Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within
By Tiger5913
Sequel to Bloody Roar III: Reunited by Chance, a Reflection of the Past
Chapter 5
Give Me Back What's Mine
"Oh…"
He was back… back in her arms, where she allowed him to embrace her warmly, and she moaned softly at the familiar taste of his lips, his kisses. Pulling away slightly, she gazed dreamily into the set of intense brown irises that she had always adored, while he returned her look of adoration. His eyes told her that everything would be all right, now that he was once again by her side, to help her, restore the sacred emotions that she thought had been forever banished from her heart. Hugging her trembling form closely to his, she started to weep from the joy of being reunited with him, her teardrops sliding down her cheeks and wetting his skin.
"Don't leave me…"
As if to purposely deny her plead, the feel of his body pressed against hers was slowly beginning to drift away, and her tight grip on him broke without her consent. A shocked gasp escaped from her as she glanced at him, an expression of fear on her face for she did not want to lose him again. Quickly recovering from her surprise, she ran after her beloved while the two of them forged eye contact, and he did nothing but merely stare back at her helplessly. A white mist covered the entire area, and she could barely see her surroundings; relying on pure instinct, she kept proceeding foreword.
"No!! Come back!!"
His head hung down in defeat, and she bit her lip, dashing even faster while watery trails streaked her cheeks, chilling her bare flesh with the help of the cool environment. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to give up and succumb into the dark, condemning breeze that was sweeping about her, trying to pursue her to stop following him. When a cry burst free from her lips, her foot caught onto something on the ground, and she tripped, falling down, landing on her hands and knees forcefully. Whipping her face up, brightness was the only thing in her sight, and she let out a tortured sob of combined sorrow and deep frustration.
"Stepheeeen!!!!"
With that ear-shattering scream, Alica awoke from her previous serene slumber, her breaths coming short and strangled. Opening her eyes, she was met with darkness, and instantly knew that she was back in her room; the event she just experienced had been a dream in her subconscious-ness. Blinking in slight bewilderment, it took the confused woman a moment to regain her right state of mind, and she shot out of her bed. Hurriedly throwing the sheets to the mattress, she arose to her feet and ran into her bathroom, flicking on the light switch and leaning over the sink.
Just a dream, just a dream… she assured herself silently as she twisted the faucet knob and caught water in her palms. Splashing her face several times, the raptor zoanthrope was stunned to full awareness, and she dried off with a small towel, clenching the material with her fists in an iron grip. She waited a few seconds, and when her tensed body loosened up a little, she turned around slowly, catching a glimpse of the clock hanging on her wall, over the headboard of her bed.
Almost three-thirty… the quivering female discovered, her lip trembling as her mind conjured an image of her lost significant other… NO! She shook her head violently, holding the sides with her hands and staggering back to collapse onto the mattress where she had been sleeping just minutes ago. Her face was scrunched up into a grimace, a distressed frown marring her brows as she thrashed wildly, banging against her blankets in an attempt to rid the pain that was poisoning her inwardly.
"Auuuuuggggghhhhhh!!!!!" she screamed in rage, gritting her teeth.
Hate filled her mind, converting her thoughts into blood red images of torture, agonizing acts of atrocity that brought pain to the one that was her target. Her victim would suffer for making her lose control of her edge, her sanity, in these times of heartbreak and forlorn yearning that was caused by that cruel person… all by him…
Pushing her face into her pillow so that no one else would hear, Alica yelled furiously, "I swear by Stephen's name that I'll kill you, Yugo Ohgami!!!"
*****
…Hm, they should be in there.
Tilting his head in curiosity, the tiger zoanthrope rapped his knuckles against the door of the room that his martial arts student and his nephew shared. When only silence answered him, he glanced at his wrist and murmured, "Ten-thirty now… huh…" Other noises that he heard was shuffling from down the hallway, where his fiancée had arisen and was changing into an outfit for the day ahead of them.
Making a quick decision, he grabbed the knob, and twisted it, pushing the tall wooden frame inwardly as he stepped inside. Looking around, the Kenpo master saw no one occupying the area, only a bed with the sheets made and the pillows propped up, grazing the headboard. He frowned slightly, feeling baffled, but then spotted a small piece of paper lying on the covers; he walked over and picked it up, reading the contents.
Uriko and I woke up early this morning, and we're going out to continue our search - Uranus and Strider volunteered to show us around the city. Ran into some trouble yesterday, which we'll tell everyone about later on today; tell Yugo and Alice that we're both sorry for missing the meeting last night.
Kenji
The message was crisp, succinct, without emotion; his head dipping down albeit, Long sighed, trying to brush aside the feeling of hurt that was bubbling up inside him. Unknowingly crumpling up the note in his fist, he strode out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him, starting to proceed through the hallway.
"Hey-!" a feminine protest reached his ears when he bumped into the leopard zoanthrope and he immediately gave her an apologetic look. "Damn, be careful to watch where you're going… …and where's the runt and her lover-mole?"
