Chapter 4: The Gravitational Force of Love

(Colby's POV)

Despite the busy day I had with my fellow officers after that ordeal with Kunimitsu II, I just couldn't get my mind off of her. That struggle I felt within her soul; it was all too legit. Her shy nature kicked in at that moment and the stress of caring for her sickly Mother adding to her Freelance Thief occupation really took over her like a curse and it got too strenuous for her to accept me. Personally, I understand that completely and I decided to give her some more time, even though I told my boss that the Cupid's Arrow made a direct hit to her, but missed me for now. It's a newfound feeling for her and she has no earthly clue about how it works. Loving your family is completely different from slowly falling in love with a total stranger and, since that's the case, I've been taught by my parents that patience is a virtue and it shall be taken for granted.

Several hours later, at my humble home during a family dinner…

"What?!" My father, Jawkin, exclaimed as soon as he sat down and after I explained my whole workday to both of my parents. We were having lean turkey meatloaf with broccoli and homemade macaroni and cheese with bacon. "You met the Kunimitsu's daughter today?!"

"I didn't expect her to be there since there was also a burning building involved." I admitted after swallowing my first forkful of my mom's amazing loaf. "When she stopped by the station to get the diamonds for her client, though… damn. I don't know what happened. At first, she found it hard to believe that I was a part of the police force. Then, she saw my eyes and that revelation came to her in a snap. She saw me as the Midnight Wolf and was just fascinated by me then and today."

"I think she likes you, Colby." My mother, Valtina, playfully sang out with her cute smile as usual. I returned the smile with a chuckle and slightly pink cheeks. "Don't you agree?"

"I'm not sure. She instantly became shy after she realized what she was doing and saw that we were being watched by my entire force in the building. She obviously has such an identical cold heart like her Mother that she has no idea how it all works. Either that or she's too busy of a Freelance Thief and Caretaker that she doesn't have the time to admit it."

"Huh!" Both of my parents exclaimed with shock before my Dad continued alone: "Don't you like her, son?"

"She is the cutest girl I've met since we made landfall here in Japan, so yeah. Talkin' about my eyes being rare. Her eyes are as grey as some streaks in your hair. Both of you. And those eyes are saying a lot about her already."

"You felt it, didn't you? That struggle you mentioned earlier?" My mom pointed out.

"The supernatural senses I've gained from these eyes don't lie. It happened while she was entranced by my tattoos. She's obviously a very successful Freelance Thief with probably a five-star rep, but that tied in with trying to care for her sick Mother has made her life much more difficult to handle than ever before. I know she won't be outta the woods for a very, very long time, but that determination I felt along the way… it felt amazing to sense. In other words, she's the most strong-willed woman I've ever met in my life." There it is. The Cupid's Arrow made a direct hit towards me after that whole speech and my amorous smile proved that factor towards my parents, who returned their own grins of utmost respect, having my Dad give me a couple of congratulatory pats on my broad left shoulder.

"That's very heartwarming to hear, Colby. And I was all 100 percent truthful. I can tell by the tone of your voice. You've gained more than just a feeling of 'liking' her. By the way, what's her name?"

"Kunimitsu II. I've already made up a nickname for her, though: Cutie-Kuni."

"Aww, that's adorable!" Mom exclaimed with excitement. "Does she know about that yet?"

"No, not yet. But when the time feels right, she'll definitely know how love works."

"We are so proud of you!" Both of my parents exclaimed as they got up from their chairs for a moment to give me a family hug that felt so warm spiritually and physically. I returned it with confidence. It's a personal triumph for me especially because, due to my ninja status and these eyes, I haven't been able to hold on to a mate for more than two weeks. Here's hoping that will change with the daughter of a legendary kunoichi.

