Post by Emperor Ninjin Hattori on Jul 9, 2015 1:13:52 GMT -5
There was a weak knock on the door. The Emperor of Beta Major cocked an eyebrow and checked the floating time-display on his desk. It was far too late for anyone on official business to be knocking on his door. Still no fear touched his heart, his power was absolute. What could someone who had the power to rival gods have to fear, especially at something as trivial as flesh on metal? Still, something about the knock set him on edge. There was something familiar about the ki signature that stood behind the door, but he couldn’t quite place it. It filled him with a slight sense of dread, but how could such a small power do such a thing?
The door slid open with a sigh and for a moment Ninjin’s heart stopped. The first to enter was Kuda. Years had passed since the Saiyan had seen the creature, thought dead here on Omega. His face was as gaunt as the Emperor remembered, his entire body seemed to be shaking with the force of simply holding itself up. Ninjin knew better, knew what power was contained within that frail frame.
“How?” The question escaped his lips before he could stifle it down. The Necromancer met him with a knowing smile. Ninjin pressed a button under his desk and the silent alarm was activated. In moments the guards would join them.
“One would think that once returned from the dead such as yourself would understand “how” such things come to be. I heard of your venture to one of our grand worlds, and of the outcome of that event.” Ninjin stood and the Necromancer winced backwards and held up his hands in defense. The Emperor crossed his arms. Before when they had fought it had been on an even playing field. He was a prince at the time, and had had a fraction of the training and power that he now possessed. The Necromancer seemed to have barely changed at all, though gone were the conspicuous symbols representing the Universal Church of One. That much Ninjin was curious about, and so stayed his hand for the moment.
Two large imperial guards appeared and towered over the frail old man. Kuda did not even turn around to acknowledge them. They looked to the Emperor for orders but he held up a hand and stayed them for the moment.
“Explain why I shouldn’t send you back to whatever Hell I sent you the first time. Quickly.” There was no mistaking the tone, nor the message. Kuda nodded and leaned on his staff.
“You did kill me Saiyan. Something I would have thought impossible at the time. No doubt you could do so again, this time hardly breaking a sweat. I was made arrogant by the Church, and by the honeyed words of Aon and Warlock, and the damned cardinals. It did nothing to protect me from Hell, and the tortures that were waiting for me. My prayers fell upon deaf ears, closed when I went through that grand last door.” The Emperor continued to eye his former enemy. The sudden intrusion from his past was not something that he had been prepared for. Kuda stared around the large penthouse office of the new PTO. Kudo’s admission did nothing to placate the Emperor.
“Some surprise your “god” betrayed you.” The Saiyan scoffed. In all his dealings with both the Church and the god they worshiped he had never known them to be particularly loyal, nor helpful towards each other. Kuda simply nodded.
“It was. All my life I had devoted myself to Aon and his truth. To be abandoned so utterly by one I loved. One I served. There were tortures in Hell, but few that came close.” There was obvious pain in the old wizened man’s voice. For a brief moment, one that lasted hardly a nanosecond yet was there all the same, Ninjin felt for the man. Betrayal was something he could relate to. Recently two whom he had loved had betrayed him cruelly, and had cost him the life and soul of his child. The moment of empathy came and went.
“It would have been smart of you to take a ship off of Omega at the first chance you got Kuda. Why did you return? Why did you seek me out?”
The old man nodded. For a moment he seemed to struggle with the words he was trying to say. Though the two had only interacted briefly Ninjin had never seen the creature look anything other than angered and possessed with a rage to destroy Saiyans and the enemies of the Church. This, a complete removal from that, unnerved the Saiyan.
“I had not imagined, nor expected, my presence to be welcome. I came because I have a favor to beg of you, my Emperor.”
Ninjin’s mouth set into a line and his jaw moved back and forth as he debated what to do to the old man in front of him. His ears could hardly believe the words that had just come from the old man. A flash of anger passed through him, but he suppressed it. It had taken all his strength to not Death Beam the former bishop as he had entered the room. Listening to him for longer wasn’t likely to change his mind, yet he still stayed his attack. The Emperor’s eyes scanned the creature up and down and scoffed.
“And why, pray tell, should I, would I, do anything for you?” Kuda was one of the last people that could come to Ninjin and request favors. There was a list in Ninjin’s mind of all of the creatures he had killed. The majority of them came from The Church. The man had worked for his greatest enemy, had killed another in cold blood right in front of him, and had tried his best to do everything to kill him too. Ninjin’s stance grew at once more defensive and aggressive.
Kuda’s eyes suddenly could not meet Ninjin’s and the floor became very interesting. A sudden shock rippled through the Saiyan as he realized the old man was… crying. Large wet tears fell from his eyes and smacked into the floor.
“…It’s my son.”
“Damnit…” The Emperor muttered it under his breath and uncrossed his arms. Those were the only three words that Kuda possible could have said to gain sympathy from Ninjin. Kuda’s eyes met Ninjin’s and the former Crown Prince stared back, studying.
