Author's Note: I kept my promise… right? I thank all of my readers who believe in me, and I hope that you'll like this chapter. A small warning: chapter 22 will have scenes that include a bit of sexual content. Please do not degrade or flame me for putting those kinds of settings in, but constructive criticism is welcome.
Special dedication: PokeDigi, Flyby, Niteflite, LazzyQ, Alica, StarryPeach, and of course, my other loyal readers who has been reviewing almost every single chapter of this story. I appreciate all the feedback that you receive and I thank you all for that. If not for your encouragement, this story might have been cut a bit short, but thanks to you, my fanfiction has far exceeded my pre-story expectations. This has definitely been the longest story by far, that I have ever written by myself. Your spirits and support are with me and I will cherish them gratefully.
Bloody Roar III: Reunited by Chance, a Reflection of the Past
By Tiger5913
Chapter 21
Gliding Over Rough Surfaces
Another situation resolves and the
Dimmed light brightens a bit as the
Stronghold and support of the group
Heightens; but one issue still remains
Lost memories of a long-forgotten relative.
"What? Danielle?!" The rabbit zoanthrope exclaimed, as shock was registering on her face. "My hospital colleague??" The raven-haired man cringed slightly at her tone of voice.
Sis… chill… her younger sibling pleaded silently, although she herself felt a little astonished.
"How in the world is she involved with you?!" The twenty-five year old continued, beginning to sound shrill as Mitsuko glanced at her eldest daughter sympathetically.
"The other night, after we…" Shenlong gestured at himself, then at the Kenpo master and his girlfriend. "…Had fought, the two of them had left on presumption that I'd already perished. I was barely holding onto my consciousness from the battle, so I'm not acknowledged of how much time had passed before she - Danni - had come across me." He let out a sigh at the mention, slight distress in his attitude. "I am not sure how she managed to get my seemingly lifeless body out of the park, but when I was aroused back to awareness, I found myself surrounded by sterile white walls of a hospital room. My injuries were treated and bandaged, so I was on sluggish path back to recovery."
"She helped you…?" Alice inquired, doubt still lingering in her expression.
"I'm assuming reasonably that Danni was the one who tended to me, for she was the first person I saw after awakening," he replied as a slightly glazed look came over his eyes. "…In the midst of all the darkness in the nightly atmosphere as well as in my situation, a heavenly aurora seemed to shine from her, single-handedly holding off the malicious jests that were gnawing at me. It was as if the aura surrounding Danni was proclaiming her an angel of benevolence and mercy."
Angel of benevolence and mercy… Sounds pretty heartfelt and a bit poetic even, Kenji thought to himself. Hrmp… but can we still really trust him…? "…You know, I think I want to believe you, but still…"
"I wonder why she never told me about this…" the cyan-haired nurse murmured, feeling mystified. Danielle wouldn't keep such an important secret from me… "Are you lying to us…?"
The clone shook his head firmly, his voice serious and convincing as he said to them, "As I mentioned before, I know that all this is probably hard to comprehend and assimilate… but I am speaking the truth. I… will everyone decide for themselves what they are going to believe… and I'll understand whatever outcome is chosen." If not forgiveness… just accepting is gratifying enough…
Silence fell in the room at that proposal. Indecision and ponderous thinking sauntered in the environment, unspoken conversations passing between the small group with single looks. Each brief glance showed the unease and bewilderment conflicting on the older, authoritarian zoanthropes' faces. Jenny placed a hand on her husband's arm, getting his attention; he saw the resolution in her eyes and nodded slightly.
He peered at the brown-haired boxer, who turned to his girlfriend for her decision. Catching her doubtful expression, he shrugged at Alan in reply. Sitting on the ground near her fiancé, the seventeen-year-old female let out a sigh under her breath, and Kenji slipped an arm around her slender waist comfortingly. The young ninja shot a look of irritation at Shenlong, but didn't asseverate anything verbally.
Breaking the solemn mood, Long approached his twin somewhat tentatively, and felt his hand being gently squeezed reassuringly as the blonde-haired tomboy fell into step with him. He glanced at her briefly and saw the small smile on her face, the support for him and trust that was glimmering in depths of her light blue eyes. Smiling back at her, he turned to face his double, albeit more confidence in his mood as he said, "…I will not hold anything against you. I consider you an ally now, instead of foe."
