Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Yeah I've been out and there's been gaps... many, many gaps... I had writer's block and too many personal problems to count and I was too ashamed to admit it as well. However, the inconsistency must stop now! I'll do my best... --()
Chapter 10: Vacationing is for Wussies!
Every tournament in the past has had one thing in common. They were hosted by a maniacal madman/madmen and the world was usually at stake... Not to mention the fact that they were all just a preface to this current tournament. However, unlike tournaments past, this tournament is held for two distinctly different reasons.
The Yagami Kasumi/Kusanagi Athena alliance holds strong, as their dreams of grandchildren and married bliss of their children are only steps, and perhaps only a few years away. On the other hand, dreams of world conquest and power are just as close to Rugal, the seemingly harmless modern day pirate with an explosives complex. This is their fuel, their drive, and the very reason for existence. Sure, they sound crazy, but who doesn't sound crazy when they're in search of their dreams? Is it really crazy to resurrect an evil god and holding a fighting tournament to make your dreams come true?
Well, they certainly don't think so...
Somewhere within the Kusanagi mansion, a lone warrior has taken a stand against impossible odds. Facing certain death, he stares at the grisly reminder of his mortality, but instead of quailing like many other mortals, for he is no ordinary mortal, he laughs, and fights for his freedom and for his life, and most importantly for his own happiness. However he is not laughing now as he is fighting a losing battle, a first ever for Kenji.
"Mom, you can't do this! It's not within your power, it can't be!" Kenji shouted. "There's no way we're going camping with the Yagamis!"
Athena only continued reading her book "Wedding Planning for Dummies", slowly turning the pages, making sure to 'internalize' the information. "It was your father's decision dear. He thought it'd be good training for all of us..."
"Us...? Oh... right. Us." Kenji mentally stumbled but recovered himself as quickly as he could. Sometimes he would forget that both of his parents were fighters and even his little sister was in a fighting tournament. He turned to his dad, who was calmly drinking his morning cup of tea with a side of lemon and lime. Usually he would have the lemon, but today he felt like a celebration is in order for this rite of passage, which would be Kenji and Hikari's first camping trip.
"Dad... Please! You can't do this! Rina's gonna find a way to shoot me on this camping trip!"
Kyo looked at him skeptically. "We're going fishing for the most part, Kenji. "
"Exactly!" Kenji replied in an exasperated breath. "Can't I just stay home and train with the others?"
Athena instantly denied him this much and the case was closed. She made it clear only because he had brought up the subject of the guys, which consisted of Hayato and Takashi. She knew how much damage and lack of training that they would participate in while everyone was gone. Although Kenji was the responsible type, Athena felt that there was something about the other two that brings out the more irresponsible side of his mild-mannered son...
Kenji sat down in his chair, a plate of eggs and bacon and a cup of orange juice sat in front of him, teasing and taunting him, as if it knew full well that although it may be chewed up and digested by Kenji, it would be the last meal the young man would ever eat.
"Oh, almost forgot..." Kyo finished his tea and popped both the fresh, lemon and lime slices in his mouth. "No electronics whatsoever!" he stated firmly as he chewed.
And suddenly things seemed much worse for Kenji.
In the master bedroom, Kyo jumped high into the air with a war cry, his face vivid with rage at the damnable suitcase. He landed with his elbow out, effectively closing the suitcase altogether. Athena nimbly shut the extra-padded heavy-duty locks. The suitcase itself was extremely durable so there was no real danger of the locks breaking in half or the suitcase for that matter.
"Do you really have to pack all this?" Kyo asked as Athena pecked him lightly on the cheek as her thanks.
"Well, you plan on roughing it don't you?" Athena asked. She pulled out a clipboard and began checking off various items.
"Well yeah..."
"And you don't plan on having anything on you except the clothes off your back and your wits and looks to guide you, correct?" Athena asked as she placed a hand on her hip while she held the clipboard against her side.
"Yes, and may I add, which didn't include you in the first place! It was just suppose to be me, Kenji, Hikari, Rina, and Iori... I still don't see why you're coming with us at all..." Kyo stated defiantly.
Athena game him a coy look before she sauntered over to him, effectively closing the gap between them, wedging her petite body in between his hips. She looked up at him expectantly and saw to her surprise that he didn't have his usual goofy face on.
"Hmm... maybe I need a shorter skirt..."
