Instantly, the room became dead silent, as if a thick fog had descended over it, choking out all sound.
The three ninjas stood staring at each other in disbelief (each for a different reason). Garu, for one, was shocked beyond words. Even though a part of him had been overjoyed to see his father once again, that small flame of joy had been quickly extinguished by a cruel new realization: Botan now had complete control over him, and he had broken his vow of silence.
Garu could feel that Botan was also shocked, though he couldn't tell for what reason. Most likely, he thought, seeing his old friend and new enemy so soon had brought on a torrent of conflicting emotions.
After what felt like hours, Mato was the first to recover from his speechlessness. He sighed, sounding slightly disappointed, yet sympathetic. "I know it's been a while, Garu," he began, "since we've seen each other. But that doesn't change anything between us. I'm still your dad, after all; you don't need to call me by my first name!" Mato suddenly narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "And when did you break your vow of silence?"
Botan, ignoring his questions, approached him slowly, almost cautiously. He put a hand on Mato's shoulder, as if to make sure he was real. "No, Mato," he said slowly, "it's me."
All at once, Garu noticed the voice he spoke with: half of it was his own, while the other half was the rough, yet gentle voice he had come to know so well.
Mato, apparently, noticed this as well. His eyes instantly widened with understanding as he managed to stammer out, "B... Botan?"
And with that, Botan fianlly snapped.
With his right hand still on Mato's shoulder, he raised his left hand; his fist clenched, and he punched him into the wall. Garu thought he heard a small crack as he hit, and he could only hope that it was the bamboo wood splitting.
Botan held him down with all his strength, freezing him in place with his icy stare. "How could you betray your people like that, Mato?" he demanded, furious. "How could you betray me?" As he said this, his eyes unexpectedly softened, his expression now pleading. "I thought, if anyone would believe me, you would. But you..." He suddenly sounded desperate. "Why didn't you listen?"
Mato's eyes showed that he was just as conflicted about all this as Botan. And, that he had just as few answers. He opened his mouth to try and explain-
But Botan was suddenly enraged once again. Rather than simply cutting him off, his hands gripped Mato's throat threateningly.
When he spoke, his voice was smooth, almost calm… which made him seem even more vicious. "I guess there's no chance in carrying out my first plan," he sighed. "But perhaps it's for the best. After all, what could be more fitting than death at the hands of your own family?"
Inwardly, Garu gasped, as Botan smiled evilly. "Yes, I can see it now: the great ninja Mato, killed by his eldest son, who had become maddened by his constant quest for honor. And as a result, Garu, the world's youngest Firewasp ninja, is driven to commit suicide."
As he said this, Botan threw his head back and laughed, and the sound that echoed throughout the room was pure insanity. Garu shivered violently; hearing his own voice sound so intense was almost more than he could take.
"Yes," Botan hissed as he finished laughing. "Yes, I think that would be perfect."
Botan stared directly into Mato's fearful eyes. Garu, looking through his own eyes as if looking out a window, saw the reflection of his own face, and it suddenly became too much. His mouth was the same twisted, evil grin Tobe had worn five years ago, and his eyes were wide, glowing red, and filled with hatred. But of course, what stood out the most was his slit pupils, dilated with such intense rage that he really did look like a snake.
Seeing his own face, contored with such hideous rage, and seeing it directed at his own father… it was overwhelming. Garu had been fighting Botan's control, trying to break free and save Mato, but now, he realized the true power of Botan's anger.
He had fought valiantly to protect his father's life, but now, he decided, there was nothing to do but accept his own fate. I can't fight anymore, Garu thought. I... I surrender.
Botan smiled even wider as he heard this. "Your honorable son has given up on you," he said to Mato, spitting out the word "honorable" as if it were an insult. "He never did restore your honor, though, so why would you expect any more?"
Mato tried to argue, but Botan tightened his grip around his neck. Using his left hand to hold him there, he unsheathed Mato's sword and pressed it against his throat.
"Goodbye, old friend," he said, as he drew the sword back, preparing to strike...
"HIIIIIIYAA!"
Botan barely had time to register the sound before he felt a strong kick in the side. Dropping his sword, he flew back a few feet, but stopped himself and stood to face his attacker-
While he was off his guard, Mato took the opportunity and punched him in the face. Both Garu and Botan cried out in pain as he went flying back, crashing headfirst into the wall. Garu's eyes rolled back as Botan fainted.
As he had become accustomed to being trapped within his own mind, Garu had just gotten used to watching everything around him, without really being there himself. So, when Botan fell unconscious, Garu was pulled back into his body. In a way, he felt relieved to be in control once again, but the feeleing of relief was swept away by an intense wave of pain in the back of his head, where he had hit the wall. He raised his hands behind him to rub the sore spot.
Mato saw the movement and glared. "You're still awake, huh?" He stepped closer, pounding his fist in his hand. "Well, let's fix that."
"Mm-mm!" Garu exclaimed, partially because his throbbing head made it hard to speak, but mostly, he hoped he could still salvage his vow of silence.
Mato looked skeptical, waiting for an explanation. Garu, in response, slowly stood up and looked his father in the eyes.
Mato's features relaxed as he saw; Botan was no longer in control. "It's... really you now, isn't it?"
Garu nodded.
Botan smiled. "Garu," he breathed, stepping up to him and putting his hands on his shoulders. Both ninja hoped the other didn't notice the tears welling up in their eyes.
Their tender moment was suddenly interrupted, however, as a voice from the dark said, "Ahem! I'm still here, ya know!"
Both of them turned and saw Abyo step out of the shadows, limping slightly on his right leg. "And I'd like an explanation, if you don't mind."
Hey everyone. I'm back, as you can see. Once again, I'm sorry for making you wait so long, and I'm sorry if the chapter's a little short (even though my apologies don't mean much at this point). On the bright side, I think my writing has improved quite a lot since I began.
Before I go, let me just say that I was going to make this the last chapter, and I was gonna make it especially long, to repay you all for being so patient, but I can't just yet because right now I'm on a serious creativity block. For those of you who've never gotten one (lucky!), it's like writer's block, except you can't write, draw or do anything creative. Which, in my case, means not being able to do ANYTHING except draw the same random cartoon characters over and over...
I'm pretty sure it's coming to an end, though, but I'm not going to promise a quick update; it seems like whenever I try to be optimistic, something goes wrong. So I'm not making promises and I'm not chosing sides, but hopefully, you'll get to see the end of the story soon enough. So until then, go write something of your own. Make use of your creativity, even if I can't use mine.
'Till next time.
-shadow talon girl
