Well, here is chapter 4. It would have been up sooner, but I've been having a bit of a problem with my DSL, so I'm making use dialup connection. My computer itself itsn't hooked into a phone line right now, so I hafta do all this transferring and whatnot.... That's why I haven't been sending or answering much email and why I haven't updated Cuddly Moles all week. Sorry!
Sheesh, I gave Mitsuko my Aunt's job. Then again, my Aunt's job isn't one that keeps her away from home on an irregular schedule, but sometimes the idiots underneath her make her life hard for her.... so I suppose Mitsuko has a lot of idiots underneath her.
Let's just hope the Coca-Cola corporation doesn't kidnap me for its zoanthrope experiments (perhaps theydon't just produce the secret ingredient in that top-security building).
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
In the sheets with his keeper, he held onto her tightly in his human form. Faltering hands clutched her nightgown and he buried his face into the chest of the girl, who still slept soundly.
"D-don't leave me... don't let them take me away.... don't leave me alone...."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What a bad storm," Mitsuko sighed. Yet there were still risk taking idiots cutting on front to her, a dangerous thing to do even in the sunshine, despite the conditions outside. The pitch black sky wept rain onto their car, the grey road sped underneath, and the streaks radiating from bright circles of red and yellow lights shone through.
The mood was already glum enough, what with plans for quality time cancelled, along with Alice's inability to practice the profession she had wanted since she was young because of this, and Uriko's little animal's condition turning for the worse.
The night before, her daughter's new "pet," whom she had named "Mister Mole," started to spasm and writhe about, as if in pain. Uriko was heartbroken and held it like a child, weeping for it. When her mother took the mole out of her hands so her daughter could wash up and think over the situation, the mole started to squeak loudly and move about desperately in Mitsuko's hands the whole time (while Alice tried to convince her to euthanize it while Uriko was not looking). Only when it was in the braided girl's embrace did it calm down. That night, she took the little animal to bed with her, and now she cradled him in the back seat.
She decided to cheer up her little family. "Say, have I ever taken you to the office?" Mitsuko worked at the bank in the employees' center at Tylon Corporation. The employee's center was sort of a crossroads of a lobby where the workers had access to the building's own post office, dry cleaner, bank, cafeteria, store (selling supplies with the Tylon logo and perhaps the mascot at with a fifteen percent off discount to the employees), and anything else the workers might need.
"Yeah, I think you have," Alice answered her. "You get to flip through all that cash in the vault, right?"
She put on a mock mischievous grin. "That's right! Too bad it ain't mine, huh?"
"It's been a while since I had to sign someone in. You'll have to get a one-day badge with your name and-"
"I remember those. They have that sticker that changes color after a day."
"Yeah, that's right."
They finally reached their hotel, one aimed towards frequent travellers where Mitsuko was a regular. They had rented the typical hotel room, and when it came to be time for bed, Uriko was still huddled in a chair on front of the window with her mole. Her mother decided it was best to leave her alone if these truly were her final hours with her beloved pet. Her sister decided to to take the second bed and not let any latecomers expect her to share.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the house was silent, a human ninja stood and carried the sleeping Uriko to the couch, which was conveniently close to the table and chairs for him to feel his way there. He laid her down and put a cushion behind her head and then perched himself near her face to once again tap into her mind as he did before.
He told her, "I'm alright now. Sorry if I had scared you, but I could not control what happened to my body just then. The device inside me... I don't think I can really explain it, but something happened to it and all the programming started going haywire. All those conflicting messages and hormones sent my body reeling. I was afraid I was going to transform into a human right on front of everyone. I could had transformed into more than that, but I needn't worry you with that. However, this might mark the end of our midnight talks.... but I'm not sure. Also, I'm still blind. If we stick to our little talks, it would be alright... but if we met in the day..."
He moved in closer. "Uriko... would you like someone who could not see? How would you treat me if you knew me? How could I live in your world?"
"Kenji...."
"I was a little 'out' for last few hours and this place is obviously different. Are we near the strawberry farm?"
