Chapter 6: A First Date Like No Other – Part 1

(Kunimitsu II's POV)

'Cutie-Kuni', huh? Interesting moniker…

Colby had just called me that before our very first phone conversation came to a peaceful end. After I got out of my shower and got dressed in a purple tank top and matching boy shorts, I got into bed and I couldn't fall asleep just yet after I placed my smart flip phone on my nightstand. My giggle after I heard that new name wasn't fake, either. I couldn't get my mind off of it and even my inner kitsune started to feel a little remorseful. It's an excellent start and I just know it'll get even better tomorrow. Colby and I already have our date planned and here's hoping that it'll go by so smoothly, that his Midnight Wolf will have no choice but to surrender to our compassion.

We shall not let anything hold us back now. I swear it.

(Colby's POV)

At 7AM the next morning, I was already in the kitchen and was being served a true all-American breakfast of a short stack of pancakes, three strips of applewood smoked bacon, and shredded hash browns by my awesome father. All three of us have that same platter as we all sat at the table in harmony and started eating in silence for a moment. During that time, I thought about how this day was gonna turn out for Kunimitsu and I. After our curious conversation last night, many more questions were already begging to be answered and we had already done our homework. In addition to that, it was also one step closer towards meeting her legendary mother face-to-face for the first time. I'm gonna remain patient for Cutie-Kuni's sake. I sure did show my exhilaration very well in the meantime, which made my parents laugh a bit.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning." Valtina started first. "Something on your mind, dear?"

"Kunimitsu II. We finally had our first phone call last night, thanks to my boss." I replied with a calm demeanor, despite my gratification. "Our animal spirits didn't go insane this time and I finally called her by that adorable name I made for her, see what she thought of it."

"And?" Jawkin asked with an enquiring tone in his voice.

"She giggled and it was the cutest one I've ever heard from a woman. She loved it!"

"Aww, that's great!" My mother cheered after a mouthful was swallowed. "So, with that in mind, what's next for you two?"

"We've got a date lined up. During our next call to a theft, that'll either be our date or we can plan for it later on. Either way, it's finally our wide open opportunity to get to know each other without our animal spirits getting in the way. I'll have to try to tame my Midnight Wolf during that time, too. I've tried many times before, but it never worked out."

"What have been doing exactly? Maybe we can help." My father asked. I bowed my head with shame.

"I have a civilized conversation with him only when I'm alone. It's always going in one ear and out the other, though. What do you think I should do instead?"

"Hmmm…" Both of my parents were in brainstorming mode as we all continued to eat. It became silent again for the next five minutes and, during that time, my cell phone vibrated on the table next to my plate and I my smile grew back as I saw who it was. I answered it in speaker mode.

"Good morning, Colby." Greeted Kunimitsu II from the other line in a sweet tone of her adorable voice. "Did you sleep well?" My parents' eyes lit up at the very moment they heard the first word in that second statement, but they remained silent as they watched me with astonishment. I never gave them eye contact, though. I kept my anomalous eyes on my smartphone.

"Yeah, I slept like a baby." I replied casually. "You?"

"The same. I appreciate that name you called me last night. I love it!" Hearing that made me blush. "Anyway, I couldn't wait to call you again this morning. I'm currently eating breakfast with a few of my fellow Tekken combatants before our next call."

"Damn! Same here. I'm eating with my parents right now. They can hear you."

"Really?" I nodded with confidence as I finally made a regal glare at them as they remained wide eyed and speechless. "Well, good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Johannsson. Can't wait to meet you."

"…" They remained speechless and I chuckled on their behalf. Their reaction is priceless.

"Heh, heh… they heard ya. They're just totally shocked to hear your voice for the first time since I started talking about ya."

"I see." Kunimitsu II replied with a bit of humor. "Well, I guess I should tell you why I'm calling you again so soon. Something's been on my mind about you and I never consulted Gon about it prior to this. Despite your current appearance and that Midnight Wolf of yours, you've been keeping close contact with a few friends from high school and college. Am I right?" Whoa! Already off to a good start and we're not even face-to-face yet.

