THE GUN FIGHTER

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Tenjho Tenge or Black Lagoon

Summary: Masataka leaves Toudou Academy and ends up in Roanapur, where he meets up with his cousin Rock and joins the Lagoon Traders in their adventures.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Chapter 1

First Impressions

The young looking Japanese man stepped off the boat as it pulled into the docks of Roanapur, Thailand. The instant he did, several of the locals started sizing him up as an easy payday. He started walking into the city, followed quickly by the locals. It wasn't long until he realized he was being followed.

"Can I help you?" the young man asked the group.

"Yeah. Give us your money." the thug asked as his four friends just surrounded him.

He sighed as he looked at them. "I don't have that much." he said.

"But you do have some. So give it up." the lead thug grinned.

"No."

That single word caused the five thugs to lung at the boy, looking to overwhelm him with force, as their leader pulled a knife as well.

It took less than a minute for all five thugs to be laid out onto the ground.

Great! First five minutes in town and people are already trying to beat me up. Masataka Takayanagi thought as he sighed and went on his way. It's like I'm back at Toudou.

He didn't bother searching them, since they were trying to mug him it meant that they wanted money which meant they didn't have it.

Wonder where I can go from here? Or... should I stay? He thought as he looked around at the clean and dirty city.

He sighed at that oxymoron, realizing that even though the city had a plain look, there was something somewhat dark about it. If those thugs were examples of the locals. It wasn't something that you could see, but looks often deceive someone who hadn't seen the dark underside that life had to offer. He had left the city of Tokyo and Toudou Academy to get away from the violence that had come to define everything in the lives of the students there. He had come here to get away from all that. However, if he was going to travel more, he'd need money.

Guess I need to get a job. Probably soon. He thought. He sniffed the air, and grimaced. Probably going to need a shower too. He thought, realizing that spending a month on a dirty barge had made him rather dirty. He smelled like a variety of things, none of which were helpful, but only if you were close. Maybe if I don't get too close to anyone. He thought.

He then saw a sign: Yellow Flag Bar. Help Wanted.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Inside the bar, four people were sitting around and talking.

"I'm still not sure this is a good idea." an American man in glasses and a Hawaiian shirt groaned as he set down his drink.

"I agree with that! We should just drop the job and get another one." a surly-looking woman in cutoff shorts and a tank top snarled.

"We can't, Revy!" a mild-looking salaryman in a button-up shirt and clean slacks said. "Balalaika specifically wanted us for this job. The pay is twice what we'd normally get, and they're even willing to triple it if... you..."

"If I what, Rock? Behave myself?" Revy snapped at the salaryman.

"That's the general idea." he said.

"Especially since the group we're going to meet are members of the Ghernhart Gang. Several of who you've killed." a tall, bald, dark-skinned man said as he set down his beer.

"Hey! They tried to kill me first!" the woman snapped again.

"Was that before or after they tried to molest you?"

Revy glared at the dark man. "You say that like you don't believe me, Dutch!"

"Given the Ghernhart's reputation, I believe you. But your version of what happened in that bar is kinda one-sided." Dutch stated.

"That's because she killed everyone in their group." the glasses-wearing man said.

"Some asshole feels me up and you expect me not to do anything, Benny?" she snapped again.

"Of course not! But you could have given him a warning shot before killing him, instead of just killing him." Dutch sighed. "At any rate, I've already told Balalaika that we'd take the job. So Revy has to stay here."

"Oh come on! This is BullS#!! and you know it!" Revy snapped.

"Of course I know it! But these are the terms that Balalaika has set for us to handle the exchange." Dutch explained.

"That means you're gonna trust Rock and Benny to handle guns?" she asked.

Dutch looked at the two men and grimaced, remembering the time Rock tossed his gun over the side of the Black Lagoon when he first gave it to him. As for Benny, he'd never used a gun in his life. He knew the mechanics, but had no real experience using one. He'd probably be more dangerous than the group they'd have to face.

"So... what? We need some extra muscle?" Benny asked.

"I am the muscle of this group!" Revy snapped. "Not like a good replacement is going to walk into the bar any time soon!"

Just then, the door to the bar opened up and Masataka walked in.

"Huh?" Rock gasped when he saw the boy.

"Something wrong, Rock?" Dutch asked.

"That boy." Rock said, pointing to the young man.

