Abduct
The female zoanthrope emitted a choked gasp, and her reaction brought a crestfallen look over Kenji's expression; she just confirmed his worst fear, and it felt like a knife had stabbed and penetrated into his stomach. "So… I did do that…terrible thing…to you…"
She shook her head slowly and raised her hand to silence him as she frantically tried to recover, "N-No, Kenji, that's not what really happened-"
"Don't lie to me!" His voice elevated to a shouting level, startling her into shrinking back. "Tell me the truth! I don't want you to try and protect my feelings; I want to know what recent sin I have committed and inflicted upon you!"
"O-okay…" she whispered breathlessly, her fingers starting to unconsciously wring the material of her shirt together in a reflex of nervousness. She exhaled a deeply, and leisurely lifted her chin so that their eyes could meet, and she spied the silent anxiety lingering in his light brown depths. "The… the truth is…" she glanced off to the side, "…you almost, almost raped me last Saturday, but you didn't go through with it all the way, honestly!"
His facial portrayal showed that he did not fully believe her. "…Almost," he repeated, sounding dubious. "You said almost. But not… you know…?"
"That's right," Uriko assured him insistently, nodding with avid enthusiasm. "You didn't. Almost, but you didn't, and that's what counts! Or at least, I think so. Besides, it wasn't even your fault that you…tried to… I know that you must recall you were drunk, so don't go blaming yourself for the…ugly attempt…last Saturday, okay?"
The ninja gazed at her sadly in response, sorrow and remorse reflecting in his shady pupils as he sighed heavily and slumped down in his seat, his bare back rubbing against the rough covering of the couch. "Even knowing that I merely attempted such an act of atrocity on you brings me great melancholy; you don't deserve a rotten cur that hurts you when he is someone that should instead be protecting you, Uriko. You don't know how sorry I am that I almost… that I almost…" his soft-spoken tone lowered even moreso. "I apologize… I am so sorry… I didn't mean to… I wish that I could have stopped myself from…" he hesitantly forged eye contact with her, "I'm just very sorry. I know apologizing doesn't redeem or compensate for anything, but…"
"Kenji, hush," the feline urged, leaning forward and gently pressing her finger to his lips. "I know you're sorry. And I know you didn't mean it. Please don't feel so guilty, Kenji, and don't think for a second that I'm mad at you about what happened last Saturday, because I really don't. It wasn't in any way your fault. I was just a little upset with you earlier today because I thought that you ditched me at the hotel; that kind of reminded me of the one-night stand things that some guys at school do…"
His eyes flashed in disbelief. "I would never do that to you… I… I mean, I may have committed several acts of… of cruelty toward you, but abandonment is not in my character."
Sometimes, you might not know what is in your character… Uriko mused to herself absentmindedly.
"…If you think that, then it means you must have decided to stop trusting me," her companion spoke up at that moment, startling her.
"I didn't realize I said that out loud…" she murmured, ducking her head as she blushed slightly.
"Maybe it would be best…for the both of us…that we stop being around each other for a while." He suggested matter-of-factly, an emotionless note in his voice. "If we don't distance ourselves, we may end up destroying this friendship instead of repairing a damaged one instead."
"What? Our friendship's not damaged!" Her lower lip trembled at his foresight.
His eyes rolled at her denial. "Come to terms with reality, Uriko. If you are not willing to face the truth, then very soon, you will only be betrayed by your own deceit and lies."
She fumed silently, and the heat baring down at her from the ire rising inside her suddenly pricked dire annoyance in her nerves, making the girl quiver in anger and frustration. Her pupils turned fiery as she shot him a cool glare, but agreed, "Fine, be that way, throw away two years… Who knows how this fight will end this time…"
"Cooperate, and it will end well. Fight against it, and… well… you can make your own presumptions." Kenji arose from his chair, and glanced at her with an almost condescending smirk, arrogance and intimidation lacing his action. "I'm going to the backyard to continue my training before I had been disrupted. Please lock the door when you let yourself out."
