"Assassin's Creed: Elf Song"
By cdc100
Summary: As a child, Kaede is adopted, and now has a loving family. However, when her new father is kidnapped, she must learn the ways of the Assassins in order to save him.
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fanfiction. Elfen Lied is the property of AEsir Holdings, Madman Entertainment, Studio Arms, Anime Network and Lynn Okamoto. And Assassin's Creed is the property of Ubisoft, Patrice Desilets, Jade Raymond and Corey May. Please support the official releases.
Chapter Four
"Changes"
Eight Years Later…
Kaede woke up to the sound of loud beeping. Though still groggy, she recognized it as the Mickey Mouse alarm clock she had. She reached over and slammed her hand on the "off" switch, and sat up in the bed.
(A/N: Kaede Martino – Kira Vincent-Davis)
"God…I have got to change alarms," she said.
As soon as she spoke, she felt something warm and fuzzy rubbing against her bare leg. Looking down, she saw Gendo. The large dog was rubbing his nose against her leg, trying to coax his mistress out of bed.
"Hey, Gendo," she said, smiling. "Sleep well?"
The dog whined and looked at the alarm clock, then back at Kaede. She looked at the clock too, and made the connection.
"Yeah, you and me both, buddy," she said, scratching the dog behind the ears.
With that, Kaede jumped out of bed, and went to her bedroom window. She pulled back the drapes and let in the day's first light, and watched the city of Los Angeles bask in the early morning glow. She smiled at first, giving a good stretch as the light hit her, but then frowned as she remembered how she was dressed…or, rather, not dressed. She was wearing no pajama bottoms, and the shirt she was wearing was one button away from being completely open. With that in mind, she shut the drapes once again and went over to the closet. She pulled out a pair of short denim shorts, a pink spaghetti-strap top and a short-sleeved denim over shirt. She then put on some ankle-length socks. Finally, she took a purple ribbon off her dresser, stood in front of her mirror, and fastened the ribbon to her hair in such a way that her horns would be hidden. She picked up her electric pink backpack and opened her bedroom door.
"Well, Gendo," she said, "Let's go get some breakfast!"
Gendo barked and followed her out of her room and down the stairs. There, Kaede went into the house's pantry and pulled out a large bag of dog food and Gendo's bowl. She filled the bowl up and put the bag away. Then she got out some pastries and shoved them into the toaster.
"Eat up, buddy," she said. "I gotta go wake dad up."
Kaede ran back up the stairs and to her father's bedroom just across the stairwell from hers. She opened the door carefully, tiptoed over to her father's bed and gently tapped him.
Joe jumped up and pulled Kaede onto the bed, tickling and kissing her, causing Kaede to shriek and laugh at the same time.
"You thought I was asleep, didn't you? Huh?!" exclaimed Joe, smiling. "What do you want?"
"I'm making breakfast, Dad," said Kaede. "Gendo's eating and the toaster's about to pop. So get your writer's-blocked butt out of bed and come down."
Joe laid back down.
(A/N: Joseph Martino, A.K.A. "Halcón" – Troy Baker)
"I'll be down in a minute," he said. "I've just got to let my body catch up to my brain in the 'waking up' department."
"I'll butter your pop tarts," she said, leaving his room and going back downstairs. Once down, she pulled the pastries out of the toaster and buttered them all, then, using the hands she'd discovered eight years ago, she got out the milk and poured it into two glasses. Joe came downstairs just in time to witness this.
"You're getting better," he said.
Kaede smiled.
"Thanks," she said. "So, what do you have planned for today?"
"Eh," squeaked Joe. "I thought I'd write some today, then play a few songs on Guitar Hero."
"That's as far as you planned?" asked Kaede, frowning. "You know, you are capable of doing something constructive. Besides, you're not even that good at Guitar Hero."
"Yeah," said Joe. "But the most constructive thing I could do right now is write up my lesson plan, which, by some miracle, is the only thing that doesn't need written up right now."
Kaede smiled wryly.
"It must be nice being able to just relax all day," she said.
"You should try it," said Joe. "It's not too late. You haven't missed a single day of school this year. I could take you to Japan ten days early."
Kaede laughed.
"Thanks, Dad," she said, taking a bite of her pastry. "But I already have it way better than Kohta and the others. Our summer vacation is at least twice as long as theirs."
Joe smiled, digging into his pastry. After a few bites, he took a sip of milk.
