6/28/01
Disclaimer: the characters such as Kenji, Uriko, etc. belong to Hudson Soft
Dedication: God, my parents, my 'brothers', Hudson for creating Bloody Roar I-IV and giving me a really good reason to write this story, and my readers, especially PokeDigi, LazzyQ, Alica Tylon, Deoku, VGuyver, StarryPeach, AKA, Brad Crawford, Arashi, Flyby, and Niteflite.
Bloody Roar III Alternative Arcade Endings
Uriko's Arcade Ending
(has a little bit of Kenji's ending in the first part of the fic)
By Tiger5913
It was over.
He had gotten a hold of the power gem, and given it to a person that his friends and brother could trust, for safekeeping. His older sibling had come out of the situation fine, and received a warm welcome from his girlfriend, a rabbit zoanthrope he'd met from his teenage years, who'd actually tackled him in adoration. The youth tied up his loose ends, could finally relax now, after all the craze that had occurred in the last mere couple days.
But… there was still one thing left. With everything weighing down and bringing pressure upon him, he hadn't been very considerate to a certain schoolmate of his. Their last encounter ended in him walking away, post when she'd told him something that surprised him. It was in the positive sense, although he didn't think that she knew, probably presumed that he felt the opposite. He was afraid that she wouldn't listen to or forgive him for how insensitive he had acted toward her, the way he ignored her lately.
Over and over, the memory played in his mind…
She looked away shyly, dragging her foot on the ground and absentmindedly tugged on a few strands of her long brown hair with her hand.
"…What is it?" He asked, leaving no room for patience. Time was running out while he was standing around doing nothing; if he didn't hurry, there wouldn't be a brother for him to save.
"Ah… um…" her gaze wandered elsewhere and her voice was barely audible as she told him, "…I really like you."
What…? His emotions immediately began tearing into him when she said that. Why the hell would she tell him something like this now, though, when she knew perfectly well that there was so much he needed to do? Was this a trick to get him to stay? Well, if that was the case, he wasn't going to fall for it.
Scowling lowly, he turned his back on her and leapt away, blending into the dark shadows of the night, leaving her behind. He couldn't believe that she would let him know at that time, when his life was turning upside down, and everything was chaos. And anyway, it's not like he really owed her an explanation - she should already know, since those events were happening to her as well. She should be able to understand why he left without saying anything…
But what if she doesn't? He wondered as he abandoned his friend, feeling a little worried about their formerly strong relationship. Should I've told her how I felt too? Did she expect me to?
When he was a good distance away from her, he'd glanced up, his light brown pupils filled with confusion and hurt while he looked at the moon. Beams glimmered from the crescent shape, gleaming over his skin, making it seem pale and pasty, as bland as how he was feeling at the moment. The words formed over his lips and pushed their way out; "I really like you too…"
But of course it was too late. She didn't hear him, and most likely thought the worst, that he didn't like her, and that was the way he used to reject her.
It was time to right the wrong. Back to his present state of mind, he watched his brother and his girlfriend teasing around and jabbing playfully at each other. Shaking his head, he left the scene - they didn't even notice his leave of absence - and headed toward his friend's house. He knew it was late, but he didn't care about that, and instead concentrated on setting everything right, making sure she knew how he really felt.
Please don't reject me the way I did to you… I'm… I'm sorry…
*****
"I can't believe I have a curfew now!"
Grumbling her complaint, the teenager plopped onto her bed, sulking about the punishment that her guardian had bestowed upon her. And if that wasn't enough, she was also really baffled regarding that mysterious orb she had found recently. When it had started talking to her, she was shocked and dropped the object, then watched as it shattered into broken pieces. Unsure of what to do, she ran home, where her mother was waiting, angry and worried that her daughter had been out so late.
And now, here she was, with a restraint that bound her to a restriction ordering that she had to be home at a certain time. It was unfair; her sister was out with her boyfriend, trying to find information about that strange Beast Emblem that had everyone worried. The female student felt infuriated that they were always leaving her out of such important things, just because she was the youngest of the group. One of her classmates of the same grade, and only a couple months older, Kenji Ohgami, was allowed way more freedom than her.
It could also be based on gender, because she was female and considered "inferior" to him. Well, she would prove them wrong, she was just as strong as the rest of them were, if not in strength, then in spirit. And she wasn't about to let anyone trample over her like she was someone worthless, that she didn't matter. She wasn't about to let anyone stand in her way of proving herself, like her sister's overprotective-ness, her mother's constant worrying, or even… even Kenji's loss of faith in her.
