[DEF] The Will to Protect (PG-13)

[Fusion X. Denver]

So here I was with my Vongola buddies and we were all sure this one thing would happen in the Reborn! manga, but DL remained unconvinced, so we made a bet. The loser would have to write something.
Well, I lost.
But I didn't mind, since the task I was given was to adapt an epic RP fight between [url="http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/user/170146-yuzuru-otonashi/"]Yuzuru Otonashi[/url] and [url="http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/user/156042-hideki-hinata/"]Hideki Hinata [/url](you 2 really need your old names back) into a one-shot based in the Trio of DEF storyline. [b]Note:[/b] If you haven't read the original Trio of DEF story, you probably won't know what the f*ck's going on, just a heads-up.
To those who have read Trio of DEF, hope you enjoy and hey, this might not be the last one-shot I write...but don't hold me to that.

I actually finished writing this a while ago, but I wanted to release it today because today is my good friend Yuzuru/Black's birthday. So Black, happy birthday man, this one's for you.

[spoiler=The Will to Protect]
The wind blew fiercely through the city streets, scattering litter and broken glass through the dark sky. A man down on his luck stared at the glistening broken shards. To him, the glass was like his dreams, shot down by the harsh reality of an identity theft. His family, his house, his everything, all were gone. Now all he had were the smelly clothes on his person and an empty, broken whiskey bottle. “Kill me…”

A figure swooped down, staring at the lifeless vagrant. The shadows produced by his hood concealed all but a gleaming grin taunting the helpless hobo. “You ask me now to kill you, Mr. Schroeder? That’s rich. I wonder how many others asked you the very same question before you obliged them. It’s amazing that there are still any mobsters left nowadays, isn’t it?”

Schroeder looked the man up and down. At the corner of the man’s grin, he noticed something out of place on his face, something abnormal. “Wh-who are you?”

“Someone who needs you out of the way,” the man replied. “Someone who’s slowly and steadily forming a [i]plan[/i]. I don’t expect you to understand.”

“It’s actually easy to understand…”

The man swiped forward, smashing Schroeder’s head against the building wall, compressing his grip. “Don’t be a wiseass. That’s [color=#006400]my job. But in regards to your previous favor, no, I won’t kill you.[/color]”

Schroeder grunted. “You ruined my career…exposed my affairs…took my children away…and now you’re refusing to put me out of my misery? Why? Why me?”

The sound of sirens pierced the atmosphere. The man chuckled, shaking his head. “[color=#006400]Maybe Roxas and his pals down at the Orgy can find you an answer. Now remember, don’t drop your soap in the shower![/color]”

With that, the figure jumped, using awnings over windows to bounce higher and higher until he had disappeared into the darkness. “[color=#006400]Only a few more things left on the to-do list before my trip to Bermuda. This better work...been planning this for over a week now.[/color]”
-----
Nothing could break his trance. The wind blowing his blond bangs over his eyes, the pedestrians brushing past him, the light blaring off the glass’ reflection, nothing fazed his raw determination. He firmly gazed at the pink pony with curly locks staring from behind the window, glitter and sparkles adorning its hooves.

A dark-haired figure emerged from the crowd, his unruly mane dancing behind his head in the wind like a burning flame. He approached the store and looked to the pink pony before turning to his friend. “So…you’re into that stuff now?”

“Shut it, Ecchi. You know how important this is.”

“Yes Black, I know how our society has come to accept grown men fawning over little girl ponies. That doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly ga-”

Black tuned him out, his mind drifting back to the night before.
-----
[i]He kissed her sleeping head as he tucked the covers in under her sides. Turning off the lights, he shut the bedroom door and sighed as he faced his wife, who had been waiting for him. “Took forever to get her to calm down.”[/i]

[i]Caeda smiled, crossing her arms. “Did you get her present yet? The big day’s tomorrow, you know.”[/i]

[i]Black stifled a yawn. “I’ve been making calls all day, but I finally found a store with a Pinkie Pie doll. Funny how there are barely any left nowadays…”[/i]

[i]Caeda shook her head. “You can blame Big Bro for showing her all those old DVDs.”[/i]

[i]Black grumbled. “He didn’t need to go getting her addicted to the first few seasons just because the new ones are supposedly lamer…oh well! It’s not like this is the first time he’s screwed me over!”[/i]

[i]Caeda yawned, reaching her arms around her husband’s neck, the two swaying together as they relaxed themselves further. “You’re not [/i]really[i] mad at him, are you?”[/i]

[i]“Nah,” Black shook his head. “If making Amelia happy means I have to get up early tomorrow to make it across town, then that’s what I’ll do. The party’s at ten, correct?”[/i]

[i]“At Jenga’s,” Caeda replied. “The kids will keep busy in the playpens for an hour until the magician comes in for another half-hour before we do presents. So just get there by 11:30.”[/i]

[i]“No worries,” Black smiled, kissing Caeda’s forehead. “I’ll be there in no time.”[/i]
-----
“-not to mention it’s been statistically proven that at least 30% of today’s transvestites have watched My Lit- Black, are you listening to me?”

Black snapped out of it, turning towards El. “Did you say something? Sorry, didn’t catch that.”

“Yeah, you didn’t…” El muttered, shivering in his coat. “But shouldn’t you, like, be at your kid’s party? It’s her 6th birthday party, man.”

