Reunion

The ninja stood in the doorway, and froze at the first thing that he took notice of; the battered person slouched over before his eyes could not possibly be his friend. The hair color was a familiar brown shade, and the lengthy bangs that dangled along with the long braid curving around a slender waist caught his attention. He tentatively stepped forward, taking note of the other aspects, such as the way the girl had her head down, and he quirked a brow at her strange attire of a white robe-like outfit. Her arms were poised straight up behind her, with hoards of coarse tan rope that bound her wrists up to a wooden structure that he presumed pressed against her back, and the same effect was done to her ankles.

He paid no heed to the features of the small room that he had stepped in, only focusing on the imprisoned, and possibly unconscious female. She was not even standing upright, as her legs appeared limp and were bent at the knees, so that anything below that point scraped the cold hard floor as her lower body swayed listlessly. Her single article of clothing bared parts of her arms and thighs, and the skin he could see was pale, as if she had been neglected from the sun too long. Fighting back the urge to grimace, Kenji proceeded toward the deprived victim until he was right in front of her, cringing as he raised his hands, reaching to untie her binds.

The girl stirred when his fingers touched her wrists, and weakly lifted her head, summoning her strength to murmur, "You finally… decided to… let me go…?"

He glanced down at her face, and was relieved to recognize his friend, but almost lost his composure when he spied the irate but soulless look in her shadowy pupils. "U-Uriko…" he choked, freezing his movement in shock at her exanimate appearance.

"Are you… are you happy now…?" she whispered raggedly, then all of a suddenly spat at him, the saliva splaying onto the tip of his nose. The mole zoanthrope jumped back in surprise, letting go of the ropes at her wrists in reflex while she continued to rant in anger. "You… you made me lose… everything…! F-first my freedom… then my life… my home… and now the only… the only reminder I have of my friend…" Her head drooped once again. "You… you deserve… to go to hell… That's where… you belong… you, you horrible monster…"

"My God…" Kenji breathed in unpleasantly stunned wonder, and cautiously inched his way toward her, his brows crinkling in concern as he inquired softly, "Uriko… who did this to you…?"

"Wh…what…?" The feline peered up at his face, and silently studied him for a moment, her eyes seeming to take a while until she could focus on his features. After the period, she asked dubiously, "Kenji…? Is that… is that really you…?"

"Yes, it's me," the ninja assured her hurriedly, and when a shudder rippled through his body, he lurched forward and leaned his cheek into the girl's bosom, while carefully wrapping his arms around her delicate form. "I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry… Damn it, I should have come earlier… If-if I had known what hell you were going to be put through…" Wetness began to form in his eyes, but he blinked them back, not wanting his companion to notice his current distress for her. "Uriko, please… don't hate me…"

"But… but how…?" Uriko questioned, bewilderment aligning her expression. "How… did you know?"

"I was heading to your house after school yesterday," he started explaining, retracting his head from her chest and glancing up to look at her. "I saw someone putting you in a car, so I followed it to the airport, where you were carried off to a flight, and I bought a ticket also to pursue whoever had kidnapped you."

"That… that was pure luck," she murmured gratefully, "If… if you hadn't seen me being abducted…"

"Shh! Don't be speaking of the would-be negative outcomes right now!" Kenji insisted forcefully as he arose into a standing position and went to work on untying the ropes binding her wrists to the structure behind her back. "We're not staying here a single second longer than necessary; I'm getting you out of this hellish place."

"Kenji…" the auburn-haired female spoke serenely, a hint of a fighter's pride in her voice. "You do know… that I could have… escaped this hellhole… by myself… right?"

"Of course," he agreed gently, freeing her arms from their hold, and bent down to do the same to her ankles, "But I like to think that I am of some use to my friend. What honor and dignity could I have if I didn't hold true to my promise to you?"

"Uhhh…" she moaned when an attempt to stretch out her legs and walk failed, and she fell into the ninja's arms, who had just straightened up. Slight blush creeped up in her cheeks, and she ducked her head in shyness, yet he showed no signs of embarrassment, and in fact tightened his hold on her. A grateful smile formed over her lips but Uriko tried to stand and fend for herself, and stumbled after managing a few steps, which caused a groan of annoyance at her own incompetence to escape her throat. Her friend kept silent and patiently waited for her to finish her experiment, and when she peered at him pleadingly, he nodded in understanding and went to help.