“When I died, they promised to take care of Malfurion. To ensure that he lived a good and peaceful life. What they did instead…” Ninjin’s heart’s pace quickened. Had they done to the child of one of their own what they had done to his? Would they be that heartless? There was no doubt in his heart or mind that they would. They would do such a thing without even batting an eyelash if it meant furthering their cause against those they despised.
“Go on.” He needed to hear the words from the Necromancer himself. Needed to hear what they had done to his child.
“He is in a compound. One hidden out here on Beta. They’ve taken him and they’re going to do something to him, I’m not sure what.” There was fear in his voice. Fear like Ninjin had only seen right before the moment of his death, and yet event that paled in comparison to that in Kuda’s eyes now. The Saiyan growled in his throat. The thought of a Universal Church of One compound still being located on Omega irked him. Kuda or no, he would be paying it a visit.
“Why not just wait for them to kill your child and then bring him back. You are a necromancer.” The words sounded harsh even as they came out to the Emperor, and yet they made logical sense. If one had the ability to raise the dead, why not use it. Kuda shook his head.
“They mean to do unspeakable things to him. Warp him in a way that I would never get him back, living or dead. It is… it is monstrous.” The Necromancer hung his head. Flashes of their fight, of the creatures that this being had been responsible for sending after him. What he had had to do in order to defeat them.
“Strange words coming from you.” Kuda looked away as though he had been slapped. There hung an awkward moment of silence in between them. Finally Kuda broke it.
“I had nowhere else to go...” He croaked the words out, and once again his large tears began to patter the floor. “I have suffered through Hell, I was tortured for what felt like eons. I would take it all up again to know that Malfurion was safe. That he would not end up with his soul destroyed and body warped.”
“Why not make a deal with a demon? I’m sure you met plenty in Hell.” The words sounded harsh even to himself, but his face did not show it. Kuda shook his head sadly and once again his eyes met the Saiyan’s.
“That’s what I’m doing now.” Ninjin twitched backwards in response to the words. To those that followed the edicts of the Church he was the demon. The enemy number one. With a start he realized it would be like him going to Invictus for a favor, something he doubted he would have done, would have been able to do even with Azuki on the line. Perhaps Kuda had more character than simply being an old necromancer. Certainly more bravery than Ninjin would have ever given him credit for before.
“I can pay you…” They were said desperately. The bargain of a man who would give all for one thing. Ninjin shook his head after a moment his mouth still set into a line, and Kuda sobs grew louder and his body wracked with them.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this…” The Emperor muttered under his breath and then walked over to Kuda. The old man winced with every step that Ninjin took towards him. The towering Imperial guards loomed over his shoulder.
“Please…please….” The words came out through the sobs. The man was literally begging, and Ninjin wasn’t sure he was solely talking to him anymore, but rather anything that cared to listen. Kuda nearly left his skin when Ninjin placed a hand on his shoulder. His eyes came up with fear, this one for his own life.
“I’m going to help you.”
For a moment Kuda could only stare at the Emperor. Then his face crumpled once more and he began to sob, though Ninjin suspected these ones were of a different source. In his travels he had seen why hope looked like in the eyes of others, and sure enough it was now present in Kudas.
“You are going to tell me exactly where this compound is. You are going to tell me exactly how to get into it. Then I’m going to go rescue your son, and any other child they’re holding hostage there.”
Kuda began to nod vehemently. A familiar ki signature walked into the room, and Ninjin turned to see Aella standing there studying the old man.
“You pressed the silent alarm because of him?” She walked over and leaned against Ninjin’s desk, keep her eyes fixed on Kuda the entire time.
“Yes my love, I’d like you to meet Kuda. I killed him and he decided not to stay that way. He is a bishop of the Un-” Kuda held up a hand to this, and wiped his face on the back of a long sleeve.
“Former bishop. I’d like to think that I’ve reformed.” Whether he was trying to convince Ninjin and Aella, or himself, Ninjin wasn’t sure. The statement did not seem to be a lie though, and if what Kuda was telling him was true than Ninjin had no reason to doubt him. If it wasn’t, than Ninjin was going to kill him. He had done it before with much less power than he currently wielded.
“Hell will do that for you apparently.” Aella’s eyebrow’s raised and she regarded the old man in a new light, as if seeing him for the first time.
“And you haven’t killed him again?” She nearly hissed the words out through clenched teeth. Those that harmed her love harmed her, and she would not stand for that. Ninjin shook his head.
“Apparently Azuki is not the only child that the Church wished to experiment on. They have Kuda’s boy. I’m going to go find the compound here on Beta where he’s being kept, and I’m going to kill everyone there and save the children.” Kuda nodded sadly and Aella sucked air in through her teeth.
“I can see now why you didn’t kill him… again.”
“Kuda. Spill.”
The old man began to tell Ninjin of the hideout still left here on Beta. It was old, a skeleton crew of only twenty members of the church, half scientists, half warriors. The scientists were working on a way to purify the race of a half-breed. Entirely removing specific traits from one’s DNA, and leaving the creature alive and intact, however, seemed to be nearly impossible for the scientists. That did not stop them from experimenting wildly with them however. Ninjin all too painfully knew what outcome it could have.
