A/N: Here's the next installment of Zootopia X. Hope you enjoy ^^
The Neo-Yaminobu Strike
The elevator carrying Jenny and Tomoe towards the fourth floor was filled with complete quietude, both of them completely uncomfortable with the situation they were in. Both the vixen and the rabbit were currently in the process of heading towards the fourth floor to meet with Tomoe's conspirators, the Neo-Yaminobu, the clan she had acted as a double agent towards under the behest of Thrandeer Katzuma.
Tomoe was currently thinking about how to approach the subject matter regarding Matt's 'weakness', while Jenny, on the other hand, was trying to figure out what to do if things were to unexpectedly turn for the worst. But her thoughts were soon interrupted when the vixen places her left hand-paw onto her right shoulder, causing the rabbit to look up at her with a curious expression on her face.
"Jenny, do you have your dagger on you?" Tomoe asked with a calm, yet curious expression on her face, the rabbit nodding before placing her right hand-paw into her hoodie.
"Yeah, I do", Jenny replied prior to clutching onto the sheath of her dagger. "Why do you ask?" the rabbit asked curiously with the means of finding out the vixen's intentions.
"I need you to hand it to me before we leave the elevator", Tomoe began, turning her head towards the front and noticed they were nearing the fourth floor. "In case something goes wrong, I don't want you ending up hurt, nor do I want anything to happen to your kits if you happen to be pregnant", as soon as she mentioned the possibility of Jenny being pregnant, the rabbit's heart skipped a beat. Even if the chances were slim, could she possibly be pregnant with Matt's kits as they spoke? But either way, now was not the time to think about such thing.
But in case if she was, the rabbit nods with understanding and pulls the sheathed dagger out of her inner hoodie pocket before handing the weapon to Tomoe. The vixen places the weapon inside the right back pocket of her jeans and covers much of it with the bottom of her hoodie. After nodding towards the bunny with a thankful gesture and concealing the weapon, the elevator doors open and reveal the LED lit hallway before them.
The halls were well lit, and to say the least, the rabbit was genuinely surprised at the architecture in the building. The walls were a mixture of both a dark gray granite color and made of clear glass walls. The glass walls depicted several unoccupied labs within, yet seemed several papers were scattered all over the place. Whatever the reason, none of them knew for certain. But now was not the time to focus on such things. They needed to focus on reaching the courtyard and meet with the Neo-Yaminobu clan as Tomoe had instructed.
Both females step out of the elevator and start walking towards the double doors leading directly to the fourth floor courtyard, which also happened to be labeled just on top of the doors. Jenny looks at the rooms left and right in total bewilderment, not having expecting such a sight for a facility. She was honestly astonished, even if the late John Bellwether was a rich, powerful mammal.
About halfway down the hall, the rabbit's ears flicker suddenly and the bunny quickly turns to her right, her head looking towards the direction they were coming from. The vixen was quickly to notice the rabbit having stopped and ceases her movements as well.
"Jenny? Is everything alright?" Tomoe asked with a curious tone in her voice, noticing the rabbit's nose twitching slightly and her eyes glaring towards the elevator doors behind them.
"Yeah… I just got a weird feeling we're being watched", Jenny answered calmly, although with an uneasy tone slightly apparent in her voice.
"It's honestly not surprising, Jenny, since there's surveillance cameras around-"
"No, its not that", Jenny interrupted quickly, turning her head towards the vixen and looking at her with a calm, uneasy look in her eyes. "I don't know what it is, but I have a weird feeling something or someone's watching us… whatever it is…"
"Jen…" Tomoe spoke softly shortly after hearing the rabbit's response, turning her head towards the elevator and casting a short glance at it. Strangely enough, however, regardless of the fact there were a couple of surveillance cameras near the elevator, she did get an uneasy feeling of being watched by something in the shadows… whatever it may be.
"Its probably nothing", Jenny claimed while shaking her head a couple of times. "I guess this whole meeting might be making me a bit more uneasy than I thought", and with that, the rabbit began walking towards the doors leading to the courtyard, with the vixen turning towards the front and quickly catching up with the rabbit.
The two mammals soon arrive to the twin doors leading into the courtyard and gaze at the bars attached to them. Although the doors were made for the larger predators or prey, Tomoe was fortunate enough to barely reach one of them. She grabs onto the left bar and pushes it forward, pushing the door just the same and allowing the two mammals to pass through them easily.
When they entered the outdoor courtyard, Jenny was expecting the area to be about the size of two tennis courts. But what she didn't expect was for the courtyard to be half the size of a football field, let alone having an outdoor roof covering the entire place.
Most of the courtyard flooring was practically made entirely out of concrete, with the left and right sides being made out of tan ceramic tiles. Near the front of the courtyard up ahead stood two fire fighter ventilation shafts, both of which were encircled by rectangular cement walls. The enclosed ventilation shaft in the middle was the farthest of all, while the one on the right side of the building was closer towards the two mammals.
And sitting on a large, charcoal colored blanket in front of the middle ventilation shaft is the leader of the Neo-Yaminobu clan, Tatsumi. Jenny and Tomoe noticed he was an orange Siberian tiger bearing long, brushed back gray colored hair along with a similarly colored mustache and goatee on the front of his muzzle. The tight fitting black tank top he wore showed off much of his muscular torso, with the bottom of the shirt being tucked into his brown hakama cargo pants. His his shirt, the leg openings of his pants were tucked into a pair of black open toe combat boots. Lastly, a pair of brown samurai bracers were worn over his muscular built forearms and even covered the back of his hand-paws.
As the two female mammals slowly approach the tiger, the ninja's eyes narrow slightly upon glaring at the two. He had expected Tomoe to arrive, but he hadn't expected her to come with a companion by her side. But much like how he didn't expected Jenny to be with Tomoe, the vixen did not expected Tatsumi to be the only one there.
"Odd… the other's should've been here by now", Tomoe thought within her mind, her eyes slowly looking to the left and right respectively. "Where are they at?" she wondered as she and the rabbit continue to approach the tiger with a calm manner, regardless of the level of uncomfortability they were feeling by being in his presence.
Completely unaware to the two mammals, two pairs of eyes have been watching them through the surveillance room on the fifth floor, one of them a female sheep and the second a male fox. Enishi Yukishiro Wilde and Dawn Bellwether had been watching their every movements since the vixen and rabbit had arrived.
