Ranma's Child

by Blissful Archangel

Ryuku Saotome's life is plagued with abandonment and dark rumors. Throughout his childhood, he lacked inspiration and had eventually gave up on the family arts. That all changed when he met a young girl on a cold winter's day. From there, his life was flung into disorderly chaos - crazy martial artists, ancient magic, and Amazonian tribes crash into the redhead's life.

38. Ch 30: The Best L-O-V-E is: Part 2

Chapter 30: The Best L-O-V-E is a Cheerleader's: Part 2

A showdown was brewing. Across from Gashu, Lotion's purple catlike eyes were narrowed onto him. This was not the first time Gashu had been on the receiving end of Lotion's glare. At least his Lotion's glare. The double had his methods of getting the amazon to ease up. He bet that his usual tactic of pulling her in for a kiss wouldn't work here. Gashu weighed his options out. He looked over Lotion with a curious but cautious glance.

At the Cat Cafe, Lotion wowed customers. She boosted her co-workers' morale with a constant smile. She was always in a chipper mood. This Lotion wasn't different from his own. The similarities were uncanny, but not surprising, as they were the same person. The Lotion right in front of him came across as a particularly cheerful girl.

A battle aura emanated from the amazon. If Gashu made a wrong move or said the wrong thing, it could result in a sudden bout. A fight wouldn't be the worst thing to happen. But with two sleeping occupants within the house, it wouldn't be a good outcome for anyone.

The double curled his pigtail around his index finger. They couldn't keep standing around and gawking at each other forever. He'd make the first move. "I never knew you could turn into a cat," he said. "Did you always have a Jusenkyo curse? Does anyone else know about it or am I a special case?"

Lotion's gaze flickered onto his pigtail. "Don't try to deflect the situation. I asked you who you are."

"I've already had this conversation like three times. It's gettin' a little stale," Gashu decided to test his luck. He approached the amazon at a slow pace. "All you need to know is that I'm Ryuku Saotome. It wouldn't make any sense for me to be anyone else."

The amazon remained where she was. She watched the double's movements. "You might look and sound like him but you aren't Ryuku," she spat out. Her shoulders tensed as she shifted into a guarded position. "I felt this nagging feeling that something weird was going on around here lately. I couldn't place my finger on it exactly but there was this feeling I couldn't shake off."

"Maybe it's amazon intuition or somethin'," Gashu suggested. "Isn't there always something weird happenin'? We are in Nerima, after all. Weird is like our thing," he flashed Lotion a cheeky grin and placed his hands out in a placative gesture. He stopped his movements about a couple of inches away from her. "If you think about it, this is probably on the less weirder side of things for us. Remember that time when a drawing came to life and wanted to date my Pops? Now that was weird!"

Lotion circled around him. Her movements precise and short like a tigress sizing up her prey.

A sharp pinch pulled at the base of Gashu's skull. His head tipped back as his pigtail was in Lotion's hold. Gashu's hands scrambled backwards to grab at Lotion's wrists. No matter how much he tugged and pulled, Lotion refused to release his poor braid. The girl had a stubborn grip. It made sense. Gashu did have some difficulty getting out of his Lotion's hugs from time to time.

"Let's say you are Ryuku Saotome," Lotion reasoned. "But you're not our Ryuku. Why exactly are you here? What are you hoping to accomplish?"

"I don't know why I'm here. I just am!" Gashu winced as his pigtail received another harsh yank. "Can you let go of my pigtail now?"

Lotion clicked her tongue against her teeth. "That's not a good enough answer," she stated. "You're living under the same roof as the Saotomes. You're wandering around and pulling some sort of act while you interact with other people. Deceiving others like it's some game to you."

Gashu straightened up from the sudden pressure against his lower back. It felt like Lotion had pressed her fist against him. Was she getting ready to shove him forward? Should he prepare himself for a fight? Gashu pushed down the excitement bubbling up inside him. Timing always put a damper on any opportunity for a fight with another martial artist. One day the double would be able to act out on his excitement. Unfortunately, that day wasn't today.

"I don't know your motives," Lotion continued. "I'm sure there are plenty of others who still don't know about you. Whatever it is that you're planning, I'll have you know that I'm not about to let you do it."

"I'm not trying to deceive anyone!" Gashu assured the amazon. "I've been put into a situation beyond my control. If I knew how to get outta here, I would've already left! The only problem is that I can't figure out how to do that yet," he heaved a sigh. "I'm not a bad person or anything. I'm only me. I'm harmless. Killer looks but mostly harmless."

"None of your words mean anything to me."

"Okay, I don't know Chinese," Gashu laughed.

Lotion yanked Gashu's pigtail again. "None of your words mean anything to me," she repeated. "They hold no weight. You could be saying these things to say them. I can easily see through your tactics."

Gashu tipped his head back to ease the tension building at the base of his skull.

"I've no idea how much you've interacted with me but I'm not some amazon bimbo," Lotion spat out with venom.

The double tried to look at Lotion over his shoulder. "I never thought you were stupid."

Lotion's scowl loosened to a small frown. "You don't have to -"

"I always thought you were, like, the nicest gal," Gashu said in a rush. "Super friendly. Always nice and patient with the customers and -"

"You can't distract me," as if to warn him, Lotion jabbed him in the side with her fingers. "Don't get off topic. How long have you been here, you... whoever you are?"

"Call me Gashu."

"Okay, fine," Lotion said. Given her tone of voice, Gashu didn't have to see the amazon's face to know she rolled her eyes. "How long have you been here... Gashu?"

Gashu couldn't keep himself from perking up. He puffed his chest out hearing Lotion call him by his moniker. She sounded exactly like his Lotion. He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard her say his name. This girl looked and acted the exact same way.

"I've been here for awhile. I don't know how or why I got here. I wish I could give you a better answer but I'm as clueless about this as you are."

"How could you not know something like that? It's not like you were dropped here for no reason. Everything happens for a reason."

"I'm not trying to do anything, Lotion," Gashu added emphasis to the amazon's name. The inflection could appeal to her in some way. It was the little things like that that girls tended to appreciate for whatever reason. "Even if I was trying to do something, which I'm not, wouldn't I have already made a move?"

A moment of silence passed by the two teenagers. No doubt, the amazon was contemplating over the double's words.

Lotion loosened her hold on his pigtail, but it wasn't enough for him to slip out yet. "You can't possibly think that you're pulling a fast one on me."

"I'm not pulling anything on you," Gashu said. He attempted to turn around enough so he could face her. But with their current positions, it proved to be a difficult effort. It'd be a lot easier to have an accusatory conversation face-to-face. Gashu preferred to be able to see the person that he was about to accuse of things himself. "Aren't you laying things on a little too thick? I'm not the only guilty party here, you know."

Lotion's eyebrows furrowed. A small wrinkle appeared on her forehead. "What are you trying to say?"

"Why are you going around here as a cat?" Gashu asked, his eyebrow raised. He tapped his finger a few times against his chin. "Don't you think that's kind of, I don't know, a little suspicious?"

The answer he received was not a vocal one but another sharp pull at his braid.

"Does Ichi - Ryuku know about that? Heck, does anybody know about this? You can't fling accusations at me about bein' secretive when you're not exactly innocent yourself, sweetheart," Gashu slipped his hands into his pajama pockets. "I'm pretty good at keepin' secrets myself but that is some sketchy behavior."

"Are you threatening me?"

"You can interpret it that way but -"

"Are you really in a position to be doing that yourself?" Lotion hissed through her teeth. "Not only are you keeping yourself hidden from others, but does that Ayano girl know who Ryoko actually is? I thought best friends tell each other everything."

Gashu froze in place. He let out a laugh and scratched his cheek. "Damn, I thought I had you there for a second."

"You're in no position to threaten me," Lotion said with an air of smugness.

"How about we meet somewhere in the middle then?" Gashu suggested, keeping his tone light. "I have something against you and you have something against me. Maybe we can work something out here."

"I'm not here to bargain with an imposter."

"Not you, too! I'm not an imposter!" Gashu whined. "Come on, at least hear what I have to say. You might like it."

"I doubt that," Lotion scoffed. "But I'll humor you. What are you suggesting exactly?"

"First, how about you let go of my pigtail so we can have a proper chat?"

Complete and utter silence stretched between the two teens. Neither of them made a move or a sound. Lotion loosened her hold enough for Gashu's pigtail to slip away from her fingers.

Pleased, the double turned on his heels to face the amazon.

Lotion folded her arms across her chest. Her eyebrow arched as she eyed Gashu. Her lips had formed into a slight frown, almost looking like a displeased pout. She tapped her foot against the floor, signaling how little patience she had left.

"Well?" Lotion began. "I'm waiting."

Gashu touched over his pigtail. "It's kind of hard to talk when you're looking at me like that."

Lotion tilted her head. Confusion washed over her features. "Like what?"

