Ryuu: Defender of Marlove

[Archangel]

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Plot: Marlove was nothing less than a peaceful city at one time. A land of appreciation towards one another and brotherhood was very much abundant. However, what would happen when the city’s peace is disrupted by one larger-than-life force and its gangs which seemed to be viral? The Crelod, a large group scattered about the city with firearms, were the cause of many deaths and near-fatal accidents. As dangerous as the Crelod seemed, the greatest dangers were about to come. However, the city’s fate is not set in stone and one man will rise above this terrorist group and fight to preserve the peaceful reputation Marlove once had.

When the villagers have grown scared and the only ones not afraid to walk Marlove’s streets are the criminals, a dragon will come down to smite the forces. This is the story about Marlove’s sole defender…a man by the name of Ryuu.


Rating: M (Violence, Strong Language, Sexual Themes)


Cast

Adam Gregory as Bobby Kerensky/Ryuu
Torrie Wilson as Erin Leavenworth
Suzuka Morita as Kaori Nakadai

Josh Peck as Henry Peart
Adrian Pastar as Anderson Peart
Ray Wise as Mayor Edward Hollenbeck


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Chapter Listing

Chapter One: Image of the Dragon
Chapter Two: A Day's Work
Chapter Three: Enter Mammoth
Chapter Four: Matter Over Mind
Chapter Five: Sacrifice of the City, Part One
Chapter Six: Sacrifice of the City, Part Two
Chapter Seven: Staggering Mammoth
Chapter Eight: All For Erin, Part One
Chapter Nine: All For Erin, Part Two (COMING SOON!)
Chapter Ten: Diplomatic Immunity (COMING SOON!)
Chapter Eleven: Supernatural Jailbirds, Part One (COMING SOON!)
Chapter Twelve: Supernatural Jailbirds, Part Two (COMING SOON!)


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Characters


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Name: Bobby Kerensky
Superhero Alias: Ryuu
Age: 21
Special Powers: Psychokinesis, Energy Projection, Enhanced Strength and Speed
Costume Description: A form-fitting black leather hoodie is worn on his upper body with the design of a blue dragon going around the lower section. The hood would be the distinctive aspect: on the sides would be the design of the mouth of a dragon and the hood would actually go over his face to make it look like a creature. Bright blue eyes would be embedded on the material where his normal eyes would be. In short, he would be able to see out of the overhood but nobody can see his face. The pants would be the same with the lower body of the blue dragon going around it. He also wears black motorbike gloves and boots to finish the look.
Bio: Something bigger: that was Bobby Kerensky’s outlook on life ever since he was a kid. He always wanted to achieve something greater than anyone else could ever hope for. He wanted to be larger than life and most of this stemmed from his love of superheroes, the likes of Batman and Spider-Man included. Once he made it to college, he knew that he had the chance to make his dream a reality and he would make the most of it once he started to attend Marlove University in the city. It was during his senior year that the bad **** began to go down. The city was overrun by gangs of thugs known as the Crelod and not even the Marlove Police Department were brave enough to combat them, a disappointing action on M.P.D’s part. Bobby’s role in Marlove’s safety would come into the picture later.

The first example of Bobby’s dormant powers coming to life was when he caught sight of a little girl on the street playing with a ball. A truck came speeding down the road and before anyone could come to push the girl aside, Bobby found that he was able to stop the truck…with nothing more than his mind. Once this happened, Bobby began to notice greater changes within himself, blue energy emitting from his hands at will as well as his physical stature becoming more toned and stronger to boot. At that moment, Bobby decided to play his part in ridding Marlove of any grittiness and the Crelod which brought it along to begin with. He created an identity for himself, his appreciation for mythology directing him towards the dragon: Ryuu was born.

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Name: Erin Leavenworth
Age: 21
Special Powers: None
Bio: Erin Leavenworth wanted nothing more than to help people. With beautiful looks and a figure to match, it was no surprise that many people believed Erin’s talents could have been tailor made to fashion and modeling. However, Erin was gifted in not just her looks but intellect as well; with good grades and a love for science, she wanted to become a doctor, just like her mother. That was when she attended Marlove University. There she met a young man named Bobby Kerensky and she immediately saw a character in him that she found absent in previous boyfriends. The two became close and while she might not know every secret of Bobby’s, she knew more than enough to proclaim her feelings for him. Focused and outspoken, Erin is not a woman to be treated lightly. She will stand up for what she believes in and while many people consider the figure known as Ryuu to be a mysterious menace despite his good deeds, Erin remains faithful that he is a hero.

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Name: Kaori Nakadai
Age: 19
Special Powers: None
Bio: From a Japanese family, though she was born in America, Kaori Nakadai is all about peace and love on Earth. Despite the harshness of the city that Marlove possesses, Kaori is kind and gentle but perhaps too much so. It goes to the point where Kaori ignores the bad in the world and sees everyone who might be evil as “troubled.” However, it might be a defense mechanism due to her less than stellar home life. Her parents were barely home and her older brother, Kino, had recently gotten into trouble due to possession of drugs. Nonetheless, she attempted to not go down the same path and she worked hard, attending college alongside her best friend in high school, Bobby Kerensky. Her view on Ryuu is good but one has to wonder if her opinion will slowly become skewed due to the events that are to play out.


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This thread will be updated periodically with info, be it chapter listings, bios for different characters or otherwise. This story will be a big thing for me, considering how much I wanted to do an original story so long, let alone one centered around a superhero. I hope you guys lend your support for this idea!

[Archangel]

Chapter One: Image of the Dragon

There he stood. One man against an army of darkness. One soul hero against a legion surrounded in evil.

While the rain came down in a torrential pour and the lightning sounded as if the gods were angered, the hooded figure with a dragon design to his urban attire stood against what appeared to be hundreds of cloaked figures, each one armed with either simple tire irons or pool cues to firearms more intricate and dangerous like AK47s or shotguns.

The dragon saw no use for weapons, though. Like a monster against knights, the only tool needed was pure strength and skill. With the city itself barren of any civilian life and the only people present were the fighters, there was not one person able to stop them.

Soon, the dragon stepped forward and assumed a defensive stance, his arms at the sides as the blue energy crackled from his palms. “Come at me, you bastards.” He hissed.

Soon, the cloaked figures armed with short-range weapons came at the dragon. With acrobatic yet powerful moves, the dragon dodged each move as if everything around him moved in slow motion. He then came back with attacks of his own, laying in several kicks that none of them were fortunate to avoid. He then took one cloaked figure by the neck and he tightened his grip, lifting the soldier off of the ground. The dragon soon tossed the soldier aside and he leaped back to avoid a tire iron swing.

“You’re not going to be so quick to attack once I’m through with you.” The dragon said before he held his hands out in front of him. His own body glowed blue for a moment. His psychokinesis came into play and he swung the soldier through a shop window without even laying a finger. “Now,” He kept his same crouched defensive pose as he eyed the figures about to shoot him. “Take as many bullets as you’d like…shoot me down!” He dared.

Despite the fear that their physical statures showed, the soldiers armed themselves and they aimed at the dragon. Several bullets were fired and the dragon remained standing.

“Give me a break.” The dragon said before he held his hands up over his head and then swung them down to his sides in separate arcs. This caused a force field of similar blue as before to form around his body. The bullets struck the force field but failed to penetrate the energy formed around him. This would not be the action that would leave the most lasting impression, however.

The dragon’s body soon levitated, his arms at his sides as a swirling blue energy surrounded his body like the fire from a serpent. He then spread his arms out to the sides, a powerful wave of energy spreading through. The waves struck the remainder of the soldiers and, on impact, the soldiers disintegrated into nothing.

“Who else wants to feel my-”

“Bobby?”

“What? Who is that?”

“Bobby, wake up! We’re going to be late for school!”

*~*~*

Taken out of his dreams, Bobby Kerensky’s eyes fluttered open and he was greeted by a rather pleasant sight as opposed to his nightmarish images. Aside him under the covers was the figure of his beautiful, blonde-haired girlfriend, Erin Leavenworth. Ah, the joys of sharing an apartment with a girlfriend, Bobby thought to himself.

“Hmm? What happened?” Bobby mumbled sleepily.

“You fell asleep, even when the freaking alarm was going off.” Erin said with a shake of her head. “I love you,” She kissed Bobby on the cheek once. “But I think that if Hell finally arrives on Earth, you’re going to be the last one to know about it.”

“Funny…very funny.” Bobby laughed a bit and pulled Erin close, greeting her with a good morning kiss of sorts. As much as Erin enjoyed it as well, she knew they had classes to go to. However, Bobby’s mind remained on that dream. Ever since he showed the ‘signs’ of supernatural powers, his life was not quite the same.

“Come on.” Erin said as she stood up from the bed, her back turned to the still resting Bobby. “You don’t want to disappoint Kaori either, right? We have those presentations to do in our Sociology class, right? All about urban legends.”

“Yeah, I really shouldn’t be late.” Bobby said before he turned to his side to face Erin. He looked her naked back up and down a bit and he groaned a bit. “Baby, you drive me crazy sometimes. How does a woman like you get to be so perfect?”

Erin was looking at herself in the mirror as she dressed but she turned to look over her shoulder, smirking at Bobby as she slipped her pants up, perhaps a bit more slowly for his pleasure. “Perfect in what ways?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Bobby asked before he stood up in only his pants as well and slipped his arms around Erin’s waist from behind, his chin against her shoulder. She had about the same height on him at, perhaps an inch or two shorter, making her best features stand out more so.

“Easy now, killer. Now get dressed.” Erin said before she turned around in Bobby’s arms to kiss him once. She looked into his eyes and smiled a bit. The two of them shared the apartment after their first semester in college together, the both of them unable to stay apart for long. The fact that they made their schedules as closely together as possible only made things better on their relationship.

“Anything for you, baby.”

*~*~*

Marlove University was a peaceful school…at least it was somewhat normal. Abuzz with student activity, this was one school where groups were formed and friendships were made due to popular interests.

Of course, the case of the gang members called the Crelod only made students hesitant to walk to campus, let alone attend class. There were not many people who didn’t walk in groups thanks to the fear that the Crelod instilled in them. They heard of the stories: random attacks on the streets as well as how numerous they seemed to be in tandem with no confirmed source. No one knew there these gangs originated from but they showed no sign of faltering, had it not been for one lone figure in particular.

His hand in hers, Bobby walked alongside Erin through the various students that were walking towards the various buildings located on campus. The two of them smiled at each other once and Bobby quickly stole a kiss from Erin, causing her to chuckle.

“What? You didn’t get enough from that little make-out session in your car?” Erin asked with a wink.

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing.” Bobby told her.

“Just don’t make a habit out of it. I love you for you, not because of your horn dog tendencies.” Erin warned playfully.

Bobby and Erin passed one young, female Asian student, who seemed to have her nose stuck in a book. She looked up at the two and she smiled kindly, placing her bookmark in as she greeted them, “Ohayo, Bobby, Erin!”

Erin smiled over at the girl. “Kaori, there you are! What are you reading there?”

“Oh, just a book I picked up from the library. It’s really cool! It’s all about mythology…I think it would help us with the urban legends presentation, Bobby.” Kaori told him.

Bobby nodded. “Looks cool, Ri.” He said, using his normal nickname for the girl who he could say was his closest friend. Aside from Erin, Kaori was the girl he cared for the most. The both of them were best friends since they were kids, their parents being friends before, and their own bond carried over to college life when they applied to Marlove University. “I know we’re going to rock it.” He held his hand out to her.

“Yup, it’s gonna be awesome!” Kaori said, her upbeat and positive attitude present as she took Bobby’s hand, shaking his palm once before they slid their palms down and wiggled their fingers together, their own childish handshake of sorts.

Erin rolled her eyes a bit. “You two are too weird sometimes.”

