Bloody Roar III: Deception Strikes From Within

By Tiger5913

Sequel to Bloody Roar III: Reunited by Chance, a Reflection of the Past

Chapter 7

Joy And Melancholy Become One

"Hunh!"

The silver blade split through the air, barely making a soundless whisper, as the sharp edge was cleanly whisked around in a full circle, then ascended into a quick jerk.

"Hck, hck, hck…"

A branch from a tree fell to the floor, neatly cut into four different sections, but still retaining a straight line; a thin metal object sliced the passing wind directly above, followed by a ghostly whoosh noise and a blurred yellow whirl. Red cloth fluttered in the breeze, waving a flag of handsome, but deadly crimson, briefly smacking into strands of dark blue, sweaty bangs. Flustered breathing filled the quiet serene environment as the person tightly gripping the handle of the double-headed axe wielded the weapon with graceful expertise.

Can't let her… get to… the ones… I love most…

The growing-dusk sky meant nothing to the newly turned eighteen-year-old, and as a matter of fact, the night always suited him better in battling situations, for his vision could almost match that of a nocturnal creature. Besides, in the past, he had always fought in the dark, with the shadows cloaking him from his victim's sight, so that he could leap out and attack at the right, exact moment…

Bleh, he shook his head free of the memories, not wanting to remember the excitement and thrill he'd felt at those times that had crushed his morality.

But even as the young fighter wanted to forget, his will couldn't push away the faint throbbing that started in his hands, the pores in his skin yearning for warm blood to bathe in. His eyes squeezed shut as he began to slightly tremble… Oh, how sinister and malicious it was to have the gasping wheezes of a dying person fanning his cheek, the pleading look in their frightened pupils, begging for him to give back their life. The finality sinking in and crushing the poor bystander's spirit, chest rising and lowering one last time, head lolling dully to one side, body going limp, lifelessly collapsing to the ground…

"A-Argh, no!!" He yelled angrily, clenching his fists against the sides of his temples, letting the axe slip to the floor, landing aside the tree branch. Why was he recalling the old periods of the past when he was under mind-control, roaming out and about to track down and kill people? His lips quivering, he shuddered, wondering if the stimulation of the hunt and the burning hot lust for blood was what motivated that mysterious woman's pursuit of his older brother's death. She reminded him of… she was kind of like… she was almost like… No. She was just like him, back in his assassin days as a younger teenager, three years ago… N-No! I'm not th-that cruel witch!!

His muscles tensed, the male zoanthrope bent over and picked up his weapon, then with pain-filled pupils, flung it foreword with all of his pent-up emotion. The axe sailed across a wide distance, the wickedly curved blade coming into contact with a thick tree trunk, digging into and sheathing itself in the hard brown bark. Heaving shaky breaths, Kenji grasped the belts securing his ninja gi outfit tightly, his knuckles turning pasty white as he whirled around and started back for the apartment. Since he trained for quite a while everyday in the wide, open quad of the complex, he could go retrieve his weapon tomorrow; he shouldn't be thinking of bloodshed on an occasion like this, after all.

The teenager wiped off the sweat glistening on his forehead with the back of his forearm, shivering as the thoughts of his previous predicament refused to diminish from his mind. Turning when the corner came up, he barely had a chance to react when all of a sudden, a white cloth was clamped atop his mouth and nose, and a black covering was thrown over his head. He instinctively began to struggle and counterattack, but the chemical scent fluttered into his nostrils, and a dizzy sensation weakened him. Passing out, he wasn't aware of the strong arms that caught him, and picked him up to carry the unconscious youth off elsewhere.

*****

"Wasn't… a… drastic…?"

The words being spoken were fuzzy to his ears, and he blinked, seeing only darkness, and remembering what had just happened to him, he shot up, preparing to fight whomever abducted him. He was surprised to discover that he could stand with ease, and instantly wondered why his kidnappers would be so careless as to not even restrain him. That was most definitely a foolish mistake, and he would show them why…

Bright light pierced his vision as the black cloth was removed, yanked up from him right at that moment; slightly confused and bewildered, the mole zoanthrope quickly insured a scan of his surroundings.

"Surprise!!!" Came the gleeful shouts that loudly greeted him.

He jolted in reflex, falling back into the chair that he was sitting in seconds ago, while handfuls of confetti were thrown into the air, flowing about the place like mist in a fog. Colorful balloons hovered in the room that he presently was in, coupled with glittery streamers that were strung along the ceiling, all leading to a beautiful sign above the entrance: "Happy 18th Birthday!" Something drooping from his bangs glistened, sparkling into his eyes, and he instantly shrunk in a defensive manner, feeling absurd when he found out that it was merely just another string of decoration.

Lastly, but certainly most importantly, seated around a table for six were his fellow compatriots, his fiancée to his right, and his brother to his left, his other three allies graciously smiling at him. The group wasn't dressed very formally, but not casual to the point where it seemed like they didn't care about the occasion. Yugo and Long were both in a white polo shirt, and black slacks, whereas the women donned beige blouses and tan skirts, with the exception of the leopard zoanthrope in a sky blue tank top that matched the shade of her eyes, and camouflage green army pants.

