Aden awoke gasping for air, water drenching his upper half. His hands were tied behind his back and a bag was draped over his head, obscuring not only his vision but also making it difficult for him to breathe. His feet kicked wildly while cacophonous cackling hit him from every direction.
"What's going on?!" Aden frantically called out.
The laughter only grew in intensity.
The human began hyperventilating and scooted himself backwards using his unbound feet. His back eventually hit a pair of furry legs.
"Now, boys," the sultry sound of Liu's voice identified itself as the owner of said legs. "That's no way to treat our guest of honor."
The bag was violently yanked off Aden's head to reveal a cave of massive proportions. Jackals lined every inch of it, towering hundreds of feet in the air. Rickety wooden staircases were scattered about the area leading up and down to different levels. Surprisingly, the area was lit well, candles lining every few feet of the formation.
"Who the fuck are you?!" Aden frantically yelled.
Liu put a furry finger up to his mouth. "Hush, Aden. I didn't lie to you. My name is Liu."
Aden yanked his head away from her finger in disgust. "You didn't lie to me? Are you insane?"
"I was only referring to my name," she giggled.
"Why did you bring me here?! What else don't I know?!"
"Well… There is this one other tiny detail I might've left out…"
"Good morning, sunshine!" The grizzly voice of Bang echoed throughout the chasm, sending shivers down Aden's spine. "Did you miss me?"
The human froze in fear, as the boar's massive form walked into view.
"I know, this is probably a lot for you," Bang continued. "But, you were acting so unreasonably at the restaurant. We needed to make sure you understand how these kinds of business transactions work."
"What?!" Aden incredulously shouted.
"Relax, Aden," Liu soothed. "We didn't lie to you completely. We still have a way for you to return to your own world."
"Fuck that!" Aden yelled back. "You're all crazy."
Bang laughed jovially, stomping in place to emphasise it. "That's rich. You're telling me you don't want to get home? You like living in this world?"
"I don't want your fucking help!" Aden shouted to bang, then glancing over to Liu. "Why would you do this to me?"
Now it was Liu's turn to laugh. "Tell me this is some kind of joke. You think this was by chance?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"I can't believe this thing would actually believe I wanted him romantically!"
Aden's face was filled with bewilderment until his brain finally made the connection. The seemingly random pattern of ransacking jackals. Finding Liu alone and unscathed upstairs. Jackals retreating from a six on one fight right as the other warriors gathered. It was all a ruse. Every single piece of chaos from the earlier ambush was just part of their scheme to get him alone.
"It was all planned..." Aden muttered. "This entire night was just a ploy to get me alone."
"Only tonight?" Liu giggled. "As if not wearing a mask would've changed anything."
Aden's eyes nearly popped out of his skull this time. "T-the festival?" He stuttered.
"Everyone and their grandma saw some weird shit fall out of the sky," Bang answered. "We're the ones that saw it land at the Jade Palace. A little while later, we see some random mammal hanging around the furious five? Didn't take us long to put the pieces together."
Aden's body began to shake with rage. Even with his bound arms, Aden was able to rock his body forward onto his knees.
"You fucking monster!" he screamed, nearly falling forward onto his face. "You turned the entire village against me! I was attacked! I was humiliated! I was already alone in this world, and you made sure I wouldn't forget it!"
"Aden, Aden, Aden, Aden, Aden…" Bang shook his head to emphasize each time he said his name, and began walking towards the dazed human. "We didn't turn anybody against you."
"What?!" Aden's voice cracked.
"You said it yourself: You were already alone"
Aden couldn't take anymore of this. He quickly lunged forward, propelling himself up and then charged at the towering boar. Bang ambled at the same speed, his face dawning a look of amusement.
WHACK!
A staff the size of a broom handle smashed into the human's chest, stopping his forward momentum and sending his back painfully to the ground. The jackals burst into a cackling fest, while Aden wheezed in pain. The jackal that swung the staff bopped him lightly on the head with it in a mocking fashion.
Bang sauntered up to Aden's writhing body and bent his torso over him, hands on his hips as if he was scolding a young child.
"You done?" Bang raised an eyebrow.
Aden growled and attempted to spit in Bang's direction, but the pain caused him to drool down his chin. Bang chuckled at the sight.
"You're an outcast," bang continued speaking, walking around his body. "You don't belong here. You think you're comfortable, but you know you hate it here
"Fuck you!" Aden shouted at Bang, hoisting himself up into a sitting position. "I love my friends!"
"Then why did you come to dinner?" Liu's smug voice cut into the conversation.
Aden was caught like a deer in headlights. Why did he go?
"I don't know…" He mumbled.
"You don't know?" Bang rolled his eyes and laughed. "Bull shit. You know exactly why you went."
"I'd wager he thinks I was genuinely interested in him," Liu laughed. "Imagine that, the alien thinks he had a chance of love. I nearly had a conniption when he rejected me. It rejected me! To think that any mammal on this planet would fall for a hairless freak is beyond me."
