Gogar and Theromin pushed their way through one of the particularly thick sections of forest on the gigan species home world. They had been trekking through the land for hours, searching for another section of land the two could claim as their own. Theromin followed Gogar, then stopped suddenly and called "Yo Gogar!"

Gogar stopped and looked around as well, "Hey, are we lost again?"

"Where do you think yer going?" Theromin pushed a small weed out of his way and tilted his head.

Gogar regarded him a moment, "Me? It was your idea to come this way."

Theromin took another look around the area. A hint of recognition went off in his eye. "Uh... I changed my mind. Les' go."

Gogar huffed and looked around some more. Everything looked the same, once again Theromin had gotten them lost. "I should have been in charge of navigating us, I'm better at it."

"No you ain't. I'M better at- whatever! Let's go!"

Gogar moved past him and looked into a clearing not far beyond the trees, his eye widened at the beautiful landscape that greeted him. It was as if this section of land had been tailored and tended in such a way that it secluded itself from outsiders with a thick wall of foliage. The grass was a brighter, more vibrant shade of green than was normal for the season, and the trees bore myriad varieties of fruit. A small stream bubbled closeby, surely filled with all kinds of food. Gogar looked away from the secluded paradise a moment and saw Theromin already starting to leave. "No!" Gogar held a claw out, halting Theromin's exit. "Look at how beautiful this place is."

"Get off it," Theromin snapped, "Let's just get out of here, come on!"

"No!" Gogar inhaled deeply, walking closer to a small opening leading into the area. "It feels great here!"

Theromin crossed his arms and grumbled "Not fer long..."

"I want this," Gogar walked into the skirts of the land, "I'm claiming it." He heard Theromin's grumbling.

"What? Did you say something?"

"NO!" Theromin yelled, suddenly very much on edge. "Uh, I mean, ya don't need this, it's too far from yer other stuff anyway..." he looked around, full recognition of something in his eye. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Wait," Gogar surveyed the land again, still taking in it's incredible beauty. "This is better than my other lands. I deserve it don't you think?" he whistled as a fat and fuzzy mammal raced across the field. "Wow, look at all the prey, and fruit everywhere!"

Theromin was now visibly antsy, anxious to leave. "You don't need it man..." He jerked his head around as if looking for something. "Crap..." he muttered, his voice shaky.

Gogar tired of his friend's quibbling and slapped him. "What is wrong with you, I'll share it with you and we'll get lots of hens!"

Theromin snagged Gogar's arm and started to pull him away from the entrance. "We gotta go, we gotta go now!"

"No!" Gogar tried to snatch his arm free. "The hens will love this, let go!"

Somewhere nearby something shuffled along, making its way through the lush greenery of the land Gogar and Theromin had discovered. He owned this land, and now there were other gigans on it. He could not stand for that, no, he could not. The inner workings of the resident gigan's mind clicked and clacked together trying to form a coherent thought in his mind, but his mind had been fractured long ago. Nothing could fix it now. Nothing would ever fix it. He walked along and spoke softly to himself.

"Rejected by the heavens yes I am... that's what I am..."

Theromin detected the whisper of the gigan headed towards them. he prayed it wasn't what he thought he heard, hoped above all hope that it was just the leaves rustling, or a bad mushroom he'd ingested... But he knew better. He hardly heard Gogar talking about all the hens that would be attracted to this land. Theromin twitched, his head jerking around trying to look everywhere at once.

"Screw the hens!" he whispered fiercely at Gogar, "I wanna friggin' live!"

Gogar looked at Theromin and tried to figure out what was wrong with him. "Live, why? Is this claimed? By who? I challenge him!" He struck an aggressive yet simply elegant stance. Theromin took little notice of Gogar's bravado and kept looking.

"Damn! Look Gogar, somethin' real bad already HAS this land, we gotta go before-"

"Ow! You really hurt my ears you know." Gogar gave Theromin a disgusted look, he was such a foul mouth. "What could be so bad that I can't handle it?"

Theromin thrust his forearm in Gogar's face directly at eye level.

"See this?" Across Theromin's forearm ran a thick purple scar. It reached from the bottom of his wrist to the center of his elbow in a wicked curve. It hadn't healed completely yet, Gogar could still see small veins and capillaries stretched across a small patch of translucent skin in the center of the nasty tear. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it before, but then, Theromin had so many scars on his body it was impossible to tell which ones were new and which were old. Gogar looked at the scar a minute, then immediately began to lose whatever appetite he had.

"Get that out of my face, eew..."

Theromin kept his arm in Gogar's line of sight for a moment, then pulled away.

"I was lucky to get away from this place with just this." He looked around again, "Frig... All right Gogar, I been here already."

"Really? And you never told me?"

"Found this place a few months ago, thought I'd claim it."

Gogar's eye narrowed. "Without me? Grr..."

Theromin looked around again, then gave a scornful laugh at Gogar. "Why would I tell YOU? We're buds, yeah, but land is land."

Gogar glared at him, Theromin continued. "There's this... other guy who already has this. And everything around it..."

Gogar looked at Theromin, "And soon it will be mine."

"Damn, if I knew we were headed here I'da turned around!"

"Aha!" Gogar pointed his claw at Theromin's beak, "You admit it, you got lost!"

