Chapter One: The Devil's Employment

By BGlanders

Heavily revised, I might add.

Honest.

***

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

Kagato was starting to get used to this.

"All right, I know you can hear me, so cut the dramatics and get on with it.
I have a training session to get back to."

With that, the obsidian surroundings dissolved to show what appeared to be a
cosmic backdrop. For the slightest of seconds the former mad scientist
questioned how he was able to stand when there was no apparent solid
surface, then gave up. Life was too full of odd happenings to examine every
little one, and his life was especially so.

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

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

The orb, which looked to be about three times the size of the scientist in
diameter, started to pulse as a deep, echoing male voice emanated from
within.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Good terms? You haven't offered me anything yet. Where's my cut, orb?"

The orb pulsed again, and then responded, "Your 'cut'? Very well then, your
cut shall be Anata. Accept my offer and nothing shall happen to her.
Refuse, and I won't be able to guarantee her safety."

Kagato took a step back, his hands clasping into fists. "Was that a threat,
orb? Are you resorting to blackmail?"

"Why not at all. I'm merely stating a fact. As to…"

"Why haven't you returned me yet?"

The orb stopped mid-sentence, hovering in complete silence. Even though it
had no visible receptors, Kagato could not help feeling that he was being
watched.

"Well?"

A flash of light, and the scientist was gone.

***

That had been two weeks ago, and at the moment Kagato was wishing he had
paid closer attention to the orbs words.

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

He remembered the day he found her.

He wasn't sure what had drawn him back to this particular planet, but he
couldn't get past the feeling that there was something important there.
Initially he dismissed this thought as a holdover from being regenerated,
but the more he tried to ignore it, the stronger it became. Eventually his
logic gave way and his instincts took over.

She had been hiding; cowering behind a broken piece of debris that at one
time had been a wall. A mighty city had once stood here, teeming with
people, activity and life. At one time, this great wasteland of ash, rubble
and dust had been called home to millions. Now, its population was weakly
teetering at one.

The cold, empty wind that fluttered through and aimlessly played with
Kagato's cloak chilled the scientist, and he shuddered in kind. The
sensation of temperature was yet another recent and sometimes dreadful
addition to his newfound existence as a human. He was wearing a simple,
long-sleeved gray shirt with loose, green pants. A stretch from his older
attire, but one the scientist found comfortable. His only addition, a
hooded green cloak, shielded him from the surrounding elements.

She was trying to conceal herself under a piece of soiled cloth, the blood
on her face long dried, her wounds deep, but healing. Idly, he noted that
the girl coiled into the fetal position as the wind stirred her rags.

"Child, get up." Was all the scientist could think to say. She lay at his
feet, her only movement consisting of her violent shivering. With a sigh,
Kagato realized that the girl probably couldn't even hear him. Kneeling, he
scooped her limp, willowy form into his arms and issued a silent mental
command. In the blink of an eye, the scientist was gone.

***

"Awaken."

"Eh?"

"Open your eyes!"

"…Oh."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kagato grimaced, then nodded.

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

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

Kagato was cut off by a white hot flash of pain searing though his body. He
dropped to his knees, spasming in pure, unequaled pain. After several
seconds, the pain vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared.

"What… what did you do to me?"

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

Kagato nodded.

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

"Actually it sounds kind of silly to me…"

Kagato reeled as another jolt of electricity shot through his body. Once he
regained control of his vocal chords, Kagato tried to speak again.

"…Come to think of it, I believe I do understand. Please, continue. I'm
finding this interesting…"

The sphere pulsed and continued. "Since the dawn of modern time, the
universe has been balanced by three forces. Good, Evil and Reason. Quite a
few thousand years ago the entity of Reason decided to abdicate her throne,
leaving the course of humanoid evolution to be decided solely by the forces
of good and evil, with reason being awarded to both sides.