"I feel like a handicap…" the feline mumbled distastefully as Kenji was taking her arm and slinging it over his shoulders, then slid his hand around her waist, cupping her side to further support her body.

"You shouldn't," he replied casually, and began to slowly proceed toward the door, "See? You can still walk, at least, just with a little bit of assistance. I don't have to carry you on my back or anything."

"Hah, I wouldn't let you!" she giggled at the thought, but winced when her action caused a bit of pain in her chest, which made her companion stop in his tracks. "Ugh… that drug made me so weak… I wish I had enough energy to morph so I could heal faster…"

He growled at the concept of his friend being drugged, but then hid his disgust and shook his head at her proposal as they started walking again. "If you try to morph when you're too weak, it's a bad idea anyway. You will be feeling worse if you suddenly engage into a battle while in beast form when you're in such a vulnerable state."

"Whom are we going to fight here?" she deadpanned.

"Our escape seems far too easy," Kenji prophesized ominously, his eyes searching all around the hallway when the two stepped out of the room. "I doubt we're going to get away without a single encounter with the…the snot-nosed bastard that put you into your current distress."

"Still shy about swearing, huh?" the Kenpo student glanced at him curiously, a small smile on her face.

"Profanity is not a necessity." He told her matter-of-factly, then turned in the left direction to go onward. "My brother curses as much as he breathes, and of course, Alice disapproves of it, and scolds him daily, but it's as if her words just go in one ear, and out the other. He never learns."

"Oh, man…" Uriko gasped when she lifted her head up a little and saw the all-too-perfectly-made hole in the glass window in the ceiling, and her gaze fell onto the circular shape on the floor afterwards. "Someone is gonna be a glass sculptor, it seems…" she grinned at her friend. "You did that, didn't you?"

"Yes," he nodded, unabashed by his previous action. "I believe very much so that the owner of this palace has more than enough money to repair a single window."

"Yeah, I think so too," she agreed, glancing at the numerous doors warily as the pair traveled leisurely down the hall. "This could be a darned hotel or something with all these rooms around…"

"Look!" Kenji gestured his head at what he noticed a distance away from their position. "Double doors over there. It's probably an exit."

"You think so?" the auburn-haired girl asked dubiously, but then shrugged. "Well, I haven't exactly been given a tour of this place, so I'll just go with what you say."

"What…exactly…happened to you…?" he inquired gently, slowing his pace to turn his head and glance at her expression to see her reaction. "All I know is that you were drugged. Did… did they do anything else to you?"

She choked on a sob, and buried her face into his shoulder, murmuring so lowly that he had to strain to hear her, "This isn't the right time or place to bring up bad memories… I-I'll tell you later, okay…?"

"…All right," he responded, respecting her decision and continuing to head for the double doors that was his destination. "I…I'm just concerned about you, that's all. You wouldn't believe how freaked out I went when I saw you being taken away in that car back at home…"

"H-home…" Uriko sniffled at the familiarity that had seemed so out of her reach earlier, and sobbed her deepest wish at that moment, "I…I wanna go home." Tears began to blur her vision, and she angrily squeezed the wet drops out of her eyes, dampening the upper sleeve of her friend's navy blue outfit.

"Do you… have a spare uniform at your house?" he inquired, remembering that was what she had been wearing when she was abducted. "For when we go back to school tomorrow, I mean."

She lifted her head from the crook she was snuggled in, and nodded slightly. "Yeah, I have a spare, fortunately."

"Oh, we're here," Kenji announced gratefully, and grabbed the golden knob that matched the color of the door. "Come on, we're getting out of this godforsaken hellhole."

"Let's," the feline complied eagerly, for once feeling like she was tasting freedom within her grasp; she hesitated for a second, and spoke up, "Kenji, wait."

He peered at her, curiosity marring his brows at her action of stopping when they were so close to leaving the place. "Yes? Is something wrong?"

"I…I just wanted to say thank you, for coming here, so far away from home, to take me out, and bring me back," she murmured softly, her chocolate brown eyes shining appreciatively at him, which had again started to mist with tears. "Th-thank you so much…"

Kenji smiled and leaned his face toward her to gently press his cheek against hers. "It's not a problem. You don't deserve to be stuck in such a horrible place as this one here. Trust me, if I knew the person that did this to you, I would tear his eyes out with my claws…" A vengeful, sinister gleam shimmered in his darkened pupils. Make him bleed, hear him scream in pain, have him suffer for what horrible things he did to my Uriko…I mean, my friend. A malicious laughing voice danced in his head, urging him on.