"Worry about yourself… you seem to be best at doing that." The brown-haired student muttered and lurched out of her seat; she ripped a small rectangular object out from her pocket and threw it at him before striding over to the door and slipping out of the residence before he even had a chance to react.
The mole zoanthrope maintained a nonchalant expression as to hide the pain conflicting on his face, even from himself, and sighed heavily in response what had just happened. Glancing down to see what she had tossed at him, he discovered that it was his brother's credit card, and he grimaced, then set it onto the small table in between the sofas. He turned around and headed for the backyard, wanting to throw his efforts into the fighting practice and forget about the events that took place, knowing they would destroy him if he brooded long enough. The crack in his friendship with Uriko had widened, and he feared that it would grow too large before being able to be repaired.
Cursing his rival at school for throwing the party and starting all the troubles, he mumbled a couple of choice words and began to intensely concentrating on executing his battle techniques.
*****
"Congratulations on achieving the top title of our class' basketball tournament," the words sounded faintly forced, as if the speaker was reluctant to admit to the victory.
Kenji looked up from his sitting position on the bench in the locker room; he fastened the last button of his dark navy blue school uniform, and grabbed one of his backpack straps. His eyebrows creased in disapproval when he discovered who was talking to him, "…Thank you, Cronos."
"It must feel great to be such an essential part of the team," the older boy emitted a noise that sounded like a snort. "The star player. The envy of all the others that lost in the games."
"I am not that arrogant in assuming that I'm the most important player on my team," he replied coldly, standing up and slinging his bag over his shoulder to get ready and leave the vicinity. "You may appreciate the role if you had it yourself, but I would rather just be another regular teammate that does not stick out, and is normal like the rest."
"Hah, so you say," Cronos sounded dubious. "Admit it; you adore the attention people shower upon you. No one likes to be deposited aside into a corner and ignored, after all. It is human nature to want to be needed, envied, since it fuels the desire to thrive in life, and perform actions knowing that others will be intently watching every movement."
"I prefer my privacy…" The younger male student insisted, pushing his way past the barrier and trailing toward the exit out of the locker room so that he could proceed to his next class.
"Halt your movement for a minute, Ohgami."
Kenji lifted his head to look at the ceiling in a show of exasperation and tingled with the impatience that surged through his veins at the very same moment. Without turning to face his rival, he ground out, "…Yes?"
"I am astonished to discover that you have not been on outings with my girlfriend lately. Are the two of you having problems?" An impish smile lingered over his lips.
"Your girlfriend?"
"You know who I speak of. Madam Uriko Nonomura." The jade-haired teenager smirked at the shocked expression that suddenly crossed over the other boy's face.
A fortnight had passed since the friendship between the two young zoanthropes had weakened, and they truly had not been hanging around together inside or outside of school. He spent his time training his fighting skills, awaiting his brother's return home, and preparing for the final exams in class that would take place in the following week. Since he preferred to stay out of the social circle of adolescent life, he was uninformed of any changes that might have occurred in the time of absence. But never did the ninja imagine that his compatriot would date Cronos, and long enough to actually engage in a relationship with him that bound them together as boyfriend and girlfriend. Finding that tidbit of information out sent an electric jolt zapping at his nerves, and he grimaced from the invisible pain, but tried to appear emotionless.
"That's great for you two," Kenji said finally, not bothering to hide the falseness coating his words. "And it is none of your business whether or not there are conflicts between us. You keep your relationship with her, and she and I will maintain our friendship on the side."
"My, you sound almost… bitter," his rival snickered, a malicious glint shimmering in his eerie yellow eyes. "I do hope that is not a hint of envy in your voice."
"I have nothing to be jealous about." The sixteen-year-old snarled lowly, knowing that it was unconvincing; then stalked out of the locker room, hearing the relentless laughter of his adversary linger in his ears as he walked away.
