Chapter Fifty-Five: Taking a Breather
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Blade sent the others back up to the attic room for some rest while he waited for the brother to return from his nightly swim. He would have gone down to meet him there but the heavy snow that had started to fall prevented him. He'd thought about using his coat as a shield to prevent himself from getting wet but it wouldn't save his feet from the snow. So he waited in the messy lounge room. The totems that were still there all screeched at him, but the traps held them in place.
A cleaning crew had come through recently because all the flame retardant dust was swept up and he could see the vacuum trails that were left behind. He was waiting in the lounge room, even though it was freezing due to the open window, because the brother never entered through the front doors. He's seen him leave through the front doors but never enter. The brother preferred coming in through the windows.
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Torch was placed on the table for the return to his original body but he didn't want to go back in his old body. He liked his new one. So as soon as his master let go of him, he jumped off the desk and up on the bed, snuggled close to the pillows and lied down.
"Torch, I know you don't want to go back in your old body, and I wasn't going to put you back in there." Chug smiled. "I just wanted to run a scan on you."
"Can we do it tomorrow?" Torch asked.
Chug got up and picked up Torch and put him back on the table. "No, because I'll be very busy tomorrow." Chug answered. "Me and Kegs are going somewhere and I won't be able to take you with me. So, be a good boy and open your mouth, please?"
Torch lowered his head and lied down on his stomach.
"Torch, please, after this I'll read to you and we can have fish, yeah?"
"Why should I open my mouth?" Torch asked.
"Dental work." Chug answered and coaxed Torch to open his mouth for his inspection. Chug checked the roof of Torch's mouth to make sure the fireproof plate he inserted was working properly and didn't create any back-drafts. He checked Torch's throat for any such evidence, then checked his eyes, his claws, weight and his fuel tanks. Torch was fine.
"My bairn, when me and Kegs return next week, I'll see if I can upgrade you to a proper cyborg, yeah?" Chug smiled.
Torch jumped up and down excitedly. "Cyborg! Cyborg!"
"Alright, my bairn, come on, into bed with you and we can read." Chug chuckled headed over to his bookshelf.
Torch lept from the desk to the chair to the floor and then up onto the bed. He sniffed out his Teddy-Master from under the pillows and settled down.
Chug returned to the bed and snuggled the both of them under the covers and he started reading 'Rumplestiltskin' to Torch.
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Kokiri was swimming under the ocean's surface way out into sea looking for fish. Winter had started and he was hoping to come across some migratory group and catch himself a meal. He didn't mean to reveal that he once had Cartoon Powers, but the little Toulons had asked and he and Chugs lived by a rule: Ask and Ye shall Receive. Sometimes it was a blessing and other times it was a curse. Once most people learned about this rule they soon started taking advantage of it, it was like asking a genie for a wish. This rule tended to work like that, but it was soon adapted: Abuse this rule and Get what's Coming. This rule of asking and ye shall receive prompted some of Kokiri's major hunting grounds both physically and mentally. He started writing contracts to those who took advantage of the first rule, and hunted down those who took advantage of the second.
But with the little Toulons, they simply asked about the welfare of their brothers. That he didn't mind. The formula in their systems had his blood and he had willed his blood to be protective towards his own brother with a complete deadly hatred towards humans.
During his mental studies of the place and its happenings, Kokiri had come across a memory of Rick Myers and his friends. He was studying in the attic while everyone was alseep one night and he came across Blade's dream of when his brothers were woken by Rick Myers. Pinhead, Tunneler and Six Shooter took an instant disliking to one of Rick's friends even though they were only awake for a few seconds. Kokiri had looked into the eyes of the one they didn't like and agreed with their tuition. He had greed, arrogance and a self-importance about him that Kokiri found disgusting and nearly threw up his dinner from such a sight and exited Blade's dream and went for a deep swim as soon as possible.
He swam back to Bodega Bay, not finding any fish and figured the kid could probably whip up something before they headed out tomorrow.
