A/N 11/11/2016: Made minor tweaks to this chapter, including slight reformatting
Winding Down
All of Kawasabus has practically plunged itself into chaos after the at the Neo-Shinsengumi and various other clans aligned to the Neo-Shogunate began attacking the opposing clans, or extremists as they call them, all across town. Blood had been shed across the downtown portion of the rural town, with the bodies of anti-shogunate clans, Neo-Shinsengumi, even some of the civilians and local authorities, scattered across town. Many districts continue to burn heavily to the ground like wildfire despite the strong efforts the local firefighters are doing to put them out. For those who survived the attack, most of the survivors fled during and after the chaotic scene. The ones who stayed either forced to submit themselves to the newly reformed Neo-Shogunate government in Kawasabus, or commit seppuku before the Neo-Shogunate government officials.
Fortunately for both Matt Wilde and Jenny Bunni, both of them manage to escape without being seen on the road, nor during the stops they've made at their homes. As they made their stops at their homes, both the fox and rabbit gathered everything they needed such as clothes, school items, food, bottled water, even toiletries for the road. After grabbing everything they've needed, the two mammals immediately flee from the burning town and head for the highway. But now they face a huge problem…
Traffic. Pure, unwanted traffic. Although the fox and rabbit managed to expect this beforehand, they did not expect traffic to get backed up to the point where it was literally a fucking parking lot. Tonight was not their night, despite having managed to escape from Kawasabus themselves. But with how traffic was bad, both of them figured most, if not all, had come from Kawasabus much like them. Tonight was gonna be a long night for the two, that was for sure.
Several hours pass, and the duo hardly managed to get out of the Kawasabus city limits. God how excruciating the wait was, having been several accidents or alterations that happened on the road because of the Kawasabus residents trying to escape. Now they had gotten themselves out of that god forsaken traffic, both mammals were dead tired. Dead, fucking tired. But regardless of their tired state, both of them continue to drive away from the town to distance themselves away from the rural city in flames.
Another two hours manage to pass and the two manage to discover a cheap motel on the right side of the road, in the middle of nowhere. Although New Otsu was another couple hours away, Matt was no longer in the right condition to drive, his eyes barely staying open within the past half hour. Parking the car in one of the available parking spaces as he did, both he and Jenny exit the car and approach the office, bringing only their toiletries, a couple pairs of clothes, and their weapons just in case.
Getting their key was fortunately quick for the two tired mammals, both Jenny and Matt quickly, though tiredly, make their way to the set of stairs outside and head to their room on the second floor. Matt immediately unlocks the door and steps inside the hotel, the rabbit following him inside and closing the door behind her. They didn't care about having a shower one bit. Getting out of their clothes as they did and changing into a clean pair of sleeping garments, the two flop onto the bed and allows the comforts of sleep to overtake their bodies.
Roughly eight hours later, the two began to awaken from the bed they had shared and look towards each other, their eyes widening and not expecting to be in each other's embrace. Both mammals quickly back away from one another with heavily flustered looks on their face.
"Sorry!" both Matt and Jenny apologized simultaneously, the two mammals sitting back to back from one another with embarrassed looks on their faces. Both of them calm down after a minute of pure, awkward silence, the fox turning towards Jenny with a much calmer look on his face.
"You go on ahead and take a shower. I'll take one once you finish", Matt said calmly, his face not as flustered as it once was, but nevertheless it was still faintly noticeable. The rabbit nods towards him in response before hopping off the bed, walking into the bathroom and locking the door behind her.
As the sound of water hitting the shower walls began to fill the entire motel room, the fox stands up onto his feet-paws and walks towards the window next to the door. He moves the blinds and began taking a look around for any members of the Neo-Shinsengumi or any other Neo-Shogunate armies in the area. Fortunately for him, no armies or groups from such factions weren't in sight. Nonetheless, he continues to remain at that spot for the next twenty minutes, sitting there like a guard on morning patrol. The allotted time passes almost quickly and the sounds of running water cease into silence, obviously meaning the rabbit had finished her shower. The fox stands up and grabs a clean pair of his clothing, turning his attention towards the shower before beginning to walk towards the door. But after only taking a few steps, he immediately stops on his tracks upon seeing the sight before him.
Standing about six feet away from him was Jenny Bunni, her fur dried off and her long, dark blonde/dark brown hair damp. But instead of her hair bring tied back like it usually was, her hair was completely free from any ponytail or any other hair binding product for that matter, Her hair was free to its entirety, her straight hair bearing a slight, natural volume to it. Her torso was covered with a tight fitting, sapphire blue T-shirt with an orange fox head shaped design on the chest area. A pair of midnight sanded blue short denim shorts cover her curvy hips and the upper part of her thighs tightly, showing of her curves in fine detail. Lastly, a pair of black open toe boots cover her feet-paws, the same pair she had worn last night during the attacks.
"I'm finished", Jenny said to the fox, with Matt nodding and beginning to walk towards the bathroom, grabbing a clean pair of his clothes on the way there. The bunny takes a seat on the right side of the bed and grabs a ponytail from her bag of toiletries. But right as she took it out of the bag, Matt approaches the door and turns towards the rabbit.
