Home Sweet Kenji:
Chapter 3: Runaway
A/N: [Disclaimer] Sure! Go ahead and give me the credit for actually OWNING the BR characters! Go ahead! But I'll tell ya this time coz I won't say it again! I don't own them. Hudson does!
Thanks to all those people that reviewed the previous chapters! They really helped. Umm...anyway, I'm not myself. I usually like writing long fics. Oh wait...I can still make this one long can't I? Mwahahahahaha! Erm...ok, that was weird. Also, this is an Alternate Universe fic, ok? So, nothing much to say except my usual read, review, and enjoy to everyone!
***
"Busuzima?!" Long half screamed in surprise. He calmed down a bit after he heard another miserable sniffle from the girl beside him.
"Uh-huh." Uriko muttered sadly, taking out a white handkerchief from her pocket.
"Why didn't you tell Kenji? I mean, he surely wouldn't force you anymore. He probably would go and raid the hospital as well if he knew." Long replied, shooting looks of concern for his student. Uriko hesitated a moment and Long felt her tense up.
"Well, I...I didn't want anymore trouble." She said in a small voice. "I mean, Kenji hates him; I know that, but...the ZLF disbanded remember? I didn't want Kenji to stir up trouble with Busuzima again. Kenji doesn't deserve to get into trouble because of scum like Busuzima."
"I see." Long sighed. "That's very honorable of you."
Uriko looked down and kept quiet. Long guessed she might be crying again. It also pained him to see his very best student in so much misery.
"Master Long! I-I'm so confused! I don't know what to do anymore! Alice is mad at me, Kenji is mad at me, my mom's probably heard of it and she's gonna start yelling at me again! This is just too much for me! I can't take it! I can't take it!" She sobbed harder. Long patted her back and tried to comfort her, but hard as he tried, she kept on sobbing and wailing.
"Why don't you...move out for a few days?" Long suggested as Uriko halted her tears.
"You...mean...run away?" Uriko croaked. "That's not a very good piece of advice."
"What other option do you have?" Long questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, it's your choice to make. At this point you have only two to choose from. Run away or face your family. Which one shall you take?"
Uriko thought for a while. 'Master has a point. I know Kenji will be more than furious with me after this, but...it's for his own good. Ok...this is it.'
"Master I-I've decided...to take your advice."
"Very well." Long smiled. "Go to the entrance of the city. There, you will find a frog. Tell him I sent you and ask him to show you where you can find a man named Caruto. He will direct you to some people that may be able to assist you."
'What?' Uriko thought. 'That's just so weird!' She opened her mouth to ask some questions about these instructions her master gave but he raised up a hand.
"Now, Uriko, I know this sounds strange. I ask you to please trust me."
"O-Ok master." She said as she wiped away the tears welling up in her puffy red eyes. She bowed politely and left running.
'Long' smiled wickedly. With one swift movement, he pulled his mask off and revealed someone with sharper features and cold white eyes.
Master Bakuryu grinned wickedly as he leapt on a large oak tree beside the bench and stared at the small moving dot that was Uriko Ohgami.
"Safe trip, miss Nonomura."
~~~
Kenji paced around the room. Every now and then he would turn to the clock and curse a couple of times when he realized a few hours had just passed already.
"This is all my fault." He said to himself. "My fault, my fault, my fault. Why can't I be more patient? Why can't I stop being such a jerk? Why can't I be--"
"Why can't you be a good little husband and go look for your wife already before you wear a hole in your own floor with all that walkin' back and fourth? You're makin' me dizzy." Yugo piped in. Kenji nearly jumped, but he held himself soon enough and glared at the latter.
"Yugo..." Kenji muttered and threw a disgruntled look at the floor. "You're right. I make a lousy husband..."
"Hey, hey! Now let's not get violent over this." Alice said as she entered the room and felt the tension in it. "It's half my fault too, Kenji. Don't take all the blame."
"I should've gone out and looked for her. I should've searched every nook and cranny until I found her the moment she left but I was just too conceited and proud and..." He clenched a fist and banged it on the desk beside him; which collapsed. Yugo winced slightly as splinters of wood flew his way, not to mention one got in his eye. "Now it's too late..."
"Listen kid." Jane started, closing the door behind her. She came as soon as she heard there was a problem. She too, had known Uriko and they got along well enough. "If you keep thinking like that, you'll end up loosing her for good. Trust me."