Deciding that, the fifteen-year-old arose from her mattress and straightened out her attire, brushing dust off her elegant red top. Her tight black shorts completed the outfit, and she quickly picked a small piece of lint off the smooth material. The silky strands of her waist-length auburn hair swished around and brushed against her shoulder as she walked over to her window. If her mother wouldn't allow her to leave the premises, then she would have to break the rules, and sneak away. She'd most likely receive a more severe punishment for the deception, but at the moment, the young zoanthrope didn't care. People were inconsiderate to her feelings when she had shown them kindness, so why couldn't she be selfish this once?
A gust of wind blew into her face as she pulled open the windows, meeting the serene setting of the dark chilly night. A feeling of uncertainty swept over her, but it was hastily replaced by her stubborn determination, and her expression showed it. Giving her room a forlorn look, she turned toward the outside world again, and swung her leg over the ledge.
All of a sudden, something knocked into her shoulder as a figure sailed into her chamber, somehow managing to land nimbly while she fell, knocking her arm against her bedpost. Letting a cry escape from her, she immediately jumped to her feet, raising her fists as she confronted the intruder; "Who's there?! What do you think you're you doing in my room??"
The person was momentarily crouched down in a pose, then stood and rotated to face her and the light coming from the moon allowed her to identify him. "…Kenji?? What…"
He nodded, causing his dark brown bangs to bob against his forehead. She gave him the once-over, raising an eyebrow in curiosity at his navy blue ninja gi, not surprised by the crimson scarf that encircled his neck. Looking up, she discovered that he was doing the same, glancing at her, and when the two met eyes, they both flushed. Shifting albeit uncomfortably, she tucked her hands behind her back in a shy manner, and spoke up, "So… um… what're you doing here?"
"Uh…" the male zoanthrope appeared sheepish. "I want to apologize."
Her eyebrow quirked. "…You do know what time is it, don't you, Kenji?"
"Not exactly, but I know it's after midnight," he said. "And no, this can't wait until tomorrow, Uriko. I had to see you as soon as I could, and now that I'm finished with helping Yugo and Alice with their business, I wanted to come find you."
An annoyed scowl formed over her facial features. "You don't have to do me any favors. I'm not exactly top priority to you."
He was a bit taken back by her cold tone of voice, but still was prone to convince her. "No, that's where you're wrong. I know I was being an idiot before, ignoring you and my school affairs, but that was because I felt pressured by all this Beast Emblem-"
"That's all you think about these days!" Uriko Nonomura hissed, making him take a step back. "No one ever tells me anything though! I have to snoop around to find things out, and I used to rely on you to confide in me, because we were really good friends… I miss that, and I actually wanted it to be more, but… but then you ran off and left me there after I told you, Kenji! How do you think I felt when you did that?"
His face mirrored some of her anger. "Why are you blaming me for everything?! You could've told me before, you know! When my mind wasn't so preoccupied with all this stupid garbage, and I wasn't so afraid of losing the only family I have left! You don't have to worry about anything, Uriko, because you have a mother, and an adopted sister to back her up! I only have a brother who also is my guardian!"
She cringed and stepped back until she felt the wall pressing against her spine. But he wasn't finished, and stalked toward her while biting out the words, "So while you stand there, wallowing in your self-pity, I think that you should quit that, and stop being so absorbed in your own problems."
The feline zoanthrope bit her lip as the early signs of tears dwelled in her hurt irises, and she swallowed hard. Her friend's rage was beginning to frighten her, and she dimly wondered what had happened to the real Kenji, who this demon that came and possessed him was.
"Because you know what?" the ninja continued, his gaze hardened with anger and his voice low as he leaned in close to her until their noses briefly came into contact. "You're not the only one here who has issues to deal with. I heard a lot of complaining from you, but have you even stopped to ask how I'm doing? No, right? … So what do you have to say now about all this?"
Her breaths came out in small gasps, and she descended along the wall until her bottom touched the floor, her eyes never leaving his. After a long period of time, she finally looked away, glancing down at the ground as a sob trembled through her body. She clutched her sides with her hands protectively, shying away from her companion, almost as if she was trying to keep herself safe from him. A pang of guilt struck a sensitive nerve of his, and the dark-haired teenager clenched his fist as he leisurely knelt down next to her.
"G-go away…" she whispered, sounding choked. "I-I don't know what happened to you… you're not yourself… you're not the Kenji that I like, the Kenji that's my best friend… something happened to you while you were on the search for the Emblem… J-just please leave me alone…"
His expression twisted into a look of hurt. "Uriko, I-…"
Her head snapped up. "I was scared that you'd reject me, but I didn't know that you'd go this far… and know that I do know, I'm afraid of you… afraid of what you would do to me."