"Hey Jen", Matt began, the rabbit ceasing her actions and turns her attention towards the fox curiously. "I… I like the way your hair looks right now. It looks great", the fox finished with a soft smile on his face, referring how her hair was not tied back like it usually was (except for her long bangs, of course). The bunny began blushing at his comment and brushes the left side of her face, her hair being pushed to the back a bit and moving forward when her hand-paw moved away from her face. She nods upon hearing the comment right before the fox enters the bathroom, closing the door behind him with a 'click'.
The sounds of water constantly hitting the shower walls began to fill both the bathroom and the motel room, albeit faintly inside of the motel room. As the vulpine was currently showering, the bunny stands up from the bed and gathers her belongings, walking towards the door places them next to the motel room entrance. Now that her belongings were gathered, the bunny walks to the bed and takes a seat on the mattress, grabbing her phone from the dresser and started checking for any messages she might've received. She didn't receive any text messages from any of her friends, but she did notice a lot of articles regarding the Kawasabus attacks and the fires that were set ablaze in the town on Furbook and Tweeter. Though this wasn't a surprise to her at all, but the caliber of the attacks and the number of casualties were still shocking.
Twenty minutes pass after Matt had entered the bathroom to take a shower, and now he was stepping out of the bathroom with a fresh set of clothing worn on his body. The dark gray, short sleeve under armor athletic V-neck shirt he wore fit tightly around his torso, which fit tight enough to show much of his muscle definition. His shirt was tucked inside of his black cargo pants much similarly to the leg openings being tucked into his black open toe boots. A pair of samurai bracers cover his forearms and the back of his hand-paws, with black cloth fingerless gloves covering his hand-paws.
"Alright, Jen, lets get going", Matt said calmly before walking towards the left side of the bed, grabbing his belongings and placing both his twenty six inch bladed katana and his sixteen inch bladed wakizashi on the left side of his waist. With his belt securing the weapons with ease, the fox grabs his belongings and walks towards the door, the bunny following suit and grabbing her belongings on the way out.
With the two mammals out of the motel room, the rabbit locks the door behind her after closing the door, using her key to lock the door before hand it to Matt. The fox walks towards the office quickly and unlocks the car for Jenny so she could place her belongings inside the car. Entering the office as he did, he returns the keys to the owner before paying the appropriate amount of money with the use of his debit card, due to lack of bills. Regardless of the risk he would take with getting tracked by the Neo-Shinsengumi or any of the Neo-Shogunate armies, he was grateful he at least had enough money to pay for the room and then some. Matt quickly exits the office and ran towards his Dodge Challenger, placing his bag inside of the back seat of his car before shutting the door. But before he opens the driver's side of the seat, both he and Jenny quickly notice a pair of bunnies walking out of a first floor motel room. But as they looked at the two, Jenny immediately recognizes them both, although Matt only recognized the female.
Stu Hopps and his seventeen year old daughter, Judy Hopps, had stayed at the motel on the way back to Kawasabus last night after making a delivery to New Otsu, the same town Jenny and Matt were evacuating to. Stu was dressed in a pair of blue denim overalls with an orange collared T-shirt underneath. On his head was a green baseball cap with a white, rectangular shaped patch bearing a carrot on it sewn on the front of the hat. Judy Hopps was dressed in a pair of sanded blue skinny jeans with a slight bootcut on the leg openings, which showed off her curves rather well. Her top consisted of a short-sleeved teal shirt with lavender on the lower art of her sleeves and lower portion of her shirt. As they were walking towards the motel office, Judy turns to her left and notices Jenny, her eyes widening much like her smile did.
"Jenny!" Judy exclaimed right as she darts straight towards her friend, jumping into a tender hug immediately after getting to Jenny despite having accidentally knocked her onto the concrete ground. The English born rabbit couldn't help but giggle at Judy's actions, the fox rubbing the back of his head sheepishly with his right hand-paw.
"Its great to see you again, lass", Jenny replied, standing up onto her feet-paws after being knocked backwards by accident. "How have you been?" she asked right as Stu enters the office to turn in the keys and pay for their overnight stay. Judy began to frown slightly towards her question before letting a soft sigh escape her mouth.
"Pretty hectic to say the least, especially after a four hour drive from Kawasabus to New Otsu", Judy answered almost bluntly, but soon began to smile to lighten the mood. "But at least we can say we had a good night's sleep. What about you?" she asked, with Matt and Jenny turning towards each other slowly and looking at one another for a moment. Then they turn back towards Jenny with calmly worried expressions on their faces.
"Pure hell", both Jenny and Matt answered simultaneously right as Stu exits the office and began walking towards the trio.
"What do you mean?" Judy asked with a cocked brow, her expression becoming curious and perhaps concerned with the way they answered her question.
"Wait… you haven't heard about what happened?" Jenny asked, the Bunnyburrow born rabbit shaking her head in response, with Stu finally reaching the group and gazing towards his daughter.
"What are you talking about?" Stu asked, causing the trio to turn towards the fatherly rabbit who had arrived only a second ago. "What happened while we were gone?" he asked again right before Matt and Jenny look towards one another briefly before turning towards him.
"Well…" Jenny began, but turns to face Matt with a concerned look on her face, not out of what the killings last night, but with how to answer the question. The fox nods with understanding before turning towards Stu.
