El-Hazard Round Robin

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At a nondescript locale deep within the Great Desert of Bleached White Bones, a hoversled, a Bugrom carrier, and two passenger-laden Demon Gods catastrophically collided.

A few moments later, the Demon God Jinnai pulled his head out of the dune he'd fallen into and spat out some of the copious quantities of hot sand that had managed to find its way into his mouth. It didn't take him long to find the person who was obviously at fault.

"MIZUHARA!" Jinnai ranted. "What the hell are YOU doing here?"

"Jinnai?" Makoto groggily responded. "You're here, too?"

"Oh, I understand now!" Jinnai snarled. "You're here to save the world again, AREN'T YOU! No, once just isn't enough for a goodie-goodie like you, is it?!"

Makoto's forehead wrinkled in thought. "Well, to be fair, I think I've helped save the world a good two or three times by now..."

Jinnai, naturally, wasn't listening to such trivial nitpicking. "Well, not THIS time! This time, I shall be the one to save the world, and then assume my rightful place as its master! ME, not YOU! ME!"

"Um, speaking of masters..." Makoto pointed at a pair of twitching, tight-clad legs.

"Ack!" Jinnai acked. "Master Ifurina!" He grabbed the girl's legs and yanked her out of the sand.

Ifurina coughed up an uncomfortable-looking amount of sand before taking a couple of deep, gasping breaths. "Thought *coff coff* thought I was a g-goner," she wheezed.

Everyone else present had managed to extract themselves from the sand without too much trouble. The hoversled and the Bugrom carrier had both been destroyed beyond repair, however.

"There," Jinnai said with some satisfaction. "Now that that's been taken care of..." He whirled to face Makoto again. "As I was saying, Mizuhara, I will not allow - hey, where did you go?"

"This way, you say, Ura?" Makoto asked, already several meters away from Jinnai.

"Nyah! Should be ancient ruins! Big switch! Save world! Nyaaaah!"

"All right, I guess we just have to start looking - OOF!"

Makoto was thrown to the ground by Jinnai's determined tackle. "NO!" the Demon God ranted. "I'M going to save the world!"

"Jinnai, there's no time for this!" Makoto sputtered, his voice muffled by the sand Jinnai was pressing his face into.

"Are you genetically programmed to stand in my way, or something?" Jinnai asked. "Even when I'm trying to do something GOOD, here you are, trying to stop me! Well, NO MORE!"

"Uh, Katsy-Watsy?" Ifurina asked uncertainly.

"WHAT!?" Jinnai snapped, his eyes wild.

Then, the shaking began.

Jinnai climbed off of Makoto and stared in the direction Ifurina was pointing. Freed, Makoto followed suit. As did Nanami, Ishiel, and the horde of Bugrom who'd previously been watching Jinnai's tussle with Makoto.

A short distance away, Qawool was enveloped in a halo of blue light, a very fearful Parnasse sitting on the sand a few meters in front of her. Qawool had her hands clasped before her and her eyes closed - she seemed to be deeply in prayer. All around her, stone columns were erupting from the earth, causing the shaking sensation they were all experiencing. Finally, a throne of stone unearthed itself beneath Qawool, along with a control panel of sorts before her. The Great Priestess of Water seated herself and unclasped her hands to touch the control panel. As soon as she did, a number of slim wires erupted from the throne and buried themselves into her skin at various points along her body. Her eyes opened, and somewhat disturbingly, were glowing brightly blue.

"I have integrated with the failsafe mechanism," Qawool informed everyone calmly. "Once activated, I estimate that it will take Arjah only five minutes to gain manual control over the system, though he will be weakened in the meantime. He MUST be stopped within that frame of time, or all is lost. I will give you thirty minutes. That should be all that it will take for you to get within striking distance of Arjah."

"I KNOW that already, you stupid ditz!" Jinnai snarled. Then, he looked depressed. "Why do you people always steal my thunder? I was all set to save the day on my own, but NO, you had to waltz in and-"

"Katsuhiko, we have to go!" Nanami grabbed her brother by the arm.

"H-hey!" Jinnai protested as he was dragged off.

"I shall accompany them, as well," Ifurita proclaimed. "Arjah would have difficulty facing three Demon Gods at full strength. Even weakened, though, we must take no chances." She pulled Makoto into a deep and passionate kiss. When she pulled away from the flushed and dazed boy, she whispered, "Be safe, my love." With that, she followed Nanami and Jinnai.

After a few moments, Ishel blinked. "Why did I come along, again?"

"Eye candy?" Parnasse suggested. Ishiel glared at him.

"Twenty-five minutes remain," Qawool intoned.

***

"I can't believe this," Dr. Smith muttered. "This is the seventh poorly-forged order I've received today requesting that Princess Fatora's hands be amputated at the wrists. What is going on, here?"

Then, he heard a scream originating from Fatora's room. Without wasting a moment, Dr. Smith sprang from his desk and ran to investigate.

A few moments later, he carefully closed the door to Fatora's room, blushing badly. "I'll just let them have a little privacy," he muttered to himself. After all, he could think of few things more appropriate to be doing when the world was about to end. In fact, why was he even here working, when his wife was waiting patiently at home? "I think I'll take the rest of the day off," he decided.

***

Deep within El-Hazard, Arjah became aware of the failsafe mechanism's priming, and smirked. It was foolish of his foes to believe that such a thing could escape his attention. Was he not Arjah, the all-knowing Great Priest of Dimensions? He was as aware of their foolishness as he was of the three Demon Gods currently approaching his location. Wouldn't they be surprised when they discovered that he was fighting at full power because the failsafe had never been activated?

And, to ensure that that was indeed the case, Arjah activated the Titans.

***

For kilometers around the failsafe device, the sand erupted as enormous machines of stone and metal pulled themselves from the ground. Scores of enormous robots of every shape and description, the smallest more than a hundred meters tall, began to stomp, roll, scrape, grind, and otherwise move toward the location of Qawool and the failsafe device.

***

"Um, excuse me," Over-Run said.

"Yes, staff-chan?" Ifurina regarded her staff.

"Please don't call me that," Over-Run said irritably. "Anyway, I just thought you should know - there's a significant number of enormous mechanical life-forms advancing upon this position."

"Huh?" Ifurina blinked.

"Big robots," Over-Run sighed. "Lots of them. Coming here. Very bad."

"What's a robot?" Ifurina asked. Then, a shadow fell across her. Ifurina looked up. And up.

"That's a robot," Over-Run replied nervously.

"Oh..." Ifurina said, gluping.

The Titan, the first of many, scanned downwards with its single cyclopean eye and focused on the tiny human. Its razor-sharp claws seemed to twitch with anticipation.

[MrWhat]

Kauru remained seated at the controls of the spire failsafe mechanism, now completely wired into place in a disturbing Giger-esque sort of way, and the Titans had seemed to ignore her.  But Makoto (now wearing Ura with his loincloth), Ishiel, Parnasse, Ifurina and Over-Run had all backed together into a huddle, in front of Kauru's console, as several of the stone and metal giants advanced on them.

Ifurina suddenly felt very small and vulnerable.  This was one of the few times that she had been completely separated from her Katsy-Watsy since they had met.  She suddenly glomped onto Makoto, since he was the only suitably glompable male available.  A whimpering Parnasse had also glomped onto an annoyed Ishiel.

Makoto brushed against Over-Run, and his ability kicked in briefly.  He was suddenly reminded of the power of the key-staff-shaped Mini-Con.  "Ifurina!  Use your key-staff!  It's more powerful than a true demon god key-staff, for short bursts!"

"Oh!  'Kay!" Ifurita chirped.  She held her key-staff out in both hands, set her face in determination, and, uh, pulled Over-Run's trigger.  BOOM!!

Of course, she was holding it backwards.  The others had wisely stood away from her, and instead of firing at the one-eyed monster in front of them, she had shot a glancing blow at another Titan not far behind them.  Its leg was damaged, but it was only slowed.  And all the other Titans were still drawing closer.

Makoto grimaced.  "It's got the power, but it's too tightly focused.  There's too many robots to take out one by one.  We need a weapon with a wider area of attack.  And we need a more experienced wielder.  Uh, no offense, Ifurina."

Ifurina smiled sweetly.  "No offense taken."

Ishiel sighed.  "If only I had the Great Lamp of Earth!--"

Makoto's face lit up.  "Of course!  You may not have the Great Lamp of Earth-- but you could have A Great Lamp of Earth!!"

Ishiel blinked.  "Come again?"

"Use your half-Phantom Tribe powers!  Your illusions have a physical presence!  And you've used the Great Lamp of Earth extensively!  Just create a replica of it!"

"WHAT!?" Ishiel yelled.  "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!!  I can think of at least three reasons why that couldn't possibly work!  First of all, I know what the Great Lamp of Earth looks like, but it's a hideously complicated piece of technology!  I have no idea how to make a working replica of all the fiddly bits inside it!  And I couldn't manifest a power source strong enough to make it useful!  And besides all that, I'm still using my powers to clothe myself!  If I have to concentrate on something that complicated, I'll have to go naked again!!"

Before answering her, Makoto linked with Over-Run again.  "Yes," the key-staff said, after a moment.  "I believe that could work.  Miss Ifurina, please let Makoto and Ishiel borrow me."

Ifurina released her key-staff, and Makoto held it out to Ishiel.  "Here!" he said.  "Create a replica of the Great Lamp of Earth over this key-staff!  It'll serve as the power source.  And I'll use my ability to help you create a working replica.  I'll have to hold onto the key-staff too, but it should work.  Hurry!"

Ishiel scowled.  "So, our only hope is for me to go naked again, and for you to cling tightly to me and my weapon as I fight?"

"I'm open to other suggestions!!" Makoto said, with no little urgency, as the razor-sharp claws of the one-eyed Titan before them drew dangerously close.

"Sweet mother of pearl!" Ishiel snarled, as she concentrated on Over-Run.  "The current author just can't get through a reply without throwing in some gratuitous nudity, can he?"

Makoto clung tightly against her with one arm, and linked with the replica with his other hand-- and then, as a replica of the Great Lamp of Earth materialized, Ishiel's Cool-Times-Ten outfit faded away.

Parnasse smirked.  "What did I tell you?  You're here for eye candy!"

A once-again-naked Ishiel turned on Parnasse, dragging Makoto with her.  She aimed her fully-formed Lamp replica at his face.  "Say that again, you little twerp!!"

Parnasse suddenly had a Makoto-esque accident.  And Makoto himself shouted, with even more urgency, as the claws of the leading Titan came within a few meters of the group.  "FOCUS, ISHIEL!!  FOCUS!!"

