Chapter 2
"Damn idiots," Chibodee kicked the dirt on the walkway. "What do they know? Nothing, that's what." It was right, they knew absolutely nothing about his "family" situation. Not only was Bunny pressing him for a proposal, but so was Shirley.and Kat.and Janet. Why did he have to be so damn lovable? It was the fate of every American superstar - he had only joined the ranks of Elvis, Jimmy Dean, and Harrison Ford. How did those shining stars of old handle situations the likes of which he had just begun to face?
"Divorces," he spat softly, like he really didn't mean for that to be a likely, (or likable) answer. He dropped down onto the steps of the Kashuu's modest ranch house, kicking his booted heels out from under him to accentuate the heavy 'thunk' and looked around him. This was a life he would like to have someday, in the middle of nowhere, safe from the world, with a loved one. Good God, was he going soft? Was Chibodee Crocket losing his touch? The girls were just the girls, nothing more.or maybe at least one was.
"I wish she had come along,"
"Who?"
Chibodee nonchalantly turned to address the man crouching to his right, waving off the young Chinese boy's question in disinterest. "I don't wanna get into to it,"
"Fine," Sai-saici plunked down on the porch, leaning over his crossed Indian-style legs, "Then I really don't wanna know."
Sighing, Chibodee concentrated on the piece of straw he had been vigorously chewing since the subject had been brought up. He was sure his breath smelled like a gluttoness bovine's. "I just," he let the breath hiss out between his teeth, inwardly smiling at Sai-saici's look of disgust. "don't know anymore,"
"Hey, I told you I didn't want to know,"
"I'm telling ya anyway kid,"
Bristling with the other man's parental tone and intentional address, Sai- saici shook his head, no doubt whispering some Shaulin mantra to take away such a grand irritation. Smiling with renewed inner peace, he brought his hands behind his head, feigning disinterest. "Sure, go ahead and tell me, I'm sure it would help such an emotionless clod like you open up for the first time in your life,"
This time it was Chibodee's turn to bristle. "If that's the way you want it, fine here's my life spelled out: ALL THE GIRLS WANT ME,"
"And this is a bad thing for you?"
"Right now it is!"
"I see,"
"You couldn't possibly," the American snorted, "You've never had to make a decision concerning women,"
Sai-saici rested his head against his hands in deep thought. "I suppose that you're right," With a smile he scratched his head, "I guess I should count myself lucky then,"
"For what?"
Sai-saici dropped his proud-face and stared Chibodee right in the eye. "That I've never had to make a decision concerning women." He stood and walked around him, causally observing this and that all of which were the tolls that worrying about making a decision had taken out on the poor American. Finally he stopped and shrugged his shoulders. "You don't see me with bags under my eyes, and knowing everybody else's lives but my own."
Up until that point, Chibodee had been passively standing in the center of Sai-saici's round-about. But now he wanted to beat out the guy's brains for having the gumption to say that to his face. And he told him so.
"Somebody needs to," and with that the ex-fighter for Neo China walked back into the ranch house, leaving an even more disgruntled American kicking and cursing at the dirt in his path.
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Domon leaned back, still laughing while scratching the back of his head. "You can't be serious George! I mean after seeing you with Tetsu, you'd never think that - "
"What Monsieur?" The knight smiled back even as the cantankerous Kasshu pulled on his adorning tassles. "You can't believe that I've never had the chance to associate myself with children of this age and," he looked back down to see Tetsu holding onto the left lock of his pretty red hair. "Curiosity."
Both men were standing over Tetsu's crib, the sun slowly setting in the massive window behind them. Domon just couldn't stop laughing, while George just couldn't stop smiling.
The ex-fighter for Neo Japan flopped back into the nursery's only couch. "Well, I had the same problem as you pal when I found out Rain was pregnant," Domon was well aware that the frenchman was too enamored with his son to listen, but he continued on with his memory that was still fresh in his mind. "We had just gotten back from our trip to Hong Kong and she just told me, 'Domon, I think I'm pregnant'." Casting soft black eyes between the kid-safe railing, Domon remembered preparing for that little tornado, folding blankets just so and holding them with a wife hovering over his shoulder chanting words of encouragement . . .
'Support the head Domon!'
And he relived that moment when he turned to her with wide eyes, the empty blanket wrapped in a secure embrace and asked her, 'What head?'