Aden's body went stiff. He wasn't even remotely interested in Liu, but something in her words cut him deeper than he could've imagined, and the jackals laughing along didn't help either. He was ripped from his reality when he first opened his eyes here, and now it was as if his reality was being yanked away once again.
"Enough harassing him," Bang's boisterous voice silenced the room. "We have business to do."
Bang turned his attention to Aden who's rage had magically transformed into pure confusion.
"Now, this'll be the easiest transaction of your life. We get you home, you get us what we want. Turns out, what we want is what gets you home. Simple, right?"
Aden remained quiet.
"The Jade Crystals, powerful artifacts that can open a rift in our dimension long enough for you to return to yours. Time will still have passed, but hey, better back late than never."
"F-fuck you," Aden stuttered.
Bang tsked and shook his head. "That's no way to treat the mammal trying to help you."
"Help me?! You almost killed me!"
"I had no idea we were on the same side at the time. Individuals shit on by life's dirty tricks. Nobody accepted you for who you were. Imagine if your little cat friend wasn't there to protect you. Where do you think you'd be?"
Bang paused briefly before resuming.
"We're only trying to get what we need to survive. We live in a cave for fucks sake! Just one of those crystals has enough power to supply our entire colony with energy to survive outside this awful place for years to come. We only need one of them to send you home. We leave the Valley of Peace alone, and you get to go home. Win-win in my scroll."
The human sat still, absorbing everything the boar had said.
"This has got to be some sort of trick." Aden accused.
"You're not dead, are you?"
Another pause from Aden and chuckles from the peanut gallery engulfed the room. A way out and safety for the village. A guaranteed easy out was just handed to him on a silver platter.
"I'll think about it..." he mumbled
Bang burst out in guttural laughter at Aden's response. "Fuck that. You'll do it tonight."
Aden's eyes grew wide. "Tonight?!"
"Duh, tonight," Bang rolled his eyes. "This ain't some well written, popular, anthropomorphic, cartoon trilogy from another dimension. You bring it back tonight or say goodbye to your human family forever. The choice is yours."
Aden looked towards the ground and gulped. The weight of this decision sat on his shoulders like cinder blocks. The world would always be a scary place, but he wasn't sure which world he wanted that to be.
"I…" Aden hesitated knowing the next words out of his mouth would change everything. "I'll do it."
"Good choice," a smile grew on Bang's face. "You won't regret it."
Aden sighed in response.
"Bring the crystals to Tao Li's and you'll be out of this hell hole before morning."
"Ok…" Was all Aden could muster.
Bang turned around, gave a half-assed wave with his hoof, and began walking away. "Have a nice nap."
THUNK
Aden awoke taking in a sharp intake of air. His head throbbed in immense pain from being knocked out by one of Bang's lackeys. His eyes were darting around the familiar room that Liu had poisoned him in hours ago. The table was devoid of any food which had teased lips earlier, and the guards no longer stood near the room's edges. Only a single candle sat at the center of the table, illuminating the walls and ceiling in a dancin glow.
The human slowly lifted his body up, shifting his weight to his feet and rubbing his aching forehead in the process. He trudged towards the beautiful wooden doors and heaved them open with his right shoulder.
He was preparing for his ears to be bombarded with mindless chatter from the dinner patrons, but he instead entered a room of eerie silence. Chairs and stools sat upside down on the tables, and the room was completely unlit except for a candle flickering near the entrance. He walked through the sea of tables and out into the silent night's air.
"What time is it?" Aden rubbed his head some more.
"Late enough," a low voice answered.
Aden turned to find Huan walking in his direction tugging along a wooden cart filled with liquor. The rickety contraption echoed as it traversed the cobblestone.
"Huan," Aden said with a bit of surprise. "What're you doing out?"
"Just closed up for the night. Holidays are always the busiest, but it sure does put some weight in these pockets!" Huan laughed.
Aden tried to laugh along, but a guilty feeling welled in his stomach.
"What's wrong, son?" Huan took notice of Aden's somber behavior.
"Oh, nothing," he lied. "Just tired is all."
Huan wasn't buying it but decided against pushing the issue. "Well, I hope you had a good Winter Festival. We really appreciate what you do for us."
"us?"
"The Valley of Peace, ya knucklehead! You've helped our village in ways we never coulda' expected. You fit in real well with the family here." Huan laughed.
Hearing the word family caused Aden to cough, as if he got the word caught in his throat.
"I… I don't know what to say," Aden softly replied while staring at the ground. "Thank you."
Huan smiled warmly and patted him on the back. "No need to thank me. Just keep doin' great things."
With that, the wolf raised the arms to his cart once more and began trudging off into the night.
"Take care."
"You too."
The sound of the cart's heavy wooden wheels slowly faded out of existence, and Aden was once again left alone with his thoughts. He didn't dare move yet, even though he knew there was only one place he had to go. Each step would lead him closer to the choice he'd inevitably have to make.
