I gave in to it. I couldn't help it, but I decided to go ahead with the idea that has drifted in my mind for so freaking long. This was my Tetris idea, aptly named for where I got it from. I was playing Tetris one night when an idea started to form in my head. How I got it from Tetris, I really don't want to know, but the basic framework was laid down then, and before I knew it, the idea sticks with me. For the last few weeks or so I kept playing around with it, and while I'm convinced it's a ripoff of at least several other fics and told myself not to write it, I gave in and actually did. I just needed to get this idea out of my way, so I can at least relieve myself or something
Take note, it begins in medias res, so it starts plotline-wise later into the story, thus all the confusing series of events. I'm not sure if I will continue with it, but in the mean time, comment on it and tell me how it is initially. Also, if you spot any sort of errors, typos, bad characters, detailing, etc, please inform me, since I apparently can't find my own damn typos.
-----
Without Fate
Prologue
The Kingdom of Molmol was once the splendor of the Pacific û a beautiful, unknown island nation hidden away from the political terrors, corrupt bureaucracies, and conflict-stricken world beyond its borders. While the rest of the world struggled with internal tensions that threatened to tear apart countries or fought tooth-and-nail against the invisible forces of terrorism and extremism, Molmol was left to its kind shelter of the Pacific Ocean to flourish in its own way. Less than a year ago, that was what defined the tiny Pacific kingdom.
Less than a year later, it was burning.
Keitaro Urashima followed the echoing sounds of gunfire within the royal palace. The Molmolian royal palace itself rivaled that of European castles and Middle Eastern palaces. The hallways were once buzzing with activity as servants and respected guests went about their daily duties. Now, those same hallways were deserted and barren, the walls were riddled with bullet holes and discarded pieces of debris littered the area. The twenty-eight year old archeologist passed along through the wave of destruction that caught the kingdom by surprise. Further and further, Keitaro moved along, and with each step he took, the more damage he witnessed. The damage was not restricted to merely the hallway, sadly. As Keitaro moved along, the number of bodies began to increase. Servants and palace guards alike littered the ground where they fell, cut down by highly precise automatic fire. Some of the shell casings and spilt blood were still warm û their murderers were nearby.
ôCheck your corners!ö
ôClear!ö
ôItÆs clear, weÆre safe to proceed!ö
The small radio attached to his coat was custom built by Su and was able to intercept enemy communications and relay them to his ear piece. The cold robotic voices the soldiers spoke in had neither any feeling nor any kind of emotion. Keitaro took cover behind a fallen stone column as the voices were transmitted. Chancing a peek, he spotted a squad of six Black Alpha Heavy Assaulters at the end of the hall. The soldiers were dressed head to toe in dark urban camouflage and uniforms devoid of any recognizable insignia. They wore thick Kevlar and protective plating on their upper torsos and shoulders, giving them a huge and threatening physical profile. Their most noticeable features were their helmets, which when combined with their gasmasks and image enhancing goggles, removed any shred of humanity they once seemed to possess. The other was with their weapons û each of the Heavy Assaulters carried L85A2 assault rifles fitted with a UGL grenade launcher under the barrel. It was a particularly mean and nasty looking weapon that easily mirrored their usersÆ brutal professionalism.
Taking on a single Heavy Assaulter was doable, but six? Keitaro might have been immortal and impervious to significant amounts of damage but even he would have to think twice about tackling the six highly trained and heavily equipped soldiers, part of the shadowy and malevolent covert task force known only as æBlack Alpha.Æ
The soldiers checked their area and kept moving. They were disturbingly close to where Lamba Lu was moved to after the attack began. Keitaro couldnÆt figure out why Black Alpha was targeting the king of Molmol and his family, but their radio chatter suggested they were going to try and capture him. Carefully emerging from where he was hiding, Keitaro crept forward, trying to follow the squad.
ôCommand, this is Foxtrot-1-9er, we have located the package, I repeat, we have located the package.ö
ôRoger that Foxtrot-1-9er, what is his status, over?ö
ôPackage is wounded, and is unable to walk without assistance. We are requesting a CASEVAC at our position, over.ö
ôNegative Foxtrot-1-9er, the area is too hot, CASEVAC cannot move in. Secure the package and move out to rally point Baker-Lima-1-4-2.ö
ôUnderstood, Command, weÆre en route.ö
Their æpackageÆ was Lamba Lu. They had found Lamba, and worse, he was injured, leaving him unable to get away or defend himself. Keitaro quickened his pace û he needed to get there and save him. If Black Alpha captured him, there was no telling what they would do. But how would he fight against them? KeitaroÆs only weapon was a single handgun, certainly not enough to combat six assault rifles and their heavily armored users. He needed to think of something û fast.
