18: Power Shift

Dashing down the street, Kenji strove to make it to Uriko's house as fast as he could so they would not be any later for school than they already were. It had taken a while for her to regain her senses, near the time Cassandra had regained consciousness, but he cared not how it happened, merely that she was back in the real world again. Back where she belongs, he thought.

He made a quick hop and pushed off his powerful legs to soar into the air to a tree near fifty feet out, grabbed hold of a branch and flipped himself farther into the air, a sole projectile in the clear blue sky. While soaring he swivelled his body a few times, doing so only to keep his skills somewhat fresh in his mind, but also to view his surroundings, calculating his next move. He undertook the action of landing neatly onto another tree branch on the tip of his left foot only to launch himself back into the air to land on a nearby houses' roof. He then proceeded to dash again across the rooftops towards Uriko's house.

Please be ready Uriko....

* * *

Kenji's thought were in vain. Uriko was far from ready for school, hopping around the house on one foot while trying to put a sock on, crashing into multiple pieces of furniture. Alice was gone, at work at the hospital, so Uriko was the sole audience of her own commotion.

"Owwww!!" She cried, stumbling to the floor after stubbing her toe. "Grrrrr!! I'm never gonna get out of here!" I hope Kenji isn't gonna be too mad at me for us being late... She thought, her thoughts floating towards the young ninja. She envisioned his soft smile and his dark eyes, both of which she was striving to have him show more often, rather than the stoic face implemented upon his character by Busuzima. Stupid Busu-freak, making Kenji cold! She stuck her tongue out as if he were there, hate slowly welling up inside her. The throbbing pain in her toe brought her back to reality, however, and she pulled the sock on and got up to finish getting ready, hopefully, before Kenji arrived.

She swiftly got into her school attire, consisting mainly of a plaid blouse, white shirt with plaid overall-esque top and black dress shoes. She hated the uniform, but wore it only to appease both the school officials and Alice. She more enjoyed her fighting garb, its looseness giving her the unique freedom of movement she enjoyed so much. It was that sudden whoosh of cool air as she did a flying kick, or the way her bangs flew to the side when she leaped forward, or the way her opponent never knew exactly where her hands would come out of her sleeves to attack that gave her all her giddiness and joy in fighting. It was that freedom that she enjoyed, not the stupid conformity that she was forced to endure.

"Arrrrgggggggghhhhhhh!!! Where is it?!?" She cried in frustration, trying to find her knapsack, as well as all the scattered books that littered her bedroom floor. Crawling under her bed, making the recently ironed uniform wrinkled, she grabbed her history book at the same moment that she picked up the bathroom window being opened.

"Gaahh, Kenji's here already!" She muttered aloud, crawling back from under the bed to see him striding towards her room, a peeved look on his face.

"We're late." He said.

Yea, like I didn't already know that, she thought inwardly. "Just give me a few more minutes Kenji, please?"

We're already a half hour late... "Fine..."

"Thanks Kenji!!" she exclaimed, running to him and giving him a big hug while smiling. Kenji then departed the room and went downstairs to wait. Uriko hurriedly got the rest of her books, threw them into her knapsack, ran to the mirror to check her hair, then bolted down the stairs two at a time to the kitchen to grab some fruit.

"All right Kenji, lets go!" she yelled, running to the door and opening it only to find a bright flash of white light strike her full on. In the light she saw an ominous figure with gnarled arms that seemed to snake obscenely towards her, trying to drag her into the burning white light.

"Ahhhhhh!!" Uriko yelled, bolting upright from her bed in a panic of sweat. She looked about the darkened room, her eyes still adjusting to it from the bright light she had seen just moments before.

Was that all just a dream?

* * *

Elsewhere, the young man that Uriko Nonomura had just had a dream in which he was involved stood vigilant against the night sky. However, though physically the same person, mentally the teenager was far from what she dreamt him to be. He was not Kenji Ohgami, but rather Bakuryu, the dark assassin. His scarf swayed in the night air gently, its path as uncertain as that of his hostage.