“I’m going straight to Jenga’s once the store opens,” Black replied, checking his watch. It was 9:58; soon the store would open and he’d be able to rush across town with over an hour to kill, plenty of time in case of traffic or other situations. “What are you doing here anyways?”

“Me? I was with Fuse, he told me you were picking up some doll for Amelia this morning."

Black raised an eyebrow. "Ah, right, I forgot I was meeting with you two this morning. But how would he know about my gift?"

"Well, you were busy being all saint-like for the past week, right? Aka picked up your slack in planning the party, apparently, so I guess she told him."

Black shrugged. “She [i]has[/i] been stopping by a lot this week. I would’ve helped if this one client of mine wasn’t in such a rut.”

El furrowed his brow. “What kind of trouble was he in?”

Black sighed, looking up into the cloudy sky. “Someone swindled him of most of his assets and soiled his reputation by digging the skeletons out of his closet. His life was essentially ruined due to his being fired and his family leaving him. Apparently he was an undercover mobster, but now he’s been feeling suicidal.”

“Mobster? Huh. Didn’t know they were still around.”

“Me neither,” Black replied. “I urged him to repent and turn himself in, but apparently police arrested him before an attempted suicide last night. I want to visit him next week and see if I can help him with anything.”

"Pastors get some crazy clients, huh?"

"I just want to help him...I'm afraid he'll kill himself, and I wouldn't want to wish damnation on many people...except for Life, but that goes withou-"

“Yeah, well, good luck with that,” El muttered, reaching for his vibrating phone. “Fuse? Are you still talking with Sonic?”

Chris huffed over the phone. “El, there’s a bit of a problem…Sonic’s not the only one who made a surprise show-up here.”

Before El could question him, the shattering of glass echoed through the streets. He and Black looked over to see a man darting from the doughnut shop, carrying a bag under his arm. Black immediately recognized the blond, overgrown weasel. “Belphegor.”

El moved to intercept, but Black held him back. “Let me take this one. You know what could happen if you break the civilian violence laws. Only guys granted Damage Control status like me can-”

“NOT SO FAST!” a voice cried out. All of the bystanders looked upward as a man in a green trenchcoat leaped off the building top and started soaring down towards the perpetrator. He whipped out a hammer, two boosters emerging from the hammer head to slow his descent until he stood in front of Bel. “How do you keep escaping?”

Bel sneered. “Move it, Denver. I don’t have time to waste here and you know you’ll get in trouble for this.”

Chris scratched his head. “But why’d you rob a Dunkin Donuts? Wouldn’t you be better with a bank…or even an ice cream parlor? Hell, you could have robbed a post office and you would have made more mon-”

A knife cut him off, barely missing his eye as it imbedded itself into a street lamp. Bel tugged the attached wire and pulled the lamp from its foundation, careening down onto Chris. Chris quickly pressed a button on his hammer handle and held it above his head as the hammer head expanded, forming a rectangular shield which managed to block the lamp, barely able to hold it up. [i]Not good.[/i]

Bel sneered at the helpless Chris, taking out another knife. “Maybe killing the world’s ‘savior’ will redeem my reputation some. Any last words?”

Chris inhaled a deep breath before shouting, “TOSS ME A BONE, SONIC!”

Bel whipped around, seeing his ultimate nemesis, Sonic Chao, dashing behind him. The sturdy Mod nodded as he unsheathed his blade and tossed it javelin-style at Chris’ hammer. Chris pressed a switch on the grip, opening a compartment in the hammer head for the sword to stab through. “Now with Sonic’s vibration power, I can-”

But before Chris could finish explaining, the hammer began violently convulsing as it spun round and round in place, decimating the street lamp to pieces as the vibrations forced the rest of the lamp to be dragged into destruction. The metallic pieces were flung everywhere on the street, smashing cars, windows, barely missing pedestrians that dove for cover. Black reached for the crossbow in his coat, but was pushed to the ground by El as a huge lamp chunk soared above their heads, smashing through the store window. The chunk had scraped against some of the ceiling lighting and ignited a fire inside the store. Rubble and dust accompanied the ravaged products spilling out the storefront. Black could only stare at the torn Pinkie Pie doll slowly withering under the flames, its stuffing blackened.


Chris puckered his lips. “Uh…my bad?”
-----
Black’s butt hurt.

He sat hunched over his knees, eyes boring through the floor. El sat next to him, equally unmoving. Glancing at his watch, Black observed it was 11:10. A snarl escaped his lips, attracting El’s attention.

“Come onnn Black, it’s not all bad.”

“Actually, it kind of is.” The two men glanced up, observing a red-haired secretary behind the lobby desk, eyes glued to the laptop she typed on. “Black wasn’t able to contain the situation and therefore failed the expectations set for the Damage Control system. The fact that Denver’s his friend only makes it worse.”

El grimaced. He had heard that Lily had come a long way since her time in jail, rising through the Organization XIII until she became a part of Damage Control herself. It seemed her demeanor had not changed, however. “Well, what about Sonic? He was there and he was a Mod.”

“He’s in trouble too,” Lily replied. “But at least he managed to apprehend Bel instead of lollygagging like this goon here. I doubt he’ll have his rank revoked.”

Black’s throat twanged. [i]Revoked?[/i]

The door besides the desk opened, revealing a downcast Chris followed by a man with spiky blond hair with green streaks adorning his bangs. “You’re a good man Denver, but you’re too reckless. Please try not to wreck any more property in the future, for both our sakes.”

