FIRST DATE
Neko was running through King's Terminal, pursuing a criminal, pushing people away as she tried to catch her target. "Matte! You're under arrest!" she shouted, but he kept running. Fed up, she removed her boot and aimed at an angle before throwing it like a boomerang. It struck the man in the head, instantly knocking him to the ground, before returning to her. She ran over and pinned him to the ground before she handcuffed him.
He was only an E-class bounty. Kenzaki had been training her and thought she'd be better off starting at the bottom and working her way up. The guy was a mere shoplifter in the King's Terminal; he would barely pull in 100 credits. Kenzaki thought that so far she'd been progressing well, hunting E and D class criminals easily.
It was obvious that she really enjoyed working side by side with Kenzaki, and always used her money for a noble cause. She usually took the money and helped certain families whose children were in dire need of cash for expensive surgeries, she even volunteered at hospital children wards, while Kenzaki spent some of his free time as a combat instructor at SCRTC, helping to train the next generation of JyuKen users.
Kenzaki met Neko at the collection office, where they would pick up their pay after capturing criminals. "Nice work, Neko," said Kenzaki.
"Arigato, Ken-kun," said Neko. It had only been two weeks after the end of the Zodiac War. Neko had ended up joining Kenzaki as a bounty hunter and was now co-owner of the GaroLiner. They had spent a lot of time together over the past two weeks, and while the GaroLiner crew had considered them a couple, the two still had something missing. Aside from their "date" during the ceasefire, where Rose had come along and ruined any chance of some alone time with Neko, the pair had never been on a real date together.
Well, that was all about to change…
"Hey, Neko…" began Kenzaki. "I was wondering…since we technically haven't been on a date yet…" Kenzaki was having trouble getting the words out. He decided to just spit it out and get it over with. "Would you like to go out on a date with me?"
Neko looked at him for a moment, not saying anything. Kenzaki looked stunned, unsure of what she was going to say. "Of course, Ken-kun! I would love to go out with you!" she said happily, wrapping her arms around the Wolf Rider's neck.
"He asked you out? For real?" a black haired girl with red eyes said in surprise, "And you said yes?"
"Hai, can you believe it?" Neko smiled. "I've been waiting for him to ask for a long time."
"I honestly don't know what you see in the guy. I personally would never date a man," the black haired girl with red eyes responded with a frown.
"Kat-chan, not all men are bad," Neko told her companion.
"Well, enough of them are and that's all I care," said Kat as she sipped on her strawberry milkshake. That's right, this was Kat. Apparently, Ryuki's wish had given life to Kat again and when she resurfaced she freaked out A LOT of people. Kenzaki had been ready to put a bullet in her head on sight. Luckily for her, Neko and Ryuki defended her since she didn't seem to be possessed by the dark powers of the Living Gate.
After several hours of examination by Shadowcobra, Raven and Libra, they were able to confirm that she was no longer the Living Gate. However, that still didn't help ease the tension as she'd been responsible for a lot of pain and suffering for the Titans.
Therefore, she took her time and apologized to them for her action, especially to Rose and Cathy whom she loved deeply. Rose had been fighting over Neko with Kenzaki at the time but when she looked deeply into Kat's red kitty-cat eyes, she knew that this was the aspect of Kat she fell in love with. She fell in love with the adrenaline-crazed, unpredictable, crazy, impulsive and generally badass Kat. She'd only been after Neko to fill up the void after Katherine tried to rape her but that version of Kat was long gone and dead. Cathy started calling her 'mama' again and Neko was considered Cathy's aunt since Kat was her sister.
It took time, money and a lot of effort to create new documents for Kat, like a birth certificate, social security number and a new ID but after all was said and done, Kat was welcomed into the family and well Emiko loved the fact that she now had twin daughters. Even Kyousuke (Libra) was happy to have his family back together. Despite being a member of the Celestial Realm, he was allowed to visit frequently and mend a few things between himself, his daughter and his son. However, Ryuki was still not on good terms with him for obvious reasons.
Of course, Kenzaki was one of the people who hated the idea of Kat being alive again. She was a living reminder of the death of his family and no amount of apologizing would ever change it. However, since killing Kat would upset Neko, he decided to just trade insulting remarks with the psychotic girl whenever they met. That system was working well for him.
He would call her psychotic witch, she would threaten to 'fix' him, and then Neko would have to break them up before stuff ended up being destroyed. He got along with the rest of Neko's family, with the exception of Saeji, but Kat was a different case altogether.
Kat was still Slade's apprentice and, while at odds with the Titans, wasn't exactly a villain. She was more of a mercenary and vigilante, using her own methods to get the job done. Her methods were violent and had earned her quite the name in the underworld. It also gave her a price on her head but not many were brave enough to go after her due to her reputation. Kenzaki was more than willing but Neko was still an issue. Besides, she wasn't trying to takeover/destroy the world now so she wasn't a huge threat…at least for now.