From afar the owner of the land neared, soon he'd find them, and soon they'd wish he hadn't. He walked through a small stream running through the land, stopping a moment to look at his reflection. A gigan himself, his skin was an unusually bright shade of red stretched across tall muscular limbs. His beak was glossy black, as were his toe claws. Three straight black horns stood out of each temple in a line, each decreasing in size as they neared the back of his neck. A large majestic crest flared from the center of his forehead and ran down his back, ending at the base of his neck. Like his horns, it too was a glossy shade of black. The reflection looked back at him, and for a moment the gigan wondered if there was another gigan beneath the babbling stream. He tried to recall his name, in case the reflection asked. He smiled and remembered: Toros. The squiggly version of himself in the water said nothing, and Toros stepped out, continuing on his path. He whispered to himself as he walked, his voice a series of cracked high and low tones. "Nooooobody loves me, everybody hates me... and I can't blame them..."

Gogar saw Theromin really was on edge, he tapped him reassuringly on the shoulder. "Theromin, calm down."

Theromin heard the voice, he could hear his heart pounding.

"Sh$#!! Yeah, I got us lost, and now we're gettin' UNlost!" He grabbed Gogar's arm and pulled with all his might. "He's friggin comin' man!"

"Woe!" Gogar pulled himself free, "Stop it!"

Theromin growled, getting annoyed with Gogar's stubbornness. "We gotta-" his words halted abruptly as if he had been involuntarily muted.

Gogar stumbled back and stared at him. "You're too hyper you know?" he saw Theromin's face, a still mask of terror. "huh?" Gogar sensed something.

Theromin stared past Gogar, his mouth agape. It opened and closed a few times but no sound came. Finally he croaked "Damn... damn... damn and sh@#!!!"

Toros had come into view. Theromin wanted to tell Gogar to turn around, wanted to grab him and run, but his muscles would not react, he was frozen with fear. Gogar still stared at Theromin, trying to figure out what had gotten into him. He looked closely at Theromin's eye, noticing the large blurred outline of another gigan in his visor. Immediately he wheeled around and saw what had robbed Theromin of his ability to speak.

Toros stood before Gogar, his visor brilliant green curved in a sharp crescent upon his face. Four jagged sections of metal covered most of his left arm, each pyramidal in shape, each ending in deadly points. He possessed a hand on his left arm, a thorned black scythe on the right. He stood his full height, Gogar estimated 90 meters since the gigan towered above him. The two regarded one another, Gogar with caution, Toros with amusement. A buzzing sound caught Gogar's attention. He looked down and saw a second buzzsaw embedded in Toros' right leg. It spun in anticipation.

"Such language." Toros said.

"I'll say." Gogar agreed.

Theromin had begun to back away, his body racked with uncontrollable shudders. "By the Pitt.." he uttered, "Gogar, back away... we gotta go..."

Gogar ignored Theromin's words and kept watching as Toros shifted his attention to the skinny gigan.

"You..." Toros looked at Theromin, recognition flickering in his eye. "You're here...."

Gogar slicked his fins close to his back, trying to make himself appear as thin as possible. He thought to himself "He's big." He watched Toros, the hulking gigan's attention still on Theromin.

"Did I not beat you bad enough last time?" Toros asked the question with an innocence that verged on wicked cynicism. "And you bring a friend... I like guests..." He turned towards Gogar, "Hello Guest."

"So," Gogar stared at the odd gigan, "You're the owner of this territory?"

Theromin's eye was wide. "I... I" was all he could manage as Gogar returned Toros' greeting.

Gogar stared up at Toros, "Don't be so scared Skinny Boy." Sometimes he couldn't figure Theromin out. Toros took a few steps, placing himself only inches from Gogar.

"You should leave." abruptly Toros craned his neck and looked towards the sky. "Yessss... you should, uh, leave, and go away."

Gogar's eye narrowed as the gigan invaded his personal space. With a sudden burst of speed he slid behind him. Toros seemed not to notice and kept talking.

"... before you get a booboo.... like your friend..."

"Gogar!" Theromin managed after seeing Gogar slip behind Toros. "What're you doing?!" Gogar regarded Toros coolly.

"No one messes with my friends."

Toros laughed at the exchange. He spun himself around, coming nose to nose with Gogar. Being so much larger he was forced to crouch slightly to do it. Gogar glared at the beast.

"Hehehe..." Toros snickered, "Wanna die?" he laughed again, "I do."

"Damn..." Theromin croaked as he watched Gogar spin behind Toros once more and with a swift motion kick the larger gigan behind his head.

"Listen," Gogar said as he attacked, " it's not nice to do stuff like that!"

Toros swung his hand back and snagged Gogar's foot before he could pull away.

"Naughty..." Toros smiled as Gogar tried to slash at his hand. With an effortless motion Toros swung Gogar through the air, slamming him into a tree. Gogar managed to right himself in midair after the impact and swing up onto a low hanging branch.

"You want my land..." Toros laughed. "But we're sooo much alike..."

"Okay tough guy!" Gogar yelled from his position as he ran his claw through a branch. It cracked and fell, striking Toros directly on his head, but snapping upon his crest. Toros shuddered but was not deterred. He continued, "But soon we'll be different... soon you won't be breathing... hehehaha..." Toros' eye flickered unevenly, pulsing a steady green.

Gogar dived out of the tree, landing close. He growled, but was quickly cut short when Toros opened his mouth and sprayed a wide blanket of blue fire upon Gogar. Gogar yelled in surprise and was blown back. He landed afar off, face down. Toros watched him a moment and tilted his head.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, his sincerity eerily convincing, "I hurt." He shuddered as if realizing something, his movements becoming jerky. "I hurt others... I hurt planets... I hurt my own people!" his breathing grew deep and heavy, he thrust his head skyward and screamed "I HUUUUURRRTT!!!"

Gogar pulled himself to his knees and looked up at the sound. "You sure do!" he yelled back. Theromin still hadn't moved from his previous spot, frozen to the spot until he saw Gogar assaulted by Toros' fire.