"Yes Ohgami, your path is set for you. The slayer has awoken once again and now has initiated his dominance over you. No more will your true calling be denied, your true destiny." He said to himself, though directed at the trapped male in his subconscious. His cold black eyes glared at the moon as if to curse it from existence. He then surveyed the massive steel jungle before him, his eyes following random people, following their meaningless lives for mere seconds at a time.

"What a waste…" He spat. And with that he surged power to his legs and leaped into the darkness, bolting and springing from rooftop to rooftop, calculating his next move…

* * *

His mind awakening to the dawning of a new day, Rouche opened his weary eyes to the dim light of the room he had resided in for what had seemed years. He wiped the soft crust from his eyes and yawned lightly, his eyes focusing on the sleeping female before him. A warm smile swept across his features as he took in the beauty bestowed before him. "To think that she was experimented on…" He said sofly.

A sudden knock came, Jack jerking his head to the noise and noticing Yugo leaning against the doorframe, a slight look of dismay upon his face, though he tried to cloud it. "How are you two doing?" He asked plainly, his gaze set upon the dragon.

"She hasn't woken yet, and I've just woken now. After last night with her coming to, I'm not sure what happened, but something clicked inside me and I don't think I've slept that well in ages." He responded, pushing against the arms of the chair to rise and stretch his tired and aching limbs.

"You really shouldn't sleep in chairs like that; you'll kill your body and muscles." The wolf said teasingly, stepping into the room and crossing his arms across his chest as he looked to the bed again. "I still don't know what to make of that night, Jack, but you've certainly changed a lot since then. I don't know if it's for the better or not, but I'm at least glad that you're with us."

"I'm not entirely sure either Yugo, but I know that indeed it has changed me." He replied, cracking both his neck and back, causing the wolf to cringe from the sounds and sight.

"I have no idea how you can do that…"

"Crack my bones? I've done it since I was little; it relieves tension of body and mind."

"It's still not healthy…" A light-toned voice chimed in. Soon following was Alice, entering the room with chart in hand. "How's she been Jack, or do you know?"

"I've just woken and I can't say for certain, though it seems as if she's slept as well as I have." He answered as she ran her routine of checking her patient. He noticed how the rabbit went about her ways, smirking lightly to himself as he connected her with her rabbit counterpart moreover. She was cute indeed with her looks and seemed to always have a cheerfulness about her that rarely seemed to sway. And while she was quick with her work, it was still accomplished satisfactorily by her peers. Quite an interesting one she is.

"Hm…" She muttered, looking over her patient and noting things in her chart, checking the various machines for heart rate, blood pressure and such. "Well, according to the readings and what the tests from earlier read out, she seems fine. My supervisor still isn't sure how she could've pulled out of the coma that early; by all calculations she should've been under for clear over six months, but then again it's still amazing she even survived Hajime's experiments to begin with." She flipped through the pages of the chart again and looked at her face for a moment before turning to face the dragon. "What did she say her name was?" She asked him, a slight furrow in her brow.

Furrowing his brow in turn, Jack strained to think of what she had said the night before. So much had happened in such short time, he turning his head aside slightly as he pushed his memory to recall her name. "Something with a 'C'…"

"Carrie?" Yugo pitched.

Jack shook his head with eyes closed, his mind watching her lips move yet he hearing no sound yet. "Similar, but that's not it."

"Did she give a last name Jack?" Alice asked, flipping through her chart again to see if she had written down the name.

"Calim?" Yugo asked.

"That's not similar…" Jack responded coldly, glaring lightly to the wolf, watching as he raised his hands a bit.

"Sorry, sorry… Um… Carrie… Cassie? No…"

"Cassie?" Jack murmured. He thought back again and her words drifted forth from his memory. "Cassandra!" He exclaimed, a bright smile upon his face as it matched her words in his mind.