ôHeads up - IÆm picking up movement in our sector! WeÆve got hostiles!ö
Keitaro was relieved. It had to be the remnants of the palace guard. If there were enough of them, and if Keitaro was lucky to pop in behind them, they probably stood a chance of defeating them. The sounds of automatic gunfire then rang out inside the room, and it was being replied to by more gunfire. Their battle had begun. Curiously, the returning fire didnÆt sound like any weapon fielded by the palace guard.
ôShit, weÆve got a man down! I repeat, man down, man down!!ö
ôSuppress that corridor! Keep up the fire!ö
One down, five more to go. Whoever was inside with the king must either be incredibly lucky or simply well trained. Taking down an Assaulter wasnÆt easy, and to take one down this early into the exchange was a nearly Herculean task. Keitaro got to the end of the hallway. It turned left, and along the new corridor was the entrance to the room Lamba was being held in.
ôWeÆve got two down! God damn it, whereÆs the fire coming from?ö
ôFoxtrot-1-9er, status!ö
ôWeÆre under fire, I repeat, under fire! WeÆve lost two men already! ThereÆs somebody else in our sector!ö
ôOver there! Keep firing!ö
ôIÆm out, reloading!ö
ôWeÆve got another man down! Fuck, weÆve lost half our squad!ö
More gunfire sounded off. Whoever was inside fighting the Black Alpha Assaulters must not have been palace guards. They were using different weaponry and they were overwhelmingly effective. They had taken down half of the squad already and in such quick order as well û definitely not the work of the palace guard.
ôMan down! Man down! WeÆre being slaughtered here! We need reinforcements!ö
ôFoxtrot-1-9er, can you ID the hostiles, over?ö
ôNegative, we cannot confirm the hostiles!ö
ôCover me - I have to reload-aargh!ö
ôCommandàthis is Foxtrot-1-9er, my entire squad has been wiped out! I-IÆm all thatÆs left!ö
ôFoxtrot-1-9er, get the package out of there! Get moving, on the double!ö
ôRoger that, moving package û Command! IÆve got an ID on the hostile! ItÆs November-1, I say again, Novemb-!ö
A single, distinctive gunshot cut off the surviving Assaulter. Keitaro almost couldnÆt believe what he was hearing. A squad of six heavily armed Black Alpha Heavy Assaulters û slaughtered by what sounded like a single assailant. Who was this person? Better yet, how lucky was Molmol to have such a person helping them? Whoever this person was, he or she must have been known by Black Alpha well enough to warrant for their own codename. Keitaro remembered the last transmission, the panic and fear that gripped the soldierÆs voice. Whoever attacked them, Black Alpha must have known about beforehand and perhaps even feared.
ôT-thank you, whoever you are,ö Lamba groaned, greeting his saviour. Keitaro could hear footsteps from inside. LambaÆs saviour was coming out into view.
ôWho are you? What is your nameàyou! No! Stay back! Please, donÆt do it! Stop!ö
Keitaro tensed as soon as he heard Lamba plead for his life. He had just gotten to the door when he heard a single gunshot. Keitaro had come into the room just soon enough to see Lamba Lu, the King of Molmol, slump lifelessly to the ground, a single shot to the head. It was only here that Keitaro got a good look at both the saviour and assailant.
The kingÆs murderer was a woman, not much younger than Keitaro. She was dressed in a blue formfitting shirt with short sleeves that ended just above her elbows, a pair of light coloured Capri pants, and a set of worn and tattered running shoes. Her attire did not make her appear as any sort of soldier or assassin, at first glance. Then again, the second glance would reveal the black leather bracer wrapped around her left forearm, and the military-style suspenders and belt she wore over her shirt. The belt had various pouches and cases filled with ammunition. Slung over her shoulder was a shotgun, while her right hand was wrapped around an M1911A1 pistol, still outstretched and pointed at the body of Lamba Lu. Smoke continued to slowly rise from the barrel of her weapon.
Keitaro rushed into the room and raised his weapon. As he did, the woman turned around and raised her weapon as well. Keitaro was about to shout an order for her to drop her weapons and surrender, but was unable to. At this distance, he had finally noticed the rest of her features, particularly her long, light brown hair, the two cowlicks that stood above her head like a set of antenna, and her pair of dark yet beautiful hazel eyes. Everything about her - her eyes, her hair, and her face û suddenly seemed familiar to Keitaro. Old memories flashed through his mind and pieced themselves together. Was it her? Of all the people and all the old friends he had met throughout his life, was she the same one? The same girl he knew from long ago?
