Written by Andrew Glasco
CHAPTER 1
Fate Bound
The roads were already active, tightly packed with the cars of the early risers. Each one seemed to be in a terrible hurry to get wherever they might be going, the speed limit apparently deemed a law that was "meant to be broken." The anxiety seemed almost contagious, yet a boy walking along a nearby sidewalk seemed defiant to that end. A pair of dark brown shoes led each of his admittedly short strides, yet if one were to take the impression of weakness from the insignificance of his step, they would be sorely mistaken. He was clad in a navy blue school uniform, a brown schoolbag swaying lightly in his hand with each step. His long, dark blue bangs melded well with the uniform, bobbing up and down in front of his face ever-so-slightly with each step. The first rays of sunlight shone brilliantly over the horizon, painting the sky in an aesthetically pleasing array of reds, yellows, and pinks, yet the wondrous sight was lost on the part of this particular young man, as his unfocused amber eyes were downcast to the ground before his feet.
The youth's name was Kenji. Ignorant of his true last name, he had taken on the surname of his legal guardian, Yugo Ohgami. The boy, Kenji Ohgami, was quiet by nature, yet solemn by circumstance. Only 2 months had passed since the most horrific event of his recalled life -- his abduction and brainwashing by the Zoanthrope Liberation Front, better known as the ZLF. Mercifully, his memories of his brainwashing were less than vivid...yet they dominated his thoughts. He had hurt, and possibly even killed others. For that, he knew he could never atone.
The young man only remembered the past 11 months of his 14-year life, which had been difficult to bear before the ZLF incident, but now it seemed almost irrelevant beside the guilt and uncertainty which now plagued him in his every waking hour. His dreams were rarely an escape, either.
Yet he lived on. Not by his own will, but by that of others. Upon being released from the hold of his brainwashing and doing his part to put an end to the ZLF's tyranny, he attempted to end his own life. Alan Gado, a well-respected advocate for Zoanthrope equality, and Yugo Ohgami, Kenji's guardian and "brother", put an end to the attempt quickly. Yugo and Alan, after escaping from the burning ZLF laboratory, managed to convince the young Kenji to go on living.
"You're too young."
"You have too much left to live for."
The two men vehemently talked of his promise for the future. They claimed he had much to look forward to in the future...too much life left to live to give up. Ridiculous. Did they truly believe that his young age made him any less capable of understanding his own feelings? They were wrong...they were all wrong. The short portion of his life he recalled forced him to mature far quicker than most. He understood what had happened and he understood his own torment. Why shouldn't he die? He hurt innocent people on the orders of a lunatic. What was wrong with compensating his own pain for theirs?
Yet, his regrets, as with his own life, would linger. Kenji had promised the two men that he wouldn't kill himself. He honored his word, though he wanted to go back on it more and more with each passing day. He felt as though everyone who laid eyes on him could see into his past...and all of their eyes seemed so accusing! Kenji pushed his thoughts aside, realizing the irrational track his train of thought was beginning to follow. He raised his eyes ahead, brushing his bangs out of his eyes as he spotted his destination in the distance.
Another wonderful day of school, The young zoanthrope mused sarcastically.
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She pushed open the double doors impeding her way and stepped outside. A joyful smile glowed upon her rather attractive face, a gust of wind gently swaying the long locks of her chestnut brown hair. Break period had finally arrived. Break period, the fifteen minute reprieve following first period when the students could simply talk before their second class. The young lady's beautiful brown eyes shimmered lightly in the sun's bathing light, conveying her elation. She appeared extremely happy for the break today.
I thought first period would never end, The young girl mused as she proceeded into the fresh air of early spring. She wore a girl's school uniform, blue in color, but a slightly lighter shade than were the boys'. She brushed a piece of lint off of her skirt as she walked, knowing well where she was going.
Geez...these school uniforms are so stupid, she thought irritably as she continued ahead. It seemed to her that the uniforms were a magnet for any sort of unwanted material that could possibly stick to it.
