After the matter; a 'fanfic' by Gus

[Gus]

Chapter 3

***

The full moon set its glow upon the mountains of northern Germany, casting odd shadows everywhere. A cold breeze blew through, bringing with it a sound akin to the moaning of thousands being led to their deaths. The otherwise silent night was broken at irregular intervals by the clanking of machinery and the whoosh of a giant bellows. The source of these noises was obvious.

No one knew where it had come from, but there it was all the same. Nestled between two peaks, a giant steel fortress, glowing with an odd red light, had seemingly sprung up overnight. Nearby villages had sent people out to see what it was, but none of them returned.

He sniffed the night air. It tousled his hair and scarf mercilessly, and was bitter cold. It was perfectly fresh, if you didn't count the hellish scents of iron and sulfur it carried with it. It smelled like evil. And not just any evil, but mighty evil. He said it out loud, his voice echoing throught the hills in a heroic way. That was what he'd been going for.

If he sounded like a hero, he could believe that what he was about to do would be possible.

***

The tall, middle-aged man pushed back his remaining hair out of his eyes and looked at the approaching figure with astonishment. A single man had come to challenge the Palace? All by himself? The man oversouled his soldier guardian ghost into his blade and called out to him. "Oi, who are ye and what be yer business?"

Gus looked at him with a look almost like pity. Then he spoke: "Kazad, into the coat. Three, into the scarf."

***

He stepped carefully over the night-watchman's beaten body, and turned the door's handle. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. He walked past the threshhold, and was in.

***

He looked around him. The room was barren, an expanse of steel and iron. It was dark. Obviously, the 'boss' would be on the top. He sighed. More walking. He began walking towards the stairs leading up to the next level.

Suddenly, they stirred. The three figures sitting lazily on the steps arose and walked towards him. The on in the middle recognized him, and grinned. "Gus. So you've arrived."

Gus grinned back. "It's you guys. How lovely to see you."

((EDIT: finished the chapter.))

[Gus]

((Yay! When you write a fanfic, you've got an excuse to double-post!))

Chapter 4

***

She walked towards him carelessly. The two on the stairs stayed where they were, confident she could handle him.

She was a well fed girl, apparently somewhere in her mid-twenties. She wasn't too tall, but not that short either. Her long, curly brown hair hung down to her mid-back. Her thick brown cloak, lined with red silk, hung down over most of her body. Under it, one could barely see a pair of black-and-pink pants and a black leather vest. She twirled a red-and-black baton lazily between her fingers, and grinned a malicious little grin at Gus.

"Heh, you look different. Got back together with the trenchcoat, I see."

Gus gave a broad, sincere smile and nodded. "Yeah! And you look different yerself, huh? New pants, new poncho, everything!"

Her grin faded. "Gus, I don't have time for this. I know what you did, we all do. And that means I have to kill you. Finius, oversoul with the baton. Let's go."

Her baton swelled with a burst of Shamanic flames, and transformed into a big gun-like object. She fired five shots at him, in quick sucession.

He leaped out of the way and turned to look at her. "What I did? What the hell are you talkin' about?"

She snarled. "You know what you did. And you know that you deserve the punishment I'm gonna give you!"

She focused more mana into the baton, and the shots grew bigger. Gus could now barely dodge them. He gave a glare. "Well, if you wanna fight..."

Lovely shot a huge burst of mana out of her baton-gun. Gus grinned, and his handlike scarf ends reached out to grab it. It fizzled in them for a moment, slightly charring the fabric, before they threw it back. Lovely wasn't expecting it, so she took the shot head-on. She slid back in a cloud of smoke.

Gus looked into the smoke, waiting. Soon, it payed off. A voice came out of the smoke cloud. "Oh, that was good. Tu che, eh?"

Gus looked back, sort of confused. "Is that how ya spell it?"

As the smoke cleared, her sheepish face became obvious. "Uh... I don't really know...

"BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER!!"

