Disclaimer: What I said in the previous chapter about four days ago.
Author's Note: That's right. It took me two weeks and a little more to write the last chapter, but it took me four days to write and finish this one. What fun. It's due to the fact that I'd already started writing this chapter when Kaleidoscope saw its fourth chapter. So I had a long time to work on it.
Heheh.
The Klonoa Part officially ends with this chapter. We find out more secrets, more relationships, and surprisingly... more deaths.
"So that was what happened." Lolo murmured after a long silence, onboard the rocket. "Garlen told me... that only priestesses were pure-hearted enough for the ritual. I didn't know what he was talking about, but it seems that my question is answered." She smiled. "I can't thank you enough for saving me."
"Don't mention it, Lolo." Leorina said, grinning happily.
"We would have done the same for anyone." Pango said, face flushed from the compliment. "You're a lovely girl. I'm glad you're safe."
Klonoa gave her an affectionate glance, which said enough for both of them. Guntz had said very little for the journey, but looked out of the window, looking very pensive.
"Mr... Guntz?" Lolo asked tentatively, glancing at the hunter. Guntz looked around casually, his eyes resting for a long while on her face. Lolo looked uneasy, but not frightened; nothing could frighten her now, what with all the events she had gone through. His eyes found hers.
"No one's called me that before." He finally said, a faint note of surprise in his voice. "That was unexpected, Lolo." He chuckled gently as the girl looked embarassed. "Don't worry. I'm not offended - and I apologize if I've offended you. I'm not too social in general." He was suddenly very relaxed in her presence, and Lolo breathed again.
The hunter was... a good person, she decided. Rather strange and eccentric at first glance, but good.
"We're at Volk." Pango interrupted her thoughts, as he glanced at the window. Leorina sighed ('Finally!') and ran out of the cabin, ready to prepare for landing. "My house is nearby. Lolo, do you still have the flower?"
"I have it here." The flower was kept in pristine condition, and she felt it through her pocket. Pango nodded.
"I need to go to my house... and awaken Boris, if you would lend me the flower for a while." He said, a small note of urgency in his voice. "He's been with the sickness for months."
"We'll go with you." Klonoa said. Guntz and Lolo both nodded. Leorina, who had been manipulating the rocket controls for the past few minutes, came into the cabin and smiled at the armadillo.
"We're landing in Volk now. Put your seatbelts on. It's going to be rocky." She said, strapping herself in. The others did the same. "So you still have business to do in Volk, is that correct, Pango? That's fine. Your son... how bad was he when you last saw him?"
"Very bad." Pango murmured sadly. "Very, very bad. He wouldn't stir or move around. He just lay there." He momentarily stopped speaking and let out a small exclamation of surprise as the rocket landed with a crash. "And I left him there for weeks now... Let us go. We have little time to waste."
"I'm leaving the Crimson Iris here." Leorina said as they all undid their seatbelts and dismounted the rocket. "I don't think it can land anywhere near Breezegale. Besides it's too well known."
"Understood." Guntz said curtly, nodding. "Pango's son is first priority here. After that we return to Breezegale." He seemed unusually eager to get out from Volk and to Breezegale, but in their hurry, no one noticed this.
"Would the Hikari Sakura heal Boris?" Lolo asked, as they hurried to Pango's house. It was close to the Rocket Base and the armadillo knew all the shortcuts, so they could all go quickly.
"It must." Pango muttered, fumbling for a key and inserting it into the lock. "It must, it simply must..." He threw open the door and ran inside, leaving the others to follow him. He ran straight into the bedroom, whilst the others took a bit more time; they took in the details of the house as they passed by. The house was old, but still sturdy. It was a large house, spacious and almost bleak for two people to live in, but the ornaments and the general layout convinced them that it was a homely house once everything was cleaned up. The house had been left for 'weeks' now, after all. The walls were a pleasant orange, matching Pango's own colour well. Guntz noticed out of a corner of his eye that there was a small room, with no door, that seemed to be a workshop of some sort. It was cluttered with many tools that he didn't know the names of. He usually hated orange colour schemes, but Pango's house was wonderful, he had to admit. There just needed to be more light.