Kat and Neko were identical. Aside from their eye color, you couldn't really tell them apart. Their hairdos did set them apart, though. Neko wore he hair in a braid with her bow ribbon at the end and Kat wore her hair down with the bow on top. Yes, she wore it again. Rose said she looked cuter that way.
Currently, the two identical twins were in a diner in Jump City, sitting across from each other at a booth, drinking milkshakes. Kat was drinking a strawberry one while Neko had vanilla.
"But why Tsukuba? He tried to put a bullet in your head," Kat reminded.
"Only because of what the Living Gate powers made us do," Neko frowned. "He watched us kill his family, Kat-chan, and I still feel guilt over that."
"You're not the only one," Kat muttered. "I still think you can do better. There's this club for girls only and…"
"Please, Kat-chan, don't try to fix me up so we can have an orgy," Neko pled. "I just wanted to tell you that I was going out on a date with Ken-kun."
Kat snorted, "Fine…But if he tries anything, take a knife and stab him in the gonads."
Neko blushed and defended, "Ken-kun would never do that to me."
"Still, just incase…"
"Just drink your milkshake."
"Yes, ma'am."
"You want to date my sister?" Ryuki asked as he sat across from Kenzaki. They were at a local café in the King's Terminal and while Ryuki was having some club sandwiches with tea, Kenzaki was having a large submarine sandwich with coffee. Ryuki would never touch coffee, not since…
As the two were owners of their respective time trains, Ryuki would often come to the King's Terminal to relax. Kenzaki came to relax and the two had bumped into each other. Since Kenzaki had asked Neko on a date, he thought he should ask Ryuki on what she might like to do.
"So, can you help me?" Kenzaki asked.
"If you want to ask about what Neko might like, well she likes sushi," Ryuki supplied.
"I know that, but what else?" Kenzaki asked.
Ryuki shrugged, "I don't know her that well. I grew up with onee-chan and all she loves to do is causing trouble, getting into fights, illegal street racing, illegal street fighting, bar fights, or whatever gets her on an adrenaline high." Ryuki knew Kat loved to live an exciting life where rules did not matter.
"Can we not talk about your evil sister and talk about your nicer one?" Kenzaki begged. He didn't want to talk about Kat. He hated her, a lot.
"Well, they shared the same body up until now so maybe they share some of the same habits," Ryuki remarked, "But, if you want to take Neko-chan out on a date, I suggest you take her to a nightclub. She likes to dance."
"OK."
"And she likes to sing Karaoke too. Oh, and don't forget that she also likes cats so maybe you should take her to a pet shop that has kittens on display."
"Go on," Kenzaki nodded.
"She also likes sushi, which I mentioned before, but she prefers conveyer belt sushi places since she loves to see them pass by her and she can choose what she wants."
"So, a sushi place?"
"But, since this will be your first official date with her, maybe you should try to plan things out yourself. What I gave you were just suggestions. Just make sure it's exciting for her too."
"Thanks, man," Kenzaki slapped Ryuki's shoulder.
"So…are you going to finish that?" Ryuki pointed at the sandwich Kenzaki had ordered and had taken a few bites out of.
"Knock yourself out."
Neko was in her room aboard the GaroLiner, standing in front of her mirror. She was in her underwear and clothing was strewn all over the floor. She was experimenting with various hairstyles to see what would look good and tried out various hair accessories but she didn't know what to wear for Kenzaki. Gekiryuken, being old fashioned, was of little help in this situation so she was just following her instincts blindly. She didn't want to trouble Kumiko or Shiori either but their help would've been nice.
"OK, Kenzaki likes me when I'm cute, so…" Neko pulled up her hair into a ponytail and looked herself in the mirror. "OK, a ponytail looks good for tonight." She took an elastic band and tied her hair into a ponytail before reaching over for one of her many bow ribbons. She chose the midnight blue one that had white sparkling specks that looked like stars. She tied the ribbon into place. "OK, looks good so far. Now…for an outfit."
She inspected her options. Should she go with a tank top, crop top, halter top, tube top or just a t-shirt? She saw a purple & white striped and sleeveless crop top and quickly chose it. Next, should she choose a skirt or pants? She chose a pair of tight blue jeans with a studded belt. Finally, footwear. She chose her boots. It wasn't that hard.
She looked herself in the mirror and liked what she saw. Now, she needed to apply a little makeup and hope Kenzaki liked what he saw.
