stood within a forest, but the vegetation around her was quite different. She looked up, noticing that the sky was different too; before it had been clear and cloudless, and now opaque, greyish clouds filled the sky. As Future let go of her hand and backed away, Hikaru looked down at herself, noticing that the same armor Clef had provided at the beginning of her journey in Cephiro was now being worn over her school uniform. "As I said earlier, I can provide you with your magic, weapon, and armor, as well as some other things, which you'll notice as you progress," continued Future.
"Where am I?" asked Hikaru breathlessly as she looked around, still nervous and surprised. "What is this place?"
"The place where your quest begins, Hikaru," replied Future. The Sierra Madre mountain range in the Philippines. Now, I am not permitted to guide you any further. I must depart. I wish you luck, Hikaru Shidou." And with that, she teleported away, leaving Hikaru alone with her own turbulent thoughts. She looked down again, this time noticing that she was standing along a worn footpath that cut through the forest she now found herself in.
*I guess I should head along this path, and see where it takes me,* Hikaru logically decided. *But there are two ways to go. How am I to know which way leads to wherever I'm supposed to.....*
"DON'T MOVE!" boomed a loud voice from behind her.
Hikaru yelped at the sound of the loud voice, but after she got over her surprise, she noticed something funny about the language of the words that had just been spoken to her. It was not in Japanese, but instead, from what Hikaru could tell, it was in English. Yet, miraculously, she could understand this guy as easily as if he had spoken Japanese.
"Now hands in the air, and turn around. Slowly," the voice commanded. Forcing herself to put aside the confusion resulting from being able to understand a language she didn't know, she did as she was told. Once she had turned around, she saw a man clad in a camouflage army uniform, pointing a very menacing-looking gun at her. *Well, whoever this 'ally' I'm supposed to meet is, it's certainly not him,* thought Hikaru bitterly.
"All right, you," snapped the man, "I want to know who the hell you are, and what you're doing here."
"M-My name is Hikaru, and I-I don't know how I got here," stammered Hikaru, her voice catching in her throat as she did so. Not only could she now understand English, but she could speak it as easily as she spoke Japanese! *How is this possible?* Hikaru asked herself, momentarily forgetting there was someone pointing a gun at her. Then she remembered how Future said she had prepared her in 'subtler ways'. *I guess making it so I could understand and speak English was one of them,* Hikaru deduced.
"Bullshit!" yelled the armed guard. "No one bothers coming to this area of the mountains. Now you better...."
The guard never managed to complete his last sentence, for he lapsed into unconsciousness and collapsed onto the ground. For a few seconds, Hikaru stared at his unmoving body, wondering why he had suddenly collapsed. She then looked up to see that there was another man standing behind the fallen body. But this one was much different: he wore some sort of dark grey body suit with thick, black, muscle-molded body armor covering his chest. Her eyes turned to what this new guy was holding: a simple handgun, which Hikaru guessed he had slammed into the back of the guard's head to knock him unconscious. She then looked at his face, and for some reason she couldn't understand, she was totally fixed on his face. The man had thick, short brown hair and wore a black bandana. But what Hikaru really found compelling were his eyes; eyes that seemed to hold of world of hurt, eyes belonging to a man that had suffered for a long time. She'd seen the same look in Umi and Fuu's eyes countless times after they had returned from Cephiro, only for this man, it seemed far far worse. If what Future said about how she would spot her companion was true, than this was unmistakably him. And what this mysterious man said next provided the final bit of proof she would need.
"You're the one?" he asked. "The one that old lady called Future sent?"
Hikaru stared blankly at him for a few seconds, once again overcome with surprise. "Y-Yes, that's me. My name is Hikaru," she said after a lengthy period of time.
"Solid Snake," he replied briskly. "Now that we got the indroductions outta the way, let's get the hell outta here before anyone else finds us."
"Too late for that, Mr. Legend!" came a loud voice from being him; a voice with what Hikaru recognized to be a Korean accent.
"You're not going anywhere, except maybe straight to hell, Snake!" came a second voice. "Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air. Same goes for the little girl over there!" he rudely commanded.