She was glowing at seven months and with that smile she glowed ever more brighter. She grabbed his hand and guided it to the left side of the swell of her abdomen. 'This head, Domon.'
He was snapped out of his reverie with Tetsu's 'Don't leave me' cry.
George tickled the toddler's stomach with yet another enigmatic grin, coaxing the toddler to let go of his red hair. But Tetsu had most definitely inherited his father's strength. "Eh," George's smile turned to a frantic grimace, "Domon, sil vous plait?"
"Hai!" With the speed of a martial artist, Domon leapt from his seat, pried his son's fingers loose from their hold on the frenchman's long locks of hair, scooped him up in the crook of his arm, and reappeared out of the flash standing in front of the window, silhouetted by the rich sunset of the sky. "I'm not surprised,"
"By what?"
Domon faced the window, directing Tetsu's curious black eyes to the prairie with a splayed hand. "He can't fall asleep without seeing the horizon." Bending his head so that he was eye level with the toddler, Domon pointed to the edge of the world once again. "See Tetsu? It's still there, waiting for the morning."
With a bounce, the child started clapping his hands, a broad grin very much like his father's tucked beneath his cheeks. "I see, I see!"
"Good," The smile was contagious for soon all the men were boasting it. "Now can you sleep?"
Tetsu faltered at his father's question, giving him a blank stare. "Nani?"
George decided to step in on the conversation, raising his hands to take him off to dreamland. "Could I favor you with a song Monsieur?"
The toddler looked up to his father, then back at the knight, the grin broadening. "Hai, hai!" His little legs working furiously, Tetsu was delighted to find himself being placed in the arms of the Frenchman. "Goodnight song!"
George's eyes closed with a soft chuckle. "Oui, a good night song. A song that I was sung when I was a little boy."
Domon quietly slipped out the door as George sat down on the couch with Tetsu on his knee, singing, 'Frairer Jacque' and ruffling Tetsu's brown hair at the 'dorm mei vous'.
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A/N : Short and Sweet, but I think REVIEW worthy! I might continue if other fans want to see and/or learn what happened to the other fighters after the Battle Royale. If not, it's been fun while it lasted!
"Damn idiots," Chibodee kicked the dirt on the walkway. "What do they know? Nothing, that's what." It was right, they knew absolutely nothing about his "family" situation. Not only was Bunny pressing him for a proposal, but so was Shirley.and Kat.and Janet. Why did he have to be so damn lovable? It was the fate of every American superstar - he had only joined the ranks of Elvis, Jimmy Dean, and Harrison Ford. How did those shining stars of old handle situations the likes of which he had just begun to face?
"Divorces," he spat softly, like he really didn't mean for that to be a likely, (or likable) answer. He dropped down onto the steps of the Kashuu's modest ranch house, kicking his booted heels out from under him to accentuate the heavy 'thunk' and looked around him. This was a life he would like to have someday, in the middle of nowhere, safe from the world, with a loved one. Good God, was he going soft? Was Chibodee Crocket losing his touch? The girls were just the girls, nothing more.or maybe at least one was.
"I wish she had come along,"
"Who?"
Chibodee nonchalantly turned to address the man crouching to his right, waving off the young Chinese boy's question in disinterest. "I don't wanna get into to it,"
"Fine," Sai-saici plunked down on the porch, leaning over his crossed Indian-style legs, "Then I really don't wanna know."
Sighing, Chibodee concentrated on the piece of straw he had been vigorously chewing since the subject had been brought up. He was sure his breath smelled like a gluttoness bovine's. "I just," he let the breath hiss out between his teeth, inwardly smiling at Sai-saici's look of disgust. "don't know anymore,"
"Hey, I told you I didn't want to know,"
"I'm telling ya anyway kid,"
Bristling with the other man's parental tone and intentional address, Sai- saici shook his head, no doubt whispering some Shaulin mantra to take away such a grand irritation. Smiling with renewed inner peace, he brought his hands behind his head, feigning disinterest. "Sure, go ahead and tell me, I'm sure it would help such an emotionless clod like you open up for the first time in your life,"
This time it was Chibodee's turn to bristle. "If that's the way you want it, fine here's my life spelled out: ALL THE GIRLS WANT ME,"
"And this is a bad thing for you?"
"Right now it is!"
