6/13/01
Disclaimer: the characters such as Kenji, Uriko, etc. belong to Hudson Soft
Dedication: God, my parents, my 'brothers', Hudson for creating Bloody Roar I-III, and my readers, especially PokeDigi, StarryPeach, Xion, LazzyQ, Alica, Deoku, VGuyver, Flyby, and Niteflite.
Bloody Roar III: Help Me Heal
By Tiger5913
The scent of the musky air reached his nose; soft splashing noises were made as waves gently rolled simultaneously, colliding with the sandy shoreline. Squawking came from birds that flew overhead, and he could feel the cool breeze envelop his lean, well-built form. His hand curled into a fist when the familiar tingle ran through his body at the warmth that emitted from the last weak rays. The sun began to slowly slip underneath the hills, ready to move on and allow the moon to take its place in the sky.
Thin strands of tall green grass brushed against his bare lower thigh, tickling him slightly, and a look of sadness formed over his expression. He direly missed everything, even though only two weeks had passed; it wasn't fair, only seventeen and already losing something so important. To think it had been caused by a single decision, and one that he would live to regret for the rest of his life.
If I hadn't chosen to go battle…
How he wished that he could turn back time, and rethink it through, more thoroughly, or if only he had enhanced being careful. If only, if only, if only… the forlorn wishes of a fool that knew they could never be granted, never come true. Yet still, he hoped, even though others believed that the return of his gift was impossible, couldn't happen. Perhaps if he tried harder, put more effort into striving for the goal, it could finally happen… he could regain what he had lost…
But what good would it do waste energy getting his hopes up, if everything collapsed in the end, what he had left turned into absolutely nothing. The situation just felt so arbitrary, something precious like that being taken away from him in a split second. He could remember the event like it was yesterday, the adrenaline rush that surged through his veins as he was battling. Brawling so hard that he hadn't expected the blow that swiped in from the side, slashing across his face, bringing such intense pain.
His animal beast form agreed with the human tucked inside him when he let loose a loud screech that seared through many people's hearing. Pain mingled with deception and resentment as he fell to his knees, sliding up his two large claws to cover his burning flesh. Now his opponent would end the fight; he was dueling alone, relied on his other allies to each take on their own individual foes. A sudden hiss cut through his senses, and his head snapped up, reveling in the familiarity of the call, recognizing it as the growl of a cat.
Cries of agony rang into the atmosphere as fierce swiping sounds rang in his ears, his partner going in and taking care of the rest of the battle. It was over in minutes, though it felt like an eternity before silence fell in the area, and a warm hand rested onto his shoulder comfortingly. Immediately, he changed back, his present looks melting into human features, yet the pain still stung him. After dragging it out for a long, endless moment, he finally stopped stalling and confronted what he inwardly feared.
All that occurred several weeks ago, yet the event still occupied his mind and haunted his consciousness. The others had started looking upon him in pity, and he despised it, the feeling of being helpless, worthless and unable to do anything productive. Every evening before the sun fought to see the last glimpse of his city, he went to the beach, just to sit and relax. He was by himself at those times, shying away from the rest of the world, as he felt satisfied with knowing that no one else was around.
There was only one he cared to have in his company, the person that had saved him in the battle many days ago. Seated on the soft cotton blanket, his back leaning against a tall smooth rock, he awaited the arrival of his companion. As the wind tore through his dark blue bangs, he maintained his stationary posture, uncaring of the other ongoing events. At that time, the beach scarcely had inhabitants, for the busy hours were in the afternoon, when the sun blared down upon everyone. He was in his own reclusive little state of mind, and could care less about what was happening elsewhere.
A quite voice broke through his thoughts, "Hi…"
Smiling warmly, he beamed; the waiting was over, and he wouldn't truly be isolated anymore. He wanted to be alone at times, but even thinking that, he still wanted someone there for him, someone to hold, to embrace. And now that person had come to be his comfort.
"Thanks for coming… I know I must bring you down sometimes with all my depressing talk," he said that albeit regretfully, bitterness aligning his tone.
"No, don't worry about that, I'm here for you, after all…"
Slender arms intertwined around his waist and he felt warmth grazing the left side of his body as a figure sat down beside him. Raising a hand, he reached out and tentatively stroked his fingers through the beautiful hair that had always been finely crafted silk material to him. The strands were thin and smooth, and he bunched a small group together, pressing it against his cheek. Something soft and fervid brushed against his lips softly, and his hand left the tress to enfold the person into his arms.