*Well, this is certainly a fine way to start off,* thought Hikaru sarcasticly. But then, Hikaru realized she had one option left to her to take out the two guards. It wouldn't be pretty, but it was their only shot. Besides, this guy, this... 'Snake', had just saved her tail. *Now, I guess it's my turn to return the favor.* She spoke to Snake in a low whisper so that only he would hear her. "Listen, when I yell 'now', drop to the ground," she whispered to him. Seeing the dubious look on his face, she added, "Just trust me." Snake then nodded his head in silent approval.
"I ain't got all day, damnit!" blasted the second voice again. "Now, drop your gun and kiss the ground, or...."
"NOW!!" screamed Hikaru, and Snake immediately dropped down. Then, before either of the guards could react, Hikaru shrieked out "FLAME ARROW!" , launching her fire spell. The blast of super-hot flame passed harmlessly over Snake and slammed right into the two guards. A pair of blood-curdling screams told her that she had hit her target.
Snake picked himself up off the ground and looked back at the two guards. "Just what the hell was that?!" he demanded, and looked back at Hikaru.
But Hikaru was in no condition to answer; she stared at the bodies of her victims, tears forming in her fiery red eyes. They were horribly charred, and neither of them were moving. They were dead. She had meant to only incapacitate them, not to kill them. She hadn't used her magic for so long, and being so out of practice, she miscalculated the strength of her spell.
"Listen, get a hold of yourself," Snake snapped, grabbing her by the arm. "Believe me, I know how you feel, but this fire's gonna attract more unwanted attention. We need to move, and now!"
Hikaru nodded wordlessly, still greif-stricken over unwittingly killing two people. Before, she had faced vicious monsters that were the manifestations of the fears of Cephiro's people, and had little problem with using her powers on them. She hadn't expected her spell to be so deadly to ordinary humans, and she half-expected them to dive out of harm's way. She didn't think that...
"This way," said Snake, still holding her tightly by the arm as he took off. Hikaru hurriedly followed along, as the two began their mission to ensure the safety of their world.....
The adventure continues in Chapter 4.
So long,
Grey Fox
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover
Chapter 3: The Gathering
3-27-2003
by Grey Fox
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.
*****
For a long time, the only sound Snake had been hearing was that of the thick Alaskan snow crunching underneath his feet. The powerful, biting winds from the previous night could no longer be heard, as they had finally subsided. This gave Snake the opportunity to venture outdoors and chop down a small tree for some firewood. And even with his heavy winter clothes on, the reason why he needed that firewood so badly was painfully apparent; it was FRIGGIN' COLD.
It had taken about half an hour to find a good, suitable tree to cut down. Snake tended to only cut down the small, sickly trees that had no hope of surviving the harsh Alaskan winter, rather than cut down a healthy tree. Still, he had qualms about having to chop down a tree for his own needs. "Hell, I can't even kill a tree without feeling some degree of guilt," he thought aloud.
After chopping down the tree with a hatchet, Snake began dragging it back to his home, the log cabin he had built for himself when he came to Alaska. Wasting no time, he dragged it over to the side of his house and began to chop up the downed tree into pieces small enough for his fireplace. Not only was this getting him the firewood he needed, it was also physical work, which always helped him get his mind off of things. And right now, there was a lot on his mind; specifically, the whacked-out dream from the night before.
*Ridiculous,* thought Snake as he continued to vigorously hack away at the tree. *Some old lady called Future who watches over time? Give me a friggin' break. What's next, psychokinetic soldiers and mystical Inuit shaman?* he thought bitterly. *Me being the destined hero to save the day once again? Ha! What a load of bull.* But as Snake carried on with his work, he couldn't help but think that the woman in his dream was right about one thing: he always seemed to be the one who had to fight Metal Gear. Three times now, it was he, David, who had to play the part of the proverbial David that slew Goliath. In this case, Goliath was that damned nuclear-armed, bipedal death machine.
*That stupid dream must've been my subconscious trying to make sense of how it was always me who had to fight that damn machine, or something,* Snake figured. *Heh, Sigmund Freud would have one hell of a field day psychoanalyzing me, that's for sure,* he thought, a wry smile forming on his face.