"Kawasabus has gone straight to hell", Matt answered, both Judy and Stu shifting their attention to the muscular fox. "Several extremist clans began attacking the city and literally set half of the town on fire", he added, which that immediately caused the eyes of both Stu and his daughter to widen unexpectedly.
"Kawasabus was attacked last night?!" Judy and Stu simultaneously exclaimed with unexpected shock, both the fox and the English born bunny giving the Hopps a nod.
"Yes", Jenny replied before walking towards them slowly, her hand-paws being placed on Judy's left shoulder and Stu's right. "And you both need to get out of Kawasabus while you can. I don't want anything happen to you guys if things got worse", she urged with a genuinely worried tone, her expression matching the tone of her voice. Both Judy and Stu look at each other for a moment before looking back at the English rabbit in front of them. Stu opens his mouth as he was about to speak, but a fox's hand-paw being placed on his left shoulder stops him from speaking. The male bunny's eyes shift towards Matt's own pair.
"Jenny's right", Matt said calmly, his expression being neutrally concerned. "I understand you're trying to make money for your family back in Bunnyburrow, but you need to get out of here before shit hits the fan", the fox claimed with a serious tone in his voice, although did his best to say it as understanding as possible, which he honestly understood Stu needing to make some extra cash for his family. Stu, on the other hand, wasn't really buying it, especially since he was bearing an annoyed frown on his face.
"And why would I trust the words coming out of an untrustworthy f-" Stu began, but an annoyed slap to his right arm immediately stopped him from finishing. The fatherly rabbit was about to say something towards his daughter, but a furious look on her face, especially with a fire building inside of her eyes. Those eyes of hers definitely knew how to stop him dead on his tracks. With a soft shrug, the rabbit shakes his head and turns towards the fox, who bore a neutral look on his face. "Anyways, we can't just leave Kawasabus in the middle of a business trip…" the male bunny claimed following a stressed sigh. "But tell you what, the least we can do is keep the option in mind", he finished and turns towards Jenny, giving her a brief hug before walking towards his Hopps Family Farm truck, which was four parking spaces away from Matt's car. Shortly after her father left, Judy wraps her arms around Jenny's neck and rests her head on her right shoulder.
"Please, take care, Jenny", Judy said with a slightly worried tone, yet bore a soft, confident smile towards her friend before rushing towards the truck where her father was. Quickly entering the truck and buckling herself in the passenger's seat, the two bunnies drive out of the parking lot and towards Kawasabus. Jenny and Matt remain at the places they stand and watch the two Hopps depart towards the town they were fleeing from, with the fox placing his right hand-paw onto her left shoulder when the moment passed.
"Lets go", Matt said calmly before opening the driver's side door, with the English born rabbit doing the same by going to the passenger's side. As soon as the two were buckled in and the keys were in the ignition, Matt twists the key forward and drives out of the parking lot, heading towards the direction where Judy and Stu had came from. Thus, their journey to New Otsu resumed.
The drive there was fortunately light for the duo, especially to the fact there was no traffic and even a lack of cops as well. And with a lack of cops on the road, that allowed the fox to drive roughly ten to twenty miles over the speeding limit. What would've taken another two hours to get to New Otsu now only took about an hour and a half to get to the town's city limits. And now that they had arrived to new Otsu, their destination was just within sights.
The house that came to sight was a good two stories tall, the architecture being strongly influenced by Japanese culture. Hell, the house could've been mistaken for a small shrine from the distance, but a beautifully crafted one at that. As they drew closer to the house, they notice Lake Erie was only within a short distance from the house, with a dock fifty yards behind the house, with a medium sized fishing yacht anchored at the dock. The boat itself bore black and white colors, with a front deck big enough for several mammals to set up some chairs and go fishing if they chose. Like the house, the boat was also about two stories, with the top portion of the ship being an upstairs lounging area for other mammals to relax.
After another moment of driving, Matt pulls up to the driveway and parks the Challenger next to a lavender colored, 2009 Hounda Civic before killing the ignition to his car, pulling the keys out and keeping them in his grip. Both he and Jenny step out of the car and starts walking towards the front door, noticing a three acre garden next to the left side of the house. For the most part, the earthly soils were untouched aside from a few crops consisting of carrots, blueberries, and daikon radishes. But now it was time to enter the house. Looking over his keys as he did, Matt grabs the one that unlocks the front door to his aunt's house, much to Jenny's surprise.
"You have a key to your aunt's house?" Jenny asked with a cocked brow, the fox turning his head towards the bunny on his right.
"Yeah, she had one made for me in case I needed to come here for whatever reason", Matt answered with a calm chuckle. "But I hardly ever came here except when I needed to check up on aunt Tomoe or if something happened within the clan that pissed me off to a certain level. Fortunately that rarely happened", he calmly continued, sticking the key into the lock on the doorknob and twisting the key ninety degrees to the left. He moves the key ninety degrees to the right and pulls it out, doing the same with the top lock quickly before opening the door. With the front door opened, the fox and rabbit enter the house right as the fox pulls the house key out. And what a sight it was to behold.