"Uh, yeah. Four altogether. We've all known each other since elementary school, though. Their names are JT Walsted, Raj Bonaview, Keith Clavi, and Bruce Vonahan. JT's my best friend in the whole world. He's like a brother to me. He's always found ways to solve every problem we all had."

"Aww, I knew it." I felt her happiness from here and it made me keep my smile. "Does that name stand for anything?"

"Nope! JT is the name he was born with and it doesn't have a meaning to it. Personally, I think that's pretty cool. He's African American and has much more muscle than me. He even had the same operation on his eyes while we were in college, so we could be 'twinsies' in some way. That's how close we are."

"Wow! I can't wait to meet him."

"And I can't wait to reunite with him. We haven't seen each other in over seven years now. He probably doesn't even know my family and I moved here to Japan. As soon as our date starts today, I wanna tell ya so much more about him."

"Sounds good to me. Well, I better get to waiting for the call to our next operation. Try some meditation during your downtime, okay? That may help to tame that wolf before our next meeting."

"…huh! Okay. I'll try that." I was shocked for a moment after she told me the solution and without hesitation, too. "Thanks, Kuni."

"It's my pleasure. I'll see you later. I… I love you." She hung up immediately after she made that last declaration and that small struggle in her voice added it all up perfectly. She found it hard to say and I can tell she practically broke out in a sweat just trying to open her mouth to say it. Either way, it was so good to hear her say that to me before our date and, again, my parents remained wide eyed, but they certainly weren't speechless.

"Did… did I hear that correctly, son?!" Jawkin asked me with his most perplexed look on his face I've ever seen in my life. Of course, my mother followed suit, but still remained quiet for now. I blushed a deep shade of pink as I allowed it all to sink in for a moment while I was still staring at my now silent smartphone. "She really did say that she loves you already?!"

"…it appears so." I replied in my deepest and softest tone. I was still mentally processing it and it felt so surreal to my soul. I dared not to shake it away.

"I'm so proud of you both!" Valtina cheered as she just finished the last of her meal and began to stir her cup of hot tea. "She sounded like she struggled to get it out, though."

"That doesn't matter!" My father protested with pride. "It's been said from her mouth and nothing can reverse it. It's all been taken in with a grain of salt for now. Is that what's going through your head right now, Colby?"

"Yeah." I replied in a semi-whisper this time as I closed my eyes to truly take it all in for a few more minutes. Kuni II did indeed struggle to get it out like I said before, but regardless, my father was right. What she said has been said and it actually sounded true to the heart. All of this is brand new to her and it's a huge learning process, but with our combined faith and confidence, she'll eventually open up to so much more between us.

All in all, our first date will be unlike any other I've experienced throughout my lifetime.

(Kunimitsu II's POV)

"You alright?" I heard that concerning question from someone I didn't expect: Craig Marduk. He even placed a massive hand on my left shoulder for additional comfort as I currently had my face buried within my slender fingerless gloved hands. I'm wearing my original outfit without my mask, of course. "You literally had a fight with your mind right when ya started to tell him that ya loved him. What the hell was going through your head?"

"…so many things." I admitted after I released my tearful face and turned my attention towards the Val Tudo champion. He showed utmost trepidation on his bearded face. Same went for the others surrounding me at the breakfast table: Leroy, Lucky Chloe, Master Raven, and Lars. "It's only been a couple of days now since I met Colby and he's already introduced me to his close friends by word of mouth. I sensed those in particular for a dark purpose, but I'm afraid to tell him. I guess that's why I struggled to tell him that I love him already. I truly do love him, but I'm afraid he'll push me away after I confess this factor during our date."

"Something deep within him must've struck you like a lightning bolt already." Master Raven declared without hesitation. "And it's not just that Midnight Wolf of his. Whatever that is, share it with him and him alone when the time is right. Understand?"

"That sounds like something Mother would tell me, yes. Talking about it during an assignment is out of the question, then."

"You can give him a little hint for him to think about later on." Lucky Chloe encouraged with her usual cheerful demeanor that I've recently gotten used to. It made me smile just a bit. "Just a small spill of the tea wouldn't hurt, ya know! Trust me, nya! It'll help both of ya out in the long run."