Kenzaki was standing in his room, and he was deep in thought. Why, you may ask. Well, it's because…
"I have no idea what to do!" he cried out. Kenzaki, due to his occupation, had never had a serious relationship with anyone. He had dated a few times and had his fair share of one-night stands, but never anything overly serious. Kenzaki was looking through his clothes trying to find something to wear. He eventually settled on a long sleeved grey shirt and black jeans. It was a casual date tonight.
Kenzaki looked over the list of ideas that he had made up on where to take Neko for their first official date. He had found out that King's Terminal held a Karaoke bar; that would be the first place he would take her. After that, he had discovered an amusement park also in King's Terminal. The movie theatre at King's Terminal was playing various types of films that night and he decided that maybe they should go see a movie as well. After talking with Ryuki, he'd discovered Neko's favorite place for sushi was in her home town. Also, a nearby nightclub would be their last stop for their date. She loved to dance and he wanted to dance with her.
He had hoped everything would be OK. He knew Neko was born rich, but not snobbish like most rich people that had required his services in the past. Kenzaki was different; he grew up in a good home, with a steady flow of money, but was never rich. He had become rich after becoming a bounty hunter and hunting the big payoffs, but maintained a simple lifestyle. As such, he had no idea on what to expect on this date.
"I think I may be in trouble," he muttered to himself.
Kenzaki stood in front of Neko's door and knocked. He was a little nervous but he'd asked her and now he had to face her.
The door slid open and "Wow…" was all Kenzaki could say. He was absolutely stunned at how Neko looked. She had added some bracelets to her wrists and a black choker with a silver oval ornament hanging from it. She looked even cuter than normal to him. "Kawaii…" he breathed out. Neko blushed at this. Kenzaki then blushed at the realization he had said that out loud. He rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"You don't look too bad yourself, Ken-kun," said Neko, smiling. She was very excited because Kenzaki had finally asked her out. She was also very excited because she didn't really know what to expect for tonight, as Kenzaki had only told her to dress casually for the date.
"Well, the Liner is about to stop at the King's Terminal, so let's wait in the dining car till then, OK? Shiori just baked some muffins."
"Sweet," Neko grinned before grasping his hand. "Let's go."
The GaroLiner stopped at the King's Terminal, docking in one of the large KingLiners before one of the doors opened. Kenzaki hopped out and was followed by Neko who quickly grasped his hand. She was beaming and blushing at the same time as she looked at him. Their first date! She could hardly believe it.
"Ken-kun, ikuyo," she said to her date.
"Um, alright," he nodded. He'd planned out the date based on what he and Ryuki had talked about. He and Neko were going to do the things she enjoyed and he was going to enjoy them with her.
Kenzaki and Neko walked around the King's Terminal, which still had people bustling about, waiting for their time trains to arrive to take them to certain time eras, either for business or pleasure. Kenzaki and Neko were here to hang out as a couple. Neko had left Gekiryuken with Kumiko so that she and Kenzaki could be alone.
"Say, Neko," he began. She turned to look at him. He blushed as she just looked so cute. "Say…you wanna go for Karaoke?"
At the mention of Karaoke, Neko's eyes sparkled. "Sure!"
"Well, I know this place we can go to," Kenzaki said. He'd scoped it out and it looked decent enough.
The catty girl hugged the wolfish bounty hunter's arm and said, "Lead the way, Garoh-chan!"
Kenzaki smiled. So far so good.
The two entered the room after paying at the counter. It was roomy with a couch, a table, a TV and a Karaoke set. They had ordered their drinks, which would come in a few minutes, but Neko was eager to sing and Kenzaki wanted her to have fun. She leafed through the list of songs while flipping the pages of the book that was on the table. "Ken-kun, what do you think I should I sing?" she asked him.
"Just choose anything you like," he replied and she nodded. She found a song she knew and punched in the code before the TV came to life and the music played. She kept her attention on the screen before the lyrics appeared and she started to sing. She was a great singer as Kenzaki listened to her singing "Simple and Clean". After she finished the song, Neko begged Kenzaki to sing something too. He reluctantly obeyed and picked a song. It was entitled "Full Force" and Neko clapped as she listened to him sing.
The drinks came and the couple sang several songs, alternatively, before Neko decided they should sing a duet. Kenzaki was glad that no one saw him sing in a Karaoke lounge. He may enjoy his time with Neko but he still had a reputation to maintain.
After singing a duet together, the two relaxed on the couch. Though, Neko was leaning close against his body, smiling up at him. "Ken-kun, thanks for bringing me here."
"Hey, we're on a date and the guy should treat his girl right," he replied. Neko beamed and then leaned up to kiss his lips softly.
"So, what's next?" she asked.
"Well…wanna go to the amusement park?" he asked.
