Tail 4: Return to Civilization

"Are you sure about this, Aniki?" Shinichi asked as he stood in front of Neo Domino High with his cousin. This was the school he'd applied for before he went missing and where he was supposed to take his entrance exam. But that was two years ago. Now, here he was, about to step foot into the school of his dreams. He was dressed in his middle school uniform, which still fit him even after two years.

"I'm positive," said Yūji. "I mean, sure, you're gonna be a freshman when you're supposed to be a senior, but other than that you'll do fine. You just need to take the entrance exam first. First there's the written portion and then the practical portion." Yūji had spoken with the headmistress and chancellor about scheduling an exam for Shinichi.

"Yeah, I know. You drilled me for the exam for weeks," Shinichi said. He had his deck ready. It hadn't changed since but before today he had to update his deck with new cards and plan out some new strategies.
"You'll be fine," Yuki assured. The tests aren't as difficult as one would think..."

Two weeks ago, Shinichi had returned to his family and he had indeed missed a lot. He met his little brother Shō for the first time. It was a little awkward at first but he liked being a big brother. He learnt that his family never gave up on looking for him. Even if it seemed like they had moved on they hadn't given up hope.

Still, Shinichi didn't have memories of anything that had occurred for the past two years he went missing and now he was some kind of super cyborg with hi-tech armor.

"Just remember what we went over and relax," Yūji told him, "It's Saturday, so there won't be a lot of people around."

"YŪJI!"

"Hold that thought," Yūji said as he turned and grabbed Yokoshima, turning quickly and flipping the boy over his shoulder. "Are you ever not going to fall for that, Yoko?"

"He never learns," Daichi quipped as he and the others joined him.

"This is rare," Yūji quipped, "Never thought you guys would be here on a Saturday; especially you, Misato."

"We kinda heard you were coming over from Yuki," said Misato. "So, who's this guy with you?" She was referring to Shinichi.

"I mentioned before," he grinned as he slung an arm over Shinichi's shoulders, "This is my cousin, Shinichi!"

"Hi," Shinichi smiled shyly. "I'm Banabara Shinichi. Nice to meet you all."

"He's here to take his entrance exam," said Yūji.

"But this isn't entrance exam season," said Yokoshima, confused. "And he looks a little too old to be applying as a freshman."

"Shit happens," Yūji shrugged.

"Well, I think he's adorable!" Milly squealed as she captured Shinichi in a strong hug. "I can tell you two are related, especially with those shiny blue eyes of yours~!"

"My dad and his mom are twins, so of course we'd have the same eyes," said Yūji.

"Well, he may be cute, but you're handsome," Milly winked. Yūji just rolled his eyes. "Oh, and welcome, Banabara-san. I'm Milly Ashford, Student Council President."

"Nice to meet you, Ashford-kaichou," Shinichi blushed as he was still being hugged.

"Hi! I'm Michiru," the youngest girl introduced. "Masami Michiru! Nice to meet you, Shin-kun!"

"Ryūnosuke Yokoshima, and I'm Yuji's best friend," Yokoshima grinned.

"You wish," scoffed. "Takashima Daichi."

"Yukinojô Chiaki," Chiaki signed.

Shinichi blinked and asked, " What's with the signs?"

"Vow of silence," Yūji answered.

"Nekozawa Hana," the goth introduced, "And I wish you the best of luck on your exam."

"Thanks," Shinichi accepted.

Shinichi sat in the exam hall, alone, with just himself and his examination paper in front of him. He had a No. 2 pencil and an answer sheet. The first part of the exam had multiple choice answers, but he couldn't blindly choose answers. He needed to think. Out of the four choice answers, only one was the true one and the others were decoys.

The next part of the written exam involved answering true or false questions.

The final part of the written exam required him to write a 500 word essay.

After the written exam, Shinichi needed to take a break. By the time he was finished with his written exam, it was already lunch time. The next phase of the exam was an oral exam and would be quite challenging for him mentally. He was going to be interviewed for acceptance into Neo Domino High. His interview would take place in two hours to give him time to prepare himself mentally.

"How are you feeling?"

Shinichi looked up to see Yūji and Yuki sitting across from him. "Not as scared as I first thought," he smiled, "The exam was exactly like you said it would be."

"There's an advantage in knowing someone who took the test," Yūji nodded. "I came close to a perfect score."