"And I'm desperate enough to believe you." Hearing that in my droll sarcastic tone made only the men at the table chuckle. The ladies only smiled in silence, having Chloe nod twice in agreement.

"All you can do right now is take your sweet time with Colby." Leroy added. "They say 'slow and steady wins the race'. Try to make that happen at your own pace and it'll all add up perfectly for you two eventually."

"Thank you all so much for your advice." I gave all four of them a sincere gleam within my grey eyes. "I've gained a little bit of confidence and I'm willing to get outside of my comfort zone eventually. I'll definitely take everything you told me into consideration throughout the day." Marduk gave me a couple of pats on that same left shoulder after that was said from me.

"No problem, young Kuni!" He exclaimed with a smile. "Anything for the daughter of a badass legend! How's she doing, by the way?"

"Mother's doing so much better than she was two years ago, that's for sure. Her blindness doesn't seem to bother her, but it does towards me. I know she wants to see how much I've grown since I was born. Hopefully, Colby can help me with her. I… sure could use it." That's when I trailed away with my deep thoughts and feelings for the young American Ninja.

Safe to say that just simply telling him that I love him was enough of a struggle…

…but physically proving it will be even worse. Regardless of this, I have to try.

(Colby's POV)

At around 9AM and dressed in my usual cobalt blue vest and matching baggy jeans with purple and blue sneakers, I had just arrived at the police station to start my usual day at work and, right after I clocked in by the entrance, my ever-so-humble co-worker, Deborah Caindor, approached me with not only a steaming hot and fresh cup of coffee, but a cheerful smile that brightened my day already. It was sprightlier than the sun even! Heh, heh!

"Well, good mornin', Colby-honey!" She greeted me with her usual purely Southern hospitality. I carefully took the second small paper cup of coffee from her left hand as I returned the gesture with a nod and a handsome smile of my own. "How did ya phone call with Kuni II go?"

"Smoother than I thought." I replied with confidence before I took a sip of my coffee. We were both walking casually through the usual small hustle and bustle of the precinct towards my personal office as the conversation continued. "We shared what we could that night and it was suffice to make our upcoming first date a breeze. We're saving all the good stuff for that moment."

"That's good ta hear, sugar. Did your wolf go crazy?"

"Not at all. Same went for Kunimitsu's inner kitsune. That silence from them was a blessing and I'm hoping it'll stay that way later on today. In fact, while we still don't have any calls, I've gotta take care of him now. Kuni already gave me a solution: meditation."

"Aww! Lookie here now! She's helping ya out already and ya date hasn't even started yet."

"Her instant care for my well-being is an excellent first sign of her love towards me. This whole experience is brand new to her and I can sense it from here. She's a nervous wreck, but she's hiding it very well."

"Did she already say it to ya?"

"Yeah. Just this morning before I got here while I was eating breakfast with my parents. She told me that she loves me, but it was like there was a frog in her throat as she said it. It's like she's never said it to anyone other than her parents before in her life and it probably left a sour taste in her mouth, too. Here's hoping we can work together to get that feeling out soon."

"That's so good to hear, hon. Ya go on ahead and start your meditation. We'll let ya know when a call comes in." Debbie gave me a congratulatory pat on my tattooed right shoulder after that was said and, right after she went on her way towards Sheriff Zaituchi's desk, I went right to my meditation tatami mat in the far left side of my office, took a seat with my legs crossed, placed down my half empty cup of joe, and got right into the proper meditation position. I took a deep breath when I was at a stand still and, as I held it for five seconds, my thoughts about Kuni II came to my mind first. The fact that she called me back already this morning did strike some negative chords in my sixth sense and I released my breath with a humming sigh as a response to it, but I kept my eyes closed. Even though she asked about my childhood friends and I was kinda happy to hear it, the heavy cloud of dread overshadowed it and my wolf made a low growl in response to it just now. That growl was also a sign that he was finally willing to try to surrender to the spiritual cleanse I was currently working on. Regardless of this, everything we hinted at last night was soon to come into much better detail during our date tonight and, no matter how stubborn she may get, I have to get it out of her before everything else:

The reason why she mentioned my friends and we've only just met a couple of days ago.