"So, what have you been hearing from them these days?" he asked.
"Kohta and the others?" asked Kaede. "Well, I spoke to Yuka, and apparently, her mom is letting Kohta stay in a house near the bay so that he doesn't have to get a dorm room for college."
Joe acknowledged Kaede's statement with a grunt.
"Have you heard from Aiko lately?"
Kaede smiled.
"She and her mother are having a wonderful time," she said. "They've just returned from one of her mother's art exhibitions in Italy."
Joe chuckled.
"That's good news," he said.
"What about you?" asked Kaede.
"What about me?" asked Joe.
"Well, have you heard from Kohta's dad?" asked Kaede.
"He and Miyuki are still going strong," said Joe. "They're considering having a second honeymoon fairly soon."
"You know, it was very generous of you to pay for their wedding," said Kaede.
As Joe finished up his second pop tart, he shrugged.
"Well, what can I say?" he asked. "I've got plenty. And if I didn't have a friend or two that I liked, I'd either end up blowing it all on myself or you."
"I wouldn't mind the second part so much," joked Kaede.
Joe snickered.
"Just keep your grades up, and you can expect a big payout from me," he said.
"I was just kidding, Dad," said Kaede. "You give me enough of an allowance as it is."
Joe nodded.
"So, what are your plans today?" he asked.
"Nothing, really," said Kaede. "I was just going to meet up with the others at school and hang out. I'm going to be without them for a while, so I might as well make the time I have with them fun."
"That's the truth," said Joe. "Well, you'd better hurry up. School starts in about half an hour."
"Right," said Kaede, wolfing down her pop tarts and guzzling down her milk.
"Very ladylike," said Joe, smirking.
This earned him a scowl from Kaede.
"Hey, sorry," said Joe, holding up his hands. "You need me to drive you?"
"That's okay, Dad," said Kaede, pulling on her shoes. "After those two pop tarts, I'll need the exercise."
"You know, two pop tarts aren't going to make you fat," said Joe.
"I know," said Kaede. "I just don't want it to catch up to me. I'll see you after school, Dad. I love you."
"Love you too, sweetheart," said Joe, digging into his second pop tart as Kaede shut the door behind her.
Kaede jumped onto her bicycle, and raced out of the driveway.
The heat is on
On the street
She raced down a downhill sidewalk.
Inside your head
On every beat
She swerved left after reaching the bottom of the slope, going down yet another slope.
And the beat's so loud
Deep inside
She waved as she passed by some pedestrians
The pressure's high
Just to stay alive
She looked at her watch.
Cause the heat is on
Even though she wasn't pressed for time, she saw a light about to turn red up ahead. The walk or don't walk sign had a flashing hand and started its countdown.
"Challenge accepted," smiled Kaede.
Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho,
Caught up in the action
I've been lookin out for you
Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
(Tell me can you feel it)
She made it through the light just as the timer reached "1."
The heat is on
The heat is on
The heat is on
Oh it's on the street
Kaede reached the school in no time, and mounted her bike on one of the bike racks.
The heat is
On
"Good thing I'm not in a Japanese high school," said Kaede. "I'd have been fighting to make sure I wasn't showing anything the whole way."
She locked her bike lock, and pulled off her backpack, thanking whatever higher power existed that her locker was just inside. As soon as she got inside, she opened her locker, pulled out her things for her first class, then put up her backpack and shut her locker. Not far from her locker, she could see a figure coming toward her with a familiar limp.
"Hey, Alan," she said, smiling. "How's it going?"
"Not bad," said Alan. "Forget what time school starts again?"
(A/N: Alan Fixer – Johnny Yong Bosch)
"No. Just kind of slow getting ready for school," she said, pulling out and opening a small case that contained mints. She pulled one out and popped it into her mouth.
The boy that approached her was none other than her friend, Alan Fixer. Alan was the same age as her and Kohta. He wore small rectangular glasses and dressed fairly well. He was almost always seen carrying a black, wooden cane, due to an injury he suffered years before. Alan was of Native American descent, and without his glasses, in Kaede's opinion, he looked a lot like Kohta. The only noticeable differences between the two were how long Alan's hair was compared to Kohta's, how much darker Alan's skin was, and the difference in eye color.
"Skip on brushing your teeth again?" he asked.
Kaede scowled playfully at him.
"What business is that of yours?" she asked.
"I guess none," said Alan. "Anyway, the only reason I asked is because you seemed rushed coming through the door. Were you racing traffic?"