Eventually, Snake had finished his task. Tucking four logs under each arm, he made his way to the front door, and, with some difficulty, opened it. *Finally,* he thought, *I can start a fire and get some decent heat in my house.* But once he stepped inside, he dropped the logs out of shock, seeing something that most definitely should not have been there.
It was Future, the mysterious old woman from his dream. She was standing there in the middle of the room, as if she had been waiting for him.
For a moment, the two of them stood there, neither uterring a word. Snake just stared at Future, refusing to believe what his eyes were telling him, refusing to believe the person he had seen in a dream was now standing inside his house. A thought came to him: *Damnit, this is just another dream. It has to be.*
As if she had just read his thoughts, Future spoke. "This is not another dream, David. I told you I would meet you again, in person, face-to-face. And here I am."
Snake shook his head violently, and then buried his face in his hands. *Oh God, I'm must be going crazy,* he thought bitterly to himself. But again, as if she had read Snake's turbulent thoughts, she walked right up to him and spoke.
"Does this feel like the touch of a hallucination, a manifestation of a mind gone mad?" she asked him, reaching out with one tiny, frail hand and grasping his arm. Snake looked at her. Despite the thick winter clothing he had on, he could feel Future's touch through them.
"Alright, so this isn't a dream, and you're not a hallucination," Snake finally admitted. "So why are you here? What do you want from me?"
Taking a deep breath, Future began to explain. "As I told you before, the world needs you again. Metal Gear still remains, and if you don't do something about it and soon..." She let the sentence dangle, knowing full well Snake had a pretty good idea what she would have said if she had continued.
"But why ME?!" Snake bellowed, his loud voice echoing throughout his home. "Why is it me who always has to go through all that?! All that pain and suffering?!"
"I can offer you no concrete answer, David," replied Future, turning from Snake and walking back to where she had previously stood. "All I am in an overseer of history, and an interpreter of what fate and destiny dictate. All I know is that you're the only one who can do this."
Snake then got an ugly, hateful look on his face. "And what if I decide I don't want to go through all that again? What if I just say "Screw destiny" and refuse to take part in this little war game? What then?" he cried vehemently, the anger, and the hurt, apparent in his voice.
"And go back on the words you uttered almost a year ago?" said Future sharply.
"What do you mean?" asked a confused Snake.
"Didn't you yourself agree that instead of running from one's past, one should turn and face it head-on? Didn't you say that you wanted nothing less than the complete destruction of the demons that have haunted you?" replied Future in a biting tone. Snake hung his head low, knowing that Future had pinned him; he indeed had said those things before. Future continued. "Besides, I know you live with a great deal of pain. But how would you feel if disaster strikes the world, and you had to live with the knowledge that you stood by and let it happen? As the old saying goes: 'Evil thrives when good men do nothing.' "
"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT! You win, you win!" Snake screamed, throwing up his arms in defeat. But even though he had admitted Future was right didn't mean he was going to like it. Pyro Bison couldn't have been more wrong about him; just because he was almost unbeatable in battle didn't mean that he relished the chance to re-enter the battlefield once again. "But before I agree to do this for you, I need for you to tell me about some of the finer points about this mission."
"Well, at least I've finally convinced you," said Future, a smile forming on her aged, sagely face. "But what exactly do you mean by the 'finer points' ?" she asked.
"For one thing, you talk about me as if I'm some superhero who's always ready to charge blindly into battle. I've got news for you lady, things don't work out that way in real life. The other three times I did this, at least I was briefed about where I was going and what the situation was," Snake explained, not bothering to mention how a lot of information was withheld from him during his past missions, especially during his return trip to Outer Heaven. "Not only that, I didn't exactly work alone. I had backup support, people I stayed in contact with, provided me with information..."
"I will tell you all about the place where the remaining Metal Gear is housed right before you go," spoke up Future, cutting Snake off. "As for the backup support you speak of, I'm afraid you will not have that luxury this time." Seeing the vexed look on Snake's face, she went on. "However, you will be provided with a suitable replacement for that backup."