"Like you want me."

"Don't say those things to me," the words flew from Lotion's mouth in a fury. "Quit wasting time. Out with it."

"I was trying to lighten up the mood. Things are getting too serious for me. I didn't mean anythin' by it," Gashu assured the girl. Some people didn't know how to have any fun. "I was going to suggest that we try living... harmoniously together with our secrets." Lotion opened her mouth but Gashu beat her to the punch as he pressed onward. "We're both caught in a standstill, aren't we? Like I already said, you've got dirt on me and I've got dirt on you. Don't think you've got the upperhand or anything here 'cause Ichi-Ryuku does know about me. I could even tell Pig Boy about you. Don't know if I can say the same about you, kitty cat."

Lotion's eyes pinned Gashu with a heated glare. She turned away with a disgrunted huff. "I don't want to do that. I really don't want to," she exhaled. She looked at Gashu from the corner of her eye. "But it looks like I don't have much of a choice here. No one really has a way of getting the upper hand here. I was prepared to drag you through the dirt for deceiving everyone."

"You can still drag me through the dirt," Gashu quipped, grinning from ear to ear. "It can be for fun, though. I mean, if you wanna duke it out or anythin'. I didn't mean it in a dirty way. No pun intended."

A sigh passed Lotion's lips. She ran her fingers through her long purple tresses. "That won't be necessary," she said. "But, of course, this isn't over. I'm watching you from here on out."

Gashu shrugged. "Things could be worse."

Lotion brushed passed the double. Their shoulders knocked together as she made her way to Gashu's room.

Curious, Gashu followed after her. Now that things had reached a standstill, the double had no way of knowing where things were heading.

Lotion went over to the bedroom window and yanked it open. She propped herself up onto the windowsill. The amazon resembled a feline with her nimbleness and graceful movements. She glanced at Gashu and made a face from his enthusiastic waves. She jumped out of the window without saying a word or giving a proper goodbye.

Gashu walked over to the window. He watched as Lotion spun midair to proper herself forward and land onto the nearest rooftop. As Gashu expected, Lotion landed with no issues. She kept her back turned and darted off, using rooftop after rooftop as a makeshift bridge. Gashu propped his elbow onto the windowsill and pressed his chin to his palm. Lotion shrank to nothing but a black dot the further she ran off, until she disappeared from his sight.

With a small head shake, Gashu slammed the window shut. He fell back against the wall with a light thump.

That was definitely not how he was expecting the rest of the night to go.

"Man," Gashu muttered to no one in particular. "What a gal."

X

Ryou had a gut feeling that it was going to be a good day. The day started off in an absolute positive manner. So positive and bright that the sun beaming outside was a warm welcome. His mother found the time to prepare breakfast. Not only did Ryou manage to eat on time but his family was present for the meal as well. His brother hadn't decided to ditch and instead sat at the table. Takumi wasn't conversational with anyone but he didn't resort to calling him any names. Ryou considered that to be a big win.

On top of making breakfast, his mother had also prepared lunch. She handed the meal off to her oldest son.

Takumi declined his mother's offer. He opted to make something for himself. He used last night's leftovers and crammed everything into a lunchbox. The younger Hibiki bounded off for school. He bypassed Ukyo's outstretched arms and goodbye kiss.

Ukyo's shoulders and features slumped from Takumi's rejection. "You better get going too, sugar. I don't want you running late," Ukyo told Ryou. She got the rest of the dishes from the table. "Is Ryuku coming to get you?"

"Not today," Ryou took the plates from Ukyo and placed them into the sink. "He said we could meet up in homeroom instead. There's nothing to worry about. My GPS is fully charged and I've got three maps of Nerima, too."

Ukyo wiped her hands off onto her apron and pulled Ryou in for a hug. She squeezed her arms around him but was mindful of her son's cast. "Have a great day at school. Don't go and do anything stupid like your dad," She planted a smacking kiss to his cheek. "Now go on, sug, get going."

Ryou returned the hug to the best of his abilities. "I'll see you later, mom."

On his way out, Ryou hadn't expected to find his father standing on the other side of the front door.

Ryoga was covered in dust. His clothes torn and ragged. His father was armed with souvenirs. Ryou recognized a few of the items from locations that he had stumbled upon himself.

"Dad!" Ryou greeted. "Welcome home! Mom's going to be so happy to see you!"

"Thanks, Ryou," Ryoga replied. His fanged grin looked much brighter with all the dirt caked into his skin. "There's still hope for the Hibikis yet! It's only been two weeks since I've been gone!"

Ryou patted Ryoga's shoulder as his father brushed past him to get into the house. He didn't have the heart to tell him that it had almost been four weeks since he'd last seen him.

But his father was onto something. It felt like he was getting a little better himself with his hopeless lack of direction.

Ryou adjusted his schoolbag against his back. He booted up his GPS and punched in the directions for Furinkan. Ryou clung to every bit of information the GPS told him. He never strayed from the path before him. As the gates of Furinkan High School was in his line of sight, Ryou was close to bursting into tears of joy. On top of that, he was early. School wouldn't be starting for another fifteen minutes.

The lost boy strolled through the school gates. He fought off the temptation to walk with a little pep to his step. He didn't want to draw anymore unwanted attention to himself. There was chattering around him from the surrounding student body. Whispers from his peers was never a new thing for Ryou. Being known as Bloody Knife Saotome's best friend didn't exactly come with the best perks. Not to mention that he already had to deal with his own lackluster reputation as the Furinkan Idiot. The usual downers that came with going to school weren't going to ruin Ryou's good day.

Ryuku sent him a text. not their yeet. gimme a few mre minutes.

Ryou kept his eyes glued to the screen of his GPS.

According to Ryuku's texts, the phony impostor had unplugged Ryuku's alarm clock. Ryuku was fortunate enough to not have slept in, but he'd still have trouble getting to school on time. Gashu seemed to have a knack for causing all sorts of trouble for not only his best friend but for other people as well. Unfortunately, Ryou wasn't excluded from the double's outrageous ploys. The mere thought of Gashu made Ryou's blood boil. All that Gashu had done was cause a great deal of misfortune for Ryuku. Nothing good had happened ever since Gashu's sudden appearance in Nerima.

But it had been awhile since the double had done anything particularly destructive. Ryou lowered his GPS. His thoughts trailed off to something Ryuku had said. Wherever that phony had come from, Gashu had a home of his own, his own family and friends. Everything was ripped away from him. Now he was all alone.

Ryou lowered his shoulders. His movements came to a gradual halt. Maybe he was being a little too hard on the guy. The phony's personality couldn't be anymore different than his best friend's. It wasn't like the impostor was a complete tool. There had to be some good qualities about him somewhere deep, deep, deep down inside him.

Ryou looked over to his wounded arm, still wrapped in a sling. The double had expressed concern over his well being for the most part.

I can't believe I'm feeling sympathetic for that... fraud. Ryou heaved a sigh. I guess I could be a little less of a jerk to him.

The lost boy turned his attention back to his GPS and continued his trek to homeroom. Ryou pondered over how he'd be able to create some sort of civility between himself and the double.

Something flashed before Ryou's eyes.

His instincts seized him and made him take a cautionary step backward. Ryou looked from his GPS to find the source of the flash. Before him, embedded in the ground was a lone black rose. There was an inch between the rose and the tip of his shoe from making contact with one another.

Ryou searched his surroundings. His grip tightened around his GPS. He checked for any sign of who the rose could belong to. There didn't appear to be anything unusual going on. No one was paying him much attention. But he did catch more than a handful of people looking his way. They'd turn to whisper something to their friend, causing them to erupt into a fit of giggles. Throwing things at Ryou wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Throwing a rose was definitely a first for the lost boy. Ryou reasoned that the speed and throw of the projectile could only mean one thing. The thrower had every intention of hurting him. His peers could be cruel. They tossed eggs or rotten milk his way, but he didn't think anyone could've had the skill to do something like this.

He crouched down and set his GPS down next to him. He gave the rose a once over. The flower had damaged the ground as if it was nothing, but the stem was buried several inches into the dirt. Ryou checked for any thorns before he plucked the rose out without a sign of struggle. Was this supposed to mean something?

"Excuse me."

Ryou inspected the rose petals with a scrutinizing look. There was nothing special about them.

"Excuse me?"

Ryou wondered how far a rose could travel being thrown like that. It wasn't like the thrower could make it travel along the distance of a soccer field. He hummed in thought and considered sketching out a problem in the dirt. He could use the rose stem as a makeshift pencil.

"Ahem, like, excuse me?"

A pair of pink shoes blocked Ryou's vision.

Ryou tilted his head back and found himself staring up at a girl. The lost boy whirled backwards. He managed to catch himself from losing his footing and landing onto the grass. He stood to his feet and fumbled to get his GPS back in his hand.

