Disclaimer: Disney owns Kenai, Koda and everyone else in the movie. I only own Ken'ichi and the list of characters in my ff profile.
"Now I get what this is all about…" The gray bear says as he sits on a rock, with Koda sitting on the ground to his left, and Ken'ichi sitting with his back turned to his right.
The gray bear looks at Koda, "You're mad at that cub because he called your brother a stupid, arrogant jerk." Koda nods.
"And you-" The gray bear turns to Ken'ichi, "You're mad at him because he killed your father by dragging hunters toward you?"
Chapter 6: A strange acquaintance
Koda shakes his head, "It was an accident. I was being chased by the hunters and his dad saves me but-"
"Shut up!" Ken'ichi rudely cuts Koda off, "I don't want to listen to your lame excuses again!"
"Excuses?" Koda slowly pads over to Ken'ichi, "Your dad gave his life for me, the least you should be is happy for having a dad who willingly gives his life for others."
Ken'ichi covers his ears, "Shut up! I don't want to hear your stupid words!"
"I'm not-"
"Shut up!!!" Ken'ichi goes to give a good slash at Koda to make him shut up, but the gray bear grabs his paw before he could do so.
"Enough! Now the least you two could do is to apologize to each other." He looks at Koda, "You should apologize for attacking him when he insulted your brother, he's just angry because he has lost his father."
Koda sighs, "I'm sorry…"
The gray bear nods and turns to Ken'ichi, "And you have to apologize for being so stubborn and ignorant to him. Your father sacrificed his life for his, it wasn't his fault. You should apologize for giving him such stress and hurt for this."
The bear lets go of Ken'ichi's paw, but Ken'ichi just scoffs and turns his back on him, why should he say sorry for being angry at Koda when it was his fault that his father is dead?
The gray bear just chuckles, "You haven't changed at all, Ken'ichi."
Ken'ichi blinks in confusion as the gray bear walks by him, how did he knew his name?
Koda pads close to Ken'ichi, "How did he know your name?"
Ken'ichi glanced at Koda with a mean look, but he settles down, "I don't know." He said, firm and low, "I've never even seen this bear before…"
The gray bear turned his head back to the two cubs, "Hey you two! We better start our way if we want to reach the salmon run before night falls!"
Koda blinks, how did he know they were going to the salmon? Ken'ichi looks at Koda's puzzled expression and rolls his eyes, it's common sense that in this time of year all of the bears plan to go to the salmon run. But still, does that bear even plan of joining them?
"What's wrong?" The gray bear asks as he walks back to the cubs, "Oh I get it, you two are feeling kind of weird of having a bear join you two on your journey from out of the blue, right?"
Koda gives a nod, but Ken'ichi just keeps silent, staring at nothing as he ignores them.
The bear chuckles, "Well c'mon, you bears might need an older companion to keep an eye on you guys." He smirks, "Now you two make up, so we can go to the salmon run, together!"
Koda looks at Ken'ichi, then back at the bear, "OK, it'll be fun to have another bear around!" He said excitedly.
The bear nodded, "Then it's settled!" He grabbed Ken'ichi and dragged him to his right and Koda to his left, "We'll go to the salmon run, together."
Ken'ichi looks at Koda, who right now is giving a soft smile, trying to have him come along. Ken'ichi looks at the bear and just scoffs, "Fine then…"
"In case you're wondering…" The bear looked at Ken'ichi, "My name is Kamali."
Ken'ichi's ears perk up and look at the bear, which identified himself as Kamali. For some reason, Ken'ichi found that name…interesting. Ken'ichi inspected Kamali's body…But no, it wasn't who he thought it was…
"Well? Shall we get going?" Kamali asks with a smirk.
Koda nods and takes a head start, "Yeah, c'mon!"
Kamali chuckles and follows Koda; Ken'ichi stays behind and stares at Kamali though…
'Same name…same personality…different body…Maybe it's just a coincidence…' Ken'ichi thought as he kept looking at Kamali…
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"So Kamali…" Koda decides to start a conversation after an hour and a half of silence, "Have you ever been to the salmon run? Or only heard of it?"
Ken'ichi rolls his eyes at the question, obviously this bear have been to the salmon run before, why the stupid question?
Kamali chuckles, "Well, I been to the salmon run a long time when I was just about your age, but I haven't returned to the salmon run ever since…"
Ken'ichi glances at Kamali, "You're kidding, right? Every bear goes to the salmon run once a year; I doubt you missed it all this time."
Kamali shook his head, "I just had trouble with my family and other business that I couldn't make it."
