A/N 11/11/2016: Tweaks have been made on this chapter.
A Traitor amongst Us
Silence. Nothing but silence accompanies the Kawasabus Shopping District. The only noise that can be heard was the repetitive pitter-platter of the heavy rain hitting the concrete ground outside, and the fain footsteps of someone walking amongst the rainy night. A lone female rabbit walks along the dark alleyway heading towards an unknown destination. The rain was as clear as water, yet can be seen visibly from the fast paced droppings. Then all of the sudden, crimson red colored rain drops start splattering across the area, some of which manage to hit the rabbit unexpectedly.
While mysterious at first, the cause of the bleeding rain was as evident as a thief stealing candy from a baby. In front of her was a male fox bearing reddish-orange and cream fur on his body, a bloody blade being carried in his right hand-paw. His eyes she could not see, but what she was able to see was a bleeding scar on the left side of his cheek. But that wasn't the only thing she saw, however, for the bunny also notices a body of a tiger having been literally severed in half. Yet her eyes would move away from the corpse as soon as she notices the male's head raising upward, a glimpse of his eyes preparing to gaze towards her with unexpected surprise.
With a sudden gasp, Jenny quickly jolts her body upward and began panting softly for a moment, taking in a moment to think about everything that's happened. But she was no longer outside, nor could she hear the sound of rain pouring outside anymore. No, all she could hear was pure, utter silence. Her eyes began to examine the environment she was in, obviously noticing she wasn't even in her home. The room she was in bore themes similar to Japanese housing, especially upon seeing the sliding shoji doors that leads to the room she resides in. How the hell did she end up here? More importantly, why does she feel a lot more clothed? The second question was answered when she looks down to herself, discovering she was now dressed in a black and blue colored Japanese kimono. Her eyes widen upon seeing this before looking around anxiously, still wondering how she even got here in the first place. She manages to spot both her phone case and the handle of the dagger case she brought with her yesterday as a precaution prior to working with the Hopps. She was about to turn her smartphone on to call them before the room suddenly got brighter, shielding her eyes from the sudden intrusion of light. But holy hell was the sudden intrusion of light giving her a hell of a migraine. And the cause of it was completely obvious to her.
The intrusion of light was caused by someone opening the door to her room and turning on the lights with a flick of the switch, revealing to be a female gray fox standing at her door. Jenny could guess the vixen was well within her thirties, yet had the appearance similar to that of a mammal in their early to mid twenties, probably thanks to plenty of exercise and a well managed healthy diet. Her attire consists of a black kimono with a red ribbon wrapped around her waist. Embedded on the kimono in red were branch shaped designs, with flowers being attached on the ends of the branches. Her eyes coincidentally matched the color of the designs on her shirt, bearing a scarlet red color that burned like fire in certain lighting, which in this particular case it did, and rather beautifully, too. A pair of open toe sandals was worn on her feet-paws, with enough room to let her toes wiggle if she chose to. A pair of clothes can be seen in the vixen's left hand-paw, clothes that was entirely familiar to her.
"Ah, you're awake", the vixen spoke calmly towards the bunny, a soft smile on her muzzle as she began to approach the bed. However, the bunny suddenly starts crawling backwards on the mattress, pressing her back against the bed frame and causing the vixen to stop on her tracks. The vulpine maid raises her right hand-paw up in a reassuring manner. "You needn't worry, miss. I'm only here to drop your clothes off", she reassured, gently placing the folded clothing onto the edge of the queen sized bed, taking a few steps back after as an attempt to help calm her down. Fortunately the bunny did enough to move forward a bit, but that didn't mean she had questions that needed to be asked.
"Who are you…?" Jenny asked, the vixen managing to catch a Newcastle based English accent in the rabbit's voice. "More importantly, where am I? And what am I doing in a kimono?" she began asking, the vixen raising her right hand-paw up and waving it up and down slowly, attempting to calm the anxious rabbit down.
"As I said moments before, you needn't worry", the vixen reassured again before covering her mouth with her right hand-paw and clearing her throat. She moves her left hand-paw inside the right sleeve and doing the same with her right hand-paw with the left sleeve. "My name is Amaya, the vixen who runs the Kawasabus Shrine Inn, the very same hotel you're currently staying in", Amaya, the vixen maid, began. "I dressed you in that kimono last night after cleaning you up", she began, the rabbit cocking a curious brow towards the female fox with a suspiciously curious tone. "As for your clothes, had to remove them shortly after Matt Wilde brought you inside the Inn".
"And why did you remove them while I was unconscious?" Jenny asked uncomfortably. "And you didn't do anything inappropriate while I was out, did you?" the bunny asked again, the vixen's hand-paws now raised and quickly shaking her head with a cocked, embarrassed brow.
"Oh, dear god no, miss", Amaya quickly answered, not expecting her to ask such a question. The bunny closes her eyes and lets out a sigh of relief, leaning her body forward and placing her left hand-paw on her forehead.
"Oh thank god", Jenny replied with a sigh of relief. But now there was another question she needs to ask, this one in particular regarding the person who brought her here. "Excuse me, Amaya. You said Matt Wilde brought me to the hotel room, yes?"
"Correct", Amaya answered with a nod.
"Where is he now?" Jenny asked curiously. "If its possible, I want to talk to him about last night", the bunny added, the vixen smiling softly towards the bunny and even walking closer to her, taking a seat on the edge of the bed with her fiery red eyes gazing towards her sapphire blue colored eyes.
"He's in the room next door to yours", Amaya answered, the soft smile vanishing from her muzzle and looking at the bunny with a calm tone. "But right now, he's catching up on some sleep after having to take care of some business last night".