"They left earlier this morning," he informed her quietly, tucking the paper ball into her hands. "I found a note on the bed from Kenji saying that he and Uriko are out browsing the city with our guides, Uranus and Strider."
"Huh…" she unfolded the note and read it quickly. "…No explanation for why they didn't meet up with us last night?"
He shook his head.
"Kinda rude if you ask me," Jane remarked, scowling a little. "But then again, teenagers these days…"
A half-smile spread over her fiancé's lips. "I suppose everyone acts that way sometime in their youthful years…"
She smirked. "I still act like that, hah!"
Grinning smugly, she nudged him in the side and strut into the living room, walking toward the kitchen. Partial way there, she was stopped when the raven-haired zoanthrope caught up to her with ease, and encircled her waist with his arms from behind. Embracing her gently, he waited until she tucked her head into his neck, and he leaned foreword, softly brushing his mouth across her cheek.
"Should we continue our own search after breakfast?" he inquired, resting his face against the side of her forehead.
"Hell, of course," she grunted. "That Alica character isn't going to get away with all this terrorism to innocent humans; it isn't right for her to play God like that."
"I agree completely…" he sighed sadly. "I wonder what is it that drives people of her kind to such extents, where they lose their train of sane thought and begin to ignore the morals that nag at their consciences."
"I haven't a clue," The blonde woman shrugged. "They couldn't have been born that way though, that's for sure."
Is the loss of sanity the outcome of an internal battle…? He wondered silently as his accomplice led him toward the door to leave the apartment and go out. Or perhaps it is when a great importance is taken away, the person no longer feels the need to be conscientious or act kind to others when he or she is depressed and distraught…
*****
"This place is so cute!"
Strolling down the sidewalk, the seventeen-year-old female hugged a stuffed cat to her chest, burying her nose into the silky material of its fur coat. Standing next to her, Uranus allowed a small, tight-lipped smile to form over her expression, and she cast a glance over at where the men were. She spotted the two around the cash register, each looking a little embarrassed at being inside a store of glass delicates and other items being sold that they considered 'un-masculine'. Chuckling, she turned her attention back to the shelf of playthings, and scanned them absentmindedly, her eyes perking up in surprise when she spotted a certain toy. Her eyebrow raised in interest, and a wry grin made its way to her mouth as she took the little animal before anyone else could purchase it.
She barely finished tucking it into her handbag, when a cheerful voice from behind her spoke up, "Hey! You find anything?"
Facing the speaker, she was slightly flustered, but hid it and replied, "Well, not really; after you've gone here several hundred times, it gets harder to find new things that you don't already have."
The Kenpo student beamed joyously, clutching the stuffed cat in her arms. "Since this is just my first time, everything is new to me, so I see a lot of things that I want to buy. But…" she grinned at her fiancé, who smiled back at her with his eyes. "I think if I stay here any longer, I'll embarrass Kenji so much that he won't want to come back to this store anymore, so we should probably leave now!"
"Sure," her guide agreed, a mysterious glint glimmering in her jade-yellow pupils.
The duo went to the cashier, and Uriko reached into the back pocket of her jeans to pull out her wallet, but she felt a hand holding her wrist. Looking up, she was greeted with the smiling face of her fiancé, and he gave her a quick wink as he paid for the item, receiving a tight hug from her as thanks. The couple's guides glanced at them with weary interest, and exchanged a smirk before the four of them left the store together.
"So… where're we going next?" The dark-haired ninja inquired, looking around at the other shops aligning the streets with a bemused expression and a raised eyebrow.
"Hmmm…" Strider mused, slightly cocking his head to the side. "A couple of Alica's henchmen were spotted lately near this alleyway adjacent to 'Hell's Angel', so I think that should be our next destination."
"Good idea," his partner agreed, grinning coyly. "Never know what you're going to find at a place like that; it's a surprise every time."
"Okay then, let's get going!" the younger female said enthusiastically. "The last we want is to give that cruel wicked witch more time to hurt those innocent, peaceful humans and zoanthropes…" She appeared albeit remorseful as the others nodded solemnly, and obliged to her command.
*****
"…I really think that coming here was a bad idea."
The nurse raised a finger to her lips. "Shh, don't complain, Yugo! The newspaper said that most of the time, fights and other bad things that go on usually are reported that they started from this place…"
He narrowed his eyes, scanning the shadowy alleyway suspiciously, tensing up as he felt a chill run down his spine. "It could've been publicity bullshit for all we know."
"Hey, doesn't hurt to give it a try, right?" She turned to look at him and her ruby red irises shone with determination. "Come on, if we're lucky, maybe we'll find out some information about Alica from the dwellers that hang around here…"
"Sure, whatever you say Ally," her boyfriend answered absentmindedly, suddenly stiffening when his senses detected an unfamiliar scent of another zoanthrope in the area. …Someone else is here…
A shuffling noise immediately caught Alice's attention, and her head quickly jerked toward the direction where she had heard it. Facing a dark corner that was a couple yards away from her position, she frowned in bewilderment when she didn't see anyone, yet she felt uneasy about that section. Stepping foreword cautiously, she jumped back in surprise when a figure clothed in a tan, full-body cloak emerged from the shadows, identity sealed by the enveloping embrace of the darting shadows.
