.
AFTERMATH 8: THE TROUBLE WITH MOODULATORS
New and Improved
"Behold, gentlemen! And ladies. The new and improved Moodulator!" Drakken boasted. He laughed evilly, holding up the nearly invisible chip. When Dr. Bortel had created an improved version of the Moodulator in bulk, Drakken had leapt on the opportunity and immediately dispatched Shego to collect. She had managed to snatch the whole shebang, and without interference from the Cheer Squad at that.
"Tha wee lettle thing es wha' ye invited us to America far?" Killigan incredulously asked.
"Humph. I should have known this was a waste of time," Monkey Fist, equally unimpressed, said.
Drakken frowned at them in annoyance. "It may not look like much, but trust me. This plan will work."
"Am I the only one getting a sense of déjà vu," Monkey Fist asked incredulously.
"Nope," Shego replied boredly, filing her nails.
"No' a chance," Killigan said.
"Um, Drakky sweetie? Maybe you should rethink this one? After all, they're still only in Beta," Amy suggested, uneasy about this latest plot of his. She'd heard stories about the Moodulators and Bortel's experiments with them. None ended well.
"Scoff if you will, but this time it can't fail!" Drakken replied.
"Deje vu," Shego repeated.
"Nrrgh, Shego!" Drakken shot.
"So why did you need us here? Surely you could have shown off your new little toy via conference call," Monkey Fist said.
"I invited you here because you're all going to help me distribute the chips onto Kim Possible and her little friends and plunge them into complete chaos," Drakken replied, frowning at them. His companions perked up a bit, suddenly a little more interested.
"Aye, go on," Killigan said.
"Ah ha! I knew that would get your attention. Now, this weekend a Cuddle Buddy convention will be held in Middleton," Drakken said.
"Cuddle Buddies? Aww, those little guys are so cute!" Shego said, now paying attention. The others stared blankly at her and she stiffened up. "I mean uh, Cuddle Buddies? Really? Pfft, blech. They're just a bunch of beanbags! Ooh, no offense, Amy," she added, turning to the geneticist. Amy harrumphed and crossed her arms, unimpressed.
"Yes, well, anyway, thanks to DNAmy we now know that Kim Possible has a weakness for those little beanbags. Needless to say, the convention is precisely where we can find her," Drakken said.
"And with luck, Monique and Yori will be there too. Maybe even Amelia. Those four girls have become almost inseparable," Amy added.
"Lassie, have ye been workin' together wi' them on all o' this?" Killigan asked.
"For old time's sake," Amy confirmed, smirking a bit. "Drakky and I have already worked out all the details. I'll slip into the convention and chip however many I can." She pulled out a little pack from a pocket. Inside were four Moodulators.
"Right. Best case scenario? Kim Possible, Monique, the ninja, and Amelia all show up together. That would leave us only four more members of the Cheer Squad to take care of. It shouldn't be too difficult. If any of our projected targets don't show up at the convention, Shego will hunt them down. She'll have two chips on her. That should leave at least something of a margin for error," Drakken said.
"Uh, Dr. D, I don't make mistakes," Shego replied.
"Nrrgh, Shego, we've been through this," Drakken said, frowning at her. "What did I say?"
"Nachos make my insides queasy?" she replied, smirking hauntingly at him.
Drakken's eye twitched as Killigan and Monkey Fist began snickering behind his back. He scowled at them in annoyance then turned to his sidekick again. "Shego!" he angrily snapped.
"Okay, okay. Better safe than sorry," she corrected, rolling her eyes almost affectionately.
"Nrrgy, lippy sidekicks," Drakken complained. "Anyway, regarding the others, and any more potential allies that might get involved, I think I'll be able to get to that boy Wade, I believe his name is, so we'll have no interference on his end. Killigan, take two chips, for good measure and go after Stoppable. That leaves only Hirotaka and Fukushima. Monkey Fist, I trust your ninjas can handle it?"
"Of course they can!" Monkey Fist snapped, offended Drakken would think otherwise.
"Good. Let's move," Drakken said, grinning evilly.