"Gogar!" he yelled, starting to make his way over to him. Toros looked towards Theromin, an indifferent look coming over his face.

"Quite you." he said simply, then blasted Theromin with an intense red eye beam. The ray sent Theromin crashing through two trees before he finally collapsed in a bloody heap. Gogar yelled in shock at the sudden act of violence by Toros. His eye blazed as he got back to his feet. Toros watched as Theromin lay unconscious, surrounded by dying flames.

"Silly boy, death will find you later...." he paused thought a second as if reconsidering. "Maybe now..."

"How dare you?!" Gogar screamed as he leapt forward and attacked Toros, slashing his neck.

"How dare me?" Toros asked, utter confusion radiating from the words. Gogar growled at him, "I'll make sure you never talk again!" Toros laughed as the blood spilled from the wound down his shoulder. He grabbed Gogar by the throat and hauled him clear over his back, slamming the gigan into the ground with a sound thud. "That tickles..." Toros observed, raising a hand to the cut. Gogar managed to get to his feet again, swaying back and forth as he watched his opponent. He hissed as Toros leveled his eye towards his own. Suddenly Toros looked up towards the sky, his voice still unsteady as he spoke.

"See what you've done?"

Gogar glared at him. "I see perfectly!" He watched Toros quizzically, realizing he was not the one the odd gigan was addressing. Toros turned and began to walk away as if nothing had occurred between the two of them, adding to Gogar's growing frustration and rage. He raced forward and slammed into Toros' back, his spiked shoulder digging into the red flesh and spilling more blood. It ran down Toros' back but the gigan still looked skyward as if nothing had been done to him. He laughed slightly.

Gogar growled at this mocking. "That's not all I'll give you!" he yelled, "I'm in a giving mood-"

The words barely left Gogar's mouth before Toros swiveled around and punched him in it. The unexpected blow sent Gogar through the air again with a yell.

"Not now," Toros said as he watched Gogar land a long distance off, annoyed, "I'm busy." He then returned his gaze to the sky and began speaking to it as though the two were in the throws of a meaningful conversation.

"See what I mean? he asked no one in an exasperated huff. He quickly turned his gaze back to Gogar, who was struggling to get to his feet.

"Well," Gogar breathed to himself. "At least I'm more protected than the others are."

"Kill you?" Toros asked, sounding deeply concerned. His eye flashed as he moved towards Gogar. "...alright...."

Gogar stood and fired his eye beam at Toros' legs. The beam cut through the air and punctured Toros' thick calves.

"Dance!" Gogar yelled but stopped when Toros leapt into the air and landed directly on top of him. The two crashed to the ground as Toros whipped his head to the side and swung back, stabbing Gogar's chest with the horns on the side of his head. Blood covered them as he pulled free. Toros noticed a particular chill come from the hand holding Gogar during the attack.

"You.. are... cold..." he observed.

Gogar growled, starting his abdominal saw. Toros started his own and the two sparked together, sending plumes of smoke into the air. Toros smiled at the smaller gigan.

"Mine's bigger." he laughed.

"How's your head feel now?!" Gogar yelled, trying to figure out a way to get Toros off of him. He strained, managing to pull one of his arms free. With a grunt he lunged forward and ran the blade straight through Toros' right shoulder. Toros stood abruptly, pulling Gogar with him with his claw still stuck in Toros' shoulder. Toros clasped Gogar's claw from the other side of the wound and held it there, preventing Gogar from pulling it free. He stared at Gogar.

"Pain is my friend, do you like him?" With a slow curl of his wrist Toros twisted Gogar's claw in the wound. Gogar watched for a moment, disgusted, then raised his eye and blasted Toros directly in the face with an eye beam.

"You should like that then!" he yelled.

Toros laughed as smoke curled in thin rivulets from his face, the damage minimal. He fired his own eye beam, knocking Gogar free of himself and to the ground. Gogar stood and barely dodged as Toros swung a vicious kick towards his head, the buzszsaw embedded in the upper half of his leg buzzing with malicious intent. Gogar barely managed to pull his head out of the way of the saw, but was caught on the temple when Toros swung again. Gogar fell to the ground with a thud.

"This has got to stop," he thought to himself, "I'm on the ground again!"

Gogar slid himself out of the way when Toros swung at him with the metal spikes lining his left arm. The motion was fast, and Gogar's movements resembled a slick mammal. In an instant he was behind Toros.

"Hreeeaaaa!" Toros screamed, seemingly exhilarated by the fight. "Just like they said... just like they always said..."

Gogar spun and lashed out with tail. The tip raked across Toros' back, slicing the thick skin open with the blade. Blood dripped from the wound as Toros spun back to face Gogar.

"Fleeing? Don't flee, then I can't kill you!"

"I wasn't fleeing, I was giving you something else!" With that Gogar took flight, shouldering Toros in the chin as he tore into the air. A second later he flipped and landed safely in a tree. Toros stared up at Gogar, a wicked smile came over his face.

"What?" Gogar asked, confused.

Toros' eye flashed bright green, then fired an eyebeam that ripped straight through the tree Gogar had landed in. "Die." Toros smiled.

"Oh no!" Gogar tried to regain his balance but was blown out of the tree in the explosion, landing flat on his back. Toros charged head first into the spreading fire, swinging his scythe in an attempt to behead the intruder.

"Hahaha," Toros giggled, "You like it there?"

Gogar rolled onto his stomach, grateful that he was camouflaged in the flames and heat resistant He hissed as Toros approached. Toros laughed.

