Disclaimer/AN: I don't own any of these characters and we all know they belong to SNK-Eolith-Playmore or whatever they are now. Well, been awhile… heh heh… actually lately I've been busy with school and getting over this weird skin condition/rash that the wacko doctors say I have. Well, if anything goes bad then you peoples will know why. In any case, sorry for leaving you guys hanging but these stupid-ass finals and the %$#@*$% 100 fever knocked the living daylights outta me. But that won't stop me from cheering for Watanabe-san at the AA. Saigo ni ganbatte~~! (g/l to the end!) :D
Warning: Just a tad bit more cussing than usual. Made me think that I'd need to up the rating a bit. Or just post this warning up instead. :P
*, if any, are translated at the end of the chapter.
Kyodai
For some reason everything around me at that time started to become sharp… like I could finally think from all the shit that happened. Everything was making sense again. The thing about Kula? About how I was feelin' miserable and crap? Nah, I wasn't feeling so bad when I was walking away then. Pissed off's more like it.
It was too damn simple. It went by too damn fast. Something was up. She could have wasted me as easily as I could've wasted her. That girl… she was holdin' out on me; that goddamn, beautiful girl was underestimating me again! Just like when she knew that I wouldn't blast away that god-forsaken cannon that freakin' 'Hitler' made. They all thought that I wouldn't be able to do it and they send her up there to die! "All in a day's work?" Bullshit! Dumbass NESTS! All of them! Even her!
They just wasted everything and laughed at those who gave a damn! Crazy-ass, faggoty, crackheads! Bloody, pansy-assed, shithead bastards! Fucking ass wipes! All that and she just--!
How could she allow herself to go into that hellhole? How could she even stand it? Didn't she know that she would get killed if she didn't do what they wanted? Didn't she know the real reason why that blue-dressed bitch hung around her all of the time?! Damned conscience… Goddamn it! Damn your ignorance! Why couldn't you see how they used you?!
"K'-san, wait up! Hey, you're walking too fast! Wait, maybe you're mad at me? Why are you so mad? Are you mad that I made you wait outside? Was it because I stopped your fight? No, I get it! You're upset that you saw-"
Shut the fuck up, Yabuki. I don't need to hear her name right now.
"-but, doesn't that blow that she gave you hurt at all? Look, you're dripping blood on the sidewalk... and it looks pretty bad. I thought you would've done something when you were standing next to her, so I didn't say anything right away. Hey, people are staring. They're saying that you got into a fight with a stray dog or something."
Stray dog? Heh, no… she was better than that. She meant more to me than that. She had hurt me in more ways than one… she was weak yet strong. She was beautiful yet stupid. She was everything that I saw before in me and more.
She was special. She was something to me… a once in the lifetime thing to me. Not going to forget her… ever.
Calmed down a bit when he took me somewhere that sold some medical shit and gave me the bandages. Yeah, she wasn't like any of those whiny whores at the beach. She was the only one who was willing to really try to thrash me. Sure, she was scared when I went out of it… but I was too, I guess. That hadn't happened in years… not since after that transfer.
Heh… sound like a sick bastard saying this… but she was so damn amusing when she got the shit scared outta her. First time that she ever looked real to me. Guess it was the first time I actually got a good look at her too. Most of the time I'm just waiting for her to hit me so I could counter anything that she threw at me. Never paid much attention to her face as much as I did right there. Made me realize how young she really was… and how much she could bleed.
I have to get my mind off of her. She's great and all, but she's makin' me feel soft again. Better to move on than to listen to myself yammer like one of the bitches.
So I cleaned myself up a bit and wrapped the bandages around the gash she did on my arm. Must've been jumping with an icicle… looked like it was aimed towards my neck this time. Must've been desperate. Tricky little thing she was. Think I smiled, 'cause Yabuki went to say,
"See? Doesn't it feel better to get your mind off the pain?"
For once I had to agree with him. Didn't feel like ripping anyone apart anymore. I was finally me again and not… whatever the hell I was earlier. God, I remembered a lot when I'm like that. Most of it was what would happen when I was done. Freaky-ass things could happen when I stayed like that. Like cannibalism.
I don't wanna lose control like that again.
Yeah, that's happened before… that damn Kuzunagi's DNA goes outta wack once in awhile because I'm not from their bloodline and I used the flame too much or some shit like that. First time it happened was during that mission; the second time made me wanna cut ties with NESTS. Don't remember any of the other times that it happened.
NESTS never makes anything good; there's always something wrong with something. Heard it's a thing that clones did when they were too jacked up somewhere. Whether it was the head, the body, or the whole damn process; they sure as hell didn't tell me. In my case, they could care less anyhow 'cause they were too damned high to do any god-forsaken research on it. They just labeled me as a goddamn clone and left it at that.
Goddamn it… I'm not a clone. All I did was get injected with Kuzunagi's damn DNA. I'm me…! Not some scientific puppet for those NESTS bastards!
…Maybe Maxima would know something about it… he cared more about NESTS than I did 'til they axed his best friend. 'Sides, this whole shit's been on my mind for a while. 'Bout time I knew more about it at least…
So it could never happen again.
Was about to get up again until Yabuki stopped me for some reason.
"I was going to give you these before but, well, y'know. At least you won't have to squint anymore with these."
Then he tossed me the shades. Orange. Guess they weren't bad 'cept orange wasn't really my thing. What the hell. He had a point at least; the damn sun was too much for me right now. So I wore the damn things. Still think I have them somewhere today; might wear them later just for the hell of it.
"…Thanks…"
"Hey, anytime for my KOF friend."
God, that word again. Knew how earlier I had no idea what the hell it meant… now it was kinda different. He kinda grew on me now, but the fact that he'd still be willing to kiss that Kuzunagi's ass marked him down on respecting him entirely. Grew a little uncomfortable by this and walked off. Was kinda annoyed that he followed me this time, but I didn't say anything. Least he didn't nag me like …Whip did all of the time.
