SD Gundam Fan Fiction ❯ The Flame of the Rose Revived ❯ Heated Up ( Chapter 2 )

Honestly, I dunno how I am able to type these chapters up so fast! (Wish I could say the same for my other stories ^_^''')

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Baku and Zero followed the little troll down the hall of the building to the back. Baku strutted confidently while Zero glanced about.

" Out here…" The troll opened a door that led to a little battle platform on chains outside. Baku looked under it to see…

" B-b-BUGS?!" Baku swallowed. There was an assortment of creepy crawlies under the platform.

" Not just any bugs!" The troll grabbed something out from a box next to the door. He held up a ham leg, then tossed it into the pit of bugs. In an instant, the bugs jumped up to latch onto it. Baku twitched as he watched the bugs devour the meat in less than five seconds.

" Carnivorous bugs!!" The troll seemed to be very happy about this, but Baku sure as hell wasn't.

" Baku…" Baku turned to look at Zero. He was about to say something further, but the troll coughed, getting their attention.

" Aaaaaaaaand here's who you'll have to fight…. MARK!!" Baku raised an invisible eyebrow. Mark? How bad can a guy named Mark be??

A large mecha that resembled a prey mantis suddenly jumped out from the pool of bugs and onto the platform. Baku twitched.

" Bugs…I HATE…bugs…" Baku has always had a phobia of bugs ever since he was little.

#########

A little Bakunetsumaru ran happily through the streets to his home. He pushed the door open and ran in happily.

" Papa, Papa--" Baku then screamed as a giant dragonfly buzzed over to him, knocking him over. It stared hungrily at the little musha, but then suddenly disappeared in a smoke of blue.

" Oh, sorry Baku-kun," his father said casually. " I guess I need work on my summoning magic…"

Baku stared at his father wide eyed for a moment, then passed out. (A/N: LOL)

##########

Baku swallowed, but tried not to look scared. ` This is for Litho…' he kept saying to himself.

" Are you mad, cad?!" Zero suddenly yelled at the troll. " That's a Mantrina!!" Baku blinked.

" What's a Mantrina?"

" That thing, Einstein," the troll barked, jabbing a thumb towards the waiting mecha. Zero shot the troll a glare.

" Mantrinas are dangerous apparitions," Zero said, " Maybe…you should just…"

" Just what?"

" Just….leave this battle to me. I mean, you are a mortal…and if you screw up…" Zero trailed off.

" Zero!" Baku narrowed his eyes. " Are you calling me weak!?" Zero rolled his shoulders.

" Well, I didn't say that…"

" But you're hinting it!" Baku spat. " You think I can't handle it!"

" That's right, you can't. These things will tear you apart!" Zero said. " Look, I just don't want you to get hurt…"

" Zero, I don't CARE if I get hurt!" Baku growled, " Look, I've already told you that I'm fighting too! So what if there are big scary bugs? I don't care! I'm not gonna be a cheerleader!"

" Bakunetsumaru, you need to learn your limits!" Zero yelled.

" Oh, like you're the big tough guy who always saves the day!?"

" What does THAT mean??!" The troll and the Mantrinas blinked as they watched the Gundams argue.

" What do you think? I remember when I used to fish your ass out of the deep end of the pool when you were in too deep!"

" Ha! That's a laugh," Zero said while crossing his arms. " I'm the one always rescuing you, my damsel in distress." A red vain throbbed on Baku's head as he clenched his fists.

" WHAT did you call me!?" Zero realized what he just said.

" Baku, I-I didn't mean--" Baku shot Zero a death glare, making the knight shut up.

" Let's get it on!!" Baku stormed over to the platform and jumped onto it, obviously he was more than just ticked off at the moment.

" Baku--!"

" SHUT UP!" Zero and the troll both sweatdroped while blinking nervously at the steaming musha. Baku drew out his swords and glared at his opponent, who started to sweat nervously.

" Er…Krill…" Mark looked at the troll. Krill sweatdroped.

" Uhhhh…Why don't you take some time to cool off before starting the ma--" Baku's head snapped towards Krill's direction as he poised his swords threateningly. " T…a…never mind….?"

" Secret arts…" Baku growled, while making fiery circles in the air. His temper seemed to have fueled his attack. " Bakunetsuuuu…"

Mark twitched nervously, then looked at Krill. Krill shrugged, then made a cross over his chest with a hand motion, making Zero jump away from him.

" TENGYO KEN!!!!!" Baku charged at the mecha and slashed his swords down violently, causing the Mantrinas to fly out of the ring from impact.

Mark lay in the pit, unharmed by the bugs, but was scorched head to toe. Baku breathed heavily, still looking mad.

" Who else wants some!?" Mark jumped, then ran off to hide behind the little troll. Krill sighed.

" Fine…you win…" Zero facefaulted.

" B-but I thought the Mantrinas were basically unbeatable!!" Zero exclaimed.

" That was before they started interbreeding about fifty years back, kid," Krill said. " But uh, don't tell anyone about that…"

" Then WHY did you have them fight?!"