(Kunimitsu II's POV)

"You're struggling to eat, Daughter." My Mother started in that deep sultry voice that'll never get old to me as her blind and blank opaque gray eyes 'stared' at the wall before her while I was sitting at her bedside at the senior home she had moved to since she was released from the hospital two years ago. She may be blind, but her senses are still at a good rate, even with her illness. Anyway, I really was taking my time eating my share of a healthy dinner of steamed rice, fish, and vegetables. It was because of my mind constantly making its own leaps and bounds back to Colby. I couldn't get him out of my mind since our meeting at the police precinct. I was hoping she wouldn't sense my slow pace. "As weak as I am, you shall eat more. The last thing I need to hear from you is your rumbling stomach."

"I know and I'm sorry for that." I restored my casual eating speed after that. "It's just that… this day has been hectic."

"How so? Did a client finally become dissatisfied with your services at last?"

"Of course not! Mr. Kakashi was humble once more for returning his stolen rose pink and black diamonds to him safely and he paid me only the value of the black one. It's actually about this young American man I met earlier today during the operation. Gon had already told me about him prior to the meeting and everything he said was almost all true."

"What's his name? You know we'll have to keep this from your Father."

"I know." I paused my meal for a moment before I continued. "His name is Colby Donahoe Johannsson. He's a year older than me, as muscular as King, stands 6 feet and 9 inches tall, has blonde hair in a shaved mohawk-ponytail combination, and green eyes. So many things about him fascinated me already, Mother. He's an American Ninja, has the most impressive tattoo work on his right arm and pectoral that I've ever seen on anyone, and… and… he…"

"He works for the police?"

"That's part of it. He's the only one in the K9 unit."

"Mm!" Mother paused her eating and kept her blank eyes on the wall before her as she bowed her head. "He's got the soul of the Midnight Wolf within him." Hearing that shocked me as I looked at her with my widest eyes I've ever done. "Don't look so surprised. I'm glad those childhood stories your Father and I have told you have finally become reality as I anticipated."

"The Midnight Wolf was a living entity on its own?!"

"Of course. The kitsune doesn't take too kindly to its presence since we're practically the opposite. We preserve souls both good and bad, but the Midnight Wolf only preys upon the evilest of human souls. Having this man named Colby possess the very same soul is a feat that no human should survive. You say he's a year older than you, correct?"

"Yeah."

"And he won't even tell you how he got it."

"It's just as much of a secret as Father's shinobi ninja status. I knew the kitsune and the Midnight Wolf shouldn't be getting along like this. I'm not in any danger, am I?" Mother turned towards me with a smile and I returned it with a glow of hope in my eyes. I knew she couldn't see me, but it feels like she can.

"Not at all. In fact, I'm thrilled and proud of you for even succumbing to this man's very existence. How did you feel when you saw him as the Midnight Wolf prior to seeing him again in his human form?"

"Exhilarated. He was bigger than I imagined and his fur felt so soft… it's like Colby's kindhearted nature is reflected by just that feeling alone. He didn't even know I was your daughter until I met him again at the precinct. He's a big fan of you."

"Ah, I see. It all makes sense now. So, now comes my million yen question: Do you have compassionate feelings for Colby?" I blushed the deepest shade of pink on my cheeks upon hearing that last statement with authority written all over that deep voice of my Mother. "Obviously, it's okay with me, if you do."

"…Really?" We both had resumed eating the very last of our meals after I asked this question and Mother smiled with sincerity. "But I thought… you said…"

"I know what I said. The kitsune and wolves in general never, ever get along for many reasons. You two, however, have already just begun to surrender to that inescapable gravitational force from the Cupid's Arrow. It's not entirely official yet. The two spirit animals within you both are still spiritually at odds against each other at this point. Your human souls have to tame them first somehow and it's only up to you two to figure it out. So, I'll ask you again:" My smile grew a bit more after that speech and I believed every word. My Mother's wisdom has always overpowered her constant failures with Yoshimitsu in the past and, even though I defeated him, it still shows today, despite her illness keeping her from joining my side in the tournament. "Do you have compassionate feelings for Colby Johannsson?"

"…Not entirely." Mother nodded once in understanding. "Although, you are right. That force is irrepressible, but until I can indeed get my inner kitsune spirit to get along with Colby's Midnight Wolf and I feel that control, then I can truly determine my true feelings for him. So, for now, he's an acquaintance and nothing more."