"Business?" Jenny asked, gently scooting closer towards the vixen with a curious look on her face. "What kind of business?" the rabbit asked with genuine interest, wanting to know more on the business Matt was involved in. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to get an answer from the vixen after noticing her closing her eyes and shaking her head.
"Unfortunately, that is not for me to answer", Amaya answered calmly, no longer shaking her head softly. "You'll have to ask him once he awakens from his slumber", the vixen added before reopening her eyes, looking directly at the rabbit in front of her. "However, there is a question I must ask of you".
"Ask away", Jenny asked, albeit a but curious and slightly uncomfortable.
"I'm currently short on staff members here at the Inn, and I need another maid for a few hours. I was wondering if you would be willing to assist me for a few hours a day", Amaya asked calmly, the rabbit's gaze shifting lower until she was looking at herself. She was still unsure on whether or not to actually help her out due to the circumstances of her stay here. However, the tone that she had asked did sound genuine to say the least. The rabbit took a moment to think about this seriously before looking up at her, now knowing the right answer for Amaya.
"Well, I'll admit I am having to work with a family at around three in the afternoon", Jenny began, turning to face the alarm clock and noticing it saying '11:30 am' on it. "However…" the bunny paused for a moment in order to look back at the vixen's face. "I can spare two to three hours to lend a helping hand-paw", she finished following a nod, the vixen smiling softly with a graceful look on her face.
"Thank you very much, Miss-"
"Jenny", Jenny interrupted, though with a friendly tone of voice. "My name is Jenny", the rabbit added, the vixen nodding in response and standing up from the bed.
"I'll see you on the first floor shortly, Jenny", Amaya replied, turning to face the bedroom door and walking out, making her way to the hotel room itself. One thing for certain was the rabbit was a bit hung over from drinking a bit too much sake last light (with Stu having paid the bill for her drink). Nevertheless, she gets out of bed and began walking out of the bedroom, closing the bedroom door behind her as she did. Alas, another day began.
Somewhere else…
Darkness fills the room to its entirety, a sleeping figure resting peacefully within the comforts of bed as the female rabbit's breathing slowly rises up and down. But the darkness of the room wouldn't last for much longer, for the sliding door opens to reveal a male fox waiting outside with his right hand-paw on the handle of the blade. The male approaches the sleeping figure and pulls the sword out of its sheath, the blade shining brightly thanks to the reflection of the lighting behind him. Yet as the figure approached the sleeping beauty, he raises his blade up high with the pointed edge of the katana pointing directly towards her throat. He thrusts the blade down towards the throat and attempts to stab right through it.
Then all of the sudden, Matt's eyes shoot wide open with his pupils being momentarily shrunken down to size in shock, yet soon return to normal size after realizing where he was. The fox began examining the environment around him and realizes he was back inside of his own room, not Jenny's next door. Letting out a soft sigh as he did, the fox steps out of bed and walks towards the bathroom, wanting to go on ahead and get himself cleaned up before doing anything else. Because right now, he was smelling of both sweat and blood, having missed the opportunity to take a shower last night. On the way, however, he grabs himself a pair of clean clothes along with a towel before entering the shower, closing the door behind himself and allowing him to shower peacefully.
Twenty minutes pass, yet felt like five to the fox, Matt steps out of the bathroom dressed in much cleaner clothes. A black tight fitting athletic shirt was worn over the torso region with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, his muscle definition being seen through the fabric of it. Black leather gloves cover the hand-paws through their entirety, with holes being seen on the knuckles of his hand-paws. Dark green cargo pants were worn over his legs, the leg openings being tucked into his black open toe high-top combat boots. His slightly long samurai katana was attached to the left side of his pants, which was secured with the use of his black leather, silver studded belt.
With the fox ready to begin his day, he grabs his phone case and attaches it to the left side of his pants, along with grabbing his chained wallet and placing it behind his pants, thus attaching the chain to the front right belt loop. Grabbing his keys right after doing this, the fox places them in his right cargo pocket and walks out of the hotel room, a clicking noise going off to signal the door's locking mechanism going off. He turns to the left and began walking towards that direction before taking a right, deciding to go down the stairs instead of taking the elevator. He makes a U-turn on the right to go down the second set of stairs to enter the first floor, but stops halfway down the steps at the sight of someone bearing light brown and white fur along with long, dark brown and blonde mixed hair. And as soon as he saw those details, he immediately recognized who it was.
He recognized the other mammal as English-born bunny, Jenny Bunni, who was now dressed in a black and blue mixed kimono. The shoes she wore were the exact same black and white Chuck Taylor's, albeit much cleaner than last night thanks to Amaya. The fox notices many flower shaped designs on the kimono, which were identical to the ones Amaya wore on her black and red kimono. But the change of clothing wasn't the only thing he noticed, however, for the fox can see the rabbit carrying four tray tables in her possession, all of them carrying freshly cooked food on them.
"Jenny, wait!" Matt exclaimed calmly, quickly rushing down the stairs right as the bunny turns to face the fox. Her eyes widen slightly upon seeing him, but soon relax a second later. "Are you… are you feeling alright?" he asked curiously after recalling her passing out last night. The bunny's ears fold back upon hearing him before looking down for a moment, a faint blush forming on her face regarding her condition last night. However, she looks back up and nods towards the fox, her ears moving up a bit as she nodded.
"Yeah, I'm alright…", Jenny answered softly, a slightly embarrassed look forming on her face. "Um… I wanted to apologize about last night as well", the rabbit apologized, making the fox look towards her with a curious look on his face.
"For what?" Matt asked, cocking a slight, but curious brow towards the bunny at the . He was curious on why she was apologizing to him, since she hasn't done anything wrong towards him.