Ishiel, Makoto, and Over-Run began to battle with the Titans, wielding Ishiel's replica of the Great Lamp of Earth as a team, with surprising success.  As the first Titans fell, Parnasse and Ifurina huddled up again and resumed their sad whimpering.

"Twenty minutes to spire failsafe," Kauru said out loud to nobody.

[Lord God Jinnai]

"This just isn't fair, you know," muttered Jinnai as he, Ifurita, and Nanami flew through the crust of the planet, past the immense ancient machinery, towards the self-proclaimed Ruler of the Universe. "I was supposed to save the world this time. Me and me alone. I was the Demon God with the most power, I was the one who singularly had knowledge of Arjah and his powers, and I was the one who knew the location of the failsafe and the entrance into Arjah's sanctum! But lo and behond, the powers that be can't seem to stand the possibility that Jinnai was going to be the hero this time, so what do they do? They send a Deus Ex Machina in the form of a stupid CAT. A cat, who for some unknow reason, knows EXACTLY what I know and has led the miserable swine Mizuhara to steal my thunder! Oh, the sheer unfairness of it all!"

"Will you please shut up?" ordered Ifurita. "You're voice is making my head hurt."

Nanami laughed.

Jinnai growled, but remained silent. "Mock me all you wish," he thought to himself. "But as soon as I take care of Arjah, you two agitating, though increadibly attractive, thorns in my side will be dealt with. Mark my words... err, thoughts..."

And so, the three flew on.

************************************************

Meanwhile up on the surface, Makoto and Ishiel kept up their destruction of the ancient Titans with the hastily constructed replica of the Lamp of Earth. As the minutes dragged on, the piles of robots began to grow around them, yet seemingly the droves of Titans still rose from the sands as if coming from an infinate supply.

"I... I don't know how much longer I can do this," said Ishiel, her voice obviously strained from exertion.

"Please, Ishiel. Keep it up. We need to give the Demon Gods time to reach Arjah," Makoto answered back, although it was evident that he was tired as well.

"I'll... try my best." With that, Ishiel resumed her wave of destruction.

************************************************

The three Demon Gods flew ever onwards, deeper and deeper towards the center of the world. Suddenly, they came to a massive spherical cavern, one that was about twenty miles in diameter. A fierce wind blew all around them, yet aside from that there was nothing else within the brightly lit structure.

"Welcome!" said Arjah's voice. It seemed to come from all around them. "Welcome to your doom!" The old man's face suddenly appeared in front of them, utterly massive and glowing with a golden light. It spanned over a mile, a gigantic head floating in the immense chamber.

[rowan_a._seven]

Londs walked into the ruined Shinonome Diner, saw the two sobbing and one embarrassed young women, and coughed politely.  The three looked up, surprised, and Rune gasped in shock.  Rising to her feet, she walked over to Londs with a pained expression on her face.

"Londs, I'm so sorry.  I don't know what came over me earlier.  Can you ever forgive me for firing you so suddenly like that?" she asked, gazing at him with forlorn, apologetic eyes.

Londs smiled reassuringly.  "Of course I can, Princess Rune.  You're like a daughter to me.  However," he added, expression suddenly darkening, "it is my duty to inform you that the Bugrom Army has successfully conquered Florestica while the three of you have been in here, and, as Chief Domestic Advisor of the Omnipotent Bugrom Empire, I have been ordered by Queen...actually, I suppose it's now _Empress_ Diva to arrest you as enemies of the state."

Shayla-Shayla, Afura, and Rune exchanged a shocked look as Harpo, Chico, Zeppo, Gummo, and Margaret fanned out from behind Londs and captured them.

******

"You're a little early," Arjah said, amused, as a monstrous smirk split his gigantic features.  "I wasn't expecting you for another...say, three minutes or so.  Oh, I know all about the failsafe system and have taken steps to counter your plan.  Behold!  The death of El-Hazard's last hope!"

A portion of the globe Arjah was encased in suddenly turned pitch black.  A moment later an image of the failsafe system appeared in it, with a naked Ishiel and a scantily clothed Makoto desperately holding onto her taking out Titans left and right.  Ifurita's left eye began to twitch, while Jinnai merely laughed.

"Heh, _my_ plan is still working, Arjah, and I will not permit you to destroy _MY_ world!" Jinnai declared haughtily as he powered up his key staff, hoping to keep Arjah distracted with boasting and backtalk until the failsafe was triggered and then, if his recently altered scheme of global conquest succeeded, save an El-Hazard that should be completely under Bugrom control.

Arjah, the smirk never leaving his face, shook his head condescendingly.  "Pitiful insect, you have _no_ idea what you're up against.  Do you really think I haven't already taken into account this hastily contrived Lamp of Earth?  I am Arjah, the Great Priest of Dimensions, and soon to be Ruler of the Universe, and there is absolutely _nothing_ you can do to stop me!"  

Laughing, Arjah closed his eyes and concentrated.  Space-time bent and was ripped asunder as Arjah's will violently bypassed dimensional stability and reached out to a temple located in Japan, grabbing a powerful magical substance belonging to a certain well-known Norn of the Past.  The bottle the substance was encased in then simultaneously appeared above Ishiel and Makoto and began to fall.

******

Breathing heavily, Ishiel glared at what, after a wave of destruction that would make a Dragonball Z villain proud, finally was the last Titan.  After this she could relax, find some clothes, and leave the rest up to Jinnai, Ifurita, and Nanami.  Oh, and swat Makoto for holding onto her so tightly.  That _pervert_.  True, she'd been holding onto him earlier just as tight if not even tighter, but she had still been under the happy glow of moving beyond her troubled past.  Makoto had no such excuse, and she'd be sure to make him sorry-

CRACK!

A thick, pink mist surrounded them, and Ishiel inadvertently breathed some in, coughing as the acrid substance forced itself into her lungs.  A moment later, though, it cleared up, and she turned to look at Makoto.

"What the heck was..." she began to say only to trail off in shock as she suddenly realized just how handsome Makoto was in his loincloth.  Heart pounding, she wondered why she'd never noticed it before.  Makoto, too, was likewise inexplicably enraptured by Ishiel's stunning beauty, Ifurita now being the farthest thing from his mind.

"Makoto...I..." Ishiel said breathily, gazing into his eyes with naked longing and adoration.

"Ishiel...I..." Makoto said simultaneously, burning with desire for this...epitome of loveliness standing before him.

All thoughts of the Titan and saving the world banished from their minds, the two began to passionately make-out.  Ura, on the other hand, had laid eyes on Ifurina and promptly proceeded to detach himself from Makoto and rub against the raven-haired girl's legs and purred, dragging Out-Run along with him.

Parnasse and Ifurina, having been a safe distance from Urd's love potion, exchanged a panicked look and blanched.  

"This...is bad," Parnasse concluded simply, watching in horror as the last Titan reached out, grabbed Kauru, and forcibly pulled her out of the failsafe system, unconcerned as his target began to bleed from dozens of places where, up till a moment ago, she'd been connected via wires to the ancient ruin.  The Priestess of Water screamed in pain.

******

Jinnai waved his left hand in front of Ifurita's face, meeting with no reaction.  "She appears to be in a state of shock," he informed Nanami pointedly, scowling at the ancient demon god.  "Of _all_ the times to do this"

"Poor Ifurita.  After waiting over 10,000 years for the man she loves, the sight of Makoto and Ishiel together must've been more than she could bear," Pretty Magical God Nanami reasoned sadly, turning to glare at Arjah.  "I will not permit this mockery of love to continue!  In the name of friendship and true love, I will punish you!"

Lifting her ax, Pretty Magical God Nanami created a rift in the fabric of space and flew through it, preparing to pull off her multiplication trick again.  However, a new, darker portal appeared a microsecond later through which Pretty Magical God Nanami exited...in several pieces.  With an incredulous look on her disembodied head, Nanami's remains plummeted to the ground.

Arjah's laughter echoed throughout the chamber.  "Heh, foolish girl.  And even after I reminded you that I am the Great Priest of Dimensions!  By entering my domain you put yourself entirely within my power, and it'll be hours before your self-repair system can complete its function!  And now, there's only one insignificant threat to deal with.  Tell me, Jinnai, are you ready to die?" Arjah asked, a deadly hum filling the air.

Jinnai gritted his teeth and launched a pulse of energy at Arjah that was absorbed by the globe.  If possible, Arjah's smirk became even wider.  "That won't work, boy.  This chamber absorbs all the energy directed at it and rechannels it to me.  Fighting will only make me stronger.  Resistance is futile."  Eyes glowing with destructive power, Arjah prepared to wipe Demon God Jinnai out of existence.

******

The Titan began to tighten his stone fist, slowly crushing Kauru to death.  Below him Ifurina desperately but ineffectually attacked with Out-Run whose power was depleted from the earlier battle.  Ura continued to rub against her legs.  Parnasse, not knowing what else to do, prayed.  There's no need to comment on what Makoto and Ishiel were doing.  

The world appeared to be doomed, but suddenly a new hope appeared.  Groucho, having become somewhat fond of dramatic entrances, rose out of the sand, riding on the shoulder of a Super Bugrom.  Sensing the urgency of the moment, the Super Bugrom lunged at the Titan, covering the distance between them in under a second, and knocked it to the ground.  The two giants began a massive struggle as Groucho rushed over to Kauru and, using all of his strength, managed to pry open the Titan's fist enough to pull her out.

"Dazo ga allbi?" the purple bugrom asked worriedly, cradling Kauru gently and paling at the sight of her many terrible wounds and still bleeding body.  

"Take me...to the...trigger," Kauru managed to rasp out, mind focused on that one, singular goal.  Obeying, Groucho jumped, landed on the ground, and dashed over to the ancient ruin.  The Titan's cyclopean eye flashed as it prepared to vaporize the two, but a gigantic Super Bugrom fist in the face shattered the eye and resulted in the gathered energy detonating explosively.  The now lifeless Titan shattered as it fell to the ground.  

Groucho brought Kauru to the trigger without further difficulties, and the weakened Priestess of Water, bleeding copiously, rested her right hand on the control panel.  A light flashed, and in a tired but triumphant voice Kauru said, "Failsafe system...activated."  She then slumped over, looked up at Groucho with a warm, grateful expression, and then closed her eyes.  Her heart stopped beating.

Raising his fists into the air, Groucho looked up at sky and wailed.  "ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT?!!"

******

Shayla-Shayla, Afura, and Rune found themselves each chained to a wall in the repaired dungeon that had seen a surprising amount of use lately.  Rune was sobbing, while Afura actually seemed to be enjoying her current plight.  Shayla sighed.