The girl wore a completely different school uniform. One that Ryou couldn't pin to any other high school in the ward. She had gone out of her way to approach him.

I hope she's not asking me for directions. Ryou let out an uneasy chuckle. "Are you, um, talking to me?"

"Of course I'm talking to you. Who else would I be talking to, silly?" the girl asked, smiling. Her hands were behind her back.

There was an air about her that rubbed Ryou off the wrong way. Something felt off. But his brain tended to be uncooperative whenever he was so close to a cute girl.

Ryou was so caught up in bewilderment that he almost jumped out of his skin when another girl appeared.

She had been standing behind the former girl, as if she'd been hiding the entire time. The other girl was about an inch shorter than her companion. She also wore a different uniform. Different from the first girl's as well.

Why are two girls from completely different schools talking to me? Ryou thought. What could they want from someone like me?

"You are..." the first girl paused before the other girl leaned o to whisper into her ear. "Ryou Hibiki, correct?"

"Uh, yeah, I am. I mean, that's me." Ryou stuttered.

The two girls exchanged glances with one another.

He could've been imagining things. Either his eyes were deceiving him or the first girl's cheeks had turned pink. Almost as if she was blushing or embarrassed about something. Or it could've been a little bit of both.

Traveling on the road didn't leave much in the way of entertainment. When Ryou wasn't sprinting away from a giant boar or a pack of wild wolves, or clearing a path for a few farmers here or there, or helping plant crops and clean the animal pens - there were times when he could take it easy. He'd end up watching cheesy romance dramas on a portable TV he'd carry around with him. He hadn't planned on getting caught up in dramas of all things. The lost boy found that they were addictive. Plus, it was a way to kill time whenever he finished all his school assignments. Considering what was happening right now, this situation was like those confession scenes. The girl was always super nervous and fidgety, much like the girl before him, not to mention she'd be blushing.

Ryou struggled to swallow past a lump in his throat. He wished he had another available hand to pull at his uniform collar. It felt as though it was trying to strangle him with how hot he was getting. No way, would one girl, much less two girls want to confess to him? By a good day, this wasn't exactly what he had in mind.

Out of nowhere, the girl's face fell. That wasn't what happened in the dramas. Usually, the girl character got upset when her feelings weren't returned. Ryou hadn't even gotten a chance to say anything yet. The girl's features crumbled. Her hands flew up to cover her face and muffled a sob.

A crying girl had thrown Ryou completely out of his element. It was bad enough that he didn't know how to act around girls. Seeing a girl crying was something else altogether. A sense of dread settled low in Ryou's stomach. He realized the unwanted attention these girls were giving him. The second girl patted the first girl's back before she put an arm around her. The second girl's purple eyed gaze sent chills down Ryou's spine. It was as though she saw him as something she'd found beneath her shoe.

The first girl lifted her face up from her palms. Tears had welled up in her eyes and her makeup was running. "It's terrible," she sniffled. "So terrible! You poor, poor thing. I feel so bad for you."

Nerves caused Ryou to let out a strained laugh. "What... what're you talking about?"

"It pains me so much to say this but," the girl paused to grab onto the other girl for comfort. "I'm so sorry to tell you this but you're being cheated on."

Ryou gawked at her. Had he heard her right? "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your beloved cheated on you, Hibiki," the girl pressed on, her eyes sparkling with tears. "I have a feeling that she wasn't going to tell you about her gross, unforgivable actions. She went on a date and tricked everyone involved! Like she doesn't care about anyone else's feelings but her own! So selfish! She seems to have forgotten all about you!"

Ryou's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to absorb what this girl had told him. None of it made any sense. The more he tried to examine and poke at things, the more confused and lost he became. "But Lotion -" was all he could manage to muster out. He cleared his throat. "I'm really sorry but I think you might've mistaken me for someone else. I don't have a girlfriend."

"What do you mean by that?" the second girl finally spoke, her lips curled into a tight scowl. "You don't have a deceiving, conniving, disgusting, lowlife -"

Ryou checked the time on the school building. "Uh, I don't mean to be rude but I really have to get to class," he bowed to the two girls and circled around them.

"Stupid significant other?" she screamed after him.

He didn't dare to look back over his shoulder. He quickened his speed to get to school as soon as possible. If you ignored the two girls approaching him with a weird confession, today still counted as a good day for Ryou. The only thing that bugged him was being told that his supposed girlfriend was cheating on him. When did he manage to get himself a girlfriend? Ryou's phone lit up with another text from Ryuku. He'd have to check it when he got to homeroom. All he wanted to do was get to his desk and forget about what had happened within the last twelve or so minutes.

X

Another uneventful day of school went by in a flash. The lessons were snore inducing. Lunch brought no new surprises, not that Ryuku wanted anything to spice up the lunch hour. Homework assignments brought nothing but pain and misery. On the bright side, today was Ryuku's day off from work. His aunt had told him she'd be able to pick up Misaki after school. Ryuku wasn't about to complain about his lack of activities for the day.

The only real issue at the moment was his best friend.

Ever since they left Furinkan, the lost boy had been silent. The majority of their walk to Ryou's house was completely quiet.

Ryuku didn't mind the silence. He was never one for small talk.

But Ryou, while not a chatterbox, wouldn't hesitate to engage in conversation. The lost boy always had something to talk about. The topic could either be school related or about his failed crushes. He never failed to mention something bizarre he'd seen during one of his treks back home.

Ryuku kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk. It skipped a few steps ahead but hadn't strayed far from Ryuku's path. He gave it another kick. The pebble bounced further down the sidewalk. Ryuku jammed his hands into his pants pockets as he walked at an unhurried pace. His backpack slung low on his back. Every so often, Ryuku looked over to his companion.

Ryou lagged behind him by several steps and kept his eyes glued to the ground.

The clues to his best friend's behavior wasn't a big mystery to solve. It always boiled down to two options. Either something happened at school or something had upset him in general. Or it was family issues? A certain amazon hadn't dropped by later with any impromptu visits. Either that or Ryou was attempting to solve a homework problem in his head and was in deep concentration.

Ryuku pursed his lips. Should I say something? he kicked a scrap of trash on the pavement, deciding to abandon the pebble. He lowered his shoulders and gave Ryou another brief glance over.

Given the way Ryou had clenched his jaw, Ryuku didn't have to be a genius to figure out that his friend was angry. A vein appeared on the side of Ryou's neck.

Ryuku cleared his throat. "You'll never guess -"

Ryou beat him to the punch. "Could you tell me what's going on?" his question overwhelmed Ryuku's words.

The question threw Ryuku in a loop. His eyebrows knitted together as he pondered over the question. "Could you be a little more specific?"

"This morning two girls came up to me."

Ryuku snorted a laugh. "I guess that would be pretty alarming," he said. "It's hard enough for you to approach one girl let alone two."

"That's not what I meant!" Ryou's lips twisted into a tight scowl. "They weren't even from our school. One of them said a bunch of weird stuff to me. Then, she started crying out of nowhere. Telling me that apparently I have a girlfriend and that apparently she's cheating on me." Ryou came to a sudden stop.

Ryuku had no choice but to follow suit. He stopped in his tracks.

"It didn't make any sense. It still doesn't make any sense," Ryou lifted his head up and met his friend's eyes. "Would you happen to know anything about that?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Ryou."

"Someone has to know something about it. Statements like that can't come out of thin air," the lost boy brought his hand up to his chin. A thoughtful expression washed over his face. One of his fangs jutted out over his lower lip. "I'm pretty sure I can think of someone who must've said or done something stupid."

"Who?"

"Here I thought I could give him a chance. Of course, he has to go and do something like this."

"Who did?"

"He's dragging my name into the dirt, you know!"

Ryuku snapped his fingers in front of Ryou's face. "Who are you talking about?"

Ryou swatted Ryuku's arm away. "Think about it. Who else would do something stupid like that? Making up weird things about me."

"You don't mean," Ryuku balled his hands into fists. "That stupid -"

Blackness overtook Ryuku's vision. Natural instincts drove Ryuku to move, to break free, but he couldn't move his arms. The redhead stumbled forward a few steps. He couldn't move his legs either. He struggled to keep himself upright. It was as if he had been wrapped in wrapping paper. Ryuku's ears picked up the sound of laughter. Distinct laughter.

Ryuku's entire body tensed up. That laugh!

The familiar cackling churned Ryuku's insides. To make matters worse, there was the unmistakable sounds of someone's footsteps. Ryuku couldn't tell if they were approaching him or heading in the opposite direction. He couldn't let them have the upper hand. Ryuku fought his binds, grunting in desperation. Adrenaline pushed him forward. He managed to create enough space for him to wiggle his arms around. He thrust them out forward in front of himself. His binds tore apart, ripping in the air, as if it were a piece of paper. Bits and pieces of what appeared to be a black cloak floated around him.

He was too late.