"Let's hope things go well then during the interview," Shinichi nodded.

"...Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Yūji realized.

"They got my documents so they have references. Let's hope I make a first good impression."

Yuki smiled faintly, "You'll be fine..."

Shinichi sat in the interview room in front of Shizuru Viola and Natsuki Kruger, the vice-chairman and chairman, respectively, at Neo Domino High. They were scrutinizing his records, checking his scores and also his documents which he'd sent in for an application. He had applied two years prior but never made it to the school to sit for the entrance exam.

"I remember," Natsuki frowned, "You were supposed to come in for the entrance exam but you disappeared during that accident on the bus."

"Such a terrible day that was," Shizuru sighed. "Shiori was so devastated that even my teasing couldn't get a rise outta her..."

"Regardless, I'm glad you were able to come back to us, Shinichi," Natsuki smiled. "We missed you as well."

"Thank you," said Shinichi. "And I appreciate that you have the time to interview me."

"Well, checking your scores, we can conclude that you really wanted to get into this school," said Shizuru. "You have pretty good records back when you were in middle school. You did get into trouble a few times, served a few detentions, but I think that's normal for a boy at that age."

"So, tell us, Shinichi-kun, why did you apply for this school? There are other institutes you could've applied for so why pick this place?" asked Natsuki.

"To be honest, it was convenient. I get to live close to my family. Also, it has pretty good facilities and Aniki did recommend this school for me. I've also heard that students who graduate from this school have a chance to go into good universities," said Shinichi.

"And what university do you plan to enroll in?" asked Shizuru.

"Tokyo University," answered Shinichi. "But that's just one of the schools I intend to enroll in. It's got high standards so just to be safe I'll apply for enrollment in other universities."

"Well, do you have a career planned for in the future?" asked Natsuki.

"I like to read and I like to write. I want to be a novelist like Kaa-chan," said Shinichi. "But I also like fast bikes as well so maybe I could become a designer of motor vehicles. Right now, I can't really say, but my decision is split between the two." He paused. "I also have an interest in photography."

"You planned this, didn't you?" Shinichi asked Yūji suspiciously.

"Planned what?" Yūji replied innocently.

"Having Shizuru-san and Natsuki-san interview me. Of course they'll accept me. They already like me. It's kinda unfair and biased."

"They're both fair people too," Yūji reminded. "Besides, they do what they want, remember? They're in charge."

"So what now?" Shinichi asked.

"Now, we go do what we do best," Yūji grinned, "Hang out!"

"Hey!" Yokoshima called as he and the others approached the duo. "How'd it go?"

"About as quick as I could hope," Shinichi shrugged. "Hopefully I'll get accepted." He asked, "So, where exactly are we going to go hang out?"

CRASH!

Daichi smirked as he picked up the spare, with Yokoshima and the others clapping. "Yeah, I'm good," he boasted.

"Yeah, you are," Yūji nodded as he went next, lifting a sapphire-blue bowling ball as the pins were reset. "However, you forget that..." He turned and made his way to the line, winding up as he dropped his ball downrange until it collided with the pins, taking them out in one shot with a thunderous boom.

"STRIKE!" Yokoshima and Michiru cheered.

Yūji grinned and boasted, "THIS IS MY GAME, BABY!"

Yuki was silent but applauded her brother's success as she smiled. She knew how good her brother was in several games, bowling being just one of them.

Shinichi rolled his eyes, "Show Off," and went to pick up a bowling ball. He noted that it felt light in his hands, almost weightless. Shrugging he went to a lane and focused on the pins that were in front of him. He drew his arm back and tossed the ball. It rolled along the lane at high velocity and slammed into the pins so hard they broke into pieces and made a hole through the back. Shinichi sweat-dropped.

"Oops," he squeaked.

Yūji and the others saw what happened, all speechless, before Yūji broke out I to a boisterous laughter, falling over and holding his gut as he laughed in agony at the sheer hilarity of what his cousin had just done.

"Whoa, dude! You broke those pins!" Yokoshima exclaimed. "Guys, did you see that? Yūji's cousin broke those pins! He broke those pins!"

"We saw it, you don't have to keep repeating it," remarked Daichi in annoyance but he was still shocked.

"Wow, you must be really strong," said Michiru and she went to squeeze Shinichi's bicep. "Hana-chan, come feel his arm!"

"I'll pass," said Hana.

