5/13/01
Disclaimer: the characters such as Kenji, Uriko, etc. all belong to Hudson Soft.
Dedication: God, my parents, my 'brothers', Hudson for creating Bloody Roar I-III, and my readers, especially Xion, PokeDigi, LazzyQ, Alica, Deoku, VGuyver, Flyby, StarryPeach, Xavier, and Niteflite.
Special dedication to: my mommy, and Kenji fans.
Bloody Roar III: Holiday Without Meaning
Roses, daisies, carnations presented
Chocolate, cards, certificates as well
Squeals of delight from children
Warm smiles on maternal figures.
Embracing hugs are given
Full of heart, full of love
They go off hand-in-hand
Dining plans and more gifts in mind.
I watch my sibling depart also,
Joining his beloved in her celebration
Why can't I do the same?
I can, if I ask. But… intruding…
She would let me go with her
I know it; however, it's her mother
It's my burden of having no family
I shouldn't drag her into it.
I won't stand for sorrow, for pity
I know who took my family away, but
Ironically he is what's left of my family
So for that I can't strike him down.
Mother's Day - to me, it's a
Holiday without meaning
I have no reason to celebrate
If only I knew you, my mother…
Sigh…
The soft sound escaped the lips of the forlorn figure that sat atop the roof, knees bent comfortably, pointing towards the sky. A calm breeze blew into the area and made its presence known by surrounding the person, teasing strands of dark hair that flew wildly about. Cloaked in darkness under the blue-black starry environment overhead, a pair of slightly drooping light brown eyes lazily traced the paths of the people that strolled around the neighboring blocks. Delighted smiles were plastered over older female maternal figures as they basked in the welcoming emotion that emitted from their offspring.
…I almost wish that I could do that, came the silent, wistful thought. If only… if only you were still here, my dear, deceased mother…
The majority of them clutching various gifts and flowers of adoration in their hands, the women looked to their children with warmth in their smiles, love in their eyes as they embraced tightly. He watched all of that, feeling albeit envious inwardly upon sighting his significant other doing the same as the bystanders had elsewhere. She received care from her mother, learned about the ways of life, kept their love and bond close to heart, whereas he would be able to even feel a mother's touch. The quiet protagonist wondered if this was fair, never to have known his matriarch, to not even remember her face, how she was like…
My mother… he lowered his head while his eyes fluttered to a close. Ivy… that's all I know… your name… Ivy…
A growl was released from him before he could help it as the discontented thoughts ran through his mind. From below at ground level, she heard the noise and her head perked while she pecked her mother's cheek and guided her back into the house. After seeing her inside, the young woman quirked an eyebrow in curiosity and he remained stationary, quickly hushing himself. It was too late though; she looked in the direction, in which his cry of annoyance had come from, and followed it, ascending to the rooftop of the residence.
…Damn it, he swore silently when she had reached the peak and glanced around to see what had summoned her there.
"…Who's there?" was her soft, yet unyielding whisper of question that drifted into the air. "If you're an intruder, leave - now."
"…Riko, it's me," he finally answered after a moment. "It's Kenji, and I hope that I'm not intruding right now…"
"…? Kenji?" His fiancée carefully made her way over to him. "Oh, sorry… I didn't know where you went off to after I called this morning and told you I was going out with Mother for the day…"
Giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, Kenji Ohgami waved a hand absentmindedly, dismissing the issue while replying, "I've been around. Don't worry about me."
Noticing the slightly chilly tone in his voice, she bit her lip and took a seat next to him, throwing her head back as she closed her eyes. Her long brown hair fell down her posterior, playing with the wind and she sighed rapturously at the relaxing breeze that cooled her body. He glanced over at her, the smile that was playing about his lips growing albeit wider at her carefree state, her kittenish attitude.
"What's wrong?" She inquired, her chest and abdomen rising and lowering evenly as she breathed peacefully.
"Nothing," he instantly answered. "I'm fine."
"Something's bothering you," she persisted. "I can tell…"
"…I don't want to pester you with it, Uriko." The cyan-haired ninja said. "Especially not today, on Mother's Day, of all times."
…So that's it. A small frown crept over Uriko Nonomura's face, replacing her usual cheery expression and warm smile. "…Your mom…"
"Yes," he admitted it, knowing full well that she would figure it out. "But you know me, constantly dwelling on my past, on what I've lost instead of what I've gained from my experiences and occurrences."
At that, she opened her eyes and shifted her position to wrap her arms around her companion in a tight hug. "I'm… I'm sorry about your mother… and… and my Master-"
"I don't want to talk about that right now," he spoke up curtly, cutting her off, but then felt a pang of guilt hit him when he saw her wince and shrink away from him. Smart move, idiot; take out your depression on someone you love. He thought, inwardly scolding himself as he watched her hug her knees to her chest and hide her face in them. "Riko… sorry…"
"Nah, it's okay… I shouldn't have brought that up," the Kenpo student mumbled. "I tend to speak my mind a lot, I guess too often, sorry. I won't mention that anymore."
Kenji swore under his breath and leisurely moved toward her, slinging an arm around her shoulder and hugging her slender figure to him. "No Riko, speak your mind. I want you to. Don't let me stop you just because I have some of the stupidest ways of hiding from my problems-"
She grimaced and turned her face toward him, quickly leaning foreword and pressing her lips against his, silencing him from his rant. Taken back slightly, he jerked a little but recovered and moved his hand from her shoulder to slide up into her hair. Angling her head to fit their conveniences, he sighed into her mouth and slipped his other arm around her waist to decrease the distance between their bodies.
Breaking it off after a few moments, the male zoanthrope smiled shakily at her and questioned, "What was that for, Riko…?"
Uriko blushed a little but told him, "Um… A polite way to shut you up?"
He looked at her for a minute, then laughed; her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red but she reveled in hearing the joyous sound that he was expressing.
"Okay, you win," her fiancé drawled, gently stroking her cheek. "No more depressing talk."
She embraced him tightly. "You know… Someday, Mother will be your mother as well…"
The ninja chuckled and hugged her back just as fiercely. I know… but still… His half-closed eyes raised to look up into the sky. I still wish that I knew you, Ivy… …Mom…
The End
Author's Note: I got sudden inspiration for this fic because of (duh) Mother's Day! =P I feel sad for Kenji though because he doesn't know about his mother and in my story universe, she's already deceased… So I decided to write this in dedication to him, to you Kenji fans, and to my own mom, who I am fortunate to have with me today. Happy Mother's Day everyone and God Bless you all.
With love for my fans,
Tiger5913