A/N 11/11/2016: Tweaked this chapter and fixed a few seconds near the end.
A Conmammal's Lamentation
"Oh Shit…." that was the only thought coursing the mind of Matt Wilde, his shocked eyes staring directly towards the other fox standing in front of him.
Nicholas Wilde was standing there with his widened eyes fixed upon the other vulpine, parts of his fur and clothing having been recently drenched with the dead ninja's blood. This was something Matt already knew. But what he didn't see before was the bottle of Ballantine's Scotch Whisky he gripped on his left hand-paw, along with how the irises of his jade green eyes were slightly dilated. Yet right now he was too shocked to see his presence here, especially with everything that had gone down within the past couple of minutes.
The fox began to stand up from the same spot he knelt onto earlier, his eyes remaining fixed towards the other fox standing roughly ten feet away from him. His hand-paws began to shake slightly with shock and making the swords tremble a bit in correlation with his hand movements. For the second time in his life, since the day he had lost his mother, he legitimately didn't know what to do other than continue panting with unexpected shock.
"W-wow..." Nick began with an unusually calm, surprised tone in his voice, giving off obvious hints he had a few too many drinks. But that didn't matter to him. What mattered was the fact the assassin had been caught by the one mammal he did not expect to see, the one he was trying to avoid being seen by: his own brother. "You caused…. You caused the sky to rain blood…" the fox continued almost with a slur, Matt's eyes widening a bit with shock in his voice. "You..." the drunken fox finished almost with a growl. And with the way he said that last word, he could've sworn he heard him say it with malice in his voice. Whether he was hearing things or if his brother was actually building up a drunken malicious tone, he did not know. At that instance, he drops the chained sword he used to kill his enemy, yet retains his hold on the sword he actually owns.
"Oh shit… my own brother… he saw me… he saw my eyes… he knows I'm alive…" Matt began within his mind, panting rather rapidly now because of the amount of shock he bore on him. "What should… what should I do…?" as soon as he began debating on what to do, his eyes widen a tad bit and tilts his head down, shaking it left and right a few times. "There's no way in hell I'm killing my own brother…. Maybe if I'm lucky enough… he might be too drunk to recognize me?" the fox wondered in his head, legitimately wondering why that thought crossed his mind. But his train of thought soon ceases with a flicker of his ears, blinking once before tilting his head up and looking at the other fox in front of him.
"You're bleeding", Nick said to the younger fox, his unoccupied right hand-paw now raised and began walking right towards Matt, albeit slowly because of the alcohol in his system. "Let me…. Let me… take you to… a doctor…" that was all he could say before his eyes close and unexpectedly began to collapse slowly right on the spot, dropping his bottle of Ballantine's Scotch Whisky. Matt's eyes widen a tad bit and rushes towards him no longer shocked about him drunkenly witnessing him literally severing the ninja in half. Catching him with his left arm, he was able to prevent his brother from falling onto the wet ground. Laying his sword down as he did, the fox gently turns the fox over to where his left forearm rests under Nick's back. Blood began dripping onto his brother's face, which to no surprise was thanks to the fox's now bleeding scar.
"He's had way too much alcohol to drink…" Matt said softly, his right hand-paw moving towards his head and wiping his own blood off of Nick's unconscious face.
He knew they couldn't stay in the outdoors for much longer, albeit they catch a cold or if the cops catch them there at the scene of the murder. And one thing was for certain: he had no intention on sticking around for much longer. He lifts his left leg up a bit and rests his older brother's head on his thigh, allowing him to grab his blade and quickly, yet carefully, place the sword back into its sheath. His attention shifts to the severed umbrella and reaches it with his right hand-paw, grabbing the pieces of the broken parasol and quickly placing them inside his left inner jacket pocket. The only thing left he had to do after placing the broken umbrella in his jacket was to dispose of it at his safe house, since that was the only remaining bit of evidence that was left of his involvement there. Carefully placing the unconscious fox behind his back, Matt grabs his unconscious brother's arms and wraps them around his shoulders securely before wrapping his own around Nick's legs.
"I can't leave him here at the scene of the bloody murder", Matt thought in his mind before briefly looking at the windows above him, checking to ensure nobody had saw the bloody scene take place. He knew he was taking a risk being spotted by any local authorities or possibly, yet unknowingly, by Finnick. He sure as hell didn't want his brother to see him, not in the current state Matt was, but there was no way in hell he was gonna leave him here at the scene. "The least I can do for Nick is take him home. And thankfully, my former home isn't too far from here", the fox recalled in his head, since they happen to be just about five to seven blocks from his former home (now Nick's current residence). "I just hope Ma's not home at this time, otherwise my identity will be compromised and I get into a great deal of shit", the assassin finished his train of thought and made sure to keep that notion in mind.
Now was time to get the hell out of there before they get spotted by anybody! Quickly reassuring his unconscious brother's arms wrapped around the assassin's shoulders, Matt secures his arms around Nick's thighs and starts sprinting towards his brother's residence, the heavy rain washing away the dead ninja's blood away from the concrete and any other evidence that remained of Matt's presence.
The assassin carries his brother along every dark alley he can take to get to his former apartment, doing what he can to refrain from being seen by any of the other mammals in the area. To his luck, along with using his stealthy skills and proper timing, he was able to avoid being seen by the mammals within the area. The walk itself took a good half an hour to get from the place where the bloody scene transpired to the block where Matt's former residence (and Nick's current) was located. This was where Matt took extra caution when walking along the block. Although his hood covered most of his features along with a muzzle mask, he kept his head low to prevent any of the residents in the area from seeing his eyes. After another minute of walking, the fox turns to the left and walks up the eight step cement staircase, and at long last found himself standing before the entrance to the two story row house, the entrance being a redwood door bearing a rectangular window on the top left quadrant.
Matt's left hand-paw reaches for the door and grabs a hold of the bronze, ovular shaped doorknob and turns it to the right, only to discover it wouldn't budge. The door itself was locked, Damn! If only he knew where a spare key was around. Speaking of which, his eyes began to scout his surroundings and notices a 'Welcome' doormat on the ground. Then they turn to the left and notices a large, red-orange flower pot with several white roses sitting on the small, eighteen inch long by thirty inch wide garden next to the black metallic railing. Grabbing it with his left hand-paw, he raises the pot upward and exhales in relief. He had found a key to the house. But now he had to get the key out from under the flower pot without waking his drunken brother.
The assassin places the flower pot back onto the small garden and gently sets his drunken brother on the ground, leaning his unconscious body against the right side railing. Now he shifts his attention back towards the flower pot and grabs a hold of it gently, lifting it up with his left hand-paw and pulls the key out from under the pot with his right. Now that the key was removed, he places the flower pot back onto the small garden and inserts the key into the lock on the doorknob. Turning the key to the right ninety degrees to unlock it, he turns it to the left just the same and pulls the key out of the slot, moving the key to the top lock and unlocking it just like he did with the knob. With the door unlocked, Matt pulls the key out of the top lock and places the key inside of his right pants pocket, opening the door with the left before releasing the knob and turning his attention towards the unconscious fox. Kneeling down next to Nick, Matt grabs his brothers left arm and wraps it over his shoulders, with his own right arm wrapping around the twenty five year old's waist. With his older brother secured in his grip, the assassin stands up onto his feet-paws and enters the familiar two story row house. Alas, he returned to the home he once lived in over eight years ago, even if he would only be there for a short time. But he remembered the interior like it were yesterday.