"Of all the places I thought I'd be if the world was about to be destroyed, this is definitely not one of them," the Fire Priestess muttered.

[Lord God Jinnai]

The Demon God Jinnai frowned in worry, seeing one of his mightiest attacks do absolutely nothing to the floating Arjah head. The massive floating monstrosity laughed, mocking the ultimate Demon God's inability to defeat him.

"Pathetic little boy... that's all you ever were. Nothing but a crazed, love-starved little twit who sought respect and affection through bullying and plans of conquest. You truly are the epitome of idiocy!" laughed the priest.

"Oh spare me your half-wit insults," snarled Jinnai. His cultured voice was filled with anger and fear. "If you're going to destroy me, then hurry up and DO IT. Oblivion is a much better fate than spending any more time listening to your aggravating voice!"

Arjah chuckled. "Very well." A ball of immense power began to farm in front of his gigantic visage. Vicious arcs of electricity flared from the ball, which was ready to discharge towards the remaining Demon God and vaporize him. "Prepare to die! Ha hahahaha ha ha ha...."

Suddenly, the forming death ball vanished as the power supplying it became cut off. Arjah's giant face contorted in pain and surprise, the glow vanishing from it and the rest of the massive room. His wide eyes looked about in panic, not understanding what was going on.

Jinnai was confused as well. "What the fuck?" He asked himself, looking around. He quickly spotted the viewscreen, which was still in tuned with Makoto's group up at the surface. It showed the last Titan vanquished by one of the Bugrom superbugs, and Groucho holding the injured Kauru to the now activated failsafe device.

"No!" snarled Arjah, who had noticed the viewscreen as well. The weakened Priest of All Dimensions turned his attention to Jinnai, who was now floating in the air sporting a maniacal grin.

"Well well well! Looks like I'm not the one who's going to die today." Jinnai chuckled, then looked to his two companions. Ifurita was still in the midst of her mental breakdown, and the Pretty Magical God Nanami's pieces were still reforming themselves. The Lord Demon God laughed even louder, as he turned his attention towards the weakened Arjah. "So, it seems that I will be the one to save the world after all..." He lifted his keystaff and aimed its tip at Arjah's face. "... how surprising."

The massive face in front of him snarled in hate. "Go ahead, boy! Do your worst! I may be weakened right now, but I still have power! You are nothing to me! You are but an insect compared to my might!"

"Whatever." Jinnai smirked and let loose a massive blast of energy towards the floating head.

Arjah suddenly laughed. "The fool!" he thought to himself. "Doesn't he ever learn? The sphere around me will absorb any form of energy thrown at it! That little blast of his will more than likely reactivate my full powers! Ha! Stupid little... WHAT?!" The priest looked on in horror as Jinnai's beam missed his face by what seemed like a minute fraction and raced away. The beam shot behind him, shooting through the air, heading straight for a nondescript part of the spherical complex around them. "WHAT?! NOOOOOOOO!!!"

As soon as the beam hit the side of the cavern, Arjah's face vanished. The lights dimmed to almost nothing, and a massive explosion erupted from the damaged area. Fire spread outwards from the newly formed hole, electrical sparks flaring around the damaged conduits. From the debris, popped out a wrinkled, bloody hand, trying desperately to free the rest of itself from the heavy rubble.

Jinnai appeared over it, and smiled. The Demon God reached down, grabbed the hand tightly, and lifted the broken, battered body of Arjah from the rubble. The old man coughed and sputtered, the numerous wires and cables which had connected him into the massive machinery around him sparked with risidual energy now going to waste. "H-how...?" asked the old man in between coughs.

"Stupid fool," spat Jinnai. "Every idiot knows the Wizard of Oz strategem. A fake, larger-than life mock-up is set up to lead the heroes astray, while the real goon which they seek hides behind the curtained partition. It will take more than that cliche to fool the Great Lord Demon God Jinnai."

Arjah gritted his teeth as the Demon God lifted the tip of his staff towards him. He began to think up of a way to escape doom, but nothing came to mind. Any of the other fools in his way had simple weaknesses he coudl exploit, loved ones and friends he could threaten. But Jinnai was a selfish, powermad lunatic. He didn't care about anything but himself... or did he?

"Wait!" pleaded Arjah.

"Oh, and why should I?" Jinna began to power up his staff.

"Because... you are needed elsewhere," Arjah smiled and pointed to the viewscreen still floating above them. Jinnai turned his eyes up and saw that the scene has changed, this time showing Ifurina and Parnasse as then stood upon the desert sands, both tired from the most stressful ordeal of their lives.

"What is the meaning of-" Jinnai's eyes suddenly widened as one of the mangled Titan remains suddenly began to move. It lifted a small blaster in Ifurina's direction, then fired off a thin laser beam. The poor girl was caught completely by surprise, as the beam hit her right in the back and burned through her body. A hole appeared in her chest, from which an ugly red stain began to form. "NO!" Screamed Jinnai in horror. He watched with disbelieving eyes as Ifurina fell to her knees, then forwards onto the sand, a thick pool of blood forming beneathe her.

"YOU MONSTER!" Jinnai grabbed Arjah and slammed him into the wall. The priest cringed in pain, but didn't loose his demented smile. "How could you do that to her?! How could anyone be so cruel?! She did nothing! She was innocent! She didn't deserve that!"

"Oh, don't give me any moral lectures, for I won't have it! Not from you!" Arjah growled. "How many innocents did you harm and kill, in your mad dash for power? How many innocent girls and children did you send to their deaths when you had your armies invade their towns and villages? Now, just because you know that one girl, you think that her life is better than everyone elses?"

"Shut up!" Jinnai began to squeeze the small man's shoulders, eliciting a gasp of pain from him. "I'll tear you to pieces!"

"Wait! WAIT!" shouted Arjah. "You can still save her!" He waved a free hand into the air next to him. A second later, a dark portal, similar to one of Nanami's, formed. "This will take you directly to the surface, where she is. The wound didn't kill her, but if left untreated she will die. Only you, as a Demon God, have the knowledge and the ability to save her."

Jinnai looked at the portal, then turned back to Arjah. He seemed torn about what to do. "Kill me, and the portal vanishes," The old man laughed. "Better make up your mind quickly... the poor girl is losing a lot of blood."

Jinnai looked back at the portal, then up towards the viewscreen. Parnasse was kneeling over Ifurina's prone body, holding his cloak over her wound in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. It wasn't working.

"Damn you," snarled Jinnai, before he threw Arjah onto the ground and leapt into the portal.

"Idiot," muttered Arjah in pain. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, willing the agony in his body to cease. "I'll kill her anyway when I gain control of this world..." With that, the Great Priest of the Dimensions shut the portal, and waited for the failsafe to wear off so that he could remake the world in his image.

************************************************

"Ifurina!" Jinnai shouted as he dropped to his knees before the dying girl.

"I'm sorry," said Parnasse, tears dripping from his eyes. "I don't know what happened."

The Demon God shoved the boy out of the way and put his hands over her wound. His internal sensors began scanning Ifurina's body, checking her vital statistics while his computers figured out the best way to repair the injuries. "No," he muttered as the results came up. She was too far gone; the injuries she had sustained were beyond his powers to stop.

Jinnai felt something wet leaking from his eyes. Something heavy weighed in his chest. His throat felt dry and coarse. What was happening to him? How could the death of one insignificant girl affect him like this? It shouldnt, he knew that. He shouldn't care. This was beneathe him. He shouldn't care.

But he did.

"Don't worry, Ifurina," said Jinnai with a sad smile. He looked down at her beautiful face, which was now pale and stained with blood. "I will save you... no matter what happens to me, I will save you."

The Demon God lay his hands on the dying girl's chest and took a deep breath. He then closed his eyes and concentrated fully on healing her. He directed every nanomachine in his body to flow into her body and repair the damage as quickly as possible. Various messages appeared within his mind, warning that such a vast output of power would strain his resources and would most likely kill him. Jinnai quickly ignored them, as he had important work to do.

"Hold on, Ifurina... Your Demon God will not fail you."

************************************************

Arjah was still sitting next to the mound of rubble where Jinnai had thrown him, concentrating on healing his broken body. Soon the failsafe would be shut off, and he would be in full control of the planet once again. He just had to wait.

"Arjah," said a familiar voice.

The old man's eyes popped open, his surprise at hearing the voice causing him to gasp. There, directly in front of him, stood Makoto Mizuhara. The thin boy, clad only in a loincloth, looked like the most frightening creature ever to walk the world, at least in the eyes of the injured old man. "Mizuhara?! H-how?!"

As soon as the Demon God Jinnai exited the portal, he glanced around at the collection of misfits in front of him. While he couldn't stop Arjah himself, he damn sure intended to get someone else to do it for him. He looked from Groucho who was holding up an injured Kauru, to Parnasse tending to the dying Ifurina. No help there. His eyes then fell on the forms of Makoto and Ishiel, who was still in the grips of the magic-induced passion.

Jinnai frowned. "Mizuhara," he thought to himself. "I may despise you, but you've saved the world before. I need you to do it again. Just this once." The Demon God quickly leapt towards Makoto, pulling him off of Ishiel. He used his powers to create an enzyme which would counter-act the lust agent in the magic potion, then injected it into Makoto's neck. The boy cursed at first, wondering what was going on as the enzyme began to work. Without a word, Jinnai tossed Makoto through the portal behind him just as it began to close.

"It's all up to you now, Mizuhara," said Jinnai. He quickly turned his attention to his fallen master.

"Get away from me!" snarled Arjah.

"I'm here to stop you, Arjah," said Makoto. "Once and for all, I will stop you."

[Spanner]

Regaining some of his confidence, Arjah smirked toothily at Makoto. "Stop me, you say?" he asked. "I think not. I'll grant that you and your allies may have done a surprisingly good job of out-maneuvering me. I am weaker than I have ever been in tens of thousands of years. But..." Arjah's face twisted into a dark scowl. "...I am STILL the Great Priest of Dimensions! And I will NOT be stopped by an impudent whelp like yourself!"

"Makoto! Get down!" At the sound of Ifurita's voice, Makoto dropped to the floor. Perhaps he would not be the one to stop Arjah. Ifurita, on the other hand, would be more than capable!

Then, he noticed the expression of wild glee on Arjah's face, and his eyes widened. "Ifurita, wait, don't-"

BLAAAM! Too late. A column of white-hot energy lanced forth from Ifurita's power key staff, only to impact a swirling circle of darkness mere centimeters from a wildly grinning Arjah's face. "What?" Ifurita wondered, confused. Then, she screamed as that very same column of energy emerged from another circle of darkness to strike her from behind. She was flung violently across the enormous chamber to strike the far wall, her staff tumbling from her limp grasp. She struck the floor, and did not move. "All too easy," Arjah chortled.