The human inhaled deeply and took his first step towards the Jade Palace. Each slap of his foot against the ground cut through the stillness of the night. His pace was slow, and his breaths were even and methodical as he wandered through the village. It was his own form of meditation. He used to take walks just like this all the time in his old world. It helped him think.
Aden stopped once he had reached the bottom of the towering staircase. He scraped his feet lightly against the stone, as if he was feeling it for the last time. Then, he looked up. He wasn't sure why he did, but something deep was telling him to gaze at the stars. His eyes filled with the endless twinkling of other worlds.
You fit in real well with the family here.
Aden blinked.
To the greatest brother we never knew we needed!
Aden blinked again.
Thank you, Aden. For everything.
The mental image of Tigress wrapping her arms around him immediately melted his heart. His eyes slowly lowered from the night sky and up towards his home.
Aden blinked once more.
His home.
Aden saw Huan as a good friend, but right now he saw him as his savior. The path to righteousness didn't involve betraying his friends. Home wasn't the place he came from. Home was the place he had found.
A smile formed on his cheeks as he took his first couple steps up the massive set of stairs. A newfound hope was building in his chest as his pace quickened. He was on his way home. He was ready to beg for forgiveness for deceiving his family. He was ready to admit to Tigress his true feelings
Aden's body was exhausted, but right now he had bouts of energy. He darted past the main gate and swung open the doors of the main hall to find Tigress standing alone in near darkness. The sight of her piercing orange eyes and her shadowy figure nearly startled him.
"Tigress!" Aden addressed, slightly shocked at her sudden appearance.
"Aden…" She responded, her tone a bit despondent.
Aden dawned a curious look. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Even in the dark, Aden could tell there was something off about Tigress. Her whole demeanor seemed anxious and shaken. Her fur was disheveled, and it looked like she hadn't slept in a week even though he saw her just a few hours ago.
"You don't seem fine," said Aden.
"I'm fine," she answered more aggressively.
"Tigress, is something-"
"Where were you?"
Aden was taken aback by her interruption. He didn't intend to jump into this difficult conversation so quickly, but it looked like he had no choice.
He sighed briefly. "Tigress, I need to tell you something…"
"You were on a date."
"Well, I went out to dinner, but that's not-"
"And it went well?" Tigress interrupted curtly.
Aden shook his head in disbelief at her strange behavior. "Tigress, I don't understand-"
"And, she didn't mind?" She interrupted again.
Aden was at his breaking point and finally snapped in response. "What are you talking about?!"
"She didn't mind that you're different?"
I can't believe this thing would actually believe I wanted him romantically!
Aden's world came crashing down around him. It wasn't news to him that he wasn't native to this world, but this is the first time those words escaped Tigress' lips. His best friend. The one individual that brought him the deepest sense of comfort in his new world. The one he loved.
"Tigress…" He choked out. "What are you saying?"
Tigress scoffed. "What am I saying? You're the one that decided to go out with her. I'm just pointing out the obvious."
To think that any mammal on this planet would fall for a hairless freak is beyond me.
Aden felt like he was going to collapse any second. One stab to the heart he might've been able to survive, but two stabs was a fatality.
"I didn't know you felt that way," he held back tears with everything he could. "I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for?" Hostility still spilled from her words. "It's your life. Do as you wish."
You're an outcast. You don't belong here. You think you're comfortable, but you know you hate it here.
Stab after stab, Tigress let his heart bleed dry until all he could muster was a simple "Ok…"
She didn't mind that you're different?
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Aden held back tears, which Tigress couldn't see with only the moonlight creeping in from the hall entrance. Neither knew what to say. Neither knew what to do. So, Aden did the one thing he thought he'd never in a million years tell Tigress.
"I need to be alone." He said dejectedly.
Tigress' eyes rapidly changed from irritated to remorseful, but Aden took no notice of it.
"Ok. Good night." She stated plainly.
Then, his once closest friend turned and began fading into the darkness towards the student barracks, silence engulfing the room even further.
What just transpired? The change of heart he had sprinting up the stairs had been smashed into a billion little pieces, his heart had been ripped to shreds, and the hope of finding comfort in the Jade Palace had vanished. Which way was forward? What was home to him? Aden hadn't moved for nearly 10 minutes at this point. It's as if his body had been frozen in time. The longer he stood there, the longer he wouldn't have to accept that he's only just a soul lost in the universe.
A sniffle sounded into the night, as the first tear splashed quietly. The subtle creaks and groans of the floorboards echoing came next. Then, the Jade Crystals disappeared from their pedestal.
Dun dun duuuuuun! Will Aden betray his furry friends? Will Zuko stop being such a lil bitch to Uncle Iroh? Will Finn ever realize that Jake the Dog doesn't provide very good dating advice? Find out! On the next episode of Naruto!
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