Ronoken@AOL.COM wrote:

The Villains Crusade

Chapter One: The Devil's Employment

By BGlanders

***

Blackness.  A complete and utter void, totally absent of any light.  A
darkness so thick that it almost seemed to have mass unto itself.

Kagato was starting to get used to this.

"All right, I know you can hear me so cut the dramatics and get on with it.

comma after "me"

I have a training session to get back to."

With that, the obsidian surroundings dissolved to show what appeared to be a
cosmic backdrop.  For the vaugest of seconds the former mad scientist

"vaguest", although that isn't really the right word.  Time is not vague.

questioned how he was able to stand when there was no apparent solid surface,
then gave up.  Life was too full of odd happenings to examine every little
one, and his life was espically so.

"especially"

And as was said before, he was getting used to this.

The starscape before the scientist shimmered for a second, then gave way to
reveal a glowing red orb, floating about a good ten feet above Kagato's head.
 The scientist remained calm, but as a precaution moved his right hand to the
makeshift saber at his side.

The orb, which looked to be about three times the size of the scientist in

Height or width?  

diameter, started to pulse as a deep, echoing male voice emanated from within.

"Such impatience.  For one who has fought even the angel of death and lived,
you seem to be rather on edge, Kagato."

Kagato didn't bother to ask how the giant red ball knew his name.  After all,
to try and question anything in a situation like this almost always led to a
host of unanswerable predecessors, and this Kagato knew all too well.  The
orb pulsed again, and now Kagato could feel a warmth building around him.
The orb was radiating heat.

"I would not have summoned you here unless I was familiar with you, my dear
departed scientist.  How's your life as a mortal going?"

"Cut the formalities and state your purpose for this intrusion.  I was in the
middle of something, my round friend."

The orb moved a bit closer, causing Kagato to take a step back.  For a
moment, Kagato could have sworn the orb was chuckling.

"Very well, Kagato.  I have brought you here to employ your services, as it
were.  I require your help in a most grave situation, and you are one of the
only two beings that truly have a chance at solving said situation."

The scientist shrugged and crossed his arms in front of him.  "What's in it
for me, orb?  I'm not in the habit of giving out something for nothing,
especially when it comes to 'grave situations'."

The orb once again gave off what sounded like laughter to the good doctor's
ears.

"Maybe if I gave you the full details of the situation you would be more
inclined to participate."

Kagato shrugged, turning his back on the floating red ball.

"Look my roundish friend, I've had my fill of playing games in waking dreams,
and so if you would excuse me I must be returning to my own level of reality.
 Like I said, I'm busy right now."

The orb pulsed silently, as if considering the doctor's words.  Finally, the
baritone voice of the sphere boomed throughout the void the two beings were
occupying.

"Very well, Kagato.  For now I shall let you be, but be warned.  This is your
last chance to take my offer on such good terms."

What good terms?  It didn't offer him anything.  

"Why haven't you returned me yet?"

A flash of light, and the scientist was gone.

***

That was two weeks ago, and at the moment Kagato was wishing he had paid

"That had been"

closer attention to the orbs words.

He was sitting at the bridge of the Souja.  Actually, he was sitting at what
was left of the bridge of what was once a mighty ship.  The outer hull had
been pretty much destroyed, and the inner was all but gone.  In fact it was a
miracle the scientist was able to sit at all, let alone breathe.  The only
two systems that hadn't been destroyed were the gravity drive and the
internal life support.

That however, wasn't Kagato's main concern.

"Those pompous bastards.  They could have at least killed me.  That would
have been better than this, this waiting to die.  I just wish I knew where
they took her�"

Kagato sighed and went back to watching the backup energy cells lose power on
what was left of his front monitor.  All in all it wasn't how the mad
scientist had planned on checking out.