Kenji stopped pacing around and resigned to sitting on the couch next to his big brother. "It's hopeless..."
There was a brief moment of silence when after a few minutes, Jane looked up at the clock.
"Long's supposed to be here by now." She stated with a hint of worry in her voice.
"Wonder what's taking him so long." Yugo yawned, glancing up at the clock as well.
"I wonder too." Jane added. "He's usually so punctual."
Kenji's eyes widened as he heard someone at the doorstep. He practically run to the door before anyone else knew what was going on.
"Uriko I--" he stopped short when he realized it wasn't Uriko. Instead it was a bloody Long who clung to his clothes and was panting furiously.
"Long!" Jane cried as she approached the door.
"Must-save her...must-must..." He wheezed, grasping Kenji's arms tightly.
"What the hell--? Long! What happened to you?" Yugo said, helping Kenji lift the battered man inside to have Alice patch him up.
"Oh my...who did this?" Alice said, close to tears as she reached for some towels and bandages. Long had huge slashes across his chest and along his back. Alice found that his right arm had been shattered and there were large bruises on both his legs as well. To top it all off, he had blood all over his face and the liquid was also entangled in his long unkempt hair.
"Master Long...who has done this to you?" Kenji muttered. He knew better than to interrogate a half-dead man, but curiosity and anger got the better of him. Long coughed and shifted to face Kenji.
"He-He took...Uriko." Long gasped. "Couldn't stop...him...too strong...Kenji..." Kenji's eyes widened. Long started to fade away. He was slowly loosing his consciousness.
"Who? Who took her? Answer me!" Kenji pressed, taking Long's shredded collar and shaking him violently.
"Kenji!" Yugo yelled, throwing himself on top of the hysterical boy.
"Stop it!" Jane cried, trying to pry Kenji's firm grasp at Long's collar.
"Who took my wife?!" He let go of Long, but pressed on. Long slumped against the wall, he was unconscious.
"Damn." Kenji cursed openly, seating himself again.
~~~
Uriko's eyes glowed in the dark, damp alley. 'Now where was I supposed to go again?' She mused to herself. She looked distastefully around the slum area. 'Oh yeah! I remember now! The entrance to the city?' She looked up at an old rusty billboard that said too clearly that she was at the entrance to the city.
She walked some more, looking every now and then at the ground for any sign of a frog or anyone resembling a frog. She continued searching for the amphibian when she heard a croak from behind her. She wheeled around and sure enough, she saw a green frog leaping around a muddy puddle.
"Umm..."She said to Mr. Frog, all the while feeling stupid. "Master Long told me you could help me...and he told me to ask you where I could find someone named...Caruto?" She said uncertainly.
The frog croaked.
"Umm..." Uriko sweatdropped. What if this was the wrong frog? She sighed, but just then, the frog jumped up to her and croaked again. Felling all the more stupid, she followed the green amphibian as he hopped on. He lead her to a Japanese styled building and bumped the door. Surprisingly, it creaked open.
She went in and right after she did, she heard the door slam behind her. She yelped at her surprise. Immediately, she felt someone grab her hand from behind and with one swift movement, pined her to the wooden doors.
"You, who are you? What are you doing in these sacred grounds?" Came a stern, yet familiar voice from behind.
"What???" she half-yelled.
"Answer me or die!" The voice hissed angrily in reply.
"My master sent me here, so there!" She growled back, her temper beginning to boil again.
She felt the grip of her assailant loosen considerably at these words, but he still did not let her go. "What...master?"
"My master! Master Long!" She wriggled free and turned to glare at whoever it was. She saw a young man clad in some sort of ninja suit, much like the thing Kenji used to wear, except that it was color blue and his scarf was pure white. She couldn't see his face well because half of it was hidden in this scarf and the other half hidden beneath his brown bangs.
"Master Long? Oh! You must mean Master Bakuryu!" She thought she saw him smile, but couldn't be too sure as his face could not be seen too clearly.
"No! Master Long! Master Bakuryu is that old geezer who melted into a twisted blob years ago!" She argued to the unknown boy in front of her.
He looked up a bit and flashed her a quizzical look. She saw his eyes were the oddest color. The only person she knew with that type of eye coloring was...
"Kenji?" She said before she could stop the words from rolling out of her mouth.
"Kenji? Who is that?" He inquired curiously.
"Uh...oh! N-No one."
"Anyway...Master said I should accompany you to your quarters. Welcome to Kato school of ninja." He stated much like a receptionist at a hotel. Uriko stared. So that's why he looked so familiar.