"Heh, heh, heh… just as stubborn as me." She said this with humor as we both shared a loving embrace. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mother… and thank you for your honest words."

(Colby's POV)

The next morning at 7:25, I was dressed in a brown leather vest with matching leather pants and pitch black sneakers as I walked in to see the usual early morning start-up phase of the precinct. I kept a smile of confidence on my face as I headed towards the Sheriff's desk first and waited for him to come out of his own personal office behind it after I took a seat and a donut from his box. As I sat here for a few minutes, my supernatural senses kicked in again and I leaned my head back to take it in. It's because I knew Kunimitsu II sat in this chair yesterday prior to nearly falling out of it after seeing my eyes. My inner wolf then began to growl after two minutes and it was loud enough for me to hear. I popped open my eyes upon hearing that and my boss heard it as well when he came out of his office and took his seat on the other side of his desk.

"Whhhhat the hell…?" He muttered with a bit of fear in his gruff voice. "What was that?"

"My Midnight Wolf." I replied with no regrets as I got back into my cool, calm, and casual mode. "It senses Kunimitsu II's kitsune spirit from within this chair."

"And I'm guessing he doesn't like it."

"Apparently." The growl was heard again immediately after I said that word and Zaituchi shivered with wide eyes. "Damn! I didn't want this to happen. She really wasn't kidding about that fire fox spirit within her being."

"They really don't like each other! Has it been that way for eons?"

"As much as I know, yeah. I guess I've gotta tame this wolf to like Kuni's kitsune. It's no wonder I nearly attacked her in my Midnight Wolf form a couple of days back. I'm scared to see what might happen if we meet again."

"Same here, son. But let's not dwell on that right now. The reason why I took my time coming out here is because we've got another theft on our hands. This time, it involves a pretty well-renowned car enthusiast. Don't know the victim's name, but all he's been telling us is that a gang of six has successfully stolen three of his most expensive cars from his supposedly extremely secure garage. They really stick out like the thumb of a hitchhiker… the cars, I mean."

"Whoa…" And I thought the diamond heist was a struggle. "Are they armed?"

"And dangerous, yes." After that last word, the phone rang on his desk and he didn't even hesitate to answer it. My senses were able to clearly hear both of them, even from the other line. "Hello, Tokyo Police Sheriff Zaituchi speaking."

"Sheriff! You've gotta send your force out there NOW!" The panicked theft victim pleaded with boatloads of terror. Zaituchi remained calm, though. So did I.

"Calm down, sir. We're just getting everyone ready for the chase. Fortunately, we've seen your cars before. We know which ones are of the most concern to us. Have you received any other form of assistance in the meantime?"

"Well, I did just hire a Freelance Thief that I figured could fight fire with fire, but I haven't heard back from her since I gave her the assignment. I'm worried she may have already fallen victim."

"No, she hasn't." I said quickly without a breath prior. I immediately knew who he was talking about and, with great haste, I made my way out the building from the K9 exit to the rear, transformed into my Midnight Wolf, and galloped at the speed of sound towards the source. Zaituchi saw this and jumped into action by standing up from his desk with the phone still in hand for a moment.

"Hang tight, sir! We're on it right away. You just stay home and don't call back! We've got this." He reassured before he hung up the phone and gathered about fifteen more officers to help me out, in case things go awry.

As for me…

My Midnight Wolf self just couldn't stop growling as I was in full control of him whilst running towards the scene of the crime. It was pretty frustrating to me and I had to talk to him.

Don't get so testy! I scolded to him like he was a disobedient dog. I'm slowly growing fond of her and I know you don't like her kitsune. I don't wanna fight her. A single bark came from me right at the very moment we saw the hideout of the thieves, which was an abandoned car dealership. Not a bad place, but…

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Shit! Kuni! She's already at it! I've gotta help her! C'mon, Midnight Wolf. Don't fail me now.