“She’s got that one right, Bob.” Kaori said as she nudged Bobby’s arm with her forehead, being short to do so; unlike the tall Erin, she herself stood at a 5’1’’.

Erin smirked at the interaction between Kaori and her boyfriend. She was not a jealous girl and she knew Bobby cared about Kaori like a sister. She was secure about the relationship she was in. “I’m just not looking forward to my presentation. I have to work with…”

“Heyy, what’s up, dickweeds?!”

Erin gritted her teeth.

That’s when he showed up. A heavyset student that was about as tall as Bobby but not nearly as lean. It also looked like this student got up everyday and decided to throw on the most disgusting shirt and jeans before he went to school. This was Henry Peart. He walked up and pushed past Bobby, Erin and Kaori rather roughly.

“You have to do your assignment with him?” Kaori asked, surprise evident in her tone.

“Kaori, that would imply that he did anything for this thing to begin with.” Erin shook her head. “That piece of crap did nothing for this project. I literally researched and wrote the report and prepared the PowerPoint slides by myself.”

Henry walked up to a group of students, one of them with a laptop on his upper legs. “What are you idiots looking at?”

“We’re just trying to find out more about the hooded paragon of virtue of Marlove! They have been calling him Ryuu!”

“Yeah, he’s already gotten 50,000 hits on this one report done of him the other day!”

Henry scoffed. “Yeah, so what? What’s he ever done for me? Give it here.” He snatched up the laptop and he smirked as he put it behind his back. “Come and get it, shitheads. Is Ryuu going to kick my *** now?” He smirked a bit; it seemed like even he knew that because he was the son of the school’s president, he could get away with much more.

“C’mon, that was a birthday present! Give it back, Henry!”

“Nope, first you gotta beg for it. C’mon, you can’t crawl around a bit? Maybe kiss my foot, too, while you‘re at it!”

Kaori gasped. “He’s cruel.” She whispered.

Bobby shook his head. “I’m going to go settle this.”

Erin set a hand on her boyfriend’s arm. “Just don’t cause any ****, okay? We don’t need you getting suspended for starting a fight.”

“No one said anything about a fight, Erin. We are going to talk it out like men.” Bobby said before he walked over to the scene where Henry continued to torment the freshman students. “Henry, c’mon, just give him his computer back.”

“Who asked you, butt munch?” Henry asked. “Why don’t you and your girlfriend get stuffed? Not like it’s going to kill you anorexic girlfriend anyway.”

Bobby sighed softly, keeping back any urge to get angry. “Look, there’s no reason to talk like that. Just give him the computer back. I don’t want to start any trouble.”

“Maybe I do.” Henry said before he put his fat hand against Bobby’s shoulder, pushing him back a few steps. “How did you like that? You look kinda pissed there. C’mon, just hit me once.” He leaned forward, offering his jaw to Bobby. “The minute you do, my dad kicks your *** outta school!”

Bobby’s eyes narrowed a bit; oh, how enticing that jaw looked to pop a right hook into, he thought to himself. “I gotta get to class.”

Erin sighed in relief; Bobby showed enough restraint but she wasn’t too sure she would be able to say the same for herself once class began. She watched as Bobby came over to them, obviously showing the last strings of patience being tested.

“So much for talking it out like men.” Bobby muttered.

“You say that as if he were a real man to begin with.” Erin kissed him on the temple. She braced herself for the class to come, though, expecting the worse whenever Henry opened his fat mouth.

As they walked towards the entrance of the designated building, neither Bobby, Erin nor Kaori noticed two of the students walking around to the back…or at least they appeared to be students. Rolling up their sleeves, they looked to one another as they shared the same common trait of the Crelod: a tribal mark etched into their forearm.

“Let’s cause some ****. All for the boss.” One of the members in disguise said.

“Yup.” The other soon draped a crimson cloak over his body. “All for him.”

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So that's the first chapter of this superhero's tale. Perhaps a little light on action but just consider that first scene a portent of things to come. ;) Anyway, here it is. Comments, feedback, etc. are all greatly appreciated so yes, please leave some love on the way out!

[GoseiYellow]

Once again, Angel-san. Nice work! I can't wait to read more. :D

[Daenerys]

It's cool :) More?

[Archangel]

Chapter Two: A Day’s Work

The clock on the wall soon read 11:00 which meant that it was time for Sociology class to begin. Once all of the students took their spots, the middle-age, female professor walked into the room and she smiled at the class. “Morning, everyone. I assume everyone is ready to present today? Remember, if we go over class time today, you will have to present next week.” She said.

Kaori, sitting beside Bobby while Erin was behind them, raised her hand.

“Yes, Miss Nakadai?”

“Professor Jameson, could Bobby and I go first?” Kaori asked.

“Only if no one else has objections…” Professor Jameson waited before she was greeted by the nonexistent sounds of students arguing. She smirked a bit. “Well, there you have it: the floor is yours. Do you have your flash drive for your PowerPoint?”

“Right here.” Bobby held up the blue USB flash drive in his hand and he smiled back at Erin. “Wish me luck.”

“Aw, you won’t need it.” Erin said with a wink before she squeezed his arm once. She then watched as Bobby stood up with Kaori, the both of them making their way to the front of the class. Kaori stood in front of the class with index cards in her hands while Bobby went over to the computer to load the PowerPoint to the big screen in front of the classroom. Kaori began to speak.

“Hello, everybody. I’m Kaori Nakadai and this is my partner, Robert Kerensky.”

Bobby looked up from the screen. “I’m just here to compliment Kaori’s brains. Nothing more, people.”

Bobby’s little comment gained a snicker from the classroom before he began the presentation, pressing through the slides as Kaori spoke, “Bobby and I agreed on the topic of Marlove’s defender as an urban legend. Given the name of Ryuu by outside sources and confirmed by the man himself, many people wonder if he’s a real entity or a figure with light shows at his disposal to put on an act.”

Erin leaned in a bit; she, like many others of Marlove, found herself entranced by the Ryuu story.

“To say that this story is viral is an understatement.” Kaori said before she nodded to Bobby as a signal to turn to the next slide. “While many news channels reported on it, the source of it all, our own city, has taken the most notice. If you’d direct your attention to this link, Bobby will play a video on the latest Ryuu sighting.”

Bobby smiled inwardly; it felt somewhat odd to be recognized and his face was not even seen beneath his alter ego. As he went to open the link to the video, he could hear a distant groan of displeasure from the back of the room.

Henry, unlike most of the others in the classroom, wasn’t taking to the presentation.

“Is there a problem?” Bobby asked.

Henry threw his arms up a bit. “I just can’t believe so many people believe in this junk.”

Kaori bit her tongue somewhat. “But it’s this ‘junk’ as you say that’s helping the city.”

Professor Jameson noted the tension in the classroom and she cleared her throat. “I think that you both have done enough for the presentation. The PowerPoints were well-constructed and your information was founded as well.” She said. “Thank you.”

Bobby and Kaori nodded and walked back to their desks to claps from the students in the room. The two shared their characteristic handshake, muttering a ‘good job’ to each other after. The class continued to go on with presentations and it was soon time for Erin to do her own…though she was not looking forward to it as Henry trailed behind her.

“Look,” Erin whispered as she handed Henry a deck of index cards. “You don’t have to do anything but read these cards. Just read what I wrote down and I’ll move through the slides.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “Really? No, are you freaking serious now?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You didn’t do anything for this project so you owe me.” Erin said with a slight scowl. “Just read the cards.” She went over to the computer and she began to go through the PowerPoint presentation, all the while Henry reading the cards…as unenthusiastically as possible.

“Um, today my partner and I are going to present…” Henry squinted his eyes a bit as he read. “The truthness being ‘The Blair Witch Project.’ When the movie was released, many people were frightened by the movie’s realism. It claimed to be lost footage from three students but…”

Bobby’s jaw tightened a bit; he didn’t know what it was but he had a feeling that the **** was about to hit the fan really soon.

“Okay, seriously, I can’t work with this chick.”

“Excuse me?!” Erin shot back angrily.

That’s when the **** made contact.

“She chooses the most lame subject in the world to use!”

“That’s because you didn’t tell me what you wanted! What do you want from me?”

Professor Jameson, once again, stepped up to try and ease the situation. “Will the both of you show some restraint? Henry, you might very well be the president’s son but that does not give you the right to act out that way. You, Erin,” She shook her head. “I expected far better from you, especially when it came to this project.”

Erin gawked at the professor as if she had sprouted a second head. “But how can I do anything about it if he can’t even bring himself to-”

“I don’t want to hear any excuses. Please, take your seats right now-”

“Holy ****!” One student in the back exclaimed, her eyes focused on her laptop.

“Excuse me, Miss Riley?”

“Professor, you gotta check this out! It’s online right now; two members from the Crelod gang abducted three students from this school! They’re holding them hostage and the police is surrounding the building!”

That’s when everyone scurried to the student’s desk, all except Bobby, who knew that he had to make a rather crafty exit without Erin, Kaori or the others seeing. Once Bobby bolted out of the room, he knew one thing for sure.

It was show time.

*~*~*

A great distance from Marlove University was a warehouse; this used to be an old soda bottling factory but since business had gone sour for the company in question, the factory was forced to be shut down, though machinery remained. From conveyor belts to levers as well as empty soda bottles resting on said belts, it was like work was discontinued abruptly.

It was just a shame that the warehouse had come to life in the wrong hands.

Tied up in a triangle, sitting down on the cold and dust-ridden floor of the factory were the three students from Marlove University. With two males and one female stuck, they had no idea what to do…they just knew that escape was not an opinion; the guns in the arms of the Crelod did not seem too inviting. Coupled with the fact that police didn’t seem to be doing a thing outside of the building only enhanced their fears.

“What do we do about these kids?” One of the gang members asked.

“Simple,” The other member began. “We bring these two back to the boss and he sees whether or not they’re qualified to be one of us…if they don’t, they’re disposed of.” He then shot up at the ceiling with his AK47, the sound causing the students to jump in surprise.

Soon, a voice called out from beyond the building. “This is the Marlove Police Department! We have the location surrounded! Surrender yourselves immediately and the punishment will be lessened!” The voice boomed, though the actions did not seem to back it up. Not one officer stepped, what they believed to be, out of bounds.

“They’re bullshitting us, guy.” The gang member laughed. “Who’s going to try and step to this, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess so…hey, you feel kind of funny right now? This weird sort of feeling just sort of came over me.”

“Like what?”

“I dunno, it’s just…” The gang member looked at his body and that’s when he became scared; he was floating in the air! His whole body enveloped in a bright blue light, his body was hurled and he was sent, screaming all the while, against the side of one of the conveyor belt entrances. This rendered him unconscious.

“What the hell is going on around here?!” The other member began to show signs of fear as he looked around cautiously. The students were also left mesmerized, unable to figure out just what was happening.

From the rafters of the factory emerged a figure and the remaining gang member was floored with a powerful side kick. The gang member looked up and his eyes widened beneath his cloak.

Standing above him was the figure of a man concealed in mystery. With a form-fitting black hooded shirt, pants to match, the look did not end there. The outfit was adorn with blue dragon-like elements, the legs and tail on the sides of the pants and the torso at the bottom of his shirt. He wore a hooded mask to conceal his face and it had the same shape of a dragon as well, the mouth-like design coming around both sides to form what appeared to be eyes for the mask. Tightening a gloved hand, the figure definitely appeared threatening. This was Marlove’s sole defender. This…was Ryuu.

“You’ve been causing trouble in my city?” Ryuu asked, his tone cloaked with a dark, menacing yet cool air.

“Heyy, c’mon now…” The gang member began to back away slowly and he laughed nervously. “Look, I don’t want any trouble from you…they might, though.”

Ryuu stopped in his tracks and he looked around, seeing a few more of the Crelod emerge from behind giant crates. “So, these are the ‘big guns.’”