She oversouled Finius quickly into her left arm. It swelled up, and burst out of the shirt. It grew large and metallic, and small steel bolt ends began emerging. Where her fingers had been, were now five small little machine-gun turrets. She screamed furiously, and they began jutting in and out, mana bullets shooting out five at a time, insanely fast. Her eyes were red now with a terrible bloodlust. Her mouth was foaming. There was no way Gus could dodge this assault.

So he didn't. His wings shot in front of his face, absorbing the larger part of the attack. Then he flew up into the air. Lovely, maddened by rage, didn't even see him. He flew down on her, his cold eyes perfectly focused. His sharp wings shot out and--

She fell to the ground, blood leaking out of seven small holes in her neck. Her breating was light and ragged. Her eyes were closed, seeming peacefully. Gus stood beside her, eying the other figures on the stairs.

Slowly, with practiced grace, one stood. A diminutive man with a shock of red hair turned and addressed him. "Well, Lovely never could keep her cool. Me-- I'm a different story. Gaigun Jr, at your service."

***

((EDIT: finished the chapter!))

[Gus]

((Ah, fight scene after fight scene. As you've probably noticed, the main reason I wrote this was to show Gus beating up lots of people...))

Chapter 5

***

His brown trenchcoat was gently blown about in the breeze from the half-open door. His hair, bright red, was tousled as well. He was a small man, but the twin guns at his hips showed that he was not to be underestimated. He drew them with ease, and spoke:

"Sophie Peithos, into the guns"

((more later, I swear!))

[Vasuki]

Awesome work Gus. Your writing is excellent, I mean seriously. I know all this will go to your head, but if it means you'll improve more, then awesome! How long you planning this thing?

[Secretofmana]

((OOC: Gus......You killed off Lovely. ._. What exactly is going to happen to Biggs?! *worried* ))

[zinc]

((Whatever you do, do not twist Zinc!

Zinc: I don't wanna turn mean! T____T I wanna be a good boy! Kiwu me off, if you want, but don't make me mean!))

[Gus]

((Okay, I can't write more right now, but I can reply!

Vasuki: Thanks! I've gotta finish the Modogumi [Jr, then resurie], then come... two other people [dun wanna ruin teh surprise], then I'll probly do teh showdown. Unless I get some more inspiration!

SoM: Naw, Lovely ain't dead. I added that 'shallow BREATHING' part for a reason. And Biggs'll be here right after I beat resurie! With Geo, I might add!

Kenni: I'll pretend I dint hear that. Zinc's gonna be sorta messed up, but that's just cuz Loki messed with his head a little. But he'll turn good again later!))

[Gus]

Chapter 5 ((part 2))

Gus looked down at him, grinning sideways. "Huh. So, you dumped that Joe guy? That's not too nice, Jr."

The man glowered at him. "Gus, what the hell is wrong with you? Everyone has to grow up, get stronger. Even if it means getting rid of some things. But I guess that doesn't apply to you, does it? You never did grow up, and I guess you never will!"

Gus rubbed his chest, a shadowed look coming over his eyes. "No... I guess... I guess I just got forced to grow up a bit earlier then others. By the time you met me, I was as old and mature as I was gonna get."

Jr. spat on the ground, and rubbed it with his steel-cap boots. "You mean that's it? That's your highest level of maturity? You're just a punk-ass little kid!"

Gus looked away, not meeting his eyes. "Have you ever considered... Maybe I just don't show anyone my true maturity? Maybe... Maybe I'm just unable to come to grips with the stuff that happened, huh? Did you ever think about that!? DID YOU!?"

Jr. looked at the furious boy in front of him, confused. "You...?"

"Yeah. I've had problems in my past. It shouldn't come as a surprise. But that's in the past now. Now, my problem is you. Get the hell out of my way, or I'll just have to walk through you."

Jr. looks down at the ground, glances at his gun, and frowns. Then he raised it, pointed it at Gus, and spoke, "No. Whatever problems you had in the past, it's nothing to what you're doing now. You're screwed up, man. And I know you can do better than that. So I'm stopping you. It's for your own good, boy. Now."

He raised his gun, and fired. Right at Gus' heart.