"Kato school of ninja??? WHAT???" She yelled as loud as she could. "Who are you anyway?"
"Oh! Forgive me." He said, looking up to meet her eyes completely this time so she could see his face clearly. "I am Caruto, student of the great Master Bakuryu."
"Ahhhh! Kenji!" She screeched. He looked at her again, extremely puzzled this time. "How dare you! You-You followed me again!"
"I am terribly sorry...but I know nothing of this 'Kenji' you are taking bout."
"DON'T play dumb Kenji! You're caught!" she replied, menacingly waving a finger in front of his face.
"Caught?" He said back innocently. She looked at him and realized he really didn't know what she was ranting about for the past minute.
"Oh forget about that." She said and flashed him a smile.
"Okay...then? Umm...can I escort you to your room now?" he said uncertainly. She stared back at him again.
"My room?"
"Yes. Master ordered me to."
"Master? Who's 'master' exactly?"
"The master of Kato School, Master Bakuryu." He replied, motioning her to follow. "I assume you are weary from your journey. Please rest."
She contemplated all the options she had but soon came to the conclusion that she only had two choices. Either lodge here with this weird Kenji clone or go home and face the REAL Kenji along with her sister and his brother.
"Ok..." She replied and followed him inside.
~~~
"It's Ok Kenji. We'll continue looking for her tomorrow." Yugo yawned as they started back to Kenji's house. His companion sighed yet again. The sky was turning orange already, signaling the dawn of a new day.
When Yugo looked down at his little brother, he was surprised to find no trace of sleepiness at all on the youths placid face. He did look really downcast though.
"Yugo, I know you are tired. Go home and rest. I'll look for her myself. After all, this is all my fault." He said, his voice barely a whisper.
Yugo protested for a while, but after Kenji gave him that I-can-take-care- of-myself look, he gave up. "Alright. Good luck, kid."
With that Kenji's only companion started home. He walked the opposite direction thinking of all the places they still haven't searched.
"Uriko? Where are you?" He said miserably to no one.
~~~
"Miss? It's time for breakfast." Caruto said, leaning over the sleeping Uriko. "Please get up."
"Mmmmmm?" She yawned and opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times and looked up to a familiar face. "Oh...good morning Kenji..."
"Kenji?" Caruto said curiously. Uriko soon remembered she wasn't back at home and snapped to full conciousness.
"Oh! Sorry Caruto." She said sheepishly. "You just look so much like my Kenji..."
"Umm...it's time for breakfast. Master told me to get you."
"Breakfast?" Her stomach grumbled. It also reminded her how hungry she was already, not having any dinner yesterday. "Ok...just let me get dressed and I'll come."
Caruto patiently waited outside Uriko's quarters as she got dressed when a man approached him.
"Caruto, how is the girl?" The man demanded.
"Oh, master. She is fine. I have just come to invite her for breakfast, just as you ordered. " He reported obediently.
"Good. Make sure miss Nonomura is comfortable. Carry on." Master Bakuryu said. 'I will use this brilliant opportunity as long as I see fit.' He smiled as he marched on, looking back at his faithful ninja. 'As long as she trust him, we will have no problems. I will get my heir back using her.'
"Well? Let's go!" Uriko chirped happily. Caruto nodded and lead her to a large room with rows of low, long tables in the middle and sides. Uriko saw two plates at the end of the table to the left and Caruto told her to be seated at either end.
"So..." Uriko asked uncertainly while munching on sushi at the end of her chopsticks. "Are there any other ninjas here?"
"Yes, quite a lot." He replied, starting on his own small pile of raw fish.
"Why aren't there any eating here?" She asked again. She was just so used to talking while eating. Kenji and her always did so at home...
"Umm...I think they're out on a mission." The brown haired ninja explained.
"A mission? What kind of mission?"
"My master does not confide in me much so I don't know." He replied. She hinted some amount of annoyance in his voice as he said this. He probably didn't want to talk about that, she guessed.
"Well...are there any girl ninjas?" She tried.
"I don't think so...but Master told me of one legendary ninja that was a woman..." He said informally.
"Can you teach me to be one?" She grinned at him. Caruto stared back in his innocent look.
"I'm afraid not. Only the heir and Master can."
"Heir? Who's the heir? Are you?"
"I am neither." He said looking down sadly. That was the time she knew she had to stop asking silly questions. She continued eating without another word.