'Strange,' he thought, 'I never thought it would truly end like this.  After
all, I am one of the top scientific geniuses in the universe.  I should have
seen this coming a mile away, but nooooo.  I swear that if I find some way to
live through this, I'm going to rebuild Souja so dense that nothing, not even
that demon's Light Hawk Wings can cut through her!  This is most unpleasant�'

As the power meter before him reached zero, Kagato leaned back, closed his
eyes and waited for the air to give out around him.  It really wasn't how he
planned on dying, but then again, how many people really get to plan their
own deaths?

***

"Awaken."

"Eh?"

"Open your eyes!"

"�Oh."

Once again, Kagato found himself floating in the swirling void of
nothingness.  After making sure that no one was visibly around, he called out
into the nothingness.

"Well I'm here.  Does this mean I've died again?"

A blinding light appeared before Kagato, then resided as a familiar baritone
voice rang out through the emptiness.

"Not yet, my vile little friend.  I've brought you here to once again ask you
for your help� if your still interested in my offer, that is�"

As before, the glowing red orb once again was floating before the mad
scientist.  Kagato crossed his arms in front of his chest, closed his eyes
and sighed.

"Very well.  Tell me what it is you want.  I suppose that for sparing my life
I should at least grant you that."

The orb pulsed, then settled to what could be considered eye level with
Kagato.

"Excellent.  To begin, you are aware that you are what most people would
classify as a villain, yes?"

Kagato grimaced, then nodded.

"Wonderful.  Not every man can admit that he's scum.  Now, as you know�"

"Excuse me?  What right do you think you have�"

Kagato was cut off by a white hot flash of pain searing though his body.  He
dropped to his knees, spasaming in pure, unequaled pain.  After several

"spasming"

seconds, the pain vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared.

"What� what did you do to me?"

"You will remain silent and speak only when spoken to.  Remember that it is
by my will alone that you survive this encounter.  Do you understand?  If you
do, nod your head."

Kagato nodded.

"Wonderful.  Now as you may or may not be aware, there has always been a
constant weighting, a balance between the basic forces of good and evil.  Not
so much in individual actions, though beings like you do help to contribute
to the overall effect.  No, this balance is achieved by the existence of
beings created solely to represent each side.  Do you understand so far?"

Sounds kind of silly to me.  

"I believe so.  Please, continue.  I'm finding this interesting�"

The sphere pulsed and continued.  "Since the dawn of modern time, the axiom

"axiom" is the wrong word.

of the forces of this universe have been balanced by three forces.  Good,
Evil and Reason.  Quite a few thousand years ago the entity of Reason decided
to abdicate her throne, leaving the course of humanoid evolution to be
decided solely by the forces of good and evil, with reason being awarded to
both sides.

"As time went on, one of these sides became corrupted.  They started to take
their role beyond the point of obsession and into religious fanaticism.  Now

I'd rather assume that before Reason stopped being a separate force both sides
would have been fanatical.  

this force has set in motion a series of events that could spell the
destruction of the universe as you know it, not to mention a neighboring
universe that shares more with yours than you could ever imagine, but I
digress.  And now my reason to sparing your life, my dear professor�

"You are, without a doubt, one of the finest examples of villainy in your
particular universe.  You are the living embodiment of all that has ever been
feared, and now you are rehabilitated�sort of� and can fully see the need for
balance.  Am I mistaken?
Kagato nodded again, still remaining silent.

He nodded?  He indicated that yes, the orb is mistaken?  

"Not talking, eh?  You're a quick learner, my dear doctor.  As I was saying,
you are one of the few beings anywhere that can truly appreciate the need for
a balance.  You have an intimate understanding of evil, and knowledge of what
it is to be good.  You, to put it plainly, are aware of the true need for
balance.  This is the reason I've called you here.  I wish to employ your
services in stopping this force before it usurps the balance of all that we
know. Answer me Kagato, will you help me to set things the way they should
be?"

Kagato stared ahead for several moments, studying the orb before him.  Calmly
he answered, "What's in it for me?"

The orb seemed to pause in its pulsing, then started to laugh hysterically.
"You� you're telling me that saving your life isn't enough?  For one in such
a picaroons position you are quite bold.  Very well!  If you agree to help me
in the way I designate, I promise that you will have the opportunity to
regain that that was taken from you.  How does that sound?"