The entire house looked exactly like it did since he had left home many years ago, albeit looked cleaner than when he was last here. His eyes gaze directly towards the walls of his home, the walls designs bearing a strong similarity to the scheme of Nick's Hawaiian shirt. To the left of the entrance, a staircase that starts going that direction turns ninety degrees to the right and leads directly up to the second floor. He knew those stairs lead to Nick's room, but right now, he wanted to take a moment to soak in on the familiarity of the environment. His eyes gaze to his right and looks at the ovular mirror attached to the wall, and the white telephone placed on top of the brown, wooden hall dresser. His eyes then gaze directly at the front and looks at the living room from where he stood, briefly taking in the details of the living room sofa, the fireplace, and the fancy rugs…
"Wait, fancy rugs?" Matt questioned in his head at first, but suddenly remembers and turns to his unconscious brother. "Ah, right. I keep forgetting my brother's a con artist", the assassin thought before turning around briefly enough to quietly close the door behind him. But as he turns back to the living room, along with gazing around the house for a moment, he couldn't help but softly smirk at the cleanliness of the house. "I've gotta hand it to ya, Nick. It seems you're putting all that con money to good use. Who'd thought I'd see the apartment looking like this", he thought right before turning towards the stairs and walking up the wooden steps quietly, the creaking sounds of wood occupying the quiet stairway as Matt took Nick upstairs to his room.
Upon reaching the second floor of the two story row house, Matt turns to the left and notices four white colored wooden doors. Two of them were on the wall on the right, one was located a good ten yards in front of him, and the fourth one was located on the left. He instantly remembered where his brother's room was located, the assassin slowly walking to the left door while keeping a secure hold on his brother. He stops in front of the door momentarily and moves his left hand-paw onto the doorknob, twisting the door to the left before pushing the door forward. Alas, Nick's room was finally revealed to Matt for the first time in over eight years since he left the house.
The interior was, for the most part, the same as it always was, the Hawaiian wallpaper on the walls, white ceiling, and bearing beige colored carpet. However, the only difference was the fact his room was a lot cleaner than it once was, not a single trace of trash being seen inside the bedroom. Black framed band posters were hanging on the walls in a neat and orderly fashion, with the glass shielding the posters being as clean as a mint condition item. He recalled Nick having a huge palette of musical interests, ranging from the smoothest of jazz, the relaxation of reggae music, the upbeat of pop music, the hardest of rock, and even the heaviest of extreme metal. His eyes move towards his bed and notices a couple of black duffel bags in front of the front bed frame, both of them partially open enough to see stacks of cash inside of them.
"Well it looks like Nick's doing rather well for himself", Matt thought with a soft shrug at the sight of the money filled duffel bags. Regardless of the reminiscing the assassin was doing, he didn't have the time to do such things. Right now, he needed to drop Nick off and get the hell out of there. The fox walks to the bed with his unconscious brother in his arms and lays him on his back, gently resting Nick's head on the soft, firm cushioning of the pillow. Matt turns away from his brother and began walking out, but as he reaches the doorway leading to the hall, his ears suddenly flicker to the rustling sounds of movement coming from the bed. His head turns towards the left and notices Nick turning his body to the left, his eyes widening upon seeing his movement, but was relieved he wasn't facing his direction. He turns back to the hall and began walking out of the room, until…
"Matt…" hearing Nick mention his name in his current state of unconsciousness immediately stops the assassin dead on his tracks, his head slowly turning towards his brother with eyes full of surprise. "I'm sorry I… I wasn't able to find you…. I'm sorry I couldn't be the brother you wanted me to be…" the twenty five year old fox spoke in his unconscious state, his legs curling up into fetal position. "I'm sorry you had to put up with my crap… I… I'm sorry for everything", the unconscious fox choked almost with a sob, his right hand-paw now moving to his eyes and covering them. His lips quivered and soon began to sob in his sleep, with hot, fresh tears slowly streaming down his face.
Matt was honestly surprised, no, shocked at the sight. Never before did he see him in the saddened state he was in, except when he saw Nick after the incident with the Junior Ranger Scouts, with Matt being over a year old at the time, assuming his memory served him right. From what he could recall and from what his mother and older brother, Terrance, told him, lets just say that day was not pleasant whatsoever. Seeing him like this now made his heart ping with worry. However, he knew there was no way of comforting his older brother, nor could he reassure the fact he was actually here in his room, or even alive for that matter. He needed to go, and he needed to get his belongings together before Thrandeer sends a chopper at where the leader planned to extract him. The assassin's eyes close and lets out a soft, barely audible sigh escape his muzzle.
"Nick, I'm sorry, but… there's nothing I can do to reassure I'm still alive", Matt thought with a small, but genuine amount of pain. He really wanted to let him know he was alive, and standing right inside of his room, to pull him into a hug, to comfort him. However, he knew he couldn't do anything in his current line of work, and knowing this pained the assassin more than he had expected, even if his expressions didn't show it. But… there is one thing he can do. His eyes reopen and gaze directly at his brother. "But I will promise you this: one day, once the Kawasabus Neo-Shogunate Government has been destroyed, we will reunite under better circumstances. And if you're willing to trust me, I will tell you everything when the time is right", and with that train of thought finished, Matt turns away from his brother and quietly closes the door behind him, departing from his brother's room and allowing Nick to rest in peaceful silence.
Within the Alley two blocks from the Vulpine Vibes Club
Flashing red and blue lights can be seen within the area surrounding the Alley where the bloody scene had taken place over half an hour ago prior. The entrances leading into the scene of the crime were blocked off with not only yellow 'Do Not Cross' tape, but with several large sized, intimidating police officers guarding the blocked alleyway entries. Many mammals began gathering around the alleyway entrances out of curiosity, with some of the smaller ones from the rodent families trying to get though to the place. Whatever the hell happened, they were extremely curious if there were this many cops in the area. They all concluded whatever the hell happened, it must've been some serious shit.
Two cops currently occupy the scene of the crime itself, the severed body of the ninja Matt had killed earlier being covered with a pale gray sheet. One of the police officers was a strongly built bull with dark bluish-gray fur and brown eyes. His attire consisted of a dark blue police uniform with a black utility belt, his button up shirt being short sleeved. As for the other officer, he was a large tiger being a similar, but slightly slimmer, built compared to the bull. He bore orange and white fur with black stripes accompanying parts of his body, a pink nose, and a slight hint of an eyeshadow around them. But one thing both officers bear in common was the fact they were wearing dark blue raincoats, their heads being covered by the hoods of their jackets to keep the rain from falling on their fur.
The two mammals approach the corpse of the wolf and pulls the cover halfway off the corpse. And holy hell, were they not prepared for what they were about to see. The tiger's eyes widen with unexpected shock and cover's his mouth with his right hand-paw, taking a couple steps back repulsively.
"Jesus Christ, Bogo! What, no, how the fuck did this happen?!" the tiger asked with widened eyes, unsure of how to comprehend the bloody sight. Yeah, he may have come across murder victims in the past, but never before has he seen a victim who was literally sliced in half.
"I honestly don't know, Fangmeyer…" Bogo shrugged calmly despite the shock he felt upon seeing the severed body. "But whoever did this definitely knew what they were doing".
"No doubt about that", Fangmeyer replied with a nod prior to closing his eyes and taking a couple deep breaths as an attempt to calm down. He was still shocked at the scene, but at least he manages to calm down. "Could this have been the work of some crime organization, or the work of some hit mammal?"
"Neither", a voice from behind the two officers immediately caught both Fangmeyer and Bogo's attention, the two mammals turning around to see the person who just spoke up.
Apparently, the answer had come from another tiger bearing a much identical appearance to Fangmeyer in terms of fur colors, yet there were some distinctions about the mammal's appearance. For instance, the other tiger happened to bear long, brushed back gray colored hair along with a similarly colored mustache and chin goatee on his muzzle. He was about the same height as Fangmeyer, yet the muscles on his body were more built and defined, with his facial area being aged enough to show he was somewhere in his early forties. His attire consisted of a white dress shirt tucked into a pair of black slacks, with a brown trench coat being worn over his torso. His feet-paws were covered in a pair of black leather open toe boots, much like the gray samurai bracers that cover his forearms and the back of his hand-paws.