The interior of the house was much like Jenny's former home in terms of the coloration and color scheme, with a few minor differences. One of them is the color of he furniture matched the different shades and tints of brown, yet were brighter and perhaps more saturated depending on which room they were in. Two Shoji doors can be seen from the living room, one leading towards the kitchen and the other the backyard. Two light brown colored futons can be seen in the living room, one set up horizontally and the other vertically on the right side of the room, along with a rectangular glass coffee table in front of them. A roller night stand rests next to the futon on the right, the corner of the room, with a lamp resting on top of it to provide light. About a few yards away from the front door, a carpeted staircase can be seen leading to the second floor. But now that they were mentioned, two footsteps can be heard coming from the top of the stairs, and Matt already knew who it was. And looking at the top of the stairs confirmed his suspicions.
The owner of the house was Matt Wilde's aunt, Tomoe Yukishiro Wilde, a three foot nine inch tall vixen bearing fur colors identical to Matt's own, along with a pair of C-cup breasts. She was about the age of forty five, yet thanks to a healthy diet and a good exercise routine, she barely looks the age of twenty seven. Unlike the other surviving relatives Matt has, she did not bear any fur matching hair at all. In fact, her long hair was of a jet black color, which was partially tied back with the use of a white ponytail. Again, unlike the other Wildes, her eyes were of a similar color to her hair, though in the right lighting, her eyes actually reveal to be a dark red color. Her attire consists of a white, slim fitting kimono with a red kimono shirt underneath, along with a pair of geta sandals.
As soon as the vixen was nearly at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes slightly widen upon seeing both her nephew and the bunny he had brought with him. Nevertheless, she smiles softly before walking towards him.
"Oh, Matt! I didn't expect to see you this morning", Tomoe said with a surprised tone, walking towards him and giving the younger, taller fox a gentle hug. "How have you been?" she asked while pulling away from the hug to look at his face. And upon seeing his face, she noticed he bore a calmly serious one at that.
"Well, I'm alive, that's for sure", Matt replied with a soft shrug before placing his hand-paws inside of his pockets. "But unfortunately, I have some bad news", the fox claimed, but before he could begin explaining, the vixen raises her right hand-paw up to stop him from talking.
"There's no need to tell me, Matt. Thrandeer called last night and told me about the situation. Though I must admit I was kind of expecting you to get here last night instead of this morning", Tomoe admitted, a slight chuckle leaving the male fox's muzzle.
"Blame traffic for that", Matt and Jenny replied, although given the circumstances, they weren't surprised that they would get stuck in traffic last night. Tomoe merely smiles softly and lets out a soft sigh.
"Either way, it doesn't matter, as long as you got here safely", Tomoe replied and shifts her attention towards the bunny shortly after her response. "And you must be Jenny Bunni. Matt's been telling me all about you over the past couple weeks", the vixen greeted with a bow. "My name is Tomoe, and it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance".
"Likewise, Tomoe", Jenny replied with a respectful bow. Tomoe gently smiles at the rabbit before grabbing her keys from the key rack.
"I would love to talk with you more, but I have to head to work this morning", Tomoe said before walking out the front door, but before closing it, she turns towards the duo behind her. "Also, if you can sometime today, can you chop up some wood?" she asked, the male fox nodding once at the vixen. "Thank you. And feel free to make yourselves at home", and with those last words, the vixen closes the door behind her and continues with her business. And with the vixen heading out of the residence, both the fox and rabbit head out of the house and to the car, where they began unloading their belongings from the vehicle and taking them into the house. Now it was time for the two to get settled in the new residence, intending to lay low until the madness in Kawasabus began dying off or for the Ishin-Mirkwood and Neo-Kiheitai to overthrow the Neo-Shogunate government.
Three hours later…
Getting their belongings unpacked and organized in the living room had practically been time consuming, since there was a lack of dressers inside. But regardless, the fox and rabbit manage to get everything organized and ready for use, keeping their things separate from one another to avoid making a mess in the room their belongings occupied. And the very moment they had finished, both of them were in need of one thing: a much needed nap, which they both graciously took as soon as they finished.
A few hours later, both Jenny and Matt were tending to house chores to keep the amount of housework Tomoe usually does to a minimal. Jenny took care of kitchen duty while Matt was chopping cylindrical blocks of wood in the backyard with the use of an ax. Loud 'chop' noises can be heard with each block of wood he chops in two, the two pieces hitting the ground on the left and right side of the tree stump he was using as a surface to chop wood on. He grabs a log and places it onto the wooden surface before raising the ax up high, only to vertically swing the ax with a strong, yet quick force.
'Chop!'
A memory of fourteen year old Matt Wilde began to play within his mind, recalling the events of his first kill. He performs a deadly vertical slash that slices a brown and white furred husky's head in half, cutting all the way down to the victim's upper part of his back before twisting the blade to the right. Blood began spilling across the earthly soil and some of the lush plants, painting the ground and the vegetation red.
The two halves of the log the vulpine cut lands on the left and right sides of the tree stump respectively. With the log chopped in half, he grabs another one and places it on top of the tree stump vertically. He raises the ax upward and swings it down towards the log with the sharp ends of the ax pointing towards the wood.
'Chop!'