"I… had a little too much sake to drink last night while I was hanging out with Judy and her dad", Jenny began, looking down to the right side for a moment before looking back up to him. "But I know you helped me by providing me shelter at this place…" she finished before turning around and walking away from the fox.
"She was drunk…?" Matt wondered to himself before looking down a bit, his right hand-paw beginning to stroke his own chin in thought. But with a loud clicking sound caused by the dishes being placed on a nearby table, he snaps back into attention and notices the rabbit approaching him.
"Look, Matt… I don't mean to bother you or anything, but there's been something I was wanting to ask you about last night", Jenny said softly before using her right hand-paw to rub the back of her head with. Matt's eyes slightly widen momentarily upon hearing this. What question was she about to ask him? And if its about the ninja he killed, how was he gonna answer that? Either way, he was about to find out within a matter of seconds.
"Last night, I remember you causing the rain to bleed with your sword", Jenny began, the fox's eyes slightly widening upon hearing this. His heart was beginning to pound slightly harder, yet continues to keep his composure as best he can. "Did… did you kill someone last night?" she asked, the vulpine's eyes widening softly, yet sharply at her question. He needed to figure out the best way to answer while trying not to scare her off or anything. And honestly, he didn't know what to say regarding the matter. But closing his eyes and letting a soft sigh escape his muzzle as he did, he knew of one way he can answer. The fox reopens his eyes and places a soft, reassuring hand-paw onto her left shoulder.
"Jenny, about last night…" Matt began with a soft tone, pausing momentarily and turning his sight towards his left, yet manages to turn his attention back to her a second later. "I… I won't deny the fact that I have killed someone", he continued with the same tone, watching her eyes widen upon hearing this. He places his other hand-paw onto the rabbit's other shoulder, bearing the same reassuring tone like before. "I may not have the right way to explained what happened at this moment… but if you're willing to trust me, I promise I will answer everything when the time comes", with those words said, the fox finishes with his green eyes gazing towards her sapphire blue ones. In all honestly, the rabbit was a bit frightened by what he had said, having admitted killing someone. But knowing that his promise was genuine, she calms down a bit and nods.
"Alright, I trust you", Jenny replied, much to the fox's relief. No doubt he would have to explain everything to her in due time, but he intends to keep his promise to the rabbit. Hell, he even pulls her into a soft hug, much to the female's surprise. The fox's eyes widen a bit before quickly letting go, rubbing the back of his head almost nervously.
"Eh… sorry", Matt apologized, a soft blush forming on his face. But thanks to his fur colors, it was hard to tell.
"Don't worry about it, Matt", Jenny replied with an identical tone of voice, turning back to where she placed the freshly cooked food trays and grabs them, carefully walking towards the entrance of the dining area before stopping. She turns back at him before softly smiling towards the fox. "See you later", she said before walking into the dining area to serve the food. Now it was time for Matt to come up with a proper, honest answer for the rabbit. Fortunately he didn't have to think about it too much since he wanted to take the time to think about it. With a soft sigh, he leaves the hotel lobby through the exit and goes about his business for a little while, wanting to clear his mind regarding last night and hoping he can get a start on finding the right answer to tell her about it.
Kawasabus Inn Dining area, an hour later
The sounds of dishes clicking against one another, and the muffed sounds of mammals eating fills the dining area during lunch hour. Two maids were working inside to serve Japanese food to the customers, whether the customers were the biggest of predators to the smallest of prey. Regardless of the size differences between the customers, they all bore a couple things in common. One of the similarities they had were dressed in kimono shirts and hakama pants, with black or brown leather gloves coveting their hand-paws through their entirety. The second thing all customers bore in common were samurai edition katanas of various sizes, all to match the sizes of the mammals proportionately.
The dining room bore two rows of tables inside the long room, all lined up on the left and right sides of the linear dining space. As big as the dining area was, it was only big enough to serve roughly twenty-four large predators at a time if spacing is done properly. Even that seems to be the case right now despite the customers ranging in size, since most of the hotel customers were either at work, taking care of 'assignments', or were sleeping after a night of partying.
The two maids inside were identified as Amaya, dressed in a black and red kimono, and Jenny Bunni dressed in a black and blue kimono. Amaya took care of the customers on the left side of the room while Jenny took care of the customers on the right side. Both of them were carrying freshly streamed brown and white rice to serve the customers, along with freshly cooked noodles and various grilled meat products. Speaking of food, an orange and white furred Siberian tiger raises his black bowl towards the rabbit with his left hand-paw, a soft grin apparent on his face.
"More, please", the tiger spoke, his teal-green eyes looking directly at the English bunny before him.
"Of course", Jenny replied, grabbing the empty bowl with both her hand-paws, since the bowl itself was surprisingly huge to accommodate the tiger's size. Setting it down after grabbing it, the bunny began to scoop some grilled chicken from the container with a dome shaped scooper before pouring it inside of the bowl. Handing it back to the predator as she did, the tiger grabs the bowl and began to eat his meal with a pair of chopsticks in hand.
"So, are you the new girl here?" the tiger asked politely despite having food in his mouth, making the bunny cringe slightly from hearing him taking with food in his mouth.
"Just until the end of lunch, sir", Jenny answered before another male on the tiger's right, a Thompson's Gazelle, turns to face the rabbit.
"It is a wonder pleasure to meet your acquaintance, ma'am", the gazelle said, a slight southern accent apparent in his voice. While the male had spoken, however, the rabbit manages to fill another bowl for another predator, a brown and white fox on the tiger's left
"Likewise, sir", Jenny replied before handing the brown fox a bowl of rice for him. Close to the end of the table on the left side of the room, Matt was looking directly at the rabbit that was serving the other men with a calm look on his face. He grabs another piece of his chicken teriyaki with his chop sticks, twirling them around the thick noodles that were mixed in with his order. Pulling the chopsticks up to his mouth, Iizuka enters the dining room and takes a seat at the last table next to the seventeen year old fox.
