Shishimato walked onward, the rain calming him. As his home appeared in view he pondered the mission. Yes it would require leaving his family, but if it meant keeping them safe it was worth it.

His home was dark, Lilimato had most likely put their family to sleep. He entered the house quietly, trying not to wake his sleeping family. He walked into his room. Lightning cracked across the sky, its brightness illuminating the bedroom giving shape to his wife's body sleeping in the bed. Slowly he climbed over her and kissed her cheek. She didn't stir, which was strange. He cupped her neck in his hand to kiss her, he couldn't hear her breathing. He checked for a pulse, nothing. His eyes shot open, his heartbeats excellerated. He pressed a palm on the wall above her head turning the lights on. He turned her onto her back, her body limp and lifeless. He froze.

"Ja-ja-jagiya..." he managed to choke out, brushing her hair from her face and carressing it tenderly. His hand trailed down to her neck where dark bruises had been made. He gasped, "No... my jagiya... my Lilimato..." he pressed her palm to his face, flinching at the coldness. The warmth had already started to leave her body.

"Who could have done this?" His vision blurred. In his agony he punched the wall above her head, residue on his hands as he wiped his tears. His son... what about his son? He heard movement before the room bathed itself in darkness. He jumped off the bed landing agilely on his feet ready to fight. Lightning cracked once more illuminating the image that would forever haunt his dreams. The rolling thunder warned him of the danger.

Beneath the door frame stood Exo's ruthless Dragon, Wu Yifan. In his arms he held Totomato, the young matoki's eyes glazed with fear. The hair on Shishimato's neck stood on end. He balled his hands into fists ready to pounce. He stepped foreward but stopped when he saw the unsheathed dragon's claws pressed against his son's throat. Yifan laughed at Shishimato.

"Oh, look. Mato's greatest legend reduced to nothing as he realizes he didn't finish the job." He smirked. Knowing that he was crushing the warrior's pride. "You made a mistake Shishimato." With every word be encroached on the matoki.

The matoki refused to back down, calculating the situation, trying to find an opening to save his son. "Oh, and what was that?" He spat.

The Exorian smirked, tightening his hand around Totomato's mouth. "You let me live." Wu Yifan's voice was flat, monotone. Shishimato swallowed as he averted his gaze glancing towards his lifeless wife for a moment.

"You like my handy work?" Yifan asked with a chortle. "You should know she called for you with her last breath." The Dragon frowned in mock sadness. "How pathetic that her last word was the name of the man who could never save her, who failed" With his taunt Shishimato stepped forward with a snarl.

"Ah, ah, ah." Yifan shook his head. He dug the tip of his claw into the young Matoki's neck, a small bead of blood trailing down his milky white neck. Totomato whimpered, tears streaming down his cheeks

"Toto!!" Shishimato called protectively. "Don't hurt him!" He spat.

Yifan's eyes gleamed."Say that again...Beg!" He pressed his claws harder against Totomato's bruised neck. The Dragon snarled, "on your knees."

Shishimato clenched his teeth, but his son was more important than his pride. Without breaking eye contact he kneeled down, his hands placed on his thighs. He looked into his son's terrified eyes and with a sigh he lowered his head, "I beg of you," the words tasted acrid in his mouth. "Please, don't hurt my son." That infuriating laugh echoed in his ears again, chilling him down to his spine. He looked up to see Yifan, head thrown back in laughter. He regained his composure and glared at the General with a smirk.

"I should kill you. I should torture you the way that your people tortured my home. But that would be too kind." His intonation enphasizing how he'd never think of kindness. "I will let you live." The Exorian's tone was flat. Shishimato stared wide-eyed at his enemy.

"I will let you live," he continued. "with the knowledge that Exo's Dragon humiliated and defeated you. I will let you live knowing I took what was most precious to you." Yifan stood menacingly holding Totomato's crying and petrified figure. The Exorian's thirst for blood evident in his eyes. Swiftly he drove his unsheathed claws through the chest of the young one, Totomato's mouth open in a silent scream as the pain tore through his body. Yifan fisted the flesh in his hand before releasing him with a smirk. The matoki fell to his knees with a gargled gasp. Shishimato sprang forward catching his son in his arms. The Dragon dissapeared leaving only the echo of his taunting laughter.

"A-appa..." the young matoki uttered, his voice broken and hushed. The bell-like tone remeniscint of his laughter.

"Shh, its ok. Appa is here. Its ok Toto. Its ok." Shishimato his son's face, his vision blurring again.

"Appa..." Totomato struggled to inhale as he looked intently into his father's crimson eyes. He began to choke on his own blood, staining his lips and angelic face. His eyes widened once more at the tidal wave of pain that shot through him. He tried to breath, his fathers arm. He kept  hold of his father's gaze as he finally succumbed to the pain, his body falling limp, his eyes staring lifelessly at the General.