"As a matter of fact…" began Kaede, putting a finger to her chin.
Alan laughed, knowing she was joking.
"I gotta confess," said Alan. "Part of the reason I came is because the others were kind of wondering where you were. Sandy was practically beside herself."
"Where are they right now?" asked Kaede.
"Laura, Zeke and Sandy are up at the cafeteria, getting some late breakfast," said Alan.
"They should have sent Zeke to see if I was here," said Kaede.
"I volunteered," said Alan. "I needed the exercise."
"Has your leg been stiffening up again?" asked Kaede.
"Just a little," said Alan. "It'll get better. It always does."
"You need me to help you up the stairs?" asked Kaede.
Alan chuckled.
"No, I'll be fine," he said. "Don't worry."
"You sure?" asked Kaede. "It wouldn't take much for me. I could lift you up and put you right on the landing."
"Like I said, I need the exercise," said Alan.
"So do my extra arms," said Kaede.
"You know, I hear they may get their chance pretty soon," said Alan. "Zeke told me all about the scuffle the two of you had with Terry Jenkins. He said you challenged him to a fight."
"Would you prefer I told the truth?" asked Kaede.
Alan smirked.
"I get the feeling you just did," he said. "Look. Just be careful, okay? I don't want to have to explain to your dad how your pretty face got crushed in."
"Come on, Alan," said Kaede. "Jenkins is a puss. Besides, even if he wasn't, Zeke will be with me. So I'll be fine.
"If you say so," said Alan.
The two of them came to the stairs, and Alan placed the stopper of his cane on the first step.
"You know, with all the grants this school gets, you'd think they'd install more than one elevator," he said, struggling to get his bad leg off the bottom floor. "I know that at least one person in this school uses a wheelchair."
Kaede shook her head, took Alan's arm and slung it over her shoulders.
"Alright, up we go," she said, helping him walk up despite his earlier protests.
"Thanks, Kaede," he said.
Soon they were up the stairs, and they walked to the cafeteria. Upon reaching it, they found their other friends sitting and waiting.
"What took you so long, Al?" asked a boy who was slightly older than Alan. This was their friend Zeke Garner. He was a little taller than Alan, and smirked cockily at them. The most distinguishing feature this boy possessed was a black eyepatch over his right eye.
"Don't tell me the stairs got you again?" he asked.
(A/N: Ezekiel "Zeke" Garner – Steve Blum)
"You only have yourselves to blame, sending a cripple off to find our friend," said Alan, smiling.
"I seem to recall you saying, 'Oh, don't worry about it, guys, I'll go look for her,'" said Zeke.
"Doesn't matter," said another boy, who was the youngest of the group. This was Vito Perelli. He was the shortest of the group, even below Kaede's stature. He was well-dressed for someone his age, wearing a button-up shirt and a suit jacket.
"The important thing is, they're both here, now," said Vito.
(A/N: Vito Perelli – Todd Haberkorn)
One girl, Sandy McGill, spoke up.
"I've been looking for those cute little eary-ears of yours all morning!" she exclaimed.
(A/N: Sandy McGill – Megan Hollingshead)
"For God's sake, Sandy," said Kaede. "We've talked about this. Just because they're there doesn't mean you can touch them."
"How can you say that to me?" whined Sandy.
"Give it a rest, Sandy," said the other girl, Laura Armstrong.
(A/N: Laura Armstrong – Jamie Marchi)
"But why?" asked Sandy. "They're so cute! They make her wook wike a cute wittle kitty cat!"
"Sandy, they're Kaede's body parts," said Laura. "It's no different than you coming up behind me and grabbing my boobs."
"Like this?" asked Zeke, whose hands Laura suddenly felt on her chest.
"What the-?!" exclaimed Laura, promptly turning around and punching Zeke.
"AGH! MY EYE!" exclaimed Zeke, placing his hand over his only eye. "Why do you always aim for that?!"
"Because going for your groin is too derivative," said Laura, turning back around and continuing with her bagel with cream cheese.
"It's good to see you, Kaede," she said. "How was the weekend?"
"Not bad," said Kaede. "Thanks again for coming over on Friday."
"Oh, like we would miss out on any video game tournament your dad throws," said Zeke, still rubbing his eye.
"Yeah," said Alan. "I love a chance to shine."
Vito shrugged.
"It was the least I could do, Kaede," he said.