***

The mountain was hot. He could barely hold on to climb. A burning breeze swept over him, ruffling his black hair and making the bandanna tied around his mouth twist and twirl. Some rocks fell from the top, and scratched his goggles as they bounced off. He sighed.

He should have used the stairs.

***

Jr. looked into the smoke hesitantly. He'd had a perfect shot, he couldn't have missed. But he still felt uneasy. And he soon saw why.

Gus walked out of the smoke, completely unharmed.

A terrified look came into Jr.'s eyes, and he began firing like mad. All the shots hit Gus--

And went right through, leaving only a slight ripple to show where they had gone.

And then, the worst part. Jr. felt them, but it took a moment to realize what they were; claws, wrapping around his neck.

"That's enough, three."

'Gus' lost all consistensy, falling into a ghostly appearance. He floated back to the side of his master slowly. His master, Gus. Jr. saw he had lost. If he moved, he'd die.

Fear overcame him, and he fell to the ground in a deep faint.

Gus looked over at the last remaining figure on the stairs. "I guess you wanna fight too?"

She stood up, and slung her guitar lazily over her shoulder. "Yeah... let's go."

***

((Yeesh, angsting. Sorry.

EDIT: finished teh chapter!))

[Gus]

Chapter 6

***

He pulled up the last ledge and looked up at the building. Steam gushed out of cracks in the iron walls. He looked up at the small ghost, of a boy in his early teens, and sighed.

"So, I guess we go in?"

***

She walked up to him, calm and tired-looking. "Well, you beat Lovely and Jr. So, you obviously don't suck THAT much."

Gus cocked his head to the side. "Aw, I appreciate it. Thanks."

She pulled out her guitar, hefted it, and began playing a few little chords. The deep voice of the black bass boomed out and echoed over the halls of the building. Gus looked around uneasily. "uh... So, are you gonna... fight me, or something?"

"Yeah."

"..."

He looked over at her. "Uh... so... when are we gonna..."

She looked at him, with a pitying grin on her face. "Try and get past me."

Gus looks at her, confused. Then he slowly at first, then getting faster, began walking past her and up the steps. As soon as he had walked past her, she spoke, still looking foward. "Gitaa Gen Restrict."

Small silvery strings flew out of a small pack at her waist, and wrapped around him tightly. She swung her guitar with surprising speed, and yelled, "ITADAKI-MASU!!"

The bound Gus was sent flying across the room, unable to move his hands to keep his head from crashing into the iron floor. A sickening crack echoed through the room.

She walked up to his motionless body, and gave a soft kick. He groaned a bit, and she grinned. "Wow. You survived that, huh? You seriously are good. But, I can't let you live. Ivan, let's finish thi--"

Something small and silvery flew from the open door and hit her in on the cheek, sending a bit of blood to land on the floor next to her. She wiped the cut with her sleeve, and looked up to see what had hit her.

He calmly reeled in his fishing line, looking sadly at the bloodied hook. It was hard to tell, with his eyes and mouth covered by a goggles and a bandanna, but he looked upset. "Aw... I can't catch any fish with a bloody hook..."

The ghostly boy behind him flew out and pointed angrily at the girl. "Resurie! Why'd you do that to Gus-sama!"

She glowered at him, then looked down with shock at the other figure before her.

Gus was slowly standing, severed strands of wire falling away around him. Blood matted his hair, and dripped sluggishly down his face. He grinned tiredly.

"Biggs. Geo. S'good to see you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got a score to settle wit Resurie here."

[Keyblade]

(( Awesome! It's great that you put Annelise in Ireland, too! Can't wait to read more! ^-^))

[Gus]

Chapter 7

***

They flew at each other and leapt back. Again, with Gus' claws slashing and Resurie's bass crashing. Again, they leapt back, wiping off their new cuts and then leaping back for more. There was an eager look in Gus' eye, and he was laughing maniacly, getting louder each time.

***

Biggs looked at them and sighed. "Gus, you've been doing this for ten minutes. Straight. Just let us help you! You need us, right Geo?"

