Disclaimer: El Hazard is owned by AIC/Pioneer LDC. The author owns only the writing. Fire and Lightning Chapter 3: Strike like Lightning Setting: El Hazard The first thing Makoto felt was something on his nose. He batted it away without thinking and was rewarded with a yip and sharp pinch in his hand. Instantly he was awake Yoroi, or was it Toshi, was beside him looking slightly indignant. Makoto apologized giving the ferret a pat on the head. Picking himself and the ferret up be began calling for his brother. Toshi, or was it Yoroi, squirmed out of Makoto's grip and began sniffing around the foliage. They were in a clearing in the middle of a forest. He scanned the horizon hoping to get an idea of where he was. There, the Eye of God. He was back in El Hazard. "If the Eye returned to its normal orbit and he was on the hills where I landed the first time then Floristica was that way." he said to himself turning in the right direction. After three steps he suddenly stopped. Where was Shikei? Makoto assumed he would have landed nearby. The ferret wouldn't have ran off unless he was close. Would he? Toshi, Makoto was pretty sure it was Toshi, came out from some ferns with a big juicy bug in its jaws. "So you were just getting some lunch. You have no idea where Shikei is do you?" he asked. Toshi hung his head for a moment then began eating his catch. "I didn't think so." Makoto was torn between two duties, his love and his brother. Shikei could handle himself here. Makoto suspected his brother was one who'd find a way to make himself known. Before leaving, the agreed that if they got separated, they would head for the palace. One he and Rune were back together, they'd find his brother. Toshi followed him as he went down the hill, but only for a moment before returning to the undergrowth. He was about to call him to return when he saw her. At the bottom of the hill, there she was. Princess Rune Venus, looking more beautiful than ever. Her eyes were filled with love, concern and relief. They embraced, neither saying anything preferring to savor the moment. Finally, after a timeless moment Rune whispered, "Wings?" referring to the translucent wings which sprouted from Makoto's back to embrace them. "Coming back must have given me a second power. I wonder how strong they are." " Fly us back to the palace." Rune suggested. "We can't. Not yet. There's someone else." Makoto said holding her at arms length as he retracted his wings into his back. "Someone else?" Rune said assuming the worst. "My brother, Shikei. He fixed my machine so I could come back. Now that you're here, I have to find him." "Your brother?" she said with relief, "Let's get Londs. We'll come the forest. Oh my, what's this little creature?" Rune was referring to Toshi. The ferret had finished his meal and now sniffing Rune's foot. She tried to pet him, but he was wary, but allowed it after a second. "His name is Toshi. One of my brother's ferrets." "Does that mean he's nearby?" "I don't think so. Toshi was with me when I woke up." Makoto stopped and listened. He could hear a faint buzzing almost like ... "The Bugrom. They're coming." As if to accent his words, the faint laughter of Jinnai echoed through the hills. Shikei awoke slowly, taking in his surroundings without opening his eyes, never betraying the fact he was now awake. Not sensing any threat, he slowly opened his eyes. He was in a forest. Yoroi was asleep in a ball on his chest. Shikei stood and surveyed his surroundings. He was near the top of a tall hill. The view he had spread over many square miles of undeveloped wilderness and didn't give him a clue as to which way to go. He remembered what Makoto said about powers. Did he get one by crossing over or did the modifications he made prevent that from happening. He tried to levitate, run, pick up rocks with his mind, turn invisible, check his senses, nothing. Then he pointed at a fruit hanging from a tree and concentrated. A bolt of lightning shot from his fingertip leaving a jagged path to where he aimed. The erratic path it led caused him to miss slightly, disintegrating a small bit of branch that was holding the fruit up. Shikei recognized the fruit from Makoto's descriptions. It looked ripe. He ate it while pondering his power. It was too hard to control. He couldn't aim