"Athena, I'm serious! This was supposed to be training trip, we're not supposed to bring anything from the modern world to help us survive in the wild." Kyo replied gruffly. "I know you mean well, but right now Kenji and Hikari need all the help and support I could give them!"
"As if they didn't need mine?" Athena replied angrily. "I know not everything's sunshine and roses right now and that they need you, but Hikari needs me as her mother and the same goes for Kenji!" Athena scolded him. She walked over to the window as peered out into the clear expanse of the sky. "You've always had Kenji to yourself, teaching him how to be a man, how to fight, shave, and whatnot. I just wanted to be involved. And Hikari is growing up to be a young woman—"
"Don't say it! She's still into Barbies!" Kyo shouted over her as he plugged his ears with his index fingers. "If I don't hear you, it doesn't exist!"
Athena stalked over to him and pulled his fingers out and looked him straight in the eye. "Shut up and let me finish... It's happening. She's growing up and she's becoming too powerful."
"Wha? I'm sorry, I don't quite understand—"Kyo stumbled but Athena only shushed him with her finger.
"Iori told me. Did you actually think I wouldn't figure out that your little business trip with Iori back when Hikari was just born; was just a ruse? I know the whole story, and why you're so insistent on training him. But haven't you stopped to think that maybe I could have helped too? Both Kenji and Hikari have two distinctly differently powers. They need to know both sides of their heritage so they can better manage their abilities if things do get worse for the wear. And speaking of which, I think Hikari's getting there."
Suddenly, the images of Hikari training incessantly in the backyard and the training hall were conjured up from the memories of both Kyo and Athena. Neither one of them could forget the amount of power that she displayed in her first tournament fight either. Although they expected her to do her best, which is what she did in this case, neither of them could have foreseen the amount of raw, and possibly latent, power their youngest child seems to possess.
"I wasn't even close to half her power when I was her age. It's happening Kyo and I don't want you to do this alone." Athena proclaimed with absolute conviction. Her demeanor softened for a moment for what she what was about to say next. "Kyo, you've always been alone, doing what you had to do, doing what was expected of you. You don't have to do that anymore."
Kyo stood there transfixed by Athena, although this wasn't the first time he was captivated by this goddess of a woman, the implications of what she had said sinking into him. "But... Why didn't you ever say anything before? I never meant to exclude you from our kids' lives..."
Athena smiled brilliantly. "Love is trust. And you know how much I love you. But as it stands, I will step in if things do get worse for the wear." She embraced him and he followed suit, placing his chin lightly on the top of her head. Athena forced herself not to break down in emotion, because she truly meant what she had said. Even at times like this, she is still shocked at the love and devotion she would feel towards this man.
"I'll do all I can for Kenji and Hikari. But if I can't handle it, I'll know where to go..." Kyo said softly, his arms encircling Athena's waist, and his nose directly over her strawberry scented hair.
"Ariagatou."
For a moment they just stood there holding each other, the two of them renewing their vows in their own mind they had took nearly twenty years ago, remembering that they will always have each other for better or worse.
"Was that a fight?" Athena asked idly.
"I think so... we made up though, right?" Kyo asked warily.
"Mhmm..." Athena replied as she snuggled into his chest more, purring all the while and driving Kyo insane. "That's right..." she answered seductively.
"Yeeeeaaah... do you think we have time...?"
Suddenly a loud horn blared. It was obviously whom it was, as the sound was accompanied by a loud yell. Only one person would dare to drive up to Kyo's mansion and fluently curse out the inhabitants.
"C'mon! The bears aren't going to run into us by accident you know!" Iori screamed at the top of his lungs, his head sticking out from the side of the window. He crossed his arms and leaned into the passenger's side of Kasumi's SUV. It may be strange to the passing eye, but he never liked SUVs. He preferred his cars the same way he prefers his women and meals, and that's fast.
As his arms touched along his chest he quickly recoiled as he remembered the offending material he had to wear. Even though he was attired in his normal everyday-wear, the offending orange vest and fisherman's hat was packed along with the other things in the car. He was expected to wear that if he wanted to go hunting at all. Even though it was his idea to hunt he was still coerced to wearing the damn thing.
Kasumi suddenly stopped dancing and bobbing her head along to the beat of the radio long enough to notice the demeanor of her husband. "Something the matter?"