Dawn was sitting on a roller chair watching the camera feed in the courtyard level, her eyes watching with pure interest. She was currently dressed in a white dress shirt with a black dress coat worn over her torso. Her legs were covered by a knee length skirt matching the color of her coat. A pair of black leather low heel dress shoes were worn over her hoofed feet-paws comfortably. Lastly, a pair of large, black framed, rounded rectangular glasses occupied her face to give her eyes a slightly bigger appearance
Enishi, on the other hand, was standing behind the sheep watching the camera feed of both Tomoe and Jenny approaching the Neo-Yaminobu leader. He was currently sporting a blue sleeveless top along with a pair of orange Chinese style pants with blue stripes running along the outside sides of them. His shirt was tucked in his pants and secured with a blue cloth belt. The fox's forearms and the backside of his hand-paws were covered in a pair of blue samurai bracers, just like how his blue open toe boots covered his feet-paws. A pair of small, circular sunglasses were attached onto his muzzle securely to give the fox a slight swagger to his look.
But despite that, the fox did not have a pleasant look on his expression.
"So it seems Tomoe brought that bunny with her… why am I not surprised?" Enishi spoke calmly, although bore a growl in his voice.
"I wouldn't worry about it, Enishi", Dawn replied with a light chuckle, turning the chair around and gazing directly at the fox's blue eyes. "Who knows. Maybe this will turn out for the better with her around", the sheep claimed with her arms crossed and bearing half-lidded eyes. "And if we're lucky enough, the Neo-Yaminobu may kill the assassin, and the Neo-Shogunate government will be able to take over the country unopposed", shortly after she said those words, the fox lets out a soft sigh before looking back at the camera feed.
"I suppose…" Enishi replied calmly, his eyes gazing at the surveillance feed and completely oblivious to the fact Dawn had turned her chair back towards the screen depicting the fourth floor courtyard level. "However, lets hope everything Iizuka and I set up still goes according to plan", alas, after thinking those words in his mind, the fox places his hand-paws inside of his pockets and clutches on some sort of object within the right pocket. Thus, the two mammals continue to watch with stern looks on their face, waiting for the conversation that is to transpire between the three mammals.
On the road near the New Otsu Woods
Completely unaware to Dawn Bellwether, along with Jenny and Tomoe, Matt Wilde was currently driving his car towards the location in which the meeting was to take place. His eyes were focused on the road, yet remained wide since he had read Tomoe's journal and had found an unimaginable truth he didn't expect to discover. The wound on his left cheek continued to bleed constantly, although not in dangerous quantities. His Katana and Wakizashi were placed on the front passenger's seat and secured with a purple silk scarf that belonged to his aunt.
His mind and his heart were currently clashing towards one another to the extent where he couldn't properly think, but that didn't stop the questions from forming inside of his mind. How could Tomoe be the true conspirator behind all of this? How long had she been involved with the Neo-Shogunate government? Had she been apart of the government all along, even before he and Jenny relocated to New Otsu? And why did she involve his mate into this whole affair? All of these questions were going through his head, but no answers came to mind.
His train of thought was cut short, however, when the fox's eyes widen at the sight of an individual crossing the unmarked road. He suddenly turns the wheel to the left and swerves towards the woods immediately, only for him to come at an abrupt stop when the front end of his car crashes onto one of the large pine trees. Smoke began rising from the damaged front end of the car unexpectedly, and the glass on the windshield was completely shattered. Matt wasn't physically hurt from the unexpected accident, regardless of the state of mind and heart, but he knew he couldn't linger here for much longer. He had to get to Tomoe and Jenny… quickly.
Shaking his head a couple of times, the fox turns to his right and grabs the two tied swords with his right hand-paw and kills the ignition to his damaged vehicle with the left. With both items in hand, the fox steps out of the car and places the key inside of his left cargo pocket before placing the two swords through his belt on the left side of his body.
With his weapons secure and Tomoe's purple silk scarf in, he turns to the right and notices a trail leading directly towards the direction where Bellwether Enterprises was located. He took a few steps towards the path, but stops suddenly and turns around. Just who the hell did he nearly hit? The fox rushes towards the road and began looking along the road, and strangely enough, nobody was there. Was he imagining things all this time, or had the mammal he nearly killed accidentally fled the scene?
Whatever the reason, he wasn't sure, but right now, he needed to go. The fox turns a hundred eighty degrees and was about to step forward, but was stopped at the sight of an unexpected, grotesque looking individual standing several feet in front of him.
Matt's eyes were wide upon seeing John Bellwether standing in front of him in the exact same clothes he had worn the night he had been slain by the Battousai. The wounds on his body were still there, including the stab wound through his head that ended the sheep's life. But that wasn't necessarily what made Matt's eyes wide with shock. It was the fact John literally looked dead to the point multiple signs of decay can be seed, especially with those lifeless eyes staring directly at him.
The fox shuts his eyes and shakes his head a couple of times before reopening them, glaring at the spot where John was standing… where he once stood. He was no longer standing in front of him, nor was he spotted anywhere else. Was he a ghost coming to haunt Matt… or was he an illusion within the fox's troubling mind? Honestly, he wasn't entirely sure, but now was not the time to linger here any longer.
With his swords secured on his left side and his mind somewhat more stable, the fox turns to the path leading into the woods and sprints into them. But completely unaware to him, he was being watched a lone figure in the shadows… with eyes gazing at the sprinting tod with a deathly glare.
Tomoe's residence
Emptiness… the feeling that was now filling the entire two story house, now that all of the residents occupying the house were now gone. Jenny and Tomoe had left to meet with the Neo-Yaminobu, and Matt had just left the house going after them, his mind and hearts clashing in cross paths. And with them gone, the entire household was empty, save for one particular mammal.
Iizuka was currently sitting on the second couch adjacent to the futon Matt and Jenny slept on together, his mouth gently biting the golden end of his small tobacco pipe and inhaling some of the plant into his longs. But shortly after inhaling some of the burning plant did he exhale the tobacco smoke from both his muzzle and through his nose, his eyes closed in a relaxed manner. But they didn't remain closed for much longer, for they reopen quarter-lidded and gaze directly at the futon the interspecies lovers slept on.
His gaze remains locked on the futon for at least fifteen seconds, yet to the examiner of executions, felt more like several minutes. The reminiscent of memories began to flow within the mind of the tanuki rapidly, some of them fond, and others unfeeling and forgettable. However, he could not remain within the household for much longer…
"My job's done", Iizuka said calmly, and with a flick of his pipe, the Japanese Raccoon Dog stands up from his seat and turns towards the front door. "I should probably find the next ship out of the country", as he said this, the examiner of executions takes several steps towards the front door. But his feet-paws suddenly come to a halt and turns his head towards the couch, almost as if he was compelled to look at the futon one last time. Not to take in the faint smell of sex, but to once again take in the memories of the past one more time. He remained like this for about twenty seconds before closing his eyes and smirk for only the briefest of moments. "Goodbye, Matt", and with the wave of his left hand-paw, the tanuki walks to the front door and exits the house, leaving the entire household empty and void of any of its occupants and guests.