Regardless of his appearance, both mammals were genuinely surprised to see the male come out of nowhere. Who was he, and where the hell had he come from?
"This mammal was killed by a highly skilled vulpine assassin", the male tiger claimed with a stern look on his face, approaching the body of the lupine before kneeling down on the dead lupine's right side.
"Who are you?" Bogo asked with pure, genuine curiosity, not expecting a mammal of a detective's rank to come out of nowhere on the scene of the crime. The tiger moves his left hand-paw inside of the corresponding trench coat pocket before showing him his badge, with 'Detective' being engraved on the top of the badge and 'Kawasabus Police Department' on the bottom
"I am Detective Tatsumi of the Kawasabus Police Department", Detective Tatsumi introduced to the two police officers on the scene. "I have been sent here by the Chief of the first precinct to investigate a series of killings within Zootopia. As of ten minutes ago, I have been informed about the murder by one of my informants within the city", the detective explained, his eyes narrowing slightly and gazing directly at the wolf's body before him. "This is without a doubt connected to the murders that happened at the Savanna Heights Apartment complex last night", that particular claim immediately caused Fangmeyer and Bogo to gasp with surprise.
"Murders?" Fangmeyer asked, unaware of the murders that occurred in the said apartment complex.
"Yes", Detective Tatsumi began, hovering his right index finger just an inch over the deathly, but cleanly severed wound on the wolf's body. "You see these cuts here? No common hoodlum nor mammal in a criminal organization can strike another assassin down with a clean cut like this", the detective explained right before the tiger shifts his attention directly towards the two cops. "And based on the ingenuity of this wound, there's no doubt this is the work of Battousai the Animal Slayer", that last part definitely caused the two cops to cock a brow at the detective.
"Battousai the Animal Slayer…?" Bogo asked calmly, but couldn't help with the fact he was curious on who the Battousai was, or what he is for that matter.
"It's not ringing any bells, sir", Fangmeyer said shortly after Bogo mentioned the question about the said assassin. With a soft, understandable shrug, the tiger stands back up onto his feet-paws and keeps his eyes focused towards the two cops.
"That is not surprising to say the least. After all, many of us try to refrain from disclosing this information anywhere outside Kawasabus unless it is necessary", Detective Tatsumi replied while placing his hand-paws inside of his trench coat pocket. "Battousai the Animal Slayer is said to be the deadliest assassin in all of Kawasabus, one who bears complete mastery to the art of Battojutsu and is even rumored his speed matches the gods", he explained, the two officers turning their head towards one another before turning back to face the detective. "It is also rumored the assassin's sword is guided by the name of Hiten Mitsurugi, but we are uncertain whether or not it is confirmed", the tiger further explained, many questions brewing in the minds of both Fangmeyer and Bogo. However, Bogo's eyes had widened slightly the second 'Hiten Mitsurugi' had been mentioned, but nobody knew as of why.
"Hiten… what?" Fangmeyer asked with a genuinely surprised tone of voice, a shrug escaping the detective's and closes his own eyes. He was prepared to explain the matter further, but a sudden 'ding' goes off on his phone and stops his train of thought. The detective grabs his ICarrot smartphone and discovers a text message from a colleague of his. He opens the message and reads it for a moment before putting his smartphone away, turning away from the two officers with his hand-paws in his trench coat pockets.
"I wish to explain the matter further, but it seems I am required elsewhere", Detective Tatsumi began, slowly turning his head towards the right, his eyes gazing at the two officers behind him. "However, heed my warning and steer clear of the Battousai and refrain from trying to fight him", the detective warned. "He may be a fox, but that vulpine is a lot stronger than he looks. He will kill you without an ounce of hesitation if you try to engage in battle against the assassin", the tiger further warned before turning his head towards the front, walking directly towards the direction where he had came from.
"Detective Tatsumi", Bogo suddenly said, stopping the detective on his tracks and making him turn his head towards the bull with a stern, curious look on his face. "How do you know so much about the assassin? What is his real name?" he asked, the tiger merely closing his eyes and letting a soft shrug leave his muzzle.
"If I knew his real name, I would've tracked him down already and the entire Police Department would serve justice for the hundreds he's killed", Detective Tatsumi answered. "I must be on my way now. I wish you all the best of luck, officers", and with those departing words, the tiger walks away from the scene of the crime and back to his vehicle, seeking business within the other districts in Zootopia. Now it was time to track the assassin down and serve justice the same manner the Battousai had killed his roughly four hundred victims: Death.
Tundratown Safe House, two hours later
Nothing but silence fills the interior of the wooden cabin the fox was currently occupying, with the exception of the cracking noises coming from the fire inside the fire place. Matt was currently sitting on the living room sofa checking his phone for any messages he had received sometime after he got back. He had changed much of his attire as well, his clothes now consisting of a slim fitting black V-neck T-shirt, sanded blue slim bootcut fitting jeans (the leg openings of his pants (the leg openings covering some of his black open toe boots), and his black samurai bracers with black leather gloves covering his hand-paws covering them to their entirety.
Matt had returned from his brother's residence in Savanna Central District roughly an hour and a half ago. And the first thing he did was immediately get out of his bloodied clothes and into a pair of clean ones, the ones he was now wearing. But after he had changed his clothes, the fox placed the bloodied clothes into the washer and began packing his things. That didn't really take much time for him to do, honestly, since he hadn't brought much his things aside from clothes and his toiletries. And pretty much for the most part, the fox was practically ready to go whenever the chopper was dispatched to extract him from the designated extraction point. But he wasn't sure where he would be extracted from just yet, not until the Ishin-Mirkwood clan leader sends the coordinates via text message.
Now that Thrandeer was mentioned, the fox's phone unexpectedly starts going off and interrupts his online browsing session. He was about to groan right until he saw 'Thrandeer Katzuma' on the top of the touch screen phone. Talk about proper timing, albeit unexpected no less. Hitting the 'answer' button on the touch screen, the fox places his phone on the right side of his head.
"Lay it on me, Thrandeer. What's the news?" Matt asked monotonically.
"Nothing at the moment, although I am making preparations to send a chopper towards you as we speak. It should arrive roughly within the next four to seven hours", Thrandeer answered over the phone. "Have you packed all of your belongings?"
"For the most part, yes", Matt responded. "I have a pair of clothes currently in the dryer right now. Those will be packed once they've been dried".
"Good", Thrandeer replied on the other end of the line. "And what of the ninjas. Have you encountered any of them during your trip back?" the buck asked.
"I have, now that you mentioned it", Matt answered honestly, his eyes narrowing only the slightest. "And the one I encountered was much different from the other one I've slain back in October", the fox explained. "This one bore black and brown colors unlike the black and gray colors the other one. However, their fighting techniques were strongly identical to one another".
"I see…" Thrandeer began following a slight pause. "And have you encountered anymore of them?" the deer asked on the other end of the line.
"No, just the one", Matt answered. "However, Whoever that ninja was, I don't think he's affiliated with the Orimakishu clan at all. I believe he was affiliated with the Neo-Yaminobu ninja clan", the fox explained. "But what I don't understand is why both ninjas had identical fighting styles and weapons".
"I believe I may have an idea", Thrandeer claimed. "Its possible both ninjas may have trained under the same fighting techniques and weapons. Or, it may be possible one of the Neo-Yaminobu ninjas might've disguised themselves in the Orimakishu clan's colors in order to use them as scapegoats", the buck concluded, yet only hypothetically no less.
"And if that's the case, then it seems the Neo-Yaminobu ninjas had been the clan involved all along and not the Orimakishu clan", Matt theorized. "Either way, something doesn't seem right about all of this. Why would the Neo-Yaminobu ninjas go to such extremes and place much of the blame on one of their fellow clans?"