for small targets with it. At best he could hit large targets. But metal conducts electricity. Perhaps if he had a longer 'barrel' accuracy would be improved. He drew sword and tried again. The arc of electricity shot straight to the exact point Shikei was aiming for. "Now since that's out of the way, I can try to find my way to this palace." Shikei said right before he heard the buzzing. He watched the Bugrom carrier come over a hill. Shikei went to the center of a clearing. He knew the Bugrom wouldn't come all this way unless they had a reason, like say getting Makoto. With luck, he could buy his brother enough time to escape, get back to Rune, or at least wake up. The carrier moved slowly and Shikei began to consider an attention-getting tactic to insure his distraction would work. On the carrier Jinnai was at the bow leaning half way over scanning the forest. "I just know you're around here somewhere, Makoto. And I'm going to find you. " "Master, why don't we just ask him over there?" Ifurita asked pointed to Shikei. "Huh?" Jinnai said taking a look for himself, "Well there you are." "But Master, that's not--" "All hands prepare for battle. Helm take us in that direction." Jinnai started barking commands ignoring Ifurita's polite warnings that the person was not Makoto. "Here they come. Ready Yoroi?" Shikei said bracing himself. Yoroi yipped an approval. "Makoto," Jinnai said in a condensing tone, "I'm so glad you came back to El Hazard. I've waited a long time to say this. Kill him my legions!!" Ifurita floated beside the carrier waving politely, "I'm really sorry about this." she called. Bugrom jumped from the carrier as it advanced. Shikei waited until the right moment. "I've gotten some improvements, Jinnai." With that he raised his arms and threw two lightning bolts at the wings. The wings incinerated so quickly it was as if they vanished. The carrier dropped from the sky and crashed, squashing some of the Bugrom. Shikei ran down the hill with swords drawn. The brief description his brother provided was accurate. Already Shikei's warrior habits were at work, scanning for weak points in the Bugrom form. He vaulted over the leader, a large purple one, released the hidden blade in the hilt of his swords and made a quick stab downwards in the exposed portion of the Bugrom's neck. Shikei sliced with the other arm decapitating a human-sized orange Bugrom. Shikei continue the tactic of jumping from Bugrom to Bugrom, using speed to counter their brute force as he worked his way to the carrier. Jinnai was still dazed from the crash. When his head finally cleared he was shocked as to how many of his loyal followers were dead. "How? How could he do that so quickly." "Uh Master, I tried to tell you--" Ifurita started but was interrupted when Shikei leaped on the deck. "Jinnai! You're going to pay for what you did." Shikei threatened. "Ifurita, save me!!" Jinnai panicked. "Right" Ifurita readied her power staff and prepared to fire. Shikei was faster, zapping her with twin bolts channeled through his swords. Ifurita spun around babbling even more incoherently than usual. There was a flash of bright light that Jinnai used to crawl to the emergency escape Bugrom and fly off. He spouted curses as the Bugrom dodged energy bolts off into the distance. Shikei rubbed his eyes. He should have been ready for that. Still not a bad job for five minutes. A Bugrom carrier destroyed and he captured the Demon God. Ifurita was slumped on a railing, her eyes spinning. "Ow ow ow ow ow" she repeated in a daze. "Shikei!!" Makoto shouted as he ran down the hill with Rune in tow. "Brother. Princess Rune Venus I presume." he said with a polite bow. As they moved slowly through the Bugrom corpses, Makoto asked "How did you do this?" "With style." Hoof-beats brought Londs with a party of guards to the crash sight. "Dear gods. What happened here?" he said. He spotted everyone else, "Princess Rune? Makoto! You're back. ... Who is that?" Shikei sheathed his swords, swung Ifurita over one shoulder, leaped down and picked up Toshi. "This," Makoto introduced, "Is my twin brother Shikei." "Thank you, Shikei. You are a fine warrior. No one has ever defeated an entire Bugrom carrier alone. Much less capture the dreaded Demon God. Come. Let us return to the castle for celebration."