Something about the location sounded familiar to him, but there was too much on his mind for that to bother him right now. He walked down nearby subway stairs just as the train pulled into the station and faster than expected, he was back on the surface looking down the street. On one side he saw his agent. But on the other was Gado's building, the same one he carried Shina to not so long ago.
"Oh, this is just perfect." He said with a devilish grin. He walked up to his waiting agent. "Glad you could make it on such short notice Mr. Shen…"
"I'll take it!" he said joyfully.
"But sir… you haven't even seen the property yet…" she said nervously.
"You said it's the same style as the one in this building right?" he pointed directly across the street.
"Well yes, but what..." she didn't even get to finish her statement.
"If that's the case, then I have seen everything I need to see." He chuckled.
"Now if you don't mind, I'm gunna go check out the view, and say hi to the neighbors." He had a whimsical look in his eye that bordered on madness. Beads of sweat began to rain from the woman's face.
"Well if you're so sure I will have the papers here this afternoon." She waved nervously but when she opened her eyes the elevator had closed and she was alone.
"He is by far the strangest client I have ever had." She sighed to herself before walking back outside.
Shenlong arrived at his new home and it was perfect. He knew where the appliances were and just which way to go for a view of the city. He threw open the door and walked out to his balcony and looked across the way. Just as he expected Gado was there, reading the day's paper and enjoying a quiet lunch.
'So predictable.' The tiger grinned to himself
"HEY NEIGHBOR!" He roared, causing Gado to fall from his chair.
"What the hell." He griped pulling himself up from the ground. He looked up to see the source of the outburst was now rolling in laughter. The sight made his face drop, dreading what this could be.
"DAMMIT STRIPES! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" He roared back. At this point onlookers from the street below were amazed at the strength of the two men's lungs.
"I'M JUST TRYING TO BE NEIGHBORLY!" He said between laughs. "WHY DON'T YOU BE A PALL AND HELP ME MOVE SOME THINGS UP HERE TOMORROW?"
"NOT ON YOUR LIFE! WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TO MOVE IN RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET?" He roared.
"CUS IT'S GOT THE BEST VIEW IN THE CITY! YOU SHOULD KNOW, IT'S THE SAME STYLE AS YOURS!" His voice boomed in response. The older man could only palm his forehead. This was not going to go well. The next few days are going to be hell and Gado could feel it.
"I HAVE TO PAY SOMEONE A VISIT BEFORE TONIGHT! SEE YA THERE OLD TIMER!" Shenlong shouted and left the balcony. His tone had taken a drastic turn and sounded more foreboding than earlier. It was then that Gado went inside and listened to the message again. Pieces of this puzzle were falling into place, and he didn't like the picture they were making.
Two fuses had been lit on opposite sides of the city, and they both lead to the same bomb at the city library. Despite the time that had passed, Shina and Shenlongs anger had not subsided, and was building to a full on rage with every step they took. They were now marching toward the same spot, from opposite sides of the city. A furious energy seemed to emit from both of them, one yellow the other blue, and Long could feel them both from the center of the library.
Both of their minds were racing at this point.
'Who is she?'
'What is her connection to him?'
'What makes her so special'
'WHY DOES SHE CALL HIM MASTER?' Their minds were in perfect sink, and the closer they got, the faster they moved. Both were had broken into a full sprint at this point, racing toward entry steps on opposite sides of the library. They practically kicked in the heavy doors and shook the building with their steps. It felt as if two stampedes were about to collide.
Shina was the first to arrive. But Shenlong was not far behind.
"WHO THE HELL IS SHE?" The woman roared, causing everyone in the room to hide or evacuate.
"Who is she and why does she call you Master?" She demanded.
"That's EXACTLY what I want to know! WHO THE HELL IS SHE?" His roar easily twice as powerful as Shina's and it shook the very foundation of the building. Shina and Long were astounded at the ferocity that came from him, but she quickly regained her focus.
"What was all that crap about your training only spreading violence?" she snarled.
"You are going to tell me RIGHT NOW why that girl looks so much like her when we both know she died years ago!" Shenlong ordered
Their rage was flaring and causing their transformations to start.
"Is she the new woman in your life now?' Shina shrieked.
"Those eyes! WHY DOES SHE HAVE THOSE EYES?" he thundered.
The one thing they both wanted to know.
"WHY IS SHE CALLING YOU MASTER?" They roared in unison.
Long was caught completely off guard and had no chance of clarifying for either of the enraged zoanthropes. One thing was for sure was that all of this ruckus was causing a panic. He had to get them away from the humans. So he turned and headed for the roof as fast as he could, all while being chased viciously. He arrived on the roof winded, but had no time to rest, as his pursuers were right behind him.
"Enough of this!" Long demanded as the other two were closing in on him. Shina began to stand down, but Shenlong ready to snap.
"Fine!" She snapped. "We'll hear what you have to say but you better have a damn good explanation for this!" She pointed a threatening finger at him.
"What reason could he have?" Shenlong said with a growl. "That girl died years ago. That's one memory I know wasn't fake!"
"What the hell is he talking about?" She demanded.
"Please allow me to explain. You both are referring to the same young lady. I…" He was cut off but Shina's fury.
"So it IS another woman! What, am I too old for you to train or is she just some young piece of ass for you?" She wasn't making any sense, but in her mind it didn't matter. She had been passed over for a younger woman.
"Shina what are you talking about? SHE"S JUST A CHILD!" Long roared at her accusation. She immediately bit her tongue in shock at how mistaken she was.
"She's a 15 year old girl and I'm training her in kendo so she can defend herself! You know first hand how dangerous the city can be for a young girl even more for a young zoanthrope girl!" Shina's rage had turned into humiliation. Had she really gotten this upset over a school child trying to protect herself?