"Oh, finally taking interest in someone I see." Revy teased.

"It's not that!" he shot back defensively.

Revy eyed the young man in the street clothes, a backpack over his shoulder. He looked young. High school young. Even from their distance, Revy could tell that the kid could handle himself. He walked over to the bar and started talking to Bao about the Help Wanted sign outside.

"Do you have any experience bartending?" Bao asked.

"No." Masataka said.

"Do you know how to mix drinks?"

"Not really."

"Are you any good at taking orders from people?"

"Somewhat."

"Okay... do you have any combat training?"

"Huh? Why do you ask?" he asked, somewhat confused by that question.

"Let's just say that, this bar tends to get a little rough at times. It's been rebuilt more times than I care to remember, from various fights that have broken out here." he said with a heavy sigh. "These fights have run off most of my employee's, so I need someone who's... capable, unflappable, who doesn't get scared easily. Can you do that?"

Before Masataka could answer, five men with knives and clubs burst into the bar and marched over to the boy.

"YOU!" the lead thug shouted.

"Oh boy." Masataka groaned.

"No one kicks the shit out of us and gets away with it!"

"You tried to mug me, at knife point. What would you have me do? Let you rob and stab me?"

"Oh we're not going to give you the option now!"

The first thug lunged at him, only to have Masataka leap up onto the bar, balancing himself on his hands and dodging at the same time. He spun around to where he was facing the man, letting his foot fly and kicking him in the face, sending him down.

The next two thugs attacked, lunging at the bar, only to have Masataka flip off of the bar, over the two men, spin in mid-air, and kick both of them hard in their faces. This stunned the men before he dropped onto the floor to kick their legs out from under them.

The next two thugs attacked him straight away, only to have Masataka side-step and effortlessly push the first one into the second. The move had seen simple enough, but the thugs were knocked down, the first one hitting his head against the bar. The second thug scrambled to his feet and attacked. But the second he got up, Masataka punched him hard in the face, dropping him on top of his buddy.

The fight done, everyone in the bar stared at the young man in shock. Mostly Bao, since another fight had broken out and his bar hadn't been destroyed.

"Sorry about the mess." Masataka said to the man.

"Hey, you didn't start this fight, kid." Bao said, looking over the bar. "I'm used to this. Sides, you caused less damage than a lot of other people who come in here. So... when can you start?"

Before Masataka could answer, he was tapped on his shoulder from behind.

"Huh?" he gasped as he turned around quickly.

"Masataka?" Rock asked.

"Rokuro?" Masataka gasped when he saw the man.

"I thought that was you." he smiled as the pair hugged each other.

While this was going on, the Lagoon Traders came over to them.

"Rock, do you two know each other?" Benny asked.

"Rock?" Masataka asked the salaryman.

"Long story." Rock said. "This is my cousin, Masataka Takayanagi, from Tokyo."

"And here we thought he was your boyfriend." Revy teased.

Masataka looks at Rock. "Do I come off as gay?"

"Relax. She's just like that."

"I'm Dutch." the tall, African-American vet introduced.

"I'm Benny." the glasses-wearing American said.

"Revy." the Chinese-America gunfighter said.

"Who's this? Your girlfriend?" Masataka asked

"Why does everyone say that?" Rock groaned.

"Because you're one of the few people Revy doesn't curse out." Dutch said.

"So what brings you here to Roanapur?" Rock asked.

"Long story." Masataka said.

"Look forward to hearing it."

"Yours too."

While the pair talked, Revy looked over the young Japanese man. He was just a little younger than Rock, but seemed far more powerful than the salary man. If his fight with the local thugs were any indication. But he didn't present himself as a fighter or a thug. Anyone who looked at him would think he was just a normal kid, not a martial arts expert.

"I just got into town tonight." Masataka said.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Rock asked.

"No, I don't."

"Alright. You can crash with us."

Dutch would have spoke up about this, but stopped himself. He almost thought he could see Rock's plan, and so let it go for now.

"Do you have a shower?" Masataka asked.

"Of course." Rock answered.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

At the Lagoon Traders office, Masataka dried himself off as he stepped out of the shower. It felt nice to get most of that gunk and sweat off of him. As he dried himself off he mentally took stock of the group he had unintentionally fallen in with.

