3/26/01
Disclaimer: the characters such as Kenji, Uriko, etc. belong to Hudson Soft, not me.
Dedication: God, my parents, my 'brothers', Hudson for creating Bloody Roar I-III, and my readers, especially Xion, PokeDigi, LazzyQ, Alica, Deoku, VGuyver, Flyby, and Niteflite.
Bloody Roar II: Self-Discovery
By Tiger5913
"Why won't you just open up?"
Half-shut light brown eyes blinked, wincing slightly when a piercing sliver of light caught the pair. The flashing made the eyelids close instinctively, and when they slid up to an open again, the setting was bathed in shadows. The air was musky, emitting from the numerous teenagers that were on the floor, and lights illuminated off of their bodies as they danced. Bumping into one of them, the figure mumbled an apology and continued pushing a path through the large crowded group.
Where is she? I don't want to be left by myself in a place like this.
A slender form hanging back in a corner was brought to attention. The expression on her face was that of an uneasy look as she gave a tight-lipped smile and shook her head in refusal to a request. The male teenager standing before her frowned, persisting further and her face scrunched up at his insistence. Sensing the predicament, the protagonist approached the two, eyeing the female with a silent question.
"O-Oh, um, I-I'm sorry but I already promised the next dance to my friend!" She said to the first guy. "A-and he's here now!"
He looked at the person standing next to her and snorted; "You're dropping me to dance with Kenny?"
Her companion narrowed his eyes. "I believe she refused your request of dancing with you. Why don't you respect her decision."
The student scuffed, shooting him a cool glare. "Pssh, whatever. Shove off." Shaking his head irritably, he walked off, disappearing into the crowd.
A sigh of relief escaped her. "Whew…" she turned to look at the remaining bystander and smiled, "Thanks for the help."
His small smile back was a bit wry. "Hm, what are friends for."
Locks of her long auburn hair dangled near her face, hanging over her shoulder and brushing against her smooth cheek. Her beige blouse shifted as she bent down to smooth out a wrinkle from the black skirt covering her lower body. A pair of light chocolate brown eyes met his when she looked up and opened her mouth to speak again.
"Who was that anyway?" He inquired before she could say anything.
She wrinkled her nose. "A jerk. He thinks he's God's gift to women and I hate that kind of attitude."
"…I see."
"So… um, any progress?"
He shook his head. "I don't like any of my dancing partners. They are shallow and too giddy for my tastes."
The young female let out a quiet chuckle. "You're never gonna find a girlfriend if you keep being so picky…"
"But why should I waste my time with someone that I don't like? I don't get the point of that."
"That's the thing - you have to go out there and expand your horizons, find a type that's suitable for you."
"Well then I must be aiming at the wrong targets because I haven't found her yet." The only person I haven't tried yet is you. The nonchalant male raised an eyebrow at the thought.
She looked like she wanted to comment on his remark, but before she could utter any more words, the atmosphere in the area grew slow as a soft melody started playing out of the twin set of speakers in the rooms.
"Alright people…" the DJ up on stage murmured into the microphone. "Let's slow things down a little and relax. This will be the last song, so make it worth your while…"
Her smile widened at the sweet tune and she glanced at her companion shyly, expectance in her pupils.
…What does she want? …Oh. Sighing inwardly upon realization, the dark blue bangs of his hair falling onto his forehead as he shrugged and asked, "…Do you want to dance, Uriko?"
Hehe, I didn't think he'd really ask unless I twisted his arm or something… Cheering silently, Uriko Nonomura nodded her reply and questioned, "You know how to slow-dance?"
"…Teach me, 'dear' instructor," he drawled quietly, looking at her with an earnest expression on his face.
She felt something irk at her upon hearing the 'nickname'. "U-um, okay, sure…"
He couldn't help rolling his eyes at the first lyric line, but refrained from commenting as the fourteen-year-old student took a hold of his hands and gently placed it on each side of her waist. His brows knit together in a slight frown when she glanced up and wrapped her arms around his neck; he stiffened, feeling a bit startled by the contact. "W-what are you…"
There was a cute twinkle in her light brown irises as she assured, "This is how it's done, Kenji. Relax, I'm not trying to purposely make you feel uncomfortable or anything; you can trust me."
"…I suppose I don't have much of a choice, right?" Kenji Ohgami replied dryly, his hold on her wavering when they started to sway to the song.
An expression of determination came over her face. "I promised you that I'd change your mind about love, and I meant it! I'd appreciate if you stop fighting against it and sort of… succumb."
"…You really are too persistent for your own good," was his curt remark. "But I suppose it wouldn't help me if I opposed. So, fine. I'm in your hands, Uriko."
She smiled albeit triumphantly, but her next words were filled with humility: "Thanks for cooperating."
I agree, sooner or later this project of hers will blow over… At least, I hope so… His eyebrow quirking slightly, he held her a little more firmly and she felt surprised, but pleased at his action.
"…Why are you so resistant, anyway?" She questioned softly, looking at him quizzically.