"Hiss again little gigan..." his eye was glowing, a disturbing contrast to the red and yellow flames. He raised a hand, beckoning, "They want you.. I want you too..." He opened his mouth, spewing another blanket of blue fire into the trees. Gogar sprung from the flames, flying past Toros and slashing the red gigan's chest with his buzzsaw. Toros was pushed back, but laughed as blood dripped down his chest.

"I like it hot!" Gogar yelled as he landed next to Toros. "Want more?"

Toros laughed again, then backhanded Gogar, blood sprayed from his mouth as his head was rocked back.

"Ok!" Gogar growled, blood still dripping from his mouth. He swung and slashed Toros' face with his claw.

"Yes." Toros smiled, whipping his face directly into Gogar's. "More. Hehehehaha! MORE!"

Gogar complied with a graceful roundhouse kick to the beast's chest, then his head. Toros' head was snapped to the side, but quickly spun back firing a thunderous eybeam as he did. It struck Gogar's chest and threw him back.

"And they said I had potential!" Toros yelled. He snarled and screamed towards the sky.

"This is getting old." Gogar thought to himself right before Toros kicked him in the forehead with a solid crack. Toros stared at the gigan a moment, then laughed. Gogar's eye flashed.

"So you think you're tough because you're so big? You think I'm just a little gigan?

Before he could finish Toros smiled at him and said simply "Ride the sky."

With that Toros hunched himself forward, the sections detailing his back extending. Four jet black spines shot forth and stopped. With a brilliant flash the space between them filled with fiery green sheets of laser energy. The design was spectacular, curling in the center then jutting out in a wicked spike one each side. Toros' wings had formed, and he alighted into the sky. Gogar watched the awesome display and felt the spine atop his head start to lower a bit, but quickly caught himself and took a fighting stance.

"I think..." Toros began, "I think you'll be the death of your friend..."

Toros took off into the air, firing a hailstorm of eyebeams down upon Theromin. Theromin, who had been watching the battle from afar, never saw Toros coming until it was too late.

"AAAAA!" he screamed, his head still groggy from the first blow he had been dealt by Toros. A few beams slammed into him, but before anymore could hammer him Gogar slid on his feet to his friend. With a swift slash of his claws he created an X pattern in the air that quickly formed into a yellow shield of energy. The half sphere protected both he and Theromin from the plethora of eyebeams Toros rained down upon them. Gogar looked down at Theromin.

"Hang on buddy, get to a safe place and I'll get us out!"

Toros watched the two and growled. "Clever..." he whispered, flying down and grabbing the shield with his left hand. Gogar looked at him from behind the crackling shield.

"Thanks! You want it, you got it!" The shield glowed and pulsed right before Gogar shot it straight into Toros. It exploded directly into the gigan in midair, where he remained engulfed in flames, shaking as pain raced through his body. Soon the smoke began to die away, and Toros slowly raised his head. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, whether or not he was in pain. He stared at Gogar, his eye flashing sporadically.

"Eh..he...." Toros breathed. "That...was.... hehehehe incredible!!!"

Gogar tilted his head at the odd compliment, running beneath Toros to the opposite side.

"Thanks." Gogar said, "And your fight is with me!"

Toros, still shaky in the air, dove after Gogar, his energy wings slicing through and trees in his way. Gogar continued running but could hear Toros coming up on him fast.

"Oooo..." Toros laughed, "You'll cause them problems... you will, won't you...?"

Gogar saw a cliff wall in the distance and made his way towards it. Toros tilted his head skyward but continued flying towards Gogar. He searched the sky as he flew. In moments Gogar reached the cliff wall and turned his back to it, facing Toros as he flew towards him. He waited for just the right moment. Toros continued to charge forward, Gogar in his sights. Gogar waited, then at the last moment opened his fins fully and took off straight into the air, watching as Toros slammed into the wall. The explosion was deafening.

"Oh my!" Gogar whispered as he hovered. An errant rock streaked into the air and struck his shoulder, knocking him off balance. He descended by the very stream he had admired when he and Theromin first arrived.

Toros stood before the hole he'd created in the cliff wall, allowing the chunks of falling rocks to bounce off him. He watched with amusement as some struck his wings and exploded.

"Like his head..." Toros laughed.

Gogar peered into the stream, immediately noticing his reflection in the rippling pool. He was a mess! The damage Toros inflicted upon him marked his face in jagged scars and tears. His eye glowed with anger. Before he could fully realize his resolve Toros streaked past him overhead, turning slightly in midair and using his wings to slash Gogar's back open. The force of the blow sent Gogar face first into the stream. He managed to roll on his back, trying to focus. As Toros flew past he saw a shiny glint of something beneath the blood coursing from the wound he inflicted upon Gogar. The sunlight hit it again, and Toros immediately realized he'd exposed a section of Gogar's metallic skeleton.

"Wha-whaaa?!" Toros yelled as he flew back and landed directly atop Gogar, pinning his arm to the ground. Gogar fought to keep his head above water. Toros held the struggling gigan down and examined him with a childish curiosity. Gogar couldn't tell what Toros was doing at first, then shuddered when he realized Toros was inspecting him, searching for something.

"No!" he cried and tried again to pull free, but Toros' grasp would not yield. He continued to look Gogar over, a green glow coming from his eye.

"One of us...?" he asked no one in particular. "Hehea.... No, nononono.... you... hehe.... you're one." He smiled, any sanity that existed behind his eye vanished. "Oh such a trouble you'll be!"

In desperation Gogar whipped his tail against Toros' arm, slicing it open. Blood dripped into the stream and mingled with the current, creating translucent ribbons of crimson as they flowed along.