The girl's name was Uriko Nonomura. A young girl of 14, possessing a particularly slender figure, and standing at a mere 4'7 ", she appeared a rather frail girl at first glance. However, few knew that was hardly the case. She was actually a Zoanthrope, and quite a skilled one. It was due to her zoanthrope heritage that she had recently encountered the ZLF. In fact, only two months had transpired between her encounter and present day. She, along with her kempo Master, Long Shin, set out a lone rescue mission. Uriko's intentions were simple: to save her mother from the ZLF's rotten clutches. Of course, her master's only goal had not been to save her mother, but that mattered little to Uriko. She was still eternally grateful to him for his assistance. Without him, she knew her attempt would have been doomed to failure. Presently, she had returned to a peaceful life with her mother, which was more than she could have hoped for. Of course, "normal" also meant going back to school. The kempo student wasn't too thrilled about all the work, but she certainly preferred it to life or death battles with the ZLF's cronies.
Uriko trotted across the school's courtyard a short distance before slowing to a stop in front of a familiar bench. She sat upon the bench with a tired sigh, turning to look at her fellow students. Most of them were already happily chattering with their friends. The young zoanthrope sat patiently, waiting for her friends to arrive. The bench marked their usual meeting spot, and held many funny, lighthearted memories for Uriko. She waited for several uneventful minutes before beginning to grow curious. She blinked, stretching a bit and waiting another couple of minutes still. Finally, she peered at a clock hung on a nearby wall, confirming that break was already almost half over.
I wonder where they went... The young martial artist sighed, looking around once more. She found no one of interest.
Resigned to a rather boring break, Uriko stood up and began to walk to the other side of the courtyard. At least she could enjoy a short stroll before the bell stole her freedom from her once more. She began to round a corner of the school but stopped short in her step. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight before her. Several senior students, a few she recognized and a few she didn't, were ganging up on a freshman boy who she was certain she'd seen before.
Kenji, Uriko recalled his name. What's going on?!
She rushed over and joined the rather large crowd that had already formed around the young combatants. She spotted the majority of her friends within the crowd quickly, but the familiar faces didn't hold her eyes for long. She turned her attention to the scene unfolding before her, feeling slightly anxious.
She immediately witnessed Kenji duck a wild punch, responding by thrusting an arm forward in a palm thrust. The blow connected solidly with the senior's chest, flinging him roughly to the ground. The fallen senior's companions growled angrily, and two of them rushed the lone zoanthrope. Kenji turned to face them, his body visibly tense. One of his attackers lunged to tackle, while the second punched at the freshman's head. The former assassin quickly whipped his head to the side of the punch, simultaneously attempting to twist his body to the side of the tackle. His reaction was too slow, however, and Kenji soon found himself slammed against the ground, his opponent swiftly mounting him. Two punches landed squarely, one busting the zoanthrope's nose and the second bruising his cheek. Kenji's wits swiftly returned to him, a scowl rising upon his features. A third punch cut through the air towards Kenji, but it was caught in the freshman's deceivingly iron-like grip. The slightest hint of a grin played about the younger boy's lips as he twisted his attacker's wrist with brutal savagery. His efforts were rewarded with a yelp of pain, another following immediately as Kenji elbowed him in the face, felling the boy unconscious. After heaving the limp body aside, Kenji swiftly hand-sprung to his feet. He was immediately greeted with another attacker, this one charging with his fist reared back as if to strike. The young master of the Kato style almost smirked as the fist lurched towards him. With terrifying fluidity, Kenji swerved his body to the side, gripping the boy's arm as he passed and sweeping a leg back with incredible speed. The senior fell onto the back of his head, a painful groan escaping his chapped lips. Kenji quickly knelt down and slammed a fist into the boy's abdomen, stealing the wind from his opponent's body and effectively removing him from the fight.
The two remaining seniors looked at each other in a mixture of shock and fear at the spectacle they had just witnessed. Their adversary stood up and narrowed his eyes menacingly.
"...Well...do you have something else to say?" The young zoanthrope questioned with an edge to his voice.
This mocking comment managed to re-spark his enemies' anger once again.
"I'm gonna kick your ass, kid!" One shouted as he charged.
Unbeknownst to Kenji, his other remaining adversary reached into his pocket and subtly flipped out a switchblade. A confident grin rose upon the senior's face, the deadly weapon granting him courage. Blade in hand, the dangerous senior began to subtly creep around his younger opponent's back.