One of the Crelod made the mistake of charging at Ryuu’s back, only for the dragon himself to duck by simply bending over. The Crelod crashed to the floor and Ryuu set his foot upon the fallen soldier’s back. “Try to tangle with my fire.”

One by one, the Crelod approached Ryuu, each one holding armed weapons like sledgehammers, tazers or, the worst case scenario, pool cues. Each one came at Ryuu but he held his arms out to the sides, his forearms glowing a bright blue like before. He then performed an outward thrust with both arms, sending the soldiers flying back with such a gentle movement.

Ryuu kicked the soldier that he was stepping on to the side and he took the fight to the Crelod as they foolishly dashed at him. He laid a kick to the chest of another and his flurry of attacks did not stop. It did take a turn, however, when he was encountered by a member of Crelod about twice his size…though it seemed like a third of the brains as the member gave only a grunt of anger.

“Okay, tough guy…let’s go.” Ryuu made a dash at the bulky member of the Crelod but knew that techniques he had used before were not doing to do the job this time. Instead, he played up his enhanced speed, dodging a gigantic sledgehammer coming down on him. Once the head of the hammer connected with the ground, Ryuu nimbly stepped off of the head and he made a leap, wrapping his legs around the Crelod’s head, taking him down in a hurricanrana-style move. This force caused the Crelod to fly back through the opposite wall and the cliché of the bigger they were, the harder they fell certainly was the truth.

Once the soldiers were all floored, unable to stand due to Ryuu’s punishment, he turned to look at the entrapped students and he used a weak blast of blue energy to sever the ropes holding the three of them back.

“Get out of here.” Ryuu told them. “Let the police take care of the rest.”

The students were certainly not about to argue the point with the person who saved their lives. They scurried off which left Ryuu to deal with the Crelod in his own way…

The police waited out the fate of the students but once all of the huddled masses of the Crelod were sent soaring through the broken glass windows of the factory, they knew a greater force at work. The officers were quick to arrest the hazy Crelod members, the figure of Ryuu watching from the rooftop.

“I think that was a good fight…yeah, definitely a keeper.” He told himself in a more soft, calm tone of voice this time. He took his mask off and smiled; as Marlove’s sole defender, Bobby knew that he had the Crelod situation in the bag, as long as it took to round them all up. Bobby walked away and leaped down from the building to make yet another escape that day; somehow, an ice cream date with Erin sounded like a treat, especially after her nightmarish presentation at school.

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Aaaand with that, the second chapter is finally up...even though I think it's been a mere short time since the first came up. Anyway, I hope to hear from you all; comments, feedback, etc. are very much loved!

[Daenerys]

*impatiently waits for the next chapter* It's cool!!!! really is no negative feedback from me just positive :) Keep up the good work

[Archangel]

Chapter Three: Enter Mammoth

Henry was quietly cussing in anger and the reason behind all of this tension within stemmed from that figure so many people loved. However, ‘loath’ was not a strong enough opposing feeling, Henry believed. He despised Ryuu for all of the attention he received. Despite the way that Henry acted towards others, he wanted to be the sole defender of Marlove, not that dragon.

“Please, I can do that.” Henry said as he clapped himself on the chest, sitting in his room as he was online on his computer. “He’s not that impressive. Let’s see just how cool he really is.”

Henry opened another window and he growled in anger at the title of the article: ‘MYSTERIOUS LONER SAVES COLLEGE STUDENTS.’ Henry let out a loud scream and smacked his hand against the desk in frustration. “Damn it, damn it!”

This outburst did not go unheard, however. Soon, a platinum-haired man in his late 40’s came in through the door, well-pressed suit and all, opened the door to the room.

“Don’t you ever knock, Dad?” Henry snapped.

“Is that anyway to talk to your father?” The president of Marlove University, Anderson Peart, replied. “Seriously, what’s all of the racket up here?” He then glanced over at the computer screen. “Oh, the Ryuu stories…that guy is something else, isn’t he?”

“He’s annoying.” Henry replied angrily. “Seriously, why do so many people support this guy? Any one person can pretend to be a hero!”

“Well, if you’re going to go on this personal mission to boycott Ryuu, can you please do it more quietly?” Anderson replied. He walked over to where his son sat. “Son, I’m worried about you. You know how many complaints I’ve been given about you this semester alone? Just this morning I heard that you ruined a group presentation you had?”

Henry rolled his eyes. “Whatever that stupid ***** said, she’s lying.”

“Hey!” Anderson smacked his son once in the face. “Never use that kind of language under my roof! Whatever you do in school is your own business, but I do not want to keep hearing about all of this stuff you’re doing…or not doing, in today’s case. Shapen up, kiddo.”

Henry glared as his father left the room and this left the young man even more angered. He continued to search on the computer until a video message popped up on screen. Henry was confused; he did not remember accepting an invite, let alone the person who wished to conduct said video message. However, he clicked and he was greeted by one of the cloaked figures known as Crelod on camera. This one was different, though; while most of the cloaks that normal Crelod wore were solid black, this one had a more regal appearance and it went to show that perhaps this was the ringleader of the bunch.

“Hello there, Mr. Peart.” The figure said. “My name’s Cyro. A bit of home problems, I see? I have to tell you, your act definitely acted like a bit of a douche bag back there, didn’t he?”

Henry, however, could only utter one question through his horrified amazement. “Who…who are you?”

“Oh, my manners, forgive me…my name is Cyro and I am the leader of this group of misfits known as the Crelod. I have to tell you, in a city where everyone else loves Ryuu, your disdain for him is refreshing. Isn’t he just a glory hog, soaking up the rays of fame?”

Henry only weakly nodded his head.

“Well, if you’d like, I can help you exact something against the dragon. You want to be Marlove’s defender, right? Well, you can’t be the sole hero with Ryuu running amok. What do you say, kid?”

Henry didn’t know what it was but the idea of power, regardless of the means to acquire it, was enticing. He only smiled a bit. “Tell me where to meet you guys.”

*~*~*

Word had gotten around Marlove that the three students abducted from the school had returned to their homes safely. This came as a relief to the people living in Marlove; they knew that they could rest easy knowing that they had a defender, albeit shrouded in mystery, protecting them. Bobby heard about the news as well and, while in Erin’s and his own apartment, called up his father.

Bobby’s family life was a bit strained; his mother, Judith, and father, Daniel, divorced while he was in high school. Bobby continued to live with his mother until he went to college while his father left to find another means of living quarters. Fortunately, Bobby’s father kept his job while he went to live in a city across the Hollenbeck Bridge, named after Marlove’s mayor in what many people considered to be a show of egotism.

“It’s alright, Dad. You don’t have to come down here tomorrow.” Bobby said with a shake of his head, knowing his father heard the news concerning the abducted college students. All the while he looked at himself, Bobby dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans as well as a black t-shirt with a tribal design on the shoulder over a white long-sleeved shirt. Erin and himself had plans to go out that night.

“You sure?” Daniel replied from the other line. “Kiddo, I think you’re getting used to living in the bad part of town for too long.”

Bobby had to smirk, thankful that he was speaking to his father over the phone. “Well, it’s not all bad. You heard about the stories here, right? That Ryuu character?”

“Yeah, that…urban superhero, I guess?” Daniel replied. That’s when Bobby thought about it: urban superhero. The moniker definitely had a nice ring to it. “As long as he’s helping out the things happening there, I guess Marlove can’t be all bad.”

Bobby smiled proudly, knowing that his father inadvertently complimented him. “Just you wait: the Crelod are going to be totally wiped before long.”

“What makes you say that?”

Bobby paused for a second. “Confidence, that’s all. Look, I have to get going. I promised Erin I’d take her out to dinner.”

“Oh, that’s sounds nice. You know, I never even spoken to that girl. All I’ve seen were pictures on her Facebook. She’s a very pretty lady.”

“The pictures don’t do her justice, Pop.” Bobby smiled a bit. “I’ll talk to you later, take care.” He then hanged up the phone and looked over at Erin, who had just changed out of her school clothes and into an attire where she would go out on the town with her boyfriend in, a pair of tight black jeans and a spaghetti string tank top to match. Bobby definitely liked what he saw; Erin chose the clothes that showed off her curves and excellent body best without looking like a slut.

“You all set?” Erin asked before she looked Bobby up and down. “Looking good, sweetie.”

“Right back at you.” Bobby took her hand in his own before he reared back, giving her a playful smack on the bottom, causing Erin to jump a bit. The two of them walked out of the apartment and into the night life which Marlove possessed. As much fear as the Crelod instilled in people, there was no doubt that people enjoyed a good time and when the sun went down, the good stuff happened.

Bobby and Erin knew just the kind of place to stop at. The Happy Tap, a popular nightclub in Marlove, was the place to go. As strange as the name might have seemed initially, there was no denying that the place was the hot spot for loud music, dancing and some of the best drinks around.

“IDs?” The bulky, bald-headed bouncer at the door asked of Bobby and Erin.

Bobby and Erin flashed their driver’s licenses and the bouncer nodded, stepping to the side.

“Scary guy, wasn’t he?” Erin laughed gently.

Bobby scoffed. “Please, I could take that bouncer.” He said as he showed a bit of confidence. He knew that if it ever came to blows, especially now, he would be able to take on any physical challenge presented to him. “You know, I’m sad Kaori couldn’t join us.”

“You need another chick hanging on your arm?” Erin asked teasingly.

Bobby chuckled a bit. “It’s not that. It’s just that until she’s not legal to drink and she’s not big into the whole club thing…one day we’ll take her here.”

Soon, a song came on and Erin immediately recognized it as ‘Fire Burning’ by Sean Kingston.

“Ohh, let’s dance! I love this song, Bob.” Erin said as she squeezed his hand.

Bobby, on the other hand, was not a fan of this particular genre; he was more of a classic rock person. Nonetheless, he respected the wishes of his girlfriend and if it got him to dance close to Erin, he was not about to argue. “Let’s do it, babe.”

Both Bobby and Erin made their way to the dance floor and they began to move against one another, his hand on her hip as her back was turned to him.

Meanwhile, a new plan was being deviously formed…

*~*~*

Henry took the directions that his mysterious chat buddy called Cyro gave him. To say that he was somewhat hesitant was an understatement but his own selfish desires gave way to any common sense. Henry wanted to be the only hero and the only way that he could make that happen was if he took down Ryuu once and for all.

As he turned a corner, he came across the old warehouse where the students were abducted and brought to.

“Um…hello?” Henry called out. “Anyone here?”

The sound of guns cocking made Henry cry out almost like a scared little girl and he turned around to see a few of the Crelod there, armed with guns in case Henry backed out of his deal.

“Ah, so you’re the boy…I have to admit, you’re even…heftier than on the screen.”

The next figure to make his appearance was the cloaked superior known as Cyro. He walked to Henry and bowed his head once.

“Um, you’re um, Cyro, right?”

“Very perceptive. I do not think your father gives you quite enough credit.” Cyro told Henry. “Now, are you ready to prove yourself loyal to the Crelod, Henry?”

Henry nodded in a mix of elatedness and fear. “Yeah, of course I am. What do I have to do first?”

Cyro soon held up a needle and spoke, “You need to inject this into your own body. This is a growth hormone; with this, your physical strength will rise several fold. If you do not want to do it yourself, one of my men will gladly do it for you…though I must warn you, they might not be so gentle.”

Henry swallowed hard as he looked at the needle. “Um, how much of that stuff do you have?” He asked. “I mean, you could give it some of your other guys.”

Cyro shook his head. “You do not see the logic in this. You see, if I were to do that, can you imagine how many superhuman brutes there’d be? I’d lose all control and pandemonium would be a vacation in comparison! But,” He laughed softly. “I am sure that you understand.”

