Bloody Roar III: Reunited by Chance, a Reflection of the Past
By Tiger5913
Chapter 14
Back To The Present
The haunting memories leave momentarily.
Watching her lay there unconscious,
Makes him feel fearful inside,
Then a sweet song plays in the room,
Reminding him of a time in their past.
Uhh…this is still painful…
Reopening his eyes after the memories had finally began to fade away, the young ninja sat back rather stiffly in the hospital chair. Short raspy breaths came from his mouth, and he willed herself to calm down. Reverting his attention to the bedded figure, the position of his lips froze in a thin line as small tears formed in his eyes, blurring up his vision.
Uriko…wake up… please, he begged silently.
Being a slightly faster healer than him, her injuries should have already started to falter and weaken. Two days after the huge confrontation with Xion, his condition was doing quite well and he was rather quickly for such an incident. Kenji had regained consciousness, but his fiancée appeared to have been hurt more severely. Strangely, the burns that'd healed up for him didn't leave any scars, just caused an amount of pain when pressure was applied.
Inconspicuously, he reached over to Uriko and gently tucked her left hand under the white cotton blanket. Her ring didn't even get a scratch; it was unfortunate that she hadn't received the same kind of treatment. Finished with that small task, the male teenager took her other free hand and held it in between his two own. While he was gazing forlornly down at her, he jolted back to reality when a melody began playing out of the small black radio that sat upon the table next to Uriko.
Stupid music… Kenji grumbled irritably and proceeded to turn it off, when all of a sudden the tune grew slow and tedious. His eyes widened as he remembered the time he'd previously heard it…
*****
"Oh, she's out in the backyard. Through the living room, and straight down the hall."
Nodding his thanks, the young teenager went in the direction that the tall brown-haired woman had pointed out, his notebook and writing utensils gripped tightly in his hands. Shaking his long black bangs out of his face, he strode through a cozy room with a couple of couches, a table, and a television. Not paying heed to the other items, he went past all of that and walked through the narrow hallway, approaching double glass doors.
Grabbing a hold of the handle on one of the doors, he proceeded to tug it open, when a sweet, melodious tone reached his ears.
"Close your eyes,
Leave the world behind,"
What the hell is that? The male student wondered, stepping outside and closing the door behind him, meeting the warm afternoon rays of sun.
As the blue sky hung overhead and the cool breeze swirled around his muscular fourteen-year-old body, he brushed off the caress. Narrowing his light brown eyes, he walked foreword, as the song continued playing somewhere up ahead…
"Find a place, deep inside…
Where, you imagine
That love never dies…"
Hrmp, what sap and nonsense… He thought to himself.
Turning a corner of the backyard, the dark-haired scholar stopped short upon spotting a figure.
"In the night
When you reach for me,
In your heart
Hear my sigh…"
The figure sang along, voice soft and dreamy, accurately reciting the lyrics of the song.
"Now, and forever,
Will you remember?"
Still singing while oblivious to his presence, his observation began to perform stretching exercises, pausing every once in a while to throw a few practiced punches into the air.
"When you love,
You're not alone,"
Oh, are you sure about that? A small smirk formed over his lips.
"The one you love
Is there beside you…"
I bet that's not always true… Although he didn't want to listen to the song any longer and was about to speak up, his companion quickly interrupted by singing the next part with a husky, earnest sense.
"Never lost, or on your own
The gentle hand is there to guide you…"
Slightly startled by the passion in the tone of voice, he closed his mouth, deciding not to interrupt yet.
"Like the sun, I am shining down
True the veil, toward the clouds…"
Nice metaphor, I suppose, he thought gruffly, scowling at his acceptance of the song.
"When you can't see me,
You must believe me…"
The figure shifted to raising a leg and kicked at the air multiple times, the other foot rested upon the ground for stiff support.
"That when you love,
You're not alone,"
Sure, yeah, right… he snorted his disagreement. What kind of crap is this? Shaking his head, he slowly took a step foreword.
"The one you love
Is there beside you…"
A smile came over the other person's face, and their own set of light brown eyes closed, singing the next verse powerfully, with feeling in the feminine, lighthearted voice.