The assailant was already on the move. Disappeared within seconds. He had only managed to catch a glimpse of someone leaping over the concrete wall next to him.

Now, he was completely alone.

Ryou had vanished.

"Ryou!" Ryuku shouted, panicking seized him in an instant.

Ryou did have a habit of disappearing. Sometimes it felt as if it was out of thin air but it never happened like this.

He broke out into a sprint down the path as he continued calling out for his best friend. He checked for any sign of the lost boy, but there wasn't anything that stood out to him. His shouts met utter silence.

Ryuku returned back to where he had last seen Ryou. His eyes widened when he spotted something in the ground. He wasn't sure how he could've missed such an important piece to the puzzle.

Embedded in the concrete was a lone black rose.

X

Along with a rewarding practice session was a perfect rush of adrenaline. It was one of the many reasons why the double kept up with his physical endeavors. There was something satisfying about delivering a solid punch, a swift kick, or landing a successful chain of combos. That thrilling feeling was even more gratifying against a living and breathing opponent. Finding someone like Kaida was like searching for a needle in a hay stack. Opportunities like that don't come and go like it was a common instance. He couldn't let Kaida go without having a proper fight. He'd be doing a disservice to himself as a martial artist.

The double brought his leg back toward himself. He extended it back down to place his foot onto the floor mats.

On the dummy's lower abdomen, Gashu had left a sizable crater. The dummy wouldn't last another session at this rate. Gashu had hoped he could've dragged the material's endurance a little longer. He hadn't even used his full strength and it still ended up in this condition.

Gashu delivered a half-hearted hook to the side of the dummy's throat. "You did your best."

The dummy fell to the side. Dead silent. A fitting end to a faithful training companion.

"I'm sorry," he grieved.

The Saotome dojo hardly had any training resources available. The amount of equipment stored in the training hall barely held a candle to what Gashu had back home. A stocked dojo was the best kind of dojo. Aside from having a dojo full of eager students.

Gashu stationed himself to the center of the floor mats. He had already worked up a good sweat getting the most that he could from the training dummy. He didn't want to waste a good adrenaline rush.

Before he had started today's session, he had set up a few stacks of bricks in specific locations around the room. Gashu stepped up to the first stack with his legs spread at just outside shoulder width. He breathed out as he pressed his hands together, allowing himself to get into the right mindset. He shifted and brought his hand down to land a hit dead center on the top of the first brick. The impact of the blow gave a satisfying crack. It spread throughout the pile of the bricks, and caused it to crumble under the weight of itself. The double moved onto the other stacks. He proceeded to do the same maneuver over and over again. After he had finished destroying the last stack, a cloud of dust had settled into the air.

Gashu slicked his bangs back and off of his forehead. He used his tank top to mop the sweat from his face.

Once the dust began to clear, Gashu glanced over at the entrance of the dojo. Somewhere along the way he had gotten an unexpected but not unwanted visitor.

"Yo, Ichigo!" Gashu greeted the other redhead with a small wave. "Is there somethin' you need?"

Ryuku stomped over to the double. The redhead's hand shot out, which made Gashu take a step back. Gashu's arms posed in front of himself in a prepared offensive stance. The double realized that Ryuku wasn't about to strike him. Instead, Ryuku held something out to the double.

Curious, the double looked over a black rose curled between Ryuku's fingers.

"Gee, I don't know what to say," Gashu reached out to take the rose. "Is that supposed to be for me?"

Ryuku brought his hand back, keeping the rose an arm's length from Gashu. "I found this in the ground after Ryou disappeared out of nowhere," he tossed it at Gashu's face.

The rose bounced off of Gashu's face. He watched the flower drift downwards to the floor in a slow spiral. "You're lucky that thing didn't have any thorns," he quipped, propping his hand on his hip. "What if it left a scratch? Huh? How could you live with yourself if you did somethin' like that?"

Ryuku held out a lavender colored envelope. "This stupid thing was taped to the gate out front," he ripped it open and took out a letter from inside.

Gashu moved to stand next to Ryuku. His shoulders bumped against the redhead's as he peered down at the piece of paper.

Two pairs of dark blue eyes stared at the photograph tucked inside with the letter. The subject of the photo was none other than Ryou. The lost boy was tied up from his shoulders to his hips in thick rope. His eyes were covered with a blindfold. He was gagged with a shiny, red apple. The background was dark, which made it difficult to pinpoint Ryou's exact location. Was he being held in a warehouse? Or a garage? A basement?

"What the hell did you do this time?" Ryuku demanded. He shook the photograph in front of Gashu's face.

Gashu chuckled to himself.

"What are you laughing at? Is this funny to you?"

"Isn't it kind of funny?"

Ryuku gave Gashu a dirty look. "How is any of this funny?"

"Oh, come on, the apple? You know, he turns into a little piggy? You gotta admit that's kind of ironic," Gashu gestured to the photo with a cheeky grin. He wiggled his eyebrows to see if that'd get Ryuku to crack a smile.

The redhead barely reacted.

"Okay, it's not that funny. Jeez, you've gotta to have at least one funny bone in your body somewhere, Ichigo," Gashu said with an eye roll. "Anyway, why'd you assume that I had somethin' to do with this?"

"Maybe because my best friend's been kidnapped? Maybe because the only person I know with a stupid black rose happens to hate my guts?" Ryuku said in quick session. "What the hell did you do?"

Gashu tugged his tank top away from his chest. His nose scrunched up as the material peeled off of his body. "I don't know. Wasn't that Katana chick all up in arms about something you did?" the double asked. "Why am I the one being blamed for porker getting pignapped? I could be innocent here."

"You were still involved with that whole thing with her," Ryuku pointed out. "Don't tell me you forgot about that stunt you pulled with Makanai."

"I'm just sayin' you shouldn't be so quick to start pointin' fingers," Gashu turned his attention back to the letter. "What does the letter say? Did you even look at it yet?"

The corners of Ryuku's mouth pinched together. "No, not yet. I wanted to hear some answers from you first."

"See? That's how bad things start," Gashu clucked his tongue against his teeth. "You start blamin' everyone for somethin' and no one's gonna be able to trust anyone anymore. It'll always be blame her. Or blame that other guy. It'll be blame city all over the place," the double flicked his pigtail off his shoulder. "The letter might make things a little bit clearer."

Rolling his eyes, Ryuku began to read:

'To the Foul Temptress Ryoko,

If you ever wish to see your precious beloved again, the desired location you are to be called upon is at the Kuno Mansion.

If you do not dare to show your face, be prepared for the worst fate imaginable.

Best regards, K.S.'

Ryuku squinted his eyes as he brougt the letter closer to his face. "And... some name I can't read."

Gashu plucked the paper from Ryuku to look at it himself. "The name looks kind of familiar. I think it starts with a Y. Y somethin'."

"Wait a minute," Ryuku snatched the paper back. "Why would this letter be addressed to Ryoko?"

"That is kind of weird. Why would she - wait, a Y name and... the Kuno mansion?" Gashu thought for a moment. He gathered tiny puzzle pieces to put together in his mind until everything fell into place. "Oh!" he placed his fist against his palm and let out an uneasy laugh. "Uh, whoops? I think I know what's goin' on. I was kind of wonderin' when this would come back to bite me in the butt, but I didn't think Porky would get dragged into anything."

"What are you talking about? What'd you do now, Gashu?" Ryuku demanded.

Gashu rubbed the back of his head. A sheepish grin made its way over his lips. "Funny story," he started. "Remember how I went on that date with Kaida Kuno the other day? I was supposed to like, ruin things, and make it the worst date ever?"

"Yeah, what about it? Wasn't that what you did?"

"Uh, right, except that kind of didn't happen?" the double said. "We actually ended up talkin' for a pretty long time. That Kaida guy isn't really all that terrible. Plus, he said he'd be up for a fight! 'Course I can't fight him like this," Gashu gestured toward himself with a brief sweep of his hand. "But I'll take what I can get. I've been itchin' for a good fight since I got here and he might be able to deliver!"

"Who cares about that?" Ryuku snapped. "Why didn't you screw up the date?"

"I got distracted!"

"How could you have gotten distracted? Why didn't you tell me anything about this sooner?"

"I'm tellin' you about this now!" Gashu exclaimed. He heaved a sigh and lowered his shoulders. "I bet this whole thing has somethin' to do with Kaida's sister. I'm pretty sure her name starts with a Y. She was a pretty... interestin' gal. She was hellbent on gettin' me to screw up this date and I didn't deliver. If I had to take a guess, she was the one who kidnapped Porky. The Black Rose, on the other hand, I have no idea why she'd be involved in somethin' like this."

"What does that have to do with Ryou?" Ryuku held his hand up in a silencing gesture. "Never mind, don't answer that. You said you'd take care of everything. Why'd I even bother believing you? I should've known better than to think something stupid like that."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to screw things up. I can still fix things, Ichigo," the double took the letter from Ryuku. "All we gotta do is go to the Kuno Mansion, find Pig Boy, and get him outta there. It shouldn't be super difficult. Not when there'll be two of us."

