A/N: Minor corrections made
Kawasabus Under Attack
A large number of Neo-Shinsengumi members occupy the Neo-Shinsengumi Headquarters meeting room, the people lining up in several vertical rows of eight people. The room's lighting consists of two horizontal rows of five, sixty-three inch, dimly lit lamps. Hell, the room was practically dimly lighted to the point where it could match the lighting of a secret room for the occult. But regardless of the environment inside the Neo-Shinsengumi's base of operations, all sets of eyes remain fixed upon the captain and his second in command.
Like all members of the Neo-Shinsengumi, the captain and the second in command wore tight fitting, sky blue colored short sleeved athletic shirt, with the shirts being tucked into their cool gray hakama pants. Black fingerless gloves cover their hand-paws much like the samurai bracers cover their forearms and the back of their hand-paws. But unlike the members, however, they wore a dark cerulean blue long sleeve Montsuki Haori jacket over their athletic shirts, which signify their higher authority over the other members.
Although similar in terms of their ranks, their species were obviously different from one another. The captain himself is a South China Tiger with orange and white fur, with black stripes covering parts of his body. A brown pair of eyes gaze directly towards the other mammals with a serious frown on his face. His medium length black hair was tied back with a white ponytail, making the mammal's hair look slick enough to shine in the dull lighting. Lastly, the tiger appeared to be well within his forties, yet bore the appearance to that of someone in the middle of his thirties.
The Neo-Shinsengumi's second in command is a timber wolf with various shades and tints of gray, with a pair of hazel eyes gazing towards the rest of the members inside the room. Like the captain, his hair was a jet black color and tied back with a white colored ponytail, the exception being his bangs remaining free.
One thing was for certain the two had in common: The captain and second in command were in here for some serious business, especially with the tones they were about to carry in their voices.
"Okita, Hesuki, and Todo will accompany the captain. The rest of you will follow me!" the second in command said calmly to the large number of Neo-Shinsengumi members inside.
"Sir?" another member asked, the captain's attention shifting briefly towards his left before turning back towards the front. It was now time to give out the order. The tiger stands up off of his seat and looks straight at the other members.
"We must search every part of downtown Kawasabus this evening, gentlemammals", the captain began right before turning to his right slightly. "We are engaged in battle now", he continued, pausing briefly to shift his attention towards his left, looking at the other members from that side of the room. "Our foe must be dead or arrested by dawn" he kept speaking all while shifting his gaze directly in front of him. "You will pay dearly for any mammal you overlook! I will see to that", the feline finished with a stern look on his face along with a similar tone of voice.
"Rise up, and fight!" the second in command ordered, every member of the Neo-Shinsengumi standing up immediately after he gave the order. The Neo-Shinsengumi depart from the room and turn out the lights on their way out, thus their battle against the extremists has begun….
Kazuki-Mai Nightclub
Calm and serene was what the entire environment felt like to both Matt Wilde and Jenny Bunni, both of which were relaxing at the booth after eating a freshly cooked, high quality meal. Both the fox and rabbit had been there for about two hours now, having already danced together, eaten, and had already paid for their meals roughly ten minutes ago (Matt having paid his and Jenny's meals under the same bill). Now the two were next to each other in a warm embrace, Jenny resting her head on the fox's left shoulder with the fox's left arm wrapped around her waist. Matt pours himself and Jenny another shot of sake and grabs the small glass, the rabbit doing the same before the fox moves his shot glass towards his mouth. The rabbit began to do the same right as the fox took a swig of his, but places it back on the table and lets out a soft sigh.
"You know… I'm quite different from you", Jenny began, pausing momentarily to turn her head towards the fox, with the vulpine doing the same with a curious look on his face. "I don't enjoy drinking as much as I used to anymore", she finished.
"Is it the taste?" Matt asked curiously, placing the emptied shot glass onto the table next to hers, which was still full of sake. Jenny turns away from the fox and closes her eyes.
"No, its just I used to rely on alcohol to help me feel more contented", Jenny began before reopening her eyes and looking back up towards the fox with her sapphire eyes. "Now, I don't need it".
"I see", Matt replied calmly before turning to face Jenny's shot glass, grabbing a hold of it and moving it towards her hand-paws. "Here", he said, but a raised hand-paw stopped him on his tracks. He looks at the rabbit and right as Jenny shook her head in refusal. With an understanding nod, he turns towards the table and places the shot glass back onto the table, a pair of sapphire eyes now looking up at the slash wound on his face.
"Your wound seems to have stopped bleeding", Jenny said with a calmly surprise tone of voice, a soft shrug escaping his muzzle.