KP
Fukushima and Hirotaka walked down the street carrying their backpacks. "This is not what I had in mind when I thought ahead to college," Fukushima said, audibly annoyed.
"What did you envision?" Hirotaka asked.
"Like, a good ninja college or something," Fukushima replied like it was obvious.
Hirotaka chuckled, smirking. "So did I," he admitted. "How are the dormitories?"
"Compared to the rooms in Yamanouchi, unfit for mice," Fukushima replied as they entered his dorm. They tossed down their bags and Fukushima went to a food prep area to get something to eat for them. "Check the answering machine for me." Hirotaka made his way to said answering machine and turned it on.
"Hey Fukushima. It's me, Marlene. You know from class? Anyway, I wanted to know if Hirotaka…" a voice began. Hirotaka blinked blankly and frowned, deleting it immediately.
"Hi Fuku, what's shaking sweetie? Bailey here. Hey, you think Hirotaka might be up to a wild night on the town? Or elsewhere, if you catch my drift?" another woman's voice purred. Hirotaka again deleted it, eyes narrowing even more.
Fukushima snickered behind his back. "I am not that appealing," Hirotaka complained.
"Kon'nichwa, Fukushima. I was wondering if Hirotaka..." a third voice began. Hirotaka scowled and deleted it, switching to the next message.
"Is he there?" another voice said.
"Shh, I'm trying to hear," a second replied.
"Give it to me, I get to talk first!" the first insisted.
"No way, back off! He's mine!" the second shot.
"Ooh that boy has to be the finest thing in town," the first squealed.
Fukushima burst into laughter at Hirotaka's appalled expression. "It is a curse to be beautiful, brother!" Fukushima mocked.
"Shut up, Fukushima!" Hirotaka snapped. The two girls on the message were still arguing.
"Fukushima is mine!" the second voice suddenly yelled.
Fukushima's laughter was cut short by his horrified and aghast gasp. A gasp so deep he doubted his lungs could expand more or that he could get any paler. Hirotaka blinked then burst into laughter, doubling over. "Yes, Fukushima, it is a curse to be beautiful," he taunted. "Apparently you have that curse."
"Oh shut up," Fukushima grumbled in response, moving to the answering machine and deleting the message.
"I warned you not to give out your number. There is a reason I never share my own," Hirotaka said, smirking affectionately at his friend and crossing his arms.
"I enjoy laughing at your misfortune," Fukushima bit.
"Are you sure it is laughing?" Hirotaka asked, still smiling but sounding a bit more concerned. "Messages like these cannot be good for your ego when most ask after me."
"I am fine with it," Fukushima replied. "You were always more bishounen than I was. How have things been with Amelia?"
"Well," Hirotaka vaguely replied. "Very well."
"Is Hana still there?" Fukushima asked.
"No. Sometimes. She has been moved back to her parents' house for now. If something should go wrong again, we will hide her away a second time," Hirotaka said.
"So then what reason do you have to stay with Amelia?" Fukushima asked, a teasing and somewhat amused tone in his voice.
Hirotaka shifted a little. "There is far more space there than there would be in a dorm room. Besides, after what happened to her..." he began before stopping himself.
Fukushima's smile slowly fell. "It was not your fault, brother," he murmured. Hirotaka was quiet. Fukushima sighed and let it go. "We should go for a walk before studying. An actual one not from school to dorm."
"I am in," Hirotaka agreed, smiling. Together the two left the small dorm room.
KP
As the two friends walked through the park, Hirotaka noticed that Fukushima seemed distracted. His friend was staring up into the air as if deep in thought. Hirotaka raised a curious eyebrow. What was on Fukushima's mind that he was off in another world? Hirotaka winced when Fukushima suddenly ran into a tree and staggered back. "Ow? Who put that tree there?!" Fukushima demanded.
"It is not so much the tree's fault as it is yours," Hirotaka dryly replied. "What are you thinking about anyway?"
Fukushima, tending his wounded nose, paused and glanced over at him. After a moment, he lowered his hands and looked despondently down at the ground. Hirotaka frowned. He didn't trust that. There was sadness in his friend's eyes. Along with it were confusion and anger and fear. Hopelessness and self-hatred. He remembered all too well the last time he had seen this particular cocktail of emotions in his friend's expression. It was the night before he had left Yamanouchi to go to Middleton while Ron came to Yamanouchi...
