Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Quite a long while, for many years, we've spent time observing the creatures of Earth. Even before the rise of Godzilla, the other Titans, and the dawn of human civilisations. We often continuously watched and intervened in the lives of the citizens of Earth. Because, you see, you humans have been the most interesting subjects to observe.

As a result, from all our observations, we know more about you humans than you know about yourselves. In essence, it's in your nature to form communities, to depend and rely on each other. The ability you call free will and self-determination is actually a very rare and limited occurrence. The words of a God tend to not reach people, and when they do, it could never truly be accepted by you Earthlings.

Only the words spoken by a person, an individual, are accepted by other people. Therefore, it's for this reason that a human is required to reveal a god's will to other humans, why it's necessary for a person to speak and spread the guidance of their deity to those around them. To do so in this cause, you humans desire and must find heroes. Status, power, reasoning, none of these are needed, but someone who embodies the spirit of your era, willing to act and inspire faith and challenge fate.

People admire the leaders of their era and search for the truth within their words, and through this person, they discover God in what they gazed at. Therefore, there's no need for all of mankind to know the words of God directly and enter the gates of Heaven. If just one single person, a hero, can show the way on the path to salvation and enlightenment, then all else shall evenly follow. All this time, I've searched and waited, for a hero shaped by human history, for a new leader to eventually appear and lead the way, to bring them to their final destination.

Yes, that's right. I've been waiting for this hero to arrive...

I've been waiting patiently for you...

Yuko...

Yuko was alone, alone in the infinite dark. She could hear absolutely no sound at all within this vast and empty void. She couldn't even feel any of hint of cold or warmth, just pure nothingness. Her feet almost felt numb against the black, smooth, and perfectly flat glassy surface beneath her. Slowly yet certainly, she made and took a step and wandered aimlessly through the unknown, to no end.

Then, from both nowhere and everywhere, her ears started to pick up something; a low, deep, distant, and monotonous drone, faint at first but soon becoming audible. Then this was followed up by equally faint yet much closer chanting whispers of an indecipherable language muttered by a multitude of voices. Yuko quickly turned her head left, right, and all about to see where it may be coming from; tossing, running, and halting, but still no sign of life other than her, at least as far as the void could or would allow. She hung open her mouth to call out for anyone out there, anybody, anything, but but could only manage to exhale a broken breath.

Suddenly, Yuko felt an invisible force strike her right through her chest, cold and sharp, causing her body to jerk back and fall to her hands and knees. Dorsal blades of pure clean steel slowly protruded from her arching back along her spine, slicing through and from her skin. A surge of agony coursed through her nerves and veins, forcing her to shake and tremble violently from this nightmarish mutation. She looked at her numb hands and arms as they were enveloped by dark chrome metallic silver skin before twisting, contorting, and morphing into sharp mechanical claws.

Watching this happen to herself, Yuko's eyes widened and irises shrank in deep utter horror and trauma. She could feel nothing but a tormenting ache that was breaking down her body, her mind, and possibly even her soul. She then gazed up high enough to see red lights staring at her like cold merciless eyes. The voices soon became more clear and loud, and yet never even turning overtly aggressive; still very passive and seductive yet almost shockingly familiar. However, they sounded as if they were actually between her ears, within her mind.

She clutched the sides of her head, even tried as hard to scream in the vain hope of drowning out those voices, but any attempt to block out the tormenting sounds proved futile. Before belong, the whispering chants soon became clear to her, what they were saying...

Join us...

Embrace us...

Let us embrace you...

Embrace our power...

Embrace your power...

Be one with us...

Become our god...

Our new god...

Her eyes of brown flashed wide open, body shivering cold, chest rising and gasping for air, even forced to cough a few times. She looked down to see she was no longer wearing her suit and uniform, but rather instead a native dark-grey strapless clothing, tightly wrapped around her breasts, covering and binding such, not unlike a sarashi. Looking down further, she could see she was also wearing a short symmetrically patterned skirt tied neatly around her hips and pelvis, reaching down to her knees.

She gradually raised her still-shaken hands to wipe the drenching sweat off her forehead, however a quick gasp escaped her lips the moment her eyes caught sight of something rather off, something rather wrong. The "sweat" on her hands weren't exactly clear as one would expect, but instead the all-too familiar silvery metallic "colour". The young girl scanned all over her arms and body to see she had been nearly completely enveloped by by deep tainted veins of a similarly grey shade, seemingly ceased somehow. She then looked around her to see she was in a small cave of some sort, made visible by the dim natural light of fire.

"Ah, I see you have finally awaken at last", a calm, passive, and familiar male voice sent Yuko into a brief shock as she swiftly turned her head to see who it was. Stepping into her "room" was a slender pale humanoid, with a modest smile and an enticing yet slightly unnerving gaze in his dark-green eyes, donned in pure-white and dark-violet robes. "You really are quite a lucky child after all, miss Yuko Tani".

"Oh, right, it's you, Metphies, is it?" Yuko recognised. "What happened? Where are my clothes?"

"While I'm sure the memory would return to you, I'll offer the explanation anyway", Metphies walked over to Yuko's "bed", stepped down to one knee before her, and began explaining. "Haruo managed to cease the spreading of the nanometal, thus saving you from complete assimilation. Although it did seem to put you into a brief state of suspended animation". As the alien priest verbalised, Yuko visualised the increasing vivid memories in her head, almost traumatic. "During so, the spread in your body slowed down just long enough for the young priestesses of the Houtua to counteract it until it eventually became dormant, for now... As for your clothes, being of artificial non-organic material, they couldn't easily be fixed from the infection, so they had to be removed and disposed of".

"Okay... So..." Yuko looked at herself once more before looking back up at Metphies. "How long has it been since I had been unconscious? And Haruo, is he allright?"