Kenji, meanwhile, was distracted with the former. Three quick punches lashed out towards his face, two of which he easily batted aside, and the third of which he ducked. Speed, skill, and strength on his side, the mole zoanthrope was completely confident as he whipped a knee up to meet his opponent's vulnerable abdomen. The blow connected hard, the senior's own momentum assisting in driving the wind from his body. The defeated boy collapsed to his knees, gripping his abdomen tightly as he did. Several ragged coughs escaped him before he passed out from the sheer force of the blow.
But the apparent victor had forgotten about the last of his enemies. The final senior growled angrily and ran towards Kenji from behind, raising the switchblade above his head in preparation to strike. Several students gasped and shrieked as they spotted the weapon. The clueless Kenji turned towards the crowd upon hearing the noise, noticing for the first time that anyone was watching. Uriko looked on in horror as the armed boy approached her fellow zoanthrope.
"Behind you!!" Uriko's warning rang out loudly.
"Behind...?!" The boy repeated as the meaning reached him.
The freshman youth whirled around quickly, raising his hands to catch the switchblade only inches from his forehead. The sharp metal of the blade cut deeply into the skin of his hands, forcing a grimace of pain upon the young man's face. The two pushed against one another with all of their might, but Kenji was as a distinct disadvantage due to the senior's leverage over him both in position and height. The younger boy's eyes widened as his balance gave way, falling backwards to the ground. His adversary fell with him, but much to Kenji's disappointment, his opponent was not deterred from his attack. The switchblade drew closer and closer to the youth's neck as his grip gave way, slippery with his own blood.
"Game over, kid!!" The senior screamed with foul breath as the switchblade slipped against the younger boy's neck, brushing fragile skin just enough to draw blood.
Uriko couldn't stand to watch any longer. As if a group of older boys ganging up on a single younger boy wasn't bad enough, one of the cowards had a weapon! Her eyebrows furrowed up in anger and the corners of her mouth curved down into and angry frown. Her course of action decided, she quickly pushed her way through the crowd and hurried over towards the two fighters. She neared and immediately kicked the senior square on the cheek as if his head were a kickball. The senior dazedly dropped the switchblade and rolled to the side, holding his cheek in pain. Kenji took hold of the blade in it's owner's absence and rolled to one knee swiftly, immediately looking over to his savior. The angry female zoanthrope grabbed up the trembling senior by the collar, dragging him to his knees with a passionate fire in her eyes.
"And if you ever...ever...!" She didn't know how to finish, but certainly put the exclamation point on her idea; she reared back and socked the young man in the face, sending him for a loop. His eyes glazed over slightly as he crumpled in a heap to the ground.
A rather ruffled Kenji looked on, wide-eyed at both his close call and the unexpected save from his female acquaintance. He stood quickly, his eyes still trained on Uriko. She looked upon the unconscious boy at her feet in utter contempt.
"Uh...thanks...Uriko," The young ninja uttered quietly.
Uriko turned to face him upon hearing his thanks...quite suddenly feeling embarrassed. It hadn't been her fight after all... but she'd simply been unable to help it. She started somewhat awkwardly, "Oh, don't mention it. I can't believe that he'd have the nerve to pull a knife on you..."
Kenji nodded in reply just as a rush of teachers and administrators came running out of the school, heading towards the scene.
"My god!" One of the male teachers cried in reaction to all the violence before him. The teachers began whispering much as the students already had been. There was much to speculate.
One of the administrators spotted the knife in the young ninja's hands, arousing obvious suspicion. "Son, you've got some explaining to do..." The administrator made a vague gesture towards the knife. "Did you attack these boys?"
The boy in question was somewhat baffled. "Attack them?! No! They attacked me!"
"Regardless," Principal Otakina's voice sounded from the side as he walked onto the 'arena' that the school grounds had become. Both Kenji and Uriko looked towards him. "You have a weapon and you certainly can't deny that you were involved in this conflict. You'll have to come with me, son."
Kenji frowned, but had the common sense to realize that he didn't actually have a say in the matter. "...I understand."
The principal nodded his approval. "Good. Follow me."
Uriko stood off to the side as the battered Kenji and Principal Otakina turned to leave. A deep sympathy for Kenji lingered within her eyes just beyond the surface, doubtless that he would face a rather harsh punishment. Furthermore, however, she also carried an inexplicable feeling of guilt. She couldn't explain the feeling any more than she couldn't stop the next words that spilled out of her mouth.