"And what, exactly, is that?" said Snake queurously, curious as to what Future would say.
"You will have an ally in the field. And she will fight side-by-side with you," she explained to him.
Snake couldn't believe this. This woman was supposed to know all about him, but she must have known he would never agree to this. His mind flashed back to Holly White and Chris Jenner, and how they had been captured by the enemy and almost killed because they had sided with him. And Future had said this ally was a 'she'. "Forget it lady! There was no way I'd allow another woman's life to be put at risk because of me!!" Snake hollered angrily.
"Just trust me on this one, David," said Future, smiling again, "this girl will be perfect for you."
"Why do you say that?" asked Snake bitterly.
"Because, throughout all of history, she is possibly the only one who has suffered like you have," explained Future. "That is why she is meant to fight alongside you in this upcoming battle." Snake was about to protest again, still not convinced, but before he could, Future spoke again. "You're not going just yet. I'll give you about an hour to prepare your mind and body for the task at hand. I've provided you with the necessary items to begin with," she said, pointing to a box at her right Snake hadn't noticed until now. "Until that time comes, I bid you farewell David." And with that, she vanished into thin air.
For a while, Snake stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at where Future had previously stood, his mind trying to register what he had just witnessed. Then his gaze turned to the box Future had pointed out. It was a cardboard box. *Well, it looks like this old lady has a bit of a sense of humor,* thought Snake grimly.
********
Snake paced impatiently around the room, waiting for Future to return. Not that he was exactly eager to get on with what Future planned to have him do, but rather just to get this over with as soon as possible.
His thoughts drifted back to what Big Boss had told him during their second and final battle, about how he said he would never be able to stay away from the battlefields. Snake had to agree it looked like Big Boss was right, but not because he wanted to, but because he really had no choice. Future was right. He would never really be at peace with himself if he knew any trace of Metal Gear still remained. He had to face his destiny.
Snake looked down at himself, inspecting the suit that had been in the cardboard box Future had left behind. It looked suspiciously like the suit Campbell had provided for him a year ago during the mission to Galuade, except that suit had a bit of a blueish-purplish shade to it; this one was solid grey and black. Other than that, it looked and felt the same. Then he reached down to the suit's gun holster and pulled out the gun Future had provided as well; again, very similar to the last handgun he used, and already had a silencer connected to it. At least he wouldn't have to worry about have to procure a silencer on-site, or a gun to attach it with for that matter. Lastly, he reached into one of the suit's many pouches, and pulled out solid proof that Future probably knew all there was to know about him; a pack of Lucky Strikes cigarettes. He put the pack back in his pouch, deeply unnerved of the thought that Future knew so much about him and that all he knew about her was what she had decided to tell him. After being lied to and double-crossed so often, Snake found it extremely difficult to trust anyone. Yet he had already resolved to go along with it anyway, just like he always did. He knew he was very foolish in that respect.
Snake walked into his bedroom to get the one last item that was missing. Reaching into his nightstand drawer, he pulled out his bandana - the same one he had worn during all his previous missions - and promptly fastened it around his head. If he had to fight again, then he'd definitely take one of his most prized possessions with him.
"I see you are prepared to depart," came that now-too-familiar voice from behind him. Snake spun around to see Future standing in the doorway, eyeing him with an expectant look.
"You really have a nasty habit of showing up out of nowhere, you know that? But yeah, I'm ready," replied Snake curtly. "But first, I have some more questions for you," he said, the distrust still evident in his deep voice.
"Very well then, you may ask whatever questions you wish, and I will do my best to answer them," said Future.
Snake still wasn't entirely confident she was telling him everything, but went ahead with the questions he had for her. "First off, tell me about this 'ally' you said you were providing me."
Future smiled and said, "For that, you'll have to wait until you meet her."
"Still being cryptic about her, huh?" asked Snake irritably. "Can you at least tell me if this girl is going to be able to fight? She won't be much help if I constantly have to watch her back."
"Trust me on this, David: her combat skills are every bit up to par with your own, and she has powers the likes of which you have never seen," explained Future.