It was not the way he thought his night was going to go, not in the least bit, but there was some good coming out of it at least. If he could prevent a child, or anything, from suffering the same fate that Azuki had he would. It did not matter who the child’s father was, nor did it matter what experiences Ninjin had with him.
The building he found himself in front of was nondescript. At a glance it seemed much like a run-of-the-mill building that one would find on Beta Major. A towering skyscraper, windows everywhere, and a large set of double doors on either side of a revolving door. Ninjin walked up and pressed on the door, only to find it locked tight. The Emperor rolled his eyes and sighed, and then pressed just a bit harder. The doors flew from their hinges and he stepped triumphantly in the room.
The fist caught him across the chin, but not with any force enough to make it turn. Ninjin’s brow furrowed in confusion, and he turned to look at the small bespectacled human male that had thrown the blow.
“Did you just punch me?” The words were said with the same amount of disbelief that he was feeling. The small human could only shrug and stammer.
“It… uh… seemed like a good idea at the time?”
Ninjin shook his head and walked into the center of the room. Raising high above him, the entire structure was… empty. The Emperor turned back towards the human, who was blowing on his fist to try and mitigate the pain. He quickly shoved it behind his back when he caught Ninjin looking.
“You know who I am?”
The human nodded.
“And you still chose to punch me?”
“I was already committed to the punch. In my defense the door did just kind of blow in and you are intruding.”
“I thought you said you knew who I was.”
“You’re Ninjin Hattori.”
“Oh good you are aware, then you also know that Beta Major is my kingdom, and so I’m not really intruding. The children? Where are they?”
The human’s brow furrowed and the look of confusion on his face seemed genuine. Ninjin closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose.
“Someone is lying to me. Either you or Kuda. You really don’t want it to be you. I will count to three, and you will tell me everything you know about this building, and those who own it.”
The human’s jaw dropped as Ninjin raised a finger. A small orb of red ki pooled at his very fingertip.
“One…”
“This building was built to accommodate surplus supplies during the reign of King Arctic but hasn’t seen use in many ye—”
“Two…”
The human swallowed hard and glanced around nervously.
“The only thing you should be fearing right now, is me, and what happens when I count to three.”
The human nodded slowly.
“I…I… Do you know what they’re doing to people down there?” [/color] His eyes glanced at the floor, at what Ninjin would have assumed was just an ordinary tile. The human’s gaze told him it was anything but.
“I never wanted any part of this. They told me it would just be a position guarding a door. The things I’ve seen… They drag children down their unconscious and they never come up again man. But the screams. The screams are the worst.”
Ninjin nodded and motioned at the hole where the doors used to be that he just came through.
“Leave. Now. Especially if you don’t like screams.”
That was all the prompting the young human required. With more speed than Ninjin would have given him credit for due to the punch the boy booked out of the room and down the street. The Emperor walked over toward the tile that had been pointed out and raised his finger. The death beam rocketed downwards and blew the tile into smithereens. A narrow passage spiraled downwards, away from the light and into the dark below. Sure enough, a scream wafted up out of the hole. Ninjin’s fists clenched with rage and he threw himself down it, using his bukujutsu to catch himself at the last moment.
The room he landed in was wide, awfully familiar looking tubes lined either side, and it seemed to stretch on for quite some way in either direction. Figures floated in the tubes, some seemingly whole and unaltered, others very obviously the other way. It made his heart hurt and the rage inside him bubble as he took in the entire scene.
“You can’t be here.” A voice called out and Ninjin turned to see a scientist approaching, a stern look on his face. The Emperor merely cocked an eyebrow.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Do you know who I am?” The green-lab coated man snapped back. It took Ninjin by surprise. He shook his head to the negative.
“Then why should I know who the hell you are?”
Ninjin’s mouth opened and closed. This was a first.
“I’m the Emperor of Beta Major. One of the Lords of Belegost. Like the number one most wanted guy by the Universal Church of One. Former Saiyan Crown Prince. My name is Ninjin Hattori.”
It was the scientists turn to look taken aback.
“Oh.” He said dumbly, and then his hand reached up very slowly to rub at his neck. “I suppose one would be expected to know that.”
Ninjin’s eyes scanned the walls once more. Every child that he saw floating in the tubes infuriated him all the further. Before the scientist could react Ninjin raised a finger and a single red line shot through the man’s head. The look of surprise barely had time to register before his body hit the ground lifeless. For what he had done to these kids, to possibly his own kid, Ninjin almost wished Kuda was here to bring him back so that he could do it again.
Slowly he made his way down the line of tubes, looking intently for any sign of one that could house Malfurion. With a hiss the liquid drained from each one, allowing him a much better look at the children, if you could call them that any longer. Most were warped and mutated beyond belief. A few looked as though they had only just been put in the tanks. All were mercifully unconscious. Those that were mutated Ninjin put down mercifully. One look into their eyes told him nothing remained of whoever they were in a former life. Those that were unmutated he roused, and shortly Ninjin had led a small band of children towards the exit and back on their way home to their respective places.