"Ifurita!" Makoto cried, lunging after her.

"Ah, ah, ah, boy," Arjah tsked, waggling his finger. A new portal of darkness appeared underneath Ifurita, and she plumetted into its depths without even a cry. "Such a shame," he said with mock sadness. "Reunited for such a short time, and now seperated once again."

"No!" Makoto whirled on Arjah angrily. "What have you DONE with her?"

"I've placed her someplace safe," Arjah responded simply. "I will be more than happy to send you to join her. All I require of you is for you to use your special talent with machines to complete the circuit here long enough for me to engage the manual overrides. Then, I will ascend to my inevitable position as God of All Things, and will have no objections to reuniting you with your love. After all, neither of you will be a threat to me then."

His gaze hardened. "I advise you to consider my request VERY carefully. Your Demon God will not last long without her staff - not with the injuries she inflicted upon herself. And if that is not enough to persuade you..." Arjah gestured at Nanami. "Your childhood friend is recovering nicely from being diced... But how well do you suppose she will recover if I were to send her head into the heart of a star?"

"You monster!" Makoto growled.

"Time is running out!" Arjah chuckled, beginning to root through the tangled wires and machinery around him. "Though, frankly, I don't mind if you make no decision at all. The damage here is something I can repair given a little time, even without your help, and-" He glanced up, sharply. "-what do you think you're doing?"

Makoto was slowly advancing toward the bloodied old man, his gaze dark and threatening. "What I should have done from the start, instead of letting you babble on like a fool," Makoto replied evenly.

"You really care so little about your loved ones?" Arjah snapped.

"If you really could take care of all of us so easily, you would have done so by now," Makoto answered. "You took out the one you felt was the greatest threat, and now you have nothing left, do you?"

The faintest glimmer of fear in Arjah's eyes was all the answer Makoto needed. He smiled unpleasantly. "You made a big mistake, though..." He locked gazes with Arjah. "Ifurita was never the greatest threat against you. I was. Jinnai knew EXACTLY what he was doing when he sent me here."

Makoto reached out with a hand, and Arjah squirmed away from it as best he could. Trapped as he was by debris, however, his best was not nearly enough. "Stay away!" Arjah shrieked, and his shriek became a scream as Makoto's hand fell across his head. Blue energy crackled over both of them...

Four lights... Green... Red... Blue... Yellow... Makoto touched the green light, and it grew dim and vanished.

The Lamp of Wind fell from Arjah's waist to clatter upon the ground, emptied of power.

Three lights... Red... Blue... Yellow... Makoto touched the red light, and it grew dim and vanished.

The Lamp of Fire unlatched itself from Arjah's forearm to clatter upon the ground, emptied of power.

Two lights... Blue... Yellow... Makoto touched the blue light, and it grew dim and vanished.

The Lamp of Water slid from Arjah's finger to clatter upon the ground, emptied of power.

One light... Yellow... Makoto touched the yellow light, and it grew dim and vanished.

Arjah's armor flowed off of his body, gathering into the familiar form of the Lamp of Earth, to clatter upon the ground, emptied of power.

No lights... And yet, a light of sorts remained, a Black light, absorbing all of the light around it. Makoto reached out...

"No!" a weak, terribly old voice called. "You can't!"

"Yes," Makoto answered. "I can."

Makoto touched the black light, and it grew brighter, and brighter...

Arjah gaped like a fish as Makoto's hand pulled away from his forehead. Encased in Makoto's palm was a fist-sized ball of circuitry and swirling whorls of dark energy. "No..." he wheezed, spindly arms scrabbling hopelessly at Makoto's arm. "My Lamp! Give me back my Lamp!"

"The Lamp of Dimensions..." Makoto gazed in wonder upon the Fifth Lamp. Curious, he sent a bit of his own power through it...

...and staggered backwards, as his mind was bombarded with visions of this world and many billions of others. Hastily, he shut off the circuit and tried to cope with the overload. One vision, however, was clearer than the others. "Ifurita... You sent Ifurita to Shinonome..." He looked at Arjah. "The path of least resistance, since Nanami traveled there recently... It was all you had the power left for." He smiled happily. "I know where she is!"

"Lamp... please... give me my lamp..." Arjah begged piteously.

"No," Makoto answered sternly. "It's way too dangerous. It never should have been made in the first place. Gods, how could you even stand knowing... all that... all at once...? It's no wonder you were a nutcase." Makoto directed a bit of his power into the Lamp of Dimensions, and then tossed it into a dark portal that appeared. The portal closed immediately afterward.

"NOOOO! What have you done?!" Arjah demanded.

"I sent it to the void outside of time and space," Makoto answered. "With all of the dimensional energy it contained, it probably exploded into a Big Bang, creating a new universe." Makoto shrugged. "Maybe it even created our universe. But it's gone now. Forever."

Arjah's eyes clouded over with despair, and his breath began to rattle in his chest. With all hope now lost, and all of his power gone, he finally slumped over allowing his life to slip away.

Makoto regarded him with some amount of pity before gathering up the powerless elemental lamps and Ifurita's power key staff.

"Wow..." a voice called, sounding quite impressed.

"Are you all right, Nanami?" Makoto asked the pile of parts.

Nanami's head had reattached itself to her torso, but she clearly had a lot left to go. "Well, 'all right' is a pretty strong way to put it, but I'll get by, I think... But Makoto-chan! You were almost... bad-ass!"

"You think so?" Makoto blushed in embarrassment, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah! You were great!" Nanami enthused. Then she looked around. "But how are we gonna get out of here?" she asked. "Neither of us can fly, at the moment..."

"That's all right," Makoto answered. "We can use Ifurita's staff. The Lamp of Dimensions showed me how... Her staff only has enough energy left for a couple of jumps, but that'll be enough for me to get you to the surface... and then get me to her..."

Nanami nodded as best she could, and the two of them vanished.

***

Ifurita gazed with bemusement upon the grounds of Shinonome High School. She had not expected to find herself here again, but once again here she was, battered, drained of power, and with little recourse but to wait, and to hope that Makoto would be able to find her.

If he was even still alive... The tears began to flow down Ifurita's cheeks. "Oh, Makoto..." she thought.

Then, as if in answer to her prayers, Makoto appeared within gently spiraling clouds of dimensional energy. He was holding her staff, and gazing at her with compassion and love.

Ifurita needed no further prompting. She ran towards her beloved, reaching out to grasp his hand, entertwining her fingers with his. Makoto pulled her into his embrace, and each lost themselves in the perfect bliss of finally being reunited with the other part of their soul.

"C'mon, Ifurita," Makoto whispered after a few moments. "Let's go home..." And the two vanished, returning to El-Hazard.

*OOC*

Hope I did this climactic battle justice.

[Lord God Jinnai]

"And this, Your Eminence, is the throne room," said Londs with a flourish. He was currently showing Empress Diva the undamaged areas of Florestica Palace. Although much of the complex had been damaged by the battle with the crazed Ishiel, much of it and the city still remained intact. Even as he spoke though, Diva's children were quickly rebuilding the damaged areas. Londs was amazeda the speed and ingenuity the Bugrom showed in the reconstruction, as much of the damage had all ready been repaired.

"How quaint," said Diva as shee looked around the grand room. "But, with a few hexagons here and there, it should spruce up the place rather nicely. You have done well, Mr. Londs. Very well..."

Londs took a bow. "I am and shall always strive to serve you, My Empress..."

"Oh, Mr. Londs," purred Diva. "I love it when you talk official..." She pulled the tall, blushing man into her arms.

"W-well then, Majesty. I must do so more often!"

Diva licked her lips, looking at her Chief Domestic Advisor hungrily. "Well then, Mr. Londs. In leu of your wonderful services, I believe it is time to give you your reward..."

Londs smiled stupidly as the beautiful Bugrom queen pulled him close. "God I love being evil!"


************************************************


Pain. That was Jinnai's world right now. Absolute pain. Yet he knew such agony was necessary, as losing Ifurina would have hurt him much, much more.

The Demon God's handsome face was contorted in effort, his entire being fully dedicated to the task of healing his injured master. All of the nanomachines which ran and maintained his body were being pushed into Ifurina, their only task to cure her grievous injuries. His internal computers were on the brink of crashing, as their entire, massive processing powers were pushed to the limits. He felt himself weakening, his systems warning him that he was close to permanent, terminal shut down.

He didn't care. He pushed himself even harder, straining his all ready weakened energy reserves. For what seemed like hours he worked. He pushed himself to his limit, until he reached it; he then pushed himself further, over the edge, into blinding exhaustion, until at last he could do no more and the darkness claimed him.

Jinnai awoke some time later, his body sore and his mind in a fog. He sat up and shook his head, trying to clear the mental cobwebs away. "Ow... what happened?" Suddenly, memories of recent events rushed into his head, causing him to gasp aloud in shock. "Ifurina!"

He looked around and spotted her next to him, breathing softly. She was alive! "Ifurina..." Jinnai laughed and reached out to touch her. He stopped, looking down at the hand held out in front of him. It wasn't the strong, manly hand of the Demon God anymore. Instead, it was back to the thin, caloused one of his original self. Jinnai looked down at himself, shocked to find his old body and clothes on him. "My power... it's gone..." He said, horrified. Straining so hard must have pushed all the Demon God nanites out of his body, reverting it into its previous state.

"K-Katsuhiko..." The soft voice pulled Jinnai out of his shock. He looked down to see that Ifurina had awoken, and she was opening her eyes slowly. "Oh, I must have fallen asleep..." Her memories quickly returned as well though, and she remembered being hurt. "Oh! I was hit... but you saved me!" Ifurina sat up and embraced Jinnai, tears of fright and joy staining her cheeks. Her eyes were still adjusting to the light, so she still had not noticed Jinnai's changed form. "Oh, Katsuhiko! I was so scared, but I heard your voice calling to me. I knew everything would be all right then!" The girl pulled back from Jinnai and smiled, only to look confused as she saw his new face for the first time. Instead of her handsome Demon God, a thin, pale young man stared back at her. Not wanting to be rude, Ifurina smiled at the stranger. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"Th-that's all right," Jinnai couldn't stand to look into her blue eyes, so he turned away and stared down at the sand instead.

"Hi! I haven't met you before, have I? I'm Ifurina."

Jinnai was silent for a moment, as if he were pondering something of great importance. Finally he seemed to make his mind up, and turned his glance back at Ifurina. He returned her friendly smile, albeit rather sadly. "I'm... Fred."