Henry took the needle into his hand and looked at it for what seemed to be an eternity. In fact, only a few moments passed. He wondered what would happen. Would he become an addict? Would he become severely ill?

He didn’t care. Regardless of risks, Henry did not want Ryuu to live. He desired to be the only hero of Marlove and for the dragon to fall at his hand.

With one swift motion, Henry sent the tip of the needle through his arm and he groaned as the liquid passed from the vial and into his blood passage.

“You will be a very strong Crelod, boy…I will dub you Mammoth. Now, I will let you in on some information. I know where the dragon is right now.”

*~*~*

The club was still hopping, to say the least, and Bobby and Erin were having the most fun since the Crelod situation arose. Erin, in a sultry show, moved her body down against Bobby’s and she watched the surprise on his face with a smirk forming along her own lips.

“Either you never had a girl dance on you before me…or I’m just too beautiful for words.” Erin whispered as she came back up to kiss Bobby’s neck.

“I think it’s a little of each.” Bobby spoke in the same tone, his hands against Erin’s sides. “God, I love you.”

“Love you too.” Erin nuzzled his neck a bit. “C’mon, I want a drink…”

“You read my mind.” Bobby wrapped his arm around Erin’s waist and led her over to the bar away from the dance floor. However, as they prepared to get their drinks, they did not prepare for what was soon to come. Bobby’s ears perked a bit as he picked up the sound of a faint stomping noise. “Hey, babe, you hear that?”

“Do I hear what?” Erin asked as she did not notice the sound at first.

Bobby paused and once the stomping noise increased in volume, his eyes widened. The slightest rumble caused him to act out. “Erin, watch out!” He called out before he quickly tackled her, sending the both to them to the side as a bulky figure crashed through the wall behind the bar. Bobby and Erin narrowly avoided the attack and all of the patrons were rendered frightened.

Standing tall and superhumanly muscular was the figure of the Crelod’s newest brute. With rags quite similar to the rest of the gang members, though in grey, and a hood on his head in the same vein as Ryuu, this person was known as Mammoth.

“Where is the dragon?!” Mammoth bellowed angrily, slamming his closed fists against the floor in a show of strength.

Bobby swallowed hard; he wasn’t sure how he was going to fight with so many people around who could get hurt.

[Daenerys]

You really had to do a cliffhanger? Seriously..............dude!!!! You better hurry with the next chapter ;)

[Archangel]

Chapter Four: Matter Over Mind

Bobby looked over the menacing figure who made it a point to crash through the wall with outrageous strength. Mammoth’s presence was great as it was like he was a mastodon amongst a group of weak deer.

“Where is the dragon?!” Mammoth spoke loudly, only growing angrier. “I’ll tear through each and every one of you dickweeds if I have to!”

Bobby quickly moved away from the scene, going unnoticed by all, even Erin. The blonde-haired girlfriend turned and she was taken aback; Bobby was gone from her side. “Bobby?” She whispered. “Geez, he leaves…”

Mammoth turned to look at Erin and he stomped over to her, the floor shaking with each step he took. Erin, however, was no coward and she narrowed her eyes a bit, coming back with a wisecracking remark.

“What the hell do you want, you big oaf?”

He remembered what she did and he was not going to let her get off the hook easily. Mammoth reared forward and took her around the throat with a “Where’s your boyfriend to defend you now, you little *****?”

Erin gasped out to catch her breath but to no avail with Mammoth’s giant gloved palm wrapped around her neck.

“Don’t worry…he’ll cope after I snap your scrawny neck.”

“Why don’t you cope with this?”

Mammoth was taken aback by the kick to his back and he dropped Erin to the floor, letting her catch her breath. He turned around and was stunned yet pleased to see the dragon warrior himself, Ryuu, standing there strongly, his arms at his sides while the light blue energy crackled at his palms.

“Touch her again and I will make you wish you were dead.” Ryuu threatened.

Mammoth swung his gigantic fist, Ryuu using a series of backflips to avoid the meaty hooks thrown at him. Ryuu used his agility and jumped atop a table, attempting to use a hurricanrana-style technique to take down the bigger enemy. However, Mammoth caught him there and swung around, tossing him through the dance cages; fortunately there were no dancers to be had inside.

“Come on, dragon! You’re so strong, huh?!” Mammoth bellowed. “I should be the hero of Marlove, not you!”

Ryuu grunted as he pulled himself back up, using the bars of the fallen cage to support himself. “A hero, huh? A hero breaks through a wall and a hero threatens to break a woman’s neck?” He shook his head. “You need to reassess your standards, kid.”

Mammoth soon took hold of a table and hurled it at Ryuu with great strength. However, Ryuu’s mind kicked into overdrive and he quickly formed a protective force field around himself, circling his arms above his head to his sides as the bright blue encircled him. The table hit the force field and crumbled upon the touch.

Ryuu was quick to break the force field himself and he charged at Mammoth, landing a few solid punches to the abdomen of the much larger adversary. However, Mammoth only seemed to chuckle lowly at the punches which felt like nothing to him and he lifted his big boot to kick Ryuu in the neck, causing him to fly back as if the urban superhero was stricken by a torpedo.

I can’t stay here forever… Ryuu thought to himself. These people are going to get hurt if this goes on. He then looked up at Mammoth and he quickly jumped through an open window of the club, Mammoth quickly following by smashing through yet another wall. Mammoth soon held his hands out at his side and displayed yet another power: perkiness. Mammoth blew a blast of fire from his face, almost like a mastodon would emit material from its trunk.

“****.” Ryuu cursed lowly. “He’s got fire now?”

“You don’t even want to know what I have, so-called hero.” Mammoth replied before he blew yet another blast of fire, Ryuu moving away. He then took hold of a trash can lid and held it out in front of him, the fire being intense enough to melt the metal down in his hands.

“Well, I guess I have to show you what I brought to the table.” Ryuu said before he held his hands in front of himself, using his psychokinesis to manipulate the fire and send it back at Mammoth, causing him to stumble away as the smoke caused his vision to be hindered.

Once Mammoth’s vision cleared again, he looked around and saw that Ryuu was gone…all thanks to the sounds of sirens of police cars getting louder. That’s when Mammoth knew that it was time for him to split as well; he had a feeling that he would meet the dragon yet again, though.

*~*~*

Erin was pacing back and forth at her apartment, Kaori being there as well. The young Asian student was pried from her studies when Erin gave her a phone call, saying that Bobby had done missing at the club when the one known as Mammoth attacked. When the police arrived at the club, she did not want to be there to recount the tale; all she cared about was the well-being of her boyfriend. However, she had no idea how well he was when she couldn’t find him.

“Did you try calling him?” Kaori asked softly as she sat on the couch, the pacing of Erin making her nervous.

“No, Kaori, I just decided to **** with Bobby after a beast tried to choke me out.” Erin snapped angrily. “Yes, I tried calling him! No, he is not answering his cell!”

Kaori blinked a few times. “Umm…I’m sorry. I didn’t know, I wasn’t thinking-”

“No, no, I’m sorry.” Erin said as she sat down beside her friend. “It’s just that I’m really worried about him. Bobby’s got a good head on his shoulders but…” She swallowed hard. “I just don’t know. I don’t want to have to explain to his parents that the city did him in.”

Kaori smiled comfortingly and set a hand atop her friend’s. “It’s going to be okay.” She told Erin. “I have a feeling that he’s going to call before long.”

Erin gently clapped Kaori’s hand and sighed. “I hope you’re right, Ri. I really do.”

They sat together on the couch for a few minutes until the sound of the door unlocking piqued their attention. Bobby stepped through the door, holding his arm as if he didn’t want to show that he was in pain but unable to do so.

“Bobby, you’re okay.” Kaori breathed a retained sigh. “That’s a relief. You can’t imagine worried Erin and I-”

She was cut off when Erin quickly got off of the couch and wrapped her arms around Bobby’s shoulders, burying her face against the crook of his neck; the fear she had before was quelled and it was replaced with great relief.

“Well…” Kaori smiled a bit and walked over to give them both a hug, an arm around each of them. “She was worried, more than I.”

Erin pulled back and immediately slapped Bobby across the face. “How could you worry me like that?!”

“Umm…ow?” Bobby rubbed his own reddened cheek; even with his superpowers, Erin’s slaps packed quite a sting and it went to show in the faint red handprint on his face.

“Hey, be lucky I didn’t knock you on your *** for scaring Kaori and I shitless.” Erin said, her eyes narrowed. “What the hell were you thinking, just going off like that? You didn’t know what was out there when that freak ran through the club!”

Better me running out than everyone else getting hurt, was what Bobby wanted to say. “I know…I guess the excitement got to me.”

“Just don’t pull that kind of stunt again, okay? I’m not about to let you be another number on the Crelod hit list.” Erin shot back in a mix of anger and love.

Kaori sighed and stood between the couple, her arms out at the sides. “Hey, we’re all okay here. Can we just have a good night? Maybe watch some movies, eat some ice cream, not go back out where that monster is right now? In fact, I’ll go get the ice cream.” Sensing that her two friends wanted to be alone, she walked away into the kitchen area.

Bobby took a step closer to Erin. “Look, I’m really sorry I ran out…I don’t want to make you upset like that again.”

Erin smiled slightly. “You mean that?”

“Of course I do. If anything ever happened to you…I could never bring myself to forgive it. To forgive myself.” Bobby wrapped his arms around her waist and looked up into her naturally bright eyes. “But…can you forgive me?”

Erin stared into Bobby’s eyes as well and she wound up shaking her head. “What is it about you, Bobby? I just can’t say no to you.” She said before she gave him a kiss, her hand against his face. Kaori walked in on the kiss, a few containers of ice cream in hand.

“Am I interrupting something?” Kaori asked with a giggle.

Bobby and Erin pulled back and the superhero in secret said, “Ah, it wasn’t too good.”

“And like the world shook for me, too?” Erin stuck her tongue out at him.

“Hey, I was just pulling your leg…your very sexy leg.” Bobby winked.

Kaori’s face went sour at that comment. “Eww, not what I wanna hear.”

That’s when the trio of friends began to spend the rest of their night together, just being friends. Bobby, spending time with his girlfriend as well as his best friend, forgot about his life as a superhero for a moment. It was because of Erin and Kaori that he realized that he didn’t have to live his life in solitude. He could be Ryuu and not sacrifice his life as Bobby Kerensky.

However, the same couldn’t be said for another certain young man in Marlove…

*~*~*

“Henry?” Anderson knocked on his son’s door. “Henry, you in there?”

He didn’t know what it was but the President of Marlove University couldn’t put his finger on the source of his son’s new attitude. Anderson always knew that his son went against the grain and that he was a troublemaker at school but ever since Ryuu had hit the scene, Henry acted out more so and it worried Anderson.

Hearing no response, though the door was unlocked, Anderson opened the door and stepped inside. He looked around and found that Henry was no where to be found. However, all of the belongings remained intact.

“Where’d that damn kid go to now?” Anderson muttered before he looked over at the computer monitor. What caught him by surprise was that a word processor document was open. “Makes sense…the kid hates writing on a physical sheet of paper. What’s he got here?”

Anderson walked over to the computer and clicked on the screen to better read the message.

“I guess by the time you get this, I’m going to be gone.

Dad, I hate being here. I hate living under this roof, I hate the rules that I have to abide by and probably more than anything else, I hate Ryuu.

I’m sick and tired of hearing about that guy…he’s the best this, he’s the paragon of virtue that, all of this stupid ****. The fact that you agree with what he does bothers me…I found a new family.

Yeah, out of your roof and under one of my own. I found a group that wants to take me in. They understand what I’m going through and they want to help me get through my stuff, which is more than you’ve ever done for me.

Don’t come after me. I’m stronger than I ever was before and if you try it, my family’s going to come after you first.

See you never,
Henry Anderson
You know what, **** the Anderson family name.