Within the Forest Trail, New Otsu Woods
All was silent within the woods of New Otsu, and the fast pace of the vulpine's sprinting had slowed into walking, almost matching the pace of his soft breathing. Matt's eyes glare towards the path he followed for who knows how long distantly and almost lifelessly. The back of his left hand-paw wipes the constantly dripping blood from the slash wound on his corresponding cheek. And with the fresh blood wiped from his face, despite more of it slowly dripping down his cheek again, the fox lowers his hand-paw and continues to walk along the path silently.
His ears suddenly perk upward at a soft rustling sound, and his eyes suddenly widening now that he has become alert of his surroundings. Grabbing a hold of the long katana as he did, the fox pulls it out quickly following a horizontal sweep attack on his right. Although expecting to hack a possible attacker, he did not expect to slice a large portion of falling snow in two. His eyes slightly narrow in relief, despite the lack of change in his facial expression. But regardless, the fox turns to the front and continues progressing onwards towards Bellwether Enterprises…
Fourth Floor Courtyard, Bellwether Enterprises
"Why did you involve my younger brother in this?" the question leaving Tomoe's mouth cut the ongoing silence that had been going on for the past several minutes since their arrival, waiting for one of them to say something regarding the ongoing matter at hand. But at the question, Tatsumi's eyes narrow only slightly in a serious manner, his attention fully focused on the vixen in front of him.
"It was a tactical decision. We need every available weapon to destroy this menace", Tatsumi answered with a calm tone of voice, his eyes glaring sternly at the vixen as he spoke. His eyes soon close, however, and lets a soft sigh leave his mouth. "You see, it was the same reason we enlisted your services", the tiger explained, the vixen's eyes narrowing slightly and turning her head to the right.
"Where are all the others?" Tomoe asked while she was turning her head to the left and looking at the correlating direction momentarily before setting her sights at the Neo-Yaminobu leader, which the tiger himself had reopened his eyes just now.
"They're laying in wait…" Tatsumi replied with a brief pause. "Prepared to attack".
"You were supposed to wait for my word", Tomoe quickly replied shortly before hearing a scoff from the tiger himself.
"Your word?" Tatsumi asked calmly in disbelief. "And how long did you expect us to wait for your permission? Another season?" he asked. And that caused the vulpine to give him a surprised look on her face.
"But then why… why did you need me?" Tomoe asked with a genuinely curious, partially shocked expression on her face.
"Because, it would have been imprudent for us to attack him if both his mind and heart have been focused", Tatsumi began before turning his sights towards the rabbit standing next to Tomoe's right. "We originally intended you to provide the Battousai with a love only a mother can provide. However, it seems the rabbit you've brought has unknowingly helped defeat each of these things", those particular words coming out of her mouth caused the two women to gasp with shock. They had somehow figured out Matt's true weakness, a weakness Jenny was unaware of. But before either of them could reply, the tiger narrows his eyes slightly with a strong, dominating glare. "He is coming here".
"What?!" Jenny exclaimed with pure shock, her eyes wide, hand-paws shaking, and her nose twitching upon hearing this.
"As we speak, he is deciding whether or not he will kill you two", Tatsumi claimed with a brief pause. "His sense of betrayal and the yearnings of his heart are tearing at each other. This distraction will stop him from using his true skills. That has been our plan all along. Do you understand?", when he finished, both Jenny and Tomoe's mouths were open agape and their eyes were wide with shock.
"You… you've used us…" Tomoe began, but her her eyes soon narrow and her mouth clenches shut with a light snarl. "You've used Jenny as your pawn?!" the vixen growled with a mixture of both shock and slowly rising anger, her hand-paws clenching into tight fists at this realization.
"Yes we did, you're surprised?" Tatsumi asked prior to hearing another growl leaving the vixen's mouth. Tomoe's right hand-paw slowly reaches for the concealed dagger inside of her back pocket, the tiger cocking a calmly curious brow at the woman. Whatever she was planning to do, he kept his eyes locked onto her and continued to keep close surveillance of her actions.
The New Otsu Woods
Around the same time Tomoe and Jenny had began their discussion with the Neo-Yaminobu clan leader, Matt was currently walking along the path provided within the forest, his eyes continuing to gaze forward, although a bit distantly. The handle of his katana was gripped tightly on his right hand-paw while the purple scarf was gripped on his left. His tail swayed side to side slightly in correlation in his movements.
Completely unaware to the fox, however, Nakajo had been hiding behind one of the pine trees about twenty-three meters away from the path the assassin was walking along. The cougar was dressed in a modern ninja outfit, the top consisting a brown long sleeve tight fitting shirt being worn underneath a sleeveless black kimono shirt. A pair of black samurai bracers covered his forearms and back of his hand-paws, much like the brown open toe combat boots covered his feet-paws. His raven black hair was tied back, save for his bangs, since they were brushed to the to the sides of his head. Lastly, his weapons consisted of a katana matching the same length as Matt's along with a Chusen dart shooter attached onto his left forearm.
He watched the Battousai walk along the path intently for a moment before placing his left hand-paw into the snowy ground, his right pulling down the brown muzzle mask enough to allow him to scoop some of the snow into his mouth. The cougar covers his muzzle immediately afterwards and jumps speedily towards the assassin, loud sizzling noises that were much identical to the sound of ocean waves filling the silence in the forest.
Matt's ears perk at the noise of the cougar's movements and slowly turns his head to the left, looking backwards curiously for a moment before spotting the cougar preparing to strike him down with his blade. The vulpine quickly blocks the attack easily with their blades colliding with a loud 'CLING', however, but what made the fox uneasy was the way his opponent smirked at him from under the brown muzzle mask.
Nakajo jumps backwards and quickly places the back of the blade of his sword into his masked mouth before suddenly raising his left arm. The cougar swiftly grabs his forearm and fires a Chusen dart at the fox's right shoulder from the Chusen attached to his left forearm. Matt grunts in pain with a pair of wide, surprised eyes and his mouth slightly open, his vision blurring and clearing repetitively before slowly kneeling onto the ground. He barely caught the cougar jumping backwards into the safety of the woods, but the fox wasn't gonna go down without a fight.