"I haven't thought about it in days", Matt replied, leaning back against the booth contently.
"It must've finally healed up, perhaps?", Jenny asked, the fox letting out a calm sigh before turning away from her.
"Well, the blood stopped flowing", Matt answered, not paying attention to the fact the rabbit next to him was still looking at the wound on his left cheek.
"You know, I'm not sure why, but every time I look at it, I think of the strangest thing", Jenny began, grabbing the vulpine's attention almost quickly. He turns his head towards the bunny and began looking towards her with a curious pair of eyes. "I wonder about the last thing your victims see", she wondered aloud, only enough for him to hear and no one else. "You say you put people to death to make others happy and keeping them safe… but..." she paused, looking down towards her left with uncertainty of what to say next.
"Continue", Matt replied calmly, his left hand-paw gently beginning to rub her left shoulder, the bunny smiling up at him briefly before losing it a few seconds later.
"I… I don't think… I can't see it brings you much happiness, Matt…" Jenny concluded with a concerned look and tone in her voice. And although the fox understood her tone, he merely closes his eyes and lets a calm sigh escape his muzzle.
"People die everyday for no reason, Jen. I don't choose my victims at random", Matt claimed, a slight frown on his face while bearing a calm tone in his voice.
"Perhaps…" Jenny replied before looking back up towards towards the fox. "Yet you don't even choose your victims. You hope you're killing mammals who deserve to die… but it looks as if you entrusted your leader", she finished, with Matt closing his eyes before letting out another shrug.
"Its better I not know the reason why they should die", Matt claimed, his answer causing the rabbit to gasp softly. "They die for a reason, and that's all I need to know…" the fox added, reopening his eyes and turning away from her. Jenny didn't expect such an answer to come from his mouth, yet at the same time wasn't surprised by it either. She knew he was an assassin, so there wasn't a reason to be surprised by the answer anyways. But as she looks at him closely, particularly towards his jade green eyes, she knew there was something more to him than meets the eye.
"You know… every time I look into your eyes, I can sense there's something more about you than what's being shown on the outside", Jenny began, which catches the vulpine's curiosity rather quickly with a flicker of his ears.
"What do you mean?" Matt asked, no longer slightly frowning and now looking at the bunny with a curious look on his face.
"Well… for instance, you may look like a cold blooded, cold hearted assassin on the outside", Jenny began following a brief pause. "…but when I look into your eyes, I can see you have a heart of gold on the inside…" she continued, slowly placing her left hand-paw onto the spot where his heart lies. "A heart that desires to protect the ones you love and cherish, no matter the cost", the bunny added. "That's what I sense inside of you…" and with those words, the bunny lowers her head and turns away from him, looking towards her left where the table was.
"Jen…" Matt said softly, his right hand-paw gently grabbing a hold of her jaw a few seconds later and gently tilting her head upwards, her eyes now directly looking towards his.
Seconds began to pass by like minutes as the two continue to look into each others eyes, their breathing being calm and serene in the movements. Their faces began to fluster softly, their breathing quickened slightly, and their hearts began pounding inside of their chests. Matt soon began leaning towards her slowly, much like Jenny was moving up towards him in a similar place. Their eyes slowly began to close as they inch closer towards each other's face. Ten inches soon became five, then four, two, one. They were now half an inch away from each other and their eyes were now closed, completely oblivious to their surroundings. Nothing mattered to them right now but the company of each other. Their lips were now only a centimeter from one another, their lips getting closer to connecting with one another. Just one more centimeter.…
"We've got to go!" the urgent voice of Iizuka broke the moment and immediately causes the two to pull away from one another with a pair of shocked, widened eyes. Their faces were flustering heavily with pure shock, especially with Matt's fur sticking up all over the place. He starts turning around with a furious look on his face, but seeing the urgent expression the tanuki bore on his face, his furious expression quickly changes to a surprised one.
"What's the matter?" Matt replied calmly, the blush he once bore from his unexpected presence no longer on his face. The bunny turns to face the tanuki with a similar expression as well, yet was still slightly, though unnoticeably, flustering from the sudden intrusion. Yet upon seeing Iizuka's expression, she understood something must've gone down, or that something was happening as he spoke.
"We're all in danger!" Iizuka exclaimed, both the fox and rabbit quickly standing up before watching the tanuki turning to face the exit. "I'll explain everything on the way! Now c'mon!" the tanuki added before suddenly rushing towards the exit, with Matt and Jenny turning towards each other. The fox nods towards his rabbit companion and gently grabbing her left hand-paw with his right, his fingers curling between hers before quickly rushing out of the door. Unaware to them, a couple pairs of eyes, one brown and the other purple, have been watching the two leaving with the tanuki.