Just like that, Anderson’s heart sank. He was too sad to be angry; his only son had just run away from home and all of the responsibilities he once had.

“Henry…” Anderson’s jaw tightened as he struggled to fight back the tears. Even after all that happened between them, he genuinely loved his son and he couldn’t imagine why he would align himself with terrorists. “You little son of a *****…why?”

*~*~*

As Bobby dreamed, he recalled the time when he first gained his superpowers.

It was one Wednesday morning when Bobby was walking the streets of Marlove by himself. Erin had gone in earlier to finish work on an essay for another class so Bobby decided to meet up with her before their first class began.

What Bobby didn’t expect was a near-fatal accident and an awakening of his powers that would set, in motion, a chain of events surrounding Marlove’s safety.

As Bobby turned a corner, he saw a little girl, brunette curls atop her head, playing with a dodge ball in the street. He sighed; it didn’t surprise him that a parent wouldn’t be there to look after her daughter. However, he decided not to get involved as he wanted to be on time for his class.

Bobby continued to walk but the sound of a truck came from the street, the same the little girl was on.

“Hey, um, you should probably move out of the way…” Bobby attempted to speak.

However, the truck seemed to go out of control. For what reason, to this day, Bobby didn’t know. He believed it was the doing of a Crelod who wanted to cause some rampage in the morning. What was seen that there was no driver behind the wheel. Nonetheless, the truck lost control and sped down the highway, the little girl in the line of fire.

“Watch it! Stop!” Bobby held his arms out. “Someone, help!!!”

The next instance which Bobby did not expect was so erratic that his arms glowed a bright blue for a brief moment. In turn, the truck seemed possessed as a similar glow surrounded it, halting it in its tracks before it struck the little girl head. The truck was levitated and it was brought back into the intersection near the street. While traffic was stopped, the surprise was not on the halted truck but the fact that it moved without a driver. The fact that it floated like a ghost surprised people as well.

This was the beginning of Bobby’s evolution as Marlove’s sole defender.

*~*~*

The morning light peered in through the blinds of Bobby and Erin’s apartment and the both of them, along with Kaori, found themselves eating ice cream and watching movies until two o’clock that morning. Despite the copious amounts of sugar they ate in the ice cream, falling asleep was no problem for any of them.

Kaori was leaning against Bobby while she rested and the asleep Bobby’s head was against Erin’s shoulder while they rested on the couch, not one of them wanting to wake up.

“Guys…” Erin murmured sleepily. “We got school today.”

“Babe, it’s Saturday.” Bobby said as he struggled to open his eyes due to the bright light from the outside world.

Kaori sat up straight and she rested a hand over her stomach. “I’m never eating ice cream again…”

“Seconded.” Erin said before she looked down at the floor. As she surveyed the rug, which had become victim to empty rocky road, chocolate chip and strawberry ice cream containers, she uttered, “I guess I have to clean that up, won’t I?”

[Blazing Tiger]

I have caught up on da story. I must say the fight with Bobby and Henry was intense. The whole turning the fire against him was great though. I must give props and kudos for that. I love his power. its so awesome. Gotta feel fir Erin and Kaori because they be worried. Its so cute how they all cuddled at the end. I love it. Im excited for the next part of this story.

[MagiMermaid]

Soooo, I just finished reading and I have to say I'm rather impressed. I'm thoroughly enjoying all of the characters - even Henry, despite the fact he's a stupid douche that's being played by the awesome one that is Ray Wise. The latest chapter I think is what really sealed the deal that this was something I'd really want to pay attention to in the future. I think sometimes when writers start with their protagonists already filling the role they will play, in this case the hero, they get lazy about how the character got there. The segment explaining Bobby's growth into Ryuu and how he discovered his powers was my favorite, right up there with Cyro being a boss and taking care of business in the earlier chapter. I feel bad for Henry's dad :\ and I'm looking forward to seeing how he's going to fit into the story.

Overall this is some solid writing out of you, Rob :) and I'm eagerly anticipating the next installment. Keep up the good work!

[Archangel]

DOUBLE FEATUREEEEEEEE
(though be forewarned...it's going to get sad from this point on.)

------------------------------

Chapter Five: Sacrifice of the City, Part One

As much responsibility as Bobby had, he always made time for his girlfriend.

Outside in his car, Bobby decided to take Erin out during their weekend and during their drive, they stopped at the pier, Bobby’s car parked so that they could have the best view of the water. More so, the young couple stepped out of the car and rested on the hood together, both of them leaned back against it as they relaxed with one another.

“You know what…” Erin sighed softly. “As scary as that night was, I’m happy we’re here together now. I don’t know what it is but I feel really safe here.”

“Well, you kind of should.” Bobby smiled a bit and turned to look at her. “It’s still light out.”

“No, what I mean is, I’m safe here with you.” Erin told him. “I know what happened that night but…it’s like I know I can sleep easy knowing that every night, you’re there.”

Bobby resisted the urge to chuckle; oh, if only she knew, he thought to himself.

Erin soon turned to face Bobby and she set a hand against her chest, a devious smile on her face as she did so. She then forced him back against the hood of the car with her hands clutching his t-shirt.

“Now,” Erin spoke lowly. “Kiss me.”

“Hey, easy with the car here, babe. I just touched up the buff marks-”

However, Bobby was cut off when Erin forced her lips down against his and he only took in the kiss. His arms went around her waist as the two kissed upon the hood of his car. As good as Erin’s kisses were, Bobby felt that familiar ping of guilt; he knew that keeping his life as Ryuu a secret from his girlfriend was for her own safety but since Mammoth got her hands on her once, he started to second guess himself.

*~*~*

Kaori, however, decided to let Bobby and Erin be for the afternoon. She had other plans.

It had been quite a few weeks since she saw her brother; despite the both of them living in the same city, Kaori’s bond with Toji was a bit weak. She knew all too well of his financial problems and she attempted to find him help every single day when she wasn’t with her best friends.

As she made the walk, bravery with Kaori as she was in the rather treacherous streets of Marlove, she came up to a tall male of Japanese descent, dark hair and eyes just like Kaori herself. He was leaned back against a wall, his arms folded across his chest and his head tilted back. She smiled and waved over to him. “Toji!!!”

Toji looked over at Kaori and smiled a bit. “Hey, my imoto-chan.” He spoke to her in the Japanese tongue the both of them acquired from their parents. The two met in a quick hug, the two siblings very much cordial and loving to one another. “You’re looking well. Is Bobby treating you well?”

“Bobby?” Kaori laughed and shoved Toji gently. “He’s only my best friend. Him and Erin are very much in love.”

Toji smirked a bit. “You sure? I don’t have to beat him down or anything, do I?”

“Don’t you do anything stupid.” Kaori pointed an accusing finger at him.

“I promise I won’t. So what’s been going on with school and all? You gotta tell me everything; we never talk about you.”

*~*~*

Henry had no idea what he was going to do now but the fact of the matter was that he severed ties from his father. The Peart name was only a distant memory and he took in the Crelod as his family. For better or worse, he was one of them and he would continue to serve as the one known as Mammoth, all for the plans of one Cyro.

He sat down at a coffee shop by himself, keeping a hoodie on over his head to conceal himself from the world. Despite it still being light out that afternoon, Henry did not want to attract that much attention to himself.

Henry knew that his father had strong ties to people in the city and he did not want to be found by anyone other than his new family.

He looked up from his spot at the table to see that familiar Asian girl with a person he believed to be her brother. Oh, how he would love to take up his more bulky shape with a needle to his arm and ram the both of them through a wall, Henry thought to himself.

“Imoto-chan, let me take care of this.” Toji told Kaori with a smile on his face. “The coffee’s on me today.”

“You sure?” Kaori asked softly. “I don’t want you to spend too much.”

Toji smirked as he held up his credit card. “Like I said, it’s on me.”

Henry soon got a brilliant idea. That same bully mentality coming through, he walked up to one of the tables as if he were going to grab some sugar for his drink. He then turned away and, appearing as thought it was accidental, spilled his coffee on both of the Nakadai siblings. Kaori and Toji jumped up in surprise.

“What the hell?” Toji cursed as he glared at Henry. “That was hot coffee!”

Henry smiled smugly. “And now it’s your hot coffee!”

Kaori sighed; she grew tired of the attitude that Henry had when it came to people he thought were inferior. “Can’t you just leave us alone?” She asked. “We don’t want any sort of trouble?”

“C’mon, you’re not going to do anything. Bobby and his stupid ***** of a girlfriend aren’t going to protect you.” Henry continued.

Toji’s eyes narrowed. “No, but I can.” He said before he took Henry by the shirt collar, pushing him up against the wall with such strength. “Leave my sister and myself the hell alone, you fat ****.”

Soon enough, a silver-haired man appeared from the back of the store, presumably the boss of the coffee shop. “Hey, what’s going on in here?” He asked before he turned to look at the commotion between Toji and Henry. “Look, I don’t care if you guys want to start some **** but at least take it out of my shop. People paid good money.”

Henry had half a mind to slip a needle into his arm in order to brutally blast Toji as well as the rest of the patrons out of the store. However, he didn’t have the Crelod with him and he figured it wouldn’t have been the best time. Toji saw the fear in his sister’s eyes and he pulled back, his glare fixated still on Henry.

“I’ll deal with you later.” Toji mumbled angrily before he returned to Kaori’s side. “Sorry about that, sis. You okay? You’re not burned or anything, right?”

Kaori shook her head. “No, of course not. I just can’t understand why Henry does these things.”

“You know that guy?”

“Unfortunately, yes…”

Toji sighed; he saw Henry as nothing more than a high school bully who never really grew up. He then looked out the window to see a few people motioning to him. He lightly clapped Kaori on the shoulder. “Hey, sis,” He handed her his credit card. “I gotta get going, okay? You enjoy your coffee.”

“What?” Kaori’s expression fell a bit. “But…I thought we were going to spend the rest of the day together.”

“Something came up. I promise I’ll keep in touch.” Toji said before he kissed his sister on the top of her head. “Love you, Ri.” He then made his way out of the coffee shop but what he didn’t realize was that Kaori caught him going off with some people outside. Kaori tried to pay it no mind as she paid for the coffee.

*~*~*

“So, you got some of those growth hormones?”

“Yeah, but we better hightail it asap. I don’t want Cyro to get on my case about distributing this stuff.”

Who was behind the distribution of the Crelod’s drugs? A group of young adults, all dressed in black, were speaking to a few of the Crelod gang members. Sure, they might have harmed several people in Marlove but the fact remained: they had access to drugs that no one else could have fathomed and even the most skeptic of drug dealers in the city wanted to get their hands on them.

The leader of the band of dealers came up, lifting up his hood.

“This stuff better be real.” Toji said. “I blew off my day with my sister for this.”

“It won’t take long. I just need to see if you guys have the money.”

Toji soon revealed a stack of $20 bills tied in a rubber band. “This should take care of it. You have the hormones?”

One of the Crelod members revealed a silver briefcase, which he folded the clasps up to open. “Well,” He motioned to the various syringes inside. “How do you like them? All you’ve ever dreamed of and more?”

Toji saw the vials within the briefcase and he knew that they hit it big time. Whether or not he would use these hormones on himself was unknown but he knew that he wanted to sell them off. With or without Kaori’s help, Toji was in serious financial trouble and not even their parents would offer a helping hand.

“You better not be ****ing with us.” Toji said before he set the money down into the hand of the gang member. In turn, Toji was granted a briefcase and he smiled a bit; this could be the sign that he was waiting for. He might have had to split the vials with his friends but he could still make enough money to still come out with a profit.

Soon enough, the sound of a police car sounded and once it did, both Toji and his crew as well as the Crelod all had the same thought on their minds: time to hightail it.