"Miss Nonomura? Can I ask you something?" He said after a while of silence.
"Yeah?"
"Who is 'Kenji'?"
"Oh..." Uriko blushed. 'Kenji must be really mad at me now...' she caught the inquisitive look he was shooting her way and she continued, "Umm...he's my husband."
"Your paramour?"
"My what?"
"Your lover?"
"K-Kind of...well, it's kinda hard to explain..." She said, smiling at him.
"Oh...what does it feel like to have one?" He asked. 'Boy' Urkio thought, 'this guy is too innocent.'
Uriko huffed up and said jokingly, "That, Mr. Ninja, is none of your business."
~~~
Gado strummed his fingers on his smooth oak desk and stared intently at the shuffling Yugo.
"He's just so miserable now. I heard he hasn't slept or eaten, NOT ONE BIT!" Yugo exclaimed. "If this keeps up, he'll probably have a mental breakdown or something!"
Gado stared at the former boxer for a moment and replied in a matter-of- fact tone of voice. "Tell me something. Why does this kind of thing always seem to happen to that kid?"
"How the fuck should I know? Ask him!" Yugo continued to yell.
"Let's just get straight to it. What do you want from an old retired lion like me?"
"Can you at least send someone out there to help with the search?"
"Did you try the police?"
"No. Kenji told me not to. He's become very stubborn and wouldn't listen to anyone."
Gado let out a strained sigh. "Well, that's a problem. I can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped."
"Gado, can't you help me think of SOMETHING to find Uriko?" Yugo pleaded. It was never in his way to plead, but if he didn't do something soon, he would loose Kenji as well as Uriko.
"Alright. But I'm telling you, you owe me for this. I'll contact Jenny and ask her if she has time for another assignment."
Yugo sighed happily and reached out to shake Gado's hand. "Thank you, old friend."
***
A/N:
Boy! This was pretty long, huh? Not to worry! Uriko will not go to Caruto. Hey! Why am I saying what will happen in the next chapter? Bad author! So, you guys enjoyed this chappy? I put in a LOT of conversations right? It took me two whole hours to do you know! So, anyway, comments, suggestions, constructive (not destructive) criticism, are very much welcome. Stand by for the next chapters! Bye-bye!
Chapter 3: Runaway
A/N: [Disclaimer] Sure! Go ahead and give me the credit for actually OWNING the BR characters! Go ahead! But I'll tell ya this time coz I won't say it again! I don't own them. Hudson does!
Thanks to all those people that reviewed the previous chapters! They really helped. Umm...anyway, I'm not myself. I usually like writing long fics. Oh wait...I can still make this one long can't I? Mwahahahahaha! Erm...ok, that was weird. Also, this is an Alternate Universe fic, ok? So, nothing much to say except my usual read, review, and enjoy to everyone!
***
"Busuzima?!" Long half screamed in surprise. He calmed down a bit after he heard another miserable sniffle from the girl beside him.
"Uh-huh." Uriko muttered sadly, taking out a white handkerchief from her pocket.
"Why didn't you tell Kenji? I mean, he surely wouldn't force you anymore. He probably would go and raid the hospital as well if he knew." Long replied, shooting looks of concern for his student. Uriko hesitated a moment and Long felt her tense up.
"Well, I...I didn't want anymore trouble." She said in a small voice. "I mean, Kenji hates him; I know that, but...the ZLF disbanded remember? I didn't want Kenji to stir up trouble with Busuzima again. Kenji doesn't deserve to get into trouble because of scum like Busuzima."
"I see." Long sighed. "That's very honorable of you."
Uriko looked down and kept quiet. Long guessed she might be crying again. It also pained him to see his very best student in so much misery.
"Master Long! I-I'm so confused! I don't know what to do anymore! Alice is mad at me, Kenji is mad at me, my mom's probably heard of it and she's gonna start yelling at me again! This is just too much for me! I can't take it! I can't take it!" She sobbed harder. Long patted her back and tried to comfort her, but hard as he tried, she kept on sobbing and wailing.
"Why don't you...move out for a few days?" Long suggested as Uriko halted her tears.
"You...mean...run away?" Uriko croaked. "That's not a very good piece of advice."
"What other option do you have?" Long questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, it's your choice to make. At this point you have only two to choose from. Run away or face your family. Which one shall you take?"
Uriko thought for a while. 'Master has a point. I know Kenji will be more than furious with me after this, but...it's for his own good. Ok...this is it.'