"I'll do it!" said Milly and she grasped Shinichi's other bicep and gave it a squeeze. "Oh my!"
"Er...could you...please...not do that?" asked Shinichi nervously, blushing as Michiru and Milly were squeezing his biceps. "Aniki, a little help here?"

"OK...OK," Yūji called as he finally got up from the floor, still giggling from how funny the event was. "Give Shin some room to breathe..."

Milly saw this as a chance to have a little fun and smirked, "What's wrong, Yūji~? Is my faithful servant jealous?"

"I don't get jealous," Yūji stated, "And your little tricks don't work on me all the time, Prez."

"Your cousin here is kind of cute," Milly commented. She turned her eyes to Shinichi again, "Are you interested in a date, Banabara-kun?"

"Hey, Milly," called out Misato. "He looks ready to pass out from hormone overload there."

Daichi noted Yūji slight irritation and smirked, "Well, looks like you do get jealous."

"Bite it," Yūji snapped.

Milly laughed and hugged her faithful "lackey", giving him a cheek-full of boobage, "Oh, don't worry, Yūji, you'll always be the only man just for me~!"

"Wonderful..." he mumbled.

Yuki was instantly by her twin's side as she held onto his left arm, trying to pry him out of Milly's hold. "Onii-sama...is mine," she muttered coldly.

"Wow, Aniki," said Shinichi. "You're a real ladies' man, like Kaa-chan said."

"What exactly did Shiori-ma tell you?" Yūji asked cautiously.

"That you made a harem out of all the female members of the student council," Shinichi grinned.

"Ha...Harem?!" Hana gaped.

"Oh, that sounds like a great idea," Milly smirked.

Michiru blinked and asked, "What's a harem?"

"It's where several women share a joint relationship with a single man," Chiaki signed.

Shinichi asked, "OK, I've been wondering, why does he use signs?"

"He took a vow of silence," said Daichi.

"No, I mean, where does he get them?" Shinichi rephrased.

"That explanation would require a lot of signs," said Hana.

"So we just roll with it," Yūji added.

Shinichi regarded Chiaki oddly, "So, how long will this silence last?"

"Until I graduate,"signed Chiaki.

"Why?" asked Shinichi.

"Family tradition," Chiaki signed simply. "My father did it, so did my grandfather and my great-grandfather, and so on."

"So, what? Is this like something you do for a year?" asked Shinichi.

"He hasn't spoken a year since we entered high school," Yokoshima remarked. "Ever."

"Wow, that must take a lot of concentration," said Shinichi.

"But it makes calling him on the phone pointless," said Yokoshima. He then received a text message from Chiaki.

"I can still read texts and text you back, baka."

"He's gotcha there," Daichi snickered as he ate some fries.

Misato was silent for some time as she was thinking. Her eyes darted between Yūji, Milly, Hana, Yuki, and Michiru. All four of them were attractive in their own way. Yūji was a man, strong, intelligent, and attractive. Milly was a foreigner and had a great figure, and she was hot and kinky; not to mention she had a great rack that was even bigger than her, if only slightly. Hana was a little strict, but she felt that the goth was especially tight since she could tell she was a virgin. Yuki was quiet, but she had a nice body and she could only imagine that the white-haired girl would be a screamer in bed. Then there was Michiru: cute, innocent, flexible... Yeah, she could have some fun with her. More perverse thoughts swam in her brain as Misato licked her lips with anticipation as she started plotting.

Shogo noticed the look on Misato's face and grew curious. "You OK? You've been quiet for some time."

"Oh, I'm fine~" she purred, "Just...fine~" Her eyes locked onto Yūji, seemingly stripping him with her eyes as she licked her lips hungrily.

The group went to the park and enjoyed the peace and relaxation it provided.

"DIVE~!" Michiru cried as she landed onto the grassy floor, rolling around playfully. "So nice~!"

"So, what should we do here?" Hana asked.

"ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!" Yokoshima howled as he revealed a football in his hand.

"Were you carrying that with you this whole time?" Shinichi asked.

"Believe it or not, Yokoshima's a member of the football team too," said Daichi.

"A lot of the guys call him 'The Bulldozer'," Yūji confirmed.

"OK, so let's see what you got, Shinichi," Yokoshima challenged.

"Hang on," Yūji prompted as he counted the party. There were 6 boys and 5 girls. "One of us has to sit out."