Yet still no Malfurion.
“You can’t be in here.”
Once again Ninjin closed his eyes and breathed heavily out his nose. They just never learned did they? The mutation of the children had already peaked his anger scale.
“Alright listen here fucker I’m –” A fist caught Ninjin once again in the side of the mouth, sending him spinning through the air and crashing through three empty tubes before coming to a rest, tangled in his clothing and the mess of wires. With a roar his Armor of the Emperor came to his body, and he felt the now-familiar weight of Spike and Shield on each arm. With another battle cry he activated his ascended Super Saiyan form and stared down the familiar demon. How in the world had he not heard or felt Barakyel sneaking up on him. The massive red demon smiled at the Saiyan Emperor.
“It has been a long time Ninjin.”
“Too long Barakyel. I owe you a great deal of suffering.” Ninjin said the words through gritted teeth.
The demon scoffed.
“Despite all the power you’ve accrued you still cannot see how utter powerless you are to the scheme of things. Your arrogance has caused you to be blinded to your place in the universe. Was it not enough of a lesson for you when I killed your son? Was it not enough of a lesson for you when I devoured his soul? The scientists may have thought him an experiment, but I looked at your son and all I saw was lunch.”
Ninjin’s roar was one of pure fury as he launched himself at the Demon. His body sailed through the hologram and rolled through, landing on his feet on the other side. Barakyel had been there, Ninjin had felt his power and felt the demon’s fist connect with his face.
“Not yet little Hattori. Not yet. Our time of battle will come. Be patient.” The demon’s chuckle faded away, as did his power signature. Once more the demon that had taken his son’s soul had avoided his grasp. If he had just been able to get the demon to Della perhaps she could have rescued his son as she had promised. Maybe he could have saved Azuki. The thought filled him with a great sadness and rage. Just as quickly as Barakyel had arrived, Ninjin was alone again. Alone with the wretched tubes. Ninjin roared and sailed down the rows, his bukujutsu propelling him onward. Finally he arrived at a massive tube at the end of the room. Inside was a… man. Whereas the others had all been children this one was very much an adult. The adult-in-the-tube’s eyes flicked open, seemingly awoken by the presence of the Saiyan. As soon as their eyes met Ninjin could have no doubt that this was Malfurion. He had his father’s eyes. Ninjin drained the liquid from the tank and it opened with a hiss. Malfurion took a staggered step out of the tube and Ninjin caught him.
“Who… Who are you?”
“I was sent by your father. I’m here to rescue you.”
The man began to softly weep into the Emperor’s shoulder.
“I didn’t think… I didn’t think anyone was coming. It was horrible. Horrible.” Ninjin patted him comfortingly on the shoulder and placed him gently on the floor. The man was too weak to stand.
“Wait right here. I have to finish something.” Malfurion nodded and rested his head against the base of the tank. Ninjin wasn’t sure but he could have sworn he heard snoring coming from him.
It did not take long to hunt down the rest of the scientists, and for all their title the warriors put up little more resistance against the awesome might of the Super Saiyan Emperor.
Both Kuda and Aella’s eyes snapped to the doorway as it sighed opened. Kuda’s face light up and tears sprung to his eyes as Malfurion entered the room, supported heavily by his arm around the Emperor of Beta. A smile came to Aella’s face as well as she made her way over towards Ninjin.
“You did a good thing.”
Kuda and Malfurion embraced and Ninjin wondered if his reunion with his son could have possibly gone the same way. He shook his head. It was not good to dwell on the what-if’s of life. There was nothing he could do to change what had occurred, but he would be avenged upon those who had taken his son. Some of them lay dead in the laboratory. Barakyel had gotten away, but with every day that passed Ninjin could feel their confrontation inching ever closer. The demon would pay, and would pay dearly. Obadiah Roxxon and Warlock as well. He would make them pay dearly for what they had done.
Kuda made his way over to Ninjin and stood in front of him, staring for a moment. A flurry of emotions played out on his face, each one no stranger to the old man if the lines present said anything.
“I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you Ninjin Hattori. After everything I did, and after everything the Church has done to you, you still helped me.” From within his robe’s folds Kuda withdrew a package and pressed it into Ninjin’s hands.
“It is not a lot, but it’s everything that I have in terms of money. You’ve given me something far far greater than any sum of zeni. I have my son back. I have a second chance.” He said it as if realizing it for the first time. Malfurion looked down at his father and smiled weakly, nodding all the while.
“What will you do now?”
“Aon and his ilk are liars. They sow hate and destruction wherever they go and care not who or what gets caught up in it. Even if it is their own members. I prayed to them relentless during my time in Hell. I received no answer, yet as soon as I show up on your doorstep, quite literally the last place for me to turn to, I received help. Better, you’ve returned my son to me. I’d like to help you Ninjin, in your fight against them. If you'd do me the honor.”