" Well, Mark doesn't know how to fight…but since his race's reputation is legendary, everyone runs off!" Zero sweatdroped.

Baku walked down the steps of the platform, and passed Krill and Mark. " I'd say I'm in then," Baku said. He then looked at the two threateningly. " Right?"

" Um-yeah, yeah!!" They both nodded quickly. " Good."

" Um…" Baku walked past Zero without looking at him. " Baku…?"

" I am so not talking to you," Baku glowered.

" But…" Zero took a step forward to follow the musha, but was suddenly stopped as one of Baku's swords pointed to his neck.

" Who's the damsel now?!" Baku sheathed his sword heatedly and stormed off. Zero stared off after Baku.

" I…didn't mean it…" Zero whispered.

***

Baku went into a bar later on, and had a drink as he sat on a stool at the table. He sighed, feeling a bit better now that he was a bit light headed. He didn't have a lot to where he was drunk, just a bit …lightheaded.

" Damsel…Pheh!" Baku chewed on an ice cube as he sat in the dimly lit bar.

" Excuse me…" Baku glanced over his right shoulder to see a normal looking gray and red mecha. " Mind if I join you?" Baku mentally raised an invisible eyebrow, but nodded. He sat down next to him and smiled.

" You're new here, aren't you?"

" Yeah.." He blinked. " You don't sound too happy, is there anything I can do to help?" Baku shook his head.

" Nah, I'll get over it after I hit him over the head for a while…" Baku realized he didn't know what he was talking about. " Um…"

" Brother getting on your nerves or something?" Baku slowly nodded. " Um, yeah, my older brother…"

" I know how that is…" He ordered a drink for the two of them. " …I can tell that you're still alive…Do you know how dangerous it is to be alive in this city?" he asked. Baku shook his head.

" Not really, a friend of mine said there's a lot of leeches here, but that's it." The guy chuckled.

" Adorable, you're so oblivious---I didn't mean that in a negative way," he said, noticing Baku's look. " I mean that there aren't a lot of people who would talk about something like that without glancing behind them or twitching." Baku smiled.

" By the way…My name is Bakunetsumaru," Baku said, extending a hand to him. The new mecha took it.

" Darlin." He let go of Baku's hand. " Say, would you care to take a walk? A bar is only so comforting in the first fifteen minutes…then the smoke gags ya." Baku giggled.

" Sure."

***

" ….You are the stupidest Gundam in this city, and believe me, this place is FILLED with idiots!!!" Kane snapped at Zero when he got to the hotel they were going to stay at.

" But I couldn't go after him!"

" And WHY not?!"

" He…um…." Zero didn't want to admit that Baku scared him for that time being. Course, anyone would be scared of that samurai if he was mad.

" Well, we better get on the look out for him immediately," Kane said. " I heard that one of the five lords here have been picking out some of our kind for sport…I don't even want to imagine what he'd do if he met up with Baku…"

Zero drew in a shuddered breath, feeling scared for Baku. ` I'm such an idiot…' he said to himself. ` I'm such a stupid bastard for letting him go off like that…'

****

Darlin and Baku walked through the less crowed streets that evening together. Darlin would always try to get close to Baku as they walked, but Baku was able to evade that by moving over a bit. Darlin liked him and he knew it….damn, why didn't he see it earlier?

" So, where are you from?" Darlin asked.

" Ark."

" Huh?"

" Ark!"

" Bark?"

" No, no, A-R-K. That's where I'm from!" Darlin sweatdroped.

" Oh, my bad." Baku rolled his eyes. " What about you? Have you been here long?" Baku asked.

" About three hundred and fifty two thousand years…" Baku facefaulted.

" Geeze! That's a pretty damn long time!!" the musha exclaimed. Darlin nodded. " Are you…um…a vampire….?" Darlin blinked, then laughed.

" No! Of course not!"

" Uhhh, then what are you?" He shrugged. " Just a mecha that was created without a soul." Baku tilted his head curiously.

" No soul….?" Darlin nodded sadly. " That's right….you see…."

***

" …The soulless Masters are not exactly the undead, but they basically count as us in some ways because having no soul is like being, well, dead," Kane explained as they flew over buildings, trying to find Baku.

" So, why are they masters?" Zero asked, nearly hitting into a tall building. Kane rolled his eyes at Zero's carelessness.

" Because back in the early days of necromancy, they somehow revived bodies that had their personalities and everything that resembled them emotionally and mentally as they did in life. But they couldn't have souls…and most soulless things have a more bloodthirsty nature then lets say us." Kane paused. " Did I mention they destroy souls?"

Zero nearly fell out of the sky in panic. " WHAT?!"

" Yeah, that's why the five masters are so dangerous, because they destroy souls as well as minds…"

" FUCK!" Zero shouted. " We-we gotta find Baku now!!" Zero turned to pick up speed and race off, but instead turned his head to see a building in the last second before he hit it.

Kane stopped in midair and looked at Zero. " Are you okay?"

" I'm….okay…." Zero then slid off the building. Kane sweatdroped. " God…what a dork."