"You're not going like that."

Gashu's eyebrows furrowed. He glanced over himself. "What do you mean? Not going like what?"

The redhead gestured toward the double.

Gashu rubbed his palms off on his basketball shorts. "I wasn't saying we should go right now," he scoffed. "I still gotta go change. I can't go out smelling and looking like this. I'm a mess! That's not very attractive."

"I meant that you can't go out as a guy."

"Well, duh, Ichigo," Gashu said matter-of-fact. "Of course I can't go out as a guy when you're going as a guy. What do you take me for?"

"Whatever. Hurry up so we can get going."

"Relax, Piggy can take care of himself. I'm sure he's been in worse situations than this."

Gashu took a few minutes to tidy up. He couldn't leave the dojo in such a bad condition. Ryuku held onto the letter, eyes focused onto the double, not moving from his spot. Gashu tossed a few things aside.

"Clean up a bit while I get cleaned up myself." Gashu quipped.

The double left before Ryuku could say a word. It wouldn't kill the guy to clean up.

X

In his earlier memories, Ryuku recalled that the Kuno Mansion was always lauded as a fine estate. It was marvelled as one of the greatest architectural achievements in Nerima. Many articles explained how the former principal of Furinkan achieved a grand dwelling. With the help of an upstart architect and a businessman, the Kuno Mansion was a dream forged into reality. At least, that was what Ryuku had heard.

There was no reason for Ryuku to go near the fabled establishment. Perhaps there was a time where the mansion was seen by many in all its former glory. From where Ryuku was standing, all he could see was an abandoned building. In fact, the place looked more like an old prison or a haunted house than a former high class mansion. There were many shattered windows. Visible curtains covered the gaps in the house. An abundance of unkempt vegetation had taken over the front yard of the property and slowly crept over the rusted gates.

The mansion's gates had corroded into an alarming brown color. In the middle of the gate entrance, the elegant design of the family crest had become battered by age. The material worn flat in places.

Gashu hopped in front of the gates. She placed her hands on either side of her face while she scoped the vicinity. The double had changed into a casual outfit. It consisted of a loose fitting tank top of Chinese design and black ripped jeans. She finished off her look with a stylish beret which hugged the back of her head.

Ryuku decided to dress a little less conspicuous. The last thing he wanted to do was draw any unwanted attention to himself. He changed into an over sized red hoodie, faded jeans, and worn out sneakers.

Gashu looked over her shoulder at Ryuku. She signaled that the coast was clear.

They each took one side of the gate and pried it open. The tired metal creaked and groaned until it finally gave way and opened. The pair nodded to one another and continued onward with their rescue mission.

Gashu stepped over what appeared to be a bundle of old clothing. "You shouldn't feel too bad, Ichigo. This place is worse than the dojo!" she stuck her tongue out in disgust.

Ryuku narrowed his eyes onto the double. He pinned her with a warning glare. "Don't even compare this place to home."

"Okay, I'll compare it to the Kuno Mansion back home then!" Gashu quipped. "This place sucks!"

Ryuku bit the inside of his cheek. He refused to laugh at the sudden insult. There were more important things to focus on like finding out where his best friend was being held. "How about you stop talking and start searching instead of making stupid jokes?"

Gashu waved him off. "Okay, I have an idea," she said. "How about we start making some pig noises? I bet he'll come squealing the first chance he gets! Here, I'll start," the double cupped her hands around her mouth and let out an obnoxious chorus of snorts and oinks. "Here Piggy, Piggy, Piggy! Here Pig! Here -"

Ryuku smacked the back of Gashu's head.

"Ouch! Hey!" Gashu yelped. Her hands flew up to keep her beret in place. "I was tryin' to be helpful."

"More like obnoxious," Ryuku muttered. "All you're doing is drawing more attention to us."

"Isn't that the point?" Gashu asked. "We want 'em to know where we are. That we're here and ready to fight."

"We're not here to fight. We're here to get Ryou back. No one's fighting anyone."

"You don't know that. Anything can happen."

The snap of a twig alerted the twins. Gashu brought her index finger up to her lips in a silencing gesture. A faint rustling came from untamed shrubbery wrapped around a dying tree. The double crept over to the bushes to inspect the noise.

A black figure jumped out of the bushes. It was wrapped in a white bed sheet with two eye holes cut out over the figure's face. The sheeted figure landed in front of Gashu, presumably striking a dramatic pose.

"Boo!" the figure exclaimed. "Follow me, you wretched Saotome impostor scums!" it launched into a sprint as a strong breeze blew up. The sheet moved upwards in a fluttering motion and exposed the back of the figure. All Ryuku could see was its little arms flung behind it.

"What the heck was that about?" Gashu laughed, holding onto her stomach.

"It told us to follow. We might as well go after it," Ryuku attempted to reason.

The figure had led them to an indoor garden structure.

It had mysteriously vanished save for the white bed sheet that was on the grass. A faded pathway appeared to be the only thing left for them to follow. Many plants which occupied the spaces around them had withered away into nothingness. Not a bit of life left within their stems or even a leaf. The pathway led them to the middle of the structure. There was a small pool of water. It could've easily passed for a small indoor lake. The water was dark and murky. There was no clear sign of when it had been last cleaned or maintained. Next to the lake was an old wooden sign which read: "Mr. Turtle's Home." Whoever or whatever was this Mr. Turtle didn't sound like it'd be something small or friendly to be around.

The one thing that stood out the most to Ryuku was the large wooden crate, which was hanging above the body of water. The crate swung from side to side. There was no doubt about it. Ryou had to be inside that crate.

A shrill screech echoed around Ryuku.

"How nice of you to finally join us," a disembodied voice announced. "We've been waiting forever. It took you both, like, way too long to get here."

In an instant, flood lights turned on and focused on a focal point in the garden. On a raised platform was a young girl in a cheerleading uniform, who held a megaphone in her hands. While Ryuku couldn't place a name onto the cheerleader, he recognized the Black Rose. Katana, clad in a purple leotard, displayed a expression of displeasure and disgust. She spun a club between deft fingers as she glared at Ryuku.

In the forefront of the two girls was a wooden lever.

Ryuku's gaze went from the lever over to the crate. That lever definitely has something to do with that crate up there.

"Miss Ryoko and... her brother, I presume?" Yuzuna spoke into the megaphone. A few of her words crackled due to the device's sheer volume. "I think you can figure out where your precious beloved is. Even a hussy like you can't be a complete brainless bimbo," the cheerleader giggled, presumably at her 'clever' insult. "If you want him returned to you safely, you better listen to everything I have to say. You got that?"

Gashu crossed her arms behind her head. "Sure thing, Kuno. What's up?" she asked, lips curled into a carefree smile.

Yuzuna stomped her foot onto the platform. "Do you think this is a joke, you wench?" she sneered and pointed the megaphone toward the lever. "I could pull this lever right now and your beloved will get what's coming to him! Don't you dare tempt me."

Ryuku turned to give Gashu a glare. "Quit fooling around. It looks like she's being serious about this."

Gashu released a sigh. She lowered her arms down to her sides, falling into a neutral pose. "What are your demands Kuno? I'm all ears."

"First, you must break whatever spell you've casted onto my brother. Second, you are to never speak to him again or go near our dojo. Third, I demand an apology. You've caused me so much stress over this. I could get a gray hair because of everything you've done to me," Yuzuna ran her fingers through her thick bangs. "You're, like, a terrible human being!"

"Ahem," Katana cleared her throat.

Yuzuna's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at her cousin. After a beat, her eyes widened. "Also!" she shouted into the megaphone. "Also, your brother must apologize, too. For causing my cousin so much pain and suffering! You both should be ashamed, causing us so much pain and suffering like this."

"Cousins?" Ryuku whispered.

Gashu cupped her chin. "I guess that kind of makes sense."

"You think so?" Ryuku snorted, looking between Yuzuna and Katana. "If you ask me, they both seem like freaks."

The double nodded in agreement. "Back home, I've heard a couple of stories about this crazy aunt I have. From my Uncle Kuno's side," Gashu said. "I never met her or anything but from what pops and ma told me, she's a real piece of work. I think she's got a daughter or something. Some cousin I've never met. Probably never will. But last I heard, they were all runnin' around the globe together. Maybe like a traveling circus or somethin'?"

A sharp bang forced Ryuku's attention away from Gashu.

Katana had slammed her hands onto the platform's railing.

"How long do you two plan on bickering among yourselves?" Katana bellowed. "This isn't the time nor the place! Do you not understand the severity of this situation?"

"Whoa, hey, take it easy. I listened to your demands! I was only having a little talk with my brother," Gashu said, her eyes on Yuzuna. "I didn't mean to cause anyone any stress."