Another memory from the past began to play within his mind, this one happening roughly only a couple weeks ago. The memory recalled the time Matt had killed a tiger who Thrandeer claimed to be within the Orimakishu Ninja clan, and that night would be the last one the ninja would ever remember. Matt slices the ninja's body from the upper right shoulder down towards the right side of his opponent's crotch, blood splattering out of the victim's body and spraying the bloodied contents throughout parts of the alley.
Again, just like before, the two halves of the log Matt had cut lands on the left and right sides of the tree stump. Now that the log was chopped in half, the fox grabs another one and places it on top of the tree stump in the same exact position. He raises the ax upward and swings it down towards the log with the sharp ends of the ax pointing at the flat surface of the log.
'Chop!'
Again, another memory began to play inside of the fox's mind, this particular one taking place on the night of John Bellwether's assassination. The first kill in this one revolves around the death of Richard, one of John's guards. The fox pulls the sheath back and grabs the handle of his sword, pulling the blade out of its sheath and striking the wolf's right side with a horizontal slash. Placing the palm of his left hand-paw behind the back of his blade, the fox pushes the sword right through Richard's torso and horizontally slices the wolf in half, his dying body falling onto the floor and its bloody contents spraying out onto the concrete ground quickly.
The second kill revolves around the second guard, Salazar. This part of the memory recalls how the lynx was about to attack him before the fox's blade robbed Salazar of his attack, the lone vulpine piercing his katana right through his skull from the bottom of the lynx's jaw to the top of his head. But this particular part of the memory went by at a fast pace, Matt's sword only remaining pierced through Salazar's skull for only a short second before pulling the sword forward. The action cuts right through his jaw and the front of his skull like it were only butter,its bloody contents spraying about rapidly right before the lynx's body collapses onto the ground.
For the third time in a row, the two halves of the log Matt had cut lands on the left and right sides of the tree stump. Now that the log was chopped in half, the fox grabs a fourth log and places it on top of the tree stump in the same position like the others. For the fourth time, he raises the ax upward and swings it down towards the log with the sharp ends of the ax pointing at the flat surface of the log.
'Chop!'
The next memory takes place during February of 2007, where he, Iizuka, and Katagai were in the middle of slaughtering some of the enemy clans aligned with the Neo-Bakufu armies. Although Iizuka and Katagai did their parts in the battle, over half of the seventy were done by none other than Matt himself. He spots the ten remaining survivors and slashes and hacks one after another, slaughtering them until all of them lay dead on the ground.
With the fourth log chopped in half, the two halves of the log the fox sliced lands on the left and right sides of the tree stump. Now that the log was chopped in half, the fox grabs a fifth log and places it on top of the tree stump in the same position like the others. For the fifth time, he raises the ax upward and swings it down towards the log with the sharp ends of the ax pointing at the flat surface of the log.
'Chop!'
Right as the fox vertically chopped the fifth log in half, the back yard sliding shoji door opens to the left and allows the bunny to step out of the kitchen and into the back yard. She had just got done with her kitchen duties in the house, the fox stopping what he was doing upon hearing the rabbit exiting the house and closing the door behind her. He raises the ax up a bit with his right hand-paw and hits the tree stump with the front pointy end of the ax, making the ax stick diagonally upwards towards Matt's direction before turning to face the bunny.
"I finished taking care of the kitchen work. Sorry to keep you waiting", Jenny said as she was locking the shoji door with a key Matt had given her prior to him chopping up some wood in the back yard. The fox smiles softly towards the rabbit before letting a chuckle escaping his muzzle.
"Don't worry about it, Jenny", Matt replied with a reassuring tone right before he hovers his right hand-paws on top of his eyes, shielding his eyes enough to where he can look upward a bit without the sunlight hitting his eyes. "I've gotta say though, the sun's rather warm today", he admitted, shifting his attention back towards the bunny and walking directly at her. "The wood will definitely dry well", the fox added a moment before a light chuckle leaves his muzzle, the bunny nodding towards him with a soft smile forming on her lips.
With their work around the house finished, the bunny walks towards the fox and grabs his right hand-paw with her left. The fox blushes slightly from this, but he welcomed it nonetheless. His attention turns towards the backyard gate and began walking directly to it, the fox leading the rabbit towards the gate before opening the double doors. They exit the backyard through the gate they found before locking the double doors with the use of a chain and lock that was attached to the handles, wrapping the chain around them before attaching the lock through two of the chain's loopholes. With the gate locked, the two began walking along the path that lead directly through the woods, their hand-paws intertwined with one another.
They enter through the forest and began walking up a set of stairs leading to a lookout point, the point being located at the top of the cliff a good half a mile from where they were currently at. It takes them a good half hour to get to the point due to the pathway being long, but they manage to get to the top of the place without any trouble. And boy, what a sight it was they bestow upon, the two mammals sitting on top of the cliff and looking at the Great Lake that extends father than what the eye can see. The water reflects the sunlight in a manner just as beautiful as a sapphire gym. Speaking of which, the fox turns his gaze at the rabbit's sapphire blue eyes and smiles gently at her, the rabbit doing the same with the fox's jade green pair before leaning against his right arm gently. Matt's right arm wraps around her waist and pulls her into a tender hug, much like Jenny's arms wrap around the fox's lean waist.