Kaede smiled and sat down with her friends.
"You guys got any plans today?" she asked.
"Stuff a few thumbtacks into my asshole of a history teacher's chair, sabotage the librarian's computer, and get away with it," said Zeke.
"I mean, like, classes," said Kaede.
Alan sighed.
"Calculus is kicking my butt," he said. "I need to get some help so I'm ready for my final next week."
"I can help you with that, Alan," said Laura. "If you were having trouble, you should have come to me in the first place."
"I didn't want to bother you," said Alan.
"Dude," said Zeke. "I'm not going to give you one of those cheesy-ass 'We're friends, we look out for each other,' speeches. But it's just common sense that if you're having trouble, you go straight to Kaede or Laura."
"That's the truth," said Vito. "They've got the best grades out of all of us."
Laura took a sip of milk.
"Anything you're having trouble with, Kaede?" she asked.
"Nope!" she exclaimed.
"Lucky," said Sandy.
"Well, enough about that," said Zeke. "Kaede, ready to lay the smack-down on Jenkins?"
Kaede shrugged.
"Actually, I'm kind of hoping he'll chicken out," she said. "Unlike you, I don't get off on getting detention."
"I do not get off on detentions," growled Zeke. "I just don't think anyone has the right to tell me how to act, how to live, or what to do. And if a bunch of detentions are the price of my point being made, so be it."
"Whatever," said Laura.
"Just remember what I said," said Alan.
"I'll be fine," said Kaede.
As they finished their conversation, the group heard the intercom ding, signifying the end of morning relaxation and five minutes until their first class began. The group bid each other goodbye before going their separate ways to their first classes. As she made her way to her morning history class, Kaede passed a young boy with long black hair. She knew this to be Terry Jenkins. The two said nothing to each other, instead choosing to scowl silently at the other as they passed by.
When the two were well away from each other, Kaede turned a corner and went into her first class of the day. She just sat down in her seat and got comfortable when the bell rang and her teacher walked in. Back when she lived at Kamakura's orphanage, she never pictured herself being in high school, and doing so well.
Kaede was now approaching her senior year of high school. When she first came to America with her new father, she had been unbelievably scared of being in a new place where people could make fun of the way she looked. Regardless of where she was, the horns on her head stuck out like two oddly-shaped sore thumbs. She and Joe had a discussion before coming to the US. After the discussion was over, she decided that Joe was right. If anyone didn't like her just because she looked weird, they were not worth her time. So, she decided to do what Joe said and give school a try. Joe made Kaede a compromise: if she did what he said and took school as it came, and she found that she couldn't take it for whatever reason, Joe would pull her out of public school and find some other means of education for her.
One of the first things Joe did with Kaede after adopting her was take her clothes shopping. He felt that one of the best things they could do at the time was allow her to choose her look. She picked out all her own clothes. After she put together enough of her own outfits, she began to feel more confident in herself. Joe chose a few finishing touches for her outfits, which consisted of a few different hats, some headbands, and a long purple ribbon, which she could use to fasten around her horns.
Kaede was surprised in the first few months of school. Nobody made fun of how she looked, but nobody really came to talk to her either. They didn't seem to dislike her; they just seemed indifferent. She never really bothered to get to know anyone in her year until one day, she bumped into Alan. She at first mistook him for Kohta with a really dark tan. She realized her mistake when she saw the color of his eyes, that he wore glasses, and that he carried a cane. However, when she explained the situation to him, he merely laughed it off, and invited her to hang out.
As Kaede learned, Alan was quite well-liked among most of the students, and as the students saw Kaede and Alan hanging out, more and more people began to talk to Kaede, and she started to make real friends. With each new friend she made, Kaede grew happier and happier. Some of their friends actually had a group that practiced what Kaede learned was called "parkour," which she became fascinated with. Thus, Kaede began to practice with her friends in this interesting art. Her friends agreed she was a natural.
However, not everyone viewed Kaede as a welcome addition to the school, for it wasn't long after she began making these new friends that she first encountered Terry Jenkins, who, in her book, was the most unpleasant person in her year. After Kaede became more prominent in the students' eyes, Jenkins began to openly mock her in class, but Kaede was smart enough to put him in his place whenever she needed to.