"We're not going there," the girl mumbled, "Mom's taking us to work with her. She has to stay at this hotel a lot 'cause she's often away for work."
"I see. I don't think you've ever told me exactly what she does."
"She works at the bank at Tylon. She's in charge of a lot."
Kenji's sightless eyes widened in shock.
"T...Tylon..."
That was from where Kenji came, it was the people the Clan of the Soil had served since nobody knows when. From Tylon, foggy and faded memories had been returning to him from the past. It was where The Doctor was always sticking needles in him and where he would have a long sleep and wake up in a tank or on a table. It was where there were people in cages, and very strange and frightening monsters in some. It was a place full of killers, including himself. This was perhaps the only reason he had ever actually stepped foot outside of Tylon.
Her mother worked there? What if The Doctor got to her? Sometimes, the people in the white coats who did things to him became subjects themselves. What if what happened to that blond man happened to her?
He grabbed onto the sides of Uriko's arms. "Uriko.... don't... go there. Please. Don't go anywhere near Tylon, do you hear me?"
"Kenji, why?"
"Tylon's a horrible place. Whatever you do, please don't go there. Don't let them take you....."
Kenji's hands were shaking. "Don't let them take me... I don't want to go back..."
The condition in which he had been for the past hours had brought back something from his forgetful mind. His very first transformation had felt like that. It was after The Doctor fixed the master's eyes. Though his master protested, the higher authority allowed The Doctor to force out the gene hidden within him using the experimental methods he had been testing. To the Kato School of Ninjutsu, the first transformation of a disciple was a major turning point in his life. It normally was brought out with the other changes from child to adult of adolescence, as during that time a person had the reason and will to summon such forces. The Clan of the Soil promoted an earlier transformation. Early first transformations were signs of a gifted child. In training, when Kenji was completely spent and barely able to fight any further, the master would try to provoke him to summon his transformation. It was a little ironic that these were times when his master tried to bring out Kenji's emotions, when normally his emotions were something that would hold an assassin back.
The Doctor hooked him up to machines to monitor him and gave him all sorts of shots. He had gone into a fit similar to the one he had entered before. He shivered and twitched and writhed about and called out names and cried. He acted in a pitiful way on front of his master. He had been shamed in front of his master.
They had changed him into a monster.
He clutched himself and shook once more from memories and the prospect of returning, or at least he started to do so. Something broke his train of thought. He turned his focus to where outside the window was.
Something's out there.... Could it be...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm not going!"
"Uriko, be reasonable...."
"You and Alice go. I'm staying here."
"I can't just leave you here alone, Uriko."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is really sucks! I really hate my life! Do you have any idea how frustrating this is?"
"I know.." Uriko mumbled sadly, clutching her knapsack, which held some various items, including her own Mister Mole, whom she refused to leave at the hotel. Little did she know there was something very unusual tucked away at the bottom.
Alice had her head turned away from Uriko, with whom she was walking through The Plum Tree Shopping Center. The two had decided to take public transportation to a mall rather far away to do something for the day.
"Mom even said her job might take a nurse in training to help with their medical research, but you had to go and ruin that chance for me."
Her sister shyly replied, "But... Tylon's a bad place...."
"Why. WHY is it a bad place? Can you tell me that?"
Uriko averted her gaze.
"But... it's a bad place..."
Alice gave a hefty, fed up sigh.
"I should be studying medicine right now. I should be far away from home in the country's best medical college. They say I'm gifted! They say I could be a great help to the world! But I have to stay home and keep an eye on you because Mom's job (which is supposed to be stable) is all weird."
The younger decided to suggest they separate for a while (to allow Alice to cool off). After a little discussing the matter, Alice agreed. Then, Alice decided to take the idea a little further: perhaps Uriko could go home all by herself and thus prove herself to their mother. The would just say they got lost along the way somewhere and it got so late, each of them figured the other had gone home by herself and decided to do the same. Sure, it was risky and a really stupid thing to do to be truthful, and Mother would surely yell at them with a vengeance afterwards...