(Kunimitsu II's POV)

"Kunimitsu, thief, at your service." I finally greeted to a client on my cell phone after the much needed fifteen minute moment of silence I had to take after that small talk with Colby and some of my fellow Tekken combatants. I had my famous fox mask at the ready in my free left hand and upon the table as the call continued.

"Finally got through…" Muttered a seemingly disgruntled male voice that sounded like he was well into his golden 50s. "…I've gotten many sources about your services, but I could never find your number."

"It's not a problem. You must be a new client." I made a small smile on my lips as I said this. He sounded so inexperienced and I was willing to assist him. Colby will surely do the same.

"Yes I am. My name is Mr. Saisuko Xioni, but you can just call me Mr. Sai for short. I'm a connoisseur of pure gold in many shapes and mediums. I'm calling you because I'm willing to fight fire with fire with a dastardly thief who stole my most prized possession: A golden statue of my favorite prehistoric animal, the Saber Toothed Tiger." My grey eyes went wide for a quick three seconds with pure astonishment. This was a brand new case and I was spiritually excited about it. "It only stands at a meagre ten inches tall and it's 15 inches long, but it was custom made by an old friend of mine just days before he passed away over 20 years ago and I've been holding it near and dear to my heart ever since." I had to wipe away a tear after that was said. Possessions like this are very important to me to return. So much so that extremely dire consequences shall be bestowed upon me if I were to fail. "You must get it back to me as soon as possible. If it gets sold to the black market, I would be positively crushed and possibly die right where I stand. Can you do it, Miss Kunimitsu?"

"It would be an honor, Mr. Sai." I said this without any reluctance and with the most valiant face I've ever made in my life. "There's no need to call the police after this call. I've already acquired some assistance from them."

"Splendid! And as an additional request, I'd like for you to kill the thief after retrieving the statue. I will pay you handsomely for a vial of his blood in addition to it." My kind of special request. But, of course, I had to ask:

"Why would you need that?"

"It'll be a surefire sign that my valuables are not to be trifled with. Give potential future thieves an extreme amount of fear within their hearts."

"Yes, sir! Anything for you. I'll get right on it." After that last word, I hung up, placed on my mask, and didn't waste a moment heading right for the precinct first to get Colby. I never forgot about all the advice I was given prior to all of this. I'm already hoping that it'll all make our upcoming first date a spiritual walk in the park if not a literal one.

(Colby's POV)

"Colby!" Zaituchi called out through my closed office door. I had been meditating for nearly thirty minutes until I heard that. I never moved my body, but I slowly opened my anomalous eyes for a more focused listen. "Kunimitsu II is here! She's got a call and only wants your assistance!" Yes! It's finally time! Here's hoping we don't have several thieves to fight with this time. Despite my anticipation, I still kept my equanimity as I took my time getting out of my meditation position.

"Coming!" I called back at my very top of my lungs as I continued to get myself ready by taking several sips of the very last of my coffee and straightening up my vest before opening my office door to see Kunimitsu II dressed in her signature best, fox mask and everything. She was all geared up for the mission ahead with all those blades in numerous sheaths all over her and it made me raise an eyebrow with astonishment as I approached her, even with a few fellow officers surrounding us as spectators. "Hey."

"Hi." Kunimitsu greeted back to me in the same smooth casual demeanor. "I'm slowly getting used to walking in here without getting arrested."

"Heh-heh. Feels good, doesn't it? You probably don't even do those petty thefts like your Mother used to back in her day."

"As much as I love my Mother, being exactly like her in that particular way isn't really my cup of tea. I only aim at weapons that seem worthy to me. Getting the Yoshimitsu sword was just the beginning. It made her so happy. That's the only thing I want from her: Just pure happiness."

"Even through her blindness and disease?"

"Yes. So glad you understand. Anyway, I'm here because I've finally got a mission lined up and it's crucial. I've received a new client named Mr. Saisuko Xioni, but he prefers to be called Mr. Sai. He's a connoisseur of pure gold and a special trinket has been stolen by a thief that's even more heartless than Mother and I. We must get it back to him before it gets sold to the black market and he wants a vial of the thief's blood afterwards."

"Huh! A literal smash and grab for us. Which one of those do you want me to do?" I saw a smirk upon her beautiful lips, but since the mask was blocking her glowing grey eyes from me, I can already picture an eyebrow raised with amazement.