"As do I," Jane spoke up in agreement.
"In this world that we live in, the situations that we are forced to endure at times, unfortunately has mind-manipulation and the possession of the will seem like a reasonable issue." The tiger zoanthrope continued, this time directing his statements to the rest of the group. "Because there are beings who will unmercifully commit evil acts of those kind, never caring of the outcome or the others that he or she may harm in the process, innocent bystanders constrained to become involved might end up doing so, but against their will.
"But even if any one of us succumbs," His gaze flickered concisely upon his disciple, her older sister, and the blue-haired ninja. "…Or have succumbed, to the brainwashing and seductive mind-control influence, it is not because of 'weak' proclivity or anything of the sort. The true reason behind it would be that of the concern for our friends, relatives, and other loved ones."
The others turned to look at Long, taking in his words and conjectures to mind, listening intently and waiting for him to conclude.
"Those, in a sense, are our 'weaknesses', because the feelings we carry inside are strong enough to impact us effectively. And those are the things that procurers strive to find so that they can attempt to make us become undone, and in hopes that in the midst of our confusion, try to trifle with our minds. I believe that is how those like the former employees of Tylon, Busuzima, and Xion operate in their process of manipulation."
The bat zoanthrope chuckled softly at her husband. "What a son-in-law he will be, don't you think?" Alan grinned wryly and nodded in agreement while the Kenpo master and his female companion both flushed at what the couple had been conversing about.
"Fa-ther…!" Jane protested, her cheeks splaying with a light shade of pink.
"…So that's what happened…?" A quiet murmur came from Kenji, the thoughtful look on his face slowly twisting into one of perplexity. "But I… I thought I was weak-minded…"
"Kenji…?" the cat zoanthrope said gently, her voice warm and soothing, although she was feeling slightly puzzled. "What do you mean by that…?"
His stormy brown eyes met hers shakily. "X-Xion… What he did… All the mind-control that I have prevailed… I had always thought that I succumbed to all of them because I was weak-minded…"
Her facial features softened into a simper of tenderness and commiseration, her pupils glistening with heartfelt compassion. "Kenji… No, you're not…"
Yugo's expression tightened defensively. "You, weak-minded? Not a bloody chance in hell."
"I can't really even recall exactly how I got affiliated with Xion…" the blue-haired ninja mumbled. "I first encountered him a little while before I turned sixteen… But I don't have a very strong, reliable recollection of what led to my conceding of his mind-control influence right now…
"The things I remember the most vividly were the charismatic scoffing and ostensibly periods of mental quandaries… The endless moments where confusion and distrust ran through my mind; the undeviating feeling that contaminated my heart and persuaded me to turn against everyone…" The hand that he had slunk around Uriko's waist was trembling as he finished speaking.
"Oh, gosh…" her lips began to quiver slightly while a deep pang of persecution struck her heart. "Kenji…" Squeezing her eyes shut as tears formed and threatened to flow, she wrapped her arms around his muscular form, embracing him tightly. One of her hand went to shakily rest against the rear of the base of his neck, and the other stayed splayed across his back. I… I'm so sorry… I wish you never had to go through all that…
The wolf zoanthrope peered at his younger brother intently, his own expression appearing melancholy and oppressive. "…You don't need to tell us anymore, Kenji. Whatever happened to you, the outcome wasn't good, the perpetrator was an indisputable jackass, and what does matter is that you are back to yourself now."
Glancing up at the others, the seventeen-year-old muttered albeit blankly. "No one minds not being acknowledged of the events that occurred three years ago…?"
Uriko was the first to assure him; she shook her head firmly and whispered softly into his ear, "You're back with us… That's all I care about…"
Her martial arts instructor cast a look at his nephew, inwardly cringing as a feeling of guilt seeped into his mind. I should have taken care of him after Adam-… Should have watched over him… kept him safe and shield all this pain that he has suffered… His eyes became a little misty and he blinked away the remoteness that inhabited his vision. Culpability gnawed at his conscience and he grimaced at the emotion.