El nodded, smirking. “Yeah, you tell him, Fusion.”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“Not you Fusion, Mod Fusion.”

“Just call him E-Vol like everyone else…” Black muttered.

“Evan works too…” the Mod muttered.

Black stood up. “Ev, what’s going to happen to me? Damage Control’s been helping out at home and I’d ha-”

“Unfortunately Black,” he replied. “I don’t make that call. Although…with Roxas being away on business overseas, I had to file my report to the next higher-up after him…”

“Flame?”

“The emperor.”

The three looked to each other, sweat adorning their brows. “And…what did he say?”

“He wasn’t pleased…he said that Black and Fusion would suffer a great punishment.”

Black was strongly tempted to bang his head repeatedly against the wall, but repressed the urge due to his respected company. “I…see. Thanks anyway. Are we done here?”

“For now, yes. You’ll hear back from us tomorrow.”

Black nodded and made a brisk exit, followed by Chris and El. He marched down the steps in front of the Organization’s headquarters and jammed the button for Caeda’s speed-dial.

He heard Chris speak up, “Black I’m really-”

“Don’t want to hear it.”

“But-”

“Nope.”

“Can’t I just-”

He was met with a crossbow pointing in his face as Black continued staring ahead, urging for his beloved to pick up the phone. [i]Everything is ruined. I just hope Amelia can forgive her idiot dad for letting this happen…again.[/i]

While Black waited for Caeda to pick up, El asked Chris, "Did Other-Fusion say what happened with Bel?"

"They're putting him back in jail, but I bet you five bucks he'll be out again in a month."

"Damn weasels..."

"It's weird though. Apparently he mentioned something like, 'This wasn't part of the deal...' when Sonic arrested him."

El pondered for a moment. "So did someone else-"

“Honey?" Black interrupted. "Where are you?”

"At Jenga's, where are you?"

Black exhaled through his nose, steadying his breathing. “Listen honey, I ran into a bit of trouble with the present and Fuse made a fiasco again, so-”

“Is Bro there?” she interrupted.

Black blinked, looking back at the two simpletons staring blankly at him. [i]Come to think of it…have I ever seen just two of them by themselves?[/i] “No, why?”

“Jenga’s had an issue with the catering this morning, so I rushed over to help set up, but Amelia wasn’t ready and we’d be late if I came back for her, so I asked Bro to pick her up for me.”

Black’s stomach jumped. “And?”

“They’re not here…Kari’s here with the girls, but D.L, Daniel and Amelia aren’t here yet. And they’re not picking up either!”

Sensing the rising panic, Black spoke, “It’s okay, sweetie. I’ll get to the bottom of this. I’ll call you as soon as I find them.” Hanging up, Black strode over to Chris. “Let’s go for a ride.”

“Huh?”

“Fire up your hammer. You owe me.”

Chris shrugged. He pulled out his hammer and pressed a few buttons, expanding the hammer head. Two small rocket boosters sprouted underneath, ready to take off. “Where are we going?”

“To D.L’s.” The three soared high above the rooftops, attracting awed looks as they sailed towards the suburban area near the city outskirts. Black quickly explained the situation to the other two before they touched down in front of D.L’s home. Black barged through the door and looked around, gritting his teeth as he saw no sign of anyone home.

“No show, eh?” El noted. “I just called him and it went straight to voicemail.”

Chris looked up and gave a start, silently pointing to the staircase. The two men followed his gaze and saw a pair of glowing eyes staring at them from the darkness. Black yelled and whipped out his crossbow, quickly shooting at the hiding enemy. The figure grabbed the arrow and leaped down the stairs in a single bound, snapping the arrow in two. The three found themselves staring at a lone PROTO, but it looked significantly more advanced than the average model. PROTO flew out the door and took to the sky, heading straight for the metropolis on the horizon.

“Well…” El muttered. “That happened.”

“We’re going back.”

Chris looked at Black. “Back?”

“Back to the Orgy. I’m going to prepare.”

“What, you figured out something?” El asked.

“That PROTO is a new model designed by Creator that’s supposed to hit the market in a few months,” Black explained. “Lily and I fought it shortly after our promotions in order to help test its functioning.”

Chris slowly nodded. “So…”

“That means no one should have or know about it yet.”

El blinked. “So you’re saying-”

“It seems my punishment is the abduction of my daughter, one of my best friends, and his son. I’m sick of being pushed around, this is the last f*cking straw.” Black looked to his friends. “Don’t interfere. I can’t ask you to be a part of what I’m about to do. But I need one favor.”
-----
Creator straightened his robe. Newly dry-cleaned, his hair well-washed and his face shining, he smirked at his approved reflection. “Is it a little much, PROTO?”

“[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Well, you look good to me sir. After all, you need to look great when you’re hosting a United Nations meeting in your own palace.[/font]”

Creator shrugged, leaving the bathroom and striding down the hall. [i]I can’t say I care for meetings, but there’s no questioning their importance when running an empire. I should be able to quell the Libya revolt after negotiations today and get Japan to share some technological resources. America…I don’t want to bother with. It’s just sad that these take hours to finish. I almost wish something would spice up my day.[/i]

With that, he approached a set of doors and entered. The rest of the United Nations representatives were congregated around a long table, the head seat left unoccupied. “Ladies, gentlemen, thank you all for coming. Now, we should get to business and-”

A loud, crashing noise disrupted the room. Everyone looked over to see that the window leading outside had been shattered, a twanging lance stood rooted amongst the glass. Creator was aghast, unsure of why Black was floating in mid-air. Two broad, white wings helped him levitate. He also had a white, helmet-like attachment atop the left side of his head. His arm was outstretched from having thrown the lance. He floated over and stood surveying the giant hall, overlooking the confused diplomats.