However, as they began to make their way out of the alleyway, they found themselves blocked off by what could only be described as a force field of energy. With a light blue, transparent aura, it seemed almost naked to the eye if not for the glow and yet solid like a real wall.

“****, ****, ****!” One of the Crelod cursed as he began to bang on the wall.

“What’s going on?” Toji began to bang on the wall of sorts, though it appeared solid and showed no sign of crumbling down.

Behind them emerged the kneeling figure of Ryuu, complete in leather attire. He looked down at the men and spoke lowly, “Surrender yourselves. It’s all for your own good if you do it quickly.”

Toji’s eyes narrowed a bit. “What do you want from us, dragon? What business is it of yours if we decide to do a little honest business?”

Bobby, in his Ryuu guise, quickly recognized the man as Kaori’s older brother. He wondered what in the world happened to make this person surrender to such darkness. If Kaori found out…poor little Kaori, he thought to himself. She was so innocent, so kind…this would have broken her heart to see.

Ryuu shook his head. “Doesn’t look honest to me if you’re dealing with these people.” He motioned to the Crelod and quickly used his psychokinesis to send the members of the gang forced up against the energy wall. “If you guys know what’s good for you, you’ll take your money, drop the briefcase and forget what happened here.”

“Get the hell out of my way, man.” Toji said as he tried to brush past Ryuu. However, the dragon warrior of Marlove was quick and he swiped Toji by the arm, holding him in the air with great strength. “Hey, this ain’t no ****ing joke! Put me down!”

Ryuu sighed softly. “You’re going to get into trouble. The cops cars are already lined up outside.” He then set Toji back down. “I’ll let you make the choice, though.”

However, the kindness that Bobby showed seemed to not pay off very well as he was only witness to Toji and his two buddies run off.

“Freeze!” One officer called out as several others drew up their pistols. “Put the briefcase down and come in peacefully! We do not want to resort to physical means!”

“Get the hell out of here!” Toji called out as he drew up his own magnum, a stunned Bobby witness to all of it as he stayed hidden in the alleyway’s shadows. “I am not going anywhere! You’re gonna have to kill me!”

“Son, don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.” The officer said. “We want to help you and your friends! It doesn’t have to come to bloodshed.”

Lord knows this city has seen enough of it. Ryuu thought to himself.

Toji shook his head, tears of fear and hatred welling up in his eyes. He soon took off again back into the alleyway, only this time Ryuu was not there to form another wall. Ryuu was quick to follow after him, however.

[Archangel]

Chapter Six: Sacrifice of the City, Part Two

Once Toji made his way to one of Marlove’s most notable landmarks, Gryphon Park, he realized that there was no where else to run to. There would be no doubt that the police would catch up to him and Toji realized that he was far too deep to return to a happy life. All he wanted was for Kaori to stay happy and kind, to not surrender to the pits of anger and darkness he succumbed to. That was his last thought as Ryuu appeared behind him again.

“Is this really what you want to do with your life, Toji? What happened to you?”

Toji turned around and he glared at the figure of Ryuu. “What do you know? You have no problems in life.”

“Having to rescue others and put my life on the line…you don’t see either of those things as major problems?” Ryuu asked with a shake of his head.

Toji drew up his magnum again and aimed it at Ryuu. “Get the **** out of here, dude…I don’t want to have to tell everyone that a bullet took down Marlove’s golden boy.”

“Please give me the gun, Toji.” Bobby took a step closer, showing no fear. He even held up his hand while Toji fired off one bullet, stopping it in midair before he let it drop to the ground with a soft clink. “You know you won’t be able to kill me. Just stop all of this. What would your sister think?”

“What do you know about my sister?” Toji shot back angrily. “You don’t know anything!”

“What you should know is that I love your sister very much…she’s my best friend.” Ryuu said before he removed his hood; he felt like the only way he would be able to get through to Toji is if he spoke face-to-face, no masks or concealed identities. With his mask off, Toji’s eyes widened.

“Bobby? Bobby Kerensky? You’re…” Toji stammered. “How did-”

“It’s a long story.” Bobby said softly. “I just need you to surrender yourself. What’s going to happen if you keep running? You’re only going to get into more trouble…with everything that’s happened, the police aren’t going to treat you any differently than they would one of those Crelod rejects-”

“I don’t give a damn about the police-”

“Toji, I’m not talking about the police. The Crelod is out there and when they find out you were part of that drug deal before, having the police on your *** is going to be the very least of your worries. Please hand me the gun…”

“Bobby,” Toji swallowed hard as he looked at the man he had known since he was a kid. Toji watched Bobby grow up from an awkward, lanky kid to a confident, proud man and that sort of evolution was envious. He also knew that Bobby was right about one thing: he was in trouble and running away would not solve this issue. “I’m in too deep. I can’t save myself anymore.”

“Yes, you can. We can get you help. Toji, don’t talk like this…” Bobby said softly in an attempt to calm his friend.

“It’s over for me.” Toji turned his back to Bobby and looked down at the magnum, stroking the side of the metallic weapon once. “Bob, you love Kaori as much as I do. Promise me you’ll take good care of the girl, okay?” He then slowly raised the weapon up…and led the barrel of the gun to the side of his temple.

“TOJI, DON’T-!”

It was too late. The switch was pulled and Toji fell to the ground in a heap. The bullet wound in his head, every biological process had shut down inside of him. The blood seeped through Toji’s wound and Bobby couldn’t believe what had just happened. He knelt down to the fallen Toji and he swallowed hard.

“Toji, why?” Was all Bobby could ask as the tears welled up in his eyes. “Why?”

“Toji! Toji!!!”

Bobby recognized the voice; it was Kaori’s. It was too late to take the body elsewhere and all Bobby had time to do was to slip his mask back onto his head, pulling the hood up over as well. He stood up quickly and he watched as Kaori appeared onto the scene, having looked over for her big brother since the news spread. However, she did not expect to see her brother fallen dead.

“Please, no…” Kaori raced over to Toji and she noted the bullet wound in his head. “God, nii-chan! Toji, wake up, please!” She sobbed as she held her deceased brother in her lap, the tears flowing down her cheeks as she was in hysterics. Bobby, concealed as Ryuu, shed tears as well. “Don’t leave me here! Toji, open your eyes, please!”

Ryuu hanged his head low; for what was the first time in his short superhero life, Bobby could not save a life in his hands.

Kaori continued to weep and she shot her head up to look at Ryuu. Once she did, she grew furious. “You…” She marched up to Ryuu and began to beat on his chest with enclosed fists. “I hate you! You did this to him! You’re no hero, you’re a monster! This is all because of you!”

“Kaori…” Bobby’s jaw tightened; what didn’t hurt him was the feeling of Kaori hitting his chest but rather the stinging words that left a lasting impression on his heart.

“How could you?! You’re supposed to be a hero…” Kaori continued until she could no longer strike and she sank into the arms of Ryuu. However, he was quick to leave and once he did, Kaori was left to sob on her own, holding her deceased brother close. Just like that, Marlove saw its first true sacrifice to the city at the hands of the Crelod.

*~*~*

Bobby sat alone in his apartment after what had happened. He still could not get the images out of his head. The expression on Toji’s face, how defeated he seemed. The way he held the gun in his hand as if the barrel was tempting. Finally, Bobby would not forget how hauntingly Toji held the barrel of the gun up to his own head and that’s when Bobby’s bottom lip started to quiver. All the while, he was watching TV and he had the Marlove News Network on.

“The first confirmed suicide indirectly related to the Crelod, we have been given word that 25-year-old Toji Nakadai right here in Marlove committed suicide mere hours ago.”

Bobby watched as the camera panned to an ambulance, where a body bag was being strapped onto a gurney and brought into the back.

“No family members have been available for comment.” The newscaster continued on.

Bobby shook his head; another image he would never forget was the look on Kaori’s face when she saw her dead brother lying on the ground. The way she sobbed and how it was her anger directed towards Ryuu, not necessarily himself.

“What is it…” Bobby whispered softly. “What am I going to have to do?”

Bobby was about to go to bed until he heard a knock at the door. He slowly cracked the door open and he was surprised to see Kaori, tear-strained and all, standing there. “Ri, I…”

“Can I come in?” Kaori asked softly, hugging a white quilt around her body. It seemed like she needed a security blanket now more than ever.

“Yeah, please.” Bobby allowed Kaori to step into the apartment and his jaw tightened slightly. “Kaori, I…I don’t really know what to say right now. I’m really sorry. I know how close you two were.”

Kaori tried to put on a brave smile. “At least I know he’s going to be in a better place…he’s up there with the angels.” She said as she looked upwards. “Looking down on me with that carefree smile of his.” She then turned to look at Bobby, trying to show no fear.

“You’re right about that.” Bobby said softly. “I do know your brother loved you a lot.” He knew from firsthand experience but never would he be able to tell Kaori that.

“Also, I should be able to…” Kaori swallowed hard. “To cherish the memory of my brother. Like the things he would do. Do you remember when we were kids, Bobby? It was in third grade and you got Tony LeBelle suspended for ratting him out during a fight behind the school?”

Bobby smiled weakly. “Yeah, um, I remember. The dude was pissed, wasn’t he?”

“He was angry, alright. I remember us doing homework outside of my house and Tony marched right up…but Toji was right there. He saw how good of an influence you’ve been on me and he chased Tony right out of there.”

“I…I guess he saw me as a little brother, too.” Bobby said softly.

Kaori nodded her head gently and she rested the back of her hand over her mouth. The memory of Toji would be preserved, this much was certain, but the fact that he was gone from her life and not able to come back…the realization became too great for innocent Kaori. “Bobby, I…” She began to sob as her voice cracked.

“Oh, Kaori.” Bobby reached in and pulled the tiny Asian into his arms, holding her close while she cried against his chest. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could have done something more.” He whispered into her hair.

“I already miss him, Bobby.” Kaori spoke through her uncontrollable sobs. “He’s gone…I just want to have him back with me. It’s not fair!” She moved closer in an attempt to seek more comfort. “He did nothing to hurt anyone!”

Bobby had to agree with Kaori; Toji might have made some bad choices in his life but when it came down to it, he never brought physical harm onto anyone. “You said it before, though…he’s in a better place. He was too good for this city, it seems.”

“He was.” Kaori continued to cry. “I want Ryuu to pay…I swear, I’m going to get him back for this.”

Bobby’s jaw tightened more so. He now knew that things between Kaori and himself would not be the same, no matter what good deeds he could commit as Ryuu. He stroked her dark locks a bit and sighed. “Come here.” He led her to the couch and he sat there, holding her close as he rocked gently to calm her. “Shhh, it’s going to be okay. I promise you, we’re going to get through this.”

Kaori clinched into Bobby’s shirt as if it were a life line and had her head buried against his chest all the while.

Erin, having been outside trying to avoid any police officers while coming home, opened the door to see a distraught Kaori in the arms of Bobby. She immediately felt horrible for the young girl; while not having siblings herself, Erin knew how tough it must have been to lose someone close. She immediately went over to Kaori’s side and wrapped her arms around the girl.

“Kaori, you know that no matter what happens…” Erin whispered. “You always have Bobby and I. We’re your friends.” She stroked Kaori’s hair back a bit and gave her a sisterly kiss on the cheek. “And we both love and care about you very much.”

Kaori nodded her head once, though she was still very much beside herself. While she felt the same way about her two close friends, the fact that she lost her brother made her feel very much lost. She wasn’t sure what to do now.

“Come on, Kaori, stay with us for the night.” Erin said softly. “We’ll let you take the couch.”

“Are you two sure?” Kaori asked as she turned to look between Erin and Bobby. The one secretly known as Ryuu only smiled and gave his best friend a squeeze.

“Absolutely.” Bobby gave Kaori a kiss on the top of her head. “You’re our friend and we really don’t want you to be alone…especially now, you know?”

Kaori only bowed her head once. “I promise I won’t be a burden.”