Clearing his throat, Alan's voice sliced through the thick tension that was hovering in the room; "…Shenlong."
Hearing his name, the green-eyed zoanthrope perked up. "Yes?"
"What happened to you since Busuzima reanimated you three years ago?"
Briefly glancing at the dark-haired ninja and his fiancée, he hesitated a little before answering; "…We went into hiding for a period of time. Busuzima often moved from place to place with a few of his other zoanthrope followers and I. The only duties he assigned us were to go out and find more of our kind to try and recruit them into our little 'group'.
"…But one day," Shenlong's pupils flickered upon Kenji, who had his back turned and was still in the loving embrace of the Kenpo student. "One of the members saw your-or rather our, ninja compatriot boarding a train and bidding farewell to the younger Nonomura daughter. Of course, Busuzima became interested in that, for he still valued the fighting techniques and skills of the ninja. He ordered all of us to come along with him as he proceeded to follow and track him down."
"You may refer to me by name…" the mole zoanthrope mumbled, his voice barely audible.
"…Alright." The clone nodded. "Thank you… Br-I mean, Kenji. Well, Busuzima, a couple others, and I trailed you to the capital. We watched you rent an overnight room at a hotel, and surveyed your trip to records at the library."
He turned to address the others. "However… A middle-aged woman led Kenji astray shortly after he left the archive. None of us were able to locate where they went; their destination must have been quite furtive and stealthy."
The blue-haired ninja decided to input, maintaining his position, arms encircling Uriko's soft and curvy waist. "…She brought me to a secret room in the library, where zoanthrope records were hidden away. I found out my true background and heritage that way. I'd also photocopied everyone's files and somehow managed to bring them back here with me."
"Oh… really?" The twin seemed to be a bit awed by the newly found information. "Hidden zoanthrope files…?" I wonder how frequently those are updated…
"…Yeah. I was pretty damn surprised myself upon discovering them," Kenji admitted. "But I was there; they were real. …What did you and…him do while I was gone, reading the files…?"
"Busuzima became impatient after waiting a while - we all probably know how he is - and made us leave with him, then later on told everyone to roam the capital for other possible zoanthrope recruits. He also had a couple of his followers… violate Kenji's privacy by breaking into his overnight room and ransack through his belongings."
The seventeen-year-old's eyes widened. "So that's why I found my things misplaced and thrown around the room that afternoon… I'd thought that a nosey maid had searched my possessions, trying to see if there was anything worth stealing…" Good thing I had taken the ring everywhere with me…
Shenlong shifted uncomfortably. "…No, I'm afraid we were responsible for that. I apologize to you for that, Kenji…"
"…That's alright," was the solemn reply. "I don't think that you were directly involved in the process… at least, I hope you weren't."
He shook his head. "I wasn't, I can assure you of that."
"So how did you… that limp-wristed bastard…and the others encounter Xion?" Yugo questioned, finally managing to advert his eyes to focus on the speaker.
The rest of the group snickered at the label that was tagged onto the eccentric scientist before the other tiger zoanthrope started informing the others, "A few days after the ransacking incident, one of our more significant members disappeared all of a sudden. Upon noticing her absence, Busuzima dispatched a couple of people to find out what happened to her. She wasn't found, at least not to my knowledge, but I do not know of her present status right now."
"What was her…relation…to that disgusting old pervert?" Uriko inquired, smirking slightly at the thought of the reptile zoanthrope being involved with other females.
"Second-in-command," he informed her and her friends. "Busuzima kept Rane nearby him. Sometimes, he would act somewhat 'affectionate', in his strange way, toward her and although she usually returned it, you could tell that it was most-likely form from obligation or something equivalent of the sort."
"What a surprise," Yugo remarked dryly, sarcasm in his voice.
"I suppose that this Rane person meant something to him?" The mole zoanthrope frowned slightly. "She was smart to leave. Busuzima only likes using people. He plays with them like they are his toys, then they get discarded whenever he is bored of them."