Staying behind, still clinging to his satisfied and triumphant guffawing, several minutes had to pass before Cronos could regain control over his actions and consciousness. Shaking his head in amusement, he giggled and glanced down briefly at the ground, placing his hand on his cheek to stop the tremors that shook his face. He caught sight of a single sheet of paper that laid on the floor, and figuring that it dropped out of Kenji's backpack, he leaned over and picked it up. Letting curiosity get the better of him, he read the contents, and when the facts registered in his mind, his features turned pale as blood drained out of them and his mouth dropped open in horror.
Flames leaped out around the edges of his eyes as the new student crumbled the paper into a ball, and kept it tucked in the hand that he had clenched into a fist. He elicited a noise that resembled the growl of a deadly predator betrayed by a member of its own group, and stormed out of the locker room with heavy steps. A couple of his peers glanced at the boy cautiously, moving away from him as they sensed the anger that emitted from his form. Even his friends shifted to the sides when they saw him approaching, and for the rest of the day, his enigmatic profile mystified many others. No one could guess the thoughts that ran through his mind, or the plan that was formulating, and had to be proceeded through in order for him to hold onto his sane state of mind.
*****
Uriko hummed cheerfully as she strolled down the sidewalk that led away from the school, happy that the day of classes was over, and could not wait to go home. Her long braided length of brown hair bounced against her backpack while she walked, shifting from one side to another in the rhythm of her motion. Strangely, her new boyfriend had not appeared from out of somewhere to offer her a ride like he had done so every day for the last week and a half that they had been together. But truthfully, she was glad for the freebie and not having him around so often, practically breathing down her neck as he stuck close to her everytime they saw each other on campus and outside.
Finally, some peace and quiet! She thought to herself in relief, elated that she finally had some time to just be alone and not have her beau's attention focusing on her each passing minute of the day. Occasionally, the girl's mind would sway over to the topic of her former friend, but she knew that it was pointless to linger on the topics that would only eventually bring her grief. The more she wondered if their friendship could be saved, the more worried she grew due to the fact that it had already been two weeks since their decision to become distant from the other. She regretted leaving their problems unsolved, and felt that if they did not confront the issues hovering between them soon, it would be too late to save what bond they had once shared.
If only I hadn't been so stubborn, the feline zoanthrope sighed, and began to fumble with the material of her school uniform between her fingers. I wonder what Kenji has been doing to pass the time these last couple of weeks… Does he miss our friendship at all, or does he enjoy being separated from me? Ugh, what if he knows about Cronos and I being together; is that the reason why I haven't seen Kenji in a while; is he purposely avoiding me?
There she went again, brooding over such matters that would just bring her worry and constant guessing, and she would never receive an answer unless she walked right up to her ally and forced him to deal with and resolve their conflicts. Uriko bit her lip in annoyance at herself and forced the dancing conjectures out of her mind, instead focusing on the sidewalk and proceeding to return back to her residence. Just as she was thinking that, a split second passed and her ears picked up the sound of a rumbling noise behind her, then the crisp click of a door being opened. She began to turn around and face the arriver, presuming that it was her boyfriend who had arrived and probably wanted to take her the rest of the way home.
All of a sudden, a soft cloth covered her nose and eyes, preventing her from seeing what was going on, while sturdy holds held iron grips on her arms, keeping them bound to her sides. Warmth aligned alongside her form, seeming to absorb her strength and will away any and all inklings of resistance that she would display to fight off the assault. "?!?!" The girl immediately started struggling against the imprisonment, but a peculiar smell floated from the material shading her sight and entered her nostril senses. Once inhaled into her system, a strong feeling of faintness clouded her nerves, and she unwillingly fell limp, losing consciousness as her body slumped over.
The person holding her captive smiled in a manner that displayed malice and merciless intention for the young teenage female, and quickly flicked a wrist, motioning for assistance.