"Well that explains one thing." Shenlong's voice rumbled at his double. "But Rinrei died years ago you saw it yourself and even though the memories were implanted in my head, I saw it too!" He could not wrap his mind around this entire situation. It seemed too unreal.
"You're right." He said mournfully. "My sister really did die all that time ago. Her body was destroyed by the XGC mark that appeared on her heart. There was no chance for her to survive, even if the cure had been created in time. She was too young to survive the treatment." He said silently sobbing inside himself. Shina could only stare at him in disbelief.
'Did he say sister?' She thought to her self, but was interrupted by an agonizing cry from Shenlong. He had dropped to his knees and grabbed his head in pain.
"This is impossible! Those eyes! Those were HER eyes." He roared in agony before passing out from the mental strain. Shina stared in amazement at what just happened. She was afraid to even touch him, uncertain of what would happen next.
"He's gone into shock." Long said calmly, while walking over to his fallen clone. "He will be fine but we have to move him out of the sun or he will dehydrate." Shina nodded in response and helped long carry his limp body.
People in the library stared in horror and anticipation at the trio as they left the library. The head librarian hurried over to them before they got out the front door.
"Long! What is the meaning of this?" She demanded before she saw the pained expression on Shenlongs face. Before he could answer he heard a familiar young voice.
"Master Long, is everything alright? I heard all the noise and came as soon as I could but…" She gasped when she saw whom he was carrying.
"My brother has had a panic attack and gone into shock." Shina and Uriko looked at him with questioning eyes. "I will need some time off to tend to him." He said calmly.
"Oh, …yes of course. Take as much time as you need. I hope he will be alright." She said passively before walking back into the library.
"Master Long, What is going on?" The young girl asked desperately. Shina looked at her curiously then back at Long.
"Shina." He started with a smile. "This is my pupil. Uriko." He introduced the two. Shina blinked rapidly and looked down at the girl. She would have smacked her forehead if her hands hadn't been full with Shenlong.
"Uriko this is Shina Gado, Mr. Gado's daughter and a very dear friend of mine." He said with a smile. Uriko examined the older woman. She was very impressed with her beauty and how strong she looked.
"Nice to finaly meet you." The young girl bowed respectfully with a light smile, but her focus quickly returned Shenlong's limp body.
"Umm…Like wise." Shina responded with a nod.
"Uriko since you're finished with school for the day could you call your sister and have her meet us at my apartment to check on him? " He requested calmly and began to walk with Shina and Shenlong toward his apartment.
"Hold on." Shina stopped them at the bottom of the steps. "Let me get us a ride so we don't draw too much attention. She flipped open her cell phone and pushed a button. After a few seconds someone answered her call.
"Hey dad, I need a pick up. Can you bring the truck over to the library? ... You have the red one right? Good it should have enough room." after a few nods and "uh huh"s she closed the phone.
"We're in luck." She said with a smile. "My fathers only a few blocks away he will be here any minute."
"That's good" Long said with a sigh of relief. "Let's wait here on the steps so we don't block the sidewalk." They sat down at the bottom corner of the steps and Uriko finally got through to her sisters cell phone.
"Alice I need your help I…." Uriko had to rip the phone away from her ear as her sister began to panic and shout on the other end of the line.
"No I'm not hurt, I… No it's nothing like that, I…, ALICE I DO NOT NEED A CUP OF ICE CREAM! WILL YOU JUST LISTEN!" She yelled into the phone.
"Just meet us at Master Long's house and bring some medical supplies!" CLACK she slammed her phone shut and shoved it in her pocket.
"I think she got the message." The young girl said as a large burgundy Suburban pulled up to the curb behind her. She was so busy looking at Shenlong she didn't notice it was there, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when Gado shut the door.
"What happened?" He asked walking up to the group. When he saw Shenlong passed out he simply shook his head.
"Oh Stripes." He sighed heavily before looking at the other three. "Alright everyone in the truck. He said lifting Shenlong onto his shoulders.
Shina colapsed the back row of seats so her father could lay the unconscious man down without contorting him in a way that could cause any damage. Shina rode shotgun, while Long and Uriko sat behind them. Everyone sat quietly and simply looked out onto the road toward Long's apartment, but the man who lay behind her fascinated Uriko. Constantly looking back at him and wondering what he was like and how he ended up like this.
Uriko wasn't the only one intrigued by who was sitting behind her. Shina frequently stole glances at the young girl from the corners of her eyes. What was it about her that made Shenlong snap, and what has her connection to this sister of theirs?
"Shina. You alright?" Gado asked in a comforting tone seeing his daughter once again lost in her thoughts.
"Yea pop, I'll be fine. Just a lot on my mind ya know." She unbuckled her seat belt as they pulled up to Long's building. He Parked the large vehicle as close to the door as he could, and then went to the back to help his daughter move Shenlong. Long opened the doors to the building and lead the way to his apartment. Uriko tried to make herself useful by holding the doors open as the Gado pair went by.
Finally reaching the apartment Gado set the younger man down on a couch in the hallway next to Long's living room. Uriko had learned a thing or two from being the victum of her sisters over reactive nature. She put a pillow under Shenlongs neck to prop his head up and keep his air way open, and used wet dishrags to keep him cool. Other than some grunting and occasional twitch he had not moved. The adults sat in an adjacent room bringing Gado up to speed on what happened.
"So what happened to make him collapse like that?" Gado questioned. After hearing how Shenlong and his daughter arrived at the library to question Long, he was slightly disappointed in her for jumping to conclusions. But at this point, Shenlong's condition was more important.
"I'm not exactly sure." Long started. "It's safe to assume that he made contact with Uriko sometime this morning…" Hearing her name, Uriko decided to help fill in the blanks.