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Blade paced by the window waiting for the brother to return. Dawn was on the verge of breaking and he had been pacing since nightfall last night. He'd started a small fire in the fireplace to keep himself warm, the warmth from his coat having evaporated, he stayed near the little fire for about an hour before he went back to pacing. He looked out the window every now and again to see if he could spot the brother coming up from the trail.
The snow had stopped roughly about half an hour ago and the clouds had cleared bit, moonlight shining through and onto the snow helped to provide him with the necessary light to keep watch for the brother. He looked out at the snow again and felt a thought coming to him. He looked at the untouched snow again, feeling that nagging feeling in his head getting stronger. His coat turned into his wings that were ready to launch and his limbs tensed but he didn't know why. He sent out a pulse to see what was bothering him and why he was suddenly on edge when-
"BOO!"
Blade's wings pushed him away from the window and he landed on his wooden butt ten feet away, hand placed on where his heart would be, breathing heavy and short and hearing the laughter of the brother. He stood up and stomped over to the laughing brother who was crawling through the open window on all fours in his fox form. Once he was in, he closed the windows, still laughing and took a few steps towards the fireplace. He calmed down and found Blade with his arms crossed and his sharp dagger eyes out and tapping his foot.
'What? You were just asking for it.' Kokiri said in his thoughts and cleaned a paw.
"I oughta slice your gizzards and your neck for that stunt!" Blade growled, switching his hand to his blade and starting swishing.
'Oh, don't be such a party-pooper. You need to learn to relax and have fun.' Kokiri said and groomed his tail.
"And if I don't?" Blade asked.
Kokiri continued to groom his tail, lied down and looked him in the eye. 'You know you and Jester remind me so much of me and Chugs when we were younger.'
"And?"
Kokiri revealed a scar he had on his face that started from above his left eyebrow, sloped downwards between his eyebrows, across his bridge, pass under his right eye and end in the middle of his cheek. 'One of Chugs' main weapons were a pair silver whips he made. He doesn't use them much anymore.' he said and covered the scar again and groomed his other paw.
"So what does that have got to do with me being a party-pooper?" Blade asked.
Kokiri stopped and looked at him again with calm eyes before plopping his head down on Blade, yawned and closed his eyes for a quick rest.
"Hey! Get off me!"
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Chug petted Torch before sneaking out of bed and head down to the kitchen. He was getting a little hungry and he figured Kegs would want something as well before they left. Kokiri could go for days without food, getting some raw material during missions mostly. And Jester was getting a little worried about Blade. Jester reminded him so much of himself that he feared that Jester would inevitably get into a fight with Blade and chase him away the same way he did with his own brother. Those were the worst five years, and when he finally did find Kokiri he stayed by his side like glue until Kokiri had to literally pull him off like velcro and tell him it was all okay.
Soon after their reunion he met Colby and took him to the Castle to heal him and fell in love. Then Colby had to go and suggest he have his memory hidden in order to prove Chug's theory that the heart never forgets. Well, he certainly proved that! Several times even! Before he did anything he'd asked his brother about his thoughts when he first met Colby. Kokiri had said Colby felt a little off but since he was good and had an innocent soul he couldn't be certain. He gave Colby one more chance and he blew it.
Now his heart was broken and most of his Cartoon abilities with it. Perhaps after they were done with this latest task he could ask Kegs to do what he had done to Colby. Maybe then he could move on and find someone else. Maybe . . . hmm, perhaps Kegs would let him take his friend from the 30's with them on this trip. Kegs had shown an unusual amount of trust towards him. He never worried about him turning his back on them, or possible betrayal. What was up with that?
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Blade had been pushing against the brother's head for ten minutes, trying to get him off his chest but the brother refused to budge so he gave up and just laid there under his jaws, all the while the brother just watched with humor in his eyes.
'Come on, you're not gonna give up now, are you?' Kokiri smiled.
"Why do you torment me so?" Blade groaned.
'It's fun.'
"Yeah, I'll bet it is, you . . . ." Blade drummed his fingers thinking of a good insult. "drooling pup." he grumbled.
'Drooling pup, he says.' Kokiri grinned. 'Well, if it's drool you want . . .'