They stayed at that spot for at least a good hour before they left the sight, now walking along a dirt path leading to town. Along the way, they passing by several local mammals, predator and prey alike, walking in the opposite direction. All of them were dressed in white sleeveless kimono shirts and hakama pants, with brown wooden geta footwear (Japanese sandals) being worn on their feet-paws. Lastly, all of the mammals wore takuhatsugasa kasa straw hats on their heads, being in various sizes to proportionately match their heads.
Roughly thirty minutes after passing by some of the locals in the area, they manage to arrive to the local outdoor shopping district, which was nearly identical to the shopping district in Kawasabus in terms of the set up. But instead of there being booths, there were actual shacks in the area that were roughly about the size of a huge living room, with goods being displayed either on tables or inside boxes and crates. For the most part, the items being sold at the shopping district were food products and other necessities, and perhaps the occasional entertainment stores and a couple weapon shops. But for this particular situation, both Matt and Jenny were browsing about to get themselves familiar with the town… that is until both of them spotted a food shack catching their interest.
Various food products can be seen throughout the shack, some of the fish hanging from the top racks along with some fish, fruit, and vegetation products being displayed on the table provided. The price tags were loosely places on top of the open crates between the cracks. Although they were secured on days that weren't windy, they were bound to be blown off of the crates easily if the winds of heavy enough. Speaking of heavy winds, they suddenly start blowing right through the area heavily, the fox shielding his body in front of Jenny to prevent some of the winds from hitting her. Unfortunately for a couple price tags loosely secured on the crates, they blew off of them easily and flow in the direction of the winds. But regardless of that, the rabbit couldn't help but smile softly towards the fox's gentlemen mannerisms.
About several hours later, at night time, Jenny, Matt, and Tomoe were currently eating inside of the living room with soft, peaceful harp music quietly playing over the living room's stereo system, with Jenny sitting between Matt and Tomoe. Matt and Tomoe were currently eating Japanese grilled fish with a side of brown rice and steamed daikon radishes while Jenny was eating a grilled Japanese sesame carrot salad with daikon radishes on the side. Although the meals they were eating had a good taste to them, Tomoe couldn't help but think there was something missing. Perhaps it has to do with what they might've not added while they were cooking their meals? Or perhaps…
"I apologize…" Tomoe apologized softly.
"Huh?" Jenny asked curiously while turning her head towards the vixen.
"What for?" Matt also asked while turning his head towards his aunt.
"I don't have the proper seasonings for the fish, nor for your salad, Jenny", Tomoe explained, both the male fox and the female rabbit giving a soft, reassuring smile towards her.
"Eh, it doesn't need any, really", Matt answered with a reassuring tone of voice.
"There's no need to apologize, Tomoe. Its fine the way it tastes", Jenny also answered with a reassuring tone. Although the vixen felt better upon hearing their words, her expression said otherwise.
"But… without the seasoning, the fish hardly bear any flavoring in them", Tomoe claimed before turning towards Jenny. "Same goes for your salad, without the right spices, even with sesame sauce, it still lacks flavor…" she added softly, slowly turning her attention back towards her meal before continuing to eat. Jenny and Matt turn to face each other momentarily before turning to the meals, also continuing to eat in silence.
Roughly about forty five minutes after eating their meals, both Jenny and Tomoe were in the kitchen taking care of the dishes, the vixen rinsing the dishes off in the sink and the rabbit placing them inside of the dishwasher. Matt, on the other hand, was keeping a watchful eye on the fireplace after having placed a few chopped logs inside of the fireplace. While earlier today may have been warm, a cold front had come through to the point where the fireplace was needed to be used. The fox leans forward and grabs the fireplace poker sitting in front of him, using it to poke the burning wood towards the back and igniting the fire enough to warm up the house efficiently. Cracking noises continue to escape the fireplace as the wood continues to burn peacefully, especially with the calming noise allowing him to think properly. Now that he was able to think in the peaceful cracking noise of the burning wood, an idea suddenly comes to mind.
"We should plant some crops for the spices", Matt suggested, grabbing the attention of both Jenny and Tomoe as soon as the male fox brought up the suggestion.
"Huh?" both Jenny and Tomoe asked with curious tones of voice and matching expressions.
"Aunt Tomoe was able to grow some carrots, daikon radishes, and blueberries in the garden. I was thinking we could try and grow some spices out there as well", Matt claimed, turning his head towards the two females with a calm smile on his face. "My grandfather on my Dad's side was an exceptional farmer. He taught my aunt and Dad how to grow crops when they were kits. I was thinking Jenny and I could be, too", the fox claimed again, looking directly towards Jenny before nodding at her. She blushed slightly from the last part of his claim, but nevertheless smiles gently and nods at him. Tomoe looks at the two with a calm, almost blank expression on her face following a soft nod, focusing her attention on the dishes while the fox kept a close eye on the firewood.
Roughly an hour later, both Jenny and Matt were sleeping on the futon bed in the living room, with the bunny resting on the fox's body with her arms partially wrapped around his neck. Their breathing was soft and low in volume, much like the peaceful tranquility of night. Inside of Tomoe's room, however, the vixen was still wide awake, not having to work on the next day and allowing her to write in her own journal. She wrote in the journal for a good several minutes before opening the drawer underneath the surface of her desk, grabbing a concealed, circular mirror by the handle and taking it out of the drawer.