"Happy birthday Kenji!!" A voice said delightfully, next to his ear. "Were you surprised??"

He turned to look at the speaker. "Uriko!! You mean, this wasn't an abduction??"

"Pssh, yeah right!" another figure snorted from his other side. "You'd give 'em hell if anyone was ever stupid enough to try and kidnap you now, brother! They probably wouldn't get a few feet away before you morph and slashed those bastards' throats to ribbons!"

He shifted his head to glance the opposite way. "Yugo! You were in on this too!!"

"We all were," a sheepish Alice confessed, her cheeks pink. "I had a small container of knock-out chemical in my suitcase that I brought from home, not for this purpose though…"

"Hey, before you kill us," the bronze-haired boxer started to say, "Let me tell you it was Uriko's idea to begin with! We just…kinda added a couple things to make it more exciting-"

"Like the knock-out chemical." The Kenpo student supplied with an impish grin.

"Err, that-"

"And the kidnapping thing."

"Well, uh, yeah…"

Kenji burst out laughing. "I've really never thought you'd have the brains to come with an idea like that, Yugo!"

"Heh, thanks-…wait, hey!!"

"Oh, come now!" Jane threw her straw at him. "You'd better not steal all the credit for this set-up, genius!"

"Where is this?" The cyan-haired protagonist voiced aloud.

"A darling, rather well-known Italian restaurant approximately half a mile away from the A.T. Complex," Long informed.

Giving him a small, curt smile, the ninja peered at his significant other with a wry expression. "Is this a form of payback for that party I threw for you on your fifteenth birthday?"

She blushed, but beamed joyously. "Yup! And don't worry about the shower; you already took one this morning anyway, and you still have a nice smell preserved, so no fretting! Besides, did you really think that I wasn't gonna do something special for your birthday? I mean, this is an important one, don't you agree?"

His eyes clouded over for a brief moment, then it faded, but not before she caught the look and bit her lip guiltily. "Yes, I guess it is…" he slipped his arms around her waist and embraced her adoringly, whispering softly into her ear, "Thank you, Riko…"

Their friends clapped for the couple, while Yugo stopped midway and stuck his fingers into his mouth, shamelessly whistling. Parting, the teenagers adverted their attentions back to their allies, chattering lively until a waiter and a waitress came into the room from the outer sections of the restaurant. They strolled straight over to the head of the table, where the eighteen-year-old sat, and politely wished him a happy birthday, then asked what he wanted to order.

A little over half an hour later, everyone was finishing up on their respective main course choices, and Kenji couldn't recall a time where he had felt more welcomed, accepted, cherished than now, being in his tight circle of friends. Sucking in and devouring the last of his warm, slithery spaghetti from the plate, he laughed along with the others as his brother and the leopard zoanthrope bickered about where the credit of his birthday surprise lied. When he was distracted, his fiancée sneakily slipped away, while the dark-haired nurse, and the Kenpo master tried to keep the two arguers from getting too out of hand in a public place.

"You're so thick-headed and dense!" The blonde woman retorted with a smirk. "All you did was sit there and throw around dumb little ideas, like just putting a blindfold over his eyes and leading him here, or having some stripper pop out of a fake birthday cake-"

"What?" The ninja looked at his sibling incredulously. "…Ah, you know, the last time I checked, this wasn't a bachelor party." And I wouldn't want to look at another woman's body aside from… Riko's, anyway. He flushed slightly at the thought.

"Aw, sheesh, it was just a suggestion!" Yugo snapped back, a defensive edge in his voice. "Kenji's never had a surprise party, so of course, I wanted this one to be memorable for him when he's too old to remember anything else."

"Uh, thanks…" Kenji remarked dryly, coughing at the aging reference. "Although I'm kind of hoping not to get old for a while…"

The quarreling was about to be continued, but was fortunately interrupted by the lights in the room suddenly flickering off, then the melodious chorus of "Happy birthday" that filled the air. Strolling in carefully holding a white-frosted, rectangular cake was Uriko, the flickering from eighteen lit candles revealing the shy smile plastered over her dainty pink lips. As she continued to sing, one by one, his other friends smoothly joined in, and they finished the song with a flourish, as the cat zoanthrope set the pasty down before the ninja.

"Make a wish!" She urged him enthusiastically.

His eyelids slide down to a close. I wish… I wish that everything will work out for all of us, the issue with Alica, Strider staying the hell away from my Riko, my relationship with Long, and… and the dilemma of my surname…

He slowly opened his eyes, gathered in a deep breath, and blew as hard as he could, his wish lingering in the essence of his heavily laced breath. The surroundings were immediately shadowed when all of the flames of the candles wavered and died out, leaving the group in blackness. Knowing the exact moment when the room was dark, he smirked albeit as he brought two fingers before his face and whispered a few words quietly. Flames flared up, flickering upon the tips of his digits, bringing a small bit of light in the area, and surprising a "Whoa!" from the others.

"Damn! You scared the crap out of me!" His brother exclaimed, slapping him on the back heartily. "You're not gonna fry my hair with that now… right?"