"Quickly!" Pango cried from above, and they ran upstairs, Lolo leading the way. During that time the armadillo had gotten a basin full of water, wiping his son's forehead with a soaked cloth.
"Boris, my son..." He was murmuring. "I'm back... I'm so sorry I left you alone for so long... you must wake up now, Boris, you must! I love you, son... I love you..." He appeared to be half crazed with worry, his voice breaking. When they looked at the young boy lying on the bed, however, they could understand why.
Boris, an exact copy of his father, lay on the bed, his face pale and very blank. He didn't move. Only the slight heaving of his chest convinced them that he was alive. He was obviously very young, very vulnerable and ill. Lolo silently came forwards, holding the flower.
"The Hikari Sakura, sir." She said softly, handing it out to the armadillo. Pango took it gently from her hands and laid it on his son's chest, folding his hands and murmuring a soft prayer in Native Volk. Guntz's ear twitched at the words and he listened intently.
"Guntz?" Leorina asked quietly.
The hunter said nothing but joined Pango, closing his eyes. He did not disturb the armadillo, but when the older man stopped praying, he took over and said a few words, continuing the last lines of the prayer.
"It's not his time yet." Guntz said quietly after a slight silence. "He will awaken."
"How can you be so sure?" Pango asked him, but the hunter merely shook his head. He downcast his head towards his son once more. "Boris... Boris, can you hear me?"
The boy did nothing for a long while, then suddenly shifted and coughed.
He breathed.
Slowly, very slowly, his features were beginning to soften and regain colour. The paleness was gone from the boy's skin, the bland look being replaced with a calmer, but nevertheless full, expression. As the others watched, half alarmed, he slowly opened his eyes - still tired with sleep - and blinked faintly.
"Dad...?" He murmured. "What... happened?" He yawned softly as if nothing had happened, and looked around. "What's going on...?"
"Boris! Oh, Boris!" Pango cried, throwing his arms around the young boy and holding him tight. "You're safe!"
"Did something happen when I was asleep?" Boris asked, oblivious to the danger he had been in, and smiled. He was a bright young lad, with surprisingly light brown eyes for an armadillo and wearing blue work clothes as opposed to his father's green ones. He looked at the others, and blinked again, confused.
"You were in a very deep sleep." Lolo explained softly. "And your father was worried about you. But don't you worry. You're going to be all right."
"This is Lolo, Guntz, Klonoa and Leorina, my son..." Pango said, introducing everyone. Everyone either nodded or gave some sign of recognition at their name. Guntz bowed his head quietly, looking at the boy and then delicately looking away. Boris looked around all of them before smiling. "They helped me through everything. You were asleep for a long, long time. I thought you would never awake."
"I remember something... I think," Boris replied, looking thoughtful. "There was darkness... and you were all there... and I called out to you. I don't exactly know why, but I called out to you and you answered me... it was a strange dream..."
"It was not so much of a dream, Boris." Klonoa said gently. "You'll understand later."
"You're all really nice." Boris giggled. "I'm happy to meet you!"
Further conversation was interrupted, however, when the sound of the front door opening in the hall rang out through the house.
"Who's that?" Guntz said sharply, turning around. "Are you expecting anyone, Pango? Or Boris?"
Pango had a somewhat distracted and lost expression on his face; he listened, looking blankly ahead for a second, but then he suddenly chuckled. "Why, isn't that young Suiryu!" He exclaimed.
"Suiryu? Really?" Boris asked excitedly, and without waiting for a reply jumped up from the bed, running out of the door. The footsteps were closer now, and they had reached the end of the hallway when the boy ran out.
"Suiryu!" Boris cried as he threw himself into the stranger's arms. The man blinked, holding onto him. "Oh, Suiryu! You're back!"
"Nice seeing you back, Suiryu." Pango said as he emerged, laughing. "Were you checking up on him?"
"What-" Suiryu murmured, confused, looking at Boris and then back to Pango. "Boris? Pango? You're back? He's awake-" His eyes widened. "Pango, he's awake? What happened? What's going on? Who are all those people?"