Ken'ichi doesn't reply, he just keeps his thoughts to himself for not to 'insult' Koda and Kamali. Koda glances at Ken'ichi, wondering what that cub is thinking. He feels bad that his father is gone because some hunters followed him to a cliff. Koda will never forget that terrible nightfall, that brave act Ken'ichi's father did just to save him. He never got to say thank you. Koda bowed his head and closed his eyes, whispering his thanks to Ken'ichi's father, in hope that his spirit would listen to his grateful whispers…
"What's that…vibration?" Ken'ichi shakily asks.
Koda's thoughts and whispers were interrupted when he also felt the earth shake, keeping himself from falling to the ground. Kamali stands up on his hind legs and looks around, he gasps and goes down on all four and immediately jumps out of the way, pushing Koda and Ken'ichi with him.
"What was that for?!" Ken'ichi asks Kamali.
Suddenly, a giant foot stomps on where they have been standing. Another foot comes into view and the other rises and goes out of view, and the second foot rises and goes out of view. But then another set of foots appear and does the same. Koda stands up and takes a closer look…Mammoths!
"Oh wow! Mammoths!" Koda announces excitedly.
Kamali and Ken'ichi pad closer to Koda to look at the herd of mammoths heading their way to their destination.
"Wow, look at them all!" Kamali says as he watches the herd of mammoths.
Koda immediately began remembering when he and Kenai rode on the mammoths a year ago…When they were just acquaintances, when Koda learned that Kenai's brother, Sitka, was a spirit. Koda's thoughts immediately went to Kenai; he wonders how he's doing…all alone, without his little brother on his side to aid him…
"Yeah, mammoths, very nice…" Ken'ichi sarcastically says, "Now, let's go before night falls over us again."
Ken'ichi starts padding to the direction of the salmon run, Kamali nods and follows. Koda notices the mammoths are heading the same direction Ken'ichi and Kamali are going…he gets an idea.
"Wait, I got a better idea how to get to the salmon run even faster." He claims.
Ken'ichi turns around, "Me too." He says sarcastically, "We can get there faster if you don't slow us down like you have done all this time."
Koda glares at Ken'ichi but he ignores him, "We can ride the mammoths!"
Kamali shakes his head and blinks; this is the first time he has heard a suggestion like that. He can't even picture bears riding on mammoths. Ken'ichi just rolls his eyes at Koda's suggestions; he believes that idea is the dumbest he has heard from Koda all day. But Koda wasn't faced by the doubts of the suggestion; he just picked his mammoth and climbed on a mammoth. He sits on the mammoth's back and looks at Kamali and Ken'ichi, gesturing to them to hop on.
"C'mon, they won't hurt ya." He assures them.
Kamali shrugs and laughs, "OK, I'm in."
Kamali jumps on the mammoth behind Koda's mammoth and sits on his back. Ken'ichi rolls his eyes and turns around to continue the track, but the mammoths Koda and Kamali were riding on were getting ahead.
Ken'ichi sighs, "This is so stupid…walk or ride…walk or ride…" Ken'ichi closed his eyes and gave a threatening growl, "Oh fine! Wait up!"
He ran after the mammoth Koda's riding and climbed to its back. Koda turns around and laughs that Ken'ichi gave in and joined them on the mammoths.
"Welcome aboard, Ken'ichi!" Koda exclaims as he laughs.
"Yeah yeah, very funny…" Ken'ichi replies, "Just keep your talking to a minimum!"
Ken'ichi lies down just a certain distance from Koda on the mammoth's back, sighing as he thinks about this journey of his with Koda. He was thinking of ditching the cub when they were just a distance from the salmon run, but now he's having second thoughts about doing that…
Koda on the other hand was excited; it has been a long time since he last rode a mammoth. He began remembering when he climbed on the trunk of the mammoth and stood up on it, he loved doing that, but he doubts he can do it again since he's bigger now. Hey, one year can make a bear cub grow a lot.
Kamali, who's riding on the mammoth behind Koda's, lies back as he watches the scenery as the mammoth walks by them. It truly is beautiful, clear blue skies, crystal blue ponds, birds chirping happily and other animals scurrying about on the ground.
"Enjoying the view Ken'ichi?" Kamali hears Koda asks.
A short pause from Ken'ichi, "…Sorta…"
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Night has fallen again, and Koda's voice could be heard in the night-time sky.
"And when I saw him, I ran as fast as I could and I tackled that hunter with all my strength before he could kill Kenai."