Flashback
Hirotaka and Fukushima leaned on a railing, looking out over Yamanouchi's garden. Hirotaka glanced over at his friend. Fukushima had been very distant lately, and he didn't know why. It worried him. This was his best friend. The one he considered a brother. It disturbed him that Fukushima wasn't speaking to him about his concerns. They had been inseparable since childhood. They had grown up together and learned together. There was hardly a secret either had that the other did not know about so that one was being kept now had Hirotaka worried. "What is on your mind, brother?" he at last asked.
Fukushima blinked, seeming to snap out of his reverie, and looked over at him. After a moment he looked back out over the garden. "Have you noticed a change in Sensei's demeanor towards me?" Fukushima asked uncertainly.
Hirotaka relaxed a bit and smiled. "Is that your concern? Fukushima, he singles each one of us out in turn. Only last month it was me. Do not worry about such things."
"It is more than that, Hirotaka. It is everything. He does not just single me out. He ignores me. Unless he must, he hardly even looks in my direction. When he singles me out, it is only to belittle my actions or get me to play the role of some evil and treacherous enemy. Why?" Fukushima said.
"Sensei belittles no one. Chastise, yes, picks apart, yes, but he never belittled you," Hirotaka said with a frown, defending his master.
"No! You are wrong!" Fukushima insisted, pulling away from the railing and pacing restlessly. "Sometimes… sometimes I despise him. I know who he is to you, but sometimes I just wish I could take my sais and... Never mind."
"Fukushima, why are you suddenly filled with such dark thoughts?" Hirotaka questioned, now concerned. He had never noticed these feelings in his friend before!
"I do not know… That is what frightens me… I do not know," Fukushima answered, shoulders sagging as he looked down. But he did know...
He had managed to protect the Lotus Blade the first time the stranger, who had seemed oddly familiar, had come. He wasn't sure, but he thought that for a moment recognition came to the intruder's eyes. That frightened him, because he felt like he knew the man from somewhere too, just couldn't place where. He hadn't called for help. He had defended the blade on his own and had fallen. He had been ready to die protecting it and had managed to stagger to his feet for a last stand, but the stranger had stopped and begun to sum him silently up. Then the man had given him a dark offer… At first, he'd refused, but the man told him to think about it, gave him his location, and left. The next day, he and Sensei had a falling out. A big one. Out of spite, he determined he would accept the stranger's offer. It had been tossing around in his brain since the night before anyway. He found the stranger, he offered his loyalty and cooperation, and together they began to plot how they could take possession of the Lotus Blade. Now though, as the day drew near, he was having second thoughts. This was treachery. Treachery to his school, to his friends, to his master, to Yori, and most of all to Hirotaka.
"Tell me you have never considered overthrowing him. We could do it, both of us. It would be so easy," Fukushima said. Part of him wanted his friend to justify his thoughts, because if Hirotaka agreed then he wasn't the only one who had become weak. The other part, though, hoped his friend would talk him down and reason with him instead. Hirotaka would be reasonable. He would understand and talk things through with him! He had been wrong...
"Enough of this madness, Fukushima! I will not hear you speak such things of our Sensei or our school again!" Hirotaka sharply said, eyes hardening.
Fukushima started and stared at him, eyes wide and surprised. Surprise turned to hurt soon after, though. He'd thought he could talk to his best friend. He'd thought Hirotaka would understand this was not a threat, but a cry for help! All he wanted was for his brother to hear his confession and help turn him away from this dark path... Ashamedly he looked down. Hirotaka didn't understand though, and he would find no sympathy in him. Since, then, there was no one he could turn to, he was left to face himself alone… That had been what sealed his fate. Resentment began to consume him. After all, if even his best friend could turn on him, perhaps Yamanouchi was not where his loyalty should lie...