Kagato froze.  Thinking to himself, he weighed his options.  'I don't
particularly care what the outcome of this is, but if it means a chance to
see Anata again, then I really have no choice.'

"Very well orb, I accept.  However I first have a question and then a
request� and then another question."

The orb chuckled, then to Kagato's amazement seemed to nod, or at least
impersonate the action.

"Very well.  What is your first question?"

"Who are you that you care and know so much about what's going on?"

"A worthy question!  I represent the other deity involved in this matter.  It
is her primary concern that this is rectified as soon as possible.  Now, what
is your request?"

"A ship, and details on where I am to go and whom I am to be encountering."

"A worthy request!  And one I shall happily grant.  Would you prefer your
Souja, or would you wish something more� inconspicuous?"

Kagato thought about it for several moments.

"I would prefer the latter, considering I have no idea where I'm going and
who I will be encountering.  Besides, I'm tired of being shot down."

The orb laughed again, then moved slightly closer.

"And your last question?"

"Who is it that I must stop?"

The orb floated back a bit, pulsing slightly faster.  "That, along with the
latter half of your request, shall be answered by your assistant."

Kagato froze.  "What do you mean, 'my assistant'?  I work alone, orb."

Oh really?  What about Ryoko?  

The orb grew in size, and seemingly changed to a darker shade of red.  "You
will work with whom I say!  I don't care whom you employ or how you
accomplish your task once your back in your dimension, but you WILL have a
partner.  She, like you, is a former master of villainy.  And her universe is
in just as much peril as yours, should you fail.  Now go, Kagato.  Go and
stop the balance from tipping.  Your new friend will be waiting for you upon
your return."

Kagato tried to speak out in protest, but before he could he found himself
disintegrating into nothingness.

***

It was several hours later that Kagato regained consciousness.  He found
himself lying on a medical table in what was apparently a miniature sick bay.
 After counting all his fingers and toes, he did a mental evaluation of his
surroundings.

"Well this is quaint.  Rather generic technology, and not that much of it.
This ship was designed to be simplistic, which will be good if I run into any
GP checkpoints.  Hmm.. I wonder why everything is purple�"

Indeed, every metallic surface around the scientist seemed to give off a
slightly purple sheen.  It was odd, if not slightly interesting.  Kagato
attempted to stand, the whole time thankful that he had been revived with a
full set of clothes.  As he let his feet adjust to the cold, metallic floor,
Kagato remembered his conversation with the orb.

"I wonder where my new 'partner' is?" Kagato managed to put every ounce of

Actually the orb called her an "assistant", a word that Kagato would probably
find more palatable with it's implication that he'll be in charge.  

spite he could muster into that word.  Partner.  The very thought of working
with another, especially a former monster like himself, filled him with a
sense of foreboding.  Desperately seeking something salvageable from all of
this, Kagato tried to reevaluate his situation.

"Well maybe this won't be too horrific.  After all, it won't be for that
long, and besides, I'll get a chance to get Anata back, and that's really all
that matters.  Now, I wonder where my new partner is?  He might be on the
bridge�"

"Well well well, nice to see you awake, Mona me."

Kagato stopped dead.  The voice behind him turning him to stone.  Slowly he
turned around, half dreading what he might see before him.

He was right to dread.

Before him stood a young girl, about 10 to 12 years old by the look of her.
She had long blonde hair, , a purple outfit that was most definitely NOT
appropriate for someone of her age, and to top it off, some kind of baton/fan
was being twirled in her right hand.

Kagato was about to speak when he noticed the girl's eyes.  They were
familiar, so familiar that Kagato caught himself whispering out loud.

"�Anata�."

The blonde girl laughed, then struck a pose.  "Not quite, Kaggi old pal.  I
am the magical girl of love and ambition!  I am Pixy Misa, your new partner.
Pleased to meet ya!"

Throughout the shiny purple ship he had found himself on, Kagato let out a
primal scream of denial.

"Throughout the ship?"  You mean he ran around screaming?