*****
This separation has gone long enough. It is time to initiate something… anything, and hopefully we can still repair some of our formerly intact and strongly bound friendship…
Tapping the tips of his fingers upon the automatic gears of his car in a show of impatience, Kenji did not bother to shield the discomforted look displayed on his expression. As he waited for the traffic light to change and allow him to proceed forward, he sighed in defeat at his inner conflicts and turned the steering wheel in a direction different from if he were to head for his own house. After two weeks of silence, he was tired of being alone, and wanted his best friend back in his life, to have her cheery personality lit up a smile on his face. She kept him from sliding into his own abyss of despair and sorrow, and he feared that going too long without her influence would prove fatal for his existence.
It is foolish to throw away our friendship because of my selfish conditions, he mused in distaste at himself, his lips curling back into a snarl as he thought of how much he had stalled in not wanting to be the first to give into the resolution of their argument. But the ninja felt that he would gladly boot out his pride and arrogance if it meant that Uriko would forgive him, and they would mend their relationship back to its previous strong state. He made a left on the street that her home was on, and proceeded forward - just in time to see the seemingly unconscious body of his former friend being deposited into the backseat of a sleek, beige-painted vehicle by a figure shrouded in dark golden garbs. His eyebrows rose in astonishment, then quickly creased in anger and suspicion, and as the door slammed closed, the car sped away, and the mole zoanthrope instantly followed.
Being careful not to be discovered that he was trailing after the vehicle, he kept a safe distance, and hovered near the curbs whenever he felt that discreet was needed. Kenji felt his knuckles ache at how tightly he was clutching the steering wheel, but ignored the slight prick of pain and focused his attention on the white car in front of him. He drove on for what seemed like hours to him, though in reality it was around thirty minutes, but his anxiety dragged on each second longer than initially intended. The vehicle he was tailing went onto the highway, and he persisted; both cars kept going in the same direction, until the first one finally pulled into an exit.
The cobalt-haired teenager revved his convertible and continued his pursuit, surprised when the car before him stopped by the curb near the local international airport. He quickly sped ahead to find a parking spot, and then ran back toward where he had seen the mysterious person disappear off to with his zoanthrope compatriot. Frightening the other passengers with the cold and deadly aura surrounding his form, he moved with the stealthy motion and shadowing techniques he was once taught before back in his assassin days. Kenji followed his target up an escalator, and over to lines that led to a counter where customers could purchase plane tickets.
He stood on the sides as closely as he could, listening in to the best of his ability, and eyed the enigmatic figure dashing toward the metal detector gates with his friend in possession. The teenager watched the golden-clothed person pause and explain to the flight attendant, presumably lie about her condition, and unfortunately, the airline worker nodded in sympathy, and the kidnapper was granted access through. Kenji swore under his breath at the kind-hearted gesture, and quickly retrieved his brother's credit card to buy a ticket; he told the seller the gate number that he had remembering hearing. Again, he lied about his identity, but got his purchase, and unfortunately, he had to buy a ticket for the flight following, since there was no more room on the one that he wanted.
Yugo is going to kill me for spending so much money while he's gone, he thought in slight bemusement.
The ninja tried to rush in the direction of his pursuit without jostling and running into too many other innocents, and when he saw the mysterious figure disappear into the gate, he instantly ran to follow. The crowd of fliers had thickened, and it took him several minutes to fight his way through the immense amount of people before he was able to step out into a clearing. He watched the ticket attendant shut and lock the door with the pathway that led to the plane, and groaned aloud at his failure. There was an hour before his flight was going to leave, which meant that he would be considerably delayed in going after and retrieving his friend.
Kenji made his way over to the area near his gate, and collapsed into one of the waiting chairs, tucking and hiding his face into the open palms of his hands. Finally, he realized that he had no idea where he was going, and pulled back, glancing over at the ticket to see the location his plane was heading to. His light brown eyes widened in shock as his lips moved to murmur the words quietly to himself, and he immediately leaned into the support of the chair he was sitting in. He shook his head in amazement, and read over the contents once more to make sure it was not an illusion that was playing tricks with his mind.
"I'm… I'm going to India…?"