"YES!" she squealed before glomping him. They ended up landing on the floor with a thud. Their waiter came in again with another round of drinks but when he saw the couple he blinked before bowing and backing away. He closed the door to allow Kenzaki and Neko some privacy.
The amusement park was huge. After Kenzaki paid for their tickets, Neko dragged him inside so they could go on some of the rides and eat as much junk food as possible.
The first ride they went on was a rollercoaster and the rollercoaster cars looked just like one of the many time trains that stopped at the Terminal. This was followed by a few other rides that one should never get on after eating a meal. The rides they went on were a Gravity Chamber, a Pendulum, a Free-Fall ride, a Parachute Ride and many others that would make ones heart race and adrenaline to start pumping. Neko's heart beat fast which each ride but she enjoyed them, especially with Kenzaki with her. They held hands the entire time.
After the rides, Neko and Kenzaki went to get some snacks. He got her some cotton candy and a candied apple while he got himself a chilidog. They both sat on a bench to relax after going on those rides.
"Those rides…were awesome!" Neko exclaimed before taking a bite out of her candied apple. Kenzaki smiled. The rides had been wild but he'd faced worst.
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," he said.
"Are you kidding!? I want to go on all those rides again before we leave!"
Kenzaki chuckled lightly. Neko was just so full of life and energy. He was glad to be on a date with this girl.
After finishing their snacks, Neko and Kenzaki entered the Haunted House, which was not a good idea if Kenzaki knew how Neko would react. They got thrown out because Neko kept punching out the actors who were wearing monster costumes.
They went on a few more rides before leaving but Neko was embarrassed. "Sorry for getting us thrown out, Ken-kun," she apologized.
"Hey, I shouldn't have made come along if I knew you'd react that way," Kenzaki replied. It was his fault, not hers.
"Still, I hope I didn't hurt them too bad," Neko frowned.
'If they ever saw you again, I think they would be the ones screaming,' Kenzaki thought. She'd hit them pretty hard.
"So, what else is there to do?" she asked.
"Why don't we go watch a movie right now?"
"OK!"
The two had gone and watched a movie at the local theatre. Since the King's Terminal linked with many worlds, they got movies from several different realities, a few which even revealed the secret identities of certain superheroes. Still, they enjoyed themselves as they watched the Dark Knight. After leaving the theatre, Neko shuddered.
"I will never see clowns the same, ever again," she replied.
"Hey, it was just a movie," he responded.
"I know, but the Joker was real on my world," she replied. "I can't believe Bruce Wayne is Batman. I should've known, though."
"Yeah, but just don't blab," he said. "Well, it's a double feature night so how about we watch the second movie?"
"Hope it doesn't freak me out," she said. "What's it called?"
"Hellboy: the Golden Army."
The second movie had been great. It wasn't too scary plus it had a lot of great action scenes.
"I love Hellboy!" Neko exclaimed.
"I knew you would," Kenzaki chuckled.
"And now I'm hungry," Neko said, rubbing her tummy.
"We just had two large buckets of popcorn in there," Kenzaki pointed out.
"Those were just snacks! Now, I'm starving. All that excitement had made me hungry."
"Well, I do know a good sushi place and-" She grabbed his shirt.
"Take me there!" she demanded. "Now!"
The last time Kenzaki and Neko had gone for sushi, it hadn't been great since Rose pretty much ruined it for them. Now, it was just them so they sat down and watched as the sushi went by on a conveyer belt.
"Oh, everything looks so good!" Neko said as she watched the sushi move around the conveyer belt. There were so many varieties of sushi and Neko felt she was in heaven as she licked her lips. "And smells nice too."
"Here," Kenzaki picked up a plate with two pieces of eel sushi. "You like sushi, right?" Neko used her chopsticks to grab one of the two pieces and quickly popped it into her mouth. She then smiled as she savored the delicious sushi. "Well?"
"Oh, it's delicious! Melts in the mouth!"
Kenzaki got his own Dynamite Roll as it passed by and enjoyed himself too. Their time in the sushi restaurant was spent with eating and exchanging small talk. It was nice to just get out of the GaroLiner and relax without worrying about the next bounty so soon.
"I feel bloated," Neko said before belching. She blushed, "Excuse me."
"Hey, it's no problem," he replied. "You still look great."
"I must've had 30 pieces of sushi in there," she said.
"More or less," he shrugged. "You want to sit down?"
"Sure," Neko nodded before he and her sat down on a bench.
She leaned against him as she closed her eyes and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They were just enjoying each other's company, peacefully. No fuss, stress, danger or trouble.
Kenzaki remembered the pain he'd felt when Neko faded away after the Living Gate's destruction. He'd fallen in love with her and when she died, he felt…lost. Fortunately, Ryuki's wish had brought Neko to life and Kenzaki lost his composure before hugging her making sure she was real and that he was not dreaming. Neko knew instantly that he truly loved her.