Now that the concealed mirror was out of her desk, the vixen pulls the cover off of the mirror and gazes her blank gaze directly at the reflection of her own face. She trails her right index finger over her corresponding mirror in a similar manner to how the scar on Matt's face looked, despite the reflection showing her trailing her finger on the left side to correlate the location of her nephew's scar. Tomoe closes the mirror with the cover and places it back inside of the drawer, closing it and standing up from her seat. Now was the time to catch some shut eye, especially after what they had planned for tomorrow. She walks towards her bed and lies down, her left hand-paw grabbing the covers and covering her body from the collarbone down. With her body covered, the vixen shuts her eyes and allows the comforts of sleep to overtake her weary body.
The Next Morning…
All was quiet within the residence, with the exception of the occasional grunt escaping Matt's muzzle, who was using a hoedad to help shape the soils from one of the unoccupied portions of the gardens. As he shaped the garden properly, both Jenny and Tomoe focus their attention on planting the seeds to the plants they would extract the spices from. Although the weather was a bit cool outside, the trio dress comfortably while being fairly light with their choice of clothes.
Matt Wilde himself was dressed in a black tank top that fit tightly around his muscular built torso, some of the muscle definition being apparent through his shirt. A pair of brown camouflage cargo shorts cover the bottom portion of his body from the lower part of his waist to just a few inches under his knees. A pair of black open toe boots occupy his feet-paws, and despite some of the dirt getting onto his toes from the garden work he was doing, he was comfortable wearing them.
For Jenny, a white, slim fitting T-shirt bearing the 'Hopps Family Farm' logo on the chest area covered her torso. Hell, the shirt was tight enough to where her breasts perked out noticeably enough to catch the attention of any man who passes by. A pair of sanded blue skinny bootcut fitting denim jeans cover her legs, the tight portions of her jeans shaping her curves much noticeably. Her feet-paws were entirely covered with a pair of black and white Chuck Taylor shoes, which conveniently enough prevented any of the dirt from dirtying her feet-paws.
As for Tomoe, a pink-red colored kimono shirt covers her torso through its entirely, the sleeves of the shirt being tucked inside of her dark blue colored samurai bracers, A pair of tan-gray colored hakama pants cover her legs, the leg openings being tucked into her dark blue colored open toe boots. Over her thighs was a white apron that bore the seedlings they were planting, which was convenient enough to hold them easily. Lastly, a white head cover covers her head almost entirely, with her bangs remaining exposed for the most part. The remaining portion of her long, tied back hair was covered in a white cloth to prevent the wind from blowing on it or possibly get any dirt on her hair. Whatever the reason, only she knew.
As the three mammals continue to work in the garden, unbeknownst to them, a dark gray 2009 Toyota Corolla Altis pulls up into the driveway and parks behind Matt's Dodge Challenger. The driver kills the ignition to the Corolla and steps out of the car, pressing the lock button on his keys twice to lock the car, a loud 'Beep! Beep!' noise going off to signal the owner of the car the doors have been locked. If the sound of the engine or the rolling of the rubber tires didn't grab the trio's attention, the car's locking mechanism certainly did. The trio stop what they're doing and turn towards the owner of the car, both Matt and Jenny recognizing the all familiar face of the examiner of executions.
"Hello there, farmer boy!" the all familiar voice of Iizuka greeted with a wave while approaching the residence's occupants. The trio notice the articles of clothing he wore consists of a dark teal kimono shirt with a dark blue montsuki haori jacket over it, light khaki colored pants, and black open toe boots. On his head, he wore a straw kasa hat on his head to shield himself from the sunlight. Finally, a pair of black samurai bracers much like Matt's were worn over his forearms and cover the back of his hand-paws.
Several minutes after he had arrived, the trio were now sitting inside of the living room with green tea being made in the kitchen, courtesy of Tomoe. During the time she was making green tea, Iizuka left to his car to grab a couple of things from his trunk, grabbing what appears to be a fishing box along with a couple of fishing rods from it. The reason why he had brought those, they did not know why. However, he walks back into the house with the items and places them on the left side of the futon both Matt and Jenny had occupied. Speaking of the two, Jenny was currently resting her head on Matt's left arm right as Tomoe brings out three cups of freshly brewed green tea and placing them on the coffee table.
"Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you two were actually a couple", Iizuka commented with a slight grin on his face, leaning forward and grabbing one of the cups of green tea with his unoccupied left hand-paw, since his right was carrying a smoking pipe. Tomoe turns away from the trio right after they gave her a thankful nod regarding the drinks she brewed before walking towards the back shoji door.
"I'll finish planting the remaining seedlings", Tomoe said calmly before sliding the door to the right, exiting to the backyard and closing the door behind her, the three gazing towards the door she exited from shortly after she left.
"I hope I didn't say something offensive", Iizuka calmly commented, gently biting on the end of the pipe and inhaling the burning plant inside of his lungs. Whether it was weed or tobacco, neither Matt or Jenny knew.