"I need to explain everything, don't I?" Pango laughed, scratching his head. "Basically, I went on a journey, met three people who aided me and became heroes; and then I found a cure for Boris. that's about as simply as I can put it."
"You'd better start from the beginning, Pango." Suiryu said weakly, still looking rather uncomprehending. He sat down on the floor, holding Boris. "Tell me every... thing..." His gaze stopped on Guntz, who had stayed very silent all this time and almost seemed to be trying to melt into the surroundings.
"...Guntz?" He whispered. "Shinigami Guntz?"
"Good afternoon." The hunter drawled. "Long time no see, Officer Suiryu. It's been what, ten years now?"
Pango looked at the hunter, confused. "You know Suiryu, Guntz?"
"We happen to be of a close association. We were both born in Volk, when it used to be a quiet village." Guntz answered lightly, smiling. "I still remember, Suiryu. You used to come over for dinner sometimes... good times they were..."
"Dinner?" Leorina questioned. "Just when was this?"
"He was young, dear lady." Suiryu answered. "We have a twelve-year age difference. Our famillies used to be closely associated."
"Considering our jobs and the way they're polar opposites, you would have thought that we would rather have been enemies." Guntz added on.
"Shame about Butz, though." Suiryu murmured, sounding sorry for the youth. "It all changed when that happened. I've been getting reports of you in the news. That's how I kept up with your progress, although I had no idea where you always were." He suddenly looked strict, his gaze hardening. "Considering I've been the officer in charge for most of your misdoings..."
"I know. Friend becomes a fugitive. Imagine!" Guntz laughed. "If you intend to capture me, Suiryu, then do go ahead. I would like to see how you improved over the years. Tell me that you aren't chaining yourself with the handcuffs anymore."
Suiryu blushed deeply. "You just don't forget, do you? I have no intention of capturing you right now. Whatever happened, I do not know; but you aided Pango and Boris along with those two people-" He bowed softly at them. "-and that's an honourable thing to do."
"Very nice of you."
"Don't expect to get lucky next time, though." Suiryu said, winking mischieviously. Guntz smirked, and then the older man turned to the other four.
"I apologize for my rudeness." He said. "I should make a formal introduction; my name is Suiryu, and I'm Captain of the Volk Police Force. I'm a Volkian, like this particular young fellow here." He gestured to Guntz. "I'm pleased to meet you."
"And we're pleased to meet you as well." Klonoa spoke up. "My name is Klonoa, and I'm from Breezegale..."
"I'm Lolo. I'm a priestess-in-training."
"I'm Leorina, currently looking for a new job. Prior to today, I was a Freedom fighter."
Suiryu blinked. "Freedom fighter? You were working against Garlen, I believe?"
"Too right. We've just managed to stop his schemes." Leorina said simply.
"I'll have to explain, I suppose, when I get back from Breezegale." Pango said quickly. "It's a long story. Can you stay with Boris for a few hours until I return?"
"Of course. In fact, I have a better idea." Suiryu said. "You're all worthy of an award, considering Garlen and the threat he posed to this world. Breezegale is not far away from here." He looked up into the ceiling, thinking hard. "The fastest way would be the ferry... Catch one from Jugkettle, and you'll be there in half an hour. Let me escort you back to Jugkettle. I owe you that much at the very least."
"That ferry..." Guntz was murmuring two hours later, when they had safely reached Breezegale and had met with the village elders. "Urgh, it's made me so dizzy..."
"Two hours, Guntz. Two god-damned hours." Leorina gave him a playful shove. "That too much for you?"
"I don't like ferries." The hunter mumbled, flushing a deep red. "Makes me feel sick."
"Aww, bless." Leorina said in a sing-song voice. "The Great Bounty Hunter, getting seasick..."
Klonoa watched this exchange in silence. Now that the three others - Guntz, Leorina and Pango - had identified themselves, there was no reason for them to stay any longer.
"Well, as there is nothing more I can do here, farewell." Guntz said, slinging his rucksack over the Red Clan and confirming Klonoa's thoughts. "I cannot stay too long anywhere in Lunatea." He smiled, looking almost tired and drawn out. "I'll come visit sometime, though. Tell the elders that I left. I'll come soon."