Ninjin looked from Kuda to Malfurion. Malfurion nodded and added his own pledge to help Ninjin eradicate the Universal Church of One. Finally he looked to Aella. Aella smiled and nodded. Ninjin shrugged.
“Sure, why not. Stranger things have happened.”
Zeni please.
The door slid open with a sigh and for a moment Ninjin’s heart stopped. The first to enter was Kuda. Years had passed since the Saiyan had seen the creature, thought dead here on Omega. His face was as gaunt as the Emperor remembered, his entire body seemed to be shaking with the force of simply holding itself up. Ninjin knew better, knew what power was contained within that frail frame.
“How?” The question escaped his lips before he could stifle it down. The Necromancer met him with a knowing smile. Ninjin pressed a button under his desk and the silent alarm was activated. In moments the guards would join them.
“One would think that once returned from the dead such as yourself would understand “how” such things come to be. I heard of your venture to one of our grand worlds, and of the outcome of that event.” Ninjin stood and the Necromancer winced backwards and held up his hands in defense. The Emperor crossed his arms. Before when they had fought it had been on an even playing field. He was a prince at the time, and had had a fraction of the training and power that he now possessed. The Necromancer seemed to have barely changed at all, though gone were the conspicuous symbols representing the Universal Church of One. That much Ninjin was curious about, and so stayed his hand for the moment.
Two large imperial guards appeared and towered over the frail old man. Kuda did not even turn around to acknowledge them. They looked to the Emperor for orders but he held up a hand and stayed them for the moment.
“Explain why I shouldn’t send you back to whatever Hell I sent you the first time. Quickly.” There was no mistaking the tone, nor the message. Kuda nodded and leaned on his staff.
“You did kill me Saiyan. Something I would have thought impossible at the time. No doubt you could do so again, this time hardly breaking a sweat. I was made arrogant by the Church, and by the honeyed words of Aon and Warlock, and the damned cardinals. It did nothing to protect me from Hell, and the tortures that were waiting for me. My prayers fell upon deaf ears, closed when I went through that grand last door.” The Emperor continued to eye his former enemy. The sudden intrusion from his past was not something that he had been prepared for. Kuda stared around the large penthouse office of the new PTO. Kudo’s admission did nothing to placate the Emperor.
“Some surprise your “god” betrayed you.” The Saiyan scoffed. In all his dealings with both the Church and the god they worshiped he had never known them to be particularly loyal, nor helpful towards each other. Kuda simply nodded.
“It was. All my life I had devoted myself to Aon and his truth. To be abandoned so utterly by one I loved. One I served. There were tortures in Hell, but few that came close.” There was obvious pain in the old wizened man’s voice. For a brief moment, one that lasted hardly a nanosecond yet was there all the same, Ninjin felt for the man. Betrayal was something he could relate to. Recently two whom he had loved had betrayed him cruelly, and had cost him the life and soul of his child. The moment of empathy came and went.
“It would have been smart of you to take a ship off of Omega at the first chance you got Kuda. Why did you return? Why did you seek me out?”
The old man nodded. For a moment he seemed to struggle with the words he was trying to say. Though the two had only interacted briefly Ninjin had never seen the creature look anything other than angered and possessed with a rage to destroy Saiyans and the enemies of the Church. This, a complete removal from that, unnerved the Saiyan.
“I had not imagined, nor expected, my presence to be welcome. I came because I have a favor to beg of you, my Emperor.”
Ninjin’s mouth set into a line and his jaw moved back and forth as he debated what to do to the old man in front of him. His ears could hardly believe the words that had just come from the old man. A flash of anger passed through him, but he suppressed it. It had taken all his strength to not Death Beam the former bishop as he had entered the room. Listening to him for longer wasn’t likely to change his mind, yet he still stayed his attack. The Emperor’s eyes scanned the creature up and down and scoffed.
“And why, pray tell, should I, would I, do anything for you?” Kuda was one of the last people that could come to Ninjin and request favors. There was a list in Ninjin’s mind of all of the creatures he had killed. The majority of them came from The Church. The man had worked for his greatest enemy, had killed another in cold blood right in front of him, and had tried his best to do everything to kill him too. Ninjin’s stance grew at once more defensive and aggressive.
Kuda’s eyes suddenly could not meet Ninjin’s and the floor became very interesting. A sudden shock rippled through the Saiyan as he realized the old man was… crying. Large wet tears fell from his eyes and smacked into the floor.
“…It’s my son.”
“Damnit…” The Emperor muttered it under his breath and uncrossed his arms. Those were the only three words that Kuda possible could have said to gain sympathy from Ninjin. Kuda’s eyes met Ninjin’s and the former Crown Prince stared back, studying.
“When I died, they promised to take care of Malfurion. To ensure that he lived a good and peaceful life. What they did instead…” Ninjin’s heart’s pace quickened. Had they done to the child of one of their own what they had done to his? Would they be that heartless? There was no doubt in his heart or mind that they would. They would do such a thing without even batting an eyelash if it meant furthering their cause against those they despised.