"Well, since you asked so nicely, I'll let you do the smashing while I do the usual grabbing of the statue. I've love to see what that wolf can really do."

"You have no idea. I hope we can sneak in a few questions as a small quiz before our date during that time, too."

"We can try, sure. First thing's first: Mr. Zaituchi, do you have the coordinates to this thief's location?"

"I sure do." My boss replied with a humble smile as he approached us with a sheet of paper and Kunimitsu volunteered to take it. "This young blood's been in thieving game before, but he was always too fast for us." I read the records with her as he continued. "His name is Kirton Karasaki. He's just as young as you two and doesn't hold back on anyone who challenges him. I'll bet that not even the Midnight Wolf can scare him, Colby. So give it all you've got against him. From what we already heard from sources; he's currently holding the golden saber toothed tiger statue in a safe, undisclosed location within his hideout. It'll be wise for you to kill him first, then get the statue later, but whatever you two have planned already, stick with it and hope it works out."

"Roger that, Chief." I replied as we were both focused on the file within Cutie-Kuni's slender fingerless gloved hands. We were both ready to take on this guy and get our date lined up by the time we succeed.

Several minutes later, on a peaceful gallop through town towards Kirton's location…

While I've got the chance, I've gotta ask you right now… I started in my telepathy as Kunimitsu II was riding on top of me as usual as I was her personal noble steed of a wolf. My shaggy mane was like a saddle to her. Is there some reason why you mentioned my friends on that phone call earlier?

"(Sigh)…I knew this would come up at this point." Kunimitsu replied with concern in her cute voice. "Despite the fact that I was ecstatic to hear about your childhood friends, there is a specific reason why I brought them up so early. I sensed a looming dark cloud of grief among one of them: JT."

Huh?! Why JT? I literally had a text conversation with him before my breakfast with my parents this morning.

"What was it about?"

How he misses me and he wishes he could visit me in Japan someday. I even told him about you and he was over the moon!

"Did he mention anything about his family?" I was just completely flabbergasted about this.

Not during that conversation, no. Why?

"…I don't wanna talk about it right now." There it is. That stubbornness she inherited from her famous Mother. "I promise to give you more information on it during our date."

Can I get a hint? I heard silence from her for the next five minutes of the trip and, as soon as we were about ten miles away from our destination, that's when I stopped and sat like an obedient dog who was just given that command. It made her slide right off and she didn't waste a moment walking up to my face and lifted her mask up to show me her adorable face that was full of grief.

"There's a reason for the brooding atmosphere from all of this." She then held both sides of my huge head with my wet nose twitching at the touch. "Something has happened that will ultimately effect your friendship, if you don't accept it. That's… all I can say for now." She then nuzzled her forehead between my eyes and I felt that overwhelming sense of understanding flow through me like blood through my veins. Midnight even started to feel a small bit of sympathy and a low growl was all we needed to hear as a sign. I also felt a small feeling of compassion from her, but of course, she was brand new to this and didn't quite express it after that nuzzle. She immediately put her game face back on as well as her mask and we were focused on the mission again.

I got it. And you better tell me everything, too. Don't leave anything out. I playfully scolded her a bit there and she pulled off a little smile in response to it.

"Rest assured. Everything about each other will be revealed later on. For now, we've got a statue to recover. Can you see where he's hidden it?"

Hold on. I paused as I used my supernatural senses to scan the building for about a full minute before I turned my attention back to Kuni II. Well, there's some good news and bad news. The good news is that the statue is really kept locked away in a safe inside the building.

"So, what's the bad news?"

The safe is locked by face recognition technology. Breaking into it will be a tall order… unless… I trailed away in deep thought for a moment and I really didn't look into it, but I felt Kunimitsu admiring me with a regal glare hidden within her mask. …yeah. Having me doing the smashing IS the best way to go.

"How so?" Heh, heh… she sounded too cute asking me that just now. It's like she had a bit of a sexy drawl in it, but not quite.