"...but the fact that you can get around on your own without me will be in her head!"
"Well.... I guess...." It was not like Alice to be this risky. Still, both were willing for a little time to herself.
"Great!" Alice bumped in so Uriko would not change her mind (she was incredibly desperate for time by herself without the cause of her problems), "I'll see you at home, then! You'll remember the directions, right?"
"....right."
Uriko proceeded to have a rather nice day with Mister Mole, windowshopping with her buddy snuck in her bag. At many clothes shops, she tried on many different outfits and pretended her little friend was giving his opinions on her choices. The two searched every toy store and nature store and little stand for a plush mole, but, sadly, there was none to be found. She tested the video games with her mole peeking quietly out of her bag to cheer her on. When she bought herself a large cookie as a snack, her bag started to squeak, much to the confusion of passers-by. More than once, Uriko could have sworn that when she started to dig around the depths of her knapsack for her wallet, Mister Mole handed it to her.
She was enjoying an ice cream cone, giving her pet a chance at a little lick every now and then-it was the mole's idea- when she got a chance to look at a clock. It was probably time to start heading back. She stepped outside the mall and carefully made her way through the parking lot to head back to the train station.
There's nobody around.... It's so silent...
Her bag at that moment started to squeak and she could feel movement inside. The girl almost tore the bag open. Was her pet still not better? To her surprise, the tiny creature practically flew out of her knapsack.
Where did he land?
The mole came out and onto the ground landed... a boy? He was rather muscular, and he looked somewhat emaciated. His pale skin bore a few thin, almost-healed cuts. This person had a delicate, young face bearing a serious expression with thin lips pressed firmly and dull, yellow eyes. His head was covered in dark brown hair with urge to be slightly airborne that fell mostly to one side before flying up.
It would have been easier to notice all of those features if it was not for the fact that this mysterious person had no clothes.
She had little time to ponder this before he grabbed her and had leapt far away within less than a second of a loud crash. Uriko turned her head and saw some figure still somewhat in a kicking position in the pavement. She wanted to see who the attacker was, but the boy placed a hand over her eyes and held her tightly. He had a very strong grip for such a lightweight.
"Oho... I see you want her to live..." a smooth older male voice crooned.
"I'm not going back." was the reply.
"I don't know if I can count on that.... you've been in trouble before and they've always found a way to bring you back."
"I won't let you take me back."
There was a pause before their attacker spoke once more, sounding very annoyed and insulted. "Don't you recognize me, kid? Or are you and everyone else so infatuated with your pretty face you've forgotten all about me?"
The younger sighed and his grip noticeably loosened.
"I can barely remember anything now. Besides, I'm blind."
"All the easier for me, I suppose. Die."
All the naked boy's captive could hear was a single slight tap of their assailant's feet. The youth who seemed to be on her side, however, could hear him fly towards him and feel the change in the air. He jumped back and narrowly missed another destructive kick, this sweeping sideways to put a huge dent in an expensive-looking car.
He proceeded to attack with quicker kicks, forcing the dodging boy backwards as he became more and more focused. All thought left his mind except the fighting instincts. Dodging those kicks was nothing.
Unfortunately, it completely consumed his mind so he did not see the end of the parking lot coming. The rest of reality came zooming right back when he lost his footing on the edge of the parking lot. Like an amateur in his first fight, the "perfect assassin" comically struggled to keep his balance before he fell backwards. The two rolled down the steep hillside, which was covered in thick plants and rocks and bumps until they became hidden in the shrubbery at the foot of the hill. There was only a slight yelp from Uriko, but otherwise complete silence and stillness reigned for the next few minutes.
"How disappointing..."
The Fox leapt into a patch of green and then leapt right out. Blood dripped down his otherwise perfect right leg. It was more trouble than it was worth, he decided.
"I don't know why I'm so nice to you, kid," he said quietly, mostly to himself, "but this is your last chance. I've given you too many chances to get out of my face. Come back, and I swear I'll get ugly on you when I next get the chance."