"I hate this…punishment my ass.” He lowered himself to the ground, causing the diplomats to rise out of their seats and back away to clear a path. “You know why I’m here. Let's go.”

"What’s the meaning of this, Black?” Creator asked.

“Stop your games,” Black shot back. “You’ve gone on long enough. It’s time someone put an end to your tyranny. So come on.”

Creator furrowed his brow, slowly marching towards Black. “I don’t know what your problem is, but I won’t stand for any sort of impudence.” He felt confident with his capabilities. Illusions, mimicry, and enhanced physical skill had joined his repertoire of combat since the days he fought alongside Black. He sought out the ways of the sword during his free time and studied under the ways of the Original Bushido. The winds of a coming storm outside blew through Creator's hair, exposing his face. A grim grin and glaring, manic eyes gazed forward at the battle to come.

Black closed his eyes and sighed, as he felt a wave of nihilism wash over him. His face was blank as he and Creator flew out the window and took to the skies, flying to fight on the rooftop. As they landed, he shed his coat, revealing El’s Nugora Sword strapped to his belt.

Creator calmly analyzed his opponent. [i]It seems he’s borrowing weapons outside of his typical repertoire for this. But I’m positive the Lanza is still his strongest attack, so I'll have to avoid getting hit by it. This should be interesting.[/i] "I suppose defeating you will at least set an example to those who would think of defying me, despite your stature.” Creator vanished, reappearing atop the entrance from the top floor and fired plasma waves at Black from the mechanical armor coating his arms. At the same time, he jammed a button on his belt twice, signaling two PROTOs to wait in hiding below Black’s line of sight. [i]Might as well test security since this is the first real intrusion we've faced.[/i]

Black stood calmly as the plasma waves neared, until he swung the Nugora Sword at it, shredding the wave into two separate ones sailing past him. He then pointed the sword at Creator, testing some of the modifications El had made to the blade over the years. “Cero.” A green energy beam shot from the tip.

Creator quickly retaliated by pulling out his gunblade, meeting the Cero with all of his strength behind his weapon until he managed to send it back towards Black, following it up with a few energy slices from his sword.

“Taking a note out of your brother’s book, eh?” Black muttered. His wings quickly guided him out of the Cero’s path and moved to Creator’s side in seconds, throwing a palm thrust at Creator’s chest. Having borrowed Pika’s gauntlets, his thrust would add an electric shock coursing through Creator's body, if it connected. Creator quickly moved to catch Black’s wrist, entering a power struggle between the two while the two PROTOs emerged from hiding. One shot a black energy beam at Black while the other flew to his flank, swinging at him with a longsword. The blade was brimming with stored energy.

Black used his free hand to snap his fingers at the PROTO with a longsword, momentarily sizzling its circuits with a ranged thunderbolt, but he was forced to break away from Creator, hissing as the energy beam grazed his left arm. He stooped to the ground and reached for a pouch on his waist, applying a green solution to the burn. [i]At least D.L kept some of his salve lying around. [/i]Black drew his sword and began exchanging blows with the sparking PROTO, which seemed to recover from the electrical attack. The other PROTO disappeared.

Black made a lunge at the PROTO’s chest, but missed by an inch and kept swinging at the robot. Meanwhile, the hidden PROTO input a series of commands into its arm, signaling two more PROTOs to come take care of the security threat. One wielded two Chinese hook swords and the other with an ordinary sword. As the two new enemies rushed at Black, Creator cloaked himself with camouflage while using a projector in his arm to form a convincing hologram of Caeda where he stood before.

Black roared with frustration, folding in his wings before unleashing them outward again, sending a gust of wind against the mechanical adversaries. Sailing along the wind were a few small black spheres launched from the wings, attaching themselves to the PROTOs. Black reached into the quiver behind his back and withdrew a lance, slashing it and sending an energy wave at the PROTOs he blew back. However, to his dismay, three more machinations appeared from below converging onto Caeda. [i]Caeda? When did she get here?[/i] He immediately decapitated the PROTO with a longsword and flew to Caeda, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach.

Meanwhile, Creator flew next to the hidden PROTO and opened his back, inputting a series of commands which transformed it into a mini jet-fighter half Creator’s size. The PROTO jet then took to the skies, firing several missiles at Black while it rushed forward. Black gritted his teeth and pointed the Nugora Sword at the aerial attack, firing a bigger beam than before. The missiles and jet exploded upon impact, but ceased the energy beam from sailing further.

Creator had flown around the building and now flew behind the illusionary Caeda. [i]If I keep using the PROTOs, I’ll just end up wasting money. I’ll hook him with this.[/i] Creator stabbed the fake Caeda with his blade, ensuring he had Black’s attention as the rest of the PROTOs withdrew below, away from the fight. "Well Black it seems you can go all out now that you’ve received the ‘punishment’ you were referring to.” Creator leapt from the pillar and flipped into a kick, which had begun to pulse with energy propelled by the rockets in his shoes. "Maelstrom Kick!"