He snickered. "Hmm, that doesn't sound like a bad idea…"

"H-Hey…! Ally likes my hair-!"

"Oh, brother," the mole zoanthrope shook his head as he was saying one of his trademark phrases. "I was just kidding, Yugo!"

"Let there… be light!" Someone proclaimed at that moment, presumably his fiancée, as a hand reached the small switch and flicked it up.

"What flavor is this?" The birthday youth inquired curiously, glancing at the bright red icing on the cake that spelled out, "Happy 18th, Kenji!"

"Lemon!" The Kenpo student told him, walking back to the table to sit next to him again. "I know you're not really fond of chocolate, but I know that you do like slightly sour sweet things, so I got lemon instead of say, strawberry."

"Aw, you don't know what you're missing, brother; chocolate's the best!"

"Yugo, hush! Wait until your birthday!"

The younger sibling grimaced. "Chocolate makes my teeth ache."

"Why? Don't brush enough?"

"Hey! I have perfectly healthy hygiene!"

The cat zoanthrope quirked a brow. "Um, you guys…"

Rolling her eyes and deciding to take charge of the situation, Jane stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled hard. "As entertaining as this is, you two please be quiet and Kenji, just cut the damn cake so that we can finish this meal and give you your presents at the complex tomorrow morning! It's already fifteen minutes to nine."

He blinked. "…Err, okay…" At the apartments tomorrow morning…? Huh, I guess you can't stay at this restaurant very long… Too high of demand or something like that… …Hey wait, it's only eight forty-five - why the rush? Shrugging, he picked up a long knife that had been sitting in the middle of the table for quite some time, while the others plucked the burnt candles off of the frosting surface. His hand quivered for a brief second at the unfamiliar feel of such a cutting tool in his grasp; he'd never been one to handle those sorts of utensils. Brushing the uncertainty away, he gritted his teeth slightly and sliced a thin line down the middle of the cake, hearing his friends applaud, then continued cutting until he'd produced numerous square pieces.

"Heh, would've been more easier to use your claws instead, eh Kenji?" The boxer grinned wolfishly.

His brother merely managed a weak smirk in return as he set down the knife as soon as he had finished. Gathering plastic plates together, the cyan-haired nurse started putting slices of the cake on each one as the leopard zoanthrope passed them out, as well as plastic forks. The ninja raised the first bite to his lips, glancing up at his friends as he silently thanked them for his fortunate luck; catching the eyes of his fiancée, his look turned curious. She gazed at him with a very intent emotion in her light brown irises, but he was unable to identify what she was trying to portray.

Uriko… what are you thinking…? He wondered inwardly, holding her stare, returning it with one of his own.

"…Um, aren't you going to eat, Kenji?" Alice questioned him, slight concern in her tone. "Are you full?"

Breaking the eye contact, he slowly shook his head, and began to consume his piece of cake, making a personal note to remind himself to find some time later and question his significant other. A while post that, the party was wrapping up the partially eaten pastry and any little tidbits that had also been brought along. In pairs, every couple left the restaurant, and hailed two cabs to bring them back to the apartment complex, but before Kenji could board the second one, the auburn-haired teenager stopped him, and sent the driver away, giving their belongings to their compatriots.

He turned towards her quizzically. "…Uriko, what did you do that for?"

"You and me," she started to say, a mysterious smile delicately curving her lips, "Are going somewhere."

"…All right…" he raised an eyebrow. "…Where?"

She giggled and stuck her hand into her pocket, retrieving a black material of cloth. "You'll see!"

Spinning her fiancé so that she faced his back, the seventeen-year-old slipped it over his eyes, tying the ends around his head like a blindfold. Taking a hold of his arm, she leisurely began strolling down the sidewalk, guiding him toward the destination glowering in her mind.

…Where is she taking me…? He hated the feeling of not being able to see, a phobia of his, but fought the urge to rip off the covering. Well, at least there wasn't another damn fake kidnapping staged this time…

*****

Foolish little monsters…

A hand clenched into a tight vise.

Celebrating a petty occurrence while they're supposed to be thinking about how to maintain their own lives in this country.

Sharp fingernails followed the curl, embedding into a rough palm.

How the bastard Yugo Ohgami got away the first time is truly baffling…

A tingle traveled up the tensed arm.

But I won't fail next time, Ohgami!

Shrill noises were made as the bland surface was brutally caressed.

I'll kill you in the name of my lost beloved, and that's a promise!!

The fist ascended into the air, and then was brought back down hastily, force gathering together at the base to smash through the glass tabletop. Thin lines of blood gradually trickled from the newly created wounds, running along and staining coarse, beige skin. Shards of the broken fragments slipped to the marble floor, crashing and crinkling together, becoming coated with the salty drops of water that fell from tightly shut eyelids. Sitting in the chair, huddled in self-comfort and warmth, the lonely figure wept softly, sobbing for failing the one person that mattered most.

If you were still here now… would you hate me for my incompetence…? The confused question wordlessly inquired, sliding out of the crack at the bottom of the slightly raised window, only to get lost in the vast world of the living, never to be answered.

End Of Chapter 7