"I can't say for certain. But either way, do not worry about it too much, I will look into the matter further. You go on ahead and continue getting your belongings together", Thrandeer replied. "I will send you the location of the extraction point via text message shortly. Keep your eyes pealed for it", and with that, the deer hangs up on the other line and the fox places his phone back into his case. The dryer suddenly goes off with a loud 'BUZZ' sound to signal the end of its cycle, with Matt standing up and walking towards the dryer near the kitchen.
Right as he got to the dryer near the kitchen, his phone suddenly goes off and causes the fox to pull his phone out of the case. And with his thumb sliding horizontally across his phone did he notice the message by Thrandeer himself. He opens the message and reads the coordinates to the extraction location, and he knew exactly where it was located.
"So it looks like I'll be headed to the Meadowlands up north", Matt thought to himself with a calm sigh. "However, the chopper isn't gonna get here for the next four to seven hours. I should use this time to continue investigating Savanna Central a little further. Something tells me there's more to the Neo-Yaminobu then what we already know", the fox continued with his train of thought while opening the doors and grabbing his clothes. With the exception of his hoodie and the muzzle mask, the fox folds up the freshly dried clothing and continues to gather the remainder of his belongings. Whatever the Neo-Yaminobu have planned, the fox didn't know. But whatever it was, it had to be dealt with as soon as possible, or else the city of his origins would soon fall under Neo-Shogunate control….
Tomoe's Residence, New Otsu, Ohio
The chirping of the birds were heard in the quiet town of New Otsu, Ohio, with the mammals living within the rural community going about with their lives peacefully. The rain had passed and the weather was just as peaceful, the mid to late morning sun shining over the town and providing the mammals with its enough warmth to help them bear with the increasingly cold weather. And with pleasantly cool weather with the warm, morning sun, it became much more bearable to work in the outdoors.
Speaking of the outdoors, Tomoe and Jenny were currently at the garden checking on the plants to make sure they were still growing properly. She notices some of them having died because of having too much rain, much to Tomoe's disliking. Fortunately, most of the plants were still salvageable even if they were only to be used for ingredients or spices. That was the good news.
Tomoe's attire was much different from what she normally wore when at home. Her torso was covered with a white, slim fitting V-neck T-shirt, which was tight enough to show the perkiness of her C-cup breasts. The dark sanded blue jeans were also of a similar fit, minus a slight boot cut near the leg openings, the curves of her hips showing of quite beautifully from the tightness of the top part of her pants. Jenny's clothes were much similar to what Tomoe wore, with a couple distinctions. While the rabbit wore a similar pair of jeans, minus a couple holes on the knees, her slim fitting shirt was a dark gray color, which the garment was worn under a red and black flannel shirt.
Both of them continue to check on the other plants to make sure none of them had died during the excessive amount of rain that poured in the recent days, completely oblivious to the fact a black 2009 Chevy Camaro pulls up onto the driveway, with an orange stripe being painted on the hood of the car. And stepping out of the car was none other than Enishi, a fox bearing the same fur colors as Tomoe and Matt Wilde. His dark blue tank top fit enough to show some of the muscle definition on his torso much similarly to how his similarly colored samurai bracers fit his forearms. A pair of orange, Chinese style pants cover his legs in a slim, baggy manner, with blue stripes running down the sides of them. His dark blue open toe boots were partially covered by the baggy leg openings. The last garment he wore was on his face, the garment being a pair of small, circular sunglasses that were worn as if to give the fox his trademarked look.
With the blue eyed vulpine out of his car, the fox cups his hand-paws and moves them to the front of his muzzle, shaping it like a modified horn of sort.
"Tomoe!" Enishi called out loudly, snapping the vixen and female rabbit out of their working trances and quickly turns to face the fox who spoke. Jenny cocks a curious brow towards the fox, but Tomoe's eyes widen slightly with shock. And she immediately recognized the fox who called her name.
"Enishi?" Tomoe asked with a surprised tone of voice while slowly standing up onto her feet-paws, her hand-paws wiping the dirt off of her jeans.
"It took me a good while, sis! But I've found you at last!" Enishi yelled with quite the grin on his face and began walking towards her. Tomoe was completely dumbstruck on how he was able to find her, nor has she heard from him for some time, even through the phone or any social media websites. Either way, it still was an interesting surprise.
Several minutes have come and pass rather quickly, and now the three mammals were currently sitting inside of the living room enjoying the pleasantries of green tea. Tomoe and Enishi were sitting next to one another on one couch while Jenny was sitting by herself of the futon couch/bed.
"This is my younger brother and Matt's uncle, Enishi", Tomoe introduced the other fox to the rabbit sitting at the futon adjacent from the couch the two foxes sat at.
"Your brother… and Matt's uncle?" Jenny asked, not having expected the male fox to be Tomoe's brother, the particular reason behind that is because of Tomoe having green eyes and Enishi having blue colored ones.
"That's right. I've sent him some letters from Kawasabus when I last visited Matt several months ago", Tomoe replied before turning towards her brother, who bore a neutral expression on his face. "And he somehow traced them here", she continued, unaware the male fox had given a soft, barely audible grunt along with his eyes narrowing the slightest. Jenny, on the other hand, had noticed this slightly and calmly stands up.
"Alright, I'll leave you two to catch up", Jenny began right as she starts walking to the back shoji door. "I'll go check on the rest of the crops and see if they're salvageable", with that response, the rabbit walks towards the door and opens it, partially closing it behind her and leaving it cracked once she had got out of the living room. Both of the siblings watched her leave the room quietly before the vixen clears her throat gently.
"I have to admit you took us by surprise, Enishi", Tomoe admitted while turning her head towards her brother. "How's father doing?" she asked curiously right as her brother crosses his arms.
"He's doing alright, last I checked", Enishi replied with a calm tone of voice. But despite receiving an answer from him, the vixen still remained curious regarding his presence here.
"How long have you been gone from Kawasabus?" Tomoe asked.
"Several months. I left Kawasabus because my services were required elsewhere", Enishi answered, closing his eyes following a shrug. "I left a few months after you moved out of Kawasabus to work at Bellwether Enterprises", the fox explained further, his eyes reopening and turning his head towards his sister.
"Enishi, I still don't understand why you're here. But more importantly, how were you able to find me? I never had the chance to give you my address after I left Kawasabus", Tomoe asked with a curious tone and brow.
"Easily!" Enishi began with a grin forming on his muzzle. "Neo-Shoguns take care of their operatives", the male fox continued following a soft, shocked gasp escaping his muzzle. "You will soon be happy, sis!" the male merely claimed with several devious chuckles escaping his mouth. "Its all set! Matt Wilde will die! The Neo-Shogunate will bring justice upon that assassin's head! That's what you want, isn't it? To see that fox pay for the lives he tore apart!" the fox merely continued with a grin on his face, with Tomoe's eyes open wide and her hand-paws trembling at his words. "We appreciate the part you and that bunny played in this, keeping him dis-" and that was all he could say before getting slapped hard on the right side of his cheek, a loud 'SMACK' echoing briefly across the entire room.
Hell, that smack literally packed enough punch to knock Enishi right off the couch, and that was something he did NOT expect his sister to do. His left hand-paw covers the slowly swelling mark on his face and quickly turns towards Tomoe. And holy shit was he shocked to see the furious look on Tomoe's face, her eyes glaring narrowly at him with anger and her muzzle snarling back with pointy fangs being displayed.
"What the hell's the matter with you, Enishi?! Matt's your nephew for fuck's sake!" Tomoe growled angrily at her brother for even plotting Matt's assassination with the Kawasabus Neo-Shogunate Government. Who the fuck does he think he is, and how could he suggest such a thing?! Regardless of the vixen's angered state, the male fox growls lowly and stands up onto his feet-paws.