The trio quickly rush out of the Nightclub and began running through the streets of Kawasabus as quick as they could. Unfortunately they were met with a lot of delays while trying to flee the place. Huge number of mammals, from the biggest predators to the smallest of prey crowded the streets like concert goers crowding a massive arena. Though coincidentally enough, it appears many of the mammals in the crowd seem to be heading towards some place similar, perhaps an outdoor venue for the festival. But neither Iizuka, Matt, or Jenny cared one bit about this. Something was about to go down in Kawasabus, and it seems the fox and rabbit were about to find out.
"Miyabe and his clan are about to burn Kawasabus to the ground tonight", Iizuka started to explain all while trying to push his way through the crowded streets of Kawasabus. Matt looks back towards Jenny to ensure he had a secure hold of her, which fortunately for him he did.
"That's Insane!" Matt exclaimed with a growl.
"Of course it is", Iizuka replied quickly. "Then they plan to move the Neo-Shogunate's leader to New Takagi and rule the government from there. Thrandeer tried to talk to them out of this idiotic venture, but to no avail. They're disavowed from each other", the tanuki continued before a growl escapes from the fox's muzzle. Unaware to the trio, however, the Neo-Shinsengumi and some members of the orimaku clan had were already marching towards their suspected destination. "We are being forced into battle prematurely. The orimaku clan have enlisted the Neo-Shinsengumi to fight with them", he explained further before managing to arrive at one of the discreet alleyways in the area. "You have to get to that meeting as fast as you can. Now go!" the tanuki finished quickly, turning towards the alleyway and sprinting towards through it.
"Meeting?" Matt wondered in his mind right as he quickly turns to face the running raccoon dog. "Where do we go?!" the fox asked, stopping the tanuki on his tracks before turning to face the vulpine.
"To the Koromachi Bar, in the Idekaya District!" Iizuka exclaimed quickly before turning away from the two and sprinting away from them both. Matt and Jenny look towards each other and gave a soft nod, the fox kneeling down and moving his arms back towards the bunny.
"The Idekaya District is about ten blocks from where we're at right now. We'll get there quicker if I carried you", Matt suggested right as he felt the bunny climb onto his back without hesitation, her arms wrapping around his neck enough to keep a secure hold, and her legs getting wrapped by the fox's muscular arms. Once she was secured, the fox stands up and quickly sprints forward, the direction in which the Koromachi Bar was located. Whether or not they would get there in time, he didn't know. All they could do now was for the Ishin-Mirkwood clan members to hold on long enough for him to get there.
Koromachi Bar, Idekaya District, roughly about the same time
"They're upstairs!" a member of the Neo-Shinsengumi exclaimed as many of them begin rushing inside of the Koromachi Bar, many of the local residents and drunks looking towards this with a mixture of emotions. The Neo-Shinsengumi had arrived to the two story bar barely half a minute ago, which was believed to be the suspected location where the Ishin-Mirkwood meeting was taking place. Before the member heads inside, he turns to face the others who still remain outside. "Some of you start searching for the assassin in the other parts of the district. We've got this!" he ordered the other members before following the rest of the group inside, the ones outside splitting up to different factions to begin their search for the assassin.
As some of the Neo-Shinsengumi hastily enter the bar, one of the Ishin-Mirkwood members, a cheetah, heard all of the commotion that was going on downstairs. He quickly stands up and grabs a hold of the sheathed blade before quickly exiting the meeting room, their base of operations. The feline quickly draw's his sword right as he spots Okita rushing upstairs towards the meeting room.
"Who are you?!" the cheetah exclaimed and was about to pull out his sword, but a deadly pierce from Okita's katana through the heart sought an end to that. The folf pulls his sword out and watches the cheetah rolling down the stairs, blood shooting out of the fatal injury like a high powered water hose.
"Its not him!" the words that came from Okita's mouth quickly caught the attention of the other members of the Ishin-Mirkwood clan members, who gasp with furious surprise and towards the open door with similar expressions for roughly a few seconds. One of them opens the candle lit lantern and blows the flame out of it quickly.
"Hurry! Put out the lights", one of the clan members said softly, albeit quickly before many of the members began blowing out most of the candles. Many quickly draw out their swords right as Okita and the Captain of the Neo-Shinsengumi come into view at their doorstep.
"You're all under arrest", the captain said calmly with a frown on his face, one of the members quickly slicing the final candle with a defiant diagonal strike.