However, that wasn't always enough. Just as Kaede and Alan had their own circle of friends, Jenkins had his own circle, though not a circle of what he considered to be friends. Whatever they were, Jenkins sometimes organized little surprises for Kaede, attempting to humiliate her in one way or another. However, Jenkins found that Kaede was able to escape or avoid these situations altogether. Jenkins didn't know how she was doing it, but Kaede was mastering the use of the "hands" she had used to save Kohta and his family, and when it came to evading Jenkins' tricks, those hands came in rather…for lack of a better term, "handy."
Because of her inability to succumb to his taunts and tricks, Jenkins singled out Kaede as his sworn enemy. Kaede would continue to evade Jenkins' assaults expertly and continuously. A couple of years after she met Alan, a girl from one of her classes ambushed her in the hall and refused to let go of her horns. Kaede came to know the girl as Sandy McGill, who refused to let go of Kaede's horns, not because she thought they were ugly, but because she thought they were really cute. With the two becoming three, Jenkins' traps had become more desperate, often requiring four or more of his lackeys. But with Sandy's keen ability to misdirect, Kaede's wit, and Alan's influence, Jenkins never stood a chance.
The conflict between Kaede and Jenkins quickly escalated into brawls, but there were equal amounts of people willing to fight for both sides of their feud. And as Kaede was stronger than Jenkins (at least with the aid of her extra arms), one person literally made the difference between victory and defeat, in these cases.
Kaede and her friends fended off Jenkins' assaults for another year or two until a new boy came to school. That boy came to the school with the intention of spreading chaos. Thinking of this as a grand opportunity, Jenkins attempted to enlist the help of the new boy. However, the boy shrugged off Jenkins' request, telling him that he would find his own way to make people suffer.
The best way to describe this boy was to call him an anarchist. The boy went on a metaphorical rampage through the school, in which neither the faculty nor the students were safe. The boy landed himself in multiple detentions, but it didn't matter. As soon as the boy was out, he was out wreaking general havoc in the school. One day, Kaede and her friends decided to do something about the new arrival. Kaede challenged the boy to a fistfight at lunchtime. The boy thought that he had Kaede beat, but Kaede delivered a reinforced punch to the boy's face, which floored him and nearly dislocated his jaw. Instead of anger, the boy then looked at Kaede with admiration.
The boy explained to Kaede that he didn't want to hurt anyone who didn't deserve it. He only wanted to deliver pain to people who had hurt others. The only reason he had been so indiscriminate up until that point was because he was angry. Kaede sympathized with the boy, telling him about when she was in the orphanage, and allowing that anger to boil over. The boy told her that if she ever needed anyone to protect her, he would. It was then that Kaede welcomed the boy, Ezekiel "Zeke" Garner into their group.
Eventually, Kaede began to trust her friends enough that she told them about her ability. When Zeke learned that Kaede had used this ability to beat him, he was briefly disappointed, but then had an interesting idea. Zeke offered to teach Kaede how to fight, and do it without having to rely on her extra arms. Kaede eagerly accepted his offer, and Zeke began to train Kaede to fight on her own.
Jenkins knew that with Zeke on Kaede's side, he would need to beef up his assets. Instead of sheer brute force, however, he began to enlist the assistance of weak but savvy people in the school who he knew had something to lose by making an enemy of him. With their help, Jenkins was able to get Zeke in trouble often enough that he wouldn't always be able to protect Kaede. This made little difference, though, as Kaede continued to evade Jenkins' schemes the same ways she did before Zeke became friends with her.
When Kaede turned sixteen years old, a new student came to her school. The boy was named Vito Perelli. He was a quiet young man, who nobody seemed to want to talk to. Kaede couldn't figure out why, but everyone seemed to avoid him as though they could die just from being touched by him.
After Vito had been there for a while, Kaede learned from Alan that he was the son of Don Guido Perelli, Los Angeles' most dangerous crime boss. Kaede then began to try and talk to Vito. Instead of welcoming her attention, however, Vito warned Kaede that she should stay away from him. In Vito's voice, Kaede heard some malice, but more than that, she heard a great despair.
Instead of going directly home that night, Kaede followed Vito to what she assumed would be his home. He was surprised to find Vito going to a high-end residence, where she followed Vito to the penthouse. Kaede's cover was blown not long after she entered. She was grabbed by a couple of guards and escorted to the penthouse, where she encountered Vito, and who she assumed was his father.