"Well, the attendants told me you brought her home with you last night", Iizuka began, the fox focusing on his own food by turning forward, closing his eyes and taking a bite of the portion of food he had on his chop sticks silently. "I'd like to know where you found a girl like that. Pretty for a street tramp", the tanuki commented with a soft grin on his face, his attention turning towards the vulpine next to his right. The fox momentarily stopped what he was doing for a moment upon hearing that, his eyes opening almost widely at the comment. How could someone call an innocent woman a street tramp inside the dining area? But for a moment, he could've sworn he saw the rabbit cringe at the tanuki's comment, or was he imagining things? "And not diseased. How did she taste?" he asked, with Matt placing the bowl of chicken teriyaki with noodles back onto the small tray table and grabbing a hold of his sword on his left. "Why don't you tell me?" he asked, grabbing a cherry that was apparently on the plate and placing it inside his mouth, chewing it before swallowing the small fruit. He cocks a curious, dirty brow towards the fox as the topic regarding the rabbit grew dirtier. "Was she good? Give me the details", and with those last words, the fox has had enough. Grabbing the sheath of his sword and lifting it up, the male growls softly and suddenly hits the floor with the bottom of the sheath, the noise being loud enough to startle everyone, including Jenny. Everyone turns towards the fox with surprised looks on their faces, yet Iizuka's expression bore more of a mix between surprise and anger. Jenny watches the fox quickly stand up and place his sword on the left side of his body, even noticing him walking towards the second exit at the back right of the room.
"I've never seen Matt that mad before…" Jenny thought following a soft sigh, not wanting to get involved in the situation, nor did she wanna confront the tanuki who said those inappropriate things about her. "I just hope he's alright", she added in her mind before getting back to work, not wanting to get involved with the conversation they were having. She definitely didn't like the dirty talk the tanuki was saying about her, and she would've been more than glad to give him a piece of her mind if there wasn't a sword right next to him.
"Don't scare me like that!" Iizuka yelled with an angered tone. "Why the hell do you have to take things so seriously?!" he growled, making the bunny cringe towards the predatory sound and close her eyes. She didn't know how much longer she can deal with the rowdy tanuki, nor did she know if she wanted to stick around the same room as him. She looks back towards the other customers and looks to see if anyone else wanted another serving, which fortunately for her, none of them did. She was beginning to breathe almost rapidly now, and now thanks to the atmosphere, she no longer felt comfortable in the dining area. Fortunately, however, Amaya walks towards the bunny and places her hand-paws on her shoulders, only for the bunny to stand up and turn to face the vixen.
"I need some air", Jenny said softly towards the vixen before quickly walking out of the dining room, not wanting to be in the same room as Iizuka anymore. Amaya reached for the bunny, but to no avail. She needed her to work in here for a bit longer, yet understood the reason why she left. The vixen shrugs and resumes her work in the dining area, serving the hungry customers inside with the food she and the bunny had provided for them.
Matt's hotel room, roughly fifteen minutes later
Ever since the fox had left the dining area, he had entered his hotel suite as an attempt to calm himself down. Usually when the examiner of executions said stuff like that, he didn't mind since it was his business. But when he said it regarding Jenny, despite barely knowing the rabbit, he felt outright furious! He had no right to speak of such things about the rabbit like that, someone who could potentially become a friend of his.
Now he was standing at the balcony outside looking over the afternoon horizon, watching the people below passing by along the streets like the common townsfolk they were. His forearms rest comfortably on the wooden balcony railing in a crossing position, his head resting on top of them in a similar fashion. His ears flicker to the opening of his hotel suite, making the male quick turn to face the direction. He honestly did not wanna deal with Iizuka right now, or else he would end up doing some unspeakable acts against him. Fortunately, that wasn't the case, for it was Jenny who had opened the sliding door leading to his suit. He manages to calm down enough to approach the partially open door and gaze towards the rabbit's eyes.
"Mind if I come in, Matt?" Jenny asked, the fox turning his gaze away from her momentarily before looking back at her again, nodding and opening the door open for the woman. She enters the room and takes a look around, approaching the sofa and taking a seat on the fox sized cushion. The fox walks towards the lounging part of the suite and takes a seat next to her, deciding it was time to talk with her, but the topic wouldn't be about what happened last night.
"Jenny, listen to me…" Matt began, his face looking directly towards the TV screen in front of him, the TV being turned off and allowing him to see a faint reflection of the two on the couch.
"I'm listening", Jenny replied, making the fox turn his head towards her with a calm look on his face.
"You should leave here, Jenny. You risk your honor being around the other male mammals", Matt claimed with a similar, yet worried tone, not wanting a potential friend of his to become a sex object to the perverted members of the Ishin-Mirkwood clan or any of the other males residing in the place. "Don't you have family back at your place?" he asked. And right as he asked that, the bunny closes her eyes and shakes her head.
"Not anymore", Jenny answered with a soft tone, a sigh escaping her mouth before the fox's eyes widen a tad bit with surprise. "My parents were murdered during a drive by shooting while I was in the eighth grade, roughly five months after we moved from England to the east coast", she explained. Now that he didn't expect to hear, especially with her parents having been murdered during a drive by shooting. He was honestly curious on what happened that day, but decided not to press on the matter in order to avoid opening old wounds. He turns his head away from her and closes his eyes, letting a sigh escape his muzzle.