"I'll sit this one out," Shinichi volunteered. He didn't want to hurt anyone due to his cybernetic enhancements, and he didn't feel all-too comfortable around everyone yet. These were Yūji's friends, not his. He felt his cousin should be the one to have fun while he kicked back to relax and observe how they all interacted.

"Prepare to get schooled, fuckers," Misato grinned.

"Mind your language, Misato," Hana scolded.

And it had begun; boys vs. girls in a friendly game of football. Chiaki's large body was the perfect defense as Daichi and Shogo managed to make 2 goals, putting them up 6 to 0. Of course, none of the girls were slouches either. Misato was fairly athletic and Michiru was in the gymnastics club. Hana was surprisingly quick and Yuki was possibly the fastest of the girls. With Milly's leadership skills to unite them, these girls seemed to be a perfect team.

"I got it," Yūji called as he tracked the ball falling. "I got it!" He caught the ball and grinned, only to look up and gawk as he saw his sister, Misato, Michiru, and Milly jumping at him.

"DOGPILE!" the girls cried as they landed on him with a loud thud, making the boys and Hana wince.

"Hey, knock it off...!" Yūji demanded as he could feel the girls' hands all over him. "Hey, who's touching me there!?"

Shinichi held his stomach, hurting, because he was laughing too hard.

"Get the ball!" Milly ordered.

"Fuck the ball! Get his clothes," Misato corrected.

"Yūji-kun's muscles are so hard~" Michiru beamed as she was feeling his chest under his shirt.

"Onii-sama...is mine," Yuki declared.

"Stop...that tickles," Yūji giggled, before he let out a yelp. "Misato! Get outta my pants!"

Shinichi was still laughing, and laughing so hard he shed a tear. He took out his cellphone and took a picture with it.

"You've got some great friends," Shinichi said as he, Yūji and Yuki were headed home together. "I wish I had friends like that."

"What are you talking about? They're your friends too," argued Yūji but Shinichi shook his head.

"They're your friends," Shinichi corrected. "Not mine. I'm just your cousin who you brought along to hang out with them."

"But they can be your friends," Yuki insisted.

"Yuki-nee, I doubt anyone would want to be my friend when they learn what I am," said Shinichi pessimistically. "I had fun, though. Thanks." He smiled weakly.

The twins looked to each other worriedly. Something was wrong with their cousin, and they could tell. Before he was kidnapped, he was always willing to make friends and have fun. To see him acting so shy and melancholy...it was just wrong.

"If you peel away the skin, people will know I'm not like everybody else. I can tell that my body's been modified in so many ways that I'm not sure how much of me is still flesh and blood and how much of me is mechanical. I'm just a freak of science now," Shinichi stated and sighed.

"Knock it off," Yūji ordered. "No matter what bullshit comes out of your mouth, that won't change the fact that we're still blood. No matter what those fuckers did to you, we're still family; I know that for a fucking fact. So you better get your head right and forget all that bullshit. What matters now is that you're here, with us."

Yuki nodded in agreement, knowing that he was right. Despite what her cousin may have done during the two years of his absence, none of that mattered to the twins as they had their cousin back in the family and even she swore to keep it that way.

"Arigatou, Aniki, Yuki-chan," Shinichi smiled. He was grateful that his family still accepted him. He wouldn't know what he would've done if they had turned their backs on him. It just gave him a sense of relief that he had a home to go back to.

"Now, come on. Let's go home and tell everyone how well you did on the exam," encouraged Yūji.

"But the results aren't out yet," Shinichi argued as Yuki took his hand.

"No reason not to celebrate early!" the white-haired girl smiled. Yūji took his other hand and Shinichi ended up being dragged along by his cousins as they ran back home together. He felt the warmth of their hands and realized what it meant. He could feel their warmth and he was still human.

And nothing would ever make him forget that fact.

"Observation: So far it seems that BLACK 13 is attempting to rejoin normal human society, but his insecurities and doubt over his humanity is forcing him to push others away. His family is attempting to get him to accept that he is human, but ultimately they will fail. He belongs to the organization and will return to the organization. Then, he will be punished for his betrayal."

To Be Continued...

KRB: NUMBER 4! I AM ON A ROLL! Sorry, not trying to brag. Just been a while since I've been on such a streak. Anyway, hope you guys keep enjoying this stuff.