Don Perelli regarded Kaede carefully, wondering if she was a threat. She told him that she wanted to get to know Vito a little better, not being able to stand when someone seems lonely. This impressed the Don, but what also caught his attention was when he asked her what her name was. When she revealed it to be Kaede Martino, he guessed correctly that she was the daughter of Joseph Martino, who just happened to be a very good friend of his. With that, Don Perelli released Kaede, and told her that she and her friends would be welcome at their place anytime.
As she left the Don's house, Vito approached her and apologized for the way he acted when she talked to him. He told her that the reason he warned her against hanging out with him was to protect her, as he didn't want any of his classmates being killed because of him. Although Vito truly wanted a friend, he was unwilling to allow Kaede to become a victim of his family's wrath in order for that to happen.
Vito's explanation touched Kaede's heart, as she knew exactly what it was like to be in Vito's shoes. When Kaede came to school the day after that, she warmly welcomed Vito into her inner circle of friends. This caused Jenkins a great deal of stress. While Kaede would never depend on Vito's father for assistance with her little quarrels at school, Jenkins did not know this. As such, he began to find ways of removing Vito from the group as well as Zeke.
This seemed to do the trick, as Jenkins was finally able to land a blow on Kaede's side. Jenkins and his cohorts managed to frame Alan, Kaede and Sandy for breaking rules that they did not. After doing some time in detention, Kaede emerged with her friends, furious at Jenkins' tiresome nonsense. So, it was by sheer serendipity that Kaede met the genius girl, Laura Armstrong.
Laura was the top of Kaede's class, and many had bets on her making class valedictorian. By their luck, Laura had several bones to pick with Jenkins, and so enlisting her help was child's play. Thanks to Laura's creative mind, the group was able to sabotage Jenkins' attempts to hurt or humiliate their group in ways they never thought of. To make a long story short, Laura thinned out Jenkins' resources, and even turned some of his people over to their side.
Jenkins' threat still existed to this day, but Kaede had to admit that putting him in his place was now more akin to swatting a mosquito, albeit a really annoying mosquito with a particularly painful bite.
She snickered at that thought as her last class ended.
She picked up her books and headed to her locker, where she found Zeke and the others waiting for her.
"You ready for this?" asked Zeke.
Kaede pulled out her backpack and shoved her books into it.
"Do we really have to do this?" she asked.
"Come on, Kaede," said Laura, exasperated. "We pretty much resolved that we'll do this as many times as we had to in order for Jenkins to learn his lesson."
"And he hasn't learned," said Sandy. "So we bring on the hurt!"
Kaede nodded.
"You're right," she said. "Alright, guys. Let's go!"
With that, Kaede led her group to the park, where she found many of the brawlers who had helped her all the times that Jenkins had challenged her. Kaede smiled at all of these people who she adored, and in turn, adored her and her friends.
"Hey, everybody!" she exclaimed.
The brawlers cheered for the red-eyed girl, who called for them to settle down.
"Thank you all for your support!" she yelled. "We all know why we're here. We're all through with Terry Jenkins' crap."
The group yelled out in agreement.
"Our teachers, given their way, would have us talk it out with Jenkins," said Kaede, receiving a small amount of boos, which weren't directed at her. "In retrospect, not an unsound solution, except that we all know Jenkins is beyond reason!"
The group once again yelled out in agreement.
"And so, as we have done and will continue to do, today, we will fight Jenkins until his last remaining cohort, or until he runs away like the little girl I used to be; whichever comes first," said Kaede.
The group of students laughed.
"So, I need you all to tell me: are you with me?" she asked.
"We're with you!" yelled the group.
"A little louder," said Kaede.
"WE'RE WITH YOU!" yelled the group.
"Good!" exclaimed Kaede. "That's what I like to hear!"
"You know what I like to hear?" asked a voice. "The sound of you pleading for my mercy!"
Kaede turned just in time to see that the voice had in fact come from Terry Jenkins' mouth.
(A/N: Terry Jenkins – Kyle Hebert)
Kaede smiled threateningly at Jenkins.
"Sup, Terry?" she asked. "Honestly, I half-expected you not to show up."
"We were just talking about you and your friends, Martino," said Jenkins.
"Well, that's a relief, Terry," said Alan. "Usually, you're screaming about us."
"Shut the fuck up, Fixer!" exclaimed Jenkins. "This conversation is between me and Bubble Yum over there."
"Interesting choice of words for someone who brought a bunch of clowns to fight WITH him," said Zeke. "How did you get them to join your side? A dick-measuring competition? Oh, wait. That would require that you have a dick."