Rock hadn't changed that much from when he saw him last, which was about a year or two ago. He still dressed rather simply, white button up shirt, tie, black slacks, brown shoes. From what he heard, he was the groups lawyer, negotiator, accountant and secretary.

Dutch appeared to be the oldest member of the Lagoon Traders, their apparent leader and a former Vietnam vet. He dressed himself in military fatigues, thick boots, cargo pants, black shirt, greenish vest, and sunglasses. He was a tall, muscular man, bald head, dark skin, and always seemed to be wearing sunglasses. He seemed more quite than the others, giving off the impression that he was just as jaded as most people.

Benny was the groups computer hacker/mechanic. He was dressed in a bright Hawaiian shirt, tan slacks, shoes, and glasses over his eyes. His blond hair tied back in a ponytail, about average height and American, like Dutch.

Revy was apparently the team's muscle, at least that's how he appeared to her. She was dressed in a dark green tanktop, a pair of cutoff shorts, thick black boots, fingerless black gloves, gun holsters with two sidearms tucked under her arms, a tribal tattoo on her right shoulder and her long hair tied up into a ponytail. She was Chinese-America he figured. Attractive, but vicious. A real femme fatale.

She'd have fit in extremely well at Toudou.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

While Masataka changed into his clothes that Rock had gotten him, the Lagoon Traders were sitting around the office, talking.

"Alright, we got the timetable." Dutch said as he hung up the phone.

"For the job, right?" Rock asked.

"No, for the TV Guide." Dutch quipped.

"Ha, ha." he laughed.

"So... when and where?" Benny asked.

"About twenty miles off the coast, near international waters." Dutch said, tapping his pen on the part of the paper where the coordinates were written.

"Time?" Rock asked.

"Noon tomorrow. Exactly." Dutch said.

"I don't like it." the salaryman stated.

"I don't either. Especially since Revy can't come."

"Oh? And why is that?" Masataka asked as he stepped into the room, dressed in a pair of sweat pants and gray t-shirt.

"Because the people we're going out to meet are the Ghernhart Gang, people whom Revy has... a bad history with." Dutch explained.

"Bad history. You mean..."

"She's killed several of them." Rock said.

"Ah. I see."

"I take it from your questioning of the situation that you agree to help us out?" Rock asked his cousin.

Masataka looked at Rock and nodded. "I can use the money." he said, making it seem as if that was his only reason.

However, the group wasn't fooled by that statement. The others may not have known him like Rock did, but they could tell that he wasn't a good liar. Masataka had quickly come to realize that Rock's life was now shadier than it had been before, but after hearing how his own boss had screwed him over, Masataka realized that he was simply doing what he had to do in order to stay alive. His own experiences in Tokyo alongside the Juken Club had shown him that dark side to life.

"If you're going to take my place, we need to get you some better clothes." Revy said, appearing behind the young man.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Masataka emerged from the room, dressed in a pair of white tennis shoes, blue jeans, and a black shirt. All in all he looked rather... ordinary.

"Kinda ordinary, you know." Benny said as he stared at the man.

"Unless you're attempting to stand out, dressing down like this is better. Nondescript, like blending into the background." Revy said as she thrust a blue ballcap and a pair of sunglasses into his hands.

"Less is more?" the computer hacker asked.

"Exactly." the female gunfighter said.

So that explains your outfit. Rock thought.

"What!" Revy snapped at the salaryman.

"What?" Rock repeated in shock to the woman.

"What were you thinking?" she asked.

"I wasn't thinking." he replied.

"Yes you were. I can see the wheels in your head turning." she snapped, sticking her finger in his face.

"Now, wait! That's not fair to assume that just because I roll my eyes when you start talking like a fashion designer that I'm actually thinking something rude or crass." Rock stated.

"So you admit it!"

Masataka looked at Benny. "Are they always like this?" he asked the hacker.

"Actually... this is them being nice." Benny said with a smile.

Masataka looked down at his outfit as he put his ballcap and sunglasses on. While he could have kept his school uniform, for some reason he felt it was unnecessary. There might have been some people in Roanapur who preferred to stand out, which included how they dressed. Masataka wasn't such a person. He didn't go in for looks. He wasn't one for attention. Which was actually a good thing in a place where people's livelihood's were dependant upon secrecy and noninterference.

If anything, it was something that the criminal cartels and government agencies had in common.

Also, Masataka was new to the city. For now it was best to just lay low until he was at least secure in his position.