“Go on.” He needed to hear the words from the Necromancer himself. Needed to hear what they had done to his child.
“He is in a compound. One hidden out here on Beta. They’ve taken him and they’re going to do something to him, I’m not sure what.” There was fear in his voice. Fear like Ninjin had only seen right before the moment of his death, and yet event that paled in comparison to that in Kuda’s eyes now. The Saiyan growled in his throat. The thought of a Universal Church of One compound still being located on Omega irked him. Kuda or no, he would be paying it a visit.
“Why not just wait for them to kill your child and then bring him back. You are a necromancer.” The words sounded harsh even as they came out to the Emperor, and yet they made logical sense. If one had the ability to raise the dead, why not use it. Kuda shook his head.
“They mean to do unspeakable things to him. Warp him in a way that I would never get him back, living or dead. It is… it is monstrous.” The Necromancer hung his head. Flashes of their fight, of the creatures that this being had been responsible for sending after him. What he had had to do in order to defeat them.
“Strange words coming from you.” Kuda looked away as though he had been slapped. There hung an awkward moment of silence in between them. Finally Kuda broke it.
“I had nowhere else to go...” He croaked the words out, and once again his large tears began to patter the floor. “I have suffered through Hell, I was tortured for what felt like eons. I would take it all up again to know that Malfurion was safe. That he would not end up with his soul destroyed and body warped.”
“Why not make a deal with a demon? I’m sure you met plenty in Hell.” The words sounded harsh even to himself, but his face did not show it. Kuda shook his head sadly and once again his eyes met the Saiyan’s.
“That’s what I’m doing now.” Ninjin twitched backwards in response to the words. To those that followed the edicts of the Church he was the demon. The enemy number one. With a start he realized it would be like him going to Invictus for a favor, something he doubted he would have done, would have been able to do even with Azuki on the line. Perhaps Kuda had more character than simply being an old necromancer. Certainly more bravery than Ninjin would have ever given him credit for before.
“I can pay you…” They were said desperately. The bargain of a man who would give all for one thing. Ninjin shook his head after a moment his mouth still set into a line, and Kuda sobs grew louder and his body wracked with them.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this…” The Emperor muttered under his breath and then walked over to Kuda. The old man winced with every step that Ninjin took towards him. The towering Imperial guards loomed over his shoulder.
“Please…please….” The words came out through the sobs. The man was literally begging, and Ninjin wasn’t sure he was solely talking to him anymore, but rather anything that cared to listen. Kuda nearly left his skin when Ninjin placed a hand on his shoulder. His eyes came up with fear, this one for his own life.
“I’m going to help you.”
For a moment Kuda could only stare at the Emperor. Then his face crumpled once more and he began to sob, though Ninjin suspected these ones were of a different source. In his travels he had seen why hope looked like in the eyes of others, and sure enough it was now present in Kudas.
“You are going to tell me exactly where this compound is. You are going to tell me exactly how to get into it. Then I’m going to go rescue your son, and any other child they’re holding hostage there.”
Kuda began to nod vehemently. A familiar ki signature walked into the room, and Ninjin turned to see Aella standing there studying the old man.
“You pressed the silent alarm because of him?” She walked over and leaned against Ninjin’s desk, keep her eyes fixed on Kuda the entire time.
“Yes my love, I’d like you to meet Kuda. I killed him and he decided not to stay that way. He is a bishop of the Un-” Kuda held up a hand to this, and wiped his face on the back of a long sleeve.
“Former bishop. I’d like to think that I’ve reformed.” Whether he was trying to convince Ninjin and Aella, or himself, Ninjin wasn’t sure. The statement did not seem to be a lie though, and if what Kuda was telling him was true than Ninjin had no reason to doubt him. If it wasn’t, than Ninjin was going to kill him. He had done it before with much less power than he currently wielded.
“Hell will do that for you apparently.” Aella’s eyebrow’s raised and she regarded the old man in a new light, as if seeing him for the first time.
“And you haven’t killed him again?” She nearly hissed the words out through clenched teeth. Those that harmed her love harmed her, and she would not stand for that. Ninjin shook his head.
“Apparently Azuki is not the only child that the Church wished to experiment on. They have Kuda’s boy. I’m going to go find the compound here on Beta where he’s being kept, and I’m going to kill everyone there and save the children.” Kuda nodded sadly and Aella sucked air in through her teeth.
“I can see now why you didn’t kill him… again.”
“Kuda. Spill.”
The old man began to tell Ninjin of the hideout still left here on Beta. It was old, a skeleton crew of only twenty members of the church, half scientists, half warriors. The scientists were working on a way to purify the race of a half-breed. Entirely removing specific traits from one’s DNA, and leaving the creature alive and intact, however, seemed to be nearly impossible for the scientists. That did not stop them from experimenting wildly with them however. Ninjin all too painfully knew what outcome it could have.
It was not the way he thought his night was going to go, not in the least bit, but there was some good coming out of it at least. If he could prevent a child, or anything, from suffering the same fate that Azuki had he would. It did not matter who the child’s father was, nor did it matter what experiences Ninjin had with him.