"Um… hello…" the rabbit zoanthrope spoke, slightly nervous with the appearance of the newcomer's stiff pose, along with a very lowly ducked head. "Who… who are you? Do you need help with anything?"
"Everyone in this world always wants help with something…" the stranger replied mysteriously in an undetectable tone of voice. "We're all just worthless pawns in this little episode called life."
"…I see," she murmured. What does he or she mean by that…?
"Tell me something," the person requested, turning to the side and raising their head a little.
"Yugo… come here," the cyan-haired woman whispered under her breath over her shoulder to her beau. Out loud, she answered, "Alright…"
"…When you lose a very precious importance in your otherwise meaning life to a cold-hearted, careless, spineless little coward, what would you do?"
"Wh-what…?" she stammered. What kind of question is that??
"You heard me." The words were cool and unwavering.
"I… erm…" she felt a hand clasp hers, and knew that Yugo was trying to reassure her. He was fixating the enigmatic bystander with a curious, yet doubtful look, his jaw tensing as he pondered over the identity of the person.
"Hey, to be blunt, who the hell are you?" he piped up casually.
"Yugo!" His girlfriend hissed, nudging him in a scolding manner.
"I will answer nothing until you do the same first. Then I can return the favor." Was the chilly reply.
Gotta screw loose in their head, he snorted. "Fine, fine, fine, be that way. Well, if something like that happened to me, I'd go find the bastard and beat him down, since he wouldn't deserve to walk around in perfect, mint condition for making me go through all that."
"…" the stranger shifted position, wounding up facing the other two. "I agree with you completely."
"…Huh?" a look of surprise formed on the boxer's face. "…You do?"
"Yessss…" came the malicious hiss. "After all, the only compensation for a situation like that…" The head rose up, but the couple could see just the shadowy outlines of a pair of eyes, and a glint that reflected off of the irises shown the resentment that was flaring in them. "…Is revenge."
Before either of them had time to ponder about that, the figure launched a lean leg foreword and caught Yugo in the abdomen. Gasping in unexpected-ness and from pain as well, he scrunched his body to ease the hurt, but then straightened to his full height a moment later, clutching his injury. His companion grasped his free arm, looking him over with concern; she was about to inquire if he was all right, but he shook his head, telling her to ask later. Glaring at the attacker, he demanded, "Damn! What did you do that for?!"
"It's about time that you paid for all the suffering that you've caused, you wretched beast!" The voice was higher-pitched, revealing the person to be female.
"What kinda freaking psycho woman are you?!" He questioned rhetorically, reaching his hand out to pull away her cloak.
She twisted back, spinning in a full circle and kicking his wrist with the heel of her boots, cutting a wound into his skin with the metal spikes that aligned the edges of her footwear. Groaning, he retracted his forearm quickly, gazing at the stranger in astonishment, but his expression changed to a scowl as he ground out, "Who the hell are you?!"
"And leave him alone!!" Alice shrieked, ducking down and tripping the woman with a swift swing of her legs.
Falling to the ground, she let out a screech, but regained her posture and flipped into a standing position, eyeing the duo angrily. "Two against one huh?! Are you too scared to fight by the rules, Ohgami??"
Yugo's head snapped to attention and he kept an arm covering his girlfriend's form protectively. "How do you know who I am…?!"
"Don't worry about that!" She snapped impatiently. "Unless you wouldn't rather care about your life!!"
A haunting, estranged laugh escaped from her. "Someone you don't know! Hah! How humorous!" Her eyes bore into his menacingly. "If you don't know me, then you must have forgotten all about your past. I remember when you were a seventeen-year-old brat, meddling into things that weren't any of your business, but you wanted to be involved in them regardless!!"
"…When I was seventeen…?" a frown marred the wolf zoanthrope's brows. Seventeen… Didn't I help old Gado destroy the Tylon Corporation back when I was seventeen…?
"What are you talking about?" His girlfriend asked. "He didn't do anything wrong when he was seventeen! He helped save a lot of people at that time, as a matter of fact!"
"Help?!" The woman seethed lowly. "Help??!! What kind of bull are you trying to pull??!! He didn't 'help'! He destroyed! Wrecked! Ruined the lives of people that he obviously didn't give a thought about because they weren't important or significant enough to him!!"
"Hey-!" he started to protest, but then she released an inhumane cry, and without warning, launched herself at him, cutting off his words and slamming him to the ground.
"DIE!!!!" She screamed insanely, striking at his head with her clenched fists. "I'm going to hurt you the same way you did to others!!!"
He could only wonder what she meant by that statement, before one of her blows struck him especially hard, and he drifted off, unwillingly slipping into the unconscious world.
End Of Chapter 5