"So, we ready to go?" Dutch asked as he came into the room to find Rock and Revy fighting.

"Yeah." Benny said, then looked at the happy couple. "If you can peel them away from each other."

Eventually the group boarded the Black Lagoon, plus their cargo, and headed out to open water. While Dutch piloted the old PT-Boat to their destination, Revy, who had insisted on coming, talked with Masataka.

"So, you guys are cousins?" Revy asked the young martial artist.

"Yes. Second cousins, once removed." Masataka said.

"That's by marriage, right?"

"I think so, but family is family."

"Nice to have, I guess."

"You never had one?"

"Not that I ever remember."

"Guess that's something we have in common."

Revy just looked at him.

"You?"

"My brother doesn't really care about me, and the rest of my family is rather... oblivious to me."

"Huh. Sounds like Rock's family."

"Really?"

"He never talks about them, but I get the impression he doesn't get along with them either." she said, then turned to the young man. "With the exception of you, of course."

"Thanks."

Within a few minutes, the group was slowly coming upon the rendevous point.

"Revy, we're coming up upon the meeting sight. Stay below until this deal is done." Dutch said to the woman.

"This is still ridiculous!" Revy snapped.

"Hey, you're not even supposed to be here. So don't complain. If all goes well we'll simply do the deal and leave."

"Grrrr. Fine!" the woman growled as she started to go down into the lower decks. "But if they start shooting, I'm coming out."

"They really don't like her, do they?" Masataka asked as the woman disappeared down below.

"She's killed more than a few of them on more than one occasion." Benny said.

"Right. I got that much." the martial artist said.

Benny stayed in the cabin while Dutch, Rock and Masataka pulled up alongside the large yacht, easily twice the side of their boat.

"So... do we agree with the price?" the lead member of the Ghernhart Gang asked as his man opened the silver briefcase to reveal more than a hundred bricks of money.

"Do you agree with the cargo?" Dutch asked as Masataka opened one of the crates to reveal the merchandise inside.

"Yes. We do." he said. He then looked around the boat and saw nothing. "Didn't bring Two Hands with you, I see."

"That was part of the deal, wasn't it?" Dutch asked.

"Of course. But it also makes it easier," he started to say, as he and his men pulled out their guns. "To keep our money and the cargo, and hurt Two Hands by killing her people!"

"Why you son of a..." Dutch hissed at the man.

"She killed nearly a dozen of our men! You don't think that we'd take the opportunity to get even with that bitch for that?" he said to Dutch. "Kill them!" he shouted to his men.

"I don't think so." Masataka said, gripping the lid of the crate and hurling it at the armed men on the upper tier.

The wooden lid flew like a frisbee, slamming into several of the gunmen and knocking them down as Masataka leaped into action. The other men tried to shoot him as he leapt from the Black Lagoon onto their yacht, kicking two men down before barreling through the others, including their leader.

While the Ghernhart Gang's attention was diverted to the young martial artist who was wading through their men, Dutch and Rock were securing the cargo. At the same time, Benny was trying to keep Revy below the decks.

"What's going on?" Revy asked, her guns in her hands itching for a fight the second the men started shooting.

"Rock's cousin is kicking ass." Benny said to the woman.

Revy looked out of the window as Masataka was now on the upper tier of the yacht, kicking a thug off the boat and into the water. Three more men tried to overwhelm him, only to have him quickly punch and kick them, sending them flying into the air. He leaped down onto the lower tier and threw a roundhouse kick that took down two more men.

"Huh. He's really good." Revy admitted as she reholstered her guns.

"I'd say as good with his fists and feet as you are with a gun." Benny said as he watched the fight alongside Revy.

The last two men pulled their guns and started shooting at Masataka as he charged towards them, only to have the young fighter slide effortlessly between the bullets, moving with uncanny quickness until he was up-close and personal with them, sharply uppercutting one of them and chopping the second in the throat to drop him down.

The fighting was over and all the members of the Ghernhart Gang were unconscious.

"Alright! Nice work, Taka." Dutch said to the young fighter.

"Yeah. Now let's get their money and sink this fucker!" Revy said with a sadistic smirk.

"Sink it? You mean the boat?" Masataka asked.

"Yeah!" Revy said with a playful/sarcastic tone. "What else did you want to do with it? Keep it?"