"Master I-I've decided...to take your advice."
"Very well." Long smiled. "Go to the entrance of the city. There, you will find a frog. Tell him I sent you and ask him to show you where you can find a man named Caruto. He will direct you to some people that may be able to assist you."
'What?' Uriko thought. 'That's just so weird!' She opened her mouth to ask some questions about these instructions her master gave but he raised up a hand.
"Now, Uriko, I know this sounds strange. I ask you to please trust me."
"O-Ok master." She said as she wiped away the tears welling up in her puffy red eyes. She bowed politely and left running.
'Long' smiled wickedly. With one swift movement, he pulled his mask off and revealed someone with sharper features and cold white eyes.
Master Bakuryu grinned wickedly as he leapt on a large oak tree beside the bench and stared at the small moving dot that was Uriko Ohgami.
"Safe trip, miss Nonomura."
~~~
Kenji paced around the room. Every now and then he would turn to the clock and curse a couple of times when he realized a few hours had just passed already.
"This is all my fault." He said to himself. "My fault, my fault, my fault. Why can't I be more patient? Why can't I stop being such a jerk? Why can't I be--"
"Why can't you be a good little husband and go look for your wife already before you wear a hole in your own floor with all that walkin' back and fourth? You're makin' me dizzy." Yugo piped in. Kenji nearly jumped, but he held himself soon enough and glared at the latter.
"Yugo..." Kenji muttered and threw a disgruntled look at the floor. "You're right. I make a lousy husband..."
"Hey, hey! Now let's not get violent over this." Alice said as she entered the room and felt the tension in it. "It's half my fault too, Kenji. Don't take all the blame."
"I should've gone out and looked for her. I should've searched every nook and cranny until I found her the moment she left but I was just too conceited and proud and..." He clenched a fist and banged it on the desk beside him; which collapsed. Yugo winced slightly as splinters of wood flew his way, not to mention one got in his eye. "Now it's too late..."
"Listen kid." Jane started, closing the door behind her. She came as soon as she heard there was a problem. She too, had known Uriko and they got along well enough. "If you keep thinking like that, you'll end up loosing her for good. Trust me."
Kenji stopped pacing around and resigned to sitting on the couch next to his big brother. "It's hopeless..."
There was a brief moment of silence when after a few minutes, Jane looked up at the clock.
"Long's supposed to be here by now." She stated with a hint of worry in her voice.
"Wonder what's taking him so long." Yugo yawned, glancing up at the clock as well.
"I wonder too." Jane added. "He's usually so punctual."
Kenji's eyes widened as he heard someone at the doorstep. He practically run to the door before anyone else knew what was going on.
"Uriko I--" he stopped short when he realized it wasn't Uriko. Instead it was a bloody Long who clung to his clothes and was panting furiously.
"Long!" Jane cried as she approached the door.
"Must-save her...must-must..." He wheezed, grasping Kenji's arms tightly.
"What the hell--? Long! What happened to you?" Yugo said, helping Kenji lift the battered man inside to have Alice patch him up.
"Oh my...who did this?" Alice said, close to tears as she reached for some towels and bandages. Long had huge slashes across his chest and along his back. Alice found that his right arm had been shattered and there were large bruises on both his legs as well. To top it all off, he had blood all over his face and the liquid was also entangled in his long unkempt hair.
"Master Long...who has done this to you?" Kenji muttered. He knew better than to interrogate a half-dead man, but curiosity and anger got the better of him. Long coughed and shifted to face Kenji.
"He-He took...Uriko." Long gasped. "Couldn't stop...him...too strong...Kenji..." Kenji's eyes widened. Long started to fade away. He was slowly loosing his consciousness.
"Who? Who took her? Answer me!" Kenji pressed, taking Long's shredded collar and shaking him violently.
"Kenji!" Yugo yelled, throwing himself on top of the hysterical boy.
"Stop it!" Jane cried, trying to pry Kenji's firm grasp at Long's collar.
"Who took my wife?!" He let go of Long, but pressed on. Long slumped against the wall, he was unconscious.
"Damn." Kenji cursed openly, seating himself again.
~~~
Uriko's eyes glowed in the dark, damp alley. 'Now where was I supposed to go again?' She mused to herself. She looked distastefully around the slum area. 'Oh yeah! I remember now! The entrance to the city?' She looked up at an old rusty billboard that said too clearly that she was at the entrance to the city.