Breaking up with Rose hadn't been easy but luckily Kat had been revived as well, much to Kenzaki's chagrin. While Kenzaki loved Neko, he hated Kat just as much as she was a living reminder of all his pain and suffering. Still, he let her live only because of Neko. Of course, Kenzaki would let out his frustration by shooting at targets with Kat's face on them. Despite Kat and Neko having the same face, they had different eyes. Neko's eyes were blue and gentle while Kat's eyes were red and vicious. The only thing he was thankful for was that now he would not need to fight with Rose over Neko as Rose was now with Kat again. Cathy had also considered Kat her mama again but would call Neko. 'Neko-mama' even if Neko was now her aunt since Kat and Neko were more or less sisters now, twin sisters no less.
"Anything else you got planned?" Neko asked her date. She wasn't too tired to have more fun.
"Wanna dance?" he asked her. "I know this little club you might like."
Loud music played as bodies gyrated on the dance floor. Lights of many colors flashed in the nightclub. It was a place where older teens could have fun and dance to the music. A bounty hunter (Kenzaki) was being dragged onto the dance floor by a rather eager swordswoman (Neko) before they found a spot for them to dance.
"Come on and shake your body!" she whooped as she started to dance. Kenzaki tried to follow her motions and he was starting to get it.
After several minutes of dancing, Kenzaki and Neko went to the bar. They sat down, ordered some non-alcoholic drinks, and he said to her, "I'm going to go find a bathroom. Wait here for me, OK?" Neko gave him a nod before he pushed through the large crowd, trying to find the men's room. Neko, as she was sipping her cola, felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see a guy, a year or two older, with brown hair and brown eyes. He looked rather handsome.
"So, you wanna dance, baby?" he said to her. Neko eyed him and put down her drink.
"Sorry, but I'm with someone," she said, trying to let him down gently. He grabbed her arm.
"Aw, come on!" he said. "One dance won't hurt."
"Let go!" she protested, pulling away.
"I said dance with me!" he forced her and her eyes narrowed dangerously. She reached up to her choker and gripped the ornament. Her entire body, skin, hair and clothes, started to take on the ornament's properties which was solid steel and the guy backed away in fear at the transformed girl.
"What the hell!?" he exclaimed.
"You wanna dance?" she grinned before roaring, "Let's dance!"
Kenzaki came out of the bathroom to see the crowd standing still. Something was definitely going on so he pushed his way through and got in front of the crowd to see what was going on. He groaned, "Should've known."
Just because Neko was 'the nice one' didn't mean she was a pushover. The guy had friends and right now Neko, now made of steel, was throwing the guys around and beating them senseless.
"When a girl says no, she means no!" she shouted as she smashed her fist into the guy's cheek, sending him flying into the bar. She looked around and saw the crowd staring. "What?"
Kenzaki decided that it was time to leave so he grabbed her hand, which felt like cold steel – no surprise there – and dragged her out of the club.
Outside, Neko turned back to normal and looking at Kenzaki. She pulled away, glaring, "Hey, you didn't have to come save me! I could handle myself!"
"I know you could, but you could've killed someone!" Kenzaki shot back.
"Hey, he was coming onto me!" Neko snapped and Kenzaki froze.
"He was?"
"Yup," she nodded. Kenzaki was headed back for the club. "Where are you going?"
"To take care of something. Be right back."
The two walked back towards the GaroLiner, holding hands the entire time. Neko looked a little downcast.
"Well, looks like we won't be going to that club ever again," Kenzaki said. He noticed she was quiet.
"Thanks for defending my honor and all and I'm sorry I yelled at you," Neko said. The door to the Liner opened and she said, "So, this is the end of our date?"
Kenzaki smiled mysteriously, "Not yet. We're going to go somewhere but we're going to need the Liner."
Neko blinked. Was Kenzaki trying to surprise her? The night had been great and one more surprise wasn't going to totally ruin it. "OK. Let's go then."
The GaroLiner raced out of a portal and dropped both Neko and Kenzaki off before flying into another one. Neko looked at her surroundings. "Hey, this is…"
"Your hometown. Fukurou, right?"
"Right," Neko nodded. This place held a lot of memories for her, both good and bad.
"Wanna go for a walk?" he offered before taking her hand. She nodded and they both walked along the sidewalk. It was dark and the street lights were lit. As they were walking, they passed by a park and playground before Neko stopped.
"Hey, I remember this place!" she said before dragging Kenzaki along with her. Se went towards the swing set and sat down on one of the swings. "Ryu-chan, mama and I used to come here a lot when we were kids." She smiled.
"So, this place must hold a lot of happy memories," Kenzaki noted.