Masataka looked at the boat and at the defeated men. If they sunk the yacht then these men would drown. While they may have been double-crossing thugs, and had tried to kill him, he had no intention of simply killing them.

"What are you thinking, Masataka?" Rock asked his cousin.

"Something... profitable." he said.

Within a few minutes, Masataka had loaded all the unconscious Ghernhart Gang members into the yacht's rubber raft and set it adrift, minus the groups guns, ID's, knives, even their cigarette's.

Dutch piloted the Black Lagoon back to Roanapur with Benny and Masataka piloting the yacht behind him.

"Just how much do you know about your cousin's fighting style?" Revy asked Rock once the two boats were underway.

"It's called Xinyi Liuhe, the Henan Branch of Xingyiquan. He's basically an anti-weapons specialist. Though I've never actually seen him fight before." Rock said.

"You've never seen him fight?" Dutch asked.

"No."

"Then how do you know so much about him?" Revy asked.

"He's my cousin. We talk."

"Oh. Right."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Once the group had returned to Roanapur, they went directly to the Bougainvillea Trading Company to talk to Balalaika of Hotel Moscow.

"So... how was your trip?" Balalaika asked as the group sat down in Balalaika's office.

"Eventful." Dutch said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Those bastards tried to double-cross us." Revy groaned as she poured herself a drink from the Russian woman's small bar.

"I see. The cargo?" the blond Russian woman asked.

"Right over there." Dutch said, pointing to the crates that Masataka had brought in for them and put in the corner of her office.

"And we got their money too." Benny said as Rock set the case down on the coffee table in the middle of the office, opening it up to reveal the money.

Balalaika smiled. "Excellent. So we lose nothing in this. You keep their money and Hotel Moscow keeps the merchandise, and the money we were going to pay you."

"Huh? Now wait a minute!" Revy snapped.

"Revy..." Rock said, trying to prevent a potential fight.

"No! Those bastards tried to double-cross us! Why should we get stiffed on the bill?"

"Because the money we took from them is the same price Balalaika was going to pay us." Rock answered.

"Oh. Really?" Revy asked in mild shock.

"Yeah, but those jerks won't be trying to do business with us any time soon." Benny said.

"Serves them right." Balalaika said with a shrug.

"So does that mean we can keep the boat too?" Revy asked.

"Boat? What boat?" the Russian asked.

"The yacht they were using for the meeting. After Masataka beat them all down he stuffed them into a rubber raft and set them adrift. Benny and him then piloted the yacht back to Roanapur. It's tied up at the docks next to the Black Lagoon." Dutch said.

"Hmm." the Russian woman used. "I'm impressed. I would have expected Two Hands to sink it."

"She would have, but Masataka thought it would be a waste of a good boat."

"We'll discuss who gets the boat later. Right now, Mr Chang wants to talk to you. Said it was pretty urgent."

"Chang?" Masataka asked the hacker.

"Leader of the Triads here in Roanapur." Benny said.

"Yes. He wants you to do a job for him." Balalaika said.

"What's the pay?" Dutch asked.

"100,000. American."

"Up-front, or all totaled?" Revy asked.

"Up front." she said. "And twice that once the job is complete."

"Cool." she said as she downed the cognac.

With the major business aside, Balalaika turned her attention to the young man who had come in with them.

"Who's the kid?" she asked.

"He's my cousin." Rock said.

"Really?" she asked. "What's his name?"

"Masataka Takayanagi."

"So he's the one who were talking about. But his name's too long. Does he go by anything shorter?"

"Taka." Dutch said, somewhat quickly.

"Alright then. Does he have any special skills?"

"He's a martial arts expert." Benny said.

"Really. Any good?"

The group looked at each other, as if trying to keep from laughing.

"Test him." Dutch said.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Authors Notes:

Here's my first chapter of Masataka's adventures in Roanapur. I'm not sure how many chapters I'll be putting up in this, but after a couple reviews and private messages wanted me to do a crossover, I couldn't help by write this up. Also, I know that I'm basically putting him up as a parallel to Rock, Masataka being a decent guy and all, which will help to further balance out the group, who are all pretty much criminals and the like.

Also, I am uploading this chapter into the site on 8-8-08 because it's really a milestone time and such.

Also, in case anyone is wondering, the pairing for this will be Masataka and Shenhua.

Drop me a review to let me know what you think.