"Cassandra? I was just about to say that!"

"Shut your mouth boy…" The booming voice of the lion sounded, Yugo cringing from it a bit as he turned his head to spot the large man leaning against the doorframe. "Cassandra was indeed the name she gave."

"Hm… Well, unless we can get a last name out of her, there's no way to find out who she really is." Alice informed them all. "There's probably several hundred Cassandra's in the city, let alone there being at least twenty on my watch alone, ironic as that is." She put the pages back in place on her chart with a light sigh. "Well, I'm off to my lunch break, I figured I'd see how she was doing and see if you knew her last name so I could run a search to get to know her more. Yugo, you gonna join me?"

"Sure, I could go for food." He answered, averting his eyes from Gado, half expecting a retort to come from his mouth.

"Then let's get going…" She said, grabbing hold of his arm and dragging him out of the door. "Bye Jack, we'll be back in a bit!" She yelled from the hallway.

"Stop pulling so hard, you'll rip my arm off and I need it!!"

"How are you faring my friend?" The lion asked, choosing to remain where he was.

"As well as can be expected, and yourself?"

"No leads have been found as to where Hajime has stowed away to; Shenlong's informants are running dry as of late and Jenny has yet to have found Goldberg either. If he still lives, he's either still recuperating, or she believes he may find ways of contacting us before we may be able to find him first."

"Mm… Somehow I feel that he's still alive, though how I'm not certain. And yes, I do agree with her that he'll find us long before we're able to find him; insect as he may be, if he's still alive he's hiding in the shadows again. If anything, we'll find him again when Hajime surfaces, as he'll go after him for holding him for his experiments again."

"Very true, and a keen observation; duly noted. I'll have Jane and Long go on the hunt for any facility that might harbor Hajime or his research again. He'll be another hiding in the shadows for now, especially after the attack we launched and the damage you inflicted after your transformation." Gado stated, his eyes watching as Jack's eyes looked away at the mention of his transformation. He could only imagine what was running through the dragon's mind right then, but he cared little at the moment as he was more concerned of the matters at hand. "What shall you do, stay with her? Or do you wish to help our search?"

"I'll stay by her side until she wakes again so I can seek more information from her. After that I'll help with the search; I'll have Yugo inform you if I don't myself." He answered, stepping towards the lion and offering his hand. "I assume by your tone and questions that you're to be off for a time?"

"For a time yes," He replied, taking Jack's hand in his own and shaking firmly. "Stay well and my condolences to her when she wakes. We'll be in touch." With that he released his hand and nodded slightly, turning and disappearing into the hallway, his great footsteps fading slowly as Jack turned to face the still sleeping woman he had rescued what seemed so long ago.

"Rest, but wake soon; there's much to be done…"

* * *

Moving through the shadows of rooftops, the Unborn strode away on quickened heels, hearing of the sleeper awakening briefely, the one that had been taken away from Hajime's facility several months ago. How dare they take away the host for my sister's soul! He cried internally, infuriated that they would proceed with those plans to prevent him from succeeding in resurrecting his sister from her long slumber, to awaken her to smite the world and have all the unborn awoken again to reign over the earth. He stopped atop a skyscraper and raised his head with eyes closed in rage, screaming out to the heavens for all to hear. His lungs soon gave out after a long stretch of time, opening his eyes to the blazing sun, ignoring the brightness and directing his white-blotched gaze to the specks below, seeking out through his senses the minute few who harbored the symbols of zoanthropes.