"Powers?" Snake repeated dubiously. "Care to tell me what you mean by 'powers'?"
"You'll see..." Future began, but Snake cut her off.
"When I meet her," Snake finished for her. "It's pretty obvious you won't tell me anything else about her. So why not tell me about just where the hell you're sending me to do history's dirty work?"
"As I've told you already, there is a secret base Parker had where he and those loyal to him had constructed another Metal Gear," stated Future. Snake wasn't surprised to hear that Parker did something like this, judging from what Weasel told him about the corrupt, unscrupulous tactics that both Parker and Gardner used in their private little war - the private little war he got stuck in the middle of a year ago. "The base is located in the Philippines," continued Future, "within the Sierra Madre mountain range of Luzon, the northernmost island of the nation. You'll have to find your way in there and neutralize Metal Gear, like you've done before."
"Secret base in the Philippines, huh? Anything else I should know about this place?" asked Snake impatiently.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you any more. It's beyond my jurisdiction to do so," replied Future.
"Yeah, whatever," snapped Snake, seeing he wasn't going to get any more out of Future about the base either. "Next, how am I supposed to get to this damn base? You got a plane I can use to skydive down into the mountain range? Or did you have something else in mind?"
"We have no need to undergo such an elaborate procedure," said Future with a gleam in her eye. "I shall take you there. Directly." With that, she walked toward Snake and reached out with her hand, taking Snake's in hers.
All of a sudden, a cold, clammy sensation swept over Snake, causing him to involuntarily shut his eyes tightly and grit his teeth. But as quickly as it took hold of him, that clammy feeling left him. Snake opened his eyes, at once noticing he was no longer in his Alaskan home, but instead, he now stood on a worn path in some mountainous, forested area. There was no hint of the fierce, wintry air of Alaska; rather, the air was quite warm. Snake had a hunch that this was the Sierra Madre, the mountain range in the Philippines where Future had told him his objective lay.
Snake looked down at Future, who had let go of his hand and backed away slightly from him. "So you teleported me here, huh? Mind giving me a little warning next time?" said Snake irritably.
"My apologies, David," said Future calmly. "But now, I'm afraid you must begin your difficult task."
"One more question though," said Snake quickly before Future had a chance to teleport away. "Why can't YOU do this yourself? You obviously have the power to. Why not use it to destroy Metal Gear yourself and spare me all this trouble?"
"That too, unfortunately, is beyond my jurisdiction," replied Future sadly. "I cannot affect events directly in such a manner, only guide those whose duty it is to affect history when there is need to, such as in this instance. Now David, you must begin, and I must depart, to fetch the ally who shall fight beside you." And with that, Future vanished again, leaving Snake alone.
"Damn!" yelled Snake, his shout echoing around him and scaring a few birds that were perched in a nearby tree. Snake chided himself as he watched the birds fly away; if he was going to get rid of this Metal Gear, he'd have to work silently and unseen like he always had before.
And the reason why made itself apparent relatively quickly. Snake could hear the sound of noisy footsteps approaching, as well as voices. Acting on instincts honed by years of experience in the battlefield, Snake deftly ducked behind a large tree along the footpath, where he would be out of sight of anyone who walked by.
As Snake patiently waited in that spot, he could hear the footsteps getting nearer, and the voices soon became intelligible. Snake listened attentively to what they were saying, hoping to possibly acquire some useful information.
"I'm tellin' ya, I heard SOMETHING around here!!" boomed a voice with a thick redneck accent.
"I agree. I'm certain I heard something too," came a second voice, this one with some sort of Asian accent Snake couldn't quite put his finger on. Snake's heartrate and breathing involuntarily picked up, fearing that he may be discovered already.
"Oh please, you two. Give me a break," came a third voice, this one with a heavy French accent. "Like anyone is going to come here. Hardly anyone knows about this place."
*Well now, so there IS something here someone doesn't want the world to know about,* thought Snake acidly as he heard the disgruntled groans of the other two people. Snake peered out from behind the tree, seeing three people in camouflage uniforms armed with M-16s, and they all had pouches at their sides filled with what Snake was certain were fragmentation grenades. Obviously, these three heavily armed men were here patrolling the area, fiercely guarding something. And thanks to Future, Snake had a good idea what it was.