"Hi, Fred." Ifurina began to look around. "Say, have you seen a good friend of mine? His name is Katsuhiko Jinnai, he's a Demon God, but he's really nice. He's handsome, and strong, and he can fly, and-"

Jinnai cut her off. "I'm afraid he had to... go away. I"m sorry."

The girl in front of him stopped smiling. "Oh." Ifurina felt a deep weight in her chest form. Her tears threatened to flow, but she managed to keep them back. "Y-you mean he's dead, don't you? H-he died saving me, didn't he?"

"Yes." Jinnai stood up and looked away, unable to meet her indigo eyes. He looked as if he was about to walk away and leave it at that, but then stopped. He spoke again. "He loved you very much, and he always will. Please don't forget that."

At his words, Ifurina burst out crying. It took all of Jinnai's will not to go over and comfort her. Instead, he turned to the puzzled Parnasse, who had been watching everything since the Demon God had gotten there. "Watch over her, and make sure she gets back to the city safely," he told the boy in a hard tone.

"I will," nodded Parnasse. He looked up at the young man, who up until moments ago he considered an enemy. "I promise!"

Jinnai nodded and began to walk away, off into the sands and towards the direction of the Bugrom army. Groucho saw him leaving, and left the recovering Kauru with Ishiel in order to join him. After the Earth priestess's lust drive had worn off, she helped the Bugrom perform CPR on the injured Water priestess. They managed to get her heart working again, as well as bandaging up her numerous wounds.

"@!#$!#%!$#@" said Groucho to his leader. He looked back towards the crying Ifurina, a puzzled look on his face. "!#$!@^#@$#@$!?"

"No," Jinnai said sadly. "It's better if she remembered me as how I was, instead of who I am." He sniffed a bit, and made as if to wipe some dust from his eyes. He quickly turned back to Groucho, one of his demented smiles on his face. This time, though, Groucho thought it looked a bit strained. "Well, idiot! What are you waiting for? Let's get back to Diva and the others! We have a world to conquer! Come on!"

"!$#^!$#%#" nodded Groucho.

With that, the two hopped into the hands of the Bugrom Superbug, and it began walking through the sands towards their home.

[MrWhat]

But when Jinnai, Groucho and the other Bugrom returned to the site of the Empire's battle-camp, just outside the Roshtaria border, they found that it was gone.

One of the Bugrom found a note tacked to a tree, and brought it to Jinnai and Groucho.

J.--

Mr. Londs and I grew tired of waiting for you, so we conquered the world without you.  Hope you don't mind.  Do stop by the Floristica palace when you're free.

--D.

Jinnai hung his head and groaned.  "Okay, I'm feeling even more inadequate now."


Rune Venus, Afura and Shayla had slumped in their chains, against the walls of their cell.  But they suddenly looked up, and glanced at each other, as they heard footsteps outside their dungeon cell.  And then, they heard two familiar voices as the door to their cell opened.

"Oh, Fatora-sama!  Are you sure that you feel well enough to--"

"Don't worry, Alielle!  Dr. Smith discharged me before he took the rest of the day off.  And as soon as I get you alone in this room, I'll show you how well I feel--"

Fatora and Alielle came into the cell, once again wearing their impossibly skimpy Arliman outfits.  They froze in shock at the sight of three beautiful women chained in their playroom.

As soon as the shock wore off, Fatora reached into a hidden pocket in her skimpy outfit, and cartoonishly whipped out a heavy ring of keys.  She went to Rune's side, and began to release her.  "Fer cryin' out loud, sis!  I appreciate the gesture, but I'm not into incest, ya know!"

Rune was grateful for her release, but she was also displeased with Fatora.  "How can you think about something like that at a time like this!?  Roshtaria has fallen to the Bugrom Empire!  Queen Deva has usurped my throne!  The last free lands in all El-Hazard--"

Fatora frowned, narrowed one eye, and rubbed at her ear.  "Are you talking politics again, Rune?  All I can hear is a bunch of random words that have no meaning for me.  Oh well, me an' Alielle passed a group of underground resistance fighters on our way here.  You'll probably want to go make some inspirational speeches or something--"

As soon as Fatora unlocked Rune's last chain, Rune dashed out of the cell, almost running over Fatora in the process, eager to do what she could for her fallen kingdom.

Fatora sighed, and called after her sister.  "'Thanks for releasing me, Fatora!'"

Then she went to Afura, and smirked, and spoke in a snarky voice.  "Well, well.  What have we here?  Why, it's a naughty, naughty little priestess of wind, powerless and nekkid, practically begging to be punished."

Afura gulped, bowed her head submissively, and stammered.  "Yuh-- yes, muh-- ma'am..."

Fatora noticed the bandage that Makoto had applied to Afura's head wound during the battle with uber-Ishiel.  She took a closer look at Afura's wound, and tsk-tsk'ed in genuine sympathy.  "Oh, you poor thing.  That looks like it hurts, in a way that isn't happy or fun at all."

She began to unlock Afura's chains.  "I only work with healthy subjects.  Alielle, would you be a dear, and escort Afura to our supply room next door?  There's some bed clothes, and a nice soft warm folding cot, that she can use in there."

Alielle guided a free and still-dizzy Afura out of the cell, with surprising tenderness, given Alielle's predilection for pouncing on Afura in times of injury.  In the meantime, Fatora had walked up to Shayla, to carefully inspect her from head to foot, with obvious glee.  "You, on the other hand, look fine and fit."

Fatora tossed her keys aside, leaving Shayla chained up and helpless.  She called over her shoulder, without turning away from Shayla.  "Hey, Alielle?  After you take care of Afura, let's 'take care' of Shayla.  We'll need some clothespins, five gallons of warm maple syrup, and a glockenspiel."

Shayla drew back against the wall, as far from Fatora as possible.  She squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered.  "Aw, man...  Wasn't the world supposed to have ended by now?..."

[rowan_a._seven]

Seated on the throne of Roshtaria and with Londs standing at her side, Empress Diva had a satisfied, triumphant look on her face.  At long last, the ancient prophecy had been fulfilled and her children were ascendant.  The lands of the humans were finally under Bugrom domination and the age old war over.  Mr. Jinnai had done his job well, and now there was nothing left to stand in her way.

A portal suddenly opened in the throne room, and a surprisingly fully clothed Makoto, Ifurita, and (repaired) Pretty Magical God Nanami stepped out of it.

Pretty Magical God Nanami gasped in shock.  "Alas, what foul fate has befallen the noble kingdom of Roshtaria?  Oh, iniquitous brother of thine!  Conquering the world while we were all preoccupied with Arjah!  Well, this shan't continue!  In the name of justice, I shall restore Roshtaria's proper sovereignty!"  She struck a dramatic pose.

Londs, Ifurita, Makoto, and Empress Diva all sweatdropped, and Pretty Magical God Nanami coughed in embarrassment.  "Sorry guys, the speech patterns sneak up on me every now and then.  Regardless, I'm not going to let my brother's minions conquer the world."  She pointed her ax-shaped key staff at Empress Diva.  "Surrender, evil-doer!"

Makoto blinked in puzzlement.  "Londs?  What are you doing here?  Shouldn't you be helping Princess Rune Venus retake the kingdom or something?"

Londs shook his head, an unusually dark expression on his face.  "I'm afraid not, Makoto.  I have joined the Omnipotent Bugrom Empire, and though it pains me to fight my former friends have no doubt that I am now completely loyal to Empress Diva."

"If that is true, then I'm afraid that you shall share her fate," Ifurita spoke up, aiming her key-staff at Londs.  "While I hold no loyalty to Roshtaria, Princess Rune Venus treated Makoto kindly and gave him funds and resources to continue his dimensional research.  For that, I am eternally grateful and will do what I can to help her in this hour of need.  Your control of the world is over."

"I think not," Jinnai's familiar haughty voice spoke from behind as he and Groucho entered the chamber.  Makoto, Ifurita, and Pretty Magical God Nanamiwhirled to face this new threat, and Jinnai merely smirked as he saw their surprised faces.

"Mr. Jinnai!  What happened?" Empress Diva exclaimed, worried, as she noticed that her general was human again.

"A necessary sacrifice, Diva, but don't worry about it," Jinnai explained evasively, an unusually hard-edged tone to his voice.  "My current status won't prevent me from dealing with Makoto and his defective Demon Gods once and for all."

Pretty Magical God Nanami grinned deviously.  "And how do you propose to do that, Katsuhiko?  Between Ifurita and myself, we have the power the wipe out the entire Bugrom Army...in the name of justice!  Argh, I've got to stop doing that," she muttered, frowning.

Jinnai laughed condescendingly.  "Ah, my poor deluded sister.  Do you really think that during all my brilliant scheming I never _once_ considered the possibility of Makoto rescuing Ifurita or acquiring a new ancient weapon to use against me?  Please, I would hope you have a higher opinion of me than that.  Tenchi, attack!"

Pretty Magical God Nanami and Ifurita took a cautious step backwards, but Makoto was the real target.  Before anyone could react, a tiny purple insect swooped down and bite the young man in the neck, flying away a moment later in order to avoid being swatted.  Makoto put his left hand on the bite and rubbed it, a curious look in his eyes.

"A poisonous venom has now been injected in Mizuhara's veins," Jinnai informed his audience, face radiating malicious glee.  "If left unchecked it will kill him in under 48 hours.  The only treatment is an incredibly complex liquid secreted by a rare Bugrom caste, but it is not a cure.  It merely renders the poison dormant for 7 days.  In order to survive for any length of time, a poisoned creature must receive a weekly dose of this secretion.  Provided you were able to observe the secretion process, which is highly unlikely, it is beyond even the powers of a Demon God to synthesize this substance reliably on a regular basis.  I checked this myself during my recent transformation.  Now, I am willing to supply Makoto with this 'treatment' on a monthly basis...provided neither he nor the two of you oppose or resist the Bugrom Empire and my plans for the rest of your existences in any shape, method, or form.  Do we have a deal?"

Ifurita glared at Jinnai hatefully, anger burning in her eyes, but reluctantly powered down her key staff.  "I'm sorry Makoto," the Demon God said sadly, sending him a pained look, "but I will do anything to keep you safe...even if it means agreeing to this madman's terms."

Pretty Magical God Nanami likewise capitulated.  "I feel the same way.  Sorry.  We'll simply have to console ourselves with the knowledge that the burning fires of justice will one day consume my brother and reduce his triumphs to ashes!"

"Yar yar yar.  Until that day comes, which I very much doubt, I don't want to hear of any trouble caused by you three...and you know what will happen if I do," Jinnai informed them balefully, making a slicing motion across his throat.