"Such trouble you're in!" Toros let go of Gogar, the wound on his arm never registering in his mind. He looked at Gogar and laughed again, the sound echoing throughout the woods. Gogar growled as Toros turned his head towards the metal plates on his arm. His eye flashed and fired a thin beam at them. In a flash the sections themselves began to glow as they absorbed the power. Soon they were a deeper shade of red than Toros himself. Gogar leapt onto a nearby rock, barely landing before Toros raised his arm and fired. The metal sections amplified the power Toros supplied and shot forth a devastating red cylinder of pure energy. The rock beneath Gogar exploded with a shattering quake. Gogar was thrown but managed to land on a nearby rock not far from his position. Toros laughed, his breathing growing heavy.

"You.... are... an amazing... KAIJU!" Toros' laughter burst forth again, sending spasms through his shoulders from the force behind them. Gogar stared at him, confused.

"Uh, thanks?" he managed before Toros fired an eyebeam at the spot next to him. Gogar stumbled and fell towards Toros, thinking to himself "Why isn't he mad?" At this point he was unsure about a lot of things involving his adversary. Toros again thrust his head skyward as if called by the heavens themselves.

"You mean like this?" he asked, his voice switching back to its child like curiosity. He nodded, then turned towards Gogar, eye ablaze and ready to fire upon him with everything he had.

Gogar opened his fins and took flight once more. As he flew over the sparkling water a realization came to him.

"OH! Why didn't I think of this sooner?" he whispered to himself, amazed that he hadn't thought of the idea long before the fight had gone this far.

Toros watched him go, the light in his eye fading.

"Into the dark, into his hate." He said the words with a serious edge to his voice, a solemn note to them. "Does he hate? Do you hate?!" He followed Gogar as the gigan crossed the river. Toros had waded halfway through the bubbling stream when Gogar finally turned to face him, now on dry land.

"Perfect!" Gogar whispered.

Toros retracted his wings, he slowly made his way through the water, one step at a time in a rhythmic manner, all the while speaking to himself.

"Into the dark... into the abyss..."

He watched as Gogar leapt into the air.

"...they're waiting...I'm waiting...

Gogar fired a bright ray of electricity. The beam zig zagged its way through the air and slammed into the water, electrocuting Toros immediately. Toros screamed and threw his arms wide as his cybernetic components began to burn inside him. The sparking yellow claws of the electricity coursing through his body wrecked havoc within. His abdominal and leg saw began to spin faster than normal, plumes of smoke rising from their center.

"I've had enough!" Gogar screamed, blasting Toros with an eyebeam that pierced his burning flesh.

"...won't stop..." Toros whispered, electricity forming wild nets of crackling energy in the gap his beak made as he spoke. "... I... can't..." He stood in the center of the lake, his muscles trying to retract and extend at the same time. "I... CAN'T... BE... HIM!!!!" Toros bellowed at the top of his lungs, his voice in utter anguish. An incredible blast screamed from his eye and tore straight into the sky, the full fury of the blast causing the water below to churn and evaporate. Gogar watched the sudden display of power, a little unnerved by the immense energies stored within the beast.

"What are you talking about?!" Gogar asked, confused by Toros' nonsensical ranting. He thought better of giving the odd gigan too much time to plan a counterattack and lunged at Toros, kicking him straight in his face.

"...never..." Toros whispered as blood oozed from his mouth in thick bubbling clusters. A bright light came from Gogar's forehead, and he began his distortion wave. The beam immediately attacked Toros' equilibrium, his world swirling into an incoherent mass of shapes and misguided directions. Toros swayed back and forth, his feet remained planted, his body entering spasms as the electricity still conducted itself through the stream.

"...such trouble..."

Gogar ignored Toros' babbling and increased the intensity of his distortion beam.

"Fall you stupid beast!" He yelled.

"NEVER!!!!" Toros roared and from him fired an eyebeam almost twice the width of his entire body. It tore wildly to the left of Gogar, carving a crater almost a mile long before shooting into the sky. had Toros aimed the blast it would have done nothing less than vaporize Gogar. Gogar shook, realizing how close he'd come to being utterly annihilated by Toros' wild beams. He increased his distortion yet again. Toros remained standing, staring straight at Gogar. He could barely stand and appeared as though all his strength was now focused on staying up.

"...they..." he wheezed,"... you..."

Gogar blasted him with another electrical beam. Toros would not stop.

"Not him!" he remained standing.

"Fall!" Gogar screamed, pouring everything into the beam trying to knock Toros off his feet.

"..Can't be..." Toros whispered. "They say that... wait.... who ARE they anyway... who... ARE... THEY!!!???!!!"

Gogar thought to himself "If I don't bring him down soon he'll kill us both."

Blue and green energy surged through Toros' body. He raised his head slightly, still covered in a web of bright electrical pain and fired a combined blast of his eyebeam and a geyser of blue fire from his mouth. Combined the blast exploded into the air and struck a nearby cliff, smashing a hole straight though in a perfect circular design. The land rumbled at the shock waves it produced.

"Why can't I-?" Toros asked, his voice quivering now. His anguish a mix of the pain in both the physical and psychological realm. He raised his right arm, the black scythe glistened from the water dripping from it, shaking from the electricity racing through it.

"You are so stupid!" Gogar yelled, letting up on his electric beam for a moment. It was all the time he needed to form another shield. As Toros raised his left hand Gogar let the new half sphere of power fly and it exploded into Toros with the sound of a thunderclap. Toros took the blast and offered no resistance. When the smoke cleared he remained standing, but was bent almost completely backwards, leaning on his heels. His arms were still extended. A haunted look was in his eye, behind the lens Toros was seeing images he had not wanted to see for years. Machines, needles, metal, symbols, screams, cries, shocks, bones, skulls, claws, all swirling in Toros' mind and showing no signs of leaving his head. Pictures of now and then, things that were and soon to come splayed in an infinite web across his mind.