Erin sighed softly and brushed Kaori’s bangs away from her face. “Well, how about you come with me? I’ll let you borrow some of my pajamas for tonight.”

As Erin went to take Kaori to her room to get her set for the night, Bobby was left alone on the couch and as he sat there, he felt that familiar ping of guilt as before. He felt responsible for Toji’s death, regardless of the circumstances that night. However, he wanted to be there for Kaori. Despite what hatred she had for Ryuu now, Bobby was still her best friend and there was nothing, he believed, that would change anything.

Bobby sighed and began to fix up the couch for Kaori. His best friend was going through the biggest crisis she had ever faced and he owed her, at the very least, his comfort. As he reached into the closet for blankets and sheets to use, Bobby swallowed hard.

Kaori, Bobby thought to himself as he began to set up the couch. I wish I could take back what happened…

[Blazing Tiger]

Omg 2 chapters to read. X.x You wud angel. But anyways both are just yeah. Suicide yeah thats a subject you kind of avoid. I feel so bad for Kaori. Watching as Toji fell to the ground. The fact she now hates Ryuu who in turn is one of her best friends is just ironic. The fact he shot himself is just wow. I feel so bad for all of this. I love Kaori. One of my fave allies you've had in a long time. Erin is such a sweetie in the regard of letting her stay. I can't say i like the whole him killing himself for certain reasons but it helps the story. Good couple of chapters even if they were sad. Im excited to see more.

[Archangel]

Chapter Seven: Staggering Mammoth

She awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking and once her senses picked up, Kaori remember exactly where she was. She opened her eyes to find herself still on the couch of Bobby and Erin’s apartment, the blankets snuggled close to her body as well. She slowly opened her eyes and looked down at her attire; she never knew just how Erin’s boy shorts and tank top managed to fit her body as well, though Kaori was always more into flannel. Kaori turned on her side to see Erin bringing a tray of food to her.

“Good morning, kiddo.” Erin greeted with a smile. “How are you feeling?”

Kaori gave a low moan as she tried to sit up. “I’m okay…my head kinda hurts, though.”

“You did cry quite a bit the other night…but I wanted to get you some breakfast. You need to keep up your strength.” Erin said as she presented the tray to Kaori. “I made you some eggs, scrambled, wheat toast and I even have your favorite, turkey bacon.”

Despite what happened to her the other night, Kaori couldn’t help but admire just how caring Erin was being to her. She set the tray on her own lap. “Erin, this was really sweet of you to do.” She then began to eat the eggs and a tinge of the innocent light in her eyes returned. “Mmm, this is really good. I’m a little thirsty, though. Can I trouble you for a glass of water?”

“Even better.” Erin produced a glass of juice from behind her back. “Apple cider.”

Kaori began to smile but her expression soon fell as she took the glass in her hand. “Toji-niichan…apple cider was his favorite.” She said before she set the tray to the side; suddenly, she wasn’t very hungry anymore.

“Um, hey, I can get you something different. Want some orange juice?” Erin asked as she rushed to the refrigerator. “Gatorade? Oh, I have Sunny D if you’d like!”

“Just…just water.” Kaori said with a wave of her hand. “Hey, um, where’s Bobby?”

“Oh, he said he had to go pick up some things. I think we were running out of cold cuts. If you’d like to join us for lunch when he gets back, you can have sandwiches with us.”

Kaori nodded her head once. “I’d like that.” She said before she took one of the toast triangles, biting into it as she looked at the TV. On the news, she saw yet another story of Marlove’s dragon warrior, Ryuu. Kaori’s eyes narrowed a bit and the toast crumbled in her hand as her grip became more firm.

You’re going to get yours…I swear. Kaori thought to herself.

*~*~*

Meanwhile, Ryuu’s latest outing involved another break-in with the one known as Mammoth. It seemed like the gargantuan member of the Crelod had broken into a bank with several of the gang members at his sides. However, not many of them proved to be a great challenge once Ryuu made his presence known. Mammoth ran off and Ryuu proved to be triumphant. Once the story made headlines in the news that morning, a press conference was held and the one at the vantage was the mayor of Marlove, Edward Hollenbeck.

The well-spoken, well-suited mayor of Marlove stepped up to the podium. “My fellow Marlovers,” He began. “I will let you all know that the Crelod situation is being taken care of. You can rest easy knowing that my staff and I are working tirelessly. I would like to answer any questions in relation to the issue. Yes, you first.”

One female reporter asked, “What steps have been taken to remedy the current crime rate of the city?”

“All you need to know is that it being dealt with in an effective and orderly manner. You will see changes to come in the following days.”

After that question has been answered, a male reporter rose his hand. “Mayor Hollenbeck, what is your take on the figure known as Ryuu?”

Edward gave a slight smirk. “Well, I guess we can say we have our own little Spider-Man running around, do we?” He joked, to which he gained a cheap laugh. “But to answer your question, as long as he doesn’t disturb what peace we do have, I will have no problems with that man.”

Short yet descriptive answers were Edward Hollenbeck’s most effective ways to speak and he knew that he left the reporters with more questions than answers.

“Do you have any leads as to who he might be?” The same reporter asked.

“He’s about as secretive as Amelia Earhart’s whereabouts. People can speculate all they’d like but there is no concrete answer, is there?”

As he continued to answer questions, Edward remained surprisingly calm through it all and one had to wonder just what kind of work he was doing in order to clear the city of any group of Crelod.

*~*~*

It was only a day later that Toji’s funeral was held. It was for the best that no trace of the Crelod were to be found that Marlove’s Parish Burial Ground where the loved ones of Toji were in attendance. As well, Kaori was there in all-black, her hands in those of Bobby’s and Erin’s as they did their best to comfort her. The casket containing Toji’s body was lowered into the grave and once it was set inside, the loved ones of Toji were each given a chance to say something on his behalf.

Erin stepped up. “I never really knew Toji but I did know that he was a loving person, especially to his sister. My thoughts and my prayers go out to the Nakadai family. Time heals all wounds and, in time, our frowns of sadness will fade and we’ll remember Toji with smiles on our faces and lightness in all of our hearts.”

Bobby said his words as well, “I’ve known Toji for as long as I have his sister, Kaori. Her and I have been best friends since we were kids and Toji was always the kind of person you could count on. I never had brothers or sisters of my own so I saw him as the big brother I never really had. He always looked out for me. I know that he’s in a better place now; he’s away from the grittiness of this city and in a land of peace.”

Once Bobby delivered his words on behalf of his deceased friend, it was time for Kaori to follow up. However, emotionally destroyed, Kaori only agreed to come up to speak if her two best friends, Bobby and Erin, were to join her. They agreed and stayed close while she spoke in front of the ones that loved Toji, family and friends alike. As Kaori looked around, she noticed that her parents were absent. Whether it was because of how soon the situation seemed or if they simply did not care enough about their son, Kaori did not know.

Regardless, Kaori began to speak.

“My…my brother,” Kaori swallowed hard. “On his behalf, I would like to thank everyone for caring so much for him. He was many things to many people…but to me, he was,” She paused for a moment as she struggled to fight back the tears.

“Ri,” Bobby leaned over to whisper to her, “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

“I…I feel like I have to, though.” Kaori said softly as she covered the microphone on the podium with her hand to block any noise. “Please.”

Bobby nodded once. “We’ll support you.” He told Kaori before he gave her a light kiss on the temple. Kaori soon returned to speaking to those listening to her,

“To me, my brother was my hero. He was the one person I always wanted to be like…I remember when he learned about me being accepted into Marlove University. He was so proud of me.” Kaori smiled fondly at the memory, tears in her eyes and all. “That was the moment when I felt I had his respect. My brother always loved me but that respect alluded me nearly all of my life. I’m just…I’m happy to know that I was able to get it from him.”

Kaori soon looked down at the grave, the coffin resting on the bottom. “I will be with you one day again, my big brother. Rest well; you’re in a brighter, better place now.”

*~*~*

The afternoon was subject to yet another disaster. Down one of the streets of Marlove, a fire broke out inside of a small apartment complex. Fortunately, the fire department was contacted and they managed to douse the building for the most part and many of the patrons escaped. However, there was one area of the building that was still aflame and there was word that a small family was still trapped inside.

However, the foundation of the building was growing unsteady and one of the firefights wanted to risk the lives of others.

“C’mon, dude, my wife and two kids are still inside!” One male spoke to the firefighter. “You gotta get them out!”

“Sir, we can’t! The building is going to come down at any second!”

“You have to do your jobs!”

“Look, you gotta stand back! The entire thing is going to come down!”

However, one bystander looked over and saw the familiar figure of the dragon warrior of Marlove atop the roof of the building. “Hey, up there!”

Ryuu soon leaped down and took hold of the side of the building, swinging his legs around as if he were a gymnast. He then kicked open a window and jumped inside, his vision immediately impeded by the smoke due to the roaring flames that remained. Nonetheless, he ventured through the apartment complex in search of that one family. He pushed through a few doors and narrowly avoided a fallen piece of debris from the ceiling, performing a backflip in order to do so.

“****, gotta hurry…” Ryuu told himself as he advanced further. He then opened one door, only to be met with a room engulfed in flame. He heard the weak coughs of people inside. “Is everyone okay here?!”

One woman in about her early 40’s poked her head out from above the smoke. “Please, you have to help us! My son inhaled a lot of smoke above!”

Ryuu nodded and moved in closer, wrapping his arms around the woman as well as her two children. “It’s going to be fine, just keep your heads below the smoke.” He instructed.

Meanwhile, the fire department as well as the worried father waited outside. They all hoped that the one known as Ryuu would rescue the family inside but not one of them were brave enough to say it.

Then it happened. The entire building came down.

The male outside was in hysterics at the loss of his wife and his two children…that was, until the smoke cleared. Standing in the middle of the wreckage was the kneeling figure of Ryuu, him as well as the woman and two children surrounded by the psychokinetic protective barrier around them. Ryuu let his hands up to allow the barrier to fade and the father went up, hugging the children happily.

“Are you all okay?” He asked.

The mother smiled. “We’re all fine now, dear…though I think Evan inhaled too much smoke.”

“You might need to see a fireman about that.” Ryuu said. “Make sure he gets some clean oxygen into his system.”

The daughter smiled up at Ryuu. “Thanks, you’re a hero!”

The father agreed with a nod. “You have no idea how thankful I am.”

The mother also thanked Ryuu by hugging him tightly, the superhero’s arms going up in surprise a bit. He never was directly thanked for an act of justice but the fact that he was made him feel good deep down. “It’s nothing…” Ryuu said softly before he eased out of the arms out of the mother. He then turned to the side once he heard the feedback from a radio within a police car.

“Guys, we better haul it!” The head officer said. “We got another sighting on that Mammoth guy! Son of a ***** ripped through a park this time and no one knows where he’s at.”

That’s when Ryuu knew all too well where he was needed. In no time, he was off.

*~*~*

Ryuu kept a good distance away from the police as he trailed behind them. The one known as Bobby Kerensky knew all too well how the local authorities were hesitant to take him in, no matter how much the people of Marlove loved a modern-day superhero. Ryuu moved fast yet stealthily. He then moved over to the side of an alleyway, watching as some officers inspected the damage done at the park.

“What the hell’s that dude, anyway? An alien?” One officer asked.

Another officer shook his head and looked down at the grass, noting what appeared to be a needle empty of whatever chemical was once inside. “I don’t think he’s any freakin’ alien. Let’s bring this back.”

“But it’s empty.”

“Look, let’s get it run by a toxicology expert. I’m sure that whatever’s left in here can be examined in one way or another.”

Ryuu took a step back and looked down at his feet; it seemed like there was yet another empty syringe on the ground. He picked it up and watched as a few drips of the mysterious liquid had fallen. That’s when he realized that this had to be what Toji wanted to get his hands on.