The sound of an exploding rush of air pierced the silence Snake was trying to stealthily maintain. Once again, he heard the man with the southern accent speak. "Damnit, there's that sound again!"
"Fine, I'll go back and check it out," came the voice of the French-accented guard who had been skeptical before. "You two keep looking around here," the guard ordered before Snake heard footsteps going back in direction they came from earlier.
Once Snake heard the remaining two guards walk away in the opposite direction of their comrade, he breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for whatever sound had distracted them. But that relief was short-lived, as Snake's mind quickly registered the significance of what one of the guards had said: the second sound that had just alerted the guards was THE SAME as the one that had brought them to his location. And Future said she had gone to get this girl who was supposed to accompany him. That sound was probably her being teleported here. *DAMN!* thought Snake furiously as he ventured into the forest, heading to where he had heard the strange whooshing sound.
----------------------------------------------------------- -----
Hikaru stepped out of her house, gazing at the beautiful sunrise. She haad decided to get up early so she could get to school quickly to study for that algebra exam she had today, since she still wasn't confident she was prepared enough, even with Fuu's extensive tutoring. Forcing herself to calm down, she breathed in a lungful of fresh air and basked in the morning sunlight.
She was distracted by the barking of her beloved dog, Hikari. Hikaru looked down to see her good friend staring up at her with those adorable eyes that always managed to cheer her up. And that was something Hikaru still desperately needed, especially after that strange dream from three days ago that had really shaken her up. She knew that what was said in that dream probably wasn't true, but it still bothered her for some reason.
Hikaru bent down and began to pet Hikari, who then came closer to Hikaru's face to lick her cheek, like she always did whenever she felt Hikaru was in need of comforting. "Good morning Hikari," mumbled Hikaru, hugging her dog closer to her.
But then, Hikari's head shot up and looked around, and she emitted a low growl. For a moment, Hikaru wondered if she was mad at her about something, but she knew that couldn't be the case; the two loved each other far too much to ever be mad at each other. Evidently, it was something nearby that was disturbing Hikari, for she dashed away from Hikaru and into the nearby woods, barking at something. "Hikari, what is it?" Hikaru asked curiously, taking off after her dog.
Despite being in such good athletic shape, Hikaru had trouble following Hikari as she darted through the forest. When she finally caught up to her, it was because she had stopped. She was sitting, wagging her tail and looking up at someone. Hikaru almost had a heart attack when she saw who it was: the mysterious woman from her dream that had called herself Future. The old woman reached down and stracthed behind Hikari's ears, who growled in appreciation. "You have a very loyal friend here, Hikaru," said Future solemnly.
Hikaru stared blankly at the elderly woman, unable to believe what her own eyes were telling her. "A-Are... are you..." she stammered, barely able to form the words, "are you r-really... the person I saw in my dream?"
"I most certainly am," said Future in a very matter-of-fact way, turning from Hikari to face her.
"And are you really going to take me to the future, like you said before?" Hikaru asked.
"Again, you are correct, my dear child," replied the elderly woman. "Like I said before, your future is in serious jeopardy, and you will be needed to save it."
"Listen, I don't want to be rude or anything," said Hikaru hastily, still not fully accepting what Future was telling her, "but I can't just rush into a battle I know nothing about. A fight I'm not prepared for."
"You are afraid you'll regret your actions, just like you regret what happened in Cephiro," Future responded earnestly. "I won't lie to you; what you have to go through will be difficult. But you will have to perservere; millions of lives depend on it. And I can prepare you. For one thing, I can return to you the powers you had while in Cephiro."
"Y-you can give me back my magic?" asked a confused Hikaru.
"Yes, my dear child, I can make it so you can use your magic here on Earth," said Future. "You will be able to use the two magic spells you wielded before, and you'll have the armor and sword you had before. And I'm allowed to tell you that you'll even develop a third magical power you didn't have before, and this new power will become crucial to completing your quest. I can also prepare you in subtler ways that'll become apparent the further you progress in your mission. But unfortunately, the one thing I cannot do for you is give you the ability to re-summon your Mashin, Rayearth. It would be so fitting if a robot that is the embodiment of everything that is dark and evil in the human heart was destroyed by a robot-like entity controlled by one of the purest hearts ever to exist," stated Future with a smile.