She grimaced at the thought, a queasy feeling disturbing her stomach even though she knew that if given the opportunity, she would do the same herself. "Ick… Please, let's just forget about him for the time being and get outta here… I don't want to stay anymore, I just want to go home…"

"All right, I'm sorry," he apologized, shaking the evil mental pictures of torturous revenge out of his mind, and he calmed his anger down to a dull, neutral feeling. The ninja straightened his position, and reached for the knob again, this time, pushing the door inward, and guiding his friend into the new vicinity.

…What the hell kind of a place is this? Kenji blinked in surprise at the unusual aspects of the room that they stepped in; the first things that caught his eye were the various lengths of sheathed swords that aligned the left wall. Heavy silver and golden armoire was scattered around the corners, and the stiff, inanimate soldiers all held double-headed axes in their frozen grips. Drawings of battling warriors designed the walls, and he assumed this weapons room was where many fights had taken place, as faint spots of browned stains dotted the floor. He wrinkled his nose in distaste at the theme, and turned to his friend, shaking his head, silently suggesting that they get out of there as quickly as possible.

"Good idea…" she whispered quietly, as if someone were around to hear her words. The duo turned around, and headed back toward the entrance that had first led them into the place, but stopped in their tracks when they saw the doors in the process of being closed. A loud click signaled they were locked in, and Uriko released a small whimper, but then wiped all traces of fear from her face, not wanting to expose any emotions that would betray what she was feeling at the moment. Next to her, the cobalt-haired teenager muttered a choice word under his breath, and holding onto his friend carefully, he headed for the doors anyway.

"Do not even bother trying. There is no escape."

The pair froze at the new voice that had made its debut, and they simultaneously pivoted to face the speaker, warily peering at the chair that sat in the middle of the room, up near the front. Kenji gripped his companion possessively, and narrowed his eyes at the furniture that slowly began to turn, taking all the time in the world before revealing the seated person. When the chair stopped revolving, a figure that donned golden garbs laughed mockingly at the two friends, and Uriko stiffened, recognizing her manipulator. The ninja gazed at her in concern at her frozen posture, wondering if this was the same bastard that had tortured and plagued her mind, made her shiver in dismay.

"Oh, Uriko, are you leaving so soon?" the softly spoken voice inquired, sounding amused. "Tsk, tsk, I was hoping you would stay and be my queen, and we would rule this kingdom together, like I had proposed to you earlier."

This guy and his freaking obsession with gold… Kenji shot a cold glare in the antagonist's direction. "So you are the rotten ass of a prince that went to Japan and abducted my friend to force her into being 'your new bride'!"

"Huh, my, you sure are clever and deductive," the mysterious figure said wryly, expressing a yawn to show that he could care less about the male zoanthrope's presence. "A clever, deductive, little worthless meddling peasant! You dare try to disrupt my marriage by attempting to run off with my future lady-to-be?! You will be severely punished for such treason."

"Shut the hell up." The ninja snarled, tightening his hold on the girl beside him. "She's not yours for the taking; she's a person with feelings, thoughts, emotions, and she can make her own choices, and is not a piece of possession you can add to your collection of trophies."

"She is my wife," the golden-clothed person informed matter-of-factly, arising from his chair to look down at the two. "Uriko will stay here and wed to me, and we she will rule by my side as my queen. You, however, will be exited from my palace at once, and you will never be permitted to enter this vicinity for the rest of your days."

"Wrong," Kenji sneered knowingly. "We're getting out of here, and there's nothing you can do to stop us. You're nothing - which is what we think of you. You have no power or authority over us, and cannot prevent us from taking our leave, and achieving our freedom."

"I tire of your sass, young scoundrel! Learn your place, and show respect to a member of the royal family when he is standing before you!" The prince hissed at the sixteen-year-old male.

"On the contrary, I think that you have to learn your place, your Highness," he replied mockingly. "I already know mine."