Defeated, the three stepped back through the portal, Makoto turning around to face Jinnai one last time.  "This isn't over."

Jinnai grinned sadistically.  "Oh, I think it is, Mizuhara.  I definitely think it is."  

The portal closed, and Jinnai, having finally triumphed over his eternal rival, felt a warm glow flow throughout his body.  Sadness over the loss of Ifurina momentarily forgotten in the rush of victory, Jinnai let his head fall back and took a deep breath.  

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Jinnai's mad laughter echoed throughout the palace.

******

Kauru regained consciousness and groaned.  By the Elements, did she hurt!  Slowly opening her eyes and squinting at the light, the Water Priestess slowly realized that she was laying on a white bed in a nondescript hospital room.  Ishiel, Parnasse, and Ura were sitting around her.

"Where...am I?" Kauru asked in a raspy voice, trying to sit up.

Ishiel gently pushed her back down.  "Don't exert yourself too much.  You still haven't recovered from your injuries.  As for where we are, we're in a hospital located on the edge of the Desert of Bleached White Bones.  After Groucho and Jinnai left, Parnasse and I managed to salvage a hoversled and traveled here as fast as we could.  We were worried for a while that you wouldn't survive the journey."

Kauru absorbed this knowledge quickly.  "And Arjah...?"

Parnasse shrugged.  "Since the world is still here and Instrumentality appears to have been stopped, it's a safe bet that Makoto managed to defeat him.  We'll need to return to Florestica before we can get any details, though."

"Yes...about that..." Kauru began hesitantly, struggling with herself and coming to a decision.  "I won't be...going back."

"What?" Ishiel and Parnasse exclaimed in surprise.  Ura merely looked down at her with questioning eyes.

"Why?" Ishiel asked at last.

"Because...this experience has made...me realize that there is still so much I...don't know about myself.  Who...were my ancestors...how did they...die, and why...did they give me these memories?  What else is...buried in my subconscious...and are there others...like me?  Before I can...resume my duties as a Priestess of Water...and serve the Alliance...I must find the answers to the questions of my past," she answered firmly, a resolute note to her voice.

"...In that case," Ishiel replied after a moment's thought, "I'll go with you.  Somebody's got to make sure you stay alive, and since I really don't have anything else planned...Besides, it sounds like fun.  And who knows?  Maybe by accompanying you I'll learn more about the past and find a way to unite my two peoples."

"And I'll go to!" Parnasse added enthusiastically.  "As your attendant, it would a dereliction of my duties if I didn't accompany you on your quest!"

Ishiel and Kauru exchanged a look, and the former sighed.  "I suppose we do need comic relief," the half-Phantom Triber muttered.

"I heard that!" Parnasse complained.

"Ura go to.  Now Makoto want privacy with Ifurita, so Ura will stay out of Makoto's way by going with girl-who-smells-nice," Ura said cheerfully.

"And the...cute mascot," Kauru added weakly but with a smile on her face.

"Now if only there was some way we could get our lamps back and inform the priesthood of your decision to go on sabbatical, we'd be all set," Ishiel mused thoughtfully.

As if in response, a portal opened, and Nanami's head and arms stuck out.  The Magical God quickly tossed the two their lamps.  "Hey you two, Makoto's defeated Arjah for good, but the Bugrom Empire has conquered the world.  My and Ifurita's hands are tied, so we need the two of you to stop Jinnai!"

"Sorry Nanami, but I'm politically neutral.  I really don't care who rules the world so long as they do a good job of it," Ishiel informed Nanami as she reactivated her lamp.  "And Kauru has decided that she needs to go on a journey of discovery before she can resume her priestly duties.  We'd appreciate it if you would inform the Holy Order of Muldoon of Kauru's decision...and, for what it's worth, thanks for trying to be my friend."

Pretty Magical God Nanami sighed.  "Let's hope that Shayla and Afura are more willing to help...in the name of justice!  Argh.  Anyway, good luck with your search and should you change your minds, there is apparently an underground resistance movement that would be more than willing to let you join them.  Bye!"  She left, and the portal closed.

Kauru Towles, mysterious survivor of a forgotten tribe.

"Where is...that voice coming from?" the Water Priestess asked.

Ishiel Soel, Rogue Priestess of Earth.

"I like the sound of that," Ishiel commented, pleased.

Parnasse Ralielle, their comic relief sidekick.

"That's not funny!" Parnasse exclaimed angrily.

And Ura, their incredibly cute animal traveling companion.

"Meow," Ura meowed cutely.

The four of them have joined together to embark on a shared quest.  Will they unearth the ancient secrets of El-Hazard, or will the shadows of the past bury them?  Find out on-

Ishiel waved a hand, and a nearby wall crumbled revealing Dr. Smith who shrugged.  "Theatric effect," he explained cheerfully, halting his dramatic monologue and going to check on another patient, leaving the mystery of what he was doing there unanswered.

[rowan_a._seven]

I looked at this round robin using a different computer today and noticed that in a lot of my posts the quotation marks and apostrophes were replaced by squares.  I've been composing a lot of my posts using Microsoft Word which is what I'm assuming is the cause of this, and for some reason the squares don't show up when I use my computer to view my posts.  I apologize for any irritation this may have caused, and I will try to fix the problem.  

[MrWhat]

OOC:  LGJ, my apologies for using your signature art without asking first.  But I couldn't resist  


A nurse (an actual hard-working medical nurse, for once, instead of a bishoujou in tight and skimpy kangofu cos-play) came up to Doctor Smith, just after his latest dramatic narration.  "Doctor?  How did you come to be here, at the edge of the Desert of Bleached White Bones?  I thought that you practiced at the royal infirmary in Floristica, and that you lived in the palace-town with your wife."

Doctor "Smith" grinned, and glanced back at a tall dark blue cabinet that stood in a corner of his office.  "That's a secret, my dear.  Would you like a jellybaby?"


Jinnai walked through the halls of the Floristica palace, hands clasped behind his back, smiling to himself and humming pleasantly.  Though he had sadly been left out of the final conquest of Roshtaria, he had proven his usefulness with his exquisite humiliation of Mizuhara and the demon gods.  And now, he had power over both the Bugrom Empire and the Alliance, and he was free to wield it at his slightest whim, while Londs kept Deva, uh, occupied.

This delicious triumph was almost enough to make him forget the heart-break that he had suffered only a short time ago.  Unfortunately, he was promptly reminded of it.

Jinnai turned a corner, and found himself face to face with Ifurina, once again clad in a non-descript hooded brown servant's tunic, and carefully sweeping the floor with a new broom.  She looked up at him and smiled cheerfully.  "Oh, hello, Mr. Fred!  How are you!  Do you work in the palace too?"

Jinnai froze in shock, but his brilliant cunning genius allowed him to quickly recover his wits.  "Er-- yes, that's right.  But what are you doing here?"

Ifurina giggled.  "I work here, silly!  That is, Mr. Londs was kind enough to give me my job back, even though I took all that time off without permission."

"Well, you seem to have returned to your boring mundane existence happily enough," Jinnai said, not at all happily himself.

"Oh, yeah!  When I came back, guess what I found in my mail?"

Jinnai sighed.  "What?"

"A letter from my parents!  It turns out, they weren't horribly crushed under that great big toilet after all!  I didn't really understand their letter, but I think they went on a second honeymoon at a nudist camp, or something.  Anyway, I guess I was just wasting all that time with Katsuhiko..."

Jinnai winced at this metaphorical sucker-punch to the gut.  "Oh.  Uh..."

Ifurina sighed, and continued to babble.  "Oh, but I wish that I could see Katsy-Watsy again, and thank him for saving my life.  And I never really told him, um, how I felt about him..."

That hurt Jinnai even worse.  "Ack...  Well, anyway, I'm glad to see that you're alright.  You almost died, you know."

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" Ifurina said solemnly.  But then, she giggled again, and began to lift up her tunic.  "You wanna see my scar?  You have to look real close to see it, but--"

"NO!!" Jinnai yelped.  "I mean, thank you, but I've, uh, got to install some hexagons, and--"

"'Kay.  Well, it was nice to see you again, Mr. Fred!  Bye now!"  Ifurina continued sweeping along the hall, past Jinnai and around the corner.

Jinnai slumped against a wall, and held his face in his hands, his triumph over Mizuhara and the Alliance forgotten.  He suddenly decided that it had been far too long since he had done some heavy drinking.


Pretty Magical God Nanami portal'ed into a dungeon cell far below the palace, intent on finding Shayla and returning her lamp of fire.  "Shayla?  Why are you--  OH MY GOD!!  Fatora, you CAN'T do THAT with a GLOCKENSPIEL!!"


Nanami had quickly overpowered Fatora and Alielle, and freed Shayla.  And then, Nanami had stood back, as Shayla did things to Fatora and Alielle that are best left to the reader's imagination.  Nanami and Shayla finally left the dungeon cell together, and locked its door behind them, leaving what was left of Fatora and Alielle locked up.

Shayla grinned sheepishly, and rubbed at herself with a towel. "Thanks, Nanami.  I owe you one.  Although, I wish you'd got here before they poured the maple syrup all over me."

"Well, I might call in that favor right away," Nanami said.  "I'll explain later, but you and Afura might be the only ones left who can help us--"

Shayla grimaced.  "Uh, Nanami?  We'd better not count on Afura.  She had a blow to the head that hasn't healed yet.  And she, uh, hasn't been herself lately."

Nanami blinked.  "What do you mean?"

Shayla opened the door of the adjacent room, and she and Nanami looked in on Afura.

Afura was curled up on a cot, fast asleep.  In an alternative manifestation of her randomly subservient personality, she had gone to bed like a good little girl.  She wore an old-fashioned ankle-length night gown, and her hair was done up in pigtails and ribbons.  She clutched at a large stuffed toy animal with one arm, and lightly sucked the tip of the thumb of her other hand.

Nanami and Shayla both smiled sweetly, and sighed in unison at Afura's out-of-character wholesome sleepy-girl cuteness.  "Awwww..."


Nanami left the great lamp of wind at Afura's side, with a note asking Afura to join them when she felt up to it.  Then she portal'ed Shayla to the Shinonome Diner, having arranged to meet back up with Makoto and Ifurita there.

They emerged from Nanami's portal, to stand on the palace-town street, beside a dumbfounded Makoto and Ifurita.  Shayla sweatdropped as Nanami began to tremble with sheer rage at the sight before her.

Almost all of the buildings along the street had been destroyed in the battle with uber-Ishiel.  But, in a testament to the hard work and craftsmanship of the Bugrom, the entire street had already been rebuilt from the ground up-- except for the Shinonome Diner.  The vacant lot where the Shinonome Diner used to be now held only a large sign mounted on a heavy post.