The Fox gazed back at the greenery a little while more to make sure there was still no sign of life or movement. He casually turned to leave and make an unseen escape.
"You know I don't like getting ugly, dragon brat...."
Sheesh, I gave Mitsuko my Aunt's job. Then again, my Aunt's job isn't one that keeps her away from home on an irregular schedule, but sometimes the idiots underneath her make her life hard for her.... so I suppose Mitsuko has a lot of idiots underneath her.
Let's just hope the Coca-Cola corporation doesn't kidnap me for its zoanthrope experiments (perhaps theydon't just produce the secret ingredient in that top-security building).
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
In the sheets with his keeper, he held onto her tightly in his human form. Faltering hands clutched her nightgown and he buried his face into the chest of the girl, who still slept soundly.
"D-don't leave me... don't let them take me away.... don't leave me alone...."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What a bad storm," Mitsuko sighed. Yet there were still risk taking idiots cutting on front to her, a dangerous thing to do even in the sunshine, despite the conditions outside. The pitch black sky wept rain onto their car, the grey road sped underneath, and the streaks radiating from bright circles of red and yellow lights shone through.
The mood was already glum enough, what with plans for quality time cancelled, along with Alice's inability to practice the profession she had wanted since she was young because of this, and Uriko's little animal's condition turning for the worse.
The night before, her daughter's new "pet," whom she had named "Mister Mole," started to spasm and writhe about, as if in pain. Uriko was heartbroken and held it like a child, weeping for it. When her mother took the mole out of her hands so her daughter could wash up and think over the situation, the mole started to squeak loudly and move about desperately in Mitsuko's hands the whole time (while Alice tried to convince her to euthanize it while Uriko was not looking). Only when it was in the braided girl's embrace did it calm down. That night, she took the little animal to bed with her, and now she cradled him in the back seat.
She decided to cheer up her little family. "Say, have I ever taken you to the office?" Mitsuko worked at the bank in the employees' center at Tylon Corporation. The employee's center was sort of a crossroads of a lobby where the workers had access to the building's own post office, dry cleaner, bank, cafeteria, store (selling supplies with the Tylon logo and perhaps the mascot at with a fifteen percent off discount to the employees), and anything else the workers might need.
"Yeah, I think you have," Alice answered her. "You get to flip through all that cash in the vault, right?"
She put on a mock mischievous grin. "That's right! Too bad it ain't mine, huh?"
"It's been a while since I had to sign someone in. You'll have to get a one-day badge with your name and-"
"I remember those. They have that sticker that changes color after a day."
"Yeah, that's right."
They finally reached their hotel, one aimed towards frequent travellers where Mitsuko was a regular. They had rented the typical hotel room, and when it came to be time for bed, Uriko was still huddled in a chair on front of the window with her mole. Her mother decided it was best to leave her alone if these truly were her final hours with her beloved pet. Her sister decided to to take the second bed and not let any latecomers expect her to share.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the house was silent, a human ninja stood and carried the sleeping Uriko to the couch, which was conveniently close to the table and chairs for him to feel his way there. He laid her down and put a cushion behind her head and then perched himself near her face to once again tap into her mind as he did before.
He told her, "I'm alright now. Sorry if I had scared you, but I could not control what happened to my body just then. The device inside me... I don't think I can really explain it, but something happened to it and all the programming started going haywire. All those conflicting messages and hormones sent my body reeling. I was afraid I was going to transform into a human right on front of everyone. I could had transformed into more than that, but I needn't worry you with that. However, this might mark the end of our midnight talks.... but I'm not sure. Also, I'm still blind. If we stick to our little talks, it would be alright... but if we met in the day..."
He moved in closer. "Uriko... would you like someone who could not see? How would you treat me if you knew me? How could I live in your world?"
"Kenji...."
"I was a little 'out' for last few hours and this place is obviously different. Are we near the strawberry farm?"
"We're not going there," the girl mumbled, "Mom's taking us to work with her. She has to stay at this hotel a lot 'cause she's often away for work."