"I don't care if he's family or not! That god damn fox is NO nephew of mine!" Enishi shot back just as angrily, unaware that a pair of bunny ears had perked up from the gardens on the left side of the house. "That fox is a ruthless assassin who will anyone without any ounce of REMORSE, and you know it! He's nothing more than an unrepentant killer who's hunger for blood continues to-"
"Matt is no way in hell a ruthless, unrepentant killer!" Tomoe argued. "There's no way in hell I condone what he's done in the past, and I'm sure as hell not happy with the fact he's been working as an assassin. But over the past month, he's been trying to repent for his actions by trying to focus on school and making a source of income, to help other mammals as much as he can!" the vixen continued with her argument. "And you think you have the god damn audacity to come here and claim he's nothing more than an assassin, to claim we've played a part in their plans to murder him? That's unbelievable! Un-FUCKING-believable!" she shouted from the top of her lungs. And before Enishi could respond to her aggressive retorts, Jenny suddenly opens the door and rushes into the living.
"Hey, hey, HEY! What's going on?!" Jenny yelled and manages to get between the two foxes, her arms placed between the two and her head shaking left and right almost frantically. Enishi's eyes shut out of annoyance before reopening them quickly and gazing directly towards her direction.
"You best stay out of this if you know what's best for you, bunny!" Enishi growled with his fists clenching, his eyes widening and a few veins starting to bulge noticeably on his arms. Jenny's eyes fix themselves towards the male fox and immediately froze out of fear, instinctual fear to be precise. She was literally frozen under his gaze, and she was becoming more terrified with each passing second under his watchful eye.
"Don't you dare talk to her like that, Enishi!" Tomoe snarled furiously while marching up towards his face. "She doesn't deserve to receive that kind of treatment from you! She hasn't even done anything wrong".
"Keep your damn mouth shut, Tomoe!" Enishi growled, his attention now shifting back towards his own sister. "That rabbit has no god damn business on the matter! Matt Wilde is nothing more than a ruthless, cold hearted assassin, and he will die for his actions, even if its by my own blade!"
"Like hell you will!" Jenny shouted, much to the surprise of Tomoe. Like the vixen, the rabbit was not gonna tolerate Enishi's actions any longer. "He may be an assassin, and I don't condone for what he's been doing, but he's not a ruthless killer!" the rabbit argued with her eyes furrowed with rage. "I know for a fact deep down, Matt has a heart of gold! I also know without a doubt, he's been wanting to get out of the assassination business and live a more-"
"Peaceful life? Ha! Don't make me laugh!" Enishi scoffed with a mocking grin on his face, his arms spread open momentarily before placing his hand-paws inside his pants pockets. "In my eyes, all I can say about him is he's nothing more than an arrogant, worthless dumb fox-"
"That 'dumb fox' is my BOYFRIEND!" Jenny scowled defensively in an aggressive manner. Enishi's eyes suddenly widen and his hand-paws move out of his pants pockets, only for his arms to hang on the sides of his body. "He's NOT worthless nor ARROGANT! Matt coming into my life is the best thing that's happened to me ever since I lost my parents over three years ago. He's willing to fight and protect those he cherishes even if he has to end the lives of his enemies. He's willing to sacrifice his own life just to ensure those he loves continue to live. Yeah, I'll admit we may have had a bad disagreement in the past, but he still saved me from three predators regardless of that, and that's a debt I can never repay", the rabbit continued, tears threatening to stream down her face at any given moment. "I love him with all my heart, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep him alive, and to stop him from becoming an unrepentant killer, no matter the cost!" she finished.
Enishi was staring directly at the rabbit with a pair of shocked, completely widened eyes. He was completely shocked at what he had just heard. He couldn't believe the words that came out of the bunny's mouth. Matt being the rabbit's boyfriend? An interspecies relationship, let alone one between predator and prey? How can… how is it possible?!
"You're joking, right…?" Enishi asked with disbelief. "C'mon! I mean a fox and a rabbit?"
"No, I'm dead serious, Enishi", Jenny answered with a stern glare. "Matt admitted it himself a couple days ago that he loved me, and that was the moment I can no longer deny my feelings for him. I don't care how deadly an assassin he's become! I love Matt Wilde with all my heart, no matter what!" she yelled, her eyes glaring directly towards Enishi with pure, fiery anger. The male couldn't believe this, literally could not believe the words that came out of her mouth, could not believe how she confirmed them. His eyes dart between Tomoe and Jenny back and forth almost quickly, only to settle them towards Jenny within a matter of seconds.
"You've gotta be fucking joking! It's already bad enough to know he's Battousai the Animal Slayer, but to find he's banging a bunny, its unbelievable!" Enishi growled before turning his attention directly at his sister. "His parents taught him better than to mate with someone outside of his kind! WE taught him better than that!"
"Don't you dare talk about Jenny like that! And keep Matt's parents out of it, Enishi!" Tomoe shouted. "You know damn well both of them are dead! How could you even suggest such a thing. We're not his-"
"THAT DOESN'T MATTER!" Enishi screamed with pure, undiluted fury. "Both we and his parents taught him better than to date someone outside of their own kind. And to know the fact he's become an assassin and screwing this bunny in his free time? He's a FUCKING disgrace to the Wilde family name!" and with those harsh words, gasps escape from both Jenny and Tomoe. Neither of them could believe what they've just heard nor process it in their minds. Jenny was about to speak up until she heard a low growl escaping Tomoe's muzzle
"You're telling me Matt's a disgrace because he's dating Jenny?" Tomoe asked with a growl along with furrowed brows. "Let me ask you something, Enishi. Am I a disgrace to the family name as well?" the vixen asked again with a pair of narrow eyes, eyes filled with burning fury and gazing directly at a now shocked fox in front of her.
"Tomoe, I wasn't-"
"Bullshit!" Tomoe growled with pure venom in her voice. "How Matt dating Jenny any different from when I dated John Bellwether between April and early September?!" she continued to shout, tears threatening to stream down the vixen's face at any given moment. But what she said regarding John Bellwether definitely caught Jenny by surprise, even if she didn't show it. Now was not the time to show it anyways.
"Sister, listen to me! That's-"
"Different?" Jenny suddenly spoke up lowly, but with just as much venom in her voice. "It shouldn't matter on who dates who. Love it love no matter what, regardless of what species you are, whether you're predator or prey. If you don't like it, then that's your choice. But to tell your own sister that Matt's a disgrace, and implying that she's a disgrace, its unbelievable to hear it out of your own mouth. You're her younger brother, and Matt's uncle!" the bunny continued to speak towards the male vulpine with malice, the fox becoming angrier with each passing second the rabbit continued to talk. "And if anyone should be a disgrace to the family name it's YOU!" she shouted before pointing her right index finger directly at Enishi, low growls now leaving his muzzle and his brows furrowing angrily. "You have no respect for the feelings of anyone's relatives other than your own. You have no respect for the decisions Tomoe and Matt make. And to know those alone, THAT, is the true dis-" she tried to finished right until Enishi suddenly strikes her on the left side of her face with a pair of claws. The force was enough to knock the bunny back painfully against the wall with a loud 'thud', the rabbit falling onto the floor with her hand-paws covering the now bleeding claw marks on her cheek. Enishi was now completely furious, and he began marching directly towards her direction with a deathly snarl.
"Who the hell do you think you are?! Who are you to tell me I'm a disgrace to the-" Enishi began right until a hand-paw suddenly grabs his shirt collar and pulls him backwards. Oh, how he did not expect his own sister to punch him on the right side of his face with her left fist, nor did he expect the force of the painful punch to knock him a couple yards away from the two. He manages to recover after a few moments and spits a decent portion of his blood, along with one of his back right molars onto the floor. He was about to say something at his sister, but the instant he saw the way her fur stood up in numerous directions, the way her claws were unsheathed, how her muzzle was snarled back, and how she was ready to fight, he could not form the right words to speak. Hell, he was genuinely too frightened to move, let alone speak for that matter.