The sign had a picture of Jinnai making a rude gesture with both hands, and a short message that was obviously intended for Nanami:

Who's the crazy weirdo freak NOW?

Steam blew from Nanami's ears.  "Oh, he's really starting to get on my nerves!!"


In the small building that housed Makoto's workshop and sleeping quarters, off in a far corner of the palace grounds, the dimensional transporter that Makoto had abandoned after The Alternative World suddenly came to life with eerie extra-dimensional light.

But it wasn't Arjah, 'cause he's dead now.

A pair of impossibly long female legs began to emerge from the transporter.  The legs were followed by the rest of a tall dark platinum blond supermodel with green eyes and strange blue emblems on her face.

Urd stood up from the transporter, and stretched in a fan-servicey way, trying to work a crick out of her back.  I guess that's the closest thing they have to a television screen around here, she thought to herself.

After her latest inventory of love potion ingredients, Urd had found that one bottle had gone missing.  She had then somehow worked out that the bottle had been taken to another dimension.  She had decided to pay a little visit to the dimension herself, to find the entity that had stolen her bottle, and give that entity a sample of her patented Urd Lightning Strike.

Of course, she had no way of knowing that Arjah was dead, his body buried in an ancient cavern deep in the thick crust of the planet.  She also had no way of knowing that the current writer had already crossed Mara over into El-Hazard, or that he had already hinted at another gratuitous cross-over in the first part of this very same reply.

And Urd had no way of knowing that, with her magic and her extensive knowledge of medicinal chemistry, she was the only being currently in El-Hazard that was capable of curing Makoto's Bugrom poisoning, and of producing a vaccine against further use of the poison.  She didn't even realize it after the current writer dropped that hint in an incredibly gratuitous and fourth-wall-breaking way.

No, Urd couldn't have possibly worked out any of this yet, the main reason being, she had bumped into another piece of equipment in Makoto's workshop, in a clumsy Urd-esque sort of way, and she was distracted when the entire workshop suddenly exploded.

When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, a frazzled and soot-covered Urd was the only thing left standing upright in a shallow blast crater fifty meters wide.

"Oops," said Urd.

[Lord God Jinnai]

IC OOC: Fear not, Mr. What. As long as it is to the detriment of my enemies, then you most assuredly have my approval to use my image.

************************************************

Princess Rune Venus looked around the ampitheater, at the vast number of Roshtarians gathered there. From her estimate, there were over two hundrred people gathered there. Each of them had heard hushed rumors that their deposed leader had managed to escape the Bugrom and wished to address them. Sneaking past the patrol bugs, the mass had snuck to the ancient ampitheater in order to hear their former leader speak.

Rune, for her part, was greatly relieved. After Fatora had released her, she had ran wildly through the palace sewers, searching for the Resistance. Thankfully, she found the ragtag group and they were glad to have her. They consisted of loyal palace sentries and soldiers who had managed to escape the Bugrom's invading hordes. They found safe haven in the deep sewers as it turns out Bugrom don't like breathing in poo gas.

"Your Majesty, are you ready?" asked one of the Resistance fighters.

Rune nodded before stepping up to the podium in the center of the stage. Many of the people gasped in awe as their former Princess appeared. They began applauding, and Rune waited until their cheers subsided to begin. "My dear subjects," she said aloud. "I thank you for coming. Roshtaria has never faced so dire a time in all its centuries of existance. Our beautiful, pristine capital has been soiled. Our hated enemy, the Bugrom, have taken the jewel of the world and transformed it into a mockery of all that the Alliance stands for."

There were a few murmurs and nods, as well as angry shouts of agreement. "The vile Bugrom have dealt us a blow, but we will overcome! Roshtaria will once again shine as it was, with your help!" The people cheered now, nationalistic pride swelling in their hearts. Rune smiled and continued. "With your help, we shall show these insects what we Roshtarians are made of!" The cheering grew louder.

The Princess waited for the noise to cease before continuing. "We are Roshtarians, and we must remain proud. We are the greatest nation of the Alliance! If we do not stand up against our hated enemy, then who will? These Bugrom think that we are weak, but it is THEY who are weak! We must fight them, and throw them out of our country!" The crowd began cheering again. "We will tech them that they can not bully us! We will teach them that we are to be freared! I ask you to stand with me and fight the Bugrom!" The crowd stood up and applauded, many shaking their fists into the air. "We will push them back to where they came from! We will shout that no one wants them here!" The crowd's cheering was reaching a crescendo. "What have the Bugrom ever done for us? NOTHING! What good are they? No good!" The crowd's screams of agreement were defeaning. Rune waited for them to quiet before she continued.

From the front row though, a voice piqued up. "Roads..."

Rune blinked and looked towards the man who spoke up. The audience quieted down and turned their attention to the spectator as well. "What was that?" she asked in confusion.

"The... the roads." said the man nervously. "You asked a question... uh, what did the Bugrom ever do for us? Well, they did kind of fix all the roads around my neighborhood."

Rune Venus glared at the little man, annoyance evident in her features. "So what? They are an evil and vile race that has conquered our-"

"Yeah," interrupted another voice, "the roads around my neighborhood have never been better actually. No more potholes."

The Princess on stage sighed. "That is not the point! The point is-"

"You're right," said another voice from the crowd. "All the roads have been fixed. They even built new roads around the old district. I hear they're gonna contruct a highway that links the capital with all the nearby villages in the area." Numerous people in the audience nodded and smiled in pleasant surprise.

"My subjects, please listen!" spoke up the confused princess. "We must-"

"Come to think of it, the city's never looked better," said a middle-aged woman. "All the streets are clean, all the broken lights have been fixed, and the interior plumbing have never been better. It took the Public Works Department months to get my pipes repaired!"

"Yeah!" agreed one man. "Plus they fixed my house, too! You know, the one that was burned up by that crazy Fire Priestess? They put in a bit too many hexagons, but hey I can't complain. They didn't even charge me for it!"

"People, please!" Rune was very frustrated at the direction the gathering was going.

"Well, life's certainly a lot quieter now that those awful priestesses are gone," said one woman. "All they ever did was destroy public and private property! Thank goodness the Bugrom got rid of them."

"They also built an aqueduct!"

"MY SUBJECTS! PLEASE LISTEN!!!" shouted the Princess. All quieted and looked over at their former ruler. "Regardless of their recent... deeds, these are the Bugrom you speak about! They are vile, despicable, evil creatures! They must all be destroyed if we are to-"

"Actually, they're pretty nice," spoke up a little boy. There were murmurs of agreement.

"Yes, they don't say much, but they're all pretty pleasant!" laughed an old man.

"They're certainly much better than my previous employers," confided a uniformed female palace servant. "They're polite and friendly, plus they don't try to molest you!" All the other female palace servants nodded.

"I... I can't believe you people are saying this!" shouted the baffled Rune Venus. The former princess looked to her subjects, but none seemed to be listening to her.

"Come, Your Majesty," said one of the Resistance fighters. "We must leave. It's no longer safe for you here..." They quickly led the sobbing woman away.

"Hey, we got it pretty good!" said a wealthy looking merchant. "Best part for me is, that since the Bugrom don't use money they don't charge me taxes! Har har har!"

People around him laughed. "Damn yeah! Plus they're doing all the farming and hard work! And they actually share their harvests with everyone! Damn, I don't have ta lift a finger anymore!"

"Wow! The Bugrom are great!" shouted one young man.

"Long live the Bugrom!" shouted a former policeman. "Long live Empress Diva!"

The crowd cheered.

[Andrusi]

And so things went.

As it turned out, there were still a few people in Roshtaria who supported the princesses.  Rune, Shayla, Dr. Schtalabaugh, Miz, Fujisawa, and eventually Fatora and Alielle organized them into groups located in small suburban villages in Roshtaria where the Bugrom were spread more thinly.  There they failed to do anything of use because, well, they weren't ready.

The people of Roshtaria gladly supported the new government at first, but as time went by, the initial excitement of finally ruling Roshtaria wore off, and the Bugrom realized they no longer had any kind of motivation.  As they began to slack off more and more, the country fell into disrepair, and the citizens began to wonder if maybe a resistance wasn't such a bad idea in the first place.  But they had nobody to lead them, so all they could do was wait.

And... uh... Urd hit her head on something and was unconscious for a few years.  Someone finally got around to inventing the telephone, but beyond that pretty much everything stayed the same.

But then, everything changed, as between the current situation and the use of the word "transform", an EHOLer got an idea for which he really should be killed as soon as possible.

---

It is the year 2005.  The treacherous Bugrom have conquered the El-Hazard nation of Roshtaria.  But from secret staging grounds in two of Roshtaria's villages, the princesses prepare to retake their home country.

Rune sat on her Emergency Backup Throne, which had fortunately been kept in a small building far away from the palace in case of Bugrom takeover.  "Dr. Schtalabaugh, report."

"Every time I look at a newspaper, Rune," the terminally unused guy with a beard said, "it makes my... uh... makes me mad.  When are we going to start fighting the Bugrom?"

"Doctor, I want you to make a special run to the Kingdom of Geable."  Geable was a neutral kingdom that was sympathetic to their cause.

"But Rune!"  Dr. Schtalabaugh actually had no idea why he was being so belligerent.  Normally he was much calmer.  Maybe it was the fact that he'd been awake for three days straight (too much caffiene) maintaining a small hoversled they'd obtained.

"Listen, Doctor.  We aren't ready for a full scale assault.  Ready the craft for launch!"  Rune turned around.  "Fujisawa, report."

A door in the ceiling opened, and Fujisawa's head poked down.  He had been sitting on the roof and acting as a lookout.  "No sign of Bugrom here."

"What about base two?"

Fujisawa picked up the phone, which was on the roof for some reason, and called the building where the second base was located.  The phone rang five times, then Alielle answered.  "Hello?"

"Alielle, any Bugrom activity in your area?" Fujisawa asked as he handed (well, dropped) the phone to Rune.

"Hold on."  The distinctive and unusually specific sound of Alielle untangling herself from someone else, throwing on some clothes, and looking out a window was heard.  "All clear."  Then the equally distinctive sound of the aforementioned someone else grabbing the phone out of Alielle's hand was heard.  "Hey, Schtalabaugh, tell Afura I miss her," Fatora said.

"Will do," Dr. Schtalabaugh said with a chuckle.  "We're ready, Rune."

"Miz, commence countdown," Rune said.

Miz grumbled.  "Five four three two one launch.  I was the freaking Priestess of Water, and all I get to do is count backwards?"