Gogar watched Toros, "Just give up your land stupid!"

"She'll be the death of you..."

Toros' voice warbled, he was still trying to talk even though his vocal chords were almost completely cooked from the inside. He raised his left hand, his fingers extended. From between the two main fingers suddenly extended a single black blade composed of pure energy.

"This creature makes no sense..." Gogar thought to himself, watching the blade suddenly appear from Toros' hand.

"...death of you..."

"What are you talking about?! Who?! You?"

Toros did not respond, a gurgling giggle came from him, like the sound of a recorded laugh warped with uneven highs and lows.

"...death..." he whispered, then rammed the energy scythe through his own chest. "...you..."

"NO!" Gogar screamed, helpless to only watch Toros as he took his own life. "Stranger, what is... your name?"

Blood foamed at Toros' mouth and leaked down his chest. Finally he sunk to one knee, then fell face first into the water. The stream carried thick lines of his blood down into the bank, silent, babbling to itself just as he had. Though death was creeping through him, Toros still managed, "Name?" a moment passed, water slipped in and out of his mouth obscuring the words. "...not... my own..." Blood spouted every time he opened his mouth, yet he asked again "...name?"

"Yes..." Gogar started, unsure of exactly what he should say.

Toros did not respond, his last bit of strength went towards trying to raise his head skyward, as if trying to steal one last look at the blue void.

"...it's..not him... it... doesn't... matter..."

"Do you not know your own name?"

"I'M NOT HIMMMM!!!!"

"Ahhh!" Gogar's frustration was evident, "You make no sense!"

"I'mmm... I'mmmm just...Toros..." he sighed, a cloud of blood came from his mouth and mixed with the water. "...Toros..."

"You really need help, I pity you." Gogar watched Toros sadly. "Gogar." he whispered his name to Toros as the gigan tried one more time to look up at the sky.

"Why?" Gogar asked him, staring at the black blade still jutting from Toros' back. "You didn't have to do that."

"I'm not him....not him..." Toros breathed, waiting patiently to die. "I'm...Toros..." The stream's once clear water was now stained with blood. Even the deepest areas were now pink from the saturation. Gogar stepped closer to Toros.

"You are a great opponent."

"Not...Toros..." Toros no longer tired to move, "hate...me..."

"No," Gogar whispered. "I don't hate you, I pity you."

Toros' voice was barely audible now, his eye was fading. "Hate me... I do..."

"I'm sorry."

"Not... what they.. wanted..."

"I can't hate you, I don't know you." Gogar looked Toros over, taking in the damage the creature had done to himself with a single blow. "You didn't have to, why did you do this to yourself?"

"They know..you... I knew... you... He'll... know... you..." Toros felt his limbs seizing, his body losing its heat. "..why?" A thin laugh tried to leave him, only coming through as a light sigh in the water streaming over his mouth. Gogar tried to make sense of it all, unable to understand. In his eye, Toros was simply too weak. This kind of incoherence must have been a result of his already unstable mind while facing death.

"Why..." Toros began as Gogar dared to hold him up, forced to stop because of Toros' energy scythe sparking unpredictably. "I'm not... him..."

"Who?!" Gogar managed to lift Toros' head, but only saw the gigan's green eye fade to dark emerald as a final breath left his body, a curtain of blood flowed from his beak and splashed into the stream.

"No..." Gogar whispered fiercely, then yelled "NNNOOO!!!"

"You… you... Toros! I have never met a worthier opponent. You didn't have to do this." He lowered Toros' head back into the stream. "If only he didn't have those... problems... he'd..." He sat on his knees next to Toros' still body. From afar Theromin had managed to pull himself up to his knees, he could see Gogar kneeling in the stream. The land touched by his battle with Toros was ruined, their fight had left ugly scars across the area. Theromin got to his feet and approached Gogar.

"Gogar?"

Gogar's head perked up when he heard Theromin's voice. "Theromin!" He yelled, quickly getting to his feet and making his way over to him. "Are you okay?" Theromin looked about, his head still spinning.

"What happened?" he remembered Toros, "Where is he?! Where is he?!" he whipped his head about, trying to locate the beast. Gogar's eye went wide, then slowly darkened and he lowered his head.

"He's...gone..." he whispered. In his hysteria Theromin didn't hear his friend's words. He surveyed the area again, scanning the land, then the waterfall, his eye eventually lingered on the stream itself. Toros lay motionless, the stream continuing to rush over him. The black scythe still crackled with energy, causing the water touching it to foam and bubble. Theromin couldn’t contain the wicked grin sliding onto his face.

"You ran him through with his own weapon?" He admired the work a second. "Damn…"

Gogar looked at him, not quite grasping what Theromin had just said. "Huh?" Gogar looked at his friend. Theromin smirked. "And you say I’M heartless… Damn man…"

Gogar growled, angered by Theromin’s presumption that he would do something that savage to another creature. "I didn’t do it!" He yelled. Theromin crossed his arms and nodded, his actions and voice dripping with sarcasm. "Uh, huh."

"I didn’t!" Gogar cried, a mixture of anger and exasperation in his voice.

Theromin smiled. "C’mon Gogar, the boy’s psycho, but why would he kill himself?"

"I don’t know," Gogar looked back at Toros, "…he didn’t have to…"

Theromin looked out at the land. "Well, it’s all yours now."