(Kunimitsu II's POV)

I managed to take down four of the six Japanese thieves with my exceptional skills of my two blades, kodachi and wakizashi, but the last two were putting up quite the fight against me. They were both at about 7 feet tall and basically held the same muscular capacity as Gigas, but they refused to use all that brawn against me. Several more shots were fired at me and I managed to use my phantom maneuvers to easily dodge them and tried a deadly slashing combo on them both simultaneously. They were fazed by them for only two minutes before one of them decided to use the barrel of a shotgun to knock me out, but I faked the impact and teleported right back down from above with, what should've been, a fatal stab in the head. But he somehow blocked it with the same gun and pushed me back with all his might, which made me slide back on the white tile floor. As soon as I sat up, both of them had me a point blank gunpoint, but I remained determined and brave as I braced myself for another counterattack. It was deathly silent for the next thirty seconds before the distant sound of a break-in was heard from the distance. Seconds later…

"Get those cars outta here, stat! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" Shouted a single male voice before the chaos of footsteps and the engines revving was heard and that pissed them off severely. I took the chance to stand up and point my blades at them at the exact same time they had their pair of Uzis and shotgun still aimed at my face this time.

"You sent them here, didn't you?!" One of them finally spoke to me in a male voice that was typical for a young man in his early 20s.

"You're jumping to conclusions too quickly." I spat back with sarcasm. "I never needed the police, apparently. I took down four of you bastards on my own!"

"And you're gonna pay for that!" All three of their triggers were about to be pulled simultaneously and I was ready to dodge as usual, but before that final act could commence…

"(Cough, cough!) …guys! Guys! I saved one!" What the…?! I couldn't believe it! One of the thieves I thought I killed was still alive and had just enough strength to crash through the back wall in the distance with one of the expensive cars that weren't confiscated by the police! "GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE NOW AND LET'S JET!"

"Ya got lucky, ninja bitch!" The other exclaimed in a slightly deeper voice than the first one before they ran for that same car and, seeing that their severely injured comrade was just moments away from death, they became cruel and greedy as they pulled him out of the driver door and just left him there as they zoomed off at 200 miles per hour! When the car was gone, I heard two booming barks echo through the room five seconds before Colby the Midnight Wolf came in from behind me. I turned towards him with a small smile of relief, but saw how furious the wolf was. I knew that wasn't Colby as he spoke to me through telepathy.

We still got a chance to catch up. He said to me calmly, even through the wolf's growling. Midnight here just refuses to accept your kitsune.

"I see." I remained calm as well as I said this and tried some reassuring pats between his ears, feeling that ultra-soft fur that I've already just started to grow fond of. "But how can we catch up? Those cars are too fast for me."

Not for me. Hop on. The 12 foot tall wolf reluctantly got the hint from that command and got into the 'lying at the master's feet' position before I carefully mounted onto him and the soft mane of fur was like a saddle as he slowly stood up, I held on tight, and within seconds, he dashed off at the same speed as the car. On our way to catching up, he just had one thing to say: This is our chance to get our spirits to get along.

(Colby's POV)

Even with Kunimitsu II on my back, I was still able to use the supernatural strength of the Midnight Wolf to gracefully catch up to the speeding car while the police were still trying to get the rest of the stolen goods out of the hideout safely. They were in no hurry to help me out, but knowing them very well by now, I know they'll be there in time. It didn't even take five minutes before we ended up at about three feet away from the rear bumper of the expensive vehicle and one of the thieves saw this as we were now just heading down a steep hill within the Downtown Tokyo city limits.

"Damn it!" One of the thieves in the passenger seat exclaimed as he pulled out a gun. "That ninja bitch's got a giant steed now?! They're both on to us!"

"Just shut up and shoot them!" The other thief replied as he kept his focus on his driving at 220 miles per hour. His partner didn't waste a moment doing as he was told and, since it was an Uzi, I still managed to dodge them left and right. I was so fast; it was like I was teleporting. I felt Kunimitsu's astonished smile from here, even as she was still hanging on.