The woman smiled warmly at him, as though being reunited with a close friend at long last. It was an action that seemed contradictory to the present situation û both Keitaro and her had their weapons drawn and aiming for each other, and yet she smiles back at him like an old friend.
ôKeitaro?ö she asked. Her soft yet sorrowed voice only brought back more memories for Keitaro, some great but some merely bitter. ôHow long has it been?ö
Keitaro could only watch on in horror. It really was her. She, of all people, was standing here in front of him for the first time in years. She, of all people, was here at Molmol, far from home and far from everything Keitaro had thought he had left behind.
She, of all peopleàshe had just murdered the King of Molmol after saving him!
ôWhy?ö Keitaro asked in anger and disbelief. ôWhat are you doing here? Why did you do it, Narusegawa?ö
The woman, Naru Narusegawa, a woman from KeitaroÆs traumatic past, said nothing. She merely looked back at him, weapon drawn and unwilling to stand down. She was unable to answer why she had just murdered the king. She was unable to provide reason for her actions. Her mouth slowly opened and only three words slipped out.
ôJust because, Keitaro.ö
-----
Confusing? I know. I always wanted to start a story off in medias res. Of course, the next few chapters after the prologue would start at the very beginning, plotwise, and gradually build up to this moment, where it would be a culmination of all that has happened. I also wanted to put to use 'Black Alpha', my covert military task force that I bring out into a fic idea every often usually as misunderstood antagonists. Either that, or just kickass commando types that I can write action scenes with.
I was reluctant to write this because of a number of reasons. First off, it would be a heavily Naru-centric fic. Seeing how Naru is completely despised amongst the Love Hina fanfiction community and would rather be burned at stake, raped, burned again and killed three times, it probably wouldn't have been well received at all. However, seeing how she is almost completely despised and that there are few fics that relate to her, I wanted to give that a try, and maybe even find a way to portray her as an actual character beyond what everybody makes her to me. Agree or disagree, I have my reasons. Secondly, my current plan for the fic may involve an OC. If so, I would have to seriously rethink that, since I'm not too sure about using an OC for a fic like this. If I do, and assuming I continue, I may need some ideas on how to make a good OC.
Otherwise, please comment on it. If this doesn't turn out good, I will most likely discontinue it. Hell, seeing how I still have to work on my other two fics and that I'll be returning to the tyranny of high school very soon, I might have to, but it's worth a shot, I think, to at least find closure to this idea.
Take note, it begins in medias res, so it starts plotline-wise later into the story, thus all the confusing series of events. I'm not sure if I will continue with it, but in the mean time, comment on it and tell me how it is initially. Also, if you spot any sort of errors, typos, bad characters, detailing, etc, please inform me, since I apparently can't find my own damn typos.
-----
Without Fate
Prologue
The Kingdom of Molmol was once the splendor of the Pacific û a beautiful, unknown island nation hidden away from the political terrors, corrupt bureaucracies, and conflict-stricken world beyond its borders. While the rest of the world struggled with internal tensions that threatened to tear apart countries or fought tooth-and-nail against the invisible forces of terrorism and extremism, Molmol was left to its kind shelter of the Pacific Ocean to flourish in its own way. Less than a year ago, that was what defined the tiny Pacific kingdom.
Less than a year later, it was burning.
Keitaro Urashima followed the echoing sounds of gunfire within the royal palace. The Molmolian royal palace itself rivaled that of European castles and Middle Eastern palaces. The hallways were once buzzing with activity as servants and respected guests went about their daily duties. Now, those same hallways were deserted and barren, the walls were riddled with bullet holes and discarded pieces of debris littered the area. The twenty-eight year old archeologist passed along through the wave of destruction that caught the kingdom by surprise. Further and further, Keitaro moved along, and with each step he took, the more damage he witnessed. The damage was not restricted to merely the hallway, sadly. As Keitaro moved along, the number of bodies began to increase. Servants and palace guards alike littered the ground where they fell, cut down by highly precise automatic fire. Some of the shell casings and spilt blood were still warm û their murderers were nearby.