"Never lost, or on your own
A gentle hand is there to guide you…"
While singing, the young female got a bit off-balanced and lost her training posture, letting out a squeal of protest as she started to fall over.
"When you love,
You're not alone,"
Noticing her situation, he darted foreword on instinct and shot out both arms to catch her back before she fell.
"The one you love
Is there beside you."
Startled, she finally acknowledged another person present and straightened herself up, the song still playing from a black boom box sitting on the ground nearby the two.
"Never lost, or on your own
A gentle hand is there to guide you…"
"Is that you, Mother? Who's there?!" Immediately on guard, she whirled around, her long braided auburn-colored hair whipping him gently across the face.
"Oh when you love,
You're not alone,"
"Hey, watch it there!" The male teenager yelled out, stepping back and twisting his body away, almost losing his grip on the possessions that were in his hands.
"The one you love
Is there beside you…"
"Oh, it's you, Kenji!" She glanced at him, an apologetic look in her wide brown pupils.
"Never lost, or on your own
A gentle hand is there to guide you…"
"Who'd you think I was, Adolf Hitler??" Kenji Ohgami scowled at her impatiently, studying her features with slit-thin brown eyes.
"Well, it's not like I have eyes on the back of my head," she countered, her voice in a gentle tone.
"When you love,
You're not alone,"
"I told you I was coming over today, Uriko," he reminded her, sounding a bit irritated.
"I know that, it's just… I wasn't expecting you until later this afternoon…" Uriko Nonomura sighed and tossed her hair over her shoulder as she peered down at the digital clock in her boom box.
"The one you love
Is there beside you."
"It's two o'clock," the black-haired teenager informed her.
"Shhh…" she hushed him gently, eyes brightening up as she sang along with the last lyric lines.
"Never lost, or on your own
A gentle hand is there to guide you…"
The song slowly began to die down, the singer moaning her heart-felt emotion as the music ended.
"I love that song…" A contented smile came over Uriko's face, while a dreamy look appeared in her eyes.
"Hrmp," her companion scoffed. "The lyrics are full of it."
"Excuse me?" She lost her lighthearted posture and looked at him, disbelieving. "They're sweet and meaningful!"
"Sure, in a mythical world perhaps," Kenji argued.
The female teenager grumbled, "You just don't understand… you have to learn emotion, how to show feelings, how to portray love for others…"
"And then suffer the anxiety of wondering if my feelings are returned?" The young ninja shook his head in disgust. "No thank you, I have better things to worry about than that."
"Some day, I'll make you take back those words," Uriko declared confidently, flashing him one of her winning smiles.
"I'll believe it if that happens," Kenji smirked.
She just continued smiling and began to chant a couple of the lyric notes, "Close your eyes; leave the world behind…"
He groaned his disapproval, and she reached her hand out toward him, brushing aside a few strands of his dark-colored bangs away from his forehead.
"Find a place, deep inside… Where, you imagine,"
Immediately, the male freshman student stepped back, instinctively shrinking away from her touch.
"That love… never dies…" she continued, grinning playfully at him.
"Oh, brother." Kenji commented, looking warily at her.
"Well!" Uriko tilted her chin up in mock superiority. "I'll change your mind; you can count on it!"
"We shall see about that…" he replied, turning around and starting to go back toward her house.
She thinks she can change me… my feelings… Approaching the door leading back inside, he rolled his eyes. Hah, I'd like to see that happen.
He grabbed a hold of one door handle, then hesitated, deciding to wait for his partner. What's taking her so long?
Just then, Uriko appeared into his view, the thin handle of the boom box gripped tightly in her hand. Smiling cheerfully at him, she flashed him a cute wink and placed her free hand over his, tugging the glass door open. Startled by the intimate contact, Kenji retracted his hand as soon as he could, shooting the brown-haired girl a dirty look.
"Hehehe…" she giggled as she daintily stepped inside.
"Grrrrrrr…" he growled, following her.
"Don't be so sensitive!" The female teenager scolded lightly, wagging her finger at him playfully.