The clan members gaze directly at the Neo-Shinsengumi with their swords drawn, one of the clan members quickly drawing out his sword. All prepare for battle with their swords drawn, their hand-paws clutching the handles tightly. The eyes of the Neo-Shinsengumi gaze directly at the Ishin-Mirkwood clan's own despite the room being almost completely dark. The only light source inside the room was the passing of a green glowing firefly, which began encircling itself around one of the Neo-Shinsengumi member's swords and the shiny material from the blade reflecting its light. All was silent, and not a single mammal dare moved.
But that soon changed when one of the clan members steps forward and accidentally pushes the coffee table forward, the cups that once occupied its surface falling forward and shattering into pieces. That unintentionally became the signal for the battle to begin, the Neo-Shinsengumi shouting battle cries and rushing towards the clan with their blades pulled back. The Ishin-Mirkwood clan members rush towards their opponents and began attacking them, only for their opponents to block the attacks swiftly with their own blades.
Loud 'clink' and 'clank' noises began to fill the dark room rapidly with each strike the two opposing forces try to make against one another. While both excellent in skill, it wasn't long before it was decided which side would have the upper hand. A Neo-Shinsengumi member stabs his sword right through one of the clan member's heart and kills his opponent on the spot, blood coating the silver blade thickly. And it wouldn't be long before more of the Ishin-Mirkwood clan members began to fall, especially thanks to Okita who had been slashing each opponent one by one.
The battle grew too heated for some of the clan members, but that didn't stop their fighting spirits one bit. Hell, many of them continue to fight to the death no matter the cost… with the exception of a zebra of course. The zebra suddenly jumps right through the sliding glass door like it were a window, not caring of any of he glass had cut him or not. Quickly jumping from the patio onto the metallic rooftop, the clan member suddenly turns around and notices Okita jumping onto the wooden railing of the patio and heading directly towards the zebra. Panicking at first, the equine recuperates quickly tightens his grip on his sword.
"Fight!" Okita shouted before performing an upper horizontal sweep with his sword, knocking the zebra back a bit because of the force of his attack. The equine attempts to strike the folf as quickly as he could, but Okita quickly jumps backwards before the attack struck him. And that proved to be a fatal mistake on the clan member's part! With a sudden movement, the folf pulls his blade back and points it directly towards his opponent before thrusting it right through the zebra's left chest, the clan member screaming in agonizing pain as blood began splattering out of the wound. Some of the crimson liquid paints the folf's body almost excessively, but the folf pulls his sword out of the zebra's body before rushing towards the patio adjacent to the one he exited from.
Upon approaching the patio's platform, he watches several members of the Neo-Shinsengumi along with several Ishin-Mirkwood clan members exiting the other room swiftly. He jumps onto the patio and starts hacking one of the enemies with a diagonal sweep of his blade, lacerating the chest open enough to kill his opponent almost swiftly. His ears flicker to the left and turns towards that direction, thrusting his sword deep into his left lung just under the clan member's heart. Okita quickly rotates the blade to a horizontal angle and pulls the blade out to the right with enough force to not only cut through the flesh and bone, but to also strike another opponent and kill him almost immediately. The folf closes his eyes for a moment before turning towards his left, reopening his eyes and surveying his surroundings closely.
"Okita! He's not here!" a member of the Neo-Shinsengumi exclaimed until he suddenly gets struck with a nasty diagonal slash from one of the Ishin-Mirkwood clan members, which killed him almost immediately. Okita's attention now turns towards the other clan members and engages in battle with the other members, wanting to end this immediately before the battle suddenly turns for the worst.
Idekaya District, roughly five blocks from the Koromachi Bar
As the chaos at the Koromachi Bar continues to progressively get worse, Matt and Jenny continue making their way towards the bar with haste. Unaware to them, the Neo-Shinsengumi had already arrived to the bar and had begun attacking the meeting. But that wasn't the only thing oblivious to them both, for they also had sent some of their squadrons after them, specifically Matt himself. And while the two were walking through a dark alleyway, members of the Neo-Shinsengumi intercepts them at the end of the pathway and causes Matt to stop on his tracks, kneeling down and letting the bunny get off of his back. The fox stands back up and watches the Neo-Shinsengumi line up side to side with their swords drawn from their sheaths.
"That's the one! He's the assassin!" one of the Neo-Shinsengumi members shouted, the fox placing his left arm in front of the rabbit behind him.
"Jen, get outta here, now!" Matt ordered, his left arm moving towards his sheathed weapon. But before he can grab a hold of it, however, Jenny grabs his hand-paw and causes the fox to gaze his eyes towards her direction.