End Flashback
To this day Hirotaka regretted not listening to his friend's concerns. His rejection had stripped more than a little trust and confidence away from the bond he had shared with Fukushima. "Brother, I will not ignore you again," Hirotaka promised softly.
Fukushima looked sharply at him, eyes narrowed suspiciously and considered the words a moment. At last he sighed, looking down again. "Very well," he replied quietly. Hirotaka let out a soft, relieved breath. It was a step towards rebuilding trust at least. "I have betrayed Yamanouchi once before. In doing so I betrayed you as well. Hurt you. You would think I had learned from that the first time..." He looked at his friend. "But yet again I find myself questioning where my loyalties should lie," he confessed.
Hirotaka felt his heart drop but held his tongue, willing himself not to be reactive. He took a moment to take in the confession and considered his response carefully. "How so?" he asked.
Fukushima was quiet, rubbing an arm self-consciously. "You heard Monkey Fist's confession to me," Fukushima replied. "You heard the words Nanny Maim spoke... My mother loved him. So much that she entrusted my care to him. She pledged my loyalty to him. Long before it was ever pledged to Yamanouchi... He could have become my father one day..."
Hirotaka was quiet, digesting his friend's words. "Is it your mother's choice, anymore, who you pledge your loyalty to?" he asked.
"I know, but… but I have dishonored my family enough, and I will never be able to mend that," Fukushima said.
"You are being too hard on yourself," Hirotaka solemnly said.
"Am I?" Fukushima asked, looking sharply at him. Hirotaka chose to stay quiet. Fukushima was starting to work himself up. Pushing him right now would not help anyone. Fukushima watched him a moment, almost daring him to say something. He didn't. Fukushima sighed, looking away, and the tension began to dissipate. "Do I uphold my mother's honour, fulfill her wishes, and turn my allegiance to Monkey Fist, or does my allegiance remain with Yamanouchi?"
Hirotaka considered the question quietly. "Perhaps speaking to Master Sensei will..."
"Please, brother. Do not hand me over to Master Sensei," Fukushima begged.
Hirotaka looked helplessly at him again. The harsh reality was he couldn't. "I cannot answer that for you, Fukushima. I wish that I could, but the reality is the side you choose is your decision alone. What do you know for a certainty?"
"That my allegiance is not with Yamanouchi... But is it not with Monkey Fist either," Fukushima answered. He looked at his friend. "It is with you. My brother in every way but blood."
"Your life cannot be tied up in mine forever," Hirotaka replied, smiling fondly at him. His smile sadly fell. "You know the side on which I stand, but do not let that be what decides for you. No matter what you choose, you will always be my little brother."
Fukushima sniffed, looking away from him. "I do not know if you are the foolish one or if I am," he said.
Hirotaka smiled softly and chuckled, wrapping an arm around his neck, pulling him down, and rubbing a fist in his hair. Fukushima grinned, pushing him away. "Come on. Enough of this dark talk. There are more important things to worry about right now. Like what to eat and where to begin on studying," Hirotaka said.
Fukushima smiled and nodded in agreement, but slowly that smile fell. "I am sorry I hurt and betrayed you. More sorry for that than for anything else."
Hirotaka's smile fell. "I know, Fukushima. I know. Now let it go," he said.
"You should not done what you did," Fukushima quietly said.
"Enough of your dark talk," Hirotaka firmly replied. "I mean it." Fukushima winced then nodded in understanding. Too late to stop Hirotaka's mind from wandering back to that day again, though.
Flashback
Hirotaka and Yori walked through the garden, Yori grinning at something funny her brother had said saying. She could tell, though, that her brother's mind was not completely at ease. He was not wholly focused on their conversation either. That was only confirmed when he lapsed into complete silence as soon as she stopped speaking. "Hirotaka, what is on your mind?" Yori asked in concern.
Hirotaka winced and looked down. "It is Fukushima," he said. Her eyes softened immensely. She knew how close her brother had been to the one who had betrayed them...
The last thing Hirotaka had expected to find on his return to Yamanouchi was her waiting for him at the airport alone... He had expected Fukushima to be there as well. She had seen the confusion and worry in his eyes when he saw it was only her. "Is he so angry at me that he would not even come?" her brother had asked as he approached, sounding a little strained.