They say that words can never hurt you, but that comment landed on Jenkins' last nerve.
"Pummel them!" he exclaimed.
With that, the two groups rushed each other. Alan, Laura, and Sandy stood back, as Kaede led Zeke, Vito and all of their comrades into a fight with Jenkins and his forces. Kaede grabbed a couple of the enemy brawlers and slammed their heads together, knocking them senseless. She was rushed by one brawler, but sidestepped him before his punch could hit. She then grabbed his collar and swung him around into another fighter. Another one tried to hit her, but she grabbed his neck and hit him several times in the gut before throwing him backwards.
"You're doing good, Kaede!" said Zeke. "Not bad for a girl!"
"I agree," said Kaede. "You're doing unbelievably well!"
Zeke chuckled.
"But don't forget, we have to outlast them," he said.
Kaede nodded just as another brawler grabbed her around the neck. She reached behind her and locked her arm around his neck, bent forward, and slung him over her shoulders, knocking him on the ground, after which, she stepped on his mouth.
"Kiss it," she said.
The guy feebly attempted to kiss Kaede's shoe.
"Good enough," she said, before stepping off his mouth and going after more of Jenkins forces.
"It seems that Terry Jenkins makes play he's Leeroy Jenkins," said Alan, as he and the other girls observed the fight.
Things continued on as they were, until Kaede spotted Jenkins, backing up slowly. She ran toward him, and Jenkins could tell that she meant to teach him a very painful lesson.
"Everyone, retreat!" called Jenkins, at the last second. "Retreat! Run away!"
Jenkins ran the opposite direction, and what remained of his conscious supporters followed suit. Kaede briefly went after them, but was stopped by a cane that was stuck out in front of her.
"He's not worth it, Kaede," said Alan.
"Yes he is," said Kaede, frustratedly.
Alan sighed.
"Yes, he is," he said. "But going after him right now won't do anything for us. You are not Jenkins. You don't have to become him to end his BS."
"I know," said Kaede.
With that, the group went about the KO'd bodies, picking up their own wounded, and gathering up all of Jenkins' supporters.
"What do you figure we should do with them?" asked one of the men who fought with Kaede.
"Tie them up," said Kaede. "Leave a couple of bottles of aspirin next to them so they have something to fight off their headaches when they wake up."
The group did as they were told, tying the unconscious boys to a tree.
"That was the shortest fight yet," said Zeke. "I can't wait to see how quickly Jenkins gives up next time."
They heard a throat clear.
"So," said Laura. "What do we do now?"
"A little patience, Laura," said Kaede.
"There will be other fights," said Alan. "Right now, we'll just hold this one over his head until the next one."
There was silence for a moment.
"Well," said Sandy. "Who's hungry?"
With that, everyone followed Sandy to a nearby café where they celebrated their quasi-victory over Terry Jenkins.
After they finished eating, they parted ways to go back home. Kaede went back to the school and picked up her bike, before riding back home and being greeted by Gendo at the door. She bent down and petted the dog on the head before raising her head to be greeted by Joe, looking at her sternly with his arms crossed.
"Another fight, Kaede?" he asked.
"How did you-" began Kaede.
"I know things," said Joe, putting Kaede into silence.
Kaede looked at the ground in front of her.
"Now, Kaede," said Joe. "You know that violence is not always the right answer to dealing with a problem. It should only be used in a situation where you have no other choice."
"I know," said Kaede, feeling slightly ashamed.
Joe came closer, and lifted her chin so that she looked at him. He was smiling.
"But you didn't really have any choice…" he said. "Did you?"
Kaede smiled back.
"No," she said.
Joe hugged her.
"Welcome back home," he said. "Can I assume that your activities this afternoon won't interfere with our plans tonight?"
"You can count on me, Dad," said Kaede. "I just have a little bit of homework tonight and I'll be ready!"
"Alright," said Joe. "Well, head on upstairs, then!"
Kaede bounded up the stairs two at a time, followed closely by Gendo. She and Gendo entered her room, after which Kaede closed the door and got a start on her homework.
To Be Continued.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, guys. A lot of hectic stuff this year, but I really don't want to talk about that. I hope you all like the update. I promise you, more to come as soon as possible. I am planning on finishing my first book by the end of my Winter Break, which will happen in a little more than a couple of weeks. Wish me luck in my endeavors, and please let me know what you think of this chapter. See ya!