"Hrmp," came his grumpy reply. "What the hell took you so long, anyway?"
"O-Oh, nothing!" she exclaimed quickly.
A shadow of a smile formed over his lips. "You're lying."
"I, I was thinking, that's all!" Uriko said convincingly as the two of them strode through her living room and went to sit down on the kitchen table. She walked over to the counter where her backpack was residing and unzipped it, pulling out her own binder.
"About…?" he probed.
"U-um, school… our project…"
"Hmm, is that it?" Kenji had a small grin on his face; provoking her was somewhat intriguing.
"What is this, Twenty Questions??" his partner huffed.
"No, it's not," he admitted. "But I am curious; can you blame me?"
She gave him a sideways glance. "Since when did you ever care about what I did or thought?"
The question surprised him a little. "I… I don't," the fourteen-year-old ninja replied.
Uriko sighed, hiding her disappointment. "I-I figured…" She turned away from him and focused on taking a piece of paper out of her binder as well as a mechanical pencil.
I guess I should at least try to befriend her… he thought. Since we are partners for this project and she did help me out that time with the black-clothed guy…
"O-Okay, so maybe I do care-a little," Kenji said after a moment of silence. "We, we should be friends."
"I always thought we were," she told him, cocking her head to an angle. "You didn't think so?"
"I… wasn't sure, that's all."
She grinned. "You can be sure now-we are!"
He couldn't help but smile back at her enthusiastic answer.
"So, out of curiosity…" the Kenpo student started. "Do you like any of the girls in our Bio class?"
Her companion held back a laugh. "Are you trying to set me up with someone?"
"Hey, I need to teach you about love!" she said firmly. "I promised that I would change your mind, remember?"
"You only said that about seventeen times," Kenji replied dryly. "There's no need to be so redundant."
"In your words, 'Oh, brother'." Uriko rolled her eyes. "Why don't you believe me for a change?"
"I trust you," he informed her. "But belief is another thing."
"They're not much different, in my opinion," she said, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder. "Just mark my words; take me seriously, because I am being sincere."
"So if you are so insistent about getting me to fall in love with some girl," the ninja snorted. "Why don't you be the 'unlucky candidate'?"
As soon as the last sentence came out of his mouth, both of the teenagers blushed.
"Umm, you were joking… right?" she peered at him curiously.
"Y-Yeah, of course!" He answered. "What did you think?"
She didn't answer; Kenji looked at her out of the corner of his eye and was surprised to see her sitting quietly, seeming lost in her own thoughts.
Noting that, he said to her, "I'll observe you as my first choice, okay?"
"I-I guess," she replied uncertainly. "If you want to…"
"I'm not doing this out of obligation," he informed. "I suppose I am a little interested in this plan of yours."
A wide smile spread over her lips. "I'm glad to hear that!"
"…Well, let's get to work," Kenji said finally.
"Okay."
He raised an eyebrow and wondered why does she want to help me? What did I ever do for her?
Sneaking a secret look at Uriko, a small smile formed. Her enthusiasm is cute… and so is she… I never really took the time to notice that… The blue-haired ninja smirked. Perhaps she could be my candidate…
Realizing what he'd just thought, the teenager shook his head. Yeah, like she'd ever agree to that…
Pushing those thoughts aside, he went to work, unknowing to him at the time, with his future significant other sitting by his side.
*****
I was a fool…
The memory fading away, Kenji sneered disapprovingly. How naïve, how stupid I was at fourteen…
"You… you were right," he murmured, looking at the still face of his fiancée. "Riko…"
He placed a tentative hand on her forehead. Feeling the warm temperature, the young man smiled weakly and leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on the surface. At the touch, a soft moan came from her and she stirred a bit.
"…? Riko?"
This time, he felt her hand twitch.
"Uriko!"
Hearing his exclaim, six figures immediately darted into the room.
"What is it, Kenji??" Yugo questioned his younger brother.
"Is my sister up yet?!" Alice asked hastily, running over to Uriko's side.
"She moved!" The ninja told them.
"Ugh…" came from the young woman on the bed.