Do to you…? Kenji sighed mournfully and touched her shoulder with his hand. Flinching, she instantly snapped back, glaring at him with misty eyes that were filled with pain and but was also occupied with deep ire. "This isn't how I wanted it to turn out at all… I came here to apologize, not get into a fight with you… Please don't be mad at me."
The Kenpo student trailed circles into the carpet with the tip of her finger, letting her large bangs fall over and cover her face. He watched her silently for a while, before speaking up once again, "…Wanna hit me or something?"
"…No." she answered. "I'm not like that. I don't like fighting to solve problems. You just get more hurt in the end…"
"Uriko…" he wrapped his arms around her figure, embracing her despite the fact that she struggled a little against his hold.
"Let go of me…" Uriko retorted, although she had stopped resisting.
"I won't," he informed her firmly. "Until you listen to what I have to say."
"You're an arrogant jerk, Kenji," she shot at him. "Nothing but a conceited ninja-boy."
"Mmmhmm, and you're a kitten brat," the mole zoanthrope said, smirking slightly. "But before you scratch my eyes out, I was only kidding, okay?"
Her only response was a feline growl.
"Besides the apology though…" he started to say, feeling nervous at bringing it up. "…You know what you said earlier about liking me?"
"Kinda wish I didn't…" she mumbled under her breath.
"Don't hate me, please?" The ninja appealed, gently pecking her on the forehead. He felt her cringe and sighed, then brushed his lips against her eyelid, which made her squirm a little. But she hadn't slugged him, so he pushed aside his fear and kissed her nose next; she began to loosen up.
"What are you doing…" she murmured in question.
"Hmm, last time I checked, it was called kissing," he kidded while a slow smile formed over his mouth.
"But why…?"
"Because…" he swallowed hard before leaned in next to her ear and whispering, "I really like you too, Uriko."
"W-what?" She sounded bewildered. "But earlier…"
"Yeah, I know, I was an idiot, 'kay?" The male student remarked with a wry grin. "Like I said, I'm really sorry for the way I treated you. Forgive me?"
"…Maybe," the young feline replied. "It's late and I'm kinda tired…"
"Oh… sorry." He backed off albeit reluctantly, giving her an apologetic look as he stood up and reached down to give her hand in assistance.
Her lips twisted into a half-smile, and she grabbed a hold of his wrist tightly, then arose to stand next to him. The two stayed immobile for a few minutes, gazing at each other before she broke it off and strolled over to her window, tugging for him to follow. She led him over, then let go of his hand and gestured at his escape route; feeling a bit disappointed at her nonchalant attitude, he shrugged aimlessly and crouched onto the sill, preparing to leap out.
But prior to, a soft palm cupped his cheek and turned his face to the side where his lips met another set. Surprised by the action, he jerked away, glancing at his companion curiously, "Uriko…?"
Her eyes were shy. "No good-bye kiss?"
He grinned in relief. "…Does this mean you forgive me?"
Not letting her answer yet, he leaned in and kissed her, placing his hands on her arms, holding onto her tightly. It was a long time before either of them backed off from the embrace, and Uriko peered at the other teenager through half-closed eyelids. Pressing two fingers against his lips, he smiled at her as he then brushed her mouth with them; giggling quietly, she returned the affection, and hugged him comfortingly.
"I should get going now…" he muttered reluctantly. "I'll come by in the morning, if that's alright with you."
She nodded. "Sure, that'd be great!"
"See you later," Kenji gave her a quick wave of his hand, and disappeared out her window to disappear into the cloaks of the night.
The fifteen-year-old watched him go, a smile touching her lips. Reaching her hands to grasp the latches of the panes, she pulled them together inwardly, and shut the window. She was about to lock it, but then grinned and left it alone, just in case the young ninja decided to visit her again sometime in the future.
The End… for now
Author's Note:
Hey! For all of you that have played Bloody Roar III, I think it's safe to speak for a lot of us when I say that the stories suck, don't they? -_-0… That was a step backward, Hudson, oi… Well, I was really disappointed with both Kenji and Uriko's Arcades. Honestly, Kenji being a jack@$$ and snubbing one of his closest friends? Uriko acting like she's a five-year-old kid? What the hell is up with that bullcrap? I hope that this ending was more preferable than the game's, hehe. =) Thank you all for reading and please leave a review!With love for my fans,
Tiger5913