Black slowed his breathing and concentrated. [i]It’s okay. Caeda’s at the party, that was just an illusion. Pretty damn convincing, but still an illusion. Focus. [/i]Black moved to counter the kick with the side of his Lanza.

Creator's foot contacted the Lanza, but instead of receiving a detonation, the force pushed back the explosion to where it maintained its spear shape. He used his momentum to land away from Black while extending his palm, charging his infamous signature move. Before firing, he jammed a button on top of his arm which sent several metal disks out of his arm, planting themselves around the rooftop. [i]Mines are set so he can’t escape, and now…[/i] "Moonstone Cannon, fire!" A large beam of purple and blue energy burst from the cannon and raced towards Black like light.

But during the time Creator set the mines, Black took to the skies and reached for his way of counterattacking. “Like I said, you owe me Fuse!” As the beam sailed near Black, Black momentarily sheathed the Lanza and whipped out Chris’ hammer, concealed as a wooden handle until this moment. The hammer head constructed itself and expanded, meeting with the blast. Black pressed a button and the hammer surged further against the beam with flames coating the hammer head. While the hammer bought him time, Black took out a green lance from his quiver, his strongest lance. He quickly held it right behind the spear tip and stabbed it into the blast. The lance absorbed the energy from the Moonstone Cannon until it was quelled.

But Creator had flown above Black during his struggle with the Moonstone Cannon and had a PROTO bring him a lance identical to Black’s. “I’m the technology master here! I’m familiar with every single thing you’ve used in this fight!” With that, he threw the lance at Black while pressing a button on his arm, detonating the mines on the rooftop.

"A knockoff alone cannot defeat me." Black breathed, slicing the copy of his lance in half. The pieces fell to both sides to the ground far below him, and caused many of the mines to set off, as the faux Lanxa unleashed two giant pillars of energy to either side of him. Black quickly flew around the huge explosions, flying above Creator and looking down at the devastated rooftop. “Gee, you’ve done some nice work with the place. Here, let me help.” Black then shot the green lance at Creator, but he dodged, leaving the lance to hit the roof and devastate it further with a huge explosion.

However, the explosion caused remaining mines to explode, engulfing the two combatants in a fiery blaze. Creator grinned as he formed a shield of energy to protect him from his cannons, but Black was less lucky as he sailed away from the blast, coughing up blood. He quickly reached for D.L’s sprite solution and chugged most of it down, hopefully attending to any internal injuries. But Creator had gained on him, delivering a flurry of punches and kicks, sending him flying back down to the roof. As Black landed on his feet, Creator came spinning down and slammed a bicycle kick onto Black’s shoulder.

Creator grinned as he glided a few feet away from Black. "This is the most fun I've had in ages, you know. But come on; don't tell me that a few small blows like that will end you!"

Black struggled to stand, brushing specks of blood from his shoulder. “That’s all well and good…but I can’t say I’m having fun when I’m fighting for everything precious to me. I’m going to win and bring an end to your little parade.”

Creator scoffed. “Black, you can’t win. I can kill you by detonating the nanobot imbedded in your brain, remember? I’ve just been going with the motions here to get some exercise…and for old time’s sake.”

Black grinned, almost maniacally. “Oh yeah? Well, let’s see what good nostalgia will do you after this! Let’s go!”

Creator sighed. “You’re a good opponent, Black. But my might can’t be matched.” He then flew forward and drew out his gunblade, swinging it at Black’s torso. Black countered with Chris’ hammer to his left as he moved to stab Creator’s torso with his Lanza. Creator shouted, triggering a magnetic pulse emanating from his chest, barely managing to keep the explosive spear at bay. Sparks flew as the hammer and gunblade heavily vibrated against each other, refusing to give in. Black broke the struggle by throwing his head forward, headbutting Creator away. He moved to stab Creator's right leg, but Creator slid it back and dodged, quickly aiming a kick to Black's head. Black let his helmet take the blow for him while he rushed at Creator, thrusting a heavy punch into his gut, following up with an elbow to the back of his head.

"Heh. How the mighty hath fallen."

Creator growled, swinging his arm in an arc while firing several energy bullets from his Moonstone Cannon. Black dove to his right, but one grazed his leg, digging into his flesh. He quickly gained his footing, but Creator immediately fired a charged Moonstone Cannon at him with his other arm. Black moved to pierce the Moonstone Cannon with the green Lanza. It worked on absorbing the energy, but Creator refused to let up, continuing to fire all of the stored energy he could.

[i]It'll break and explode on me at this rate. I have no choice.[/i] Black slowly raised the Lanza, guiding the Moonstone Cannon with it until it soared through the sky, parting the storming clouds above until you could see sunlight poking through. Black paused to catch his breath, but Creator gained on him and sliced at him with his gunblade. Black grunted and twirled the Lanza so the explosive end would counter, but Creator swung the blade up and managed to disarm Black. Snapping his fingers, Black moved to grab the gunblade with both hands as a bolt of electricity was shot from the spinning Lanza in the air, striking Creator. Creator bit his lip as an electric shock coursed through his body. Black struggled as the gunblade rapidly vibrated in his gauntlets. Electricity discharged from the collision, slowly frying Black’s hands inside.

“Pika’s gonna kill you.” Creator noted.