She walked some more, looking every now and then at the ground for any sign of a frog or anyone resembling a frog. She continued searching for the amphibian when she heard a croak from behind her. She wheeled around and sure enough, she saw a green frog leaping around a muddy puddle.
"Umm..."She said to Mr. Frog, all the while feeling stupid. "Master Long told me you could help me...and he told me to ask you where I could find someone named...Caruto?" She said uncertainly.
The frog croaked.
"Umm..." Uriko sweatdropped. What if this was the wrong frog? She sighed, but just then, the frog jumped up to her and croaked again. Felling all the more stupid, she followed the green amphibian as he hopped on. He lead her to a Japanese styled building and bumped the door. Surprisingly, it creaked open.
She went in and right after she did, she heard the door slam behind her. She yelped at her surprise. Immediately, she felt someone grab her hand from behind and with one swift movement, pined her to the wooden doors.
"You, who are you? What are you doing in these sacred grounds?" Came a stern, yet familiar voice from behind.
"What???" she half-yelled.
"Answer me or die!" The voice hissed angrily in reply.
"My master sent me here, so there!" She growled back, her temper beginning to boil again.
She felt the grip of her assailant loosen considerably at these words, but he still did not let her go. "What...master?"
"My master! Master Long!" She wriggled free and turned to glare at whoever it was. She saw a young man clad in some sort of ninja suit, much like the thing Kenji used to wear, except that it was color blue and his scarf was pure white. She couldn't see his face well because half of it was hidden in this scarf and the other half hidden beneath his brown bangs.
"Master Long? Oh! You must mean Master Bakuryu!" She thought she saw him smile, but couldn't be too sure as his face could not be seen too clearly.
"No! Master Long! Master Bakuryu is that old geezer who melted into a twisted blob years ago!" She argued to the unknown boy in front of her.
He looked up a bit and flashed her a quizzical look. She saw his eyes were the oddest color. The only person she knew with that type of eye coloring was...
"Kenji?" She said before she could stop the words from rolling out of her mouth.
"Kenji? Who is that?" He inquired curiously.
"Uh...oh! N-No one."
"Anyway...Master said I should accompany you to your quarters. Welcome to Kato school of ninja." He stated much like a receptionist at a hotel. Uriko stared. So that's why he looked so familiar.
"Kato school of ninja??? WHAT???" She yelled as loud as she could. "Who are you anyway?"
"Oh! Forgive me." He said, looking up to meet her eyes completely this time so she could see his face clearly. "I am Caruto, student of the great Master Bakuryu."
"Ahhhh! Kenji!" She screeched. He looked at her again, extremely puzzled this time. "How dare you! You-You followed me again!"
"I am terribly sorry...but I know nothing of this 'Kenji' you are taking bout."
"DON'T play dumb Kenji! You're caught!" she replied, menacingly waving a finger in front of his face.
"Caught?" He said back innocently. She looked at him and realized he really didn't know what she was ranting about for the past minute.
"Oh forget about that." She said and flashed him a smile.
"Okay...then? Umm...can I escort you to your room now?" he said uncertainly. She stared back at him again.
"My room?"
"Yes. Master ordered me to."
"Master? Who's 'master' exactly?"
"The master of Kato School, Master Bakuryu." He replied, motioning her to follow. "I assume you are weary from your journey. Please rest."
She contemplated all the options she had but soon came to the conclusion that she only had two choices. Either lodge here with this weird Kenji clone or go home and face the REAL Kenji along with her sister and his brother.
"Ok..." She replied and followed him inside.
~~~
"It's Ok Kenji. We'll continue looking for her tomorrow." Yugo yawned as they started back to Kenji's house. His companion sighed yet again. The sky was turning orange already, signaling the dawn of a new day.
When Yugo looked down at his little brother, he was surprised to find no trace of sleepiness at all on the youths placid face. He did look really downcast though.
"Yugo, I know you are tired. Go home and rest. I'll look for her myself. After all, this is all my fault." He said, his voice barely a whisper.
Yugo protested for a while, but after Kenji gave him that I-can-take-care- of-myself look, he gave up. "Alright. Good luck, kid."
With that Kenji's only companion started home. He walked the opposite direction thinking of all the places they still haven't searched.
"Uriko? Where are you?" He said miserably to no one.
~~~
"Miss? It's time for breakfast." Caruto said, leaning over the sleeping Uriko. "Please get up."