"No! No, you wouldn't dare!"
Kokiri's pale pink tongue came out and he gave a slurpy, wet, slick lick on Blade's entire front, pinning the ends of his coat to hold him in place and then let go to watch Blade scramble up and wipe as much as the drool off as possible, especially his face and glared at him.
"You liked it." Kokiri said with cheekiness and transformed back into his human form and magically collected the drool from Blade.
"There are times when I really hate you." Blade grumbled and wiped his face again. "I think I got some in my mouth."
"Would you like me to get it?" Kokiri asked.
"No! Ew! As if I don't get enough teasing from my brothers." Blade said in annoyance.
"What do you mean?" Kokiri asked.
"They think that I like you, which I do, but not like that. I mean you and me are a lot alike when it comes to watching over our brothers." Blade said.
"Oh, well, even if you did, you wouldn't exactly be the first." Kokiri said.
"Why wouldn't I?" Blade asked.
"Come on, two-hundred years in this body? I had both sexes after me. Kidnapped, poisoned, drugged, thrown in a closet bound and gagged. I'll share some of the memories with you some time in the future and we'll see if you prefer your current life over mine." Kokiri said and swore in a pinky swear with the little Toulon and they parted ways.
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Kokiri headed into the kitchen to find his brother working at the stove.
"Hey kid," he greeted.
Chug turned around and saw his brother. "Oh, hey Kegs." he greeted back.
Kokiri pulled up a chair and sat down with a heavy sigh. "So, how do you think Torch is going to handle seven to ten days without you?" he asked.
"That's what I'm worried about. I've been with him for eight months now and he's just a little baby." Chug said and served up a plate of pork chops, corn, and mashed potatoes for he and his brother, grabbing some soda out of the fridge for them.
"When you say 'baby'?" Kokiri asked, cutting into his meat.
"I mean he's a baby. His neurals read as those of an infant." Chug said and opened his drink.
"But Torch is roughly twenty years old, isn't he?" Kokiri asked.
"I know, but the readings say otherwise. If he were a Mystican, he'd be only two years old and that's the age I get when I scan him." Chug said and cut into his meat.
"Hmm, strange." Kokiri mumbled.
Chug looked up at Kokiri, curious about his nonchalant attitude. "Okay, what do you know?" he asked.
"Do you plan on making him a full cyborg when we return?" Kokiri asked.
"Yeah, he wants to be a cyborg, why?" Chug asked.
"Torch would require a digestive system and some organic parts for this full cyborg, wouldn't he?" Kokiri asked.
"Well, yeah, I was planning on giving him maybe a puppy body so that he could grow naturally." Chug said.
"Organic parts are a tricky thing when it comes to making full cyborgs." Kokiri said. "You'd need something Torch's brain matter came from to clone a new body for him."
"So I'll make a synthetic one that he'll have to shed in order to grow. Like a lobster." Chug said.
Kokiri placed his utensils down and removed his glasses. "And if I told you I knew where it came from?" he asked, looking his brother in the eyes.
Chug paused his actions and looked back and narrowed his eyes. "Since when?" he grumbled with a pout.
"It was right before our fight. I was putting the body away when you entered the library." Kokiri said.
"Bloody blazes, why the blazes didn't you tell me?" Chug asked.
"You'd just gotten back from your lunch date and then blurted out your intentions with that thing and I reacted." Kokiri said.
"Yeah, what a mistake that two-timing twerp turned out to be." Chug said and continued with his meal. "Still, he did manage to do something good. Forced me to grow up."
"I suppose, but back to the matter at hand. After we get back you can ask Torch if he would like to return to his original biological body. And if he does, then you can have a chance to raise him all over again from newborn state and all the little joys that come with it." Kokiri said.
"Swaddling him in a fuzzy blanket and bottle feeding." Chug said dreamily and squealed. "I'm sold, but I don't know if Torch will. He really wants to be a cyborg." Chug said and polished off his plate and gathered up the dishes.
"We leave tomorrow afternoon, so you'll have time." Kokiri said and threw the empty soda cans in the trash and they headed back up to the attic room.
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