What was so great about it, though?

He soon heard the sound of a nearby trashcan being toppled over, the sound of metal meeting pavement audible to him while in the alleyway but not to the officers outside. Ryuu shot around and saw a shadowy figure take off. Ryuu was right on the tail, however, and raced after. It was hard to keep up at first due to the narrow passages but the sound of a weak cough from the runner managed to lead Marlove’s defender around. He then swerved to yet another corner and he halted, seeing the fallen figure of Mammoth there.

“That does it…” Ryuu shook his head. “Look, you need to surrender yourself.”

Mammoth turned his head away. “Just get out of here, dragon. When I’m…when my body responds to the hormones, you’re going to be dead.”

“So that’s what these things are.” Ryuu said as he held up the needle. “You need these hormones in order to be strong. Look, you saw what these things did to that poor guy and that night, he killed himself.” He sighed softly, still holding guilt due to Kaori’s hatred towards the name and image of the hero. “He didn’t even take them.”

“But I need them and with them, I’m as strong as you are. You…you don’t deserve to be this city’s hero.”

“Why do you hate me so much, man? What did I do?”

Mammoth soon turned his head, looking at Ryuu so that the light was cast down upon his face. “No way…Henry Peart?” Ryuu asked softly. “You’re the one who’s been causing all of this crap? You were the one who’s been hurting people? You nearly killed Erin, what the hell is wrong with you?”

“He told me to do it, man…”

“Who did?” Ryuu reached over and took Henry by the shirt collar, his anger not quite high yet. “You better start talking. Who’s putting you up to this?”

“I believe that’d be me, Ryuu…”

Turning around, Ryuu released his grip on Henry and he narrowed his eyes on the newcomer.

“I also believe we haven’t been properly introduced, dragon. My name is Cyro…and the Crelod are my children.”

[Daenerys]

great writing this is just awesome! Can't wait to read the next chapter........... :)

[Blazing Tiger]

Head villain and head good guy meet face to face. O: Oh wow this is gonna go ugly really fast. Or so it normally does. Unless he likes talking lol. The funeral was such a sad scene. I felt so bad for Kaori. Shes such a strong girly. I love her. The fact Bobby and Erin were able to stand there with her was awesome too. I still feel bad though. Awesome work awesome work. Excited for the next chapter dear. =D

[Archangel]

Chapter Eight: All For Erin, Part One

Ryuu looked over the cloaked figure of Cyro. He had to note just how different this one seemed from the many other Crelod he encountered in the past. He took up a defensive stance while Mammoth, found out to be Henry who had left Marlove University, looked on in a weakened state.

“I’ve been waiting to meet you for a long time, Ryuu.” Cyro said as he took a step forward. “The tales that my children have bestowed upon me…I have to admit, I was expecting a more menacing appearance for my foe.”

Ryuu shook his head, his arms out at the sides as a blue energy began to form at each palm. “You want menacing?”

“Oh, such a temper, boy…I suppose the stories my children told me were true after all.”

While they spoke, Mammoth reached into his pocket and stuck a syringe into his arm, the familiar growth hormone taking effect slowly thereafter. His body became strong once more, his physiology adapted to the chemical that the hormone was made out of.

“Well, you won’t have to hear it from them. You want to know my power? You gotta feel it firsthand, Cyro.”

“I don’t think so. Mammoth, take this inferior down.”

Ryuu soon shot around and was met by the large hand of Mammoth wrapping around his throat, the bulky member of the Crelod fully healed. Ryuu gasped out for air while Cyro watched, a sinister smirk hidden by the hood on his head.

“I think you need to fall off the face of the Earth, dragon.” Mammoth said angrily.

“You know what I think?” Ryuu moved his open palm to his side. “That you should come off of that high horse immediately. Sooner or later,” He sent a blast of energy to the ground, the force causing Mammoth’s grasp to weak. Ryuu took advantage of the opportunity and laid a kick to the chest of Mammoth and performed a backflip, using Cyro’s shoulder for leverage before he landed behind them in a kneeling position. “Someone’s going to knock you off of it.”

Cyro powered up a blast of energy and fired it at Ryuu, akin to the dragon’s own form of energy projection. Ryuu found most of the force striking his face where his mask laid. Nonetheless, he was sent flying back into a dumpster, dropping to the ground just as quickly.

Ryuu made a low grunt as he rose to his feet, though the material of his mask was torn so severely that it peeled off, revealing the face underneath.

Mammoth couldn’t believe his eyes, though he didn’t let neither Cyro nor the hero in disguise in on what he knew.

“Well, child, you’re without your mask.” Cyro said as he readied another blast, the dark red energy hovering over his palm threateningly. “I think another one will scorch that face of yours…I hope you have a personality to make up for it.”

“Sorry to say I can’t take your word on it, Mr. Personality.” Ryuu shot back.

Cyro shook his head and fired yet another blast, which Ryuu found himself ready for. The dragon warrior of Marlove moved his arms up and to his lower sides to form a protective barrier around him. Once the impact was made, Ryuu was protected but the shield was broken and that’s when he decided to make a quick escape.

Through the smoke that was left due to the blast, Ryuu disappeared just as quickly. Mammoth pounded his fists angrily and turned around to face Ryuu, only to see that the dragon was gone…and that Cyro stood there, clearly disappointed.

“Well, you’ve certainly made an impression…he ran off.” Cyro shook his head. “When you should have had him killed! You cannot taunt someone like Ryuu; he’ll capitalize on any opportunity.”

“I think that’s what him and I have in common.” Mammoth replied.

“The difference is that he backed it up…whereas you continue to fail me!” Cyro said angrily, his temper flaring up from his usual calm demeanor. He had it with the one called Henry Peart. “I should squash you like a roach, boy…”

“You could…but I think I just found out something new. His mask was off.”

“Explain yourself further, boy.”

“I know his face.” Mammoth replied with a bit of a sickening smile. “Bobby Kerensky. He goes to the school I dropped out of. Think a name like that will help you?”

Cyro looked at his protégé of sorts and nodded his head slowly. “Very interesting. Boy, I think you might have just made yourself a useful part of the Crelod yet.”

*~*~*

Meanwhile, Bobby was in possession of the syringe which had traces of the growth hormone inside. He knew that Henry’s revealing of his alter-ego was another task to take on but he had to take care of things, one problem at a time. The syringe had to be looked at, Bobby believed, and he decided to go to the one person he had access to.

His science instructor.

Bobby might not have had access to a laboratory with specialists in the field of biology but it was the best he had at the moment. He knew just to where to find the instructor during the day as well. A day passed since Bobby encountered both Henry and the mysterious Cyro and Bobby went into one of the campus buildings. He came up to the room as the class was being let out.

A Hispanic female, appearing to be in her early 40’s, looked over at Bobby. “Robert Kerensky, what are you doing here?”

“I have something to show you, Doctor Harris.” Bobby walked over to the desk where she was situated.

“I don’t remember assigning any homework to your class, though.” Doctor Harris said with a tilt of her head.

“You didn’t. I need you to do a check on this chemical I found.”

“Robert, I’m flattered that you find me so intelligent but my specialized field is in physics. I don’t much about chemistry so finding out chemical make-up of something will be a task-”

Bobby soon showed the good doctor the syringe in his hand.

“Where did you get that?”

“It’s a long story. Can you help me figure out what the chemical inside is?” Bobby believed that if he knew exactly what was inside of the growth hormone, he would be a step closer to putting an end to it.

“Well, I can try.” Doctor Harris replied. She ushered Bobby to follow her into the back of the classroom where there was more of a biological feel. Technology was set up and all of it made Bobby wonder.

“Someone’s got their own little bat cave going on here.” Bobby quipped.

Doctor Harris smirked a bit; she always knew Bobby to have a tinge of sarcasm. “Usually this place is used to keep equipment for lab classes. Microscopes, beakers, you name it. I think that I can find out what’s in this needle but I need some time. Would it be okay if you came back later?”

“Sure.” Bobby nodded as the both of them exchanged phone numbers. “Just give me a call in case you need anything.”

Doctor Harris nodded and began to use her free time in order to find out more about the chemical inside of Bobby’s syringe. She only hoped that Bobby didn’t use one of these on himself, for fear of the mystery of what it was composed of. Bobby stepped out of the room and immediately heard his cell phone go off.

Bobby shook his head; there was no way that Doctor Harris already had an answer for him. He looked down at the caller ID of his phone and saw Kairi’s number there. He answered,

“Kairi, what’s up?”

“Hey, umm…Bobby, you’re not going to be happy when you hear about this. I…I don’t know what to say.”

“C’mon, just let out with it.”

Kairi didn’t explain at first. Instead, she sent a video to Bobby’s phone, which he proceeded to open. It was a news broadcast from only a few minutes ago and his eyes widened at what was put on. It was a rather shaky camera video and the star of it was Cyro.

“Dragon, I know all about you…and I know that you’re well aware of my power. The first time we’ve met, I never expected that I would be had by a mere mortal. A mere mortal with tremendous powers, it seems.”

Bobby tilted his head to one side. “What does he want?” He asked himself quietly.

“But I didn’t know that one of my own would be so quick as to reveal who you truly are under that mask.”

That’s when Bobby’s face went slightly pale with shock; what exactly was Cyro talking about? Bobby couldn’t stand the cryptic way that Cyro spoke to him.

“Yes, I can very well put you on blast…allow the entire city of Marlove to know the one who’s been hiding under the Ryuu mask for so long. However, you will be torn from the inside out…I find that a much more fitting end to your reign. What great a beginning to that end than taking the one person who means the most to you?”

Bobby watched as the camera panned from Cyro’s face and towards the scenery behind him. There seemed to be a water tower of sorts and suspended above the tower by a piece of support cable was one lone cage…and inside, behind the bars, one could see the captive inside. Bobby’s expression went from shock to rage; the captive was Erin!

“I must admit, she is a feisty young woman…but she was strung along. She is, after all, only human.”

“You son of a *****…” Bobby muttered angrily. “How could you…”

“You have until sundown. Let’s test just how much you love this woman, dragon. Let’s test just what kind of lengths you would go to. Best of luck.”

That’s when the video ended and Bobby, at that moment, was in no mood to speak to Kairi to say the least. He clutched his cell phone in his hand, causing a few cracks to be heard in his palm. “You monsters just made the biggest mistake of your lives…”

*~*~*

In order to go about Erin’s rescue the right way, Bobby, under the guise of Ryuu, stayed low at first. He snuck up to the base of the water tower and he surveyed the area closely. Crelod members encompassed the area, each one of them armed with rifles, ready to strike if the dragon warrior of Marlove showed his face.

Two of the Crelod who were stationed at the dock near the water tower spoke to one another.

“So you think the dragon’s going to show?”

“If the boss is right, he’s got to. We got that hottie hoisted up there, she must be a pretty important prize to this guy.”

“Whatever. I just don’t want to deal with the boss if this **** gets out of hand.”

Ryuu had to scoff inwardly as he was poised to strike; these two did not have to worry about Cyro, they would come to find out. Their greatest trouble was to come in the form of his anger. Ryuu scaled the water tower and he maneuvered around so that he had an overhead view of the two Crelod.

“It’ll get out of hand, alright…” Ryuu muttered lowly before he dropped down from the height he was at. He came down on the two unsuspecting Crelod members as if he were an assassin and he struck, taking the Crelod down with a tackle infused with his own psychokinetic energy. He then pushed them off to the side to hide his work. “Hmm, that was a little too easy.”

“Oh, my children…” Cyro’s cryptic, almost omnipotent voice echoed through the air. “Dispose of our friend here.”

That’s when Ryuu found himself surrounded by several upon several of the Crelod.

“Well…so much for easy.” Ryuu took up a defensive stance, ready to bring the fight to those who kidnapped his loved one.