His fiancée nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know what you mean…"
Fury and resentment flashed in depth of his light brown eyes. "I-hate-being-used…" he strained through clenched teeth, his hand quivering with emotion.
Talking to him tonight about what happened earlier would probably not be a wise decision… Long thought to himself. Anyone can tell that Kenji is still haunted by the events that occurred in his past; hopefully, Uriko will be able to help him somehow… Out loud, he suggested, "…Um, perhaps we should call it a night now, everyone…?"
"I coincide with that idea." Alan said. "Maybe we can meet another time. Mademoiselle Mitsuko, is that all right with you?"
The boar zoanthrope nodded. "Yes, please inform us of when you are planning for the next meeting to take place. I'm sure that everyone would want to attend."
"How about three days from now?" Alice connoted. "I have to help a beginner nurse and train him, so I will be busy for the next couple of days. Is that okay with you all?"
Her friends motioned their covenant and those sitting down tediously began standing up, preparing to take their leave. Straightening from his position at the door, Shenlong inquired a bit tentatively, "Ahem… I was mediating, am I permitted to come here?"
"…" No one in the group answered; they all turned to look at Mitsuko.
"I… I am sorry about the act that I committed three years ago, Miss Nonomura," he apologized, seeming ashamed of what he had done in the past.
She demurred for a moment. "…Yes. As long as you can be as civilized as you were tonight." A small wry smile formed on her face.
"You have my word." He said solemnly.
"…Alright then," she answered. "Hope to see you at the next meet."
Mother… Uriko grinned at her mother proudly. So forgiving…
The others adapted looks of ease on their faces and sighed in relief as they all started for the door.
"Good night everyone," Alan nodded at his compatriots in farewell as he and his wife departed from the house; after chorusing the same thing, his daughter and the Kenpo master trailed not too far behind the older couple.
"Come on Ally," Yugo linked one of his hands with his girlfriend, then flushed slightly when he realized the nickname had slipped out.
A half-smile formed over Kenji's lips. "Isn't that sweet of you, brother…"
His sibling scrunched up his face while the dark-haired nurse answered for him good-naturedly, "Hey, I could say the same for you and my little sister, you know…"
The cat zoanthrope blushed. "Al-ice…!"
"…Um, Mitsuko?" Her fiancé started to speak up. "I don't want to impose on you again, but I was wondering if I could…"
She smiled warmly. "Of course you may spend the night. The guestroom is always open to you."
Uh, yeah… although I didn't reside there last night… he coughed dryly. "Thanks, I appreciate it."
The boxer raised an eyebrow and teased, "You love her that much, huh?"
Unresponsive, the young couple ducked their heads in unison, both feeling embarrassed.
"Aw, I was just kidding with you," Yugo chuckled. "But don't forget that you have the high school exit exam to take tomorrow, Kenji."
The blue-haired ninja nodded. "Okay, thanks for the reminder."
"See you all later," Alice waved to the trio as she and her boyfriend stepped outside of the Nonomura residence, gently closing the door behind them.
"Sleep well, you two," Mitsuko smiled at the couple and proceeded out of the living room, going up the stairs to her room.
A slight glimmer of an unreadable emotion hovered in the back of the Kenpo student's chocolate brown eyes. "Well, I guess we should probably be going to sleep now… It's almost eleven, and with that test tomorrow…"
His fiancé glanced at her meaningfully, sleep clearly not in his present thoughts. "I'm… not sure I can slumber right now." There are too many things on my mind - all that I found out tonight… "I suppose that I could try, though…"
She smiled faintly at him. "Good luck… I hope that you'll be able to go to sleep, Kenji."
Hugging him tightly, she pecked him gently on the cheek and followed her mother's trail. Silently watching her figure jog up the stairs, Kenji maintained his still posture, looking after her disappearing form with a slightly mournful look in his eyes. The pain he had been storing up inside suddenly seeped out of him in a rush, un-shamefully etching across his facial features. A broken sob choked itself out of his throat and he squeezed his eyelids shut, trying to fight back the heavy emotions that were threatening to overtake him.
"Riko…" he murmured into the soundless room, his hands instinctively going to clutch the sleeves of his own arms in a defensive motion.
End Of Chapter 21