"......" Iori didn't say anything but he did grumbled under his breath, not unlike a little kid after being denied something.
Kasumi smiled as she her husband's reaction to the orange vest early that morning. Her smile widened further at his demeanor now. "Don't be a baby. If it makes you feel any better, I managed to douse the vest and hat in red paint!" She poked at his side with the tip of her index finger. Iori just sulked and leaned closer to the door. She just giggled and began to poke and tickle at him relentlessly.
"Ah, get off! Get off!" However his anger didn't sound as menacing as he was forced to smile from the onslaught. At times like this, he wondered why he had to marry someone that could tickle him into submission. But he would always remember the other things she could always do so well with those fingers... Cooking, sewing, and lock picking just to name a few.
"See, it won't be so bad!" Kasumi said smugly as she stopped her senseless attack. Iori only nodded as he tried to wipe the damn smile off, or at least turn it into one of his many trademark smirks. Meanwhile in the backseat, Rina only grumbled to herself, something about immature parents.
Suddenly in the distance, Kyo and family were finally packed with their things and out the door. Everyone had to carry their own bags as they made their way to Kasumi's car, except for Hikari and Athena. Athena was simply using her psycho powers to carry her bags. Hikari was doing much the same but she was having a slight problem keeping the bags afloat for a long time. Although she conceded for help from her mother, Athena was still impressed how quickly she had picked this technique up, especially since she only taught it to her just a while ago.
"Gee, can't exactly call this 'roughing it' if you ask for your chauffeur to help you drive all your expensive Italian luggage to the campsite." Iori commented snidely.
"You're one to say, letting you wife drive you around in that new SUV (no offense Kasumi-san). And besides, you brought this luggage for me as a wedding gift!" he replied good-naturedly. Kyo chuckled at Iori's owlish expression. "You're a kind drunk, what can I say?"
Athena had already pulled up their car, a nicely suped-up SUV. From the look of it, the vehicle could be use for black ops. It was entirely black, with its windows shaded. The outside seemed almost heavily armored and the front looked as if it could ram down a heavily padded metal gate. Hikari immediately helped Athena pack their things into the car.
"I gotta get me one of those..." Kasumi muttered, causing Iori to gaze at her strangely. "What? Look at that thing! It's huge!" Kasumi giggled like a schoolgirl at the thought of driving it around and finally getting revenge on the entire population of male, road rage prone drivers that always seemed to pester her while on her way to work and such.
"All right, I'm finished!" Hikari stated triumphantly. Athena at this point was finished as well.
"Good job honey!" Athena replied. "Let's get going!'
"Yay..." Kenji replied darkly. Before he was about to open the passenger side doors, he shot one last look, pleading one last time to his father. But Kyo was adamant on his training, as well as Hikari's.
"Hey, Kenji? Come over here for a sec! I got a surprise for you!" Rina shouted from her seat. Her tone was surprisingly cheery. It also occurred to Kenji that her tone had raised a few bars and was almost tempting in some strange manner (that would be considered alien compared to her nature). It was the kind in which he'd find it impossible to even relate with Rina, but perhaps of Mai Shiranui in her hey-day, when she wanted to do that sort of thing that is.
Iori watched the whole exchange with unabashed interest. "Go on Kenji! The nice girl is offering you a treat!" Iori snickered; causing Kenji to put aside his logical dread for a sturdier pair of brass ones which radiate pure unadulterated recklessness found commonly in most men his age.
He walked towards the door all the while Rina was smiling coyly. Kenji was prepared for the worst, but what he wasn't prepared for was when she suddenly ducked under his sight when he had reached the door. However, his arm was already in motion, overriding his logic circuits. As soon as he opened the door, he could see Rina dressed in military fatigue. She lay flat on her back with her legs raised slightly at an angle. Her feet, fashioned in ninjitsu style boots to cover the sounds of footsteps, were placed together. As it happened, a bow was drawn and an arrow was nocked. Her feet held the bow in place while she used both of her hands to hold onto the string and keep the arrow in place.
Before he was able to react verbally Rina let the arrow go and laughed at it flew right at Kenji's crotch. But however shocked he was, a surprise attack from an enemy could never truly jar his battle reflexes, and with his recent training there are still as sharp as ever if not more so. He quickly jumped into the air, performing a perfect split kick with his feet parallel to the sides of his body, and narrowly avoided the arrow. As he landed, Kenji heard a loud hissing sound. He turned around and his jaw dropped as he realized that the arrow had planted itself into the side of a tree, and it was beginning to melt away.