"If you don't want anything to happen to your beloved, you better do what I say and apologize!" Yuzuna shrieked into the megaphone at the top of her lungs. The feedback caused a loud screeching noise to follow after the cheerleader's words.

The double closed her eyes for a moment. Ryuku couldn't tell if this was for show or not. She exhaled through her mouth. Gashu adjusted her beret and clasped her hands together with a brief clap. A twinkle sparkled in her eyes. Ryuku wasn't quite sure how to place it.

What is he up to now? Ryuku thought to himself in dismay.

An odd sensation overtook Ryuku. There was no real way to explain the feeling. All that he knew was that someone was approaching them from behind. Ryuku didn't recognize the mysterious stranger as a possible threat. There was no real way to explain this feeling. Was this how Gashu was able to detect him the other day? After he slipped into the house, battered and bruised from a deranged gymnast? Maybe this was some sort of abstract martial artist thing he couldn't quite grasp yet.

Or it was nothing at all. It wasn't difficult for someone to hone their focus onto something specific. If anyone was paying close enough attention, they'd be able to know if someone was coming towards them or not. The high tension in the air couldn't be ignored. No one would take the time to notice the little details going on around them.

Gashu's posture shifted. She straightened her back, as if she had expected something to happen.

Someone placed a hand onto her shoulder.

The double didn't even flinch from the gesture.

Ryuku glanced over their unannounced visit. Whoever this guy was, he seemed to be on familiar terms with Gashu, or rather, Ryoko. The guy looked like he had gotten out of an important business meeting. There was a sharp contrast with the guy's gray Italian cut business suit and the lifeless garden. His dark brown hair was stylized in an immaculate way. Tucked underneath his arm was a leather briefcase. A glint from his wrist revealed his Rolex watch.

This had to be that Kaida Kuno everyone wouldn't shut up about. The female population at Furinkan, that is.

Ryuku regarded the kendoist with a curious glance. He didn't look like anyone special. Just some rich kid in an expensive suit.

"Yuzuna," the man said, his tone carried a calm quality to it.

The cheerleader narrowed her eyes onto the double. The megaphone trembled in her hand. "Kaida, what are you -"

"Yuzuna," Kaida repeated himself. "I was afraid you'd jump to conclusions and do something like this again. You misunderstood what I told you."

Yuzuna's lower lip trembled. "B-But Kaida -"

"But nothing Yuzuna. Behaving this way is unacceptable," Kaida interjected. "This is not behavior befitting of a Kuno. What would father say if he saw you right now? How do you think mother would feel? Let alone Aunt Kodachi. Even dragging our cousin into your little affair," he shook his head to further express his dismay. "My relationships are my own personal matter. This is between Miss Ryoko and myself."

Yuzuna sputtered in protest. "I... I understand." She lowered her head as if she had decided to admit defeat. "I'm sorry, Big Brother."

The eldest Kuno faced Gashu. He took a moment to set his briefcase down by his feet. "I apologize for all the trouble my sister has caused you and your family, Miss Ryoko."

"Kaida," Gashu placed her clasped hands to her chest. "I feel that I might've said some things that lead you on. That definitely wasn't my intention. Dinner was so lovely but I meant to tell you that I already have a boyfriend!" she tucked her lower lip between her teeth. Her eyes cast down to the ground. After a beat, she lifted her head up to meet Kaida's gaze. "I was so caught up with our conversations that night. I didn't have the chance to tell you any of this. I still want to be friends but that's all I can offer you."

"Are you suggesting we stay strictly platonic, Miss Ryoko?" Kaida asked, his expression was stern.

"If you don't want to, I totally understand," Gashu closed her eyes, her expression crumbled. She spun on her heels to turn away from him. Ryuku spotted the double snickering behind her hand. Ryuku struggled to keep himself from rolling his eyes hard enough to drive into the back of his skull. "I don't want to keep leading you onto something that can absolutely never happen. Never. Ever."

"Platonic?" Kaida repeated once again. His lips pressed into a thin line. He closed his eyes and gave a curt nod in silent confirmation. "I understand, Miss Ryoko. It was never my intention to place you into an uncomfortable position. We'll remain as friends." he opened his eyes, a friendly smile on his face.

Gashu whirled around to face him. "Oh! I'm so relieved!" she cried. "Thank you for being so understanding, Kaida! It means the world to me!"

Yuzuna jumped up and down in place, bursting with excitement. "Did you hear that, cousin?" she cheered. "They're going to keep things platonic! Only friends!"

Katana placed her arm around Yuzuna's waist. "I heard. Isn't that simply wonderful, dear cousin?"

The door closed on that problem. Yet there was still a feeling that Ryuku couldn't shake off. Everything couldn't be solved that easily. Nothing could be wrapped up without something going wrong shortly after. These were the kinds of things that were expected in his life.

One big thing still needed to be done. Ryou was still bound and gagged in that crate.

Ryuku looked over at the crate as it swayed back and forth.

It didn't seem like Gashu was about to take the initiative and bring up the fact that her "beloved" had yet to be released. Sucking up to whoever this Kaida guy seemed to be a bigger priority for the double. From the way she was swishing her body around and batting her eyelashes up at him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ryuku noticed Katana had crept closer to the lever.

No way, she can't be. She's not going to...

Ryuku's fears were confirmed.

Katana wrapped her hand around the handle and pulled it toward herself. The action triggered the mechanism connected to two blades placed next to the rope. It was the only thing keeping the crate suspended in midair. The blades sliced through the rope like a knife going through a stick of butter. With nothing to hold it up, the crate descended downwards to the dark waters below.

Ryuku's body reacted based on instincts. He went as fast as he could for the water. The one thought in his mind was: I have to get to him before it's too late.

A quick blow to his chest cut into his dash. Ryuku stumbled back a few steps. He was barely able to keep himself from falling to the grass.

"Don't even think about it, Ichigo!" Gashu scolded him. She placed her foot onto the floor, the obvious source of the blow, and marched up to the redhead. "What the heck are you doin'? Are you even thinkin' right now? What d'you think is gonna happen if you jump into that water? Huh? Two Ryokos?"

Ryuku circled around the double. He didn't have time to banter with her.

Gashu blocked his path. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Get out of the way! If I don't do something soon, Ryou will -"

"He'll survive! He's a suvivor with a pretty thick skull," Gashu interjected. "Besides, I'm sure he's been in worse situations than this."

"Even as a pig?"

"Whatever! Just let me take care of it, I'm already a girl," the double toed off her shoes and rolled her pants up to her knees. "That pork chop better appreciate this. I'm gonna ruin my hair and my skin." she held her arms out in front of herself, preparing to dive into the water.

But it was too late.

The crate crashed into the water with a hard splash.

Tension tightened in Ryuku's chest. He struggled to fight off his building panic and shoved past the double. Damned the consquences, he had to do something to get his best friend out of there.

Once again, Gashu cut in front of Ryuku. She snatched a fistful of Ryuku's hoodie. "Calm down before you go and do somethin' really stupid!" Gashu demanded, giving Ryuku a rough shake.

"How can I calm down?" Ryuku grabbed hold of Gashu's wrist and threw her off of him. "Ryou's in trouble and you don't even care. He's -"

"Not even there!" the double finished for him. "Look! There's nothin' even there. The box was empty!" she yanked his hood down over his face and shoved him back by his chest. "Now, take it easy before you end up doin' something you'll regret. You're the one always goin' on about being careful."

Ryuku got his hood out of the way and glared at Gashu. "What do you mean the box is empty? Ryou could be swimming around somewhere."

Remnants of the crate remained afloat. Pieces of wood drifted along with the small ripples of the lake.

Ryuku kept his gaze locked onto the water, watching for any signs of Ryou. Was there anything even alive in this lake anymore? Ryuku lowered himself down onto his knees. His eyes searched for anything to happen or for something to pop up. Ryou should've surfaced to the top by now. In his pig form, his little hooves waving around in the air and squealing at the top of his lungs for help. Ryou wasn't a bad swimmer but it was difficult for anyone to get around in the water with a panicked mindset. Bubbles rose up to the surface, popping as soon as they formed.

Ryuku pointed out the bubbles to Gashu. "That has to be something."

"It's probably nothing," the double was quick to dismiss it with a lazy hand wave. Kaida stepped next to Gashu and placed his hand onto her shoulder. "Uh, Kaida?"

"You must be in utter shock, Miss Ryoko," Kaida said, his eyes to the water. "Seeing your significant other fall to the depths below. I wouldn't know how to react to such a thing myself."

Gashu's eyes widened. "Oh! Oh, you're so right," she rubbed at her eyes and collasped to her knees. Her upper body slumped forward. She buried her face into her palms and let out a muffled sob. "How could something like this happen to me? My poor, poor baby!"