"Sorry…" Matt apologized and reopens his eyes partially, looking directly at the coffee table.
"Has your wound healed?" Jenny asked, snapping the fox out of his trance and causing him to focus his attention towards the rabbit next to him.
"Yeah, I guess so", Matt answered before moving his left hand-paw over the scar on his left, his fingers tracing over the linear wound momentarily before moving his left hand-paw to his lap. He examines the rabbit's body before noticing the handle of her dagger behind her back. "Let me see your weapon", the fox said calmly, surprising the rabbit at the mention of the weapon she carried on her back. But nonetheless, she nods and reaches for the weapon behind her back.
"Sure", Jenny replied, grabbing the sheathed dagger from behind her back and handing it to the fox. Matt unbuttons the sheath of the blade and grabs the hilt of the weapon, pulling the dagger out of sheath and examining the blade closely. He raises the blade up and turns the weapon left and right carefully, the sunlight reflecting from the silver surface quite a bit.
"After Amaya showed me this, I was genuinely surprised you were carrying a dagger bearing a blade as long as my forearm", Matt admitted, placing the weapon back in its sheath before handing it back to the rabbit. He watches her taking the sheathed weapon with her right hand-paw and placing it behind her back, the square padding being used as a cover to conceal the weapon easily. "It's also wise to carry protection on you when walking the streets of Kawasabus", he began, only to pause for a short moment to let out a calm sigh. "But you should be living in a place where you wouldn't need to be carrying weapons like this", the fox finished, raising his arms upward and giving them a good stretch before leaning back against the couch.
"You mean a place free of assassins, Matt?" Jenny asked, the fox turning his head towards her a bit and cocks a curious brow towards the female.
"Huh?" Matt asked, wondering where that question came from at first. But after taking a moment to think about it, he nods at the rabbit with understanding. "Yeah, pretty much", he added, watching the rabbit stand up from the couch and nod towards the fox.
"I understand", Jenny replied softly before turning towards the front door, walking towards the sliding door and grabbing a hold of the handle. She opens it and proceeds to exit, but turns around and faces the fox. "Talk to you soon, Matt", she said before closing the door behind her, leaving the fox to himself and his thoughts. But about a couple minutes later, he too would get off the couch and head out of his hotel room, grabbing his keys on the way out and locking the door behind him. He was needing to talk to Amaya regarding last night, and ask a few questions for himself.
Inside the employee's lounging area, several minutes later
"She's a good worker, Matt", Amaya spoke towards the fox, her eyes set upon the vulpine assassin in front of her while she was drying off one of the bowls they were recently . Moments ago, the fox had come into the employee's lounge to speak with the head maid and owner of the Kawasabus Shrine Inn, since he had told her he needed to speak with the vixen herself. And the topic it regarded was about Jenny, especially after he had brought her in last night.
"Yes, there's no doubt about that, Ma'am. But how long?" Matt asked in regards to how long the vixen was allowing the rabbit to stay at the Inn.
"As long as she likes, Mr. Wilde. After all, you were the one who begged me to take her in, remember?" Amaya asked with a calm, as-a-matter-of-fact tone in her voice before turning her eyes towards the dish she was drying off.
"I know, but just for the night", Matt replied, a slight frown on his face, but remained calm nonetheless.
"You Ishin-Mirkwood mammals are excellent customers, but you keep my girls busy. Do you know how hard it is to feed twenty hungry and lecherous men?" Amaya began. "She works hard and her beauty intimidates the reprobates. Perhaps she's made mistakes in the past, but that is none of my concern. If I gave everyone the boot out of here, I wouldn't have any employees or clients", the vixen finished, placing the clean dish down on top of another similar clean dish before grabbing another identical bowl. The male fox places his gloved hand-paws inside of his pockets before letting out a soft shrug, his ears flickering to the sound of footsteps approaching the employee's lounging area. And soon enough, Iizuka arrives to the employees lounge and manages to find the person he was looking for.
"There you are, Matt", Iizuka greeted. Although the fox wasn't really fond of his presence at the moment, he was still curious on what he had to say.
"What's up?" Matt replied, a slight frown on his face despite the calm tone he bore.
"Katagai and Thrandeer returned", Iizuka answered before turning to the hallway on the left and walking towards the path leading to the outdoor courtyard. As reluctant as the fox was with being around the tanuki, Matt follows Iizuka to go meet with the others at the courtyard outside.
"Just like a man who misunderstands his feelings…" Amaya commented to herself as she continues to dry off the wet dishes with the rag in hand.
The tanuki and fox continue to walk along the wooden floors of the Inn, leading to the outdoor hallway where the courtyard was located. And standing outside were none other than Katagai along with Thrandeer, both of which were in their usual attire. The tanuki and fox meet with the deer and bear up ahead and began to follow them along the outdoor hallway, the courtyard just at their right. Yet as they continue to walk along the path, the four males notice a female bunny walking towards the opposite direction where they were going, the rabbit happening to be carrying a couple packages of freshly cooked food. Thrandeer and Katagai didn't know who the person was, Iizuka barely did, yet Matt knew her the most, since he happens to be attending to the same high school as her. The four stop moments later with the bear and buck turning towards Iizuka and Matt's direction.
"Who is that woman?" Thrandeer ask, the four men turning towards Jenny as they watch her taking a left along the wooden floored pathway.
"The men whisper of a new girl", Katagai replied, the men watching her knocking on one of the hotel room sliding doors gently and waiting for the room occupant to answer the door.
"That's the whore", Iizuka answered the buck, the comment causing the fox's eyes to widen with unexpected surprise before turning towards the tanuki with an angry, narrow set of eyes, fists clenching tightly almost immediately after the comment was made.