"THAT THING HAD AN ACID TIP?!" Kenji shouted to no one in particular.
"Damn... well, l still got the whole trip to get that shot right..." Rina murmured in a slightly disappointed tone.
"Wow, she's really dedicated..." Hikari mumbled to her mother. Athena only shook her head. If those two weren't so headstrong, or at least menacing on Rina's part, her job wouldn't be so difficult. She laid back in her passenger seat as she involuntarily daydreamed about Kenji and Rina having a romantic dinner under the moonlight, while confessing their undying love for each other...
"Yeah... isn't it romantic?" Athena replied dreamily. Hikari glanced at her, wondering what was wrong with her mother.
"That's my baby girl!" Iori cheered as he pumped his fist into the air. He even high-fived Rina, causing an even deeper sensation of dread in the young Kusanagi. Kenji gave one last look to his father, but once again Kyo shook his head. And with that last valiant effort, they were off to the campsite.
"Supplement log, dated Monday, the fifth. I don't know how long it's been... the days have been so long and the nights have been much worse. Everyone's gone... I'm the only one left. I've been waiting for help to arrive for months but no luck. I really shouldn't say this but I knew this would never turn out well. I also shouldn't admit this... but I am so scared..."
"KENJI! What did I just say about using my damn camcorder!?" Kyo shouted in the distance. Kenji sat on a stump, his face only inches away from the camcorder. Kyo had sternly said no electronics but his oldest child had to disobey him and somehow smuggled it into the car when he wasn't looking.
"I told you, someone needs to know what happened if I don't make it back alive!" Kenji shouted back. Kyo only shook his head as he concentrated on removing his wife's personal belongings from the car.
All the others were unpacking their belongings while taking the time to enjoy the scenery all around them. Even Rina was enjoying the sun and the clouds as she pulled out several black duffel bags from her family's SUV; each one bore menacing skulls and crossbones that were etched on both sides.
"It's such a nice day!" Athena gushed as she began to set up camp. It was agreed that they would stay near the lake. Iori however had other ideas.
"I still say we should be where the bears are!" he growled as he stormed in and out of the camping site, torn whether to stay with his family or go in search of his prey.
"What is this obsession of yours, Iori?" Kyo asked.
Iori turned his back to the others and spoke in such a low tone that even Kasumi had trouble hearing him, despite the fact that she stood right next to him.
"A lifetime ago I went on a training session with my father. It was exactly like this... peaceful. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the birds were soaring and chirping. It was enough to sicken me... I should have known that it was to be a cursed day. I still can't believe I miss all the signs. I mean; a ladybug landed on my goddamned finger!" Iori shouted as his raged with his arms in the air.
"Um... aren't they supposed to be good luck, dad?" Rina asked suspiciously. "I remember it was supposed to be some sort of good omen..."
"Don't be foolish Rina!" Iori yelled at her. "They're the harbingers of doom to us Yagami! And the same goes for you Kasumi!" He motioned to her, causing a slight look of worry and apprehension to cross her features. He straightened himself out and began where he had left off. "Anyway, we were on a hunting trip to test out strength. My father insisted we hunted in the night. We were off and we found what we were looking for, but there was... it was something I didn't expect to happen. My father—"
"Your father was killed wasn't he?" Kyo asked sympathetically.
"NO! Geez, I wish! Do you know how many happy birthdays I would have had if he had died so soon?! And don't interrupt. Anyway, he chained me to a tree after he doused me in honey-barbecue sauce! He ran off and said that if I survived I'd be a worthy son for him to actually raise!"
"Wait a sec... how old were you then?" Athena asked sharply.
"I dunno... At least four, that much I'm sure of. That was when my mother gave me my lucky red hat..." Iori added wistfully. His eyes then narrowed dangerously as his memories crossed more turbulent terrain. "Then that bear! The bear batted me around and took my hat! I never forgave that bastard and his kind!"
"Hmm... explains your hatred to Pooh Bear." Hikari joined in as she reminisced the days when he would take her Pooh related items and burn them for all to see. But not right in front of her, he was actually caught raiding her room by her mother, dressed in black with a pantyhose/mask over his head. He wasn't that much of a monster to destroy a child's possession in front of the owner of said item.