"I fought too!"
Both retreating figures stopped and turned to face the girl in question.
What is she thinking...? The amber-eyed student wondered.
"You, Ms. Nonomura...?" The principal asked, surprise evident in his tone. Uriko had a reputation as being a kind and very approachable person. To hear such a thing of her was quite a shock, even to her superiors.
"Yes," she continued, though a bit quieter. "I fought too. If you're taking him, you have to take me too."
Why is she throwing herself into trouble along with me? Kenji questioned. She only helped me because I was in real danger. She shouldn't be punished for that.
The surprise slowly faded from the principal's face. "Well then, you'll have to come along as w-"
"She's lying," Kenji spoke up, cutting off the older man's sentence. "She's only trying to help me." He shot the slightly younger girl an annoyed look and uttered, "I can take responsibility for my own actions."
Her lips turned down slightly in a small frown as she opened her mouth to respond.
The principal spoke first, however, effectively cutting Uriko off, "In any case," He looked to Uriko, and then to her bloodied accomplice a bit more sternly. "The both of you will come with me. We'll discuss this in my office." Principal Otakina then turned towards the scene of the fight, addressing several teachers and administrators still remaining. "Take them to the nurse's office and take care of them. I'll call them in soon, and we'll decide on all of their punishments."
Kenji glanced at Uriko questioningly, somewhat puzzled. She glanced down at her feet at his look. The principal then turned around, and walked into the school. The two freshmen followed silently, their anxiety growing over their upcoming 'meeting' with Principal Otakina.
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Nearly three full hours later, Uriko emerged from Principal Otakina's office, a small frown etched upon her features. It had taken two full hours for the last of the seniors to regain consciousness. Ironically, the rightful beating the grunts received had made for the longest hold-up. Of course, there were also conflicting stories. It was difficult to sort through and deal in the facts. Uriko and Kenji's story had been the truth, however, and luckily the group of seniors were very bad liars. Kenji Ohgami was whom was known to be a quiet boy, and Uriko was well-liked by pretty much everybody. Believing they had instigated a fight was somewhat ridiculous.
Kenji exited behind the young Nonomura girl a moment later, shutting the office door behind him. The seniors, thankfully, still had a bit more lecturing to listen to before the principal would send them away. Kenji and Uriko had apparently heard their fair share, and were at last allowed to leave. Kenji had received 2 weeks of out-of-school suspension for his trouble, while Uriko had received a week of detention for her involvement. The both knew, of course, that the punishments were fairly light given the circumstances. The principal obviously had sympathized with the predicament. Much to Kenji's delight, his opponents likely wouldn't get off quite so easily.
They let out a sigh in unison, both glancing at the other upon noticing.
"Well, it could've been a lot worse," Uriko said quietly, averting her eyes to the short end of the hall somewhat uncomfortably.
"Yeah, I know," Kenji answered briefly, turning his head to look down the opposite and longer end of the hallway. A long, uncomfortable silence passed between the two before Kenji recalled something he'd wanted to mention earlier. Glad for the excuse to break the silence, he turned to look at her with a questioning look plastered upon his face. "Why did you get yourself in trouble like that? You could have gotten off without consequence if you'd stayed quiet, you know..."
"I'm...not sure," she sighed. "I felt kinda felt sorry for you, but..."
"I don't want your pity," the boy muttered as he looked away once more. "You should have stayed quiet...for your own sake." He began to walk away, starting down the long end of the hallway towards the front of the school. Uriko watched him begin to walk away, slightly flustered.
Who does he think he is...? He can't tell me what I should and shouldn't do, She mused to herself, annoyed.
"I can make my own decisions!" She called after him as he walked away.
The blue-haired boy paused and glanced over his shoulder, his gaze finding her. His expression was decidedly one of indifference. "Then make the smart ones." He looked ahead once more as he resumed walking.
The feline zoanthrope frowned more deeply, annoyed with his smart comebacks. He's so...difficult! Stupid. Geez... She grumbled mentally. But...it seemed like he really didn't mean to put her off so much as chide her for what she'd done. She knew he had truly needed her help, so she chalked it up to a matter of his pride. That thought in mind, she jogged after him, slowing to a walk as she trailed just behind him, silent. Nearly a minute passed in this way before Uriko managed to break the uneasy silence.