"They'll all pay with their lives for their treachery, for their insolence and the pain they've caused me." Xion seethed. He needed to find that insane chameleon and pour forth his efforts to reclaim the host of his sister, to hold her in his possession for when she would become his sister once more. "She shall take hold and we shall rule these worthless souls for all eternity." He spat, taking to the move again and dashing to a space to fall to the ground, his coat billowing beneath the wind as he hit the concrete with fist and knee, quickly pushing and dashing again into the shadows to seek out the evil scientist and his new facility to hatch his scheme of attaining the one the dragon had 'rescued'. "She'll be mine again, dragon, just you wait…"

* * *

Another crept through the shadows, but not hastily like that of the Unborn; he moved slowly and with heavy-trodden footsteps. He was kin per say to Xion, though he denied such statements. He was the first of unnatural born zoanthropes, originally the scientist Stephen Goldberg, though he preferred Stun. He shuffled through the alleyways, staring up at the buildings around him, all abandoned factories and warehouses, long lain dormant and serving as his shelter for the time being. Torn cloth adorned him, serving as bandages for his still healing wounds. Though it was several months ago that he had been freed from Busuzima's grasp, the aftereffects of his experiments upon the insect still took their toll. He closed his eyes and placed a clawed hand to his throbbing head, the pain barely tolerable.

Perhaps the rabbit nurse can aid my injuries to quicken my recovery… He thought, remembering the wolf boxer Yugo as being her significant other. If I contact either him or Burtory, I may be able to locate Hajiime as well to exact my vengeance. With that thought in mind, he shuffled back into the shadows to the warehouse he was using as his residence.

It was a rank and shambled building, in a time a-past being used as a warehouse for large bulk items of commercial use. Now its barren walls stood with panels missing here and there, the roof allowing shafts of light to stream through as panels had fallen through from above as well. Very little filled the massive building; a few random chairs, large shelves, some fallen over, while elsewhere a rusted and dry forklift sat with the remnants of a skid still upon its teeth. He continued to move, lurching downwards to sit upon a stool, clawed hands upon his knees as he exhaled a raspy sigh. His stomach rumbled its discontent and he found himself wondering as to just how long it had been since he had eaten sustenance of any kind. Too long…

Suddenly his hands grasped his head as a pain shot up his spine to throb strong in his temple, his yellowed eyes wide with the pain. "Ggggrrrrrrrrrrrr… grrrrrrrrrrryaaahhhhhaaaaaaaaaaagghhhh!!!! Uurrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh…" He let loose, inhaling sharply whenever the pain subsided for the brief moments it did. "Hhuuuuuuuuhhhhnnn… Eeeeghhhhhhhhhhhgg… gyaaaaaaaaaaaaahhghh!!" Su… Such p-pain! Why?!

And yet, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it subsided. His claws raked in agony at his head, tearing at the bandages about his head, they falling to the dust and dirt-ridden floor as he tore at his heaving chest next. His shirt fell just as silently as the bandages, but he himself was all but quiet. His rage mounted uncontrollably at the pain that was dissipating, a golden aura building about his body, small bolts shooting off randomly, sparking against the metal infrastructure. His eyes shone a deathly white through his golden hue as his arms stretched upwards as if to tear down the heavens themselves. His screams continued to echo off the metal walls, more panels falling to the great force building within.

Bearing down and slamming his clawed fists to the ground in a mixture of both rage and pain, Stun was determined to end the torture his weakened body was being put through, his mind unsure as to what was exactly happening. He slammed the concrete again and again, the aura ever-brightening, shining more so from his rage and fury. Why… won't… this… "SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPP!!!!" And yet his screams were dulled to silence as a magnificent white flash tore through the warehouse, the panels about the roof either sailing outwards or shattering.

As the light began to die down, the insect zoanthrope known as Stun sat kneeled upon the ground, his body still white with the aftereffects. Yet he was not in his 'human' form, but rather that of his beast. And yet even his beast was somehow different, for on its back was emblazoned the Sign of the Beast, his that of the horned beetle. As he pushed against the heated concrete, he pushed himself to standing, feeling the energy surging through his veins. He looked at his claws, now not their natural blue hue, but rather a dark crimson red. What's happened to me? Staring up to the now visible sky, his thoughts turned to that of Hajime, his instincts telling him to take advantage of his newfound power and use it to its full extent.