"Do so." Klonoa said softly, which made the hunter look at him with surprise. The cabbit looked somehow nervous and uncomfortable saying that, but Guntz did not mind.
"Thanks." He said quietly, and then without another word he mounted the motorcycle and drove off, in the direction of the Bell's Hill, knowing that the way led out of the village.
Klonoa watched him as he went; he felt that he would be seeing the hunter again, very soon indeed, as he glanced at the thoughtful, pensive look on the hunter's face. Was he thinking about Nahatomb? Or his father? Guntz had a Gold Medal, for he had achieved all that he wanted; he'd avenged his father and had proved himself. Pango had a Gold Medal also, for he had managed to rescue his son. Klonoa was the only one of the trio to have a Silver Medal, but this didn't worry him too much. Maybe he had further duties to do. That was fine. Being a Hero was no longer an obsession for him; the true qualities lay on the way he lived, not in the Medal itself. He realized that now.
He thought about Guntz again, his mind drifting over to the events of the last few days. He could start forgiving now, he supposed. Guntz seemed to be thinking about something along those lines too, Klonoa noted from the expression.
He was right. Yet unknown to him, the hunter was thinking about a lot of other things as well.
"Well," Leorina shrugged and smiled. "Seeing as the hunter-boy's gone... I need to set off on a journey of my own, too."
"Where are you going to go?"
"I don't know... but definitely La-Lakoosha. Sky Temple." She looked up into the clouds, her hair blowing gently about in the breeze. "Maybe I'll go back to the Moon for a few days and come back. I'm going to go and apologize to the High Priestess, and then I'll look for something more decent. I'll come visit you, too." She sighed. "I need a work partner, too... I'm sick of being a Sky Pirate. And besides I need to return those things."
She searched in her pockets for the two elements, and brought them out. "I've messed with them for long enough."
"They're the elements of Discord and Indecision." Lolo said, peering at them. "I'll accompany you to the Sky Temple - I train there - and I will gladly come with you to Mira-Mira... providing you allow me, Leorina..."
"Of course!" The girl smiled and handed the elements over. "Here. Keep them safely. I can trust you with them." Lolo nodded happily, taking the elements without fuss. The heat and power of the objects made Klonoa cringe, but neither Leorina nor Lolo seemed to be affected by this. She put them carefully into her pocket.
"When do you plan to go to the Sky Temple?"
"I plan to be gone for a week or two." Leorina said softly. "After that I'll come to the Sky Temple and ask to see you, Lolo. During that time I'm going to be in the Moon to explain my actions... close off other connections too." Leorina grinned happily. "It's about time I got things straight and sorted out."
Lolo nodded, and excused herself; she needed rest and they understood that. Pango, meanwhile, had stayed silent during this whole time, but now he squinted and pointed up to the distance.
"Is that... a fire?" Pango pointed up to the Bell's Hill.
Klonoa looked; there was smoke coming from the hill all right, but this did not alarm him that much. Frequent forest fires happened in Breezegale, and they were never serious; the warm, but moist climate helped to limit the fire. The ashes made fertile ground, so they were considered natural and were welcomed in a way; as long as people stayed out, it was fine.
"It's one of the forest fires, I think." He said. "It's not too big. Think of them like the Volkian fires. It's a forest area so there are a lot of fires, but they aren't too bad. They're more smoke than anything."
"So it's not a serious fire." Leorina shrugged, and Pango nodded also, although he looked rather uneasy. "Is it safe for me to go through?"
"It doesn't seem very big for me." Klonoa said slowly. "I know the area well. I don't think there's a blaze. It should be safe, but I still won't recommend going in just yet. I suppose you could go around it..."
"But Klonoa, it's a fire-" Pango interrupted. "I don't mean to be offensive, but that sure doesn't look like a safe zone. Maybe Leorina can wait for a while?"
"I trust Klonoa," Leorina smiled. "And he's quite correct, I think. I'll try to go through. If there's a blaze, I'm coming straight back." She slung her pack over her arm. "I really must get going now. Much like Guntz, I can't stay too long anywhere - not yet at least."
Pango looked uneasy but nodded. "Be careful." He said quietly, and the girl pulled him into a friendly hug.