Geo looked up from his seat in the corner. "Wh-what? I... uh... yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Biggs..." He looked around at the surroundings, and spoke to the spirit ball beside him. "Hey Vas, look at all the metal and the fire and all that..."

Vasuki sweatdropped, then spoke to Biggs. "Uh... Geo's not gonna be much help. Ya better just let him take care of himself..."

Biggs sighed, and kept watching.

***

Gus' tounge shot out and licked the blood of his lip easily. "Wow... you're good too..."

She looked down her nose at him. "Yeah..."

They shot back. And together. Like some hideous dance of death, they kept leaping back and forth, back and forth. Their feet splashed rythmically in the growing puddles of blood around their feet.

***

Biggs watched, excited. "Wow... they're so evenly matched... she must be good to compare to Gus-sama..."

Geo was whistling. 'Song of Storms'. Gus, hearing this, grinned even wider. Some things never change.

***

She leaped backwards, then, this time leapt back again. She swung up her bass, and riffed off five quick notes. "SOUND RIFF!"

Gus shook, and stumbled fowards. "What the fu--"

A dribble of blood ran out of his ear, flowing down the side of his cheek. He looked at her, wide-eyed. "I... whaddid you do...?"

She gave a halfhearted grin. "Your eardrums have been ruptured. You now cannot balance. And I can move in. It's a checkmate. You're dead. Apple Leaf."

Gus rubbed at his ear, but the blood kept coming. He gagged. He fell to his knees on the ground, and looked up at her. "Resurie... why did you..."

She looked down, then turned away. "I... have my reasons. I..."

But she didn't get a chance to finish. Gus had gathered his strength, and gave a flying leap. He tackled Resurie from the back, knocking her to the ground. Her head hit the floor with a sickening crack.

***

Gus gnawed on the pear, rejuvenated. He flipped over the motionless body and felt over her chest. He breathed a sigh of relief. "She's alive. Thank god. I sure as hell wouldn't want to lose someone whose talents rival mine so much. Well, let's go."

Gus started walking up the iron stairs. Geo followed, and Biggs floated along behind. They were halfway up the steps when he appeared.

A tall man walked up to the edge of the balcony and looked down at them. His tan bowling hat was tipped down over his face, and a large trenchcoat covered his body. Next to him, a boy clambered up onto the balcony and stood, perfectly balanced. His dyed-black hair hung down in front of his face, and his shadowed eyes were those of an much older man than he actually was, which only appeared to be ten or so. He wore a heavy trenchcoat as well, and glowered down at Gus. The man spoke. "Ah. Geo. How wonderful to see you again."

Geo looked up at him. "Oh, hi Mr. Trenchcoat."

Mr. Trenchcoat looked over at Gus. "And Mr. Gus. Little Zinc here has been dying to see you for quite some time."

***

((EDIT: finished teh chappie!))

[Vasuki]

*fangirlish faint* : D

Brilliant!!!!! I love me!!! XD I look more badass, but you captured Geo perfectly, the whistling, the casual "hi Mr. Trenchcoat." Brilliant!!!! You even captured so much more! Nice! @_@

The fight was also very well carried out, and all of this is very believable considering the characters and such. You put effort into learning them, and, with your amazing writing skills, you have made a very intruiging plot thus far. Can't wait for more

[Gus]

((thank you, my good man! Heh, a bandanna over yer mouth is teh only new thing, but... yeesh, teh badass! I kinda figgered the fight was too short, but if ya think it's good...

say, any ideas about how yer fight with Mr. Trenchcoat? PM me if ya have any ideas. I'ma face off wit Zinc, and Trenchy ish all yours!

...actually, I dunno how he fights. Please tell me. *cute face*))

[zinc]

((Zinc's hair colour is actually red, but I note you put "dyed" black, so I assume you knew it was red, and Zinc seems to have dyed it black for unknown reasons.

BTW, Zinc's fighting style is a mix of swordplay, kicking (a la Sanji) and using the Pendant with Oversoul.