“I’m on her sh*t-list anyways,” Black replied. He let out a roar and threw the gunblade above him, diving to the side as he reached behind his quiver. In his hand, he held what appeared to be a rectangular slab that had five matching slots across the top. He slammed it on his left arm and reached into a small compartment in the device. “I summon-”

“Yeah, no,” Creator interrupted, firing a Moonstone Cannon at Black. “Not letting you wreck my tower with RDA.”

Black dove just in time and slammed a card onto the duel disk. “Actually, I was going for something different!”

Something shot out of the duel disk and latched itself onto Creator’s leg. Creator winced as he felt small, metal teeth digging into his calf. [i]A Cerberus?[/i]

“This will be the final bout,” Black stated. “Taste the ultimate despair!”

With that, several broken mechanical parts erupted from the sides of the rooftop. Creator’s eyes widened as he recognized what used to be the batch of PROTOs he used for security. Several small, tiny mechanical demons crawled onto the roof, their cackling in tune with their gears. It was then Creator looked to the Duel Disk, noting that four of the slots were in fact occupied already. “Back when you used that wind gust...”

Black stood tall and firm as his Fabled Cerburrel retreated from Creator and joined the combining mechanical mass taking shape behind him. “A heart beats within that cold metal chest! Show it to the world, prove your worth! No one can hate you for existing! The power to evolve and move forward is in your hands! Synchro Summon! Reveal your heart, Scrap Dragon!”

Creator grimaced as he surveyed the giant, hastily-made dragon beginning to take form. [i]Can’t fire a Moonstone Cannon yet, he’ll just deflect it. I need to hit it with both of them fully charged, not even Black can stop it…just a few more seconds.[/i]

Black’s wings spread out again and he flew up, settling on top of Scrap Dragon’s head. “Go, Scrap Dragon! Scrap Burst!”

Creator gritted his teeth. “Take this, Super Moonstone Cannon!” Creator’s arms had been glowing, and now the glow converged solely to his palms as he brought them together behind his back before thrusting them forward with a hearty yell. The biggest beam he ever produced shot forth and collided with Scrap Dragon. Black covered his head with his arms as the dragon toiled fiercely to overcome the mighty attack.

[i]Scrap won’t last long at this rate. I’ve got to end this myself.[/i] Black took a few steps back before sprinting towards Creator. “Come on Scrap, give me an opening!” The dragon gave one last roar and pushed through, creating a brief opening in the beam that Black jumped through, his wings unable to fit through intact. The beam proceeded to dismantle and destroy the dragon as Black cried, “CREATOR!” Creator stared in disbelief as he saw Black falling towards him. “LET’S SEE YOU GRIT THOSE TEETH!”

Black punched Creator right in the side of his jaw, sending him spiraling backward and disrupting the Super Moonstone Cannon. Creator growled and activated the mini-rockets in his shoes to propel him towards Black. “Your grit may have pierced the Moonstone Cannon, BUT MY GRIT WILL BE THE GRIT TO PIERCE THE HEAVENS!”

“THAT’S SO LAME!” Black shouted as he met Creator head-on, but was slammed across the rest of the rooftop.

“I DON’T HAVE TIME TO MAKE JOKES, I’M RULING AN EMPIRE HERE.” Creator retorted.

Black regained his footing. “What happened to us?”

“F*ck’s that mean?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“[i]Me?[/i] [i]You[/i] attacked me!”

“Give me back my daughter, you a*shole!”

“What’s this about Amelia?”

“Don’t play dumb,” Black shot back, reaching for Chris’ hammer. “If you’re going to treat an old friend like this, I’ll get the answers myself!” He then climbed up onto the top of the entrance from the top floor. The hammer began expanding and swirling rapidly.

“What are you doing? STOP!”

Black ignored him and jumped off, pivoting the hammer below him as he leaped down and drilled a hole into the tower. Creator quickly flew over and followed him into his personal headquarters.

Black barely recognized the spacious room he was in. The Banned had engaged in lots of different activities in restoring Yugo City and the rest of the world after the Inactive were brought down, one of which scouring the Tower of Any Other for evidence and planned renovation. Creator had brought Black and a few other men to the top room for clean-up and forensic work, where Life had met his end. But now the room was considerably different. Instead of lush, red carpeting, marble tiles and pillars adorned the entire top floor. Creator had a personal workstation situated near the window while various portraits and other decorations aligned the hall for the rest of the floor.

But Black took no notice as he saw his little girl giggling and spinning in the giant, black chair behind Creator’s desk.

“Daddy? Hey daddy, what are you doing here?”

Black looked to Creator, who was staring down the hall. Peering closer, Black noticed little Daniel was finger-painting on a portrait of Donovyn Gerra, drawing a red moustache, a green goatee, and a black monocle and top hat. “D.L, WHAT THE F*CK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

Black looked to the other side of the hall, noticing D.L leaning against a pillar, snoring loudly. A snot bubble burst upon the shout, snapping him out of his trance. “Creator! What gives, no one else is here yet!”

“SHUT THE F*CK UP AND GET YOUR MANGY BRAT AWAY FROM MY BROTHER’S PAINTING!”

“Hey daddy,” Amelia started. “What’s f*ck mean?”

Black turned stone-faced, uttering a silent vow for Creator and D.L to burn in hell as he lowered himself in front of Amelia, caressing her cheek. “That word is a very naughty word, Amelia. It’s called a curse word, because the more you say it, a great curse of misfortune will follow you. Only bad things can happen if you say curse words.”