"She is awake!" Mitsuko and Long exclaimed at the same time.
Jane went over to Kenji and peered down at Uriko; she said gently, "Hey… wake up, runt…"
"Ughhh…" was her reply.
Smiling shakily, the mole zoanthrope urged softly, "Come on, Sleeping Beauty…"
The others chuckled faintly at the nickname.
As if on command, her eyes fluttered to a slow opening, her long, thin eyelashes touching the peak of her eyelid. She felt a warmth tighten around her hand, and she reveled in the compassionate feeling. Focusing her light brown pupils on the image before her, the blurred vision cleared up shortly. A dark-haired young man came into her view, and she smiled weakly at the sight of her fiancé.
"H-hi…" Uriko murmured softly.
Blinking back his tears, Kenji gently slid a hand under her neck and partnered with his other hand to hug her gently, but with fierce emotion.
"So… you-you're my Prince Charming," she said, laughing weakly.
"No… I'm not the hero, Riko." He told her. "You're the one that defeated Xion."
"What's that?!" Jane exclaimed.
"Kenji, what are you talking about??" Yugo asked.
"You and Uriko fought against Xion?" Long looked at the two of them with concern. "Alone?"
"What happened??" Alice questioned frantically. "Tell me!"
"Stop it!!" Kenji ordered. "Uriko doesn't need all of this right now!"
"Explain… later…?" the Kenpo student murmured.
"Relax, sweetheart," Mitsuko assured her daughter gently. "We can wait." She looked at the others sternly. "Right?"
They all nodded reluctantly.
"Ahem…" the sixth newcomer spoke up, the friends turned to look at the doctor.
"Yes?" The boar zoanthrope asked.
"What is it, Danielle?" Alice inquired.
Her closest hospital friend and fellow zoanthrope, twenty-one year old Dr. Danielle Kaysley smiled reassuringly at them. "Hello, Alice." Her waist-length black hair was tied back in a ponytail and her wide green eyes twinkled as she said in a reliving tone of voice, "Ms. Nonomura has regained consciousness; that is a good sign. She will recover to her full extent, so please do not worry."
Jane studied her face expression carefully. "How long will it take?"
"Being young and a fast healer, I will approximate around two to three weeks," the woman replied.
"Thank you, Doctor-" Yugo trailed off.
"Kaysley. Dr. Danielle Kaysley," she filled in, reaching out to shake his hand.
"Yeah… thanks…" Uriko smiled.
"I would like to take your pulse, now, if that is alright with you, Ms. Nonomura," Dr. Kaysley said to her patient.
"O-Okay…" she replied. Kenji's eyes widened, and she felt his hand carefully fumble with her hand underneath the blanket. Tucking something into his pocket, he stood up and the others all backed away, clearing a path for the pediatrician.
She smiled kindly at the Kenpo student. "Your left hand, please?"
My left hand… uh oh!! Uriko thought worriedly. Glancing at her fiancé, he smiled and quickly flashed her the ring from his pocket. Sighing in relief, she smiled back and took out her hand timidly.
After taking her pulse, the doctor said, "I am going to give you a pain-killer shot, okay? It will numb your injuries, but you will feel drowsy."
The cat zoanthrope shook her head weakly. "I want to stay awake… talk to Kenji…"
"Trust me, you need your rest, Ms. Nonomura…"
"I promise I'll stay here, k?" The young ninja told her. "When you wake up, we can talk for as long as you want."
She nodded as the doctor took a needle from the cabinet and placed a clear liquid into the tube. Injecting it into Uriko's arm, she indeed began to feel sleepy and gently closed her eyes. Kenji stood there, watching her until her breathing subsided and her chest rose and fell in a peaceful rhythm.
Suddenly, he felt a hand clamp firmly on his shoulder. "Young man, we have to talk."
He turned around to face his older brother and nodded. "I know, Yugo."
Everyone walked out of the room; Dr. Kaysley went to a different floor while the group of six friends proceeded toward the waiting room. Kenji sat at the front, and with a sigh, began an explanation about the battle with Xion, excluding what he and Uriko had done beforehand.
End of Chapter 14