"Mmmmmm?" She yawned and opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times and looked up to a familiar face. "Oh...good morning Kenji..."
"Kenji?" Caruto said curiously. Uriko soon remembered she wasn't back at home and snapped to full conciousness.
"Oh! Sorry Caruto." She said sheepishly. "You just look so much like my Kenji..."
"Umm...it's time for breakfast. Master told me to get you."
"Breakfast?" Her stomach grumbled. It also reminded her how hungry she was already, not having any dinner yesterday. "Ok...just let me get dressed and I'll come."
Caruto patiently waited outside Uriko's quarters as she got dressed when a man approached him.
"Caruto, how is the girl?" The man demanded.
"Oh, master. She is fine. I have just come to invite her for breakfast, just as you ordered. " He reported obediently.
"Good. Make sure miss Nonomura is comfortable. Carry on." Master Bakuryu said. 'I will use this brilliant opportunity as long as I see fit.' He smiled as he marched on, looking back at his faithful ninja. 'As long as she trust him, we will have no problems. I will get my heir back using her.'
"Well? Let's go!" Uriko chirped happily. Caruto nodded and lead her to a large room with rows of low, long tables in the middle and sides. Uriko saw two plates at the end of the table to the left and Caruto told her to be seated at either end.
"So..." Uriko asked uncertainly while munching on sushi at the end of her chopsticks. "Are there any other ninjas here?"
"Yes, quite a lot." He replied, starting on his own small pile of raw fish.
"Why aren't there any eating here?" She asked again. She was just so used to talking while eating. Kenji and her always did so at home...
"Umm...I think they're out on a mission." The brown haired ninja explained.
"A mission? What kind of mission?"
"My master does not confide in me much so I don't know." He replied. She hinted some amount of annoyance in his voice as he said this. He probably didn't want to talk about that, she guessed.
"Well...are there any girl ninjas?" She tried.
"I don't think so...but Master told me of one legendary ninja that was a woman..." He said informally.
"Can you teach me to be one?" She grinned at him. Caruto stared back in his innocent look.
"I'm afraid not. Only the heir and Master can."
"Heir? Who's the heir? Are you?"
"I am neither." He said looking down sadly. That was the time she knew she had to stop asking silly questions. She continued eating without another word.
"Miss Nonomura? Can I ask you something?" He said after a while of silence.
"Yeah?"
"Who is 'Kenji'?"
"Oh..." Uriko blushed. 'Kenji must be really mad at me now...' she caught the inquisitive look he was shooting her way and she continued, "Umm...he's my husband."
"Your paramour?"
"My what?"
"Your lover?"
"K-Kind of...well, it's kinda hard to explain..." She said, smiling at him.
"Oh...what does it feel like to have one?" He asked. 'Boy' Urkio thought, 'this guy is too innocent.'
Uriko huffed up and said jokingly, "That, Mr. Ninja, is none of your business."
~~~
Gado strummed his fingers on his smooth oak desk and stared intently at the shuffling Yugo.
"He's just so miserable now. I heard he hasn't slept or eaten, NOT ONE BIT!" Yugo exclaimed. "If this keeps up, he'll probably have a mental breakdown or something!"
Gado stared at the former boxer for a moment and replied in a matter-of- fact tone of voice. "Tell me something. Why does this kind of thing always seem to happen to that kid?"
"How the fuck should I know? Ask him!" Yugo continued to yell.
"Let's just get straight to it. What do you want from an old retired lion like me?"
"Can you at least send someone out there to help with the search?"
"Did you try the police?"
"No. Kenji told me not to. He's become very stubborn and wouldn't listen to anyone."
Gado let out a strained sigh. "Well, that's a problem. I can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped."
"Gado, can't you help me think of SOMETHING to find Uriko?" Yugo pleaded. It was never in his way to plead, but if he didn't do something soon, he would loose Kenji as well as Uriko.
"Alright. But I'm telling you, you owe me for this. I'll contact Jenny and ask her if she has time for another assignment."
Yugo sighed happily and reached out to shake Gado's hand. "Thank you, old friend."
***
A/N:
Boy! This was pretty long, huh? Not to worry! Uriko will not go to Caruto. Hey! Why am I saying what will happen in the next chapter? Bad author! So, you guys enjoyed this chappy? I put in a LOT of conversations right? It took me two whole hours to do you know! So, anyway, comments, suggestions, constructive (not destructive) criticism, are very much welcome. Stand by for the next chapters! Bye-bye!