“Oh…okay. Is that why uncle D.L’s being choked?”

Black looked over his shoulder and noticed Creator strangling D.L. Daniel sat and laughed at the various expressions his father was showing; his face was even turning purple! “Creator, let’s stop for a second, tell me what’s going on. Was that so-called screw-up with Fuse really such a bad thing that it compelled you to imprison these three up here?”

Creator stopped choking D.L and looked to Black. “Huh? What screw-up are you referring to?”

“The one in town this morning. Fuse wrecked city property again and E-Vol said he reported the incident to you, to which you replied that we would suffer a great punishment.”

Creator stood up, walking over to Black. “I never talked with Fusion or any other Mod today. I had only woken up 20 minutes before the start of my meeting.”

“Wait, what?” D.L spluttered. “But…you were at my house today.” Black and Creator whirled around, faces failing to contain their confusion. “You told me you heard that Amelia was having a birthday party and that you decided to treat the Blacks by moving the party to the Tower. You let us in here and told us to wait while you finished preparations downstairs and that you’d come get us when everything was ready.” He saw Creator’s look hadn’t changed. “…didn’t you?”

"No, he replied. "Were you hungover this morning or something?"

“Wait,” Black interrupted. “D.L, we’ve been trying to reach you all morning. Where’s your phone?”

D.L sighed, pointing to Daniel, who had resumed drawing Joker scars on Donovyn’s face. “He…decided to paint my phone blue. It sure is blue alright…”

“You owe me $4,000 for that painting by the way.” Creator pointed out.

"WHAT? B-but I make piss-poor money, I can't afford to pay that!"

"Tough sh*t man, your son crossed the emperor."

"I can pay half of it..."

"You can pay all of it and thank your god that I don't arrest you for breaking and entering."

"You [i]let[/i] me in."

“So was this all some sort of ridiculous misunderstanding?” Black asked, disrupting the argument. “Well that’s fanfu-” he paused, remembering his impressionable young daughter behind him. “Fanflippingtastic. Look, Creator, I know this was a serious-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Creator replied, heaving a sigh. “Look, you should be getting your kid to her birthday party. I’ll have a PROTO fly you over in my jet. Just go down to the bottom floor and it’ll be waiting for you in the garage.”

Black blinked. "I...appreciate it, but are we just supposed to drop this like it's no big deal? You and I just tried to kill each oth-"

D.L interrupted, “Black, we've all tried killing each other before, it [i]isn't[/i] that big a deal. You look fine."

Black glared at D.L, motioning to his front, covered in dirt and blood. "Does this [i]look[/i] like it's not a big deal?"

Amelia looked her dad over. "Daddy...i-is that blood?"

Black's heart skipped a beat. "N-no honey, it's just...fingerpaint."

Daniel perked up, rushing towards Black. "Let me play!"

"NO!" the three men chorused, D.L quickly scooping his son up. "Anyways, we should talk this over later after the party; we need to figure out just what happened here.”

Creator sighed. “That’s fine. Do you still have my Ventrilo?”

Black cocked his head. “You still use that old thing?”

“No, but I haven’t voice-chatted anyone in a while either. And I don’t feel like looking at your faces.”

Black let Amelia grasp his hand as he gingerly walked along, starting to feel the aches, cramps and bruises that would probably ruin the rest of his week. “Fine then. See you…and sorry for the trouble.”

Creator gave a short wave, slumping in his chair as the elevator shut. He reached over to his computer and pulled up Black’s profile in his databank. “PROTO, has anything in particular been happening to Black?”

“[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Well, there’s a whoooole lot that happened toda-[/font]”

“I mean before today. Earlier this week.”

“[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Well, one of his clients was arrested, name was Clyde Schroeder.[/font]”

Creator grimaced. “I’ll admit that took me off guard. I had thought I stomped out most of the underground mafias at this point, especially in this city. Can you find out what went on in his sessions with Black?”

The PROTO computer hummed for a minute before saying, “[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Well, it says here that Schroeder had gone to Black towards the beginning of his downward spiral. The authorities were beginning to catch on and he was afraid of what would happen to him. Apparently things were already bad at home and this would be the final nail in the coffin with his family. Black thought it’d be best if Schroeder turned himself in and worked for repenting for what he’d done, but in the end, Schroeder ran away.[/font]”

“Has he been caught yet?”

“[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Well yes, last night. But he managed to slit his wrists before reaching prison. He died at 2:33 A.M this morning from excessive blood loss.[/font]”

Creator pondered for a moment. “Does Black have any other clients he’s seeing right now?”

“[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Well, several, sir.[/font]”

“Get me a list of names, their addresses and what they’re seeing him for. Also, mark them all and Black’s family when you’re done. We’re going to keep tabs on them.”

“[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Yes sir.[/font]”

Creator thought for a moment, remembering what D.L had said. "PROTO, do you remember what I did this morning?"

"[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Well, according to security, you remotely commissioned one of the PROTO-Knights to fly out for a test run.[/font]"

Creator bit his lip. "Where did it fly to?"

"[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Well, it looks like a suburban residence. It belongs to Daisuke and Kari Link.[/font]"

Creator grimaced. [i]PROTO-Knights are capable of altering their appearance. It must have impersonated me. [/i]"And you said it was me who gave it that program?"