Yori had swallowed over a lump in her throat. "Hirotaka, Fukushima has betrayed us," she had said, and Hirotaka had gone as pale as a ghost.
"What?" he'd asked in a whisper.
Yori had proceeded to tell him everything. How Fukushima had given up the Lotus Blade to Monkey Fist. How he had set a trap with the British Lord, kidnapped her, then led Ron right into it as well. How Fukushima would have killed them without hesitation... Many at school had believed that after Hirotaka heard the story, he would be ecstatic about the fate that befell Fukushima and back it wholeheartedly. She had known better... The misery and grief and guilt she had seen in her brother's eyes in that moment, the utter devastation that crossed his expression, had almost driven her to tears. She could not have begun to imagine how it was for him. She had seen how painfully every word ripped into her brother's heart. To know that his dearest friend had almost murdered his little sister... It had destroyed him and he had been so, so torn. One half of his heart drowned in guilt and grief. The other half felt only hatred and disgust. Hirotaka hadn't spoken to anyone for days after that. He had hardly even eaten... She knew he had wept as well, in private when he thought no one could hear. She could, though. Always.
Now, in the present, she saw that pain on her brother's face again and hated it. "You still mourn his loss," she remarked softly. "Hirotaka, I know it must grieve you. More deeply than anyone knows. I am so sorry, brother."
"His actions were unforgivable. He is lucky he was not killed," Hirotaka replied, trying to put on the front again. He always put on the front.
"Hirotaka," Sensei said, approaching the siblings with their newborn sister in his arms.
"Master," Hirotaka greeted, bowing to him.
"It is your turn, to patrol the jungle," Sensei said.
"Yes Sensei," Hirotaka replied. He kissed Hana, grinned at Yori though she was it was force, kissed her check, then left to obey Sensei's order. She watched sadly after him.
KP
Hirotaka walked through the woods silently, almost invisible in the shadows. He was quite proud of himself, he had to say. He heard the sound of a stream and smirked. It was a hot day out, and his water did need to be filled up again. Besides, it would feel good against his skin. He made his way to the stream, going far off the beaten path. He had no qualms about it. Nothing ever happened in the jungle, after all. Few traipsed through it long enough to stumble upon Yamanouchi. He found the stream and nimbly leapt down the bank. He bent next to the small waterfall and filled his bottle from the stream. He took a drink, put it away, then began splashing the cool water onto his face.
With a sigh, he looked up at the sky. Above him, birds were circling. He thought nothing of it at first. It was probably some animal that had died not far off, but the more he watched them, the more unsettled he felt. They hadn't descended yet. Were they waiting for something to die? He shifted a little. Maybe an animal had been wounded or gotten sick. Maybe it was suffering. He hesitated only briefly before deciding to investigate. Something felt wrong, and that feeling was only getting stronger. He'd learned long ago to trust his instincts. Standing up, cautiously began to follow the stream, slinking almost noiselessly through the jungle. As he made his way down it, he placed his hand on a rock to steady himself and felt something wet. He started, looking over, and pulled his hand away, turning it over to check. His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat. Blood.
Inwardly he cursed and began speeding up. What if the blood didn't belong to an animal at all? What if it belonged to one of his fellow ninjas? What if it was some explorer who had been injured? He reached the edge of a cliff and looked down only to gasp and go pale. There at the bottom lay a crumpled figure! He leapt quickly and nimbly down the cliff face. He thought at first that the person had fallen, but he saw blood on the rocks. That implied that whoever this was had climbed down. Why though? They would have been invisible to anyone who wasn't looking!
The boy reached the ground and looked towards the body again only to cry out in fear, terror filling his eyes. He recognized the crumpled figure. Oh gods. "Fukushima!" he exclaimed in terror. Terror? Shouldn't it be anger? He didn't really care to think about that right now though. Racing over and dropping to his knees, he rolled his old friend gently over and felt for a pulse. He found it, but it was very, very weak. He examined his old schoolmate quickly and froze. After a moment, he took Fukushima's arms and turned them around. Immediately he felt ill. Both wrists had been sliced open, the injuries bleeding profusely! The rock on which he'd first seen the blood had been sharp. That must have been were the cutting had taken place!