"I-I think I should stop hoping…" he bit the words off.
"What?" came the astonished reply to his suggestion. "No! Don't do that, you shouldn't ever give up hope!"
"This is really hard," he ground out through clenched teeth, balling up a fist in frustration. "I keep thinking that I'm just going to be disappointed with the eventual outcome! What am I going to do then??"
"Just… keep working for it-"
"Wishes are for fools." He interrupted. "They never came through for me, and I always just end up being discouraged, and scold myself for being so stupid in the first place."
She bit her lip. "Fools? Okay then, I guess I'm a fool, because I do have wishes, and most of them come true in the end…"
"Maybe yours are more reasonable than mine," he countered. "Or I'm just not good enough or deserving of what I want."
"I hate it when you're like this…" her voice sounded slightly choked. "Stop it, okay…? I feel torn up when you start saying things like that…"
"…I'm sorry…" He hugged her fiercely, gently pressing her cheek into his chest. "I'm just so damn frustrated… I didn't mean to take it out on you though, I really am sorry…"
"…That's alright," she sighed. "I know sometimes you just need to release your emotions somehow… I-I'll be your punching bag anytime you need it."
"No!" he refused. "I don't want you to be the target of my selfish crap and void of anger! You don't deserve to be treated like that…"
"And neither do you! So please, don't keep tormenting yourself like this, because it affects me also, and I feel horrible when I see you in pain…"
Not offering a verbal answer, he just tilted her chin up and kissed her. A dark thought hung in the back of his mind; how could he ever be able to physically show his love for her? His condition would make that fairly difficult to accomplish… but he knew that if he could, the first thing he would do was that, to make love to her, thank her for all the times that she had been by his side.
I… I want to marry you someday…
"Okay…" he heard her whisper softly in between their embraces.
His eyes widened slightly, for he didn't realize that he had verbally emitted the words, and then her reply sunk in. "…Really?"
"Yeah," she told him.
A little stunned, but pleased as well with her acceptance, he held her closely, the couple exchanging acts of affection as darkness started claiming the sky. She noticed but didn't say anything; he was completely oblivious to the scenery, concentrating only on her. Wishes were for fools… and within weeks, or even days if their patience met its end, he was sure that he would be the perfect example of a fool, when they were certain that he wouldn't recover.
Because… ever since he had received that blow from the fight, he opened his eyes, and saw nothing but murkiness. And in that second, day was instantly stolen from him, as well as all the other beautiful sights that life had to offer. He wouldn't be able to view his beloved's face again, and all that was taken away from him so quickly. His young teenage years screamed that it was unfair, but there was nothing he could do about it, no cure.
Other senses that he possessed were all he could use now to paint pictures, and the memories he had stored in his mind was what he had left of his former world of sight. Whatever images slipped away from him, he would always hold onto a shot of his girlfriend; if he ever forgot how she looked, he wouldn't ever forgive himself. She felt guilty for his condition, claiming that if she had come to his rescue earlier, she could have prevented what happened to him.
But he didn't blame her at all. His anger was directed at himself, for acting so inane, not taking enough precaution before just charging into the situation. And this was his punishment, one that he would not ever be able to forget. A small part of him inside thought that he probably should be grateful for not losing any other of his senses. Sight was already bad enough, but at least he still was able to smell the fresh dew of morning, hear the footsteps of approaching people.
He could still taste the sweetness juicing out of food, and feel the smooth skin of his significant other. But all the while, he wondered if that was enough for her, if she was satisfied with what she had; he knew that she deserved more. He longed to see her again, gaze into the light brown shade of her chocolate brown eyes, and catch the sunlight gleaming off of her waist-length auburn hair. However, that was nothing but an empty wish, for him to renew the mental picture of her that he had in his mind… And since wishes were for fools, he knew that he would remain the same a week from the present time, and everyday after that.
Kenji Ohgami was blind.
To be continued…
Author's Note:
This is a stand-alone fic, and isn't relevant to any of my other stories. I just wanted to try writing a piece about how one of my favorite characters would feel if s/he was injured from a battle, and lost his/her sight. I hope that this was meaningful and really lets people realize how there are some irreplaceable things that sometimes we take for granted. And yet, we shouldn't judge others if they do have those kinds of disabilities, but instead by supportive of them. One question: should I let Kenji regain his sight? Not that Uriko's view of him would change either way, but I am going to write a continuation of this, so I want to hear you reader's thoughts.With love for my fans,
Tiger5913