"[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Well, you're the only one who could access its databanks, sir.[/font]"

"And where is the PROTO-Knight in question now?"

PROTO remained silent for a minute until it said, "[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Well, I can't find it sir. It's gone off the radar.[/font]"

Creator stood up, wincing as he felt his legs buckle. [i]Black…as if I don’t have enough to worry about. If my hunch is right, then we’re dealing with someone who’s able to infiltrate my security systems and rival my technological skills. Can't believe I've been hacked...[/i] He opened his bookmarked files and set his eyes on an old, green eyesore of his. [i]Maybe ending you will be my last favor for this world.[/i]

“[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Well, I finished marking the Blacks and his clients.[/font]”

“PROTO, mind filling me in on what happened in town this morning?” He leaned over and watched security footage of a city block where he could see El Make walking over to Black.
-----
Amelia was overjoyed, completely engrossed in the blue and pink toy butterflies she held in her hands, moving them around in the air. “Mommy, do you know where auntie Cherry got these?”

Caeda leaned over her car seat, smiling at the perky six year-old. “I’m not sure, but I’m betting she’d love to tell you tomorrow when she gets back from her little adult afterparty. Did you know you could wear those in your hair?”

Amelia looked at the butterflies, quickly attaching them to her ears so they adorned her face. “Daddy, how do I look?”

Black glanced at her reflection in the driving mirror. “Like an angel, sweetie.”

“Daddyyyy, you’re always calling me an angel.”

“Well, it’s true!”

Amelia sat back in her car seat, pouting for a moment before saying, “Hey daddy...mommy…thank you for my party.”

Black and Caeda looked to each other, sharing a smile. “It was no problem. Happy birthday Amelia.”

“I’m just relieved,” Black breathed. “She wouldn’t have had time to play if the party scheduled after hers hadn’t called out. I’m sorry we didn't have time to open all of your presents with everyone, sweetheart.”

“That’s okay,” Amelia replied. “I’m just wondering what you got me, daddy!”

Black’s heart sank, starting to rot in a rut deep in his chest. “Right…”

The car started to slow to a stop as it pulled into the parking lot within the Powerforce complex. Black grabbed all of the presents in the trunk while Caeda carried Amelia inside. No one seemed to be home yet, providing Black with the quiet atmosphere he needed. [i]I suck. I couldn’t even get my only daughter a single gift. She’s going to hate me…[/i] He placed the presents down in the living room and went to brew a cup of coffee while Caeda took Amelia upstairs to change. Before he could add the hot water, he heard a shriek upstairs. Ignoring the aching joints and bruises, Black dashed as fast as Chris on sugar up the stairs, rounding the corner until he saw his family in front of Amelia’s room, his mouth slack-jawed. Amelia was laughing on the floor hugging a giant doll of a pink pony with long, flowing curls. Beside her were five more ponies, two with wings, another two with horns and even one with a cowboy hat.

“Daddy, thank you so much!” Amelia bound across the floor and leaped into her dad’s arms, hugging him as tight as she could.

Caeda stooped down and pressed a button behind one of the winged ponies, giving a start as its wings started flapping, taking it into the air. “They fly!”

Amelia stared in awe. “Daddy…DADDY, CAN I RIDE FLUTTERSHY, PLEEEEASE?”

Black hadn’t heard her, only staring at the flying pony floating nearer the ceiling. A smile slowly creased his lips.

Caeda gave a chuckle, looking to her husband. “I see you were busy this morning. Who’d you see to find a flying toy?”

Amelia tugged at Caeda's dress. “Mommy, can I ride it?”

“I guess it was intended for you ride it, judging by the built-in saddle here,” Caeda noted, bending over the blue-winged pony. “But we’re going to set some ground rules for your safety. And change into your PJ’s first.”

Amelia dashed into her bedroom, scrambling for her pajamas in her closet. Black couldn’t help but laugh, unable to stop even as his wife looked at him quizzically.

[i]I owe you one…old friend.[/i][/spoiler]

Comments and critique welcome. I did go over this story and make some thorough edits (thanks a bunch Vairocana) before posting, but I'm probably still a little rusty.

[Sploda]

Happy Birthday Black, I thought that you'd like it as is. (I was Fusion's go to guy for comments from an original source, but hey he did the work).

Sadly I don't have time to draw something, or whatever to present to ya.

[Fusion X. Denver]

[quote name='Hideki Hinata' timestamp='1333145016' post='5895297']
Sadly I don't have time to draw something, or whatever to present to ya.
[/quote]

[spoiler=Oh dude if you ever do find time]
Draw Donovyn's face post-Daniel.
That sh*t'd be hysterical.[/spoiler]

[Blake]

Thanks... ^^

The part about Lily being a secretary was odd, but nonetheless I enjoyed it. Though the random Scrap Dragon was random =o

"LET'S SEE YOU GRIT THOSE TEETH!" made me laugh, then I saw Creator's reply and felt it was over the top... Only to have the next part make it funny xD

[Fusion X. Denver]

@Lily-Hey, gotta start somewhere, right?
And I literally wrote the Scrap Dragon part today, cuz I thought the fight could use a better finisher, so I thought of the PROTOs Creator used and then Scrap Dragon popped in my head, so I went with that and used Cerburrel (cuz I like his artwork) to "tune" the PROTO parts into Scrap.
Glad you liked it though, I enjoyed writing this a lot myself.