ôCheck your corners!ö
ôClear!ö
ôItÆs clear, weÆre safe to proceed!ö
The small radio attached to his coat was custom built by Su and was able to intercept enemy communications and relay them to his ear piece. The cold robotic voices the soldiers spoke in had neither any feeling nor any kind of emotion. Keitaro took cover behind a fallen stone column as the voices were transmitted. Chancing a peek, he spotted a squad of six Black Alpha Heavy Assaulters at the end of the hall. The soldiers were dressed head to toe in dark urban camouflage and uniforms devoid of any recognizable insignia. They wore thick Kevlar and protective plating on their upper torsos and shoulders, giving them a huge and threatening physical profile. Their most noticeable features were their helmets, which when combined with their gasmasks and image enhancing goggles, removed any shred of humanity they once seemed to possess. The other was with their weapons û each of the Heavy Assaulters carried L85A2 assault rifles fitted with a UGL grenade launcher under the barrel. It was a particularly mean and nasty looking weapon that easily mirrored their usersÆ brutal professionalism.
Taking on a single Heavy Assaulter was doable, but six? Keitaro might have been immortal and impervious to significant amounts of damage but even he would have to think twice about tackling the six highly trained and heavily equipped soldiers, part of the shadowy and malevolent covert task force known only as æBlack Alpha.Æ
The soldiers checked their area and kept moving. They were disturbingly close to where Lamba Lu was moved to after the attack began. Keitaro couldnÆt figure out why Black Alpha was targeting the king of Molmol and his family, but their radio chatter suggested they were going to try and capture him. Carefully emerging from where he was hiding, Keitaro crept forward, trying to follow the squad.
ôCommand, this is Foxtrot-1-9er, we have located the package, I repeat, we have located the package.ö
ôRoger that Foxtrot-1-9er, what is his status, over?ö
ôPackage is wounded, and is unable to walk without assistance. We are requesting a CASEVAC at our position, over.ö
ôNegative Foxtrot-1-9er, the area is too hot, CASEVAC cannot move in. Secure the package and move out to rally point Baker-Lima-1-4-2.ö
ôUnderstood, Command, weÆre en route.ö
Their æpackageÆ was Lamba Lu. They had found Lamba, and worse, he was injured, leaving him unable to get away or defend himself. Keitaro quickened his pace û he needed to get there and save him. If Black Alpha captured him, there was no telling what they would do. But how would he fight against them? KeitaroÆs only weapon was a single handgun, certainly not enough to combat six assault rifles and their heavily armored users. He needed to think of something û fast.
ôHeads up - IÆm picking up movement in our sector! WeÆve got hostiles!ö
Keitaro was relieved. It had to be the remnants of the palace guard. If there were enough of them, and if Keitaro was lucky to pop in behind them, they probably stood a chance of defeating them. The sounds of automatic gunfire then rang out inside the room, and it was being replied to by more gunfire. Their battle had begun. Curiously, the returning fire didnÆt sound like any weapon fielded by the palace guard.
ôShit, weÆve got a man down! I repeat, man down, man down!!ö
ôSuppress that corridor! Keep up the fire!ö
One down, five more to go. Whoever was inside with the king must either be incredibly lucky or simply well trained. Taking down an Assaulter wasnÆt easy, and to take one down this early into the exchange was a nearly Herculean task. Keitaro got to the end of the hallway. It turned left, and along the new corridor was the entrance to the room Lamba was being held in.
ôWeÆve got two down! God damn it, whereÆs the fire coming from?ö
ôFoxtrot-1-9er, status!ö
ôWeÆre under fire, I repeat, under fire! WeÆve lost two men already! ThereÆs somebody else in our sector!ö
ôOver there! Keep firing!ö
ôIÆm out, reloading!ö
ôWeÆve got another man down! Fuck, weÆve lost half our squad!ö
More gunfire sounded off. Whoever was inside fighting the Black Alpha Assaulters must not have been palace guards. They were using different weaponry and they were overwhelmingly effective. They had taken down half of the squad already and in such quick order as well û definitely not the work of the palace guard.
ôMan down! Man down! WeÆre being slaughtered here! We need reinforcements!ö
ôFoxtrot-1-9er, can you ID the hostiles, over?ö
ôNegative, we cannot confirm the hostiles!ö
ôCover me - I have to reload-aargh!ö
ôCommandàthis is Foxtrot-1-9er, my entire squad has been wiped out! I-IÆm all thatÆs left!ö
ôFoxtrot-1-9er, get the package out of there! Get moving, on the double!ö
ôRoger that, moving package û Command! IÆve got an ID on the hostile! ItÆs November-1, I say again, Novemb-!ö
A single, distinctive gunshot cut off the surviving Assaulter. Keitaro almost couldnÆt believe what he was hearing. A squad of six heavily armed Black Alpha Heavy Assaulters û slaughtered by what sounded like a single assailant. Who was this person? Better yet, how lucky was Molmol to have such a person helping them? Whoever this person was, he or she must have been known by Black Alpha well enough to warrant for their own codename. Keitaro remembered the last transmission, the panic and fear that gripped the soldierÆs voice. Whoever attacked them, Black Alpha must have known about beforehand and perhaps even feared.