The vulpine grabs a hold of the Chusen dart and quickly, albeit carefully, pulls the dart out of his shoulder and throws it several feet away from him. Blood splatters slightly from the wound, but nothing major fortunately. Nakajo had noticed this from a tree roughly thirty-five meters in front of the vulpine and cursed under his breath. But there wasn't any time to complain about this now. He had to bring the assassin down or at least die trying. The cougar turns his head forward and lowers his muzzle mask with the same hand-paw, taking a deep breath scooping up some snow from the ground. He places the snow he scooped up into his mouth and closes his muzzle mask, jumping silently away from his hiding spot and preparing to strike from another part of the wooded area they occupied.
The Fourth Floor Courtyard, Bellwether Enterprises
The prolonging quietude continues to linger within the courtyard Jenny, Tomoe, and Tatsumi currently occupied, even as Matt and Nakajo were currently fighting in the New Otsu woods nearby. Tomoe slowly begins pulling Jenny's dagger out of its sheath and shifts her gaze from the tiger towards her weapon of choice. But what she didn't realize was the fact she had made a terrible mistake turning his gaze away from the tiger.
Because the instant she did, Tatsumi immediately stands up and darts towards the vixen swiftly, his left hand-paw smacking the left side of her face and his right grabbing the weapon from behind the vulpine's back.
"Tomoe!" Jenny screamed and quickly rushes to the fallen vixen several feet away, allowing the tiger to look at the dagger in his hand. It was definitely quite large for both the vixen and the bunny to carry, but to the tiger, it was relatively small. However, he lowers the weapon and gazes at the two women several feet away, noticing Jenny gently placing her left forearm underneath the vixen's head.
"I've should have known something like this would happen", Tatsumi began with a scoff, throwing his arms up in the air for the moment before turning towards Tomoe. "Your motherly instincts for him are too strong for you to let go", the tiger paused for a moment and shifts his attention directly at the rabbit. "As for you, rabbit, you have fallen in love with him", those particular words caught the rabbit's attention as soon as he said them, her eyes widening and turning her head to the tiger several feet away.
"What?! How-"
"We have our ways", Tatsumi interrupted. "And I can understand it, however. Mammal feelings are comprecious", he continued while simultaneously placing the unsheathed weapon inside of his left pants pocket. "The emotional distance between the darkest hate and the deepest love is no more than the width of rice paper. Just as much as hate can cause a man to act out with extreme violence, love can cause a woman to cherish the worst of killers as if he were a newborn baby. Its the weakness of the heart, it's our most formidable enemy", he finished right before the vixen starts to recover from the blow she was dealt with on the left side of her face, slowly leaning her upper body upward and glaring at the ninja with furrowed brows, a deathly glare, and a snarl.
"You… you bastard…!" Tomoe growled, attempting to stand back up onto her feet-paws. However, she collapses onto the floor and coughs up a bit of blood shortly after. It was then she began to smirk with a light chuckle, shaking her head a couple times before continuing to speak. "Heh, it looks like… my work here is done", she claimed and closes her eyes a moment afterwards. The tiger smirks at the woman at first, but after spotting the vixen moving her right hand-paw into her corresponding hoodie pocket, he rushes towards the woman and suddenly picks her up swiftly by her neck. Jenny's eyes widen with shock as soon as she notices Tatsumi's large index finger being shoved into her mouth and blocking Tomoe's oral air passage.
"You can't die yet", Tatsumi spoke with a stern look right as he wraps his right arm around her body, his corresponding hand-paw grabbing the object she was intending to grab. And alas, he ended up finding another knife within, particularly a Japanese tanto knife. "Even if you were to kill yourself, his fate will be the same", he claimed all while Tomoe was doing whatever she could to free herself from his grasp. Blood and saliva began to drip down the sides of her mouth and onto the tiger's left thumb. He turns his head towards the vixen with one final question. "Has the assassin made you forget John Bellwether?"
The New Otsu Forest
Rapid footsteps were quickly filling the quietude of the woods where Matt and Nakajo were currently fighting, the cougar running directly towards the wounded vulpine up ahead. He raises his left arm forward and clutches the Chusen with his right hand-paw, quickly firing two Chusen darts at the fox as an attempt to injure the vulpine. Unfortunately, neither one of them would hit thanks to Matt swiftly blocking them with a defensive horizontal sweep attack, knocking the darts back and making them hit the snowy ground a couple feet away.
The cougar scowls at this and quickly draws his katana, gripping the back of the blade's handle with his left hand-paw and the front of the handle with his right. He was prepared to attack and end the assassin's life with his own blade…
Unfortunately, however, his blade would never be able to pierce the assassin whatsoever. Because right when Nakajo was about to perform a vertical sweep attack, Matt managed to pierce his blade right through the cougar's chest easily, much to his opponent's shock. The cougar slowly lowers his gaze towards the fox's blank, conflicting expression, the fox slowly pulling the blade out of his opponents chest with blood spewing out of the wound.
Nakajo turns away from the fox and began limping away from the scene, using his sword as a walking stick to help support himself. Painful grunts were constantly leaving his mouth even as he was trying to flee from the fox. But it didn't take much longer for him to drop his katana and collapse after taking a few steps away from his blade. Landing on his knees at first, he falls onto the ground face first, nearing death with his blurring, darkening vision.
But he wasn't gonna go down without pulling one last card, and his last card happened to be within his reach. Slowly reaching for a barely noticeable rope, following one last, painful cry, the cougar pulls on the rope hard enough to snap it. Alas, the last thing he saw was a bright white light, and then his vision fades to black for one last time…
Somewhere near the New Otsu Woods, moments ago
All was silent along the icy roads near the New Otsu woods, where nothing but the faint sounds of rapid footsteps occupy the silence within. And running along those roads was a seventeen year old, gray furred rabbit by the name of Judy Hopps, who was currently bearing a worried, panicked expression on her face.
Her torso was covered by a red plaid shirt being worn under a dark gray, slim fitting hoodie, which showed off the curves of her upper body and the small perkiness of her B-cup breasts. Underneath the sleeves of her hoodie, her forearms and the back of her hand-paws were covered by a pair of black samurai bracers. The lower portion of her body was covered in a pair of sanded blue skinny fitting jeans, with a pair of black open toe boots covering her feet-paws. Lastly, attached to the left side of her body was a large, sheathed hunting knife with a blade that's just a few inches longer than her forearm.
The reason why she was running along the cement roads was because she was in search for her father, Stu. Last night, sometime after Judy and her father had settled at a local motel halfway between Kawasabus and New Otsu, they were attacked by a few of the Neo-Yaminobu ninja's led by Nakajo. Although Judy had managed to get away from the scene, her father wasn't so fortunate. And as a result of the attack, Stu had been taken by the Neo-Yaminobu back to New Otsu.