"After papa disappeared…" Neko frowned. "Mama tried to hard to make sure we stayed happy. She took us here all the time on Sunday. She would sit on that bench and watch Ryu-chan and me play."
"And no bodyguards?" he asked. Neko shook her head.
"It was out private time as a family," she responded. She then giggled at a particular memory. "Oh, this was also the place where I had my first crush."
Kenzaki, interested, sat down on the swing beside Neko. "First crush, huh?"
"I was 7," she replied, "And Ryu-chan and I were playing catch. The ball flew over me so I went to go get it. It rolled onto the road and I chased after it. I heard mama yell and then I heard a truck coming at me. I froze but then he showed up and saved me."
Kenzaki blinked. Something about that event sounded familiar. "Who?"
"My first crush, of course!" Neko giggled, blushing. "He was older than me. He looked like he was twelve years old. He just ran and grabbed me, pulling me away from the road before I got hit."
'OK, that definitely sounds familiar,' Kenzaki thought. "Did you get a name?"
Neko shook her head. "No, he just walked away. But I could never forget his face. He was so handsome and he had beautiful…silver hair…" Neko blinked and froze before looking straight at Kenzaki, "Like yours…" It was a coincidence right? It had to be. 'Wait a minute. It was impossible, right?'
And once again fate decides to throw them another curveball.
"Well…" began Kenzaki. "I remember coming to a park like this before. It was when Gou took me to SCRTC to begin my JyuKen training. We came to a park for some R and R, and I saw this girl." Neko looked at him. "She was really cute, couldn't have been older than 7 years old. She was in the street and was almost hit by a truck before I pulled her out of the way."
Neko blinked and then she looked at Kenzaki seriously. The boy she had a crush on when she was 7 and the man she was on a date on right now…were one and the same. Boy, talk about a coincidence!
Kenzaki was thinking along different lines. He'd saved Neko's life. Though, back then Neko and Kat were still occupying the same body. In a way, he'd saved the life of the girl who would one day massacre his entire family. The reason…the reason Copycat existed…was him.
Talk about irony.
"Woah," Neko rubbed the back of her neck. This was really awkward. The silence was uncomfortable and could be broken at any second as the two bounty hunters on the date averted their eyes from each other. They had met before? Talk about a shocker.
"So, you saved my life 12 years ago," Neko said, finally finding her voice. This was huge! Was it destiny that bound their fates together?
"It would seem so," Kenzaki said, recovering from the shock.
"I think I need to sit down," said Neko and Kenzaki took hold of her hand, gently. She looked so fragile now, like she could break down at any moment. He led her to a nearby bench and both sat down. She ran her hand through her hair, thinking deeply.
"Ken-kun, you said that you were twelve when it happened, right?" Neko asked, referring to his family's massacre and the loss of his world.
"That's right," he replied.
"And when you were twelve you were found by the original Garoh. Then you came to this world and met me…us…Kat and I in the same body when we were 7," she continued.
Kenzaki didn't know what she was getting at, but he didn't like it.
She chuckled but there was no humor behind her laughter. "It would've been better if you'd just let the truck hit me, then your family wouldn't have been-"
Kenzaki grabbed her shoulders, "Don't you dare say that!"
"But it's true, isn't it?" she cried. "I mean look at the facts. If I die then this whole issue with the Living Gate wouldn't be a problem! Copycat wouldn't have ended up on your world, wouldn't have killed your family, wouldn't have-!" She was ranting. "It's just…how can you still love me after all that's happened!?" She had tears in her blue eyes, looking straight at him, confused. "How!?"
Kenzaki answered, "Because, I see a girl who's been through as much pain as I have." Neko had been trapped within a sea of darkness up until she and Kat separated. "You're not that monster."
"But I was still part of it! I remember every single detail! I remember laughing as your family died! I remembered all the lives that were loss!" she shouted frantically.
"Neko…do you know how I felt when you disappeared because of Katherine's death?"
"No, but probably relieved that both aspects of the monster that killed your family were gone…" she answered, tears flowing down her cheeks.
"I felt like I did when my family died," finished Kenzaki.
"Ken-kun…"
"I felt weak and useless. I had all the power I needed to beat Copycat, and yet I was still useless…because I couldn't save you."
"Ken-kun…"
Their eyes gazed deeply into each other as Neko felt her heart beating fast. Despite the fact that Copycat had ruined his life in the past, he saw no reason to fault her for it. In fact, he saw her as an innocent bystander who got caught up in everything by pure chance. Though Neko still felt guilt over the events which revolved around Neko, she had to remind herself that she was no longer Copycat. Neither was Kat, though her 'darker half' seemed to have enjoyed their past as Copycat. However, despite all her past crimes, rendered void by her brother's wish, Kenzaki…Kenzaki still loved her.