"I see. I don't think you've ever told me exactly what she does."
"She works at the bank at Tylon. She's in charge of a lot."
Kenji's sightless eyes widened in shock.
"T...Tylon..."
That was from where Kenji came, it was the people the Clan of the Soil had served since nobody knows when. From Tylon, foggy and faded memories had been returning to him from the past. It was where The Doctor was always sticking needles in him and where he would have a long sleep and wake up in a tank or on a table. It was where there were people in cages, and very strange and frightening monsters in some. It was a place full of killers, including himself. This was perhaps the only reason he had ever actually stepped foot outside of Tylon.
Her mother worked there? What if The Doctor got to her? Sometimes, the people in the white coats who did things to him became subjects themselves. What if what happened to that blond man happened to her?
He grabbed onto the sides of Uriko's arms. "Uriko.... don't... go there. Please. Don't go anywhere near Tylon, do you hear me?"
"Kenji, why?"
"Tylon's a horrible place. Whatever you do, please don't go there. Don't let them take you....."
Kenji's hands were shaking. "Don't let them take me... I don't want to go back..."
The condition in which he had been for the past hours had brought back something from his forgetful mind. His very first transformation had felt like that. It was after The Doctor fixed the master's eyes. Though his master protested, the higher authority allowed The Doctor to force out the gene hidden within him using the experimental methods he had been testing. To the Kato School of Ninjutsu, the first transformation of a disciple was a major turning point in his life. It normally was brought out with the other changes from child to adult of adolescence, as during that time a person had the reason and will to summon such forces. The Clan of the Soil promoted an earlier transformation. Early first transformations were signs of a gifted child. In training, when Kenji was completely spent and barely able to fight any further, the master would try to provoke him to summon his transformation. It was a little ironic that these were times when his master tried to bring out Kenji's emotions, when normally his emotions were something that would hold an assassin back.
The Doctor hooked him up to machines to monitor him and gave him all sorts of shots. He had gone into a fit similar to the one he had entered before. He shivered and twitched and writhed about and called out names and cried. He acted in a pitiful way on front of his master. He had been shamed in front of his master.
They had changed him into a monster.
He clutched himself and shook once more from memories and the prospect of returning, or at least he started to do so. Something broke his train of thought. He turned his focus to where outside the window was.
Something's out there.... Could it be...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm not going!"
"Uriko, be reasonable...."
"You and Alice go. I'm staying here."
"I can't just leave you here alone, Uriko."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is really sucks! I really hate my life! Do you have any idea how frustrating this is?"
"I know.." Uriko mumbled sadly, clutching her knapsack, which held some various items, including her own Mister Mole, whom she refused to leave at the hotel. Little did she know there was something very unusual tucked away at the bottom.
Alice had her head turned away from Uriko, with whom she was walking through The Plum Tree Shopping Center. The two had decided to take public transportation to a mall rather far away to do something for the day.
"Mom even said her job might take a nurse in training to help with their medical research, but you had to go and ruin that chance for me."
Her sister shyly replied, "But... Tylon's a bad place...."
"Why. WHY is it a bad place? Can you tell me that?"
Uriko averted her gaze.
"But... it's a bad place..."
Alice gave a hefty, fed up sigh.
"I should be studying medicine right now. I should be far away from home in the country's best medical college. They say I'm gifted! They say I could be a great help to the world! But I have to stay home and keep an eye on you because Mom's job (which is supposed to be stable) is all weird."
The younger decided to suggest they separate for a while (to allow Alice to cool off). After a little discussing the matter, Alice agreed. Then, Alice decided to take the idea a little further: perhaps Uriko could go home all by herself and thus prove herself to their mother. The would just say they got lost along the way somewhere and it got so late, each of them figured the other had gone home by herself and decided to do the same. Sure, it was risky and a really stupid thing to do to be truthful, and Mother would surely yell at them with a vengeance afterwards...
"...but the fact that you can get around on your own without me will be in her head!"
"Well.... I guess...." It was not like Alice to be this risky. Still, both were willing for a little time to herself.
