by Jamie L. Word
Zephyrrian Saga
Chapter 3
The Planet Zephyrr.
Akira's cry of anguish concluded, and he gently lowered Miyoko's head back to the cold, unfeeling ground before standing back up to his feet fo full height, his back to the main force of his enemies. Kuang and the others noted Akira's destraught demeanor without being able to see his countenance, noting the tension in his stance alone. In the silence, there was a slightly audible sigh as Akira took a deep breath, his head still lowered towards the ground.
"What's the matter, monkey?" Kuang inquired insultingly, trying to coerce Akira into turning around to face him. "All alone? Not so confident without your little playmates to help you? What was she to you, a girlfriend? A lover? A spouse?"
At that inquiry, Akira turned around, glaring angrilly at Kuang and his allies in the heat of his passion. His eyes burned with seething rage and passion, and the henchmen took a step back in slight intimidation while the main foursome of the villains remained confident.
"Miyoko was a friend to me," Akira growled in deep emotion while scowling at them in burning hot anger. "She was a special friend to me. We were considering getting married and raising a family together. Now, she's dead, and it's your fault!"
"Yeah, and what are you gonna do about it, monkey?" Feng tauntingly inquired the lone Saiyan in his overconfidence.
"I'm going to make you pay!" Akira declared with grim resolution in his voice and upon his visage. "I'm going to make each and every one of you pay!"
At that declaration, Akira widened his stance, clenched his fists to his side, tensed all of his muscles until all of the veins in his body bulged, and screamed his rage into the heavens! As he did so, his body was immediately ensheathed in a pale, flaming energy aura, and the ground began to tremble as powerful winds blew out from him in all directions! Small rocks, stones, and pebbles began rising from the ground and were swept up in the powerful winds! The villains' scouters picked up on Akira's rising energy level, startling them!
"Hey! He's even stronger than either Feng or I am!" Cong muttered in disbelief as he trembled in the wake of Akira's power-up. "This isn't good!"
"I'm still twice as strong as he is, however!" Kuang replied with confidence in his voice and on his face. "We also still have the numbers advantage over the monkey, so don't worry!"
"I don't care if it's a million to one!" Akira shouted at the villains in fierce determination as he prepared to fight them all by himself. "You should be very worried!"
"Get over yourself, monkey!" Kuang retorted to the Saiyan warrior's decree as he then turned his attention to the remaining henchmen of his entourage. "Alright, you grunts! Go get him! Turn that monkey into roadkill!"
The henchmen fought off the intimidation due to the instruction of their commander, and they charged at the lone Saiyan warrior! As they closed with him, he made his move! With a series of powerful unarmed attack techniques, Akira began decimating the henchmen with brutal efficiency, much to the chagrin of the elite foursome of the villainous entourage! With kicks and punches, along with elbow strikes and knee bashes, Akira began pummeling the henchmen into oblivion with apparent ease! Within moments, he had vanquished all but the four elite fighters!
"Well, that was quite the show!" Kuang replied as he and the others noted Akira's complete destruction of their cannon fodder minions. "Too bad it all ends here!"
With that said, the foursome flew at Akira to attack him! Akira charged straight at them with a determined battle cry! He sidestepped Wei's attempt at a punch to the face and doubled the fighter over with a driving knee to the midsection, stunning him! Akira then slammed a reverse elbow thrust to the back of the doubled-over Wei's head, knocking him to the ground with a crash! Cong closed with Akira immediately following that shot, hammering Akira with a stiff punch to the jaw, turning his head!
Akira responded to Cong's punch with a spinning kick to the torso, using the force from Cong's punch to add to the momentum of the kick, knocking Cong across the battlefield as he streaked past his comrades! Feng then flew right at Akira to attack him, drawing back his huge fist and throwing it at Akira! Akira leaned back underneath the attack, suspending himself horizontal below Feng's missed attack, and then he slammed both feet simultaneously into Feng's midsection in a double dropkick-style kick, launching the slightly stunned fighter skyward from the force of the blow!
Flipping completely over backwards, Akira then flew straight towards Kuang and engaged him in a flurry of hand-to-hand battle techniques! Neither of them seemed to be able to get the advantage over the other in their brilliant exchange, but they pushed themselves nonetheless to find an advantage! Akira and Kuang were still too-evenly matched to find an advantage over each other in their clash!