"You were just like a father to me." She giggled. "And I hope I'll see you soon! You too, Klonoa!" She gave the cabbit a hug too, and in an instant began climbing up the hill, totally unafraid.
"She'll be fine." Klonoa assured Pango. "I can guarantee that much."
"Yes..." The armadillo nodded and then turned away. "I'm sure she will be... Guntz too..." Still murmuring to himself, he had disappeared into one of the huts to give his greetings to the village people. Klonoa, now left alone, looked up at the Bell's Hill, his grin slipping from his face. Guntz and Leorina had gone the same way - and he was worried about them. Was Guntz out of the village now? When the hunter had left there had been no fire; either it had started in view of the youth or he had safely passed by already. He did not think that either Guntz or Leorina would have been injured by the fire, they were too competent for that, but there was just something about it that made him feel uneasy.
He approached the hill and began to climb slowly upwards. It wouldn't hurt to look out for them and check, he thought - they couldn't have gotten very far.
Meanwhile, Leorina had reached the top of the hill. She looked around, wondering if there was a blaze anywhere; there was none. She walked on, noting to herself that the ground was unusually fresh for a forest fire (there was a large black smudge on the ground but that was it) when her foot hit against something.
"Heh?" She looked down, and bent down, picking up a large shrapnel. "What's this?"
"Good question." A low voice drawled from the bushes. "You sure did take your time, did you not?" Leorina flinched sharply, dropping the shrapnel and glancing around.
"Show yourself!" She called, trying not to sound afraid. "Who are you? Come out!"
"Gladly." The voice said again, and a famillar male stepped out from the bushes in front of her, pointing a red pistol to her head. He grinned, showing his sharp teeth. The girl gasped as she recognized the figure, tensing involuntarily.
"...Guntz...?" Leorina stammered, backing away. The hunter stepped forward also, eyes glistening dangerously, and the girl stopped, thinking better of it. "What... what's going on? I thought you'd left the village by now... What's..."
"Your own demise." Guntz replied, his eyes cold as steel. "I tricked you. There is no fire. The hill is safe." He cocked his gun a little, a small smirk making its way onto his face. "Pango's trick explosives sure do their job well - my compliments to the master, indeed! There was no trouble at all. I know everything in here so well; Breezegale has so many forest fires it isn't even funny. Only you, who had little knowledge of the village, would come up here and expect to get through safely." He let out a short laugh. "Do not attempt to escape, for we are away from help. Make a foolish move and I shall fire." He fished around in his pocket for a silencer, which he then installed into the pistol. "This is so easy... No one will hear us now."
Leorina said nothing.
"Do you not fear death, Leorina?" He asked softly, his voice almost gentle and soothing in the moment, but his eyes betrayed his voice; they were more dangerous than ever, and the girl flinched away at the venom in his attitude.
"Why must I die?" She finally asked. "Why me?"
"It's nothing but your fate." The hunter answered calmly, showing no emotion. "There's no death without reason, of course; but the reason that the victim offers, and the reason that fate gives are different. Even if they were the same, though, nothing will change." His fingers tightened their grip on the gun. "I must do it. There is no secret - I must do it, that's all. But even if I didn't do it and let you go free now... you're still fated to die today. I'm just making it quick and painless for you. You really should be grateful, Leorina."
"What are you talking about?" Leorina cried, looking around frantically. "There is no such thing as fate! Guntz, what-" She was silenced by a gloved hand grasping her throat and the cold barrel of a gun and silencer mere inches away from her head.
"Do you want this to be painful, Leorina? I can do anything I want. You're within my power." Guntz hissed. The girl shook her head frantically, and he released her, making her flinch away while coughing violently. Leorina looked scared, truly scared of him, yet he looked on, emotionless. But deep inside his mind, he honestly couldn't understand why this information was so obvious to him; Leorina was going to die. He could see it in her eyes from the moment they met, but he didn't understand why he could see it. To him this would be the second time he had killed someone of close association; and something inside him writhed again and again, wanting to pull the trigger and savour the sight of crimson blood staining the ground.
He would satisfy this thing, this something within him, this... need that had arisen deep inside.