The building he found himself in front of was nondescript. At a glance it seemed much like a run-of-the-mill building that one would find on Beta Major. A towering skyscraper, windows everywhere, and a large set of double doors on either side of a revolving door. Ninjin walked up and pressed on the door, only to find it locked tight. The Emperor rolled his eyes and sighed, and then pressed just a bit harder. The doors flew from their hinges and he stepped triumphantly in the room.
The fist caught him across the chin, but not with any force enough to make it turn. Ninjin’s brow furrowed in confusion, and he turned to look at the small bespectacled human male that had thrown the blow.
“Did you just punch me?” The words were said with the same amount of disbelief that he was feeling. The small human could only shrug and stammer.
“It… uh… seemed like a good idea at the time?”
Ninjin shook his head and walked into the center of the room. Raising high above him, the entire structure was… empty. The Emperor turned back towards the human, who was blowing on his fist to try and mitigate the pain. He quickly shoved it behind his back when he caught Ninjin looking.
“You know who I am?”
The human nodded.
“And you still chose to punch me?”
“I was already committed to the punch. In my defense the door did just kind of blow in and you are intruding.”
“I thought you said you knew who I was.”
“You’re Ninjin Hattori.”
“Oh good you are aware, then you also know that Beta Major is my kingdom, and so I’m not really intruding. The children? Where are they?”
The human’s brow furrowed and the look of confusion on his face seemed genuine. Ninjin closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose.
“Someone is lying to me. Either you or Kuda. You really don’t want it to be you. I will count to three, and you will tell me everything you know about this building, and those who own it.”
The human’s jaw dropped as Ninjin raised a finger. A small orb of red ki pooled at his very fingertip.
“One…”
“This building was built to accommodate surplus supplies during the reign of King Arctic but hasn’t seen use in many ye—”
“Two…”
The human swallowed hard and glanced around nervously.
“The only thing you should be fearing right now, is me, and what happens when I count to three.”
The human nodded slowly.
“I…I… Do you know what they’re doing to people down there?” [/color] His eyes glanced at the floor, at what Ninjin would have assumed was just an ordinary tile. The human’s gaze told him it was anything but.
“I never wanted any part of this. They told me it would just be a position guarding a door. The things I’ve seen… They drag children down their unconscious and they never come up again man. But the screams. The screams are the worst.”
Ninjin nodded and motioned at the hole where the doors used to be that he just came through.
“Leave. Now. Especially if you don’t like screams.”
That was all the prompting the young human required. With more speed than Ninjin would have given him credit for due to the punch the boy booked out of the room and down the street. The Emperor walked over toward the tile that had been pointed out and raised his finger. The death beam rocketed downwards and blew the tile into smithereens. A narrow passage spiraled downwards, away from the light and into the dark below. Sure enough, a scream wafted up out of the hole. Ninjin’s fists clenched with rage and he threw himself down it, using his bukujutsu to catch himself at the last moment.
The room he landed in was wide, awfully familiar looking tubes lined either side, and it seemed to stretch on for quite some way in either direction. Figures floated in the tubes, some seemingly whole and unaltered, others very obviously the other way. It made his heart hurt and the rage inside him bubble as he took in the entire scene.
“You can’t be here.” A voice called out and Ninjin turned to see a scientist approaching, a stern look on his face. The Emperor merely cocked an eyebrow.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Do you know who I am?” The green-lab coated man snapped back. It took Ninjin by surprise. He shook his head to the negative.
“Then why should I know who the hell you are?”
Ninjin’s mouth opened and closed. This was a first.
“I’m the Emperor of Beta Major. One of the Lords of Belegost. Like the number one most wanted guy by the Universal Church of One. Former Saiyan Crown Prince. My name is Ninjin Hattori.”
It was the scientists turn to look taken aback.
“Oh.” He said dumbly, and then his hand reached up very slowly to rub at his neck. “I suppose one would be expected to know that.”
Ninjin’s eyes scanned the walls once more. Every child that he saw floating in the tubes infuriated him all the further. Before the scientist could react Ninjin raised a finger and a single red line shot through the man’s head. The look of surprise barely had time to register before his body hit the ground lifeless. For what he had done to these kids, to possibly his own kid, Ninjin almost wished Kuda was here to bring him back so that he could do it again.
Slowly he made his way down the line of tubes, looking intently for any sign of one that could house Malfurion. With a hiss the liquid drained from each one, allowing him a much better look at the children, if you could call them that any longer. Most were warped and mutated beyond belief. A few looked as though they had only just been put in the tanks. All were mercifully unconscious. Those that were mutated Ninjin put down mercifully. One look into their eyes told him nothing remained of whoever they were in a former life. Those that were unmutated he roused, and shortly Ninjin had led a small band of children towards the exit and back on their way home to their respective places.
Yet still no Malfurion.
“You can’t be in here.”