Suddenly, Cong returned to the clash and hammered Akira with a flying side kick to the face, knocking him back away from Kuang! Then Wei slammed into Akira from behind with a charging shoulderblock to the small of the back, eliciting a yelp of pain from the Saiyan! Finally, Feng dropped down upon him from above with a two-fisted smash onto the top of Akira's head, driving him to the ground with a crater-forming, dust-scattering, thunderous crash!
The four elite fighters laughed over the plight of the lone Saiyan while waiting for the smoke to clear! As the smoke cleared, they saw Akira on one knee, grimacing in pain due to being heavilly battered and bruised as well as bleeding from the lip! Akira stood up to full height after regaining his composure, grimacing in a mixture of pain and anger! The villains gazed upon him with calm composure, preparing to finish him!
"Time to finish this little game, monkey!" Kuang said to Akira as all four villains extended their hands towards him simultaneously, powering up mighty energy blasts. "It's been fun, but it's over now!"
The foursome launched their energy blasts on Akira's location simultaneously, but Akira crossed his forearms in front of his face as if to shield himself from the incoming blasts! The villains' blasts slammed into his crossed forearms and exploded with great force, the fury of it sweeping across the landscape like gale-force straight line winds! The villains laughed as they saw the fruit of their labor manifested in the devastation before them, but they didn't have time to savor the moment for long when their scouters picked up multiple energy signals approaching their position from a distance.
Looking in that direction, they witnessed a force of Zephyrrian warriors, hairless and golden-skinned humanoids, flying towards them, ready to engage in battle. The warriors wore long, loose-fitting pantalons and sleeveless tunics, along with waist sashes, wristbands, and boots. The villains checked their scouters and laughed at the power levels they detected from the warriors. Feng stepped forward, ahead of the others.
"Leave this to me," Feng said, offering to take on the entire force of incoming warriors singlehandedly on behalf of the team.
"Go knock yourself out," Wei replied to the hulking, armor-clad brute with a hearty smile and a gleeful chuckle.
"They're all yours, Feng," Cong addressed the gigantic bruiser, accepting Feng's offer to destroy their enemies singlehandedly.
"Wei and Cong have given you their permission, Feng," Kuang said, acknowledging all that had transpired between them. "Go and have your fun."
"Thanks, Kuang," Feng replied with a happy smile as he turned to face the incoming Zephyrrian warriors who were closing with them.
"You should finish what you start before moving on to other things," Akira's voice admonished the villains from behind them.
They turned to see Akira standing there badly battered, bruised, and bloodied. His armor and attire were battle damaged as well, but his determination was unmistakeable. The villains were shocked to see him still standing.
"How can you still be standing?" Kuang inquired in near-incredulous disbelief over Akira's resiliency. "No Saiyan has ever displayed such toughness and tenacity before, and I have destroyed quite a lot of you monkeys in my time, Akira!"
"Well, you haven't done it to me," Akira declared with determination in his voice, his visage one of unwaivering focus. "I'm still here, and that's bad news for you!"
"Feng, go ahead and greet our welcoming committee," Kuang ordered his hulking companion before turning to the others. "Wei and Cong, you will soften up this monkey for me, and I will finish him when you're done!"
Feng turned and flew to meet the Zephyrrian warriors in battle, even as his teammates stood poised to do battle with the lone Saiyan warrior. Akira assumed a fighting stance in preparation to fight against his adversaries. Kuang stood back behind Wei and Cong as they assumed fighting stances for the battle.
"Whenever you're ready!" Akira declared to Wei and Cong as he waited on them to make the first move.
Reacting to his comments, Wei and Cong rushed forward to attack him, and he met their charge with a strong defense! They threw punches and kicks at him, but he was able to block and evade their attacks with some skill and composure! Then Wei and Cong charged up blasts in their hands and threw them at Akira, but he swatted the blasts aside with focused determination! Akira then slammed a spinning back elbow strike to the side of the head of Cong and flowed into a roundhouse kick to the jaw of Wei, knocking both out of his way as he flew towards Kuang, who prepared to meet this challenge with a newfound respect!
"So much for them softening me up!" Akira taunted the blob-like warrior as he closed with him for conflict. "Why don't you try me on for size yourself?"