Kenzaki gazed into Neko's eyes. She was so beautiful. Even if her face was that of Copycat's, it didn't change how he felt about her. Whenever he remembered Copycat, her face would be twisted into a merciless and ruthless smile that was driven by an insane mind. Though he disliked Kat since she was the Yin half, he fell in love with Neko, the Yang half. To him Neko was nothing like Copycat. Even if killing her in the past meant killing Copycat permanently, he wouldn't have done it. He never killed innocent people and Neko was just an innocent who got caught up in this by accident. Still, he regretted trying to kill her on their first meeting because of his hatred for Copycat.
Kenzaki wrapped his arms around her shoulders and embraced her, holding the distraught girl against his chest. Neko in turn placed her hands on his waist, closing her eyes as she listened to the beating of his heart. This felt…this felt good.
This peaceful moment would seem trivial to others, but to these two, it meant everything. It was their special time to comfort one another.
Suddenly, Kenzaki heard a voice in his head, 'Oi, Shonen!'
"What?" Kenzaki muttered. "I'm a bit busy here."
'Well, then you don't want to hear about this then? There's an Imagin where you're at and it's not one of the nice ones.'
"Damn…" He let go of Neko. "Neko, it looks like we've got trouble."
Neko dried her tears. "Imagin?"
"Yup, and a pretty nasty one from what Okami told me."
"Then, let's go," Neko said, standing up. "Gekiryuken!" she called and instantly the medallion materialized around her neck. She then had Gekiryuken assume his Keyblade form before thrusting him upwards. "Gekiryu Henshin!"
Kenzaki summoned the Garoh Belt before extending his hand. "Tenrou!" he called. The sword instantly appeared in his extended hand. Kenzaki placed his sword out in front of him, the blade facing downward. He held out his Rider Pass, positioning it at the hilt of his blade. His blade began to glow. "Lunar Henshin!!" roared Kenzaki as he slid his Rider Pass across the flat of the sword.
"LUNAR FORM!" proclaimed the Garoh Belt.
A blue dragon made of energy burst out of Neko's Keyblade. Her clothing changed into a blue bodysuit with matching white gauntlets and boots. The dragon roared as it flew around her before fusing with her, encasing her body in the white and gold God Ryukendo armor.
The wind began to howl as silver strands began flowed around Kenzaki. Soon, the clouds moved to reveal a large, bright full moon. The light from the moon shone down upon Kenzaki, encompassing him in the light. The silhouette of his Plat Form appeared before it glowed brightly.
When the light fell away, it revealed an entirely Garoh's Lunar Form. His chest was covered with smooth silver and black armor that didn't hinder his movements. Shoulder guards jutted outward and curved at the end. His forearms and hands were protected by silver gauntlets. He was also wearing silver boots with black trimmings. He wore a black bodysuit underneath that, with specks of silver that resembled the night sky. His helmet was also unique. It looked exactly like a ferocious wolf's head, complete with snarling fangs and dark glowing red eyes. A sliver cape cascaded from his shoulders. The only remnant of his previous forms was the Garoh Belt strapped to his waist.
"Let's go," said Garoh and Ryukendo nodded, following after the Rider.
The Imagin resembled a rat to a certain degree. It had large round ears, and a long snout with sharp buck teeth. Its clothing was reminiscent of a pirate. It wore a dirt brown coat over a black shirt, boots and fingerless gloves. It also wore an eye patch and a pirate's hat and strapped to his hip was a cutlass sword. Right now, the Pirate Rat Imagin was causing havoc, scaring away couples who'd come to the park for some privacy. Either this was its contractor's wish or maybe a way for it to have some sick fun.
"Hey, you're really cute," the Pirate Rat Imagin grinned, looking at a girl he'd just caught. "How's about a kiss?" He puckered his lips and the girl struggled, disgusted. Her boyfriend had been knocked unconscious and lying on top of the broken bench.
Suddenly, the Pirate Rat Imagin was slammed in the back by two feet and released the girl. The girl decided to flee but not before grabbing her boyfriend and then dragging him away to someplace safe.
The Pirate Rat Imagin picked himself up to see who'd interrupted him. "Who the hell are you supposed to be!?"
"Your executioners," said Ryukendo coldly. She then charged forward and swung her Keyblade at the Imagin who duck underneath. He drew out his cutlass and parried another blow. He then slashed at her but she blocked with her shield and then sent him staggering with a kick.
"Garoh-chan, you're up," Ryukendo said to her date.
Garoh nodded and pointed at the Imagin. The boot on his right leg extended a crescent-like blade. "You piece of trash! You're ruining my date!" He charged low at the Imagin, his right leg and the crescent blade glowing brightly. He slammed into the Imagin dragging it along with him. He stopped his running and leapt up into the air; he extended his leg, and brought it down on the Imagin, hard! "Know your place!"