"No way, Matt. I'm not leaving!" Jenny exclaimed with a serious tone of voice, making it clear she wasn't leaving him. "I'm your sheath, and I'm staying here no matter what!" she continued, the fox's eyes now moving back towards the Neo-Shinsengumi members standing roughly a good thirty yards away from him.
"You'll die", Matt replied with an identical tone.
"By your side", Jenny responded quickly, yet with a much calmer tone of voice, briefly catching the fox by surprise even if his facial expression didn't show it. "I may have seen you kill before, but by staying by your side and watching you kill again, I will truly know the full caliber of your strength", the rabbit claimed right before the fox steps in front of her with his right hand-paw gripping the handle of his sword.
All of the sudden, one of the Neo-Shinsengumi members, a timber wolf, starts sprinting towards the fox with his blade raised up high and ready for the kill. The wolf quickly performs a vertical slash, but Matt starts sprinting and blocks the attack by pulling out his sword and performing an upper horizontal sweep. Knocking back the wolf as he did, the fox slashes the wolf and slaughters him within a mere second, his blade slashing from the left shoulder down to his right oblique. With Matt killing the first of the Neo-Shinsengumi squad in the area, his battle has just begun.
Koromachi Bar, Idekaya District
The entire place was in chaos, especially with the fact many of the bar's customers now fleeing from the battle that was going on at the bar. While none of the drunks or customers on the first floor were harmed, both the Ishin-Mirkwood clan members and the Neo-Shinsengumi have suffered serious injuries, life threatening or not. Speaking of which, Okita had his left arm wrapped around one of his comrades' waist and was carrying him down towards the dirt road. His comrade a cross fox with black and orange fur on his body, along with long, black tied back hair. The Neo-Shinsengumi fox had suffered a severe, though non-life threatening, injury on his right shoulder and on his right side.
The folf suddenly stops in the middle of the dirt road and sets the fox down upon hearing his heavy breathing, raising his blade upwards defensively in front of the approaching Ishin-Mirkwood clan members. They had their blades pulled upward and were ready for the slaughter, but two deadly horizontal slashes sought an end to that. And the one responsible for the attacks was none other than Saito, who performed the first attack towards the front before making a hundred eighty degree turn, thus performing the second slash in the opposite direction. The clan members immediately fall backwards onto the ground and die almost immediately from the wounds, the arctic wolf flicking his sword once to remove most of their blood off of his blade.
"Where is Thrandeer?" Saito asked with a calmly stern look on his face.
"He's not here", Okita answered almost immediately after the arctic wolf asked. "The assassin's not inside either", the folf added before the arctic wolf nods at his comrade's answer. The folf quickly stands up with the fox in his grip. "I'll go take Hitoshi to the hospital, His wounds need to get treated right away!"
"I understand", Saito replied with a quick nod, turning towards the bar and entering inside. With the arctic wolf raiding the rest of the bar for anymore Ishin-Mirkwood clan members, the folf turns to his right, sprinting away from the scene with the intent to save his fallen ally.
At the Alley five blocks from the Bar
Painful groans were coming from some of the attacking Neo-Shinsengumi as the battle between them and the assassin continued to progress. One of them was recovering after rolling onto the concrete pathways after being knocked back from the force of Matt's attack. They knew the assassin was of a high caliber, but none of them expected him to be THIS strong! But regardless of the caliber of his strength, along with two of their mammals being killed by the assassin's blade.
"Armor won't save you!" Matt exclaimed right as he tightens his grip on his sword and began to snarl towards them, his fangs being exposed to his opponents. "Lay down your arms! Or DIE!"
"We are trained in the technique of Okinishi-guru", one of the Neo-Shinsengumi members replied quickly.
"Then you're all dead!" Matt shouted and starts sprinting towards his opponents hastily. One of the members closest to the fox raises his blade almost vertically in a defensive stance before being knocked back by the assassin's attack, only for the vulpine to quickly strike another member by thrusting his blade right through his opponents chest. A couple other Neo-Shinsengumi members quickly rush towards the fox with their blades at hand. However, the fox pulls his sword out and presses it against a vulpine Neo-Shinsengumi member's neck. Matt pulls his sword towards the left and lacerates his opponent's throat swiftly, blood splurting out of the fatal wound before turning towards the others.