"Robot?" repeated Hikaru. "You mean that wrecked thing you showed me in my dream?"
"Precisely. It's a bipedal, armored tank capable of launching a nuclear weapon from anywhere on the planet." Hikaru shuddered upon hearing this, vividly recalling history classes that taught how her own country was once the victim of a nuclear attack. "There is another one that needs to be destroyed," Future continued, "and you have to help make sure that happens."
Hikaru then voiced another concern she had. "What about Umi and Fuu? It's their future at stake too. Can't they come with me?"
"They cannot accompany you this time," Future said, shaking her head. "However, you won't have to fight this battle alone. You will have an ally in the field, someone who I'm sure you'll be able to trust and work with effectively."
"What makes you say that?" asked Hikaru, wondering just who this 'ally' could be.
"Because he is probably the only other soul in all of history who has suffered as you have," stated Future in a sad tone. "Plus, he is the one that has faced this threat before - or rather from your point of view, WILL face this threat, since in your present time, none of the incidents involving Metal Gear have happened yet. But on this specific occasion, he'll need help, and fate has decreed you will be the one to provide it."
"Who is he?" asked Hikaru queurolously. "What's his name?"
A sad smile formed on Future's face. "I don't need to tell you his name. Trust me, with your gift of empathy, you'll know it's him from the moment you first see him," said Future. "Now come, my dear child, it is time to depart." Future then reached out with her hand and grabbed Hikaru's. All of a sudden, a cold chill shot down Hikaru's spine, and felt as if icy cold air was enveloping her, forcing her to painfully screw her eyes shut. Soon enough, however, the Hikaru felt the sensation fade away, and she opened here eyes, immediately noticing her surroundings had changed. She still stood within a forest, but the vegetation around her was quite different. She looked up, noticing that the sky was different too; before it had been clear and cloudless, and now opaque, greyish clouds filled the sky. As Future let go of her hand and backed away, Hikaru looked down at herself, noticing that the same armor Clef had provided at the beginning of her journey in Cephiro was now being worn over her school uniform. "As I said earlier, I can provide you with your magic, weapon, and armor, as well as some other things, which you'll notice as you progress," continued Future.
"Where am I?" asked Hikaru breathlessly as she looked around, still nervous and surprised. "What is this place?"
"The place where your quest begins, Hikaru," replied Future. The Sierra Madre mountain range in the Philippines. Now, I am not permitted to guide you any further. I must depart. I wish you luck, Hikaru Shidou." And with that, she teleported away, leaving Hikaru alone with her own turbulent thoughts. She looked down again, this time noticing that she was standing along a worn footpath that cut through the forest she now found herself in.
*I guess I should head along this path, and see where it takes me,* Hikaru logically decided. *But there are two ways to go. How am I to know which way leads to wherever I'm supposed to.....*
"DON'T MOVE!" boomed a loud voice from behind her.
Hikaru yelped at the sound of the loud voice, but after she got over her surprise, she noticed something funny about the language of the words that had just been spoken to her. It was not in Japanese, but instead, from what Hikaru could tell, it was in English. Yet, miraculously, she could understand this guy as easily as if he had spoken Japanese.
"Now hands in the air, and turn around. Slowly," the voice commanded. Forcing herself to put aside the confusion resulting from being able to understand a language she didn't know, she did as she was told. Once she had turned around, she saw a man clad in a camouflage army uniform, pointing a very menacing-looking gun at her. *Well, whoever this 'ally' I'm supposed to meet is, it's certainly not him,* thought Hikaru bitterly.
"All right, you," snapped the man, "I want to know who the hell you are, and what you're doing here."