"Great!" Alice bumped in so Uriko would not change her mind (she was incredibly desperate for time by herself without the cause of her problems), "I'll see you at home, then! You'll remember the directions, right?"
"....right."
Uriko proceeded to have a rather nice day with Mister Mole, windowshopping with her buddy snuck in her bag. At many clothes shops, she tried on many different outfits and pretended her little friend was giving his opinions on her choices. The two searched every toy store and nature store and little stand for a plush mole, but, sadly, there was none to be found. She tested the video games with her mole peeking quietly out of her bag to cheer her on. When she bought herself a large cookie as a snack, her bag started to squeak, much to the confusion of passers-by. More than once, Uriko could have sworn that when she started to dig around the depths of her knapsack for her wallet, Mister Mole handed it to her.
She was enjoying an ice cream cone, giving her pet a chance at a little lick every now and then-it was the mole's idea- when she got a chance to look at a clock. It was probably time to start heading back. She stepped outside the mall and carefully made her way through the parking lot to head back to the train station.
There's nobody around.... It's so silent...
Her bag at that moment started to squeak and she could feel movement inside. The girl almost tore the bag open. Was her pet still not better? To her surprise, the tiny creature practically flew out of her knapsack.
Where did he land?
The mole came out and onto the ground landed... a boy? He was rather muscular, and he looked somewhat emaciated. His pale skin bore a few thin, almost-healed cuts. This person had a delicate, young face bearing a serious expression with thin lips pressed firmly and dull, yellow eyes. His head was covered in dark brown hair with urge to be slightly airborne that fell mostly to one side before flying up.
It would have been easier to notice all of those features if it was not for the fact that this mysterious person had no clothes.
She had little time to ponder this before he grabbed her and had leapt far away within less than a second of a loud crash. Uriko turned her head and saw some figure still somewhat in a kicking position in the pavement. She wanted to see who the attacker was, but the boy placed a hand over her eyes and held her tightly. He had a very strong grip for such a lightweight.
"Oho... I see you want her to live..." a smooth older male voice crooned.
"I'm not going back." was the reply.
"I don't know if I can count on that.... you've been in trouble before and they've always found a way to bring you back."
"I won't let you take me back."
There was a pause before their attacker spoke once more, sounding very annoyed and insulted. "Don't you recognize me, kid? Or are you and everyone else so infatuated with your pretty face you've forgotten all about me?"
The younger sighed and his grip noticeably loosened.
"I can barely remember anything now. Besides, I'm blind."
"All the easier for me, I suppose. Die."
All the naked boy's captive could hear was a single slight tap of their assailant's feet. The youth who seemed to be on her side, however, could hear him fly towards him and feel the change in the air. He jumped back and narrowly missed another destructive kick, this sweeping sideways to put a huge dent in an expensive-looking car.
He proceeded to attack with quicker kicks, forcing the dodging boy backwards as he became more and more focused. All thought left his mind except the fighting instincts. Dodging those kicks was nothing.
Unfortunately, it completely consumed his mind so he did not see the end of the parking lot coming. The rest of reality came zooming right back when he lost his footing on the edge of the parking lot. Like an amateur in his first fight, the "perfect assassin" comically struggled to keep his balance before he fell backwards. The two rolled down the steep hillside, which was covered in thick plants and rocks and bumps until they became hidden in the shrubbery at the foot of the hill. There was only a slight yelp from Uriko, but otherwise complete silence and stillness reigned for the next few minutes.
"How disappointing..."
The Fox leapt into a patch of green and then leapt right out. Blood dripped down his otherwise perfect right leg. It was more trouble than it was worth, he decided.
"I don't know why I'm so nice to you, kid," he said quietly, mostly to himself, "but this is your last chance. I've given you too many chances to get out of my face. Come back, and I swear I'll get ugly on you when I next get the chance."
The Fox gazed back at the greenery a little while more to make sure there was still no sign of life or movement. He casually turned to leave and make an unseen escape.
"You know I don't like getting ugly, dragon brat...."