A fish on a chopping board, he decided. A mere fish. That was all Leorina was. He was in control of the knife and he wouldn't fail.
"I'm not afraid to die, Guntz." Leorina whispered hoarsely once she stopped coughing. "But I wonder... if you really have the right to kill me like this..." She stepped closer, the initial fear gone, and Guntz looked taken aback at this sudden twist of events. "That's all I want to know."
"I'm an assassin. I am Shinigami Guntz." Was the reply. "That's all you ever need to know. It doesn't matter."
"Who asked you?" Leorina continued, as if she hadn't heard. "If you are indeed an assassin, Guntz... you must be acting under orders from someone. Assassins don't just go around looking for people to wipe out without reason!"
"Are you trying to persuade me to put down the gun?" Guntz laughed mirthlessly. "That won't happen. Such hopes are futile."
"No." Leorina answered. She approached him still closer, and the hunter drew back; she had an array of weapons that he knew about, and some more hidden within her clothes. Although she had left the majority of her weapons in the Crimson Iris, she was still armed in some way, he knew that. She could attack him any time without hesitation, and as he knew her hidden brutality, he did not doubt that she was planning to attack.
"Please, Guntz..." She took out her knife, and threw it aside on the grass, paying no attention to the blade. She looked at him with large, pleading blue eyes, stepping towards him. Guntz backed away, looking nervous despite the fact that she had disarmed herself of her main weapon. This wasn't what he'd expected. At all.
The fish was about to slip back into the water.
"Please." She said again, and this time she took out her throwing knives, again dropping them onto the ground in exchange for being able to advance a little further on him. "I want to know the name of the person who wants me killed. Guntz, tell me... you can spare me that much before you kill me, I'm not asking for much..."
"Save your words." Guntz stuttered, pointing the gun again towards her forehead. "You'll only die twice."
"Tell me, Guntz..." Leorina took off her cloak and knelt down, pressing the cold barrel of the gun against her own forehead, eyes still staring directly into the hunter's. "Tell me... or kill me now."
"...I take the second offer." Guntz whispered. "Are you ready?"
Leorina smiled sadly and without humour. And suddenly Guntz could see something, very faintly glistening on the girl's forehead, bleeding crimson. It was that... something he had seen back when they first met.
And he didn't like it one little bit.
"So be it." And the girl closed her eyes, letting a few lines of prayer fall from her lips.
And he pulled the trigger.
There was silence on the hill.
Leorina lay on the ground, still and unmoving, the wind scattering locks of her hair about. She could have been sleeping; if not for the bloodstain slowly spreading onto the ground, and the almost invisible bullet mark on her forehead, she could have been sleeping in perfect peace, splayed out against the sun. She was beautiful; there was a hint of surprise in her face, her eyes closed, but other than that she was Leorina.
Guntz knelt down and looked at her for a while.
His hands arranged her body in a more gentle position, so that it didn't look like she'd just been brutally murdered - even though technically she had been, if not brutally - and left her be, his eyes travelling over to her forehead. The mark was gone now, and he was glad; it had only been his delusion, nothing more than that.
Leorina had not been afraid of him.
Why, he had no idea; but the girl had met death with calmness beyond comprehension, which was completely contrary to what he'd expected. But it was Leorina after all, he'd liked her; perhaps it was the only way to truly release her from fate. Besides, she had known too much about the Moon incident, which was arguably best left to be forgotten by others. He smiled blankly to himself.
"So you've done it again, Guntz." A voice shook him out of his trance and the hunter whirled around, seeing Klonoa emerge from behind a group of bushes, looking horrified and pale but determined. His lips were pressed closer together, his expression full of hate and anger. The hunter briefly wondered how much of this he had seen, feeling an unpleasant sense of deja vu creeping onto him. There was no Pango to help him out this time.
"I thought I could forgive you." Klonoa continued in a shaking voice. "I thought that it was the last killing of a person you would ever do. I thought Janga would be the last. You helped us all in the Moon, and you did have good reason to kill Janga and that was why I was so god-damn close to forgiving you for making me witness it all-" Tears of rage were falling down his eyes now, a deranged laugh escaping his lips. "But no, you just had to go and mess it all up, Guntz... you just had to go and ruin my image of you again!"