The crescent blade stabbed into the Imagin's shoulder, causing him to screech in pain. Garoh then kicked off him with his other foot and then said to Ryukendo, "All yours."
"Ryuou Giri!" Ryukendo called out as she charged at the Imagin. He tried to parry with his cutlass but Ryukendo's Keyblade sliced through the blade and struck the Imagin across the body. She and Garoh watched as the Imagin's body fell backwards before exploding.
Neko sat on her bed, replaying the events of her and Kenzaki's recent date in her mind. To her the date had gone wonderfully, until horrible memories came flooding back. "How can he say he cares after all I've done?" She heard a knock and said, "Coming." She put on a robe; she'd only been wearing a tank top and panties, and walked to the door. "Who is it?"
"It's Kenzaki."
She froze.
"Um…Ken-kun…" she began. "Can we talk tomorrow? I'm not feeling all that well."
"Neko, please, open the door," he said pleadingly, "Please."
Sighing, Neko pressed the button and the door slid open to reveal Kenzaki holding a small pink cat plushie. "For you," he said handing the plushie to her.
"Thank you," Neko nodded and was about to close the door when she felt Kenzaki's hand on her shoulder.
"Want to talk about it now?" It was referring to her memories.
"Fine," Neko sighed. She knew it was useless to argue, "Come inside." He did and the door slid close.
"So, is there anything wrong?" Kenzaki asked.
"Just trouble sleeping," she said, looking away. "It's nothing to worry about."
"Can't I worry just a little for my girlfriend?" he asked and Neko blanched. "What's wrong?"
"I'm just really confused."
"About what?"
"You, me, us," she babbled. "I wear the same face of the person who killed your family and destroyed your entire world. How can you still claim so easily to love me? It just…doesn't make sense. I'm tainted. Purified or not I've already been tainted. Just what do you see in me?"
"Well, let's see…" began Kenzaki. "The most obvious reason is because you're cute, but that's far from the only reason. You're willing to fight to protect those you care for. That's always a major plus to me. That and you're full of life and energy You're just a good person, that's what I see in you."
Neko was stunned by his answer and blushed a little, feeling elated. He thought that much of her? Who knew?
"What about me?" asked Kenzaki.
"What do you mean?" she responded, recovering from his answer.
"What in the Multiverse can a girl like you see in someone like me?"
Neko bit her lip. What could she say? The truth would be a good place to start. Taking a deep breath, she began, "At first I was afraid of you. I mean you tried to kill me." Kenzaki looked down; he was still kicking himself because of that. "Then, when you told me why you wanted to kill me, I couldn't face you out of guilt. After that, when you helped me save Rose and Cathy, I guess that was when I started liking you. Under all that cold steel skin and weapons is a big heart. Maybe I saw the big softie you were underneath all that. I see someone willing to go the distance for the people you care for. You're dedicated and loyal. And, I have to admit you're cute too."
"Oh," he responded. Him? Cute? No way. She giggled at his reaction.
Feeling impulsive and slightly impish, she took hold of his shoulders and pulled herself up, kissing him deeply on the lips. It was full of passion. It took Kenzaki two seconds to register that she was indeed kissing her before he kissed back, holding her hips to keep her steady. They broke apart after a near minute of kissing.
"Wow," Kenzaki responded. "Our first real kiss."
Neko blushed. "I guess you can say it."
Silence reigned between them.
"So, if you're okay, I guess I should leave," Kenzaki said, pointing to the door. "Goodnight." He was about to leave when he felt a hand gripping his shirt. Neko rested her forehead on his back.
"Stay here, with me, tonight?" Neko pled and Kenzaki couldn't refuse her. She didn't feel like being alone.
"OK." Neko and Kenzaki slowly moved towards the bed. Neko removed her robe which caused Kenzaki to blush slightly. He lied down first, with Neko lying next to him. He adjusted himself so that his head was lying on the pillow, while Neko laid her head on his chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart. She smiled at the feel of it, a mixture of warm muscle and cold steel. Neko reached down and pulled the blanket up and onto them.
"We make a pretty good team," said Neko.
"We sure do," he replied happily.
"So, when can I go after some C and B class bounties?" she asked.
"Let's just wait and see," answered Kenzaki. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in closer. He felt her breathing soften as she slowly fell to sleep. He too slowly began to sleep, but he was happy. And for the first time in twelve years, he slept through the night.
Gekiryuken, who was hanging from Neko's wall, watched and if he had lips he would've smiled. "Goodnight, ojou-sama and bocchama. Sweet dreams."
THE END