You just leave it to me. For now, we've gotta sneak inside. Get on my back. She did so casually, hanging on to the thick sides on my neck as usual. Now, don't ask me why, but I just need you to hold your breath for about fifteen seconds. Can you do that? Again, she obeyed me like a student towards her teacher and, within those fifteen seconds, I slowly walked towards the brick wall of the building and we both were able to walk right through it. Kunimitsu released her breath and was astonished by what just happened.

"…whoa." She was nearly speechless as she dismounted once more and just stood there next to me. "Now, that's something I need to learn."

I know, right? Anyway, looks like this used to be a bank. It's no wonder I mentioned that safe earlier.

"He knows we're here." Then, as if on cue, we heard the sound of a shotgun cocking behind us. We never cowered as we turned towards him via a sideglance towards her left and towards my right, giving him an ice cold glare of vengeance simultaneously. "Don't get overconfident, Kirton Karasaki. You already know why we're here."

"Ya damn right!" He spat back, making me growl with fury. "If you're here for that golden cat, you're wastin' your time. There's no way you can get to it because only my face can unlock the safe and you know I would never open it for bitches like you!"

"I think you'll reconsider." That was my cue to turn towards him and he did indeed look as young as both of us, but that didn't matter to me and Midnight as I snarled this time with immense saliva oozing out through my razor sharp teeth. That's when the pure primal instincts took over my sanity for a brief moment.

(Kunimitsu II's POV)

Colby certainly wasn't entirely himself as he was slowly prowling towards Kirton with hunger written in his eyes. It even made him drop his shotgun with extreme horror. As for Colby, this behavior didn't concern me at all. I knew this was temporary and it's probably happened before. The Midnight Wolf's primary purpose was in full effect at this moment and this was my chance to look for that safe. My kitsune lead the way as I headed towards a massive bank vault that had several massive safe doors closed shut on either side of the hallway. Not one of them had the facial recognition method implanted onto them, so I knew that none of these had the statue. The search lasted for the next five minutes until I made it to the very end of the hallway and there it was. That scanner was really technology at its finest and a manual break-in was out of the question. We had to use Kirton's face to unlock it, if we wanted the statue. That led me back to Colby's plan prior to our entrance, but before I could verbally think about it to myself…

GWAAAAAAHHHHHH!

I heard that bloodcurdling scream mixed in with, what sounded like, flesh being torn apart with blood probably gushing everywhere. With the location of the safe found, I made haste back to that location and I saw what I expected:

Colby bit off Kirton's head and didn't hesitate to finish off his decapitated body as a light snack.

During his feast of the beast, I slowly approached the scene, stopped right at the puddle of blood without stepping in it, and that's when the wolf looked up at me for a brief moment. I had to take off my mask to take this all in for a moment and I was just speechless. Those bedtime stories about this fabled wolf within a human host were really true and I still sensed his human soul within him during that pause. After two minutes of silence, a single booming bark made me jump for a moment, but I didn't run away because after that sound, he made a quick nod towards Kirton's head that was laid on the white tile floor on my left side. I took the hint almost immediately. I placed my mask back on before carefully picking up the human head with both of my slender hands and I used my phantom ninja skills to teleport back to the safe, allowing the scanner to perform its job by reading his face, and it worked to perfection. The safe opened and I threw the head away vigorously before I headed inside and the solid gold saber toothed tiger statue was still in its protective glass case upon a shelf. I started to grab it, but it wouldn't budge. It was too heavy for me.

Then, as if on cue, Colby entered the safe and he was back in his human self, looking as though nothing happened. We never exchanged any words as he took the hint right away, volunteering to carry the heavy statue for me. It was obviously light as a feather to him. Those impressive muscles aren't just for show after all. As soon as we made our casual stroll down the hall, Colby pressed a finger into an earpiece within his right ear and said in a professional tone:

"This is Colby. Kunimitsu and I have killed Kirton Karasaki and recovered the statue. Meet me at the front of the abandoned bank at Hwankawei Street in Downtown Tokyo and bring a blood sample kit with you."

"10-4, Colby! Greg, Debbie, and I are on the way." I heard that from the earpiece somehow. It was Zaituchi as usual. Another mission successful on my end. While we were waiting for the police to arrive at the front steps of the building, I had to ask Colby while I had the chance:

"Does this happen all the time when you're the Midnight Wolf?"