"From that day forth, I swore revenge! I will find that bear and kill him!" he shook his fist into the sky and screamed. "You hear that!? I WILL KILL YOU!"
"Suddenly it feels like English class, with Moby Dick..." Kenji chuckled. He had long put down the camcorder to see what the fuss was about.
"Watch it brat! Or I'll use you as bait!" Kenji raised his hands in mock surrender and wandered off. Everyone had the right idea to finish up setting camp. Afterwards the jobs were given out within seconds. Kasumi, Athena and Hikari were to do some fishing, but nothing was really expected from them since Iori and Rina had left to find firewood and hunt for anything edible in the woods. Kyo and Kenji were to cook anything that was caught. Until then, they would also take advantage of the time being and begin their training.
"Is it true that we have to eat deer?" Hikari asked as she made a slightly disgusted face.
Athena laughed lightly. "No, we could have fish too! Want to help me and your Auntie Kasumi?"
"Yeah!" Hikari cheered, sounding much like her mother but only smaller and younger.
"Hah, this'll be easy! I've been doing this since I was a kid!" Kasumi said smugly. Knowing that they would be roughing it, she had worn a simple two-piece bathing suit underneath her jeans and t-shirt for this exact situation. She had long taken off her gray and white sweater since it was getting a little warm. She had taken off her jeans and ran into the water like a carefree child. "Whoo-hoooo!!"
Athena watched on, not exactly sure what to say. "Um... Kasumi? What are you doing?"
"Just watch! Be ready to catch any fish that you see!" Kasumi cried out as she steadied her body in the water. She focused her breathing and remained as still as possible for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly she lashed out, her arms were raised high into the air. A giant arc of energy rained down from the heavens and struck deep into the water. Almost immediately a semi-loud explosion could be heard as the water temporarily had split asunder, letting the ground be seen for several seconds. However the most shocking part had been the fish. The fish had exploded from the water like they had been shot out of little cannons when the explosion had first sounded. Luckily, Athena and Hikari were watching closely like Kasumi had advised and they were able to catch all those that had flew into the air with relative ease.
Kasumi turned around, her t-shirt wrapped tightly around her waist was now wet, as were her entire body. The explosion of water had soaked her thoroughly but she was smiling like a loon. "I haven't done that in ages! I'd do it again if it weren't for the fact that we have enough to feed a small army!"
Athena laughed and nodded her agreement. "Hey Hikari, wanna get in the water? I packed a few extra sets of clothes for us to change into!"
"All right! I finally get to put those swimming lessons to use!"
Somewhere far away, in two distant locations, two different men with two different agendas turned in the same direction. They were at different locations but they turned nonetheless to one certain location. Their mission temporarily forgotten, they watched intently in that one direction, as if expecting something to happen if one of them stared long enough.
"Watery... t-shirt..." Iori mumbled, one hunger roused and the other placed aside for this new, more insatiable hunger. Rina only looked at him, bemused and slightly awkward that once again she had to be reminded of the fact that her parents were sexual beings of sorts. She silently prayed to whichever god may be listening for the simple days of believing her parents to be asexual to return to her in a giant haze of light.
"......" Kyo said nothing as he stayed in his battle position. Kenji didn't notice his father's odd swaying, and paid it no mind, especially since he had begun to lose his grip on reality. With a roar that that didn't even break his father's trance, Kenji launched himself at his father full force.
"I'm so sorry! I thought it was just another test!" Kenji kept apologizing as Athena continued to bandage Kyo's ribs. "You know, you always do that thing where you turn your head, and I'd think you're open, but you're just blocking all my hits without even looking at my direction!"
"It's okay son... it only hurts when I breathe, that's all." Kyo replied. Athena instantly slapped him in the head. "Hey! I'm damaged goods here!" he replied in mock hurt.
"Don't make your son feel bad for your wandering eyes!' Athena joked.
"Well, if you weren't so far away, my eyes wouldn't wander so far to find you." Kyo replied smoothly. With that, he smoothed back the hair from his face all the while leaning his head slightly to his right. A patented Kusanagi move taught only to the true heirs of the family, it is truly a devastating move in its own right. Athena's immediate blushing and giggling only attested to that.