"Get the hell out of my house, and don't you EVER come back!" Tomoe growled lowly, but filled with fury in her voice. She was not gonna tolerate her brother's behavior, and she wasn't gonna tolerate his presence any longer, not after what he did to Jenny. Enishi's eyes were wide at her words, and his hand-paws were already starting to shake from the amount of rage her sister was giving off. He knew for a fact he pissed his sister off way past her boiling point. But that didn't mean he was gonna leave right off the bat, he still had words he needed to say. His brows quickly furrow and lets out an almost monstrous growl from his voice.
"You are insane!" Enishi shouted while throwing his arms up. "Why do you insist on protecting that bunny?! Why do you insist on protecting a monster like Matt?! Have you forgotten John Bellwether?! His blood cries for revenge after what he did to him!"
"I'm well aware of what Matt did to John! Have you forgotten why I broke up with John back in September?!" Tomoe screamed with fury, catching her brother off guard with the last question. That even caught the rabbit's attention when John was mentioned again. What could've happened between the two? "Have you?!" she asked again demandingly, but in all honestly, Enishi was at a loss for words. Had he forgotten about that John did, whatever it was, or was he too shocked to answer? But instead of giving the vixen an answer, the male fox closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths in order to calm down. After half a minute passes, he reopens his eyes and looks directly at both the rabbit and his sister.
"I will not pry on the matter any further. What John did in the past is not her business", Enishi growled, albeit calmly, referring to the rabbit behind his sister. "But mark my words. Matt's fate has been sealed", he warned with a low growl, turning his head to his left and noticing a small portrait of Matt's eleventh grade year photo. "You can only help him succeed", and with those last words, the fox quickly turns around and rushes out of the house, slamming the door behind him before leaving as he left to his car. Tomoe closes her eyes and starts taking a few deep breaths in order to calm herself down, not paying attention to the sound of Enishi's car pulling out of the driveway and out of her residence. Fortunately, she manages to calm down enough to where she turns her attention to the rabbit, who was still holding her wound with both of her hand-paws.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Jenny", Tomoe apologized softly before walking towards her direction. The rabbit eyes widen from seeing the predator approaching her, but with the vixen kneeling in front of her and placing a gentle, reassuring hand-paw on her left shoulder, her eyes slightly narrow with relief. "Let me see your wound", the vixen said to the bunny, her right hand-paw gently grabbing Jenny's hand-paws and lowering them enough to see the claw marks on her cheek. The bleeding had stopped, but her cheek was still strained with fresh blood. Fortunately, she did notice the claw marks weren't deep enough to need any stitching on them, but were still pretty bad enough to need immediate treatment. She couldn't help but snarl lightly upon seeing the wound, the rabbit slightly tensing from the noise. "I can't believe my own brother would do this to you", she growled slightly, but shakes her head and lets a sigh leave her mouth. "Are you alright?"
"As much as I can be, I suppose…" Jenny answered prior to tilting her head downward and looking to her right. Her hand-paws began shaking, and her shoulders shook just the same. Tomoe immediately noticed this and gently pulls her into a comforting hug, much to the rabbit's surprise. Jenny's eyes were wide from it, but she didn't complain at all. She honestly needed this. Her own arms wrap around the vixen's and soon buries her head onto her left shoulder, fresh tears now streaming down her face and soaking Tomoe's shirt. Soft sobs start to accompany her tears and soon found herself breaking down with heavier ones.
"Shhhh… its okay", Tomoe spoke soothingly with her hand-paws holding her back with her left hand-paw and her right holding the back of her head. Her finger's gently brush her soft, long, dark brown/dark blonde colored hair in the most soothing way possible, soon resting her left cheek on top of the rabbit's head comfortingly.
"I'm scared…" Jenny spoke softly, her lips quivering following a sob. "I don't wanna lose him… I don't wanna lose Matt…" the bunny sobbed, the vixen gently placing her hand-paws onto her cheeks and tilting her head up towards her.
"You won't lose him, Jenny", Tomoe began. "After I saw you two kiss at the station yesterday morning, there's no doubt your love for him will bring him back home safely", she continued with a soft, genuine smile forming on her muzzle. "He has a strong will to live, and is willing to do whatever it takes to return to you, no matter what", the vixen added. "Besides, with the skill level he has with a sword, nothing will be able to stop him from returning to you", the vixen reassured, her thumbs gently drying the rabbit's tears before the bunny smiles slightly towards the fox. She loses her smile shortly afterward and leans forward, resting her right cheek onto her shoulder as comfortably as she could,
"Matt… please come home soon", Jenny thought within her mind, her arms slightly tightening their hold around Tomoe's waist. "I need you more than ever…" the bunny continued to think and continues to hold Tomoe gently, her mind solely on Matt and hoping for his safe return home, hoping for her fox's safe return to his bunny.
Hoping for his safe return to her…
Nick's residence, an hour and a half later
A sharp gasp suddenly escapes Nick's muzzle, his body jolts upward out of nowhere, covered in cold sweat, and eyes shot wide open. Heavy breathing soon followed the utter silence inside of the bedroom shortly after his awakening, his jade green eyes surveying the room slowly. The blur that once engulfed his vision was now clear of it, his eyesight being as clear as day. But now that he was in here, one question immediately formed in his mind.
"What…? Wait, how did I get here?" Nick spoke softly while continuing to look around the room, looking at the various music themed posters on the walls along with the Hawaiian wallpaper. He looks at the closed door and looks at the wooden rack vertically holding four sheathed swords, two of them being katanas with twenty six and a half inch blades and the other two being fifteen and a half inch wakizashis. And because the weapons were on the rack attached to the door, Matt had failed to notice this when he dropped Nick off three and a half hours ago (unbeknownst to Nick himself). Speaking of him, Nick's leans forward and clutches onto his head tightly with both of his hand-paws, and a familiar scene began to play in his head.
Nicholas Wilde was currently walking home though an alleyway in a drunken state, his fur being a ragged, wet mess and carrying a bottle of Ballantine's Scotch Whiskey on him. Much of the details were still hazy because of how blurry his nocturnal vision was at the time, but nevertheless he was able to make enough distinctions to know the area to say the least. His Hawaiian shirt and khaki pants were soaked from the rain, but he honestly didn't care. He makes a turn towards another alley before suddenly feeling a fairly large amount of crimson colored, metallic scented liquid hitting his clothes and parts of his fur. Oh, how the details were starting to come back to him instantly.
He was now standing before another fox ten feet away from him, having been carrying a chained katana with his left hand-paw and another one with his right. The other fox's attire consisted of a black hoodie covering his torso and much of his face (a black breathable cloth muzzle mask covering his muzzle entirely). The fox's hand-paws were obviously covered with black leather gloves along with what appears to be a pair of samurai bracers of the same color. A pair of dark green cargo pants covered his legs, with the leg openings of his pants being tucked into the fox's black open toe boots. But what caught his attention the most were not the clothes he wore, nor the dead lupine behind him (the wolf's body having been severed in half).
What caught Nick's attention the most were the eyes the other fox bore. They weren't the eyes of a murderous assassin, but those of a frightened kit despite the mature appearance his muscular body bore. But the assassin's eyes themselves were strongly familiar to him, the color being the same jade green color Nick bore on him. Why did that bring a sense a familiarity to Nick? Did he actually know the assassin under the guise, or is it a coincidence (an an unusually disturbing one at that)?
All of the sudden, a nasty migraine headache hits the fox's head with a sharp pain, making the fox lean his upper body forward with his right hand-paw holding his forehead. He was rubbing it gently with his eyes barely open, but what he saw on his clothes made them shoot wide open with shock. The same crimson colored liquid was on his pants and on parts his shirt (from what he could see). And he immediately recognized the liquid instantly! It was blood, and not just any blood, but the blood of the wolf he drunkenly saw the other fox murder. His breathing immediately became erratic, and his lungs were rising up and down just as quick.