ôT-thank you, whoever you are,ö Lamba groaned, greeting his saviour. Keitaro could hear footsteps from inside. LambaÆs saviour was coming out into view.
ôWho are you? What is your nameàyou! No! Stay back! Please, donÆt do it! Stop!ö
Keitaro tensed as soon as he heard Lamba plead for his life. He had just gotten to the door when he heard a single gunshot. Keitaro had come into the room just soon enough to see Lamba Lu, the King of Molmol, slump lifelessly to the ground, a single shot to the head. It was only here that Keitaro got a good look at both the saviour and assailant.
The kingÆs murderer was a woman, not much younger than Keitaro. She was dressed in a blue formfitting shirt with short sleeves that ended just above her elbows, a pair of light coloured Capri pants, and a set of worn and tattered running shoes. Her attire did not make her appear as any sort of soldier or assassin, at first glance. Then again, the second glance would reveal the black leather bracer wrapped around her left forearm, and the military-style suspenders and belt she wore over her shirt. The belt had various pouches and cases filled with ammunition. Slung over her shoulder was a shotgun, while her right hand was wrapped around an M1911A1 pistol, still outstretched and pointed at the body of Lamba Lu. Smoke continued to slowly rise from the barrel of her weapon.
Keitaro rushed into the room and raised his weapon. As he did, the woman turned around and raised her weapon as well. Keitaro was about to shout an order for her to drop her weapons and surrender, but was unable to. At this distance, he had finally noticed the rest of her features, particularly her long, light brown hair, the two cowlicks that stood above her head like a set of antenna, and her pair of dark yet beautiful hazel eyes. Everything about her - her eyes, her hair, and her face û suddenly seemed familiar to Keitaro. Old memories flashed through his mind and pieced themselves together. Was it her? Of all the people and all the old friends he had met throughout his life, was she the same one? The same girl he knew from long ago?
The woman smiled warmly at him, as though being reunited with a close friend at long last. It was an action that seemed contradictory to the present situation û both Keitaro and her had their weapons drawn and aiming for each other, and yet she smiles back at him like an old friend.
ôKeitaro?ö she asked. Her soft yet sorrowed voice only brought back more memories for Keitaro, some great but some merely bitter. ôHow long has it been?ö
Keitaro could only watch on in horror. It really was her. She, of all people, was standing here in front of him for the first time in years. She, of all people, was here at Molmol, far from home and far from everything Keitaro had thought he had left behind.
She, of all peopleàshe had just murdered the King of Molmol after saving him!
ôWhy?ö Keitaro asked in anger and disbelief. ôWhat are you doing here? Why did you do it, Narusegawa?ö
The woman, Naru Narusegawa, a woman from KeitaroÆs traumatic past, said nothing. She merely looked back at him, weapon drawn and unwilling to stand down. She was unable to answer why she had just murdered the king. She was unable to provide reason for her actions. Her mouth slowly opened and only three words slipped out.
ôJust because, Keitaro.ö
-----
Confusing? I know. I always wanted to start a story off in medias res. Of course, the next few chapters after the prologue would start at the very beginning, plotwise, and gradually build up to this moment, where it would be a culmination of all that has happened. I also wanted to put to use 'Black Alpha', my covert military task force that I bring out into a fic idea every often usually as misunderstood antagonists. Either that, or just kickass commando types that I can write action scenes with.
I was reluctant to write this because of a number of reasons. First off, it would be a heavily Naru-centric fic. Seeing how Naru is completely despised amongst the Love Hina fanfiction community and would rather be burned at stake, raped, burned again and killed three times, it probably wouldn't have been well received at all. However, seeing how she is almost completely despised and that there are few fics that relate to her, I wanted to give that a try, and maybe even find a way to portray her as an actual character beyond what everybody makes her to me. Agree or disagree, I have my reasons. Secondly, my current plan for the fic may involve an OC. If so, I would have to seriously rethink that, since I'm not too sure about using an OC for a fic like this. If I do, and assuming I continue, I may need some ideas on how to make a good OC.
Otherwise, please comment on it. If this doesn't turn out good, I will most likely discontinue it. Hell, seeing how I still have to work on my other two fics and that I'll be returning to the tyranny of high school very soon, I might have to, but it's worth a shot, I think, to at least find closure to this idea.