His two main swords are curved, and are identical. Also, please remember that Zinc is still a kitty-boy, so detail on that would be really appreciated.))

[Gus]

Chapter 8

***

They were strikingly different, the two of them. The larger one, a large man with a strong smell of leather lingering about him, appeared in his late middle ages. His thinning light-gray hair was lightly topped by a tan bowling cap, well matched to his same-colored trenchcoat. He was immensly tall, and seemed quite muscular, in remarkable shape for a man of his years. He spoke with the faintest hint of a British accent, and a few specks of what appeared to be tea clung from his thick moustache. He was an imposing figure overall, the kind of man who would make a strong freind and a frightful enemy.

The boy next to him seemed dangerous as well, but in a different sort of way. He was young, only about ten or so, but his haunted eyes still peirced through the souls of strong men like a knife through warm butter. His hair was dyed black, and hung down to about his shoulders, tyed together in places by thick red bands. He was thin and lithe, and his brown trenchcoat seemed too large, out of place on his sharp, bony little shoulders. His jaw was set with the grimace of a killer, and he stood on the balcony with an overall expression of superiority, and contempt for the figures on the stairs below. He spat, and a small glob of saliva hit Gus, streaking a wet little mark under his left eye.

Gus wiped it off, and looked up. He grinned, and spoke in a joking tone of voice. "Hah, Zinc! Never thought I'd see your scrawny ass over here! Where're yer ears, boy?"

The boy on the balcony gave a look of cold contempt, marked with a hint of grudging respect. "They were sealed. The demon can't control me any more. I'm free now. I'm finally free of that damn burden that fool 'dark side' put on me."

Gus' eyes widened in sarcastic disbelief. "Ikkle Zincy using curse wowyds? Shit, I never thought I'd see the day! Little punk's all grown up, eh?"

Zinc's eyes narrowed furiously. "Bastard. I'm not the little boy you knew, got that? And now I'm gonna kill you, to prove it to the world once and for all."

He leapt down at Gus, screaming, "Black! To me!"

A dark fog grew up around him, and a mad cackling filled the air. The fog twisted, and many faces formed in it; a middle-aged man with vines running down his face, an asian boy with long brown hair, a red-eyed woman with short red spiked hair. It swirled around Zinc, and he screamed with triumph.

"YES! Now, you will feel the true power of one who has made peace with his dark side! You will know the power of one who truly is the master of his own fate! AND YOU WILL DIE AT MY HANDS!! Black, into the Pendant! OVERSOUL!!!!!"

The pendant glowed, in an odd way. It didn't radiate light, but it seemed to suck the light INTO it. The area around it grew dark and shadowy. It wasn't sharp, and it didn't shoot anything out, but Gus was nervous all the same; just looking at the aura of darkness made him remember things he didn't want to remember, made him fear things he didn't want to fear. He'd never seen anything like it, but he knew on insticnt that whatever it was, it could bring him endless torment, envelop his very soul in a hellish coldness that was death.

He feared it, and rightly so.

***

Geo looked over at the pendant, and raised an eyebrow. "Hot damn. That is one freaky oversoul."

Suddenly, something hit him in the side of the face. He twisted, and caught it expertly before it could get any farther past him. He looked down at it, slightly confused. "An... an umbrella!?"

Mr. Trenchcoat glared at him. "Insolent pup! That's no mere umbrella! That, my boy, is a parasol!"

Geo grinned out of the side of his mouth. "Aright, whatever Mr. Trenchcoat. I'm guessing you wanna fight?"

Mr. Trenchcoat grinned. "Heh, you catch on a lot quicker than you used to. Let's go. Tonretsu, into the parasol! Mycha, into the toothbrush! OVERSOUL!!"

Geo stared at the giant jousting spear and whip that had once been an umbrella and a toothbrush. He sweatdropped. "Uh... yeah. I guess... yeah. Whatever. Vasuki, if you would...?"

His fishing rod grew longer and longer, and began glowing. He was ready.

***

((EDIT: finished teh chapter! And sorry about bein' twisted, Kenni!))