"Oh god…" Nick thought inside of his head. Whether it was the sight of the blood on his clothes or the scent of it alone that was making him nauseous, he was unsure. But he soon found himself covering his own muzzle with his left hand-paw and rushes out of the bedroom, heading straight to the bathroom on the left and completely ignoring the nasty migraine he has in his hungover mind. Within the next second, the fox found himself vomiting inside the toilet bowl and flushing the toilet by pulling the lever down. Nick quickly starts gasping for air with heavy, heaving breaths right after vomiting the contents out of his stomach. "Okay, either the scent of blood is making me nauseous or I really need to lay off the hard liquor", he commented with heavy breaths before standing up and walking towards the bathroom door. Bur right as he was about to grab the doorknob did he notice his own reflection in the mirror. And oh my god, he literally looked like hell.
Dark eye circles were seen under his eyes, and the sclera of his eyes being slightly red, but not as bad as it was when he was at the bar hours ago. His clothes were still the same as they were when he was at the bar, except they were mostly strained with blood. Not his, but the blood of the lupine the assassin had killed when Nick entered the alley at the time. His fur was practically a ruffled mess and sticking in various directions, almost identical to a bird's nest, parts of his fur also stained with slight hints of blood despite the rain having washed most of it off. He shook his head a couple times and quickly concluded to one thing.
"Jesus… I'm not looking at my brightest, aren't I?" Nick said to himself softly with a shrug. "I seriously need a shower before anything else… can't go around smelling like a homeless bum", he continued before exiting the bathroom for a bit and heads to his room, only to return a couple minutes later with a clean, folded pair of clothes in hand. The pair of clothes he grabbed consisted of a pair of black slacks, a matching colored button up dress coat, and a dark cerulean blue neck sweater.
With those clothes in hand, the fox gently places them on the counter right across from the shower hall, grabbing a towel from the closet right next to it shortly after. He places it on the rack next to the shower stall before removing the bloodied clothes from his body. He wasn't unsure if he should try to wash them later of if he should dispose of them, but honestly, he didn't care about that right now. All he cared about at this time was to clean himself up and remove the remaining traces of the wolf's blood on his fur, not to mention he needed some time to think to himself.
It wasn't long before the sound of semi-hard water droplets began hitting the tile flooring and the shower stall glass door repetitively, with Nick standing directly below the shower head and letting the medium-hot water hit his body. His head hung low as the soothing hot water travels from the back of his head and down through his body. As soothing as the hot water hitting his body was, his mind couldn't process the relaxing feeling from them. No, his mind was clouded with thoughts about various things, not just about what had happened this morning, but with thoughts about the assassin in particular.
"I don't know what it is… but despite the fact I was drunk at the time, when I looked into his eyes, its almost like I knew him from somewhere…" Nick thought within his mind, his eyes lost in thought and not caring about how much time had passed. "I couldn't see any other features on his face, so I can't say for sure on who he is…" the fox continued with his train of thought. But as he continued to think about it, his eyes widen slightly and his ears perk up just as much. His mouth began to open slightly as if he had a revelation. Whether or not he did, he wasn't sure? But perhaps…. "Wait… could that assassin be…? No, he couldn't… could he?" the fox asked himself softly, his head raising upward until he was looking directly in front of himself.
The next thing he knew, he found himself turning the water off in the shower and quickly shaking the excess water off of him before using a towel to dry himself with. Before he knew it, the fox's fur was no longer wet with water and wasn't sticking in random directions anymore, having groomed his fur for at least a good ten minutes before quickly putting on his clothes. With the fox dressed in the garments he brought into the bathroom, he rushes out and runs down the stairs, only to stop right when he got to the front door. His head turns towards a photo placed right next to the telephone, the photo depicting his parents in the back; he and his older brother, Terrance, his two sisters, Melissa and Tauriel, in the middle; and his little brother, Matt, in the front. He remembered that particular photo quite well, honestly, having been taken in early December 2000.
Although the photo itself brought good memories back, he didn't focus on the memories behind the picture, his eyes were fixed towards his brother, Matt, who was eight years old at the time the photo was taken. He couldn't help but smile softly at the look Matt bore on his face during that time, his brows arching upward happily, his eyes closed, and his bright, innocent smile lightening the mood of the family photo. But the soft smile on Nick's face didn't last much longer, however, for he loses the smile and letting out a soft sigh with his eyes closed and his ears pulled back.
"Its no use…" Nick said to himself softly following a depressed sigh. "I haven't seen my Dad since he left us in January 2001, nor aunt Karen or my little brother since they departed for the correctional campsite in the Tri-Burrows area five months after Dad left", the fox continued to speak to himself following a light shrug. "And now…" the fox began, but merely stopped and choked a bit. It seemed he was about to break down, but the vulpine manages to recover and turns away from the photo. He knew where he wanted to, no, needed to go to. He walks towards the door and grabs a blue umbrella on the way, the parasol screen bearing green palm tree designs much similar to the leaves on many of the green Hawaiian shirt he owns.
With the umbrella in hand, the fox exits the house and locks the door behind him, closing it with his unoccupied hand-paw and walks down the small set of stairs. Fortunately it wasn't raining outside, but the smell of rain and the dark clouds remained nonetheless. He had a strong feeling he would end up having to deal with rainy weather again later on, so he knew it was best if the fox just took the umbrella with him. After all, best safe and sorry, right?
Nick turns to his left and began walking along the sidewalk deep in thought, passing by a few mammals like a commoner passing through a rich part of town. But in his case, however, he was a rich mammal walking in one of the most ghetto areas of the Downtown/Savanna Central area. And thanks to selling enough pawpsicles along with the other jobs he's been doing, he was able to make a living by making two hundred bucks a day, three hundred sixty five days a year for over thirteen years. But his thoughts were not on making any money, however, but the sole reminiscing of his memories about his family, particular towards his mother and his little brother.
He wasn't sure about how long he had been walking along the streets of downtown Zootopia, but he soon found himself at the arched gates of 'Downtown Zootopia Cemetery'. The fox stops at the entrance of the gate and stares towards the iron words embedded onto the arch of the gate. A soft sigh leave his mouth before looking straight towards the front, his feet-paws guiding him along the stone, thus entering the graveyard in total isolation. Continuing to walk along the stone path as he did, the fox passes the large gravestones like a pebble flowing through a river of time. A loud, thunderous 'boom' echos the clouded skies above with the occasional raindrop following shortly after. It was light and lacking at first. But it wouldn't be long before he reached his destination, which was an isolated area near a large oak tree. And before he knew it, he was standing in front of a large, conjoined grave that depicted two names:
Karen Melissa Longstride
September 23rd, 1957 – June 2001
A Wonderful Woman, a Loving Sister and Aunt
Nick's eyes move from the grave on the left of the plaque to the second grave on the right. And this one was the most saddening of all…
Matthew Palladin Wilde
January 8th, 1992 – June 2001
A Loving Son and Nephew, a True Friend, a Wonderful Brother
The instant the fox saw the grave of his little brother, Nick kneels forward and rest his behind on his heels. He stares blankly at the two graves with his brows pointing upward in sadness, his eyes narrowed in a similar feeling. As the rain began to get heavier, the fox slowly opens his umbrella and hovers it over him with his right hand-paw. With a soft sigh, he closes his eyes and slowly shakes his head.