While the fox was working on assassinating the Neo-Shinsengumi faction, Jenny continues to watch the entire scene play out with a pair of slightly widened eyes. Her eyes were not wide out of fear, however, but with how surprised the amount of skill the fox had with a sword. She was no longer afraid of what Matt was doing, but was admittedly impressed with the efficiency of his kills. Hell, within a matter of seconds, Matt's already slaughtered almost all of the Neo-Shinsengumi members who arrived onto the scene, whether it'd be through decapitation, throat laceration, or chest penetration. And before she knew it, the fox manages to kill his last opponent by stabbing him through the throat, the mammal's corpse collapsing onto the ground with his back against the wall.
With all of the Neo-Shinsengumi in the area slaughtered by the vulpine's blade, the fox turns to face the bunny nearby and looks towards her expression, no longer sensing fear inside of her. Whether she had gotten used to it or no longer feared it, he didn't know. But either way, the Neo-Shinsengumi faction was dead to the point where they can now continue their journey towards the bar. Matt grabs a brown cloth from his right cargo pocket and wraps it around the blade before slowly moving it along the blade, cleaning the blood from it and enabling him to sheath his sword in a cleaner state. As the fox sheaths his sword Jenny rushes towards the fox before grabbing his left hand-paw with her right. Matt nods towards the bunny before quickly rushing towards the bar, hoping they weren't too late to stop the Neo-Shinsengumi from eliminating the clan members within.
Kawasabus Shrine Inn Penthouse, about a couple minutes later
All was silent inside of the penthouse at the Inn, the same one Thrandeer Katzuma was currently occupying with Maria at this time. Currently, the two were playing Shogi, which was a Japanese version of Chess to help pass the time, oblivious to all of the chaos going on outside. Yet it would not remain quiet for much longer, for the sound of the room's sliding door being quickly opened broke the silence within. And the one who opened it was Ishin-Mirkwood clan member, Katagai.
"Thrandeer!" Katagai exclaimed quickly with an urgent tone in his voice, and whatever the bear needed to say, he was in a real need to explain his situation now.
"I have already given Miyabe my final decision", Thrandeer replied calmly with a slight hint of annoyance in his tone.
"The meeting! It has been attacked by the Neo-Shinsengumi!" Katagai quickly replied. And that immediately caught the clan leader's attention and turns to face him momentarily, quickly standing up and walking towards the bedroom where he kept his sword. Maria watches Thrandeer grabbing his sword off of the bed and exiting the room. She was about to follow him, but the male turning his head to face her stops her on her tracks.
"Stay here, no harm must come to you", Thrandeer said to the female kitsune calmly, albeit with a concerned tone mixed in. The buck quickly turns away from her and follows Katagai out of the of the penthouse, closing the door behind him and leaving the kitsune to look at the door with a concerned look on her face.
Idekaya District
All was now quiet in the Idekaya district, where nothing but the bodies of both Neo-Shinsengumi and Ishin-Mirkwood clan members alike occupying the block where the Koromachi Bar was located. Matt and Jenny look upon the sight with shock, though the fox barely showed his shocked expression. They had gotten there too late, and not a single survivor was found upon the bloody scene. Knowing that they were too late, the fox gently grabs a firm hold of the rabbit's right hand-paw and quickly rushes away from the scene.
Now they were both on the run from the Neo-Shinsengumi and any local authorities aiding them and the Kawasabus Neo-Shogunate armies. Their sights were now set upon the parking garage where the fox had parked his Dodge Challenger at, intending on getting the hell out of there as soon as possible. Where they would go, he didn't exactly know just yet. But one thing for certain, he didn't care where the hell they both would go so long they manage to escape the Neo-Shogunate armies.
After sprinting from the bar for a good fifteen to thirty minutes, the two soon arrive to the bridge near the river, which was conveniently only just several blocks away from the Inn. As for the parking garage, they can get there quicker by crossing the bridge and taking some of the back alleys to get there. Matt turns towards the right where the bridge was and was about to sprint along the way, but immediately stops and takes a step back from the edge of the brick building. Now there was one major problem….
On the other side of the bridge, roughly about a hundred meters from where Matt and Jenny were hiding, a group of Neo-Shinsengumi were gathered around an unconscious body of sort, possibly someone's corpse. From what the fox can see with his keen eyes, he notices the body was placed in a position identical to someone bowing, his arms wrapped around his torso for some odd reason. The fox watches one of the members kneel down next to the corpse and lift his head up, the member examining the body closely to determine what had happened. Now that they were distracted, perhaps he could use this as an advantage to attack. Matt grabs a hold of the sheath of his sword with his fangs barred and leans forward, his right hand-paw moving towards the handle of his weapon, but a pair of hand-paws grabbing the handle of his weapon stopped him on his tracks.