Kaida crouched down onto one knee next to the distressed double. He rested his hand onto the small of her back and started to rub small circles against her. "It's all right to cry, Miss Ryoko. This is a complete tragedy," he paused, shifting to instead put his arm around Gashu's shoulders. "If there's anything you need from me to feel better, I'll do everything in my power to accomplish that. It pains me to see you so upset like this."

Ryuku gritted his teeth together from the spectacle. "Do you really think you two should be so close?" he all but snapped. "You both agreed that things were meant to be platonic!"

The kendoist spared a glance in Ryuku's direction.

Now that he thought about it, this was the first time Kaida had taken the time to actually acknowledge him.

"I know what was said, Miss Ryoko's brother," Kaida told the redhead. "I was simply offering her my condolences of a loved one. I assure you my attentions are pure."

"Your... condolences?" Ryuku echoed. "No one's dead!"

Gashu leaned away from Kaida. "It's, uh, it's appreciated, Kaida. Just leave me to my tears. It's the only way I'll be able to heal."

A screech, loud enough to break glass, forced everyone's attention back to the platform. The cheerleader's arm was in the air, her finger on the trigger of the megaphone. She cut off the megaphone's alarm and slammed her other hand down onto the platform's railing. "That's enough of that!" Yuzuna bellowed, her voice echoed throughout the green house. "Get away from my brother! Right now, you hussy!"

The double sprung up to her feet like a kangaroo. She put some space between herself and Kaida. "I'm away from him, Kuno. Way to hit a mourning girl when she's down!"

This time it was the gymnast who brought everyone's attention onto herself. She released a booming, boisterous laugh. "Fools! Absolute imbeciles! Ingrates! Knaves! You utter, pieces of -"

Yuzuna shook her cousin by her shoulder. "Cousin, I think that's, like, enough now?"

Katana reigned herself in. She released a sigh. "My apologies, Yuzuna, I allowed my emotions to control me." She looked over at Ryuku. The corners of her mouth lifted up into a sharp smirk. "That Hibiki fool was never here!" she cackled, her shoulders shook as she continued on with her gleeful laughter. Katana tossed her club into the air and snatched it as it began its downward descent toward herself. "He managed to weasel his way out of his confinements somehow but that's no matter. What matters is the anguish on your visage, you foul beast. To see the world crumble beneath you and have you fall into the black abyss like the filthy creature you are," she used her club as a pointer onto Ryuku. Her eyes sparkled in delight. "Now, if you would both kindly leave the estate. There's no need for either of you to be here anymore and your mere presence sickens me."

"Ryou was - he was never here? This whole time?" Ryuku snapped. His hands curled into tight fists at his sides. "Was this whole thing an excuse for you to get your jollies, Katana? You shouldn't never dragged Ryou into this. He's not involved in anything that's going on here. If you have some stupid score to settle then it's with me. Don't drag anyone else into this."

Katana arched her eyebrow at Ryuku. "I take orders from no one, especially not from a lowly cur like yourself," she said with an indignant sniff. "If your louse of a sister hadn't interfered with my dear cousins then this whole matter could've been settled differently. Remember that the torture and unjust you've brought upon my family will never be forgiven. Not until you rid the stain you've casted upon this estate and in Nerima."

"You heard her!" Yuzuna agreed. "Get out of here! You've both totally overstayed your welcome!"

"Yuzuna," Kaida started.

The gymnast retrieved a cloak that was folded over the railing and draped it around herself. The sleek back material whirled around her. It resembled the outstretched wings of a bat, before the cloak settled around her slender form. Katana hopped onto the railing. She posed in a delicate manner, extended her leg outward, while she remained balanced on one leg. She framed her jaw with her backside of her hand. She trailed her fingers alongside her chin and jawline.

"I've had enough of these impostors' presence here," Katana looked over at a nearby withered tree. "Sasuke! Please, bring our 'guests' out of here."

"Right away, mistress!" a mysterious clump of some sort fell from the tree. It hopped to stand next to the bottom of the platform. The dark figure from earlier, that had led Ryuku and Gashu here, must've been this same clump. It shed off its lackluster disguise. It revealed itself to be the same rat-looking man who had snooped around the Saotome compound. "I will lead the foul Saotome impostors out as soon as possible!"

Katana's eye twitched. "Do not call them that!" she demanded, twirling around to face the ninja. The sudden movement caused the gymnast to lose her footing. She grasped at the air. Her legs kicked around in a sporadic manner, all in a desperate attempt to somehow regain her balance. She fell backwards and shrieked at the top of her lungs: "Sasuke! Help me!" she plummeted into the water below with a resounding splash.

"Mistress!" Sasuke screeched. He was quick on his feet, moving to where Katana had been standing not too long ago.

"Katana!" Yuzuna cried out after her. She rushed over to peer over the side of the platform. She waved her arms around, her eyes on Kaida. "Kaida! Oh, Kaida, we have to do something!"

Katana resurfaced with a gasp. She flailed her arms around to stay afloat.

Ryuku felt a pang of sympathy for the gymnast. Without the air of haughtiness around her, her current state was almost pathetic.

Kaida's movements were mechanical as he removed his business jacket. He unbuttoned his white dress shirt, revealing an undershirt underneath. He offered Gashu a polite smile. "I apologize for the inconveniences my cousin and sister have caused you, Miss Ryoko. And to you as well, Miss Ryoko's brother." He bowed at a crisp ninety degree angle and proceeded to enter the water.

Within moments, Kaida fished Katana out of the water. The two wadded over to the other side, where Sasuke and Yuzuna were waiting for their arrival.

"I must insist that you stop doing this, cousin Katana," Kaida told his cousin, in a light chiding manner.

Katana untangled herself from the kendoist. She remained silent and kept her head down. She faced Sasuke as she removed her dripping, wet cloak and accepted a towel from him.

Yuzuna snatched the other towel from Sasuke and handed it to her brother. "You both should get changed! You might catch a cold if you stay in those wet clothes. Sasuke! Don't just stand there! Get going!"

"Right away, Miss Kuno!" Sasuke sputtered, jogging in place, before he dashed off.

The cousins were swept up in their own conversations. They were far too absorbed with each other that they hadn't realized their "guests" had never left.

"Well, looks like that's all settled," Gashu jerked her thumb over her shoulder to the nearest exit. "Should we book it?"

Ryuku heaved a sigh. "Might as well," he muttered. "Not like we have a reason to stay anymore, especially not after something like that. Let's get out of here."

"We better hurry up before they notice us," Gashu got a head start, making a mad dash for the path.

Shaking his head, Ryuku followed after the double. He didn't dare take the chance to look behind him to see what chaos they had left behind. Yuzuna's shrill screams for Sasuke to hurry up told Ryuku enough. He'd leave it to the Kunos and their cousin to deal with everything themselves.

X

Ryou wasn't sure what he could've done to get in this situation. One moment, he was trying to get some answers out of his best friend. He was positive that no good impostor had something to do with what had happened at school. Then, out of nowhere, he was wrapped up in some sort of blanket and taken away somewhere. To make matters worse, he was also blind folded. It didn't take a genius to realize that he'd been tied up. He was tossed into a container big enough to hold him inside. Something was shoved into his mouth to keep him quiet.

Keeping track of time proved to be difficult as he was thrown and tossed about inside the container. The lost boy tested the strength of the ropes. With a growl, Ryou bit into the gag, startled at the burst of sweetness that had spilled into his mouth. The taste was familiar.

An apple? Ryou thought. He growled low in his throat and broke free.

The task wasn't difficult for the lost boy. Whoever had tied him up either hadn't used a sufficient enough knot, or whatever was keeping him in place, had fallen apart as if it were made out of licorice. Even with only one fully functioning arm, he was able to get himself free without any problems. Ryou removed the blindfold and apple from his mouth and let both items fall to the bottom of the container. He felt around the confined space. Everything was pitch black.

He couldn't make heads or tails of anything. Ryou pressed his back against one of the container's walls. He made sure he was flush against it and kicked against the opposite side. The impact of his kicks caused a growing hole to appear. Once it was big enough, Ryou slipped out and made his escape.

When he landed, Ryou launched into a full speed sprint. He never looked back to see where he was being kept, or who had attempted to kidnap him in the first place. The only thought running through his mind was to keep running. Anywhere else was miles better than where he was at the moment.

Without his GPS, Ryou had no idea where he'd end up after he finished his great escape. In his head, he counted up to fifteen minutes and came to a gradual stop. He scanned his current surroundings. He had stumbled upon someone's yard.

The lost boy took a moment to catch his breath. The lingering taste of apple in his mouth seemed to fuel Ryou's confusion and irritation. If he was lucky, but with his sense of luck that was a slim chance, he wouldn't run into the residents of the house. The last thing he wanted to do was come up with a lame excuse on why he was wandering around their property.