"Yes," Gogar agreed, " it’s mine now. I won I guess…"

Theromin cast a baneful glance at Toros again. "Good riddance to the bast#$%. Bloody nutcase."

Gogar raised a claw and slammed it across Theromin’s beak. Theromin clasped it with a surprised yell.

"Ow!" he growled. "What the FRIG man!"

Gogar glared at him a moment. Theromin almost laughed "Don’t get pissed at me! I ain’t the one who killed him!"

G sat on his knees next to Toros and whispered "I know, I know, it just... it didn't have to be like this. Why didn't you just surrender? You didn't have to do that!"

From afar Theromin had managed to pull himself up to his knees, glaring at the now prone form of Toros as Gogar knelt beside him. Gogar turned and looked at Theromin. "I tried to help. He was in a lot of pain, and didn't make any sense when he spoke." He noticed the particularly nasty look Theromin was giving Toros. "Why do you stare?"

"Give it up man." Theromin growled. "The guy was a bona fide psycho. His inner workings were screwed, that's it." He looked at the scar on his arm after speaking, a glint of satisfaction in his eye.

"No." Gogar protested, "I can't help but think there was something else. It's not right, he didn't have to..."

"Something else?" Theromin snorted at the notion. "What else could there be?"

"I have NO idea, but it was strange, he said he knew me."

"Ya said it yerself. Nothing he said made sense. Didn't make sense when he messed me up either."

Gogar raised his head a bit and looked Theromin over. "Skinny boy, how do you feel?"

Theromin's eye began to glow, his brow furrowed. "How do I feel? How d'you THINK I feel man?! I'm glad all right, GLAD that bast$#2's dead!

Gogar growled, raising his claw in Theromin's face. Theromin sneered at the threatening gesture.

"Get that thing outta my face Gogar. Don't get cocky 'cause you iced some psycho..."

Gogar hooked Theromin behind the back of his head and pulled his closer until the two were inches apart.

"That's NOT what I meant!"

"Then what DO you mean?"

"I'm glad you're feeling better, because right now I'm not very strong and you're going to help me bury him.

"Bury him?" Theromin scoffed, laughing. "Yeah, whatever."

Gogar pulled Theromin back as he tried to break free.

"Get BACK HERE!"

"I don't frickin' think so! Let his sorry corpse rot in the river!" His eye glowed a dirty red, "What are you gonna do, KILL me too?"

Gogar growled at Theromin's poor choice of words. "I'll do worse to you than I did to him if you don't help me!"

Theromin glared at him, unimpressed.

"Listen you!" Gogar yelled, "This was his territory, and he's the best opponent I've ever faced... This was HIS land, and he deserves to rest here."

Theromin stared at him. "Are you done? You got your new territory. I'm going to find some of my own. You wanna come along, fine. You wanna stay here and play with your dead psycho friend, THAT'S fine too." He jerked his head free of Gogar's grasp, "But I'M outta here!" With that he turned and prepared to take flight, interrupted yet again as Gogar grabbed his neck and tossed him into the stream.

"You are really dirty," Gogar watched Theromin flounder in the water, "You need a bath."

"You're REALLY pushing it Gogar!" Theromin snarled and barely kept his balance. Gogar whipped his tail out and tripped Theromin, placing a solid foot on his chest after he fell again. Gogar held his blade to Theromin's throat.

"Don't you start too! Now help me and you can go wherever you like! I'm hurt, I can't move him alone."

Theromin snarled as water rushed over his body. His teeth were bared. "I don't need yer stinkin' permission to go somewhere!" He growled at Gogar, for a moment even considered attacking him. The thought crossed his mind, lingered, and then left. He sighed as he realized how hopeless it was arguing with Gogar.

"Damn." he sputtered.

"I wish you wouldn't do that."

"Yeah? I wish a lotta things Gogar. Let's just do this and get it over with."

Gogar considered it a moment, the let Theromin up.

"Friggin bleedin' heart." Theromin hissed.

"Come on," Gogar motioned towards Toros. "Let's do it."

Theromin growled at the order, but followed Gogar anyway. Together the two gigans managed to drag Toros' body along the stream's path, headed towards a steep waterfall. After some time they reached the bottom of the falls and silently began to dig a grave for him. They toiled endlessly, Gogar's already aching muscles crying out in pain, Theromin's own flimsy physique growing tired quickly. He cursed repeatedly under his breath, the string of profanities growing louder and more profane with each handful of dirt he slung over his shoulder.

"I could be findin' my own land right now..." he grumbled, slinging another handful into the frothing waterfall.

"HEY!" Gogar couldn't stand the incessant complaining any longer. "Cut it out, you owe me big!"

"Yeah yeah..."

"I've saved your tail more than once!"

"Yeah," Theromin sputtered, "And you nearly cost me it more'n once too!

Gogar ignored him, "Just help me put him in and you can go."

Theromin continued to gripe. "Yer gonna be the death a' me man, I swear..."

"But I'm good, I always get you out of trouble."

Theromin wasn't paying attention to Gogar anymore, he'd walked over to Toros and began kicking him, trying to move the carcass into its grave. He knew full well that he couldn't do it alone, but kicking the dead gigan made him feel a lot better.

"Hey!" Gogar yelled, almost horrified by what his friend was doing, "Easy! We need to carry him one last time!"

"What does he care? He can't feel it..." Theromin grumbled and kicked Toros again. Gogar yelled back "No, but you're gonna feel it. We should have finished hours ago!"

Theromin turned to Gogar. "And whose fault is that, weak boy?! Just shut up and push!"