"She is not!" Matt growled, his tone bearing an unexpected fierceness to it. Thrandeer remains calm about this as Katagai and Iizuka turn towards Matt, unaware that a pair of rabbit ears have managed to catch in on the conversation.
"Has she been alone with any of them yet?" Thrandeer asked, the anger flooding in Matt's body evaporating from his body as unexpected surprise replaces the anger. The fox's eyes quickly turns to face the leader with a strongly surprised look on his face. Out of all mammals to make such comments, the fox did NOT expect for Thrandeer to ask such a question.
"Thrandeer!" Matt exclaimed with a surprised, almost embarrassed tone in his voice. The leader of the Ishin-Mirkwood clan merely chuckles at the fox before turning his sights towards the fox before him.
"Don't be so sensitive, Matt", Thrandeer replied with a slight chuckle in his voice. But despite the surprised look the buck saw on the fox's face (which to him as admittedly a bit humorous), he turns towards Iizuka with a calmly serious look on his face. "Iizuka, find out what you can about her. Just be on the safe side", he ordered, the tanuki giving the chief a soft nod in response to the given order.
"Done", Iizuka responded to the order.
"Matt!" Katagai exclaimed calmly, yet with a stern tone mixed into it.
"Yes, sir?" Matt asked calmly, but bore a curious expression on his face.
"The woman isn't the only thing the men are talking about. Did you kill a mammal last night?" Katagai asked, the fox closing his eyes softly and letting a sigh escape his muzzle. Thrandeer turns towards his right and began walking towards the courtyard, stepping onto the grassy, earthly soils as he did.
"Just as we planned", Matt answered before reopening his eyes and looking up at the heavily built bear.
"You know what I'm referring to", Katagai said, his voice becoming more stern with each passing second, a soft gasp escaping his muzzle. He was about to answer until Iizuka steps forward slightly, yet was enough to grab the bear's attention.
"The fox ran into trouble on the way home", Iizuka began, the fox's head turning towards the direction where Iizuka stood. "I offered to buy him a drink. He should think twice about walking alone", the tanuki finished right as the clan leader grabs a hold of an umbrella that was on a nearby wooden table, using it to shield himself from the afternoon sunlight.
"Where was he from, the Mibu or Orimaku clans?" Thrandeer asked right as the tanuki began walking towards the direction where Jenny had went..
"No, he was too crude for those wolves", Matt answered.
"Neo-Shinsengumi?" Katagai asked.
"No, I've never been up against any mammal as evil as he", Matt began. "It was-"
"An Orimakishu Ninja", Thrandeer interrupted, closing the umbrella with his right hand-paw as Matt turns towards his direction.
"Yes", Matt answered, coincidentally at the moment the tanuki stops on his tracks.
"We have kept your secret and no one knows of your identity", Katagai claimed. "Who would know to eliminate you?" the bear asked, a small frown forming on the fox's face.
"A traitor, one of our own", Matt replied.
"I think you're right", Thrandeer said in agreement right as Iizuka turns his head slightly to the left towards them. Both Matt and Katagai soon turn towards the leader with calm frowns on their faces. "You all have enough to worry about right now. So allow me to investigate the existence of this possible traitor".
"Yes, Sir!" Matt, Katagai, and Iizuka replied simultaneously before the buck turns to face the fox, handing him the closed umbrella by pointing the handle towards him.
"Matt", Thrandeer said.
"Yes, sir?" Matt replied almost quickly.
"Autumn is nearing its prime", Thrandeer began.
"What?" Matt questioned with a curious tone, the deer turning towards the autumn leaves on one of the oak trees nearby.
"The leaves on the oak trees are shifting in color and falling from the branches rapid as the cooling weather. It won't be long before the winds of winter reach this town", Thrandeer explained, with Matt and Katagai turning to face the autumn leaves on the trees. Unaware to them, Jenny had been listening into their conversation while she had been working as a maid. However, she now had to take care of business with the Hopps Family Farm booth in the shopping district. She leaves the courtyard where the four males were at without uttering a word, going out through her business as if she were never there.
Later that night
The shopping district had been very eventful throughout the day, with many farmers and businessman trying to sell their goods at the local booths. Random assassins and members of the Neo-Shinsengumi occasionally pass through the districts when goods were needing to be bought, from necessities like food and clothes to wants like weapons. But when nightfall had come, everybody began closing shop and began to party all night or to settle down for the night. Two of the people choosing to settle down for the night were Jenny Bunni and Matt Wilde.
Jenny had checked out of the hotel earlier and attempted to pay for her room, but Amaya declined to take her money by telling her it was on the house. Though no longer staying at the hotel, she did leave with the promise to lend a helping hand over the weekends. Now she was currently at home studying for her high school classes, reading the textbooks carefully and jotting down notes when she needed be. Her attire consists of a navy blue tank top along with a pair of black, tight fitting nylon workout short shorts with white stripes on the sides of her hips. Her tank top was of a slim fit, which her DD-cup breasts became a lot more noticeable because of the tight fitting fabric. After studying for a bit, she looks out the window of her second floor bedroom, examining the stars and the white glow of the harvest moon.
Matt was still at the Kawasabus Shrine Inn with the rest of his clan members, yet like Jenny chose to settle down instead of partying like many of the others have. He was currently lying on his bed with only a lamp illuminating the entire bedroom suite, currently using his ICarrot 3G phone to come in contact with his aunt, Tomoe. Dressed in a black tank top and a pair of dark gray pajama pants, he began pounding on the touchscreen keys with the use of his thumbs. When the message he wanted to type was written, he presses the send button to send the message to his aunt letting her know about how he was doing. A yawn escapes his muzzle shortly after sending a text message to his aunt and the need for sleep becomes more apparent with each passing second. Placing the phone on the dresser to his right, along with hooking in the charger for his phone, he stretches his arms and legs before grabbing the covers to his bed. With the covers in hand, he places the blanket over his body and shuts his eyes, thus allowing the pleasantries and necessity of sleep to overtake his body within a matter of seconds.