Taking it as his cue to leave his parents' tent, he walked outside to where the sun was slowly dipping into the horizon. Some of the stars were beginning to show, where the sun had only been hours before. He noticed how peaceful things were but dismissed the paranoia. He didn't know where Rina was but he'd rather not let the idea of her hunting him like Bambi's mother mar this beautiful sunset.
"Hey, Kusanagi Jr.!"
Kenji turned around at the insult and the fact that Rina was close behind him. She was being too stealthy for his tastes. Rina in fact was only a few feet away from him, standing under a tree with her arms crossed behind her back, putting several inches of space between her back and the tree. She was dressed much differently compared to this morning. For one thing, she wasn't dressed in combat fatigue like earlier.
Rina had on a perfect replica of her father's jacket (most likely his in the first place). The sleeves were unbuttoned and they hung slightly loose from her arms, and it hung slightly past the outer most curves of her hips, but overall it was a perfect fit. Underneath the jacket she wore a white spaghetti strap tank top, which looked hardly adequate for battle, let alone every day use. She had on a pair of black jeans hastily cut, leaving it to look more like a pair of short shorts. The only thing that seemed familiar to Kenji, were the boots she wore from earlier. They were very thin and light, allowing for light, stealthy movements, and most important of all speed. As his eyes traveled up, he noticed a choker around her neck. It wasn't all that large but it made her neck look almost delicate.
"New outfit?" Kenji asked. He had meant to sound casual but he noticed his voice had just peaked a bit, making him sound as if he had just hit thirteen all over again.
"Sort of. My dad wants me to represent the Yagami as a Yagami should. In other words, nothing casual like before." Rina commented as she walked slowly towards him. Kenji stood perfectly still as she circled around him like a vulture. Kenji's back straightened out when she had placed a hand in between his shoulders. She stood on her toes and whispered into his ear while she led a finger down his spine.
"I guess wearing a t-shirt and jeans didn't cut it for him." she whispered heavily. "What do you think? Do you like it?"
Kenji swallowed back his nervousness and forced himself to think of something else to keep his fear at bay. What fear, you may ask? For one, he had no idea what she was up to! Okay, square root of a million... square root of a million... divided by 54! Okay! Kenji closed his eyes as he felt his confidence return.
"It suits you nicely, actually." Kenji replied back with a slow smirk.
Suddenly without warning, he was into the air and he fell twenty feet from the air to land in the middle of a patch of shrubs. Anger getting the best of him, he rushed back out into the small clearing that he had just been standing on. Rina was still there, glowering at him as if he had just spit in her tomato soup.
"I was right after all, you're just another weakling of a man! And to think, I almost would have honored my mother's wishes and concede to you!" she growled. Rina quickly got into a fighting stance. "I'm tired of talking!"
"Same here!" Kenji snarled. "I don't know what you're trying to pull but this ends here!"
In seconds they ran at each other, fully able to deal with the fact that they're engaging in a life or death battle while on vacation. It somehow almost felt natural...
5 hours later...
Iori came back with nothing to show for his perimeter check. Even when he had gone to hunt for dinner, there were no bears. He growled at his luck. Hikari however was ecstatic that she had fought off a mountain lion when she had accidentally wandered away from him. She had only tagged along for the fear of boredom but now she was just dirty and tired. She had managed to hold it off, all the while managing to use her wits and her strength to get her out of that mess. Iori had arrived just in time to see the mountain lion running for higher ground and Hikari looking victorious, almost as a Yagami would.
He looked at the little girl and felt a small rush of pride within him, much like when he had first taught Rina how to harness her flames. Although Hikari is the daughter of his 'rival', in some aspect she was blood. After all, the Yagami and Kusanagai went back generations. To have a strong rival with strong offspring said a lot about your own strengths as well.
Halfway back to the campsite, she had asked to be carried, and within ten minutes she fell asleep in his arms. He hadn't mind since it would save time if they didn't stop every few seconds for one thing or another. As he trekked back to the site his mind raced back to how dull and silent the forest seemed to be, void of all life save a few game animals and that one mountain lion. Still growling he smashed his fist into a tree, causing it to fall behind him as he walked. Senseless destruction was what soothed the savage beast, music be damned!
"I can't believe it! That damn bear is eluding me! I know it!" With one hand he reached into one of the pockets of his red vest and pulled out a Polaroid. A silhouette of a bear could be seen against the backdrop of the woods. But the strangest thing was the fact it looked like there was a cap on the bear's head. "I'll find you yet, just you wait!" Iori muttered as he crushed the Polaroid and burned it to ashes.