Anyways, we walked off again for a little while. Who knew where we were going? I sure as hell didn't, but I was leadin' the way anyhow. Where the hell was Maxima anyways?
Came around to thinkin' about how these new emotions were finally startin' to make sense after I had fought with Kula. All of the memories comin' in too… they were related somehow. Part of the past that I had lost somewhere along the way… everything that I had doubted was makin' sense again.
Hell, I started to see why that women kept on repeating that damned lecture all of the time and why Maxima still hung around me. They cared. They really cared for me… and I didn't. And it frustrated the hell outta me. Was just like those rat bastards at NESTS.
Started to feel kinda bad then too… had that kinda feeling when I've felt like fucked up and it was really all my fault. Well, that's how I am but there's more to it now. I was just being the ass and sayin' that I would do as I pleased when all I did was whine and complain. Was just fillin' myself with empty pride when we'd smash a base somewhere. Went on sayin' that no one else could understand me when they went through the same crap at one point or another. NESTS brought us together in a sick way and all I was thinking about was being alone in the end.
Don't get me wrong. I still wanna hammer in NESTS and wreck their place up, but the reason why I wanna do it now wasn't just for that anymore. It was for the same reason why I wanted to see Maxima earlier.
I actually wanted to search for my own existence again. To find out who the hell I was besides some freak-ass experiment. To find a place where I belong. Some self-journey crap. I don't wanna talk or remember what I was thinking right now. Too damn soft and shit.
Sounded like an idiot thinking that I could change that easily. Just because of Kula… I was beginning to see who I was again?
Nah, didn't think so.
Anyhow, we were along the streets that outlined the slums for a little bit when this loud voice stopped us. So goddamn familiar too…
"Hey, K'!"
Turned and saw one of the guys that my whiny-ass sister hung around with when she was in the military. The one with the rag around his head and yelled a lot. Probably in this year's KOF with that guy in shades and that blue haired psycho. Never did like him too much… reminded me too much of those drunken hobos that were slagged in alleyways at night. The only thing that me and my whiny-ass sister agree on was hating this guy's guts.
Actually, I'm not even sure about that. She looked happy –a real happy and some Gandhi smile- when she talked to me about them. Annoyed her but never got on her nerves or something. Didn't care enough to listen…
Yabuki saved me the trouble of remembering this guy's name.
"Ah, Ralf-san! How have you been doing?"
"Pretty good, rookie! How's you're training going under (Kuzunagi)?"
"Well, it's like this—"
So they know each other. Big freakin' whoop. Zoned them out and kept an eye for any missiles coming my way from one of their crazy-ass helicopters. The guy got my attention again when he yelled something about NESTS.
"Know any places that they might be hiding?"
What an ass. How the hell should I know? Not even the bitches knew and they were always looking. Told him to suck up to someone else 'cause I sure as hell didn't know. Yabuki asked why he would think I would know and he said,
"Just a hunch."
In other words, 'I don't trust you even if you're her brother' or 'I'll beat the living shit outta you if anything happens to her'. Thought that I was gonna rat her out to NESTS and get her killed, huh? Now, that's damn hilarious. A real mind blower that was. Just beautiful. Not only is he paranoid as hell but he's condescending too.
"By the way, any of you know where Muchiko is?"
"'Muchiko'?"
"Whip, I mean."
Before I could answer, Maxima called up. It's different than a cell phone; it's something he came up with. Back then he thought that it was a good idea because the British were doing something like it with teeth implants. Made us wear it one of the buttons we had on our clothes. We got irritated with it eventually and use cellphones to rot our brains with now.
See, he made these 'convenient' transmitters so that he could use to reach us from "using the telecommunication and radio waves that his central brain system occasionaly picked up". Basically, all he had to do was open up a channel in his brain and we'd hear his thoughts in audio. Problem was that we couldn't respond back to him because it was a one-way network or somethin'. He said it was too much of a hassle to re-wire it since there was no one who could really do it for him properly. Heh, when I tried, we got to see cable for free every time he'd open his mouth. Kickass thing to joke around with. Fixed it within a week though, that lameass cyborg.
"NESTS got a hold on my location. Got to move fast. They could be after Whip and K' too."
That got my attention. Kula must've been sent after me for the same reason Maxima was being chased down. Who'd they send to tackle down Maxima? There couldn't be anyone left at that place with any muscle.
"Mmm… chocolate cake. Ah, damn! Can't think about that now!"
Laughed my ass off when I heard that. Good old Maxima. Always the sweet tooth maniac out of all of us. Yabuki and the military wannabe looked at me like I was a mad man when I ran off to the nearest bakery. This all didn't make sense but I didn't give a damn. Whatever the hell NESTS were up to just gave me another chance smash them up again.
I'll be the winner this time... it won't be interrupted and I won't lose. The only thing I had holding me back was Yabuki. Damned conscience nagged at me to listen to him but it's different now. He wasn't following me so I can be [myself] again.
Kula won't mess with my head again either. If I saw her, she's as good as any other NESTS. She'd go down hard and I wouldn't feel a damn thing. She's outta my system now 'cause I know what I was gonna do to her. I wouldn't feel so damned miserable about seeing her now 'cause I placed her together with NESTS. She wouldn't be a girl anymore 'cause I know that she was really a killing machine. She was special only because I'm the only one who would kill her.
Least that's what I told myself.
Yes! I'm trying to wrap things up and progress for the drawn-out ending is on the way. I say I need another week or so to make up a good chapter 'cause this one sucked ass. K' wasn't punkish enough. :P R/R or flame plze. They're my inspiration juice. :)