But because of all the running she had to do in order to find her father, along with the lack of sleep, she found herself coming to a stop with heaving breaths, She bends her knees slightly, her upper body slumps forward, and her hand-paws grabs her legs just above her knees. Even in the cold winter outside, her face was covered in sweat from running almost non-stop since her father's kidnapping last night. She needed to find her father. She needed-
'BA-CHOOM'
The rabbit was about to say something when her ears suddenly perk upward the instant she heard the explosion go off within the distance. She turns to her eyes and her eyes widen at the thick cloud of light gray smoke forming up the wooded hill within the distance.
"What the hell's going on?" Judy muttered softly and narrows her eyes slightly at the sight of the explosion. Whatever happened up there, it didn't look good. Something needs to be done about it… and quickly. "I need to check this out! I have to know what's going on in this god forsaken place", and after saying those words, the bunny quickly starts sprinting at the direction where the explosion occurred, completely unaware of what was truly going on deep within the woods.
The Fourth Floor Courtyard, Bellwether Enterprises
'Has the assassin made you forget John Bellwether?'
That particular question constantly rang within the mind of Tomoe Yukishiro Wilde, whom was still struggling to breath through her mouth thanks to the tiger's finger bring inside of her oral opening. It was obvious she didn't forget about John, but she didn't want to recall any of the memories she had with John after what he had done to her older brother, John Victor Wilde. But why was that question constantly bothering her? Why would Tatsumi even ask that?
'BA-CHOOM'
The instant she and the others heard that explosion, the tiger gently throws the vixen out of his grip and turns his head to the right, while Jenny was rushing towards Tomoe the instant she was freed from his grasp. Whether for good or for bad, at least she no longer had to think of the question ringing in her mind, even if it was only temporary. Their eyes spot a very faint cloud within the long distance of the forest. Although the bunny and the vixen were not entirely sure what had happened, the tiger, on the other hand, knew exactly what had transpired.
Nakajo had failed to kill the assassin.
And with this knowledge, the tiger refocuses his attention towards the two women in front of him, particularly towards the harshly coughing vixen with narrow eyes.
"What was John Bellwether to you? Was he not the love of your life, the man you held so dear to your soul?" Tatsumi asked with a serious tone in his voice, the vixen's coughing soon turning to softer breaths as he spoke. "Can he be so easily forgotten?" that struck a cord with the vixen the instant those words left the ninja's muzzle, Tomoe's eyes widening with a mixture of shock and anger in them.
Even as the tiger was engaging in a conversation with the two women, or at least towards Tomoe, Matt was continuing along the pathway at a slightly slower pace. White puffs of expiration left his mouth in the cold air as he continued to walk in almost pure silence. Although unharmed from the shock waves of the explosion, his ears were currently bleeding because of the deafening volume and force of them. Because of that explosion, until he gets his ears treated, he now has to deal with the loss of most of his hearing. But with his sword in hand, he will continue his path towards Bellwether Enterprises and deal with the Neo-Shogunate conspirators involved with the plotting of his assassination.
"He loved you more than that. He died for you. Is this how you will repay his sacrifice?" Tatsumi asked, a calmly serious tone being heard with the sound of his voice. Even if the vixen was still angry and shocked, a soft gasp left her mouth the instant the question was asked. She remained silent, and didn't even bother answer… "John traveled to Kawasabus even though he knew he wasn't a competent swordsman. He wanted to be a hero for you so you could look at him with admiration", the tiger continued, but slightly narrows his eyes at the vixen as he continued to speak. "Why would a mammal go to such great lengths for his betrothed?", he asked, pausing only for a short moment to close his eyes. "Can you tell me?"
"I can't answer that…" Tomoe replied, albeit with a slight sob, the vixen looking up with tears slowly beginning to stream down her face. "He shouldn't have killed my brother! If he hadn't killed my brother nor got himself involved with the Neo-Shogunate government, we would've lived happy together!" she growled at the tiger standing in front of her, Jenny's eyes turning towards the Neo-Yaminobu leader and catching the tiger's eyes narrowing at the female vulpine.
"John did it because he had no choice", Tatsumi began, but slightly softens his glare even if it retained the stern expression in them. "Each man must live to please his family, his town, and the Neo-Shogunate. This is the only way peace can be maintained", the tiger paused for a moment and turns his gaze towards the woods, the direction where he knew the Battousai would be coming from. "John lived his life well, and he died protecting the most precious society mammal kind has ever known. It is because of diligence like his that the Neo-Shogunate has maintained peace for several years since its making in Ohio. A peace that was hard WON, and that is forcefully sustained", he continued despite hearing the vixen's angry sobs. Tomoe and Jenny's gaze turn towards the tiger, who had now turned his back against him during a brief pause.
"The assassin represents those who believe mammals can live in peace without enforcement by the powerful", Tatsumi continued following a light growl, albeit a calm one at that. "An insulting idea…. To believe this, is to paint the Neo-Shoguns as cruel tyrants. In truth, we prevent a mammal from following their basic instincts, which would make the entire region a hell on Earth…" It was after he said those words when the tiger closes his eyes, allowing himself to momentarily recollect his thoughts and think of what to say next.
The conversation continued between the three mammals up in the courtyard. But as it did, Matt Wilde drew closer towards the facility with each step he made, regardless of the weary state he was in. But completely oblivious to the fox, two pairs of eyes were watching the assassin approaching the area they currently occupied. One of them was hidden in the shadows of the forest, despite the assassin's reflection being seen on the metallic claws it was equipped with. As for the other, Sumita was currently waiting for the assassin with a large ax equipped on him. But one common thing they both wore were was the fact they both wore the exact same clothing Nakajo did before he had been eliminated by the assassin.
Matt stops dead on his tracks the instant his weary eyes spot the Neo-Yaminobu husky roughly forty yards away. The husky suddenly uses this opportunity to swing the ax behind him and allows him to hold the large weapon perpendicularly with his body's stance. That was when Sumita began sprinting directly towards the fox with both hand-paws gripping the handle of his huge ax. The fox's eyes gaze at the approaching husky and watches the male lift the ax up effortlessly, swinging it directly at him in an attempt to slay the assassin.
Unfortunately, the attack wouldn't go through as planned thanks to Matt blocking it with his own blade. But even with the fox blocking it effortlessly, Matt was still knocked back against one of the trees thanks to the force of the husky's attack. He was about to attack when the fox felt a pair of sharp, metallic claws suddenly piercing, no, digging into his right shoulder for a moment. Matt let out a loud grunt of pain before looking upwards, where he briefly saw what appeared to be an elongated arm of a jaguar. But his widened eyes quickly turn back towards the front and notices the husky preparing to strike him down with his huge ax.