Rune ignored Miz and watched as the hoversled departed with a crew consisting of Dr. Schtalabaugh and some generic people, going first to base two (to pick up more cannon fodder), then to Geable.  "Now, all we need is a little time and a lot of luck."

Hearing the end of this conversation, Over-Run--who had recently regained his ability to transform--took off from his hiding place next to the building and went to report to Diva.

---

Elsewhere, an immortal being lay at rest, bored.  He had been made immortal in a freak accident involving a phantom illusion of a mechanical pencil, and at first had been excited by the prospect.  But, as it turns out, being immortal doesn't keep things that by all rights should kill you from happening.  Not even the really inconvenient ones.

Such as being turned to ash by dimensional energy after being impaled on a spire that shot out of nowhere after molesting a young boy whose sister is a lesbian.  And then sitting there, unable to do anything, until the year 2005.

Galus was, naturally, quite bored.

[OOC: The bit in the middle is, of course, a shameless Transformers: The Movie ripoff.  I though about going on to turn Galus into Galusvatron, but figured that would be pushing it.]

[MrWhat]

And so things went.

OOC:  I'm a little bit confused, and so I guess that I'm just going to have to go with more fan service.


With the Floristica palace occupied, Makoto's little work-house mysteriously blown up, and the Shinonome Diner destroyed and non-re-constructed, Shayla had invited the others to the Muldoon temple.  Nanami had portal'ed them all to the temple, but it was still late evening by the time they arrived, and they had decided to call it a day.

Ifurita entered the spare room that she and Makoto had taken.  She carried a small tray bearing medical supplies, along with a tiny bottle that had just been delivered by a small winged Bugrom courier.

Makoto was lying in bed, a distant look on his face.  He came to himself, and smiled sadly at Ifurita, as she set her tray on a lamp stand beside the bed.

"It is time for your first treatment, my love." Ifurita said.  She took up a disposable swab from her tray, and moistened it with a small bottle of alcohol.  "Let me have your arm, please."

"Oh, Ifurita," said Makoto, as Ifurita dabbed at his arm with the swab.  "I'm sorry.  Here you are, the most powerful demon god in the history of El-Hazard, waiting on me hand and foot."

Ifurita carefully filled a syringe from the tiny bottle, and held it to the light, flicking it with her finger and checking for air bubbles.  "Do not concern yourself, Makoto.  After the death and destruction that I have caused, I am grateful for the opportunity to redeem myself by caring for you.  And I would have done a nurse cos-play for you again, if our situation was not deadly serious.

"Now, then, Makoto.  Forgive me, but you shall feel a little pinch."  Ifurita administered the injection quickly and smoothly.

"At least Jinnai kept his word... for now..." Makoto thought out loud.  "Did you learn anything from your own analysis of this first batch of serum?"

Ifurita set the empty syringe down, and massaged Makoto's arm.  "It is just as that vile madman said.  The poison has no effect on me... but I cannot synthesize this serum myself.  The sheer complexity of its molecular composition baffles me.

"But do not give up hope, Makoto.  I shall not rest until the madman's power over us is broken.  And Dr. Schtalubaugh is also researching the poison in secret, as are the scholars at the Muldoon seminary.  And if El-Hazard cannot provide a solution, perhaps someone from your Earth, or even some other dimension, can...  Makoto!?"

Makoto had closed his eyes, and broken out in a light sweat.  "Huh?  Oh, sorry.  I'm fine.  Uh, actually, that stuff gave me a bit of a rush.  Whew..."

Ifurita tenderly held a soft warm hand to Makoto's forehead.  "Are you sure you are alright?  You seem to have become slightly feverish."

"Yeah..." Makoto opened his eyes, and looked up at Ifurita with a most un-Makoto-like expression.  "I do feel all... hot and bothered..."

He took Ifurita's hand from his forehead, and squeezed it in his hand.  "Uh, Ifurita?  This is an inappropriate thing to ask, at a time like this... but... are you spending the night with me?"

Ifurita smiled sweetly.  "Of course, Makoto.  I understand if you are afraid.  There is no shame in fearing death.  And I shall always be at your side, to comfort you in times of--"

Makoto was both embarrassed and agitated.  "Well, I have to admit, there is that.  But besides that... there must be something... in that serum... that makes me... want to..."

Words failed Makoto.  He gently but firmly pulled Ifurita to him, and kissed her in a way that he had rarely kissed her before.

Demon gods don't need to breathe, but Ifurita found herself breathless and flushed after the passionate kiss.  "Oh my...  Perhaps I should have done some hentai cos-play after all."


The next morning, Nanami was at work in the Muldoon temple commissary, cooking up a hearty breakfast for her friends.  Makoto and Ifurita had slept in, and Shayla had burned a couple slices of bread to charcoal in the toaster before Nanami shooed her away to the kitchen table.

Nanami and Shayla both looked up as Ifurita came into the kitchen.  Makoto's soul-mate had a dreamy smile on her face, and her hair and clothing were strangely unkempt.  She had slowly drifted into the kitchen, some distance from the floor, almost as if she was walking on air.

Nanami raised an eyebrow.  "Uh, good morning, Ifurita.  Er, didn't you sleep well?  Although, I thought us demon gods didn't need sleep..."

"No, not exactly," Ifurita said softly.  "Neither Makoto nor I had much sleep, last night."

"Is Makoto alright?" Shayla asked, with genuine concern in her voice.

"Oh, yes," Ifurita sighed deeply.  She clasped her hands under her chin, closed her eyes and purred with satisfaction.  "Of course, my beloved Makoto has always made me happy.  But the Bugrom serum is practically a love potion.  After Makoto took it, he was... just... simply... *woof*!!"

Nanami twitched.  "Uh, Ifurita?  I love both you and Makoto like family, and I'm happy that you're, um, happy... but that's way too much information."

Shayla rubbed her face with her hands, also suffering from information overload.  "Ngh...  Well, if that stuff works like a love potion, then all we need to cure Makoto's poisoning is a love potion expert.  Heh, as if there was anyone like that in El-Hazard now."


"ATCHOO!!" sneezed Urd.  This was a neat trick, since she had, in at least one version of events, fallen unconscious for a few years.  But hey, she's a Yggdrasil goddess, and they can do all kinds of weird stuff.

Maybe it was one of her mini-Urds, or something.


Nanami smiled a friendly smile.  "Well, anyway, have some breakfast with us, Ifurita.  I'm making pancakes.  I'll make some for Makoto too."

She set a huge golden-brown bottle in front of Shayla, with a knowing wink.  "And just for you, Shayla-- plenty of warm maple syrup.  Don't worry if you spill it all over yourself."

Shayla scowled back at her.  "Y'know, I still hate you."

[Lord God Jinnai]

The vile Empress Diva grinned evilly as she saw the ruins of what was once the free Kingdom of Geable. Her forces had snuck into its borders, hidden within a commandeered Roshtarian Resistance cruiser, and had easily wiped out the small kingdom's pitiful army. Now nothing could stop her and her legions from conquering the universe!

"Their defenses are broken, let the slaughter begin!" She called out to her hordes. The Bugrom cheered in victory, their bloodlust peaking at the prospect of rape and slaughter. The large army began to leap over the battered capital city's walls, intent on seeking out and destroying all that stood in their way.

Suddenly, like a shining beacon cutting through the infinate dark, a lone Resistance cruiser fell from the sky. Its sails unfurled as it descended, like the wings which bear angels into the heavens. Standing upon its deck was the rightful ruler of Roshtaria, the Prime Princess Rune Venus. She glared down hatefully at the evil Bugrom forces, who had turned a friendly peaceful nation into a warzone.

"Fujisawa!" She turned to her most powerful warrior, and pointed down at a Super Bugrom who was in the process of ripping apart the castle's gates. "Destroy Super Bugrom!"

Mr. Fujisawa hiccuped once, turning bloodshot eyes towards the princess and smiling. "Oooh, me Fujisawa love challenge! Hic!" He then jumped out the window.

"Dammit!" screamed the Princess. She turned to her soldiers and scowled. "I specifically told you to NOT to let him drink on this journey! Who's responsible?!" The men around her turned away, whistling innocent tunes. Dr. Schtalabaugh looked especially guilty, though. "Oh, never mind. Land this ship..."

Upon landing, Rune looked over the burning capital of her ally and frowned. "Diva must be stopped... no matter the cost." Really cool 80's music suddenly began playing, just as the princess hopped atop a small hoversled and shot off towards the Bugrom. She pulled out a Roshtarian army laser rifle, this one specially designed to actually work.

Several of the Bugrom who were charging into the opened gates of the city were taken completely by surprise when Rune's sled bashed into them. The hapless bugs were thrown into the airm, many landing hard on the ground or crushed under the sled's underbelly.

The other Bugrom, alerted to her presence, began to shoot at her with their blasters. The beams hit the sled, burning holes into the all ready damaged vehicle. Rune quickly leapt into the air, twriling gracefully while firing off several shots from her rifle. She took out several Bugrom while in the air, then finished the rest off as she landed. She quickly turned and ran straight towards the open gates, intent on stopping her most hated of foes.

Diva had just entered the city, but quickly stopped when she heard her detested enemy's voice. "Diva!"

The Bugrom Empress turned around, eyes shining with fury. "You! I'll send you to the scrap heap for this!" She pulled out her own weapon, which was a massive cannon connected directly to her left arm. "No," she said, putting the weapon down. "I'll kill you with my bare hands!"

Diva then leapt towards Rune, nails at the ready. The Roshtarian princess did likewise, and thus the greatest catfight in history began...

************************************************

"Take... that... and that..." muttered the pale former Princess of Roshtaria. "You'll never... defeat me..." Rune was in a familiar looking straightjacket, confined in one of the Roshtarian Resistance HQ's threadbare rooms. "M-more than meets the eye..."

"Poor girl," remarked Doctor Schtalabaugh as he watched the young woman mumble incoherently on the bed. "The stress of the invasion, coupled with the trauma of recent events have caused her mind to snap. I am afraid that she'll never be the same again."

The resistance leader's face fell. "But she is our nation's last hope! Without her, then the Royal Family will never regain the throne. Roshtaria will never be free of the insideous Bugrom!"

The doctor sighed. "I am sorry, sir. But there is nothing we can do." He thought for a moment before continuing. "But there may be one hope... Rune Venus is not the only heir to the throne. Princess Fatora still lives, somewhere, most likely free of the Bugrom oppression. If we can find her, then we can put her on the throne as the legitimate ruler of Roshtaria!"

The soldier was silent for a moment. He then shook his head slightly. "Sorry, Doctor, but I think I'd rather live under Bugrom tyranny."

"....... Good point."