"Klonoa-"
"Don't call me by my name!" The cabbit shouted, fists clenching. "You have no right to call me by my name! You have no right to stand there and look at me! You have no rights at all in this place, Shinigami Guntz!"
Guntz backed away, knowing better to approach the cabbit in this state; he didn't want to do him even more harm than he already had done. He looked into the cabbit's eyes, finding no other alternative. "You don't understand."
"What don't I understand?" Klonoa whispered. "You killed her. There's something I'm missing right there, is it? And what would that be?"
"You don't know the full story." Guntz said urgently. "I had to, Klonoa. I had to do it."
"You had to kill her." Klonoa repeated. "I'm still not getting the message here. That's all you can say, isn't it? You disgust me."
Guntz stepped towards him, looking desperate. "Klonoa, please!"
"Don't - come - next to me!" Klonoa cried. "Don't touch me!"
Guntz withdrew away from the cabbit and stood five feet apart, looking at him with a curious expression on his face, something between regret and anguish. "Please, I can explain..."
"I believed in you!" Klonoa shouted. "I wanted to help you all along! When you left me behind in the Moon's Ruins I searched for you, because I cared! I overlooked all your faults!" He drew his breath in sharply. "I- I admired you! I even loved you! And you ruined it all!"
Tears were running freely down his cheeks but he didn't notice; he grasped his head, looking down at the corpse, seemingly lost for more words. Guntz simply stood and stared.
"... You... what?" He managed to utter.
"It doesn't matter." Klonoa said spitefully. "I don't feel anything for you right now."
There was silence.
"I declare you my mortal enemy, Shinigami Guntz." Klonoa whispered, but the sheer impact of those words fell heavily on both of them, destroying something between them for ever. "From this day and so forth you are no longer my associate nor my friend." He brought his face up to meet Guntz's eyes, and the hunter stared into those fierce amber eyes, not knowing what to say. He looked away.
"Look at me." Klonoa snarled. "Look into my eyes and don't turn away. That way the next time I meet you, I'll remember your gaze and remember that you're my enemy."
"Old enough already to make this declaration..." Guntz murmured sadly and met the cabbit's eyes for a second, looking away after a few seconds or so. "What I did was unforgivable, I know. But I can explain - I can tell you why..."
"I don't need to hear it." Klonoa cut through him sharply. "You killed Leorina. That's all I need to know."
"Klonoa-"
"Get out."
Guntz reeled back, looking shocked. "Wh... what?"
"Get out!" Klonoa unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the hunter, no mercy or pity in his eyes. "Get out of Breezegale. There is no place for you here. Get out and don't come back, and if you ever come here again..." He swallowed dryly, the words in his mouth but feeling too weak to say them. However, the sight of Leorina's body on the ground brought on a flashback of Guntz mutilating Janga on the moon mere days ago, and his face hardened.
"... I'll... I'll kill you."
"You." Guntz murmured. "You, kill me? I'd like to see you try." His voice had suddenly gained the cold, mocking tone he had used when he had been with the cabbit at the start. Klonoa flinched, wincing at the sudden change of voice, but it only convinced him further that Guntz was no longer his friend.
"I've been protecting Breezegale since I was old enough to fight." Klonoa said sharply. "And I'm going to protect it until the very end." The end of the sword still was pointed at him. "And I'll do that this time by throwing you out of here."
Guntz said nothing.
"What else are you hiding, Guntz?" Klonoa asked, his voice hateful. "Come on. Tell me. I'm sure it'll be worth hearing. Who knows, maybe you killed someone or two in the government... or in the police force... or you might have poisoned some of my friends..." Tears were welling up in his eyes but the half-crazed sneer lingered in his face still. "Or maybe who knows... you might have been living a lie all this time and you're too deluded to admit it to yourself..."
"I'm hiding nothing from you." Guntz replied, his voice calm once again. "You see what I do. You interpret them yourself according to how much you see. That is all."
"That's a lie." Klonoa spat. "I saw everything with Janga. There was nothing misinterpreted about that."