"M-My name is Hikaru, and I-I don't know how I got here," stammered Hikaru, her voice catching in her throat as she did so. Not only could she now understand English, but she could speak it as easily as she spoke Japanese! *How is this possible?* Hikaru asked herself, momentarily forgetting there was someone pointing a gun at her. Then she remembered how Future said she had prepared her in 'subtler ways'. *I guess making it so I could understand and speak English was one of them,* Hikaru deduced.
"Bullshit!" yelled the armed guard. "No one bothers coming to this area of the mountains. Now you better...."
The guard never managed to complete his last sentence, for he lapsed into unconsciousness and collapsed onto the ground. For a few seconds, Hikaru stared at his unmoving body, wondering why he had suddenly collapsed. She then looked up to see that there was another man standing behind the fallen body. But this one was much different: he wore some sort of dark grey body suit with thick, black, muscle-molded body armor covering his chest. Her eyes turned to what this new guy was holding: a simple handgun, which Hikaru guessed he had slammed into the back of the guard's head to knock him unconscious. She then looked at his face, and for some reason she couldn't understand, she was totally fixed on his face. The man had thick, short brown hair and wore a black bandana. But what Hikaru really found compelling were his eyes; eyes that seemed to hold of world of hurt, eyes belonging to a man that had suffered for a long time. She'd seen the same look in Umi and Fuu's eyes countless times after they had returned from Cephiro, only for this man, it seemed far far worse. If what Future said about how she would spot her companion was true, than this was unmistakably him. And what this mysterious man said next provided the final bit of proof she would need.
"You're the one?" he asked. "The one that old lady called Future sent?"
Hikaru stared blankly at him for a few seconds, once again overcome with surprise. "Y-Yes, that's me. My name is Hikaru," she said after a lengthy period of time.
"Solid Snake," he replied briskly. "Now that we got the indroductions outta the way, let's get the hell outta here before anyone else finds us."
"Too late for that, Mr. Legend!" came a loud voice from being him; a voice with what Hikaru recognized to be a Korean accent.
"You're not going anywhere, except maybe straight to hell, Snake!" came a second voice. "Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air. Same goes for the little girl over there!" he rudely commanded.
*Well, this is certainly a fine way to start off,* thought Hikaru sarcasticly. But then, Hikaru realized she had one option left to her to take out the two guards. It wouldn't be pretty, but it was their only shot. Besides, this guy, this... 'Snake', had just saved her tail. *Now, I guess it's my turn to return the favor.* She spoke to Snake in a low whisper so that only he would hear her. "Listen, when I yell 'now', drop to the ground," she whispered to him. Seeing the dubious look on his face, she added, "Just trust me." Snake then nodded his head in silent approval.
"I ain't got all day, damnit!" blasted the second voice again. "Now, drop your gun and kiss the ground, or...."
"NOW!!" screamed Hikaru, and Snake immediately dropped down. Then, before either of the guards could react, Hikaru shrieked out "FLAME ARROW!" , launching her fire spell. The blast of super-hot flame passed harmlessly over Snake and slammed right into the two guards. A pair of blood-curdling screams told her that she had hit her target.
Snake picked himself up off the ground and looked back at the two guards. "Just what the hell was that?!" he demanded, and looked back at Hikaru.
But Hikaru was in no condition to answer; she stared at the bodies of her victims, tears forming in her fiery red eyes. They were horribly charred, and neither of them were moving. They were dead. She had meant to only incapacitate them, not to kill them. She hadn't used her magic for so long, and being so out of practice, she miscalculated the strength of her spell.
"Listen, get a hold of yourself," Snake snapped, grabbing her by the arm. "Believe me, I know how you feel, but this fire's gonna attract more unwanted attention. We need to move, and now!"
Hikaru nodded wordlessly, still greif-stricken over unwittingly killing two people. Before, she had faced vicious monsters that were the manifestations of the fears of Cephiro's people, and had little problem with using her powers on them. She hadn't expected her spell to be so deadly to ordinary humans, and she half-expected them to dive out of harm's way. She didn't think that...
"This way," said Snake, still holding her tightly by the arm as he took off. Hikaru hurriedly followed along, as the two began their mission to ensure the safety of their world.....
The adventure continues in Chapter 4.
So long,
Grey Fox