The outdoor Kawasabus Shrine Inn Bar, Wednesday afternoon
Rain was pouring hard at the shopping district in Kawasabus, many people seeking shelter within many of the buildings or practically anything with a roof. Fortunately, one such place happened to be the outdoor bar located at the Kawasabus Shrine Inn, some of the people going under the roof to help keep dry and even get themselves a drink or two. But despite the heavy rain outside, not many chose to remain at the outdoor lounging area of the bar, even if it had a roof over it. But for the few who did benefited from it greatly.
A few of the mammals who were outside were none other than Ishin-Mirkwood clan leader, Thrandeer; the examiner of executions, Iizuka; and the clan's secretary, Katagai. They were all dressed in their usual attire, with the exception of them wearing a large, bowl shaped Japanese straw hats to help keep the rain off their heads. Iizuka was sitting on one side of the booth while Katagai and Thrandeer were siting in the other. Two bottles of sake were placed at the middle of the table, with three small, bowl shaped cups placed in front of the three male mammals. As comfortable as the meeting was, they were there only for the sake of clan business matters.
"What have you learned?" Thrandeer asked the tanuki with a calm tone of voice.
"Her accent and her mannerisms prove she's obviously not from Kawasabus, nor from the country itself", Iizuka began. "She writes beautifully and indicates a certain grace, so despite still being a high school student, she's clearly well educated", he continued. "I'm assuming she's from a wealthy family from Newcastle, England, perhaps. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to come across any records of her. Her family name didn't appear in any registries", the tanuki explained further before pausing for a moment to take a small sip of sake from the bowl shaped glass, only to place it back on the table once he finished to continue speaking. "Finally I sniffed around the whorehouses in town. Nobody was familiar with her face or her scent, white plum", the tanuki finished, with Katagai turning his head towards Iizuka right across from him.
"She could have changed her name, an alias perhaps", Katagai suggested. And as interesting as that sounded, the tanuki shakes his head upon hearing this.
"No, I'd come across that already if that was the case. At this point, its highly unlikely", Iizuka answered while grabbing a hold of one of the bottles of sake and pouring some of the alcoholic beverage inside the bowl shaped cup. "My guess is she might've ran away from home as a teenager at some point in her life and her parents were too busy to find her", he suggested theoretically before pulling the cup to his muzzle and taking a drink of the beverage, setting it back onto the table right afterward. "Either that or her parents were killed at some point in her life", he claimed before leaning back against the booth, the clan leader taking a drink of his beverage before looking at the tanuki.
"I see…" Thrandeer replied. "Did you learn anything else?" the clan leader asked calmly, the tanuki shaking his head before standing up.
"I'll let you know once I learn more", Iizuka replied with a similar tone of voice. Thrandeer stands up along with Katagai and step out of the booth, the bear grabbing his wallet and leaving a tip on the table. Iizuka takes care of the bill by paying up front before heading out of the bar. As for the leader and the secretary, the two males continue about their business like the rest of the common folk, almost as if the conversation they've had never occurred.
At the Inn Penthouse, Thursday morning
Peaceful tranquility of music can be heard inside the Penthouse, the source of the music coming from the flute a female kitsune was playing for Thrandeer. While the female kitsune was playing some music with her flute, Thrandeer was reading a letter he had received from the mail. The letter had come from his close friend, Takasugi, the leader of the Neo-kiheitai army, with the letter giving updates regarding the Ishin-Mirkwood clan. And according to the letter, it didn't seem the updates would be any good whatsoever….
Be careful, Thrandeer
Your hometown is rumbling with rumors and conjectures if our Ishin-Mirkwood clan. The old politicians are too frightened to support you against the Kawasabus Neo-Shogunate. Miyabe's group bears particular observation. No one can be trusted. Stay strong, but keep your promise.
Once he had finished reading the letter, the clan leader folds the piece of paper back up before placing it on the coffee table a couple feet away from his coffee. A small sigh escapes his muzzle before placing his right hand-paw under his chin, his index finger rubbing the left side of his jaw while the thumb rests on the right.
"I cannot believe its been over three years since I've made that promise to Takasugi", Thrandeer thought within his mind, remembering the promise he had made with Takasugi sometime after acquiring Matt Wilde into their clan. "I still remember it as if it were yesterday…"
Inside the Ishin-Mirkwood Clan Head Quarters, September 10th, 2006
The promise Thrandeer had made to Takasugi took place near summer's end three years ago, which was made inside the clan's headquarters at the western edge of Kawasabus. Taking place at night after another successful kill streak, Takasugi was taking a seat against the wall next to his shamisen while Thrandeer was sitting on the couch enjoying some sake. Thrandeer himself was dressed in a black tight fitting short sleeved shirt, dark gray hakama pants, and a pair of dark gray socks. As for Takasugi himself, the Shiba Inu wore a white sleeveless kimono shirt along with a pair of hakama pants of the same color. The black cloth belt he wore on his waist was used to help keep his shirt tucked in and secured, much the same with keeping his pants on as well. After a small moment of silence, the Shiba Inu turns towards the deer while noticing him grabbing the bottle and pouring himself a small portion of sake into the bowl shaped cup.
"Does he please you?" Takasugi asked calmly with a soft grin on his face.