"Reason's reasons…" The orb paused. "Yes, that sounded right. Reason's
reasons for leaving were simple. One of the deities had begun to dabble
directly in the affairs of man, offering herself up as a deity. When one
began to falter in her duties, the others followed suit. As time went on,
they started to take their roles beyond the point of obsession and into
religious fanaticism. Now this choice has set in motion a series of events
that could spell the destruction of the universe as you know it, not to
mention a neighboring universe that shares more with yours than you could
ever imagine, but I digress. And now my reason to sparing your life, my
dear professor…

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

Kagato nodded again, still remaining silent.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Very well. What is your first question?"

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

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

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

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

Kagato thought about it for several moments.

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

The orb laughed again, then moved slightly closer.

"And your last question?"

"Who is it that I must stop?"

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

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

"Oh really? What about Ryoko? As I recall, you worked with her quite a bit
before you let her slip out of your grip..."

"Ryoko wasn't an assistant; she was a tool. I don't enjoy comparing my
decisions against those of others. Send your 'assistant' back to wherever
he came from. I would prefer to handle this job on my own, orb."

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

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

***

"Here, eat."

Those were the first words the girl heard. She had woken up in a plain
white bed, centered in a bare, darkened room. A soft glow came from several
quiet, humming boxes that were stacked beside her. They seemed to be
connected to the bed via a jumble of colorful wires, but for what the girl
wasn't quite sure. The only other light in the room came from the curved
glass window that was set to her right. Through it, the girl could see what
looked like thin white streaks of liquid running sideways across a black
backdrop.

At first the girl was confused, but her lack of energy refused to let her
become too concerned with her whereabouts. Also, she had begun to notice
the scent of food nearby. Sweet, scrumptious, wonderful, life-giving food.
Her eyes darted to a tray placed across her stomach. There, the girl saw
several bowls filled with thick, steaming morsels. The girl didn't really
know what kind of food it was, but hunger won out over suspicion and she dug
in.

About midway through she noticed that she wasn't alone. To her right sat a
man half cloaked by the deep, soft shadows of the room. When she was done
eating, he quietly took her tray and left without saying a word. The girl
didn't say anything either; she merely watched him go, then turned her
attention to the window of her room and sleepily drifted off, her mind being
carried away by the gentle streaks of light that drifted across the glass.

***

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

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

Indeed, every metallic surface around the scientist seemed to give off a
slightly purple sheen. It was odd, if not slightly annoying. Green was
Kagato's color of choice, after all. He attempted to stand, the whole time
thankful that he had been revived with a full set of clothes. As he let his
feet adjust to the cold, metallic floor, Kagato grimaced at the sensation
and made a mental note to have heating devices installed at a later date.
Once he found a pair of slippers in a storage bin, he remembered his
conversation with the orb.

"I wonder where my new 'assistant' is?" Kagato managed to put every ounce of
spite he could muster into that word. Partner. The very thought of working
with another, especially a former monster like himself, filled him with a
sense of foreboding. Desperately seeking something salvageable from all of
this, Kagato tried to reevaluate his situation.

"Well maybe this won't be too horrific. After all, it won't be for that
long, and besides, if it means reacquiring… no… getting her back, then its
worth the effort. Now, I wonder where this new assistant is? He might be
on the bridge… Gods, please don't let it be some deranged, self-righteous
freak…"

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

Kagato stopped dead in his tracks. The self-righteous, feminine voice
behind him turning him to stone. Slowly he turned around, half dreading
what he might see before him.

He was right to dread.

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

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

"…Anata…."

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

Throughout the shiny purple ship, a primal scream of denial could be heard.

***

Hiya folks!

This should be the final revision (LIES! LIIIIEEES!) of this chapter. Don't
worry; the rest is coming soon (assuming that is, that you've taken an
interest in this series…)

Special thanks to David Johnston for his somewhat blunt but insightful C&C.

A very special thank you to K'thardin for his massive amount of C&C. At
least I know two people are reading this tripe…^_^

Kagato and Pixy Misa belong to AIC, TV Tokyo and Pioneer.

All C&C to BGlanders@aol.com, Ronoken@aol.com or Ronoken@hotmail.com please.