"But this one isn't like that, Klonoa-."
"Oh, so Leorina's nothing more than 'this one' now, is she?" The cabbit shot back. "Makes me wonder how many more you've been killing under our nose." He went over to the girl's body and knelt beside her, brushing a lock of her hair back. "Poor, poor Leorina... you'll pay for this one day, Guntz."
"I can't wait." The hunter said and turned away. Klonoa stood up, face filled with pure hate.
"Running away, Guntz?" He whispered. "That's not like you. But I don't care, I guess. I don't care as long as you're out of here." The hunter didn't turn back. "Go then. Don't come back."
Guntz stopped for a brief moment. "What are you going to tell them?" He asked, his voice expressionless and bland. He suddenly sounded tired, so unbearably tired; the cabbit actually drew back, wondering if he really had gone too far this time before he realized he should really be past this stage anyway. Something between them was destroyed, harshly broken apart, no one could put it back together - and they had to start now. He hesitated.
"I'll tell them that both of you were gone already." A shadow crossed his eyes. "I'll just tell them... that you're both out of the village. Last thing I'll ever do for you."
"Do so." Guntz replied sadly, and then he began to run into the forest.
And he didn't stop.
Klonoa stood watching for a long while, even when he couldn't see Guntz anymore. Slowly, the sword fell from his hand to the ground, and he sank to his knees, hugging himself tightly. He had done it. He had severed the link with Guntz, he had announced his hatred; and there was no going back.
He closed his eyes, trying to hold the tears back while trying to understand why. Why had Guntz killed Leorina? To satisfy his own sick desire for blood? That didn't seem to be the case. The whole thing had been too well planned out, too well done. Guntz had manipulated his knowledge of Breezegale perfectly to trap and murder the girl, which was not what a homicidal murderer did. There were forest fires in Breezegale, after all. Nobody cared for them, after all, except for people who were new to the area. The plan had been perfectly executed. Too perfectly.
There was a firework left lying on the ground; as much as it pained him to do so, he lighted the firework and threw it on Leorina's body, which instantly burst into flames. The firework would not last for more than three minutes but it was enough to burn the evidence into ashes, being far too powerful. It was convincing enough to fool Klonoa that it had been a real fire, after all.
"Why..." He muttered, watching the orange flames. "Why the hell... am I helping him still...?" He could have given it all away, he could have framed Guntz, he could have killed him right there up on the hill - there were hundreds of possibilities and he'd carried none of them out. Now that the firework was lit, Klonoa couldn't even back out of his story anymore - there would be no body left. But he knew one thing. Even though he hated Guntz, even though he had driven the hunter out - Klonoa wouldn't have been able to kill him. No matter how he threatened Guntz he would still not be able to kill him, and that was the truth. He looked at the sword lying on the ground, picked it up and sheathed it; he shuddered at the thought of plunging it into Guntz's body, and shook his head. He couldn't sink to that point. He would not allow himself to sink that low.
But he would protect Breezegale. He would protect those around him.
Even if it meant fighting Guntz.
"I won't give up." He murmured softly to himself. He looked at the girl's body again, now burnt into ashes, and sighed. He let them swirl away in the wind, stirring them in the direction of Volk City, scattering them away with a Wind Bullet. "I swear to you, Leorina... I'll avenge you... I'll protect them, all of them, even if it means my life..."
As he let a teardrop fall onto the ground, the Medal on his chest began to gleam a bright Gold.
...Well.
That's how the story goes now. Klonoa officially hates Guntz. And with that the first part is over.
Guntz has a magic pocket. He gets rifle-scopes, an infinite amount of cartridges and silencers out of it. Silencers, especially ones on a pistol, are not very heavy... but they're certainly not the best things to carry around in your pocket. It looks very, very, very suspicious and is against the law. Fun.
So ends the final chapter of the Klonoa Part. I have thrown you a question during the whole part; what is going on inside Guntz? It is now up to me to write the answer down, and you to try to solve it... The answers will vary depending on what level of fantasy you are willing to tolerate. Hopefully the second part will reveal more things.
I'm going to update a few more things, then I'm going to take a short break after updating the Prologue of the next part.
Good luck...