"Shit!" Matt exclaimed within his mind right as he quickly dodges the attack a second before the ax could strike him down, which the sharp blade merely strikes through a good chunk of the tree. Now that the fox was alert, and despite the bleeding injury on his right shoulder, he prepares his weary body for yet another battle that'll end in victory or claim his life in the end.
Tatsumi's eyes were still closed shortly after he had spoken with Tomoe directly. However, he soon reopens them and continues to look at the direction where the New Otsu woods were located, the same woods he knew Sumita and another one of his own were fighting.
"This extreme level of control is sometimes mistaken for tyranny", Tatsumi began, completely unaware of the vixen lowering her head slightly and shaking her head a few times. "Were each man were allowed to follow his heart, the accumulated savagery would make the Neo-Shogunates pale in comparison", he paused only for a moment and turns his head towards the two females, the rabbit wrapping her arms around Tomoe gently and the tiger's eyes glaring at the two with narrow eyes. "We will avenge John Bellwether's death with the assassin's life".
As soon as the words left the tiger's mouth, he turns away from the two women despite hearing a shocked, frightened gasp leaving the bunny's mouth. Her eyes gaze directly at the tiger with a level of fear she couldn't comprehend. Her right hand-paw clutches the left side of her chest, where her heart was pounding hard. She had to do something, but how could she in the position she was in?
"Matt…" her lover's name rang inside of Jenny's mind as her breathing became heavy and her eyes wide with fear. All she could do was hope for his safety… or at the very least, come to her and Tomoe alive…
Matt was constantly panting at this point, and holding the bleeding wound with his left hand-paw. His vision was slightly blurring in and out on him during the battle, and was unsure of how long he can remain conscious. Fortunately for him, however, the bleeding has slowed down drastically thanks to him using Tomoe's purple silk scarf as an improvised bandage. But now he had to deal with the assassins sent to kill him before they succeed.
Speaking of which, Sumita raises his ax over his body and suddenly began sprinting towards the fox, his weapon prepared to strike him down with a single swing. Matt's weary eyes focus on the quickly approaching husky as best as he could, raising his blade at the moment Sumita attempted to attack him.
"Jenny…" Matt muttered softly, almost inaudibly shortly before the fox raises his blade the instant the husky swung his ax. He successfully blocks the attack, but again was knocked back from the force of the attack. But right as he manages to recover, several metallic claw-like blades horizontally strike his back painfully, yet the dull expression on Matt's face remained. "Tomoe…" he said softly with the same tone in his voice before slowly walking towards the husky, who had raised his ax and prepared for another attack.
Completely unaware from Matt, the Neo-Yaminobu ninja who struck him from behind began approaching the fox in a quick pace, his right pair of metallic claws being raised and prepared to kill the assassin. The jaguar was about to swing his unusually elongated arm at the fox when he spotted a gray furred mammal approaching the sight with the corner of his eye. Just as Matt suddenly strikes the husky by piercing his blade right through his gut, the jaguar quickly jumps backwards onto one of the branches of a nearby tree, thus hiding himself within the shadows of the forest. The jaguar's eyes glare directly towards the approaching gray mammal within the distance, his metallic claws unsheathed and ready to kill if necessary.
Judy Hopps had just arrived on the scene a moment after Matt had impaled the husky with his blade, the rabbit's eyes gazing directly towards the fox with a pair of shocked, frightened eyes. She was shocked with the sharp wits Matt had with a sword, and terrified at what he had just did. But more importantly, she was completely confused with the events that were currently transpiring right before her eyes.
"What the hell?!" Judy suddenly exclaimed and causing both the fox and the husky to turn their attention towards the gray furred bunny. Matt's eyes widen upon recognizing the bunny the instant he saw her, pulling his katana out of the Sumita's gut and causing the husky to collapse onto the ground. Although he had collapsed, he began slowly crawling away from the scene towards an unknown destination.
"Judy… what are you doing here?" Matt asked softly with panting breaths, although began approaching the bunny slowly despite his injuries.
"What do you mean 'what am I doing here'? What the hell's going on?!" Judy exclaimed with widened eyes, a gasp leaving her mouth and covers it with her hand-paws as soon as her eyes fix themselves on Matt's injured body. "Oh my god, Matt! You're bleeding!" she shouted, completely unaware that the jaguar had raised his right hand-paw and prepared to strike the bunny from behind.
Fortunately, however, Matt quickly catches this and narrows his eyes at the elongated limb of the ninja. Quickly grabbing the hilt of his wakizashi with his left hand-paw, the fox suddenly draws the short blade out and immediately throws the weapon like a dagger, much to Judy's surprise. The blade quickly pierces right through the ninja's metallic clawed hand-paw and pins it onto the tree it occupied, following a loud growl in pain. Judy quickly shifts her gaze towards the pinned hand-paw and gasps with shock. She was about to say something when Matt suddenly opened his mouth and causes the bunny to turn at his direction.
"Don't worry about me, Jude", Matt began with soft, panting breaths while turning his head towards the rabbit. "I've been in many life or death situations within the past few years", he added with a chuckle before gazing his eyes at the jaguar without turning his head, indirectly gazing at his direction. "As for you, I'll kill you in a minute, so stay put", the fox ordered with a growl right before gripping the hilt of his katana tightly and beginning to walk towards the husky, who was still slowly crawling away from the scene despite his bleeding injury.
"Matt, what are you-"Judy began to ask, but the grunts coming from the jaguar remaining in the shadows had caused her sensitive ears to perk at the sound of his painful grunts and turns her attention towards the shadow assassin's direction. Her eyes gaze at his left hand-paw trying to pull the wakizashi out of his hand-paw before slowly gazing up along his unusually elongated arms.
"Ugh, I can't get the damn blade out! Damn you, Battousai!" shortly after the shadow assassin cursed, the rabbit's horrified scream snaps him from his attention and looks towards the bunny, who was not looking directly at his masked face. His eyes widen at this just before noticing the Battousai's gaze turning directly at him as well.
From what Matt and Judy can see, the jaguar was dressed in the exact same clothing as Sumita, yet with a few exceptions on the list. For one, he wore a pair of metallic clawed gloves on both of his hand-paws, one of which was gripping the hilt of the wakizashi tightly. Another distinction regarding his clothes was the face he wore a black mask that covered his head to its entirety, with a pair of large, fiery white pattern hovering around the eyes of the mask. But the last distinction was much more terrifying than anything else either one of them, or in Judy's case at least, was the unusually sharp teeth he bore in his mouth.