Once again Ninjin closed his eyes and breathed heavily out his nose. They just never learned did they? The mutation of the children had already peaked his anger scale.
“Alright listen here fucker I’m –” A fist caught Ninjin once again in the side of the mouth, sending him spinning through the air and crashing through three empty tubes before coming to a rest, tangled in his clothing and the mess of wires. With a roar his Armor of the Emperor came to his body, and he felt the now-familiar weight of Spike and Shield on each arm. With another battle cry he activated his ascended Super Saiyan form and stared down the familiar demon. How in the world had he not heard or felt Barakyel sneaking up on him. The massive red demon smiled at the Saiyan Emperor.
“It has been a long time Ninjin.”
“Too long Barakyel. I owe you a great deal of suffering.” Ninjin said the words through gritted teeth.
The demon scoffed.
“Despite all the power you’ve accrued you still cannot see how utter powerless you are to the scheme of things. Your arrogance has caused you to be blinded to your place in the universe. Was it not enough of a lesson for you when I killed your son? Was it not enough of a lesson for you when I devoured his soul? The scientists may have thought him an experiment, but I looked at your son and all I saw was lunch.”
Ninjin’s roar was one of pure fury as he launched himself at the Demon. His body sailed through the hologram and rolled through, landing on his feet on the other side. Barakyel had been there, Ninjin had felt his power and felt the demon’s fist connect with his face.
“Not yet little Hattori. Not yet. Our time of battle will come. Be patient.” The demon’s chuckle faded away, as did his power signature. Once more the demon that had taken his son’s soul had avoided his grasp. If he had just been able to get the demon to Della perhaps she could have rescued his son as she had promised. Maybe he could have saved Azuki. The thought filled him with a great sadness and rage. Just as quickly as Barakyel had arrived, Ninjin was alone again. Alone with the wretched tubes. Ninjin roared and sailed down the rows, his bukujutsu propelling him onward. Finally he arrived at a massive tube at the end of the room. Inside was a… man. Whereas the others had all been children this one was very much an adult. The adult-in-the-tube’s eyes flicked open, seemingly awoken by the presence of the Saiyan. As soon as their eyes met Ninjin could have no doubt that this was Malfurion. He had his father’s eyes. Ninjin drained the liquid from the tank and it opened with a hiss. Malfurion took a staggered step out of the tube and Ninjin caught him.
“Who… Who are you?”
“I was sent by your father. I’m here to rescue you.”
The man began to softly weep into the Emperor’s shoulder.
“I didn’t think… I didn’t think anyone was coming. It was horrible. Horrible.” Ninjin patted him comfortingly on the shoulder and placed him gently on the floor. The man was too weak to stand.
“Wait right here. I have to finish something.” Malfurion nodded and rested his head against the base of the tank. Ninjin wasn’t sure but he could have sworn he heard snoring coming from him.
It did not take long to hunt down the rest of the scientists, and for all their title the warriors put up little more resistance against the awesome might of the Super Saiyan Emperor.
Both Kuda and Aella’s eyes snapped to the doorway as it sighed opened. Kuda’s face light up and tears sprung to his eyes as Malfurion entered the room, supported heavily by his arm around the Emperor of Beta. A smile came to Aella’s face as well as she made her way over towards Ninjin.
“You did a good thing.”
Kuda and Malfurion embraced and Ninjin wondered if his reunion with his son could have possibly gone the same way. He shook his head. It was not good to dwell on the what-if’s of life. There was nothing he could do to change what had occurred, but he would be avenged upon those who had taken his son. Some of them lay dead in the laboratory. Barakyel had gotten away, but with every day that passed Ninjin could feel their confrontation inching ever closer. The demon would pay, and would pay dearly. Obadiah Roxxon and Warlock as well. He would make them pay dearly for what they had done.
Kuda made his way over to Ninjin and stood in front of him, staring for a moment. A flurry of emotions played out on his face, each one no stranger to the old man if the lines present said anything.
“I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you Ninjin Hattori. After everything I did, and after everything the Church has done to you, you still helped me.” From within his robe’s folds Kuda withdrew a package and pressed it into Ninjin’s hands.
“It is not a lot, but it’s everything that I have in terms of money. You’ve given me something far far greater than any sum of zeni. I have my son back. I have a second chance.” He said it as if realizing it for the first time. Malfurion looked down at his father and smiled weakly, nodding all the while.
“What will you do now?”
“Aon and his ilk are liars. They sow hate and destruction wherever they go and care not who or what gets caught up in it. Even if it is their own members. I prayed to them relentless during my time in Hell. I received no answer, yet as soon as I show up on your doorstep, quite literally the last place for me to turn to, I received help. Better, you’ve returned my son to me. I’d like to help you Ninjin, in your fight against them. If you'd do me the honor.”
Ninjin looked from Kuda to Malfurion. Malfurion nodded and added his own pledge to help Ninjin eradicate the Universal Church of One. Finally he looked to Aella. Aella smiled and nodded. Ninjin shrugged.
“Sure, why not. Stranger things have happened.”
Zeni please.