"No, you're fine", Matt reassured, the tanuki taking the end of the pipe out of his mouth and exhaling the smoke through his mouth and nose. "What's the news?" he asked right as the examiner of executions grabs the ash tray from the table and gently flicks his pipe against it, dumping the burnt plant into the ash tray before turning his attention towards the fox.
"It's gone from bad to worse. The Neo-Shogunate is in complete control of the Ohio state government now and they're purging out all of the radicals and the extremists allied to us", Iizuka explained, a soft, shocked gasp escaping the bunny's mouth upon hearing the news.
"Purging?" Matt asked with a cocked brow, gently wrapping his left arm around the rabbit's shoulders with a soothing gesture.
"The conservative factions of the Ishin-Mirkwood clan are forcing members of our rebellion to commit seppuku daily", Iizuka further explained, standing up from his seat and taking a small sip of his tea before placing it on the coffee table. "All to put on a good face for the new rulers", he continued while walking towards the window at the front of the house. "The streets of Kawasabus are slick with the entrails of our disgraced comrades", the tanuki further commented regarding the current issue at hand, Jenny's eyes widened with shock upon hearing the news and Matt remaining calm about the whole ordeal, though on the inside was just as shocked as the rabbit was. "Still, it keeps the Neo-Shogunate from declaring all out war on the clan, so I suppose some good could come of it", he continued as he grabs the curtains concealing the windows and gently opening them, watching Tomoe grabbing a couple of gardening supplies from the shed near the driveway. "Right now, we're trying to get Takasugi our of police captivity. If he can revive the Neo-Kiheitai, then the rebellion will rise again", he finished and closes the curtains to the living room windows.
"Where's Thrandeer? Have you heard from him yet?" Matt asked.
"No one has heard or seen him since the trouble in Kawasabus", Iizuka began, bearing a stern expression on his face and continues to gaze at the window in front of him. "We can only assume he's turned coward and gone into hiding" the tanuki answered, a surprised expression forming on his face with furrowed brows.
"He wouldn't!" Matt exclaimed almost in dismay, yet bore a calm enough tone to keep calm and collected.
"Unfortunate, but true", Iizuka replied while turning to face the fox, his left hand-paw reaching inside of his pocket and grabbing something from it. "The best thing we can do right now is sit tight", the tanuki added and pulls out a money clip from his pocket. The money clip itself had about a couple dozen hundred dollar bills, a dozen fifties, ten twenties, and five tens. "I've brought some money for you, courtesy of Katagai", he said, throwing the money clip towards the fox, with Matt catching it with his right. He pulls the cash out of the clip and both he and Jenny were surprised to see the amount of money they were given, the amount of cash totaling three thousand, two hundred fifty dollars in cash. Iizuka turns towards the fishing equipment before Matt and Jenny turn towards the equipment on the left side of the futon they occupied. "The fishing box and rods are for you as well, something you could use to catch some fish to sell since you're both practically by Lake Erie".
"Catching fish to sell?" Both Jenny and Matt ask simultaneously.
"You need a visible source of income so you won't draw anyone's suspicion", Iizuka claimed.
"But no one knows we live up here", Matt replied while turning his head towards the tanuki.
"With the climate as unstable as it is now, along with fishing season drawing closer to its peak, I think its a good idea to play it safe", Iizuka commented. "Besides, you can use the money Katagai gave you to buy whatever extra supplies you may need to kick-start your business", the male added before grabbing his phone and checking the time, only to place it back inside of his pocket and beginning to walk towards the front door. Both Matt and Jenny stand up from their seats and follow him out the door.
"Iizuka, you know you and the others can call me if you need me to lessen the Neo-Shogunate's numbers", Matt suggested, the rabbit turning to face him with a pair of slightly widened eyes. But with a reassuring arm wrapping around her waist, she manages to calm down as the trio walk outside. In the distance, Tomoe looks at the trio and ceases her actions, a soft sigh leaving her muzzle as her eyes now focused curiously on the three of them.
"I can appreciate your willingness to help, but Kawasabus is too dangerous", Iizuka replied with a slight hint of concern in his voice. "The Neo-Shinsengumi and the clans aligned to them are slaughtering our soldiers by the hundreds", he added right before lowering his straw kasa hat slightly. "Plus they're still looking for you, so stay here and enjoy the peace and quiet", the tanuki continued. "We'll send a text or give you a call as soon as we need you", he claimed and turns towards the vixen within the distance. "Take care, Tomoe!" the tanuki said to her and shifts his gaze at the bunny. "And take care as well, Jenny. Hope you enjoy being Matt's girlfriend", and with those last words, the tanuki turns away from them and heads towards his car, both Matt and Jenny now bearing heavily flustered blushes on both their faces. They turn towards each other with a pair of wide eyes momentarily before turning away from each other, rubbing their own heads with their right hand-paws sheepishly.
Iizuka presses the unlock button to his car twice before opening the door to his vehicle, stepping inside and placing the keys into the ignition slot. He turns the key forward with his right hand-paw and uses his left to close the door. The engine roars as loud as a sports car revving up for the next street race, illegal or not. And just as quick as he started the car did he pull out of the driveway, turning towards the direction where Kawasabus lies. A smirk slightly forms on his face unbeknownst to the occupants of the house he left, the purpose of it known to no one but the tanuki himself.