"Not to fear, he's still completely fine", Metphies raised a hand of comfort and assurance. "And it has been two Earth weeks at most".

"And Godzilla?"

"Also still alive, and still ruling your planet", Metphies answered bluntly yet still softly. "But you should continue your rest, I'll be sure to inform Haruo of your recovery. Chances are, he'll be very pleased to see you alive and back on your feet again".

And with that, the suspicious alien priest stood back up and turned away.

"Wait", Yuko called out and raised a hand, signalling the mysterious humanoid to briefly pause in his step. "If what you said is true, then... Does that mean I'm no longer human? Did I... Have I... Am I becoming something else entirely?"

Once Yuko had finished her stammered question, Metphies quietly hummed and stroked a few fingers on his chin as he pondered. The otherwise short silence felt like endless minutes.

"Who knows..." Metphies sighed. "Maybe you still have a piece of humanity left within you, or maybe you've become something beyond human. Maybe we'll find out soon enough, or may never even know..."

Without a further word or even a glance, the priest continued on his way out of the cave room, fading into the dark caverns ahead and leaving the unease girl to her own solitude. Her mind still plagued with questions, probabilities, and uncertainties, Yuko exhaled and held her shoulders tight before laying back down on her bed. For a time, she stared up at the dim, rocky, and shadowy ceiling above her, tempted to let her eyes close and drift off, if not for that strange and traumatic nightmare.

Chapter Text

The nineteen-year old girl laid quiet and still on the bed, staring up at the "ceiling", eyes dazing and drooping. Already losing track of time, she couldn't find count on how long she had been lying in this rocky and dimly lit room anymore. She wanted her eyes to close and sleep, but she knew in some way those dreams and images would still be there to haunt her some more. The dreary silence certainly didn't help her any better from her slight discomfort.

Soon enough though, Yuko caught the sound of bare footsteps from outside the entrance, and looked out to see who it would be, not knowing who to expect this time; Haruo? One of the natives? The strange alien priest again?

However, gracefully emerging from the shadows, was one of the twin priestesses, wide-eyed and carrying a wooden bowl of sorts.

The priestess kneeled down and offered the bowl to Yuko. Inching over, Yuko saw that the bowl was filled with clean water.

"Cheers", Yuko said as she took the bowl and slowly drank from it.

The young priestess nodded from the gratitude. Yuko took a few more sips, feeling more warmth and coolness.

"I was told you helped me in recovering", Yuko said. "Is that true?"

The silent girl nodded again slightly but still noticeable enough for Yuko to see. She looked closely into the native's wide innocent eyes, seeing a hint of empathy glow from her.

"I just wanna say thank you", Yuko sighed. "For saving my life, and Haruo's. My name's Yuko".

"Yu... ko..." the priestess uttered.

"Yes, that's my name, and what's yours?"

"Miana", the native girl introduced herself.

"Miana, nice name", Yuko complimented, which Miana smiled cutely in response. So many more things continued to run through Yuko's dazed mind, questions, questions about what happened with Earth itself, how these natives came to be, and most importantly, the kaiju. "So where did all these monsters come from exactly?"

As soon as she heard that question, Miana's smile slowly faded, looking down in almost deep thought.

"Our grandmother and grandfather, just as their fathers and mothers told them before, would tell us about the Titans, the original and rightful rulers of Earth", Miana explained. "They existed for millennia, even before humanity. Hiding within the hollow depths of the Earth. Reawakened after countless years. And over time, they eventually took back the planet".

"So that's why they showed up in the first place?" Yuko questioned. "So you're saying these Titans are our pets? Your pets?"

"No..." Miana corrected. "We're theirs".

In a moment of awkward silence, Yuko stared confused at the other girl and what she had said. Humans as the pets of giant monsters? The native Houtua, the spun off evolutionary cousins of mankind, admitting themselves to be pets of kaiju and titans? Her already weakened mind couldn't even begin to comprehend such a thought and revelation.

"So..." Yuko spoke. "You, we, are supposed to be subservient..." She paused, turning her head and sight to the open exit. "...to them?"

"Equal, Yuko", Miana corrected once more.

"But don't they destroy?" Yuko asked. "They killed countless people, all those years ago, and like with what had happened when we arrived here".

"Only if necessary, to protect and defend their land, their homes", Miana attempted to justify. "Some would actually guard and keep us safe".

"Some?"

"I remember a few stories my grandfather would tell to me and my sister", Miana delved. "He travelled to many lands from across the vast waters. One land he went to was known as the Amazon. And there, he met a mighty noble guardian creature. With scything claws and unbreakable tusks like stone. The people there named him the Mapinguary, but my grandfather simply named him Behemoth. Another he told me was about something known as the 'Living Mountain'. One day, a vast village was what he had found. Then the next day, it was gone, and that mountain was there, and he named him Methuselah. And a third where he was at sea one stormy night, and he confronted a beast from below the depths, whom he named Scylla".

Yuko looked on with curiosity, hearing about these various monsters even she didn't know or hear about before now. She already encountered the likes of the Servum when she and the rest of the human crew first returned to Earth, but actual kaiju beside the king of the monsters himself still existing here, even after humanity's abandoning of Earth, was nearly inconceivable.

"So there are other giant monsters, aside from Godzilla, that are still around here? On Earth?" Yuko asked.

While not quickly agreeing with Yuko's use of the word 'monster' to refer to these mighty creatures, Miana still nodded nonetheless.

Yuko had indeed heard about how there have been many other monsters that appeared and attacked several of Earth's countries and cities, as early as the very end of the 20th century, and before Godzilla. If even Godzilla could live on after thousands of years, so could any other kaiju. And Godzilla wouldn't be the only threat that she, Haruo, and the rest of the surviving humans would need to contend to.