The fox turns to face the rabbit next to him and sees her shaking her head, a pleading look obviously apparent on her face. The aggressive look that once occupied his face now shifts towards one of calm surprise, his narrow eyes slightly widening and his fangs no longer barred. The way she shook her head, how her mouth was open, and the worried look her eyebrows bore, he knew for a fact she didn't want him to kill. He moves his right hand-paw away from the handle and continues to keep his eyes fixed upon hers.
"Thrandeer Katzuma's escaped", the voice of a Neo-Shinsengumi member snaps the two out of their trance and looks towards the direction where the voice was heard. The fox and bunny lean forward slightly enough to see what was going on, but not enough to allow them to see the two. Then again, with the alley as dark as it is, along the lights not working properly, they doubted they could even be spotted. But as the saying goes: 'Better safe than sorry'. All of the sudden, the one who was examining the body began walking towards an arctic wolf, the leader of the third Neo-Shinsengumi squad, Saito.
"It appears Miyabe has committed seppuku", the Neo-Shinsengumi examiner claimed after he had examined the body, who had been identified as Miyabe. Unaware to the group, Matt kneels down and allows the rabbit to climb of his back, Jenny's arms wrapping around the fox's neck and his arms wrapping around her legs.
"Coward…" Saito replied with calm disdain. His nose twitches and his ears flicker to the sound of movement before turning towards his right slightly. Although he failed to see the two crossing from one alley to the next, due to the darkness of the road, he did manage to catch the scent of one of them. "I thought I smelt white plum…" the wolf claimed, his eyes slightly narrowing towards the direction in which the smell and sounds of movement came from.
"In autumn?" a Neo-Shinsengumi member asked curiously.
"Yes…" Saito answered almost quickly, leaning his torso forward and grabbing the handle of his blade. But before he can sprint towards the location where the scent came from, however, a loud 'BA-CHOOM' suddenly goes off several hundred meters away from their current position. All of the members look behind them and notice the fires beginning to burn Kawasabus to the ground, loud screams and cries of the residents within the explosion site being heard from the distance.
"Saito! Don't worry about tracking the source of the scent", one of the Neo-Shinsengumi members exclaimed. "They'll most likely fall to the hands of the others around town", he added before most of the members began rushing towards the site with great haste. Saito briefly looks back to the direction where the scent of white plums had came from before turning towards the explosion site, wanting to find out the cause of the sudden attack and the one behind it.
Kawasabus Shrine Inn, a couple blocks from the parking garage
News stations on the HDTV in the lobby has been playing nothing but the attacks happening in Kawasabus, reporting on various attacks between the 'extremists' clans, the Neo-Shinsengumi, even reports on the involvement of local authorities and a few residents began to surface. As of right now, Amaya was currently trying to gather everything she needs from her desk to lock the place down before the attacks start to initiate a riot throughout town. Her co-workers had already left moments prior to the explosion that happened, grateful they were able to start getting out of town as fast as possible. For all she knew, all hell was breaking loose. Her ears suddenly flicker to the sound of the lobby door opening along with a pair of footsteps heading towards her direction.
"Where's Thrandeer?!" the voice of Matt Wilde asked, his tone almost urgent sounding. The vixen quickly turns to face Matt while he was setting Jenny down onto her feet. "Was he here?" he asked again right as he stands back up after letting Jenny off his back.
"He left earlier", Amaya began, holding a bunny sized black and blue colored kimono in her possession. "But I've heard about the ambush", the vixen added and hands the kimono to Jenny, who took the article of clothing. "You must leave this place. Hurry up", she urged them calmly, the fox giving her a soft nod before heading out of the back way. Jenny began following suit right as the vixen turns directly towards her. "Oh, Jenny!" she called, both the fox and rabbit stopping on their tracks and turning towards her.
"Huh?" Jenny asked.
"The Iris, it is most lovely in the rain", Amaya began. "Even if it's… a rain of blood", the vixen finished, the rabbit now looking towards her with a curious expression on her face. However, she nods towards the vixen before she and Matt start sprinting towards the garden exit, which lead directly towards a back alley that can help in their escape.
Both of them quickly exit the building and run along the stone path provided, noticing a wooden gate at the end of the pathway. Matt grabs the knob and pulls the door forward, taking a look at both the left and right pathways before quickly debating on which pathway to take.
"Matt", the voice of Thrandeer catches his attention quickly, turning to the right and noticing the clan leader alive and well, much to Matt's relief.
"Thrandeer, thank god you're alive", Matt replied out of relief before approaching the clan leader.