"I've lost you…" Nick began calmly with a tone filled with sorrow, yet the half-lidded expression was vacant of any emotion. "Since I was twelve, I've been out of the house most of the time conning mammals with numerous scams. Whether it were the simple ones like of the pawpsicle hustles with Finnick, or the more complicated ones with the others, I did what I could to make money and help Ma and the rest of the family as best as I could…" the fox continued to lament and opens his eyes halfway, the optical orbs glistening with a sad wetness in them. "Even if I was able to make two hundred bucks a day and used some of it to pay part of the bills, none of it mattered…. I should've stayed in high school and get myself a legit job during or after graduating. But… who would want to hire a sly, untrustworthy fox like me, in the first place…?" he kept lamenting before shutting his eyes tightly as an attempt to prevent the tears from leaving his eyes, but to no avail. The tears manage to escape and stream down his face even if his eyes were sealed shut. "I should've listened to you and Ma all those years ago… I should've listened after I got muzzled during the ranger scouts initiation…" the fox choked at the end of his lamenting towards his mother, choking quite a few sobs and covering his mouth with his left hand-paw.
He manages to regain his composure enough to turn his attention directly towards the other grave, towards Matt's grave. Tears continued streaming down his face regardless to the fact he had regained his composure. There were words he still needed to say, words he should've said a long time ago, and there was still plenty of grief that still needed to be expressed just as much. If not, heavier.
"Matt… I remember all those times I came home, how you would come up to me and asked how my business went. You were always excited to see me regardless of how often I came by, no matter how good or bad any of our days were. Even the innocent smile you used to give me always brightened my day, no matter how bad it got…" Nick reminisced softly, recalling many memories about his little brother when he was in his teens. While it brought a smile on his muzzle momentarily, he lost it when his eyes refocused on the grave, Matt's grave. "Mom was devastated after we found out about you and Karen's disappearance. I invested all the money I had made into hiring a private investigator in hope we could find you and Karen… but it was all for nothing!", the fox kept speaking, even if his voice was starting to crack for the second time that day. "I wish you were still here, Matt…. I-I wish I… I could've been at home to tell you and Karen goodbye if I… I knew this would be the last time I would see you again…" the fox lamented with a saddened tone, his voice becoming hoarse from the tone he was bearing. "I wish I went with you and Karen when she took you to the correctional campsite…. I could've done something to prevent this… I could've… I-" and that was it, all he could say right before he leans towards the ground with his left hand-paw covering his eyes and began sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Matt…!" he cried in a tone full of sadness and remorse. "I should've been there…. I should've been there…!"
His cries continue to last for a good five minutes at the very most, not caring if any of the cold rain hit his body at all. He honestly didn't care. The only thing coursing his mind were Matt and his deceased aunt, Karen. But when the cries died down, the fox slowly stands up onto his feet-paws with his eyes never leaving the graves of his two relatives. But he couldn't linger here any longer, even if he didn't wanna leave. Using his left forearm to dry his tears, the fox looks down at the grave one last time with a depressed sigh escaping the back of his mouth.
"I'm sorry…" Nick spoke with a soft, depressed voice before closing his eyes and shaking his head softly. And with those last words said, the fox turns a hundred eighty degrees and departs from the graves of Matt and Karen Wilde. Unaware to Nicholas Wilde, another male fox had been watching the event during Nick's agonizing cries with his jade green eyes.
Matt Wilde had been hiding behind one of the large oak trees for roughly a few minutes now, the tree being roughly thirty yards away from the graves his brother was crying in front of. Roughly fifty minutes ago, the assassin had left the safe house to continue his investigation regarding the Neo-Shogunate armies around the Downtown/Savanna Central area of Zootopia. He had finished gathering all of his belongings and left them on the couch in the small living room, ready for him to grab when the chopper got near the extraction point. His attire was the same as it was after he had changed earlier, except for the fact he was now wearing his black hoodie along with the black cloth muzzle mask covering much of his face.
With his brother having left the graves, the fox walks directly towards the graves Nick once knelt in front of. Just who did those graves belong to, he wondered? And that thought alone made him generally curious. He didn't recall having any of their relatives being buried in this part of this graveyard, let alone this Cemetery. But regardless of the thought, he walks silently towards the graves his brother once knelt in front of, oblivious to what he was about to see. And as soon as he stood in front of them, his eyes widen slightly with genuine surprise. Not only was he standing in front of the grave of his deceased aunt (an empty one at that)…
… but he was also standing in front of his own.
"Well would you look at that… I'm a dead mammal in Zootopia", Matt joked almost darkly at that, a soft smirk involuntarily forming on his muzzle. It was ironic, really. Everyone he knew thought that he and his aunt died eight years ago. However, although his mother was actually dead, he was still alive, unbeknownst to his friends and relatives in Zootopia. "At least they know aunt Karen's dead… but I don't know if Nick or the rest of my siblings are aware both me and Karen's graves are empty", the fox said softly right before losing the smirk he bore on his muzzle. And that was indeed true, he was standing in front of two empty graves. For one, he was alive. As for his aunt, he had buried her at the Tri-Burrows Correctional Campsite the day after the incident had occurred there back in June 2001, and that night was the worst night of his life. Not only did he lose aunt Karen that night, but she was killed right in front of him, and he was the only relative who knew of her death and the location of her grave.
Like Nick, Matt couldn't linger here any longer. He had to continue his investigation for a bit longer and get the hell out of Zootopia. The longer he stayed in the city, the higher the chance someone he knew would recognize him right off the bat. With his hand-paws inside his hoodie pockets, the fox turns a hundred eighty degrees and walks silently in the heavy rain, not caring if his clothes get drenched in the unpleasantly rainy weather.
About halfway to the exit did his phone unexpectedly began going off out of nowhere, stopping the fox on his tracks and causing the mammal to grab his phone out of the case. He spots a marble bench on the left and walks right at it, thankful it was under a large branch from another oak tree. The vulpine sits on the hard surface and looks at the caller ID, his eyes widening slightly with surprise upon seeing who was calling him.
"Iizuka?" Matt thought curiously before tapping the 'answer' icon on the touch screen, quickly placing the phone over the right side of his face. "Iizuka, what's going on?"
"Matt, I've just received word from one of our clan members regarding a new target for you to kill in Zootopia. And since you're currently stationed at Zootopia, you seem to be the one qualified for the job", Iizuka claimed on the other end.
"New target? What are you talking about?" Matt asked curiously, his eyes moving to the direction where he was holding his phone. "And how do you know I'm at Zootopia? I don't recall Thrandeer telling you about my whereabouts", he asked again, now cocking a curiously suspicious brow upon hearing this.
"It appears someone stumbled upon the mess you've made at the Savanna Heights Complex last night. I was told by the clan leader himself to give you the following order: 'You are to eliminate the target before you are to be extracted from Zootopia'. Those were Thrandeer's exact words", Iizuka claimed.
"Wait, wouldn't the chief called me already about the order? Its not like he has any-"
"Unfortunately, he does have business", Iizuka interrupted on the other end. "Apparently, an incident just happened at the new Ishin-Mirkwood hideout ten miles Northwest of New Otsu".
"Incident?!" Matt asked, quickly jumping onto his feet-paws right as he asked. "What's going on? What the hell happened?!"
"I'm not certain, but one of the Ishin-Mirkwood loyalists will contact you once we gather enough information about the situation", Iizuka claimed. "In the meantime, I've already sent you the text regarding the new target. You should be getting it any moment now", with that response, the tanuki hangs up on the other end and the fox moves his phone away from his head. Right as he did, a loud 'ding' goes off and thus notifies the fox about the text message.
"Alright, who's the new target…" Matt thought right before tapping on the text message icon from Iizuka, completely oblivious on who his next target was. And the instant the message opened did Matt's eyes immediately shoot wide open, a loud gasp even escaping his open mouth and his eyes glaring at the photo of the new target. His heart was pounding hard with shock, no, horror at the mammal he now had to kill. "Oh, please, dear god no…" he muttered with shock. Nothing could've prepared the Battousai for who he now had to assassinate.
His target: Nicholas P. Wilde…