"I should've suspected it was you all along", Matt began with narrowed eyes, panting as he spoke from his wounds. "The one rumored to be hiding in the shadows, moving about and killing his targets with a pair of metallic clawed gloves. The one who single handedly murdered Katagai", the fox continued, much to the jaguar and Judy's surprise. "So that's what you truly are… Yatsume Mumyōi", with the identity of the shadow assassin being revealed, the rabbit turns her head back to the masked jaguar and notices him growling with a mixture of both shock and anger.
"You both saw me…" the jaguar, now identified as Yatsume, growled with shock in his tone before turning his attention towards the assassin. "You know my name…" but shortly after he said those words, the long limbed jaguar quickly starts pulling his hand-paw upwards despite the consequences of having half of his hand-paw sliced in half. He honestly didn't care about the consequences. He honestly wanted to get the fuck out of there after he, the assassin of shadow, had been spotted."This body is the legacy of the Yatsume family! It's the law of our family to kill anybody who sees us!" as he said this, the shadow assassin successfully pulls his hand-paw out of the wakizashi and immediately flees from the scene. "I will leave this fight for now, but I will kill you both! Time may pass and the years may change, but I will kill you both! Especially you, Battousai the Animal Slayer!"
And with those last words, the assassin was out of their sights and leaving the two mammals there alone, with the exception of Sumita who was crawling away from them in the opposite direction from where Yatsume was heading. Judy turns her head towards Matt with a pair of wide eyes shortly after she heard the shadow assassin call Matt a certain name.
"Matt… you're Battousai the Animal Slayer…? The same assassin the authorities are looking for in Kawasabus?!" Judy asked with a shocked tone, the fox giving her a gently nod with narrow eyes.
"Yeah…" Matt replied softly, but Judy was able to capture his response thanks to her sensitive hearing. However, her ears perk up and turns to her right, the painful grunts from the husky catching her attention. Matt's eyes quickly gaze at the direction where Judy was looking at and catches him grabbing some sort of rope from the snow. That immediately causes his eyes to widen. "Oh shit…" he said softly before quickly turning to the rabbit. "Judy, get far away from here, now!"
"Matt, what are you-"
"NOW!" Matt quickly interrupted by grabbing her shoulders and quickly turning her a hundred eighty degrees, immediately shoving her in that direction as quickly as he could. It was then when she quickly starts running in that direction and turning back towards the fox who shoved her. She glared at him at first, but when she heard the faint 'snap' of a rope, following an explosion going off, she immediately sets her gaze in front of her and continues to speed off in the distance.
Matt, on the other hand, stood there with his eyes directed towards the explosion, seeing the husky's body become engulfed by the explosion itself. Matt quickly became blinded by the bright light from the explosion before being knocked backwards against a tree nearly fifty yards away from where he once stood. And by uttering Jenny's name softly, the fox's consciousness fades and his vision is quickly engulfed in darkness.
The Fourth Floor Courtyard, Bellwether Enterprises
The eyes of Tatsumi continue to remain focused on the New Otsu Woods near Bellwether Enterprises, his eyes glaring intently and his mind in complete thought. Jenny continues to do whatever she could to comfort Tomoe by keeping her arms wrapped around the vixen's body, yet both her and Tomoe's eyes remain fixed upon the tiger standing before them.
'BA-CHOOM'
The familiar sound caused the two women to shift their gaze towards the large light gray cloud forming within the woods, their eyes widening at one particular realization. To them, another battle had ended, and Matt had succeeded in killing or wounding his opponents. Tatsumi, on the other hand, realized that both Sumita and Yatsume had failed to kill the Battousai.
"He is stronger than I had expected after these many idle weeks after the Zootopia Incident", Tatsumi began with a calm tone before closing his eyes. "I will be his final opponent. Then the Neo-Shogunate will remain unopposed", after declaring himself to becoming Matt's next opponent, he reopens his eyes and turns his head towards the left, focusing his attention on the two women behind him. "I invite you two to watch me destroy that pernicious fox. It would be a fitting tribute for you both to see me exact vengeance for John Bellwether's loss", the tiger continued. "He died for your sake, Tomoe, and for you to betray his memory would be an unforgivable dishonor", and with that, he began walking away from the two women and walks directly to the heart of the courtyard itself.
"Bullshit…" Tomoe thought within her own mind. "If anything, he died for his sister's sake…" the vixen claimed inside of her mind shortly before feeling the rabbit place her hand-paws onto her cheeks, causing the older woman to look up at the younger one's face curiously. Instead of seeing a frightened look on Jenny's face, she saw one full of determination. And with the way her eyes gazed at Tomoe's in a serious manner, the vixen returns the gaze with a nod.
"Matt's still alive, and he will save us no matter the cost", Jenny said softly prior to shifting her gaze towards the New Otsu woods. "I'm certain of that", she continued with determination with the vixen staring at her in awe at first. However, she, too, turns her attention towards the woods and gazes at them, her eyes burning with determination and the knowledge of Matt coming to their aid.
New Otsu Woods, roughly two minutes later
Pain… pure, unimaginable pain…
That was the current feeling Matt was dealing with as of right now, continuously for nearly two minutes since the explosion had occurred. His eyes had been closed shortly after they had been completely engulfed in a bright, white light. Now they were only seeing darkness, at least until he attempted to reopen them. He slowly reopens them, but all he could see was the faintest outlines of the closest trees nearby. Even with that, he still couldn't make out much of the details of his current surroundings. That meant only one thing.
The explosion had blinded most of his keen vision.
But even with the temporary loss of his vision, the wounded fox slowly stands back up onto his feet-paws and uses his unsheathed katana as a walking cane to support himself. The only senses he had left were touch, taste, and smell. He couldn't taste anything within the environment, so that particular sense was pointless to use. And because of that, the only senses he can honestly rely on is smell and touch.
With the cold winds blowing through the woods, perhaps he can use this as a temporary navigator while using what little vision he has left until he recovers. With this in mind, the fox slowly starts walking towards the northwest in hopes of finding Tomoe and his precious bunny, Jenny.
Then all of the sudden, his nose twitches involuntarily the instant he caught a faint, but familiar scent blowing through the winds. It wasn't the smell of blood or burnt, furred flesh from Sumita's body, nor was it the scent of gun powder from the explosives the husky set off.
It was the scent of White Plums, the scene he had grown accustomed to since he had met Jenny.