"Toto.. No, Toto. Stay with me! Its ok. TOTO!!" Shishimato shook his son trying to revive him. He clutched the bleeding and lifeless figure to him, desperately combing his curly blonde hair. He kissed every inch of his son's face, tasting the bitterness of his tears. He cried as he had never cried before, his tears draining his energy. He finally succumbed to the realization that what was once his was lost to him forever. He closed his sons eyes gently with trembling fingers, his body protesting the gesture as a sign of weakness, of defeat.

"Appa..."

The word replayed in his mind. The voice that had never before spoken calling out to the one person who was supposed to protect him. With his first word and last breath forever reminding him that he had failed. He held his son in his arms rocking back and forth as he repeated his name over and over, begging for the lifeless matoki's forgiveness.

Thunder roared across the plains masking the General's pained yells. Shaking, he stood holding his son in his arms. He gently lay him beside his mother, brushing his hair from his beautiful face. He placed Totomato's hand in his wife's and brought their fingers to this lips. His tears wetting their hands. He stared at their lifeless faces, anger boiling in his veins. He stormed out of the room. There was a shuffling and he stopped cold in his tracks pivoting to see a hand laying across the threshold of his son's room.

"Zelo..." he whispered. The hand twitched with life and Shishimato ran towards the robot dropping to his knees and pulling him into his arms. Shishimato carefully raised Zelo's shirt to reveal the mutilation. The robot's core had been ripped open exposing the severed and sparking wires. The robot needed immediate repair but he didn't have time.

"Master-hyeong..." Zelo's eyes were slightly open trying to focus on his General. He saw his leader's distraught figure and closed his eyes. "I couldn't protect them. I failed..." he lamented. Shishimato carressed the robots face reassuringly. The robot offlined and Shishimato yoked him over his shoulders. He ran out of his defiled home desperately searching his mind for a plan.

________________

Inside the cabin of the ship he desperately pushed buttons trying to start the blasted transporter. Why did Zelo have to be offline?!

"Systems online. Engines started." The computer alerted. Shishimato sighed in relief.

"Time to slay a dragon," he muttered darkly. The look in his eye was one of pure vengeance. The caring father in him had been murdered viciously along with his family.

He stared at the controls trying to remember what Jokomato had taught him. He was losing time and-

"Coordinates calculated. Prepare for departure."

"No!" He yelled pounding his fists on the many buttons. Without warning the ship jumped to light speed. Mato dissapeared from sight. "Gah!!!" He yelled frustrated as he pulled on his red hair. He slumped back in his seat. He closed his eyes for a second, frightening images playing in his head. He yelled again pounding his fists angrily.

"Autopilot disengaged."

He opened his eyes, jumping back at his proximity to earth. "Aish!" No, no, no, no, no! What was he going to do now?! At least he hadn't disengaged the perception filters. That would cause worldwide chaos. The ship shook violently and a loud sound cracked through his skull. He covered his sensitive ears as he looked out of the view panel. The ship surrounded by a red-orange glow. The shields were down!! The ship would burn, or worse!!

"Motor over heating."

"Systems failure."

"System shutdowwwwn."

He pulled back on the steering lever with all his might trying to steady the shaking transporter. The ship crashed into an empty construction site, mingling with the debris. Shishimato crashed through the heated glass and landed painfully on his side. He looked up at the burning ship, soon it would be nothing more than darkened soot on the leveled dirt. He had to retrieve Zelo, he had already lost two members of his family, he wouldn't lose a third. Shishimato tried to stand up, a sharp pain in his side tugged him down. With all his remaining strength he forced himself to stand. He hobbled over towards the burning ship, raising the collar of his military jacket over his head and dove into the ship.

He made his way  through the darkened wreckage, the orangeish glow of the fire illuminating his passage. He removed piece after piece of wreckage from his path looking for the robot. He caught sight of his servo and removed the paneling that had crashed onto him. With much struggle he pulled Zelo out of the rubble and yoked him over his shoulders with a grunt. The ship was set to self destruct if crashed on an alien planet, they had to get as far away as possible before people connected them to the mysterious charred circle that would be left on the dirt. Shishimato walked for hours among the back alley ways, until his feet bled. When he couldn't go any longer he leaned against the dirty wall, the pain in his body tugging him downward. He held the robot in his arms and uncovered his damaged core. He repaired as much as he could  by hand before inserting the chip into his processing unit. Once the robots eyes came to life and the mechanisms in his body and weapons systems whirred to life. He sat the robot up against the wall as his internal repairing software finished the job.

"Yong Guk Hyeong..." the robot uttered as he saw his leaders battered condition. His leader smiled, closing his eyes. "Good Junhong..." he whispered as his body fell limp against the wall. Junhong sat up on his heels and brought his leader into his arms. Junhong's body shook nervously and for the first time in his creation the robot cried.