"Don't mind if I do, monkey!" Kuang retorted in response as he braced himself to receive the Saiyan's attack. "Just step on up to the plate, furball!"
Akira engaged Kuang once more, and the two fighters seemed to be stalemated once again! The exchange was brief, and then it was once more interrupted by the return of Wei and Cong to the fray! Wei and Cong each drove flying side kicks to Akira's sides from opposite sides, stunning the Saiyan and eliciting a yelp of pain! Kuang took that opportunity to hammer Akira in the midsection as hard as he could with his fist, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to spit up a bit of blood! The trio then erupted in a flurry of violence directed against the lone Saiyan warrior, pummeling him relentlessly and mercilessly!
Meanwhile, Feng was decimating the Zephyrrian warriors left and right! He shrugged off their best attacks, physical and energy, with nonchalant ease, and he savaged them in return with brutal physical and energy attacks of his own! His superior strength severely injured the warriors he used against them, and his energy attacks overwhelmed them as well!
Repeatedly, the fists and feet of Kuang and his two allies found their mark on the battered body of Akira, further inflicting pain and suffering upon him! As the sinister trio rained down their ruthless fury upon him, Akira found himself in the unenviable position of punching bag for his enemies, almost helpless to fight against all three of them at once! After several moments of that particularly brutal punishment, Akira plummeted to the ground in a near-senseless heap below his attackers! Kuang, Wei, and Cong charged energy blasts at the ends of their hands and prepared to blast Akira's location! Akira charged up a mighty energy blast at the ends of his hands to fire at them! As the villains' blasts flew side by side towards the Saiyan, Akira's two-handed single blast raced upward to meet the trio of blasts! Just before the blasts would have collided, Wei's and Cong's blasts flanked out on either side of Kuang's blast, surprising Akira! One blast looped around the left side of the colliding blasts, and the other looped around the right side, and both blasts slammed into Akira, one from either side, even as Akira's blast collided with Kuang's and exploded! The multiple explosions from all of the blasts exploding enshrouded the area in vision-obscuring smoke and dust clouds!
As Feng had finished defeating the Zephyrrian warriors, he turned his attention back to the others, hovering above the smoke and dust. Kuang smiled as the smoke and dust cleared to reveal Akira's prone and unmoving form amidst the rubble and debris of the attack. He turned back to the others with a big smile on his face.
"All done here, kiddies!" Kuang said with a chuckle. "Let's get back to the boss and get phase two of our operation underway!"
The quartet of villains broke into laughter as they flew away from the devastated battlefield, leaving only ruin and carnage in their wake. Motionless bodies littered the landscape amidst rubble and debris from the horror of the conflict. In moments, that was all that was left.
Moments later, a strange space craft entered Zephyrrian atmosphere, descending to the site of the epic devastation left behind by the minions of Frieza. It was large and oval-shaped, and it descended through the clouds quietly, undetected in its arrival. It landed in the middle of the devastation, and moments passed before a ramp descended from the belly of the ship.
A lone female Kai descended the ramp to the obliterated landscape before her. She was drawn to something in the midst of all of that destruction. After a few moments to isolate that which she sensed, she made her way to where Akira lay incapacitated amidst the rubble.
She knelt down over his prone body, a look of concern mixed with a look of vexation upon her comely countenance. She placed both hands upon his chest, and, in a moment, her hands began to glow. That glow then spread to Akira's body, and, in seconds, his physical form seemed to be healed of all wounds and injuries.
Akira's eyes flinched, and a moan escaped his lips as he slowly began to regain consciousness. A moment later, he opened his eyes fully and beheld her for the first time, a face that seemed somewhat familiar to him in some strange way. His puzzled countenance elicited a puzzled countenance upon the female Kai.
"Miyoko?" he said to her in a weary, just awakened voice as he reached up to touch her face, which indeed very much resembled the face of Miyoko.
"No," the female Kai responded gently as she captured his hand in hers and looked upon the confused warrior with an almost maternal gaze. "My name is Jiani, and I am a Kai. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
"My name is Akira," he answered her as he carefully forced himself to sit up. "My team and I were sent here by some of Frieza's goons. It was a set-up. We were ambushed. My team! What happened?"
Akira looked around with feverish concern for the well-being of his teammates, but the Kai Jiani placed a hand on his shoulder consolingly.