Pale and frightened, he looked at Fukushima's face. He felt anger well up inside him as he recalled what his schoolmate had done, and part of him screamed to leave him behind and let him bleed out, or even just finish him off all the quicker, but another part begged him not to. Begged him to save his friend's life. He didn't know which side to obey. He was so confused. Fukushima's eyes began flickering as the dying boy sensed the presence above him. They opened weakly and fell on the one who had found him. "Hirotaka…" Fukushima breathed, eyes becoming afraid but also desperate, almost begging the brother of his soul, the one whom he'd betrayed so callously, to stay at his side and comfort him until he passed on. "I am sorry," he whispered before passing out again.
KP
Hirotaka swallowed over a lump in his throat. He tried to leave, he really did. Traitors were banished, and Fukushima had dishonored himself and his family more than Hirotaka could even imagine. It was Fukushima's choice to end his own life. It was what his friend wanted. Hirotaka stood with a shaky breath and turned his back, starting to walk away, but stopped after only a few steps, tears in his eyes. He couldn't... He sniffed and looked back. He was going to hate himself for this, he knew he was, but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to care. Immediately he raced back to his friend's side and swiftly cleaned and bound Fukushima's wounds. He knew the heartache and panic that he would cause Yori, Hana, and Sensei when he didn't return at his scheduled time, but he wouldn't leave his friend to die here! He couldn't!
He stayed for two days... He did little more than tend to Fukushima, enduring the younger ninja's curses at him for interfering in the attempted suicide, listening to him sob and weep, letting his friend cling to him desperately and fearfully for comfort like a little brother looking to his older one for reassurance. He ignored the desperate calls of the other ninjas searching for him. He ignored the cries of his own sister when she begged him to answer her. He ignored the sound of her weeping not far away, Sensei trying his best to comfort her despite struggling with his own stress, but he didn't leave. Not until he was certain Fukushima had recovered and would not attempt something like this again.
All the while Fukushima had watched... Watched the grief and guilt etching his friend's face when he refused to answer those calling for him and when he heard his sister crying for him yet chose to do and say nothing. Fukushima was painfully aware, in face, the how hard and painful it was for Hirotaka to stay quiet and stay put trying to save him, and the younger boy had sworn to himself then that he would not take his brother's suffering for granted. He promised him he would stay alive. He promised him he would never again attempt to take his own life. Only then, when Hirotaka was convinced, did the older ninka return to Yamanouchi...
Hirotaka walked through the gates and was met with the joyous cries of his classmates and the relieved sobbing of Yori and Sensei, who for once lost his composure and let weakness show. He returned to a world of lies he now had to spin to explain his absence and all the absences that would come after, whenever he returned to the jungle with food and supplies for Fukushima, but he was alright with that. He had to be. This was the responsibility he had taken on, and he would not fail his once-friend again.
End Flashback
Fukushima knew how much Hirotaka had endured for him back then. He understood all his friend had risked for the sake of one who did not deserve such mercy. But even Hirotaka had his limit, Fukushima knew. "What will you do should the time ever come that you must fight me to the death?" he asked. Hirotaka gave him a sharp and warning look. "This is the last dark thing I will discuss with you," Fukushima promised.
Hirotaka was silent, considering the question. "Then I will fight you to the death, but I will not rejoice if I am victorious. I will stay at your side until Shinigami at last takes you. I will not forsake you again... A part of me feels I might even allow you victory, because the thought of killing any friend, even if that friend betrayed everything I knew and loved, is difficult for me to even imagine, let alone that friend being you," Hirotaka replied.
"Every part of me says my loyalty should be to Monkey Fist, yet I do not wish to betray those I have come to love either," Fukushima replied.
"You will find your answer in time," Hirotaka said.
"Or leap back and forth between the two sides for the rest of my life," he quietly said.
"Every bird will find its resting place eventually," Hirotaka replied.
"I know... But I do not want the nest I choose to be the one blown away by the wind," Fukushima said.