"He's perfect", Thrandeer answered before raising his cup of sake towards his muzzle and taking a drink of it. He sets the cup down and turns to face the Shiba Inu nearby. "With Matt managing to kill twenty three-people within less than two months, I have to say he's killed more than what the other Ishin-Mirkwood clan would within six months", he claimed following a slight chuckle escaping Takasugi's muzzle.
"He's special, but as much as I can use him in the Neo-kiheitai, I will give him to you", Takasugi began before grabbing a hold of a shamisen pick from his lap and tilting his head towards the object. "On one condition".
"Which is?" Thrandeer asked.
"Let the kit absorb the horror of our struggle. Keep yourself clear of the disturbance", Takasugi started. "Give me your word that, unless absolutely necessary, you will never again draw your sword", he finished. Now Thrandeer didn't expect him to give such a condition in order to keep Matt as his assassin. However, it was a price he had to pay in order for him to having Matt continue working under him, and it was worth it. Placing the cup onto the coffee table as he did, the deer grabs his sheathed sword and gazes directly at the Shiba.
"I work everyday for the restoration of our countrymen. From now on, except when absolutely necessary, I do so without a weapon", with those words, Thrandeer walks towards his bedroom located at the wall opposite to where Takasugi was leaning against.
"Promise me", Takasugi replied, the deer stopping on his tracks and turning his head towards the left, looking back at his friend while opening the sliding door leading to his room.
"You have my word, Takasugi. Thrandeer Katzuma's sword fighting days are over, unless a time comes when it is absolutely necessary for me to draw my sword", Thrandeer promised reassuringly.
"Just focus on leading the Ishin-Mirkwood clan through the final days of Kawasabus' tyranny. I'll take care of the rest", Takasugi replied.
"Thank you", Thrandeer replied, nodding towards the Shiba before entering his room, closing the sliding door behind himself with the intent to get some sleep. The canine grabs a hold of his shamisen instrument and places the body of it comfortably on his lap. With the pick in his right hand, and the neck of the instrument on his left, the Shiba uses the shamisen pick to pluck the strings and his left set of fingers to hit the notes.
As the Shiba began playing music through his shamisen guitar, Matt Wilde was laying down on his bed with his left hand-paw placed behind the back of his pillow. The articles of clothing he wore consisted of a dark green T-shirt, black fingerless gloves, and camouflage cargo pants, with the leg openings being tucked into the black open toe boots. In the grip of his right hand-paw was a photo of his family that had been taken in the summer of 2000. His parents were located in the back row; his older brothers, Nick and Terrance, in the second row in front of the parents; his sisters, Melissa and Tauriel in the third row in front of Nick and Terrance, and himself at the front row.
Ironically enough, it was the last photo he was able to take with his father before something happened to him in early 2001. What happened to him, he nor the rest of his family knew. However, he gently folds the photo vertically in half before folding again horizontally with his right hand-paw, placing the photo in the cargo pocket. With the photo he had to remember his family by safely tucked in his cargo pants pocket, he places his right hand-paw behind his pillow and closes his eyes, the comforts of sleep consuming his body within a matter of seconds.
The Kawasabus Shrine Inn Penthouse, 2009
Time has indeed passed by like sand going though an hourglass, with the years passing by like they were mere months. Man, how time tends to fly, many say. Either way, the deer lets out a soft sigh before stretching his arms, the female kitsune noticing this and stopping what she was doing within moments.
"Is it bad news?" the female kitsune asked curiously, her hand-paws still holding the flute in position.
"I haven't read a letter of good news in years, Maria", Thrandeer answered before shaking his head softly. Maria, the female kitsune, began chuckling softly with a soft smile forming on her face shortly after he answered.
"Oh really", Maria asked, managing to catch the male's attention enough to make him curious. "I recall writing letters to you", she added following a playful, friendly wink, a soft giggle escaping her muzzle as she spoke. Thrandeer couldn't help but softly smile towards her upon hearing her response.
"Those were different", Thrandeer responded, which again another, slightly softer giggle escaping her muzzle. But now that the topic regarding the letter was mentioned….
"How's Takasugi fairing?" Maria asked with a curious tone of voice, not having heard a word from him for quite sometime. Thrandeer loses his soft smile upon hearing her ask, but continues to remain calm nevertheless about the topic.
"His health declines daily. He and his disease, live alone…"Thrandeer answered before the kitsune turns her head away from the deer a bit upon hearing the buck's answer.
"I grieve for his consort. Uno must miss him", Maria replied.
"Uno understands", Thrandeer claimed, which in response causes the kitsune's eyes to gaze towards the male out of curiosity.
"How can you be so sure of that", Maria asked upon hearing this, being rather curious by the male's choice of words.
"Takasugi has always lived by his own ways", Thrandeer began. "He's something of a drawn sword", the male finished right as Maria stands up from her spot and walks towards Thrandeer, taking a seat next to him on the left and even leaning towards the buck slightly.
"So unfortunate", Maria began, the male deer nodding in response before turning towards the right a bit, his eyes gazing out the penthouse level window and looking at the outside world. "I feel as though Uno can help by serving as a… sheath of some sort", she claimed. And when she said that, that caught the male buck's attention almost immediately, turning his head to face the kitsune with a curious look on his face.
"A sheath?" Thrandeer asked shortly after his eyes were set upon the multiple tailed vulpine next to him. 'Sheath' continues crossing his head numerous times right after she mentioned it. And the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. "I suppose so…" the buck added moments later, agreeing on the matter of Uno serving as a sheath for Takasugi. Now that he thought about it, perhaps he could apply that concept with someone hand have them serve as a sheath for one of his assassins? Who knows…