"I see,"
"You couldn't possibly," the American snorted, "You've never had to make a decision concerning women,"
Sai-saici rested his head against his hands in deep thought. "I suppose that you're right," With a smile he scratched his head, "I guess I should count myself lucky then,"
"For what?"
Sai-saici dropped his proud-face and stared Chibodee right in the eye. "That I've never had to make a decision concerning women." He stood and walked around him, causally observing this and that all of which were the tolls that worrying about making a decision had taken out on the poor American. Finally he stopped and shrugged his shoulders. "You don't see me with bags under my eyes, and knowing everybody else's lives but my own."
Up until that point, Chibodee had been passively standing in the center of Sai-saici's round-about. But now he wanted to beat out the guy's brains for having the gumption to say that to his face. And he told him so.
"Somebody needs to," and with that the ex-fighter for Neo China walked back into the ranch house, leaving an even more disgruntled American kicking and cursing at the dirt in his path.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Domon leaned back, still laughing while scratching the back of his head. "You can't be serious George! I mean after seeing you with Tetsu, you'd never think that - "
"What Monsieur?" The knight smiled back even as the cantankerous Kasshu pulled on his adorning tassles. "You can't believe that I've never had the chance to associate myself with children of this age and," he looked back down to see Tetsu holding onto the left lock of his pretty red hair. "Curiosity."
Both men were standing over Tetsu's crib, the sun slowly setting in the massive window behind them. Domon just couldn't stop laughing, while George just couldn't stop smiling.
The ex-fighter for Neo Japan flopped back into the nursery's only couch. "Well, I had the same problem as you pal when I found out Rain was pregnant," Domon was well aware that the frenchman was too enamored with his son to listen, but he continued on with his memory that was still fresh in his mind. "We had just gotten back from our trip to Hong Kong and she just told me, 'Domon, I think I'm pregnant'." Casting soft black eyes between the kid-safe railing, Domon remembered preparing for that little tornado, folding blankets just so and holding them with a wife hovering over his shoulder chanting words of encouragement . . .
'Support the head Domon!'
And he relived that moment when he turned to her with wide eyes, the empty blanket wrapped in a secure embrace and asked her, 'What head?'
She was glowing at seven months and with that smile she glowed ever more brighter. She grabbed his hand and guided it to the left side of the swell of her abdomen. 'This head, Domon.'
He was snapped out of his reverie with Tetsu's 'Don't leave me' cry.
George tickled the toddler's stomach with yet another enigmatic grin, coaxing the toddler to let go of his red hair. But Tetsu had most definitely inherited his father's strength. "Eh," George's smile turned to a frantic grimace, "Domon, sil vous plait?"
"Hai!" With the speed of a martial artist, Domon leapt from his seat, pried his son's fingers loose from their hold on the frenchman's long locks of hair, scooped him up in the crook of his arm, and reappeared out of the flash standing in front of the window, silhouetted by the rich sunset of the sky. "I'm not surprised,"
"By what?"
Domon faced the window, directing Tetsu's curious black eyes to the prairie with a splayed hand. "He can't fall asleep without seeing the horizon." Bending his head so that he was eye level with the toddler, Domon pointed to the edge of the world once again. "See Tetsu? It's still there, waiting for the morning."
With a bounce, the child started clapping his hands, a broad grin very much like his father's tucked beneath his cheeks. "I see, I see!"
"Good," The smile was contagious for soon all the men were boasting it. "Now can you sleep?"
Tetsu faltered at his father's question, giving him a blank stare. "Nani?"
George decided to step in on the conversation, raising his hands to take him off to dreamland. "Could I favor you with a song Monsieur?"
The toddler looked up to his father, then back at the knight, the grin broadening. "Hai, hai!" His little legs working furiously, Tetsu was delighted to find himself being placed in the arms of the Frenchman. "Goodnight song!"
George's eyes closed with a soft chuckle. "Oui, a good night song. A song that I was sung when I was a little boy."
Domon quietly slipped out the door as George sat down on the couch with Tetsu on his knee, singing, 'Frairer Jacque' and ruffling Tetsu's brown hair at the 'dorm mei vous'.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
A/N : Short and Sweet, but I think REVIEW worthy! I might continue if other fans want to see and/or learn what happened to the other fighters after the Battle Royale. If not, it's been fun while it lasted!