We remained silent and focused after the shots were done throughout the chase and the bystanders within the city were just flabbergasted by the whole event happening on the streets. No turns were too sharp and not a single casual driver was in the way. We were both weaving through it like traffic cones and, as soon as my hypersensitive ears finally picked up the distant sound of my fellow officers finally on the pursuit behind us after the slowest ten minutes of a high speed chase, I came up with an idea:

I know my comrades need at least one of these bastards alive and we have to preserve this last car. I started with my telepathy. Kunimitsu II kept her beautiful grey eyes on the car, but I knew she was listening. With my massive weight, I can simply get on top of the car somehow and weigh it down just enough for it to, at least, pop the tires. Think you can take out the thief with the gun?

"I took down four of those fuckers." Kunimitsu replied in a slick tone of her cute voice, which made me shiver a bit. My wolf felt the same way, but was still not ready to get along with her kitsune. "I'm sure five would make me even more satisfied. I've got this. Don't command me." Damn! She's got that ice cold heart alright… and I love it. It's completely identical to her legendary Mother.

Heh, heh… you got it. The group of four police cars was about ten feet behind my fluffy tail after I said this and this was Kuni's chance to go forward with the plan. She slowly placed on her signature fox mask, carefully stood up upon my back like a professional surfer, and miraculously kept her balance like the professional ninja she is as I picked up my galloping speed a little bit more until we were both right behind the car at just mere inches away from my nose! When we felt the thieves trying to see that factor through their rear-view mirror, it was like we were invisible. They only saw the police cars behind them and the thief in the passenger seat was completely confused. Before he could contemplate a question as to where we went and the driver tried to look closer with his side mirror, the other thief was snatched up through the sunroof by a mysterious force and that made the driver panic.

"Harry!" He screamed as he saw this and then, from the passenger window, he saw us. His brown eyes were wide as he saw Kunimitsu slash Harry's throat with all her might, making his head and his headless corpse collapse onto the pavement. When he saw this, he pressed down on the gas even more, making the car reach its stop speed of 500. We both saw this, but we never lost hope. Kunimitsu stood back up on top of me as soon as I picked up even more of a push in my speed with my muscular legs and my wolf decided to howl as a way to give me more strength. I didn't look into it, but it felt like she was impressed by that authentic howl of a wild wolf. It was like she's never heard it this close before or never heard one at all before. Either way, I'm sure her inner kitsune was just as stunned.

(Kunimitsu II's POV)

Oh, my God! That howl as the chase continued… it sounded so real and pure from the wild. I've never heard it so well before. It made me shiver just slightly as Colby's increased speed got us back to being just three feet away in this intense chase. At the very moment we moved just a foot closer, we both did the impossible! Colby and I made an elegant leap simultaneously and, while we were both in the air, it was like we were in slow-motion and gravity was temporarily cut off for us as I threw a kunai through the open sunroof and, just at a millisecond later after it made a direct hit to the bastard's back, I instantly teleported into the car and pushed him out of the car door with extreme force at the exact same time Colby made a 10-point landing on top of the vehicle, softly using his massive weight to slow it down to a screeching stop just before a traffic jam. He used the car as a temporary skateboard to keep it from crashing into the innocent drivers ahead by using those massive claws to grip the car as he turned it and jumped with it along the way, landing it perfectly on the wheels right when the police force finally arrived.

As for me, the tackle out of the car rendered me over top of the thief and I used my professional bondage skills to tie my inescapable ropes around his wrists within an alley. When it was complete, I stood him up to his feet and escorted him towards the force. Not even the applauding crowd of bystanders took my focus away from the now calm Colby just sitting before the stolen car and waited patiently for me and his fellow comrades to clean up this mess.

By the time I approached the Midnight Wolf upon his right side with the thief, Sheriff Zaituchi didn't say a word as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and clipped them on above my ropes, gave a salute as a thanks, and headed back towards the rest of the cops to complete the business at hand. I remained standing next to Colby, who was panting like a dog on a hot summer day, which made me giggle a little bit as I took off my mask and started a casual conversation without making any eye contact.

"Tired?" I started with sarcastic humor.

Both of us, yeah. Colby replied through his telepathy. That chase was intense. You?