"Weak?" Gogar asked, "I'm not the one who got my tail kicked!"

Theromin turned around to face Gogar, imitating the hurt stance Gogar had been in after fighting Toros. He copied Gogar's voice, adding an extra whine for effect "I'm hurt, I can't move him alone..." Theromin straightened up and turned back to Toros with a laugh. Gogar stuck his claw in the dirt and slung a scoopful of the grimy substance at Theromin, it hit his back and fell in small trails back to the ground. Theromin stared back at Gogar, amused.

"Save that for yer happy friend here! You can throw all the friggin dirt you want on him inna minute."

Gogar ruffled his wings. "Knock it off and hold him." He lifted Toros' shoulders while Theromin carried the creature by his feet. In minutes they neared the grave. Gogar stared at Theromin. "You weren't as good a fighter as I to stand up to him, so you're all fine and healthy." "Never said I was, cocky-boy. But you asked for MY help bury'n this friggin nutbar. Now push!"

"You push, you've got his feet Skinny boy!"

"Then PULL dammit! I wanna get the frig outta here."

Gogar's eye started to glow and he growled. "I'm getting sick of your beak!"

Theromin leaned closer, daring Gogar, "That's right killer, you just-" His attention shifted for a moment, "What the?!" He stared down at Toros. "Hell!"

"Shut up!" Gogar snapped.

Theromin couldn't believe what he was seeing, Toros' eye was flashing. The dull green pulse intensified and faded at shortening intervals, flashing like a warning light.

"Look!" Theromin yelled, "His eye! You said he was dead!"

"That's MY eye stupid!"

Theromin pointed to Toros' eye, it was still flashing. "HIS eye you goof!"

Gogar ignored Theromin's growing hysteria and growled "YOU'RE a goof! We're here, now drop him softly."

Toros' eye stopped pulsating and finally remained lit, the intensity increased until both Theromin and Gogar were awash in the green light.

"Wha?" Gogar stared at Toros, amazed.

"Let's go!" Theromin had already dropped his end and was backing away from the body. Gogar opened his wings.

"Skinny boy! Fly!"

Toros' body temperature rose, soon he began to glow from the inside, illuminating the veins against his red skin. A thin crackling sound emanated from him along with his eye, still shining brightly. He lay half lowered in his grave, the upper half sprawled across the ground while his legs dangled limp inside the dirt hole. Gogar took flight and in his hurry to grab Theromin snagged the petrified gigan by the neck with his tail, lifting them both into the air. Theromin spread his wings and tried to fly on his own but Gogar held him tight.

"You can't fly as fast as me, now come on!"

From the air they watched Toros' body ignite in a blast of green fire. It swirled into the sky and exploded, Toros remained on the ground still halfway in his grave. His body was covered in the flames. Gogar could still feel the abuse his body had suffered in the fight and couldn't fly as high as he wanted. Theromin screamed "You said he was dead! What the frig?!!!"

Gogar collapsed behind a small path of trees and watched the explosion with Theromin. Spurts of green fire struck the ground near them, both could hardly believe the force of the blast. They could both see the trees waving from the explosion, bits of ignited tree bark rained down on them, each consumed in a ball of green flame.

"You almost got us killed!" Theromin screamed in Gogar's ear. Gogar tightened his tail, still wrapped around Theromin's neck, and choked the abrasive kaiju. "SHUT UP!!" he yelled back. Theromin jabbed Gogar with his scythe until he was set free.

"I don't get it." Gogar watched the towering inferno, "He was. He was... Nothing makes sense..." Theromin watched the fire as well.

"Explain please." he looked at Gogar. "You CAN explain that, right?"

"Um.." Gogar tried to think. "Well... you see... Of course I can, but you wouldn't understand anyway."

Theromin folded his arms. "Riiiight..."

"Oh hush!" Gogar punched Theromin lightly.

Theromin turned away from the fire and spread his wings. "That's enough freakishness for me. I'm outta here."

Gogar watched him. "At least you don't have to help me now."

"After this? You'll be lucky if I ever help you again!" A grin touched his face. "Later." Gogar paused a moment, then took a step towards Theromin. "Ok Skinny boy, thank you." Suddenly he shouted "Hey!"

"Hey what?" Theromin stopped in midair and hovered.

"I saved you again, you owe me next time."

Theromin looked at Gogar, incredulous. "Saved me? You got me in that mess in the first place!" He sighed, remembering how pointless it was to argue. "Yeah yeah, sure... I owe you."

Gogar perked up, satisfied with the confession. "Just remember that! Sheesh, you can't fly like me."

"I know, you only reminded me fifty times today!"

Gogar smiled. "What are best friends for? But anyway, get outta here. I've got to explore this land."

Theromin growled, then alighted into the air. "I'm outta here. Later bud."

"Bye." Gogar watched Theromin disappear into the sky.

When he was out of earshot Theromin muttered to himself "I dunno who's nuttier, him or Toros."

Gogar waited a few minutes, then made his way back to the site where they had planned to bury Toros. He pushed his way through the trees and entered the clearing by the stream, following it back to the falls. Charred trees and grassland welcomed him. He scanned the area, only fire remained. Fire and the falls. He looked around, sounds of his new territory registering in his ears. A few insects called to one another, random prey made their usual array of sounds that broke the ominous silence.

"This never should have happened." Gogar whispered, staring at the small crater where Toros had laid only moments before. "Again I'm sorry. You were a great opponent Toros. I hope that whatever your trouble was you've at last found peace." He knelt beside the stream and placed his fin in the water to clean one of his many wounds. Satisfied, he stood a moment, glancing around. A second later he was gone, vanishing into the land to explore.