"Take it easy, Akira," she admonished him maternally, her visage turning somber as she did so. "I'm sorry, but you are the only one here who managed to survive. I couldn't sense the life forces of the others when I arrived, only yours."
"No!" he said with heartfelt emotion as he quickly got back to his feet and began searching for his teammates. "I can't accept that! They can't be dead! They just can't be!"
In moments, he came across Miyoko's body, and he picked her limp form up into his arms and presented her to Jiani. Jiani was momentarily taken aback by the resemblance between Miyoko and herself.
"How did you revive me?" Akira almost demanded to know as he stood before her with Miyoko's body in his arms.
"One of the techniques I am proficient in is the art of healing," Jiani answered him solemnly, her head held low as she knew where he was going with this.
"Then do it again," Akira begged her passionately as he held Miyoko out to her. "Please, bring her back to me! Start with her, and revive the rest of my team!"
"I cannot restore the dead to life, Akira," she answered him apologetically, finally lifting her solemn eyes up to meet his heartbroken, watering eyes.
"Heal her!" Akira jolted her with the intensity of his emotional outburst as he almost barked it out as an order to her. "Please, try!"
Regaining her composure, Jiani nodded. She placed her hands upon Miyoko's lifeless form, and the glow began once again at her hands, washing over Miyoko's form. After several moments of this, the process was ended, and the glowing was gone as Jiani withdrew her hands from Miyoko's body, but Miyoko didn't respond. Jiani lowered her head and wiped away a tear as Akira looked upon Miyoko's unmoving, cold corpse with smothering anguish and unfathomable sorrow.
"I am sorry for your loss, Akira," Jiani tried to console the hurting warrior, her head still hung low to face the ground as she was unable to face his anguish.
"Miyoko! ... No!" Akira muttered in a whispery, angst-filled voice as he dropped to his knees beneath the burden of his heartache before unleashing his pain into the heavens again with a long, drawn-out expression of his sorrow. "No!"
Jiani shuddered as she felt his pain shoot straight through her soul. She grimaced at the sound of his rage in his screaming cry of anguish and misery. She knew he was well-aware of the nature of his business, the losses which are so looming over the life of a warrior, but she sensed that the bitterness of his loss was somehow not the same. There was a different taste to this mournful cry than was usual for a warrior loosing a comrade in the throes of battle.
Minutes later, Akira stood with his back to the devastation, looking off in the direction from whence he and his team first arrived on the scene. Jiani stood behind him, giving him some distance for his warrior's pride to mend as his body had done.
"They're all dead," he said out loud, a truth which was not required to be uttered to convince either himself or the Kai of the situation. "Planet Vegeta hasn't responded to any communications since we came into this star system. So, where do I go from here?"
"There is always the one place you've been longing to go," Jiani answered him softly, getting his attention without him turning his head. "Go to that place in your soul which is yearning for release. Go into the field of heroicism which beckons you so. In my ship, you can store your space pod and train in techniques you've never imagined before. I can bring you to new heights of power so that you can ensure that those who've killed your teammates can be of no further threat to anyone else."
At that comment, Akira turned around and looked directly into her eyes with a warrior's intensity. She felt oddly uncomfortable in a way she had never felt before. Although his intense warrior's gaze intimidated her, she was drawn to something else in those same eyes. There was the necessary coldness of a warrior, but there was also some inexplicable warmth of something else. She felt herself being drawn into his eyes, and they stood there for a moment, lost in the staredown for what seemed in its brevity to be an eternity.
"You're right," he said to her with absolute certainty in his powerful and commanding voice. "I have to stop them once and for all. There has to be resolution to this."
"Then you will allow me to help you train in the techniques I have to offer you?" she inquired of him in her overwhelming curiosity.
With but a single, unequivocal word, he answered her, bestowing upon her an unfathomable and strange new feeling of exhileration as he said, "Yes."
What new techniques can Jiani the Kai teach to Akira, and can he learn them in time to stop the minions of Frieza from harming others? Who is the boss to whom they are returning, and what is the second phase of the operation to which they've alluded? What deep and unknown fascinations have drawn this adventurous Kai to the side of a Saiyan warrior? The answers to these and other questions are answered in Chapter 4 of the Zephyrrian Saga!