"A little bit. Your strength is incredible in this form. Was it hard for you to control?"

Eh, not really. Since I am just as strong as a human, it wasn't too difficult. Told you we could catch up, didn't I?

"Safe to say I wasn't a skeptic about it from the very moment to said it." We paused our conversation as an African American female officer approached Colby specifically with a decent sized dog bowl full of water, laid it down before him, gave him a few pats on the head between the erect ears, and went back to the other cops. Colby didn't waste a second after that as he took his time lapping up the ice cold water like he hasn't had any in years. Again, it made me chuckle a bit. "Have you had chases like this before?"

Nope! Colby still managed to speak to me, despite drinking the water. This was my first and I learned really fast. My ninja instincts can do that to me, ya know.

"It happens to every ninja, me included."

How was it for you, Miss Freelance Phantom Thief? Did YOU find it difficult for your first chase?

"Humph! You obviously don't know me very well. I've been in many chases before, but I do have to admit it: This one took the cake. Taking back stolen cars is a new assignment for me. Usually, I take back small items. I…" I paused as I blushed again and turned away from the cops and Colby, who had just finished his water and I felt him looking over at me with concern. "…I needed your help."

Apparently. You did say that you couldn't keep up with a car going 200 miles per hour. You don't have be so shy about it, though. Although my Midnight Wolf here protested against it at first, we both still managed to make it through together as a team. Does your inner kitsune feel the same way?

"…it's hard to say. Right now, I can feel the fire from the blades behind me. It's telling me that I shouldn't get too acquainted with you, but I want to."

You do? Do you… like me?

"What if I do?"

It was silent on Colby's end after that sarcastic rhetorical question and we never ventured further into it as three of those quiet minutes went by before the sheriff approached us again. This time, he had something to say to me specifically:

"We've got all three cars confiscated, Kunimitsu." He started casually. "And thanks to you, we were able to apprehend the one thief left alive in the whole operation. Now since there are cars involved in your case, I'm willing to make this payment from your client much easier this time. First of all, will he pay you the equivalent of all three cars or just one of them?"

"Just one." I replied with honesty. "So, I can return this one for now while you work on the others."

"Good enough to me. How do you feel after working alongside Colby? Did your kitsune protest against it somehow?"

"Although you didn't see it, yes." That made Colby kept his regal frown as he kept his sideglance on me. "But what my inner fox does in protest doesn't reflect my true feelings. I am two souls in one and it's hard to maintain such a wild spirit within me. She knows it's wrong for me to even stand next to Colby right now, but not to me. I want to get to know him more, but I cannot win these arguments with my kitsune somehow. I'll… have to win on my terms and mine alone." This made the wolf beside me raise an eyebrow with astonishment. Same went to Zaituchi before me.

"I see. And how long with that take? You know Colby and his family aren't going to be here forever."

"I know. I'm hoping that it won't take too long. Even my Mother approves." After that last word spoken from me, I gave Colby a few pats on the head again. That made him growl with discomfort and I heard my inner fox do the same from within my mind. We both reacted to it within seconds afterwards: By having me pull my hand away quickly and Colby turn his head away from me just as fast before running off. Seeing this made me sigh with worry and I bowed my head with guilt. "Damn! The pain within this struggle in unbearable."

"He's probably on his way back to the precinct. Don't worry about him. I'll have a chat with him and make sure he's okay. In the meantime, you better get to your job at hand. We'll clean up from here."

"Will do and thanks." I made an honorable bow towards him before I placed my mask back on, got in the stolen expensive car, hotwired it to get it started, and drove off towards my client. My mask hid my oncoming tears of sorrow. We both know this struggle is harder to fight than a typical one against Heihachi for instance, but something about Colby just strikes those positive vibes upon me. It's more than just the eyes. It's his… personality. It's unlike any previous ones I've experienced before from others. Not even my clients can give me such a sensation.

That's exactly why I cannot ignore Colby. Mother was right:

The inescapable force of the Cupid's Arrow is much stronger than a God.

To be continued…