"Well, this didn't happen while I was in college, but after my graduation, I was a witness to a potential kidnapping of a teenage girl the next day and those instincts kicked in so fast, I couldn't control myself." He replied with all the honesty in his heart. "I turned into the wolf, chased after the van like a mad dog, and had it cornered at a forest before the kidnapper tried to get away on foot. I never lost sight of him and I was too fast for him. I caught up with him within just a few seconds and devoured his entire body like a rampaging beast!" Oh, wow! Just like what happened just a few moments ago. I also kept a pleasing smile upon my face the whole time as well. This was part one of our date-in-progress. "The police arrived a few minutes later and saw the mess I made. Damn, it was brutal for them to see. Blood was all over my fur, my muzzle, some of the bushes and trees… everywhere! They said that they've never seen anything like that before and it was an even bigger shocker when they saw me transform back into my human form right before their eyes. I explained the entire situation to them in an interrogation room and they all couldn't believe it. From that day on, I kept in mind that this Midnight Wolf really does devour only truly evil humans who have no sense of heart within their souls whatsoever." What a fascinating story. Colby bowed his head after that and I felt an ominous sense of shame at that moment. I gave him reassuring rubs upon his tattooed right shoulder while I never looked away from him. He never moved as I spoke.

"Something tells me that, despite this wolf and your American Ninja status, killing people isn't your favorite thing to do."

"No, it's not that. That's something I know I'll have to do every once in a while since prison time just won't do for some of these criminals. It's the fact that, when I lose myself within the confines of the wolf, I always have the fear of completely losing it to the point where I practically die within him. Sometimes, I even fear that I may kill my family and friends."

"And me also?" That's when Colby looked over at me still hunched over with guilt and that regal look of worry made me reflect one of my very own right back.

"Especially you, Kunimitsu." I smiled after that was said. "I'm surprised, though. You saw me in that state, but you never ran away, even after that bark that scared you a little. Did that thought ever cross your mind at all?"

"Not even for a millisecond. I knew you were not lost in that wolf and… I never lost faith in you. With that being the case, can you tell me now while your team isn't here yet? How did you acquire that wolf in the first place?"

"…" Colby bowed his head again as his response and closed his eyes. Seconds later, I saw two streams of tears drizzle down his cheeks. That made my grey eyes water with sympathy, but my tears never escaped. Another few seconds later, the police finally arrived. Zaituchi and two other officers approached us right when Colby regained his composure, wiping away his tears along the way as he stood up with me. The question never left my mind, though. I have a terrible feeling that it was caused by something that wasn't even supernatural, but we kept our conversation to ourselves as the sheriff spoke.

"I'm shocked to not see blood on ya, Colby." He started with the lighthearted humor we needed. It made us both smile with him. "Did ya kill Kirton Karasaki with your blades or with the wolf's teeth?"

"The latter." Colby replied in his most handsome casual tone I've heard from him since our first meeting. That made me slightly blush, but fortunately, nobody noticed. "He had a shotgun and I practically scared him outta his skin before the massacre."

"HA! That's my boy! Greg!"

"Yes, sir!" Another male American officer approached us at that call of his name.

"You got the blood sample kit ready?"

"Right here." The Caucasian man pulled out that said kit and he approached me. "You're Kunimitsu II, correct?"

"Yes." I replied sweetly.

"Well, I've been told from Colby and Boss Zaituchi here that you needed to get a sample of Kirton's blood as an additional request towards your client. Is there any of it left inside?"

"A very decent puddle of it."

"Good! Let's gather it up and satisfy Mr. Sai, shall we?" After that was said, Greg and I headed inside the building to collect the blood sample. Along the way, I had to look back at Colby. He had just gotten into the police cruiser in the passenger seat with the statue in his lap while Debbie and Zaituchi worked together to contact Mr. Sai about the situation. I saw Colby's beautiful eyes and they were moist with sadness again, but this time, he held the tears back. I sighed with empathy before I turned my attention back to the blood gathering.

Within a few hours from now, all of our secrets will be unveiled and these heavy burdens can be lifted off of our shoulders…

…hopefully for the better.

To be continued…