KP
Suddenly they heard something nearby and froze, going quiet and listening carefully. "Something is watching us," Hirotaka murmured after a moment.
"Then let us find it," Fukushima replied. Immediately he darted off.
"Fukushima, wait!" Hirotaka warned. He sighed then started after his friend, already far ahead, but was suddenly grabbed from behind before he could even start to pursue! He cried out in alarm as Monkey Shrieks rang out all around him. Monkey Fist!
Fukushima slid to a stop with a gasp and looked back upon hearing his friend's cry. His eyes widened in shock and horror. Monkey Ninjas! "Hirotaka!" he shouted, racing back. His friend was trying to fight off a group of almost ten of them! Fukushima drew his two sais. "Release him!" he furiously shouted. The monkey ninjas turned sharply and an entire group leapt at him shrieking. Fukushima gasped, dive-rolling backward and behind a boulder.
Suddenly a monkey howled in pain, stopping the ones who had been pursuing Fukushima dead in their tracks. Hirotaka had injured at least one of them worse than he had intended to. "Mistake, boy!" an all too familiar voice exclaimed. Hirotaka's eyes widened. Monkey Fist! With a gasp, Hirotaka spun around and barely managed to get up an arm in time to block a violent blow from a very unimpressed and ticked-off Monkey Lord who clearly wasn't impressed that one of his pets had been hurt.
Fukushima raced out from behind the rock as Hirotaka cried out in pain after a particularly harsh blow the older ninja hadn't been able to dodge. Desperately Hirotaka was blocked and dodged Monkey Fist's attacks. Fukushima arrived shortly after, attacking Monkey Fist and the ninjas as well. The two ninjas fought viciously back, working in sync with one another and quickly gaining the upper hand, leaving Monkey Fist to take on the brunt of the battle two to one.
Monkey Fist dodged an attack by Fukushima, grabbing his arm and throwing him to the side. He would have pounced on the boy, except Hirotaka tackled the noble to the ground and the two began rolling across it. Fukushima leapt nimbly up and ran to join in as Hirotaka cried out in pain. Something had pinched the back of his neck! He hoped it hadn't been a weapon.
Monkey Fist cried out in alarm as he was suddenly dragged off Hirotaka by Fukushima. "Kiko, now!" Monkey Fist ordered. The monkey ninja in question leapt down at Fukushima. Fukushima sensed it coming though and rolled out of the way, placing Monkey Fist above him. The Monkey Ninja, Kiko, landed on Monkey Fist and Monkey Fist cried out in pain as he felt a sharp pinch. "Not me. The boy!" he furiously shouted.
Kiko chattered an apology and leapt at Fukushima again, still believing she had the chip. Hirotaka waylaid her though, throwing the simian to the side as Fukushima tossed Monkey Fist. "Give up yet?" Fukushima taunted.
Monkey Fist scowled and looked at Kiko. "Were you successful?" he demanded. The ninja shrugged hopelessly, not entirely sure. She coded that she believed so, though. "Very well, I supposed I'll have to hope for the best. Let's go. We aren't looking for a battle just yet," Monkey Fist said. Immediately he and his ninjas sprang away, leaving the two ninjas alone.
KP
"Good, they are gone," Hirotaka said, regrouping with Fukushima.
"We should go after them!" Fukushima insisted.
"I do not think they are much of a concern just yet," Hirotaka replied. Uncomfortably he rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing.
"What is it?" Fukushima asked.
"I am not sure. Suddenly my neck feels very sore," Hirotaka replied uncertainly.
Fukushima checked it. "Hmm... I see nothing. Monkey Fist's attacks are heavy. He might have done some damage. Rest it and you should be fine," he said to his friend, shrugging it off. He began walking again, but Hirotaka wasn't so sure about Fukushima's diagnosis. He didn't doubt his friend's knowledge of maladies, injuries, and remedies, but Fukushima wasn't the one who was feeling whatever this pulsating, uncomfortable feeling on his neck was. It was certainly no injury he'd ever heard of. Maybe it would go away as Fukushima said though. He would monitor it closely. Shrugging, he followed Fukushima.