"So, those guys picked a fight with you just because they found out that Yugo was a boxer?" The slightly younger girl asked, trying to break the strange silence more than anything else.
Kenji frowned as he was reminded of the beginning of his earlier confrontation. "Yeah. They just wanted the satisfaction of beating up a boxer's kid. Psh...I'm not even really his son. I guess they thought they'd be cool for doing it. Pretty stupid, huh?"
The girl nodded in affirmation, "Yeah, sure is." A smile played its way onto her lips, and was followed by a soft giggle.
The boy raised an eyebrow, gazing questioningly over his shoulder at the smiling girl trailing behind him. "What's so funny?"
"I bet they won't do that again..." Uriko grinned. "You sure showed them."
Kenji smirked a tad. "Well, they weren't exactly the toughest opponents." His expression changed suddenly to one of seriousness as he stopped dead in his tracks.
Uriko was surprised with the sudden stop, barely managing to stop herself from running right into him. "W-what?" She managed.
"I want to thank you for what you did back there," He started briefly, obviously uncomfortable in spite of the lack of eye contact. "I...might be dead now if you hadn't stopped him..." The dark-haired boy continued clumsily.
Though it would have been the perfect excuse to die... Why didn't I just let him kill me...? Kenji shook himself out of his reverie and looked over his shoulder at the courageous girl. "What I mean to say is...thank you, Uriko."
Uriko looked upon the humbled boy before her, surprise written clearly upon her face. She hadn't expected any thanks, particularly from Kenji Ohgami of all people. She masked her surprise with a slightly uneasy laugh and a dismissive wave of her hand. "Oh, don't worry about it..."
The young ninja stood silently for a few moments before turning to face his fellow zoanthrope, finalizing the decision in his own mind. "I'll make it up to you somehow... I'm in your debt."
Now THAT sounds more like what I'd expect from him, The half-beast girl scoffed inwardly with a hint of annoyance. "I didn't do it so that you would owe me anything... I really hate obligation like that. Just consider us even."
"Sorry, but I can't do that," The amber-eyed youth began, allowing a small grin to creep upon his face. "You're stuck with me."
"Stuck with you, huh? So you're gonna stalk me now or something?" The female freshmen grinned playfully.
Her companion had to stifle a small chuckle. "Not quite...but let's say that I have your back."
She laughed, smiling broadly. "Like a bodyguard or something?"
The young ninja nodded, his grin remaining. "You could call it that..."
Uriko smiled brightly. "You know I'm just joking. I wouldn't mind having you as a friend, though. I'd like to talk to you more."
Kenji's face was a mask of confusion. She wants me to be her...friend? Why...? There are so many others she could confide in. But...it couldn't hurt, right...? She's...nice to talk to. He broke off his unsure thoughts, snapping himself back into reality. "Really? Uh, sure. That...that sounds nice." The young man managed a small smile.
"Great!" His new friend smiled back. "Once you come back to school from suspension, we'll talk more, ok?"
He grinned sheepishly at the mention of his punishment. "We'll do that." Kenji turned his gaze towards a nearby wall, finding a clock and noting the time. "It's really getting late... I'd better head home. Yugo's really going to lecture me for this one... And I bet he got into plenty of fights when he went to school." He grinned slightly, recalling Yugo's tendency to fly off the deep end.
Uriko laughed and smiled sweetly. "I'll see you in about 2 weeks then, okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Bye Uriko."
"Bye Kenji."
The said boy turned away and walked through the double doors leading to the outside. Uriko watched him go, smiling to herself. Wow, he's a pretty nice guy after all. Her smile remained etched upon her face as she made her way to class.
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Kenji Ohgami walked out of the school, his head lowered slightly. A small smile played about his lips beneath the light shadow cast upon his features. Uriko Nonomura, huh...? She's...a nice girl... With this thought in mind, the young zoanthrope made his way home.
A nearby figure, clad in long, black robes, frowned from within the confining shadows of his hood. "It seems that 467 has come into contact with 528. They must be watched closely..."
The figure stepped into a nearby shadow and vanished within, leaving not a trace.