Uriko observed the two young men during their crossfire of exchanging insults, and all the while she was trying to find out the identity of her kidnapper. Why would he target her, out of so many people in Japan, and with numerous possibilities, single her to be his bride? Did he know her from somewhere, or was it really chance that he had discovered her walking home the day before, and just decided to pick her up? But by initiative feeling, she was sure that they had crossed paths prior to the abduction, and strained herself to reveal whom he was, wanting to know the person that kidnapped her from her home.

"Who are you…?" she spoke up, her first words in a long time. "You… you knew my name when I hadn't told you, so you know me. Where? How? Just who on earth are you??"

"Ahh, you are sharp, as you overlook nothing, my darling Uriko," the enigmatic figure seemed pleased. "Yes, you are correct, I do know you. In fact, you know me as well. We have been well acquainted for quite a period of time - a little over a month, if I recall correctly."

"Who are you?!" she questioned shrilly, her clenched fist quivering in anger. Kenji gently squeezed the side of her waist in assurance, and moved in to press his cheek against hers once again like before, in an act of comfort.

The prince seethed at the interactive contact, and become more visibly agitated when she did not move away from her companion. "Do you remember whom you abandoned the night of the social event at school, referred to as the prom? The person that took precious time in preparation to bring you there, ignoring the warnings of his guardian, obeyed your every command upon the arrival, listened and complied to your every wish at the prom?"

She froze at his words, and her mouth fell agape at the pieces of the puzzle that aligned themselves in the right position inside her mind. "No… I-it can't be… You…you're…?"

"You have forgotten my name as well, now?!" He demanded, taking a menacing, threatening step toward the two friends, raising one hand to emphasis his anger. "You led me on, didn't you, wench! Are you nothing more than a typical sidewalk tease?! You used me!!"

"Shut your damn mouth before I grind my fist into it!" Kenji shouted, upset that his friend was being verbally assaulted. "How dare you talk to Uriko that way! I ought to beat you into the wall for abusing her!!"

"You had best stay out of this, Kenji Ohgami! This is between myself, and the lady!" The prince growled, and without warning, he lurched toward Uriko with a wild gleam in his eerie yellow eyes, trying to snatch her into his grasp.

The dark-haired ninja reflexively moved to the side, dodging the attempt, keeping a secure hold on his zoanthrope compatriot as she yelped out in surprise at his action. Her kidnapper fell to the floor, and immediately sprang up into a standing position with his fists stiffly poised at chest level, his ire reflecting in his shady pupils. Kenji glared back just as coldly, determined not to let him take his friend away once more, and tucked her behind him, shielding her body with his own protectively. All of a sudden, the prince burst out laughing, stunning both of the younger teenagers, and they contemplated whether or not he had another devious scheme plotted out for them.

"How delicious this is!" he exclaimed, fixating an amused look in the ninja's direction. "I have realized why you are so insistent on taking my future bride out of my palace and ushering her back to your hometown: you have fallen in love with her! Oh, this is beyond entertaining; it is downright comical that such a lowly peasant as yourself would think that you could actually have a chance with a goddess!"

Kenji shook his head vigorously, ignoring the faint ache hammering in his chest. "Keep your wayward assumptions to yourself, you arrogant bastard! Of course someone so conceited and high-strung like you would never comprehend the concept of friendship! You could never understand why some people would perform conscientious acts for those that they care about, because you don't care for anyone but your own damn self! That's why you had to kidnap my friend Uriko, and try to force her against her will into being your bride, because you can't get a wife in the normal fashion!"

"Hold your tongue, lowly maggot!!" The prince retorted, furious with the resistance and backlash being shown. "When you stop cowardly hiding behind my wife, you will pay for those catty remarks with your life!"

"I am not a bloody coward!!" The ninja shot back furiously, and then turned to his friend. "Uriko! Go hide somewhere safe. This guy and I have a score to settle."

But she apparently was not paying attention to him, as Uriko addressed the royal member, "Cronos, don't do this! Leave Kenji and me alone! You do not want to do something that you'll regret later!"

"Wh-what…?!" The cobalt-haired teenager glanced at her in surprise, then averted his attention to Cronos, angry fire consuming his emotions to reflect in his light brown eyes. "So it was you all along, Dakinasha! I can't believe you would resort to being so low as to kidnap one of your own schoolmates to fulfill your sick plan! I hope you will rot in hell when you die!!"

"Then I will meet you there, Ohgami." He replied calmly, and shot a fist forward, striking Kenji in the jaw and knocking him a few feet away from his female companion.