"I may be alive, but my dreams are dead", Thrandeer calmly said despite not being happy about what had happened at the Koromachi Bar in the Idekaya District. But there was something else that bothered him. "The Neo-Shogunate armies laid waist the entire Ishin-Mirkwood camp. I fear we have lost everything", he added before shaking his head slightly a couple of times, not expecting both the Koromachi Bar along with the Ishin-Mirkwood camp to be attacked and, for the most part, eradicated by the Neo-Shogunate soldiers.
"Damn…" Matt growled softly, his hand-paws clenching into fists tightly. "How long ago did this happen?"
"Five minutes after the attack at the Koromachi Bar", Thrandeer answered before setting his eyes directly towards the predator and prey standing before him. "You two must get out of Kawasabus Immediately, and travel to New Otsu. I'll arrange a safe house for you", he said before placing his left hand-paw on the sheath of his sword. "You will live and continue your education there as a High School couple", as soon as the buck said those words, both Matt and Jenny let out soft gasps and began blushing heavily. "They'll be looking for an assassin, not a student engaging in an interspecies relationship with a rabbit". The buck finished, both the fox and bunny blushing that much heavier as the deer added that last line. But now that the buck mentioned the safe house arrangement earlier, a thought comes to his mind and looks up at him.
"Speaking of safe houses, my aunt, Tomoe, lives right at the edge of New Otsu near Lake Erie. I can call her and make living arrangements with her", Matt suggested, the buck nodding at the suggestion the fox had made.
"Alright", Thrandeer replied. "I will send word for you if we need you again. Now get going", he said and began walking pass them, looking towards Jenny as he passed by. "I thank you, Jenny", he thanked the rabbit before turning away from them, walking along the back alley as the two watch him leave. They remain there in silence for about ten seconds before the fox shifts his gaze at the rabbit.
"Lets go", Matt said calmly towards the rabbit. "We'll stop by our houses first and grab everything we'll need for our trip there. Clothes, school supplies, food, you name it", he added before turning her back towards her and kneeling down, raising his arms backwards and ready for her to get on his back. She turns to face him and nods with understanding before climbing onto his back, placing the folded kimono between his back and her breasts. The fox wraps his legs around her thighs simultaneously to her wrapping her arms around his neck. Now it was time to get the hell out of there.
With the fox having a secured hold on Jenny, he immediately stands up and began sprinting away from the sight, not caring if his body began to sweat from having carried her for most of the trip. As they fled towards the parking garage, a few more explosions began going off within the town along with hearing the cries of many residents around the area. To him, it was practically hell on earth for all he knew, and it looks like the chaos wasn't gonna end anytime soon.
The trip to the parking garage wasn't too long, having only taken about twenty minutes to get there on foot. Fortunately, the hand of fate played on their side when not a single member of the Neo-Shinsengumi or any of the Neo-Shogunate armies or local law enforcement was in sight. Although that was the case, they have encountered almost three dozen bodies of many clan members and extremists, including some of the Ishin-Mirkwood clan as well. As soon as they arrived to the lot, the fox sets Jenny down and grabs the keys to his car, unlocking the doors with the press of a button. Matt and Jenny rush towards the driver and passenger side doors respectively and buckle themselves in almost immediately, the fox placing the keys into the ignition and turning the key forward. With a growl of the car's engine, the fox presses on the gas pedal and drives out of the parking lot, their sights set on both of their houses to gather supplies. Thus, the fox and rabbit manage to escape the downtown area of Kawasabus, with half of the city now wreathing in flames.
Kawasabus Police Department, the next morning
A lone Shiba Inu occupies the office jail cell inside the Kawasabus Police department, with nothing but his shamisen in his possession. But this wasn't no ordinary mammal, however. No, this mammal was none other than Takasugi Shinsaku, leader of the neo-kiheitai. His attire practically of a tank top along with a pair of hakama pants, all of them in white. Right now, he was sitting on the floor next to the bed attached to the wall, looking down at the floor with a discontent look on his face, not only of his imprisonment, but from the news he had heard from the radio in the office. Yet aside from those, one thing was constantly coursing his mind.
Uno, his consort, his sheath, his love, the only mammal that is currently crossing his mind. Oh how he missed her presence and the calm tranquility she bore with her. And much like him, there was one thing he knew for certain…
"Damn… Uno will surely miss me…" Takasugi said to himself following a calm sigh, not having expected this to happen at all. But then his eyes briefly widen and leans his torso forward, covering his mouth with his right hand-paw, with an endless series of violent, wheezing coughs escaping his muzzle. Uno may not be there to fill the silence, but it seems his disease shall remain with him, slowly eating his life away with harsh, audible coughs.