The God Valley Incident

The God and the Lion (Special II)

The morning had come, just as it always does after the night. However, for the first morning after decades of night, I finally feel awake. I feel alive now. 

I am Rocks, I am the captain of the mightiest men and women the world has to offer. This tribe of crooks and killers I have met means more to me than any kind of blood. Today is the day I say goodbye to them though, it is their turn.

No matter what happens today, my legend ends before the sun dips below the sky. As I had said before, I will fall only when I decide to. Fate- the universe, both are beneath me. Now I must prove this hypothesis...

~~~~~~~

It was quiet, the bloody savant; in a full swing of merriment just hours prior, was now devoid of sound and action. There was only one individual on deck, at the wheel was the mighty ship's captain; Rocks D Xebec.

As the ship drifted and swayed with the ocean's currents, Rocks just looked up to the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight. It was a perfect day, these were his thoughts. A small, thin smile was on his face; his gaze looked... conflicted. The sounds of footsteps approaching from behind snapped him out of his thoughts, he turned to see the closest thing he's ever had to a friend.

"Ah, Shiki... Is something troubling you?"

"No. I'm just checking on you."

"Ah..."

After a moment of considerate silence, Shiki approached his captain and he placed a slender, tanned on his shoulder, giving him a slight squeeze. The look on Shiki's face was somewhat melancholic as if he understood the answer to a question yet to be asked.

"Captain...?"

"What is it?"

"Do you recall the day we first met, the day I joined your cause...?"

Rocks thought for a moment, looking into his friend's eyes. He chuckled a little and nodded as the memories all came flooding back.

.....

A Young Rocks, only around 15; already 3 years into his journey to conquer the world met Shiki on an island he had dominion over. Rocks had gotten into a fight with several grown men outside of a bar. The young boy looked down at the injured, pleading adults, begging at his feet. He felt nothing but contempt, he raised his hand to silence them, and that's when he heard it.

"Hey brat, what do you think you're doing?!"

A shrill, enraged voice called out, snapping Rocks' attention. He turned to see a Shiki in his mid-twenties, following him were several more armed men. The man was dressed in a silver and gold plated yukata, his deep blonde hair hung down and swirled around his head, from a glance he looked like a type of metal lion.

"You oughta have a good explanation for roughing up my men, kid!"

Rocks had been taken back a little, his sharp, tired eyes widened a little. Never before had someone spoken to him like that; not child nor adult. Shiki gripped the hilt of a large saber on his hip.