Koda has turned on his story-telling mode; currently he's telling the final events of how he met his brother, Kenai. Right now he's just finishing his story, just finished telling how he tackled the hunter who turned out to be Denahi, one of the two brothers of Kenai.
"He was lucky I came in time, or he would have to be my brother with a knife in his chest." Koda laughed at the thought, but immediately went serious, "I mean, I know he can't survive something like that. He could've died…"
Ken'ichi could notice the sadness in Koda's eyes as he begins to thought how his life could've been like if he would never went after Kenai that night. Kamali can clearly hear it as he lay back on the tusks of the mammoth he's riding on. He too could imagine the pain and sadness Koda could've gone through if he didn't do what he said he did…
Koda shed a smile, "But that didn't happen, thanks to me." He chuckled, "And after that, Kenai decided to become my brother and live happily ever after, the end!"
Ken'ichi laid down, his back away from Koda. Death…that's something Koda's story reminded him of. Ken'ichi closes his eyes and begins remembering everything…his mother…his father…and even…his own brother…
Ken'ichi opens his eyes and a tear rolls down his cheek…
"Something wrong?" Koda asks as he doesn't see any movement on Ken'ichi.
"No…" Ken'ichi coldly replies, "…Koda…What do you think…of how your death will be? Are you afraid of dying?"
That question caught Koda off guard, "Gee, I never thought about it…I always used to think that the adult life would be care-free and easy. But then after I learned about hunters and other risks, well…I began to think that adult life was harder than I thought…"
Ken'ichi sits up, but his back still turned, he doesn't want Koda to see that he actually has tears forming in his eyes, damping his cheeks as the tears rolls down.
"But…why would you ask a question like that?" Koda asks, curiously.
"Well because…because…" Ken'ichi gives in and turns his face to Koda, revealing his damp cheeks and tear-filled eyes, "Because I am…I'm terrified of dying…I've seen so many deaths that I can't even keep my mind straight anymore…After their deaths, I…I've been terrified of dying…"
Koda blinks as Ken'ichi lies back down; he has just heard what is probably Ken'ichi's biggest confession…His fear of dying. That could be the explanation of Ken'ichi's attitude…his lack of trust to others, probably fearing that they would betray him and finish his life off. His aggressive attitude and fearless ways is just a bluff to make others think he's not defenseless…Is it really a bluff?
No, that can't be the real reason he's so bitter to others, there must be a bigger reason…Something bigger than Koda thinks.
"Ken'ichi…I may not exactly understand, but if it'll make you feel better, you can have my shoulder to cry on." Koda suggests, with a hint of smile on his face.
"No shoulder in the world can relief me of the pain I've felt then…" Ken'ichi replies simply.
Koda blinks, "What do you mean?"
Ken'ichi sighs sadly, "It's my family…It wasn't only my father that got taken away…my mother was brutally taken away too by those…" Ken'ichi makes a slight pauses, "those monsters" He finally says while turning his head away from Koda.
Koda could feel the pain Ken'ichi must've felt when he lost his mother; he too lost his mother to a hunter.
"I…I also had a brother…" Ken'ichi confessed.
"You did?" Koda asks, "What happened to him? Did you two get separated?"
"He was also killed by those monsters…" Ken'ichi answers as he buries his head on the mammoth's warm back.
Koda couldn't believe it, Ken'ichi's family is gone, every single one of them. Koda bit his lower lip; his idea just went down the drain. He planned to reunite Ken'ichi with his family or relatives when they reached the salmon run, but now that he has heard this, it won't happen. Koda could hear Ken'ichi sobbing, his face buried on the mammoth's back, damping its fur. Koda's idea may have backfired, but he's still determined to do everything in his power to make Ken'ichi feel better. Kenai…that's his answer, Koda knows he can find an answer within Kenai, he may know what to do. But for now, Ken'ichi needs a shoulder to cry on, he needs someone who can understand his pain and find a remedy for it. That someone could be Koda, and he'll do anything…anything to help Ken'ichi.
Koda lies down next to Ken'ichi and nuzzles him a little, trying to comfort the broken up black cub. Back at the mammoth behind Koda and Ken'ichi's, Kamali heard the whole thing, lying down on his mammoth's tusks, he looks up into the sky, a hint of tear in his eyes.
"I'm sorry Ken'ichi…" He whispers as he looks at the night sky…
Finally, an update from yours truly. I'm so sorry about not updating sooner; I had a serious case of writer's block. But I'm back and hope to have more updates on this fanfic, so don't give up on me just yet!
See ya next chapter!