The property took up a significant amount of space. A large wooden fence surrounded the entirety of the establishment. There was an area to hang up laundry on clothes line, including extra space to hand wash clothes in a basin. There was a decent amount of vegetation. Some areas were unkempt. A particularly large tree was rooted next to a pond, which was encased by a border made up of various sized boulders.

Ryou searched for an exit but it proved to be a fruitless effort. He was positive that he was walking around in circles. There wasn't any other reason to explain the same misshapen patch of grass he kept passing.

He cupped his chin as he scanned his surroundings another time. Now that he thought about it, this place was beginning to look a little familiar. One of the boulders around the pond was missing. A pair of footprints had already marked up the dirt. He stepped into the space between the rocks. His feet were a perfect match. It looked like there was something swimming around in the water. It was koi fish.

Ryou turned on his heels to face the house directly next to the pond. If he peered at one of the windows on the second floor, he knew there'd be a crack in it. If the crack was there, then that could only mean that he was at -

"Ryou!"

Hearing his best friend shout his name confirmed Ryou's suspicisions.

He was at the Saotome compound.

Ryou tried to pinpoint which direction the redhead was coming from. He left the koi pond to follow along the perimeter of the house. As he rounded the corner, he nearly collided into Ryuku.

Ryuku was the first one to recover from the shock. "Ryou!" the redhead circled around a few times, as if he was checking for something. "Are you okay?" he asked. "What happened? That crazy Black Rose didn't hurt you or anything, did she? Or that cheerleader wacko?"

Ryou's attention drifted elsewhere when his eyes fell upon the bane of his existence: that imposter who shared the face of his best friend. The doppelganger. The biggest fake of the century.

Gashu strolled up to them without a care in the world. The sheer pompousness of her character oozed from her entire being. Even the way she stood made Ryou's blood boil. Her slender arms crossed behind her head and that stupid smirk on her lips.

Ryou wanted to do nothing more than snatch the beret from her head and throttle her with it.

"Hey Oink-Oink!" Gashu greeted with a laugh. "Glad you made it all in one piece. Tomato and I were worried aboutcha!"

Ryuku elbowed the double in the side. "That's not funny."

Ryou snatched the front of Gashu's shirt and yanked her toward himself. With his teeth bared, he leaned down close enough to get in Gashu's face. "This is all your fault! I know it is! No one else would turn my life into an absolute hell," Ryou seethed, his shoulders shook from anger. "What the hell did you do?"

Gashu brushed her fingertips over Ryou's wrist. "Don't be so rough with me," she batted her eyelashes up at him. "I'm not that kind of girl. You didn't even ask me out on a first date yet!"

The color of Ryou's skin drained and slowly turned into a deep crimson red. The vein on his neck expanded. His face prickled and tingled with unbridled heat. At any moment, his face was going to burst from his skull and steam would rush out of his ears. "Are you really going to kid around at a time like this? I was kidnapped, you idiot! Moron! Baffoon!" he sputtered out a list of synonyms relating to the word, as if he was a broken thesaurus.

"I know you were kidnapped!" Gashu puffed her cheeks out. "You don't have to be such a party-pooper. Words hurt just as hard as a fist, you know!" she pulled her arm back and swung it forward to punch him right in the face.

The blow caused Ryou to loosen his grip on Gashu's shirt. It was enough of a slip for the double to slip away. She landed back onto her feet and smoothed the wrinkles out from her shirt.

Ryou touched over his throbbing nose. "How could you hit me after all you've put me through?!"

"Hey, I didn't do anything wrong! If you have to blame anyone," she thrust her finger in Ryuku's direction. "Tell him to go shopping for a change! A girl's gotta eat!"

Ryuku pointed his finger at himself. "Hold it, how is any of this my fault?" he snapped. "Stop blaming the food!"

Ryou looked between the two in utter confusion. "Food?" he repeated. "What are you talking about? I'm not in the mood for any of your stupid games! You," he pointed his finger at Gashu. "Just tell me what you did. Tell me right now."

The double held her hands out in front of herself. "Okay, okay, calm down, Pork Katsu, I'll explain everything," she paused to place her knuckles onto her hips. "It was just a little misunderstandin' is all but everything's all squared up now. I fixed everything up! No need to thank me!"

Ryou's right eye twitched. "You're not explaining anything!"

"I don't have to because I already said I fixed it!" Gashu said. "We all had a good talk and now everything is A-Okay!"

Ryou breathed in and heaved out. Given the way his head was pounding, staying this angry wouldn't be good for his health. "I'm getting this close to losing it. Now, I'm asking as nicely as I possibly can. Tell me what you did."

Gashu checked the time on her phone. "Would you look at that? It's time for dinner! I better go whip something up," with a wink and a wave, she propelled herself upward and onto the roof of the house. "See you guys later!"

"Get your ass back over here!" Ryuku shouted. "Come back here, coward!" he broke off into a mad sprint after the double.

"It's your fault I got into this mess in the first place! You owe me an explanation!" Ryou screamed after the duo. "Get back here, damn it!"

X

At the Kuno Mansion, the family's waitstaff busied themselves in the kitchen with their usual tasks. A silver kettle sat out on the kitchen island. Next to the kettle, a matching display tray was filled with intricately designed frosted pastries and cakes for anyone to indulge upon. One of the staff members placed a small floral decorated teapot, two tea cups, and a small plate - all of which were from the same matching set - onto the counter.

Yuzuna skipped into the kitchen in high spirits. She made her way over to the kettle and transferred the steaming tea into the teapot. Her hands grasped onto the edge of the countertop and she leaned forward to take a look at the desserts. Her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth. She swayed her hips from side to side, as if she were a cat about to pounce on her prey. Her face lit up with a bright smile. The cheerleader picked up several sweet treats to place them onto a plate.

She took the time to put everything in a delicate, neat pattern. Presentation was everything, after all.

"These are perfect," Yuzuna giggled. "Kaida will absolutely adore this one!" she eyed a cupcake topped with blue and white frosting and heart shaped sprinkles.

A staff member moved forward to put a shiny metal tray onto the counter. "For your use, Miss Yuzuna."

"Thank you!" Yuzuna chirped.

She moved the teapot, tea cups, and plate of dessert onto the tray.

The cheerleader left the kitchen with a skip to her step. Excitement bubbled up low in her stomach. She was enveloped in a sugar rush and she hadn't even taken a bite of any of her desserts yet. Yuzuna perked up once her eyes laid upon her brother.

Kaida was further ahead in the main corridor.

Yuzuna didn't waste any time to catch up to him. "Kaida! Wait for me! I want to walk with you."

The Kuno siblings walked side by side. Their strides matched perfectly in sync with one another.

Yuzuna pratted on about what had happened at school.

Kaida listened on with an attentive smile. He chimed in at the appropriate moments.

As they approached Kaida's room, Yuzuna set the tray down onto a highend table.

Kaida was already in the middle of entering his room, but he stopped when Yuzuna tugged at the sleeve of his kimono.

"I thought we could have some sweets and tea together," Yuzuna gestured to the tray. "I even picked out a bunch of your favorites." She picked up the cupcake and presented it to her brother on open palms.

Kaida glanced over the cupcake. "I'm afraid I can't indulge in anything of the sort tonight, Yuzuna. I have a busy day tomorrow."

Yuzuna's excitement began to fizzle. Her lips drooped to form a pout. "... Boo," she put the rejected treat away and hopped back in front of Kaida. She returned back to her previous cheerful demeanor, as if the earlier exchange had never happened. "I'm glad that you decided to keep things platonic," she said. "With that huss - with Ryoko, I mean. I think things will be a lot better this way."

Kaida nodded in agreement. "Of course, Yuzuna," he rested his hand atop Yuzuna's head. "I believe that this encounter has made me realize many things."

The cheerleader tilted her head. "Why, whatever do you mean by that?"

"Well," Kaida ruffled up Yuzuna's hair, shifting her headband out of place. "You can't rush things. You especially can't rush things like romance."

Yuzuna's jaw dropped. Her eyes widened as she gawked at Kaida. "W-What? But. But she has a boyfriend!"

"The best things in life are worth the struggle," Kaida lifted his hand away from Yuzuna's head to adjust her headband. "I believe that father told us this before. I'm finally beginning to understand what he meant by that. Now, I best go to bed. I have a long day tomorrow. Goodnight, Yuzuna."

Kaida slipped into his room and shut the door behind him. This left Yuzuna to stand alone in the hallway to absorb her brother's words.

"That - That hussy!" Yuzuna shrieked. "I'll kill her! I'll kill her! I swear on it!"

She snatched the tray back up in a fit of rage. She nearly knocked the contents on it to the floor in her haste. The cheerleader stomped over to her own room. She swung the door open and slammed it closed behind her.

In her blinding anger, Yuzuna hopped onto her bed and shoved the cupcakes into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed out as she chewed in frustration.

She'd make sure that Ryoko would get what was coming to her.

"I'll make sure of it!"