Iori finally arrived to the campsite and found Kenji and his daughter Rina, battered, bruised, dirty, and unconscious. Their bodies were bloody and would cause concern for any other parent. However Iori only smiled a genuine smile, a part of him nostalgic of the blood feud days. With Hikari still in one arm, he quickly moved his way to Rina, and with his one free arm dragged Rina over to Kenji. Surprisingly she didn't wake up even though her face was being dragged along the grass and dirt.
When he got close to Kenji, he slowly dropped her to the floor, and quickly wiped away the excess dirt and grass stains. Once again with only one hand, he burned away his clothes save his boxers. Forcing himself to not gag at the sight of a nearly naked Kusanagi, he quickly placed Rina next to Kenji. With great care and speed, he placed her head right into the nook between Kenji's head and right shoulder, and draped her arm over his chest. He stood back, and smiled once more genuinely at the sight. The bloodshed in the morning would be a great substitute for television, one of the things he truly missed from the daily toil of living in civilization.
Suddenly Rina began to shift, causing Iori to run behind a tree. He slowly stuck his head out, and what he saw made him frown slightly. Rina nuzzled into the neck of Kenji! And what's more, she actually raised her leg and placed it over his, her knee dangerously close to his crotch! Iori scratched the back of his head, wondering if this was a good sign or not. Choosing not to worry anymore about it, he walked into Kenji's tent and placed the little one into the tent, not like her older brother would be using it anytime soon. And thus ended the first day of their five-day camping trip.
Meanwhile...
Chris snickered along with Yamazaki as they snuck down the hall. They were only several feet from the door to freedom when suddenly the alarms went off. They immediately looked behind them, expecting their enemies to come out from every corner and crevice of the long, long hallway. Instead, it was only Rugal and Geese making a mad dash to the door.
"Run you fools! Run damnit!" Geese yelled. His eyes were panicked beyond reason.
"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAH! I'M JUST TOO $!$! EVIL DAMNIT!"
"Shut up! Just shut up! I know you're evil, I said you're evil, now just SHUT UP!" Geese shouted alongside Rugal. However it didn't spoil his mood. His elation, at least in his eyes, was justified by their cunning victory and his genius.
"Boss, what happened?" Yamazaki asked. They four ran out the door and jumped into the convertible all at once, causing it to bounce several times due to Rugal's size. Chris immediately started the car up and floored it, leaving behind their very first mission of mass murder. Almost immediately the entire building went up in smokes after a giant explosion rocked the surrounding neighborhoods.
As Chris drove, he had to know what happened.
"We were almost caught. What the hell happened back there?!" he demanded
Rugal only smiled wickedly. "I saw something I wanted, so I took it!" he replied with wicked glee. From underneath his coat he pulled out a bowling trophy fit for the gods. It held no name or team so it would fit in perfectly with any trophy collection.
Yamazaki shook his head in disbelief. He quickly checked the rear view mirror and saw the fire trucks that raced to the rescue of the school and occupants.
"That was too easy! A shame that they had dormitories!" Yamazaki laughed cruelly.
Rugal joined in and they high-fived each other. Geese could only shake his head at the two. I can't believe I'm actually doing this! Stooping to the position of a lowly soldier! I could have asked my own men to do this but nooo! Geese thought irritably. But as Athena instructed, the competition was to be either weeded out scared out of their plaid uniforms and brick-like shoes.
"Chris, how many more?" Geese asked imperiously.
"Only a few more to go. Then on to the next prefecture!" Chris whooped in ferocious delight and was soon joined by Yamazaki and Rugal. But Rugal being Rugal, immediately launched into a heart-thumping and awe-inspiring rendering of 'We are the Champions'. As the sped into the night, who knows what foul deeds they will commit?
A short recess from the tournament, things are bound to heat up when rivalries turn into bitter feuds, with one boy caught in the middle that somehow started a war only he could finish! In the distance, they shout his name... Yusuke! All this and more in the next chapter!
A/N: This might be a bit more serious. I just hope it's consistent. My beta reader is on hiatus for who knows how long. Eh, easy come, easy go. As things progress, I hope my reintegration (for a lack of a better term) will be an easy one. Read and Review, and thank you!