"I just don't believe your theory, that's all." The dark-haired ninja told her, beginning to feel exasperated. "Why can't you accept that?" She really doesn't know or understand me as well as she may think…
"Because I don't believe your theory is why." Uriko answered with confidence in her voice. "I think all I need to do is bring out that emotion in you somehow…"
He smirked. "Good luck."
"Haha…" she crossed her eyes and received a wry grin from him in response.
"I wish you knew how I am," the mole zoanthrope said, his eyes trained onto hers with intensity lingering in them. "Then you would know that this attempt of yours is futile…"
She merely smiled, unfazed by what he said. "I don't think so. Even if I invoke the slightest reaction from you, I'd be contented."
"Exactly how far are you planning to go, Uriko?" The young teenager inquired. "I don't think you should be wasting your time."
"I'm not pretending; this isn't like the movies where things are fiction," the Kenpo student said. "I'll go as far as making myself your candidate if I feel the need to."
…S-she would do that? He couldn't fight back the shock that was registering across his face. "…You're really sure about this."
She nodded. "Yup. And nothing you say will change my mind, so don't even try! We've gone too far to go back now anyway!"
I figured she wouldn't understand… "…Alright," he gave in. "This is your arena, not mine."
The female zoanthrope timidly laid her head onto his shoulder, giggling softly when she felt him squirm a bit. "You know Kenji… you're gonna have to get used to contact when you get into a relationship with someone… You gotta show your affections for your significant other."
…I'll never get used to it. "Maybe," was all he said back.
She whispered to him, her lips next to his ear and the soft feel of her warm breath on his skin made him shiver a little. "Maybe we're working too hard… Maybe the person you're looking for is closer than you think… But I wish that we could find her already…"
Closer than I think…? Inhaling a sharp breath, Kenji tightened his hold around her slender form and pondered on her conjecture. What if… what if she's you, Uriko…? He didn't dare say that out loud.
The cat zoanthrope pulled back slightly and forged eye contact with her companion, spying the mystification hovering in his expression. "Is something wrong?"
"N-No…" he stammered, looking at her with intensity in his eyes.
She shrugged the matter off and ducked her head, letting strands of her long brown hair to fall into her face, grazing against her smooth cheek. Immediately, the male student reached out a hand to catch the bunch of strands and he tucked it behind her ear, giving her a shaky smile.
She looks… pretty tonight… he thought, marveling at the almost-dreamy look on her face from hearing the song, and silently wished that he could have been the cause of her state.
"Y-you look… nice…" the blue-haired ninja whispered.
Uriko smiled softly. "Thanks… you look really cute yourself."
He found himself flushing at her compliment. Even though he wanted to turn away and disregard the issue, but instead, he slowly began to lean toward his partner, as if drawn to her. The smile disappeared from her face and was replaced by a serious expression; she made no move to back away. The Kenpo student's eyes gently fluttered to a close, feeling the warmth of his breath graze upon her skin as the distance between them decreased.
"I just want you to know who I am,"
Before their lips could meet, the lights overhead flickered on upon the last lyric note playing and the song finishing up. The two of them instantly broke apart, blush dotting both of their cheeks upon realizing what they had been about to do. Others nearby who had witnessed it just smirked or shrugged as the dancers began to clear the floor and headed out the doors.
O-Okay, it's time to leave now… Kenji thought to himself as he went along with the crowd, shivering slightly at the close call.
Nu uh, you're not ditching me… his companion trailed after him, a slight frown marring her cute features.
I… I didn't really want to kiss her, r-right? He shook his head in confusion as he pushed his way outside. 'Closer than we thought'…
Tell her…
The fourteen-year-old female smiled at him albeit wistfully as she slowly retracted to leave him alone in the guestroom. His expression was a bit rueful, thoughts of feared rejection running through his mind.
Or… show her.
Gathering his courage, the blue-haired ninja reached out a hand and latched it onto her arm gently, pulling her back. She turned to him with a quizzical look that quickly turned to surprise when he pressed his lips to hers somewhat clumsily. Inwardly, he felt a twinge of unease when he remembered his inexperience; following his instincts, the mole zoanthrope slipped his arms around her waist and held her gently in his embrace. He silently felt relieved at her un-resistance and softly stroked her silky brown hair with shaky fingers.
'Closer than we thought…' was what ran through both of their minds as the two of them relaxed into the amiable kiss.
The End
Author's Note: Yeah, another Keniko story… Hehe, so I guess Flyby Stardancer was right in her "Keniko Fiction" song parody, huh? giggles What can I say except: Keniko rulez! By the way, this story occurs at the dance in Watching Through The Other's Eyes, ya know, that dance Uriko dragged Kenji to, hehe, and goes through the first "real" kiss that the two of them shared in A Hidden Bond after the childhood flashback. Er, I hope I do all right with songfics… If I don't please tell me, k? But if ya readers like my songfics… well there are a lot of other really romantic songs out there that I would love to make fics out of! Doesn't "Iris" just fit Kenji's point of view pritty well? grins Please leave a review/feedback if you have the time, and be sure to keep an eye out for the final chapter of my BRIII fic, as well as Jenny's Story MSTed!
With love for my fans,
Tiger5913