Now that he had caught her scent, which was coming from the western direction, the fox follows the faint smell blowing through the winds. Slowly he walked and supporting himself with his sword, the panting fox kept following the faint scent of his lover's perfume in the west, the smell that gradually grew as he continued. His eyes were half-lidded and the wounds on his body continued to bleed slowly. He was exhausted, but he wasn't gonna stop until he had gotten both his bunny and his aunt back safely.
Not too far from his current position, Judy slowly reopens her eyes and relieves her hand-paws from her long ears, upon which she had covered moments before the explosion had occurred. And although her ears were ringing to a certain extent, she hadn't lost her hearing where the fox had lost most of his. Her eyes trail towards the sight where the disintegrated body of Sumita was located, whom for the most part had become nothing but burnt ash and bits of burnt furred flesh and bone. She covers her mouth at the sight, right until her left ear perked at the sound of faint footsteps leaving the scene. She quickly perks her head towards the left and gasps at what she had saw.
Matt was a complete mess, not to mention his wounds were slowly, but continuously bleeding. And shortly after her shocked gasp did she watch Matt collapse onto the ground and painting the white snow crimson with his blood. She starts sprinting towards his direction and immediately kneels next to him the instant the fox tried standing up.
"Matt, you're bleeding!" Judy suddenly exclaimed with wide eyes, yet the fox continued to try standing up as if she were never there. Before long, the fox manages to regain his stance and supports himself with his katana.
"Must… save… Jenny…" Matt began with soft, panting breaths before he began slowly parting towards the west. "Must… save… Tomoe…" the fox continued with panting breaths, and even with the ringing continuing to occupy Judy's ears, the bunny was able to capture what he said with almost perfect clarity. And as he was walking away from her, the rabbit came to one obvious conclusion.
"Good god. He's acting as if I'm not even here…" Judy thought inside of her mind as she gazes at the departing wounded fox. "If he's gotten completely delusional, then his injuries must be more serious than I thought…", and as that thought crossed the rabbit's mind, the bunny stands back onto her feet-paws and began following the wounded fox, albeit within a safe enough distance to avoid startling the wounded assassin.
But there was one thing about Matt she had guessed right: He has become delusional after the second explosion…
No longer was Matt standing within the snowy environment of the New Otsu Woods, but within an unknown plane of darkness where not even his nocturnal vision can see. However, a path of lanterns lightened his path a light yellow color. Red flower pedals began falling from a massively sized tree on the right side of the path nearby, yet the falling of red flower pedals and the tall tree up ahead wasn't the only thing occupying the darkness.
"Mr. Wilde, I was expecting you to return earlier this evening. What happened?", the voice of Amaya spoke within the darkness, though to Matt's right, the gray furred vixen bearing a black kimono with red branch shaped patterns embedded on the garment itself. And right now, she was sitting in front of a shoji wall with her hand-paws concealed within the sleeves of her kimono.
"She'll need shelter, Amaya", the voice of Matt replied to the vixen's own with a calm, quick tone as the injured fox continued along the lighted path in the darkness.
"You Ishin-Mirkwood soldiers are so industrious. You kill all night and still pick up a whore", Amaya's voice replied with a tone filled with a mixture of distaste and calmness.
"She'll need a room"
And right after Matt's voice responded to Amaya's voice did the image of her vanish into thin air, never to be seen again with the vulpine's wounded mind. And now on the left side of the trail stood an unexpected figure. Nicholas P. Wilde was currently standing on what seems to be a concrete floor in nothing but a pair of black slacks, a matching colored button up dress coat, and a dark cerulean blue neck sweater.
"Look… I already know for a fact you've killed a lot, I mean a lot, of mammals, and I can't say I condone what you're doing, or your reasons behind this", the voice of Nick began. "But… If it wasn't for you… I wouldn't be here. So… thank you for saving me, Battousai… or whoever you are", with those final words leaving the fox's mouth, the image of Nick disappears into the darkness as the wounded assassin continues along the lighted path in the darkness of his mind.
Even as the fox continued to progress, he was soon met with another illusion from his past, one that happened just two months ago. On the right side of the lighted path stood both Thrandeer Katzuma and his nine-tailed kitsune companion, Maria, both of whom were in front of a shoji door. Thrandeer was currently sporting the usual Ishin-Mirkwood clothing attire while the kitsune herself was currently sporting a light purple kimono with dark indigo blue floral patterns on the garment.
"You two must get out of Kawasabus Immediately, and travel to New Otsu. I'll arrange a safe house for you. You will live and continue your education there as a High School couple", the voice of Thrandeer said right before the illusion of both he and Maria dissipate in the air, leaving the fox to continue along the lighted path in the darkness.
With panting breaths, the fox continued to progress along the path by using his katana to help support himself. Red flower pedals began falling onto the ground like snow falling from the cloudy skies. But even if he seemed to walk the path alone, that was certainly not the case. An illusion of Jenny began following the wounded fox sporting the same clothing she had worn at the Kazuki-Mai club the night of the Idekaya District incident, the shoulder cut long sleeve shirt, black leather pants and all. However, like Matt, her eyes were half-lidded, and she lacked a smile on her face. Her expression was unreadable, emotionless perhaps.
"Go to… New Otsu…" Matt uttered softly with panting breaths as he continued to progress along the lighted pathway in the darkness, the emotionless illusion of his bunny continuing to follow him from several feet behind. But even if the lights were guiding him in the darkness, the lights from the lanterns began to dim to almost nothing.
Almost nothing….
But then another light suddenly forms from behind the fox, radiating his back with a slight hint of warmth upon his gradually cooling body. But that slight hint of light hitting his back was enough to cease the vulpine from his tracks, causing the male to turn around and look upon the source of the light.
"Go to…"
Instead of darkness, he was looking upon the reddish orange skies and the sun setting within a familiar set of woods. Was it the New Otsu woods? Or perhaps the Tri-Burrows forest near the correctional camp site? Honestly, he couldn't tell what, no, where he was exactly, nor did he care right at this moment. Instead of trying to figure it out, the vulpine turns around and continues along the direction he was going.
"New… Otsu…."
Then at long last, he was no longer within the darkness of his mind, but near the end of the path in the New Otsu forest. The wind began blowing towards his direction and had provided clarity in his right eye. Although some of his vision had recovered, he still couldn't make out much of the features within the long distance, and a single tear of blood sheds from his right eye. But there was one thing he can make out with complete clarity:
Bellwether Enterprises.
And he was only five hundred yards away from the side parking lot leading to the front. And knowing this, five words leave the vulpine's mouth and range in correlation with the howling of the wind, only to be heard by a single gray bunny standing several feet away from the wounded fox.
"We'll go… to New Otsu!"